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Showbiz Tonight
Hollywood Baby Drama; Amy Winehouse is Being Treated for Emphysema; Star Divorce Wars; Angelina Jolie versus Britney Spears - Who`s Really Hotter?; Remembering George Carlin
Aired June 23, 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, HEADLINE NEWS HOST: A Naomi Campbell shocker. She says the reason she went nuts on a plane was because she was called a racial slur.
And a revealing look at the life of legendary comedian George Carlin.
I`m A.J. Hammer in New York. TV`s most provocative entertainment news show starts right now.
On "SHOWBIZ TONIGHT," the startling Hollywood teen pregnancy connection. Tonight as the shock about a reported high school teen pregnancy pact spreads, "SHOWBIZ TONIGHT" asks this controversial question.
Is Hollywood to blame? Are young pregnant stars like Jamie Lynn Spears, Ashlee Simpson, Nicole Richie actually influencing more teens to get pregnant? Showbiz investigates.
Explosive new celebrity divorce war details. Tonight a stunning court decision in the ugly Christie Brinkley split. And just days after they were pleased with their court ruling, Charlie Sheen and Denise Richards are at it again.
Plus what can Christie Brinkley learn from these bitter battling exes?
And it`s the Angelina Jolie - Britney Spears smack down. The shocking truth behind who really is hotter and who wins your fascination.
Hello, I`m A.J. Hammer, broadcasting tonight and every night from New York City.
Tonight the Angelina versus Britney smack down. How in the world did Britney Spears top Angelina Jolie on a new hot celebrity list? I mean, how can you even compare the two of them? One seems like a hot mess, and the other well, she`s just hot, hot hot.
SHOWBIZ TONIGHT can tell you there is a shocking truth behind this very heated star battle. We`ll have that coming up.
But first tonight, Hollywood`s Baby Drama. There is the shocking story of more than a dozen teen girls supposedly making a pact to get pregnant together. Then Britney Spears sister, 17-year-old Jamie Lynn gives birth.
Well now, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT is asking, is Hollywood somehow to blame for the dramatic rise in teen pregnancy? Do young stars like Jamie Lynn actually glamorize pregnancy and influence teens to get pregnant.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A pregnancy pact. Everyone`s talking about how more than a dozen girls at a Gloucester high school in Massachusetts allegedly got pregnant on purpose and vowed to raise their kids together.
JO PIAZZA, NEW YORK DAILY NEWS: I know when I was in High School my friends and I all made a pact to live on the same cul-de-sac when we grew up. But that`s a little bit different.
HAMMER: And although this story is in Massachusetts, some are pointing the finger and blame squarely at Hollywood.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Some blame Hollywood for glamorizing single motherhood.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Some experts blame Hollywood saying young stars like Ashlee Simpson and Jamie Lynn Spears get a lot of attention. Movies like "Juno" and "Knocked Up" appear to take away that stigma.
HAMMER: SHOWBIZ TONIGHT asks the difficult question. After Rachel hair cut, guys without socks and short skirts at the office look trendy, is Hollywood now doing the same thing to teen pregnancy?
PIAZZA: Teen pregnancy is totally trendy right now.
HAMMER: SHOWBIZ TONIGHT can tell you a whopping 17 girls at Gloucester High School got pregnant this school year; that`s quadruple the normal number. And there is word that many of them weren`t unplanned pregnancies.
PIAZZA: The girls kept going in to the school nurse and asking for pregnancy tests. And some of the girls even seemed disappointed when they found out they weren`t pregnant that finally school officials were like, "Huh, I think something`s going on here."
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Do you think the media and Hollywood influence these kids?
HAMMER: On the "Today" show, a young mother who went to that high school told Meredith Vieira her pregnant former classmate definitely took a cue from Hollywood.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I look up to celebrities.
MEREDITH VIEIRA, HOST, TODAY SHOW: So if they`re having babies without getting married, then that`s okay to do?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Right, that`s right. It shows a lot of people that - -
VIEIRA: It`s okay?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It`s okay, yes.
HAMMER: The young and the pregnant have been getting a lot of attention lately. 17-year-old teen star Jamie Lynn Spears, Britney`s baby sister and star of the kid show "Zoe 101" just delivered her baby, capping a pregnancy that was a full-blown media event.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: "OK" magazine did a huge spread on her. Everyone was covering it. I think it makes it look glamorous for these young girls who are like, "Oh, my gosh, Jamie Lynn Spears, `Zoe 101` can have this baby and her life looks awesome. Ours will be, too."
HAMMER: One of this year`s Oscar winners was "Juno" a movie about a 16- year-old who got pregnant accidentally but seems pretty cool with it.
An ABC family`s upcoming new show, "The Secret Life of an American Teenager" is billed about a warm and fuzzy tale about a pregnant teen.
Add to that a whole list of twenty-something stars idolized by young girls such as Jessica Alba, Nicole Richie and Ashlee Simpson. Each recently got pregnant without being married and got tons of attention and magazine covers too.
PIAZZA: They`re all having babies. It seems like this trendy thing to do.
HAMMER: "SHOWBIZ TONIGHT" can tell you teen pregnancy rates are up slightly after 15 years of decline. Sarah Brown of the National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy says Hollywood alone isn`t to blame but still you can`t ignore the influence.
SARAH BROWN, NATIONAL CAMPAIGN TO PREVENT TEEN AND UNPLANNED PREGNANCY: It`s very hard from the point of view of a young person, even if their schools are saying, be careful, don`t play with sex, use protection. If they then go home and have five teen magazines or young adult magazines and, you know, everybody`s doing it and bump alert and so forth, I think it`s confusing.
HAMMER: And as people try to figure out why so many teen girls would actually want to get pregnant, it`s almost inevitable that the same Hollywood that brought us "Knocked Up" is getting knocked around by critics.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HAMMER: Is Hollywood really to blame? Joining me tonight in New York, syndicated radio host and psychology specialist Cooper Lawrence. And from Hollywood tonight Nancy Redd, contributing editor for "Cosmo Girl" magazine.
Ladies, I got to tell you, I was blown away when I first heard about this story. Cooper I`m dying to get your opinion on this. Do you think that movies like "Juno" and movies like "Knocked Up" are actually to blame for this big surge in teen pregnancy because somehow they make being young and pregnant look almost fashionable.
COOPER LAWRENCE, RADIO HOST: This is a preposterous idea. It`s the idea of saying, "Well, the reason there`s drug addicts is because there`s heroin." You can`t blame the drug for the problems.
Hollywood is not the problem. It`s the fact that there`s not parents around for these kids to stand between them and what psychologists call the super-peer, which is the media.
And I finished a project recently where I spoke to 638 girls, asking them this very subject, what -- how does the media affect you? We talked about everything from drug use to body image to pregnancy. And it didn`t matter what socio-economic status they were, how rich, how poor.
Every single girl I spoke with it seemed that if they had a parent who was close, they looked at something like "Juno" or Jamie Lynn Spears and went "sucks for them," but they didn`t personalize it, it didn`t influence them so it`s all about the parents.
HAMMER: I definitely get that and I don`t think anybody`s saying it is strictly Hollywood that is to blame for this, but you saw the young woman on the "Today Show" --
LAWRENCE: I lot of people are saying Hollywood is to blame. I keep hearing that over and over. What they keep saying is Jamie Lynn Spears and Hollywood`s glamorizing it. It`s a copout. That`s not the problem. That`s not the reason and people are saying that.
HAMMER: Well, Nancy Redd, what do you think? We did see the young woman on the "Today Show," a woman who got pregnant as a teenager who said her classmates are definitely influenced by what they see on TV and in the newspapers.
NANCY REDD, CONTRIBUTING EDITOR, COSMO GIRL: I think they are. I think what`s happened ten years ago, you didn`t have this visibility. All of these pregnancies were kind of shunned and hidden. Now it`s not just fashionable, it`s glamorous.
When you`ve got an emotionally confused, worried teenager who is trying to fit in and it seems like all of the cool girls are getting pregnant and it`s a pact they make at school, they want to fit in, too. They see these movie stars and these actresses as their role models.
They see themselves as the same age and type of person as Christina Aguilera even though she`s ten years older. It makes them want to follow in their footsteps as well. Whether it`s a new bag or whether it`s the new shoes or whether it`s a new baby.
LAWRENCE: But they`re 14. The idea of buying a new bag is very different than having a child for the rest of your life --
REDD: I agree --
LAWRENCE: And when you`re 14 and it`s look like something fashionable, that`s when the parent steps in and says, I`m not even going to buy you a Manolo Blahnik shoe let alone get pregnant, that`s where parenting comes in.
It`s not that media doesn`t influence it`s just that the mitigating factor has to be the parents. And you`re talking about a teen.
REDD: Yes it does, but the parent isn`t always there. And the problem is we`re in a community currently where our government is not allowing us to have education that is appropriate for our teenagers about sex, about their emotional health, about their career choices. And so when they have a situation where there`s a day care in the school but not appropriate career information and STD preparation and contraception information, of course they`re going to go for what seems like the cool and appropriate thing.
Day cares in schools make kids think that pregnancy as a teenager is much more acceptable than listening to their parents or to teachers about protecting themselves emotionally and physically.
HAMMER: All right. Well, let me put it to you this way, Cooper. This news of the pregnancy pact broke on the very same day that Jamie Lynn Spears, 17 years old, announced the birth of her baby girl.
People were obviously shocked when she announced that she pregnant. The way they spun it, it was like this storybook pregnancy and birth. We saw the photos of the baby showers in magazines, everybody was smiling.
So perhaps, do you at least give it a little credibility that some young girls are looking at Jamie Lynn and thinking to themselves, "She did it without any problem, why can`t I? What the heck?"
LAWRENCE: Oh yes. Especially because it`s Jamie Lynn. It`s not like we`re talking about Amy Winehouse. We`re talking about somebody that was pristine and great and a great role model. And let`s not forget she was rewarded for getting pregnant. I think "OK" magazine is paying her $1 million for the baby pictures or something.
It`s not just, let`s watch this teen and glamorize it, but let`s reward her with $1 million for the baby pictures after. So absolutely it`s having an impact.
HAMMER: Nancy, ten seconds, do you think Hollywood needs to take more responsibility with how they portray teen pregnancies?
REDD: Absolutely. What`s going on right now, the reason there`re pregnancy pacts is it seems like there are pregnancy perks. We need to take more responsibility about the realities of when it`s appropriate to have a baby and what the repercussions can be because teen pregnancy leads to obesity, poverty and fewer career choices.
HAMMER: Good point. I got to wrap you there. Nancy Redd, Cooper Lawrence. Thank you much for being here tonight.
Now I want to hear from you. Sound off on this, our "SHOWBIZ TONIGHT" question of the day, Jamie Lynn Spears has a baby. Does Hollywood glamorize teen pregnancy? To vote, cnn.com/showbiztonight or email showbiztonight@cnn.com.
Well, you know, it was a teenager who broke up Christie Brinkley`s marriage. Her husband had an affair with a 19-year-old. This is a truly ugly battle. Tonight, I can tell you there`s a stunning court decision that`s really going to shake up this fight.
And then of course we have Charlie Sheen and Denise Richards. Even after they said they were pleased with their latest court battle decision, they`re at it again. It just never ends.
Plus what Christie Brinkley can learn from these two. The star divorce wars, coming up.
And I cannot believe this. Larry Birkhead, you remember him? Of course, the dad of Anna Nicole Smith`s baby Dannielynn. Well, tonight I can tell you, listen to this, he`s buying Anna Nicole`s lingerie as a present for his daughter. Totally bizarre. That`s coming up.
Plus, it was a frightening return for Britney Spears after she comes back from being with her sister, Jamie Lynn, for the birth of Jamie Lynn`s baby. Wow, wait until you see what happened at the airport when Britney landed.
First, remember, you can watch "SHOWBIZ TONIGHT" video anytime. New stuff being posted for you to check out all the time at cnn.com/showbiztonight. And among the videos now playing, Charlie Sheen`s voicemail rage.
"SHOWBIZ TONIGHT" is coming right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HAMMER: Yes, yes, yes, Amy Winehouse famously said no, no, no to rehab, but she`s going to have to change her tune as she takes on the fight of her life.
Welcome back to "SHOWBIZ TONIGHT," TV`s most provocative entertainment news show. I`m A.J. Hammer in New York.
And tonight we`ve got two big stories that are making news right now, including shocking news out of London; 24-year-old Amy Winehouse being treated for emphysema. The disturbing news comes from her father who spoke out to a British newspaper.
Back in Hollywood in the "You Can`t Make This Stuff Up" category, another famous dad, Larry Birkhead, the former lover of Anna Nicole Smith drops almost $3,000 on lingerie for his 1-year-old daughter. Huh?
With me tonight from Hollywood, Laura Sultan, correspondent for accessshollywood.com. Also in Hollywood tonight, Ken Baker, executive news editor for E!.
Shocking, but not surprising. Amy`s wild ways catching up with her again, guys. She`s being treated for emphysema; she`s only 24 years old. We`re talking here about an incurable lung disease mostly found in lifelong smokers, not 24-year-olds.
I got to say, I thought that Amy kind of turned the corner with the big comeback performance at the Grammys in January. What do you think Laura? Were you as shocked as I was to hear this news?
LAURA SULTAN, CORRESPONDENT, ACCESSHOLLYWOOD.COM: Yes and no. Yes because look at Amy Winehouse. I mean, anybody who lives that lifestyle, these are the things that can happen to you in your life. Shocked, yes, because my sweet grandmother in Florida has emphysema and she`s in her late 80s, early 90s.
So when you hear emphysema, I think, 24 how can you get emphysema when you`re 24?
HAMMER: Really, really uncommon. You get it by behaving like Amy Winehouse. Amy`s dad has spoken publicly before about Amy`s drug problems. But I want you to listen to what he told a British journalist last year because he didn`t seem to be all that well informed at that time. Roll that, Charles.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MITCH WINEHOUSE, AMY WINEHOUSE`S FATHER: She was always quite proud of the fact she didn`t -- in an industry that is renowned for taking class "A" drugs, relatively recently, she felt that it was -- she was proud of the fact she didn`t use class "A" drugs.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: To be clear, class "A" drugs are narcotics like crack cocaine which Amy allegedly smokes. I hate to say it, Ken, but is Amy`s dad perhaps partially to blame here? Because it kind of looks like he`s been making excuses for Amy, at least until it reached this deadly crisis.
KEN BAKER, EXECUTIVE NEWS EDITOR, E!: I don`t know if we know enough about the family dynamics to know if he`s to blame. He may not have known what his daughter was doing. How many fathers out there right now or parents in general, watching this show, and have kids who are around college age, around 20 years old, and know exactly what they`re doing every night?
Guess what? A lot of them don`t. And he probably didn`t know. Even if he did, there`s a good chance he was just covering up for her because who wouldn`t want to cover up for their daughter, particularly when it comes doing something illegal?
Also to his credit in the wake of this latest diagnosis with emphysema, he came out and admitted part of it was because, yes, she had been smoking drugs. Whether or not he was on board last year, knew what was going on, or was covering up or whatever it was, he now clearly gets it. And hopefully this is a wake-up call for her and her family and she`s going to get help.
HAMMER: Guess what? Here -- unlike the behavior of most kids, her behavior in the newspapers quite a bit. And the doctors are saying the only thing that could possibly prolong Amy`s life is if she stops smoking.
Laura, let`s look at her past behavior. Do you think this could finally be a wake-up call for Amy, as much as we would like to see that happen?
SULTAN: Yes, of course, we all want to see that happen, she`s so talented. Everybody wants see this girl get her act together.
I don`t know because you look at someone like that in that industry and when someone says to you, "Look, if you don`t get this fixed, you`re probably going to die in your 50s. You`ll be lucky to make it to 60s." They`re going to say, "Oh, that`s a long time." So I just don`t know if this is going to be a wake-up call for her.
HAMMER: It`s just so sad.
Well, let`s move on to another story. New right now, another famous daddy/daughter duo. Larry Birkhead dropping 2800 bucks on lingerie once worn by Anna Nicole Smith, his former lover, as a keepsake for their 1- year-old daughter. Anna Nicole of course died in February of last year.
And I`m thinking, wow, lingerie, not exactly your typical family heirloom. Then again, Anna Nicole, not exactly your typical celebrity mom.
Ken Baker what do you think? Sweet or, if you`re like me, kind of creepy?
BAKER: All right, well, as the father of a 3-year-old daughter, I will tell you that the idea of giving your daughter lingerie is completely creepy, okay. Now, however, what I`m going to tell you is that I did speak to Larry Birkhead today. He called here over at E! I had a conversation with him. He wanted to clarify.
This is actually true, I talked to him. He said that the point that people are missing -- he`s aware that it`s being misconstrued here, that he`s going to be running and giving the lingerie to his baby.
He said that, look this is something that he may or may not in the future when she`s at least 21 years old, this will be in a box somewhere because this was stuff that she wore -- her mother that is -- at a Playboy shoot when she was younger. And it will be something that will be part of her life.
HAMMER: So he didn`t get it to hang over the crib. So that`s a good thing. I`m glad we set the record straight on that.
Laura Sultan, Ken Baker I got to go. Thank you for joining us tonight.
Well, another day, another set of nasty star divorces. The Christie Brinkley split is getting really ugly. You know, her husband had an affair with a teenager. And tonight there is a stunning court decision in that case. You have got to hear about this.
Also, Charlie Sheen and Denise Richards just said they were happy with their recent court ruling, but, you know what, they`re at it again. What can Christie Brinkley actually learn from these two?
It`s the showbiz divorce wars coming up.
And Miss "I can`t control my temper" Naomi Campbell in a whole heap of trouble. You definitely don`t want to miss what punishment she`s getting for going nuts on a British Airways flight. Now she`s saying she went ballistic because she was called a racial slur. That`s coming up next.
And it`s the "SHOWBIZ TONIGHT" Angelina Jolie/Britney Spears -- smack down. You have got to hear the shocking truth behind who`s really hotter, who sells better and who really has more fans. It`s a Showbiz special report. It`s coming up.
Make sure you check out the free, ever-changing "SHOWBIZ TONIGHT" podcast. You`ll find it on our website at cnn.com/SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. You can also download it at iTunes. Just do a search for "SHOWBIZ TONIGHT."
"SHOWBIZ TONIGHT`s" coming right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HAMMER: Welcome back to "SHOWBIZ TONIGHT." I`m A.J. Hammer in New York.
Here are some more stories that are new right now.
It was a scary scene for Britney Spears and her family at Los Angeles International Airport on Friday. Brit and her crew were flying back after little sis Jamie Lynn game birth near Louisiana in their hometown.
The paparazzi was totally rowdy at the airport. All heck broke loose. A fight reportedly broke out between one of the photogs and one of Britney`s body guards, although nobody was arrested.
Naomi Campbell has been sentenced to 200 hours of community service after she admitted to assaulting two cops in London`s Heathrow Airport in April. Naomi says British Airways staff called her a racial slur so that`s why she went nuts on the plane. You may remember, the supermodel had to sweep floors for the New York City Sanitation Department as punishment for throwing a cell phone at her housekeeper last year.
And Ellen Degeneres says she has now set a wedding date to marry partner Portia de Rossi. Ellen says she is planning a dream wedding and gave Portia a pink diamond engagement ring. I got to tell you, I`m very happy for Ellen and Portia.
But at the same time, we know for every celebrity marriage, there seems to be a bunch of ugly divorces. Tonight, a stunning court decision in the Christie Brinkley split. You know, her husband had an affair with a teenager.
Plus, Charlie Sheen and Denise Richards, they are at it again. It just never ends. I`m revealing what Christie Brinkley can actually learn from these two. It`s divorce wars, coming up.
Plus, it`s the "SHOWBIZ TONIGHT" Angelina Jolie/Britney Spears` smack down. You`ve got to hear the shocking truth behind who`s really hotter, who sells better, who has more fans? It`s a Showbiz special report coming up.
And remembering George Carlin; definitely one of my favorite comedians of all time. Really funny, really smart. Tonight, it`s what made him so special. That is coming up on "SHOWBIZ TONIGHT."
First, I need to remind you, you can always stay on top of the most provocative entertainment news by subscribing to our daily newsletter. It`s easy to do. All you have to do is surf on over to "SHOWBIZ TONIGHT." The Website, cnn.com/showbiztonight click on the signup for newsletter link at the bottom of the page. That way, we`ll know where to send it every single day. "SHOWBIZ TONIGHT" is coming right back.
CATHERINE CALLAWAY, HEADLINE NEWS CORRESPONDENT: Hello, everyone, I`m Catherine Callaway with your "Headline Prime" news break.
A Phoenix woman accused of running over her husband is charged with first degree murder. Detectives say the Yolanda and her husband were arguing and as he was walking away, she purposely ran over him with her truck.
One person was killed and another hurt in a freeway shootout in Anaheim, California. Police tried to pull over a suspect, but he fled, hit several cars. And then got out of his car and began shooting. Police fired back, killing him. A woman, caught in the cross fire, was injured.
A 130-foot sailboat that ran aground near Seattle should re-float on the next high tide. All 27 people on board escaped without injury. Those are the headlines. I`m Catherine Callaway. "SHOWBIZ TONIGHT" will continue in just a moment with the Britney Spears/Angelina Jolie smack down; the shocking truth behind who`s really hotter.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HAMMER: On "SHOWBIZ TONIGHT," star divorce wars. A shocking court ruling in Christie Brinkley`s bitter divorce.
And look who`s at it again. Three years after they split up, Charlie Sheen and Denise Richards are still battling it out.
Tonight, "SHOWBIZ TONIGHT" goes to a galaxy far, far from civil. It`s star divorce wars.
Angelina versus Britney; a hot star smack down. Who`s more fascinating, Angie or Brit? Who sells more magazines when they`re on the cover? Tonight, a "SHOWBIZ TONIGHT" special report; the surprising results of the Angelina versus Britney smack down.
Welcome back to "SHOWBIZ TONIGHT." It`s 30 minutes past the hour. I`m A.J. Hammer broadcasting tonight and every night from New York City. This is TV`s most provocative entertainment news show.
Tonight, star divorce wars. Stunning new details in two big bitter celebrity divorces.
First up, Christie Brinkley versus Peter Cook. The supermodel just won a battle to keep her divorce a public affair, but, get this, despite Brinkley`s request for a public divorce, she`s now asking for privacy. Huh?
And Charlie Sheen and Denise Richards, yes, they`re at it again. This time around after Charlie claims his two girls didn`t show up for a court- appointed visit.
Joining me tonight in New York, Michael Musto, entertainment columnist for "The Village Voice." Also in New York, Belisa Vranich, psychologist and contributor for "Women`s Health" magazine. And from Hollywood tonight, Howard Bragman, the founder of Fifteen Minutes Public Relation. All right, gang.
After Christie Brinkley asked to have her divorce battle remain public, she released this statement to "SHOWBIZ TONIGHT," - quote - "I still remain hopeful that these matters can be resolved privately." But her attorney told us, quote, "The reality is that there have been so many falsehoods and innuendos, frankly, coming from, we believe Mr. Cook and his associates about Christie and the family, it is our view that the reason for an open trial is exactly what the judge said, the unfiltered truth needs to emerge."
All right. So Christie actually fought in court to make sure that the details of this case would be made public and at the same time she wants to be left alone for this divorce and to have it resolved privately. Dr. Belisa, can you shed some light on what`s going on here?
BELISA VRANICH, PSYCHOLOGIST AND CONTRIBUTOR, WOMEN`S HEALTH MAGAZINE: Well, A.J., she wants to make sure everybody has their cards on the table and that there`s clarity around this. But of course she`d like things to be quiet.
She`s been around Hollywood enough to know it was a Hollywood marriage. It`s going to be a Hollywood divorce. It`s better to have clarity right from the beginning. So that it doesn`t end up being a three-year affair of all kinds of rumors and ugliness that the kids will have to see.
HAMMER: All that`s well and good and I agree with what you`re saying but she`s been around Hollywood long enough to know you can`t have your cake and eat it too.
Peter Cook`s attorney reached out to "SHOWBIZ TONIGHT" about the court`s decision to keep it public. And here`s what he tells us - quote - "You certainly have to ask, why this mother wants to invite the children into the courtroom and listen. It is a very rare case indeed where a mother or even a father would want a courtroom to stay open. I can`t imagine what possible interest these children have as to what goes on this courtroom that will do them any good. Only a woman scorned will do this."
Howard Bragman, out to you. Even if Christie was acting like a woman scorned here, can anybody really blame her? Let`s keep in mind, Peter admitted to cheating on her with an 18-year-old employee.
HOWARD BRAGMAN, FOUNDER, FIFTEEN MINUTES PUBLIC RELATIONS: She certainly is a woman scorned and she`s certainly angry. But I think this may be a legal strategy and not a PR strategy. If Peter fears that this is going to come out in open court, it may force him to go into a settlement with her, which would probably be best for everybody, particularly the kids. So I think there`s a little PR strategy mixed with legal strategy here, A.J., and that`s really what`s going on.
HAMMER: Michael, you`ve seen strategies of all kinds play out in Hollywood over the years. What the heck do you think is happening?
MICHAEL MUSTO, ENTERTAINMENT COLUMNIST, VILLAGE VOICE: Well, A.J. celebrities are full of contradictions. Public or private, shaken but not stirred. I think what she`s up to here is wanting to fling as much mud at Peter Cook as possible in a big public way while maintaining the patina of a dignified mother.
I wish she would have rethought it. But if I were her, then again, I would want not only a public case, I would want a DVD box set, a prime-time special and a world victory tour.
HAMMER: Of course you would, Michael. All right, we have to keep in mind and it`s been brought up at the center of Christie`s divorce drama, her kids. She`s got a daughter, Sailor. Sailor is 9 years old. Her son Jack is 12 years old.
Now these two are old enough to pick up a newspaper or do a little Google search on the Internet. So what do you think Dr. Belisa, keeping the details public, is that better or worse for the kids in this case?
VRANICH: Absolutely better. I really think that the strategy she`s using is a good one. She sees that trying to keep things private is not working. It`s -- we`ve seen cases where people try to keep things really as under the radar as possible and it doesn`t work.
There`s more rumors. The kids find out. They find out all the ugly things. She`s saying I know my kids are an age where they can Google. I know they can read the papers. So let`s have everything be out there so that they don`t have to sneak around, so that they don`t have to deal with some of that ugliness later on.
HAMMER: Yes, I think that makes a lot of sense. We can`t forget Christie Brinkley is still America`s sweetheart. She`s never been known as anything but a class act. She`s actually the first celebrity I ever interviewed in my life a long time ago. I was smiling from ear to ear.
What do you think, Howard? With this going on do you think it makes Christie look bad, or smart move?
BRAGMAN: I think it`s a smart move. As you say, she`s been in the public eye a very long time, A.J. She`s been married to a bigger celebrity than Peter in the past; gone through these divorces. She knows how to play the game. And she`s got a winning hand here.
He was the one who was crashing around with an 18-year-old girl and while she was being a good mother at the time. So when you know you have a winning hand, that`s when you want to make it public. And I think that`s exactly what she`s doing and I think she will get sympathy for herself and she will look like the class act we know her to be.
HAMMER: Always make the most out of your winning hand.
Let`s move on now to our next Hollywood divorce war, Charlie Sheen and Denise Richards. Now, they were in court again over custody issues involving their two children, of course, Sam and Lola.
And new right now, Charlie Sheen`s publicist reaching out to "SHOWBIZ TONIGHT," telling us, quote, "Charlie was very grateful and more than pleased with the court for how they dealt with the custody issues regarding his two children this morning."
This latest court hearing coming on the heels of the release of that vicious voice mail message that Charlie left for Denise two years ago, Charlie even refers to Denise by using the N word in that message. And his publicist issued a formal apology for Charlie, along with an explanation saying two years later, Charlie is just as frustrated with Denise and this ongoing custody dispute.
Michael, what is it going to take for these two to ever get along? It just seems way too contention for that to ever happen.
MUSTO: Nothing, A.J. I think that they are addicted to this public mud- slinging battle and so are we, obviously. Much as I respect the Dennis Quaid/Meg Ryan type couples who for the sake of children divorce in dignity, these are the kind of people that make for better copies so we kind of sit back and cheer them on as they have this public display in the arena.
It`s really disgraceful. He`s not only biased, he`s obviously color blind, too. Unless it was Hulk Hogan who left that message two years ago, I don`t know. They`re just going to go on and on -- and they love -- like two kids in a playground kind of throwing spitballs at each other. They love it.
HAMMER: Well, I want you to listen to this though. Because while we know that Charlie and Denise have redefined bitterness in Hollywood divorce, when I sat down with Denise, she seemed to still have some hope she and Charlie could somehow work things out. Watch what she told me.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DENISE RICHARDS: I don`t hate Charlie. I -- he gave me the two greatest gifts anyone could ever give me and they are my girls. It`s very unfortunate, our situation, and very sad. And I hope one day things can be pushed aside and we can focus on the most important thing and that is our girls. We`re divorced. We are done. This isn`t about us anymore.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: All right, Dr. Belisa, is that a message that at least Christie Brinkley and Peter Cook should be paying attention to right about now?
VRANICH: I think they are paying attention, which is that they`re going to have to co-parent for a very long time. So it`s better that they learn how to co-parent and they be very clear with each other to try to do a good job because they should be thinking about their kids first and foremost.
HAMMER: I just wish everybody would calm the heck down. They`re starting to make me a little ill.
Michael Musto, Belisa Vranich, Howard Bragman, I appreciate you all being here tonight.
All right, here`s a question for you. Who is hotter, Angelina Jolie or Britney Spears? Coming up, I`ve got the star heat index Smack down between Angie and Brit. And I`ve got to tell you, I was truly surprised by these results when it comes to which star seems to get more interest.
It`s coming up in our "Showbiz" special report.
Also, look out ahead, it`s a head on the highway. Eddie Murphy`s giant three-ton head is on a country cross-country tour and it`s kind of bizarre. I`ll tell you why, coming up.
And a comic legend is being remembered. Ground breaking comedian George Carlin has died. Coming up, we`re going to take a look back at what made George a one of a kind.
"SHOWBIZ TONIGHT" is coming right back.
And remember you can watch "SHOWBIZ TONIGHT" video anytime. We are posting new stuff for you to check out all the time on our website. Simply point your web browser to cnn.com/showbiz tonight. Among the videos now playing, Charlie Sheen`s voice mail rage.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HAMMER: Welcome back to "SHOWBIZ TONIGHT," TV`s most provocative entertainment news show.
I`m A.J. Hammer in New York.
Tonight, a "Showbiz" special report. It`s an Angelina versus Britney smack down. Yes, the nickel sound effects are back.
So who are you more obsessed with, Angelina Jolie or Britney Spears? It seems both dominate the headlines these days, but who really gets the most attention?
Well, a new "USA Today" celebrity heat index clearly shows Britney is the overall champ. But with Angelina`s twins due this summer, she is quickly gaining ground. It`s a throw-down you`ll see only in this Showbiz special report.
Joining me tonight from Los Angeles, Laura Sultan, correspondent for accesshollywood.com. Also from Los Angeles tonight, Ken Baker, executive news editor for E!
Ken, Laura -- Britney has had a crazy year, not in a good way. Ken Baker, are you at all surprised that Britney is number one on this particular index?
BAKER: I`m kind of surprised. There`s a little rule in celebrity news. That is stars in their 20s are usually more fascinating than stars in their 30s. Stars who are divorced are usually more fascinating than married stars. Also stars who act, frankly, insane, tend to be more interesting and compelling than those who are sane.
So I think when you break it down, it`s really not that surprising. I think because Angelina is just usually -- just captivates everyone because of her beauty, but she really has just gotten really normal. She`s a mom. She`s living in France.
HAMMER: Yes she`s totally normal, Ken.
BAKER: Well, look at -- she`s away in France. She`s getting ready to have her baby. She`s not here. We don`t see her that much anymore except for very specific times.
Britney is still out there a lot. Not as much as before but we see her more. We feel more familiar with her. And also we`re waiting for her to come back. There`s some drama there.
Angelina what are we waiting for, pop out another baby? It`s happened already.
HAMMER: Babies. Laura Sultan, what do you think? Britney`s number 1 -- hey -- do you get it?
SULTAN: Of course, of course. Even though she`s cleaned up her act, I still think she has all these fans that want to know about her every move. And she`s a lot younger than Angelina. As we know, the Internet, when people are going on, looking at all these Websites, they`re a lot younger. They`re 18, 19, 20, they`re not 40, except for maybe you guys -- no, I`m kidding. You guys are like 22, right?
It`s really the younger people who are surfing for her. It`s unbelievable how they just want to know every bit of information about Britney.
HAMMER: All right, well, I have to tell you that my reaction initially was how could Britney even compare to Angelina.
I mean, look at things right now. Angelina literally a world ambassador while Britney Spears is just trying to manage her own life. I guess if we think about it not that long ago, Angelina was, herself somewhat of a wild child.
What do you think Ken? Are these two stars really all that different despite all of the differences you pointed out a moment ago? When it comes right down to it?
BAKER: I think Angelina has had her wild child ways and has come out the other side and is a fully formed person and mature and has really exorcised her demons. Britney, she`s a work in progress. And I think that is just, by definition, just very fascinating.
We all watch soap operas for a reason. Actually, I don`t know, I don`t watch that many -- okay, I admit it, I do. But the reason why we do and are drawn to them, are because we don`t know how they`re going to end. There`s a little bit of a mystery there and you want to see.
I think that`s what`s so fascinating about Britney right now. Can she come back, can she clean herself up? And I think a lot of people are rooting for her and hope that does happen.
HAMMER: Yes, definitely more of a work in progress there. And part of what this "USA Today" heat index is revealing is that Britney gets almost twice as many headlines as Angelina.
But you know, now that Britney`s life has settled down a bit, she`s getting her career back on track, she`s making appearances on "How I Met Your Mother" and spending more time with her family these days, Laura, what do you think, perhaps now we can expect to see less and less of her on the covers of the tabloids since things are coming down?
SULTAN: Yes, I mean we actually have seen less and less of her on the covers since the "How I Met Your Mother" incident, since her father stepped in. We see a little bit more of her in the past couple of weeks because of her sister giving birth and the paparazzi were all over her when she came back at LAX yesterday.
Even that surprises me because I really thought that things had died down. You could drive over Cold Water Canyon here in L.A. there used to be 20 cars sitting there waiting for her. It`s dwindled. First, it was down to 10, now it`s about six or seven.
HAMMER: Only six or seven cars hanging out, waiting for Britney. The world is come to an end.
SULTAN: Yes, but hey, that`s good from 20. I hope that it gets down to 1 or 2. Actually, I hope it gets down to none but even one or two would be great.
HAMMER: I feel like the tide may change though because we saw the frenzy after it was falsely reported that Angelina had her twins.
Ken Baker, I got about 20 seconds for you. I got to imagine, once those babies pop out, there is going to be this renewed frenzy in Angelina that`s just going to take her right over the top again.
BAKER: Well, you know, I would say yes. But look -- we haven`t even seen Angelina in over two weeks. She`s really hiding out in the south of France. She may very quietly have those babies and it could be months before we see them.
She really has gone underground. And I think a celebrity, to remain her interest and to remain fascinating to an extent has to keep themselves out there and Angelina just isn`t playing games.
HAMMER: You just wait and watch and see when those babies are born, it`s all going to change.
Laura Sultan and Ken Baker, thanks for joining us tonight.
Well, tonight in Hollywood and beyond, people are remembering legendary comedian George Carlin. Carlin died on Sunday of heart failure. He was 71 years old. And Carlin, truly a ground-breaking comedian.
He performed just last weekend in Las Vegas and of course, his seven words routine, which includes all of the seven words I can`t say right now on TV. That is what really put him on the map as a ground-breaking artist who tested the accepted boundaries of language.
Here now, a look back at why George Carlin will be dearly missed.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
GEORGE CARLIN, COMEDIAN: We average a major war every 20 years in this country so we`re good at it and it`s a good thing we are. We`re not very good at anything else anymore. Huh?
You ever find yourself standing in one of the rooms of your house and you can`t remember why you went in there?
You have pride in your work. I know this is the best work I`ve ever done. I`ve done it long enough. I`m fairly honest with myself when I look at my work. And I -- yes, it`s fun to say, there, you know, try that for a while, you know, when you know you`ve done a really hot hour on HBO.
A boring game. A boring game. For boring people. Think of the intellect it must take to draw pleasure from this activity. Hitting a ball with a crooked stick and then walking after it. And then hitting it again!
People like to sound important. Weathermen on television talk about shower activity. Sounds more important than showers. I even heard one guy on CNN talk about a rain event. Swear to God. He said, Louisiana is expecting a rain event. I said, holy [bleep], I hope I can get tickets to that.
I intend to be the first -- George Burns notwithstanding -- to be the first man in his 90s to say those seven words on stage and get paid for it. Because George doesn`t do that, as we know, and I just want to be a really filthy old man and get paid for it.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HAMMER: Well, there`s absolutely no doubt George Carlin had a huge impact on so many today`s stars of comedy.
"SHOWBIZ TONIGHT" got this statement from Ben Stiller, "George Carlin was a hugely influential force in stand up comedy. He had an amazing mind, and his humor was brave and always challenging us to look at ourselves and question our belief systems while being incredibly entertaining. He was one of the greats and he will be missed."
All right, are you ready? Get your motor readying, head out on the highway. No, really, there`s a head out on the highway. Yes, that`s Eddie Murphy`s giant head, rolling down interstate. Why, you may ask?
I`m going to tell you next on "SHOWBIZ TONIGHT" where we were born to be wild.
Now you can watch "SHOWBIZ TONIGHT" anytime. Download our podcast. It`s free. To find the "SHOWBIZ TONIGHT" podcast, go to cnn.com/showbiztonight. You can also do a search for it on iTunes.
"SHOWBIZ TONIGHT" is coming straight back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HAMMER: Welcome back to "SHOWBIZ TONIGHT," TV`s most provocative entertainment news show. I`m A.J. Hammer in New York.
Did you see this? It`s Eddie Murphy`s giant head. Yes, it`s trucking along the highways of these United States. It`s a 15-foot tall replica of Eddie`s head and it`s doing a cross country tour to promote his upcoming movie "Meet Dave."
A CNN i-reporter captured this particular footage in Dallas. I got to say, it`s pretty freaky. I learned the head weighs in at almost 3 tons. People are getting the chance to take pictures inside his ear.
"Meet Dave" is in theaters on July 11th and that`s also the date that the giant head will return to Los Angeles although I have no idea what they do with it when they`re done with it.
It is time now for the "Showbiz First Look." Tonight it`s "Eagle Eye;" really cool looking firm Shia LaBeouf starring as a young man whose trained as a terrorist, forced to become the member of a cell that has plans to carry out a political assassination.
And here, now, your first look.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Sorry.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hello?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The FBI will arrive at your apartment in 30 seconds. You must flee the premises.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Who is this? No, none of this is mine!
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: FBI, get down on the floor!
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I didn`t do anything!
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You know you got the wrong guy, right?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, obviously.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Somebody set me up.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Here`s the thing, Jerry. You`re in a load of trouble, son.
Time for your phone call.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We told you to run.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: How did you get on this phone? Who are you?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You have ten seconds.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What the hell are you talking about?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Get down now. You have four seconds.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HAMMER: Pretty cool. "Eagle Eye" in theaters, September 26th.
And that is it for "SHOWBIZ TONIGHT." I thank you so much for watching.
I`m A.J. Hammer in New York.
Never forget, you can catch always catch "SHOWBIZ TONIGHT" on the 11`s, at 11:00 p.m. Eastern, 11:00 p.m. Pacific -- we`re also on in the morning you know -- 11:00 a.m. Eastern.
The latest from "CNN Headline News" is coming up next.
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