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Showbiz Tonight
The Gripping Documentary "God Grew Tired of Us"; Shocking Commercials that have Sparked Outrage; The Cat Scares Bear up a Tree; Some Rappers are claiming they get no respect from Oprah Winfrey; "In Style" magazine asked Grammy Winners to pick their Favorites Icons and Brought them Together for a Photo Shoot
Aired July 03, 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 shocking amount of personal information online about the stars and you. I`m A.J. Hammer in New York.
BROOKE ANDERSON, CO-HOST: And can you teach your dog to read? I`m Brooke Anderson in Hollywood. TV`s most provocative entertainment news show starts right now.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
HAMMER (voice-over): On SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, shocking ads that are hard to believe: Car safety, antismoking campaigns, tonight are these disturbing images making a point or is it just shock value that crosses the line? SHOWBIZ TONIGHT investigates.
Tonight, an amazing story, and why you`ll never take life in the United States for granted again. Tonight SHOWBIZ TONIGHT with your first look at a gripping new movie and how Brad Pitt and Nicole Kidman teamed up for a real-life, unforgettable story.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HAMMER: Hello, I`m A.J. Hammer in New York.
ANDERSON: Hi there. I`m Brooke Anderson in Hollywood.
HAMMER: And we begin tonight with a gripping documentary that will make you absolutely think twice about everything we, as Americans, take for granted. I`m talking about everything from going to the grocery store to something even as simple as turning on the lights in your very own house. And two of Hollywood`s biggest names are lending their star power to this documentary. Talking about Nicole Kidman and Brad Pitt. In fact, Pitt has been named one of the 15 people who make America great by "Newsweek" magazine, it`s for projects like this using his star power to shine a light on some often neglected causes.
SHOWBIZ TONIGHT`s Sibila Vargas is in Hollywood with more -- Sibila.
SIBILA VARGAS, CNN NEWS CORRESPONDENT: That`s right, A.J. The movie is called, "God Grew Tired of Us" and Pitt is executive producer and it was a huge hit at Sundance. Now the film and the men war its subjects carry a very powerful message.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
VARGAS (voice-over): John Dau lives in a modest apartment building on a quiet street in Syracuse, New York, with the usual array of modern amenities: computer, TV.
But not so long ago, his life was one of utter deprivation, for he was one of the so-called "Lost Boys of Sudan."
JOHN DAU, SUDANESE REFUGEE: It was a -- a war (ph) life. Life was just a matter of just running from place to place. You don`t know where you`re going to be tomorrow.
VARGAS: Dau was one of an estimated 25,000 boys in southern Sudan who fled their homes in the midst of a civil war in the 1980s. Hunted by militias from the north, the Boys marched 1,000 miles on foot to safety, and eventually wound up in the Kakuma Refugee Camp in northern Kenya.
DAU: We`d go for like three days without food -- four days, you know? And even water. So it was very, very difficult.
VARGAS: Dau`s story and those of other Lost Boys are told in the new documentary "God Grew Tired of Us," a project that has attracted celebrity support. Brad Pitt executive produced the film; Nicole Kidman narrated it.
NICOLE KIDMAN, ACTRESS: With little hope of finding their parents or families alive, and the impossibility of returning to war-ridden Sudan, the United States agreed to re-settle some of the Lost Boys to America.
VARGAS (on camera): In 2001, Dau and 4,000 of the Lost Boys were allowed to immigrate to the U.S., closing a tangled chapter that for him lasted 15 years. The documentary shows Dau and others adjusting to a new life they had never imagined.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The first thing you have to learn here is the switch, to turn light on and off. Come and see how -- how it`s done. OK? And that one light (ph) over you -- I said (ph) you`re going to learn how to turn it (ph). On, off. On, off. These (INAUDIBLE), OK? You have chicken. Somebody turn off the lights.
VARGAS (voice-over): A hot shower was something new.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Before even you get inside taking a shower, you have to check if the temperature is good for you.
VARGAS: So were potato chips.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: In Africa, you would have to cook it. You know, I mean (INAUDIBLE), OK? Here (INAUDIBLE). No, here they`re made in a different way. They`re called (INAUDIBLE) chips. You know, (INAUDIBLE) and put in a bag, OK?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (INAUDIBLE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It`s already cooked, yes.
VARGAS: Perhaps most strange of all, an American supermarket.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And these are food?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: These are doughnuts.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: These are colored sprinkles. (INAUDIBLE)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Want to try one?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Taste it?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (INAUDIBLE)
VARGAS: It`s been five years since Dau went through that initial adjustment.
DAU: It was a big, big surprise to us. Because when we see a lot of food in this Syracuse grocery store, you can see aisles of food. I mean, dark (ph) and canned (ph) aisles of food.
VARGAS: The attention the film has been earning -- it won the top prize at Sundance -- has helped Dau raise over $150,000 for a medical facility he plans to build in Sudan.
DAU: This is where I`m going to build a medical clinic.
VARGAS: In the meantime Dau, who is now 33, is building a home in Syracuse for himself, his future wife -- who is also a Sudanese refugee -- his mother, and a sister with whom he was reunited. He works full time and he`s going to school.
DAU: Start living the American dream.
VARGAS: He reflects on a journey that took him from destitution in Africa to a new life in America.
DAU: Just keep hoping that maybe sometime you will get to a place where you can maybe regain your -- who you are -- your identity, your integrity, your -- who you are. You can gain back. And that to gain that back is to come to a good country like United States where people are there to help you.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VARGAS: Look for "God Grew Tired of Us" in theaters sometime this fall -- Brooke.
ANDERSON: SHOWBIZ TONIGHT`s Sibila Vargas, thanks. What an incredibly powerful story. One that should remind us to appreciate all that we have and never take it for granted. Thank you.
HAMMER: Turning now to downright shocking commercials that have sparked outrage. A slew of ads hit the air waves and many people have said, they`ve just gone way too far. And I had the chance to sit down with branding expert Linda Kaplin Thaler with the ad firm the Kaplin Thaler group to go through each one.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
Linda, let`s get right to these ads that are just pushing people`s buttons. This very first one I want to show is put out by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, it`s encouraging moms to breastfeed after their children are born. But it is pretty shocking. Take a look at this.
(UNINTELLIGIBLE)
ANNOUNCER: Recent stories show that babies who are breastfed are less likely to develop ear infection, repertory illnesses, and diarrhea. Babies were born to be breastfed.
HAMMER: All right. I get what they`re going for, but are they kidding? I mean, hasn`t this really gone too far? A lot of moms are outraged over this.
LINDA KAPLIN, THALER KAPLIN THALER GROUP: OK, first of all, I`m a mom and I`m outraged. Because, I don`t think the government -- they are in our wallets, they`re in our gas tanks, they don`t have to be in our blouse now. OK, this is just absolutely irresponsible and they should take it off the air. And I predict that it`ll be taken off the air within a month, absolutely.
HAMMER: It just has gone too far despite the fact it is trying to make a point as all advertising...
KAPLIN: Well, what`s the point? I mean, if you haven`t breastfed your child, you`re just going to feel really guilty and you`re going to have a stressed out mother who`s going to be a worse mother because of it. And, if you have, OK, so now you feel gratified that you may have done the right thing. This is not a choice that the government should be making. They should not be advertising on the air. It`s very offensive. Every woman that I`ve spoken to has -- and I`ve had women in my office crying -- crying about this ad. It is totally irresponsible and should be absolutely taken off the air.
HAMMER: Well, I`m a guy and I`m offended. Well, let`s get on to another ad that`s actually grossing a lot of people out. This one is put out by the New York City Department of Health; it`s been running locally here in New York where we are. It`s an anti-smoking campaign and it is graphic. Take a look at this.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I was 39 when I got throat cancer from smoking cigarettes. I almost died. Now there is a permanent hole in my throat. Nothing will ever be the same again.
HAMMER: All right. I am not a smoker, but that would definitely keep me from smoking. However, if I`m sitting at home eating dinner, I don`t know if I want to see that. It certainly, again, makes its point, but does it cross a line?
KAPLIN: You know what; it crosses the line in a good way. I mean, you have to really make a bang to get noticed because people are TiVoing you out and muting you out, but you look at that ad and you are transfixed, you have to watch it. And, if I was about -- somebody, a teenager thinking about whether to smoke or not, hands down, that would convince me not to. And not only that, the proof is in the pudding because the Department of Health has had 15,000 more calls than last year after that ad has run. It is absolutely an effective -- it`s an effective grossout, if you will.
HAMMER: OK, but can doing a grossout sometimes backfire because of a backlash?
KAPLIN: I don`t think so. I mean, I think somebody who`s watching that, they can decide to turn off the TV and they don`t have to watch it if they don`t want to. But it is going to have an effect on somebody. If you remember the old advertising for anti-drug advertising, well, this is your brain on drugs, it was an egg, and then the egg was fried. And they went, you can`t do that on TV. You know what? It stopped a lot of kids from taking drugs.
HAMMER: It did, but truth be told, that`s a lot tamer than watching this, but this is actually reality and we`re actually seeing what can truly happen.
KAPLIN: Absolutely, the ante`s up, now. You have to be much more outrageous than before.
HAMMER: Well, let`s move on to something that is not a public announcement. It`s an outrageous ad from a car manufacturer and it certainly grabs people`s attention. Take a look at this from Volkswagen.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I wasn`t crying, OK?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I mean seriously man, I don`t know why.
HAMMER: As I mentioned, not a PSA, grabs you by the neck, basically. Are they going to sell cars with an ad like that?
KAPLIN: You know what? That ad is a smash in every sense of the word.
HAMMER: Really?
KAPLIN: Yes. Volkswagen, what happened, right after that ad started running, is, they have had an increase in 20 percent in sales.
HAMMER: You`re kidding?
KAPLIN: There you go. And 30 percent or even up to maybe even 40 percent of people are more prone now to want to buy that brand than before. So, it is absolutely having an impact.
HAMMER: That`s interesting because car -- you don`t necessarily think Volkswagen, that`s the car I`m going to look at for its safety and I guess that`s what they`re trying to sell.
KAPLIN: That`s right. Well, that`s what -- Volvo is all about safety and they`re trying to usurp that territory and I think they did a great job and you have to shock people into it.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HAMMER: As a matter of fact, the New York City Department of Health has just released a new ad starring the same man who under went a trak otmy and it is just as shocking.
ANDERSON: OK. Some of the biggest names in hip-hop are saying Oprah is giving them a bad rap. Coming up, why they say Oprah is discriminating against them. We`ll also have this:
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We are very stupid in the country. Really stupid. This has been feeding criminals.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: Shocking details anyone can find out online about the stars and about you. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT investigates, coming up.
ANDERSON: Plus, a woman who says you not only can teach an old dog new tricks, you can teach them the read. That`s right, how to teach Rover to read coming up. So, sit and stay right where you are. But, first tonight`s "Entertainment Weekly" "Great American Pop Culture Quiz."
Who did not make a cameo in Austin Power`s in Goldmember?" Tom Cruise, Katie Couric, Britney Spears, or Snoop Dogg? Think about it. Hang tight. We`ll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANDERSON: Thank you Charles. So again, tonight`s "Entertainment Weekly" "Great American Pop Culture Quiz."
Who did not make a cameo in Austin Power`s in Goldmember?" Tom Cruise, Katie Couric, Britney Spears, or Snoop Dogg? If you said D. Snoop Dogg, you got it right.
HAMMER: I love that movie "Schmokin` a pancake?" Well, welcome back to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, TV`s most provocative entertainment news show. I`m A.J. Hammer in New York, and it`s time now for a story that just made us say, "That`s Ridiculous." And the story goes like this: Cat meets bear. Cat scares bear. Bear runs up a tree. It`s all true. Here`s CNN`s Jeanne Moos for SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEANNE MOOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Forget scaredy cat. We`re talking scaredy bear, and here`s the picture that proves it.
Sure, there`s much more dramatic video of tranquilized bears falling out of trees.
(SCREAMING)
MOOS: Or falling on to a trampoline. The bear survived, and so did this cat.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (SCREAMING)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: OK, she`s down.
MOOS: But it was the picture of Jack, the 10-pound cat chasing a 300- pound bear up a tree in New Jersey, that went worldwide. For awhile, it was Yahoo!`s most e-mail photo, rivaling even the death of Iraq`s top terrorist.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Maybe the bear was already up there and the cat just came.
MOOS: Nope. The neighbor who took the pictures saw Jack the cat chase the bear.
As for Jack`s owner.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I was very nervous. I thought that the bear would turn around and go for him, but Jack was in charge.
MOOS: At the Queens Zoo bear exhibit, kids were skeptical.
(on camera): It was a little cat.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Are you sure?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It reminds me of the elephant who`s afraid of the little mouse.
MOOS (voice-over): It`s not unusual for large animals to fear smaller ones, says the zoo`s curator.
SCOTT SILVER, CURATOR OF ANIMALS AT QUEENS ZOO: I`ve seen leopards cowering in the corner over a fish -- a 6-inch fish. It was.
MOOS (on camera): Really?
SILVER: It was flopping around -- they had never seen a fish before.
MOOS (voice-over): The owner of a cat named Max took pictures of his feline facing down a bear that ventured on to Max`s porch.
Take it from Garfield.
BILL MURRAY, ACTOR: Time to grab some chow before I eat your liver with some fava beans and a nice Chianti.
MOOS: And bears can often be intimidated just by clapping or opening an umbrella.
But Jack didn`t have an umbrella.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This cat is so brave that I am guessing he`s neutered. His owners probably got tired of tripping over his giant (EXPLETIVE DELETED). So I am sending Jack this collar with two bells on it.
MOOS: The bear got away when the cat`s owner called Jack off. It`s enough to blacken a black bear`s image.
(on camera): Do you think a bear is - is, like, fierce or chicken?
CROWD: Chicken!
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HAMMER: That was CNN`s Jeanne Moos for SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. Just to give you a little insight, Brooke, into how sensitive I am about animals, I have to turn away, even though I know they were OK, I have to turn away when I see the bear or the cat falling out of the tree.
ANDERSON: And the bear falling off the trampoline. It is really hard to watch, A.J. But this is like the story of David and Goliath. I love it. But, I want to let you know, that this area of New Jersey is considered one of the states most populated of bear areas. So it is good for the owners that they have this kitty to protect them.
HAMMER: A lot of bears out there.
ANDERSON: That`s right. But we say a bear scared of a cat? Now, "That`s Ridiculous."
OK, it is a growing war of words between Oprah Winfrey and some of hip-hop`s biggest stars. Some rappers are claiming they get no respect from Oprah and something should be done about it. And musicians are joining forces to take on one of the most influential celebrities out there.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
OPRAH WINFREY, TALK SHOW HOST: Hey!
BROOKE ANDERSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Oprah Winfrey, one of the most powerful and beloved celebrities in the world. But now, the queen of daytime TV is catching some high profile heat.
CHRIS "LUDACRIS" BRIDGES, RAPPER/ACTOR: I feel like she doesn`t respect my opinion, and therein lies the problem.
ANDERSON: Rapper and actor Ludacris feels he was mistreated when he appeared on her talk show with the cast of the film "Crash."
BRIDGES: As soon as I got on there I felt like, in my opinion, I was automatically judged.
ANDERSON: Talk turned from the film to explicit rap lyrics. But Ludacris says his response to the criticism was edited out of the show. Winfrey recently discussed the Ludacris flap on a New York radio station.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP FROM "THE ED LOVER SHOW," COURTESY POWER 105.1 IN NYC)
OPRAH WINFREY: And I said to Ludacris, a lot of people who listen to your music aren`t as smart as you are. So they take that some of that stuff literally, you know?
UNIDENTIFIED RADIO SHOW HOST: Right.
WINFREY: When you were just writing it for entertainment purposes.
UNIDENTIFIED RADIO SHOW HOST: And art. They don`t take it that way.
WINFREY: Yes. Yes, yes.
UNIDENTIFIED RADIO SHOW HOST: .there are a lot of people...
WINFREY: So I think that there has to be responsibility with it, just like I have to have some responsibility with what I do and say on my stage every day.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON (on camera): This controversy has led other rappers, including 50 Cent and Ice Cube, to lash out at Oprah, saying she discriminates against hip-hop artists by not booking them on her show.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP FROM "WHY WE THUGS," COURTESY LENCH MOB RECORDS)
ICE CUBE: It`s boys in the hood, it`s boys in the hood...
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON (voice-over): Ice Cube told "FHM" magazine: "for `Barbershop` she had Cedric the Entertainer and Eve on, but I wasn`t invited. Maybe she`s got a problem with hip-hop."
But Winfrey says that`s not the case.
WINFREY: I listen to some hip-hop, you know? I`ve been accused of not liking hip-hop, but that`s just not true. I`m opposed to some of the music that offends my sensibilities and that`s when, you know, you`re degrading women and marginalizing women.
UNIDENTIFIED RADIO SHOW HOST: Right.
ANDERSON: While Oprah hasn`t singled out any particular videos...
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP FROM "PIMPIN` ALL OVER THE WORLD, COURTESY ISLAND DEF JAM RECORDINGS MUSIC GROUP)
LUDACRIS: But be careful where you walking when you swinging them hips.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: ... songs like Ludacris`s "Pimpin` All Over the World"...
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP FROM "CANDY SHOP," COURTESY INTERSCOPE RECORDS)
50 CENT: And (UNINTELLIGIBLE) high school. I got you. When you show me that you`re working, baby...
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: and 50 Cent`s "Candy Shop" have raised the ire of critics for their graphic content.
WINFREY: My point is you don`t have to bitch and hold me down in order to make music.
ANDERSON: Ice Cube is appealing to Oprah to schedule a forum on her show to discuss the issue.
ICE CUBE, RAPPER/ACTOR/PRODUCER: If she don`t really like the content that we`re using, have us on. Let`s talk about is it.
ANDERSON: Oprah`s company, Harpo Productions, told CNN it has no comment on the anti-hip-hop allegations and no word on whether Oprah will devote a future show to this topic, a possibility that gives Ludacris mixed emotions.
LUDACRIS: It is something that we need to address, but it being on her particular show, I mean, my comments got removed before, wh who`s to say that the same thing wouldn`t happen again.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: Both Ludacris and Ice Cube said they love Oprah, they have a lot of respect for her and for what she`s accomplished. They just have a difference of opinion on this matter and they believe it should be addressed.
HAMMER: So, who do you think inspired Christina Aguilera to sing? Well, coming up, some young music stars team up with their idols for a very revealing photo shoot.
Plus, hanging out with Brad Pitt. A fake date with Ben Affleck, this woman as seen it all. Behind the scenes with a woman who has spent quality time with Hollywood`s biggest stars. That`s coming up. We`ll also have this:
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This is private information, everybody should not have information telling them exactly where to come and murder me.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: We`re going to have the shocking look at the very personal details that anyone can find out online about the stars and about you. It is unbelievable. Definitely stick around for that. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT investigates online privacy and that is coming up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANDERSON: Some soon to be music icons got a chance to meet their icons the people they listened to while growing up and dreaming of being a star. "In Style" magazine asked Grammy winners to pick their favorites and then made their wishes come true, bringing them together for a photo shoot. Christina Aguilera chose Blues singer, Etta James who she said -- who said she liked Aguilera`s "feisty vibe."
Hip-hop`s Mary J. Blige says to here there`s nobody like R&B singer, Chaka Khan. Blige says Chaka`s voice gets under her ribcage.
And soul queen Aretha Franklin tears country star Faith Hill to pieces. Faith says when she listens to Aretha, she remembers why she loves singing so much. As always, you can pick up a copy of the latest issue of "In Style" magazine, it`s on newsstands now.
HAMMER: Al gore, movie star? That`s right, the former vice-president opens up to me all about becoming a movie star and find out what Al Gore has to say about Lindsay Lohan. I`m not kidding, he talks about Lindsay, that`s coming up. We`ll also have this:
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We are very stupid in this country, very stupid. This is spoon feeding criminals.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: You`re not going to believe this, shocking details that anyone can find out online about the stars and about you. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT investigates. That`s coming up.
HAMMER: Also, a woman who says, not only can you teach an old dog new tricks, you can teach them how to read. That`s right. How to teach rover how to read. That`s coming up. So stay right where you are. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT is coming right back.
(NEWSBREAK)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HAMMER: Welcome back to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. It is 30 minutes past the hour. I am A.J. Hammer in New York.
ANDERSON: Hi there. I`m Brooke Anderson in Hollywood. This is a special edition of TV`s most provocative entertainment news show.
HAMMER: Well Brooke, what do you think that the Brad Pitt of 10 years ago would make of the media circus that`s around him today? And Brooke, if Ben Affleck put his arm around you just for fun, do you think the paparazzi would instantly swarm?
Well, writer Jancee Dunn found out first hand. She went one on one with the world`s biggest stars - yes, Brooke, go ahead.
ANDERSON: If you`re public, I - of course, they`re going to swarm.
HAMMER: Yes. And that`s what happened to Jancee. But she tells it better than I can. She`s been interviewing the stars for "Rolling Stone" magazine for a long time, and I`ll go one on one with Jancee Dunn for a fascinating story. That`s coming up in a few.
ANDERSON: She has some interesting stories, absolutely, A.J.
And also, A.J., you can teach a dog a little of tricks.
HAMMER: True.
ANDERSON: To fetch, to sit, to roll over, to shake. But can you teach a dog to read? Well, a new book says you can, and we will tell you how, coming up.
HAMMER: All right.
ANDERSON: But first, what if with just a few clicks of your mouse, you could find some very personal information about a total stranger online? We`re talking Social Security numbers, addresses and more. It`s even happened to some big-time celebrities, and it`s got us worried. Now the scary thing is, there may not be much you can do to protect yourself.
Here`s CNN`s Drew Griffin for SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BJ OSTERGREN, "THE VIRGINIA WATCHDOG": Let`s see if anyone else`s is there.
DREW GRIFFIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): What this woman knows about you - or more accurately, could know about you - is frightening.
OSTERGREN: Yes, and it is so easy, it is quick, and - and let me show you.
GRIFFIN: BJ Ostergren, also known as the Virginia Watchdog, is infuriated about how easy it is for her to find your name, Social Security number, date of birth and even your signature.
OSTERGREN: Look, here`s a Bank of American loan (ph) number.
GRIFFIN: Anything anyone would need to steal your identity, right online, and put there by the government.
OSTERGREN: This is another divorce I printed out this morning. The father was in the Air Force, and there`s his Social Security number.
GRIFFIN (on camera): He would die if he knew this.
OSTERGREN: They have no clue.
GRIFFIN (voice-over): How did it happen? Ostergren says there was a big push in the last decade to push the access of government records into the 21st century, a paperless society - everything accessible at your fingertips via the Internet. Including government records, historically kept inside courthouses, inside clerks` offices, behind government counters.
Now many of those government records, across the country, can all be accessed by BJ Ostergren right here in the crowded office of her rural Virginia home.
OSTERGREN: But are they public records? Yes, they`re public. But there is a huge difference from driving to the courthouse and looking at it right here. Would I drive there to look at this and go through the record? No. Would I have driven to Miami-Dade to get Jeb Bush`s? No.
GOV. JEB BUSH (R), FLORIDA: This meeting was a very productive one.
GRIFFIN: Did she say Jeb Bush? Yes, the president`s brother. To prove her point she has drawn on celebrity-style identity hunts. The governor of Florida`s Social Security number, posted along with other Floridians.
OSTERGREN: I sat right at this very computer and got that record off the Florida Web site.
GRIFFIN: Jeb Bush has since had his Social blacked out, but plenty of records in Florida are still there for the taking.
OSTERGREN: Well, let`s see. Here is Brevard County.
GRIFFIN: With information like your Social Security number, your signature, even your date of birth, a thief can pretend he`s you. And it could cost you dearly.
OSTERGREN: Oh, you could get bank loans. You could get fake papers. You could come into this country using this man`s information. You could have - look, document fraud is a big thing. Mortgage fraud is a huge thing.
GRIFFIN (on camera): She can access almost any record on anyone anywhere, even perfect strangers here in New York City - many who would be shocked to learn that a retired woman in rural Virginia can learn so much about them from Web sites provided by the government that she could easily steal their identity.
(voice-over): Upon searching further, we also found talk show host Kelly Ripa and her husband.
OSTERGREN: Yes, and with their home addresses. They own, apparently, two places.
GRIFFRIN: Ostergren made exposing this electronic privacy gap her mission four years ago, when a concerned stranger warned her that her personal information was about to go online. Now she wants everyone to be warned.
She has set up a Web site to lobby governments and financial institutions to stop posting this information. And she now takes the time to call strangers herself and let them know the risks.
OSTERGREN: It infuriates me no end. But what can I do? I - I just think that people should see what I`m showing you. And people should see, you know, what - you wanted to see Colin Powell`s.
GRIFFIN: On a Virginia Web site she found the former secretary of state`s Social Security number, his wife`s, their Virginia address, even signatures.
OSTERGREN: Yes, and you can get that record. And on the first page of that document - here it is right here - you can see Page 1 with his home address here.
GRIFFIN: We decided to check for ourselves. Ostergren suggested we look at Phoenix, Arizona - Maricopa County. Per capita, it has the highest rate of identity-theft fraud in the country. Sitting at a computer in Atlanta, we were a bit taken back when we went to the Maricopa County Recorder`s Office Web site and found just about every document you could imagine, and personal information that you would never want others to get.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And his Social Security number right there.
GRIFFIN: So we physically went to the Maricopa County Recorder`s Office, and ran into a local resident, Phyllis Montgomery (ph), who was shocked when we showed her all of her personal information.
(on camera): A little surprising?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Very surprising. Very scary. Very scary, because this is private information. Everybody should not have information (INAUDIBLE) exactly where to come and murder me or pick me up or.
GRIFFIN (voice-over): The Recorder`s Office here posts a sign warning people their information will be made available on the Internet.
But available where? And who is the warning for?
Using the Internet, we randomly looked up Michael Russo (ph), who lives in Phoenix. He has never used a computer and doesn`t remember ever being in the Recorder`s Office.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Your privacy - lose your privacy. That was (INAUDIBLE) they come out with these computers.
GRIFFIN: Michael Russo ripped up our copies of his personal documents right in front of us. But we can easily print out another copy right on the county Web site.
Recorder Helen Purcell says she is working with the state of Arizona to figure out how to cleanse the records, like blackening out Social Security numbers. But she admits that in their rush to post the information online, they did not realize how easy they were making it for criminals intent on committing fraud.
UNIDENTIFED FEMALE: Maybe at the outset of that, all of these things weren`t thought about.
GRIFFIN: BJ Ostergren, the Virginia Watchdog.
OSTERGREN: There it is.
GRIFFIN: .couldn`t agree more. The question now, she says, what if anything is anyone going to do about it?
OSTERGREN: We are very stupid in this country, very stupid. This is spin (ph) feeding criminals.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: That is just frightening. And that was CNN`s Drew Griffin for SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
HAMMER: All right, let`s see: you run for president of the United States, and well, things don`t quite work out the way you wanted them to. What do you do? Well, what about making a movie that`s a hit with the critics and audiences? And that`s exactly what Al Gore with his film "An Inconvenient Truth." It`s a documentary which is based on his book, which chronicles his ongoing efforts to spread the word of the dangers of global warming.
Now I spoke with the former vice president about this very pressing issue, and about being a part of the Hollywood scene.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
AL GORE, FMR. U.S. VICE PRESIDENT: I never would have thought that this slideshow I`ve been giving all over the world would ever get me to the red carpet in Cannes, but the producers of this movie and the director, Davis Guggenheim, have done what I, in my admittedly biased view, believe is a terrific job.
It`s very entertaining -- funny even. Hard to believe, but it is. And the audiences come away saying this is not a political movie, this is a factual movie. And I think that`s why the per-screen average rating is so high. And I`m glad because it gets the message out more quickly to more people.
HAMMER: And are you having a good time with the movie star aspect of it though? As you mentioned, you went to Cannes -- I mean, you`re out doing publicity for a film. Here you are on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
Are you about to hit the party circuit with Paris Hilton in the Hollywood Hills or something?
GORE: No. Well, no.
But I did enjoy Cannes, to tell you the truth. I`m old enough to be able to enjoy something like that without getting it out of perspective and I know that a red carpet`s just a rug. But I have enjoyed this and I`ve found it very interesting. And the people I`ve worked with in making the movie and in writing the book, that Rodele has out now, of the same title "An Inconvenient Truth," it`s been a wonderful experience.
HAMMER: Well Hollywood and politics, certainly both known for being cutthroat businesses. Which would you say is more so, now that you`ve been sort of a part of the machine?
GORE: Well, I have seen the very best of the movie industry. These folks, Lori David, Lawrence Bender, Scott Burns, Jeff Schole at Participant (ph) Productions, and all of his colleagues, and I`ll mention again Davis Guggenheim, the director, Leslie Chillcot -- these are fantastic individuals. And I have loved working with them. It`s been a great experience.
There was a lot about the political world that I also enjoyed. There`s some aspects of it that I don`t miss. But this effort to get this message out through the movie and the book has been - has been gratifying because I feel like I`m -- have a sense of mission on this. And, you know, the old saying, you shall know the truth and the truth shall set you free. I learned that as a kid. And I really think that`s the essence of what this climate crisis is all about.
HAMMER: Well, you are certainly getting the message out. And this may come as a shock to you, but on this issue of global warming, Mr. Gore, there are those who would paint you an extremist. And this film certainly leaves no doubt that global warming is a real issue. It`s something that has got to be dealt with immediately
It has made me crazy for a long time now that there are people who still see this as conspiracy or a political issue. So tell me how it`s possible that there are still people out there with their heads in the sands about global warming?
GORE: Well, I think they party on Saturday nights with the group that thinks the moon landing was staged on a movie lot in Arizona. And there are still people who think that, you know, and luckily the news media doesn`t say, well, on the one hand, some people think we landed on the moon, on the other hand, some people think it was a hoax. Just like the flat Earth group now has receded in prominence.
And really the debate is over on the climate crisis. A few of the least-responsible large polluters have spent millions of dollars a year to try to intentionally confuse people about this. Same way that some of the tobacco companies did years ago to try to confuse the link between smoking and lung disease. And that`s immoral. It is irresponsible.
HAMMER: Sure.
GORE: And I hope they`ll stop it.
HAMMER: I do too.
And I have to ask you before we go, the obligatory question, of course, are you running for president in 2008 or will we be seeing you doing a buddy movie with Lindsay Lohan at that time?
GORE: I have no intention of being a candidate again. I am involved in a campaign, but it`s not for a candidacy. It`s for a cause. And I`m trying to steer clear of as many Hollywood feuds as I can.
I think she`s a great actress, incidentally, and looking forward to seeing her and my buddy Tommy Lee Jones in the "Prairie Home Companion." I hear that`s a great flick.
But go see "An Inconvenient Truth" first.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HAMMER: I believe Al Gore just said he`s a fan of Lindsay Lohan.
You can catch Al Gore in "An Inconvenient Truth." And you can learn more about global warming online at stopglobalwarming.org.
ANDERSON: All right, the juicy details of some of the biggest celebrity interviews. We`re talking Madonna, Brad Pitt and what it was like to mistaken for Ben Affleck`s girlfriend. "Rolling Stone" writer Jancee Dunn coming up.
Plus we`ve got this:
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BONNIE BERGIN, PRESIDENT, ASSISTANCE DOG INSTITUTE: Well, you can teach a dog to read two or three words in the - in the space of maybe 15 or 20 minutes.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: Oh, can you really teach your dog how to read? Make no bones about it; some people think it`s possible. But is there more bark than bite to this story? You`ll find out, coming up.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Camera 3. Let`s get A.J. to Big Bon (ph) left. Max faster (ph). Stand by to break and roll your break. Effect black.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Fade up, go Camera 3, music under. Stand by, A.J. Open his mic, dissolve Camera 5, and go.
HAMMER: Thank you very much, Charles (ph).
Welcome back to this special edition of SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, TV`s most provocative entertainment news show. I am A.J. Hammer in New York.
It`s time now for another story that made the folks around here say "That`s Ridiculous!" It`s a book that says - are you ready for this - you can actually teach your dog to read.
Here`s CNN`s Jeanne Moos for SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEANNE MOOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): How many owners can say this about their dogs?
BERGIN: He`s been reading for about two years now.
MOOS: You don`t believe it?
(BARKING)
BERGIN: Good boy.
MOOS: Still don`t believe it?
(BARKING)
Well, believe this.
(BARKING)
BERGIN: Yes!
MOOS: OK, so a novel might be too much.
(on camera): Want to do some light reading? "War and Peace." It will just take a minute.
(voice-over): "Teach Your Dog to Read" makes no bones about it. OK you`re right; your dog will never be able to read this book, but it might teach him the basics.
BERGIN: When you can teach your dog to read two or three words in the space of maybe 15 or 20 minutes -- once you see that, then you know it`s - it`s real.
MOOS: Bonnie Bergin is considered a pioneer in assistance dog training.
BERGIN: Come on, up, up, up, up.
MOOS: She founded The Assistance Dog Institute in Santa Rosa, California.
Her new book shows how to use flash cards to teach dogs to read. But is it actually reading?
BERGIN: They`re looking at it as an abstract symbol.
MOOS: First you show the card and say the command a few times.
BERGIN: Throw.
MOOS: Then you graduate to flashing the card without saying the word.
BERGIN: Good boy.
MOOS: A reward is crucial, though the treat tends to be more powerful than the written word.
(on camera): Cass (ph), is this what you`re looking for?
(voice-over): The flash cards get harder.
(on camera): Two letters, three letters, three words.
(voice-over): And though dogs have mastered as many as 20 written commands, we also saw a lot of guessing. When shown the command down, Norton (ph) first tried to speak, then he did a turn and only then did he go down. Moments later, he apparently mistook shake for speak. But when he was shown speak upside down.
BERGIN: He`s doing it.
MOOS: We made up a few of our own flash cards.
BERGIN: Bark Yeah.
MOOS (on camera): Guess she doesn`t want to join. Run, spot, run. And another of your literary favorites.
(voice-over): But seriously, folks, why teach dogs to read?
BERGIN: We`re looking for ways to stretch their mind
MOOS: So instead of just splashing around a pool.
(on camera): Hi, we`d like to know where the canine section is.
(voice-over): .head for the bookstore together.
(on camera): See anything that appeals to you? Cassie (ph), a little beach reading?
(voice-over): Next thing you know, she`ll be map reading.
(on camera): North, south, east.
(voice-over): Instead of "War and Peace".
(on camera): Only 1,000 pages to go, Cass.
(voice-over): How about the doggy equivalent of a romance novel?
BERGIN: Good boy. Yes.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HAMMER: Dog gone it, that was CNN`s Jeanne Moos. I believe Jeanne was teasing the dogs with a couple of those signs, and that made me a little bit upset.
ANDERSON: And the "War and Peace," A.J.
You know, it`s like Pavlov`s Law. It`s the repetition and the reward. But some dogs are very smart, could be literate. Who knows?
HAMMER: You`re such a cynic, Brooke. I think it`s the dogs actually can read.
Teaching dogs to read, I don`t think so. But I guess you think "That`s Ridiculous!" Let`s just move on.
Some of the biggest stars in the world have sat down with Jancee Dunn. Her interviews with Madonna, Bono, a lot more have graced the pages of "Rolling Stone" magazine since 1989. If you have picked up a copy of "Rolling Stone," chances are you`ve seen Jancee`s work. Well, now you can find out what happened behind the scenes of these very juicy interviews in Dunn`s book.
But enough about me. A Jersey`s girl`s unlikely adventures among the absurdly famous.
Jancee and I chatted about breaking the ice with Madonna, her date with Ben Affleck and spending a little quality time with Brad Pitt.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
HAMMER: I love the fact that you got to spend some quality time with Brad early on. It was, actually, about 10 years ago when he was filming "Seven Years in Tibet," you wrote this great article about him in "Rolling Stone" magazine. But you really had some solid one-on-one time before all of what we know of Brad now had started. So I`m curious what you think the Brad of then would think of this circus of now that surrounds him now.
JANCEE DUNN, "ROLLING STONE": From what I know of him, from the time we spent together -- and we did spend a fair amount of time because he was filming in the Canadian Rockies, so he had nothing to do. So he was actually happy to see me, rather than filming in, you know, L.A. or New York.
HAMMER: I`m sure.
DUNN: He was a really private guy and even on the set, he -- you know, he held back from other people. Not in a snobby way or anything, he was just very, you know, kind of introspective and he liked to stay in his trailer a lot and read. So I think it would have blown his mind to see this craziness about his child. I mean, I really do.
HAMMER: But even the celebrities who sort of seem to run away from it and hide -- and granted, they need to protect their privacy and the privacy of their child and their children. But don`t they still crave the publicity, despite the appearance of not?
DUNN: Oh, sure. I mean, I can`t tell you how many celebrities I`ve been out with that want to be anonymous, and so they put on enormous sunglasses and a giant hat and they look like, you know, kind of freaky flapping along, so everyone turns around and looks at them and then they recognize them.
HAMMER: And take pictures and you...
DUNN: Exactly.
HAMMER: And you - you actually -- you get - you have gotten some great perspective on the massive energy of the paparazzi. I remember reading your article about Ben Affleck, also in "Rolling Stone".
DUNN: Yes.
HAMMER: .just after he had broken up with Jennifer Lopez and he showed you how firsthand how the paparazzi functions. What was that story about?
DUNN: Well, we got into kind of a mild argument. You know when you - you save the painful questions for the end?
HAMMER: Yes.
DUNN: Do you ever do that? That`s what I did with him, and I said.
HAMMER: I try to avoid them all together..
DUNN: Right.
HAMMER: But it`s part of the job.
DUNN: So we were talking about the media frenzy over, you know, their - their being a couple. I said, you know, you maybe courted the media a little bit. And he said, we did not. And I said, I remember you making out on the red carpet a bunch of times and there were a lot of photos.
He said, no, the -- we were always attacked by the paparazzi. We didn`t -- we weren`t complicit in this. I`ll prove it to you. Grabbed his keys, we went to a taco stand in Los Angeles and boom, within two minutes, we were deluged by paparazzi. And he said, You see, I didn`t call anybody - - I`m getting a veg burrito, you know?
HAMMER: Yes, you were front page news. They thought you were his next girlfriend. OK.
DUNN: Yes. There was a bidding war in the tabloids.
HAMMER: We have a very sort amount of time. Very quickly to talk about the aspect that celebrities are real people too. But not Madonna, right?
DUNN: No, no. And, you know, the funny thing, when I talk to her, I asked her a question I always ask celebrities, which is when`s the last time you were completely alone? And she said 20 years. She hadn`t been alone in 20 years, which I found so odd. But they told me before I showed up, no - no chitchat. Just sit down and ask the question
And you want to warm people up, you know. And she smells fear like a dog, so don`t be afraid. So, of course, I was terrified.
HAMMER: Yes.
DUNN: You know, I was like (INAUDIBLE).
HAMMER: And after all the people, you still get a little nervous around celebs?
DUNN: Oh yes, I get nervous around -- I interviewed a pro wrestler for "Playboy" magazine named Kristy (ph) and I got nervous. I did.
HAMMER: Are you nervous right now?
DUNN: Yes, I`m dying.
HAMMER: Fantastic.
DUNN: Am I faking it a little bit? Am I OK?
HAMMER: Just fine.
Jancee Dunn, thank you so much.
DUNN: Thank you.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HAMMER: The book, as you can tell, is a real fun read. And it`s called "But Enough About Me: A Jersey`s Girl`s Adventures Among the Absurdly Rich and Famous" by Jancee Dunn. Well, it doesn`t "Rich and Famous." Just "Famous."
Anyway, this special edition of SHOWBIZ TONIGHT is coming right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANDERSON: Welcome back to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
OK, put this on your calendar; we don`t want you to forget. You can now watch SHOWBIZ TONIGHT seven nights a week. We are bringing TV`s most provocative entertainment news show to your weekend, every weekend. Be sure to tune in to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT Saturdays and Sundays. That`s at 11 p.m. Eastern, 8 Pacific.
HAMMER: As we say, that`s a wrap. That is it for this very special edition of SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. Thank you so much for watching. I am A.J. Hammer in New York.
ANDERSON: And I am Brooke Anderson in Hollywood. Have a good one. Stay tuned right now for more from CNN Headline News.
END
