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Showbiz Tonight
Kathy Hilton`s Outrage Over a McCain Ad; Nikki Blonsky`s Air Fray; Lindsay Lohan`s Take on Bratton`s Comment; Stars Under the Knife; Brangelina Baby Pictures; Angelina, Then and Now; "Gossip Girl" Controversy
Aired August 04, 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, HOST: Morgan Freeman in a serious car accident. And Christina Applegate starts treatment for breast cancer. I`m A.J. Hammer in New York. TV`s most provocative entertainment news show starts right now.
On SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, Hilton outrage. Paris Hilton`s mom fights back over the John McCain ad comparing Barack Obama to Paris and Britney. Kathy Hilton speaks out about her daughter being used in the ad and she is not happy about it.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JO PIAZZA, "NEW YORK DAILY NEWS": She said it was frivolous. She said it was embarrassing.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: Tonight, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT with the brand-new controversy over the ad everyone is talking about.
Secrets behind the Brangelina baby frenzy. The first pictures of Brad and Angelina`s twins are here. And we`re getting a look at how the Brangelina bunch is working now that there are six kids. Tonight, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT has the inside story of Brangelina`s growing family.
Plus, Lindsay Lohan speaks out for the first time about L.A.`s police chief saying she has gone gay.
(MUSIC)
HAMMER: Hello, I`m A.J. Hammer, broadcasting tonight and every night from New York City. Tonight, secrets behind the Brangelina baby frenzy. Yes, the photos of Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt`s new twins are finally out. I`ve got to tell you the unprecedented price tag of a reported $14 million, that is just the start of this story. Tonight, we`re learning new details about how Brad and Angelina are holding it together now that there are six kids in this bunch. Also, how are their other kids really handling the latest addition?
But first tonight, Hilton outrage. Paris` mom, Kathy, is now speaking out like never before about that controversial John McCain ad that compared Barack Obama to Paris and Britney Spears. But should McCain apologize? It`s the story making news right now.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
(voice over): The outrage over a controversial ad for Republican presidential candidate Sen. John McCain has just flared up. And this time, it`s Paris Hilton`s mom who`s talking tough.
FEMALE VOICE OVER: He`s the biggest celebrity in the world.
HAMMER: The ad compares McCain`s opponent, Sen. Barack Obama, to Paris and Britney Spears. And now SHOWBIZ TONIGHT can tell you, Paris` mom, Kathy Hilton, says McCain has crossed the line.
PIAZZA: Kathy came out over the weekend and said, "This is so frivolous. This is an embarrassment to our country." And I think when everyone heard her say that, they thought that maybe she was just talking about her daughter, Paris.
HAMMER: But Kathy is not kidding around. She blogged about the use of Paris` image in McCain`s political ad on "TheHuffingtonPost.com."
FEMALE VOICE OVER: Is he ready to lead.
HAMMER: In the blog, Kathy Hilton cites not one, not two, but three responses to McCain`s controversial ad saying, quote, "It is a complete waste of the money John McCain`s contributors have donated to his campaign. It is a complete waste of the country`s time and attention at the very moment when millions of people are losing their homes and their jobs. And it is a completely frivolous way to choose the next president of the United States."
PIAZZA: McCain says the ad was just a little bit of fun, that he was just having a good time with it.
HAMMER: But having a good time at poor Paris` expense has her parents peeved, especially since the Hiltons donated to McCain`s presidential campaign.
PIAZZA: Both Kathy and Rick have been long-time supporters of McCain. They`ve given him the maximum contribution they can possibly give to a presidential candidate.
HAMMER: $4,600 to be exact.
PIAZZA: And then he goes and essentially paints their daughter as a floozy in a campaign ad. So it`s a slap in the face for the Hilton family.
HAMMER: A cruel on poor Paris` parents. Does McCain owe the Hiltons an apology?
PIAZZA: I`m not sure John McCain does owe the Hiltons an apology. Paris Hilton is indeed a celebrity. She`s a celebrity of her own making. She`s put herself out there. And he was just holding up the two icons of celebrity - Britney Spears and Paris Hilton. So I don`t think that she can possibly be angry with him.
HAMMER: And SHOWBIZ TONIGHT can tell you Sen. John McCain is not backing down. At a campaign stop in Wisconsin, a young girl asked McCain about all the controversy.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Earlier this year in April, you made comments about, like, the mudslinging, how it`s been affecting other campaigns and how you didn`t want to do that. And the one yesterday with comparing him to Britney Spears and Paris Hilton, I was like, OK - So it seems like to Americans like me and other people, like you may have flip-flopped on what you have said earlier.
SEN. JOHN MCCAIN (R-AZ), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: First of all, let me say there are differences and we are drawing those differences. And I`ve said earlier, I admire his campaign. But what we are talking about here is substance and not style.
HAMMER: But for the Hilton family, McCain`s sense of style is just not suiting them at all.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
Well, Paris herself is staying mum about the whole controversy. But her spokespeople tell SHOWBIZ TONIGHT that McCain`s camp never asked for permission to use her image in the ad.
Well, it is indeed the moment the world has been waiting for, the debut of Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie`s three-week-old twins. Now, the bidding war for these photos in this magazine started even before the twins were born in the south of France. And now, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT can tell you that both "People" magazine and British magazine "Hello" won the battle for these particular picture reportedly paying a cool $14 million. And for the very first time ever, we`re getting a look behind the scenes of the whole Brangelina baby frenzy. How do they do it?
Well, with me tonight in New York, Howard Bragman, the founder of Fifteen Minutes Public Relations. Also in New York, Janelle Snowden, "VH1 NEWS" host.
All right. Janelle, Howard, no question that these babies here have raised the bar for the celebrity baby photo frenzy. The price tag alone - we know it`s a record-breaker. Howard, I get the frenzy. I obviously get the celebrity game. But even me, I`m sitting here thinking $14 million might be just a bit outrageous.
HOWARD BRAGMAN, FOUNDER, FIFTEEN MINUTES PUBLIC RELATIONS: You know, it is a big number and it is a little outrageous. But what you have to understand, A.J., this is not a number that was pulled out of thin air. The marketplace decided this number. A lot of magazines bid for it and people at "Hello" ultimately got it. And this is what marketplace decided. And what do they get for this number? Well, they get worldwide attention for both magazines. The covers are everywhere - everywhere on the Internet.
They get more than 30 pages a copy between them. So I`m sure they think they got a bargain for their $14 million and they got a pretty good deal. And I would tell you, in terms of the attention they`re getting, not only are they happy they have it, they`d hate not to have this. That would be the shame.
HAMMER: Yes. The old $14-million bargain, Howard. I love it.
And of course, the upside for me and a lot of people, I think is that at least reportedly, they`re going to be giving the money to charity, which is a terrific thing.
Janelle, what do you think? I still have to wonder if this deal somehow crosses a sort of line and actually feeds the whole hysteria over celebrity babies.
JANELLE SNOWDEN, HOST, "VH1 NEWS": Yes, I don`t even know where the line is anymore. These figures have gotten so outrageous. It`s just really all one big popularity contest. You know, whose baby is going to fetch the biggest number? So at the end of the day, we feed that popularity contest because we all go out and buy the magazines. And I think part of the reason that we do it is because the numbers are so astounding. We`re like, god, what do you get for $14 million? Let me see.
HAMMER: Yes. And I have to tell you, the demand is there. People were lined up at virtually every newsstand I passed on my way to the SHOWBIZ TONIGHT headquarters earlier today. And I view it as a good thing that they`re at least selling the photos or putting them out there first because we`ve seen the dramatic lengths that the paparazzi have gone to, to get star baby pictures.
And in terms of Brad and Angelina, you know, we recently have these two paparazzi dressed in camouflage trying to sneak onto Brad and Angelina`s property trying to get that very first photo, which turned into a very dramatic scuffle. Security guards and arrests.
So Howard, it does seem to me that they`re doing the right thing here by removing that demand for the photos out of, you know, almost self- preservation?
BRAGMAN: Absolutely. You really get three things, A.J. Number one, you get the control, so you get the shots that you choose at a time you choose and the paparazzi don`t chase you. But you also get nicer and controlled shots. You get beautiful pictures of the baby as opposed to them coming out of some car somewhere with a flashbulb in their face. And you`re going to get gentleness from the magazines. They`re going to be a lot kinder to parents than the tabloids would be.
HAMMER: Well, right or wrong, I want to take you behind the scenes here. Everybody is wondering how the two biggest movie stars in the world are now managing, you know, now six kids between the ages of three weeks and seven years old. Not an easy feat, no matter how much money you have.
So for the very first time, we`re actually learning about their lives behind closed doors. Listen to what Jolie tells "People" magazine, quote, "It is chaos, but we`re managing it and having a wonderful time.
Now, Angelina also said they`re getting help from Brad`s parents, even from their two little girls, Zahara and Shiloh. Janelle, it sounds like they`re taking kind of a non-Hollywood approach to raising their kids, at least at this time in the south of France. Is this surprising at all?
SNOWDEN: Well, not at all. You have to remember these are the same people that have houses all over the globe, essentially. They have a house in New Orleans, as far as I know. They also had a place here in New York for sometime where they had Maddox going to school. They`re globetrotters, and rightfully so. I mean, Angelina is a U.N. ambassador. So I think they`re sort of doing as they`ve always done, which is just living life as they choose to do it.
HAMMER: Yes.
SNOWDEN: And fortunately, they have the money to do whatever they want.
HAMMER: Howard, I`ve got 10 seconds for you here and you kind of touched on this, but now, if people didn`t care for them before, how do you not love them when you take a look at this - I mean, really, when you see these pictures?
BRAGMAN: Absolutely. And that`s the whole point of this, is to help craft their brand and their image even further. We love this couple, OK, A.J. They`re our favorite. They win. They get the most money. They get the most love.
HAMMER: Yes, they do, and don`t they? Howard Bragman, Janelle Snowden, I appreciate you both being here tonight.
All right. Moving on, you know the young woman who starred in the movie version of "Hairspray." Well, it seems Nikki Blonsky got into, well, an air fray, an actual fight with one of the contestants from "America`s Next Top Model." I kid you not. I`m talking fist flying, arrests, a full- on brawl at an airport. We`ve got that coming up.
Also, Lindsay Lohan strikes back. I still can`t believe this. But L.A.`s police chief, of all people, actually said on camera that Lindsay Lohan had apparently gone gay. Well, for the very first time, Lindsay is speaking out about what he said. That is coming up.
Also this -
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PATRICIA HEATON, ACTRESS: I kind of think it`s unfair. I have so many moms that come up to me and say, "Oh my gosh, I`ve had four C-sections also and I don`t look like you." And, you know, to tell them, "Well, it`s just natural," I think that`s unfair.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: Stars and plastic surgery, when celebrities go in for the nips and tucks, you know, it doesn`t always turn out like they had planned. That is coming up in a showbiz special report, "Stars Under the Knife."
Remember, you can watch SHOWBIZ TONIGHT video anytime. New stuff is being posted for you to check out all the time at our Web site, CNN.com/ShowbizTonight. Among the videos now playing, "Better With Age," featuring stars who prove age is just a number.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LARRY KING, HOST, "LARRY KING LIVE": What have you had done?
KATHY GRIFFIN, COMEDIENNE: Oh, I had a brow lift which is where they take your eyebrows and put them on a completely different part of your head and you look months younger.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: Yes. Comedienne Kathy Griffin opening up on "LARRY KING LIVE" about her history with plastic surgery. But wait until you hear what she says about plastic surgery now.
Welcome back to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. I`m A.J. Hammer in New York.
Kathy Griffin has made yet another shocking plastic surgery confession - she`s done with it. Kathy`s been very open about having lots of nips and tucks in the past. But now, she says she is swearing off going under the knife. Listen to what she tells "fitness" magazine, quote, "Plastic surgery didn`t help me one bit. It didn`t get me happier or didn`t make me look particularly younger. It didn`t help me get jobs. What I realize now is no one expected me to come out in a bikini anyway.
Kathy may be steering clear of cosmetic surgery, but some big-time Hollywood stars surely aren`t. And when it comes to stars and plastic surgery, let`s just say the results aren`t always great. Tonight, a showbiz special report, "Stars Under The Knife."
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
(voice over): From Jessica Simpson`s super sized lips to Axl Rose and Mickey Rourke`s freaky new faces, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT can tell you Hollywood is full of plastic surgery success stories and nightmares.
DAVID CAPLAN, STAFF EDITOR, "PEOPLE" MAGAZINE: One of the worst Hollywood plastic surgery offenders is Axl Rose.
HAMMER: Axl Rose rose to fame in the 1980s as the lead singer of the widely popular rock group, Guns N` Roses.
(MUSIC)
Women loved him. Men wanted to be him. But by the late 1990s, Axl had become increasingly reclusive.
AXL ROSE, ROCK STAR: (UNINTELLIGIBLE)
HAMMER: He decided to disappear from the spotlight. In 2006, he reemerged looking like this.
CAPLAN: It looked like he had had a chemical peel, that he had cheek implants. His whole face looked completely restructured.
HAMMER: Even his hair looked different.
MOLLY GOODSON, BLOGGER, "POPSUGAR.COM": I was incredibly shocked to see Axl Rose when came out of the woodwork it seemed and just sort of re- established himself with this corn rows and his whole new appearance. I think a lot of his fans were shocked.
CAPLAN: Axl Rose used to be this really studly, hunky guy. But when he reemerged, he looked so artificial, so plastic it was scary, almost, for people to look at him.
HAMMER: If you are hoping to get an admission out of Axl, it`s not going to happen. He`s never said a word about his transformation, but Jessica Simpson has.
After much speculation about her noticeably fuller lips, Jessica is finally acknowledging she`s had injections in her lips, admitting to "Glamour" magazine, that, quote, "I had that Restylane stuff. It looked fake to me and I didn`t like that."
CAPLAN: When Jessica Simpson first landed on our radar, she was very au naturale girl next door. Then all of a sudden, we saw Jessica with these bigger lips and they were even nicknamed trout pout.
HAMMER: Well, Jessica is saying so long to the trout pout. She says she`s stopped with the filler. But that admission got people asking, what else?
CAPLAN: When Jessica admitted she had Restylane, that opened the floodgates for people wondering, "OK. Is she going to admit some other plastic surgery she had. A lot of people were wondering had Jessica had breast implants.
HAMMER: Speculate all you want, but Jessica wants everyone to know, unlike her lips, those are real. But she tells "Harper`s Bazaar" magazine that she`s not ruling out plastic surgery in the future, because you never know what`s going to happen, saying, "Maybe after having kids, if my boobs dropped down to my belly button, I would get them lifted."
Patricia Heaton knows all about that. The "Everybody Loves Raymond" star says having four kids and four C-sections changed her body in ways she never imagined. So she went for a tummy tuck and a breast lift.
PATRICIA HEATON, ACTRESS: I nursed four very thirsty boys in quick succession. I`m 44 and my body was looking about 64, so I wanted to sort of have them meet.
HAMMER: Just like Cher, Sharon Osborne and Joan Rivers, Patricia Heaton isn`t shy when it comes to talking about her surgeries.
HEATON: I`ve seen enough actresses in magazines, who in Hollywood are known to have had surgeries, say that they haven`t had it or they`re afraid of surgery. And I kind of think it`s unfair because I have so many moms that come up to me say, "Oh, my god, I`ve had four C-sections also and I don`t look like you." And you know, to tell them, "Well, it`s just natural." I think that`s unfair.
HAMMER: But not every surgery is a success. Enter actor Mickey Rourke. You remember him from his leading man days. Well, have a look at him now. Rourke`s surgery started when he decided to fix his nose after a boxing injury. The nose job, though, was just the tip of the iceberg.
CAPLAN: His face looks completely different. It looks like he`s had some sort of face lift, chemical peel, definitely some surgery around his eyes. He just went full on with all the surgery.
HAMMER: Whether it`s the good, the bad, or the just plain ugly, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT is here to tell you, it looks like plastic surgery is one of the few things in Hollywood that will never go out of style.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
Yes, that`s true. You know, there are stars out there who say that they will never go under the knife. In fact, actress Diane Lane happens to be one of them. Lane is in her 40s and she`s said that getting older is simply part of life and that aging offers great lessons in dignity. That is very true.
There`s sad news tonight. Morgan Freeman in a serious condition in a hospital. He got into a real serious car accident in Mississippi. The accident just sounds like it was totally horrific. I`ll tell you exactly what happened, coming up next.
HAMMER: Also, "Hairspray" star Nikki Blonsky got into a fight with one of the contestants from "American`s Next Top Model." Doesn`t it sound completely random? But wait until you hear what happened. I`ll give you the whole scoop just ahead.
And Lindsay Lohan speaking out about L.A.`s police chief saying that she apparently had gone gay. I still can`t believe that this guy said that. But how do you think Lindsay herself actually feels about all this? That is coming up on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. You definitely don`t want to miss it.
Now, be sure to check out the free, ever-changing SHOWBIZ TONIGHT podcast. If you`re looking for it, it`s easy to find. Just surf on over to our Web site, CNN.com/ShowbizTonight. You can also download it if you use iTunes. Just open up iTunes, do a little search for SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. And SHOWBIZ TONIGHT is coming straight 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. Morgan Freeman is in serious condition in a Memphis hospital tonight after a car accident. The accident happened on Sunday night in northern Mississippi. That`s where Freeman lives and he also owns a blues club there. An eyewitness described the scene to CNN affiliate station, WREG.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE EYEWITNESS: I could see as the front end of the car hit here. It got airborne and it flipped, end over end. It went down about 25 or 30 yards. It hit on the trunk of the car, mashing the trunk of the car in and popping the trunk lid open. As it continued on, it flipped one more time. Then it rolled one time and came upright on its wheels.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: Unbelievable. Freeman broke his arm and he sustained several fractures as well as neck and shoulder injuries. Of course, we wish him a very speedy recovery, one of the most beloved guys in Hollywood.
Also new right now, Christina Applegate has started treatment for breast cancer. Applegate`s publicist says that the disease was caught early and she is expected to fully recover. She is scheduled to appear on a TV special in September to raise money for cancer research.
Well, Lindsay Lohan is striking back. L.A.`s police chief actually said on camera that Lindsay has apparently gone gay. What in the world was this guy thinking? Well, now, for the very first time, Lindsay is talking about what he said and that is coming up.
Also, you know the young star from "Hairspray," Nikki Blonsky? This story is just nuts. She reportedly got into a fight with one of the stars, if you want to call her that, from "America`s Next Top Model" at an airport. I`m talking an actual brawl here with arrests, someone ending up in the hospital - really serious stuff. I`ll fill you in on what happened, coming up.
Also this -
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PAUL KURNIT, ADVERTISING AND YOUTH MARKETING EXPERT: "Your parents aren`t going to like it. Your parents don`t like you to be involved with this. Don`t go there." And it becomes something that teens feel, "Hey, I`ve got to check this out."
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: A brand-new controversy for "Gossip Girls." Some people just outraged over the show`s new ad campaign. I`ll tell you what the show is up to this time. That`s coming up.
But first, you can always stay on top of the most provocative entertainment news with the daily SHOWBIZ TONIGHT newsletter which you`ll find by going to CNN.com/ShowbizTonight and click on the "sign up for newsletter" link so we can send it to you. We are coming right back.
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(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HAMMER: On SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, the celebrity fight club. Tonight, Paris Hilton`s mom rips into John McCain for that shocking ad comparing Barack Obama to her daughter. Lindsay Lohan speaks out against the L.A. police commissioner for saying she`s gay. And two stars and their families get into a bizarre brawl at the airport? Yes. Tonight, stars on a rampage in the celebrity fight club.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: She said she liked to do things with knives. She said she was bisexual. Lots of headlines.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: The stunning transformation of Angelina Jolie. From wild child to worldwide humanitarian and brand-new mother of six with two new twins. It`s a showbiz special report, "Angelina Then and Now.
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Welcome back to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. It is 30 minutes past the hour. I`m A.J. Hammer, broadcasting tonight and every night from New York City. You are watching TV`s most provocative entertainment news show.
And tonight, it`s the celebrity fight club. Yes, the gloves are coming of in three celebrity skirmishes that are new right now. First up, "Hairspray" star Nikki Blonsky and her dad were arrested at a Caribbean airport lounge for brawling with, get this, a former contestant from "America`s Next Top Model." Let`s hope she didn`t break a nail.
Well, Paris Hilton`s mom, Kathy, is fighting mad over that controversial ad John McCain used for his campaign that compared Barack Obama to her daughter, calling the commercial a, quote, "complete waste of money."
And Lindsay Lohan wants L.A. police chief William Bratton to mind his own damn business. She`s speaking out for the very first time about Bratton`s outrageous comment that Lohan has, quote, "gone gay."
With me tonight in New York, Howard Bragman, founder of Fifteen Minutes Public Relations; Janelle Snowden "VH1 News" host; and in Hollywood tonight, Conor Knighton, host of "Infomania" on Current TV.
Gang, I want to start off with this story. When I was first told it, I thought, "That is not true. Somebody must have made this up." It is an airport altercation involving "Hairspray" star Nikki Blonsky and former "America`s Next Top Model" contestant Bianca Golden. And now, a fight allegedly broke out over some saved seats in the lounge area at the airport. Next thing you know, those stars, along with Blonsky`s dad, are hauled off to jail on assault charges. So they`re brawling over saved seats.
Howard Bragman, let me start with you. As much as I really want to have a lot of fun with this bizarre story, this is actually pretty serious, with people being thrown in the clink. I`m sure if you were their publicist, you`d be entering some kind of full crisis mode right about now.
BRAGMAN: Absolutely. I would be in crisis mode. But what you have to understand, A.J., I wouldn`t be out there trying to spin it to the press yet because this story is going to have a long life as they go to court and other information unfolds and other tapes unfold. But I would be doing is gathering information to know what our strategy is for the long haul, how culpable my client was and what position we want to take. So that`s the part of crisis mode we would be in right now.
HAMMER: One of the fellow passengers in the airport lounge actually caught some of the aftermath of this fight on tape, including comments from Nikki`s mom about what she says happened. You`ve got to watch this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
NIKKI BLONSKY`S MOTHER: My daughter was here first.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Your daughter was over there - she was just over there by herself.
NIKKI BLONSKY`S MOTHER: The girl just punched her in the head
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: For no reason as she was sitting here. Well, make sure you do, please do. That`s ridiculous.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: The slightly disembodied voice there of Nikki Blonsky`s mom. Now, members of both families were arrested in this fight, I should point that out. But Janelle, I was thinking, reality TV producers are probably seeing this story today and just bummed out beyond belief that they didn`t have cameras rolling.
SNOWDEN: I think you`re probably right, A.J., it`s sad as that is. I was just in that airport a couple of weeks ago and it`s very small. I can only imagine if I had been there two weeks later and seen some of this. It just seems outrageous. Like you said, you hear the headline and you`re like, "OK, stop it. This can`t be." It`s almost too good to be true.
I just hope for everyone`s sake, all parties heal properly because Bianca`s mom was airlift today a hospital. So apparently, she received a pretty brutal beat-down. I`m not sure from whom, but I just can`t imagine that all of this was a result of some saved seats. I mean, is that really - can`t you sit on your luggage on the floor, really?
HAMMER: Well, I`ve got to say, I`ve been in the Provo Airport, too. The seating situation there is not good, not good at all. Now, here`s the thing that really struck me, though. I sat down with Nikki Blonsky right around the time she was nominated for a Golden Globe for her performance in "Hairspray." And well, this will speak for itself. You`ve got to listen to what she had to say about keeping her head on straight despite all of the Hollywood pressures. Charles, roll that.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
NIKKI BLONSKY, ACTRESS: You go to the events in Hollywood and there`s after parties. I choose not to go to them simply because of the fact that you have remember why you got into the business. And I wanted to be an actress my whole life, and somebody gave me my shot. They gave me a chance. And I`m not going to disrespect them by, you know, running amuck in Hollywood. That`s not what it`s about.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: You see, seeing this for me reminds me of how I felt when I met her. She is just a sweet, down-to-earth girl, at least that`s how she came across to me. So Conor, isn`t that really what makes the story all the more shocking?
CONOR KNIGHTON, HOST, "INFOMANIA": Well, you know, maybe that`s what she wants us all to think. You remember back with those Golden Globes, there was a home video of her at her house when she got the nomination, was so excited, flipped over a table. Maybe, that`s the first warning sign. In "Hairspray," if you remember the musical, there`s a song "You can`t stop the beat. You try and hold me down but I`ll spit in your eye. You can`t stop the beat." So I think you can`t stop the beat.
HAMMER: Well, she didn`t write that.
KNIGHTON: I don`t know.
HAMMER: I`m not going to be so cynical. We`re going to move on now because Nikki Blonsky, you know, not the only star in the celebrity fight club tonight. Oh, no. Kathy Hilton has entered the bitter battle - you try to say that - over the John McCain campaign ad that compared her daughter, Paris, to Barack Obama.
Now listen to what Mama Hilton wrote on "The HuffingtonPost.com," quote, "It is a complete waste of the money John McCain`s contributors have donated to his campaign. It is a complete waste of the country`s time and attention at the very moment when millions of people are losing their homes and their jobs. And it is a completely frivolous way to choose the next president of the United States."
I`m with you there, Kathy. Howard Bragman, you know Kathy Hilton. Am I reading this right? She`s pretty peeved about all this, isn`t she?
BRAGMAN: You know, when it comes to her kids, Kathy gets provoked. She is a mother lion protecting her cubs. And she`s saying, "How dare they use my children in a presidential campaign." And probably saying, "How dare they use Paris` picture without paying us." Come on.
HAMMER: That is probably more likely. And I was really taken by a couple of the word choices here - "waste of money," "completely frivolous." Janelle, aren`t these terms that we could actually use to describe Paris Hilton`s own spending habits?
SNOWDEN: Oh, the irony. I mean, but at the same time, I think she probably views it as a slap in the face. We all know that she and her husband have contributed probably the maximum amount that they can to McCain campaign - that would be $4,600. And she probably feels like, "Really, this is what we get for contributing to your campaign is throw my daughter under the bus." Again, McCain is saying that, you know, he viewed it in good humor. But the Hilton family obviously is saying not so much.
HAMMER: Yes. So Conor, do you think Kathy should be demanding that $4,600 back from the Sen. McCain`s campaign for president?
KNIGHTON: You know, I can`t imagine for the Hiltons that it`s about the money. That`s like normal people giving a couple of quarters to the Salvation Army. But big picture - the McCain campaign is spending - it`s also on "Huffington Post" - about $140,000 a day just to run that ad. And so, you know, certainly, a contributor could be upset that that`s what they`re putting their money towards.
HAMMER: All right. Good enough. We`ve got to move on. Lindsay Lohan, the next star, putting up her dukes tonight in the celebrity fight club. She`s speaking out for the very first time since the L.A. police chief told reporters that Lohan had, quote, "gone gay."
Now, listen to what she said to the paparazzi when they asked her how she felt about being outed, basically, by Chief Bill Bratton.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LINDSAY LOHAN, ACTRESS: He shouldn`t get involved in everyone else`s business when it comes to their personal lives. It`s inappropriate.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE REPORTER: Well said, Lindsay. Have a great trip.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: Oh, they`re so nice. You know, I usually don`t find myself agreeing with Lindsay Lohan but here I am thinking, well, that`s pretty good. What do you think, Howard Bragman? As a publicist, a good move for Lindsay to acknowledge the chief`s comments or does this kind of leave the door open for more questions and speculation about her sexuality?
BRAGMAN: Let`s be clear. First of all, there wasn`t a denial on her part. Secondly, if she hadn`t talked about it, it would have been a one-day story and it would have gone away. So she`s the one who threw fuel on this fire and she`s making us talk about it, A.J. It`s not our fault.
HAMMER: Yes. The story does continue. Bill Bratton has sort of put it away. Janelle, does Bratton owe Lindsay an apology for all this?
SNOWDEN: I said before that I think an apology would be in good measure. I mean, I think that everyone can sort of side with Lindsay, as you said, in this matter and that it might have been pretty inappropriate for him to comment on her personal life. Because all we really care about, as far as our police chief, is that he`s cutting back on crime. So his opinions on Lindsay`s love life don`t really matter one way or the other. And I don`t think that they were appropriate. I think that everyone agrees with that.
HAMMER: All right. Thanks, guys. I appreciate you being here tonight, Howard Bragman, Janelle Snowden, Conor Knighton.
Well, out-of-control stars fighting in the airport. Lindsay Lohan all fired up at the Los Angeles police commissioner. Believe it or not, not that long ago, before all of this mommy stuff she has going on now, Angelina Jolie had a lot of fight in her.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: She said she liked to do things with knives. She said she was bisexual. Lot`s of headlines.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: Yes, and that`s why I`m so amazed by how much she has changed. You know, she`s got these new twins. She`s now the mom of six. Wow. Coming up next, the stunning transformation of Angelina Jolie, a not to be missed showbiz special report.
And you`ve got to see this sexy, sexy ad featuring a naked Eva Mendez. It is very controversial, so much so in fact, that it`s been banned. That is coming up next.
And there is plenty of sex in the CW series "Gossip Girl." But you know, it`s not only in the show. It`s in the ads too, and it`s got some people - parents in particular - really upset. But does the show even care what they think? That`s coming up next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HAMMER: Welcome back to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. I`m A.J. Hammer in New York. And now, the stunning transformation of Angelina Jolie. Of course everybody is talking about the amazing pictures of Angelina, Brad Pitt and their newborn twins, Knox Leon and Vivienne Marcheline. But I`ve got to say, it wasn`t all that long ago that Angelina, who of course is now a U.N. goodwill ambassador and a mom to six kids - well, she was a Hollywood wild child herself. Tonight, a showbiz special report. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT`s Brooke Anderson investigates the transformation of Angelina Jolie.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BROOKE ANDERSON, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT CO-HOST (voice over): How did Angelina Jolie go from wild child to humanitarian and mother? A modern day Mother Teresa?
JUDY KURIANSKY, CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGIST: People may think that the wild child Angelina from before and the humanitarian, family woman of now don`t make any sense. But actually, they do.
ANDERSON: They do? SHOWBIZ TONIGHT still can`t believe Angelina`s transformation. So we`re going deep into the SHOWBIZ TONIGHT archives back to the 1990s. She came out of nowhere to win two Golden Globes. Jolie was on the fast track to becoming a big star with a juicy personal life to boot.
KURIANSKY: She was the typical wild child. She did everything in extreme, off the charts, hanging blood on her neck from Billy Bob, her boyfriend, kissing her brother in a very erotic way.
ANDERSON: Oh, that kiss. Even though she won an Academy Award that year for "Girl Interrupted," that kiss only added fuel to the girl-gone-wild fire.
JILL DOBSON, ENTERTAINMENT JOURNALIST: She said she liked to do things with knives. She said she was bisexual. Lots of headlines.
KURIANSKY: When you`re young and have a great deal of energy like Angelina did, you express it in those wild sexual and drug and acting out ways, and you don`t really have a purpose in life.
ANDERSON: But something happened. After shooting her starring role in "Lara Croft: Tomb Raider, she adopted her first son, Maddox, from a Cambodian orphanage.
DOBSON: When she was in Cambodia, she saw victims of violence there, saw what they were going through, learned about the U.N.`s program to help refugees and that this group is helping 20 million people and I`ve never even heard of it.
ANDERSON: So Jolie, with the help of the United Nations, set off on her first mission to the war-torn region of Sierra Leone, a visit she described years later, to CNN`s Anderson Cooper, as one that transformed her forever.
ANGELINA JOLIE, ACTRESS: Suddenly, you see these people who are really fighting something, who are really surviving, who have so much pain and loss and things that you have no idea.
ANDERSON: Her inner transformation came as her marriage to Billy Bob Thornton broke down. Jolie threw herself into her work with the U.N. and was honored for her work as a humanitarian.
JOLIE: I`m just so happy to be a part of the U.N. and a part of this family of people.
ANDERSON: Jolie continued her travels. Chad in 2004, Thailand, Lebanon, visiting refugee camps at every stop.
DOBSON: The fact that she`s been doing it behind the scenes for several years before we all heard about it really shows she wasn`t just doing it for the spotlight.
ANDERSON: But the spotlight returned to Angelina`s personal life when Jolie began work on a new film "Mr. & Mrs. Smith." There were whispers she and her co-star, Brad Pitt, had fallen in love, even though the two didn`t confirm the relationship for months.
JOLIE: Still alive, baby?
ANDERSON: As the media swirled around them, she adopted her daughter, Zahara, an AIDS orphan from Ethiopia. It was this new Angelina that struck a chord with Pitt who filed papers to jointly adopt Maddox and Zahara. But it didn`t end there. Angelina turned the world`s attention towards the impoverished African nation of Namibia where she gave birth to their daughter, Shiloh. Now, as a mom to a brood of children, her wild and crazy days are behind her.
KURIANSKY: When you mature, you find the right man, you find the right kind of a goal in life, like helping other people, as she has, then that energy gets transformed and used in another way. Angelina has found her purpose in life.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HAMMER: And I`ve got to say, these photos of Brangelina with their new twins, really, really gorgeous. You can check them out for yourself in this, the new issue of "people" magazine, which is on newsstands right now.
And now, a controversial new ad featuring a naked Eva Mendes that`s been banned in the U.S. You`ve got to check it out. It`s for Calvin Klein`s "Secret Obsession" perfume. Eva rolling around in a bed.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
FEMALE VOICE OVER: Between love and madness, my obsession.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: No, we couldn`t show the entire ad. You know, it`s been banned. But I know Calvin`s ads are always a bit racy. We do hear that the networks have said, "No way, not going to air it." Calvin Klein tells us they`re not surprised by the reaction. And I`ve got to say they`re probably going to sell a lot of perfume since, well, here we are talking about it.
And I know a lot of people have been talking about the shocking new ads for the CW`s "Gossip Girl." This show, which happens to (UNINTELLIGIBLE) teens features all kinds of sex and drugs, lots of controversial stuff in the show. And now, there`s a steamy new ad campaign out which basically tells the critics and the worried parents, "Too bad, just deal with it." Here now again, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT`s Brooke Anderson.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: "Very bad for you, mind-blowingly inappropriate," denouncements of the racy television series, "Gossip Girl."
UNIDENTIFIED ACTRESS: That lifeguard is a Kleenex - use once and throw away.
ANDERSON: The show itself which airs on the CW Network is risque with teenage talk of drinking, drugs and sex.
UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: You sleep with her, huh?
ANDERSON: But it`s the marketing which uses the words of critics that now has people talking.
TIM WINTER, PRESIDENT, PARENTS` TELEVISION COUNCIL: This is shocking. It`s a slap in the face to parents.
ANDERSON: The Parents` Television Council, a TV watchdog group, is outraged by the images and feels that CW is hungry to boost ratings for "Gossip Girl" which averaged only 2.3 million viewers last season.
WINTER: This type of campaign shows the desperation that the executives are feeling. It`s wholly unconscionable in terms of corporate responsibility, we believe.
ANDERSON: The network, which is partly owned by CNN`s parent company, Time Warner, launched the campaign just three months after taking heat for these provocative promotions. Defending its actions, the CW says, quote, "We wanted to create a provocative, unconventional campaign that resonates with `Gossip Girl`s` sophisticated, media savvy young adult fans."
PAUL KURNIT, ADVERTISING AND YOUTH MARKETING EXPERT: The new "Gossip Girl" campaign is really smart.
ANDERSON: Advertising and youth marketing expert, Paul Kurnit, praises the strategy.
KURNIT: It`s forbidden fruit. It`s basically the kind of thing that suggests that, "Your parents aren`t going to like it. Your parents don`t want you to be involved with this. Don`t go there." And it becomes something that teens feel, "Hey, I`ve got to check this out."
ANDERSON: But Winter asserts success can come with a price.
WINTER: Do we say that Joe Camel was successful in terms of getting children to smoke cigarettes?
ANDERSON: "Gossip Girl" star Blake Lively, featured prominently in the steamy ads, is unconcerned, claiming she hasn`t seen them.
BLAKE LIVELY, "SERANA VAN DER WOOSEN": I don`t see them and I don`t have to talk about them.
ANDERSON: But millions of kids will see them displayed on TV, online, in print and on billboards in plain view of unsuspecting parents and their children, some say potentially creating as stated in the ads themselves every parent`s nightmare.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HAMMER: Now, the second season of the always controversial "Gossip Girl" premieres on September 1st. I bet they`re going to have a lot of extra eyeballs this season.
Well, Jim Carrey would probably say yes to "Gossip Girl." In fact, he`s saying yes to everything. I have your very first look at Jim`s new movie "Yes Man," coming up next on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HAMMER: Thank you, Charles. Welcome back to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. I`m A.J. Hammer.
And now, your showbiz first look at Jim Carrey`s new movie, "Yes Man." In this thing, Jim plays a guy who has no problem saying "no" to everything, but then he decides to just cut loose and live life to the fullest by saying "yes" to everything that comes his way. This is actually based on a book, and it`s a true story. Here you go.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE CHILD: No.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE CHILD: No.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE CHILD: No!
VOICE OVER: It`s the first word we learn.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE CHILD: No, no, no.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE CHILD: No, no, no!
VOICE OVER: And some people -
UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: We`re going have a funny hat and all-wig party.
JIM CARREY, ACTOR: I`m actually going to be out of town.
UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: You know, what day is this?
CARREY: When is it? I`m out of town.
VOICE OVER: Never grow out of it.
CARREY: No. No, means no.
UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: Hey, want to hang out tonight? Oh, it`s you. Let me guess? No?
CARREY: Yes.
UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: Yes?
CARREY: No, I meant yes to your no.
VOICE OVER: But this Christmas -
CARREY: What was that you said?
UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: No.
CARREY: Yes.
VOICE OVER: Carl(ph) is about to discover -
CARREY: I do want to take guitar lessons. I do want to learn how to fly. Yes, I would like to learn Korean.
VOICE OVER: What he`s always been missing.
UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: So what, you could say yes to everything?
CARREY: Exactly. I wasn`t open to stuff, and now I am and things are changing for me.
UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: Yo, Carl(ph), hit any clubs? Got a case of Red Bull? Going to pull an all-nighter. Are you down?
CROWD: Yes!
VOICE OVER: Jim Carrey -
UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: Whoo!
CARREY: I never had a Red Bull before but I had a Red Bull last night. I really like Red Bull.
UNIDENTIFIED ACTRESS: Yes, you seem a little hyper.
CARREY: Hey, after we jog, we should go to Red Bull.
UNIDENTIFIED ACTRESS: That sounds great.
UNIDENTIFIED ACTRESS: Excuse me. Could I -
CARREY: Absolutely.
UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: I don`t think that`s what she was asking for.
CARREY: Was I chewing gum before?
VOICE OVER: "Yes Man."
CARREY: (speaking Korean)
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HAMMER: And a lot of it said maybe you should drink a Red Bull. And you can say yes to "Yes Man" when it hits theaters this coming December.
Well, that is it for SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. I thank you so much for watching. I`m A.J. Hammer in New York. And remember, you can always catch SHOWBIZ TONIGHT on the 11:00s. That`s right - we`re on at 11:00 p.m. Eastern. We`re on at 11:00 p.m. Pacific, and we`ve been on in the morning at 11:00 a.m. Eastern. (UNINTELLIGIBLE), so join us. The latest from "CNN HEADLINE NEWS" is coming up next.
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