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Showbiz Tonight
Howard K. Stern and Two Doctors Arrested; Octumom`s New House Toilet-Papered; Maniston Calls it Quits; Hulk Hogan`s Divorce Smackdown; Michael Phelps Speaks about The Marijuana Issue
Aired March 13, 2009 - 23:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
A.J. HAMMER, HOST: Now, on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, the brand-new Anna Nicole Smith drug bombshell. Tonight, Anna Nicole`s longtime boyfriend and attorney, Howard K. Stern, and two of her doctors charged two years after she died. Tonight, did they really give Anna Nicole the drugs that are linked to her death? Tonight, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT with the amazing story behind the dramatic arrests.
Did Jennifer Aniston and John Mayer break up again? Tonight, the brand-new details of why they reportedly split. But wait a second. Did John and Jen reunite just so Aniston could get publicity for her new movies? Or are we being too cynical? Tonight, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT goes looking for the Aniston answers.
Plus, caught on tape. Hulk Hogan in a brand-new explosive divorce smackdown.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Are you going to wrestle with me here? (UNINTELLIGIBLE) I tell you what.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: Tonight, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT with Hulk`s unbelievable brawl. And we will show you the whole thing.
TV`s most provocative entertainment news show starts right now.
(MUSIC)
Hello. I`m A.J. Hammer, broadcasting tonight and every night from New York City. And here now is something I never thought I`d be saying again, a brand-new Anna Nicole Smith bombshell. There, I said it. Incredibly, more than two years after her death, the Anna Nicole Smith three-ring circus is back in full force.
Tonight, Anna Nicole`s former lawyer and lover, Howard K. Stern, is charged with helping provide her dangerous amounts of prescription drugs in the months before Anna Nicole died of a drug overdose. Also charged tonight, two doctors accused of prescribing the drugs.
SHOWBIZ TONIGHT can tell you that this wild and disturbing story is still developing at this hour, and it is making big news right now.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
(voice over): You think a "Law & Order" is a long-running legal drama, it`s got nothing on Anna Nicole Smith who`s starring in yet another gripping legal drama, even two years after her death. Her lawyer/boyfriend/wannabe baby daddy, Howard K. Stern, has been arrested along with two doctors for allegedly furnishing Anna Nicole with prescription drugs.
HARVEY LEVIN, TMZ: Officials are basically saying Anna was an addict, and they were enabling her by hook or crook. That`s the allegation.
HAMMER: We`re talking lots of prescription drugs from sleep aids to valium, Xanax, muscle relaxers, opiates, methadone - literally hundreds of pills, all allegedly funneled to Anna Nicole right up until the day an overdose killed her in 2007. Authorities are on the war path.
JERRY BROWN, CALIFORNIA ATTORNEY GENERAL: I think it`s damn serious.
HAMMER: Howard K. Stern was Anna Nicole`s right-hand man in the later years of her life, popping up next to her in court and even in a reality show.
HOWARD K. STERN, ANNA NICOLE SMITH`S FORMER LAWYER AND LOVER: So what do you want?
ANNA NICOLE SMITH, ACTRESS: I want to you leave me alone.
STERN: She was my best friend, my lover, the mother of my daughter.
HAMMER: He famously claimed, incorrectly as it turned out, that he was the father of Anna Nicole`s baby, Dannielynn. Now, California authorities are saying he filled another role as one of Anna Nicole`s drug suppliers.
J. BROWN: What we have in this case is a conspiracy among three individuals - Howard K. Stern as the principal enabler; Dr. Eroshevich and Dr. Kapoor, are prescribing drugs excessively to a known addict and using false and fictitious names, all in violation of the law. This was done knowingly and it`s done with tragic consequences.
HAMMER: Anna Nicole died in February of 2007 after she was found unconscious in this Florida hotel. The cause of death was a prescription drug overdose. Her son, Daniel, had also overdosed just months earlier. And after her own death, we began to see just how big a role drugs played in this former model`s troubled life.
LEVIN: After Anna Nicole died, we got hold of a photograph of the refrigerator in Anna`s bedroom, and it shows a big container of methadone. And that is powerful proof that there were issues in terms of what Anna was consuming.
HAMMER: At that wild and weird court hearing to determine where Anna Nicole would be buried, her mother testified about her drug use.
VIRGIE MAE ARTHUR, MOTHER OF ANNA NICOLE SMITH: She was on valium. She liked downers. She didn`t like uppers. She didn`t want to be up. She liked downers.
HAMMER: As did Stern.
STERN: Anna Nicole was on prescription medication at different times. When you say "drugs," I don`t want you to give the impression she was using anything illegal.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: was she abusing these drugs? Was she taking too many of them?
STERN: Look, I`m not a doctor.
LARRY BIRKHEAD, FATHER OF ANNA NICOLE`S DAUGHTER: At times I took her medicines, and I was told by Mr. Stern to give it back to her because she needed it had to live.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Larry Birkhead, the father of Anna Nicole`s baby girl, Dannielynn, emotionally blamed Stern for her drug use.
BIRKHEAD: You don`t know how many times I had to help her and to carry her back and forth to make sure she was OK. Sometimes I didn`t even know if she was going to live. And they kept bringing more and more drugs into the house.
HAMMER: Stern and Birkhead eventually reconciled, and Stern denied illegally supplying drugs to Anna Nicole. But authorities apparently suspect otherwise.
LEVIN: A month ago we got word that the authorities had raided the office of Dr. Kapoor, looking specifically for information about Howard K. Stern.
HAMMER: It looks like the Anna Nicole legal drama is going to have another chapter, possibly one that could answer some questions about the death of one of America`s most tragic pop culture icons.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HAMMER: I feel like I`m having a flashback here. It feels like 2007 all over again. So now that Howard K. Stern has been charged, could he be sent to prison?
Well, joining me tonight from Hollywood is Jim Moret, the senior correspondent from "Inside Edition." And in New York, Jean Casarez, legal correspondent for "In Session."
I`ve got it right here in my hands - this is a 21-page arrest warrant for Howard K. Stern and Anna Nicole`s doctors Sandeep Kapoor and Khristine Erosevich.
Jim Moret, I`m heading to you first. It`s now been two years since you and I were here talking about this, since Anna Nicole died. Why the heck did it take so long?
JIM MORET, SENIOR CORRESPONDENT, "INSIDE EDITION": Well, you know, that`s a good question. A lot of people - frankly, I don`t know anyone who`s really surprised other than the fact that it took two years to bring these indictments.
Anyone who saw Anna Nicole Smith and saw the tapes of her knew that she had a problem. The question is, how did she get the drugs? The allegations here, and we heard the California Attorney General Jerry Brown, say in no uncertain terms, the allegation is that Howard K. Stern was Anna Nicole`s chief enabler.
I think what the California - the attorney general wanted to do was to make sure that they had a clean investigation. So the fact that it took so long shouldn`t disturb people. The thing that should give people hope is the fact that the allegations were brought in the first place.
I think they`ve got probably a pretty strong case, and you listen to some of the words of the court hearings that you were playing earlier, some of those words could come back to haunt Howard K. Stern.
HAMMER: Yes. And maybe we`ll get answers. I want to get into what you just said in a moment. Jean Casarez, to you - and I`m thinking, this is the first time you and I have spoken since all the craziness of the Anna Nicole Smith story. You were covering it just like Jim. Should Howard K. Stern be worried that the case of Anna Nicole`s death could be reopened?
JEAN CASAREZ, LEGAL CORRESPONDENT, "IN SESSION": That`s a very interesting question, and I think that`s what`s on everybody`s mind. But remember, this is a conspiracy case about those prescription drugs.
But you know, I remember in 2007 when I was in the Bahamas with all those legal issues. And we heard that the California Medical Board was starting an investigation on these two doctors. So I think that`s where it began.
And I think the reason it`s taken two years is there`s a lot of locations. You not only have California, you had witnesses in Florida. You had witnesses in the south.
Remember, they had friends in the south, a wealthy investment financier, and they would go there. And friends said Anna Nicole Smith had drugs along with Howard K. Stern there. And in the Bahamas - remember in the allegations in the complaint that Howard K. Stern had a doctor take drugs to the Bahamas when the pharmacy in California just wouldn`t fill the prescription.
HAMMER: You know, we`re talking about all of this, and the saga that it was is all coming back to me. And I think everybody is paying attention now.
I mean, as we mentioned, Howard K. Stern and Larry Birkhead, arch- enemies at one time, but they basically became friends after the custody battle over Anna Nicole`s daughter, Dannielynn ended.
But during that custody battle, and I want to show this to you again, Birkhead gave what I thought was explosive testimony about Stern allegedly administering drugs to Anna Nicole while she was in the hospital. Let`s roll that.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BIRKHEAD: We had a couple clashes in the hospital room because she and Mr. Stern brought in a duffel bag. And when there wasn`t enough administered through the drips that she was on, they would take them out of the bag and take it on top of the drugs that they were giving at the hospital and thwarting the efforts by the hospital to get her of the medications.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: OK. So Jim Moret, back to you and your point. If Howard K. Stern goes to trial and Birkhead gives this powerful, firsthand testimony, should Howard K. Stern be real worried?
MORET: I think he should. First of all, that testimony was already given under oath. You can`t take it back. I mean, he`s not saying he`s trying to recant that testimony at this point.
You`ve also got 600 pills of which 450 were muscle relaxants that were missing from prescriptions that were less than five weeks old at the time of Anna Nicole`s death. So you have some physical evidence, circumstantial evidence. You`ve got testimony.
I think Howard K. Stern should be very worried. There are 11 allegations, or 11 counts in these complaints spread across these three people. They`re each facing six different counts. I think each of them has plenty of cause to be concerned.
HAMMER: And there`s a lot of evidence out there and a lot of testimony out there. Can we put up, Charles, what I thought was the iconic tape that was played during this whole thing?
We all remember this controversial tape. It was played looking like Anna Nicole was under the influence. Howard K. Stern was behind the camera asking if she was on a mushroom trip.
Jean Casarez, only 10 seconds, but could something like this play into the case as well?
CASAREZ: Definitely. And that`s why this has taken two years. They`ve had to go through a videotape like this because there`s audio of Stern along with that tape. He`s at the camera.
HAMMER: Jim Moret, Jeanne Casarez, I thank you both.
All right. So moving on now, everybody is talking about Jennifer Aniston and John Mayer and wondering, did they break up again? Tonight, the brand-new details of why they reportedly split.
But hang on just a second here. Did Jen and John get back together in the first place just so Aniston could plug her movies? Or maybe are we just being a little too cynical?
Well, tonight, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT goes looking for the Aniston answers. That is coming up.
Also this -
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Are you going to wrestle with me? Are you going to come across the cameras? Then be quiet. Be quiet. Be quiet. Be quiet. You had your time to talk. You`re done.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: Wow! Caught on tape. Hulk Hogan in a brand-new explosive divorce smackdown. Tonight, the unbelievable brawl. We`re going to show you the whole thing.
And brand-new octuplet mom developments. The octumom reveals whether she wants to have more kids. Oh, joy. And her new house, remember that? Well, somebody`s covered it with toilet paper and she hasn`t even moved in yet. This is SHOWBIZ TONIGHT on HLN.
Now, the "SHOWBIZ News Ticker" - more stories from the SHOWBIZ TONIGHT newsroom making news right now.
(CAPTION READS: Garry Marshall to "People" magazine: Robin Williams doing well after heart surgery. Former talk show host Montel Williams to host radio show on Air America.)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ASHTON KUTCHER, ACTOR: My mom leaves me messages on Facebook, so I have to check and see if my mom left me a message.
DEMI MOORE, ACTRESS: Oh, see. That`s the excuse, mom. Meanwhile, he`s now on Twitter. No?
KUTCHER: No, I`m not. I`m on Facebook.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: Did you see this? Demi Moore and hubby, Ashton, starring in a brand-new home movie. That`s Demi behind the camera and putting herself on camera, smacking down Ashton for spending too much time on Facebook. Demi claims that they were running late for a flight so that`s why she wanted Ashton to get the heck off the computer. Come on, Demi, don`t be such a grouch.
Speaking of grouches, will Oscar the grouch be evicted from his trash can?
Welcome back to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. I`m A.J. Hammer in New York.
And yes, tonight, the "Sesame Street" slump. There are fewer sunny days on "Sesame Street," I am sad to report. That`s because the company that produces the show is getting slammed by the recession. They`re cutting back a whole bunch of jobs as a result. But even with the layoffs, comedians are not laying off "Sesame Street." Here`s CNN`s Jeanne Moos for SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
COOKIE MONSTER: "C" is for cookie
JEANNE MOOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Forget cookies, "C" is for cutbacks. And when the producers of "Sesame Street" announced them, the parodies weren`t far behind.
KERMIT T. FROG: Usually we have sunny days at "Sesame Street," but today, unfortunately, is not one of those days.
MOOS: This is not the official announcement. This is the voice of viral video comedian Phillip Wilbourne(ph) delivering the bad news.
KERMIT T. FROG: Reducing our job forces by 20 percent.
MOOS: 67 out of 355 staff positions are being cut. On Muppet Blogs, sadness reigned. Wall Street is one thing, but "Sesame Street?" The world is coming to an end. Count von Count seemed worried his days were numbered.
KERMIT T. FROG: Yes.
COUNT VON COUNT: How many jobs are we talking? One. One job. Two. Two jobs.
MOOS: The real producers of "Sesame Street" wouldn`t specify which jobs will be cut. Repeat after me, kids. "L" is for layoffs, "R" is for recession, "F" is for foreclosure.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Big Bird, why aren`t you in your nest on "Sesame Street?"
BIG BIRD: The big bank took it when I defaulted on my adjustable rate mortgage.
MOOS: Actually, this comedy bit foreshadows the "Sesame Street" layoffs. Mad TV did it months ago.
"U" is for uninsured, so when the Cookie Monster`s insulin levels dropped -
COOKIE MONSTER: Cookie. No have health insurance. So cookie have to cut off. D for diabetes
MOOS: Despite the attempts at humorous headlines, Oscar the Grouch gets canned. It`s a safe bet that 20 percent of positions eliminated won`t include the star characters.
"S" is for sorry. We`re sorry to be making fun when we know real people are losing their jobs. But losing our sense of humor wouldn`t help though there are worse things to lose. Lost one of my feet - diabetes is what is wrong with cookies
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HAMMER: Funny and really sad at the same time. That was CNN`s Jeanne Moos for SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
So on Thursday, we asked you to vote on our question of the day. This was it - "Rihanna-Chris Brown duet: Are they sending the wrong message?" I`m not really surprised by how this went. Look at that, one-sided - 92 percent said yes, the wrong message, eight percent of you said no.
I can also tell you the "Showbiz on Call" phone lines are still being jammed. Everybody is calling in all about Chris Brown and Rihanna. And in particular, you`re really fired up about this growing backlash against Rihanna for getting back together with Brown after he allegedly beat her up.
I want you to listen to this call into "Showbiz on Call" from C.C. in Texas.
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
C.C., CALLER FROM TEXAS: I want to say that I think any endorsements that Rihanna has contracts for, including her record company, they should drop her, get her out of the public eye so this sends a message to the viewers that idolize her that her poor judgment won`t affect anyone else.
HAMMER: Thanks, C.C. We appreciate your call. We also heard from Erica calling into "Showbiz on Call" from North Carolina. And she thinks people should just back off.
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
ERICA, CALLER FROM NORTH CAROLINA: I just want to say about Rihanna and Chris Brown that, once again, I think everybody should stop being so judgmental. She`s a normal girl in this situation and not a celebrity. It just sucks that all this has to be blown up about her and Chris Brown and that we have to trust her decision and support her instead of putting her down. Because she`s already going through enough.
(END AUDIO CLIP)
HAMMER: We appreciate your call, Erica. And remember, you, too, can call us at "Showbiz on Call." Let us know what you`ve got on your mind. Call us about this or anything else.
The "Showbiz on Call" phone lines are open all the time, 1-888-SBT- BUZZ; that`s 1-888-728-2899. Leave us a voicemail. We`ll play some of your calls right here on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
And we are posting your calls, too, right there on our home page, CNN.com/ShowbizTonight.
Also we`re getting a ton of calls into "Showbiz on Call" about Jennifer Aniston and John Mayer. Tonight, brand-new reports that they have broken up again. But I have got to ask, did these two just get back together - I mean, they went to the Oscars arm in arm - did they get back together for publicity and to promote Aniston`s movies? We`ve got that coming up. We will check it out.
Plus, a shocking new Anna Nicole Smith arrest. Her ex-boyfriend and attorney Howard K. Stern charged with giving her prescription drugs before her death. Tonight, we ask, could Stern also face charges in the death of Anna Nicole Smith`s son?
And the dramatic, unbelievable story of three guys who battled a giant shark for two hours and lived to tell about it. Wait until you see this. It is "SHOWBIZ Caught on Tape." This is SHOWBIZ TONIGHT on HLN. N
Now, the "SHOWBIZ News Ticker" - more stories from the SHOWBIZ TONIGHT newsroom making news right now.
(CAPTION READS: Defense rests in Phil Spector murder retrial; Spector made "Wall of Sound" in `60s. The "O.C.`s" Mischa Barton to star in new CW TV pilot produced by Ashton Kutcher.)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HAMMER: Take a look at this. This is absolutely unbelievable. Three men fight a huge tiger shark for two hours. A life-and-death struggle. And tonight, it is all caught on tape.
Welcome back to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. I`m A.J. Hammer. And I think this story is just incredible especially because it was caught on tape. Three men were spear-fishing for tuna in the Gulf of Mexico near Mississippi and filming it.
And then out of the blue, a giant tiger shark appeared. Now, these guys have certainly run into sharks before doing what they do, but this time, things felt different. The shark charged, and for the next two hours, this life-and-death battle was caught on tape. Listen to them telling their amazing story on this morning`s "Today" show.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I turned around, and she comes straight in at me. So I did what any filmmaker would do - I pressed record.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE Right.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And I was trying to posture aggressively because that`s what you do when a shark is coming at you and swim towards it. I pushed the camera towards the shark, and it turned at the last second, thankfully.
MATT LAUER, CO-HOST, THE "TODAY" SHOW: Yes, eventually you end up getting between ...
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Right.
LAUER: ... the shark and the camera. And you realize you`ve got to do something and you speared it.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I did.
LAUER: You shot it.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I did.
LAUER: Now, a 12-foot tiger shark - one shot does not kill that shark, is that correct?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Those animals have been designed and have changed very little in just millions of years. And they`re just the perfect predator. They`re very resilient. And it takes a lot, you know, once - one spear on that shark was not going to bring it down.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, I mean, the shot that he placed - I mean, you`re trying to - at that situation, you`re not trying to wound the animal. You know, you`re not sitting there trying to wound it. Craig shot it in the most lethal spot that he possibly could with one spear. So at that point, you`re attached to this animal. It`s not, you know, just roaming free anymore. You have an intimate connection.
LAUER: Two hours now go by before this shark was eventually killed. And I just want to make - you say this intimate connection. It`s kind of a hunter`s code where you don`t wound something and then run for the boat and say, good luck, shark. You finish the job. And that`s really what took place.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: Just a wild, wild story. Now, the fishermen say they do feel bad about having had to kill the shark, but they realized it was either her or them.
Now, the "SHOWBIZ lineup." Here`s what`s coming up at the bottom of the hour on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
The octumom`s brand-new revelation. So does the octuplet mom want to have more kids? We`re going to fill you in. Plus, the octumom`s brand-new house. Look at that, toilet papered. Ouch!
Jennifer Aniston and John Mayer reportedly break up again. But I`ve got to ask, did they get back together in the first place just so Aniston could plug her new movies? I`m just saying.
And the brand-new Hulk Hogan smackdown caught on tape. You`ve got to see it, and we are going to play the whole thing for you. This is SHOWBIZ TONIGHT on HLN.
And now, the "SHOWBIZ News Ticker" - more stories from the SHOWBIZ TONIGHT newsroom making news right now.
(CAPTION READS: Michael J. Fox`s wife, Tracy Pollan, to play Natalee Holloway`s mom in "Lifetime" movie. Sting to launch red wine, produced from his own estate in Italy.)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HAMMER: Now, on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, Jennifer Aniston single again. Jen and John Mayer call it quits for a second time. Tonight, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT is asking, is it just us, or is it kind of a coincidence that the Oscars are over, her movie promotion is over, and the relationship is over?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Are you going to wrestle with me here? Are you going to come and turn off the cameras? Then be quiet. Be quiet. Be quiet. Be quiet. You had your time to talk. You`re done.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: It`s a Hulk Hogan smackdown caught on tape. Tonight, the unbelievable face-off with Hulk Hogan that you have to see for yourself, and SHOWBIZ TONIGHT has the entire remarkable showdown.
Plus, more stories breaking from the "SHOWBIZ News Ticker."
TV`s most provocative entertainment news show continues right now.
(MUSIC)
Welcome back to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. It is 30 minutes past the hour. I`m A.J. Hammer, broadcasting tonight and every night from New York City.
And tonight, from the octumom to Maniston. There are big, brand-new stories tonight including the big break-up heard round the world. Yes, Jennifer Aniston and John Mayer`s on-again, off-again relationship is now reportedly kaput again.
But tonight, we dare to ask, was this all an elaborate act so Aniston would get attention for her new movies? Have we all just been duped?
HAMMER: And you`ve got to see this. Brand-new tonight, octumom Nadya Suleman gets some welcome into her new neighborhood. Her house wrapped in toilet paper. This on the heels of octumom`s startling promise to close shop for good. Yes, no more pregnancies for her. That`s it. She`s done. Really?
Joining me tonight in New York, Marvet Britto, who is a celebrity publicist and founder of the Britto Agency. Also in New York, Steven Smith, who`s a music and pop culture expert.
And I want to begin with the news of Jennifer Aniston and John Mayer have reportedly now called it quits. And I`d like to show you just how we got to where we are today in the "SHOWBIZ Newsline." Bring it up. February 2008 - Aniston and Mayer first hook up. In August, they split and Mayer publicly claims he ended it. In November 2008, Jen tells Oprah they`re back on.
February 5th, last month, Aniston`s new movie, "He`s Just Not Into You," opens. February 22nd, John and Jen go to the Oscars together. And then on Thursday, the reports that they have split.
Oh, the drama. Steven, I don`t know about you. My head`s about to explode. Did we all just get punked here?
STEVEN SMITH, MUSIC AND POP CULTURE EXPERT: As much as I would like to think we did, that would be awesome, but no, we didn`t. They`re just a couple who had a relationship that didn`t work out. And I know she had all the movies and he, of course, has his music career. But I don`t think it was anything for publicity.
I think they were going out to have fun a party. You know how it is when a relationship ends, you`re like, "Just do this one last thing for me. Just come hang out." And they did. And it`s a real big bummer because I was really rooting for them. I thought they were a great couple.
HAMMER: You were a Faniston.
SMITH: I was a total Faniston.
HAMMER: OK. All right. But you know, the cynics would disagree with you, Steven. And I`m not saying that I`m among them.
SMITH: Right.
HAMMER: I`m not saying either way. I`m just talking about it here. Because this apparent break-up is coming on the heels of, you know, that very public appearance as the huge couple at this year`s Oscars. Now, listen to what John Mayer told kiss FM`s Ryan Seacrest about that night.
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
JOHN MAYER, SINGER: I was sort of there to - you know, it`s not my world, the Oscar thing. But I really felt like, "Gosh, you`re so sweet to me that night," you know. Because you can go from Grammy winner to a water boy when you walk into the Kodak Theatre on Oscar night. That`s a whole different level, you know? So I was sort of like moral support/will you please introduce me to so and so?
(END AUDIO CLIP)
HAMMER: OK. So now we could really try to read into this if we wanted to. You know, John Mayer telling Ryan Seacrest he was there for moral support - would you introduce me to so and so, as he said. But looking back now - and Marvet, this off to you - when you see the video of those two together, they did seem so lovey-dovey, or did they?
MARVET BRITTO, FOUNDER, BRITTO AGENCY: John Mayer has been to be known as a serial dater, not the type of guy that you meet when you looking for love and a baby carriage. He just isn`t that guy. So quite typically, we don`t know the inner workings. We weren`t privy to what really transpired or the understanding that he and Jennifer Aniston had.
Maybe perhaps she, too, was just simply looking for a seat-filler and really just wanted some companionship. It seems as though they were having a good time.
HAMMER: OK. Steven Smith, let me bring you back in here because I just want to run down a bit more of the evidence. Let`s not forget, OK, Aniston was promoting two movies. She had "Marley & Me" and "He`s Just Not That Into You," plus the appearance at the Oscars. You know, all that pressure with Jen getting up there to present when she just was standing yards away from her ex-husband, Brad Pitt, and that Angelina Jolie woman.
So are you sure, Steven, that this wasn`t perhaps some highly-crafted plan on their part?
SMITH: As much as I want to think that all celebrities are, in fact, diabolical mad men sitting in their chairs stroking their cats, no. I sincerely believe they were a couple trying to work things out.
And I think that was the last thing on her mind, Jennifer Aniston thinking, "You know what? I`ve got to show up Brad Pitt. I`m going to bring in John Mayer. Yes, that`s great. He`ll be quaking in his underwear with that."
No, seriously, I think they were a couple who were drawn through humor, tried to work it out, had some off-and-on points. Relationships are messy when they`re not in the spotlight.
HAMMER: That`s true. That`s true. Now, I do want to get a reality check on all of this, though. Because there are people who would say, "Yes, you`re being way too cynical, thinking this is some kind of conspiracy theory, and that doesn`t actually happen in Hollywood."
Now, Marvet, you know a thing or two about the inside workings of the publicity world. This is what you do for a living. So please now, give it to America straight. Does this really happen?
BRITTO: Dating up absolutely happens. But it typically happens when you have an A-list star dating a D-lister. Both John and Jennifer are A-list stars. So really, there wasn`t anything for either of them to gain by showing up to the Oscars together. So I think they really were dating. They really were in a relationship and it just went south.
HAMMER: Well, hear now my confession. I really like them both. So if there was any cynicism bubbling below the surface for me, it`s now been completely averted, thanks to you two.
SMITH: Awesome.
HAMMER: Let`s move on. The octumom, Nadya Suleman - brand-new about her tonight. Nadya Suleman, 14 kids later, makes a major proclamation - she`s never getting pregnant again. Roll that.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Do you see a future for you as a surrogate mother?
NADYA SULEMAN, OCTUPLET MOTHER: I`m never going to be pregnant again.
HAMMER: OK. Right there. Inside that six seconds, we learned she`s never going to get pregnant again. Steven, should we all be breathing a huge sigh of relief right now?
SMITH: I think her uterus should be breathing a sigh of relief. They must be thrilled. No. No, Jon Stewart made a great point on "David Letterman" that she could be a new breeding machine for the new millennium, you know, keeping armies fulfilled and, you know, putting people in colleges.
No, I think we lost out here. No. Seriously. The woman is obviously disturbed and has gone through a lot. And I really wish her nothing but the best. With 14 kids, she`s going to need all the help she can.
HAMMER: Yes. Well, you know, she`s getting - in addition to some help, she`s getting a very strange welcome. Because octumom`s getting set to move into that $500,000 home she just bought. Her neighbors may not be so happy about that.
Let`s take a look at this particular picture. Somebody took it upon themselves. Maybe it was a bunch of people. Maybe it was wild animals, but they wrapped toilet paper around her brand-new house.
Marvet, this is coming just after we thought, you know, maybe she had turned the corner after her appearances on "Dr. Phil" this week. But it really shows she still has an uphill battle to get people on her side, doesn`t it?
BRITTO: She really does. The public is not happy about the fact that, you know, we`re typically supporting this woman and her 14 children. So what she`s seeing is that whatever she says about not having any more children is sadly too little, too late.
She has been privy to America`s real feelings, and those are her neighbors. Best way of showing her, welcome to the neighborhood.
HAMMER: So Steven, do you think despite all the work that`s gone into turning the octumom`s image around - and I really thought she was making progress - but do you think it`s not working just yet?
SMITH: I think it`s going to be an uphill battle no matter what, specifically from mothers. And there are so many women out there, it`s so hard for them to conceive. And here`s someone who I believe just took advantage of the in-vitro system.
It`s a very hard process, very painful. And now, she`s used that to become a celebrity. Not the best kind of celebrity, but it is going to be really hard for her to gain any kind of popularity.
HAMMER: Yes. And if people really wanted to help her, they wouldn`t have used toilet paper. They would have strewn diapers everywhere.
SMITH: Of course, completely.
HAMMER: Steven Smith, Marvet Britto, thanks, guys.
Now, over to you for our SHOWBIZ TONIGHT question of the day on Jen and John - "Jennifer Aniston and John Mayer Split: Are you shocked?" Keep voting at CNN.com/ShowbizTonight or E-mail showbiztonight@cnn.com.
Coming up, it`s a Hulk Hogan smackdown.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You are the person that has caused this issue. You think that you talk about all these different things (UNINTELLIGIBLE). I tell you what.
(CROSS TALK)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I tell you what, I did. You`re right.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: We haven`t seen a showdown like this since Hulk left the wrestling ring. And it`s all caught on tape. Coming up, we`re going to show you this entire remarkable face-off.
HAMMER: Also, the Anna Nicole Smith saga continues, believe it or not, two years after her death. Howard K. Stern charged with illegally supplying her with drugs. But is it possible that he could also be implicated in the death of Anna Nicole`s son, Daniel, who also died because of prescription drugs?
And Michael Phelps speaking out about the whole big marijuana mess. It is his first major TV interview since that photo came out. You know, the one where he`s smoking pot from a bong? So what does the Olympic swimming champ have to say about that scandal now? This is SHOWBIZ TONIGHT on HLN.
(CAPTION READS: Michael Jackson London concert tickets sell out in four hours. Scarlett Johansson joins the cast of "Iron Man 2.")
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Are you going to wrestle with me here? Are you going to come across the cameras? Then be quiet. Be quiet. Be quiet. Be quiet.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: Tonight, the Hulk Hogan smackdown caught on camera. The lawyer for Hulk Hogan`s wife goes toe-to-toe with the Hulkster in court in front of TV cameras. It is the smackdown you have just got to see to believe.
Welcome back to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. Tonight, two huge stories making news right now. The wild, caught-on-tape fight between Hulk Hogan and the lawyer for his soon-to-be ex-wife. We`re going to play you the entire thing. Trust me, it is something you do not want to miss.
Plus, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT`s continuing coverage of the shocking arrest of Howard K. Stern, Anna Nicole Smith`s former lawyer and lover charged with conspiring to give Anna Nicole prescription drugs before she died of a drug overdose two years ago. Could this conspiracy be indirectly linked to the death of Anna Nicole`s son?
With me tonight from Hollywood is Jim Moret, who is a senior correspondent for "Inside Edition." And in New York, Ashleigh Banfield, anchor for the legal network, "In Session."
All right. Let`s start with the unbelievable courthouse battle between Hulk Hogan and his wife`s attorney. Hulk and his wife, Linda, were in court for yet another hearing about money in their incredibly nasty divorce case.
And after court, Linda`s attorney was talking to the press. And then, the fireworks started. Watch this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Now, as far as trying to hold our money hostage because of things they`ve done or did not do, I don`t think it`s appropriate. And there is no prejudice. In other words, it`s - whoa, whoa, whoa. Hey, hey. Listen to Mr. Bollea - Mr. Bollea. Mr. Bollea, are you going to wrestle with me here? Are you going to come across the cameras? Then be quiet. Be quiet. Be quiet. Be quiet. Be quiet.
You had your time to talk. You`re done. You`re done. No, it`s not a free world. It`s called professionalism. It`s called ethics.
OK. You know what? You`re an actor. You`re acting now. If you had morals, why did you set up all these companies and try to ditch it? What`s so moral about that?
Let me tell you something. You are the person that has caused this issue. You sit there and you talk about all these different things with Linda.
HULK HOGAN, PROFESSIONAL WRESTLER AND REALITY TV STAR: Hey, I hope (UNINTELLIGIBLE) autograph earlier. Thank you, brother.
(CROSS TALK)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Now, you want to argue with me? All right. Good. See you. I guess I get the feeling what it`s like to be in the WWE now.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: OK. All right. And what I love there watching that is Hulk Hogan never lost his cool. And as you might have heard, he was calling the attorney out for an autograph that he had asked for. But the attorney asked for an autographed picture of the Hulk for his kid before that all got caught on tape.
Jim Moret, off to you. Did it kind of seem that maybe this attorney was hamming it up a bit for the cameras and maybe if there were no cameras rolling, that wouldn`t have happened?
MORET: I`ve never seen an attorney that doesn`t want a camera on, I`ll tell you. But I don`t think he would have said any of that if no one was around. We`re talking about Hulk Hogan. You look at the size different between those two.
Look, he was holding a news conference. Hulk Hogan interrupted the news conference. I think that his emotions got the best of him. Was he hamming it up? Yes, perhaps. Is it going to have any impact on the case? I doubt it.
But you know, you get caught up in these legal battles and it`s hard to turn off. And I think he just simply got carried away.
HAMMER: And I don`t think he came off looking very good either. What was that quote he said in the middle there? It`s not a free world? Ashleigh Banfield, I mean, life is reality TV, isn`t it?
ASHLEIGH BANFIELD, ANCHOR, "IN SESSION": It is, and I don`t know this attorney`s strategy was. Was it to further his legal career or his television career? I hope it was the latter because that is actually really inappropriate behavior for somebody who`s been called to the bar.
May I just say I don`t know if the reality cameras were there or just the news cameras. But there was something he said a little bit later in the tape to another attorney, something like, "You`re despicable." Or "What you`ve done and what you`re doing is despicable." And I don`t know if it amounts to defamation. But I`m pretty sure that I wouldn`t have published stuff like that if I were an attorney.
HAMMER: Yes. Well, this is why reality TV is so successful because you can`t script stuff like that.
All right. We`ve got to move on the huge news of the rest of Anna Nicole Smith`s former attorney and boyfriend, Howard K. Stern. Now, Stern, along with two doctors, are facing charges now of conspiring to give Anna Nicole massive amounts of prescription drugs before she, of course, died of a drug overdose in February of 2007.
Anna Nicole`s son, Daniel, as we remember, also died of an accidental prescription drug overdose in 2008. So Jim Moret, this question - is it far-fetched to think that somehow, if there is a trial here, it might lead to Daniel`s death?
MORET: No, it`s not far-fetched at all. I think these things take time. If you`re looking at the amount of medication that you`re talking about, hundreds and hundreds of pills that were supposedly funneled through Howard K. Stern to make their way to Anna Nicole Smith and Jerry Brown, the California Attorney General calling him the chief enabler in this conspiracy, it`s not far-fetched.
Jerry Brown himself said that he`s not foreclosing any options as far as where this could take the investigation.
HAMMER: And a lot of people, Ashleigh - don`t they still think there was something that was fishy about Daniel`s death?
ASHLEIGH BANFIELD, ANCHOR, "IN SESSION": I think a lot of people think so. But look, the autopsy was done and the manner of death was concluded to be accidental suicide, or overdose I think it was. It was not considered a homicide.
And at this point, the charges we`re seeing today, these strictly amount to prescription behavior and bad behavior at that. They don`t have anything to do at this point with death or with killing Anna or killing Daniel.
Might it get there? Listen, I`ve heard Dr. Cyril Wecht say possibly, but it is a big, big stretch to get all the way to Daniel just because he had methadone that wasn`t prescribed.
(CROSS TALK)
HAMMER: Actually, Jim, I`m afraid I`ve got to end it there. I think we should all brace now for a huge media circus. Jim Moret, Ashleigh Banfield, thank you both.
It is now time for "Making It Work." This is where we take a look at famous couples who manage to build strong relationships in the spotlight.
And tonight, it`s Ellen DeGeneres and Portia De Rossi. Ellen and Portia exchanged wedding vows last August. They did it at their house in Los Angeles. At that time, Ellen told "People" magazine that she is the luckiest girl in the world and joked that Portia was off the market now and would cook and clean for her.
Now, for the first time Portia is a guest on Ellen`s show. Portia and Ellen, see how well they know each other when they play "the newlywed game." Here`s a sneak peek.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Ellen, we`re coming back to you. How old do you think Portia was when she had her first kiss?
ELLEN DEGENERES, HOST, "THE ELLEN DEGENERES SHOW": Oh. I love you.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We know that. What do you say?
DEGENERES: I just think - 7.
PORTIA DE ROSSI, SPOUSE OF ELLEN DEGENERES: I don`t know.
DEGENERES: I don`t know. Just joking around kind of thing.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Fourteen. Double that.
DE ROSSI: Double that.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: All right. Now, it wouldn`t be "The Newlywed Game" if we didn`t talk about Whoopi. Now, Portia, this is for you. What is Ellen`s favorite Whoopi Goldberg movie?
DE ROSSI: Well, this was a tough one.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I know. You had a lot of time.
DE ROSSI: But I went with "The Color Purple."
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Great movie. Of course. Ellen?
DEGENERES: And right after I said this one, I thought of that one and I wish I would have said that one but what came to my mind first was "Ghost."
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Both great movies.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: All right. They still have some learning to do. You can see Portia De Rossi on Monday on "The Ellen DeGeneres Show."
Well, tonight, Michael Phelps is speaking out about his big pot scandal. It is his very first major TV interview since that photo came out. You know, the one where he is smoking pot from a bong? What does the Olympic champion have to say about that whole scandal now? This is SHOWBIZ TONIGHT on HLN.
Now, the "SHOWBIZ News Ticker" - more stories from the SHOWBIZ TONIGHT newsroom making news right now.
(CAPTION READS: "Dog Whisperer" Cesar Milan becomes U.S. citizen. Jamie Kennedy confirms he is dating Jennifer Love Hewitt.)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
Welcome back to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. I`m A.J. Hammer in New York. Tonight, Michael Phelps speaks out on camera about his marijuana scandal. In his first major TV interview since the now-infamous photo surfaced of him smoking pot from a bong at a party, the Olympic swimming champion spoke to Matt Lauer on the "Today" show. Matt asked Michael what was going on at that party in South Carolina.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAEL PHELPS, OLYMPIC SWIMMING CHAMPION: We were sitting around and celebrating.
MATT LAUER, CO-HOST, THE "TODAY" SHOW: You know, I have to ask you, were you smoking pot?
PHELPS: It was a bad mistake. I mean, We all know what you and I are talking about. A stupid mistake - you know, bad judgment. For me, I feel my duty is to try to help other people not make this mistake.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: Well, Phelps is training again. He said that he`s glad to be back in the pool and feeling very comfortable.
All right. Tonight, it`s George Clooney`s big return to the "ER." I was watching. Clooney was back on the show as it wraps up its 15 years on the air. He reprised his role as Dr. Doug Ross. Dr. Ross is in Seattle with his wife, Carol Hathaway, reprised last night as well by Juliana Margolis.
And in this episode, he`s trying to convince a woman played by Susan Sarandon to donate her dying grandson`s organs. And Dr. Ross still knows his stuff. Watch.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GEORGE CLOONEY, ACTOR (as Dr. Doug Ross): CBF allows us to measure the blood flow in the brain by injecting radioactive isotopes into the bloodstream. Now, this is a normal brain - the radioactivity. This is a dead brain, which is essentially silent. It`s your grandson`s brain. There`s no blood flow. No corneal or jaw reflex or gag reflex. He failed the apnea test and now, the CBF. You know what? Billy is gone.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: It was a great episode. Clooney left "ER" back in 1999, of course, to focus on his movie career. And it`s really too bad that never panned out for him.
OK. On Thursday, we asked to you vote on our SHOWBIZ TONIGHT question of the day - "Rihanna and Chris Brown Duet: Are they sending the wrong message?" And look at these results, totally one-sided with 92 percent of you saying yes; eight percent of you saying no.
Among the E-mails we received, we heard from Melanie in Ohio who writes, "It is showing that violence is OK. If a man hits you, just ignore it and sing a song. I don`t think so."
Megan from Ohio writes, "Since both of them are artists, this is their form of talking about it."
And we always appreciate your E-mails. Thank you so much for writing in and thank you so much for watching.
That is it for SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. I`m A.J. Hammer in New York. And remember, you can always catch SHOWBIZ TONIGHT on the 11:00s - 11:00 p.m. Eastern and Pacific, and weekday mornings at 11:00 a.m. Eastern here on HLN.
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