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Showbiz Tonight
Britney Spears in Court; Uma`s Stalker
Aired October 11, 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 CO-HOST: Shocking details after a man is arrested for stalking Uma Thurman. Plus, a television and movie star sentenced to six months in the slammer.
I`m A.J. Hammer, in New York.
TV`s most provocative entertainment news show starts right now.
On SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, Britney Spears` dramatic and sudden move to get her kids back.
BROOKE ANDERSON, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT CO-HOST: I`m Brooke Anderson, outside the courtroom where Britney is fighting for more time with her kids.
HAMMER: Tonight, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT is right there for the high stake showdown in court. But wait -- where`s Britney? Did she even bother to show up?
Tonight, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT with the late-breaking developments.
Tonight, the secrets of moms who rock. From Gwen Stefani to Madonna to Melissa Etheridge. How do the hottest women in music do it all -- juggling life on the road with raising children?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MELISSA ETHERIDGE, ROCK MUSICIAN: You have to put family first -- period.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
Tonight, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT with the no nonsense and surprising revelation of moms who rock.
HAMMER: Hello, I`m A.J. Hammer broadcasting tonight, and every night from New York City.
And man, this has been an unbelievable day in this never ending Britney Spears saga. Britney made a dramatic move today to get more visitation rights to her two kids.
Now, at first, she was a no show, and then late today, Britney suddenly snuck into court to make her case.
SHOWBIZ TONIGHT`s Brooke Anderson has been right there at the courthouse in Los Angeles all day long.
Also with us tonight, in Hollywood, Ken Baker, managing editor for "usmagazine.com."
And in New York City tonight, Court TV correspondent and Attorney Lisa Bloom.
Brooke, I want to send it right out to you to find out exactly what happened from the beginning. We know that Britney lost custody of her kids. And another hearing wasn`t even supposed to happen until October 26th. Then all of a sudden this happens. It changed everything today. Britney`s lawyers demanded an emergency hearing. Tell us what you know.
ANDERSON: A.J., new developments late today in this really contentious custody battle between Kevin Federline and Britney Spears. The current arrangement was modified. Britney Spears is now permitted one overnight visit per week with her two young sons. And it seems that Kevin Federline has a lot to do with that decision by the court commissioner, because his attorney, Mark Vincent Kaplan said, after the afternoon hearing that K-Fed, after hearing what happened earlier this morning when no decision was made, decided, voluntarily, to change the accommodations and allow one overnight per week with a monitor from the designated list.
Now, this morning, her attorneys raised the issue, could her mother be a potential monitor? Kaplan, Kevin`s attorney, said that he is vehemently opposed to that because there could be a conflict of interest.
I do want to mention that Britney arrived, dressed very casually. She had on blue jeans, she was wearing sunglasses, she tried to take a Coke into the courtroom, and an employee said, "No, you can`t do that. You have to put that down." Also, when she left, she seemed visibly upset driving the car. So maybe, she wasn`t too happy that the judge only slightly revised the agreement.
HAMMER: It seems so strange, though, that in just the course of a week, she had to suddenly try to put all these into motion. And when the news broke today, here in the SHOWBIZ TONIGHT newsroom, we all were saying, "All right, so that`s happening. Britney`s going to show up in court." And then hear she`s not showing up in court and everybody made a big deal about that.
Well, later today, she suddenly does show up. Do we have any idea, Brooke, why she made this sudden about-face?
ANDERSON: No, there`s no reason given for the about-face.
And this morning her attorney said that she did initially want to be here, 8:30 local time, for the hearing, but that she chose not to attend because of the large media presence. Now, some websites reported that she overslept. That hasn`t been confirmed. Her attorneys obviously citing different reasons.
And then, yes, the about-face -- five hours later, she does make a surprise appearance here. She enters through the secret law enforcement -- the private law enforcement entrance that`s shielded from the cameras and from passersby. She was dressed very casually in blue jeans. She had sunglasses on. And the commissioner says, "I understand that you are wearing sunglasses for a medical reason," and she nodded. She also tried to take a Coke into court with her, and an employee said, "Britney, you can`t take that Coke in," so she had to put it down.
But yes, it`s really baffling. Everyone here is trying to figure out why didn`t she come this morning, if it was so important to her? And then she did decide that, "Hey, I need to get some face time. I wasn`t here last week. I lost custody of the kids. So I`m going to come today."
HAMMER: Oh my goodness. So, even when she decides she`s going to get face time, she doesn`t decide to maybe dress up a little bit, think she can take a soda into the courtroom with her. I mean, she just keeps shooting herself in the foot. So her attorney was saying that she was a no show this morning because she didn`t want to create a media circus.
All right, Lisa Bloom, let me go to you. It seems to me that, if you`re trying to get your kids back, that`s the last thing you should be worrying about. I mean look, Britney causes a media circus when she goes to the corner to get a pack of whatever -- gum.
LISA BLOOM, COURT TV: Yes. Well, here`s the problem. She lost the kids because she violated the judge`s order. And now, she`s really thumbing her nose at the court by showing up late, going back and forth as to whether she`s going to show up at all. She should be dressed very respectfully and conservatively. Forget the glasses, you know, forget the soda in the hand, and act like she`s anybody else. Act like she`s a respectable citizen who deserves to have more time with her children. That should be her approach.
HAMMER: Yes, you should be doing everything right. And it`s just a shame that she can`t...
BLOOM: Beyond right.
HAMMER: ... figure that out for herself or have somebody who can tell her to do everything right.
BLOOM: Yes, absolutely.
HAMMER: One of the surprising developments today had to do with Britney`s home. Now, the judge revealed that previously it had been discussed that maybe Britney`s mom, Lynne, should be a possible overnight monitor, but it wasn`t considered appropriate. What I found interesting was it wasn`t considered appropriate by either side -- either Kevin Federline`s side or Britney`s side.
Ken, were you surprised by this?
KEN BAKER, USMAGAZINE.COM: Well, what`s interesting is that in the last week, actually less than a week, Britney has reunited with her mother. She was estranged from her mom for about four or five months. They didn`t even talk, let alone see each other.
They reunited on Saturday and they`ve been together every day, along with her sister. And if I may, this is a scary thing to do, but if I could get inside the mind of Britney, I think it goes something like this: "I`ve reunited with my mom. I`ve passed the drug test. I`ve met with the parenting coach. I want overnight visits with my kids even though, judge, you said I have to wait about three or four weeks and then we will have another hearing and then you`ll evaluate it, I want to change the rules because I have been really good for the last six or seven days."
HAMMER: Yes. Well, let`s talk about that drug test, incidentally, because that was another development today -- the whole issue over that test. You know, a few days ago, Britney`s attorney had made a big deal over the fact that she had finally taken the drug tests and passed.
We told that story right here on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
Brooke, the judge was not impressed with that little bit of information, was he?
ANDERSON: No, he wasn`t, A.J., because Commissioner Gordon said, "Sure," he`s received notifications that she has taken the drug test now, but he hasn`t gotten any results, so he has no proof that she has complied with that order and that she is showing some determination and some responsibility.
And I also want to say that Kevin Federline`s attorney, Mark Vincent Kaplan has basically scoffed at the whole thing taking place here today. And he said, "No, she hasn`t had time to comply with any of the orders." And he gave an example. He said that a parenting coach showed up to Britney Spears` house, rang the doorbell, and nobody ever opened the door, and that Britney blamed a faulty doorbell.
So, you know, Britney making this about-face, showing up, finally, might be one step closer to impressing the judge, but that does remain to be seen.
HAMMER: But Brooke, all along the way, doesn`t it seem like we`re just hearing a bunch of excuses?
ANDERSON: Oh, yes. One excuse right after the other, and, you know, these custody cases could go on forever. Look at Alec Baldwin. Look at their -- his case with Kim Basinger.
So, this could drag on forever. Luckily those kids are only two years old and one-year-old at this time. But the attorneys are already saying, "Hey, this is affecting their schedules. This could impact them negatively in the future, so something needs to be done for those children."
HAMMER: Court TV`s Lisa Bloom, let me bring you in here.
I think it would be very easy for people to say that it seems like Britney is just being delusional here, you know, among other things, thinking that in the course of a week, a judge is going to think that she has suddenly completely turned her life around. He was very expressive about his concern for the welfare of those kids.
BLOOM: That`s right. It is may be an emergency to Britney, because she`s just now getting, "I lost my kids." But it`s not an emergency to the kids, because the problem is that she`s a drug addict and an alcoholic, according to the judge, a habitual, continuous and frequent user of alcohol and drugs. She`s got to clean up her act, lose the excuses.
You know, A.J., if she wants to go out partying, she`s able to make that happen. If she wants to have the parenting coach, she needs to make that happen. Lose the excuses; get on the straight and narrow for at least a month before the judge is going to take her seriously.
HAMMER: But explain to me then, Lisa, what role the lawyer is playing here, because it would seem, you know, finally she at least, we know, has a lawyer in her life...
BLOOM: Yes.
HAMMER: ... to sort of take care of these legal proceedings. We`ve longed for somebody to be in her life, who can give her good sound advice.
BLOOM: Yes.
HAMMER: So, do you think in this case, and, you know, we can only speculate, did Britney say to the lawyer, "This is inconvenient the way it is with my kids. I need to be able to do these overnights." But wouldn`t the lawyer know better than to try to push this through?
BLOOM: Well, they may get a change in the transfer time from 3:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m., and that`s very common for parents to say it`s interfering with the child`s nap, or their day care, or whatever the kids are doing. I mean these are little kids, and frankly, naps are important to two and one-year-old kids. So, they might get a change in the time.
I don`t see her getting overnight stays with a monitor that the court doesn`t really even know, her mother. I`d rather see an independent monitor; somebody that we know is responsible and stable, before Britney gets them overnight. But it wouldn`t surprise me if we get a slight change in the time. That`s a reasonable request, I think.
HAMMER: Yes, I suppose it is. And, I agree with you on monitor.
So, Ken Baker, the next hearing wasn`t supposed to happen until October 26th. How long do you think Britney needs to be on her absolute best behavior, which she didn`t begin today, apparently, before she convinces anyone she`s changed?
BAKER: Well, I think the judge has been very clear that all he has said that -- is that on October 26th we will re-evaluate the terms of the custody. That`s all he said. He didn`t say if you comply with this, we`ll bring it back to normal. He didn`t promise anything, so Britney does have to be on her best behavior.
Now, on a positive side, I have to say, we`ve been watching her very closely and she actually has been on her best behavior. It`s been like a new Britney. The talk around town is we can take her off suicide watch now. And she was acting just a little bit more normal. She wasn`t going out at night. She hasn`t gone to a single club since all this went down about a week ago.
So she has been -- it is working to that extent. But clearly, as Lisa said, as Brooke said, she`s not getting it. The judge said, today, you have a -- the -- your client has emotional problems, has drug problems, and that doesn`t eradicate itself in a week.
HAMMER: Man, I`m really looking forward to the day when I say big breaking Britney news and it`s good news. So far, not happening.
Lisa Bloom, Ken Baker, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT`s Brooke Anderson, thanks for being with us.
Well now, we`d like to hear from you, for our SHOWBIZ TONIGHT question of the day: Britney Spears, should she get her kids back?
You can vote at cnn.com/showbiztonight or you can e-mail us at showbiztonight@cnn.com to let us know what you think.
You know, Britney is obviously not the only one who`s involved in an ugly divorce that`s getting uglier by the day. There are big new developments tonight in David Hasselhoff`s divorce and Paul McCartney`s as well. We`ll get into that at 30 minutes past the hour, in a SHOWBIZ special report tonight, Hollywood`s Nastiest Splits.
We also have this --
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GWEN STEFANI, ROCK MUSICIAN: He is the most spectacular, most delicious and most the beautiful baby in the...
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: Gwen Stefani is over the moon about her baby boy. She is one rocking mom. And, you know she`s not the only hot mom who`s balancing family life with a big-time career in music, but how do they do it? That`s what I want to know. That`s coming up, as SHOWBIZ TONIGHT takes a look at moms who rock.
And this is really scary. A man arrested outside Uma Thurman`s home for allegedly stalking her. You`re not going to believe some of the letters that he sent her and the places that he`s shown up. That`s still ahead.
SHOWBIZ TONIGHT is coming right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HAMMER: Welcome back to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, TV`s most provocative entertainment news show.
I`m A.J. Hammer, in New York.
Tonight, a very scary stalker scare for actress Uma Thurman. We just learned that for the past two years, a man has relentlessly stalked her, doing everything, from camping out in front of her Manhattan apartment, to chasing her down on her movie sets. Really scary stuff.
With me tonight, in New York, Lola Ogunnaike. Lola is the entertainment correspondent for CNN`s "AMERICAN MORNING." Always nice to see you, Lola.
We know this name is Jack Jordan. We`ve learned a few details about him. He`s 35 years old. And apparently, Lola, all of this began when he contacted Uma`s dad, a couple of years ago, do I have that right?
LOLA OGUNNAIKE, CNN`S "AMERICAN MORNING": Yes. He reached out to Uma`s father by e-mail in 2005, mid-2005. And after he started sending really weird inquiries, her father shut down all contact with him, but that didn`t stop Jack at all.
Apparently, later that year, I believe, November 8th, he showed up to the set of her film that she was filming in New York, and stood outside of her trailer, was pretending to be an acquaintance of hers, a friend of hers, and was hoping to parlay his way into her trailer. Her entourage, you know, quickly shut him down, told him to get lost. But he didn`t leave, and he -- he actually left a stack of letters with a member of this entourage.
And in one of those letters was a cartoon depiction of him sliding across a razor blade and Uma digging a grave right next to him. So this is really spooky stuff we`re talking about.
HAMMER: Yes, yes, really whacky.
Well, he has been arrested. I should point that out. Fortunately, this guy is of the streets. Now, the police tell us that this guy really actually thought that he and Uma were meant to be together. One of the things he allegedly wrote actually in one of those letters was, to Uma -- quote -- "I feel afraid that if I see you out again with another man, I will want to kill myself. Maybe even after we meet." Yes, chilling indeed.
Now, Lola, according to the police report, this guy is still in love, still thinks they`re supposed to be together. Now, this went on for two years. Here`s what I don`t understand. What exactly was the breaking point that got the cops to go out after this guy?
OGUNNAIKE: Well, I think it`s less about the breaking point with the cops and more about Uma`s breaking point. Because, you know, if you`re -- if you are being stalked, or you feel like you`re being stalked, or you`re the target of the stalker, it really is up to you to make that known to the police.
And it can`t -- unfortunately, it can`t be -- it`s not enough that he`s parked out in front of your home or that he sends you love letters constantly. There really has to be a threat of violence and fear that this person could do bodily harm, or worse, to you, before the police can really intervene.
HAMMER: Which is really scary, in and of itself, and then you have to think about employing additional security. And obviously, this is a real wake-up call to a lot of stars, to know that, you know, that these stalkers can get so close to that line.
OGUNNAIKE: And the thing that`s really unfortunate, particularly with celebrities that live in New York, is that celebrities that are in New York are really accessible. You can see them at your local whole foods. You can se them shopping at a local boutique. That`s what they love about New York. But in an instance like this -- you know I`ve walked down the streets and I`ve seen Uma Thurman in the Flatiron District. It`s not uncommon to see her, or her ex-husband, Ethan Hawk. But clearly, in an instance like this, she has to be extremely careful and she has to sacrifice some of that freedom for her -- her own, you know, physical safety.
HAMMER: And, I`m sure, you, like me, have seen people go up to stars and say, `hello,` in such a familiar way. And the stars -- and I`ve seen - - where Cameron Diaz has even said, she told us at SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, "You know, I`m not sure if I actually know the person or not." They -- even though they`re these huge stars, there`s such a familiarity that`s, you know, there`s a confused and very blurred line.
Lola, I appreciate you sticking around for us tonight. You have an early morning tomorrow.
OGUNNAIKE: (inaudible)
HAMMER: CNN`s "AMERICAN MORNING" correspondent, Lola Ogunnaike, thanks so much.
OGUNNAIKE: Thank you.
HAMMER: Well, Michelle Rodriguez is going to be spending a lot of time behind bars. Rodriguez has been sentenced to six months in prison for violating probation in her DUI case. Now, she has to report to an L.A. County jail on December 24th and also do 30 days of road-cleanup duties. Imagine seeing Michelle Rodriguez with one of those pokers at the side of the road.
Before that, though, Michelle is going to go to New Zealand. She`s going to film a film -- film a movie with Titanic director, James Cameron. Michelle`s reps say that despite news of the jail sentence, she is a survivor and is feeling very positive. In fact, a posting on her official website says -- quote -- "Yes, it`s true, but Michelle is Michelle, so no worries."
Well, yesterday, we asked you to vote on our SHOWBIZ TONIGHT question of the day. Here`s what we wanted to know: Stars and DUI: Should They Get Harsher Sentences?
Fifty-four percent of you said yes. Forty-six percent of you said no, they should not get harsher sentences. We`ve got a bunch of e-mails on the subject, too.
We heard from Silvia in Canada. Silvia writes, "I feel that they should at least be judged like everyone else with a similar record and attitude."
We also heard from Elaine, from Maine. Elaine thinks that stars shouldn`t be treated any different because of their fame, but adds, "Sadly many of the celebrities are supposedly `role models` ... they are certainly not sending a positive message."
We have big breaking news tonight in three celebrity divorce cases. Britney Spears, Paul McCartney, David Hasselhoff -- their cases just getting uglier by the minute. That`s coming up at 30 minutes past the hour, in a SHOWBIZ special report: Hollywood`s Nastiest Split.
You know, Reece and Ryan`s split wasn`t nasty. Both of them really have kept quiet about the details, which was refreshing. But just as their divorce is finalized, Reese walks the red carpet for her new movie. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT caught up with her. What she told us, coming up next.
We also have this --
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ETHERIDGE: You have to put family first -- period. That whatever comes across, whatever is great for your career -- whatever, you have to consider your family first.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: Excellent advice from Melissa Etheridge on balancing work and family. She is not the only one who`s doing that balancing act. Some of the biggest names in music are moms.
Coming up, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT takes a look at moms who rock.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HAMMER: Tomorrow, Janet Jackson unplugged, opening up to me about everything, from her weight gains and losses to whether she`s actually thinking about getting married. It`s the revealing interview you`ll see only here on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
Welcome back to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, TV`s most provocative entertainment news show.
I`m A.J. Hammer, in New York.
And, it`s official. Reese and Ryan are over. Court documents show that Reese Witherspoon and Ryan Phillippe`s divorce was finalized last Friday, October 5th. It has been just under a year since Reese filed for divorce. Reese and Ryan were married for seven years and they have two children together.
Now, Reese does have other things on her mind these days. Last night she was in L.A. for the premiere of her new movie, "Rendition," which also stars Jake Gyllenhaal. We asked Reese about her role, playing an American woman who marries a Muslim, an Egyptian-American, who goes missing. And here`s what she told us.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REESE WITHERSPOON, STAR, RENDITION: It`s interesting to me that just sort of investigating the world of what it would be like to be part of a Muslim community in this country, particularly after 9/11, and experience a lot of the things that they go through, whether it be racial profiling or religious intolerance -- things that wouldn`t normally touch my life. It was sort of interesting to play a character whose life deals with a lot of that. And the extreme version of that was just ultimately "Rendition."
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: Well, I`ve seen the film. Truly powerful. You can see Reese Witherspoon, starring in "Rendition," when it hits theaters next Friday, October 19th.
Well, Reese and Ryan managed to keep the details of their divorce really quiet, but obviously, plenty of other stars were not following their lead. There are major new developments tonight in three of Hollywood`s Nastiest Splits, starring Britney Spears, Paul McCartney and David Hasselhoff. That`s next.
We also have this -
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
STEFANI: He is the most spectacular, most delicious and the most beautiful baby in the...
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: Gwen Stefani over the moon about her baby boy. She is one rocking mom. She`s not the only hot mom balancing family life with a big- time career in music. That`s coming up, as SHOWBIZ TONIGHT takes a look at moms who rock.
And a superstar who is staying out of trouble -- unbelievable. Hanna Montana, Miley Cyrus, she really seems to have a good head on her shoulders. So, I got to know, how does she do it? Miley`s secrets, coming up on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
RICHELLE CAREY, HEADLINE PRIME NEWSBREAK: I`m Richelle Carey.
This is your Headline Prime newsbreak. For the first time in modern memory, a NATO ally, Turkey, is recalling its ambassador to the U.S. It`s because of Wednesday`s congressional vote that describe the mass killings of Armenians in World War I as genocide. If Turkey were to close its airspace to the U.S., it could affect the American military`s ability to conduct operations in Iraq and throughout the Middle East.
Classmates and teachers at a Cleveland high school say there were signs 14-year-old Asa Coon might snap. He made threats after getting suspended for a fistfight. He walked into the school with a gun in each hand, Wednesday, shooting four people, before killing himself.
And more than a dozen children`s cold medicine is taken off the shelves. Makers are pulling them voluntarily because some parents are accidentally overdosing children under the age of two.
I`m Richelle Carey.
SHOWBIZ TONIGHT continues with late-breaking surprise developments to the Britney Spears case, plus the latest on Hollywood`s most bitter breakups.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HAMMER: On SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, Hollywood`s Nastiest Splits.
Tonight, shocking new developments in the ugliest fights out there -- Brit and K-Fed, Paul McCartney and Heather Mills. Plus, is David Hasselhoff in jeopardy now of losing his kids after a stunning alcohol abuse from relapse?
Welcome back to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. It`s 30 minutes past the hour. I`m A.J. Hammer, broadcasting tonight and every night from New York City. You`re watching TV`s most provocative entertainment news show. Tonight, Hollywood`s nastiest splits. As Britney Spears shockingly shows up at L.A. superior court late today to fight for her kids there are also dramatic new developments tonight in some of Hollywood`s other biggest, nastiest custody and couple battles.
But first, Britney Spears surprised everyone by showing up at L.A. Superior Court to fight for overnight visits with her two sons just a week after a judge gave physical custody to her ex, Kevin Federline. Well, a hearing was originally set for October 26th. The judge had said that he would not rule on the issue until then.
Then, in another nasty star split, Paul McCartney and Heather Mills were both in court today hammering out their deal to end their bitter battle. At issue, money, and a whole lot of it. Legal experts say the split could actually cost Sir Paul more than 100 million dollars. That would make it the most expensive divorce in British history. Mills and McCartney have a three-year-old daughter named Beatrice.
And in a nasty battle that`s had more dramatic turns than a Nascar racetrack, David Hasselhoff`s alcoholic split from Pamela Bach back in front of a mediator. In June a judge granted him primary custody of his teenage daughters. Now the girls are back with their mom while Hasselhoff gets treatment.
Joining me tonight from L.A. superior court, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT`s own Brooke Anderson. She has been covering the story all day long with Britney Spears. Also with me from Hollywood, USMagazine.com`s managing editor, Ken Baker. In New York, court TV anchor Lisa Bloom. And author and commentator Kelly Goff. All right gang, a lot to talk about. I want to get right to it with Britney Spears.
Brooke, Britney a no show earlier today and then shows up after the fact. What happened there in L.A.?
BROOKE ANDERSON, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT ANCHOR: She shows up five hours after the original hearing, A.J., so then the judge, the attorneys, both sides, everybody goes back into the courtroom and has to discuss things and hash things out once again. I want to mention she arrived via the private law enforcement entrance that`s shielded from the cameras and from passers by. She was dressed very casually in blue jeans. She had on sunglasses. And the judge said, I understand you`re wearing your sunglasses for a medical condition. She nodded. There have been reports that she currently is suffering from pink eye.
The spokesman for Kevin Federline`s attorney told me that Britney did indeed take the stand. She was sworn in and took the stand to testify. And that Caplan has been waiting a long time for that, because this is the first time that she has shown up for anything, in terms of this custody battle. Now, late today the judge permitted Britney one overnight visit per week, A.J. This Commissioner Gordon did say that he does agree the mother, Britney Spears, yes, she should have overnight visits, but he is really concerned about her stability, about substance abuse issues.
And he also said, hey, what`s the hurry? It`s only been a week since the last hearing, since those decisions. Britney`s attorney said the hurry, the emergency is the children, two-year-old Shawn Preston, one-year- old Jayden James. The attorney says that Britney has to hand over the kids under the current arrangement around 3:00 in the afternoon and that disrupts their nap schedule. Well, she said, you know, hey, it`s really disruptive. It`s really destructive for these kids not to have a solid, consistent routine.
But as you said, the original hearing date was set for October 26th. The commissioner wanted to give her time to prove she can comply with the orders, that she is a fit parent. Some say, A.J., that it`s just too soon.
HAMMER: Yes. It`s too soon. And in some ways, not the right approach. You know, Britney originally earlier today, when this emergency -- emergency hearing had been called, didn`t even show up at court, and then she turned around and did show up. Now, earlier when she didn`t show up, Britney`s attorneys were saying that she wanted to be there but because of the media circus, she wasn`t going to be there.
Ken Baker, you know, we know she changed her mind, but it seemed so odd to us that she wouldn`t have wanted to be there to begin with. Forget the media circus. What do you make of it?
KEN BAKER, USWEEKLY.COM: Yes, there`s rumors that she over slept. What I can tell you is last night what she did was she slept over at a friend`s house. She wasn`t at her own house, so she was dressed casually probably because she didn`t have any other clothes on than the ones she had on the night before. In fact, those were probably borrowed clothes from her friend. Britney Spears; how many times have you heard this word describe Britney Spears, erratic? So we shouldn`t be surprised that today she acts erratically and doesn`t show up, then shows up.
It`s a big circus. This is totally within the formula of how Britney Spears behaves.
HAMMER: Here`s what Kevin Federline`s attorney said about Britney`s latest court filing; Listen to this, quote, "the fact that a party one week after a full court hearing attempts to change the order of the court in the absence of an emergency or without any new facts suggests a continued lack of respect and understanding for what an order of the court actually means."
It totally sounds like a slam coming from Federline`s side. When you think about it, it`s like Britney is damned if she does, damned if she doesn`t. Lisa, should we at least be a little happy that we are seeing her fighting for more time?
LISA BLOOM, COURT TV ANCHOR: That`s Federline`s side. Look, no custody order is ever final, and judges always want parents to succeed. It`s very common in ordinary divorces for parents to come in and say, let`s switch the custody time, the visitation time. I personally would never want to mess with a toddler`s nap schedule. It`s screaming and screaming. It`s a horrendous thing.
So it doesn`t surprise me they want to make a change. They are not going to get a big change though, because Britney hasn`t had enough time to show that she`s made big changes in her life. That`s the bottom line.
HAMMER: Yes. Moving on now to another nasty star split we`ve got to talk about, Sir Paul McCartney and Heather Mills. They are back in court. They were in London today trying to battle out over the money and how much of Paul`s fortune Mills is actually going to get. Kelly, let me go to you on this. Wouldn`t it really be in Heather`s best interest at this point to just settle this thing already? She`s going to get some money here.
KELLY GOFF, AUTHOR AND COMMENTATOR: Well, it depends on what she`s looking to really get out of it. If she was looking to win the PR game, the answer would be yes. Since she pretty much lost that battle a couple years ago, she might just figure at this point, why not take the money and run. Can I just say something really quickly about Britney, A.J.? Will you kill me if I do?
HAMMER: No. I will not kill you, for sure.
GOFF: OK, I just have to say really quickly, I really love the excuse about why she was late to court, because I love the fact that paparazzi don`t seem to stop her from going to Taco Bell or grabbing her Frapacino from Starbucks, but somehow manage to keep her from fighting for custody of her kids. I just found that interesting.
HAMMER: We know that if she had gotten a flat tire at the courthouse, the paparazzi would have been there to change the tire for her, as they did last weekend.
GOFF: You look at those kids and sometimes just wish that Angelina or Brad would come along and adopt them at this point.
ANDERSON: You have to understand, we -- Kelly, you have to understand, we talked about this. It`s excuse after excuse after excuse, you know. Britney didn`t want to come because of the large media presence. Yet, she came and, as A.J. said, it didn`t seem she was taking it seriously, dressed so casually. So nothing seems to surprise anybody anymore. It certainly was a media circus here. But like you say, that`s never really stop herd before.
At times she seems to court the paparazzi and court the cameras. Everybody is a little bit baffled, but still, at the same time, not too shocked by her behavior today.
HAMMER: Let us now move on to the David Hasselhoff split. We know he just relapsed and spent a night in the hospital after too much drinking. Lisa Bloom, we were all really sad to see this because he has legal custody of his two kids. A judge had handed them over from his ex-wife, Pamela Bach, some time ago now, deeming that he was more fit, even after that drunken video of him came out earlier this year. Do you think now his ex- wife, Pamela Bach, could actually get them back because of this relapse?
BLOOM: I do. And memo to David Hasselhoff, are you watching Britney? Are you watching these Britney stories? Judges do not like it when children are in the custody of somebody who is an alcoholic. Judges are going to yank those kids away from you if those kids are in danger. He`s had repeated incidents. As you said, there`s a video with him with the hamburger on the floor. He got a pass that time. He`s not going to get a pass every time.
HAMMER: Ken Baker, a really bad PR mess as well to David Hasselhoff that`s not going to help him one bit.
BAKER: It`s interesting that, you know, this summer he came out with a book called "Don`t Hassle the Hoff." The Hoff is hassling himself. He`s his own worst enemy. I mean, the guy was pretty much in the clear. According to court records, his ex-wife, Pamela, had some substance abuse issues that were even worse than his and he got custody with that ridiculous video, that sad video of him drunk on the floor. So really he has been his own worst enemy in this.
It`s going to be really fascinating to see how the judge is able to decide between the two. He might just pick option three, which is neither of them.
HAMMER: Yes, that`s true. And some would say that that makes a lot of sense right now. We feel badly for David Hasselhoff in his situation, whatever is going on with him. But there are some parallels here that can`t be ignored between his situation and Britney`s. Everybody is shooting themselves in the foot, it seems. Lisa Bloom of Court TV, Ken Baker of USMagazine.com, author and commentator Kelly Goth and our own Brooke Anderson, thank you.
We have been asking you to vote on our SHOWBIZ TONIGHT question of the day. We want to know from you; Britney Spears, should she get her kids back? Let us know at CNN.com/SHOWBIZTONIGHT or write to us at SHOWBIZTONIGHT@CNN.com. And listen for your e-mails tomorrow.
The anti-Britney, a super star who is actually staying out of trouble. Hannah Montana, Miley Cyrus; she really seems to have a good head on her shoulders. But I need to know, how does she do it? Miley`s secrets to being a good girl in Hollywood is coming up. Also this.
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GWEN STEFANI, SINGER: He is the fabulous, most delicious and the most beautiful baby in the universe.
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HAMMER: These women are absolutely amazing to me, Gwen Stefani, Cheryl Crow, Madonna. These are huge stars who somehow balance kids and their careers. Just how do they do it? I`ve got a revealing look at moms who rock, coming up next.
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HAMMER: Welcome back to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, TV`s most provocative news show. I`m A.J. Hammer in New York. As we told you earlier, tonight, Britney Spears is back in court fighting to regain custody of her children. The last year really has been a roller coaster for the pop mom, as her life has slowly and sadly fallen apart. But, you know, there are other female rocker moms out there who are able to keep it all together, their music career, their family, their sanity.
How do they do it? SHOWBIZ TONIGHT`s Brooke Anderson investigates moms who know how to rock and stroll.
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ANDERSON: There`s no doubt about it, the ladies of rock know how to work it. They are sexy, talented, driven, and now for a growing number of them, they are moms.
ALEX WAGNER, "FADER MAGAZINE": There are a number of women in rock today that have been really aggressive about their music careers and with the same kind of passion they are taking up families.
ANDERSON: These women bring new meaning to the phrase Hot Mama, Gwen Stefani, Madonna, Gloria Estefan, Melissa Etheridge, Sheryl Crow, Bjork, Macy Gray, the list goes on and on. Let`s face it, most women struggle to balance motherhood and work. But it`s even more extreme for female rockers. They have to tour the world for their job, and they have to look like this.
WAGNER: I think if you have been really aggressive about your career and you`ve really been out there in the public eye, taking time off is a really difficult thing to do. There`s always these questions like, will I have the energy, will I be able to balance family and home, will I be able to go on the road? I think Madonna has been completely uncompromising.
ANDERSON: Madonna is the proud mother of three beautiful children, daughter Lordis (ph), son Rosco, and a new edition to their family, little David Bandom (ph), whom she recently adopted from Malawi.
WAGNER: She`s made very, very distinct decisions about what she wants to do, how she wants to do it.
ANDERSON: Another female musician who has been a trail blazer in motherhood, Melissa Etheridge.
WAGNER: Melissa Etheridge has been, you know, a pioneer with the music she makes, then deciding that she was going to come out of the closet, having a female partner, and then, you know, when she decided she wanted to adopt kids. She just shattered the idea of sort of the nuclear family and she did it with aplomb.
ANDERSON: Etheridge tells SHOWBIZ TONIGHT being a mom is her number one job.
MELISSA ETHERIDGE, ROCKER: Whatever comes across, whatever is great for your career, whatever, you have to consider your family first.
ANDERSON: Etheridge has four kids, ranging from 10 years old to just one year old.
ETHERIDGE: It`s a balance, and you have to make the choices and you have to love those choices.
ANDERSON: Someone who strikes that balance beautifully is style icon and chart topping rocker Gwen Stefani.
WAGNER: Of all the pop stars who have decided to jump on board the motherhood ship, I think Gwen Stefani has really done it the most successfully.
ANDERSON: She`s got her music career, fashion line and now a beautiful little boy, Kingston.
STEFANI: He`s the most spectacular, most delicious and most beautiful baby in the universe.
WAGNER: Gwen Stefani made the decision to be a mother. And it was like right after that; she turned right around and went back on the road.
ANDERSON: Right back on the road. Really, how in the world does a new mom go on tour with a new baby boy? Well, she told SHOWBIZ TONIGHT her secret.
STEFANI: He`s 16 months. He`s been with me everywhere. He`s already been on 30 flights around the world. We just toured the world together.
ANDERSON: What a lucky baby. And Gwen isn`t the only one who thinks it`s A-OK to take the kids along on the road. Platinum singing sensation Gloria Estefan tells SHOWBIZ TONIGHT it`s actually the secret to her tight knit family.
GLORIA ESTEFAN, SINGER: My family is with me wherever I go on the road. I`ve taken my kids to work with me. They have always been with me. I think separation is the problem. Whenever you are separated from your spouse or from your kids, that`s when things, you know, can happen and mayhem can ensue.
ANDERSON: And mayhem can be an unfortunate reality for some rocker moms. Rock & roller Courtney Love has had a rough go as a mom to teenage daughter Francis Beam (ph), whom she had with music icon Kurt Cobane.
COURTNEY LOVE, SINGER: It was one of the worst things a mother could possibly go through.
ANDERSON: Love`s daughter was taken away from her twice because of her repeated drug use. But after some serious, real serious rehab, Love says she and her daughter are building a new life together.
LOVE: She is doing extremely well. She`s one of the most popular kids in school. She maintains a straight A average, never kissed a boy.
ANDERSON: That`s a welcome relief. We were worried. Another not so shining mom in the music business -- you guessed it -- the infamous Britney Spears. The Britney express is chugging full speed ahead to train wreck town. But her two young sons are not going along for the ride. Her ex- hubby, Kevin Federline, is fighting for full custody of those kids. He`s gone to court to say she`s unfit to be a mother.
Britney may still have the skills to sell records and top the charts, but the paparazzi have shown a far less flattering picture of her mommy skills.
WAGNER: In a lot of ways, when you see mothers who can`t do it all and who do have their problems, it is kind of relieving for the American mother who`s like I can`t deal with it either.
ANDERSON: And the beauty of it all, Britney may one day pull it together. Until then, we see plenty of other strong, beautiful song- stresses who are rocking the mom thing big time.
WAGNER: When you have people like Madonna and Gwen Stefani devoting themselves really fundamentally to being a mother and then come back and are still the pop stars that they used to be, just striking punches harder than they ever did before, it`s incredibly inspiring.
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HAMMER: Well, now it looks like we may be able to add Jennifer Lopez to that list. Reports are just running rampant that the pop star is pregnant with twins.
Well, Miley Cyrus is one of my favorite young stars. That`s because she`s got such a good head on her shoulders. She plays Hanna Montana on the Disney Channel. She stays out of trouble. You don`t see her in the tabloids doing bad things. So what`s her secret? Miley opens up like never before about staying grounded, next.
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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. Miley Cyrus, such a huge, talented young star. She is the daughter of country singer Billy Ray "Akey Breaky Heart" Cyrus. I know he loves it when I say that. You know her as Hanna Montana on the Disney Channel. Miley is about to head out on tour as well.
So with all of this fame at such a young age -- she`s only 14 -- I really want to know just how does she stay and how does she plan to stay out of trouble? You know what`s happened to other young stars, Britney, Lindsay. So here`s what she told Ellen today about that.
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ELLEN DEGENERES, "ELLEN": How do you feel about the success you`re having? I mean, this is really huge success. Because you seem pretty grounded. You seem pretty normal about this.
MILEY CYRUS, ACTRESS: Well, I don`t really know. I guess from watching my dad, just because he takes everything one step at a time and that`s kind of what he`s taught me too, just to not get yourself so wrapped up in everything that you can`t bring yourself back to reality. When I do see myself kind of slipping and caught in the little box I`ve been put in, I try to do something sets me out of the box and makes different, makes me not be just like another girl on TV, but makes me can relate to everyone I`m with.
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HAMMER: She really does seem so grounded. I hope it stays that way. By the way, there has been some controversy over the scalpers jacking up ticket prices to Miley`s shows, ridiculous amounts of money, like 4,000 bucks a pop. Well, Miley has said that she`s adding more seats to make sure parents don`t have to go broke to bring their kids to come see her.
Time now to find out what is coming up on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. Well, tomorrow, it`s Janet Jackson unplugged. Janet opening up to me about everything, from her up and down weight gains and losses, to whether she`s thinking of getting married. It`s my revealing interview and you will see it only on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
Also tomorrow, when famous moms lose their kids. What Britney Spears can actually learn from other star moms who lost custody of their kids because of their wild behavior. We`re talking about folks like Tatem O`Neil (ph), Courtney Love, Paula Poundstone (ph). A lesson from moms who are going through or have gone through a nasty custody battle. That`s tomorrow.
That`s it for SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. Thanks for watching. I`m A.J. Hammer in New York. Glenn Beck coming up next right after the very latest from CNN headline news.
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