Return to Transcripts main page
Showbiz Tonight
Denise Richards-Charlie Sheen War of Words: Whose Side Are You On?; The Blame Game in Archuleta`s Defeat; The Hollywood Cheating Game
Aired May 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, HOST: SHOWBIZ TONIGHT sits down with all the big names of the new "Indiana Jones" movie. And Kenny Chesney speaks out about why criticizes the way he was named the Academy of Country Music Entertainer of the Year. I`m A.J. Hammer in New York. TV`s most provocative entertainment news show starts right now.
On SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, "American Idol" backlash. Who is to blame for David Archuleta losing "American Idol"? Tonight, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT with the wild outrageous finger pointing. Is it Simon Cowell? David`s overbearing stage dad? Or is winner David Cook just a better singer? Tonight, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT with a heated debate, idle chatter and David blame game.
Tonight, brand new explosive missiles fired in the Denise versus Charlie war of words. Denise Richards and Charlie Sheen take their nasty he said/she said to a frightening new level. But who should we believe? And whose side are you on?
Plus Denise reveals to me how she really feels about Charlie.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
(on camera): Do you really hate him?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
Tonight SHOWBIZ TONIGHT with revelations from my explosive interview with Denise Richards.
Plus, why on earth do men cheat on Hollywood`s most beautiful, most talented, most successful women? What could they possibly be thinking? Showbiz investigates.
(MUSIC)
Hello, I`m A.J. Hammer, broadcasting tonight and every night from New York City. And let the "American Idol" blame game begin. Tonight, the 17- year-old who so many people thought would win it all is an "American Idol" loser. The day after America voted David Cook the new "American Idol" over David Archuleta, the wild finger pointing began. Is Simon Cowell to blame though he wanted Archuleta to win? Is young David`s notorious stage dad to blame? Well, tonight SHOWBIZ TONIGHT is revealing that there may be more to the "Idol" decision than you ever imagined.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
RYAN SEACREST, HOST, "AMERICAN IDOL": The winner, by 12 million votes -
HAMMER (voice over): It may not have been David and Goliath, but this David versus David contest on "American Idol" was a true upset nonetheless.
SEACREST: David Cook!
HAMMER: Twenty-five-year-old rocker, David Cook, is the new "American Idol" winner after having beat out 17-year-old teen heartthrob, David Archuleta.
DAVID ARCHULETA, CONTESTANT, "AMERICAN IDOL" (singing): It`s like the sun going down
KATIE DARYL, TMZ TV: for the longest time each week, everyone was saying, "Oh, David Archuleta. Oh, David Archuleta."
DAVID COOK, CONTESTANT, "AMERICAN IDOL" (singing): This is the time of my life.
HAMMER: But the victory by the older rocker Cook wasn`t even close.
KIM SERAFIN, SENIOR EDITOR, "IN TOUCH WEEKLY": There was a 12-million vote spread between the two of them. I mean this is a clear-cut victory for David Cook.
COOK: If you don`t believe -
HAMMER: Here on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, we`ll tell you the story America is talking about - how David beat David. The first possibility, the Simon factor.
SERAFIN: It`s always Simon`s fault, no matter what happens.
HAMMER: On the last day of competition, "American Idol`s" acid- tongued judge, Simon Cowell, all but seemed to anoint David Archuleta the winner.
SIMON COWELL, JUDGE, "AMERICAN IDOL": You came out here tonight to win, and what we have witnessed is a knockout.
HAMMER: And about Cook, Simon wasn`t as nice.
COWELL: It was completely and utterly the wrong song choice for you.
HAMMER: The next night, right before Cook was anointed the winner, Simon apologized for dissing him the night before.
COWELL: David, I will take this opportunity to apologize because I think I was verging on disrespectful with you. And I don`t think you deserve that.
HAMMER: But some think that Simon`s rough treatment got Cook the sympathy vote that put him over the top. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT has unearthed one such sympathy voter.
SERAFIN: I`ll admit right here that when the judges were kind of not nice to David Cook on Tuesday night, I normally don`t vote. But I texted in three times. I texted three votes to David Cook because I felt bad for him.
HAMMER: Another possible reason David beat David, the family factor, specifically, David Archuleta`s father.
DARYL: The David Archuleta dad scandal, Jeff Archuleta, is a big key part of the story as to why David Archuleta actually lost the crown.
HAMMER: Archuleta`s father, Jeff, made headlines when "American Idol" producers banned him from backstage, amid reports that painted him as a meddling stage dad. TMZ`s Katie Daryl tells SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, that may have hurt his son`s chances.
DARYL: Having people, the public - the people that are voting for you know you have this like looming presence telling you what to do. All those things start to add up and kind of leave a bad flavor, a bad taste in everyone`s mouth making sometimes people not pick up the phone and vote.
HAMMER: And you can`t look at how David beat David without looking at the tween factor. Archuleta`s popularity among his fellow teenagers may have helped him in previous years, but this year, "American Idol`s" viewership among 12 to 17-year-olds dropped and raised the show`s overall median age to a Jurassic 42.
COOK (sung): Every girl is crazy about a sharp dressed man.
HAMMER: And raised the odds of an upset by Cook.
SERAFIN: David Cook, being a little bit more mature, and even his style, sort of rock style, definitely appealing to a little bit of an older audience.
HAMMER: But no matter the reason Cook beat Archuleta, there are no losers here. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT can tell you, while Cook is on his way to Disney World and a new record contract, don`t cry for Archuleta. As we all know, he has a whole gallery of fellow "American Idol" losers to look to for inspiration.
SERAFIN: Two of them, both Davids, are both super-talented and they`re both going to have amazing, amazing careers.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HAMMER: Yes, they both got shiny new cars last night too. Not so bad. So should we be blaming Simon for Archuleta getting kicked to the curb?
In Hollywood, there she is, Kim Serafin, senior editor for "In Touch Weekly" who you just saw. And, in New York tonight, Joe Levy, editor-in- chief of "Blender" magazine.
Kim, Joe, let us now once again take a look at what Simon said to the two Davids, the night before the final vote. And he started by speaking to David Cook.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
COWELL: (speaking to David Cook)I`m going to be honest with you - it was completely and utterly the wrong song choice for you. (speaking to David Archuleta) David, you came out here tonight to win. And what we have witnessed is a knockout.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: Yes, basically Simon just said it like you saw it, put it all on the line. Joe Levy, what do you think. Maybe Simon really teed off so many Cook supporters that everybody who was supporting David Cook picked up their phones and texted away?
JOE LEVY, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF, "BLENDER" MAGAZINE: You know, I blame Simon for everything. The price of stamps goes up. I blame that guy. As far as I`m concerned, he is the root of all evil in the world.
No, I don`t think he was a big factor here to be perfectly honest. Look, if it was a difference of several hundred thousand or even a million votes, I could buy that the sympathy factor was at play. But we are talking about 12 million votes and even if people were calling ten times, 20 times because they thought he was hard on David Cook, it just wouldn`t have moved all 12 million of those votes.
HAMMER: And you see what it did to the price of gas today, unbelievable.
LEVY: Yes.
HAMMER: Kim Serafin, we just saw you right there in our story saying Simon annoyed you so much that you texted for Cook three times.
SERAFIN: Yes.
HAMMER: So what do you think? Joe Levy doesn`t think so, but were you, perhaps, the leader of the mass revolt, a lot of people doing what you were doing?
SERAFIN: Well, I only texted three times. I`m sure there were people out there texting much more than I was. Yes, I think Joe does have a point. That is not going to make the difference of 12 million votes. But I think it probably made a little bit of a difference. I think people kind of watch Simon and they really want to disagree with him because they do blame him for everything. And he is the guy that you sort of look to, to see what he says. And if he doesn`t agree with what you think, you`re really going to go out there. And really, if you are a big "Idol" fan, text against him because you don`t want to see him proven right.
And I think we saw so many contestants this season and even last season who maybe made it through to another round because Simon - they felt maybe Simon was ganging up on that contestant.
HAMMER: Yes. Yes, definitely saw that. There were a lot of factors at play. A lot of emotion Wednesday night and really through the competition when it came to David Cook, because as we know David Cook`s brother, Adam, has been battling brain cancer throughout the whole competition competition. He was the reason David even got into the competition. So what do you think about that, Joe, that perhaps that earns him sympathy votes?
LEVY: I think it could be part of the story. I will say that David Cook overall had a little more personality. Of course, there are a lot of chairs that are more personality than David Archuleta.
HAMMER: Hey, hey, hey.
LEVY: Hey, I`m not trying to be that mean. What I`m saying is that kid came across as a pageant contestant.
HAMMER: Well, yes, but then, at the same time ...
LEVY: He was absolutely perfect.
HAMMER: But Joe, at the same time, the contest is about choosing the next great pop star. And he certainly had a lot of those pop star characteristics in great quantity, wouldn`t you say?
LEVY: I would say he did. Maybe he had them in too great a quantity. I think one reason people tune into "American Idol" is they like the mistakes, they like the screw-ups. They like it when people cry, when they show real emotion. And I will say that part of David Cook`s back story had real emotion to it.
HAMMER: Sure. And again, David Archuleta, 17 years old. A lot of people actually pointing the finger at David Archuleta`s own father as the reason he lost. I don`t know if it contributed entirely, but daddy David`s backstage meddling actually got him booted from "Idol" rehearsals. Kim, do you think this was part of, you know, him getting sent home? Nobody likes an overbearing dad. Maybe that`s the message they were sending?
SERAFIN: Sure, I mean, nobody likes a stage dad. And yes, in comparison to sort of the human angle that we had of David Cook with his brother who was very sick. That was sort of the behind the scenes story to David Cook. The behind-the-scenes story to David Archuleta with his overbearing dad.
And you know maybe it didn`t really make people dislike him, but, you know, you never know. In the back of their minds, they think of the stage dad. They think of this guy who is manipulating his career, even back to the days on "Star Search," I mean we have heard stories about Jeff Archuleta since "American Idol" the season began. So that, I think, the behind the scenes stories sort of gossipy angle to the two contestants, to the two Davids. Definitely David Cook had the more human, sympathetic side of the story.
HAMMER: Well, you know, Joe Levy pointed out, the margin here was 12 million votes; 97 million voting including your three, Kim. Just a yes or no here, Joe, were you surprised at the margin of victory here?
LEVY: I was, yes.
HAMMER: All right. You thought 12 million was more than it should have been?
LEVY: Well, it`s an overwhelming victory. Technically, a landslide for goodness` sake.
HAMMER: Yes, definitely.
LEVY: I`m one of the people who thought Archuleta had it on lockdown.
HAMMER: I did as well. (CROSS TALK)
I`ve got to end it there. Joe Levy, Kim Serafin, I thank you both.
And now, we want to turn it over to you for our SHOWBIZ TONIGHT question of the day - "David Cook Wins `American Idol`: Did America get it right?" CNN.com/ShowbizTonight is where you vote. Or E-mail us at showbiztonight@cnn.com.
Coming up, you will not want to miss my explosive interview with Denise Richards, after three years of feuding with Charlie Sheen, there is something I had to ask Denise.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
(on camera): Despite all of the bitterness and how ugly it has gotten with Charlie, do you think he is a good dad?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
Denise`s shocking answer how she feels about Charlie, and that is coming up in the interview you`ll only see on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
Plus, who is winning the war of words between Charlie and Denise, and should they just zip it? Here`s something I wanted to know. Why do men cheat on some of the richest, beautiful, most talented, and most successful women in the world? What could they be thinking? SHOWBIZ TONIGHT investigates coming up.
Also, Kenny Chesney says he didn`t mean it. Now, he complained about the fact that fans` vote for Country Music Entertainer of the Year which he won. Now, he is saying he was taken out of context. I`m going to show you what he said and let you judge for yourself. Coming up on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DENISE RICHARDS, ACTRESS: Today, we`re heading to the DMV, change my driver`s license from Sheen to Miss Richards. I`ve got all my paper and I can`t wait to get my maiden name back.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: It`s more than just a name for Denise Richards. Richards says she is using her new reality show to get back her good reputation as the nasty battle with her ex Charlie Sheen rages on.
Welcome back to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. This is TV`s most provocative entertainment news show. I`m A.J. Hammer in New York.
And tonight, it`s Denise Richards unplugged. I`ve got to tell you, Denise did not hold back a thing when I sat down with her. Her battle with her ex Charlie Sheen has lasted longer than the three years these two were married. And you know, from the looks of things, it is far from over.
Denise says Charlie is using the media to try to destroy her. Charlie calls Denise`s accusations desperate. Now Denise is taking her case to the public using her new reality show called "It`s Complicated" to clear her name and hopefully put the rumors to rest. And tonight, Denise shares with me her real feelings for Charlie. I had to ask her with all she has been through, does she regret marrying Charlie Sheen?
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
RICHARDS: I feel that Charlie is a stranger to me and that`s very sad. I have two beautiful girls from him. I could run into any ex- boyfriend and there is that bond and friendship. And it`s devastating that the father of our children we - he is a stranger. And I wish him the best. I wish him well. And all I care about is our kids and I hope that one day he and I can get to a place where we can co-parent together and at least have a friendly relationship because this is not healthy for our kids to be this way.
HAMMER: Yes, it certainly has been bitter. It has been ugly. It has been contentious.
RICHARDS: It has.
HAMMER: And as we all know, it`s been playing out in public.
RICHARDS: In public.
HAMMER: But all that being said, there was a time when you looked at this guy and said, "I`m madly in love with him. I want to spend the rest of my life with him." Can you at least remember what that was like or are you kind of blinded to that by what happened?
RICHARDS: No, of course. No, I mean, I don`t regret marrying Charlie. I fell in love with him. He was the man I wanted to form a life with. I wanted to marry him. We had children together. It was a very difficult time to divorce. And the family that I fantasized about and had hoped we would have was not there. And we had to split up, and we failed.
But I don`t hate Charlie. He gave me the two greatest gifts anyone could ever give me, and that are my girls. And you know, it`s very unfortunate, our situation, and very sad. And I hope one day things can be pushed aside and we can focus on the most important thing, and that is our girls. We`re divorced. We are done. This isn`t about us anymore.
HAMMER: Despite all of the bitterness and how ugly it has gotten with Charlie, do you think he is a good dad?
RICHARDS: I think that Charlie and I parent our children very differently, and that`s how I feel. And I`ll leave it at that.
HAMMER: So in the end, do you think you are getting the short end of the stick when it comes to public opinion, which, as you said, that is pretty important?
RICHARDS: Of course. Here`s the thing. In the last three years, I haven`t done a sit-down interview. People haven`t heard me talk. I have had every opportunity to sit down and do a lot of shows. I didn`t want to go there. I didn`t want to, you know, stoop to that level of being on a television show promoting my divorce.
You know, it`s embarrassing. This has been a very humiliating, devastating time. I lost my mother right around Christmas. I, you know, to go through this public divorce and watch my mom literally die a slow, painful death, and trying to raise two kids. I`m focused on my family and my kids.
Charlie continues to put his energy on us and our situation, and I hope one day, he can move past it. Maybe after he gets married, he will. I`m not sure. And I just want to focus on my children.
HAMMER: Looking back now at the past three years of your life, what is the one, the singular thing you would change or do differently than something you did?
RICHARDS: I don`t regret marrying him. I have two beautiful kids. And I know, in my heart, we were brought together for my girls. So, you know, I`ve gone through a lot. My parents have said I`ve had 30 years of experience in three years. And it is what it is.
HAMMER: So best case scenario for you, your new show "It`s Complicated" is wildly successful. Everybody watches every single episode, and as you say they`ll get to know who you really are. What is the one singular take away you would like somebody who watches every show to have?
RICHARDS: I think, I hope that people watching will see, aside from everything else, I am a single mom, raising two little girls on my own, grieving my mom, trying to juggle parenting with my career, helping my dad. You know, they`ll see that I`m human. I make mistakes. I have real issues. I have dilemmas like everyone else. And I hope that people will also appreciate my honesty and my candor and that I`m a human being and we all make mistakes. No one can fault me being a mom. They can say whatever they want, but I`m a really good mom.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HAMMER: Well there is no question about it. Her story certainly is complicated, and the show should definitely make for some very interesting TV. The show is called "It`s Complicated" and it premieres this Memorial Day weekend on "E!" And I have to say I really felt for Denise when I sat down with her. She has been through an awful lot, but whose side are you on in Charlie and Denise`s brutal battle? And with the outrageous accusations flying, who do you think is more believable? Well, we`ve got a heated debate over Charlie and Denise`s war of words coming up.
We will also have this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAEL YO, HOST, "YO ON E!": They say Eric Benet was addicted to sex. You have one of the best-looking women in the world. Have sex with her. How do you ever cheat on Halle Berry?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: Amen to that, Michael Yo. And you know, Halle berry is not the only gorgeous and talented and successful woman who has had her heartbroken by a cheating man. It made me wonder, why do men cheat on these beautiful stars? It`s crazy. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT investigates coming up.
And Kenny Chesney says he didn`t mean it. He complained about the fact that fans are the ones who vote for Country Music Entertainer of the Year, which he won. And now, he`s saying he was taken out of context. I will show you what he said and I`ll let you judge for yourself, coming up next on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
And now you can watch SHOWBIZ TONIGHT anytime by downloading our podcast. It doesn`t cost anything, so do it. Go there today at CNN.com/ShowbizTonight. Or you can get it on iTunes. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT is coming right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HAMMER: Well, listen to this, Kenny Chesney is now back pedaling about what he said after being named the Academy of Country Music Entertainer of the Year. Now, he criticized the way it is chosen by fans who vote online. Now, he says, it was all taken out of context, what he said. I am going to remind you of exactly his words.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KENNY CHESNEY, WINNER OF THE ACADEMY OF COUNTRY MUSIC ENTERTAINER OF THE YEAR AWARD: I don`t think it`s right that they pick the one award that means the most, that all of the artists sacrifice the most for, and they`ve turned it into, into taking it from what the award really represents into a sweepstakes to see who can push the people`s buttons the hardest on the Internet.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: All right. Makes sense to me, pretty straight forward. Now, the Internet happens to be where Kenny is trying to make nice with everybody. In fact on his MySpace page, he says that he meant that fans should just love the music and let other people judge the work behind it.
Here`s what he said, quote, "I don`t ever want you worrying about the work. I want you living the song, being in the moment of the music." OK.
The war of words between Charlie Sheen and Denise Richards is really heating up again. Now that Denise`s reality show is set to hit the airwaves, the outrageous accusations are flying once more. But whose side are you on? Who is more believable here? And should they both just zip it? We have got a fiery debate coming up.
We will also have this -
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
YO: They say Eric Benet was addicted to sex. You have one of the best-looking women in the world. Have sex with her. How do you ever cheat on Halle Berry?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: That`s right, Halle Berry not the only gorgeous, talented, successful woman who has had her hear heartbroken by a cheating man. It made me wonder, why do men cheat on these beautiful stars? SHOWBIZ TONIGHT investigates, coming up.
And it`s a big day. Can you feel the excitement, everybody?
CREW: Yes.
HAMMER: I mean come on, the new Indiana Jones movie is out. I can`t wait to see it. The crew can`t wait to see it. Coming up, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT`s Brooke Anderson sits down with Harrison Ford, Steven Spielberg, you don`t want to miss it.
But first, you can always stay on top of the most provocative entertainment news with our daily SHOWBIZ TONIGHT newsletter. Go to CNN.com/ShowbizTonight. Click on that "sign up for newsletter" link at the bottom of the page so we can send it to you. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT is coming right back.
(NEWS BREAK)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HAMMER: On SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, brand new explosive accusations in the Denise versus Charlie war of words. Denise Richards and Charlie Sheen take their nasty he said/she said to a frightening new level. But who should we believe? Whose side are you on? And should they both just zip it?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
YO: They say Eric Benet was addicted to sex. You have one of the best-looking women in the world. Have sex with her. How do you ever cheat on Halle Berry?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: And Halle Berry is not the only one. Why in the world do men cheat on some of the most beautiful, talented and successful women in Hollywood? Tonight, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT investigates.
(MUSIC)
Welcome back to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. It is 30 minutes past the hour. I`m A.J. Hammer, broadcasting tonight and every night from New York City. You`re watching TV`s most provocative entertainment news show.
Tonight, the brand new war of words between Charlie Sheen and Denise Richards. Wild, new accusations in the post-divorce battle that seems like it will never end. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT is asking - whose side are you on?
Here now, the he said/she said latest from the SHOWBIZ TONIGHT newsroom. Denise is trying to set the record straight about the E-mail Charlie claims she sent asking for his sperm. Denise opened up to me big time about his crazy claim.
And Charlie is fighting back releasing brand new statements to tell his side of the story. Sheen says the sperm E-mails are fact, not fiction. And he`s even daring Denise to sue him over it.
Well, we`ve got a fired up coast-to-coast panel tonight taking sides. In Hollywood, there he is, Howard Bragman, the founder of Fifteen Minutes Public Relations. Also in Hollywood tonight, there she is, CNN entertainment correspondent Kareen Wynter. And here in New York, my good friend Jane Velez-Mitchell, investigative journalist and author of "Secrets Can Be Murder."
Jane, let me begin with you. This thing has been going on for nearly three years - that is longer than these two were even married. As far as you`re concerned, who is looking worse here, Denise or Charlie?
JANE VELEZ-MITCHELL, INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALIST AND AUTHOR: Well they both look bad, and of course, the biggest losers are these young children, ages two and four, who are going to grow up and read all about this hideously ugly divorce battle. But if I had to pick one that looks worse, I`d have to say Denise Richards, simply because she is putting these two young girls in a reality show despite the reality show curse.
We have seen the awful things that happen to kids who are in reality shows with their parents. And they go on to drug addiction and car wrecks and everything else. And she is still forging straight ahead with this very ill-advised plan even though Charlie Sheen`s friends are claiming in published reports, and I have no independent confirmation of this, she is getting more than $50,000 a month in child support, which means she doesn`t have to do this for the money.
HAMMER: Wow. So you think it is because of the reality show she is looking worse. All this mud is flying through the air and a lot does seem to be coming from Charlie Sheen`s camp.
So Howard Bragman, why don`t you weigh in with who you think is looking worse here?
HOWARD BRAGMAN, FOUNDER, FIFTEEN MINUTES PUBLIC RELATIONS: Actually, I have to disagree with our friend Jane. The reason she is winning this thing is not because either one looks better, because they both look kind of like idiots with this fight. But she has got something to promote right now. You couldn`t ask for something better. This is sort of a publicist`s dream right now.
And you know I don`t believe all press is good press. But when you are pushing the salacious reality show, let`s have some salaciousness. This is just great for her. Who is not going to want to watch this train wreck when it debuts?
HAMMER: And to her credit, she is answering the tough questions as you will see in a moment because I did not hold back in what I asked her. Let me take, for you, another look at this E-mail. Charlie claims that, Denise sent his fiancee asking for Charlie`s sperm so Denise could have another baby. This thing is just wild.
SHOWBIZ TONIGHT obtained this alleged e-mail from Charlie`s camp which reads in part, "Charlie and I have very beautiful healthy children together. I was strictly looking for a sperm donor, if it is any of your business. This wasn`t to have sex with him, it was him donating. That`s it."
Now, I did spend a lot of time with Denise and I asked her to set the record straight about the E-mail. You have got to hear what she told me.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RICHARDS: I don`t want Charlie Sheen`s sperm, period.
HAMMER: To make that clear.
RICHARDS: I have two beautiful daughters. I don`t want any more of his sperm. I could get it elsewhere, period. Why on earth would I want my ex-husband who I am in a bitter battle with?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: Yes, so that makes perfect sense to me. Kareen, it seems to me she makes a truly legitimate argument to support the idea that she wants nothing more to do with Charlie.
KAREEN WYNTER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, you know, the thing that`s interesting, A.J., it is clear there is no love lost between the two of them, right? It`s history. But there is no denying the fact that Denise is somehow still hanging on the Charlie Sheen name to kind of push this reality show. There is really no question also that before her union with Charlie Sheen, no one really cared about Denise Richards. And then she really became legitimate when they got married, they had children.
So while she is saying, "I couldn`t care less. I`m over him." The fact is she loves all of this even though it is negative, even though she`s saying it`s quite embarrassing. I`m sure it`s painful especially when you loop the kids in. But she has to love this and she`s hoping that as much as people are talking about this and as much buzz as it is generating that it will drive people to her show when it debuts.
HAMMER: I guess this thing is ugly all around. But now, you have got to take a look at what Charlie told SHOWBIZ TONIGHT about Denise`s claim that this whole sperm E-mail thing was a fake.
Here`s what he said, "Her claims that her E-mail has been fabricated or altered in any way to create this story are absurd. The mere fact that she continues to publicly discuss and harass both Brooke and me, three years after our separation, is beyond desperate and speaks volumes. I will no longer sit back and be egregiously painted a liar."
Well, Charlie even dared Denise to sue him so he can prove that all of this is true. Denise told me quite frankly she is not planning on suing.
So Jane, I don`t know - what do you think? Wouldn`t the winner of the he said/she said battle be the one who shuts the heck up first. Come on.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Absolutely, A.J. I mean, really, they are in at nose to nose race to see who could be the most moronic. Imagine two adults, two famous adults, two attractive adults, arguing over who wanted who`s sperm, "Oh, she wanted my sperm." I mean, can you imagine this? It brings them both down and it`s so childish.
The best response to any of this would be complete and utter silence. That is the only dignified thing. And I have to point out in agreement with Howard that, yes, Charlie Sheen did release this supposed E-mail in the first place, so he bears his part of the responsibility for this fiasco.
HAMMER: But on the other side of that Jane, on the other side of keeping quiet - and Howard, as a PR expert, I want to go to you on this. You know, Charlie did say what a potentially and some very defamatory things about Denise in that statement, called her a liar, said she was harassing him. So what do you think? Should she counterattack if in fact what he is saying is false?
BRAGMAN: It doesn`t matter if it is true or false. She should counterattack right up until the show debuts.
HAMMER: As a publicist - OK, I did ask you as a publicist.
BRAGMAN: Yes, and I have to say, Charlie knows better. And his PR team knows better. They`re not just throwing fuel on the fire. They`re throwing big, dry logs on this fire, and it is burning. And it is doing nothing but helping her. Maybe he wants her to make a lot of money so he can reduce his payments or something. Maybe there is a strategy we don`t know about because he knows better than to help this along right now.
HAMMER: Well, you know, I have to say, we talk about this a lot in the SHOWBIZ TONIGHT newsroom. And we do have a SHOWBIZ TONIGHT newsroom, I should point out. And lot of people feel like maybe there is a double standard. Charlie is really getting more of the better press as far as this is all concerned. Now, when I spoke to Denise, I had to ask her if she feels she is getting the short end of the stick when it comes to the public opinion of her. I want you to watch what she says.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RICHARDS: Here`s the thing. In the last three years, I haven`t done a sit-down interview. People haven`t heard me talk. They`re going by a court document that people picked out, you know, things out of context. And I have had every opportunity to sit down and do a lot of shows. I didn`t want to go there. I didn`t want to, you know, stoop to that level and being on a television show promoting my divorce. You know, it`s embarrassing. This has been a very humiliating, devastating time.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: I got to tell you, right there is where she swayed me to her side a little bit more. What do you think, Kareen? Can we really blame her for trying to defend the claims Charlie is making?
WYNTER: Absolutely not. She`s been speaking out all week. She`s going to continue to speak out, in fact, as long as this reality show is around, which isn`t really a bad thing for her, because we`re all talking about it.
But, you know, it`s really hard to sit back and kind of go on her side, so to speak, A.J., because she is bringing in these children and we keep going back to this. And this is what makes it different. She is not sitting on Oprah`s couch. She`s not, you know, just talking to the ladies of "The View." She is literally opening her front door, the front door of her home, to the word and letting people in. So she is not going to be just defending herself against Charlie Sheen but a lot of those critics out there.
HAMMER: Bottom line, I don`t think there are any winners here. Howard Bragman, Kareen Wynter, Jane Velez-Mitchell, I thank you all for being here tonight.
Well, on Wednesday, we asked you to vote on our SHOWBIZ TONIGHT question of the day - "Nasty Hollywood Divorces: Should stars keep their dirty laundry private?" Pretty much a landslide here - 93 percent of you said yes, seven percent of you said no.
Among E-mails we received. Kathy in Oklahoma wrote in, "I think a lot of them would love for that to happen. But the media and gawking public would not allow it."
"Shelly from Nevada writes, "Divorce is one of the hardest things to go through. And when celebrities dish out dirt about their exes, it`s even worse."
And now, we need to discuss one of the great mysteries of modern civilization, the Hollywood cheating game.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
YO: They say Eric Benet was addicted to sex. You have one of the best-looking women in the world. Have sex with her. How do you ever cheat on Halle Berry?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: Yes, cheating on Halle Berry - I mean, are you kidding me? Totally boggles my mind. How many of Hollywood`s hottest women get cheated on? But you know, we did some digging and uncovered some really startling reasons why these guys do it. You will not want to miss the showbiz special report, the cheating game, coming up next.
Here is another mind-boggling question.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BROOKE ANDERSON, CO-HOST, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT: Why did it take so long to do a fourth Indiana Jones?
HARRISON FORD, ACTOR: Because George and Steven are so lazy.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: Hold on just a second. Did I just hear Harrison Ford call George Lucas and Steven Spielberg lazy? Why would he say such a thing? Harrison, dude, have you lost your mind?
Coming up, Harrison Ford and the stars of the new "Indiana Jones" movie in the no-holds-barred interview you`ll see only on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
Now, you can watch SHOWBIZ TONIGHT any time. Download our podcast. It`s free. You`ll find the SHOWBIZ TONIGHT podcast at CNN.com/ShowbizTonight. You can also download it by going to iTunes. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT is coming right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HAMMER: Thanks, Charles. Welcome back to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, V`s most provocative entertainment news show. I`m A.J. Hammer in New York. And tonight a showbiz special report, the cheating game. This doesn`t make any sense to me at all. Why do men in Hollywood cheat on the most beautiful women in the world? It is absolutely ridiculous. Here is SHOWBIZ TONIGHT`s Brooke Anderson.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ROBIN GIVENS, ACTRESS: You know, I`m sick and tired of men using love like it`s some disease you just catch. Love should have brought your ass home last night.
ANDERSON (voice over): When it comes to cheating, it`s not just in movies like "Boomerang." It`s an ongoing mystery in Hollywood, men who cheat on their near-perfect women. Halle Berry. Sienna Miller. Elizabeth Hurley. Even legendary cover girl Christie Brinkley. All stunningly gorgeous. All incredibly successful. But they have one unenviable thing in common - they have all been cheated on. So SHOWBIZ TONIGHT has to ask, why do men cheat on the topnotch ladies of Hollywood?
JUDY KURIANSKY, CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGIST: There are several reasons why a guy would cheat on those gorgeous, famous and rich Hollywood stars. It could be due to his low ego. Could be due to a mid life crisis. Could be he`s got a sex addiction. Or it could be that he splits women and has what we call a Madonna-Prostitute syndrome. Not Madonna the rock star but Madonna the Virgin Mary.
YO: Stars cheat on their beautiful Hollywood women. Well, it`s simple - it`s because they can.
JAY LENO, TALK SHOW HOST: What the hell were you thinking?
ANDERSON: It`s a moment we`ll never forget. A humiliated Hugh Grant on "The Tonight Show" getting grilled after cheating on girlfriend, Elizabeth Hurley.
HUGH GRANT, ACTOR: I think you know in life pretty much what`s a good to do and what`s a bad thing. And I did a bad thing. There you have it.
ANDERSON: Yes, a really bad thing. In 1995, Hugh and Elizabeth were the toast of the town until he was caught doing a little hanky panky with prostitute Divine Brown.
YO: Hugh Grant, we need to talk. Seriously. You have one of the best looking women in the world. You did have Elizabeth Hurley. But then, you go and cheat with a prostitute? And not only is the prostitute not attractive, she looks like a crack-head. Seriously.
KURIANSKY: When a guy has sex with a prostitute and he`s got a hot woman at home, usually he`s got what`s called the Madonna-Prostitute syndrome. He has to have wild, erotic sex with a prostitute and he keeps the gorgeous woman at home as pure and separate from his erotic fantasies.
So it`s likely that Hugh Grant has some sexual fantasies and acts that he didn`t want to ask Elizabeth Hurley to act out with him as if the woman who he`s really with would say, "What? I wouldn`t do that."
ANDERSON: Well, from one very bad decision to a broken fairytale. Halle Berry was already a Golden Globe winner in 2001 when she married R & B singer Eric Benet. It was all but a dream realized until Eric cheated on Halle and couldn`t stop.
YO: They say Eric Benet was addicted to sex. You have one of the best looking women in the world. Have sex with her. How do you ever cheat on Halle Berry?
KURIANSKY: Halle Berry could stand on her head. She could be the sexiest woman alive, which she is. It doesn`t matter. If a guy like Eric Benet has what we call a sex addiction, he just can`t keep his pants on.
ANDERSON: If sex addiction was Eric Benet`s excuse for cheating on Halle, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT is asking, what was Jude Law`s excuse for cheating on Sienna Miller?
SIENNA MILLER, ACTRESS: What is your name?
JUDE LAW, ACTOR: Alfie.
ANDERSON: Jude met the beautiful and talented Sienna Miller on the set of the movie "Alfie," a movie where Jude played, of all things, a womanizer.
MILLER: Don`t worry. I`m already gone.
ANDERSON: Sienna was definitely gone after Jude admitted to cheating on her with his children`s 26-year-old nanny.
YO: Let`s think about this, Jude Law. Your girl, Sienna Miller, who was in every magazine, looking sexy, looking beautiful. Has a great career. Has a lot of money and you throw it all away for a nanny?
KURIANSKY: Some guys are really threatened by a woman who is equal to them. They want to go for something that`s easy. What could be easier than a nanny who adores you?
ANDERSON: What was easy for Jude Law was also easy for Christie Brinkley`s husband, Peter Cook. In 2006, Mr. Brinkley admitted to cheating on legendary cover girl Christie Brinkley with a then-17-year-old girl.
YO: I`m just thinking about Peter Cook`s pickup line to the little girl. It was like, "Hey little girl. Want some candy?" I mean, ugh.
KURIANSKY: He`s the Mr. Christie Brinkley. It insults his ego. His narcissism is truly hurt and as a result, he looks elsewhere.
ANDERSON: Eric, Jude, Hugh and Peter have all publicly said they`re sorry. But SHOWBIZ TONIGHT wants to know if these ladies of Hollywood can`t keep their men at home, do the rest of us even stand a chance?
KURIANSKY: They can`t be more beautiful, or richer, or more famous in order to tame that man and make him only want her. It is not her problem.
YO: To the ladies of Hollywood, if you don`t want your hot, Hollywood men cheating on you, it`s very simple. Don`t let them go outside.
ANDERSON: Well, in Hollywood, that seems easier said than done.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HAMMER: A lot of changes in Halle Berry`s life since divorcing her ex husband, Eric Benet. She`s been with model Gabriel Aubrey since 2005, and together they had a beautiful baby girl last March.
We`ve been asking you to vote on the SHOWBIZ TONIGHT question of the day - "David Cook Wins "American Idol": Did America get it right?" Please let us know what you think at CNN.com/ShowbizTonight. You can also E-mail us more of your thoughts at showbiztonight@cnn.com.
All right, you want to hear something really amazing? More than 80 percent of all advanced ticket sales this weekend - all for the "Indiana Jones" movie.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Why did it take so long to do a fourth Indiana Jones?
FORD: Because George and Steven are so lazy.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: Gosh, Harrison Ford, George Lucas, Steven Spielberg - lazy? I mean, please. See what Harrison Ford said in the no-holds-barred interview with the stars of Indiana Jones, next on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HAMMER: Welcome back to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. I am A.J. Hammer in New York. And this is absolutely amazing. Fandango says 83 percent of all its movie tickets that are selling right now are for the new "Indiana Jones" movie. Unbelievable. Well, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT`s Brooke Anderson went one-on- one with the movie`s stars at the Cannes Film Festival and learned what went into bringing Indiana Jones back for a fourth time.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
STEVEN SPIELBERG, DIRECTOR, "INDIANA JONES AND THE KINGDOM OF THE CRYSTAL SKULL: This was kind of by popular demand that we brought this character back.
UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: This isn`t going to be easy.
FORD: Not as easy as it used to be.
GEORGE LUCAS, PRODUCER, "INDIANA JONES AND THE KINGDOM OF THE CRYSTAL SKULL: It was one of those things that we did out of love. We didn`t do it because the studio said we had to do it because they didn`t really have any say in it.
ANDERSON: Why did it take so long to do a fourth Indiana Jones?
FORD: Because George and Steven are so lazy. No. It took time because there`s three very complicated different personalities involved here with different ambitions and different focuses in their lives - very busy guys. And we all had to - we agreed to agree.
LUCAS: We were just trying to get a script that everybody was happy with.
CATE BLANCHETT, ACTRESS: You help us find it.
It is very surreal, because obviously I was a huge fan of the franchise growing up. So to kind of have that Zellig moment where you walk on the set and everything is strangely familiar, but you know, you`re older and you`re in it. It`s very -
SHIA LABEOUF, ACTOR: What are you going to do now?
KAREN ALLEN, ACTRESS: I don`t think he planned that far ahead.
FORD: I`d cover my ears if I was you.
LABEOUF: See the film, it`s incredible. But I`m extremely critical myself, and how it will be received and whatnot. That`s all very scary, you know. You don`t want to be the thing that brought the house of cards down.
SPIELBERG: It`s nostalgia to come back here because I haven`t been back here in 26 years. I haven`t had a movie that qualified to be in the Cannes Film Festival. I haven`t been making it or the timing was wrong, and I didn`t make the movie in time for the cutoff date or that sort of thing. So it`s really a sweet kind of return to this whole part of south of France.
LABEOUF: It is the biggest film festival in the world, and to be here with the biggest movie in the world, biggest people in film - it`s just overwhelming.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
HAMMER: Well, I can tell you this, if you are planning to check out the new "Indiana Jones" movie, you are not going to have any trouble finding somewhere to see. The film is playing in 4,260 theaters, which is the third widest opening in history.
The music please. That is it for SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. I thank you for watching. I`m A.J. Hammer in New York. You can always catch SHOWBIZ TONIGHT on the 11:00s - 11:00 p.m. Eastern, 11:00 p.m. Pacific, and we`re on in the morning 11:00 a.m. Eastern. The latest from "CNN HEADLINE NEWS," next.
END
