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Showbiz Tonight

John Edwards` Sex Scandal; Lisa Marie Presley`s Confessions; Remembering Isaac Hayes and Bernie Mac

Aired August 11, 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: "Face the Nation`s" Bob Schieffer faces off against Paris Hilton? I`m A.J. Hammer in New York.
BROOKE ANDERSON, CO-HOST: And Hayden Panettiere`s dad arrested for allegedly punching his wife. I`m Brooke Anderson in Hollywood.

HAMMER: TV`s most provocative entertainment news show starts right now.

On SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, Hollywood`s hard lessons for John Edwards. Tonight, the late-breaking developments in the Edwards scandal.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JO PIAZZA, "NEW YORK DAILY NEWS": I think that he really came off seeming like a boy who had just been shamed by the principal.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HAMMER: And what he should have learned from big stars who survived sex scandals - Hugh Grant, Jude Law. Tonight, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT with the Hollywood connection to John Edwards` shocking confession that he cheated on his wife.

Also tonight, confessions from Lisa Marie Presley about her really weird marriage to Michael Jackson and her tirade about being called fat while pregnant with twins.

Plus, the stunning deaths of two Hollywood greats. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT with the tributes and a revealing look at the lives of Isaac Hayes and Bernie Mac.

(MUSIC)

HAMMER: Hello. I`m A.J. Hammer, broadcasting tonight and every night from New York City.

ANDERSON: Hi, there, everyone. I`m Brooke Anderson coming to you tonight from Hollywood. And A.J., if John Edwards had paid closer attention to some of Hollywood`s biggest sex scandal, he might not be in the mess he`s in.

HAMMER: Oh, Brooke, that is so right. Because tonight, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT can tell you that Edwards` TV confession that he had an affair was not only too little, too late but perhaps, just perhaps, he should have given Hugh Grant a call after denying over and again that he was having an affair. John Edwards did such an abrupt about face it`s a wonder he`s in a hospital with whiplash.

And SHOWBIZ TONIGHT can also tell you that the former presidential candidate might have saved himself if he had only been briefed on what Hollywood`s biggest stars do when they also get caught with their pants down, so to speak.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

(voice over): Another politician, another super scandalous extramarital affair.

JOHN EDWARDS (D), FORMER PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: In 2006, two years ago, I made a serious mistake, a mistake that I am responsible for and no one else.

HAMMER: Former presidential candidate John Edwards` admission on ABC`s "Nightline" that he had an affair with freelance film producer Rielle Hunter is a bombshell that has everyone talking.

PIAZZA: I think that he really came off seeming like a boy who had just been shamed by the principal.

EDWARDS: The truth is, you can`t possibly beat me up more than I`ve already beaten myself up.

HAMMER: But the media is trying anyway. Edwards is getting raked over the coals for his affair and for the months he spent denying it. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT can tell you he might have saved himself a ton of grief had he only followed the lessons of Hollywood celebrities who found themselves in similar messy infidelities.

Lesson number one, no one trashes the cheated-on wife.

EDWARDS: She is the finest human being I have ever known.

HAMMER: In his confessional interview on "Nightline," Edwards heaps the praise on his wife Elizabeth who has incurable cancer.

EDWARDS: The fact that she is with me after this having happened is a testament to the kind of woman and the kind of human being she is.

HAMMER: That straight from the Hugh Grant playbook when Grant famously appeared on "The Tonight Show" to apologize for his liaison with a prostitute. He paid tribute to his then girlfriend, Elizabeth Hurley.

HUGH GRANT, ACTOR: She`s been amazing about it.

HAMMER: But Edwards` former mistress apparently didn`t get the memo. In a conversation with a "Newsweek" reporter in 2006, the year the affair began, Rielle said about Elizabeth, quote, "She does not give off good energy. She didn`t make eye contact with me."

PIAZZA: I think the real reason that Elizabeth Edwards wasn`t making contact with Rielle Hunter is because she knew she was stripping her husband.

HAMMER: Heck, even Monica Lewinsky had the good sense to watch what she said about Hillary. Jo Piazza of the "New York Daily News" tells SHOWBIZ TONIGHT such Elizabeth-bashing only makes Edwards look even worse.

PIAZZA: The fact that he would choose to be with someone who would have the audacity to cut down Elizabeth - I think it makes the public think even worse of him.

HAMMER: The second lesson, Edwards could have learned from Hollywood infidelities - if it`s true, don`t deny it.

In 1997, Frank Gifford, husband to Kathie Lee Gifford, initially denied tabloid reports that he had an affair with a flight attendant. But when the tabloid, "The Globe" published pictures of the liaison, Gifford finally had to fess up. And as we saw just two years later with this now classic -

BILL CLINTON, FORMER UNITED STATES PRESIDENT: I did not have sexual relations with that woman.

HAMMER: The false denial always comes back to haunt you, a lesson Edwards apparently didn`t learn.

PIAZZA: The "Enquirer" has been on this story for nearly a year now. They did first report about it in October 2007. John Edwards, for months and months, denied this affair, said it was absurd, that these tabloid allegations were ridiculous -

HAMMER: Which brings us to the final lesson - the earlier you come clean, the better.

When Jude Law`s affair with his children`s nanny was first reported, he immediately released a statement to apologizing to his then-girlfriend Sienna Miller. Compare that to Edwards -

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE REPORTER: You flat-out denied having a relationship with Rielle Hunter. Were you telling the truth then?

EDWARDS: Yes.

HAMMER: To let the story fester in the tabloids for 10 months before admitting his affair, he explained why in his "Nightline" interview.

BOB WOODRUFF, ABC CORRESPONDENT: Why did you continue to deny it and not tell the truth?

EDWARDS: Because I did not want the public to know what I had done, very simple.

HAMMER: In fact, some say Edwards strategically picked the day he`d come clean.

PIAZZA: John Edwards decided to give his confession not only on a Friday morning when everyone is leaving the office early, heading out to the beach, but on the day of the start of the Olympics in Beijing. I think that he thought everything was going to get buried in all of this Olympic hoopla. Little did he know that Americans care way more about a political sex scandal than we do about the opening ceremonies.

HAMMER: So now, Edwards finds himself amid a long list of celebrities publicly humiliated by their affairs and in some cases, their dishonesty.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HAMMER: Just unbelievable. So did Edwards just blow it? Could he have at least saved some face by remembering the lessons of all those other sex scandals in Hollywood?

Joining me tonight in New York, Lisa Bloom, "In Session" anchor and host of "Lisa Bloom: Open Court." Also in New York tonight, Howard Bragman, the founder of Fifteen Minutes Public Relations.

All right, guys. We saw Hugh Grant, Jude Law, Bill Clinton. All of them cheated. It happens all the time. But Lisa, it just blows my mind that somebody like John Edwards, obviously with so much to lose, somebody so smart, that he could actually be so stupid and learn absolutely nothing from all of the mistakes of others in the past. Can you explain it at all?

LISA BLOOM, HOST, "LISA BLOOM: OPEN COURT": You know, he said that Elizabeth`s cancer was in remission. I think his brain was in remission. Smart people do stupid things all time. You can add his name now to the list - Martha Stewart, Bill Clinton, Eliot Spitzer, Hugh Grant. They just don`t get it. Maybe they think they`re smarter than everybody else, but ultimately, they`re just not.

HAMMER: Yes. I just don`t understand it because we`ve seen it so many times in Hollywood and obviously elsewhere. Stars or whoever`s involved here eventually get caught and eventually puts out the statement, which is exactly what Edwards did after the "National Enquirer" essentially nailed him.

In explaining his repeated denials of the affair, let me read to you what John Edwards said -let me read to you what John Edwards said, quote, "Although I was honest in every painful detail with my family, I did not tell the public. When a supermarket tabloid told a version of the story, I used the fact that the story contained many falsities to deny it. But being 99 percent honest is no longer enough."

So I guess that other one percent was a teeny little detail that he had an affair. Howard, P.R., your life. In this case, was that one percent lying OK?

HOWARD BRAGMAN, FOUNDER, FIFTEEN MINUTES PUBLIC RELATIONS: You know, 99 percent honesty is 100 percent sleazy, A.J. I can`t think of one thing he did correctly. His judgment was bad. The interview was one of the smarmiest, worst interviews I have ever seen. There is no sympathy. This man needs to go back under a rock, OK? It`s just awful and his family is paying the price now. And it`s just very sad for his family who are very good people.

HAMMER: Very sad for his family and to a lesser degree, very sad for those of us who really liked the guy. You know, I mean, that goes for so many people that I`ve been having these conversations with. It just is something you didn`t expect to come from this guy which goes to show us, you just never know.

I`d have to imagine, obviously, it was very difficult for John Edwards going on national television to admit the stupid mistake. I mean, how terrible that must have been an experience for him, granted, you know, he deserved it. So let me rub it in a little further. I`ve got to roll the clip of the "Nightline" interview. This is what he revealed, how he told his wife about the affair. Charles, do the honors.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

EDWARDS: In 2006, I told Elizabeth about the mistake, asked her for her forgiveness, asked God for His forgiveness. And we have kept this within our family since that time. All of my family knows about this.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HAMMER: OK, so his family knew. But of course we live in a different world now, in a time of blogs, how many gossip sites are out there, right? Tabloids - and as stars find out all the time, in Hollywood, you just can`t keep a secret anymore. Lisa Bloom, you said, you know, maybe he thought he was smarter than all of us. But is there anything truly that you could think of that would have made Edwards think this secret wouldn`t come out? I mean, come on.

BLOOM: You know, he was so foolish. Our culture is obsessed with these things, more so, sadly, than the things he really cares about: poverty, healthcare, genocide in Darfur. This is what`s going to get round-the- clock coverage. His issues now are going to be completely ignored. He knew that. He`s smart enough to know that. And to embarrass his family like this - it is really a shame.

HAMMER: Howard, you`ve said to me time and time before right here on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, Hollywood is a forgive-and-forget kind of place.

BRAGMAN: Right.

HAMMER: But we`re not talking about Hollywood. We`re talking about America, the interview, the statements, all of which he said he basically got wrong. Is it in any way enough to save Edwards and that people may actually forgive him? What do you think?

BRAGMAN: I do think that he`s done a lot of great work. As you said, a lot of people like what he stands for, particularly in the area of fighting poverty. But you have to understand, A.J., we`re talking years. We`re not talking months, we`re not talking days. We`re talking years for him to get over this. He`s not going to have a role at the convention. He`s not going to be in the Obama administration. He needs to go away and keep really quiet and do really good work for the public and that`s the only way we might forgive him in the future.

HAMMER: Hopefully, people are paying attention to this and learn from his mistakes. Lisa Bloom, Howard Bragman, I thank you both.

BLOOM: Thanks, A.J.

BRAGMAN: Thanks.

HAMMER: And now, over to you for our SHOWBIZ TONIGHT question of the day. Here it is - "John Edwards` Interview Confession: Did he handle it properly?" Go to CNN.com/ShowbizTonight. Or E-mail us your thoughts at showbiztonight@cnn.com.

ANDERSON: A.J., this John Edwards affair just stunned me. Why did he keep denying it, keep lying about it over and over and over?

HAMMER: Yes. Brooke, I`m right there with you. As I said, he had to know it would eventually catch up with him. Now, coming up right here, I`ve got the guy who helped to break the story, the "National Enquirer" reporter who caught Edwards in the hotel visiting the woman he had an affair with.

ANDERSON: And next, Lisa Marie Presley is all fired up. I think it`s wonderful she`s having twins. And tonight, she`s got some amazing confessions about being called fat while pregnant and her weird marriage to Michael Jackson. Remember that?

HAMMER: Yes, that was weird. And plenty of weird here, a python crawls into the pants of a weather guy right when he`s doing the forecast. I can come up with plenty of punch lines here for this story. But you`ve got to stick around to see it.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ANDERSON: Well, while those other Olympic Games are going on in China, there is plenty of doggone action in Hong Kong. Did you see this? It`s the Olympets. About 400 pets are going for the gold in events like doggie tug-of-war and parrot rope climbing.

Welcome back to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. I`m Brooke Anderson in Hollywood. Tonight, Lisa Marie Presley`s confessions. Presley, who is pregnant with twins, is posing seminude for the latest issue of "Marie Claire." And it`s not just her belly that she`s exposing. In a revealing interview with the magazine and on her MySpace blog, Presley is opening up about being called fat by the tabloid media and her shocking and short-lived marriage to Michael Jackson.

With me tonight in Hollywood is Rachel Zalis, senior editor of "Life and Style." In New York, "VH1 News" host, Janelle Snowden.

Janelle, Rachel, Lisa Marie told "Marie Claire" she was posing seminude for them to get back at all the tabloids that called her fat early on in her pregnancy suggesting she had an unhealthy appetite just like her dad, Elvis. I`ve got to say when I saw these pictures, I thought, "Look at Lisa Marie. She looks amazing." Janelle, is this just sweet revenge?

JANELLE SNOWDEN, HOST, "VH1 NEWS": How about it? She looks fierce. She doesn`t just look amazing. She looks fierce. But the thing I love about this is because it`s like the ultimate "take that" moment. And a lot of pregnant women say that they feel they`re at their most beautiful when they`re pregnant so they even commission photographers to take pictures of them. She felt the ultimate "aha" because she got this done for free. So I say, "You go, Lisa Marie."

ANDERSON: Yes. She looks like she feels comfortable and sexy. She looks phenomenal. And she also told "Marie Claire" that she thinks she`s been given an especially hard time because of what she says is a morbid obsession the press has with her dad saying, quote, "It took me a while to make the connection with the dad thing. There are at least six other famous women pregnant right now who aren`t getting picked on. But they`re all over me. It`s like there is a campaign to demean me. You know what I think when I see those fat photos? I think (EXPLETIVE DELETED) you. I`m not going to let them control me. I just let it all hang out. You want to look at me? Go ahead and look."

Rachel, why do you think this has touched such a nerve? Obviously it has.

RACHEL ZALIS, SENIOR EDITOR, "LIFE AND STYLE": Yes. Well, first of all, don`t mess with a pregnant lady. That`s what we`re saying.

ANDERSON: That`s right. Stand back.

ZALIS: You know, I think she`s particularly sensitive about this right now because she`s finally happy. She`s in a great marriage. She`s having twins. She quit smoking. She`s weeded out all the bad people in her life and she genuinely believes that the press is out for her, that instead of just saying this is a baby bump like the other six pregnant women, they want to make it some tale of tragedy, you know, juxtaposing her pictures of weight gain next to her famous dad, Elvis Presley. And I think she`s really just feeling picked on.

ANDERSON: Well, I really admire her for not being afraid to say what she`s thinking because in Hollywood, that is rare. So this is really refreshing. And speaking of being frank, she also opened up to "Marie Claire" about her wacky 1994 marriage to Michael Jackson which lasted less than two years. She called it, quote, "the biggest mistake of her life."

Listen to this, "I was really naive at the time. I was in la-la land. I wasn`t thinking what everyone else was thinking which was that I must have been out of my (EXPLETIVE DELETED) mind. I was just in a bubble and able to be snowed. I haven`t been bitten by the snake of life yet. I grew up after that. I had to."

Janelle, M.J. must be very persuasive. Do you buy that she was really that naive at the time?

SNOWDEN: I think she probably had to be a little bit naive because, you know, she`s a tough cookie. We`ve seen from just the words you`ve spoken that she`s written on her blog today, I mean, she doesn`t seem like she`s one to mince words.

And I think, you know, she was probably lured by the excitement of it all. Here, you have the king of pop marrying the princess of pop or whatever you want to call her - rock `n roll. And it probably seems like a match made in some kind of celebrity heaven. And now, she`s saying not so much. So I mean, if she says she was naive, I`m going to believe her and say she must have been.

ANDERSON: You know, I love her candor. And ladies, this isn`t all. She also had even more to get off her chest. Look at what she wrote on her MySpace blog about the tabloids, quote, "In the past couple of years, high- profile type of people seem to have less and less rights, less privacy and protection. The onslaught of Internet and tabloid sites mostly want only blood now. They have managed to make being a public figure a 24/7 public stoning and execution of various sorts."

Rachel, when you hear this, do you think that stars all over Hollywood are standing up and cheering all in agreement with Lisa Marie here?

ZALIS: You know, I think there will probably be some mixed emotions about it. I think most celebrities right now are feeling like the intense scrutiny of the media is just unsurpassable. You can`t make a move without it being documented. And a lot of people choose that life. But with Lisa Marie, she was born into it. And I think she feels like it`s an incredibly difficult position to be in.

ANDERSON: Yes. It can be a burden sometimes, obviously. Well, she`s fighting back, good for her. Rachel Zalis, Janelle Snowden, we`ll leave it there. Thank you both.

And look for this issue of "Marie Claire" on newsstands August 12th.

HAMMER: So Brooke, I know Lisa Marie is mad at the media. But tonight, I bet John Edwards isn`t a huge fan of the "National Enquirer," you know.

ANDERSON: Yes, A.J. The "Enquirer" may have broken the story of his affair but I think Edwards only has himself to blame.

HAMMER: No question about that. Now, coming up, right here, I`ve got the "Enquirer" reporter who caught Edwards at the hotel where he was visiting a woman that he had an affair with.

ANDERSON: And Hayden Panettiere`s dad accused of punching his wife, Hayden`s mom, in the face. We`ve got details, next.

HAMMER: Also two huge Hollywood loses - soul singer Isaac Hayes and comedian and TV star Bernie Mac. We`ve got an emotional look at their lives. Plus one of CNN`s own speaks with Bernie`s widow. Coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HAMMER: Welcome back to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. I`m A.J. Hammer in New York. Here are more stories that are new right now.

"Heroes" star Hayden Panettiere`s dad has been arrested for allegedly hitting his wife. Now, cops say Alan Panettiere hit his wife, Leslie, on the cheek with a closed fist at a party that they were attending. Well, TMZ reports both Alan and Leslie had been drinking. No word on whether Hayden was present when all this went down.

"The Dark Knight" is still kicking butt at the box office, finished number one this weekend, the fourth weekend in a row. It is now the third highest grossing domestic film of all time, right behind "Star Wars" and "Titanic."

HAMMER: And Ben Stiller`s new movie, "Tropic Thunder," is under fire. A spokesman for Special Olympics, one of 22 disabilities group calling for a boycott of the film, is upset over the use of the term "retard" heard throughout the movie describing a character played by Stiller. Well, the groups met with Dreamworks, the distributor, but no changes were made to the film. Brooke?

ANDERSON: Well, like everybody, A.J., I am totally shocked by the John Edwards sex scandal. And you know, the "National Enquirer" broke the story. Up next, the "Enquirer" reporter who caught Edwards in a hotel visiting the woman he admits to having an affair with is right here. You`ve got to hear his story, next.

HAMMER: Brooke, it is such an amazing story. And you know what else is pretty amazing? All of these political junkies talking about, of all people, Paris Hilton. You know, she did that really funny video in response to John McCain`s ad. Well, tonight, even Bob Schaefer from "Face the Nation" is facing off against Paris. Yes, that`s coming up.

And listen to this forecast, ladies and gentlemen, cloudy with a chance of a python in your pants. Yes, I said python in your pants and I`ve never said that before. The video of the weatherman that will have you hissing with laughter. That is coming up on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.

But keep in mind, you can always stay on top of the most provocative entertainment news every single day by subscribing to our absolutely fantastic SHOWBIZ TONIGHT daily newsletter. Head over to CNN.com/ShowbizTonight. All you have to do is click on the little link that says "sign up for newsletter." Pretty straightforward. It`s right there at the bottom of the page. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT is coming straight back.

(NEWS BREAK)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HAMMER: On SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, John Edwards` sex scandal. The "National Enquirer" called it, and now Edwards has to admit they got the story right. We have the guy who confronted Edwards in a hotel. The ambush that broke the story wide open, tonight in the interview you`ll see only on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.

Remembering two giants of the entertainment business. The shocking deaths of singer Isaac Hayes and comedian Bernie Mac. Tonight, Hollywood`s elite send their memories to two legendary stars as SHOWBIZ TONIGHT takes a look back at their extraordinary lives.

(MUSIC)

HAMMER: 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.

ANDERSON: And I`m Brooke Anderson coming to you tonight from Hollywood with TV`s most provocative entertainment news show.

HAMMER: Well, tonight, the inside story of how the "National Enquirer" blew the lid off John Edwards` secret affair with the reporter who actually caught Edwards in a hotel after he met with his former mistress. It was the final straw that led to the former presidential candidate going on national TV to fess up to being a cheating louse.

Joining me tonight from Hollywood, Alan Butterfield senior reporter for the "National Enquirer." Alan, thank you for joining us tonight.

ALAN BUTTERFIELD, SENIOR REPORTER, "NATIONAL ENQUIRER": Thank you for having me.

HAMMER: Now, the "National Enquirer" first broke this story last year. A lot obviously has happened since then. So I want to take a look at the showbiz news line. Back on October 10th, 2007, the "Enquirer" first reports that John Edwards is having an affair. The very next day, October 11th, 2007, Edwards issues his first of many denials that he was carrying on with another woman. And then last month, July 22nd, 2008, the "National Enquirer" confronts Edwards in the Beverly Hilton hotel at 3:00 in the morning just after Edwards had visited his former mistress.

Then, last Friday, August 8th, 2008, in an interview on ABC`s "Nightline," Edwards confesses that it was all true - he cheated on his wife and he lied about it.

All right. So, Alan, unbelievable. You`re the guy who actually confronted Edwards in that hotel. I got to hear about that and we`re going to talk about that in just a second.

BUTTERFIELD: OK.

HAMMER: But first, you`ve got to tell me your reaction when you first heard that Edwards was going to fess up that he indeed had this affair with Rielle Hunter?

BUTTERFIELD: Well, there was a sense of vindication, obviously. We knew the story was true. We`ve known this story is true for 10 months. The mainstream media had ignored this story for months but the confrontation at the hotel on July 22nd was the final straw. And we knew that it was going to be just a matter of days before he had to address more reporters` questions about why he was at the Beverly Hilton and what was he doing there and more questions about Rielle Hunter.

HAMMER: Yes. That sense of "I told you so" has to be pretty, pretty strong, especially after all the denials. Now, I want to take a look now at the moment when Edwards actually confess on "Nightline" that he was guilty as charged. Let`s watch that.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

EDWARDS: In 2006, two years ago, I made a very serious mistake, a mistake that I am responsible for and no one else.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HAMMER: All right. So this happened 10 months after the "Enquirer" first reported this affair. And since then, as we`ve been talking about, Edwards denied it time and time again. Alan, why do you think that Edwards finally decided to come clean about this?

BUTTERFIELD: It was the incident on July 22nd at 3:00 a.m. He was - to another reporter and myself, we caught Mr. Edwards with his hand in the cookie jar and he had no other choice.

HAMMER: So being there, really the catalyst, then, in your mind, for having to come forward. And I want to watch now when he spoke with "Nightline" about that confrontation, about why he went to the hotel at 3:00 in the morning where you did confront him and where he was visiting his mistress, Rielle Hunter. Let`s watch that interview.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

EDWARDS: I was at the Beverly Hilton. I was there for a very simple reason, because I was trying to keep this mistake that I had made from becoming public.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HAMMER: Yes. And everybody, myself included, saying, "Wow. How could you think this wasn`t going to be become public at some time?"

All right. Let`s go back now. I want you take me back to the moment when you confronted him, where exactly you were in that hotel, how Edwards reacted? What exactly happened?

BUTTERFIELD: Right. We saw him going around - I saw him go in the hotel around 9:45. He was dropped off by Bob McGovern in his car. He walked around by himself from the self-parking through the side area of the hotel, went downstairs, caught the bottom floor elevator up to Rielle Hunter`s room, approximately 9:45. 2:30, 2:45, Mr. Edwards emerges from the bottom of the elevator of the floor and another reporter follows him up the stairs to the main lobby area as he was walking around and that`s where I met Mr. Edwards.

And both myself and the other reporter, we started asking him questions. Without saying anything, Mr. Edwards made a beeline - ran back downstairs like running back. He just had panic on his face, ran into the men`s restroom. And we were trying to open the door, and he was holding the door. It was like a Marx Brothers thing. I was pushing and pulling, pushing and pulling.

Occasionally, I would see Mr. Edwards` face. There was look of like disbelief, like, "Oh, no." His, you know, wavy hair was sort of flapping back and forth. And then within seconds, security was there because security was helping another guest find their key. So just by happenstance, security just happened to be feet away. So this interaction, this incident only lasted about 15 seconds.

HAMMER: So when you first saw him, and you say he didn`t answer your questions but you were hurling questions at him, what were you asking him?

BUTTERFIELD: Mr. Edwards - we identified ourselves from the "National Enquirer," - "We want to know what you are doing here at 3:00 a.m.? Were you visiting your mistress, Rielle Hunter, and your love child upstairs? Does your wife Elizabeth now about this late-night meeting," and a few other questions along those same - along the same road. And he didn`t say a word. He just had a look of panic, turned around and bee-lined it for the bathroom.

HAMMER: So Alan, you`ve been doing this for a long time now. It`s not the first time you`ve been on the beat of investigative reporting. And here you are, confronting a presidential candidate.

BUTTERFIELD: Right.

HAMMER: I mean this is just a mind-blowing thing for so many people. Don`t you just wonder - here`s a guy who was running for president. Why did he think he get away with skulking around this hotel, which is what it sounds like was going on. You know, separate from the fact that this affair had been going on?

BUTTERFIELD: Well, he did say in his statement that he was narcissistic. And I`m no psychiatrist, but I would think that`s a little bit of a narcissistic behavior that he wouldn`t be caught and people would believe him with all of his denials about the affair.

HAMMER: So what happens next? You know, this thing happens in the hotel. Do you jump back in your car, cruise back to the "Enquirer" office, obviously, in the middle of the night. But perhaps, there are some people there. Are you just shouting, "Hey, boy, I got him red-handed"? I mean, what exactly happened? .

BUTTERFIELD: No. It was - we were staying at the hotel. Mr. Edwards was the one that wasn`t a guest. We were staying at the hotel; a whole bunch of us were. And after the confrontation, security hustled him out the employee entrance door so we didn`t have access to him. But, no, we were staying waiting for Rielle to leave and Bob McGovern. It was a long 30- hour stakeout it took for these 15 seconds to transpire.

HAMMER: Wow. And as we mentioned, Edwards denied this affair publicly over and over and over again. So were you surprised that he was doing that for such a long time?

BUTTERFIELD: Yes, I really was. Actually, I was more surprised with the mainstream media not picking it up. You know, the pictures of Rielle Hunter that we had with her pregnant down in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. And I think the July 22nd incident, mainstream press had to start asking some serious questions and just not take his non-denial denials. .

HAMMER: And I`ve got about 20 seconds now. But what was going on at the "Enquirer" when you heard these constant denials going on, knowing what really happened?

BUTTERFIELD: We`re sort of used to it. We break a lot of stories and we know what the truth is. We know the story was true. We know our services were dead-on accurate. And now, the world knows that the "Enquirer" is dead-on accurate in this story. And we will continue investigating it and check on his finances and the campaign finances.

HAMMER: Well, it is truly unbelievable and obviously the story of the year. Alan Butterfield, thank you so much for being with us tonight.

BUTTERFIELD: Thank you for having me.

ANDERSON: A.J., how many times have you been on live TV and a giant python crawls up your pants leg?

HAMMER: I`d hate it when that happens, Brooke.

ANDERSON: I would, too, A.J. Did you see this? By the way, this poor weather guy on live TV at a state fair and the python gets very friendly. That`s coming up.

HAMMER: Yes. You don`t want to miss that. Also, Paris Hilton`s campaign spoof really takes off. You`re not going to believe how many people have watched this thing. And believe it or not, there`s a response to the ad from Bob Schieffer, of all people. Trust me, you don`t want to miss this. It`s coming up.

Also this -

(VIDEO CLIP OF ISAAC HAYES SINGING)

ANDERSON: Bad news tonight. The sudden and tragic death of soul singer Isaac Hayes. And Hollywood is mourning the death of another great in the entertainment business, comedian, Bernie Mac. We`ve got a look back on both men`s lives as the Hollywood tributes pour in next on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(MUSIC VIDEO OF ISAAC HAYES)

ANDERSON: Isaac Hayes in the music video for the theme from "Shaft." Tonight, the sudden death of Isaac Hayes as he is remembered for his distinctive voice and remarkable career. Also tonight, the loss of another Hollywood great, comedian and actor, Bernie Mac. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT has a revealing look at the lives of both men as the Hollywood tributes pour in.

Welcome back to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. I`m Brooke Anderson in Hollywood.

We begin with the sudden and startling death of comedian and actor Bernie Mac over the weekend. Mac, the star of everything from the "Ocean`s 11" franchise to the "Bernie Mac Show" had been in the hospital with pneumonia. And just a day before he died, a spokesperson told SHOWBIZ TONIGHT Mac was on the road to recovery.

CNN anchor Don Lemon is with us tonight. Don traveled to Chicago right after Mac`s death to talk to those who knew him, including his widow. Don?

DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: Hello to you, Brooke. You know, this is truly a rags-to-riches story about a family man who was able to break into the business and make a name for himself as a king of comedy, of course. I not only spoke with Bernie`s widow, but I also spoke to some of his very close friends and some of his close colleagues as well.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

(voice over): Bernie Mac had a dirty mouth, but, boy, was he funny.

BERNIE MAC, COMEDIAN: I just want to have fun.

LEMON: Funny enough to make him a super star and a box office hit. Good friend and fellow comedian, Steve Harvey, was in town attending a parade when Mac died in a Chicago hospital not far away.

STEVE HARVEY, FRIEND AND FELLOW COMEDIAN: I mean, it really, really knocks you down a bit, you know. My heart really goes out to his wife of over 25 years, his kids. You know., Bernie was a great family guy, great, great family guy. Great father. My heart goes out to those people.

LEMON: His wife, Rhonda, tells me they were high school sweethearts and married a few years later, "His sense of humor charmed me," she says. "We did not have a thing. He told me, girl you`d better get on board this train because I`m going to be rich one day. I said, OK."

Before Hollywood came calling, there was the south side of Chicago where Bernie Mac honed his comedic skills in comedy clubs like this one, right in his own neighborhood.

It was a true rags-to-riches story. His wife tells me Mac not only worked the local comedy chitland circuit, as she called it, but to make ends meet, he would do stand-up on subway trains and would take odd jobs anywhere he could.

In 1990, his big break, Mac won the Miller Lite comedy classic, a $3,000 prize. "As a family, we jumped for joy when he won," his wife says. We put most of it in the bank and we had a small party."

Mac hit the road hard as an opening act, then a featured performer. The movie roles came. So did a hit TV show. Mac came down with pneumonia, brought on by a disease he was diagnosed with in 1984, sarcoidosis.

Deedee Davis played Mac`s daughter on the show.

DEEDEE DAVIS, ACTRESS: I remember like we had to do scenes without him because he was sick. I didn`t know what he was sick with, but I guess it came back and it got worse.

LEMON (on camera): Was this towards the end of the show or?

DAVIS: This was towards like the end.

LEMON (voice over): He recovered and the disease went into remission until this summer when he developed pneumonia again. His wife says he went to the hospital three weeks ago Thursday. He had trouble breathing. He had a fever. His back was hurting. Doctors induced him into a coma. They expected him to recover. But on Friday, close to midnight. He opened his eyes and Rhonda said, "I know you`re tired but don`t leave me." He shrugs his shoulders, closed his eyes, and his blood pressure dropped very low. He went into cardiac arrest. They revived him once for about an hour. They tried reviving him again and then, she said, he was gone.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON: Brooke, as you imagine, that was one of the toughest conversations I`ve ever had. Since Bernie`s passing, though, the tributes to him just keep coming in. And I want to read a couple of them for you.

The first one is from Mac`s "Ocean`s" co-star, Brad Pitt. Here`s what Brad Pitt had to say. He said, "I lament the loss of a ferociously funny and hardcore family man. My thoughts are with his wife, Rhonda, and their family. Bernie Mac, you are already missed

And fellow "Ocean`s" co-star George Clooney said this, "The world just got a little less funny. He will be dearly missed."

Well, a comedian friend, Chris Rock, also said this, "Bernie Mac was one of the best and funniest comedians to ever live, but that was the second best thing he did. Bernie was one of the greatest friends a person could have. Losing him is like losing 12 people because he absolutely filled up any room he was in. I`m going to miss the Mac Man.

And Mac`s fellow king of comedy friend, Cedric, the entertainer. Here`s what he had to say, "It`s hard to put into words just how I feel and what a painful loss this is. Bernie was a brother, a friend and one of the comic masters of our time."

LEMON: Look, it is absolutely to see that the world has not only lost an amazing comedian, but a man that was able to touch so many lives. He was truly a humble man, too, with very humble beginnings who made it to the top.

ANDERSON: Absolutely. He made an indelible mark on entertainment. Tough, tough loss. He`ll truly be missed. Don Lemon, thank you so much for sharing that with us.

LEMON: Thank you.

HAMMER: Plus, we mentioned Hollywood is also mourning the loss of soul icon, Isaac Hayes. Hayes was found unresponsive at his Memphis, Tennessee home on Sunday. He was rushed to the hospital where he was pronounced dead. Hayes, of course, probably best known for his hit, the theme from "Shaft." And now, with a look back at Hayes` remarkable life, here`s CNN`s Rick Sanchez for SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CHEF, "SOUTH PARK": Hello there, children.

RICK SANCHEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): My kids` generation loves this Isaac Hayes.

My generation grew up to the soundtrack of this Isaac Hayes.

(MUSIC)

That voice, that cool, that hot-buttered soul. Disco? Isaac Hayes was pre-disco. He helped invent it. Urban contemporary, R & B, hip-hop, every artist in those categories owes their sound and any success to the groundwork laid in the early and mid-70s by Isaac Hayes who was rapping before anyone even thought to call it that, and oh, then there was this little number.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: "Shaft."

SANCHEZ: Do you know that song? This international super smash spent two weeks on top of Billboard`s charts and won Isaac Hayes an Oscar.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You`re a new blood. Did you ever kill a man before?

SANCHEZ: His fame, name recognition and charisma led quickly to movie roles, most of which proved he didn`t take himself seriously, the "Blues Brothers," "I`m Going to Get You Sucka" and "Robinhood: Men in Tights."

ISAAC HAYES, SINGER AND ACTOR: Goodbye, my friend. Farewell. Safe journey.

SANCHEZ: Then super stardom once again in the late `90s, thanks to that voice. The wise ladies man, Chef, always good for a word of advice to the kids of "South Park." Isaac Hayes, dead in Memphis. He was 65.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HAMMER: That was CNN`S Rick Sanchez for SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. Now, the queen of soul, Aretha Franklin, expressed her sorrow over the death of her friend and fellow legend telling SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, quote, "It was so sad to hear about Isaac Hayes, so musically advanced and timeless in his compositions. He was loved and appreciated by so many. He was an enduring symbol of the struggle of the African-American man and was a shining example of soul at its best. God bless."

ANDERSON: Up next on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, did you see this? It`s the kind of video you just have to see for yourself. This guy was doing a weather report on TV. Next thing you know, there`s a giant python crawling up his shorts. Yes, I know you won`t want to miss this. It`s next on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HAMMER: Welcome back to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. I`m A.J. Hammer in New York. OK. Are you ready? Did you see this? A weatherman got, I imagine, more than he bargained for during a live broadcast from the Iowa State fair when a giant Burmese python slithered up his pants.

Yes, KCCI meteorologist Curtis Gertz had the python around his neck, but it slithered into his shorts. However, Curtis did take it in stride.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CURTIS CERTZ, KCCI METEOROLOGIST: Stupid human chicks. You guys go ahead and top this one.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HAMMER: Yes, try that. The snake`s trainer eventually managed to unwind the snake and free the weather guy.

Well, Paris Hilton`s spoof on John McCain`s campaign ad is truly an Internet sensation. This thing has gotten five million hits and counting. And at least one of those hits is from veteran journalist Bob Schieffer. Bob says he laughed out loud. I`m going to tell you more about that in just a moment. But first, we`ve got to take a look at part of that ad again. Charles?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PARIS HILTON, CELEBRITY: But then, that wrinkly, white-haired guy used me in his campaign ad, which I guess means I`m running for president. So thanks for the endorsement, white-haired dude. And I want America to know I`m like, totally ready to lead.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HAMMER: OK. Well, on "Face the Nation," Bob Schieffer decided to take a stand. Watch this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BOB SCHIEFFER, VETERAN JOURNALIST: I`m compelled now to stand up for old white-haired dudes and point out we actually have several advantages over others. For example, if forced, we can drink coffee straight from a mug. We don`t need to sip it through a little hole in a plastic top on a cardboard container to make it taste good.

Since we grew up when telephones had cords and telephone booths had doors, we know how to keep phone conversations private. I know there`s a lot of wondrous stuff going on lately, but those were some pretty good days, too.

So being an old, white-haired dude is not such a bad thing, because we got in on some really good things, even though our memories sometimes fails us and we have a hard time remembering what they were.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HAMMER: The world, as we know it, is ending. Paris Hilton with a place on "Face the Nation." Brooke.

ANDERSON: On Friday, we asked you to vote on our SHOWBIZ TONIGHT question of day - "Miley Cyrus: Is she growing up too fast?" Seventy-seven percent of you say yes; 23 percent say no.

Some of the e-mails. Shannon from California writes, "Miley Cyrus is a great artist. In today`s world, all kids in general are growing up too fast."

Maryann from Pennsylvania says, "Yes, she is facing adult issues, but aren`t all kids these days?"

HAMMER: Well, 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 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.

END