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Showbiz Tonight
California Law Tougher on Paparazzi; PETA Targets Top Model for Fur Campaign; "TV Guide" Recreates Famous Covers
Aired October 03, 2005 - 19:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
A.J. HAMMER, CO-HOST: I`m A.J. Hammer.
BROOKE ANDERSON, CO-HOST: And I`m Brooke Anderson. TV`s only live entertainment news show starts right now.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
HAMMER (voice-over): On SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, a brand new battle in the star versus paparazzi war. Governor Schwarzenegger gives the stars a new weapon that could change the whole picture. Tonight, is it enough to get the paparazzi off their backs?
Tonight, the fight over fur. Did a major supermodel do a major 180 on the fur issue? We`ll get the answers in the live interview you`ll see only on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
Bored by the boardroom. As Martha Stewart`s reality show slips in the ratings, could it be too much of a good thing? Tonight, after all that hype, what went wrong with Martha`s "Apprentice"?
ZACK BRAFF, ACTOR/DIRECTOR: Hi, I`m Zack Braff. If it happened today, it`s on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HAMMER: Hello, I`m A.J. Hammer.
ANDERSON: I`m Brooke Anderson. Tonight, paparazzi crackdown, and the stars have Governor Schwarzenegger on their side.
HAMMER: He is just signed a tough new law that may make some star stalkers think twice before aggressively going after them with their cameras. But does the law go too far?
SHOWBIZ TONIGHT`s Sibila Vargas is live tonight in Hollywood tonight with the very latest -- Sibila.
SIBILA VARGAS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, A.J.
Altercations between celebrities and paparazzi are nothing new. But high profile incidents involving Lindsay Lohan, Scarlett Johansson and Reese Witherspoon have elevated the privacy and safety debate to a new level. And lucky for the stars, their cries did not fall on deaf ears.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
VARGAS (voice-over): It took the terminator -- Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger -- to quite literally lay down the law against the paparazzi. On Friday, the governor signed into law a bill that triples damages celebrities can win from photographers if they are assaulted during a shoot.
And here`s the kicker -- paparazzi will not be able to collect any money from pictures taken during an assault.
SHOWBIZ TONIGHT went straight to California assemblywoman Cindy Montanez. She authored the bill.
CINDY MONTANEZ, CALIFORNIA ASSEMBLYWOMAN: The bill that the governor signed hits the paparazzi exactly where it hurts, and that`s the wallet. That they no longer will be able to reap profits of thousands of dollars while committing an assault against any person. That was always the motivation of the bill, was to end that type of outrageous behavior.
VARGAS: The battle between the paparazzi and privacy flared up in June after a photographer rammed his minivan into teen queen Lindsay Lohan`s car while trying to snap photos of her. That photographer faces charges of assault with a deadly weapon.
SHOWBIZ TONIGHT spoke with Lohan soon after the altercation.
LINDSAY LOHAN, ACTRESS: It`s a wake-up call. And I think it`s -- I feel, I kind of feel -- it sounds bad and I hope it doesn`t happen again, but I feel good that it happened to me when I wasn`t with my family.
VARGAS: Reese Witherspoon worries about her family. Her young children are constantly snapped by the paparazzi, and her car was also allegedly hit by a photographer this spring. She told SHOWBIZ TONIGHT things need to change.
REESE WITHERSPOON, ACTRESS: I think there`s criminal behavior going on and we have -- and I think it`s important to make sure that that is -- that people know that that`s not acceptable, and there`s culpability for bad behavior.
VARGAS: And listen to this 911 call SHOWBIZ TONIGHT obtained. On it, actress Scarlett Johansson describes a car accident she had after being followed by photographers.
SCARLETT JOHANSSON, ACTRESS: We have a bunch of paparazzi cars also following us.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Why?
JOHANSSON: I`m Scarlett Johansson, an actor. They`ve been following me all the way here. But we`ve gotten into an accident, not with the paparazzi, but with a woman behind us.
VARGAS: But there are some who are opposed to this law. The trade association for most of the established newspapers in California opposed the law. They say it gives celebrities rights others don`t have, telling SHOWBIZ TONIGHT the bill "extends a new privacy right for celebrities as they walk or drive on public streets, where no one should maintain a reasonable expectation of privacy" and that "the new law singles out the press for extreme penalties to which the rest of the public would be exempt."
Lawyer Harland Braun agrees. He told SHOWBIZ TONIGHT he doesn`t think a separate law protecting celebrities is necessary.
HARLAND BRAUN, LAWYER: Celebrities make millions of dollars, becoming famous and being of interest to the public. And for them to go out into the public, they should expect that people are interested in them. And paparazzi are just people trying to earn a living by taking people -- pictures of people in the public.
VARGAS: No sympathy for you there, Lindsay, Reese, and Scarlett, but Arnold`s on your side. That`s because in his old job as an actor he testified in court against two photographers and fought for additional celebrity privacy laws.
Assemblywoman Cindy Montanez told SHOWBIZ TONIGHT there`s no coincidence Arnold was the one to sign this bill.
MONTANEZ: We were very fortunate to have a governor who unfortunately had to go though similar situations with the paparazzi, and I think that definitely helped, that he understood exactly what we were trying to target. That this was a governor who was familiar and continues to be very familiar with outrageous behavior of paparazzi.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VARGAS: Assemblywoman Cindy Montanez told us it`s not just the movie star this bill aims to protect, but also the movie goer. She says she believes the bill will keep the streets safer in general by aiming to curb aggressive behavior, especially here in Hollywood.
Brooke, back to you.
ANDERSON: Thank you, Sibila. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT`s Sibila Vargas, live in Hollywood.
Actor Donald Sutherland, who co-stars with Geena Davis in the new TV series "Commander in Chief," is lashing out at the real commander in chief. In an emotional interview with the BBC, Sutherland said some emotional words. Quote, "Bush will destroy our lives." He called the Bush administration inept and inadequate in its handling of Hurricane Katrina, as well as Iraq.
He said of the administration, quote, "They were insulting, and they were vindictive, and they were heartless. They did not care. They do not care. They do not care about Iraqi people. They do not care about the families of dead soldiers. They only care about profit."
HAMMER: Well, once again, the fur is flying tonight between People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals and a big-name celebrity. This time, the celebrity is supermodel Elle MacPherson, who recently hooked up with the furrier "Blackglama."
Photos on the Blackglama web site, what you`re seeing right here, feature MacPherson. And so will a new ad campaign.
Tonight, PETA is furious about the ad. In the past, the animal rights group has targeted celebrities such as Jennifer Lopez for wearing and/or promoting fur. The question is, is Elle MacPherson next on the PETA hit list?
Joining us live from Los Angeles is a SHOWBIZ TONIGHT newsmaker interview with Lisa Lange. Lisa is PETA`s vice president for communications.
And thanks for joining us. So you guys have sent a letter to Elle. You`ve reached out to her. What exactly is it that you want Elle MacPherson to do now?
LISA LANGE, PETE SPOKESWOMAN: Well, we`re asking her to denounce fur. As soon as we heard that she decided to star in some fur ads, we wrote to her saying, "As long as you make yourself a face of a very violent and bloody industry like the fur industry, you`re advocating that animals be beaten to death and skinned alive for fashion."
And most people in the world are opposed to it. We`ve heard from people all over the world upset that she`s decided to take this ad campaign. And we understand that since she received our letter, she`s now working with her lawyers to try to back out of the ad campaign. So we`ll see what happens next.
HAMMER: So, specifically, you want her, obviously to try to get those ads -- to keep them from running. Anything else you`re looking for from her?
LANGE: We would love to have a statement from her saying that she now knows, based on the footage that we sent her, which people can see at PETA.org, that on average the animals who are killed for fur, raccoons, minks, coyotes, are beaten; they`re skinned alive while they`re fully -- fully conscious and able to feel pain. We`ve got undercover footage at PETA.org...
HAMMER: Right.
LANGE: ... that shows terribly gruesome things like animals who are completely without their skin with the exception of their eyelashes and clumps of fur.
HAMMER: I appreciate all that, and I just want to keep from going into too much of those details. We`re aware that they`re on your web site. We want to keep to what you`re doing in relation to Elle and other celebrities.
And you mentioned a letter you sent to Elle`s people. And I`d like to read a couple of lines from it. You say, quote, "By making yourself the new face of fur for Blackglama, you`re also making yourself a top target for PETA and animal activists around the world."
You also go on to say, "If you`d like to know what this means, please visit Google and enter `Jennifer Lopez` and PETA."
Not thinly veiled words there. Is this basically a threat to Elle MacPherson?
LANGE: Well, it`s really the reality. The fur -- fur opponents all over the world are looking to see -- there are very few people who will stand up and say that fur is OK these days. And so what we`re saying to her is we`re letting her know, practically speaking, if you make yourself the spokesperson of this industry, people will be in touch with you.
Jennifer Lopez, we wrote to her over the course of two to three years. We even sent her a fake fur coat. We begged her to look at the footage. We urged her to open her eyes to the fact that every time she wore a fur coat or she put it in her designs, that animals suffered terribly and died as a result.
HAMMER: So...
LANGE: and when she decided not to get back in touch with us, then we had to kind of ratchet up the campaign.
HAMMER: OK. And speaking to that, you know, Elle obviously has a contractual obligation with the Blackglama people, may not be able to get these ads off the air or out of magazines. So what is PETA prepared to do to Elle if the ad campaign continues with her?
LANGE: Well, we know that she shot the ads, and we know that probably some magazines have already booked them, so we`re going to see them and they`re on the web site, as you pointed out.
What we`d like to see from her now is some type of a letter saying that she will never model fur again, she will never wear it in her life and maybe potentially even, you know, do a quick switch like Martha Stewart just did. She`s on her web site narrating an anti-fur video. She once wore fur.
Giselle Bunchen is another model who also did the same ads who has also now looked at the footage that we sent her and has said that she`ll never do it again either and is an animal lover and don`t want to be a spokesperson for that industry. We would love Elle to do the same thing.
HAMMER: OK. Lisa Lange from PETA. Thank you very much.
And we reached out to both "Blackglama" and Elle MacPherson`s people. They declined comment on this particular issue.
But now we`d like to hear from you often the topic. It is our SHOWBIZ TONIGHT question of the day. Anti-fur activism: is PETA making a difference? If you`d like to vote, the address, CNN.com/ShowbizTonight. Our e-mail address, if you have more to say, ShowbizTonight@CNN.com. We`ll share some of your e-mails later on in the program.
ANDERSON: Well, we have late word tonight that the actor and comedian Nipsey Russell has died. Russell was a showbiz veteran. You may remember his role as the tin man in "The Wiz." That was the musical remake of "The Wizard of Oz." Russell was a star both on stage and on screen, a regular on shows like "The Dean Martin Show," "The Tonight Show," and "Laugh-In." Reports say Russell died over the weekend in New York. He was in his early 80s.
HAMMER: And a funny man.
Well, is everybody bored with Martha Stewart`s boardroom already? Why is Martha`s "Apprentice" not living up to the hype? SHOWBIZ TONIGHT investigates, coming up.
ANDERSON: Plus, Halloween is coming up, but why is Conan dressed up already, as Howdy Doody? We`ll tell you. Next.
HAMMER: And we get the 411 on the WWE from Vince McMahon himself. We take wrestling`s kingpin to the mat, coming up on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
ANDERSON: Now for tonight`s "Entertainment Weekly Great American Pop Culture Quiz." How long did viewers wait for Lucille Ball to return in a half hour sitcom between "I Love Lucy" and "The Lucy Show"? Was it two years, one year, 10 years or five years? We`ll be right back with the answer.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANDERSON: So again in tonight`s "Entertainment Weekly Great American Pop Culture Quiz." How long did viewers wait for Lucille Ball to return in a half hour TV sitcom between "I Love Lucy" and "The Lucy Show"? Two years, one year, 10 years or five years? Well, it was quite a wait. The answer is "D," five years.
HAMMER: Welcome back to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. I`m A.J. Hammer.
Well, for 50 years, "TV Guide" has brought the world of television to millions of viewers. But now after a half-century, America`s TV bible is about to change its format.
In an homage to classic "TV Guide" covers of the last 50 years, it is publishing nine different covers recreating those scenes, with actors from today`s popular television shows.
Joining me live tonight with a look at a few of those covers, Matt Roush, who`s the senior television critic for "TV Guide" magazine.
Great concept. Let`s get right into it.
MATT ROUSH, "TV GUIDE": Sure.
HAMMER: Going to throw up a couple of the pictures. Let`s take a look at the "I Love Lucy" cover with Reba juxtaposed here. Classic episode with Lucy where she was stomping grapes for wine. Reba learned that it`s not as easy as it looks here.
ROUSH: Yes. Inside the issue, we have Reba McIntyre talking to Desi Arnaz Jr., who actually as a baby was on the very first cover ever of "TV Guide."
And she had a conversation with Desi, you know, told her that was a very physical thing and the woman was a real Italian and stomping the grapes was a real mess.
But, you know, Reba really took a lot of time to get this right. Everybody got into real character. All the people who recreated the covers for us, it was almost like Halloween for them. They were playing classic characters. They got into the costumes got into the whole mood of the thing. For Reba just pretending to stomp those grapes, I think she had a great time.
HAMMER: How much fun to step into that classic role.
ROUSH: And to be Lucy, for crying out loud.
HAMMER: Absolutely. OK. The next cover we want to show, "Odd Couple" with "Two and a Half Men." I understand you didn`t quite have all the props that you needed for this particular cover?
ROUSH: To recreate some of these, because they`re from such a different era, we had to go to different detail. For all the detail, we had to paint the tie that you see John Crier wearing there. You can`t find wowsy 70`s ties like that anymore. So we had to actually hand paint that tie to get it right.
But look at the expression of their face. I think they really nailed this one. Those guys were acting on the set. They were really having a great time, trying to evoke the spirit of Tony Randall and Jack Klugman.
HAMMER: Great recreation, indeed. Next cover we want to take a look at, the "M*A*S*H"/"Scrubs" cover. Obviously juxtaposition here.
ROUSH: Sure.
HAMMER: Zach Braff, of course, from "Scrubs," playing Alda`s character, Hawkeye. It really must have resonated with him that he was embodying this character from the classic show.
ROUSH: Oh, yes. I think so. And I think to have them in their bathrobes. I mean, that`s a classic, Trapper John and Hawkeye and all that. I mean, it`s just a wonderful shot. And for "Scrubs" sort of is today`s M*A*S*H in a way, sort of mixing the tragedy and the comedy in a hospital. Although it`s not an Army hospital but I think that it has that same irreverent tone. So for them to be able to put on the mantle of M*A*S*H, I thought -- I think there was a real homage being paid here by today`s stars who were just basically playing along with us to pay homage to all of TV history.
HAMMER: Well, who else would play along to Fred Flintstone other than Homer Simpson? Great casting here. The original "Flintstones" cover was very sought after by collectors. And one of the reasons was because the "TV Guide" logo is not that red and white logo that we`re accustomed to seeing.
ROUSH: No, it`s made out of stone. He`s carving it out of stone. So for Homer Simpson to be Fred Flintstone, I mean, that`s just perfect.
HAMMER: Look at that. And he got to wear, you know, of course, Fred`s great caveman outfit.
ROUSH: Absolutely.
HAMMER: Of course another great case of casting here, the "Howdy Doody"/ Conan O`Brien cover.
ROUSH: Yes.
HAMMER: I have to say, looking at it, who looks more like Howdy Doody? Is it Buffalo Bob Smith or Conan O`Brien? Let`s look. I think Conan wins the prize.
ROUSH: Yes, when I first heard that Conan was doing it, I thought what`s he doing, Howdy Doody? But now, he`s doing Buffalo Bob. But the juxtaposition of these two together, and again, the detail we went to here.
We had to undress this classic Howdy Doody puppet. This is one of the original Howdy Doodys. And had to basically undress him and put the costume on so it would look like our cover. And we had a wrangler, basically, the puppet wrangler doing that for us. And Conan, he worked and worked to get that expression right, because there`s a very manic expression on his face, but ten again, Conan is playing along. It`s really fun.
HAMMER: And he`s a perfectionist. So you know.
ROUSH: He really is, yes.
HAMMER: Let`s also look at "Good Times" with "The Bernie Mac Show" doing this particular cover. Here`s the original.
ROUSH: Yes. Our covers really run the gamut here. So I mean, we`re all the different eras, all the different styles. And here you have the big hair of the 70s and you`ve got "The Bernie Mac Show" and you`ve got the kid, Jeremy Suarez, doing, basically, his impression of J.J. He`s dynamite, I guess you could say.
HAMMER: That`s fantastic. Well, we great job, and we look forward to the new format.
ROUSH: Yes.
HAMMER: First issue on stands?
ROUSH: The last small size digest is on stands this week. The big format comes out the week later.
HAMMER: Terrific. Thank you very much. Matt Roush, senior television critic for "TV Guide."
If you are a collector, all nine covers available TVGuide.com, as well. And as Matt mentioned, the revamped issue of "TV Guide" unveiled October 17.
ANDERSON: Well, like "TV Guide," what`s old is new again for the World Wrestling Entertainment franchise. Tonight the WWE is moving from Spike TV to the USA network where, its former home for 17 years. Why? Well, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT went straight to WWE president Vince McMahon and his CEO wife, Linda, and asked why a top five cable show would jump ship?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
VINCE MCMAHON, PRESIDENT, WWE: We had a better deal at USA. And, quite frankly, I mean, it`s unfortunate that Spike dropped the ball. They have one show, you know, on Spike television that gets a television rating for males. And this was it. And it`s their loss but it`s certainly USA`s gain. We`re coming back home to USA.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: On a recent broadcast, as McMahon thanked Spike TV for the memories, he was censored when he spoke of the USA network. We asked him how he reacted when he found out.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MCMAHON: It was unusual, because the network, you know, did not tell us that they were going to censor. They did not even suggest -- you know, the old network notes that even suggest what to say or what not to say. There was no dialogue at all.
So once they started censoring me, you know, every time I mentioned USA. And even when we shot signs in the audience and the audience, you know, would have these signs of, you know, "Welcome back to USA" or whatever, they put up a...
ANDERSON: Signs that the fans made.
MCMAHON: Signs that the fans made. They put up these network difficulties, you know? Yes, I mean, it was like, come on. It was like -- and I`m a big mouth. Everybody knows I am. You know, and it`s like -- and I hate censorship.
So once I found out they were really censoring us, then it`s like-- then we decided, you know, it`s unfortunate you start to play this game but we know how to play it a little bit better. So we just played it better.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Playing it better. The McMahons tell us that tonight`s show marks the return of old favorites like Hulk Hogan, Stone Cold Steve Austin, Rowdy Roddy Piper, Triple H and current WWE champion John Cena. WWE`s homecoming debuts tonight on the USA network.
HAMMER: Wow, to see all those old guys back in action. Well, there`s even more trouble for supermodel Kate Moss and her rock star boyfriend. We`ll deal with that just ahead in the "Legal Lowdown."
ANDERSON: Plus, she`s the Faith in the hit show "Hope & Faith," and she`s here live tonight. Faith Ford in the interview you`ll see only on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. That`s still to come.
ANDERSON: And Bonnie Raitt is back with a new album, "Souls Alike." We`re going to give it a spin, next in "People" magazine`s "Picks and Pans" for new music.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANDERSON: Time now for the "SHOWBIZ Guide," where throughout the week we help you decide where to spend your dollars on movies, music, DVDs and more. Tonight, "People`s Picks and Pans," new music.
Joining us live is "People" magazine senior editor, Julie Dam.
Julie, thanks so much for being here.
JULIE DAM, SENIOR EDITOR, "PEOPLE" MAGAZINE: Thanks for having me.
ANDERSON: All right. I want to kick it off with Ms. Gretchen Wilson. It`s her sophomore album, "All Jacked Up." A lot of artists have trouble with the second disc.
DAM: Yes.
ANDERSON: The sophomore slump they call it. How is this one?
DAM: Well, I mean, the first one was so huge. She was the redneck woman. She just, like, splashed on the scene. And this one, it`s almost like she`s trying a little too hard to keep that.
And, you know, the first song of course is called "All Jacked Up," and the "jacked" is referring to Jack Daniels. And she has another song called "One Budweiser" about beer. So it`s a little bit more...
ANDERSON: A lot of alcohol references here.
DAM: ... party girl.
ANDERSON: Well, we do have the music video for "All Jacked Up." So why don`t we take a listen to it?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
(MUSIC)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: She`s also got a duet with Merle Haggard on the disc, right?
DAM: Which is actually better. It`s a really good song. And she also has a song that`s a little bit more personal about her upbringing and growing up in a bar, basically. Again, beer. But it`s a lot more personal and that`s what works for her.
ANDERSON: OK. All right. Sounds good.
Moving on, Ryan Adams, "Jacksonville City Nights." Julie, this guy is putting out album after album after album. Is it good or too much too fast?
DAM: It`s like too much quantity, not enough quality, unfortunately. He did the double disc in May. He`s got another one coming out in November after this one. And it almost -- it feels like it`s unfinished, some of the songs on this album. But there is a good duet with Norah Jones.
ANDERSON: Nora is fantastic. OK. Ryan Adams, also country but not quite the extinct of Gretchen Wilson.
Moving now to Bonnie Raitt. Talk about staying power. Her first one album came out in 1971. This is her 15th studio album, "Souls Alike." What do you think?
DAM: It`s her 15th album, but it`s her first that she actually produced. And it`s a really personal album because in the past year she`s dealt with her father`s death and her brother`s illness. So there`s a lot of sort of sadness in the album but also a lot of hope.
ANDERSON: Heartfelt.
DAM: Yes.
ANDERSON: All right. Well, Julie Dam, thank you so much for your insight. I really appreciate it.
And for more "Picks and Pans," pick up a copy of "People" magazine, on newsstands now.
HAMMER: It is time now for the best in daytime talk in "Talk of the Day." Well, it`s been a little bit of time passing since we`ve seen Matt Lauer`s challenging interview with an unrelenting Tom Cruise. But not to worry, Broadway`s "Laugh Whore" star, Mario Cantone, performed a dramatic re-enactment for Al Roker on "The Today Show."
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MARIO CANTONE, ACTOR: Where are you? I feel like Norma Desmond. Who are you? Where`s Matt Lauer? Why isn`t he interviewing me? Is Matt Lauer too big for me? I remember that, Matt Lauer from channel 9. Without me there would be no channel 9.
Poor Matt Lauer. He has to -- He actually had to sit there with Tom Cruise going, "You`re so glib, Matt. You`re so glib. You don`t know about pharmaceuticals. You`re so glib."
AL ROKER, CO-HOST, NBC`s "THE TODAY SHOW": I don`t know if we`ll be back with more of "Today" after this. Maybe not. Who knows?
CANTONE: Oh, yes, because you`re so glib.
ROKER: You`re glib!
CANTONE: You`re glib!
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: Kind of turned into the Al Roker reenactment, as well.
Audiences not exactly fired up about Martha Stewart`s "Apprentice." Is it just too much Martha? We`re going to take a look at that, coming up on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
ANDERSON: Plus, Harriet who? We`ll take a look at where President Bush`s new choice for the Supreme Court might stand on issues that affect what you watch on TV. That`s ahead in the "Legal Lowdown."
HAMMER: And "Hope & Faith" star Faith Ford brings hope to Hurricane Katrina victims. We`re going to find out exactly what she did and her personal connection to Louisiana. She`s going to join us live in just a bit in the interview you will see only here on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HAMMER: Welcome back to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. It`s 31 minutes past the hour. I`m A.J. Hammer.
ANDERSON: And I`m Brooke Anderson. You are watching TV`s only live entertainment news show.
HAMMER: Still to come inside the next 30 minutes, we`re going to deal with the legal lowdown. A couple of things to talk about tonight. A new paparazzi law in effect in California that could cost photographers big bucks while they`re in pursuit of their pictures. That and, believe it or not, more trouble for Kate Moss. That`s coming up in a moment.
ANDERSON: And also, Martha Stewart`s comeback highly anticipated, but is her new makeover really appealing to viewers? Well, "The Apprentice`s" less than stellar ratings in that timeslot -- she`s moving timeslots now. So coming up, we`ll talk about why Martha`s makeover, why the comeback, might not be working.
HAMMER: That and more still on the way, but first let`s get to tonight`s hot headline. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT`s Sabila Vargas joining us live once again from Hollywood -- Sabila.
VARGAS: Hey, A.J., thanks.
It`s what you might call a super day for Nicolas Cage. The actor and his wife, Alice, are parents of a new baby boy born today in New York and they`ve named him Kal-El, which by the way was the name Superman was given when he was born on Krypton. Mother and baby are doing just fine.
And a hot topic in Hollywood tonight, Paris Hilton has called it quits with her fiance, Paris Latsis. Hilton`s people tell us the two continue to be best of friends, but she`s just not ready for marriage and doesn`t want to rush into it. She is 24 years old; Latsis is 22. We`re told they`re still business partners and plan to make movies together.
And another Hollywood split is official tonight. Brad Pitt and Jennifer Aniston. Their divorce just became final and now they`re unloading the mansion they shared during happier times. They`re asking for $28 million for the Beverly Hills home, which comes with a pub, art studio and screening room. That price would net them a $14 million profit.
And those are tonight`s hot headlines. A.J., back to you in New York.
HAMMER: Thanks a lot, Sabila. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT`s Sabila Vargas, live in Hollywood.
ANDERSON: Well, it turns out Martha Stewart`s big comeback wasn`t so big after all. She has introduced two new shows this past month, and her primetime show, "Martha Stewart: The Apprentice," isn`t doing too hot in the ratings department. It`s based on Donald Trump`s hit show. So why isn`t it working?
SHOWBIZ TONIGHT`s David Haffenreffer, live in our newsroom with the latest.
Hi -- David.
DAVID HAFFENREFFER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: . makeover might need a makeover of its own. After just two episodes of her much-hyped reality show, NBC is moving her timeslot and her chances of making it big in primetime.
It looks like following in the Donald`s footsteps is harder than it seems.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, MOGUL: Two amazing apprentices. It just doesn`t get any better than that.
HAFFENREFFER (voice-over): After the Donald`s "Apprentice" success, Martha thought for sure she could make it happen for her.
MARTHA STEWART, MOGUL: Donald, it can always get better.
HAFFENREFFER: Yeah, but the problem is, it hasn`t.
It hasn`t been sweet dreams. Martha Stewart`s ratings for "The Apprentice" have been meek at best. Many TV critics say "The Apprentice" went from "You`re fire," with the Donald, to "You`re tired" with Martha.
MARC PEYSER, "NEWSWEEK": She`s like a souffle that has deflated. There was so much hot air put into that, so much PR, hype, wow, Martha`s out of jail. Turns out nobody cared if Martha was here or not here.
HAFFENREFFER: Only six million viewers tuned in to Martha`s "Apprentice" last week, death for a network primetime show. Some critics say the meek ratings are because of a meek Martha.
DIANE BRADY, "BUSINESSWEEK": She just comes across as too nice. That`s one of the big issues in the show, is she`s so busy hugging her staff and being polite and talking about teamwork that it takes away from the competition aspect. I just don`t think it`s got the same bite that Trump had.
HAFFENREFFER: It is a little weird to see Martha so friendly. NBC has already moved the show to a different timeslot, an hour later at 9:00 on Wednesdays, up against the hit show "Lost."
PEYSER: It`s a major demotion for the show. It`s the equivalent of throwing a network show down the garbage disposal, frankly. They`re putting her show up against the number one recent show, certainly the number one drama, "Lost," these days, between it and "CSI." Nothing survives against that show. I think they just -- NBC has just decided the show is not going to do anything, we might as well put it someplace where no one is going to notice anyway.
HAFFENREFFER: Daytime Martha has been doing well. Her syndicated show still brings in the viewers and her current live daytime show, "Martha," is getting pretty good ratings.
CONAN O`BRIEN, TV TALK SHOW HOST: I think you have a much classier TV show than I ever have.
HAFFENREFFER: But a personality that works well in daytime doesn`t necessarily work well in primetime.
BRADY: She really isn`t suited to a primetime show. People don`t like to toss salads and make Christmas ornaments at night. They want entertainment, they want backbiting.
HAFFENREFFER: NBC`s decision to put her apprentice show up against "Lost" doesn`t bode well for the domestic diva, but as we have seen in the past, Martha knows how to reinvent herself.
PEYSER: Clearly, this is a bad thing for Martha, but you will not -- this is not the end of her. She`s been in television for too long and she`s got smart people working with her. She`ll come back, some way.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAFFENREFFER: And she definitely will be back. She just announced another show, this one taken from her experiences in the slammer. The series will take six women coming off welfare programs or drug rehab and teach them to renovate a 125-year-old house. The women will be given mentors and taught life skills. That show will air some time next week.
ANDERSON: Wow, four shows, David. Goodness.
Thank you so much, David Haffenreffer, for SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
And we`ve been asking you to vote on our SHOWBIZ TONIGHT question of the day. Anti-fur activism: Is PETA making a difference? Keep voting at cnn.com/showbiztonight. Write us at showbiztonight@cnn.com. Your emails coming up at 55 past the hour.
HAMMER: Well, Kanye West and Mike Meyers had a bit of a reuniting over the weekend. It was the first time they were together since their appearance together on NBC`s hurricane telethon.
Now, you might just remember, it came up in the news once or twice. West stirred up a bit of controversy during that telethon when he said George Bush doesn`t care about black people. Mike Meyers stuck to the script that night, while on the season premier of "Saturday Night Live" they were together again. Take a look now in Laughter Dark.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MIKE MEYERS, ACTOR: I haven`t seen you since, when was it?
KANYE WEST, RAPPER: The telethon.
MEYERS: Oh, right. I forgot. The telethon. Yeah. I got a lot of calls about it.
WEST: Yeah.
MEYERS: Mostly from the FBI and the IRS. They took away my American citizenship. I`ve still got my Canadian one to fall back on, you know, I`m a canuck. I`m pretty sure my phone is tapped. They follow me now.
WEST: So everything is going good then.
MEYERS: Yeah, great.
WEST: Well, party on, Wayne.
MEYERS: Party on, party on.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: Mike looked a little more comfortable there than he did on that telethon.
ANDERSON: Just a tad.
HAMMER: Hosting "SNL" this week, "Just Like Heaven" star, "Napoleon Dynamite" himself, John Hedder.
ANDERSON: Got to love that guy.
Coming up, Faith Ford in an interview you`ll see only on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. Stay tuned for what the "Hope and Faith" star told us about her very personal experience in Louisiana after the hurricane.
HAMMER: And in the legal lowdown tonight, first it was Kate Moss, now her boyfriend is feeling the heat. We`ll tell you about his arrest, just ahead.
ANDERSON: But first, a look at the box office numbers, and it was another weekend at high altitude for Jodi Foster`s "Flight Plan." In final numbers just out this afternoon, the airplane thriller held the number one spot, taking in $14.8 million in its second weekend.
The science fiction newcomer "Serenity" debuted in second place with $10.1 million. Tim Burton`s "Corpse Bride" slipped a spot to third place with $10 million. "A History of Violence" with Viggo Mortensen came in at fourth with $8.1 million and wrapping it up at fifth place, Jessica Alba`s ocean adventure "Into the Blue," bringing in $7.1 million.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANDERSON: Welcome back to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. I`m Brooke Anderson.
Tonight in an interview you`ll see only on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, Faith Ford joins us in a showbiz sit down. Each week, fans of the hit show "Hope and Faith" tune in to see sisters Faith, played by Kelly Rippa, and Hope, played by Faith Ford, deal with life`s dramas. And in a real life drama, Faith Ford shares with us her first trip back home to Louisiana where Hurricane Katrina left its mark.
Faith joins us live tonight. Thanks so much for being here, Faith.
FAITH FORD, ACTOR: Thank you. It`s good to be here.
ANDERSON: Of course, you told me you`re from three hours north of New Orleans, Pineville, Louisiana. You were actually there the day before Hurricane Katrina hit. You were building a home there, right?
FORD: Yeah, we`ve been -- we had started a home, my parents and myself. It`s really their place. And we just had our flight scheduled to get out and they said, oh, a hurricane is coming. Well, luckily, we got a flight out or whatever. We weren`t thinking it was going to be a big deal. Maybe a storm, something like that. We had no idea it was going to be what it was.
ANDERSON: And your parents still live there. Have they returned to their homes? Is everything still in tact?
FORD: They`re still there. They never had to leave. They never had to evacuate. Central Louisiana was sort of -- we lost our electricity in Rita and stuff, but it wasn`t anything like what they endured down there at all.
So in fact they have a lot of shelters. All northern and central Louisiana, you don`t know this, churches, schools, everything, they`ve all got people, it`s filled to the max.
ANDERSON: Wal-Mart.
FORD: Yeah, a Wal-Mart.
ANDERSON: And you in fact went back to Pineville to one of the -- to a store that had been transformed into a shelter. What was that experience like?
FORD: It was incredible. I mean, I couldn`t wait to get back, actually. I had to work for three weeks and then I got back. I just wanted to see the people, I wanted to touch them and listen to their stories. And, you know, you can hear it on TV and see it, but there is nothing like seeing these people. I mean, they`re you and me. They`re you and me, it just happened that they were in the wrong place at the wrong time.
And everyone has a different story as to why they were there, how they got out. And it`s just incredible.
ANDERSON: Those people that you have personally spoke to, are they comfortable? Is aid getting to them? What was your feeling?
FORD: Well, the Red Cross is incredible. I think the Red Cross, they`re from all over the country, women and men and everything donating their time. So I was totally impressed by that. This was a really nicely run shelter.
But you have to remember, I mean, they`re in with 400 people. It`s like 400 roommates, and they don`t know them. And they`re starting to have this little community. And they have like a square of carpet is their home, you know, with pieces of furniture on it.
And they really are incredible people. They`re strong, they`re resilient, and I know they`re going to come back. I feel really strong about it. And they`re very grateful to be alive and to have a second chance. And they have great stories and great attitudes.
ANDERSON: Absolutely. Well, some happy events have taken place in the shelters. A couple of weddings, right?
FAITH: Yeah, they had a double wedding there. I got to meet one of the couples, and it was sort of wonderful. Everybody donated in town, donated dresses, tuxedos, jewelry and everything. And then they got to have a honeymoon. They went out of the shelter to a hotel, they donated a room. So it was really just a wonderful thing for them.
ANDERSON: Are you planning to go back? What do you hope to do?
FORD: I hope to go back and visit every time, either that shelter or maybe other shelters. I really want to stay connected. I hope to be involved with maybe Habitat for Humanity, maybe help build a house or two for somebody, or try my best.
You know, I couldn`t feel right about building my own house without helping someone else.
ANDERSON: Right.
FORD: So I`m going to try to stay involved as much as I can.
ANDERSON: That`s very commendable of you, but do you think that celebrities have some sort of obligation to help out and use their name to maybe encourage others?
FORD: They can either do that, or they can just give. Because a lot of people are really busy and they don`t have time. There are not a lot of places for people to stay there. I mean, my parents live there, so I have a place to stay. But it`s really hard, unless you volunteer with the Red Cross or Habitat for Humanity, but you have to live where they live. Like these Red Cross volunteers live upstairs, above this Wal-Mart in the upstairs section. So they`re living with everybody else.
So you have to be willing to do that, and it is a lot of work, and you have to take your time. So if you give money, I mean, you`re really helping out. There are Websites that tell you things that they need.
ANDERSON: It`s a sacrifice, but one that is very commendable.
And, quickly, "Hope and Faith" has premiered. What can we expect this new season? Second season, in fact, congratulations.
FORD: Thank you. Actually, Ted McGinley is going to be a more integral part of the stories a lot this year. The kids are going to sort of be great. And Kelly and I are still going to have our antics on the show. "Hope and Faith" will always get in trouble together. But I think you`re going to see a little bit more of manly man and husband and wife stuff with Ted and myself on the show, and Kelly getting in the middle of that.
ANDERSON: Well, you and Kelly seem to have a great relationship. Do you guys hang out off set?
FORD: Yes, we do. Actually, she had a birthday dinner at her house for me and I do birthday things for her in return. It`s sort of -- we`re very close, actually, in a very short time we`ve become very close.
ANDERSON: Well, that`s terrific. Congratulations on the show and thanks for being here and sharing your experiences with Hurricane Katrina and the victims. I appreciate it.
FORD: Thank you.
ANDERSON: Faith Ford, and you can catch Faith in action on her hit TV show "Hope and Faith." It airs on Fridays, ABC.
HAMMER: Time now for the legal lowdown. We`re going to take a look at what`s going on in the world of entertainment legal news. On our docket tonight, which is fully loaded, OJ Simpson 10 years after millions of people tuned in to watch his verdict read on live television.
Plus, judging the nominee. Look at Harriet Miers, President Bush`s next pick for Supreme Court justice. How TV is playing a very important role as the country gets introduced to the brand new nominee.
Also, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger signs a bill that hits the paparazzi right where it hurts: the pocket. Now paparazzi who assault stars while in pursuit of photos can be sued for three-times more than before.
Joining us live to talk about all of this, from Glendale, California, Harvey Levin, managing editor of the soon-to-be launched entertainment news site TMZ.com.
All right, a lot of ground to cover here, Harvey, and an important 10 years anniversary that we`re marking today. Hard to believe it`s been that long. That was when the OJ Simpson trial verdict happened. You covered the case, you covered the trial way back when. What kind of things are you reflecting on today, 10 years later?
HARVEY LEVIN, TMZ.COM: You know, A.J., on a level I am so disgusted by it. This guy, he`s just one of the worst human beings that I have ever encountered, and I know that`s kind of judgmental, but I covered the case and there is no doubt in my mind -- I mean, when there is blood going from bodies to his bathroom, it`s pretty clear what happened.
But his arrogance over 10 years, not just that he hasn`t paid the families of these people a penny, but that he is so arrogant about it and angry at the father of the guy that he killed. It`s so disgusting. But then I sit back and think, well, you know what, I`m upset because he`s behaving badly, but he`s also a killer, so why should that surprise me.
HAMMER: Well, we have a clear bead on how you feel about all of this. You had a bead on what OJ was doing today.
LEVIN: Well, a couple of days ago, to celebrate his moment, he actually signed autographs at a horror festival, which was kind of fitting. And, of course, OJ Simpson charged for that, and he charged anywhere from $5 to around $100 for his efforts. So on top of everything else, he is making money and not paying the Goldmans money and living off of a $4 million pension. So basically, OJ Simpson is thumbing his nose at everything that is good.
HAMMER: Why would anybody want to pay for that?
LEVIN: You know, I`ve got to tell you, it shocks me and it kind of sickens me too, that if he goes to restaurants, people will come up to him and ask for his autograph, almost gleefully. You know, think about what this guy did before you go and do something like that.
HAMMER: Let`s move on now to news of the day. We`ve got another Supreme Court nominee, Harriet Miers, a lot of guessing, obviously, going on on what her judicial philosophies might be. How important will television be in introducing her to the public?
LEVIN: A.J., I think television is really important in this. Look, nobody has ever heard of this woman before, really, so the president is kind of rolling her out in front of America, and the tone that he sets on TV when all of the cables are going to cover this, all of the nightly newscasts are going to cover it, that initial tone is what is going to get played and replayed.
It`s all a blank slate right now, so the way the president presents her is a huge deal in terms of the tone, because the senators are taking the temperature of the country before they stick their necks out. So the tone he set today and using television is really key.
HAMMER: And, of course, television could be affected. Hot topic for a time now has been government`s involvement with indecency on television. Any sense of her stance on these issues?
LEVIN: Nobody has any sense of her stance on anything. I mean, this woman has never sat a day on the bench. She has been basically as private as you can be in a public office. She really doesn`t hold interviews -- conduct interviews -- doesn`t hold press conferences. We really don`t know anything. She`s never written a judicial opinion, so people are going to be picking bits and pieces out of who she is and what she has done, but really my feeling, the only person who really knows what is going on here is George Bush, because he`s know this woman intimately. She is his lawyer. And he probably knows a heck of a lot more than she will offer to any sort of judiciary committee.
HAMMER: Let`s move on then, from one set of lawmakers to another, there is a new paparazzi law in California. This, of course, come after celebrities like Lindsay Lohan, Reese Witherspoon, Scarlet Johannsen, have all had these scuffles with the paparazzi. Why is this particular new law so harsh?
LEVIN: Because the paparazzi are really getting aggressive, and I think that the public has kind of lost its taste for watching what happens when Scarlet Johannsen gets I a car accident because she is running from the cameras near Disneyland, or Lindsay Lohan gets broadsided.
I think at this point the public is ready for a law like this, and basically this law says that if the paparazzi assault a star for the purpose of making money off of a photograph or off of a video, where the star really feels fear, then at that point that star can sue the paparazzi for three-times whatever actual damages they incur. They can get punitive damages to make an example of the paparazzi and the paparazzi can`t make a cent off of any of the videos that they shoot if they have assaulted the star in doing it.
It remains to be seen whether something like this is constitutional, but it really is an interesting salvo.
HAMMER: All right, Harvey. Well, we have about 30 seconds to talk about a woman who is used to having her picture taken, Kate Moss. Her rock star boyfriend, Pete Dougherty, now being investigated for drugs after all of the fallout of Moss and her cocaine photos. What happened with her boyfriend?
LEVIN: Well, we called the U.K. they won`t confirm or deny it, but there are reports that basically they raided him and that they were looking for some hardcore drugs. He says that this was all a mistake about prescriptions, but it seems like the cops are hot on the trail not just of her, but on him too.
HAMMER: Hopefully they`ll be able to figure it all out.
Harvey Levin, thanks for joining us tonight on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
ANDERSON: There is still time for you to sound off in our SHOWBIZ TONIGHT question of the day. Anti-fur activism: Is PETA making a difference? Vote at cnn.com/showbiztonight or write us at showbiztonight@cnn.com. We`ll read some of your email live, coming up next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HAMMER: Welcome back to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
Throughout the show we`ve been asking you to vote online on our SHOWBIZ TONIGHT question of the day. Anti-fur activism: Is PETA making a difference. Here is how the vote has been tonight: 66 percent of you say yes, they make a difference; 34 percent of you say no, they do not.
Among the emails we received, one from Gray, in Tennessee, who writes: "Why spend massive amounts of money on animal rights propaganda when thousands are dying from starvation."
Also heard from Heidi, in Tennessee, who points out that "PETA does get animal cruelty issues into the light and generate public discussion that can lead to change."
Pierre, in North Carolina, had a different view. "What gives PETA the authority to dictate to people what they should and should not wear?"
If you want to sound off on the issue, there is still time. You can continue to vote by going to cnn.com/showbiztonight.
PETA certainly does a good job of at least getting their message out.
ANDERSON: Absolutely. Everyone is passionate, no matter how they feel, one way or the other.
HAMMER: They`re very effective.
That is it for SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. I`m A.J. Hammer.
ANDERSON: And I`m Brooke Anderson. Stay tuned for the latest from CNN HEADLINE NEWS.
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