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Showbiz Tonight
Controversial Comments of Sportscaster About Tiger Woods; A Look at Enduring Friendships of Male Stars; Attack of Spears` Family Against Dr. Phil on `Today` Show
Aired January 09, 2008 - 23:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
A.J. HAMMER, CO-HOST: Big controversy over a sportscaster`s outrageous comments about Tiger Woods. I`m A.J. Hammer in New York.
BROOKE ANDERSON, CO-HOST: And Hollywood`s bro-mances. A-list stars who get by with that little help from their friends. I`m Brooke Anderson in Hollywood. TV`s most provocative entertainment news show starts right now.
ANDERSON: On SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, an extraordinary attack on Dr.Phil by Britney Spears` family. Tonight, the Spears` family sends someone to the "Today" show to rip Dr.Phil apart for what he did after visiting Britney in the hospital.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LOU TAYLOR, SPEARS FAMILY SPOKESWOMAN: When do you ever rest in that if you`re constantly in fear of being exploited?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: And if that`s not enough, why in the world is Britney talking like a Brit?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BRITNEY SPEARS, POP STAR: Where do you live? Do you work here? (UNINTELLIGIBLE)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: What`s with that accent? Tonight, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT with the explosive new developments in the Britney Spears` crisis.
Tonight, a SHOWBIZ TONIGHT exclusive. A "Hannah Montana" miracle. A five-year-old girl does the unthinkable, giving away her almost impossible to get tickets to a "Hannah Montana" concert. And wait till you hear what she did with that? It`s unbelievable. Tonight, the exclusive interview you will only see on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, the five-year-old "Hannah Montana" hero.
(MUSIC)
HAMMER: Hello, I`m A.J. Hammer, broadcasting tonight and every night from New York City.
ANDERSON: Hi there, everyone. I`m Brooke Anderson coming to you from Hollywood. And here`s a question for you. What makes men tick? Why are some of Hollywood`s biggest male stars such close friends? SHOWBIZ TONIGHT brings you Hollywood`s biggest bro-mances coming up.
HAMMER: But first, tonight, the fury over Dr. Phil. I can tell you that our ears are still burning from the unbelievable attack on Dr. Phil today from Britney Spears` family. And they let everybody know exactly how they really feel.
ANDERSON: Dr. Phil has been under fire since visiting Britney unannounced after she was locked down in a hospital after going wild at her home. Well today, Britney`s family piled on in a very dramatic way.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
TAYLOR: Any statement publicly that he made because he was brought in under this cloak of trust are just inappropriate.
ANDERSON (voice over): It looks like the Spears` family has had their fill of Dr. Phil. A spokeswoman for Britney Spears family appeared on the "Today" show to rip into Dr. Phil for going public with his attempts to help Britney after her freak out.
TAYLOR: Look, you know, we`re looking for support here, not to add, you know, to the trouble that`s already upon them.
JO PIAZZA, "NEW YORK DAILY NEWS": All these reports are coming out that Dr. Phil is kind of Dr. Shill(ph), that he`s been chasing Britney, trying to publicize his relationship with the family.
ANDERSON: SHOWBIZ TONIGHT can tell you, ever since Dr. Phil started talking about his hospital meeting with Britney Spears, the good doctor, who dishes out his share of tough talk on his syndicated show -
DR. PHIL MCGRAW, TV PSYCHOLOGIST: I`ve got three words for you - get a job.
ANDERSON: Is now on the receiving end of some tough talk from Britney`s parents whose are accusing Phil of exploiting their daughter.
TAYLOR: This is another example of trust really being betrayed and being inappropriate.
ANDERSON: Britney`s father Jamie and mother Lynn have been divorced for five years. But SHOWBIZ TONIGHT can tell you they`re not only banding together to go after Dr. Phil, even more shocking they reportedly tried to have their troubled daughter locked up for her own good.
PIAZZA: They were being rashly criticized as being bad parents. We`re absolutely seeing a new, more forceful, more parental Jamie and Lynn Spears.
ANDERSON: The trouble started soon after Britney`s breakdown at her house, which ended in her being carted off to Cedar-Sinai Medical Center for psychological evaluation. Britney`s parents turned to family friend Dr. Phil for help.
PIAZZA: Dr. Phil goes to the hospital. Apparently Britney was completely blind sided by this. She had no idea he was coming. She wasn`t happy that he was there. However, soon after he visited her, she did check herself out of the hospital.
ANDERSON: Later that day, Dr. Phil released a statement to "Entertainment Tonight" confirming his Britney visit.
TAYLOR: What`s wrong with Dr. Phil statement is that he made a statement.
ANDERSON: And on the "Today" show, family spokeswoman Lou Taylor says that crossed the line and damaged the family`s attempts to get through to Britney.
TAYLOR: I think it`s been compromised because it`s a measure of trust. I mean here you have Britney that needs to have some security somewhere. I mean when do you ever rest in that if you`re constantly in fear of being exploited?
ANDERSON: Adding fuel to the fire, reports that Dr. Phil was trying to book Spears parents for a Britney-themed intervention episode of his talk show. Phil told "Entertainment Tonight" that he was planning a Britney show, but that the reports were getting it wrong.
MCGRAW: I`ve never intended to do a Britney intervention show. My goal was, and is, to hopefully guide her towards a private intervention.
ANDERSON: But on the "Today" show, the Spears family spokeswoman says Dr. Phil did try to book the parents on his show and they turned him down flat.
TAYLOR: Me personally, being part of this team, I felt that too was inappropriate for him to even be self-serving in bringing something like that up.
ANDERSON: Whatever his plans were for a Britney show, Dr. Phil has canceled them.
PIAZZA: Dr. Phil`s people are absolutely livid because they feel like the Spears family kind of screwed them over a little bit.
ANDERSON: And there`s no love lost between Dr. Phil and the Spears clan.
PIAZZA: They say he`s been a complete jerk about this entire thing and that they`re just using them and their daughter.
ANDERSON: Various reports citing sources close to Britney say she suffers from an undiagnosed bipolar disorder. And Katie Daryl of "TMZ" tells SHOWBIZ TONIGHT her parents have been considering the unthinkable.
KATIE DARYL, "TMZ TV": Sources are telling TMZ that Jamie Spears, Britney`s father, has been wanting to commit his daughter since this summer. Britney does not want to go check into a facility. She doesn`t think that she has a problem. She certainly doesn`t want her family, friends or the media telling her what to do.
ANDERSON: And now the most ironic thing of all. Dr. Phil also says that Britney might need in-patient care. And he tells "Entertainment Tonight" he`s not sorry for anything he`s done.
MCGRAW: Somebody needs to step up and provide a vector to get this young woman into some quality care. And I do not apologize one whit, not one second, for trying to make that happen.
ANDERSON: And the fact that Britney Spears is in serious trouble is the one thing that all of the feuding parties seem to agree on.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(on camera): Dr. Phil`s people tell SHOWBIZ TONIGHT they`re sticking with their original statements on the matter and that they`re not going to make anymore statements.
HAMMER: Well, with Britney`s family speaking out like this, you can be sure that the heat on Dr. Phil is not going to let up any time soon.
Joining us tonight from New York, Cooper Lawrence, psychology expert and author of "The Cult of Perfection." Also in New York, True TV`s Lisa Bloom anchor, "In Session."
All right, guys. It seems to me that the family was trying to do the right thing by bringing in Dr. Phil who may have had good intentions by going to see Britney. But it was made clear today by the Spears` family spokesperson that they were blind-sided when he went public with it. Cooper, was he way out of line?
COOPER LAWRENCE, PSYCHOLOGY EXPERT: It`s unethical. That`s the whole idea. The Spears spokesperson kept saying they can`t trust him. It was really sort of shady. It`s unethical.
One of the tenets in psychology - one of the tenets of the ethics is confidentiality. So it doesn`t mean that because your client is famous, it`s OK to go forward. Or because you`re famous, it`s OK to go forward. Confidentiality is confidentiality. If he`s going to treat her, which is why he was there, he can`t say a word, not even that he`s treating her.
HAMMER: Lisa Bloom, you come from the world of ethics and law. Now you told me the other day, you thought that Dr. Phil was being unfairly criticized. Now, I`m curious when you hear how the family is so angry at him, do you still think that he handled this the right way?
LISA BLOOM, "ANCHOR IN SESSION": Yes. Full disclosure. I`ve been on his show a couple of times. I like Dr. Phil. I don`t think he did anything wrong here. I think the family may have not been clear with him about what they were looking for. They asked him to come as a friend. I`m sure he didn`t get paid. He`s not her psychologist. He went to the hospital at their request.
That`s when everybody found out about it, because the paparazzi surrounded the hospital. His statement simply said that he saw her, which everybody already knew at that point, and that she needs help. To me, that`s painfully obvious.
I don`t see that Dr. Phil did anything wrong and I think the family`s anger at him is misplaced. They should focus on getting help for Britney. And by the way, this spokesperson doesn`t speak for Britney. She only speaks for Britney`s family members.
HAMMER: No. That is true. But, you know, the fact is, Dr. Phil did speak out about this matter and it got a whole lot of attention.
BLOOM: All he said is she needs help. That`s all he said.
HAMMER: One of the things that Lou Taylor, the Spears` family spokesperson did say was that they think Dr. Phil was being self-serving in all this. So let me ask you this question, Cooper, if he had not gone public and said, "I met with Britney," do you think that would have been OK?
LAWRENCE: You know, if I met with Britney, that would be fine because I`m not anybody. I don`t treat people. The fact that he treats people, the fact that he was asked to come in - any psychologist that would be asked to come in can lose their license. It`s not a question of do we feel it`s unethical. It is unethical.
And if somebody wants to call him on it, as a psychologist, he didn`t go there as a friend. He`s not Britney`s friend. She doesn`t know him. She`s an adult. She didn`t call him in. Because of - we heard that because of him coming in and his advice, she left earlier.
So clearly he had some diagnosis or something to say of consequence. So it`s the idea that he`s a psychologist he`s under the ethics committee - he`s under the ethics board. He has to behave in a different way than somebody else who is just there speaking out for her.
HAMMER: Well, if the Spears family and Dr. Phil were friends before - I don`t think they`re going to be speaking any time soon, because the spokesperson this morning in the "Today" show for the Spears family insisted that Dr. Phil not only violated the family`s trust, but also harmed their relationship with Britney by getting involved in the way he did in the whole mess and going public. I want to watch again what she said on the "Today" show. Roll this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TAYLOR: I think it`s been compromised because it`s a measure of trust. I mean, here you have Britney that needs to have some security somewhere that every single thing she does and every person she has a relationship with doesn`t become an opportunity to be exploited.
HAMMER: All right, Lisa Bloom. I know you like Dr. Phil. You know Dr. Phil. But you don`t think that Dr. Phil in some way was trying to exploit Britney by going public with the story and therefore publicly attaching his name to the big Britney drama that`s going on?
BLOOM: Well, look. Is it a secret that Dr. Phil hosts a talk show and that he probably wants to have a big story on his show? And the family asks him to go and talk to Britney and if he asked them, "Hey, would you like to come on my show and do a show?" To me, that`s not at all surprising.
People who live in the high profile celebrity world help each other out in that way. I still maintain, even if he did make a minor misstep, Dr. Phil`s heart is in the right place. He wanted to go over there, which he did on his own nickel on the weekend to help Britney. And all he has said is the girl needs help, which she does. She does need help and the family should stop focusing on Dr. Phil and start focusing on -
(CROSS TALK)
HAMMER: I`ve got to end it there because I`m out of time. We will leave it there. Lisa Bloom, Cooper Lawrence, thanks.
LAWRENCE: Thanks, A.J.
ANDERSON: And now we want to hear from you. It is our SHOWBIZ TONIGHT question of the day. Dr. Phil`s controversy: Did he try to exploit Britney Spears` family? Vote at CNN.com/ShowbizTonight. E-mail us at showbiztonight@cnn.com. Do it from wherever, your desktop, your laptop, your Blackberry or your cell phone. Just tell us what is on your mind.
HAMMER: Man, there is still so much more to get to on the Britney front. First, this is very strange. Why is Britney talking with a British accent? Also, reports that Britney`s parents tried to have her committed and brand new information about a restraining order against Britney Spears. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT`s coverage of Britney Spears in crisis continues. That is coming up.
ANDERSON: Also, you`re not going to believe what a sportscaster said live on the air about Tiger Woods. She made a really offensive comment; made me cringe. Here`s what is even more interesting. Tiger Woods says it`s no big deal. We will tell you what she said and why Tiger is brushing the whole thing off, straight ahead.
HAMMER: Yes. You`re not going to want to miss that. And look at that face, one of the most beloved celebrities. We have a SHOWBIZ TONIGHT exclusive. Tonight, a "Hannah Montana" heart warmer. This is a great story. Why a little girl gave up what are the hottest tickets in town, floor seats to "Hannah Montana". Just wait till you hear what she did with them. Five-year-old Jada right here, coming up in the interview you`ll see only on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(MUSIC)
ANDERSON: Oh, a classic scene there from the television show "Scrubs" about so-called bro-mances, men who love their men friends. And no, not in the way that you`re thinking.
Welcome back to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, TV`s most provocative entertainment news show. I`m Brooke Anderson in Hollywood. And it`s not just "Scrubs." Tonight, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT can tell you that from Brad Pitt and George Clooney to Will Smith and Tom Cruise, Hollywood`s bro-mances are going strong.
With us tonight are two of SHOWBIZ TONIGHT`s favorite bros in Hollywood, Ken Baker, the west coast editor of "Us Magazine." In Miami, Steve Santagati, author of "The Manual." Welcome to you both. Good to see you.
And I want to start out with my favorite bro-mance of them all, Brad Pitt and George Clooney. So dreamy. You know, these two have starred together in "Ocean`s Eleven, Twelve, Thirteen." Steve, why does their bro- mance work so well?
STEVE SANTAGATI, AUTHOR OF "THE MANUAL": Well, really Brooke, who else are they going to hang out with? Who else is as wonderful as they are? Well, first of all - It works for a couple of reasons. One is Brad is in a committed relationship, he`s married, right? And Clooney, he`s not married so technically he`s still in the market. So there`s no competition there.
The other thing is they`re both successful. They`re both very famous and they`re both been voted sexiest men alive. So really, they belong together.
ANDERSON: Ken, do you agree that no one else could live up to their standards maybe to be friends with them?
KEN BAKER, WEST COAST EDITOR, "US MAGAZINE": I think they`re definitely in a very high echelon as far as, you know, the bro-mance category goes. But these guys have been bro-mantic through a lot of Clooney relationships. So he`s actually been in a really solid relationships. Clooney has been something of a serial monogamist for the last few years. I mean he has this reputation as being the playboy and out partying.
And I see what Steve was saying that maybe Clooney is allowed to be the wild guy and then Brad seems to be always married and hooked up. But Clooney has actually been hooked up too. He`s been dating the same people for months at a time. So I think that they are very tight. They don`t have to worry about the competition even when they`re, you know, hooked up or not.
ANDERSON: Yes, so tight they can pull pranks on one another with no hard feelings. And I love the term bro-mantic. Thank you for that, Ken.
SANTAGATI: It`s nauseating, Ken. You`re dead.
ANDERSON: One of our other -
BAKER: Come on, Bro. Come on.
ANDERSON: One of our famous Hollywood bro-mances, Will Smith, Tom Cruise. These are two of the biggest stars in the world. Steve, what is their big connection?
SANTAGATI: You know, first of all, you`ll see them both show up in each other`s movie premieres, and they really support each other. You`d never think that this bro-mance would really make sense other than ebony and ivory back in 1983.
But the fact of the matter is, Will Smith never drank the Kool-Aid and he still gets along with Tom. They`re a really tight couple and they`re also icons in Hollywood. And I think they watch each other`s back. I think there`s a situation where opposites attract and make a solid bro- mance.
ANDERSON: Yes. They support each other both professionally and personally at the same time.
SANTAGATI: Right.
ANDERSON: I want to get sentimental here for a moment.
SANTAGATI: Oh. Do you have to?
ANDERSON: Yes, we have to. Matt Damon and Ben Affleck. They go way back, grew up together in Boston, started out together in business, won the Oscars together. Ken, what keeps their bro-mance going so strong after all of these years and all of the pressures of Hollywood?
BAKER: Well, like you said, personally, they go way back, that roots back to Boston before "Good Will Hunting," then struggling in L.A. together. So personally, they have real tight bond together. There`s a lot of trust there.
Now, professionally, Ben Affleck, he went the cheesy, big block bluster popcorn movie route, and Matt Damon went the serious, more artistic route, and so they never were really competing after they did "Good Will Hunting." So they were never really up for the same roles. So it`s easy for them on a professional front not to be competitive, because as we know, bros like to compete.
(CROSS TALK)
SANTAGATI: That`s a very sweet once-upon-a-time story there, Ken. But I think the fact of the matter is that, you know, Matt Damon got "Bourne Supremacy" and I think that Ben Affleck just picked the wrong scripts. Ben - I mean Matt picks very good scripts; Ben doesn`t.
I think that if Ben could be competitive, he would. But I think the bottom line is - I`m from Boston. It`s this guy thing out there that you want to stick with someone that knows you from the day; someone that you can trust to watch your back. And I`m sure a lot of what happens in their bro-mance happens behind the scenes kind of thing. I think that`s what makes them tight.
ANDERSON: Strong bond in these bro-mances. Well, guys, I`m going to have to break it up bro-mance. We`ve got to go, Ken Baker, Steve Santagati, great to see you.
BAKER: Thanks.
SANTAGATI: Thanks.
HAMMER: All right. So why in the world is Britney Spears talking with a British accent?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SPEARS: Where do you live? Do you work here? (UNINTELLIGIBLE)
HAMMER: Well, she`s looking for the loo. It`s not just at gas stations, by the way. There are reports that Britney actually used a British accent when she was in that hospital. Plus, we also have new late-breaking information about a restraining order against Britney and a reported plan to have her committed. All that coming up.
ANDERSON: Also, you`re not going to believe what a sportscaster said live on the air about Tiger Woods. She made a really offensive comment. But what is more interesting, Tiger Woods says it`s no big deal. We`re going to tell you what she said and why Tiger is brushing it off. That`s coming up next.
HAMMER: Also, wow, you`re going to want to stick around for this. It is amazing and wonderful and it`s so nice to have some good news. A SHOWBIZ TONIGHT exclusive. A "Hannah Montana" heart warmer. Why a little girl gave up the hottest tickets in town. I`m talking about floor seats to a "Hannah Montana" concert. And wait until you hear what she did with them. It`s a great story. Five-year-old Jada coming up in an interview you`ll see only on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HAMMER: Well, a "Golf Channel" anchor has apologized to Tiger Woods and to viewers for some very poorly chosen words she said on the air. Now, anchor Kelly Tilghman and analyst Nick Faldo were talking about how younger players might challenge Tiger Woods. And then Kelly said something that she really wishes she hadn`t. Watch this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
NICK FALDO, ANALYST: To take Tiger on. Well yes, maybe they should gang up for a while until -
KELLY TILGHMAN: Lynch him in a back alley.
FALDO: Yes. That`s right.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: Yes. Well, here`s the deal. Kelly has apologized to Tiger Woods personally. It turns out they`ve known each other for 12 years. The "Golf Channel" says it doesn`t plan any disciplinary action and even Tiger said it`s no big deal.
He told ESPN, quote, "Tiger and Kelly are friends, and Tiger has a great deal of respect for Kelly. Regardless of the choice of words used, we know unequivocally that there was no ill intent in her comments. This story is a non-issue in our eyes. Case closed."
Al Sharpton, on the other hand, is calling for Tilghman to be fired. He says the apology is not enough.
ANDERSON: All right. Why in the world does Britney Spears sound British?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SPEARS: Where do you live? Do you work here? (UNINTELLIGIBLE)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: What`s behind Brit`s British accent? Plus, new information about a restraining order against Britney and a reported plan to have her committed. That`s straight ahead.
HAMMER: Also, Lindsay Lohan, sued. Yes, a woman is suing Lindsay for emotional distress and then no, it`s not because she had to sit through "Georgia Rule." Why Lindsay could actually end up paying for the woman`s medical bills. That is coming up.
ANDERSON: And a SHOWBIZ TONIGHT exclusive. "Hannah Montana" tickets - they are the hottest thing going. So why did a little girl give hers up? This is a very heartwarming story. Straight ahead, the five-year-old girl who is teaching us all a thing or two about generosity. That`s ahead in the interview you`ll see only right here on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. Don`t go anywhere.
(NEWS BREAK) (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HAMMER: On SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, why is Brit speaking like a Brit?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SPEARS: Where do you live? Do you work here? (UNINTELLIGIBLE)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: Hey, Britney, what`s with the accent? Plus, did her parents try to commit her to a mental hospital? And what`s all this talk about a restraining order? Tonight, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT with the shocking Britney Spears developments.
A "Hannah Montana" miracle. Tonight, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT is the only entertainment news show with the incredible story of a five-year-old girl who did the unthinkable. She gave away her "Hannah Montana" concert tickets and you won`t believe who she gave them to. Tonight, she`s right here. It`s a SHOWBIZ TONIGHT exclusive.
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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.
ANDERSON: And I`m Brooke Anderson coming to you tonight from Hollywood. This is TV`s most provocative entertainment news show.
HAMMER: Tonight, another night of big Britney news, some of it unbelievable. But hey, what else is new? Britney`s parents, Jamie and Lynn Spears, came out swinging against TV doctor, Dr. Phil on the "Today" show. And I`ve got to tell you it got ugly.
And what`s up with Britney`s new British accent? Yes, Brit talking like a Brit. You`re going to see and hear it for yourself. We`ve got the video to prove it.
Also tonight, shocking news that Britney`s parents have reportedly been trying to get her committed to a mental hospital.
Joining me tonight from Hollywood, Ken Baker, west coast editor of "Us Weekly" magazine. In New York tonight, Lisa Bloom, anchor for True TV`s "In Session." And also from Hollywood tonight, Carlos Diaz, correspondent for "Extra.". Always good to see you, gang. And let`s start off with the Spears family striking back in a big way against Dr. Phil who, as we all know, came under fire for revealing that he visited Britney in the hospital after the cops took her away last week. I want you all to listen to what Lou Taylor, a spokesperson for the Spears` family, had to say about all this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TAYLOR: What`s wrong with Dr. Phil`s statement is that he made a statement. The family basically extended an invitation of trust for him to come in as a resource to support them, not to go out and make public statements. Any statement publicly that he made, because he was brought in under this cloak of trust, are just inappropriate.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: All right. So we know now on the record that he was invited. But you know, the family is hopping mad because this was supposed to be a private matter. Ken Baker, certainly understandable that they`re upset.
BAKER: Well, it is really understandable. I think that they were desperate and out of desperation they called Dr. Phil. Britney is a big personality with big problems and they felt they needed an equally big personality there. They brought him in and where things went wrong is that within hours of him seeing her he issues the press release.
Guess what? He didn`t tell the family he was going to be issuing a press release. Not only that, the press release was promoting the show that he was going to be doing on Britney Spears later that week. They never agreed to do any show. They didn`t want to be a part of it.
So I think at the end of the day, he really made a misstep. At the end, finally on Monday, he canceled doing the show, which was a good thing. But in that time, a lot of damage was done. And the sources are telling me that Britney`s family has zero contact, zero with Britney right now, particularly the father, Jamie who was in the hospital with her both nights when she was there., has not even talked to her since because she was so upset that she was ambushed by Dr. Phil.
HAMMER: Yes, the spokesperson on the "Today" show talked about perhaps Britney being pushed further away from the family. I`ll get to that in a moment.
SHOWBIZ TONIGHT did get a statement from Dr. Phil shortly after his visit with Britney. I want to read to you from this. Quote, "My meeting with Britney and some of her family members this morning in her room at Cedars leaves me convinced more than ever that she`s in dire need of both medical and psychological intervention. I`m very concerned for her."
Now, Lisa, we talked about this before. You said that you know Dr. Phil and you say there`s nothing wrong with Dr. Phil paying a visit to Britney in a public hospital. And that may be true and his intentions may have been genuine and pure. But now, what do you think about his move to make a statement without the family`s permission.
BLOOM: He doesn`t need the family`s permission. Dr. Phil is an American. He can make a statement about Britney Spears like any of the rest of us. He`s not her treating psychologist, never was, and the family asked him to go in. So I`m with Dr. Phil.
And by the way, what did he say that`s got the family so upset, that Britney needs treatment? I mean, isn`t that the most obvious statement right now in the United States?
BAKER: I think what`s obvious though is that, you know, maybe it wasn`t the wisest choice for them to choose this high profile TV doctor. But at the same time, we know that had he not made that statement, the circus that ensued, and granted it`s all been a circus, but it just compounded the circus.
BLOOM: I disagree. People were already asking him, because they knew he went to the hospital because the paparazzi surrounded the hospital, "What were you doing? What`s going on?" He didn`t give any interviews. He gave a very short, very bland statement of the obvious.
This is a guy who is trying to help and I think the family`s anger is misplaced at Dr. Phil. They should be focusing on Britney. That is the problem, not lashing at a guy who comes in at their request and is just trying to help.
HAMMER: All right. Well, I kind of get their point. I hear what you`re saying. Maybe they need to be lashing out at Britney for this bizarre new development in her life.
Britney Spears speaking in a British accent. We`ve got to talk about this, because it`s serious. Reports are saying she was actually doing it in the hospital. There`s actually a video of her that SHOWBIZ TONIGHT has obtained, her speaking with the paparazzi in said British accent. Listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SPEARS: Where do you live? Do you work here? (UNINTELLIGIBLE)
HAMMER: All right. She`s asking for the bathroom but she`s calling it a loo. Carlos Diaz, we don`t know her state of mind, but it is kind of bizarre, isn`t it?
CARLOS DIAZ, CORRESPONDENT, "EXTRA": What is the big deal? I mean, she`s a Brit, come on. Oh, not that kind of Brit, sorry about that. No, the whole British accent thing is that`s the most talent she`s shown in like months because she`s actually pretty good at it if you listen to the loo and the whole thing.
Here`s the thing, I heard reports that, you know, people think she has a multiple personality disorder. She needs to work on personality number one before she starts developing two and three, you know. So you might want to not listen to that. But I think she actually has a great British personality.
HAMMER: OK. I`m glad you gave it a nice review there, Carlos. Now, we know that she`s been hanging out with this guy, Adnan Ghalib, a paparazzo. He was raised in London. He speaks with a British accent himself.
Ken Baker, I mean people have said sometimes you can take on an affectation of somebody that you spend a lot of time with. Maybe she was joking around. Certainly, we all put on an occasional British accent, or do you think there`s something more serious going on here?
BAKER: Well, we talked to some experts about this. We`ve put it up on our Web site yesterday. And the experts tell us that it`s very possible that what Britney is trying to do is to escape her own reality by creating a different persona. It`s very common. It tends to be more common in children. They play act and play out different characters.
But as we all know, Britney is sort of a victim of this arrested development because she didn`t have a childhood. So I think in all seriousness, you know, we don`t know if she has multiple personality disorder or she`s just joking around or maybe she`s just trying to ease the pain. You know what? It`s better for her to affect the British accent than for her to go boozing or being on drugs. (UNINTELLIGIBLE)
HAMMER: I agree. It could be symptomatic. I`ve got to move it along because we have to get to this next big headline. "TMZ.com reporting Britney`s parents tried to have her committed to a hospital. For a long time, they have been working on this.
According to the report, people have asked where are the parents? What are they doing to help her? Sounds like that they have been trying. But Lisa, let me ask you this. If Britney does have a mental disorder, you know, she`s 26 years old. She`s not under her parents` care, what else can they do?
BLOOM: They can`t get her committed unless they can show she`s a danger to herself, a danger to others or gravely disabled, meaning she can`t care for herself at all. They`re not going to need that legal standard. After all, she was sprung after just 36 hours. They can beg. They can plead. They can encourage. They can bribe. But she`s an adult. She`s got every right that American citizens have. And they can`t force her to go the hospital.
HAMMER: Ken Baker?
BAKER: Well, I talked to someone close to the Spears` family this morning and they basically said, "Look, Ken, they would like to go knock on her door, take her out of that house and get her committed. But they can`t do it." She`s a 26-year-old woman like Lisa said. So it just is not realistic. And unfortunately, it is going to take Britney deciding on her own that she needs help or a court ordering her to do it.
HAMMER: Well, gang, I appreciate you being here. We will inevitably have much more big Britney news to discuss night after night. Ken Baker, Carlos Diaz, Lisa Bloom, I appreciate you all being here.
BLOOM: Thank you.
ANDERSON: Tonight, Lindsay Lohan is being accused of being a frightening trauma queen. Tracie Rice is suing Lindsay saying the out of control young star kind of drove her crazy.
Here`s why. Lindsay chased the car Rice was traveling in all the way - allegedly chased the car Rice was traveling in all the way to the Santa Monica, California Police Department back in July. Rice said she thought she was being car-jacked and is suing Lohan for emotional distress, including thousands she spent on medical bills and therapists. She even claims she lost her $60,000-a-year job because of the high-speed chase.
At the police station, the cops met both cars with their guns drawn and Lindsay was arrested for her second DUI. We reached out to Lindsay`s people but didn`t hear back.
All right. I`m going to forget all about bad Lindsay Lohan stuff, because I`ve got such a wonderful "Hannah Montana" miracle coming up, and you will only see it right here on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. A five-year-old Arizona girl who gave away her "Hannah Montana" concert tickets. These are some of the hardest to get and you won`t believe who she gave them to. The girl and her mother are right here with me. A SHOWBIZ TONIGHT exclusive, next.
HAMMER: And that is such a great story. Can`t wait for that. Another incredible story, Brooke. Big news tonight on the Miss Puerto Rico pepper spray scandal. You know I interviewed her. I believed her when she said her things got sprayed in the middle of a pageant. Well next, a possible huge break in the case. Also this -
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: People should love you.
WILL SMITH, ACTOR: Do I look like I care what people are saying?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: And Will Smith, no stranger to saving the world, but this time definitely not the perfect hero. This is your first look at his brand-new movie and it is coming up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HAMMER: Welcome back to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, TV`s most provocative entertainment news show. I`m A.J. Hammer in New York. Tonight, we have big news in the Miss Puerto Rico pepper spray scandal. Police say they expect to arrest two suspects very soon. Ingrid Marie Rivera`s stuff was sprayed right in the middle of the pageant back in November.
Now, the pageant security director and the cat walk coordinator both allege supporters of a rival contestant are the ones that could be arrested. Now, Rivera did go on to win the crown even though she broke out in hives.
ANDERSON: Now a SHOWBIZ TONIGHT exclusive, a story that will shock you but this time in such a wonderful, positive way. You know that "Hannah Montana" concert tickets are going for hundreds and thousands of dollars if you can get your hands on them.
Well, a five-year-old girl got some and then did something extraordinary. With us tonight from Phoenix, Arizona, five-year-old Jada Carlson and her mom, Faith Carlson. Welcome you two.
FAITH CARLSON, MOTHER OF JADA CARLSON: Hi. It`s great to be here.
ANDERSON: Hi there. Great to have you. And you know, I want to tell our viewers all of this happened after that terrible story of a Dallas mom who made her kid lie about her father dying in Iraq so she could get "Hannah Montana" tickets. We`ll be talking with Jada and Faith in just a moment. But first some background.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
(voice over): We all remember this story that made headlines. A six-year- old girl in Dallas submitted an essay titled "My Daddy Died This Year in Iraq" for a contest to get free tickets. She got four of them, treated like a princess.
But there was one problem. The essay written about the six-year-old`s father was a lie. And the tickets were taken away from the little girl and her mom. But SHOWBIZ TONIGHT has one very special story about another little girl performing a truly selfless act with her "Hannah Montana" tickets. This is five-year-old Jada Carlson.
For Christmas she received expensive concert tickets from her mom, Faith. And while Jada was excited that she was going to the concert, there was this story about a schoolmate of hers, eight-year-old Gabby. That`s Gabby there.
Gabby has been in and out of the hospital. And while their school has held two fund-raisers to help Gabby`s family pay the doctor bills, little five-year-old Jada thought Gabby need one more thing to help her get through a difficult time. So she handed over those precious concert tickets to Gabby. The reason? So Gabby really knew that five-year-old Jada Carlson really did care.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: What a terrific story. And now our SHOWBIZ TONIGHT exclusive with five-year-old Jada and her mother Faith. Faith, Jada is just five years old. When did she first give you the idea that she wanted to do this?
F. CARLSON: You know, the first time that this idea came up is when we attended one of the fund-raisers at the restaurant showing Gabby`s picture. And Jada saw her picture and from that day on she had her in her thoughts and her heart throughout the whole Christmas break.
ANDERSON: Well, you contacted Gabby`s teacher right about the tickets. And it was at that point that you heard the story about the mother and little girl from Dallas who wrote the essay that turned out not to be a true story. Were you shocked that somebody would lie to get those tickets?
F. CARLSON: Yes, absolutely. It`s unfortunate that had occurred and it was a complete opposite story from what we were going to be doing with our tickets and planned on having happened. And that was unfortunate that that little girl did.
ANDERSON: It certainly was. And, you know, you took Jada to finally meet Gabby, because even though she decided to give the tickets away, Jada had never actually met Gabby, right? Tell me about when the girls first met.
F. CARLSON: Correct. She had never met her before because she had been in and out of the hospital. We went to the school to meet her and we wrote letters each to give her with the tickets. And Jada read her letter and she said she loved her and hoped she was feeling well. And I read my letter and it was an amazing moment when they met each other. And they were excited to see each other for the first time.
ANDERSON: I bet they were. Jada, that was so generous of you to give your tickets to Gabby. You could have given Gabby just maybe a "Hannah Montana" doll or something. Why did you want to give her those precious tickets?
JADA CARLSON, GAVE HER "HANNAH MONTANA" TICKETS AWAY: Because in my heart I feel - the true meaning was that to give it to her.
ANDERSON: And I bet she really appreciated that, didn`t she? Did you have fun meeting her?
J. CARLSON: Yes.
F. CARLSON: Can you tell them what you did? You played in the mud puddles - After Jada gave them the tickets, they played in the mud puddles and monkey bars.
ANDERSON: Nothing like playing in the mud to celebrate something, right? And Faith, there was something that you did ask Gabby to do in exchange for getting the tickets. Can you explain to me what you asked her to do?
F. CARLSON: Yes. At the end of the letter, I wrote - I said that I would hope in 10, 20, 30 years, some time in her lifetime that she would remember little Jada and her good deed and pass it on, give the gift to somebody else as far as giving and caring and sharing. And that was a lesson I wanted Gabby to remember.
ANDERSON: Oh, that`s excellent. And what was Gabby`s reaction when she knew she was getting these tickets? Was she surprised? Was she in shock?
F. CARLSON: She was so surprised. She couldn`t believe it. As soon as we said that we wanted to give her the two "Hannah Montana" tickets, she looked at her mom and gasped and looked at Jada like, "Are you telling the truth? Is this really true?" And then, you know, she was - it was hard for her to come up with some words to describe the excitement that she had.
ANDERSON: Has she attended the concert yet or is that still to come?
F. CARLSON: No. It`s actually January 20th. It`s a sold-out concert on January 20th. So she`s anxiously waiting.
ANDERSON: I`m sure she`s extremely excited. And Jada, what lesson have you learned from all of this? Because a lot of people at five years old, I don`t know if they would have been grown up enough to give their tickets away.
J. CARLSON: I learned compassion and all stuff.
F. CARLSON: Compassion - she learned.
ANDERSON: Compassion. What does that mean and what do you hope to do for other people in need going forward?
J. CARLSON: I would still like to give them "Hannah Montana" tickets too.
ANDERSON: Oh, you would? Faith, anymore plans to buy some more "Hannah Montana" tickets if they`re available?
F. CARLSON: I don`t know. They`re getting up there in prices. But it would be a nice experience for Jada to be able to experience the gift of giving again.
ANDERSON: Absolutely. Jada, you are so adorable. I wish I could give you a hug. You should be very proud of yourself. And Faith, I know you`re one proud mother. Faith Carlson, Jada Carlson, thank you both for joining us.
F. CARLSON: Thank you.
HAMMER: Brooke, that is such a great story and she couldn`t be any cuter. All right. You know how Jennifer Lopez` pregnancy was probably one of the worst kept secrets of all time? Well, now J-Lo is admitting she knew that everybody knew.
In an interview in "Harper`s Bazaar" magazine, Lopez says she wanted to keep things hush-hush as long as possible because this was such a special time for her and her husband Marc Anthony.
She says, quote, "This is my experience and my husband`s experience and we get to hold that for a little while. We`re just getting used to the fact that we`ve told everybody. I kind of feel like everybody knew anyway. I was on tour with a bubble gut!"
Well, J-Lo is also revealing that she`s going to be staying out of the spotlight for a while. She`s adding, quote, "I`m just feeling too protective to open that door right now. It`s a Pandora`s box. It`s a destructive lifestyle to be out there."
You can read more in February issue of "Harper`s Bazaar" magazine. You`ll find it in newsstands on January 15th.
ANDERSON: Well, I don`t find it bizarre that Will Smith is in another film and he saves the world.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: People should love me.
SMITH: Do I look like I care what people think?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: But Will, what`s with the attitude? You`ve got to see this. We`ve got your first look at Will`s new movie. Yes, he`s a hero but is kind of a hot head. Next.
HAMMER: Kind of hot-headed; looks like he needs a shower. Now you can watch SHOWBIZ TONIGHT any time you would like by downloading our podcast. You know something? The podcast is absolutely free. Absolutely free. You`ll find the SHOWBIZ TONIGHT podcast on our Web site. Just surf on over to CNN.com/ShowbizTonight. Always add new ones up there.
You can also download it if you use iTunes by typing "SHOWBIZ TONIGHT" into the search box. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT coming straight back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HAMMER: Will Smith is back to save the world again. Of course, he did it in "Independence Day" and "I Am Legend." And now he`s super hero Hancock. But even though he cleans up the bad guys, Hancock always seems to leave a mess behind. Here now is a showbiz first look.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED CHILD ACTOR: Hancock. Hancock.
SMITH: What, boy?
UNIDENTIFIED CHILD ACTOR: Bad guy.
SMITH: What you want, a cookie?
VOICE OVER: Hancock`s latest batch of so-called heroics take a hefty financial toll.
(UNINTELLIGIBLE)
UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: People should love you.
SMITH: Do I look like I care what people think?
UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: Everybody remembers Walter, the gray whale you stuck on the beach. Along comes Hancock.
UNIDENTIFIED ACTRESS: Oh my god!
SMITH: I don`t even remember that.
UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: Green Peace does.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HAMMER: You can sign on to Hancock when it hits theaters in July.
ANDERSON: On Tuesday, we asked you to vote on our SHOWBIZ TONIGHT question of the day, "Tears for Spears: Do you feel sorry for Britney`s family?" Thirty percent of you do; 70 percent of you don`t.
E-mails. Catisha(ph) from Alabama does feel sorry for Britney`s family. "Everyone makes mistakes, everyone has problems or issues. It`s so sad that she can`t just be left alone."
But Evie(ph) from Minnesota says, "Hell no! There are thousands of families out there who suffer from addiction and mental illness. The Spears has exploited it, sold it to the media and in a sense, created it."
HAMMER: Well, that is it for SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. Thank you so much for watching. I`m A.J. Hammer in New York.
ANDERSON: I`m Brooke Anderson in Hollywood. The latest from "CNN HEADLINE NEWS" coming up next. Take care.
END
