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Showbiz Tonight
Madonna/A-Rod Mess; Christie Brinkley`s Dirty Divorce; Great Cheating Debate; Teens Behaving Badly
Aired July 08, 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: Britney Spears and Madonna are hooking up again. So will there be another shocking kiss?
I`m A.J. Hammer in New York.
BROOKE ANDERSON, CO-HOST: And is Eddie Murphy really about to retire?
I`m Brooke Anderson in Hollywood.
HAMMER: TV`s most provocative entertainment news show starts right now.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
HAMMER (voice over): On SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, breaking new developments in two big Hollywood divorce shockers. Tonight, Madonna`s alleged affair of the heart with baseball great Alex Rodriguez.
Is Madonna now off the hook even if she and A-Rod didn`t sleep with each other? Is there really such a thing as emotional cheating? And is it ever OK to have an emotional affair if no sex is involved?
Tonight, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT with the powerful aftershocks from affairs of the heart.
The Christie Brinkley divorce fight takes an unbelievable turn. Tonight, Brinkley`s startling claim in court that her husband got rough with her children. But could all this backfire on her?
And SHOWBIZ TONIGHT viewers respond to the fired-up question: Should Christie get sole custody of the kids?
Plus, putting the Brinkley mess side-by-side with the Madonna/A-Rod drama. Sensational claims and wild allegations, but which one is the dirtiest and the nastiest?
Tonight, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT with a great, dirty divorce debate.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HAMMER: Hello. I`m A.J. Hammer, broadcasting tonight and every night from New York City.
ANDERSON: Hi there, everyone. I`m Brooke Anderson, coming to you from Hollywood.
And tonight, it`s Britney Spears and Madonna, together again.
Madonna is now revealing that Britney will have a part in her upcoming Sticky and Sweet concert tour. But what does Madonna have planned for Britney? And should we expect into the Madonna/Britney lip lock.
That`s coming up.
HAMMER: But first, Madonna`s very sticky and not-so-sweet mess, caught in the middle of the Alex Rodriguez divorce. The legal team for A-Rod`s wife is accusing the Material Girl of having an affair of the heart with the Yankee super star.
But hold on just a second. An affair of the heart leading to divorce? What the heck does that even mean?
Well, tonight, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT can tell you, it`s the big development making news right now.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
HAMMER (voice over): The word "maneater" is fun when it`s in an `80s song by Hall and Oates. But the word "maneater" is not fun when that`s what you`re being called in newspaper headlines.
Madonna is taking serious flak in the press now that the soon-to-be ex-wife of baseball star Alex Rodriguez is accusing the Material Girl of being the material other woman.
KATIE DARYL, TMZ: Cynthia Rodriguez`s attorneys basically said that this special undefined relationship that Madonna and A-Rod maybe have together is in fact the straw that broke the camel`s back on the marriage.
HAMMER: But when Cynthia Rodriguez first kicked her slugger husband out of their dugout, many assumed that unspecified alleged relationship may have been an old-fashioned affair.
COOPER LAWRENCE, PSYCHOLOGY EXPERT: It`s not just some woman he picked up in a bar. It`s Madonna.
HAMMER: Madonna in an alleged illicit affair? What on earth gave people that idea?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think people know of her past, that`s why people are so interested in this.
HAMMER: But SHOWBIZ TONIGHT can tell you Cynthia Rodriguez is now specifying the role she believes Madonna played in ruining her marriage to A-Rod. And get your mind out of the gutter, because it`s not quite what you may think.
LAWRENCE: For a lot of marriages, affairs of the heart are actually a lot more dangerous.
HAMMER: When Cynthia Rodriguez formally filed for divorce from A-Rod, her husband of more than five years, her court filing accused the baseball superstar of "... extramarital affairs." Now her lawyer is saying Madonna is not among them.
About A-Rod`s alleged relationship with Madonna, Cynthia Rodriguez`s attorney tells people.com, "Some people categorize an affair as something as sexual infidelity. We`re not claiming that. It`s an affair of the heart."
Psychology expert Cooper Lawrence explains what that could mean.
LAWRENCE: It`s an emotional affair. It`s somebody you`re really close with that you`re sharing private time with and maybe even intimate moments emotionally, where you`re telling the things about yourself and your life that you`re not sharing with your spouse.
HAMMER: And even with the extramarital affair, Cynthia claims A-Rod had, her attorney says it was his alleged affair of the heart that was the last straw.
LAWRENCE: For some people, an emotional connection with somebody else is a much bigger betrayal.
HAMMER: Madonna is shooting down any notion that she`s the other woman in the A-Rod divorce. In a statement to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, she says, "I am not romantically involved in any way with Alex Rodriguez. I have nothing to do with the state of his marriage or what spiritual path he may choose to study."
That`s a reference to reports that she and A-Rod grew close while studying Kabbalah, a form of Jewish mysticism.
But as we watch Christie Brinkley endure an ugly and devastating divorce trial because of her husband`s sexual affair, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT is asking, could A-Rod`s alleged affair of the heart really be as damaging? Some say yes.
LAWRENCE: If you have sexual issues in your marriage and your husband goes and has, like, an extramarital affair, you go, OK, we`ll get through it. But once they have an emotional affair, once they`re with somebody and they`ve connected with another woman, game over for a lot of women, because that means that he`s never going to be really yours again.
KIM SERAFIN, "IN TOUCH WEEKLY": If I was someone and my husband was having any sort of affair with Madonna, emotional, physical or otherwise, I`d be pretty threatened.
HAMMER: For now, all those so-called affairs of the heart allegations are just that, allegations. But as Alex and Cynthia Rodriguez`s divorce shapes up to be the next big celebrity breakup, expect a whole lot of talk about how damaging an affair, any kind of affair, can be.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HAMMER: Well, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT did reach out to Alex Rodriguez`s representatives for a comment. As of show time, they had yet to respond.
So, is Madonna now in the clear or is an affair an affair? And are A-Rod`s troubles just beginning?
Joining me tonight in New York, Jane Velez-Mitchell, investigative journalist and author of this book, "Secrets Can be Murder," which, by the way, is now out in paperback. And in Hollywood tonight, Darren Kavinoky, attorney for the California-based Kavinoky Law Firm.
So, Darren and Jane, we heard that Madonna has outright denied any affair with Alex Rodriguez. And as we just heard, his wife Cynthia`s attorney is calling A-Rod`s relationship with the Material Girl an affair of the heart. She`s saying, not a sexual affair, an emotional affair.
Jane Velez-Mitchell, does that mean Madonna`s off the hook here?
JANE VELEZ-MITCHELL, INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALIST: I think we have to give her the benefit of the doubt, A.J., especially because the scorned wife is not accusing them of having sex with each other. I think it`s very likely that Alex Rodriguez has developed a massive crush on Madonna, an infatuation.
She is intensely charismatic. A.J., you`ve been around these stars, these superstars. They exude charisma.
She is very sexually seductive. She is a performer. So she has all the ingredients.
And it`s especially intoxicating if she is unavailable and aloof for a guy like Alex Rodriguez, who`s used to going like this and getting whatever and whoever he wants. That is intoxicating.
And he is exhibiting signs of having a crush, because according to published reports, he`s driving around playing her music. And we`ve all been there. We`ve all had crushes. We know what we do when we have them. And that`s the kind of thing we do.
HAMMER: Can you see Alex Rodriguez driving in one of his fancy cars, maybe a convertible, voguing? I don`t know.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Yes.
HAMMER: What do you think, Darren? I mean, it`s easy to see why these two would be attracted to each other, certainly. But do you think now that we`re hearing it wasn`t a sexual affair, according to Cynthia Rodriguez, is Madonna off the hook?
DARREN KAVINOKY, ATTORNEY: I`m not letting anybody off the hook that easily, A.J. You know, I have a very simple litmus test.
If I did that stuff in front of my wife, would she be upset? And I have got to think she would in the case of an emotional affair.
In the continuum of bad marital behavior, it`s certainly not as bad as coming home and confessing that you just met Chris Hansen from "Dateline NBC," and, "Honey, we better not watch `To Catch a Predator Tonight.`"
HAMMER: Yes.
KAVINOKY: But, you know, it`s certainly not something that`s going to please your spouse. And call me the perennial skeptic, but just because she`s saying that she`s not sure that they had sex, I`m not yet convinced that it couldn`t be a physical affair.
I mean, remember Bill Clinton? We still have people that deny stuff and don`t know stuff. So until we know for sure...
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Are you comparing Bill Clinton to Madonna?
(LAUGHTER)
HAMMER: Well, you know, I think it`s almost a fair point in that for the longest time, there was that denial and then we saw what happened. But let`s look at what we do know here. Let`s stick with the facts as we do know them, because in these divorce papers, Cynthia Rodriguez doesn`t name any names specifically, but claims that A-Rod had, "extramarital affairs and other marital misconduct."
All right. So, you know, Jane, you said you`re giving Madonna the benefit of the doubt here, even though Madonna`s gaim name was never mentioned. Do you think she`s getting a raw deal here by the fact that her name now will forever be linked with the breakup of this marriage even though Madonna says she had nothing to do with it?
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Absolutely not. She couldn`t buy this publicity. Well, maybe she could buy this publicity.
But she`s on headlines everywhere. She`s on the cover of every magazine because of this, or virtually every magazine. And remember, she`s got that world tour coming up and she needs publicity.
We also have to consider she`s approaching 50. She looks fabulous. She`s in great shape. She is sexy. But when you approach 50, you have to do a lot. You have to pull out all the stops to stay on the cutting edge of the culture wars.
TMZ is even reporting she and her husband, Guy Ritchie, orchestrated all this to get publicity for the tour. I have no idea whether that`s true, but I do know this is publicity money cannot buy.
HAMMER: Well, a lot of publicity for Kabbalah, and sort of a side-effect of all of this, because A-Rod`s alleged affair of the heart has to do with Madonna reportedly introducing him to the mystical religion of Kabbalah, which Madonna follows. That`s supposedly how they made their connection.
Even if it`s all innocent, do you think, Darren, that it`s a good idea for A-Rod to just stay the heck away from Madonna, even if it`s just for Kabbalah? Ten seconds.
KAVINOKY: Well, if this was all Kabbalah-related, that could be the most expensive piece of red string in history. But no, once divorce is filed, I think it`s fair game to be with whoever it is you want. So...
HAMMER: Yes. And red string is what Kabbalah followers do wear around their wrists.
Jane Velez-Mitchell, Darren Kavinoky, thanks for joining us tonight.
Now we want to turn it over to you for our SHOWBIZ TONIGHT "Question of the Day."
Madonna, A-Rod claims: Is emotional cheating worse than sexual cheating? Vote at cnn.com/showbiztonight or e-mail showbiztonight@cnn.com.
ANDERSON: A.J., we know there was definitely sexual cheating going on in Christie Brinkley`s divorce.
HAMMER: Oh, no question about it. Her ex, Peter Cook, admitted to sleeping with his then-teenage assistant -- Brooke.
ANDERSON: Yes. So disgusting.
Tonight, this nasty divorce fight takes an unbelievable turn. Christie`s claiming that her husband got rough with their children. But could all of this backfire on her?
That`s next.
HAMMER: Yes, I think this Christie Brinkley divorce is just so, so ugly. But, you know, so is the whole A-Rod/Madonna mess. So, you know, I`ve got to ask, which is nastier?
It`s the SHOWBIZ TONIGHT dirty divorce debate, and it is coming up.
ANDERSON: And A.J., I can also tell you Madonna and Britney Spears are hooking up again. Will there be another dramatic kiss?
Straight ahead.
HAMMER: You know, a lot of people hope so.
Remember, you can watch SHOWBIZ TONIGHT video any time, with new stuff going up all the time, at cnn.com/showbiztonight. Among the videos now playing, the inside story of the Madonna divorce buzz.
We are coming right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: How was court?
CHRISTIE BRINKLEY, MODEL: It was wonderful. And I`m looking forward to my independence day now.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Them fighting words from Christie Brinkley on her way back into her ugly courtroom divorce battle.
Welcome back to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, TV`s most provocative entertainment news show.
I`m Brooke Anderson in Hollywood.
Tonight, two big developments in the shocking Christie Brinkley/Peter Cook divorce war making news right now.
First, a court-appointed psychiatrist recommended today that Brinkley get sole custody of her two youngest children, calling Peter Cook a narcissist who needs constant reassurance. And Brinkley is playing the violence card in the courtroom, accusing her estranged husband of using too much force with their kids and getting rough with them about a dozen times.
With me tonight in New York is R. Couri Hay, society editor for "Hamptons" magazine, and in Hollywood, "Extra" co-host Dayna Devon.
Dayna, Corey, welcome to you both.
Now, the court-appointed psychiatrist who testified today that Brinkley should get sole custody of her and Peter Cook`s kids met 11 times with Brinkley and Cook.
Couri, you are a Hamptons insider. You know Brinkley and Cook. Should Cook really be worried here? How damaging was the doctor`s testimony.
R. COURI HAY, SOCIETY EDITOR, "HAMPTONS" MAGAZINE: I certainly hope that Cook is worried, because frankly, I think he`s cooked. I think he`s going to lose those kids.
And to be honest with you, yesterday I was very moved. After the trial, Christie spoke to me and she said, what kind of judgment does Peter Cook have to choose Internet pornography, to choose chasing a teenage girl, over spending time with this wonderful family, this wonderful life that she basically had created for them? I think Peter Cook should sit down, look in the mirror, and face facts. He`s not a good dad.
ANDERSON: Christie has said her world has been shattered by this chain of events. And you know, if this trial wasn`t dirty enough with the claims of extramarital affairs and pornography, Brinkley has also just testified that Cook manhandled their kids, basically, using to much force with them a dozen times.
Cook`s attorneys called these allegations outrageously untrue.
Dayna, this is just nasty. What do you think, is there too much mudslinging?
DAYNA DEVON, "EXTRA" CO-HOST: Well, obviously I definitely think there is. But you know, I`ve even heard it described today as a cage match, which is not entirely untrue. But unfortunately, that`s the nature of the beast with a lot of these celebrity divorces.
You know, but I do have to say I think Christie Brinkley`s done a really fantastic job maintaining her image as the underdog and as a sympathetic figure. And I`ve heard people say they`re going to side with the bride. And you know, she still looks like a really good mom I think to most people.
ANDERSON: Yes, she certainly has garnered a lot of sympathy, it seems. And as we mentioned, the court-appointed psychiatrist who testified today called Peter Cook a narcissist who needs constant reassurance.
Couri, you`ve known Peter Cook a long time. Is that a fair description of him? Or is it unfair?
HAY: Well, I`ve known Peter Cook since he was a model. And even then it was all about Peter`s high life.
And Peter`s always been a serial dater, a serial womanizer, and he just never changed his ways. I think actually what he did was he married Christie Brinkley in order to get the red carpet.
He didn`t really want to marry Christie Brinkley. He wanted to be Christie Brinkley. He wanted the cameras. He wanted the bright lights. And he wanted the commissions that being in Brinkley`s circle could bring him as far as his being an architect.
I absolutely tag him as a narcissist. I don`t think he has the right judgment to be a dad. He should concentrate on himself. That`s what he`s been doing for the last 50 years.
ANDERSON: Well, Brinkley`s side is certainly trying to paint him as an irresponsible, unfit parent. And we got a huge response when we asked her viewers in the SHOWBIZ TONIGHT "Question of the Day" this question: Christie Brinkley`s dirty divorce: Should she get sole custody of her kids? Seventy-three percent said yes, only 27 percent said no.
Dayna, does it surprise you how many people are siding with Christie on this one?
DEVON: No. It surprises me how many people are siding with Cook on this one. I mean, particularly troubling, I think, are the allegations of violence.
I mean, Alexa Ray, you know, Billy Joel and Christie Brinkley`s daughter, said that he pushed her head in a bucket of water and pushed her down the stairs. I mean, that`s really, really troubling.
And then, of course, there`s the Internet pornography claims. And particularly troubling, I think, is the fact that he allegedly used his son`s login information on an Internet porn Web site. I mean, these are all really, really bad signs.
ANDERSON: Yes, it`s all very unsavory.
And Couri, you, again, are a Hamptons insider. What is the feeling there around town? What are people saying, that Peter Cook is a despicable guy who doesn`t deserve the kids, like Brinkley`s lawyers are saying?
HAY: There`s no question that Peter Cook is totally a sleezeball, and he`s proven this over the last 10 years during his marriage with Christie Brinkley. I don`t see anybody --I don`t see the really rich people or the middle class or the working class, I don`t see anybody siding with him.
Everybody around town knows he`s been a player. People are disgusted with Peter Cook`s behavior. People are upset that they`re even considering giving custody back to Peter Cook.
And everyone I talk to wants Christie Brinkley to have custody of these kids. She`s clearly been a good mother and is fit to be the parent who is making the decisions about school, after school, with them.
ANDERSON: All right. OK.
Well, I`m sure it`s difficult for everybody involved.
We`re going to leave it there for now.
R. Couri Hay and Dayna Devon, thank you both. We appreciate it.
HAMMER: Wow. Brooke, I`ve got to say, this whole Christie Brinkley divorce is just ugly. Wow.
ANDERSON: Yes, it is, A.J. But you know, this Madonna mess with Alex Rodriguez and his wife filing for divorce, pretty nasty, too.
The allegations and outrageous claims are flying. So we`ve got to ask this stunning question: Which split is uglier? It`s the SHOWBIZ TONIGHT dirty divorce debate coming up.
HAMMER: And you know, A-Rod`s wife isn`t even claiming that her husband and Madonna slept together. She`s saying he emotionally cheated on her. So is it ever OK to have an emotional affair? Everybody`s fired up about this, and that is coming up.
ANDERSON: A.J., Madonna may not have physically hooked up with A-Rod, but tonight, is she hooking up with Britney Spears again? Are they going to shock the world with another kiss?
You`ve got to hear this next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANDERSON: Welcome back to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. I`m Brooke Anderson, and here are some more stories that are new right now.
Madonna and Britney Spears are hooking up again. But they`re not kissing this time -- or so we think.
Madonna`s rep says Britney is going to film something for Madge`s upcoming Sticky and Sweet tour. What Brit`s taping this week is a secret.
Now, who could forget their steamy lip lock at the 2003 MTV Music Awards? There it is.
Hey, ladies, one of the hottest guys in Hollywood is now a daddy. Matthew McConaughey`s girlfriend gave birth Monday night to a baby boy in Los Angeles. He weighs in at 7 pounds, 4 ounces. It`s the first child for Matthew and his girlfriend, Camilla Alves.
And get ready for a really weird show. I`d love to see Ed Sullivan get a load of this.
The Osbournes, Sharon, and their kids, Jack and Kelly, are getting a new variety show that will be on Fox. We hear it will have singing, skits, kind of a throwback to the "Sonny and Cher" and "Donny and Marie" shows of the `70s.
Hopefully minus the sequins.
HAMMER: Yes, hopefully not. I mean, I know, Brooke, Ozzy Osbourne has clearly done a lot of crazy things in his life. Don`t really see him in sequins.
All right. Moving on now, they are ugly, they are nasty, they are the dirty divorces everybody is talking about. Alex Rodriguez, did Madonna cause his split? Christie Brinkley and her divorce.
But which one is the dirtiest? You definitely don`t want to miss the great SHOWBIZ TONIGHT dirty divorce debates.
Now, is Madonna even off the hook even if she and A-Rod didn`t sleep with each other? A-Rod`s wife says they emotionally cheated. But is it ever OK to have an emotional affair if no sex is involved? That`s coming up.
Also this...
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You look at these girls and you absolutely can dismiss them out of hand. They look superficial, they look ridiculous. And we don`t look at them as people. We look at t hem as these things to mock.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Mean girls, we all know a few. Straight ahead: a controversial new show for real-life women who need a serious attitude adjustment.
HAMMER: Remember, you can always stay on top of the most provocative entertainment news with the daily SHOWBIZ TONIGHT newsletter. You`ll find it by heading to cnn.com/showbiztonight and clicking on that "Sign up for Newsletter" link.
SHOWBIZ TONIGHT coming straight back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
HAMMER (voice over): On SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, the Madonna mess, the Christie Brinkley mess. Both involve outrageous claims of cheating, jaw-dropping he said/she said allegations. But which one is the dirtiest, the nastiest?
Get ready. Tonight, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT with the great dirty divorce debate.
And stunning claims of emotional cheating, Alex Rodriguez with Madonna. But is there really such a thing as emotional cheating, and is it ever OK to have an emotional affair if no sex is involved?
Tonight, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT with the powerful aftershocks from supposed affairs of the heart.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HAMMER: 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.
Tonight, the battle of the dirtiest divorce war stories Hollywood-style. The Madonna/A-Rod scandal, the Brinkley/Cook divorce trial drama. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT can now tell you that the comparisons are unbelievable.
First, both involve kids. Yankee superstar Alex Rodriguez`s soon-to-be ex- wife Cynthia wants custody of their two young girls. And Christie Brinkley is fighting her ex, Peter Cook, for custody of their two kids.
In both of these dirty divorce battles, there`s a ton of money at stake -- tens and tens of millions of dollars. Plus the allegations of cheating. But tonight, we`re asking, which one is the dirtier divorce story?
Joining me tonight from Hollywood, Darren Kavinoky, attorney for the California-based Kavinoky Law Firm, and in New York, Laura Schreffler, East Coast news editor for "OK!" magazine. Also in New York, Jane Velez- Mitchell, investigative reporter and author of this book, "Secrets Can be Murder."
Darren, Laura, Jane, let`s begin with this Christie Brinkley/Peter Cook mess.
In less than a week, we`ve heard testimony about his addiction to online porn, his affair with an 18-year-old, his alleged violence dealing with the kids.
Darren, does it get any dirtier than this?
KAVINOKY: Well, Brooke, not only can it get dirtier, I think in this case it will get dirtier.
ANDERSON: Say it ain`t so!
KAVINOKY: Yes, I`m telling you. Peter Cook is taking such a public flogging in this case. And presumably, he had to know what he was in for.
His Internet porn surfing activities and his adulterous ways were certainly no surprise to him. They better not have been a surprise to his legal team.
So, unless he has some counterpoint to all of this, what was he doing going down this path in the first place? And just like a drowning man is desperate for air, I think we`re going to see some Hail Mary fourth quarter passes here. And that translates into serious mudslinging.
So, if he has any dirt on Christie, we`re certainly going to here about it now.
ANDERSON: Ooh, the back and forth -- the back and forth will continue.
Well, if anybody should be taking notes on how dirty divorce trials can be, it should be Yankee star Alex Rodriguez and his wife Cynthia, who just filed for divorce. Cynthia blames A-Rod`s extramarital affairs and emotional abandonment. Her lawyer says A-Rod`s affair of the heart with Madonna was the last straw.
Jane, what`s your gut? Is this going to get even dirtier than the Brinkley/Cook divorce?
VELEZ-MITCHELL: It`s hard to believe, but, yes, I think it`s going to be even uglier. And the reason, Brooke, is money.
Alex Rodriguez is worth so much more. They estimate his earnings potential over his lifetime as upwards of half a billion dollars. And we know Cynthia likes to spend. She reportedly just went on a $100,000 spending spree in Paris.
Now, she signed a prenup, but she`s taking all the moves to try to get that thrown out, filing in Florida, et cetera. She needs leverage, and that means dirty laundry.
And if even a quarter of the stuff that has been said and claimed about Alex Rodriguez and strippers and lap dances and extramarital affairs, if even a quarter of it is true, this is going to be a dirty laundry festival.
ANDERSON: Just down in the gutter.
And speaking about prenup, her lawyers are leaving it open to question the validity of that. So like you say, it`s just going to be nasty.
Well, back at the Brinkley trial, a court-appointed psychiatrist testified today that he thinks Brinkley should get custody of the kids, that Peter Cook is a narcissist who constantly needs to have his insatiable ego fed.
Laura, piled on the sex claims, the porn claims, the violence claims, could this get any dirtier?
LAURA SCHREFFLER, EAST COAST EDITOR, "OK!": This divorce is going to get so much dirtier. Christie wants sole custody of the kids, and she`s going to do whatever she can to get it.
ANDERSON: Yes, she is fighting so that Peter does not get the 50/50 custody that he wants.
Well, you know, in both of these dirty divorce wars there are tens and tens of millions of dollars at stake, if not hundreds of millions in the case of A-Rod. He`s worth an estimated $250 million, like Jane mentioned. Christie Brinkley worth tens of millions.
Darren, you`re an attorney. In the end, is that what leads to such dirty details and mudslinging, the money that`s at stake?
KAVINOKY: Well, I think the dirty details are more the symptom of the problem and not the underlying problem itself. Although, those symptoms do get exacerbated when you have tens or hundreds of millions of dollars and you`re surrounded by people who coddle you and tell you you do no wrong. So all of that fans the flames.
And I just want to go on record, on behalf of narcissists everywhere, that sometimes just being told you`re having a good hair day, that`s enough.
(LAUGHTER)
ANDERSON: And you are having one, my friend, Darren.
KAVINOKY: Thank you. Thank you.
ANDERSON: Hey, Jane, let`s talk about that money factor a little bit more. Do you think it will make the A-Rod divorce battle even more nasty and contentious?
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Absolutely, because she`s really got to get the leverage in order for her to have the power to get what she wants. Now, she`s hired some really tough lawyers. And again, she`s filed in Florida. But in order for her to complete sort of the hand that she has to play, she`s got to really, really put the pressure on him.
And then you have the Madonna factor. So with all of that swirling around, and the press coverage that that will bring, and the pressure that that will bring on both parties, this is going to be an extraordinarily ugly affair. And it`s definitely not an affair of the heart when it comes to divorce.
ANDERSON: And I do want to mention that Madonna has denied any relationship with Alex Rodriguez.
And another common thread between these two cases, the kids. Christie Brinkley and Peter Cook`s 13-year-old son and 10-year-old daughter caught in the middle of this thing. Who knows what`s going to come out in the A- Rod divorce?
Laura, is it just unacceptable and really outrageous that the kids have to be subjected to their parents publicly airing all their dirty laundry?
SCHREFFLER: These poor kids, they really, really need -- they need to be kept away from all of this. It`s such a terrible thing for them.
Their mother needs to take them away, and she did, in fact. When all the allegations happened to Christie, she took her kids on a camping trip, which is the best thing that she could have done, away from the media, away from the Internet. She left them on their own, and that`s what should happen.
ANDERSON: Yes, she wanted to get them away from all of the coverage and all of the details.
Jane, I want to go to you with this one. How could this impact these poor children?
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Oh, it`s absolutely terrible. With the Rodriguez kids, they`re very young, you know, 3 months and 3 years. They don`t really know what`s going on.
But with Peter Cook and Christie Brinkley`s kids, they`re tweens. They are already going through the toughest part of their lives, going into puberty.
This is when they form their ideals. This is when they choose their role models.
So this is corrupting their sense of ideals, this is confusing them about morality, and it`s torturing them. Their parents at war, and then having to be taunted by all this reportage on the bad behavior of their father, sexually explicit.
You know they`re going to get taunted by their colleagues, their peers. It`s a nightmare -- emotionally a nightmare.
ANDERSON: It certainly is.
Hey, Darren, out of three broken hearts, three being the dirtiest divorce, what do you give the Brinkley/Cook divorce?
KAVINOKY: You know, because of the horrific way that Christie found out about Peter`s adultery, because of the online porn addiction -- I mean, $3,000 a month, this is no passing fancy -- because the kids found out about the Internet porn and for all the reasons we discussed, I give this one three bleeding crushed broken hearts.
ANDERSON: How about the A-Rod divorce? Three bleeding hearts as well?
KAVINOKY: You know, that one, I`m only giving it two right now. It`s got the potential for three, but I`m only giving it two. They did call him Stray-Rod for a reason, though, so we`re going to hear what it was that he was up to before he earns those three broken hearts.
ANDERSON: Oh brother.
Ten seconds, Jane. What do you rate the Brinkley/Cook divorce and the A- Rod divorce?
VELEZ-MITCHELL: I`m going to do the flipside. I`m going to say Brinkley/Cook is a two, and A-Rod, which is just getting started, is going to be a big three. You know it.
ANDERSON: All right.
Darren Kavinoky, Laura Schreffler, Jane Velez-Mitchell, thank you all for your insight. We appreciate it.
HAMMER: Well, Brooke, what`s going on? Hollywood divorce court seems to be in overdrive these days. You`ve got Christie and Peter, of course, A- Rod and Cynthia.
ANDERSON: I know, A.J. And tonight we are taking a look at the A- Rod/Madonna mess and the claims that they had an affair of the heart.
HAMMER: Yes. We`ve been talking about this very question, is an emotional affair worse than sex? It`s a heated debate, and it is coming up.
And also ahead, you know, Eddie Murphy has been box office gold for nearly 30 years now. But now he`s saying he wants to walk away from Hollywood for good.
Why, Eddie, why?
That is still to come.
Also this...
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You look at these girls and you absolutely can dismiss them out of hand. They look superficial, they look ridiculous. And we don`t look at them as people. We look at them as these things to mock.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Mean girls, it`s not just a movie. High school is full of them. But a new reality show is out to give some real-life mean girls a much- needed attitude adjustment.
(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.
Tonight, the claim that Madonna and Yankees star Alex Rodriguez had an affair of the heart. The attorney for the wife of A-Rod basically says that, while there was no sexual cheating going on, there was a whole lot of emotional cheating going on.
So I`ve got to ask, which is worse, emotional cheating or cheating with sex?
Joining me tonight in New York, Dr. Judy Kuriansky, clinical psychologist and author of this, "The Idiot`s Guide to a Healthy Relationship." Also with us tonight, in New York, Cooper Lawrence, psychology expert and syndicated radio host.
All right, Judy, Cooper, A-Rod`s wife, Cynthia Rodriguez, says Madonna was basically the last straw in what was already a broken marriage. But I want to read for you again the statement that Cynthia`s attorney gave to people.com
He says, "The correct analysis is a relationship. Some people categorize an affair as something as `sexual infidelity.` We`re not claiming that. It`s an affair of the heart."
An affair of the heart.
All right, Cooper, help me understand this. Is it possible that two people having an emotional affair -- and I`m talking without any sex at all -- is actually worse for a marriage than an affair without sex?
LAWRENCE: I think a lot of people would think, absolutely it`s worse, because you`re talking about intimacy. And what`s real intimacy, if not an emotional connection?
And that, for a lot of women, is even more of a betrayal than if a man just has some, you know, zipless sex sometimes. I think an emotional connection with somebody really speaks to the marriage being in trouble.
HAMMER: Yes, but that sexual affair, man, that can hurt, too.
Judy, what`s your take on this, emotional fair worse than a sexual affair?
DR. JUDY KURIANSKY, CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGIST: Well, I`d have to agree with Cooper, because I`ve even done some research about this. It depends.
If the sex is with the emotion, then you`re really blown out of the water. But what do women want? They want an affair of the heart.
They want their guy to really want them. And so if a guy is not having sex and he`s just emotionally connected to the woman, and he wants it, then he`s really thirsty for her. He`ll keep at it more and more. And so that can be devastating.
But you know what? I don`t think there`s any way that you take a hot rock star like Madonna and you take a hot, sexy, physical hunk like A-Rod, and I don`t think it`s just emotional.
HAMMER: You don`t think it`s just emotional?
KURIANSKY: No. There`s no way.
HAMMER: So Dr. Judy, you`re saying you think there has to be something more going on?
KURIANSKY: Absolutely. There`s no question about it, really, in my mind.
HAMMER: Well, let`s talk about then the -- you know, this difference between sexual and emotional, because I don`t know. I`m still kind of on the fence.
You know, a sexual relationship that we can all look at in terms of an affair, Christie Brinkley`s husband, Peter Cook, admitted he has a sexual affair with a woman who was then his 18-year-old employee. It really seems to me, Cooper, in this case the sexual affair did plenty of damage. I mean, that has to have hurt tremendously, even if there was no emotion involved.
LAWRENCE: But, A.J., you have to look at people as individuals. You can`t just say, oh, he had sex, so there must be problems in the marriage. That`s a given.
The individual situation is you`re talking about a guy who has an unnecessary sense of entitlement where he feels that he should have it all. We call it unrestricted living style, where he feels like because he can have it all, he should have it all, and that extends to people. So you`re talking about a very different person than somebody who is vapid emotionally and looking for a connection with a real human being. You`re talking about somebody with a sense of narcissism that`s very different than maybe another marriage.
HAMMER: OK. But you have to wonder how people who have had their lives affected by things such as sexual affairs would feel about this. You know, take a woman like Christie Brinkley, any woman in the world whose had their life turned upside down because their husband`s had a sexual affair.
And Dr. Judy, I`ll throw this one out to you. I`d have to think that them hearing anybody suggest an emotional affair is worse than a sexual affair of their husband that they endured, that might seem absurd.
KURIANKSY: The sex is different in Christie Brinkley`s case, you see, A.J. We`re talking about a guy who`s engaging in kinky sex, exposing himself and body and pleasuring himself in front of the Internet. So that`s a whole lot different than two mature people having some kind of affair.
That ends up being disgusting for Christie, and you can see why that she would be repulsed by that. And his hiring this young girl who he had an affair with, too. The behaviors are really out of line with even having a normal relationship. And so that`s why that thing is falling apart.
HAMMER: Wow. All right.
I think it`s bad no matter what happens. And Dr. Judy, as you said, the double whammy, the sexual affair with the emotion.
KURIANSKY: Yes!
HAMMER: Man, game over.
KURIANKSY: Game over.
HAMMER: Dr. Judy Kuriansky, Cooper Lawrence, thanks for being here tonight.
Now, we`ve been asking you to vote on our SHOWBIZ TONIGHT "Question of the Day." Madonna/A-Rod claims: Is emotional cheating worse than sexual cheating?
What do you think? Let us know at cnn.com/showbiztonight, or e-mail showbiztonigt@cnn.com.
ANDERSON: OK. We all knew them growing up. I`m talking about the mean girls who ruled the school, the girls who were often self-centered and downright cruel. Well, the new reality show "Queen Bee" takes these mean girls to task and tries to change them from naughty to nice. But is the show sending the wrong message?
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON (voice over): Hollywood calls them mean girls...
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Get in loser. We`re going shopping.
ANDERSON: ... or queen bees: teenage girls, materialistic, selfish and lacking sugar, spice or anything nice.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I can`t help that I`m the center of attention.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I can make my fiance cry. I mean, all I`ve got to do is snap my fingers.
ANDERSON: A new reality TV show is taking on seven real-life queen bees who have been told by their friends and family that they need an attitude adjustment, and it`s giving them a chance to change for a cash prize.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Follow me.
ANDERSON: Psychologist and life coach Dr. Michelle Callahan counsels the girls in the show, which would air on Nickelodeon"s The N Network.
MICHELLE CALLAHAN, PSYCHOLOGIST, "QUEEN BEES": A queen bee is a person who I think usually thinks of themselves as the center of the universe. A lot of times they step over the line towards being inconsiderate and rude and mean and hurtful to other people.
ANDERSON: Some stars like Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie have capitalized on their bad behavior. But each of these girls is competing to improve her conduct the most.
CALLAHAN: The goal is really to help the queen bees change their attitudes and change their behavior.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I feel like (INAUDIBLE) my life.
ANDERSON: The contestant deemed the most reformed wins $25,000. But the show`s format and cash incentive don`t sit well with the woman who wrote the book popularizing the term "queen bee."
ROSALIND WEISMAN, "QUEEN BEES AND WANNABEES." It doesn`t take girls seriously. You look at these girls and you absolutely can dismiss them out of hand. They look superficial. They look ridiculous. And we don`t look at them as people. We look at them as these things to mock.
ANDERSON: At the end, they say their motto is reality shows with morality. And they assert this show will make a difference.
SARAH TOMASSI LINDMAN, GENERAL MANAGER, THE N: These are girls who create drama in their lives every day. But again, we`re doing that to the end of helping them work through some of their issues. And the combination of those two things we thought just, you know, would lead to great television.
ANDERSON: Let`s just hope that the winner with 25K in her purse doesn`t let it go to her head and become even more materialistic and self-centered than ever.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: I really hope those so-called "mean girls" can truly change their ways. I guess we`ll just have to watch and see.
"Queen Bees" performs on The N Network July 11th.
HAMMER: Well, Eddie Murphy is obviously a huge Hollywood star. I mean, think about it, he has made nearly 40 movies in his career. But is it possible? Could Eddie really be ready to retire?
Say it isn`t so!
Well, coming up, it`s Eddie in his own words. You won`t want to miss this. He`ll be talking about exactly when and how he plans to throw in the towel. It`s his surprising comments just ahead on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HAMMER: Welcome back to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, TV`s most provocative entertainment news show.
I`m A.J. Hammer in New York.
And tonight, Eddie Murphy`s shocking decision. Is his movie career kaput?
Well, Murphy has been in the movie business for 30 years now, but now he is saying he is actually counting down to movie star retirement. Of course, Murphy is best known as a comedy star. He was also nominated for an Oscar for his dramatic role in the hit film "Dreamgirls."
Well, now it looks like his days on the big screen are in fact numbered. Murphy told The Today Show`s Al Roker that the countdown has started and his career is moving in a new direction -- sort of. Watch this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
EDDIE MURPHY, ACTOR: I always felt like I wanted to do -- this would be like a period -- I`d do movies for a while, then I`m going back to the stage, and take it all the way full circle.
AL ROKER, "THE TODAY SHOW": Really?
MURPHY: Yes.
ROKER: You could walk away from doing this?
MURPHY: Absolutely, without question. Without question.
ROKER: Do you have a timetable?
MURPHY: Oh, yeah. I`m planning to make movies until I`m 50. That`s two years and eight months.
ROKER: But who`s counting?
MURPHY: Then I`m going back to the stage. And I`m going to rip. Like I said, when I`m 50 -- I`ve been making movies 30 years. That`s 30 years, almost 40 pictures. That`s enough.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: Wow. Well, I know there are a lot of people who would love to see Eddie Murphy doing standup again.
As for Eddie the movie star, you still have some time to get your fix there. Murphy stars in a new comedy called "Meet Dave." He plays an alien who comes to Earth and tries to pass as a human. "Meet Dave" hits theaters on July 11th.
ANDERSON: ON Monday, we asked you to vote on our SHOWBIZ TONIGHT "Question of the Day." It was this: Christie Brinkley`s dirty divorce: Should she get sole custody of her kids? Seventy-three percent of you say yes, 27 percent of you say no.
Here`s some of the e-mails we received.
Nancy from Ohio writes, "Of course Christie should get custody. He is a lying, cheating deceiver who cannot control himself."
And Jim from Michigan writes, "If you want what is in the best interest of the children, it is equal time with both parents."
About a quarter of our viewers, A.J., siding with Cook.
HAMMER: Yes. I`m not hearing a lot of people siding with Cook in the conversations I`ve been having, though, Brooke. Not at all.
ANDERSON: Me either.
HAMMER: That is it for SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
We thank you for watching.
I`m A.J. Hammer in New York.
ANDERSON: And I`m Brooke Anderson in Hollywood.
Remember, you can always catch SHOWBIZ TONIGHT on the 11s: 11:00 p.m. Eastern, 11:00 p.m. Pacific, and in the morning at 11:00 a.m. Eastern.
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