Return to Transcripts main page
Showbiz Tonight
"South Park" Angers Christians; Is Tom Cruise Publicity Going to Hurt His Career?; Reality Show Features Men Deciding on Priesthood
Aired April 14, 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: New information about Tom Cruise, Katie Holmes, their baby and religion. I`m A.J. Hammer in New York.
BROOKE ANDERSON, CO-HOST: And a new reality show asks perspective priests to choose between God and the girl. I`m Brooke Anderson in Hollywood. TV`s only hour-long entertainment news show starts right now.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
HAMMER (voice-over): On SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, "South Park" censored, and it`s all because of the Prophet Muhammad, Jesus Christ and President Bush.
WILLIAM DONOHUE, THE CATHOLIC LEAGUE: They take a cheap shot at Christ during Holy Week, and they think that we`re going to sit around and smile about it.
HAMMER: You heard right and you won`t believe what came next. Tonight, has "South Park" finally gone too far?
Men at Work. Can you really judge a man by his job? A new book gives the low-down on what it`s like to date everyone from a lawyer and a doctor to a musician and an electrician. But does a job make a man for a woman? Tonight, we`ve got the author in the interview you`ll see only on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: Hi, there, I`m Brooke Anderson in Hollywood.
HAMMER: I`m A.J. Hammer in New York City.
Brooke, what do you get when you put together Jesus Christ, the Prophet Muhammad, President Bush and censorship?
ANDERSON: I don`t know, A.J. Could it be a "South Park" episode?
HAMMER: Exactly right. And let me tell you, the heat is definitely on tonight in a big way. There`s raging controversy over what the "South Park" boys did and for good reason.
SHOWBIZ TONIGHT`s Sibila Vargas is in Hollywood tonight.
SIBILA VARGAS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Leave it to the guys in "South Park" to ignite a religious controversy on the Holy Week of Passover and Good Friday. This time, they`re taking a topic that is so controversial, it`s actually led to scores of people being killed. We`re talking about those Danish cartoons featuring the Islamic Prophet Muhammad. And the whole thing is getting the "South Park" treatment, and the reaction is far from funny.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A cartoon. A cartoon is about to air on American television with -- with the Muslim Prophet Muhammad as a character.
VARGAS (voice-over): Controversy has once again come to "South Park." "South Park" creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone are taking on the use of religious symbols, and religious groups are not laughing.
DONOHUE: Matt Stone and Trey Park are horrors. They are prostitutes.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Come on, people. Do you really think anybody is going to be that pissed off about a cartoon?
VARGAS: The outrage stems from this week`s "South Park" episode, which satirizes the worldwide protests that erupted earlier this year after a Danish newspaper featured images of the Islamic Prophet Muhammad.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Sir, just think about what you`re doing to free speech.
VARGAS: One of the boys tries to persuade the FOX network not to censor an episode of another animated show, "The Family Guy", that features the Prophet Muhammad.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Remember the time I got a salmon helmet from Muhammad while wearing a toga? Come in, Muhammad.
VARGAS: Here`s where it gets interesting. Comedy Central really did ban "South Park" creator from showing the image of Muhammad, and that led "South Park" to accuse its own network of hypocrisy by using another religious icon.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Look at me, I`m Jesus.
VARGAS: Because we don`t want trouble with our own network, we won`t show you what the Jesus and President Bush figures do next, but suffice it to say, it has Catholic groups plenty upset at "South Park`s" creators.
DONAHUE: You know what they are? They`re cowards. The hypocrites are not the people at Comedy Central. The hypocrites are Parker and Stone. If they`re men of principle, they should resign immediately and say, "Listen, this is out of character. We`re not going to put up with this." Instead, they take a cheap shot at Christ during Holy Week, and they think that we`re going to sit around and smile about it.
VARGAS: Comedy Central is defending its decision to black out the Muhammad picture. In a statement to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, the network says, quote, "In light of recent world events, we feel we made the right decision."
Just last month, Comedy Central pulled a repeat of another "South Park" episode, the one that makes fun of Scientology and Tom Cruise.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What`s going on?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Tom Cruise won`t come out of the closet.
VARGAS: But this Muhammad controversy is a lot more inflammatory: the real-life protests that erupted when had Danish newspaper published the Muhammad cartoon stretched from Iran to New York City.
Other networks, including CNN, decided not to show those controversial cartoons. CNN senior editor for Arab affairs Octavia Nasr has spent a great deal of time talking to people in the Muslim world about the Danish cartoon controversy.
OCTAVIA NASR, CNN ARAB AFFAIRS EDITOR: They tell you very clearly it`s not necessarily the depiction of the prophet. It`s in what way he`s being depicted. If it`s in a way that ridicules the prophet, that`s not accepted. If it`s in a way that disrespects the prophet in any way, that`s not accepted, and that`s going to bring in an outrage.
VARGAS: "South Park" creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone aren`t commenting publicly on this issue, but they may very well have made their comment in the episode.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If you don`t show Muhammad, then you`ve made a distinction between what is OK to poke fun at and what isn`t. Either it`s all OK or none of it is.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Let this be our final battle.
VARGAS: And so it goes, the latest smack fight between free speech concerns, religious sensibilities and corporate responsibility.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VARGAS: Comedy Central has had its issues with "South Park`s" takes on religion before. Now last year, the network pulled a rerun of an episode called "Bloody Mary" that featured a bleeding Virgin Mary statue. Certainly know how to push that envelope.
A.J., back to you.
HAMMER: There are some say that they`re just doing what they know how to do best.
VARGAS: Masters at it.
HAMMER: SHOWBIZ TONIGHT`s Sibila Vargas from Hollywood. Thanks lot.
ANDERSON: Well, you just saw Tom Cruise on the business end of "South Park`s" creators, and you also all know that Tom and fiance Katie Holmes are expecting a baby any time now.
In an interview airing on ABC News` "Prime Time", Cruise told Diane Sawyer, among other things, that Katie, who was a Catholic, has converted to Scientology. Cruise also reveals to Sawyer that they do not plan on baptizing their baby.
Cruise, who bought a sonogram for the pregnancy, told Sawyer exactly how the baby looked in the womb.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TOM CRUISE, ACTOR: It`s really beautiful, because the baby`s moving and you see arms go across, and I know, and feet.
DIANE SAWYER, HOST, ABC`S "PRIME TIME": From the sonograms.
CRUISE: From the sonograms that I have attached to her 24 hours a day.
SAWYER: Too many sonograms?
CRUISE: I know. No. It`s cool. Don`t worry. I read the manual. I got it all under control here.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: All under control. Diane Sawyer`s full interview with Tom Cruise airs tonight on ABC`s "Prime Time."
HAMMER: From an interview with "Parade" magazine to "GQ" to Diane Sawyer, it`s been Cruise, Cruise, Cruise everywhere this week. Joining me here in New York to talk more Cruise, Nicki Gostin from "Newsweek" magazine is here to talk about how much Cruise is out there.
Nice to see you, Nicki.
NICKI GOSTIN, "NEWSWEEK": Hi.
HAMMER: We have heard Tom Cruise talk about some pretty personal stuff, a lot of it just over the last week alone. From abuse he received from his father when he was a kid to his sex life.
Now this is a guy who used to be one of the most private movie stars in the world. Is he finally deciding he can just say whatever the heck he wants, because it doesn`t matter to him anymore? Or is it really all to garner attention for "Mission: Impossible 3"?
GOSTIN: Well, he was always very famous for being very tight-lipped, like you say, and controlling of his career and how much information he put out. And then he got rid of his long-time publicist and put in his sister, and that`s when "Oprah" happened and all his outpourings of emotion and his intense behavior.
He`s now got a new publicist, but still, it doesn`t seem to have reined him in at all. He seems just as sort of out there.
HAMMER: And you mentioned the "Oprah" incident, among other things, jumping on the couch...
GOSTIN: Right.
HAMMER: ... in a fit of passion. This is something he talked about in the headline-making interview in "GQ" magazine. He also talked about how he bashed Brooke Shields and would happily do it again because of her taking drugs for post-partum.
GOSTIN: Right. No regrets whatsoever.
HAMMER: His talks on psychiatry, the interview with Matt Lauer, all of that. Is he so Teflon that everything just sort of rolls off of him, and as long as he keeps making movies that people love, that`s fine?
GOSTIN: I don`t think so. I mean, I think his -- I think he`s really taken a hit in the last year that we`re talking about him like this. I think a lot of people think he`s a little nutty, because he`s acted sort of so weirdly and out of control.
HAMMER: See, I`m sensing that, too, just from talking to people. When they see him come up on the screen, they`re not that enthusiastic the way they -- everybody used to love Tom Cruise.
GOSTIN: Right.
HAMMER: I`m not hearing that so much anymore. And of course, in the interview with Diane Sawyer, Tom reveals -- and this is a pretty big shock -- Katie Holmes now a Scientologist.
GOSTIN: Exactly.
HAMMER: OK. So we saw that coming; we know that`s happening. She`s pretty young. She`s been through a lot in the last year, to say the least. Is she going to wake up a couple years from now and say, "What the heck happened?"
GOSTIN: Well, I mean, it certainly seems she`s under some type of -- I don`t know -- brainwashing almost. I mean, she just seems almost robotic, and journalists who have interviewed Tom Cruise have noted that, that she just sort of smiles all the time and doesn`t seem to be real. So, yes, it`s sort of interesting to see what will happen when she gets a little older, because she is very young.
HAMMER: And so that begs the question, you know, you and I are having this chat in five, 10 years from now, and there are those who say the whole relationship is for publicity. Who knows about that?
GOSTIN: Right.
HAMMER: Five, 10 years from now, any chance these guys are still together? Can we speculate a little?
GOSTIN: No, because really, I mean, who knows? And also, I mean, going out for publicity purposes happens all the time. But actually having a kid is sort of a major investment in publicity, I think. So...
HAMMER: Well, look, here we are giving them more publicity right now. Nicki Gostin, thanks for joining us on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
GOSTIN: Thank you.
ANDERSON: A good question for you. Do you think you can really judge a man by his job? A new dating guide book says yes, you can. We will talk to the author of "Men at Work", coming up.
HAMMER: Plus, a controversial new reality show asks prospective priests to choose between God and the girl. We`re going to talk to the young men who are in that position. That`s coming up in the interview you`ll see only on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I`m the only one in this room special enough that I know how to carry and apply force (ph). I`m the only...
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: A DEA agent shoots himself in the foot while telling kids not to play with loaded guns. It`s an unbelievable story, and that is still ahead on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
HAMMER: First here comes tonight`s "`Entertainment Weekly` Great American Pop Culture Quiz." In the award winning documentary "Supersize Me", how much weight does Morgan Spurlock gain? Was it 14 pounds, 18.5 pounds, 24.5 pounds or 28.5 pounds? Hang out. We`re coming right back with the answer.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Music under. We have a look at the new reality series "God or the Girl" in just a second. But first, the quiz answer from A.J. Dissolve four, go.
HAMMER: I have the quiz answer right now. Tonight`s "`Entertainment Weekly` Great American Pop Culture Quiz." We`re asking, in the award winning documentary "Supersize Me", how much weight does director Morgan Spurlock gain? Was it 14 pounds, 18.5 pounds, 24.5 pounds or 28.5 pounds? The answer, "C," 24.5 pounds.
ANDERSON: Maybe you`ll think twice about eating French fries, but I just can`t resist.
OK. Welcome back to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, TV`s only hour-long entertainment news show. I`m Brooke Anderson.
A.J., it`s time for the story today that made us say, "That is ridiculous." This one`s also a little bit disgusting.
HAMMER: I actually am not going to look at my monitor while I tell you about this. It is something called "The Roach Broach." That`s right, "The Roach Broach."
This, apparently, the brain child of fashion designer in Salt Lake City, who`s selling what you`re seeing. These giant Madagascar hissing cockroaches. Those are real crystals. Those are actually Swarovski crystals that are glued to their shells, and they`re alive.
ANDERSON: They`re alive. They`re crawling around. The broach has a silver chain on it, so the cockroach, which is about three inches long and does, in fact, hiss can crawl around on your shoulder as you see it doing. You can buy the roach broach online for, A.J., $80.
HAMMER: All right. I`m on board with PETA, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals. They had an interesting comment about "The Roach Broach". They said it would make a great gift for a person who doesn`t mind a small defenseless animal excreting on them throughout the day. That`s why we say, "That`s ridiculous."
ANDERSON: That is ridiculous, disgusting and distracting, something crawling around. Yikes.
HAMMER: Let`s move on, then. Imagine this: you`re 20 something years old, and you have a choice to make. Surely, we`ve all had to make tough choices in life.
But what if your choice was between the love and companionship of a significant other or a commitment to God and a celibate lifestyle? Well, now imagine making that decision on national television? That`s what some 20-something guys are, in fact, doing. It`s a new A&E reality series, which documents their lives as they make that final decision. The series, called "God or the Girl". I sat down with three of those men.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
HAMMER: All right, Steve, you first. You`re 26 years old.
STEVE HORVATH, FEATURED ON "GOD OR THE GIRL": Yes.
HAMMER: Had a nice life going for yourself. You had a good-paying job making a decent amount of money.
HORVATH: Yes.
HAMMER: Driving a decent car, living in a nice house.
HORVATH: Yes, all those things.
HAMMER: You decided to give all of that up to become a missionary at the University of Nebraska.
HORVATH: Correct.
HAMMER: Why is that?
HORVATH: Well, basically, I came to a point in my life where I had a profound experience. I understood that I didn`t have control over my life, things that were going to happen and that I could lose it at any moment. And it made me rethink my priorities in life. And all this stuff, actually, that the world said made me a successful person didn`t make me happy on the inside.
And then I met a guy who was a missionary, and he had what I was looking for: true happiness and peace in his life. That`s what I want.
HAMMER: So you realized the money, the job, the title, not really what`s important?
HORVATH: It didn`t make it for me.
HAMMER: Well, Joe, you`re 28 years old. Your bio says that you have now tried three times to decide whether or not you should actually enter the priesthood. It also goes on to say that you`re unlucky in love.
Now, if you look at the title of this television show, well, says it right there, God or the Girl". Now, obviously, the decision to enter the priesthood is about so much more than celibacy or not, or to be celibate or not. But the name of the show would make us think that`s what the show is all about. True? Not true?
JOE ADAIR, FEATURED ON "GOD OR THE GIRL": Well, from my experience, I went to a college seminary, so that was one of the tries you were referring to. And I also looked at a religious order.
So in those two experiences, it`s been a struggle for me to grapple with the issue of celibacy. And I think that comes across in the show very well.
And I think it`s also important to note that the title of the show that you were referring to a moment ago, "God or the Girl". In a sense, I think that that -- that can be a bit inaccurate, as all the vocations that one might choose, be it a priest or religious or as a married person or as a single person. All those things lead to God. All vocations lead to God. So...
HAMMER: It does -- it does sound like it`s one or the other. And for you, you`re, in fact, saying, that was one of the primary things that you`d been troubled by.
ADAIR: It is one of the primary things.
HAMMER: If you can lead a life of celibacy, and if can`t, then you can`t go forward with what you`re pursuing here.
ADAIR: It is my primary struggle.
HAMMER: OK, well, what about you, Dan? You`re 21 years old, and you actually live with a bunch of celibate guys so you`re probably not sitting around making up stories about, you know, what happened on your date last night in terms of the things...
ADAIR: Very good point.
HAMMER: Fort Zion, the name, it`s kind of like a frat house, right?
DAN DEMATTE, FEATURED IN "GOD OR THE GIRL": Yes.
HAMMER: And I imagine you don`t have the keggers and things like that going on.
DEMATTE: No, we don`t.
HAMMER: What`s life like at this Fort Zion?
DEMATTE: Well, I mean, we open every day with prayer, and we close every day with prayer together as a brotherhood. And we share meals together. We try to build a family almost. And our relationships are founded on Christ, but we`re still normal guys. Last Thursday, we were playing ultimate Frisbee in the rain.
HAMMER: You`re cranking up the loud music and are you throwing some parties and staying up all night?
DEMATTE: We have a band in our attic that we jam with, but...
HAMMER: Actually think we see you with a guitar at one point.
DEMATTE: Not me, my buddy. I can`t play, I`m tone deaf. We don`t -- I mean, we -- we look at women as our sisters in Christ, and we see the beauty and dignity we have. And we respect them, and we don`t objectify them. And we don`t find our worth and we don`t find happiness, if you will, in this hedonistic society that tries to find it in alcohol, sex.
HAMMER: There`s a little bit of hedonism that goes on on college campuses, from what I understand.
So let me ask you this question, and this is the thing that strikes me as the most interesting. The decision to enter the priesthood, obviously one of the most personal decisions you`ll ever make in your life. Yet you are doing it in front of a national television audience.
Why would you want to do that? Why would you want it to play out for the world to see when this is something in your heart and in your mind?
HORVATH: Personally for me, a verse came to mind that said, to whom much has been given, much will be asked or much will be required. And for me, I never even thought about the priesthood until I actually saw some normal guys with other opportunities who actually were thinking about this track for life, and that opened me up to the possibility of maybe I should be open to it. And so...
HAMMER: So Joe, was it sort of like that for you, getting the message out of what you`re struggling with to other people so they know they`re not alone?
ADAIR: Yes, it was. In the beginning, I hesitated before doing this before saying yes. But I took that to prayer, and I received a consolation about that, that I should do this. And it`s my hope that the show is good for the church and will help other people perhaps asking the same questions or looking at commitment issues in their own lives.
HAMMER: I know you can`t reveal what ends up happening at the end of the show because the whole series has been shot already. Are you all happy with your decision?
ADAIR: Yes.
HAMMER: No regrets?
DEMATTE: No.
VARGAS: I`m not hearing it, Steve.
HORVATH: No regrets.
HAMMER: Thank you very much, Dan, Joe, Steve, thanks.
HORVATH: Thanks for having us.
DEMATTE: Thank you.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HAMMER: You can you see it all unfold. "God or the Girl" premieres this Sunday on A&E.
ANDERSON: OK. Can what a man does for a living tell you how he`s going to act on a date? A new book says you can judge the man by his job. The author of "Men at Work" coming up in the interview you will see only on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
Plus...
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I`m the only one in this room special enough that I know how to carry and apply force (ph). I`m the only...
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: A DEA agent lecturing kids about not playing with loaded guns shoots himself in the foot. It`s an unbelievable story, and it`s still ahead on business SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
ANDERSON: Plus, a disturbing new movie about child predators online. We`ll get a review of "Hard Candy" and other new movies in theaters this weekend. That`s coming up in "Picks and Pans". Stay with us.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A lot of Internet buzz about this new movie, "Snakes on a Plane." We`ll tell you about it right after the break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HAMMER: The weekend is here. And now it is time to get into this week`s "SHOWBIZ Guide". Tonight for "People`s Picks and Pans: New Movies," we`re talking about three quirky little films, "Kinky Boots," "Hard Candy," and "The Notorious Betty Page."
Here with her take on all three, "People" magazine movie critic, the notorious Leah Rozen.
Nice to see you, Leah.
LEAH ROZEN, MOVIE CRITIC, "PEOPLE" MAGAZINE: Nice to see you, A.J.
HAMMER: Let`s get into this first one, "Kinky Boots", which looks like a feel-good kind of film.
ROZEN: It is. This is one of those little charming, eccentric films the British and the Irish do so well, and yet, in some ways, it feels familiar. It`s this young man. A sort of stodgy young Englishman inherits his father`s shoe factory. It`s not doing that well.
He comes up with the idea of making shoes for transvestites. This is an underserved market, you know, real stiletto, leather red boots.
HAMMER: That is a niche market.
ROZEN: And he gets a transvestite to give him some real tips on it. It`s a fun movie. Audiences like it a lot. But you can`t help feeling, you know, I`ve seen this kind of thing before. Just not with the transvestite twist.
HAMMER: OK, you got to add a transvestite twist to make it a little different.
Let`s talk about "Hard Candy." Love on the Internet. It`s everywhere, and now it`s in this film.
ROZEN: Yes. This is kind of a scary movie without being sort of -- without having blood all over the screen. I mean, this is one of these sort of thoughtful scary movies.
A young woman, a couple meets in a cafe. Slightly older man, Patrick Wilson, young teenage girl, Ellen Page. They`ve met on the Internet. Now they go to his house where, it turns out, she has quite an agenda.
It is one of those movies that shows that which you don`t see. You only are thinking of in your mind what`s happening on the screen is even scarier than what you might see on the screen.
Half of this movie is very effective. The second half, though, you sort of go, what is this about and why? You kind of go, what`s the point of the movie? It does what it does well, but what`s the point?
HAMMER: Twists and turns.
OK. Let`s move finally onto "The Notorious Betty Page", a true sex symbol icon of the late `50s, right?
ROZEN: Biopic about a model. Betty Page was a model, sort of cheesecake, much of it nude, much of it in bondage. The film, though, you know, there is nothing in some ways more boring on screen than a movie about sex in which there`s really not any sex.
It`s just -- you kind of keep sitting there going, "Shouldn`t this be more fun? Shouldn`t this be more intriguing?" Gretchen Moll plays Betty Page. She does a pretty good job. But at the end of it, it`s kind of just a big nothing.
HAMMER: Because there`s no sex, apparently. Thank you, Leah.
ROZEN: You`re welcome.
HAMMER: "People" magazine movie critic, Leah Rozen. For more picks and pans, your copy of "People" magazine is on newsstands now.
ANDERSON: Speaking of movies, how did bloggers make a major studio rewrite some dialogue for Samuel L. Jackson? Well, it`s a slippery story of the movie called "Snakes on a Plane." And that`s coming up.
HAMMER: Plus, what do you think? Can you really judge a man by his job? Well, there`s a new dating guide book that says, yes, you can. We`re going to talk to the author of "Men at Work". That`s ahead on the interview you`ll see only on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I`m the only one in this room special enough that I know how to carry and apply force (ph). I`m the only...
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Ouch. A DEA agent shoots himself in the leg while telling kids not to play with loaded guns. It`s truly an unbelievable story, and that is still ahead on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. We`ll be right back, so keep it here.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HAMMER: And welcome back to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT for a Friday night. It is 31 minutes past the hour. I`m A.J. Hammer in New York City.
ANDERSON: And I`m Brooke Anderson in Hollywood, and you are watching TV`s only hour-long entertainment news show.
HAMMER: Well, Brooke, tonight we`re asking the question: Does a job make the man? Does the kind of a job that a guy has determine what kind of a guy he is? Did that make sense?
ANDERSON: Kind of.
HAMMER: Well, that`s the theme of a new book called "Men at Work." We`re going to deal with that. It`s almost the weekend; what do you want?
ANDERSON: It`s interesting to talk about what really defines people, A.J.
And also, the film, "Snakes on a Plane," A.J., it`s already a huge success in cyberspace months before it`s due to be released in theaters. In fact, the fan frenzy online even motivated the film studio to add a line of dialogue for star Samuel L. Jackson, and we`ll tell you what that line is in that story coming up in just a few minutes.
HAMMER: "Snakes on a Plane."
But first, tonight, one of the most popular videos that`s circulating out on the Web. It certainly is entertaining for some, but it is certainly no laughing matter for the person actually caught on the tape. The video shows drug enforcement agent Lee Paige accidentally shooting himself in the thigh while teaching a class of kids all about gun safety.
Well, now he`s suing the government for leaking the tape. That officer, Lee Paige, is with us tonight from Orlando, Florida, along with his attorney, Ward Meythaler.
Gentlemen, I appreciate you being with us tonight. Now, of course, before we can talk about the tape, we got to take a quick look at the tape. It is truly unbelievable. Let`s roll that.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LEE PAIGE, DEA AGENT: I`m the only one in this room professional enough that I know of who carries a Glock .40. I`m the only...
(BANG)
Hold on. Is everybody all right? You all right?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: It`s just amazing to see, and I`ve seen it a few times by now, as have many people. The grand irony, of course, with what happened is the fact that, in the midst of this gun safety demo, where, Lee, you had just said, "I`m the only one in the room that I know of professional enough to carry a Glock .40," and then it goes off. What was going through your head when that gun fired?
PAIGE: Well, basically I had an accidental discharge, which was an accident. And that`s what was going through my head.
HAMMER: I mean, was it a moment of panic for you? Were you thinking, "Oh, my god, what am I going to do? I don`t want to frighten the kids"?
PAIGE: Well, I`m a professional, and I just leaned to my professional experience. And I wanted to remain calm and make sure that the kids were OK initially. And at that point, I just followed protocol. We have specific things that we have to do regarding accidental discharges. The only unfortunate aspect of it was that I was in a classroom setting and I shot myself.
HAMMER: What actually went wrong? And is it correct that you had thought the gun was not loaded at the time?
PAIGE: Certainly. In fact, I did empty the weapon, cleared it -- it was clear -- and let the slide forward with the magazine in it before I dropped the magazine, which seeded another round. And that`s what happened.
HAMMER: And it is clear that you fell back on your professionalism, because you did do your best, and kept everybody calm, and really actually continued on with your demonstration. Now, this happened two years ago. This video has now been circulating on the Internet for quite a while. When did you first learn that it had become a viral video and was out there on the Internet?
PAIGE: Well, I became aware of it just weeks and days after it occurred. It was put on the interoffice system with DEA, their Web site, and then it found its way outside to the general public.
HAMMER: Now, I took a look at the complaint that your attorney has filed. It mentions the thousands of times that this has been seen. And to give people an idea of how many people have seen this thing, I understand you were actually in an airport recently and you were recognized from the video?
PAIGE: Yes. I was actually walking through the airport in Nassau, Bahamas, and was recognized as early as yesterday. A young lady in a local business in Tampa walked up to me and asked me if I was the individual that shot myself.
HAMMER: That has to be freaky for you, and I want to bring your attorney in.
Ward, this tape was confiscated by the DEA after the accident occurred. It was used as part of an internal investigation. So how the heck did it wind up on the Internet?
WARD MEYTHALER, ATTORNEY FOR LEE PAIGE: First of all, I`m compelled by the DEA to mention at this point that the recollections and opinions of Mr. Paige of those of him and him alone and not the DEA`s, and he`s not here as a spokesperson for the DEA.
HAMMER: OK.
MEYTHALER: We know that the tape was in the exclusive control of the DEA when it was leaked, but we don`t know specifically who did it or why at this point. But we expect to determine that during discovery during the lawsuit.
HAMMER: And, Lee, it has to -- or, Paige, it has to be terribly embarrassing for you in a way, and you`ve said that your life and your career are in danger as a result of the tape being leaked out there. So what exactly do you mean by that, and especially your life being in danger?
PAIGE: Well, I`ve arrested a lot of different people. I`ve testified in open court and internationally, as well as domestically. And there`s a lot of people that are incarcerated at this point in time.
I`ve had threats made against me in the past. I`ve done a great deal of dangerous undercover operations, which lends to say that I may have some problems. Threats are made every day.
HAMMER: Well, it certainly is understandable why you want to put this thing to rest or at least get some, you know, sort of compensation for what you`ve been through as a result of it being out there. And I appreciate you talking with us about it here on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. Agent Lee Paige and attorney Ward Meythaler, we appreciate you being with us from Orlando.
MEYTHALER: Thank you.
ANDERSON: All right. An upcoming movie called "Snakes on a Plane" is every bad dream rolled into one, but that seems to be a good thing. You see, even though the film is months away from opening, its catchy title and premise are creating word of mouse -- get it, word-of-mouse marketing. It`s a phenomenon that`s sticking its fangs on the Internet.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SAMUEL L. JACKSON, ACTOR: I`ve had it with these snakes.
ANDERSON (voice-over): A reptilian thriller is slithering throughout the worldwide Web. It`s called "Snakes on a Plane," and legions of fans have been bitten by its campy appeal.
BRIAN FINKELSTEIN, SNAKESONABLOG.COM: The title itself is obviously so kind of simple and so audacious, it tells you exactly what you`re going to get from the movie from day one.
ANDERSON: "Snakes on a Plane," a movie from New Line Cinema, stars Samuel L. Jackson as an FBI agent traveling on a plane full of both passengers and, yes, deadly snakes. Jackson says he was sold on the title alone, and that seems to be the consensus of Web-based fans.
The film, which isn`t scheduled to strike theaters until August, barely has an official Web site. But it`s the blogs that have caught the attention of news organizations, including NPR, "The Washington Post," "The Chicago Tribune," and "The Hollywood Reporter."
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (singing): Samuel L. Jackson won`t save you from the snake.
ANDERSON: By doing a simple Web search, you can find many fan tributes to "Snakes on a Plane," music videos...
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (rapping): I`m not even ready for an in-flight meal, but if I got to get real, I`m eating snakes like veal.
ANDERSON: ... mock film trailers, t-shirts, hats, posters and comedy routines.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There are snakes on the plane, and they`re biting, and they`re scaring people.
ANDERSON: The online phenomenon was sparked by a blog created by Josh Friedman that featured a made-up line of dialogue for Sam Jackson.
JOSH FRIEDMAN, BLOGGER: There are mother(bleep) snakes on the mother(bleep) plane.
ANDERSON: Before long, "Snake"-aholics demanded it be included in the film. When New Line re-assembled the cast for additional shoots, the expletive-laden line was added, taking the film from PG-13 placement into R-rated territory.
BORYS KIT, "THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER": This is one of the first times that I know of that a studio has gone in to add scenes because of a groundswell of fans clamoring for certain things to be in this movie.
ANDERSON: New Line, owned by Time Warner, which is also the parent company of CNN, says it was not behind the online hype for the movie, but it hopes to see it continue.
The studio told CNN, quote, "We`re delighted that fans have taken early interest. We plan to build on the growing buzz over the next few months."
To that end, New Line contacted "Snakes" fan and Georgetown University law student Brian Finkelstein about the unofficial marketing he`s doing through his Web site, SnakesonaBlog.com.
FINKELSTEIN: All they`ve said to me is that they`re aware of what`s happening online and they heartily endorse it, but they are in no way in control of it. They don`t pay me, for example, but I kind of wish they would.
ANDERSON: "Snakes on a Plane" has already lifted off the runway and sunk its fangs into the Internet, but will it soar to box office heights?
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: And now there`s buzz online that says the title is actually part of English slang, part of the Internet lexicon. For example, someone may say, "Ever since I forgot about the big project, my relationship with my boss is like snakes on a plane," or "That child tripped and fell, snakes on a plane," sort of a c`est la vie phrase.
So, A.J., if there`s ever a sequel, which there might be, what do you think it should be called, "Snakes on Subway," "Snakes on a Bus," something terrifying and very cheesy like that?
HAMMER: Snakes on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. Hey, I was wondering: Did you come up with "Snake"-aholics or was that something that was also already out there?
ANDERSON: Actually, you know, I thought about those fans. And I said they`re "Snake"-aholics. They`re obsessed with this.
HAMMER: I love that.
ANDERSON: And it`s just unbelievable.
HAMMER: That`s so funny.
All right. Let`s move on then. Tiger Woods is now on the defense. We`re going to be telling you how Tiger Woods is getting tamed for a comment he made about his poor putting. What he said is coming up.
Plus, we`ll have this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Actually, I don`t care. I just want a person who`s funny and who will make me happy. You never know what you`re going to get.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: She`s trying to get Mr. Right. But is Mr. Right`s job what makes him Mr. Wrong? The surprising answers to that question, a topic getting a lot of buzz, "Men at Work," when SHOWBIZ TONIGHT continues.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HAMMER: And welcome back to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT for Friday night. TV`s only hour-long entertainment news show is on. I`m A.J. Hammer.
Well, you`ve heard the expression, "Never judge a book by its cover," but what about when it comes to dating men? Should you judge the guy by what he does for a living? Author Wendy Straker thinks you can tell a lot about a guy by what he does for a living, and she wrote the book "Men at Work," this book right here.
It`s all to give girls a chance to really understand guys by their profession. It`s sort of a tour guide through guys at work. So SHOWBIZ TONIGHT hit the streets today. We wanted to talk to women to see if the resume actually makes the man.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
HAMMER (voice-over): In dating, some guys, like Samantha`s potential paramour in "Sex and the City," are aggressive.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I`m aggressive. I run a very successful hedge fund.
HAMMER: And some look good on paper, but there`s always a catch.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Good on paper, bad in bed.
HAMMER: But women of the world rejoice. With this new book, "Men at Work," you can get some insight on a guy by what he does for a living. So we sent SHOWBIZ TONIGHT producer Jenny D`Attoma to find those looking for Mr. Right in the resume.
This woman tried a relationship with a consultant. She told us he didn`t travel much.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: If you`re dating a consultant and he`s not traveling, you should worry.
JENNY D`ATTOMA, CNN SHOWBIZ TONIGHT PRODUCER: So your consultant guy wasn`t traveling a lot? Maybe he wasn`t a very good consultant.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Maybe not.
(LAUGHTER)
HAMMER: And this woman wanted to know what the book said about Wall Street guys.
D`ATTOMA: Wall Street trader? How does that sound?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Well, he works with money, which usually means that he makes a ton of it. That`s a nice perk.
HAMMER: But according to the book, play the market, play the field.
D`ATTOMA: You don`t like players.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No, not at all.
D`ATTOMA: You know, I don`t know any women who like players.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No, I don`t think this is the guy for me.
HAMMER: So, we moved on, and we found a woman who told us it`s a man`s personality that far outweighs his profession for her any day.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Actually, I don`t care. I just want a person who`s funny and who will make me happy. You never know what you`re going to get.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HAMMER: Well, joining us now, the author of "Men at Work," Wendy Straker.
It`s nice to have you here on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
WENDY STRAKER, "MEN AT WORK" AUTHOR: Thank you for having me.
HAMMER: So why exactly did you write the book?
STRAKER: Well, there are so many dating books out there, and yet none of them really address what a guy does for a living. I`m never saying that you should choose a guy based on his career, but I am saying you need to look at his career and his job to understand what it`s going to be like when you date him.
Dating a doctor is completely different than dating a Wall Street trader. And before you think to yourself, oh, the Wall Street trader loves to wine and dine. He takes me out everywhere, the doctor`s always on call. The reality is, it`s not the doctor`s fault, so you got to look at their profession to understand what you`re getting into.
HAMMER: Well, I`m hoping we get some perspective here and that you were able to talk to both men and women, because, you know, there are two sides to the story, and what women want, and what men expect, and what they think their jobs mean.
STRAKER: I actually did. I went in, and I did 21 different careers. And I talked to all the different men in these careers. There`s a section called "He Said" and "She Said." And interestingly enough, the guys actually really wanted to tell women, "Hey, you know, here`s what we need you to know. And here`s why you shouldn`t call me during opening bell or if I`m, you know, a lawyer and I`m about to break a deal, or if I cancel a date at the last minute, it`s not really my fault."
So, these guys were really excited to tell their stories. And then women were actually excited to say, "Hey, you know, to other women out there, this is a mistake I made. This is an assumption I made. You know, get ready for this guy to travel a lot." You know, so it`s actually a really fun guide to what you`re going to get when you`re dating these different guys.
HAMMER: So people can have a real understanding of what to expect. All right, well, then let`s talk about some specific examples. One of the things we always heard the ladies on "Sex and the City" talk about what their hatred of guys not calling back, of not returning the phone call, sitting around waiting for the guy to call.
You cite a musician as one such person guilty, that kind of a career, guilty of that kind of a thing, not calling people back.
STRAKER: Yes, the musician will definitely zone out. A lot of the creative guys forget to charge their cell phone. Their battery dies. You know, the musician will be jamming or writing music, and he`s completely in the zone. And, yes, he`ll completely lose track of time and sometimes forget to call.
HAMMER: So it`s not reflective, necessarily, of how the guy feels or doesn`t feel about you; it`s just it is the nature of his personality.
STRAKER: Right, and that`s the major point of this book and what I want to get across. Not everything a guy does or doesn`t do has to do with whether he`s into you or not into you.
HAMMER: OK. Well, that leads me to the next profession I want to deal with, and we touched on it in our story there, about the Wall Street trader. You know, here`s a guy who potentially -- and this is a little stereotypical -- but may wine and dine you, or take you out to, say, a great tennis match because he`s got great tickets or to a great concert because he gets great tickets. What do you know about a guy based on that being his profession?
STRAKER: Well, interestingly enough, it`s not that stereotypical. These guys get fabulous tickets to different events. The nature of their job is connections and having these connections, and these tickets are placed on their desk sometimes 15 minutes before they call you.
So what you want to be aware of is, even though they take you on these fabulous dates, and they seem so charismatic, and generous, and spontaneous, and sexy, they did just get those tickets mostly likely 15 to 20 minutes before they called you. And sometimes it doesn`t have to do with what they feel.
HAMMER: Hopefully, the guy`s going to cop to it. You yourself are married to a finance guy?
STRAKER: I am.
HAMMER: How`s that working out?
STRAKER: It`s very good. We`re still in the honeymoon-newlywed phase.
HAMMER: So what you got is what you expected, based on what he does for a living?
STRAKER: Yes, well, I understand his career. And I`m very supportive and passionate about it. And he travels a lot. And when he got his BlackBerry and started playing with it all the time, he got me one as a gift. So, you know, there are toys that they`re playing with. You got to get your toys, too, so that...
(CROSSTALK)
HAMMER: ... thoughtful. Your Porsche 911 is on the way, I`m sure. OK, I have less than 20 seconds, but what is the key thing that women need to keep in mind when they`re out there trying to meet Mr. Right?
STRAKER: Look at the guy and his career, and look at the guy`s career to understand what the guy is going to be like. Don`t choose him based on his career, but understand it and be sympathetic.
HAMMER: It can tell you a lot, and this book is the guide. Wendy Straker, thanks for joining us on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
STRAKER: Thank you.
HAMMER: The book is called "Men at Work," and you can find it in book stores now.
STRAKER: And it`s time now to get tonight`s "Hot Headlines." SHOWBIZ TONIGHT`s Sibila Vargas is in the Hollywood newsroom.
Sibila, news on Tiger Woods, right?
VARGAS: That`s right, making headlines. A comment Tiger Woods made and now the Tiger has been tamed. The world`s number-one golfer called himself, quote, "a spaz" for his poor putting in last weekend`s golf Masters.
Now, the thing is, in several countries, spaz is an offensive term for people affected with spastic paralysis. That`s a form of cerebral palsy. Disabled groups around the world complained, and today Tiger apologized saying he meant no offense.
Well, it looks like the Beatles have helped the King of Pop avoid bankruptcy. He re-jiggered his debt and struck a deal with the co-owner of his lucrative song catalog, which includes many of the Beatles` biggest hits. Details of the deal weren`t disclosed; Jackson heavily borrowed money against the catalog to pay off legal bills.
And fans of "American Idol," get ready: You can have "Idol" all the time. There is word tonight that FOX is making "American Idol" available online. Fans complained that they weren`t able to see the show after it aired. Now the number-one show in America will be available the day after it airs on FOX on video on demand and online.
And those are tonight`s "Hot Headlines."
They just can`t get enough of "Idol." I mean, I love the show...
ANDERSON: "Idol" fans everywhere are celebrating. It was only a matter of time for something like this, Sibila.
VARGAS: I love the show, but I must tell you, I am a little burnt out. I love it though.
ANDERSON: You don`t have to see it over and over and over; nor do I.
VARGAS: Exactly.
ANDERSON: OK, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT`s Sibila Vargas in the Hollywood newsroom, thank you.
HAMMER: It`s time now for the "Entertainment Weekly" must-list, five things "EW" says you have to check out this week.
First, see the movie "Brick." It`s a dark, teenage murder mystery. It`s set in an Orange County, California, in a high school. Definitely not "The OC."
Well, next "EW says," check out Candi Staton`s new CD, "His Hands." She returns to her southern R&B, blues and country roots.
Then, grab your copy of the book "My Life in France" by Julia Child. The late queen of cuisine serves up a delectable memoir of her love of France.
And "EW" also says to watch MTV`s new latest reality show. It`s called "8th and Ocean." It`s where teen models come face to face with flinty agents.
Finally, reunite with Lily, Dolly and Jane in the 25th-anniversary edition of "Nine to Five." It`s out on DVD now.
For more on the must-list, grab your copy of "Entertainment Weekly." You`ll find it on newsstands now.
SHOWBIZ TONIGHT is coming right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HAMMER: And welcome back to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, on our Friday night. It`s time now for a birthday shoutout. This is where we give fans a chance to wish their favorite stars a happy birthday.
Tonight, we`re sending one out to singer Loretta Lynn. Unbelievably, Lynn celebrating her 71st birthday today.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
COLIN: Hi, my name is Colin. And I`d like to wish Loretta Lynn a happy birthday. We love your music, and keep on rocking.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: OK, we have reported that shootings involving rappers have prompted Nevada officials to consider banning gangsta rap acts from all college campuses and discourage casinos from booking those acts. We asked you in our "Question of the Day": Rap music: Does it glorify violence?
OK, look at the results of our online poll: 91 percent of you say, yes, it does; 9 percent of you say no.
OK, here are some of the e-mails we`ve received. Margaret from Milwaukee says, "Yes, in particular, gangsta rap music, but let`s be clear. So are video games, movies and TV shows."
And Marlana from Washington writes, "Rap music does not glorify violence any more than love songs glorify promiscuity."
And we do appreciate your e-mails.
HAMMER: That is it for SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. Have an excellent weekend. I`m A.J. Hammer in New York.
ANDERSON: I`m Brooke Anderson in Hollywood. Thanks for watching, everyone. And stay tuned for more from CNN Headline News.
END
