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Showbiz Tonight
Inquest Into Daniel Smith`s Death Begins; Lindsay Lohan Speaks Out About Her Time in Rehab
Aired March 27, 2007 - 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: Lindsay Lohan speaks out about her time in rehab. And a fascinating look at the similarities between Anna Nicole Smith and Marilyn Monroe. I`m A.J. Hammer in New York. TV`s most provocative entertainment news show starts right now.
On SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, the mysterious death of Anna Nicole Smith`s son. The controversial inquest into Daniel`s death begins in the Bahamas. And SHOWBIZ TONIGHT is right there.
Tonight, the troubling questions. What really killed Daniel? Is there a link between his death and his mother`s? And will this become a criminal case?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HARVEY LEVIN, TMZ.COM: Howard K. Stern is in the clear when it comes to Anna Nicole`s death. It`s a different story with Daniel.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: Plus, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT dares to ask the most controversial question of all, what if Daniel Smith had lived. Tonight, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT with the fascinating scenario of what could have happened if only Daniel had not died.
Hello, I`m A.J. Hammer in New York. And tonight we are asking an explosive question that is sure to stir up controversy, what if Anna Nicole Smith`s son Daniel did not die? You will be fascinated by the possibilities. That`s coming up in a just a bit. But first tonight, the mystery surrounding Daniel`s death.
One day after we finally learned what killed Anna Nicole, a court in the Bahamas today begin its investigation into the murky story that surrounds Daniel`s strange death. Tonight, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT with the disturbing questions that have to be answered.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Daniel was, without question, the most important person in Anna`s life.
HAMMER (voice-over): In life, Anna Nicole Smith and her son Daniel shared a strong and loving bond. But now they share a more gruesome link. The cause of the son`s death --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The cumulative effect of three brain depressant drugs.
HAMMER: The cause of the mother`s death.
DR. JOSHUA PERPER, BROWARD COUNTY MEDICAL EXAMINER: Combined drug intoxication.
HAMMER: Mother and son, both killed by fatal drug combinations, less than six months apart.
LEVIN: It is interesting that you have two people, both young, who died of a drug overdose.
HAMMER: Now that we know what killed Anna Nicole Smith, all eyes now go to the Bahamas, where a jury inquest is under way into Daniel Smith`s tragic death.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What are your expectations going in today?
VIRGIE ARTHUR, ANNA NICOLE SMITH`S MOTHER: Justice.
HAMMER: SHOWBIZ TONIGHT was right there as Anna Nicole Smith`s mother, Virgie Arthur, who isn`t testifying, and Smith`s ex-boyfriend Larry Birkhead, who is, arrived at the hearing.
LARRY BIRKHEAD, EX-BOYFRIEND OF ANNA NICOLE SMITH: I just came to tell the truth.
HAMMER: All the players in this sordid Anna Nicole story gathered once again for the latest chapter in this disturbing tale. But this chapter could end with someone in jail for a young man`s sad death.
LEVIN: If a jury decides that it was an accident, so be it. If the jury decides that it was a homicide, they can actually recommend to the attorney general that charges be filed.
HAMMER: Authorities in the Bahamas have yet to officially sign off on the death of Daniel Smith. The 20-year-old collapsed last September in this Nassau hospital soon after he arrived to visit his mother, who had just given birth to Dannielynn.
BROOKE ANDERSON, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT ANCHOR: The body of Smith`s 20-year- old son, Daniel Smith, was found yesterday.
HAMMER: It was big news and an eerie foreshadow of the tragic fate that awaited Anna Nicole. Pathologist Cyril Wecht did a private autopsy on Daniel`s body and announced last September that Daniel died from a lethal combination of three drugs.
DR. CYRIL WECHT, PATHOLOGIST: Methadone, which is an analgesic, a painkiller, Zoloft, an anti-depressant, and Lexapro, an anti-depressant.
HAMMER: Now, Wecht tells me nothing has changed about his view that Daniel`s death was accidental.
WECHT: I do believe, definitely, it was an accidental death, in that nobody did anything of a malevolent intentional nature to harm, let alone kill Daniel Smith.
HAMMER: But TMZ.com`s Harvey Levin tells SHOWBIZ TONIGHT we`re left with a lingering mystery.
LEVIN: I think the 64,000 dollar question in this inquest is: How did Daniel Smith get that methadone? How did this kid go from being fine on the airplane to dead in the hospital room in a matter of hours?
HAMMER: The Bahamas chief magistrate shared with SHOWBIZ TONIGHT his plans for the inquest.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There will be about 40 witnesses.
HAMMER: The list does include one key individual who wasn`t anywhere near the scene of Daniel`s death, Anna Nicole`s ex-boyfriend Larry Birkhead.
BIRKHEAD: I`m just here to do what I think`s right to help Daniel.
HAMMER: TMZ`s Levin tells SHOWBIZ TONIGHT one witness will have a shocking accusation aimed at Anna Nicole`s companion, Howard K. Stern.
LEVIN: We know at least one witness is going to say that Howard K. Stern gave Daniel Methadone and that after he died, he flushed the remainder down the toilet.
HAMMER: Once again, Stern finds himself front and center in this Anna Nicole tale. Anna Nicole`s mother, Virgie Arthur, rarely goes on TV without hinting or outright stating that Stern played some role in those deaths.
ARTHUR: My grandson did not overdose. Howard was there when he died and Howard was there when my daughter died.
HAMMER: And just hours after Broward County medical examiner Josh Perper announced that Anna Nicole died accidentally --
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Howard is not vindicated.
HAMMER: Stern`s attorneys went on TV to angrily claim something that sort of sounded like vindication for their client.
KRISTA BARTH, ATTORNEY FOR HOWARD K. STERN: Dr. Perper stated there is not an iota of credible evidence against my client.
This was a shameful and merciless sacrifice of one man for the entertainment of others.
HAMMER: Nevertheless, TMZ.com`s Harvey Levin tells SHOWBIZ TONIGHT that where Daniel`s death is concerned, Stern still faces some tough questions.
LEVIN: There were three people in that room, two of them are dead. Howard K. Stern is going to testify. And it will be interesting to see how it all shakes out.
HAMMER: So elsewhere in the Bahamas, the bodies of mother and son rest side by side, as everyone struggles to make sense out of a dual mystery that isn`t completely solved.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HAMMER: With so many similarities between Anna Nicole`s death and her son`s, the troubling question that needs to be resolved, is there somehow a link between these two deaths? With me tonight in New York, Ashleigh Banfield, host of Court TV`s "Hollywood Heat." Joining me tonight from Hollywood, investigative journalist Jane Velez-Mitchell, who is also the author of this soon-to-be released book, "Secrets Can Be murder." Jane, Ashleigh, good to see you both.
The one thing that keeps coming up over and over here is this Methadone connection. The autopsy on Anna Nicole shows that she had taken Methadone in the days before her death. We know that Methadone was one of the drugs in the combination of drugs that killed Daniel. Is there something here, Jane, or is this really just one big conspiracy theory?
JANE VELEZ-MITCHELL, INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALIST: I think Harvey Levin said it. The question is, why did he have this Methadone in his system and who gave it to him? But the even bigger question is, did he want it? Let`s face it, Daniel was an adult, a young adult, but still an adult. If he sought it -- let`s say he went to the hospital room, saw it there, picked it up, used it voluntarily, then that`s his responsibility when he dies.
Now, if someone gave it to him and then he said, OK, I`ll take it, I`ll try it. Again, he`s an adult. It`s his responsibility. Somebody may have enabled him. But where the line between enabling and criminality happens is going to be something that has to be decided by judge and jury.
HAMMER: And criminality has been ruled out, at least as of now, and they say the case is closed with Anna Nicole and the cause of her death. The coroner and the Florida police said no basis for a criminal investigation there. But I`ve got to ask you, Ashleigh, if the inquest into Daniel`s death concludes that that is a criminal case, is it then incumbent upon the Florida police to reopen their investigation, and can they do that?
ASHLEIGH BANFIELD, COURT TV ANCHOR: Oh no, they don`t have to do anything, especially since it`s another entire country that`s coming up with other findings. They could look at the Bohemians and say, they don`t know what they`re doing. The other thing is, A.J., police investigations do reopen a lot, but investigators aren`t crazy about doing it. They`re loathe to reopen investigations unless there`s really a good piece of evidence that comes along, especially after they give news conferences that say case closed with millions of people watching.
That said, watch for it, because if there`s a definitive link and there is some rally incriminating testimony that comes out of the Bahamas, yes, it`s entirely possible that the police in Florida just might come forward and reopen. Then again, a lot of times it takes outside pressure, like from a family member to go to the media and say, I demand the police look at this case again. But her family members are kind of all dead now.
HAMMER: And though they may be loathe to reopen the case, you know they`ll be playing close attention. That`s for sure. Let`s talk about that little news conference that Howard K. Stern`s lawyer held yesterday, to make it perfectly clear that the coroner`s report does not in any way suggest Howard K. Stern is responsible for Anna Nicole`s death.
She said, emphatically, case closed, over and over. Now, as we just heard as well, TMZ is reporting there is a witness who is going to give testimony in the inquest into Daniel Smith`s death that Daniel was given Methadone by Stern, and that Stern flushed some of it down a toilet after he died.
Jane, if you were Howard K. Stern, would you be shaking in your boots a little about this inquest?
MITCHELL: I would shaking in my boots, but I would be shaking a little less after what happened yesterday. I think what happened yesterday was a major change in the dynamic and the momentum of this whole saga. There had been this drum beat, from the public and the media, this is a tragedy, two people are dead, somebody`s got to pay, somebody`s responsible.
And then the medical examiner and the Seminole police chief said, hey, wait a second, the person who is responsible is the person who died in Anna Nicole Smith`s case. And I think that it`s going to be harder to prove criminality in Daniel`s death now that that has happened, because it kind of shoots a hole in the whole conspiracy theory.
Yes, I would be very concerned, but, once again, it gets down to personality responsibility. And in a lot of cases where you see people convicted and the victim has died of drugs, they`ve slipped the drugs to the person or they forced the person to take the drugs against their will. And at this point, I don`t see either of those two scenarios happening.
HAMMER: Personal responsibility, a very operative term here, and it`s something that I can`t help, and most people can`t help, coming back to. Because there`s so many eerie similarities when you look at these two deaths, with Anna Nicole and Daniel, most notably the drug overdoses. What`s still mind boggling to me and to so many others is how after Daniel`s death there are so many people who claim to be close to Anna Nicole who were seemingly turning a blind eye to her obvious drug problem.
Ashleigh, she had nine drugs in her body when she died.
BANFIELD: I think there`s two things to look at here. Anna Nicole was sort of surrounded by sycophants, who would cater to her every whim, and if they didn`t, they wouldn`t be around too long. I think that was part of the issue. But then I think the other issue is, the doctor said it clearly, those level of drugs within her were therapeutic. She did lose her son.
I`m going to go easy on her for a minute here. She did lose her son. And if it happened to me, I would probably be on Valium and a couple other things too. Now, that said, a drug addict, you should never introduce these things. But we aren`t in her shoes. We weren`t in her shoes. It`s hard to say what any of us would have done were we caring for Anna Nicole Smith, who was mourning the loss of her son Daniel. It`s really hard issue. I think it`s a great lesson for everybody.
HAMMER: Great lesson learned, but really, really hard to ignore in this case. Ashleigh Banfield, Jane Velez-Mitchell, thank you both, as always.
BANFIELD: Thanks A.J.
MITCHELL: Thank you A.J.
HAMMER: And now we`d like to hear from you for our SHOWBIZ TONIGHT question of the day. Here`s what we`re going for tonight; Daniel Smith inquest, do you think there will be criminal charges? Vote at CNN.com/SHOWBIZTONIGHT. You can e-mail us too; SHOWBIZTONIGHT@CNN.com is our e-mail address.
Remember, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT is also the only entertainment news show that let`s you express your opinion on video. So take advantage of that fact and send us a video e-mail. You get all the info you need at CNN.com/SHOWBIZTONIGHT.
HAMMER: Of course, we have a lot more to come on the Daniel Smith story tonight. And at 31 minutes past the hour, we`ll be taking a look at Daniel`s life, including why he hired a private investigator right before he died.
Plus, we`re asking, what if Daniel had lived? SHOWBIZ TONIGHT looks at the fascinating scenarios. That`s coming up.
Also, startling new information about how Anna Nicole was battling to keep her weight down. I`m going one-on-one with the head of TrimSpa, the diet company that Anna catapulted into the spotlight. We`ll speak to him next. And we`ll also have this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ANNA NICOLE SMITH, ACTRESS/MODEL: A lot of people give me presents that have Marilyn Monroe on them because they know that I really like her. I have pictures everywhere in my house.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: The eerie similarities between Anna Nicole and Marilyn Monroe. In life and death, these two had even more in common than you might think. That`s coming up. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT will be 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. We now know what killed Anna Nicole Smith, an accidental drug overdose, a combination of nine drugs in her body. But the autopsy report also reveals a fascinating insight into Anna Nicole`s constant struggle with her weight, that she was taking a variety of weight loss medications, including human growth hormone and Topamax.
As we know, for years Anna Nicole was the spokesperson for the diet pill TrimSpa. Alex Goen is the CEO of TrimSpa and was also a very close friend of Anna Nicole and family. Alex is joining me tonight in New York. I do appreciate you being here.
ALEX GOEN, TRIMSPA: Thanks for the opportunity.
HAMMER: Sure. As somebody who was very close with Anna Nicole, and of course these results came out her autopsy yesterday, made big news, did the results surprise you, Alex?
GOEN: I guess the surprise was, after looking at the media, accounts of how many different drugs that she would have -- she took, finding out that she took four drugs was kind of a surprise. Knowing Anna, it wasn`t so much a surprise.
HAMMER: When you say not so much of a surprise, you knew her to be somebody who would take a variety of medications at one time?
GOEN: I knew just the opposite. I had never seen her take any medicine personally. I knew that she was taking some sort of sedative. She mentioned it many times since Daniel`s passing. I didn`t know anything about any other medications she was taking. I knew that she was also taking some anti-seizure medicine, such as the Topamax and the other anti- seizure medicine that they`re suggesting had something to do with weight loss and that`s the --
HAMMER: Chloral hydrate?
GOEN: No, no, the Chlonofin (ph).
HAMMER: OK, that was another one that was in that report. And she was still at the time of her death working with TrimSpa? Wasn`t she?
GOEN: She was.
HAMMER: I know she was sort of winding down maybe, but earning, I think I heard you say on one report, about a half a million dollars a year working for your company?
GOEN: You know, I`m not exactly sure.
HAMMER: The number`s not so important. I`m curious if you knew at all, if you had any idea that she was taking any other weight loss medications at the time that she died.
GOEN: Well let`s take a look at the medications, because they were not weight loss medications. There were two anti-seizure medications and a side effect was weight loss. Just like a side effect to the sedatives is weight gain. So just because she was representing a weight loss company, you have to be balanced. OK, if she was taking a medicine that had a side effect of weight loss.
Now, if it was really any kind of serious weight loss, I can assure you the whole entire country would be taking these medicines for weight loss, because the side effect profile is not that extreme. That`s not the case. There`s a slight effect of weight loss, just like with any kind of sedative, it slows down your metabolism, there`s a slight effect of weight gain.
HAMMER: So, what you gathered from what we learned yesterday is the Topamax and other things that had that side effect of weight loss were not being taken for the effect of weight loss, if I understand you correctly.
GOEN: Well, she started taking those back in 1996. She put on a lot of weight since 1996. The human growth hormone she started in 1999. She probably was about as heavy as she ever was in 2001, 2002, 2003, which is when she started on TrimSpa.
HAMMER: Now, of course, we know that the Seminole Florida investigators say they found SlimFast in Anna Nicole`s hotel room at the Hard Rock. SlimFast a competitor in the weight loss market. Given that, did you feel in any way like she was two-timing you? I don`t know how to delicately to put it than that?
GOEN: Well, I mean, they also found on the same night stand Nicorette and nicotine gum. Did she have a smoking problem? Was she an ex-smoker? No. The nicotine gum was Howard`s and the SlimFast was Dr. Chris`s. I mean, Anna had numerous people in the room. Now, we have done many market surveys in which we actually find that when people buy TrimSpa, they by TrimSpa with a lot of other products. One of the products they buy it with very often is SlimFast. It`s a great product.
However she did not take SlimFast. She took TrimSpa. But Dr. Chris did take TrimSpa. She asked me numerous times. She suggested we should come out with a similar product to SlimFast. I just resisted coming out with a product like that.
HAMMER: I`m sorry I only have a few seconds to ask you this, are you hearing it all from your customers that they may have some concerns, given that Anna Nicole was the spokesperson for your company with the product now?
GOEN: We heard there were concerns prior to the toxicology report coming out. Now that it`s very clear that TrimSpa had nothing to do with Anna`s passing, I think all of that is now behind us.
HAMMER: Alex, I appreciate you sounding off on these and sort of filling us in on the reality of these issues. Alex Goen from TrimSpa, thank so much.
GOEN: Thank you.
HAMMER: Now yesterday we also asked you to vote on our SHOWBIZ TONIGHT question of the day. Anna Nicole Smith and her son, do you think there`s a link between their deaths? Sixty five percent of you say yes; 35 percent of you say no. Here are some of the e-mails we got.
Jan from Florida writes, "I can`t believe her drug use was ignored after knowing Daniel died of drug use. Didn`t anyone really care about her?"
Also heard from Laurie in Wisconsin, who writes, "Something weird is up when a 20-year-old just drops dead, and now his mother is dead a few months later."
And tonight we`re asking a provocative question: what if Daniel had lived? Would his mother still be alive today too? We`re going take a look at the fascinating scenarios coming up here at 31 minutes past the hour. Also this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LARRY KING, CNN ANCHOR: In many ways, she wanted to emulate Marilyn Monroe; the blonde hair, the beautiful body, the up and down love lives, the addictions.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: The eerie similarities between Anna Nicole and Marilyn Monroe. In life and in death, these two had even more in common than you think. That`s on the way.
Also, Katie Couric getting raked over the coals for her interview with presidential hopeful John Edwards and his wife, who has cancer. Was she too tough on them. We`ll play you the clip and I`ll tell you what I think, coming up next on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HAMMER: Tonight, a firestorm of controversy over Katie Couric`s interview with John and Elizabeth Edwards. Couric interviewed the couple over their decision to stay in the presidential race, even though Elizabeth`s cancer has returned. The blogosphere went nuts. Some people were saying on it Couric was too harsh and too unsympathetic, even though she has lost a husband herself to cancer. Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KATIE COURIC, "60 MINUTE": Some people watching this would say, I would put my family first always and my job second. And you`re doing the exact opposite. You`re putting your work first and your family second.
JOHN EDWARDS, PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: But this is not work. Work is what I did as a lawyer. This is service. This is a country that I love, both of us love, as much as we love our lives.
COURIC: I guess some people would say there`s some middle ground. You don`t have to necessarily stay at home and feel sorry for yourself and do nothing, but if given a finite -- a possibly finite period of time on the planet, being on the campaign trail, away from my children a lot of the time, and sort of pursuing this goal is not necessarily what I`d do.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: All right, I get why people may have been concerned. But I think people are being a little too harsh on Katie. She was tough, but she was fair. Even Edwards has come out himself saying he thinks that she was just asking the questions that a lot of Americans are asking themselves. I agree with what John Edwards says.
Moving on now, Lindsay Lohan out and about, speaking out about rehab. For the first time she`s talking about how she felt about her treatment. That`s coming up.
We`ll also have this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BANFIELD: Daniel seemed to be one of those young men who had it together. He seemed to be the adult in the relationship.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: A fascinating look back at Daniel Smith`s life. What he meant to his mother Anna Nicole and why he hired a private investigator in the days before his death. And the eerie similarities between Anna Nicole and Marilyn Monroe, coming up.
(NEWS BREAK)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HAMMER: Welcome back to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. It`s 30 minutes past the hour. I`m A.J. Hammer in New York.
ANDERSON: I`m Brooke Anderson in Hollywood. And you are watching TV`s most provocative entertainment news show.
HAMMER: Brooke, a lot of rumors floating around about Britney Spears ever since she entered rehab. The most recent one that`s out there in a big way: did she try to kill herself, and - and perhaps shout all sorts of very strange things? The SHOWBIZ TONIGHT "Truth Squad" gets to the bottom of that in just a moment.
And we`ll speak with a guy who is now looking like somewhat of a hero in the whole Britney Spears saga: Kevin Federline. Did I just say that out loud?
ANDERSON: You did. You did. Who would have thought it, you know?
HAMMER: Oh goodness.
ANDERSON: K-Fed coming up.
Also, A.J., straight ahead, a CNN reporter takes us behind the scenes on a chase to find Anna Nicole`s baby daughter Dannielynn, who`s basically been hidden in the Bahamas since her birth. It`s a real - really special look at covering this circus of a story.
HAMMER: Yes, what a frenzy, it is, Brooke.
ANDERSON: Absolutely.
And, you know, here at SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, we love our celebrities. But we just can`t help pointing out when some of their less-than-stellar interview moments create some of the most embarrassing pieces of television history.
That`s why we`ve compiled what we think are some of the best, most embarrassing celebrity interviews ever.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DANNY DEVITO, ACTOR: (INAUDIBLE)
ANDERSON (voice-over): Whether it`s Danny DeVito`s nonsensical ramblings on "The View" ..
BRITNEY SPEARS, ENTERTAINER: (INAUDIBLE)
ANDERSON: ...or Britney Spears` emotional breakdown on "Dateline NBC," SHOWBIZ TONIGHT brings you the top five "Most Embarrassing Celebrity Interviews Ever." Sitdowns, throwdowns and meltdowns the stars probably wish had never happened, and have us asking: what the heck were they thinking?
HOWARD BRAGMAN, FIFTEEN MINUTES PUBLIC RELATIONS: They`re really not thinking, and that`s the problems.
TOM CRUISE, ACTOR: You don`t even - you`re glib. You don`t even know what Ritalin is.
TERESA STRASSER, TV GUIDE CHANNEL`S "TV WATERCOOLER": But then when he was so condescending to Matt Lauer, and when he insulted therapy -- of which I get and need a lot -- now you`re pissing me off.
CRUISE: And she doesn`t understand the history of psychiatry. She - she doesn`t understand in the same way that you don`t understand it, Matt.
ANDERSON: It`s mission impossible to forget Tom Cruise and his anti- psychiatry rant on the "Today" show, when Tom went off on host Matt Lauer about Brooke Shields` use of antidepressants for her postpartum depression. That put him in the top 5 of SHOWBIZ TONIGHT`s "Most Embarrassing Interviews Ever."
BRAGMAN: I think Tom is an incredibly passionate man. Passionate about his belief in Scientology, passionate about his wife and his family. And I sometimes think the emotional element get in the way of his rational thinking about it.
ANDERSON: That interview pretty much made his Oprah-couch-jumping interview - we`ll call that one "5A" - look tame in comparison.
OPRAH WINFREY, TALK SHOW HOST: We`ve never seen you behave this way before.
CRUISE: I know.
WINFREY: Have you ever felt this way before?
(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)
WINFREY: You`re gone. You are gone.
STRASSER: Oprah kept telling him, `You are gone. You are gone.` You know who was gone? His publicist.
ANDERSON: Well, Tom Cruise may be gone, but he`s not alone.
SPEARS: You have to realize that we`re people. And that we need - we just need privacy, and we need our respect. And - and those are things that you have to have as a human.
ANDERSON: This "Dateline""interview, which took place with Britney`s handlers nowhere in sight, is SHOWBIZ TONIGHT`s fourth "Most Embarrassing Interview Ever."
STRASSER: The aesthetics were a mess. I mean, the look of her - it looked like, you know, she wasn`t a multimillionaire, but she was somebody who needed to rotate the tires on her house.
ANDERSON: Even ageless beauty Farrah Fawcett had to explain away her 1997 space-cadet moment on "The Late Show With David Letterman," which landed her on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT`s list as the No. 3 "Most Embarrassing Interview Ever."
BRAGMAN: Did you ever consider that maybe Farrah Fawcett is spacey?
DAVID LETTERMAN, TALK SHOW HOST: Now, a lot of people said to me, Well, what was the deal with Farrah Fawcett? Was she drunk? And I said, Oh, I - I don`t think so. You weren`t drunk, were you?
FARRAH FAWCETT, ACTRESS: No. You could have smelled it. That - that - that`s what I meant.
LETTERMAN: Yes, I know.
FAWCETT: You could have smelled it.
ANDERSON: Hmm. Smelled it, huh? Well, the question of whether or not Danny DeVito was drunk during his appearance on "The View" is one that the actor and his reps answer, `No way. He was just tired.`
DEVITO: I knew it was the last seven lemoncellos that was going to get me.
ANDERSON: It also got you, Danny, named as the No. 2 "Most Embarrassing Interview Ever."
STRASSER: I found Danny DeVito`s appearance refreshing because, you know, he was honest. He just said, I had some lemoncellos, and I`m hung over. Who has not gone to work a little hung over?
PAULA ABDUL, ENTERTAINER: Hey, you know what? It is what it is.
ANDERSON: Even some of the stars we may idolize can find themselves on the business end of an embarrassing and somewhat incomprehensible interview.
ABDUL: No animation. I`m helping cast four girls that are going to play the roles of these characters. And I get to play a role in it.
ANDERSON: Hey Paula, how about playing the role of SHOWBIZ TONIGHT`s No. 1 "Most Embarrassing Interview Ever"?
STRASSER: But she was looking here - and, you know, Paula Abdul, this is not her first day in show business. She wanted to look at the camera - she was looking over here, and she`s moving. She can`t stay in frame. She`s hyperkinetic. She was here, and she was here. She was all over the place.
ABDUL: Listen: any publicity is good publicity.
BRAGMAN: No, that`s one of the biggest myths of our business. There is definitely bad publicity.
ABDUL: You got to learn to eat it up and - and embrace it, and say, `Seattle had the best delusional people.`
ANDERSON: All right, Paula - we won`t go that far.
And the way these celebrities keep finding themselves in interviews that are - hmm, less than flattering - it doesn`t look like it`s going to end anytime soon.
CRUISE: What do you mean by that?
ANDERSON: Well, what SHOWBIZ TONIGHT means, Tom, is this: if you guys keep thinking you can go out in front of millions of people making a.
(DONKEY BRAYING)
ANDERSON: ...out of yourselves, we`re probably going to be there to say.
STRASSER: Now that was the most embarrassing celebrity ever.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: Celebrity public-relations expert Howard Bragman, who you saw in the piece, says some celebrities` embarrassing moments like Danny DeVito`s are harmless and handled well, while some, like Tom Cruise`s, can actually hurt their careers.
HAMMER: It is time now to call in the SHOWBIZ TONIGHT "Truth Squad." This is where our crack team of celebrity investigators sets the record straight on Hollywood`s biggest mysteries.
Tonight, we are opening the case file on a ridiculous story that has been making the rounds in a big way on the Internet. It claimed that Britney Spears, who of course is in rehab right now, wrote "666" on her head, said she was the antichrist, and tried to kill herself. This story was in the weekly British tabloid "News of the World" - not exactly the most reliable source.
And we all thought that there was no way it could possibly be true. And how could they get this information from inside a rehab center in any event?
Still, the story got picked up by a whole bunch of blogs. It went viral, as they say. And we were right to be skeptical, as things turn out.
A spokesperson at Britney`s record label told the SHOWBIZ TONIGHT "Truth Squad," "Not true at all."
And while Britney is in rehab, Kevin Federline took the kids to Vegas, Brooke. No truth to the rumor that he gambled the kids away.
So perhaps he`s stepping it up.
ANDERSON: Well, Vegas Strip, really an interesting choice to take the kids, A.J. But it is amazing to watch now the interview I did with Kevin - the last interview before he and Britney broke up. And that is coming up.
Also this:
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RUSTY DORNIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: We arrived in the Bahamas one day after Anna Nicole Smith died. Our task was to find Dannielynn, her five- month-old baby, who someday might be worth millions.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: Chasing Anna Nicole`s baby. We have a special, behind-the- scenes look at the media frenzy that`s happening as reporters try to get a glimpse of baby Dannielynn. That`s coming up next.
ANDERSON: And Scarlett`s in charge. Scarlett Johansson stars in the new movie "The Nanny Diaries." Your first look, straight ahead.
Stay with us.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A.J.`s going to desk with tracking (ph) for the E-block.
Master, roll your break, and effect black now.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Stand by, Brooke. Pre-set 7. Open her mike. Dissolve L.A. Go.
ANDERSON: Thank you, Charles (ph).
Welcome back to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. I am Brooke Anderson in Hollywood.
So with the Britney Spears in rehab, we`ve been doing some thinking about her ex, Kevin Federline. You know, everyone`s always giving him a hard time. But now that he`s helping to take care of their two kids, maybe we need to ease up on the guy.
Tonight, my one-on-one interview with Kevin. It was the last one he did before Britney left him late last year. Hearing him gush about his wife and kids got us thinking: maybe he`s not so bad after all.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KEVIN FEDERLINE, ENTERTAINER: Behind closed doors, everything is - is, you know, is great. It`s not always what they say it is, you know? I mean, we - we`re people, too. We`re - we`re happy behind closed doors. We play with the kids and run around the house, you know? And - and we do stuff that normal people do.
The tabloids and the whole media thing is - is so crazy in Hollywood right now. It`s - it`s not just us. It`s everybody`s getting it, everybody`s going through it.
It`s a money market right now, is what it is.
ANDERSON: You seem to really take it in stride.
FEDERLINE: Of course, because I look at it as - as a business, and they`re using my personal life as their business, you know? So I have to look at it like that. I can`t - I can`t take it personal. I can`t - I can`t be too serious about it.
At the same time, it`s been, like, their favorite past time to make fun of, and poke at, you know, my situation and stuff like that.
ANDERSON: Does that anger you? Does it frustrate you?
FEDERLINE: It`s all right. It`s all right. It`s - it`s my life.
The thing - I`m thankful for - for what I have. So if I got to go through that to be with the love of my life, and - and have wonderful children, then so be it.
ANDERSON: You knew what you were signing up for, huh?
FEDERLINE: I don`t know. I mean, more of, like, watching how everything is getting caught up and - and put out there, and, you know, stuff of that nature, I didn`t really expect all that.
ANDERSON: For adults, sometimes it`s got to be incredibly difficult to face that harsh criticism.
Do you guys ever talk about how it might affect your kids?
FEDERLINE: Lately I`ve been thinking about it more and more, and - and, you know, I`m just going to be as honest as I can, and really try to - to help build their character to be as strong as ours is, you know? And I think by them being able to look up to us and us handling it the way that we are right now, is - is going to do - work wonders, for my children.
ANDERSON: And you and Britney didn`t grow up being spoiled. They`re the kids of famous celebrity parents.
How are you not going to spoil those little ones?
FEDERLINE: Well, I know I`m not, you know? I don`t know about her. I think it`s one of those things where daddy`s the disciplinarian, and mommy is - is giving you everything behind daddy`s back.
(LAUGHTER)
ANDERSON: So you`re going to work to keep them grounded?
FEDERLINE: Of course. Of course.
You know, I`ve made a couple of comments about fame, and my kids are going to be put in - in, you know, working at Taco Bell when they`re 16 so they know what a real job is like, and - and know what it`s like to - to really earn money. And, you know, it`s - it`s a lot of respect, it`s a lot of lessons in life that I - I want my children to go through, because I can`t - you know, I can`t give it all to them.
ANDERSON: Well, we all know that keeping our relationship together is hard enough, no matter what situation you`re in.
How much harder is it when you add fame, and when you add being in the spotlight 24/7?
FEDERLINE: It - it - it`s - it`s - it`s tough. You know, it`s tough. But at the same time, we know who we are. We know what we have, and we know what we have together. And that`s all that matters. Everything else is - is on the other side of the fence.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: I also asked Kevin if he had advice for other couples under the spotlight in Hollywood. And he told me he`d been trying to figure out what made a marriage work. And even though he had thought long and hard about it, he did not have an answer.
And we`ve been asking you to vote on our SHOWBIZ TONIGHT "Question of the Day." It is this: "Kevin Federline: Is everyone too hard on him?"
Keep voting at cnn.com/showbiztonight. And write to us, 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 video. To send us a video e-mail, just go to our Web site, cnn.com/showbiztonight.
HAMMER: Tonight, chasing Anna Nicole`s baby. Ever since Anna Nicole died, we haven`t gotten a glimpse of Dannielynn. But it isn`t for lack of trying.
Dannielynn has been hidden from the sight in the Bahamas. CNN sent a reporter, Rusty Dornin, on a mission to find Dannielynn. And what Rusty actually found was a media frenzy unlike any other.
Here`s a special, behind-the-scenes look at what it`s been like covering this story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DORNIN: We arrived in the Bahamas one day after Anna Nicole Smith died. Our task was to find Dannielynn, her 5-month-old baby, who somebody might be worth millions.
But here we are in a country where they drive on the other side of the road. We`re in unfamiliar territory. So we hired our driver, Mark Bacian (ph), and the hunt was on to find the baby.
Do you know where the house is?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, I - I got some information.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Get Shorty (ph) back over here. Let`s talk to Shorty.
DORNIN: Yes, we need to talk to Shorty.
(CROSSTALK)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Shorty, come on. You said you knew.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (INAUDIBLE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (INAUDIBLE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: All right, Shorty.
DORNIN: All right, Shorty. All right, come on, you got to show us where now.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (INAUDIBLE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.
DORNIN: Right there. (INAUDIBLE) right there. (INAUDIBLE)
From sources we developed on that ride, we found the house where the baby is. It became a media encampment overnight, with people staking it out 24 hours a day.
Have you ever seen the baby?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I have heard the baby over the intercom.
DORNIN: That was it, huh?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, pretty much.
DORNIN: Is anyone there? Could we talk to you? You`re coming out to just see what`s going on at the house?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (INAUDIBLE)
DORNIN: What`s that?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We`re here on a cruise, right? And we have a cab driver that`s bringing us, showing us around. And we said we want to ride by, see what Anna Nicole..
DORNIN: Did you - what`s that?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (INAUDIBLE)
DORNIN: You`re going to assume that your DNA is (INAUDIBLE), OK.
But why do you - why do you want to come out here?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (INAUDIBLE)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Well, I mean, we`re traveling and there`s not a whole lot of sights to see in Nassau, and.
DORNIN: This is one of them now.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This is one of them, yes.
DORNIN: The story moved from "Where`s the baby?" to "Who will have custody of the baby?" And the issue came to the Bahamian courts and an international mob of media.
Here`s an example of the madness surrounding the courthouse for the guardianship hearing for Anna Nicole Smith`s baby daughter. And also, the hearing to see who really owns the house. You can get a look at the crowd; there`s a lot of people that are tourists here. They`ve just been hearing about it on the news and want to see what happens.
The media crunch is unlike anything, really, that I`ve - I`ve seen even during Michael Jackson and Scott Peterson. When Virgie Arthur left this afternoon, there was a crush of photographers, and tourists were jumping on top of the limousine. It was - it was just really something.
There have been a lot of people that approaching us for all sorts of things. Pictures - they`re showing us picture of Anna Nicole when she was pregnant. We`ve had somebody come up and claim that he was a tattoo artist for both Howard Stern and Anna Nicole. And we have this gentleman over here who is talking to our producer, Mike Falein (ph). Now he is from Germany, and he claims that he married Anna Nicole; he bought her the house that`s - this house that`s in question, and he paid $900,000 for it, and then he gave it to her. And he also says he`s the father of the baby.
But he doesn`t want to do an interview here and now with us. So things keep getting wackier, and another man claiming to be the father.
This is my last day in the Bahamas. There`s been precious little beach time on this story. I have never seen such an international media frenzy. The saga continues, and I have no doubt I`ll be back.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HAMMER: The bounty on that first picture is huge, making the competition insane.
That was CNN`s Rusty Dornin for SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
ANDERSON: Yesterday, we asked you to vote on our SHOWBIZ TONIGHT "Question of the Day": "Anna Nicole Smith Saga: Does her baby belong with Howard K. Stern?"
Thirty-one percent of you say "yes"; 69 percent of you say "no."
And here are some of the e-mails we received:
Nicole from Mississippi writes, "I don`t think Dannielynn should be with Howard. He is an evil man. Just look at this eyes."
Mary from Maryland writes, "The baby should stay with Howard. He has always been there for Anna Nicole when others have always left."
Tony from Indiana says, "Howard should have the baby. Clearly, she went to great lengths to keep the baby away from Larry Birkhead."
We do appreciate your e-mail.
HAMMER: We certainly do.
And how would you like to have Scarlett Johansson as your nanny? Well, it would be kind of nice, wouldn`t it?
Scarlett is in charge in a new movie, based on the best-selling book, "The Nanny Diaries." We`re going to have your very first look. That`s coming up next in the "SHOWBIZ Showcase."
SHOWBIZ TONIGHT`s coming right back.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Ready Y-sound (ph) for tonight`s promo. In 3, 2 - roll Y. Dissolve sound.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Fade up, start your push, Don (ph). Music under. Stand by, Brooke. Pre-set 7. Open her mike. Dissolve L.A. Go.
ANDERSON: All right. In tonight`s "SHOWBIZ Showcase," Scarlett Johansson stars in "The Nanny Diaries" as a college student who gets hired by a snooty New York family. What seems to be just another normal nanny position turns into the job from hell.
Here`s your first look.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SCARLETT JOHANSSON, ACTRESS: Child-rearing around the world boasts a wide variety of customs and mores.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Stood eating them boogers!
JOHANSSON: In Africa, they have this saying: "It takes a village to raise a children." But the tribe of the Upper East Side of Manhattan, it takes just one person: the nanny.
(MUSIC)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Dear nanny, welcome on board. Please, make yourself at home.
Nanny, what are you doing? This is your room.
JOHANSSON: Oh. Very (INAUDIBLE)
ANNOUNCER: This spring.
JOHANSSON: Why don`t we race to the front desk?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: That`s my finger. Ow.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I am not letting go until you open the door!
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Pardon me, you (INAUDIBLE)
JOHANSSON: I`m here (INAUDIBLE)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I`m taking off all my clothes.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Seems to be popular on this floor.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Nanny, today is the Fourth of July party. Costumes aren`t required (ph).
JOHANSSON: What`s wrong? Why won`t you shake your booty?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Because I have to make a doody.
JOHANSSON: (INAUDIBLE)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Nanny, I need you to stop (INAUDIBLE) and pick up Mr. X`s watch. Then I need you to Xerox some recommendation letters for Gray`s (ph) collegiate application.
Also, we should introduce French food into his diet. It might enhance his study of the language.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Dry cleaning.
JOHANSSON: What are you doing here? Get out of here right now.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Not until you at least see me (ph).
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He`s a little out of your league, don`t you think?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You got to quit; it`s just that simply.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I always wanted to quit, but I can`t leave (INAUDIBLE)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (INAUDIBLE), it is yoga hour, and mom is on the phone.
ANNOUNCER: Scarlett Johansson, Laura Linney, Alicia Keys, Chris Evans.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I don`t know what`s gotten into him (INAUDIBLE). I installed a nanny cam.
JOHANSSON: OK, Linney (ph). I`ll give you nanny`s (INAUDIBLE)
ANNOUNCER: .in a comedy about life at the top, as seen from the bottom.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I believe this videotape shows her feeding my child peanut butter and jelly (INAUDIBLE)
JOHANSSON: (INAUDIBLE), lady. Try smiling once in awhile. People hate you.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Cheer up. The teddy bear has been compromised.
ANNOUNCER: "The Nanny Diaries."
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: I love the book this one is based on.
"The Nanny Diaries," A.J., opens April 20, if you`re interested.
HAMMER: I am interested, but I didn`t read the book.
That is it for SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. Thanks a lot for watching. I`m A.J. Hammer in New York.
ANDERSON: I am Brooke Anderson in Hollywood. Have a great night, everyone.
"GLENN BECK" is next, right after the latest headlines from CNN Headline News.
END
