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Showbiz Tonight
Karr`s Con?; Katrina: One Year Later
Aired August 29, 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: Bruce Springsteen answers the rumors. Is his marriage falling apart?
I`m A.J. Hammer in New York.
BROOKE ANDERSON, CO-HOST: And is "South Park" being used to torture Saddam Hussein?
I`m Brooke Anderson in Hollywood.
TV`s most provocative entertainment news show starts right now.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
HAMMER (voice over): On SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, case collapse. Did John Mark Karr pull off one of the most shocking media hoaxes ever?
Tonight, the Karr crash and the bizarre connection to the one-time JonBenet suspect has to Johnny Depp and to Katharine Hepburn.
SHOWBIZ TONIGHT isn`t afraid to ask the tough question: Did the media make you think Karr killed JonBenet?
Also, Hurricane Katrina one year later. Tonight, one of Hollywood`s heaviest hitter`s shocking comments about what happened. Could there have been a conspiracy to wipe out the poor black population of New Orleans?
SPIKE LEE, DIRECTOR: I don`t put anything past this administration.
HAMMER: SHOWBIZ TONIGHT with this startling Katrina controversy.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HAMMER: Hello. I`m A.J. Hammer in New York.
ANDERSON: I`m Brooke Anderson in Hollywood.
A.J., now even Johnny Depp`s name has come up in the "can it get even more bizarre" story of John Mark Karr.
HAMMER: That`s right, Brooke. While the charges have been dropped against Karr despite his confession in the murder of JonBenet Ramsey, this story is far from over. Today we got strange new details about what Karr had claimed. And all I can say is -- wow!
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
HAMMER (voice over): In just 12 days, we`ve gone from here...
MILES O`BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: A decade after six-year-old JonBenet Ramsey was killed in her Colorado home, a stunning turn of events in Thailand, a confession in the 1996 killing of JonBenet Ramsey.
HAMMER: ... to here...
O`BRIEN: John Mark Karr no longer a suspect in the JonBenet Ramsey murder case.
SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: There simply is no case against him.
HAMMER: The world`s noes notorious suspect became a non-suspect overnight. John Mark Karr`s confession in the JonBenet Ramsey case unraveled by DNA evidence showing there is no way he could have committed crime. Prosecutors in Boulder, Colorado, where JonBenet was killed, are red-faced with embarrassment.
MARY LACY, BOULDER COUNTY D.A.: The decisions were mine, the responsibility is mine, and I should be held accountable for all decisions in this case.
HAMMER: And critics of the media are red-faced with anger.
HOWARD KURTZ, HOST, "RELIABLE SOURCES": This was an appalling performance on the part of the media.
HAMMER: And SHOWBIZ TONIGHT has for you the fallout and the backlash of Karr`s crazy confession.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Are you an innocent man?
JOHN MARK KARR, CONFESSED TO MURDER OF JONBENET RAMSEY: No.
HAMMER: Ever since Karr started making his bizarre public confessions about JonBenet in Thailand...
KARR: I love JonBenet and she died accidentally.
HAMMER: ... TV news channels have followed his every word. And they still are, as authorities release chilling e-mails and phone calls Karr made over the years to a Colorado journalism professor.
JEFFREY TOOBIN, CNN SR. LEGAL ANALYST: Very disturbing stuff in here, extensive detailed confessions to the crime, statements that he likes having sex with young girls.
HAMMER: Disturbing stuff, indeed. In those e-mails, Karr describes in horrifying detail his lustful delusions of JonBenet.
In one he wrote last May, he says, "Are you asking me why I killed JonBenet? I don`t see it that way. Her and I were engaging in a romantic and very sexual interaction. It went bad and it was my fault."
It gets worse. We also see Karr fantasizing about writing a movie about JonBenet`s murder, saying it could make $1 billion. He also says he wants to be played by "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" star Johnny Depp.
"He reminds me so much of me, and he looks like me. And he would play the part perfectly, very similar to my personality, except for the fact that Willy Wonka did not know how to treat children. He had no knowledge of how to be around children."
We`ll leave that one for the movie critics.
Karr also brags about his ability to impersonate Katharine Hepburn.
SHOWBIZ TONIGHT doesn`t see a resemblance.
Is this guy crazy?
KURTZ: News organizations allowed themselves to be hijacked by this creepy character with a shaky confession.
HAMMER: Howard Kurtz, host of CNN`s "RELIABLE SOURCES," tells SHOWBIZ TONIGHT the media was right to report the story, but a person as questionable as Karr should not have been given the front-page treatment.
KURTZ: It did not need to be the lead story on any newscast. It did not need to be on cable television hour after hour after hour until we had some shred of evidence that this guy was not just a whack job. Journalists know better. They know that sometimes there are false confessions in high- profile cases.
HAMMER: There certainly are. The two biggest crimes of the last century, the killings of O.J. Simpson`s ex-wife and friend and the kidnapping of Charles Lindbergh`s baby in 1932. Each had hundreds of people claiming responsibility.
PROF. RICHARD OFSHE, CONFESSIONS EXPERT, U.C. BERKELEY: There are people who are simply disturbed, want the attention, and on their own hook decide to say, "I did it," when, in fact, they didn`t. And that`s a very common phenomenon.
HAMMER: No matter the reason, Karr`s confession is now being written off as a hoax. And the murder of JonBenet Ramsey remains an unsolved mystery. And the creation of a new infamous media figure is something that no one is proud of.
KURTZ: It`s an embarrassing episode that`s going to be remembered for a long time to come.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HAMMER: Still obviously so much more to talk about. Let`s get right to it.
Joining me here in New York tonight, Court TV news anchor Ashleigh Banfield. And in Hollywood, investigative journalist Pat Lalama.
Ladies, I appreciate you both being with us.
PAT LALAMA, INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALIST: Thanks so much.
HAMMER: All right. So, Pat, I can just imagine what was going through your mind when you heard about the Johnny Depp angle here. We just saw that Karr could see Johnny Depp playing him in a movie.
The mere fact that this guy has these kinds of delusions of grandeur, wasn`t it basically just another clear sign that he is sort of a nut job trying to get famous?
LALAMA: Well, I have to tell you, A.J., anybody who covers crime, as I have for more years than I care to remember, knew from the start that something really smelled fishy about this whole thing. But, please, let me just take this moment to tell people to think about this rationally.
This was a man, A.J., who in his e-mail said that he violated this poor little girl and then tasted the blood and that he killed her but it was an accident. What was that D.A. supposed to do? If she let him go, she would have been damned for that.
She had to take the DNA. She couldn`t get a swab. If they went to him in Thailand and said, "Oh, John, hi, we need a swab," he would have been out of there. He`s a flight risk. Everybody knows that.
She had no choice. And anybody who understands the law realizes that in many ways she had no choice. Now the media is embarrassed because journalists don`t run media anymore. Everybody, they preempted shows, we forget all about Lebanon.
Suddenly, this was the most important thing in the world. Now the media is embarrassed and who do they want to blame? They want to blame her. And I think it`s BS. Sorry.
HAMMER: All right. Well, I want to get away from that for a moment, because I don`t entirely disagree with you.
But back, Ashleigh, to the idea that here`s a guy who already said, you know, "I have Johnny Depp in mind," not as he was Willy Wonka, because Willy Wonka wasn`t good with kids, but "Johnny Depp should play me."
ASHLEIGH BANFIELD, COURT TV ANCHOR: Yes, a little creepy.
HAMMER: A little creepy.
BANFIELD: He had these delusions, as you mentioned, of grandeur. And actually, my FBI sources said that this was one of the key indicators right off the bat that this might not be an accurate confession. Mary Lacy herself said what was so unbelievable about this person`s confession was that he believed he killed JonBenet, which made them decide, we`ve got to check out this guy`s credibility because he is passionate about this.
HAMMER: Yes. There was no question that it was something that had to be looked at. And so it was looked at and now it`s done.
And I want to go back to what you were just talking about, Pat. You know, a lot of criticism has come upon the media and the coverage. Basically, people are saying that the media convicted this guy when the story first broke.
Do you think the media voiced enough skepticism whether or not the guy was guilty? Because when the story did break, people were just reporting the story.
LALAMA: Well, you know what? I do think -- and I`ve been watching and paying attention because, you know, a part of this scenario as well. I do think there was plenty of skepticism.
The problem is, and it was so brilliantly put in that very, very good setup piece that you did, is that it didn`t have to be front page every day. Yes, of course, we`re going to cover this. We would be remiss not to cover something like this. But why in the world did the earth stop rotating? I mean, what -- what happened that this became A number one?
But, yes, to answer your question, I do think there was plenty of skepticism. I think anybody in the legal world knew that. I think the audience didn`t get it. And that`s another point that was made in your piece.
It`s the audience who went, whoa, could this be the guy? Wow, could this be the guy? And we -- and they bought it.
HAMMER: Ashleigh, I saw your face. You cringed a little bit when we saw that newspaper cover come up that said "Solved" with JonBenet`s picture.
BANFIELD: Correct. I work for court TV. We don`t do those things, because we work with lawyers. So I think part of what Pat`s saying is accurate. And then the other part is that we in the media don`t work in grand collusion with one another to decide what we`re going to -- to disseminate to the viewers.
They click us off with their remotes. So it`s unfortunate that that seems to be what America is hungry for, in the same sense that they are hungry for the "Da Vinci Code."
HAMMER: Yes.
BANFIELD: Everybody wanted to turn the page as fast as they could to find out how it ends. They seemed to want this story as well.
And the added benefit to it is that it`s not fiction. It`s real. And I think that`s what has America gripped.
It`s a 10-year-old story with a gorgeous little girl who was horribly murdered. We all have kids. And we`re terrorized by the thought it could happen to us. That`s why people are interested. I don`t think it is just the macabre nature of this.
HAMMER: Sure.
BANFIELD: I think it truly is real and it scarce us that it`s possible.
HAMMER: Well, and you mentioned it is real, not fiction. But we could very well see it get the Hollywood treatment once again.
As we know, Pat, the rights to the John Mark Karr story grabbed up in an instant, this time around by producer-author Larry Garrison. But is this kind of a moot point now? Because I kind of get the sense that people are going to lose interest in this guy and maybe he`s just going to fade away and just be thought of as another nut job with a page on Wikipedia.
LALAMA: Well, I`ll tell you -- I`ll put it this way: I mean, think he`s a lot more fascinating just in terms of forensics and psychological thrillers than O.J. Simpson. I mean, O.J. Simpson is just a guy a lot of people think killed his wife and now he`s being a jerk on the golf course.
This guy -- I mean, I`m very interested in this whole childhood thing and his mother trying to burn him, and, you know, what causes a person to stay in this sort of arrested development. I mean, so it might still have that kind of fascination, if you get away from the JonBenet thing and sort of really investigate how his mind works. To me, that`s what`s fascinating.
BANFIELD: What I find even more fascinating is, is this guy going to walk our streets soon?
LALAMA: Exactly.
BANFIELD: Because he`s not going to be charged in the JonBenet...
HAMMER: Ooh, I hope not.
LALAMA: Good point.
BANFIELD: Let me tell you -- let me tell wau the law says. No, you can`t be charged for fantasizing on paper with a college professor in Boulder. No. No charges there.
Yes, he is up on those five charges in Sonoma County, each of them maximum a year. So he could be charged and sentenced consecutively, which would give him five years. He could be fined. But then he could be out on the streets. He does have to register as a sex offender, though.
HAMMER: I don`t think he will fare...
BANFIELD: Upon conviction, let`s say.
HAMMER: I don`t think he`ll fare too well anywhere in public.
Ashleigh Banfield from Court TV...
BANFIELD: Thank you.
HAMMER: Pat Lalama, thanks for joining us tonight.
LALAMA: My pleasure.
ANDERSON: And now we want to hear from you. It is our SHOWBIZ TONIGHT "Question of the Day."
John Mark Karr: Did the media coverage make you think he was guilty?
Vote at cnn.com/showbiztonight, send us an e-mail, showbiztonight@cnn.com.
Bruce Springsteen tackles the rumors about his marriage head on. That`s coming up in tonight`s "Hot Headlines".
Plus, we`ve got this...
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RANDI KAYE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Do you believe there was conspiracy to wipe out the poor black population of New Orleans?
LEE: I don`t put anything past this administration. It would not surprise me.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: Hurricane Katrina: one year later. Tonight, one of Hollywood`s heaviest hitter`s shocking comments about what happened.
SHOWBIZ TONIGHT has the startling Katrina controversy.
ANDERSON: Also, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT goes along with one CNN reporter as she heads back to the Gulf Coast. Her emotional return to the place where she became part of the tragic Katrina story.
Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HAMMER: Welcome back to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, TV`s most provocative entertainment news show.
I`m A.J. Hammer in New York.
Time now for a story that made us say, "That`s ridiculous!"
We all know it`s bad enough how some people drive, so you can only imagine what happened when a woman put her dog behind the wheel. That`s right, a woman in China crashed her car while giving her puppy a driving lesson.
The woman said that her dog liked to crouch on the steering wheel and watch her drive, so she gave him a try while she worked the gas pedal and the brake. And it didn`t quite work out. Call it dogged determination, if you will, but the canine crashed. Luckily, no one was injured.
And Brooke, I was just wondering if this is something, you know, maybe Britney Spears is watching and saying, "Great job"?
ANDERSON: Maybe so. You know, we don`t know what kind of dog it was or what kind of vehicles were involved, but the dog owner did pay for all repairs. But it just goes to show you, A.J., it proves you can`t really teach a dog new tricks. Not this time.
HAMMER: Yes. And that is why we have to say, teaching a dog how to drive, "That`s ridiculous!"
ANDERSON: "That`s ridiculous!"
HAMMER: Moving on now, it has been one year since Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans and the Gulf Coast. That horrible tragedy, of course, changed thousands of lives forever. And it also changed the way media covered stuff like this, with reporters becoming a part of the story and not just talking about it.
CNN`s Jeanne Meserve and cameraman Mark Biello were among the very first to record and report on the destruction, and they just made an emotional visit back to the scene.
Here is Jeanne for SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEANNE MESERVE, CNN HOMELAND SECURITY CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It`s been horrible. As I left tonight, darkness, of course, had fallen, and you can hear people yelling for help. You can hear the dogs yelping, all of them stranded, all of them hoping someone will come.
It is still horrible. The neighborhood is thick with the memory of death, the evidence of destruction, the reality of displacement.
But, a year ago, it was different, immediate, terrifying.
OLIVER THOMAS, NEW ORLEANS CITY COUNCIL PRESIDENT: It was like a horror film. It was a New Orleans horror film.
MESERVE: City Council President Oliver Thomas drives us to the Eighth Ward, as he did a year ago. As the waters deepened that day, he said, "My city is dying." Water was up to the eaves of the houses.
THOMAS: I felt like it was the end of our world.
MESERVE (on camera): It`s hard for me to comprehend how many people might be out there, and how many people`s lives are in jeopardy, or how many people may already be dead.
(voice-over): Chris Mercadel launched his fishing boat in the floodwaters, and set out with friends could rescue whoever he could. His boat was one of a handful ferrying people to safety.
CHRIS MERCADEL, NEW ORLEANS RESIDENT: Where are the police boats? Where were they? I don`t know. I`m still angry about it. I`m still hurt by it.
MESERVE: CNN cameraman Mark Biello went along to record the rescues, but repeatedly put down his camera to help.
MARK BIELLO, CNN SENIOR PHOTOJOURNALIST: This is as intense as Rwanda, Somalia.
MESERVE (on camera): He saw bodies, dogs wrapped in electrical -- electrical lines that were still alive, that were being electrocuted.
MESERVE: Mercadel and Biello went back to the neighborhood to remember, to remember the man who salvaged only his Bible.
MERCADEL: It could have been a possibility he`s reading it. It could have been a possibility he thought he was going to die that night.
MESERVE (on camera): One man I talked to was barefoot. He hadn`t had time to put on shoes.
Arthur White remembers, the water came up so quickly.
ARTHUR WHITE, NEW ORLEANS RESIDENT: When I pulled the blinds back and look out of it, all I seen was water.
MESERVE (voice-over): He realized there was only one direction to go.
WHITE: I pulled the ladder down and I got into the attic.
MESERVE: After hours on his roof, Mercadel`s boat picked him up.
Later, Biello`s camera caught something flashing, a piece of metal, a desperate signal. They hacked through the roof and found a couple in the attic, grasping an elderly man, almost submerged in the water beneath them.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They had already been holding on 13, 14 hours. I don`t they could have done it much longer.
MESERVE: Other lives ended that night. The lives of those who survived and even those of us who witnessed are changed.
BIELLO: A lot of nightmares. It stays with you. It never goes away.
MESERVE (on camera): What are the nightmares about?
BIELLO: Could we have done more?
MESERVE: When you stand in the dark, and you hear people yelling for help, and no one can get to them, it`s a totally different experience.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HAMMER: Watching that footage, it all just comes right back. Hard to believe it`s been a year.
CNN`s Jeanne Meserve reporting for SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
ANDERSON: New Orleans native Harry Connick Jr. is out with a powerful new single about what he saw right after the hurricane hit. It`s called "All These People," a duet with Gospel singer Kim Burrell. The song`s about all the people stranded at the New Orleans Convention Center.
Here`s your first look.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HARRY CONNICK JR., SINGER (SINGING): There were all these people all just waiting there. There were all these people all just waiting there for someone. But nobody came. Nobody saw. Because nobody wanted to go that far.
There were all these people all waiting there. Yes.
I was so damn scared I held hands with a crazy man. I was so damn scared I held hands and (INAUDIBLE) with the crazy man. But he wasn`t crazy and I wasn`t scared. We were just brothers and stood there and stared at all those people waiting there.
Well, the first few people we saw the way they came. I grabbed my brother`s hand, neither one of us (INAUDIBLE). The two of them, the two of us, dying in waters, living in dust.
Saw all those people waiting there. Yes. All right.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: All proceeds from the song out today will benefit New Orleans Habitat Musicians Village, which is building homes for people who lost them during Katrina. Connick has an entire New Orleans big band album coming out this fall.
And to learn more about Musicians Village, check out habitat-nola.org.
OK, get this. Are Cartman, Kenny and Kyle torturing Saddam Hussein? The "South Park" posse`s strange connection to the former Iraq dictator.
Plus, we`ve also got this...
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KAYE: Do you believe there was a conspiracy to wipe out the poor black population of New Orleans?
LEE: I don`t put anything past this administration. It would not surprise me.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: Hurricane Katrina, one year later. Tonight, one of Hollywood`s heaviest hitter`s shocking comments about what happened.
SHOWBIZ TONIGHT with this startling Katrina controversy.
ANDERSON: And a brutally blunt look at some men and women`s military service in Iraq, their struggle to reconnect with their families.
That`s coming up on tonight`s "Showbiz Showcase."
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HAMMER: Tomorrow, the psychology of fame, why people are obsessed with getting their 15 minutes and what they will do to get them.
Fascination with fame tomorrow on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
ANDERSON: Barry Manilow is back home recovering from hip surgery, fresh off his Emmy win for best variety or music program. The 60-something singer`s publicist said he came through "swimmingly."
At the Emmys Manilow said he would take his statue into the operating room for good luck, and he did just that. He will be off his feet for six to eight weeks, then he`ll jump -- well, maybe not jump -- right back into his show at the Las Vegas Hilton.
HAMMER: A reminder that SHOWBIZ TONIGHT can now be seen seven nights a week. That`s right. We`re not just here Monday through Friday. But TV`s most provocative entertainment news show has now arrived on your weekends.
So, you can join us, of course, Monday through Friday. You can also join us Saturday and Sunday at 11:00 p.m. Eastern, 8:00 p.m. Pacific for SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
All right. Here is kind of a strange question. Are Cartman, Kenny and Kyle torturing Saddam Hussein?
The "South Park" posse`s strange connection to the former Iraqi dictator coming up.
ANDERSON: Also, a brutally blunt look at some men and women`s military service in Iraq, their struggle to reconnect with their families. That`s coming up in tonight`s "Showbiz Showcase".
Plus, we`ve got this...
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KAYE: Do you believe there was a conspiracy to wipe out the poor black population of New Orleans?
LEE: I don`t put anything past this administration. It would not surprise me.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: Hurricane Katrina, one year later. Tonight, one of the biggest players in Hollywood has some shocking comments about what happened, and SHOWBIZ TONIGHT has them for you in this startling Katrina controversy.
We`ll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HAMMER: Welcome back to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. It is 30 minutes past the hour. I`m A.J. Hammer in New York.
ANDERSON: I`m Brooke Anderson in Hollywood. This is TV`s most provocative entertainment news show.
HAMMER: Brooke, have you heard? There have been some rumors swirling around about the personal life of Bruce Springsteen.
ANDERSON: I have. Normally a very private guy, who`s chosen to speak out now, right?
HAMMER: Yes. I mean, there have been rumors floating around basically saying that he and his wife of 18 years, Patty Scialfa, are having problems. Bruce normally wouldn`t even address gossip like this.
ANDERSON: Right.
HAMMER: But he - but he has found necessary to actually speak out. We`ll tell you what he`s saying and how he went about saying it, coming up in just a few minutes.
ANDERSON: And it`s pretty surprising.
Also, A.J., it is the first anniversary of Hurricane Katrina. We are talking to Hollywood stars about what they are doing to help. And also we`re getting their perspective on the recovery efforts and what still needs to be done. And they`re making some pretty shocking remarks, and that is straight ahead.
But first, director Spike Lee has made a four-hour documentary about Hurricane Katrina and its devastating effects. And it includes a startling theory: that the levees breaking was no accident.
Here`s CNN`s Randi Kaye for SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
RANDI KAYE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Sit down for an interview with director Spike Lee, and get ready for an earful.
(on camera): Do you believe there was a conspiracy to wipe out the poor black population of New Orleans?
SPIKE LEE, DIRECTOR, "WHEN THE LEVEES BROKE": I don`t put anything past this administration. It would not surprise me.
KAYE (voice-over): That pretty much captures the tone of HBO`s Spike Lee documentary, "When the Levees Broke." It`s a four-hour emotional roller coaster of a film.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This is my daughter Serena who drowned in Hurricane Katrina. She was 5 years old. And I never got a chance to say goodbye.
KAYE: The documentary centers on the failings of the Bush administration, some that can be documented like FEMA`s fumbling effort to deliver trailers, and some that have the earmarks of urban legend, like the claim the levees were breached on purpose so poor folks would be flooded while the rich folks stayed dry. After all, it had happened once before in the 1927 flood.
(on camera): What did people tell you about their beliefs that there really may have been a conspiracy to blow up the levees?
LEE: Well, people didn`t use the word conspiracy. What they told me and what you see in the film, is that they heard an explosion. More than one person said they heard an explosion.
KAYE: Why would they do it? Why would the government blow up the levees? It sounds crazy.
LEE: Why would the government give syphilis to Negros in the 40s untreated and see what would be the effect on -- on them?
KAYE (voice-over): In his trademark style - subtle, but with a bite - - Lee suggests President Bush and his team were busy doing other things rather than focusing on Katrina.
LEE: Dick Cheney, fly fishing. Karl Rove, nowhere around. You have Chertoff going to Atlanta on a disease-prevention kick. What was Dr. Condoleezza Rice doing that looked very poorly? She was at Ferragamo`s buying shoes.
KAYE: Spike Lee does not make the government`s slow response a black/white issue, but an issue of class.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This is not - this is not about low income. It`s not about rich people, poor people. It`s about people.
KAYE: He uses this clip of Barbara Bush touring the Houston Astrodome to make his point.
BARBARA BUSH, FORMER FIRST LADY OF THE UNITED STATES: And so many of the people in the arena here, you know, were underprivileged anyway. This is - this is working very well for them.
LEE: It was amazing that the president`s mother said that. That somehow -- that by having this hurricane and the breach of the levees and losing their -- losing lives and losing their business and families, this is a form of social upheaval and they`ll - and they`ll make out better.
KAYE: When Lee first started filming in New Orleans last November, he couldn`t believe what he saw.
LEE: It looked like a movie set. It looked like a set on the back lot of an end of an end of the world, apocalyptic movie.
KAYE (on camera): Television didn`t do it justice.
LEE: You can`t. I mean.
KAYE (voice-over): And he`s still surprised, he says, by what little in his opinion is being done to make New Orleans safe, such as rebuilding the levees to pre-Katrina status. He recalled one interview with the Army Corps of Engineers.
LEE: I looked at him like he was crazy. Pre-Katrina safety? It wasn`t safe before Katrina. I`m like...
KAYE: Members of the Bush administration turned down Lee`s interview requests. But he`d like to force them to watch his film which brought to mind a scene from one of his favorite movies, "Clockwork Orange."
LEE: I would like to do that. I would like to have a screening room - - I`m going to have Bush, Cheney, Condoleezza, all them guys, they`re handcuffed...
KAYE (on camera): And their eyelids held open.
LEE: Yes. Yes, the eyelids and so if they can`t want to fall asleep, they can`t. They have to watch this for four hours.
KAYE (voice-over): Tough as is he is on the administration, Lee doesn`t put all the blame on Washington.
(on camera): How do you think Mayor Ray Nagin did overall?
LEE: He dropped the ball overall. I would say the same thing with Governor Blanco.
KAYE (voice-over): Spike Lee says his goal in making the film is to get the Gulf Coast much-needed attention and strengthen the American spirit, which he says survived the storm.
LEE: Come with an open mind. Just as a the citizen of the world, not even -- not even come as an American, just as a citizen of the world, being a human being, care for other human beings. That`s the way I think you should approach.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: That was CNN`s Randi Kaye for SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
HAMMER: In tonight`s "SHOWBIZ Showcase," "The Ground Truth." This war documentary takes a firsthand look as young Marines chronicle their experiences from recruitments all the way to their homecomings from Iraq.
And SHOWBIZ TONIGHT has your first look.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Today, we bring together another generation of men and women into the ranks of our armed forces.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Here`s the big book, all the opportunities we have in the Marine corps. I looked him in the eye and said, I want to be a grunt.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He talked about pay and - and your benefits. And they`re all positives.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It sounded good. It`s like, he`s telling me, OK, you could go here, and you could go there.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I started in basic training.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They systematically break you down.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (INAUDIBLE) chanting, ragheads, hajjis.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I was like, I can`t believe that they`re saying this.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You take a 19-year-old kid, give him a rifle, and tell him, You want to go back home to your girlfriend? Go destroy that safe (ph).
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The enemy could be anyone, and you don`t know where they`ll focus their aggression.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Who we are when we leave is not who we are when and if we`re lucky to return.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There`s times where I`m glad I`m alive. And then there`s times where I wish it would have killed me.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You`re supposed to be this Superman. We`re not supposed to be come home and have those - those feelings.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: My wife`s so proud of me. I said, How can I tell her about the dead kid I saw laying on the side of the road? Then I get to be a hero to a (INAUDIBLE)
(MUSIC)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You turn on the news everyday and you hear a number - 14 wounded or 10 dead.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And they think, OK, hope you`re all right. But they don`t realize injured is missing both his hands, or both his legs or whatever.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I`m here for a reason: I`m here to make sure that no other soldier has to go through what I had to go through.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Your dad and I have struggled everyday. He chose to end his life after his return from Iraq.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (INAUDIBLE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We`re speaking not only for ourselves, but for the people who are still in the military.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Honor the veterans. I really like listening to what (INAUDIBLE) is saying.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Sign up for this program and you can be (INAUDIBLE) without water. Spiritually, you can only live a few minutes without hope.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HAMMER: Doesn`t get any more compelling than seeing it from the inside. "The Ground Truth" will be in theaters on September 15.
ANDERSON: A friendly reminder now that SHOWBIZ TONIGHT is on seven nights a week. We are bringing TV`s most provocative entertainment news show to your weekends. Be sure to check us out: SHOWBIZ TONIGHT Saturday and Sunday and each and every night. That`s at 11 p.m. Eastern, 8 Pacific.
HAMMER: Well, as we`ve been talking about, it`s been one year since Hurricane Katrina devastated the Gulf Coast. And of course, as we all know, stars stepped right in to lend a hand in the aftermath. We`re going to take a look at what Hollywood has done to help, coming up next.
ANDERSON: Plus, could it be true? Does Saddam Hussein watch "South Park"? We`re going to tell you what Trey Parker and Matt Stone had to say about it. That`s coming up.
HAMMER: And the timing just couldn`t be worse. Just as Jessica Simpson`s album drops - meaning coming to stores - she has to drop out of the spotlight. We`re going to tell you why she`s on the sidelines coming up in "Hot Headlines."
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HAMMER: Welcome back to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, TV`s most provocative entertainment news show.
It`s time now for yet another story that just made us say, "That`s Ridiculous!"
What do you think a fitting punishment for Saddam Hussein would be? How about watching episodes of "South Park"? At the Edinburgh International Television Festival, "South Park" creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone said they heard that Marines guarding Saddam during his trial made him watch the "South Park" movie over and over again. Now the movie features Satan and Saddam Hussein trying to take over the world.
Now, we called Trey and Matt`s people. They said they had no reason to believe it`s not true, but admit it`s hearsay. The U.S. military says that this rumor has been floating around for awhile, and has denied it in the past.
But still, Brooke, it is a rather interesting image. If - if you haven`t seen the movie, let me fill you in: Saddam Hussein and Satan - a couple.
(LAUGHTER)
HAMMER: They`re together.
ANDERSON: Well, you know what? I.
HAMMER: Romantically.
ANDERSON: I - I actually think "South Park" is pretty clever and funny. I don`t know what that says about my sense of humor. But if they really want to punish him, A.J. how about "Beavis and Butthead"? Didn`t they do a film? Remember that?
HAMMER: Yes.
(LAUGHTER)
ANDERSON: But we say, Saddam Hussein watching "South Park"? Now "That`s Ridiculous!"
HAMMER: It`s terrible.
(LAUGHTER)
ANDERSON: Now on to something serious now. As we`ve been mentioning, today marks the one-year anniversary of Hurricane Katrina. About $5 billion has been raised since the devastation hit, thanks in part to fundraising by Hollywood`s brightest stars.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON (voice-over): It was a tragedy that impacted the lives of many, and touched the hearts of many in Hollywood like Sean Penn, who went to New Orleans himself to help out.
SEAN PENN, ACTOR: Just the - the few spare miles that we continued to cover yesterday, there are a lot of people.
ANDERSON: And who can forget a tearful Oprah Winfrey? SHOWBIZ TONIGHT showed you what happened when she touched ground in New Orleans only days after Katrina hit.
OPRAH WINFREY, TALK SHOW HOST: It makes me sad. This should not have happened.
ANDERSON: And not just Oprah: New Orleans native Harry Connick Jr. got there right after Katrina hit to witness the dose of a hurricane, and the terrible effects of a government response that was slammed as painfully, almost recklessly slow.
HARRY CONNICK JR., SINGER: I was talking to my wife the other day. She said, You in New Orleans? I said, Everything in the world is (INAUDIBLE).
ANDERSON: And now, one year after seeing the devastation, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT is talking to the stars, asking how Hollywood can help, and what still needs to be done to rebuild the Gulf Coast.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There`s still a long way to go. I mean, obviously the - you know, the people there still need help. There`s work still to be done.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We haven`t done enough. It`s - it`s disgraceful what`s gone on, and the way the whole thing was handled. (INAUDIBLE) I think everybody agrees with that.
ANDERSON: In fact, many do. A new AP shows that nationally, 67 percent of Americans disapprove of President Bush`s handling of the Katrina disaster.
Actress Rosie Perez is one of those people, and SHOWBIZ TONIGHT was right there with her at a recent Katrina benefit concert in New York City.
ROSIE PEREZ, ENTERTAINER: I do not think that the government has a full handle on the reconstruction for Katrina. And that`s what needs to be said.
ANDERSON: And you only have to go to New Orleans to see how much remains to be done, as frustration with the state, local and federal response runs even deeper.
New Orleans is jazz musician Wynton Marsalis` hometown.
WYNTON MARSALIS, NEW ORLEANS NATIVE: This hurricane has actually - it`s given us a chance to refocus our energies and understand New Orleans as a place of integration. And this can be, like, an experiment for a more modern America, where we can solve a lot of the problems we had. We see them there on the street for the whole nation and for the world to see.
The question for us is, Where is the leadership in our city? How do we come together? How do we re-establish or revoice (ph) ourselves more (INAUDIBLE) around the best of our traditions?
ANDERSON: Right now, only half of New Orleans has electricity. Less than half the population has returned.
For many, a year later, the situation remains desperate, something I spoke about with actress Kim Basinger.
ANDERSON: A year later, do you think - do you think the government has a handle on things?
KIM BASINGER, ACTRESS: No.
ANDERSON: Or do you think there`s still.
BASINGER: A long way. I think we have a long way to go. I think it - if nothing else, if we do nothing else, I hope it`s wakeup call on so many levels, how we want our humanity, and the questions we ask ourselves about equality and hope and (INAUDIBLE).
ANDERSON: About $5 billion has been raised for hurricane relief over the last year.
(SINGING)
ANDERSON: Hollywood is still helping out, with music videos like "Come Together Now," a benefit song organized by Sharon Stone and featuring superstars like John Legend and Celine Dion.
(SINGING)
DANIEL BOROCHOFF, AMERICAN INSTITUTE OF PHILANTHROPY: Most of the billions that were raised, that came in - it was all the billions that were raised - came in during the first few months of the crisis. Very little has been raised for many of the largest (INAUDIBLE) were the greatest, and the stars would continue to it. And the stars that have - more - were more closely aligned to the crisis, that live around there, grew up around there, they`re staying with it more because they`re constantly being contacted.
ANDERSON: Stars like Faith Hill and Tim McGraw, who grew up around the areas devastated by Hurricane Katrina. The couple toured New Orleans` Ninth Ward not long ago, and gave a concert to give life back to the Gulf.
(SINGING)
ANDERSON: One of many fundraising events the couple has participated in since the hurricane hit.
(SINGING)
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: And as we sit here tonight, teen pop idol Hilary Duff is in New Orleans. She`s been working with the USA Harvest Organization over the last year, helping them donate meals to those in need.
HAMMER: From a teen pop idol to a class act: tonight the Boss says he and his wife are born to stay. Jessica Simpson is sidelined. And some Barbra Streisand fans are nothing more than people - people with worthless tickets.
Just a couple of tonight`s "Hot Headlines." Let`s get the story from Harvey Levin, the managing editor of the entertainment Web site TMZ.com, joining us from Glendale, California.
I promise not to sing again, Harvey.
HARVEY LEVIN, TMZ.COM: Thank you, A.J.
HAMMER: All right. Let`s get into the first "Hot Headline" - the Bruce Springsteen. The rumors have been floating around for some time now that the Boss and his wife of 18 years, Patti Scialfa, are having some kind of marriage difficulties.
Now Bruce is normally a really private guy. But he felt the need to go on his Web site to squash those rumors. I want to read to you some of what he actually said on the Web site. He said that, "Due to the unfounded and ugly rumors that have appeared in the papers over the last few days, I felt they shouldn`t pass without comment. Patti and I have been together for 18 years - the best 18 years of my life. We have built a beautiful family. We love and we want to protect our commitment to one another remains as strong as the day we were married."
OK. How did all these rumors start up in the first place?
LEVIN: Well, you know, there were a couple of newspapers that started publishing reports that Springsteen essentially was having an affair with a 9/11 widow who he met while he was doing the 9/11 charity event right after the incident - or the event. And Bruce Springsteen is saying, It`s not true.
Before he came out with a Web site, he actually went and peeking (ph) with Patti so they could be seen together - kind of a photo op. But bottom line here, he`s taken the bull by the horns, saying the reports are erroneous. And he`s trying to step ahead of the story.
HAMMER: And as I said, something we normally wouldn`t see from this guy. He is notoriously one of the most private guys in show business. The fact that he came out about this to address it to me really says a lot.
LEVIN: It does. But, you know, think about it, A.J., for a minute. I mean, it`s not just to the public that he`s dealing right now. I mean, he lives in a neighborhood; everybody kind of looks and says, Wow, we read the report in the newspaper. So I`m sure this has to do with his day-to-day life as much as it does his fans.
HAMMER: Yes. Obviously, times are changing when Bruce has to get involved with these things.
Let`s move on to our next "Hot Headline": Jessica Simpson. "Simpson`s Silence" we`re calling it. Just as she`s releasing her brand new album, in stores today - she`s about to make the rounds promoting it - and she loses her voice. The doctors say, Keep it quiet, Jessica.
What`s going on with her?
LEVIN: Well, I guess her critics would say, This is one of the best things ever, right? I mean, she.
(LAUGHTER)
LEVIN: That she can`t sing.
I mean, it`s a disaster. Even her publicist said it`s a disaster. There`s a window of opportunity when an artist drops a - a song like this, and the window is not that big. And she was going to be appear on the "Today" show; she was going to be on David Letterman; she was going to be on TRL. And she had to cancel or postpone all of these events. And this is the time when you want to get the heat to sell these CDs. And she is not going to hit that mark.
HAMMER: Yes. As I mentioned, today is the day the album is in stores. And it is the worst possible time not to be available to do that promotion.
All right. On to our next "Hot Headline": Barbra Streisand gearing up for her first U.S. tour in a decade. I don`t know if this is yet another farewell tour - or was that Cher?
Anyway, a case here of ticket-buyer beware. What`s going on with that?
LEVIN: Well, it`s funny. They - these are all - all three people are singers today, right?
HAMMER: Yes. That`s true.
LEVIN: And - and - and two people not - don`t want to be heard from so much by a lot of people.
Barbra Streisand apparently the victim of an Internet scam indirectly. Apparently somebody stole some credit cards, purchased about 1,000 tickets from TicketMasters (sic), and then started selling these stolen tickets on various Web sites. So TicketMaster has said, Look, we`re not going to honor these tickets. So there about 1,000 fans out there who bought tickets, and they`re not going to be let him. So TicketMaster has published on its Web site the various ticket numbers that are invalid. So a lot of people are scrambling right now to see.
HAMMER: That would just stink, man. Can you imagine? Harvey Levin.
LEVIN: No kidding.
HAMMER: .thanks for joining us, from TMZ.com.
LEVIN: Bye, A.J.
ANDERSON: SHOWBIZ TONIGHT is now on seven nights a week. Don`t forget: we are bringing TV`s most provocative entertainment news show to your weekend. Be sure to tune in: SHOWBIZ TONIGHT Saturday and Sunday and each every night, 11 p.m. Eastern, 8 Pacific.
HAMMER: Well, last night we told you about the outrage after the Emmy broadcast began with a skit about the series "Lost" that included a plane crash. And this happened on the same day that a real plane crashed in Kentucky, killed 49 people. We asked you to vote on the subject on our SHOWBIZ TONIGHT "Question of the Day." We were asking, "Airplane Crash Skit: Was the Emmy show insensitive to include it?" Look at this vote: pretty much split right down the middle - 46 percent saying "yes"; 54 saying "no."
Among the e-mails we received, we heard from Ed in Michigan, who writes: "NBC should have edited out that stupid plane crash skit. It`s called respect."
We also heard from Jeff from Virginia. Jeff wrote: "You are blowing this plane crash issue way out of proportion. Conan`s skit was based on `Lost,` not on the tragedy."
Good point there. Thanks for voting, and we appreciate your e-mails as well.
SHOWBIZ TONIGHT coming right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANDERSON: We`ve been asking you to vote on tonight`s SHOWBIZ TONIGHT "Question of the Day": "John Mark Karr: Did the media coverage make you think he was guilty?" Let us know what you think: cnn.com/showbiztonight. Write us an e-mail: showbiztonight@cnn.com. We`ll read some of your thoughts tomorrow.
HAMMER: Let`s find out what`s coming up on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. Here is your "SHOWBIZ Marquee."
And tomorrow, we`re asking the question, How do movies get rated anyway? We have the inside story for you on who decides between those "G" and "R" ratings, and everything in between. You`ll never believe who makes the decisions. We got the scoop on movie ratings tomorrow on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
Also tomorrow, the psychology of fame: why people are obsessed with getting their 15 minutes, and what they`ll do to get them. Fascination with fame, tomorrow on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
And that is it for SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. Thanks for watching. I`m A.J. Hammer in New York.
ANDERSON: Have a great night, everybody. I am Brooke Anderson in Hollywood. Glenn Beck is coming up next, right after the latest headlines from CNN Headline News. Keep it right here.
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