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Showbiz Tonight
Duane Chapman`s Racially Charged Tirade; Hayden Panettier`s Dolphin Disaster
Aired November 01, 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: The mother of one of the girls at Oprah`s school for girls speaks out about abuse allegations. I`m A.J. Hammer in New York.
BROOKE ANDERSON: "Heroes" star Hayden Panettiere breaks down in tears after trying to save dolphins. I`m Brooke Anderson in Hollywood. TV`s most provocative entertainment news show starts right now.
HAMMER: On SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, Dog, The Bounty Hunter`s racial shocker. Dog caught on tape in a raging "N" word tirade.
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
DUANE "THE DOG" CHAPMAN, BOUNTY HUNTER: I`m not going to take a chance ever in life for losing everything I have worked for, for 30 years to some (EXPLETIVE DELETED) who (EXPLETIVE DELETED).
(END AUDIO CLIP)
HAMMER: Tonight, Dog in the doghouse, his TV show suspended. So, what`s the dog saying about the rants that could ruin his career. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT with the outrage over Dog`s "N" word explosion.
Tonight Heather Mills in a stunning attack. Paul McCartney`s ex revealing death threats, fears for the life of their daughter. Tonight, what happened when Heather went on "Today."
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HEATHER MILLS, PAUL MCCARTNEY`S EX-WIFE: Now, they say I`m fantasist, a liar, a gold digger, a whore.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
Tonight, why Heather says she`s even considered suicide. But will she get sympathy, or is divorcing a Beatle, Sir Paul McCartney, an unforgivable sin? SHOWBIZ TONIGHT with the emotional, unbelievable confessions of Heather Mills.
(MUSIC)
HAMMER: Hello, I`m A.J. Hammer broadcasting tonight and every night from New York City.
ANDERSON: Hi there, everyone. I`m Brooke Anderson coming to you from Hollywood. And tonight, we have a painfully intimate look at how Oprah Winfrey has been devastated by the abuse scandal at her all-girls school from none other than Dr. Phil. That is coming up in just a few minutes.
HAMMER: But first, tonight, is the Dog done? You will not believe what you are about to hear. Dog Chapman on a racially worded tirade that is so intense, it`s going to leave track marks on your ears. The star of the immensely popular "Dog, the Bounty Hunter" TV show said some disgusting things he will probably regret for the rest of life. And SHOWBIZ TONIGHT can tell you, it was all caught on tape.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
(voice over): Duane "Dog" Chapman and his family catch crooks and other unsavory people in his hit reality show, "Dog, the Bounty Hunter."
CHAPMAN: This is a bank robber. This guy could make it or you don`t go home to see mama.
HAMMER: Now this bounty hunter has caught a whole mess of trouble, caught on tape using disturbing and racist language in a phone call to son, who`s dating a black woman.
CHAPMAN: We use the word (EXPLETIVE DELETED) sometimes here.
ALICIA QUARLES, CORRESPONDENT, THE ASSOCIATED PRESS: This huge controversy does him a whole lot trouble.
HAMMER: Now, Chapman is a apologizing. His show is in danger. And SHOWBIZ TONIGHT can tell you, the Dog is in the doghouse.
QUARLES: Dog, you`re on your own.
HAMMER: This whole mess started with a phone conversation between Dog Chapman and his son Tucker about Tucker`s black girlfriend. Dog seems afraid the girlfriend might overhear something that she`ll then use to set him up.
CHAPMAN: It`s not because she`s black. It`s because we use the word (EXPLETIVE DELETED) sometimes here. I`m not going to take a chance ever in life of losing everything I`ve worked for, for 30 years because some (EXPLETIVE DELETED) heard us say (EXPLETIVE DELETED) and turned us in to the "Enquirer" magazine. Our career is over. I`m not taking that chance at all.
HAMMER: And, lo and behold, it was "The National Enquirer" that got a hold of Doug Chapman`s tirade and put it online. Alicia Quarles of the Associated Press tells SHOWBIZ TONIGHT it`s all kind of ironic, don`t you think?
QUARLES: Is Duane psychic? He`s saying he doesn`t want his use of the "N" to end up in "The National Enquirer," and "The Enquirer" are the ones that leaked the page. You cannot a script better than this.
HAMMER: The A & E Network which airs "Dog, the Bounty Hunter" quickly responded to the crisis now surrounding the show. The network immediately stopped the production on "Dog, the Bounty Hunter."
QUARLES: A & E was not messing around. They didn`t just sit back and issue a statement and analyze the situation. They stopped production immediately.
HAMMER: Now, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT can tell you, Chapman is desperately apologizing to save his career. In the statement to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, Chapman, who lives in Hawaii, says of tirade, quote, "It was completely taken out of context. I was disappointed in his choice of a friend, not due to her race, but her character. However, I should have never used that term. I have the utmost respect and aloha for black people."
He also writes, "My sincerest, heartfelt apologies go out to every person I have offended for my regrettable use of very inappropriate language. I am deeply disappointed in myself for speaking out of anger to my son and using such a hateful term in a private phone conversation."
QUARLES: He knew that he couldn`t just sit there. He had to get up to say something and apologize.
HAMMER: Chapman says he wants to meet with black leaders to set things straight, including his spiritual adviser, Reverend Tim Story(ph). Story tells CNN he`s talked to Chapman about the controversy.
TIM STORY(ph), CHAPMAN`S SPIRITUAL ADVISER: I know him for seven years. I`ve never seen this side of him. I believe he`s a good man, just made some bad mistakes.
QUARLES: Just because your friend is a black, that doesn`t mean you`re not racist. Using the "N" word repeatedly, that might be a sign.
HAMMER: Alicia Quarles of the Associated Press tells SHOWBIZ TONIGHT Chapman is following the play book used by other celebrities who made racist comments, and watched their careers implode.
QUARLES: First thing you do, i.e. Michael Richards and Don Imus, you say, "Oh wait. I`m sorry. I`m not racist. I just said this, but I`m not racist." Then you meet with community leaders. If you`re really good, you put out a PSA saying racism is wrong.
HAMMER: SHOWBIZ TONIGHT can tell you, no one is calling for Dog`s head yet. In fact, the Reverend Al Sharpton, who led the fight against Don Imus, fired from his radio show for racial remark he made, is inviting Chapman to join him for a November march on the Justice Department.
CHAPMAN: You`re under arrest.
HAMMER: But as the future of Dog Chapman`s show hangs in the balance, the man who made his name going after bail jumpers -
CHAPMAN: You`re going to a motel without a window.
HAMMER: Is now trying to bail himself out of this mess.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(on camera): So is Chapman`s apology enough to convince everyone that he`s really sorry for using such hateful words. Joining me tonight from Hollywood, Pastor Tim Story(ph) who is Dog Chapman`s spiritual adviser. And from Philadelphia tonight, Temple University Professor Marc Lamont Hill. Pastor Story, Marc, I appreciate you both being here.
I need to start off by saying this whole thing was so surprising to me because Dog has been on our show, right here on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT several times. Every time I met him and worked with the guy, he`s always been outstanding and professional, and seemingly a good guy in a professional setting. So I was truly shocked to hear all this.
Pastor Story, I know you`ve known the guy for seven years now. And I also know you got just got off the telephone with Dog. What did he tell you?
STORY: I just talked to him about 15 minutes ago, and you know, A.J., I`ve known him for seven years. I was shocked. I had to hear what was said twice, because I couldn`t believe that was really his voice, and it was. And first of all, I was mad as a black man and as a leader that those words were coming out of his mouth. So the first thing was to challenge him as a man.
HAMMER: But what did he say to you?
STORY: What he said to me is he said, "Tim, I should have never said this. But this was a long conversation. Me and my son were going at it, and I just lost control and just came out." And I said, "No matter what happened, it`s a wrong thing to do. You cannot use the "N" word. You were 100 percent wrong."
HAMMER: Yes. I hear what you`re saying and obviously, you can only what he said to you. It just seems to me that he was throwing this word around so freely that, you know, I think it is what shocked us all and made us believe there`s more to it.
I want to go back to Dog`s apology that we mentioned. He writes about his argument with his son, during which this whole tirade happened. This is what he says, quote, "It was completely taken out of context," as you just said, Pastor, "I was disappointed in his choice of a friend," referring to his son, "not due to her race, but her character." Marc Lamont Hill, do you buy that?
MARC LAMONT HILL, TEMPLE UNIVERSITY PROFESSOR: No. Of course not. I`m always amazed when people appeal to context to make - or rather, to justify the use of the "N" word and other racial and ethnic epithets. The reality here is that he made racist comments. And there is no context within you can use the "N" word appropriately.
HAMMER: And here`s the other thing in that apology I`m having such a hard time with. He also said in his apology he has the utmost respect for black people. Now, in that phone call with his son, he admitted that he regularly uses the "N" word and uses it right there in context. Pastor, I`ve got to tell you, I`m having trouble reconciling those two statements. What about you?
STORY: I would say the same thing. The only thing I could say is I have known him for seven years. I`ve taken him to inner city churches with me before these things happened and had him speak and talk and sign things for people for two hours. I know that side of Duane "Dog" Chapman as a compassionate and caring man.
This other side I`ve never seen. I am upset by it. I am shocked by it. But I`m also dealing from a spiritual place that this was wrong. He needs to repent, but there has got to be a fallout. There will be a fallout.
HAMMER: From your conversation with him, can you pin down for us a little better what he`s pegging this on? If he`s saying this isn`t who he is, where the heck this came from?
STORY: He`s saying you have to understand the context of the situation, and that is the fact that he had been arguing with his son for a month straight. And he said, "Tim, I was reaching for anything in the room to get my son back. It happened to be this girlfriend."
He said I am wrong. He said I was just in a state of rage. It`s still wrong, though. What he did is still wrong. So I`m not trying to say it was not wrong. It is still wrong.
HAMMER: Yes. I mean I think anybody hearing that still may not buy that as a viable argument. We mentioned that A & E immediately suspended production on his hit reality show. This is their most successful show, "Dog, the Bounty Hunter." They did it almost immediately after this tape came out. They moved swiftly. Marc, do you think that was the right move, and were you surprised by how quickly they did that move?
LAMONT HILL: I must admit I was pleasantly surprised. So often, networks operate out of interest rather than out feeling. And they only make this type of decisions when pressure from outside groups. I think they did a great thing.
I personally don`t believe that he necessarily - I wouldn`t have fought or advocated a protest because it was a private conversation, and people have the right to be racist. You know, but I don`t watch the show and I would advocate no one else watch the show. So it was a pleasant surprise A & E acted on its own rather than from outside pressure. I think it was a beautiful move.
HAMMER: Pastor, I`ve got to ask you real quickly, because we have seen this before with, of course, Imus, Michael Richards, running into problems with their racial remarks. Do you think this is fixable in the case of Dog?
STORY: You know what? I think Dog is such a man`s man. I just talked to him, as I said. And he said, "Tim, I`m going to take the fallout like a man. This is not about saving the show. This is about doing the right thing." He did the wrong thing. He wants to make things right with the girl he offended and the whole race he offended and all the persons - all the people that had to listen to that tape that he offended. He`s wrong. He`s wrong.
LAMONT HILL: Exactly. I think the way for him to really make this right is to deal with the deep-seated racism and white supremacy that was in him, just like Michael Richards. A lot of stuff only comes up under extraordinary and exigent circumstances.
HAMMER: Marc, this is all true and an excellent point. I apologize for cutting you off because we`re out of time. But I think we can all agree at exactly we are saying. Reverend Tim Story, Marc Lamont Hill, thank you both.
ANDERSON: I was stunned to hear about allegations of abuse at Oprah`s school for girls in Africa. And Oprah, apparently, didn`t take the news well either. Someone very, very close says this is one of the worst things that has ever happened to Oprah, that she is just devastated. That`s next. Also this -
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MILLS: I`ve been close to suicide. So upset about this. I`m hurt. I`ve had worse press than a pedophile or a murderer.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: Heather Mills opens up about her divorce battle with Paul McCartney and why she actually considered suicide over her treatment in the press. Heather`s stunning statements about what it`s like to try to divorce a Beatle, coming up.
ANDERSON: And "Heroes" star Hayden Panettiere breaks down in tears after flying halfway across the world in an attempt to save dolphins. The unbelievable video coming up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DR. PHIL MCGRAW, OPRAH WINFREY`S ADVISER: This is one of the most devastating if not the most devastating thing she has ever dealt with in her life.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Powerful words from Dr. Phil on the "Today" show talking about Oprah Winfrey`s heart ache over her alleged abuse at all girl`s school. Welcome back to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. I`m Brooke Anderson in Hollywood. You`re watching TV`s most provocative entertainment news show.
Tonight, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT with brand new details about Oprah`s devastation. Oprah flew to Africa and tearfully apologized to parents of the students of the school. The alleged abuse is now being investigated by South African police. And while Oprah isn`t permitted to speak about the investigation, her good friend, Dr. Phil, says she`s in a lot of pain.
With us today in Hollywood, Allison Samuels, national correspondent for "Newsweek" who was there in Africa as Oprah prepared to open her school. Also tonight in Hollywood, Kim Serafin, senior editor at "In Touch Weekly." Kim, Allison, Dr. Phil went on, and went on and on today about how Oprah has been terribly affected by what`s going on at her school. Here is more of what he had to say on the "Today" show."
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MCGRAW: This is one of the most devastating, if not the most devastating, thing she has ever dealt with in her life. I mean I have talked to her about it in detail. I think the word that stuck with me - she said, "I am so sorrowful for this." I mean, I guarantee you, she`s taking this on for every student that`s been affected.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Allison, you were there as Oprah prepared to open this school, interviewing students. Should we not be worried just about the students, but about Oprah as well?
ALLISON SAMUELS, NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT, "NEWSWEEK": Well, yes. I think, you know, it`s understandable that she would take it so hard because I saw the time and effort she took into sort of picking everything for that school, from the girls to the staff members to the china that was sort of being used in the lunchroom.
She really had a passion about this school and went through, you know, a lot of time and effort to make sure the right mix was there. So I can`t imagine what she`s going through given that those girls - many of them had come from very painful and damaged backgrounds anyway, and to have this sort of added on to them. I just can`t even imagine what she might be feeling right now.
ANDERSON: No. And this has been a dream for Oprah for a long time. And as we all know, Oprah has been very open about the sexual abuse she herself experienced as a child. Dr. Phil talked about that as well on the "Today" show.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MCGRAW: Oprah has a history of being mistreated in her childhood and adolescence. She knows the pain that`s involved here. She feels that.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Kim, what do you think, does all of this hit Oprah a little too close to home?
KIM SERAFIN, SENIOR EDITOR, "IN TOUCH WEEKLY": Oh, sure. I think obviously, it`s hitting her close to home because of her own experiences. I mean, this is one of the reasons why she wanted to do something like this. Why she`s always involved in so many philanthropic causes because she got out of a bad situation and wants to give other girls that same sort of chance. But I think it also hits close to home.
Back to what Allison was saying is that this has been a pet project of hers, her dream. And I think even Dr. Phil says that too. Something she has put her money into, her passion, her time, her effort. It`s not just something that she slaps her name on and says let`s call it the Oprah Winfrey academy for girls. This is something she`s put her whole heart into and I think that`s why it`s hitting close to home as well.
ANDERSON: Yes. She`s been very, very involved from day one. And Dr. Phil also talked about what Oprah said to the families in terms of taking responsibility for the incidents at her school. Listen to this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MCGRAW: In true Oprah fashion, she has looked these parents in the eye and said, "The buck stops here. I will take care of this. You`re not going to get some pushback from me. You`re not going to get some corporate statement." This is personal with her and she is standing up.
ANDERSON: Allison, you saw the joy of this dream come true for Oprah, when you were there, when Oprah - with Oprah as she interviewed students, how meaningful this has been for her. We all know very meaningful. Is that why Oprah is wasting no time here taking full responsibility?
SAMUELS: Yes, of course, because she knows a lot of those people trusted their children with her and really felt like this was an opportunity of a lifetime for their child. So for (UNINTELLIGIBLE) to have these things happen right now, you know, the parents must be absolutely just sort of scared about, you know - my child is miles away from me, thousands of miles away in some instances. What`s happening?
And I think Oprah also saw some of those girls who come in who looked six and seven and yet they were 10 and 11 because they have been so malnourished. So to see that and to sort of feel that these girls are also experiencing fear from being, you know, sexually abused or sort of, you know, abused in any kind of way is something that Oprah has to stand up nor herself about and explain that to the parents. She did that from the very beginning in terms of, "This is why your daughter should come to my school." So now, she has to explain, "This is how I`m going to fix it."
ANDERSON: Yes. I`m sure she never dreamed that those children would be put in any sort of harmful situation at this school. It is heartbreaking to watch and see what`s happened. Kim Serafin, Allison Samuels, thank you both.
SHOWBIZ TONIGHT is on the ground in South Africa. We`ve got the latest on the investigation into Oprah`s school. And we`ll speak to the mother of one of the students. And it`s coming up on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
HAMMER: And now, we`d like to hear from you on the subject for our SHOWBIZ TONIGHT question of the day. We`re asking tonight, Oprah`s school scandal: Is she handling it the right way? You can go to CNN.com/ShowbizTonight or e-mail us at showbiztonight@cnn.com. Do it from your desktop, your laptop, even your trio or your cell phone. Whatever you want to tell us, please do.
ANDERSON: Heather Mills has had it, and she is speaking out like never before about her really nasty divorce from Paul McCartney and why she says she even considered suicide. Yes, I am really shocked by what Heather is saying. Mills versus McCartney. We have got that coming up at 30 minutes past the hour. You don`t want to miss it. We`ve also got this.
HAMMER: Here is star Hayden Panettiere breaking down in tears after flying halfway across the world trying to save dolphins from a violent slaughter. The unbelievable video still to come on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
ANDERSON: And Britney Spears, guess what she did for Halloween? She went bar hopping, surprise, surprise. But the holiday may not be the only thing she was celebrating. Brace yourselves because Britney actually has a reason to smile. And we`re going to tell you what that reason is, coming up next on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HAMMER: Coming up on Friday, Brad, Angelina, Paris, and Britney, they can`t even pop a breath mint without being swarmed by paparazzi. Is this all part of the game of fame or has it gotten so bad that stars are actually prisoners? Showbiz investigates "Prisoners of Fame," Friday.
ANDERSON: Britney Spears may not be at the top of her game lately, but doesn`t seem to be hurting her album sales. "Billboard" magazine says her new CD "Blackout" which came out last Tuesday is likely to hit number one.
On its first day, it sold, get this - 124,000 copies. Not that Britney seems to need an excuse to celebrate, but she was certainly celebrating last night. Britney was all over Hollywood last night going to bars and Halloween parties with a group of friends, and of course, and an even bigger group of paparazzi.
HAMMER: Well, on Wednesday, we asked to you vote on our SHOWBIZ TONIGHT question of the day. Britney Spears: Is she unfairly criticized for her parenting? Twenty-six percent of you say yes. Seventy-four percent of you say no. It`s justified.
Here`s some of the e-mails. We`ve got one from Mike in Illinois who writes, "The media is taking some other minor things and blowing them out of proportion. If all these nit-picking experts think they can do so much better, Britney should give them the kids."
Doris from Kentucky writes, "I think it`s a shame that Britney`s kids have not been taken away from her for good. She is a terrible mother."
ANDERSON: Heather Mills has had it.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MILLS: Rubbish. I could tell my story right now. I`m trying to protect Paul and our daughter. I am trying, and I am being pushed to the edge.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: And that`s just the beginning. I was stunned to hear that Heather actually considered suicide because of the coverage her divorce is getting. We`ve got that, straight ahead.
HAMMER: And "Heroes" star, Hayden Panettiere breaks down in tears after flying halfway across the world, trying to save dolphins from a violent slaughter. It is a truly unbelievable video. And that is coming up.
ANDERSON: And Oprah`s school scandal. For the first time, a mother of one of the girls at Oprah`s school is speaking out. So what did Oprah say when she met with parents over allegations of abuse? And do the parents still support Oprah? That`s coming up.
(NEWS BREAK)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HAMMER: On SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, Heather Mills` stunning attack.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MILLS: I`ve been close to suicide. So upset about this. I`ve had worse press than a pedophile or a murderer.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: Tonight, the estranged wife of Paul McCartney explodes with unbelievable words. Talk of death threats, even suicide, and you won`t believe who she is blaming for all of this. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT investigates this Beatles bomb shell. Also this -
This is so sad. "Heroes" star Hayden Panettiere absolutely devastated. She flew halfway around the world to try and stop dolphins from being brutally slaughtered. And she put her own life in danger while doing it. Tonight, I`ve got the video of Hayden`s dramatic dolphin disaster. That`s coming up.
(MUSIC)
HAMMER: Welcome back to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. It`s 30 minutes past the hour. I`m A.J. Hammer broadcasting tonight and every night from New York City.
ANDERSON: And I`m Brooke Anderson coming to you tonight from Hollywood. You are watching TV`s most provocative entertainment news show. Tonight, it is Mills versus McCartney.
Heather Mills reveals shocking things about her messy divorce battle with Paul McCartney and says she`s fed up with the press. In candid tell- all interviews, Mills has been airing her emotional baggage on national television on both sides of the pond, and boy, is it messy.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MILLS: I`ve been close to suicide, so upset about this. I`ve had worse press than a pedophile or a murderer. And I do nothing but charity for 20 years.
ANDERSON (voice over): An emotional and distraught Heather Mills tells British morning TV she`s fed up. She says she`s at the center of an intense hate campaign raged by the press and she`s had enough.
MILLS: Eighteen months of abuse. Worse than the murdering people, 4,400 abusive articles. Look what they are doing to the McCanns.
ANDERSON: Locked in a bitter divorce battle with Sir Paul McCartney, Mills says she can`t take it anymore. She says she`s received regular death threats and worries about her safety. And then there`s what she calls slander. Newspapers calling her everything from a monster to a gold digger to a liar.
MILLS: Rubbish. I could sell my story right now. I`m trying to protect Paul and our daughter. I am trying and I`m being pushed to the edge.
ANDERSON: Today`s british tabloids didn`t spare her. "The Sun" called her interview, quote, "Wild eyed and out of control." "The Mirror" called it "A day of unhinged ranting."
MATT LAUER, HOST, THE "TODAY" SHOW: Mills is now speaking out forcefully against what she says are lies and harassment of the press and the headlines she sees every day.
ANDERSON: Mills continued the press circuit today speaking with "Today" show host, Matt Lauer, and "Good Morning America`s" Diane Sawyer. On the "Today" show she shared some of the intimate details of the difficulties she`s had divorcing one of the most powerful men in Britain.
MILLS: I said to Paul, "I`m going to be crucified. I`m going to have a modern day stoning. You know why we split. You know the truth. They don`t need to know the details, but you need to stand up and say `I am responsible for the breakdown of this marriage.` You will be a hero because people will know it`s always two parties, but in this case it`s very heavily one sided." I said, "If you say that, I will walk away with nothing, and will do a very gentle and quick divorce." And he promised he would do that. I have evidence of that. And he did nothing.
ANDERSON: Mills went on to say that she even pleaded with McCartney to do something in the name of their 4-year-old daughter, Beatrice.
MILLS: How do you think Beatrice is going to feel when she`s 12 and 13 reading that you allowed this to continue with the power that you had. And, you know, I feel you created a lot of if it. How do you think she`s going to feel about that? And not interested.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON (on camera): Heather Mills had a lot more to say, and you`re going to hear it now. But here`s what we are asking. Was doing a sort of worldwide confession the right thing to do? And can she ever convince the world to love her more than the beloved Beatle, Paul McCartney?
In Hollywood tonight, Howard Bragman, founder of 15 Minutes Public Relations. And in New York, legal correspondent Pat Lalama. Howard, Pat - Heather, as you heard, blaming a lot of her problems on the way she believes the media has unfairly portrayed her, as we heard, almost driving her to kill herself. Let`s take a look again at what she said.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MILLS: I`ve been close to suicide, so upset about this. I`ve had worse press than a pedophile or a murderer. And I`ve done nothing but charity for 20 years.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Pat, do you have any sympathy for Heather?
PAT LALAMA, LEGAL CORRESPONDENT: Brooke, I`m trying to squeeze a tear out of my eye. I just - sorry.
ANDERSON: It won`t come, huh?
LALAMA: It`s just not happening. I`m sorry. Look, here`s the thing. If she has been brutalized and victimized, I`m sorry about that. I know she`s had a tough life in a lot of ways. But there`s just something about the way she approaches everything that I think she shoots herself in the foot. Me thinks that protest is too much.
You know, in her defense, Paul McCartney is sort of like, you know, the baby boomer generation`s favorite son. No woman is good enough for him. So I can understand some of the hell that she has to live through.
But at the same time, there`s a lot of inconsistencies in what she said. I`ll go away quietly and take no money if you admit you caused the problems in the marriage. Come on. I`m not buying that, Brooke.
ANDERSON: Howard, are you buying it? Do you feel sorry for Heather?
HOWARD BRAGMAN, FOUNDER, 15 MINUTES PUBLIC RELATIONS: I actually do feel a little sorry for Heather.
LALAMA: Oh, Howard.
BRAGMAN: Oh, listen, I got to spend some time with Heather earlier this year at "Dancing with the Stars" when I had a client there. And she`s actually a lovely lady. And we know what happens when you have these fights in the media.
Paul is the good guy in the white hat and she`s the bad person in the black hat. And we know real divorces aren`t black and white. There are always gray areas. It`s true, come on, there`s always two people in the relationship. And neither one is generally perfect.
LALAMA: Howard, spoken like a real publicist. You`re a great publicist.
BRAGMAN: She`s not my client here. I`m just telling you she`s a human being going through a tough time. He`s not 100 percent right and she`s not 100 percent wrong. And it`s closer to the middle.
LALAMA: But Howard, would you agree - you have to admit that you would not advise her to do some of the things she`s doing. She needs to be quiet.
ANDERSON: I want to talk about that because if she thought this was going to get her brownie points with the British media, she was terribly wrong. Let`s take a look at some of the headlines of the U.K. papers. The headline on "The Sun" today, "Mucca on the Edge." And London`s "Daily Star" went with Halloween, "Mucca`s Far More Scary." Pat, so you feel she`s fighting a losing battle here?
LALAMA: Look, it`s like I tell my kids, "If somebody at school bullies you, you know what? Take the high road. Be quiet. Kill them with kindness." I know, I don`t always follow my advice about these matters. I`m a little bit of a hypocrite. The point being, she could solve so much of this by saying, you know what, I want to protect my child.
Who needs to have a party that costs 100,000 pounds for your 4-year- old child when she`s claiming she`s out of money and she has to pay the lawyers. The reason why she broke up with Paul is because he doesn`t give enough money to charity. Some of the allegations that she`s made against him, if they are true, I`m really sorry, that Paul is that kind of a person but she needs to be quiet. She is stepping into the sewage and getting herself dirty.
ANDERSON: Well, we are having a debate here about it, and the ladies on "The View" today also had a heated debate about her round of television interviews. I want to take a listen about what Whoopi Goldberg had to say about it.
WHOOPI GOLDBERG, ACTRESS: In your case, Miss Mills, the smart thing would have been to - with some dignity, have your separation, have whatever you wanted him to say on his web site - he said on his web site - and lay low. Don`t take you and all of your baggage across the pond and get on "Dancing with the Stars" and then say they are taking everybody (UNINTELLIGIBLE).
LALAMA: Amen.
ANDERSON: You`re the PR guru. Does Whoopi have it correct there? If you were advising Heather, would you say lay low?
BAKER: Yes, I would. Whoopi is absolutely right. Whoopi has been in the public eye a long time. And she has great instincts about this. What you have to understand, Brooke, is Heather is in a horribly frustrating spot. She knows the truth isn`t getting out there and she`s angry.
She`s angry about what it`s doing to her life and her daughter, but that`s my role. And that`s the role of a good publicist is to say, "I know you`re upset but you`re not helping your cause by speaking out. You will help your cause by shutting up."
And sometimes, people don`t get this. In fact, her own publicist resigned when had this whole tour started. So she should have listened to Whoopi. She should listen to her PR person`s advice. And even though I feel a little sympathy for her, she still needs to shut up.
ANDERSON: Sometimes people don`t know when to stop. You know, she said she had been pushed to the edge, her breaking point. And one of the more startling things she said was that she told Paul, if he would just cop to being responsible for the marriage falling apart, she would walk away, not ask for a dime of his more than a billion dollar worth. Listen on to what she told Matt Lauer on the "Today" show."
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MILLS: You need to stand up and say, "I am responsible for the breakdown of this marriage." You will be a hero because people know it`s always two parties. But in this case it`s very heavily one sided. I said if you say that, I will walk away with nothing and we will do a very gentle and quick divorce.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Pat, a lot of money at stake here, potentially. Ten seconds, do you believe her?
LALAMA: No. I mean, come on. She`s practically accusing him of harming their child by not protecting her. I mean it`s just - it`s all wrong.
ANDERSON: You know, she`s obviously very hurt, very angry, and Paul, I want to say, is remaining tight-lipped about this situation. Howard Bragman, Pat Lalama, thank you, both.
BRAGMAN: Thank you.
LALAMA: Bye bye.
ANDERSON: OK, another shocking story all over the news today, the abuse scandal surrounding Oprah Winfrey`s Africa school for underprivileged girls. I just can`t get over this. And tonight, for the first time, a mother of one of the girls at Oprah`s school is speaking out about what allegedly happened. Oprah feels incredibly responsible for this, so I really want to hear what the parents think now. I`ve got that next. Also this -
HAMMER: Wow, this is so incredibly sad. You`re looking at "Heroes" start Hayden Panettiere absolutely devastated. She flew halfway around the world because she wanted to try and stop dolphins from being brutally slaughtered. Good cause. She even put her own life in danger while she was doing this. Well, tonight, I`ve got this dramatic video of Hayden`s dramatic dolphin disaster. Totally sickening. It`s coming up.
ANDERSON: It almost brings tears to my eyes. And something a little more fun now. The new "Sex and the City" movie. Tonight, we are trying to pry some secrets out of Miranda, Cynthia Nixon. Maybe, we`ll loosen her up with some "Cosmo." We`ve got her, coming up.
HAMMER: Well, now you can watch SHOWBIZ TONIGHT anytime you darn well please by downloading our podcast. Best of all, it won`t cost you a cent because it`s totally free. You can find our SHOWBIZ TONIGHT podcast on our web site, CNN.com/ShowbizTonight. Or download it on iTunes by typing "SHOWBIZ TONIGHT" into that little bitty search box. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT coming right back after this.
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HAMMER: Welcome back to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, TV`s most provocative entertainment news show. I`m A.J. Hammer in New York. On now to a story that makes me so mad and so sad. Quite frankly, I`m not even going to watch the video. I`ve got to warn you, some of these pictures are very graphic.
Tonight, "Heroes`" cheerleader Hayden Panettiere is putting her life in danger to stop a shocking and brutal slaughtering of dolphins in Japan. You are seeing Hayden there in tears. She took part in the Save Japan Dolphins Protest of the annual killing of tens of thousands of Japanese dolphins.
She and a bunch of other surfers got into a violent argument with fishermen as they tried to stop a group of mammals from being hacked to death. In fact, things got so bad the fishermen even poked them with a bone hook and tried to use the propeller to block their way. And Hayden obviously couldn`t help from breaking down. She is totally devastated.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HAYDEN PANETTIERE, "HEROES" STAR: They were literally fly hopping which is when they jump out of the water, they stick their head up out of the water and they can look around. A baby stuck his head out and kind of looked at us and the thought that the baby is no longer with us -
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: Unbelievable that this is able to take place in a civilized society. Now, Hayden and her group quickly flew home from Japan before they could be arrested. This dolphin killing is a Japanese tradition. The fishermen sell the meat at supermarkets and restaurants. But the protesters claim the meat is so high in mercury it`s not even safe to eat.
ANDERSON: All right. Tonight, the sex abuse scandal at Oprah Winfrey`s all-girls school in South Africa is shaking her to the core. So much so that she dropped everything and flew halfway around the world - not once, but twice - begging parents for forgiveness.
And now, here on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, you are about to hear a mother come forward and tell us what happened inside the school. We went straight to South Africa to get you the details. CNN`s Robin Kerno is there for SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ROBIN KERNO, CNN JOHANNESBERG CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Masechaba Hine runs a fruit and vegetable store from her home in the township of Soweto. Last year, her life and that of her daughter and granddaughter changed when Oprah came calling.
MASECHABA HINE, PARENT OF STUDENT AT OPRAH`S SCHOOL: She is an angel, godsend. She came to my rescue because my husband is not working. I was not working. So I was just wondering what I`m going to do with my daughters when they go to high school.
KERNO: This past year, her daughter and granddaughter, both fourteen, have been studying and living in a room like this, two of the lucky girls to win a place at Oprah Winfrey`s Leadership Academy, a $40-million built by the U.S. talk show host, herself, once a poor girl from a disadvantaged background.
OPRAH WINFREY, TV TALK SHOW HOST: I look in their faces and see my own. The girls who came from a background just like my own. I was raised by a grandmother, no running water and no electricity. But yet because of the sense of education and learning, I was able to become who I am.
KERNO: Which is why Winfrey, who has acknowledged publicly she was abused as a child, issued a statement saying, "There`s nothing more serious or devastating to me than an allegation of misconduct by an adult against any girl at the Academy." The school and South African police are being tight- lipped about the details of the case.
SUPT. LUNGELO DLAMINI, SOUTH AFRICAN POLICE SERVICE: We will investigate the case of abuse against the children in that school.
KERNO: Police will not say if the abuse is sexual or physical, but concerned their investigation is based on a report given to them by a U.S. Private investigator and social workers hired by Winfrey. Oprah`s represents to us that she flew to south Africa twice in the past month to meet with parents of the school. Mrs. Hine was there.
HINE: When she was talking to us, she was emotional. She crying when she was talking about her daughters, not our daughters anymore, they are Oprah`s daughters. She said she doesn`t want anybody to hurt her daughters. She wants always the daughters to happy.
KERNO: Mrs. Hine says she still supports Oprah.
(on camera): It seems in spite of Oprah Winfrey`s best intentions, there has been a lot of negative publicity associated with this school since it opened. Over the past academic year, the South African media has exposed what they say is a long list of criticisms and problems at the school.
Among the reports, parents complaining about only being allowed to visit their daughters once a month. Criticism also that the school is too strict. But for this mother, she has only good things to say about Oprah and the school.
HINE: I`m not going to blame the school. I`m happy about everything.
KERNO: So, for now, as the academy weathers this crisis, they say they are just trying to protect the girls who have been entrusted into their care.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: That was CNN`s Robin Kerno for SHOWBIZ TONIGHT in Johannesburg. We are also told Oprah gave the school girls her personal telephone number, e-mail address and postal address saying they can contact her directly whenever they wanted.
HAMMER: And we`ve been asking you to vote on our SHOWBIZ TONIGHT question of the day. Oprah`s school scandal: Is she handling it the right way? You can keep voting at CNN.com/ShowbizTonight or e-mail us at showbiztonight@cnn.com. You can do it from your desktop, laptop, even your blackberry or your cell phone, whatever you want to tell us.
ANDERSON: All right. I am really looking forward to the "Sex and the City" movie. You know, it`s filming right now. And like many people, I`m dying to find out about it.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SANDY LEE, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT PRODUCER: Is there anything new from Miranda, any secrets that you like to tease people with?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Will our SHOWBIZ TONIGHT producer Sandy Lee get Cynthia Nixon to spill secrets about the film? Sandy`s a tough cookie. Stick around to find out.
HAMMER: But first here`s a look at what`s new at the movies this week brought to you by Bisquick Heart Smart. "American Gangster," everybody`s talking about this one. You`ve got an action packed Ridley Scott film which stars Denzel Washington and Russell Crowe. Denzel plays `70s crime boss, Frank Lucas. Crowe is the cop who`s out to bring him down.
Well, brother and sister John and Joan Cusack are brother and sister in "Martian Child." John adopts a boy who claims to be from Mars, and a series of strange things that happened makes him think that the boy may really be out of this world.
And I am sure you have seen the ads for "Bee Movie," a lot of buzz on this one. An all star cast, of course, Jerry Seinfeld. Renee Zellweger`s in it. So is Matthew Broderick, John Goodman. Seinfeld plays Barry B. Benson. He`s a bee, and has a sweet relationship with a florist played by Zellweger. It`s make-believe, right? SHOWBIZ TONIGHT will be back, right after this.
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ANDERSON: All right. I am practically jumping out of my seat about this. I know you can`t really see, but trust me, I am, because tonight I`ve got "Sex and the City" star Cynthia Nixon talking about the new "Sex and the City" movie. It`s being shot right now in New York City. Terri, Samantha, Miranda and Charlotte are back.
The HBO show went off the air about four years ago. Four years, can you believe it? Now, when we caught up with Cynthia, who plays Miranda, at the American Red Cross Lend a Hand event in New York, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT producer Sandy Lee tried to pry some sex secrets out of her and also wanted to know if some of the big movie`s plot lines are spoiled because there are so many stories and pictures already out there.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CYNTHIA NIXON: There`s nothing we can do about it, you know. So luckily there will be some lag time between the photos and the press and the clips on the TV and the audio on the radio, you know. So hopefully people will have forgotten a little bit. And also, knowing that certain events happen or don`t happen or in fantasy sequences or whatever it is, you know, it`s not the same as seeing the film and seeing it unfold.
LEE: A lot of people know that at the end of the "Sex and the City" on TV there was three separate endings. I mean, do you guys have any kind of system to throw people? Are you going to try it all?
NIXON: We have filmed some stuff that is just re-read. We have filmed some stuff. And we will probably just -
LEE: Is it to throw people off after (UNINTELLIGIBLE).
NIXON: Yes, it will totally throw people off.
LEE: Really? Well, is there anything new for Miranda, any secrets that you would like to tease people with?
NIXON: I don`t think so. I don`t think so. Sorry to say. No.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: She doesn`t think so. Good try, Sandy. The "Sex and the City" film is scheduled to come out during summer 2008.
ANDERSON: Sandy Lee on the program there. Time now to find out what is coming up on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. On Friday, Brad, Angelina, Paris, and Britney, you know, they can`t even sneeze without being swarmed by paparazzi. So can they ever really have a normal life? Or is it kind of tough menu, they wanted to be famous, so too bad. Showbiz investigates, "Are stars prisoners of fame?" That`s Friday.
Also Friday, Billy Baldwin. I really got him to open up about his family and his brother Daniel, and Daniel`s drug problem. He also talked about the possibility of getting his family out of Hollywood to avoid the spotlight. Billy Baldwin is on a great new TV show. That`s tomorrow. And that is it for SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. I`m A.J. Hammer in New York.
ANDERSON: Hey, thanks so much for watching, everybody. I`m Brooke Anderson in Hollywood. The latest from "CNN HEADLINE NEWS" is coming up next. Take care.
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