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Showbiz Tonight
Batman Arrested; Miley Cyrus` Mistake; Britney`s New Smoking Hot Controversy; YouTube Divorce Lady Officially Divorced; Omarosa versus Wendy Williams on TV; Michael Savage Gets Savage
Aired July 22, 2008 - 23:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BROOKE ANDERSON, HOST: Does Miley Cyrus think those racy "Vanity Fair" photos were a mistake? Miley speaks out. And Wendy Williams and Omarosa duke it out on television.
I`m Brooke Anderson in Hollywood. TV`s most provocative entertainment news show starts right now.
On SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, Batman arrested. Christian Bale, star of the biggest movie in the world, arrested by British police. Tonight, did his own mother and sister really turn him in? SHOWBIZ TONIGHT is in London to get the real story of what really happened on the dark night for "The Dark Knight."
Tonight, Savage gets savage - the absolute outrage over top radio host Michael Savage`s mind-boggling comments about kids and autism.
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
MICHAEL SAVAGE, RADIO HOST: You know what autism is? I`ll tell you what autism is. In 99 percent of the cases, it`s a brat who hasn`t been told to cut the act out.
(END AUDIO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Tonight, should Michael Savage be fired? SHOWBIZ TONIGHT with the savage autism outrage that has now spread to Hollywood.
Plus, Britney`s smoking new controversy. Why so many people are lit up over Britney Spears lighting up in front of her young sons.
(MUSIC)
Hi, there, everyone. I`m Brooke Anderson, broadcasting tonight from Hollywood. A.J. is off.
And right now, there is a red hot, smoking controversy surrounding Britney Spears, this after she was caught on camera puffing away around her young sons. That is coming up.
But first, tonight, as Heath Ledger`s Joker might have put it, "Arrest the Batman." Police in London today did just that, arresting "The Dark Knight" star Christian Bale after Bale`s own mother and sister claimed he assaulted them. The startling arrest happened just one day after "The Dark Knight" set a big box office record and after Bale had arrived in London for the premiere of the movie in the U.K. Tonight, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT has got this story covered from London to Hollywood, as we bring you the very latest developments making news right now.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CHRISTIAN BALE, ACTOR, PLAYING "BATMAN": One day, the Batman will have to answer for the laws he`s broken.
ANDERSON (voice over): It may be a line in the new Batman movie "The Dark Knight," but in the case of life imitating art, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT can tell you the star who plays Batman, Christian Bale, is answering some tough questions tonight about allegations of assault. And we`re not talking about the Joker either. We`re talking about his own mother, Jenny Bale and sister, Sharon, pictured here.
KATIE DARYL, REPORTER, TMZ: Christian Bale`s mother and sister filed some accusations that Christian Bale had assaulted them. Right now, there`s confusion as to whether it`s physical assault or verbal assault.
ANDERSON: But it`s clear that this news couldn`t come at a worst time for the actor. His movie, "The Dark Knight" has raked in more than $158 million on opening weekend just in the U.S. And Bale has been in London promoting the European premiere. It was during his promotional tour that something supposedly went down between Bale, his mother and sister. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT went straight to CNN`s London correspondent, Jim Boulden, for answers.
JIM BOULDEN, CNN`S LONDON CORRESPONDENT: This alleged incident was to have happened on Sunday at the Dorchester Hotel in London, one of the swankiest hotels here in London. And then, this premiere happened the next day, Monday.
ANDERSON: Even though Bale`s sister and mother filed charges at the police station against him, the police said the show could go on.
DARYL: They decided that Christian Bale was not at risk of fleeing, so they went ahead and allowed him to go to his premiere in London.
BOULDEN: What we didn`t know at the time was that he was going to have to talk to the police.
ANDERSON: In fact, Bale did talk to the police Tuesday. And the actor`s representative tells SHOWBIZ TONIGHT he went there willingly to deny the allegations made by his mother and sister.
BOULDEN: He does admit these allegations came from his mother and sister. We know that that is true. He did leave the police station after some four hours. He was not charged. He was bailed and he will return at a later date.
ANDERSON: Bale did bail out on previously scheduled media interviews, including one with CNN in London.
BOULDEN: CNN went along for the press junket today and, of course, originally, he was scheduled to be there. He wasn`t there because we know he was in the police station at the same time as this junket.
ANDERSON: His co-stars were there but no one was talking about Bale.
BOULDEN: They had absolutely no comment.
ANDERSON: And who can blame them? The cast of "The Dark Knight" has already had to endure endless questions about Heath Ledger`s untimely death from an accidental prescription drug overdose back in January. And now for Bale, his troubles are not over.
BOULDEN: We`ll have to hear something from the police. The charges could be dropped. The allegations could be pulled back. Something will have to happen but it could be several months, actually.
ANDERSON: And that means an even bigger barrage of media attention for Bale. Let`s just hope that this real-life scandal is resolved quickly and that Bale can save the drama for the big screen.
BALE: Today I found out what Batman can`t do. He can`t endure this.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: So should Bale be worried or is there something else going on here?
With me tonight in Hollywood, Jane Velez-Mitchell, investigative journalist and author of "Secrets Can Be Murder." From New York, Ben Widdecombe, editor-at-large at "Star" magazine.
Ben, Jane, just like everybody else, I was absolutely stunned when I heard that the star of "The Dark Knight," Christian Bale, was not only arrested but arrested and questioned for allegedly assaulting his own mother and sister.
Let`s take a look at a picture - here it is - of his sister, Sharon, today. Now, Bale - there it is - Bale is denying the charges. But, Jane, something seems a little fishy here. This just doesn`t add up, does it?
JANE VELEZ-MITCHELL, INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALIST: It doesn`t add up at all, Brooke. First of all, he reportedly went on a British TV show hours after this alleged assault and acted perfectly normal, so that doesn`t track. Also, the British authorities said, "You know what? You can attend your premiere and then check in with us afterwards." I don`t think they would have done that if they had considered this to be a serious assault, if there was evidence that somebody was viciously attacked or pummeled. They would have arrested him on the spot.
And the most important thing is that he had absolutely no track record for doing anything of this nature. He`s not an Amy Winehouse or an Andy Dick who`s known for reckless behavior. This is a man who`s considered a very serious actor who takes his roles very seriously and doesn`t get in trouble.
ANDERSON: Yes. He is often described, Jane, as intense, completely dedicated to his roles. And Ben, it`s a guy who has a squeaky clean reputation in Hollywood. So I don`t get this. What`s going on?
BEN WIDDECOMBE, EDITOR-AT-LARGE, "STAR" MAGAZINE: Well, there hasn`t always been a kind of darkness around Christian Bale. He has spoken about the incredible pressure he was put on there when he became a child star in the `80s with "Empire of the Sun." He returned to the screen in the `90s a serial killer in "American Psycho," a very controversial film. And he has said, himself, in interviews that he`s actually kind of a jerk and he has said if the public knew the real him, they wouldn`t find him so adorable. So perhaps this is what he was referring to.
ANDERSON: He always seems so darn self-contained. It`s odd. I want to take a look again at the statement released to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT by Bale`s attorneys who tell us, quote, "Christian Bale attended a London Police station today, on a voluntary basis, in order to assist with an allegation that has been made against him to the police by his mother and sister. Mr. Bale, who denies the allegation, cooperated throughout, gave his account in full of the events in question and has left the station without any charge being made against him by the police. At this time, there will be further comment by Mr. Bale."
Jane, just to be clear here, getting arrested in London, not the same as being arrested here in the U.S., correct?
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Not quite. And suffice it to say, Brooke, that I do not believe he has been formally charged with anything. If I had to sum up the story, I`d pick two words - circus people. My research shows that his mother was a circus performer at one time and she has managed to turn this entire event, which should have been a peak experience in his life, into a circus. Why? We have no idea.
ANDERSON: And to be clear, you have to be arrested in London before you can actually be questioned. It is a matter of procedure. And as we mentioned, Bale was in London for the big premiere there of "The Dark Knight." And I`ve got to tell you guys, the studio Warner Brothers has already been on edge about the promotion of this film, all due to the talk about Heath Ledger and his death. And now they`ve got to deal with this.
Ben, do you think that they`re concerned here? I feel sorry for these publicists.
WIDDECOMBE: Oh, listen. The studio could not be less concerned because the public is comfortable with the idea of actor as bad boy. And Christian is known for playing Batman, not Mr. Rogers. So I think he`s going to be just fine. If anything, Warner Brothers is only concerned that all this didn`t come down in the third week of Batman when maybe ticket sales has started to trail off a bit and they could have gotten more publicity out of it.
ANDERSON: Well, speaking of publicity and ticket sales, a lot have been saying that one of the biggest factors in "The Dark Knight" breaking box office records was the fascination in seeing Heath Ledger. I hate to be cynical here, but Jane, could Bale`s arrest actually increase ticket sales because people want to see him, too?
VELEZ-MITCHELL: You don`t have to be cynical. It`s a very good question, Brooke - yes. People are talking about this movie. We are talking about this movie right now and giving it publicity. That attracts interest and makes people want to see the movie. You spoke of Heath Ledger. I think that could have been a stressor because Christian Bale has been repeatedly questioned about, "What do you think about the tragic death of Heath Ledger?" And let`s face it, he is technically, Christian Bale, the star of this movie. So that could have created some tension leading up to the big premiere.
ANDERSON: Good point. Well, Christian Bale - again, he denies the allegations but I know this for sure, those future family reunions, if they have them, might be a little awkward. Jane Velez-Mitchell, Ben Widdecombe, thank you both for your insights.
Tonight, there is outrage over a photo that shows Britney Spears smoking in front of her kids. I want to know, have Britney parenting skills officially gone up in smoke, or is this all much ado about nothing? I`m looking into it, next.
Also, the YouTube divorce lady loses big. OK, she did get more than $700,000, but that`s nothing compared to what her husband is worth. Did she get a raw deal or is it time for her to just go away? That`s coming up.
Also this -
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SAVAGE: I`ll tell you what autism is. In 99 percent of the cases, it`s a brat who hasn`t been told to cut the act out.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: I cannot believe that talk radio host Michael Savage said that. He actually suggested that most kids who are diagnosed with autism are brats with bad parents. As you can imagine, there is absolute outrage over this and we`ve got it, straight ahead.
Remember, you can watch SHOWBIZ TONIGHT video anytime you want. We`re always posting new stuff for you to watch. That`s over at our Web site, CNN.com/ShowbizTonight. Among the videos now playing, "Do babies make fame? Do stars help their careers when they have a baby?" SHOWBIZ TONIGHT is heading straight back. Keep it right here.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ELIZABETH HASSELBECK, CO-HOST, "THE VIEW": She was caught in the act of smoking in front of her child because it`s Britney Spears, because she`s in a bikini, because with her kid, they`re going to grab it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Elisabeth Hasselbeck on "The View" today talking about a smoking hot, brand-new Britney Spears controversy.
Welcome back to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. I`m Brooke Anderson in Hollywood. And from Miley Cyrus to Britney Spears, there are two big stories new right now.
Tonight, Britney Spears is getting heat once again, a lot of heat. This time for front-page pictures that show her smoking in front of her two-year-old son, Sean Preston.
Also new right now, Miley Cyrus is speaking out in her first on-camera interview about her scandalous "Vanity Fair" magazine half-nude photo shoot. Wait until you hear what she`s got to say about that.
With me in New York, tonight, entertainment reporter and radio host, Chris Booker. Also in New York, founder of Spotlight Communications, Maggie Gallant. Maggie, Chris, thank you both for joining us.
And I want you first to take a look at this. It`s the front page of "The New York Post" today. And the paper showed - can you see it - showed a picture of Britney smoking a cigarette near her two-year-old son, Sean Preston, kind of highlights his hand near the cigarette pack. You know, it showed Sean Preston seemingly reaching for that pack of cigarettes.
Chris Booker, even "The Post," though, pointed out in the article inside the newspaper that Britney grabbed the cigarettes from his hand almost immediately. So is it all much ado about nothing, or is this a big deal that she was smoking in front of her child?
CHRIS BOOKER, ENTERTAINMENT REPORTER AND RADIO HOST: You see my motion? You see what I`m doing? Big whoop!
ANDERSON: I do.
BOOKER: No. Seriously, leave the poor girl alone. I love that "The New York Post" is the moral police for us in this country. It`s a tabloid magazine disguised as a newspaper. And they`re going to sit there and say she`s a bad mom? Kids have sticky fingers; they grab everything. That`s how they roll. They grab everything. She took the cigarettes out of the kid`s hand, and that`s the end of it.
Do I condone smoking? No. I think it`s disgusting. But come on. Let her be a parent and leave her alone. But the biggest problem I have with this, where are these photographers? Are they in the trees in her backyard?
ANDERSON: Yes.
BOOKER: Leave her alone. This is invasion of privacy. Can she have a life? Could she get herself back on track?
ANDERSON: Yes, that`s a great point. The picture does seem to be very invasive. And you know, we don`t know the circumstances surrounding this. And to that end, I`ve got to tell you, I was watching "The View" this morning and co-host Whoopi Goldberg made that point that, you know, guys, we really don`t know what the situation was. Listen to this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
WHOOPI GOLDBERG, CO-HOST, "THE VIEW": The thing that bothers me more than anything is that because we don`t know what the situation was. We don`t know whether he walked out and she was outside to sneak a smoke. We don`t know what happened. We don`t know. And I don`t like the way that they characterize that.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Maggie, do you, like me, get Whoopi`s point, that "The New York Post" calling her a bad mother is quite a leap of logic as simply based on this picture?
MAGGIE GALLANT, FOUNDER, SPOTLIGHT COMMUNICATIONS: I completely agree with Whoopi. I mean, to make a general assessment of someone`s character based on one photo anyway is a really big leap. I mean, I don`t think any of us would want character assessments on just one photos. I think we all have photos. I, too, looked at this photo from more of a publicist`s perspective and too was extremely alarmed by where this photographer was. I mean, it really does, like Chris said, it looks like he`s hanging from the trees.
ANDERSON: Yes. He`s surreptitiously trying to get these pictures. Yes, you know, second-hand smoke is dangerous, of course. And we don`t know, maybe Sean had just walked out behind her and she got to him as soon as possible. Who knows? But what I do know is that everybody`s nerves are raw because of what has happened in the past with Britney. She once got caught driving with her kid in her lap. She just gave up full custody of her kids to her ex-husband, Kevin Federline. Chris, all that said, is she being unfairly scrutinized here?
BOOKER: Yes, yes! We don`t know what happened next. I mean, I think - I`ve said my point. It`s perfectly clear - leave the girl alone. Just leave her alone.
ANDERSON: Leave the girl alone.
BOOKER: I`m serious.
ANDERSON: You know - and it`s a cigarette, not a crack pipe.
BOOKER: Yes.
ANDERSON: I`m not saying that cigarette smoking is great. OK. All right. We will leave it there.
Moving now to another story new right now. Another celebrity under a constant microscope like Britney Spears, we`re talking about "Hannah Montana" star Miley Cyrus. Her brand-new album came out today, weeks after the controversy over her half-nude "Vanity Fair" photo shoot. This morning, in her first on-camera interview about this, she told "Good Morning America`s" Robin Roberts that the "Vanity Fair" shoot was a mistake. Let`s watch what she had to say.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MILEY CYRUS, STAR OF "HANNAH MONTANA": I think I was just kind of in a stage where I was trying to get things done and, you know, maybe look for an older audience. You know, I was working with a big magazine, just trying to go with what they were trying to say. And I think it was - it was a hard time. Everyone has made a mistake and anyone that was 15 years old, they can`t say they never made a mistake. So I think it`s just normal. I think it does make me more relatable.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Maggie, very quickly, is it time to give "Hannah Montana" a break here or do her parents deserve some of the blame?
GALLANT: Brooke, I don`t think she needs a break. I mean whether or not you think it was a mistake - I mean, she`s saying she thinks it was, she`s handling this crisis like a pro, not like a 15-year-old just starting out on her career. She is addressing it. She`s saying that, "I regret it." It only makes her more relatable. It`s going to only going to endear her to her fans.
ANDERSON: Yes. A lot of her fans can probably identify with making mistakes at that young of an age. So it may help her in the long run. She is addressing like a mature adult.
Chris Booker and Maggie Gallant, we`ll leave it there. Thank you both.
And now, we want to hear from you about this. It is our SHOWBIZ TONIGHT question of the day - "Miley Cyrus mania: Is she the new Madonna?" What do you think? Vote, CNN.com/ShowbizTonight. E-mail us, showbiztonight@cnn.com.
OK. Wendy Williams and Omarosa duke it out on television. Wait until you see this. They really got into it on Wendy`s new show. There was name-calling, snide comments. It even got physical. I`m going to show you what all the fuss was about, coming up.
Also, the YouTube divorce lady loses big. OK. She did get more than $700,000, but that`s nothing compared to what her husband is worth. Did she get a raw deal or is it time for her to just go away? That`s coming up.
Also this -
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
SAVAGE: I`ll tell you what autism is. In 99 percent of the cases, it`s a brat who hasn`t been told to cut the act out.
(END AUDIO CLIP)
ANDERSON: I cannot believe that talk radio host Michael Savage said that. He actually suggested that most kids who are diagnosed with autism are brats with bad parents. As you can imagine, there`s absolute outrage. We`ve got the story coming up. .
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANDERSON: Welcome back to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. I`m Brooke Anderson and here are some more stories that are new right now.
Patrick Swayze says his recovery from pancreatic cancer is a miracle. Swayze is looking great and he says, quote, "I`m a miracle dude. I don`t know why." He started chemotherapy in March after his diagnosis and he`s already back to work filming his new A&E series, "The Beast." We wish him the best.
Well, that annoying couple from "The Hills" are going to visit U.S. troops in Iraq. Heidi Montag and Spencer Pratt are planning for their trip and Spencer told "Extra" that John McCain`s daughter, Meghan, may be helping with their arrangements. Heidi`s stepbrother was an Iraq veteran. He died in an accident in the hotel in Colorado where he was working.
And sad news tonight, Estelle Getty has died. You remember her as Sophia from "The Golden Girls." She died early Tuesday morning at her home in Los Angeles. Estelle Getty was 84 years old. What a life.
All right. Wendy Williams and Omarosa duke it out on TV. Wait until you see this. They really got into it on Wendy`s new show. There was name-calling, snide comments. It even got physical. I`m going to show you what all the fuss was about, coming up.
Also, the YouTube divorce lady loses big. All right, all right, she did get more than $700,000, but that`s nothing compared to what her husband is worth. Did she get a raw deal or is it time for her to just go away? Coming up.
Also this -
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
SAVAGE: I`ll tell you what autism is. In 99 percent of the cases, it`s a brat who hasn`t been told to cut the act out.
(END AUDIO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Savage outrage. Talk radio host Michael Savage is in major hot water with a lot of parents right now after he said that autism is usually a brat with bad parents. I still cannot believe he said that. But now, I want to know, should he be fired? We`ve got a fired-up debate coming up. You don`t want to miss that.
But first, stay on top of the most provocative entertainment news with our daily SHOWBIZ TONIGHT newsletter. Just head over to CNN.com/ShowbizTonight. Click on the "sign up for newsletter" link at the bottom of the page. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT is back after this.
(NEWS BREAK)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANDERSON: On SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, a shocking decision for the wacky YouTube divorce lady. Tonight, a judge rules in this bizarre split. Will Tricia Walsh-Smith be kicked out of her apartment? Will she get any money and will she ever stop making these ridiculous videos?
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
SAVAGE: I`ll tell you what autism is. In 99 percent of the cases, it`s a brat who hasn`t been told to cut the act out.
(END AUDIO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Savage outrage. Tonight, the explosive words about a devastating disability from one of the most popular talk radio hosts around. Should Michael Savage be fired? Tonight, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT with the autism outrage that`s spreading to Hollywood.
(MUSIC)
Welcome back to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. It is 30 minutes past the hour. I`m Brooke Anderson, coming to you tonight from Hollywood. This is TV`s most provocative entertainment news show. A.J. Hammer is off tonight.
Tonight, the YouTube divorce lady who trashed her husband all over the Internet is now officially divorced and could soon be homeless. Tricia Walsh-Smith went on a YouTube rampage trying to shame her husband after he filed for divorce. But in a court ruling that just happened, her Broadway millionaire ex-husband is getting the last laugh and she`s becoming a laughing stock.
Also new right now, TV`s most famous reality show villain is back and on the attack. Wait until you see what happens when Omarosa faces off with a TV talk show host and it gets physical, live on national television.
With me tonight from New York, entertainment columnist for the "Village Voice," Michael Musto. Also in New York, editor-at-large for "Star" magazine, Ben Widdecombe; and contributor for the "Rush and Malloy" column in the "New York Daily News," Shallon Lester.
Gang, thanks for being here. I want to begin with the woman we all love to hate on "The Apprentice," Omarosa. Well, now, she`s promoting a new book and on "The Wendy Williams Show," let`s just say Omarosa wasn`t the most gracious guest.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
OMAROSA, VILLAIN ON "THE APPRENTICE": Wait, wait, wait, wait.
WENDY WILLIAMS, HOST, "THE WENDY WILLIAMS SHOW": What?
OMAROSA: You said you were going to straighten me out? What the hell was that?
WILLIAMS: I said smooth you out.
(CROSS TALK)
OMAROSA: What does that mean?
WILLIAMS: We`re going to talk and have a nice conversation, Omarosa.
OMAROSA: Oh, no. I know how to chill.
WILLIAMS: OK.
OMAROSA: But I will not be disrespected.
WILLIAMS: OK. We`re going to talk about the book.
OMAROSA: All right. Let`s get to it, Wendy. Oh, don`t. I host my own show.
WILLIAMS: I want to look at it and show it to (UNINTELLIGIBLE) and show it to Penny right here.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Michael, at one point, it looked like Wendy was just going to slap Omarosa silly, didn`t it?
MICHAEL MUSTO, ENTERTAINMENT COLUMNIST, "THE VILLAGE VOICE": Yes, this was like a "Celebrity Death Match." It was "Alien Versus Predator" and I actually loved it. You don`t want to mess with either one of these women in a dark alley or on a TV show. But I`m with Wendy here, Brooke. I mean, Omarosa is proving here that she needs to be smoothed out a little bit. She really needs to hear "you`re fired" once again. Or maybe just "you`re tired".
ANDERSON: "You`re tired." That`s a good one. Well, I think Omarosa finds a little sport in stirring up controversy. Shallon, what we`re seeing here on the reality show villain act that Omarosa has really perfected, hasn`t she?
SHALLON LESTER, ENTERTAINMENT JOURNALIST: Well, she has and she hasn`t. If she were truly savvy, she would have learned that people would like to see her become a little bit more likable as she develops. But she hasn`t. She`s still sort of the same pathetic - and as Wendy Williams said, D-list person.
But if she was so D-list and irrelevant, why did Wendy have her on the show? Just because she had a book? A lot of irrelevant people write books. They don`t deserve to be on TV. So I think this little catfight kind of served both of their interests. They both kind of got the attention and the publicity they desperately needed.
ANDERSON: Yes. We`re talking about Wendy Williams` show. And you know, to that end, I want you to take a look at more of what went down between Omarosa and Wendy Williams. It really got personal as they started to rip into how each other looks. Watch this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
WILLIAMS: I would suggest for you some Restylane. The lines sag.
OMAROSA: And I would suggest a wig that doesn`t sit off my head three inches. That would be my suggestion.
WILLIAMS: You know what? Omarosa, and on that note, thank you for coming on my show.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Wendy makes it clear it is her show. It really got vicious. And guys, what I really love here is that Omarosa was also on this show to promote a charity for young people called "Positive Vibrations" which promotes nonviolence.
Ben, not for nothing, why are we still talking about Omarosa four years after she first appeared on "The Apprentice"?
WIDDECOMBE: Well, she`s clearly making a lot of money out of her shtick which is to be a reality show villain. As she told Wendy, she has done no fewer than 17 different reality shows since her breakout on "The Apprentice."
But I think the problem and what causes so much tension that`s evident in Omarosa is that she doesn`t realize if she`s going to go that route and be that persona, she can`t turn around and then claim to be a philanthropist and to have a charity. She also told many that she still runs her political consultancy out of Washington, D.C. I want to know what person in their right mind would hire Omarosa to be a lobbyist for them in Washington. She has to be one thing or the other.
ANDERSON: Yes. Who would trust her? I know she`s really made a career out of being a TV villain, it seems.
OK, guys, I do want to now move on to another story new right now. The YouTube divorce lady, Tricia Walsh-Smith, who just got her butt kicked by a judge in her divorce case. Yes, you know, we all remember when Tricia took her rage over divorce to YouTube with several shocking videos like this one. Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRICIA WALSH-SMITH, THE YOUTUBE DIVORCE LADY: The only cruel behavior I`ve ever done to that man is make him have skim milk in his cappuccino. And I did sneak wheat grass once into his freshly made vegetable juice. I loved and adored him.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Well, a judge just granted her husband the divorce that probably desperately wanted after living with her, and ordered her to stick to the pre-nup which means she`s got to get out of their apartment in 30 days, and she only gets $750,000 of his multimillion-dollar fortune. Michael, did this whole YouTube thing really backfire on her?
MUSTO: Absolutely. It made Tricia camp icon. It didn`t really her case. YouTube is not a court of law - news flash. If it were Chris Crocker, it would have won damages against the press for making fun of Britney. We all had a lot of fun watching Tricia`s videos. In fact, I was convinced they were Mad TV outtakes. But she should have gone somewhere classier, maybe like Craigslist or something to really state her case in a serious way.
ANDERSON: Well, speaking of her in the interest of fair disclosure, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT has secured the first extensive interview with Tricia Walsh-Smith since that divorce ruling for tonight`s show. But she bailed on us, canceled at the very last minute. Thanks for nothing, Tricia. But I want you guys to listen to what she told reporters outside of court right after the divorce hearing.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SMITH: My husband had no grounds when he filed last October. He was throwing me out with only $50,000. Now, you heard in the court tonight - $50,000. He had plunged me into debt. By doing YouTube, I brought attention to my plight.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: And did you like that? Telling the person behind her just to be quiet there. And I`m sorry she is getting $750,000. Ben, I would have to think all those people out there having trouble paying their bills have zero sympathy for this woman.
WIDDECOMBE: Well, I wish someone would throw me out with only $750,000. I think she should just take the money and run. It was $750,000 for nine years of marriage. No one in her family liked her, including her husband. I think she`s done terribly well out of the whole deal.
ANDERSON: Well, the judge said that she completely shot herself in the foot by making these YouTube videos so she could have done even better. Listen to what the judge said, quote, "She has attempted to turn the life of her husband into a soap opera by directing, writing, acting in and producing a melodrama."
Shallon, do you think she totally got what she deserved here?
LESTER: She`s definitely reaping what she`s sown. And she should learn the phrase, "Revenge is best served cold, not while the judge is still reviewing your pre-nup." Even if she garners some public sympathy for this, the public wasn`t ruling on her case. She should have just stuck to the basics and done what every woman has done when they`ve gotten dumped - cut the crotches out of his pants. You move on.
ANDERSON: And be classy about it like her husband.
LESTER: Yes.
ANDERSON: He didn`t publicly talk about their laundry. OK. Michael Musto, Ben Widdecombe, Shallon Lester, thank you all. Good to see you.
Well, that YouTube lady`s divorce battle was pretty nasty. But it doesn`t even come close to what`s going on with one of the biggest talk radio hosts in the country.
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
SAVAGE: I`ll tell you what autism is. In 99 percent of the cases, it`s a brat who hasn`t been told to cut the act out.
(END AUDIO CLIP)
ANDERSON: That`s Michael Savage ripping into such a devastating disability, autism. Tonight, there`s coast-to-coast outrage and Hollywood is all fired up. Should Savage be fired? You`ve got to stick around for this stunning debate, next.
I just cannot believe what "The View`s" Sherri Shepherd is revealing. She is opening up like never before about some deep, dark secrets like sleeping around, having abortions and her startling words about dying. I`ve got that straight ahead.
And you also don`t want to miss this totally ridiculous thing that Hulk Hogan`s daughter is saying about women voting in this year`s presidential elections. Let me just say Brooke isn`t going to be getting her Ph.D anytime soon. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT coming back right after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
SAVAGE: I`ll tell you what autism is. In 99 percent of the cases, it`s a brat who hasn`t been told to cut the act out.
(END AUDIO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Under fire, talk radio host Michael Savage makes some outrageous statements about autism. So should he be fired?
Welcome back to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. I`m Brooke Anderson in Hollywood. Tonight, outrage from coast-to-coast over what one of America`s most popular radio talk show hosts said about kids and autism.
Nationally syndicated Michael Savage went on an unbelievable rant about autism, calling it a racket and a fraud. We learned today that one major sponsor, Aflac, has pulled its sponsorship of his show and a small radio network has dropped it while protestors lined up outside his New York studio demanding he be fired.
Savage came to CNN to defend his remarks, saying that he was taken completely out of context. But should his mike be silenced for good?
With me tonight in Hollywood, Jane Velez-Mitchell investigative journalist and author of this book, "Secrets Can Be Murder." And in Pittsburgh, Kevin Miller. Kevin is host of "The Kevin Miller Show" on KDKA Radio in Pittsburgh.
Kevin, Jane, welcome to you both. And like so many others, I could not believe what Michael Savage said on his radio show, "The Savage Nation," about autism. Listen to this -
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
SAVAGE: Now you want me to tell you my opinion on autism since I`m not talking about autism? A fraud, a racket. For a long while, we were hearing that every minority child had asthma. Why did they sudden - why was there an asthma epidemic amongst minority children? Because I`ll tell you why; the children got extra welfare if they were disabled, and they got extra help in school. It was a money racket.
Everyone went in and was told (fake cough), "When the nurse looks at you, you go (fake cough), `I don`t know, the dust got me.`" See, everyone had asthma from the minority community. That was number one.
Now, the illness du jour is autism. You know what autism is? I`ll tell you what autism is. In 99 percent of the cases, it`s a brat who hasn`t been told to cut the act out. That`s what autism is.
What do you mean they scream and they`re silent? They don`t have a father around to tell them, "Don`t act like a moron. You`ll get nowhere in life. Stop acting like a putz. Straighten up. Act like a man. Don`t sit there crying and screaming, idiot."
(END AUDIO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Jane, I`ll begin with you. Is there any excuse for what Michael Savage said?
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Brooke, in a word, no. There is absolutely no excuse. It is hateful. It is vicious. It is vile. And most important, it is inaccurate. It`s just plain wrong.
Now, I`m not going to add to the hate. I really believe Michael Savage is a very sick, sick man who needs to get psychiatric help. He needs to step down from his show and he needs to find out why he has to be so hateful to autistic children and to women he considers feminist and to gays and to immigrants. And anybody who`s downtrodden, he loves to kick. This man is sick.
The people I blame are the media executives who hired these hate- mongers for ratings and turn them into millionaires. There are a lot of Michael Savages out there and those bosses need to be fired. And all of us Americans need to say, "Who are the advertisers? We`re not going to buy those products. Get that show off the air!"
ANDERSON: Kevin, do you agree with Jane that Michael Savage is a sick man and actually needs treatment? Do you agree with her on that and that he crossed the line?
MILLER: Well, Brooke, I will say this, that Michael Savage is a brilliant talk show host. And whether we like what he says or not, this is America. He`s the third most popular talk show host in America. He did cross a line but he does what talk show hosts have done each and every day of the post- Imus age. They push the envelope to get the ratings, to get the revenue for their advertisers -
ANDERSON: But is that an excuse for what he said in this instance?
MILLER: Is that an excuse? It`s the fact we live with every day, the idea that he said something - he also said, "Lets not have a rush to judgment." And by the way, whether we like it or not, we are talking -
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Let`s not have a rush to judgment because it involves him?
MILLER: Wait a minute. Wait a minute. Jane -
VELEZ-MITCHELL: If it involves anybody else, rush to judgment -
MILLER: Jane, Jane, Jane, excuse me. Jane, I didn`t interrupt you. Please give me the common courtesy. You and I have been on TV before. Please give me - extend me that courtesy.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Go for it, honey. Go for it.
MILLER: Thank you very much, Ma`am. So anyway, back to the story. This is what talk show hosts deal with each and every day. And you know, Jane can get on here and have her phony outrage and everything else.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: It`s not phony.
MILLER: But I listen to Michael Savage. The bottom line here is that he`s successful -
OK, guys. One thing I ask, do not start attacking each other. Kevin, make your point.
MILLER: The point is, Michael Savage crossed the line. He`s going to have to deal with it. He did his job. People are talking about autism.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Oh, please!
ANDERSON: Oh, I think - Go ahead, Jane.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: You`re saying people are talking about autism?
MILLER: They are.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: He is spreading misinformation about autism. Ignorant people, millions of them, listening to his radio show, might hear this and then behave cruelly towards kids with autism based on this misinformation. Because when they see these kids who are silent and uncommunicative and rocking back and forth, they might assume, listening to Michael Savage, that this is a brat who`s making this up and then attack the child. It`s irresponsible. This is a real, real condition.
ANDERSON: Michael Savage did say he believes 99 percent of those kids are fakes and that they`re just brats. So I think a lot of people were stunned, including myself, when he called autism a fraud.
MILLER: Sure.
ANDERSON: But Savage did call in to "LARRY KING LIVE" Monday night to defend himself. Take a listen.
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
SAVAGE (on the phone): This was in the broader context of the over- medicalization(ph), the over-diagnosis of disease using our children as profit centers. I`ve spent all day saying what a shame it is that I, as a man, who has spent his entire life defending the defenseless, mainly children, should have to defend myself from charges leveled at me by men who specialize in hating families and children.
(END AUDIO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Savage said he was taken out of context, that he was just trying to emphasize a point about the overmedication of kids. Kevin, do you buy that explanation?
MILLER: I do, because I do listen to Michael Savage and I find him brilliant. He has two master`s degrees. He has a doctorate from the University of California at Berkley. He`s doing a job, Brooke, that every talk show host does. Whether we agree with him, whether we like him or not, he succeeds in the marketplace. He`s getting us talking about something that most people don`t.
And by the way, all this attention is actually helping the folks with autism, because again we`re talking about it. He says things on his radio show, on his radio stations that people may think about. He`s destroying, you know, popular myths that, again, we`re talking about today. So I think, Brooke, it is a win-win for everybody here.
(CROSS TALK)
ANDERSON: Oh, Jane, do you agree that it`s a win-win for everybody? That it`s actually helping people with autism?
VELEZ-MITCHELL: No. That`s why people who have children with autism are protesting outside the station saying this man should be fired. If it, in fact, were helping kids with autism, the families would be supporting this. They`re the ones that are the most outraged because they deal with the frustration of raising a child with this condition and having to try to basically inform people about what the real nature of this condition is as they move through their lives, and then to have this hatemonger come and spew lies.
And it wasn`t taken out of context. There is no context on this show. It`s one giant spew, he goes from rant to rant. First it`s minority kids that have asthma trying to get welfare. Then kids rant to rant First it`s minority kids with asthma and kids with autism and there is no context on this show. It`s one giant spew where he goes from rant to rant.
First it`s minority kids who have asthma trying to get welfare. And then suddenly, it`s kids with autism who aren`t really autistic; they are just spoiled brats. There is no intellectual value to what he is saying. He is just really spewing hate to get ratings. And the sad thing is, we have a lot of compassionate people who are not on radio or television speaking in compassionate terms about these issues. We have people spreading misinformation.
Again, the responsibility lies, not with sick people like Michael Savage who need help, but the media executives who make money off of him and they`ve got to be held accountable.
ANDERSON: Jane, we could talk about this for hours, you, me and Kevin. But I do have to end it there for now. Thank you both so much for your opinions. Jane Velez-Mitchell, Kevin Miller, thank you for joining us.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Thank you.
ANDERSON: All right. I know Hulk Hogan`s family has been through a lot recently. Nick in jail, Hulk and his wife getting divorced. So that`s why I don`t get daughter Brooke doing a reality show. Next, you`ve got to hear the ridiculous controversial things she is saying about this year`s presidential election on that show. I think it would probably be best if Brooke just kept quiet.
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ANDERSON: Welcome back to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. I`m Brooke Anderson. Well, I don`t think we`re gong to be seeing Hulk Hogan`s daughter on the "Situation Room" with Wolf Blitzer any time soon. You`ve got to take a listen to what Brooke Hogan said when she was asked by a potential roommate on her VH1 series, "Brooke Knows Best" whom she is voting for in this year`s presidential election.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BROOKE HOGAN, HULK HOGAN`S DAUGHTER: You know what? I actually am not that into voting. I think it`s kind of crazy that a woman is running because I think women have a lot of emotions and menopause and PMS and stuff. Like, I`m so moody all the time. I know I couldn`t be able to run a country because I would be crying one day and yelling at people the next day, you know.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Yes. If Brooke really knows best, maybe she should possibly educate herself on the candidates and the issues before she hits that voting booth.
All right. Tonight, Sherri Shepherd speaking out like never before about a really dark time in her life. In a revealing interview in "Precious Times" magazine, "The View" co-host admits to being promiscuous, having a number of abortions and even having disturbing thoughts about death.
She says back in the early 90s, quote, "My sister was heavy into drugs and we would have to go get her from crack houses. I was in a very physically abusive relationship. I was sleeping with a lot of guys and had more abortions than I would like to count. I had very low self esteem and just wanted to die. I felt if someone killed me, it wouldn`t even make a difference."
Wow. Sherri said religion saved her, especially her conversion from being a Jehovah`s Witness to Christianity.
OK. On, Monday, we asked you to vote on our SHOWBIZ TONIGHT question of the day. It was this - "`The Dark Knight` Breaks Records: Did it live up to the hype?" Just about all of you, 87 percent say yes. That means only 13 percent of you say no.
Your E-mails. Jennifer from Texas writes, "`The Dark Knight` lived up to every bit of the hype. It was the best `Batman` movie to date. Christopher Nolan revived the `Batman` franchise after it was put to death, and Heath Ledger as the Joker was fantastic."
And Jim from Oregon, "I will see it again on the big screen and that says a lot. The last movie I saw two times was the original `Rocky.`"
Well, that is a big deal for Jim because "Rocky" was released more than 30 years ago.
That is a wrap for SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. Thanks so much for watching. I`m Brooke Anderson in Hollywood. Remember, you can always catch SHOWBIZ TONIGHT on the 11:00s - 11:00 p.m. Eastern, 11:00 p.m. Pacific, and in the morning, at 11:00 a.m. Eastern. The latest from "CNN HEADLINE NEWS" is coming up next. Take care.
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