Return to Transcripts main page
Showbiz Tonight
Stars Give Advice on Rehab and Addiction; "American Idol" Outrage
Aired April 05, 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: The woman who played Marcia on "The Brady Bunch" opens up about her cocaine addiction. I`m A.J. Hammer in New York.
BROOKE ANDERSON, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT ANCHOR: And Valerie Bertinelli`s new gig with Jenny Craig! I`m Brooke Anderson in Hollywood. TV`s most provocative entertainment news show starts right now.
HAMMER: On SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, Anna Nicole Smith`s prescription scandal. Eleven different drugs found in her hotel room and unbelievably all prescribed by the same doctor. Tonight, dramatic new developments in the demands for an investigation. Should the doctor be held accountable? Tonight, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT with the shocking new information that could blow the Anna Nicole mystery wide open.
"American Idol" outrage! Sanjaya survives again!
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He`s clearly, clearly not the best singer on that show.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: Is the show going down the tubes? Is the world coming to an end? Should we run for our lives? Tonight, the question on everyone`s minds, what if this guy actually wins? Tonight, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT with the surprising and startling Sanjaya scenarios.
Hello, I`m A.J. Hammer in New York.
ANDERSON: Hi there everyone. I`m Brooke Anderson in Hollywood. And remember Maureen McCormick (ph)? She played Marcia Brady on "The Brady Bunch" She was one of the most wholesome sitcom stars ever? Well, tonight she is opening up to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT about how she beat a cocaine addiction. She tells us her story, coming up.
HAMMER: But first tonight, I have to admit, I even shudder at the thought of even having to ask this question, but here goes anyway: what if Sanjaya wins "American Idol?" Yikes.
ANDERSON: Yikes is right, A.J. Well, let me tell you, there is great consternation on planet Earth tonight at the very idea that it could happen. And SHOWBIZ TONIGHT is asking, is it time to flee for our safety and head to higher ground?
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON (voice-over): And Sanjaya lives to shriek another day. With the elimination of rock babe Gina Glocksen, 17-year-old Sanjaya Malakar is now in "American Idol`s" elite eight. That`s despite a questionable singing ability that`s earned him scorn from the show`s judges.
RANDY JACKSON, "AMERICAN IDOL": I can`t even comment on the vocals anymore.
ANDERSON: TV critics.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He`s not a powerful singer. His vocals are quite thin.
ANDERSON: And even fans I have talked to.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He doesn`t have very much talent.
ANDERSON: Sure, he`s not the most notoriously bad singer in "American Idol" history. That title still belongs to novelty act William Hung. But even "American Idol" host Ryan Seacrest tells CNN Headline News Adriana Costa that he`s baffled by Sanjaya`s success.
RYAN SEACREST, "AMERICAN IDOL": I walked into the hotel. You know, people are saying get rid of Sanjaya, and I`m thinking well, if everybody is screaming than how is he staying in the competition?
HAMMER: Here are the theories. Some say "American Idol" haters, like those behind the website VoteForTheWorst.com, are encouraging people to vote for Sanjaya to deal the show a fatal blow to its credibility. Others say young girls, attracted to Sanjaya`s non-threatening good looks, are helping him too.
Whatever the reason, it`s clear America`s most well known "American Idol" contestant is not the best singer, and it has SHOWBIZ TONIGHT asking, what if he actually wins this thing?
OK, maybe you won`t see panic in the streets like in a 1950s monster movie, but a Sanjaya win would pose a lot of tricky situations, and SHOWBIZ TONIGHT breaks them down for you. First question, what would happen to "American Idol?"
MARISSA GUTHRIE, "NEW YORK DAILY NEWS": If Sanjaya did actually win this thing, I think the show would take a hit.
ANDERSON: Marissa Guthrie of the "New York Daily News" tells SHOWBIZ TONIGHT that if Sanjaya defeats the more talented singers on the show, fans will flee in droves.
GUTHRIE: Fox has over 30 million people watching this show two times a week, and if people become disillusioned with the credibility of it, then they have a big problem.
ANDERSON: The second big question, how well would Sanjaya sell? The big winner of "American Idol" is given a big-time record deal. And that reportedly has record companies worried.
HARVEY LEVIN, TMZ.COM: They are concerned that Sanjaya is going to sell more like William Hung than Kelly Clarkson.
ANDERSON: TMZ.com managing editor Harvey Levin tells SHOWBIZ TONIGHT that execs at Sony BMG, which will release the CD by the eventual "American Idol" winner, are worried about having to sell a Sanjaya record.
LEVIN: They think Sanjaya is like a pet rock and that he may not sell CD`s the way that somebody like Kelly Clarkson or Carrie Underwood might sell, and they feel that they could lose big bucks here.
ANDERSON: But then again, what`s the big deal? It`s not like record companies have never eagerly released records by singers with questionable voices. But forget Paris and the final question, what would happen to Simon? The cranky "American Idol" judge has threatened to quit if Sanjaya wins. But that may be just more of his British accented hot air.
GUTHRIE: Simon won`t be able to quit because he`s actually under contract.
ANDERSON: That contract pays him more than 30 million dollars a year, far more than what we get to listen to Sanjaya warbell his way through good songs. Still, all this talk about Sanjaya winning may be much ado about nothing. Ryan Seacrest echoes what other "American Idol" insiders are saying, Sanjaya`s days are probably numbered.
SEACREST: I don`t believe at this point, knowing how the votes are coming in, that he`s going to win the competition.
ANDERSON: But Sanjaya has gotten this far and his improbable run has helped Idol remain the most watched TV program in America. And even though Seacrest may not be the biggest Sanjaya fan, he appreciates what this teenage sensation is doing for the show.
SEACREST: He`s great for the show. People are talking about it. The beauty of "American Idol" is that it`s unplanned, spontaneous, live and we can`t really predict how it`s going to go down.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: And we want what you think about this. It is our SHOWBIZ TONIGHT question of the day: If Sanjaya wins, will you stop watching "American Idol?" Vote at CNN.com/SHOWBIZTONIGHT. Send us email at SHOWBIZTONIGHT@CNN.com. And you can also vote on the question of the day by sending a text to 45688. To vote yes, write Showbiz yes; to vote no, write Showbiz no. Once again, send that text to 45688.
HAMMER: Tonight, some startling news in the Anna Nicole Smith story. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT has confirmed that Anna Nicole Smith`s psychiatrist is now being investigated by the California medical board. As SHOWBIZ TONIGHT first reported, all 11 drugs that were found in Anna`s room were prescribed by Dr. Khristine Eroshevich, and eight of them were prescribed under the name Howard K. Stern.
Joining me tonight from A&E`s show "Intervention," in Hollywood Ken Seely, and in San Francisco, Tara Fields. Thank you both for being with us.
TARA FIELDS, "INTERVENTION": Hi, A.J.
KEN SEELY, "INTERVENTION": Hey, A.J.
HAMMER: So this is unbelievable. Dr. Eroshevich now the second of Anna Nicole`s doctors under investigation in California. The other is Sandy Kapur, that`s the doctor who prescribed the methadone to Smith under an alias when she was eight months pregnant. Ken, is this as disturbing to you as it is to some many others, because I find this hard to believe?
SEELY: It`s horrific. What it really boils down to is that these physicians are really killing these people out there. And it doesn`t happen -- you know, it`s not only happening with Anna Nicole. It`s happening every day. I watch it in my practice all the time. People are calling us up and saying, you know, this doctor is over-prescribing. There`s got to be some rules and regulations put down where these doctors can`t do this.
We have to do something about it. Because if we continue down this road, more and more people are going to continue to die and, you know, thank god this did happen this way, because Anna Nicole doesn`t have to die in vain. We can do something about it and put an end to all these doctors over medicating.
You know, if you`re not an addiction specialist, you really shouldn`t be prescribing to somebody that came out in 1995 as an addict. She admitted it.
HAMMER: Yes, and as you say, it is not in vein. I think a lot of people are paying attention to what happened here. They are paying attention to the combinations of drugs that led to her death. Tara, it would seem to me, following up with what Ken said, that these doctors should have been pointing her in the direction of help or an addiction specialists, rather than giving her more drugs, which is essentially what was happening here.
FIELDS: Absolutely. I think what`s also very important to look at is that this woman wasn`t just an M.D. She`s a psychiatrist. She`s a mental health professional. And I know in my practice, where I do a lot of talk therapy, whether someone`s an addict or not, before I would send anybody for a prescription, you have to deal with the emotional pain. She was grieving. She was suffering. And for someone that`s a mental health professional, and who keeps talking about how she`s a close friend, to have done this, shame, shame, shame.
And even if the medical board doesn`t find anything wrong, I will take a stand and say it`s immoral and it`s shameful.
HAMMER: There`s a lot of talk about moral accountability in this whole entire case. One of the more startling things that came out of this report that was just released by the Broward County medical examiner, 600 pills disappeared in the five weeks after they were first prescribed. 600 pills, that`s pretty scary. Is it even possible, Ken, that she could have taken all of those drugs?
SEELY: Absolutely. When you are addicted to drugs like that, you never have enough. You never have enough. And it`s so sad that, you know, there`s the people that could have stepped in and conducted a professional intervention. They are the ones that are responsible. They knew that they could have acted appropriately and did what was necessary to save her life.
I always say there`s five to seven people that are close enough to the addict that could do something to stop it. In this case we had her son that was trying to do something. We had, you know, Howard Stern that could have done something. We had the body guard that could have did something. We have the doctor right now being investigated that could have did something. We have a whole bunch of people that were on the sidelines watching her die that didn`t have to let it happen.
I mean, look at her last interview. It`s horrific to see that she was that loaded two days before she died, and nobody jumped in and did anything.
HAMMER: Well, that`s an excellent point, and, you know, you`re saying she had all these people appeared her. Those would have been the people, seemingly, who should have jumped in to have an intervention with her. So Tara, the question is, OK, we know that didn`t happen, but in the state that she was, with all of the drugs in her system and with everything going on, would an intervention even have worked for Anna Nicole Smith?
FIELDS: You know, I really think that the people around her were too far gone. We have talked here before about how seduced people can be when they are around someone who is famous. And whether you`re a layperson or somebody who is famous, it`s like oh, I don`t want to make them angry. I don`t want to make them angry. But, if nothing else, since we now know she had a temperature of 106, get her to the hospital.
There was no time for an intervention. And by law, anyone can do a 72-hour hold, which means get them in there involuntarily, and I think if they did just that, she would be alive today.
HAMMER: I think so too. I`m out of time. But everybody has been saying, oh no, she always said she was the one in control and she didn`t want to go to the hospital. That was it. I don`t care. Throw her over your shoulder. Take her to the hospital. Ken Seely, Tara Fields, thanks for joining us tonight.
Brooke, we have a lot more to talk about in the case of Anna Nicole Smith tonight. It looks like Howard K. Stern is a bit angry. Coming up, Howard`s threats! why Stern is actually threatening to retaliate against anyone who says that he had anything to do with Anna`s death. We`ll get into that at 31 minutes past the hour. We`ll also have this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I love Britney Spears. I would love to say, you know -- I would love to go and sit in her room with her an say, I`m going to be your mom for a minute. I`m going to really tell you what`s happening. And I`m going to tell you how much you`re going to regret all this.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Stevie Nicks has been there, done that, and has advice for Britney Spears! Coming up, what Britney can learn from Stevie and other stars with rehab success stories.
HAMMER: And Valerie Bertinelli is taking it one pound at a time. We are going to have your very first look at her new gig with Jenny Craig. That`s still to come on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. We`ll 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. Tonight, celebrity rehab success stories. As Britney Spears and Lindsay Lohan take it one day at a time following their stays in treatment, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT reveals what they can learn from stars who have beat their addiction. What`s their secret? It`s a SHOWBIZ TONIGHT special report.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
STEVIE NICKS, SINGER: Both times that I went into rehab, I knew. Nobody had to tell me. I said, book me in to Betty Ford.
HAMMER (voice-over): Stevie Knicks, front woman of the 70s super group Fleetwood Mac, getting candid with SHOWBIZ TONIGHT about her nearly deadly battle with cocaine and that powerful tranquilizer Clinpan (ph), and how rehab literally saved her life.
NICKS: I didn`t want to change. I didn`t want to stop doing what I was doing. People tried to talk to me and I didn`t really listen to anybody.
HAMMER: By the late 1980s, Nicks says her addiction to cocaine was so strong that the drug had burned a hole in her nose. In 1986, she went straight to the Betty Ford Clinic.
NICKS: I unfortunately think that you have to make your own mistakes.
HAMMER: Fresh out of treatment, a psychiatrist put her on Clinpan, the same drug Anna Nicole Smith was given to treat panic attacks. Stevie says she took Clinpan for eight years and was even under the influence at Bill Clinton`s 1993 inaugural bash. It was that high profile moment that drove Nicks to a second stint in treatment.
NICKS: Nobody makes you go to rehab. Believe me. You make yourself go to rehab. Nobody makes you aware that you have a problem. You`re the person that gets up out of bed one morning and says, things are going to change.
HAMMER: Stevie is not the only star to know and beat crippling addiction. Robert Downey Jr. spent most of the 1990s in and out of southern California courtrooms, jails and rehab centers, hooked on cocaine, alcohol and methamphedamines. Downey couldn`t come to grips with his addiction.
ROBERT DOWNEY JR., ACTOR: You know, there`s a reason it`s listed in the American Medical -- you know, in the book as a disease.
HAMMER: The headline making bouts with rehab eventually worked for Downey, who is now clean and sober, and working movies like "Zodiac," where he ironically plays a cross addicted reporter. On "Larry King Live," Downey talked about the second chance he`s been given at sobriety.
DOWNEY: Part of it is largely a moral issue, but I think once you have at opportunity to get the help you need to get out of it, you just have to remember that sometimes that train doesn`t come back around for seven years. It`s very specific how many chances you get.
HAMMER: Danny Bonaduce knows all about second chances. Bonaduce went from squeaky clean conniver on the "Partridge Family" to a conniving homeless addict when the show went off the air.
DANNY BONADUCE, ACTOR: I was on the "Partridge Family" and then I lived between the dumpsters at Gromon`s Chinese.
HAMMER: Danny did countless stints at rehab centers and detox facilities before finally going on the straight and narrow. He is now open and honest about his addictions on the VH-1 reality show "Breaking Bonaduce." Danny told SHOWBIZ TONIGHT`s Brooke Anderson that as many as 90 percent of rehab patients fall off the wagon. So for him, every day is a statistical victory, and sobriety is something he takes one day at a time.
BONADUCE: You and I could wrap up this show and grab a cocktail like civilized people, and I`d go home and life would be fine. The next day, I`d think, well, I`ll have two, and within three months to a year, I`d be in jail somewhere. That`s just the way it goes. So no, in the long run, I can`t have just one drink.
HAMMER: "Different Strokes" actor Todd Bridges hit rock bottom after his TV show ended in 1986. In 1989, Bridges was charged with shooting a drug dealer in a crack house after a four day cocaine binge. He was jailed and later went to rehab.
TODD BRIDGES, ACTOR: My father was very dysfunctional. He was an alcoholic and abusive.
HAMMER: Bridges tells SHOWBIZ TONIGHT`s Brooke Anderson the sexual and physical abuse he suffered as a child made him turn to drugs. Religion, he says, turned his life around. Religion, he says, turned his life around.
BRIDGES: Yes, I may have had problems growing up, like any other kid did. But I have turned -- completely turned my life around.
HAMMER: Now that Stevie Nicks has turned her life around, she`s got some advice for Britney Spears, who recently completed her own stint in rehab.
NICKS: I love Britney Spears, you know. I would love to say -- I would love to go sit in her room with her and say, I`m going to be your mom for a minute. I`m going to really tell you what`s happening, and I`m going to tell you how much you`re going to regret all this. But I don`t think until Britney is ready to make a change for herself, I don`t think anybody could tell her.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HAMMER: Stevie is a true class act. She is doing better than ever. She`s got a new CD called "Crystal Visions: The Very Best of Stevie Nicks," now in stores. And coming up, we`ve got another rehab success story. Maureen McCormick, the "Brady Bunch`s" Marcia. She is now coming clean about getting clean after her six-year battle with cocaine. That`s at 37 past the hour.
ANDERSON: It`s official. Whitney Houston`s divorce from Bobby Brown will become final this month, and Whitney`s getting custody of their daughter. A judge ruled that the divorce will be final April 24th. In court, Whitney said she didn`t need spousal or child support and that their 14-year-old daughter, Bobby Kristina, can`t depend on her father. Brown`s attorney says he will try to overturn the judge`s decision on custody.
Whitney and bobby were married for 14 years and went through lots of tough times. Bobby was arrested on drug and alcohol charges, and Whitney went to rehab twice.
Halle Berry sets the record straight about a report that she tried to commit suicide. Halle in her own words, next.
We`ll also have this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I`m devastated because I could prevent all of this.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: Honey, we`re killing the kids. Not just my opinion. Coming up, the startling show that reveals why so many kids have serious weight problems.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANDERSON: Well, tonight, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT can tell you that Halle Berry is really upset about a recent magazine article that had a shocking revelation that she tried to kill herself after her devastating divorce from baseball star David Justice. In "Parade Magazine," Berry Admitted to sitting in her car while it was running, trying to gas herself, but she pulled out at the last minute. Now Halle tells SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, during an interview for her new movie "Perfect Stranger," she was stunned that "Parade" dug up something from the past and sensationalized it.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HALLE BERRY, ACTRESS: I did disclose that ten years ago when it was relevant in my life, in the hopes that it might help someone. I think the part about it that`s a little frustrating now is that a magazine would regurgitate an incident or a story from many years ago and present it to the people as if it`s somehow current, you know, that they would be salacious about it and sort of manipulate people and think it`s something real today.
That`s the frustrating part, because I`m a person, deal with it when it`s happening, and then I like to move on and not dwell on the past.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Now, we reached out to "Parade Magazine" too, and they say that Halle offered up everything voluntarily and that the magazine, quote, focused on Halle`s triumph in overcoming adversity and becoming a strong and confident woman. "Parade" also said the interview took place just two months ago.
HAMMER: Well Brooke, there are two big stories tonight about wholesome `70s sitcom stars tonight. First, Maureen Mccormick. Of course, she was Marcia on "The Brady Bunch." She opens up to me about something a lot of people probably don`t know about her. She had a cocaine battle, an addiction battle. A very candid conversation still ahead.
ANDERSON: Looking forward to that, A.J. And, you remember Valerie Bertinelli, from "One Day At A Time." Well, now she`s taking life one pound at a time. Your first look at her new gig with Jenny Craig, next.
HAMMER: And Howard`s threats! Why Howard K. Stern is threatening to retaliate against anyone who says he had anything to do with Anna Nicole Smith`s death, 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: And I am Brooke Anderson in Hollywood. You are watching TV`s most provocative entertainment news show.
HAMMER: Well, Brooke, still to come tonight, it kind of feels like the `70s all over again. We have shocking stories about two child TV stars that we grew up with and certainly loved right here on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
First off, the explosive story of a lovely lady - and I do mean lovely - Maureen McCormick, who of course played Marcia Brady on "The Brady Bunch." She is right here with me, and she is speaking out about her startling cocaine addiction.
ANDERSON: Wow.
A.J., you remember Valerie Bertinelli as - as well, right? From "One Day at a Time."
HAMMER: Of course.
ANDERSON: Love her. Well, last night, right here on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, I first told you about Valerie`s courageous public battle to lose 30 pounds. Tonight, I`ve got your first look at just how she`s going to lose that weight. She`s teaming up with another star who went through the same thing. That is coming up in just a bit.
ANDERSON: But first, Howard K. Stern strikes back. Tonight, Anna Nicole Smith`s former companion and one of the guys who claims to her baby`s daddy is threatening to go after anyone who says he had a hand in Anna`s death.
With me tonight from New York, co-anchor of Court TV`s "Bloom & Politan: Open Court," Lisa Bloom.
And also in New York, investigative journalist Jane Velez-Mitchell. Jane is also the author of this book, "Secrets Can Be Murder." It is due out this summer.
Welcome to you both.
LISA BLOOM, COURT TV: Thank you.
ANDERSON: All right, Jane, let`s start with you. TMZ.com reporting that Howard K. Stern could be hiring pit bull lawyer Lin Wood to go after anybody who suggests that Stern basically killed Anna Nicole. This is the same attorney John and Patsy Ramsey, JonBenet`s parents, hired.
This is a pretty extreme move by Stern. What do you think drove him to this point?
JANE VELEZ-MITCHELL, INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALIST: Well, all the nasty, nasty things that have been said about him. I think Judge Larry Seidlin opened the door when he referred to him as "maybe an enabler." And then it was off to the races with everybody speculating.
But part of the speculation is because there`s so much secrecy. If we had known right at the outset that whoever Dannielynn`s father was, then none of this would be happening. We wouldn`t have all the reason to speculate. So he`s kind of created this problem for himself.
And also, when he`s on a reality show, as he was, it kind of invites everybody into your life to weigh in. And that`s what everybody`s been doing.
ANDERSON: Lisa, what do you think? Could Stern have a case here? Does - does everybody need to be careful about what they say about him? Or is Stern just being a little bit thin-skinned?
BLOOM: Well, people do have to be careful not to defame anyone. That`s making false statements of fact that tend to hold somebody up to disrepute.
Everybody can offer their opinions about Howard Stern. They can say that they don`t like him; they can ask hard questions about why he`s holding on to this baby that appears not to be his baby; why he`s taking certain legal action.
But you can`t make false statements. You can`t call somebody a murderer unless they`ve been convicted of a crime. And he has been subjected to a lot of slurs in the media. Maybe he`s just trying to protect himself.
ANDERSON: Yes, and, you know, Lin Wood, of course, specializes in defamation cases.
And Jane, a little earlier in the show, we reported that eight of the 11 prescription drugs found in Anna Nicole`s hotel room were prescribed to Howard K. Stern. Do you think he`s concerned that this is just going to reinforce the perception in a lot of people`s minds out there that maybe he had something to do with her death?
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Of course. It`s very upsetting information.
But my real question is, `What was Howard K. Stern`s relationship with this doctor slash psychiatrist who prescribed all 11 medications that were found in Anna Nicole Smith`s room?` Because, I mean, let`s face it, most of those medications were prescribed to Howard, all from her. And if you are a shrink, you should know that when you`re dealing with an addict, you do not leave all those medications there for her to use. Because addicts will always self-medicate and overmedicate given the opportunity.
And yet she was gone, I believe, the day before Anna Nicole Smith died.
ANDERSON: Yes. And now, of course, she is under investigation.
And that leads me to this: the former head of the Houston FBI, Don Clark, tells Court TV that he`s looking for anything and everything that could reopen the investigation into Anna Nicole`s death.
Lisa, he is the investigator hired by the firm that represents Virgie Arthur. Is there a chance this case could be reopened?
BLOOM: A homicide case is never completely closed. Cold cases are reopened all the time based on new evidence. If Don Clark, working for Virgie, finds something new, turns it over to the Seminole County Police chief or to any of the local authorities in Florida, and they think that`s enough to reopen the case, trust me, they`ll reopen it.
ANDERSON: One of the things that Clark has said is that there are inconsistencies in Stern`s statements, and the timeline of events.
Jane, what could he be talking about?
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Well, he`s being very vague. But some have claimed that - and I say claimed - that Howard K. Stern had a very specific routine that he followed checking up on Anna Nicole Smith all the time because of her health and emotional issues, and that on that day, TMZ, for example, reports that he went away at about noon, and was gone at 1:30, when the nurse noticed that Anna Nicole Smith was unconscious.
But we have to reinforce the fact that the medical examiner did say this was an accidental overdose. And we have to respect that.
ANDERSON: That`s right. Well, in - in addition to questions surrounding her death, there are also still the questions surrounding the paternity of the baby. And, you know, those results could be revealed some time next week.
Lisa, you know, if Larry Birkhead, hypothetically, proven to be the father, do you think that`s the end of it? Or could you.
BLOOM: No.
ANDERSON: .see Howard K. Stern pursuing this?
BLOOM: It is not the end of it. He could be found to be the biological father, but under the law of the Bahamas, that`s not the end of the question. They`re still going to look at who is the better parent. Howard K. Stern is going to say, `I`ve had this baby for seven months. I`ve bonded with her. I`m close to her. Even though I`m not biologically her father, I should have custody of this child.`
And the Bahamian law could favor that. Also, Virgie Arthur wants custody. She is the biological grandmother. So there`s three parties fighting here. Paternity`s only the first step. Custody will be the final step.
ANDERSON: That`s right. It is intense, that`s for sure.
OK, Jane Velez-Mitchell and Lisa Bloom, thank you both for your insight.
BLOOM: Thank you.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Thank you.
HAMMER: Now on to the shocking story of a child star. We all grew up with her; we all loved her show.
Tonight, Maureen McCormick, "The Brady Bunch"`s oldest Brady girl, Marcia Brady, opens up to me about her cocaine addiction. I sat down with Maureen, and she had some really good advice for some young stars who have already been in and out of rehab - talking about Britney Spears and Lindsay Lohan.
She also revealed just how bad her addiction got before she was able to kick it for good.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MAUREEN MCCORMICK, ACTRESS: It got really bad. I`m writing about it now in a book. It was awful. It took over my life, and it was an awful time.
HAMMER: What - what was that rock-bottom moment for you?
MCCORMICK: Rock bottom - there were a lot of rock bottoms. But one was just knowing that if I was to go on, that I could die.
HAMMER: Is it something - you say it - it took over your life. Was that financially, relationships.
MCCORMICK: Everything. Everything.
HAMMER: And you finally were able to come to grips with it and - and turn it around.
MCCORMICK: Yes, thank God.
HAMMER: And how did that happen?
MCCORMICK: Through therapy and through - what is it? - rehab. They have them everywhere nowadays, but, you know, back then it wasn`t as talked about. But that really helped a lot.
HAMMER: So you did enter a rehab program?
MCCORMICK: Yes.
HAMMER: And that was part of the key?
MCCORMICK: It was part of the key, yes. It was definitely part of the key, yes, I`d say. I had to totally disassociated with everyone who I was hanging out with and get a whole new set of friends and totally change my life.
HAMMER: Well, there are a lot of young stars out there in Hollywood now, as you know, who have been dealing with their own issues.
MCCORMICK: Right.
HAMMER: You know, it - it`s - it`s, some say, part of the rite of passage of being young in Hollywood. We`ve seen people from Britney Spears to Lindsay Lohan going in and out of rehab.
What kind of advice would you have, as somebody who has gone through that? Both - both as a - as a big star, as a - as an enormous household name, and somebody who also dealt with addictions?
MCCORMICK: I would say stick with it, hang in there. You can do it. And, you know, it`s - it`s so hard in this business, because, you know, we have all these images of this and that of what we`re supposed to be.
I think what`s helped me most in my life - but it`s also just because of me becoming 50, I think - but I just am really celebrating me, all of me, who I am. And, you know, I don`t feel like hiding anymore. This is - this is who I am. And I think every person has to find that for themself.
HAMMER: In terms of somebody like Britney Spears, who just got out of a rehab program, who may feel compelled to go back to some of her old haunts, or hang out with .
MCCORMICK: Sure.
HAMMER: .some of her old friends..
MCCORMICK: I didn`t. I had to totally say away. I had to totally cut all of that out.
HAMMER: And would you say to them that this is an essential component?
MCCORMICK: Absolutely.
HAMMER: That they should definitely stay away?
MCCORMICK: It was for me, yes. I would.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HAMMER: She is absolutely lovely, and 50 years old. Can you believe it?
You can catch Maureen McCormick on "Celebrity Fit Club" on VH-1 April 22.
ANDERSON: Oh, what an amazing person, A.J.
And another star - a child star that I absolutely loved, "One Day at a Time" star Valerie Bertinelli. Well, she is speaking out about her emotional battle to lose weight. I`ve got your first look at just how she`s going to do it.
Also this:
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (voice-over): They watch at least five hours of TV every day, and as for exercise, this is as close as they get to it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: I`ve got a shocking look at childhood obesity. I just can`t believe it - parents letting their kids eat anything they want. An explosive TV show, "Honey, We`re Killing the Kids." That`s next.
ANDERSON: A.J., you know John Travolta flies his own plane, right?
HAMMER: I do. He loves to fly. He`s a big-time pilot.
ANDERSON: Got his pilot license. Well, we heard he had to make a really scary emergency landing. The SHOWBIZ TONIGHT "Truth Squad" checks that out, straight ahead.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: .A.J. to the couch for the next segment.
Master, roll your break, and effect black.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANDERSON: Welcome back to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. I`m Brooke Anderson in Hollywood.
Time now for "The SHOWBIZ Weight Watch," Hollywood`s obsession with body image.
All right, tonight, your first look at Valerie Bertinelli`s courageous battle to lose weight. Now I first told you about the "One Day at a Time" star`s public mission to lose 30 pounds by September. As part of her push, she`s been named spokeswoman for Jenny Craig Weight Loss Centers, joining Kirstie Allen.
Here`s your very first look at their brand new commercial together.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KIRSTIE ALLEY, ACTRESS: Hey, Jenny? Listen, I`m not fat anymore, but my friend Valerie Bertinelli is.
VALERIE BERTINELLI, ACTRESS: Hello? Standing right here.
ALLEY: Oh, no, she`s going to love you. Your program was so easy for me to stick with, I lost 75 pounds. No, she`s not fat like I was; she`s just sort of fat.
BERTINELLI: Tell her I want to lose 30 pounds.
ALLEY: You tell her.
BERTINELLI: Oh no, too shy.
ALLEY: Shy? You`re losing weight in front of millions of people.
BERTINELLI: I am?
ANNOUNCER: Now lose 20 pounds for $20, plus the cost of food. Call 1- 800-Jenny20 today.
ALLEY: Valerie, say something.
BERTINELLI: I - have you called Jenny yet?
ALLEY: That was good! She`s going to work out fine.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: That was cute. We are rooting for Valerie.
And she also told "People" magazine that she did starve herself when she was younger, but never let it turn into an eating disorder.
HAMMER: Well, aside from Kirstie, Valerie and other grownups battling the bulge, childhood obesity is truly one of the biggest problems out there these days. In TLC`s "Honey, We`re Killing the Kids," we get a real eye- opening look at just how parents are helping to make their kids fat.
Joining me tonight in New York, Felicia Stoler. She is a registered dietician and host of TLC`s "Honey, We`re Killing the Kids."
Felicia, it`s nice to have you here.
FELICIA STOLER, HOST, "HONEY, WE`RE KILLING THE KIDS": Thank you.
HAMMER: We just saw Valerie Bertinelli. We`ve seen other stars coming out about their weight issues and their body-image issues, which suggests perhaps that the taboo is going away. It really does inspire and motivate people when these stars come out and - and talk about the issues they`re having, doesn`t it?
STOLER: Oh, absolutely. They`re real people, like everybody else out there. And when they battle weight, people want to see their success stories as well.
HAMMER: And - and, you know, we have the parents, certainly, having a hand, as I mentioned, in the fact that their kids are gaining weight and are overweight and perhaps obese. But that`s not the only thing that caused the problem.
I mean, the images - we`re constantly bombarded out of Hollywood, in movies, in film, on TV - that can`t be good.
STOLER: No. It`s very difficult, and we have these unrealistic expectations of what people should look like, absolutely. And it`s a struggle for people to try to match that image.
HAMMER: That puts a lot of pressure on people.
STOLER: A lot of pressure.
HAMMER: Well, let`s talk about what happens on your show, because I think it`s fascinating, these high-tech tactics that you guys use in order to show the parents and show the kids what they`re going to look like later in life. You digitally recreate - essentially morph what they`ll - they`ll look like if they keep stuffing their face with all these awful foods.
I want to start off with - the Benora (ph) family?
STOLER: Yes.
HAMMER: We`re going to have them watch their 6-year-old daughter Elena turn into a 40-year-old. This is fascinating.
Watch this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
(MUSIC)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Ah, her face is all distorted. Her eyes look sad. I don`t want my baby to grow up to be that person.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: Yikes. I mean, that - that`s pretty amazing to see that. And - and the parents - you can see, the - the mother there with tears coming out of her eyes.
STOLER: Oh, well it`s shocking to look at your kid like that. I mean, it should be shocking and upsetting to parents, because they have total control over what their children might look like when they grow up. And that`s just on the outside. Can you imagine what their arteries look like, whether or not they have diabetes of hypertension?
HAMMER: And - and - and do you see the parents by and large freaking out when they`re seeing this morph that you guys do?
STOLER: Oh, a lot.
HAMMER: And - and does that scare tactic work, do you find, in the course of the time that you work with these families, the fact that you`re able to show them what these kids are going to look like if they keep stuffing their face?
STOLER: I think that it`s a great way to make an impression on the parents. And it`s an image that stays with them throughout the three weeks that we`re with them.
HAMMER: Man, that would be frightening to see.
All right. Let`s talk about Christopher (ph). He`s the 9-year-old son. And - and he`s a stubborn kid. I mean, 9-year-olds pretty much are stubborn.
The - the - the parents want to give him some healthy food. And we`re going to take a look at exactly how he reacts when that takes place.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: So what do you think of the rice?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Christopher, it`s applesauce.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don`t like this!
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (INAUDIBLE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No!
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Christopher, mommy wants to see you.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No!
(CRYING)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (INAUDIBLE) milk.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No, I don`t like any of this food.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Drink your milk.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I hate this (INAUDIBLE)
(CRYING)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: He clearly didn`t like that.
Now - now clearly you can blame the parents here, because this kid`s been sitting in front of the TV stuffing his face his entire life. How do you change a behavior like that?
STOLER: Well, we just make the whole family go cold turkey, basically. The whole family has to do it together. We make them dump the junk, and we start off with all fresh ingredients in their household. And the mom and the dad have to cook, and we get them exercising also, which is the other crucial part of the show.
HAMMER: Well, it`s an amazing thing that we`re able to see in terms of that transformation, Felicia. And I appreciate you sharing some of those pictures. We`ll look forward to the show on TLC. Thanks for joining us.
STOLER: Thank you.
HAMMER: You can catch "Honey, We`re Killing the Kids." It is back Monday nights on TLC.
ANDERSON: In tonight`s SHOWBIZ "First Look," "I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry."
Adam Sandler and Kevin James play straight firemen who pretend to be gay and get married to get domestic partnership benefits. And oddly, somehow, it doesn`t work out the way they planned. Yes, that was sarcasm.
Here`s your "First Look."
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
(TRAILER, "I NOW PRONOUNCE YOU CHUCK AND LARRY"
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: What a great cast. But you`re going to have to wait until the summer to see this.
"I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry" won`t hit theaters until July 20.
HAMMER: Well coming up, a lot of people are asking, were there some really scary, frightening moments for John Travolta in the air? You know, he does pilot his own jets. The question is, did Johnny Travolta almost fall out of the sky?
Well, the SHOWBIZ TONIGHT "Truth Squad" is checking it out to fill you in. That`s coming up next, on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
(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 call out the SHOWBIZ TONIGHT "Truth Squad." This is where we get to the bottom of some of Hollywood`s biggest mysteries and juiciest rumors.
Tonight, did John Travolta have to make a scary emergency landing? Now there were reports floating around that Travolta had to land his own Boeing 707 - he is a pilot - this was in Shannon, Ireland, while flying from Germany to New York. But Travolta`s publicist tells us it wasn`t the luck of the Irish that saved him; he just needed to land there to fill her up. The landing was actually a routine stop to refill the plane.
There was no emergency, and we also got in contact with the Shannon airport. They told us that while refueling, Travolta noticed something was wrong with the plane. So Travolta and his crew ended up taking a private jet home. The 707 is still in Ireland being repaired.
There you have it: the SHOWBIZ TONIGHT "Truth Squad" confirming that John Travolta`s skies are still friendly and safe.
ANDERSON: Good to know. I`m sure it was scary for all of them.
All right. Yesterday, we asked you to vote on our SHOWBIZ TONIGHT "Question of the Day." An outrageous story that "Rolling Stones" guitarist Keith Richards is now denying: he did lines of cocaine with his cremated father`s ashes.
So, "Keith Richards: Do you believe he snorted his father`s ashes?"
Fifty-four percent of you do believe it; you say, "Yes, he did." Forty-six percent of you aren`t buying it; you say, "No, he didn`t."
Here are some of the e-mails that we received:
Linda from Wisconsin writes, "There is no way that Keith could have snorted his dad`s ashes unless he was stoned prior to doing it."
Ed from Pennsylvania thinks, "No, I don`t think Keith Richards snorted his father`s ashes. I just think he said the wrong thing."
And we do appreciate your e-mails.
HAMMER: (MAKING SNORTING NOISES)
ANDERSON: Oh, come on, A.J.
HAMMER: Sorry about that.
Time now to find out what`s coming up on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
Tomorrow, it`s a very special edition of SHOWBIZ TONIGHT: "Stars: They`re Not Like Us." Stars doing the most outrageous things, all caught on tape. From Britney`s breakdown to Tom`s tirade to Paula`s punchiness. The most embarrassing, most painful-to-watch celebrity interviews, ever.
Also, Nicole Richie`s cramps to Ashlee Simpson`s acid reflux. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT with the worst celebrity excuses ever. All this and much more on a show - a special edition of SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, "Stars: They`re Not Like Us." That is tomorrow.
And that is it for SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. Thank you so much for watching. Enjoy the holiday weekend, if you have one.
I`m A.J. Hammer in New York.
ANDERSON: And 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.
END
