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Showbiz Tonight
Paris Hilton Heading to Africa; Britney Booked
Aired October 16, 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, CO-HOST: Paris Hilton heading to Africa to do some charity work, but come on, will this really change her image? I`m A.J. Hammer.
BROOKE ANDERSON, CO-HOST: And a shocking good-bye on "The View." Another co-host is leaving. I`m Brooke Anderson. We`re in New York. TV`s most provocative entertainment news show starts right now.
HAMMER: On SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, Britney booked. Tonight, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT with the breaking details. Britney Spears turns herself in to the police for her alleged hit-and-run.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BRITNEY SPEARS, POP STAR: Oh, they were nice. They were really nice.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: But SHOWBIZ TONIGHT can tell you, boy, was Brit bizarre. What`s with the pink wig? And bringing your dog along for the ride?
Plus other stars facing stunning new legal problems. P. Diddy, O.J. Simpson. Tonight, a shocking showbiz special report, "Celebrity Justice!"
Tonight, Ellen`s emotional and heartbreaking battle.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ELLEN DEGENERES, HOST, "THE ELLEN DEGENERES SHOW": But today is a hard day for me to hit back.
HAMMER (voice over): SHOWBIZ TONIGHT with the heart-wrenching story of Ellen Degeneres` painful fight.
DEGENERES: I feel totally responsible for it. I`m so sorry.
HAMMER: The controversy over a very special dog. Tonight, Ellen`s tear- filled apology and desperate plea right here on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(MUSIC)
HAMMER: Hello, I`m A.J. Hammer broadcasting tonight and every night from New York City.
ANDERSON: And I`m Brooke Anderson. And I have to tell you, A.J. that seeing Ellen Degeneres break down in tears today, because a dog was taken away from two children, was really heartbreaking. She`s usually so upbeat, you know. We will be playing Ellen`s emotional plea straight ahead.
But first, Britney booked. Britney Spears has finally given herself up to the cops but no, she`s not in lockup tonight. Britney again free to do whatever she wants and that means wearing the hot pink wig she had on when she was booked. Yes, I said it. Hot pink wig.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
(voice over): This is how Britney Spears looked at the opening of a hot new nightclub in Las Vegas.
SPEARS: Where`s the party at?
ANDERSON (voice over): And this is how she looked when she turns herself in on charges that could send her to jail.
(CHEERING)
Booking a nightclub opening, getting booked by the cops, it`s all the same to Britney. If you think that Britney would take care of her latest public embarrassment quietly and away from the cameras, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT can tell you, you don`t know Britney.
KELLI ZINK, HOST, "CELEBTV.COM": It strikes me as bizarre, a bit unbelievable that Britney Spears would turn taking a booking photo into a media extravaganza.
SPEARS: This is so funny.
ANDERSON: And what a media extravaganza it was. This video from CNN affiliate KCAL shows the media mob scene when Britney Spears showed up at a Van Nuys police station to get booked, finger printed and photographed.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Are you OK, Britney?
ANDERSON: She was charged with hit-and-run and driving on a suspended license because of this act of Mercedes-on-Mercedes violence this past summer. Each charge could get Britney up to six months in jail. But after her one-hour police booking section, Brit(ph) told KCAL everything was absolutely ducky.
SPEARS: They were nice. They were really nice.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE REPORTER: You feel relieved?
SPEARS: Yes.
ANDERSON: She even took the time to kibitz with photographers.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE REPORTER: Any plans for Halloween?
SPEARS: Not yet.
ANDERSON: It appears Brit(ph) already has a good Halloween costume.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE REPORTER: You look lovely. I like that wig.
ANDERSON: Celebtv.com caught up with Britney hours before her booking as she toured around southern California in full view of the paparazzi wearing - can you believe it? A hot pink wig. Could her Halloween costume be a Sidney Bistrow from "Alias," maybe? Not exactly the way to go incognito on a night you have to deal with the police.
ZINK: Who shows up for a booking photo wearing a pink wig? Only Britney Spears would do something like that.
ANDERSON: Kelli Zink of Celebtv.com tells SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, Britney was definitely not looking to be low key.
ZINK: The wig is just clearly screaming out for attention saying, "Hey, people, look at me. Here I go again!" But I can say at least she was wearing underwear this time.
ANDERSON: The way Britney played to the cameras while handling her criminal matters reminded SHOWBIZ TONIGHT of convicted cell phone tosser Naomi Campbell. Ouch!
Remember this? The model created a media mob scene as she walked to and from the community service sentence she got for throwing her phone at a maid. After completing her sentence, Naomi strutted out wearing an elegant floor-length evening gown, showing glamorous girls everywhere that just because you`ve had a bad brush with the law, it doesn`t mean you can`t work it. A lesson that Spears clearly took to heart on her big booking day.
ZINK: She`s aware at all times that she`s being followed and she kind of almost asks for the attention from the paparazzi.
ANDERSON: And in between her hit-and-run case and her lingering custody battle, Britney`s going to have plenty more opportunities to work it for the cameras while she tries to work out her legal troubles.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HAMMER: As if Britney doesn`t have enough troubles already. But can we really expect that Britney Spears is going to do jail time over this thing? Come on. Joining me tonight in New York, "Court TV" anchor Lisa Bloom and in Hollywood tonight, Kim Serafin, "In Touch Weekly" senior editor.
Kim, Lisa, let`s dig in here. I`ve got to say, you know, we have somebody here turning themselves in to the cops, maybe facing jail time and certainly is a possibility. But despite that, I mean, look at her. Britney seemed like she was in an especially good mood. She`s chatting with the paparazzi. She`s laughing. She`s saying, where`s the party? What do you think, Kim? Does Britney have any sense of reality or is she on planet B right now?
KIM SERAFIN, SENIOR EDITOR, "IN TOUCH WEEKLY": Well, you know, I think it`s a combination of two things. I think it is a little bit of what your piece before has alluded to. She gets what`s going on. She knows she kind of has to put on a good face. This is the same Britney we`ve seen for two weeks, the one who`s out shopping right after she drops off her kids; the one who`s joking around with the paparazzi about, you know - please change - "Take out that picture of me in your digital camera. I don`t like it. Let`s get another one."
So it`s sort of that same Britney who wants to put on a good face. But I think there probably is a little bit of her that may not realize the seriousness of it. You know, also in that video, she does sort of play with the paparazzi. You know, they`re asking her, "Where are you going now, Britney? What are you doing for Halloween?" And she kind of throws it back at them and says, "What are you doing tonight? Where`s the party? Where is the club opening?"
So she kind of - she is playing with them. Remember, the paparazzi are kind of her friends. I mean, they`re kind of the one constant thing in her life and I think she does relish the attention.
HAMMER: Yes, but let`s get down the brass tacks here, Kim, because you said she wanted to put on a good face. The truth is she put on a good wig, or at least she put on a pink wig. Probably - they are rolling the video right now.
I mean, look at this. This is a little while before she turned herself in. The paparazzi are shooting her wearing this hot pink wig. Lisa, are you like me? Did you see this and think, Britney shouldn`t be turning herself into the police, she should be turning herself into the fashion police.
LISA BLOOM, "COURT TV" ANCHOR: Well, clearly, she had committed a crime of fashion. But I don`t think her fender-bender is going to result in any jail time. Let he among us who has not bumped in to a fender of another car that getting out of a parking space, cast the first stone. And that`s all that she admits.
HAMMER: Yes. Yes. Hold on - hold on a second. But you don`t in full view of cameras walk away from the scene of the crime. You just don`t do it.
BLOOM: Yes, but I don`t have dozens of paparazzi following me wherever I go.
HAMMER: So you would do it?
BLOOM: It was a stupid thing she did, OK. You`re supposed to leave a note. But nobody`s hurt. The kids weren`t with her. I expect her to get a nice sound slap on the wrist. Her bigger problem is losing custody of the kids.
Now she gets them back for one night - overnight visitation. She needs to look like a serious mother. She doesn`t look like a serious mother with that `80s bad wig. She looks more like Phil Spector, and look what happened to him. He`s going to be retried. I don`t like the wig. I think she needs to get serious about her life for the courts to take her seriously.
HAMMER: It was interesting to me when I read the news last night and started flashing around by getting a Blackberry e-mail that she was turning herself in. Now, she had until October 25th to do this. Kim, do we have any sense at all as to why she chose last night, this time of all times. I first thought, maybe she was afraid a day was going to pass without her making the news.
SERAFIN: That is true. It`s been a few days without some big Britney story. So probably that, although we know she wore the pink wig so she kind of was trying to keep low obviously, and didn`t really want the press to find out where she was. You know what? I think part of it probably relates to what Lisa was just saying, that she is trying to show the courts she`s a good mother and she`s trying to do everything the court is saying by turning herself in. I mean, obviously the outfit, maybe not the best way to show you`re a good mother.
But she is, I think, trying to abide by all the rules. You know, she is getting her license. She making amends with her mother. She is taking the parenting classes. So I think this is a lot having to do with her wanting to get more overnights with her kids and getting more custody of her kids saying, "Hey, look, I`m doing what you told me to."
HAMMER: Well "Court TV`s" Lisa Bloom, I want you to give me some legal perspective on this, because you were saying no, she`s probably not going to face up to that year in jail, that she is possibly up for facing. She could have to pay a $2,000 fine, but you say no jail term, right?
BLOOM: I don`t think that`s likely. She doesn`t have any priors as far as I know. There was nobody hurt. She bumped the car in front of her. She didn`t leave a note, that is a misdemeanor. I would not expect you to do jail time for that.
HAMMER: But just a few seconds, will it impact this custody battle?
BLOOM: Yes, it very well could because it shows she`s being irresponsible. But more importantly, she needs to show she`s responsible around the children in front of the monitor when the kids come for the overnight visit. That`s going to be far more important than this hit-and-run.
HAMMER: All right, Lisa Bloom, you promise me, if you ever hit a car in a parking lot, you`re going to leave a note, even if the cameras aren`t there.
BLOOM: I will. I will.
HAMMER: Thank you for joining us, and Kim Serafin, thanks for being with us as well.
ANDERSON: You know, A.J. - I don`t know maybe Britney turning herself in had kind of a weird flip-over affect because tonight a whole bunch of other stars could be in a whole heap of trouble - Kiefer Sutherland, O.J. Simpson, Sean Diddy Combs. Coming up at :30 past the hour, stars facing stunning new legal battles. On showbiz central report "Celebrity Justice!"
HAMMER: So far, Paris Hilton is trying really hard to put her legal problems behind. In fact tonight, she`s taking dramatic steps to turn her image around. And I say, hey, it`s about time. She`s actually heading to Africa to do some charity work. And I know what you`re probably thinking right about now. But could this actually be the real deal? That`s coming up next. Also this -
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DEGENERES: But today is a hard day for me to hit back. And I am not capable of coming out and pretending to be funny and on when things are going so terribly wrong right now.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: That is really upsetting. Ellen is usually so happy, loving making other people laugh. But tonight I`ve got the heart-wrenching story - the controversy involving Ellen, and a very special dog.
HAMMER: First, it`s tonight`s showbiz news quiz, Paris Hilton released an album last year. Do you remember it? My ears are still hurting, for one. But miracle of miracles, she actually had a semi-hit single off of it. What was that song called? "Where Is Tinkerbell?" "That`s Hot!" "Stars are Blind." Or "Fighting Over Me." We`re coming back with the answer in just a moment. And is Paris Hilton really doing charity to turn her life around?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HAMMER: Hey, you know, it`s once again, tonight`s showbiz news quiz. Paris Hilton had a semi-hit single off her debut album, "Paris" last year. What`s the name of the song? "Where Is Tinkerbell?" "That`s Hot!" "Stars are Blind." Or "Fighting Over Me."
(MUSIC)
All right, enough. It`s C, "Stars Are Blind." When you listen to the track, though, you`ve kind of got to wonder if they`re deaf, too. The song is number 18 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. And I`d like you to get out your designer ear plugs right about now because we hear Paris is recording another album.
ANDERSON: Harsh. Harsh. I`ve heard worse, I have. Before Paris gets around to doing that album, it seems like she`s going to do something more noble. Welcome back to TV`s most provocative entertainment news show. I`m Brooke Anderson. And are you ready for Paris, the not-so-simple life in Rwanda. Yes, Paris Hilton is now revealing that she`s headed to Africa. And of course, the cameras will be following her.
Paris has just done a very revealing interview with Ramin Setoodeh, the associate editor for "Newsweek" magazine. He`s with us in New York tonight, and in Hollywood, Howard Bragman, founder of "15 Minute Public Relations." Welcome to you both.
Ramin, you`ve snagged the first interview with Paris since she announced this trip to Africa. So let me get this straight. Paris heading to Rwanda to visit schools and health care clinics with a children`s charity called "Playing for Good." My first question, why Rwanda?
RAMIN SETOODEH, ASSOCIATE EDITOR, "NEWSWEEK" MAGAZINE: Well, she said she`s (UNINTELLIGIBLE) to Rwanda because the charity`s founder chose it for her. She said it wasn`t her decision. She would go wherever they wanted her to go, and they thought she could do the most good in Rwanda.
ANDERSON: OK. Well, we will see what good she does. In the interview Paris said, quote, "Before, my life was about having fun, going to parties - it was a fantasy. But when I had time to reflect, I felt empty inside. I want to leave a mark on the world."
Howard, is Paris Hilton going to Rwanda for just a few days really going to leave a mark on the world? I mean I certainly do hope it`s the beginning of more philanthropy from Paris.
HOWARD BRAGMAN, FOUNDER, "15-MINUTE PUBLIC RELATIONS": You know, do hickeys count as mark on the world? No, seriously. When I work with my celebrities and we choose charities, it`s maybe breast cancer, because they knew someone afflicted. It may be a children`s charity because there are parents. You want to link up with something that rings of authenticity with you. There`s no logical reason for Paris to go to Rwanda, number one. Number two, it`s been more than 100 days since she told Larry King how she was pretty much the same thing that she told Ramin, and nothing has changed.
We`ve seen her go to - probably in those 100 days, we`ve seen her out 25 or 50 different times. We`ve seen her out at one or two charity events. I`m not buying it. You do charity because you want to change the world, not because you want to change your image. And I don`t think people are buying this anymore, Brooke.
ANDERSON: And speaking of image, Howard, and possible publicity, Paris has agreed to let the founder of the "Playing for Good" charity follow her with cameras because he`s pitching a reality show that will feature celebrities who rescue the world`s poor. Now, Ramin, do you think that people are going to look at this and say, "Here we go. Here`s another Paris photo op?"
SETOODEH: Well, I do think it undermines, perhaps, the trip a little that there are cameras. But at the same time, you have to understand that Paris is a brand, and she made her mark by letting cameras follow her around going across the country. So the next logical step probably is to let cameras follow her to Africa.
ANDERSON: But if you`re sincere, Ramin, why is that necessary?
SETOODEH: Well, because this is part of the turnaround. So she says she`s done charity all her life, and that`s what socialites do. They do help people. So if you`re trying to turn everything around, you`re trying to show people how different you are, why not really show them by letting the cameras follow you? That`s her argument, that`s not mine.
ANDERSON: OK. All right. Maybe she`s got to prove her point to the world. I see. I understand. Well, you know, if that doesn`t help her image, I really can`t imagine that her next film will. In "Repo! The Genetic Opera," she plays an heiress who is addicted to plastic surgery. Howard, it is almost as if she`s begging people to make fun of her, giving people ammunition to ridicule her.
BRAGMAN: You know, I don`t think she has a list of projects that she gets to choose between - "Let`s see. Do I want to start with Orlando Bloom or Russell Crowe or Harrison Ford? I think they`re a little thin out there. And if you`re a brand, as Ramin says, and you want to act and you want to sing and you want to write books, and be a charitable person, well, this is her chance to act. And it`s kind of an - It`s actually an interesting project when you look into it, and it`s with "Lion`s Gate" which is a credible studio. But she`s really making fun of herself and she`s really setting herself up. And unless she goes on "Saturday Night Live" and makes some jokes about herself, I`m not sure this is going to help create the new Paris.
ANDERSON: Maybe take the self-deprecating route. Yes, that might be a good idea. And, Ramin, the director of the film, "Repo," told you, quote, "I don`t want her to look like Paris Hilton because I want people to know she got this role because she can act." Ramin, did the guy not see "House of Wax," or did he mistake her for an actress in another film?
SETOODEH: You know, he actually said he enjoyed "House of Wax." I don`t know what he was watching. But Paris Hilton wears a prosthetic nose in this movie and she wears a wig in this movie. And she looks very different in this movie. So she really does have a real, new face, you can`t even recognize her, hardly.
ANDERSON: You know what? Let`s all give Paris an "A" for effort. It is refreshing, A.J., Howard, Ramin, to see she`s trying to take steps to change. Howard Bragman, Rameen Setoodeh, thank you both. And you can pick up a copy of this week`s issue of "Newsweek." It`s on newsstands until Monday.
HAMMER: Eeh. I`m pretty suspect about this whole thing here. But what do you think? It`s our SHOWBIZ TONIGHT question of the day. Let us know. Paris Hilton going to Africa: will charity work change her image? You can vote at CNN.com/showbiztonight, or e-mail at showbiztonight@cnn.com.
ANDERSON: OK. Even if Paris is totally into this charity work, I know she`s trying to get people to forget about her jail sentence. Tonight, new shocking developments about other stars who could face jail time. We`re talking Kiefer Sutherland, P. Diddy, even O.J. My revealing showbiz special report "Celebrity Justice!" is coming up at 30 past the hour. We`ve also got this -
(START VIDEO CLIP)
DEGENERES: But today is a hard day for me to hit back. And I am not capable of coming out and pretending to be funny and on, when things are going so terribly wrong right now.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: I hate seeing Ellen like this. This is a woman who loves making other people laugh. Tonight, sadly, the heart-wrenching story, the controversy involving Ellen and a very special dog. Ellen`s tear-filled apology and desperate plea right here on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
ANDERSON: And some stunning news from "The View." another co-host is leaving, but there`s a catch. Kind of literally. There`s actually a connection to football? I`ve got that next.
HAMMER: And now you can get the SHOWBIZ TONIGHT show by downloading it any time with our free Podcast. Find "SHOWBIZ TONIGHT`s" Podcast on our web page, CNN.com/showbiztonight or you can download it by going to iTunes and typing in "SHOWBIZ TONIGHT" in that search box.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANDERSON: More big changes over at "The View." It`s another view adieu. Today, Elizabeth Hasselbeck confirmed everyone she`s leaving the show to join her husband, NFL quarterback Tim Hasselbeck in Arizona. But don`t worry, all you fans, it`s not permanent.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ELIZABETH HASSELBECK, CO-HOST, "THE VIEW": Well, Tim, yesterday, was signed with the Arizona Cardinals. So, great news.
WHOOPI GOLDBERG: Why the Cardinals in Arizona, and why not the cacti?
HASSELBECK: I will find out when I`m there, because I`m going next week. I`m going to go. I have to take early maternity leave so I can get there and actually introduce the doctor to my parts before she pulls the child out of me. So I`m going to go next Tuesday. The 23rd is my last day here before maternity leave. And then - I`ll be back. Oh, don`t get excited that the Republican is gone. (UNINTELLIGIBLE)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: We`re very excited for Elizabeth and her family. And now there were reports that Elizabeth was going to wait until early November to go on maternity leave. But when Tim did get the call from the Cardinals, she did decide to go early. It`s Hasselbeck`s second kid with her husband. They have a 2-year-old daughter, Grace.
Well, from such a happy story to something so sad. A.J., one of my favorite people out there, Ellen Degeneres, right in the middle of a shocking controversy.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DEGENERES: But today is a hard day for me to hit back. And I am not capable of coming out and pretending to be funny and on when things are going so terribly wrong right now.
ANDERSON: It is so hard to see Ellen like that. Tonight I`ve got the heart-wrenching story involving Ellen and a very special dog. Her tear- filled apology and desperate plea right here on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
HAMMER: All right, look at these pictures. These blow me away every time I see them. It`s a startling ad campaign featuring an anorexic model. But what do other models think? Good idea? Bad idea? Well, I sat down with one of the biggest super models in the world, Petra Nemcova. The very surprising things she told me, coming up.
ANDERSON: And Britney Spears turns herself in, booked for her alleged hit- and-run, but she`s not the only celebrity that could be in a whole heap of trouble tonight. New developments surrounding Kiefer Sutherland, P. Diddy, O.J. Simpson`s legal troubles. My revealing showbiz special report, "Celebrity Justice!" next.
(NEWS BREAK)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HAMMER: On SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, "Celebrity Justice!" Britney booked, Kiefer cooked, and you know they`re just the beginning. Major new developments in star cases coast-to-coast involving some of the biggest names out there. Tonight, a showbiz special report, "Celebrity Justice!" Also this -
DEGENERES: But today is a hard day for me to hit back. And I am not capable of coming out and pretending to be funny and on, when things are going so terribly wrong right now.
HAMMER: Ellen`s emotional dog tale. Ellen Degeneres loses it over a doggy drama that she says is all her fault. Tonight, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT with the gripping pet story that brought Ellen to tears.
(MUSIC)
Welcome back to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT for Tuesday night. It`s 30 minutes past the hour. I`m A.J. Hammer broadcasting tonight and every night from New York City.
ANDERSON: And I`m Brooke Anderson right here in New York. You`re watching TV`s most provocative entertainment news show. Tonight our showbiz special report, "Celebrity Justice!" Stars, you know, they`re rolling into police stations like there`s a red carpet and a revolving door out front. We`ve got lots of news tonight.
First, Britney Spears waltzed into a police station to get booked for a hit-and-run charge. Then O.J. Simpson two alleged cohorts in that memorabilia robbery case agreed to testify against him. And it looks like Sean Diddy Combes may get out of assault charges over a fight at a New York club. And another star in trouble, Kiefer Sutherland who took a plea deal over his most recent DUI charge. This time it is 48 days in the slammer.
Joining me live from New York, Court TV anchor, Lisa Bloom. From Los Angeles Judge Greg Mathis of "The Judge Mathis Show," and from Miami, Judge David Young of "The Judge David Young Show."
All right, you guys, I want to start with Britney Spears. The girl shows up last night at an L.A. area police station with the typical paparazzi frenzy. She had on a hot pink wig before she got there, all to get booked for this hit-and-run charge against her. Lisa, were we kidding ourselves to expect that Britney would actually do this quietly?
BLOOM: Yes, you`re right. I think it`s just too many freebies, red carpet and, you know, this glitterati life that Britney and the other celebrities live. They don`t take the law seriously. And why should they? Most of them will just hire high-priced attorneys, get off with a slap on the wrist, so why should they be concerned?
ANDERSON: Yes, like completely out of touch with reality, it seems. You know, police say that they offered Britney the chance to walk in through the back door but she declined. She`s facing one hit-and-run charge and one charge for driving without a valid license. Judge Mathis, what`s the best case scenario for Britney in this case?
JUDGE GREG MATHIS, HOST, "THE JUDGE MATHIS SHOW": I would say the best case scenario would be probation, because there are a lot of people gunning for her as relates to going to jail. But, you know, she was almost there. She went through the front door and I contend it was because she wanted to maintain her dignity and show she wasn`t afraid of anything. She wasn`t drunk. She wasn`t high. But then she put on that pink wig. Oh, what did the public say about that and what impression that gives on the judge who`s going to be sentencing her.
ANDERSON: I know. She was almost there. We want to take you seriously, we do. All right. Now, I want to move to O.J. Simpson. You know, his case just took a hit big-time. Two of the men who allegedly helped O.J. during the Vegas robbery of memorabilia he claimed was his, are agreeing to testify against him. Now, one of those guys, Charles Cashmore, talked to Matt Lauer on "The Today Show" this morning.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MATT LAUER, HOST, "THE TODAY SHOW": If you`re involved in a room where guns are being brandished or kept on somebody`s person, you walk out with material and you`ve got a criminal record, shouldn`t you go right to the police?
CHARLES CASHMORE, ROBBERY SUSPECT: Well, you know, the answer to that question is - I mean, to me, they all seemed to know each other by the conversation that went on. And I`m sure everybody`s heard that on the tape. I actually thought it was just friends that would have - would basically blow over.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: OK. Judge Young, both of these guys who are agreeing to testify against O.J. have criminal pasts, so how credible are they as witnesses?
JUDGE DAVID YOUNG, HOST, "THE JUDGE DAVID YOUNG SHOW": Well, if you look at the criminal past of the two individuals, I don`t know if they are going to be able introduce that into a court of law. One person was arrested and his case was ultimately dropped, so that can`t be used against him. And the other individual was charged with a felony but he pled to a misdemeanor. So, I`m not sure. However, you know, O.J. Simpson is probably the Al Capone of our times, because he seems to be teflon. And, I tell you, the former criminal defense lawyer, if I had a cast of characters the way that Mr. Galanter has a cast of characters to depose in the cross- examination, it`s like party time for the defense.
ANDERSON: It certainly is a cast of characters. And I want to get back to the purported audio tape of the alleged robbery. Listen to this -
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
O.J. SIMPSON, ROBBERY SUSPECT: don`t let nobody out this room. (EXPLETIVE DELETED) Think you can steal my (EXPLETIVE DELETED) and sell it?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No.
SIMPSON: Don`t let nobody out of here. (EXPLETIVE DELETED), you think you can steal my (EXPLETIVE DELETED)
(UNINTELLIGIBLE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (EXPLETIVE DELETED). Mind your own business.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Look at this (EXPLETIVE DELETED).
(END AUDIO CLIP)
ANDERSON: So the prosecution has two men who are in that room saying they`ll testify against O.J. And we have a tape. Lisa Bloom, if you were O.J., oh, perish the thought, but if you were, would you be worried right now?
BLOOM: No. I`m sure O.J. is not worried because he`s done very well in criminal court so far. He beat back the double murder charge, and he beat back a road rage charge a couple of years ago. And look, the defense attorneys have a lot to work with here. On that tape, O.J. never talks about a gun. He consistently stays on topics saying they`ve got his stuff, he wants his stuff back. He uses off-color language, but that`s not illegal. I don`t think O.J. has a lot to be concerned about yet, but let`s see what the prosecutors have at the prelim coming up in a couple of weeks.
ANDERSON: Yes, it does seem like there are a lot of holes in the case at this time. I want to move now to "24" star Kiefer Sutherland. Just took a plea deal for his most recent DUI. His sentence is 48 days in jail. But listen to this, the deal allows him to wait until his show is on break to report to jail. Judge Young, what do you think? Celebrity treatment or is this a fair carriage of justice? Basically, eluding your jail sentence.
YOUNG: Shame on that judge. If he was anybody else, he would have served the time immediately. It`s interesting 48 hours - "24," too similar, as far as I`m concerned. The fact of the matter, you need therapeutic jurisprudence in this case. Kiefer Sutherland should serve minimal time in jail, and should serve maximum time in a drug and alcohol rehabilitation center. The gentleman is an alcoholic, and unless he gets his alcoholism under control, he`s not going to live a very, very satisfying, a very full life. And I just feel sorry for him. And I hope he gets into treatment.
ANDERSON: Judge Mathis, what do you think, very quickly, on this one?
MATHIS: Well, I`m not too sure that allowing him to work is a travesty of justice. When I was a judge in 36th district court in Detroit, Michigan, we would sometimes craft a sentence that would allow the person to work so that they can pay the fine, particularly if there was a lot of money. So I`m not sure this is a real deviation -
BLOOM: I think he can afford it.
ANDERSON: I think so, too, Judge Mathis.
MATHIS: Well, the question is whether it`s fair based on all the sentencing and I think the fact that he has been ordered for a drug - I`m sorry - for alcohol rehabilitation and he has received 48-day prison sentence, or a jail sentence, if you will, I think it`s a pretty fair sentence, quite frankly.
ANDERSON: All right, moving now to Sean Diddy Combs. He allegedly got into a fight, punched another guy at a New York nightclub allegedly. There`s speculation that he will face assault charges. Lisa, what do we know about this?
BLOOM: He should face assault charges. You can`t haul off and punch someone. This is what I mean about celebrity justice. These celebrities have such sheltered lives surrounded by yes-people. They think guns, drunk driving, punching somebody is all in a day`s work and it`s not. I think these charges are appropriate.
ANDERSON: Judge Young, what do you think? Stars really getting into more trouble these days, or is this just a case of more cameras out there, more coverage?
YOUNG: Diddy or didn`t he? That`s the question. I think Lisa is absolutely right. I think if it was anybody else, they would have been charged, and they would have sent to jail and given a bond and there would have been a trial date set. But we also have to understand that things are a lot different now as far as celebrities are concerned. We have all these celebrity justice TV shows. Cameras are everywhere. If you`re going to be in that genre - if you`re going to be a celebrity, you have an obligation. If you can`t handle the obligation, if you can`t handle being respectful, being a role model, then, you know what, go sell coffee at Starbucks. That`s a wonderful profession as well.
ANDERSON: If you can`t take the heat, get out of the kitchen.
YOUNG: Exactly.
ANDERSON: "Court TV`s" Lisa Bloom, Judge Greg Mathis of "The Judge Mathis Show," Judge David Young of "The Judge David Young Show." Thank you all for talking in "Celebrity Justice!" with us.
BLOOM: Thank you.
MATHIS: Thank you.
YOUNG: Thanks, Brooke. Have a great night.
ANDERSON: You too. OK. Ellen Degeneres - she breaks down in tears on her show.
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DEGENERES: But today is a hard day for me to hit back. And I am not capable of coming out and pretending to be funny and on, when things are going so terribly wrong right now.
ANDERSON: Ellen`s emotional story she loses it over a doggy drama that she says is all her fault. The dog tale that brought Ellen to tears straight ahead.
HAMMER: Also take a look at these disturbing images. They have shocked people all over the world. You can see why. An eating disorder awareness campaign featuring an anorexic woman here. Now, I talked to super model Petra Nemcova and I asked her if she thinks these campaigns can actually help. She had some pretty surprising things to say about it. That is coming up.
And coming up next, we have lessons from LeAnn. LeAnn Rimes really opening up to me about the pitfalls of fame, and why she feels sorry for the train wrecks of young Hollywood.
First, time now for the showbiz news quiz. I want you to listen to something that Donald Trump said on "LARRY KING LIVE" and see if you can guess which famous actress he`s talking about here?
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DONALD TRUMP: Everyone thinks she`s like this great beauty. I`m not saying she`s not an unattractive woman, but she`s not a great beauty by any stretch of the imagination.
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HAMMER: Yes, that will trump beauty experts. OK. Who`s The Donald talking about? Nicole Kidman, Julia Roberts, Angelina Jolie, or Halle Berry? Stick around. The answer is coming up next.
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HAMMER: All right. Are you ready for this? It`s time now to the answer to the showbiz news quiz. Let`s once again listen together to Donald Trump waxing poetic on the beauty of a certain actress.
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TRUMP: Everyone thinks she`s like this great beauty. And I`m not saying she`s an unattractive woman but she`s not a great beauty by any stretch of the imagination.
HAMMER: Who`s Donald Trump talking about here? Well, the answer is "C", Angelina Jolie. Because Donald says, as the owner of several pageants, he knows all about great beauty and Angelina doesn`t have it. Well, Donald, for that, we`ve got to give you from SHOWBIZ TONIGHT a big "whatever".
ANDERSON: Is he kidding? She`s stunning.
OK, tonight, Ellen Degeneres is absolutely heartbroken over a dog she adopted from a rescue group and then gave to her hairdresser. When the rescue group found out that Ellen gave the dog away, they took it away from its new home. Ellen talked about it on her new show today and she got very emotional.
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DEGENERES: Today is a hard day for me to hit back. And I am not capable of coming out and pretending to be funny and on, when things are going so terribly wrong right now. I`m so sorry. I`m just not able to pretend. So I`m going to tell you the story. I`m going to get over it and we`re going to have a good show. And we`ll have a great show, it`s going to be funny and everything that you turn the show on for.
But here`s what happened. I love animals. I love animals. And I rescue them and I`ve adopted so many animals and found so many animals homes over the years. And on September 20th, I adopted a dog from a rescue organization here in the area. And I got it neutered and I got it trained. And I paid my vet extra money to take it home to let it sleep in the bed with him that night instead of a cage. I spent $3,000 on this puppy to acclimate it, to train it to be with our cats and it just was too much energy and too rambunctious.
My hairdresser who I see every single day - she and her husband have two little girls, 11 and 12 years old. They were just looking for a puppy. They have a dog, and they said, "We`d love Iggy. Can we have Iggy?" Iggy`s has been with them for two weeks. I get updates every single day and pictures everyday of how happy Iggy is, and how much their daughters love Iggy.
The organization contacted me yesterday and said, "How`s Iggy?" And I told them the truth. I didn`t lie. I said Iggy has a great home. Well, I guess I signed a piece of paper that says if I can`t keep Iggy, it goes back to the rescue organization, which is not someone`s home, which is not a family. These two little girls had bonded to the dog. I thought I did a good thing. I tried to find a loving home for the dog because I couldn`t keep it. I was trying to do a good thing.
And because I did it wrong, those people went and took that dog out of their home and took it away from those kids. And I feel totally responsible for it and I`m so sorry. And I`m begging them to give that dog back to that family. I just want this family to have that dog. It`s not their fault. It`s my fault. I shouldn`t have given the dog away.
Just please give the dog back to those little girls. I`m sorry I didn`t call you. I`m sorry I did the wrong thing. Just give it back to the family, please, please, please. That`s the story. And that`s why I`m feeling like I am responsible for trying to do something and I did it without reading all the things I should have read. So I`m sorry.
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ANDERSON: OK. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT reached out to the rescue group to see what they had to say and they did not get back to us.
HAMMER: If everything happened as Ellen said it happened, that`s just hideous.
Let`s move on now. Tonight, lessons from LeAnn Rimes for the likes of Britney Spears. As we`ve been telling you, Britney has now been booked on hit-and-run charges, really just one more strange turn in her life that`s spiraling out of control.
Here`s the thing. Like Britney, LeAnn Rimes is 25 years old. Like Britney, she became a big star when she was just a kid. So how is it that Britney went so wrong and LeAnn went so right? LeAnn has a great new album that`s called, "Family." And when we sat down for a very revealing chat, I asked LeAnn how she`s managed to keep it together for all these years.
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HAMMER: You`ve been recording since you were 7 years, now so you`re coming up on almost 20 years of having done that. But, you know, you look at the state of things, particularly in the business that we cover of Hollywood and so many stars who started out so young become train wrecks on the other end. You`re not a train wreck. We`re not missing something. What we see is what we get?
LEANN RIMES, POP STAR: What you see is what you get. I mean, I`ve had my moments growing up as a teenager. I grew up in a fish bowl, you know, as a kid. So it was hard and I made mistakes. But I think the thing is that I learned from my mistakes and I haven`t continued to repeat them.
And that`s the hard thing to watch a lot of these celebrities do. They just keep repeating and repeating. I don`t know sometimes if people are needing the publicity for, you know, they need the attention or they need the publicity, they think, to keep their career going. I don`t know what it may be. But it`s sad to watch. It`s hard to watch. Because I understand the pressures.
HAMMER: Do you understand or better yet, has it ever come to a point where you had to sort of check yourself where you could get why they fall into the traps?
RIMES: Yes.
HAMMER: Did you ever feel that temptation? Because things are being thrown at you all the time.
RIMES: Absolutely.
HAMMER: And there is - You know what it`s like. You get on stage, you know, 50,000 people are applauding. It can be a drug.
RIMES: It is a drug. And it can be a very lonely place when you walk off and you walk into the bus and there`s not really anyone around, and you`re by yourself. And I think there`s a lot of pain that can come along with being a star. Because you`re so above and then you can be so torn down. And you have to have a strong sense of self to not let that affect you.
And I mean, I`ve definitely had my moments of letting it affect me. There could have been a time when I easily went down the wrong path. But like I said, I`ve made mistakes, I`ve only human as they all are. But at some point you do have to get it together. You have to move on and you have to become an adult, you know, and completely separate yourself and who you are from your celebrity.
HAMMER: Well, you`ve talked a lot about how this is your most personal album ever having written or co-written all the songs on the album, and writing obviously a very cathartic experience. What is the biggest thing you learned about yourself in the process of writing the album, whether or not it even made it on there?
RIMES: Well, I think I surprised myself with this record. I`ve been writing my whole life. But I think now as a 25-year-old woman, I felt like I had the experience to kind of back up what I was saying and really write from a very deep place.
And I just - to create something from nothing is just an amazing thing. I mean, to really create a full project. I tested myself a lot. I did things that scared myself, you know, when making this record. And I learned a lot about myself. I learned that I can do this. And it`s really coming from being a kid, you know, and being a child star. You kind of go through your ups and downs of your career and coming out on the other side now as a powerful woman with a lot to say and the voice to back it up.
(MUSIC)
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HAMMER: LeAnn`s new album called "Family" is in stores now.
All right, tough as they are to look at, Charles, can we put up these disturbing pictures that have shocked people all over the world? Well, look at these, an eating disorder awareness campaign with an anorexic woman. Now I spoke with a super model Petra Nemcova to ask her if she thinks these kinds of campaigns can help. What she told me, next.
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HAMMER: Welcome back to "SHOWBIZ TONIGHT." I`m A.J. Hammer in New York. Tonight, a supermodel`s strong reaction to the shocking campaign in Milan that features an anorexic woman. Now the whole idea of this campaign is to raise awareness about eating disorders. It shows a woman who weighs less than 70 pounds. These images certainly are startling and obviously have caused controversy all over the world. When supermodel Petra Nemcova stopped by SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, I asked her if she thought these kinds of ads can actually make a difference.
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PETRA NEMCOVA, SUPER MODEL: It`s horrific and definitely, yes. It`s because it`s so shocking, these images, that it will stop people and they will think about it. And hopefully - they will take action. And that`s the thing. Sometimes you know about things and you can understand them. But third most difficult part of it is to take the action. And I really hope that people will really go inside themselves and make the right steps.
(END VIDEO CLIP) HAMMER: Petra also told me when she started in the modeling industry, the heroin chic look was in, and she had to go on all kinds of diets just to fit the standard at that particular time. She says it is changing a little bit. But she still thinks that the images coming from the fashion world can, in fact, cause eating disorders and something has to be done about it.
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NEMCOVA: The fashion industry has a huge responsibility towards the young generation, 11, 13-year-old girls and boys becoming anorexic and bulimic. And I think there is something really - we have to do something about it because it`s not just about us, but it`s about the future generation. And before, it was from myself. I had to be very skinny. Now I`m allowed to have curves, which I`m happy about.
HAMMER: (UNINTELLIGIBLE)
NEMCOVA: I guess, well, it`s a win-win situation for everyone. But there are other girls that they don`t have that possibility. And especially I am worried about the young generation.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: Petra`s still doing great work with the Happy Hearts Fund charity - that`s a charity she started after surviving the Thailand tsunami in 2004.
ANDERSON: She seems like a great person. OK. Yesterday, we asked you to vote on our SHOWBIZ TONIGHT question of the day. Sex on TV: Has it gotten too dirty? Sixty-six percent of you say yes, 34 percent of you say no, from the e-mails we received. Dan, from Maine, writes, "I think it is sad that I worry about what my kids might hear or see when I am flipping channels on regular TV." Carol, from Illinois, writes, "There is too much sex on TV. In fact, that`s all that is on TV. I don`t even want to watch anything with family or friends." It is a little awkward.
HAMMER It is a little awkward.
ANDERSON: (UNINTELLIGIBLE) with this material?
HAMMER: That is it for SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. I`m A.J. Hammer.
ANDERSON: And I`m Brooke Anderson. We`re in New York. "GLENN BECK" coming up next, right after the latest headlines from "CNN HEADLINE NEWS."
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