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Showbiz Tonight

Celebrities Say Good-bye to Pope

Aired April 04, 2005 - 19:00   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.


KARYN BRYANT, CO-HOST: The pope, the media coverage and the celebs saying good-bye.
A.J. HAMMER, CO-HOST: Plus, our troops get a rockin` performance from some of music`s biggest names. I`m A.J. Hammer.

BRYANT: And I`m Karyn Bryant. This is SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.

HAMMER: Tonight, the stars react.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I am just saddened, like everybody else.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HAMMER: Celebs open up about the passing of the pope. We`ve got their heartfelt thoughts.

BRYANT: Music for the Marines. Destiny`s Child and Kiss salute the troops in California. Celebs rock the Corps, and SHOWBIZ TONIGHT is right there with them.

HAMMER: Plus, body-slamming the competition, 21 years of "Wrestlemania" and a TV ratings smackdown. Wrestler Triple H and the head honcho of all wrestling, live.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DREW BARRYMORE, "FEVER PITCH": I love men, and I love that they love sports.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRYANT: Drew Barrymore hopes you`ll love her new movie. It`s got an ending even Hollywood couldn`t have scripted. We`re taking the field -- "Fever Pitch."

HAMMER: And slime time. It`s the Kids Choice Awards. We are right there, and we`ll tell you who cleaned up and who needed to be cleaned up.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HALLE BERRY, KIDS CHOICE AWARD NOMINEE: Hi. I`m Halle Berry. If it happened today, it`s on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRYANT: Hello, I`m Karyn Bryant, and you are at the top of the show.

HAMMER: I`m A.J. Hammer. We are live with you from Headline Prime studios in New York City for the next hour.

Well, tonight, the good-byes to an extraordinary pope, as television broadcasts an extraordinary event. Millions of people watched today as mourners flocked to St. Peter`s Basilica in Rome for the first day of Pope John Paul II`s viewing. What happens for the next papacy is deeply rooted in tradition, but how America stays tuned to the big events like this one certainly has changed.

BRYANT: SHOWBIZ TONIGHT`s David Haffenreffer is here for the very latest.

DAVID HAFFENREFFER, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT: A.J. and Karyn, today America and the world watched not only the biggest story for the year but a story that has touched the hearts of tens of millions of people. The news of the pope`s death broke this weekend.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

(voice-over): The death of a pope, the first time many have stood witness to history in the making, thousand-year-old rituals broadcast for the very first time on TV screens around the world, monumental not just for the faithful but for the media.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JUDY WOODRUFF, CNN ANCHOR: Let`s begin our coverage of today`s events with CNN`s Aaron Brown, who is there overlooking the Vatican.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HAFFENREFFER: The cable networks delivered wall-to-wall coverage this weekend. Not so for the broadcast networks, whose programming stayed relatively the same, with occasional news cut-ins.

HOWARD KURTZ, "WASHINGTON POST": The broadcast networks have treated the passing of the pope as an important story, but they have not done what cable news routinely does, and that is to blow out their whole schedules to cover it. They make money from entertainment and sports and regular programming. And so no matter how big an event it is, even the passing of a pope, ABC, CBS and NBC are pretty much going to stick to what they do, which most of the time is not news.

HAFFENREFFER: Of the big three network anchors, ABC`s Peter Jennings, Bob Schieffer of CBS and NBC`s Brian Williams, only Williams showed up on air when the pope died.

KURTZ: It was probably a smart idea for NBC to have its new anchor, Brian Williams, on the air as soon as the word came in of the pope`s death. But I don`t think having your big-name anchor front and center is necessarily that important, as long as you have a talented corps of correspondents.

HAFFENREFFER: And with cable news wall to wall, the big three nets didn`t stick around too long. In fact, CBS went back to the NCAA pre-game show about a half hour after announcing the pope`s death.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

And the pope`s funeral will take place on Friday at 4:00 AM Eastern time. You can expect live coverage as it happens, as well. And for those of you sleeping, you can be sure the cable networks will bring you excerpts of the event throughout the day -- Karyn.

BRYANT: OK. And coming up later in the show, U2`s Bono and other celebrities give their personal reflections on Pope John Paul II.

Out of respect for the pope, Prince Charles said today that he`s moving his wedding to Camilla Parker-Bowles back a day. It was originally scheduled for Friday, the day of the pope`s funeral, but has been pushed to Saturday. The wedding is expected to take in Windsor, west of London. Prince Charles will attend the pope`s funeral. Parker-Bowles will not be going with him.

HAMMER: Well, an all-star concert with an all-American message. Tens of thousands of Marines, sailors and relatives rocked the night away at a star-studded concert in San Diego called Rockin` the Corps. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT was right there at Camp Pendleton for the concert, which was organized to raise money for troops, their families and to say thanks.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

(voice-over): Ted Nugent got things started Jimi Hendrix-style with a scorching guitar rendition of "The Star-Spangled Banner," an appropriate beginning to a night that was part patriotism, part party and all rock. Cedric the Entertainer hosted Rockin` the Corps, and SHOWBIZ TONIGHT cameras were there, too. The event is described as a thank you to the 55,000 Marines and sailors at Camp Pendleton, which has suffered more casualties in Iraq and Afghanistan than any other base.

CEDRIC THE ENTERTAINER: That was one of the reasons to come out and be a part of this event and have some fun, you know, and give the guys and girls and their families in the military an opportunity to see some great performances.

HAMMER: And there were lots of great performances to see at the star- studded event, from Hootie to the booty -- licious. Destiny`s Child also took the stage. They told SHOWBIZ TONIGHT the No. 1 reason they were there.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Everyone`s so excited and so happy, as well as us. And we`re just proud to be here.

HAMMER: The outdoor concert was broadcast to U.S. military personnel all over the world, and the stars who attended had words of gratitude for each and every one of those troops.

RICHIE SAMBORA: This is our way of saying thank you for protecting us and protecting our safety and freedom and watching our backs, basically.

MARY J. BLIGE: We have been through a lot, and they have been the stronger people, the super people that are just hanging in there, you know? And we just want to -- I just want to let them know that when they get weak, I`m praying for them.

HAMMER: The big show stopper was classic rock band Kiss. And although the sacrifices of war were never very far from anyone`s mind, rock-and-roll all night is exactly what they did at Camp Pendleton.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

One of the core organizers of the Rockin` the Corps event was legendary producer Quincy Jones. The concert was filmed for pay-per-view, and it will also be released on DVD, with proceeds going to a fund supporting the troops and their families.

BRYANT: Time for "SHOWBIZ Shorts," a look at more stories making news tonight. Many nations, one voice day. That`s what Michael Jackson`s fans designated today, to show international support for him. Jackson showed up to court with his parents, waving to fans. Yesterday, in a phone call, Jackson told 200 supporters at a Santa Maria hotel that, quote, "God and truth are on our side."

In court today, the son of Jackson`s former personal maid testified that Jackson tickled and fondled him in 1990.

Will it be the hardest thing for him to do? We confirmed today that former "98 Degree" star Justin Jeffre met with VH-1 to discuss a reality TV series. Why? Well, on Friday, Jeffrey announced his candidacy to be mayor of Cincinnati, Ohio, and he wants the cameras to follow him.

More "SHOWBIZ Shorts" coming up throughout the show.

HAMMER: Screaming kids, screaming stars. Now, that`s fun. And it sure was this weekend at the 18th annual Nickelodeon Kids Choice Awards, as everyone from Ben Stiller to Cameron Diaz to Jamie Foxx showed up for a big night of slime. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT`s Brooke Anderson was right there for all this and joins us live from Hollywood. Now, tell us about the most festive awards show of the season, Brooke.

BROOKE ANDERSON, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT: It`s the most festive, and it`s the messiest awards show for sure, A.J. Millions of kids voted on line and by phone for their favorite stars in music, movies, television, sports and books. Hollywood`s A-list turned out for this event, which turns the spotlight onto kids.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

(voice-over): Usher, Hilary Duff, Will Smith and Halle Berry joined a giant cow and Chewbacca on the orange carpet Saturday for the Nickelodeon Kids Choice Awards. And SHOWBIZ TONIGHT was there to get the gooey details.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It`s all the kids. It`s all real, no pretentiousness. And we get to wear sneakers.

ANDERSON (on camera): Why is this show fun? Why is this special?

GEORGE LOPEZ, PRESENTER: You know what it`s come down to is kids move the dial. And you know, they`re the ones that float the boat.

AMBER TAMBLYN, PRESENTER: This is one of the most incredible shows I think that American culture has to offer. You get all these kids who are so enthusiastic, and you never get to see that. The Oscars are, like, so serious.

ANDERSON (voice-over): That`s what Oscar winner Jamie Foxx, who brought his daughter, Corinne, plus five other friends, told me. It`s different at this awards show.

JAMIE FOX, NOMINEE: These young children out here hanging out and having a good time and seeing all of their favorite stars is just beautiful.

ANDERSON: Another Oscar winner, Halle Berry, told me one on one that she bounced back from her "Cat Woman" Razzie to earn a Kids Choice favorite actress nomination.

(on camera): You were such a good sport last month, picked up your own Razzie award.

HALLE BERRY, PRESENTER/NOMINEE: Yes.

ANDERSON: So now you`re here, and the kids love you. You`re up for a favorite movie actress...

BERRY: For "Cat Woman," believe it or not! I thought, Wow, only in America can you be worst and best. Wow.

ANDERSON (voice-over): The Kids Choice hardware, or software, is a blimp. This year`s wannabe award was fit for a queen. Queen Latifah floated away with this prize, an honor that these kids want to be just like her.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I got a blimp, and you don`t got one!

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The key to life is running (ph) and reading.

ANDERSON: Favorite animated voice winner Will Smith and favorite male singer Usher both used their acceptance speeches to give some kid-friendly advice.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Make sure you brush your teeth tonight, say your prayers, eat your vitamins.

ANDERSON: But the biggest hit of the night was this.

CAMERON DIAZ: It`s the pies you have to look out for!

ANDERSON: Cameron Diaz pelted host Ben Stiller with pie, and later, not one but two celebs were slimed. Will Ferrell and surprise guest Johnny Depp got the goop.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

Oh, what a good sport! Some other big winners of the night, "The Incredibles" won favorite movie, and Adam Sandler and Hilary Duff picked up best actor and actress -- A.J.

HAMMER: I don`t know about you, Brooke, but nothing says fun to me quite like green goo. Thanks a lot.

ANDERSON: Green slime.

HAMMER: Brooke Anderson live in Hollywood -- Karyn.

BRYANT: Nobody got slimed at "Wrestlemania 21," but people did get slammed. Wrestler Triple H and WWE head Vince McMahon, live. It`s in "The Show`s Biz" next.

HAMMER: And then, from the squared circle to the baseball diamond, we`ve got the fever for "Fever Pitch," Drew Barrymore and Jimmy Fallon on their new movie.

It`s time now for tonight`s "Entertainment Weekly Great American Pop Culture Quiz." Which Simon and Garfunkel song did the Bangles cover for the 1987 movie "Less than Zero"? Was it A, "Bookends," B, "Cecilia," C, "A Hazy Shade of Winter, or D, "America"? Hang around. We`re coming right back with the answer.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HAMMER: Welcome back. So once again, tonight`s "Entertainment Weekly Great American Pop Culture Quiz." Which Simon and Garfunkel song did the Bangles cover for the 1987 movie "Less Than Zero," "Bookends," "Cecilia," "A Hazy Shade of Winter" or "America"? You`re listening to the answer right now. The album was "Bookends." The song was "A Hazy Shade of Winter." So of course, the answer is C.

BRYANT: Tonight, in "The Show`s Biz," pro wrestling -- it is still a very big deal. World Wrestling Entertainment, as you know, the WWE, is leaving Spike TV. Today the WWE signed a multi-million-dollar powerhouse deal to show wrestling on the USA network and other NBC/Universal networks. The big news came just one day after "Wrestlemania 21" went down at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. It was the highest-grossing WWE event ever at the center, and it was seen by millions more on pay-per-view. And Saturday, the day before, in Hollywood, Hulk Hogan and other wrestling legends were inducted into the WWE`s Hall of Fame.

Well, joining us from Los Angeles to talk big business in wrestling is WWE chairman Vince McMahon, WWE vice president of creative writing Stephanie McMahon and "WWE Raw" superstar talent Triple H. Thanks for joining us.

VINCE MCMAHON, WWE CHAIRMAN: Thanks for having us.

BRYANT: Yes. First and foremost, Vince, I want to talk to you. Two of your programs are the No. 1 and 2 programs in cable, "WWE Raw" and "Raw Zone." How do you even, you know, acknowledge the fact that so many people are still watching wrestling after all these years?

VINCE MCMAHON: Well, why not? I mean, it`s the greatest spectacle in all of show business, whenever you have a variety show like this of all your favorite forms of show business all wrapped into (UNINTELLIGIBLE) It`s a variety show, including soap opera technique, including rock stars, including all the greatest sports in the world. It`s an action-adventure. It`s all that, and a bit of comedy thrown in as well. So again, why not? It is a true variety show, and the only variety show on television, by the way.

BRYANT: Now, your deal with Spike ends in September, and then you`ll be moving to NBC/Universal. Why did you feel the need to move, and what are you planning on changing?

VINCE MCMAHON: I think it`s somewhat different in terms of being a part of the NBC/Universal networks because it gives us more opportunity in terms of a late-night Saturday night "Main Event" type thing following "Saturday Night Live." We accomplished that some time ago, and it`s an opportunity to come back to that and grab that late night audience, and also to be a part of Telemundo, in terms of the Hispanic network. That`s also something that is very interesting to us and can be afforded to us that we otherwise would not have, as it would relate to Spike.

BRYANT: OK, now, Stephanie, I`ve got a question for you. Your father has been pioneering wrestling on television for a long time, his father, as well, before, with Bruno Sammartino and Argentino Apollo (ph). What would you like to change about the wrestling industry, now that you`re a part of it, as well?

STEPHANIE MCMAHON, WWE VICE PRES. OF CREATIVE WRITING: Well, I think I`d just like to continue in my father`s footsteps, if that`s at all possible, and continue to make wrestling the biggest thing on television because that`s exactly what it is.

BRYANT: Now, you`re VP of creative writing. How much are the plotlines determined in advance of the actual events?

STEPHANIE MCMAHON: Well, the plotlines are all predetermined. We are an entertainment, you know, vehicle. Like my dad was saying, we`re soap opera, we`re drama, we`re action-adventure, we`re everything on television wrapped into one variety show. So certainly, our storylines are plotted ahead of time. Now, unlike other shows on television, we`re 52 weeks a year. We never have a rerun. There`s never a repeat. And we have to deal with things like injuries that come up, and you know, all different kinds of challenges that other shows don`t have to deal with. So we have to be able to think pretty quickly on our feet.

BRYANT: So Triple H, what happened to you yesterday? What happened - - oh, I`m sorry! I had to ask.

TRIPLE H, "WWE" RAW SUPERSTAR: I knew you were going to go -- I just knew you were going to go there!

BRYANT: Had to go there.

TRIPLE H: You have one bad night, you lose the world championship for one night, and then you got to go on Headline News and CNN, and they got to rub it in your face. This is ridiculous, you know?

(LAUGHTER)

BRYANT: Listen, I wouldn`t dare to rub it in your face. Looks like somebody beat me to it there. You got a little scar -- I`m sorry!

TRIPLE H: (UNINTELLIGIBLE) on here for comic relief. Why not?

BRYANT: It was easy. I`m sorry. But now seriously, Triple H, I want to talk to you about this. What about the idea that you could go Hollywood even moreso now, follow in the footsteps of Rock, Stone Cold Steve Austin, and make some movies?

TRIPLE H: I think it`s a definite next step. It`s a logical next step for a lot of our guys. You know, to me, we already are the action heroes of today. We are the movie star action heroes of today. We just happen to be on television. And the next logical step for a lot of our guys is to go into Hollywood, whether it`s through WWE films, our own film company, or whether it`s through another vehicle, and to become the action stars in that genre, as well. There are no giant action stars in Hollywood right now because Vince owns all of them, and you`re looking at one right now.

BRYANT: All right. Well, great. Thank you, and continued success to you and to Stephanie and to Vince. Of course, it is the WWE.

VINCE MCMAHON: ... 9:00 o`clock on Spike.

TRIPLE H: Spike TV.

HAMMER: All right, Karyn. Well, coming up, Drew Barrymore and Jimmy Fallon pin down their new movie for us. "Fever Pitch" has an ending that`s 86 years in the making.

BRYANT: And it could happen to anyone, but what happens when it happens to those in the public eye? A "SHOWBIZ In Depth" look at celebs and rehab.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BRYANT: Celebrities speak out. What the pope meant to the stars. They share their thoughts with SHOWBIZ TONIGHT in about 10 minutes.

HAMMER: Well, the final box office numbers came out this afternoon. and "Sin City," the comic book adaptation starring Bruce Willis, Jessica Alba and Clive Owen, took the No. 1 spot over the weekend with a $29 million opening. "Beauty Shop," a spin-off from the "Barber Shop" movies starring Queen Latifah, clipped its way to second place, just under $13 million. Guess who came in right behind that? Bernie Mac`s and Ashton Kutcher`s "Guess Who," $12.7 million. "Robots" in fourth, just shy of the $10 million mark. And "Miss Congeniality 2" rounds out the top five with more than $8 million.

BRYANT: One big movie opening next weekend is "Fever Pitch," and the buzz is that it`s going to be a home run. "Fever Pitch" stars Jimmy Fallon and Drew Barrymore. The stars sat down with SHOWBIZ TONIGHT to make their pitch.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP - "FEVER PITCH")

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: So do you think it`ll be a problem that you`re more successful than him?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRYANT (voice-over): Drew Barrymore plays Lindsey Meeks, a gal who`s climbing the ladder of success at work but stumbling along when it comes to love. That is, until she meets schoolteacher Ben, played by former "Saturday Night Live" star Jimmy Fallon. Gaggling to her friends about her new-found love, Lindsey and company are convinced there`s got to be something wrong with him if he`s still single. It turns out Ben has another obsession besides their new-found love, his beloved baseball team, the Red Sox.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It`s a new season.

JIMMY FALLON, "FEVER PITCH": A clean slate.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRYANT: She figures playing second fiddle is what she has to do. But Drew Barrymore told SHOWBIZ TONIGHT she instantly connected to her character, Lindsey, and even found something new to love.

BARRYMORE: I relate to it. I get it. I think it`s the ultimate balance that we`re all trying to achieve in life. And here we are, you know, talking about it and the metaphor, and the triangle to the love story is baseball.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

FALLON: Will you go to opening day with me?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BARRYMORE: I just thought it would be an interesting backdrop because I love men, and I love that they love sports so much. So I just thought there are people out there like this. And if you`re not a sports fan, you can trade the metaphor of the baseball for your own personal obsession. And so I just -- I loved this story. And then making it, I obviously fell in love with the Red Sox.

BRYANT: Speaking of falling in love, Jimmy Fallon admitted to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT that after working with Drew, he could see why men seem to fall all over her.

FALLON: You just fall in love with Drew Barrymore as soon as she walks in the room. She goes, like, Hi, I`m Drew. And you go, All right, I`m in love with you. I mean, it happens -- I`ve seen it -- it happens every day with her. She goes anywhere, she can go to the mall, and she goes, like, (UNINTELLIGIBLE) People just fall in love with her.

BRYANT: And it was a love affair for the Red Sox, their fans and the cast of "Fever Pitch." The team finally broke the "Curse of the Bambino" and won their first World Series in 86 years. Jimmy and Drew were right there, with cameras rolling. It was the Hollywood ending everyone was looking for.

FALLON: (UNINTELLIGIBLE) If we would have put in the script that the Red Sox won the World Series, people would have said, yes, right. Bull. I mean, it was like a Hollywood ending. But as we -- we`re almost done filming, like, we`re halfway done, a little bit more than halfway. they started winning. And we`re, like, Wait, if they win -- what if they win the World Series? We`ve got to do something about this. Call the writers. So the writers are rewriting the end of the movie, and we`re, like, going, This is going to be insane. This is baseball history. It`s the biggest comeback in the history of baseball, and we`re filming it. And I couldn`t believe it. Couldn`t be luckier. Couldn`t have a better Hollywood ending.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BRYANT: Hopefully, for Red Sox fans like me, it won`t be another 86 years. The team did lose their first game of the season against the Yankees last night. But it`s still early. "Fever Pitch" opens in theaters this Friday.

HAMMER: The Yankees won.

BRYANT: Whoop-de-doo!

HAMMER: Say that one more time.

Find out what the late Marlon Brando might have done for Michael Jackson. That`s coming up in our "Buzz Bench."

BRYANT: And Lisa Marie Presley was married to Michael Jackson, but should you marry yourself to her new album? A review in "People`s" "Picks and Pans."

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(NEWS BREAK)

BRYANT: Bono honors the pope. The U2 front man talks about meeting John Paul II and his passing.

HAMMER: "Showbiz in depth" -- celebrities and rehab, a look at the stars who check in and why some keep checking out.

JASON McCARTNEY: Hey, I`m Jason McCartney and if it happens today, it happens on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.

HAMMER: Welcome back to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. It is 30 minutes past the hour. I`m AJ Hammer.

BRYANT: And I`m Karyn Bryant. Here are tonight`s hot headlines.

HAMMER: The networks cover the death of the pope. Cable news ran continuous coverage of the pope`s death this weekend. But of the big three network anchors, only NBC`s Brian Williams came to the anchor chair when the pope died.

BRYANT: The royal wedding, pushed back. Prince Charles was supposed to marry Camilla Parker-Bowles this Friday. Today, his office says the wedding has been moved to Saturday and Charles will go to the pope`s funeral on Friday.

HAMMER: As people around the world mourn the loss of Pope John Paul II, we`re getting more outpouring from Hollywood.

BRYANT: SHOWBIZ TONIGHT`S David Haffenreffer joins us now with more.

HAFFENREFFER: Karyn, whether they are Catholic or not, the outpouring of emotion and admiration from celebrities has been impressive. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT caught up with some of the big Hollywood names at the Nickelodeon kids choice awards this weekend.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JON VOIGHT, ACTOR: He was a blessing for all of us. His reign as the head of this great church was one of goodness and openness to all. And I think that he`s going to have a very high place in history.

GEORGE LOPEZ, ACTOR: I think he was a great humanitarian. I think he was -- how can you criticize the work of the pope? So I`m sure whoever we decide to -- we name the new pope, there`s some -- that`s a big hat to fill.

BERRY: Well, you know, his impact depends on what your religious beliefs are. I`m just saddened, like everyone else that an icon has passed on.

HAFFENREFFER: From actors to musicians, U2 front man releasing this statement, calling the pope, a great show man, a great communicator of ideas, even if you didn`t agree with all of them, a great friend to the world`s poor, which is how I got to meet him, unquote. U2 recently sat down with SHOWBIZ TONIGHT as the band kicked off its Vertigo tour. Bono talked about what most impressed him about the pope.

BONO: But he was a performer before he was pope. He was an actor and he played soccer, played goal. But he`s funny. He`s funny. I think that`s one of the reasons why he`s so effective, is that he wasn`t some kind of ivory tower person. You know, he was from Poland. He was with the people in Poland.

HAFFENREFFER: And praise for the pope does not stop with U2 and other rock `n` rollers. It also extends into more classical music. Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli is honoring the pope with a performance of the sacred aria Ave Maria.

Bocelli was the official voice of the church`s jubilee in the year 2000 and knew the pope for a long time. You can see all of Andrea Bocelli`s performance tonight on a special edition of LARRY KING LIVE on CNN. Karen?

BRYANT: Thanks, David.

Time for more "Showbiz Shorts." The Osbournes we don`t usually see has gotten sick. A spokesperson for the Osbournes says 21-year old Amy and her mom Sharon flew from London to L.A. over the weekend so Amy could receive treatment for what they aren`t saying. Amy and Sharon were supposed to have starred together in an upcoming London production of "The Vagina Monologue," but they canceled their appearance.

Eminem and 50 hitting the road. Today we learned Eminem and 50 Cent will co-headline a tour this summer. The Anger Management 3 tour begins a 24-day run in July.

HAMMER: It is 34 minutes past the hour and time now for showbiz in- depth, celebs in rehab. A number of celebrities have gone into rehab lately. And for some, it`s not the first trip. Singer Whitney Houston just went back into an undisclosed clinic for an undisclosed reason. She has, however, admitted to using drugs in the past. Billy Joel is also back in rehab to help with his continued fight with drinking and recently we learned celebrity journalist Pat O`Brien checked himself into rehab for an alcohol problem. But where do these celebrities go and what do they go through? Joining us now live on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT clinical psychologist and radio talk show host, Dr. Judy Kuriansky. We all know her as Dr. Judy. Thanks for stopping by.

DR. JUDY KURIANSKY, CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGIST: It`s a pleasure, AJ. It`s a very serious subject.

HAMMER: It is rather serious and what is different about these rehab facilities that celebrities are checking into?

KURIANSKY: When you get a Whitney or a Billy going to some place like this, they are usually residential. You stay for a month, or a month and a half and they`re like resorts. They`re really beautiful hotels. But you have to really -- they`re cracking the whip at you and you have to behave.

HAMMER: And to be clear, these are not rehab facilities for celebrities. It`s basically more expensive than the traditional facilities.

KURIANSKY: Yes. That`s right. But they`re mixed in with the real people and they get treated like real people, which is what`s difficult for them often, because it doesn`t matter that you are as famous as Whitney, or that you`ve got sprawling east Hampton homes like Billy Joel does. You are treated like everybody else and you have to act like everybody else and you`re equal. That`s hard for their ego to take.

HAMMER: And that starts the moment they walk in the door, I imagine. Tell me what happens when they actually check in. What do they go through?

KURIANSKY: You check in and you have a program for the day. You have breakfast at a certain time at 6:00. You have sessions. There`s sessions a lot of the day and a lot of these are group sessions. So you sit around and you talk to the other people who have checked in. Everybody uses their first name. And you go through 12 steps. So a lot of people who are addicted know what the 12-step program is. You have to admit you have a problem, that you are having difficulty controlling it. And then you have buddy systems, where you have to talk to your buddy when you feel like that urge is coming up. You talk about what your problems are and then you have exercise programs. You do yoga. You do all these things that are supposed to be healthy living so that you can control the urge to drug or eat too much.

HAMMER: All right. Well, thank you very much for your insight on the subject. Dr. Judy, we appreciate you stopping by.

As we mentioned, there are many celebrities in and out of rehab and Karyn`s going to tell us more I think.

BRYANT: OK. Well, we actually wanted to know what people were thinking at home. Celebrities in rehab, are we too forgiving. You can vote online at cnn.com. Or you can send us your e-mail to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT at cnn.com. We`ll of course share your thoughts later on.

They have been talking all day and we`ve been listening, now as we do every night on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, the best from today`s talk shows. AMERICAN IDOL`s king of snide sits down with the daytime queen. Simon Cowell dishes to Oprah about his famous brawl with co-IDOL judge Paula Abdul and who his favorite all-time idols are.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SIMON COWELL, AMERICAN IDOL: I think to be fair to Paula, I was antagonizing her so much.

OPRAH WINFREY, TALK SHOW HOST: I know, you were. But I kept thinking something`s going -- I don`t like that.

COWELL: She just snaps and then she regrets it afterward.

WINFREY: Did she call you like a dirty name or something? Is that what you edited out?

COWELL: Possibly.

WINFREY: Possibly? Your favorite past winner?

COWELL: Oh, that`s a good question. In terms of a person, or a singer?

WINFREY: OK. Let`s go with singer first.

COWELL: Singer first? Kelly.

WINFREY: Kelly? Person?

COWELL: Person, Fantasia.

WINFREY: Fantasia?

COWELL: Yes.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRYANT: Well, as we reported earlier, Prince Charles has pushed back his wedding date to Camilla Parker-Bowles. We`ll take that to the buzz bench coming up.

HAMMER: Plus, got to have faith. Faith Evans has a new CD coming out tomorrow. We`re going to check it out coming up in "People`s" picks and pans.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LAKE BELL: I am watching "Arrested Development" all the time. I`m Tivoing it and I`m watching it again and again and again and I`m also walking (UNINTELLIGIBLE).

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BRYANT: Time now for tonight`s "buzz bench" where today`s entertainment chatter takes center stage. Tonight: a royal move, Brando`s gift to Michael Jackson, and now what for Lisa Marie Presley.

HAMMER: And joining us on the "buzz bench," tonight, "New York" magazine`s Sarah Bernard, comedian and TV personality Chuck Nice and "New York Times` Lola Ogunnaike is also here. So Prince Charles and Camilla Parker-Bowles, excuse me, have decided to push their wedding from one day to Saturday, so Charles can attend the pope`s funeral. Lola?

LOLA OGUNNAIKE, NEW YORK TIMES: I guess he figures, look, we`ve waited 20-something years. Another day is not going to hurt. Plus, I mean, you know, I can`t believe the Vatican would double-book him like that. I mean, what the hell were they thinking?

SARAH BERNARD, NEW YORK MAGAZINE: Don`t you feel it`s like the whole universe is conspiring against Charles and Camilla? I mean no one wants them to get married at this point. They had some screw up with their marriage license. They had to switch the venue.

OGUNNAIKE: Exactly. Now the pope goes and dies when they`re about to get married.

BERNARD: I know. Don`t do it, guys.

CHUCK NICE, COMEDIAN/TV PERSONALITY: It looks like the Vatican is out to get them. First he had to cut his skiing trip short. Now he has to postpone his marriage. I can only think that maybe the pope will haunt them for the honeymoon. That`s the only thing that`s left.

BRYANT: You know what`s interesting though. They did have to move the venue to the town hall, and mom is not coming and everything. But what is interesting is this town hall actually is booked in the afternoon as well. And they`ve been told, like we will not bump these other weddings. So you better just get in in the morning, little prince and get on the way.

NICE: See what happens when you`re not king. It`s good to be the king. It`s not good to be the prince.

BERNARD: Don`t they have a wedding planner?

OGUNNAIKE: Again, Camilla is, like come hell or high water, this is happening. I don`t care if the pope dies. I don`t care who dies. This is going to happen.

BERNARD: Let`s just go to Vegas. Just get it over with.

(CROSSTALK)

NICE: The royal Britney Spears wedding, that`s what they should do.

OGUNNAIKE: An Elvis impersonator at their wedding.

BRYANT: Well, we`ll see if it all happens or not on Saturday. Now something I want to move on to. This is a little bit of a tricky story. It`s Michael Jackson and Brando. In 2003, Brando apparently signed the deed to one of his islands in, you know, around Tahiti. And basically said Michael Jackson can use it for the rest of his natural life. He`s given this place before for sanctuary and the idea is now that Michael Jackson may be using this as a sanctuary because of the political troubles - not political troubles, rather, the court troubles that he`s having. And Brando gave him this as a thank you when Michael let Brando`s have his child`s birthday party at Neverland.

NICE: Wow. Is there any clearer indication that somebody`s guilty when someone reaches back from beyond the grave to give you sanctuary? Can it get any worse for Michael? Honestly, this would be the fitting punishment for Michael Jackson if he is found guilty, to send him to a deserted island because, really, this is a guy that needs attention. And he won`t have any on a deserted island. I mean, even in jail, he would get attention. Not the kind he wants.

BERNARD: But I think the strangest thing was the letter that Marlon Brando wrote to Michael Jackson, he signed it love dad.

BRYANT: Exactly.

BERNARD: Love dad. Incredibly creepy. I have no idea what that means. Except for the fact that they`re all -- and why is it natural life?

(CROSSTALK)

OGUNNAIKE: He gave up his natural life years ago when he started wearing the makeup and the wig.

BRYANT: I think it`s more of his unnatural life right now.

NICE: Looking at him right now, I understand that his father`s white. Now I get it.

BRYANT: He just told you. Do you think though this is the sort of thing that he would actually really do run away to this island? The thought of that, that`s what I find interesting.

HAMMER: I think that`s a little far fetched.

OGUNNAIKE: If he could bring his decorators and have like a Neverland 2, I think he might do it.

NICE: (UNINTELLIGIBLE) make it a reality show.

HAMMER: We have to move on now from the king of pop to his ex-wife, Lisa Marie Presley. Her brand new CD, her second solo CD is coming out tomorrow. Now what`s the title, Sarah, give us your review?

BERNARD: I don`t get it. My favorite thing about this story is that she has said it was really hard for her to do the tour, for her first CD. And it`s because she doesn`t like attention. Now, this person married Michael Jackson, married Nicolas Cage, for something like 30 days maybe. She didn`t have to make the album the first time. She`s acting like we`re all demanding that she please put on a tour for us.

OGUNNAIKE: I have a really hard time believing that she`s this shy, retiring violet that has been forced into the public eye because of the masses who are begging her and begging her to put out music. No one cares.

HAMMER: She does look uncomfortable in front of crowds of people though. There`s no question about it.

BERNARD: Then why is she doing this?

BRYANT: I don`t know.

OGUNNAIKE: Chuck, were you begging for another Lisa Marie album?

NICE: I can`t get enough of Lisa Marie personally. And I think she`s doing the album just for me. I wrote her personally.

BERNARD: Your dad, from the grave, does better than you ever will.

HAMMER: All right. Guys, we`re going to wrap it up here. Sarah Bernard, Chuck Nice, Lola Ogunnaike, thanks for joining us on the bench tonight.

BRYANT: The buzz goes on about Lisa Marie`s new CD. It comes out tomorrow, but we`ll get a review tonight, coming up in "People`s" picks and pans.

HAMMER: Plus, Michael Jackson is the subject of more than one made- for-TV movie, and Conan O`Brien has some casting suggestions, coming up in "laughter dark."

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HAMMER: It is time for more "showbiz shorts." "JAG" is going off the air today. CBS announced today that the drama will end its run on April 29 in an episode that promises to resolve the romantic tension between its lead characters. "JAG" has been on the air for 10 years.

Paris Hilton is all over the big screen. The "Hollywood Reporter" says Hilton has signed on to play a girl who falls for a bartender in an upcoming indie movie called "Bottoms Up." Jason Mewes of Jay and Silent Bob fame will play the bartender. Hilton also appears in a movie called "House of Wax" which comes out next month.

BRYANT: It`s time for "People" magazine`s music picks and pans, and there`s something for just about everyone tonight. Lisa Marie Presley, Rhonda Vincent and the Rage and Faith Evans all have new albums. Joining us from "People "magazine is staff correspondent Mark Dagostino. Mark, we`re going to start with Lisa Marie. What`s next? Now what? Now what?

MARK DAGOSTINO, PEOPLE MAGAZINE: Now what? Well, "Now What" is the title of the album and in some ways, that`s what you`re going to be saying after you hear it. It`s really, I think, a lot of us are just hoping for so much from Lisa Marie, and here`s album number two. And it`s just not quite there.

BRYANT: She`s covering the Don Henley "Dirty Laundry," which is probably a good choice. But I just don`t know where she is stylistically. What is she? Is she rock? Is she pop?

DAGOSTINO: It`s right in between somewhere. It`s - there`s a little flavor of Pink and even a guest appearance from Pink. You don`t know exactly where it`s going. The Don Henley cover is good. Oddly, even though that wasn`t written by her, it almost feels like the most personal lyrics on the album. It`s very strange.

BRYANT: But it`s kind of hit or miss then.

DAGOSTINO: It`s kind of hit or miss.

BRYANT: OK, Now I want to talk about Rhonda Vincent and the Rage. This is bluegrass. How is this record?

DAGOSTINO: This is phenomenal. I mean she is right up there with Allison Krause, Ricky Skaggs, really one of the top-notch performers in the country and blue grass. And blue grass fans are going to know who she is. If you don`t know who she is and you`re thinking about maybe expanding your tastes a little bit, this is an amazing album to pick up. It was recorded live last August and it`s just absolute perfection on every cut.

BRYANT: OK, now I want to move on to Faith Evans. Some people know her as Biggie Small`s wife before he passed. What`s up with her album?

DAGOSTINO: Well, I think the title is "The First Lady." I`m sorry, but the first lady of hip-hop soul is still Mary J. Blige.

BRYANT: This is more R&B. Doesn`t she try to do a little soul here?

DAGOSTINO: A little more soul, yeah. There`s a little less of the hip-hop, a little less of the rap influence. You`re hearing more real singing and more real soul coming out. But it`s just, it`s not quite there. Unfortunately two out of three this week are kind of hit or miss.

BRYANT: All right. Two out of three. Not so great. But thanks for joining us, anyway, Mark Dagostino of "People" magazine. For more picks and pans, you can check out this week`s "People" magazine at newsstands everywhere.

HAMMER: So why did David Letterman offer to give his entire audience a shower? We`re going to show you, coming up in laughter dark. And there`s still time for you to sound off in the SHOWBIZ TONIGHT question of the day. Celebs in rehab: are we too forgiving? You can vote by going to cnn.com/showbiztonight. Got more to say? Email us what`s on your mind at showbiztonight@cnn.com. We`re going to read some of what you have to say and some of what you sent us, coming up next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BRYANT: Welcome back. Time for another "showbiz shorts." Zella Ward in the house. We learned today that starting next month, Ward will be a guest star on the Fox hospital drama as Dr. House`s ex girlfriend. The series creator tells tvguide.com that Ward`s character could hang around for a while. And will definitely shed some light on Dr. House`s past.

HAMMER: It`s time now to get your laugh on in laughter dark. As we do every night, we bring you the late night laughs you just might have missed.

BRYANT: Well, there was a major leak in the Ed Sullivan Theater during the taping of the late show with David Letterman. But despite the constant sound of water dripping, the show went on. Take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DAVID LETTERMAN: Anybody want to take a shower? Honest to God, we`ll get you the towels, we`ll get you the soap, whatever you want, come up and take a shower. The showers are on me, ladies and gentlemen. It`s indoors. It`s indoors.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRYANT: Unbelievable.

HAMMER: Got to work with what you`ve got sometimes.

BRYANT: Unbelievable. Well, "Late Night With Conan O`Brien" brought up a made-for-TV movie about the Michael Jackson trial.

HAMMER: And of course Conan couldn`t resist doing a little casting himself.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CONAN O`BRIEN, TALK SHOW HOST: They cast everybody. Check it out. I think they did a really great job casting. They did an incredible job. For instance, Judge Rodney Melville, the judge in the case, is going to be played by Richard Dreyfus. This is big story. Yeah. Sitcom star and trial witness, George Lopez will be played by Eric Estrada, very happy about that.

Now, this is great. Here is where it gets really good. Michael`s father, Joe Jackson, will be played by Little Richard. He`s part of the trial. Macaulay Culkin will be played by Dakota Fanning. Yeah. The Reverend Jesse Jackson will be played by Vince Vaughn, looking forward to that. District attorney Tom Sneddon will be played by Moleman from the "Simpsons." Journalist Geraldo Rivera will be played by Saddam Hussein. Michael Jackson will be played by Edward Scissorhands.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRYANT: Well, we have been asking you to vote online on the SHOWBIZ TONIGHT question of the day. Celebrities in rehab, are we to forgiving? How the vote is going so far, 77 percent of you say, yes, we`re too forgiving of celebrities in rehab, 23 percent of you said no, we`re not too forgiving of celebrities in rehab.

And you`ve also been sending us emails on this question. Francesca from the UK says, I don`t think we are, because if you look at the stars who have been in rehab, they are never allowed to forget it. And Casey Ann says, it`s not our responsibility to be forgiving. We watch, read and listen to their work. And remember, you can continue to vote at cnn.com/showbiztonight or send us your thoughts to showbiztonight@cnn.com.

HAMMER: Time now to see what`s playing on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT tomorrow.

BRYANT: Let`s take a look at the showbiz marquee. Take it away, marquee guy.

ANNOUNCER: OK, kiddies. Surprise pop quiz, what`s Matchbox 20 minus 19? The answer is one, Rob Thomas. The former Matchbox lead singer is flying solo with a new record and he`s landing on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT tomorrow. Also tomorrow, Victoria has a brand new secret. Now I`d tell you what it is, but everyone knows the marquee guy is very good at keeping secrets. You`ll just have to tune in tomorrow to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. This is the marquee guy. I`ve got a secret and AJ and Karyn know what it is.

HAMMER: All right. We won`t tell. Marquee guy, good night.

BRYANT: That`s it for SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. We will see you here tomorrow.

HAMMER: Nancy Grace is coming up next right after the very latest from headline news.

END


Aired April 4, 2005 - 19:00:00   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KARYN BRYANT, CO-HOST: The pope, the media coverage and the celebs saying good-bye.
A.J. HAMMER, CO-HOST: Plus, our troops get a rockin` performance from some of music`s biggest names. I`m A.J. Hammer.

BRYANT: And I`m Karyn Bryant. This is SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.

HAMMER: Tonight, the stars react.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I am just saddened, like everybody else.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HAMMER: Celebs open up about the passing of the pope. We`ve got their heartfelt thoughts.

BRYANT: Music for the Marines. Destiny`s Child and Kiss salute the troops in California. Celebs rock the Corps, and SHOWBIZ TONIGHT is right there with them.

HAMMER: Plus, body-slamming the competition, 21 years of "Wrestlemania" and a TV ratings smackdown. Wrestler Triple H and the head honcho of all wrestling, live.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DREW BARRYMORE, "FEVER PITCH": I love men, and I love that they love sports.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRYANT: Drew Barrymore hopes you`ll love her new movie. It`s got an ending even Hollywood couldn`t have scripted. We`re taking the field -- "Fever Pitch."

HAMMER: And slime time. It`s the Kids Choice Awards. We are right there, and we`ll tell you who cleaned up and who needed to be cleaned up.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HALLE BERRY, KIDS CHOICE AWARD NOMINEE: Hi. I`m Halle Berry. If it happened today, it`s on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRYANT: Hello, I`m Karyn Bryant, and you are at the top of the show.

HAMMER: I`m A.J. Hammer. We are live with you from Headline Prime studios in New York City for the next hour.

Well, tonight, the good-byes to an extraordinary pope, as television broadcasts an extraordinary event. Millions of people watched today as mourners flocked to St. Peter`s Basilica in Rome for the first day of Pope John Paul II`s viewing. What happens for the next papacy is deeply rooted in tradition, but how America stays tuned to the big events like this one certainly has changed.

BRYANT: SHOWBIZ TONIGHT`s David Haffenreffer is here for the very latest.

DAVID HAFFENREFFER, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT: A.J. and Karyn, today America and the world watched not only the biggest story for the year but a story that has touched the hearts of tens of millions of people. The news of the pope`s death broke this weekend.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

(voice-over): The death of a pope, the first time many have stood witness to history in the making, thousand-year-old rituals broadcast for the very first time on TV screens around the world, monumental not just for the faithful but for the media.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JUDY WOODRUFF, CNN ANCHOR: Let`s begin our coverage of today`s events with CNN`s Aaron Brown, who is there overlooking the Vatican.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HAFFENREFFER: The cable networks delivered wall-to-wall coverage this weekend. Not so for the broadcast networks, whose programming stayed relatively the same, with occasional news cut-ins.

HOWARD KURTZ, "WASHINGTON POST": The broadcast networks have treated the passing of the pope as an important story, but they have not done what cable news routinely does, and that is to blow out their whole schedules to cover it. They make money from entertainment and sports and regular programming. And so no matter how big an event it is, even the passing of a pope, ABC, CBS and NBC are pretty much going to stick to what they do, which most of the time is not news.

HAFFENREFFER: Of the big three network anchors, ABC`s Peter Jennings, Bob Schieffer of CBS and NBC`s Brian Williams, only Williams showed up on air when the pope died.

KURTZ: It was probably a smart idea for NBC to have its new anchor, Brian Williams, on the air as soon as the word came in of the pope`s death. But I don`t think having your big-name anchor front and center is necessarily that important, as long as you have a talented corps of correspondents.

HAFFENREFFER: And with cable news wall to wall, the big three nets didn`t stick around too long. In fact, CBS went back to the NCAA pre-game show about a half hour after announcing the pope`s death.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

And the pope`s funeral will take place on Friday at 4:00 AM Eastern time. You can expect live coverage as it happens, as well. And for those of you sleeping, you can be sure the cable networks will bring you excerpts of the event throughout the day -- Karyn.

BRYANT: OK. And coming up later in the show, U2`s Bono and other celebrities give their personal reflections on Pope John Paul II.

Out of respect for the pope, Prince Charles said today that he`s moving his wedding to Camilla Parker-Bowles back a day. It was originally scheduled for Friday, the day of the pope`s funeral, but has been pushed to Saturday. The wedding is expected to take in Windsor, west of London. Prince Charles will attend the pope`s funeral. Parker-Bowles will not be going with him.

HAMMER: Well, an all-star concert with an all-American message. Tens of thousands of Marines, sailors and relatives rocked the night away at a star-studded concert in San Diego called Rockin` the Corps. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT was right there at Camp Pendleton for the concert, which was organized to raise money for troops, their families and to say thanks.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

(voice-over): Ted Nugent got things started Jimi Hendrix-style with a scorching guitar rendition of "The Star-Spangled Banner," an appropriate beginning to a night that was part patriotism, part party and all rock. Cedric the Entertainer hosted Rockin` the Corps, and SHOWBIZ TONIGHT cameras were there, too. The event is described as a thank you to the 55,000 Marines and sailors at Camp Pendleton, which has suffered more casualties in Iraq and Afghanistan than any other base.

CEDRIC THE ENTERTAINER: That was one of the reasons to come out and be a part of this event and have some fun, you know, and give the guys and girls and their families in the military an opportunity to see some great performances.

HAMMER: And there were lots of great performances to see at the star- studded event, from Hootie to the booty -- licious. Destiny`s Child also took the stage. They told SHOWBIZ TONIGHT the No. 1 reason they were there.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Everyone`s so excited and so happy, as well as us. And we`re just proud to be here.

HAMMER: The outdoor concert was broadcast to U.S. military personnel all over the world, and the stars who attended had words of gratitude for each and every one of those troops.

RICHIE SAMBORA: This is our way of saying thank you for protecting us and protecting our safety and freedom and watching our backs, basically.

MARY J. BLIGE: We have been through a lot, and they have been the stronger people, the super people that are just hanging in there, you know? And we just want to -- I just want to let them know that when they get weak, I`m praying for them.

HAMMER: The big show stopper was classic rock band Kiss. And although the sacrifices of war were never very far from anyone`s mind, rock-and-roll all night is exactly what they did at Camp Pendleton.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

One of the core organizers of the Rockin` the Corps event was legendary producer Quincy Jones. The concert was filmed for pay-per-view, and it will also be released on DVD, with proceeds going to a fund supporting the troops and their families.

BRYANT: Time for "SHOWBIZ Shorts," a look at more stories making news tonight. Many nations, one voice day. That`s what Michael Jackson`s fans designated today, to show international support for him. Jackson showed up to court with his parents, waving to fans. Yesterday, in a phone call, Jackson told 200 supporters at a Santa Maria hotel that, quote, "God and truth are on our side."

In court today, the son of Jackson`s former personal maid testified that Jackson tickled and fondled him in 1990.

Will it be the hardest thing for him to do? We confirmed today that former "98 Degree" star Justin Jeffre met with VH-1 to discuss a reality TV series. Why? Well, on Friday, Jeffrey announced his candidacy to be mayor of Cincinnati, Ohio, and he wants the cameras to follow him.

More "SHOWBIZ Shorts" coming up throughout the show.

HAMMER: Screaming kids, screaming stars. Now, that`s fun. And it sure was this weekend at the 18th annual Nickelodeon Kids Choice Awards, as everyone from Ben Stiller to Cameron Diaz to Jamie Foxx showed up for a big night of slime. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT`s Brooke Anderson was right there for all this and joins us live from Hollywood. Now, tell us about the most festive awards show of the season, Brooke.

BROOKE ANDERSON, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT: It`s the most festive, and it`s the messiest awards show for sure, A.J. Millions of kids voted on line and by phone for their favorite stars in music, movies, television, sports and books. Hollywood`s A-list turned out for this event, which turns the spotlight onto kids.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

(voice-over): Usher, Hilary Duff, Will Smith and Halle Berry joined a giant cow and Chewbacca on the orange carpet Saturday for the Nickelodeon Kids Choice Awards. And SHOWBIZ TONIGHT was there to get the gooey details.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It`s all the kids. It`s all real, no pretentiousness. And we get to wear sneakers.

ANDERSON (on camera): Why is this show fun? Why is this special?

GEORGE LOPEZ, PRESENTER: You know what it`s come down to is kids move the dial. And you know, they`re the ones that float the boat.

AMBER TAMBLYN, PRESENTER: This is one of the most incredible shows I think that American culture has to offer. You get all these kids who are so enthusiastic, and you never get to see that. The Oscars are, like, so serious.

ANDERSON (voice-over): That`s what Oscar winner Jamie Foxx, who brought his daughter, Corinne, plus five other friends, told me. It`s different at this awards show.

JAMIE FOX, NOMINEE: These young children out here hanging out and having a good time and seeing all of their favorite stars is just beautiful.

ANDERSON: Another Oscar winner, Halle Berry, told me one on one that she bounced back from her "Cat Woman" Razzie to earn a Kids Choice favorite actress nomination.

(on camera): You were such a good sport last month, picked up your own Razzie award.

HALLE BERRY, PRESENTER/NOMINEE: Yes.

ANDERSON: So now you`re here, and the kids love you. You`re up for a favorite movie actress...

BERRY: For "Cat Woman," believe it or not! I thought, Wow, only in America can you be worst and best. Wow.

ANDERSON (voice-over): The Kids Choice hardware, or software, is a blimp. This year`s wannabe award was fit for a queen. Queen Latifah floated away with this prize, an honor that these kids want to be just like her.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I got a blimp, and you don`t got one!

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The key to life is running (ph) and reading.

ANDERSON: Favorite animated voice winner Will Smith and favorite male singer Usher both used their acceptance speeches to give some kid-friendly advice.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Make sure you brush your teeth tonight, say your prayers, eat your vitamins.

ANDERSON: But the biggest hit of the night was this.

CAMERON DIAZ: It`s the pies you have to look out for!

ANDERSON: Cameron Diaz pelted host Ben Stiller with pie, and later, not one but two celebs were slimed. Will Ferrell and surprise guest Johnny Depp got the goop.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

Oh, what a good sport! Some other big winners of the night, "The Incredibles" won favorite movie, and Adam Sandler and Hilary Duff picked up best actor and actress -- A.J.

HAMMER: I don`t know about you, Brooke, but nothing says fun to me quite like green goo. Thanks a lot.

ANDERSON: Green slime.

HAMMER: Brooke Anderson live in Hollywood -- Karyn.

BRYANT: Nobody got slimed at "Wrestlemania 21," but people did get slammed. Wrestler Triple H and WWE head Vince McMahon, live. It`s in "The Show`s Biz" next.

HAMMER: And then, from the squared circle to the baseball diamond, we`ve got the fever for "Fever Pitch," Drew Barrymore and Jimmy Fallon on their new movie.

It`s time now for tonight`s "Entertainment Weekly Great American Pop Culture Quiz." Which Simon and Garfunkel song did the Bangles cover for the 1987 movie "Less than Zero"? Was it A, "Bookends," B, "Cecilia," C, "A Hazy Shade of Winter, or D, "America"? Hang around. We`re coming right back with the answer.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HAMMER: Welcome back. So once again, tonight`s "Entertainment Weekly Great American Pop Culture Quiz." Which Simon and Garfunkel song did the Bangles cover for the 1987 movie "Less Than Zero," "Bookends," "Cecilia," "A Hazy Shade of Winter" or "America"? You`re listening to the answer right now. The album was "Bookends." The song was "A Hazy Shade of Winter." So of course, the answer is C.

BRYANT: Tonight, in "The Show`s Biz," pro wrestling -- it is still a very big deal. World Wrestling Entertainment, as you know, the WWE, is leaving Spike TV. Today the WWE signed a multi-million-dollar powerhouse deal to show wrestling on the USA network and other NBC/Universal networks. The big news came just one day after "Wrestlemania 21" went down at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. It was the highest-grossing WWE event ever at the center, and it was seen by millions more on pay-per-view. And Saturday, the day before, in Hollywood, Hulk Hogan and other wrestling legends were inducted into the WWE`s Hall of Fame.

Well, joining us from Los Angeles to talk big business in wrestling is WWE chairman Vince McMahon, WWE vice president of creative writing Stephanie McMahon and "WWE Raw" superstar talent Triple H. Thanks for joining us.

VINCE MCMAHON, WWE CHAIRMAN: Thanks for having us.

BRYANT: Yes. First and foremost, Vince, I want to talk to you. Two of your programs are the No. 1 and 2 programs in cable, "WWE Raw" and "Raw Zone." How do you even, you know, acknowledge the fact that so many people are still watching wrestling after all these years?

VINCE MCMAHON: Well, why not? I mean, it`s the greatest spectacle in all of show business, whenever you have a variety show like this of all your favorite forms of show business all wrapped into (UNINTELLIGIBLE) It`s a variety show, including soap opera technique, including rock stars, including all the greatest sports in the world. It`s an action-adventure. It`s all that, and a bit of comedy thrown in as well. So again, why not? It is a true variety show, and the only variety show on television, by the way.

BRYANT: Now, your deal with Spike ends in September, and then you`ll be moving to NBC/Universal. Why did you feel the need to move, and what are you planning on changing?

VINCE MCMAHON: I think it`s somewhat different in terms of being a part of the NBC/Universal networks because it gives us more opportunity in terms of a late-night Saturday night "Main Event" type thing following "Saturday Night Live." We accomplished that some time ago, and it`s an opportunity to come back to that and grab that late night audience, and also to be a part of Telemundo, in terms of the Hispanic network. That`s also something that is very interesting to us and can be afforded to us that we otherwise would not have, as it would relate to Spike.

BRYANT: OK, now, Stephanie, I`ve got a question for you. Your father has been pioneering wrestling on television for a long time, his father, as well, before, with Bruno Sammartino and Argentino Apollo (ph). What would you like to change about the wrestling industry, now that you`re a part of it, as well?

STEPHANIE MCMAHON, WWE VICE PRES. OF CREATIVE WRITING: Well, I think I`d just like to continue in my father`s footsteps, if that`s at all possible, and continue to make wrestling the biggest thing on television because that`s exactly what it is.

BRYANT: Now, you`re VP of creative writing. How much are the plotlines determined in advance of the actual events?

STEPHANIE MCMAHON: Well, the plotlines are all predetermined. We are an entertainment, you know, vehicle. Like my dad was saying, we`re soap opera, we`re drama, we`re action-adventure, we`re everything on television wrapped into one variety show. So certainly, our storylines are plotted ahead of time. Now, unlike other shows on television, we`re 52 weeks a year. We never have a rerun. There`s never a repeat. And we have to deal with things like injuries that come up, and you know, all different kinds of challenges that other shows don`t have to deal with. So we have to be able to think pretty quickly on our feet.

BRYANT: So Triple H, what happened to you yesterday? What happened - - oh, I`m sorry! I had to ask.

TRIPLE H, "WWE" RAW SUPERSTAR: I knew you were going to go -- I just knew you were going to go there!

BRYANT: Had to go there.

TRIPLE H: You have one bad night, you lose the world championship for one night, and then you got to go on Headline News and CNN, and they got to rub it in your face. This is ridiculous, you know?

(LAUGHTER)

BRYANT: Listen, I wouldn`t dare to rub it in your face. Looks like somebody beat me to it there. You got a little scar -- I`m sorry!

TRIPLE H: (UNINTELLIGIBLE) on here for comic relief. Why not?

BRYANT: It was easy. I`m sorry. But now seriously, Triple H, I want to talk to you about this. What about the idea that you could go Hollywood even moreso now, follow in the footsteps of Rock, Stone Cold Steve Austin, and make some movies?

TRIPLE H: I think it`s a definite next step. It`s a logical next step for a lot of our guys. You know, to me, we already are the action heroes of today. We are the movie star action heroes of today. We just happen to be on television. And the next logical step for a lot of our guys is to go into Hollywood, whether it`s through WWE films, our own film company, or whether it`s through another vehicle, and to become the action stars in that genre, as well. There are no giant action stars in Hollywood right now because Vince owns all of them, and you`re looking at one right now.

BRYANT: All right. Well, great. Thank you, and continued success to you and to Stephanie and to Vince. Of course, it is the WWE.

VINCE MCMAHON: ... 9:00 o`clock on Spike.

TRIPLE H: Spike TV.

HAMMER: All right, Karyn. Well, coming up, Drew Barrymore and Jimmy Fallon pin down their new movie for us. "Fever Pitch" has an ending that`s 86 years in the making.

BRYANT: And it could happen to anyone, but what happens when it happens to those in the public eye? A "SHOWBIZ In Depth" look at celebs and rehab.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BRYANT: Celebrities speak out. What the pope meant to the stars. They share their thoughts with SHOWBIZ TONIGHT in about 10 minutes.

HAMMER: Well, the final box office numbers came out this afternoon. and "Sin City," the comic book adaptation starring Bruce Willis, Jessica Alba and Clive Owen, took the No. 1 spot over the weekend with a $29 million opening. "Beauty Shop," a spin-off from the "Barber Shop" movies starring Queen Latifah, clipped its way to second place, just under $13 million. Guess who came in right behind that? Bernie Mac`s and Ashton Kutcher`s "Guess Who," $12.7 million. "Robots" in fourth, just shy of the $10 million mark. And "Miss Congeniality 2" rounds out the top five with more than $8 million.

BRYANT: One big movie opening next weekend is "Fever Pitch," and the buzz is that it`s going to be a home run. "Fever Pitch" stars Jimmy Fallon and Drew Barrymore. The stars sat down with SHOWBIZ TONIGHT to make their pitch.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP - "FEVER PITCH")

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: So do you think it`ll be a problem that you`re more successful than him?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRYANT (voice-over): Drew Barrymore plays Lindsey Meeks, a gal who`s climbing the ladder of success at work but stumbling along when it comes to love. That is, until she meets schoolteacher Ben, played by former "Saturday Night Live" star Jimmy Fallon. Gaggling to her friends about her new-found love, Lindsey and company are convinced there`s got to be something wrong with him if he`s still single. It turns out Ben has another obsession besides their new-found love, his beloved baseball team, the Red Sox.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It`s a new season.

JIMMY FALLON, "FEVER PITCH": A clean slate.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRYANT: She figures playing second fiddle is what she has to do. But Drew Barrymore told SHOWBIZ TONIGHT she instantly connected to her character, Lindsey, and even found something new to love.

BARRYMORE: I relate to it. I get it. I think it`s the ultimate balance that we`re all trying to achieve in life. And here we are, you know, talking about it and the metaphor, and the triangle to the love story is baseball.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

FALLON: Will you go to opening day with me?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BARRYMORE: I just thought it would be an interesting backdrop because I love men, and I love that they love sports so much. So I just thought there are people out there like this. And if you`re not a sports fan, you can trade the metaphor of the baseball for your own personal obsession. And so I just -- I loved this story. And then making it, I obviously fell in love with the Red Sox.

BRYANT: Speaking of falling in love, Jimmy Fallon admitted to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT that after working with Drew, he could see why men seem to fall all over her.

FALLON: You just fall in love with Drew Barrymore as soon as she walks in the room. She goes, like, Hi, I`m Drew. And you go, All right, I`m in love with you. I mean, it happens -- I`ve seen it -- it happens every day with her. She goes anywhere, she can go to the mall, and she goes, like, (UNINTELLIGIBLE) People just fall in love with her.

BRYANT: And it was a love affair for the Red Sox, their fans and the cast of "Fever Pitch." The team finally broke the "Curse of the Bambino" and won their first World Series in 86 years. Jimmy and Drew were right there, with cameras rolling. It was the Hollywood ending everyone was looking for.

FALLON: (UNINTELLIGIBLE) If we would have put in the script that the Red Sox won the World Series, people would have said, yes, right. Bull. I mean, it was like a Hollywood ending. But as we -- we`re almost done filming, like, we`re halfway done, a little bit more than halfway. they started winning. And we`re, like, Wait, if they win -- what if they win the World Series? We`ve got to do something about this. Call the writers. So the writers are rewriting the end of the movie, and we`re, like, going, This is going to be insane. This is baseball history. It`s the biggest comeback in the history of baseball, and we`re filming it. And I couldn`t believe it. Couldn`t be luckier. Couldn`t have a better Hollywood ending.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BRYANT: Hopefully, for Red Sox fans like me, it won`t be another 86 years. The team did lose their first game of the season against the Yankees last night. But it`s still early. "Fever Pitch" opens in theaters this Friday.

HAMMER: The Yankees won.

BRYANT: Whoop-de-doo!

HAMMER: Say that one more time.

Find out what the late Marlon Brando might have done for Michael Jackson. That`s coming up in our "Buzz Bench."

BRYANT: And Lisa Marie Presley was married to Michael Jackson, but should you marry yourself to her new album? A review in "People`s" "Picks and Pans."

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(NEWS BREAK)

BRYANT: Bono honors the pope. The U2 front man talks about meeting John Paul II and his passing.

HAMMER: "Showbiz in depth" -- celebrities and rehab, a look at the stars who check in and why some keep checking out.

JASON McCARTNEY: Hey, I`m Jason McCartney and if it happens today, it happens on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.

HAMMER: Welcome back to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. It is 30 minutes past the hour. I`m AJ Hammer.

BRYANT: And I`m Karyn Bryant. Here are tonight`s hot headlines.

HAMMER: The networks cover the death of the pope. Cable news ran continuous coverage of the pope`s death this weekend. But of the big three network anchors, only NBC`s Brian Williams came to the anchor chair when the pope died.

BRYANT: The royal wedding, pushed back. Prince Charles was supposed to marry Camilla Parker-Bowles this Friday. Today, his office says the wedding has been moved to Saturday and Charles will go to the pope`s funeral on Friday.

HAMMER: As people around the world mourn the loss of Pope John Paul II, we`re getting more outpouring from Hollywood.

BRYANT: SHOWBIZ TONIGHT`S David Haffenreffer joins us now with more.

HAFFENREFFER: Karyn, whether they are Catholic or not, the outpouring of emotion and admiration from celebrities has been impressive. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT caught up with some of the big Hollywood names at the Nickelodeon kids choice awards this weekend.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JON VOIGHT, ACTOR: He was a blessing for all of us. His reign as the head of this great church was one of goodness and openness to all. And I think that he`s going to have a very high place in history.

GEORGE LOPEZ, ACTOR: I think he was a great humanitarian. I think he was -- how can you criticize the work of the pope? So I`m sure whoever we decide to -- we name the new pope, there`s some -- that`s a big hat to fill.

BERRY: Well, you know, his impact depends on what your religious beliefs are. I`m just saddened, like everyone else that an icon has passed on.

HAFFENREFFER: From actors to musicians, U2 front man releasing this statement, calling the pope, a great show man, a great communicator of ideas, even if you didn`t agree with all of them, a great friend to the world`s poor, which is how I got to meet him, unquote. U2 recently sat down with SHOWBIZ TONIGHT as the band kicked off its Vertigo tour. Bono talked about what most impressed him about the pope.

BONO: But he was a performer before he was pope. He was an actor and he played soccer, played goal. But he`s funny. He`s funny. I think that`s one of the reasons why he`s so effective, is that he wasn`t some kind of ivory tower person. You know, he was from Poland. He was with the people in Poland.

HAFFENREFFER: And praise for the pope does not stop with U2 and other rock `n` rollers. It also extends into more classical music. Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli is honoring the pope with a performance of the sacred aria Ave Maria.

Bocelli was the official voice of the church`s jubilee in the year 2000 and knew the pope for a long time. You can see all of Andrea Bocelli`s performance tonight on a special edition of LARRY KING LIVE on CNN. Karen?

BRYANT: Thanks, David.

Time for more "Showbiz Shorts." The Osbournes we don`t usually see has gotten sick. A spokesperson for the Osbournes says 21-year old Amy and her mom Sharon flew from London to L.A. over the weekend so Amy could receive treatment for what they aren`t saying. Amy and Sharon were supposed to have starred together in an upcoming London production of "The Vagina Monologue," but they canceled their appearance.

Eminem and 50 hitting the road. Today we learned Eminem and 50 Cent will co-headline a tour this summer. The Anger Management 3 tour begins a 24-day run in July.

HAMMER: It is 34 minutes past the hour and time now for showbiz in- depth, celebs in rehab. A number of celebrities have gone into rehab lately. And for some, it`s not the first trip. Singer Whitney Houston just went back into an undisclosed clinic for an undisclosed reason. She has, however, admitted to using drugs in the past. Billy Joel is also back in rehab to help with his continued fight with drinking and recently we learned celebrity journalist Pat O`Brien checked himself into rehab for an alcohol problem. But where do these celebrities go and what do they go through? Joining us now live on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT clinical psychologist and radio talk show host, Dr. Judy Kuriansky. We all know her as Dr. Judy. Thanks for stopping by.

DR. JUDY KURIANSKY, CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGIST: It`s a pleasure, AJ. It`s a very serious subject.

HAMMER: It is rather serious and what is different about these rehab facilities that celebrities are checking into?

KURIANSKY: When you get a Whitney or a Billy going to some place like this, they are usually residential. You stay for a month, or a month and a half and they`re like resorts. They`re really beautiful hotels. But you have to really -- they`re cracking the whip at you and you have to behave.

HAMMER: And to be clear, these are not rehab facilities for celebrities. It`s basically more expensive than the traditional facilities.

KURIANSKY: Yes. That`s right. But they`re mixed in with the real people and they get treated like real people, which is what`s difficult for them often, because it doesn`t matter that you are as famous as Whitney, or that you`ve got sprawling east Hampton homes like Billy Joel does. You are treated like everybody else and you have to act like everybody else and you`re equal. That`s hard for their ego to take.

HAMMER: And that starts the moment they walk in the door, I imagine. Tell me what happens when they actually check in. What do they go through?

KURIANSKY: You check in and you have a program for the day. You have breakfast at a certain time at 6:00. You have sessions. There`s sessions a lot of the day and a lot of these are group sessions. So you sit around and you talk to the other people who have checked in. Everybody uses their first name. And you go through 12 steps. So a lot of people who are addicted know what the 12-step program is. You have to admit you have a problem, that you are having difficulty controlling it. And then you have buddy systems, where you have to talk to your buddy when you feel like that urge is coming up. You talk about what your problems are and then you have exercise programs. You do yoga. You do all these things that are supposed to be healthy living so that you can control the urge to drug or eat too much.

HAMMER: All right. Well, thank you very much for your insight on the subject. Dr. Judy, we appreciate you stopping by.

As we mentioned, there are many celebrities in and out of rehab and Karyn`s going to tell us more I think.

BRYANT: OK. Well, we actually wanted to know what people were thinking at home. Celebrities in rehab, are we too forgiving. You can vote online at cnn.com. Or you can send us your e-mail to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT at cnn.com. We`ll of course share your thoughts later on.

They have been talking all day and we`ve been listening, now as we do every night on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, the best from today`s talk shows. AMERICAN IDOL`s king of snide sits down with the daytime queen. Simon Cowell dishes to Oprah about his famous brawl with co-IDOL judge Paula Abdul and who his favorite all-time idols are.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SIMON COWELL, AMERICAN IDOL: I think to be fair to Paula, I was antagonizing her so much.

OPRAH WINFREY, TALK SHOW HOST: I know, you were. But I kept thinking something`s going -- I don`t like that.

COWELL: She just snaps and then she regrets it afterward.

WINFREY: Did she call you like a dirty name or something? Is that what you edited out?

COWELL: Possibly.

WINFREY: Possibly? Your favorite past winner?

COWELL: Oh, that`s a good question. In terms of a person, or a singer?

WINFREY: OK. Let`s go with singer first.

COWELL: Singer first? Kelly.

WINFREY: Kelly? Person?

COWELL: Person, Fantasia.

WINFREY: Fantasia?

COWELL: Yes.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRYANT: Well, as we reported earlier, Prince Charles has pushed back his wedding date to Camilla Parker-Bowles. We`ll take that to the buzz bench coming up.

HAMMER: Plus, got to have faith. Faith Evans has a new CD coming out tomorrow. We`re going to check it out coming up in "People`s" picks and pans.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LAKE BELL: I am watching "Arrested Development" all the time. I`m Tivoing it and I`m watching it again and again and again and I`m also walking (UNINTELLIGIBLE).

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BRYANT: Time now for tonight`s "buzz bench" where today`s entertainment chatter takes center stage. Tonight: a royal move, Brando`s gift to Michael Jackson, and now what for Lisa Marie Presley.

HAMMER: And joining us on the "buzz bench," tonight, "New York" magazine`s Sarah Bernard, comedian and TV personality Chuck Nice and "New York Times` Lola Ogunnaike is also here. So Prince Charles and Camilla Parker-Bowles, excuse me, have decided to push their wedding from one day to Saturday, so Charles can attend the pope`s funeral. Lola?

LOLA OGUNNAIKE, NEW YORK TIMES: I guess he figures, look, we`ve waited 20-something years. Another day is not going to hurt. Plus, I mean, you know, I can`t believe the Vatican would double-book him like that. I mean, what the hell were they thinking?

SARAH BERNARD, NEW YORK MAGAZINE: Don`t you feel it`s like the whole universe is conspiring against Charles and Camilla? I mean no one wants them to get married at this point. They had some screw up with their marriage license. They had to switch the venue.

OGUNNAIKE: Exactly. Now the pope goes and dies when they`re about to get married.

BERNARD: I know. Don`t do it, guys.

CHUCK NICE, COMEDIAN/TV PERSONALITY: It looks like the Vatican is out to get them. First he had to cut his skiing trip short. Now he has to postpone his marriage. I can only think that maybe the pope will haunt them for the honeymoon. That`s the only thing that`s left.

BRYANT: You know what`s interesting though. They did have to move the venue to the town hall, and mom is not coming and everything. But what is interesting is this town hall actually is booked in the afternoon as well. And they`ve been told, like we will not bump these other weddings. So you better just get in in the morning, little prince and get on the way.

NICE: See what happens when you`re not king. It`s good to be the king. It`s not good to be the prince.

BERNARD: Don`t they have a wedding planner?

OGUNNAIKE: Again, Camilla is, like come hell or high water, this is happening. I don`t care if the pope dies. I don`t care who dies. This is going to happen.

BERNARD: Let`s just go to Vegas. Just get it over with.

(CROSSTALK)

NICE: The royal Britney Spears wedding, that`s what they should do.

OGUNNAIKE: An Elvis impersonator at their wedding.

BRYANT: Well, we`ll see if it all happens or not on Saturday. Now something I want to move on to. This is a little bit of a tricky story. It`s Michael Jackson and Brando. In 2003, Brando apparently signed the deed to one of his islands in, you know, around Tahiti. And basically said Michael Jackson can use it for the rest of his natural life. He`s given this place before for sanctuary and the idea is now that Michael Jackson may be using this as a sanctuary because of the political troubles - not political troubles, rather, the court troubles that he`s having. And Brando gave him this as a thank you when Michael let Brando`s have his child`s birthday party at Neverland.

NICE: Wow. Is there any clearer indication that somebody`s guilty when someone reaches back from beyond the grave to give you sanctuary? Can it get any worse for Michael? Honestly, this would be the fitting punishment for Michael Jackson if he is found guilty, to send him to a deserted island because, really, this is a guy that needs attention. And he won`t have any on a deserted island. I mean, even in jail, he would get attention. Not the kind he wants.

BERNARD: But I think the strangest thing was the letter that Marlon Brando wrote to Michael Jackson, he signed it love dad.

BRYANT: Exactly.

BERNARD: Love dad. Incredibly creepy. I have no idea what that means. Except for the fact that they`re all -- and why is it natural life?

(CROSSTALK)

OGUNNAIKE: He gave up his natural life years ago when he started wearing the makeup and the wig.

BRYANT: I think it`s more of his unnatural life right now.

NICE: Looking at him right now, I understand that his father`s white. Now I get it.

BRYANT: He just told you. Do you think though this is the sort of thing that he would actually really do run away to this island? The thought of that, that`s what I find interesting.

HAMMER: I think that`s a little far fetched.

OGUNNAIKE: If he could bring his decorators and have like a Neverland 2, I think he might do it.

NICE: (UNINTELLIGIBLE) make it a reality show.

HAMMER: We have to move on now from the king of pop to his ex-wife, Lisa Marie Presley. Her brand new CD, her second solo CD is coming out tomorrow. Now what`s the title, Sarah, give us your review?

BERNARD: I don`t get it. My favorite thing about this story is that she has said it was really hard for her to do the tour, for her first CD. And it`s because she doesn`t like attention. Now, this person married Michael Jackson, married Nicolas Cage, for something like 30 days maybe. She didn`t have to make the album the first time. She`s acting like we`re all demanding that she please put on a tour for us.

OGUNNAIKE: I have a really hard time believing that she`s this shy, retiring violet that has been forced into the public eye because of the masses who are begging her and begging her to put out music. No one cares.

HAMMER: She does look uncomfortable in front of crowds of people though. There`s no question about it.

BERNARD: Then why is she doing this?

BRYANT: I don`t know.

OGUNNAIKE: Chuck, were you begging for another Lisa Marie album?

NICE: I can`t get enough of Lisa Marie personally. And I think she`s doing the album just for me. I wrote her personally.

BERNARD: Your dad, from the grave, does better than you ever will.

HAMMER: All right. Guys, we`re going to wrap it up here. Sarah Bernard, Chuck Nice, Lola Ogunnaike, thanks for joining us on the bench tonight.

BRYANT: The buzz goes on about Lisa Marie`s new CD. It comes out tomorrow, but we`ll get a review tonight, coming up in "People`s" picks and pans.

HAMMER: Plus, Michael Jackson is the subject of more than one made- for-TV movie, and Conan O`Brien has some casting suggestions, coming up in "laughter dark."

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HAMMER: It is time for more "showbiz shorts." "JAG" is going off the air today. CBS announced today that the drama will end its run on April 29 in an episode that promises to resolve the romantic tension between its lead characters. "JAG" has been on the air for 10 years.

Paris Hilton is all over the big screen. The "Hollywood Reporter" says Hilton has signed on to play a girl who falls for a bartender in an upcoming indie movie called "Bottoms Up." Jason Mewes of Jay and Silent Bob fame will play the bartender. Hilton also appears in a movie called "House of Wax" which comes out next month.

BRYANT: It`s time for "People" magazine`s music picks and pans, and there`s something for just about everyone tonight. Lisa Marie Presley, Rhonda Vincent and the Rage and Faith Evans all have new albums. Joining us from "People "magazine is staff correspondent Mark Dagostino. Mark, we`re going to start with Lisa Marie. What`s next? Now what? Now what?

MARK DAGOSTINO, PEOPLE MAGAZINE: Now what? Well, "Now What" is the title of the album and in some ways, that`s what you`re going to be saying after you hear it. It`s really, I think, a lot of us are just hoping for so much from Lisa Marie, and here`s album number two. And it`s just not quite there.

BRYANT: She`s covering the Don Henley "Dirty Laundry," which is probably a good choice. But I just don`t know where she is stylistically. What is she? Is she rock? Is she pop?

DAGOSTINO: It`s right in between somewhere. It`s - there`s a little flavor of Pink and even a guest appearance from Pink. You don`t know exactly where it`s going. The Don Henley cover is good. Oddly, even though that wasn`t written by her, it almost feels like the most personal lyrics on the album. It`s very strange.

BRYANT: But it`s kind of hit or miss then.

DAGOSTINO: It`s kind of hit or miss.

BRYANT: OK, Now I want to talk about Rhonda Vincent and the Rage. This is bluegrass. How is this record?

DAGOSTINO: This is phenomenal. I mean she is right up there with Allison Krause, Ricky Skaggs, really one of the top-notch performers in the country and blue grass. And blue grass fans are going to know who she is. If you don`t know who she is and you`re thinking about maybe expanding your tastes a little bit, this is an amazing album to pick up. It was recorded live last August and it`s just absolute perfection on every cut.

BRYANT: OK, now I want to move on to Faith Evans. Some people know her as Biggie Small`s wife before he passed. What`s up with her album?

DAGOSTINO: Well, I think the title is "The First Lady." I`m sorry, but the first lady of hip-hop soul is still Mary J. Blige.

BRYANT: This is more R&B. Doesn`t she try to do a little soul here?

DAGOSTINO: A little more soul, yeah. There`s a little less of the hip-hop, a little less of the rap influence. You`re hearing more real singing and more real soul coming out. But it`s just, it`s not quite there. Unfortunately two out of three this week are kind of hit or miss.

BRYANT: All right. Two out of three. Not so great. But thanks for joining us, anyway, Mark Dagostino of "People" magazine. For more picks and pans, you can check out this week`s "People" magazine at newsstands everywhere.

HAMMER: So why did David Letterman offer to give his entire audience a shower? We`re going to show you, coming up in laughter dark. And there`s still time for you to sound off in the SHOWBIZ TONIGHT question of the day. Celebs in rehab: are we too forgiving? You can vote by going to cnn.com/showbiztonight. Got more to say? Email us what`s on your mind at showbiztonight@cnn.com. We`re going to read some of what you have to say and some of what you sent us, coming up next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BRYANT: Welcome back. Time for another "showbiz shorts." Zella Ward in the house. We learned today that starting next month, Ward will be a guest star on the Fox hospital drama as Dr. House`s ex girlfriend. The series creator tells tvguide.com that Ward`s character could hang around for a while. And will definitely shed some light on Dr. House`s past.

HAMMER: It`s time now to get your laugh on in laughter dark. As we do every night, we bring you the late night laughs you just might have missed.

BRYANT: Well, there was a major leak in the Ed Sullivan Theater during the taping of the late show with David Letterman. But despite the constant sound of water dripping, the show went on. Take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DAVID LETTERMAN: Anybody want to take a shower? Honest to God, we`ll get you the towels, we`ll get you the soap, whatever you want, come up and take a shower. The showers are on me, ladies and gentlemen. It`s indoors. It`s indoors.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRYANT: Unbelievable.

HAMMER: Got to work with what you`ve got sometimes.

BRYANT: Unbelievable. Well, "Late Night With Conan O`Brien" brought up a made-for-TV movie about the Michael Jackson trial.

HAMMER: And of course Conan couldn`t resist doing a little casting himself.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CONAN O`BRIEN, TALK SHOW HOST: They cast everybody. Check it out. I think they did a really great job casting. They did an incredible job. For instance, Judge Rodney Melville, the judge in the case, is going to be played by Richard Dreyfus. This is big story. Yeah. Sitcom star and trial witness, George Lopez will be played by Eric Estrada, very happy about that.

Now, this is great. Here is where it gets really good. Michael`s father, Joe Jackson, will be played by Little Richard. He`s part of the trial. Macaulay Culkin will be played by Dakota Fanning. Yeah. The Reverend Jesse Jackson will be played by Vince Vaughn, looking forward to that. District attorney Tom Sneddon will be played by Moleman from the "Simpsons." Journalist Geraldo Rivera will be played by Saddam Hussein. Michael Jackson will be played by Edward Scissorhands.

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BRYANT: Well, we have been asking you to vote online on the SHOWBIZ TONIGHT question of the day. Celebrities in rehab, are we to forgiving? How the vote is going so far, 77 percent of you say, yes, we`re too forgiving of celebrities in rehab, 23 percent of you said no, we`re not too forgiving of celebrities in rehab.

And you`ve also been sending us emails on this question. Francesca from the UK says, I don`t think we are, because if you look at the stars who have been in rehab, they are never allowed to forget it. And Casey Ann says, it`s not our responsibility to be forgiving. We watch, read and listen to their work. And remember, you can continue to vote at cnn.com/showbiztonight or send us your thoughts to showbiztonight@cnn.com.

HAMMER: Time now to see what`s playing on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT tomorrow.

BRYANT: Let`s take a look at the showbiz marquee. Take it away, marquee guy.

ANNOUNCER: OK, kiddies. Surprise pop quiz, what`s Matchbox 20 minus 19? The answer is one, Rob Thomas. The former Matchbox lead singer is flying solo with a new record and he`s landing on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT tomorrow. Also tomorrow, Victoria has a brand new secret. Now I`d tell you what it is, but everyone knows the marquee guy is very good at keeping secrets. You`ll just have to tune in tomorrow to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. This is the marquee guy. I`ve got a secret and AJ and Karyn know what it is.

HAMMER: All right. We won`t tell. Marquee guy, good night.

BRYANT: That`s it for SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. We will see you here tomorrow.

HAMMER: Nancy Grace is coming up next right after the very latest from headline news.

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