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Showbiz Tonight
Network News in Trouble?; Mariah Carey Hits Milestone; Career Tips for Carrie Underwood; Chris Rock: Rather Be a Lawyer
Aired May 26, 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: One Idol celebrates, another simmers.
A.J. HAMMER, CO-HOST: And how Chris Rock found his calling.
I`m A.J. Hammer.
BRYANT: I`m Karyn Bryant. This is SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
HAMMER (voice-over): Tonight, news about the news. A big network boss could be shown the door. A morning ratings battle, evening news uncertainty. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT with the burning question, what`s going on with the network news?
BRYANT (voice-over): Also, Mariah`s milestone. Mariah Carey comes to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT to talk about doing something only the Beatles and Elvis have done.
HAMMER: Plus, we`ll take champions for $1,000, Alex. The brand new "Jeopardy" king stops by SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
ALEX TREBEK, HOST, "JEOPARDY": Congratulations.
HAMMER: And the answer, this is the motto of our show.
BRAD RUTTER, "JEOPARDY" CHAMPION: I`m "Ultimate Jeopardy" champion Brad Rutter, what is, "If it happened today, it`s on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT"?
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BRYANT: Hello, I`m Karyn Bryant. This is SHOWBIZ TONIGHT and you are at the top of the show.
HAMMER: I`m A.J. Hammer, and you`re watching TV`s only live nightly entertainment program.
BRYANT: But we have got plenty of news for you tonight about the news.
HAMMER: From the anchor chairs to the executive chairs, there seems to be no let up in the topsy-turvy network world. And tonight, a new development.
SHOWBIZ TONIGHT`s David Haffenreffer is here to sort it all out for us.
DAVID HAFFENREFFER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: A busy time in the industry, A.J. and Karyn, yet more turmoil in an industry that really doesn`t need any more.
Today we heard reports that the man in charge of NBC News is looking to bail out. His job, or the job of a network news exec, has not been easy, because it seems that lately the only news that they`ve been getting has been bad news.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
HAFFENREFFER (voice-over): Is NBC`s Brian Williams about to get a new boss? The man who runs NBC News, Neal Shapiro, reportedly has told his bosses he wants out. And the buzz is they won`t be sorry to see him go.
Shapiro is in charge of the No. 1 nightly newscast, "NBC Nightly News," the No. 1 morning show program, "Today," and the No. 1 Sunday political talk show, "Meet the Press." So why would the man on top be kicked off?
BRIAN STELTER, TVNEWSER.COM: "Nightly`s" numbers are not as high as they could be. "Today" is sputtering, about to be taken over by "Good Morning America," possibly. "Dateline" is down to two nights a week, because it`s not doing as well. So it seems like NBC maybe is stalled in the news division.
HAFFENREFFER: But NBC`s competitors can`t really gloat, because everyone in the network news game is having trouble.
STELTER: We`re seeing shake-ups at all three networks. ABC has lost Peter Jennings temporarily. He may or may not be back on the air for awhile.
There`s been lots of things happening at CBS with Dan Rather leaving, Bob Schieffer coming in and who knows who the permanent anchor of that will be?
HAFFENREFFER: All this couldn`t be coming at a worse time. Here`s something that has network news executives sweating bullets. The average viewer of a network newscast is 60, too high a number for execs and advertisers, who create the next generation of viewers.
Younger viewers who, according to a recent poll, are more likely to be getting their news from a fake newscast, "The Daily Show with Jon Stewart" on Comedy Central.
JON STEWART, HOST, "THE DAILY SHOW": I`m back with the show coverage.
HAFFENREFFER: In primetime the news isn`t much better. NBC`s "Dateline" has lost nearly one million viewers over the last year, and "60 Minutes II" over at CBS was canceled just last week. CBS chairman Leslie Moonves told me why.
LESLIE MOONVES, CBS CHAIRMAN: They were down in every single rating category, and the bar at CBS is much higher now.
HAFFENREFFER: With all these problems it`s no wonder why ABC veteran Sam Donaldson recently said of network news, quote, "I think it`s dead. The monster anchors are through."
But don`t tell that to NBC News` Brian Williams, who gave me an earful about all the news naysayers.
BRIAN WILLIAMS, ANCHOR, "NBC NIGHTLY NEWS": Every night, 30 million people divide up their time among three networks. A, we`ve been luckiest enough to finish first in their hearts, and B, that still makes us the largest source for news in the United States.
You`re going to see a lot of obituaries and articles written about, "Oh, woe are the evening newscasts." Baloney, tell them I said that, because it`s still the No. 1 source of news in the United States.
HAFFENREFFER: And it`s clear news networks are going to try to stay that way.
STELTER: This week NBC and ABC announced plans for podcasting. So they`re going to be broadcasting news to people`s iPods.
HAFFENREFFER: With talk of news on iPods, it`s clear that the network newscasts are in adapt or die mode. And you can bet they`re going to choose adapt, in hopes that all those reports of the death of network news will turn out to be greatly exaggerated.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HAFFENREFFER: Well, we`ll see. When SHOWBIZ TONIGHT asked NBC to respond to reports that NBC News head Neal Shapiro was leaving, their response was immediate, brief, in the finest tradition of TV news: no comment -- A.J.
HAMMER: Is this your idea, of the "Taps" there.
HAFFENREFFER: Yes. The trumpets.
HAMMER: Nice touch.
Well, country star Garth Brooks has got a good thing going with long- time love and fellow country singer Trisha Yearwood. Call it something with a ring to it. The pair got engaged last night in Bakersfield, California. Brooks popped the question in front of 7,000 happy and excited fans. And Yearwood, of course, accepted. This will be the second marriage for Brooks and the third for Yearwood.
BRYANT: Tonight, it`s worse than the missing garden gnome. Last week Brooks & Dunn won the ACM Award for best country music duo, but after the show, their trophies were swiped from the pair`s limo. Since then, Brooks & Dunn were issued a ransom note, along with a picture showing the twin trophies in handcuffs and blindfolds. The duo pleaded for their trophies, telling The Today Show" it`s no shameless publicity plug.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KATIE COURIC, CO-HOST, "THE TODAY SHOW": That sounds a bit like a shameless publicity stunt to me, fellows.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That`s what we think. We have nothing to do with it, promise you, for real. We -- we left it in our car the night of the label party right after the award show and came back out, and the car had been gone, someone said for like 15 minutes. And...
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We`re not above shameless publicity stunts. Don`t get me wrong.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRYANT: They say that the theft appears to be an inside job.
HAMMER: Tonight, our first "Showbiz Sitdown." Mariah Carey, Mariah`s sweet 16. Carey has scored her 16th No. 1 single. Only the Beatles and Elvis have topped the charts more times, and only Elvis has spent more total weeks in the No. 1 position.
The song "We Belong Together" is off Mariah`s latest album, "The Emancipation of Mimi." And of course, that`s the single responsible for all this. "Emancipation of Mimi" is now double platinum, two million copies sold.
Just a few hours ago Mariah Carey dropped by our studios.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
HAMMER: This now makes you the most successful female artist in history. Could you ever dream this big?
MARIAH CAREY, SINGER: I only -- I want to hear my song on the radio. I want to, you know, make a video, blah, blah, blah. But I didn`t know about sharks. I didn`t know about any of that kind of stuff.
And so, you know, obviously, it`s amazing when you hear these kind of statistics and figures and stuff like that. And really, I`m just thankful. I`m just -- I thank God for everything.
And the fans have, this is like our victory, our moment. Me and my fans, who are the best fans on earth. I just feel like this No. 1 is for them.
HAMMER: L.A. Reed (ph) congratulating you, saying, "No one is more deserving than Mariah Carey of sharing the pantheon with the greatest of the greats," because you`re up there with Elvis and the Beatles now.
CAREY: It`s unbelievable. And that`s a wonderful thing that he said. And you know, it`s -- I can`t even think in those terms.
HAMMER: Right.
CAREY: But it`s awesome and I`m just thankful to God for my blessings. And it`s just, you know, it`s a nice thing. It`s nice because being able to think about OK, there have been times when I`ve been really into a song and for whatever reason it never saw the light of day, it didn`t get released, it wasn`t -- it didn`t have this much focus or attention. To have it happen when it`s a song like this that`s so close to my heart is a great thing.
HAMMER: Flash me back 15 years to when it was all getting started, when you were three.
CAREY: Right.
HAMMER: And "Vision of Love" debuted at No. 1. It debuted and went straight to No. 1. It was your debut single, and it spent the summer there, basically, in 1990. Do you remember how you felt then?
CAREY: You know what? I think this -- I feel much, it`s a much more potent feeling right now. Just the emotion of it all is just like -- I think back then I didn`t understand the significance. I knew it was a huge deal, but like I said, I didn`t even know about the charts or anything like that. And I knew it was a big deal.
But now, just after going through so much and experiencing so many different things, just the gratitude that I have and, you know, it`s just like so much greater.
HAMMER: And we were talking about last time how much you appreciate everything you have now and, clearly, you know, you have a good sense of that, as well. So, does the record label buy you a little gift as a celebration or of course, the album going double platinum, they buy you, you know, a couple of cars or something like that?
CAREY: No, no. I mean, you know what? The gift is the fact that they all worked really hard and that they care and it`s a great place to be and this moment is a gift for me in my life.
HAMMER: The biggest moment for you in this whirlwind on TV over the last couple of months in promoting this album, was there one special moment for you?
CAREY: I think all the moments have different significance for me. You know the best thing about doing these appearances when you actually get to see fans. A lot of the fans, they make different books for me and give me gifts and things like that.
And there was a girl who sent me a paper that she had written. The girl, I think she`s in college. And the other night I was just reading some of my stuff, and she had done her paper about me. It was actually about America`s stance on race and the whole thing was about me being biracial and just how -- I think she called me the tragic mulatto indicator of America`s stance on race.
I was like, OK. But then it ended in a really happy, you know, triumphant way because of the album and the success in the different formats and stuff like that. But it was interesting and, obviously, close to my heart because, you know, having gone through that struggle and continuing to go through it and knowing that the music has touched people like that enough to write, you know, a paper about me, pretty amazing.
HAMMER: Mariah Carey, congratulations. Always a pleasure hanging out with you.
CAREY: Always a pleasure to be with you.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HAMMER: And you can catch Mariah performing at the fifth annual BET Awards on Saturday, where she is nominated for best female R&B artist.
BRYANT: Well, it was a little bit country and a little bit Rock `n` roll at last night`s "Idol" finale. So how will Carrie`s upcoming album do, and why was a former contestant not happy with what went down? That is coming up.
HAMMER: Also, Chris Rock tells us what he would have given up for comedy in the "Showbiz Sitdown."
BRYANT: And he questioned authority, and now he`s a whole lot richer because of it. The "Ultimate Jeopardy" champion who took down Ken Jennings. He pays a visit to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
HAMMER: Now tonight`s "Entertainment Weekly Great American Pop Culture Quiz." What famous director often operates as his own cinematographer under the pseudonym Peter Andrews? Is it Spielberg, Stephen Sommers, Steven Soderbergh or Martin Scorsese? The answer next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HAMMER: Welcome back. Once again, tonight`s "Entertainment Weekly Great American Pop Culture Quiz." What famous director often operates as his own cinematographer under the pseudonym Peter Andrews? Steven Spielberg, Stephen Sommers, Steven Soderbergh or Martin Scorsese. The answer, "C," Soderbergh.
BRYANT: Tonight, America has a new Idol, Carrie Underwood, thanks to the votes of fans of "American Idol" last night. She beat out Bo Bice, but today it wasn`t Bo who was up in arms about the finale. It was ex- contestant Corey Clark.
He was all smiles recently on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, but now he`s upset over "Idol`s" spoof of his primetime interview claiming he had an affair with Paula Abdul. "Idol" did a comedy bit about Cowell having an affair with himself and Randy Jackson was looking for attention.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Randy`s pain spills out through his music.
(END VIDEO CLIP)_
BRYANT: Well, Clark`s rep issued this statement: "Instead of honoring their promise to conduct a proper investigation, FOX and "American Idol" continue to waste valuable time and energy on juvenile diversion tactics when they should be pursuing the truth."
So now that this season is over...
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RYAN SEACREST, HOST, "AMERICAN IDOL": The winner of "American Idol" 2005 is -- Carrie Underwood!
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRYANT: Well, what lies ahead for the winner, Carrie Underwood? Some say that this was the hard part, but making a music career out of a hugely successful television show may not actually be that easy.
Joining us live to discuss the road ahead for Carrie is Tamara Conniff, executive editor of "Billboard" magazine.
Tamara, welcome. Thanks for joining us here on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. And first and foremost, how can Carrie make an impact as a pop/country singer?
TAMARA CONNIFF, EXECUTIVE EDITOR, "BILLBOARD" MAGAZINE: I mean, I think she really has potential. Country is definitely on the rise. You see a lot of crossover right now, a lot of big stars, a lot of pop fans kind of embracing country. I think Carrie has got a real shot.
BRYANT: How would you compare Carrie to former winners Fantasia, Reuben and, of course, Kelly Clarkson?
CONNIFF: I think Carrie reminds me most of Kelly. She sort of has that girl next door kind of look. She just is a little bit -- she just has that kind of innocence about her that I think is very appealing.
BRYANT: Who do you think, though, out of the four will be the most successful, chart-wise?
CONNIFF: I think Kelly has been extremely successful and the most successful out of everyone. Her first record debuted at No. 1. Her second one debuted at No. 3. She`s really proving that she might have a shot at a long-term career.
BRYANT: Well, Paula told Carrie that the "Idol" show was going to be the scariest thing she would ever do in her career. Do you agree with that statement?
CONNIFF: No, I don`t think that`s true. I think the scariest thing she`ll ever do is release her second album. The sophomore album is always the scariest. That`s the make or break, especially for an "American Idol" star. So we`ll see what happens.
BRYANT: Well, certainly, because on the first album they`re kind of riding that crest of success of the show. They put the album out very quickly after the show. You`re saying a year down the road, two years down the road could be iffy.
CONNIFF: Exactly. I mean, that`s where you really weed out the career artists from the shot in the pans.
BRYANT: All right. Do you think "Idol" can continue to make pop stars if they go on more seasons?
CONNIFF: You know, I think as long as people watch it and people buy CDs, absolutely. I mean, the viewership is incredible. They`ve got fans out there. The fans will, you know, tell "American Idol" when they`re done. They`ll stop watching.
BRYANT: All right. Well, thank you, Tamara Conniff of "Billboard" magazine. Thanks for joining us.
So, we are asking you now, it`s our SHOWBIZ TONIGHT question of the day. "American Idol," did Carrie deserve to win? You can vote at CNN.com/ShowbizTonight. Or if you want to tell us more, e-mail us at ShowbizTonight@CNN.com. We`ll share some of your thoughts later in the show.
HAMMER: It`s time now for another "Showbiz Sitdown." Chris Rock, he`s back on the big screen this weekend in not one but two films, "The Longest Yard" and "Madagascar."
SHOWBIZ TONIGHT`s Sibila Vargas sat down with the comedian to talk about playing a zebra. Sibila joins us now from Hollywood.
Sibila, fill us in.
SIBILA VARGAS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: A.J., "Madagascar" is an animated film featuring the voices of Chris Rock, Ben Stiller and Jada Pinkett Smith.
Now, Rock plays Marty, a zebra with big dreams who desperately wants out of the zoo to see what life is like beyond the gates. In our interview, Rock told me what his life has been since the Academy Awards and hosting them, and fatherhood and how it`s changed his hectic schedule.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
VARGAS: So, Marty has big dreams.
CHRIS ROCK, COMEDIAN: Marty is a big dreamer. You know, Marty dreams of leaving the zoo and going out into the wild. I guess he saw Bruce Shore (ph) or some commercial or something. And when he finally gets out there with all the other guys they realize, we don`t belong here.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What did you wish for?
ROCK: Can`t tell you that.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Come on, tell.
ROCK: Nosiree, I`m telling you, it`s bad luck. You want some bad luck, I`m blab it out. If you want to be safe.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Will you just tell us!
VARGAS: We`re talking about big dreams. You`re a guy from Bed-Stuy.
ROCK: Yes.
VARGAS: Did you ever think and imagine that you will be at the place that you are right now?
ROCK: I never thought or imagined I would be at the place -- all I wanted to be, I mean, you know, if you would have offered me a job making $6 an hour, you know, whatever, 20 years ago, I would have took it and never told a joke for the rest -- ever. I mean, you know. So, that was my idea of, you know success. Six, $10 an hour, like, whoa. So this is way beyond my dreams.
VARGAS: How did it all change for you? What was the turning point?
ROCK: I always thought that once I got into comedy and, you know, it was like a calling. It`s weird because I`m from a -- like my grandpa is a preacher and my other grandfather is a preacher so, like, preaching is in my blood and people, you know, preachers have a calling.
VARGAS: Right.
ROCK: But I wasn`t called to preach. I was called to do stand up. And once I found my calling, good things started to happen.
VARGAS: And then you hosted the Oscars. I mean, only a handful of people get to do that. That is huge.
ROCK: That`s what I hear. Yes, the Oscars went great. I had a ball. I`ve never had -- you know, I`ve never gotten such a positive reaction for anything I`ve ever done. I got great directors, producers calling me up to do movies and what not. So...
VARGAS: Have you been approached to do another Oscar gig?
ROCK: No one`s called yet. It`s still early, but if -- if they want me to do it again, I`ll do it.
VARGAS: Have you been writing a lot of material down?
ROCK: I`ve been writing a lot of stand up, like, the last few weeks, so, it`s going to be -- I`ll probably tour next year. I`m going to kind of chill out this year. And just -- when I`m touring I`m in a different city every night kind of thing, and it`s just bad for kids, you know.
VARGAS: Right. Yes.
ROCK: You do a movie or you just stay home. You`re in one spot. So, next year, I will tour.
VARGAS: And how has your daughter influenced some of the material that you write?
ROCK: My daughter has (ph) -- but I don`t know, you know, your kids give you -- your kids force you to look through their eyes a lot of times.
VARGAS: If you could talk to yourself I mean, if you could go back 15 years and talk to a younger Chris.
ROCK: A younger Chris.
VARGAS: What would you tell yourself?
ROCK: I would tell myself life is long. They say it`s short. It`s long.
Here`s the thing. If I could do it -- and I love my life, but I would probably go to school, pay attention in school, graduate, get a high school diploma, go to college, live a normal life. And I love my life.
But, you know, being in show business, emotionally it`s so up and down and all around the place. And you really, you take your friends and your loved ones on this roller coaster.
VARGAS: Yes.
ROCK: It would probably be nice to, you know, be like an attorney in Phoenix. Easier.
VARGAS: Easier for sure.
ROCK: Seems like an easier life. But I don`t know. I`m having -- I`m having a ball. And what would I tell Chris? Just it`s -- it`s going to work out.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VARGAS: If you ask any of Chris Rock`s fans, I think they would agree that he made the right career move. He`s too funny to be a lawyer.
Rock also told me that his young daughter Lola has seen the film, and she gives it a big thumbs up. So do I. Take the kids -- A.J.
HAMMER: All right, Sibila. Thanks very much. Live in Hollywood and, of course, "Madagascar" opens up this weekend. It`s in theaters tomorrow, actually.
Well, when we woke up this morning we got ourselves Joey Pants. "The Sopranos`" Ralphie Cifaretto, Joey Pantoliano, stops by to talk about his new movie, "Live.".
BRYANT: And water, water everywhere. We go underwater to look at some over the top fashions with Cirque du Soleil. It`s Thursday "In Style."
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BRYANT: We`ve been talking all day and we`ve been listening now, with the best from today`s talk shows.
HAMMER: On "Live with Regis and Kelly," Reeg threatens to go toe to toe with "Contender" winner Sergio "The Latin Snake" Mora, but, first of course, he has to master the heavy bag.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REGIS PHILBIN, CO-HOST, "REGIS AND KELLY": You want to hit with the light bag, with the gloves or without?
SERGIO "THE LATIN SNAKE" MORA, WINNER, "THE CONTENDER": With the gloves.
KELLY RIPA, CO-HOST, "REGIS AND KELLY": Yes, no.
PHILBIN: You got a manicure lately?
RIPA: Reeg, are you ready?
MORA: Come out here, Reeg.
RIPA: Come on out.
Ladies and gentlemen, the man they call the Amish Worm. First of all, are these my...
PHILBIN: Did The Snake already hit?
RIPA: Yes.
PHILBIN: So you felt what he`s got to offer.
RIPA: The Snake was really taking...
PHILBIN: Hey.
Jab, jab, jab and then -- I almost went down for the count!
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BRYANT: Tell you what, he`s a good fighter. I watched "The Contender." Sergio was all right.
Tomorrow on "Live with Regis and Kelly," Burt Reynolds.
Well, the answer is, he just won $2 million on "jeopardy." The question: who is Brad Rutter? We`ll go question the guy who`s got all the winning answers, coming up.
HAMMER: And we`re going to show you how to listen to Oasis` new album before it`s out, legally. We`ve got that and more in "Showbiz Guide to Music Online," coming up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BRYANT: Tonight, they have the answers. He had the questions and now he has the cash. The just crowned ultimate "Jeopardy" winner.
HAMMER: And Jersey guy. New Jersey native Joey Pantoliano, Joey Pants, Ralphy from the "Sopranos", he hops over the bridge and onto our set, also joining us live.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MARIAH CAREY: I`m Mariah Carey. If it happened today, it`s on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: Welcome back to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. 31 minutes past the hour. I`m AJ Hammer.
BRYANT: I`m Karyn Bryant. Here are tonight`s hot headlines.
Is it the end of an era for network news? NBC boss Neal Shapiro is reportedly on the way out and shakeups at all three networks have shuffled the evening players. Networks are scrambling for younger viewers and better ratings.
HAMMER: Mariah makes history today. Carey`s new song "We Belong Together" has catapulted her to the top of "Billboard" top 100 chart. This makes it her 16th number one song. She has more chart toppers than any other female singer ever. And she`s best in number ones only by the Beatles and Elvis Presley.
HAMMER: Offstage drama on "American Idol". Ex-contestant Corey Clark didn`t take the season finale too well. He`s upset over last night`s spoof of his prime time interview. Clark`s rep says Fox should investigate the allegations he had an affair with Paula Abdul, not mock them.
HAMMER: We have been asking you to vote on our SHOWBIZ TONIGHT question of the day and apparently the response is overwhelming. "American Idol", did Carrie deserve to win? Still time to vote by going to cnn.com/showbiztonight. You can also send us an e-mail with more of your thoughts showbiztonight@cnn.com and we`ll share some of what you had to say coming up in 22 minutes.
BRYANT: "Jeopardy" broke the record books. A winner was crowned last night after a five-month long mega tournament with 150 people from all over the world competing.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ALEX TREBEK: Gets bumped up to $2 million. Congratulations. Now, the biggest (INAUDIBLE) game show money winner in television history.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRYANT: Using nothing but his brains and his thumb, Brad Rutter won the single largest payout in game show history. I sat down with Brad just a few hours ago to find out about the secrets of his success.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BRAD RUTTER, ULTIMATE "JEOPARDY" CHAMPION: It`s nice to be here.
BRYANT: So, listen, I love "Jeopardy". I`ve been watching it for years and years and I really want to be on it some time, but I wonder, is there a lot of back stage smack talking when it gets to the level you guys were on?
RUTTER: You think there would be, but amazingly enough, there is none. There`s such a collegial atmosphere among the contestants. It`s sort of like us against the world. We`re sort of playing against the writers and the questions and it`s sort of - obviously we`re playing against each other too, but you would never know it from being back stage with the contestants in the green room. It`s sort of an exclusive club that only "Jeopardy" players get to be in.
BRYANT: I just kind of pictured Ken Jennings back there like this, you know what I`m saying, just stretching out the thumbs and limbering up and everything.
RUTTER: Ken is actually a very nice guy. He`s just as gracious in person as he has always seemed on TV and in his commercials and all that stuff and Jerome is a great guy, too. So we had a lot of fun with it.
BRYANT: OK, so what would you do though, what would you tell somebody who wants to be on the show, tips for how not to choke. We`re all fabulous on the couch, but once you get there, it`s a lot more difficult to get those answers.
RUTTER: The key is, don`t look down right, but don`t think about the millions of people that are watching on TV. There is only about 200 people in the audience. Actually they wanted to keep it very secret in this ultimate tournament, so there was really only employees of "Jeopardy" in the audience and the other contestants. So just focus on the questions. Don`t focus on what other people are doing and just try to -- it`s sort of like I guess golf. You`re playing the course, not the other people.
BRYANT: Well, what do you do -- do you cram, though? How did you prepare? Were you just always this smart?
RUTTER: I think you have to have the kind of trivia mind to be good at stuff like this. So, it`s sort of like fly paper memory where things just stick to it and I can kind of recall them when I need to. The best thing to do is really to watch the show because you get a great feel for what the categories that come up are and certain people and places and rivers and the Gulf of Batnia (ph) always comes up. I`ve been watching since I was a kid and that`s helped a lot. So the more you watch it, the more familiar you get with the basic material and there`s also stuff, once you know that, you can study it. Like I looked over U.S. presidents.
BRYANT: You always have to study opera, too. That`s the thing.
RUTTER: I`m not going to the met every night, so I had to look over a few of those, too.
BRYANT: All right. Congratulations to you. Thank you for joining us, Brad Rutter, big winner on "Jeopardy".
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BRYANT: It is time now for our own little "Jeopardy" championship. Showbiz style, we`re going to test your entertainment knowledge so go ahead and pick a.
HAMMER: This is very exciting. Clearly we broke the bank with these graphics. Mariah Carey, I was speaking with her earlier today. So I`d like Mariah for $200, please.
BRYANT: The answer is, this song was Mariah Carey`s first number one single.
HAMMER: That`s actually an easy question for me. What is "Vision of Love?" It went number one for the whole summer of 199.
BRYANT: Yes, good, correct! You got one, go again.
HAMMER: What else we have here? Celebrity babies, also for $200 since I know time is pressing.
BRYANT: This is the name of Angelina Jolie`s son.
HAMMER: Wait, she was on last night, sounds like (INAUDIBLE) who is Maddox?
BRYANT: Yes correct. That`s two for two. We`ve got time for another one.
HAMMER: Last one. Hollywood love. I`ll take this for $100 because I`m not so sure.
BRYANT: OK. On this TV show, Tom Cruise`s current love interest got her big break.
HAMMER: Very easy. I don`t want to wait. What is DAWSON`S CREEK?
BRYANT: Three for three, AJ Hammer.
HAMMER: For 500 bucks.
BRYANT: $500. I`ll pay you later.
HAMMER: Let`s get back to the program shall we?
It is time now for the "showbiz guide." Throughout the week, we help you decide where to best spend your dollars on movies, music, DVDs and more. And I have $500 more dollars to spend this week. Well, tonight we`re talking about music online. My space is one of the places you can go now and oasis, gorillas and pumpkins are all going to be mixed in with this. Chris Farley is the senior editor of "Time" magazine and is going to help me make sense of this. Chris, I`m the kind of guy who researches everything online. If I`m going to buy something, thanks, I go online and -- that`s OK. I go online and if I`m buying a new dishwasher, I do all my research there. Why not do it for music, even if you`re not going to purchase music online, there are now places to go to actually hear songs, right?
CHRISTOPHER JOHN FARLEY, SENIOR EDITOR, TIME MAGAZINE: That makes perfect sense, because you want to check out albums before you plunk down your money to buy it. In myspace.com sort of gives you that opportunity. And myspace.com, started off as sort of another lifestyle portal, you know, kind of like Friendster, where you meet and greet friends and you make new friends, but it morphed into sort of more of a music space, and now there are a lot of musicians. They say over 200,000 musicians and acts who are now registered users of myspace.com and a lot of major names, you know, like Oasis, like Wheezer, like Black Eyed Peas. They now have streamed their albums on this site or about to stream their albums on the site. You can check out their albums first here or their new single here, their new video there and decide whether you like it or not.
And also some acts are also blogging on the site as well, like Billy Corgan, so you can sort of get in tune with his thoughts about whatever new project he has coming up.
HAMMER: So for example, Oasis, they have a new album coming out on Tuesday. Fans have been waiting around for it. You can actually go and preview some of the tracks in their entirety on myspace.com.
FARLEY: The new album coming out is don`t believe, is "Don`t Believe the Truth," and you can hear the new single off it, "Lyla" on myspace.com. Also there are plenty of links that will lead you to hearing the entire album streaming free, so you can check it out first and they`re not the only act doing this. Nine Inch Nails also previews their album on this site, so it becomes sort of the go to space for musicians who want to get their music out there. And there are actually a lot of sites out there where we can preview music, but this is kind of one stop shopping so you can hear a lot of different acts, decide what you like, what you don`t like and kind of move on to the next thing.
HAMMER: That makes a lot of sense and another thing is always to go to the artist`s Web site which often is the artist`s name.com but you really should do a proper search on that, because they often have their own media players on their as well to either preview tracks or to listen to tracks in their entirety.
FARLEY: Yes, which brings us to billycorgan.com, which of course is the site for Billy Corgan, the former front man of the Smashing Pumpkins. He`s coming out with his first solo record soon, but what he`s really doing is interesting. On his site is not just promotional materials, he really do some hardcore blogging. It links you back to myspace.com. But it shows you, he`s been posting his diary entries and he`ll tell you about his thoughts, his feelings, the way he approaches his song writing. It`s really interesting stuff. Some of it`s just sort of a rant. But all of it is kind of cool, this really sort of hearing artists venting about what he`s going through, what he`s gone through and it gives you sort of a window into his soul before he releases his album so you know where he`s coming from.
HAMMER: All right, Chris, we appreciate your insight on all of this. Another way it use the web to help you further your music collection. Chris Farley from "Time" magazine joining us.
BRYANT: His character can`t seem to get a leg up on his career, but Joe Pantoliano is no second best. He joins us live for a "Showbiz Sitdown."
HAMMER: And fashion meets fantasy with Cirque du Soleil. We`re going to show you the most outrageous designs as modeled by the troops that is oh, so Vegas. Coming up on Thursday "In Style."
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BRYANT: Joining us live for another "Showbiz Sitdown," Joe Pantoliano. His resume is incredible, "Risky Business," "Bad Boys," "Memento," "The Matrix." Of course, he was Ralphy on the "Sopranos". He now stars in "Second Best." It`s an independent film about an aspiring writer coming to terms with his life, kind of as a loser. Thanks for joining us Joey Pants here. It is an enjoyable film, I watched it today. I want it look at a clip. This guy kind of always has a running dialogue in his head. He`s writing, he`s talking. This is where Jennifer Tilly is a crossing guard. You`re kind of hitting on her, kind of thinking about her a little bit.
JOE PANTOLIANO, ACTOR: Definitely hitting on her.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PANTOLIANO: Excuse me, miss.
JENNIFER TILLY: What?
PANTOLIANO: You wouldn`t happen to know where Prospect Avenue is.
TILLY: Prospect Avenue. About two, three lights straight ahead.
PANTOLIANO: That`s a pretty scarf.
TILLY: Thanks, Mister.
PANTOLIANO: The loser cannot compete for the most sought after woman, so he looks beneath the radar. The one with the heavy legs has a beautiful head of hair. The one with thinning, fly away hair, the profile of Audrey Hepburn.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRYANT: What I loved is that, this guy is admitting his loserness in a way. Are losers generally in denial?
PANTOLIANO: We are a nation of losers. Think about it, the guy operating the cameras right there. From the minute I walked in, it`s nothing to be ashamed of. We are, you know, we are programmed to be successes. We are programmed to win the high school team. If we don`t win, we`re considered losers. The fact is is that, we are second best, most of us. There`s a finite group of us that get a chance to be celebrity, to be -- and people are fascinated by it. But most of us are settling, doing jobs that we don`t want to do, living in houses and neighborhoods we don`t want to live in, sending our kids to schools that we think are inferior because it`s the only place we can send them and this movie talks about that and this character Elliot addresses it. He`s not ashamed to talk about what everyone is afraid to talk about.
BRYANT: It`s funny and it`s tender and it`s, you know, it`s got a lot of nice moments.
PANTOLIANO: I get to bang Jennifer Tilly.
BRYANT: Yes you do. Yes you do. Nice, whatever, let me move on, Joey, I`m blushing here.
PANTOLIANO: It`s also an independent movie. We made this movie. We got $75 a day to make this movie. It`s really independent meaning it`s at one theater, at the Angelica theater.
BRYANT: Book your flights now to come to New York.
PANTOLIANO: This is a national show. Come on down. If people in New York see this movie this weekend, it will be in your neighborhood. The movie will then be booked in other theaters and we`ll get an audience. This is like, we`re like David against the Goliaths. All these huge (INAUDIBLE) movies and people are talking, you guys are doing reports all the time about how receipts are down 20 percent, 30 percent and they don`t know why. I`ll tell you why, because the movies stink, all right and people don`t want to go. So, this is a movie, this gives you an opportunity to see a movie that`s going to speak to you, speak to a generation, speak a young generation who has to fear what`s ahead of them. Speak to 40 and 50 year olds who realize now, that here we are. I always wanted to be Tom Cruise. I`m not Tom Cruise.
BRYANT: But you`re remembered for so many great roles.
PANTOLIANO: I`m a loser.
BRYANT: Joey, come on, for you, for me, it`s "Eddie and the Cruisers" was the first time you really made an imprint on my brain. What role do people come up to you is and mostly say, oh my God, Joe, you were fantastic.
PANTOLIANO: It depends on who`s the person is. It could be "The Matrix." It could be "Bad Boys." It could be "Memento," but I think we should talk about this over dinner.
BRYANT: Oh, really. Aren`t you married, Joey?
PANTAOLIANO: I am married but I`m a Mormon.
BRYANT: Well, I`m not. Well, I`ll tell you what. The movie is - he`s killing me - the movie is called "Second Best." I really enjoyed it, Joey Pants. Like you said, it opens here in New York and then folks can look for it later on. Thanks for joining us here for showbiz sit down.
PANTOLIANO: Thank you.
HAMMER: A journalist caught off guard there. It`s time now to get your laugh on in laughter dark. As we do every night bringing you the late night laughs you might have missed.
Well, recently, published photos of Saddam Hussein in his cell caused quite a bit of controversy, but, on the "late show with David Letterman" looks like the Pentagon has actually launched somewhat of a damage control ad campaign.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DAVID LETTERMAN, HOST, LATE SHOW: So now the Pentagon has issued this apology for taking those pictures of Saddam Hussein in his underpants.
Recently released photos of Saddam Hussein in captivity are shocking and inappropriate. The Pentagon has launched a full investigation to determine who took these photos. To show how truly sorry we are, please accept this photo of Secretary of Transportation Norman Mineta in his underpants.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: Yeah. Tonight`s Dave`s guest is going to be Robin Williams.
BRYANT: It is time now for Thursday "In Style." Tonight, slice of fantasy, we take a mystical look at fashion like you`ve never seen it before Cirque du Soleil style.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BRYANT (voice-over): It`s a world of magic, beauty and celebration of the human form. A world where fantasy meets fashion. This month "In Style" magazine teamed up with the Las Vegas cast of Cirque du Soleil to show off some of the most incredible dresses and swimsuits out there. "In Style`s" fashion director Hal Rubenstein calls it fantastical.
HAL RUBENSTEIN, IN STYLE MAGAZINE: It started with these clothes that were just great fantasy. There may be other magazines that say, oh you really should buy this. You really must buy this. We`re not saying that. We`re saying these clothes, these clothes are fantastical. These clothes are very special.
BRYANT: Special, indeed. The clothes are whimsical, romantic, reminiscent of a different time. 1.5 million gallons of water are used in 25 foot deep pool for the show. For "In Style`s" shoot, Cirque swimmer Leslie Wright (ph) dances under water in a silk Gucci dress with glass beading. Floating on a raft in perfect symmetry, one Cirque du Soleil performer soars through the air in an Isaac Mizrahi tulle dress dredged in Swarovski crystal.
RUBENSTEIN: We have a $30,000 beaded mini skirt from Isaac Mizrahi. You`re not going to whip one of these up for Friday night at the movies, but you have to show clothing like this. You have to show the range and the ability of what a designer can do.
BRYANT: And also, what the performers can do.
RUBENSTEIN: The girls just shine. We just shot one right before, a girl in a gorgeous Christian Lacroix dress and everybody said that the girl is very shy, very, very shy. You had to see it. I mean, she was dazzling.
BRYANT: And also dazzling, a scene in the show where fiberglass horses, each weighing 750 pounds, magically appear and disappear before your eyes. Riding side saddle, this Cirque du Soleil aerialist models a stunning blue silk taffeta Roberto Cavalli gown, and jeweled satin pumps by Mosquino Couture (ph).
RUBENSTEIN: It`s a very enchanted world that`s on that stage. You don`t get to see a lot of magic every day.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BRYANT: If you want it read more about those fantastical gowns, pick up a copy of June`s "In Style" magazine on news stands now.
HAMMER: There`s still some time for you to sound off in our SHOWBIZ TONIGHT question of the day. "American Idol", did Carrie deserve to win? Vote at www.cnn.com/showbiztonight or e-mail us what`s on your mind at showbiztonight@cnn.com. We`re going to read some of your thoughts live coming up next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BRYANT: Throughout the show we have been asking you to vote online on our SHOWBIZ TONIGHT question of the day. "American Idol", did Carrie deserve to win? We have received the largest response ever to one of our questions so far. 62 percent of you say, yes, Carrie deserved to win, 38 percent of you say, no, she didn`t. Here are some e-mails that we got.
HAMMER: You want me to read this?
BRYANT: Go for it.
HAMMER: Sure. Jackson from Missouri says Bo is more talented. However, there was no way that someone with a publicized arrest record was going to become the "American Idol". We also heard from Derrick in Pennsylvania. He`s a Carrie fan. I was so happy to see Carrie win. Bo thinks he`s all that. (INAUDIBLE) Corinne from Mississippi is split down the middle. It`s a shame they can`t have a female and a male idol because both Carrie and Bo were very deserving.
BRYANT: Remember, you can continue to vote at cnn.com/showbiztonight.
HAMMER: Time now to see what`s playing on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT tomorrow.
BRYANT: Let`s take a look at the showbiz marquee. Marquee guy, take it away.
ANNOUNCER: Oprah, someone`s in the kitchen I know. Hey, look, you don`t have to be the queen of talk to eat like royalty. Oprah`s personal chef cooks up a few tips even I, the marquee guy might like. That`s tomorrow on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
And, hello, is it me that you`re looking for? No, it`s Lionel Ritchie, an exclusive interview. He`s once, twice, three times a star. Lionel Ritchie tomorrow on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. This is the marquee guy. Say you, say me, say it for always, that`s the way it should be on the marquee.
HAMMER: We have our first SHOWBIZ TONIGHT call back. Joe Pants is returning.
PANTOLIANO: I got a call back. Thank you. I`m here until Thursday.
HAMMER: Well we got a little time. I have actually been curious about this, because a lot of people keep mementos from shows or movies they`ve work on. Did you get to keep Ralphy Cifaretto`s head from the "Sopranos"? Where is that.
PANTOLIANO: Hopefully it was destroyed. I do have a lot of things, a lot of my hats and my hair pieces and you can buy them on eBay. (INAUDIBLE) If you want this.
BRYANT: Really quite nice, Joey.
PANTOLIANO: Thank you very much.
HAMMER: We appreciate you stopping by.
PANTOLIANO: Oh, this is really fun.
BRYANT: That`s it for SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. I`m Karyn Bryant.
HAMMER: I`m AJ Hammer. Stay tuned for the latest from CNN HEADLINE NEWS.
END
Aired May 26, 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: One Idol celebrates, another simmers.
A.J. HAMMER, CO-HOST: And how Chris Rock found his calling.
I`m A.J. Hammer.
BRYANT: I`m Karyn Bryant. This is SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
HAMMER (voice-over): Tonight, news about the news. A big network boss could be shown the door. A morning ratings battle, evening news uncertainty. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT with the burning question, what`s going on with the network news?
BRYANT (voice-over): Also, Mariah`s milestone. Mariah Carey comes to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT to talk about doing something only the Beatles and Elvis have done.
HAMMER: Plus, we`ll take champions for $1,000, Alex. The brand new "Jeopardy" king stops by SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
ALEX TREBEK, HOST, "JEOPARDY": Congratulations.
HAMMER: And the answer, this is the motto of our show.
BRAD RUTTER, "JEOPARDY" CHAMPION: I`m "Ultimate Jeopardy" champion Brad Rutter, what is, "If it happened today, it`s on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT"?
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BRYANT: Hello, I`m Karyn Bryant. This is SHOWBIZ TONIGHT and you are at the top of the show.
HAMMER: I`m A.J. Hammer, and you`re watching TV`s only live nightly entertainment program.
BRYANT: But we have got plenty of news for you tonight about the news.
HAMMER: From the anchor chairs to the executive chairs, there seems to be no let up in the topsy-turvy network world. And tonight, a new development.
SHOWBIZ TONIGHT`s David Haffenreffer is here to sort it all out for us.
DAVID HAFFENREFFER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: A busy time in the industry, A.J. and Karyn, yet more turmoil in an industry that really doesn`t need any more.
Today we heard reports that the man in charge of NBC News is looking to bail out. His job, or the job of a network news exec, has not been easy, because it seems that lately the only news that they`ve been getting has been bad news.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
HAFFENREFFER (voice-over): Is NBC`s Brian Williams about to get a new boss? The man who runs NBC News, Neal Shapiro, reportedly has told his bosses he wants out. And the buzz is they won`t be sorry to see him go.
Shapiro is in charge of the No. 1 nightly newscast, "NBC Nightly News," the No. 1 morning show program, "Today," and the No. 1 Sunday political talk show, "Meet the Press." So why would the man on top be kicked off?
BRIAN STELTER, TVNEWSER.COM: "Nightly`s" numbers are not as high as they could be. "Today" is sputtering, about to be taken over by "Good Morning America," possibly. "Dateline" is down to two nights a week, because it`s not doing as well. So it seems like NBC maybe is stalled in the news division.
HAFFENREFFER: But NBC`s competitors can`t really gloat, because everyone in the network news game is having trouble.
STELTER: We`re seeing shake-ups at all three networks. ABC has lost Peter Jennings temporarily. He may or may not be back on the air for awhile.
There`s been lots of things happening at CBS with Dan Rather leaving, Bob Schieffer coming in and who knows who the permanent anchor of that will be?
HAFFENREFFER: All this couldn`t be coming at a worse time. Here`s something that has network news executives sweating bullets. The average viewer of a network newscast is 60, too high a number for execs and advertisers, who create the next generation of viewers.
Younger viewers who, according to a recent poll, are more likely to be getting their news from a fake newscast, "The Daily Show with Jon Stewart" on Comedy Central.
JON STEWART, HOST, "THE DAILY SHOW": I`m back with the show coverage.
HAFFENREFFER: In primetime the news isn`t much better. NBC`s "Dateline" has lost nearly one million viewers over the last year, and "60 Minutes II" over at CBS was canceled just last week. CBS chairman Leslie Moonves told me why.
LESLIE MOONVES, CBS CHAIRMAN: They were down in every single rating category, and the bar at CBS is much higher now.
HAFFENREFFER: With all these problems it`s no wonder why ABC veteran Sam Donaldson recently said of network news, quote, "I think it`s dead. The monster anchors are through."
But don`t tell that to NBC News` Brian Williams, who gave me an earful about all the news naysayers.
BRIAN WILLIAMS, ANCHOR, "NBC NIGHTLY NEWS": Every night, 30 million people divide up their time among three networks. A, we`ve been luckiest enough to finish first in their hearts, and B, that still makes us the largest source for news in the United States.
You`re going to see a lot of obituaries and articles written about, "Oh, woe are the evening newscasts." Baloney, tell them I said that, because it`s still the No. 1 source of news in the United States.
HAFFENREFFER: And it`s clear news networks are going to try to stay that way.
STELTER: This week NBC and ABC announced plans for podcasting. So they`re going to be broadcasting news to people`s iPods.
HAFFENREFFER: With talk of news on iPods, it`s clear that the network newscasts are in adapt or die mode. And you can bet they`re going to choose adapt, in hopes that all those reports of the death of network news will turn out to be greatly exaggerated.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HAFFENREFFER: Well, we`ll see. When SHOWBIZ TONIGHT asked NBC to respond to reports that NBC News head Neal Shapiro was leaving, their response was immediate, brief, in the finest tradition of TV news: no comment -- A.J.
HAMMER: Is this your idea, of the "Taps" there.
HAFFENREFFER: Yes. The trumpets.
HAMMER: Nice touch.
Well, country star Garth Brooks has got a good thing going with long- time love and fellow country singer Trisha Yearwood. Call it something with a ring to it. The pair got engaged last night in Bakersfield, California. Brooks popped the question in front of 7,000 happy and excited fans. And Yearwood, of course, accepted. This will be the second marriage for Brooks and the third for Yearwood.
BRYANT: Tonight, it`s worse than the missing garden gnome. Last week Brooks & Dunn won the ACM Award for best country music duo, but after the show, their trophies were swiped from the pair`s limo. Since then, Brooks & Dunn were issued a ransom note, along with a picture showing the twin trophies in handcuffs and blindfolds. The duo pleaded for their trophies, telling The Today Show" it`s no shameless publicity plug.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KATIE COURIC, CO-HOST, "THE TODAY SHOW": That sounds a bit like a shameless publicity stunt to me, fellows.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That`s what we think. We have nothing to do with it, promise you, for real. We -- we left it in our car the night of the label party right after the award show and came back out, and the car had been gone, someone said for like 15 minutes. And...
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We`re not above shameless publicity stunts. Don`t get me wrong.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRYANT: They say that the theft appears to be an inside job.
HAMMER: Tonight, our first "Showbiz Sitdown." Mariah Carey, Mariah`s sweet 16. Carey has scored her 16th No. 1 single. Only the Beatles and Elvis have topped the charts more times, and only Elvis has spent more total weeks in the No. 1 position.
The song "We Belong Together" is off Mariah`s latest album, "The Emancipation of Mimi." And of course, that`s the single responsible for all this. "Emancipation of Mimi" is now double platinum, two million copies sold.
Just a few hours ago Mariah Carey dropped by our studios.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
HAMMER: This now makes you the most successful female artist in history. Could you ever dream this big?
MARIAH CAREY, SINGER: I only -- I want to hear my song on the radio. I want to, you know, make a video, blah, blah, blah. But I didn`t know about sharks. I didn`t know about any of that kind of stuff.
And so, you know, obviously, it`s amazing when you hear these kind of statistics and figures and stuff like that. And really, I`m just thankful. I`m just -- I thank God for everything.
And the fans have, this is like our victory, our moment. Me and my fans, who are the best fans on earth. I just feel like this No. 1 is for them.
HAMMER: L.A. Reed (ph) congratulating you, saying, "No one is more deserving than Mariah Carey of sharing the pantheon with the greatest of the greats," because you`re up there with Elvis and the Beatles now.
CAREY: It`s unbelievable. And that`s a wonderful thing that he said. And you know, it`s -- I can`t even think in those terms.
HAMMER: Right.
CAREY: But it`s awesome and I`m just thankful to God for my blessings. And it`s just, you know, it`s a nice thing. It`s nice because being able to think about OK, there have been times when I`ve been really into a song and for whatever reason it never saw the light of day, it didn`t get released, it wasn`t -- it didn`t have this much focus or attention. To have it happen when it`s a song like this that`s so close to my heart is a great thing.
HAMMER: Flash me back 15 years to when it was all getting started, when you were three.
CAREY: Right.
HAMMER: And "Vision of Love" debuted at No. 1. It debuted and went straight to No. 1. It was your debut single, and it spent the summer there, basically, in 1990. Do you remember how you felt then?
CAREY: You know what? I think this -- I feel much, it`s a much more potent feeling right now. Just the emotion of it all is just like -- I think back then I didn`t understand the significance. I knew it was a huge deal, but like I said, I didn`t even know about the charts or anything like that. And I knew it was a big deal.
But now, just after going through so much and experiencing so many different things, just the gratitude that I have and, you know, it`s just like so much greater.
HAMMER: And we were talking about last time how much you appreciate everything you have now and, clearly, you know, you have a good sense of that, as well. So, does the record label buy you a little gift as a celebration or of course, the album going double platinum, they buy you, you know, a couple of cars or something like that?
CAREY: No, no. I mean, you know what? The gift is the fact that they all worked really hard and that they care and it`s a great place to be and this moment is a gift for me in my life.
HAMMER: The biggest moment for you in this whirlwind on TV over the last couple of months in promoting this album, was there one special moment for you?
CAREY: I think all the moments have different significance for me. You know the best thing about doing these appearances when you actually get to see fans. A lot of the fans, they make different books for me and give me gifts and things like that.
And there was a girl who sent me a paper that she had written. The girl, I think she`s in college. And the other night I was just reading some of my stuff, and she had done her paper about me. It was actually about America`s stance on race and the whole thing was about me being biracial and just how -- I think she called me the tragic mulatto indicator of America`s stance on race.
I was like, OK. But then it ended in a really happy, you know, triumphant way because of the album and the success in the different formats and stuff like that. But it was interesting and, obviously, close to my heart because, you know, having gone through that struggle and continuing to go through it and knowing that the music has touched people like that enough to write, you know, a paper about me, pretty amazing.
HAMMER: Mariah Carey, congratulations. Always a pleasure hanging out with you.
CAREY: Always a pleasure to be with you.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HAMMER: And you can catch Mariah performing at the fifth annual BET Awards on Saturday, where she is nominated for best female R&B artist.
BRYANT: Well, it was a little bit country and a little bit Rock `n` roll at last night`s "Idol" finale. So how will Carrie`s upcoming album do, and why was a former contestant not happy with what went down? That is coming up.
HAMMER: Also, Chris Rock tells us what he would have given up for comedy in the "Showbiz Sitdown."
BRYANT: And he questioned authority, and now he`s a whole lot richer because of it. The "Ultimate Jeopardy" champion who took down Ken Jennings. He pays a visit to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
HAMMER: Now tonight`s "Entertainment Weekly Great American Pop Culture Quiz." What famous director often operates as his own cinematographer under the pseudonym Peter Andrews? Is it Spielberg, Stephen Sommers, Steven Soderbergh or Martin Scorsese? The answer next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HAMMER: Welcome back. Once again, tonight`s "Entertainment Weekly Great American Pop Culture Quiz." What famous director often operates as his own cinematographer under the pseudonym Peter Andrews? Steven Spielberg, Stephen Sommers, Steven Soderbergh or Martin Scorsese. The answer, "C," Soderbergh.
BRYANT: Tonight, America has a new Idol, Carrie Underwood, thanks to the votes of fans of "American Idol" last night. She beat out Bo Bice, but today it wasn`t Bo who was up in arms about the finale. It was ex- contestant Corey Clark.
He was all smiles recently on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, but now he`s upset over "Idol`s" spoof of his primetime interview claiming he had an affair with Paula Abdul. "Idol" did a comedy bit about Cowell having an affair with himself and Randy Jackson was looking for attention.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Randy`s pain spills out through his music.
(END VIDEO CLIP)_
BRYANT: Well, Clark`s rep issued this statement: "Instead of honoring their promise to conduct a proper investigation, FOX and "American Idol" continue to waste valuable time and energy on juvenile diversion tactics when they should be pursuing the truth."
So now that this season is over...
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RYAN SEACREST, HOST, "AMERICAN IDOL": The winner of "American Idol" 2005 is -- Carrie Underwood!
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRYANT: Well, what lies ahead for the winner, Carrie Underwood? Some say that this was the hard part, but making a music career out of a hugely successful television show may not actually be that easy.
Joining us live to discuss the road ahead for Carrie is Tamara Conniff, executive editor of "Billboard" magazine.
Tamara, welcome. Thanks for joining us here on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. And first and foremost, how can Carrie make an impact as a pop/country singer?
TAMARA CONNIFF, EXECUTIVE EDITOR, "BILLBOARD" MAGAZINE: I mean, I think she really has potential. Country is definitely on the rise. You see a lot of crossover right now, a lot of big stars, a lot of pop fans kind of embracing country. I think Carrie has got a real shot.
BRYANT: How would you compare Carrie to former winners Fantasia, Reuben and, of course, Kelly Clarkson?
CONNIFF: I think Carrie reminds me most of Kelly. She sort of has that girl next door kind of look. She just is a little bit -- she just has that kind of innocence about her that I think is very appealing.
BRYANT: Who do you think, though, out of the four will be the most successful, chart-wise?
CONNIFF: I think Kelly has been extremely successful and the most successful out of everyone. Her first record debuted at No. 1. Her second one debuted at No. 3. She`s really proving that she might have a shot at a long-term career.
BRYANT: Well, Paula told Carrie that the "Idol" show was going to be the scariest thing she would ever do in her career. Do you agree with that statement?
CONNIFF: No, I don`t think that`s true. I think the scariest thing she`ll ever do is release her second album. The sophomore album is always the scariest. That`s the make or break, especially for an "American Idol" star. So we`ll see what happens.
BRYANT: Well, certainly, because on the first album they`re kind of riding that crest of success of the show. They put the album out very quickly after the show. You`re saying a year down the road, two years down the road could be iffy.
CONNIFF: Exactly. I mean, that`s where you really weed out the career artists from the shot in the pans.
BRYANT: All right. Do you think "Idol" can continue to make pop stars if they go on more seasons?
CONNIFF: You know, I think as long as people watch it and people buy CDs, absolutely. I mean, the viewership is incredible. They`ve got fans out there. The fans will, you know, tell "American Idol" when they`re done. They`ll stop watching.
BRYANT: All right. Well, thank you, Tamara Conniff of "Billboard" magazine. Thanks for joining us.
So, we are asking you now, it`s our SHOWBIZ TONIGHT question of the day. "American Idol," did Carrie deserve to win? You can vote at CNN.com/ShowbizTonight. Or if you want to tell us more, e-mail us at ShowbizTonight@CNN.com. We`ll share some of your thoughts later in the show.
HAMMER: It`s time now for another "Showbiz Sitdown." Chris Rock, he`s back on the big screen this weekend in not one but two films, "The Longest Yard" and "Madagascar."
SHOWBIZ TONIGHT`s Sibila Vargas sat down with the comedian to talk about playing a zebra. Sibila joins us now from Hollywood.
Sibila, fill us in.
SIBILA VARGAS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: A.J., "Madagascar" is an animated film featuring the voices of Chris Rock, Ben Stiller and Jada Pinkett Smith.
Now, Rock plays Marty, a zebra with big dreams who desperately wants out of the zoo to see what life is like beyond the gates. In our interview, Rock told me what his life has been since the Academy Awards and hosting them, and fatherhood and how it`s changed his hectic schedule.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
VARGAS: So, Marty has big dreams.
CHRIS ROCK, COMEDIAN: Marty is a big dreamer. You know, Marty dreams of leaving the zoo and going out into the wild. I guess he saw Bruce Shore (ph) or some commercial or something. And when he finally gets out there with all the other guys they realize, we don`t belong here.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What did you wish for?
ROCK: Can`t tell you that.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Come on, tell.
ROCK: Nosiree, I`m telling you, it`s bad luck. You want some bad luck, I`m blab it out. If you want to be safe.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Will you just tell us!
VARGAS: We`re talking about big dreams. You`re a guy from Bed-Stuy.
ROCK: Yes.
VARGAS: Did you ever think and imagine that you will be at the place that you are right now?
ROCK: I never thought or imagined I would be at the place -- all I wanted to be, I mean, you know, if you would have offered me a job making $6 an hour, you know, whatever, 20 years ago, I would have took it and never told a joke for the rest -- ever. I mean, you know. So, that was my idea of, you know success. Six, $10 an hour, like, whoa. So this is way beyond my dreams.
VARGAS: How did it all change for you? What was the turning point?
ROCK: I always thought that once I got into comedy and, you know, it was like a calling. It`s weird because I`m from a -- like my grandpa is a preacher and my other grandfather is a preacher so, like, preaching is in my blood and people, you know, preachers have a calling.
VARGAS: Right.
ROCK: But I wasn`t called to preach. I was called to do stand up. And once I found my calling, good things started to happen.
VARGAS: And then you hosted the Oscars. I mean, only a handful of people get to do that. That is huge.
ROCK: That`s what I hear. Yes, the Oscars went great. I had a ball. I`ve never had -- you know, I`ve never gotten such a positive reaction for anything I`ve ever done. I got great directors, producers calling me up to do movies and what not. So...
VARGAS: Have you been approached to do another Oscar gig?
ROCK: No one`s called yet. It`s still early, but if -- if they want me to do it again, I`ll do it.
VARGAS: Have you been writing a lot of material down?
ROCK: I`ve been writing a lot of stand up, like, the last few weeks, so, it`s going to be -- I`ll probably tour next year. I`m going to kind of chill out this year. And just -- when I`m touring I`m in a different city every night kind of thing, and it`s just bad for kids, you know.
VARGAS: Right. Yes.
ROCK: You do a movie or you just stay home. You`re in one spot. So, next year, I will tour.
VARGAS: And how has your daughter influenced some of the material that you write?
ROCK: My daughter has (ph) -- but I don`t know, you know, your kids give you -- your kids force you to look through their eyes a lot of times.
VARGAS: If you could talk to yourself I mean, if you could go back 15 years and talk to a younger Chris.
ROCK: A younger Chris.
VARGAS: What would you tell yourself?
ROCK: I would tell myself life is long. They say it`s short. It`s long.
Here`s the thing. If I could do it -- and I love my life, but I would probably go to school, pay attention in school, graduate, get a high school diploma, go to college, live a normal life. And I love my life.
But, you know, being in show business, emotionally it`s so up and down and all around the place. And you really, you take your friends and your loved ones on this roller coaster.
VARGAS: Yes.
ROCK: It would probably be nice to, you know, be like an attorney in Phoenix. Easier.
VARGAS: Easier for sure.
ROCK: Seems like an easier life. But I don`t know. I`m having -- I`m having a ball. And what would I tell Chris? Just it`s -- it`s going to work out.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VARGAS: If you ask any of Chris Rock`s fans, I think they would agree that he made the right career move. He`s too funny to be a lawyer.
Rock also told me that his young daughter Lola has seen the film, and she gives it a big thumbs up. So do I. Take the kids -- A.J.
HAMMER: All right, Sibila. Thanks very much. Live in Hollywood and, of course, "Madagascar" opens up this weekend. It`s in theaters tomorrow, actually.
Well, when we woke up this morning we got ourselves Joey Pants. "The Sopranos`" Ralphie Cifaretto, Joey Pantoliano, stops by to talk about his new movie, "Live.".
BRYANT: And water, water everywhere. We go underwater to look at some over the top fashions with Cirque du Soleil. It`s Thursday "In Style."
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BRYANT: We`ve been talking all day and we`ve been listening now, with the best from today`s talk shows.
HAMMER: On "Live with Regis and Kelly," Reeg threatens to go toe to toe with "Contender" winner Sergio "The Latin Snake" Mora, but, first of course, he has to master the heavy bag.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REGIS PHILBIN, CO-HOST, "REGIS AND KELLY": You want to hit with the light bag, with the gloves or without?
SERGIO "THE LATIN SNAKE" MORA, WINNER, "THE CONTENDER": With the gloves.
KELLY RIPA, CO-HOST, "REGIS AND KELLY": Yes, no.
PHILBIN: You got a manicure lately?
RIPA: Reeg, are you ready?
MORA: Come out here, Reeg.
RIPA: Come on out.
Ladies and gentlemen, the man they call the Amish Worm. First of all, are these my...
PHILBIN: Did The Snake already hit?
RIPA: Yes.
PHILBIN: So you felt what he`s got to offer.
RIPA: The Snake was really taking...
PHILBIN: Hey.
Jab, jab, jab and then -- I almost went down for the count!
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BRYANT: Tell you what, he`s a good fighter. I watched "The Contender." Sergio was all right.
Tomorrow on "Live with Regis and Kelly," Burt Reynolds.
Well, the answer is, he just won $2 million on "jeopardy." The question: who is Brad Rutter? We`ll go question the guy who`s got all the winning answers, coming up.
HAMMER: And we`re going to show you how to listen to Oasis` new album before it`s out, legally. We`ve got that and more in "Showbiz Guide to Music Online," coming up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BRYANT: Tonight, they have the answers. He had the questions and now he has the cash. The just crowned ultimate "Jeopardy" winner.
HAMMER: And Jersey guy. New Jersey native Joey Pantoliano, Joey Pants, Ralphy from the "Sopranos", he hops over the bridge and onto our set, also joining us live.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MARIAH CAREY: I`m Mariah Carey. If it happened today, it`s on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: Welcome back to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. 31 minutes past the hour. I`m AJ Hammer.
BRYANT: I`m Karyn Bryant. Here are tonight`s hot headlines.
Is it the end of an era for network news? NBC boss Neal Shapiro is reportedly on the way out and shakeups at all three networks have shuffled the evening players. Networks are scrambling for younger viewers and better ratings.
HAMMER: Mariah makes history today. Carey`s new song "We Belong Together" has catapulted her to the top of "Billboard" top 100 chart. This makes it her 16th number one song. She has more chart toppers than any other female singer ever. And she`s best in number ones only by the Beatles and Elvis Presley.
HAMMER: Offstage drama on "American Idol". Ex-contestant Corey Clark didn`t take the season finale too well. He`s upset over last night`s spoof of his prime time interview. Clark`s rep says Fox should investigate the allegations he had an affair with Paula Abdul, not mock them.
HAMMER: We have been asking you to vote on our SHOWBIZ TONIGHT question of the day and apparently the response is overwhelming. "American Idol", did Carrie deserve to win? Still time to vote by going to cnn.com/showbiztonight. You can also send us an e-mail with more of your thoughts showbiztonight@cnn.com and we`ll share some of what you had to say coming up in 22 minutes.
BRYANT: "Jeopardy" broke the record books. A winner was crowned last night after a five-month long mega tournament with 150 people from all over the world competing.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ALEX TREBEK: Gets bumped up to $2 million. Congratulations. Now, the biggest (INAUDIBLE) game show money winner in television history.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRYANT: Using nothing but his brains and his thumb, Brad Rutter won the single largest payout in game show history. I sat down with Brad just a few hours ago to find out about the secrets of his success.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BRAD RUTTER, ULTIMATE "JEOPARDY" CHAMPION: It`s nice to be here.
BRYANT: So, listen, I love "Jeopardy". I`ve been watching it for years and years and I really want to be on it some time, but I wonder, is there a lot of back stage smack talking when it gets to the level you guys were on?
RUTTER: You think there would be, but amazingly enough, there is none. There`s such a collegial atmosphere among the contestants. It`s sort of like us against the world. We`re sort of playing against the writers and the questions and it`s sort of - obviously we`re playing against each other too, but you would never know it from being back stage with the contestants in the green room. It`s sort of an exclusive club that only "Jeopardy" players get to be in.
BRYANT: I just kind of pictured Ken Jennings back there like this, you know what I`m saying, just stretching out the thumbs and limbering up and everything.
RUTTER: Ken is actually a very nice guy. He`s just as gracious in person as he has always seemed on TV and in his commercials and all that stuff and Jerome is a great guy, too. So we had a lot of fun with it.
BRYANT: OK, so what would you do though, what would you tell somebody who wants to be on the show, tips for how not to choke. We`re all fabulous on the couch, but once you get there, it`s a lot more difficult to get those answers.
RUTTER: The key is, don`t look down right, but don`t think about the millions of people that are watching on TV. There is only about 200 people in the audience. Actually they wanted to keep it very secret in this ultimate tournament, so there was really only employees of "Jeopardy" in the audience and the other contestants. So just focus on the questions. Don`t focus on what other people are doing and just try to -- it`s sort of like I guess golf. You`re playing the course, not the other people.
BRYANT: Well, what do you do -- do you cram, though? How did you prepare? Were you just always this smart?
RUTTER: I think you have to have the kind of trivia mind to be good at stuff like this. So, it`s sort of like fly paper memory where things just stick to it and I can kind of recall them when I need to. The best thing to do is really to watch the show because you get a great feel for what the categories that come up are and certain people and places and rivers and the Gulf of Batnia (ph) always comes up. I`ve been watching since I was a kid and that`s helped a lot. So the more you watch it, the more familiar you get with the basic material and there`s also stuff, once you know that, you can study it. Like I looked over U.S. presidents.
BRYANT: You always have to study opera, too. That`s the thing.
RUTTER: I`m not going to the met every night, so I had to look over a few of those, too.
BRYANT: All right. Congratulations to you. Thank you for joining us, Brad Rutter, big winner on "Jeopardy".
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BRYANT: It is time now for our own little "Jeopardy" championship. Showbiz style, we`re going to test your entertainment knowledge so go ahead and pick a.
HAMMER: This is very exciting. Clearly we broke the bank with these graphics. Mariah Carey, I was speaking with her earlier today. So I`d like Mariah for $200, please.
BRYANT: The answer is, this song was Mariah Carey`s first number one single.
HAMMER: That`s actually an easy question for me. What is "Vision of Love?" It went number one for the whole summer of 199.
BRYANT: Yes, good, correct! You got one, go again.
HAMMER: What else we have here? Celebrity babies, also for $200 since I know time is pressing.
BRYANT: This is the name of Angelina Jolie`s son.
HAMMER: Wait, she was on last night, sounds like (INAUDIBLE) who is Maddox?
BRYANT: Yes correct. That`s two for two. We`ve got time for another one.
HAMMER: Last one. Hollywood love. I`ll take this for $100 because I`m not so sure.
BRYANT: OK. On this TV show, Tom Cruise`s current love interest got her big break.
HAMMER: Very easy. I don`t want to wait. What is DAWSON`S CREEK?
BRYANT: Three for three, AJ Hammer.
HAMMER: For 500 bucks.
BRYANT: $500. I`ll pay you later.
HAMMER: Let`s get back to the program shall we?
It is time now for the "showbiz guide." Throughout the week, we help you decide where to best spend your dollars on movies, music, DVDs and more. And I have $500 more dollars to spend this week. Well, tonight we`re talking about music online. My space is one of the places you can go now and oasis, gorillas and pumpkins are all going to be mixed in with this. Chris Farley is the senior editor of "Time" magazine and is going to help me make sense of this. Chris, I`m the kind of guy who researches everything online. If I`m going to buy something, thanks, I go online and -- that`s OK. I go online and if I`m buying a new dishwasher, I do all my research there. Why not do it for music, even if you`re not going to purchase music online, there are now places to go to actually hear songs, right?
CHRISTOPHER JOHN FARLEY, SENIOR EDITOR, TIME MAGAZINE: That makes perfect sense, because you want to check out albums before you plunk down your money to buy it. In myspace.com sort of gives you that opportunity. And myspace.com, started off as sort of another lifestyle portal, you know, kind of like Friendster, where you meet and greet friends and you make new friends, but it morphed into sort of more of a music space, and now there are a lot of musicians. They say over 200,000 musicians and acts who are now registered users of myspace.com and a lot of major names, you know, like Oasis, like Wheezer, like Black Eyed Peas. They now have streamed their albums on this site or about to stream their albums on the site. You can check out their albums first here or their new single here, their new video there and decide whether you like it or not.
And also some acts are also blogging on the site as well, like Billy Corgan, so you can sort of get in tune with his thoughts about whatever new project he has coming up.
HAMMER: So for example, Oasis, they have a new album coming out on Tuesday. Fans have been waiting around for it. You can actually go and preview some of the tracks in their entirety on myspace.com.
FARLEY: The new album coming out is don`t believe, is "Don`t Believe the Truth," and you can hear the new single off it, "Lyla" on myspace.com. Also there are plenty of links that will lead you to hearing the entire album streaming free, so you can check it out first and they`re not the only act doing this. Nine Inch Nails also previews their album on this site, so it becomes sort of the go to space for musicians who want to get their music out there. And there are actually a lot of sites out there where we can preview music, but this is kind of one stop shopping so you can hear a lot of different acts, decide what you like, what you don`t like and kind of move on to the next thing.
HAMMER: That makes a lot of sense and another thing is always to go to the artist`s Web site which often is the artist`s name.com but you really should do a proper search on that, because they often have their own media players on their as well to either preview tracks or to listen to tracks in their entirety.
FARLEY: Yes, which brings us to billycorgan.com, which of course is the site for Billy Corgan, the former front man of the Smashing Pumpkins. He`s coming out with his first solo record soon, but what he`s really doing is interesting. On his site is not just promotional materials, he really do some hardcore blogging. It links you back to myspace.com. But it shows you, he`s been posting his diary entries and he`ll tell you about his thoughts, his feelings, the way he approaches his song writing. It`s really interesting stuff. Some of it`s just sort of a rant. But all of it is kind of cool, this really sort of hearing artists venting about what he`s going through, what he`s gone through and it gives you sort of a window into his soul before he releases his album so you know where he`s coming from.
HAMMER: All right, Chris, we appreciate your insight on all of this. Another way it use the web to help you further your music collection. Chris Farley from "Time" magazine joining us.
BRYANT: His character can`t seem to get a leg up on his career, but Joe Pantoliano is no second best. He joins us live for a "Showbiz Sitdown."
HAMMER: And fashion meets fantasy with Cirque du Soleil. We`re going to show you the most outrageous designs as modeled by the troops that is oh, so Vegas. Coming up on Thursday "In Style."
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BRYANT: Joining us live for another "Showbiz Sitdown," Joe Pantoliano. His resume is incredible, "Risky Business," "Bad Boys," "Memento," "The Matrix." Of course, he was Ralphy on the "Sopranos". He now stars in "Second Best." It`s an independent film about an aspiring writer coming to terms with his life, kind of as a loser. Thanks for joining us Joey Pants here. It is an enjoyable film, I watched it today. I want it look at a clip. This guy kind of always has a running dialogue in his head. He`s writing, he`s talking. This is where Jennifer Tilly is a crossing guard. You`re kind of hitting on her, kind of thinking about her a little bit.
JOE PANTOLIANO, ACTOR: Definitely hitting on her.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PANTOLIANO: Excuse me, miss.
JENNIFER TILLY: What?
PANTOLIANO: You wouldn`t happen to know where Prospect Avenue is.
TILLY: Prospect Avenue. About two, three lights straight ahead.
PANTOLIANO: That`s a pretty scarf.
TILLY: Thanks, Mister.
PANTOLIANO: The loser cannot compete for the most sought after woman, so he looks beneath the radar. The one with the heavy legs has a beautiful head of hair. The one with thinning, fly away hair, the profile of Audrey Hepburn.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRYANT: What I loved is that, this guy is admitting his loserness in a way. Are losers generally in denial?
PANTOLIANO: We are a nation of losers. Think about it, the guy operating the cameras right there. From the minute I walked in, it`s nothing to be ashamed of. We are, you know, we are programmed to be successes. We are programmed to win the high school team. If we don`t win, we`re considered losers. The fact is is that, we are second best, most of us. There`s a finite group of us that get a chance to be celebrity, to be -- and people are fascinated by it. But most of us are settling, doing jobs that we don`t want to do, living in houses and neighborhoods we don`t want to live in, sending our kids to schools that we think are inferior because it`s the only place we can send them and this movie talks about that and this character Elliot addresses it. He`s not ashamed to talk about what everyone is afraid to talk about.
BRYANT: It`s funny and it`s tender and it`s, you know, it`s got a lot of nice moments.
PANTOLIANO: I get to bang Jennifer Tilly.
BRYANT: Yes you do. Yes you do. Nice, whatever, let me move on, Joey, I`m blushing here.
PANTOLIANO: It`s also an independent movie. We made this movie. We got $75 a day to make this movie. It`s really independent meaning it`s at one theater, at the Angelica theater.
BRYANT: Book your flights now to come to New York.
PANTOLIANO: This is a national show. Come on down. If people in New York see this movie this weekend, it will be in your neighborhood. The movie will then be booked in other theaters and we`ll get an audience. This is like, we`re like David against the Goliaths. All these huge (INAUDIBLE) movies and people are talking, you guys are doing reports all the time about how receipts are down 20 percent, 30 percent and they don`t know why. I`ll tell you why, because the movies stink, all right and people don`t want to go. So, this is a movie, this gives you an opportunity to see a movie that`s going to speak to you, speak to a generation, speak a young generation who has to fear what`s ahead of them. Speak to 40 and 50 year olds who realize now, that here we are. I always wanted to be Tom Cruise. I`m not Tom Cruise.
BRYANT: But you`re remembered for so many great roles.
PANTOLIANO: I`m a loser.
BRYANT: Joey, come on, for you, for me, it`s "Eddie and the Cruisers" was the first time you really made an imprint on my brain. What role do people come up to you is and mostly say, oh my God, Joe, you were fantastic.
PANTOLIANO: It depends on who`s the person is. It could be "The Matrix." It could be "Bad Boys." It could be "Memento," but I think we should talk about this over dinner.
BRYANT: Oh, really. Aren`t you married, Joey?
PANTAOLIANO: I am married but I`m a Mormon.
BRYANT: Well, I`m not. Well, I`ll tell you what. The movie is - he`s killing me - the movie is called "Second Best." I really enjoyed it, Joey Pants. Like you said, it opens here in New York and then folks can look for it later on. Thanks for joining us here for showbiz sit down.
PANTOLIANO: Thank you.
HAMMER: A journalist caught off guard there. It`s time now to get your laugh on in laughter dark. As we do every night bringing you the late night laughs you might have missed.
Well, recently, published photos of Saddam Hussein in his cell caused quite a bit of controversy, but, on the "late show with David Letterman" looks like the Pentagon has actually launched somewhat of a damage control ad campaign.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DAVID LETTERMAN, HOST, LATE SHOW: So now the Pentagon has issued this apology for taking those pictures of Saddam Hussein in his underpants.
Recently released photos of Saddam Hussein in captivity are shocking and inappropriate. The Pentagon has launched a full investigation to determine who took these photos. To show how truly sorry we are, please accept this photo of Secretary of Transportation Norman Mineta in his underpants.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: Yeah. Tonight`s Dave`s guest is going to be Robin Williams.
BRYANT: It is time now for Thursday "In Style." Tonight, slice of fantasy, we take a mystical look at fashion like you`ve never seen it before Cirque du Soleil style.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BRYANT (voice-over): It`s a world of magic, beauty and celebration of the human form. A world where fantasy meets fashion. This month "In Style" magazine teamed up with the Las Vegas cast of Cirque du Soleil to show off some of the most incredible dresses and swimsuits out there. "In Style`s" fashion director Hal Rubenstein calls it fantastical.
HAL RUBENSTEIN, IN STYLE MAGAZINE: It started with these clothes that were just great fantasy. There may be other magazines that say, oh you really should buy this. You really must buy this. We`re not saying that. We`re saying these clothes, these clothes are fantastical. These clothes are very special.
BRYANT: Special, indeed. The clothes are whimsical, romantic, reminiscent of a different time. 1.5 million gallons of water are used in 25 foot deep pool for the show. For "In Style`s" shoot, Cirque swimmer Leslie Wright (ph) dances under water in a silk Gucci dress with glass beading. Floating on a raft in perfect symmetry, one Cirque du Soleil performer soars through the air in an Isaac Mizrahi tulle dress dredged in Swarovski crystal.
RUBENSTEIN: We have a $30,000 beaded mini skirt from Isaac Mizrahi. You`re not going to whip one of these up for Friday night at the movies, but you have to show clothing like this. You have to show the range and the ability of what a designer can do.
BRYANT: And also, what the performers can do.
RUBENSTEIN: The girls just shine. We just shot one right before, a girl in a gorgeous Christian Lacroix dress and everybody said that the girl is very shy, very, very shy. You had to see it. I mean, she was dazzling.
BRYANT: And also dazzling, a scene in the show where fiberglass horses, each weighing 750 pounds, magically appear and disappear before your eyes. Riding side saddle, this Cirque du Soleil aerialist models a stunning blue silk taffeta Roberto Cavalli gown, and jeweled satin pumps by Mosquino Couture (ph).
RUBENSTEIN: It`s a very enchanted world that`s on that stage. You don`t get to see a lot of magic every day.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BRYANT: If you want it read more about those fantastical gowns, pick up a copy of June`s "In Style" magazine on news stands now.
HAMMER: There`s still some time for you to sound off in our SHOWBIZ TONIGHT question of the day. "American Idol", did Carrie deserve to win? Vote at www.cnn.com/showbiztonight or e-mail us what`s on your mind at showbiztonight@cnn.com. We`re going to read some of your thoughts live coming up next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BRYANT: Throughout the show we have been asking you to vote online on our SHOWBIZ TONIGHT question of the day. "American Idol", did Carrie deserve to win? We have received the largest response ever to one of our questions so far. 62 percent of you say, yes, Carrie deserved to win, 38 percent of you say, no, she didn`t. Here are some e-mails that we got.
HAMMER: You want me to read this?
BRYANT: Go for it.
HAMMER: Sure. Jackson from Missouri says Bo is more talented. However, there was no way that someone with a publicized arrest record was going to become the "American Idol". We also heard from Derrick in Pennsylvania. He`s a Carrie fan. I was so happy to see Carrie win. Bo thinks he`s all that. (INAUDIBLE) Corinne from Mississippi is split down the middle. It`s a shame they can`t have a female and a male idol because both Carrie and Bo were very deserving.
BRYANT: Remember, you can continue to vote at cnn.com/showbiztonight.
HAMMER: Time now to see what`s playing on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT tomorrow.
BRYANT: Let`s take a look at the showbiz marquee. Marquee guy, take it away.
ANNOUNCER: Oprah, someone`s in the kitchen I know. Hey, look, you don`t have to be the queen of talk to eat like royalty. Oprah`s personal chef cooks up a few tips even I, the marquee guy might like. That`s tomorrow on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
And, hello, is it me that you`re looking for? No, it`s Lionel Ritchie, an exclusive interview. He`s once, twice, three times a star. Lionel Ritchie tomorrow on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. This is the marquee guy. Say you, say me, say it for always, that`s the way it should be on the marquee.
HAMMER: We have our first SHOWBIZ TONIGHT call back. Joe Pants is returning.
PANTOLIANO: I got a call back. Thank you. I`m here until Thursday.
HAMMER: Well we got a little time. I have actually been curious about this, because a lot of people keep mementos from shows or movies they`ve work on. Did you get to keep Ralphy Cifaretto`s head from the "Sopranos"? Where is that.
PANTOLIANO: Hopefully it was destroyed. I do have a lot of things, a lot of my hats and my hair pieces and you can buy them on eBay. (INAUDIBLE) If you want this.
BRYANT: Really quite nice, Joey.
PANTOLIANO: Thank you very much.
HAMMER: We appreciate you stopping by.
PANTOLIANO: Oh, this is really fun.
BRYANT: That`s it for SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. I`m Karyn Bryant.
HAMMER: I`m AJ Hammer. Stay tuned for the latest from CNN HEADLINE NEWS.
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