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Showbiz Tonight
Madonna Divorce Drama; Brooke Knows Worst?; Brinkley Divorce Drama; Susan Olsen Almost Vomits During Radio Show Interview
Aired July 07, 2008 - 23:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
A.J. HAMMER, CO-HOST: Does Will Smith have Headline News`s own Nancy Grace to thank for another box office blockbuster?
I`m A.J. Hammer in New York.
BROOKE ANDERSON, CO-HOST: And a "Brady Bunch" barf. You`ve got to hear what happened to Cindy Brady live on the air.
I`m Brooke Anderson in Hollywood.
HAMMER: TV`s most provocative entertainment news show starts right now.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
HAMMER (voice over): On SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, making news right now, a new Madonna divorce shocker. As the wife of baseball superstar Alex Rodriguez files for divorce, Madonna`s brand-new powerful response to claims that she`s to blame.
Plus, from Madonna`s religious controversies to sex stunners and that Britney kiss, she got out of those scandals, but will Madonna be able to spin her way out of this one?
SHOWBIZ TONIGHT with the Madonna spin control.
Tonight, a brand-new nasty round in the ugly Christie Brinkley divorce battle. Tonight, Christie`s ex on the attack. Startling allegations about Christie`s anger issues and the fierce fight over Christie`s fortune.
SHOWBIZ TONIGHT with the new breaking Brinkley developments.
Plus, does Brooke Hogan know worst? Tonight, Hulk`s daughter goes wild in a jaw-dropping new TV show. But with her parents` divorce, her brother in jail, is this just a terrible idea?
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HAMMER: Hello. I`m A.J. Hammer, broadcasting tonight and every night from New York City.
ANDERSON: Hi, there, everyone. I`m Brooke Anderson, coming to you from Hollywood.
And tonight, there are two huge, remarkable Hollywood divorce stories. And we will be getting to the Christie Brinkley drama in just a moment.
HAMMER: So much drama.
But first, the wife of Yankee superstar Alex Rodriguez had just two words for him today -- you`re out! Yes, Rodriguez`s wife filed for divorce in Miami today just as Madonna was pitching her own preemptive strike. In her most explicit statement yet, Madonna flat-out denied that she was having an affair with A-Rod and also denied that she was getting divorced.
Well, tonight, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT has the Madonna/A-Rod divorce dramas making news right now.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
HAMMER (voice over): As if Madonna wasn`t getting enough flak about her own marriage, now she`s being dragged into another marital mess.
KATIE DARYL, TMZ: How much more does she have to take under her plate in this whole marriage arena?
HAMMER: The wife of baseball superstar Alex Rodriguez has filed for divorce. Cynthia Rodriguez believes the material girl has been less than an angel and pushed her marriage to A-Rod past the borderline.
SHOWBIZ TONIGHT can tell you there are enough players in this saga to fill a baseball lineup card with Madonna at first, Alex Rodriguez, naturally over at third base, and Cynthia right between them. Even singer Lenny Kravitz is involved, as is some guy at home.
DARYL: A-Rod`s divorce is A-list. We`re used to hearing about nannies breaking up marriages, not other A-listers.
HAMMER: In her divorce filing in Miami, Cynthia Rodriguez accuses A-Rod of extramarital affairs and other marital misconduct.
MAURICE KUTNER, ATTORNEY FOR CYNTHIA RODRIGUEZ: Cynthia has made it very clear to me that she wants to take the high road.
HAMMER: While Cynthia`s divorce document does accuse A-Rod of extramarital affairs, it does not address rumors of a romance between the slugger and Madonna.
DARYL: They`ve been hanging out so much lately.
HAMMER: But TMA`s Katie Daryl tells SHOWBIZ TONIGHT something about A-Rod and Madonna`s relationship doesn`t sit right with the slugger`s wife.
DARYL: Cynthia Rodriguez`s attorneys basically said that this special, undefined relationship that Madonna and A-Rod maybe have together is in fact the straw that broke the camel`s back on the marriage.
HAMMER: Madonna denies doing any base running with A-Rod. In a statement to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, she says she knows A-Rod, but adds, "I am not romantically involved in any with Alex Rodriguez."
And about reports that Madonna led A-Rod to the study of Kabbalah, she says, "I have nothing to do with the state of his marriage or what spiritual path he may choose to study."
DARYL: Madonna in the past has been pretty open about her sex life and her adventures there within. And now all of a sudden for her to step back and say, you know, I am not having an affair with A-Rod, she`s really pulling herself away from the situation and really trying to create some distance.
HAMMER: Ironically, all of the talk about A-Rod`s marriage comes as Madonna is making her own headlines with her marriage to director Guy Ritchie.
DARYL: In the last several month, we`ve been hearing a lot about Guy and Madonna and their relationship going downhill. And now we`re getting sources telling us that both have hired divorce attorneys.
HAMMER: About her marriage, Madonna tells SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, "My husband and I are not planning on getting a divorce."
OK. So you have Madonna, the most successful female singer of all time, A- Rod, baseball`s reigning, most valuable player, and the guy who directed "Snatch."
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, "SNATCH")
BRAD PITT, ACTOR: (INAUDIBLE).
(END VIDEO CLIP, "SNATCH")
HAMMER: So, you`d think there were enough celebrities in this whole mess, right? No. Lenny Kravitz is part of this mess, too.
DARYL: Lenny Kravitz is involved in a weird way.
HAMMER: Cynthia Rodriguez visited Kravitz` home in Paris during her marital rocky period, leading media to gossip that those two may have made music of their own. Kravitz hit back at those rumors hard. In a statement to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, he says, "There is absolutely no affair between Cynthia Rodriguez and myself. This is unequivocally 100 percent not true. I opened my home to her as a friend and I find it extremely hurtful that I am now being referred to as an adulterer."
And one final irony here. Back in the `90s, around the time Lenny Kravitz broke up with his wife, Lisa Bonet of "The Cosby Show," he was forced to deal with rumors of an affair with -- you guessed it.
So in a real baseball game, you have runs, hits and errors. In this celebrity breakup game, you have divorces, denials and lots of dishing. And it`s clear, everyone`s playing hardball.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HAMMER: It`s kind of hard to keep track of all this stuff without a score card.
Well, joining me tonight from Hollywood, attorney Darren Kavinoky of the California-based Kavinoky Law Firm, and "Extra" correspondent Tanika Ray.
Tanika, Darren, I just mentioned Madonna denied having this affair with Alex Rodriguez. I want to read to you again what she tells SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
"I am not romantically involved in any with Alex Rodriguez. I have nothing to do with the state of his marriage or what spiritual path he may choose to study."
Now, these rumors about this possible Madonna/A-Rod affair have been going around for about a week now.
Darren, off to you first. I`d have to think if she had spoken up right away and not on this, the day of the divorce filing, people might not be pointing fingers of blame so squarely at her.
DARREN KAVINOKY, ATTORNEY: Well, they`re pointing fingers of blame squarely at her, but she`s been busy fighting her own P.R. battles for sometime now. And I think worrying about A-Rod`s marriage was probably pretty low on her priority list last week, maybe somewhere along the lines of get a new gardener or something like that. But I don`t think she`s been too focused on him.
And the fact is that Cynthia Rodriguez has a whole legal team assembled here, and these folks didn`t just swing into action today. This has been brewing for at least a little while. So she may have been the straw that broke the camel`s back. But he`s got other problems here at the foundation as well.
HAMMER: Oh, no question about that. But, you know, Madonna is so methodical about everything she does and usually likes to stay ahead of the story or plans out our her P.R. on things pretty tightly.
So what do you think, Tanika? Do you think Madonna perhaps waited just a little too long to speak up here?
TANIKA RAY, "EXTRA": No. I think she thought it was so ridiculous, she thought it was going to blow over.
Unfortunately, this is a media perfect storm, a tabloid perfect storm, if you take that. Unfortunately, all of these things are happening at once, and it just makes the story so easy to believe, because Madonna is apparently having problems with her husband, A-Rod has been wayward before and he`s having problems with his wife. It just makes sense for us, as far as making a story make, you know, full circle -- making a story full circle.
But unfortunately, I believe Madonna. Madonna does not lie to her public. She`s very, very open about what`s going on in her life. And if this was going down, she would have been like, yes, unfortunately, I have to say A- Rod and I are together. I mean, that`s what we sort of suspect out of Madonna.
HAMMER: Oh, you really think that she would do that?
RAY: Yes.
HAMMER: I mean, it`s interesting, because you make the point, correctly, Madonna is very candid and very open -- I mean, look, we`ve seen her naked. But I don`t know. When it comes to extramarital affairs -- and not to suggest that there is one her -- but that, I think, is a whole different territory.
And there have been a lot of reports floating around for a long time now, reports quoting those close to Cynthia Rodriguez, as saying that she was convinced Madonna was having an affair with A-Rod. Now, there was a little straightening out of that today when her attorneys told people.com, "Some people categorize an affair as something as sexual infidelity. We`re not claiming that. It`s an affair of the heart."
Well, boil it down for us, Darren. You`re the attorney right here tonight. Do the courts at all take affairs of the heart into account in divorce cases, or are those words kind of meaningless?
KAVINOKY: Well, I`m going to give you the best lawyer answer there is, A.J. And that s, it depends. It depends what your unique legal issues are in any particular case.
But I will say this, whether it`s emotional infidelity or physical infidelity, if A-Rod`s spending more time with his new Kabbalah buddy than he is with his own newborn child, you have got problems there. So you better address those issues at home, or obviously you find yourself right where A-Rod is finding himself, in divorce court.
HAMMER: Yes. Well, as we pointed out, Madonna is obviously fighting off the rumors of her own marriage demise. There are still a lot of skeptics out there.
Tanika, you seem to be on Madonna`s side tonight. Are you a skeptic when it comes to her marriage, or if Madonna`s saying it`s not over, you`re thinking it`s not over? I`ve got 10 seconds.
RAY: It`s hard for these people in the public light, because any time they`re having a little bit of a problem -- I think they are on the rocks right now, but they`re trying to fix it. And unfortunately when that happens, we just latch on it as the media, and, "They`re getting divorced." And if anybody`s a friend to somebody, they`re having an affair. So it`s unfortunate how things get blown out of proportion so quickly. But I do believe...
HAMMER: Yes. Nice to give people the benefit of the doubt more often than not.
RAY: Absolutely.
HAMMER: And that doesn`t happen enough.
Darren Kavinoky, Tanika Ray, I appreciate your being here tonight.
ANDERSON: Hey, A.J., question. Did you get to see Will Smith`s blockbuster new movie, "Hancock"?
HAMMER: No, I didn`t see it yet. But of course I heard about the big scene with our own Nancy Grace.
ANDERSON: Yes, it`s great, A.J. It`s Nancy being Nancy. And wait until you see the special message that Smith gave us for Nancy. That`s straight ahead.
And a lot of folks have this message for Hulk Hogan`s daughter, Brooke: Quit it! Tonight, I can tell you that even though her family is falling apart, her brother in jail, she`s partying it up in a new reality show.
Bad idea or not a big deal? That`s next.
Also this...
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SUSAN OLSEN, ACTRESS: You know what? Chris (ph) got me wasted last night. And I`m so ready to vomit on the microphone.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: Yuck! Brady Bunch`s Cindy Brady there puking during a radio show. Well, you`ve got to hear this. I`ll tell you, Alice wouldn`t be happy about cleaning this mess up. Oh, and get this -- Cindy`s kid right there when it was happening.
That`s on the way.
You know what else is pretty disgusting? The whole Christie Brinkley divorce. Tonight, a brand-new nasty round in the ugly Christie Brinkley divorce battle. Christie`s ex on the attack,. And wait until you hear what he`s accusing her of.
That`s on the way.
We want to hear from you on our SHOWBIZ TONIGHT "Question of the Day." It is this: "Christie Brinkley`s divorce, should she get sole custody of her kids?" Let us know at CNN.com/showbiztonight.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANDERSON: Here we go again. Brooke Hogan is getting real again with a new reality show called "Brooke Knows Best." But with the Hogan family drama still out of control, would a more appropriate title be "Brooke Knows Worst?"
Welcome back to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, TV`s most provocative entertainment news show.
I`m Brooke Anderson in Hollywood.
Tonight, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT can now show you some of the shocking scenes from Brooke Hogan`s upcoming VH1 reality show. It`s called "Brooke Knows Best." You thought Hulk and Linda`s divorce battle was getting crazy, wait until you see this.
With me tonight in Hollywood, Ken Baker, executive news editor for E!, and Kim Serafin, "In Touch Weekly" senior editor.
Kim, Ken, you would think that with all the Hogan family drama right now, son Nick in jail, Hulk and Linda getting divorced, Linda dating a 19-year- old, that Brooke might want to lie low. Sorry, not the case here.
Take a look at this clip of "Brooke Knows Best" posted on VH1.com.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, "BROOKE KNOWS BEST")
BROOKE HOGAN, "BROOKE KNOWS BEST" (voice over): I`m doing things I never got to do when I was living with my parents.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hot tub time.
HOGAN: I threw my first house party.
(on camera): Oh, my god!
(voice over): I decided to get a tattoo.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, Brooke.
HOGAN: I also went on my first spring break. And of course, my dad invites himself to tag along.
(END VIDEO CLIP, "BROOKE KNOWS BEST")
ANDERSON: OK, I would have to think that at a time when the Hogan family is desperately trying to repair its image, scenes like this can`t help matters. Or, Ken, does it even matter?
KEN BAKER, EXECUTIVE NEWS EDITOR, E!: Well, look, her mom`s dating a 19- year-old, apparently. Her father is doing whatever he`s doing. Her brother is in jail right now.
Does that mean that she has to sentence herself to the imprisonment of just not going out, not going on TV, not having a career? No.
I think she`s 20 years old. She`s having fun. She has an opportunity to get her career on her own away from her family. And I think this is what normal 20-year-olds would do who are given this kind of opportunity through reality television.
And of course, is it a good thing that her family`s going through all this stuff, and does their reality show played a part in that? Yes, Hulk has said that he thinks that if he could do it again, he would think twice about putting his family on that show and doing it.
But you know what? Brooke is young. This is on her own. And I think that no one should tell her to go crawl inside a hole and not come out.
ANDERSON: Maybe she has to learn for herself. I don`t know. You know, we can`t forget that the once beloved all-American Hogan family did come apart at the seams after their family`s first reality show, which you mentioned, Ken, "Hogan Knows Best."
Kim, it seems to me that going that route again might not be the best idea. What do you think?
KIM SERAFIN, SR. EDITOR, "IN TOUCH WEEKLY": Yes. I mean, yes, she has to go out on her own and create her own career, especially when you look at what`s going on with her family. Obviously she needs to create her own livelihood and her own identity, probably.
But I think the reality show did exacerbate the problems. And I think when you put yourself on TV in a reality show for the whole world to see your life, you open yourself up to scrutiny. So, she`s got to know that people are going to judge her on this and say, why is she partying when everything is going on with her family?
I think, you know, she probably understands, you take the good with the bad. I also don`t know if the family sort of knows what to do without a reality show. I mean, they seem to live their life through the cameras.
So, if she doesn`t do a reality show, what does she do? I guess she`s got a singing career. But, you know, it seems like this is her career. She has got to follow through.
ANDERSON: And it seems that her parents are supporting it, because as ugly as the Hogan drama is, both Hulk and Linda appear in Brooke`s show, and they do so to talk about the tough times that they have been facing. Take a look at that.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, "BROOKE KNOWS BEST")
HOGAN (voice over): It`s been a pretty rough year. My parents decided to get a divorce.
HULK HOGAN, ACTOR: For so long, I was like the captain of the ship, and all of a sudden, you know, I don`t even have a ship.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I mean, it`s just been really hard. You know?
H. HOGAN: This is a huge transition for all of us.
B. HOGAN (voice over): But through all these changes, our family still remains close.
H. HOGAN: As family, we all love each other no matter whatever happens.
(END VIDEO CLIP, "BROOKE KNOWS BEST")
ANDERSON: Hey, Ken, very, very quickly here, but could their motivation here be to gain sympathy after they have taken such a beating for so many months?
BAKER: Well, I mean, say what you want is the cause of all this strife, this family is really going through hell. It really has been a really difficult time. And when you back away from the headlines and all the media drama, there`s a real family there that if you saw the original show of "Hogan Knows Best," it was very touching at times. So I think it does make people more sympathetic.
ANDERSON: We shall see.
Ken Baker, Kim Serafin, we will leave it there for now. Thank you both.
HAMMER: All right, Brooke Anderson, were you a big fan of "The Brady Bunch"?
ANDERSON: Actually, A.J., I was a huge fan. I thought that they were such a perfect family.
HAMMER: Hey, Brooke, I am sorry to burst your oh-so-perfect bubble, then, because you`ve got to listen to this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: She apparently goes out to our bathroom. She vomits.
OLSEN: Well, of course I threw up in the bathroom. It was better than throwing up on their face.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: That`s true, but it`s still nasty. A Brady Bunch barf. What happened to Cindy Brady that she had to hightail it out of a live radio interview to throw up?
You`ve got to hear this. It`s coming up.
And I`ll tell you, this Christie Brinkley divorce battle, it makes me sick to my stomach. Tonight, I`ve got the jaw-dropping new details of Christie`s ex on the attack. Man, he is going for the jugular.
Plus, their new, nasty fight over a ton of money. Stick around for this.
ANDERSON: And I cannot believe what`s going on with Madonna. Shocking new reports that her marriage is on the rocks. Plus, that she`s responsible for breaking up the marriage of baseball`s biggest star, Alex Rodriguez.
You know, Madonna has gotten out of jams before, but will she be able to spin her way out this time? Coming up.
HAMMER: And you can always watch SHOWBIZ TONIGHT video any time, with new stuff being posted at cnn.com/showbiztonight. Among the videos now playing, the revealing inside story of the Hogan family drama.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANDERSON: Hey, welcome back to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. I`m Brooke Anderson. And here are some more stories that are new right now.
Nicole Kidman has given birth to a daughter. Sunday Rose Kidman was born Monday morning in Nashville. Daddy is Kidman`s husband, country star Keith Urban. The baby weighs in at 6 pounds, 7 and a half ounces. Everybody is doing well.
Nicole has two other teenaged children from her marriage to Tom Cruise.
No Emmy nominations for Britney Spears and Mary-Kate Olsen. Britney`s guest role as a receptionist on CBS` "How I Met Your Mother," which actually got some good reviews, wasn`t picked as one of 11 best guest actress Emmy semifinalists. Neither was Mary-Kate`s bible-thumping, stoner character on Showtime`s "Weeds."
And a Wonder Woman shocker. Linda Carter, who starred as the sexy superhero in the `70s TV show admits she`s an alcoholic. The 56-year-old mother of two tells "The Insider" she hid her illness from her husband and two kids before finally checking into rehab. Linda says she`s been sober for nearly 10 years.
HAMMER: Brooke, good to hear that Linda Carter is doing well. Always liked her.
Well, moving on now, as we expected, this whole Christie Brinkley divorce is getting really ugly. Now her ex is going on offense big-time. And what he`s accusing her of, it is super nasty.
That is coming up.
Also this...
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
OLSEN: You know what? Chris (ph) got me wasted last night and I`m so ready to vomit on the microphone.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: Gross. Brady Bunch`s Cindy Brady, yes, puking during a radio show. You have got to hear this. I`m going to tell you, Alice probably wouldn`t have been happy about cleaning this mess up one bit.
Oh, and get this -- Cindy`s kid, right there when this was going on. That`s coming up.
ANDERSON: Oh, A.J., that`s nasty.
And you know what else could get very nasty very soon? This Madonna divorce shocker. All kinds of reports that she`s to blame for breaking up Alex Rodriguez`s marriage, baseball`s biggest star. But will Madonna, who is no stranger to controversy, be able to spin her way out of this scandal?
Find out next.
HAMMER: I urge you now to stay on top of the most provocative entertainment news by checking out the daily SHOWBIZ TONIGHT newsletter by heading to CNN.com/showbiztonight. Click on that link so we can send it to you every day.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HAMMER: On SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, shocking new developments in the ugly Christie Brinkley divorce battle. Tonight, Christie`s ex is on the attack. Startling allegations about Christie`s anger issue. Plus, the fierce fight over her fortune.
SHOWBIZ TONIGHT with the latest round of nastiness in the Brinkley breakup.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: She apparently goes out to our bathroom. She vomits.
OLSEN: Well, of course I threw up in the bathroom. It was better than throwing up on their face.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: Here`s the story of a very sick lady. Tonight, the unbelievable thing that happened to Cindy Brady during a live radio interview. She throws up with her young kid standing right there. Yuck! It`s the Brady Bunch barf you`ve got to hear to believe.
Welcome back to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. It`s 30 minutes past the hour. I`m A.J. Hammer, broadcasting tonight and every night from New York City.
ANDERSON: And I`m Brooke Anderson, coming to you tonight from Hollywood.
And this is TV`s most provocative entertainment news show.
HAMMER: Well, tonight, shocking new details in the bitter custody battle between Christie Brinkley and Peter Cook. And I`ve got tell you, the former supermodel is not holding back in court as she fights for full custody of her two children.
Brinkley was back on the stand today as her divorce trial moved into the custody phase. And on the witness stand, Christie has already talked about Peter Cook`s $3,000-a-month Internet porn addiction and that he even tried to meet up with some of the women from the Web.
And at the trial, a teary-eyed Cook admitted to being into porn on the net, having an affair with his 18-year-old employee, and then trying to pay her off to keep quiet. An emotional Christie testified that she was just shattered when she found out about that affair and blames Peter for tearing apart their perfect life.
Joining me tonight from Hollywood, attorney Darren Kavinoky. Also in Hollywood tonight, executive news editor for E!, Ken Baker, and senior editor for "In Touch Weekly," Kim Serafin.
Gang, I appreciate you being here.
Now, we`ve got to remember at the heart of this trial is the battle for custody of the two kids. You have 13-year-old Jack and 10-year-old Sailor.
Darren, let me start with you. Christie, so far, it seems to me, has accomplished exactly what she set out to do, portraying Cook as a cheating, porn-addicted louse.
Score one for Christie?
KAVINOKY: Oh, indeed. And child custody is at the heart of this case. So, anything that Christie Brinkley and her legal team can do to make Peter Cook appear sleazier is certainly good for her.
Remember, sleazy equals bad parenting. In order to effectively parent, you have to be able to prioritize your children`s needs over your own. And at this point he looks like a selfish, adulterous, philandering fool.
So, certainly score one for Christie at this point, although I`ll say this, A.J., he presumably knew that all of these skeletons were going to be coming out of his closet. So he wouldn`t push this thing forward unless he thought he could counterpunch effectively. I think this one`s going to get messier before it`s over.
HAMMER: Yes. We`ll get into that counterpunch in just a second.
I`m still a little dumbfounded, however, that Christie Brinkley wanted all this stuff to come out. She obviously is a very famous woman. All these salacious details are getting out there for all the world to see.
Ken Baker, to you, are you surprised by, you know, this scorched earth approach she`s taking? Could it make her at all seem desperate, perhaps?
BAKER: Well, I think she`s clearly acting out of anger. And by no means would I argue that she shouldn`t be angry. There apparently is a lot of things she has to be angry about.
But the question is, yes, the children. Should she be airing this in public court?
I hate to say it, but Britney and K-Fed, they`re sort of the examples of civility and decorum. I mean, when they`re in their custody court and they`re arguing? Guess what? Right before they get into those hearings, they clear the courtroom, no one can be in there, it`s closed to the media, closed to the public. And I actually -- even as somebody in the media who wants to know, it`s hard to make the argument that I really need to know how bad of a parent Britney Spears is, because she has children. They shouldn`t be exposed to that stuff.
And I think it`s a good thing. And it`s just a little bit too much. If you take kids out of the equation, it`s just two people fighting, let them have it. Throw them in a cage. Put it on Pay-Per-View. But this is too much right now.
HAMMER: Spears, K-Fed, decorum? I never thought I`d hear you say that, Ken Baker, in my life.
Back to Cook and Brinkley, however, you know, it does seem to be looking pretty bad for Peter Cook, at least what we know so far. But as the case moves forward, as we alluded to a moment ago, his attorneys are hoping to turn the tables for Christie, obviously a psychologist also to testify about Christie`s alleged anger issues. And this morning on "The Today Show," Peter Cook`s attorney did say is what is at the center of this whole ugly ordeal.
Watch this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
NORMAN SHERESKY, PETER COOK`S ATTORNEY: Who else in the world other than an angry woman would try to keep this courtroom open? I mean, it`s absurd. Everything that she has done, every contact that she has with Peter, is anger, anger, anger. And it`s too bad.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: Yes, OK. Let me boil this down though. It`s one thing I think to have anger management issues. It`s quite another thing to cheat on your wife, surf porn, and admit to performing sexual acts on the Internet Web camera.
Kim Serafin, over to you. It doesn`t to me sound like much of a comparison. Am I missing something here?
SERAFIN: No. I think you`re seeing it pretty clearly.
Yes, she`s angry when, you know, obviously this is a pattern with him. And I think that he, the lawyer, just won Christie some female fans by saying, you know, "an angry woman." He just hit those words that many women are now probably sympathizing with Christie Brinkley in this.
Yes, I think people hear Peter Cook`s side, the 18-year-old mistress, trying to pay her off, the Internet porn. And then you hear Christie Brinkley, who comes across so professional. And we all know her and love her, and we`ve known her for years. You know, I think people are more familiar with Christie than they are with Peter Cook.
And, you know, at least right now, from what`s out there, I think Christie is winning the P.R. battle, possibly the legal battle, too.
HAMMER: Darren Kavinoky, what do you think as an attorney? Can you even compare Christie`s alleged anger management that we`re apparently going to be learning all about to this laundry list of what Peter Cook has admitted that he`s done?
KAVINOKY: Well, at the end of the day, I think Peter Cook`s misconduct and the disregard he has for the welfare of the kids ultimately is going to get trumped by Christie Brinkley`s anger issues. And by that, I mean I think she`s going to win ultimately these legal battles.
You may say that, well, because she`s got these anger issues or because she`s essentially venting her spleen at the expense of her children that she`s on unfit parent. At the end of the day, it`s his irresponsibility that got us to where we are in the first place.
HAMMER: Right.
KAVINOKY: And I think on the scale, his is far more severe than what we see from Christie.
HAMMER: And what Christie`s attorney is saying is pretty much concurring with what we`re saying here. If she`s got anything to be angry about, it`s Peter`s constant infidelity during their 10-year marriage.
I want you to watch actually what Christie`s attorney said this morning on "The Today Show" about that.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BOB COHEN, CHRISTIE BRINKLEY`S ATTORNEY: Is she angry? She has every right to be angry. But has she disaffected the children? It`s absolutely not true.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: All right. Ken Baker, let me go to you.
Their kids are 13 and 10, they`re old enough to read the newspapers. I don`t have to tell any of you that`s all that`s in the newspapers right now. I mean, there`s some other stuff in here, too. But it`s getting quite a bit of coverage.
I`d have to think this just can`t be good for the kids, back to what you were saying earlier, Ken.
BAKER: Well, clearly, there is a personal vendetta part to this. Yes, she cares about the welfare of the kids. And I would hope that she wouldn`t be pursuing this trial without her really believing that this was for the betterment of the kids.
And like Kim said, she may be winning the P.R. battle and she may be winning the legal battle, but is she really winning the psychological battle for her children that they have to face, where they have to go to school every day, or at least go to the pool or whatever they`re going in the summer and have to face their friends and other people in the public who know about this? It really wasn`t necessary for this all to get out.
Yes, this guy is responsible for why they divorced and why they`re here, absolutely, it seems to be the case. But Christie had the opportunity to make this a closed trial, closed to the public, and to seal the courtroom, and she chose not to. And I really can`t help but think that that is not a good thing for the kids.
HAMMER: Kim Serafin, 10 seconds. Do you think now that all this juicy stuff is coming out that Christie Brinkley has any regrets about keeping this open?
SERAFIN: You know, she must have known this was going to come out, and she probably weighed the options and probably said, my kids are going to find out about this anyway, they`re old enough, things leak out certainly. And she must have just assumed that they would find out anyway. So why not put it out there and at least get custody of her kids?
HAMMER: Or as was pointed out, just acting out of actor.
Darren Kavinoky, Ken Baker, Kim Serafin, thanks for being here tonight.
And we`ve been asking you to vote on our SHOWBIZ TONIGHT "Question of the Day." It`s this: Christie Brinkley`s dirty divorce: should she get full custody of her kids?
Let us know what you think, cnn.com/showbiztonight, or e-mail showbiztonight@cnn.com.
ANDERSON: Hey, A.J., I was absolutely floored when I heard how Cindy Brady from "The Brady Bunch" actually tossed her cookies during a radio interview. Yuck!
HAMMER: Yuck is right. Susan Olsen, of course, played Cindy Brady, the young, adorable sibling on "The Brady Bunch."
ANDERSON: Yes.
HAMMER: She`s been out of the spotlight for years now, though.
ANDERSON: Well, not anymore, A.J.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
OLSEN: You know what? Chris (ph) got me wasted last night. And I am so ready to vomit on the microphone.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Yikes! Come on. Cindy Brady? What happened? And why was her young son standing by to witness this mess?
We`re going to tell you the story behind "The Brady Bunch" barf fest just ahead. It`s too gross to miss.
HAMMER: Yes. And also tonight, Madonna`s spin control. Her majesty digging deep now into her bag of tricks, trying to fight off these reports that she broke up a marriage.
Did she have an emotional affair with Yankees star Alex Rodriguez, and can she really survive yet another scandal? The shocking details of this Madonna madness is coming up next.
ANDERSON: And in a SHOWBIZ TONIGHT exclusive, Will Smith, number one at the box office with "Hancock." Now why he is personally thanking CNN Headline News host Nancy Grace. You have got to hear what he told us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
OLSEN: You know what? Chris got me wasted last night. And I`m so ready to vomit on the microphone.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: You may not recognize her, but that`s actress Susan Olsen, AKA Cindy Brady from "The Brady Bunch," getting ready to lose her lunch during a radio interview.
What happened? The whole sick story just ahead.
Welcome back to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, TV`s most provocative entertainment news show.
I`m Brooke Anderson in Hollywood.
Tonight, Madonna`s marital mayhem. And let me tell you, there are big headlines new right now.
For the first time, Madonna today came out swinging and blasting rumors that she`s having an affair with Yankees superstar Alex Rodriguez. Whoops. Too late for Alex, though.
His wife, Cynthia, filed for divorce today. Her attorney claiming Alex was having an affair of the heart. But Madonna also said today, don`t put her in that divorce group, flat-out denying she and hubby, Guy Ritchie, are splitting up.
Well, we all know that Madonna`s been the Teflon star when it comes to controversy. But I have got to ask, can she spin her way out of this dangerous game of truth or dare?
With us tonight in Hollywood, Howard Bragman, founder of Fifteen Minutes Public Relations. Also tonight in Hollywood, Tanika Ray, correspondent for "Extra."
Howard, Tanika, welcome to you both.
And first, I want you to take a look at the statement that Madonna released today to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
"My husband and I are not planning on getting a divorce. I know Alex Rodriguez through Guy Oseary, who manages both of us. I brought my kids to a Yankee game. I am not romantically involved in any way with Alex Rodriguez. I have nothing to do with the state of his marriage or what spiritual path he may choose to study."
OK. Right there at the end, Madonna denying reports that she was trying to get A-Rod interested in Kabbalah.
Howard, a lot of denials in that statement. Damage control or just plain damaging?
HOWARD BRAGMAN, FOUNDER, FIFTEEN MINUTES PR: No, this is true damage control. And you can tell it`s damage control because she went through her list of message points there -- I`m not having a divorce from my husband, I only know him through my manager, et cetera, et cetera. And I think there were for four or five or six different messages that she wanted to get out.
What`s interesting and how you know it`s also damage control is she felt the need to talk. That the damage had piled up enough that it was finally time for Madonna to stand up and say, I`m going to tell it the way it is. She did it. There was nothing extra, no fluff. Here`s my messages, and getting them out there good.
ANDERSON: It did seem like she was just checking the points off the list, as you say.
Tanika, does this all sound like spin control to you?
RAY: No, it doesn`t. Madonna`s very honest, and she always tells us what she thinks, and she tells it like it is. And if there was anything going on, I feel like she would have just stayed quiet.
Basically, not until she was named in this divorce proceeding was she -- did she feel the need to actually say something. And you know, Cynthia is saying Madonna and A-Rod were cheating. She`s saying there was emotional abandonment.
Basically, after all this time of A-Rod, whatever, going to Madonna`s apartment in New York, apparently A-Rod never mentioned going to see Madonna or it wouldn`t have been an issue. Cynthia`s gone through this before though, and she stood by her man like a strong woman. This was absolutely the last straw for her.
ANDERSON: Yes, Cynthia does accuse him of extramarital affairs, but she does not address the rumors of a romance between A-Rod and Madonna, you`re right. And I do want to say that Madonna is no dummy when it comes to spinning controversy into publicity gold. A TMZ report today even suggested that Madonna and Guy Ritchie, her husband, may actually be timing their own divorce for publicity to help her world tour that`s about to begin in the fall.
Howard, given that she has been the master of publicity before, would it surprise you if the two are connected?
BRAGMAN: You know, TMZ tried to make this big Machiavellian thing that Madonna is using this whole thing just to sell tickets to her concert. Let me tell you, you don`t use these kinds of moments in your life to sell tickets to concerts. Madonna has a very strong fan base.
But what I can tell you is Madonna may have said, you know, Guy, our marriage has some issues right now, let`s table it until I get done with the tour. And that I`m willing to buy. But I`m not willing to buy the whole big Machiavellian package, package.
ANDERSON: Yes. This is a very serious issue, and she has survived controversy though over and over again.
She was criticized for dancing in front of burning crosses in the "Like a Prayer" music video. She performed on a crucifix while on tour. She kissed Britney Spears at MTV`s Video Music Awards.
Tanika, when it comes to Madonna and spin control and damage control, would anything surprise you?
RAY: No, nothing surprises me. But what you just said was exactly the point that I was about to make, which is she`s a lot more creative when she wants to gain publicity for her albums or her tours. This is not creative at all.
Everybody`s saying that their husbands cheat. Christie Brinkley`s going through that. So Madonna`s a lot smarter than that. She wouldn`t have sunk so low as to be the mistress in somebody else`s marriage when she`s having marital problems herself.
It`s just -- I don`t buy it. TMZ can go with it all they want, but I really don`t think it has any merit.
ANDERSON: All right. You nor Howard are buying that one.
We will leave it there for now.
Howard Bragman, Tanika Ray, thank you both for your insights.
HAMMER: OK. You remember the adorable Cindy Brady from "The Brady Bunch," right? Well, Susan Olsen, the actress who played Cindy, was anything but cute during a recent radio interview.
Apparently, she was hung over. And with her young son at her side, she raced out of the interview, and, well, tossed her cookies. And as luck would have it, the entire embarrassing incident was caught on tape.
Here`s McKenzie Martin of Colorado Springs affiliate KKTV for SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DARREN MCKEE, RADIO DJ: All right. Susan, it`s been nice having you here, and maybe it`s time to go.
MCKENZIE MARTIN, REPORTER, KKTV (voice over): Susan Olsen, who`s best known for her role as Cindy Brady, shocked deejays at Jet 107.9 this morning when she abruptly left the radio booth.
OLSEN: I`m going to go throw up now.
MCKEE: Yes, OK.
She apparently goes out to our bathroom. She vomits.
OLSEN: Well, of course I threw up in the bathroom. It was better than throwing up on their face.
MARTIN: We got the actress` side of the story. Susan Olsen admits she had too much to drink last night.
OLSEN: I had some wine -- plenty of wine -- and the next morning -- I mean, it hit me like a ton of bricks. And so this morning, I felt really awful.
MARTIN: And so, when she started to feel sick on air, Olsen says she decided to be honest with the listeners.
OLSEN: I`m a very, very, very honest person. I also am a person who doesn`t drink.
MARTIN: Deejay Darren McKee says it`s still the weirdest thing that`s happened to him in 20 years of radio.
MCKEE: It wasn`t that it was a rock star and it was at night. I mean, I sort of get that. It was Cindy Brady at 8:30 in the morning. What happened?
I mean, seriously, Susan, what happened?
MARTIN: And in studio with Olsen was her 10-year-old son.
OLSEN: I was joking about it. I stepped up to the plate. I wasn`t so hung over I can`t talk.
And if anybody has a problem with me talking about having a hangover in front of my son, I`m sorry. That`s the way kids learn. I said, "Mom drank wine last night. Mom had too much."
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HAMMER: Wow. That was McKenzie Martin of Colorado Springs affiliate KKTV for SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
Brooke, I`ve got to tell you, I was on the radio for years and years. I played some pretty dumpy music in those years, but nobody ever threw up on my show.
ANDERSON: Well, that`s good, A.J. Glad to hear that. I just wish she had rescheduled that interview for a time when she was in a better state. But, oh well.
Moving on now to Will Smith. He broke records and cleaned up at the box office with his new film "Hancock," and wait until you hear what Will told us.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
WILL SMITH, ACTOR: You know, we`re just thinking and talking and talking and talking, and then Pete Berg said, "Nancy Grace." We were like oh, god, yes.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Nancy Grace? You mean, our own Nancy Grace, host of the show that`s on before SHOWBIZ TONIGHT? You will hear what Will Smith told SHOWBIZ TONIGHT exclusively next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP, "HANCOCK")
SMITH: Huh? You want down? Oh, I`m real good at down. I`m real good at down.
(END VIDEO CLIP, "HANCOCK")
HAMMER: It was up, up and away for Will Smith at the weekend box office. His new film "Hancock" literally stole the Fourth of July show, making 66 million bucks and taking the number one spot at the box office.
Welcome back to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. I`m A.J. Hammer in New York.
Yes, Will Smith did it again. He`s officially become the biggest movie star on the planet.
Smith`s movie "Hancock," oh, about a troubled superhero, had no trouble at all selling tickets over the Fourth of July weekend. This is now the fifth time Will Smith dominated the Fourth of July box office.
So, how did he do it? Well, I think I know the answer. Check out CNN Headline News host Nancy Grace in the hit film.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, "HANCOCK")
NANCY GRACE, HEADLINE NEWS: The law is the law, Mr. Hancock, and you are not above it. Felony destruction of property amounting to tens of million of dollars, theft, and now this.
From where I sit, I see a selfish, self-absorbed man with a lot of muscle but no regard for anyone but yourself. You have failed to show at over 600 subpoenas in civil suits. You may be a superhero, but let me tell you this, you`re not nearly as strong as the U.S. Constitution.
Bank on it, buddy.
(END VIDEO CLIP, "HANCOCK")
HAMMER: Yes, Nancy. In true form on "NANCY GRACE," not holding back at all.
And Will Smith tells SHOWBIZ TONIGHT exclusively that Nancy delivered the punch he was hoping for.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SMITH: She absolutely delivered. We were like -- we were sitting around one day, and we were like, you know, who could really just rip Hancock and be OK with it?
You know, we were just thinking. We were talking and talking and talking. And then Pete Berg said, "Nancy Grace." We were like, oh, god, yes. You know, just the idea of somebody who is right in her lane of disgust, you know?
And Hancock, she`s just -- and it was beautiful. She was adlibbing. She was adlibbing stuff, too.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There was no script there?
SMITH: Hold on, Ms. Grace. Hold on a second. You know?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: She`s going to see this, so what do you want to say to Nancy?
SMITH: I know.
You did a fantastic job. You know, I miss you on the red carpet, but we`re going to hold it down for you. Thank you very much for everything.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: Yes, so there you have it. The secret to Will Smith`s success, Brooke, a big Nancy Grace smackdown. I thought that was brilliant.
ANDERSON: Me too. I give it five out of five stars, that cameo.
HAMMER: Well, that is it for SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
We thank you 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: 11:00 p.m. Eastern and Pacific, and in the morning at 11:00 a.m. Eastern.
The latest from CNN Headline News is next.
END
