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Showbiz Tonight
Anna Nicole Smith Goes to the Supreme Court; Howard Stern Sued Over Satellite Deal; Debate Over Jon Stewart as Oscar Host Choice; Baby Phat Designer Writes Empowerment Book for Young Women
Aired February 28, 2006 - 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 in New York.
BROOKE ANDERSON, CO-HOST: I`m Brooke Anderson in Hollywood. TV`s only live entertainment news show starts right now.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
HAMMER (voice-over): On SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, hijinx and the high court. Tonight, would you believe, Anna Nicole Smith at the Supreme Court? SHOWBIZ TONIGHT with the courtroom spectacle and the spectacle that is Anna Nicole.
Tyra takes it off. Tyra Banks goes undercover as a stripper. Tonight, Tyra reveals all about baring all in the interview you`ll see only on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
Howard Stern goes off.
HOWARD STERN, RADIO TALK SHOW HOST: I`m not going to allow it. I`m not going to be intimidated, and I`m not going to be bullied.
HAMMER: Tonight Howard`s stern words, why he says he`s hurt, why he`s ripping into the head of CBS.
Dancing with the winners of "Dancing with the Stars." Tonight, Drew Lachey and Cheryl Burke are right here, live, on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
HEIDI KLUM, MODEL: Hi, I`m Heidi Klum, and if it happens today it`s on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HAMMER: Hello. I`m A.J. Hammer, live, in New York City.
ANDERSON: I`m Brooke Anderson, live, in Hollywood.
A.J., who could have ever imagined this? A story of sex, greed, deception and Anna Nicole Smith, all playing out where? In the U.S. Supreme Court.
HAMMER: This is unbelievable. It all happened today as Anna Nicole`s 11-year-old battle to claim half of her late husband`s estate worth hundreds of millions of dollars went right to the top court. What a show it was, and Anna Nicole always knows how to put on a show.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
HAMMER (voice-over): She is outlandish with her attitude. Brazen with her breasts. And looking to score around half a billion dollars from her deceased husband`s estate.
Today, she made yet another appearance in court. This time, though, it`s the Supreme Court, the highest court in the land. She fought through swarms of photographers, unlike anything anyone at the court has ever seen, to try to get the millions of dollars she insists she deserves.
Their love is quite a story. She was 26. He was 89. And Smith swears they were in love.
ANNA NICOLE SMITH, FORMER MODEL: I met my husband in a gentlemen`s bar. He had asked me to go to a lunch with him the following day, and I did.
HAMMER: Her husband, oil mogul Howard Marshall II, happened to be a billionaire. He died a year after they married, at the ripe old age of 90. And for the last few years, Smith has been tied up in a nasty legal battle to get a piece of his pie.
SMITH: That night he died on me.
HAMMER: And that pie is worth an estimated $1.6 billion.
NICKI GOSTIN, "NEWSWEEK": She claimed that she was owed half the money in the will and, of course, his son disagreed with that, and they`ve been fighting for years in courts.
And now it`s going back to the Supreme Court. And it`s sort of this very dry technical subject on what role federal courts play in state probate proceedings, which when you even say it, my eyes glaze over.
HAMMER: It is eye-glazing. But SHOWBIZ TONIGHT will tell you, those boring details are central to Smith getting the inheritance.
GOSTIN: She married him for a year. And she was his wife, and she deserves half. You know, I`m sure that that`s the argument. It`s like out of a bad movie. He`s 89, and she`s 26 and in the wedding photos where he`s in the wheelchair. Ooh.
HAMMER: But Anna Nicole is a rare creature, one who continues to act crazy and continues to stay in the limelight. One who opened herself and her life up for a reality TV show, where we got to see all the gruesome details of life according to Anna.
Since she first came into the limelight as a "Playboy" bunny centerfold of the year, all eyes have been on Smith.
GOSTIN: I think she`s seen as a joke. I mean, I don`t think anyone takes her seriously. If you certainly watched her reality TV show, she seemed like she wasn`t on this planet half the time. I mean, just the way she looks. She`s so blond and these huge chest and she -- with that Texas drawl and she just sounds crazy.
HAMMER: The "National Enquirer" didn`t think so, and SHOWBIZ TONIGHT was there when she launched her first column for the magazine.
SMITH: Another way of looking at it is what better way of getting an education?
HAMMER: And all of America watched the American Music Awards, when Anna Nicole sounded, shall we say, a little slurred?
SMITH: And if I ever record an album...
HAMMER: She`s got a thing for music awards, like at the Australian TV music awards when, instead of presenting an award, she presented her, well, you`ll see.
Where Anna Nicole Smith goes, the media follows, because you just never know what she`s going to do next. And then there`s her diet drug, Trim Spa.
GOSTIN: She lost an enormous amount of weight. She looks fantastic now compared to how she used to look. So yes, she`s certainly been able to keep the camera on her, and she hasn`t left the news since she first appeared on it.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HAMMER: The incredible thing about this whole Supreme Court case is the fact that the decision could potentially be used as a benchmark for other inheritance cases in the United States, but because her real name is Vicky Lynn Marshall, you`re not going to see the name Anna Nicole Smith in the law books, if you, like me, were hoping for the Anna Nicole law, probably not going to happen. The case could go down in this history books as Marshall vs. Marshall.
ANDERSON: No Anna Nicole law just yet.
OK, now we want to hear from you. It is our SHOWBIZ TONIGHT question of the day. Anna Nicole Smith: should she get her late husband`s fortune? Vote at CNN.com/ShowbizTonight. Send us e-mail, ShowbizTonight@CNN.com. We`re going to read some of your thoughts later on in the show.
OK. It is Fat Tuesday and that means Mardi Gras is wrapping up in New Orleans tonight. This, of course, the first Mardi Gras celebration since Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans six months ago.
Right now, you`re looking at live pictures from Bourbon Street, the epicenter of Mardi Gras. During the Katrina aftermath, CNN`s Anderson Cooper was right in the thick of it. And tonight he has returned to New Orleans. Later in tonight`s show, Anderson will join us live with his thoughts on how the city is faring these months later.
HAMMER: Well, the lawsuit has been filed, and Howard Stern is in the hot seat. That`s right. Radio personality Howard Stern has been served with papers by his old employers at CBS. This is the lawsuit right here, 43 pages of legal documents in my hands.
Of course, the host known for shock value on his radio show is not taking the news sitting down. Stern held a press conference today, slamming CBS and his chairman, Les Moonves.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
STERN: For the last couple of months, I`ve been bullied, threatened, by CBS, my former employer. And you know, the bullying and threatening, I`m pretty sick of it.
HAMMER (voice-over): And this morning he took things into his own hands as Stern`s being taken to court. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT was right there as the popular radio personality held an emotional and angry press conference.
The shock jock recently jumped ship with a ton of publicity to Sirius Satellite Radio. And tonight, Stern says the lawsuit isn`t business. It`s down right personal.
STERN: I believe it is a personal vendetta from Les Moonves.
HAMMER: Les Moonves is the chairman of CBS, which owns the home of Stern`s former radio network. And SHOWBIZ TONIGHT has heard reports Moonves was not too happy about Stern leaving for satellite radio.
STERN: CBS is saying they are suing me because they claim that I entered into a secret agreement with Sirius Satellite Broadcasting.
HAMMER: And it is this accusation that has Howard fuming, because the way Howard Stern sees it, his departure from terrestrial radio to satellite radio was certainly no secret.
STERN: Fourteen months before I was to leave Viacom, CBS, whatever they call themselves this day, I announced I was going to satellite radio. I spoke about it on the radio. Every newspaper outlet, every media outlet covered the fact that I was going to Sirius Satellite Radio. It was published in every newspaper. There was public disclosure of the entire deal, my salary, everything. But Les Moonves claims it was a secret.
HAMMER: And as the months progress, the news of Stern`s departure made even more news, with big interviews that Stern says Moonves arranged.
STERN: He put me on David Letterman.
DAVID LETTERMAN, HOST, CBS`S "LATE SHOW WITH DAVID LETTERMAN": Twenty years on the air.
STERN: Twenty years, and I`ve learned absolutely nothing.
HAMMER: Well, Stern did that.
STERN: He put me on "60 Minutes."
That is me being outrageous.
HAMMER: And Stern did that, too.
STERN: And Les Moonves says he didn`t know there was an agreement. It was a secret. How can that be?
HAMMER: And adding fuel to what looks like it could be a long, burning fire, Howard Stern says there can only be one reason Les Moonves didn`t know about the jump. And that one reason would be if he hasn`t been listening to his own airwaves.
STERN: It must be that, just like everyone else, Les Moonves isn`t listening to his own CBS radio station or his own CBS television station. Les Moonves is telling us it was a secret.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HAMMER: We`re just going to have to wait and see if a judge agrees with Stern that his move to Sirius Satellite Radio was not kept a secret from CBS.
Late tonight, Howard Stern`s attorneys released a statement regarding the lawsuit that CBS has filed. Stern`s attorneys say the claims have no merit whatsoever.
ANDERSON: Tonight, Jessica Simpson is speaking out about the paparazzi, the breakup of her marriage to Nick Lachey and possibly walking out on the music business.
In a revealing interview with "W" magazine, Simpson says she talks to Lachey every few days and that he`s, quote, "absolutely" one of her best friends.
But about their impending divorce, she says, quote, "I never wanted to let anybody down, but then you just have to realize that if you`re not happy, you can`t make anybody else happy."
Simpson also opens up about constantly being harassed by the paparazzi. She even hid in the trunk of a car to avoid them. Quote, "I feel like everybody`s always out to get me, and that`s a weird feeling. But you can let the chaos consume you or you can stand next to the chaos and just walk along with it."
And when asked what her next career move might be, Simpson sounds like she might give music the boot. She says, "Music will always be my No. 1 passion, but I don`t have to be doing it professionally."
You can read more of the Jessica Simpson interview in "W" magazine. It hits newsstands March 17.
A.J., she`s actually shooting a new movie right now. So she might be moving more into film in the future.
HAMMER: She`s saying she doesn`t have to sing professionally. Maybe it`s just going to be acting.
ANDERSON: That`s right.
HAMMER: We`ll wait and see what she`s going to do next.
Well, fashion designer Kimora Lee Simmons has written a book on how women can design their lives to be more empowered. Kimora is going to join us live coming up next.
Also ahead...
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TYRA BANKS, SUPER MODEL: Right now I`m actually nervous. I`ve never been to a strip club before.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Tyra Banks goes undercover as a stripper to find out what really goes on at strip clubs. She`ll tell us how the experience changed her, coming up live.
HAMMER: And a different kind of dancing. This a bit more family- friendly. Drew Lachey and Cheryl Burke, the winners of "Dancing with the Stars," are here. They`re coming up in the interview you`ll see only on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HAMMER: Welcome back to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. We are TV`s only live entertainment news show. I`m A.J. Hammer.
SHOWBIZ TONIGHT now continues our look at the road to the Oscars. Tonight, the man with probably the most at stake on Sunday night`s Academy Awards, first-time host Jon Stewart, star of "The Daily Show." He has all of Hollywood debating, was he the right choice?
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
TOM O`NEIL, COLUMNIST, THEENVELOPE.COM: Jon Stewart has the potential for being the single worst host in Oscar history.
JOE LEVY, "ROLLING STONE": I think potentially, Stewart could do a great job.
HAMMER (voice-over): Is Jon Stewart a good choice to host the Oscars? A plus, he`s funny.
JON STEWART, HOST, COMEDY CENTRAL`S "THE DAILY SHOW": I do want to begin with a quick update on our vice president, Dick Cheney. He didn`t shoot anyone else.
LEVY: Stewart is extremely funny. His target usually himself.
HAMMER: But that could also be a minus for the formal Oscars.
O`NEIL: You don`t want some snide, cynical guy mocking the importance of the occasion.
HAMMER: Another plus, Jon Stewart is a respected media darling.
LEVY: Jon Stewart is the media darling, toast of the town in every magazine and well, for every television awards show there is.
HAMMER: But he`s not exactly a respected movie star.
STEWART: I don`t know a ton about movies other than I`m not very good in them.
HAMMER: In the SHOWBIZ TONIGHT archives, we found Stewart`s little scene rolls in "The Faculty" and "Death to Smoochie."
O`NEIL: "Death to Smoochie" could have been death to Jon Stewart`s career if anybody had seen it.
HAMMER: A plus, Jon Stewart could bring in the hip young viewers that the Academy Awards and ABC crave. But what if Stewart brings in only the young viewers who watch his show?
LEVY: His show, watched by a smaller audience than that of the Oscars, which I believe claims an audience somewhere in the bazillions.
HAMMER: Well, more like 40 million or so. And even though last year`s host, Chris Rock, succeeded in bringing younger viewers to the Oscars, he was considered a disappointment, because the number of overall viewers declined. Some fear Stewart may suffer the same fate.
O`NEIL: Jon Stewart does not have broad appeal across most America. He is a very limited audience among the cool folks in New York and L.A. and in some scattered, sophisticated cities across America.
HAMMER: But while he is popular with the kids, the 43-year-old Stewart has plenty in common with the average Oscar viewer, who`s 47.
LEVY: Stewart can talk to those people because, well, he is one of those people. He has a family. He`s a little older. He`s one of them. But he`s also one of the kids, too. One of the cool kids.
HAMMER: In other words, he could be the best of both worlds. And the biggest plus of all, he probably has the best gig in show business right now.
STEWART: I`m excited. You know, I feel like so you give up a home run in the all-star game. You know what I mean? At least you got there.
HAMMER: And we`ll see if Stewart strikes out or homers on Oscar night.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HAMMER: There`s certainly a lot of money running on Stewart`s Oscar debut. Advertisers are paying $1.7 million per 30-second ad during the show.
ANDERSON: Wow. And I actually spoke to Stewart about an hour ago. He told me he`s just excited, not nervous at all. He doesn`t want to overthink it. And he also told me he thinks "Rocky" is going to be a huge winner at the Oscars this year.
OK. Oscar night will be a big, big night. And we are going to be right there, live on the red carpet for the show. So be sure to join me, A.J. Hammer and Sibila Vargas. This is for a very special edition of SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, this Sunday, 5:30 p.m. Eastern on CNN Headline News.
Then at 6 p.m. Eastern, our live courage moves over to CNN with "Hollywood`s Gold Rush," again with me, A.J. and Sibila bringing you all the action. And we do hope that you will join us.
HAMMER: I hope you`re ready because it`s time for a quick tutorial on "Fabulosity." That is the name of Kimora Lee Simmons` new book. Kimora is the head of the multi-million dollar fashion line Baby Phat. She`s got her own fragrance. She`s got an upcoming reality show on VH1, and she has two daughters with the man you may have heard of, hip-hop mogul Russell Simmons.
Kimora, welcome to the program. It`s excellent to have you here.
KIMORA LEE SIMMONS, AUTHOR, "FABULOSITY": Thanks for having me.
HAMMER: Look at you with your own book. How terrific is this? Basically, a book designed to help empower women, correct?
SIMMONS: Absolutely. That is actually what it is. It`s a tool of empowerment. I like to look at it. Hopefully, there`s lots of advice. It`s basically like a lifestyle guide for young women that are interested in areas of fashion, and entertainment and overall lifestyle, like a handbook to help the girls sort of get through their day.
HAMMER: A handbook by the name of "Fabulosity."
SIMMONS: "Fabulosity."
HAMMER: And what is your definition of fabulosity?
SIMMONS: Fabulosity is the state of all things fabulous. And I really want people to know that fabulosity starts inside and works its way out. It`s not what you see on the outside, like the hair, the makeup, the clothing, the cars, the jewelry. It`s not that. It starts inside, and it`s something that you build inside for yourself and it turns into an outward expression of fabulosity.
HAMMER: You`ve got the feel good about how you are as a person before you can move on to the other things.
SIMMONS: Or before you can make other people feel good about you.
HAMMER: Exactly. Would you say that, Kimora, you personify fabulosity?
SIMMONS: I would say that, yes, to say the least. I`ve worked hard at it, and I feel like I`ve studied it and I maybe have a finger on it by now.
HAMMER: And is that something you`ve had in you your whole life or did that come with adulthood?
SIMMONS: No, it comes every day as I just go through lessons of life, being an entrepreneur, being a mother, being a businesswoman. It comes.
When I was younger, growing up in St. Louis, Missouri, I didn`t feel very fabulous, like a lot of the young women that I`m reaching in this book, I mean, because you look different, your hair is different, your ethnic background is different.
Whatever it is, kids feel or young people feel sort of ostracized and put out, like they need to blend in and be like everybody else, so there`s a lot of -- a big period in your younger years that you don`t feel so fabulous, kind of like the ugly duckling syndrome.
HAMMER: I understand that.
SIMMONS: Which is fabulous, as well, because you have to sort of embrace it and turn it into something better.
HAMMER: Well, as I mentioned, and as a lot of people know, you are married to the mogul, to the entrepreneur, to the impresario, Russell Simmons, who is also a great philanthropist, has done so many great things in the world. And there was always that saying around that behind every successful man is a great woman.
SIMMONS: Right.
HAMMER: How important has Russell been as a support system for you in becoming a mogul in your own right, which you truly are?
SIMMONS: So important. I mean, I also talk in the book -- a lot of the book, first of all, is really Russell`s words that he says to me all the time, that he drills in my head. And I sort of repeated it and refreshed it and put it out there in another way. So that`s for starters.
But I also talk in the book about watch the company that you keep and surrounding yourself with great people, so that you yourself aspire to greatness. And I think that`s probably the situation with Russell.
The answer to the question is he has impacted every single thing I`ve done. He`s a tremendous role model to me. And I think he`s brilliant. Like so many other people think in our -- our culture, the hip-hop culture, they say we couldn`t have done it without Russell. Or anything Russell does we want to do. I probably feel like that these days.
HAMMER: Not everybody has that. And a lot of women truly want to be successful. They want to reach a place that they don`t know if they can attain. You mentioned some very general things. But what specifically would you say is the biggest obstacle with women trying to achieve their goals in life?
SIMMONS: Well, it`s very difficult for women these days, just in the workplace or as an entrepreneur, or starting up your own business. It`s hard for us to have a voice. So I think confidence is probably one of the main issues.
And I would say my biggest point to that fact, would be to sort of, you know, own it. Know that there`s a reason you`re there and not someone else, because if you know that and you`re confident in that, everything else will sort of fall into place.
But don`t sort of doubt yourself. That you don`t deserve it or why am I here, I`m not going to be able to do it, those type of things that you tell yourself. Eventually you will begin to believe it if you keep repeating it. So stay away from that kind of stuff and own it and say, "I`m here. There`s a reason I`m here. I have that special something. I`m going to this and do the most that I can with it."
HAMMER: So really do whatever possible to take charge. And really, you do have some terrific tips in the book. And Kimora, we appreciate you dropping by SHOWBIZ TONIGHT...
SIMMONS: Thanks a lot.
HAMMER: ... sharing them with us. The new book, called "Fabulosity: What it is and How to Get It," is out in stores now.
ANDERSON: What a fabulous message of encouragement.
OK, the Rolling Stones have been around a long time. But there`s still one trip they`ve always wanted to make. And that`s happening now. We will tell you where they`re heading, next.
HAMMER: Plus Tyra Banks puts on a disguise and finds out first-hand why some men are obsessed with strip clubs. She`ll tell you what she found out behind closed doors. That`s coming up live in the interview you`ll see only on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
ANDERSON: And it is the show everyone is talking about. Drew Lachey and Cheryl Burke danced their way to victory on "Dancing with the Stars." Drew and Cheryl join us live. That is coming up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HAMMER: That`s a live shot of the Empire State Building in New York City. Why is it totally festive today? Why is it all dressed up? Because it is Fat Tuesday. And a happy Fat Tuesday to you.
Tonight, the party continues in New Orleans, of course, but the party was also happening at "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" earlier. Check out how actor Dennis Quaid got into the Mardi Gras spirit on the show.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ELLEN DEGENERES, TALK SHOW HOST: I don`t know about you but I`m very excited about this moment. Bring him out, the king.
(MUSIC)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: You will always wow the crowd if you show up with your own float and Mardi Gras beads.
Well, the Rolling Stones have performed all over the world. But there`s one tour stop that has eluded them until now. We`ll tell you where they`re heading, coming up next.
ANDERSON: Plus, Tyra Banks puts on a disguise and goes undercover as a stripper. She`ll tell us how what she saw changed her. Coming up live in the interview you`re going to see only on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
HAMMER: And the winners of "Dancing with the Stars" are here. Drew Lachey and Cheryl Burke join us live to tell us how they pulled it off. That`s coming up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HAMMER: Welcome back to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. It is 31 minutes past the hour. I`m A.J. Hammer in New York.
ANDERSON: I`m Brooke Anderson in Hollywood. And you`re watching TV`s only live entertainment news show.
Tonight, A.J., Tyra Banks puts on a disguise. You may remember in the past she donned a fat suit to see what it was like to be an overweight person and see how people reacted to her. Well, now she has gone undercover as a stripper. And coming up, she will join us live to tell us how the experience changed her and what really shocked her from doing this.
HAMMER: And make sure you ask her how many dollar bills she walked home with. I`m curious about that myself.
ANDERSON: I will.
HAMMER: And, Brooke, were you tuned in on Sunday night for the big finale of "Dancing with the Stars"?
ANDERSON: I was. I kept up with the show this season. I did. I watched it.
HAMMER: You were among the 27 million people, unbelievable audience tuned in for this juggernaut, this television phenomenon. Who won? Drew and Cheryl. They`re here, live.
ANDERSON: Those numbers sound like "American Idol," too, don`t they?
HAMMER: Yes, just about, just about. We`re going to talk to them about why they think it was such a phenomenon and how it feels to be winners, coming up in the interview you`ll see only on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
First, let`s get to tonight`s "Hot Headlines." SHOWBIZ TONIGHT`s Sibila Vargas is live for us in Hollywood.
Hello, Sibila.
SIBILA VARGAS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, A.J.
Tonight, Reese Witherspoon is the highest paid actress of all time. Reports out today that Witherspoon will be paid $29 million to star in the upcoming horror flick, "Our Family Trouble." Now, Julia Roberts had the previous record, $24 million for "Mona Lisa Smile." Witherspoon is best actress Oscar nominee for "Walk the Line."
The Rolling Stones are heading to China. According to promoters today, Mick Jagger and company will play their first-ever Chinese concert. The rockers will perform at Shanghai`s Grand Stage on April 8th. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT contacted the Rolling Stones` publicist, who would not confirm the show, however. The Stones had cancelled these Chinese shows in 2003 because of a SARS outbreak.
And tonight, a sight like you`ve never seen at the Supreme Court today. Don`t adjust your sets; that`s former stripper and "Playboy" pin-up Anna Nicole Smith arriving in Washington. The nation`s highest court is hearing her case. She`s trying to get nearly a half a billion dollars from the estate of her late husband, who died more than 10 years ago at the age of 90.
And those are tonight`s "Hot Headlines." A.J., back to you.
HAMMER: There`s your reality show right there, Sibila. You can`t make this stuff up.
VARGAS: You cannot.
HAMMER: Amazing. Thanks very much. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT`s Sibila Vargas live in Hollywood.
That last story leading us to our SHOWBIZ TONIGHT "Question of the Day." What do you think? Anna Nicole Smith: Should she get her late husband`s fortune? Keep voting at CNN.com/showbiztonight. Our e-mail address, if you`ve got more to say, is showbiztonight@CNN.com. we`ll get into your e-mails a bit later on.
ANDERSON: Well, A.J., Anna Nicole is a former stripper, but can you wrap your mind around supermodel Tyra Banks on the pole working for tips? Well, she did, sort of.
She wanted to tackle the serious issue of men who go to strip clubs and why they do it. So for her talk show, Tyra went undercover as a stripper, radically transforming herself to keep her identity hidden. Yes, you don`t even recognize her. Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TYRA BANKS, TALK SHOW HOST AND MODEL: To make sure I wouldn`t be recognized, I had Hollywood special effects makeup artist Todd Tucker design a whole new look...
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: And joining me live from the set of the "Tyra Banks Show" in Hollywood is, not Chanel, but Tyra Banks.
Tyra, welcome. Thanks for being here.
BANKS: Hi. Thank you so much.
ANDERSON: Of course. And tell your studio audience we thank them for their patience. I hear your...
BANKS: Yes, you guys, get a shot of my studio audience. The whole show is a live audience.
(APPLAUSE)
I`m doing the show right now, so I took a break to talk to you all.
ANDERSON: Well, we appreciate that. And we thank the audience for their time, as well. Now, Tyra, I want to ask you, why did you want to do this? Why did you decide to do it?
BANKS: I wanted to do this because I`ve got so many e-mails and so many phone calls to the show here about women complaining about their men going to strip clubs and not understanding why they go.
I had one woman call and say that her man was $15,000 in debt because of his addiction to strip clubs. And then I have a whole personal tie, too. I had a boyfriend that used to go all the time, and I didn`t trust him to begin with, let alone trust him in a strip club. So I was like, "I want to know what the heck is going on there." And I wanted to really share that with women, because it is a mystery to us.
ANDERSON: Did you actually have to take your clothes off for this experiment?
BANKS: I wouldn`t say I necessarily took my clothes off, but I did get on the pole. I really -- gosh, that sounds so disgusting. I`m trying to say that really, like, professionally, but...
ANDERSON: There`s not really a tasteful way to put it. It`s fine.
BANKS: You know what? There really isn`t. I`m trying, but I really don`t think that there is.
But I did go undercover. And my name was Chanel. And I had some makeup that took around 2 1/2 hours to do. No one knew who I was. It was really weird walking in that club and none of the men knew who I was. It was an interesting experience.
ANDERSON: What was the most shocking or surprising thing you learned about the men who go to strip clubs?
BANKS: One of the things that I learned is -- I spoke to one man. And he says the reason why he goes to strip clubs is because he was hundreds of pounds overweight, so he couldn`t get a woman outside of that club.
But when he went to that club, he had power. You know, these women were all over him. And I also learned that the women asked the men for lap dances. So they would ask them for a lap dance, and he could say, "No, I don`t want it. I don`t want you." And that gave him power.
ANDERSON: So this isn`t just about the men going to see women take their clothes off; you learned it`s about much more than that.
BANKS: Yes. And I also learned that the men talk about us. They talk about their girlfriends, and they talk about their wives to the strippers.
ANDERSON: Wow. Yikes.
BANKS: That was freaking me out, too. Yes. But, you know -- she`s, you know -- we`re having problems, and you know, I don`t really know what to do about my relationship, or sometimes they would say, "She`s fabulous, and I love her," as they`re getting a lap dance. I don`t get it, but, you know.
ANDERSON: I don`t get it, either, Tyra. And I know you probably spent some time with other -- with strippers there, as well. Did you get a sense -- are they feeling humiliated by doing this or are they feeling empowered in a sense?
BANKS: I had a woman by the name of Adrianna. That was her club name, and she was my host. And she says that she has a lot of power. She says that -- she educated me on something, and she says that men are more romantic than women.
They look at a woman, like a woman that they`re dating, and they live a fantasy. And they think that this woman is going to look this way forever. And when she starts to get wrinkles, or her breasts start to sag, or things start to happen, they freak out. And they`re like, "Oh, my gosh, what`s happening to this woman that I love?"
And she says the strip joint makes that fantasy everlasting. It never changes. That woman was always that fantasy, and I`m like, "OK, what the heck am I supposed to do as a woman?" You know what I mean? It kind of gave me no hope.
ANDERSON: Right. And from your experience posing, when you looked into the eyes of those men, what did you see? And how did it make you feel?
BANKS: I actually interviewed guys that were actually getting lap dances. I`m like standing right there, and this woman is gyrating on him...
ANDERSON: Little awkward.
BANKS: ... and there`s a lot of different things like that. Very awkward. You know, for the first five minutes, I was like, "This is the freakiest thing." But after, like, about 45 minutes of being there, it started to feel normal, which kind of scared me.
But what I saw in the guys` eyes, some of them I saw, like, oh, my gosh, they were looking at this woman like she was Wonder Woman, like she was fantastic. One guy was on his cell phone, and had a beer in his hand, and was kind of ignoring her, but, like, she was gyrating...
ANDERSON: Multitasking.
BANKS: Yes, it was just really weird. I was kind of scared to sit on the couches. It was a little icky.
ANDERSON: Are the men, do you think -- are they using the women or vice versa?
BANKS: I think everyone is using everyone. I think those men are using the women for the fantasy, and those women are using those men to get the money. One thing that the strip club owner told me is you have to pretend like that man is the most gorgeous man that you love so much just so that he gives you his money.
I was like, "What if he`s disgusting and gross?" They`re like, "Pretend like he is the finest man in the world." And I`m like, "OK, Denzel Washington"?
ANDERSON: You have to use your imagination.
BANKS: Yes.
ANDERSON: Well, what an experience you had, Tyra. And we are out of time, but it was a pleasure speaking with you. And before we let you go, can we see your studio audience once again...
BANKS: Yes, y`all!
(APPLAUSE)
ANDERSON: There`s a big wave.
All right, thanks, all of you and...
BANKS: And you can catch the show -- you can catch it tomorrow. It will be on my show, the Tyra show, tomorrow, me as a stripper.
ANDERSON: That sounds fantastic. Tyra Banks and her studio audience, thank you all for joining us.
And as she said, that episode of the "Tyra Banks Show" airs tomorrow. And as they say, check your local listings.
HAMMER: Well, coming up, your e-mails about whether Anna Nicole Smith should be able to get her hands on her late husband`s billion-dollar fortune.
ANDERSON: Plus, it`s been almost 14 years since Sharon Stone`s very sexy police interrogation in "Basic Instinct." Now she`s back in the role that helped put her on the map. Your first look at "Basic Instinct 2."
HAMMER: And they swept viewers off their feet with their sass and class. The winners of "Dancing with the Stars," Drew Lachey and his partner, Cheryl Burke, join us live in the interview you`ll see only on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. That`s coming up next.
But now, for your consideration, a look at some of this year`s nominees for the 78th annual Academy Awards which, of course, will be handed out on Sunday night. Tonight, we are taking a look at who`s up for best supporting actor.
George Clooney, of course, for "Syriana." He plays a CIA agent who finds himself at the center of an oil conspiracy. Clooney is also nominated for best director and screenplay for "Good Night, and Good Luck."
Matt Dillon nominated for "Crash." Dillon plays a racist cop in this story of a group of people living in Los Angeles whose lives crisscross. It`s Dillon`s first nomination.
Russell Crowe`s co-star Paul Giamatti gets the nod for "Cinderella Man." Great flick. And Giamatti plays a boxing manager in this tale that is based on the life of boxer Jim Braddock. It`s Giamatti`s first nomination. You probably remember the big controversy when he wasn`t nominated last year for "Sideways."
And "Brokeback Mountain`s" Jake Gyllenhaal, it`s his first nomination, as well, and one of eight for the gay cowboy romance.
And finally in this category, William Hurt for "A History of Violence." He plays mobster Richie Cusack. Hurt has been previously nominated for "Kiss of the Spider Woman," "Children of a Lesser God," and "Broadcast News."
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HAMMER: Welcome back to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. I`m A.J. Hammer in New York, and this is TV`s only live entertainment news show.
So more than 27 million people tuned in to watch the finale of "Dancing with the Stars" on Sunday night.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TOM BERGERON, HOST, "DANCING WITH THE STARS": Drew and Cheryl!
(APPLAUSE)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: Just a little excited. Drew Lachey and partner Cheryl Burke landed the top spot on the ABC reality dancing competition. For eight weeks, Drew and Cheryl jumped, jived and cha-cha`d their way to the winners` circle, beating out football great Jerry Rice and WWE wrestler Stacy Keibler.
Joining me live in New York for a "Showbiz Sitdown," Drew and Cheryl. It`s excellent to have you here.
DREW LACHEY, WINNER, "DANCING WITH THE STARS": It`s good to be here.
CHERYL BURKE, WINNER, "DANCING WITH THE STARS": Appreciate it.
HAMMER: Appreciate you dropping by. Can you believe that, 27, to be exact, 27.1 million people tune in for this thing?
LACHEY: It`s incredible. I mean, that`s the best ratings we`ve had all season. And, I mean, that`s beating the Olympics and, I mea, all these other great shows that are, like, "Survivor." I mean, it`s a -- I mean, this show is here to stay. It`s official.
HAMMER: It`s a phenomenon, yes. And what is it about the show? Because even when this was first going on the air, a lot of people were kind of saying, "Eh, I don`t know if this is going to be the thing that it became."
LACHEY: I mean, to be perfectly honest, when I signed up to do the show, I didn`t think it would be the same as it was the first season. I thought it would drop off. I thought it was kind of a fluke. But it just continued to build.
And I think it has to do with the class and the elegance of the show. And there`s that human drama that`s building. People are going to get eliminated. People are going to go home. It`s live. People could fall on their face. And it`s also -- it`s ballroom dancing. It`s kind of foreign to a lot of people, so it`s exposing people to something new.
HAMMER: Well, it was pretty foreign to you. I remember you saying, after the first time you guys got in the studio together for your very first practice, and you saw what he had at that time -- this is going back a couple of months -- you said, "I don`t think we`re going to make it past the first round."
BURKE: I had no idea. You know, when we first started, everything was so casual and, you know, Drew was working hard. I knew he was in it to win it. And from the very first performance, it was a shock to me, because he could perform. And I was like, "Wow, you know, you shocked me." And it was great. From then on, from the first performance, I knew he would make it.
HAMMER: And you always had the confidence. You always said -- you`ve always gone around saying, "Oh, we`re going to win."
LACHEY: Well, it`s kind of -- I`m the sick, twisted person that has to envision it happening to make it happen, really. If I thought, "Oh, I`m not going to make to it to the end," I wouldn`t have. I mean, I just wouldn`t have been able to give it 100 percent. So for me to give it everything I have, I have to focus on actually holding that trophy at the end of it. And, you know, if you can see it, you can do it.
HAMMER: And that`s just the kind of guy you are?
LACHEY: Yes, it`s kind of my sick, twisted way of going through life, yes.
HAMMER: Because I remember, when you were with 98 Degrees, with the band that -- you know, with your brother, Nick, and everybody, you were the one that kind of pushed everybody and said, "Yes, we can make it. We can do it."
LACHEY: Yes. I mean, it`s just kind of been my way of looking at life. So it worked. I`m not going to change now.
HAMMER: Now, the judges have said you`re good enough to go pro. Do you think...
BURKE: I think so. He has a lot of potential.
(CROSSTALK)
BURKE: He does. He does. He does have a lot of potential. He`s been working hard. But I don`t think, you know, that`s what he wants to do.
(LAUGHTER)
LACHEY: Yes, my body hurts so bad right now. I mean, knees are hurting, groin, back. I mean, everything is still aching. And I haven`t touched the dance floor in, what, three days? So it`s still just trying to get out of my body a little bit. But it was an amazing experience. I wouldn`t have traded it for the world.
HAMMER: Well, certainly Sunday night has to have been the highlight, as I said. You knew you were going to win, but you really don`t know. You`re standing up there...
BURKE: No, you don`t know.
HAMMER: ... I`m certain thinking, "Well, maybe they`re going to call the other guy`s name." And so many great things about the whole experience of doing the show, as you were saying. But what would you say was sort of the low moment for you?
LACHEY: I think the low moment for me was probably when we did our foxtrot, and one of the judges said, "I was disappointed in your performance." To me, that was like -- I mean, just because we put so much time and effort into it, and you work so hard on it, for somebody to say that it didn`t live up to the standard that you had set, it really is kind of demoralizing.
You`re like, "Wow, maybe I don`t deserve to be here. Maybe I`m really not cut out for this." But then we came out with our next performance, and we got a really good score, so it all kind of evened out that night.
HAMMER: And all while this is going on, he`s on baby watch.
BURKE: Of course. Oh, my gosh.
HAMMER: His wife is expecting a baby. Do you have your cell phone on you right now just in case?
LACHEY: Right here, absolutely.
HAMMER: So I have to know, what if, on Sunday morning, you got a phone call and find out -- or your wife turned to you and said, "I think I`m in labor"? Did you have a contingency plan set up?
LACHEY: My contingency plan was to call the producer and say, "Sorry, I`ll be at the hospital."
HAMMER: "This is terrific. Hope you do well. Hope you get a couple million people watching the show."
LACHEY: Exactly. You know, maybe if she`s not going to go, maybe I`ll swing by real quick, do the dance, and then go right back, but my priority has always been my family, and my wife, and my baby on the way. So that was never even up for discussion; everybody knew it.
HAMMER: Did that make you crazy? Was his focus a little off because of that or he was able to somehow share the wealth of his focus?
BURKE: Not at all. He has been completely focused through day one. And he`s been really there to work hard and to win the trophy. And you know, of course, you know, his phone goes off, and I even get nervous. I`m like, "Oh, my god. Answer your phone. Go answer your phone."
HAMMER: Well, I`m sure you`re on the baby call list now.
LACHEY: Absolutely.
HAMMER: And Cheryl and Drew, thank you so much. Congratulations. Enjoy your mirror ball trophy that you won.
LACHEY: It`s a great-looking thing.
HAMMER: Appreciate you coming by SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
BURKE: Thank you.
LACHEY: Thanks.
ANDERSON: I was impressed with them from the very beginning.
All right. Tonight, a "Showbiz Showcase." SHOWBIZ TONIGHT has your first look at "Basic Instinct 2." Can you believe it comes 14 years after the original? It really put Sharon Stone on the map. And she`s back. Her character, novelist Catherine Tramell, is in London this time. And once again, she`s in trouble with the law. Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Her prints were all over the crime scene.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We haven`t got a case, Roy.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, just make one.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We`ll order a psychiatrist to say she`s a danger.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Got to make sure we get somebody good and tough.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Dr. Glass, this is Catherine Tramell.
SHARON STONE, ACTRESS: So is this where we`re going to do it?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, so you`re a writer. What do you write about?
STONE: Oh, the sexual, the violent, the basic instincts.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Sorry, not allowed to smoke in here.
STONE: You know what I like about you? You enjoy being in control. Like me.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I`m not the one who`s on trial for murder.
STONE: Not yet.
Do I make you uncomfortable?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Be careful, Michael. She`s trying to seduce you.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Did you kill him?
STONE: If I said I didn`t, would you believe me?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Everything that comes out of her mouth`s a lie. Even the truth`s a lie.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What exactly do you want?
STONE: I wanted it from the first moment I saw you, and you did, too. How do you picture it, Doctor?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I believe Ms. Tramell`s behavior is driven by what we might call a risk addiction.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I suspect the only limit for her would be her own death.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The judge let her go.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Can I make you a bet? She`ll do it again.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What are you doing here?
STONE: What you said about me being addicted to risk, isn`t that what turns you on?
ANNOUNCER: On March 31st...
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Don`t play games with me.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What, you think I killed him?
ANNOUNCER: Survival is the most basic instinct. "Basic Instinct 2."
STONE: I feel like a cigarette.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: "Basic Instinct 2" hits theaters in about a month, March 31st.
All right. Throughout the show, we`ve been asking you to vote online on our SHOWBIZ TONIGHT "Question of the Day." Anna Nicole Smith: Should she get her late husband`s fortune?
Let`s take a look at how the voting is going so far: 66 percent of you say, yes, she should; 34 percent of you say, no, she shouldn`t.
Here are some of e-mails we`ve received. Lorinda from Illinois writes, "Although Anna has done some ignorant things in the past years, she is entitled to money left by her late husband."
Tim from New York says, "She should not get the money. If she cared about him, the money situation would not be her main topic."
We do appreciate your e-mails. And you can keep voting at CNN.com/showbiztonight.
HAMMER: Whatever you do, do not forget that SHOWBIZ TONIGHT`s going to be live on the red carpet right before the 78th annual Academy Awards on Sunday night. Make sure you join me, Brooke Anderson, and Sibila Vargas for a very special Oscar edition of SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. That gets under way at 5:30 p.m. Eastern on CNN Headline News.
And then at 6:00 Eastern, switch on over as our live coverage moves to CNN with Hollywood`s gold rush, again with me, Brooke and Sibila bringing you all of the action, all of the stars. We hope you join us.
SHOWBIZ TONIGHT is coming right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HAMMER: Tomorrow, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT`s "Road to the Oscars" coverage continues. Brooke Anderson goes one-on-one with host Jon Stewart. Will Stewart succeed or will the "Daily Show" star`s sense of humor fall flat? We`re going to him what he`s got planned. Jon Stewart on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, tomorrow.
Also tomorrow, what did Heath, Terrence, Philip, Joaquin, Matt, Felicity, Keira, Reese and Michelle all do before they were nominated for Oscar gold? We`re heading to the SHOWBIZ TONIGHT video vault and we`re digging up some clips. You won`t want to miss Oscar nominees` first roles, tomorrow.
And that is it for SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. I`m A.J. Hammer in New York.
ANDERSON: I`m Brooke Anderson in Hollywood. Thanks for watching, everybody. And stay tuned for the latest from CNN Headline News.
END
