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Showbiz Tonight
Brangelina Twins; Britney`s Report Card; Shameless Celebrity Moments
Aired July 14, 2008 - 23:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BROOKE ANDERSON, HOST: A-Rod and Madonna, you`re not going to believe what they`re up to now. And a misstep for Miss USA at the Miss Universe pageant again.
I`m Brooke Anderson in Hollywood. TV`s most provocative entertainment news show starts right now.
On SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, big baby news for Brangelina. The twins have arrived. (Begin video clip)
JO PIAZZA, "NEW YORK DAILY NEWS": Of course, the entire world wants to see exactly how good-looking these babies are going to be, which has catapulted them to be the most important babies of all time.
(End video clip)
ANDERSON: Tonight, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT has the worldwide frenzy over the new Brangelina babies, the twins` names and the astronomical amount of money the first photos could go for.
Britney Spears six months later. A half a year after Britney husband carted off to the hospital, how is she doing now? Motherhood, her music - we have it all covered. Tonight, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT with the Britney report card you just can`t miss.
Plus, buckle your seat belt. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT has the most outrageous, the craziest, the most shameless celebrity moments ever.
(Music)
Hello. I`m Brooke Anderson, broadcasting tonight from Hollywood. A.J. Hammer has the night off. Tonight, Britney`s remarkable turnaround. It was just about six months ago that Britney Spears was rushed to the hospital and committed to a psych ward. Today, it`s a whole new day for Britney. But is she really back on top and will this turnaround last? It`s a showbiz special report.
But first tonight, the Brangelina baby frenzy. It`s the most highly anticipated birth the world has seen in a long time. Angelina Jolie had her twins with Brad Pitt in France over the weekend.
The new babies, a boy and a girl, expand the Brangelina bunch to six. Now, the frenzy over the photos is putting the price tag as high as $20 million. The multimillion-dollar baby bidding is making news right now.
(Begin videotape)
(voice over): It`s official. Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie now have their own official Jolie-Pitt bunch.
KATIE DARYL, "TMZ.TV": Brad and Angelina now officially have a herd of children. It`s a gaggle, like if they were geese.
ANDERSON: Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt`s brand-new twins, a boy and a girl, do more than give the movie stars a very Brady-esque total of six kids. The new arrivals are Pitt and Jolie`s most anticipated, most reported and most gossiped-about production since - well, their last kid.
PIAZZA: The entire world wants to see exactly how good-looking these babies are going to be which has catapulted them to be the most important babies of all time.
ANDERSON: The so-called most important babies of all time came into the world here in beautiful Nice, France, on the country`s Mediterranean coast.
PIAZZA: We`ve got a boy and a girl - Knox Leon and Vivienne Marcheline. Vivienne, the little girl, is named after Angelina`s late mother Marcheline Bertrand, who passed away of cancer a year back. So it`s really a special name for both Angie and for Brad.
ANDERSON: Jo Piazza of the "New York Daily News" tells SHOWBIZ TONIGHT it was a relatively smooth delivery.
PIAZZA: She had a cesarean over the weekend. She had an epidural so she was awake for the entire thing. Brad Pitt was there.
ANDERSON: Outside of the hospital where Jolie gave birth, her doctor said Pitt was calm but emotional during the delivery.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE The babies are fine. The babies are with the mother and the father and they are fine.
ANDERSON: SHOWBIZ TONIGHT can tell you ever since Angelina Jolie first started sporting the slightest trace of a baby bump, the media has been in Brangelina baby mode.
DARYL: Everyone had been salivating over this story. We`re waiting to find out when Angelina was going to give birth.
ANDERSON: The frenzy followed Jolie and Pitt to France where the couple waited out the final months of Jolie`s pregnancy in this beautiful villa in the south of France. But the media and paparazzi still tried to follow their every move.
PIAZZA: They`ve had to hire extra security at both the hospitals and at Brad and Angie`s home and to put things up over the windows in the hospital so that people couldn`t peek in. Everyone was so desperate to get the Brad and Angelina scoop first. But there have been a ton of false reports.
ANDERSON: Way back in June, "Entertainment Tonight" quoted a source who claimed Jolie had given birth then.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE ANCHOR: Just this morning, a source says she was inside the delivery room, tells us yes, the babies were born, and yes, mother and babies are fine.
ANDERSON: It was just about a month off.
DARYL: "Entertainment Tonight" never retracted or apologized for their false statement and we`re still waiting today to find out are they going to say, "Oops, our bad?"
ANDERSON: Now that we know for sure that the twins are here, the question becomes who gets the first pictures of the Jolie-Pitt babies? Everyone remembers the madness over the pictures of their daughter, Shiloh.
PIAZZA: There was a huge spread in "People" magazine of little baby Shiloh. All the proceeds from that went to charity.
ANDERSON: Now, people are buzzing that photo rights to the Jolie-Pitt twins could go for up to $20 million. Both "People" and "OK" magazines tell SHOWBIZ TONIGHT they would love to have the twins on their covers. And so would just about every magazine on the planet, except for maybe "Car Driver."
DARYL: We`ve got Brad Pitt, the hunkiest guy in the world and Angelina Jolie, the hottest chick in the world. And you know, the fact that they`re spawning and creating more babies that each time that a new kid comes along, it`s the wow factor. A new baby? Another one? Oh, we`ll pay tons of dollars for that.
ANDERSON: But anyone who misses out on the Jolie-Pitt baby picture sweepstakes shouldn`t worry too much. With this couple, you can`t help but think that the Jolie-Pitt bunch will get even bigger before long.
PIAZZA: I don`t think that this couple is going to end at six. I think the brood is just going to continue expanding until they have enough for a soccer team.
(End videotape)
ANDERSON: So has the Brangelina baby frenzy gone too far or are we just seeing a new phase of celebrity obsession?
With me tonight in Los Angeles, executive news editor of "E!" Ken Baker. In New York, founder of Spotlight Communications, Maggie Gallant. Maggie, Ken, welcome to you guys.
And the Jolie-Pitt twins are already worldwide superstars. They`re not even a week old and we haven`t even caught a glimpse of them yet. Their first baby pictures are expected to fetch as much as $20 million.
Ken, is this figure just ridiculous or are these million-dollar babies worth a $20 million paycheck?
Ken baker, executive editor, "e!": Well, the real question is they`re worth what people are willing to pay for them, people meaning the media, not necessarily the magazine, though they may have a very good chance at getting them. So i think it`s not really about the magazines making their money back. I think that it`s probably mathematically almost impossible to make the money back if they`re going to spend $20 million.
But what it is, it`s positioning. It`s branding. It`s saying, "We have it. No one else does. You need to come to us. We`re the source." And I think that`s the reason why you see the bidding go so high and that they`re willing to pay it. They`re a commodity, just like anything. And I hate to say it, but -
ANDERSON: Well, it`s more like bragging rights then for the magazine. They don`t expect their sales to skyrocket so much that they will recoup this cash.
BAKER: Well, yes. Like I said, I mean, the sad fact of it is that these two babies, like a lot of celebrity babies - Matthew mcconaughey, just sold the rights to his baby`s pics for $3 million to "OK" magazine - reportedly $3 million to "OK" magazine. And they really are a commodity.
And the fact is that someone is going to make money off the babies. So it`s either going to be a paparazzi who`s lucky enough to get a picture and be able to sell it, or it`s going to be the parents themselves who can then make the money and choose what they want to do with that money. And Angelina and Brad have, in the past, responsibly donated to charity. So we`ll how they take that.
ANDERSON: Yes. I think of them less as commodities because they do donate that money to charity. Maggie, let`s say you had a few tens of millions of dollars laying around. Would you place that money on these twins?
MAGGIE GALLANT, FOUNDER, SPOTLIGHT COMMUNICATIONS: Well, this is not a decision that these editors of these weekly magazines are taking lightly. I mean, $20 million - they all know that there`s an exclusive list of some celebrities that sell week after week. And sometimes it doesn`t really necessarily have to do with the level of their profile. It`s, do they have a scandal, why are we fascinated with them - but they know which celebrities on their cover, which ones sell. And again, it`s about the bragging rights. It`s not just about this story but it`s about the magazine being able to say, "Angelina and Brad picked us. You should, too," for future couples that want to show the picture of their baby.
ANDERSON: Yes. Maybe developing future relationships with other celebrities. Good point. Well, you know, Brad and Angelina and their kids were already besieged by the paparazzi. I`ve got to wonder if such an astronomical price tag for their twins` photo is maybe an indicator of how much crazier things could get.
Ken, do you see the pressure rising here or will it be more of the same for this star family?
BAKER: I just don`t think it can get much higher. I mean at a certain point - I mean, look at gas prices. We can only go so high before it is too high. I think that what`s being reported is definitely on the high end. And as someone who`s worked in the celebrity news business for a while, I would be surprised if it got even close to $20 million, frankly. I think that the last record was, you know, somewhere in the $10 million range, and that is just ridiculous amount of numbers. But as someone brought up in the newsroom here at "E!" They said, "Well, you know, there are two babies. Double your price."
ANDERSON: It seems like that maybe the case here. Well, the feeding frenzy surrounding celebrity couples and their kids is always tremendous. But it seems to me that the media frenzy surrounding the Jolie-Pitt twins, through the roof. Maggie, what gives? Why is it that we just can`t get enough of the Brangelina bunch?
GALLANT: Well, it`s not just one Hollywood celebrity that`s really hot. You have one hot celebrity plus another hot celebrity equals an international obsession with these two. And they live a life that`s so beyond anything that any of us can possibly imagine. They constantly surprise us, which is a very important part of creating a brand and being a celebrity, is constantly surprise the public. And that`s what they always do.
ANDERSON: You know, the babies, Knox and Vivienne, and Angelina are all healthy and happy, and that is of primary importance here no matter the talk about the photos. Ken Baker, Maggie Gallant, thank you both. Good to see you.
And hey, we are not done yet with this Brangelina baby frenzy. We`re going to talk to "People" magazine`s Simon Perry straight from Nice, France. He`ll give us a bird`s eye view of what`s going on with the Brangelina bunch, straight ahead.
Now, we want to hear from you. It is our SHOWBIZ TONIGHT question of the day - "Brangelina Baby Photos: Are they worth $20 million?" Vote at CNN.com/showbiztonight. Send us an e-mail, showbiztonight@cnn.com.
Ok. It`s britney spears` report card time. I remember this like it was yesterday, but it was actually six months ago that britney was hauled off to the psych ward. So i got thinking has britney really pulled it together since then? From her relationship with her kids to her career, we are checking in with britney for a report card, coming up.
Also, post-drama Madonna. What a difference a week makes. I`ll fill you in on the surprising new developments in the A-Rod-Madonna drama coming up.
And also this -
(Begin video clip)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Amy Fisher`s sex tape was actually apparently leaked by her husband, which means that Amy Fisher has a husband.
(End video clip)
ANDERSON: They`re the most shameless celebrity moments ever. And yes, Amy Fisher`s sex tape is just the beginning. Coming up, the lowest of the low, the most shocking, the most outrageous, the most shameless celebrity moments ever.
Remember you can watch SHOWBIZ TONIGHT video anytime you want. We`re always posting new stuff for you to watch at our Web site at CNN.com/showbiztonight. Among the videos now playing, the celebrity first wives club.
(Commercial break)
ANDERSON: Welcome back to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, TV`s most provocative entertainment news show. I`m Brooke Anderson in Hollywood. Tonight, from divorce dramas to close encounters, two celebrity couples at the center of split scandals are making news right now.
First, Yankees` superstar Alex Rodriguez met up with his wife and daughter in Toronto this weekend. It was the very first time they had seen each other since she filed for divorce last week saying his alleged relationship with none other than Madonna was the last straw.
Also news right now, Madonna who denies having a relationship with A- Rod had her own reunion in New York over the weekend. She and her husband, Guy Ritchie, were spotted together with their kids in a public display of unity. But does that mean their reportedly troubled marriage is back on track?
With me tonight in Hollywood, "Extra" co-host Dayna Devon. Also in Hollywood, CNN entertainment correspondent, Kareen Wynter.
Kareen, Dayna, Cynthia Rodriguez headed to Toronto with 3-year-old daughter Natasha to see A-Rod over the weekend. The mini-family reunion was the first face-to-face since Cynthia filed for divorce last week. Dayna, could it be that Cynthia`s maybe had a change of heart?
DAYNA DEVON, "EXTRA" CO-HOST: No, I don`t think so. I think this screams that they`re doing this for the kid. I think it`s really lovely. You know, this happened just recently. The wounds are still really fresh. It looks like they`re actually putting the kids first, themselves second, which I think is lovely.
And that actually - you know, A-Rod`s been really demonized in the media. And we may actually find out that there`s a human being and even a father in there somewhere. So I think it`s kind of nice.
ANDERSON: Yes. It`s terrific. They`re putting aside their differences for the sake of the children. And like you said, maybe there is more to the story here. And we know that A-Rod`s former manager, known for his tough negotiation skills, reportedly met with the slugger and his estranged wife over the weekend.
Kareen, is that maybe a sign the couple may be trying to broker some sort of a truce here?
KAREEN WYNTER CNN ENTERTAINMENT CORRESPONDENT: Brooke, unfortunately, not a chance. This is a relationship that is absolutely broken with a capital B. It doesn`t matter who you call in. You can call in Dr. Phil, the National Guard - I don`t think there`s anyone capable of salvaging things here. And this is a huge embarrassment. You really have to think of it especially from the standpoint of a mother, you know, being a wife. This is a huge embarrassment for Cynthia Rodriguez.
I think the last thing that, you know, is on her mind right now is repairing things with her husband. But I think Dayna is right on it, with saying that this is something that she`s doing just really to salvage things on the end of, you know, the children here, making sure that, you know, she`s looking out for their best interest. So, I think that`s she should do.
ANDERSON: So put the kids first. Good point. Dayna, even if Cynthia plans to go forward with the divorce, is the fact that she brought their daughter to see her dad a show of good faith that she plans on keeping their kids` best interest at heart, keeping him involved in their lives going forward?
DEVON: Absolutely. Hell hath no furry like a woman scorned, but maybe not this time. I mean, maybe she actually loves her kids more than she hates him and I think that`s really lovely. And I think this is a good sign for the divorce proceedings, although I`m not predicting that they`re holding hands and singing "Kumbaya" yet. There`s still much, much more to come with this.
ANDERSON: At least they`re trying to behave like adults at this point, though. And you know, A-Rod is not the only one getting in some family face time this weekend. His good friend, Madonna was spotted in New York with her husband, Guy Ritchie, hitting the Kabbalah Center, heading to the movies with their kids in tow.
Kareen, does this seem like a couple in crisis to you?
WYNTER: I really think so. I looked back a month or even two months ago, Brooke, just to see, has this family really been, you know, photographed out publicly? And I couldn`t find anything at all. And the writing is really on the wall here that there is some problem going on. You know, you would see pictures of Madonna solely. You would see pictures of Guy Ritchie solo. Even Lourdes was photographed with just her friends. And so I think this is a public relations machine at work trying to put on a positive display, trying to make it seem as if things are really, really OK here and we all know that they`re not.
ANDERSON: Well, speaking of that, you know, A-Rod with his wife and daughter over the weekend, Madonna with her family in New York, after the media blitz last week that these two superstars could be romantically involved - A-Rod and Madonna, even though Madonna denies it. Dayna, could these be orchestrated attempts at downplaying the negative press?
DEVON: Well, you know, who really knows? But I do agree with her that it does look like it might be a bit contrived in Madonna and Guy`s case, especially like she just mentioned. They haven`t been photographed together in months. So I do think that this one looks a little bit conspicuous. The really interesting point, Brooke, real quick, is A-Rod is actually hosting a party tonight. Madonna is on the guest list. So stay tuned. There should be some interesting things happening there.
ANDERSON: I`m sure there will be. Dayna Devon, Kareen Wynter, thank you both. We`ll leave there.
Ok. They are, without a doubt, the most famous newborns in the world. The two newest members of the brangelina bunch have been born in france. And coming up, we are going to france to get the inside story of what kind of reception brad and angelina are getting there and what happens next for the famous and growing family?
Also, a Britney Spears report card. It`s been six months since Britney was carted off to the psych ward. We remember that like it was just yesterday, right? So has Britney really pulled herself together? Her music, her acting, the kids - we are covering all the bases for a Britney report card, coming up.
And it`s deja vu all over again at the Miss Universe pageant. Miss USA takes a tumble on her evening gown. Remember, the same thing happened last year to a different Miss USA. Poor girls. We`re going to hear what the latest Miss USA has to say about her misstep next on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
Hey, be sure to check out the free ever-changing SHOWBIZ TONIGHT podcast. You can find it on our Web site, CNN.com/showbiztonight, or just download it on itunes. All you have to do is type "SHOWBIZ TONIGHT" in the search box. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT is coming right back.
(Commercial break)
ANDERSON: Welcome back to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. Did you see this? It seems like too much of a coincidence to be true, but for the second year in a row, Miss USA fell down during the Miss Universe pageant. That`s Crystle Stewart who tripped on her evening gown at the pageant in Vietnam. Last year, it was Miss USA Rachel Smith who took a tumble. They both became youtube stars because of this, and both were very good sports about it. On the "Today" show, this year`s misstepper said she had no choice but to take it in stride, so to speak.
(Begin audio clip)
CRYSTLE STEWART, MISS USA: I`m only human and you know what? I already feel there was nothing I can do about it. I wasn`t going pout about it. It was the first thing I thought, and I`m like, "OK. Let`s get a round of applause. I say I was probably going to make this better anyway.
(End audio clip)
ANDERSON: Yes. She deserves a round of applause. And Crystle says she has some advice for the next Miss USA - put grips on your shoes. And by the way, Miss Venezuela was crowned the new Miss Universe. Congratulations.
All right. I don`t want to overstate this. But the biggest baby news in the universe right now is the Brangelina twins. Brad and Angelina welcomed the newest additions to the family in France. Next, we`re going to go to France to get the inside story of how Brad and Angie are being treated there, what`s next and when they might be coming home with their two new bundles of joy.
Also, a Britney Spears report card. It`s been six months since Britney was carted off to the psych ward. I remember that like it was yesterday. So has Britney really pulled herself together? Her music, her acting, the kids, we are covering all the bases for a Britney report card. Straight ahead.
Also this -
(Begin video clip)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Amy Fisher`s sex tape was actually apparently leaked by her husband, which means that Amy Fisher has a husband.
(End video clip)
ANDERSON: They`re the most shameless celebrity moments ever and, yes, Amy Fisher`s sex tape is just the beginning. Coming up, the lowest of the low, the most shocking, the most outrageous, the most shameless celebrity moments ever.
All right. But first, stay on top of the most provocative entertainment news with our daily SHOWBIZ TONIGHT newsletter. It`s very easy. Head to CNN.com/showbiztonight, click on the "sign up for the newsletter" link. It`s at the bottom of the page. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT is back after this.
(News break)
(Commercial break)
ANDERSON: On SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, the Brangelina twins are here. Tonight, Angelina Jolie gives birth in France and the frenzy for the first photos begins. Will Brad Pitt and Angelina stay in France? SHOWBIZ TONIGHT is heading to Nice for the latest on the Brangelina twins.
A Britney Spears report card. Six months ago, she was shipped off to the psych ward, but how is she doing now? We`re grading her on being a mom, a music star, even an actress. Will she make another big comeback? Tonight, it`s a showbiz special report, is Britney back?
(Music)
Welcome back to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, TV`s most provocative entertainment news show. It is 30 minutes past the hour. I`m Brooke Anderson coming to you tonight from Hollywood. A.J. Hammer has the night off. Tonight, Brangelina baby frenzy. It`s the moment we`ve all been waiting for. Brad and Angelina have finally welcomed their twins to the Jolie-Pitt clan.
News quickly spread around the world that Angelina Jolie gave birth to a baby boy, Knox Leon and daughter Vivienne Marcheline, Saturday evening in Nice France. Papa Pitt was at Angelina`s side during what is being called an emotional moment for the couple.
I spoke with "People" magazine`s London bureau chief Simon Perry who`s been in Nice, France, covering the birth of the twins. Simon gave me all the details and told me how "People" magazine found out about the big news.
(Begin audio clip)
SIMON PERRY, LONDON BUREAU CHIEF, "PEOPLE" MAGAZINE: The news broke very early Sunday morning, our time, about 3:00, I think, when the local French paper that was given the nod exclusively, was told. You know, the news went around from there basically. So we woke up our poor French stringers who then went to work and we confirmed it within an hour or two ourselves by talking directly to Michel Sussman who`s the couple`s obstetrician.
ANDERSON: I can imagine that it`s a pretty dramatic scene there in Nice at the center of the action. What has it been like?
PERRY: Well, yesterday was very, very busy. It seems suddenly, everyone emerged out of the woodwork to cover them outside the hospital. Their obstetrician Dr. Michel Sussman, came to the steps and was pretty open and frank about how things have gone.
ANDERSON: Simon, let me ask you this. The mayor reportedly delivered the birth certificates and has, in a way, served in a type of spokesman role. Also as you mentioned, Angelina`s obstetrician has been outspoken with details. Is that surprising?
PERRY: It does seem surprising to me as a journalist (UNINTELLIGIBLE). I think the couple wants him to be their spokesman, to put the news out there. After all, they`ve come here to France, they`ve adopted it as sort of a semi home. They`ve taken over a lovely chateau about two hours from here.
ANDERSON: Simon, there have been a lot of reports that Brad has regularly been back and forth to the hospital with their other children. Have you seen him? What`s the word there?
PERRY: Well, the word is, yes, he was in and out quite a bit in the week leading up to the birth and then was there obviously on the night as well. The doctor told us how much Brad took a part in the whole thing to the extent that he called him his assistant. He confirmed that while he cut the umbilical cords and was there as a great calming support for Angelina who was (UNINTELLIGIBLE) to the hospital.
ANDERSON: And he also got very emotional, I heard.
PERRY: Yes, Dr. Sussman was quite (UNINTELLIGIBLE) how he felt the emotion coming off the both the parents during the whole experience.
(End audio clip)
ANDERSON: For the latest coverage of Brad and Angelina`s twins, make sure to check out "People.com" special reports section which has all the latest news.
And we`ve been asking you to vote on our SHOWBIZ TONIGHT question of the day - "Brangelina Baby Photos: Are they worth $20 million?" Keep voting at CNN.com/showbiztonight. Send us an E-mail, the E-mail address is showbiztonight@cnn.com. We`d love to hear from you.
All right. Tonight, a showbiz special report, is Britney Spears back? Believe it or not, it was just six months ago that we all witnessed the meltdown seen around the world. Britney was on the brink. She lost custody of her kids. She was dating a paparazzo and her only public appearances seemed to be at Hollywood gas stations.
But what`s going on in Britney`s life now? Will she make it to the top of the charts or is it just too soon to tell? It`s tonight`s showbiz special report.
With us tonight from New York, Maggie Gallant, founder of Spotlight Communications. And here in Hollywood, Ken Baker, executive news editor for "E!" Ken, Maggie, this is all pretty darn amazing. If you take a look back at January, Britney had not one, but two trips to the UCLA psych ward.
Britney was also in the middle of a nasty custody battle with her ex, Kevin Federline, lost visitation with her kids. And we all remember all those crazy trips around Hollywood at all times of the day and the night while being trailed by the endless stream of paparazzi.
Maggie, you remember the scene. Did you think Britney had any chance of turning her life around when we all saw her falling apart right before our very eyes?
GALLANT: Well, the only good part of falling so low, to speak, is that there`s so much more you can do to come out of that, and when you`re that low, you can really turn it all around. We`re a country that loves a comeback. And it`s not going to happen with just one performance. There`s a lot of things she`s going to have to do, a lot of things she`s going to have to line up to make it happen. But I think we all are starting to believe in her. She`s really showing up.
ANDERSON: Well, you know, I have to say, it did look pretty bleak for a while there, until Britney`s father took over her estate, basically put her on lockdown. I`ve got to tell you, a lot of people were wondering if that was really going to work. It seems it has.
Ken, were you as shocked as I was at how quickly Jamie, her father, was able to turn things around?
BAKER: Well, he really - Jamie did really get in there and take charge, like you said and it really has made the biggest difference, because not only is the father now back in her life, but her mom as well, and her sister. Her mom just watched the kids on Saturday night, we`re told, and she was able to go out and have some fun and go shopping.
And you know, she was alone. She had isolated herself so much late last year, early this year, before she had this episode in the hospital. And I think having her family around has made a really big difference. And without that personal support, that family support, the professional comeback that we`re all ready for. Of course, like Maggie said, we all love a comeback, particularly in Hollywood. People are ready to embrace her. She needed to get her personal house in order and luckily, she has.
ANDERSON: Yes, and it seemed like her relationships with her family were very, very fragile. It does look like she`s strengthening those bonds again now, which is wonderful.
And I do want to take a look at Britney`s life right now. Talk about a quick turnaround. Britney Spears who, some have said, there have been reports that she is suspected to have bipolar disorder, seems to be stable, even got some help from her pal, Mel Gibson. Britney now has supervised visitation with her sons, even having an overnight stay with them just this weekend. And Britney had two guest appearances on "How I Met Your Mother" and is working on a new CD.
Maggie, Britney is doing all right now. But do you think it can last? We all hope she doesn`t crack under the pressure and end up right back in the hospital. Do you predict she can stay on the straight and narrow?
GALLANT: I absolutely think so. She`s getting her personal life in order and the most important thing she`s showing her fans is that her heart is in it and that she`s showing up to the studios. She`s been dancing. She`s trying out, doing a lot of acting roles. I mean she`s really trying to show everyone that she`s in it and she`s also collaborating with big stars. You know, she`s really showing everyone that this is the new Britney. And as long as she keeps her work ethic and her attitude there, we could see a very big comeback.
ANDERSON: It certainly is impressive, the dramatic positive changes she`s been able to make thus far. And the conservatorship that gave Britney`s dad control of her life and seems to have sparked her dramatic turnaround does expire at the end of this month. I`m a little bit worried about that. I`m a little bit worried that things might go downhill in a hurry if she regains control of her life this quickly.
But, Ken, do you think we should be concerned?
BAKER: Well, I think there obviously should be concern. It`s like someone who recently, you know, got sober, and it might be well and good. But then when they go out on their own or they get out of rehab, you never know what`s going to happen. I think the similar kind of parallel to draw is when Jamie does relinquish his authority over her to make all the decisions professionally and legally. And everything that he`s been doing, she is going to be on her own.
But there is a lot of reason for hope that she`s going to continue on this path. She wants to come back. She wants to be better and most of all, she wants her kids back in her custody, at least shared. Right now, this supervised visitation, though, a huge leap. She went months without seeing her children earlier this year. It`s a great thing that she sees them now. But you know what? She just gets one overnight visit a week. And it`s so very difficult for her. So I think that is the big carrot that is dangled in front of her. And I think for that reason, she`s going to be fine.
ANDERSON: Well, speaking of her sons, she is spending some time with them and she is working again. MTV even wants her back after that disastrous performance at last year`s Video Music Awards. Maggie, from a PR standpoint, is Britney ready for the mother of all comebacks, for real this time, or is it too much too soon?
GALLANT: Well, I think the difference now versus before on MTV was when we were all watching her, we could just tell her heart wasn`t in it. She didn`t even seem like she wanted to be there. I think, again, the most important thing is that we all need to see that her drive to really deliver the kinds of performances that she became so famous for, that it`s still there. The personal life extremely important, surrounding herself by the most talented people in the industry. It`s all got to be there.
ANDERSON: Hey, 10 seconds, Maggie - we`re handing out report cards. What grade do you give Britney?
GALLANT: I`d give her a "B" because I think absolutely the potential is there. She`s doing all the right things. And there`s definitely some room for improvement.
ANDERSON: Hey, Ken, really quickly, your grade?
BAKER: I`m going to one-up by half a point there - "B plus".
GALLANT: All right.
ANDERSON: Will she move up to an "A"? Well, we hope she stays dedicated to her health and then eventually, to her career as well. Maggie Gallant, Ken Baker, thank you both. And be sure to tune in to "E!" For Britney Spears` "E! True Hollywood Story." That`s next Friday night at 8:00.
ANDERSON: All right. Switching gears now to Heath Ledger - his death, so tragic. And tonight, one of his "Dark Knight" co-stars, Christian Bale, is speaking like never before out about Heath`s dramatic role in the new BATMan movie. Bale passionately responds to reports that Heath`s psychotic role as the Joker may have had something to do with his death. That`s next.
And I cannot believe how fired up everybody got over our Friday SHOWBIZ TONIGHT question of the day - "Christie Brinkley Divorce Battle: Did it hurt her image?" Your E-mails, coming up.
Also this -
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE Amy Fisher`s sex tape was apparently leaked by her husband, which means that Amy Fisher has a husband.
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ANDERSON: Amy Fisher, the Long Island Lolita. There are so many others - Bill O`Reilly, Star Jones, doing all kinds of ridiculous, out-of-control things that have got us saying, "Are you kidding me?" Tonight, we are counting down the most shameless celebrity moments of all time, next.
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ANDERSON: Welcome back to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, TV`s most provocative entertainment news show. I`m Brooke Anderson in Hollywood. OK, I know stars sometimes do totally outrageous things. You`ve got Britney Spears shaving her head, Lindsay Lohan, in and out of rehab like there was a resolving door, Alec Baldwin going off on his young daughter.
But tonight, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT in collaboration with the program "NOT JUST ANOTHER CABLE NEWS SHOW" seen weekends here on "HEADLINE NEWS" is counting down the most over-the-top, most jaw-dropping, most shameless celebrity moments ever that have us saying, "Are you kidding me?" Here`s SHOWBIZ TONIGHT`s A.J. Hammer.
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A.J. HAMMER, CO-HOST, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT: It`s celebrities like you`ve never seen them before. From Bjork to Amy Fisher to Star Jones. We are talking the top, outrageously most shameless celebrity moments ever. And we begin with number five on our shameless celebrity countdown. Pop singer Bjork goes berserk.
BEX SCHWARTZ, COMEDIAN: Bjork has traveled far distances on a plane to Bangkok, Thailand. She was obviously tired, cranky, whatever (UNINTELLIGIBLE). Probably jet lag.
GIULIA ROZZI, COMEDIAN: Bjork has just gotten off the plane and this poor reporter says, "Welcome to Bangkok."
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE REPORTER: Welcome to Bangkok.
ROZZI: Bjork loses it.
MATT MCCARTHY, COMEDIAN: She goes for the hair. She backyard wrestles with this lady. She takes her to the ground. She drops an elbow. They should have people who work in the airport just to have their (EXPLETIVE DELETED) kicked when you get off the plane. Hey, welcome to Denver! Boom!
HAMMER: Spontaneous airport violence is pretty freaking shameless, but not nearly as bad as number four in our shameless celebrity countdown - Amy Fisher makes a sex tape.
AMY FISHER: Well, not that close.
HAMMER: We will always remember Amy Fisher as the 16-year-old long island Lolita who had a torrid love affair with Joey Buttafuoco and in cold, hard jail time for shooting his wife in the head. And then, at 34 years old, she tried to reinvent herself.
GALLANT: The Long Island Lolita made a sex tape with her husband. Unfortunately, things went bad in the relationship. Who would have thought that her relationship would go bad?
JEFFREY JAMES, COMEDIAN: The Amy Fisher sex tape was actually apparently leaked by her husband, which means that Amy Fisher has a husband.
FISHER: When people say, why did you make tapes? People don`t realize my husband for a living is a videographer.
JAMES: Her sex tape is called Long Island Lolita. How old is Amy Fisher now? At some point, don`t you have to stop calling yourself a Lolita? Isn`t it kind of hard to pull off coquettish if you`ve got stretch marks and a lack of night vision?
HAMMER: Not be one upped, Fisher`s former lover, Joey Buttafuoco, also released a tape which brings us to number three on our shameless celebrity countdown.
FRANCES CALLIER, COMEDIAN: People would have to pay us to watch that tape.
ANGELA SHELTON, COMEDIAN: I don`t think I can do it.
Callier: no.
SHELTON: And I know your baby needs tuition for school.
MARC LAMONT-HILL, POP CULTURE BLOGGER: There`s no better person to make fun of on a sex tape that somebody who`s named Buttafuoco.
MCCARTHY: Look at that. It`s Joey Buttafuoco having sex. Oh, I can`t stop watching.
HAMMER: If you can`t stop watching that, just wait until you see number two on our shameless celebrity countdown -
BILL O`REILLY, FORMER HOST, "INSIDE EDITION": We`ll do it live!
HAMMER: It`s Bill O`Reilly and he`s angry outtake during his days as a host of "Inside Edition".
O`REILLY: And that`s it for us today. I don`t know what - whatever it is, it`s not right on the teleprompter. I don`t know what that is. I`ve never seen that.
SCHWARTZ: The Bill O`Reilly meltdown clip magically surfaced after years of being in some underground vault. And it came out on youtube. And he`s supposed to throw it at something, saying that he just can`t do it.
O`REILLY: No. I can`t read it. There`s no words on it. We`ll do it live.
Unidentified male: ok.
O`REILLY: We`ll do it live. (EXPLETIVE DELETED), do it live. I can go write it and we`ll do it live! (EXPLETIVE DELETED) thing sucks!
MCCARTHY: And I love how he just goes from 0 to 60 in no time at all.
O`REILLY: That`s tomorrow and that is it for us today. I`m Bill O`Reilly. Thanks again for watching. We`ll leave you with Sting and a cut off his new album. Take it away.
MCCARTHY: He`s just like, "All right, well, that`s it for us - this sucks! What is this? I can`t read that! All right, so we`ll be back tomorrow night on `Inside Edition` (EXPLETIVE DELETED).
JAMES: If you noticed, he doesn`t actually say anything that bad. He just weirdly screamed a lot of it.
O`REILLY: I can go write it and we`ll do it live!
JAMES: I`m thinking maybe that`s just how Bill talks when he`s not on camera. I think maybe he`s being positive and just the way - I think, maybe, you know, right after the show, he`s like, "I`m going to go home and get some ice cream. Maybe have a bubble bath! I love unicorns! Who wants to watch `How I Met Your Mother`?"
HAMMER: Well, move over, Bill, because nothing tops the number one pick in our shameless celebrity countdown. Star Jones - remember her sponsorship frenzy when she was getting married to Al Reynolds? It`s the shameless of all shameless celebrity moments ever.
ROSEN: Star Jones - she got her entire wedding sponsored, meaning she didn`t have to pay for a thing. She didn`t have to pay for the flowers, the tux, the place, the music - anything.
STAR JONES, FORMER CO-HOST, "THE VIEW": You`re wondering where my fine china is. I have registered for it at Geary`s of Beverly Hills.
SCHWARTZ: Disgusting. Humiliating. I mean it`s so shameless.
ARI VOUKYDIS, COMEDIAN: Star Jones goes on her show and she sells out in such a bombastic way.
JONES: It`s my wedding. I`m having the time of my life.
MCCARTHY: Traditionally at weddings, brides wear white. Star Jones has decided to wear a NASCAR outfit covered in ads and logos, and that`s fine. To each his own.
HAMMER: Star and Al`s marriage was short-lived. As she filed for divorce, Star actually apologized for her shameless sponsorship. From shameless to what a shame. We feel for you, Star.
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ANDERSON: Shame on all those stars. And by the way, you should definitely check out "NOT JUST ANOTHER CABLE NEWS SHOW" at 7:00 p.m. And 9:00 p.m. Eastern, Saturdays and Sundays right here on "CNN HEADLINE NEWS." This weekend, you can watch more outrageous behavior in their show, "Celebrities Gone Bad."
You know, there is so much buzz over the new BATMan movie. It was Heath Ledger`s last completed role. Tonight, his "Dark Knight" co-star Christian Bale is speaking out like never before about all the talk that his role as the psychotic Joker somehow contributed to his death. That`s next.
Hey, remember, you can watch SHOWBIZ TONIGHT video anytime you want. We`re always posting new stuff for you at our Web site at CNN.com/showbiztonight. Among the videos now playing, the celebrities` first wives club.
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ANDERSON: Welcome back to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. I`m Brooke Anderson. Tonight, Heath Ledger`s "The Dark Knight" co-star is speaking out and he is fired up about the talk that Ledger`s tragic death was somehow related to his role as t Joker in the new BATMan movie.
Ledger died of an accidental drug overdose back in January. And at the time, some people thought his dark psychotic role as the Joker may have taken a toll in real life. But Christian Bale who played BATMan alongside Ledger tells the "Today" show`s Matt Lauer that idea is nonsense.
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MATT LAUER, HOST, "TODAY" SHOW: So much was made of Heath Ledger`s portrayal of the Joker, that it was such a dark role that in some way perhaps in real life, it caused him to slip across some line of reality and may have had some role to play in his accidental death. You were very blunt in addressing that in what I read. You want to reiterate that?
CHRISTIAN BALE, ACTOR: Well, I just, you know, personally find it to be a complete lack of understanding of acting. I also find it very rude to try to create some kind of a sound bite for such a tragedy, you know? The man was a complex man, he was a good man. But you know what? I saw him nothing but the best time playing the Joker.
(Cross talk)
Listen, he was somebody who immersed himself completely in his role, absolutely, as do I. But at the end of the day, he was having a wonderful time making this movie. I say he couldn`t have been happier.
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ANDERSON: And there has already been talk that Ledger could earn a posthumous Oscar nomination for his Joker. "The Dark Knight" opens this weekend.
On Friday, we asked you to vote on our SHOWBIZ TONIGHT question of the day. It was this - "Christie Brinkley Divorce Battle: Did it hurt her image?" Only 28 percent of you say yes; 72 percent of you say no.
Some fired-up e-mails. Shelley from Arkansas writes, "I don`t see how this divorce can possibly hurt Christie`s image; she`s done nothing wrong! Millions of women have been betrayed by cheating husbands. Why should anyone add insult to injury by blaming the victim?"
But Sally from Florida says, "How could someone air their dirty laundry? No matter how bad her husband was, it was a private thing, and I am very disappointed."
Thank you so much for your E-mails. We do appreciate it. And that`s a wrap for SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. Thanks so much for watching. I`m Brooke Anderson in Hollywood. Remember, you can always catch SHOWBIZ TONIGHT on the 11:00s - 11:00 p.m. Eastern and Pacific and in the morning at 11:00 a.m. Eastern. The latest from "CNN HEADLINE NEWS" is next.
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