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Showbiz Tonight
Profiting Off Palin; Brand-New Developments on the Heather Locklear Case; The Funniest Election Ever?
Aired October 02, 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: Now, on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, the funniest campaign ever. Tina Fey`s hilarious "SNL" Sarah Palin impersonation. Paris` sidesplitting John McCain ad. Sarah Silverman`s wild video comparing Barack Obama to Jewish grandmothers? Tonight, how the presidential race has become a big joke.
Profiting off Sarah Palin. "Saturday Night Live`s" ratings through the roof because of their Sarah skits. Katie Couric`s career revived by her Palin interview. Plus, the Sarah Palin eyeglass craze. But is there anything wrong with this? Tonight, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT with another great debate, profiting off Palin.
Dramatic, brand-new developments in the Heather Locklear DUI arrest. Tonight, was Heather set up by the woman who called the cops on her?
TV`s most provocative entertainment news show starts right now.
(MUSIC)
HAMMER: Hello. I`m A.J. Hammer, broadcasting tonight and every night from New York City.
BROOKE ANDERSON, CO-HOST: Hi, there, everyone. I`m Brooke Anderson coming to you from Hollywood.
And tonight, one great debate ends and others begin, including Rosie O`Donnell throwing herself smack in the middle of the war of words the ladies of "The View" are having over Sarah Palin. What Rosie has just said and why she`s all fired up again, straight ahead.
HAMMER: But first, is all the focus and scrutiny of Sarah Palin turning this into the funniest campaign ever? From Tina Fey to Paris Hilton to the late-night comedians, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT can tell you the very serious business of choosing our next president of the United States is turning into a lot of funny business.
And it`s not just Palin who`s the target. So get ready for the presidential laugh track making news right now.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
(voice over): There have been intentionally funny comedy sketches on "Saturday Night Live."
TINA FEY, ACTRESS: I`m just going to have to get back to you.
HAMMER: Unintentionally funny news interviews on CBS.
GOV. SARAH PALIN (R-AK), VICE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I`ll try to find you someone and bring him to you.
HAMMER: Wacky Web videos.
PARIS HILTON, ACTRESS: I`ll see you at the debate, (EXPLETIVE DELETED).
HAMMER: And make-up on barnyard animals.
SEN. BARACK OBAMA (D-IL), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: You can put lipstick on a pig.
HAMMER: The strange and divisive 2008 presidential campaign has everyone across the land acknowledging a simple and hilarious truth.
FRANCES CALLIER, "FRANGELA": This is, by far, the funniest election we`ve ever seen.
HAMMER: It`s true. No matter the outcome of Obama-Biden versus McCain- Palin, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT has already voted this campaign the funniest ever. For goodness` sakes, we could all use the laughs.
ALICIA QUARLES, ASSOCIATED PRESS: In dark times, you`ve got to find the humor in something. Might as well be the election.
HAMMER: By far, the biggest laughs in campaign 2008 have come courtesy of Sarah Palin.
CALLIER: Sarah Palin is the jiffy pop of comedy, OK?
ANGELA SHELTON, "FRANGELA": Yes. She`s comedy gold. You leave - let it heat up and it just pops everywhere.
(CROSS TALK)
CALLIER: Exactly and it`s going to explode.
PALIN: What the bailout does is help those who are concerned about the healthcare reform that is need to help shore up our economy, helping - it`s got to be all about job creation, too.
HAMMER: Palin`s interview with CBS news anchor Katie Couric were so surreal that Tina Fey was able to mime them for laughs word for word in her Palin imitations on "Saturday Night Live."
FEY: What the bailout does is help those that are concerned about the healthcare reform that is need to help shore up our economy to help - it`s got to be all about job creations, too.
QUARLES: Yes. When people use your own words against you, it`s hard to even like go at them or combat them, because you`re like, "Wait a minute, how dare you? Oh, wait. But I said that."
HAMMER: L.A. comedy duo Frangela tells SHOWBIZ TONIGHT that their Palin material practically writes itself.
SHELTON: You can take her actual words.
CALLIER: Yes.
SHELTON: And that for me, as a comedienne, means I get to be a lot lazier.
HAMMER: This election is so funny that even a comment from Barack Obama can explode to outlandish levels.
OBAMA: You can put lipstick on a pig, it`s still a pig.
HAMMER: A lot of people took that comment as a dig at Sarah Palin who made lipstick her own personal trademark. It became such a big campaign issue, it even sparked a response from a qualified expert on the subject, Miss Piggy, who appeared on "The View"?
MISS PIGGY: I mean, look at me. Do I wear lipstick? Why would you want to mask this face with makeup?
HAMMER: The next thing you know, Palin`s moose-hunting hobby will get a comment from Bullwinkle.
QUARLES: That is, you just never know it`s going to you.
HAMMER: In this wacky election, even Paris Hilton can become an issue. When a McCain ad mentioned Paris Hilton, the heiress responded with a hilarious fake campaign ad of her own.
HILTON: I`ll see you at the White House. Oh, and I might paint it pink.
HAMMER: Even the get out your vote ads are getting uniquely funny.
SARAH SILVERMAN, COMEDIENNE: Why do you think that to two elections ago when a little man named Al Gore got (CROSS TALK) by Florida.
HAMMER: Sarah Silverman is getting laughs from her Web video promoting "The Great Schlep," an earnest campaign trying to get young Jewish voters to travel to Florida to convince their elderly relatives to vote for Obama.
SILVERMAN: You know why your grandparents don`t like Barack Obama? Because his name sounds scary. Yes, Barack Hussein Obama. It`s a super (EXPLETIVE DELETED) name. But you`d think somebody named Manishevik Gooberman(ph) might understand that.
HAMMER: Of course, amid all the laughs, some people feel that the chuckling could detract from the real important matters. Even comedians are concerned.
CALLIER: Could we talk about the politics and the issues that we`re interested in?
HAMMER: Sure we can, but we`re now seeing that we can also laugh at them, too.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
So while the joke`s on all the candidates, is this really the funniest election ever?
Joining me in New York tonight, Lisa Bloom who is an anchor for "In Session." In Hollywood, it`s Carlos Diaz, correspondent for "Extra."
Guys, we just saw the big fun that everybody is having between "Saturday Night Live" and the spoofs there, the Sarah Silverman clip which is brilliant, and of course the late-night shows. Carlos Diaz, what do you think? Will you also proclaim this the funniest campaign ever?
CARLOS DIAZ, CORRESPONDENT, "EXTRA": A.J., I`m not going to lie to you. A month ago, things seemed bleak. I was at the Democratic National Convention. We had just lost Hillary Clinton. She was a gold mine - a gold mine of comedy. Amy Poehler was doing a great job with her on "SNL." We just lost her.
And then we had Barack with Joe Biden - nothing funny about that. But then, just a week later, a bright ray of comedic sunshine came into our picture named Sarah Palin. And yes, Sarah Palin has made this the funniest election ever.
HAMMER: And we`ve been basking in that glow ever since, haven`t we, Lisa Bloom?
LISA BLOOM, ANCHOR, "IN SESSION": Absolutely. And you know, there`s a lot more truth in comedy than you would think. And I credit "SNL" and all the other spoofers for really bursting the Sarah Palin bubble that we saw initially. When you can take her own words and use them against her and make us all laugh at her, not with her - not near her, but at her, I think it makes a big difference.
HAMMER: Well, none of this is lost on the SHOWBIZ TONIGHT viewers. Oh no, our "Showbiz On Call" phone lines, ringing nonstop about this very subject. I want to play a few. Erica in Dallas - listen to what she had to say.
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
ERICA, CALLER FROM DALLAS: Ever since Sarah Palin joined the ticket, it has become the funniest election ever. I just wanted to tell you I never watched CNN as much as I do now.
(END AUDIO CLIP)
HAMMER: All right. Well, this really surprised me. Not everyone agreed with Erica. We asked in our SHOWBIZ TONIGHT question of the day, "Is this the funniest election ever?" And here`s how the voting went. Look at that - 43 percent of you said yes; 57 percent of you said no. So despite all the jokes, clearly, there are a lot of people who do not agree that this is the funniest election ever. Carlos, why on earth do you think that is?
DIAZ: Well, obviously they`re pointing back to the 1824 election when John Quincy Adams beat Andrew Jackson. That was comic gold. That was great. But you know what? The best - maybe they`re looking back at 1992. That actually was a great comedic election as well because you had Dana Carvey playing George H. W. Bush; you had Phil Hartman doing Bill Clinton; and you had Dan Quayle playing Dan Quayle. So right there, that was very, very funny.
HAMMER: And on the serious level, perhaps some people just think it`s all a bit sad how funny it actually has become. "Saturday Night Live," of course, always knows how to take an election and make it hilarious.
I want to show you now a little look at the political impersonations of the last three presidents on "SNL."
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: The Saddam loyalists, the insurgents, the terrorists. In phase two, we smoke these folks out, by letting them think they`re winning, you know? Convincing them that we don`t know what we`re doing.
UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: When that girl plays the drums, she is so damn hot.
UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: Let me just sum up, on track, stay the course, 1,000 points of light. Stay the course.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: (UNINTELLIGIBLE). This has been going on for a long time. Lisa, when you look at those old sketches and watch - it`s great to revisit that, but you compare those to what Tina Fey is doing now with her impersonation of Sarah Palin. How do they compare in your mind?
BLOOM: Oh, I think Tina Fey is just off the charts in her impersonation of Sarah Palin. The very day that Sarah Palin was nominated, everybody was E- mailing me that they couldn`t wait to see Tina Fey play her. Of course, she had to come back to SNL and do.
And look, she`s so easy. Sarah Palin sticks by her guns in saying she has foreign policy experience because Alaska is near Russia. I mean, she just provides so much comedic fodder it`s irresistible.
HAMMER: Yes. Well, let me throw this possibly rhetorical question out. "Saturday Night Live" has just announced they`re going to be doing these weekly specials starting next week, leading up to the election.
Carlos, I`ve got 15 seconds for you, of all of the candidates, who should be the most worried or do I really need to even ask?
DIAZ: Come on, Sarah Palin needs to be the most worried. And something we always forget, people look back at the classics where, you know, these comedians impersonate the presidential candidates. They`re never good off the bat. They take a few times to get to know them. Tina Fey is the first to get Sarah Palin right from the get-go.
HAMMER: Yes. There`s no development curve there, whatsoever. Carlos Diaz, Lisa Bloom, thank you guys for being here tonight.
Now, we want to turn it over to you for our SHOWBIZ TONIGHT question of the day. Ponder this - "Sarah Palin`s TV Appearances: Have they helped her image?" Let us know what you think at CNN.com/ShowbizTonight. You can also E-mail showbiztonight@cnn.com.
ANDERSON: You know, A.J. A lot of Hollywood has been profiting off Sarah Palin.
HAMMER: Yes, think about it. Very true. Look at all of the Tina Fey "Saturday Night Live" skits, the ratings there going through the roof which means there`s money. But there`s so much more. Katie Couric - her career revived because of her Palin interview. Even Rosie O`Donnell firing up "The View" with her brand-new attacks on Sarah Palin and Elisabeth Hasselbeck. Stars profiting off Palin, coming up.
Also this -
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
JILL ISHKANIAN, CALLER WHO REPORTED HEATHER LOCKLEAR: She`s now pulled over and she wandered up and down the street, but now she`s back in the driver`s seat.
911 OPERATOR: All righty. So you said she`s pulled ove to the right or the left?
(END AUDIO CLIP)
ANDERSON: I`ve got to say, this Heather Locklear DUI arrest story is getting really bizarre. Next, dramatic brand-new developments - was Heather set up by the woman who made that 911 call?
And you have got to see Leo DiCaprio`s big surprise for Ellen DeGeneres` audience. Leo stopped by Ellen`s show and her audience went wild. We`ve got it, coming up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
ISHKANIAN: She`s now pulled over and she wandered up and down the street, but now she`s back in the driver`s seat.
911 OPERATOR: All righty. So you said she`s pulled over to the right or the left?
(END AUDIO CLIP)
ANDERSON: The dramatic 911 call that led to Heather Locklear`s arrest on suspicion of DUI. Tonight, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT with startling new developments. Is it possible Heather Locklear was set up?
Welcome back to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. I`m Brooke Anderson in Hollywood.
Tonight, really disturbing new details about the person who made the call to 911 the day Heather Locklear was busted on suspicion of DUI. It turns out, she runs a paparazzi agency and she sold the pictures she took of Locklear`s arrest.
With me tonight from Hollywood, Darren Kavinoky who`s an attorney for the Kavinoky Law Firm. Also in Hollywood, Ashlan Gorse. She`s a news correspondent for "E!" I appreciate you both being here
I want to sort this out and take a look at the SHOWBIZ news line. Last Saturday, September 27, police received a 911 call from a woman claiming Heather Locklear appears drunk. Heather is then arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence and suspicion of driving under the influence of a controlled substance.
Tuesday, September 30th, the dramatic 911 call is released. And Wednesday, October 1st - here`s the kicker - the 911 caller is identified as a paparazzo named Jill Ishkanian. Jill Ishkanian sold the pictures she snapped of Locklear`s arrest for, listen to this, $27,000.
All right. Prosecutors have not decided whether to formally charge Locklear. But if they do, Darren, does this whole thing damage the prosecutor`s case?
DARREN KAVINOKY, KAVINOKY LAW FIRM: Prosecutors cannot be happy about this turn of events, that this supposed good Samaritan who`s just looking out for the welfare of a driver on California`s roadway has a little bit more of a motivation to phone this thing in.
And now, we learn that it was actually 27,000 reasons why she might be interested in the welfare of Heather Locklear.
So this isn`t good for prosecutors. It`s certainly not going to help them in the court of public opinion. And I`ve said it before and I`ll say it again, I`m not taking that T.J. Hooker poster down from my room yet.
ANDERSON: OK. Leave it tacked up there, Darren. And I want you to listen right now to part of the dramatic call that Jill Ishkanian did make to 911.
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
ISHKANIAN: She was drunk at the - we were at the market. She was drunk at the market and she got in the car and then we saw her pulled over. She`s now pulled over and she wandered up and down the street. But now, she`s back in the driver`s seat.
911 OPERATOR: All righty. So you said she`s pulled over to the right or the left?
ISHKANIAN: She`s on the right side.
911 OPERATOR: OK. Hang on.
ISHKANIAN: Oh, she`s revving her engine.
(END AUDIO CLIP)
ANDERSON: All right. Today, Ishkanian`s attorney told SHOWBIZ TONIGHT that her taking the pictures is no different than, quote, "if she had come upon a house on fire, called 911 and then taken pictures of the firefighters putting out the blaze.
Ashlan, do you buy that logic?
ASHLAN GORSE, NEWS CORRESPONDENT, "E!": Well, here`s the thing. Obviously, we don`t really know what Jill saw. But we had another eyewitness that was at the market that saw Heather Locklear and said, "You know, she looked a little out of sorts. She looked like she wasn`t really put together. She wasn`t dressed all that great. But didn`t look drunk."
She said Heather did not look drunk and she was actually surprised to hear that she had gotten pulled over outside of the market. So, again, I don`t know what Jill saw, but we have another eyewitness saying that Heather looked - she looked fine, just a little shabby.
ANDERSON: Yes. And officers, of course, say that they have ruled out alcohol. But they did obtain a chemical test and are awaiting the results to see if she was under the influence of a controlled substance.
And Darren, given what we know now, do you think that Heather`s attorneys have a good case to argue that maybe this was a set-up?
KAVINOKY: Oh, they certainly have some good facts to argue there. And of course, the chemical test will be very telling. And in this case, what we really have got to wait to see is whether or not prosecutors can prove beyond a reasonable doubt that at the time Heather was behind the wheel, she was under the influence.
If they can prove those facts, if they can prove those elements beyond a reasonable doubt, it may matter in the court of public opinion, but it won`t matter in a court of law, even if the key witness against her was Eva Braun. So -
ANDERSON: I want to talk about the court of public opinion very quickly. If she is charged, given what we know, Ashlan, quickly, do you think there`s going to be huge public sympathy for Heather?
GORSE: I think that because of Heather`s past issues that she has with, you know, her husband and her best friend or ex-husband now, I think she`s already kind of winning in the court of public opinion. So I think, especially if these, you know, come back saying that she wasn`t, you know, on any controlled substance, she`s fine. And if so, I still think people might stick behind her.
ANDERSON: Yes. And we will keep you updated on the story, of course. Ashlan Gorse, Darren Kavinoky, thank you both for your insight.
HAMMER: Keep in mind that we want you to call us at "Showbiz On Call" so you can let us know what you think about whether it`s Heather Locklear or anything else that happens to be on your mind.
ANDERSON: That`s right, A.J. We`re getting tons of calls about Hollywood and the presidential election. Marvin calling from Ohio says, forget voting, he`s got a totally different way to settle this whole thing.
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
MARVIN, CALLER FROM OHIO: Let`s just get this over with right now. Let`s put Obama and McCain in the ring, three rounds of boxing. And for the main event, we`ll put George Bush and Vladimir Putin in the ring for three rounds. And the winner of those two bouts gets Chavez.
(END AUDIO CLIP)
ANDERSON: A.J., I don`t know if anybody would be left standing after all that.
HAMMER: Marvin put a lot of thought into that.
Call us on "Showbiz On Call" - 1-888-SBT-BUZZ; 1-888- 728-2899. Leave us a voicemail about anything so we can play your calls here on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
ANDERSON: You know, A.J., Hollywood is making some serious cash off Sarah Palin. You`ve got "SNL" getting huge ratings because of these Tina Fey- Palin skits. And look a Katie Couric; her career revived because of her Palin interview. Even Rosie O`Donnell firing up "The View" with her brand- new attack on Sarah Palin and Elisabeth Hasselbeck. Stars profiting off Palin, coming up.
Also this -
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SARAH SILVERMAN, COMEDIENNE: You know why your grandparents don`t like Barack Obama? Because his name sounds scary. But you`d think somebody named Manischevitz Gooberman(ph) might understand that.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: Oy, you`ve got to see this bubble of Sarah Silverman trying to get young Jews to schlep to Florida, go to dinner at 4:00 in the afternoon, play a little bridge, do whatever it takes to get their grandparents to vote Obama. It`s pretty darn funny. It`s coming up.
ANDERSON: And Leo DiCaprio surprises Ellen DeGeneres` audience big-time. You have got to see what Leo brought to Ellen`s show, straight ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HAMMER: Welcome back to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. I`m A.J. Hammer.
ANDERSON: And I`m Brooke Anderson with some more stories making news right now.
HAMMER: Well, the entire Brangelina posse are back in the United States right here in New York City, as a matter of fact - Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie and their six kids. That`s a whole lot of luggage. Well, they`re in town for the premiere of Angie`s new movie "Changeling." This is the first time Angelina has been in the U.S. since her and Brad`s twins, Knox and Vivienne were born in July in France.
ANDERSON: And get ready for Rosie`s big return to television. Tonight I can tell you that Rosie O`Donnell will host a live variety show called "Rosie`s Variety Hour." It will air November 26th, the night before Thanksgiving and have guest stars, comedy, music, even a prize giveaway. If the show gets big numbers, it could become a regular series.
And A.J., I can tell you that tonight, Rosie O`Donnell is speaking out again about Sarah Palin and the war going on at "The View" over Sarah. Rosie is really fired up and getting some good publicity out of it.
But she`s not the only star profiting off Palin. Just look at "SNL`s" ratings because of those Palin skits. Even Katie Couric`s career is looking up because of her controversial interview with Sarah Palin. Hollywood profiting off Palin, next.
And Leo surprises Ellen DeGeneres` audience big-time with something that could affect the election.
And also this -
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SILVERMAN: Do you know why your grandparents don`t like Barack Obama? Because his name sounds scary. But you`d think that somebody named Manischevitz Gooberman(ph) might understand that.
HAMMER: (UNINTELLIGIBLE). Sarah Silverman`s busting out good old- fashioned Jewish guilt to get grandparents to vote for Barack Obama. I`ll tell you, you`re going to think this is very funny no matter what your background. That`s coming up on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
(NEWS BREAK)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HAMMER: Now, on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, Rosie O`Donnell speaks out about the fireworks that flew on "The View." "The View" got really heated when the ladies talked about Sarah Palin. So what does Rosie think about her former colleagues` behavior?
Plus, how everyone from "The View" to Katie Couric to the guy who made her glasses seems to be profiting from Palin.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SILVERMAN: You know why your grandparents don`t like Barack Obama? Because his name sounds scary. But you`d think somebody named Manischevitz Gooberman(ph) might understand that.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: A different Sarah jumps into the election season with guns ablazing. Tonight, Sarah Silverman`s hilarious take on how young Jewish voters can get their grandparents to go for Obama.
TV`s most provocative entertainment news show continues right now.
(MUSIC)
Welcome back to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. It`s 30 minutes past the hour. I`m A.J. Hammer, broadcasting tonight and every night from New York City.
ANDERSON: And I`m Brooke Anderson coming to you tonight from Hollywood.
HAMMER: Well, tonight, Sarah Palin hopes to win the second highest job in the land. But who is really winning and profiting because of Sarah Palin?
From "Saturday Night Live" to the Japanese company that makes Palin`s glasses, you know, everybody seems to be cashing in on Sarah.
Tina Fey who, of course, left "Saturday Night Live" just two years ago, just had to come back to play Sarah Palin. This has been a huge hit for her and for the show.
And the "CBS Evening News" with Katie Couric has really become must- see TV since snagging the second network news interview with Palin.
And the ladies of "The View" were at each other`s throats but sending ratings through the roof because of their passion about Palin. Palin`s also revived the old rivalry between Rosie O`Donnell and Elisabeth Hasselbeck.
With me tonight in New York, Lisa Bloom. She`s an anchor for "In Session." Also in New York tonight is Roland Martin, who is an analyst for CNN and also a supporter of Barack Obama. And in Hollywood tonight is Carlos Diaz, a correspondent for "Extra."
Gang, let`s fire it up with Tina Fey because, you know, for my money, you can`t even look at Sarah Palin without making the connection to Tina and that`s all because of this -
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
AMY POEHLER, ACTRESS: You went to the U.N. for the first time. How was that experience?
FEY: Oh, you know, it was just amazing. So many interesting people, though I have to say I was disheartened by how many of them were foreigners. When Sen. McCain and I are elected we`re going to get those jobs back in America.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: Well, we know Tina Fey was already a star. She was certainly well-known. But she`s gone from that to really being a household name. Lisa, it seems to me there`s nobody`s profiting from the foils of Palin more than Tina Fey.
BLOOM: Yes, Tina for VP, I say. Look, she`s beautiful. She`s smart. She`s sassy and unlike Sarah Palin, she can speak in complete sentences. I love her.
HAMMER: I think everybody is on that train, too. We know Tina Fey also is going to be playing Sarah Palin on "SNL" at least through the election because it`s been so profitable for "SNL." Their ratings are up more than 50 percent since this all started.
Roland, given how devastating Fey`s impersonations have been, should Palin be a little concerned here?
ROLAND MARTIN, CNN ANALYST: Well, frankly, I think she should be concerned. Because when you are drawing this amount of attention when people are making this much fun of you, there`s a reason for that. They`re not going after McCain in the same way. Biden or Obama in the same way.
So it is the tone. This could be a close election. People don`t understand. The last election, 2004 - 19 electoral college votes were decided by less than 50,000 votes in Iowa, New Hampshire, New Mexico, as well as Delaware.
HAMMER: Yes.
MARTIN: And so trust me, it makes a difference if somebody says, "That`s the person who could be VP? I`m not going there."
HAMMER: Yes. I have to say it and I`ve said it before on this program, it`s almost sometimes when you`re watching Sarah Palin, it can seem like she`s a bit of a caricature of herself because -
MARTIN: Comedy that has been put on her.
HAMMER: Precisely. And Tina Fey`s skit last Saturday was based almost word-for-word on Sarah Palin`s real-life interview with Katie Couric. Now, Couric has done this whole series of interviews with Palin all week on the "CBS Evening News." Let`s watch some of that.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KATIE COURIC, ANCHOR, "CBS EVENING NEWS": Do you consider yourself a feminist?
PALIN: I do, a feminist who believes in equal rights. And I believe that women certainly today have every opportunity that a man has.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: She believes that. All right. Well, Katie`s real-life interview with Palin has gotten her unprecedented attention these days. She`s all over the Web with it in addition to CBS. And it`s paying off for her, you know, especially given the rough couple of years that she`s had since leaving the "Today" show.
Over to you, Carlos Diaz. Do you think Katie should be sending Sarah a big, old "thank you" gift basket?
DIAZ: Well, I always felt sorry for Katie and I felt bad for her because of the fact that she didn`t deserve the negative press that she got. And finally, we`re seeing the Katie Couric that we all knew could be a talented as she is.
And she really puts people at ease, especially Sarah Palin, when she`s interviewing her because she has that great demeanor where she`s, you know - she`s very - just conversational.
And she brings Sarah out of Sarah. And that`s where we get the comedy because Sarah`s so at ease that she says things maybe she shouldn`t be saying because she feels like she`s talking to one of her friends.
HAMMER: Yes. But certainly, to a point - a boon for Katie Couric, you know, that everybody`s got their eyes on her and saying, as you said, "Oh, yes. She doesn`t know what the heck she`s doing."
DIAZ: But, A.J., keep in mind - keep in mind, A.J., when Obama first came on the scene - look, people like freshness. They like newness. When Obama first came on the scene, he was on magazine covers. People were writing books. He was on television. Every time we talked about Obama, ratings went up.
This is what happens when you have a new face. She didn`t win in the primary. So Folks have no idea about her. The more she talks, the more interesting - and trust me, with some of the comments she`s making, it`s definitely, the more she talks, more interesting.
HAMMER: Yes. And certainly, we did see profit from Obama for people when he first came on to the scene. No question about that.
Let`s move over to another group of people who are really profiting, I believe, from what`s going on right now in this election, the ladies of "The View." I mean, they`ve been getting into these all-out shout-fests. It`s pretty entertaining just to watch them and try to understand what they`re saying.
And most of it is happening over Sarah Palin and the panel`s outspoken Republican Elisabeth Hasselbeck who`s really been taking the brunt or the heat here. But could she profit from Sarah Palin? Interesting to think about.
Our "Showbiz On Call" phone lines have been buzzing about this. We heard from Diane. And Diane had a little encouragement for Elisabeth. Listen to her.
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
DIANE, CALLER: I feel very sorry for Elisabeth Hasselbeck. I feel the ladies on "The View" are not being open in their discussion. And I would just like to tell Elisabeth that I think she should leave "The View" and go somewhere else where she can be appreciated.
(END AUDIO CLIP)
HAMMER: Oh, I think she`s being appreciated, maybe for the wrong reasons. Although in all fairness, Barbara Walters did say it`s good to have her on for the balance.
Lisa Bloom, I want to send this one to you. Is our caller Diane on to something here? Could Elisabeth actually profit here, maybe be the big winner and get a show of her own?
BLOOM: Though I disagree with Elisabeth on practically everything, I admire her because she`s smart. She`s forthright. She concedes when she`s wrong about something. And I think she`s terrific, although on the other side and beyond most things.
But, no, I think she needs "The View" because she needs people to argue with, and they need her. It`s usually three on one, and I think Elisabeth handles herself very well (UNINTELLIGIBLE).
MARTIN: Of course, she watches Sean Hannity all day so she`s used to being three on one the other way. I mean, look, the bottom line is this - passion pays off in television.
BLOOM: Sure.
MARTIN: So it does benefit her in this way because she`s able to sit there and defend. On the flipside, you know, when she was ripping on Rev. Wright and Obama, trust me, I didn`t hear conservatives saying, "Oh, that poor Elisabeth."
BLOOM: Yes.
HAMMER: No, we didn`t hear that. I have a feeling this could be parlayed, if not now or in the immediate future after the election. At some point, I believe we will see Elisabeth in a more political television role down the line.
Let`s talk about Rosie O`Donnell for a moment. She left "The View," of course, after getting into her big heated debates with Elisabeth about the war. And it seems that the war of words between those two is not over yet.
Rosie`s been watching. She`s been blogging about the explosive fight that`s been going on between the ladies of "The View." And on Wednesday, we saw that happening over Sarah Palin.
I want to read a couple of Rosie`s postings. A fan asks, "Hey. Wow. Did you watch `The View` today? Didn`t you think EH - Elisabeth - was a little bit disrespectful to BW - Barbara Walters - when she was asked to say three reasons why Sarah Palin is qualified?"
Rosie`s answer was, "Yes, and yes.
And there`s this one that she wrote, "Who do you think would make a good replacement for Elisabeth?"
Rosie replies to that writer, "Anyone."
Wow! Carlos Diaz, to you - that hurts. Certainly, there`s still no love lost between Rosie and Elisabeth.
DIAZ: I`m shocked. I`m shocked A.J. I cannot believe this is going on right now, that Rosie would just rip on Elisabeth like this.
You know what? I agree with everything you guys are saying. I don`t agree with what Elisabeth is saying as far as, you know, her stance on, you know, being a Republican and this and that. But you know what? The show needs her. Without her, there`s no counterpoint. They have to have her on the show.
And you know what? I watched the other day. It wasn`t that bad when Barbara said to her, you know, "Give me three reasons to vote for Sarah Palin." She wasn`t being that rude because she was just saying, "Well, tell me why we should vote for Barack Obama?" I mean, you know, she just threw it right back in their face. So -
(CROSS TALK)
HAMMER: Yes. As I pointed out, you know, in my mind, the best way to answer a question that`s being posed to you is not with a question. But that`s a whole separate topic.
MARTIN: Look, it`s a great conversation and people like to see people going at it, whether you like her or not. So I think it`s great. What Elisabeth should be doing - frankly, Elisabeth should be thanking them for putting her in the position because she`s generating more attention. Because if you really look at it, people spend more time, the public at large who don`t watch "The View," talking about Whoopi, Barbara Walters and Joy, versus Elisabeth. The person who should be scared is Sherri. Nobody`s talking about her.
HAMMER: That`s true. Sherri got started - she is doing a yeoman`s job of trying to get in there and share some of the information.
And I have five seconds for one last question off to Lisa Bloom. You know, one of the guys who`s really profiting is the one who makes the Sarah Palin glasses. There`s like a two-month wait for those glasses.
Lisa, will you be wearing those on television?
BLOOM: You will never see me wearing those, OK? You will never, ever see it. Don`t hold your breath. Don`t stop the presses. It`s not going to happen.
HAMMER: The segment ends there. Lisa Bloom, Roland Martin, Carlos Diaz, thank you all.
Now, let`s turn it over to you. Here`s our SHOWBIZ TONIGHT question of the day, "Sarah Palin`s TV Appearances: Have they helped her image?" What do you think? You can let us know at CNN.com/ShowbizTonight. Or you can write to us. Our E-mail address is showbiztonight@cnn.com.
And we definitely want you to call us at "Showbiz On Call" so you can let us know via telephone what you think about this or anything else that happens to be on your mind.
ANDERSON: We certainly do want you to do that, A.J. The "Showbiz On Call" phone lines, always open. Call us 1-888-SBT-BUZZ; 1-888-728-2899. Leave a voicemail. We`ll play some of your calls right here on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
HAMMER: Well, Brooke, we have seen a lot of stars making video for this campaign season. But for me, I haven`t seen anything as funny as what Sarah Silverman did.
BLOOM: Yes, it`s true. She really has a different take on how to get people to vote for Obama.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SILVERMAN: Do you know why your grandparents don`t like Barack Obama? Because his name sounds scary. But you`d think that somebody named Manischevitz Gooberman (ph) might understand that.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: We`ve got the story behind Sarah`s sidesplitting video, coming up.
HAMMER: Also, Leo DiCaprio surprises the audience on the "Ellen DeGeneres Show" with a special delivery. Wait until you see the surprise that he brought. That is coming up.
ANDERSON: And Anne Hathaway speaks out about the scandal involving her ex- boyfriend who`s in jail waiting to be sentenced on fraud and money laundering charges. What did Anne learn from that experience? Next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANDERSON: Welcome back to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. I`m Brooke Anderson in Hollywood.
Tonight, the stars are coming out in full force as the campaign season reaches a fever pitch, trying to get people to vote. And they`re trying all sorts of methods to get the word out.
Take a look at this. Jessica Alba going for the shock value here. She posed for a new ad in the "Declare Yourself" campaign wearing kind of a Hannibal Lecter mask.
Alba said if you don`t register and vote, you`re essentially just binding and muzzling yourself.
HAMMER: Well, you know, Jessica Alba`s not the star trying to get people to vote. One of the campaign season`s funniest videos comes from comedienne Sarah Silverman who has a rather interesting take on how young Jewish voters can get their grandparents to support Barack Obama.
Here`s SHOWBIZ TONIGHT`s Kareen Wynter.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KAREEN WYNTER, CNN ENTERTAINMENT CORRESPONDENT: Sarah Silverman is bringing her dirty humor to the campaign trail.
SILVERMAN: And get your fat, Jewish (EXPLETIVE DELETED) on a plane to Florida.
WYNTER: And she isn`t kidding. Check out this four-minute Internet video on the Web site, "TheGreatSchlep.com." Silverman wants young Jewish voters to schlep it to Florida, a closely-fought battleground state to convince their undecided grandparents to vote for Obama.
SILVERMAN: You know why your grandparents don`t like Barack Obama? Because his name sounds scary. But you`d think that somebody named Manischevitz Gooberman (ph) might understand that.
ARI WALLACH, CO-FOUNDER, "THEGREATSCHLEP.COM": It literally took Sarah about 15 seconds to get to concept, say yes and already start kind of scripting it out. And we had it about 10 days later.
SILVERMAN: You know, you could compare an elderly Jewish woman like Nanna(ph), to a young black man - they both love track suits. They can`t get enough of them. What else? Car of choice, the Cadillac. All their friends are dying.
UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: No, no.
WYNTER: Jokes aside, Wallach`s campaign has a serious goal.
WALLACH: Twelve percent of the American Jewish community is undecided. It comes out to a few hundred thousand votes. Most of those actually are in swing states.
WYNTER: Wallach says response to their initiative has been overwhelming. Silverman`s video has received more than a million hits and more than 11,000 people have joined at the organization`s Facebook page.
WALLACH: It`s a testament to the work that people are doing across the board and how strong they believe in this candidate and the change that he can bring to America.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HAMMER: That is SHOWBIZ TONIGHT`s Kareen Wynter.
ANDERSON: And then we have Leonardo DiCaprio. He has teamed up with the virtual who`s-who list of Hollywood to make a public service announcement that encourages people to vote.
And Leo made his first-ever appearance on "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" to talk about it. When he showed up in the studio, it was a total surprise to the audience. Take a look at this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
(CHEERS AND APPLAUSE)
LEONARDO DICAPRIO, ACTOR: So here you go. There`s the DVD.
ELLEN DEGENERES, HOST, "THE ELLEN DEGENERES SHOW": Here he is.
(CHEERS AND APPLAUSE)
All right, this is such a great idea. Tell me how you came up with it and what this is before people see it.
DICAPRIO: Well, basically, a few friends of mine about a week and a half ago, Forest Whitaker and Toby Maguire and Will I Am and myself were talking about how soon the voter registration deadline is. And that`s only days away.
I mean, in 35 states in our country, the deadline is October 6th, that`s this Monday. And starting this Saturday, October 4th is a deadline as well. So we really wanted to do a, you know, PSA to really encourage people to get out there, get your friends, register online.
The Web site is online on our PSA on how people can register. It`s really easy. It`s simple. If you don`t have a computer, go to your local courthouse, your post office - register there. And really, you know, this is one of most important elections of our lifetime and we really need to tell everyone we know to get out and register.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: OK. So wait until you see this thing. I can`t remember ever seeing so many of Hollywood`s biggest stars in one video. Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
FOREST WHITAKER, ACTOR: Do not vote.
UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: There`s no point.
UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: Why?
DEGENERES: Who cares about Darfur?
SETH ROGEN, ACTOR: Darfur? I don`t even know what the (EXPLETIVE DELETED) that is. That sounds like a t-shirt company to me.
UNIDENTIFIED ACTRESS: You don`t care? I don`t care.
ASHTON KUTCHER, ACTOR: Don`t vote. Whatever you do, don`t vote.
UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: Nobody`s listening to you. So hey, you know what?
UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: (EXPLETIVE DELETED) it.
HALLE BERRY, ACTRESS: Don`t vote, unless you care about healthcare.
WHITAKER: If you think that everybody deserves to be taken care of when they`re sick -
UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: Then maybe you should actually reconsider and maybe you should vote.
UNIDENTIFIED ACTRESS: If you care about gun control -
EVA LONGORIA, ACTRESS: Women`s rights, civil rights -
TOBY MAGUIRE, ACTOR: Rising gas prices -
UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR:: Social security -
LONGORIA: The war, then you should vote.
WILL I AM, MUSICIAN: You know, you have to register to vote, right?
DICAPRIO: I mean, you do know that, right? You have to register first in order to vote.
BERRY: OK. So look, if you`re like me and you`re already registered to vote, that`s cool. But your responsibility goes much deeper than that. I need you to take this and send it to five people.
KUTCHER: To send it to five people that care as much as you think you care.
SILVERMAN: Five friends.
JENNIFER ANISTON: God, I hope you have at least five friends.
UNIDENTIFIED ACTRESS: I did have five friends.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Did you catch all those stars? Halle Berry, Jennifer Aniston, Ashton Kutcher, Dustin Hoffman. It is pretty unbelievable that PSA goes on from there for a few more minutes telling you to go to Maps.Google.com/Vote to find out how to register in your area.
HAMMER: What a great idea. Brooke, you know, we tell people to call us for any reason at all. We have been getting interesting feedback at "Showbiz On Call" about Paris Hilton and her televised search for a new best friend.
ANDERSON: That`s right. Paris` reality show has hit the airwaves. And the "Showbiz On Call" phone lines ringing off the hook.
Here`s one call we got from Regina in Texas.
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
REGINA, CALLER FROM TEXAS: Oh, I just think that she looks really desperate and sad and lonely, that she would go on TV to find a best friend. You know, I liked it when she was with Nicole. They should have (UNINTELLIGIBLE) out.
(END AUDIO CLIP)
HAMMER: Be like Regina and call us at "Showbiz On Call" so you can let us know what you think about this or, as I said, anything that is on your mind.
ANDERSON: "Showbiz On Call" phone lines open 24/7. Call us, 1-888-SBT- BUZZ; 1-888-728-2899. Leave a voicemail. We will play some of your calls here on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
HAMMER: Well, Anne Hathaway is finally speaking out about a painful time. Her ex-boyfriend in jail waiting to be sentenced on fraud and money laundering charges. They were together four years before the scandal. So what has Anne learned? You will hear it next from Anne herself on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HAMMER: Welcome back to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. Well, Anne Hathaway is speaking out about the very public scandal involving her ex-boyfriend of four years who is now in jail awaiting sentencing on fraud and money-laundering.
Anne had nothing to do with the charges but the breakup and the scandal were all over the news for a while. And on "Good Morning, America," Robin Roberts asked Anne what she learned from the experience. Watch this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ANNE HATHAWAY, ACTRESS: I suppose if anything, the thing I learned is that life is a journey. There is never going to be a point where you figured everything out no matter how dramatic the things that happen to you are. So I don`t know that I can say I have learned one specific thing. I have learned a lot of little things I am still piecing together.
But I - if I have to put a banner on it that I learned it, I`ve learned that is OK that if you find yourself in a position, in a situation and you are still piecing together things, you don`t need to judge yourself for that.
I`m really honoring the fact that I`m 25 years old. And I was really surprised by a situation. And I have a lot of people that love me that have protected me, that were trying to protect me before and are doing even more so now.
And when you have that to focus on you, I am - when you have that focus on you and that kind of love I am in a position right now where I am in a place to grow. So I`ll come on the show and let you know when I have learned something concrete. But in the interim, I am really enjoying the process.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: Anne Hathaway is already getting Oscar buzz for her new role in Jonathan Demme`s new movie where she plays a drug addict who`s let out of rehab to go to her sister`s wedding. And Anne also says that she can relate to her character because, well, everyone knows the unsavory details of her life, the ones she wished could remain private. She says she`s got a lot of people who love her as you heard, and she`s just trying to keep her sense of humor.
You can see Anne Hathaway in "Rachel`s Getting Married." It is in theaters on Friday. Brooke, I`ve got to tell you, I love Anne Hathaway, one of my favorite younger stars.
ANDERSON: Yes, and she seems very mature about the situation that she went through.
HAMMER: Absolutely. And she`s so tough then. 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. Don`t forget you can always catch SHOWBIZ TONIGHT on the 11:00s - 11:00 p.m. and Pacific. And in the morning, at 11:00 a.m. Eastern. The latest from "CNN HEADLINE NEWS" is next.
END
