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Showbiz Tonight
Nicole Richie Tells All About DUI Arrest; Another Britney Melt Down
Aired August 02, 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: A Britney spears beatdown. One of her body guards apparently goes ballistic on the paparazzi. I`ve got the shocking police phone call.
And O.J. Simpson taking viewer phone calls. The explosive live and unedited O.J. interview. I`m A.J. Hammer in New York. TV`s most provocative entertainment news show starts right now.
On SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, Nicole Richie`s shocking DUI confession. Tonight, for the first time, Nicole Richie is speaking out about the night she was caught driving the wrong way on a California freeway.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
NICOLE RICHIE, "THE SIMPLE LIFE": It was bad decision after bad decision after bad decision.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: Was she on drugs? What in the world was she thinking? Tonight, Nicole Richie`s explosive jaw dropping interview. Plus, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT dares to ask, did Nicole make Paris Hilton look bad?
Hollywood, baby daddy drama. Tonight, a startling paternity battle between scary Spice Girl Melanie Brown and Eddie Murphy. Her fired up lawyer is right here to tell us what she is demanding.
Plus, due to ditch their pregnant girlfriend. Why these famous guys said goodbye to the women carrying their babies. Are they justified or are they just plain jerks? It`s a SHOWBIZ special report, Hollywood baby daddy drama.
Hello, I`m A.J. Hammer in New York. And if you are a charter member of the I hate O.J. Simpson non-fan club, wait until you see what O.J. has done now. That`s coming up in just a bit. But first tonight, Nicole Richie finally tells all, and I do mean all. Tonight, for the very first time, you will hear Paris Hilton`s "Simple Life" co-star describe what she says really happened the night she got arrested for being stoned and driving the wrong way on a California freeway, something she`s going jail for after guilty to DUI.
Oh yes, the rumors are true. It`s a shocker, she is pregnant. Tonight, Nicole Richie on the night that changed her life.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RICHIE: I literally thought that I was OK to drive and I clearly wasn`t.
HAMMER (voice-over): Clearly. With conviction after her conviction, contrition. Rich and reckless reality star Nicole Richie comes clean to ABC`s Diane Sawyer in her first TV interview since being sentenced to four days in jail.
DIANE SAWYER, ABC ANCHOR: What had you been doing?
RICHIE: I had smoked marijuana that night.
SAWYER: Just marijuana?
RICHIE: Just marijuana. I had Vicodin in my system from that day. I never in my head thought that could definitely play a part in your driving, like never did I think that.
SAWYER: Marijuana and Vicodin, you didn`t think that?
RICHIE: It was hours ago. I really thought that I was OK to drive and I clearly wasn`t.
HAMMER: Ritchie, who sat alongside boyfriend and the father of her baby Joe Madden, surprisingly came across as remorseful as she told Diane Sawyer on "Good Morning America" exactly what happened the night of her arrest, the night cops found Richie pulled over in her Mercedes SUV in the car pool lane on L.A.`s 134 freeway.
RICHIE: I`m so lucky that I didn`t hurt anyone else.
SAWYER: Do you still take Vicodin?
RICHIE: No. I don`t take anything now.
HAMMER: Unlike her "Simple Life" co-star Paris Hilton, who did 23 days in L.A. county jail for probation violations relating to her own DUI arrest, Ritchie isn`t grumbling about having to do time.
RICHIE: If I could personally apologize to every single person that has lost a loved one from drunk driving, I would. And unfortunately, I can`t, but this is my way of paying my dues and taking responsibility and being an adult.
PATRICK HUGUENIN, "NEW YORK DAILY NEWS": I think Nicole Richie presented herself really well, especially when we contrast her, as we are bound to, to Paris Hilton, whose interview was a lot more dead pan and a lot more glazed over.
PARIS HILTON, "THE SIMPLE LIFE": I was in complete shock. It was unbelievable.
HUGUENIN: Nicole Richie expressed a lot of regret.
SAWYER: You take Vicodin for pain.
RICHIE: I have very bad menstrual cramps.
SAWYER: Vicodin, that is a powerful and addictive drug.
RICHIE: Yes, it is and very, very dangerous.
HUGUENIN: I think she does have a little more tie in to reality than some of these other girls do, especially with the drunk driving drama that we have seen with Lindsay Lohan. There`s a person that has no concept at all, it seems, of what she could actually do as a drunk driver.
HAMMER: ABC wasn`t Nicole Richie`s only publicity stop. She also sat down with "OK! Magazine." Ruth Hilton did the interview the day after Richie found out she was going to jail.
RUTH HILTON, "OK! MAGAZINE": I think she`s really had a long, hard think. I think that has partly to do with being pregnant, because I think you suddenly realize what another life means when you are pregnant.
SAWYER: Are you pregnant?
RICHIE: Yes, I am. We are.
SAWYER: And how far along.
RICHIE: I`m almost four months.
HAMMER: Ritchie, who is due in January, has until September 28th to complete her jail time, which she plans to serve at a county lockup, and believe it or not, Richie actually told "OK! Magazine" she`s not afraid of being pregnant behind bars.
HILTON: She is talking to her doctors about it now, you know, how all that is going to be planned. Remember, it`s four days. It`s not the same sentence as Paris, which was obviously massively longer. I think she will plan it well, and I think the medical treatment, if she needs it, will be there.
HAMMER: This Nicole far different from the spoiled socialite we have seen in years past, a girl who became famous for nothing and seemed to care about nothing.
HUGUENIN: Nicole Richie is someone who before now has really been known for her irresponsibility. On her show "The Simple Life" with Paris the whole show was about them going around and doing these stupid things all across America.
HILTON: You guys need strut because you know that that takes instant weight off.
HUGUENIN: If anything, she was sort of a national joke.
HAMMER: A joke, but now at least seems Nicole Richie sees nothing funny about driving under the influence.
SAWYER: Can you be absolutely confident you won`t do it again?
RICHIE: Absolutely. Absolutely.
SAWYER: How do you know? How do you know?
RICHIE: There`s absolutely no way.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HAMMER: Well, Nicole Richie says she`s going to do her four days in jail at a county jail. TMZ is reporting that county jail is in Lynnwood, the same jail Paris Hilton called home for 23 days. Quelle coincidence. Well, as we know, soon after Paris Hilton got out of jail, she sat down for a tell all with CNN`s Larry King. She promised she would never drink and dive again. That`s exactly what Nicole is now saying.
With us tonight from Hollywood, Ken Baker, editorial director for "US Magazine." Also with us tonight, Terry Anzur, former TV news anchor and TV talent coach. I welcome you both to the program. I`ve got to tell you, I was pretty impressed with Nicole Richie and Diane Sawyer. I want to hear from you guys. What do you think, Ken? She really did put it all out there. How did she do for you?
KEN BAKER, "US WEEKLY": I totally agree with you. She succeeded in every place that Paris Hilton failed. She, first of all, got off on a really strong foot by not asking for money for this interview. She just really legitimately wanted to tell her story. Paris asked for money. It immediately turned everyone off and made them not believe her to begin with.
Secondly, Nicole, I believe, told the truth. She admitted to doing drugs. She admitted to being under the influence. She admitted to her crime and stood up and said look, I made a mistake. I`m going to move on. And it was very believable. So it appears that we weren`t the only ones watching Paris Hilton stumble through her post jail interviews and her post sentencing interviews. She actually appears to have learned from it and it was a real PR victory for her.
HAMMER: It certainly was. Obviously she had PR people working around her to make sure she was prepared and got it right. Terry, that`s what you do for a living. You help people prepare for these types of things. What do you think, to me it didn`t even come across as staged or fake in any way.
TERRY ANZUR, TV TALENT COACH: I have to tell you, A.J., I went into this with very low expectations because of Nicole Richie`s history, and she surprised me in a good way. I have to give her an A plus for staying on her message, delivering her message, and she could have made it even better. I give her sort of a C minus for her hair and wardrobe choices.
If you are trying to come across as believable, get the hair out of your face. And white is probably not the best TV color, especially if you are trying to come across as credible and believable. But aside from those cosmetic things that I would change, maybe back off on the eye makeup a little bit, her message was right on point.
You have to give some praise to Diane Sawyer for phrasing the questions really well, and especially the questions that everybody has been asking me through this whole Paris and Nicole thing, which is don`t these people realize they could have killed somebody?
HAMMER: I do want to get into that. And also another point, I don`t know much about diamond earrings, but those show me, hey, I`ve got a lot of money. But that`s a different thing. Among the many things that Nicole did admit to Diane Sawyer was that she has now, in fact, recognized a pattern in her life and she does need to change. Let`s listen to what she had to say about that.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RICHIE: It`s been a pattern in my life. When I get in trouble, I try to get out of it, since I was little.
SAWYER: You deny it. Not guilty.
RICHIE: Yes. That`s what I have been doing from the time I was little. And I really wasn`t learning anything from that.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: Terry, let me go back to you on this. She obviously had to say everything she did say during the course of the interview. While she may sincerely believe all these things that she`s saying, we all know old habits die hard.
ANZUR: Well, you can choreograph an interview that lasts several minutes. But the question remains can she choreograph her life the same way. What is she going to do when the PR people aren`t by her side guiding her in what to say and what her message should be. If by chance she is somehow seen as doing drugs or drinking while she`s pregnant, that would immediately undo all the good that she did with this very honest and sincere and forthcoming interview. So hopefully she can continue to stay on the clean and sober path.
HAMMER: She did come across as seemingly having had a revelation in her life since all this has gone down. What do you think, Ken? Is it a life changer for Nicole.
BAKER: She has undergone a revelation. She is going to be a mom. She has another human being inside of her. I know Nicole fairly well. I have been around her. I think she is very sincere, and I know for sure that this has changed her life having a baby. It also helps from a PR perspective, because I think we are all a little more willing -- make that a lot more willing to give her -- cut her some slack.
You know, she`s pregnant. The idea of a pregnant woman being in jail makes most people uneasy. The other thing she really benefited from is the same thing a golfer benefits from when they get to put last. You get to watch the break of the ball. You get to learn how the green is structured. She got to sit back, watch Paris, see her stumble, see her miss the hole and she nailed it today.
HAMMER: She sure did.
ANZUR: Wait a minute, A.J.
HAMMER: Sorry, Terry, I`m being told I`m out of town. But I do agree the pregnancy factor definitely bringing more sympathy to Nicole. I think a lot of people are saying that today. Got to wrap it there.
Terry Anzur, Ken Baker thanks for joining us.
Well, what Nicole Richie and Paris Hilton both did, driving under the influence, obviously just absolutely hideous. But Nicole Richie`s TV interview, as we just saw, so much better. She is apologetic. She seems genuinely sorry. I want to know is Nicole making her best friend, Paris, actually look bad. We are going to get into that at 30 minutes past the hour. I`ve also got this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I`m here today for one reason and one reason only. Angel is my baby.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: I`ve got to tell you, this story totally bummed me out about an actor that I honestly really used to admire. Now not so much. A scary Spice Girl Melanie Brown has a baby. She says it`s Eddie Murphy`s. He`s not stepping up and that makes me angry. Now they are in this nasty paternity battle. Mel`s fired up lawyer Gloria Allred right here to tell us what she`s demanding coming up next.
And a Britney spears beat down. What is wrong with this girl. Disaster follows her everywhere. Did she threaten to kill a photographer? Did a body guard beat him up? The explosive phone call not to be missed coming up on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MELANIE BROWN, "SCARY SPICE": I`m here today for one reason and one reason only. Her name is Angel. Angel is my baby. She will always know that she was planned and wanted by the both of us.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: That was Spice Girl Melanie Brown speaking out about the paternity suit she filed against Eddie Murphy. She says a DNA test proves the four-month-old baby, Angel, is his.
Welcome back to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. I`m A.J. Hammer in New York. You`re watching TV`s most provocative entertainment news show. And right now, one of the most bitter baby battles in Hollywood. Mel B -- you knew her as Scary Spice -- and Eddie Murphy are in an ugly paternity fight. And scary is taking Eddie to court, big-time.
Her attorney is Gloria Allred, and Gloria joins us tonight in Hollywood. Always good to see you, Gloria.
GLORIA ALLRED, ATTORNEY: You too, A.J.
HAMMER: So, as we know, Eddie first denied being the daddy and then the DNA test happened earlier this summer and confirmed he is the dad. So why is Melanie suing him now?
ALLRED: Yes. It confirmed that he is the daddy and guess what? He said if he was the daddy -- and, of course, he should have known that from the get-go, because, as Melanie said, it was a planned pregnancy. But he said if he was, then he would do the right thing. Now, the right thing, A.J., would have been to visit the baby, hold the baby, love the baby, support the baby.
But guess what? He hasn`t done any of that. He hasn`t even tried to see the baby or visit the baby, and he has not paid one penny in child support. And this little baby, Angel Iris Murphy Brown, is going to be four weeks old tomorrow. I say that`s wrong. That`s a poor role model for other single fathers.
HAMMER: So in the suit, Gloria, spell it out for me, what are you asking from Eddie Murphy?
ALLRED: We have filed a petition with the Los Angeles County Superior Court. We are asking for a legal judgment of paternity, also, reasonable child support. In addition, legal and physical custody to Melanie and he can have visitation if he wishes. And I think it`s long overdue for him to visit this child. When she was in labor, she indicated to him that she was in the hospital, which is just minutes from his home, A.J., and he didn`t even bother to come while his little newborn was being born to be with that mother to support her and to hold his own baby. That is just a terrible, terrible thing.
HAMMER: It is a terrible thing. And you have said in the past that Eddie Murphy`s behavior has been shocking and appalling -- those are your words -- since the DNA test. Is that what you`re referring to or are there other things that he has done?
ALLRED: Well, it was just reported that he gave 100,000 dollars to charity and a great big yellow diamond ring to his new fiancee. Well, it`s nice to be generous, A.J., but what about your own baby? It appears that he is abandoning his baby, financially, physically and emotionally. And that is just not acceptable
HAMMER: When Eddie was first asked about the pregnancy in a TV interview, and his sound was just getting out there, he said he didn`t know if he was the baby`s father. Let`s hear what Mel B said when she was asked if she and Eddie had broken up at the time.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BROWN: The relationship was in full swing right at the beginning of my pregnancy.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What did he say to you when you told him you were pregnant? Was he excited.
BROWN: Yes, it was planned. We were both really excited.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: So Gloria, I don`t get it. This is something that you alluded to earlier. Eddie was excited. She said that the pregnancy was planned. What happened?
ALLRED: Well, you know, something happened and they are no longer together. And you know what? He can have as many girlfriends as he wants, but his priority has to be his own child. And the reason that Melanie is speaking out is because she realizes, A.J., that there are millions of single mothers out there and millions of single dads, and no matter what happens between the two parents, that child needs to have two parents in her life.
And that`s why she is saying, look, even if he is a poor role model, that other single fathers should know that they should take responsibility, because it takes two, not only to conceive a baby, but to raise a baby and to support a baby. And that`s what Eddie Murphy should be doing. It`s time for him to stop stepping to the bad side and understand that the real dream girl is his own little baby.
HAMMER: And it takes two if that`s what the plan starts out as, of course. Can you bottom line it for me? You said -- and I want to show, we have a picture of the baby on the cover of "OK! Magazine," a baby that you say Eddie Murphy has not yet met. But tell me, what exactly, in terms of financially speaking, would be a good settlement for you?
ALLRED: In a word, reasonable child support. So whatever the judge decides is reasonable, we are willing to accept. But the idea that he has not paid one penny, not even given the baby a little baby gift, that is wrong and he`s going to have to start supporting his child.
HAMMER: Gloria Allred, thanks very much. Once again, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT did reach out to Eddie Murphy`s reps. They said they don`t comment on his personal life.
Well, you know, it is Eddie`s baby. Obviously he does need to step up. He would be just one guy in a long line of dudes who have ditched their pregnant girlfriends, if this is how it`s playing out. Are these guys justified or, in my mind, are they just plain jerks? Hollywood baby drama, a controversial SHOWBIZ special report at 42 past the hour. Also this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We need to have Metro come on property.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What`s going on?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We had a fight with one of our high profile guests.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: Britney spears bomb shell. What is wrong with this girl? Tonight, the shocking police phone call. Britney`s body guard allegedly beating up a photographer. That`s next.
And Nicole Richie versus Paris Hilton. So, when Paris went on Larry King, well, she was awful. She didn`t sound sincere. She didn`t really seem sorry for what she did. Nicole`s post DUI interview, a whole different ball game. We put them head to head. You won`t want to miss that, coming up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HAMMER: Well, the Britney Spears train wreck continues. Tonight, I`ve got the shocking phone call to Las Vegas police after one of Britney`s body guards allegedly beat up a couple of photographers. The guy making the July 26th call is a security guard at the Wynn Hotel. He keeps referring to Britney as a, quote, high profile guest. Now one of the paparazzos claim the body guard attacked him, quote, without provocation and that Britney even threw a baby bottle at him and threatened to kill him. Listen to this call.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We need to have Metro come on property. We had a fight with one of our high profile guests. A couple of paparazzos shoved him into a glass window.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: OK, is everybody in custody.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, we got the two paparazzos in custody. But the bodyguard for the high profile is in a separate location.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: OK, one second here. Into a window, right?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, like one of those glass -- like our glass windows.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Does he need an ambulance?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No, they`ve already been here and gone, because the paparazzi did suffer head injuries from the bodyguard of the high profile.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Imagine that.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, exactly.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: So, you got them separated. OK, very good.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, they`re in the holding room right now.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: OK, very good, we`ll get somebody out there.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: I`ve got to say, the call was pretty calm, considering all hell was supposedly breaking loose, right? Britney`s bodyguard was cited for misdemeanor battery. We reached out to Brit`s people, whoever they are these days. We didn`t hear anything back.
Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie; supposedly they`re best friends, but I think Nicole made Paris look pretty awful during her explosive post DUI interview. It`s Nicole versus Paris next.
Plus, the dudes who ditched their pregnant girlfriends; are they justified or just jerks? I`ve got a controversial SHOWBIZ special report - - Hollywood baby daddy drama, coming up. I`ve also got this --
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Do you think it was a bigger feat to break 2,000 yards in one season or slice two necks in one night.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: O.J. Simpson taking viewer phone calls. What the heck is going on here? It`s coming up on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. Do not go away.
(NEWSBREAK)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
NICOLE RICHIE: I`m so lucky that I didn`t hurt anyone else.
LARRY KING, CNN ANCHOR, "LARRY KING LIVE": You think you got a raw deal? Do you?
PARIS HILTON: Yeah, I do. You know, I think the crime did not fit the punishment.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: Hears here`s a battle of wits that will surely go down in history. Nicole versus Paris. It`s not the "Simple Life" anymore for these two after they each sat down with journalistic power houses for their big "I`m sorry" interviews. But who did a better job?
Tonight, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT tallies up the scorecard, Nicole versus Paris.
Welcome back to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT for Thursday 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. Nicole Richie is telling all to Diane Sawyer in a revealing interview about the DUI arrest that is sending her right to jail. Yes, just like her "Simple Life" co-star Paris Hilton, who told all to CNN`s Larry King after she got of jail last month.
So tonight, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT dares to compare -- the "I am sorry" interviews -- Nicole vs. Paris. Who was more convincing? With us again tonight from Hollywood former TV news anchor and TV talent coach Terry Anzur, and here in New York, David Caplan, senior correspondent for VH1`s 24sizzler.com.
David, Terry, this is going to be a lot of fun. You guys ready?
TERRY ANZUR, TV NEWS ANCHOR, TALENT COACH: Ready.
DAVID CAPLAN, SR. CORRESPONDENT, 24SIZZLER.COM: Let`s fire it up. Let`s begin with now Nicole and Paris each independently described the nights that they were arrested for DUI. Let`s first listen to what Nicole said.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RICHIE: It was bad decision, after bad decision, after bad decision.
DIANE SAWYER, TV JOURNALIST: More than just bad. Think of the other drivers. What about the other drivers? The other people on the road?
RICHIE: I`m so lucky that I didn`t hurt anyone else.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: She clearly knows she made a bad decision, and then another bad decision and another bad decision. And let`s listen to what Paris had to say on the same subject.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HILTON: I think in life everyone makes mistakes, and you have to learn and grow from them, and I`ve been a little immature in the past, and made some wrong choices. But I`ve learned from them and I think that makes me the person I am today.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: Man, I`m having fun already. You guys haven`t said anything yet. Terry, who is more convincing here?
ANZUR: Hands down, Nicole Richie is the big winner here. And the reason is she was very, very specific. You just showed a very good example. She thought about the people she could have killed. I`ve been on that freeway myself many times. She could have taken me out.
And so she really spoke specifically about that night, specifically what her feelings are. Paris on the other hand was much more general.
HAMMER: A lot of people have been wondering if these young women realized exactly what they did. At one point, Diane Sawyer asked Nicole Richie if she now realizes how dangerous drunk driving is. Nicole Richie actually told "OK" magazine that she was actually watching CNN when she saw something that really affected her. Here`s what Nicole told Diane Sawyer.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RICHIE: They started flashing pictures of little children that have been killed by people driving under the influence. And -- at that moment, I literally felt like the worst person in the world for even trying to --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It was our first real parent moment.
RICHIE: It was our first parent moment. But for even trying to get out of that situation.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: I almost want to give her a hug. Now let`s listen to what Paris Hilton had to say when Larry King pressed her about her drinking habits.
KING: Have you ever been addicted to drugs?
HILTON: No.
KING: Taken drugs?
HILTON: No.
KING: Never taken drugs.
HILTON: Uh-uh.
KING: Do you have a drinking problem?
HILTON: No, not at all.
KING: So you must have had -- you were just this one drink, this one time?
HILTON: I`m just not a big drinker. I`m not really into it. I think socially people do sometimes, when they go out. But it`s not something that I really care about.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: All right, David, over to you. Who is more believable here?
CAPLAN: Come on, Nicole Richie hands down. I think Nicole gets into much more detail. She uses words that are a little bit more, sort of emotional. Paris Hilton, she is just A, she`s dull to listen to. She`s very monotone. And when you speak like that, there`s no emotion. You don`t get a sense that anything she`s saying, she`s attached to. And with Paris, she almost seems defensive denying everything. No, I don`t drink. Just say I drank that night. Nicole at least acknowledges it.
HAMMER: Yeah.
CAPLAN: Whether or not she`s being 110 percent genuine is another question.
HAMMER: Thank you very much.
Now let`s get into does the punishment fit the crime or as Paris said the crime didn`t fit the punishment. Well, you will hear. Let`s first hear Nicole talking about her sentence.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RICHIE: If I could personally apologize to every single person that has lost a loved one from drunk driving, I would. And unfortunately, I can`t. But this is my way of paying my dues and taking responsibility and being an adult.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: Wow. Let`s listen to something else. When Larry King asked Paris Hilton in she got a raw deal by having to serve 23 days in jail for violating probation from her DUI arrest, well, her answer was quite different, to say the least.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KING: Think you got a raw deal? Do you?
HILTON: Yeah, I do. You know, I think the crime did not fit the -- you know, fit the punishment. I did my time. And it was really hard. I don`t feel like I deserved to go to jail for it.
KING: You never thought you were a criminal?
HILTON: No.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: I think we send her back to jail for this interview. OK, Terry Anzur?
ANZUR: Let`s be a little fair to Paris here. She had just gotten out of jail. Nicole Richie on the other hand is a happy woman, who is having a baby. Her boyfriend is by her side. It`s a much different situation.
The other thing that works in Nicole`s favor here is that it was a much shorter interview. The Paris Hilton interview filled up an entire hour-long show. And so it became kind of rambling and unfocused because it was a lot of time. Nicole was on message, on point.
And as far as apologizing to the people who have lost loved ones to drunk driving, she just hit that ball out of the park. That is what everyone who has lost a loved one to this crime wants to hear, and she said it beautifully.
HAMMER: And I`ve got to say and maybe I got sucked in, I think it came from the heart.
Well, thank you very much for helping us, both of you, sort of figure out who gave a better interview in this situation. I guess it was kind of obvious from the start.
Terry Anzur, David Caplan. Again, I thank you.
ANZUR: Thanks, A.J.
HAMMER: It looks like it may be a break for former "Prison Break" actor, Lane Garrison, after an unbelievably powerful day in court today. In a dramatic ruling, Garrison was ordered to prison to undergo a 90-day evaluation by psychologists and parole officers, that is to help a judge decide what his sentence should be.
Well, this means he could walk free and be on probation at the end of the 90 days. Garrison pleaded guilty to vehicular manslaughter and drunk driving. It was in a 2006 crash that killed a teenage passenger.
The 27-year-old actor spoke at the sentencing hearing today. And in a very emotional day in court he addressed the parents of the victim directly. Look at this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LANE GARRISON, ACTOR: I have relived that night every day. And I think about the bad decisions I made that evening. And all I can say to you is I am so sorry that you lost someone because -- I love people. That is my first passion.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
Garrison is appears in a dramatic public service announcement, it is meant to show the dangers of drunk driving. But the victim`s father ripped into Garrison`s PSA in a statement in court. Watch this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KAREN SETIAN, VICTIM`S FATHER: He is an actor and he`s acting. Let`s not fall for this act. He killed a human being. He killed our son. Does he really understand what he has done? Yesterday was probably one of the most difficult days Ida and I. It was Vahagan`s (ph) birthday. He would have been 18.
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HAMMER: Be sure to tune into SHOWBIZ TONIGHT tomorrow night. We will have more coverage on the dramatic day in court, and we`ll also bring you the powerful public service announcement that Garrison appears in. Really, really powerful stuff.
I really find it hard to believe the audacity of O.J. Simpson. First, of course, he had that prank show, then the book "If I Did It." And now, get this, he`s answering questions live on the Internet. But some of the call-in questions actually took O.J. by surprise.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Do you think it was a bigger fete to break 2,000 yards in one season or slice two necks in one night?
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HAMMER: I`m not very surprised that he got asked that. Coming up, the outrageous questions O.J. fielded when he decided, and maybe he`s regretting it, to do a live show on the Internet. You do not want to miss hearing this.
And speaking of guys we love to hate -- can you think of anything worse in a relationship than a guy who leaves his girlfriend when she`s pregnant? It is hideous. And it has happened more than once in Hollywood. What`s behind all the baby daddy drama? We`re looking into it, coming up.
And you remember Thandie Newton? She gave us that very intense and powerful performance in the big movie "Crash." Well, tonight, she is opening up about a dark and painful time in her past. What she said really shocked me. I`ll have that for you, straight ahead.
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MELANIE BROWN, SPICE GIRLS: I call on those fathers to ignore the poor role model that Eddie`s been. And set a better example for their children. Thank you.
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HAMMER: That was a clearly frustrated Melanie Brown, also known as Scary Spice, asking fathers to take responsibility for their actions as she enters a paternity battle with Eddie Murphy, the father of her baby daughter.
Welcome back to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, TV`s most provocative entertainment news show. I`m A.J. Hammer in New York.
Yes, Mel B. is now suing Murphy for child support. She says he left her while she was pregnant. And SHOWBIZ TONIGHT can tell you she is not alone. It seems like pregnant mommies all over Hollywood are getting rattled by the lack of attention from their baby daddies.
Joining me tonight, from New York, author and developmental psychologist, Cooper Lawrence. Also in New York, Noah Levy, the senior reporter for "In Touch Weekly."
Noah, Cooper, it`s good to see you both. As we now know, DNA tests have in fact proved Eddie Murphy, the father, that is after, of course, he denied it. I want you to listen to what Mel B. said when she was asked what happened when she told Eddie they were having a baby.
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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What did he say to you when you told him you were pregnant? Was he excited?
BROWN: Yeah. He was proud. We were both really excited, very.
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HAMMER: Well, Noah, Eddie moved on. He is now engaged to Tracy Edmonds. He left Melanie well before he got involved with her, or got engaged to her certainly. Why do you think he was so well, pardon me for saying this, scared of Scary Spice?
NOAH LEVY, "IN TOUCH WEEKLY": You said it, I didn`t.
The thing is with this situation is so many people in Hollywood live in an environment where they can really just go to the next best thing, and not be held accountable for their actions, so if Eddie Murphy was to see somebody he likes more than Scary Spice, he can just go with it. Unfortunately, it looks like he`s not going to get away so easily this time.
HAMMER: Cooper Lawrence, I want to get your expert opinion on that. Because we do hear stories, obviously, in everyday life about the same kind of thing. You know, guys leaving women while they are pregnant, for other women. How much does the pressure of fame and stardom play into a star daddy running away from responsibility?
COOPER LAWRENCE, RELATIONSHIP EXPERT: Well, there`s two things that play into it. Just like you said, A.J., it definitely is the fame. Because there is opportunity for a regular Joe, they don`t have gorgeous women throwing themselves at them all the time. There`s definitely the opportunity. So it makes the fame aspect to it.
But also, it`s a personality trait called "impulsivity". And it means you just react and don`t think about the consequences, and that`s definitely what we are seeing here.
HAMMER: I think that may very well be what was going on with certainly one of the most famous examples of what we are talking about. Britney Spears ex-husband Kevin Federline, left his girlfriend, Char Jackson for Britney while Char was pregnant with their baby.
I don`t know how we ever really let him get off easy on this. Is there anything unique, Noah, here? Kevin was saying, hey, I got a major upgrade. I got Britney Spears.
LEVY: Well, you know what, what Kevin did was very similar to Eddie Murphy. He went off, he found the next best thing, which was Britney Spears. But now look what happened. In a way, he kind of downgraded by going to Britney Spears. And it looks like he would probably be better off going back to Char Jackson.
In the meantime, he has a whole lot of kids that he has to take care of and he will probably be held accountable.
HAMMER: And she seems to have peace with it somehow and I give her an awful lot of credit. She even told SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, it`s all OK. I don`t know. It`s nuts. It really makes me angry when I hear about guys doing this -- Hollywood or otherwise.
Cooper, this is something we are kind of talking about, there was sort of an appeal of lifestyle playing into this abandonment, particularly with Kevin and Britney. Kevin did have a choice. As we just pointed out, he could have stayed with Char. Maybe he should have, in the end. They already have a kid together. They are not exactly -- or were exactly rich. He could have done that, or ran off with Britney Spears.
LAWRENCE: You are talking about somebody who is also a bit of an opportunist. Let`s face it. He`s looking to get a career going and Char Jackson wasn`t really the best choice for him. Whereas Britney Spears -- not that his CD did well -- but at least he got a CD out of it.
But you are also talking about somebody who does, like you mentioned A.J., the lifestyle. It`s called "unrestricted living". Once you start to have it all, you want it all, and that extends to human beings. It`s not just cars and things and bling. It`s also humans. You just want more and more women.
HAMMER: Another upgrade situation that perhaps is akin to this. I never understood this one. Football star Tom Brady, the New England Patriots quarterback. He was with actress Bridget Moynahan -- Bridget Moynahan! But in any event, left her while she was pregnant for the most famous supermodel on the planet, Leo DeCaprio`s former girlfriend, Giselle Bundchen.
Noah, clearly a sensitivity chip missing here, isn`t there?
LEVY: Well, definitely 100 percent. But A.J., let`s be realistic. It`s Giselle Bundchen. So, you know, so many men, whether they`re Tom Brady or anyone else, would consider leaving their wives for Giselle. But definitely, it`s Bridget Moynahan, she was pregnant. And now she`s doing the whole thing alone, while he`s off being seen in public with one of the world`s most beautiful women.
HAMMER: Let me give them all a collective, "Shame on you!"
LAWRENCE: Huge "Shame on you!"
LEVY: Shame on you!
HAMMER: Thank you very much for joining us. I appreciate it.
LAWRENCE: Thanks, A.J.
HAMMER: Well, it`s O.J. Simpson, in the hot seat. O.J. took questions live on the Internet, but ended up -- it ended up being more about technical problems and crank calls on the little show than any real answers. Here`s CNN`s Jeanne Moos for SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
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JEANNE MOOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Want to call in a question to O.J.? OK.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hello, Jim.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: OK, we lost Jim.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: All right. We lost Jim.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hey, Dennis.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think Dennis is gone.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We might have a caller to go to.
MOOS: And when they didn`t want the phone to ring, it did.
O.J. SIMPSON: With people through, you know, a conversation. A phone is ringing and it`s throwing me off here. It`s live folks.
MOOS: Live and on the Internet, so expect a few snafus.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And now, a Market News first exclusive. O.J. takes the stand.
MOOS: Even if O.J. and the host didn`t know when they were on, the head of Market NewsFirst.com says O.J. came to them looking for an unedited, unfiltered forum.
Oh, it was unfiltered, all right. Wait until you hear the first crank call.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Do you think it was a bigger fete to break 2,000 yards in one season or slice two necks in one night?
SIMPSON: I`m having a little trouble, Kevin, hearing you?
MOOS: The head of Market News First was unamused.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: First off it`s not a crank question. That`s a stupid joke that the caller called in.
MOOS: True. There was plenty of serious conversation about O.J.`s hunt for the real killer.
SIMPSON: There`s one guy I think was directly involved. But, you know, I got to wait for that.
MOOS: About the way the media operates.
SIMPSON: Media says I`m going to hang you, then I`m going to give you a fair trial.
MOOS: About that bronco choice.
SIMPSON: Who knows? I mean, I was on so much medication at the time.
MOOS: Some of the crank callers could use a little medication.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Remember when you played for the 49ers?
SIMPSON: Yeah.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Did you kill Bill Walsh?
SIMPSON: I tell you, I had a tough day yesterday, concerning Bill Walsh.
MOOS: Walsh was a former coach of the 49ers who died earlier this week of leukemia. There was an obscene question that got through.
SIMPSION: That I was what?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He was -- somebody was busting on you.
MOOS: O.J. kept his cool. It was the head of Market News First who fired back.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Because they are freaks. They are like the cult of O.J. has arrived.
MOOS: These one-hour live O.J. interviews are scheduled for a total of four nights.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I was just wondering if you wanted to meet me on the Jersey shore to do --
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: There we go. You know, you`re going to get jokers, but that`s the great thing. It`s just kind of --
SIMPSON: No, I don`t mind.
MOOS: What does he mind?
SIMPSON: Of being considered a murder, and all that.
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HAMMER: Wow. That was CNN`s Jeanne Moos for SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
Actress Thandie Newton looks like she has a perfect life. She`s beautiful, talented, successful. You remember her stunning performance in the movie "Crash." Well, this just goes to show you, you never know what someone else has gone through.
I was absolutely shocked to hear Thandie`s painful secret, a terrible struggle in her past, and she still has the scars from it. That`s coming up on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
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HAMMER: Welcome back to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, TV`s most provocative entertainment news show. I`m A.J. Hammer in New York.
Tonight, a shocking confession from actress Thandie Newton that she used to suffer from bulimia, and she still has disturbing scars from it. You know Thandie from movies like "Crash" and "Mission Impossible 2."
She opens up about her battle with bulimia in a British magazine called "Easy Living." She says it all started when she was 14 and training for a ballet exam and started eating nothing but cottage cheese. Then, she said her eating disorder turned into an obsession when she started dating an older man.
Thandie says, quote, "We used to go out to dinner all the time. And he`d get so excited about eating. And it must have been my way of separating myself from him, by becoming bulimic. I would go back to the flat that we were sharing at the time, and I`d throw up."
Thandie says she suffered horribly from bulimia for about a year, and that she still has scars on her knuckles from where she put her fingers down her throat to throw up. Sad story.
Yesterday, we asked you to vote on our SHOWBIZ TONIGHT question of the day. Whoopi Goldberg -- the right choice to replace Rosie on "The View"? You guys think so, 75 percent of you say yes; 25 percent of you say no.
A lot of e-mail came in, including one from Reyna from Illinois, writes. "Whoopi is a fantastic choice. She has never held back from expressing herself. And that is what the show is all about."
Also heard from Alicia in New Jersey who writes -- "Whoopi is the perfect new host. She is a very interesting person with great viewpoints."
Here`s what`s coming up on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
Tomorrow, a SHOWBIZ TONIGHT special report: When stars lose weight and regain fame. Why do so many stars think they can hold onto fame if they`re skinny? We`re going to be investigating that disturbing obsession, coming up tomorrow on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
That is it for SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. Thank you so much for watching. I`m A.J. Hammer in New York. "Glenn Beck" coming up next, after the latest from CNN "Headline News"
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