Return to Transcripts main page
Showbiz Tonight
Fictional, Real Mob Stories Fascinate Public; Supernanny Shares Child Rearing Insights; Music of Top Groups Unavailable for Download; Deborah Harry Dishes on Hall of Fame Honor
Aired March 13, 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.
SIBILA VARGAS, CO-HOST: And I`m Sibila Vargas in Hollywood. TV`s only live entertainment news show starts right now.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
HAMMER (voice-over): On SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, real life "Sopranos." Badda bing. How story lines from the hit HBO show are popping up everywhere in real life.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There`s no retiring from this.
HAMMER: Allegations of murder plots and crooked cops. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT asks: why is America so married to the mob?
Plus, Paris is burning. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT declares, Paris Hilton, your 15 minutes of fame are up.
PARIS HILTON, HOTEL HEIRESS: That`s hot.
HAMMER: No, Paris. Actually, we think it`s time for this hotel heiress to check out of the public eye.
And, are your kids out of control?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Don`t do that!
HAMMER: It`s SHOWBIZ TONIGHT to the rescue with supernanny Jo Frost. Watch for the secrets to winning the battle with the most difficult children.
JO FROST, HOST, ABC`s "SUPERNANNY": He behaves in a way that`s unacceptable.
HAMMER: In the interview you`ll see only on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
EDIE FALCO, ACTRESS: Hi, I`m Edie Falco. And if it happened today, it`s on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VARGAS: Hello, I`m Sibila Vargas live in Hollywood.
HAMMER: I`m A.J. Hammer live in New York City.
We don`t know about you out there in Hollywood, Sibila. But everybody in New York City talking about that shocking end of "The Sopranos" last night.
VARGAS: That`s right. Everyone is talking about it. They`re also talking about it here. And can you believe that Tony Soprano got shot by Uncle Junior of all people?
HAMMER: Uncle Junior, clearly losing his marbles. It did make for great TV, Sibila. But if you`re into mob stories, there`s a lot more of them out there for you. Tonight, stories that are fact not fiction. It`s all turning TV into a real mob scene.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
HAMMER (voice-over): Tony Soprano may have had a bad night on Sunday`s episode of "The Sopranos."
JAMES GANDOLFINI, ACTOR: Call 911.
HAMMER: But if you like mob stories, both fictitious and real, you`ve got it made. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT can tell you mob-related stories are all over the airwaves right now.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You were an accessory to murder?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Correct.
HAMMER: The very same night HBO aired "The Sopranos," "60 Minutes" aired a chilling interview with former mobster Kevin Weeks.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You have a problem you take it to the street.
KYRA PHILLIPS, HOST, "LIVE FROM": Like a trial from the script of Scorsese.
HAMMER: This week a pair of retired New York detectives are on trial for allegedly doing dirty deeds for the mob. Both men say they`re innocent.
And just days ago John Gotti Jr., yes, the son of the John Gotti, got his second hung jury.
JOHN GOTTI JR., ON TRIAL FOR GUARDIAN ANGELS ATTACK: I`m going home to see my children.
HAMMER: He was accused of arranging a 1992 attack on Guardian Angels founder Curtis Sliwa. During the trial Gotti claimed he`d quit the mob. Sliwa is skeptical.
CURTIS SLIWA, RADIO TALK SHOW HOST: There`s only one way to withdraw from the mob, and that`s to be room temperature.
HAMMER: Now wait a second. That sounds kind of familiar.
GANDOLFINI: You took an oath. There`s no retiring from this.
HAMMER: Tony Soprano pretty much said the same thing last night to an underling looking to retire. Is that really how it works in the mob?
ANTHONY BRUNO, CRIME WRITER: You leave in a pine box.
HAMMER: SHOWBIZ TONIGHT getting some mob secrets from crime writer Anthony Bruno.
BRUNO: It`s a secret society when you take the blood oath and you exchange blood and make all the promises. You`re in for life.
HAMMER: It`s a lesson that Tony Soprano`s unfortunate underling ended up learning the hard way. But that`s another story. It all goes to show that in real life, as on TV, mob stories always fascinate.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Americans are busting with crime. They love violence and just to watch it in real time or real news is cool for them.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It`s fascinating because it`s the underbelly of society. Something that`s dark. Something that, I guess, good people don`t do.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HAMMER: So sure they`re fascinating. That`s why we watch "The Sopranos" But here`s what we want to know. Just how realistic are they? Does the show really measure up to all those real-life mob stories?
Well, we`ve got the perfect guy to ask. Selwyn Raab wrote a fascinating book called "Five Families: The Rise, Decline and Resurgence of America`s Most Powerful Mafia Empires." We are very lucky to have Selwyn with us live here in New York.
Selwyn, thanks for being on the program.
SELWYN RAAB, AUTHOR, "FIVE FAMILIES": My pleasure.
HAMMER: I want to begin with Tony Soprano. Selwyn, you have said that his guy wouldn`t last five minutes in the real mob. So what does he do that`s so wrong?
RAAB: Many things. No. 1, you often see him shuffling out in the morning from his mini mansion and walking down unescorted, unguarded. He drives by himself in a car. He doesn`t have a bodyguard with him. He sits in cafes in broad daylight exposing himself.
And the other thing, the most critical he does that would get him booted out of the mob automatically is he goes to a shrink. That would be -- that`s a terrific no-no. Nobody wants a mentally unstable mobster talking about his problems, especially talking to a woman.
HAMMER: I would imagine that would be true. So let`s talk about the fact that Tony goes to a psychiatrist. It just wouldn`t happen with a real mob boss.
RAAB: Never. It never has and never will. The idea very simply is you have to be a very stable person leading a mob family. And nobody would have the -- any credible -- any faith in you if you were doing something like that.
And also, in the mob, women are considered inferior. And the point that Tony would go to a woman psychiatrist and expose and tell about his secrets. No, no.
HAMMER: And you would have a real sense of this. What does the real mob -- how do they perceive "The Sopranos"? Do they get a kick out of it? Do they hate it?
RAAB: Most of them probably know it`s silly. But at the same time what it does do in many ways, like "The Godfather" did in 1970s, that great movie. It`s compelling TV. It`s good entertainment, but it`s bad -- but it`s bad reality, bad history.
The point is it`s an unwitting ally and precious asset of a mob. Mainly because it humanizes people like Tony Soprano. Despite all of his predatory acts, his vicious acts, the violence, the murders, the beatings. Nevertheless, you still can identify and sympathize with him.
It looks like he`s going through a mid-life crisis. A suburban -- a suburban breadwinner who suddenly finds that his marriage is dissolving. His kids rebel. His own uncle is out to get him. Earlier his mother wanted to put out a contract on him. So he`s having this incredible bourgeois type life. So what it "The Sopranos" does, more than anything else, it exhibits what really is a dysfunctional household, not a dysfunctional mob family.
HAMMER: But they`re just putting it in the mob context. Well, Selwyn, it`s fascinating. I appreciate your insight, letting us know how realistic it all is.
RAAB: Glad to help out.
HAMMER: I appreciate you being on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
Once again, the name of Selwyn`s book is "Five Families: The Rise, Decline and Resurgence of America`s Most Powerful Mafia Empire." It`s a great read.
VARGAS: Tonight`s Natalee Holloway`s mom says she`s getting much- needed help from Laci Peterson`s mom and Elizabeth Smart`s dad. In an upcoming interview on the Tyra Banks show, Beth Twitty talks about how she`s been offered words of encouragement as the search continues for her missing daughter, who vanished in Aruba last May. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT got this sneak peek.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BETH HOLLOWAY TWITTY, MOTHER OF NATALEE HOLLOWAY: It does give me the inspiration that I can give something back. It just takes awhile to get there. And but they let me know that, you know, there is life -- life continues on.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VARGAS: Laci Peterson`s husband was convicted of brutally murdering her while pregnant. Teenager Elizabeth Smart was kidnapped from her home in June 2002 and rescued eight months later. There have been no recent leads in the Natalee Holloway case.
HAMMER: Coming up, Jennifer Aniston is fed up. Brad Pitt is taking a beating from one star, while a big-time celeb comes to Angelina Jolie`s defense. All in the news next.
ANDERSON: Plus, your kids driving you super crazy? Well, tonight`s SHOWBIZ got some help for you. Supernanny herself, Jo Frost, in the interview you`ll only see on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
Plus we`ve also got this.
(MUSIC)
HAMMER: What the heck is going on? Well the team that brings you all of those political cartoons, the JibJab guy, take a funny stab at prescription drugs. It`s part of our special look at outrageous and contagious "viral videos" that are making their rounds on the Internet, and that is still to come.
(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.
Sibila Vargas joining us from Hollywood. I have to tell you, there are three magazines that showed up in our newsroom this morning, Sibila, that shocked the heck out of us. And as you well know, it takes quite a bit to do that.
VARGAS: Absolutely. We`ve seen and heard everything. But first off, let`s talk about April`s "Vogue."
Jennifer Aniston`s in it. She`s sold more magazines and made more headlines and arguably been the talk of more water coolers than anyone in showbiz in the past year. And now she says she has had enough. That`s right, A.J. She says, quote, "Don`t make me your victim. I am so tired of being part of this sick, twisted Bermuda triangle."
Of course, she`s referring to herself and Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie. She goes on to say, "All I can do is go on and live my life."
HAMMER: But wait, Sibila, there`s more. Believe it or not. It`s all over the place. We got our hands on the April "GQ" magazine. Brad Pitt gets a major shellacking in it from none other than Oscar-winner Michael Douglas. Now, Douglas is 60 and he says, quote, "I don`t know about Brad Pitt leaving that beautiful wife to go hold orphans for Angelina. I mean how long is that going to last?"
VARGAS: Oh, my gosh. I can`t believe he said that. He`s not holding back.
But now it`s coming in from all angles. The SHOWBIZ TONIGHT magazine rack is filling up. This time it`s Sharon stone that`s got Angelina`s back. In the April issue of "Harper`s Bazaar", Stone, who has been an AIDS activist, says Angelina`s humanitarian efforts ought to be applauded. Quote, "Now -- now that`s a woman with experience. She`s no wuss. She`s someone walking her walk and talking her talk."
Sharon stone`s a poet and she didn`t even know it.
HAMMER: A lot of chatting going on about those two. And it will continue.
Well, tonight Sibila in a "SHOWBIZ Sit-down," she`s been spat on, bitten, slapped and kicked, and it`s all in a day`s work. I`m talking about Jo Frost. She`s ABC`s supernanny. She makes house calls from the U.K. to the U.S. of A. And her mission is a simple one. She`s just out there to help parents control their bratty and wild children, one family at a time.
I sat down with Jo Frost to talk about her hit ABC show. And I asked her who is the better behaved bunch. The kids from the USA or the kids from the U.K.? Her answer might surprise you.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
HAMMER: It`s a pleasure to meet you first of all.
FROST: Pleasure to be here.
HAMMER: Lovely to have you here on our set.
FROST: Thank you.
HAMMER: So over the years of doing this you must have faced some pretty extreme examples of child behavior. Give me an example of something that you were just a little shaken by that you had to deal with?
FROST: It`s not nice when you`re being spat at. Or when children are, like, grabbing you, and then, you know, being very aggressive with you. And having encountered that with a few families, where the children have just had had really severe temper tantrums and become very aggressive. And then, you know, the behavior is totally unacceptable as far as I`m concerned. And that can be -- you know, that cannot be nice at all.
HAMMER: Spitting, maybe some biting?
FROST: Yes, biting, spitting, scratching at you.
HAMMER: All right. So when that`s going on, what do you do? How do you handle it?
FROST: I remain very calm and I recognize it for what it is. And that`s a child becoming very aggressive and escalating out of control. And because at the time when this does happen normally I`m upsetting or I`m implementing a big change in the family, I like to show the parents exactly why the child is behaving that way.
And of course when they then implement that behavior with their parents, we follow through with disciplines that the child gets the message that there`s a consequence for that behavior.
And if you misbehave we will send you all to these bags.
HAMMER: What would you say is the most common mistake parents make in disciplining their kids?
FROST: They`re not consistent. And sometimes I can work with parents who implement the techniques and then they give up. And they say, "Well, I`ve done this a couple of times, you know. I just -- I can`t do it. It`s too much energy, too much time."
And I say, "Well, if you want the results you have to put hard work in."
HAMMER: So really, you have to stick with it. You have to come up with a plan and stay with it. And eventually, they`re kids so they`ll follow along.
FROST: You have to be consistent. You have to follow through. You know, you have to pull your socks up as a parent and say, "Well, this is the result that I want to achieve. And now I`ve got to put the hard work in to get it."
Two short fixes, you know, a quick fix is what every family wants. And that`s not the case when I`m teaching these parents. I want parents to recognize that there`s a journey, so that they can get from A to B. And going through that journey is going to make them stick with B and not want to go back to A.
HAMMER: That is good advice. Got to stay with it. Pull your socks up. That`s an expression I don`t throw around every day, but I like that. I may work that into my vernacular if that`s OK with you.
Have you encountered a situation that you`ve had to walk away from? That you said, you know what? This is a little too much for me. Whether it be on the TV show or in real life?
FROST: No.
HAMMER: No challenge you couldn`t meet?
FROST: I mean, I`m never complacent about a family that I`m working with. And I really don`t know what I`m going to see when I ring that doorbell and say, "`Hi, pleased to meet you, I`m Jo Frost."
But at the same time, you know, I am there to help the parents. And I do want to be able to help these parents achieve results. So hey, I mean I just, you know roll with the punches and observe and take notes from there.
HAMMER: You`re supernanny here in the United States. You were a supernanny in your native United Kingdom. Tell me, where are the kids worse behaved? I have a feeling I know the answer. But be honest with me.
FROST: I don`t think there`s a difference between...
HAMMER: Oh, come on.
FROST: I don`t. But the Americans and the English constantly are saying to me, "Tell me who`s the worst. Who`s the worst? Where are the brat children? Are they here? Are they in the U.K.?"
HAMMER: Well, where are the brat parents then?
FROST: Parents have issues wherever they be in the U.K. or in the states. I think...
HAMMER: But you`re all so proper over there. It would seem to me that you would all be so calm. No?
FROST: No. I mean in the U.K. ...
HAMMER: Not to play to the stereotypes. But that`s, you know.
FROST: In the U.K., you know, we see -- I see the same in the U.K. with parents as I do in the states. And I mean, to me that`s a strong message, that parents universally are still struggling to find ways in which they can improve their family. You know? I mean, that`s, you know, a strong message there and then.
HAMMER: Jo Frost, supernanny.
FROST: Thank you.
HAMMER: Can I just call you super? Pleasure to have you on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
FROST: Thanks.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HAMMER: And if your kids are in need of a supernanny intervention, you can just logon to the web site at ABC.com and you can apply right there to be on the show. "Supernanny" airs tonight on ABC.
Well, switching gears for a moment. I am a music downloading kind of guy, and I was rather shocked the other day when I went onto iTunes to buy a Bob Seger tune that had just been running through my head. I wanted to own the song. And I found out Bob Seger`s music not there.
Well, that`s about to change for Seger. But not for other bands, huge bands like The Beatles, Led Zeppelin, Garth Brooks. You can`t find any of those on iTunes or on any of the other digital download sites for that matter. So what gives?
Well, joining me live from New York, Michael Endelman. He just wrote a great article about all of this in the current issue of "Entertainment Weekly."
Let`s get into it. Let`s talk about the Beatles. Michael, what`s the deal here? Because it seems to me it could only be a good thing to make their music as accessible as possible. Why can`t I buy them on iTunes?
MICHAEL ENDELMAN, "ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY": Well, I mean, you`re talking about the Beatles, the best-selling band of all time. So they don`t really need the album sales. They don`t really need the money. So that`s one key thing, is they`re sitting on this incredibly valuable catalog.
The other thing is that the Beatles have always been very hard-nosed negotiators. And I don`t think they really like the way the royalty structure works out online. They get a lot more money selling their albums for full price, which they almost always do. You almost never see Beatles albums in the discount bin.
HAMMER: So it`s different reasons for different bands. Led Zeppelin is another band that`s on this list. And they I would understand a little more, because they`ve always been a bit hesitant to offer their songs as singles. I remember that "Stairway to Heaven" was never available as a single, despite it`s massive success. But what`s behind their reasoning?
ENDELMAN: I mean, I think that you`re right there. Even back in the `70s when they released that album, "Led Zeppelin IV", their manager said, "No single here. We`re going to sell a lot more albums if we make people buy the album to hear `Stairway to Heaven`." And that`s exactly what happened.
And I think that they have a very similar feeling to the Beatles. They don`t want to -- they don`t want to be the guinea pigs here. They want to let other artists sort of dip into the water, and they`re going to wait and see and find the best deal for them. They`re waiting for a big chunk of cash to let their music go online.
HAMMER: And I want to ask you about Garth Brooks. He is one of the best-selling artists of all time. I was surprised to learn that he`s not available online. He`s sold over 100 million albums. Wouldn`t he want to sell that many more?
ENDELMAN: Well, I mean, Garth just announced recently an exclusive deal with Wal-Mart. And he is selling a ton of CDs just at Wal-Mart. And I think he feels very similarly that he doesn`t need iTunes or any online sales to keep his revenue stream going, to keep selling those albums. You know? He is doing just fine at Wal-Mart.
HAMMER: And he`s a guy who likes to have a lot of control over his own stuff.
Michael, thank you so much for joining us.
ENDELMAN: Thanks for having me.
HAMMER: Michael Endelman from "Entertainment Weekly."
VARGAS: Julie Louis-Dreyfus tries to break the so-called "Seinfeld" curse. We`ll ask her about it live in the interview you`ll only see on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. That`s coming up.
Plus, we`ve also have this.
HAMMER: Now that`s got to hurt. The crazy things people will do to capture -- capture their 15 minutes of fame. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT brings you our most outrageous and contagious "viral videos" making their rounds on the Internet. Coming up.
VARGAS: And speaking of 15 minutes of fame, Paris Hilton, the clock is ticking. So SHOWBIZ TONIGHT says it`s time for the hotel heiress to check out on the public eye. We`ll tell you why next.
So what do you think is our SHOWBIZ TONIGHT question of the day? Paris Hilton: are her 15 minutes of fame over? Go to CNN.com/ShowbizTonight. And send us your e-mails at ShowbizTonight@CNN.com. We`ll read some of your thoughts later in the show.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
VARGAS: Coming up tomorrow on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. One of the most popular TV series ever is coming to DVD. And the shows` stars are stopping by SHOWBIZ TONIGHT to celebrate. Barbara Eden, one of my favorites, and Larry Hagman from the `60s favorite "I Dream of Jeannie", live on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT tomorrow.
HAMMER: Tonight, one of the biggest bands to emerge from the punk/New Wave movement of the 1970s is being inducted into the Rock `N` Roll Hall of Fame.
(MUSIC)
HAMMER: Yes, the band is Blondie. You know their No. 1 hits, "Call Me", "Heart of Glass", "Rapture". Lead singer Deborah Harry stopped by the SHOWBIZ TONIGHT studios, and she told me what being inducted into the Rock `N` Roll Hall of Fame means for her.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DEBORAH HARRY, SINGER/ACTRESS: I was sort of jealous, because, you know, some of our contemporaries were, you know, inducted. And I thought, "Oh, well," you know. And then, you know, like the other side of me said, well, you know. It doesn`t matter. You know, I don`t really care.
But then when it happened, and they told us that we were going to be inducted I -- it made me very happy.
HAMMER: Kind of warmed up to the idea.
HARRY: I did.
HAMMER: Sounded like a good thing.
HARRY: Yes.
HAMMER: And then there`s the other side of it. You look at Johnny Rotten and the Sex Pistols, they`re being inducted at the Hall of Fame ceremony, as well. And Johnny Rotten is not showing up to claim his honor.
And there are those music critics and various critics out there who say that the whole idea of the Rock `N` Roll Hall of Fame is diametrically opposed to rock `n` roll. What do you say to that?
HARRY: Well, I think there is an opposition between art and commerce from the get-go. So I think, you know, for critics to say that -- that`s sort of surprising, because I mean, the whole battle between the bands always have is, you know, with the record companies and with the idea of commerce.
HAMMER: Right.
HARRY: And what is art and what -- how do you blame these two things?
HAMMER: Finding a balance.
HARRY: Very difficult.
HAMMER: Very difficult.
HARRY: So I mean, once you go through all of that, it seems like sort of secondary that any kind of, you know, award for actually having gone through that kind of mental process and trying to adjust yourself and to be part of an industry, even though you`re an artist, seems sort of secondary, really. Insignificant in a way.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HAMMER: Black Sabbath. The Sex Pistols, as I mentioned. Miles Davis and Lynyrd Skynyrd also being inducted tonight.
As for Blondie, they continue to rock into this millennium. The group has just released a greatest hits DVD/CD set, and they plan to officially announce a major U.S. tour very soon.
Well, a late-breaking "South Park" shocker coming up in tonight`s "Hot Headlines."
VARGAS: Plus Paris is burning. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT declares Paris Hilton`s 15-minutes of fame is up. Why it`s time for this hotel heiress to check out of the public eye.
Plus, we`ve also got this.
(MUSIC)
HAMMER: This is a funny clip you will not want to miss. It`s from the team that brings you all of those political cartoons, the JibJab guys. They`ve taken a funny stab at prescription drugs. It`s part of our special look at outrageous and contagious "viral videos" that you can find making a round on the Internet. And that is still to come.
SHOWBIZ TONIGHT will be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SOPHIA CHOI, CNNHN ANCHOR: "Headline Prime" news break. Sheriff`s deputies in Loudoun County, Virginia have surrounded a gas station where an armed man might be holding at least one person hostage. Authorities say they keep calling to set-up communications. But the people inside keep hanging up.
The U.S. Ag Department says an Alabama cow has tested positive for mad cow disease. Authorities say it was destroyed, though, before it made it into the food supply.
People from Oklahoma to Pennsylvania are watching the sky for more severe weather. Weekend storms in Indiana and Illinois killed at least 10 people.
Texas authorities say grass fires scorched more than 650,000 acres Amarillo. At least seven people have died including four on a crash on a smoky highway.
And President Bush has launched a new effort to gather support for the war in Iraq. This comes as a new CNN/"USA Today" Gallup poll shows his approval rating is now at 36 percent. That`s a new low.
That`s the news for now. I`m Sophia Choi.
HAMMER: Welcome back to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. It is 31 minutes past the hour. I`m A.J. Hammer in New York.
VARGAS: And I`m Sibila Vargas in Hollywood. You are watching TV`s only live entertainment news show.
HAMMER: Sibila, why is Paris Hilton famous? Why does she still show up everywhere? Coming up in a couple of minutes we here at SHOWBIZ TONIGHT will delve into what we believe is the final 15 minutes of Paris Hilton`s fame.
VARGAS: Never quite got her. But you know who I do get? Julia Louis-Dreyfus. We loved her as Elaine in "Seinfeld." But will we love her on her new CBS show? You`ve got to tell me, A.J.
HAMMER: Yes. I`ll tell you right now it`s true. And I just ran into her backstage. More beautiful in person than on television.
VARGAS: Really? Oh, that`s nice.
HAMMER: I have got to get to this here. If it is true that Humphrey Bogart once said famously, "We`ll always have Paris, we`re in huge trouble. That is if the Paris happens to have the last name of Hilton. Why is Paris Hilton famous? What exactly does she do? Can any of you guys tell me? Everybody is shaking their heads. Nobody can tell me.
Is she famous for being famous? Does she have some hidden talent that goes beyond posing for pictures or acting like a ditz that perhaps we have not yet scene? Well, tonight we here at SHOWBIZ are counting down the clock. Because here on our program we think her 15 minutes of fame, about to run out.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
HAMMER (voice-over): She is the celebrity that`s well-known for, well, nothing.
PARIS HILTON, CELEBRITY: Definitely.
HAMMER: Paris Hilton. She`s everywhere. On the runway. On the carpet. And in the headlines. And quite frankly, like a lot of people, we`re getting awfully sick of it.
LLOYD GROVE, "NEW YORK DAILY NEWS": The problem with Paris is that we have still talking about her.
HAMMER: But the question is -- why are we still talking about her? Because SHOWBIZ TONIGHT can tell you right now, the clock is ticking on her 15 minutes of fame.
HILTON: That`s hot.
HAMMER: A partier. A serial dater and a socialite. She is notorious simply for her notoriety. Paris Hilton is a professional camera hog. She makes a living -- a very good one, mind you from posing for the paparazzi. You are not going believe this but she raked in roughly $7 million for making public appearances alone last year. Seven million.
GROVE: There`s not a red carpet that she won`t try and walk. There`s not a party she won`t try and go to. And increasingly she`s not welcome.
HAMMER: Lloyd Grove is a gossip columnist for the "New York Daily News." He has made it his mission to never, ever write about the poor little rich girl.
GROVE: Over a year ago I banned Paris Hilton from my column in the "New York Daily News." And you know, it hasn`t hurt me a bit.
HILTON: Secret.
GROVE: She does nothing of note. She doesn`t have any particular talents. She doesn`t have a high school diploma. She`s a terrible role model for my daughter. So let`s give it a rest.
HAMMER: Yeah. Let`s give it a rest. We at SHOWBIZ TONIGHT actually thought Paris`s career was done back in 2004 when her scandalous sex tape surfaced on the Internet. No such luck. Surprisingly, it seemed to make her more famous.
GROVE: Her 15 minutes are over.
HAMMER: And oh, so many things have happened in those 15 minutes. Her role in the stinker of a movie "House of Wax." We should point out that when Paris was killed off early in the movie, audiences actually applauded. There are also of course the fights with her celebrity friends.
HILTON: I don`t really want to talk about it.
HAMMER: And the restraining order a judge slapped on her for threatening a party planner.
GROVE: What needs to happen is that we, America, we the world need to have a restraining order against Paris Hilton.
HAMMER: But until that happens, we will exercise our own restraint and only bring you Paris news when it`s really important. Wait a second. Paris, news? Isn`t that an oxymoron?
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HAMMER (on camera): Wait a second, this just in. Elton John`s AIDS foundation just told SHOWBIZ TONIGHT that the heiress had to cut an overdue check. Finally got it out there to the charity. Paris attended Elton`s famous after Oscar party last week. But refused at the time to donate to the cause. Supposedly saying don`t you know who I am?
Well, after some bad press that followed and tearful urging it seems that Paris had a little change of heart and a check for $10,000 has just been cut to the Elton John AIDS Foundation. I suppose, better late than never. Looking at that clock over there, I guess. Fifteen minutes of fame ends right now.
So what do you think? What does all of America have to say about all of this? Paris Hilton. Are her 15 minutes of fame over? Keep voting at cnn.com/showbiztonight. You can also write to us at showbiztonight@cnn.com. I am looking forward to reading your emails a bit later in the show.
VARGAS: Well there are other important stories making news tonight. So let`s go right to tonight`s hot headlines. War of the words in "South Park" and now chef is out. Isaac Hayes, who voiced chef, asked out of his contract because of what he called, quote, "inappropriate ridicule of religious communities."
The creators of "South Park" emailed us right after saying Hayes, quote, "got a sudden case of religious sensitivity when it was his religion featured on the show." In December Hayes told us he didn`t have a problems with the show`s lampoons but late today "South Park" cut him loose.
Sean Connery has had cancer surgery. The former 007 underwent surgery to remove a tumor in his kidney. Ever the secret agent, though, Connery actually had the surgery weeks ago in the private clinic but just released the news.
And trumping anyone who has been photographed pregnant, Melania Trump is shocking the world and showing her bellow. And proud to say like the Donald, she`s huge. Annie Leibovitz took this photo in nothing but a gold bikini and that`s Donald in the $600,00 car he gave her last year. Melania is weeks away from her due date but she is looking pretty hot. The pictures can be see in April`s "Vogue."
HAMMER: Well, the wacky video emails never seem to end. Once again we here at SHOWBIZ TONIGHT are getting you one step ahead of the curve by showing you the most bizarre and most hilarious videos that do end up eventually in your inbox. They`re called viral videos because they spread through the Internet like an epidemic.
And helping us to weed through them Andrew Cohen of the Bravo Network. That`s where you can catch outrageous and contagious viral videos. Andrew, it is always good to have you here. It is a fun segment. A lot of people responding to this. So I want to get to our first clip. A lot of bloopers wind up as viral videos.
ANDREW COHEN, "VIRAL VIDEOS": A lot of people getting hurt.
HAMMER: Let`s take a look at this first clip.
COHEN: OK.
All right. Yeah.
HAMMER: Where`d you get those?
COHEN: You know what, we tracked tem down on the Internet. I mean, a lot of them are just emailed to us. And then we track down where they came from.
HAMMER: The guy on the trampoline?
COHEN: Like tracking down the bird flu, actually. That guy -- that was from a July 4th party in the Hamptons. He thought it would be a great idea to fly off his roof, jump onto the trampoline in the water. But of course he miscalculated and hilarity ensued. And that was that.
HAMMER: What about the guys on the bikes with that contraption for the stunts?
COHEN: Apparently it took those guys - they made that thing in their back yard. It took them four days to make and then four days to actually get it right and be able to do the stunt.
HAMMER: Just for this.
COHEN: Exactly.
HAMMER: Very, very good. All right. I want to move onto the next clip. Now, how many times have we seen those pharmaceutical -- those prescription med commercials on television where for the first 10 seconds they are telling us how great their drug is. It is going to cure everything that ails. And the next 50 seconds spent with warning after warning after warning after warning.
Let`s take a look at this viral video.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You have got a headache and not got some strange disease don`t worry about it this pill will set your mind at ease it`s called Progitorivox (ph), it`s made by SquabbMerco, it`s a life enhancing miracle but there`s some things you should know it may cause agitation, palpitation, excessive salvation, constipation, male lactation, gross colored urination, hallucinations .
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: I think we get the idea. It actually reminds me of the old Happy Fun Ball commercial that "Saturday Night Live" had years and years ago. Where did this come from? It`s the Jib Jab guys, right?
COHEN: It`s the Jib Jab guys. These funny guys who make a lot of political commentary. They made "This Land Is Your Land." The funny Bush/Kerry thing that was viral like crazy during the campaign. And they made that.
HAMMER: Now this is making its way around the Internet.
COHEN: Exactly.
HAMMER: A lot of fun, Andrew. Thanks very much for joining us, as always, Andrew Cohen.
COHEN: Thanks for having me.
HAMMER: And you can catch more of the viral videos on "Outrageous and Contagious Viral Videos." It`s on Bravo tonight.
VARGAS: Well, sunny words from Mr. Nice Guy, George Clooney. You won`t believe the four letter words he used when he talks about what`s going on in the country. Made us even say what was that? We`ll have them coming up.
HAMMER: Plus the lovely Julia Louis-Dreyfus. All eyes on her tonight and SHOWBIZ TONIGHT has her right here live.
VARGAS: And SHOWBIZ TONIGHT has another treat. Start your engines. We have your first look at the new animated film everyone`s waiting to see. "Cars."
HAMMER: "Failure to Launch" lifted off topping this weekend`s box office in final figures just out this afternoon. The Matthew McConaughey and Sarah Jessica Parker romantic comedy took in $24 million in its opening weekend.
Remakes also made it big this weekend. Tim Allen`s redo of the "Shaggy Dog" came in second. The remake of "The Hills Have Eyes" came in third. Bruce Willis with his thriller,"16 Blocks" came in fourth place rounding out the top five family reunion and rounding out the top five, "Medea`s Family Reunion." It dropped down from first to fifth.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
VARGAS: Welcome back to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. I`m Sibila Vargas in Hollywood and this is TV`s only live entertainment news show.
Well, tonight George Clooney`s outraged about the Iraq War and he`s cursing Democrats, literally. On the "Huffington Post," the blog where many celebrities sound off, the Oscar-winning actor of the controversial "Syriana" writes, "In 2003 a lot of us were saying, where is the link between Saddam and bin Laden? What does Iraq have to do with 9/11. We knew it was B.S., which is why it drives me crazy to hear all these Democrats saying, "We were misled.
"It makes me want to shout," blank "you. You weren`t misled. You were afraid of being called unpatriotic."
That`s not all. Clooney added he`s proud to be a liberal and that too many people run away from that label.
HAMMER: Well, tonight in the "Showbiz Sitdown" we are talking to the one and only Julia Louis-Dreyfus. She shot to fame, of course, as Elaine on "Seinfeld" and now her new sitcom, "The New Adventures of the Old Christine," premiering on CBS.
Julia, it is so cool to have you on the program.
JULIA LOUIS-DREYFUS, ACTRESS: Thank you. It is so cool to be here.
HAMMER: How great is that? I picked up my "New York Post" today. A "New York Post" critic who don`t always have a good thing to say about everything writes, among other things, about your show. "It smells like a winner. It only gets funnier each week."
LOUIS-DREYFUS: Isn`t that something? I`m freaking out. I can`t believe it.
HAMMER: You must be very excited.
LOUIS-DREYFUS: I`m out of my mind. Out of my mind.
HAMMER: And things are so different than they used to be. Because when "Seinfeld" hit the air it didn`t catch on right away. But they gave it like four years.
LOUIS-DREYFUS: Yeah. It took about four years to be an instant hit.
HAMMER: Heather Graham had a show recently called "Emily`s Reason`s Why Not." The show was wildly promoted. One episode, they yanked it off the air.
LOUIS-DREYFUS: Yes.
HAMMER: Is it nerve wracking to you or is it just the nature of the business and you just have to go with the flow?
LOUIS-DREYFUS: Sure it`s nerve wracking if I let it be. Like how we are talking about it right now. Now I`m .
HAMMER: I`m making you nervous.
LOUIS-DREYFUS: Now you are giving me an anxiety attack but I can`t really focus on that. Because otherwise I`ll go insane. And so -- really, I will nuts. And never get out of my house. And so instead I have to focus on the work. And focus on the work. Focus on the work. And I`m really proud of this show. And it makes me laugh and people that I work with seem to be having a good time. So, you know .
HAMMER: But to have found a show that you could feel this way about has to be so terrific. Because I am certain that for years and certainly all the years probably before Seinfeld went off the air scripts were constantly landing on your desk. And finding the right one has to be very difficult. How do you choose?
LOUIS-DREYFUS: Well, it is difficult. And you choose by trusting your instincts. And I really was trying to develop a show in which to play a mother for about a year. And -- because I am a mom. And I thought well, you know, this is something that I know well. And then this script written by Carrie Lizer (ph) came to me fully formed. And I read the first page which was my character leaving herself a message at 2:00 in the morning because she can`t sleep. Giving herself a list of things to do for the next day so she doesn`t forget.
And I thought oh my God that is so my life. I`m totally signing up for this. And it just keeps getting funnier and funnier.
HAMMER: And that seems to be the thing about the show. I think a lot of people will totally identify with it because in it you play this divorced mom of an eight-year-old. You happen to be the mom of a child eight years old?
LOUIS-DREYFUS: Yes. That`s right.
HAMMER: And you are dealing with the fact that you have this ex- husband who has this young girlfriend. Who`s Christine, as well. That`s the new Christine. You are the old Christine. But again something so many people say hey, wait. That`s my life.
LOUIS-DREYFUS: And that`s what Carrie in writing the show and creating the show and I both -- this is what appeals to us so much about this concept. Was showing sort of a real woman. A real mother. Imperfect. Warts and all. It`s very -- there`s a lot of humiliation. And it`s very self-deprecating. And I like the tone of that. I wanted to show somebody that despite very, very good intentions, messing up all the time. And making a fool of herself. And you know, that`s funny.
HAMMER: And something that you do very well. I have to say.
And I understand that brilliant comedian, "Seinfeld" co-creator Larry David signed off on this script. He actually saw it before you went ahead and did it?
LOUIS-DREYFUS: Yes, I actually did. Yeah. I sent it to him. I sent it to a few of my close friends including Larry to say am I crazy? Is this as good as I think it is? He said yeah, I think this is fantastic.
HAMMER: That is not a bad endorsement to have.
LOUIS-DREYFUS: No, it is not.
HAMMER: Best of luck with the show, Julia.
LOUIS-DREYFUS: Thank you very much.
HAMMER: Thanks for stopping by. Appreciate it.
Two episodes of "The New Adventures of the Old Christine." The pilot and bonus episode tonight on CBS.
VARGAS: Well, ladies and gentlemen, start your engines for tonight`s "Showbiz Showcase." The folks at Pixar are ready to unveil "Cars." It`s the animated feature starring Owen Wilson and Paul Newman who knows a thing or two about cars. And tonight we have the first look at the trailer.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
(MUSIC)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Faster than fast, burning quick, I am lightning.
(MUSIC)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Where am I?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You are in Radiator Springs. The cutest little town in Carburetor County.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: How about some organic fuel?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Take a car wash, hippie.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE : Look, I`m the famous race car. I`m a precision instrument with speed and aerodynamics.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You hurt your what?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I know his type. Race car.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don`t mean to be rude here. But you probably go to 60 in what, 3.5 years?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh. When was the last time you cared about something except yourself hot rod?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Don`t you big city race cars ever just need to drive?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Holy Porsche.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hey. Do I spot a little pin striping tattoo back there?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh, you saw that?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: How does a Porsche wind up in a place like this?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I fell in love.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, Corvette?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hey there.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You know her?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: She`s my fiancee.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Just kidding. She just likes me for my body.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VARGAS: And my little guys totally will love that.
Well, some of the other voices that might have heard. Tony Shalhoub, Michael Keaton, Cheech Marin, George Carlin, Katherine Helmond and John Ratzenberger.
HAMMER: Well, by now I hope you have heard we here at SHOWBIZ TONIGHT are taking a stand. We say that Paris Hilton`s 15 minutes of fame, they are done. We would like to know what you think as well. That`s why we`ve been asking our SHOWBIZ TONIGHT question of the day. Paris Hilton, are her 15 minutes of fame over?
Here`s our vote so far. By the way SHOWBIZ TONIGHT master control has said the response astounding tonight. Look at that, 89 percent of you agree in the press that you say yes, her 15 minutes are over, 11 percent of you say no. She has got a little more time on the clock. We got a bunch of emails. So many in fact can`t get to them all.
But we heard from Lynn, she is in Illinois. She agrees with us. "Please make Paris Hilton go away, Lynn says. I voted her 15 minutes are up and I would appreciate anything you could do to speed this along."
We`re trying, Lynn. Also from Carl in Georgia who writes, "She is not a good role model to young women who view her as an idol. She represents herself as a lazy, unintelligent individual who relies on her looks and last name to succeed in life." Well said, Carl.
Keep voting at cnn.com/showbiztonight and SHOWBIZ TONIGHT will be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
VARGAS: And now a SHOWBIZ TONIGHT birthday shout out where we give fans the chance to wish their stars happy birthday. Tonight we`re sending one big happy birthday to our sweet 16 singer Neil Sedaka, who is celebrating his 67th birthday today.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I am Anthony Stiles (ph), I would like to wish Neil Sedaka a happy birthday. Thanks for all the music, all the writing. You`re a wonderful artist. We all love you. Thank you.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: Time now to see what`s coming up on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT tomorrow. Let`s take a look at our "Showbiz Marquis."
"Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman" has a new prescription. This time for love. Jane Seymour will tell us how somewhere in time she is taming the modern man. When she joins us live.
And we here at SHOWBIZ TONIGHT definitely looking forward to this live reunion. In fact I wish I could blink and make it happen right now. Larry Hagman and Barbara Eden. Genie and of course, Major Nelson of "I Dream of Genie." They are going to join us live in our studio. It is now out of the bottle how you too can dream of genie.
They will tell us how live tomorrow. That is it for SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. Thank you so much for watching. I am A.J. Hammer live in New York.
VARGAS: And I`m Sibila Vargas live in Hollywood. Stay tuned for the latest from CNN Headline News. Thanks for tuning in.
END
