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Showbiz Tonight
Kanye West Loses His Mom; Ellen DeGeneres Blamed for War Raging in Hollywood; How do Celebrity Marital Battles Affect Kids?
Aired November 12, 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 tragic and mysterious death of Kanye West`s mother. I`m A.J. Hammer in New York
BROOKE ANDERSON, CO-HOST: And when it comes to nasty star divorces, can the kids ever come out OK? I`m Brooke Anderson in Hollywood. TV`s most provocative entertainment news show starts right now.
HAMMER: On SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, "Britney Behaving Badly." Yes, again. An alleged failed drug test, another traffic offense. It just doesn`t stop for Britney, as she runs a red light with her kids in the car. Will it ever end? Tonight SHOWBIZ TONIGHT with the latest installment of "Britney Behaving Badly."
Forget the hot guys. Tonight it`s all about Hollywood`s un-sexy men. A bizarre list of the un-sexiest women got lots of people all up in arms. Now, it`s the guys` turn. Howard Stern and Simon Cowell. OK, but how did McSteamy and Josh Hartnett end up on this list? Tonight, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT presents the un-sexiest men list that is sure to get people all fired up.
(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 tonight from Hollywood. And war has broken out here in Hollywood. Ellen DeGeneres has been blamed for causing it. It`s been a bad few weeks for Ellen, and we`ll get to how the talk show queen is trying to talk herself out of trouble, just ahead.
HAMMER: But first, tonight tragedy strikes music superstar Kanye West. His mother, a woman he calls his soul and rock, is dead. And now tonight, as he grieves, there are big questions. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT trying to get to the bottom of this question, could surgery, something that hundreds of thousands of people do every day, have killed her?
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
HAMMER (voice over): He is one of the brashest, most confident, and high flying acts in music today.
KANYE WEST, MUSIC SUPERSTAR: I`m just really passionate, and I really care about the music.
HAMMER: But now, a personal tragedy has shaken the world of hiphop giant, Kanye West. Kanye`s beloved mother and manager, Donda West, has died suddenly and under mysterious circumstances at the all too young age of 58.
LOLA OGUNNAIKE, CNN ENTERTAINMENT CORRESPONDENT: The direct cause of death is not known exactly yet, but she is said to have died in complication with surgery.
HAMMER: It wasn`t too long ago, West and his mom sat down together. And Kanye told CNN that it was his mother who pushed him to success.
K. WEST: I was working on music, and I was like, living at home. And this is what I`m doing with my life. She said, "You know, Kanye, until you get paid for it, it`s still a hobby." And it was just worded so eloquently compared to some of my friend`s parents who said you ain`t never going to make it.
D. WEST: Right.
HAMMER: Now, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT can tell you authorities are looking into Donda West`s death, a death that has robbed the music giant of his guiding force.
OGUNNAIKE: I can`t even begin to imagine what he must be going through now.
HAMMER: Donda West died in Los Angeles over the weekend. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT can tell you there`s no specific cause of death, but authorities tell us it happened after a procedure.
OGUNNAIKE: She was rushed to Sentinel Hospital in Marina del Rey. She was obviously having complications. They tried to revive her. They were unsuccessful.
HAMMER: The Los Angeles County coroner`s office tells SHOWBIZ TONIGHT an autopsy on Donda West will be performed Wednesday. Surgeon David Alessi tells SHOWBIZ TONIGHT surgery can be risky.
DAVID ALESSI, SURGEON: It`s not like they`re going in to have their hair done. They`re basically in to have surgery. And those risks need to be explained to any patient.
HAMMER: CNN`s Lola Ogunnaike has interviewed Kanye and his mother on numerous occasions. She tells SHOWBIZ TONIGHT Kanye had a special bond with his mom who raised him alone after his dad left when he was only three.
OGUNNAIKE: The interesting thing about their relationship is that you know in a world - in a Hollywood world where mothers and sons and mothers and daughters usually don`t get along, these two enjoyed such a close personal and professional relationship. He didn`t make a business decision without consulting her. And he consulted her about minor things from wardrobe to major things like should I purchase this car or this home? She was very influential in his life.
K. WEST: I want to sing so loud for you because I`m so proud of you
HAMMER: Kanye West proudly pulled his mother on stage to serenade her with a song he wrote for her "Hey Mama." And she was always happy to sing along.
D. WEST: You`re like a book of poetry.
HAMMER: After her son`s hiphop career exploded, Donda left her job as a college professor to manage him. Last May, she published a book called "Raising Kanye." At that time, she told CNN how she raised the superstar.
D. WEST: You can`t be a good parent if you`re not a good person. And you`re not a good person if you don`t get your ego - or at least try to get that in order and realize that there`s always something that you can learn even from your child.
(MUSIC)
HAMMER: And while Kanye rapped about being stronger, it was clear that his source of strength came from his mother. As authorities unravel the mystery of exactly what killed her, the question now becomes how will Kanye go on without her?
OGUNNAIKE: Having spent time with Kanye, I cannot wrap my head around what he must be going through at this point. The two were just - their bond was incredible. And to see them together, they were more than mother and son. They were best friends, and he was so enamored by her, and she was so enamored by him. And I can`t even begin to imagine what he must be going through now. But I`m sure it is intense and it`s just going to be tough. It`s going to be - this is an incredible blow.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HAMMER: In a statement, Kanye West record label says the West family, quote, "respectfully asks for privacy during this time of grief." Meanwhile, his record label says Kanye will not cancel his European tour, which is set to begin a week from tonight.
All right. Tonight, "Britney Behaving Badly." Again. First, the pop star was caught running a red light with her two kids in the back seat, a court-appointed monitor in the front seat, and a cellphone firmly planted on her face. Now, there is the mystery of her court-ordered drug tests coming back positive.
TMZ is reporting that Britney`s camp says it was a false positive because Britney takes a drug or two or three for narcolepsy. All right. Joining me tonight from Hollywood, Ken Baker, editorial director of UsMagazine.com. And from the Court TV studios in New York City, Ashleigh Banfield, host of Court TV`s "Hollywood Heat."
Ashleigh, Ken, drama, drama, drama. Now, by way of reminder here, Britney had been ordered to take these court-ordered drug tests randomly as part of a custody battle. Ashleigh Banfield, this woman reportedly came back positive. This is a huge problem for Britney, isn`t it?
ASHLEIGH BANFIELD, HOST OF COURT TV`S "HOLLYWOOD HEAT": If it`s true. I mean I can`t believe everything I read. And there`s always the possibility of a false positive too. And this is all under seal so it`s so hard to speculate But here`s the deal, A.J. Judges have discretion. One automatic failure doesn`t mean automatic no-kids. Sometimes, a judge can actually talk through this. So it`s up to the judge, and of course, this is all going happen in that courtroom and not on TV.
HAMMER: But if this is the case, Ashleigh, if the test did come back positive, and I don`t want to speculate either way. This is what has been reported. It`s just one more thing on the pile.
BANFIELD: It is, and this judge is serious about this stuff too, because he has already said that a missed drug test is going to be deemed a failed drug test. So he means business. And I would think that if it`s a failed drug test, meaning there are drugs, illicit drugs, not prescription drugs, that show up, this could be a big problem for her.
HAMMER: What`s really interesting now is that we`re all of a sudden hearing from Britney`s camp. Quite honestly, we didn`t think she had a camp anymore. Ken Baker, why do you think they`re suddenly coming out of the wood work now about this drug test? Reportedly, they`re claiming it`s a false positive.
KEN BAKER, EDITORIAL EDITOR, "USMAGAZINE.COM": Because this is the core of the issue for Kevin Federline. This is what his lawyer has been arguing for months, which is that Britney has a drug and alcohol problem and for that reason, the kids have been, according to the court documents, in some sort of danger. I`m going to tell you in the judge`s words. The judge back in September said that Britney was a frequent, continuous, and habitual user of drugs and alcohol.
Now, if she fails one of these tests and if it`s a legitimate failure, she could lose the kids and even lose visitation. Not only that, the people that we talk to, who are close to the situation say that what would likely happen is that the judge would say you have to go to rehab and they`re going to have court-ordered rehab. And she`s going to get into this program where it`s going to be a lot more intense than just a court- appointed monitor with her with the kids. She`s going to be in a lot more serious trouble if she did fail this test.
HAMMER: This doesn`t seem like such a bad idea, though. And as if that`s not enough trouble to have - can I just say this - Britney just needs to get a driver. That`s all there is to it. She had been driving without a valid driver`s license. She ran over a paparazzi`s foot, ran over a policeman`s foot. You know, I`ve got more here but I don`t have enough time. But to run a red light with the kids in the back and the court- appointed monitor in the front seat, Ashleigh, has she officially crossed over into the category of menace to society?
BANFIELD: Well, I`m not too concerned about her as I think some of those oncoming drivers might have been, but I`ll tell you this, A.J., I have seen that video, and it`s not good. A judge who will probably see it, because K-Fed`s attorneys have subpoena-ed it, is not going to like it either. And there is a very good chance the judge could say, very quickly, no more kids in your car, period.
HAMMER: Yes. Wow. And that - that, you know, I have to say would probably be a good move. But before that even happens, I think she should be the one in the back seat. And not while she`s driving. The question is - we`ll see what the judge does, but the question is will K-Fed`s attorney seize the opportunity to use all of this against Britney?
Now, K-Fed`s lawyer`s latest publicist tells SHOWBIZ TONIGHT they`re waiting until tomorrow to decide because a lot can happen between today and tomorrow in terms of if they`re going to use this stuff against Britney. Ken, as nasty as the custody battle is coming across, the truth is Britney is making this pretty easy for K-Fed, isn`t she?
BAKER: I`m not clairvoyant, but you don`t have to be clairvoyant to predict this. Britney will be hauled back into court this week by K-Fed`s attorneys because of this issue of the failed drug test, alleged failed drug test, and her erratic driving. OK? That is going to happen. She is all but writing a song to the judge saying please take my kids away and send me to rehab. I mean, that`s pretty much what she`s doing with everything that she`s doing so far.
HAMMER: Yes. No kidding. Only about 20 seconds here, Ashleigh, but Brit`s lawyers would have to dig up some pretty serious dirt on K-Fed or he would have to do something egregious for things not to go his way when they`re next scheduled to be in court at the end of the month. Correct?
BANFIELD: Well, yes, except for the fact that she can make him look ugly doesn`t make her look better. It means foster care or someone else gets them other than those two.
HAMMER: Yes. We`ll wait and see, and it will be interesting to see if they do wind back in court as soon this week. Ashleigh Banfield, Ken Baker, thank you for being with us.
BANFIELD: Thanks, A.J.
ANDERSON: Britney and Kevin Federline know that divorce is never pretty, and when you are famous, it can get down right ugly. And they`re not the only ones.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HEATHER MILLS, PAUL MCCARTNEY`S EX-WIFE: I have been close to suicide, so upset about this. I have had worse press than a pedophile or a murderer.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Heather Mills says she wants to protect her daughter. But when famous couples break up and speak out, can the kids ever be protected. What effects are these public battles going to have the on kids? We`ve got that coming up in a showbiz special report.
HAMMER: Also, An unexpected and potentially very embarrassing snafu for the lovely Angelina Jolie at the premiere of her new movie. I`ll tell you what happened, and exactly how Brad Pitt came to her rescue. That is coming up.
ANDERSON: And next on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, a disaster for Ellen DeGeneres. Why Ellen is in the middle of a really heated controversy, next.
HAMMER: You can stay on top of the latest and most provocative entertainment news stories by signing up for the SHOWBIZ TONIGHT newsletter. Just go to CNN.com/ShowbizTonight. Click on "newsletter" on the left hand side of the page. We`ll e-mail it to you everyday.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HAMMER: Welcome back to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, TV`s most provocative entertainment news show. I`m A.J. Hammer in New York. Well, Brad Pitt really saved Angelina Jolie`s butt this weekend. I`m speaking literally here. All right, here`s the deal. Brad and Angie were in London to walk the red carpet for her new movie by "Beowulf." And they truly lived up to their rep of being Hollywood`s hottest couples.
Angelina, looking especially ravishing in some skin tight leather pants, which started to tear in the tush. But boyfriend Brad saved the day. He covered up the rump rippage with his hand. Saved her from a major wardrobe malfunction. Tough night for Angie. We also hear that she also stepped in a big old wad of gum. Beowulf, which you probably read in high school or college, opens up Friday.
ANDERSON: Well, Angelina may have had a tough night, but Ellen DeGeneres has had a few tough weeks. We all remember back when eyebrows were raised after Ellen`s infamous emotional breakdown over the now-infamous Iggy - that`s the dog that was taken away from her hairdresser.
Well, tonight, we`ve got another shocker for you. War has broken out in Hollywood, and apparently it`s all Ellen`s fault. This all started when Ellen decided to cross the picket lines. The writers were on strike. You know, she decided to cross the picket lines, and the writers got PO`ed , and, man, did they strike back.
Joining me tonight in Hollywood senior editor of "In Touch Weekly," Kim Serafin. Also tonight in Hollywood, Ted Casablanca "E! Online" correspondent who has a column called, "The Awful Truth." Welcome to you both, Ted, Kim.
TED CASABLANCA, "E! ONLINE" CORRESPONDENT: Thanks for having me.
KIM SERAFIN, SENIOR EDITOR, "IN TOUCH WEEKLY": Thanks.
ANDERSON: And we know that Ellen in solidarity with the writers didn`t go to work on the first day of the strike. But day two, she was back at work. And The Writer`s Guild East has come out swinging against Ellen. In fact, they wrote an open letter to Ellen and expressed extreme disappointment that she`s decided to continue working without her writers.
They even took a crack at the old Iggy dog scandal saying, quote, "We find it sad that Ellen spent an entire week crying and fighting for a dog that she gave away. Yet she couldn`t even stand by writers for more than one day, writers who have helped make her extremely successful."
Nothing like opening up some old wounds there. Kim, you know, Leno, Letterman, those guys aren`t working. Why do you think Ellen decided to basically defy the writers?
SERAFIN: Well, essentially her union, her other union, AFTRA, and her production company, Telepictures, which distributes her show, kind of shot back at the WGA East saying, well, Ellen is bound by her AFTRA contract, by the no strike clause in her contract, to actually go back and do her show.
Now, Ellen did, when she came on air, say that in light of the writers strike, in support of the writers, she was not going to do an opening monologue. She wasn`t going to do that section of the show, which is normally written by the writers, but that she did have a contractual obligation, and she wanted to go on.
So it`s different. And especially what they said is that this is different than a Leno, a Letterman, a Conan which are late night, network- owned TV shows. Ellen is more in the genre of the daytime syndicated programming, like "Dr. Phil," like "Oprah," like "Live with Regis and Kelli." And those, of course, have been going on.
ANDERSON: You`re right about all of that and then after certainly did say that she is bound by contract to work, strike or no strike. Well, Ted, you know, she got raked over the coals. We know, because of the (UNINTELLIGIBLE).
(CROSS TALK)
CASABLANCA: I`ve got to say this.
ANDERSON: Go ahead.
CASABLANCA: The Writers` Guild is saying, too little - it`s not enough for Ellen just to say, "OK, I`m sorry you guys are going through this, but I meanwhile am going to go ahead and do my show." They`re really peeved at this, you know, that she shouldn`t have cross the line, in their opinion, because she`s a member of the Writers` Guild too. And the Writers` Guild is taking a very hard stand.
And they`re bringing up Iggy because - you know, look what we got here is Ellen says, "Hey, I`m sorry, but I got to do my job here in one monologue - by erasing a monologue. But for days she goes on about Iggy, weeping over Iggy. So of course, they`re going to use that because it comes off as being disingenuous. It comes off as she`s more concerned about Iggy, who she got rid of anyway, than she is her own writers, which is really not how Ellen is. Ellen cares very much about her writers, but it doesn`t look that way. She`s in an impossible situation.
ANDERSON: It does seem to be an impossible situation and I want to take a look now at how Ellen tried to explain her decision at the beginning of her show on Friday.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ELLEN DEGENERES, HOST, "THE ELLEN DEGENERES SHOW": I want to say that I love my writers. I love them. In honor of them today I`m not going to do a monologue. I support them. I hope that they get everything that they are asking for. (APPLAUSE) And I hope it works out soon.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: OK. Kim, should we be giving Ellen a little bit of credit because she seems to care about the strike, yes, but also wants to respect the audience. Is that not enough?
SERAFIN: Well, sure. I mean, she did come out there. She did make a statement in support of the writers. Of course, the Writers` Guild East did say in their letter, well, you know, she says she supports the writers, but her actions speak differently. You know, it`s a hard place for a lot of these celebrities on-air personalities, actors to be in. For example, Steve Carell is a member of the Writers` Guild. He didn`t show up to work. They had to shut down production on "The Office."
So a lot of these actors are kind of being put in a position where they do have to make a choice. With Ellen, because she is a host, because she is a producer on the show, it probably gives her more flexibility. And, sure, she cares about the people on her show.
Again, a lot of these celebrities are sort of caught between that where they care about the writers. They want to stand up for a union. There are proud SAG members. But also, as Eva Longoria was talking about, she`s supporting her makeup artist. (UNINTELLIGIBLE)
(CROSS TALK)
CASABLANCA: Ellen has tremendous clout. I mean, she could go dark. She could have a cold, for chrissake. She could do anything.
ANDERSON: It`s difficult for both sides of this dispute, and especially the hyphenates, as they`re called, which kind of land on both sides. Kim Serafin, Ted Casablanca, thank you both.
CASABLANCA: Thanks.
SERAFIN: Thanks.
HAMMER: Divorce obviously never pretty, but when you are famous, it can get down right ugly.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MILLS: Rubbish! I can 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.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: Heather Mills says she wants to protect her daughter. But when famous couples break up and speak out, can the kids ever be protected? We`re asking what effect are these public battles going to have on the kids? That`s coming up in a showbiz special report.
ANDERSON: Also guess who has a personal connection to the Mills-McCartney mess? It is Barbara Walters. She has a confession about how she plays into the story. Next.
HAMMER: Oh, that silly list of the un-sexiest women in Hollywood. Remember that? It`s the guys turn now. You`re not going to believe who made this list of the un-sexiest stars. Coming up on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANDERSON: Talk about a small world. Guess who Paul McCartney`s new love interest is related to.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARBARA WALTERS, CO-HOST, "THE VIEW": Young, conservative, attractive looking woman with Paul McCartney. Well, I love her very much. She`s my cousin.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: On "The View," Barbara Walters made it clear that she wasn`t aware until very recently that her second cousin is dating Paul McCartney. That`s because just last week Barbara criticized Heather Mills, who is of course, Paul`s ex, for blaming the media for all of her troubles.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
WALTERS: She had been on two morning television shows blaming the press for her - for the fact that she`s having such a hard time. The next day I said, well, I know she`s blaming the press, but my producers had a difficult time. We did two interviews with her. The first time she was wonderful. The second time, when she was going with Paul McCartney, she was somewhat demanding and this and that. I never speak -
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE, CO-HOST: Didn`t know that -
WALTERS: I never speak - I almost never criticize someone after an interview. No. I did not know that Nancy was with McCartney. (UNINTELLIGIBLE) Who knew? (END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Barbara also cleared up tabloid reports that said Nancy knows Heather Mills. She does not, according to Barbara.
And speaking of Heather and who she`s blaming for her troubles, take a look at this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MILLS: I have been close to suicide, so upset about this. I`ve had - I`ve had worst threats than a pedophile or a murderer.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Is Heather really the victim here, or is it the child she has with Paul? Plenty of star couples have nasty public custody fights, but what affect does that have on the children? We`ve got that ahead in a showbiz special report.
HAMMER: All right. I want you to take a look at these guys. What do you think? Are these the un-sexiest guys in Hollywood? You know, "Maxim" came out with that ridiculous list of un-sexy women. Apparently, now it`s the boys` turn. So we`ll tell you who made the list, and why we think it`s a bunch of nonsense. Coming up.
ANDERSON: And when I think of actress Sarah Michelle Gellar, you know, wild child isn`t really what comes to mind. Sure, she was a vampire slayer, but in real life she`s a married woman who is probably getting ready to start a family, right? Wrong. What you didn`t know about Sarah. That`s coming up. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT will return in just a moment. Stay with us.
(NEWS BREAK)
HAMMER: On SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, children of Hollywood divorce. All right. So I`ve certainly seen some nasty star splits. But what effect do they have on the kids when mommy and daddy just can`t get along?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
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.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: Tonight the startling things that happen to the children of Hollywood divorce. It`s an explosive showbiz special report.
The un-sexiest men in Hollywood? You know, first, it was that controversial un-sexiest women list. Now tonight, the ladies strike back. You won`t believe who made the list. Talk about bizarre. Tonight, a provocative look at the un-sexiest men in Hollywood.
(MUSIC)
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, we`ve got a showbiz special report. Children of divorce. From Britney Spears and Kevin Federline, and Heather Mills and Paul McCartney. So many shocking splits. with all the dirty details splashed in the tabloids.
But tonight, I want to know what effect does all of this have on the kids? Joining me tonight in New York, psychology and relationship expert Cooper Lawrence, and tonight in Hollywood founder of Fifteen Minutes Public Relations Howard Bragman. Cooper, Howard, welcome.
You know, I got to start this segment talking about Britney Spears and Kevin Federline because it has been a year, you guys. And I don`t think two celebrities could get into a messier custody battle than these two. We spent so much time focussing on Britney and the drug tests and the partying, the bad driving, but, seriously, what about those two children here? Cooper Lawrence, how will they be impacted by all of this?
COOPER LAWRENCE, PSYCHOLOGY AND RELATIONSHIP EXPERT: You just gave the whole litany of stuff, the bad driving, the drugs, all that stuff. I mean any child in any environment like that is going to have a negative outcome because children need a predictable environment. And everything she does is completely unpredictable. Right?
And then the other half of it is, you have to be close with one parent. When she was in rehab, they had a great time with K-Fed. They bonded with him. So hopefully, the judge will award custody to him and the kids will have a shot at growing up just fine.
ANDERSON: You mentioned she`s unpredictable. There seems to be no consistency in these children`s lives. Howard, when we see images of Britney taking the kids out. They`re swarmed by the paparazzi. It seems harmful, and don`t you think she should think of when the kids - when she carries the kids out in public, not to do this to them and to play this custody battle in front of the press?
HOWARD BRAGMAN, FOUNDER, FIFTEEN MINUTES PUBLIC RELATIONS: You asked the question, Brooke. Don`t you think she should think? You know - and I think that`s the ultimate one. I don`t think she`s thinking. Honestly, it feels like I`ll get - I`ll drive the Mercedes and wear - carry the Gucci bag and what should the kids wear. It`s like they`re props and they`re not children and they`re not human beings. And that`s the real tragedy. These are not props. They`re children. And unfortunately, they`re going to be messed up children.
ANDERSON: Yes. From my perspective, it just seems horrible what is happening with these children stuck in the middle. And I do want to move now to Heather Mills and Paul McCartney. It isn`t so much a messy custody battle with them as it is really just a messy divorce. And Mills has gone on a major media campaign. Not only begging the paparazzi to leave her and her 4-year-old daughter Beatrice alone, but blaming Paul for not helping her. Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
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 created a lot of it. How do you think she`s going to feel about that? Not interested.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Cooper, does Heather Mills have a point there?
LAWRENCE: No. I mean, she`s on this bizarre campaign. I had no idea what was going with her, quite frankly, until she started this "Media, leave me alone" campaign. It`s like she`s come to us. We`re not going to her. And yet, she`s the person that`s going to be mothering this child.
That concerns me because she doesn`t seem - she doesn`t seem all that stable, quite frankly. But, luckily, there`s a predictor of how children will do well, and that is finances. If you have a good financial backing, good financial background, it could lead to a child being able to get the care they need and the protective services they need. You know, what`s better than being the daughter of an ex-Beatle? So she`ll be fine, I think.
ANDERSON: Worth $1 billion, that Beatle. So hopefully little Beatrice will be OK. Charlie Sheen now and Denise Richards. They actually seem to use the tabloids to get their side of the story out. They issue press releases. They grant interviews about the custody battle and generally seem to air their dirty laundry in public. But Howard, shouldn`t celebrity parents be especially careful about what gets out in the media?
BRAGMAN: My celebrity clients fight to keep their kids off the red carpet. We sneak them in the back door to premieres when they want to see a movie. We don`t about them in the press. We don`t get their names, their ages, their schools.
And the last thing you want - we`re all trying get divorces sealed all the time, and they`re, like, just opening it up. When you do that, the media says, "Oh, they want to talk about their kids. We can take pictures of them." It`s OK as opposed a celebrity that just says, "You can do what you want to me, but get out of my children`s life." It`s absolutely the wrong message, and these are not pawns in their sick little chess game.
ANDERSON: And once it begins - once the publicizing begins, it seems that it never ends. In many instances of these messy divorces, the kids are very young. But I want to talk now about David Hasselhoff and Pamela Bach because they got into heavy duty divorce drama over their teenage children. They`ve publicly accused each other of abuse, of verbal attacks, and so much more. Cooper, how much worse is it if the kids are old enough to understand that their parents are imploding in public?
LAWRENCE: Well, the problem is that the stress in a child`s life is already going to be damaging. So they`re adding more stress by bringing in, well, first of all, the public knowledge of what`s going on in their private home. Howard was saying earlier about all his celebrity clients tell him to protect their kids.
These people are not protecting children. They`re letting it all out there. So now the kids know. It`s none of their business. The idea is keeping the kids out of the mainstream information. The kids should know none of this.
ANDERSON: You are right about that. It`s so sad and unfortunate that kids are involved in their parents` disputes and drama. We will leave it there tonight. Cooper Lawrence, Howard Bragman, thank you both.
LAWRENCE: Thanks, Brooke.
BRAGMAN: Thanks.
HAMMER: Well, this leads us to our SHOWBIZ TONIGHT question of the day about the nasty Paul McCartney-Heather Mills divorce. Heather Mills: Should she just shut up already? We`ve gotten so many votes on this subject. So far it`s totally one-sided.
Ninety-four percent of you said yes. Six percent said no. Got a lot of e-mail too. We hear from Donna in New Hampshire who writes, "She should think about their daughter and what this will all mean to her later in life."
Tim from New York writes, "Heather Mills should just keep shut. It`s better to gracefully bow out of the spotlight and handle the divorce like an adult." You can continue to vote on the web at CNN.com/ShowbizTonight.
All right. When that list that came out of the un-sexiest women in Hollywood, I was thinking, total nonsense. Don`t get it at all. Well, tonight, the ladies are striking back. Now there`s the un-sexiest men of Hollywood list. I can`t believe who made this thing. You know this is going to get a lot of people fired up. We`ll get into that next.
ANDERSON: All right. A couple of Hollywood stars who I think are sexy - Sarah Michelle Gellar and her husband, Freddie Prinze, Jr. Now, if you thought these two are a quiet, stay at home couple, try again. I mean, come on, she`s Buffy the Vampire Slayer, right? Tonight, Sarah is opening up about starting or not starting a family and her surprising wild side. That`s next.
And Elizabeth Hasselbeck has got a new addition to her family. We`ve got her revealing what she`s naming her new baby boy. That`s coming up.
HAMMER: And now, you can watch SHOWBIZ TONIGHT any time at all by downloading our wonderful podcast, and it`s absolutely free. You`ll find the SHOWBIZ TONIGHT podcast right there on our web site, CNN.com/ShowbizTonight. You can download it on iTunes. Just type "SHOWBIZ TONIGHT" into the search box. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT coming back right after this.
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HAMMER: I`m A.J. Hammer. Tomorrow, on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, which A-list star went from beer bottles to baby bottles? Who is Hollywood`s greatest dad? We`ll tell you at 11:00 p.m. Eastern and Pacific.
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ANDERSON: Hey there. Welcome back to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, TV`s most provocative entertainment news show. Time now for a story that made us say, "That`s ridiculous!" Well, we Americans love our cars, right? But, sometimes, well, people are driven to extremes. I can say that certainly happened with this weekend`s Sacramento international Auto Show.
Take a look at this. In addition to the usual Chevy, Toyota, Ford, and Chryslers, there were cars that looked like shoes, bananas, even a wagon, but not a station wagon. Oh, no, no. An old school radio flyer. I got to get these people credit for creativity, but I wonder what type of gas mileage a shoe car gets. I guess you can always get out and walk in it, right? Anyway, to the crazy cars, I give an A for effort, and I still got to say, "That`s ridiculous!"
HAMMER: Tonight the un-sexiest men in Hollywood. Now, just a couple of weeks ago "Maxim.com" called out Sarah Jessica Parker, Britney Spears, and even Madonna for being the un-sexiest women in Hollywood.
Needless to say, it got a lot of people outraged, including a whole bunch right here in the SHOWBIZ TONIGHT staff. Well, tonight, the ladies strike back. A shocking, new un-sexiest men list from our buddies over AOL is out with some big surprises on this list. So I got to ask, do men and women have different standards of sexy?
Joining me tonight in New York Dr. Judy Kuriansky, clinical psychologist, also Brian Sack, author and humorist, and Laura Brounstein, "Self" magazine entertainment editor. Appreciate you all being here, gang. The "Maxim" list was just brutal towards the women that it listed, talking mostly about their looks and their body.
Now, this list, basically, although I do believe it`s delivered mostly tongue-in-cheek, but it seems to do the same thing for the men. I want to start with what they said about Ben Stiller - Ben came in at number 11 - quote, "When taking him to meet the parents, his humor would make up for his looks."
Dr. Judy, having someone make fun of your looks is definitely not a good thing for the ego, man or woman. Somebody like Ben Stiller - don`t the women say they love men who make them laugh. Isn`t that good enough to be sexy?
JUDY KURIANSKY, CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGIST: Yes. Making them laugh really does it, A.J. A guy can have a bald head. He can have wrinkles, scruff - he can have a fat gut. But if he puts a big fat smile on her face, she`s going to love him.
And that`s proven by research, too, that in the top three qualities that women say attract them on to a man is laughter and making her feel good through humor is way up there. It gets your juices going. It sends hormones through your body, so make her laugh.
HAMMER: So by that definition, hormones running through your body, Dr. Judy, probably you are saying it`s insane that Ben Stiller is on such a list?
KURIANSKY: Yes, it is. You know what, the point is that when guys rated, they`re tough on each other.
HAMMER: All right. Brian Sack, let me go to you. You`re a humorist. Anything funny about making fun of Ben Stiller`s to make him un-sexy?
BRIAN SACK, HUMORIST AND AUTHOR: Well, you know, I agree with whoever spoke before me that he is, in fact, a good-looking guy because he is funny. And you know, he`s not that bad to look at. He`s got a receding hairline, whatever. But I mean, he makes people laugh, and women find that sexy. I`m very unattractive. I make wife laugh, and she finds me sexy.
HAMMER: I want to move on to - I think one of the names on this list that a lot of people thought was a big surprise "Grey`s Anatomy" star Eric Dane makes this list. He is on it at number ten. This is the guy who`s known as McSteamy. AOL said about him, "He is supposed-to-be-hunky rather than actually-hunky. We`re still trying to figure out the `Gladiator` beard, too."
Laura, let me go to you on this. You know, a lot of women swoon over this guy. Do you think there`s a double standard when it comes to what men find sexy in women versus the other way around?
LAURA BROUNSTEIN, ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR, "SELF" MAGAZINE: Yes, I think there definitely can be. But I`ve got to say I don`t understand this one because I think McSteamy is very sexy. So I`m not really sure what they were thinking when they were voting on that. Some of the ones on the list I can definitely understand, and I think it goes to what women find sexy versus what men find sexy. But Eric Dane, sexy.
SACK: He looks like a little Di Caprio and Brad Pitt.
BROUNSTEIN: Is that a bad thing?
SACK: No.
BROUNSTIEN: That`s a good thing, right?
HAMMER: What about the double standard, Dr. Judy?
KURIANSKY: It absolutely works because in this research - I have done a lot of it myself. You ask what are the top three things that attract you to a guy or a girl. And so men will say body and they used to say two things. First it was her full body, and then they would pick out a body part, her legs or her breasts.
So we were double whammied that way. And then something would creep in about personality. As women know, the top three things that attract them to a guy, body doesn`t make the list. It`s personality first. You`ve got to be nice. You got to be warm. You got to be sympathetic. And -
BROUNSTEIN: I think it`s the whole package.
KURIANSKY: So it`s really different for men and for women. The women (UNINTELLIGIBLE). Fat wallet will do also, by the way.
HAMMER: We`ll be getting to that in a just moment. Let`s talk about another couple of guys. You know, when this list came out, one of our producers was reading it down. And I heard say, "What? What are you kidding me?" It didn`t sound exactly like that. But it was when she got to Reese Witherspoon`s ex, Ryan Phillippe.
He and actor Josh Hartnett tied for ninth place. Here`s why. AOL says, "They are unsexy. Icky facial hair and too-many should-have-been- great-but-weren`t performances add up to a tie."
Brian, you know, some of the guys on this list - you could almost get here a couple of guys who are always showing on sexy list. They`re always on the eye-candy sections of the magazines. What am I missing here? What do you think?
SACK: Well, that`s right. When I was having the makeup put on me, actually, we were talking, and she was pointing out I`m not familiar with a lot of these people. I don`t watch television. I stay in a box. But she was saying that a lot of these people - maybe the behavior that is why they`re on the list. Because apparently, some of these people act naughty. I don`t know.
I guess this guy was married to Reese Witherspoon, you said, right? I looked at him and saw - I thought he was a handsome looking guy. I don`t understand why he`d be on the un-sexy list unless maybe it`s his behavior. But I don`t know.
HAMMER: You mentioned the word "naughty," so let me just go to this next guy, "American Idol" judge Simon Cowell. Now, this I get. I don`t know much. But this I can kind of understand. You know, he never has anything nice to say. AOL says, "A mixture of tight shirts, saggy pecs, and a vicious attitude do not a handsome hunk make." Well, we were talking about the fat wallets before. Here`s a guy who makes more money than some third world countries. What do you think, Laura? Does he belong right there squarely on the list, or should his position of power save Simon Cowell?
BROUNSTEIN: You know, power can certainly be sexy, and he spends an awful lot of time making fun of women for their weight and bodies on his show, and that`s pretty un-sexy. So, I`m going to go with agreeing with that one.
KURIANSKY: Yes. Women do not like meanness at all. That is a big turnoff. Research even shows that too. When you are cruel and put down women, they don`t like that at all. There`s nothing sexy about it. And all the money that he has got can`t really make up for that, so sorry, Simon.
SACK: You know, he`s got honesty, which I think is a quality that`s lacking in a lot of people. I think he`s brutally honest, and sometimes honesty hurts.
HAMMER: Well, let me go to honesty here. Howard Stern, say what you will about the guy. He is honest. He is the king of all media. He fell prey to this list. Here`s what AOL said in its attack, "While he`d admit he has the perfect face for radio, he was actually growing on us until potty mouth overload on satellite made him even sound uglier."
Judy, let me ask you about this because his fiancee, the lovely Beth Ostrosky, has told me how sexy she finds him. Everyday, on his show, all these beautiful women are showing up constantly telling him how sexy he is. AOL calls it a potty mouth, but here`s a guy who does call it like he sees it. He`s honest to the core. I thought women find realness super sexy.
KURIANSKY: That`s exactly true. That is true, that he speaks his mind and that`s attractive to anything. The other thing is, I know Howard, and off the air he is a lot quieter and can even be shy. And so what is sexy has a lot to do with being the mysterious and being special to the woman. If you are special to her, separate from the way you are with everybody else, she`s going to go for you.
BROUNSTEIN: And Howard Stern`s quick-wittedness is part of what attracts people to him.
HAMMER: I would be right to (UNINTELLIGIBLE) on that.
BROUNSTEIN: I mean, not that he is sharp-tongued. He is just, you know, the fastest thinker in town.
HAMMER: I`ve got to wrap you all up there, but I appreciate you being with us tonight. Dr. Judy Kuriansky, Brian Sack, Laura Brounstein. Thanks so much.
ANDERSON: Well, Buffy the Vampire Slayer Sarah Michelle Gellar, super sexy, and she`s married that to a guy who`s pretty easy on the eyes, too, Freddie Prinze, Jr. Now, don`t you even think for one second, though, that this couple spends all of their nights curled up on the couch eating take- out.
Sarah`s got a big-time wild side, and she`s more likely to pop corks than pop out kids any time soon. She tells "Maxim" magazine this, "You can`t be selfish and have a child. Right now, I want to live my life and have fun. I want to go sit in my Jacuzzi and drink wine all night. When I`m home in New York, my wild side comes out. That`s when I go dancing until five in the morning."
By the way, Sarah was named Maxim`s 2008 Woman of the Year. You can read more of the December issue of "Maxim." It is on sale Tuesday, November 20th.
HAMMER: All right. So, no babies yet for Buffy, but that`s not the case over on "The View." A brand new addition to the show. Such great news. Tonight we`ve got Elizabeth Hasselbeck revealing for the first time just what she has named her new baby. Plus, the very first pictures, too. It`s all coming up next on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
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ANDERSON: And welcome back to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. This is TV`s most provocative entertainment news show. I`m Brooke Anderson. Some big news over at "The View," and I`m happy to say it doesn`t involve any controversy or outrage. No, tonight there`s a new kind of addition. Kind of. Co-host Elizabeth Hasselbeck gave birth to a baby boy on Friday in Arizona. He checked in at seven pounds, 15 ounces. And today, Elizabeth finally revealed his name when she called in to the show.
WHOOPI GOLDBERG, CO-HOST, "THE VIEW": Young Elizabeth Hasselbeck, we heard news. We heard you had a baby.
ELIZABETH HASSELBECK, CO-HOST, "THE VIEW": I did, Whoopi. I was trying to hold out for your birthday. Tomorrow.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE CO-HOST: Look at how pretty.
HASSELBECK: A woman can only squeeze so much. The baby came out.
GOLDBERG: You called me on Saturday. When was the baby born?
HASSELBECK: The baby was born on Friday.
GOLDBERG: Yes.
HASSELBERG: In the morning, 7:52 a.m. His name is Taylor Thomas Hasselbeck.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE CO-HOST: Ah, nice. Taylor.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE CO-HOST: Revealed his name.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE CO-HOST: Taylor is cute.
WALTERS: That`s very cute.
HASSELBECK: Yes. First time.
ANDERSON: Little Taylor joins 2-year-old sister Grace who was in a couple of the pictures. Taylor is the second child for Hasselbeck and her NFL quarterback husband, Tim. Elizabeth says she`s be back co-hosting "The View" just after the first of the year. We do wish everyone well. Congratulations.
HAMMER: (UNINTELLIGIBLE) in the hospital though. Time to see what`s coming up on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT Tuesday. The stunning transformation of Ben Affleck. Here`s a guy who won an Oscar, who put his career on hold for his personal life. Now, he is married to Jennifer Garner and has a kid. And now there`s talk of another Oscar for "Gone Baby Gone." A dramatic look at Ben Affleck Tuesday.
Also Tuesday, O.J. Simpson back in court. Will he stand trial on kidnapping and armed robbery charges? Things not looking good for the Juice. We`ll be right there Tuesday.
And that is it for SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. Thanks a lot for watching. I`m A.J. Hammer in New York.
I`m Brooke Anderson in Hollywood. The latest from "CNN HEADLINE NEWS" is coming up next. Take care.
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