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Showbiz Tonight
Bristol Palin`s Pregnancy Compared to Jamie Lynn Spears`; David Duchovny`s Sex Addiction; Reporters Versus Hurricane; Linda Hogan Opening Up About Her Relationship with Charlie Hill
Aired September 02, 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: Now, on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, the Sarah Palin pregnancy shocker. John McCain`s pick for vice president revealing her unmarried teenage daughter is pregnant. Tonight, the startling comparisons between the Palin pregnancy and the pregnancy of Britney Spears` kid sister. And are the comparisons to Jamie Lynn Spears and her mom fair?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DAX HOLT, TMZ: No one knew this girl`s name until four days ago.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: Tonight, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT with the remarkable tale of two moms.
Tonight, the sex files. Why did David Duchovny confess he`s addicted to sex and check into rehab for it?
Plus, Linda Hogan`s cougar confession. For the first time, Hulk`s 49- year-old ex is talking about whether she`s really dating a 19-year-old guy.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
WHOOPI GOLDBERG, CO-HOST, "THE VIEW": This is my friend, A.J. and you know what he`s doing. You know what he`s doing here. It is "The View." It`s our first day so here`s here interviewing me. And I want you to stay right there because SHOWBIZ TONIGHT starts right now. Don`t get up, unless you have to go to the bathroom.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(MUSIC)
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, the real life story of "Juno" straight from the Alaskan capital of Juneau.
HAMMER: That`s right, Brooke. Tonight, Sarah Palin`s startling revelation that her unmarried teenage daughter is pregnant, a story that reads like the plot line in the movie, "Juno."
And now the governor of Alaska-turned-vice presidential nominee is hearing comparisons between her and of all people, Britney Spears` mother. The Palin pregnancy shocker hung over the Republican National Convention in St. Paul tonight. And SHOWBIZ TONIGHT can tell you that besides the Spears factor, there are other Hollywood connections to this story making news right now.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
(voice over): Just when you thought the 2008 presidential race couldn`t get any wilder, the stork brings a brand-new bombshell.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The McCain campaign confirms that Palin`s 17-year-old daughter is five months pregnant.
HAMMER: Everyone is reeling from the announcement that the 17-year-old daughter of John McCain`s running mate, Alaska Governor Sarah Palin, is pregnant.
VOICE OVER: He`s the biggest celebrity in the world.
HAMMER: McCain recently used Britney Spears in an attack ad against Barack Obama. Now with this surprise pregnancy, another Spears is being talked about in this campaign.
KIM SERAFIN, SENIOR EDITOR, "IN TOUCH WEEKLY": I have heard people bring up Jamie Lynn Spears` name in relation to Sarah Palin`s daughter being pregnant.
HAMMER: From comparisons to Britney Spears` teen sister who recently had a baby, to comparisons to fictional teen pregnancies, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT can tell you, this latest campaign bombshell is sparking a major pop culture clash.
SERAFIN: We all talk about that merging between politics and pop culture and politics in Hollywood and how there`s such a fine line. And it seems like every day that fine line gets blurrier and blurrier.
HAMMER: And unmarried pregnancy controversy hasn`t been such a big issue in the presidential campaign since 1992. That`s when then Vice President Dan Quayle went after the sitcom "Murphy Brown" because Candace Bergen`s "Murphy" character became pregnant out of wedlock.
DAN QUAYLE, FORMER UNITED STATES VICE PRESIDENT: It doesn`t help matters when primetime TV has Murphy Brown, a character who supposedly epitomizes today`s intelligent, highly paid professional women, mocking the importance of fathers by bearing a child alone and calling it just another lifestyle choice.
HAMMER: Fast forward to the 2008 campaign. This particular out-of-wedlock pregnancy doesn`t have people thinking about a sitcom but about a movie.
ELLEN PAGE, ACTRESS (as "Juno"): I`m pregnant.
HAMMER: Juno, the recent Oscar winner about a pregnant teenage girl inspired a host of Alaska-themed parodies almost immediately after the world found out about the pregnancy of Sarah Palin`s 17-year-old daughter Bristol. And now comparisons to real-life teen pregnancy, that of Jamie Lynn Spears, Britney`s younger sister.
HOLT: Jamie Lynn was in the spotlight -
HAMMER: TMZ`s Dax Holt tells SHOWBIZ TONIGHT that unlike Bristol Palin, sitcom star Jamie Lynn Spears was already a public figure when she announced her pregnancy at age 16 in "OK!" magazine.
HOLT: The media just went crazy over it. What was the Spears family doing? Why are they letting their kids get pregnant at such a young age?
ELIZABETH HASSELBECK, CO-HOST, "THE VIEW": A lot of people are also looking down on the fact that she`s going to have this child.
HAMMER: The ladies of "The View" compare the reaction to the Palin situation with the reaction to the Spears pregnancy.
GOLDBERG: We`ve sat here and judged Britney Spears` sister.
(CROSS TALK)
We have sat and done the same thing. And so we can`t say it`s liberals or left or right. We`re doing it as a nation.
HAMMER: And after the show, Whoopi, who also became a grandmother at an unexpectedly young age, told me she sympathizes with Sarah Palin.
GOLDBERG: I appreciate her as a woman. I appreciate her as a parent because I know it`s not easy to have a kid who has a baby before you want them to. You know, so - but I did have to point out that we have sat at that table and picked other folks apart whose children have done the same thing.
HAMMER: And now, as Gov. Palin gets picked apart on the campaign trail, some are hoping that the teenager at the center of this political and pop cultural firestorm will be spared such scrutiny.
HOLT: It`s hard enough to have a baby at the age of 17. But then, have the world watching you do it? That`s hard.
HAMMER: But fairly or unfairly, the world and the media are indeed watching this young mom-to-be.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: So are the comparisons of Sarah Palin`s daughter to Jamie Lynn Spears fair and why the obsession?
With me tonight in Hollywood, Jane Velez-Mitchell, investigative journalist and author of this book, "Secrets Can Be Murder." Also tonight in New York, CNN political analyst, Amy Holmes.
Amy, Jane, welcome. And you know, people were surprised when John McCain used Britney Spears and Paris Hilton in his campaign ad. Many were even more surprised when McCain chose Sarah Palin, a relative unknown, to be his running mate. And now this pregnancy shocker. Jane, what did you think when you heard this news?
JANE VELEZ-MITCHELL: Well, I was absolutely stunned, Brooke, not so much by the news, but how it rolled out. It wasn`t expressed as a forthright statement, "This is what`s happening." It was really damage control after Internet rumors started swirling.
So this whole notion now that while this is a cause for celebration and they`re going to get married - if it was a cause for celebration, why not reveal it at the outset. And then I started wondering, wait, does this mean that we`re trying to keep it a secret from the American people? Is that why Bristol, the pregnant girl, was holding her mother`s child in front of her to hide some kind of bump?
And then, today, a chief strategist for McCain, quoted in the newspapers saying, "We tried to keep this a private family matter. That`s how we would like it." So I`m thinking, wait a second. How naive is that to think in today`s 24-hour news cycle you`re going to keep something like this, this kind of a bombshell a secret from the American public? That strikes me as completely naive and it makes me question the judgment of everybody involved in this election process.
ANDERSON: Well, yes, that secret wasn`t kept for very long. And you know, this entire presidential race has been playing out like an unpredictable reality show. Amy, you have been in the middle of it, covering each and every step. Could you believe the pregnancy news came out when it did, the first day of the Republican National Convention?
AMY HOLMES, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: No. Of course, it was a huge shock, a huge surprise. And it certainly, you know, caused a lot of conversation and fodder. We`re talking about it right now.
But you know, I`d like to point out that this young lady is a private citizen. And Jamie Lynn Spears was an entertainer who was packaged and marketed and sold to teenage girls. She benefited from that financially. And then when she got pregnant, she sold her pictures. She made money then from advertising her pregnancy.
This is a very different case. This is a private citizen who happens to have a parent who`s in the public eye. While maybe it was naive to hope that this could remain a private matter, I certainly think it`s fair.
ANDERSON: Yes. And it`s certainly understandable that they would want it to be that way. And you`re right, Bristol Palin is not the one running for public office here. Her mother is.
And as we know, there are so many comparisons between Palin`s 17-year- old daughter and Jamie Lynn Spears, a celebrity, of course. Jamie Lynn was 16 when she became pregnant. She`s planning to marry the baby`s father. Bristol Palin is 17. She is also planning to marry her baby`s father.
Jane, there are a lot of similarities between the two. But there are also a ton of differences, aren`t there?
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Well, yes, but the fact is that when you are a public figure, like it or not, you become a role model. And the fact is that Sarah Palin did trot out her entire family and literally pointed at them when she took the number two spot and decided to become John McCain`s running mate and said, "Look at my family. This is the reason I`m a terrific candidate." So she`s actually the one that has made her family a part of this campaign, very notably pointing out her entire family.
And given that she knew this when she did that, I question her judgment. I mean, she`s got to know by accepting this number two spot she is putting her child, her 17-year-old child, who`s already under the stress of being pregnant, in the tabloid fodder. She`s throwing her to the media -
ANDERSON: Jane, are you saying that she should not be proud of her 17- year-old child ...
HOLMES: Exactly. She`s supposed to be ashamed?
ANDERSON: ... along with her others, even though -
(CROSS TALK)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Wait a second -
ANDERSON: Also, are you saying that it would have been appropriate for her at that time to announce the pregnancy?
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Why not? If they`re saying this is a cause for celebration, they`re going to get married, then why not state it at the outset? I think they`re talking out of both sides and they want it. They wanted to keep it a secret until it got out. Now, they`re spinning it that it`s a cause for celebration.
But in fact, it`s not. Teenage pregnancy is a huge problem in this country; most unwed mothers who become pregnant don`t graduate from high school. They proceed to have financial and other problems the rest of their lives. And what about this young man who is involved in all this?
(CROSS TALK)
MOORE: Can we (UNINTELLIGIBLE) here for a minute? Please?
VELEZ-MITCHELL: OK.
MOORE: She did not say it was a cause for celebration. In fact, she said that their daughter is growing up a lot faster than they would have liked. And as for her announcement on Friday, she did not say, "My family is a role model for America, look at us. We are secure."
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Sure she did. Sure she did.
MOORE: What she said was, "I`m proud of my family. I love my family." And with their support she`s running for office.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: She used her family as a campaign tool just as much as -
MOORE: Hold on, Jane. You`ve talked quite a lot.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: OK. All right.
MOORE: When she explained why she got into public life, she said she wanted to cut wasteful spending and cut property taxes. She was not talking about, "Because my daughter is a virgin." That`s just totally absurd.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: (UNINTELLIGIBLE) she`s applied for many, many, many millions of dollars in earmarks. I don`t know if we want to go there.
(CROSS TALK)
ANDERSON: Let`s not get into that for now, ladies. We could continue this discussion and I`m sure that we will. But I have to end it there for now. Jane Velez-Mitchell, Amy Holmes, thank you both for your insight.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Thank you.
HOLMES: Thank you.
ANDERSON: And later on, we will be comparing the moms, Sarah Palin and Lynne Spears. You know, the two suddenly have a lot in common. But are the comparisons fair? That`s later on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
HAMMER: And now, we`d like to hear from you for our SHOWBIZ TONIGHT question of the day. Here`s what we`re asking - "The Presidential Race: Has it become more outrageous than a reality TV show?" Let us know at CNN.com/ShowbizTonight. Or E-mail us, showbiztonight@cnn.com is the address.
ANDERSON: A.J., I imagine the ladies of "The View" are talking about Sarah Palin a lot behind the scenes tonight.
HAMMER: Oh, no question about it, Brooke. I was right there on the set this morning. It was the first day of the new season of "The View." The fact that a woman is back in the presidential race, quite the hot topic.
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GOLDBERG: This is beyond gender. This is beyond race. It`s beyond all of these other B.S. issues. This is about the fate of our nation.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: I have the whole story of my visit to "The View," what the ladies told me behind the scenes about this historic election. They did not hold back. That is next.
ANDERSON: Also, the sex files. I was stunned by this news David Duchovny has checked into rehab for sex addiction. What in the world is going on there? We`ve got it, coming up.
HAMMER: And cougar alert! Cougar alert! Linda Hogan finally speaking out about whether she`s really dating a 19-year-old. Wait until you hear what she has to say about that. That is still to come on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
Remember, you can watch SHOWBIZ TONIGHT video anytime. We are always posting new stuff for you to check out. So surf over to the Web site, CNN.com/ShowbizTonight. Now playing, will Britney Spears perform at the Video Music Awards? And if she doesn`t, is she making a big mistake?
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(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HASSELBECK: A lot of people are also looking down on the fact that she`s going to have this child. She`s giving this child a chance at life.
JOY BEHAR, CO-HOST, "THE VIEW": No one`s looking down at her.
HASSELBECK: No, no, there are left wing liberals -
(CROSS TALK)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: Here we go. The women of "The View" are back and back at it. And just like everybody else, they`re totally fired up about the news that Sarah Palin`s unmarried teenage daughter is pregnant.
Welcome back to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. I`m A.J. Hammer in New York. Brooke, you know, I was right there on the set of "The View" today as the ladies were kicking off yet another season.
ANDERSON: Yes, A.J., and they certainly were fired up. I`ve got to tell you, all of them - Whoopi Goldberg, Sherri Shepherd, Barbara Walters and Elisabeth Hasselbeck were extremely passionate.
HAMMER: No question about it. And as you would expect, vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin was the hot topic on the minds of all of the ladies this morning.
Now, I spoke with Whoopi Goldberg and Joy Behar about what they think of the now Republican ticket. And I`ve got to tell you, they didn`t hold back on Palin, sexism and, well, moose burgers.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GOLDBERG: I don`t know enough about her. I appreciate her as a woman. I appreciate her as a parent because I know it`s not easy to have a kid who has a baby before you want them to, you know. So - but I did have to point out that we have sat at that table and picked other folks apart whose children have done the same thing.
HAMMER: Do you think it`s going to have an impact? The fact that the governor`s daughter is pregnant, is going to have an impact on the race and who gets in the White House?
GOLDBERG: Well, you`re going to vote who you think is the best president for the job. It doesn`t matter whether they stand up to go to the bathroom or sit down to go to the bathroom. This is beyond gender. This is beyond race. It`s beyond all of these other B.S. issues. This is about the fate of our nation.
HAMMER: But there are those who have said, "Well, she`s got a family to attend to at home, so how could she have accepted that nomination?" That`s - right along those lines, that just sexist.
GOLDBERG: Well, it`s sexism and it`s pure foolishness not to think she`s not going to get some nannies. What is wrong with people?
HAMMER: What do you think about McCain`s choice?
BEHAR: Well, you know what? If you`re a heartbeat away from the presidency, who better than Miss Alaska? I do think that it is difficult to have five children and run a country, however. But they aren`t saying to Obama, "You have two young girls. Why don`t you stay home with them?" So I think it`s unfair. It`s a little bit sexist. And I don`t hold it against her at all. What I hold against her is that she hasn`t been vetted really. We don`t know her.
HAMMER: If you can get her on the show, which I`m guessing you guys are working at doing, what would you love to ask her?
BEHAR: We would love to have Sarah Palin on the show. What do I have to ask - what does a moose burger exactly taste like? Does it taste like chicken?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: You know, to be fair, Brooke, I did suggest to Joy there are other Alaskans that you can for the moose burger`s taste.
Joy, by the way, was a big supporter of Hillary Clinton. She made it clear that she`s not Barack`s supporter, so is Whoopi Goldberg.
ANDERSON: Yes. And leave it to Joy to inject some humor into what could be a very touchy subject. And A.J., as we all know, Elisabeth Hasselbeck is the panel`s most vocal Republican voice.
HAMMER: Yes, she is. And she definitely told me that she believes Sarah Palin, without fail, is the perfect choice for vice president. She was really upset at people who criticized Palin for seeking the vice presidency with five young children at home. Watch this.
HASSELBECK: I think this is just the beginning of the misogyny in terms of the election. And I do not think they would be asking that question, would she be - I just don`t know. I just don`t. And what she has done now is run those things quite well.
And are people that afraid with dealing with the real issues of this election that they`re going to try and attack her and throw curveballs about her family that really have nothing to do with what we`re voting about. I have faith that the American people will be focused on the issues at hand and will look beyond any sort of nitpicky blogging, hysterical attacks on people that have no weight to bear. I really do. I believe people will focus on what matters most in this election.
HAMMER: Great to see you. Congratulations. Welcome back.
HASSELBECK: Great to see you, too. I`m glad to be back. It`s going to be a great season. Energized more than ever.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: One of the things that makes "The View" so great is the differing of opinions. I also spoke with Sherri Shepherd who says she understands the criticism that Gov. Palin is getting because she has some young kids at home, and is now the vice presidential nominee.
ANDERSON: Yes, and it`s great that each of them is not afraid to express their opinions about politics and their views on certain issues because they do differ vastly and that`s one of the refreshing things about the show, that they are so open and so honest.
HAMMER: Well, Brooke, we will have much more of that energized crew. The ladies on "The View" on Wednesday`s night`s show, Barbara telling me why she is so excited about this election season and about celebrating 12 years on "The View," Brooke.
ANDERSON: Whew! Twelve years. And A.J., you know, it`s not just at "The View" that the Sarah Palin story is huge news.
HAMMER: Yes. You`re absolutely right about that. The news that her 17- year-old daughter is pregnant - that is everywhere.
ANDERSON: And it kind of reminds me of another teen pregnancy story. Remember when Britney Spears` little sister got pregnant at 16? But here`s what I want to know, are the comparisons between Sarah Palin and Lynne Spears there? We`re getting into that, straight ahead.
HAMMER: Also, the sex files. I`ve got to tell you, I was just shocked by this news David Duchovny has checked into rehab for sex addiction. What is the story there? What does his wife Tea Leoni have to say about all that? We have it coming up.
Also this -
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE REPORTER: If I wasn`t holding this pole, I`d probably be in the Mississippi River by now.
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ANDERSON: Unbelievable video from the coverage of Hurricane Gustav, caught on tape. These reporters got the story come hell or high water. You will not believe your eyes. That`s coming up.
HAMMER: Now, be sure to check out the free, ever-changing SHOWBIZ TONIGHT podcast. You`ll find it on our Web site, CNN.com/ShowbizTonight. You can also download it on iTunes. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT is coming right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HAMMER: Welcome back to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. I`m A.J. Hammer in New York with some sad news tonight. One of the most recognizable voices in movie history is now silent. Don Lafontaine has died. Now, you may not know him by name. I guarantee you have heard his voice plenty of times. He was the voice behind about 5,000 movie trailers, many of course, which started with that catchphrase, "In a world." You`ve got to see what Lafontaine looked like in this Geico commercial.
Don died at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles on Monday from complications from a collapsed lung. And I interviewed him a few years ago right here on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. And I had to ask him to tell us one thing that would surprise about the making of movie trailers.
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DON LAFONTAINE, MOVIE TRAILER VOICE GURU: I don`t think there really is anything. I think that this is one of the few industries where everything is right upfront there. What you see is what you get. Obviously, there`s a lot of work that goes into it. And I think that if there`s a secret - it`s not really a secret. I think it`s that trailers are one of the great art forms.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: Yes. I liked that guy a whole lot. Don Lafontaine was 68 years old. Real sad news, Brooke.
People - switching gears now, just going nuts over the Sarah Palin pregnancy shocker, right?
ANDERSON: Yes, it`s true, A.J. The news of her 17-year-old daughter being pregnant is absolutely everywhere.
HAMMER: And obviously kind of reminds me of another headline-grabbing teen pregnancy, Britney Spears` little sister. But are those comparisons fair? We will get into that coming up.
ANDERSON: Also, the sex files. I was shocked by this news. David Duchovny has checked into rehab for sex addiction. What in the world is going on there? That`s coming up.
HAMMER: And cougar alert! Cougar alert! Linda Hogan finally speaking out about whether she is really dating a 19-year-old. Wait until you hear what she has to say. That is still to come on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. And we are coming right back.
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HAMMER: Now, on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, a tale of two moms. From Hollywood to the race for the White House. Why Sarah Palin and Lynne Spears may have a lot more in common than you think. Could the GOP`s second fiddle actually learn a new tune from Britney Spears` mom? And is Palin`s pregnant teen daughter fair game for political battles? SHOWBIZ TONIGHT with the heated debate.
Plus David Duchovny`s sex files. The "X-Files" star heads to rehab admitting he is battling a sex addiction. What`s the real story behind Duchovny`s surprising confession? SHOWBIZ TONIGHT continues right now.
(MUSIC)
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.
HAMMER: Tonight, why Sarah Palin is being compared to Britney Spears` mother. The Republican vice presidential nominee shocked everyone when she revealed that her 17-year-old unmarried daughter is pregnant. And just like the mother of Britney Spears who had to deal with Jamie Lynn`s teen pregnancies, the comparisons are already being made between the two moms. But is that fair?
Our fired-up coast-to-coast panel is ready to have at it. Joining me tonight from Hollywood, Nancy Redd, contributing editor for "Cosmo Girl" magazine. Also in Hollywood tonight, Jane Velez-Mitchell, investigative journalist and author of "Secrets Can Be Murder." And in New York tonight, CNN political analyst, Amy Holmes.
Gang, the comparisons between Gov. Sarah Palin and Britney Spears` mother, Lynne, have only just begun. I want you to all watch what happened this morning when the ladies of "The View" had at this very hot topic.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HASSELBECK: I think it`s unfair of people to be diving into her daughter`s life. I think it`s unfair of people - she is a minor. I think it`s unfair for people to dive into her daughter`s boyfriend and father of her child, her fiance who she`s going to marry. His Web sites and his blogs and whatever he wrote, I think that we should - are you still afraid of the issue of this election? Are you so afraid of dealing with the real issues you need to be on Facebook and MySpace?
GOLDBERG: Wait a minute. Wait a minute. Speaking of Britney Spears` sister, and we`ve been -
(CROSS TALK)
GOLDBERG: Listen, but it doesn`t matter. We did the same thing with everybody.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Jane Velez-Mitchell, starting off with you. Do you think the comparison is fair?
VELEZ-MITCHELL: It`s absolutely fair. First of all, as you remember, A.J., it was John McCain who brought the Spears family into this election by running that ad that compared Barack Obama to Britney Spears, so he started it.
And of course, the comparison between Lynne Spears and Sarah Palin is much more reasonable. They`re both in the public eye. They both have teenage daughters who are pregnant and unwed.
And I totally disagree with Elisabeth on "The View." Sarah Palin made this a campaign issue. She is the one talking family values as a campaign issue. She is the one who brought her own family on stage and literally pointed to them, telling the American people essentially, "This family is why I`m a great candidate."
So once you use your family as a tool for a campaign, it can come back to bite you and it certainly is a legitimate issue, especially given her position on sex education. She`s against it. And she`s against distributing condoms and she is for abstinence only, and it doesn`t work.
HAMMER: You make some good points there, Jane. And a lot of people have argued, "Well, Jamie Lynn Spears was a public figure. Sarah Palin`s daughter didn`t ask to be in the public eye." But hey, she is. Nancy Redd, what do you think? Is the comparison between the two fair?
NANCY REDD, CONTRIBUTING EDITOR, "COSMO GIRL": It`s absolutely fair. And it`s not only a comparison with - their family chose to bring out this as a public issue. But also because they go from promoting their children as being virginal and the perfect kids, now, to promoting young motherhood and young marriage.
And it`s so convoluted and is a very disappointing situation to have to spend the time talking about this as opposed to the issues. And I`m just so shocked that someone would choose to put this in the public sphere. It`s a very personal concern. It`s a nationwide epidemic that is really troubling our teenage girls and it`s very frightening to see it promote it in such a happy light.
HAMMER: Yes. Well, it`s good that we`re talking about it and we`re getting awareness. But as you said, and this has been the frustration - well, it`s always the frustration in politics - we`re not necessarily talking about the stuff that`s really important.
I was right there on the set of "The View" today. The ladies are back for their 12th season. You`ve got to watch something that co-host Sherri Shepherd said about Gov. Palin and how she hopes that the governor`s going to deal with her teen daughter`s pregnancy while in the spotlight. Watch this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SHERRI SHEPHERD, CO-HOST, "THE VIEW": I think Palin just represents the regular American woman, Lakeesha from the Ghetto and Janet from Burbank, California.
(CROSS TALK)
No, no. I`m just saying she`s got regular problems. How many women have dealt with their daughters, with sex and teenage pregnancy? And so I really want to see how it plays out. I understand about the privacy, but you are running for office.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: Yes. You`re running for office. So to be fair, again, Gov. Palin`s daughter, Bristol, not a public figure. But, Amy, over to you, for better or worse, didn`t Bristol really lose a degree of her privacy when her mother decided to accept the VP nomination?
HOLMES: Well, unfortunately, in this immediate day and age that is the price that public people pay no matter what party. And let`s face it - as long as politicians are parents, they`re going to have kids that complicate the picture. You can talk to Al Gore, Sr. about some of the troubles that he`s had with his own son. Unfortunately, it`s as inevitable as it is, on Sarah.
But I would, you know, point out, it wasn`t Bristol Palin who ran for office. It was her mother. She did not ask to be in the public eye. And as for the argument about sex education, I don`t think that there`s been any evidence presented here that Bristol doesn`t know how babies are made or where you can go and find a condom at the 7-Eleven.
In fact, as the oldest daughter of five children, I`m sure she`s very well acquainted with biological realities. So until we know a lot more about this story, to be piling on this young girl - she`s 17, she`s dealing with the crisis. And let`s face it, the Palins didn`t kick her out of the house. They didn`t tell her, "Go away to a girl`s home and don`t come back until eight months later." That`s not what happened at all.
And a lot of people are looking at this story as - this is relatable. This family has to deal with what so many families have to and they`re dealing with it with love and compassion. They`re rallying around their daughter instead of banishing her as if she`s some sort of a political embarrassment.
HAMMER: Well, moving forward now, the question is going to be how are they going to deal with it? Because let`s face it they didn`t get ahead of the story. You know, when Jamie Lynn Spears first revealed to the world that she was pregnant, her mom, Lynne, did an interview with "OK!" magazine.
Now, with all the fallout from this already as the Republicans are holding their convention right now, Jane, do you think that`s what Sarah Palin needs to do, something like Lynne Spears did? You know, do an interview, set the record straight before it gets too late? Because the piling on, as Amy just pointed out, has begun.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Well, absolutely. I think she has some explaining to do. But I would respectfully disagree with Amy.
You know, first of all, abstinence only doesn`t work. And it doesn`t matter whether this young girl knows the facts of life. Teenagers are very fertile. It`s much easier for a teenager to become pregnant than a 40- year-old woman, obviously. And when you don`t give them fallback positions and tell them, "Hey, don`t use a condom and don`t learn about other methods of not getting pregnant," you are basically putting them in the position of saying, "You have to be 100 percent perfect. You have to practice perfect abstinence," and not very many kids can do that.
So I personally believe that this is her policy coming home to roost. Teenage pregnancy is a huge problem in this country and she`s spinning it as if this is some cause for celebration. But what if every teenager in America got pregnant -
HOLMES: Jane, if you believe that Baby Hunter, Rielle`s baby is John Edwards` baby, then you have to draw the conclusion that if that is the case, then he was having unprotected sex. And he is a 50-year-old male and is certainly knows better.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Oh, absolutely.
HOLMES: Are you saying that John Edwards needs more sex ed?
HAMMER: Amy, let me jump in -
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Yes, I think he does. And I think he also needs lessons in hypocrisy. And all of these politicians who use their families, as John Edwards did, as a tool, as a tool to say, "I`m a better person than the other person over there that you shouldn`t vote for."
HOLMES: We don`t know that Sarah Palin did that. And as a matter of fact -
(CROSS TALK)
HAMMER: Guys, I`m jumping in because I don`t want to spiral out of control into a discussion on teen pregnancy.
But again, back to the question - and Nancy Redd, I`m going to out to you on this - do you think Sarah Palin needs to now get on TV? Maybe sit down with Larry King and just set the record straight on what`s going on?
REDD: Well, I`d love for her to come over to "Cosmo Girl" so we could interview her about her abstinence-only education beliefs and see how well that worked in her own home. I think that right now, the spin that`s being put on is really distracting and it`s really problematic for parents and adults who look to politicians and their families as role models.
And what you`re seeing right now is that teenage pregnancy is as American as apple pie. And I`d love for her to get on the record and have some actual statements about what really needs to happen in American homes. Because obviously, the belief that sexual education happens at home, which what they are purporting, which what a lot of people in that party in this situation believes that should not happen in schools, it should happen at. Obviously, something went askew.
HAMMER: Something did go askew. Got to end it there. Nancy Redd, Jane Velez-Mitchell, Amy Holmes, I appreciate you being here tonight.
ANDERSON: Hey, A.J., I was pretty surprised to hear that David Duchovny checked into rehab.
HAMMER: Well, the reason, Brooke, a real shocker here.
ANDERSON: Yes. Coming up, the sex files. David Duchovny admits he`s seeking help for a sex addiction. But what is the real story behind his confession? The dramatic details, straight ahead.
HAMMER: And Hulk Hogan`s ex speaks out. So is she or isn`t she dating a 19-year-old guy? Linda Hogan`s trying to set the record straight.
Also this -
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE REPORTER: If I wasn`t holding onto this pole, I`d probably be in the Mississippi River by now.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Almost blown away. The most amazing video of reporters in the hurricane zone hanging on for dear life. There`s no way anybody could accuse us of blowing this story out of proportion.
SHOWBIZ TONIGHT is back right after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ANNOUNCER: They are off, ladies and gentlemen.
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ANDERSON: All right. Did you see this? The taste of victory is sweet and a little spicy if you ask any of the guys who took part in a chili- spaghetti eating contest in Ohio. Humble Bob Shoudt was the big winner. Listen to this - he ate 11 1/2 pounds of the local specialty in just 10 minutes. The prize? $2,500 and of course, bragging rights.
Welcome back to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. I`m Brooke Anderson in Hollywood. Tonight, two celebrity sex controversies that are new right now. First up, "X-Files" David Duchovny is in rehab because of some x-rated activity. Duchovny has just confessed to the world he has a sex addiction.
And tonight, Linda Hogan is speaking out for the very first time about Charlie Hill who is just 19-year-old when they reportedly started dating. Hogan is now claiming the two are just friends without benefits.
With me tonight in Hollywood, Rachel Vallis, senior editor for "Life and Style Weekly." In New York, senior correspondent for "Inside Edition," April Woodard.
April, Rachel, good to see you both. And I want to begin tonight with David Duchovny who has had a lot of porn connections in the past. He plays on oversexed single dad on his current show time hit "Californication." And now, of course, Duchovny has shocked us all by issuing this statement about going to rehab for sex addiction.
Listen to this, "I have voluntarily entered a facility for the treatment of sex addiction. I ask for respect and privacy for my wife and children as we deal with this situation as a family."
Rachel, this is such an incredible case of life imitating art, isn`t it?
RACHEL VALLIS, SENIOR EDITOR, "LIFE AND STYLE" WEEKLY: I would actually say this is art imitating life. I mean, you know, they say, "Play what you know." And David Duchovny is doing that exact thing when he signed on to play the sex-crazed writer on "Californication." I mean, he`s very been upfront in his life about, you know, being sexually precocious. He lost his virginity at 14. He had an affair with a married mom when he was 16. You know, he was a big fan of porn in the `80s. He voiced over in an erotic series called "The Red Shoe Diaries." So, you know, it`s not that far off from the truth.
ANDERSON: The new season of "Californication" is about to start. April, I want to ask you this. Do you think that people are going to maybe have a difficult time separating the Duchovny character from the real David Duchovny now?
APRIL WOODARD, SENIOR CORRESPONDENT, "INSIDE EDITION": Well, they`re definitely going to be thinking about it when they watch the show in the fall. And I think they`re going to be wondering how does this man go to work if he`s dealing with the same things he`s worried about?
I mean, I`m sure his doctors are saying, you know, you`ve got to get treatment for it. But yet, he`s forced to deal with it every single day and deal with those thoughts as he plays this character.
ANDERSON: I want to move from the sex files to the cougar files. Hulk Hogan`s ex, 49-year-old Linda Hogan, is finally opening up about her relationship with a 19-year-old guy who used to be friends with her daughter, Brooke. Now, Linda has been slammed by everybody, even her own daughter.
But now, she tells "People" magazine, quote, "We are just friends. He turned into more of a confidante type person. There is no physical relationship. He is not a boyfriend or a boy toy either. I think he thinks I am cute. But he realizes the age difference makes it look weird, and we don`t have much in common except maybe our hair."
She`s got a sense of humor about it there. April, still, he`s now 20; she`s 49. The appearance alone makes you shake your head. Does she not understand that people are still going to say, "This is an inappropriate relationship, romantic or not?"
WOODARD: Yes, I think that, you know, they may be platonic now but I don`t know what was going on earlier in the relationship. And, you know, you have to think about it, too, it caused such a riff between she and Brooke Hogan. I got a chance to interview her not too long ago about it.
And you`d think that, you know, if it`s going to break up your family - in the midst of all the other things going on with the Hogan family, would you even give the impression even that this was your boyfriend?
But you also have to take in mind this woman has been through a lot. She`s going through a divorce. Her daughter is - you know, in the height of her career right now. Her son, Nick, with the accident, and then, of course, the tapes and people seeing all of this. And I think it`s a mid life crisis. And you`d be surprised who you turn to when your life is falling apart.
ANDERSON: Facing a lot of challenges, that family. We`ll leave it there for now. Rachel Vallis, April Woodard, thank you both. Good to see you.
HAMMER: Tonight, did you see this? Talk about a story that will blow you away. Hurricane Gustav sent most people running for cover. But a few TV reporters rode out the storm live on camera and well, it wasn`t pretty. Talk about hazard pay. These guys earned every penny of it. Here`s CNN`s Jeanne Moos for SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
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JEANNE MOOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: An ominous, pulsating blob, jiggling drops on the lens, time once again for reporters to vie for the title of most weather beat.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE REPORTER: Hurricane Gustav is coming ashore right now.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE REPORTER: There was no sense - good grief.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE REPORTER: But the big concern, it`s flooding where I am -
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE REPORTER: Whoa! There`s some debris starting to blow around and we want to get out of the way.
MOOS: Out of the way but not out of camera range.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE REPORTER: Not a lot of -
MOOS: With so much danger and damage, weatherman Al Roker was lucky to lose just his hat.
AL ROKER, NBC WEATHER ANCHOR: And of course right now, the - sorry. Well, so much for that hat.
MOOS: CNN`s Ali Velshi`s very first hurricane.
JOHN ROBERTS, CNN ANCHOR: What`s it feel like?
MOOS: They came back later to Ali`s deserted position.
ROBERTS: I can assure you he did not blow away.
MOOS: Actually, he couldn`t blow away. He was tethered.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE REPORTER: Heard Ali a little bit earlier, Chard, about, you know the shrimp -
MOOS: Ali wasn`t the only one hanging on for dear life. Geraldo Rivera was out with his wind gauge.
GERALDO RIVERA, JOURNALIST: Over 50, 56 gusts here. You can see into the eye of this coming storm. I don`t want to get that lens too wet.
MOOS: All day camera people were wiping.
KIRAN CHETRY, CNN ANCHOR: Rob Marciano for us -
MOOS: Wiping.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: All right, let`s get back.
MOOS: Wiping. Geraldo spotted a guy in the water.
RIVERA: You see right there. (EXPLETIVE DELETED) damn it, there`s a person stranded. There`s a person stranded. I`m telling the cops here. He`s swimming. Oh, he`s got a life line. He`s got a lifeline. Oh, my god!
MOOS: It turns out the swimmer had intentionally gone into the water to attach a line to a propane tank to keep it from causing damage. Geraldo was fearless or foolhardy - take your pick - charging up to levees as water gust over the top, eventually retreated.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE REPORTER: Back to you. This is starting to hurt. This hurts a lot. OK, back to you guys.
MOOS: Some wind-blown reporters --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE REPORTER: Let`s have a look.
MOOS: Pointed out other wind-blown reporters in shorts.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Quite honestly, I`m having trouble standing up.
MOOS: Beware of unidentified flying cardboard.
ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR: Oh, watch out.
MOOS: Better flying cardboard than flying reporters.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And if I wasn`t holding on to this pole, I`d probably be in the Mississippi River by now.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh, geez!
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HAMMER: What a job. That was CNN`s Jeanne Moos for SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
ANDERSON: And hey, this next story might blow you away. Sarah Palin is set to become the Republican vice presidential candidate, but wait until you her before she went into politics. Sarah Palin, the lost tapes, coming up next on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
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ANDERSON: Welcome back to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. I`m Brooke Anderson in Hollywood. Tonight, did you see this? Sarah Palin`s lost tapes. Today, everybody is talking about Sarah Palin, the presumptive VP candidate on John McCain`s ticket. But she was actually in the spotlight long before she went into politics and we`ve got the proof.
Back in 1988, Palin, the current governor of Alaska was a sportscaster for KTUU TV in Anchorage. And thanks to YouTube, the video of her early career lives on forever. Watch this -
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SARAH PALIN, VICE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE AND FORMER SPORTSCASTER: Yes, (UNINTELLIGIBLE) is the biggie, but it`s not the only meshing going on. A few more of the conquest meshers finished up in the White Horse today. Kate Pearson(ph), John Selma Myers(ph) and Dennis Cargo(ph) grabbed the sixth, seventh and eighth spots. (UNINTELLIGIBLE) of course won that race a couple of days ago. And over at Dillingham after day two of the western Alaska championship, Victor Sustoff(ph) leads the field of 21 and Tom Hoff is just a minute seven behind him. And in third place is James Sustoff(ph). This race is part of Dillingham`s beaver roundup.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Palin was just 24 years old when that video was taped.
HAMMER: Yes. She got to work on that fancy set there.
Well, Monday, we asked you to vote on the SHOWBIZ TONIGHT question of the day which was - "Celebrity Endorsements: Do they help presidential candidates?" Here is how the voting went. Look at that - 28 percent of you said yes; 72 percent of you said no, they don`t help.
Here`s some of the E-mails that we got. One from S.W. in North Carolina who says celebrities hurt a candidates appeal to everyday voters. He writes, "Seeing all of those celebrities made me feel left out."
We also heard from Edward in Georgia who says otherwise. He writes, "The early celebrity endorsements helped Americans of diverse backgrounds connect with Obama and his message."
Thank you for your E-mails and thank you for watching. That`s it for SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. I`m A.J. Hammer in New York.
ANDERSON: And I`m Brooke Anderson in Hollywood. And don`t forget, you can always catch SHOWBIZ TONIGHT on the 11:00s - 11:00 p.m. Eastern and Pacific and in the morning, 11:00 a.m. Eastern. The latest from "CNN HEADLINE NEWS" is next.
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