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Showbiz Tonight
Is Clay Gay?; Bony Backlash; Hollywood Murder Mystery; Star Secrets; Celebrity Plastic Surgery; Jenny Lee Became Addicted To Plastic Surgery
Aired September 22, 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: A new chapter in one of Hollywood`s most notorious murder mysteries.
I`m A.J. Hammer in New York.
BROOKE ANDERSON, CO-HOST: And a fashion heavyweight speaks out about the controversial skinny model debate.
I`m Brooke Anderson in Hollywood.
TV`s most provocative entertainment news show starts right now.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
HAMMER (voice over): On SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, is Clay gay?
Tonight, Clay Aiken`s outrage after one of TV`s most powerful newswomen asks him if he`s gay. But is it wrong to ask celebrities what goes on behind closed doors?
SHOWBIZ TONIGHT with the question, stars and sexuality, is it wrong to ask, are you gay?
Also tonight, a SHOWBIZ TONIGHT special report: obsessed with plastic surgery. Hollywood`s biggest stars going under the knife. And why are so many people asking cosmetic surgeons to make them look like their favorite stars?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: People coming in to our eyes to ask for eyes of Nicole Kidman.
HAMMER: Plus, what happens when a little nip and tuck becomes a life- threatening addiction?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And when I woke up, my husband just went, "Ahh!"
HAMMER: The shocking story of a woman who`s gone under the knife more than 24 times.
Tonight, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT investigates the ugly truth about plastic surgery.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: Welcome to the weekend, everyone.
I`m Brooke Anderson in Hollywood.
HAMMER: Friday night is on. I`m A.J. Hammer in New York, with the great Clay debate.
It is the question that has been shadowing former "American Idol" star Clay Aiken for a long time. Is Clay gay? And now he`s getting asked that question as he promotes his new album, and he`s not that happy about it.
ANDERSON: No, he is not, A.J. But it was one particular confrontation about his sexual orientation that`s really got everyone buzzing tonight. Clay Aiken up against one of the most powerful and popular newswomen in the business.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON (voice over): We`ve come to know Clay Aiken as the nice guy with the big voice from "American Idol." But now, after almost two years of questions, rumors and innuendoes over his sexuality, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT can tell you that it`s no more Mr. Nice Guy for Clay Aiken.
"Good morning America`s" Diane Sawyer found that out when she brought up the gay issue during an interview.
CLAY AIKEN, SINGER: At some point, it becomes just really rude, you know?
DIANE SAWYER, "GOOD MORNING America": You think I`m rude for asking?
AIKEN: I don`t understand why you want to know. I don`t understand why -- I don`t understand why it`s any of your business.
ANDERSON: Clay is talking about the constant rumors about his sexuality, rumors that began as unsubstantiated chatter about his sex life on the Internet and in the tabloids. When Clay sat down with Diane Sawyer, she wasted no time bringing it up.
SAWYER: Everybody assumed that what has really been happening in these last few years with you, and what`s probably gonna happen right here today and these next couple of weeks, is that you are ready to come out and say you`re gay.
AIKEN: That would not make any sense for me to do that. I mean, I don`t -- that doesn`t make any sense. I`ve gotten to a point now where I feel it`s kind of invasive, you know?
You know what? Forget it. What I do in my private life is nobody`s business anymore, period.
I`ll say, you know what? I`m not spending my time with this anymore. This is a waste of time. So I`m done.
JULIE DAM, "PEOPLE" MAGAZINE: Obviously, he doesn`t really want to answer the question.
ANDERSON: Julie Dam from "People" magazine, which also asked Clay if he`s gay, tells SHOWBIZ TONIGHT that Aiken is fed up with the whole topic.
DAM: And he feels like, you know, maybe it`s better not to respond because people have already made up their minds.
ANDERSON (on camera): Fans do like and many expect to know at least some personal details about the celebrities they admire. But SHOWBIZ TONIGHT is asking the question, exactly how much should Clay Aiken or any other celebrity have to disclose about their private lives? Do fans have the right to know everything?
PAUL COLICHMAN, FOUNDER & CEO, HERE! NETWORKS: I don`t think it`s a question of right. I think it is a question of essentially a contract that the celebrity has with the public.
ANDERSON (voice over): Paul Colichman, CEO of the gay and lesbian channel Here! TV, tells SHOWBIZ TONIGHT that when you`re a celebrity, getting asked personal questions goes with the territory.
COLICHMAN: If someone doesn`t want to reveal any part of their personal life, a better career choice would be something far more private.
ANDERSON: In fact, when rumors about Clay`s sexuality were at a fever pitch, some of his former fans staged a revolt that they took all the way to Washington. The Federal Trade Commission confirms to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT that the former fans actually filed an FTC complaint, accusing Clay`s record company of marketing the singer in a manner the group calls false and deceitful.
"People" magazine`s Julie Dam tells us fans like that are in the minority.
DAM: His fans know who he is, are going to like him regardless. I really feel like he`s at peace with it. This is what he`s going to say and that`s it.
ANDERSON: And without getting into the "is he or isn`t he" guessing game, Here! TV`s Paul Colichman agrees that celebrities can benefit from leveling with their fans.
COLICHMAN: I do not believe it will destroy careers by being honest. Did it destroy Rosie O`Donnell`s career? Not when I saw her recently on "The View."
ANDERSON: In fact, Clay sat down next to Rosie O`Donnell and the rest of the ladies of "The View" shortly after his Diane Sawyer interview aired. His sexuality did not come up, but Clay was very open about his personal struggle with anxiety and taking medication for it...
AIKEN: I was really apprehensive about going on any kind of anti- anxiety just because, you know, sometimes they can be addictive.
ANDERSON: ... showing that stars are willing to talk about some personal matters, but on their own terms.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: All this talk comes at a crucial time for Aiken. He has a new album making its debut on Tuesday.
HAMMER: And this leads us to our SHOWBIZ TONIGHT "Question of the Day." Here`s what we`re asking tonight. Clay Aiken: Is it wrong to ask him questions about his sexuality?
Get online to vote at CNN.com/ShowbizTonight, or send us an e-mail if you`ve got more to say, ShowbizTonight@CNN.com.
Well, tonight some very powerful words from one of the most influential fashion designers in the world about the growing revolt and the ban on fashion models who are too skinny. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, of course, has been all over this story ever since the super-skinny models were banned from a runway at a major fashion show in Madrid.
Last night in London at another major fashion show, the legendary fashion king, Giorgio Armani, gave us a piece of his mind. Armani says you should blame the media and the fashion stylists for the fashion industry`s obsession with the way-too-skinny models.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GIORGIO ARMANI, DESIGNER (through translator): Absolutely. I have never wanted to use girls that are too skinny. I prefer girls that show off my clothes in the best way so that they fall in the best way. No one thinks that for a girl to be fashionable that she needs to be anorexic, that she must not eat.
I will take on healthy girls. Unfortunately, though, the stylists and also the media have interfered, and now they want models that are incredibly thin.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: So, is the media and the fashion industry to blame?
With us tonight from San Francisco, Liz Perle. She`s the editor-in- chief of Common Sense Media, a nonprofit group -- family advocacy group.
Thanks for joining us, Liz.
LIZ PERLE, COMMON SENSE MEDIA: My pleasure.
HAMMER: So, some pretty strong words from arguably one of the most powerful people in fashion, Giorgio Armani. What do you think of what he says? Is the media and the stylists really the ones to blame here, and have they created this epidemic that skinny is in?
PERLE: Well, you know, A.J., there`s plenty of blame to go around. The fact of the matter is that every time the media makes a choice to feature skinny Nicole with a bone sticking out and pays a lot of money for it to put on a tabloid, they`re contributing to a problem that`s much broader than just the media. And last time I checked, the stylists weren`t the ones making the dresses in the 00 sizes.
So, unless they`re doing something on the side, the fashion -- you know, the people creating the fashion are as complicit as well. Maybe not Armani.
HAMMER: Yes, I think it is easy to point fingers in a lot of places, and I think it really turns into this sort of machine that feeds on itself. But you bring up the skinny Nicole, so, let me tell you, I`ve got to say that when I see pictures of Nicole or women like her who are at that ultra thin level, I`m thinking, that doesn`t look so healthy to me.
However, I am certain that there must be young people in particular who see a pair of jeans on Nicole and say, because she is wearing them, I`ve got to get them. So, is it the stars like Nicole that are really influencing people with that idea that thin is beautiful?
PERLE: Oh, absolutely. You know, we are such celebrity addicts, and our kids are, you know, living in this world of celebrity and brand. And when the two of those get together, amplified by the media -- and I do mean amplified -- because they turn the volume way up on all of this because kids can`t escape it -- then you really create behavioral change in kids and you get these kids who are miserable. The number one wish for girls between the ages of 11 and 17, to be skinnier.
HAMMER: So let`s take it a step further then, because if they all want to be skinnier, do you think that all these images that we`re constantly being bombarded with out of Hollywood can actually then lead to eating disorders? Or is that -- is that pushing a little too far saying that?
PERLE: I don`t know if it`s pushing too far, but let`s -- you know, let`s look at the environment we`re in. Mothers, what are we talking about all the time? "Oh, I`ve got to lose 10 pounds."
The weight issue is everywhere. And we have created an equation of beauty and unhealthy skinniness in this country, where that`s what glamour is and that`s what girls go for. This is -- this is not going to create healthy diets, put it that way.
HAMMER: And to be clear, it`s not just the young women who are concerning themselves with this, right? I mean, the guys, the teenage guys I think are -- I`m hearing that they`re thinking the same thing.
PERLE: Hello, steroids. You know? Steroids are a big part of this, because these guys want the washboard abs and they want to look great and they want to make teams. And the whole definitions of what manliness is, or femininity.
And, you know, we create these 00 sizes. My gosh. What are we going to do with that?
HAMMER: Yes. It is completely unrealistic.
PERLE: It`s really crazy.
HAMMER: I have literally 15 seconds, but this ban on super-skinny models that we have seen is certainly an extreme action. Maybe it`s a one- off. Maybe not.
Do you think it will be a catalyst for change? Do you think we`ll be seeing more stuff like this?
PERLE: Hey, you`re talking about it, aren`t you? And every time we talk about it, the healthy alternative to beauty, it`s a good thing.
HAMMER: I always say that dialogue is so important and it starts right here.
Liz Perle, the editor-in-chief of Common Sense Media, I appreciate you joining us tonight.
PERLE: My pleasure, A.J.
HAMMER: Make sure you stay tuned for our SHOWBIZ special report, "Plastic Surgery Obsession." It`s coming up later this hour on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
ANDERSON: A new chapter opens in one of the most notorious murder mysteries in Hollywood history. That`s coming up. We`ll take you through the twists and turns of this real-life cold case.
HAMMER: Also, a story that will make your skin crawl. We`re talking about a dare so extreme you`d think the prize would be huge. It`s a story that made us say, "That`s ridiculous!"
We`ll also have this...
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Well, I can`t blow my nose like a normal person. I can`t breathe very well out of it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: A life-threatening addiction to plastic surgery. The shocking story of a woman who`s gone under the knife more than 30 times. It`s all part of a SHOWBIZ TONIGHT special report, "Plastic Surgery Obsession."
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANDERSON: Welcome back to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, TV`s most provocative entertainment news show.
I`m Brooke Anderson in Hollywood.
It`s time now for another story that made us say, "That`s ridiculous!"
OK, how far would you go to avoid long lines at your favorite amusement park rides? The folks at Six Flags Great America are banking on the idea that you`d go as far as eating a roach.
Yes, the park is daring customers to eat a live Madagascar hissing cockroach in exchange for unlimited line-jumping privileges. Huh. It`s all part of their Halloween fright fest.
Beyond being just plain gross and disgusting, eating a roach to be first in line, now "That`s ridiculous!"
HAMMER: Roachie.
Now on to one of Hollywood`s most infamous unsolved murder mysteries and the new film that`s putting the shocking story back in the headlines. It was 59 years ago when a 22-year-old aspiring actress was killed in one of the most gruesome murders to date. Tabloids called her the Black Dahlia. Well, now the film of the same name takes us through all the twists and turns of this horrifying case.
Here`s CNN`s Peter Viles for SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
PETER VILES, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): She was 22, her name was Elizabeth Short.
R.J. SMITH, LOS ANGELES MAGAZINE: I think she was innocent and pretty and knew how to charm guys at a bar or a lunch counter.
VILES: Because she died her hair black and liked black dresses, someone called her the black Dahlia. It said she liked night spots, the Pig `N Whistle, Florentine Gardens.
STEVE HODEL, AUTHOR, "BLACK DAHLIA AVENGER": She was created into this myth of a dark woman, noir woman, which she wasn`t. She was a rather naive girl from Medford, Massachusetts.
VILES: James Ellroy`s novel makes her a prostitute, but he now says that`s fiction.
JAMES ELLROY, AUTHOR, "THE BLACK DAHLIA": She was a pie-faced Irish girl from Boston. She was indestructibly hopeful. She was perseverant. She was persistent. She tried to love that stance is her tragedy.
VILES: Legend has it she was last seen alive right here at the L.A.`s Biltmore Hotel.
SMITH: Made phone calls, some minor purchases, and then she walked out the door. And as the legend goes, that was the last time she was seen.
VILES: This part we know. A week later, January 15, 1947, her body was found right about here. She had been cut in half just above the waist.
HODEL: Seasoned veteran homicide detectives get to the scene and their sickened. They`ve never seen anything like it. They`re shocked.
VILES: It was too twisted for words. Explicit photos made the rounds, but the papers didn`t publish them.
HODEL: She was surgically bisected in half. The body was washed clean. All blood was washed off. She was carefully posed. She had been tortured for extended hours. Cigarette burns to the back, chunks of flesh were cut from her body and actually placed inside of her private parts.
VILES: Papers did run this photo, heavily air brushed.
SMITH: Corners to the mouth, cut to the ear. The press couldn`t show that, and they prettied up her face in the 40s. They drew a blanket over the body.
VILES: So who killed her and why?
Former LAPD detective Steve Hodel thinks he knows.
HODEL: I have been to hell for the last three years.
VILES: Hell, because he thinks his own father did it, that he was a psychotic woman hater who believed the murder was a work of art.
VILES: So you picture your dad out there by the light of the moon posing this corpse and believing he is creating art?
HODEL: This was his masterpiece. This was his statement to all surrealists.
VILES: The father died seven years ago. A top prosecutor also believes he was the killer. But the LAPD doesn`t buy it. So the mystery lives on.
SMITH: I don`t think we`ll ever solve it. You know, everyone has a theory in this town. Two people think their dads did it. People think that Orson Wells did it. The police originally, for a moment, thought the folk singer Woody Guthrie did it.
I think this crime is big and unsolvable.
VILES: Unsolvable and to James Ellroy, beyond words.
ELLROY: We are all looking for a language to explicate the remorseless, horrifying, arrogant and narcissistic rage perpetrated upon her. And in that manner, I feel that Mr. De Palma fails, all of us fail.
VILES: The whole city failed Elizabeth Short, which is one reason it can`t forget what happened to her.
Peter Viles for CNN, Los Angeles.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HAMMER: That was CNN`s Peter Viles for SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
ANDERSON: His movies have grossed more than $1 billion at the box office. Joe Eszterhas wrote the scripts for "Flashdance," "Basic Instinct" and "Showgirls," among others. But now, he`s out with a brand new tell-all book, "The Devil`s Guide to Hollywood." In it, Joe calls Michael Douglas dumb, Val Kilmer an imbecile, and Marlon Brando stupid.
And Joe is here with me in Hollywood tonight.
Good to see you, complete with a pitchfork on the front cover.
JOE ESZTERHAS, SCREENWRITER: Hi, Brooke. Thank you.
It`s also called "The Screenwriter is God," because it`s about screenwriting and it`s a book that sort of makes fun of the fact that screenwriters have been second class citizens all these years. So to call screenwriters god is a real spoof of that.
ANDERSON: Well, when you sat down to write this, I mean, you don`t mince words, you don`t hold back here. Do you think, "I`m really going to make people angry with this"?
ESZTERHAS: Well, the -- some people I might. I mean, it is -- "The New York Times" called it a brutally honest book. And it is that. But at the same time, I think it is a very funny book, and it`s primarily about screenwriting.
Everybody wants to be a screenwriter. They don`t want to write novels anymore, you know, about West 53rd Street. They`re selling scripts. And it`s about how to survive as a screenwriter.
It`s a survivor`s guide, a war manual...
ANDERSON: It gives tips. It gives advice.
ESZTERHAS: ... and it gives tips. Now...
ANDERSON: I was laughing. It was quite a page-turner. And I want to talk about what you said about Michael Douglas. I mean, you got to know him very well through "Basic Instinct."
ESZTERHAS: Yes, I did.
ANDERSON: The movie did extremely well.
ESZTERHAS: Yes, it did.
ANDERSON: Did great for both of you guys. But you call him dumb.
Why?
ESZTERHAS: Well, in terms of his advice on "Basic Instinct," what Michael wanted to do was to change the ending, and he wanted to have an ending where he shoots Sharon at the end, because he said Sharon one-upped him and at each opportunity in the movie.
Well, I contend that that`s a dumb idea. And if we would have done that, the movie would have failed.
ANDERSON: You say he wanted it to be redemptive. But...
ESZTERHAS: He wanted it to be redemptive, but it`s a dark movie about evil. It`s very tough to make that redemptive. To make "Basic Instinct" redemptive is a dumb idea. Screenwriters do dumb things all the time. Actors...
ANDERSON: But it worked out the way you did it. And it wasn`t just about Michael Douglas.
Also, you say some interesting things concerning Sharon Stone. Let me read this.
You say that on the set of one of her earlier movies, Sharon Stone`s prima donna act annoyed the crew so badly that they relieved themselves into a bathtub before Sharon got into it for her scene.
Now, in a lot of other passages, you seem to really have great respect for Sharon. So, why go here?
ESZTERHAS: It is -- it is an anecdote. And, of course, a 400-page book, it happened. It`s true. And it talks about star behavior and prima donna behavior.
ANDERSON: Did she find out about it? Maybe now.
ESZTERHAS: Well, maybe she knew about it before, I think. You know, before now.
ANDERSON: And what about calling Val Kilmer an imbecile? Those are strong words.
ESZTERHAS: The man`s favorite three movies are Val Kilmer movies. That`s either gigantic ego or imbecilic behavior. I`m not sure.
ANDERSON: Including "Batman Forever," right?
ESZTERHAS: That`s right.
ANDERSON: That`s one of the best movies of all time?
Now, Hollywood power player -- one of the most powerful men in Hollywood, but you don`t live in Hollywood anymore.
ESZTERHAS: Yes.
ANDERSON: You took your family; you moved to Ohio.
ESZTERHAS: Yes.
ANDERSON: Is there anything you miss about being here? Or are you glad you just got the heck out of Dodge?
ESZTERHAS: I`m sure I miss -- no, no, there are a lot of people here that I really love, and we come back four to six times a year. You know, I`m working on another script.
So, I come back, but I don`t live here. For many, many years I lived in San Francisco and commuted and still kept working.
I lived here and I felt that in terms of writing, it`s better for writers not to live here because they get pulled into all the glitz and the glamour. And what writers should do is to sit on their butts and write. And that`s what I`m doing that.
ANDERSON: And you can do that from anywhere.
ESZTERHAS: Thank you.
ANDERSON: Well, Joe Eszterhas, a pleasure to see you. Thanks for sharing your book.
ESZTERHAS: It`s a pleasure. Thank you, Brooke.
ANDERSON: And that book, "The Devil`s Guide to Hollywood," is in stores now.
ESZTERHAS: "The Screenwriter is God."
ANDERSON: That`s right, "The Screenwriter is God."
OK. Madonna stands her ground and sets the record straight about her crucifixion controversy. Coming up, she tells us the real meaning behind her hotly-debated performance.
HAMMER: Also tonight, a SHOWBIZ TONIGHT special report, "Obsessed with Plastic Surgery." Hollywood`s biggest stars keep going in for nips and tucks, but have some taken it too far?
ANDERSON: And the shocking story of a woman so addicted to plastic surgery, she`s gone under the knife more than 30 times. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT examines the ugly side of the hunt for beauty.
Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANDERSON: Madonna sets the record straight about her hotly-debated crucifixion performance. Religious leaders have criticized her, some even pushing to have her concert canceled.
All this over a mock crucifixion scene during her show. Now Madonna has released a statement saying, in part, "My performance is neither anti- Christian, sacrilegious or blasphemous. Rather, it is my plea to the audience to encourage mankind to help one another and to see the world as a unified whole. I believe in my heart that if Jesus were alive today, he would be doing the same thing."
HAMMER: Megan Mullally speaks out about Hollywood pressure. Coming up, what the Emmy award-winning actress says about fame and the obsession with ageless beauty.
ANDERSON: Also tonight, a SHOWBIZ TONIGHT special report, "Obsessed with Plastic Surgery." Hollywood`s biggest stars keep going in for nips and tucks, but have some taken it too far?
HAMMER: And a life-threatening addiction to plastic surgery. The shocking story of a woman who`s gone under the knife more than 30 times. It`s the ugly side of the hunt for beauty.
SHOWBIZ TONIGHT for Friday night is coming straight back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HAMMER: Welcome back to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT for Friday night. It is 30 minutes past the hour. I am A.J. Hammer in New York.
ANDERSON: And I am Brooke Anderson in Hollywood. This is TV`s most provocative entertainment news show.
HAMMER: Brooke, time to get underway with our SHOWBIZ TONIGHT special report: "Obsession With Plastic Surgery." Believe it or not, there are individuals, common people, who will go into plastic surgeon`s office with a picture of their favorite star and say, "Make me look like that."
ANDERSON: Ah!
HAMMER: Hard to believe. We`ll speak with a surgeon who has performed such surgeries to figure out what the heck this is all about.
ANDERSON: It`s so disheartening they want to look like other people because their self confidence is so low. We`ll get to that.
Also, A.J., a woman who is so addicted to plastic surgery she`s gone under the knife more than 30 times. She`s ruined her nose. It`s unbelievable. We`re going to have her story coming up in just a minute.
But first, plastic surgery gone wild. In Hollywood, stars are getting makeovers by going under the knife. And in some cases, they are extreme makeovers. But how much is too much?
SHOWBIZ TONIGHT is talking to the biggest stars to get their take. I was on the set of Megan Mullally`s new talk show, and we got into a very candid conversation about plastic surgery and body image. Mullally told me that she doesn`t judge anyone for getting surgery, but she feels that the pressure, especially in Hollywood, is to simply not age. Which, of course, is unrealistic and very dangerous.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MEGAN MULLALLY, ACTRESS: The culture makes us feel that we`re supposed to look like we`re 10 when we`re 75, and that`s just not possible. And so if -- if you`ve been seduced by the culture, which is very easy to do, and you go that route, to me when I see people that have had plastic surgery -- this is men, women -- not just actresses, people all over -- it communicates fear, you know? Because you`re just afraid .
ANDERSON: Yes.
MULLALLY.of, you know -- of not fitting into this thing that you can`t ever possibly fit into.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: So why are we so obsessed with finding the Fountain of Youth and getting that perfect look? SHOWBIZ TONIGHT decided to investigate.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Would you like a that more?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Are you able to take it in just a little bit?
ANDERSON (voice-over): TV shows like ABC`s "Extreme Makeover" are all the rage, and these days is Hollywood`s big mantra: beauty can be bought.
(SINGING)
ANDERSON: Talk about extreme makeover: get a load of Michael Jackson. He`s changed so much over the years he`s like a museum exhibit for plastic surgery.
Then there`s Melanie Griffith, who raised eyebrows when her lips became noticeably overplumped.
Even country music icon Kenny Rogers admitted to "People" magazine that his eye job was "over the top."
DR. RICHARD FLEMING, BOARD-CERTIFIED PLASTIC SURGEON: Anybody can take it too far when it comes to plastic surgery.
ANDERSON: Hollywood is obsessed, and it seems, so are we. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT went right to Beverly Hills plastic surgeon Dr. Richard Fleming, who says celebrities aren`t the only ones pushing the limits.
But why do they do it?
FLEMING: Appearance counts. We have to acknowledge that, whether it`s in everyday business or celebrities, entertainers.
ANDERSON: SHOWBIZ TONIGHT has also noticed that stars are more likely than ever to talk about their cosmetic surgery. Comedian Kathy Griffin will give you an earful, as she did on CNN`s Larry King Live.
KATHY GRIFFIN, COMEDIAN: I had a brow lift, which is where they take your eyebrows and put them on a completely different part of your head.
(LAUGHTER)
GRIFFIN: And you look months younger. And I had -- what have I had? I had a -- oh, I had, like, a lower facelift, where they only do it to here. I don`t know why; I just said, Stop at the ears.
LARRY KING, CNN HOST: Have you had Botox, collagen, all that?
GRIFFIN: Yes, all of that.
ANDERSON: Between the stars and TV shows glamorizing a little nip and tuck, we probably shouldn`t be surprised that a lot of people want to look like a star, and may come into Dr. Fleming asking for just that.
FLEMING: Certainly, we don`t live in a closet, and everybody sees the entertainers. In fact, we`ve done a survey over the last nine years, people coming into our office asking for the nose of a Jessica Alba, or the eyes of a Nicole Kidman, that type of thing, as a way of describing what they think is a good look.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: The American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery says cosmetic procedures have jumped -- listen to this -- more than 400 percent in the last 10 years.
HAMMER: And would you believe that a lot of those surgeries are being done on people who are going under the knife to try to look like their favorite stars? A bit of what we were just hearing.
It is a frightening trend. Patients are actually taking photos of celebrities into the doctor`s office.
Dr. Anthony Griffin is the director of the Beverly Hills Cosmetic Surgery Institute. You`ve seen his work on ABC`s "Extreme Makeover." Dr. Griffin joining us tonight from Hollywood.
Thanks for being with us.
DR. ANTHONY GRIFFIN, CELEBRITY PLASTIC SURGEON: Thank you.
HAMMER: So this just blows me away, Doctor: the fact that people are walking into an office with, say, a picture of Angelina Jolie and saying, I actually want to look like Angelina Jolie.
This is going on, huh?
GRIFFIN: Well, it`s all the rage now. And I think, you know, we`re living in a crazy time, especially here in Hollywood. And I think unfortunately, people are behaving in a very bizarre manner. I -- I have patients who come in who bring photographs of various celebrities and, you know, somebody`s who`s 250 pounds want to look like Halle Berry. And that`s crazy.
HAMMER: Well, looking like Halle Berry is even almost understandable, or at least the desire to have some of her finer traits. But you had twins who actually walked into your office saying they wanted to look like Michael Jackson?
GRIFFIN: They actually wanted to look like Michael Jackson. And I was looking for the hidden camera.
HAMMER: Which Michael Jackson?
GRIFFIN: Yes, exactly. Which version? And I was looking for the hidden cameras, because I thought it was some kind of spoof.
But, you know, that`s the example of the bizarreness that we`ve gotten to.
HAMMER: So I`m just -- I`m sorry; I`m just kind of floored by the whole thing.
All right. You mentioned Halle Berry. We heard Michael Jackson, which just -- I`m having a hard time understanding it at any level.
Who are the most requested people? OK, I accept the fact that it`s happening. Who are the women that people are coming in, asking to look like, other than obviously Angelina Jolie.
GRIFFIN: Well, right now, one of the most popular procedures that I do is the Brazilian butt lift. So I get a lot of pictures of J. Lo and Beyonce. And those are probably the two most common celebrities. But I also see people -- again, they brought me -- I had a Korean patient that wanted to look like Angelina Jolie with her lips. And so -- and you also see chins like -- they want -- with Ashton Kutcher.
(CROSSTALK)
HAMMER: It`s the men as well.
GRIFFIN: It`s the men as well. You know, I mean -- you know, I`d like the six pack like, you know, LL Cool J. But I just got to do some sit-ups.
HAMMER: But I want to do it through surgery. OK.
And I`ve learned something new tonight, Doctor: the Brazilian butt lift is currently number one.
GRIFFIN: It`s number one.
HAMMER: I know, obviously, this stuff can cost a lot of money. And obviously, depending on the scope of the job, it`s going to determine how much it costs.
But what`s the most you`ve ever heard of somebody spending to transform themselves to look like their favorite celeb?
GRIFFIN: Oh, jeez. I`ve seen personally hundreds of thousands of dollars.
HAMMER: Really?
GRIFFIN: Hundreds of thousands. And probably, right now -- you know, the price thing -- you know, it used to be it was so expensive it was out of most people`s reach. But unfortunately, it`s become so cheap now. You can look in the newspaper and say, You know what, honey? I`m going to go get a set of breast implants. They`re on sale this week.
It`s almost like the price has gotten too affordable.
HAMMER: Or the old Brazilian butt lift, I suppose, too.
Well, Dr. Anthony Griffin, I really appreciate you joining us tonight.
GRIFFIN: You`re welcome.
HAMMER: It was shocking to hear, but I appreciate you filling us in on what exactly goes on.
ANDERSON: Coming up, as our special on plastic surgery continues, meet a woman who got so addicted to plastic surgery, she ruined her nose.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JENNY LEE, HAS UNDERGONE 30 PLASTIC SURGERIES: Well, I can`t blow my nose like a normal person. I can`t breathe very well out of it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: And that`s not all. She had 30 cosmetic procedures before she even turned 30 years old. Her shocking story coming up next, on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. Keep it here.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And Master, stand by to your break. Roll your break, and effect black.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Fade up music, under. Stand by, Brooke. Pre-set seven. Dissolve Los Angeles. Go.
ANDERSON: Thank you, Charlie.
Welcome back to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, TV`s most provocative entertainment news show.
Time now for another story that made us say, "That`s Ridiculous!"
An elementary school in Upstate New York is apologizing for -- listen to this -- using pornographic print in a handout at parents` night. Let`s take a look at it here. It was a handout about curriculum, and the font consisted of male and female stick figures in pornographic positions. Parents weren`t (ph) sure that the students didn`t see the handout, and letters were sent out explaining the teacher who used the font didn`t realize what was going on.
And most parents didn`t notice it until they got the letter. A.J., whatever happened to the Times New Roman? I mean, keep it simple.
(CROSSTALK)
HAMMER: A little Tahoma, a little Geneva. You got to check your fonts, Brooke.
(LAUGHTER)
ANDERSON: That`s right.
HAMMER: Using a pornographic font? That is certainly ridiculous.
Moving on now, a SHOWBIZ special report; we`ve been talking about plastic surgery in Hollywood -- how some stars just can`t seem to get enough. But the problem exists, of course, beyond the world of celebrity. Tonight, meet a woman who got so addicted she had 30 cosmetic procedures before her 30th birthday.
Here`s CNN`s Paula Zahn for SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
LEE: I wanted to look in the mirror and say, "Today, you look OK." Not great, not fantastic, not beautiful, not gorgeous, nothing like that. I just wanted to be OK. That`s all I wanted.
PAULA ZAHN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It`s hard to believe that this beautiful young woman ever could have felt that way. Jenny was so striking as a teenager that her family and friends told her she looked like Julia Roberts.
This is Jenny Lee today. She bears little resemblance to the girl in the picture. At 29, Jenny has had 30 cosmetic procedures.
(on camera): So, Jenny, I have seen pictures of you before you ever had your first surgical procedure and you were stunning.
LEE: Thanks.
ZAHN: What do you think you looked like back then?
LEE: I thought I was a really pretty girl. I had more boys chasing at me than I could shake a stick at.
ZAHN (voice-over): Jenny began a relationship with a young man who she eventually married. She says he picked apart her physical features and caused her to question her self-worth. As the relationship progressed, Jenny lost more and more confidence in her appearance.
At the age of 19, instead of changing the relationship, Jenny decided to change herself. She went to a plastic surgeon.
ZAHN (on camera): What was the first thing you had done?
LEE: The first thing that I did was my breasts. I went in and had a breast augmentation because I felt like, of all of the things that I had been criticized, that was the thing that I felt I could benefit the most from.
ZAHN: And then did you like what you saw in the mirror?
LEE: I liked my breasts. I did my nose at the same time. I did full body liposuction at the same time. I was fairly happy there for a little while.
ZAHN (voice-over): But after that first experience with the magic of plastic surgery, Jenny Lee felt she could look even better. She took her daughter and left her husband behind -- but not the plastic surgeon.
There were cheek implants, two different kinds of lip implants, new teeth, Botox injections, and two more nose jobs to narrow and straighten her nose.
(on camera): But in having these three nose jobs, you really did destroy your nose.
LEE: Mm-hmm. Well, I can`t blow my nose like a normal person. I can`t breathe very well out of it.
ZAHN (voice-over): Trying to make ends meet as a single mom and to support her growing dependence on surgery, Jenny took weekend jobs as a waitress. She lived on peanut butter sandwiches. Ironically, she met and married another man who felt she was perfect just the way she was. But that unconditional love wasn`t enough.
Jenny decided on her most serious procedure yet: a brow lift -- an invasive surgery in which she would be cut literally from ear to ear. The muscles that cause furrows and lines in the brow are removed or altered to raise the eyebrows, erasing any lines.
(on camera): But that`s a procedure that a lot of women put off until they`re in their 50s and 60s. You did that when you were 25 years old.
LEE: I call that preventive maintenance.
ZAHN: Very early preventive maintenance.
LEE: Yes.
ZAHN: And you`ve never had any sense of self consciousness about, What the heck am I doing, I`m in my 20s? I haven`t even aged yet, and I`m doing this.
LEE: You know, I did after I came out of surgery and I realized that I had just been sliced from ear to ear, because I was real casual about it. I said, "Well, it sounds great. Go ahead with it." I didn`t ask exactly what this entailed.
And when I woke up, my husband just went -- and it looked like I had been in a massive car wreck, because I had black eyes, and I had this splint on my nose, and my lips were like, you know, huge because, you know, they were swollen. My whole face was swollen. But, you know, I looked back at it now and think it was one of the greatest things that I did. And I`m glad I did it at 25 years old.
ZAHN (voice-over): Whatever pushed a beautiful young girl to such extremes, Jenny is certainly not alone. Our obsession with beauty and quick fixes has been steadily growing.
In 2004, Americans spent more than $12 billion on cosmetic procedures. And in the past nine years, there`s been a 465 percent increase in the number of cosmetic procedures.
But Jenny finally discovered that her burning need to change her appearance was far more than just a preoccupation. She says she was diagnosed with body dysmorphic disorder, or BDD, a form of obsessive- compulsive disorder. Patients like Jenny literally become obsessed with minor physical flaws.
(on camera): I think, as people listen to you tonight, they`re going to be surprised by what they see as a disconnect. They see this very attractive woman, who`s thoughtful, who`s intelligent, and -- and then the flip side of this is, how can she be so self-indulgent and why doesn`t she see what we see?
LEE: There`s a disconnect in your brain that prevents you from seeing what everybody else sees. And, you know, trying to fix that is the mystery.
I can tell you that, when I look at pictures, it`s like I`m looking at someone else. Because I`ll go, "Wow, that`s a really pretty girl." You know, I find all of the positive things about it. The problem that I have is when I`m looking in the mirror and it`s just me in the mirror, and I -- and I don`t see the same things that the camera gives back to me.
ZAHN (voice-over): Jenny says that she`s learned some techniques from her psychiatrist to help change her thinking about her appearance. But performing plastic surgery on patients like Jenny is causing some doctors to be very concerned.
DR. ALAN GOLD, PLASTIC SURGEON: So for a 29-year-old who`s had so many of those procedures, unfortunately who may be looking over-operated- upon, I think it`s irresponsible on the part of the surgeon or surgeons not to have stopped her at some point and have looked to what the deeper problem might be in all of this.
ZAHN: Dr. Alan Gold is a plastic surgeon and associate professor of surgery at the Weill Medical College of Cornell University.
GOLD: If we would decide that a patient was a suspect for having something like a body dysmorphic disorder, it would be absolutely unconscionable to operate on that patient. And that`s a patient that should be turned down.
ZAHN: The retail price of Jenny`s new face and body comes with a staggering price tag: so far about $100,000. And it`s no wonder; over the last 10 years, she`s had 30 procedures. Here`s the complete list.
She`s had cheek implants, two kinds of lip implants, veneers, Botox, three nose jobs, a brow lift, steroid injections, lip enhancements, two breast augmentations, three breast lifts, full body liposuction, including arms, stomach, abs, legs, and knees. And even though her husband insists that she stop, as incredible as it seems, Jenny still wants more.
(on camera): Do you think there will ever be a time when you`re actually going to accept the way you look and like how you look?
LEE: There may be a time like that. But I don`t think it will be anytime in the next 20, 30 years.
ZAHN: Where does this need to continually change yourself come from?
LEE: It`s a battle with me and my reflection. I`m very secure in who I am. I know who I am as a person, what kind of person I am. But this battle with my reflection and my appearance is steady, and it -- and it won`t go away.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HAMMER: Truly unbelievable. That was CNN`s Paula Zahn for SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
ANDERSON: A friendly reminder now: Don`t forget SHOWBIZ TONIGHT is on seven nights a week. We`re 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, 11 p.m. Eastern, 8 Pacific.
HAMMER: So last night we asked you to vote on our SHOWBIZ TONIGHT "Question of the Day." The question was: "Body Image: Is Hollywood to blame for eating disorders?" Look at this -- most of you think so: 71 percent of you say "yes"; 29 percent of you say "no."
A lot of e-mail came in, too. Among those we got, one from Alicia in Texas. Alicia writes, "Hollywood does set a certain ideal of what we should like, but the problem of bulimia and anorexia (go) deeper."
And Louise from Canada writes, "Yes, but they are even more responsible for the ridiculous world of haute couture."
ANDERSON: It`s time now for the "Entertainment Weekly `Must` List." Here are five things "E.W." says you just have to check out this week.
First, make sure you watch the NBC series "The Office" to find out the fate of Jim and Pam`s romance. If you missed the season premiere, it is available online.
Next, check out the last four movies of Chucky in his killer DVD collection.
Then, pick up a copy of "Toilets of the World." The book is full of what "E.W." calls "lovely pictures of other people`s plumbing." And why do we need to see that? Oh well.
"E.W." also says to listen to Joseph Arthur`s new romantic album, "Nuclear Daydream."
And finally, tune in to "Dance With the Stars." If you thought Jerry Rice was good last season, wait till you see the smooth moves on the NFL`s Emmitt Smith. He is indeed entertaining.
For more on the "Must" list, pick up your copy of "Entertainment Weekly." It is on newsstands now.
SHOWBIZ TONIGHT is coming right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Fade up, music under. Stand by, Brooke. Pre-set 7. Open her mike, dissolve L.A., go.
ANDERSON: Thank you, Charlie.
We`ve been asking you to vote on tonight`s SHOWBIZ TONIGHT "Question of the Day.": "Clay Aiken: Is it wrong to ask him questions about his sexuality?" Keep voting, CNN.com/ShowbizTonight. Write to us: ShowbizTonight@CNN.com. We appreciate your e-mails, and we`re going to read some of them on Monday.
HAMMER: Welcome back to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, TV`s most provocative entertainment news show.
Let`s find out what`s coming up on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. Gnarls Wegman (ph), would you roll out that "SHOWBIZ Marquee" please?
Sot he question is, Why is this guy smiling? We`re going to be taking a look at some of the weirdest celebrity mugshots that really look more like headshots. That`s coming up on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT this weekend: tomorrow, and on Sunday.
And coming up on Monday: remember this guy? We`re going to find out what he`s up to. We`re going to catch up with Justin Guarini. What has the first season "American Idol" runner up been up to? The entire SHOWBIZ TONIGHT crew in love with the movie "From Justin to Kelly."
(CHEERING)
HAMMER: A real (ph) favorite. Justin`s going to join us Monday. That`s in the interview you`ll see only on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
ANDERSON: And before we say goodbye, a programming note for this weekend: a 7:00 p.m., a CNN special "In God`s Name." Chief international correspondent Christiane Amanpour hopes a live discussion with former President Clinton looking at religious conflicts around the world.
Then at 8, Christiane looks into the lives of those struggling with the AIDS crisis in Kenya, where more than a million children have been orphaned. The documentary is, "Where Have All the Parents Gone?" That`s this Saturday, 8:00 -- Sunday beginning at 7::00 "In God`s Name," followed by "Where Have All the Parents Gone" at 8:00, only on CNN.
HAMMER: Well, that is it for SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. Thank you so much for watching. Have an excellent weekend. I`m A.J. Hammer in New York.
ANDERSON: And I`m Brooke Anderson in Hollywood. Glenn Beck is coming up next, right after the latest headlines from CNN Headline News.
END
