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Showbiz Tonight
Death of the "Croc Hunter"; Rosie`s `View` Debut; Tom Cruise Fallout
Aired September 05, 2006 - 23:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
A.J. HAMMER, CO-HOST: Jessica Simpson on whether or not she`s in love.
I`m A.J. Hammer in New York.
BROOKE ANDERSON, CO-HOST: And another member of the "Lost" cast arrested.
I`m Brooke Anderson in Hollywood.
TV`s most provocative entertainment news show starts right now.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
HAMMER (voice over): On SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, the sudden, stunning death of the "Crocodile Hunter."
Tonight, new and shocking details about Steve Irwin`s final moments after a stingray attacked him.
JOHN STAINTON, STEVE IRWIN`S FRIEND, MANAGER: I did see the footage and it`s shocking. It`s a very hard thing to watch, because you`re actually witnessing somebody die. And that`s terrible.
HAMMER: And SHOWBIZ TONIGHT with a disturbing question: Have wildlife shows become way too dangerous?
Everything`s coming up Rosie at "The View." I`m right there.
(on camera): Rosie`s first day on the new job. It is very clear "The View" will never be the same again.
(voice over): Tonight, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT behind the scenes at "The View" as the Rosie era begins. And Rosie`s surprise revelation about Tom Cruise.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HAMMER: Hello. I`m A.J. Hammer in New York City.
ANDERSON: I`m Brooke Anderson in Hollywood.
And A.J., only tonight are we learning the graphic and chilling story behind the death of the "Crocodile Hunter."
HAMMER: That`s right, Brooke. Brand new information just out today about Steve Irwin`s final moments after a stingray cut a hole in his chest and killed him.
Steve Irwin, a man known to tens of millions of people on television as the death-defying, almost invincible character who looked danger in the face and laughed it off. But not this time. And it was all caught on videotape.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
REGIS PHILBIN, "LIVE WITH REGIS AND KELLY": A shock to everybody around the world.
HAMMER: Regis and Kelly articulated the shock that everyone was still feeling that Steve "The Crocodile Hunter" Irwin was dead.
Kelly Ripa choked up remembering her times with Irwin, who had guest-hosted with her in the past and befriended her young children.
KELLY RIPA, "LIVE WITH REGIS AND KELLY": I think, like, we`re two of the luckiest people to have spent so much time with him. It`s just horrible.
HAMMER: Indeed. From this elephant camp in Thailand, to Irwin`s native Australia, everyone mourned a man that millions of people had come to know as an animal lover, a funny teacher...
STEVE IRWIN, "THE CROCODILE HUNTER": I don`t know why it`s so funny seeing me get bitten or picking up croc poop, but it seems to be really funny.
HAMMER: ... and a friend.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He was a good man, and we`ve lost something very precious.
HAMMER: The unbelievable circumstances behind Steve Irwin`s death was something everyone is still trying to understand. The man who earned fame by tangling with crocodiles was killed by, of all things, a stingray, a creature not nearly as deadly as those we have watched Irwin tangle with over the years.
A stingray`s barb fatally pierced Irwin`s heart while he was swimming with them off Australia`s north Queensland coast. At the time, Irwin was shooting footage for a project he was filming with his adorable little girl, 8-year-old Bindi.
STAINTON: I did see the footage and it`s shocking.
HAMMER: Now, for the first time, we are hearing the graphic and shocking details of what happened from Irwin`s distraught friend and manager, John Stainton. He was on board Irwin`s boat at the time of his death and reveals that a videotape shows Irwin tried to save himself.
STAINTON: It shows Steve come over the top of the ray, and then the tail came up and spiked him here. And he pulled it out. And the next minute he`s gone. It`s a very hard thing to watch because you`re actually witnessing somebody die, and it`s terrible.
IRWIN: I don`t go anywhere without a snake.
HAMMER: But through our sadness, we`re also laughing at the memory of Irwin`s antics. Through his movies...
IRWIN: What we`ve got here is a bird-eating spider! Ah! Just kidding.
HAMMER: ... and his TV shows, Irwin introduced millions to sometimes dangerous but always thrilling wildlife. At his peek, he reached a worldwide audience of more than 200 million people. That`s 10 times the population of Australia.
MARY MURPHY, "TV GUIDE": We really connected with his cause, his concern, and then his bravery. He was absolutely fearless, and I think people just sat there glued to their television sets watching that.
DAVID LEAVY, DISCOVERY NETWORKS: It was all about having fun. And it was all about making these creatures accessible, demystifying them, bring them into your living room.
HAMMER: SHOWBIZ TONIGHT traveled to the Maryland headquarters of the Discovery Channel and its sister channel, Animal Planet. Discovery Channel executive Dave Leavy tells us they`re determined to honor their friend and colleague.
LEAVY: We honor Steve as a conservationist, but also someone who was dedicated to teaching, to try and make the natural world more accessible to millions of people. So we honor that, we celebrate that, and we`re going to carry on that mission. I mean, that was -- that is what he would want us to do.
HAMMER: He certainly would. In 2004, Irwin told CNN`s Larry King about his mission in life.
IRWIN: I`m a wildlife warrior, you know? A warrior is someone who is trained or engaged in battle. My battle is conservation. OK?
So I`m a wildlife warrior. And anyone can be one. But I have a gift. God put me on this planet with a mission, and my mission is to educate people about conservation.
HAMMER: It`s safe to say that Steve Irwin succeeded in that mission. The proof? The adoration of the millions of people worldwide who count themselves as Steve Irwin`s fans, his students, and as a part of his legacy.
MURPHY: I think people really loved him because they saw a passion in him, the kind of passion everybody wishes they had in life. He had it. And he brought it to us.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HAMMER: So sad.
Another famous Australian is remembering Steve Irwin today. Actor Russell Crowe said Irwin "was and remains the ultimate wildlife warrior." Irwin is survived by his wife Terri, his 8-year-old daughter Bindi, and his 2-year- old son Bob.
ANDERSON: One of the pioneers of wildlife shows and a passionate advocate for wildlife conservation is Jack Hanna. He`s currently the host of "Jack Hanna`s Animal Adventures" and he joins us tonight from his ranch in Bigfork, Montana.
Jack, thanks for taking time out of your day, out of your night, to do this with us. We appreciate it.
JACK HANNA, WILDLIFE EXPERT: Right. Well, it`s a sad story that, you know, I guess has to be talked about obviously.
ANDERSON: Absolutely. Now, you are a world renowned wildlife expert. What went through your mind, Jack, when you heard about Steve Irwin`s death?
HANNA: Well, you know, it was 11:00 at night, night before last, we heard from Australia. And then 1:00 from England (ph). But I just obviously was shocked, but the shock wasn`t necessarily that -- you know, we all -- someone said he pressed the envelope. You know, you wondered when something would happen to Steve, but he was such a conservationist.
But I think more of a shock was with the stingray, because I`ve filmed stingrays all over the world, even where he was, in the Caribbean, everywhere. And they`re little animals like this, or they`re big animals 10 feet across.
And usually, a stingray, you approach -- and this is where the shock is. You approach them and they take off. You know, that`s just what they do.
You get hit by lightning more than you get hurt by a stingray. And so I don`t know the facts yet. You know, they say they have the video, somebody does. I don`t know if they do or they don`t. But, you know, he had to be near the thing or almost on top of the thing for him to raise that barb and go through his chest like that.
So that`s more of a shock to me than -- obviously the whole thing is a shock. It`s unbelievable.
ANDERSON: Very rare for something like this to happen.
Now, you`ve done so many wildlife shows. Have you yourself, Jack, ever been in a situation where you felt you couldn`t control the outcome, that you were at the mercy of the animal where you felt you were in grave danger?
HANNA: Well, you know, animals are unpredictable. Some -- we got in a little tizzy yesterday with some guys who say they`re predictable.
They`re unpredictable. They`re like a gun that can go off at any time because they`re a wild animal. And you have respect for those animals.
Yes, I`ve had myself in situations which have been 99 percent of the time my fault, not the animal`s fault. You try to show respect for that animal.
But, yes, we were in a Land Rover in Africa, and some lions were there on a kill, and we just were there at the kill. And all of a sudden, the Land Rover didn`t start, and, of course, we weren`t allowed with weapons where we were filming. And all of a sudden, no one -- the walkie-talkie broke, so we`re sitting out there and now there`s not two lions, there are six, eight, 11 lions there at 11:00 at night.
Now, it`s 3:00 in the afternoon. So -- and then they start getting right up against the vehicle. And, you know, I don`t care how brave you are, there are only three of us in a vehicle and 11 lions out there.
So, yes, I`ve had four people lost their lives in helicopters and all sorts of diving stuff that I do. But I try and put myself -- especially -- you know, this kind of is a wakeup call. I`m a little older than Steve and a lot of these other guys, and I think I`m not going to -- not sit back now, continue to do the wildlife shows, but obviously I`ve always filmed at a distance.
But my major concern, real quickly, is the fact that Steve Irwin was a tremendous conservationist, number one. Number two...
ANDERSON: Right.
HANNA: ... is there are some Steve Irwin wannabes, and that`s what concerns me. Some of these guys are going to go out there, not conservation in mind, but the dollar, and it will ruin the whole thing.
ANDERSON: Well, let me ask you about that. There are so many wildlife shows on television, nearly 30 of them.
HANNA: Right.
ANDERSON: Do you think television in the quest for ratings causes people to take risks that they shouldn`t, that put them in mortal danger?
HANNA: Out of 40-something interviews in the last 48 hours you`re the first one that said that. You know what that answer is.
With reality TV and what`s happening today, the ratings get the ratings with more and more things that happen, as you well know. Everyone has asked me, "Did Steve push the envelope?" That`s up to everyone else`s judgment.
All I know is that Steve was a tremendous conversationalist. He gave all his money toward conservationists, and I admire him for that.
However, if there are those who intend to be like Steve Irwin -- because this guy was very knowledgeable -- and you try and do something like that, you know, you`re asking for trouble. And I hate to se that, for the animal`s sake, as well as for the person`s sake.
ANDERSON: As we mentioned earlier in the show, Irwin`s death was taped, Jack. Do you think that footage should be made public?
HANNA: Wow. I don`t think so. I think that`s up to his family. You know, it`s as simple as that.
I`m sure that everybody in the world wants to see it, but I can tell you now, I`ve seen a lot of things with animals and that`s something that you don`t want to see. I can imagine that, and that` all I -- you know, I`ve been thinking about that all night, and I don`t want to think about it much more. And I sure don`t need to see it.
ANDERSON: What do you hope everybody can take away from Steve Irwin`s death and from his legacy?
HANNA: Well, his legacy is that he lived -- he`s just like he was, by the way. He woke up in the morning excited about life and his animals and conservation, and he went to bed at night that way. That`s just how the guy was.
And I think his legacy is that he brought a new venue, so to speak, to wildlife filming, exciting, and that type of thing, where you learn about animals. But, then again, he was Steve Irwin. Don`t try and be like him.
I think his legacy is that he loved what he did, he loved his family, and he loved conservation. And that, to me, is why he was a great man.
ANDERSON: All right. Jack Hanna, thank you so much for being here and sharing your expertise with us. We appreciate it.
HANNA: Thank you.
ANDERSON: And, of course, our heartfelt condolences do go out to the family of Steve Irwin.
HANNA: That`s right. Thank you.
HAMMER: And now we would like to hear from you.
For our SHOWBIZ TONIGHT "Question of the Day," we`re asking: "Croc Hunter" killed: Have wildlife shows become to dangerous?
Let us know what you think by voting at cnn.com/showbiztonight, or send us an e-mail with more of your thoughts, showbiztonight@cnn.com.
ANDERSON: Tom Cruise pays a visit to Brooke Shields and says, "I`m sorry." Did she accept his apology? Find out coming up.
We`ll also have this...
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: You were concerned about not being the boss or about being too bossy. How did it work out today?
ROSIE O`DONNELL, "THE VIEW": Good. But, I mean, that`s just my personal journey.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: Rosie O`Donnell`s first day on "The View." I have the best seat in the house. I`m right there on the set with the ladies, and that`s coming up next.
ANDERSON: Plus, a kid`s football game gets really ugly and it`s caught on tape. We`ll tell you why an assistant coach is now charged with felony child abuse.
That`s coming up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HAMMER: Welcome back to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, TV`s most provocative entertainment news show.
I`m A.J. Hammer in New York.
It`s time now for a story that made us say, "That`s ridiculous!" And it is unbelievable.
Look at this video of a kid`s football game in California where an assistant coach ran out on to the field and knocked over a kid on the opposing team. Apparently there was a late-hit penalty on the play and this guy disagreed with the call. So police say that he clocked the 13- year-old player -- yes, I said 13 years old.
The coach was arrested for felony child abuse. The whole thing just erupted into an all-out brawl. Parents and kids from both teams were fighting on the field.
It`s terrible. But we have to say, a brawl at a football game? Now "That`s ridiculous!" Particularly when kids are involved.
It was certainly a big day for Rosie O`Donnell. She made her debut as the brand new co-host of "The View" today, and I was right there to share in all the excitement.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
HAMMER (voice over): I guess you can say, everything is coming up Rosie.
Four years after TV retirement, Rosie O`Donnell is giving daytime talk another shot, this time on "The View."
O`DONNELL: What do you think?
HAMMER: I was right there in the middle of all the action to help Rosie celebrate her first day.
O`DONNELL: I loved it. It was really fun.
HAMMER: She was escorted on stage by Barbara Walters, who recruited her for the job after Meredith Vieira announced she was leaving to co-host the "Today" show with Matt Lauer.
O`DONNELL: OK. My name is Meredith Vieira, and welcome to "The View."
HAMMER: Rosie was in good spirits right off the bat. She even shocked audience members when she told them which one of her A-list friends had sent her an enormous bouquet of flowers.
O`DONNELL: Well, I don`t want to say who sent me these beautiful flowers sitting in front of me, but it could be someone named Tom Cruise.
(APPLAUSE)
HAMMER (on camera): So you spoke to Tom?
O`DONNELL: Yes. He`s a good friend. I love him. He`s a great guy. You know...
HAMMER (voice over): Rosie has never been shy about her love for Tom Cruise or, as she likes to call him, "My Tommy." She spent ours on her old talk show practically obsessing over him.
Rosie tells me she spoke with Tom last week and is sure he will make an appearance on the show.
But Tom is not the only star in Rosie`s Rolodex. She also called on her old pal Jessica Simpson, who showed up despite a bruised vocal chord to pump her new album and show off a shorter hairdo.
JESSICA SIMPSON, SINGER: I needed to get rid of a lot of baggage.
O`DONNELL: Yes. Well, at least you didn`t go that crazy hair and shave half of the side off like I did.
HAMMER (on camera): Rosie O`Donnell is being paid a reported $2 million for her one-year contract on "The View," but there are also reports floating around saying that she is not allowed to cut her hair, according to the contract, and there are 360 words she is not even allowed to say on the show.
BARBARA WALTERS, "THE VIEW": That is ridiculous.
O`DONNELL: I asked if there was a list.
WALTERS: I heard that in her contract there was a clause that said, "You`re not supposed to cut your hair." That`s because of promos. It`s not just her clause. This one already cut her hair before the show went on.
HAMMER (voice over): OK. So she`s allowed to cut her hair, but it sounds like she won`t.
Rosie spent plenty of time poking fun at herself, joking about the old spiky "do" she once wore after publicly coming out as a lesbian.
O`DONNELL: Well, I had that crazy, crazy haircut that scared America to death. So, you know, it`s going to be long from now on. And I`m taking my medicine. So everything`s fine.
HAMMER: From her hair to her bossy reputation, Rosie even talked about her blog and the controversy after she wrote on it that she was worried because she wasn`t going to be the boss.
(on camera): You were concerned about not being the boss or about being too bossy. How did it work out today?
O`DONNELL: Good. But, I mean, that`s just my personal journey. You know, the blog is not to be taken as a literal, you know, translation. It`s just my emotions of feeling, god, I hope I`m not too bossy. My innate nature is to boss people around.
WALTERS: But she doesn`t have to worry about being bossy because I`m already bossy.
HAMMER: To set the record straight, on the blog you guys talked that a little bit this morning. You will continue to write about the show, but are you going to run stuff by Barbara first? Is that really what`s happening?
O`DONNELL: No. Barbara doesn`t even read the blog. The blog is just my feelings. She is all right with my feelings.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HAMMER: Those ladies were a lot of fun to hang out with.
Meredith Vieira wasn`t the only co-host to leave, of course. Star Jones Reynolds is also no longer on "The View."
No replacement yet.
ANDERSON: And A.J., it was a big day on another television set.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KATIE COURIC, HOST, "CBS EVENING NEWS": I`m Katie Couric.
Tonight, it was the first...
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Tonight was Katie Couric`s first night in the anchor chair at the "CBS Evening News." For her big debut, she got an introduction from a legendary voice you may find familiar, previous "CBS Evening News" anchor Walter Cronkite.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
WALTER CRONKITE, FMR. "CBS EVENING NEWS" ANCHOR (voice over): This is the "CBS Evening News With Katie Couric."
COURIC: Hi everyone. I`m very happy to be with you tonight.
For many Americans...
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Couric is the first woman hired to anchor a nightly network newscast all on her own.
HAMMER: Well, now the apology that`s got everyone talking tonight. Tom Cruise actually tells Brooke Shields he`s sorry.
Joining me from Glendale, California, Harvey Levin, managing editor of the entertainment news Web site TMZ.com.
Hello, Harvey.
HARVEY LEVIN, MANAGING EDITOR, TMZ.COM: Hey, A.J.
HAMMER: All right.
So, Brooke Shields appeared on "The Tonight Show With Jay Leno" and she revealed the fact that Tom Cruise actually went over to her house, made nicey-nicey, apologized for those now famous comments that he had made, that Cruise had made about Brooke`s postpartum depression and the fact that he thought it was terrible that she used antidepressants to overcome that depression.
So, Harvey, what the heck is going on here with Tom Cruise? Is this just more damage control from his camp?
LEVIN: Oh, my god. I think so. Absolutely.
I mean, do you think this is really coincidence? He could have gone over to her house for the last three and a half months to apologize. He chose the week he got canned from Paramount to do it.
I mean, Tom Cruise has to do damage control. And the comments he made about Brooke Shields probably are the most damaging that he has made in the last year.
And he knew when he went over there that ultimately this would surface and be in the press. And I think this is a huge step and an acknowledgment by Tom Cruise that he hasn`t been handling things very well.
HAMMER: Now, when you say damaging, of course, you`re not talking about his interpersonal relationship with Brooke shields. You`re talking about the fact that this teed off a lot of people.
I mean, even if Brooke accepts Tom Cruise`s apology, do you think that it`s even possible that all of those people who were so upset with him for the outrageous things he said about antidepressants and postpartum depression, that they would -- that they would actually forgive him and that they are going to start going to his movies now? And they said they wouldn`t in the past.
LEVIN: Well I think he has problem on two levels, A.J. One is he seemed so strident when he made the comments on the "Today" show that it`s real hard to believe that suddenly he is saying, well, I didn`t mean it anymore. So I think it`s going to be hard to swallow.
The second big problem he has is there are a lot of people in Hollywood who are really powerful who have kids who are on a lot of drugs that Tom Cruise has been slamming. And there are a lot of people who are ticked off at him. And I`m not sure that this is going to make everything better.
HAMMER: And I`m sure we`re going to see more from Tom and perhaps more apologies are yet to come.
Harvey Levin, from TMZ.com, thanks for joining us.
LEVIN: Bye, A.J.
HAMMER: So, Jessica Simpson sets the record straight on her love life. That`s coming up next.
ANDERSON: Plus, the shocking death of "Crocodile Hunter" Steve Irwin. Now the question is, have wildlife shows become too dangerous? That`s ahead.
HAMMER: Also, a man`s best friend becomes kitten`s best friend. A story about a very generous dog is coming up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HAMMER: Tomorrow I`ll have a rare chat with John Lennon`s widow, Yoko Ono. She is part of a new documentary all about the U.S. government`s attempts to deport John and Yoko over the protests of the Vietnam War.
Yoko Ono tomorrow on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
ANDERSON: Jessica Simpson is setting the record straight about what`s going on between her and singer John Mayer. "People" magazine has Jessica on the cover with, "I`m in Love." Inside, an unnamed source is quoted saying Simpson is head over heels over Mayer.
This morning on "The View," Rosie O`Donnell couldn`t resist asking about it.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
O`DONNELL: Everything`s going good for you. You`re in a good place, you`re happy.
SIMPSON: I am in such a good place. I...
O`DONNELL: And you`re dating John Mayer, you don`t want to say, but maybe?
Maybe. Because I love him.
SIMPSON: I love that she just goes right there.
O`DONNELL: I`m just saying I love him and I want you to be happy.
(CROSSTALK)
SIMPSON: I`m actually not dating John Mayer.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Jessica went on to say that she has known John Mayer for a couple years but that they are just friends. "People" magazine tells SHOWBIZ TONIGHT that it stands by its story.
HAMMER: So, it must be an unwritten rule that, if you`re going to be in the cast of "Lost," you`re going to get in trouble with the Hawaii 5-0. Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje -- you see him here playing Mr. Eko on the ABC hit -- was arrested by police in Hawaii.
Police say he was driving without a license, disobeyed a police officer. So he spent six hours in the (INAUDIBLE) before being released on bail. He is the third "Lost" cast member to be arrested for traffic violations. Michelle Rodriguez and Cynthia Watros were the others.
Six -- count them, six -- other cast members have been cited but not arrested by cops there.
Well, could there actually be science behind Paris Hilton`s behavior? Coming up, a new study that is spelling out why stars crave the spotlight.
We`ll also have this...
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, the reality is that there is always a risk when you work with wildlife. And you do your best to take precautions.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: With the shocking death of "Crocodile Hunter" Steve Irwin, the question is, have wildlife shows become just too dangerous? SHOWBIZ TONIGHT investigates, still ahead.
HAMMER: Also, could a man`s best friend become kitten`s best friend? A story about a very generous dog is coming up.
END
