Return to Transcripts main page
Showbiz Tonight
Britney Spears Possibly in Trouble With Child Services; Ali Lohan Talks About Being The Sister of a Celeb
Aired December 06, 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: The Michael Richards N-word controversy flares up yet again. Another star goes on a racial rant. I`m A.J. Hammer in New York.
BROOKE ANDERSON, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT ANCHOR: And Bet Midler compares her wild party days to Lindsay, Britney and Paris`. I`m Brooke Anderson in Hollywood. TV`s most provocative entertainment news show starts right now.
HAMMER: On SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, could Britney Spears lose her kids. Tonight all the wild partying, the wearing no underwear thing. Now will officials come knocking to check up on her children? SHOWBIZ TONIGHT tonight asks the controversial question, could Britney`s boo-boos lead to her babies going bye-bye?
A shocking star split and spin. Tonight Jennifer Aniston and Vince Vaughn finally admit they are a couple, as they break up. So why can`t Jen, a seemingly sweet star, just finds a nice guy to settle down with?
Plus, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT investigates other celebs who have a record for Hollywood heartbreak.
Hello, I`m A.J. Hammer in New York.
ANDERSON: Hi there, everyone. I`m Brooke Anderson in Hollywood. Now in just a moment a possible shocking turn in Britney Spears` post breakup party all the time phase. Will Spears be facing a visit from child services?
HAMMER: That`s right Brooke. Don`t go away, because we will be getting to the very bottom of this. But first tonight SHOWBIZ TONIGHT is on the pulse of another big celebrity breakup. Jennifer Aniston and Vince Vaughn, from the beginning, the managing of their relationship and their breakup involved the craftiest of spin control.
ANDERSON: Yes A.J. Jennifer Aniston and Vince Vaughn, in a surprising announcement, revealed they are through. Funny thing is, they never fully acknowledged ever being a couple.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JENNIFER ANISTON, ACTRESS: I just don`t think it`s a good idea for you and I to be around each other any more than we have to right now.
VINCE VAUGHN, ACTOR: I certainly agree. Maybe you should go play some pinball.
ANDERSON (voice-over): The headline isn`t that the stars of the breakup have broken up, we got that part. It`s that they finally, finally stopped the spin and are admitting they were together in the first place.
MIKE FLEEMAN, "PEOPLE MAGAZINE": They have announced the end of a relationship that they never really acknowledged existed to begin with.
ANDERSON: SHOWBIZ TONIGHT gives you the latest on the end of the A- list Hollywood relationship that everybody was talking about, everybody except, of course, the couple themselves.
FLEEMAN: We have kind of an after the fact confirmation of a relationship that is now over, only in Hollywood.
ANDERSON: "People Magazine`s" Mike Fleeman tells SHOWBIZ TONIGHT that unlike the split they endured in their movie, Aniston and Vaughn`s real breakup was drama free.
FLEEMAN: They talked about their relationship. They decided they that had different needs, different directions, and that they weren`t going to stay together anymore.
ANDERSON: "OK Magazine`s" Kate Caperton says Aniston was determined not to repeat the mistakes she made in her last famous relationship.
KATE CAPERTON, "OK MAGAZINE: She was married to Brad Pitt for several years and they did a lot of red carpet events together and everyone was talking about them and was interested in where they were going. So, since that didn`t turn out so well, it appears that Jennifer Aniston was kind of scaling back a little bit with this relationship.
ANDERSON: So after she and Vince Vaughn became close on the set of "The Breakup," Aniston seemed to be on a mission to never directly talk about or even acknowledge her relationship with Vince, not to Larry King --
LARRY KING, CNN ANCHOR: Is it serious? Is everything going?
ANISTON: I`m not talking about it. I`m not talking about it.
KING: Because it is none of our business.
ANISTON: Because it is none -- it is harsh to say, it is none of your business, but you learn your lessons, that`s all.
ANDERSON: And can you believe it, not even to me.
ANISTON: People haven`t asked me any personal questions.
ANDERSON (on camera): I won`t ask specific personal questions. I know you`re moving on.
(voice-over): Despite the denials, every now and then their just friends facade crumbled somewhat and the couple acted like a couple. Earlier this year Vaughn threatened to sue tabloids that printed he was unfaithful to Jennifer Aniston. Around that time, Aniston went on Oprah to confirm that the boyfriend, she was still calling her friend, was actually still her boyfriend.
OPRAH WINFREY, DAYTIME TALK SHOW HOST: You`re broken up?
ANISTON: No.
WINFREY: That`s great.
ANDERSON: Glad she cleared that up. But now Vaughn and Aniston really are broken up. Ironically, while promoting her movie "The Breakup, " Aniston talked to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT about the agony real-life split.
ANISTON: It doesn`t tickle to have a breakup. It doesn`t. I wouldn`t trade any of it. I think they are all -- nothing that doesn`t kill you won`t, you know, it will always make you stronger.
ANDERSON: While they gave the media fits with their we`re just friends dance, the Vaughniston is a little sad for those who saw Aniston bravely endure a public heartbreak.
CAPERTON: People really love her because she has had a broken heart. She has been in a relationship, that fairy tale relationship that everyone wanted to be in, with the big wedding and the hunky husband. It didn`t work out, and people were really rooting for her. Vince Vaughn is a guy`s guy. He is everybody`s boyfriend on the dance floor in "Wedding Crashers." People look at them and thought, wow, here`s a stunning girl with sort of, you know, an every man, an average-looking Joe, and kind of thought maybe this will work.
ANDERSON: But there`s still hope. If Rachel was finally able to find love with Ross on "Friends," a lot of people are hoping that the woman who played Rachel will as well.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: Now the Vaughn-Aniston split isn`t all doom and gloom. In a statement to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT representatives for the former couple say the two remain good friends today. So are some celebrities just always going to be unlucky in love? Are they destined for a lifetime of Hollywood heartbreak? Coming up at 35 past the hour, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT investigates if it`s really tougher for stars to find that special someone and stay together.
HAMMER: Well, one of the stars unlucky in love as of late has got America buzzing. Britney Spears, all night wild partying, that wearing no underwear thing, has called Britney`s mothering skills into question. So we ask, could Britney Spears, a mom of two, actually get into big trouble with child service?
Joining me is Harvey Levin, managing editor of TMZ.com, from the TMZ news room in Glendale, California. Hello, Harvey.
HARVEY LEVIN, TMZ.COM: Hi A.J.
HAMMER: Man, you couldn`t escape this headline. The report that`s basically been making the rounds is that all of Britney`s partying has basically caught the eye of the Los Angeles Department of Children and Family Services. The department has actually been trying to check up on he two-year-old son Sean Preston and four month old son Jaden James. Is there any truth to that? What are you hearing?
LEVIN: Yes, I`m hearing it`s not true, A.J. I have some sources that have been very reliable with Britney Spears over the last couple of years and what I`m told is that they never went to her and had any issues with her partying. They may have gone in the recent past to talk to her as a follow-up to the seat belt incident, where Sean Preston wasn`t strapped in the car. But they never went to her and wanted to talk about, you know, staying out and partying at Hyde.
HAMMER: It does seem like it would have been a strange thing to do. Now, of course, you mentioned the incident where Britney was visited by the Department of Child Services because of the incident with her child falling out of the high chair, which happened around the same time that she had Sean Preston in her lap and she was photographed driving that way. You think that she would know, or that the people close to her would at least tell her, regardless of whether or not this is true, that every move she makes could come under some official scrutiny.
LEVIN: Well, you know what? I know that she has been told that by various people in her life. That`s -- you know, she lives in a weird world, you know, where I think she takes her cues from Paris Hilton more than maybe others that she should be listening to. But the children services thing, A.J., it`s just bogus. I covered Children Services when I was a reporter for the CBS affiliate in Los Angeles, and they are so understaffed that there are kids literally dying in foster homes because they don`t have the staff to go out to the homes where kids are at risk. If they would look at Britney Spears, who can clearly afford help, and they went out to her home when she was partying at night, the officials in that department would be skewered.
HAMMER: Something would be wrong. Let`s quickly move on from that because I want you to listen to this. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT asked none other than the great Courtney Love about what she though of Britney`s wild ways and raising her kids and how`s she`s doing with that. Listen to what Courtney Love had to say.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
COURTNEY LOVE, SINGER: When my daughter -- when she was around a year, I didn`t go out much. So I don`t -- I can`t really relate. And there is nothing -- nothing -- no judgment against working mothers. None. None at all. I`m a feminist and I absolutely believe in it. But, you know, it`s not for me to judge, you know. Obviously there`s some issues and I hope that there`s some help to be done.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: All right Harvey, I only have a couple of seconds. But you know things are kind of bad when Courtney Love is saying help needs to be gotten.
LEVIN: Yes, I mean, boy has she has had her problems and it`s hilarious that she said not for me to judge. I think that`s just what she did. But what`s she`s saying is true. I mean look, there are a lot of people who are saying that Britney Spears has crossed the line. She is not doing what America wants her to do, what America thinks is appropriate. But that doesn`t necessarily mean that she has to do everything that America wants. She is doing what she want to do. She can afford the help. She may not win mother of the year, but it`s the life she leads.
HAMMER: And the world will be watching. Harvey Levin, managing editor of TMZ.com. Thanks as always.
LEVIN: By A.J.
ANDERSON: Well, we`ve been hoping we can move forward from the Michael Richards N-word racist rant and let the healing begin. Then Andy Dick had to go ahead and, well, mess it up. The comedian and former news radio star jumped on to the stage at a comedy club in LA and started joking about Richards, then started calling the crowd the N-word. Andy, not funny, not funny one bit. Now he has apologized, but it was still a really dumb thing to do.
Through his publicist Dick says, "In an attempt to make light of a serious subject, I have offended a lot of people and I am sorry for my insensitivity." By the way, Andy Dick is not alone in using the N-word. Damon Wayans has have been banned from the Laugh Factory for three months after using it a reported more than 15 times during his stand up routine. The Laugh Factory is the same place where Richards, who played Kramer on Seinfeld, flipped out last month during a stand up bit when an audience member told him he wasn`t funny.
HAMMER: Her big sis is in the news almost every single day. What`s life like growing up with Lindsay Lohan? Her sister Ali, she is right here. Plus we`ve got this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: If the young starlets of today want to go out and party, leave them alone, let them do it.
BET MIDLER, ACTRESS: Absolutely, but wear your underwear.
HAMMER: Wear your underwear.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Well, back in the day, Lindsay, Britney, Paris had nothing on Bet Midler. Coming up, Bet reveals how it was oh so different for stars who wanted to get wild when she was the party girl.
HAMMER: And Jennifer Aniston does the breakup thing again. So why can`t she and some of those other Hollywood hotties just keep a guy. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT asks, are they all looking for love in all the wrong places? We`re coming right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HAMMER: Welcome back to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, TV`s most provocative entertainment news show. I`m A.J. Hammer in New York and it is time now for a story that made us say, that`s ridiculous.
I want you to take a look at that. These fans clearly don`t know the meaning of the famous saying, it doesn`t matter who wins, it`s how you play the game. Look at this, a huge riot breaking out at a basketball game between a Greek team and a Serbian team. The fans were slugging it out in the stands and on the court. Chairs were thrown. Six people were hurt. By the way, this was even before the game got started. Getting really ticked off before tip off and basketball brawling, that`s ridiculous.
ANDERSON: OK, imagine for a sec that your big sister is one of the biggest stars out there. The paparazzi hounding her. You know, the tabloids saying nasty things at times. What would that feel like? That`s what Ali Lohan, Lindsay Lohan`s sister, goes through almost every day. But Ali is taking cues from her sister`s success. She is not even a teenager yet, but she is already a model and a singer with an album of her own. It`s called "Ali Lohan, Lohan Holiday." And Ali Lohan is with us tonight here in Hollywood. Great to see you.
ALI LOHAN, SINGER: You too.
ANDERSON: You`re adorable.
LOHAN: Thank you.
ANDERSON: You`re welcome. This must really be a dream come true for you. Here you have Lindsay, who I know you look up to very much, 20 years old, a tremendous success. Here you are, not quite 13, right? You`re a model. Here you have this new album. You know, you`re a busy young lady. A lot of girls your age are hanging out at the mall. Do you have to just pinch yourself sometimes?
LOHAN: Well, making an album was a really cool experience. My friends think it is so cool that I have an album out there with my face on it. It`s really cool.
ANDERSON: So they are supportive of you?
LOHAN: Yes.
ANDERSON: Well on this album, "Lohan Holiday," it is a very big family affair really, because Lindsay is featured on it. Also your mom Dena is featured on it. You three seem like a really tight-knit group. You can tell you`re very close. You were even on -- in Lindsay`s music video, "Confessions of a Broken Heart." And I know that was a very personal project for all of you, because it was about your real-life family. What was it like doing that?
LOHAN: It wasn`t hard. It was a really cool experience, because my sister also directed the video. I was really nervous in the beginning, but she told me some stuff to tell me, like if I did good or bad, and that helped a lot. It was really cool.
ANDERSON: You didn`t seem nervous. You did a great job.
LOHAN: Thank you.
ANDERSON: And I`ve interviewed Lindsay. I`ve met her and she is always very, very pleasant. And she talks about how important it is to be a great role model for you and how protective she is of you. And on the inside of your album you thank her and you write, thank you for being my role model. I have got to ask you, what is it like being the little sister of Lindsay Lohan, one of the biggest stars out there?
LOHAN: It`s really cool. All my friends, like, sometimes it`s difficult because kids read will the tabloids and stuff and they will come up to me in school and ask me some bad questions, and the best thing to do is just ignore it.
ANDERSON: Yes, I remember how cruel kids could be. And I didn`t have a famous sister, so I know it must be really hard for you. How do you handle that?
LOHAN: I just ignore it. Basically all you have to do.
ANDERSON: I couldn`t believe it, but recently you and your mom said that you guys do read the tabloids in the entertainment magazines, you and your friends. Do you like them?
LOHAN: Yes, I do, but just the stuff they write about my sister -- it depends if it`s bad or good, but I -- I like them.
ANDERSON: And you know what`s true and what`s not true.
LOHAN: Yes.
ANDERSON: With your family in the public eye, in the spotlight, you know, everybody has problems and has issues. But I`m sure it`s extremely difficult for someone in your position and in your family`s position. Are you nervous about being public now and going out there with your career? What advice has your mother given you and has Lindsay given you to handle it?
LOHAN: Basically just to keep your head up high and stay strong, no matter what. And for any other people are out there, just like, if you don`t get a certain part in a movie, or something, just keep trying. Don`t give up.
ANDERSON: Well, so far things are going pretty well for you, right? You`ve been in a number of Lindsay`s movies as well. What do you like best?
LOHAN: It`s just a lot of fun. I love doing -- I watch my sister in the recording studio and on sets, and it`s just been a really cool experience. And it`s just cool. It is so cool that like now I have the chance to do that and I`m really looking forward to it.
ANDERSON: She is a huge inspiration to you, isn`t she?
LOHAN: Yes, I definitely want to follow in her footsteps.
ANDERSON: How is she doing? She has been in the press a lot lately. How is she doing?
LOHAN: She is doing good.
ANDERSON: Yes? How are you going to celebrate your 13th?
LOHAN: I think I`m just going to hang out with my friends, and I`m just going to go -- I think FAO Schwartz.
ANDERSON: Very Fun. Well happy early birthday to you. Ali Lohan, thanks so much for being here.
LOHAN: Thank you.
ANDERSON: And Ali`s debut album is called "Ali Lohan, Lohan Holiday." It is out in stores right now.
HAMMER: So last night we told you about a huge music star, rapper 50 Cent, doing the unthinkable, dissing Oprah. You don`t do that. Well, he said that she has turned her back on her African American roots and relates better to white women now. Now 50 has had a beef with Oprah for some time because she doesn`t put hard core rappers on her show. This whole thing has got a lot of stars heated up.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BOYZ II MEN, RAPPER: She is doing what she needs to do for her audience and her audience doesn`t listen to hip hop. They are normally middle-aged women that watch the show.
T.I., RAPPER: I`m an Oprah fan. I think she`s like one of the best examples for being a black person, let alone a black woman, in America. I think she signifies the American dream.
NAS, RAPPER: She has the right to say anything she wants to say. Rap music is not going to be easy on everybody. She is someone I look at like a mother, like a mother`s type of age group, her generation. My mom couldn`t listen to that. Why should we expect her to, you know?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: Apparently it`s got you all fired up too. We have gotten a ton of e-mail when we asked our SHOWBIZ TONIGHT question of the day. The question being, Oprah criticized, has she lost touch with the average person? Look at this, 75 percent of you think, yes, she has, meaning 25 percent of you thinking, no, she hasn`t.
Among the e-mails we received, one form Stephanie in Canada. Stephanie has got Oprah`s back. She says how can people say such rotten things? She may be a billionaire, but she has such heart for all races.
But Mickey doesn`t think Oprah speaks to her anymore. She is a woman who has done very well for herself, but she pulls her panties on just like I do every morning.
Keep on voting and sending us those e-mails, CNN.com/SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. The em-mail address is SHOWBIZTONIGHT@CNN.com
ANDERSON: A.J., can you picture nanny running up the steps of Capitol Hill in a mini skirt and high heels? A lot of people are wondering, will she run for office. We`ve got that straight ahead. Plus we`ve also got this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: If the young starlets of today want to go out and party, leave them alone, let them do it.
MIDLER: Absolutely, but wear your underwear.
HAMMER: Wear your underwear.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: You know, back in the day, Lindsay, Britney, Paris, they had nothing on Bet Midler. Coming up, Bet reveals to me how it was oh so different for stars who wanted to get wild when she was the party girl.
ANDERSON: And Jennifer Aniston does the breakup thing again. So why can`t she and other Hollywood hotties just keep a guy? SHOWBIZ TONIGHT asks, are they looking for love in all the wrong places?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HAMMER: Tomorrow, growing up with the most famous parents on the planet. You know, the Shilohs, Suris, and Sean Prestons of the world see those paparazzi flash bulbs from day one. So SHOWBIZ TONIGHT has to ask, can kids of stars ever have a normal life? We`ll get into that tomorrow.
ANDERSON: Time now for the SHOWBIZ TONIGHT Truth Squad. This is where we get to the bottom of Hollywood`s biggest mysteries. Tonight, is Fran Drescher running for Congress? We read some reports that the flashy girl from Flushing, the nasally nanny named Fran was tossing her heels -- hat rather -- into the ring to run for Congress to represent New York in 2008 or 2010.
Fran has been really involved in lobbying Washington for cash for cancer research. She`s battled uterine cancer. So we called Fran`s people and they said, don`t plan on seeing Fran the Woman buttons any time soon. Quote, it`s not true. So, Fran Drescher, not running for Congress. And another case closed for the SHOWBIZ TONIGHT Truth Squad.
HAMMER: You know, Brooke, you`re out there in Hollywood, you`re hanging around with the stars all the time. Do you think some of them, Jennifer Aniston for instance, are just cursed when it comes to romance, keeping a relationship together?
ANDERSON: You know, A.J., I hope not, but you`re right, it certainly seems that way many times.
HAMMER: Well coming up, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT is going to investigate, is it tougher for stars to find love? We`ve also got this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: If the young starlets of today want to go out and party, leave them alone, let them do it.
MIDLER Absolutely, but wear your underwear.
HAMMER: Wear your underwear.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Well back in the day, Lindsay, Britney, Paris had nothing on Bet Midler. Coming up, Bet reveals how it was oh so different for stars who wanted to get wild when she was the party girl.
HAMMER: Hey, speaking of wild, some big time stars hop on hogs for a trip down mid-life crisis highway. We`ve got your first look at wild hogs when SHOWBIZ TONIGHT comes right back.
(NEWS BREAK)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HAMMER: Welcome back to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT for Wednesday night. It is 30 minutes past the hour. I`m A.J. Hammer in New York.
ANDERSON: And I am Brooke Anderson in Hollywood. You are watching TV`s most provocative entertainment news show.
A.J., Jennifer Aniston and Vince Vaughn, we know, have revealed, they have broken up. So.
HAMMER: Sad news.
ANDERSON: .we asked the question, is it harder for stars to find love, and them keep love? Are they looking in all the wrong places? SHOWBIZ TONIGHT investigates, coming up, A.J.
HAMMER: It has got to be difficult.
Also coming up, Will Smith. He`s managed to keep his marriage to Jada Pinkett Smith together. They have a son who is truly the breakout star of Will`s new movie, "Pursuit of Happiness," which is opening up next week.
But what`s it like.
ANDERSON: Jaden - he`s adorable!
HAMMER: Yes - Yes, what is it like, allowing your son to get involved with all that is movies and show business? It has to be difficult. We`ll find out when I speak with Will, coming up in just a few moments.
But first tonight, Bette Midler is speaking out to all of you young Hollywood starlets out there: Go out, have fun. Expect to be photographed. And for goodness sake, make sure you have some underwear on.
Bette is out right now promoting her very first holiday album. This is it; it`s called "Cool Yule." I`m sure "yule" find it cool.
And when I sat down with the Dive Miss M, we talked about everything, from the war in Iraq to the starlets of today.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
HAMMER: This is very exciting. You have your "Cool Yule" CD, your first collection of seasonal songs, Bette. A couple of people might say, Hey, wait a second, isn`t she Jewish?
BETTE MIDLER, ENTERTAINER: I`m pretty Jewish. But I like the songs.
HAMMER: Yes.
MIDLER: I love the melodies; I love the lyrics. I think - you know, I absorbed them as a kid. I went to public school in the 50s, so everybody sang them all the time. You know, every one sang them every single year, the same - you know, the same collection of songs would come around.
"Meli Kalikimaka" is on that, and I went to - I was in - born and brought up in Hawaii, and so that`s like a folk song. Everybody sings that, you know?
HAMMER: And you have a number of other classics on here, from.
MIDLER: I do.
HAMMER: ."Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" .
MIDLER: Yes. Yes.
HAMMER: "White Christmas" is on here.
MIDLER: Mm-hmm.
HAMMER: Even "From a Distance," with a holiday flavor, which - it kind of evokes the holiday spirit, I think, that song.
MIDLER: It does. It evokes the holiday spirit, and I think it`s a message that people expect to hear at his time of year.
HAMMER: And - and you couldn`t look any more festive than you do on the cover on this CD.
MIDLER: Why thank you.
(CROSSTALK)
HAMMER: .but on the cover, wearing that hat, Bette.
MIDLER: Yes. My Miliner (ph) whipped it up for me, and I just happen to have it here. And I wanted you to know that I am auctioning this stellar creation off on my Web site for charity - for my charity, New York Restoration Project. And we have been cleaning parks and gardens here in New York City for over 11 years.
And so if you want a gift for a fan or a friend -- it comes with a signed CD -- bettemiddler.com.
HAMMER: If - if my guess is right, you`re - you`re like me and your Hanukkah present came a little early this year, on Election Day, last month.
MIDLER: Ah. Oh, you snuck that one in.
HAMMER: Wasn`t that a good little segue there?
MIDLER: Yes, that was really - you must have laid awake (INAUDIBLE) nights thinking of that one.
HAMMER: I was having a little trouble, but I figured out that was the way in.
MIDLER: Well, you know, it was time. It was time. Every little doggie has his day. You know what they say.
HAMMER: Do you have sense though, like I think a lot of people do, that sort of this black cloud`s been lifted?
MIDLER: No, I can`t say that. I will be happy when the - the kids come home from the war. I will be happy when Iraq is at peace. Then - then I will really feel as if the black cloud has lifted.
When you get the feeling - the sense that - that they`re not - that the whole - this - this whole group of fundamentalists isn`t after us, then I think the black cloud will have lifted. But this certainly is a right step - a step in the right direction.
HAMMER: And I know that you do stay informed. You even told me last year how important it is to you - or you feel it is for people.
MIDLER: Yes.
HAMMER: .to watch the news.
MIDLER: Yes.
HAMMER: .to read what`s going on in, and pay attention.
MIDLER: Yes, I - I do. I feel very strongly about that. I think - you know what? Richard Dreyfuss, who I made a movie with a long time, was on the.
HAMMER: Whose got a lot to say about a lot of things.
MIDLER: He is something (ph). He`s fabulous.
HAMMER: He`s - he`s a very bright guy.
MIDLER: Sharp as a tack. I saw him on the Bill Maher show, and he made so much sense. He said, if - if you - he said that people - they weren`t teaching civics in schools anymore. And I don`t - my daughter`s in college, so I don`t really know. But he said, If they don`t teach civics, if they don`t prepare their - the next generations to become citizens, they`re not going to have a country left. There`s not going to be a country left, because no one`s going to know what it means to be an American.
And that made so much sense to me.
HAMMER: And if you look at what dominates a lot of the news cycle these days, what`s out there in great abundance, not as much perhaps of what should be, and a lot of people chasing around the young starlets of today.
MIDLER: I can`t bear it. You know, I can`t bear it. I start to scream at the television. I just want the news; just tell me the news.
HAMMER: So when you`re seeing Britney Spears and - and Lindsay Lohan and accounts of how little how they`re wearing.
MIDLER: You`re baiting me. You`re baiting me.
I - Lindsay Lohan was on my television show. She - she played my daughter on the pilot. And she was terrific, and I really liked her. And I really - I still like her.
I don`t have anything against those girls. I just think it`s a - maybe too much money and too much time, you know? And not enough - and not enough - not - I think they`re not getting good advice somehow. I - I - maybe - I mean, maybe I`m wrong. Maybe they just don`t listen.
HAMMER: Well, when - when you were coming up in the business though, it was certainly during a time where there was wild partying going on. I`m not necessarily even saying you, but it went on.
Do you think it`s even.
MIDLER: Well, you see, there was no documentation.
HAMMER: Well, that`s it. Is it..
MIDLER: The people weren`t looking around, you know, ever pillar waiting to photograph you in a state of disarray. You know, I mean, you have to be so - if you want to - if you don`t want to get nabbed, you have to be so careful, because everyone`s got a camera.
You know, I was saying - saying - you know, "1984," George Orwell wrote that it was going to be the government that was looking at you.
HAMMER: No.
MIDLER: It`s not the government; it`s everybody else.
HAMMER: Perhaps if the young starlets of - of today want to go out and party, leave them alone. Let them do it.
MIDLER: I - well.
HAMMER: If you`re 20 years old, you should be entitled to go out and play.
MIDLER: I think so. Absolutely.
HAMMER: Happy ..
(CROSSTALK)
MIDLER: But wear your underwear.
HAMMER: Wear your underwear. (INAUDIBLE)
MIDLER: Because you never know.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HAMMER: Oh, Bette`s so cool. And she`s so passionate about keeping New York City clean, she said, if she`s over there on 10th Avenue and - and sees there`s a mess on the street, she`ll actually get on her cell phone and call up and a crew will come up and clean the place up. It`s nice to see her.
And her new CD is very cool, too, called "Cool Yule." You`ll find it in stores now.
ANDERSON: Tonight, stars unlucky in love. Jennifer Aniston and Vince Vaughn call it quits, but they`re just one of many Hollywood stars going through breakups these days.
But, you say, stars shouldn`t have any trouble finding love, right? Well, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT can tell you, being lucky in life doesn`t always mean being lucky in love.
Joining us now from New York is author of "Been There, Done That, Kept the Jewelry," development psychologist Cooper Lawrence.
Hi, Cooper.
COOPER LAWRENCE, "THE COOPER LAWRENCE SHOW": Hi, how are you?
ANDERSON: Doing well, thank you.
Now the big question: could it actually be tougher for stars to find love and keep love?
LAWRENCE: Well, it`s only tougher because they have so many more options than the rest of us. So it seems tougher.
But the truth is - you know, Jennifer Aniston you mentioned; she`s a really good example. She`s a 37-year-old, like any other 37-year-old woman who`s having trouble finding a man.
ANDERSON: Yes, and - and she`s the perfect example of - of a Hollywood star, Cooper, who fans look to and say, You know what? She`s got everything. She`s got the looks; she`s got the fame; she`s got the fortune.
But we all followed the story of her divorce from Brad Pitt, and now this latest breakup. Why do you think that people find it surprising that she could be unlucky in love? Because Cooper, she is only human, for crying out loud.
LAWRENCE: It`s more than that.
You`ve got to remember, just because she has everything you want, doesn`t mean she has everything that she wants. And then it`s a matter of how you measure success. If you measure success as having money and fame and movies, then I guess - I guess she`s successful.
But maybe she measures success as who you`ve loved and who`s loved you back. And that hasn`t been so good for her. So maybe she doesn`t consider herself a successful person in that way.
ANDERSON: You know, right after her divorce from bat - Brad Pitt, people seemed to really love her even more. Is it because they found that she was more vulnerable, and - and that she, too, was susceptible to heartbreak?
LAWRENCE: Yes. And also - I mean, remember, the show that she was on was called "Friends." So she seems like somebody we`d all be friends with. So that was part of it, too; we really sympathized. We felt like we knew her; we felt like she`s somebody that we maybe grew up, and who`s going through a hard time just like any one of us might be.
ANDERSON: That`s right. Yes, and - and of course, this is just one in a list of examples of stars who are dealing with breakups. You`ve also got Hilary Swank, Reese Witherspoon, Christie Brinkley.
Cooper, they`re all beautiful; they`re all so accomplished. Are they really just unlucky in love? What is it?
LAWRENCE: I think they`re making bad choices, if you ask me. And I think that`s what it comes down to.
It`s not just them; it`s all of us. The one common denominator that all those women have - and when you`re in relationships, when you look back at your relationships - the common denominator is you. So if you`re unlucky in love, what are you doing wrong?
That`s one of the areas I address in my book, as a matter of fact. Which, you know, I never pitch when I`m here, but I have to mention it, because - because it`s really one of the big areas that I talk about in my book, how you have to look back at past relationships and figure our what bad choices you`ve made.
(CROSSTALK)
LAWRENCE: Because these women are lovely women, but they`ve made bad choices.
ANDERSON: Well, so they`ve made the bad choices, you say. How can they make the good choices? What advice would you give them there? How can they reverse their so-called luck?
LAWRENCE: Well, the best - I mean, the best experience - experience is really the best way to figure out what you`ve done wrong in the past can lead you to where you need to go in your future. So if you`re a very - if you`re a highly successful, motivated, overachieving woman, then you need to be with a man that understands that, not somebody who is going to be threatened by your success.
So that`s a great place for women like that to start. For the rest of us, I think there are patterns that we see over and over. If you can identify your pattern, and just try something different - just one time, just - just.
(CROSSTALK)
ANDERSON: Step outside the box. OK, Cooper Lawrence, as always, thanks so much for your insight and for being here. We appreciate it.
LAWRENCE: Thank you very much.
ANDERSON: Cooper`s book, "Been There, Done That, Kept the Jewelry," is in stores now.
All right, 50 Cent versus Oprah. Has Winfrey really lost touch? Wait till you hear what Kathy Griffin has to say.
Plus, more of your e-mails about it. Next.
HAMMER: Also coming up, my chat with Will Smith. We talked about everything, from the debate over the n-word, to his latest co-star: his son. Will Smith, coming up in the interview you`ll see only on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
ANDERSON: Plus, John Travolta joins a biker gang. Your first look at this new movie "Wild Hog," next in the "SHOWBIZ Showcase."
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Go Camera 3. Let`s get A.J. to desk with tracking for the next segment.
Roll your break, and effect black.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HAMMER: Welcome back to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. This is TV`s most provocative entertainment news show. I`m A.J. Hammer in New York.
Time now for another story that made us say, "That`s Ridiculous!"
Oh, this is a terrible story, actually, all about a man who`s in trouble with the law, who may actually be faking retardation. Ever since this guy in Washington state was 8 years old - that`s for 20 years old - his mom has been collecting disability benefits for him. Mom says the guy can`t communicate at all. Can`t read or write; can`t drive a car.
There`s just one problem: prosecutors say there`s video of the guy trying to talk his way out of a traffic ticket. Uh.
Faking retardation to get money from the government? Now "That`s Ridiculous!"
ANDERSON: In tonight`s "SHOWBIZ Showcase," "Wild Hog" (sic). In the movie, a group of frustrated, middle-aged men, played by John Travolta, Tim Allen, Martin Lawrence and William H. Macy, embarks on a motorcycle trip in search of excitement.
Here`s your first look.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JOHN TRAVOLTA, ACTOR: No, I`ve got the paperwork. Have you read it
You`re not going to push me around.
Don`t insult me. Don`t insult me. Money`s never a problem.
You listen to me: you just have to honor the correct price. You got that? What? Then go home, Toby (ph). You make me sick.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I can`t do this many leaves for 10 bucks!
TRAVOLTA: Grow up, Toby.
WILLIAM H. MACY, ACTOR: Mac (ph), (INAUDIBLE) Internet, please.
MECHANIZED VOICE: Command unknown.
MACY: I think I have to research alternative specs.
MECHANIZED VOICE: Searching for "alternative sex."
MACY: What?
MECHANIZED VOICE: Listing.
MACY: No. Shut down.
MECHANIZED VOICE: Barnyardfun.net.
MACY: Abort!
MECHANIZED VOICE: Funwithfruit.com.
MARTIN LAWRENCE, ACTOR: Oh, snap.
TIM ALLEN, ACTOR: A softball pitch. You think you`re good at this?
LAWRENCE: Oh! Get me a snowcone!
MACY: Wow. This is it.
ALLEN: A road trip? I can`t get off work.
TRAVOLTA: Come on, guys. What do we have to look forward to anymore?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: In my day, ladies stayed home, not the lazy men.
LAWRENCE: In your day, the men were busy building pyramids.
UNIDENTIIFED FEMALE: I think you all need this trip.
ANNOUNCER: This spring, they may not know how to ride.
MACY: You got to work on that fist-tapping thing.
LAWRENCE: No, you got to work on the bike-riding thing.
ANNOUNCER: .but when they hit the road.
(COW MOOING)
ANNOUNCER: .they had no idea it would (INAUDIBLE).
MACY: This is perfect. I wanted to say something fun, but all I could think of was black jokes.
LAWRENCE: Please, do tell.
ANNOUNCER: From Touchstone Pictures, they went for an adventure..
(LAUGHTER)
ALLEN: What did you do?
TRAVOLTA: Maybe I blew up their barn (ph)
ALLEN: Oh!
TRAVOLTA: I know; that was bad.
ANNOUNCER: .they found a journey they`d never forget.
TRAVOLTA: Never let life get too safe. Every now and then, you got to slap the bull.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This`ll be interesting to see now that the bull`s alert.
TRAVOLTA: Alert?
(SCREAMING)
ANNOUNCER: "Wild Hogs."
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What do we have here? Four men in bed spooning. You fellas don`t even recognize just how lucky you are to have each other.
Damn lucky.
TRAVOLTA: Are you wearing pants?
MACY: No.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: They are so silly. "Wild Hogs" opens nationwide March 2.
HAMMER: Well, it`s a family affair for Oscar-nominated actor Will Smith. For the first time, he`s starring alongside his son Jaden in his new film "The Pursuit of Happiness." Will says that he knew he had to star in this film when he say the real-life story on ABC`s news program "20/20."
And when I sat down with Will Smith, we talked all about keeping his son, Jaden - Jaden grounded in his new career. We also talked about all the controversy that`s been surrounding the n-word these days.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
HAMMER: Well, we`ve seen the rags-to-riches thing before. What was it about this guy, Chris Gardner, that you said, Oh my God, this is the thing to me.
WILL SMITH, ENTERTAINER: It was a - a single image in the - the "20/20" piece. That`s where we first heard this story. There was a single image of him returning to the BART station subway bathroom that he and his son slept in the first night that they were homeless.
And I watched this man stand in this bathroom and recount the story of spending the night with his only child in this bathroom. But yet there was a look of power and strength in his eyes. And that - that dichotomy, and that - that - that contrast was - I - I had only seen that one or two other times, and once was - was Mandela, and once was with Ali.
HAMMER: Wow.
SMITH: So, I - I - I - you know, I.
HAMMER: That speaks to...
SMITH: Yes, that speaks to a journey.
HAMMER: Everybody`s buzzing about your son, of course.
SMITH: Yes.
HAMMER: Little Jaden Smith, unbelievable. You have got to be the proud papa here.
SMITH: Yes. You know what? He - he is - what I really love is how unfazed by it all that - that he is. That he related to little Chris, and he related to the pain of the journey, and - and he connected with the idea of loving your father, and wanting to do anything you can do to be with him.
And I - I appreciate the empathy that he has for other people.
HAMMER: Obviously, it`s difficult enough growing up as a kid of star parents, when your parents are just megastars.
And then to be a kid actor - and it was clear, he`s got to pursue this thing, because he really - he - he`s got something. It`s not just - he`s not just the son of the star.
How do you manage to keep him grounded?
SMITH: We - part of the reason that - that we were comfortable letting Jaden do it is he is grounded by nature. You know, when - when - you know, you kind of look your kids separately, and 7 years old is a tough time to - to throw them into the fire. But he - he is grounded, but he`s very sensitive. Whereas my - my oldest and youngest, Trey and Willow (ph) are - they`re Teflon. They`re - whatever. They can handle anything.
And it was a difficult choice, but we feel comfortable that we understand the game. We know - we know how hot the lights can get, and we know.
HAMMER: Yes, exactly.
SMITH: Pull them back, and.
HAMMER: Well, when he starts asking for the big trailer.
(CROSSTALK)
HAMMER: Then - then you know you have issues.
Here we are now on - on the aftermath of this Michael Richards race - racial tirade that he went on. Black leaders are asking people to get together, stop using the n-word.
I`m curious of your take, if - if you think that`s a step in the right direction?
SMITH: It`s tough. It - it`s - it`s a though that in a public forum, it absolutely, positively should never be used. And there is a - a comfort that the younger generation has found with it. But it doesn`t have the meaning to my son that it had to my grandmother, you know? The - he has no idea how my grandmother feels about that word, you know? My son has never been called that.
So it`s - it - it is a - it is a much different generational issue that is - is - education is the only way that it`s going to be cured. I think black folks, we`re - we`re a little scared of the history of the slavery. So we - we kind of - we - we don`t talk about slavery. So there`s an educational aspect that is missing. Anybody under 40 years old has no real education on what the history of that word is.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HAMMER: Well, there is some big Oscar buzz about Will for this role. And you can catch Will, with his son, Jaden Smith, in "The Pursuit of Happiness," when it hits theaters on December 15.
ANDERSON: We`ve been getting a lot of responses from the stars and from you about 50 Cent`s comments on Oprah Winfrey. He said that Oprah has been so much time catering to white women, she has essentially become one herself.
SHOWBIZ TONIGHT caught up with the stars at the Billboard Music Awards to get their take on the debate.
Here`s what Kathy Griffin told us.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KATHY GRIFFIN, COMEDIAN: Well, the majority of Oprah`s audience is white women. It`s a fact. I think she caters to everybody. I think she`s, you know, our friend, our neighbor, our sister, our confidant.
But it`s pretty funny seeing a throw down between Fiddy and Oprah. Because I`ll tell you, my money`s on Oprah. I`ll tell you right now; I don`t care how many times he`s been shot. My money is on Oprah. He`s going down.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: She can never be serious.
Now we`ve been hearing from lots of you on this topic. We asked you to vote on our SHOWBIZ TONIGHT "Question of the Day": "Oprah Criticized: Has she lost touch with the average person?"
The vote so far: 73 percent of you say yes; 27 percent of you say no.
Here are some of the e-mails we received:
D. from New York writes, "When is the last time 50 Cent built a school in Africa or donated millions to education?"
And Diane from Illinois says, "Oh please! Oprah hasn`t been in touch with reality for years. How could she, with all her money?
We appreciate your e-mails. Keep voting, and keep e-mailing.
SHOWBIZ TONIGHT is coming right back.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: 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, when 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. Eastern.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HAMMER: Welcome back to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, TV`s most provocative entertainment news show. I`m A.J. Hammer in New York.
It is time now to see what is coming up tomorrow on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
And tomorrow, growing up with the most famous parents on the planet. You know, the Shilohs, Suris and Sean Prestons of the world are seeing those paparazzi flashbulbs from Day One. So SHOWBIZ TONIGHT has to ask, can kids of stars ever have a normal life? That`s tomorrow.
Also tomorrow, this guy, Rob Lowe, is going to be here. He`s got a holiday movie, one of the very first movies to shoot in New Orleans after Katrina. We`ll talk to him about that, and of course about all the highs and lows of being in the spotlight all the time. Rob Lowe tomorrow, in the interview you`ll see only on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. The ladies are already lining up outside our studio, Brooke.
And that is it for SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. Thanks for watch. I`m A.J. Hammer in New York.
ANDERSON: Have a great night, everyone. I`m Brooke Anderson in Hollywood.
"GLENN BECK" is coming up next. That`s right after the headlines from CNN Headline News. Keep it right here.
END
