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Showbiz Tonight
Sean Diddy Combs and Lindsay Lohan`s Rants about Sarah Palin; The Britney Spears-Bristol Palin Connection; Jennifer Aniston`s Comeback on TV; The "90210" Controversy
Aired September 03, 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, Sarah the celebrity. Tonight, should Sarah Palin be worried she`ll become a tabloid target because of her teen daughter`s pregnancy? The Republican vice presidential nominee, now the cover story of all the big celebrity magazines with some ugly headlines.
And SHOWBIZ TONIGHT with the controversial question - is Sarah Palin now a bigger celebrity than Barack Obama?
Tonight, the Hollywood-Palin connection. Sean Diddy Combs comes out swinging.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEAN DIDDY COMBS, RAPPER: Attention John McCain. Attention, John McCain. Sarah Palin, that is completely irresponsible.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: Plus, Lindsay Lohan`s startling Palin rant. And did Britney Spears` family really reach out to Palin`s pregnant daughter? Tonight, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT with the stars on fire.
Plus, Jennifer Aniston stalking Alec Baldwin? The real reason Aniston is going after him. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT starts right now.
(MUSIC)
HAMMER: Hello. I`m A.J. Hammer, broadcasting tonight and every night from New York City.
BROOKE ANDERSON, CO-HOST: Hi, there, everyone. I`m Brooke Anderson coming to you from Hollywood. And tonight, Sarah, the celebrity.
HAMMER: Yes. Think about it, one week ago, to most people, Sarah Palin was "Sarah who?" But tonight, as she accepts the vice presidential nomination, has Sarah Palin become Sarah the celebrity?
You know, Palin has just become the cover woman of just about every major celebrity magazine in the country. Thanks to the controversy over her unmarried pregnant teen daughter. It is just a remarkable thing to see as Palin replaces the likes of Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie on all of these covers. And SHOWBIZ TONIGHT can tell you, it is making news right now.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
VOICE OVER: He`s the biggest celebrity in the world.
HAMMER (voice over): This now infamous John McCain campaign ad attacked Barack Obama as a celebrity. But now, a new, possibly bigger celebrity has emerged - McCain`s own running mate, Sarah Palin.
BEN WIDDICOMBE, EDITOR-AT-LARGE, "STAR" MAGAZINE: Nobody had ever heard of Sarah Palin outside Alaska until the bombshell decision that John McCain made to make her his running mate. As if being the running mate was not enough, she became a superstar overnight when it was revealed that her 17- year-old daughter, Bristol, is pregnant and unwed.
HAMMER: Still doubt Palin`s super celebrity credentials? Well, consider that the woman who would be vice president is now on the cover of all the just-out, brand-new big celebrity magazines like "People" magazine, "Us Weekly," "OK!" magazine, which is featuring Palin and Obama in dual covers. And, yes, John Edwards` worst enemy, the "National Enquirer." So who`s the celebrity now?
In fact, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT can tell you, Palin is such a celebrity, she even has celebrities talking about her. Rap mogul Diddy is weighing in on McCain`s unconventional vice presidential choice with a long video rant and this unconventional analysis.
COMBS: John, you`re bugging the (EXPLETIVE DELETED) out, man.
WIDDICOMBE: It`s fair to say he doesn`t approve.
HAMMER: And even Lindsay Lohan just went on a Palin rant on her political blog on Mypace Celebrity. She writes, quote, "I am concerned with the fact that Sarah Palin brought the attention to her daughter`s pregnancy, rather than all world issues and what she believes she could possibly do to change them - if elected. I get Sarah Palin`s views against abortion, but I would much prefer to hear more about what she can do for our country rather than how her daughter is going to have a child no matter what."
WIDDICOMBE: Lindsay`s points are so good. I actually had to wonder whether she wrote them herself.
HAMMER: And then there`s Diddy, an Obama supporter, putting in his two political cents.
COMBS: Attention, John McCain. Attention, John McCain. My name is Diddy. I had to check in with you to tell you that you are bugging the (EXPLETIVE DELETED) out.
HAMMER: Diddy`s video blog was apparently recorded before news broke that Sarah Palin`s 17-year-old daughter Bristol is pregnant. In it, the some- time rapper raps McCain for choosing the little-known governor of Alaska to be his running mate.
COMBS: I don`t even understand what planet you`re on right now, no disrespect. I love you. I want you to live to be 110. But things happen like what if, god forbid, you got a running mate. You become president - Alaska? Alaska, Alaska, Alaska. Come on, man. I don`t even know if there`s any black people in Alaska.
HAMMER: For the record, Diddy, the census bureau says there are just under 25,000 black people in Alaska, not including that guy in "Northern Exposure".
Anyway, back to the message.
COMBS: She isn`t ready to be no vice president, man. You need to stop playing, Sarah, really. You are bugging the (EXPLETIVE DELETED) out, John McCain. Yes. Alaska? What the (EXPLETIVE DELETED).
HAMMER: His name is Sean Diddy Combs and he approved that message.
WIDDICOMBE: He doesn`t really get to the point as to why John McCain is bugging. I think he`s trying to say is that Alaska has no problem and it`s not representative of America as a whole. So he doesn`t think Sarah Palin has any qualifications to be a heartbeat away from the presidency.
HAMMER: So Sarah Palin has Lohan blogging and Diddy bugging - proof positive that in the celebrity world, there`s room for actresses, rappers, presidential candidates and controversial running mates.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
All right. So with all eyes on Sarah Palin, should she worry now that everyone, including the tabloids, want a piece of her?
Joining me tonight in Hollywood, Jane Velez-Mitchell, investigative journalist and author of "Secrets Can Be Murder." Also in Hollywood tonight, "Extra" correspondent, Carlos Diaz.
All right. Guys, think about this. This is unbelievable. A week ago, unless you lived in Alaska, you`d probably be saying, "Sarah who?" And now this week, look at this, she`s on the cover of virtually every major celebrity magazine in the country. And let`s face it, not all of these headlines on these magazines are complimentary, if you know what I`m saying. Guess who reads most of these magazines? Mostly women.
Jane, do you think Sarah Palin should be worried about this?
JANE VELEZ-MITCHELL, INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALIST: Well, contrary to popular rumor, this isn`t some liberal media conspiracy. It`s that this story rates. The people decide what stories are going to get the most coverage because they decide with their pocketbook what magazines they buy and what channels they watch.
This story is rating big because it has all the magic ingredients. Just like certain crime stories take off and capture the public`s imagination, whether it`s the Natalee Holloway case or the current case of the missing girl in Florida named Caylee. It has the combination of ingredients that prove irresistible plot wise and those ingredients are, sex, numero uno, secrets, number two, power, privilege, attractive people and exotic locales. And P. Diddy, notwithstanding, yes, Alaska is an exotic locale and the Palins are an attractive family, and that`s why this is such a hot story.
HAMMER: Yes. And we`ll be getting to Diddy a little later on in the program. Of course, the celebrity tabloids love to dig for dirt. Doesn`t always happen with politicians. We did, however, see the "National Enquirer" bring down John Edwards. Well, guess what? They`re now investigating Sarah Palin. Carlos, do you think she should be worried?
CARLOS DIAZ, "EXTRA" CORRESPONDENT: Well, John Edwards` videographer turned out to be his mistress. The person taking videos for Palin is John McCain`s daughter, Meghan. So I don`t think there`s going to be a problem there at all. But you have to wonder - you know, she was a beauty queen earlier in life. And if you model or you`re a beauty queen, you might take pictures of yourself in a bathing suit or a bikini, pictures that seem harmless. But when you`re running for the second most powerful person in the world, that can come out and bite you later. So you wonder if pictures are going to surface in the next few weeks.
HAMMER: Let me tell you this. From my experience - and Carlos, you`ve been doing this for a long time - if those pictures are out there, they`re going to surface. I`m just saying.
DIAZ: Yes. Yes. Yes.
HAMMER: We know Sarah Palin, of course, became an instant celebrity overnight. But Jane, obviously, a lot of it has to do with the fact that she has an unmarried 17-year-old pregnant daughter. That`s not the whole reason, though.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Yes, but it is pretty much the reason because what it has done is it`s unleashed the culture wars that are always bubbling under the surface of any political campaign. For better or for worse, this young girl`s pregnancy has become a metaphor for Sarah Palin`s belief system because it dovetails with her belief, her opposition to abortion even in cases of rape or incest, her opposition to sex education and distribution of contraceptives and it goes on from there.
She supports teaching creationism in schools. She doesn`t acknowledge a connection between human behavior and global warming. She`s put $150 bounty on wolves in Alaska. So it all comes together. I think that the McCain camp had hoped to use her to energize the conservatives and grab those Hillary voters. Unfortunately, instead of just portraying her as a reformer, which is also in question, all of this stuff has come out which makes everybody sort of say, "Who is Sarah Palin?"
HAMMER: I`ve been saying this for the past few days, you know, if a writer from the west wing walked into the room with this script, the producer of the show would have thrown him out saying this would never happen.
We saw and we`ve been talking about the fact that John McCain used Britney Spears and Paris Hilton in that ad to make the claim that Obama was nothing more than a celebrity. Well, now, Sarah Palin`s really displaced all of the celebrities on most of the magazines.
Carlos, fair to say Sarah Palin is now the bigger celebrity?
DIAZ: She`s bigger than Barack Obama this week. I mean, she`s taken that. The funny thing, I was in Denver last week for the Democratic National Convention. And on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT I said, "There is no way, no way, the Republican National Convention can steal the spotlight that Barack Obama has on him. And oh, was I wrong. You know, she really has taken it but I don`t know if she took it in the way she wanted to take it with a pregnant daughter.
HAMMER: I have a feeling the McCain camp is going to need to back off attacking Obama for being a celebrity very soon for fear of looking even more hypocritical.
Jane Velez-Mitchell, Carlos Diaz, thank you for being here tonight.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Thanks, A.J.
HAMMER: I want to hear from you for our SHOWBIZ TONIGHT question of the day. Here is what we pose this evening - "Sarah Palin: Is she now a bigger celebrity than Barack Obama?" What do you think? Line it up at CNN.com/ShowbizTonight. Got more to say? The E-mail address is showbiztonight@cnn.com.
I`ve got to point out, Brooke, it is a very exciting time here at SHOWBIZ TONIGHT because we are now kicking off "Showbiz on Call" today.
ANDERSON: That`s right, A.J. We are giving our viewers a chance to give us a buzz so that they can tell us what they think about this Sarah Palin controversy or anything else they want to get off their chest.
HAMMER: Now, if you would like to hear the mellifluous tones of Brooke Anderson and myself, dial us up at 1-888-SBT-BUZZ. That is 1-888-728-2899. Leave a message, a voice mail for Brooke and myself. We`re going to play some of your calls right here on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
ANDERSON: Yes, we are. A.J., you know, it`s going to be very interesting to see how this whole Sarah Palin thing plays out.
HAMMER: (UNINTELLIGIBLE) Really, so much more than a political story with all the celebrity magazines that I`ve been talking about, even TV shows like, well, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, talking about Sarah Palin.
ANDERSON: It`s so true. And tonight, I can tell you that there could be another stunning Hollywood connection here. Did Britney Spears` family really reach out to Palin`s pregnant daughter, Bristol? You`ve got to hear this, next.
Also this -
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
COMBS: Attention, John McCain. Attention, John McCain. Sarah Palin, that is completely irresponsible.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: Yikes! There he is - Diddy Sean Combs going off on John McCain and Sarah Palin. You know, even Lindsay Lohan is ranting about this. Tonight, the stars - they are on fire about this vice president controversy.
HAMMER: And has Jennifer Aniston finally shaken off her split from John Mayer? I hear she`s stalking Alec Baldwin. That`s coming up. .
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ELISABETH HASSELBECK, CO-HOST, "THE VIEW": I think it`s unfair, people, to dive into her daughter`s boyfriend and father of her child - her fiance whom she`s going to marry.
WHOOPI GOLDBERG, CO-HOST, "THE VIEW": We did the same thing with Britney Spears` sister.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: The Britney Spears connection to the Sarah Palin pregnancy shocker. The women of "The View" are fired up about protecting the privacy of 17-year-old Bristol Palin.
Welcome back to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. I`m Brooke Anderson in Hollywood. Startling news tonight that there may be an even stronger connection between Sarah Palin`s pregnant daughter and Jamie Lynn Spears.
Yes, tonight, reports are circulating that Britney`s 17-year-old sister, who just gave birth herself, sent Bristol baby gifts. So what can Bristol learn from Jamie Lynn Spears?
Joining me tonight from Hollywood, Shannon Fox from "MomLogic.com." And in New York, is Bonnie Fuller, who is a blogger for the "Huffington Post." Welcome, Bonnie. Welcome, Shannon.
And Bonnie, I want to begin with you because there`s really been explosive reaction to a blog you just posted about this whole Bristol Palin pregnancy controversy. I want to take a look at what you said about Bristol being pushed into the spotlight.
Here it is, quote, "Bristol Palin hasn`t been the star of a major kids show like Jamie Lynn or Miley Cyrus. She has not chosen a life of celebrity. But now, thanks to her mother`s decision to accept the Republican vice presidential candidacy, her private life - her sex life - is as exposed as if she had long been a cover regular on "Star" of "Us Weekly."
Bonnie, those - some really strong words. Now, you used to run "Star" magazine and "Us Weekly." Do you think the worst is yet to come for Bristol? I sure hope not.
BONNIE FULLER, BLOGGER FOR THE "HUFFINGTON POST": Bristol is absolutely news and she is news because her mother accepted the vice presidential candidacy. And, you know, not only is her life now going to be under the spotlight for the next several months until the election and perhaps for the next four to eight years. But you know, she may feel as if she`s got the weight of the election on her shoulders because people are going to be making a decision about who they`re going to vote for. And one of the factors that may come into play is whether they feel that her mother has handled this situation responsibly. That`s a lot of pressure.
ANDERSON: It is. But is it really fair to place the blame there? Because I agree it`s unfortunate. Bristol didn`t ask for the attention. But do you think that Bristol would even herself now want her mother to aspire to that important political position that could possibly impact the entire country because of a mistake she, herself, made?
FULLER: That`s why it is tremendous pressure on her because, of course, she doesn`t want to stand in the way of her mother`s candidacy. She wants her mother to be successful.
But young women tend to blame themselves if things do not go well in certain situations. And so she - if the election is not won by the Republicans, she may blame herself and the attention that`s been given to her because of her pregnancy.
ANDERSON: Well, we did all see the unbelievable round-the-clock scrutiny that Jamie Lynn Spears was under when her pregnancy was announced. Shannon, you know, Gov. Palin of course knew that her daughter was pregnant when she accepted to be - from John McCain to be his running mate. Do you agree with Bonnie that she shouldn`t be running for VP because of how it impacts her daughter?
SHANNON FOX, "MOMLOGIC.COM": No. Actually, I vehemently disagree with Bonnie. I think that by accepting the vice presidential nomination, she`s sending a clear message to her daughter that she`s not ashamed of her daughter. Not taking the vice presidential nomination would actually have showed her that she was ashamed of her, that she was embarrassed of her.
At "MomLogic.com" I`m constantly encouraging moms, lead by example, set an example for your children, talk about everything and when it comes down do it, accept your children and love them and support them in whatever decision they make.
ANDERSON: Bonnie, in your blog, you wrote, "Is Sarah Palin ready to take the mantle of worst mother of the year from Lynne Spears? I have to imagine you disagree with Shannon. And also don`t you think that no matter how hard parents try to instill good morals and values into their children, at some point, those kids are going to make decisions on their own? To judge Sarah Palin as a bad mother, is that kind of harsh?
FULLER: I think - no, I don`t think it`s harsh at all. I think that she`s put her daughter in a very, very difficult position without any preparation. I mean, how could she ever prepare? She`s not had the life of a celebrity. She`s not had people who are PR managers working with her for many years to present her to the public in this very personal situation. So I do think her mother has put her in a very tough position. That`s not been protective of her.
ANDERSON: Shannon, you know, we have very little time left but I do want to take it back to Jamie Lynn Spears for a second. Ten seconds - do you think that Bristol can learn anything from Jamie Lynn Spears?
FOX: Well, I think they should be BFFs. I think that maybe what she can possibly learn from Jamie Lynn Spears is not necessarily to marry the husband - not necessarily to make a husband of the father of her child right away. If he`s to be her husband, he will stick around without a ring. So wait a little while before you jump into marriage.
ANDERSON: Good advice. We`ll leave it there. Bonnie Fuller, Shannon Fox, thank you both for your time.
HAMMER: Well, Brooke, not just Britney. I can tell you other stars are getting involved in this whole Sarah Palin controversy.
ANDERSON: Yes, A.J. It`s really wild. Could Hollywood actually make a big impact?
HAMMER: Maybe so. People listen to the stars and there are so many stars just fired up about it. Lindsay Lohan - really, she`s got a lot to say about Palin`s daughter`s pregnancy. You have to hear her rant and wait until you check out Sean Diddy Combs.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
COMBS: Attention, John McCain. Attention, John McCain. Sarah Palin, that is completely irresponsible.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: Tell me how you really feel, Diddy, about John McCain`s VP pick. I`ve got the stars all revved up and speaking out about the Sarah Palin controversy.
ANDERSON: And I wonder if Jennifer Aniston has shaken off her breakup with John Mayer. I hear she`s stalking Alec Baldwin now. Huh? I`ve got to the bottom of this, coming up.
HAMMER: I want you to be sure to check out the free SHOWBIZ TONIGHT podcast. It`s CNN.com/ShowbizTonight. You can also download it on iTunes. Do a search for SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
And SHOWBIZ TONIGHT is coming straight back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HAMMER: Welcome back to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. I`m A.J. Hammer. Well, the ladies of "The View" are all over this Sarah Palin controversy. And I was right there as Barbara, Elisabeth, Whoopi, Joy and Sherri kicked off season 12. And I had to ask Barbara Walters, is this the most outrageous presidential race she has ever seen?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARBARA WALTERS, CO-HOST, "THE VIEW": I would not use the word "outrageous." I would think this is one of the most exciting ones. It was from day one. When you have a black man running, a woman running, that itself - as everybody has said, that`s historic. Now, with Gov. Palin, that is a whole other edition - a woman with five children - a woman, five children. It makes an extremely exciting and important race.
And if, indeed, it does get people who have sat on their hands to come out and vote, that would be perhaps the most important thing, to participate in this election.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: Yes. Brooke, Barbara, really excited about how fired up people are about this race no matter who you support.
ANDERSON: Yes, good point. A.J., you know, so many stars from coast to coast actually are all fired up over this Sarah Palin controversy. It almost seems like it`s becoming more of a Hollywood story than a political story. Lindsay Lohan, in fact, going off about Palin`s daughter being pregnant. She`s got some really surprising things to say. And then, there`s Sean Diddy Combs.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
COMBS: Attention, John McCain. Attention, John McCain. Sarah Palin, that is completely irresponsible.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: Something`s telling me Diddy isn`t going to be invited on to the McCain straight talk express bus anytime soon. Tonight, the stars are not holding back one bit speaking out about the Sarah Palin shocker.
ANDERSON: And I`m wondering, has Jennifer Aniston put the split from John Mayer behind her? I hear she might be stalking Alec Baldwin now. I`m getting to the bottom of this, coming up.
(NEWS BREAK)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
COMBS: Attention, John McCain. Attention, John McCain. Sarah Palin, that is completely irresponsible.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: Now, on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, Diddy sounds off. Diddy is absolutely going off on John McCain and his pick for vice president, Sarah Palin. Tonight, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT with Diddy`s campaign rant that you`ve just got to hear for yourself.
Big Jennifer Aniston news. Why is Jennifer stalking Alec Baldwin? Has she finally shaken off her breakup with John Mayer?
SHOWBIZ TONIGHT continues right now.
(MUSIC)
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.
ANDERSON: And I`m Brooke Anderson, coming to you tonight from Hollywood.
HAMMER: Well, tonight, as the world hears Sarah Palin`s story in her own words for the very first time at the Republican convention, she`s got a brand-new battle on her hands.
Sarah Palin is now fighting off attacks not from liberals, but from celebrities. Diddy and Lindsay Lohan are just two of the big Hollywood stars sounding off on their blogs.
Well, Lindsay says she wants to hear about Palin`s policy views and not her daughter`s sex life. And then there`s Diddy who - well, he has a very simple message about John McCain`s VP choice.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
COMBS: I had to check in with you to tell you that you are bugging the (EXPLETIVE DELETED) out.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: Yes. Always eloquent, that P. Diddy.
Also tonight, in a blistering blog on "HuffingtonPost.com," Bonnie Fuller, who used to run "Star" magazine, says Palin`s pregnant daughter is doomed to end up like Britney Spears.
And Bonnie is with me tonight here in New York. In Hollywood tonight, "Extra" correspondent Carlos Diaz. Also in Hollywood tonight, investigative journalist and author Jane Velez-Mitchell.
Bonnie, I`ve got to start with you. You`ve been in the celebrity publishing world for a long time now. And in this new blog on "HuffingtonPost," you really go after Sarah Palin and her husband.
I`d like to read a bit of what you wrote, quote, "Just imagine if John McCain and Sarah Palin are elected to two terms in office. Bristol`s every move as a teen mom will be under scrutiny - Britney style. Sarah and her husband Todd are being just as exploitative of their teenage daughter as any of these celebrity parents have been. Actually, even more so."
Bonnie, pretty harsh prediction there. Is that really how you see it going?
FULLER: Absolutely. I think that you see the examples already. Her mother and Bristol are already featured on the cover of celebrity magazines," OK!" "People" and "Us Weekly."
And this look into their lives is not going to stop right here. We`ve got several months until the election. Bristol is now going to be watched. She and her boyfriend - their relationship will be dissected. Her past will be dissected, her decisions, her life decisions will be dissected all for the next few months until the election. If John McCain and her mother are elected, then she`s going to be under scrutiny for at least the next four years.
HAMMER: You know, if you think about it, this is potentially a lot worse than what happened to the Bush twins when they got in trouble. What do you think, Carlos? Is Bonnie dead on here? The Palins, just like the family of Britney Spears and Lindsay Lohan, are going to be these tabloid targets now?
DIAZ: They are. Bonnie`s right for the most part, but the thing she`s wrong on is that when you look at Britney Spears or Lindsay Lohan, the moms in that case are the ones that aren`t famous. The daughters are famous. In this situation, the mom is famous and the daughter is the one that`s kind of the victim here, you know, from the mom`s fame.
I do want to address the fact that if she is elected vice president, Sarah Palin, and the daughter, Bristol, has to go through what Britney went through with the paparazzi. It`s going to be very interesting to see if the security around her will allow paparazzi to get right in her face like it did with Britney because it`s a whole different kind of security. We`re talking about secret service.
HAMMER: Yes. I`m guessing they will run interference on that front.
DIAZ: Yes.
HAMMER: What do you think, Jane?
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Well, you know, I want to clarify something. There`s been a big confusion here. People are not attacking Bristol. After appearing on your show yesterday, I was inundated with hate mail saying, "How dare you attack Bristol?" I`m not attacking her. I hope she has a beautiful baby and a wonderful life.
I am, however, questioning the judgment of her mother, her father and the McCain camp in how they handled this delicate situation. They were not forthcoming. They were not forthright. It came out in the form of damage control after rumors swirled on the Internet. And I think they were not thinking first of this young woman and how her life might be impacted. They were thinking of politics and the spin they were going to put on it. And that`s the wrong focus. This kid should have come first.
HAMMER: No question about that. Bonnie, I want to get back to your blog for a moment because you actually compare Bristol Palin to other young stars who, for better or worse, have had to deal with some pretty tough times at a very young age. .
Let me read a little bit more of what you wrote, quote, "Bristol Palin hasn`t been a start of a major kid`s TV show like Jamie Lynn or Miley Cyrus. She has not chosen a life of celebrity. But now, thanks to her mother`s decision, to accept the Republican vice presidential candidacy, her private life - her sex life - is as exposed as if she had long been a cover regular on "Star" or "Us Weekly."
This kind of drives home the point that I think Carlos was making a moment ago. So Bonnie, as somebody who used to run "Star" and "Us Weekly," do you think they deserve this level of scrutiny by celebrity magazines because we know they`re going to get it from the mainstream press?
FULLER: Well, when you look at the history of the children of presidential and vice presidential candidates, they are brought into the limelight just as I said in my blog. Her mother`s decision brought her into the limelight. The world would not be talking about her pregnancy if her mother was not the running mate of John McCain.
And therefore - if you look at the Bush twins, every time they partied, they were in the paper. Chelsea Clinton - she didn`t look to be in the newspaper or on the news but she was for many years and she continued even after her parents left office.
HAMMER: It comes with the territory. It`s part of the deal, I guess. If you`re going to do this, you`ve got to know that this is going to be a part of it.
We`ve got to move on to this posting by Diddy. Now, Diddy used his video blog to really go off on John McCain`s choice of Sarah Palin for VP. Now, he apparently made this video before the big pregnancy bombshell but he`s also got a few - well, shall we call them choice words for John McCain. Charles would you roll that?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
COMBS: I had to check in with you to tell you that you are bugging the (EXPLETIVE DELETED) out. Alaska? Come on, man. I don`t even know if there`s any black people in Alaska.
John, like, come on! Sarah Palin? If you really think that we`re going to let you win this election with these, like, crazy decisions that you`re making, you`re bugging.
(EXPLETIVE DELETED)
HAMMER: All right. First of all, Carlos - I`m going to go to you first. But I want to point out to Diddy, just under 25,000 people in black people in Alaska, just so you know. But what do you think, Carlos? Is he on to something? Do you think that, you know, young people, especially young voters of color, agree with Diddy that well, in his words, that McCain is bugging?
DIAZ: Well, I think that Diddy is bugging when he wanted to have Michelle Obama run with John McCain. He says that in a blog as well. But he makes a point - 3.7 percent of the population is black in Alaska, so obviously, you know, Sarah Palin is not used to working with African-Americans as much as someone would, say, from New York or L.A. or something like that. He makes a point there. But like I said, I mean, they do get MTV in Alaska. So they know who Diddy is.
HAMMER: I want to move quickly now, Carlos, from Diddy to Lindsay Lohan, another celebrity going off on this choice and what`s happened with this choice on her MySpace blog. She wishes everybody would just stick to the issues.
Let me read what she wrote, quote, "Well, I think the real problem comes from the fact that we are taking the focus off of getting to know Sarah Palin and her political views and what she can do to make our country a less destructive place. It`s distracting from the real issues, the real everyday problems that this country experiences."
Yes. When did you think that Lindsay Lohan would become the voice of reason this political campaign? Jane Velez-Mitchell, a couple of seconds here for you to respond. But she makes a great point, doesn`t she.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: I disagree with her 100 percent. I think this has been a jumping-off point, the whole issue of her daughter`s pregnancy to discuss a lot of the issues that the Republicans wanted to keep strictly at the Republican convention because they wanted to portray Sarah Palin as a reformer.
So now we`re learning about her birth control opposition and her opposition to sex education and the fact that she wants to teach creationism in school and all these other issues that would have been below the radar except for this pregnancy. It`s brought it all out.
HAMMER: That makes a good point. That makes a good point. Got to end it there. Bonnie Fuller, Carlos Diaz, Jane Velez-Mitchell, thank you.
And we want to know your thoughts on Sarah Palin and the controversy. We`re excited to let you know we`ve got the brand-new way for you to tell us what you think, "Showbiz on Call."
That is right, A.J. Just give us a call, guys, and leave us a message about Palin or anything else that`s on your mind.
HAMMER: Here`s the number, 1-888-SBT-BUZZ - 1-888-728-2899. Leave us a voice mail. We`ll play some of your calls here on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. That is 1-888-SBT-BUZZ.
ANDERSON: Yes, Mark that number down. And A.J., we`ve got big Jennifer Aniston news tonight.
HAMMER: Yes, Brooke. This is huge.
ANDERSON: It is. So why in the world is Jennifer stalking Alec Baldwin? You don`t want to miss this.
Plus, is Jen finally over her breakup with John Mayer? That`s coming up.
HAMMER: Also, the kids are back - talking New Kids on the Block in the middle of a huge comeback. I`ve got to tell you, people are just as excited about them now as they were all those years ago. I`m talking about the New Kids coming up.
Also this -
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: McCain`s running mate?
JEANNE MOOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Right.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Obama.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Yikes. Hopefully, by now, she and everyone else is clear that Obama is not McCain`s running mate. But just a few days ago, a lot of people hadn`t even heard of Sarah Palin. We have a hilarious look at people trying to learn her name. That is still to come on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOHN MAYER, SINGER: You`re either a cheater or you break up. And I`m not the first, I`m the second one. And that`s it. There`s no lying, there`s no (EXPLETIVE DELETED).
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Who could forget when John Mayer revealed to the world in a rant why he broke up with Jennifer Aniston?
Welcome back to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. I`m Brooke Anderson in Hollywood.
Tonight, John may be gone but Jennifer is back in a big way. Jennifer Aniston is headed back to TV. We`ve just learned she`ll be starring as a stalker on NBC`s "30 Rock." I`ve got to ask, is success sweet revenge for Aniston?
Also new right now, "90210" - Uh-oh. Tonight, the remake of the original "Beverly Hills 90210" has just debuted and it may have crossed the line big time with a sex scene that everybody is talking about.
Joining me tonight from Hollywood, Kristin Dos Santos who`s a columnist for "E! Online`s" "Watch With Kristin." Also tonight in Hollywood, Russell Wetanson who is a pop culture and legal expert for the Web site, "PopSquire.com."
Kristin, Russell, great to see you both. And of course, we all saw when Jennifer Aniston`s ex, John Mayer, went on a rant to TMZ and other cameras on the street about his breakup with Jennifer. Watch this -
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MAYER: Jennifer Aniston is the smartest, most sophisticated person I think I`ve ever met. People are different. People have different chemistry. They have different lives. It`s not about years. It`s about going out with somebody, being truthful on the way in, being truthful in the middle and being truthful on the way out. You`re either a cheater or you break up. And I`m not the first, I`m the second one.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Kristin, Jennifer Aniston - a very private person. I would have to imagine she was surprised and maybe even hurt by this rant, these revelations. But is her return to television in a big way just what the doctor ordered?
KRISTIN DOS SANTOS, COLUMNIST, "WATCH WITH KRISTIN": I think absolutely. I mean, Britney Spears actually dealt with the troubles that she was going through last season. She decided to come on "How I Met Your Mother" and it was a very safe environment away from the paparazzi, away from, you know, all of that sort of attention she didn`t want.
I think for Jennifer, this is a golden opportunity. It is a hit show. It is the "it" comedy of the moment. They have some huge guest stars coming on this season which have yet to be revealed. But I think it`s great for her to get back in the must-see TV game on the show that is up for the most Emmys of any comedy this year, and she has a very good chance of getting an Emmy nomination from this.
ANDERSON: Yes. It has won an Emmy in the past. It`s a well-respected, successful show. I agree. Smart move by Jennifer and NBC because celebrity guest-starring roles usually are a boost for ratings.
And we just learned that on "30 Rock," Aniston will play a stalker who apparently becomes infatuated with Alec Baldwin`s character. Stalkers, we know, can be angry people.
Russell, is this a great way maybe for Jennifer to let off some steam?
WETANSON: Expressing yourself through your work is always a good way to let off some steam. And she can bring a lot of material to this role. Let`s not forget, Jennifer Aniston is very familiar with infatuation. More than a decade ago, millions of American women got the "Rachel" cut. People have always been infatuation by her. In fact, Brooke, I bet we can find pictures of you and even Kristin with the "Rachel."
ANDERSON: I don`t think my hair ever looked that good. I may have tried though, Russell. But yes, great news for Jennifer Aniston. ` And `I want to talk now about another big return to television. "90210" premiered Tuesday night. Now, I loved the original "90210" show in the `90s, I will admit.
But the first scene out of the box with this new one was one of teenagers having oral sex. Kristin, a desperate cry for attention right off the bat?
DOS SANTOS: I have to tell you I was shocked when I saw that because I had read the entire script and that was not in the original script. Now, something that some people might not know is that the CW had announced they were not going to be releasing the "90210" premiere to the public because they wanted to keep the anticipation going.
But really, what the answer was, they hadn`t finished filming yet. So clearly, someone, a higher up at the CW, whoever it may have been, decided at the last minute that they needed to inject some sex into the show to make it more like "Gossip Girl," to create a bigger buzz. I think it`s a shame, because aside from that scene, I feel like it really was a very family-friendly show.
ANDERSON: Yes. Maybe if they had left that out, there wouldn`t be the controversy and still they would have the viewers. Who knows?
And it does seem like some of the stars of the old `90s "90210" who were actually in this show might not have been too happy with that scene.
In fact, returning cast member Jennie Garth told "Entertainment Weekly," quote, "When producers told me some of the things they were doing, I was like, whoa. That is not `90210` people."
Russell, you didn`t see anything but it was implied. Did they cross the line here or have times simply changed?
WETANSON: Brooke, "90210" has always been about crossing the line and pushing the line. I think Jennie Garth forgot what it was like to live in that zip code. And last night, we saw the beginning of new era of pushing new envelopes, creating new issues and exploiting new issues.
So I don`t think they crossed the line. In fact, let`s not forget that Bill Clinton and Monica Lewinsky introduced oral sex into the public discussion years ago.
ANDERSON: Russell, I`m disappointed in you. The show airs at 8:00 o`clock for crying out loud and kids could be watching.
Kristin Dos Santos, Russell Wetanson, thank you both. We`ll leave it there for now. Hey, don`t forget to tune into Kristin`s brand-new special, a sizzling fall TV preview this Friday on "E!" Check it out.
HAMMER: Well, after 14 years apart, the teen pop phenomenon known as New Kids on the Block are finally reuniting. The new album is called "The Block." It`s in stores now, and their loyal fans are ecstatic.
But do they still have the right stuff? Well, I sat down with Joey, Donny, Danny, Jonathan and Jordan, all to find out why after nearly a decade and a half the New Kids finally decided to give it another go.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) HAMMER (on camera): As you were getting back together, were you ever concerned that perhaps that you would be perceived - although it`s not what you were doing, but that you might be perceived as a nostalgia act?
DONNIE WAHLBERG, "NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK" MEMBER: Yes. I think we all did. We thought about it but I think, again, that`s why we put the music first. You know, by making it about music, you know, it really - it became much more of a creative thing as opposed to, "Hey, let`s go out and make money, and let`s go out and do this." It was really about, "Let`s make an album. Let`s record." Let`s make songs that we can feel really good about."
We want to sort of write the final chapters of the "New Kids" story and not let, you know, history write it or, you know, some where-are-they- now TV show decide what our legacy is going to be. You know, we want to do it ourselves, and I think we probably - a lot of us had unresolved, you know, creative issues and things we would have liked to try.
And I think, you know, it`s not that we have a lot to prove, but we certainly were aware that there could be skeptics and nay-sayers. And perhaps there are, but we tried to do it with integrity. And I think that that message is out there and people are responding to it with the same integrity and acknowledging it as such. It feels really good to be honest with you.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: A lot of people are really happy to have him back. Tune in Thursday for my full one-on-one interview with New Kids on the Block. You`ve got to hear what they have to say about what really goes on, on the tour bus and what advice they have for the Jonas Brothers.
ANDERSON: Oh, I`m excited. New Kids are back. Well, if there is one thing I know for sure is that everybody is talking about John McCain`s running mate.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: McCain`s running mate?
MOOS: Right.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Obama.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Yikes! OK. Obama isn`t McCain`s running mate. But just a few days ago, most people hadn`t even not heard of Sarah Palin. We have a hilarious look at people trying to learn her name, next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HAMMER: Well, she`s the woman on everyone`s minds and on TVs right now. But the first step in getting to know Sarah Palin was learning how to say her name. Here`s CNN`s Jeanne Moos for SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEANNE MOOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Just a few days ago, she was so new even those of us in the media needed a pronunciation guide.
BILL MAHER, COMEDIAN AND HOST, "REAL TIME WITH BILL MAHER": Governor Sarah Pah-lin. Whatever - I`ll learn it.
MOOS: Even now it takes a second -
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Wait a minute - Palin. What`s her first name? My god, Stephanie Palin, is it?
MOOS (on camera): Sarah Palin.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh, of course.
MOOS (voice over): Her name may not trip off the tongue, but her mini- scandal has tongues wagging.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Well, god, we know her daughter`s pregnant. Oh, lord have mercy.
MOOS: From the cover of the "New York Post" to "Us Weekly," make the VP candidate almost wish she were back telling the news rather than making it.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE ANCHOR: And Sarah Palin`s here with sports.
SARAH PALIN (R), VICE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: The battle for Seattle (UNINTELLIGIBLE) -
MOOS: So does the battle over her candidacy.
(on camera): Do you care about the daughter being pregnant?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Not at all.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: If she can`t manage her children -
MOOS: If this keeps up, she may long for the times she was known as -
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, what`s her name?
MOOS (on camera): Does that ring any bells?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Actually, no, it don`t.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: McCain`s running mate?
MOOS: Right.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Obama.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: Yes. That was CNN`s Jeanne Moos for SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. Brooke, I`ve got to tell you I spent a fair amount of time the other day chasing down the official pronunciation of her name myself, so I get it.
ANDERSON: I know. She was a relative unknown. There was a lot of confusion among us. We were like "Pay-lin?" "Pah-lin?" But we`ve established it is "Pay-lin."
All right, A.J. On Tuesday, we asked our viewers to vote on our SHOWBIZ TONIGHT question of the day. It was this - "The Presidential Race: Has it become more outrageous than a reality TV show?" Seventy-two percent of you say yes.; 28 percent of you say no.
Here are some of the E-mails we received. Aurelia from Arizona writes, "The media makes everybody`s story like reality TV. If you gave us a story and moved on, it would be `news.`"
Sandy from Utah says, "Reality shows are usually made up and embellished. So I don`t think this compares to a reality show at all."
HAMMER: The cliche of the day - "You can`t make this stuff up."
That is it for SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. I`m A.J. Hammer in New York.
ANDERSON: I`m Brooke Anderson in Hollywood. The latest from "CNN HEADLINE NEWS" is next.
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