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Showbiz Tonight
SNL Strikes Again; Angelina Jolie Gets Personal; Should Christie Brinkley and Peter Cook Just Keep Quiet?; Britney Opens Up About Her Meltdown
Aired October 10, 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: Now, on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, "Saturday Night Live" strikes again. The targets - John McCain and Barack Obama. Tonight, "SNL`s" brand-new, dead-on debate. But in this latest laugh war, who came out looking worse?
Plus brand new buzz on whether or not Sarah Palin will go on SNL and SHOWBIZ TONIGHT adds, what should Palin not do when she goes on the show?
Tonight, Angelina Jolie gets personal - I mean, really personal. Angelina opens up about her love for Brad Pitt and what he totally changed her mind about that changed her life. And why Angelina decided to breast feed for a magazine cover.
Plus Christie Brinkley brand-new public fight with her ex after his startling confession interview with Barbara Walters. But shouldn`t just shut up for the sake of their kids? TV`s most provocative entertainment news show starts right now.
(MUSIC)
Hello, I`m A.J. Hammer, broadcasting tonight and every night from New York City.
And tonight, "Saturday Night Live" strikes back. Sarah Palin step aside. "SNL`s" got some Obama and McCain ripping to do. Up until Election Day, "Saturday Night Live" is going live from Thursdays too. And everyone was buzzing today about the brand-new, dead-on and hysterical takeoff on the last debate between Barack Obama and John McCain.
SHOWBIZ TONIGHT can tell you "SNL`s" latest spoof is just reinforcing big time what we have been reporting on, the incredible influence "SNL" could be having on this presidential race, and it`s making news right now.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
FRED ARMISEN, ACTOR (AS SEN. BARACK OBAMA): One thing I absolutely promise -
CHRIS PARNELL (AS TOM BROKAW): Time`s up.
HAMMER (voice over): The election of 2008 is so incredibly ripe for ridicule that "Saturday Night Live" just couldn`t wait for Saturday to poke fun at the candidates and a time obsessed Tom Brokaw.
ARMISEN: When I was a young boy, maybe eight or nine, I was taken aboard an alien spacecraft, and held there for about two weeks. And I`ll never forget something the leader of that alien crew told me.
PARNELL: That`s it, Sen. Obama. Your time is up.
HAMMER: "SNL" spoofed the last McCain-Obama debate in a special Thursday night edition of the show, the first of three primetime specials "SNL" has planned.
DARRELL HAMMOND (AS SEN. JOHN MCCAIN): I`m not the most popular guy in the Republican Party. Just ask Trent Lott. I took his car one time without asking and totaled it. Just drove it into a wall and walked away.
JO PIAZZA, "NEW YORK DAILY NEWS": There`s so much political material out there that it makes sense for "Saturday Night Live" to go primetime.
SEN. JOHN MCCAIN (R-AZ), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: You know who voted for it? You might never know. That one.
HAMMER: The way the real McCain referred to Obama as "that one" in the last debate was something SNL had a field day with.
HAMMOND: We`re going to have to put aside partisanship, something my opponent, this character here, junior over here. Pee pants over here.
HAMMER: Obama wasn`t spared either as "SNL" made fun of his recent controversy.
ARMISEN: My best friend and my mentor is former Weather Underground leader and unrepentant terrorist William Ayers. Now, I`m telling you this because I`m so far ahead in the polls right now, it`s not going to matter.
HAMMER: SHOWBIZ TONIGHT can tell you that moments like that are a reason why "SNL" is on a big-time roll this election year. Ratings are up 50 percent so far this year. And Jo Piazza of the "New York Daily News" tells SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, "Saturday Night Live" is only adding fire to the knockdown, drag-out presidential elections.
PIAZZA: I think that people are getting involved in politics and they`re watching the debates more so they can get the jokes and then they can talk about it the next day.
HAMMER: But SHOWBIZ TONIGHT can also tell you, with "SNL`s" skewering of McCain and Obama and Tina Fey`s spot-on impression of Sarah Palin -
TINA FEY (AS GOV. SARAH PALIN): Are we not doing the talent portion?
HAMMER: The big question this political season has become when is Palin going to get the chance to say -
PARNELL: Live from New York, it`s Saturday night.
HYLA, CO-HOST, "E! RADIO": Why Sarah Palin is not doing "SNL," I completely don`t understand. Why wouldn`t you want an audience of 10 million people? Why wouldn`t she want to laugh at herself and have fun with herself?
HAMMER: "New York Post" columnist Cindy Adams is reporting that Palin has already been lined up to appear on the show on October 25th.
AMY POEHLER, ACTRESS: Are you serious?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Seriously, are you serious!
POEHLER: Oh, my god.
HAMMER: But a "Saturday Night Live" rep denies that, telling SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, quote, "The story is unconfirmed and untrue. That said, we continue to have an open door to the candidates."
In fact SNL has spent almost as much time knocking down rumors of a future Palin appearance as it has spent making fun of her.
PIAZZA: Since Barack and McCain have been both on the show, it`s obviously a glaring missing piece that Sarah Palin has not done the show. I don`t think it can do anything but help her if she shows on "Saturday Night Live." And I think it will make people really like her more.
ARMISEN: How do we, as a people, come together? So let me tell you -
HAMMER: But if SNL sometimes has trouble bringing in the real, live candidates, viewers are happy to watch the show rip apart the fake candidates just for fun.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
And I can tell you there is a great debate still going on about who came off looking worse Thursday night in the "Saturday Night Live" debate. Well, we`ve got a fired-up panel ready to rip into that. That`s coming up at the bottom of the hour.
Well, there are brand new explosive developments in the bitter Christie Brinkley Peter Cook divorce war. Tonight, we watched as Cook told Barbara Walters on "20/20" why he cheated on Brinkley with an 18-year-old, which sparked another war between the two.
A judge denied Brinkley`s last minute request for a restraining order barring Cook from his scheduled visit with the kids over the weekend. Brinkley wanted to shield the children from seeing Cook`s explosive "20/20" interview where he explains his affair with a teen and his use of port. It`s a circus, I tell you, a circus.
Joining me tonight in New York, Janelle Snowden. She`s a VH1 host. And tonight in Hollywood - there he is -Steve Santagati, author of "The Manual."
So Christie Brinkley is livid, not only because her ex, Peter Cook, spilled his guts about the darkest parts of their marriage, guys, but also because he has the kids this week. And now, Christie didn`t want them to see this interview on TV. Steve, what do you think? Did Christie Brinkley overreact here?
STEVE SANTAGATI, AUTHOR, "THE MANUAL": Yes. She`s hypocritical, A.J. She`s the one that made the whole divorce public in the first place and I think that neither one of them are being the mature one. They have to act at least older than their children.
And especially because the material deals with salacious and sordid information - we`re talking pornography. We`re talking, you know, infidelity - that is something that you really should shield children from because it`s going to make a dramatic impression on them. So neither one of them. But she should definitely not start saying stuff when she herself started making it public. That`s her fault.
HAMMER: Yes. What do you think, Janelle? Because of course, in their divorce trial, she wanted all their dirty laundry to be public. Do you think there`s plenty of blame to go around here, and as Steve said, she`s being hypocritical?
JANELLE SNOWDEN, VH1 HOST: I don`t know if she`s being hypocritical. But I actually do agree with Steve that they need to kind of grow up and act older than their kids. He`s right. I mean, I think she could have brought that up, you know, in the divorce, because she was trying to make sure that she got the kids. She thought that she would be the best one to take care of them.
And maybe given his past behavior, she wasn`t to blame for that. Now, do I think it was the absolute correct move? No, but when you`re desperate, desperate times call for desperate measures and she wanted her kids.
HAMMER: You`ve still got to wonder what was behind why he really did this interview. I mean, he said he wanted to sort of heal the wounds of what had happened between the two of them. During the "20/20" interview that Barbara Walters first showed on "The View." Peter Cook told Barbara why he cheated on Christie Brinkley with a teenager. Now, that has caused a lot of outrage ever since. You`ve got to watch this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARBARA WALTERS, CO-ANCHOR, "20/20": What did you want?
PETER COOK, CHRISTIE BRINKLEY`S EX-HUSBAND: I wanted a little acknowledgement, a little attention, a little thank you every now and then for my efforts, for the amount of time I took to care for her and my family.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: All right. A lot of people who saw that are saying, "You know what? This guy is just a jerk, blaming Christie for their failed marriage, essentially." Steve, do you think there are a lot of married men out there, though, who feel the same way as Peter Cook?
SANTAGATI: I think that Peter is using an excuse. I mean, that does happen. There are women that don`t appreciate what their husbands do for them. But in this particular case, I think that Peter doesn`t even realize that he`s got a porn addiction, which, if you look at - that goes out with an 18-year-old, right, that makes complete sense.
You don`t have to take it from me, and you don`t have to be a psychiatrist to know what a porn addiction means. He`s going to be basically - why would he go out with an 18-year-old? That`s a little strange, right.
So when you look at him, it`s like - OK, yes, maybe he needed a connection. But I guarantee, it wasn`t an emotional connection. He had messed up his mind so bad allegedly on this porn addiction that he had to go to an 18-year-old. And he should have done the right thing which is like, If you`re spending any money at all on this stuff, you`re going down the wrong path, OK? So he needed to stop and think. And it`s not an excuse. You got married, tough. Stick with it or get divorced, and then have a relationship.
SNOWDEN: Wow. Steve, I have to clap.
HAMMER: Steve, I`ve got to say, for regular viewers of this program - Steve, to a lot of them, you may have just redeemed yourself as a human being. I`m just saying -
SANTAGATI: I`m reading a new book.
HAMMER: Oh, good.
SNOWDEN: I love it, keep reading it.
HAMMER: Do a little self-healing. Barbara Walters says Cook is a very caring father. That`s what she got from him. Cook allowed his 10 and 13- year-old kids to be briefly seen in this "20/20" piece.
Well, on "The View," Joy Behar wanted to give her two cents about that. Watch what she said.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOY BEHAR, CO-HOST, "THE VIEW": I don`t want to be judgmental against the guy, because lord knows, you know, I have had my low points, although I have never been on the Internet with him, but - although I do have a laptop.
WHOOPI GOLDBERG, CO-HOST, "THE VIEW": A laptop?
BEHAR: You bet. But what I want to say was if I were really concerned about my children as I am about my daughter - you don`t see pictures of my daughter if she doesn`t want them or if it would harm her in any way. Why is he putting his kids out there?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: Yes, Janelle, 20 seconds for you to respond to this. But what do you think? Do you agree with Joy? I mean, he`s got custody of the kids. Does he have a right to put them there on this TV show?
SNOWDEN: Haven`t the kids suffered enough? I mean, for god`s sake, to say you want appreciation and to everything else that he did in this interview, it was like he was asking to be crucified.
And you know, the kids are at an age where they are not immune to what`s going on. They`re 10 and 13, not far from the age of the girl that he started sleeping with, who was 18 at the time.
(CROSS TALK)
I mean, seriously, like, they`ve suffered enough. Leave them out of this, and just grow up, everyone.
HAMMER: Yes, everybody, just be quiet. Got to end it there. Steve Santagati and Jane Snowden, thank you both for being here tonight.
Moving on, Angelina Jolie is getting personal - I mean really personal. Angelina opens up about her love for Brad Pitt and what he totally changed her mind about that changed her life. This is astonishing. Plus, why Angelina decided to pose for a magazine cover while breast feeding. You`ll want to hear that, next.
Also Britney Spears speaks out about her long and winding meltdown, from head-shaving, to rehab, to those trips to the psych ward. Well, Britney has finally decided to tell all. This is from her mouth. And wait until you hear what she`s saying. You`ve got to stick around for that, coming up.
Also this -
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Please help me today in welcoming the next vice president of the United States, John McCain.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: Yes, it`s a beautiful introduction, right? One problem? That`s not John McCain. This poor guy introduced Joe Biden by the wrong name. Huge gaffe. Wait until you hear what happened to him since then. That`s coming up on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
Now, remember, you can watch SHOWBIZ TONIGHT video any time. We`re always putting new stuff for you to see all the time on our Web site, which is CNN.com/ShowbizTonight. And among the videos now playing, "Why Did He Cheat on Her?" The fallout from the confession of Christie Brinkley`s ex- husband.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HAMMER: Welcome back to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. I`m A.J. Hammer in New York.
Tonight, Angelina Jolie gets personal. I mean, really personal. The mom of six appears to be breastfeeding one of her newborn twins in the cover photo for the brand-new issue of "W" magazine. Now, the cover shot was leaked and now it`s all over the Internet.
And inside the pages of the fashion magazine, she reveals how Brad Pitt convinced her to do something she had vowed never to do.
Joining me tonight from Hollywood is Russell Wetanson. He`s a pop culture and legal expert who runs the blog at "PopSquire.com." Also in Hollywood tonight is Kim Serafin. She is the senior editor for "In Touch Weekly."
So in this "W" magazine interview, Angelina is revealing that she only ever intended to adopt children and not to give birth. That is until she met Brad Pitt. He totally changed her life, totally convinced her to change her mind.
I want to read this great quote, "I suppose I just looked at him and loved him and just felt open to getting pregnant. I suddenly wanted to. It`s one of those things you can`t explain."
So Russell, tell me if I`m reading this right. From your perspective, is Jolie basically saying that Brad Pitt seems to have been able to change her life so radically with, you know, just a look?
RUSSELL WETANSON, POP CULTURE AND LEGAL EXPERT: Well, A.J., this is a big news flash - a woman looks at Brad Pitt and wants to get pregnant. Come on, this is not the first woman to look at Brad Pitt and think, "I want to have babies."
The truth is that both of them have changed each other`s lives in a lot of ways. Before Angelina Jolie, we don`t really see Brad Pitt on the humanitarian missions that we see him on now. And before Brad Pitt, Angelina was a blood-wearing, sort of crazy woman. The two of them came together and we see this formation of Brangelina.
HAMMER: And they change each other`s lives, and I would to say, I think, for the better all the way around. Another great quote came out of this article where Angelina reveals that Brad made her feel sexier than ever when she was pregnant.
Another great quote, listen, "I`m with a man who`s evolved enough to look at my body and see it as more beautiful because of the journey it has taken and what it has created. He genuinely sees it that way so I genuinely feel sexier."
I`ve got to tell you, I`m not sure if it`s possible for Angelina to be any sexier. But Kim, I`m sure this is a statement so many women can relate to or hope that their husbands or partners feel that way about them.
KIM SERAFIN, SENIOR EDITOR, "IN TOUCH WEEKLY": Oh, sure. I mean, everyone would love to hear - oh, my husband or boyfriend loves me just the way I am with all my imperfections.
And I think when Angelina says when she talks about the journey the body has taken, you really believe it, like it would sound a lot different if it was coming from Pamela Anderson or, you know, Paris Hilton or Heidi Montag. Like, in the context of Angelina saying it, and not to slight any of those women, but it just sounds like you know what she`s been through and you know she`s so heart felt about the causes she supports. And just coming from someone else, it might seem like, "Oh, I`m just saying it for publicity because my publicist told me to say it. But with her, you really, truly believe it because you do believe there are a lot of (UNINTELLIGIBLE).
HAMMER: No, I truly - and I kind of wanted to go give her a hug when I heard that. And speaking of the publicity angle, this is something that has come up as perhaps a bit controversial because the "W" magazine showing Angelina apparently breastfeeding. While not on the newsstand yet, it`s getting a lot of attention.
You know, you have one of the sexiest women in the world who has chosen to share what really a very personal, a very private moment with the rest of the world. Russell, do you think this was necessarily a good move for her to do?
WETANSON: I`m not sure Angelina can make a bad move these days. The truth is, Angelina is kind of the new Madonna. She has reinvented herself so many times over the last decade of her career that we don`t know what to expect next from her but it`s going to be something that makes us think and makes us talk.
And with this picture, she`s making people think, is it OK for a woman to be on the cover of a magazine looking like she`s breastfeeding. And perhaps she wants people to think, "You know what? Yes, it is OK. It`s natural. This is what women do. And this is what I`m doing. Take a look."
HAMMER: And I have to say, there are a lot of people who have suggested maybe it`s just a big publicity stunt with the movie "Changeling" coming up. I`ve got to say, I don`t think so. I`m a big fan of hers, and both of them for that matter. Russell Wetanson, Kim Serafin, I do appreciate you being here.
Now, I cannot believe this, but we`re still actually getting a ton of calls, a lot of messages on "Showbiz On Call" phone lines about Paris Hilton`s campaign spoof. This is where she announces she`s running for fake president. You know, she actually might get some votes, at least one from James in Washington, D.C. Let`s listen.
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
JAMES, CALLER FROM WASHINGTON, D.C.: OK, Paris Hilton is running for president. Seriously, how bad can it be that she`s running? Hey, if she`s actually on the ticket, I`d probably vote for her myself. Look at her. It can`t get no worse.
(END AUDIO CLIP)
HAMMER: Well, we can always do it right and vote. We also got a great call from Barbara in Maryland. Barbara says that Paris is better than one of the other choices on the ballot.
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
BARBARA, CALLER FROM MARYLAND: If I had a choice between Sarah Palin and John McCain and Britney Spears and Paris Hilton for president and Britney Spears, vice president before I would John McCain and Sarah Palin.
(END AUDIO CLIP)
HAMMER: Yes. And what a wonderful world it would be. Call us at "Showbiz On Call." Let us know what you think about this or really anything else that might be on your mind because the "Showbiz On Call" phone lines, open, waiting for you all the time at 1-888-SBT-BUZZ; 1-888-728-2899. You call, leave a voicemail. We play your calls right here on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
And your calls to "Showbiz On Call" now online. They`re right on our homepage, CNN.com/ShowbizTonight.
Coming up, Britney Spears` confessions about her year-long meltdown from the head shaving to the rehab to the trips to the psych ward. Britney has finally decided to tell all. And wait until you hear what she`s saying about that unbelievable year. You have to stick around for this. It`s coming up.
Plus, "SNL" strikes again. So I want to know, who came out looking worse in their fake debate, McCain or Obama?
And will Sarah Palin be appearing on "Saturday Night Live." I`ve got some brand-new information on that and what she should do if she does go on "SNL." That is still to come.
And Lindsay Lohan, fighting hard to prevent a possible videotape of her showing up on the Internet. That story is coming up next on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HAMMER: Welcome back to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. I`m A.J. Hammer with some more stories that are making news right now.
Lindsay Lohan doesn`t want to be on camera, at least not while she`s giving a deposition in her friend Samantha Ronson`s upcoming case. Ronson is suing her former lawyers over a previous lawsuit. Lindsay is asking the judge to ban filming of her deposition and keep it out of the public record.
Christina Applegate says that after her breast cancer surgery, she didn`t tell anyone at work for a while. Applegate is cancer-free after undergoing a double mastectomy. And she told Ellen DeGeneres that she kept it a secret from her co-stars on her show, "Samantha Who" for more than a month.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CHRISTINA APPLEGATE, ACTRESS: I went back to work for about five weeks right after the second surgery. And -
ELLEN DEGENERES, HOST, "THE ELLEN DEGENERES SHOW": Did people at work know?
APPLEGATE: No, I didn`t tell anyone. I told my makeup and hair people and people that are really close to me, so that I just sort of had a protection wall.
DEGENERES: Right.
APPLEGATE: You know, so no one was like pushing me or - because they do that a lot - just shove me, randomly for no reason.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: Last month, Applegate participated in the Stand Up to Cancer telethon along with Ellen and other celebrities.
Well, coming up, Britney Spears` confession about her year-long meltdown, from her head-shaving to the rehab to all those trips to the psych ward. Britney has finally decided to tell all. You have got to stick around for this. It is coming up.
Plus, "SNL" strikes again. So who came out looking worse in their fake debate, McCain or Obama? And will Sarah Palin go on the show? And if so, how should she approach it? That`s still to come.
We will also have this -
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Please help me today in welcoming the next vice president of the United States, John McCain.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: Yes. But that`s not McCain he`s introducing. So the poor guy introduced Joe Biden by the wrong name. Wait until you hear what has happened to him since then. That`s coming up on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
Plus, keep in mind you can always stay on top of the most provocative entertainment news by being a subscriber to the daily SHOWBIZ TONIGHT newsletter. Just head over to CNN.com/ShowbizTonight, click on the "sign up for the newsletter" link - it`s right at bottom of the page. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT is coming straight back.
(NEWS BREAK)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HAMMER: Now, on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, "Saturday Night Live" strikes again. "SNL`s" brand-new, dead-on debate. But in this latest laugh war, who came out looking worse, McCain or Obama?
Plus, brand-new buzz about whether Sarah Palin will go on "SNL."
Britney Spears tells all. Britney is finally speaking out about her major meltdown - the head-shaving, the trips to rehab and the psych ward. What Britney is saying now about her very public troubles. TV`s most provocative entertainment news show 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 right here in New York City.
Tonight the great debate over the "Saturday Night Live" debate. The brand-new, over-the-top debate on "SNL" spoofing Barack Obama and John McCain is making news right now. So who won this hilarious, brand-new fake debate Thursday night on "SNL"? Was it Obama? Was it McCain? I`ll tell you what, we are not holding back as we debate that right here.
Tonight, a brand-new report. Sarah Palin is going to do "SNL." But big question tonight, though. If Sarah Palin does do the show, what should she not do on the show?
And we`re taking your calls as always. Our "Showbiz On Call" phone lines have been ringing nonstop. Extra operators have been standing by, everybody talking about Sarah Palin going on "SNL." We`re going to be playing you`re calls right here, right now.
And joining me right here, right now, in New York, Janelle Snowden, "VH1 News" host. Also in New York tonight, Ashleigh Banfield who is an anchor of "Banfield and Ford" on "In Session." And from Washington, Jack Burkman who`s a conservative political pundit. I appreciate you all being here.
Now, on Thursday night, the "SNL" debate was one of the three specials that "SNL" is doing, Thursday night specials, leading up to the election. It was Darrell Hammond doing a fine job as John McCain. Let`s watch.
HAMMOND: I would continue to do what I have done for 25 years, which is reach across party lines, something that pee pants over here would never even consider. Because you see Zebediah(ph), I don`t mind upsetting members of my own party. Elizabeth Dole will tell you, I once got a hold of one of her checkbooks and kited checks all over Washington.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: All right. Ashleigh Banfield, let`s begin with you. Now, of course, in the real debate, John McCain did not refer to Obama as pee pants. At least I didn`t hear that particular reference. But still, a very convincing John McCain. Did it make the real John McCain look good or bad? Does it matter?
ASHLEIGH BANFIELD, CO-ANCHOR, "BANFIELD AND FORD": Yes. Well, it does matter and I did think it made him look bad. It`s probably because Darrell Hammond is so good at his job of portraying these characters that he does.
But when you portray a man who`s running for president as somebody who is aged and aimless and forgetful and wandering, it`s not a good thing because it`s about the person as opposed to the policies.
HAMMER: Jack Burkman, let me got to you because you are a conservative political pundit as I said, so I`m guessing McCain`s your guy. What do you think?
JACK BURKMAN, CONSERVATIVE POLITICAL PUNDIT: Yes, McCain`s my guy. First of all, it might be the funniest thing "Saturday Night Live" ever did. And they`ve got some stuff. I mean, hitting Brokaw`s voice almost at the exact decibel level.
But I`ll tell you, I think that, you know, conservatives blast them for always being too hard on conservatives. I think they were much harsher on Obama, talking about - bringing up the terrorist issue and Ayers. That`s probably the first time that the great mass of people who don`t watch cable news ever saw that.
The McCain stuff was small, A.J. You know, it was just little stuff. It was the pee pants and making fun of him as an older guy. But the Obama stuff, they were reinforcing some of the really negative stereotypes about Obama, that he`s too professorial, that he - you know, holding the chin and all of that. (UNINTELLIGIBLE) out of it.
(CROSS TALK)
HAMMER: Yes, I agree with you, but I think that they were spreading the negative associations with these people all around. I think they did a pretty good job.
But let`s talk about what they did with Barack Obama. It was Fred Armisen playing Barack on "SNL." And yes, as you mentioned, Jack, goofing on the McCain campaign, playing up Barack Obama`s former association with the one-time Weather Underground leader William Ayers.
BURKMAN: Yes.
HAMMER: Let`s watch that one.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ARMISEN: ... sharing not only that friendship, but our plans for this country`s future. And that man, my best friend and my mentor is former Weather Underground leader and unrepentant terrorist, William Ayers.
Now, I`m telling you this because I`m so far ahead in the polls right now, it`s not going to matter.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: Yes, I mean, the McCain campaign is trying to get that ball rolling and I don`t think it has gotten rolling to the extent they wanted to. Janelle, the fate of this debate now rests on your shoulders, who won it for you?
SNOWDEN: Honestly? I`m going to have to say what I think - Tom Brokaw won the debate, because neither candidate had enough time to really express his ideas. I mean, McCain, I think obviously got a little bit more time. There was an obvious bias there. But every time Obama tried to say something, whether it was professorial or not, he got cut off. So I think Tom Brokaw did dead-on job and I think he was the master of that time clock. That`s who I`m going to say won.
HAMMER: Well, Janelle, we will accept your winner as being Tom Brokaw.
Ashleigh, what do you think? Did pee pants beat the pants off McCain? Or are you a Brokaw fan, too?
BANFIELD: Do I have to say that TV - pee pants?
HAMMER: You just did.
BANFIELD: I think it was Chris Parnell who did Brokaw, and I have not seen a better one. Even David Gregory can`t do it that well. I have to say I honestly do think that if we`re going to actually say that there`s an effect on the voters, I do think that there was a negative affect on McCain on this one. And not in a partisan way here, I`m saying just as a viewer.
Because while you`re making fun of the Ayers situation, it`s kind of like a silly fun of it. But when you`re making fun of someone`s capacities, I think that`s really serious when you`re talking about a president who`s got a vice presidential candidate, who`s so close to becoming president, people feel is not prepared.
BURKMAN: Keep in mind for a lot of people this is the only place they get their political news, the entertainment shows. They don`t see the cable news shows. A lot of people didn`t know anything about Ayers. Just introducing that, just by mentioning that, you may have made 50 million people who don`t watch cable news think. And I think that`s really the important part of it.
HAMMER: Well, to that end, and I want to get your take on this, at least looking back historically at "Saturday Night Live," you know, people have been saying, now, "Saturday Night Live" is doing its best work because they`re covering the election.
So, we went back into the archives to see how they handled it in the past. We got a great a moment from 2004 when John Kerry, of course, was running against George Bush. Let`s take a look at that.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SETH MEYERS, ACTOR (AS SEN. JOHN KERRY): My opponent would like you to believe that I have changed my opinion on the war. The fact is I have one position and one position only. Was Saddam a threat? Yes. I have said so since day one. Was his regime a threat to the security of the United States? Of course not.
UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR:: When you say crush the terrorists, how exactly do you plan to do that?
WILL FORTE, ACTOR (AS GEORGE W. BUSH): By working hard.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: All right. So Jack, you know, when I look at that, I`m thinking it was much more comedy back then for comedy`s sake. So you`re saying you think now these impersonations perhaps are having a greater impact than back then?
BURKMAN: Well, I think the entertainment world is waking up to the power it has. It`s always known it. But like Letterman this year, "SNL" - they have always known they`re powerful. Now they know they`re really powerful.
But the reality is, A.J., I`ve got to like George Bush. Let`s face it, I`m a Republican. He`s just playing easy to make fun of. They have had easy fodder for eight years. My goodness, it`s like having Richard Nixon or something. So now, they have to be - you know, these caricatures, they have to work a little harder to do guys like McCain and Obama.
HAMMER: Not so much -
BANFIELD: They don`t have to work very hard to do Palin.
HAMMER: Not so much with Sarah Palin. Yes, you took the words out of my mouth there, Ashleigh.
Let`s talk about Sarah Palin, because obviously she`s been a huge target for "SNL." The Tina Fey impersonations had been relentless. And now "New York Post" gossip columnist Cindy Adams reporting that Palin will indeed do the show, "SNL" on Saturday, October 25th. "SNL" is denying that at this point.
What do you think, Ashleigh? If she does go on, what should she not do?
BANFIELD: Well, I think she should just be fun and not try to speak to some of the gaffes that she has perpetrated in some interviews with Katie Couric, et cetera. Because I don`t think she wants people to be reminded of that.
She`s suffering from a credibility issue. And usually going in and, you know, poking around with satire doesn`t help that. But the reality is, every time she`s on "SNL" she drops in favorability and among independent voters which is pretty crucial.
HAMMER: Well, it`s going to be pretty interesting to see if that does come to fruition she does appear on the show. And I can tell you, people calling "Showbiz On Call`s" phone lines. They have their own ideas about what Palin should do.
I have one call that I`d like to play you. It`s Jill from Texas. Charles, roll that please.
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
JILL, CALLER FROM TEXAS: I think it would be a great idea. I think it would be in very good taste because I just think she should probably go on and address this Tina Fey. I think it would really be a great idea. It would really, again, show very good taste and that she has a sense of humor.
(END AUDIO CLIP)
HAMMER: I think it would confuse a lot of people if Sarah Palin went on as Tina Fey, particularly if she goes on as Tina Fey impersonating Sarah Palin.
Janelle, do you agree with Jill, she should go on and have a sense of humor about the whole thing?
SNOWDEN: I completely disagree. I think the last thing that she needs to do right now is show us that she`s funny. We don`t really know this woman. She just came on to the scene and I think, as Ashleigh said, she does definitely have a credibility issue.
So at a time when we`re so close to going to the polls, when we need to know about the issues, people are losing their jobs. People are losing their houses. We need to know, where does she stand? We don`t know that she has a sense of humor.
BURKMAN: No, no, no.
SNOWDEN: We have been able to see that like in some of the gaffes she`s taken at Obama within the past couple of weeks. We`re not seeing that in a partisan way. I`m just saying that we need to know where she stands.
(CROSS TALK)
HAMMER: Jack, I know you want to get in there, but I`ve got to wrap it up right there. Thank you very much for being here with us, Jack Burkman, Ashleigh Banfield, Janelle Snowden.
Well, moving on now, it has been really great to see Britney Spears getting her life back together literally piece by piece. Like so many others during her meltdown, I`ve got to tell you, I couldn`t help but wondering what she was thinking when all that was going on.
Well, now, Britney is saying the same exact thing which is kind of refreshing. Coming up next, Britney`s amazing on camera candid confession about her year-long meltdown and why Britney literally says, "What the hell was I thinking?" You`ve got to hear what she`s saying now, coming up next.
Also, on deck tonight, this -
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Please help me today on welcoming the next vice president of the United States, John McCain.
HAMMER: Come on. You`ve got to feel a little sorry for this guy. He gets the big chance to introduce Joe Biden and he calls him John McCain. Well, wait until you hear what happened to him since. That`s coming up.
And who doesn`t love the lovely Olivia Newton John. I mean, have you never been mellow? You`re going to love her even more when you hear what she told me about how she`s trying to save the lives of women everywhere. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT is coming straight back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BRITNEY SPEARS, POP STAR: I have been through a lot in the past two or three years, and there`s a lot that people don`t know.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: Tonight, Britney Spears setting the record straight. In a new MTV documentary, Britney tells all about her painful ordeal, both personal and professional.
Welcome back to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. I`m A.J. Hammer in New York. Tonight, Britney Spears candid confessions. I`m talking so candid that I`ll be candid about how candid I think they really are. It was really candid.
There, of course, was the head-shaving, the rehab, trips to the psych ward. And it goes without saying, Britney has just been through a whole heck of a lot. Well, now, she`s talking about her radical behavior in an MTV documentary.
With me tonight in Hollywood, Russell Wetanson, who`s a pop culture expert from the Web site, "PopSquire.com." And in Hollywood tonight, Kim Serafin, who`s the senior editor at "In Touch Weekly."
And guys, you`ve got to admit this is pretty remarkable. You`ve got to see what Britney is saying now. Amazing. Roll that, Charles.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SPEARS: I sit there and I look back and I`m like, "I`m a smart person, like what the hell was I thinking?"
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: Yes, "What the hell was I thinking?" Amazing. Just what we have all been wondering about for a long time now, Britney.
Kim, what do you think? Do we need any further proof that Britney finally realizes how messed up she really was in all this time?
SERAFIN: Oh, yes. I mean, I think you`ve seen the transformation. You saw her at the VMAs. She seems like a totally different person. It`s sort of like - what we saw, like, this person we know is Britney and then who is this other person?
And we`ve all had those reactions in our own lives. You know, for me, it`s when I look at my junior high pictures, you know, I say, "What was I thinking?" But we all have those times in our lives when we look back and say, "Who is that person?" Like I don`t even recognize that person. And I think for her, that`s what this is. And you`re starting to see that she`s realizing that. And she`s back to the Britney that we all know and love.
HAMMER: Yes. I mean, how amazing. How cathartic for her it must have been. You know, it`s kind of that admission that you had a problem or you have a problem. In the MTV documentary, Britney also reveals that despite all the fans, despite all of the attention constantly adorned on her, all the cash money, she can be a very lonely person. Let`s watch that.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SPEARS: Sometimes it can get kind of lonely because you don`t open the gate up that much. You know what I mean. You are guarded. You have to be that way. So I`m kind of stuck in this place. And it`s like, how do you deal? You just cope. And that`s what I do. I just cope with it every day.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: It shouldn`t go unnoticed. You really can still see some of that pain on her face. Now, Britney says she keeps herself guarded and by doing this documentary, obviously, she`s really letting fans and the whole world in. Russell, what do you really think at its base she`s trying to accomplish here?
WETANSON: You know, at its base, what Britney is trying to accomplish is to show us that her life is no longer toxic, that she`s not living in a circus, and that she`s finally over that womanizer. Really, what she`s doing is she`s giving a thank you to all of her fans, because we have been watching her and her fans have been watching her over the last few years stumble and stumble.
And finally, she`s saying, "Listen, I`ve got it all together. And watch - focus on my work now, focus on my music, focus on my videos. And here`s one last story I`m going to tell you and let`s move on."
HAMMER: Well, this documentary is being shown just two days before Britney releases her brand new album on December 2nd. You know, obviously, there`s a publicity incentive putting out the video at that time.
But Kim, you know, going back to what I was saying, I would have to think that finally getting all this off of her chest, not only to set the record straight, but really, just for her own sake, it has to be, as I said, cathartic or therapeutic for her.
SERAFIN: Yes, I think that in some sense, it is probably is therapeutic. She wants to say, "Look, I know I`m a smart person. I realize what you all were realizing back then, so I know about it."
But I do think there is a PR element obviously to it considering the timing and considering that when you start talking about this, it does open the door up again so people are going to be reminded of those incidents in your life.
So there`s - I would say probably more of a PR element to it. But she does sound pretty sincere.
HAMMER: Russell, let me just ask quickly on that note, and I have 10 seconds for you. Do you think in any way this could be a mistake, putting it all out on the line like she`s doing here?
WETANSON: It`s already been out there. It`s been out there for a while, mainly not by her choice. So she might as well take some control and give us her side of the story.
HAMMER: Yes, I agree with you and I give her a lot of credit for doing this. Kim Serafin, and Russell Wetanson, thanks for being here, guys.
Well, Britney Spears is not the only one regretting doing something in a very public and embarrassing way. One poor guy blew it big time when he introduced Joe Biden at a campaign rally. Even worse, of course, it was caught on camera. Here`s CNN`s Jeanne Moos for SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEANNE MOOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Sure, they are two white guys of a certain age. But are John McCain and Joe Biden so hard to tell apart? Ask Jim Piccillo(ph). It was his job it was to introduce VP pick Biden. This is how Jim ended up as fodder for Jay Leno.
JAY LENO, COMEDIAN: Ladies and gentlemen, Joe Biden. I mean, he practiced it, what, 100 times, 1,000 times just so he`d get it right?
JIM PICCILLO (ph), INTRODUCED JOE BIDEN MISTAKENLY AS JOHN MCCAIN: Help me today in welcoming the next vice president of the United States, John McCain.
MOOS: But the funny part is that Jim didn`t know he blew it, a fact that came out a few hours later during an interview on Tampa Bay`s "Travis and Jenny Radio Show."
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Did you even realize you did it?
PICCILLO: No, I had no idea. It was on ABC News?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It was on ABCNews.com.
PICCILLO: Oh, my god.
MOOS: Jim is a Republican supporting the Democratic ticket. He first heard his own gaffe on the radio driving home.
PICCILLO: We heard it from you, guys. We thought that it was completely made up and that somebody had maybe spliced this together. So we`re sitting there at the stop sign, like, screaming basically.
MOOS: Next thing you know, it`s all over the Internet.
PICCILLO: The next vice president of the United States, John McCain.
MOOS: Joe Biden, by the way, came out and shook Jim`s hand.
SEN. JOE BIDEN (D-DE), VICE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Let me thank Jim for that nice introduction.
MOOS: Jim says that Sen. Biden couldn`t have heard the blooper, that it was impossible to decipher when it as being backstage. This was actually the second flub in Jim`s speech.
PICCILLO: All that will change under Barack O`Biden and - Sen. Joe - Barack Obama and Sen. Joe Biden`s administration.
MOOS: Don`t worry about it, Jim. You`re not the only one adding an extra O.
GOV. SARAH PALIN (R-AK), VICE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Barack Obama and Sen. O`Biden you said no to everything.
MOOS: Not that we in the media ever blow a name. Don`t worry about it, Joe. Joe - isn`t that Jim? Did I call him Joe the first two?
Jim doesn`t have to worry about Sen. Biden getting mad. After all, look at how Biden introduced Barack Obama.
BIDEN: A man who will be the next president of the United States, Barack America.
MOOS: Only politicians could admit their mistakes the way Jim confessed to his calling it a -
PICCILLO: Complete and utter, American moronic, brain fart moment.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HAMMER: Hey, I`ve got to do it at least once on this program every day. Well, can you imagine? That was CNN`s Jeanne Moos for SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
Well, I have got to hand it to Olivia Newton John. I mean, think about it she has overcome so many incredible problems in her life including the threat of losing her life.
Well, coming up next, you have to believe it is magic. You`ve got to hear what Olivia Newton John revealed to me about how she is now on a mission to help women everywhere save their own lives. This is really something you want to stick around for. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT coming right back.
Now, make sure you check out the free SHOWBIZ TONIGHT podcast. We`re updating them all the time right there on our Web site. Just surf on over to CNN.com/ShowbizTonight. If you use iTunes - well, you can get our SHOWBIZ TONIGHT podcast on iTunes as well. Just 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 great Olivia Newton John is speaking out about her battle with breast cancer and how she is helping other people.
Olivia was diagnosed 16 years ago and now, she`s teamed up with Curves to develop a kit called Live Aid. It helps women do self exams and that`s something she credits with saving her own life since she was able to catch her cancer early. I asked Olivia how getting and beating breast cancer affects her now.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
OLIVIA NEWTON JOHN, SINGER: I`m just very grateful every day that I am here. And I just love my life and I`m so happy to be here. So I am really thrilled that now I can give back in some way and try and help other women who are going through the experience because it is a very difficult thing to go through alone. And if you know someone that has been there and they got through it, it`s kind of helpful.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: And the kit is terrific. You can get a free Live Aid kit at any Curves Fitness Center. Just walk on in. Olivia Newton John also has a cancer and wellness center in Australia.
And Olivia has some big news she is very excited about. She`s a newlywed. She got married in June. Couldn`t be happier about it. She and her husband travel a lot. So I had to ask her how they make their marriage work with such busy schedules.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
NEWTON JOHN: I think that - I don`t know. He is just a very special person. We don`t want to be apart which is really an amazing experience. So we make it work. And it seems like it`s been flowing perfectly since we were together which is, you know a year and three months.
So we`ve just been like this, like a school of fish, going everywhere together, apart for a few weeks here and there, a few days here and there. But basically, we`re always together.
HAMMER (on camera): So even with all the challenges and demands on your life ...
NEWTON-JOHN: Yes.
HAMMER: You, guys, have figured it out.
NEWTON-JOHN: Yes, it`s easier with him. It doesn`t seem so challenging when he`s there.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: Well, believe it or not, Olivia Newton-John is 60 years old. Unbelievable. She looks fantastic. She says it`s the happiest she has ever been. And yes, it shows.
Well, Thursday, we showed you the new political videos from Paris Hilton and P. Diddy. We asked you to vote on our SHOWBIZ TONIGHT question of the day which was - "Star Political Videos: Do they turn you off?"
And apparently they do; 76 percent of you said yes, 24 percent no.
Some of the E-mails included one from Leslie in Utah. Leslie writes, "The only worthwhile one I have seen is Leo DiCaprio and other stars asking people to vote."
Yes, that`s actually true, a terrific one. We also got an E-mail from Kim in Ohio who writes, "This is a free country and we all have the right to freedom of speech. If a celebrity aggravates you that much, turn them off."
Thank you, as always, for your E-mails. We appreciate it.
And thank you for watching SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. That is it for SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. I`m A.J. Hammer in New York.
Please remember, you can always catch SHOWBIZ TONIGHT on the 11:00s - 11:00 p.m. Eastern and Pacific. We`re also on in the morning at 11:00 a.m. Eastern. The latest from "CNN HEADLINE NEWS" is coming up next.
END
