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Showbiz Tonight
Could Britney and K-Fed be Getting Back Together Again?; Stars Paid to Party
Aired October 26, 2007 - 23:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BROOKE ANDERSON, CNN HN HOST: There is another side to Hollywood you haven`t seen until now. Here it is. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
A.J. HAMMER, CNN HN HOST: The controversy surrounding a big country star because what he said about gay marriage. I`m A.J. Hammer in New York.
ANDERSON: And Russell Crowe opens up about Leonardo di Caprio`s sex life? I`m Brooke Anderson in Hollywood. TV`s most provocative entertainment news show starts right now.
HAMMER: On SHOWBIZ TONIGHT a dramatic Britney Spears-Kevin Federline courtroom showdown. Tonight, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT is right there with the day everyone has been waiting for. Britney and K-Fed square off in court in their ferocious child custody fight. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT with the late breaking developments.
Plus, the controversial question, could Britney and K-Fed be getting back together again? Tonight, Britney`s mom writing a stunning tell-all book. Lindsay Lohan`s mom shooting a shocking reality show. What`s going on here? Are these mom`s cashing in on their daughters` disastrous deeds? Tonight, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT investigates the momma money connection.
Hello, I am A.J. Hammer. Friday night is on. I am broadcasting tonight and every night from New York City.
ANDERSON: Hi there, everyone. I am Brooke Anderson coming to you tonight from Hollywood, where there is big breaking Britney Spears news tonight.
SHOWBIZ TONIGHT was right there as Britney came to an L.A. court today for a showdown with her ex husband Kevin Federline over visitation rights for their two kids. And after three hours inside court the judge who took custody of Britney`s two kids away from her decided, well, he decided absolutely nothing. The judge says he will issue a ruling on Monday.
Outside court, Federline`s attorney said Britney will get to see the kids over the weekend. She has been trying to prove to the judge that she does deserve to regain custody, even taking coparenting classes with K-Fed. All of this caps yet another day of drama as Britney Spears tries to straighten out the mess that has become her life.
Britney Spears ended last week by running over a paparazzo`s foot. Britney ended this week trying to put her best foot forward as she headed back to court today for another custody face off with Kevin Federline over their two small sons.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Going into this hearing, Britney had perhaps her best week.
ANDERSON: Mike Lehman (ph) of people.com tells SHOWBIZ TONIGHT Britney, who briefly lost her visitation rights last week when she didn`t follow the judge`s custody orders has been trying to sing a different, more cooperative tune.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: She`s finally listening to the judge. She is taking the classes. She is going to the counseling sessions, she has finally got the message.
ANDERSON: Britney scored some serious good mommy points the day before today`s custody hearing in this video from Celeb TV. Britney, with her standard paparazzi entourage at her side went shopping for swing sets for her kids. She was joined by the court approved monitor she is required to have every time she sees the kids, who slept through the commotion in the back seat of mom`s car.
The day before, Hollywood.tv cameras caught Britney at the Beverley Hills Hotel where she attended her first court ordered co-parenting class with Federline. It`s clear that after weeks of reportedly ignoring some of the court`s custody rulings, Britney has been trying to give the opposite impression lately.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Britney had seemed very resistant to some of the judge`s orders but going into the parenting without conflict class she was upbeat, she was telling friends that she was even looking forward to it. So her attitude has greatly improved in regards to the custody requirements.
ANDERSON: Is Britney`s attitude change finally winning her friends in court? Just hours before she headed back to court today she won a rare court victory. Earlier today the judge denied Federline`s attempts to videotape Britney`s upcoming deposition testimony in their ongoing custody fight. Brit`s lawyers had argued that any testimony from Britney ...
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We love you Britney.
ANDERSON: ... already the most photographed and videotaped celebrity out there, would almost certainly end up on YouTube.
And not only is it crunch time for Britney the mom, it is also crunch time for Britney the singer. Her new album, "Blackout", which features her hit single, "Gimme More" is being released Tuesday.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is a very important time for Britney. She doesn`t just have to worry about her personal life, she has an album coming out. She has professional obligations. She has to remain on good behavior.
ANDERSON: And as Britney headed back to court, it was time to see if her recent good behavior would be rewarded with more time with her kids.
Is Britney really trying to make right in her life or is it all a big show for the judge? Joining me tonight in Hollywood, investigative journalist Pat Lalama. Also in Hollywood tonight, editorial director of usmagazine.com, Ken Baker. Ken, Pat, great to see you both.
PAT LALAMA, JOURNALIST: Thanks.
ANDERSON: Hey. Take a look at the paparazzi crush outside the courtroom at the hearing today. Between that and finally attending the parenting classes, Britney did, I want to mention, get to court a little bit early today. She obviously wanted to impress the judge, possibly but between that and the parenting classes, is she finally trying to prove to the judge that she is getting her act together maybe?
And Pat, do you think she has it in her to make this behavior last?
LALAMA: Oh, these difficult questions. My goodness. Let me put my guru hat on. OK. Here`s what I think. I think clearly she is making some effort. We have to give her that benefit of the doubt. Could be a show. After all, she has got a little actress in her.
My question is this. Are you keeping up with the drug tests? Because you can fake being a good parent doing the parenting classes. You cannot fake whether you`re doing drugs and alcohol. That is what I want to see. I want to see that she`s passing those tests and then I`ll feel good.
ANDERSON: That`s right. And you know, before the hearing this afternoon there was a hearing this morning in which K-Fed`s attorney tried to get the judge to get Britney`s ...
LALAMA: Right.
ANDERSON: ... testimony videotaped. He wanted to show that demeanor and see it on tape and at that hearing the judge brought up a really valid point. I think a concern that Britney puts herself out there for the paparazzi too much and could endanger the kids. He said this, quote. "I am not chastising her. She is an adult. But what I am saying is someone who is always going to places where there is an inordinate amount of media, it doesn`t square."
Ken, the judge makes a pretty good point, doesn`t he?
KEN BAKER, USMAGAZINE.COM: He does make a good point in the sense that she does court attention. She loves the attention. She does court the paparazzi and she`s always done that.
However, note that the judge did end up ruling that she does not have to sit through video deposition and I think the reason why? Because guess what? The news around all of these custody hearings has been leakier than the Titanic. There are so many leaks. We know everything that`s going on and you know that within a week of her doing that video deposition, we`d all be here watching it and commenting on it and talking about how she was chewing gum when she gave the deposition.
So I think ultimately the judge made the right decision but actually, Britney`s lawyer made a really good point. He said in that hearing in the morning, he said, look, if she goes out to get coffee just like anyone else, is that her fault that everyone wants to follow her? And that`s a really good point because that`s different from some of the manipulative attention-grabbing things that she does do.
LALAMA: Brooke, can just throw in something ...
ANDERSON: Yes. A little bit of - go ahead Pat, yeah, sure.
LALAMA: I was just going to say, Ken, yes, that`s a great point, sure, but what shocked me as someone who has covered the courts for a lot longer than I have covered celebrities is that now the judiciary has to make its ruling based on technology in the media that a commissioner actually has to say, oh my gosh, this could end up on YouTube for heaven`s sake so I`m not going to allow it. That is shocking to me. Shocking.
ANDERSON: It`s pretty sad that that changes people`s thinking, changes the judge`s thinking on what has to happen going forward in a decision as important as this and I want to say this. Before today`s hearing Britney and K-Fed finally went to parenting classes together and there were reports that Britney actually enjoyed her time with Kevin. Ken, what do you think? Would it be ridiculous to suggest that Kevin and Britney could actually get together again? Start playing nice, reconnect.
BAKER: Well, I`m told that actually at that co-parenting class a couple days ago they gave a polite hug to each other so now everyone is saying, "Are they going to get back together?" Now, it`s a very scary thought of these two coming back together. However, the history in Hollywood of having sex with your ex is long and vast. OK? We had Pam Anderson and Tommy Lee - were hooking up for years after they divorced.
ANDERSON: True.
BAKER: So anything is possible. Nothing will shock me.
ANDERSON: You`re right. It has happened before. And as we saw, Britney was out with the kids just yesterday going out to buy a swing set for them, being photographed, of course. Being hounded.
The judge today seemed to not really chastise her but - I don`t know. He talked about her courting the media. Moving forward from today, Pat, what do you think? Would it be a good idea if Britney just disappeared?
LALAMA: Listen. I mean, in her defense we have to keep in mind one thing. These paparazzi are at her doorstep. So there`s only so - she might invite some of it but a lot of it she can`t control and my heart goes out - I mean, that has got to be just hell, living a life like that. No matter whether she invites it or not, she can`t breathe, she can`t hiccup.
Regarding her parenting, I have always said she is too young to have children and she needs to get them out of Starbucks and at the park and if she`s doing that, that`s great.
ANDERSON: All right. We will leave it there. Ken Baker, Pat Lalama, thank you both. We appreciate it.
LALAMA: My pleasure.
BAKER: Thanks.
HAMMER: Now we`d like to hear from you. It`s our SHOWBIZ TONIGHT question of the day. Britney and K-Fed. Are they getting back together? Vote at cnn.com/showbiztonight or e-mail us at showbiztonight@cnn.com.
All right. So many people have obviously cashed in on Britney`s career from managers to agents to record companies.
But now, Britney`s own flesh and blood, her mom, is writing a stunning tell-all book. I think some mom`s should be more concerned about their out of control daughters these days. More than lining their purses, anyway.
Coming up next, I`m investigating the mama money connection. Also this.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We have an offer now with Justin Timberlake for Dubai at over a million dollars if we can connect with it.
ANDERSON: Mmm, J.T. not the only star who is being paid to party. Lindsay, Paris, getting big fat checks to do oh so very little. But come on ladies, I have to ask, is this really a good way to clean up your very dirty image. We`ve got a revealing look at stars paid to party. That`s coming up. You don`t want to miss it.
HAMMER: Hey, Brooke, I think you and actually plenty of people would be absolutely shocked to learn that at one time Leonardo di Capri, Leo, not so lucky with the ladies. Crazy, isn`t it? Well, Russell Crowe of all people is opening about Leo`s sex life. Huh? Yeah, you`ve got to hear this. It`s coming up next. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT for this Friday night is coming right back.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: ... music. Stand by A.J. Preset one. Open his mike and dissolve. Go.
HAMMER: Welcome back to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. TV`s most provocative entertainment news show. I`m A.J. Hammer in New York. Tonight, absolutely outrageous news involving the mothers of Britney Spears and Lindsay Lohan. Get this. Just weeks after Lindsay got out of her third stint in rehab, her mom Dina is all set to start taping a reality show this weekend. What`s going on there?
She`s not the only one. Britney`s mom is also cashing in. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT has confirmed that Lynne Spears is publishing a tell-all book that`s going to come out in the spring.
So what the heck is happening? With me tonight in New York, Ashleigh Banfield of Court TV`s "Hollywood Heat" and psychology expert Cooper Lawrence. Happy Friday to you Ashleigh and Cooper. I want to start off by reading you exactly what Britney`s mom`s publisher told SHOWBIZ TONIGHT about this whole thing.
They said, quote, "We did reach agreement with Lynne a few weeks ago for her book, "Pop Culture Mom, a Real Story of Fame and Family in a Tabloid World" due for release next Mother`s Day. Ah, how appropriate. Mother`s Day.
Ashleigh, seems to me this may not exactly be a good thing for Britney`s mom to be doing. What do you think?
ASHLEIGH BANFIELD, COURT TV: I don`t know. I want to reserve judgment on this. I`m not sure if she`s doing it to try to rehabilitate the image of her daughter which is something that`s desperately needed or if she is trying to lay bare even more sort of internal wounds. I`m not sure exactly what the modus operandi is here other than perhaps to make some money.
But I will say this. Some of her co-Mousketeer parents are awfully quiet and those children are doing well. Talking about Keri Russell, Justin Timberlake, their parents are completely mum and those kids seem to be OK.
HAMMER: See. I think that`s exactly the point. Because of course we don`t know exactly what Lynne Spears is going to be revealing in this book but it seems nonetheless that Britney could certainly benefit from keeping her private life private for a change. Cooper, I`d have to imagine her mom writing a book, whether it`s good or bad, really doesn`t help matters.
COOPER LAWRENCE, PSYCHOLOGY EXPERT: This is another example of why the family is so unbelievably dysfunctional. Because this is not a mother who really cares about her daughter. This is the wrong time for her to be doing anything that`s going to put her in the spotlight. Britney is clearly somebody who needs help and needs some psychological help and needs attention and needs family around her. This - I don`t see how this in anyway is a supportive measure of her mother to help her daughter in any way.
Also, it`s throwing the focus on the mom which I think is - she`s been doing since the very beginning and that may be the difference. That may be the problem and the reason why Britney Spears is how she is.
HAMMER: And Britney and her mom, it`s been no secret that they`ve had a lot of trouble in the past.
Let`s move on to Lindsay Lohan`s mother, Dina Lohan. She starts taping her reality show this weekend. Now everybody is wondering why the heck she would do this. Here is what she told people.com about why it`s happening.
"There are so many misconceptions about me and my family I am setting the record straight. Lindsay is a family member and will lend a helping hand if Ally asks her when she`s in the recording studio."
We`ve seen Dina Lohan ripped in the past for trying to capitalize on her daughter`s fame. That is something that Dina has denied in the past, but Ashleigh, this certainly does not help her case, does it?
BANFIELD: No, it really doesn`t and I`ve got to be honest with you. A.J., a lot of moms sometimes have tasted a tiny little bit of that celebrity and it`s kind of like crack. They really want more. It`s passing them by but it`s not passing the kids by. So if they can hitch their wagon to their kids` stars, they can then indirectly benefit from the fame of the child, either in the money that the child can bring in or the fame that they themselves can bring in because of the fame of the child.
And this might be one of those examples where Dina is now able to make her own money because of her daughter`s celebrity.
HAMMER: Yeah. And repeating something I essentially just said a moment ago, we have certainly seen people in the past saying exactly that about Dina Lohan. Saying that she really was hoping for a little bit of her own fame out of her daughter`s fame. I mean, Cooper, doesn`t this really just fuel the perception that Dina probably doesn`t have Lindsay`s best interests at heart and it`s all about her?
LAWRENCE: Absolutely not. I`m with Ashleigh. I think that`s exactly why she`s doing it. Because she has got a taste of her daughter`s fame. I think the whole relationship between them has been vicarious and now she has an opportunity because she`s got a taste of her daughter`s fame. I think the whole relationship between them has been vicarious and now she has the opportunity to be the one who is in the public eye and let me also say that this is incredibly narcissistic.
She thinks that it`s important that we all see her life as if it`s something to be seen. As if every little thing that she does in her life is important for us to know what goes on. Why do we care about her? We don`t.
HAMMER: Yeah. We have seen a lot of stars, though, I should point out, that have stayed out of trouble and they credit their parents for keeping them grounded. I want you to listen to what "Heroes" star Hayden Panettiere told SHOWBIZ TONIGHT about how her mom is always there for her. Watch this.
HAYDEN PANETTIERE, ACTRESS: I think she gets a lot of - a little bit of a bad rep because of the fact that she has to be the bad guy for me. I mean, that she has to fight for me and it`s her child and if somebody is going to hate her, then that`s fine with her. She`d rather them hate her than dislike me in any way.
HAMMER: Ashleigh, I`ve got 15 seconds but don`t you think that that`s perhaps what both Britney and Lindsay`s mom should be doing, serving up a little tough love?
BANFIELD: Yeah. It should be but what they`re doing is a different thing. Like, I`ll be honest with you. Sometimes it`s hard to police your boss and when the kids are bringing in the money for the paycheck, they tend to be the boss.
HAMMER: Yeah. You don`t want to bite the hand that feeds you. Ashleigh Banfield. Cooper Lawrence. Thanks so much for being with us tonight on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
BANFIELD: Thanks.
LAWRENCE: Thanks, A.J.
ANDERSON: All right. I`ve got some really revealing news about Leonardo di Caprio`s sex life and this is probably stuff he wants kept hush hush but Russell Crowe is blabbing about di Caprio doing or not doing the deed.
In an interview with "Entertainment Weekly", Crowe, who is costarring with di Caprio in the upcoming movie "Body of Lies," talks about working with Leo back in 1995 on the Western "The Quick and the Dead." And Russell says Leo`s luck with the ladies, well, not exactly Titanic.
Quote, "I worked with Leonardo when he was 18. He was a virgin and he`d talk about that constantly so I`m hoping we have some time so he can fill in what`s happened between. Maybe show some photos. Because I am sure life is different now."
Well, if you want to hear more from Russell Crowe about Leonardo di Caprio`s love life, just pick up this week`s "Entertainment Weekly." It`s on newsstands now.
HAMMER: I love it. That crazy Russell Crowe. All right. Well, Leonardo di Caprio certainly is a guy who transformed himself from an innocent kid into an A-list superstar. So how did Britney Spears transform from innocent kid into out of control adult?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Her image was about sexuality from the very beginning. There was no mistaking what message she was trying to send to us.
HAMMER: You know, sexy I can deal with, but total mess, a train wreck, eh, not so much. Just what happened to Britney? A revealing SHOWBIZ special report you just can`t miss. The transformation of Britney. That is coming up.
And one thing that Britney might want to stop doing to really help her image, quit showing up at the clubs. Of course, she is not the only one. Paris, Lindsay, they get paid a lot of money to smile and wave and party all night long. Which I think is a pretty bad move, ladies.
Coming up, I am blowing the lid off the secrets of stars paid to party.
ANDERSON: And hey, no partying tonight for one of the hottest music duos out there. I`m talking about these guys, Big & Rich. Tonight, one of the members is caught in a shocking gay marriage controversy. Really, you will not believe what he said and I`ve got that coming up next.
But first, now you can watch SHOWBIZ TONIGHT any time. All you have to do is download our podcast. Best of all, it won`t cost you a cent. It`s totally free. You can find the SHOWBIZ TONIGHT podcast on our Web site, cnn.com/showbiztonight or download it on iTunes by typing "Showbiz Tonight" in the search box.
SHOWBIZ TONIGHT is back after this.
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ANDERSON: Well, tonight there is a big controversy surrounding country duo Big & Rich. John Rich basically compared gay marriage to incest. Yeah. You heard right. Here is what Rich said when talking to the "Tennessean" newspaper, talking about legalizing gay marriage. Quote, "I think if you legalize that you`ve got to legalize some other things that are pretty unsavory. You can call me a radical, but how can you tell an aunt that she can`t marry her nephew if they are really in love and sharing the bills. How can you tell them they can`t get married but something else that`s unnatural can happen." John Rich crossing a line there.
Well, he then backtracked and told SHOWBIZ TONIGHT this. "My earlier comments on same sex marriage don`t reflect my full views on the broader issues regarding tolerance in the treatment of gays and lesbians in our society. I apologize for that. I oppose same sex marriage because my father and minister brought me up to believe that marriage is an institution for the union of a man and a woman. However, I also believe that intolerance, bigotry and hatred are wrong. People should be judged based on their merits, not on their sexual orientation."
OK. So he doesn`t like gay marriage but also says no one should discriminate against homosexuals.
By the way, Warner Bros. Records, Big & Rich`s label, made it clear to us that John Rich`s views definitely don`t represent itself.
All right. So I remember Paris Hilton promising to change her ways, then she said she was going to Rwanda to help out disadvantaged kids so I thought maybe, just maybe, she was sincere. But now that trip is off. Say it ain`t so, Paris. Why? Coming up.
HAMMER: Yeah. She`s going to change but really. It also seems at least Britney Spears and Paris aren`t partying together anymore but Britney still a total mess, obviously. What in the world went wrong with her? A revealing look at the transformation of Britney. Next.
Also, this.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We have an offer now with Justin Timberlake in Dubai. Over a million dollars if we can connect with him.
HAMMER: Britney`s ex J.T. definitely not the only star paid to party. Lindsay, Paris, getting fat checks to do very little but I got to ask, is this really a good way to clean up a very dirty image. A revealing look at stars paid to party, coming up next on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
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HAMMER: On SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, how Britney went bad.
ANDERSON: Her image was about sexuality from the very beginning. There was no mistaking what message she was trying to send to us.
HAMMER: She may have always been selling sex but Britney has not always been the out of control train wreck that she is today. So I have to ask, where did Britney go wrong? Tonight, a SHOWBIZ special report, how Britney went bad.
Paid to party. Man, you are not going believe the huge amounts of money stars are getting paid just to show up at clubs. Hey, dancing on tables is a tough job, but somebody`s got to do it and get paid, right?
Tonight, the SHOWBIZ special report, "Paid to Party."
Welcome back to SHOWBIZ tonight for Friday 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 coming to you tonight from Hollywood. You are watching TV`s most provocative entertainment news show. Right now the very latest on the breaking Britney Spears news tonight.
SHOWBIZ TONIGHT was right there as Britney came to an L.A. court today for a showdown with her ex-husband Kevin Federline over visitation rights for their two kids. And after three hours inside court, the judge who took custody of Britney`s two kids away from her decided well, he decided absolutely nothing. The judge says he will issue a ruling on Monday. Outside court, Federline`s attorney said Britney will get to see the kids over the weekend. She has been trying to prove to the judge that she does deserve to regain custody, even taking co-parenting classes with K-Fed.
HAMMER: Well, of course, today`s custody hearing is just another chapter added to the story of Britney Spears, the train wreck. But you know, it wasn`t always this way for Britney. At one time, Britney was saving all those shocking moments for the stage so how did Britney get to this point. How did she go from being America`s innocent little sweetheart to America`s biggest celebrity train wreck.
Tonight, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT brings you an eye-opening and revealing special report.
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HAMMER: She was young, she was bubbly. Britney Spears on the hit TV show star search when she was just 10 years old.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Britney began as a child star. She was on the Mickey Mouse Club.
HAMMER: Britney was just 11 when she starred in the "Mickey Mouse Club" along with other future stars Justin Timberlake and Christina Aguilera. And just five years later, in 1999, Britney would begin her transformation into worldwide pop stars.
With flowing hair and a winning style, Britney was becoming the ultimate teen and pre-teen idol. Opening up for then-bigger acts like the Backstreet Boys and `N Sync. Lance Bass was a member of `N Sync the and tells SHOWBIZ TONIGHT that Britney was destined for stardom.
LANCE BASS, SINGER: She really hit it at the perfect time and you just, all those kids that came off that "Mickey Mouse Club", there was so much talent.
HAMMER: But SHOWBIZ TONIGHT is asking, how did Britney go from pop star sitting on top of the world to train wreck TV? Shaving her head, in and out of rehab, daily prey for the paparazzi.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The genius of Britney as opposed to a lot of teen stars was she didn`t come out with a gee, I`m just a little girl, I`m so lovely and I want to have a boyfriend song and then do something racy. She came out with something mildly racy, "Hit Me Baby One More Time", she came out in that Catholic schoolgirl outfit, she had the shirt tied up in a not and she had those pig tails, kind of a Lolita-esque vibe going on.
HAMMER: The schoolgirl with a sexy edge who soon graced the cover of "Rolling Stone," a true sign she had arrived.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Britney Spears` first "Rolling Stone" cover, the "Teletubby" cover as we call it back home at "Rolling Stone" is actually a cover that helped cement her stardom. It was an icon making cover.
HAMMER: An icon in the making who told CNN in 1999, her breakout year, that it was another icon, Madonna, who she idolized.
BRITNEY SPEARS, SINGER: I really idolize and respect Madonna. I think she`s brilliant and I think she is such a smart businesswoman and I totally respect and admire that.
HAMMER: Admiration that would grow over the years and not even Britney could imagine she and Madonna would shock the world with that now infamous kiss.
But years before it was at another MTV show that Britney would reveal to the world her then true love, Justin Timberlake.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He was the cute one from `N Sync and she was the little pop tart and they were just the cutest little couple who could be. They came out publicly at an MTV awards show. And that was the same show that she did "Baby One More Time" in that very sexy flesh-covered outfit.
HAMMER: Britney increasingly loved to shock onstage. At the 2001 MTV Video Music Awards, she danced seductively onstage with a white python.
For Britney, it seemed to be all about the pleasure of pushing boundaries sexually onstage.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Her image was about sexuality from the very beginning. It was no mistaking what message she was trying to send to us.
HAMMER: And nowhere was that message stronger than that Madonna kiss at the MTV Video Music Awards in 2003. Even her ex, Justin Timberlake, looked shocked.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The best way to talk about the Madonna-Britney kiss is the way that Madonna explained it to her daughter. Madonna was the mommy pop star and she was kissing the baby pop star and transferring some of her power and energy to the baby pop star.
HAMMER: She has certainly transferred something to Britney because after that, Britney transformed from a pop star who shocked onstage to a pop star who did shocking things in her personal life, beginning with a marriage on a whim at this chapel in Vegas.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: She had that 55 hour marriage to Jason Alexander. That`s when all the sudden it went from her being a famous pop star to the beginning of this very long train wreck.
HAMMER: And then, of course, Britney met Kevin Federline. A backup dancer.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: At the time that Kevin started dating Britney, Shar Jackson, the mother of his child, was pregnant so Kevin immediately came under fire and of course he didn`t really have much of a job and was sort of a deadbeat.
HAMMER: Six months after they met they would marry. Beginning yet another transformation for Britney.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Not long after Britney hooked up with Kevin, she started videotaping everything going on in their relationship and they made this into a reality show, chaotic and it was unsettling.
HAMMER: Leading to the next stage for Britney Spears, motherhood. She and K-Fed had their first son, Sean Preston, just a year after they got married. But motherhood did not necessarily mean mothering skills.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The first time we saw Britney`s mothering skills or lack thereof is when she had her child in her lap while she was driving.
HAMMER: Britney would again transform. From worshipped pop star to a bull`s eye target for comedians.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Still early in 2006 but already she has been eliminated 2006 but already she has been eliminated from mother of the year competitions today.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What happened to the old days when celebrities would just dangle kids off of balconies?
HAMMER: For Britney, the hits just kept coming. But the wrong kind of hits. Like her disastrous interview with NBC`s Matt Lauer in June 2006, trying to explain her increasingly erratic behavior.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: She made a fool out of herself on Matt Lauer. She was crying and the gum chewing.
HAMMER: Britney and K-Fed would have a second son, Jayden James. But then, just two months later, she would file for divorce and the now single Britney began acting even more wild.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Her behavior was very erratic. She was out partying all the time. And then she had that famous lost weekend where she went out and got herself tattooed and then shaved her head.
HAMMER: Britney Spears. What can I say? As the world now knows, Britney is now bald. Giving herself a buzz cut, shaving her hair off and the whole thing caught on camera.
That followed by a now you see her, now you don`t series of visits to rehab.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: She first went to rehab in Antigua and that was only for 24 hours. Then she checked in in Malibu and that didn`t hold and then she checked back in after Kevin threatened a custody dispute with her. She did her 30 days, 28 days and got out but her behavior really didn`t improve.
HAMMER: In fact, Britney`s behavior grew more bizarre day by day. She attacked a paparazzo with an umbrella, later claiming it was for a movie role. Then, months later she seemed to court the paparazzi whenever she went out, even taken pictures with them.
More would follow, like her disastrous so-called comeback appearance at the 2007 Video Music Awards.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: She showed up late for rehearsal, she went out partying the week before, she went onstage and it was flat, it was terrible.
HAMMER: Just as terrible, a judge then taking her kids away from her during her custody battle with Federline, because of her erratic behavior.
In the end, it sometimes seems hard to believe that the Britney of then would become the Britney of now. But everyone loves a good comeback story. And in the end, it would be up to Britney to help right that story.
Well, it looks like Britney has a little jump start on getting the chance to rewrite her story. Her new album "Blackout" is coming out on Tuesday and some of the early reviews are in and actually look pretty good.
So let us all hope this album marks a new chapter for Britney and we can finally put her wild ways back into that stage performance instead of her persona life.
ANDERSON: Yes. And we`ve been asking you to vote on our SHOWBIZ TONIGHT question of the day, it is this, Britney and K-Fed, are they going to get back together? What do you think? Keep voting, cnn.com/showbiztonight. Write to us at the address showbiztonight@cnn.com and we will reefed (ph) your thoughts tomorrow.
Well, you know how Paris Hilton said she was going to Rwanda on a charity mission. I found it hard to believe and lo and behold, it has not happened. Coming up, we`ll tell you why the children of Rwanda won`t be getting a visit from Paris anytime soon.
Also this.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We have an offer now with Justin Timberlake for Dubai at over a million dollars. If we can connect with it.
HAMMER: Yes, he said a million dollars. You know, Justin is not the only star who has cashing in by showing up at clubs. So why are companies handing over big bucks to stars just about to set foot in the door. It`s outrageous? You won`t want to miss our SHOWBIZ special report, "Paid to Party", that is straight ahead.
And also coming up, Amy Grant and Vince Gill, they are still making beautiful music together after seven wonderful years of marriage. How do these music stars make their marriage work? Amy Grant tells me. That`s still to come on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
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PARIS HILTON, CELEBRITY: I feel like being in the spotlight I have a platform where I can raise awareness for so many great causes.
ANDERSON: Ah, yes. Remember that? That was the new and improved and fresh out of jail Paris Hilton promising to cool it with the partying and get involved with charity.
Welcome back to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. TV`s most provocative entertainment news show. I`m Brooke Anderson in Hollywood.
OK, so we all thought that maybe Paris was heading in the right direction after she announced she was going on a philanthropic trip to Rwanda. Well, guess what? That trip is off. The children`s charity that was sending her there issued a statement saying, due to restructuring of the foundation the trip has been postponed.
Paris may be feeling relieved because earlier this month she told "Newsweek" magazine that she was scared to go, saying, quote, "I`ve heard it`s really dangerous."
So yeah, sorry children of Rwanda. It looks like Paris won`t be there anytime soon.
HAMMER: Well Paris may be holding off on her goodwill tour of Rwanda for now but she is not quite ready to put her partying days behind her. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT can tell you that Paris and her little sis Nikki made a deal to host the New Year`s Eve Party at the LAX Nightclub in Las Vegas. They have both made some big bucks hosting these types of parties in the past but there is certainly not alone. It`s our SHOWBIZ special report. Stars paid to party.
Tonight, we are blowing the lid off this worst kept secret.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Paris Hilton. She`ll look at offers a minimum $100,000.
HILTON: That`s hot.
HAMMER: Beyonce.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We`re getting offers at 35 to 30, just for the two hours.
HAMMER: Carmen Electra.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: She`ll look at offers of 50,000.
HAMMER: And even Kevin Federline.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They`re offering him $50,000.
HAMMER: Stars are cashing in big time and it`s not for performing but for partying. Matthew Miller of "Forbes" magazine. The pay-to-party trend is only getting hotter.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It`s very common for stars to get paid to party. In fact, in New York, Los Angeles and Las Vegas it is - it is very uncommon if they don`t get paid to appear.
UJNIDENTIFIED MALE: The money obviously is ranging from a lot of factors.
HAMMER: Celebrity agent Mike Estermann (ph) is one of the people actually brokering deals connecting stars to these party paydays and SHOWBIZ TONIGHT can tell you his business is becoming an international phenomenon.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This boutique operation that I started has become a very big mainstream in catapulting celebrities around the world now. Not only am I doing a lot of U.S. stuff but I am now bridging the gap of a lot of countries that are actually reaching out and finding me and booking talent. We have an offer now with Justin Timberlake for Dubai at over a million dollars if we connect with him.
HAMMER: The numbers are staggering. Gwen Cooper, author of "Diary of a South Beach Party Girl tells us the fictional celebrity party scene she writes about in her book isn`t far from reality.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: When I first started going out in the club scene part of what was shocking to me was just to see how much free stuff, how comped everything was, just the ducats going back and forth with $500, $600,000 bottles of liquor and champagne that are just being written off and they`re on the house.
HAMMER: But Cooper says clubs have good reasons to go to extremes to make sure they have the hottest stars.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: When all is said and done, clubs live and die based on the clientele that they get. There are certain (inaudible).
HAMMER: And SHOWBIZ TONIGHT can tell you, stars aren`t shy in making demands. Celebrity agents have revealed to us that Paris Hilton won`t even consider a party gig for less than $100,000.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It`s that minimum that always comes from the artists themselves.
HAMMER: Some celebrities have managed to turn partying into their main gig.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Kevin Federline was getting everything from 15 to 20,000 just for a two hour appearance.
HAMMER: Despite Federline`s split from Britney Spears, his cachet on the party scene is only growing.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We have an offer now for him in Faeroe Islands. Incredible. I`ve never been. It`s out near Norway. And Faeroe Islands. I mean they`re offering him $50,000. A great offer if we can connect with it.
HAMMER: Britney`s draw as a party headliner may seem like it`s fading with her music career but SHOWBIZ TONIGHT can tell you that`s just not the case.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Controversy definitely gets the name out there and the people thinking about, hey, how can I get that person at my event. There`s still a big draw. People are fascinating with seeing them, especially if they have a chance to seem them up close and personal.
HAMMER: Not even three weeks in jail could break the person who made getting paid for partying a headline.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Paris Hilton I think is like the Rasputin of the party scene. Like every time you think they`ve killed her off, she comes back. But from a pure dollar for dollar perspective, I would say that she`s probably worth every penny for the club.
HAMMER: And promoters agree, despite astronomical fees, clubs are still pulling in huge profits. And they can thank fans for that.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Everyone wants to feel like they`re in the place to be. It`s almost like a stamp of authenticity. If you`re at a party where Lindsay Lohan is partying, then there is nothing wilder or hotter going on anyplace else. Or with Paris Hilton. Especially with those celebrities who are not just famous, but who are famous for partying.
HAMMER: Even if you`re not an A list start, you can still cash in. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT has some advice. Your best bet, try out for a reality show.
UNIDENITFIED MALE: Some of the best people we book all the time are "Real World" cast members. They`re very obtainable. They`re workable. The kids love them. Their age demographic meets such a broad, wide audience.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The reality stars like that go very quickly from being completely unknown to household names to vaguely familiar in about five minutes.
HAMMER: And for the real big stars like Beyonce, Justin Timberlake and Usher, getting paid to party doesn`t seem to shake their credibility with fans.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It`s a way to have your name out there and having your name out there is better than not having it out there at all.
HAMMER: And since it doesn`t seem to be hurting the bottom line for anyone, maybe we should all celebrate.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, the club owners call me, and of course the celebrities are most happy of course, to hear my phone calls or e-mails. When they know - they hear from me, they know money is talking.
HAMMER: And by the way, don`t think when you hear Paris is hosting their New Year`s Eve Party, it`s a night club she`s actually passing out hors d`oeuvres. She`s actually kind of waving and saying hello.
Now, celebrity agents also tell us for the right price a lot of stars will show up at private parties as well. For some fans, money is simply now object.
Well, coming up next on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, Amy Grant and Vince Gill still making beautiful music together after seven years of marriage which is an eternity when it comes to celebrity relationships. How do these two music stars make their marriage work? Well, I asked Amy Grant that very question. Here what she had to say coming up next.
ANDERSON: Now you can watch SHOWBIZ TONIGHT any time. All you have to do is download our podcast. Best of all, it won`t cost you a cent. It`s totally free. You can find the SHOWBIZ TONIGHT podcast on our Web site, cnn.com/showbiz tonight or download it on iTunes. Just type "Showbiz Tonight" in the search box. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT is right back after this. Stay right here.
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HAMMER: Welcome back to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. I am A.J. Hammer in New York. Time now for making it work. This is the portion of the program where we take a look at famous couples who find a way to build strong relationships while they`re in the spotlight.
Tonight music stars Amy Grant and Vince Gill. These two singers have been married for seven years now. When Amy stopped by tonight, I had to ask her if marriage gets harder or easier as the years go by.
AMY GRANT, MUSICIAN: We have built a life together now and so for the first few years when you marry later in life, especially if it`s a blended family, there are times that you have - you kind of feel like a stranger in your own life. Yes. I said, me too. I jus haven`t had very many months in this setting and I don`t -- I like it but I can`t find myself.
And but the biggest - I mean it`s not even a trick. The main tool is communication and we live in such a busy world. He and I have very busy lives but you can`t do everything so when we`re home we really try not to do very many extra things and we talk a lot and we - when you love somebody talking leads to great things.
HAMMER: Very well said, Amy Grant. Amy has a new book out. It`s called "Mosaic - Pieces of My Life So Far" and a new greatest hits CD.
ANDERSON: Yesterday we asked you to vote on our SHOWBIZ TONIGHT question of the day. Speaking of CDs. Britney`s new album, will you buy it? Thirteen percent of you say yes, 87 percent, nope. Here`s some of the e-mails we received.
Jonathan from New Mexico writes - "Britney`s personal life is one thing and her career is another. So I think people should buy it."
Edgar from Texas says, "Why would people buy her CD? Did you not see her at the MTV thing? She was horrible."
HAMMER: Let`s find out what`s coming up on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. Shall we?
And on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT this weekend it`s Oprah`s school shocker. There are startling claims of abuse at the very school Oprah Winfrey created for girls in Africa. So what really happened here? Who is allegedly involved and the drastic action Oprah is taking to save her school. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT investigates Oprah Winfrey`s stunning school crisis tomorrow and Sunday.
And coming up on Monday, look who`s back. Backstreet`s back. Oh yeah. The Backstreet Boys. One of the hottest boy bands on the planet. What are they up to now? You`ll find out Monday because they are right here in the interview you`ll see only on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
That is it for SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. Have an excellent weekend. I`m A.J. Hammer in New York.
ANDERSON: Thanks so much for watching, everybody. I`m Brooke Anderson in Hollywood. Glenn Beck coming up next. That`s after the latest headlines from CNN Headline News. Take care.
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