Return to Transcripts main page
Showbiz Tonight
Jennifer Lopez` Big Baby News; LAPD Chief Tells Britney to Stay Home; Valerie Bertinelli`s Startling Confessions
Aired February 22, 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: Dennis Quaid speaks out about the nightmare his family went through when his newborn twins almost died. I`m A.J. Hammer in New York.
BROOKE ANDERSON, CO-HOST: And big star baby news. Jennifer Lopez has her twins. I`m Brooke Anderson in Hollywood. TV`s most provocative entertainment news show starts right now.
HAMMER: SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, why L.A.`s top cop is demanding Britney Spears should just stay home. Tonight, why the Los Angeles police chief blew his lid over Britney and why he`s also attacking other young Hollywood stars, calling them airheads. Tonight, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT reveals why is the chief is on the warpath.
Tonight, shocking secrets revealed by Valerie Bertinelli. Valerie`s startling revelations about her marriage to Eddie Van Halen. She says he cheated, and also confesses she cheated. Things we never heard before. Tonight, Valerie Bertinelli`s stunning secrets about living life one day at a time.
Plus, Tonya Harding goes to the opening of "Tonya and Nancy: The Rock Opera." Hide your kneecaps and we`ve got to ask, are you kidding me?
(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 you from Hollywood. And imagine if Paul McCartney and Heather Mills went on a reality show to decide who gets what in their bitter divorce. Well, that`s the premise of a shocking new show about splitting the spoils of divorce. That`s coming up.
HAMMER: That`s shocking. But first, Britney Spears. The chief of police of Los Angeles has a message for you. Stay home. Please stay home. He begs you. And not just you, by the way. All of the other young Hollywood stars that he`s, well, not so politely branded as airheads. This is wild stuff and SHOWBIZ TONIGHT can now reveal the top cop is not kidding. So let`s get ready for a showdown to remember.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
Just like the western classic "High Noon," you have a western town under siege by a famously notoriously characters and their posses. They ride roughshod all over the landscape. And just like in westerns where towns are plagued by senseless shooting, this town`s stars cause a lot of shootings, themselves.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Britney.
DAPHNE BROGDON, TV GUIDE CHANNEL: I mean, really, menace to society with hairspray.
HAMMER: And now, like the grizzled sheriff in "High Noon." one no-nonsense lawman is aiming to rid his town of this unsavory element, with a simple and hard core solution. Stay the heck home.
ALICIA QUARLES, ASSOCIATED PRESS: Police Chief William Bratton basically is saying, hey Britney, hey Paris, hey Lindsay, stop running around L.A.
HAMMER: In a startling radio interview, William Bratton, the chief of the Los Angeles Police Department says he`s had it and demanded that Britney and company stop the madness and help prevent the sometimes dangerous mob scenes of paparazzi who follow their every move.
WILLIAM BRATTON, CHIEF, LOS ANGELES POLICE DEPARTMENT: What we need is Britney Spears to stay home instead of traipsing all over town.
HAMMER: The chief is fed up, saying his cops spend too much time protecting the likes of Britney Spears and Paris Hilton from the paparazzi -
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hey, Paris.
HAMMER: Arresting the more over zealous photographers -
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You`ve got to leave a space on the sidewalk where people can walk on.
HAMMER: And on rare occasions, escorting troubled stars - yes, we`re talking about Britney - to hospitals for psych evaluations, or even to jail for DUI-related offenses. Yes, Paris, we mean you.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Back up!
BRATTON: What you have is several young women in this town and some young men who basically making fools of themselves and tying up not only my resources but the resources of the media who`d do better covering legitimate stories instead of a bunch of airheads running around out there.
QUARLES: I think what the police chief is saying is stop just cruising around L.A. Stop going around Robertson Boulevard just because you want to be seen, just because you want the media attention. Live your life and live it low key when you can.
HAMMER: But SHOWBIZ TONIGHT can tell you the police chief isn`t the only one all steamed up about the chaos.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Britney.
HAMMER: Last year, when Britney and sister Jamie Lynn hit the town in Malibu with the paparazzi in tow, one citizen let her have it.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Nobody wants you in this neighborhood!
HAMMER: And taxpayers were furious at the $25,000 it reportedly cost for police to keep the paparazzi away from the ambulance that took Britney to the hospital last month.
BROGDON: She gets paid six figures to go to a party in Vegas. I don`t know why she couldn`t kick in to the City of L.A. to help offset what she is costing us. I mean, my god, she paid more than that to get rid of Kevin Federline.
HAMMER: Alicia Quarles of the Associated Press says celebrities and their papa stalkers are actually putting people in danger.
QUARLES: When Britney was released from psychiatric care a couple of weeks ago, the paparazzi was following her. She stopped on a street. They got out of the cars and surrounded her. Now, that`s a public nuisance. If you`re driving on that street, that just cannot be safe.
HAMMER: This Los Angeles City councilman tells SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, stars shouldn`t have to stay at home. He wants laws limiting how close paparazzi can get to the stars.
DENNIS ZINE, LOS ANGELES CITY COUNCILMAN: What the paparazzi have done has gotten out of control.
HAMMER: But some people just shrug and say, hey, that`s life in Hollywood.
QUARLES: All of Bill Bratton`s hollering about "Hey, starlets stay at home." It`s like - well, guess what? L.A. is their home. L.A. is their playground. So if you don`t like celebrities being chased by paparazzi everywhere, you`ve got to pick a different city. L.A. is Hollywood.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HAMMER: Does the top cop have it right? Should Britney just stay at home? In New York, anchor of "In Session," Lisa Bloom. And in Hollywood tonight, Atty. Darren Kavinoky. Howdy, partners?
Lisa, let me start with you. It does seem kind of extreme to me that we have Bratton sounding off like this. But, I mean, think about it. The bottom line, is the police chief dead on here?
LISA BLOOM, ANCHOR, "IN SESSION": You know, I know Bill Bratton. I like Bill Bratton. He`s blowing it on this one. I love the word traipsing. You know, I walk around. Britney traipses. She`s got a lot of nerve going out, walking on the sidewalk, driving her car, sometimes even stopping for gas. I mean, who does she think she is? She makes about $700,000 a month. So I think that she pays taxes of about $250,000 a month. I think that gives her the right to walk down the street.
HAMMER: Lisa Bloom, let me be clear about one thing. I`ve known you for years now. I`ve seen you traipse, OK?
Darren Kavinoky, you`re a big-time lawyer out there in Hollywood. You witness these scenes. What do you think?
DARREN KAVINOKY, ATTORNEY: Well, I think Lisa definitely is a traipser, number one. And I think Bill Bratton is an excellent police chief. But on this one, he is making even less sense than Britney did the say day she got committed. I mean it`s ridiculous to think that it`s shame on Britney. It is shame on us if we as a society can`t behave ourselves around Britney. Then really, it`s our problem; it is not Britney`s.
And these issues are really rare and isolated incidents. You know, recall the recent incident of Paris Hilton and she was crushed by the paparazzi when she had that DUI arrest and she was going back to jail. And now, I mean, the only thing we`ve seen from Paris is her writhing around half naked in a cocktail glass in Las Vegas at her birthday.
And by the way, nothing says, "I`m a grown up now," like writhing around in a cocktail glass. But, you know, she can go into Starbucks now and no one cares. L.A. is full of celebrities and really, it`s OK. We don`t care that much.
HAMMER: Yes, but we do see some dangerous scenes, Darren. You know, and it`s not just Britney as you mentioned. We`re talking about Paris and the other - well, as Chief Bratten put it, "airheads." I can`t believe that he actually called them airheads on a radio show but he did. And he said that they`re running around or traipsing around and causing these problems. And it`s not the first time there`s has been outrage over all this. So, Lisa, now that this top cop is actually stepping in, do you think the paparazzi should be a little worried here that he may be moving forward - ?
BLOOM: First of all, with all due respect to my hometown of Los Angeles, if you`re going to clear the streets of airheads, it is going to be a ghost town, OK? So I don`t think that`s really where he wants to go with this. The paparazzi are the ones who are blocking the ambulances. They should be held legally accountable for that. That`s inexcusable.
The paparazzi are in her face wherever she goes. The girl just wants to go to Starbucks. She`s got a substance abuse problem. Let`s encourage her to have coffee or tea instead of going to bars. Let`s not blame the victim. That`s what Bratton is doing. I think he is going to be really embarrassed about his comment.
HAMMER: To your point, all of this is coming against the backdrop of something that we`ve been talking about here. This proposal by the L.A. City councilman - Dennis Zine is his name - who wants to control the paparazzi. But even Zine said, quote, "It is a free society and people who obey the law should have the freedom to move about as they wish." So what do you think, Darren? I mean, that`s a pretty valid point. Don`t blame it on Britney and the other quote, "airheads." Blame it on the paparazzi.
KAVINOKY: Well, it`s a great point but problem we`ve got about a law like that, some kind of a wingspan law, is that laws can`t be over broad and they can`t be vague, which means that everybody`s got to know what`s legal and what`s illegal, and it can`t constrain legal as well as illegal behavior. So what happens if I go to Starbucks or I go to the movies or Mr. Chows and Brangelina`s sitting at the table next to me. Am I invading their wingspan? Have I broken the law just because I happen to be next to them?
(CROSS TALK)
BLOOM: How about not blocking ambulances? Can we agree on that one?
KAVINOKY: Oh, absolutely. But you know, we do have laws about that. It`s the enforcement that`s tricky.
HAMMER: Yes. And it`s tricky especially when all of Bill Bratton`s, you know, resources are being tapped. Wait a second. We are talking about the same thing all of a sudden. Now, we mentioned that when Britney made the second trip to the psych ward, and to the hospital, her police escort cost like $25,000. That was the report, anyway. And a lot of people were obviously not very happy about this. But Lisa, let`s think about this. She is a - I`m talking about Britney here - tax paying citizen who earns $700,000 a month, reportedly. So doesn`t she pay for this service? Isn`t that a little silly?
BLOOM: Yes. And guess what? Who made the call to have all of those cops escorting the ambulance? Who was that? Oh, oh, that was Bill Bratton. That`s not Britney Spears` call. You know, he could have made a different call. That`s what he chose to do. She`s a high-profile celebrity. She contributes a lot to the tax base. That`s what he chose to do. That`s not her fault.
HAMMER: Yes. All right, guys. I`m out of time. So I`ve got to traipse on out of here, but I do appreciate you joining us tonight. Lisa Bloom, Darren Kavinoky, thanks again.
ANDERSON: OK. Now, we have shocking secrets from Valerie Bertinelli. I think what she`s now revealing about her marriage to Eddie Van Halen is absolutely stunning. He cheated. She cheated. All sorts of stuff that we`ve never heard before. Secrets from Valerie`s marriage, straight ahead. You do not want to miss that.
HAMMER: Well, you know, Valerie and Eddie`s divorce seemed, in the scheme of things, pretty civil. Can`t really say the same about so many other nasty Hollywood divorces going on. Now, imagine this. If warring couples actually divided up their stuff not in court but on a reality TV show with a bunch of challenges. I am not a fan of the idea personally, but it looks like splitsville is coming to your living room. Are you kidding me? That is on the way.
ANDERSON: And here`s something that made me say, are you kidding me? Who can forget the Tonya Harding-Nancy Kerrigan saga? Well, somebody thought what a great idea for a rock opera, complete with the knee clubbing, the sex tapes, the whole nine yards. And something even more shocking, Tonya Harding herself showed up on opening night. Are you kidding me? That`s still to come right here on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JENNIFER LOPEZ, SINGER AND ACTRESS: Marc and I are expecting.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: That`s Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony announcing at a concert they were expecting. Welcome back to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, TV`s most provocative entertainment news show. I`m Brooke Anderson in Hollywood. Tonight, congratulations to Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT can confirm that they are now the proud parents of healthy twins. The babies were born early this morning but now that the babies are here, let the battle for the first baby pictures begin.
Also tonight, Dennis Quaid speaking out on television like never before since his three-month-old twins almost died from an accidental overdose they were given in the hospital. A really heartfelt message from him.
With me tonight in Hollywood, Dana Devon, anchor for "Extra." Also tonight in Hollywood, CNN entertainment correspondent Kareen Wynter. Dana, Kareen, I love to talk babies and here we have J. Lo and Marc Anthony. They had a healthy boy and a healthy girl overnight. Kareen, what do we know?
KAREEN WYNTER, CNN ENTERTAINMENT CORRESPONDENT: Gosh, Brooke. We want to know so much more like their names and if they`re already decked out in baby Burberry. But that will have to wait.
ANDERSON: We do know Burberry. I love it.
WYNTER: I love it. Got to love it. Her rep did confirm with CNN a little bit of information that they had a little boy, a little girl. Little girl weighing in at 5 pounds, 7 ounces. She was born at a little after midnight, at 12:12 a.m. Her baby brother came 11 minutes later and he weighs six pounds. And the rep also tells us that the family`s, of course, happy and we are so thrilled for them.
ANDERSON: Wow, really healthy weights for those babies. And Dana, we know that J. Lo lives a very glamorous life, jet setting around the world. This is going to slow her down, change her life dramatically, isn`t it?
DANA DEVON, ANCHOR, "EXTRA": How could it not? I mean, absolutely. She said, "You know, look. I did will the when I was pregnant. I toured. I did music videos. Right at the end, I just really wanted to take a break." She said she is going to take a hiatus. I mean you don`t even have enough hands to do twins. So, yes, I think she`s going to take a break. And for god`s sake, she`s earned it.
ANDERSON: She certainly has, and I know she can afford some help. So hopefully, she`ll have extra hands to help her out. And you know, now that they are born, the battle, the fierce battle, is on for the first baby pictures. There are reports that celebrity magazines may be willing to pay as much as $6 million for the photos. And hey, no disrespect to J. Lo, but it has been a long time since she`s had a blockbuster film or a highly successful album. Kareen, can you explain why a magazine would even consider paying that much money?
WYNTER: You know, Brooke, I do agree. She hasn`t had a hit anything in a long time but talking about Jenny From the Block here. She`s such a trend setter. We always watch her in those magazines, even as a little bump was growing to see what she was wearing, what`s on her feet. And so, you know, she`s still very, very intriguing and very interesting. People will be talking about next how quickly she`s losing the baby weight. So, it is J. Lo and the fact that she`s had twins makes it even more exciting. So let the bargaining begin.
ANDERSON: And Dana, I want to ask you this. While some celebrities have kept the money they have been paid, kept it to themselves, others have donated it to charity. If J. Lo keeps money from baby pictures, that could look kind of bad for her image, couldn`t it?
DEVON: You know, I think so, and that`s my opinion. I mean, there is a huge movement of these celebrities donating to charity. Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt donated the money. Julia Roberts donated the money. Nicole Richie just had a baby shower. She donated all the gifts.
So there is a huge trend, but she`s a savvy business woman. She`s not only getting money, by the way, here in the States. She`s also getting money for the pictures abroad. I think it will make her look a little bit bad if she doesn`t donate the money. But, who knows? I mean she might want it for her bottom line.
ANDERSON: Yes, it`s up to her. She is a savvy business woman like you said. All right. There is other big news tonight about newborn twins of a big star. As we know, Dennis Quaid`s twins were almost killed in a hospital when they were given major overdoses of a blood thinner. Quaid has pretty much kept silent until now. Today, on the "Rachel Ray Show," he talked extensively about his family`s ordeal.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DENNIS QUAID, ACTOR: Anybody who`s a parent could, you know, understand. And we really had so many thoughts and prayers from so many people that we felt them and really felt it had a lot to do with their recovery and them making it through it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Kareen, while Dennis is very grateful, he is still angry, isn`t he? He`s filed a lawsuit over this.
WYNTER: Absolutely. He is going after the drug makers. I believe it`s a $50,000 lawsuit. And, Brooke, you know, he has the power here really to not only send a message and say that this isn`t OK. This isn`t acceptable. But to really raise awareness here and we could see him do that in the form of some crusade. We saw him do it a couple of years ago when he spoke about his eating disorder. He battled anorexia in the 1990s and raised awareness on that. And I think he could do some good on that end, as well.
ANDERSON: Well, speaking of a possible crusade, like you say, we do know he has kept very quiet until now. He is talking about setting up a foundation. Dana, it does seem like he may go out there in public to let everyone know that hopefully they don`t have to go through what he, his wife and their babies experienced.
DEVON: You know, actually, I think it`s a very wise campaign. He said, "You know, look. We went through this horrible, horrible situation and mistakes are made in hospitals every day." He also feels like the drug manufacturer didn`t label the medication carefully.
ANDERSON: Right.
DEVON: I think his campaign is simply about awareness. He wants to let people know, ask questions, be in charge, be responsible for your medical care and I think it is a good message.
ANDERSON: It certainly is. Dana Devon, Kareen Wynter, we will leave it there. Thanks.
HAMMER: Well tonight, shocking secrets from Valerie Bertinelli. I`ve got to tell you, I think what she is now revealing about her marriage to Eddie Van Halen is just stunning. He cheated. She cheated. All kinds of stuff we have never heard before. Secrets from Valerie Bertinelli`s marriage, coming up. You definitely are crazy if you don`t stick around.
Also, A.J., an unbelievable frenzy over Lindsay Lohan`s shocking photo shoot as Marilyn Monroe. People are flocking to the web by millions to check the pictures out. I want know, what`s the deal? It is not like you can`t see pictures that are a whole lot racier sort to speak all over the Internet. We`re getting into the Lindsay frenzy, coming up.
Also this -
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARBARA WALTERS, CO-HOST, "THE VIEW": I couldn`t have been happier to have him on. He is a movie legend.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: I am one on one with the one and only Barbara Walters, talking about her Oscar special on Sunday night, "Movie Legends and More." Barbara lets me in on a few secrets from the show you won`t want to miss. Coming up on an interview you`ll see only on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
First, we want to hear from you for our SHOWBIZ TONIGHT question of the day, "The Oscars: Are they out of touch with moviegoers?"
Vote at CNN.com/ShowbizTonight, or you can E-mail us at showbiztonight@cnn.com.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANDERSON: Hey, welcome back to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, TV`s most provocative entertainment news show. I`m Brooke Anderson. And here are some more stories that are new right now. It is official. Pax is a Jolie-Pitt. A judge has approved the adoption Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt`s adoption of four-year-old Pax. Jolie took custody of him from an orphanage in Vietnam about a year ago.
The A in A-list stands for hepatitis A for some big time stars who went to Ashton Kutcher`s birthday party. Madonna, Gwyneth Paltrow, Salma Hayek, and hundreds of other people are being urged to get a Hepatis A shot after a bartender at a club called Socialista was found to be infected. Demi Moore threw her husband Ashton a 30th birthday party at the club.
Will Smith has gotten an apology from the World Entertainment News Network after they falsely claimed he called Adolf Hitler a good person. The network also has to pay Smith`s legal costs and damages which he says he will donate to charity.
HAMMER: I`ve got to tell you, every now and then, a story flies right into my office and lands on my desk. And I just have to look at it and say, are you kidding me? Case in point, you remember the whole Nancy Kerrigan-Tonya Harding scandal? Well, Somebody thought, hey, that would make an excellent rock opera. I`m not kidding here. Guess who showed up to opening night? One Miss Tonya Harding herself. Are you kidding me?
And let`s talk about divorce for a moment, shall we? A lot of nasty divorces going on in Hollywood but also obviously all over the country. Imagine these divorces not playing out in a courtroom but on reality TV. And somebody got the bright idea that divorcing couples should actually divide up their stuff on a TV show by competing in a bunch of challenges. Are you kidding me? That is coming up.
And coming up next on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, shocking secrets from Valerie Bertinelli. I`ve got to tell you, I think what she is now revealing about her marriage to Eddie Van Halen, stunning. He cheated. She cheated. All kinds of stuff we`ve never heard before. Secrets from Valerie Bertinelli, coming up next on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
(NEWS BREAK)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HAMMER: On SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, Valerie Bertinelli`s shocking marriage secret. Tonight, the "One Day at a Time" star opens up like never before about her up-and-down marriage with rocker Eddie Van Halen. Stunning revelations from Valerie herself that she cheated and he cheated. You will not want to miss the shocking side of one of America`s sweethearts.
The Lindsay Lohan nude photo frenzy. They`re the pictures everyone is talking about and apparently clicking on. I can`t believe the reactions of Lindsay, looking like Marilyn Monroe not only in "New York" magazine but, what`s going on on the Internet. Wow. It`s new right now and it it`s next.
(MUSIC)
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.
And I`m Brooke Anderson, coming to you tonight from Hollywood. This is TV`s most provocative entertainment news show. And hey, new right now tonight, three sizzling Hollywood stories with stars getting to the naked truth and baring all in more ways than one.
Valerie Bertinelli bares all. The legendary Hollywood good girl making some shocking confessions in her hot new tell-all book including cheating on her rock star ex-husband, Eddie Van Halen.
Also new right now, Lindsay Lohan bares all. Her racy "New York" magazine photos crashed their Web site. Believe it or not, they`ve had more than 60 million hits this week and counting.
And "American Idol" bares all. Paula Abdul weighs in on this controversy over contestants having professional pasts. Paula Abdul says contestants with careers just fine with her.
Joining us again in New York, host of "In Session," Lisa Bloom. From Hollywood, host of E! Satellite Radio on XM and Sirius(ph), Michael Yo. And also in New York, founder of Spotlight Communications, Maggie Gallant.
Lisa, Michael, Maggie, Valerie Bertinelli here opening the closet door, letting all of her skeletons just fly right out in this new tell-all book "Losing It And Gaining My Life Back One Pound At A Time." It`s the first time that she`s talking about her failed marriage to rock star Eddie Van Halen. And I really can`t believe what she`s confessing. Not only is she confessing that she cheated during their marriage, she says that street ran both ways. Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
VALERIE BERTINELLI, ACTRESS: We went to therapy and we talked it through. Look, I wasn`t an angel either.
OPRAH WINFREY, HOST, "THE OPRAH WINFREY SHOW": You cheated, too.
BERTINELLI: I cheated, too, right. And he claims to this day that I cheated first but I don`t know. So I guess we`ll have - I don`t know about the timing.
WINFREY: Well, the way you wrote it, you cheated first.
BERTINELLI: I did?
WINFREY: Yes.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Valerie revealing all there to Oprah Winfrey. And Maggie, we will always remember Valerie Bertinelli as the cute, sweet, innocent little girl from "One Day At a Time." She`s always kind of had a goody-goody image. Is that what makes this even more shocking?
MAGGIE GALLANT, FOUNDER, SPOTLIGHT COMMUNICATIONS: It is. When you have a figure that`s been a part of our lives from when we were children. And we watched her on TV and her character was so warm and sweet, you think, how could this person be capable of infidelity? But it`s also so surprising when you hear about an actress married to a rock star and there`s infidelity, you think it`s always going to be the rock star.
ANDERSON: Right, but it was her as well. They were married, speaking of their union, for 25 years. Michael, why do you think she`s finally revealing all of this intimate stuff?
MICHAEL YO, HOST OF E! SATELLITE RADIO: You know, first of all, good for Valerie for actually cheating on a rock star before a rock star cheats on her. So, a round of applause for her. I really, really like that. Why it took 25 years? Because the girl is desperate for attention, you know.
Jenny Craig picked her up. She lost a lot of weight. But there`s only a certain amount of weight you can lose before, you know, they`re going to let you go, too. So, she`s coming out with a book. That`s how she makes some money. So, good for her. Hey, take advantage of everything you can.
ANDERSON: Well, speaking of Jenny Craig and her being a spokesperson, she says she was inspired to write the book after she did take the weight problems public and started working for Jenny Craig. You know, a lot of people can relate to the weight concerns. And Lisa, I`ve got to imagine they now may be loving her even more because they can also identify with the marital problems.
BLOOM: Well, you know, this is really the last closet door creaking open in Hollywood. We hear a lot of celebrities talking openly about drug abuse, alcohol abuse, drunk driving. Nobody talks about cheating unless to blame the other guy, the spouse for the cheating.
We know that 40 percent of spouses cheat. It`s probably higher in Hollywood. They`re so beautiful. The have so many opportunities. She probably had guys hitting on her all the time. She had a weak moment or a weak five years. Whatever it was. But she`s only human and I say good for her for being honest about it.
ANDERSON: Yes. She`s admitting it and not ashamed of it. Wants to get it out there. I guess, get it off her chest. And now, I do want to move to another big story new right now. Lindsay Lohan`s nude photo shoot for "New York" magazine. The pictures of her recreating Marilyn Monroe`s so-called "Last Sitting" photo shoot. "New York" magazine has just revealed that its website has gotten more than 60 million hits from people looking at these pictures. Is it a fascination with Lindsay or, Maggie, do you think people just want to look at Lindsay Lohan nude?
GALLANT: Frankly, I think they wanted to see her rack. I mean, she is completely out there. Everywhere you go, all over town, people are talking about it. They`re weighing in. They`re critiquing it. Everybody in town is talking about it. And nobody is really talking about the Marilyn Monroe connection. They`re talking about what she looks like naked.
ANDERSON: Yes. that`s the first thing we said. Lindsay Lohan is naked in the photo shoot. Oh, for what? Marilyn Monroe re-creation. You know, as we know, she has had trouble recently though, getting work from movie studios because she`s been in and out of rehab. Michael, I want to ask you, do you think there`s any chance studios will look at this and go, "Oh wow! She`s marketable again," or will they just say people wanted the look at her nude pictures?
YO: Unless making porn movies, no. I mean I can`t see them actually being impressed by this. I mean what benefit to Lindsay does this have? Nude photos in a magazine - it really doesn`t benefit her at all. And at such a young age, what can she accomplish more? What else can you do? You`ve got the nude photos, but unless you`re a porn director, I mean who`s going to be impressed by nude photos of Lindsay Lohan, seriously?
ANDERSON: Yes, and she is so young, just 21 years old. We have to remember Marilyn Monroe was 36 when she did this.
All right. Moving on now. Big news with Paula Abdul. She is defending "American Idol" after the shocking revelation that some of the contestants have had music careers before the show. Listen to what Paula said on Thursday night`s show.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PAULA ABDUL, "AMERICAN IDOL" JUDGE: These kids are talented. It is a savvy business. If they haven`t already tried to make a name for themselves, they don`t deserve to be in this competition.
RYAN SEACREST, HOST, "AMERICAN IDOL": Yes.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: All right. I`ve got to say, the word "professional" may be a stretch. Some of them had record deals and then in some cases the companies went belly up. Lisa, does that really still make them professionals?
BLOOM: Yes. This is as about as shocking as A-list actress posing nude and everybody wants to see her. Where`s the there there? Of course, these people are trying to make it into the music industry. That`s why they`re going on "American Idol"
And this isn`t the Olympics. I mean this isn`t a scandal that they have to be amateurs, and they`ve been found out. It is a TV show, and the TV show should check up on them. They`ve got nothing but money. Hire some PIs, check up on the people. I don`t see what the big deal is.
ANDERSON: And you know, if they don`t have a current record contract, apparently they are still within the rules and regulations and guidelines of the show. And the executive producer of "American Idol" has said it was never billed as an amateur show. Michael, do you buy that? Because isn`t it a lot of peoples` impression that it is an amateur show?
YO: Well, impressions and reality are two different things. Let`s see. This show is responsible for some of the biggest artists out right now. You`ve got Kelly Clarkson. You`ve got Carrie Underwood. You`ve got Chris Daughtry. And it`s all about a show that - people that have not found fame yet is to make those people famous. Yes, if you were signed to a record company, it is true. You failed. If you`re not famous, you failed to so why not?
I don`t know why this is really a big, big issue. The bigger issue is Paula Abdul actually completed a complete sentence at the beginning of the segue, and that`s a big story here.
ANDERSON: Be nice. Be nice. Maggie, about ten seconds. You have to admire their persistence and their determination, don`t you?
GALLANT: You have to admire all of these contestants. These are kids - older kids some of them, too, who are putting themselves on the stage, asking people to vote for them. They work hard week after week. Different styles. They`re all winners and that`s why we tune in.
ANDERSON: Wanting to get their second chance, these guys. Lisa Bloom, Michael Yo, and Maggie Gallant, thanks so much. But stay put because A.J. wants a crack at you, too.
HAMMER: Yes. But don`t let those guys pass security. I need them. All right. So you remember when skater Nancy Kerrigan got clubbed in the knee before the `94 winter Olympics? Well, now, believe it or not, there`s this show about this crazy story, "Tonya and Nancy: The Rock Opera." And Tonya Harding herself actually showed up on opening night although probably not like she had anything else to do. But are you kidding me?
And divorce lawyers everywhere could soon be out of business and that`s because there`s a new reality show where couples who are splitting battle it out over who gets what. It is amazing. I`ve got these stories that has everyone saying, "Are you kidding me?" With our fired-up panel coming back next.
HAMMER: Well, I know Barbara Walters wasn`t kidding when she gave me some great secrets about the big stars that she interviewed for her Oscar special.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
WALTERS: I couldn`t have been happier to have him on. He is a movie legend.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: Which movie legend is she talking about? You`ve got to stay tuned to find out. But I will say this, he actually cried. Somebody always seems to cry during her specials. That is coming up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HAMMER: Well, you are looking at images of, brace yourself here, a new rock opera based on the life of disgraced former Olympic ice skater, Tonya Harding. A rock opera? Seriously, are you kidding me?
Welcome back to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. I`m A.J. Hammer in New York. And tonight, wow, you have to stick around for this. We have two outrageous stories that is made us say, are you kidding me?
First up, "Tonya and Nancy, The Rock Opera." Yes, you heard right. Disgraced ice skater Tonya Harding`s life set to rock music. It`s got drama, tragedy and Tonya`s trailer park home all in one. Are you kidding me?
Also, it`s "War of The Roses" reality version. CBS is planning a show called "Splitsville" in which real people are going to compete to determine exactly who gets what in the divorce. You can kind of think of this as a mix - I don`t know - between "War of The Roses" and "Let`s Make a Deal." Are you kidding me?
Back with us once again tonight, in New York, anchor for "In Session," Lisa Bloom; founder of Spotlight Communications, Maggie Gallant; and in Hollywood, Michael Yo, host of E! Satellite Radio on XM and Sirius(ph).
All right, gang. I love this first story. It made our collective jaws drop here at SHOWBIZ TONIGHT - the Tonya Harding rock opera. I mean, are you kidding me? This is the real life story of one of America`s most favorite bad girls set to driving rock ballads. Not only does it recreate, of course, that infamous knee whacking of her ice skating rival, Nancy Kerrigan, but thank goodness, it recreates the sex tape, as well. Lisa Bloom, let`s begin with you. The world is clearly coming an end, isn`t it?
BLOOM: Rock opera? I mean I haven`t heard of a rock opera since "Tommy." Since when are they back? But more to the point, look, there`s nothing wrong with a crime story giving rise to weird entertainment. I myself have tickets to O.J. on ice tonight.
HAMMER: Oh. I look forward to your report back from that as we ride along the lines of this. Now, this just opened up to great fan fare in the beautiful downtown of Portland, Oregon. Tonya Harding, right there, front and center. Big celeb in town and she was absolutely thrilled.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TONYA HARDING, FORMER ICE SKATER: Wow. Did my life really look that bad, people? You know, I`ve been thinking, wow. But you know what? They did a really great job.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: Oh. I don`t know what to say. I`ll go to you, Michael Yo. Which is more ridiculous here, the fact that all her dirty laundry just hung out there and she was thrilled about that, or the fact it`s all set to a driving electric guitar?
YO: You know, the only place you could do this is at Portland, Oregon. I mean what else do they have?
HAMMER: Hey. Hey. Hey. Hey. It`s a beautiful town. Come on, man.
YO: I was just playing. But the thing is, seriously, Tonya Harding, in the play, how much pressure is on you if you play Tonya Harding in that play? Can you imagine Tonya Harding in the audience? If she doesn`t like your performance, she`ll run up on stage and hit you in the knee. I mean I would be petrified to play that role in that play.
HAMMER: Fortunately, you`ve got a good job and will be just fine.
YO: Yes, right?
HAMMER: The cast member who was playing Tonya probably freaking out. You`re right. Maggie Gallant, what do you make of this mess?
GALLANT: Oh my god. This is a woman who doesn`t know the difference between infamous and famous. She is so happy that we`re talking about her again. I think she thinks that she`s going to be like the next Jerry Springer, which, if you recall, there was a musical about him that actually did pretty well. But this is a far off Broadway as it gets, and I won`t be buying tickets any time soon.
HAMMER: Off, off, off Broadway. All right. I want to move on to the next story that just made us are say, are you kidding me? You`ve got to love reality TV. CBS is actually planning a new reality show called "Splitsville." It has divorcing couples duking it out for their belongings, doing a series of challenges like we`re used to seeing on reality TV. Seriously, I`ve got to ask; Lisa, what do you think is next here? Competitive challenges for, I don`t know, the custody of kids?
BLOOM: Look. Divorce, it`s hell. It is like a root canal that goes for two years and costs $500,000. I say if we can make it fun, let`s make it fun.
HAMMER: Yes. I guess it will save us a little time in court. Michael Yo?
YO: I mean, what I think is marriage is not sacred anymore. You`ve got "The Bachelor." You`ve got "The Bachelorette." You`ve got "Who Married a Midget?" I mean you`ve got all forms of the show. So I mean marriage is not sacred anymore. So why not focus on the divorce? You know, 65 percent of America is divorced anyway. So they`re doing shows about it. It`s reality. It`s what it is. And guess what? The sad thing is we`re going to watch.
HAMMER: Yes, but Michael, I mean reality TV still has some, I don`t know, some vindication somewhere, doesn`t it?
YO: No, it doesn`t. What are you talking about? Not at all. Get it out of here.
HAMMER: All right. I`ve been coming up with the scenario in my head, so indulge me for just a moment. Could you imagine if we got some of Hollywood`s most famous, you know, infamous, I should say, divorcees in to do the show? I`m thinking these guys right here, Charlie Sheen and Denise Richards. I don`t know, they can do some kind of an obstacle course to fight over the Malibu mansion.
Or put these two together, Paul McCartney and Heather Mills. Maybe they can arm wrestle for, I don`t know, the rights to the Beatle`s collection. That would be good television. Maggie Gallant, I mean, come on. You`re making a face here but I think you are on to something with it here.
GALLANT: I think you are on to something, A.J. And frankly, we see these divorces - we see them duking it out on the covers and pages of these tabloids. I myself would like to see them get a little more physical. I mean we have gladiators on NBC. Let`s see them go at it.
HAMMER: Lisa Bloom, come on. Don`t they have a great idea here?
BLOOM: Yes. But maybe not with poor Heather Mills who only has one leg. I don`t think she should have to physically duke it out.
(CROSS TALK)
HAMMER: I didn`t say anything about her leg.
BLOOM: But you know what? For the sake of the kids - for the sake of the kids, let`s make it short, sweet and entertaining. Everybody doesn`t have to drag this out for years and years. Why not? I think it`s a great idea.
HAMMER: Well, if you haven`t heard, Heather Mills has had pretty bad press, so we probably wouldn`t want to give her any worse press. Lisa Bloom, Maggie Gallant, Michael Yo, I do appreciate you being with me tonight and helping me sort through all of these things.
ANDERSON: All right. I`ve got to say, I`ve really admired Tina Fey. Besides her NBC sitcom "30 Rock" which, by the way, I think is very funny, she`s always got a lot going on - writing movies, other TV shows so just how does she do it? Juggling her career, her husband and her little daughter?
Well, we caught up with Tina even though she was really busy preparing to host "Saturday Night Live" this Saturday, the show where she got her big break. She reveals her secrets to making it all work.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TINA FEY, COMEDIENNE: I think, like any working parent, I have days where it seems really, really hard and it`s frustrating because you`re at work and you feel like, "Why am I not with my kid?" And you just carve out any little bit of time that you have. And I do try to have my daughter visit the set sometimes. At the same time, like this set is a nice set to visit. When we`re filming, sometimes it`s like a grimy location with lots of cables and it`s not that fun for a kid. So I try to make sure I see enough of her without dragging her all over the place. It`s tough.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: I think it is great to have your family right there on the set with you. Wouldn`t it be great if we could all get to do that, though? Check out Tina this Saturday night on "SNL" on NBC.
HAMMER: I know, a lot of people are looking forward to "Saturday Night Live" coming back this weekend. And Brooke, a lot of people are definitely going to be checking out the Oscars, very happy that`s happening on Sunday. And that also means, of course, Barbara Walters is going to be dishing out big star secrets during her annual Oscar special.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
WALTERS: I couldn`t have been happier to have him on. He is a movie legend.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: Which movie legend do you think Barbara is talking about here? You`ve got to stay tuned to find out who it is. I will give you this hint. He actually cried. Yes, well, somebody always seems to cry during her Oscar specials. I go one on one with the great Barbara Walters. That will be coming up next.
Now, we`ve been asking you to vote on the SHOWBIZ TONIGHT question of the day. A lot of people are wondering, "The Oscars: Are they out of touch with moviegoers?" You can continue to vote by going to the Web site, which is CNN.com/ShowbizTonight. If you have more to say, well, gosh, we want to hear it. Just E-mail us your thoughts at showbiztonight@cnn.com. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT coming straight back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HAMMER: Thank you, Charles. The Oscar weekend (UNINTELLIGIBLE). I`m totally fired up for the Oscars this weekend and that means that it`s time for the 27th Annual Barbara Walters Oscar Special, as well. I went one on one with Barbara who went one on one with some of the biggest stars out there, Oscar nominated actress, Ellen Page from "Juno," "Ugly Betty`s" Vanessa Williams among them.
But I think some of the most amazing, surprising things Barbara told me had to do with the revealing interviews with "Hannah Montana`s" Miley Cyrus and the usually camera-shy Indiana Jones himself, Harrison Ford.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
(on camera): The great Harrison Ford. Let`s talk about him, bringing back Indiana Jones after 19 years, and as you said, as a 65-year-old man now.
WALTERS: Indiana Jones was done almost 20 years ago and Harrison Ford doesn`t disguise that. When I said, "You know, how are you different?" He said, "I`m 20 years older." The costumes still fit. He still does his stunts, most of them. He looks great - a little grayer in the hair, but looks great to me. I haven`t interviewed him in 11 years and when I called - because Harrison Ford doesn`t like to do interviews usually - he said yes immediately.
HAMMER: Miley Cyrus - now, few young stars have exploded as quickly as this young lady. How has she handled the superstardom as your view?
WALTERS: She is about as big a superstar as you can be at the age of 15. I don`t know, maybe Shirley Temple was bigger. But Shirley Temple I think was finished by the time she was 15, if any of you remember Shirley Temple. Miley Cyrus is as normal a kid as you can find, being a superstar. She`s got - she is a family of five kids. Her mother`s her manager. Her father plays her father in the series. She can`t go very far from home.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: You know, Barbara always gets somebody to cry during these things. I couldn`t believe it, this year, she told me, it`s Harrison Ford. You can catch "The Barbara Walters Oscar Special" on Sunday night at 7:00. The actual Oscars happen right after that. And of course, don`t forget about our not-to-be-missed special live Oscar show, "HOLLYWOOD`S GOLD RUSH." I`m going to be right there in Hollywood with the lovely Brooke Anderson live with the first reaction from all of the winners. We are the only entertainment news show live after the Oscars Sunday night at 11:00 p.m. That`s going to be right here on "HEADLINE NEWS." Can`t wait to see what you`re wearing, Brooke. I`ve got to get out of here so I get on a plane.
ANDERSON: Got your tux ready?
HAMMER: It`s all ready. Wait until you see. I`m A.J. Hammer in New York. Thanks for watching. That is it for SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
ANDERSON: I`m Brooke Anderson in Hollywood. The latest from "CNN HEADLINE NEWS" is next.
END
