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Showbiz Tonight
Viewers Enraged Over Taped Beating; Ugly Revelations in Charlie Sheen-Denise Richards Divorce
Aired April 25, 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: The Charlie Sheen-Denise Richards divorce war gets worse. I`m A.J. Hammer in New York.
BROOKE ANDERSON, CO-HOST: Plus two famous women live with very strong opinions on this divorce mess, and trust us, they won`t be shy about it. I`m Brooke Anderson in Hollywood. TV`s only live entertainment news show starts right now.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
HAMMER (voice-over): On SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, a teenager beaten by her father, caught on tape by a major TV news show. So how come they didn`t tell anybody? Why didn`t they go to the cops? Tonight, the investigation, the viewer outrage and why Diane Sawyer is saying it won`t happen again.
He brought you "Cops." Now, he`s got the criminals caught on tape.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Put it in that bag. Put it in that bag.
HAMMER: Big Brother is watching as hidden video takes a bite out of crime.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They can`t deny later that it`s them.
HAMMER: Tonight, look out, because SHOWBIZ TONIGHT is bringing you "Video Justice."
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: Hi there, I`m Brooke Anderson live in Hollywood.
HAMMER: I`m A.J. Hammer live in New York City.
Brooke, what we have here could be called the ABCs of what to do if you are ABC and you shot surveillance video of a kid being slapped around by her father.
ANDERSON: You said it right, A.J. Because we`ve got a raging controversy tonight. The ABC News show "Prime Time" showed the video, and viewers became enraged because ABC never let the cops know what happened.
SHOWBIZ TONIGHT`s Sibila Vargas is here with me, live in Hollywood. And she`s got the story, and she`ll show us what happened -- Sibila.
SIBILA VARGAS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, thanks, Brooke.
ABC taped more than a thousand hours of footage of the Nelson family back in 2002. It was all for a story on stepfamilies for the show "Prime Time". The story finally aired this past Friday, and it has caused nothing less than outrage from thousands of viewers who tuned in.
Before we show it to you, though, we should warn you the footage is shocking and powerful.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KYLE NELSON, DAUGHTER: Stop! Stop! Stop!
VARGAS (voice-over): A father beating his 15-year-old daughter.
DON NELSON, FATHER: I have never (expletive deleted) lied to you. Never have I lied to you, you little bitch!
VARGAS: This is the "Prime Time" footage that`s causing a big-time fuss, shown to the public but not reported to the authorities. ABC aired this controversial footage Friday night as part of "Prime Time`s" special focusing on pressures that stepfamilies face. It`s very hard to watch.
It all starts as the Nelsons, a New York family, discuss grades and homework. When things get heated, suddenly it`s an argument, and the father is out of control. He unleashes his fury on his daughter. ABC`s cameras catch the repeated hits.
The daughter, Kyle, screams as her stepmother not only watches from the couch, but pretends to hit her, as well. This particular piece of tape has viewers and authorities outraged. Thousands flooding the ABC web site, angry and disgusted viewers wanting to know why the tape wasn`t handed over to authorities.
D. NELSON: You dirty little bitch!
VARGAS: ABC News didn`t think Kyle was in danger. In a statement posted on its web site, ABC says, "While we felt the incident in question was disturbing, it was the only scene of physical punishment in the hundreds of hours of footage that ABC News reviewed."
"Abuse is abuse," this viewer writes. "Even if it happens only once, it`s never OK."
And just this morning ABC had no choice but to respond. Diane Sawyer invited daughter Kyle on "Good Morning America" and remarkably, she`s defending her dad. She agreed to speak as long as the tape wasn`t shown.
DIANE SAWYER, CO-HOST, "GOOD MORNING AMERICA": As you know there have been a lot of people reacting particularly to one scene. Tell me what you want to say about that and about your dad.
K. NELSON: Well, that scene was something that had never happened before and has not happened since. I just feel really bad that people are getting so, like, just angry. And I`m not going to condone what he did, but at the same time I`ve forgiven him.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VARGAS: Kyle, we should tell you, moved out of her father and stepmother`s house and has been living with her grandparents.
ABC did have the complete cooperation of the Nelson family to install the cameras in their home. Producers told the Nelsons that they could turn off the cameras off any time that they wanted to. But what many viewers want to know is what may have happened when the cameras weren`t rolling, A.J.
HAMMER: My blood is boiling just watching that. Unfortunately, that is something, of course, that only the Nelson family knows the answer to. Sibila Vargas joining us live from Hollywood tonight.
Well, authorities in New York tell us they do have a copy of the tape, and they`re conducting an investigation as we speak.
Judge Alex Ferrer is live in Miami. He can help us make some sense of all this. You know him, of course, from his television court show, "Judge Alex".
All right, Your Honor. Let`s get into this here. It`s remarkable to see footage like this and not think that it was turned over to the authorities right away. But when somebody comes across footage like what we`ve seen, do they have any kind of legal obligation to actually bring that material to the authorities?
ALEX FERRER, "JUDGE ALEX": Well, it really, depends, A.J., on who the person is that comes across the footage. There are statutes in every state that deal with medical care providers, hospitals, teachers and require them to report child abuse, and in some states it goes broader than that.
However, here we`re talking about the media, and the media enjoys First Amendment protections that are extremely broad. And the courts are always worried that forcing them to report crimes or possible crimes could have a chilling effect on their reporting of the news and the other functions they serve. So they are generally heard -- held to a much lighter standard than the rest of us.
HAMMER: And as I mentioned there is an investigation underway, but I should point out late today the district attorney who is handling the case said that he could not prosecute anyone because of the statute of limitations, the fact that it had run its course, which is -- it`s outrageous to think to think that nothing might be done of this.
Are there any options to prosecute cases like this other than, you know, to say the statute of limitations has run out since this video was shot?
FERRER: No. Once the statute of limitations is run, the crime can`t be prosecuted.
I will say this, though. We`re talking about the legal responsibility of the media versus the moral responsibility. As you and I know, the court of public opinion is a lot more powerful. The media and these -- these shows are on television because viewers want to watch them. And when viewers decide they don`t want to watch them anymore, they`re done.
So what they -- what they`re legally required to do versus what they should morally do, if I were them, I`d take a very long look at that, because over the last two years since the footage was shot, what would have happened if that child had been killed by her -- by her father? I think that the -- there would have been serious repercussions for the show that aired it.
HAMMER: I have to agree with you. You know, if a tape like that came into my office, if I was screening it for some story that we were doing here, I wouldn`t do anything but feel compelled to immediately call 911 or bring it down to the police myself.
FERRER: That`s right. And I actually found even more disturbing the verbal and psychological abuse. I mean, I`ve handled a child abuse case where the 11-year-old boy had 54 broken bones as a result of his parents. I`ve seen much worse beatings than that, unfortunately.
But the psychological and the verbal abuse is just as, if not more damaging, and the authorities can certainly prosecute parents to take action to separate children when they see that kind of lifestyle in the home.
HAMMER: And can they take that kind of an action if they`re just seeing something that was caught on tape?
FERRER: Well, yes, they can. They don`t have to just, you know, have somebody observe it, because as you might imagine, most of these incidents don`t occur in public.
HAMMER: Right.
FERRER: So whatever evidence they have they can make a case out of.
HAMMER: Well, thanks for filling us in on all this information. Judge Alex Ferrer, joining us live from Miami tonight.
FERRER: Thank you, A.J.
ANDERSON: So you thought you heard it all about the unbelievably explosive, knock-down, drag-out divorce war between Charlie Sheen and Denise Richards? Well, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT is here to tell you no, you haven`t.
We`ve been doing some digging into those legal papers filed by Denise Richards. The headlines so far have included claims by Richards that Sheen was into prostitutes, pills and porn. And now there`s more.
Joining us live tonight from Glendale, California, Harvey Levin, the managing editor of the celebrity news web site, TMZ.com.
Harvey, first I want us to make it clear Charlie Sheen is denying all these claims being made by Denise Richard, but I want to talk about the latest revelation that has everybody buzzing. And it is that Denise in this sworn statement is suggesting that Charlie had something to do with the death of a porn star.
HARVEY LEVIN, TMZ.COM: Well, yes. And you know, he didn`t -- she`s not coming out and saying outright that he had something to do with it. What she says is that this woman died, and I believe they referred to her as a prostitute, actually, as well. Died under mysterious circumstances.
She says she asked Charlie, "Did you have anything to do with it?" And she says his response was, "No comment." A coy response, but not claiming that he had something directly to do with it. Charlie Sheen says it`s ridiculous.
ANDERSON: Right. She says -- I`m looking at the document now. She calls her an old prostitute and porn star, and she says his -- his saying no comment really scared her, but another claim that Denise is making, Charlie, is the fact that she says Charlie became obsessed with the murder of O.J. Simpson`s wife, Nicole, and that Charlie, quote, "displayed what I can only describe as an abnormal fascination with Nicole Simpson`s death and showed my mother and me her autopsy photographs, which I found very disturbing."
What do you make of this, Harvey?
LEVIN: I kind of -- in a morbid kind of way a smile broke because my life was the O.J. Simpson case as a reporter in Los Angeles during that period, and if he had a morbid fascination with the case, then he could join a big, big crowd, because everybody in Hollywood had that same fascination. So I make nothing of that.
In terms of showing the autopsy photos, I find it a little weird, because those photos on were not made public during the trial. So I`m not sure what timeframe she`s talking about, but him having a fascination with the case that riveted the country, I`m not buying it.
ANDERSON: OK. What about Richards` claim that he threatened to kill her and harm her parents?
LEVIN: Well, you know, she says that, and she says it strongly in her papers. For his part, Charlie Sheen had a really interesting interview last night on the television show "Extra" and just flat out denied it.
And his response was, look, if I was so threatening and so ominous why did she take me back? Why did we have a reconciliation? And why -- why was she dealing with me over the last year? So that`s his response, and it`s a he said-she said.
ANDERSON: The whole thing is very baffling. You`ve got to wonder how this will affect his career. He stars on the No. 1 sitcom on TV. Last night`s plot, of all things, revolved around him fooling around with his brother`s girlfriend`s mother. You`ve got to see this. Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CHARLIE SHEEN, ACTOR: We can get out of here.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You want to leave? This is so hot!
SHEEN: Oh, you just keep getting better and better. Hang on while I give Allen a head`s up.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hurry back and give me one.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Harvey, are people going to have a tough time looking at him ever again and not thinking this is the guy accused of these shocking things?
LEVIN: I have two words, Kobe Bryant. He`s now doing commercials again for Nike.
ANDERSON: You`re right. He has made quite a comeback. OK, that`s it. Harvey Levin of TMZ.com, thanks for joining us with your insight. We always appreciate it.
LEVIN: See you, Brooke.
HAMMER: Coming up on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, Oprah helps put a sex offender behind bars. Now he thinks he deserves a break. We`re going to tell you why.
Plus...
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Pick the black thing up.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Brazen, gun-toting robbers caught in the act. Big brother is watching, and the cameras don`t lie. From the creator of "Cops," it`s "Video Justice." SHOWBIZ TONIGHT has your sneak peek.
HAMMER: And best-selling author Jenny McCarthy has put the pen to page once again. The brassy blonde is going to talk about motherhood, marriage and moving on. Jenny McCarthy tells it like it is, live in the interview you`ll see only on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
ANDERSON: But first, tonight`s "`Entertainment Weekly Great American Pop Culture Quiz." Which one of these `60s-era films did not feature Elvis Presley? "Spinout", "Clambake"," "Blue Hawaii"," or "Ski Party"? Hope you got that. We`ll be right back with your answer.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANDERSON: So again, tonight`s "`Entertainment Weekly Great American Pop Culture Quiz." Which one of these `60s-era films did not feature Elvis Presley? "Spinout", "Clambake"," "Blue Hawaii"," or "Ski Party"? The answer is "D," "Ski Party."
HAMMER: Welcome back to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. I`m A.J. Hammer in New York, and you`re watching TV`s only live entertainment news show.
Time now for the story today that made us say, "That`s ridiculous!" I`m just going to get right to it. Standing room only on airplanes. Can you imagine that?
"The New York Times" reports that airplane maker Airbus is pitching an idea for a standing room only section. Never mind the leg room. Passengers would actually be propped up against a padded backboard and secured by a harness. You have to be buckled in, I guess.
Does that sound appealing to you? Well, for me, not so much. We have to tell you that late today, Airbus was denying the story, which is a pretty good thing, because frankly, the whole idea, "that`s ridiculous!"
ANDERSON: Could you imagine, A.J.? And I have to tell you, the FAA just says that you have to be secure. They don`t say -- they don`t mandate whether it`s sitting or standing. So hypothetically, this could happen.
HAMMER: Yes. And would you do it, Brooke?
ANDERSON: No. It would have to be dirt cheap and a really short flight for me to even try it.
HAMMER: You know, I imagine the same thing would be true for my next guest. So let`s get to her.
Jenny McCarthy is a standup type of woman. Not exactly sure what that means. You know her from hosting MTV`s "Singled Out". She`s posed in "Playboy", been in a bunch of movies, recently wrote two best-selling books. Now she`s out with her third. It`s called "Life Laughs: The Naked Truth About Motherhood, Marriage and Moving On."
Joining me live here in New York, Jenny McCarthy. A pleasure to welcome you back...
JENNY MCCARTHY, AUTHOR, "SINGLED OUT": Thank you so much.
HAMMER: ... to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
MCCARTHY: I love doing this show.
HAMMER: I actually pictured you insisting on the private jet. Certainly first class, but probably the private jet.
MCCARTHY: Let me tell you something, buddy. If I had the money to fly private I wouldn`t be here right now. I`m working it.
HAMMER: There`s really no turning back once you`ve made that step.
MCCARTHY: It`s true. I would rather spend that money on my son`s tuition than on me and comfort.
HAMMER: You`re a mom. That just kills me, because I used to watch you on "Singled Out". We worked in the MTV world back at the same day.
MCCARTHY: Yes.
HAMMER: And now you`re writing about all of it. You`ve got another book out and you`re this best-selling author.
MCCARTHY: You know what? So many women came up to me after the first book, "Belly Laughs", pregnant women chasing me, saying, "Please write the follow-up." So I said, "All right. I`ll write about the first year." After that they said, "We want the third."
A trilogy. I said, "I can write about marriage, sex and vanity." And you know, I definitely have an opinion about things.
HAMMER: And not all of it good experiences. One of the things that you write quite candidly about is the divorce that you`re going through. Fortunately for you, an amicable divorce.
MCCARTHY: Thank God. After watching what`s going on right now.
HAMMER: Well, look at Charlie Sheen and Denise Richards and the stuff that`s out there about the pills, the prostitution, the porn. And this is all happening in public.
You`re married to -- were married to a Hollywood guy, also a very public sort of thing. It has to be terrible. I mean, divorce is one of the worst things you can go through in life, having that aired out in the public.
MCCARTHY: It is, but you have to remember. Now, I`m one of those people that tells all, always. I am very truthful about everything. But some things that you know that your child might read about your mother and father you want to keep personal and private.
HAMMER: That was my biggest concern about this whole thing, because the kids are going to know all this stuff.
MCCARTHY: I know. I know. And that`s the only part that breaks my heart. I could care less about their egos.
HAMMER: Well, speaking of telling all I`m going to turn to page 153.
MCCARTHY: Please do.
HAMMER: You talk about the revelatory moment when you realize this may not work out with me and my husband. His name is John.
MCCARTHY: Yes.
HAMMER: "I realized I didn`t fall in love with John. I fell in love with the fantasy of who I hoped he was." This is something that I think, ding, ding, ding, strikes a cord with a lot of people.
MCCARTHY: It`s an Oprah-like moment.
HAMMER: Seriously.
MCCARTHY: You know, I went into a relationship like a lot of people do thinking that, "Oh, this person is going to complete me. This person is going to make me happy if I make this person happy." So I was continuously trying to make his day, make him happy, because then I would be happy. It is so false. You have to go into a relationship already happy and already complete.
HAMMER: Does that have to do with age? A lot of the times?
MCCARTHY: You mean realization?
HAMMER: Just knowing what you need out of a relationship and the maturity factor.
MCCARTHY: I think everyone should get married after 30. In your 20s, you`re still searching for who you are.
HAMMER: You have to figure it out.
MCCARTHY: You are. And you just have crushes and you think this is the one. And then you have this clock ticking like I need to have a baby before 30. You realize so many things in your 20s that it takes until you`re 30 to know who you truly are.
HAMMER: And then you move on, you get a little older and go through a mid-life crisis or as you call it a Tom Cruise crisis. What the heck? A Tom Cruise crisis. Explain that to me. A jump on the couch?
MCCARTHY: Well, you know, some guys buy Ferraris. Some guys jump on Oprah`s couch, you know. It just depends. Some girls get plastic surgery and some 50-year-old men date 20-year-old girls, you know. Everybody has their own thing, but every man pretty much goes through it. It`s how well they deal with it. And how you help your man go deal with it also.
HAMMER: And your situation?
MCCARTHY: You mean when I get there? I`m not there yet. That will be my "Menopause Laughs" book and that will teach you what to do during your mid life crisis.
HAMMER: And you do talk very openly among other things about the ideas you have about plastic surgery and Botox. Now let me take a look here, Jenny.
MCCARTHY: Mine is kind of wearing off.
HAMMER: But you own up to it.
MCCARTHY: Of course, I own up to it. I`ll own up to anything. I did get it once around my eyes, and I went like this when I was smiling. I was, like, what is going on? Why do I look like -- it froze my face so bad. I do get it a bit in my forehead but I can still move my eyebrows quite nicely.
HAMMER: Smile for us. Smile for everybody.
MCCARTHY: It`s working.
HAMMER: Now as far as the whole plastic surgery, and I think this is a really nice quote I got out of the book, "I`m going to end up looking like Joan Rivers with bigger boobs."
MCCARTHY: You know, she is the most pulled little woman I`ve ever seen, and you know what? So be it. I am going to be stretched and stapled like no other some day.
HAMMER: You`re not at all concerned about the image that may be sending out?
MCCARTHY: You know what? This is my message I`m sending out. Do whatever makes you happy.
HAMMER: Yes.
MCCARTHY: That is what matters. When you get caught up in whatever everybody else thinks, you`re in trouble. If I thought what everyone else thinks I wouldn`t have a career right now. I`d probably be in a hole crying for all the criticism I get. But no, I`ll speak my truth and say what I believe, and hopefully make people laugh and pee in their pants.
HAMMER: It always seems like you`re having a good time.
MCCARTHY: I am.
HAMMER: It`s always good having you here on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. Please come back.
MCCARTHY: I will. Thank you so much.
HAMMER: Thank you, Jenny. The book is called "Life Laughs", and you`ll find it in stores now.
Talk show host Maury Povich fighting off a sexual harassment suit. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT has the stinging allegation, plus...
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
(SIRENS)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Cops corner a suspected criminal, gunfire erupts, and all of it`s caught on tape. "Video Justice" helps the long arm of the law, but does it hurt the average citizen? SHOWBIZ TONIGHT finds out.
HAMMER: And Joy Behar joins us live. "The View" co-host and funny woman puts her two cents on everything from Tom and Katie to Brad and Angelina. Plus, nine years and still no Emmy for "The View". What`s going on there? Ask Joy, coming up in the interview you`ll see only on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HAMMER: Coming up tomorrow, it`s the week to be here, because we`re rounding up the usual beautiful suspects. Yes, it`s that time again. "People" magazine is coming out with its annual "50 Most Beautiful" issue. These people made the cut last year. We`re going to tell you who the most beautiful of 2006 are tomorrow on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
ANDERSON: Tonight`s surf`s up, and employees are hitting the waves on the World Wide Web, but will it get you in hot water at work? A New York City worker went before a judge after getting in trouble, because he ignored warnings from his boss to quit browsing the Web.
But the judge ruled it`s OK to surf at work, comparing to the Internet to a telephone or daily newspaper, things employees use for communication and information. And the worker got off the hook with just a reprimand.
Is it really OK to be online on the job? SHOWBIZ TONIGHT hit the streets to find out. Listen to this.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If you spend two hours a day on the Internet you`re not going get what you need to get done. So you get fired anyway. So if you spend half an hour looking at your e-mails on your lunch break or whatever, it`s fine.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If it`s like gaming or illegal things, then that would cross the line, but, like, e-mails or anything else like that, it should be OK.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: As long as you don`t overextend your time on it and because you are providing good hours for your employer.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: Now we want to hear from you. What you think about this whole thing? It`s our SHOWBIZ TONIGHT question of the day. Online on the job: is it OK to surf the Web at work? Be honest here. Vote at CNN.com/ShowbizTonight. Send us an e-mail at ShowbizTonight@CNN.com. We`re going to read some of your thoughts later on in the show.
HAMMER: Coming up, another story you just may not believe. Oprah Winfrey actually helped put a sex offender behind bars, and his sentence, decades and decades in jail. And he says the fact that Oprah put him behind bars is exactly why the judge should cut him some slack. We`ll explain, coming up.
ANDERSON: And hidden cameras catching criminals in their tracks. It`s "Video Justice", a new show with evidence even the armed and dangerous can`t deny. We`re going to talk with the show`s creator. That`s coming up in just a bit.
HAMMER: Plus we`re going to take a look at the presidential portrait that`s raising a few eyebrows. Bill Clinton immortalized at the Smithsonian. It`s a picture that`s worth a thousand jokes. That is coming up.
SHOWBIZ TONIGHT for a Tuesday night coming right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HAMMER: Welcome back to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. It is 31 minutes past the hour. I`m A.J. Hammer in New York.
ANDERSON: And I`m Brooke Anderson in Hollywood. You`re watching TV`s only live entertainment news show.
HAMMER: Brooke, I`m very excited. Just a few minutes from now sitting next to me will be one of my favorite people on TV and just a lovely woman, a woman who speaks her mind, Joy Behar from "The View."
ANDERSON: She`s great.
HAMMER: We`ll have her speaking her mind on all sorts of things, including "The View`s" ninth Emmy nomination. It could get the award this week, maybe not.
ANDERSON: That`s right. They possibly could. And I`m sure Joy will have some very funny things to say, A.J., about the portrait that has everybody talking. President Clinton`s portrait has been unveiled at the Smithsonian, and it`s raising some eyebrows, and we`re going to tell you why. We`re going show it to you, coming up in just a few minutes.
HAMMER: Brooke, can you sing the "Bad Boys" theme for me from "Cops"?
ANDERSON: I`ll leave that to you. You go ahead.
HAMMER: I`m not going to sing it. Bad boys, bad boys, what you going to do?
ANDERSON: Bad boys, bad boys, what you going to do?
HAMMER: Thank you very much for chiming in. Everybody knows that song from the TV show "Cops," of course. The creator and the producer of that show has got a brand new show. This one`s called "Video Justice." It shows just how powerful the camera has become in helping the police catch the bad guys.
Joining me live here on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, John Langley. He`s the creator and producer of "Cops," "Video Justice," as well. Nice to have you here, John.
JOHN LANGLEY, PRODUCER, "VIDEO JUSTICE": Nice being here.
HAMMER: Some amazing video showing up in this television program. I want to get right to them and put them up on the screen here. This first one, an armed robbery, and we have to watch very carefully, when the guy sort of casually pulls his weapons out there. What is going on?
LANGLEY: This is a robbery of a sandwich shop, basically. The fellow comes in, demands the money. The owner does something that is ill-advised during the course of this robbery, which you`ll see in a moment. He tries to hide some money.
HAMMER: And is that part of what your show is doing, is showing what not to do?
(CROSSTALK)
LANGLEY: Yes, exactly. That is part of the drill: It`s to learn what not to do, as well as to see what has happened...
HAMMER: So, now, they have their own weapon here.
LANGLEY: Yes, that`s another thing that is ill-advised. He chases the suspect outside.
HAMMER: And you actually hear some gunfire.
LANGLEY: Yes, there`s a gun fight off-camera.
HAMMER: That is just unbelievable. Wow.
All right, I want to get to this next one. This is actually a video we saw a bit on television when it was first released, and if we can get right to this, this really shows a woman being caught completely off-guard as she`s working behind her desk.
I would say ill-advised to be wearing a yellow jump suit if you plan on perpetrating a crime.
LANGLEY: Yes, this fellow, as it turns out, was a former applicant for -- it`s a check-cashing company. And this lady is obviously assaulted by him. And he tries to rob her, and he tries to take her to another room. And she wisely avoids that and keeps saying, "No, no, no." And during the course of this, her husband calls up on the telephone, and he calls 911 because he hears what`s going on in the background.
HAMMER: You know, it`s interesting, on "Cops" -- and I`m not the first person to say this to you -- there`s a disproportionate number of guys running around in white t-shirts doing whatever. You`ve got a guy in a yellow jump suit, not a good thing.
What`s the fascination for us, as viewers? Because we love watching. Is it voyeurism? Is it the fact that we love crime on television? Is it a little bit of both?
LANGLEY: You know, I think it`s both, but I think crime is one of the ultimate issues. It`s about our society; it`s about good and evil; it`s about good guys and bad guys; it`s about your personal safety; it`s about a lot of different issues. And I think that`s what attracts us to the subject matter.
HAMMER: Well, let`s show some action here. This is a car chase that ends in just a rash of bullets being fired. It`s amazing. This was caught by a news crew.
LANGLEY: Oh, yes. This was actually caught by a cameraman who followed the policeman. He saw him in a hot pursuit. This guy was shooting at the police officers. They returned fire. As it turns out, there was a lady, his girlfriend, hidden on the bottom of the floor of the car, and she survived, as did he, but this tape helped convict him for not only resisting arrest, but exchanging gunfire.
HAMMER: What`s interesting is we`re watching this video that I notice, and when we see television shows, whether it`s "NYPD Blue," which really tried to be as realist as possible, but when we see video playing out like this, we`re seeing what is actually happening, and it`s not quite as smooth and as orchestrated as we`re accustomed to seeing.
LANGLEY: No, it isn`t, indeed. It doesn`t have all the convenient sound effects, and the nice edits, and cuts, and close-ups, and medium shots, and what not.
HAMMER: Well, people do love car chases. And we want to take a look at this particular video that involves a different sort of a vehicle in the car chase here. What the heck is happening?
LANGLEY: Oh, yes. This is a bizarre incident, in which a fellow outfitted his bulldozer with armor plating and decided to destroy his city. It`s a small town, but he was going to just utterly destroy it because he was disgruntled.
HAMMER: And the police show up. What is their hope of doing anything, to combat a bulldozer with armor plating?
LANGLEY: You know, it was almost impossible. They actually got another piece of heavy equipment, and they were doing like a face-off. It was like a jousting session.
HAMMER: Do we need -- this is a police car camera here we`re seeing. Do we need to be worried about a Big Brother thing going on with all of this?
LANGLEY: You know, I don`t think so, because as long as it`s in the public, as long as there`s no reasonable right or expectation of privacy. In the public, I have no problem with it. It`s when you cross the threshold of your house, or my house, or anyone`s house.
HAMMER: Well, no doubt, it is fascinating to watch. And, John, we appreciate you sharing your video with us here on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
LANGLEY: Pleasure.
HAMMER: And you can catch "Video Justice" Wednesday nights on Court TV.
ANDERSON: Tonight, the controversial and heart-wrenching 9/11 drama "United 93" premieres in New York at the Tribeca Film Festival, just blocks away from Ground Zero. The real-time dramatization plays out the events aboard United Airlines Flight 93, the fourth plane that was hijacked on 9/11 and crashed in Shanksville, Pennsylvania.
A passenger uprising is credited with saving that flight. There`s talk terrorists wanted to crash it into the Capitol or even the White House.
A.J., I know you saw the film last week. I had the opportunity to see it last night with about 25, 30 other people in the small screening room. I have to tell you, nearly everybody was sobbing. Many sat there just stunned after it was over, sat there for a few minutes as the credits rolled, just to compose themselves before leaving.
It was very powerful. Did you see the same type of reaction in New York when you saw it?
HAMMER: I did. In New York, it was actually perhaps even a little more palpable, because obviously this happened here in our backyard.
I have to remark on one thing. When I saw it last weekend, I went kicking and screaming, but I had to see it for work, and I was a little uncomfortable with going to see it, and sit there in the theater. And when I saw the movie, it felt like I was getting kicked in the gut the whole time.
Now that time has passed, I firmly believe everybody needs to go see this film, if for no other reason than to remind us of what we felt back then, because it is not done in an exploitative way. It is a story being told, and it is a story that, unfortunately, we do need to be reminded about.
ANDERSON: Yes, we do. It`s a true story of inspiration, as well. I firmly agree with the victims` families who say it`s a story of bravery and valor.
OK, let`s move now to tonight`s "Hot Headlines"! And for that, we go to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT`s Sibila Vargas who is joining us here live in Hollywood -- Sibila?
VARGAS: Well, a man who was arrested after being profiled on the "Oprah Winfrey Show" has been sentenced on child molestation charges. William Davis was sentenced to 52 years in prison. During his sentencing hearing, Davis asked for leniency because he said, with all of the media attention, people have told him that they`ll be waiting to kill him in prison.
A producer on the "Maury Povich Show" is suing for sexual harassment. The producer, Bianca Nardi, claims that there was a sexually charged atmosphere, because Povich, who was married to Connie Chung, was allegedly having an intimate relationship with a colleague. Nardi also claims that the show`s executive producer told her to wear provocative clothing and made her watch pornography. Now, reps for the show and the network deny the allegations.
Word on the street is that Al Pacino will be joining the cast for Steven Soderbergh`s "Ocean`s 13." "Variety" reports that the plot details are being kept under wraps, but odds are that Pacino will play the villain.
And those are tonight`s "Hot Headlines." I like him as a good guy, Brooke, but when he`s bad, he`s oh so bad.
ANDERSON: He`s oh so bad. He`s one of the greats, Sibila. Thank you so much.
OK, we`ve been asking you to vote online on our SHOWBIZ TONIGHT "Question of the Day." And it is this: Online on the job: Is it OK to surf the Web at work? Keep voting, right there, CNN.com/showbiztonight. And write us, showbiztonight@CNN.com. Your e-mails are coming up in a bit.
HAMMER: Well, they say every dog has its day, but one in Iowa gets a whole year, now that she has won the bulldog beauty contest. We`re going to show you what that looks like, coming up next.
ANDERSON: Plus, you`re not going to believe some of the headlines announcing the unveiling of former President Clinton`s portrait at the Smithsonian. You definitely want to hang around for this one. That`s coming up.
HAMMER: And the very funny lady Joy Behar has definitely got a thing or two to say about that portrait. She`s here live to weigh in on that and a couple of other hot topics. That`s coming up in the interview you`ll see only on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HAMMER: Welcome back to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. We`re TV`s only live entertainment news show. I`m A.J. Hammer.
It`s time now for another one of those stories that made us say: That`s ridiculous! Just on the title alone, a beauty contest for bulldogs. This goes on in Des Moines, Iowa, the 27th annual Most Beautiful Bulldog Contest. Apparently, the people like it. It`s still around.
Let`s take a look at the contestants, shall we? First up, it`s Vinny, strutting his stuff as a state trooper. There`s nothing right about that.
Also with the Village People theme going on, this guy`s name is Porterhouse, dressed as a construction work. Nice.
And another eager contestant in the pageant, this is Armstrong, kind of a Mardi Gras thing going on. Bella Star went with the Mardi Gras theme, so maybe we have them backwards. I`m not exactly sure.
This is Hannah. This is the top dog, walked away with the crown this year. I can understand why. Actually, I have no idea why. The pageant is part of a celebration at Drake University where the bulldog is the mascot, so I understand that. Still, the whole dressing up thing, that`s ridiculous.
ANDERSON: A.J., apparently this tradition is pretty rich. Some people compare it to that of the Westminster Dog Show, but would you ever subject your dog, Seven, to something like that?
HAMMER: I`d just put bunny ears on him at Easter time, but that`s about it.
ANDERSON: Oh, OK, that`s (INAUDIBLE) and take pictures.
OK, moving on now to former President Clinton. His portrait has been unveiled at the National Portrait Gallery at the Smithsonian, and it`s already proving that old adage that a picture is worth a thousand jokes.
Here`s CNN`s Jeanne Moos for SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEANNE MOOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Take it off, President Clinton. Take it all off. The latest edition to the National Portrait Gallery is not your average presidential portrait pose.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He looks sort of slovenly.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He looks a little gay.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It looks just like him, very strong and powerful.
MOOS: But leave it to the "New York Post" to frame its front page with two words, and they aren`t "well done."
(on camera): They called him a hubba bubba.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh, dear.
MOOS (voice-over): All because of a hand-on-the-hip pose by artist Nelson Shanks.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I could do that. Look.
MOOS (on camera): Yes, let`s see it.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Look.
MOOS: Exactly!
(voice-over): At the unveiling, there was no such posturing. Bill`s arm was demurely around Hillary. He spoke about how he thought of portraits growing up.
BILL CLINTON, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Portraits were pictures of dead people.
MOOS: Don`t tell that to tourists having their portraits done.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Handsome. Very handsome.
MOOS: Hillary`s portrait was likewise unveiled.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: She looks wonderful. I mean, Mrs. Clinton is just like -- she`s it.
MOOS: This "it" was done by artist Ginny Stanford in the style of a renaissance painting. Hillary looked like a Botticelli.
B. CLINTON: I wound up with a wife straight out of the renaissance. It is so beautiful.
MOOS: By the way, both paintings were painted by Clinton supporters, not with taxpayer dollars.
The painter of Bill`s portrait says he wanted to show informality.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What`s this, this gang signal here? It`s like the Bloods.
MOOS: All of this got us thinking about President Nixon allegedly walking around the White House talking to presidential portraits, though his son-in-law has called that as absurd accusation, but there he is talking to JFK in the movie "Nixon."
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: When I look at you, I see what I want to be. And they look at me, I see what they are.
MOOS: And when they look at this...
(on camera): Look at this, Billy.
(voice-over): ... some are tongue-tied.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: There`s no reason for the "Post" to say that about him.
MOOS (on camera): Although, you know, ma`am, some people think it`s a compliment.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: That, of course, was CNN`s Jeanne Moos for SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
HAMMER: All right, so here`s what I want to know: what Joy Behar thinks of that portrait. The co-host of "The View" live with us here in New York City. That woman just ran away.
JOY BEHAR, HOST, "THE VIEW": Oh, my god. People take it very seriously. Well, the "Post," you know, they really -- down to a low-rent level here.
HAMMER: But "Post" aside, you were talking on the program this morning on "The View," of course...
BEHAR: Yes.
HAMMER: ... about you don`t think it`s the sexiest of things, or is it too sexy?
BEHAR: Well, you know, I think that -- we saw some pictures of George Washington and Jefferson, and they look like presidents. He looks like a model in "GQ."
HAMMER: Are we having a problem with Joy`s microphone? OK. Can I sit next to Joy?
BEHAR: They can`t hear me?
HAMMER: Stephanie, you want to come in?
BEHAR: Wait a minute. It must be my massive bosom that`s interfering with this.
HAMMER: That`s all right.
BEHAR: Is that better?
HAMMER: I`m going to cozy up next to Joy for the time being. Is this OK? Is this all right?
BEHAR: I like this sort of John Gotti look.
HAMMER: Brett, is this OK with you? Thank you very much. All right, so...
BEHAR: Is this live?
HAMMER: We`re live.
BEHAR: Oh, OK.
HAMMER: So that`s what happened when the microphone goes bad.
BEHAR: OK.
HAMMER: OK. So, basically, not the right choice.
BEHAR: Well, he`s like a metrosexual. And as I said today, there`s a hint of mint here, you know what I`m saying? There`s a little bit of a -- you know, I don`t know what to say about it, to tell you the truth.
I mean, I happen to like him. I`ve met him, and he has a nice big head. He`s a sexy guy, and he`s gorgeous, but this is not a presidential portrait. This is a model.
HAMMER: Everybody I know who has met him says he just takes over the room when he walks in.
BEHAR: He does take over the room. He does. And the girls just fall to their knees.
HAMMER: I`m going to do something really low-rent now, and I`m going to hold my microphone. I cannot believe I`m doing this. You can even see my tape.
BEHAR: What, we still can`t hear me?
HAMMER: This is nice. I`m enjoying how cozy this is. I`ve never conducted an interview live on television quite this close to anybody.
BEHAR: I like this. It`s kind of like a Mrs. Robinson thing.
HAMMER: Is it really?
Now, let`s talk about the fact that "The View" is nominated again this year. This is your ninth time...
BEHAR: Kiss me.
HAMMER: I know, it is a little awkward. Would it be nicer to just bring in a microphone?
BEHAR: How about, you know, a handheld -- what are you, the cheapest show on television? You don`t even have a handheld microphone?
HAMMER: Well, we spent it all on the flashing lights, Joy. I mean, that`s the thing. All right, so you`re nominated now for the ninth time.
BEHAR: Yes, we`re nominated for an Emmy for best talk show, along with several others. This is mine or his?
HAMMER: That`s for you.
BEHAR: This is for me. Thank you.
HAMMER: They`re going to make me move off of you now.
BEHAR: So should I speak into this? All right, so anyway...
HAMMER: I`ll tell you what, I`m going clip that right here.
BEHAR: Yes, clip me.
HAMMER: This is highly professional.
BEHAR: Oh, sexual harassment! You belong on the "Maury Povich Show," you know that? I always thought you did. All right, go ahead. I`ll just hold it.
HAMMER: You were nominated again this year. You haven`t won before. This is...
BEHAR: We never will win, OK, A.J.?
HAMMER: I think this is your year.
BEHAR: We`re not going win, because as I always say, there is always one of us to hate. When you are voting for best talk show host, you say, "Oh, I like her, I hate her. I hate her, I like her." So now you`re not going to vote for any of us, because you won`t give an award to just one person. You understand what I`m saying?
HAMMER: I get the theory of that, but I still think you really have a shot this year, because it was such a great year on your show. And one of the reasons for that is, not only the personalities and the chemistry and all of that, but the material you had to work with.
And the fact is -- and one of the reasons I`ve always liked you -- is you have a great deal of candor, as we`ve just learned here in our little exchange, and you will speak your mind about anything. So can I hit you up on...
BEHAR: You know what, A.J.? I miss you. Come back.
HAMMER: They won`t let me now.
BEHAR: OK. Now, what`s the question?
(LAUGHTER)
HAMMER: What the heck were we talking about?
BEHAR: In 32 years of the Daytime Emmys, no host has ever won who has been sitting with someone else. Regis won when he was alone for five minutes. Ellen wins all of the time. She`s alone. Rosie, all of them, Oprah. They don`t have a partner.
HAMMER: You`re going to buck the trend this year.
BEHAR: Thirty-two years.
HAMMER: I believe you are. Well, again, it comes down to what you have to talk about, as well, and certainly those other shows get to talk about the same thing. Can I hit you up on a couple of hot topics?
BEHAR: Yes, but wait a minute. You know what we`re doing? We`re doing a thing where we`re flying people, three women, to the coast to watch us lose. They`re springing for the cash.
HAMMER: It is the watch-the-women-lost contest.
BEHAR: Yes, they have these women. We gave them makeovers. They`re going to sit and watch us lose. There`s something a little S&M-ish about it, but we like it over there.
HAMMER: Yes, it`s kind of -- you know, that`s very much "The View" style, and I`m glad that you guys are doing that. All right, let`s move onto a couple of things that are going on, and certainly things you`re talking about on "The View."
The Charlie Sheen-Denise Richards thing, which is a story that is getting an awful lot of attention. It`s a big Hollywood divorce, but it`s really -- it saddens me.
BEHAR: But didn`t he come on CNN a few weeks ago and say something about the administration that was a little bit awful, and negative, and terrible? Didn`t he do that on CNN? I thought I caught that.
HAMMER: He has been outspoken on a number of...
BEHAR: But now all of a sudden there are all these accusations against him. I don`t know.
HAMMER: There was pornography, and pills, and porn, but this is all airing out in public. And, of course, you know, they`ve got kids.
BEHAR: But wasn`t he on Heidi Fleiss` list? I mean, the guy -- this is not something new for Charlie. I mean, he`s always been sort a bad boy, hasn`t he?
HAMMER: And stuff he`s owned up to in the past.
BEHAR: Yes, I mean, you know, but Martin Sheen, he should change his name back to Estevez. That would be a good move.
HAMMER: I actually thought Emilio Estevez, Charlie`s brother and Martin`s son, excellent actor. And "Repo Man" is one of my favorite films.
BEHAR: Yes, it`s a nice family.
HAMMER: Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes finally had the baby.
BEHAR: Love them.
HAMMER: Are you just so relieved?
BEHAR: Love them. First of all, Tom, I saw him. He`s like a kid. I saw him on some show, and somebody presented him with a goody bag of all baby stuff, and he was, "Oh, my god, how great!" Doesn`t he have any money to buy these little items himself?
HAMMER: The people who need the stuff the least.
BEHAR: He was the jumping backwards, up and down. He was so excited over that goody bag.
HAMMER: A lot of people are getting a little burnt out, though, on Tom. I have always liked him in the movies, but a lot of people are so tired of all of this stuff that`s going on with him on TV.
BEHAR: But it`s not his fault if the paparazzi follow him. He should move to Africa where the Brangelinas are.
HAMMER: Joy, see, you`ll use the term "Brangelina." I can`t bring myself.
BEHAR: Why? It just makes you...
HAMMER: Like "TomKitten." It`s the same sort of thing.
We`re out of time. We had to spend so much time on the microphone. Good luck with your Emmy nomination on Friday.
BEHAR: Look, whoever is running CNN, could you get some equipment around here because this is embarrassing?
HAMMER: Joy, of course, can be seen every morning with the other ladies on "The View." They`re going to win that ninth Emmy nomination. It`s happening on Friday night on ABC. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT will be right back.
BEHAR: I love you!
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANDERSON: We`ve been asking you to vote online on our SHOWBIZ TONIGHT "Question of the Day." Online on the job: Is it OK to surf the Web at work?
The vote so far: 88 percent of you say yes; 12 percent of you say, no, it`s not.
Some of the e-mails we`ve received -- or actually one of the e-mails. Donovan from Georgia writes, "It`s just as necessary as phone and fax. So why prevent people from using it, as long as they get work done?" Thanks, Donovan. And thanks for the e-mails.
HAMMER: We`ve got to go.
ANDERSON: We do.
HAMMER: And that is it for SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. I`m A.J. Hammer in New York.
ANDERSON: I`m Brooke Anderson in Hollywood. Thanks for watching, everybody. Have a great night, and stay tuned for more from CNN Headline News.
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