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Showbiz Tonight
More Celebrity Antics
Aired November 16, 2007 - 23:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
A.J. HAMMER, HOST: A judge rules Britney Spears can`t drive with her kids in the car, and Katie Couric makes fun of Dan Rather when she thinks no one is listening. I`m A.J. Hammer in New York. TV`s most provocative entertainment news show starts right now.
On SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, Lindsay Lohan`s ridiculous 84 minutes in jail. That`s right. Count them - 84 minutes for multiple DUI and drug possession. What in the world is going on here? Tonight, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT with Lindsay`s 84-minute jail fiasco.
Are you kidding me? Lindsay`s blink and you miss it jail term is just the beginning. Britney Spears running over people`s feet several times. Stories that Angelina Jolie bought an island, split her pants, and could lose one of her kids. Has the world gone mad? Tonight, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT has got to ask, are you kidding me?
Hello, I`m A.J. Hammer broadcasting tonight and every night from New York City and the bad news keeps on going for Britney Spears. There was dramatic decision today from a judge on when her kids cannot be with her. And Britney only has herself to blame. That is coming up. But first, Lindsay Lohan goes to jail for an amazing 84 minutes. And No, I did not misspeak. Not 84 days. I said 84 minutes. You know, that`s two whole minutes more than Nicole Richie spent in jail for her DUI conviction. What can I say? It is tough being a star convict in Hollywood.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
HAMMER (voice over): Now that she`s enjoying life out of rehab, Lindsay Lohan has a lot on her to do list. Catch up with girlfriends, check, hang out with her new boyfriend, check, bang out that jail sentence for DUI, check.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This is basically an errand.
HAMMER: Yes. Lindsay Lohan went to jail Thursday to serve her time for a drunk driving offense. The grand total of her time in jail -- 84 minutes.
JULIA ALLISON, STAR MAGAZINE: Eighty four minutes. That will teach her.
HAMMER: A perplexed Julie Allison of "Star" magazine tells SHOWBIZ TONIGHT Lindsay Lohan`s brief sentence is nothing short of baffling.
ALLISON: Lindsay`s last movie "I Know Who Killed Me" was 105 minutes. Which is only 21 minutes longer than her jail time, what kind of world do we live in where people have to suffer through Lindsay`s movie and Lindsay doesn`t even have to suffer through jail time that`s equivalent.
HAMMER: Yes, what kind of world are we in? It`s the world of Hollywood`s short starlet sentences.
MICHAEL HUNDGEN, TMZ TV: It`s like one after another, who could top each other for less time.
HAMMER: First there was the day long mini sentence authorities tried to give to Paris Hilton after she violated probation on her drinking and driving case. Then there was Nicole Richie`s quickie jail stay for her second DUI after she was caught driving the wrong way on a freeway. Now, Lindsay has served less than two hours force two DUIs. One in May where she crashed her Benz into a tree and another in July where she allegedly carjacked an SUV and chased another car around LA as the frightened passengers dialed 911.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh, my gosh. We need help.
HAMMER: Yes, once in jail, Lindsay was found with a small amount of cocaine on her. Whoops.
ALLISON: This is just innocent adolescent hijacking.
HAMMER: Maybe so, but SHOWBIZ TONIGHT is asking, is it us or does it just seem that when Hollywood starlets drive drunk, you can measure their jail time not with a calendar but with a stopwatch.
ALLISON: This is really going to send a message to all of young Hollywood. You`ll be punished with 84 minutes. Maybe 86.
HAMMER: Lindsay did her 84 minutes of hard time here at the Lynnwood Jail, the same jail where Paris and Nicole did their time. Lohan had just enough time for a mug shot and a search. Unlike her last jailhouse search, Lindsay came out of this one clean.
ALLISON: Lindsay had definitely learned the lesson, don`t bring coke into jail.
HAMMER: All told, Lindsay`s jail time was a full two minutes longer than Nicole Richie`s 82-minute sentence.
ALLISON: She had just enough time to send post cards to her friends, dear Nicole, I can se what you meant when said it`s really not that bad to get arrested for DIU and have to go and serve jail time. Who knew?
HAMMER: But Lindsay`s debt to society isn`t fully paid yet. Still has community service to do. TMZ TV`s Michael Hundgen tells SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, Lohan`s doing her community service at the Red Cross.
HUNDGEN: It`d probably be nice to get some coke from after giving blood.
HAMMER: LA sheriffs say Lohan got her in and out sentence for the same reason they cited when they let Paris Hilton out of jail early -- overcrowding. But when Paris Hilton got released from jail after three days, the nation erupted in pro tuft.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is a miscarriage of justice.
HAMMER: A protest that calmed only when sheriff`s deputies hauled her back to jail to serve out her full 23 days. But there is no such outcry for Lindsay`s quickie sentence. TMZ TV`s Michael Hundgen tells SHOWBIZ TONIGHT people just like Lindsay better.
HUNDGEN: They feel for her and they want her to come back and they want her to make movies and do well.
HAMMER: But we must say Lindsay has managed to keep her nose clean in recent weeks. Come to think of it Paris and Nicole have also been trouble free after their quickie sentences. Julie Allison has a suggestion as to how the three starlets can celebrate their newfound lives of clean living.
ALLISON: Nicole and Paris and Lindsay should get matching Lynnwood jail tattoos.
HAMMER: Ladies, consider it a stay out of trouble reminder.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HAMMER (on camera): All right: So here`s what I want to know, are we being too hard on Lindsay for spending just 84 minutes in jail or is the system to blame? Joining me tonight, from Hollywood, Ken Seeley, leading interventionist on A&E`s show "Intervention." Also in Hollywood tonight, investigative journalist and author of this fabulous book, "Secrets can be murder," Jane Velez Mitchell. Ken and Jane, as always, appreciate you being here. Now, help me out. When you consider that Lindsay went to jail for two DUI convictions and cocaine possession, Ken, is there any way we can call this justice at all?
KEN SEELEY, INTERVENTIONIST, A&E`S "INTERVENTION": A.J. this is an embarrassment to our legal system. This is telling everybody the wrong message that it`s OK to go out and not get only one DUI, but two DUIs and you can get away with it. If you have the money, you can get away with it, and it`s not acceptable because the way she was driving down that road that night, she could have killed somebody, both times. She could have killed somebody or herself. And it`s not acceptable. We have to do something about it as the public. If the legal system isn`t going to do it, we have to do it.
HAMMER: Jane, you have spent a lot of time covering the cross roads of Hollywood and the law. Maybe you can give me some insight. Because, I understand when they talk about overcrowding, using this as the excuse for cutting her loose so quickly. But, we`ve been down this road before. How does it not smack of star special treatment?
JANE VELEZ MITCHELL, INVESTIGATIVE REPORTER: It`s totally special treatment, no matter what they say. They also cite the fact that it was a nonviolent crime. It`s only a nonviolent crime because that`s the way they charged it. According to those who were there, Lindsay Lohan ran over someone`s foot, commandeered a vehicle with two people inside, went on a high speed chase, used that vehicle to intimidate somebody else to the point that they raced over to a police station. Anybody else, and I`m talking about minorities and low income people would probably be charged with carjacking, kidnapping, leaving the scene of a crime, assault with a deadly weapon. So the special treatment is all way through the system. This is a basically a broken criminal justice system. We have a two-tiered system of justice. This is emblematic of it. She didn`t even have to put on an orange jumpsuit, she didn`t have to eat the food, she didn`t have to go behind a jail cell, she didn`t have to sleep there. That says to me that we are morally bankrupt as a society where some people get to go to jail and other people are maybe to blonde and to pretty for prison.
HAMMER: Yes, but Jane, so what about all that. Because you know, Lindsay Lohan is a reformed young woman, at least if you ask her mom. Her mother Dina Lohan, spoke with "People" magazine today about the time that her daughter spent in jail. Here`s what she told "People" magazine, quote, "Lindsay has been given a new start and will put this behind her. She is focused on educating others of the dangers of drinking and driving." Ken, I don`t really understand this. If she wants to be seen as an example of what can happen to people who drink and drive, what can she do? She can`t go around on a speech circuit saying, hey, if you drink and drive, you get thrown in jail for 84 minutes.
SEELEY: Exactly. And what`s happening here is her mother is waiting with her cocktail dress waiting to her to get invited to the next party. That`s the reality. Her mother doesn`t know anything. Join mothers against drunk driving and get the education on what happens with people that end up drinking and driving. They serve hard time. Her mother would be trying to get her to serve that time to make her feel the consequence to say, enough is enough, Lindsay. This behavior is not acceptable. And the only reason why I believe she`s sober is because she`s in that relationship. We`re going to see when that relationship ends, guaranteed she`s going to be back on the circuit and we are going to be facing more of her consequences.
HAMMER: I don`t know, it`s hard time -- 84 minutes supposed to Nicole Richie`s 82 minutes. Both of them for repeat DUI offenses. Now, you want to talk some serious hard time, Paris Hilton, 23 days in jail, that was for a parole violation, driving without a license after her DUI conviction. Jane, I can`t believe I`m thinking this after and I can`t believe I`m actually about to pose this question to you but did Paris Hilton in light of all this get a raw deal?
MITCHELL: Actually, I don`t think she did because I think she got to experience how the other half live and actually may have gotten something out of this entire experience so that it wasn`t a total joke. You know, sentencing somebody to 84 minutes is really making a mockery of the system. It`s like telling a CEO that has been convicted of insider trading that I`m going to fine you 15 cents. So, really it allows Lindsay Lohan to remain shame based. She doesn`t learn anything. Even in her community service they didn`t make her do what Boy George and what Naomi Campbell had to do which was get their hands dirty go to the Department of Sanitation. Start cleaning toilets, and sweeping streets. She`s coasted through this entire thing, and that`s not going to help her stay sober.
HAMMER: No, it won`t. Let us hope that they stay out of trouble, stay away from getting behind the wheel after they`ve been drinking and hopefully get on the path to whatever it is to make their lives what it should be. It certainly isn`t there right now. Jane Velez Mitchell, Ken Seeley. Appreciate you both joining us tonight.
And no we like from hear from our SHOWBIZ TONIGHT question of the day. Lindsay Lohan`s 84 minutes in jail, did she get off too easy? I have the feeling how this is going to go. You can vote at Cnn.com/showbiztonight or e-mail us at Showbiztonight@cnn.com from your desktop or your laptop or your blackberry, your cell phone, whatever kind of device you use, let us know what you`re thinking.
Lindsay`s blink and you`d miss it jail time, just the beginning in what really has been a very weird week. And also Britney Spears rubbing over people`s feet, and stories that Angelina Jolie bought an island, split her pants and could possibly lose one of her kids. I just have one thing to say about all of it -- are you kidding me? That`s coming up at 30 minutes past the hour in a showbiz special report.
And speaking of Britney`s driving record, well, she`s actually been investigated for everything from hit and run to running over paparazzi`s extremities. And now, there`s a ruling that she can`t drive with her kids in the car. That is coming up. And also at this -
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KATIE COURIC: I`m going to be like Dan Rather on Youtube, Mike, help me with my coat.
Can you help me? What do you think? Open or it`s kind of cold, so maybe we should close it. Wait, what do you think, Mike?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: Yes, Katie Couric making fun of Dan Rather when she thinks nobody is actually listening or that we would ever get to see this tape. Well, wait until you see the whole thing. It`s coming up on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HAMMER: Welcome back to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT -- TV`s most provocative entertainment news show. I`m A.J. Hammer in New York. Tonight, big, bad news for Britney Spears, as if she hasn`t had enough. A judge today reportedly ruled that she can`t drive with her two kids in the car. The same judge who took custody of the kids away from her. As if that`s not enough, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT has confirmed the cops are investigating Britney Spears for her driving mishaps. Joining me tonight in New York, Court TV anchor Lisa Bloom and in Hollywood, Ted Casablanca, columnist for "E online" - "The awful truth," who also happens to think according to his blog that I am sassy. Thank both for being with us tonight.
TMZ reporting as we mentioned, the judge`s decision to not let the kids in the car when Britney`s driving. Link to this video that we`ve all seen Britney driving through a red light with her kids in the back seat and the court appointed monitor happened to be in the front seat. What do you think, should we all be surprised by the judge`s ruling?
LISA BLOOM, COURT TV ANCHOR: I think everybody in town should get out of the way when Britney is driving. I mean, apparently she is running over everybody`s feet. She`s running through red lights. Sure - she only just got her license a couple weeks ago and that was when the judge ordered it. I mean, the girl can`t drive. She should have a driver. But for some reason, she refuses to do that. Maybe she likes getting hit with hit and runs, she likes getting traffic tickets. She likes the judge admonishing her about bad driving. I mean, I don`t understand why she doesn`t have a driver. She`s got nothing but money -- $700,000 a month. Get a driver. Otherwise, everybody on the roads in California should look out.
HAMMER: Yes, she keeps coming back for more. I mean, what do you think about that ruling, Ted? It`s not like we didn`t see that coming, I suppose.
TED CASABLANCA, E ONLINE: I realize we don`t have the greatest reputation for a good legal system here, but I think this should only be the beginning of what`s done with Britney and her kids. I mean, what`s going on at home? I mean, let`s start, yes, not letting her kids be in the car with them. I think it`s naive to keep giving Britney access to her children when she`s exhibiting this kind of behavior. I mean, the court should appoint Lindsay Lohan to be her court monitor at this point. What`s going to go on at home? Sure, she`ll be safer now because the kids will be safer because they won`t be in the car with her, but at home, is she going to be flossing their teeth with the pool cleaner, I mean, what`s going to be going on?
HAMMER: Hey, you never know. And obviously this was very important to Kevin Federline to see that something happened because he called for this emergency hearing. Lisa, obviously, Kevin does have the best interest of the kids in mind. It`s not like this is a win for him, but do you think that maybe K-Fed is trying to file up all this evidence so eventually he can get the full custody of the kids?
BLOOM: Well, he probably is. What he has on his side is all of the media that follows Britney wherever she goes, if she runs through a red light, he`s got that on tape, immediately goes up online and he`s got that to use. And by the way, she`s paying his attorneys every time he goes in and makes one of these applications. Ordinary people would never be able to go in and make this many emergency applications and get heard so quickly in LA courts over and over again. But these guys do. Every time Britney sneezes, she`s back in court again. She`s paying both sides, legal bill them. She doesn`t seem to get it.
HAMMER: Yes, when the media does follow her, as you say, she runs over feet. It happens, because on top of all of what we`re talking about, the LAPD confirmed to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT today that Britney is being investigated for allegedly leaving the scene after running over a deputy`s foot while trying to get away from the paparazzi. Now, Ted, she has allegedly done this three times, running over someone`s foot. Do we all or everybody at least in LA put on steel boots or is this really even her fault when you think about it?
CASABLANCA: I love that argument, A.J. I knew you were going to go there, is it her fault because she`s being so hounded by these paparazzi. Have you heard of valet parking?
HAMMER: Ted, take this seriously for a moment. You see the crowds around her car. How is it possible for her to move forward, backwards, if her car could go sideways, without running over a foot? It is pretty tough, the situation she`s in, regardless of how she got there.
CASABLANCA: I agree. Don`t go in the car, get a driver, don`t go out. Get your assistant to do things for you instead of partying with you. I disagree. I mean, once she`s in you know, in the driver`s seat, she should take full responsibility for what she`s doing.
BLOOM: And it`s not just the paparazzi. It`s a sheriff`s deputy. You heard the long arm of the law. This is the long leg of the law. You don`t run over a cop. That`s kind of fundamental.
CASABLANCA: And also, A.J., the paparazzi are goading her. You know, she`s taking the bait. They want her to do this stuff. And why she`s doing because she`s not thinking clearly.
HAMMER: Yes, well, I keep thinking every time she does run over a foot, man that`s another ka-ching for a paparazzi, right?
CASABLANCA: Yes, they love it. Are you kidding? It`s what they want.
HAMMER: But Lisa, at least really is a lose-lose situation, isn`t it?
BLOOM: It`s a lose-lose situation - meaning what? In what sense?
HAMMER: Yes, obviously she could get a driver, but then the driver is going to run over people`s feet. What it is supposed, to stay on the boughs?
BLOOM: Well, she may be concerned like (INAUDIBLE) expect that the driver is going to testify against her when she does something wrong. And she probably wants the freedom of being able to drive but the girl is out of control in so many ways. And look, a car is a dangerous weapon. A lot of people die in car accidents every year. But she`s got to take driving seriously.
HAMMER: Don`t disagree with any of that at all. Ted Casablanca, Lisa Bloom, I appreciate you joining your sassy host tonight.
Well, Britney`s situation always makes me say, are you kidding me? But you know, there was plenty more to work with this week. A lot of material. Lindsay goes to jail for less than two hours. And there`s the story about Brangelina island. I repeat -- are you kidding me? That`s coming up at 30 minutes past the hour in a showbiz special report.
Also, I can tell you it is one of the first things you learn in anchor school if you go to anchor school. You`ve got a microphone on, well, somebody might be listening. Can you hear that? Maybe Kate Couric skipped class that day. We had tape of her making fun of Dan Rather. You won`t want to miss it. Also this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TOM HANKS: I think Julia is some kind of witch.
(LAUGHTER)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: So, exactly why is Tom Hanks calling Julia Roberts a witch? I have to tell you what he`s referring to is actually pretty wild. You won`t want to miss it is coming up next on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
And now you can watch SHOWBIZ TONIGHT anytime you`d like. Just download our pod cost. You can watch it on your computer, you can it on your ipod, whatever you like and it`s absolutely free. All you have to is go to CNN.com/showbiz tonight to download the SHOWBIZ TONIGHT podcast. If you want to get it on the itunes, if that`s your method of choice, so that`s fine. Type "showbiz tonight" into the search box and download it at will. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT coming right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HAMMER: Well, Julia Roberts is back on the big screen. Finally, she and Tom Hanks star in "Charlie Wilson`s War," that`s based on the true story of a congressman, a CIA agent and a Houston socialite who teams up for the largest and successful covert operations in history. For the past few years, Julia has led her voice to animated pictures including "Charlotte`s Web" and the Ann Fully but you know, this is her first on screen appearance since she was on "Oceans Twelve" all the way back in 2004. Julia has been busy being a mom. She now has three children. And when Oprah Winfrey interviewed her along with Tom Hanks, a little known factoid about their births came up.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
OPRAH WINFREY, HOST: This is what is amazing. Did you know this, Tom, that the twins were born at 1:21 and 1:22 and that then two years later, Henry was born at 1:23.
JULIA ROBERTS, ACTRESS: That`s pretty cool as far as like statistics go. Isn`t that pretty cool?
WINFREY: Yes.
TOM HANKS, ACTOR: I think Julia is some kind of witch.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: Now, you can see the full interview with Tom Hanks and Julia Roberts on Monday`s "Oprah." "Charlie Wilson`s war" is going to be in theaters on Christmas Day.
Well, what a week it has been? I mean, think about it. Lindsay goes to jail for less than two hours. Britney is running over people`s feet and people try to book their next vacation to Brangelina Island. I have just one thing to say, are you kidding me? That`s coming up next on a showbiz special report.
Also, Duran Duran. They`re out with a new video featuring someone who well look a that looks remarkably like Britney Spears. That`s right. Britney is fair game even for 80`s bands. It actually really funny. We are going to show that to you coming up as well. We will actually have this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KATIE COURIC: If I`m going to be like Dan Rather on Youtube. Mike, help me with my coat. Can you help me? What do you think? Open or it`s kind of cold, so maybe we should close it. Wait. What do you think, mike?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: He`s going to love it. Katie Couric is making a little fun of Dan Rather. Didn`t think anybody was watching or listening. There`s just one problem. There was a camera on her and a microphone. Wait until you see this piece of tape we have to show you coming up on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, we`ll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
RICHELLE CAREY, HEADLINE PRIME NEWSBREAK: I`m Richelle Carey. This is your HEADLINE PRIME news break. The sneezes, the sniffles, the coughs, all seem harmless, but that common cold can end up killing you. The CDC says a new form of cold virus has killed 10 people in May of 2006. But experts say it`s still very rare and not to be alarmed.
A hot air balloon hits a power line and crashed into a farm field in Hampton, Iowa killing two people and injuring a third. The balloon and the basket separated and the basket fell 60 feet to the ground.
And war between two gas stations in Detroit ends with one station owner dead, the other in police custody. It started when one owner confronted the other after he dropped the price of gas undercutting his own prices. A fight broke out and one owner took out a gun. The victim was married with five children. I`m Richelle Carey. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT continues with the amazing secret video of Katie Couric ripping into Dan Rather.
(COMMERIAL BREAK)
A.J. HAMMER, HOST: On SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, Lindsay Lohan does some Hollywood jail time which lasts a New York minute. Britney Spears still running over people`s feet, and talks that Angelina Jolie bought an island. What in the world is going on? Is there something in the water? Tonight, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT has got to ask -
Are you kidding me?
It`s a Showbiz Special Report.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KATIE COURIC: If I`m going to be like Dan Rather on Youtube. Mike, help me with my coat. Can you help me? What do you think, open, or it`s kind of cold, so maybe should close it. Wait, what do you think, Mike?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: Watch out, Katie Couric ripping into the guy she took over the CBS EVENING NEWS, Dan Rather. And got to wonder if she knew if the microphone was on. You`ve got to see this. Anchor versus anchor caught on tape.
Welcome back to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, it`s 30 minutes past the hour. I`m A.J. Hammer broadcasting tonight and every night from New York City. Tonight, a Showbiz Special Report -- are you kidding me? That`s the question I`ll be asking over and over about some of the stuff that`s been happening all week long in Hollywood. It is insane. Lindsay Lohan doing hard jail time, you know, 84 minutes. Britney Spears under investigation for running over various people`s feet. And three, count them, three incredible stories about Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie that actually turned out not to be true, which is why we are asking, are you kidding me? Joining me again tonight, in New York, Court TV anchor, Lisa Bloom, in Hollywood, senior editor of "In-touch Weekly," Kim Serafin and Howard Bragman, founder of 15 minutes, public relations. Let`s have some fun gang and let`s start out with what is really the most ridiculous thing that has happened all week, if you ask me. Lindsay Lohan serving that whopping 84 minutes of hard time in jail. Let me put this in perspective for you with some of the other things that happened. In May, she was arrested for smashing her Mercedes Benz into a tree while driving drunk. She was arrested again in July after a car chase where she chase her former assistant, in Santa Monica. Both times police say they found cocaine. Lisa Bloom, I`ve just got to ask, are you kidding me?
LISA BLOOM, COURT TV: Do we have a choir over there?
HAMMER: Actually, we do have a choir.
BLOOM: Now, come on, A.J. You can`t expect her to do any real jail time. She`s pretty, she`s rich and she`s in the movies. I mean, come on. Come on, a little drugs, a little drunk driving, you know, a little hurting people. We don`t put people in jail for that in L.A.
HAMMER: No. Kim Serafin let me to you, they say Lindsay didn`t receive special treatment, but we say -- are you kidding me?
KIM SERAFIN, IN TOUCH WEEKLY: There you go, the chorus again. Well, the fact is the sheriff`s department is saying that for nonviolent misdemeanors, this is what would happen to anyone, really. We know that Nicole Richie only served 82 minutes of her jail sentence. We know Michelle Rodriguez only served 4 1/2 hours of hers. Even Paris Hilton, go back to that, she was supposed to have 45 days, she got out in 23 days. And during that whole incident, everyone was saying if she wasn`t Paris Hilton, she might have gotten out a little earlier. So, in a way her celebrity played against her. In the case of Lindsay, it doesn`t like she got special treatment because she`s a celebrity it just kind of how it is at this LA prison, overcrowding.
HAMMER: Reverse discrimination against Paris Hilton, I don`t know. I mean, you mention that time she did in jail, 23 days, that was for driving with a suspended license. Lindsay was found in possession of cocaine. She hit a tree. Howard Bragman, are you kidding me?
HOWARD BRAGMAN, FIFTEEN MINUTES: Well, and what you don`t know is the tree is, there is a lawsuit. She is suing the tree for spilling the cocaine so the tree got in her way and scratching the car.
HAMMER: You`ve been working on that all day.
BRAGMAN: You know, you`ve got to have -- the writers are on strike. We`ve got to do something here. We`ve got to keep busy, no, what you got to understand is this is quick justice. And she woke up and she said let see, should I go to the movies, should have lunch at Morton`s? No, I will go to jail today. I`ve got an hour and a half to kill. So, it`s kind of simple the way we do things here. We don`t - go ahead, A.J.
HAMMER: No. I appreciate that out in Hollywood, everything is so simple, Howard. You make it nice and easy for everybody. Let`s move on and stop abusing that poor tree and Lindsay Lohan. In the last month, Britney Spears has run over three different people`s feet, one of which happened to be a sheriff. Now Britney is under investigation for it. So I know this might seem like a bad pattern for Spears, but have you seen what she has to put up with? I mean, Just to give you an idea, I want you to watch this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Gentlemen, gentlemen, hey, hey, get off the drive. Back off the drive, gentlemen, this won`t happen if you just back off the drive. Hey, back off, dude, you`re on private property.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: The voice you heard here was Britney`s bodyguard trying to keep the paparazzi`s out of the way an getting them to move. They are constantly surrounding her car. How can she not run over an occasional foot. Lisa bloom, are you kidding me?
BLOOM: First of all, when they get to court, the witness isn`t going to have a leg to stand on. Listen, here`s the problem, she is mobbed wherever she goes. This one, I`m on Britney`s side. I mean, it`s got to be tough. When you see that picture, it really brings it home. Remember Princess Diana? We are going through that inquest now in England 10 years later. I mean those paparazzi caused her car to crash and it killed her. I think it`s a very dangerous situation for a lot of celebrity with the paparazzi. This one, I`m on Britney`s side.
HAMMER: Alright. What do you think about that, Kim Serafin? Should we be cutting Britney a bit of a break here? It`s a little tough not to roll over people`s feet to that we`ve got to say -
Are you kidding me?
SERAFIN: This one I would prefer a little hit me baby, one more time in the background. But, you know, you do have to give Britney, you know, come on, these photographers like they weren`t warned by the first two people that got ran over by her. I mean, it`s not that she also has the best driving records. So, there is fair warning. And by the way, in Britney`s defense, when you see her pull out with all these paparazzi jumping on her car, crawling under her car she does drive very slowly, there are a lot of celebrities that would probably just to peel out of there but you can tell she`s driving very slowly. So, I`d give her a pass on this one. When, I think anyone would be in danger of possibly running over someone in this situation.
HAMMER: Britney, please get a driver.
Let`s now move on. Another incredible event this week, there was three stories about Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie that they said are not true. Listen to this. There was story that Angelina`s pants split down the back at the London premiere of "Beowulf" and Brad covered that up with his hand. Well, apparently that`s wrong. It was in fact a zipper. OK. Another story claims that the birth family of Jolie`s adopted daughter Zahara wanted her back, which was something that was later denied. And yet another story, claiming that Pitt and Jolie are buying a small island off of Dubai. Howard Bragman, are you kidding me or could this be some kind of massive spin control here?
BRAGMAN: Well, it`s not spin control. It`s the reality of living in the world we live in and celebrity knows. Speed trumps (ph) accuracy. We used to have people who had journalistic degrees and would really rather wait a day to make sure they have the stories right. And those days are going and we don`t want to wait. We want to get the story out there first. And If you`re the blog that gets it out there first and you go on the line, you can Google these and you will see hundreds of other publications that have picked it up and publicized your blog. So, even though you`re wrong, you still got it out there first and you still won and got all the press that you wanted. And you just have to accept that`s the way it works out here these days.
HAMMER: It sure is. At least you have speedy justice, Howard. All right. I appreciate you all being here tonight and enduring my choir. Lisa bloom, Kim Serafin, Howard Bragman, I`d like to hear the three of you do it together.
BLOOM/SERAFIN/BRAGMAN: Are you kidding me?
SERAFIN: That was great.
HAMMER: All right. Moving on now, tonight, Katie Couric is taking a funny swing at the guy who used to have her job. Dan Rather, Dan has ripped into his old bosses and said they had, quote, "Tarted up the broadcast since she left." Well, they got a lot of people really fired it up. Finally, Katie Couric is smacking down Dan, in a very funny clip that`s all over Youtube. Now, I want you to check this out. A few years back, Dan spent 20 minutes before one evening news broadcast in Seattle deciding an important decision, whether or not to wear a coat on the air -- 20 whole minutes. Watch this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DAN RATHER: Here`s what we`re going to do. The question is whether we can do it without the coat. Hi, folks. How are you doing? Hi.
Jeff would prefer to do it without a coat. On the other hand, I would prefer not to be the closing anchorman. Great. As a matter of fact, A.J. was going to bring some. So I don`t know.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: See what everybody thinks about it.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It`s your comfort level, I think.
RATHER: Well, it`s going to be cold, but you know what --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The green looks good.
RATHER: Green is good.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: I never saw that before. Did he mention me? I don`t think I was there. That went on for 20 minutes, as I said. So, here now Katie Couric dishing Dan while getting ready for a recent newscast and doing a little takeoff on his coat craziness and controversial starting up comments.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KATIE COURIC: OK. Should I open my coat? I`m going to be like Dan Rather on Youtube. Mike, help me with my coat. Can you help me? What do you think; open or it`s kind of cold, so maybe we should close it. Wait, at do you think, mike?
MIKE: Collar up, collar down?
COURIC: Yes. I think this looks good. This looks more anchor womanish, don`t you think? OK. Sorry. I`m going to get in trouble. Too bad. Come on. It would have been funny. Jeez, don`t you think he deserves a little payback? All right. This tart is ready to go.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: I like that Nice going, Katie. I don`t think she was intending to be funny the whole time there. But I do think it`s too bad that people don`t really get to see her sense of humor much anymore because who knows, it could actually help her ratings.
All right. Duran Duran, doing some dishing of their own, this is a band I always of kind liked back in the 80`s. Well, tonight, there`s all kinds of controversy surrounding their brand new song because it has a Britney Spears look alike. Some went off to where -- rehab. You`ve got to see this video. We got it for you. Coming up. Also this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LEAH REMINI: You have to remember that men just need to eat and have sex. And if you just use those things you`d be OK.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: Sex. Very funny stuff from king of queen`s star, Leah Remedy. Tonight, we are going into the living rooms and bedrooms of Hollywood`s leading ladies to get them to spill their most intimate secrets to keeping their marriages from splitting up.
Speaking of splitting up, the spice girls. We all remember them from the 90s. Well, they split up and now they`re back together. I can`t say I`m a huge fan of the band, I`m intrigued. So much so I actually dug up the very first pictures of them performing together. That is coming up next on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HAMMER: Welcome back to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, TV`s most provocative entertainment news show. I`m A.J. Hammer in New York. It`s time now for the showbiz snapshot. I`ll tell you what I want, what I really, really want to show you.
(VIDEO PLAYING)
HAMMER: Wow! The Spice Girls performing together for the first time in ten years. You just carry your baby, your ginger, your fashion sporty. Singing actually lip-synching two songs Thursday night for the taping of the annual Victoria Secret fashion show. You can see the Victoria Secret fashion show December 4 and the Spice Girls world tour gets under way December 2nd in Vancouver. And I love that sporty spice, because she`s so sporty.
All right. We always seem to be talking about shocking star breakups and split-ups, but there are Hollywood couples that do work, truly, they really are. In fact, tonight, I am getting some of Hollywood`s biggest leading ladies to really open up about their romances, Beyonce, Catherine Zeta-Jones filling their explosive secrets only at SHOWBIZ TONIGHT about how they are making their relationship worked.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
HAMMER (voice over): As the story goes, Michael Douglas took one look at the beautiful Catherine Zeta-Jones in "Zorro" and decided one day she would be his wife. Seven years of marriage and two children later, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT can tell you Catherine is definitely making it work with Michael. She told SHOWBIZ TONIGHT`s Brooke Anderson that respect and fun are the winning combination.
CATHERINE ZETA JONES, ACTRESS: We like each other a lot and obviously that`s always a start, right? But I mean, we`re kind to each other. We never take each other for granted, and we`re kind and nice and respectful to each other and we have fun, and I think that`s the bottom line, just keep having fun.
HAMMER: Of course, Catherine Zeta-Jones isn`t the only Hollywood actress making her marriage work with a famous husband and keeping it fun. Take Kelly Preston and John Travolta. These two make it looked so easy. Kelly and John have been married for -- are you ready for this -- 16 years. That`s a miracle by Hollywood standards, especially for a high profile couple. So I asked Kelly Preston about her secrets for success in love.
KELLY PRESTON, ACTRESS: We`ve really got a lot of -- a very solid core, and we keep it fun. We have date nights and, you know, you just -- the two of you have got to check in regularly and keep it creative.
HAMMER (on camera): Is there any part of it that you guys find to be the biggest struggle?
PRESTON: I think, you know, everybody has ups and downs, but it`s been pretty -- it`s been a pretty amazing 16 years, I`ve got to say.
HAMMER (voice over): Ups and downs are definitely nothing new for country music singer, even one who happens to be married to an Oscar winner. Nicole Kidman and country music star Keith Urban had a bumpy first year following their marriage in June of 2006. He fell into alcohol addiction and checked into rehab. But they`ve hung in there. And Kidman quietly tell SHOWBIZ TONIGHT that the two of them follow one very simple philosophy.
NICOLE KIDMAN, ACTRESS: Be kind to each other. Yes, be kind. I mean, it is your best friend, you know. So yeah, we`re very protective and kind to each other.
HAMMER: The best friends idea has done another country star a wealth of good in her love life. Leann Rimes is just 25, but has already been married to husband Dean Sharemay (ph) for five years. She tells me whether they are at home or on the road, balance and laughter keep their marriage on the go.
LEANNE RIMES: We work together but our lives don`t depend on it. I adore him and we laugh a lot. He`s hysterical. And he keeps me on my toes. And I think we`re a good balance where we both leave off, the other one picks up.
HAMMER: Another music maven who keeps work and play separate in her relationship is Miss Beyonce Knowles. The 26-year-old Grammy winner swears it`s deja vu between her and boyfriend Jay Z, but Beyonce revealed to me her secret for making her relationship work is to keep it secret.
BEYONCE KNOWLES, SINGER: That`s why mystery is important because I`ve never spoke about certain thing so is people don`t really ask about certain things, and I still feel like I have a life and I have something that`s for me.
HAMMER: Beyonce is right. Mystery is important. Unless, you`re Leah Remini. She and her husband Angelo, have been married for four years.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You know, I can`t have pancakes. They`re full of carbs.
LEAH REMINI: Are they?
HAMMER: On the TV sitcom, "The King of queens," her dysfunctional marriage made us laugh every week. But off camera she`s got one simple philosophy to keeping the ties that bind. She`s the queen of king.
REMINI: Thing you have to remember with men is they just need to eat and have sex, and if you just do those things, you will be OK, you know. Give him sex once in a while when they are cranky you know that`s the time to give it up for a minute, you know, or two.
HAMMER: Right. So whether it`s balance, privacy, or secrets behind closed doors, these leading women can teach us all a lesson in making it work in Hollywood and beyond.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HAMMER (on camera): Well, you might not see any nuptials from Natalie Portman anytime soon. She`s actually hesitant about walking down the aisle. Here what she tells in "InStyle" magazine, quote - "I`m not convinced about marriage. Divorce is easy, and the fact that gay people are not allowed to marry takes much of the meaning out of it. Committing yourself to one person is sacred."
You can read more in the holiday issue of "InStyle" Magazine, it`s in newsstands now.
Well, tonight, another Britney Spears rehab shocker involving a new song - this coming from a band that was big when Britney was born.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I don`t mean -- look at me.
HAMMER: Yes, that is a Britney look alike. Going off to where else? Rehab. You`ve got to see this. It`s coming up next on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HAMMER: There`s a new song out that`s causing some explosive Britney Spears rehab controversy. Duran-Duran, one of the most innovative group of the 80`s, is out with this video with their new song called "Falling down." And it shows a woman who looks like a like Britney Spears very reluctantly checking into rehab. Watch this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I love you.
Today we have somebody new joining us.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: Well, Duran-Duran tells "People" magazine that character is loosely based on Britney Spears. The ending is pretty controversial too. You actually see Britney, quote/unquote "Britney leaving rehab and immediately grabbing a glass of champagne." The song was co-produced by Brit`s ex -, Justin Timberlake. And I got to tell you all, this smells like more than just a coincidence.
Well, on Thursday we asked you to vote on our SHOWBIZ TONIGHT question of the day. O.J. Simpson`s new trial -- do you think he`s guilty? Yes, he do - 88 percent of you saying yes, 12 percent saying no. Among the e-mails - one from Kaye from in Arkansas, who writes, "OJ Simpson is nothing more than a thug. He is absolutely guilty. He is trash and should be punished." But Blondie from New Jersey thinks that OJ is innocent and has been blatantly set up for because he is so stupid he should have seen it coming.
Well, here`s what`s coming up on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. Monday, important advice for today`s out of control young Hollywood stars from one of the big stars of the 70s, Leif Garrett. How the Britney`s and Lindsay`s can learn from his battle with drugs. That`s Monday.
Also, Monday, why are we so possessed with pregnant stars? Celebs like Jennifer Lopez and Cristina Aguilerar do everything to keep their baby news hush-hush. By doing that are they, in fact, feeding the media frenzy? It is a showbiz special report on Monday.
And that is it for SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. Thanks so much for watching. I`m A.J. Hammer in New York. The latest from CNN HEADLINE NEWS coming up next.
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