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American Morning

Former '80s Pop Singing Sensation Tiffany Takes Off Clothes for 'Playboy'

Aired March 04, 2002 - 09:47   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
JACK CAFFERTY: CNN ANCHOR: In the 1980s, Tiffany was a pop singing sensation, hot as they come, but lately, her career has not exactly lightened up the nighttime sky, and it's not her music that people are talking about these days, but rather her makeover. The former teen queen, is now 30 years old, has a 9-year-old son, and she's whipped off her clothes for a little spread in "Playboy." She's actually on the cover, and then there's some more revealing shots of her inside.

Joining us now to talk about the wisdom of all of this and some other issues, Howard Kurtz, who's "The Washington Post" media critic, and host of CNN's "RELIABLE SOURCES."

Before we get to Tiffany and her lack of clothing, and perhaps the wisdom of this decision to pose for playboy, can we talk about the Letterman, Ted Koppel, "Nightline" ABC, CBS miasma. It's all over the papers again today.

And the question that occurs to me, is there any way in the world that Ted Koppel can come out of this without getting his nose bloodied for good? He's kind of stuck, isn't he?

HOWARD KURTZ, CNN'S "RELIABLE SOURCES": I think it's pretty clear that ABC News and Koppel and "Nightline" have been pretty badly damaged by this fiasco. Even if Letterman ends up not coming over to ABC from CBS, the Disney folks have made pretty clear that they consider "Nightline" to be kind of past it's time, irrelevant, even though it is widely considered to be one of the finest news programs on television.

And the person who is really going to be scarred here is ABC News president David Westin. He found out about this, the idea of bumping or displacing "Nightline" for Letterman on Thursday night, about two hours before I did. He had been kept in the dark. One person close to him told me that Westin would have put in a difficult position if he had been told, because he wouldn't have been able to tell his staff.

On the other hand, this is a guy who there are a lot of doubts about because he's not a career journalist. He was a lawyer who succeeded the legendary Rune Arledge in that opposition, and now he's in the position of having been kept in the dark, and not really being able to do very much if the folks at Disney and ABC Television decide to go ahead and get rid of the franchise program that "Nightline" has been for 20 years.

CAFFERTY: And you know, the service to this country and people, and the role that it's performed on television, besides the fact that it hasn't been unprofitable; it's made a lot of money. But you know, all they had to get was a scent that Letterman might be -- just a whiff in the breeze that Letterman might be available, and it's like what "Nightline?" Let's go get Letterman. Is there a message there about the meaning of the so-called commitment to journalism and public service on the part of television executives?

KURTZ: Well, that's putting to fine of point on it. There is an unmistakable message, which is basically that it's all about money. I don't think that they dislike Ted Koppel in "Nightline," but despite pretty good ratings, ratings comparable with "Letterman" by the way, "Nightline" plays to an older audience. Letterman skews to a younger audience.

Advertisers have the belief that if you're over 50, you're sitting in your living room and you don't spend money, and so you can make a lot more money with a program like Letterman, because you get that prized 18-49 demographic that networks love.

CAFFERTY: I'm quite a bit over 50, and they're absolutely right. I sit in my living room and I don't -- what about Tiffany taking her clothes off for "Playboy." It's kind of sad in a way. I mean, this kid was literally the darling of the music industry, four million copies of an album that she recorded when she was 15 or 16 years old. Does her career get reborn with this, or is this just a flash in the pan, so to speak?

KURTZ: I was going to say maybe Koppel could take his clothes off and try to restart his image.

(CROSSTALK)

KURTZ: Well, I don't have all the expertise in this, because I read "Playboy" for the articles. But leaving that aside, I probably could have gone the rest of my life without thinking about Tiffany again. And clearly, an attention-getting move on her part. It's also a money-making move on her part.

CAFFERTY: But does it work?

KURTZ: Well, it works in getting people like us to talk about it. It probably works in getting people to buy that issue of "Playboy," where it does not work, I believe, is sending Tiffany back to the top of the charts. The fact is that simply going nude in front of some photographers in order to gain attention is increasingly sort of a marketing device that some aging women stars, or former stars or ex-stars are using to try to draw some attention, but it rarely works in terms of really making anything more than giving you another 10 minutes on the 15 minutes of fame that you used to have.

CAFFERTY: All right, Howard, I've got to leave it there with you. I enjoy the visits, and we'll undoubtedly be talking about the Letterman-Ted Koppel story in the days and weeks ahead. Appreciate it.

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