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Showbiz Tonight
Who Leaked the Alec Baldwin Voice Mail?; Celebrity Makeovers
Aired April 24, 2007 - 23:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BROOKE ANDERSON, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT ANCHOR: Celebrity legal secrets revealed. Why do some superstar prenups hold up and, well, some don`t? I`m Brooke Anderson in New York.
SIBILA VARGAS, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT ANCHOR: And celebrity image makeovers. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT does some spring cleaning of the A-listers who really need to rework their image. I`m Sibila Vargas in Hollywood. TV`s Most provocative entertainment news show starts right now.
ANDERSON: On SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, new and explosive outrage over the Alec Baldwin phone tirade. Tonight, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT with late-breaking developments in the startling war of words between Alec and Kim Basinger.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ALEC BALDWIN, ACTOR: Your mother is a thoughtless pain in the ass.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: The brutal battle over who released the explosive tape of Alec going off on his 11-year-old daughter.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: You are a rude, thoughtless little pig, OK?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Plus, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT is demanding answers to the controversial question that everyone is asking: did Kim, or her people, deliberately leak the phone call?
The nastiest celebrity divorces ever. Tonight, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT with the drop down, drag out ugliest star splits. The fierce fighting over the kids, the money. Get ready, as SHOWBIZ TONIGHT picks the nastiest divorce wars of all time.
Hi there everyone. I`m Brooke Anderson in New York.
VARGAS: I`m Sibila Vargas in Hollywood. A.J. has the night off. Well, tonight SHOWBIZ TONIGHT is blowing the lid off what seems to be Hollywood`s love affair with divorces. From the secrets of celebrity prenups to the nastiest divorces ever. That`s coming up.
ANDERSON: It certainly is. And we begin tonight with one of the nastiest, Alec Baldwin versus Kim Basinger. The war of words between the two over Alec Baldwin`s chilling and explosive tirade at their 11-year-old daughter absolutely exploded today over who leaked the voice mail. And I can tell you this, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT is asking some tough questions, because we want to know who is responsible for letting it out, who`s really to blame for this ugly mess? And we`re not taking no for an answer.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON (voice-over): By now, you`ve probably heard the voice mail.
BALDWIN: You`ve made me feel like (EXPLETIVE DELETED).
ANDERSON: Actor Alec Baldwin loudly and rudely berating his 11-year- old daughter Ireland for missing his phone call. In the tape released to celebrity website TMZ.Com, Baldwin insults Ireland.
BALDWIN: You are a rude, thoughtless little pig, OK?
ANDERSON: He insults his ex-wife and Ireland`s mother, actress Kim Basinger.
BALDWIN: Your mother is a thoughtless pain in the ass.
ANDERSON: And he insults Ireland again.
BALDWIN: So I`m going to let you know just how I feel about what a rude little pig you really are.
ANDERSON: Now Basinger, who has been locked into a nasty six-year custody battle with her famous ex-husband, is speaking out, firing back at Baldwin`s claims that she`s trying to keep him from their daughter who lives with Basinger. In a statement to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, a spokesperson for Basinger says, quote, "Everybody is always asking why this custody battle has been going on for so many years, and now they have the answer. The issue is not about Kim or the alleged alienation that Alec constantly refers to. It is about his on going aggressive behavior."
HARVEY LEVIN, TMZ.COM: That is hardly a this just in. She`s been saying it for the last six years in and out of court. And he has been throwing hand grenades at her as well.
ANDERSON: And about the voice mail, Kim`s spokesperson says simply Kim Basinger did not release the voice mail. But someone obviously did release that voice mail. And the identity of that person is a mystery every bit as puzzling as the one in Basinger`s Oscar winning movie "L.A. Confidential."
KIM BASINGER, ACTRESS: That`s all the news that`s fit to print.
ANDERSON: So SHOWBIZ TONIGHT is digging around, trying to find out who leaked Baldwin`s rant. Baldwin can probably be eliminated. Not only has the tape not shown him in the most flattering light --
BALDWIN: You are a rude, thoughtless little pig.
ANDERSON: It has damaged his image and his efforts to spend more time with Ireland. A judge heard the voice mail and immediately ordered Baldwin to stay away from Ireland until a May 4th hearing. Sure, Basinger`s rep says the actress didn`t release the voice mail. But SHOWBIZ TONIGHT asked Basinger`s representatives, what about her attorneys or anyone connected to her? Their response, nada. They didn`t leave us a voice mail.
All that TMZ.com`s Levin will tell SHOWBIZ TONIGHT is that TMZ got it legally. Oh, and one other tasty tidbit.
LEVIN: My information is that Ireland was happy that this tape made it on to TMZ.
ANDERSON: Even if, as Levin told us, Ireland was OK with it, people I talked to on the street say it is not OK how that voice mail put a child front and center in a Hollywood divorce matter.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It`s a private matter that should not have come to the public`s eye.
ANDERSON: What do you think about the tape being released in the first place?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think it`s a private matter. Releasing it to the public for public scrutiny and -- again, the child is an 11-year-old minor; shouldn`t be subjected to public scrutiny.
ANDERSON: So it looks like the Baldwin/Basinger feud will continue to wind its way through the courts and the media. And this voice mail mystery chapter for now will lack any firm answers or a happy ending.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: And the court hearing reportedly is scheduled regarding the mystery of who leaked that voice mail. Meantime, one of Baldwin`s famous brothers is coming to his defense. Stephen Baldwin tells "LARRY KING LIVE" that Alec made a mistake and called him a loving and funny human being.
So, with all the finger pointing going on, who`s to blame here? And if Basinger were responsible for releasing the tape, should she be ashamed of herself? Or did she do the right thing? With me tonight from Los Angeles, attorney and advocate Gloria Allred. And in New York, relationship expert and author of the soon-to-be-released book, "The Manual," Steve Santagati.
Gloria, Steve, this feud just keeps getting uglier. Hypothetically let`s say, you know, if Basinger did release the tape, Gloria, you know, she`s in an all-out battle for her kid here. You`re an attorney. You know these things get nasty. Is all fair in love and war?
GLORIA ALLRED, ATTORNEY: No, all is not fair in love and war and especially if there is a child involved. And that is what we have here, Brooke. There is an 11-year-old child. I don`t care if she says she`s OK with it. There can be long lasting damage to this child psychologically, knowing that her friends know that her father called her a rude, thoughtless little pig, even if her friend don`t know, her thinking that they might know.
This is simply reprehensible for whomever released this tape. And it may be, by the way, that it wasn`t Kim Basinger. I think it probably was filed as part of her motion to deny or modify visitation after this voice mail was left by Alec, and the transcript and the tape being part of the court file may perhaps have been given to TMZ by a court employee, who should not have provided it either.
ANDERSON: Well, that`s a quick way to lose your job. Steve, what do you think? Is there any circumstance that warrants the release of this sort of thing?
STEVE SANTAGATI, "THE MANUAL": I think what Gloria said is completely plausible. And I think the real question is, when Ireland is in Kim`s care, Kim is supposed to be making adult decisions. Those decisions mean protecting private information in the house. In this case, an audio recording that was a snippet of a six-year battle that should never have been released.
Now it could have been a really small thing, but it`s a huge thing. And this could affect Ireland in the future. I think at the end of the day, Ireland is probably a very resilient, strong child. Alec`s a strong guy. Kim is obviously a very determined person. But I think at the end of the day, Kim really doesn`t -- it doesn`t seem as if Kim cares about Ireland`s welfare, because she wouldn`t be doing this.
You know what, should would put it aside and let Alec and her get along for the sake of the child. They would stop being selfish.
ANDERSON: I agree with you, they should be the ones to act like adults. Let`s hope Ireland is resilient enough to get over this. Gloria, Baldwin has filed a motion with the court to try to find out who leaked this tape. If it`s found that Basinger had anything to do with it, could she jeopardize her chance of custody over Ireland?
ALLRED: Absolutely, and by the way, good luck trying to find out who released this tape. I doubt he`ll ever find that out. But if, in fact, it were Kim, it could be grounds for a change in custody. So that would be very dangerous on her part. Or if it were not Kim, but it was her attorney or a representative, someone else on her behalf, then that`s also dangerous for Kim.
ANDERSON: What do you think, Steve? Do you think that if Kim were responsible in any way she should some sort of lose custody?
SANTAGATI: I think they should question her ability to care for that child. And, you know, nowadays, there`s a digital trail. They`ll find the person that released that tape, and that person should be held accountable. End of story. You know, things don`t just walk out of your house. I can see Kim, I`m going to the grocery store. Oh, and by the way, drop this off at TMZ.
ANDERSON: Well, Gloria made a good point. She could have filed it as part of the entire custody case. And, you know, they are both scheduled to go before a judge on May 4th. Gloria, what if they get a judge who looks at both of them and says, Alec, Kim, you`re both terrible. Both of you are negatively impacting this child? Then what?
ALLRED: Well, actually, the judge could decide that this has been way too much. This has been going on for a long time. She could decide that maybe it`s better for this child to be with some relatives or someone else who are -- who is going to act in the best interest of the child. And by the way, they are going to have to go to conciliation court if there`s a motion to modify visitation or custody, which there is. They`ll have to go there first and meet with a family counselor and see if they can resolve it.
But if they can`t, yes they will have to go to court.
ANDERSON: That would be devastating, I`m sure, for both of them. What do you think, Steve? Are they both hurting their child?
SANTAGATI: Well, yes. I come from a divorced family. And I`ll tell you, when my parents separated and my dad moved out of the house, I was thrilled that I didn`t have to listen to the fighting. I`ll tell you who is going to split, Ireland. She`s going to be like, I`m sick of listening to all of this. All I want is some peace and quiet.
That`s it. At the end of the day, she`s 12 years old now. She`s got another six years and she`s gone. And she`s probably counting the days. I think she`s looking for boarding school at this point.
ANDERSON: Gloria, ten seconds, who would make a better parent in your opinion?
ALLRED: It`s really impossible to know. But I would tell them this - -
SANTAGATI: Alec.
ALLRED: Look, when you get divorced, you`re not getting divorced from each other. If you have a child, you`re getting divorced to each other and you better put this child first.
ANDERSON: You do and we will have to end it there tonight. Gloria Allred, Steve Santagati, thank you both for your insight.
VARGAS: So what do you think? It`s our SHOWBIZ TONIGHT question of the day: Alec Baldwin`s voice mail rant, was Kim Basinger behind its release? Go to CNN.com/SHOWBIZTONIGHT. Send us e-mail at SHOWBIZTONIGHT@CNN.com.
You can now stay on top of the latest and most provocative entertainment news stories and find out what we`re working on by signing up for the SHOWBIZ TONIGHT newsletter. Go to our website CNN.com/SHOWBIZTONIGHT, and look on the left-hand side of the page where it says newsletter. Just click to sign up and we`ll email you the SHOWBIZ TONIGHT newsletter every day.
ANDERSON: Well, Sibila, no doubt about it, Alec and Kim, hands down, one of the nastiest celebrity divorces ever.
VARGAS: Absolutely, I totally agree with you. And you`ve got some others though, right?
ANDERSON: I do, Sibila. Coming up at 31 past the hour, I`m picking the ugliest, the most vicious celebrity divorces of all time. And Sibila, I know you`ve got this as well.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Britney Spears is the kind of person who makes the general public feel good about their lives.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VARGAS: Yes, Britney Spears, one of the many celebrities I think needs a complete image makeover. Next, what Britney, Paris and others need to do to get back on top of their game.
ANDERSON: And what a way to wake up in the morning. A raccoon running around one woman`s living room. I think I prefer my alarm clock. That`s coming up next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANDERSON: Welcome back to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, TV`s most provocative entertainment news show. I`m Brooke Anderson in New York. Time now for the SHOWBIZ TONIGHT video of the day. Well, you know, I like to wake up in the morning with a cup of coffee, read the paper. But one Ohio woman did the rise and shine thing only to find a raccoon running around her house.
He was flying up the walls. There`s the little guy. Looks like he could have used some decaf. Even checking out the TV. I wonder if he`s a fan of SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. What do you think? Any way, animal control came and set him free. Talk about animal house, though. That is your SHOWBIZ TONIGHT video of the day.
VARGAS: Well SHOWBIZ TONIGHT is taking a stand tonight on stars that we love who are in need of an image makeover. Now, we don`t know why they haven`t seen the error of their ways, so SHOWBIZ TONIGHT is taking control of the situation and offering them some real sound advice on steps they can take to makeover their image.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
VARGAS: SHOWBIZ TONIGHT couldn`t possibly talk about celebrities who needed image makeovers without talking about the number one celebrity who has done a complete 180 since her glory days on the stage, Britney Spears.
JOHN HENSON, TV GUIDE CHANNEL: Britney Spears is the kind of person who makes the general public feel good about their lives. They can sit at home and say, well, I`m not a world famous multi-millionaire famous pop tar, but I have never checked in and out of a rehab like it`s a youth hostel, shaved my head and gotten a tattoo in one day before.
VARGAS: Remember the good old days before Britney went off the deep end? She was beginning to make a comeback, going into the studio, working on a new album. So now what`s her makeover menu?
HENSON: I think she really needs to concentrate on working hard, writing some songs and doing what she does best, which is making pop music.
DAPHNE BROGDON, TV GUIDE CHANNEL: Britney is a white trash goddess and what she needs to do is find some good comedic producer. She should be the new Roseanne. She should have a sitcom, because she`s the girl Target. Oh, I forgot my underwear. Yes, I have this funny relation with my sort of white trash ex-husband.
VARGAS: Wait just a second, that ex-husband isn`t looking so good for nothing no more.
HENSON: Kevin Federline is an interesting case. He`s done so much wrong that I think he`s actually emerged on the other side of wrong and become right.
VARGAS: His style and public behavior has transformed. And with a small TV role on TV`s hottest show CSI under his belt, Britney, your ex is looking a whole lot better than you.
BROGDON: We don`t see him in the baggy t-shirt as much. We see him dressed up better, which is good. He did that role on CSI. He needs to do that. He needs to go to producers and say, give me the smallest role. I doesn`t care. As long as it`s legitimate and looks like he`s trying.
VARGAS: So why don`t celebrities see the warning signs their image is in need of a drastic makeover? Don`t they read any magazines that talk trash about them or their careers?
HENSON: It`s difficult for celebrities to get a true read because they`re surrounded by people who are paid to say, no, your butt doesn`t look too big in that dress. So they have to insulate themselves from the criticism of the media, and yet they have to let enough through to say, hey, you know what, America doesn`t like me. I`ve got to overhaul my image.
VARGAS: That`s what an image makeover boils down to, keeping the fans interested. Some wit and some smarts is what SHOWBIZ TONIGHT says can help Lindsay Lohan save herself from basically herself.
HENSON: She`s worked with Meryl Streep. She`s worked with Robert Altman, and yet she cannot seem to keep herself out of the limelight for the wrong reasons. She has one foot in and one foot out of her new image. You see all of these shots of her coming in and out of AA meetings and then the paparazzi will document that later on that night, she`s seen drinking at a club.
BROGDON: She needs to take herself seriously, maybe go over to London, you know, like study theater for a while, immerse herself in her craft. Because if not, nobody`s going to care pretty soon.
VARGAS: And overhauling the image is something Ben Affleck has taken great pains to do. There was a time the media maddening relationship with Jennifer Lopez nearly killed his career. Marrying Jennifer Garner and going private was a step in the right direction. But SHOWBIZ TONIGHT says Ben needs to get back to Oscar-winning work.
HENSON: I feel like it`s been a while since we`ve seen Ben Affleck in a movie where we all sit back and say, yes, Ben Affleck, I love him.
BROGDON: Ben Affleck needs to do critically acclaimed movies and let people know that he`s a smart, witty guy.
VARGAS: So, Paris Hilton, sorry, we didn`t get any real advice for you.
BROGDON: You can`t add dimension to Paris. There`s no dimension. So you might as well just keep going with the chihuahua the way she`s going and ride that 15 minutes as long as she can.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VARGAS: Now I`ve got another piece of advice for Paris. Now, if you volunteered to help the needy or donated some money to charity, it certainly wouldn`t hurt your image. So why not? Give it a try.
ANDERSON: Not a bad idea. All right, I`ve got to tell you, even though I`m in the news business, I wasn`t sure if NBC should have released those horrible videos made by the Virginia Tech killer. Up next, Oprah grills NBC News anchor Brian Williams about that very controversial choice. We`re going to show you whether he defends the decision or if he`s having second thoughts about the choice.
VARGAS: And Brooke, I know Hollywood is home to many nasty, shocking splits. Coming up, we`re picking the ugliest celebrity divorces, ever. We`ve also got this --
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: If you think being a first wife is hard; try being a first wife in Hollywood. Every time your man dates someone else or marries someone else, you have to see it on the cover of every magazine.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Yes, you do. Hooking up or unhooking up in Hollywood, definitely not easy. Coming up, a revealing look at how some of the most famous first wives to the stars are dealing with their divorces. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT for Tuesday night is coming right back. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
VARGAS: I`ve got to tell you, when I first saw the video of the Virginia Tech gunman, the video he sent to NBC News on the horrific day he killed 32 people, even though I`m in the news business, like so many, I was absolutely shocked. Many questioned whether NBC should have ever run it in the first place. There was coast-to-coast outrage, and backlash against NBC, people calling them insensitive. Well, today on Oprah, news anchor Brian Williams faced the tough question, was it really a good idea to run Cho Seung-Hui`s awful, rambling video and photos?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BRIAN WILLIAMS, NBC NEWS ANCHOR: To me, there was never a debate. This was news. This is journalism. The debate was how can we pare back, be as sensitive as possible in editing all of this garbage and profanity to give a sense of what we have here. Did he act alone? Who is he? What was his motivation? What did he do in the two hours the campus wasn`t locked down between shootings? All those four questions were materially answered here.
But, however uncomfortable it is, that it was on every front page the next day proves this was journalism. This was news and a material advance in this story.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VARGAS: Brian Williams has added that not airing it was never an option. By the way, many news outlets have decided to no longer air the videos.
ANDERSON: Yes, Sibila, we`ve been talking a lot about the ugly divorce battle between Alec Baldwin and Kim Basinger. But you know, for Hollywood, as sad as it is, that`s kind of par for the course.
VARGAS: You`re so right. The hookups and breakups can get pretty nasty.
ANDERSON: Unfortunately they can. Coming up next, I`ve got a revealing look at some of the fiercest celebrity divorces ever.
VARGAS: And Brooke, I know you`re also taking a look at one of the stickiest things about splits, celebrity prenups. We`ve heard a lot about Britney`s and K-Fed`s. Well, why do some of them hold up and others don`t? That`s coming up.
ANDERSON: Plus, the kitty whose tickling the ivories with her paws. The piano playing cat. Isn`t she cute? Stay with us for that.
(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
