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Jane Velez-Mitchell
Murdered Model Left Club with Unknown Man
Aired January 11, 2010 - 19:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JANE VELEZ-MITCHELL, HOST (voice-over): Tonight, fast-breaking news in that horrifying murder in Miami. Shocking new video shows a "Playboy" model in her final hours, leaving a nightclub. Witnesses say this beautiful woman met up with a mystery man outside that club. Are cops close to finding her killer?
Plus, secrets from a "Real Housewife." Tonight we`re talking with reality TV star Bethany Frankel. Why did she strip down naked for a cause? The chef, TV star, and expecting mom says she`s not afraid to tell it like it is.
And Tila Tequila, is she out of control? New bizarre behavior from the reality diva. She`s still attacking Casey Johnson`s family, and now she`s writing cryptic tweets. Is she hinting she`s pregnant? What? Is there any truth to this? Or is it all for attention? We`ll talk to one of Casey`s friends.
ISSUES starts now.
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VELEZ-MITCHELL: Tonight, police in Miami are warning citizens to watch out, declaring a sadistic brutal killer is on the loose. That, as stunning video surfaces of a beautiful model`s last moments of life. New (ph) police now have a lead that could blow this investigation wide open. We hope so.
This surveillance video shows 26-year-old "Playboy" model Paula Sladewski leaving a Miami nightclub at about 7:21 a.m. on Sunday, January 3, hours before she was found dead. It`s grainy. It`s hard to make out, but police have confirmed it is Paula on the tape.
The man you see behind her is a club bouncer. He is not a suspect. Police are now looking for an unidentified man who witnesses say walked away with Paula after she left the club. Police say it is not her boyfriend, because this mystery man is being described only as an African- American, which the boyfriend is not.
Paula`s body was found at about 9 p.m. that night inside a Dumpster. Her body was burned beyond recognition.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PATSY WATKINS, PAULA`S MOTHER: I lost my baby. And she was only 26 years old. I`m just so mad that somebody out there knows something, that my little girl left with somebody. I`m just so angry.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: The initial focus was on Paula`s boyfriend, Kevin Klym, who had been concerned a person of interest. He and she had an alcohol-fueled blowup inside the club, something her family says was somewhat common in their relationship. Kevin insists he took a cab back to their hotel and never saw Paula again. Cops confirm he took a cab back.
So who was the mystery man Paula encountered outside the club and will police be able to track that man down?
Call me with your thoughts or questions: 1-877-JVM-SAYS, 1-877-586- 7297.
Straight out to my amazing expert panel: Mark Eiglarsh, criminal defense attorney and adjunct law professor at University of Miami Law School; Judge Larry Seidlin, famous for presiding over the Anna Nicole Smith body custody case. You will remember this.
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LARRY SEIDLIN, JUDGE: ... DNA, and find out who the father is. It`s enough bologna here. It`s enough bologna.
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VELEZ-MITCHELL: He`s going to help us analyze this case. Also joining me, Lieutenant Neil Cuevas from the North Miami Police Department. And I`m very honored to welcome tonight Paula`s brother and sister, Thomas Bussell and Kelly Farris.
We are deeply, deeply sorry for your loss. We extend our condolences. We want to help find the monster who killed your precious sister.
Thomas, the focus has now shifted away from Paula`s boyfriend and onto this mystery man. What are your thoughts and theories about reports that Paula encountered this unidentified male outside the club and may have walked away with him.
THOMAS BUSSELL, PAULA`S BROTHER: Well, I totally think that she was stalked. I`ve seen the video. I`ve seen video footage for, I don`t know, since Sunday. And I see three men follow her out.
I don`t care what the police are saying. I know what I see in the movie. I know what I`ve seen, and I know one thing. If there was somebody outside that bar waiting for my sister, them three individuals that followed her out had something to do with it.
Of course they`re going to tell the police they don`t know nothing. Some mystery man. She just walked out by herself and -- what -- just picked some John Doe off the street? No way. No way, no way, no way.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Lieutenant Neil Cuevas, you`re the spokesman for the North Miami Police Department. You just heard what the victim`s brother had to say.
What do we know about this mystery man? And can we get a better description than simply the way he`s been described up to this point, as an African-American male? I think we need a better description than that. That`s -- you know, could apply to so many different people.
NEIL CUEVAS, SPOKESMAN, NORTH MIAMI POLICE DEPARTMENT: Well, first of all, let me say that detectives were able to confirm that that was her in the video being escorted out of that nightclub by the employees. There is no video on the outside of that club that we can use.
Additionally, the witnesses reported seeing her walking away with a man that was described only as a black male. Not an African-American. Black male could be of any nationality, and that`s the only description we have at this point. Detectives will be working...
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Can I ask you a question?
CUEVAS: Sure.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: How is it that that can be the only description? I mean, if people could recognize that he`s a black male, as you put it, then we have to have at least a height, an age. Is he elderly, is he young? Because that is not a very helpful description.
CUEVAS: Well, it`s not an awful lot to go on, but the detectives will be working with these witnesses to see if they can, within the next few days, put together a composite that they can then use to try to identify and locate this person to see what, if anything, he had to do with her murder.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Let`s take another look at the surveillance tape of Paula leaving Club Space. We`re going to show you now her walking out. And according to what we`ve been told, it`s a bouncer who was trailing her. Paula`s boyfriend Kevin had already been kicked out of the club about 20 minutes early before this. Here`s his lawyer on "Prime News," explaining what he believes happens.
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MARK BEGININ, KEVIN KLYM`S ATTORNEY (via phone): The bouncers would not let him back into the club. He asked the bouncers, "Please get my girlfriend. We need to leave together." They went back in, spoke with her. They came back out, and they -- and they said she wants to stay; she`s not leaving.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: OK. Kelly Farris, Kevin and Paula were both arguing. Why do you think the bouncer would wait 20 minutes after her boyfriend was kicked out before reportedly escorting her out? I mean, could they be trying to keep them apart, reasoning, well, they`ve been arguing. We don`t want to -- we don`t want to put them together. What`s the thought process here?
KELLY FARRIS, PAULA`S SISTER: It wasn`t really an argument. He tried -- he -- the way that Kevin told me is he grabbed her by the waist to try and say, come on, let`s go, and she said, "I don`t want to go." And boom, within seconds, the two bouncers were on him, kicking him out.
There`s a reason they wanted to get rid of him. They wanted her in there alone. I don`t believe they ever went back in and asked Paula, when -- you know, when he pleaded to get my girlfriend out there. I don`t believe they ever went back in and said, "Paula, he wants you to come out." I don`t believe any of that. I believe this was all a -- you know, they had something to do with it. Those are my thoughts.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Well, listen, we want to say that we have attempted to contact the club numerous times. We`ve left numerous messages, and we certainly have no independent confirmation that anyone in that club had anything to do with any of this, but we would like to hear from them, if they want to come and tell their story or explain what they believe happened. We would like to have that for furthering the truth.
Now, what I`d like to do is rewind. I want to look at the crucial window between the time that Paula left the club and her body tragically being discovered.
Her boyfriend, Kevin, was apparently bounce-kicked out of Club Space after they got into some kind of disagreement at about 7 in the morning. Twenty minutes later Paula was reportedly escorted out of the club. That`s supposedly the video we`re seeing. Witnesses say, according to police, she and a mystery man somehow encountered each other outside the building and walked away. Paula`s body was found about 14 hours later in North Miami.
So I want to ask Lieutenant Cuevas, is there other video inside the club? Have you been able to interview every single person who was in that club that night or at least identify them all and see if there`s anyone who matches, in any way, shape or form, the description of the person who you say encountered her outside the club? Because the family believes that she was possibly stalked by someone there?
CUEVAS: Well, as to the video, the video that is released to the media was released by the attorney representing the boyfriend. The police have in custody a different video that has a couple different angles. But still the video is of poor quality and very grainy.
So it was through interviewing employees within the club and other witnesses that they were able to determine without a doubt that that was Paula in that video leaving the club. They`re still in the process of trying to identify and questioning all the employees that were working that evening, as well as any other patrons in the club that they can identify and talk to.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Have you eliminated the boyfriend as a person of interest? I mean, he seems to be making a very compelling case for the fact that he took a cab home. He says he looked for her. He even hired a private investigator. He called all the hospitals. He doesn`t have a car of his own. So that would further tend to exonerate him. So have you cleared him, Lieutenant?
CUEVAS: The boyfriend continues to be classified as a person of interest, as he has been from the very beginning.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: And -- OK. All right.
Everybody, stay right where you are. We are all over this horrifying murder. Who was this mystery man? Can this new video lead to a break in this horribly tragic case? We want to hear from you on this. Call us: 1- 877-JVM-SAYS, 1-877-586-7297.
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FARRIS: She did not deserve to die in this way. We can`t even give her an open casket. We can`t even see her again. I can`t see myself going back to work, I can`t -- I can`t see myself living a normal life until I know whoever did this is -- pays for it.
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WATKINS: They`ve got to find who did this to my baby. They`ve got to find who did this.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I bet they will.
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VELEZ-MITCHELL: So heartbreaking. That was Paula Sladewski`s grief- stricken mother.
Did this model walk away from a Miami club with her killer? That`s what witnesses told police. They`re looking for this unidentified man.
Back to my panel. We`re going to begin with Judge Larry Seidlin.
You`ve been hearing this back and forth between law enforcement and the victim`s family. What is your insight into this?
SEIDLIN: Well, Jane, I watch you at night, and you`re a woman`s advocate.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Yes.
SEIDLIN: Women are vulnerable and they can`t get under the influence of alcohol or drugs. They have to keep their wits about them. And when they`re on the street, when they`re in private facilities, they`ve got to have someone big and strong around them.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: OK. Guess what? I have to respectfully disagree with you, Judge, for a number of reasons. I think to blame the victim and say, "Well, she was drinking," you know women are sleeping in their homes when they experience home invasions and are raped and murdered. That happened to a beautiful anchorwoman in Tennessee. And women should have the inalienable right to go out and have drinks just like men.
I`m sick and tired of women living with a psychological burka, where - - where if a man commits an act of violence against them, the only response is, "Well, they should watch out."
I will agree with you that there is something called stranger danger. And unfortunately, our society is kind of sending mixed messages to women. I mean, all the literature and all the methodology says, "Oh, you know, men are gallant, and they`re going to help you. They`re going to open the door for you. Oh, they`ll give you a ride." That`s where the danger comes: accepting a ride from a stranger. And we don`t know she did that, Judge.
SEIDLIN: You know, Jane, I would be in court, and hundreds of people in the morning would come in front of me from the night before, for the crimes they committed. There are just so many nuts on the street that it worries me.
I have a 9-year-old little girl. And I know I`m going to make some big physical guy accompany her when she`s out there in nightclubs, bars and restaurants. It`s scary.
But I say this. I have good sources in the Miami Police Department. There`s many videos in that nightclub. There`s more than one. And they`re looking to see who else that this gal associated with. And they`re looking at it now. They`re looking at the videos.
And I spoke to the attorney that represents the boyfriend, and he made a call to the mother. He hired a private investigator to look for the suspect. And it seems that he had good faith. He had bona fides trying to find out who really hurt this gal and sent her to heaven.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Yes. Well, the police, you just heard, still considering him a person of interest. And again, that`s not a suspect. We`re going to go to the phone lines.
Alan in New York, your question or thought, sir?
CALLER: Yes. I was just wondering, what`s the distance between the Dumpster and the club itself? Like how far away.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: About ten miles. About ten miles.
CALLER: Yes. So they said the Dumpster was burning?
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Her body was on fire and was burned beyond recognition.
Mark Eiglarsh, not only are you a noted criminal defense attorney, but you`re living in the Miami area. First of all, I didn`t even know that clubs are open at 7:21 in the morning.
MARK EIGLARSH, CRIMINAL DEFENSE ATTORNEY: Jane, I`m waking up. My kids want their pancakes at 7 in the morning.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Exactly.
EIGLARSH: And it`s not uncommon to have people out that late, but most of them, I would like to think, are impaired. And thus they`re not -- if they even did see someone leave the club, they`re not going to have an accurate recollection or the ability to describe what they saw. So I think this is a daunting task for law enforcement right now.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: It sure is. Now, police do say Kevin`s story checks out. After being kicked out of the club, he says he took a cab back to the hotel. He said he doesn`t even have a car so he wouldn`t be able to dispose of a body. He later called hospitals, jails, police stations looking for Paula and hired a private investigator. Paula`s mom wants to know why Kevin didn`t just wait outside the club until she came out.
Listen to mom.
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WATKINS: And then I just called him, and I was choking. And I was just so upset. And I just wanted -- I wanted -- I just asked him, "Kevin, I just need to know one thing. Why would you leave my little girl in that club all by herself? Why would you do that? Why didn`t you wait outside? I just need to know why. Why did you leave my baby?
And he couldn`t answer me. He said he doesn`t know. And that he was sorry.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Lieutenant Cuevas, why is he still a person of interest? I don`t understand.
CUEVAS: Well, he`s a person of interest because he`s the last person that we know of that knew her to have seen her. And he`ll remain a person of interest until the detectives are absolutely 100 percent sure that there is no involvement on his part in this case.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Is -- do you have any idea where this poor, beautiful young woman was murdered? She was found in the Dumpster. Do you think the crime could have happened there? Or was she killed somewhere else and brought there? Is there any forensic evidence, despite the fire that was set, perhaps DNA of the suspect?
CUEVAS: We believe from the very beginning that she was dead before she was set on fire. We don`t know where it was that the homicide occurred. We haven`t found that location yet. We just know that the Dumpster is where she was laid and set ablaze.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: All right. Well, Mark Eiglarsh I think we need a better description -- that`s No. 1 -- of this mystery man. Yes?
EIGLARSH: Yes. But what`s concerning me is I listen to the lieutenant, is we`re getting a play by play as the investigation is going on. Are we certain that we`re not compromising the investigation in any way by letting the suspect, who may be watching your show or anyone else, know what they`ve got, what they don`t have? Doesn`t that compromise the investigation somehow?
VELEZ-MITCHELL: All right. We`ll give the lieutenant a chance to answer in a second. Everyone stay right where you are. We`re going to have more on this horrifying murder investigation.
Plus, we`re going to be joined by a very special guest in a little bit. I`m going to sit down with "Real Housewife" Bethany Frankel. She`s not afraid to tell it like it is. And she`s also not afraid to strip naked, and I mean naked. We`re going to tell you -- we`re going to tell you why she decided to do this.
But first, hunting down a killer. A beautiful woman murdered, her body found burning in a Dumpster. Who was the mystery man spotted with her outside the nightclub?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DR. REEF KARIM, ADDICTION SPECIALIST: Sexuality is definitely linked with violence. And if you`re a beautiful person, especially a beautiful woman, most people are like, wow, it`s great. You`re beautiful. You have no problems in life.
No, you`re going to get a lot of unwarranted attention. And some of that attention can be violent.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
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FARRIS: They loved each other, and, you know, their relationship got violent when they were both drinking. But he had no way of -- he had no way of transporting her. They didn`t have a rental car.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: That was Paula Sladewski`s devastated sister.
Now, we have on the phone a Florida bouncer who does not want to give his name, but he says he worked at the very club where all of this went down, at least the initial part, where she was last seen.
Hello, how are you?
CALLER: Good, how are you?
VELEZ-MITCHELL: What are your thoughts on all this?
CALLER: Well, it`s interesting. You know, they talk a lot about the timeline from the moment that they actually, you know, saw them separated and the whole nine. The problem is that Club Space is a very busy club in Miami. I mean, it really sometimes is packed to the gills to the point where until like 9, 10 a.m. in the morning, just to get from the main level to the front door, even to the upstairs, normally takes about 20, 25 minutes.
So that timeline sounds correct. It actually sounds pretty quick. From somebody to actually take out of the club, possibly from the top level because it is after hours, to the point they actually took them all the way down and came back up for a second person, I would say about 30 to 40 minutes sounds about accurate if the club is packed.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Why wouldn`t they take them out together? I mean, if you`re both involved in an argument, you`re both drinking, why not say, "Hey, you two, out of here"?
CALLER: Normally, if anything happens inside the club where it may be violent or there`s an altercation, the rule is to take somebody out, get them out of there. Make sure the second person is safe, or if they have friends, then get them out there the second time.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Well, obviously the second person wasn`t safe, because she turned up violently murdered. And again, we don`t want to point the finger at Club Space. We have absolutely no evidence that even the person who`s responsible for this was inside the club.
But let me ask you this. How many people are in that club at any given time? Are we talking like 1,000 people or 500 people?
CALLER: Probably about 500. I mean, there`s really no saying. It really depends on the weekend; it really depends on the time. You know, obviously, the holiday weekends are busier than others. But I mean, there`s no way of telling how many people were in that club.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: But Judge Seidlin, I mean, when a woman who`s clearly intoxicated woman leaves a club by herself after they`ve gotten rid of her boyfriend because they were arguing, is there any responsibility incumbent on this club to put her in a taxi cab and make sure she gets back to her hotel safely or not?
SEIDLIN: I think the bar, this club is going to have some liability. I think they were grossly negligent on how they handled the situation.
I think that Kevin was irresponsible. This Kevin should not have gone under the influence of such deep alcohol and maybe drugs that he has a responsibility, when he`s with his girlfriend, to make sure they`re both safe and secure. And he...
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Well, look, I have to say this.
EIGLARSH: I disagree.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: I have to say this. I mean...
EIGLARSH: I disagree. Jane, I don`t know -- I mean, I respect judge Seidlin, but I`m not sure that we can make the vertical leap that the club, right now, based on limited facts that we have, was negligent or liable. We don`t have all the facts yet.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: And we`d like to hear from that club. We`ve called them repeatedly. So if you have another side of the story you want to bring on, please give us a call.
Lieutenant Cuevas, are you close to finding this man, do you think? I mean, I always hate to use as a description just a person`s race. Because I think it makes -- it can hurt people in general that have nothing to do with it, and it`s not really helpful. When are you going to give us a better description of this mystery man?
CUEVAS: We`re early in the investigation. We`ve just located witnesses that described Paula leaving from the front of the bar with another person.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: All right. Got to leave it right there. Lieutenant, thank you. Come back soon.
Up next, Bethany Frankel. "Real Housewives" goes naked.
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VELEZ-MITCHELL: Secrets from a real housewife, tonight we`re talking with reality TV star Bethenny Frankel. Why did she strip down naked for a cause? The chef, TV star and expecting mom says she`s not afraid to tell it like it is.
And Tila Tequila, is she out of control? New, bizarre behavior from the reality diva; she`s still attacking Casey Johnson`s family and now she`s writing cryptic tweets. Is she hinting she`s pregnant? What? Is there any truth to this? Or is it all for attention? We`ll talk to one of Casey`s friends.
We all know her as the very funny and quick-witted super chef Bethenny from Bravo`s "The Real Housewives of New York". That hit show is gearing up for its third season and Bethenny is a big part of it. How does she do it all?
Bethenny Frankel, a TV star, engaged to be married. She`s also pregnant with her first child. She is also an exercise guru. She`s also a best-selling author. And I`m very happy to say she`s also a big animal lover, going so far as to pose for a PETA ad.
Joining me now: the woman who is not afraid to tell it like it is, the one and only Bethenny Frankel, author of the new-released, "The Skinny Girl Dish: Easy recipes for your naturally-thin life". I love it.
Bethenny, I am so happy you`re here. You and I have a lot in common. We both love animals, we`re both doing work in that regard.
BETHENNY FRANKEL, AUTHOR, "THE SKINNY GIRL DISH": And we both -- we love Issues. I love the name of your show because I have so many issues.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Me too.
FRANKEL: I love it.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Me too, honey. I have so many. I think that`s why they called it ISSUES; never run out of them.
Here`s another big issue the entire country is dealing with. This nation seems completely addicted to food. We`ve got an obesity crisis that is out of control in this country.
Your book shows people that they don`t need to torture themselves to be thin. It has a lot fantastic tips to get people on track. What are a few of the key things Americans need to do to get healthier?
FRANKEL: You can`t make grand resolutions and be drastic because you`ll never sustain that. You also can`t stick to fat-free and low carb and any kind of crazy diet that the last person you spoke to is telling you about. You have to eat real food. You have to eat variety. Bright colors and it has to taste good.
The bottom line is my book is not about fat free, it`s about it tasting good. It`s about it being really easy with very few ingredients. And it`s about teaching you how to think like a chef so you don`t have to go buy all these ingredients and use all these procedures. I teach you kind of how to pull in and accessorize what you already have in your kitchen.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Yes, I love your 10 rules. I use nonstick cookware; I have a nonstick wok, for example. I whip up veggies and tofu with a little oil and some garlic and maybe a little soy sauce and it`s so easy and it`s simple. Because it`s that no-stick wok you can whisk it right out. It doesn`t get stuck and burn on the pan.
FRANKEL: Exactly. You have to have very few tools in your kitchen and they`re not expensive and you have to sort of just be a little bit creative. But I kind of give you have the tools. My book gives you, use what you have variations of. If you don`t have one thing, you have something else. And you might end up with a happy accident.
I used cranberries in a carrot cake instead of raisins; it ended up being much better. So you kind of have to be a little free with it.
And I renovate really fattening recipes. I take the fattening spinach artichoke dip, and renovate it and make it low fat. I do the same thing with guacamole and chicken pot pie so it`s delicious.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: You said happy accident and of course I understand that you`re preggers, darling, congratulations. But you have a fantastic body.
FRANKEL: Thank you.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Now clearly you have been doing something right. You have an amazing body, it`s so incredible that PETA, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, asked you to pose naked for one of their fur, "I`d rather go naked" ads.
Take a look at Bethenny looking good. This billboard is in Times Square. So I want you to tell me. Why did you decide to participate in this campaign against fur? How did this all come about?
FRANKEL: It just so happened that several years ago, a couple of years ago I decided to not wear fur anymore. I decided it was disgusting, there was no reason for it and I really wasn`t never educated on it. I just never thought about it.
They don`t come with a warning label like cigarettes; you just buy a coat and you don`t think about it. And I gradually came to a point where I got rid of everything. Even hoods that have fur trim and gloves that are lined. You don`t really think about it. And there`s so much incredible torture to animals that it`s really hypocritical because I`m a pet lover.
And it`s just such -- I mean meat is a different story on some levels for people because they feel like they have to eat and it`s everywhere and it`s part of food which is arguable. And I`m trying to go in that direction also. But fur is such a frivolity, such a luxury and so ridiculous and people use the, "it`s warmer" BS and the truth is it`s not.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Nonsense. I have to show you this button that I carry with me wherever I go. It says "No Fur" and I wear it in the winter time because I`m at Ground Zero for the fur coats in Manhattan. And I do wear it. That`s my little protest, and I say, I see these women who are shivering in their fur coats and I`m like, wow, all those animals died and you didn`t even get warm, honey.
FRANKEL: Right. And also people aren`t climbing mountains wearing fur. So the mountaineers would be wearing fur if it was the warmest. So you have to be educated. They can`t show the videos because they`re so graphic and it really breaks your heart. And if you like animals then you really have to connect the two, wearing fur hurts animals. I mean, it really does.
These ads are probably PETA`s most recognizable. I want to show you some of the other tons of celebrities who have taken their clothes off to speak out against animal cruelty. There`s a whole list here and urged people not to wear fur.
And nevertheless, despite all this, despite all these stars, one after the other posing naked in order to get people to stop wearing fur there are these fashionistas who insist on wearing it anyway. When are we going to get through to them, Bethenny?
FRANKEL: Honestly I can`t even believe that they do that. They get photographed wearing fur. It`s such an issue that most people know by now, and especially them. They`re so public, and I can`t believe -- I see it all the time in the magazines. The truth is even fake fur...
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Of course.
FRANKEL: It promotes fur.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: You wear a faux button that says it`s fake.
FRANKEL: The problem is the fakes are so good that people think they`re real, so if you`re toting fake fur, you`re making people think it`s real and you`re promoting fur. It`s a lesser of evils, of course.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: You know what? It`s a very, very good point.
I want to get back to your show, the "Housewives" series. It can get a tad crazy at times. I want to look at some of the particularly wild clips. Of course they involve other housewives, not Bethenny.
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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Get your (EXPLETIVE DELETED) face.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You`re a (EXPLETIVE DELETED) liar.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You have no class.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Wait a minute.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh, now I don`t have no class.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No, you don`t. Get your (EXPLETIVE DELETED) hands off me.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Prostitution (EXPLETIVE DELETED) you are engaged 19 times? You (EXPLETIVE DELETED) stupid (EXPLETIVE DELETED).
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Get the (EXPLETIVE DELETED). You trash. Get out of my office. (EXPLETIVE DELETED).
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Put your hands on me. Put your hands on me.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This is me not being the victim. This is not me being a victim, this is me telling you to shut the (EXPLETIVE DELETED) up.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Bethenny, who are these people? You seem so much more sane than these women. How do you deal with them?
FRANKEL: I mean, I think people want to be relevant for something, and if it`s being hysterical or acting like a crazy lunatic, I mean really -- truth is stranger than fiction.
I mean I`ve never seen. If they put that on a scripted television show, you would say that would never happen; that is so fake. And I have to say it`s real and it`s crazy and I have to tell you being pregnant this season while shooting was brutal because I was emotional. And I really just didn`t have it in me. I didn`t have it in me to go through it and the cattiness. It was rough. It`s hard.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Yes. But you`re winning. You`re winning. Come on, girl. "The Real Housewives of New York" is going into its third season, but you`ve become such a big star. You have your own network of fans. And now you are getting your own spin-off show. Tell us about it.
FRANKEL: I don`t know much about exactly what it will be. I mean I think it`ll just be kind of me in New York living my life and now I`ll be six-sixth of a show instead of one-sixth of a show. So, that will be a lot of pressure and it`ll be a lot of liberation. I`m really excited.
I love Bravo, they have been so incredibly great to me. And honestly, if I don`t go back to "Housewives" it will be leaving the party at full tilt. I always like to leave the party when it`s still hot. And this season is going to be so crazy on "Housewives" that it wouldn`t be a bad time to leave.
I don`t know that I won`t come back, but if I don`t, this will be a good time to say good-bye.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Well, you`re going to leave while it`s hot and you`re hot. You look fantastic on that PETA shoot.
FRANKEL: Thank you.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Way to go, girlfriend.
FRANKEL: Thank you.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: That`s right. Let`s do it to it. I love you.
FRANKEL: Thanks.
And be on the lookout for Bethenny`s new show, "Bethenny`s Getting Married" and of course "Real Housewives of New York" returns to Bravo on March 4th.
He wanted attention, and guess what? Now he`s gotten it. The mastermind behind the lame balloon boy hoax is headed to jail. So why was Richard Heene running from the cameras?
And from one attention seeker to another, Tila Tequila hammers Casey Johnson`s family and that`s just the start. Is Tila pregnant? She`s now hinting that she might be. What?
We`re taking your calls on this, 1-877-JVM-SAYS, 1-877-586-7297. Is she for real? Or is she just looking for even more attention?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What are the rumors about you being pregnant?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Tila are you going to the doctor?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Can you confirm about that about you be pregnant?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Tila are you going to the doctor?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: More drama surrounding the mysterious death of heiress Casey Johnson. The socialite`s funeral will likely be a who`s who of Hollywood. But there is one person who will not be there and that is Tila Tequila. We`ll tell you why.
Plus tonight`s "Top of the Block."
Balloon boy`s papa finally behind bars, thank God. Richard Heene turned himself in this morning. He`ll spend 90 days in jail for planning that hoax that had the entire nation fooled, although Heene is still denying the whole thing. Richard and his wife claim their 6-year-old son Falcon was trapped inside that homemade giant Mylar balloon 10,000 feet in the air.
But when the balloon hit the ground, of course as we all Know Falcon wasn`t in it and we feared the worst. Turns out the little boy was hiding in the attic the entire time the kid let it slipped that it was all to get a reality show. Remember this?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
FALCON HEENE, BALLOON BOY: You guys said that we did this for the show.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Yes, we did it for the show. Heene`s wife got jail time as well. Authorities say she admitted everything, confessed, including her weepy, boo-hoo 911 call was a hoax. But get this Richard Heene is blaming her, his wife, for a lot of this. Now, saying well, she confessed because the -- she didn`t really know what the word "hoax" meant because her first language is Japanese. Are you serious? You`re full of hot air, Heene.
And that is tonight`s "Top of the Block."
Also tonight: the latest head spinners in the tragic death of billionaire heiress and socialite Casey Johnson. Tila Tequila, Casey`s fiance tweets about having a baby. What?
Plus the tragic 911 call reportedly placed by Casey`s maid who found her lifeless body. Reality star Tila Tequila is now swarmed by paparazzi and caught on camera by Hollywood.com TV. This all happened Friday afternoon actually check this out. She tries to duck the paths with her dog in tow. Really, come on what does Tila expect?
Actually the question should be is Tila expecting?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What are the humors about you being pregnant?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Tila are you going to the doctor?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Just won`t jump up anymore.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Are you going to that funeral. Can you tell us about that about you being pregnant?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Are you going to the doctor?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: The d-list publicity hound reached out to Casey on the other side via RadarOnline.com last week, it`s no wonder she had every tabloid reporter in her face on Friday.
Tila is a full-on twitter addict. She just can`t seem to help herself. Here`s one of her tweets. "Going to doctor`s appointment in five hours. Eek. Pregnancy news soon? Stay tuned X-O-X."
What? Is Tila preggers and if so how did she get there? And why? More on that in just a sec, meanwhile on a much more serious note, listen to the alarming 911 call reportedly made by Casey`s maid made just a week ago today.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
911 OPERATOR: And this individual, how old are they?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: 30.
911 OPERATOR: Male or female?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Female.
911 OPERATOR: You think she passed away?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I`m pretty sure. She`s ice cold and her hands are turning blue. I have two other people here with me and we all think she`s dead.
911 OPERATOR: Ok, are you able to move her at all? Is her body stiff?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No.
911 OPERATOR: Ma`am?
CALLER: Yes?
911 OPERATOR: What makes you think this is a suicide?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh, I don`t know if it`s a suicide. Very often her medication gets all screwed up so it`s probably because of that.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Interesting.
So much to cover and we`re taking your calls on this tragedy and I also want to know what you think about Tila Tequila. Is she just an inappropriate hot mess? 1-877-586-7297.
Straight out to my fantastic panel, you remember of course, Judge Larry Seidlin, he was here just a little while ago, he gained fame as he presided over the Anna Nicole body custody case in February 2007. Also Terry Lyles, psychologist, boy do we need you and we`re delighted to have back Rob Shuter from AOL`s PopEater.com.
Rob by the way, number one entertainment columnist in the world, according to ComScore (ph) and he was a friend of the late Casey Johnson.
Rob, what would Casey be saying now if she could see the craziness going on with Tila Tequila in the wake of her death? Would Casey be horrified?
ROB SHUTER, ENTERTAINMENT COLUMNIST, POPEATER.COM: She would be horrified, Casey would be tweeting from haven right now, m-e-s-s. This girl is a hot mess. And she just has to stop, she`s spreading all of this rumors out there.
She`s the one that tweeted that Casey had been buried. It`s not true.
She`s the one that tweeted that she might be pregnant. Now I`m no expert in this but I didn`t think two women could have a baby. Like...
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Well, wait a second. Wait a second. You know that in today`s modern technological world that there is artificial insemination and there`s all sorts of ways to have a baby and yes two women, there are a plenty of them that have baby.
SHUTER: There are plenty of women that have babies. Let me take it back. But if she`s implying that somehow this baby is related to Casey Johnson, that`s simply just not the case.
Tila is an attention addict and it`s got to stop. Like, when Casey was alive, Casey would pull Tila back. Like I think she knew that Tila was using her a little bit for attention.
But Tila had to be careful. She couldn`t go too far or else mommy, Casey, would like slap her down. But now that the Casey`s gone, there is nobody, nobody in the world who can stop this little fool from trying to get all this attention.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Has Tila Tequila taken it too far? Tonight`s big issue: the aptly entitled "Tequila Hangover".
So far she`s managed to enrage Casey Johnson`s family. Take this tweet, and it`s really -- it embarrasses me to even read it, "My wife hated them. Just wait until I tell everyone the truth I have proof, and the family is a piece of (EXPLETIVE DELETED). No wonder she wanted to marry me." End quote.
That`s just nasty, this family is grieving. I can`t even imagine doing that, then she picked a fight with Casey`s pals, Nikki Hilton, Bijou Phillips, by initially refusing them to give, give them Casey`s dogs when they came to pick-up the animals.
You know, I got to ask you. You`re hearing all of this, Terry Lyles, you`re a psychologist...
TERRY LYLES, PSYCHOLOGIST: Yes.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: ... we`ve heard addiction addicts, we`ve heard twitter addict. How do you diagnose this hot mess, Tila Tequila?
LYLES: Well, I think you heard just a part of it a while ago from your other guest is she`s an attention seeker, and that`s part of personality disorder that probably goes way back from...
VELEZ-MITCHELL: You think?
LYLES: Yes. But what -- you know I put myself in the position of the parents.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: I want a diagnosis.
LYLES: I don`t know her. I can`t do that.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Come on. I mean, what`s going on here? Attention seeker?
(CROSSTALK)
LYLES: She could have something like borderline personality disorder, she could just be depressive and looking for attention so feels better. She`s medicating with all this attention.
I think about the parents -- can you think about the Johnson family? And they`re having to watch all this while their daughter went through that horrific situation alone and now you have Tila out there tweeting constantly? It`s a tragedy.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: It really is. You know, if I haven`t said it before, our hearts go out to the Johnson family
LYLES: Yes.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: This is obscene.
Stay right where you are. We`re going to have more on this hot mess in a moment. I`m not talking about her.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Lizzie Grubman, owner of Lizzie Grubman public relations and management, you wanted to weigh in about her health.
LIZZI GRUBMAN, OWNER, LIZZIE GRUBMAN PUBLIC RELATIONS AND MANAGEMENT: Yes. She was a very sick girl. Ever since I`ve known her she had juvenile diabetes and that was always a huge problem with her.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: There are those like famous publicist Lizzie Grubman who say Casey`s untimely death at 30 was caused by diabetes. The fact is people with diabetes shouldn`t be drinking and drugging. We do not know the official cause of death, but Casey does have a history of drug problems. This video from Radar Online kind of says it all. The burning question, could someone, anyone, have saved the ailing heiress from herself? Her parents certainly tried.
Jim, Idaho, your question or thought, sir?
JIM, IDAHO (via telephone): My question is, is how many fiances does Tila Tequila have? If you remember she was engaged to (INAUDIBLE) a while back recently.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Rob Shuter? I`m going to toss that one out to you.
SHUTER: Tila has known Casey for probably about two weeks. She`s not known her very long at all. There`s some very cynical people out there and Tila`s making this very easy for us to say this, who are convinced that Tila feels like she`s hit the celebrity jackpot here. It`s disgusting to say that.
But Tila`s back where she wants to be which is in front of the cameras and tweeting. It`s crazy.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Yes, but by the same token, Judge Seidlin, is all publicity good publicity? At a certain point, I mean, this woman, Tila, is tweeting now that she`s a loser, she has no friends.
I`ve heard, just spell my name right and there`s no such thing as bad publicity. But really, she`s becoming reviled. Is that what anybody in the world wants?
JUDGE LARRY SEIDLIN, PRESIDED IN ANNA NICOLE SMITH CASE: Fame and fortune does have its problems. This Tila has to have dignity. The Johnson family is a good family for that.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Too late for that.
SEIDLIN: And she has to give respect to them and right now she should be as silence as the Sphinx on the Nile. She should remain mute.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: I don`t think it`s possible, Terry Lyles.
LYLES: No.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: I don`t think it`s capable of remaining mute.
LYLES: No, she`s out of control. I mean that`s the whole point. As mentioned earlier, I mean, she sees stardom and she`s running after it with every ounce of energy she has. And it`s really sad. Totally, as judge said, a disrespect to the family and all of us who have to listen and watch her.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Yes. I have to get to this very strange development. What`s up with the baby talk? Could there be two in the picture.
TMZ reports Casey`s adopted daughter Ava will be raised by Casey`s family in New York. Casey adopted this child from Kazakhstan in 2007. Then a month ago Casey`s mom took custody of the child and brought her to New York reportedly concerned for the child`s safety. Casey`s parents are divorced. Her mom Sale, married to Ahmad Rashad, the former pro football player and now well known sports caster.
Now Tila is tweeting that she is pregnant. In December she tweeted something about becoming a surrogate mom for her brother and his wife. Rob Shuter, I want to give you the final word on all this.
SHUTER: It`s shocking. Tila has tweeted that Casey`s dogs have been put to sleep. It`s not true. Tila has tweeted that the funeral was yesterday. It`s not true. This is just another one of those tweets.
If I can just add something that is particularly shocking, Radar Online is known to pay for interviews. If it turns out that Tila is making money from this death, then I think it`s just a whole new conversation.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: It sure is. I want to have you back for more.
SHUTER: Thank you.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: We`re going to stay on top of this story; tragic and, yet, bizarre at the same time.
And tomorrow we`re going to have a very special guest, Mary Ann Williamson.
END
