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Showbiz Tonight
David Hasselhoff needs help for his drinking problem. David Joe Ellis`s song tells Paris Hilton to leave America. Celebrity couples making it work. Paris Hilton to go to jail. Alex Baldwin, Kim Basinger ugly divorce battle.
Aired May 04, 2007 - 19:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
NANCY GRACE, CNN HOST: You know, you can`t script what celebrities are doing now. What are they thinking? "SHOWBIZ TONIGHT" has something to say right now.
A.J. HAMMER, CNN CO-HOST: Breaking news. Is Paris Hilton going to jail? And if that doesn`t work, will a song get to go away for good? I`m A.J. Hammer in New York.
BROOKE ANDERSON, CNN, CO-HOST: And is the Tom Cruise-Katie Holmes marriage really in trouble? I`ve got a star that says she knows the real story. I`m Brooke Anderson in Holly. TV`s most provocative entertainment news show. It starts right now.
HAMMER: On "SHOWBIZ TONIGHT," David Hasselhoff`s shocking battle with booze. Tonight, new developments surrounding the startling video of Hasselhoff, drunk, shirtless and lying on the floor.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Why do you like doing this to yourself?
HAMMER: The surprising story of who shot the disturbing tape.
Plus, what affect will this have on Hasselhoff`s nasty divorce and custody battle? "SHOWBIZ TONIGHT" with the knight rider`s drunken nightmare.
Another ferocious custody fight. Tonight, "SHOWBIZ TONIGHT" is right there as the Alec Baldwin and Kim Basinger divorce battle explodes in court. Will Baldwin get a shot at seeing his daughter again after his absolutely awful phone rant?
ALEC BALDWIN, ACTOR: You are a rude, thoughtless little pig.
HAMMER: Will Kim be held in contempt? "SHOWBIZ TONIGHT" with the latest on the brutal Baldwin-Basinger brawl.
Hello, I`m A.J. Hammer in New York. What a Friday this has been.
ANDERSON: It sure has, A.J. I`m Brooke Anderson in Hollywood and what a wild day indeed.
Paris Hilton facing a judge to find out if she will have to go to jail. Also, the nasty, ugly Alec Baldwin Kim Basinger custody battle back in court. We`ve got it all covered coming up.
HAMMER: But first, David Hasselhoff drunk on tape. Tonight, the unbelievable video of Hasselhoff has a lot of people asking, should we be seriously concerned about it?
BROOKE: Yes, A.J., and what makes it all more unbelievable is that he asked that it be shot. Tonight, "SHOWBIZ TONIGHT" is looking into what really happened to Hasselhoff.
HASSELHOFF: This is a mess.
ANDERSON: A very ugly mess indeed. David Hasselhoff, who became the biggest TV star on the planet by going shirtless, is shirtless on TV, but in a less glamorous self.
Sitting in his Las Vegas residence, slurring his words. Sloppily mauling a hamburger, Hasselhoff appears drunk out of his mind while, off camera, a voice reported to belong to his 16-year-old daughter chides him.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Tell me you`re going to stop drinking. Tell me right now or I`m not going to talk to ever again. And I`ll totally disown you because it`s not physical therapy to me or your family what you`re doing.
ANDERSON: A disturbing sight that made him the butt of jokes. Hoff the wagon read this headline news banner. It`s also raising concerns that his very bittier and very public wife of 16 years, Pamela Bach is taking its toll and re-igniting his long fight against alcoholism.
"SHOWBIZ TONIGHT" can tell you that the tape reportedly was shot by his 16-year-old daughter, Taylor Ann. Along with 14-year-old Haley, the two teens are stuck in the middle of their parents` increasingly ugly fight. And this will surprise you, but wait till you hear who wanted this tape made.
JERRY PENACOLI, REPORT, "EXTRA": This is an astounding public intervention precipitated by shockingly David Hasselhoff himself.
ANDERSON: Jerry Penacola of "Extra," which obtained the tape, tells "SHOWBIZ TONIGHT" that Hasselhoff wanted a permanent reminder of how disturbing it is when he falls off the wagon.
PENACOLI: It`s a situation where a guy is holding up a mirror to himself saying, I don`t want this to happen anymore so take this videotape of me and remind me of what I`m like when I have a relapse.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Why do you like doing this to yourself?
HASSELHOFF: I`m lonely.
ANDERSON: Many of Hasselhoff`s troubles have stemmed from alcohol. He spent time at the Betty Ford Clinic in 2001 and was arrested for DUI in 2004. It was around that time, he says, he quit drinking.
But when his split from Bach started becoming tabloid fodder in 2006, reports of his drinking again soon followed and so did Bach`s claims of abuse as her attorney Debra Opri told "SHOWBIZ TONIGHT."
DEBRA OPRI, ATTORNEY FOR PAMELA BACH: Are there allegations of alcohol abuse and the daughter seeing it? Yes there are. Are there concerns for the safety of the children? Yes, there are.
ANDERSON: Last year, during an interview on CNN`s "American Morning," Hasselhoff scoffed at Bach`s abuse claim.
HASSELHOFF: Do you know.
UNIDENTIFIED CNN HOST: She says you broke her nose.
HASSELHOFF: The only person who broke my wife`s nose was a plastic surgeon, darling.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Tell me you`re going to stop.
HASSELHOFF: I`m going to stop.
ANDERSON: But there`s no denying the very troubled soul we see on the tape. In a statement, Hasselhoff tells "SHOWBIZ TONIGHT," quote, "I`m a recovering alcoholic. Despite that I`ve been going through a painful divorce and I have recently been separated from my children due to my work, I have been successfully dealing with my issue. Unfortunately, one evening, I did have a brief relapse but part of recovery is relapse."
But despite his reported cooperation with the making of the tape, Hoff is clearly not happy it got out. And guess who he pointed the finger at -- at first, anyway. He says, quote, "The tape was never meant to become public, but appears to have been obtained and released by my ex-wife, who has her own agenda."
But later, he changed his tune. Almost 40 minutes after the first statement, his rep sent another statement to "SHOWBIZ TONIGHT," this one without the shot at his ex-wife.
It read, "The tape was never meant to become public, but got into the hands of individuals who are not worthy of mentioning who maliciously released the tape for their own self-purpose."
Whatever the reason for the tape`s release, it clearly accomplished Hasselhoff`s reported goal, showing in graphic fashion how deeply disturbing addiction can be.
Now, the tape reportedly was made about three months ago. In a statement, Hasselhoff tells us, quote, "I have learned from it and I am back on my game."
Paris Hilton, pack your toothbrush, you`re going to jail. Tonight, a shocking decision by a judge in L.A. He ordered Paris to serve 45 days for violating probation starting June 5th.
Paris was caught driving twice with a suspended license after pleading no contest to a DWI-related charge. That is definitely not hot. She told the judge, "I`m very sorry and from now on, I`m going to pay complete attention to everything."
HAMMER: So, does Paris Hilton really deserve jail time? Let`s get straight to it. From Hollywood tonight, Ken Baker is joining us. He`s the editorial director of usmagazine.com, and TV judge, Christina Perez, from "Christina`s Court.
Christina, let me start with you. From everything you`ve heard, from everything she has done, does Paris deserve jail time?
CHRISTINA PEREZ, "CHRISTINA`S COURT": Well, does she deserve jail time? You know, I think that`s up to your opinion, but she`s certainly eligible under the law for jail time.
HAMMER: And you see if you were to ask me, even if she had never gotten pulled over and there were no dui charges involved whatsoever, I`d say she deserved jail time but that`s something entirely different.
Ken, we have Elliott Mintz here, Paris` right-hand man, that claims Paris didn`t know she wasn`t supposed to drive with a suspended license. Once, okay, maybe you could get away with that kind of excuse, but twice? Are you kidding me here?
KEN BAKER, USMAGAZINE.COM: Well, I was a journalist in school, not law school, but I did learn somewhere along the way that ignorance is not a defense. And I think what everyone is saying in Hollywood and from just people I`ve heard talking about Paris Hilton, they just wanted her treated like everyone else.
And I think that whether or not it`s jail time or house arrest or whatever it may be, people just want Paris to be treated normally.
And I think what`s happened is that Paris has really become a symbol for Hollywood excess. For Hollywood spoiled brats. And I think that judges and people in the courts and D.A.s aren`t immune to public opinion and I think that impacts everything they have been doing.
HAMMER: And I think you make a terrific opponent that the courts can`t show her any leniency, because if they did have any sign of showing special treatment, man, would people come down hard on them.
What do you think about that, ignorance as a defense, Christina? Is Ken hitting it on the head? Does it work?
PEREZ: You are, Ken. Let`s go back if we may and look at the steps that led her to be at the hearing.
Number one, she got, she got arrested in September. Last year. She got a ticket. On that ticket, when you get a ticket for driving under the influence, it says, in fine print, your driver`s license can be suspended if you don`t contact the DMV within ten days. If she didn`t contact the DMV within ten days, her license is suspended.
The second thing that happened was she went to court. And presumable in court, there was probable cause to find her of driving under the influence and they most likely, in court, gave her notice that this -- that her driver`s license was suspended. So she had notice twice. The DMV hearing she had, she had notice her driver`s license would be suspended also.
What`s the kicker to me is that January 15th stop, when the CHP pulled her over, she herself signed a document that says, I acknowledge I cannot drive.
HAMMER: Yes.
PEREZ: How else can we have dispute the fact?
HAMMER: Exactly. I don`t care who she is and how busy she is going to nightclubs or working on whatever business it is that she does to make a living, there is no excuse for it as you said.
Now, Ken, for a lot of reasons that many of us still don`t really understand, Paris Hilton does have a big fan base especially among young girls and young women.
If Paris did some jail time, what do you think the upshot of that would be? Would this fan base turn to her or would it just make her more fascinating, kind of like, you know, she goes to jail and gets a little street cred.
BAKER: Well, jail hasn`t hurt many celebrities` careers. In fact, they often will come back even stronger and bigger and becomes sort of part of their persona.
I think what`s clear here is that Paris isn`t going down a reckless road. Going back to the release of that sex tape of hers where she first kind of came on the scene, about three years ago, to the point where she`s been driving with suspended licenses and violating probation terms.
She`s been somewhat, what anyone would say, would be somewhat of a reckless streak for a while. And I think that no matter what is levied down with Paris Hilton, on her personal side, this is probably a good thing for her because there`s sort of a wake-up call that`s needed.
But it seems as though professionally in her public image, it doesn`t matter how much trouble she gets in, that she will still -- people want to talk about her.
HAMMER: She`s got that Teflon coating.
Ken Baker, Christina Perez, thanks so much.
We want to hear from you for our question of the day. Paris Hilton in court, would jail time do her some good? Vote at cnn.com/showbiztonight. The email address, showbiztonight@cnn.com
Now you can stay on top of the latest and most provocative entertainment news stories and find out what we`re working on by signing up to the "SHOWBIZ TONIGHT" news letter. It`s easy to do. Go to the website, cnn.com/showbiztonight. Look on the left-hand side, where it says "Newsletter." we`ll e-mail you the SHOWBIZ TONIGHT news letter every day.
ANDERSON: Yes, we will.
So, A.J., Paris Hilton, you just can`t get rid of her. What`s that saying, the only thing sure in life are.
HAMMER: Sadly. Yes, yes, death, taxes and that Paris Hilton just keeps sticking around.
HAMMER: That`s right. Well, there`s a guy who can`t do anything about death and taxes, none of us can, but coming up at 40 past the hour, he`s hoping his song can get Paris Hilton to disappear for good.
Also this.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ALEC BALDWIN, ACTOR: Let you know just how I feel about what a rude little pig you really are. You are a rude, thoughtless little pig.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: Oh, it`s a blistering voice mail to his 11-year-old daughter and we`re right there, as the Alec Baldwin and Kim Basinger divorce battle explodes in court. Will Baldwin get a shot at seeing his daughter again after that nasty phone rant?
HAMMER: Well, Brooke, have you ever worn a wedding dress made out of toilet paper?
ANDERSON: You know, that`s pretty but, no, what if it rained?
HAMMER: I think you`d be in gig trouble. I got a totally ridiculous story about bathroom bridal couture coming up next for a Friday night 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.
Time now for another story that made us say: "That`s Ridiculous!" calling all brides to be. You want to win a little cash? Answer the third annual toilet paper wedding dress contest. You heard me right. You are to send in your charming ideas made out of Charmin to cheapsheikweddings.com. You could win a whole 500 bucks if your T.P. wedding dress is divine.
The web sight is all about saving cash on your wedding day. But I`ve just got to wipe out and flush this idea. "That`s Ridiculous."
ANDERSON: The downright, ugly custody battle between Alec Baldwin and Kim Basinger went back to court today since Alex`s outrageous voice mail to his daughter was leaked.
BALDWIN: So you`d better be ready Friday, the 20th, to meet with me. So I`m going to let you know just how I feel what a rude little pig you really are. You are a rude, thoughtless little pig, OK?"
ANDERSON: And that was just a small part of it. A judge suspended Baldwin`s visitation rights last month. He has since apologized for the voice-mail and wants to see his daughter again.
Today his ex-wife, Basinger, was in court, but Baldwin was not. A judge closed the court hearing to the public to protect the interests of their daughter, Ireland.
With me tonight in New York, matrimonial attorney Nancy Chemtob.
Good to see you.
NANCY CHEMTOB, MATRIMONIAL ATTORNEY: Good to see you.
ANDERSON: Alec Baldwin`s not in court. Kim Basinger was in court. It would seem to me that, hey, this was kind of important for him to show up and wave the flag. Are you surprised he didn`t show?
CHEMTOB: I am surprised but I`m sure there`s a good explanation for his not being there. Whether it be a work obligation or the party`s appearance wasn`t required, and Kim did not need to be there. She showed up with her publicist so maybe she chose to be there.
ANDERSON: Do you think it was partly because maybe just the lawyers were speaking today?
CHEMTOB: Perhaps. There were times that judges just say the parties aren`t necessary. Maybe they thought it was going to be in chambers. Too much speculation.
ANDERSON: Okay. You know, much of the attention has been on what Alec Baldwin said on that voice-mail but the question still does remain, did Kim have a hand in releasing it, even though she`s denied that? There is a hearing early June about how that tape was released.
But, Nancy, I would have to which I that if Kim released the tape as has been speculated, a judge wouldn`t look too kindly on that? Would a judge say, you know, what? You`re both terrible.
CHEMTOB: Two wrongs don`t make a right. And that tape had to be released by her camp. There`s no way Alec could have released it. And if her attorney released it, there`s attorney/client confidentiality, so the fact she`s saying she didn`t release it, her attorney couldn`t say. There`s too much protection there. And I think it rises to the level of he her releasing it is worse than what he said.
ANDERSON: Do you think a judge could look at the possibility of her releasing it and say, "You`re terrible, you`re terrible. You`re both impacting this child negatively."
CHEMTOB: Absolutely. That`s what should be said.
ANDERSON: Okay. You have been in the middle of some really nasty custody battles, Nancy. Is that the parents get blinded by their own hatred for one another that they forget the interests of that child stuck in the middle because Ireland could seriously be impacted by this?
CHEMTOB: 100 percent. There`s nothing nastier in the world than a custody fight. There`s -- people see red and they don`t realize that there`s a little child at stake here. And at the end of the day, both parents are judged and who`s the better parent is the one who should have custody.
ANDERSON: A very young child at an impressionable age and from everything you`ve heard, what rights do you think that Alec Baldwin should have here? Should be it be 50-50 split or should he only be allowed to show up on the Wednesday?
CHEMTOB: What I think should happen is contrary to many people. And I think he should get sole custody. They have a joint custody agreement, which clearly hasn`t worked. And that`s the whole reason they`re probably back in court. If the two of them can`t agree, one of them`s going to have to have sole custody.
There`s already 12 counts of contempt against Kim Basinger for violating court orders. Alec`s frustration on that tape goes to show it clearly wasn`t the first time that he called his daughter. And, you know, maybe she`s interfering with his phone access.
So one person should have sole custody with sole decision-making and the fact that this tape was released really puts the daughter in the spotlight. What he said could have remained private and the fact that Basinger ended up hiring bodyguards, it even embarrasses her more. She`s only 11, she needs privacy.
ANDERSON: It is a highly contentious custody battle and unfortunately has shown no signs of slowing down.
Nancy Chemtob, thanks for joining us with your expertise and perspective.
CHEMTOB: Thank you.
HAMMER: From one more nasty custody battle to another, this one, of course, so sad and shocking. David Hasselhoff, drunk, shirtless and lying on the floor.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Tell me you`re going to stop.
HASSELHOFF: I`m going to stop.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Promise?
HASSELHOFF: Yeah.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes?
HASSELHOFF: Mm-hmm.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: Coming up, I`ve got a revealing look at what this could do to Hasselhoff`s bitter divorce and custody fight and his painful recovery from alcohol abuse.
ANDERSON: Britney Spears continuing her surprising comeback. Right around the corner from me, actually. Well, I`ve got all the juicy details, plus the advice that`s not really advice from Bette Midler.
HAMMER: And I`ve read all the nasty rumors, Tom and Katie are this close to splitting up. Are they legit? Coming up, the big star who`s furious and says she knows the truth whether they are kaput.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANDERSON: For the past few weeks, all tabloids have been screaming that Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes are on the verge of splitting up because Tom is too controlling, that he`s pushing his scientology belief on Katie, all sorts of really nasty things.
Now some of Tom`s friends are coming forward to defend him like Jada Pinkett Smith, who along with her husband, Will Smith, are long- time friends of theirs. And Jada`s really fired up. Check out what she tells "People" magazine.
"It burns my soul. I see her in the house with Tom. He doesn`t have that on her. It kills me. Tom`s this monster and he`s got her chained up in the basement and he`s forcing Scientology down her throat. It`s bull. Let me tell you, Kate ain`t no wimpy kitty cat. It`s not that ballgame. For real.
"People think Tom and the Church of Scientology got something on Kate, they don`t. Kate is running her own show. And she`s a great mother. Her kids -- Connor, Bella, Suri -- are some dynamic children and are extremely happy. And her husband is very, very happy.
"Tom don`t run nothing in that house. It is Katie`s house. It`s her world. The devotion that Tom has to wife and the places he`ll go to make her happy spiritually, or he will go as a man for his woman."
Wow, Jada strongly defending her friends there, A.J.
HAMMER: Here`s the thing, you know, we have Jada making it work with her husband will. We have Tom and Katie making it work, according to Jada. But I got to know, how some Hollywood couples do it when the odds are stacked against them. Brad and Angelina with four kids, Ashton and Demi Moore.
We`ll talk about that at 46 past the house, try to figure it out.
ANDERSON: Let`s talk about Paris Hilton. Will she go away for good because of a song? The guy who came up with the song hopes so. He`s here next. Also this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Tell me you`re going to stop.
HASSELHOFF: I`m going to stop.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Promise?
HASSELHOFF: Yes.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes?
HASSELHOFF: Mm-hmm.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: It is so sad and so disturbing, the video of David Hasselhoff drunk, totally out of it. I`ll be asking the question that needs to be asked tonight. What will this do to his ugly divorce and custody battle? That`s next on "SHOWBIZ TONIGHT" for Friday night. We`ll be right back.
RICHELLE CAREY, CNN ANCHOR: Hi, everyone, I`m Richelle Carey with your Headline Prime news break.
It could have been a diplomatic breakthrough at the summit in Egypt on how to stabilize Iraq. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Iran`s foreign minister were supposed to sit across the tape from each other. He objected to the red dress a female violinist was wearing claiming it violated Islamic standards. Ambassadors from the U.S. and Iran did talk informally.
It was hard to forget these images of rats crawling around a New York City KFC-Taco Bell restaurant. The owner says it`s now permanently closed. It was shut down in February after the video surfaced. Ten other New York locations have since re-opened.
St. Louis police say Cardinals pitcher Josh Hancock was drunk and talking to his cell phone when he crashed his SUV last weekend. He was killed instantly. His blood alcohol level was almost twice the legal limit. Police found marijuana and a glass pipe in Hancock`s vehicle.
Those are your headlines. Do keep it right here on "Headline News." I`m Richelle Carey.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HAMMER: Welcome back to "SHOWBIZ TONIGHT." It`s 30 minutes past the hour. We get into it on a Friday night. I`m A.J. Hammer in New York.
ANDERSON: And I`m Brooke Anderson in Hollywood. This is TV`s most provocative entertainment news show.
HAMMER: Brooke, you know, I think you know what I`m talking about when I say Paris Hilton gets on a lot of people`s nerves. Right?
ANDERSON: No secret there.
HAMMER: Coming up, we`ve got a man who is spending every waking hour of his life to get Paris Hilton to go away once and for all! Let`s look at this
ANDERSON: Yes, he made a thing about it. We`ll have him coming up.
From Paris to Britney Spears. Britney took to the stage lip- syncing her way on her comeback tour. Never one to hold back. Bette Midler, the define Miss "M," has some choice words about Britney Spears` return to the stage.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BETTE MIDLER, ACTRESS, ENTERTAINER: Anybody who is under that much scrutiny is bound to want to rebel against it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: But wait, that`s not at all. Coming up, you won`t believe who was at Britney`s so-called secret performance. And guess where she`s headed next in her secret tour coming up.
HAMMER: First tonight, we`re asking how concerned should we be about David Hasselhoff, the shocking videotape obtained by the TV show "Extra" of David Hasselhoff drunk on the floor in his Las Vegas home. Just unbelievable.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Tell me you`re going to stop.
HASSELHOFF: I`m going to stop.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Promise?
HASSELHOFF: Yes.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes?
HASSELHOFF: Hm-hmm. This is a mess.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Why do you like this to yourself?
HASSELHOFF: Because I`ve got money. I`m not sure of my way.
UNIDENTIFIED: Tell me you`re going to stop drinking. Tell me right now. Or I`m not going to talk to you ever again. And I will totally disown you because it`s not fair to me or your family what you`re doing.
HASSELHOFF: I`ll be fine.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: It is pretty sad and hard to watch each time. He`s a recovering alcoholic and he admitted the tape is authentic.
And get this, he`s the one who asked to be paid if he ever relapsed and that`s what a family member, reportedly a 16-year-old daughter did.
Joining me tonight from Los Angeles, investigative journalist and author of the soon to be released book, "Secrets Can Be Murder," Jean Velez Mitchell. Also from Los Angeles tonight, Ken Seeley, who is an interventionist.
It`s good to see you both. Hasselhoff said making this tape was part of his recovery process.
Ken, you`re an interventionist. He said he wanted to do this so he could see how bad he really gets so he`s, when he`s at that rock-bottom place. A lot of people are saying, huh, and just don`t get that. Does this really make sense as part of recovery?
KEN SEELEY, INTERVENTIONIST: That`s not part of any treatment program, not at a -- never. What he`s doing is trying to set up roadblocks to stop him from using, but he needs to get inside and find out what the root problem is and why he is drinking to that level.
That videotape is not going to stop him. It`s just going to encourage him to, you know, to slow down. But you have to get to the root of the problem and get with clinical staff and get into a treatment program.
If he would have said, A.J., I`m doing really good now and I`m in my treatment. I went back to a treatment facility and I got the care had that`s necessary to help save my life, then I would say, wow, he`s really doing the right thing.
But by him doing this, he`s just spiraling further and further and further down. And until he gets the appropriate care and until he gets the right people to help him, he`s going to continue spiraling down and it`s a sad situation.
HAMMER: What do you think about that, Jane? Because in his mind, making his tape was something he need to do and he thought or at least claims to have thought he was doing the right thing with it.
JANE VELEZ MITCHELL, INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALIST & AUTHOR: Well, I`ve also heard reports that he has since reneged that and said, no, I didn`t make this tape.
But I have to say that we always have to come from a position of compassion. As a recovering alcoholic myself with 12 years of sobriety, I have to remind the world that this is a disease. We can`t sit there and judge his character and point the finger. This is a very serious illness and we have to look at it from that perspective.
And I think that we also have to look at it and troy to put it in context. Was this a brief relapse as he maintains and he applies now he`s back on the wagon and dealing with this problem. Or is this a chronic problem, his alcoholism, that he is simply not dealing with at all as his ex-wife camp maintains? They say he`s not dealing with it. That`s also part of the issue.
HAMMER: One of the things you touched on there, Jane, which I really feel a need to point out, there has been some judgment and there certainly have been plenty of jokes in the wake of this tape getting out and quite honestly, all of that makes me sick.
Another thing I find to be one of the saddest parts of this whole thing is that his kids not only witnessed him drunk but reportedly shot the tape themselves. Let`s take a look at another part of it.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Tell me you`re going to stop drinking. Tell me right now. Or I`m not going to talk to you ever again. And I will totally disown you because it`s not fair to me or your family, what you`re doing.
HASSELHOFF: I`ll be fine.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: Still, ken, assuming he, in his mind, felt this was part of his recovery process; he brought the kids into it. That does not seem like a fair thing to do.
SEELEY: It`s horrible. And now the kids feel like they`re responsible. Did you hear how she said, you know, also in that tape, that, you know, she`s the parent? If you don`t be -- if you`re not sober tomorrow, what`s going to happen is you`re going to lose your job.
This is horrible. That she`s being the parent and the role model for him and they need to go and get their help and go to AL-ANON and get the appropriate care. It`s not the kids` fault that dad is like this. It`s a medical condition and like you said, it`s no joke.
One thing he did mention is he`s back on the game. This is not a game. If he would have said, I`m back in recovery, you know, those are the things that we listen for when we are in recovery for really the healing process.
HAMMER: Yes.
SEELEY: "Back on the game," that`s not, you know, that`s just saying that I`ll try something else, but the reality is he really needs to get the appropriate help that he needs to get through this and then be the role model and then we could use this as an example and say, this is what I was like, but this is what ended up happening. I ended up getting the appropriate care and now, look at how well I`m doing.
HAMMER: And Jane, very, very quickly, obviously, you mentioned Pamela Bach, his ex-wife and he is still embroiled in this bitter custody battle. Placing no judgments would be the proper thing to do but is there any way a judge is going to look at this and say, well, that`s a good thing.
MITCHELL: Well, it`s going to look awful and I talked to Debra Opri and she says insist they didn`t leak it but they`re going to use it to go back into court and demand he either be put in rehab or have some kind of alcohol monitoring device. And they said, yes, it could very well affect his visitation with the kids.
HAMMER: Most importantly, as Ken said, let`s just hope David Hasselhoff is getting the proper care that he needs.
Jane Velez Mitchell, Ken Seeley, thanks so much for joining us.
ANDERSON: When you talk about rehab, you got to talk Britney Spears and I`ve got to ask, is Britney just rebelling?
MIDLER: Anybody who is under that much scrutiny is bound to want to rebel against it.
ANDERSON: Bette Midler has got some fascinating things to say about Britney Spears` slow walk back up the comeback trail.
And if I were Britney Spears, I would listen up. Hear for yourself, straight ahead.
HAMMER: This may sound crazy but, yes, Paris Hilton, there are lots of people who really don`t like you. Can`t imagine why.
Coming up next, I`ve got a guy who has made it his mission in life to make Paris go away.
ANDERSON: And, okay, admit it, when you first heard Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban was an item and let alone getting married, did you go, "Huh? Are you kidding me?"
So how do some star couples make it work against all odds? Find out as we continue on this fabulous Friday night.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANDERSON: Welcome back to "SHOWBIZ TONIGHT," TV`s most provocative TV news show. I`m Brooke Anderson in Hollywood.
Paris Hilton, you are going to jail. Tonight, a shocking decision by a judge in Los Angeles. He ordered Paris serve 45 days for violating probation starting June 5th.
Paris was caught driving twice with a suspended license. A license that was suspended after she pleaded no contest to a DWI-related charge. Now that is definitely not hot.
Okay, if you`re one of the many people out there who just can`t stand her, you`re absolutely going to love this. There`s a brand-new song out there called "Go Away, Paris Hilton." David Joe Ellis is the brains behind it.
Hey, David, we`re going to talk to you in just a minute but I want to take a look at this song your band, Citizens for a Better America," called, "Go Away Paris."
DAVID JOE ELLIS, SONGWRITER, SINGER: A story on the news today I had mate me want to throw up about a girl who just won`t go away I think we`ve al had enough and now I heard she said the "N" word. Then she said sympathies just like me well I don`t have 50 billion dollars in my family so here`s to you Paris Hilton could you hear me when I say you`ve got everything you want so could you please just go away. Here`s to you Paris Hilton. Can I say what`s on our mind go away, go away Paris Hilton, leave America behind
ANDERSON: Now, David, I think that song is really, really catchy. Why did your band, Citizens for America," make this song? What exactly prompted you to do this?
ELLIS: Well, this was actually done on a whim. I`m the writer of the song and I was watching TV at home and a news story came on with Paris Hilton and Brandon Davis. And they were making fun of Lindsay Lohan because she only had $7 million and so, she was poor. And I saw that and I just started thinking, why is she even a celebrity? What has Paris Hilton ever done? And so I sat down and wrote this song. It`s really taken off.
ANDERSON: She arrived at court today, late, for the probation violation hearing, about ten minutes late. Does that just kind of reinforce what you think about her?
ELLIS: It really does. I think that she expects special treatment and she thinks that she should be treated better than everybody else and I think we should treat her the same way as everybody else.
ANDERSON: "Go Away Paris," is really hitting a nerve with a lot of people. I got 20,000 hits online overnight. What have people been saying to you about Paris?
ELLIS: Well, you know, a lot of people haven`t been very nice. We actually just had a put a profanity filter up on the site last night because some people were being a little too mean.
ANDERSON: Yes, you know, I pulled some comments. I have one here. "I hope people realize how vapid you are, Paris, and how pointless your existence is. You are an insult to women and the human race."
David, people are really passionate about wanting her to disappear, aren`t they?
ANDERSON: I really think we struck a cord with chord with how the American public feels about her. I really do.
ANDERSON: In your song, you write, "leave America behind" where do you want her to go? You`re circulating a "Go Away Paris" petition. Where do you want her to go?
ELLIS: We want her out of the public eye and to stop saying really mean things out to everybody. Just live her life and don`t make us watch it all the time.
ANDERSON: Live her life and leave the rest of us out of it, right?
ELLIS: Yes.
ANDERSON: Well, you`re on "SHOWBIZ TONIGHT" tonight. You`re getting tons of press. Has Paris called you and say, why are you doing this? What would you tell her?
ELLIS: I would tell her to go to eye tunes and tell her to download our songs. I would tell her if she listens to the song, she`s not going to hear anything in the song that`s not as a result of something she`s actually done. I would tell her to watch what she says and she won`t get made fun of by people like me.
ANDERSON: I could listen to the song over and over to be honest with you.
David Joe Ellis, from Citizens for a Better America. Thanks for joining us tonight.
ELLIS: Thank you so much.
ANDERSON: We`ve been asking to you vote on the question of the day. It is this. Paris Hilton in court, would jail time do her some good? Keep voting.
Write to us, showbiztonight@cnn.com. We`ll read some of your thoughts tomorrow.
Stay on top of the latest and most provocative entertainment news story and find out what we`re working on by signing up for the "SHOWBIZ TONIGHT" newsletter. Go on our website, CNN.com/showbiztonight. And look on the left-hand side of the page. Click to sign up and we`ll e- mail you the newsletter every day.
HAMMER: Now, "Making it Work." It`s "SHOWBIZ TONIGHT`s" continuing coverage of stars who make their relationships work in Hollywood -- and beyond.
Tonight we`ve just got to ask, how is it some couples are able to make it work against all odds? From Brad and Angelina raising four children. We have the age difference between Demi and Ashton. And we want to know, what is the secret to making these relationships solid?
Joining me in New York tonight, "Star" magazine`s Jill Dobson.
Good to see you, Jill.
JILL DOBSON, "STAR" MAGAZINE: Good to see you.
HAMMER: Let`s start out with the relationship that faced real adversity early in the marriage, Nicole Kidman and country singer Keith Urban. They were married a couple of months when Keith had to go into rehab.
Alcoholism is a tough enough thing for any couple to deal with let alone being big-time stars like they are but they seem to have come through. What do you think their secret is?
DOBSON: Their secret is facing their problems head-on. Keith had a past history and as soon as he felt he was slipping back in his old tendencies, he checked into rehab. And they had only been married three months and Nicole was quoted as saying in an interview, "Just three months in our marriage we had to dig deep and face our problems." And that`s what they did. She visited him in rehab. She decided to put their marriage first and got through it together.
HAMMER: Making it work by really working at it, it seems there.
DOBSON: Exactly.
HAMMER: Now age difference is a whole other thing. Let`s talk about Ashton Kutcher and Demi Moore because a lot of people, when they first heard these guys hooked up, thought they were getting punked because Ashton, 15 years her junior -- she`s 44, he`s 29. They have been together for about three years.
Bruce Willis, Demi`s ex, is part of the mix there. He`s like part of the clan, which a lot of people think is a little weird. Talk about making it work against all odds. How did they do it?
DOBSON: These two got married in September of 2005. And they`re still going strong and I guess we weren`t punked after all and they get along with Bruce Willis very well. They were invited to visit Bruce at his vacation home.
The key here is focusing on being a family. Of course, Demi has three daughters she had with Bruce. And Ashton is very close to the girls and he`s been quoted saying, "I could never love anyone more than those three girls and their mother."
So it`s really a family effort. They all love each other and make an effort to be mature even though Demi is a little more ma matures than Ashton.
HAMMER: So progressive and mature. Then, Angelina Jolie and Brat Pitt. Easily two of the biggest stars in the world and these are two people who truly have to live their life in a fishbowl.
And we`re always seeing them out and rarely do we see them photographed without their four kids. It`s hard enough raising a family, particular leave four children, no matter what your resources are, plus being in the spotlight as much as they are. What`s their deal in making it work?
DOBSON: Part of what they do is they`re aware the spotlight`s there but they don`t live their life for it nor do they try to fight it. They accept that, yes, we`re a Hollywood couple but we also have much more to our lives. So they focus their four children.
And they also have causes that are important to each of them as adults. For Brad, it`s architecture and the environment, for Angelina, of course, her work with refugees through the U.N. So they have their individual personalities and high-profile careers and have a solid home life and put that first.
HAMMER: Quickly, Jo. Lo, Marc Anthony, they have been together, married since 2004, always speculation and rumor they`re breaking up. They`re in the tabloids all the time. That`s tough to have to deal with, yet they seem to keep it going.
DOBSON: They`re in the tabloids much less than some of their previous relation shortstops and they learned, don`t be too much in the public. Keep year your relationship private. They`ve done it as much as they can and it worked for them.
HAMMER: Jill Dobson, from "Star" magazine, I appreciate you joining us. And it`s nice to see these couples making it work.
DOBSON: Got some good news today.
HAMMER: Thanks a lot.
DOBSON: Thanks.
ANDERSON: Here`s something I`d like you to think about -- just why in the world does Britney Spears do the things she does?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MIDLER: Anybody who is under that much scrutiny is bound to want to rebel against it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: The divine Miss "M," Bette Midler, has got some fascinating things to say about Britney Spears` slow walk back up the comeback trail. If I were Britney Spears, I would listen up. Hear for yourself, straight ahead. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANDERSON: Britney Spears took the stage in her third, quote/unquote secret performance. This is video from last night because last night in Hollywood, cell phones with their pesky cameras.
Britney has been lip-synching her old songs in skimpy outfits as a so-called come back campaign from her stint her rehab.
And listen to who was in the audience, Lindsay Lohan and Jessica Simpson`s dad. They were there.
Now, the feedback and advice to Britney has been, well, let`s just say, less than generous.
Bette Midler knows what it`s like to cause a shock on stage and says Britney`s probably getting advice from the moment she wakes up until the moment she goes to bed.
MIDLER: They just yammer at her all the time. I think anybody who is under that much scrutiny is bound to want to rebel against it. She`s being held hostage. You know, I think, you know, I`m not going to give her any advice, no. I`m going to be the one person who gives her no advice.
ANDERSON: Midler is opening this weekend in Las Vegas and Vegas is where Britney is headed next, this weekend.
HAMMER: Yesterday, we asked you to vote on our question of the day about Britney asking, does she need to reinvent herself? And you were pretty clear on this one, 84 percent of you said, yes, 16 percent of you said, no.
Got a lot of e-mail too. One from Robert in Canada. He sees this as a motivational start for Britney to want to do well with her time and career, to get her back in the game and to listen to people cheer.
Linda from Georgia disagrees. She just needs to go away. All this nonsense is just a joke. She needs to be a mother and not worry about her career.
ANDERSON: A programming note. There`s a special on CNN that we think you just shouldn`t miss. "The Making of a Legend," the controversial real story on the controversial life of the Godfather of Soul. Don`t miss CNN`s "Special Investigations Unit`s" "James Brown, Say it Proud," hosted the by Don Lemon, Saturday and Sunday 8:00 p.m. eastern on CNN.
HAMMER: And this weekend, here`s what`s happening on "SHOWBIZ TONIGHT." On "SHOWBIZ TONIGHT," Sandra Bullock`s startling moves to fight back against many what many who allegedly tried to run over her husband with a car. What makes someone go from a fan to obsessed fan to dangerous stalker? We`ll investigate inside the mind of celebrity stalkers.
On Monday, "Ripped from the Headlines." "SHOWBIZ TONIGHT" has the big story recreating Anna Nicole Smith in a startling TV show. Christy Swanson joins up for the interview you`ll see only on "SHOWBIZ TONIGHT."
That is Monday. Have a fantastic weekend. I`m A.J. Hammer in New York. And that is it for "SHOWBIZ TONIGHT."
ANDERSON: And I`m Brooke Anderson in Hollywood. "Glenn Beck" is next. Right after the latest headlines from CNN Headline News.
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