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Showbiz Tonight
Special Report: Release Of The Party Girls, Paris Gets Out Of Jail Within Days And Lindsay Will Leave Rehab, But Will They Change Their Ways?; News Organizations Deny Deals With Paris Hilton For Interviews; Suzanne Somers on The Secrets to Her Success
Aired June 22, 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: Brand new details about whether Rosie O`Donnell is taking over "The Price is Right." And the shocking Hollywood body image controversy over yogurt? I`m A.J. Hammer in New York. TV`s most provocative entertainment news show starts right now.
On SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, is Paris`s payday canceled? Tonight, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT with the shocking, late breaking news about Paris Hilton`s first post-jail interview.
Plus, why TV networks now say we`re not interested. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT with all the stunning details.
Also tonight, a SHOWBIZ special report, release of the party girls. Paris Hilton coming out of jail. Lindsay Lohan coming out of rehab. We just got to ask, come on, are they really going to change? Plus, why their troubles may have only just begun. Tonight, it is a SHOWBIZ TONIGHT special report.
Friday night is on. I`m A.J. Hammer New York. And run for your lives? Oh, yes, the party girls are about to be released. It is a SHOWBIZ special report and it is coming up. First tonight, the outrage over what one of those party girls, Paris Hilton, was reportedly going to be paid to talk about life in the slammer. With just days to go before Paris gets out, the claims and counter-claims were just flying fast and furious today.
It was wild. Paris Hilton is going to get paid more than one million dollars for talking about her time in jail. No, she`s not. Yes, she is. No, she`s not. Yes, she is. Well, late breaking news came late today. TMZ.com reporting that NBC bagged the whole idea as the heat over the possible interview kept getting hotter.
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HAMMER (voice-over): As Paris Hilton was just days away from a hot shower in her mansion and high thread-count sheets on her bed, she was also reportedly close to cashing her first post-jail paycheck. And SHOWBIZ TONIGHT can tell you, it would have been a big one, even to an already rich heiress. The "New York Post" was reporting Paris was getting a whopping 1.3 million dollars to talk about her time in the slammer, saying a huge chunk of that, one million dollars, was coming from NBC.
And "The Today Show`s" Meredith Vieira would be conducting Paris` first TV interviewed. If the one million dollar figure was paid, that would work out to just under 50,000 dollars for every day Paris has been in jail. Bet there are a lot of people who would sign up for that gig. But SHOWBIZ TONIGHT can also tell you, the very idea of Paris getting that kind of post-jail payout was not sitting well with a lot of people.
HOWARD KURTZ, "THE WASHINGTON POST": I`ve never seen anything like it. And it is embarrassing for networks that ought to be spending time on more serious issues, to be just swept up by this Paris mania.
RAMIN SETOODEH, "NEWSWEEK MAGAZINE": When I first heard that Paris Hilton was going to get a million dollars to do an interview with "The Today Show," I thought, there`s no way. There`s no possible way, because "The Today Show" is a news organization. They have standards. They have ethics.
HAMMER: They certainly do. That`s why NBC News, yes the news division, made it clear that it has not and will not pay for interviews. But there are other ways for NBC, the company, to get around that.
JILL DOBSON, "STAR MAGAZINE": Lately there seems to be a slippery slope, where people might pay for photo rights, and pay for written materials and other things. And somehow it seems like more and more people seem to be getting paid for interviews.
HAMMER: Basically, The celebrity promises an interview to the news division, but gets paid, in effect, by the entertainment division.
KURTZ: For example, CBS buys a Michael Jackson concert and "60 Minutes" just happens to get an interview with the Gloved One. Sometimes the broadcast networks pay an interview subject for home video or pictures. So what should be a clear, straight, solid line, can get a little squiggly.
SETOODEH: Journalistically it`s unethical. But it`s not completely out of the question anymore.
HAMMER: A lot of people were shocked that Barbara Walters might not get the Paris sit-down. After all, it was Barbara who Paris turned to when she first wanted the world to know she was a changed woman, speaking to Barbara on the phone from lockup.
BARBARA WALTERS, "THE VIEW": She said, I`m not the same person I was.
SETOODEH: Barbara Walters thought that she was going to get it, I bet. Barbara Walters is very good friends with Paris Hilton`s mom. She`s always been very careful about talking about Paris Hilton on "The View."
HAMMER: But being a family friend obviously not enough for the Hiltons. Remember, NBC has a business history with the billionaire family.
KATHY HILTON, PARIS HILTON`S MOM: Hi everyone, I`m Kathy Hilton.
HAMMER: Paris` mom Kathy starred in the NBC reality bomb "I Want To Be a Hilton" two years ago. If, in the end, NBC had cut Paris a big check, it wouldn`t have been the first time the network has written a check that ended with a major get. Earlier this week, "The Today Show" aired Matt Lauer`s interview with Prince Harry and Prince William. The sit-down just so happened to take place after NBC`s entertainment division agreed to pay more than two million for a July tribute concert marking the 10th anniversary of the death of their mother, Princess Diana.
RACHEL MADDOW, AIR AMERICA RADIO: They find ways to not sound like they are paying for content and not sound like they`re paying for their news sources when they really are. And I think it hurts their credibility in an irretrievable way.
HAMMER: Speaking about credibility, we wouldn`t want to tarnish Paris` either. Michael Sitrick (ph), a crisis manager hired by the Hilton family, tells SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, quote, "contrary to media reports, Paris Hilton is not being paid for any television interview, nor is Paris Hilton being paid for any collateral material, including videos or photos."
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HAMMER: Late today, NBC sent us the following statement. They say, "we have no agreement in place for Paris Hilton." We also heard from ABC, the network, of course, Barbara Walters works for. This is what they told us this, quote, we will not do an interview with Paris Hilton." Oh, my, how things can change and oh, so quickly. The question is, has the Paris brushfire been put out or has it really just begun?
With me tonight from Hollywood Howard Bragman, founder of Fifteen Minutes Public Relations. Also joining us tonight in New York David Caplan of VH1`s PageSizzler.com. Howard, David, good it see you both as we fire up the Friday night. Man how things were flying around today. Howard, let me start with you. What do you think is going on here? Is NBC doing everything they can at this point, after a lot of bad press this week, just trying to save face? Was it stupid for them in the first place to even consider possibly paying Paris for an interview?
HOWARD BRAGMAN, FIFTEEN MINUTES PR: I don`t think it was stupid to consider. This is a huge interview. And every journalist wants to do this interview. It was stupid to think you could pay this much money and not let people know about it. You see in their statement, it is pretty equivocated, in the fact they didn`t say they weren`t in negotiations. They didn`t say they weren`t in discussions. They just said they weren`t going to pay.
My gut is NBC may have even leaked this yesterday to see how this was going to play. And when the fire started today, and it wouldn`t go out, they realized they had to step away.
HAMMER: I don`t understand how it could have been a good thing for them, Howard, because the whole idea of news organizations paying for interviews, even if they were going to do it in some back handed way, is really something that can tarnish a reputation for a very long time.
BRAGMAN: You know, the truth is, A.J., a lot of people, a lot of the viewers here think that news organizations do pay for interview, even though they`re wrong and most organizations don`t. And the other part is that there are a lot of payments that go on. There are deals -- they make holding deals, development deals, collateral deals that we discussed. So it is not ironic to think that they might pay for this. It happens all the time.
HAMMER: Well, NBC is denying that they were ever even considering the deal. So I don`t know what the truth is there and whether or not they did, in fact, leak this whole story to begin with to test the waters. David, I got to tell you, I`m not buying it. I think they probably were considering this and perhaps were feeling it out, as Howard says. It will be difficult to know. A lot of face-saving going on here, David, isn`t there?
DAVID CAPLAN, VH-1: Definitely. I think what happened is that NBC took a lot of heat for this, because, A, people don`t like when they hear news organizations paying for interviews, and especially when the person they`re paying is Paris Hilton. And I think that`s a little part of this whole story that people -- why people are outraged, really. People are like Paris Hilton does not need a million dollars.
When we had the whole Anna Nicole Smith drama a few months ago and there were charges of various people and Howard K. Stern and people in Anna Nicole`s camp paying for interviews, there was a little more outrage. But it was a lot more tame than what we`re seeing now. I really think it is because the person here is Paris Hilton and not people who could use the money. It is a different tone.
NBC, you know, has a very solid reputation.
HAMMER: Once again it was going back and forth today. And, again, the statement that NBC issued to us at SHOWBIZ TONIGHT says we have no agreement in place for Paris Hilton. And, Howard, you touched on this. I guess you`re right. It doesn`t say that there never was an agreement, right?
BRAGMAN: No, absolutely. I think you got to be naive to think that there weren`t some discussions going on. I worked with Kathy Hilton. NBC does have a relationship with the Hiltons. And this is a huge interview. But I think what David said is true also, that Paris brings a certain volatility to it and it is almost nuclear. And no one wants to touch it and nobody wants to go down in flames.
HAMMER: Well, it is interesting because that seems to be exactly what is going on here. Despite the fact that, at face value, you might think Paris Hilton would be a great get for any TV show. Look at what is happening. Barbara Walters is saying, I don`t want her, which is shocking considering the relationship that she has with the Hilton family and the fact that she got that first in jail interview over the phone. Meredith Vieira now not doing the interview for NBC apparently.
David, What do you see happening now?
CAPLAN: I mean, she has very few outlets left. Maybe CBS; maybe they should hook her up with Katie Couric or something. It would rejuvenate both of their careers. She may just have to take a break and not do this big TV interview that she`s hoping to do. But I think there are other players out there.
There could be a Fox. There are still a few people left. TV is really the medium for Paris to speak about. She doesn`t have the lead time to wait a couple months for a cover story in a fashion magazine in "Vogue" or "Bazaar." She has to tell the story immediately, because if she doesn`t say something about her experience right afterwards, people are just going to be hounding her and hounding her, and she won`t be able to control the interview as well.
HAMMER: I have a feeling that Howard Bragman, PR guru, would agree with you. Howard, if you were in charge of what she was going to do, where would you want to see her going right now to tell her story? And would you want her to tell it once, set the record straight, and then shut up about it?
BRAGMAN: I think CBS is tough. Katie is a tough interview. If Katie is too nice to Paris, she takes criticism. It is sort of a lose-lose for Katie. She`s already been criticized by none other than Dan Rather for the news being too soft. So I think I`m going to go down the hall here and talk to Larry King is where I would like to go.
HAMMER: Go ahead.
BRAGMAN: You get enough time to talk to Larry. Larry is fair, judicious. He has a relationship with the Hilton family. And you get a good hearing. I think it is a great place to go. I think she should consider it.
HAMMER: I got to say I would agree with you. And then you would have to bring her down the hall to the SHOWBIZ TONIGHT studio. Howard Bragman, David Caplan, thank you both for chiming in tonight.
BRAGMAN: Thanks a lot.
HAMMER: Now we want to hear from you for our SHOWBIZ TONIGHT question of the day. Here`s what we want you to chime in on, Paris`s first interview; if she is paid, will she give the money to charity? Do you think she`ll do it? Let us know at CNN.com/SHOWBIZTONIGHT. Send us email at SHOWBIZTONIGHT@CNN.com.
You can always stay on top of the latest and most provocative entertainment news stories by signing up for the SHOWBIZ TONIGHT newsletter. To do it, just go to CNN.com/SHOWBIZTONIGHT. Click on the button that says newsletter right there on the left hand side of the page. We`ll be happy to e-mail it to you every single day.
Well, with Paris getting out of jail, Lindsay Lohan probably about to get out of rehab, I just got to ask, are they really going to change? We can hope. We can dream. Coming up at 30 past hour, a SHOWBIZ special report, release of the party girls. Is the party finally over for them?
And I can`t wait to hear what this beautiful woman, Suzanne Somers, thinks of Paris and all of these out of control starlets. Suzanne is joining me right here. You know she`s got a lot to say about Hollywood`s obsession with body image as well. Everybody loves the thigh master, right? Suzanne`s secrets to her success coming up next.
And a raging Hollywood body image controversy over yogurt? Yes, you heard me right, this battle anything but smooth and creamy. That`s coming up. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT for Friday night is coming right back.
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HAMMER: Welcome back to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, TV`s most provocative entertainment news show. I`m A.J. Hammer. Well, some star-inspired yogurt ads are stirring up a whole lot of spoonfuls of controversy tonight. I want you to check these out. They`re for a Brazilian brand called Itambe (ph) Fit Lite Yogurt. They use plus-sized models to re-enact scenes from "Basic Instinct," "American Beauty" and Marilyn Monroe`s "The Seven Year Itch."
This is the Sharon Stone impersonator. Now, the tag line at the bottom of the ads says forget about it. Men`s preference will never change. Fit light yogurt. A large Mena Suvari (ph) here.
There`s a lot of reaction to this. Some think that the ads are quite clever, and some people, as you might expect, are outraged by this. Others think that it actually sends an unintended positive message that big is beautiful. I definitely think this is a war of different cultures. Get it yogurt, culture?
All right, let me just move on here. I have to wonder what Suzanne Somers would have to say about all those ads. Actually I don`t have to wonder much longer, because she`s with us here tonight. Suzanne, of course, shot the famous Chrissy Snow on "Three`s Company" back in the `70s. She certainly has seen the ups and downs Of Hollywood. And she has just launched a really cool brand new direct selling website, Suzanne.com.
Joining me here in New York, Suzanne Somers, it is always a pleasure to see you.
SUZANNE SOMERS, "THREE`S COMPANY": See, they`re smart, because you`re talking about them, although we don`t know the name of the yogurt. Do we?
HAMMER: I just said it and I can`t even remember the name. Let me ask you about the fact that those ads are almost sort of mocking bigger women. Doesn`t that sort of correlate to everything that is wrong about the message that Hollywood sends out or that the advertising community sends out about body image, and the idea that you have to look a certain way? And I know you have a history steeped in being fit, certainly.
SOMERS: Well, I`ve had my ups and downs in weight too. They looked like they were enjoying themselves. I mean, the girl in the roses, she was -- she had like a nice body image.
HAMMER: Yes, but the suggestion of the yogurt men`s preferences never change and you should be more fit than the women that we`re seeing right there.
SOMERS: Probably. I don`t know. It is personal taste. There are guys that like big women and there are guys that like skinny ones. Do you want to know a little something?
HAMMER: I would love to know a little something.
SOMERS: There are two types of bodies, testosterone bodies and estrogen bodies. I`m an estrogen body. We`re curvy. Testosterone bodies are small breasts, small hipped. Testosterone bodies have the highest sex drive.
HAMMER: I now know that. I think I actually read that in your book as well. Let me ask you something, Suzanne, because everybody now is talking about Paris Hilton. And the last time you were here, we had a good time joking about the fact that you shot to stardom by playing probably one of the most famous dumb blondes in television history, in Chrissy Snow. And that really enabled you, almost ironically, to launch this incredible business career that you have had.
So Paris Hilton promising when she gets out of jail next week, going to be dropping the dumb act. Do you think it is about time and a good idea?
SOMERS: Speaking of dumb, I`m looking at myself there. I think -- I think Paris Hilton is brilliant. I don`t think she`s dumb at all. She created Paris Hilton. She looked in the mirror one day and she said, I`m beautiful. The name is Hilton. What can I do with that? Look what she has done? It`s a lot of work to get dressed up every night and go out to those parties and wear a different outfit and do all that posing. Really, I`m not being facetious.
HAMMER: But she built a reputation as this ditsy person, so that`s OK. That`s why people are going to buy what you`re plugging. And then all of a sudden, you step back from that, and say, no, I`m this mature person all of a sudden.
SOMERS: I happen to think she`s real smart to have thought this all up. I did find after "Three`s Company" that it took me a long time for people to realize that Suzanne Somers and Chrissy Snow were two different people, a long time.
HAMMER: You were playing a role there.
SOMERS: I was playing a role. I was playing a role.
HAMMER: Paris Hilton is playing Paris Hilton, Suzanne. I don`t know.
SOMERS: I don`t know. I admire her. I think it is brilliant what she`s done. I really do. It is -- she can make it -- see, if I were Paris Hilton, I would get a clothes line going. I would get a jewelry line going. I would create the businesses like I created. I would go on the Shopping Channel like I did and talk so people get to know you. I would start a party business like I started.
HAMMER: Do you think this is a good idea for any of those young Hollywood stars who are seemingly unfocused and kind of out of control. Because you really -- look at it, "Three`s Company" was 30 years ago and look at this empire you built.
SOMERS: I hope they don`t, because then it will just flood the market with a lot of competition and I won`t do so well. You know what, I just found that over the years, you can`t stay stocked. You`ve got to keep reinventing yourself and it has to be authentic. You can`t turn yourself into something that you`re not. So I keep -- what will I be next? I don`t know.
HAMMER: But it is all been about your name and now Suzanne.com, it blows me away. After the show, I`ll ask you how in the world you got Suzanne.com. That`s pretty impressive.
SOMERS And any misspellings of it. I bought all the URLs of everything all around that.
HAMMER: What is it about attaching a celebrity name to a product that makes it sell.
SOMERS: Yes, but Suzanne.com is like, for lack of a better explanation, like tupperware. Because women have a herding instinct. We actually did research and they like to get together. They like to have a glass of wine and they like to shop without their husbands. So all these women who go to Suzanne.com and become consultant, they give these parties and sell my product and drink a little wine and they don`t have their husbands around. They can just shop.
You have a glass of wine with a woman and she`ll say, should I get this? And they`ll go, oh it`s great on you. You should get it.
HAMMER: I think it`s perfect. Suzanne, it`s always great to see you. Thanks for stopping by.
SOMERS: And thank you for that tape you gave me. We worked together a long time ago.
HAMMER: For more information about Suzanne`s new business, go to any spelling of Suzanne.com.
HAMMER: Well, Jon Bon Jovi is also one of my favorite people in the business, just like Suzanne. He`s beating the odds, because he`s been married to his high school sweetheart for almost twenty years. What`s his secret to making it work? That is coming up.
A lot of people want to know, is Rosie O`Donnell about to get "The Price is Right" hosting gig or is she "Living on a Prayer?" I`m pretty surprised at what Rosie is saying now. That`s coming up. Also this.
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MONTEL WILLIAMS, TALK SHOW HOST: I hope that once she comes out, she disappears, goes way. Maybe that`s what she`s learned, go way.
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HAMMER: I couldn`t agree with you more, Montel. But Paris is not the only one about to hit the streets. Lindsay Lohan almost out of rehab. Got to ask, will these women really clean up their acts? A SHOWBIZ special report, release of the party girls, coming up.
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HAMMER: We were right there last night at the "Entertainment Weekly" must list party in New York today. So many stars on hand, including 19- year-old singing sensation Rihanna. Who doesn`t love her? That`s called "Shut Up and Drive." Let me tell you, I think all of these out of control young Hollywood stars. But the driving thing, not a good idea. Listen to what Rihanna had to say when we asked her how she keeps grounded in this wacky world of entertainment.
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RIHANNA, SINGER: It depends on what helps you. It`s an individual thing. But I think a lot of it is having good people around me, having the background that I have, you know, growing up in Barbados in a different culture. And a part of it is seeing the effects that that kind of stuff has on people first hand.
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HAMMER: She makes a good point. We`re so celebrity obsessed here in the United States, so maybe growing up in other places helps keep you focused.
Well, get ready, because Paris Hilton is about to get out of jail. Lindsay Lohan almost out of rehab. Will these ladies get their lives in order? Can they really make a come back? It`s a SHOWBIZ special report not to be missed, release of the party girls, next. I`ve also got this.
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WILLIAMS: I hope once she comes out, she disappears, goes away. Maybe that`s what she`s learned, go away.
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HAMMER: I couldn`t agree with you more, Montel. Come on, will Paris really ditch the dumb act? And I will tell you, it`s definitely no dumb luck that Jon Bon Jovi and his wife have been married so long. His secrets to making his marriage work, when, quite honestly, we all know so many other Hollywood marriages end up in failure. That is coming up. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT for Friday night is coming right back. Don`t go anywhere.
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I could care less what she comes out of. I hope once she comes out, she disappears, goes away. Maybe that`s what she`s learned, go way.
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HAMMER: Tonight, advice for Paris Hilton on what she needs to do after jail. Yes, Paris is about to be released and look out, because Lindsay Lohan is also getting out of rehab. Should we run for the hills? Can life ever be the same?
And hold on, because there is even more trouble ahead. Tonight, it is a SHOWBIZ TONIGHT special report, the "Release Of The Party Girls".
Welcome back to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT for Friday night. It`s 30 minutes past the hour. I`m A.J. Hammer in New York. This is TV`s most provocative entertainment news show.
Tonight, deal or no deal? NBC tells SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, there is no deal for Paris Hilton`s first post-jail interview. She`s just days away from getting out of jail now. And her reported million-dollar chat with "Today`s" Meredith Vieira has been scrapped.
Reps for both Hilton and NBC deny the deal, but other major network reps tell SHOWBIZ TONIGHT that NBC had simply outbid them. Now, TMZ.com says that big wigs at NBC pulled out of the deal after scandal over the $1 million-price tag erupted.
Hilton, herself, is still behind bars, as we know, but that didn`t stop her from doing a jailhouse phone interview with radio host and TV personality Ryan Seacrest. Hilton told Seacrest that she`s a changed woman. And we have heard that before.
So, with Paris expected to be out of jail first thing next week and Lindsay Lohan expected to leave rehab soon, we have a lot of questions to ask. Tonight, it`s a SHOWBIZ TONIGHT special report, "Release Of The Party Girls". Have Paris or Lindsay really changed? Is it even realistic to expect they have turned things around in only a month? Has their drama sent shockwaves through Hollywood? Is the Hollywood party scene changed forever?
And SHOWBIZ TONIGHT can tell you the trouble may have only just begun for both of them. Tonight SHOWBIZ TONIGHT is going coast to coast with this special report, joining us, again, from Hollywood, Howard Bragman of Fifteen Minutes PR; here in New York, Ryan Smith, entertainment attorney and BET host, psychology expert Cooper Lawrence, also in New York with us tonight, and Jill Dobson, of "Star" magazine.
Panel I thank you all for being here. A lot of ground to cover.
Howard Bragman, I want to start with you. We heard that Paris is claiming that just after a few weeks, locked up in prison, she`s a changed person. There`s no going back.
Howard, do you buy it?
HOWARD BRAGMAN, FIFTEEN MINUTES PUBLIC RELATIONS: You know, the first step for solving any problem is recognizing that you have a problem. And at least she is saying the right thing now. Only time is going to tell. That`s the thing that these young ladies don`t seem to really realize is that patience is a virtue. Sometimes not being on TV and not being in the media is good.
I think Montel said it well, it is good not to see them around every once in a while. And I think a mix of the right attitude, the right charitable functions, and not being overexposed will do Paris a lot of good.
HAMMER: I think a lot of people would agree with you on that, Howard. But the fact is, you can`t really change, it seems to me, as dramatically as she`s claiming to have changed in such a short period of time.
Ryan, what do you think?
RYAN SMITH, ENTERTAINMENT ATTORNEY, BET HOST: I agree. I think things like finding God and simply saying after 30 days, I`ve changed, that doesn`t really happen. There might have been some sort of change or some sort of realization that her life is out of control. But the fact of the matter is we got to change some these underlying things that she`s got going on in her personality. Some of these things that she`s developed over years of time and that doesn`t just change in 30 days.
HAMMER: No. There has been a lifetime. I mention she did do a phone interview with Ryan Seacrest the other day. Let`s listen to what she told Ryan. She said, quote, "I`m much more grateful for everything that I have, even just to have a pillow at night or food. I am behind glass and I want to give my dad a hug and they won`t even let me. I`m not a criminal. I`m not dangerous. It`s hard, but I`m stronger everyday."
HAMMER: Cooper Lawrence, let me go to you, because you`re the psychology expert here. I don`t want to be cynical, but Paris is feeling this way, these days, but is it all just going to wear off once she`s back in the lap of luxury? After all, everybody is very thankful when they have to go without.
COOPER LAWRENCE, PSYCHOLOGIST: It is more than that. I got to bring the research to you on personality change. There is only two things that the research shows actually changes personality. One of them is religious conversion. I don`t think we really saw religious conversion here. I think she said, that she found spirituality and maybe found God, but a true religious conversion is something that can change a personality. So, if she wants to change, that may be the route for her to go.
The second thing that does change personality are major traumatic events. So, it is -- you know, what is trauma for you? You know?
HAMMER: I guess she really will appreciate her 800-thread count sheets now that she`s been without them for so long.
Then, of course, there is Lindsay Lohan. Now her case is a bit different. She`s supposed to be coming out of rehab. She still has a job lined up, as far as we know, on a film when she gets out. At last night`s "Entertainment Weekly" must-list event we had the opportunity to talk to a bunch of people, we talked to former Olympic skating champ, Oksana Baiul. You`ll may remember she had her own trouble in the past, with drinking, and she said, it is no so simple to expect a star to just lay low, as Paris is claiming she will do. Listen to this.
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OKSANA BAIUL, FMR. OLYMPIC SKATING CHAMPION: Being a very famous person, like she is, there is a constant pressure on our shoulders, because we constantly have to work. Because, like the red carpet events, it is fun because we`re fortunate because what we do, it is a lot of fun. But, you know, you can`t stay home and not to go out, and promote the movies and promote your work.
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HAMMER: Oksana is saying, you know you can`t stay home. Maybe it is a good idea for Lindsay, for Paris to stay home.
Jill Dobson, Lindsay Lohan has a track record we all know has her going out all the time, showing up late for work. Can we really expect her to start showing up for work on time all of a sudden and staying away from the party scene?
JILL DOBSON, "STAR" MAGAZINE: The last time she went into rehab, I said we were concerned about Lindsay Lohan and afraid she would hang out with the same people, go to the same places, and get into the same trouble. And she did.
Hopefully, she`s learning from her mistakes, but I think that`s a problem that a lot of these girls have is they keep making the same mistakes over and over. I hope she doesn`t do it again. But, you know, she certainly has a track record.
HAMMER: Howard Bragman, back to you. What do you think is the potential that Lindsay Lohan, for example, all of a sudden will have learned enough in rehab? Rehab can be successful some of the time, and not so successful other times, and there are a lot of issues at play here.
BRAGMAN: It is really up to her to how much that she has given, to how much honesty she`s given, how much she`s looked at some of her family issues that sort of force these issues in the first place.
There was a recent article in "The Washington Post" and they talk about we live in the age of post privacy. There is no wall between public and private anymore. And whatever she does, we will know it in 11 seconds. It will be on a website, it will be text messaged to everyone, and e-mailed to everyone; if she goes to a bar, if she misbehaves, if she`s late for a movie. So she really has to know the whole world is watching and we`re not going to give her a lot more chances.
HAMMER: Do you think, though, Howard that is enough to keep her out of the clubs?
BRAGMAN: I don`t think it is necessarily enough. It hasn`t been enough for a lot of people. Addictions are hard things to break. So I`m not convinced that 30 days in rehab is going to turn it around. But I hope it does. I mean, innately she`s a good person. She`s not a hurtful person. She`s just had some really troubling times, some troubling family issues, and you really want to hope that this can be a beginning of something better in her life.
HAMMER: And I want to point out, because a couple of people have actually even stopped me in the street to take me to task on this. We would like to see them both do well. We really would. Particularly Lindsay Lohan, who clearly was dealing with some issues that forced her into the rehab situation. So let us say that Paris and Lindsay really do commit to lying low, let`s say they commit to staying out of trouble.
Ryan, let me go to you on this. Is the cat out of the bag? With all the young stars out there craving fame, now seeing how they can be rewarded for bad behavior, in terms of the level of publicity, albeit not great publicity, but the level of publicity that can come out of it?
SMITH: They say there is no such thing as bad publicity. I think that is what is happening here. We got to look at this for what it is; which is, a lot of times we hear a lot of double talk. I`m trying to get better. I`m not saying these two young ladies don`t sincerely want to get better, I`m just saying we hear a lot of talk about I want to get better, yet courting the press, courting publicity.
I think you`ll see a lot of young performers putting their lives out there even more because this is how our industry is now. Our industry is one where, like, Howard said there is no real distinction between public and private. People want to know more about the people they`re watching on screen.
I think you`ll see a lot more of this. I don`t think that people intentionally want to hurt themselves, but I think this bad publicity, people see how much attention it gets for them, and they react to it and might think, hey, something I should do, too.
HAMMER: In the case of Paris and Lindsay, as much as we may want to see them turn things around, if they think their troubles are over, they have a whole other thing coming to them.
Our fabulous panel is very fired up, clearly. They got to stick around because when our SHOWBIZ TONIGHT special report continues, we`ll reveal to you why the party girls are not going to be the life of any party, anytime soon. I can tell you for sure that they are still in a heap of trouble, big time. Fireworks fly when our SHOWBIZ TONIGHT special report, the "Release Of The Party Girls" continues.
And if the party girls want a lesson in living your life right, send them right over to Jon Bon Jovi, and his wife, Dorothea. Bon Jovi really opened up to me and revealed the secret behind how they have made their marriage work for an incredible 18 years. What Jon Bon Jovi told me is coming up.
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WILLIAMS: I could care less what she comes out of. I hope once she comes out, she disappears, goes away. Maybe that`s what she`s learned, go away.
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HAMMER: TV talk show host Montel Williams with some harsh words for Paris Hilton.
Welcome back to this SHOWBIZ special report, "Release Of The Party Girls". I`m A.J. Hammer in New York. You are watching TV`s most provocative entertainment news show. Paris Hilton is just a couple of days away from freedom and Lindsay Lohan about to get out of rehab anytime soon.
But has their trouble only just begun? We are back now with our coast-to-coast passionate panel. Paris Hilton, as we all know, guys, has banked on her party image. Now, she`s promised to drop the whole dumb act.
Jill Dobson, let me to go you on this. Isn`t that kind of a huge problem for her since really that`s all she`s known for?
DOBSON: Right. She`s known for being dumb and she also seems to be known lately for contradicting herself. For instance, she says she knows she`s made mistakes and she`s going to improve. But then you mentioned earlier that Ryan Seacrest interview, in which she said, "I`m not a criminal. I`m not dangerous." Yes, Paris, you are. If you`re drinking and driving you`re dangerous and that`s a crime. So you`re both of those things.
On the one hand, I think she`s in denial that she`s done anything wrong and sees herself as a victim, and don`t think that will help her move forward.
HAMMER: Howard you`re the image expert around these parts, what do you think? Is it a good move for her right now, or can you really change your brand and expect people to still come knocking?
BRAGMAN: I don`t think she has a choice but to change her brand right now, A.J. If she doesn`t, you`re going to find consumer products companies aren`t going to want to be in business with her. This is reputations on the line this is millions of dollars and they can`t afford to have somebody with a potential DUI take their company down.
So she has to change her brand. She is hitting a certain age. And I think that`s the only option she has right now. She doesn`t have the -- the question is, what does she have to build on? What is the foundation? And as we have said, it was sort of being hot, and being a party girl. It is time for Paris to start getting a car and a driver and wearing underwear and I think things will be better.
HAMMER: So what is it now? Is her name even good enough, Howard? That`s what I don`t understand. Is her name good enough, just being Paris Hilton, will anybody want to get into a business with her?
BRAGMAN: The first thing she has to do is fix Paris Hilton. She has to get over her party girl ways. You`ll see her start to get into charitable organizations, if not starting her own. It might be something to do with jail, it might be Mothers Against Drunk Driving, but Paris will find a cause and she`s going to build from there. And once we say this girl has gotten it, she`s turned it around, people are going to give her another chance because she does get amazing amounts of publicity --
HAMMER: That`s true.
BRAGMAN: -- whether she wants to or not.
HAMMER: Speaking of finding a cause, we`ll see as we have been seeing all along, only time will tell, here is more of what she told Ryan Seacrest when he had the chance to speak with her the other day.
"I just realized that the media used me to make fun and be mean. I`m, frankly, sick of it. I want to use my fame in a good way."
It seems to me like she`s saying the media is to blame for her bad image. Hold on a second here, everybody. What about the sex tapes? What about the tapes with her spewing off the racial slurs, the DUI arrests?
Ryan, let me go to you on this. It seems to me she is not taking responsibility, still, for her ditsy ways.
SMITH: You could not be more right with that statement. I don`t understand why she doesn`t understand that you take the good with the bad. No one in this world is entitled to nothing but good publicity. So when you go out there, you court the publicity at all times, it seems that she shrouded her entire life on publicity being known, being noticed, being hot.
That means when things go wrong, people are going to be looking straight at you. And they`re not going to be willing to make exceptions. And they`re not going to be willing to turn a blind eye. And they`re not just going to say, oh, it is OK, no big deal. She has to learn and really take responsibility for her actions. And learn that the publicity will follow her no matter where she goes. It is up to her what she does and she can`t blame the media for that.
HAMMER: So, you say, we`re asking is the party over? Let`s talk about Lindsay Lohan as we dealing with the "Release of The Party Girls". Charged with DUI after the car crash that led to her going into rehab. There is still the matter of whether she`s going to be connected to the cocaine that was found in her car.
Howard Bragman I need to back to you, as the PR guru, still has a long road ahead of her, doesn`t Lindsay?
BRAGMAN: Absolutely. She`s got a lot of hurdles to get over. And she has a hurdle that Paris doesn`t have, and that`s the insurability on the sets of a movie. That can involve drug testing. It can involve people literally driving her to and from the set to make sure she`s there on time. It is a lot of scrutiny. It is a lot of humiliation. And that`s not even talking about the 25 or 50 paparazzi lined up outside her home. So, yeah, she`s got a very tough road ahead of her.
HAMMER: And to clarify, police claimed that cocaine was found in her car. All of this as Howard is saying, it really does come down to accountability. I want you to listen to what the host of the show "Super Nanny,", you all know, Jo Frost, this is what she told SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
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JO FROST, SUPER NANNY: It is about being responsible and being accountable for whatever you do. That`s maturity. So, you know, you learn that along the way. That`s a learning curve to be able to, you know, recognize that you should be responsible for your actions and be accountable for that.
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HAMMER: Psychology expert Cooper Lawrence, she has a good point, doesn`t she?
LAWRENCE: Yes, a learning curve if you`re not in your early 20s and still partying. We`re talking about somebody still really young and she grew up young. She`s somebody who -- you know, her mom has not been the best role model. She`s been the adult in the house. She`s having a childhood. She`ll have it for a while.
Lindsay will not learn her lesson until she matures a little bit and decides it is time. I don`t think 30 days in rehab will be the only thing she`s going to need. She`s going to need a lot more than that.
HAMMER: Cooper, while I have you, give me your prediction. Is it going to be a long time before Paris or Lindsay`s career can recover if they can? What do you think?
LAWRENCE: Paris, for sure. Because, you know, people keep asking what is her talent? She`s not coming back with a record. She`s not coming back with a movie. She`s not coming back with something that we go, ah, it`s a comeback and we love it.
Whereas, at least, Lindsay has a talent. She`s a good actress. We`re hoping that maybe she`ll do the same thing Drew Barrymore did. Where she`s going to find somebody, like Steven Spielberg, or somebody who matters to her. And that`s going to be her role model, that will not only will stop her partying ways, but will put her career back where it belongs.
HAMMER: Jill Dobson, 10 seconds, what do you think?
DOBSON: I think it will be a while for both of these girls, and I think they both need to shape up and do some charity work.
HAMMER: Ryan Smith, what do you think? Predictions?
SMITH: I think it will be a while. I think Lindsay can hang in there. I think she has a lot of family driven movies, but can do a lot of things, particularly if she rehabs her image. Paris, different story, may take some time.
HAMMER: Howard Bragman of Fifteen Minutes PR, Ryan Smith from BET, psychology expert Cooper Lawrence and Jill Dobson of "Star" magazine. Thank you all for helping us sort through this and we`ll see. "Only time will tell", I think is the operative phrase tonight.
We`ve been asking you to vote on our SHOWBIZ TONIGHT question of the day, Paris` first interview, if she is paid, will she give the money to charity? Let us know what you think by going to CNN.com/showbiztonight. If you have more to say, you can write to us at Showbiztonight@cnn.com. We`ll be reading some of your e-mails on Monday.
And remember, you can always stay on top of the latest and most provocative entertainment news stories by signing up for the SHOWBIZ TONIGHT newsletter. Go to cnn.com/showbiztonight, you`ll see the newsletter button right there on the left-hand side of the page. Click on that, we`ll be mailing you the SHOWBIZ TONIGHT newsletter each and every day.
I`ll tell you who the likes of Paris and Lindsay could learn from -- a lot, when it comes to living your life the right way. One of my favorite guys in the entire entertainment industry, truly a nice dude, and apparently knows how to make it work with his marriage, Jon Bon Jovi. Somebody who has been married to his high school sweetheart for 18 years. So, when I was hanging out with him the other day, I just had to ask, how does he make it work, and defy the odds of Hollywood marriages, which we all know fall apart all the time.
I was surprised by what he told me. You`ll hear it next.
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HAMMER: Now, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT`s continuing coverage of couples who are making their relationships work in Hollywood, and beyond. And there is perhaps no better example than Jon Bon Jovi and his wife Dorothea.
Jon and Dorothea have not only been married for 18 years, they have been together a lot longer. Dorothea was Jon`s high school sweetheart. That`s right. They met in a history class when Jon was just 17 years old. When I spoke with Jon the other day and I just had to ask how do they make it work and defy the odds?
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JON BON JOVI, MUSICIAN: I don`t know other than, you know, it is something you have to work on. I think that there is a mutual respect. There is also an independence. And we`re not reliant on celebrity to fuel our next move. That`s just what I do for a living. There is not a platinum record hanging in my house. It is just my job.
You don`t see my kids at premieres and getting in magazines and playing that whole game. It is just a shallow pool to swim in. When it is new, it is fun for a lot of people. When you`ve been at it for this long, you think that`s cute, but I have no interest in it.
HAMMER: One thing you mentioned that I think applies to people, famous or not, the independence thing. And particularly because so many couples live in a relationship, where one spouse is perhaps out on the road quite a little bit, as a business traveler, or whatever. You certainly spend a lot of time out on the road. I`m sure at the beginning that was pretty daunting for your wife as you headed out.
JOVI: You can sit her down sometime and talk to her about it, but it is just always what I`ve done. I`ve done it for a long, long time. So it is what it is. And to me the other thing just doesn`t really have any appeal. It just never did, so fortunately for me.
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HAMMER: Jon Bon Jovi and Dorothea have four kids. They have a daughter and three sons. The band Bon Jovi also has a great new album, just out called "Lost Highway" and I can tell you from spending time with it this week, it is terrific.
Yesterday, we asked you to vote on our SHOWBIZ TONIGHT question of the day: Paris Hilton, is it OK for her to profit from her time in jail? 21 percent of you say yes. 79 percent of you say no.
Let`s find out what is coming up on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. This weekend, celebrity sex tapes. I`ve always wondered why a star would be so stupid to make one of these things. They`re bound to get out. But can they actually help a career? It certainly didn`t hurt Paris Hilton.
But Paris has other things to worry about these days. She`s now planning her life after jail and on Monday SHOWBIZ TONIGHT will, of course, have your complete coverage of Paris` life after lockup. You won`t want to miss a moment of that.
That`s SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. Thank you so much for watching. I`m A.J. Hammer in New York.
"Glenn Beck" is next. Right after the latest headlines from CNN "Headline News." Have a great weekend.
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