Return to Transcripts main page
Showbiz Tonight
Paris Hilton One Day From Release; Michael Moore on `Sicko`
Aired June 25, 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: Rosie O`Donnell`s open letter to Britney Spears. I`m A.J. Hammer in New York.
BROOKE ANDERSON, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT ANCHOR: And a shocking admission from Fergie that shows just how bad her drug abuse got before she got better. I`m Brooke Anderson in Hollywood. TV`s most provocative entertainment news show starts right now.
HAMMER: On SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, a SHOWBIZ special report, the perils of Paris. Tonight Paris Hilton`s life after jail. Has she really changed? Can she go from sinner to saint? Why her mom says she`s ready for a change of clothing.
We bet she can`t. Plus, the inside story on what will be Paris` first interview. What does she need to do to change anyone`s mind about her. It`s a SHOWBIZ special report, the perils of Paris.
Hello, I`m A.J. Hammer in New York.
BROOKE ANDERSON, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT ANCHOR: Hi there everyone. I`m Brooke Anderson in Hollywood. and tonight, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT can tell you that the perils of Paris Hilton are far from over. A SHOWBIZ special report is coming right up.
HAMMER: And this is a very special night for Paris Hilton. Tomorrow, Paris will finally be enjoying her first full day of freedom in more than three weeks. Three weeks that have seen her in lockdown and locked out of that glamorous scene that she once lived and loved. And in just a couple of days, Paris will be speaking exclusively with CNN`s Larry King and revealing what her ordeal has been like and how she plans to transform herself into a Paris to be admired.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
HAMMER: Remember the mob scene when Martha Stewart was released from prison?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: How does it feel to be home, Martha?
MARTHA STEWART, ACTRESS: It feels great.
HAMMER: Child`s play. Paris Hilton`s release from jail is the event of the week.
BEN WIDDICOMBE, "NEW YORK DAILY NEWS": There will be some interest in exactly what kind of creature is going to emerge from prison.
KATHY HILTON, MOTHER OF PARIS HILTON: I can`t wait just to hug her and hold her.
HAMMER: Hilton`s mom seemed excited for her daughter`s release when she visited Paris over the weekend. She was asked what`s the first thing Paris is going to do when she gets out?
HILTON: She doesn`t like orange anymore, so she can`t wait to get that orange suit off.
HAMMER: Yes, orange jail jump suits are pretty hard to accessorize. But the big story is not whether Paris plans to change clothes when she comes out. It`s whether she plans to change the world.
WIDDICOMBE: She insists that she`s going to be a better person. It`s going to be a tough sell with the public, I think.
HAMMER: The one-time pitch woman for Carl Junior Burger joints now want to bite into more charitable causes, hopefully while wearing more than a bikini. Among the post-jail philanthropy projects she`s talking about, she wants to be an advocate in the fight against breast cancer, same for multiple sclerosis. She says she wants to build a house for sick children. And, in a cause near and dear to her heart, a transitional home for newly released inmates. Maybe they can renovate one of her family`s famous hotels.
DAVID CAPLAN, VH1: She`s really shown she`s not focused. She hasn`t thought about it. And she`s almost just giving sound bytes to people just to make everyone happy.
HAMMER: But the new money isn`t everything Paris didn`t exactly jive with what we saw over the past few days when her family`s reported money demands for her first post-jail interview bounced her from a reported 100,000 dollar offer from ABC to a reported one million dollar offer from NBC. And, finally, to a no money deal with CNN, where she`ll sit down with Larry King Wednesday night at 9:00 p.m. eastern exclusively for her first post-jail interview.
CNN is not compensating Paris for the interview.
CAPLAN: Paris Hilton`s image really took a beating after the whole NBC one million dollar interview problem, and a lot of people are like, this girl doesn`t need a million dollars. She doesn`t need to personally profit from her jail time.
HAMMER: The whole mess may have alienated one of Paris Hilton`s biggest defenders, legendary ABC News woman and "The View" co-host Barbara Walters. Walters friendship with Hilton`s mom made everyone assume she would get the first crack at Paris when she got out of jail, especially after Barbara became the first one to do a phone interview with the jailed heiress.
BARBARA WALTERS, "THE VIEW": She said I`m not the same person I was.
HAMMER: Now Walters is telling "New York Post" columnist Cindy Adams why she and ABC turned down the chance to interview Paris after her reported one million dollar deal with NBC went up in smoke. About the ABC- NBC bidding war, she says, quote, "when all that pay for play stuff happened, I suddenly felt this was not up to my standard. It felt sort of tawdry."
She goes on to say, "some agreed with my decision. Some didn`t. For me it was just a question of respect."
CAPLAN: Now, with no Barbara, Paris has to find a new friend.
HAMMER: Being charitable and finding new allies aren`t the only things Hilton must do after jail. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT can tell you that DUI and probation matter that got her in jail in the first place is still not resolved.
CAPLAN: The thing you have to remember is that she`s still on probation through March 2009. She can, however, have that widdled down if she gets involved in a PSA, of course, if she doesn`t drive on a suspended license at one point. That will help.
HAMMER: But if Paris doesn`t keep her nose clean during that time, the Paris Hilton jail watch could very well start up again.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HAMMER: It is going to be an interesting couple of days coming up as Paris resumes her life after being behind bars. Be sure to tune into CNN`s "LARRY KING LIVE" on Wednesday night. That is the very first post-jail interview with Paris Hilton. Also, Wednesday night, not to be missed, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT is the only live entertainment news show giving you the very first reaction to that interview. That`s SHOWBIZ TONIGHT live at 11:00 p.m. eastern on Wednesday.
Well, with all eyes on a post pokey Paris, what exactly can we expect? Joining us tonight from Philadelphia, criminal defense attorney and TV host Lauren Lake, in Hollywood tonight Jane Velez-Mitchell, investigative journalist and author of this the fantastic book, "Secrets Can Be Murder," which is on sale right now.
Lauren, Jane, it is a pleasure to see you both. As we all now know, CNN is doing it the right way. No money is changing hands for the first interview with Paris after jail. Lauren, what do you think, was the sensitivity chip kind of off with Paris` people? Maybe they were thinking somehow people wouldn`t be outraged at the idea that a million bucks or a lot of money could possibly change hands?
LAUREN LAKE, CRIMINAL DEFENSE ATTORNEY: You got to be kidding me. I don`t know what they were thinking, A.J. There is no way in the world this girl needs another dime. And after all of this time sitting in jail and all of this type of damage control she`s trying to do from jail, you`re going to come out and try to get a million dollars for an interview? Get real. That was ridiculous.
HAMMER: Yes, a bad way to start off what is going to be a very important chapter in her life of creating the right impression. Jane, how important is it that in this interview Paris gets on television with Larry King, acknowledges what she`s done is basically wrong and apologize for it, saying I blew it. I was resistant, wrong. I`m trying to mend my ways.
JANE VELEZ-MITCHELL, AUTHOR, "SECRETS CAN BE MURDER": A.J., it`s absolutely crucial that she show up, she`s humble, contrite, genuine, and of service, admits that she made a mistake, take responsibility for her actions, not try to blame her manager or anyone else, express how she experienced jail, how it transformed her, how it changed her.
Talk about all the public service work she wants to do, particularly the transitional house for inmates so they can get on their feet and they don`t have to go back to what they were doing or go back to jail. If she does all that, I think America will eat it up. America loves when a famous person screws up and then admits that they have made a mistake and is humble and contrite. Look at Hugh Grant when he got caught with the infamous Devine Brown, and then he went on a late night talk show and he was humble and contrite and charming, and America ate it up.
So she does have an opportunity here. She has to take it. She` got to no spin. And she has just got to play it straight and hopefully America will listen.
HAMMER: Yes, she`s got to get it right the first time because, you know, in other cases like this, you only get that one shot at making the right impression. I got to play this little piece of tape again. This is my favorite little nugget from over the weekend. We heard Kathy Hilton speaking to the press about Paris` last couple of days in jail. When Kathy Hilton came out from visiting her on Sunday, let`s take a look at this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Any plans for a celebration?
HILTON: Just to be with the family and we`re just excited and can`t wait just to hug her and hold her.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: How is she doing tonight?
HILTON: She doesn`t like orange anymore. She can`t wait to get that orange suit off.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: Can`t wait to get the orange suit off. I appreciate that Kathy Hilton was trying to inject a little humor into a difficult situation. But, Lauren, does that not perpetuate the whole image that Paris only cares about how she looks? Wouldn`t it have been much better for mom to either not say anything or to have said something like Paris is remorseful, can`t wait to tell the world how sorry she is?
LAKE: Absolutely. And what I am thinking, at this point, we`re waiting for her mother to sound like a parent. You know, even if that was a joke, let Paris make that joke when she gets out. Right now we want to hear a parent sound responsible and sound like, you know what, I`m expecting great things of my child when she gets out. She`s learned a valuable lesson here. And I expect her to turn her life around. And we`re proud of her for doing her time. And we stand behind her 100 percent.
I don`t want to hear anything about any orange outfit right now.
HAMMER: Yes. If there were ever a time when they should be paying attention to everything that is said -- because everybody is paying such close attention. Jane, there has certainly been a lot of missteps along the way. Are you convinced that Paris and her people actually have what it takes to repair her image, because they need to do some serious, serious damage control in the coming days.
MITCHELL: Well, we`ve got to give her the opportunity. I mean, I would be a complete hypocrite, being a recovery alcoholic with 12 years of sobriety, if I didn`t say, hey, she has a chance to change. Everybody has things about their that past they would like to change. And they say there`s no mess she can`t clean up. I think she can come out of this a different, renewed person. But she has to stop treating herself as a commodity, as a business entity. And stop the spin and stop relying on handlers and simply be a human being.
She`s got to lay low, because the paparazzi is going to be out to get her and try to even possibly provoke her into doing something arrogant or mean. And they`re going to catch her. So what she`s got to do is stay out of the paparazzi`s way. There`s a lot of people rooting for her to fail. And if she`s smart, no parties, no public appearances. Just lay low and make your plans for that halfway house for your fellow former inmates.
HAMMER: Despite anything I may have said previously on this program, I am not rooting for her to fail. I really do hope she can turn it around. Lauren Lake, Jane Velez-Mitchell, I thank you both.
ANDERSON: And now we want to hear what you think about it. It is our SHOWBIZ TONIGHT question of the day. Paris Hilton after jail, do you think she will be a changed person? Vote at CNN.com/SHOWBIZTONIGHT. Send us an email. That address is SHOWBIZTONIGHT@CNN.com.
And you can 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, click on newsletter. It`s on the left hand side of the page. And we`ll e-mail it to you every day.
HAMMER: You know, Brooke, I am rooting for Paris. I would like to see the change happen. I`m not all so sure it will take place, but we can certainly hope.
ANDERSON: We can be optimistic.
HAMMER: Yes. A lot of questions about her first days out of jail. What is her life going to be like now? What is she going to say in that first post-jail interview? We are rounding up the experts. It`s a SHOWBIZ special report not to be missed, the Perils of Paris. We`ll do that at 30 past the hour.
Also, is Britney Spears going to be joining the true colors tour with Rosie O`Donnell? Rosie answers that rumor and has an open letter for Britney. We`ll also have this --
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAEL MOORE, "SICKO": I`m not putting up with this any longer because my job is to be a voice for the people that don`t have a voice, who don`t have a network, who don`t have their own newspaper. That`s what I do.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: OK, this is shaping up to be one of the biggest movies of the summer. Michael Moore takes on the health care industry in "Sicko," and I got to talk to him all about it today. It was a really heated discussion. He makes some very compelling points. My revealing chat with Michael Moore is ahead in the interview you`ll see only 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 a story that made us say, that`s ridiculous. Tonight, it`s living proof that every dog has his day. I would like you to meet Elwood. Look at Elwood, a two-year-old Chinese Crested and Chihuahua mix. He has just been crowned the world`s ugliest dog.
Most of Elwood`s competition in the contest were also Chinese crested. That particular breed features a mohawk, bug eyes and a long, wagging tongue. Elwood`s owner says she rescued him two years ago in New Jersey, because the breeder was going to euthanize him because she thought he was too ugly to sell. And now look at him, a world champ. I actually think he`s beautiful. Way to go, Elwood.
ANDERSON: Now my one-on-one explosive interview with filmmaker Michael Moore. I sat down with him today, right after his new documentary "Sicko" broke box office records by making a staggering 70,000 dollars over the weekend, playing in just one theater in New York City. It`s good news for the filmmaker, who has landed himself in hot water with the U.S. government.
Moore took sick 9/11 rescue workers to Cuba to prove his point about the dire state of the u.s health care system. In my explosive interview with Moore, he told me why he traveled to Cuba, knowing that he didn`t get permission from the U.S. government, and why he didn`t give a voice to the health care companies in "Sicko."
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: Why didn`t you talk to representatives from the health care insurance companies?
MOORE: Because you guys do that every day all day. Really, seriously. Today`s health report brought to you by -- it`s like every newscast, every local newscast has the side of the pharmaceutical companies, the health insurance industry. You`re right there. My film acts as a balance. So for two hours I`m going to show you the things that you don`t normally see on the evening news.
ANDERSON: But why didn`t you talk to them? There`s not a dissenting voice here.
MOORE: That`s funny. In my other movies when I go after them, I`m criticized for beating them up. This time I leave them alone a little bit --
ANDERSON: Do you not think it`s -- it can be seen as one-sided, though, because of that?
MOORE: No, actually my film is providing the other side that you don`t get in the daily media. I mean, that`s my job, is to show the American public, here`s what you are not being told about the pharmaceutical companies and the health insurance companies.
ANDERSON: You didn`t have anyone from the health insurance companies to explain or to defend.
MOORE: Everybody knows their story. They said the same thing about "Fahrenheit 9/11." Why didn`t you show all the crimes of Saddam Hussein? I think everybody knows that because the media has done a pretty good job of telling us all the things that Saddam Hussein did. Now I`m going to show you why I don`t think he is a threat to us and we shouldn`t be in this war. That`s my job. That`s the way I do it.
ANDERSON: So you just -- this was a choice you made not to --
MOORE: Yes, the mainstream media shows only one side, the pro- industry side. If that`s --
ANDERSON: I beg to differ.
MOORE: Well, I don`t see me on there. I don`t see other voices against on this talking about that.
ANDERSON: That`s why I`m talking to you now, and we --
MOORE: Where is the mainstream media been on this though? I come around every two or three years and say, OK, here`s the side you`re not getting on the evening news.
ANDERSON: The trip you took to Cuba for this documentary; I know you are a very smart man, and you knew you had not been given a response to your request for permission to travel there. Did it ever cross your mind while you were going there or there that I could be violating or I am violating that trade embargo?
MOORE: No, because the law is very clear. If you go to Cuba for journalistic endeavors, you don`t need a license. You don`t need permission from the government to go. But what an odd conversation to be having in a free country that we can`t go anywhere we want to go.
ANDERSON: But you knew the government hadn`t responded to you.
MOORE: We waited six months for the government to respond. How long were we supposed to wait? They weren`t going to let us have a license to go, so we were going to go and tell the people the truth. I`m not putting up with this any longer because I`m going - my job is to be a voice for the people that don`t have a voice, who don`t have a network, who don`t have their own newspaper. That`s what I do.
ANDERSON: OK, those 9/11 rescue workers that you took could be facing legal trouble. Do you think you put them at risk unnecessarily?
MOORE: Who in their right mind in the Bush administration would go after a 9/11 hero simply because they weren`t getting any medical help here in this country, so they went to another country to get that help? If the Bush administration does that to those workers, I got to tell you, the American people, they`ve -- they`re already fed up with this administration. That would just be the icing on the cake.
ANDERSON: Do you think -- do you ever step back and think my opinion, my proposed solution might not be the best way?
MOORE: Oh, absolutely. Oh, yes, sure. I`m just putting forth my idea. You know, I could be right or wrong. I think I`m right, but, you know, I might not be right. I think I am. The facts I think support what I believe.
I`ll tell you one thing, the American people are fed up with a health care system that has a choke hold on them. It`s all about profit and greed. It`s not about helping people. Try to find one Canadian citizen that will give up their national health card for one of our HMO cards. It won`t happen.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: All right. If you want to see it, it`s very compelling. "Sicko" will open this Friday nationwide.
HAMMER: Well, Brooke, Paris Hilton is certainly looking forward to her first full day of freedom. Her mom says there`s one thing in particular Paris won`t be sad to leave behind.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP
HILTON: She doesn`t like orange anymore, so she can`t wait to get that orange suit off.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: Why am I not surprised that Paris is complaining about jailhouse fashion? So what will post-orange jumpsuit life be like for Paris? Is she really just going to change clothes, or will she really change? I`m asking all the big questions coming up in a SHOWBIZ special report: The Perils of Paris.
ANDERSON: The wrong thing for Kathy Hilton to say, A.J. Also, is Britney Spears going to be joining the True Colors Tour with Rosie O`Donnell? Rosie answers that rumor and has an open letter for Britney. Rosie, in her own words, coming up.
HAMMER: And a startling admission from Fergie. You`re not going to believe what she once did for eight hours while whacked out on Meth. It is shocking. And that is coming up next on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HAMMER: Tonight, a shocking admission from Fergie about how bad her drug abuse got. Fergie has been very open about her addiction to Methamphetamine in her early 20s. She tells "Self Magazine" that for about a year, she was constantly high, barely ate, and that she got paranoid and started hallucinating. Fergie describes one shocking low-point, a day that she spent eight hours talking to a clothes hamper.
She says, quote, "I remember thinking somebody was inside of it, going to come and get me. So I was talking to the person who was crawling in the hamper. I was actually telling them that they were very rude, if you can believe that one."
Fergie kicked the drug and went to support meetings for addicts, and still goes to hypnotherapy about twice a week. She says she`s sure she would have ended up in a mental institution if she kept using. Instead, she cleaned up her act, eventually joined the Black Eyed Peas, and, as they say, the rest is history.
For more with Fergie, pick up a copy of "Self Magazine," on newsstands tomorrow. And there will be exclusive video from Fergie`s photo shoot posted tomorrow at Self.com.
HAMMER: Well, you know very well, Brooke, as Paris Hilton gets ready for her first full day of freedom, there are so many questions looming. What will life be like for her? What should she say in that first post jail interview? Coming up next, a SHOWBIZ special report: The perils of Paris.
Also, Paris`s mom says there`s one thing in particular she won`t miss about jail life.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HILTON: She doesn`t like orange anymore, so she can`t wait to get that orange suit off.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: Why am I not surprised that Paris is complaining about jailhouse fashion? So, is Paris just going to change clothes, or will she really change? We`re getting into all of that, next.
ANDERSON: A lot of questions, A.J. Also, is Britney Spears going to be joining the True Colors tour with Rosie O`Donnell? Rosie answers that rumor and has an open letter for Britney. You don`t want to miss what Rosie has to say. Rosie, in her own words, straight ahead. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT for Monday night coming right back.
(NEWS BREAK)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HAMMER: On SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, a SHOWBIZ special report: "The Perils of Paris."
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: She doesn`t like orange anymore. Can`t wait to get that orange suit off.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: Oh, the horror. Paris Hilton can`t stand her jail jump-suit. Come on, has this sentence really changed her? Plus, we`ve got the inside story on Paris`s first post-jail TV interview. A fired-up coast-to-coast panel -- it`s a SHOWBIZ TONIGHT special report: "The Perils of Paris."
Welcome back to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. It`s 30 minutes past the hour. I`m A.J. Hammer in New York.
ANDERSON: And I`m Brooke Anderson in Hollywood. You`re watching TV`s most provocative entertainment news show.
HAMMER: Well, Brooke, at long last, tomorrow will be Paris Hilton`s first full day out of jail. After a controversial and highly publicized stint behind bars, Paris Hilton is being released after 23 days. Tonight, a SHOWBIZ special report: "The Perils of Paris."
Paris` first full day of freedom, what`s life going to be like on the outside? Paris sits down with CNN`s Larry King, exclusively on Wednesday for her first TV interview. What does she need to say? Will she mention anything about how she was treated behind bars? And Paris says she`s a changed woman. We`ve been hearing that over and over, but can the hotel heiress really give up her old ways and turn himself from sinner to saint?
Tonight, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT is going coast to coast with this special report -- joining us in Hollywood Howard Bragman of Fifteen Minutes Public Relations, and Ken Baker, editorial director for "USmagazine.com. Joining us from Atlanta tonight, Defense Attorney B.J. Bernstein, and in Philadelphia, Lauren Lake, defense attorney and TV host.
Panel, I appreciate you being with us on a Monday night. Let`s first get into the first full day of freedom for Paris Hilton. As we know, she has spent more than three weeks, no doubt humiliated, anxious, humbled by the time she spent behind bars. Tomorrow she`ll be stepping back into the familiar life of luxury, namely the mansion where she lives.
Lauren, what do you think is going to be going through her mind on her first day of freedom?
LAUREN LAKE, DEFENSE ATTORNEY, TV HOST: I hope what`s going through her mind is that, I need to get my act together. And, A.J., I`ll tell you what, we have given Paris her 15 minutes. Matter of fact, we gave her 45 minutes. We gave her too long of fame already.
This is the time where she`s got to be real. If we can see right through her, if she comes back still looking transparent and running around acting like a little simpleton, we`re going to see right through it. And America is not going to buy it. She needs to be real about this transformation.
And I will say this, as a person who just lost their mother and less than a year ago to breast cancer, she need not be talking about she`s going to help this cause, or that cause, and then come out and do nothing. She better be focused and have her game plan together and get her act all the way back on track.
HAMMER: Yeah. Put her money where her mouth is, so to speak.
B.J. Bernstein, I want to go to you as a defense attorney. Somebody who has seen people go in and out of prison. Certainly you can be shell- shocked when you hit the streets for the first time after being locked up. What do you think will be traveling through her head?
B.J. BERNSTEIN, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: You know, it really is. Even though it`s just three weeks, you really have a reaction to being in a small room. Especially when you talk about someone like Paris Hilton who is exposed to the world, used to talking to everybody, and has been isolated.
I think, one, she`s going to have to deal with trusting others and talking to them about her experience, and then just getting used to that day-to-day and hopefully appreciating the little things that are there for her. And actually, the wonderful things that she has compared to the people that she saw in prison, who don`t have any of the good things that she does.
HAMMER: She is going to have to try to go back to her, quote/unquote, "normal life", with the chaos that is inevitably going to surrender surround her. If you look at the extraordinary measures that are being taken just in the neighborhood where her house is. It`s like the president showing up. There`s a ban on parked cars. Just really trying to contain the frenzy. As we know, Paris` own neighbors have written letters of protest about everything that has been going on and the wackiness and the craziness.
Ken Baker, is Paris going home only going to make her a pariah in her own neighborhood?
KEN BAKER, USMAGAZINE.COM: I think the two words she has to communicate when she comes out are, "I`m sorry." She has to say I`m sorry to the fans. She has to say I`m sorry to the public that she possibly endangered when she drove under the influence, and she has to ultimately say she`s sorry to everyone who supported her and she disappointed.
I think what she needs to do is just garner some sympathy because no one has really felt sympathetic for Paris for a very long time. And I think we`re already seeing her taking steps to do this. For the first time in her career, she`s hired a crisis management PR professional. The same guy who got Halle Barry out of her mess when she had a hit-and-run accident that was very messy. And she wants to take this very seriously. We see her professionally already taking the right steps.
I think personally the transformation, will it happen? I think it`s really anyone`s guess. Three weeks isn`t going to reconstitute her DNA. Paris Hilton is who she is. She`s been the train wreck that we`ve all loved to watch since she was a teenager dancing on tables in New York bars, and I don`t think that`s going change in three weeks. But will it soften her? Will it alter her to some degree? I would say absolutely. Will it stick? We don`t know.
HAMMER: I agree with you on that. I think it is an up hill PR battle for her. You mentioned some of the people that she has now hired. And you have to consider that her parents are part of the whole camp that`s trying to get the right or wrong message out. Hopefully trying to get the right message, but they still keep getting it wrong. Listen, again, to what her mom, Kathy Hilton said, over the weekend, when she left jail visiting Paris there for what I guess what was the last time. Listen to this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Any cause for a celebration?
KATHY HILTON, PARIS` MOTHER: Just to be with the family and we`re just excited, and can`t wait to just hug her and hold her.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: How is she doing tonight?
HILTON: She doesn`t like orange anymore. So she can wait to get that orange suit off.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: Howard Bragman, you are a public relations expert. I also know that you know the Hilton family to a degree. It seems to me that at a time like this you have to be very careful about any word that is coming out of your mouth. Do not statements like this just reinforce the perception of Paris as shallow and only concerned about what she looks like? It seems to me that her mother should have been saying that she can`t wait for Paris to get out and start her new, more charitable life?
HOWARD BRAGMAN, FIFTEEN MINUTES PUBLIC RELATIONS: This is the challenge that`s facing Paris, and her family, and her whole team. You can say 100 things right, and the one thing that`s quote/unquote "wrong", is the one they`re going to focus on. The same thing will happen when Paris starts living her life. She can go to 100 charitable events. If we see her at one club, that`s the one that will make it on the news.
You have to exert a level of caution, and you have to suppress certain urges, and I think the question is does she have the ability to do that? And if I were a betting man, I`m not sure. She`s a 26-year-old girl with a lot of energy, who likes to party, so that`s the real question.
HAMMER: Lauren Lake, what`s your reaction to that? It really does seem from what Howard is saying the deck is stacked against her.
LAKE: Well, it`s going to be tough for her. Even for my clients just regular people who are not rich and don`t have lavish lifestyles, and party lifestyles, usually when they come out of jail, they want to party a little bit. You know, after take a shower, relax with your family, chill out, you say, you know what, I want to go hang out. That`s going to be the problem for Paris.
There`s going to come a moment when she`s invited to that function or that new hot party comes up, and she`s got to make the decision, should I go? But, you know what I say -- I say, you know what, you need to sit home for a long while, girl. Because you got a lot to think about. And you still are on probation -- hello?
HAMMER: Exactly. We want her to stay home, but we do want to hear what she has to say. She`s giving her first post-jail interview with Larry King, 9:00 p.m. Eastern on Wednesday night on CNN. And then, of course, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT will be the only entertainment news show live at 11:00 p.m. Eastern Wednesday night, getting the very first reaction.
Howard Bragman, this is going to be perhaps the most important interview she`s ever given in her life. How does she need to act? What does she need to say?
BRAGMAN: She`s reintroducing the brand. She`s already -- you remember when she started in jail. It was this is cruel and unusual punishment, and then she got a new lawyer. She got a new PR team, and her message has softened and gotten a lot smarter. She needs to play that new character. She needs to play the character who is not doing the dumb act anymore. She needs to be intelligent. She needs to be demure. She needs to be honest and authentic.
And she needs to really go within and look to those resources and say here is what I`m trying to emulate, and every word, every action has to support that new image of Paris Hilton, or she`s in trouble, as we have noticed already.
HAMMER: Absolutely. Paris, as we have been saying all along, she`s claiming that she`s a whole new woman. But, come on, a lot of people are saying can she really turn from sinner to saint in such a short amount of time?
Our panel, I would like you to stay right where you are because coming up next, our coast-to-coast fired up panel is coming right back. Paris says she`s a different person. Should we buy it? A lot of skeptics out there. Just another "Peril of Paris", our SHOWBIZ special report continues in a moment.
ANDERSON: And A.J., another controversial person, Rosie O`Donnell. I was surprised hear what she said about whether she will be hosting "The Price Is Right," and get this, is Britney Spears going to be performing with Rosie. Will that work, or will it be toxic? That`s straight ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MONTEL WILLIAMS, TV TALK SHOW HOST: Hey, I could care less what she comes out of, and I hope that when she comes out, she disappears, goes. Maybe that`s what she`s learned -- go away.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: TV talk show host Montel Williams with some harsh words for Paris Hilton.
Welcome back to this SHOWBIZ special report, "The Perils of Paris." I`m A.J. Hammer in New York and you are watching TV`s most provocative entertainment news show.
After 23 days behind bars, Paris Hilton will finally spend her first full day out of jail on Tuesday. And then she`s going to do her first post- jail TV interview, exclusively with Larry King on CNN Wednesday at 9:00 p.m. Eastern. And SHOWBIZ TONIGHT will be live with first reaction at 11:00 p.m.
You can definitely expect she`s going to talk a lot about how much she`s changed, but can Paris really be a different person? We are back now with our coast-to-coast, passionate panel. All right, gang, Paris says she has learned to appreciate the simple life. Imagine that. She did tell Ryan Seacrest last week that she is so grateful for everything in her life.
Defense attorney and TV host Lauren Lake, saying it, as we know, is one thing, doing it is another. What do you think? Will the gratitude continue once she is out of jail?
LAKE: Well, you know what, we will soon see. Now, we -- no, Paris has built her whole career by us watching her. She wants us to watch her. Basically she wanted us to watch her act like an idiot. Now she`s told us from jail that was all just an act. I was just acting.
Now we`ll finally see were you really just acting? Can you really act like you have some sense now? Are you truly grateful for what you have, or are you telling us what you want us to hear? Now it`s up to her.
I want her to change. You know, trust me, I was sick of her like everybody else, but I want her to do something positive. What -- what are the reasons that you have so much money, so much opportunity in life, and do nothing with your life but party? Come on.
HAMMER: Yeah. It is hard to imagine going through an experience like being behind bars, and being deprived, particularly when you are used to having so much, for it not to give you some level of perspective that you really should have in life. You brought up a good point, Lauren.
And I want to go to Howard Bragman, the PR guru on this, because it`s sort of hard to imagine Paris being more in the public eye, Howard, than she ever has been before. The truth is, when she`s out of jail, she will be living under a magnifying glass more than ever before. Those first pictures of Paris being charitable, they`re going to be great, they`ll make the news, we`ll see them for a couple of weeks. But if she keeps it up, Howard, do we really think people are going to continue to pay attention to this woman?
BRAGMAN: I think that this is the ultimate reality show. It`s a much better reality show than the "Simple Life". And like any reality show, as long as the ratings are good, as long as people are watching our show, as long as people are buying the magazines, then there is going to be interest in Paris` life. As soon as people find a new toy, a new shiny object, then they`re going to look at who is the next person.
I think you`re going to find that Paris is going to a charity ball isn`t so interesting. Paris falling off the wagon, that`s good TV, and that`s what people want to watch. So it`s really about how she conducts herself. But whatever she does, for the first few weeks, even the first few months, the scrutiny will be intense. We`re talking probably 50 paparazzi, five helicopters, almost wherever she goes.
HAMMER: It`s going to be interesting to see if she can adjust from that motivation. As Lauren was talking about, of constantly needing to be the center of attention, for basically all the wrong reasons, to being OK, if people aren`t snapping her picture all the time.
I personally think that if Paris is looking for a mentor, or someone who can really show her the right way, the right path to be on, we need to look no further than the lovely Angelina Jolie. I want you guys to listen to what she told me about what some of the younger people in Hollywood should be doing to get their perspective.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ANGELINA JOLIE, ACTRESS, U.N. AMBASSADOR: Get a backpack on and get out of town. Go somewhere where you can have some privacy and rediscover who you are and find your favorite books, and meet some people, and just be a regular person and learn how to reconnect to who you are.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: Wouldn`t it be great if all of young Hollywood had the ability to go ahead and do that? Defense Attorney B.J. Bernstein, you heard what Angelina says. Can you possibly see that happening with Paris Hilton?
BERNSTEIN: Well, it really needs to be what happens with Paris Hilton. I`m not sure. I find with clients in jail sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn`t. They have to go within, and it has to be, as Lauren calls it, keeping it real in terms of a true transformation.
And part of it is self-esteem issues that her whole definition of herself is defined by this certain image, as we`ve discussed, or her being on TV, and that she needs to be just as comfortable not in the spotlight. And if she can do that, then she would handle this hopefully the spotlight differently and not be the party princess and actually be down to earth, and do some good charitable work. Not just show up in a pretty dress.
HAMMER: Let`s get some perspective from somebody who controls some of that spotlight. Ken Baker, editorial director for USMagazine.com. What do you think, Ken? If she turns into the saint, from the sinner, are we still going to see her in magazines, like "US Weekly" beyond that initial, sort of honeymoon period of, oh, there`s Paris at a charity event?
BAKER: I think if the saint comes in high heels and a short dress and no underwear, there will be a lot of attention paid on Paris Hilton. It all sort of depends on who she is, and I think that to echo what Montel Williams said on tape earlier, 70 percent of USMagazine.com users entered a poll and said she needs to go away -- 70 percent want her to go away.
The reality of the situation is the more that she`s in front of us, the more we can`t help but look at her, and actually the definition of news will be Paris Hilton being good and not being a bad girl. So, I think there will be a news cycle that will follow her through this process of her being good.
HAMMER: Well, what about that? Should she just go away or literally just do a vanishing act? Lauren Lake?
LAKE: Yeah, Lauren Lake says lay low, Paris. Lay low. She needs to learn how to get out of the spotlight, get into herself, and think about the ways in which she can change. And also the image that she`s projecting. You have to understand, young girls all over this country watch Paris. And they idolize her. For what better reason should she seek change in her own life?
You know, I don`t mean to get overly Oprah here today, but at some point you got to get real, and start living your best life, and Paris has not been doing that.
HAMMER: Howard Bragman, quick reaction, 15 seconds here. The Larry King interview, does she have what it takes to win people over?
BRAGMAN: I think she can talk the talk. I think she can pull that off. That`s not the question. The question is will she walk the walk after she leaves the studio.
HAMMER: And all eyes will be watching to see if, in fact, she can walk that walk. There`s not a perp walk this time.
Thanks to our panel, Howard Bragman, Ken Baker, B.J. Bernstein and Lauren Lake.
With so much going on this week, as Paris Hilton gets her freedom back, Wednesday night is going to be huge. You won`t want to miss Larry King on CNN, at 9:00 p.m. "Larry King Live" has Paris` very first post- jail interview.
And then after that, a very special live edition of SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, we`ll be the first entertainment news show with the reaction to Paris` interview. That`s live at 11:00 p.m. Eastern, right here on CNN Headline Prime.
ANDERSON: We`ve been asking you to vote on our SHOWBIZ TONIGHT question of the day. It is this: "Paris Hilton, after jail, do you think she will be a changed person? Vote at cnn.com/showbiztonight. Write to us at showbiztonight@cnn.com. We`ll read some of your thoughts tomorrow.
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, click on newsletter on the left hand side of the page, and we`ll e-mail it to you every day.
Another person controversy seems to follow everywhere, Rosie O`Donnell. Coming up next, I was very surprised to hear what she had to say about hosting "The Price Is Right." And get this, there`s even talk that Britney Spears, and Rosie, will be performing together. That`s quite a pair. We`ve got that coming up next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANDERSON: Big Rosie O`Donnell news today. Rumors that Britney Spears will be joining her on tour, and what about Rosie hosting "The Price Is Right"? OK, so "People" magazine says Britney Spears, who`s working on her comeback, will join Cyndi Lauper this weekend in Los Angeles, as part of the True Colors Tour. Rosie has been doing some stand-up for it. But I checked out Rosie`s blog, and it sounds like the Brit thing isn`t happening.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ROSIE O`DONNELL, COMEDIAN: The rumor are swirling that Britney is joining us in L.A. Now, Cindi says it wasn`t happening. And it`s Cindi`s tour, so she would know. But if it is happening, I`m thrilled, because I enjoy Britney. Brit, if you`re watching? Honey, you and me. We`re going share, like, a back stage moment. Because I love you, kid.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: OK, so it looks like no Brit. But how about Rosie taking over "The Price Is Right"?
While she says she had a meeting with "Price" producers, but it seems to not have gone too well. Listen to Rosie, in her own words.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
O`DONNELL: I don`t really need the job. I`m in a weird position. I don`t need the money. I know you`re not allowed to talk about money in America, but I`m saying, I don`t. So to get my entire family uprooted from their lives and move them across the country so that I can have a fantasy childhood indulgence, you know, job, and it just doesn`t seem fair.
You know, they all are in school. They have friends. We love their school. We love our community, our house, our life, our home. You know, if they were able to do it in New York, it would be a different story, but it looks like it`s -- ain`t going to happen.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: I love that Rosie shot that as she was having her hair done in curls. Gotta love Rosie. And I think she would have been good, A.J., at the "Price Is Right." But then again, some might think she would be too controversial.
HAMMER: I think she would have been terrific.
Let`s find out what`s coming up on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT tomorrow.
Paris Hilton`s first full day out of jail. We`ve got the most complete coverage. What Paris needs to do, and say. A SHOWBIZ TONIGHT special report, tomorrow. And on Wednesday, Paris will be saying a lot. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT will be the only entertainment news show live with the very first reaction to her first post-jail TV interview with Larry King on CNN that same night, Wednesday, 11:00 p.m. Eastern, right here on Headline Prime.
And Larry`s got another blockbuster show tomorrow. Larry, what do you got?
LARRY KING, CNN ANCHOR, LARRY KING LIVE: We are really excited about this. On Tuesday night Sir Paul McCartney with his fellow former Beatle, Ringo Starr, and John Lennon`s widow, Yoko Ono, and George Harrison`s widow, Olivia Harrison.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BEATLES SINGING: Come together, right now over me.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: It will be fantastic. That is it for SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. I`m A.J. Hammer in New York.
ANDERSON: And I`m Brooke Anderson in Hollywood. Glenn Beck is coming up next, right after the latest headlines from CNN "Headline News".
END
