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Showbiz Tonight
The Disturbing Parallels Between Anna Nicole Smith and Britney Spears; Updates on Delta Burke`s Psychiatric Treatment; The Players in The Anna Nicole Smith Drama: Where They Are Now
Aired February 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: Startling new details about Delta Burke`s treatment for depression. I`m A.J. Hammer in New York.
BROOKE ANDERSON, CO-HOST: And former Hollywood Madam Heidi Fleiss speaks out about getting arrested again. I`m Brooke Anderson in Hollywood. TV`s most provocative entertainment news show starts right now.
On SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, a special report. Is Britney like Anna Nicole? Tonight, the dramatic and disturbing similarities between Britney Spears and Anna Nicole Smith. Is Adnan Britney`s Larry Birkhead? Is Sam Lutfi Britney`s Howard K. Stern? And the haunting video that will give you chills.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ANNA NICOLE SMITH, ACTRESS: To Britney Spears, if you see this and you want to be friends, I would so much love to hang out with you.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: Tonight, SHOWBIZ investigates the Anna Nicole/Britney connection. Anna Nicole Smith, one year later. Exactly one year since her tragic death, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT tracks down the key players in the drama that turned into a three-ring circus, Larry Birkhead, Howard K. Stern, Virgie Arthur, and, oh, yes, who could forget Judge Larry?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JUDGE LARRY SEIDLIN, PRESIDING JUDGE DURING THE ANNA NICOLE SMITH BODY CUSTODY HEARING: The less you say the better. Enough baloney here.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: Tonight, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT with the fascinating revelations - where are they now?
(MUSIC)
Hello. I`m A.J. Hammer, broadcasting tonight and every night from New York City.
ANDERSON: Hi there, everyone. I`m Brooke Anderson coming you from Hollywood. And it`s almost hard to believe that it was exactly one year ago that SHOWBIZ TONIGHT broke the news to our viewers about the shocking death of Anna Nicole Smith.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER (on camera): At this hour, the story is still developing. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT is all over it. Late this afternoon, came the startling news that Anna Nicole Smith died in a hospital in Florida.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Tonight, the cast of characters in the Anna Nicole drama, where are they now? We`ve got that coming up.
HAMMER: But first, tonight a showbiz special report, "Anna Nicole Smith and Britney Spears." Tonight, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT can now reveal the down right eerie and troubling similarities between Britney and Anna Nicole. The photographers in both women`s lives - Larry Birkhead, the father of Anna Nicole`s child and Adnan Ghalib, Britney`s paparazzo boyfriend. The controlling men in both women`s lives, Anna Nicole`s lawyer, Howard K. Stern and Britney`s manager Sam Lutfi. And the mothers of Anna Nicole and Britney, Virgie Arthur and Lynne Spears.
Joining us tonight for this SHOWBIZ special report, a fired up coast- to-coast panel. In New York, anchor of Tru TV`s "In Session," Lisa Bloom. Also in New York tonight, "Daily News" columnist Ben Widdecombe. And in Hollywood, investigative journalist Jane Velez-Mitchell, the author of the fascinating book, "Secrets Can Be Murder."
Gang, I appreciate you being here. Hard to believe it has been a year since Anna Nicole passed away. And it`s amazing when you look at the circle of people surrounding Britney Spears right now, it is just impossible to ignore the connection to Anna Nicole Smith. Lisa, the similarities are just frightening, aren`t they?
LISA BLOOM, ANCHOR, TRU TV`S "IN SESSION": Well, both of them seem to have problems with prescription medication, with mental illness and just generally with not being able to get their lives together. And if anything, Britney, these similarities should be a wake-up call to you. Anna Nicole Smith, of course, dead now one year. Britney, her obit has been written by the Associated Press. I mean that should be a wake-up call to her.
HAMMER: When you look at all the similarities, we`re going to get into them in detail in just a moment, we`re not making this stuff up. Jane, it is really just odd and strange, isn`t it?
JANE VELEZ-MITCHELL, INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALIST: It is. It`s eerie, A.J. I would hate to draw any perfect parallels because tragically, Anna Nicole Smith is dead and thankfully Britney Spears is still alive and hopefully gets the help she needs to go on to a productive life. But it is astounding, two beautiful blonds, very sexually seductive, very charismatic, plucked from obscurity at a very young age and then tossed into this world, this pressure cooker of superstardom and wealth that they were simply emotionally and psychologically incapable of handling on their own.
Then they become vulnerable to armies, small armies of paparazzi and men who invade their lives and ultimately in each case one male emerges as a top dog and claims to be a savior of this woman and is accused of being a Svengali.
HAMMER: Well, let us start off by taking a look at those controlling men in both of the women`s lives, Howard K. Stern for Anna Nicole Smith; Sam Lutfi for Britney Spears. Now both went to the biggest celebrity journalists in television to talk about what they were going through. I want you to first take a listen to what Howard K. Stern told Larry King. This is back in 2006 shortly after Anna Nicole Smith`s son Daniel died.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HOWARD K. STERN, ANNA NICOLE SMITH`S LAWYER: She`s having a tough time of it. You know, I can`t really imagine being any worse of condition. I mean, she has help. She`s doing the best that she can. But she is - you know, this is a really tough thing to deal with.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: It just flashes you right back. Now, I want you to listen to Barbara Walters as she relays the conversation that she had with Britney`s manager Sam Lutfi.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARBARA WALTERS, CO-HOST, "THE VIEW": He said that Britney is suffering as what he describes as mental issues which are treatable. He said that she has been to a psychiatrist and that she - I assume starting some kind of treatment. She has been having mood swings. She has been having trouble sleeping. And also, she is in touch with her mother because we had heard she wasn`t and her mother has been supportive of what Britney is going to do.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: Ben, it is obvious that both women clearly relied on these men as more than managers.
BEN WIDDECOMBE, "DAILY NEWS" COLUMNIST: Well, that`s absolutely right. Sam Lutfi has been particularly eerie in the way that he has kept people at arm`s length from Britney. Everybody that is, except for the paparazzi which seems to have almost a red carpet access to her home.
The interesting thing about Sam, of course, that he is now feuding with Britney`s parents who are back on the scene. It seems when Britney was in the darkest days, it was her father Jamie she turned to, but now he and her mother Lynne seem to be united trying to get Sam out of her life.
HAMMER: Lisa Bloom, back to you. What do you think it is about these two guys that made Britney and Anna Nicole each rely on them really at what was the worst times of their lives?
BLOOM: You know, I think both of these women are so fundamentally lonely and have low self esteem and have so many emotional problems. They just latch on to the nearest guy, unfortunately. You know, they never seem to learn to stand up on their own two feet.
Britney is a tremendously talented young woman who`s been at the top of the charts for many, many years. And yet in her personal life, she`s such a disaster. These guys prey on people like Britney or Anna Nicole. They seem to get in there. They have a financial interest. They take control. And unfortunately, the women allowed them to do it.
HAMMER: And that`s exactly why Sam Lutfi and Howard K. Stern both have been really admonished in the press, attacked until the media for that. But there is so much money at stake here. We can`t forget that at all. And in both cases - Jane Velez-Mitchell, I want to throw this one out to you. Should either of these two men be at all surprised by the criticism they`ve received?
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Absolutely not. You know, this kind of superstardom is a vortex that literally consumes anybody who gets within that circle and changes everybody`s life. Nobody emerges from this kind of drama unscathed.
And when you have this much money at stake in both of these cases, tens of millions of dollars potentially at stake, everybody`s going to be wondering, let`s follow the money. Who`s after the money? So everybody should expect if they enter the life of a superstar who is super wealthy or potentially super wealthy, people are going to scrutinize every single thing they do.
HAMMER: Well, as we continue our SHOWBIZ special report taking a look at the comparisons between Britney Spears and Anna Nicole Smith and it`s amazing that we don`t stop there. We continue. We`ve got to talk about the boyfriends in both their lives: Larry Birkhead in Anna Nicole`s life; Adnan Ghalib in Britney`s life. Both of these guys, photographers. Both standing to earn some money off of these women. And at both times - both of these women at one time or another accused of being opportunistic. Lisa Bloom, it is again an eerie comparison.
BLOOM: Isn`t that fascinating that they`re both photographers? I mean, these are women who have lived for the camera but in Britney`s case, she also seems to want to shy away from the paparazzi sometimes. You`ve got the big sunglasses on. She wears wigs. She seems to want to try to avoid them but ultimately who does she take off with? A paparazzo.
I mean it`s unbelievable to me that that`s who they`re so close to. That`s who they live with every day. Really in a sense, they live, they breathe, they eat, they sleep and spend so much time with the paparazzi, and both Anna Nicole and Britney taking off with one ultimately. It really is amazing to me.
HAMMER: And of course, there are the women in their lives, the mothers - Lynne Spears and Virgie Arthur. Now, on the surface, we see two moms who, at one time or another, had been at odds with their daughters. Jane Velez- Mitchell, back out to you. It seems to me like this is almost a carbon copy, one of the other here.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: There are frightening commonalities, A.J. Both mothers saying they`re trying to get to their daughters and blocked by men, controlling their daughters. But the daughter`s saying, "I want nothing to do with you." Here`s the most scary parallel, is that both mothers expressed fear that their children could die. Remember, after Daniel died, Virgie Arthur, Anna Nicole Smith`s mother, said, "Watch out, Anna Nicole. You could be next." In fact, she later died.
And, of course, just the other day - I think it was yesterday Lynne Spears expressed concern over her daughter Britney`s life. So there are very bizarre parallels. I think it`s very dangerous any time a mother, mommy says something to a daughter even subliminally that their life is in danger. It has the potential of being a self fulfilling prophesy and is potentially very toxic.
HAMMER: Very toxic. Ben Widdecombe, your thoughts?
WIDDECOMBE: Well, I think that - Lynne Spears has always struck me as a woman who has Britney`s best interest in mind. She certainly was a stage mother. But the animosity between them is relatively recent. Unfortunately, Virgie Arthur and Anna Nicole really almost hated each other for many, many years. So I hope that Lynne can come back into Britney`s life because I have more faith in her as a mother. I think they can repair their relationship.
HAMMER: And wouldn`t that be a silver lining. Another thing, in fact, we can`t ignore in both situations, loss. Anna Nicole lost her son Daniel. And Britney lost custody of her boys. Lisa Bloom, back to you. I mean this is something that I hadn`t even thought about until today. This is something that obviously had a massive affect on both of their lives. The silver lining of hope here perhaps, Britney can still get her kids back. Should that give us hope perhaps, Lisa, that the similarities will end here?
BLOOM: She can, and we saw in her mother`s affidavit that Britney apparently has been wandering around her mansion saying, "Where are my babies?" So at least she is expressing an interest that she wants to get them back. The judge will give her a chance if she just will stand up, take care of her emotional problem, take care of her substance abuse. She should latch on to her parents who are there now trying to help her. She needs to get her act together. But you`re right, she can be a success story. She doesn`t have to be the tragedy that Anna Nicole became.
HAMMER: No. N, I was about to say it doesn`t have to end in the ultimate tragedy that is how Anna Nicole`s life obviously ended. Lisa Bloom, Ben Widdecombe, Jane Velez-Mitchell, I do appreciate you being with us tonight.
And now, we want to turn it over to you. It is our SHOWBIZ TONIGHT question of the day - Britney Spears: Was it wrong to let her out of the hospital so soon?
Get online to vote at CNN.com/ShowbizTonight. The E-mail address is showbiztonight@cnn.com.
Well, whether it was too soon or not, Britney is, in fact, out of the hospital. I get the feeling that anything can happen now. I don`t think I`m the only one who`s a little bit concerned. Coming up, a secret, closed door hearing over Britney as everybody scrambles to try to save her. But will it be enough? That`s on the way.
ANDERSON: Also, Anna Nicole Smith one year later. Yes, it has been one year since her tragic death. We are catching up with the key players in the Anna Nicole Smith drama. Howard K. Stern, Virgie Arthur. I have to wonder, whatever happened to Judge Larry? Straight ahead, the fascinating revelations. Where are they now?
Also this -
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
DELTA BURKE, STAR OF "DESIGNING WOMEN": I came in because I was on so many medications and they just weren`t working.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: Wow. Absolutely stunning new information about Delta Burke`s treatment for mental problems. I`ve got to tell you, I was so shocked to hear that she had checked into a clinic for depression and for hoarding. Well, tonight, we have brand new details you will definitely not want to miss about what she has been going through. That`s coming up next on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. We`ll be right back.
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(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
DELTA BURKE, STAR OF "DESIGNING WOMEN": I came in because I was on so many medications and they just weren`t working.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: A very brave Delta Burke opens up about her battle with mental illness. And tonight, brand new developments to tell you about. Welcome back to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, TV`s most provocative entertainment news show. I`m Brooke Anderson in Hollywood. Surprising new details tonight involving two Hollywood stars in crisis.
We just heard Delta Burke`s dramatic phone call to TMZ. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT can now tell you that Burke did not check herself into a psych ward as was first reported but into a clinic where she is getting her medication adjusted.
Also new right now, Evan Mendes is taking a break from rehab. Eva`s rep has confirmed that the actress temporarily left a rehab center where she is being treated. Joining us from New York, clinical psychologist Dr. Judy Kuriansky. And in Hollywood, psychologist Dr. Allen Berger(ph). Great to see you both. And as we know with Delta Burke, she has revealed she has suffered from severe depression and obsessive compulsive disorder. Dr. Judy, is it common for someone with her conditions to have to get her medications adjusted?
JUDY KURIANSKY, CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGIST: Absolutely, Brooke. And remember, she also admitted that she had anxiety. So you have three conditions. They all can be treated with some anti-anxiety agents and also antidepressants. There are three classes of antidepressants and all these medications might help. But you have to decide which one is the best, which combination of them is the best and in what dosage. It`s very delicate to do this as we`ve seen even with the Britney situation.
Now, the other added important issue here is that Delta has physical disorders besides some psychological and mental problems. And that is her diabetes and her weight issues. So if she`s getting medication also for those, you have to pay attention to how those interact with side effects with her other medications.
ANDERSON: Absolutely. And a moment ago, we heard some of Delta Burke`s call to TMZ. Now, I want you to listen to another part where she discusses her mental health issues. Listen to this.
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
BURKE: We were thinking that maybe I hadn`t been properly diagnosed because some of these meds didn`t seem like they were working. You know, like antidepressants and stuff. Because I have, you know, severe depression. I knew I had generalized anxiety and I knew I had problems with obsessive compulsive and the hoarding which I really want to work on.
(END AUDIO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Oh, Delta sounds very distressed. And you know, just looking at everything she is dealing with - anxiety, depression, OCD. These are some big, very troubling issues. Dr. Berger, what does this say to you about what she is struggling with?
DR. ALLEN BERGER, PSYCHOLOGIST: Well, I think the first thing that we need to pay attention to is that good for Delta that she is recognizing that what she is doing so far isn`t working.
ANDERSON: Yes.
BERGER: That`s a really important part, Brooke, is that she is honest with herself about that, and I really like that. You know, that makes me feel really positive and, you know, it gives her a good prognosis for the treatment she`s going to receive. You know, these conditions are telling her that something`s wrong with her life.
And I think what they`re going to do is really smart right now. The drugs that she is on currently are not working. That`s what she`s telling us. So they`re going to take her off all of those and then they`re going to probably reintroduce the drugs to see the effect.
What I also hope happens is that she starts looking about what the symptoms mean about her life. Because, see, when these things start to come up for us, the depression and anxiety, it`s also an indication that something`s wrong. Something`s not right with our life. And that to me I think is so important, too, that she gets some help in addition to whatever they do at the medication.
ANDERSON: Certainly.
BERGER: Therapy and medication works best, you know?
ANDERSON: Absolutely. Well, you know, after the initial reports that Delta Burke had checked herself into a psych ward, her people made a point to clarify what type of treatment facility Delta was actually in. Dr. Judy, are we just playing semantics here? I mean he bottom line is that Delta needs to be getting serious help. Right?
KURIANSKY: Exactly. She needs serious help and it sounds to me very much, Brooke, like this is a way to back pedal and to distance Delta from Britney to say, "Oh, Britney, padded room and a psychiatric ward. Let`s not say she`s really that bad," and panic people and protect her image when, in fact, guess what? Some psychiatric hospitals are in fact called clinics, too. And as a psychiatric place, is the best place for her to be right now, whether you call it a clinic or anything else.
ANDERSON: Yes. And the timing with Britney`s issues are coincidental obviously. Well I do want to get to another Hollywood star dealing with some health issues, and that is actress Eva Mendes. Her rep told SHOWBIZ TONIGHT she plans on returning to the rehab center soon to finish her treatment.
Now, this is something we saw with Lindsay Lohan. She would enter rehab. But then she would leave on shopping excursions, to run errands and do other things. But Dr. Berger, Eva Mendes - should she just stay in the rehab, focus solely on that treatment? Isn`t that what`s important? Very quickly.
BERGER: There is no question - there is no question that that`s important. It`s like she is in the middle of open heart surgery and she`s going to get up and take a break? I mean, they`re not finished with her yet. She needs stay in treatment.
ANDERSON: Yes, may not be -
BERGER: Yes.
ANDERSON: It may not be wise to pop in and out like that. Dr. Allen Berger, Dr. Judy Kuriansky, we will leave it there. Thank you both.
BERGER: Thank you.
KURIANSKY: Thanks.
ANDERSON: And we have more rehab news for you tonight. The host of "The Insider," Pat O`Brien, has entered rehab again. "The Insider" issued a short statement saying, "O`Brien and his doctors thought that was the best way to maintain his sobriety." O`Brien famously entered rehab once before after shocking and scandalous voicemails he left for a woman were released. We do wish our colleague well.
HAMMER: Brand new Britney news tonight. There was a secret hearing on an emergency motion from Britney`s dad. I`ve got to say, it looks like some drastic measures are being taken to save Britney from herself. Well, we have a fired up panel ready to talk about that coming up.
Also, Anna Nicole Smith, one year later. It has been one year since her tragic death and we are catching up with the key players in the Anna Nicole Smith drama - Howard K. Stern, Virgie Arthur. And I`ve got to wonder, what ever happened to Judge Larry? Straight ahead, the fascinating revelations, where are they now?
HAMMER: And remember Heidi Fleiss, the former Hollywood Madame? Well, she`s back in the headlines today. I`d love to say it`s for something wonderful. But yes, no dice on that. She has been arrested again and she is speaking out about it. You`ll hear in her own words what happened, coming up next on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. You will definitely want to stick around.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HAMMER: Welcome back to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. I`m A.J. Hammer in New York. Former Hollywood Madame Heidi Fleiss is in trouble again. Fleiss was arrested in Nevada on charges of driving under the influence and illegal possession of prescription drugs. But Fleiss tells Nevada TV station, KTNV that it`s all some big misunderstanding.
Now, I have to prepare you for this bit of randomness here. Heidi has taken up the cause of rescuing abused birds. So you`re going to notice in this piece of tape I`m about to show you the bird takes up most of the frame. And it`s just a little strange and confusing to me when I first saw it. I just wanted to mention that for clarification`s sake. Watch this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HEIDI FLEISS, FMR. HOLLYWOOD MADAME: I had some Vicodin on me. I was parked in a parking lot and I didn`t have the prescription with me. That`s it and that`s all. I`m 42, not 21. If my bones hurt I`m taking my Vicodin. And that`s it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: And that was Heidi talking at the bird. Fleiss moved to Nevada after getting out of jail in California for running a prostitution ring. She runs a Laundromat and now it`s called "Dirty Laundry." And she`s working on opening a male brothel.
Well, there`s brand new Britney Spears` news tonight. There was a secret, closed door hearing on an emergency motion from Britney`s dad, Jamie Spears. I`ve got to say, it looks like some drastic measures are being taken to save Britney from herself. We have a very fired up panel all set to talk about that, coming up next.
HAMMER: Also, Anna Nicole Smith, one year later. You know, it has been one year to the date since Anna Nicole Smith died tragically. And we are catching up with the key players in Anna Nicole Smith`s drama - Howard K. Stern, Virgie Arthur. And I`ve got to wonder, whatever happened to that wacky Judge Larry? Coming up, the fascinating revelations, where are they now?
And one of my favorite people in Hollywood, the lovely Halle Berry. She has certainly been through a lot. But now, I`ve got to tell you, she seems happier than ever. She`s in a great relationship, expecting a baby any day now. I asked Halle how she and her boyfriend make their relationship work. I`ve got her surprising answer coming up.
But first, you can always stay on top of the most provocative entertainment news show any time at all with our daily SHOWBIZ TONIGHT newsletter. Just head on over to CNN.com/ShowbizTonight. All you have to do is click on "sign up for the newsletter" link at the bottom of the page. Will zip it off to you every single day. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT coming straight back.
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HAMMER: On SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, saving Britney Spears. Tonight, brand new steps are being taken as Britney`s parents, the people around her, scramble to keep her from possibly hurting herself. Plus, the stunning emergency court hearing brought by Brit`s dad Jamie. What happened behind closed doors?
The Anna Nicole Smith players, where are they now? Tonight, a year after Anna Nicole Smith`s shocking death, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT investigates what happened to everybody. The father of the baby, Larry Birkhead. Howard K. Stern, her lawyer. Virgie Arthur, her mom. Even the crying judge, Larry Seidlin. It`s a revealing showbiz special report that you just don`t want to miss.
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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, saving Britney Spears. She is out of the hospital but now SHOWBIZ TONIGHT can tell you a brand new battle is on to save Britney from herself and avoid a trip back to the psych ward, or possibly worse. Right now, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT brings you the very latest breaking Britney news. Where is Britney?
Well, you know, she`s been keeping an unusually low profile two days after her release from the hospital. Sam Lutfi, her so-called manager, has been out of sight, as well. Nobody has seen him since Britney went into the hospital and her parents got a restraining order against him. And SHOWBIZ TONIGHT has now learned there was a surprise closed door meeting about Britney`s estate.
Joining me tonight from Hollywood, Atty. Darren Kavinoky. Executive editor for "E! News" Ken Baker. And joining us here in New York once again, anchor of Tru TV`s "In Session," Lisa Bloom. OK, gang, we know that Britney`s father, Jamie, was represented at that mystery closed door hearing. Nobody`s made a peep about the hearing, and what was discussed which is highly unusual when it comes to Britney and her court hearings. Lisa Bloom, what could they possibly have been talking about?
BLOOM: Well, keep in mind daddy Jamie Spears is Britney`s conservator along with an attorney. So he may be trying to take control of her finances, make sure that everything`s handled correctly. Overall, I like the fact mom and dad are in court. They`re in the hospital. It`s never too late to start being a good parent. She might be 26 years old but needs her mom and dad right now and I`m glad that they`re in there fighting for her.
HAMMER: Darren, what do you think? Britney`s in there or the parents are in there making sure that Britney doesn`t get control back of her own situation and finances at this point?
DARREN KAVINOKY, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: Well, I think they may be in there talking about the idea that every time an alarm bell sounds in Britney`s life, she hits the snooze alarm and goes right back to her crazy behavior. Or maybe they`re talking about the notion that it`s the one-year anniversary of the death of Anna Nicole Smith and it`s like Anna Nicole is reaching out from the grave to infuse Britney with some more of this nutty behavior.
I think what`s really, really going on here is that they`re trying to use the little time that they have got left on this conservatorship to exert some influence over Britney and perhaps regarding her medical care more than just her financial affairs.
HAMMER: Yes. I mean I think it`s clear as you and Lisa Bloom have pointed out. Britney`s parents just desperate to do whatever they can at this point to save her life. They`ve made it extremely clear they`re very disappointed over the doctor`s decision to release Britney from the hospital on Wednesday. While it seems Britney`s parents are doing everything they can to try to save her, Britney`s probably going to, as you said, sort of hit that snooze button and go back to her own old destructive ways. So, Darren, what needs to happen right now?
KAVINOKY: Well, you can be sure that there`s people who are taking meetings, pitch meetings and lunching at the Ivy and probably talking about Britney`s celebrity rehab show. But I think what she really needs is to get to a dual diagnosis-type facility for a long-term stay so she can really get the help that she needs away from all the toxic influences in her life.
HAMMER: Lisa Bloom, would you concur?
BLOOM: I would. But I think more important than any of that is the love and commitment of her family. I want to see her parents stay there with her. You know, whatever they`re doing in their lives, it really shouldn`t matter. Britney`s got a $125-million fortune. She can support them. They need to be in there. They need to stay in there. They need to treat her like a child, frankly.
I know she`s over the age of majority, but she`s deteriorating right in front of our eyes and if anybody can save her, I think it`s her parents. They need to oversee her medical care. They need to oversee every aspect of her life. She`s going to hate that as a 26-year-old woman, as any young person would, but guess what? Too bad. It`s time to save Britney`s life and that`s up to them to do it.
HAMMER: Well, you know, you guys have all been making terrific points as we continued to talk about this. And maybe Britney is even watching SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. I don`t know. Because except for the driving around a bit after she got out of the psych ward, she has been staying out of sight as we have constantly suggested she do.
Ken Baker, over to you. Is it too much to hope that Britney actually got a bit of a wake-up call when she was in the hospital?
KEN BAKER, EXECUTIVE EDITOR FOR "E! NEWS": Well, I certainly hope she did have a wake-up call and she has been at home mostly. She hasn`t been driving around much. There was that incident when she just got out and kind of doing the same old thing, driving around L.A. with the helicopters, paparazzi.
But one disturbing thing that did come to light was that there was video that was posted online that showed Britney at her house wearing that pink wig. Now the reason why I`m bringing up the pink wig is because her pal, Sam Lutfi, was quoted this week in "People" magazine saying - you know, basically, one of the magazines - saying that, you know, when she puts on the wig, look out. It means, you know, it`s kind of crazy Britney. And so I think that just because she is out of sight doesn`t mean she is not still out of her mind.
HAMMER: True, true. But as we keep pointing out, she seems to be less of a danger to other people in any event when she is out of sight. But that pink wig, man. That certainly has been symbolic of some of the worst times we have seen.
BAKER: Exactly.
HAMMER: And anybody who`s been watching SHOWBIZ TONIGHT knows, there`s certainly been no shortage of Hollywood`s biggest stars stepping right up to the plate to tell us how concerned they are for Britney. Now another, the legendary Cher speaking out. Cher, of course, became a big star herself at a very young age. Well, we caught up with Cher right as it was just announced she has a big three-year deal planned to play Cesar`s Palace in Las Vegas starting in May. And I want you to listen to what Cher had to say. Watch this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CHER, ACTRESS AND SINGER: Britney, unfortunately, she puts herself in that place. I mean, you know, she`s doing the wrong thing. She is putting herself right in the thick of it and so, it is not healthy for her. It is not a good thing. I think she is really not healthy. I think that`s what it is. I think that she really - you know, she`s really doing these things because she`s not well and really needs someone to straighten her out, someone that can help her. This is not just behavior of a spoiled brat, you know, even someone on drugs. It`s not that behavior. You know? It`s just something deeper.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: You know, Cher`s been in the business for 40 years. As I mentioned, she started young, too. Lisa Bloom, just can`t argue with that wisdom, can you?
BLOOM: No, you can`t. I`ve loved her since "I Got You Babe." And she certainly knows what she`s talking about. But you know what`s changed from Cher`s generation to Britney`s generation, are these insane paparazzi who get right up into the faces of somebody who`s mentally ill. I`d like to see about a three-foot health zone; you know, arm`s length zone. They at least give this girl a little space so she can drive on the freeway or, god forbid, get into an ambulance without the photographers interfering with everything she does.
HAMMER: Yes. I don`t care how mentally stable you are -
BAKER: But Lisa -
HAMMER: The closeness by the paparazzi will makes anybody nuts. Go ahead, Ken.
BAKER: Well, I was going to say, it`s like, you know, maybe for your typical celebrity that`s true. But she`s actually inviting them in her car. In fact, that day with all that craziness on Wednesday, she invited a guy to come and drive her car with her and she`s dating a paparazzo.
BLOOM: Well, she wasn`t them to block the ambulance or to chase the ambulance when she was going to the hospital. That should be a crime. When she`s driving on the freeway, they shouldn`t be surrounding her car like a swarm of bees. I mean something is wrong if we`re going to continue to allow that.
HAMMER: Real quickly, Darren. I want to toss this out to you, because Sam Lutfi is still a concern. There`s this restraining order against him. Britney`s mom made shocking allegations about how he had been acting. Darren, if Britney wins control of her estate back in a couple of weeks, can she have that restraining order lifted? I have about ten seconds.
KAVINOKY: Oh, absolutely. If she gets control of her own life, that restraining order is completely within her control, and she can pull the plug on that. No problem.
HAMMER: And there are a lot of people who are saying if that happens, we should all be concerned. It`s a wait and see at this point. Darren Kavinoky, Ken Baker, Lisa Bloom, thank you all.
BLOOM: Thank you.
HAMMER: Well, we have been asking you to vote online on our SHOWBIZ TONIGHT question of the day - Britney Spears: Was it wrong to let her out of the hospital so soon? Let us know how you feel about it at CNN.com/ShowbizTonight. If you`ve got more to say, the E-mail address is showbiztonight@cnn.com.
ANDERSON: Well, on this, the one-year anniversary of Anna Nicole Smith`s shocking death. Tonight, we asked a provocative question - are there startling similarities between Britney Spears and Anna Nicole? Now, more puzzling and explosive Anna Nicole questions, next.
I`m investigating just where all the players are today. Howard K. Stern, Anna`s lawyer, the executor of her estate and the guy who kept on insisting he was the father of Anna`s baby. And then there`s Larry Birkhead, the actual father of Dannielynn. You won`t want to miss his emotional new words about Anna, coming up.
And I definitely can`t forget about Virgie Arthur, Anna`s mother, who you remember was not too happy about Larry Birkhead getting full custody of her granddaughter. You`ve got to stick around for this. A revealing look at whatever happened to all the Anna Nicole players, next.
HAMMER: Well, Brooke, I cannot wait for all of that because we need to get some answers to where they have all been.
Also, something I can`t wait for, the lovely Halle Berry. You know, she`s about to pop out her very first kid very, very soon. I had an amazing opportunity to spend a little time with Halle. She looked absolutely gorgeous. And I wanted to find out just what are the secrets to making her relationship with her soon-to-be-daddy boyfriend work. You`ve got to hear what she told me. That is coming up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LARRY BIRKHEAD, ANNA NICOLE`S EX-BOYFRIEND: You all understand that we all loved Anna and it`s in her best interest to come together and get this thing worked out for her and just lay her to rest.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: That was Larry Birkhead speaking to the press right after the battle over where Anna Nicole Smith was to be buried ended.
Welcome back to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. TV`s most provocative entertainment news show. I`m Brooke Anderson in Hollywood. Tonight, it is hard to believe but it has been one year since the shocking and tragic death of Anna Nicole Smith.
Who can forget the absolute spectacle that followed as a circus of characters fought over her baby, her burial and her estate? But whatever happened to Larry Birkhead, Virgie Arthur and Howard K. Stern and even the crying judge, Larry Seidlin?
With us tonight, three journalists that covered the Anna Nicole saga from top to bottom. In Miami, Tony Potts, correspondent with "Access Hollywood." Also tonight again in Hollywood, Jane Velez-Mitchell, investigative journalist and author of this book, "Secrets Can Be Murder." And in New York, Diane Dimond, author and investigative journalist. Welcome to you all.
And hey, one very integral part of all the drama we saw last year was a paternity battle that was fought between Howard K. Stern and Larry Birkhead over Anna Nicole`s baby. We all know how it ended. Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BIRKHEAD: I hate to be the one that told you this but I told you so!
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: An ecstatic Larry Birkhead there and he`s been raising Dannielynn who is now 17 months old. Diane, what has the past year been like as the two of them have adjusted to their new life in Los Angeles?
DIANE DIMOND, INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALIST: Well, you know, I think it`s been a very bonding experience. And every time you see Larry Birkhead with his daughter, you see the love there. She`s 17 months old. He`s 35 years old.
I have to say, one thing that bothers me. There`s one thing that bothers me. And as a former paparazzi, he should know what cameras in someone`s face does to people. And I noticed that for the one-year anniversary of Anna`s death, he took the little girl back to the grave site in the Bahamas. And don`t you know there was a camera with him? I don`t think this is - I don`t think as a mother of a daughter this is a great way to raise a little girl. What, are we going to see her go to her first day of first grade?
ANDERSON: Oh, let`s hope not.
DIMOND: I just think he ought to get the cameras out of there. Yes.
ANDERSON: Well, also, for the anniversary of Anna Nicole Smith`s death, Larry updated his Web site with a simple message. It reads, quote, "I love you and hope you are proud of our beautiful baby girl. Pleas watch over us and guide us on journey through life. We miss you." Then he puts the date of her death, "February 8, 2007. Love, Larry and Dannielynn." Very sweet message there.
Tony, after Anna Nicole`s death and the fight over her body and child, you spent a lot of time with Larry who at first came across as hero in this drama. Is he still seen that way or has something changed?
TONY POTTS, CORRESPONDENT, "ACCESS HOLLYWOOD": As I travel around - I`m here in Miami and I was in the Bahamas last week. People come up to me and ask me about Larry Birkhead and Howard K. Stern and their relationship. I can tell you that I had a sit-down conversation exclusively today with Big Mo(ph), the bodyguard that was close to Anna Nicole Smith. And he said some explosive things about meetings between Howard K. Stern, Larry Birkhead and Ford Shelly(ph), the son-in-law of G. Ben Thompson, the man who owns the Horizon House.
We have those on "AccessHollywood.com," but he says there were meetings between those three while they were seemingly fighting each other in public in Florida over where Anna would be buried and also paternity. They were having secret dealings behind the scenes. And I think America has and what Diane saying, as well, seeing Larry put the baby in front of the camera like this on the first anniversary, one has to wonder.
I do remember flying on the private jet back from the Bahamas to Louisville with Larry, with Dannielynn. They were very excited and he was loving. But he also said to me on the way home to their house that he wished that the media would go away. And I think when you invited cameras, it`s kind of hard for that to happen, is it not?
Yes. It is questionable behavior and I don want to say that those claims you have been told haven`t been confirmed. And there hasn`t been a statement from either side about that.
POTTS: Yes. Actually, I can tell you we tried to contact Howard K. Stern today. There has been no comment from him. But you`re right. They are claims of the Big Mo, the bodyguard. They`re exactly that - just claims.
ANDERSON: OK. And speaking of Howard K. Stern, throughout all these battles, we saw him a lot but he hasn`t really been out much lately. Take a look at what he said when asked if he would stay in the Bahamas.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
STERN: As far as me staying in the Bahamas, I`m going to stay in the Bahamas regardless. I`m not going to leave Anna or Daniel here alone. I wouldn`t do that.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Jane Velez-Mitchell, where has Howard K. Stern been? Has he been lying low? What do we know?
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Well, he`s been busy at work in some senses. He has applied to the courts to make little Dannielynn the sole heir to Anna Nicole`s estate. And there`s a hearing coming up next month. He and Larry Birkhead have joined forces on that. They both think that little Dannielynn she should be the sole heir to Anna Nicole Smith`s estate.
Right now, it`s not worth very much, but if she were to win, the estate were to win the battle for her late oil tycoon husband`s estate which is worth many, many, many, many millions of dollars, that little girl could become extraordinarily wealthy. And if that battle is won, my understanding is that Howard K. Stern would get a contingency fee somewhere in the range of six percent. So he, in turn, would also become very, very, very wealthy.
ANDERSON: Sounds like he`s been very busy fighting for that. Go ahead, Tony.
POTTS: Brooke, I can add that I was at the inquest in Daniel`s death a week and a half ago and Howard K. Stern was there. Normally, in an inquest, if you`re a witness, you cannot be in the courtroom. All the lawyers have told me that. For some reason, Howard K. Stern has been allowed to be in the courtroom even though he will be called as a witness. He`s not been called yet. I was there with the testimony was given about how much methadone was in Daniel`s body, 0.79 which is above what addicts usually have. And also there were 22 milligrams still left in his body to go in to the system. And so Howard has also busy been at the inquest, as well.
ANDERSON: OK. Good to know, Tony. And of course, one other character and he is a character whom none of us can forget, it`s the judge that presided over the battle of Anna Nicole`s body and where it should be buried, the crying Judge Larry Seidlin. Let`s take a look back at some of Judge Larry in courtroom.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEIDLIN: Remember in school, you had this big French labyrinth (ph) and you tried to get to the center of it, that`s all we`re trying to do.
When I used to teach tennis, I used to wear white shorts and a white top. It always looked good.
Instead of fighting, you should join hands. Join hands.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Diane, he was certainly entertaining to watch.
DIMOND: Oh, he was.
ANDERSON: We know he retired from the bench in July and supposedly he was in talks to do a show, a court TV show. What ever happened?
DIMOND: Well, you know, after we watched him laugh and cry and tell us about his tennis shorts, a lot of people in Hollywood had a lot of buzz about this. You know how many court shows there are out there. I know someone who personally escorted Judge Larry Seidlin out to Hollywood and he had a bunch of pitch meetings. Well, so far, there are just no takers. Sorry.
ANDERSON: OK. Never know what can happen.
DIMOND: Yes.
ANDERSON: Very quickly, Tony - we`ve only got about 15 seconds left. Virgie Arthur, what is she up to?
POTTS: I saw her at the inquest. She`s still right there everyday watching the inquest and watching over her grandson, Daniel and of course her daughter Anna in the Bahamas. So she`ll be there until something happens, one way or the other.
ANDERSON: All right. Tony Potts, Diane Dimond, Jane Velez-Mitchell, thank you all.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: You bet.
DIMOND: Thanks.
POTTS: Thank you.
HAMMER: Well, if you`re a regular viewer of SHOWBIZ TONIGHT and I know you are, you know that I think Halle Berry has it all. She`s got a great career. She`s got a loving boyfriend. And she is about to be a first-time mommy.
But just how does she juggle all of that being in Hollywood right under the spotlight all the time? I go one on one with the lovely Halle Berry who looks amazing. The secrets the making her relationship work, coming up next. You definitely will not want to miss that.
And now, you never have to miss SHOWBIZ TONIGHT because you can watch us any time you like simply by downloading our absolutely free podcast. You can find the SHOWBIZ TONIGHT podcast on our beautiful website CNN.com/ShowbizTonight which you should visit every day, by the way. You can also download the podcast on iTunes by typing "SHOWBIZ TONIGHT" right into the search box. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT is coming right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HAMMER: Welcome back to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. This is TV`s most provocative entertainment news show. I`m A.J. Hammer in New York. It`s time now for "Making It Work." This is where we reveal the secrets to Hollywood couples making their relationships work which as we know, not such an easy thing to do out there in Hollywood.
Tonight, Halle Berry, absolutely thrilled to be pregnant. Forty-one- year-old Halle is expecting her first child in March. Dad is model Gabriel Aubrey and I have asked Halle just how do they deal with constantly being in the spotlight. I mean it happens every single day in their lives. Well, Halle totally gets it. She told me that she understands the price of fame but tries really hard to keep some things private.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HALLE BERRY, ACTRESS: We do try to keep it - there are some things we try to keep personal. You know? We do try to live a very normal life that`s away from all the, you know, lights, camera, action. And we try to find some sense of normalcy while realizing that part of this life that I`ve chosen to be actor and he doing what he does, brings certain amount of spotlight to our every day life until we try to just find a way to juggle it, not fight against it because it is what it is. But we do try to find a way to, you know, have our personal life and we try to protect that the best way we can.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: I am certain you have noticed Halle Berry has looked absolutely amazing throughout her entire pregnancy. And you can catch her movie, "Things We Lost in the Fire" which also features with a stunning performance by Benicio Del Toro. And it`s out on DVD on March 4th.
ANDERSON: And we`ve been asking you to vote on our SHOWBIZ TONIGHT question of the day. It is this - Britney Spears: Was it wrong to let her out of the hospital so soon?
So far almost unanimous - 94 percent of you say yes it was wrong; six percent of you say, no it wasn`t wrong to let her out now.
Her are a couple of your E-mails. Heidi from California saying she was let out too soon, quote, "I think she needs time away from everything and everyone that sucks up to her."
And Lanita from Missouri also saying she should have stay put, quote, "I relate with Britney so much, and it`s going to take something major to wake this girl up. She`s lonely, she`s depressed, she`s addicted, and I believe she`s scared. One week was not long enough."
HAMMER: Well, that is it for SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. I thank you so much for watching. I`m A.J. Hammer in New York.
ANDERSON: And I`m Brooke Anderson in Hollywood. The latest from "CNN HEADLINE NEWS" coming up next. Take care.
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