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Showbiz Tonight
Remarkable Protests Against ABC Docudrama Grew Today; Heck Of A Week For Hollywood`s Young Divas; Greg Behrendt Discusses New Talk Show; Kim Basinger Interview; Jack Larson Interview
Aired September 08, 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, "SHOWBIZ TONIGHT": Was superman murdered? TV`s original Jimmie Olsen, Clark Kent`s sidekick, is here with that stunning Hollywood mystery.
BROOKE ANDERSON, "SHOWBIZ TONIGHT": And Lindsay Lohan robbed of $1 million worth of her stuff. We`ve got new developments. I`m Brooke Anderson in Hollywood, TV`s most provocative entertainment news show starts right now.
HAMMER: On SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, it`s Bill versus the broadcaster. Tonight, former President Clinton`s powerful and angry attack on a major TV miniseries about 9/11.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BILL CLINTON, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I just want people to tell the truth.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: Tonight, new drama over the dramatization of what led to the terror attacks of September 11th. And we`ve got someone who has actually seen the movie. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, with the controversial path to 9/11.
Also, Kim comes clean. Tonight, Kim Basinger opens up to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT about her nasty divorce and custody battle with ex Alec Baldwin.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KIM BASSINGER: I just thank God to where we have come to now.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: How she deals with the private and juicy details splashed all over the media. Kim Basinger, it`s the emotional and revealing interview you`ll see only on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
ANDERSON: Hi, there, everyone. I`m Brooke Anderson in Hollywood.
HAMMER: Welcome to Friday night. I`m A.J. Hammer in New York. And that loud, deafening noise you`re hearing is the roar of outrage over a big TV movie all about September 11th. Just two days before the scheduled airing of ABC`s two-part docudrama, "The Path to 9/11," the remarkable protests against the movie grew today. Even former President Clinton is speaking out on camera against it.
ANDERSON: That`s right, A.J.. It really has been a stunning day. And SHOWBIZ TONIGHT can tell you, this is one TV movie that`s got everybody all riled up.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No one`s taking terrorism seriously.
ANDERSON (voice-over): But plenty of people are taking this movie seriously. ABC`s $40 million two-part miniseries "Path to 9/11" bills itself as a dramatic retelling of the 9/11 Commission`s Report on the history and intelligence failures that led to the attacks of 9/11.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We`re not safe yet. No one seems to care.
ANDERSON: But questions over the movies accuracy have erupted into an election-year battle that has enraged Democrats, like our former president.
CLINTON: I think they ought to tell the truth.
ANDERSON: Emboldened Republicans.
RUSH LIMBAUGH, RADIO SHOW: There`s a whole party, he Democratic party, which doesn`t want to take this threat seriously.
ANDERSON: And given ABC one giant headache.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I wouldn`t call at the perfect storm, but it`s getting there.
ANDERSON: President Clinton and his former top advisors are saying the movie inaccurately portrays crucial events that took place on their watch. They`re especially angry about a scene where a U.S. strike team had Osama bin Laden in their sights, but missed him, because former National Security Advisor Sandy Berger wouldn`t give them the go ahead to move.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We`re ready to load the package. Repeat, do we have clearance to load the package?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Stand by.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Our officers are in place, sir. They`re in danger.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Look, I understand that, Patricia, but I don`t have that authority.
ANDERSON: The real Sandy Berger and other officials say that never happened. Berger, as well as Clinton`s former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, are publicly blasting the movie, with Albright calling her depiction false and defamatory. Former President Clinton weighed in.
CLINTON: I think they ought to tell the truth, particularly if they`re going to claim it`s based on the 9/11 Commission Report, they shouldn`t have scenes which are directly contradicted by the facts or findings of the 9/11 Commission. That`s all. I just want people to tell the truth, you know, and not pretend it`s something it`s not.
ANDERSON: In fact, Democrats are filling ABC`s mailbox with angry letters. Both Albright and Berger sent angry letters to the head of ABC`s parent company, Disney`s CEO Robert Iger.
On Capitol Hill, congressional Democrats sent their own letters to Iger, calling the movie factually inaccurate and deeply misguided. New York Democrat Louise Slaughter told SHOWBIZ TONIGHT she couldn`t believe the partisanship in the movie.
REP. LOUISE SLAUGHTER (D), NEW YORK: They`re defaming live people. And to tell you the honest truth, I hope they get sued from here to forever.
ANDERSON: Democrats also complained they weren`t even given a chance to pre-screen the movie. Conservative commentator Rush Limbaugh has seen it. As you might expect, he likes it.
LIMBAUGH: Really well, well done. There`s a whole party, the Democratic party which doesn`t want to take this threat seriously at all. They are acting as exactly as you will see government officials throughout the `90s in this movie act, unconcerned, gun shy, afraid, political correctness ruling the day.
And much to our surprise, in an exclusive interview with SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, actor Harvey Keitel, who stars as an FBI agent in the film, told our A.J. Hammer even he wanted changes.
HARVEY KEITEL, STARS IN "PATH TO 9/11": When I received the script, it said ABC history project. I took it to be exactly what they presented to me. History. And that facts were correct. It turned out not all the facts were correct. And ABC set about trying to heal that problem. In some instances, it was too late because we had begun.
HAMMER: Do you feel that anything should be changed in this film?
KEITEL: Yes, I do.
ANDERSON: Still, ABC continued to defend the project. In a statement, the network says "for dramatic and narrative purposes, the movie contains fictionalized scenes, composite and representative characters in dialogue and time compression."
No one has seen the final version of the film, because the editing process is not yet complete. So criticisms of film specifics are premature and irresponsible.
BILL TRIPLETT, VARIETY MAGAZINE: This is close to a no-win situation that you can get to.
ANDERSON: Variety`s Bill Triplett tells us SHOWBIZ TONIGHT he doesn`t see how ABC can come out of this a winner.
TRIPLETT: If they make alternations that are substantial, then they appear to have caved into the pressure and they have no integrity. If they stand by what they`ve done, they stand to continue to draw the kind of criticism that they`re drawing. They really have no easy way out of this.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HAMMER: Well, everybody is talking about the "Path to 9/11." Some people have actually already seen it, including Tim Graham. He joins me from Washington, D.C. Tim is the director of Media Analysis for the Media Research Center, a media watchdog group.
Tim, I appreciate you being with me.
TIM GRAHAM, MEDIA RESEARCH CENTER: Sure.
HAMMER: So as I mentioned, you`ve seen the movie. President Clinton is, in fact, portrayed in it as being inattentive to the threat of terrorism, correct?
GRAHAM: President Clinton is in the movie for maybe 10 seconds.
HAMMER: No, no. To my point, though, is he and his administration portrayed that way?
GRAHAM: Yes, I would say that they -- obviously, again, look at the reality. What did Clinton do about Osama bin Laden?
HAMMER: Listen, I`m just really -- I wanted confirmation that, in fact, he is portrayed that way. Because the real issue at hand here is what`s true and what`s not true. And ABC says this miniseries is based on the 9/11 Commission Report.
The 9/11 Commission Report says that they believe both President Clinton and Bush were genuinely concerned about the danger posed by al Qaeda. President Clinton was deeply concerned about bin Laden. How is it beneficial to misrepresent this in the film?
GRAHAM: I think it`s -- again, you have a bunch of Clinton people who are so aggressively attacking ABC here, which is remarkable, considering ABC`s executives gave money to Clinton. Bob Iger gave money to Hillary.
HAMMER: Tim, can you answer the question directly?
GRAHAM: I`m still telling you there are like 10 seconds of Clinton in this movie.
HAMMER: OK.
GRAHAM: The idea that Bill Clinton`s running around saying correct the lies, I mean, that`s just comical. He`s almost untouched in this movie. This is a movie that focuses on the character of John O`Neal, the character of Richard Clark inside the government. It barely touches Clinton.
HAMMER: Here`s a question. You know, whether or not it barely touches Clinton, if it touched him for 10 seconds, but said something that was untrue, let me bring up the Madeleine Albright scenario that`s portrayed in the film. She`s notifying Pakistanis of a strike against bin Laden. That is patently false. It did not occur. What purpose does it serve in the film to alter the truth is what I`m trying to understand?
GRAHAM: Well, I`m sure that`s where they`re going to -- that`s where all the controversy is. That`s where ABC`s probably looking at, those two parts of the movie.
What I`m saying to you is, if you watch the movie -- and Clinton hasn`t seen it. None of these people have seen it. And they`re all running around like chickens with their heads cut off. The fact of the matter is Clinton is only portrayed in two news clips. You can`t say that news clips are untrue.
HAMMER: No, but the sentiment is that he was ineffective in the fight against terror. Well, contrary...
GRAHAM: That`s an opinion.
HAMMER: ...contrary to what the 9/11 Report says, which is what ABC is saying the movie is based on.
GRAHAM: No, A.J....
HAMMER: The -- Tim, if it`s -- if one fact is wrong in the movie, you know, don`t we owe it to the memory of 9/11 to make sure that every aspect of its retelling, whatever the form, whatever your politics, don`t we owe it to 9/11, and the memory and the people who`ve served our country honorably to get it factually correct? That`s a yes or no question.
GRAHAM: News networks haven`t gotten it right.
HAMMER: I`m asking about this particular film. Listen, if people are going to put this film out there, and say this is how it happened based on the 9/11 Commission Report, the producers really run the risk of people walking way thinking this is how it really happened. Isn`t that true?
GRAHAM: My point to you, A.J., is this is a matter of opinion. You`re saying to me that it`s unfair to give the impression that Clinton was unconcerned about terrorism. Maybe he said he was concerned about terrorism. Maybe Tom Kean was concerned about terrorism.
HAMMER: Maybe...
GRAHAM: But it`s not libelous to...
HAMMER: ...9/11 Commission Report on which this is based...
GRAHAM: It`s not libelous to make a movie that leaves the impression that Clinton didn`t get Osama bin Laden.
HAMMER: Is it libelous to make a movie that has completely inaccurate information about what Madeleine Albright did or did not do?
GRAHAM: CBS made a movie about the Reagans. Everybody`s made movies about John Kennedy...
HAMMER: I`m not talking about the Reagans.
GRAHAM: And Bob Woodruff...
HAMMER: I`m clearly getting nowhere here. I just -- I`m really trying to establish the fact that here we are...
GRAHAM: You`re trying to stand up for Madeleine Albright like you`re her press agent is what you`re trying to do.
HAMMER: No, I`m trying to stand up for the notion that here we are, on the eve of the worst disaster in our nation`s history. And if it`s going to play out on television in what is being billed as a depiction of the 9/11 Commission Report, the official report on 9/11, then it should be 100 percent, bottom line true. There`s enough information, there are enough thing that is happened, good and bad, about 9/11 that we may as well get it right. Nobody has to make stuff up. That`s my point, Tim.
Tim Graham, director of Media Analysis for Media Research Center. I appreciate you joining me. All the, nonetheless -- and for more information about the Media Research Center, you can go to mrc.org. And you can also check out "The Path to 9/11" Sunday and Monday night on ABC.
GRAHAM: Lindsay Lohan robbed. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT has new developments. How did a thief walkway with $1 million worth of her stuff?
HAMMER: Also a stunning Hollywood mystery. Was Superman murdered? TV`s original Jimmie Olsen, Clark Kent`s sidekick, is here in the interview you`ll see on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
Plus, we`ve got this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KIM BASSINGER, ACTRESS: For the sake of my life and my daughter and everything else, I just thank God where we`ve come to now.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Kim Basinger opens up to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT about her nasty divorce and custody battle with ex Alec Baldwin. It`s the emotional and revealing interview you`re going to see only here on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HAMMER: Welcome back to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT for Friday night. This is 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." Oh, that was probably the best one, guys. A Netherlands priest might have some explaining to do to a higher authority. This guy was so fired up about a Madonna concert, he didn`t like her staging a mock crucifixion. So he wanted to stop the show in Amsterdam. Well, how did he try to stop the show? By calling in a fake bomb threat. Not a really good idea, padre, because police didn`t have to rely on divine intervention to find him. They had caller ID. And that`s ridiculous.
Well, it certainly has been one heck of a week for Hollywood`s biggest young divas. Really a perfect storm of stories you might call it, which just makes us say, we love this stuff.
Here are the basic headlines. They include Lindsay Lohan`s big robbery, questions about Jessica Simpson`s big firing, and Paris Hilton`s big arrest.
With us tonight from Glendale, California, our big buddy, Harvey Levin of the entertainment news site, TMZ.com. I have no idea why I said that, Harvey.
Let`s get into it. Diva story number one, Lindsay Lohan`s bag has been recovered. Well, we`re all happy to hear about that. She was in Heathrow Airport. Her Hermes bag went missing. She claimed it had over a million dollars worth of jewelry in it. But this story has a happy ending. Doesn`t it, Harvey?
HARVEY LEVIN, TMZ.COM: Well, the plot thickens, A.J.. It does have a happy ending. The bag has been returned to her. And the bag did contain all of the contents of this million dollars plus of what was inside.
However, here`s the deal. We just made some phone calls. And it looks to me like this bag was (INAUDIBLE). And it wasn`t just a lost bag. They used paparazzi video, the police did, to somehow track down some way of finding the bag.
But what I was just told was that a chauffeur in one of these limousines actually drove back with this bag to the police and said, here it is.
Now that, to me, sounds like somebody tried stealing this bag and then got cold feet, because we broke the story. And I think that it went everywhere. And this person probably thought, wow, this truly is a federal case and they got nervous.
HAMMER: It sure is. And you know what? If you`re traveling with a million bucks worth of jewelry, you have a body guard carry it for you, I`m sorry.
LEVIN: Or dude, carry on, you know?
HAMMER: All right, let`s move on in our countdown to diva story number two on the charts tonight. Jessica Simpson, big news, just last week. She was dating john Mayer. This week on "The View" she said no. Word is that she fired her publicist Rob Shuter, but there`s some confusion here.. Can you set the story straight for us?
LEVIN: Well, we broke a story yesterday that Jessica Simpson, that it wasn`t Jessica but we said her dad fired Rob Shuter because of the whole flap over the John Mayer story.
So today, Rob Shuter gave us a statement that said Jessica Simpson says she did not fire Rob Shuter. So we`ve been e-mailing Rob Shuter back all day long and calling him and saying great. Now, we want to know, were you fired?
HAMMER: Yes.
LEVIN: And he won`t respond to us. He will not answer. So I`m going back to our original story, which is old Joe Simpson, the control freak.
HAMMER: He does control everything, doesn`t he?
LEVIN: I mean, little marionette there, Jessica Simpson, pulling all the strings.
HAMMER: Man, well we`ll talk about him another time.
Let`s move onto diva story number three, though, the Paris Hilton story. Of course yesterday, we were talking about her alleged drunken driving arrest, but it has a new twist tonight, right, Harvey because she was arrested in Los Angeles for allegedly driving drunk as we know, but it wasn`t the first time she got pulled over last night, was it?
LEVIN: We talked to three people who were at the club that Paris Hilton was at that night before she got arrested. And when she went inside, she told three people separately that she had been stopped by the cops on her way there and that`s why she was late for the event. She didn`t say whether it was speeding, but we know that in the end, she just desperately needed a hamburger from Inn and Out. And she was traveling fast to get there.
HAMMER: Paris Hilton, when you go out in public, have a car and driver. Thank you. Harvey Levin, managing editor of TMZ.com. Have a good weekend.
LEVIN: See you, A.J..
ANDERSON: Well, stars young and old often have their dating issues splashed al over the place. Maybe they should take some advice from Greg Behrendt. He`s the guy who came up with the phrase "he`s just not that into you." We first heard it on "Sex in the City." His book by the same name has sold millions of copies. And now Greg`s got his own talk show.
Greg Behrendt from Chicago. Hey, Greg.
Brooke, how are you?
ANDERSON: Doing great. Thank you now. I want you to take me back to that moment in time when this phrase just popped into your head. He`s not that into you. When did you think of it? Was it just part of normal conversation?
GREG BEHRENDT, HOST, "THE GREG BEHRENDT SHOW": It was part of a normal lunchtime conversation with the ladies at the work. We were not on the clock. We were not writing.
One of the girls was dating a guy that did not want to have sex with her. And she asked what I thought. And I said well, I`m married and I would like to have sex with you. So, I think that`s bad. And then she said, well, he had to work the next day. And I said I don`t care if I got to fly the space shuttle, you know, I`m coming up. That would be my thought.
And so, she said your assessment is? And I said I don`t think he`s that into you. He`s just not that into you. I don`t even remember saying it. And the girls jumped on it, and they`re like oh, my God, what do you mean by that? And then it became a conversation that, you know, brings us here today almost.
ANDERSON: And so once they repeated it, was it just a revelation to you? Oh, wow, this is perfect. This is going to be huge? Was that your Eureka moment?
BEHRENDT: Kind of, yes. I mean I actually -- well, no, Liz Truchillo (ph), who`s the co-author of that book, and my wife had to convince me that there was more information. Because I kept thinking to myself, yes, if a guy doesn`t call, he doesn`t like you. If he doesn`t want to hang out with you, he doesn`t like you. I mean, isn`t that obvious? And they`re like, no, it`s not. Put it down in a book.
So we sat down. And we put it in a book. And obviously, I should know that because I went through it for years with my own sister. So then it became a book.
And suddenly, I became the go-to guy for information about relationships.
ANDERSON: Yes, and sometimes we just have to have it all just spelled out for us, no matter how hard it is to hear. And when you thought of it, then it appeared on "Sex and the City." Your life has never been the same, Greg.
BEHRENDT: Right.
ANDERSON: I want to take a moment to look at that famous scene from "Sex and the City". Charley, roll that videotape.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP
MIRANDA: Berger, what do you think?
BERGER: You really want to know?
MIRANDA: Please, I would love to have a man`s opinion for a change.
BERGER: All right, I`m not going to sugar coat it for you. He`s just not that into you.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Now that phrase has become iconic. Now we just learned last week, Greg, we were hearing John Mayer, Jessica Simpson madly in love. Then Jessica denies it. John Mayer did, too. You know, in a lot of relationships, this sort of thing is typical. Fireworks in the beginning, then nothing, nada.
BEHRENDT: Right.
ANDERSON: What signs should a woman look for that a guy may not be that into you?
BEHRENDT: Well, if he`s John Mayer, OK, that`s one. I think probably -- I think, you know, when you`re first dating somebody, if they`re just not that physical with you, if they don`t want to make concrete plans with you, you know, if they`re sort of ambiguous about where everything is going, I think that`s a pretty good sign that they`re not into you.
ANDERSON: Well, let`s talk. You`re going to do relationship issues on your new talk show coming up.
BEHRENDT: Yes.
ANDERSON: And at a time when so many big names are also launching their own shows. You`ve got Megan Mullaly, Rachel Ray.
BEHRENDT: Right.
ANDERSON: Plus you do have Ellen and Oprah, who are very popular. Aside from being the only guy in the group, how`s your show going to be different? Because this is some stiff competition here, Greg.
BEHRENDT: o doubt. I mean, you really can`t compete against Oprah. You can just go stand next to her. First off, my hair is different. So that`s going to give me an edge.
ANDERSON: Yes, it is.
BEHRENDT: I`m a dude. That`s going to give me a little bit of an edge. The only thing I think is different is that we`re taking a single topic relationship show, sort of like what Dr. Phil does, and we`re making it funny. And we`re going at it the same way that the book`s went at things.
You know, practical real device delivered in a comical way. And of course, we`re dealing with all relationships, not just romantic but family, and work, and even your relationship with the police. And if Paris wants to stop by and we can talk, we can have a chat about that.
ANDERSON: She has the invitation?
BEHRENDT: She certainly does.
ANDERSON: Well, it was a pleasure speaking with you, Greg. Congratulations and best of luck with the show. Greg Behrendt, thanks so much.
BEHRENDT: Thanks a lot.
ANDERSON: All right, and "The Greg Behrendt Show" premieres nationwide on September 12th. As they say, check your local listings.
HAMMER: James bond is back. And SHOWBIZ TONIGHT is shaking, not stirring things up with your very first look at the soon to be released 007 film "Casino Royale".
ANDERSON: And you may have seen the unbelievable video of a reporter brutally attacked and beaten on camera. Now wait until you see other reporters who have attacked caught on tape.
Plus, we`ve got this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BASSINGER: For the sake of my life and my daughter and everything else, I just thank God where we`ve come to now.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: Kim Basinger opens up to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT about her nasty divorce and custody battle with her ex Alec Baldwin, in the emotional and revealing interview you`ll see only on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANDERSON: Big news for Ellen Degeneres. She`s going to be hosting the Oscars this year. It`s the first time for her, but she has done it for the Emmys and the Grammys in the past. You may remember Jon Stewart ran the Oscar show last year.
The 79th Annual Academy Awards will air on February 25th.
HAMMER: Well, for the first time, Billy Joel and Christy Brinkley`s daughter is speaking out about the man who cheated on her mother.
Also coming up, a stunning Hollywood mystery. Was Superman murdered? We`ll have TV`s original Jimmie Olsen coming up in the interview you`ll see only SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
And Kim Basinger opens up like never before about her nasty divorce and custody battle. That`s still to come on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
RICHELLE CAREY, HEADLINE PRIME ANCHOR: Hello, everybody. I`m Richelle Carey. And here`s your Headline Prime Newsbreak.
We`ve got some breaking news to report. Authorities have captured Ralph "Bucky" Philips. He`s the fugitive accused of killing a New York state trooper and also wounding two others. A source says that no shots were fired. Police had been searching for him in a wooded area along the New York/Pennsylvania state line. Just Thursday, he was added to the FBI`s "top 10" most wanted list.
ABC says it is not done editing it`s upcoming miniseries, "The Path to 9/11." Several advisors to former President Clinton complained it is inaccurate and directly contradicts the findings of the 9/11 Commission. Clinton himself says he just wants the miniseries to tell the truth.
And California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger is apologizing for saying "Cubans and Puerto Ricans are very hot", that`s a quote, because of their combined black blood and Latin blood. He says the comments that were caught on tape during a staff meeting in March made him cringe when he read them in a newspaper.
That`s the news for now. Keep it here. Thanks for watching. I`m Richelle Carey.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HAMMER: Welcome back to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT for Friday night. It is 30 minutes past the hour. I`m A.J. Hammer in New York.
ANDERSON: Welcome to the weekend. I`m Brooke Anderson in Hollywood. This is TV`s most provocative entertainment news show.
A.J., I recently sat down with Oscar-winning actress Kim Basinger. You know, normally she`s a very private person. But she really opened up about the struggles she`s recently been going through. You know, she`s been going through a very rough custody battle with her ex husband, Alec Baldwin. She told me what it`s like dealing with all of it while in the public eye. It`s a very emotional and revealing interview. We`ll have it in just a minute.
HAMMER: Yes. That can`t be easy at all.
Also tonight, Brooke, we`re asking the question, Was Superman murdered? George Reeves was TV`s original Superman.
ANDERSON: Right.
HAMMER: The official cause of death for him was suicide. However theories have been around for years that in fact, he was murdered. And that is the subject of the new movie "Hollywoodland," in theaters this weekend. We have the original Jimmy Olsen from the original TV "Superman" television shows -- Jack Larson`s going to join us. And we`ll get his take on of all this, coming up.
ANDERSON: Tell us about one of Hollywood`s biggest mysteries -- and long-running mysteries, that`s right.
HAMMER: But first tonight: by now you seen what may well be the best and most shocking video of the week: the reporter who got attacked by an irate couple is all caught on tape. What`s odd is the popularity of these attack-on-the-press videos.
Here`s CNN`s Jeanne Moos for SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEANNE MOOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It`s the kind of story...
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Stop that (EXPLETIVE DELETED) camera right (EXPLETIVE DELETED) now.
MOOS... you can`t throw cold water on.
First, when the morning show teases...
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Have you seen these pictures yet?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Stunning attack.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Take a look at this video.
MOOS... then came the warnings.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Some of what you`re about to see...
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE... is very graphic.
MOOS: A San Diego investigative reporter doing a follow-up on an alleged real estate scam found himself getting whacked with a plastic water bottle.
JOHN MATTES, FOX 6 NEWS: That`s not appropriate.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I don`t give a (EXPLETIVE DELETED).
MOOS: Whacked by the wife, then attacked by her husband.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Call the police.
MOOS: The couple were furious about the reporter`s expose on their alleged real estate scheme for which they have not been charged. The other guy joining the fray was there being interviewed about how he`d allegedly been threatened by the husband, Sam Suleiman. After about six minutes, police arrived.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Get on the ground! Get on the ground!
MOOS: The husband was on the ground, and the banged-up reporter ended up on the air, everywhere, describing the attack.
MATTES: Ripping, gouging, scratching and biting me.
MOOS: Reporter John Mattes of XETV`s Fox 6 News even got a tetanus shot while his video shot to the top of CNN.com, more popular than even Paris Hilton`s DUI arrest.
(on camera): If you go to a Web site like YouTube and type in "reporter attacked," you`ll get about a dozen hits. People seem to enjoy seeing us attacked.
(voice-over): There`s the reporter who gets clobbered with a handbag.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yeah, put that on the news.
MOOS: There`s singer Bjork going after a reporter.
There`s Jon Stewart playing a clip of a then-New York City councilman throwing a metal object at a reporter.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A total of six on-duty New York police officers called here...
JON STEWART, HOST, "THE DAILY SHOW": That may be my favorite thing ever.
MOOS: The San Diego incident had some wondering why the cameraman kept shooting rather than jumping in.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, Jeanne, if somebody was attacking you, what would you expect me to do?
MOOS (on camera): I would want you to roll until you see the first drop of blood, and then come rescue me.
(voice-over): In other words, roll with the punches.
Jeanne Moos...
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Stop it!
MOOS: ... CNN...
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thank you. Bye-bye.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Son of a (EXPLETIVE DELETED).
MOOS: ... New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: Ooh.
All right. Moving now to Academy Award-winning actress Kim Basinger. She is speaking out about her very public and at times nasty custody with ex-husband Alec Baldwin over their daughter, Ireland. But her personal woes aren`t slowing down her career. Basinger stars in "The Mermaid Chair," a new Lifetime movie based on the best-selling book of the same name.
And when I sat down with her, she really opened up about just how difficult it has been living a private life in the spotlight.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: How are you right now? I know you`ve been through an incredibly difficult time.
KIM BASINGER, ACTRESS: You know, people have, you know, tragic lives. And it`s something they have to fight everyday, besides our little individual battles within ourselves. And everybody, you know, fights a battle. Whatever. The only difference in mine is I`ve had to do it publicly.
ANDERSON: Yes.
BASINGER: That`s the big difference. But it makes the challenge know anything. You know, I feel truly, truly blessed to be who I am, what I am, to have what I have in my life. And I don`t have a complaint in this world. Nothing.
ANDERSON: Wow. I just don`t -- and doing publicly, how do you do it? How do you do it and live your life, with so many people so interested in you? And wherever you go, people follow. Fans` interest follows.
It has to be incredibly tough.
BASINGER: Well, you know what? I think because this business is so fickle.
ANDERSON: Yes.
BASINGER: You know, look on the covers of all these magazines -- "Us" and "Star" and this and that and many, many of them. "Life," "In Style," blah, blah, blah, and you can.
(CROSSTALK)
ANDERSON: They`re endless.
BASINGER: .all these battles and all these made-up names. And I don`t want to mention anybody`s names. But I`m sure they`re sick of themselves, OK?
You know, I`m just in the mix someplace, you know? In there sometimes. And, you know, my story is so boring and so old now, that hopefully it`s on the back page of every .
(LAUGHTER)
BASINGER: You know, and -- you know for the sake of.
ANDERSON: Just a little blurb.
BASINGER: My -- yes, just for the sake of my life and my daughter and everything else, I just thank God for where we`ve come to now, you know? It is a little difficult to be out there in the public sometimes, especially when you`re, you know, followed and surprised at certain places.
But, you know what? Again, we`re getting through it. And it`s -- it has taught me -- it`s been an invaluable education.
ANDERSON: There are new surveys out, and you`re crack up at this -- in German and Chinese cities, where 30 percent have daydreams of being famous. Forty percent think that they will at some time experience fame.
BASINGER: All right.
ANDERSON: What do you think about that, and what advice you give them?
BASINGER: Well, I think you need to look at those percentages. Because if you look at "American Idol" auditions, there you go, OK?
(LAUGHTER)
BASINGER: I mean, I really like to watch that because, you know, some people want -- if it`s one minute of fame, even on the reverse side of where it can be, that`s what they want.
I think it`s phenomenal. And you know, I think it`s phenomenal to day dream and to have your dream, and that dreams really do come true. I mean, I was a little girl sitting in Athens, Georgia.
(CROSSTALK)
BASINGER: You know, and my brother used to tell me I wouldn`t get past Bogart. I remember recently saying that to someone, and they really laughed. Because it -- Bogart`s this little kind of.
(CROSSTALK)
BASINGER: He said, You just won`t get past Bogart. And I said, You`ll see. You`ll see.
ANDERSON: Do you think some people don`t realize that when they become famous, the challenges that go along with that, at the same time.
BASINGER: Oh, I don`t think anybody realizes what fame is all about until you`re in those shoes, at whatever levels you have it. Oh my god -- I mean, I could never have written the book of my life and where it`s gone and in my life, and where it continues to go, which -- the journey is just -- it`s -- you know, it`s far from over.
So I don`t know where it`s going. I love the idea of surprise, because I`m -- I`m one that just awaits what`s in front of me. But never could I have ever written a word of it.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: Kim was just lovely. I really enjoyed our time together.
And you can catch Kim Basinger, starring in "The Mermaid Chair," this Saturday on Lifetime.
HAMMER: Well, Alexa Ray Joel may not be a household name just yet, but she is on her way. And it just don`t hurt that she has two very famous parents. Her mom -- supermodel Christie Brinkley. Her dad -- the Piano Man himself, Billy Joel.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
(SINGING)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: Well now, the younger Joel is trying to pave a path to what she hopes will be a music -- will be musical stardom. She writes, she plays, she sings. And they`re all her own songs.
In an interview with the "Today" show, she says she doesn`t always want to rely on her famous name, but she`s happy to have her parents` backing. Her mom, Christie Brinkley, fought back tears after watching her daughter perform.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CHRISTIE BRINKLEY, SUPERMODEL: Oh my gosh, it`s so emotional, you know? I mean, it`s like, I always knew that she was meant to do this, you know? And to see your child doing what they love -- you know, it`s just so -- it`s just -- it just makes me so proud and happy.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: That`s sweet. The two are so close that Brinkley credits Alexa with helping her through Brinkley`s recent split from husband Peter Cook. Alexa even turned the headline-grabbing affair into a song.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ALEXA RAY JOEL, MUSICIAN: (SINGING)
JOEL: The song is about my anger towards Peter, and regarding the situation. The lyrics came pouring out. It was the best release.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: It is just wild to see her all grown up. We wish her the best of luck.
You can check out Alexa`s music on a Web site, alexarayjoel.com.
Well, Paris Hilton wigs out after her big arrest. Is that possibly true? It`s ridiculous, and it`s next on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
ANDERSON: Also on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, one of Hollywood`s greatest mysteries: Was Superman murdered? TV`s original Jimmy Olsen is here to give us his take on that story. Jack Larson joins us in an interview you will see only here on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
We`ll also have this:
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DANIEL CRAIG, ACTOR: Yorkfile shares no kilt (ph). But to become a double 0, it takes two.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: Meet the new Bond -- James Bond. Just ahead, a look at Daniel Craig`s debut in the starring role in the latest 007 epic. That`s still to come in tonight`s "SHOWBIZ Showcase."
SHOWBIZ TONIGHT will be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HAMMER: Director Charles, I thank you.
And welcome back to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, TV`s most provocative entertainment news show.
It`s time now for another story that made us say, "That`s Ridiculous!"
Now, you`d probably think that Paris Hilton would try to lay low a day after getting arrested on suspicion of drunk driving. Well instead, the infamous celebutante was partying it up at a high-profile LA club. And that is according to the entertainment news site TMZ.com. TMZ says Paris was also seen wearing a mildly conspicuous brown wig as she tried to sneak out the back door of the club. Maybe that is laying low for her.
Either way, Paris Hilton wearing a wig as she goes out on the town the day after, Brooke? Just not such a smart thing -- you know, didn`t she tell us not that long ago that she was.
ANDERSON: She was laying low.
HAMMER: She was really going to lay low altogether.
ANDERSON: Yes. Yes, altogether. And -- and, you know, she`s so recognizable, A.J., that if she had a wig on, people are still going to know it`s her. And that soon after she was arrested, it`s really surprising. But hopefully she had someone else drive her home this time.
HAMMER: You know, Brooke, you say it`s really surprising. Is it really? Come on now.
ANDERSON: Oh, no. No. Trying to give her the benefit of the doubt.
HAMMER: A wiggy Paris Hilton -- "That`s Ridiculous!"
ANDERSON: Yes, it is.
Now a mystery that has baffled Hollywood for decades: did TV`s original Superman commit suicide, or was her murdered?
In the 1950s, George Reeves played the Man of Steel for nearly six years in the classic TV series "The Adventures of Superman." In 1959, he was found shot to death, and police called it a suicide. Now a new film, "Hollywoodland," starring Ben Affleck as George Reeves, drums up old suspicions that in fact Reeves was actually murdered because of an affair he was having with the wife of a major movie mogul.
We are thrilled to have with us tonight here in Hollywood, Jack Larson. Who can forget Jack? He played cub reporter Jimmy Olsen in the original TV series, sidekick to Lois Lane, and of course, to Clark Kent as well.
Jack, thank you so much for being here with us on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. We appreciate it.
JACK LARSON, ACTOR: A pleasure to be here, Brooke.
ANDERSON: I want you to take us back: June 16, 1959. That night, when you heard George Reeves was dead -- fatal gunshot wound -- what did you think?
LARSON: Well, I didn`t hear it for a little bit. I was in Europe.
I liked George. I was depressed. I couldn`t get a -- a job because I was typed. He was typed, I was typed.
ANDERSON: Typecast.
LARSON: And he had -- I only had a bowtie to worry about. He had the cape and the Superman emblem. And I took a job in -- in Europe. We were going to shoot 26 shows. My next place where they could connect with me was Pietra Espana, (ph) Rome -- American Express. And I got all of these newspaper headlines that George was dead.
ANDERSON: And what did you think?
LARSON: I thought that he committed suicide. The last time I seen him, it was a very odd encounter. I went to say goodbye when I was going off to do this film in Germany -- because I couldn`t work in the United States. He couldn`t work in the United States. It was called "typed."
ANDERSON: It was a really challenging time for the both of you.
LARSON: It was a challenging time for everybody, and the movie industry was changing and -- and television was changing into what it is now, with you.
ANDERSON: And people identified you with Jimmy Olsen.
LARSON: Yes, I was.
ANDERSON: And George with Superman.
LARSON: Absolutely typed. And popular, but out of work except doing that.
ANDERSON: So even now, and even after all the rumors.
LARSON: Yes.
ANDERSON: .this mystery for so long.
LARSON: Yes.
ANDERSON: .do you still think he did commit suicide?
LARSON: Well, when I came back, right away -- I was close to George and Toni Maddox (ph), who was the woman you referred to. That was his longtime -- they`d been together ever since I was a kid, when I first knew them in `51. And I liked Toni a lot.
And they called me "Junior." I had been to the house a lot. She was a good cook. She was married to Eddie Mannix (ph). But it was an arrangement -- Eddie Manny (ph) was agreeable with him. He had a girlfriend. She had George.
And when she inherited the house right away -- which she bought for him, incidentally -- and -- she wanted me to go into it for the first time with her, when it was unsealed by the police. And I did; I was back in L.A. then. And I went into it with Toni. And it was a real ghastly occasion.
ANDERSON: Yes.
LARSON: But she had been told by the police that there were three bullet holes. And when we went upstairs into George`s bedroom that day, she had little blessings -- exorcisms.
ANDERSON: I`m sure it was very, very difficult.
LARSON: It was horrible.
ANDERSON: And this new movie, "Hollywoodland," talks about the mystery surrounding his death. Ben Affleck stars as George Reeves.
LARSON: Is terrific in it.
ANDERSON: I know you were partying with Ben and the cast at the premiere last night.
LARSON: Last night .
(CROSSTALK)
ANDERSON: Do you think that Ben did him justice?
LARSON: I think Ben does a beautiful job. And we admit before they started doing the film -- Diane and Ben wanted to come up and spend the day with me to do research, pick my brain about George and Toni. And since I`m protective of both of them, and it`s one of the things I like most about the film -- they`re compassionate and they`re good portraits of both Toni and George.
ANDERSON: Oh, so they did well, then?
LARSON: .in terms of a drama.
ANDERSON: Yes.
LARSON: You know, a lot of it is fictionalized. But I`ve produced films.
(CROSSTALK)
ANDERSON: .did a good job acting?
LARSON: They did a beautiful job acting.
ANDERSON: My last question: who`s the better Jimmy Olsen -- you, or the new guy who played him in "Superman Returns," Sam Huntington.
LARSON: I like Sam.
(CROSSTALK)
LARSON: I think if they talk about that -- I like Sam. I`m doing a guest star.
(CROSSTALK)
ANDERSON: Yes, that`s right. You were Bo the bartender.
LARSON: Yes, but.
ANDERSON: All right.
LARSON: Yes, whatever I was.
But I like -- the many Jimmys through the years. I`m always ready to pass it on. New Jimmy, take Jimmy Olsen. I was typed with Jimmy. But I`ve never been able to pass it on. I remain Jimmy Olsen, and I`m sitting here with.
ANDERSON: And we do love you for it, Jack.
LARSON: I look beautiful you (ph), because I guess I`m still remembered as Jimmy Olsen.
ANDERSON: It is quite an honor. It`s been a pleasure to speak with you. Jack Larson, thank you so much for being with us.
LARSON: Well, it`s good to be with you.
ANDERSON: Thank you.
And you can check out "Hollywoodland" in theaters now.
HAMMER: I want to party with that guy, Brooke.
Well, tonight in our "SHOWBIZ Showcase," James Bond fans, get ready to be shaken. We have your very first look at "Casino Royale." Of course, it`s the new Bond movie that`s coming out this fall, which stars Daniel Craig as 007.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CRAIG: Yorkfile shares no kilt. And to become a 00, it takes two.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: How did you die? No contact?
CRAIG: Not well.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You needn`t worry.
CRAIG: But second is.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.
CRAIG: Considerably.
DAME JUDI DENCH, ACTRESS: The man is Mashee (ph), private banker to the world`s terrorist, which would explain how he could set up a high- stakes poker game at a casino royale in Montenegro.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He uses this game. You have nowhere to run. You are the best player in the (INAUDIBLE)
The (INAUDIBLE) have agreed to stake you in the game. But if you lose, our government will have directly financed terrorism. I will be keeping my eye on our government`s money and off your perfectly (INAUDIBLE) house.
CRAIG: You noticed.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I hope our little game isn`t causing you to perspire.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It doesn`t bother you, killing those people?
CRAIG: Now I wouldn`t be very good at my job if it did.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: How`s our girl? Melted your cold heart yet?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: James, get the girl out.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You don`t think who (ph) might be in there. You`ve got your armor there (ph)
CRAIG: I have no armor left.
(SCREAMING)
CRAIG: You`ve stripped it from me.
Whatever is left of me, whatever I am, I`m yours.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The only question remains: will you yield in time?
(MUSIC)
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HAMMER: That looks fantastic.
"Casino Royale" will arrive in theaters on November 17.
We`ve been asking you to vote online on our SHOWBIZ TONIGHT "Question of the Day": "9/11 Movies: Do they have an obligation to get the facts right?" The response has truly been overwhelming and really one sided, with a whopping 93 percent of you say "yes." Only 7 percent of you saying "no."
Among the e-mails we received, one from Catherine in California, who writes, "It is unbelievable that networks would engaged in behind-the- scenes manipulation of history. Has the U.S. gone mad?"
And Brea from North Carolina writes, "I feel that they are victimizing the American public all over again. If they choose to spew lies, that`s what they`re doing."
Hey if they`re going to tell the story, tell the truth.
SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HAMMER: Time to find out what`s coming up on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT on Monday. Here is your "SHOWBIZ Marquee."
On Monday, it`s a very special edition of SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. Five years after 9/11, how Hollywood`s biggest stars are remembering and reflecting on that terrible, terrible day.
Plus, we`re going to talk about how 9/11 changed the entertainment industry forever. We`re going to be hearing from some of the most influential people in TV, movies and music.
So join us Monday for a very inspirational look at the five-year anniversary of 9/11 on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
That`s it for SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. Have a great weekend. I`m A.J. Hammer in New York.
ANDERSON: Thanks for watching, everyone. I`m Brooke Anderson in Hollywood. Glenn Beck is coming up next, right after the latest headlines from CNN Headline News. Keep it right here.
END
