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Showbiz Tonight
Miley Cyrus Inks Autobiography Deal; Book Teaches Kids about Plastic Surgery; Which Famous Family is Most Dysfunctional?; Casting for "Dancing with Stars" Done Only to Spark Interest?
Aired April 23, 2008 - 23:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
ROBIN MEADE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Get your celebrity fix tonight, on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. It is next. And then tomorrow, wake up your news on "MORNING EXPRESS" with me, Robin Meade.
A.J. HAMMER, CNN ANCHOR: Miley Cyrus is writing her memoirs. Yes, she`s 15. Are you kidding me? I`m A.J. Hammer in New York.
BROOKE ANDERSON, CNN ANCHOR: And a new book for kids all about mommy`s tummy tuck and nose job. Give me a break. I`m Brooke Anderson in Hollywood.
HAMMER: TV`s most provocative entertainment news show starts right now.
On SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, a Star Jones shocker. Star drops a bombshell and files for divorce. Now the same woman who got slammed for turning her wedding into a public spectacle, complete with commercial sponsor, says she wants privacy.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: She couldn`t shut up about her wedding on "The View."
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: Tonight, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT with the star split that will blow your mind.
Get ready for the "Showbiz Family Feud." Top five answers on the board, here`s the question. Who are the most dysfunctional, the most outrageous, the most controversial families in show business? The Hilton Family, ready for action. The Lohan Family, ready for action. Tonight, it`s time to play the "Showbiz Family Feud."
Plus, will O.J. Simpson really compete on Donald Trump`s "Celebrity Apprentice." Are you kidding me?
Hello, I`m A.J. Hammer broadcasting tonight and every night from New York City.
ANDERSON: Hi, there, everyone. I`m Brooke Anderson coming to you from Hollywood.
Hey, when you first heard today about the possibility of O.J. Simpson appearing on Donald Trump`s "Celebrity Apprentice," did you think it was a practical joke? Well, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT is here to tell you that it apparently is not. We are bringing you the real story, coming up.
HAMMER: And it`s a wild story, Brooke. But first tonight, Star`s startling split. Star Jones absolutely blindsided us all today and revealed that she has filed for divorce.
Yes, I`m talking about the same Star Jones who turned her very public wedding ceremony into a commercial and sometimes really this embarrassing spectacle. And here`s the real kicker, Star herself brought attention to that same shameless wedding in her divorce announcement today.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
HAMMER (voice-over): It was a marriage that launched a thousand tabloid headlines and a wedding that helped launch Star Jones out of her job on "The View."
STAR JONES: I will not be returning as co-host next year.
HAMMER: And now Star Jones nearly four-year marriage to banker Al Reynolds is over. And SHOWBIZ TONIGHT can tell you the reaction in New York City is not exactly shock.
JO PIAZZA, NEW YORK DAILY NEWS: When we`ve heard rumors that Star and Al have been having problems for a while. And it was really no surprise to me that they finally filed to end their marriage.
HAMMER: In a statement Star Jones confirmed she filed for divorce on March 26th in Manhattan. And she points the finger of blame right at the media. She says, quote, "Several years ago I made an error in judgment by inviting the media into the most intimate area of my life."
PIAZZA: Star`s not kidding when she said that she invited the media into the most intimate area of her life. She literally did.
HAMMER: Jo Piazza of the New York Daily News tells SHOWBIZ TONIGHT Star Jones and Al Reynolds took heat for their marriage, literally, from the very beginning, their 2004 wedding.
PIAZZA: She couldn`t shut up about her wedding on "The View." The wedding essentially had sponsors.
HAMMER: More sponsors it seems than a typical NASCAR race. And in the days leading up to the wedding, Star couldn`t stop brand name dropping on "The View."
JONES: People like (INAUDIBLE) were nice enough to send me the different place settings that we chose.
HAMMER: Star shilling turned off views. And at the first opportunity, ABC showed her the door.
PIAZZA: ABC got a lot of heat for Star using these sponsorships for her wedding. And when it came time to renew her contract, that was a major deciding factor in ABC deciding not to renew Star Jones for "The View."
HAMMER: When I spoke with Star Jones a year after her over-the-top wedding, she told me she has no regrets.
JONES: When you`re over 40 and you`re overweight, people don`t expect you to get the guy of your dreams. They don`t expect you to get married. They expect you to be kidnapped by a terrorist before you get all of that. And so I know that it was a little over-the-top for them. But for me, it was filled with family and friends and love.
HAMMER: Even after that whole wedding controversy died down, tabloid coverage of Star`s marriage never did. Headlines often insinuated that her husband was gay, reports the couple denied.
LARRY KING, HOST, LARRY KING LIVE: But how do you react -- I know you write about it -- to all the publicity about him and the gay issue?
HAMMER: On "Larry King Live" Star said she and her husband ignore the rumors?
JONSE: People are just being mean. And in all honesty for me to give it any energy is to give it credibility.
HAMMER: Add that to all the flak she took for her dramatic weight loss. And as Jo Piazza of the New York Daily News tells SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, it had to take its toll.
PIAZZA: All the tabloid coverage had to be really hard. Having to deal with all these media rumors couldn`t have been easy for their marriage.
HAMMER: And now the marriage is over. And Star Jones` run of hard times continues.
PIAZZA: First off, her contract at "The View" wasn`t renewed, her Court TV show was recently canceled and now she`s losing her cute little boy toy hubby. So yes, things aren`t going so well for Star.
HAMMER: In her statement, Star says, quote, "I have committed myself to handling this situation with dignity and grace and look forward to emerging from this period as a stronger and wiser woman." And while we may never know exactly what caused the split, it`s hard not to see it as another marriage done in by the pressures of fame.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HAMMER: Again, while we can`t say for sure what led to Star`s marriage falling apart, I can tell you this, there are a lot of people out there saying "I told you so."
Joining me tonight in Hollywood, investigative journalist, Jane Velez- Mitchell, who is the author of the book "Secrets Can Be Murder." Also in Hollywood tonight, Carlos Diaz, who is a correspondent for the TV show "Extra."
Guys, always good to see you. When most high-profile celebrities get divorced, you know what happens. They usually release that brief statement, blaming the old standby irreconcilable differences. And what I found truly extraordinary here in Star statement she said -- and this is a direct quote, "Several years ago I made an error in judgment by inviting the media into the most intimate area of my life."
Jane, I`m curious to get your take on this, because it seems that Star is saying the ghost of that mess just hung over her marriage, like she was never able to shake it away.
JANE VELEZ-MITCHELL, INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALIST: Absolutely, A.J. First of all, let`s give her credit for admitting that she made a colossal, gigantic mistake by commercializing her wedding to the extent that she did. And of course, it poisons the marriage. How could it not?
There are certain things that are supposed to be above money and one of them is marriage. The wedding ceremony should be sacred and priceless, and when you put a price tag on it and sell off its parts, it`s going to have, sort of, creative spiritual bankruptcy within the marriage. And imagine when they`re alone, looking at each other, face to face, wondering why did we get married? Was it a fling for love or was it a fling for bling?
HAMMER: Yes, exactly. And it`s interesting to see that this is something, it is a resounding theme that has stayed with Star ever since. It is something that people will always associate with her.
So Carlos, what I don`t get is why as her marriage is ending that Star would once again draw attention to the whole wedding nightmare when it really seemed she was working so hard to try to make everybody forget it over the past couple of years?
CARLOS DIAZ, CORRESPONDENT, "EXTRA": The bottom line with Star Jones is, A.J., she wants to control every facet of what is said about Star Jones. The track record is there. She filed for divorce a month ago and puts out a statement today, the day before sweeps.
I`m not making any implications here, but what I`m saying is she has a pattern of wanting -- she wanted to announce that she was leaving "The View," caught Barbara Walters totally off guard by doing that.
She wanted to be the person who is right there, courtside of the Lakers game, when her husband asked her to marry him. You know, she didn`t want to say anything about gastric bypass surgery at first. She was forced to. She wants to control what is said by her to the point where the people -- the media -- excuse me, the public that`s watching knows that it`s just kind of fake, you know.
HAMMER: Yes. Well, you wonder to what end now, because it`s not like she has anything to promote unless there`s a big announcement coming. I don`t know. I want to read more from that statement, though.
In it, Star also says, quote, "The dissolution of a marriage is a difficult time in anyone`s life that requires privacy with one`s thoughts. I have committed myself to handling this situation with dignity and grace and look forward to emerging from this period as a stronger and wiser woman."
Those are good words, all of them. But, Jane, we`ve got to admit, there really is an irony in Star asking for privacy at a time that her marriage, one born surrounded by shameless publicity of her own making, has fallen apart.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Well, I sympathize with her, certainly. Obviously, divorce is a very painful thing. But it is a little suspect, this begging for privacy. And we all know the biggest tragedy is if nobody cares. You know, what they say in Hollywood.
Well, one thing worse than bad publicity is no publicity at all. And I think, you know, the mistake she`s making is that she`s sort of used publicity as a faucet that you can turn on and turn off like tap water and it doesn`t work that way.
It`s more like a Pandora`s Box. Once you`ve open that lid, and let`s that genie out of the bottle, you have unleashed forces way beyond your control. All sorts of people with different agendas and you cannot control the publicity when you don`t want it.
HAMMER: Carlos, I don`t know what`s happening in your bureau out there. But all the talk today has been of this great irony?
DIAZ: Yes, and that`s the thing. That`s exactly my point that I just made, where she wants to have the good but not the bad. She wants -- you know, it only to be good press about her. And going into this piece, you played a snippet of where she said people don`t understand where I`m happy. They`d rather be, you know, highjack by a terrorist than understand my happiness.
And now she`s saying, I`m going to come out a stronger woman. Trying to make herself sound like every other woman going through a divorce out there. You can`t have both ends. You can`t be a star when you`re happy and then every woman when you`re sad. You can`t have that.
HAMMER: Absolutely, right. Not turning out to be a great year for Star at all. I`m never happy to see anybody splitting up. So you got the divorce going on. Yet her heavily hyped TV show on Court TV, now truTV, never really got off the ground, never a big hit. And now this split.
Real quickly, Jane, 20 seconds, what does she need to do? Take a deep breath and reinvent herself?
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Well, I think she should just be a human being as opposed to human doing. She`s accomplished so much. She`s an attorney, as an author, as a show host, as a journalist. Let`s give her some credit for what she`s accomplished and give her a break and let her recoup from this divorce.
HAMMER: Jane Velez-Mitchell, Carlos Diaz, I thank you both.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Thank you.
HAMMER: Remember you can watch SHOWBIZ TONIGHT video anytime. New stuff being posted all the time for you to check out at cnn.com/showbiztonight.
ANDERSON: Hey, A.J., what were you doing at age 15?
HAMMER: 15? Playing soccer? I was riding my bicycle, stuff like that, you know.
ANDERSON: I bet you were so cute. And get this, Miley Cyrus is writing her memoir at the ripe, old age of 15. Are you kidding me?
And now get this, another new book for kids. This one called "My Beautiful Mommy," for kids to read when their mommy gets plastic surgery. They are the stories that made me say, are you kidding me? Coming up.
Also this --
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: When Lindsay had both her mother and father in her life, whether we were together or apart, did you see any of this nonsense going on that you see today?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: It`s the "Showbiz Family Feud." Lindsay Lohan`s dad certainly not holding back. Neither did the Hogans or the Hiltons. The Hatfields and McCoys got nothing on Hollywood. We are riding on in and setting up camp at dysfunction junction, coming up on the "Showbiz Family Feud."
ANDERSON: And so many couldn`t believe this when they heard about it, but it`s true. O.J. Simpson wants to be on "Celebrity Apprentice." If it happens, I guess at least Amoroso would no longer be the most hated "Apprentice" contestant, that`s coming up.
HAMMER: We want to hear from you for our SHOWBIZ TONIGHT question of the day. O.J. Simpson, would you watch him on "Celebrity Apprentice"? Vote at cnn.com/showbiztonight or email us at showbiztonight@cnn.com.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Have you heard about the largest church in the world? The first service was March 3rd, 2008 with an attendance of over 300,000. The attendance is now over two million. Have you heard of this church? Or maybe its leader?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Tonight, the overwhelming and surprising fired-up reaction from SHOWBIZ TONIGHT viewers to that crazy video on YouTube claiming Oprah Winfrey is basically starting a cult.
Welcome back to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, TV`s most provocative entertainment news show. I`m Brooke Anderson in Hollywood. Now the response to the Oprah video in just a moment.
But first, talk about wacky. Get this, the possibility that O.J. Simpson could be on Donald Trump`s "Celebrity Apprentice." Wacky indeed. With us tonight in New York, Janelle Snowden, red carpet correspondent for VH-1 news and in Hollywood tonight, Laura Saltman, correspondent for Accesshollywood.com.
Janelle, Laura, great to have you with us tonight. And hey, a spokesman for Donald Trump confirmed to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT that O.J. Simpson has approached Trump about possibly competing on the next season of "Celebrity Apprentice." And today, Access Hollywood`s Billy Bush spoke to Trump about it.
Laura Saltman, this is unbelievable. What did Trump have to say?
LAURA SALTMAN, ACCESSHOLLYWOOD.COM: Well, Billy talked to him for his Billy Bush radio show, which is airing tonight. And Trump said that it is true that O.J. did approach them about coming on "The Apprentice" and that they are actually considering having him on. Which kind of scares me and it scares Billy.
What Billy actually took him to task, though, he said to Trump -- now Trump, you know that most of the country thinks O.J. is a murderer. And Trump said, yes, he probably is guilty. So he`s like, well, why would you want to have him on the show? And I think this is more of a publicity thing. Trump just going to play it and put it out there and then say it was not happening.
ANDERSON: And I`ll tell you why, ratings. That`s why. And Janelle, you know, would Donald Trump have to be out of his mind to put O.J. Simpson on "Celebrity Apprentice"?
JANELLE SNOWDEN, RED CARPET CORRESPONDENT, VH-1 NEWS: Donald Trump never ceases to amaze me. I mean, first after Heather Mills appeared on the Miss U.S.A. pageant as a judge, and I believe he sponsors that so he had something to do with that decision, too.
He said that it would be great to se her on. And now O.J. Simpson? I`m telling you. This man knows how to drum up publicity. He needs to teach a course on it.
So while, yes, I think that, you know, as sick as it sound, certain people might tune in to see O.J., I think there will be a large sector of the population that would be so turned off by it, that they might never watch the show again. Not to mention the advertisers that would be scare to, you know, attach their names to it for fear of like consumer backlash.
ANDERSON: Well, yes, that being said, do you think that advertisers wouldn`t want their products to be connected with O.J. or with a TV show featuring O.J.?
SNOWDEN: I think that there are certainly some smart advertisers that would not want that at all. I mean, come on, like Billy said, a lot of people -- most people think that O.J. is a murderer. Would you want to associate your product with the murderer? That would be like committing, you know, like business suicide.
ANDERSON: Laura, as crazy as it sounds, do you think some people would watch because it probably would be car wreck TV?
SALTMAN: I don`t know. I wouldn`t watch personally. And that`s truthful. If he were on the show, I don`t think I could watch that show. Of course, I wasn`t watching anyway. So, I mean, -- you know Trump, he always claims that his ratings are huge. The ratings weren`t that great for this first "Apprentice." I was surprise there was a second.
ANDERSON: And I predict if he`s on the show, he may not last long. His competitors would probably be all too ready to take him down and get him off the show.
And now I do want to move on to a celebrity you will never see on "The Apprentice," guarantee it. Oprah Winfrey. We`ve been showing you that wacky YouTube video that claims Oprah is trying to turn herself into a spiritual leader by doing such things as promoting Eckhart Tolle`s best seller, "A New Earth."
So we asked our viewers in the SHOWBIZ TONIGHT question of the day, Oprah Winfrey, do you worship her? We got an overwhelming response. Only 4 percent said yes, 96 percent said no.
Laura, given how popular she is, do those results shock you? I know worship is a strong word.
SALTMAN: Yes. Actually, they don`t. I mean, I know Oprah is this big entity that everybody thinks can do no wrong. But you know when I look at her show "The Big Give," that aired on ABC that just had its finale, it started out OK with 15.1 million or 15.7 million, then by the finale, it was down to 10 million. So obviously, her power is not as big as we think it is, because people are (INAUDIBLE).
(CROSSTALK)
ANDERSON: You were gasping there that she`s not shocked.
SNOWDEN: I mean, seriously. I need some help here, people. What happened to these two million people that tuned into her webcast. What happen to the people that watch her every night? Was I the only person on the poll last night? I tell you where you make the mistake. I tell you where you make it.
It`s because Oprah is mad at us for even allowing these people any air time to say that she could be a cult leader. So here`s you need to do. You need to bring her on the show because of her influence. And I guarantee you if she tells people to vote, watch the results the next day. You have my word.
(CROSSTALK)
ANDERSON: We know that you vote on the SHOWBIZ TONIGHT play.
SNOWDEN: Every question every single day.
ANDERSON: So you`re saying you are in the 4 percent here who do worship her?
SNOWDEN: I am indeed. And I tried to get all my friends, but apparently I need to get some new friends.
ANDERSON: Yes. Try to get Laura on that bandwagon.
SNOWDEN: Yes, how about it.
(CROSSTALK)
SALTMAN: It`s not going to happen.
ANDERSON: Thank you both. Good to see you.
HAMMER: Yes, Oprah, come on the show, we`ll straighten this all out. We`ll get to the bottom of it.
All right, Brooke, you know, we love Miley Cyrus here at SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
ANDERSON: Yes, we do love Miley Cyrus. She has actually been to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, even helped us send two little girls to her concert and they also got to meet her.
HAMMER: This is all very good. She`s terrific. But get this, Brooke. She`s 15 years old and she`s writing her memoir. Barbara Walters, yes, sure I get that. Miley at 15, are you kidding me?
And another new book. This one is called "My Beautiful Mommy." It`s for kids to read when their mom gets plastic surgery. They are the stories that making me say, are you kidding me? And they are coming up.
ANDERSON: Also, get ready for the "Showbiz Family Feud." Who are the most dysfunctional, the most outrageous, the most controversial families in show business? It`s time to play the "Showbiz Family Feud," straight ahead.
HAMMER: And Deborah Gibson on the downside of fame. She told me all about a big stalker scare that she had and she is still dealing with it right now. Really frightening stuff. What happened? What she did about it? All that coming up next, right here on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
And now you know, you can watch SHOWBIZ TONIGHT anytime at all by downloading our Podcast. The Podcast happens to be absolutely free. So why not?
You`ll find the SHOWBIZ TONIGHT podcast by surfing on over to cnn.com/showbiztonight. You can also get it on iTunes. Just type SHOWBIZ TONIGHT into the search box. The results will come pouring out. And SHOWBIZ TONIGHT is coming straight back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HAMMER: Welcome back to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. I`m A.J. Hammer in New York. Singing and Broadway star Deborah Gibson who was a teen pop icon in the late 1980s when she was know as Debbie Gibson is speaking out to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, about her stalker scare.
Gibson has asked for a restraining order against a man who has continually shown up at her house. Deborah told me that this is a man she actually considered just one of those more enthusiastic fans over the years but then a line was crossed.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DEBORAH GIBSON, ACTRESS: It was sad and emotional for me because I gave this person a couple of opportunities to not -- because he came to the house a couple of times. And he was given a couple of warnings, including a warning by me through the door to go away, you can`t be here and he stayed. He just stood on the steps so eventually I had to call 911.
HAMMER: How scary.
GIBSON: You know, yes, I was in oddly -- I think I was just overtired. I was oddly calm about it but I just felt like, well, what are my options? It`s either invite him for a cup of tea or call 911.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: Well, police did detain the alleged stalker after Deborah called 911, but they didn`t charge him with any crime.
All right, Brooke Anderson, tell me what were you doing when you were 15 years old?
ANDERSON: Oh you know, the typical things the 15-year-old does, school, sports, testing my parents` patience.
HAMMER: Yes, of course. Well, get this. Miley Cyrus is writing her memoir at the ripe, old age of 15. Yes, I said it, are you kidding me?
And now get this, another new book for kids. Look at that. This one is called "My Beautiful Mommy." It for kids to read when their mommy gets plastic surgery. These are the stories that are making me say, are you kidding me? That`s coming up.
Also this --
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: When Lindsay had both her mother and father in her life, whether we were together or apart, did you see any of this nonsense going on that you we today?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: It`s the "Showbiz Family Feud." Lindsay Lohan`s dad certainly not holding back. And neither do the Hogans or the Hiltons. The Hatfields and McCoys have nothing on Hollywood. We are riding on in and setting up camp at dysfunction junction, coming up on the "Showbiz Family Feud."
HAMMER: And Marlee Matlin`s "Dancing with the Stars" days are over. I got to tell you. I was really rooting for her. But some people said it was just a publicity stunt to have her on the show to begin with. That is still to come.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
RICHELLE CAREY, HEADLINE PRIME NEWSBREAK: Richelle Carey here with her "Headline Prime" newsbreak.
General David Petraeus has been nominated to become the next chief of U.S. Central Command. The four-star general is the head of U.S. troops in Iraq. If confirmed by the Senate, General Petraeus will oversee operations in Iraq, Afghanistan and the entire Middle East.
Gas prices have claimed another victim, U.S. automakers. This was suppose to be a good year for Ford and GM, but with the slumping economy and high gas price, they are expected to post big first quarter lawsuits.
And those mysterious lights seen hovering over Phoenix on Monday night had some people thinking they just saw a UFO. They didn`t. It turns out those lights were just a hoax. A man who doesn`t want to be identified says he created the lights by suspending road flares from helium balloons.
I`m Richelle Carey. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT continues with the "Showbiz Family Feud." Who are the most dysfunctional families in Hollywood?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HAMMER: On SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, the outrageous stories that have got us saying, are you kidding me? Tonight, Hannah Montana star Miley Cyrus writing a memoir? Last time I checked, she was just 15.
And then there`s the new book for kids that explains their Mommy`s plastic surgery. Are you kidding me?
Also this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAEL LOHAN, LINDSAY LOHAN`S FATHER: When Lindsay had both her mother and her father in her life, whether we were together or apart, did you see any of this nonsense going on that you see today?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: That`s Lindsay Lohan`s father, Michael. Get ready, because tonight, we`re playing the SHOWBIZ Family Feud. It`s a take-no-prisoners battle between the most dysfunctional Hollywood families in show business. The Hiltons, the Lohans, the SHOWBIZ Family Feud.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Survey says?
(BUZZER)
HAMMER: Welcome back to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. It is 30 minutes past the hour. I`m A.J. Hammer, broadcasting tonight and every night from New York City.
BROOKE ANDERSON, CO-HOST: And I`m Brooke Anderson, coming to you tonight from Hollywood. This is TV`s most provocative entertainment news show.
HAMMER: Well, tonight, we`ve got two outrageous Hollywood stories making us say, "Are you kidding me"?
SHOWBIZ TONIGHT has learned 15-year-old superstar Miley Cyrus has inked a new seven-figure deal to write her autobiography. An autobiography at 15. Are you kidding me?
And speaking of books, there`s this new book for preschoolers called "My Beautiful Mommy." And it explains why Mommy is going to the hospital for cosmetic surgery and coming back as Mommy 2.0. Oh, Momma.
Our SHOWBIZ TONIGHT literary experts are lined up and ready to have at this. Back with us tonight, from Hollywood, "Extra" correspondent Carlos Diaz, investigative journalist and author Jane Velez-Mitchell and senior editor for "InTouch Weekly," Kim Serafin.
Gang, there is no disputing how big Miley Cyrus is, what a huge star she is, one of the biggest on the planet. Hannah Montana breaking records with her music and her movies, certainly a world of experience for somebody of her young age. But an autobiography at 15?
Carlos, help me out here.
CARLOS DIAZ, CORRESPONDENT, "EXTRA": When I was 15, I bought this book. It`s "The New Kids on the Block: Whoa, Whoa, Whoa, Whoa, Whoa, The Real Story."
HAMMER: Yes.
DIAZ: And I`ve got to tell you right now. I learned a lot from this book. And my point being is, this is a joke. OK? And in 20 years, the Miley Cyrus book is going to be a joke, too, because she`s 15. I don`t care how popular she is now. She`s going to be a has-been when she`s 35. So what do we need to know right now?
HAMMER: We can give her a little more credit than that. But hold up that book again, Carlos. I can`t believe how -- I mean, the New Kids had a storied career, but that book is enormous, that book.
DIAZ: Well, there`s a lot of chapters here, and there`s a lot of things that went on earlier in their career.
HAMMER: Wow.
DIAZ: Yes, it`s very big.
HAMMER: I don`t think Miley`s will be quite that big.
Jane Velez-Mitchell, any insight here?
JANE VELEZ-MITCHELL, INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALIST: I love Carlos, but I also love to disagree with him. Let`s not be ageist. Just because somebody is young doesn`t mean they don`t have a story to tell. Do you know that Anne Frank was 15 when she wrote her classic and courageous autobiography, describing how she hid from the Nazis? So I`m not comparing the two...
HAMMER: Are you really comparing Miley Cyrus to...
VELEZ-MITCHELL: The age is the exact same. The age is the same. And I don`t discriminate against old people or young people. People have stories to tell. Nobody knows how long we`re going to live. We could all get hit by a car tomorrow. I`d like to hear her story.
HAMMER: I`ve got to say, I like your point. The comparison, and I hear you`re making it to their ages, but you know, it`s certainly a different world of experience for each of them.
Kim Serafin, can you get involved here?
KIM SERAFIN, "INTOUCH WEEKLY": Yes. Well, I actually think Carlos has a point, although, the thing about Miley Cyrus is that she is, at her young age, a smart businesswoman.
So she`s writing the autobiography now that she`s stayed clean and everything is going good. But now, when she goes through her rebellious, you know, times, when she`s 18, 19, then she can write another biography -- autobiography at 21, talking about her rebellious times. Then, when Hannah Montana is no longer, she can write another book how she`s separated from Hannah Montana and how she`s a different person. So this leaves her open to writing many, many books in the future.
HAMMER: It all makes perfect business sense. And we do love Hannah Montana and Miley Cyrus. We`re huge fans of hers and her father`s. And I thought we would help her out a little bit. We got the witty and very clever SHOWBIZ TONIGHT staff together and we came up with a few suggested chapter titles for this upcoming Miley autobiography.
And take a look at these. What do you think? Chapter one, "The Neo- Natal Years." Chapter two, "Terrible Twos: My First Breakdown." Chapter three, "My Great Loves: Chocolate Milk, PB&J, and Jellybeans." We can`t forget chapter four, "Identity Crisis: Who am I? Miley or Hannah?`
Now, Carlos, regardless of how ridiculous this whole idea of a Miley autobiography may seem, kind of like your New Kids dictionary you have there, this is a guaranteed best-seller, isn`t it?
DIAZ: Yes, it is. And I`ll tell you right now, Miley Cyrus is going to have more money than the entire state of Montana. This thing is going to come out next year to coincide with the new Hannah Montana movie. So it`s going to be -- it`s a great business tool here, and she`s going to get a ton of money. It`s going to be a best-seller.
HAMMER: Well, I`m thinking also with Miley writing this book, there`s going to be a trend under way. I was wondering what`s going to be next? I`m thinking maybe "Suri Cruise: My Story" or "Shiloh Jolie-Pitt -- I don`t know -- "African Roots"? Jane, any particular star memoir you`re looking forward to here?
VELEZ-MITCHELL: I`ve got it. Jamie Lynn Spears, growing up in the shadow of Britney being the big sister. And I`ve already got the title. "What Do I Have to Do Around Here to Get Attention: Get Pregnant?"
HAMMER: Yes, that actually could work. All right. I think we`ve had enough of that.
Let`s move on now to another story that is having us say "Are You Kidding Me?" Well, there`s this book called "My Beautiful Mommy." It is aimed at children whose mothers have plastic surgery. This explains, you know, when Mommy goes to the hospital and comes out all bandaged up, she`s really OK. She`s really just had a little nip and tuck.
I`d like to say I`m making this all up. I`m not.
Jane, back at you. Is this just crazy, or should it be required reading for the Hollywood toddler set?
VELEZ-MITCHELL: It is truly, I think, insane. I mean, what`s next, "Nip and Tuck," the cartoon hour on Saturday morning?
HAMMER: Yes.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Where is this going?
I think it was written by a famous plastic surgeon, because sometimes when Mommy comes home all bandaged up like the Invisible Man and drugged out like some starlet on Sunday morning, because she`s sedated, the little kid is scared and says, "Well, who`s under those bandages?" And so that`s the practical idea of it all.
But I really question a society where we`ve got such a market for this. Because remember, if it`s directed at little kids, the moms can`t be that old to be getting plastic surgery.
HAMMER: Carlos, you`re right there in the thick of it in Hollywood. Do you think this is, you know, right on target?
DIAZ: The target age of this book -- no joke -- 4- to 7-year-olds. I`ve got news for you. If your 4-year-old can read, he or she has got a pretty good grasp of what plastic surgery is anyway.
But you know, I remember when my parents had -- it`s 4 to 7. I mean, if you`re, like, showing the kid the book and he can comprehend at 4, it`s like he can comprehend a lot.
HAMMER: I don`t know.
DIAZ: To me, you worry about the birds and the bees when you`re young and not your elbows and your knees. All right. I mean, seriously, it`s not about you. Come on!
HAMMER: Well, all right. It`s fair to point out, it`s not, obviously, just for Hollywood stars who are going in for plastic surgery these days, obviously. And that`s exactly why the author, as Jane pointed out -- and this is a very famous Florida plastic surgeon -- he wrote the book.
And we have some ideas. Because this is what we do at SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. We come up with different ideas here for -- perhaps for titles for this plastic surgery primer. I like these in particular: "Why Mommy Can`t Smile." How about "Breast Week Ever!" Or -- or possibly, "Mommy Got a Tummy Tuck Because of You, Kid!"
These titles, I think, get to the heart of the matter even a bit more effectively than "My Beautiful Mommy."
Kim, are you on board with any of those?
SERAFIN: I don`t know about those, although I do like the honest approach, I mean. But I think it should be more uplifting, you know. My Mommy can be in "Playboy" now. Or, you know, me and my mom can get our belly buttons pierced together now.
You know, more along those lines, because you don`t want to go to the thing that says, you know, "My Mommy and I used to have the same nose, but now she`s beautiful and I`m so ugly." You know, where do you go with this?
COOPER: On the slightly more serious edge, right there in one of the pages of the book, it says -- and this is a quote -- "Mommy`s not just going to look different, my dear, prettier."
Jane, this is really the way to explain plastic surgery to a young child, isn`t it? Especially impressionable ones?
VELEZ-MITCHELL: A.J., on a serious note, it is kind of scary, because it really is teaching some very dangerous notions about what it means to be beautiful. And beauty is really something that comes from inside with your actions. And so this is sending a very superficial message that, hey, an idealized beauty.
HAMMER: Jane -- unfortunately, I have to wrap it up.
DIAZ: I disagree. Look at the cover. The kid is looking at Mom like this.
HAMMER: You`ll have to just get the book for yourself and keep it with the New Kids book.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: I have one thing to say.
HAMMER: Carlos Diaz, Jane Velez-Mitchell, Kim Serafin, thanks guys.
SERAFIN: Thanks.
HAMMER: We`ve been asking you to vote on our SHOWBIZ TONIGHT question of the day. Here`s an odd seque. O.J. Simpson, would you watch him on "Celebrity Apprentice"? Keep voting at CNN.com/ShowbizTonight and e-mail us: ShowbizTonight@CNN.com.
ANDERSON: Hey, A.J., what if there were a reality show where the most outrageous dysfunctional Hollywood families battled it out? Would you watch?
HAMMER: It sounds kind of like "Family Feud," and I love that show. So yes, probably.
ANDERSON: Yes, you know, but no Richard Dawson here. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LOHAN: When Lindsay had both her mother and her father in her life, whether we were together or apart, did you see any of this nonsense going on today?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: That`s Lindsay Lohan`s dad. And the Lohans, well, they are a-feuding but they aren`t the only ones. Look out, this is going to be ugly. Let`s play the SHOWBIZ Family Feud, next.
HAMMER: There was certainly a lot of feuding going on when these Vanessa Hudgens nudie pictures got out all over the Internet. I was actually pretty surprised that she didn`t get fired from the cast of "High School Musical." Well, tonight Vanessa is speaking out like never before about those startling shots. That is next.
ANDERSON: And Marlee Matlin just got kicked off "Dancing with the Stars." She is amazing, made it really far. She`s nearly deaf. But casting Marlee, other controversial stars like Heather Mills, Priscilla Presley, is this just a cheap publicity move? I`ve got that tough question for former "Dancing with the Stars" winners, straight ahead.
HAMMER: Now remember, you can watch SHOWBIZ TONIGHT video any time on our Web site. New stuff going up all the time. Just head on over to CNN.com/ShowbizTonight.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LOHAN: When Lindsay had both her mother and father in her life, whether we were together or apart, did you see any of this nonsense going on that you see today?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Lindsay Lohan`s father, Michael Lohan, sounding off to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT about his daughter, Lindsay, and his dysfunctional family.
Welcome back to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, TV`s most provocative entertainment news show. I`m Brooke Anderson.
Get ready for the SHOWBIZ Family Feud. Top five answers on the board, and here is the question. Who are the most dysfunctional, most outrageous, most controversial families in show business? The Hilton family, the Lohan clan and let`s not forget the Hogans.
Joining me tonight in Hollywood, Howard Bragman, founder of 15 Minutes Public Relations, and again in New York, Janelle Snowden, VH1 news and red- carpet correspondent.
All right, Howard; all right, Janelle. Let`s get this SHOWBIZ Family Feud started with the Lohans.
A little background, first. Dad Michael served time in jail. Lindsay was arrested for DUI twice, made three trips to rehab. Mom Dina made a habit of joining her star daughter on the red carpet and out at the clubs.
Howard, you`ve got to be dysfunctional to be in this game. But who`s the most dysfunctional in this clan?
HOWARD BRAGMAN, 15 MINUTES PUBLIC RELATIONS: You know, Brooke, I was going to make it a tie and give the award to both the parents, and then I realized they`d sue each other for custody of the award. Wouldn`t they?
So I want to give it to Michael Lohan. It`s that jail term that sort of trumps the whole thing. Doesn`t it? Once your Dad`s been in jail, that`s a lot -- a lot to live with for a kid. So tie goes to Michael here.
ANDERSON: Well, he`s been trying to overcome that, and he`s also been trying to straighten Lindsay out. But at the same time, he did just publicly re-launch his divorce feud with his ex-wife.
Our A.J. Hammer asked Michael to set the record straight right here on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT on his reasons for making the divorce battle public.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LOHAN: I`m at a point now where I have no other recourse but to try to instill what`s right with my children by doing it publicly and reach out to them in a more public form.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: OK, Janelle. He does seem genuinely concerned. But I`ve got to say, reaching out to your kids in such a public way could seem a little bit dysfunctional.
JANELLE SNOWDEN, VH1 NEWS: I mean, what a way to alienate your family. Lindsay has already gone on record to say that she would like for her dad to stop talking to the press before he talks to her. And there`s probably a good reason why she`s not talking to him. I know that he says that they`re in constant communication, but then she tells a different story sometimes.
I just think that -- you know, I say this all the time. I`m so not in favor of bringing your dirty laundry to the media. It`s just a classless thing to do. There are better ways to handle it. And if you want to have a good relationship with your kids, this is not the way to go.
ANDERSON: Yes. Definitely not a cohesive family unit, unfortunately.
And I do want to move now to our next contestant in the SHOWBIZ TONIGHT Family Feud, the Hiltons. We`ve got Paris, one DUI arrest, 23 days in jail. Then mom, Kathy, says, "My poor daughter Paris was being treated unfairly." Oh, the nerve.
And what`s Paris`s 18-year-old brother to do but follow in his big sis` footsteps and get a DUI arrest and a mug shot of his own? Howard, does Paris reign supreme in this hotel family?
BRAGMAN: You know, I want to say, for the record, compared to these other two families, Kathy Hilton and Rick Hilton, they`re Ozzy and Harriet in terms of their normal state.
But whatever happens in the Hilton family I really attribute to Kathy, because she`s the queen of the family. She was a child star. She loves the stardom. She`s a beautiful, glamorous lady who loves the spotlight. All the kids learned it from their mother, and they come by it honestly. So good, bad or indifferent, Kathy`s the queen of the Hiltons.
ANDERSON: Well, speaking about Mom Kathy, after the judge threw the book at Paris, ordering her to go to jail for 45 days, Kathy told Hollywood.com this. Quote, "This is pathetic and disgusting, a waste of taxpayers` money with this nonsense. It is a joke."
Janelle, Kathy got a lot of heat for her comments. Maybe it would have seemed a little bit more normal for her to said, "My daughter committed a crime. Now she`ll accept the punishment, do the time." What do you think?
SNOWDEN: I can definitely see how some people could say that. I mean, we have to remember that normalcy is always relative.
But there are parents that would say, you know, like you just said, If you do the crime, you have to do the time. And I`ll support you through that time. But hey, this is a way that you learn your lesson.
And so for Kathy to do that, I can see how some people might have thought that it was odd, because it`s almost like she was condoning the behavior, just saying, you know, "Ease up a little bit" when in fact it wasn`t Paris` first infraction.
So I can -- I can understand why people could take issue with that and how they could see that as a bit dysfunctional. But I guess to each her own.
ANDERSON: To each his own. She may have regretted those comments. Who knows?
Well, our final contestant in the SHOWBIZ Family Feud, the Hogans. Hulk`s 17-year-old son, Nick, facing trial on felony charges from a horrific car accident. That accident left his friend on life support.
Dad Hulk is accused of buying a whole lot of booze, reportedly for Nick, in the hours before the crash. And mom Linda filed for divorce, asking Hulk not to speak to Nick about anything related to the divorce.
Howard, this was considered one of the most stable, functional high- profile families. How did this all happen?
BRAGMAN: Well, first of all, we thought they were stable and everything was normal. But we didn`t know. And once the reality show curse set in, that is every family that does a reality show seems to explode in some way, we got to see that it wasn`t as happy and light as we thought it was all along.
SNOWDEN: Yes.
BRAGMAN: So we`ll attribute it to the reality show curse, Brooke.
ANDERSON: Unfortunately. Well, Howard, very quickly, who do you think is the most dysfunctional?
BRAGMAN: You know, I was thinking it was the Lohans and they were doing a really strong finish. But right at the end, I think the Hogans pulled into the lead. And they get my vote.
ANDERSON: The Hogans for you. How about you, Janelle?
SNOWDEN: Wow. Oh, I can`t agree. I`m going to have to say maybe the Lohans. Like you said earlier, Howard, I think the jail time is kind of what took me over the edge. Paris did her time, but she was a kid and not the parents. So I still might have to go with the Lohans.
(BUZZER)
ANDERSON: Yes. Definitely not a Family Feud you want to win, hence the sound effect there. Howard Bragman, Janelle Snowden, thank you both for playing. We appreciate it.
HAMMER: You can never go wrong with five-cent sound effects.
All right. Here are some more stories that are new right now. "High School Musical" star Vanessa Hudgens is opening up like never before about the paparazzi and those nude photos which got all over the Internet and really could have threatened her career.
Listen to what she says in "GQ" magazine. Quote, "Honestly, you have your ups and downs. But it`s over with and it`s done. If you have paparazzi, you know you`ve gotten somewhere."
And listen to this shocking celebrity split playing out on TV. In a revealing two-part special of "Divorce Court," Pentecostal televangelist Juanita Bynum says her marriage to Minister Thomas Weeks is totally over. Weeks pleaded guilty last week to assaulting his soon-to-be ex.
These two married in a very splashy televised ceremony, which took place back in 2002.
ANDERSON: All right. I think it is terrific that Marlee Matlin was able to get so far on "Dancing with the Stars." You know, she is nearly deaf. She`s incredibly inspiring. She did just get kicked off the show.
But here`s what I`ve got to ask, Marlee, Heather Mills, even Priscilla Presley, who got more attention from her scary plastic surgery than her samba. Is casting these controversial stars just a cheap way to pump up the ratings? I`m putting that tough question to Drew Lachey, who actually won "Dancing with the Stars," next.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Block warming up. Master break in effect right now.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TOM BERGERON, HOST, ABC`S "DANCING WITH THE STARS": On this sixth week of competition, the couple with the lowest combined total and therefore leaving right now, Marlee and Fabian.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: Aww. There`s Marlee Matlin, getting booted off ABC`s "Dancing with the Stars" on Tuesday night. Oh, the drama. Welcome back to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. I`m A.J. Hammer in New York.
Brooke, what did you think of Marlee on the show?
ANDERSON: You know, I think she was extremely entertaining, A.J. And I`m so impressed with her. She`s nearly deaf and has accomplished so much. She is an incredible inspiration.
And I just sat down with Drew Lachey, Nick Lachey`s brother, who actually won the second season of "Dancing with the Stars." And, you know, there has been some controversy about the casting of the show. Heather Mills was on it, Priscilla Presley made headlines, more from her startling plastic surgery than her dancing.
So I did have to ask Drew, is the show just trying to drum up controversy for ratings?
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: When you look at "Dancing" and the casting now, there seems to be a lot of stunt casting these days. You know, Priscilla Presley at 62 years old; Heather Mills; now Marlee Matlin. What do you think about that?
DREW LACHEY, WINNER, "DANCING WITH THE STARS" SEASON TWO: I don`t think it`s stunt casting at all. I think it`s people who the general public knows and it`s just -- it`s something that people are interested in.
I mean, Heather Mills lasted halfway through. Priscilla got almost halfway through. I mean, if they were just stunt casting, and they didn`t deserve to be there, I think they`d be off the first week. But they`re holding their own. They`re coming, they`re dancing. And they are all people that the general public knows and associates with things.
So I don`t think it`s stunt casting at all. I mean, you could say I was stunt casting or, you know, Kenny Maine (ph) was stunt casting or anybody was stunt casting then. Because everybody has a name coming into the show.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: Yes, he made some great points.
And Drew also wants to let you know about this really neat thing he`s doing with his dog. Get your dog on television in Times Square. Just check out PictureYourDogInTimesSquare.com for more information.
HAMMER: As we told you earlier, we`re getting a huge response to Tuesday`s SHOWBIZ TONIGHT question of the day: Oprah Winfrey, do you worship her? Only four percent said yes. Ninety-six percent of you said no.
Some more fired up e-mails. Heather from Arizona writes, "I think that Oprah is becoming a cult leader. I`m scared for kids and teenagers who may watch the show.
Also heard from Joanna in British Columbia. Joanna adds, "Love what she does but I find her head just a wee bit swollen."
Well, that is it for SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. Thanks a lot for watching. I`m A.J. Hammer in New York.
ANDERSON: And I`m Brooke Anderson in Hollywood. Remember, you can always catch SHOWBIZ TONIGHT on the 11s: 11 p.m. Eastern, 11 p.m. Pacific and in the morning at 11 a.m. Eastern.
The latest from CNN Headline News is next. Take care.
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