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Charlie Sheen`s Divorce Drama; Pretty Women/Powerful Men
Aired November 02, 2010 - 21:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
JOY BEHAR, HLN HOST: Well, tonight`s the big night. Everyone in America wants to know who`s going to be voted in and who`s going to be voted out. I don`t care if you`re a Democrat or a Republican, an independent, or a Tea Partier. Get out and vote for your favorite. Our future depends on it.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Coming up on THE JOY BEHAR SHOW, Charlie Sheen`s path to self-destruction continues as he files for divorce from Brooke Mueller. Why did he wait this long to break it off?
Then, Mueller is just the latest woman to be left in the dust by a celebrity husband. Joy will ask a few jilted exes how they started over after being dumped by a star.
Plus, the Quaids face felony charges. The president chats with Ryan Seacrest and Bill Maher shoots down marijuana-gate.
Joy rounds up the day`s hot topics.
That and more starting right now.
BEHAR: Charlie Sheen and his wife Brooke Mueller filed for divorce yesterday with both citing irreconcilable differences. I guess it`s hard to reconcile an escort locked in the bathroom.
Here with me to discuss this is Vikki Ziegler, divorce attorney and author of the premarital survival guide; Dr. Julie Holland, a psychiatrist and author of "Weekends at Bellevue"; and Anne Marie Cruz, editor with "People" magazine who broke the divorce story.
Before we get to you, I want to talk to Vikki about the deal that`s been struck now between him and Brooke Mueller.
VIKKI ZIEGLER, DIVORCE ATTORNEY: All right. It looks like the judgment that was filed -- it`s 36 pages -- basically gives Brooke Mueller $55,000 a month in child support for two twins, year and a half old. That nets one --
BEHAR: Until they`re 21 years old.
ZIEGLER: It said at least 18 and then it could be revisited. Number two, she walks away with $2 million. It`s comprised of a bunch of different things, part of the prenuptial agreement. There was stipulation for every year they`re married, she got some of that money. She got $250,000 which is half of the ok deal. She gets revenues from their Getty photo company that they have together, 50 percent of the revenue. She got a piece of it now. She`ll get a piece of it in the future. She`s not doing badly.
She got about --
BEHAR: She was only married to him for about a year and a half.
ZIEGLER: A year and a half. This woman is rich. She`s getting $660,000 in child support.
BEHAR: No wonder they marry him. We`re wondering why did they marry him? There you go.
ZIEGLER: Yes. Yes. Well, it`s a good question. So $50,000 in attorney`s fees; she`s getting moving costs of $45,000. So she`s walking away --
BEHAR: Where is she moving, to China?
(CROSSTALK)
ZIEGLER: I don`t know but I`ll do it.
BEHAR: Wow. But you know, $55,000 a month child support, these kids are babies.
ZIEGLER: Babies.
BEHAR: Now let me ask you about his career. Is his career going to be able to sustain itself so until these kids are 18 years old, so he can keep shelling this money out?
ANNE MARIE CRUZ, EDITOR, "PEOPLE" MAGAZINE: Absolutely. There was a spike on the ratings for "Two and a Half Men" last night. This hasn`t hurt him ever. This is just another bump in the long road of problems that Charlie has had. But professionally, it`s never affected him because his character on CBS is a bad boy. So it`s not going against that. And he always shows up on time and ready to work. So he`s on the set today. Everybody was psyched to see him. He was welcomed warmly so it`s not a problem for him.
BEHAR: Ok. Let me just show you -- tell what you he`s done so far. He accidentally shot his fiancee Kelly Preston in the leg. His ex- girlfriend claims he threatened to kill her. He OD`d after injecting cocaine, his ex-wife Denise Richards claims drug abuse and threats of violence and he allegedly held a knife to this wife Mueller`s throat last December. What does he have to do before his career suffers?
ZIEGLER: I think that viewers of the show who are fans, they just don`t factor it in. They see there`s the on screen Charlie and then the other stuff, it seems like they just ignore it.
BEHAR: Let me ask the shrink here. This guy is trouble. Is he going to kill somebody or himself before they get him off the show?
DR. JULIE HOLLAND, PSYCHIATRIST: Yes. Well, if he came to Bellevue, I think I would definitely admit him. I mean he is dangerous to himself, he`s dangerous to others. He`s the train wreck that won`t crash. He`s like the Evil Knievel of bad boys, you know? And America loves it.
ZIEGLER: This get-out-jail card free that he has is -- I mean the guy is unbelievable. You`ve just read what he`s done, he never -- there is no ramifications for this guy whatsoever. He pays all these women, third wife. No problem. And he`s walking around like hey everybody, no problem. It doesn`t make sense to me.
BEHAR: Cents for CBS.
CRUZ: He keeps throwing money is his problem.
BEHAR: He`s going to be making cents.
ZIEGLER: Well, if seriously harms somebody, then there will be a different story.
BEHAR: It`s interesting that he filed for divorce yesterday. He doesn`t want his wife talking about their marriage on her upcoming reality show. Now what do you make of that? I mean is this a bargaining chip, like if she agrees not to talk about it, he gave her this money.
ZIEGLER: In this agreement, I read that both parties can`t speak about the alleged drug abuse that they both have. And Brooke can`t speak about Charlie`s alleged sexual affairs. It`s already stated in the agreement that`s executed as of May of this year.
BEHAR: In the reality show.
ZIEGLER: Yes. In the reality show -- listen, I think it is was pre- emptive to say, listen, we have a deal. Don`t try to modify this deal. Don`t come after me and say I can`t see my children supervised. This agreement says he has a lot of visitation with his children, unsupervised. No nanny like we saw on the other case.
BEHAR: Ok. What do you think about that? These two are not exactly the --
(CROSSTALK)
ZIEGLER: Well, you know, like every good addict, he knows how to compartmentalize. He takes his kids to see "Mary Poppins" and then later that night he`s with a whore.
BEHAR: Well, they were next door. They were across the hall.
ZIEGLER: Every addict likes to up the ante and the excitement that he might get caught. And he is being extra naughty. But he doesn`t have any history of ever harming the children except living with an addict or spending time with somebody who is erratic and he gets the rage episodes, he`s been dangerous to the women in his life; so far not his children.
BEHAR: So far not his children. But you know about this. When you`re a domestic abuser -- are the children also -- do they get hit also?
HOLLAND: Not always. Not always.
BEHAR: They don`t.
CRUZ: Also, I mean, in the past, his girlfriends and ex-wives still have faith in him, like Denise Richards said, she came out here and she even said I have faith in him and Brooke Mueller said he`s a survivor, he`ll be fine. An ex-girlfriend told "People" last year when he was arrested that she thinks in his heart, she believe he wants to be a good person. It`s weird that all these women who have gone through this with him still stick by him, too.
ZIEGLER: Ok, that`s -- and that`s well and good. I think that`s accurate. However, as a divorce attorney, when you represent litigants, you don`t want to say, no problem. Hey, Charlie, pick up these babies, year and a half, they can`t speak for themselves and go on a bender. Who`s watching the children? Maybe you have a bender while they`re there. This is dangerous stuff.
(CROSSTALK)
CRUZ: He does have a history of this.
BEHAR: How come they allow that?
ZIEGLER: You just said it. What did you say? Cents? It`s all about money.
BEHAR: What about Child Protective Services? Won`t they be involved in any of this?
ZIEGLER: Well, you would think they`d look into it. They have the ability to do that. They don`t have a formal obligation. Nobody`s made a complaint.
CRUZ: They would step in if there is a complaint.
BEHAR: You don`t think that he`ll hurt the children?
CRUZ: It`s hard to predict. I look at his past behavior and he`s dangerous to himself. He`s dangerous to other people. He`s out of control. He keeps upping the ante, anything is possible. All I can tell you is that so far it seems like the children have been safe.
BEHAR: You know, last night on David Letterman, Robert Downey Jr. was on. And David asked him if he had any advice for Charlie Sheen because he has been in a similar situation. Watch what he said.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERT DOWNEY, JR., ACTOR: He`s a grown man. I mean -- what am I going to say? You know, he`s -- the only advice I would give him is, you know, don`t get arrested.
DAVID LETTERMAN, TALK SHOW HOST: Right.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BEHAR: Kind of amusing. But don`t get arrested because he got arrested, Robert Downey. And it basically cured him.
ZIEGLER: He`s been down that rehab path. And look what happened to his career. I believe in come backs. But it doesn`t look like Charlie Sheen walked out of rehab a few months ago and he`s still in the same kind of line.
HOLLAND: And He escaped getting arrested recently which is pretty amazing, from the Plaza. I mean nobody pressed -- the hotel didn`t press charges. The escort didn`t come forward and say --
BEHAR: Money. It`s the money again.
Let`s talk about this obsession with hookers for a minute Julie.
HOLLAND: Right.
BEHAR: What is it with -- powerful men seem to like hookers -- why do they do that?
HOLLAND: Well, I think part of it is that when you have a lot of money and you can sort of objectify or commodify (ph) sex and it becomes a commodity that you buy and you have money, you don`t have to get too involved. It can stay very superficial.
But the other thing with Charlie is it seems like -- you know, he may be a sex addict. If that`s the case, he needs to keep upping the ante. He may have certain fetishes. He`s obviously an adrenaline junkie and a thrill seeker. He may require certain things that only a professional can really gratify.
BEHAR: Now he`s back on the set of "Two and a Half Men" today. The ratings are up seven percent. I`m just saying.
CRUZ: Right. This exactly why he`s a performer for CBS. And even though there`s some eye rolling, according to a source that told "People", they don`t have control of him but it doesn`t matter, as long as he`s performing, as you said. And he`s been arrested before, it doesn`t affect him.
ZIEGLER: Teflon (INAUDIBLE). I have no idea how this guys gets away with it. I don`t think he looks like Brad Pitt. What is the allure for people? I really don`t know. That bad boy, you can`t reform him.
(CROSSTALK)
HOLLAND: America loves a bad boy.
BEHAR: The whole family is talented.
ZIEGLER: But look at Tiger Woods. Forget about it. No one can say a good thing about him.
BEHAR: That was different. He`s not doing as well since the whole scandal because that precision, I think it threw him off.
ZIEGLER: But you know, getting away way with murder, I think, is attractive to a certain population.
BEHAR: Ok. Thanks very much, ladies.
We`ll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Coming up a little later on THE JOY BEHAR SHOW, the latest on the bizarre saga of actor turned fugitive Randy Quaid and his wife Evi.
And Bill Maher now says that Zach Galifianakis wasn`t actually smoking pot on his show. Oh really?
Now back to Joy.
BEHAR: Charlie Sheen and Brooke Mueller are heading for divorce and there were rumors that Charlie wants full custody -- of the hookers. Sheen is back at CBS and Brooke has an upcoming reality show. But will it be enough to get her out of her famous husband`s shadow?
Here now to talk about being married and divorced from high profile powerful men are Linda Hogan, Hulk Hogan`s ex-wife and the author of the upcoming book "No More Excuses"; Camille Grammer, co-star of the "Real Housewives of Beverly Hills and the estranged wife right now of Kelsey Grammer; and Logan Levkoff, sexologist and author of "Third Base Ain`t What it used to Be".
Ok, ladies, Camille, let me start with you. You married Kelsey in 1997 at the height of his TV show.
CAMILLE GRAMMER, ESTRANGED WIFE OF KELSEY GRAMMER: Yes.
BEHAR: At the height of his success and fame.
GRAMMER: Yes.
BEHAR: What was the -- was fame and success part of the attraction? Or were you just purely in love with Kelsey?
GRAMMER: I was in love with Kelsey. He swept me off my feet. He is very charming. But I think part of the attraction also was the celebrity, absolutely.
BEHAR: It was?
GRAMMER: I`m not going to deny that, yes.
BEHAR: Well, he was very famous. And I`m -- I`m wondering what was it like to be dating a very famous person like that? Did you feel pumped up when you were in his company and other people would throw themselves at him or did you feel minimized?
GRAMMER: Well, at the time I was pumped up. I mean he`s a very dynamic and -- dynamic person. And it was exciting being around that kind of energy. But then what I didn`t like is the scrutiny. I mean, because, you`re under a lot of scrutiny being involved or married to a famous celebrity.
BEHAR: Was that only down -- so that was the only down side, the scrutiny?
GRAMMER: There`s more to it. There is more to the story than that. I mean, you know, I think some actors are -- I think my husband was a narcissist.
BEHAR: He was a --
GRAMMER: You know, it`s --
BEHAR: He was a narcissist or he is a narcissist?
GRAMMER: Oh he still is. He is.
BEHAR: He still is.
GRAMMER: He is very -- yes.
BEHAR: Ok, we`ll get into that in a minute.
But Linda, let me ask you. You were married to Hulk Hogan for 24 years.
LINDA HOGAN, HULK HOGAN`S EX-WIFE: Yes.
BEHAR: I mean, if anyone has a hard profile, it`s Hulk Hogan. Most people would think it wouldn`t be so bad married to someone like that. Was it? Or was there a down side for you?
HOGAN: No. I mean we had a great marriage for 20 -- most of the 24 years that we were together. And I enjoyed being behind the scenes very much so. You know, we ran an empire together. And he was not famous when I met him. He became famous after we are married.
And, you know, getting into the marketing and the merchandising and growing that kind of a business together, you need to be the glue on the backside. I mean he had the American dream. He had the family, the house on the water, the boat, the kids, the beautiful wife.
If you want to call me a trophy wife, I guess people might have thought that that`s what I was. And I really didn`t care. You know, I was happy doing what I did behind the scenes for him and to keep that whole picture glued together.
BEHAR: Well, ok. It sounds pretty good, Logan. I mean, what did she say? The house, the swimming pools, the food, the money, the excitement, the fame --
LOGAN LEVKOFF, SEXOLOGIST: It sounds good.
BEHAR: What is wrong with this picture?
LEVKOFF: Well, the challenge is oftentimes, I mean in the case of Linda and Hulk, they were building this together.
BEHAR: Yes.
LEVKOFF: Right, but when you`re starting off as Camille did, which -- which is a fairly unequal relationship, someone has a huge amount of power and success, it`s really hard to show that you`re contributing the same way. And some people think that they will always be more value because they contribute more and have a more high profile status.
And that`s really hard on any relationship, especially a marriage and especially when there are kids involved.
BEHAR: Well, you know Linda I`m wondering, though, Linda was it hard for you to lose yourself and get consumed in his life? I mean you did lose yourself, I would assume, to some extent. Because he was the driving force and he was the face of the fame. Right?
HOGAN: Yes, he was. He was an American icon. He still is. And I never denied that. And I was ok with being in the -- you know, just being around somebody that famous and being in the limelight of their life.
You know, there`s so much to do that, you know, helping him and keeping all the -- the loose ends together was a job in itself. Maybe it wasn`t one that was publicly recognized at the time.
BEHAR: Yes, yes.
HOGAN: But when we did the reality show, I think that let the American public into having a glimpse of what I did, just a little bit, you know.
BEHAR: Before, there were some -- the woman behind the man, sort of thing?
HOGAN: Yes.
LEVKOFF: But I -- I think it`s really important --
BEHAR: Yes.
LEVKOFF: -- that we remember that women need to still have an identity. And it`s really easy. That from the minute when most women get married and change their name, they wake up and say oh my God, who am I?
BEHAR: Yes.
LEVKOFF: And I`m different than I was before. And it`s important that we remember who we are and make certain demands in our relationship that our partners know who we are, too.
BEHAR: Definitely -- Camille are going to change your name?
GRAMMER: No, I`m keeping the Grammer name, I`ve been a Grammer for 14 years -- well, 13 years. I`m keeping the name. But I agree with Linda, what she said, that you know, it takes a lot of work. I mean we are -- we put a lot into our relationships. And being married to an icon like Linda was and like myself, I mean, you know, it`s a business.
I mean you`re in business with them. And you`re they`re partner and you`re helping them. And you`re their support and you`re that backbone that they need. Because some celebrities are very insecure and we`ll touch on some of that later, right? Logan?
BEHAR: Well, there`s also --
GRAMMER: And they -- they need us to -- to bring them up and build them up. Because --
BEHAR: And boost their egos.
GRAMMER: Yes, exactly.
BEHAR: Which is something you alluded to before.
GRAMMER: Yes.
BEHAR: I mean how do you deal with a massive ego like that? Camille, how did you deal with it?
GRAMMER: It`s very hard. You get used to it after a while.
BEHAR: You have to submerge your own ego which I`m assuming you have a strong one also?
GRAMMER: Yes. The only thing that I regret, is that I -- I put so much time into taking care of him and making sure that his needs were met and that his, you know, he was ok. That I, you know, didn`t take enough time to take care of myself.
And now, you know and sometimes we need to step back as wives to go, ok, now there`s time for the wife, you know, we need to --
(CROSSTALK)
BEHAR: Well, now you have a reality show. Now you have your own -- you have a show that is yours. I mean did you do that to sort of, like, you know, be in the same world as he was and to get the attention on yourself, Camille?
GRAMMER: No.
BEHAR: No.
GRAMMER: No, no, no. I -- I -- didn`t want to do the show. It was Kelsey`s idea. And he thought -- he thought it would be a great idea that I did the show. He was -- he -- it was, you know, he was -- he encouraged me fully to do the show.
BEHAR: He did.
GRAMMER: I was very reluctant. Because I -- I`m a private person. And I didn`t want my private life exposed in that manner. So I was extremely reluctant to do a show like that.
But he encouraged me --
(CROSSTALK)
BEHAR: But now you like it, right? Now you like it.
GRAMMER: Well, I have to say that the women on the show have helped me through a very difficult time. I`ve enjoyed the process, yes.
BEHAR: Ok.
LEVKOFF: It`s really challenging to put your private life out there and part of kind of reclaiming your identity after being considered a trophy wife or a celebrity wife or whatever it is, is to kind of have a sense of humor about all this because you do have a public image and to kind of own that and move on.
BEHAR: Ok, we`ll continue this in just a minute. Stay right there.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BEHAR: I`m back with my panel and we`re talking about women married to powerful men. I tell you, it doesn`t sound that bad. I think, Logan, I`m sensing that, you know, from Camille, that there is a bit of in your shadow a little bit.
LEVKOFF: There is a lot of that.
BEHAR: How do they work that out? Can a marriage survive that?
(CROSSTALK)
LEVKOFF: Yes. It`s definitely difficult. But it`s really important that you speak up, whether it`s a male or a female that`s the kind of seat of power to speak up and say these are things I expect in our relationship. I want to be treated equally.
The minute you become the wife of and you don`t have a name it`s really problematic. It`s hard to get past that.
BEHAR: You feel that way, Camille, that you`ll always be Kelsey Grammer`s wife?
GRAMMER: Oh, absolutely.
BEHAR: It`s like Mickey and Minnie. Minnie is always going to be Mickey Mouse`s wife.
LEVKOFF: Or his something.
GRAMMER: I haven`t really thought about that. I mean I guess I`ll always be now his ex-wife. But I didn`t really think about that.
LEVKOFF: You have the opportunity to make a new name for yourself. And I think that is the biggest hurdle is to commit to it and say now I`m going to do something for myself.
BEHAR: Linda, you have a new boyfriend, a current boyfriend who is a lot younger than you, I understand. Your boyfriend is 21 years old. I don`t know how old you are so I won`t go there. But he`s younger than you, a lot younger.
HOGAN: Yes, he`s a lot younger. He`s 22 and I`m 51.
GRAMMER: And he`s cute. Right? I think I met him once, Linda, right?
BEHAR: Linda, it seems as though you learned your lesson about who is more important, the more famous person in the relationship. You are now -- it`s almost like he is the trophy husband or boyfriend.
HOGAN: I guess so. You know, I think that, you know, in -- the way I feel right now is that it`s not about making a name for myself. You know, I really didn`t care about having a name. I was happy being Mrs. Hulk Hogan. And it was a great life.
For our own personal reasons, we didn`t last. We didn`t make it to 24 years. But I think that moving on; it`s about self happiness and stuff. I don`t care if I ever get back and have the last word or everybody knows how I feel.
One of the reasons that I did, ink the book is to maybe kind of give other women that are in my situation hope that, you know, they can try to find themselves after all the time that you give to your family and to your husband, especially a famous iconic husband like I had.
BEHAR: I think it`s hard for some women, Logan, that have strong egos and their own drives, then the egos clash. It sounds as though both of these women were willing to take a backseat to these so-called iconic husbands.
LEVKOFF: Sometimes, in those relationships, you have to. I always tell my husband I`m a great life partner, not a great wife. I`m a working mom. I want to be a partner; I want to be equal and I want to have an identity separate from my partner. And also I don`t think that making a name for yourself means do you so in a public eye. It`s being happy and feeling content. And that`s the next challenge for all these women.
BEHAR: Camille, would you date a famous person again? Or are you off of that?
GRAMMER: Right now I`m off of that.
BEHAR: What are you looking for in the next relationship, Camille?
GRAMMER: Oh, god, honesty, somebody that`s actually nice and I could share a life with and --
BEHAR: What did you learn from being married to Kelsey that you don`t want to do again?
GRAMMER: That I don`t want to do again? Give up myself for somebody else. And give up my wants and needs for somebody else.
BEHAR: Are you looking for someone that doesn`t have a massive ego this time? As you said?
GRAMMER: I haven`t the even started looking. I`m still licking my wounds and healing.
BEHAR: Linda -- go ahead, last word Linda.
HOGAN: I just -- I don`t think there can be room for two stars at the top. You know? I just think there is not enough room.
LEVKOFF: It`s tough.
HOGAN: There`s got to be a backseat, yes.
BEHAR: Thanks very much, guys. And catch Camille Grammer on Bravo`s "Real Housewives of Beverly Hills", Thursdays at 10:00 p.m.
Back in a minute.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BEHAR: Randy Quaid and his wife, Evi, skipped their court date in Santa Barbara, California this morning because they say they don`t feel safe. I`m not sure why. Everyone knows the straw whackers are in Palm Springs for the winter. The pair who is presumably still holds up in Canada talked to ABC`s "Good Morning, America" yesterday. Watch.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RANDY QUAID, ACTOR: To have my -- my integrity and my reputation so denigrated, so mercilessly, why? Why would somebody want to do this to me?
EVI QUAID, RANDY QUAID`S WIFE: We are refugees. I mean, that`s essentially what it is, Hollywood refugees, seeking to be left alone by the criminals in America.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BEHAR: Here to talk about this and other stories are Russell Simmons, chairman of Rush Communications and the star of Oxygen`s "Running Russell Simmons," Clinton Kelly, co-host of "What Not To Wear" on TLC and author of "Oh, No, She Didn`t," and Sarah Bernard, host of "The Thread" on Yahoo. Clinton, did you expect them to show up in court today?
CLINTON KELLY, CO-HOST OF "WHAT NOT TO WEAR: I didn`t care if they showed up in court or not, but I find it hilarious is that they`re in Canada because the star whackers could never get across the border to Canada. And they`re like we`re in Vancouver, yanny, yanny cooper. Like what? So stupid.
SARAH BERNARD, HOST, "THE THREAD": I love the story, honestly. I mean, I feel like ever since the whacking (ph) Phoenix movie, I just can`t tell if our celebrities are hoaxing us or they`re just legitimately nuts or this is some sort of, you know, performance art.
RUSSELL SIMMONS, CHAIRMAN OF RUSH COMMUNICATIONS: I disagree. Suge Knight is in L.A.
BERNARD: So, he`s afraid then?
BEHAR: So, you think that it`s not paranoid? He really -- they really are scared?
SIMMONS: I don`t know. I`m kidding. I think it`s a little nutty, but you know, I don`t know for sure. I mean, who knows? I don`t have any experience with any threats. So, I can`t speak for him.
BEHAR: Well, a lot of people are saying, Sarah, that Evi is the crazier one of the two.
BERNARD: Yes.
BEHAR: Do you think they have what shrinks call a (INAUDIBLE) syndrome where they`re in it together?
BERNARD: They definitely seem like they`re playing off each other. You know, she`s the one who`s saying they`re refugees, and he`s sort of nodding. And there were other out takes in that interview where they were actually sniping and yelling, you know, yelling at each other like an old married couple.
BEHAR: Yes.
BERNARD: But they definitely do seem to propel each other forward, but what I love about it is literally short of going on "Dancing with the Stars" or something like that. This is like a way to revive his career, and we have some proof that it`s working.
BEHAR: So, you don`t really buy that they`re really paranoid and scared of the star whackers?
BERNARD: I don`t really buy it.
(CROSSTALK)
BERNARD: No, but, you know, it is working because we`ve even noticed on Yahoo that searches this week for Randy Quaid movies, you know, looking back at his career which no one really talked about for a while, have gone up literally 629 percent.
BEHAR: Do you --
SIMMONS: I think it`s a branding.
KELLY: But what happened to the good old stand by of a sex tape? I mean, if you want publicity, what happened to the good old days?
(CROSSTALK)
BEHAR: Randy Quaid and a sex tape? No.
KELLY: I`ve been watching (INAUDIBLE) curiosity.
BEHAR: That`s like watching LBJ have sex. Now, I`m scared. I mean, you know, the couple -- and also they said that they have been having a little tension with Dennis Quaid, the brother. What`s that about, do you think?
BERNARD: Possibly money. I mean, this has got to be a little bit embarrassing for him as a family, for Dennis` family. And he said in the interview that he hasn`t been, you know, hasn`t had a great relationship with him recently. I can understand why. But I think there is actually some sort of a financial issue. Obviously, these guys are in trouble financially because they were squatting at a house that they used to own.
BEHAR: You know about that, right, that they were squatting?
SIMMONS: I know him from yoga, but I don`t know -- I`m just learning all of this stuff. I don`t know any of this, but I think it`s a -- but it does sound like a branding exercise to me.
BEHAR: It does.
SIMMONS: And you know, I didn`t really know that he had a brother, but, I guess, he`s been on movies, right?
BERNARD: Yes, yes, yes.
BEHAR: Dennis Quaid?
(CROSSTALK)
BERNARD: You have to watch more TV.
SIMMONS: This is not my focus.
BEHAR: Yes, I know.
BERNARD: It`s good stuff though, isn`t it?
SIMMONS: This guy is one of them but certainly not about this guy and this nutty stuff.
BEHAR: OK. I have a feeling you`re more interested in this one. So, it`s Election Day. So, President Obama spent the morning being interviewed by the most trusted man in America, not Larry King. not -- um, um, I don`t know, Con Cite (ph), Ryan Seacrest. Listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RYAN SEACREST, HOST: How much sleep are you getting?
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: It varies. Lately, not much.
SEACREST: Do you ever get to hit the snooze button?
OBAMA: No.
SEACREST: No.
OBAMA: I actually have it set up so the White House operator calls me. If I don`t wake up the first time, they just keep on calling.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BEHAR: OK, Russell, do you think this was a good idea for Obama or does it devalue his brand?
SIMMONS: Well, I think that he built his brand through relationships with people and it`s kind of like hands on, talk to the people kind of thing. And I saw him speak. I hosted an event for him on Saturday. And when he spoke, it`s very genuine and to the people, and I think that`s his stamp. That`s his stamp from branding. Now, I think it`s OK. We want those people engaged in the election.
BEHAR: He should come on this show, I think. He would love it here. First of all, I love him and he knows it. And I`m a big fan.
SIMMONS: I know you are.
BEHAR: So, I`d like to have him here. So, you hear that?
BERNARD: He might want to come on and talk about the Quaids.
SIMMONS: You should invite Ryan Seacrest and Larry King.
BEHAR: Yes, should come on this show.
BERNARD: I think it`s a great idea. I don`t understand why anyone would ever think the president can be overexposed. He`s the president. He should be talking all the time.
SIMMONS: No one understands a thing about the gay rights, the prison reform, the financial reform, the --
BEHAR: Saying he`s misinterpreted and misunderstood?
SIMMONS: Yes. No one understood 800,000 jobs, and his messaging is small. And he seems to keep talking. And people --
BEHAR: Maybe he should have hired you.
SIMMONS: People think he`s a Muslim. How educated are they?
BERNARD: But don`t you think it`s more for him to go to a person who understands youth culture. I don`t understand why people are saying Ryan Seacrest is a bad idea?
BEHAR: Well, because listen to the questions that they submitted. What kind of pop music do you listen to? LOL. Boxers or briefs? I mean, really, does Obama play the McDonald monopoly game? Dear President Obama, are you a Justin Bieber fan? I mean -- wouldn`t that make you proud?
KELLY: I would be like, I quit. I don`t want to be president of these knuckleheads (ph).
BERNARD: Yes, but he got to do this because he was reminding people to vote. He was reminding young people to vote today and that`s what he has to do. It`s 07:15 in the morning
SIMMONS: I went all over the country doing the same thing he`s doing as one of his servants. And we`re all doing it.
BEHAR: So, do you think he`s overexposed?
SIMMONS: No. I think --
BEHAR: He`s been on Leno, "The View," ESPN, Oprah, "The Daily Show, "The Hoarders" -- no, he wasn`t on the --
SIMMONS: I think he`s fine. I think that`s what he`s done to build his brand. I think his messaging is not as strong as the Republicans. He`s got all these good things he`s done from, you know, there are so many good things he`s done.
Women have now equal pay for -- and all the things in only a few months. The economy has turned around from losing 800,000 jobs a month to now suddenly, you know, regaining for the last nine months job?
BEHAR: I think you`re right. I think it`s the branding. He needed somebody like you. So, let`s move on. Bill Maher was on CNN`s "The Situation Room" yesterday, and he was asked by Wolf Blitzer whether his real time guess, Zach Galifianakis was smoking real weed during the show last Friday. Listen to his response.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BILL MAHER, HOST, "THE REAL TIME WITH BILL MAHER": No. If it was a real joint, Wolf, I would have smoked it. But it was, I think, cloves or something. I mean, you know, Zach is crazy, not that crazy.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BEHAR: OK. Do you buy that? That it was Clinton? What do you think?
KELLY: Well, if you watch "The Bill Maher Show", Zach actually passes the Dutchy on the right hand side, OK, which is very, you know, inappropriate, but he gives it to Margaret -- what`s her name? Margaret Hoover, and she sniffs it and she says, oh, it`s real. So, either Margaret Hoover has no idea what pot actually smells like or Bill Maher is --
BERNARD: She might not. I mean, she`s a conservative pundit.
KELLY: This isn`t pot.
BEHAR: Are you telling me conservatives don`t get high? Come on.
BERNARD: She doesn`t look like a pot head to me.
KELLY: She doesn`t. She looks like prescription drugs to me.
BERNARD: Like Zach Galifianakis is what they do like, actually.
BEHAR: Really?
BERNARD: Yes.
BEHAR: I don`t know about that. But Maher said that he would have smoked it if it was the real McCoy. Do you think he would have really smoked it?
SIMMONS: I don`t think he would have smoked it, but I don`t know if it was real or not. Certainly not by his response. His response is just, you know, it`s what he has to say, right?
BEHAR: Yes.
SIMMONS: So, it was funny enough, I guess. We got him on TV.
KELLY: That`s true. Yes.
SIMMONS: Another branding exercise.
BEHAR: Yes. Galifianakis was actually, he said that he was trying to show support for legalization of pot because California Prop 19 is on the ballot today. So, do you think that helped or hurt?
SIMMONS: I don`t have an answer to that.
BERNARD: I think it probably -- yes, I don`t think it`s going to. But I mean, it probably didn`t hurt a little in the sense that he was reinforcing the stereotype, right? I mean, he actually made this funny joke that he was saying something like, oh, look at those dragons, right, like as if he was hallucinating --
(LAUGHTER)
SIMMONS: Look at what you`re hearing on the news right now in this moment. You`re hearing that alcohol is so much more damaging to you than you would ever imagine. That`s all over the news, right?
BEHAR: Well, it hurts people because of the social ramifications of alcohol.
SIMMONS: No. No. More recently about your body.
BEHAR: No, if you drink two bottles of whiskey a night, yes, but if you have a glass of wine, it`s supposed to help you.
SIMMONS: No -- CNN, right here. They talk a lot about the damage that alcohol is causing to your system that you -- that we would not aware of.
BEHAR: In excess, though. In excess. The French and the Italians have been drinking wine for centuries, and they`re fine. So, it`s not about -- it`s about how much you actually consume, Russell.
SIMMONS: People eating tons of steak, and they`ve been doing it forever and (INAUDIBLE) hurt you.
BEHAR: A little bit of steak can`t hurt you. Come on. A little bit --
SIMMONS: It`s like a --
(CROSSTALK)
BEHAR: I like a nice filet mignon.
SIMMONS: I want to be an angry vegan. It`s OK.
BEHAR: Don`t be an angry vegan. But you know, the other thing about your branding point of view which I really appreciate in this show tonight is that he has a movie out called "Due Date Galifianakis." So, maybe, that`s really the point of why he started smoking the pot.
Speaking of marijuana, pot growers in California are naming a new strand of weed after Mel Gibson. Apparently, it`s pretty powerful stuff. You can eat an entire bag of cookies while screaming obscenities at your girlfriend. And even better, it`s kosher for Passover. OK, Sarah, an employee (ph) said it`s named after Mel because if you smoke it, it makes you go ballistic. Good name choice?
BERNARD: Fantastic. I mean, I thought people who smoked pot were supposed to BEHAR mellow, calm. I don`t understand why he would want -- has anything to do with Mel Gibson?
SIMMONS: No, no, that`s good branding. That`s great branding.
BERNARD: You think?
SIMMONS: Look, I tell you -- that is excellent branding?
BERNARD: Isn`t he the opposite of who you`d want to be in an altered state? Mel Gibson?
SIMMONS: No, but just what little kids, we used to buy like angel dust with elephant on one knee, and you know, we still play things like, you know, really bad drugs but always had the worst -- that was the idea. It`s killer, you know, killer weed. I mean, I think it`s --
BEHAR: What do you think, Clinton?
KELLY: I think if Zach were smoking that kind of pot, he would have punched, you know, Bill Maher in the face and screamed some anti-Semitic epithets. So, we`re glad that Zach was not smoking the real thing.
BEHAR: But pot makes you mellow, right, Russell? Pot is not a violent drug. It`s a mellow drug. Alcohol is so much worse than marijuana. It`s really, very, very -- it`s stupid in this country that we don`t legalize it.
BERNARD: I bet mellow is --
(CROSSTALK)
BEHAR: When people can just get drunk and drive. Thanks, guys. Thank you very much for the branding information tonight. You people got a lesson in branding tonight. OK. We`ll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BEHAR: Actress, singer and animal conservationist, Stefanie Powers is, perhaps, best known for playing an amateur sleuth opposite Robert Wagner in "Hart to Hart" in the early 1980s. Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
STEFANIE POWERS, ACTRESS: Al had tea with Mr. Whitley.
ROBERT WAGNER, ACTOR: You`re kidding. Well, I guess that makes her our number one contender.
POWERS: But what do we do about it? We can`t exactly go knock on his door and say, excuse me, Mr. Whitley, but have you strangled any young girls lately?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BEHAR: Her new book, "One From The Hart" hit shelves today. I`m happy to welcome to my show the lovely and talented, Stephanie Powers. So Stephanie, you and Wagner, Robert -- R.J., I guess, you call him, all his friends call him R.J., right?
POWERS: Yes, all his friends do.
BEHAR: You had incredible chemistry in that show. I mean, was that off camera, too or just on camera?
POWERS: You know, joy, it -- we couldn`t have predicted it would happen, because many times one is worked with their friends and -- but to have that kind of a very special chemistry is -- was, I think, unique to us. I never had it with anybody else. He never had that particular kind of chemistry. It was like playing a tennis game with someone who always hits the ball back to you.
BEHAR: That`s great stuff, but you didn`t have a relationship with him, I mean, that was romantic. It was just friendship?
POWERS: Yes.
BEHAR: OK. I`m glad I cleared that up. You actually began your career at 15 at the tail end of the studio system in Hollywood.
POWERS: I did, but I first was a dancer for Jerome Robins.
BEHAR: Was he a monster? People talk about him that he was a total monster.
POWERS: He was autocratic, yes.
BEHAR: Autocratic, that`s nicely put. Isn`t she very, very diplomatic? Your book is interesting. You said I feel sorry for the new generation who find themselves has been at 28. Do you think that`s true now in Hollywood?
POWERS: I think it`s very true. I know a lot of young actresses who have a terrible time, you know, they -- they -- they`re like yesterday`s news. They get warm or hot, and then the minute they cool down, their agents turn around and they`re distracted to the next young thing or they`re in one show and the show goes off the air and they -- their star starts to fade. And they`re instantaneously replaced by the next young thing.
BEHAR: But some of the actresses have survived that. Julia Roberts is 43.
POWERS: Yes, but --
BEHAR: Meryl Streep is 61.
POWERS: I`m talking about the young ones. I mean, the ones who --
BEHAR: The ones --
POWERS: In their 20s now.
BEHAR: Like Scarlet Johansson. She`s a young --
POWERS: Scarlet Johansson had had -- and Christina Ricci had the good fortune to start in very good roles in very good films. And as they grew, so did their management and so did their choices were very carefully done. And they were fortunate enough to have made good choices so that they grew into very nice careers and --
BEHAR: So, if you talk about somebody like Lindsay Lohan, the poor girl, who`s a great -- a wonderful little actress. She was in "Mean Girls" and she was really good in that movie and other things --
POWERS: But she started when she was 6 years old, didn`t she?
BEHAR: She was very young. I don`t know how old, but someone like her, she might be burnt out already.
POWERS: Well, I don`t think that`s the system. I think that`s her and that`s her drug addiction.
BEHAR: Let`s talk about my favorite actor of all times, William Holden. You had the great fortune of having a long romantic relationship with him. I just thought he was incredible. And people watching should remember William Holden, who is the iconic star of "Sunset Boulevard" and "Sabrina." I mean, my favorite movies. I was madly in love with William Holden when I was a kid.
POWERS: So was I.
BEHAR: But you actually got to sleep with him, I didn`t. He was much older than you, 24 years older than you.
POWERS: Uh-huh.
BEHAR: And you both traveled the world, kept a residence in Kenya together and --
POWERS: In spite of the fact that there was a great age difference, there was something that was remarkable about both of our lives was that he had -- his first he was 19 years old when he did his first film. He went into contract at Paramount, and then they split his contract with Columbia Pictures. I was 17 years old when I went into contract to Columbia Pictures.
So, everybody at Columbia that I knew who were already an executive positions and all were just starting out their careers when Bill was under contract at Columbia.
BEHAR: Right.
POWERS: So, there was kind of seamlessness in both of our experiences through the star system.
BEHAR: You write a little bit about his alcoholism. You say -- I don`t have a lot of time left. It was as if he had a mistress who at times was so demanding that try as I might I could not get between them. How much of a toll did his drinking take on your relationship?
POWERS: I think that -- let me first preface that by saying what I`ve tried to explain in one of the -- it was one of the things that I thought about in writing this book was to set the record straight about who he was as a person, how his problem evolved and what it did to him, what did it do to us but also what it did to him.
BEHAR: Yes.
POWERS: And make it a clearer and more accurate picture.
BEHAR: Well, it`s a disease.
POWERS: How remarkable the man was.
BEHAR: He suffered from a disease.
POWERS: Certainly.
BEHAR: And it doesn`t minimize his incredible talent. Thanks very much, Stefanie, for dropping by. You can see Stefanie Powers performing. She`s a singer, don`t forget, at Feinstein`s in New York, November 16th through the 20th. We`ll be back after a quick break. And pick up her book.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BEHAR: Hip-hop mogul, entrepreneur, and chairman of Rush Communications, Russell Simmons has created an extensive business empire. His new Oxygen show, "Running Rusell Simmons" spotlights how he and his team of assistants get it all done. Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They put them in my house.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: In your house?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Right. And it was charge a lot of money. $1,000 per ticket.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Which house?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: My house in New York City. The 100 Victoria Secret models in my house.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh, Russell. That is so generous.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BEHAR: With me now is the very, very -- I don`t know how to put this, successful, I think, is the word to describe you, Russell Simmons.
SIMMONS: I hope so.
BEHAR: You`re very successful. I notice you`re constantly surrounded by women in this show.
SIMMONS: Well, these girls, the one you`re looking at have been with me for 27 years, Simone. And she was there at "Pre-Def Jam," my first business. She looks like 27 years old.
BEHAR: She does.
SIMMONS: Well, that`s because she`s a vegan and, you know, special lifestyle and that`s inspiring. And the other girl has been with me 15 years, Kristina. And so, you know, that`s my inner circle. We have hundreds of employees, but my office, my main office where we operate, everything comes through them.
BEHAR: I see.
SIMMONS: So. you see them --
BEHAR: Do you have any men, any male assistants?
SIMMONS: Well, I only have two assistants. One girl is the president of global grime which is a company that I keep very close. It`s a media company, GlobalGrind.com. So, all the political and social kind of stuff I write and I want to be in touch with that company. So, that`s out of my office as well. And a few other women and some men, but the men are not highlighted on Oxygen show.
BEHAR: Yes.
SIMMONS: It`s through their eyes, it`s what they see.
BEHAR: Uh-huh. That`s nice. Now, you live directly -- from around. I don`t know how close to Ground Zero, right?
SIMMONS: Yes.
BEHAR: And I`m wondering, how do you feel about the proposed mosque and cultural center, the community center they want to open there?
SIMMONS: I`m the chairman of the Foundation for Ethnic and Understanding, and what I do is promote dialogue between -- one of the things I do, between imams and rabbis around the world with hundreds of programs, with the winning (ph) programs, with the congregations get together and they find sameness and they find the rabbis and imams find this common ground.
I have a great story I tell very quickly. We had the imam top ten cities in New York and the top ten rabbis in those cities in Europe came together and the French imam, the French rabbi, like were very French and getting talk nobody, they went back and started aiding programs in France alone. You know, that`s where they have a lot of Islamophobia, a lot of --
BEHAR: But what do you make of the opposition to the mosque?
SIMMONS: I think it`s our first amendment. A politician who says that is so corrupt by the polls. I got to believe that they, you know, they don`t -- it`s our first amendment. And to having an interfaith prayer center is a gift from the Muslim community or from somewhere in the Muslim community, and I think it`s wrong for Americans to have this kind of attitude. It`s very scary.
BEHAR: Well, I agree with you. I agree with that. But people say to me, you know, at the "View" we had this whole ta-da about with Bill O`Reilly.
SIMMONS: Bill is my friend.
BEHAR: Yes.
SIMMONS: I don`t agree with nothing he says.
BEHAR: Yes. A woman in the audience speak (ph) to me, how you would feel if you had lost people there? And I said, I`d have to stick on my principles.
SIMMONS: If I lost people there, and I did lose friends, I don`t blame Muslim community for something that some, you know, do we blame --
BEHAR: Do I blame myself for Paladino because I`m Italian and so as he? No, I don`t. "Running Russell Simmons" premiers tonight at 10:00 on Oxygen.
And tomorrow night, Lewis Black will be here for his first post midterm interview. Good night, everybody. That will BEHAR fun.
SIMMONS: That`s it?
BEHAR: I know it`s very fast.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
END
