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Showbiz Tonight
Questions in Heath Ledger Death; Celeb Custody Battles; U2 New Concert Movie in 3D
Aired January 24, 2008 - 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: Startling new twists in two nasty star custody battles. Did Britney Spears really cut a secret and disturbing deal with the paparazzi? And Denise Richards and Charlie Sheen, is Denise really going to tape a reality show starring her two young kids? I`m A.J. Hammer in New York. TV`s most provocative entertainment news show starts right now.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
HAMMER (voice-over): On SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, dramatic new details about Heath Ledger`s shocking death. Tonight, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT asks the puzzling questions. Why did his autopsy come back inconclusive? What`s the real story behind the frantic calls to Mary-Kate Olsen by Heath`s masseuse? And what was the actor`s state of mind in the days leading up to his death?
KIM LEDGER, HEATH LEDGER`S FATHER: He was a down-to-earth, generous, kind-hearted, life-loving and selfless individual who was extremely inspirational to many.
HAMMER: Plus, an emotional, revealing look at Heath Ledger the dad, and just how is his little daughter Matilda dealing with her painful, unspeakable loss?
Tonight, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT with all the late-breaking developments surrounding Heath Ledger`s tragic death.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HAMMER: Hello, I`m A.J. Hammer, broadcasting tonight and every night from New York City. Brooke Anderson is on assignment. Tonight, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT has learned the disturbing details of the final hours of Heath Ledger`s life. But what is also disturbing is how many questions remain unanswered. The biggest one being, just what killed the 28-year-old Oscar- nominated superstar?
We`re covering this story like no other entertainment news show and have been working and digging to find out what really happened. Just as Heath`s family comes to New York City to prepare for his funeral.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: As far as we assume, it was a tragic accidental death.
HAMMER: Heath Ledger`s uncles appeared on the "CBS Early Show" to talk about their famous nephew`s mysterious death. And with all the talk about pills and Ledger`s personal troubles, the uncles wanted to make one point about his death, Ledger wouldn`t have done anything rash.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It just wouldn`t come into the equation.
HAMMER: Meanwhile, Michelle Williams, Ledger`s ex-girlfriend and the mother of their 2-year-old daughter Matilda, didn`t say a word to the media as she hurried into the Brooklyn home she and Ledger once shared. Reports say she is absolutely devastated.
But as Ledger`s loved ones and fans mourn his death and the results of the initial autopsy inconclusive, the question of how this 28-year-old star died in his apartment is now America`s biggest mystery.
KATIE DARYL, TMZ-TV: There are so many questions surrounding this. How are the Olsen twins involved? What kind of medication? Did he have pneumonia?
HAMMER: Now with the help of our sources inside the NYPD with inside knowledge of the investigation, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT has pieced together the final hours of Ledger`s life, to hopefully make some sense of this great loss.
DARYL: We want to know how it happened and why and how can we prevent this in the future for someone else?
HAMMER: SHOWBIZ TONIGHT brings you the last two people to see Ledger, his housekeeper and masseuse. At 12:30 p.m. Tuesday, January 22nd, Ledger`s housekeeper, Teresa Solomon, arrived at his $23,000 a month New York City apartment, similar to this neighboring one pictured here in a real estate ad.
DARYL: The housekeeper arrived and Mr. Ledger was upstairs sleeping, relaxing, from what we are being told, he was suffering from pneumonia. So of course, she was probably being quiet and trying to be respectful of Heath Ledger.
HAMMER: In fact, police sources tell SHOWBIZ TONIGHT that when Solomon finally entered Ledger`s bedroom to change a light bulb, she saw him lying face down on the bed and she says she actually heard him snoring.
DARYL: Apparently Heath Ledger was sleeping at that time and then the masseuse arrives.
HAMMER: Two-forty-five Diana Wolozin, arrived at the apartment. When Ledger didn`t emerge from his bedroom for his 3:00 massage, she went in and found him lying on his bed. When she shook him and he didn`t respond, she grabbed his cell phone and called someone Ledger reportedly had been dating, former child star Mary-Kate Olsen, who was in California at the time.
DARYL: Apparently she had worked with both of them as clients, but also knew that the two were friends. So when she saw that Heath Ledger was in danger and needed help, she then called Mary-Kate Olsen to say, I know that you live in the neighborhood, is there any suggestions that you can make, who should we call? It turned out Mary-Kate Olsen was able to alert some of her bodyguards that were in the area.
HAMMER: At 3:26 p.m., after another conversation with Olsen and another unsuccessful attempt to wake Ledger, Wolozin calls 911, 26 minutes after she first found him in the bedroom. Sources tell SHOWBIZ TONIGHT she tried to perform CPR on Ledger, but again, nothing. Just seven minutes later, at 3:33, the ambulance gets to the apartment. At about the same time, the bodyguard that Mary-Kate Olsen sent, arrives.
DARYL: TMZ has learned that when paramedics arrived on the scene, Heath Ledger`s room looked normal. It did not look disheveled. It was not filled with drugs. He had some pill bottles which were mainly full and they were all prescribed to him. So it was a normal scene when they arrived.
HAMMER: The paramedics tried to save Ledger, but it was too late. At 3:36, police arrived on the scene and Ledger was pronounced dead. The real tragedy is that there probably wasn`t anything anyone could have done for Ledger.
DARYL: We know that he probably died somewhere between 1:00 and 3:00.
HAMMER: Meaning that he probably died between the time the housekeeper left the bedroom and the time the masseuse arrived at the apartment. So now, with Ledger`s family reportedly making the long, sad flight from Australia, everyone is left with a powerful sense of sadness for a brilliant career cut short, for a young man well-liked by his friends and loved ones and for a little 2-year-old girl who`ll never know her father.
DARYL: Now we are at the stage where obviously everyone is sad, they`re crushed. This is a tragedy.
HAMMER: Not only is it a tragedy, it is a mystery that probably won`t be solved any time soon.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HAMMER: Wow, there are so many unanswered questions surrounding Heath`s death, but one thing for sure that we do know, this is a devastating and emotional loss for his former fiancee and young child. It`s just so hard to describe. Joining me from Hollywood, investigative journalist Jane Velez-Mitchell and founder, Fifteen Minutes Public Relations, Howard Bragman.
Jane, Howard, we just saw Michelle Williams returning home on Wednesday night. The glare of the cameras everywhere, as you can see in the video. Howard, I can`t imagine how hard this is for her given what a private person Michelle is.
HOWARD BRAGMAN, FOUNDER, FIFTEEN MINUTES PUBLIC RELATIONS: You know, we have all had to deal with grief before, A.J., but there`s nothing harder than dealing with it in front of the glare of the cameras. And I sort of take small comfort in the fact that I have met her parents, Michelle`s parents and they`re there with her. She has got wonderful, supportive family and friends and I know that helps.
But you know, she is just not one of those actresses that you see in the blogs and the tabloids. She is very private. That`s why they lived in Brooklyn. So I know this is hard on her and everybody`s heart goes out to her and I think the neighbors will help protect her from some of the more obnoxious paparazzi. And I hope people will show some respect for her as befitting what she has gone through.
HAMMER: Yes, I really would like to see that as well. And she has done a remarkable job of keeping her private life for the most part private, and not shown up everywhere. As you mentioned, Howard, she`s surrounded by her close friends and her family.
Jane, she really is going to need so much help to get through this. I mean, as Howard said, you know, we have all lost a loved one, but when you`re doing it with the cameras outside your door, gosh, that has got to be impossible.
JANE VELEZ-MITCHELL, INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALIST: A.J., I cannot imagine the stress that she is going through right now, having to come from a foreign country, Sweden, back home, shielding her little daughter as a mob of paparazzi swarm in. It`s just horrifying.
And then on top of that, she doesn`t have any closure because the initial autopsy results are inconclusive. We are all going to have to wait 10 days to two weeks for the toxicology reports so she is living with all these unanswered questions.
And finally, there`s always the irrational guilt. They broke up back in September. It was an amicable break-up, but when you consider the tragedy that`s incurred, there`s always this tendency to sort of second guess yourself and that only increases the heart ache.
HAMMER: Well, it seems from what we have been hearing, fatherhood really transformed Heath Ledger. We did have the opportunity to catch up with actor Alessandro Nivola was Heath and Michelle`s neighbor in Brooklyn, New York. I want to show you what he told SHOWBIZ TONIGHT about Heath as a dad.
Watch this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ALESSANDRO NIVOLA, ACTOR: He and Michelle are actually our neighbors. They live next door to us in Brooklyn and he -- you know, she is a friend of ours and I didn`t know him as well, but you know, in all my encounters with him he was just an incredibly sweet guy and he loved his little daughter and I was a huge fan of his as an actor. So I -- you know, it`s just -- it`s awful.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: Indeed. Just a small glimpse into his thoughts. But Howard Bragman, you knew Heath Ledger well. You worked with him as a publicist. What do you know about what kind of father Heath was?
BRAGMAN: You know, I just had a small glimpse of him with his child, but it didn`t take much more than a small glimpse of him with Matilda to see the love that was there. And, you know, Heath was a restless guy, that`s no secret. And she was really the center of his life.
And it was much more about his child than even acting for him, and when I`d run into him at an event or at a party, it was always, how`s Matilda and he`d tell me about how she`s growing and what she`s saying. And a tragic loss for the baby. And.
HAMMER: Yes. And the kind of that guy I imagine, who just started to glow when her name came up?
BRAGMAN: Oh, absolutely. I mean, fatherhood really completed him. He was made to be a father. You know? It took his -- all his restless spirit and energy and focused it on something really precious. And I`m grateful for the time he had in his life to be a father because that was probably the most joyous time of his life.
HAMMER: And even though he and Michelle split up, Matilda was a huge part of Heath`s life. We always saw pictures like the one we`re seeing now in the newspaper or the pictures of Matilda on Heath`s shoulders in New York City, just acting like a normal mother and daughter.
Jane, obviously, Matilda is going to notice the absence of her dad. Yes, she is 2 years old, but obviously she -- he was a big part of her life. Really, just another sad and tragic part of the story that we can`t forget.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Absolutely. This child right now at the age of 2 is too young to really appreciate and understand the magnitude of this tragedy. But this is going to be a defining tragedy for her entire life. In fact, these kinds of tragedies have ripple affects for generations.
And that`s why I really urge the paparazzi to be cautious, to err on side of caution. Take a step back and give this family the room it needs to grieve. And, also, to the tabloid media in general, let`s hold back on the speculation. We don`t know what happened yet. And let`s give them the benefit of the doubt.
HAMMER: Howard, real quickly, you told us just after he died that this was among the most difficult star death experiences you have ever seen among the reaction of your colleagues. Now that it has settled in for a few days, what are you hearing?
BRAGMAN: Well, I think there`s still a general numbness of this town that has overtaken the Academy Awards and everything else and there`s still pain. Among his team, as I`ve said already, I feel bad for his publicist, his agents, his manager, because they still have to go on. They have contracts, work to clean up, interview requests for the family and things like that they have to handle.
And then there`s the studios and people that have his movies. Some were half finished, some were finished and they`re going, how do we market them? So it`s happening at a lot of different levels. The pain is enormous. The pain and the loss is enormous.
HAMMER: Yes, so tough. So tough on so many levels. Jane Velez- Mitchell, Howard Bragman, thank you very much.
All right. What about Heath`s state of mind? What was going on in his head during the days, the weeks that led up to his death? It really seems from everything we now know that he was having a tough time dealing with the pressures of his career, his devastating break-up with Michelle Williams, which meant that he had to split his time seeing his daughter Matilda whom he obviously loved so much. We`re going to take a revealing look at just what Heath was going through, coming up next.
Also, startling new twists in the nastiest custody battles that are going on in Hollywood, you know them. Denise Richards versus Charlie Sheen. Will Denise really tape a reality show featuring their two young daughters? Gosh, I really hope not. That is a bad idea.
And Britney Spears, can`t forget about her fight with K-Fed. Trying to get visitation back with their boys. Well, get this, did Britney cut a secret deal with the paparazzi? And if so, you know, that ain`t going to fly with the judge. That`s coming up on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HAMMER: "Last week, I probably slept an average of two hours a night. I couldn`t stop thinking. My body was exhausted and my mind was still going."
Those were the disturbing words of Heath Ledger in an interview with The New York Times last November, two months before his death. Welcome back to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, TV`s most provocative entertainment news show. I`m A.J. Hammer in New York.
And tonight, there are more and more clues emerging about Ledger`s possible state of mind in the months leading up to his shocking and mysterious death on Tuesday when the 28-year-old superstar was found dead in his New York City apartment. Joining me tonight in New York City, clinical psychologist Dr. Judy Kuriansky; in Hollywood tonight, psychiatrist Dr. Reef Karim.
Dr. Karim, Dr. Judy Kuriansky, thank you for being here. The comments that I just read were made while Heath was filming his role as the Joker in the new Batman film "The Dark Knight." Dr. Judy, a sleep disorder can really affect somebody`s frame of mind, can`t it?
DR. JUDY KURIANSKY, CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGIST: Terrifically so, "Dark Knight," indeed. Ironic that that`s the name of the film. And that`s what it feels like. I`m sure that Heath was going through torture. Like the millions of Americans, about 40 percent of women, 30 percent of men go through not being able to sleep.
And Heath described it well to The New York Times when he said his body is exhausted and his mind won`t shut off. It is painful not to shut off those thoughts. That leads to desperation, what are you going to do and delirium and disorientation and all of those Ds which really can lead to people doing things that can end up being very dangerous for themselves.
HAMMER: And at a minimum it can certainly lead to pursuing the proper medication to handle hose things. Now I need to make it very clear, nobody at all is suggesting for even a moment that Heath Ledger may have taken his own life, but clearly if you look at the circumstances, he was troubled. Three anxiety medications were found in his apartment, Xanax, Valium, and Ativan, along with one sleeping medication, and a sedative.
Dr. Karim, that combination of drugs on hand, even if he wasn`t taking them at all at the same time, what does that tell you?
DR. REEF KARIM, PSYCHIATRIST: Yes, you know, as a physician in the medical community, we are always looking for a differential diagnosis, which basically means what are all the reasons that something can happens in life and in death to cause people problems? In this case, all of these medications are either sedative hypnotics or very similar to sedative hypnotics.
Those are drugs for anxiety, for sleep disorders, as we mentioned, that, you know, he has had sleep deprivation for a while. And what they do is when you take too many of them, or you OD on them, they cause a decrease in your central nervous system. It slows down things.
So the main cause of death, if there is death in the case of an overdose with these pills, is usually respiratory depression. Meaning, your respiratory drive just decreases so much that you stop breathing. But in this.
HAMMER: And that -- can that also be caused from taking a combination, not necessarily a large quantity of the pills, but just a combination of these meds that may have interaction?
KARIM: Absolutely. There could be -- because you think about it, you`re compounding it. You`re taking one medication of the same thing, and another one that is doing the same thing, and you`re compounding the results. But the interesting thing here is that it appears that he was in cardiac arrest when this happened.
Cardiac arrest should not happen in the case of these medications. I mean, these medications are FDA-approved, there is safety data. They`re good medications. You can`t take too many of them.
But here`s the thing, if you look at the poison control records on how many people are calling in about these types of medications, in 2005, 65,000 people called in scared that they ODed on the medication, 0.003 percent of these people died. So it is very, very rare for this happen.
HAMMER: And this is why it is so important for us to look towards the autopsy results which are thus far inconclusive. We`ll know something within a couple of weeks. We also know that Heath was dealing with a lot of stress, obviously, from his break-up with actress Michelle Williams, his co-star in "Brokeback Mountain," and being away from their 2-year-old child.
Dr. Judy, I imagine the stress of those two things alone could cause insomnia and the need for somebody to medicate with a variety of drugs.
KURIANSKY: Well, exactly. That sense of being alone is very common in insomnia and in cycles also with depression and anxiety. So you put those three together, it is very potent. When you`re separated from your loved ones, that causes your mind to just keep racing all the time. And then you get into this awful sense that life is just so frustrating and you can`t even control your sleep.
And that ends up making you feel more lonely and disconnected, obviously, from his young daughter whom he loved so much.
HAMMER: Yes. Dr. Judy Kuriansky, Dr. Reef Karim, I do appreciate you giving us at least a glimpse into what may possibly have been going on in Heath`s mind at the time he died. I appreciate it very much.
Well, there are so many important unanswered questions regarding Heath Ledger`s shocking death.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HEATH LEDGER, ACTOR: I think you also look at death differently. You don`t want to die because you want to be around for the rest of her life.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: Why did his autopsy come back inconclusive? What role, if any, did the sleeping pills found in Heath`s apartment play? And what`s the real story behind the frantic call to Mary-Kate Olsen by Heath`s masseuse? We are investigating all of these questions coming up.
Also, startling new twists in the nastiest custody battles going on in Hollywood. Denise Richards versus Charlie Sheen. Will Denise possibly tape a reality show featuring their two young daughters? Gosh, I hope not. That is a terrible idea.
And Britney Spears, can`t forget about her fight with K-Fed to get visitation of their boys back. Did Britney cut a secret and disturbing deal with the paparazzi? That is not going to look good at all. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT is coming right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HAMMER: Here are some other big Hollywood stories new right now. Big stars are getting Tom Cruise`s back. People magazine says Adam Sandler and Demi Moore, Dustin Hoffman and others are fed up with the way the media has been treating Tom about his marriage, about his daughter Suri, and about Scientology. Sandler called the invasion of Tom`s private life "sickening."
All right. Maybe sometimes he does get a raw deal. But you know, when it comes to Scientology and those recent videos, well, you have got to admit they`re a little shocking.
Celebrity blogger Perez Hilton has been awarded $85,000 in legal fees after a defamation suit filed against him by a friend of Lindsay Lohan was tossed. Lohan`s friend Samantha Ronson had sued Perez after he posted a story that said she had planted cocaine in Lohan`s car when Lindsay crashed into a tree last May. That suit was dismissed back in November.
And former talk show host Jenny Jones is giving away a million dollars. On her Web site, jennysheroes.com, you can apply for grants of $25,000 towards projects to help others. It kind of makes up for all those paternity tests and "My Wife Is Really a Man" episodes she used to do.
All right. You know this ugly Charlie Sheen/Denise Richards custody battle feels like a talk show circus. Tonight, I can tell you this thing has really taken a bizarre turn. Is Denise really going to tape a reality show featuring the couple`s two young daughters? I hope not. It sounds really wrong. That is coming up.
And the Britney Spears` custody mess. Another day, another shocking development. Get this, did Britney cut a secret and disturbing deal with the paparazzi? If so, that ain`t going to help get your kids back, Britney. We have also got this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
H. LEDGER: I think you also look at death differently. You don`t want to die because you want to be around for the rest of her life.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: Still so many unanswered questions in Heath Ledger`s death. Why did his autopsy come back inconclusive and what is the real story behind the frantic calls to Mary-Kate Olsen by Heath`s masseuse? SHOWBIZ TONIGHT investigates all that, coming up next.
We have seen all kinds of Heath Ledger tributes popping up on the Internet, fans taping their thoughts on video. We would like to get them from you. Send us your Heath Ledger video e-mail tributes by heading over to our Web site at cnn.com/showbiztonight. We`re going to choose some to play right here on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
(NEWSBREAK)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
AJ HAMMER, CNNHN ANCHOR, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT: On SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, new details about the shocking death of actor Heath Ledger, but still so many lingering questions. How did he die? Why did the masseuse who found him call Mary-Kate Olsen before she called 911 and did the prescription drugs the police found in his apartment play any role in his death? Tonight, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT with the latest developments and the many questions that remain in the tragic and untimely death of one of Hollywood`s most talented, young actors.
Welcome back to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. TV`s most provocative entertainment news show. It is 30 minutes past the hour. I`m AJ Hammer broadcasting tonight and every night from New York City. Brooke Anderson is on assignment. Here`s the latest on the tragic death of Heath Ledger. Startling new details emerging including reports that the masseuse who found Ledger`s body actually called Mary-Kate Olsen twice before she called 911. "People" magazine is reporting that Ledger and Olsen were casually dating for a few months. While the masseuse was on the phone with 911 dispatchers she tried to perform CPR on Ledger but he was unresponsive. About seven minutes later, emergency personnel arrived, performed CPR and used a defibrillator on Ledger and then pronounced him dead. And there are still so many lingering questions. How did Heath Leger die? What role if any did his prescription sleeping pills play in his death?
Joining me tonight in Hollywood, investigative journalist, Jane Velez- Mitchell, in New York tonight, staff editor for "People" magazine David Caplan, also in New York weekend co-anchor of "Access Hollywood" Shaun Robinson. Gang, I really appreciate you being all here with us tonight. I want to start of with one question that we`ve all had from the beginning since her name first popped up. What exactly is Mary-Kate Olsen`s relationship to Heath Ledger? As we just reported, Ledger`s masseuse called Mary-Kate twice, first when she first discovered Ledger`s unconscious body. David Kaplan, let me start with you. "People" magazine has some new details about this. What can you tell us?
DAVID CAPLAN, STAFF EDITOR, "PEOPLE" MAGAZINE: Sources tell "People" that Mary-Kate and Heath Ledger were actually dating, casually dating for about three months prior to his death. The two of them had a lot in common but a lot of what was in common was actually based on their enjoyment of the night life. They went out a lot to a lot of the same clubs downtown and although they were dating, they weren`t exclusive with each other.
HAMMER: So even if they were dating, I think the question that`s looming for so many people, why when Ledger`s masseuse found him unconscious in bed did she call Mary-Kate instead of immediately calling 911? Jane Velez-Mitchell, I understand people don`t always have the most sound judgment when they`re in a panicked situation. But wouldn`t it make more sense to call the cops if you found someone laying in bed unconscious?
JANE VELEZ-MITCHELL, INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALIST: AJ, certainly it would have been a better call to call 911 immediately. But it`s easy for us as Monday morning quarterbacks to sit here and make that judgment. Put yourself in the shoes of the masseuse. She`s there with a major star. If she calls 911 and the cops show up and you know the paparazzi wouldn`t be far behind and he wakes up because he`s just passed out, he could be furious because she would have caused an unnecessary scandal. I`m not saying it`s the right thing to do. It was a bad judgment call. But you have to realize that fame colors everything. And this masseuse was not dealing with an ordinary customer. She`s dealing with one of the most famous guys around. That`s why she called another famous person and said, hey, what should I do? And that famous person tried to handle it discretely.
HAMMER: You can`t fault her for doing what she may have believed at the moment was the most responsible thing to do. I agree with you on that. Police found six different kinds of prescription drugs in Ledger`s apartment to treat insomnia and anxiety. Now they say he could have accidentally overdosed. The autopsy as we now know has come up inconclusive. It`s going to be at least 10 days or more before we have any word on the final results. Shaun Robinson, does it come as a surprise to you that the cause of death is not so clear cut?
SHAUN ROBINSON, WEEKEND CO-ANCHOR, "ACCESS HOLLYWOOD": At all AJ and as you said, there were six types of prescription drugs that were found in his apartment to treat insomnia and anxiety and we now know that three of the drugs were prescribed in Europe where Heath Ledger was filming recently. Another report has come in that says that they were a combination of anti-histamine and five other sleeping medications. And, we`ve talked to doctors about this and they say this can be a lethal combination if given in the wrong dosage or in a combination with each other, so we just don`t know right now. But the autopsy results should be back within about 10 days.
HAMMER: Yeah. Obviously, we can`t jump to any conclusions before the toxicology reports come back, part of the autopsy. David Caplain, were you surprised at all that it came back inconclusive, these initial results from the autopsy?
CAPLAN: No it wasn`t a surprise, because a lot of times they`re looking for a lot more -- more work needs to be done on the body and in this case, the medical office is saying they need to do toxicology reports. They need to test the tissue, so there`s still a lot of unanswered questions here.
HAMMER: It is interesting to look at the time line because this is helping at least answer a few things about what may have come down in the hours and the time leading up to his death. We have a bit of that time line to share with you now. At 1:00 p.m., Ledger`s housekeeper went into his bedroom apparently to change a light bulb and heard him snoring. So that`s 1:00, almost two hours later, Ledger`s massage therapist who would come up for a scheduled appointment at 3:00 went into his room, found him unconscious. Jane Velez-Mitchell, will we have any lingering questions do you think once we do see the results of this autopsy and toxicology reports or do you think we`ll have a case closed at this point?
VELEZ-MITCHELL: I think when we get the toxicology reports back that analyze the blood and the tissue, we will know for sure. You know, it`s very common to have to wait like this. This happened with the Anna Nicole Smith case where the initial autopsy results were inconclusive. We had to wait weeks and then it came back that it was an accidental overdose with the exacerbation of a fever. I`m not saying that`s going to be the case here, but these cases are so often multi-determined. It is not one thing. It is a perfect storm of bad judgment, bad timing and bad luck that converge to create tragedy. And had one little thing, one factor been different, he might have been alive today.
HAMMER: Yeah, definitely, definitely something worth considering. I was among those who had converged down on the scene with the media and the paparazzi the night after Heath Ledger had died. Shaun, I know you were down there in front of his apartment the day he died. You saw all that we`re looking at now, this ladder going in, the swarms of paparazzi. The fans even saw Heath Ledger`s body being carried out. What sticks in your mind the most about that day and that evening?
ROBINSON: Well, AJ, as you said I was down there during that time. You just showed some video of police officials bringing a ladder into the apartment building along with some duct tape and we were wondering why they were doing that. Let me tell you the exact reason. There were paparazzi photographers on the adjacent building trying to shoot down into the window of the bedroom where Heaths body was and so what the police officers had to do was put the ladder up and then put a sheet up and tape it to the window so nobody could shoot inside of the apartment. Just a few minutes after that, when the, you know, the coroner`s office went into the apartment building, I was standing right outside in front of the barricade right behind the barricade. And they wheeled his body right in front of me. I`m telling you, it was a scene that I will never, ever, ever, forget in his life. It was just so surreal and also when it happened, I kind of ducked down a little bit because the crush of the photographers behind me. They were kind of pushing up against me trying to get that shot which only lasted a few seconds but I got to tell you, it was just surreal.
HAMMER: Yeah and a heart breaking few seconds. And I remember Shaun, when I showed up at the scene and noticed the openness of this loft building as you looked up at each of the four floors, it was wide open. I wasn`t surprised at all to later learn that they were bringing that ladder in to hang the sheets to cover up his bedroom window. Most heart breaking though in this whole thing is how hard this has to be on Ledger`s ex- fiancee Michelle Williams and their two-year-old daughter Matilda. Here they are returning to Brooklyn from Ledger`s wake. Ledger gave us a little insight into his love of his daughter, words that now have a new and tragic meaning. I want you to watch what he told us.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HEATH LEDGER: You also look at death differently. It`s like a "Catch 22," like I feel good about dying now because I feel like I`m alive in her, you know? But at the same hand you don`t want to die because you want to be around for the rest of her life. That`s kind of like an interesting kind of little set-up.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: David Caplan, obviously she is devastated. What more can you tell us about how Michelle is dealing with all this?
CAPLAN: Sources close to Michelle tell people that she is devastated right now needless to say. She`s surrounded right now with her mom who`s with her in Brooklyn and right now, other of Heath`s family also is arriving in New York tomorrow where they`ll attend and deal with a private ceremony and private funeral but right now she`s been swarmed by paparazzi at her home, tons of reporters and she is not saying a word.
HAMMER: David Caplan.
ROBINSON: AJ, can I just add something very quickly?
HAMMER: I have about 10 seconds for you Shaun.
ROBINSON: A lot of people were taking that sound bite to think that he wanted to die, but the family said this guy loved life, loved his daughter and wanted to be there for her.
HAMMER: I think what it was indicating was how satisfied he was with his life. I think that was the case. David Caplan, Shaun Robinson, Jane Velez-Mitchell, thank you for being with us to try to make sense of this great tragedy. Now, we want to let you know that the death of Heath Ledger is also the cover story in the new issue of "People" magazine. They turned this around real quickly. You`ll find it on newsstands Friday.
Well, some fans have been making video tributes to Heath Ledger. They`re popping up on the Internet. If you would like to send us your very own tribute, I`d like you to go to our website cnn.com/showbiztonight. Send us a video e-mail. We`re going to get to some them right here on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
Three other big stories new right now in Hollywood. First, Charlie Sheen and Denise Richards` battle over their kids is getting even uglier if you can believe it. Denise wants to do a reality show with her two little kids. I think that sounds like a terrible idea. So does Charlie. And this has ended up in a place that Charlie and Denise seem to feel most comfortable, in court. Well, Charlie and Denise may try but they cannot outdo Britney Spears as far as bizarre custody battles go. Check this out. Did Britney cut a secret deal with the paparazzi? Trust me, this is a disturbing development if it is true.
And a video of Amy Winehouse getting lots of attention from the police. On the video, she appears to be smoking something from a glass pipe after saying she took six Valium. We have got the fired up guests who are ready to get into all three of these provocative stories coming up next on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
First, the Screen Actors Guild awards are going to be held this Sunday. Obviously, Heath Ledger`s death is going to cast a somber mood over the ceremony. Now Ledger`s co-star in "I`m Not There," Cate Blanchett has been nominated for best supporting actress. And here are the other nominees for best supporting actress, Ruby Dee for "American Gangster," Catherine Keener for "Into the Wild," Amy Ryan for "Gone Baby Gone" and Tilda Swinton for "Michael Clayton." SHOWBIZ TONIGHT coming right back.
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HAMMER: Welcome back to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, TV`s most provocative entertainment news show. I`m AJ Hammer in New York. Tonight, the other new big stories that are new right now that we have to talk about. The nasty divorce duo, Charlie Sheen and Denise Richards are going at each other again, this time over whether Denise should be allowed to have their two small children appear with her in a reality TV show.
There are also new developments tonight in the ugly Britney Spears/Kevin Federline custody battle. Did Britney cut a secret and disturbing deal with the paparazzi?
And tonight, the startling video of Grammy-nominated singer Amy Winehouse smoking something in a glass pipe after she`s heard saying that she`s just taken six Valium. We`ve now learned that Scotland Yard has started an investigation. Joining me tonight in Hollywood, E!online columnist Ted Casablanca and also in Hollywood, Kim Serafin, senior editor for "In Touch" weekly. I appreciate you both being here tonight and I want to start off with the startling Britney news. TMZ reporting that K-Fed`s lawyer believes that Britney actually struck a deal with the photo agency X-17. She would give them exclusive photos of her erratic behavior in exchange for money and apparently Sam Lufte (ph), according to this report, Britney`s manager/friend was the whole one behind conducting this deal. Kim, if this is true, doesn`t it kind of help explain the strange late- night gas station and shopping trips?
KIM SERAFIN, SENIOR EDITOR, "IN TOUCH" WEEKLY: Yeah. That could certainly be an explanation why she goes out shopping at 2:00 in the morning or needs to go to the gas station for a Red Bull at 11:00 at night. You know, the commissioner has already made it clear that he thinks that Britney does seem to kind of court the media so I don`t know if this would be a big surprise or shock to anyone that there was some sort a deal in place because it does seem like she goes out and wants that media attention and needs that media attention.
HAMMER: Would it be a good thing for her? Ted, do you think if this deal actually took place, Britney could be in big trouble.
TED CASABLANCA, COLUMNIST, E!ONLINE: Listen, AJ, I can`t believe the stuff that startles you. That Britney`s making a deal, of course, she`s made a deal. Lots of stars do like Paris and Lindsay. It is an old thing. I think much more startling is hanging around with Sam Lufte, the guy who brokered the deal. This is a guy who has had restraining orders against him. I mean, why isn`t anyone looking at that? I find that much more his influence on Britney to be much more damning than, you know, making a deal with the paps. Lots of stars do that.
HAMMER: To be clear, Ted, I follow this stuff every day and yeah, it still does startle me, it`s true. Wednesday, Britney as we now know failed once again to get her visitation rights back to her children. Now Britney`s lawyers have devised a plan so Britney can hopefully get outpatient care to see her kids. What do you think, Kim? Is there any chance that this plan can actually work?
SERAFIN: You know, I think what she needs to do is really show that she`s committed to something, committed to it. I mean, yes, took a step when she did finally show up for the deposition at Kevin Federline`s lawyers` office, so it looked like she was back on track. And then she shows up to court when her lawyers try to make this bid so she can have this therapeutic custody, you know, visitation rights with her kids. Shows up to court, walk through the metal detectors and then leaves so it`s sort of like one day she seems on. One day she seems off. I think she`s got to show consistence and consistency to show that she really does want her kids back.
HAMMER: And we keep waiting for that to happen. We need to move on now to another pop wreck, Amy Winehouse. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT can tell you in a new development that we just learned, Winehouse has finally decided to enter rehab. This coming on the heels of the shocking home video showing Amy smoking something in a glass pipe. Ted, is it too much to believe that the leak of this tape might have actually been done intentionally by somebody perhaps in her life, to give her the nudge that she needed to get help which now she apparently is getting?
CASABLANCA: No, I don`t think that`s the case at all. I think everyone already knew clearly pretty much what you see in the tape is what was up in her life. I think that we have got a concerned dad who`s really able to get through to his kid. That`s what`s going on here. What should be happening with Lynn Spears and Britney Spears, you are seeing with Amy Winehouse work with her father. He wants to see her get cleaned up terribly. And also, she`s going to be the hottest thing at the Grammys and I think that`s something that`s feeding it, too. She wants to be the star of that show.
HAMMER: I hope she is getting the help that she needs and maybe she got scared straight when she heard that Scotland Yard was getting involved.
Another story that`s new right now. We got to talk about this, Charlie Sheen, Denise Richards, back in court. It does appear Denise has gotten the OK from a judge to have her daughter, Sam, three and Lola, two, take part in a reality show and she plans to star in it with them. I got to say, Kim, I don`t think it is a good idea to have kids who have already seen their parents air so much dirty laundry become part of a TV show about their life. What do you think?
SERAFIN: Sure. That`s certainly the case, although the reports coming in about this potential show are still kind of new and still kind of sketchy. Apparently according to the reports that she did get this permission to have the kids be a part of the show, but there are certain restrictions that the commissioner put in order. So you would assume that there`s definitely protections in order for the kids so that they`re not in too much of the show or that certain parts of their personal life are protected and of course this show is rumored to be or Ryan Seacrest I guess has said he is involved with the show. They haven`t talked about what network it would be on yet, but Ryan Seacrest. I mean he is "American Idol" and he produces "Keeping up with the Cardation (ph)," not necessarily salacious shows, so I`m sure it would be done in a tasteful manner considering his involvement.
HAMMER: All that said, it is hard to understand with all the drama in her life why she would ever want cameras to be recording every bit of it. Maybe she needs the money. I don`t know. I`m out of time, though there guys, Ted Casablanca, Kim Serafin --
CASABLANCA: Let`s wait and see the show before we damn it.
HAMMER: I think that is probably what we need to do. It just is odd to me.
Remember when Britney and Amy Winehouse made headlines because of their music? Man, it seems like a long time ago. I got to say, these days it is nice to see that some artists are still making art. Coming up, U2`s amazing new movie. This is fantastic. It`s a concert film. It`s a documentary and the best part about it, it`s in 3d. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT`s Brooke Anderson spoke with Bono at the Sundance film festival about the music and the message. That is coming up next. You will not want to miss it.
First, a look at what`s new at the movies this week brought to you by Progresso lights. Opening on Friday, after 20 years, "Rambo" is back. Sylvester Stallone plays John Rambo who`s living a quiet solitary life and he`s a bow and arrow fisherman, but you can bet that doesn`t last for long. Also opening up on Friday, "Untraceable," a mystery drama starring Diane Lane and Colin Hanks and in limited release, Jack Black in "Be Kind, Rewind." And that is what`s new at the movie this week brought to you Progresso light. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT coming right back.
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HAMMER: SHOWBIZ TONIGHT`s Brooke Anderson has been talking with all the stars at the Sundance film festival including rock group U2 who debuted their new documentary "U23D."
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BROOKE ANDERSON, CNNHN CORRESPONDENT: A dizzying excitement permeates performances by the rock band U2.
BONO: It`s rock n roll show but there`s lots of kind of other feelings in it.
ANDERSON: Feelings the Irish rockers are now expressing in an unprecedented way with the first live action 3d concert documentary. Why bring U2 in concert to 3d?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We have always been in 3d and we just thought it was time that everyone saw us in 3d.
ANDERSON: Why --
BONO: I`ve been -- made me wondering why I`ve been wearing the goggles near the edge (ph).
ANDERSON: Because you have been in 3d the entire time.
BONO: I`ve been looking at things in 3d.
ANDERSON: The band is premiering "U23D" at the Sundance film festival where celebrity friends including Woody Harrelson and Randy Quaid turned out to support them.
CATHERINE OWENS, CO-DIRECTOR, "U23D": We tried to take a seriously high technology and give it a very intimate feel and bring a lot of emotion to it.
ANDERSON: The film`s co-director Catherine Owens has a long history with U2 having worked with them since the early `90s. The film offers movie goers with 3D glasses a front row seat to their 2006 monster stadium shows in South America with crowds of up to 100,000.
BONO: These people are incredible people. And they took our band to their hearts, you know, for a long time in Buenos Aires, Rio, Mexico City, Latin people, Irish people are essentially Latin people who don`t know how to dance.
ANDERSON: U2`s trademark anti-violence messages are prominent in the film with a spotlight on the United Nations declaration of human rights. The rockers see their mission as more than music.
BONO: People feel that our band is part of something bigger than just our band and they`re right. We`re humbled to be part of what`s happening in the world.
ANDERSON: The message and the music are a powerful combination especially in 3d.
BONO: It is the closest thing to being in the front row. It`s not like a normal concert film. It is a totally immersive experience.
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HAMMER: SHOWBIZ TONIGHT`s Brooke Anderson and that is it for SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. I`m AJ Hammer in New York. The latest from CNN headline news coming up next.
GLENN BECK: Well, the clowns in Washington have settled on a $145 billion economic stimulus package, too little, too late and it`s a hand out. I`m Glenn Beck. Answers next.
RICHELLE CAREY, CNNHN CORRESPONDENT: I`m Richelle Carey. This is your headline prime news break. Win a date with murder suspect Drew Peterson. Peterson and his lawyer actually called into a Chicago radio station pitching that idea. The deejay actually went along with it saying he`d chaperon but WJNK-FM is now saying, on second thought, nah, it`s not going to happen.
(INAUDIBLE) southern California museums raided by the Feds in search of stolen art. Some of the artifacts may have been smuggled from Southeast Asia.
And in Utah, maybe the youngest hitchhiker ever. A five-year-old girl sneaked out the house, planning to walk to the bus stop like a big kid. She got lost, stuck out her thumb. One woman stopped and gave her a lift to a nearby elementary school. That`s a look at some of the latest headlines. Keep it here. I`m Richelle Carey.
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