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Showbiz Tonight
Fox Canceling Controversial O.J. Simpson TV Interview; A `Seinfeld` Star`s Racist Outburst
Aired November 20, 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 ANCHOR: Two very controversial stories that SHOWBIZ TONIGHT is all over tonight. First, late-breaking news, Fox is canceling its controversial O.J. Simpson TV interview, where he talks about how he would have killed his wife, if he had done it. I`m A.J. Hammer in New York.
BROOKE ANDERSON, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT ANCHOR: And a Seinfeld star`s horrific racist outburst. I`m Brooke Anderson in Hollywood. TV`s most provocative entertainment news show starts right now.
HAMMER: On SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, Kramer goes crazy. Tonight outrage over a Seinfeld`s star`s racist rant all caught on tape.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: On a dime Michael Richards just turned ugly and got incredibly racist.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: What set Michael Richards off to say such horrible things? Could this destroy his career? Tonight SHOWBIZ TONIGHT with the night that Kramer went wild.
Keeping Tomkat together. Hey Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes, congratulations, you`re married. So what are you going to do next? No, not Disney World. Watch SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, because tonight we`re sending you into marriage counseling, to teach you the secrets to a long, happy marriage. Cruise couple advice, free of charge, on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
Hello, I`m A.J. Hammer in New York.
ANDERSON: Hi there, everyone. I`m Brooke Anderson in Hollywood. We have two big outrageous and controversial stories tonight that we are all over.
HAMMER: Well finally, Brooke, late today, Fox conceded what just about everyone else had already been saying. It`s TV show -- it was going to show O.J. Simpson talking about how he might have killed his ex-wife Nicole and her friend, if he did it, was a bad idea, in bad taste, and, guess what, it`s been canceled. We`re going to have complete coverage coming up in just a few minutes.
ANDERSON: But first tonight what you`re about to see and hear is offensive and, frankly, hard to believe. Seinfeld star Michael Richards, the guy who played Kramer on the TV show, on an unbelievable and disgusting racial tirade. It happened at a comedy club, the Laugh Factory, but I can tell you this, tonight no one is laughing.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MICHAEL RICHARDS, ACTOR: Throw this man out, he`s a (EXPLETIVE DELETED). He`s a (EXPLETIVE DELETED). He`s a (EXPLETIVE DELETED). He`s a (EXPLETIVE DELETED).
ANDERSON: Yes, that really is Michael Richards delivering an anger- filled and completely offensive racial tirade at black audience members while performing a stand-up routine in west Hollywood.
And that is certainly not the Michael Richards we all know as Cosmo Kramer on Seinfeld. The entertainment website TMZ.com obtained the shocking camera phone footage. Managing editor Harvey Levin tells SHOWBIZ TONIGHT Richards started losing it when someone told him he wasn`t funny.
HARVEY LEVIN, TMZ.COM: On a dime, Michael Richards just turned ugly, and got incredibly racist, was vicious, was hurling the N word.
ANDERSON: Darryl Pitts was in the audience at the Laugh Factory and he told me what happened next was nothing to laugh at.
DARRYL PITTS, IN AUDIENCE DURING RACIAL RANT: He goes on a whole diatribe and just goes on and on and on about, you know, using the N word and basically, I`m rich, I don`t care what you think.
ANDERSON: Pitts says it got even worse when some of the black audience members told Richards he was out of line.
PITTS: He said 50 years ago you would be hanging upside down from a tree.
LEVIN: In front of an audience. I mean, that`s what`s so stunning about this. This was for all to hear, and it went on and on and on.
RICHARDS: All right. You see? it stops you. It shocks you. You see you all stupid mother (EXPLETIVE DELETED)?
REV. AL SHARPTON, ACTIVIST: This was not a slip of the lip, this was an aggressive, prolonged racist tirade.
PITTS: He offended every African American in this country with what he did.
ANDERSON: He also offended a big chunk of the audience who walked out on Richards` tirade.
PITTS: It just got totally silent. It just took all of the air out of the room. He dropped the mike and just walked off. There was never any, I`m sorry for what you just saw.
ANDERSON: Twenty four hours later Richards performed again at the Laugh Factory, which is where CNN caught up with him. He declined to speak with on camera, but told us he was sorry and had made amends. He refused to elaborate.
PITTS: He offended everyone in that club that night. So, he didn`t make amends to me, and that`s not something that I can forget or forgive.
LEVIN: It`s one thing for people to start talking about this. It`s another thing when a video surfaces, when you really see and feel and smell what happened here that night, on Friday night. And that`s why, I think, this video is so significant, because, you know, it`s not something you can spin. It`s real.
ANDERSON: Comedian Paul Rodriguez was on the bill at the Laugh Factory when this all went down. He agrees, this one is going to be tough to spin.
PAUL RODRIGUEZ, LAUGH FACTORY COMEDIAN: Once the word (EXPLETIVE DELETED) comes out of your mouth and you don`t happen to be African American, then you have a whole lot of explaining.
ANDERSON: Jerry Seinfeld, who starred opposite Michael Richards on Seinfeld, tells SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, "I am sick over this. I`m sure Michael is also sick over this horrible, horrible mistake. It is so extremely offensive. I feel terrible for all the people who have been hurt." Jerry probably knows, as much as anyone else, that comedians can sometimes cross the lines of good taste in their act. But it`s obvious here that Richards far exceed the boundaries of what`s acceptable.
RODRIGUEZ: Freedom of speech has its limitations, and I think Michael Richards found those limitations.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: And Michael Richards shouldn`t be expecting to hit the stage at the Laugh Factory any time soon. Late today the Laugh Factory said it is banning him from performing there until they get a proper apology. Just tonight comedian Paul Rodriguez held a news conference.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RODRIGUEZ: We have a situation where we want to apologize to the African American community. It was unfortunate. It was sad, but our credentials are clean. Mr. Richards is banned.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: By the way, you should know that SHOWBIZ TONIGHT asked Michael Richards again to appear on camera and explain his actions. We haven`t gotten a response yet to our request.
HAMMER: Well, tonight we have three comedians who know all too well what it`s like to deal with hecklers while on stage at a comedy club, and they are just as shocked by what Michael Richards said. With us tonight from Los Angeles Francis Callier and Angela V. Shelton, who make up our favorite comedy duo, Frangela. Here in New York humorist and radio personality Donnell Rawlings. I appreciate you all being with us tonight.
Fran, let me start with you, because he certainly said a lot of really terrible things on that stage that we saw on video. But was there one thing in particular that came out of Michael Richards` mouth that you were just shocked by?
ANGELA V. SHELTON, COMEDY TEAM "FRANGELA": The lynching.
FRANCES CALLIER, COMEDY TEAM "FRANGELA": Yes, the making light of lynching and suggesting that, if this were a better, happier time in this country`s history, that man would be lynched for interrupting a white man. I thought that was beyond offensive.
HAMMER: You know, when this first broke, the story of this broke over the weekend, and I had heard about it, until I actually saw it, I could not have possibly imagined, Donnell, that it was as terrible as it was. But it was so horrific to actually view and see this coming out of a guy that was so beloved. What was your reaction?
DONNELL RAWLINGS, HUMORIST AND RADIO PERSONALITY: I`ve been in a situation like that, where we -- in comedy land we call it like -- where you blackout. It is almost a state of unconsciousness or whatever. And you say things that you may regret later. But all those thoughts come from an inner place. For him to be that upset, where he would use that word over and over again in a moment of anger -- you know, because the hip-hop community, black people, you know, I`m not going to be a hypocrite, we use the word in rap, we use it to great each others sometimes.
I`m not saying that you can justify it, but when it comes out the way it came out, where it`s a one on one, it was a personal attack, he wasn`t conscious of anything around him and it felt like that was his true sentiment. It`s kind of sad, but I think with anything it takes situations like this for people to react to it and be able to create some type of dialogue.
HAMMER: Sure, sure, but --
RAWLINGS: I also think that, you know, it is a major issue. I`m not going to riot. I`m not going to march, or anything like that, but the words he used in the hands of other people, like politicians and people that control legislation, it would have been a lot more cutting than coming from a stand up comic.
HAMMER: Certainly, but even in this context, I don`t think there is any time where it`s appropriate, the way he was lashing out. Angela, this is much more than just about race, isn`t it.
SHELTON: Yes, he also suggested that because he was rich, he had the right to say and do whatever he wanted. And that, in fact, he could have that man arrested for not liking his comedy.
CALLIER: Absolutely. It`s not just that African Americans should be outraged, we as Americans should be outraged. I mean we were outraged when Mel Gibson said what he said and we should be outraged if he said what Michael Richards said.
SHELTON: And at least, I mean in Mel Gibson, although it no way an excuse, was intoxicated. You know, this man was in full command of his capacities in front of an audience with a microphone. He had all the power and with really no provocation at all. If somebody is saying -- when you`re a professional comedian, if somebody is saying you`re not funny, can set that off -- that man has been doing stand up comedy for, I think, as long as we`ve been alive.
HAMMER: Yes, I mean heckling comes with the territory. Donnell, you suggested that he must have just blacked out --
(CROSS TALK)
HAMMER: But, even so, there is no time when any amount of heckling is worthy of these kind of remarks or this kind of attack.
RAWLINGS: No, I agree. You know, I`m not making excuses for him or anything. But you have to understand his situation. He is dealing with post Seinfeld-syndrome. You know, like every place you go into and you`re like, you`re no Seinfeld, We want the show back and everything like that.
HAMMER: Which were among the comments that were made to him.
RAWLING: And another thing that -- and I`m making no excuses for him or anything, but something that wasn`t considered is like what led up to the attack. It may have been a situation where he was going tit for tat, it was like verbal assault on both ends. We only see him at the tail end of it. Again, making no excuses for it. There was no reason for him to make those comments, no place, or whatever, but, I mean, some places have bad days at work, and that was a bad day at work.
HAMMER: man, that was as bad as they come. Go ahead, ladies.
CALLIER: I`m sorry. I`m supposed to feel bad because it is the end of his million dollar show? It`s supposed to be OK for him to threaten lynching people because the millions of dollars that he made because we watched him perform?
SHELTON: I want my money back for those tapes. We should be able to take our Seinfeld tapes over to Jerry Seinfeld`s house and get our money back.
HAMMER: Is there anything he could possibly do, ladies, to make amends here? Because he has said I made amends, but really, what would it possibly take?
SHELTON: Well, you know, I better see him, you know, sending some black kids through college, apologizing on television. First he needs to come out and say he was sorry.
CALLIER: Because he hasn`t. He needs to apologize, and I mean tearfully.
(CROSS TALK)
CALLIER: I better believe it. I need to see him kiss about 50 black babies and then I need to see him put about 30 black kids through college.
HAMMER: Well, I`m certain this isn`t the end of this story. Comedy duo Frangela in Los Angeles, Donnell Rawlings here in New York, I appreciate you all joining us tonight. And we have just now gotten word that Michael Richards has issued an apology.
ANDERSON: A stunning late-breaking decision, Fox canceled those controversial O.J. Simpson TV interview and tell-all book, where O.J. talks about how he would have killed his ex-wife, if he had done it. We`ve got all the details.
HAMMER: And more O.J. Simpson outrage. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT has the shocking new tapes where he admits he would do anything for money. That is still to come.
ANDERSON: Congratulations on your wedding Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes, but we`re sending you into marriage counseling to teach you the secrets to a long and happy marriage. It`s free of charge. That`s coming up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HAMMER: Welcome back to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, TV`s most provocative entertainment news show. I`m A.J. Hammer in New York. And what can we say, what in the world took Fox so darned long? Fox finally gave in to the pressure today and, at long last, canceled its ridiculous and outrageous show and book, in which O.J. Simpson tells how he might have killed his ex- wife, Nicole, if he, he says, did it, which, of course, many people think he did any way. Fox`s caving in comes now a week after non-stop outrage over the interview, which was supposed to be airing next week. Well SHOWBIZ TONIGHT has been covering this like no other entertainment news show. Tonight, the end of a big debacle.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
HAMMER: From big-time media critics --
HOWARD KURTZ, HOST, CNN`S "RELIABLE SOURCES": This is the most appalling, shameless, exploitative thing I have heard of in the history of television.
HAMMER: -- to people SHOWBIZ TONIGHT talked with on the street.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It is just kind of like laughing at our judicial system.
HAMMER: SHOWBIZ TONIGHT has been showing you how the country was boiling over in outrage at O.J.`s planned upcoming book, If I Did It, and the Fox TV interview, where he would planned to discuss how he would have killed his ex-wife Nicole Simpson and Ron Goldman.
O.J. SIMPSON, FORMER PROFESSIONAL FOOTBALL STAR: I don`t think any two people could be murdered without everybody being covered in blood.
HAMMER: The cancellation of the O.J. book and interview is a major about face from a major corporation. News Corporation owns both the Fox Network and the publishing company run by Judith Regan, which was going to public the book. In a statement, News Corporation chairman Rupert Murdoch says, "I and senior management agree with the American public that this was an ill-considered project. We`re sorry for any pain that this has caused the families of Ron Goldman and Nicole Brown Simpson.
And now SHOWBIZ TONIGHT shows you what may have caused the Fox network to throw out the juice. The O.J. book and interview opened up O.J. and everybody associated with his project to harsh criticism. Fred Goldman, father of Ron Goldman, led the pressure against Fox when, on CNN`s Larry King Live, he called on the public not to buy O.J.`s book or watch the special.
FRED GOLDMAN, FATHER OF RON GOLDMAN: I would hope that the message from people in this country is sent to his publisher, is sent to Fox, that this is disgusting, despicable, and that we, as a nation, won`t put up with it.
HAMMER: Soon, there was a national outcry, especially after the National Enquirer reported that O.J. was being paid 3.5 million dollars for the project.
Media critic and CNN host Howard Kurtz told SHOWBIZ TONIGHT how Fox had crossed the line in planning to air the special.
KURTZ: It really just is, even by television standards, absolutely awful.
HAMMER: Eventually, the ban O.J. chorus was so loud Fox couldn`t help but hear it. Nine Fox affiliates, representing stations from Providence, Rhode Island to Fresno, California, refused to air the O.J. special, and one can imagine that advertisers would follow suit.
Advertising agent Scott Donaton tells SHOWBIZ TONIGHT there is no way a company would want to associate its name with O.J.`s.
SCOTT DONATON, ADVERTISING AGENT: And there`s just no reason for advertisers to take a risk like that.
HAMMER: But even though the O.J. special is canceled, don`t think your completely free of him just yet.
SIMPSON: What do they say? No ink is bad ink. No such thing as bad ink.
HAMMER: The Today Show is airing candid tapes of Simpson in action, shot in 2001 and 2002, that show a publicity-seeking O.J. as he toured the country. This newly released footage shows him confirming what many already suspect, O.J. will do anything for a buck.
SIMPSON: If there is something for me to promote, I can (EXPLETIVE DELETED). I`ll go on the Geraldo Show. I don`t give a (EXPLETIVE DELETED). If it`s promoting, I can make some money from it. As long as you`re talking about, and making -- helping making me make some money.
HAMMER: Florida producer Norman Pardo went on the Today Show to hawk the O.J. tapes, which he shot, and is now selling on his website. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT showed you a portion of Pardo`s O.J. footage when he first released them. Pardo told SHOWBIZ TONIGHT why he thinks there is a market for O.J. unscripted.
NORMAN PARDO, SELLING TAPES OF O.J.: They don`t know if he did it or didn`t do it, but they really want to know. They really want to know O.J., his temperament, what he is like to be around, does he have anger issues. So maybe by doing this, maybe for once it will be a closed chapter.
HAMMER: But it looks like the chapter is finally closed on O.J.`s aborted book and TV deal, with the whole mess proving, once again, how each time O.J. surfaces, we`re reminded why so many people hated him in the first place.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HAMMER: So was the cancellation of the O.J. show and book just inevitable? You saw him in the piece. Joining us now is Howard Kurtz, "Washington Post" media critic and host of CNN`s Reliable Sources. Howard, from Washington tonight, thanks for being here.
KURTZ: Sure.
HAMMER: I got to say, I was hoping for this cancellation. Can`t say that I expected it, Howard. I want to take a look, once again, at what Rupert Murdoch had to say. He, of course, the head of the News Corporation. They own Fox. The statement he released late today said, "I and senior management agree with the American public that this was an ill- considered project. We`re sorry for any pain this has caused the families of Ron Goldman and Nicole Brown Simpson." Howard, isn`t it extraordinary that this statement actually came from the head of this massive corporation?
KURTZ: Well, the head of this massive corporation, Rupert Murdoch, was the one responsible for this debacle in the first place. Look, what you`re looking at here is the power of the backlash. The public`s revulsion at this appalling, sickening idea was so great that not only was Fox having trouble getting advertisers, it`s own affiliates were bailing out, as you mentioned, and Fox News commentators were denouncing the idea. Nobody was supporting this and I think Murdoch realized that, not only was he taking a public relations black eye, but perhaps a financial bath as well.
HAMMER: So you say he was responsible, really at the top, for the whole debacle. And if you kind of read between the lines of this statement, it kind of sounds to me like Rupert Murdoch is actually positioning this to appear that he is peeved at his own management for screwing this up. Do you agree with that or do you think he is just putting his tail between his legs here?
KURTZ: Look, it is just damage control. Murdoch understands now, belatedly, that he approved something that is absolutely awful, that has offended the sensibilities of the American public. You can put a lot of garbage on television during sweeps week. We`re all used to that. This went so far over the line, principally because Simpson was to get millions of dollars in this sleazy deal. And I think Murdoch now tries to position himself as oh, I have heard the call of the American public, like this wasn`t entirely predictable, but I at least give him credit for admitting his mistake.
HAMMER: A public out cry that was going on for a while now. Why do you think it take them so long?
KURTZ: I think that they still -- initially, I think, News Corporations and Rupert Murdoch hoped that the controversy would be good. People would be so curious, they would tune in. They would buy the book and all that. When it became clear that this thing was going to tank, that you couldn`t get advertisers, that is wasn`t even going to make any money on it, then why put yourself through the humiliation of being rejected by such a large segment of the public. I mean, I just don`t think in the end that he had any choice.
HAMMER: I`ve got to say, thank goodness. Howard Kurtz of the "Washington Post" and CNN`s Reliable Sources, I appreciate it.
KURTZ: Thank you.
ANDERSON: The new Harry Potter film is a long way away, but we`ve got your special first look in tonight`s SHOWBIZ Showcase, coming up. Plus, we`ve also got this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ALESSIO VINCI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: There are 15 people -- 15,000 people in Bracciano who no longer like Tom Cruise. I mean, you know, join the club. How many people around the world don`t like him?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: Congratulations on your wedding Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes, but we`re sending you into marriage counseling already, so we can teach you the secrets to a long, happy marriage, free of charge, by the way.
ANDERSON: Caught on tape, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT picks the most shocking, outrageous celebrity videos that left us shaking our heads in disgust and disbelief.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANDERSON: Time now for the SHOWBIZ Weight Watch. It`s SHOWBIZ TONIGHT`s on-going coverage of Hollywood and body image, the stuff we cover like no other entertainment news show out there.
Tonight Kate Winslet is absolutely outraged. I sat down with Kate, who is starring with Cameron Diaz in the new comedy, "The Holiday," and we got to talking about the obsession in Hollywood to being stick thin. She says unattainable images of women in magazines are creating a whole new breed of anorexics, that she has had it. Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KATE WINSLET, ACTRESS: I think it`s a lot to do with the way the media obsess over this and keep talking about it and keep putting it in magazines. You know, that`s the thing that young girls look at. I mean, we do not have magazines in our house because this is the stuff that children -- children are being exposed to. And, you know, kids should be just kids and allowed to be kids for as long as they have the right to be. And so it does frighten me.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: She is extremely articulate on the subject and seems to be a really good, devoted mother. Kate`s new movie "The Holiday" is in theaters December 8th.
HAMMER: So why in the world was Kelly Ripa so furious with American Idol`s Clay Aiken? SHOWBIZ TONIGHT has all the juicy details of their on- screen battle.
ANDERSON: The new Harry Potter film is a long way away, but we have got your special first look in tonight`s SHOWBIZ Showcase, coming up. Plus, we`ve also go this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
VINCI: There are 15 people -- 15,000 people in Bracciano, who no longer like Tom Cruise. I mean, you know, join the club. I mean, how many people around the world don`t like him?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: Tom Cruise, Katie Holmes, congrats on the wedding, but now you`re going into marriage counseling, so we can teach you the secrets to a long, happy marriage. That`s coming up.
(NEWS BREAK)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HAMMER: Welcome back to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. It is 30 minutes past the hour. I`m A.J. Hammer in New York.
ANDERSON: And I`m Brooke Anderson in Hollywood. You are watching TV`s most provocative entertainment news show.
A.J., Kelly Ripa is really mad at "American Idol" star Clay Aiken. Pretty surprising. And she did not hold back in expressing her anger on her show this morning. Coming up, we`re going to tell you and show you why Kelly is fuming.
HAMMER: The sparks were flying, and it wasn`t the good kind of sparks.
ANDERSON: No.
HAMMER: Also tonight, Brooke, if you ever needed proof that if you`re a celebrity and you`re caught in public doing something that`s going to make people angry, and it`s going to wind up on TV - perfect example took place over the weekend. Michael Richards, of course, Kramer of "Seinfeld," in a racially charged attack of patrons at a comedy club. And we`ve seen it already; we have the video - videophones, they`re everywhere now.
So that got us thinking, there`s a bunch of - of celebrity videos that have had us shaking our heads. We`re going to show you some of the best, including that Michel Richards tape, coming up in just a few minutes.
ANDERSON: Which was extremely shocking and disgusting.
But first, A.J, it was the wedding of the year, and maybe the biggest mistake. Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes made, if you ask the resident of Bracciano, Italy, the town in which the famous Hollywood couple finally said their "I do`s" over the weekend - made some of the townspeople really angry. Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes left Italy shortly after the wedding for their honeymoon.
But it`s what they didn`t do, that is. They didn`t make any public appearances. That - that left behind some angry Italians.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: Joining me now from Rome, Italy, is CNN`s Alessio Vinci.
Alessio, I know now you`re in Rome. But is the town of Bracciano, Italy, still recuperating from what was the wedding of the year?
ALESSIO VINCI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Brooke, they are recuperating in the sense that they are extremely upset right now in Bracciano. And that is because everyone there was expecting that perhaps at some point, after the ceremony perhaps or before leaving, Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes and some of their guests would greet the town from one of the balconies of the castello overlooking down the town.
There were thousands of people into the wee hours of the morning, and yet no one showed up. So much, in fact, that at some point, sort of a thick fog engulfed the entire castle. That`s when people really started to go home, really disappointed.
You have to understand that for a small town like Bracciano, these were stars that people only watched on television. And for once in their lifetime, they had them right there, very close to them.
And forget about Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes. But even the others, Brooke Shields, Richard Gere - I mean, big guys here in Italy, and especially in a small town like that, no one really showed up. They went in, went out of the castle in - in - with limousines with tinted windows. And so everyone was really, really disappointed.
So much, in fact, that the mayor of Bracciano, whom you remember had offered honorary citizenship to Katie Holmes and Tom Cruise - well, she`s quoted now as saying that perhaps she`s rethinking about it.
So they`re really bitter down there in Bracciano right now.
ANDERSON: Wow.
And some people we heard had been waiting for days to see them? And is it a customary thing for wedding couples to greet the townspeople in Italy?
VINCI: Well, people were there since the early morning of - of Sunday - of Saturday. So, I mean, I wouldn`t - I wouldn`t say days.
I mean, obviously, there was a lot of anticipation in the days ahead of the wedding, people primping or preparing themselves with banners, and even the shop windows and the shopkeepers put up pictures and balloons. And so there was a lot of preparation.
As far as a wedding is concerned in Italy - I mean, you have to understand that in a small village like Bracciano, which has about 15,000 people, a wedding - any wedding, not just a Tom Cruise wedding - is a big affair where everybody participates in, just because everybody is so close to each other.
And so when Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes decided to choose and to pick Bracciano, the people of Bracciano felt like they were somehow picked themselves, if you want. And they wanted to participate; they wanted to show their love for this Hollywood couple, and their love for showbiz and their love for the fact that, you know, the world for one day had their eyes - had the eyes on - on - on Bracciano, and the fact that the world media were there and - and - and journalists that usually really don`t - have no other reason to go to Bracciano, other than to cover a big wedding like that one.
ANDERSON: Yes, the people it seemed - the people of Bracciano really embraced the couple all week in preparation for this wedding.
Do you think they will forgive and forget? Or do you think this is something that they could hold against them?
VINCI: Well, I mean, you know, there are 15 people - 15,000 people in Bracciano who no longer like Tom Cruise. I mean, you know, join the club. I mean, how many people around the world don`t like him?
So I don`t think it will make a difference, whether they apologize or not. I mean, I think that at the end of the day, it would been nice. It would have been, you know, leaving behind - it would have been easier for them, I think, to make them happy. It didn`t happen, and I think people will forget about it and - and maybe next time a big star will marry in Bracciano, maybe that - that person will - will learn - will take that as a lesson, and - and - and they`ll - they`ll greet the - the crowd down below.
But, I mean, I don`t think it`s a big issue for them anymore. They`ll -- they`ll forget about it already.
All right. CNN`s Alessio Vinci, joining us tonight from Rome. Thanks so much, Alessio.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: And don`t go away, because coming up at 40 minutes past the hour, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT has some advice for Tom and Katie - some marriage- counseling advice.
Tonight, Kelly Ripa is pretty angry with singer and "American Idol" star Clay Aiken. Yes, you`re hearing correctly - two people you think would never get into a fight. But it`s true.
It all started when Aiken was guest-hosting with Ripa this past Friday on "Live With Regis and Kelly." During the show, Ripa says Aiken was inappropriate, especially when he put his hand over her face.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KELLY RIPA, "LIVE WITH REGIS AND KELLY": There was some impropriety there, and - and there`s a lack of respect. And when you`re - when you`re a certain person, you`re in the public eye, you have to be respectful of other people. And I don`t think that he was respectful in any way.
And I will - you know, if that upsets his fans, I`m sorry to hear that. But, you know, you don`t put your hands over somebody`s face and mouth when they`re conducting an interview, even if it`s for a laugh. And that`s all I`m going to say.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: SHOWBIZ TONIGHT called Aiken for a comment, and he wasn`t talking.
HAMMER: Harry Potter fans, you are in luck: Harry is back on the big screen this summer. But in tonight`s "SHOWBIZ Showcase," we have a glimpse for you of the new movie, based on J.K. Rowling`s fifth book in the series.
Here`s your very first look at "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix."
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
(MUSIC)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Fourteen years ago, Voldermort had huge numbers at his command.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Never (INAUDIBLE) the Dark Lord`s return is incontrovertible.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (INAUDIBLE) the last two seconds (INAUDIBLE).
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I am not (INAUDIBLE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Then prove it.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The Dark Lord`s (ph) building up an army. And now he wants to fight.
(MUSIC)
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HAMMER: "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix" will arrive in theaters on July 13.
ANDERSON: You know, why would anyone want to make a stogie that weighs more than 50 pounds? It made us say, "That`s Ridiculous!" But will it make cigar aficionados say, "That`s Awesome!"? Next.
HAMMER: Plus, they just said, "I do," but it`s never too early to start marriage counseling, right? Well, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT has some tips for TomKat on exactly how to make it last. That`s coming up.
We`ll also have this:
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DUSTIN DIAMOND, ACTOR: (INAUDIBLE)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It`s about time.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Ew! The most-outrageous-celebrity-caught-on-tape moments ever. The Screech sex tape makes the list. Find out what else did, coming up.
First, tonight`s "Entertainment Weekly Great American Pop Culture Quiz": "Which screen legend appeared with Olivia Newton John in 1980`s `Xanadu`?" Bette Davis, Bing Crosby, Gene Kelly or Fred Astaire?
Think about it. We`ll be right back.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER (voice-over): Tired of celebs stealing the spotlight? Well, we want to hear from you. So send your opinions on video to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. Go to cnn.com/showbiztonight for details, and watch, and you could see your video e-mail on the most provocative entertainment news show on television. It`s SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, every night, at 11 p.m., right here, on Headline News Prime.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANDERSON: So again, tonight`s "Entertainment Weekly Great American Pop Culture Quiz": "Which screen legend appeared with Olivia Newton John in `Xanadu`?" Bette Davis, Bing Crosby, Gene Kelly or Fred Astaire?
Yes, Gene Kelly actually put on the roller skates in one of his last film roles. The answer is C.
HAMMER: Welcome back to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, TV`s most provocative entertainment news show.
It`s time now for yet another story that made us say, "That`s Ridiculous!"
Kind of got to wonder what Freud would have to say about this one: Cigar makers in Tampa, Florida, have put the finishing touches on a stogie that`s 101 feet long and weighs in at 53 pounds. That`s right. They`re hoping to get into the "Guinness Book of World Records" with this thing, beating out the 66-foot cigar made in Havana last year.
The cigar is worth $5,100 bucks, and a great big "That`s Ridiculous!"
ANDERSON: Tonight, caught on tape: the most-outrageous star videos. We at SHOWBIZ TONIGHT picked three celebrity videos that left us all just shaking our heads, at times in disbelief, and at other times in sheer disgust.
Joining us now to talk about these outrageous tapes is Harvey Levin, the managing editor of entertainment news Web site TMZ.com.
Hey, Harvey.
HARVEY LEVIN, TMZ.COM: Hi, Brooke.
ANDERSON: All right. The word "shocking" isn`t strong enough to describe this first pick. TMZ.com exclusively obtained truly unbelievable cell phone - camera video of Michael Richards, aka Kramer from "Seinfeld."
Now he went on this angry, racist tirade during a performance at a comedy club.
Harvey, truly, truly awful what he said.
LEVIN: Yes, I mean, I have to tell you, Brooke: so many times when I get wind of a video, or somebody here gets wind of one, a lot of times they - people kind of oversell, and it`s not as much as what it`s cracked it up to be.
In this case, it was more so. My jaw, honest to God, dropped to the ground. And what`s so stunning about it.
ANDERSON: Mine did, too, Harvey. I couldn`t believe what I was watching and hearing.
LEVIN: Yes. I mean, and what`s so stunning about it is that it was not such an innocuous comment that triggered it. I mean, the guy said, My friend doesn`t think you`re funny. And that`s what triggered this whole tirade. It was unbelievable.
ANDERSON: Yes, he just - it really set him off. It`s incredibly offensive. And you`re right, it definitely crossed the line and lived up to and exceeded what - what we expected it to be. It was truly awful.
Our second pick for most-outrageous star video: the Screech sex tape, Harvey.
You know, here`s Dustin Diamond, an actor who grew up being the geek on "Saved By the Bell." And we find out, he`s made a sex video. And if that`s not shocking enough, the backstory maybe even more shocking.
How did it get released?
LEVIN: Well, you know, there are - there are rumblings that he`s not too upset that this - that this got out there. And, you know, I mean, I - I have to tell you, Brooke - I mean, the irony - the cast is like the best-looking cast in television, but Screech ends up doing the video. I mean, how awful is that? How tragic is that?
ANDERSON: You`re right.
And - and - so did he release it himself? Is that what happened?
LEVIN: No. I mean, he had a broker, David Han-Schmidt - I shouldn`t say he, but a broke, David Han-Schmidt, is the one who was kind of the peddler of this tape. And, you know, there have been rumblings that - that maybe Screech didn`t have - you know, didn`t have too many objections to it. And you do have to realize that it`s real hard for these things to get released unless the star of the video signs on the dotted lines.
So that wouldn`t surprise me a bit.
ANDERSON: Yes, I`m sure a lot of the stars keep them under lock and key if they had tapes like that.
OK, number three on our list of outrageous videos involves the paparazzi and Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt.
Now Harvey, there have been several controversial incidents involving their security in India and the paparazzi, from car accidents to a security guard practically choking a paparazzo.
Have the paparazzi gone too far? Are they provoking these strong reactions from their security?
LEVIN: Well, you know, I think there`s probably blame to go around on both sides. And I - you know, I`m probably treading on dangerous waters talking about this
But if you think about: how`d you like to be a paparazzo who is stuck right now in India just waiting for two people to emerge? And you sit and you sit and you sit and you sit and you sit, and it builds and builds and builds. So finally when they finally come out - you know, they`re - these paparazzo are, like - they`re - they`re like crazed animals. And they just lunge because this is how they`re making their money. I mean, they`re just sitting and doing nothing until Brad and Angelina come out.
So it just escalates things way higher than it would be if they were in the United States.
ANDERSON: Could there be legal ramifications ever?
LEVIN: Of course. I mean, if somebody gets hurt or even worse, absolutely there could. And, you know, that`s what everybody`s saying. And I`m kind a - a subscriber to this, that there`s going to be a really horrible, tragic thing that`s going to happen with the paparazzi. And then everybody`s going to kind of go to the other side.
But I think it`s only a matter of time. It has really gotten crazy.
ANDERSON: It has. And let`s hope it doesn`t take something that extreme to make it better.
Harvey Levin of the entertainment news Web site TMZ.com, as always, thanks so much.
LEVIN: Bye, Brooke.
HAMMER: Well, it`s the wedding everyone can`t stop talking about: Tom and Katie, finally Mr. and Mrs. Cruise, after a star-studded ceremony in Bracciano, Italy. The happy couple is off to a honeymoon in the Maldives right now.
But what happens when that honeymoon is over? SHOWBIZ TONIGHT putting TomKat into marriage counseling right now.
Joining me in New York, Dr. Robi Ludwig, host of TLC`s "One Week to Save Your Marriage."
A pleasure to see you, Dr. Robi.
DR. ROBI LUDWIG. "ONE WEEK TO SAVE YOUR MARRIAGE": Same here. Likewise.
HAMMER: All right.
I`m a little worried about Katie Holmes. She grew up her entire life fantasizing one day about marrying Tom Cruise. Well, that day finally came. They`re married.
Sometimes, as we know, Dr. Ludwig, the fantasy does not meet up to the reality.
LUDWIG: Sometimes?
HAMMER: So - so - so yes.
LUDWIG: How about always?
HAMMER: So what does she need to do? What do they need to do to make this work longterm?
LUDWIG: Well, I think that they need to first of all embrace the other person in - in reality. And that`s what happens in marriage.
Marriage, basically, confronts you with reality; you get to know who the real person is. And so there`s going to be some degree of disappointment.
If you know what to expect in marriage, that there are going to be disappointing moments, that you do need to focus one and another, that really the goal is to not only be who you are, but be supportive of your partner, then really you can get very far.
It`s the people who really compare reality to the fantasy, and end up leaving relationships prematurely, that have the most trouble in marriage.
HAMMER: Well, hopefully, sometime in the last time just over a year that they`ve been together, they`ve had the opportunity to deal with reality. Of course, their life will always be a fantasy, to some extent.
LUDWIG: But marriage is always different. Something changes.
HAMMER: Yes, let me ask you about that, because I think that`s - something that anybody who has gotten married can relate to.
You know, marriage does change everything. Sometimes it`s for the better; sometimes for the worse.
LUDWIG: Right, and depending.
HAMMER: What do you - what do you do to avoid those pitfalls?
LUDWIG: Well, I think, first of all, knowing it, being educated about it, is huge. Just knowing that marriage will feel different.
And - and basically what happens is it shifts something in the brain, where you become your idea of what a wife is, what a husband is. Sometimes you re-enact the relationship that your parents had with one another.
I think couples need to realize or think about, What kind of relationship do I want to have? And then take the steps in order to get there. And realize, it`s a process; it`s not going to be easy and automatic, ever, even in the best relationships.
HAMMER: And, of course, this is such a unique situation, because you`re - you`re dealing with Tom Cruise, a guy who is arguably one of the biggest stars in the world. Katie Holmes, a star in her own right, but her star power can`t really even touch Tom`s at this point.
I see her really being at risk of losing her own identity, and always being known as Mrs. Tom Cruise from here on out. What is she going to need to do to protect that?
LUDWIG: Well, we don`t know if she would mind that. I mean, maybe the fact that she isn`t as big a star can actually help their relationship.
But I think the key to any woman married to a successful man is to decide, What`s important to me as a person? What is my passion? And to follow that, and not give that up.
And basically, you want to help your parent help you with your dreams. So if Tom is willing to help her with her dreams, and they don`t conflict with the marriage, then they go very far.
And there are other successful Hollywood couples.
HAMMER: Sure.
LUDWIG: .that she could certainly refer to.
HAMMER: Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson; John Travolta and Kelly Preston - just a couple of names that come up. Of course, John and Kelly, fellow Scientologists.
LUDWIG: Yes.
HAMMER: What can they look at that those couples have done right to help them sustain their marriages? Because there are lots of pressures that come when both of - of the members of - of the couple are big stars.
LUDWIG: Absolutely.
Well, it`s interesting that the couples you mentioned are somewhat traditional, where the man is a bigger star than the woman, so the woman has embraced that, somehow has become a Hollywood wife, but has engaged in acting as well.
I think the key is commitment, and putting yourself around people who support your relationship; putting yourself in a healthy environment where divorce doesn`t necessarily happen all the time. That`s very important, because we are affected by our environment.
But I think Katie should consult with all these successful Hollywood wives that managed to do it right.
HAMMER: She should have a little coffee club.
LUDWIG: Yes, have a coffee club, and say, What`s - what`s your secret?
HAMMER: And real quickly - because Tom Cruise has - has gone around this bend a couple of times, twice before, Mimi Rodgers and Nicole Kidman. They didn`t work out.
What can he look to from his failed marriages to perhaps make this one work?
LUDWIG: Well, I think he needs to ask himself, What didn`t work out, and why, in the first two relationships? And see if he could do it better the next time around.
HAMMER: I don`t want to be cynical; I want to see them last.
Dr. Robi Ludwig, thank you very much.
LUDWIG: (INAUDIBLE)
HAMMER: Yes, exactly.
LUDWIG: OK.
HAMMER: And you can catch Dr. Robi`s show, "One Week to Save Your Marriage," Mondays on TLC.
ANDERSON: On Friday, we asked you to vote on our SHOWBIZ TONIGHT "Question of the Day": "O.J.`s TV Show Confession: Will you watch?" As we reported today, Fox announced the show has been canceled. But here`s how the voting went: 13 percent of you said yes, you would watch; 87 percent said no.
Here are some of the e-mails we received:
Cindy from Louisiana writes, "I hope that the majority of Americans will boycott the O.J. Simpson book and will refuse to watch the show."
Lori from California says, "Watching a butcher on television is not my idea of entertainment or" any - "or an important news event," rather.
Stay tuned; SHOWBIZ TONIGHT is coming back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANDERSON: We`ve been asking you to vote on our SHOWBIZ TONIGHT "Question of the Day." It is this: "Fox Cancels O.J. Show: Did they do the right thing?"
Keep voting at cnn.com/showbiztonight. Write to us at this address: showbiztonight@cnn.com. We`re going to read some of your thoughts tomorrow.
And don`t forget, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT is the only entertainment news show that lets you express your opinion on video. So just take a look into your video camera or your webcam, and send us a piece of your mind via video e-mail. It`s really easy. Head to our Web site, cnn.com/showbiztonight, and you can learn how to do it.
Remember, keep them short and sweet - 30 seconds or less. And then you can watch for your video e-mails, right here on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
HAMMER: Time now to find out what`s coming out up on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
Tomorrow, the star of one of the biggest hits of the fall TV season; he plays Hiro on "Heroes." But what superpowers does Hiro wish he really had in real life? We`ll talk with the real Hiro, Masi Oka, tomorrow, in the interview you`ll see only on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
Also tomorrow, rating the beauty of the stars. Dr. Francis Palmer, plastic surgeon to the stars, says beauty is not just in the eye of the beholder; it`s a number from 1 to 100. What makes Halle Berry a 100? Jennifer Aniston a 99? Beauty by the numbers, tomorrow on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
And that is it for SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. Thanks for watching. I`m A.J. Hammer in New York.
ANDERSON: Have a great night, everybody. I`m Brooke Anderson in Hollywood.
Glenn Beck is coming up next, right after the latest headlines from CNN Headline News. Keep it right here.
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