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Showbiz Tonight
Octo-Family Feud; Brangelina Under Fire; John Ziegler`s "Media Malpractice"
Aired February 24, 2009 - 23:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BROOKE ANDERSON, HOST: Now, on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, octomom madness. Two brand-new explosive interviews. The octomom`s own parents are blasting her and it`s all caught on tape.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PATRICK HUGUENIN, "NEW YORK DAILY NEWS": There`s just people coming out of the woodwork to talk about this thing.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Tonight, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT with the absolute madness over the octomom.
Brad and Angie under fire. Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie attacked for shunning the press on Oscar night. Are Brad and Angie acting like they`re above it all? Or have they earned the right to snub any one they want to? Tonight, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT has the great Brangelina debate.
Plus, the guy who faced off with Matt Lauer accusing him of suggesting Sarah Palin is an idiot, right here in the interview you will see only on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
TV`s most provocative entertainment news show starts right now.
(MUSIC)
Hi there, everyone. I`m Brooke Anderson coming to you from Hollywood.
And tonight, octomom madness caught on camera. It has been a wild day of dramatic developments in the real-life octuplet mom reality show involving Oprah Winfrey. The octomom facing off on camera with her mother. And cops called to the octomom`s house over a suspected shotgun incident.
And no, I`m not making this up. In fact, you couldn`t make this stuff up even if you tried. And here`s what makes all of this even more absurd. Most of this was caught on camera. Tonight, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT has every single out-of-control angle covered because this is all making big octomom news right now.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON (voice-over): In the pantheon of outspoken, semi- dysfunctional, camera-loving famous families, a new family has grabbed America`s attention.
SHOWBIZ TONIGHT can tell you new octomom, Nadya Suleman`s family including her overworked mother.
ANGELA SULEMAN, MOTHER OF NADYA SULEMAN: How are you going to be able to provide for them?
ANDERSON: Her overwhelmed father.
OPRAH WINFREY, HOST, "THE OPRAH WINFREY SHOW": You think your daughter was irresponsible?
EDWARD DOUD, FATHER OF NADYA SULEMAN: Yes, ma`am.
ANDERSON: Even an ex-boyfriend/possible baby-daddy .
DENIS BEAUDOIN, EX-BOYFRIEND OF NADYA SULEMAN: She asked me to donate sperm.
ANDERSON: Are everywhere talking about Nadya`s controversial decision to have 14 children including the octuplets she had last month through in- vitro fertilization.
NADYA SULEMAN, OCTUPLET MOM: I will never understand.
A. SULEMAN: You never will.
ANDERSON: If any more people were watching this loud public TV family feud, we`d need a host.
HUGUENIN: There`s just people coming out of the woodwork to talk about this thing.
A. SULEMAN: When you already have six beautiful children.
N. SULEMAN: You need to learn to let go. You need to learn to let go.
ANDERSON: The Suleman family tension erupts in this "Radar Online" clip with Nadya arguing with her mother Angela.
N. SULEMAN: Learn to let go of what I chose to do. You didn`t accept it. Move forward.
A. SULEMAN: Right.
N. SULEMAN: Because I`m not that needy.
HUGUENIN: She almost seems like a bratty teenager in the clip. She seems like she doesn`t have any understanding of the gravity of her situation and what she`s created.
ANDERSON: Nadya`s mom would agree.
A. SULEMAN: How are you going to be able to provide for them? Fourteen - think about it, Nadya. Fourteen.
N. SULEMAN: I have to let go of my need to control everything and I have to accept the help that`s offered.
ANDERSON: It`s clear this is one family under tremendous strain.
HUGUENIN: They`re living in this three-bedroom house. And it is already overrun with kids. They are also in sort of dire financial straits. Her mother filed for bankruptcy once already. They`re very behind on their mortgage payments for their home.
The dad has said he is going to try to help support the slew of grandchildren by doing translation in Iraq.
ANDERSON: Speaking of Nadya`s dad.
WINFREY: Were you OK with the previous six children?
DOUD: Maybe one or two.
ANDERSON: Edward Doud, who was divorced from Nadya`s mom, got some face time of his own on "The Oprah Winfrey Show." He appeared to question his unemployed daughter`s sanity for choosing to have so many kids when she is living on food stamps and disability checks.
WINFREY: Do you think your daughter is mentally stable?
DOUD: That is a very good question. I have to agree with you because - I`m not a psychiatrist. But I question her, her mental situation.
BEAUDOIN: I would like a DNA test.
ANDERSON: Even Nadya`s ex-boyfriend is logging TV time. Dennis Beaudoin who says he donated sperm to Suleman when the two dated in the late 1990s, told "Good Morning America" he might be the father of at least some of Suleman`s kids. He wants a DNA test to see for sure.
BEAUDOIN: Whether or not it is or isn`t, you know, I still extend my hand in help.
ANDERSON: Nadya Suleman has denied Beaudoin is the father and she tells ABC News she would agree to a paternity test to prove it. Maybe this TV-loving clan can release the DNA results on another TV show.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You are not the father.
HUGUENIN: I`m under the impression personally that Nadya Suleman desperately wants to be a TV star.
ANDERSON: And this is one TV star with a growing supporting cast.
A. SULEMAN: I hope you will get help. I really hope so.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: Right now, we`ve the guy who is behind that explosive "RadarOnline.com" interview that you just saw with the octuplet mom and her mother.
With me now is Chris Myers who is the senior executive editor of "RadarOnline.com" which is behind this caught-on-tape face-off. Hey, Chris.
CHRIS MYERS, SENIOR EXECUTIVE EDITOR, "RADARONLINE.COM": Hey, Brooke.
ANDERSON: The video posted on "Radar Online" really gives us an up- close and personal look at the drama and also the pain the octuplet mom and her family face now. Let`s watch Nadya Suleman explain to her mother that she was as surprised as anybody that she wound up giving birth to octuplets. Watch.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
N. SULEMAN: Learn to let go of what I chose to do. You didn`t accept it. Move forward.
A. SULEMAN: Right.
N. SULEMAN: I`m not that needy and I`m not being fixated.
A. SULEMAN: I`m not.
N. SULEMAN: You`re not at that place yet.
A. SULEMAN: No, I am not.
N. SULEMAN: I planned on one growing - at the most, two. So if that had happened, what is the difference because this is all unintentional?
A. SULEMAN: But did you read about the statistics?
N. SULEMAN: This is as if it doesn`t happen. This hasn`t happened. This never, ever happened. One person this happened to.
A. SULEMAN: Something was happening there because, you know, in the first place.
N. SULEMAN: OK. Well, then.
A. SULEMAN: You should have considered your other six children.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Yikes. Talk about uncomfortable. Both of them so passionate here. Chris, were you shocked at the fireworks when the cameras started rolling?
MYERS: Well, not shocked, I wouldn`t say because these two fight all the time. They have been fighting and now that you add the eight babies and the media spotlight and it`s so intense, there is so much friction between these two now it is incredible.
But yes, when we sat them down, we brought them into the house, they got along. And then when the camera started rolling, we asked the two, you know, "What`s the one thing you want to say to your daughter, Angela? What`s the one thing that is bothering you?"
And she just unloaded on her on camera. And that`s what you saw as a result, this kind of right-to-life debate with Angela(sic) saying, "You know what? These are my embryos. I know they were frozen, but I had to have these babies."
And like you said you saw on the clip, she is saying there is a 1.0001 percent chance of this happening. And her mom is saying, "Wait you already had six babies. And even if you only had one or two, that`s still too many for you to handle."
ANDERSON: Yes. Clearly a lot of tension between Nadya and her mother. You spent some time with the octuplet mother doing this interview. And you even went to her home with her six other children.
We heard her own father on "Oprah" today, Chris, say that he questions Nadya`s mental situation. What did you witness in terms of that?
MYERS: Well, it`s interesting because when you listen to Nadya speak, she is very articulate. And it seems to make sense. But then, when you listen to the message, you are like, "Wait a minute is she realizing what she is saying and is this realistic?"
Because she says things like, "I`ll write a book." And then her mother will say, "Write a book? When are you going to have time to write a book?"
ANDERSON: Yes, is that realistic?
MYERS: Right. I mean, are you really going to have time? I mean, you are talking about 14 children, OK?
ANDERSON: So did you sense some instability there?
MYERS: Well I think it`s - I label it controlled chaos, OK? It`s kind of like - a day care with, you know, a routine, but it`s very chaotic. You have six children. Two are special needs. There is a lot of yelling and screaming. But there is also a lot of love and affection.
And when Nadya walked into the house where her children were, all six kids came running up to her. Grabbed her around the leg, hugged her. And she stopped everything. She ignored the cameras, the producers, and she just focused on her children.
And that was it. I mean, you know, and I think that was real affection. And I think there is real love there.
ANDERSON: Yes, she said she is providing unconditional love for her children. You know, one thing that really struck me with your interview on "Radar Online" is that the octo-mother`s own mother is mystified as to why her daughter just kept going back to get in-vitro time and time again.
But Nadya really stands her ground, goes toe-to-toe with her. Watch this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
N. SULEMAN: You can`t go back and alter the past. They`re here. They`re humans.
A. SULEMAN: No, no. You`re talking now that whatever you did.
N. SULEMAN: But they`re human beings that are growing, that are related to you, that are healthy, strong and almost all four pounds.
A. SULEMAN: They are frozen. That`s the difference.
N. SULEMAN: They`re frozen right now?
A. SULEMAN: They were frozen and you did not have to do anything. If you wanted to.
(CROSSTALK)
N. SULEMAN: The only thing you can do with frozen embryos - use them - but you can either use them or destroy them.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Chris, very quickly, do you feel any sympathy for the octuplet mother?
MYERS: You know what? Now that I have spent time with her and spent an entire day with her, several days with her actually. Yes, I mean - she`s got this glaring spotlight. Outside of her home right now, there is an army of paparazzi, OK?
ANDERSON: Yes. It`s tough.
MYERS: There`s local news crews. Yes, there`s helicopters; literally, they`re flying over her house. Every move she makes is being scrutinized now. She gets her haircut. It`s like, wait a minute, she is pampering herself.
ANDERSON: Right. It can`t be easy. And, you know, we do have to end it there. But thank you so much for sharing your experience with us. Chris Myers, we appreciate it.
MYERS: Thank you.
ANDERSON: All right. Straight ahead, we`ve got more breaking octuplet mom news. Why were the police called to Nadya Suleman`s home? Are she and her children in danger? We`ve got the brand-new details coming up bottom of the hour right here on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
Straight ahead, Brangelina slammed. Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie are taking lots of heat for giving the press the cold shoulder on Oscar night. Are they holier than thou? Or have they earned the right to snub anyone they want? The great Brangelina debate, coming up.
And also this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOHN ZIEGLER, FILMMAKER: How does that make you feel?
GOV. SARAH PALIN (R-AK), FORMER VICE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: A grisly rises up with me hearing things like that.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Sarah Palin talking about an "SNL" skit lampooning her. The guy who asked her how it made her feel is absolutely on her side, even facing off with Matt Lauer over it. Here`s right here in the explosive interview you will see only on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
And we are cooking with first lady, Michelle Obama. We will take you inside the White House kitchen where Michelle waxes poetic about French fries. This is SHOWBIZ TONIGHT on HLN.
And now, the "SHOWBIZ News Ticker" - more stories from the SHOWBIZ TONIGHT newsroom making news right now.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANDERSON: Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie under fire. Brad and Angelina get slammed for how they acted at the Oscars on Hollywood`s biggest night.
Welcome back to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. I`m Brooke Anderson in Hollywood.
Tonight, Brangelina slammed. Just when you thought Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie could do no wrong, tonight, Hollywood`s hottest couple is under attack and being accused of acting, quote, "smug and above it all" on the red carpet Oscar night. Fueling the fire, an explosive article today in the "New York Post" on Brangelina`s behavior.
With us in New York, Danica Lo, the "New York Post" writer who wrote the article. Also tonight in New York is Lisa Bloom who is an anchor for the Legal Network "In Session."
OK. Ladies, I want to start by reading just some of Danica`s - of your explosive piece in the "New York Post" today slamming Brangelina, quote, "Hollywood`s golden couple dropped a smug bomb at the Academy Awards Sunday night, swanning onto the red carpet for photo ops, but shunning interviewers in what`s become their signature navel-gazing charade of the celebrity arrival. Enough already. Possession of pouty lips and carefully tousled hairdos doesn`t exempt them from associating with the reporters and fans."
Danica, tell us how you really feel. What set you off like this?
DANICA LO, WRITER, "NEW YORK POST": You know, it was almost painfully embarrassing to watch their insufferably smug highnesses snob Ryan Seacrest at the Oscars and at the Golden Globes. Then I was totally floored at the way they were treating Tim Gund. Tim Gund - everybody loves Tim Gund. They just let him go on and on about how much he loved them.
And she basically gave him a verbal pat on the head when she said, "Oh that`s sweet." You know what I think? I think if you don`t want to be interviewed, if you are going to pull this "don`t speak to me unless spoken to" attitude, then I have a solution for you, use the side entrance. Don`t walk the red carpet.
ANDERSON: Oh, all right. Yes, you said Angelina kind of acted patronizing towards Tim Gund. I have to say that Danica, you are not alone. Others have also criticized Brad and Angelina for basically refusing to talk to reporters.
But Lisa, do you think that they have they earned the right to do that? Or should they be playing the game? They are big stars?
LISA BLOOM, ANCHOR, "IN SESSION": I don`t know. I were making $25 million per film, I might be a little bit smug, too. If I were working with U.N. and helping refugees on a regular basis in Africa as Angelina Jolie does, if I were helping Hurricane Katrina victims regularly as Brad Pitt does, you know, I might not talk to every single reporter who sticks a microphone in my face.
I think that, overall, they are lovely people. They may have misstepped a few times on the red carpet. But I think we should give them a break.
ANDERSON: And maybe they want to avoid trivial questions, you know, they do so much important work. Danica, let`s look at something else you wrote, quote, "After four years together, Jolie and Pitt have morphed into Mr. and Mrs. Ordinary. To stay at the top of the Tinseltown pile, just being good looking is not enough - especially when your nose is held higher than the Hollywood sign."
Danica, wow! I don`t even know what to say. But what do you mean by Mr. and Mrs. Ordinary?
LO: Do you remember when Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie used to be fun? I mean, look at Angelina. She used to wear vials of blood around her neck and you couldn`t shut her up about the relationship she was in.
And now, you know, they just present the world with this really carefully contrived image of domestic bliss. They`re not giving the fans what they want - any information, anything real. And these are the fans that gave them the platform to stand on.
BLOOM: Are you saying that fans want blood instead of giant diamond earrings?
(CROSSTALK)
BLOOM: I think she looks pretty great. If that`s ordinary, sign me up. Where do I get rocks like that?
ANDERSON: Give them a little bit of credit, Danica. Oh my goodness. Well, your article is something else. Thanks for joining us, Danica Lo, Lisa Bloom. We appreciate it.
And the "Showbiz on Call" phone lines have been ringing off the hook, people calling in a bout the octomom. In fact, most of the "Showbiz on Call" operators are looking for an easier job. We got a call in to "Showbiz on Call" from Melanie from Kentucky.
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
MELANIE, CALLER FROM KENTUCKY: I think everyone should leave the octuplet mommy alone and let it go and let her raise her children, and that the daddy needs to step up and help her out.
(END AUDIO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Thank you, Melanie. We also heard from Joyce calling in to "Showbiz on Call" from Virginia.
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
JOYCE, CALLER FROM VIRGINIA: I think it`s most outrageous situation I have ever heard of, that a woman would have this many children and she already had six children.
The state of California can`t even give the people their refund that they`re due, people that work. And they have paid their taxes. Now, they can`t get their money because this woman wanted these babies and thought every company would set her up and she would be set for life.
(END AUDIO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Thank you for that, Joyce. Give us a ring at "Showbiz on Call." Let us know what you think about the octomom or anything else that is on your mind. The "Showbiz on Call" phone lines are open around the clock - 1-888-SBT-BUZZ; 1-888-728-2899. Leave a voicemail. We will play some of your calls right here on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
And we`ve got much more to tell you about the octomom. Get this, cops were called to her house after a shotgun scare. Is the octomom in danger?
Plus, her father`s very emotional moment with Oprah Winfrey. That is coming up.
Plus, we are cooking with First Lady Michelle Obama. We will take you inside the White House kitchen where Michelle waxes poetic about French fries.
And we`ll also have this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PALIN: Of course, I read newspapers. I read publications. I spend a lot of time of course reading our local papers and the highly-circulated publications here in Alaska because that`s my job.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Sarah Palin defending herself for not being able to name any publication she reads. And there is a guy who is definitely on her side. He even faced off with Matt Lauer over it. Here in the explosive in the view you will see only on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. This is SHOWBIZ TONIGHT on HLN.
And now, the "SHOWBIZ News Ticker" - more stories from the SHOWBIZ TONIGHT newsroom making news right now.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(VIDEO CLIP OF FROSTY, THE DANCING BIRD)
ANDERSON: So cute. Did you see this? It`s Frosty, the dancing bird shaking a little tail feather to Ray Charles on "Good Morning America."
Welcome back to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. I`m Brooke Anderson in Hollywood. It`s time now for the "SHOWBIZ Obama Watch." Tonight, in the White House kitchen with First Lady Michelle Obama.
The First Lady talked to the press as the White House chef prepared dinner for the Obama`s first official White House dinner. The Obamas welcomed 130 governors and their guests for the first of many official dinners. Among the items on the menu, crab cakes, creamed spinach and huckleberry cobbler.
Mrs. Obama told us the White House kitchen is also really good at simpler fare. Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MICHELLE OBAMA, FIRST LADY OF THE UNITED STATES: One of the delights of living here is working with everyone here who is just gone above and beyond to make this place feel like a home, everything from Bill, you know, helping the kids make desserts with friends, to, you know, Tommy and the guys making French fries whenever you want.
They can do this, but they can also make a mean batch of French fries when you want it done. But there`s so many.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Mrs. Obama also said that for all the pomp and circumstance at the White House, on a daily basis, it is really pretty normal.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
M. OBAMA: We`re like any other family. Kids have breakfast. We`ve got lunches, dinners, and we try to maintain a consistent routine.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: The First Lady has said it is her goal to make the White House more accessible. As she talked about the menu to for the first official dinner, six local culinary students were invited to come in and observe and ask questions. Pretty cool.
All right. Michelle Obama`s work as the First Lady seems to be paying off already. According to a new CBS News-New York Times poll virtually anybody who has an opinion on the first lady seems to really like her.
Forty-nine percent of those polled said they view Mrs. Obama favorably. Just 5 percent said they view her unfavorably. Forty-four percent were undecided or don`t know enough about the First Lady to have an opinion.
At 49 percent, Michelle Obama`s rating is more positive than her predecessors at this point in their start as First Ladies. Laura Bush`s favorable rating was 30 percent. Hillary Clinton`s was 44 percent. Barbara Bush`s was 34 percent. Nancy Reagan, just 28 percent.
And now, the "Showbiz Lineup." Here is what is coming up, at the bottom of the hour on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
Cops called to the octomom`s house after a shotgun scare. Is the octomom in danger?
The guy who accused Matt Lauer of suggesting Sarah Palin is an idiot in the interview you`ll see only on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
And will George Clooney go back to "E.R." one last time? George sets the record straight. This is SHOWBIZ TONIGHT on HLN.
Now, the "SHOWBIZ News Ticker" - more stories from the SHOWBIZ TONIGHT newsroom making news right now.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
A. SULEMAN: I felt sorry for them.
N. SULEMAN: That they are healthy and thriving and crying?
A. SULEMAN: No, because they are so many, and how are you going to be able to provide for them?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Now, on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, octomom madness. The octomom and her mom go at it in a brand-new explosive video. The octomom`s dad startling emotional confessions to Oprah. Plus, police suddenly called to the octomom`s house over a shotgun scare. Is she in danger?
The Sarah Palin showdown. The producer of a brand-new Sarah Palin documentary slams the "Today" show`s Matt Lauer to his face about Palin. Tonight, the producer is right here to face the tough questions about that explosive battle. It is the interview you will see only on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
Plus more stories breaking from the SHOWBIZ News Ticker.
TV`s most provocative entertainment news show continues right now.
And we welcome you back to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. It is 30 minutes past the hour. I`m Brooke Anderson coming to you tonight from Hollywood.
Tonight, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT`s continuing coverage of the octomom madness. Two brand-new explosive interviews and it`s all caught on tape. There is so much news, so let`s get started.
The octomom, Nadya Suleman takes on her mother, her own mother in an explosive interview that was posted on "RadarOnline.com." The two argue over Nadya`s choice to use all six of her frozen embryos, two of which resulted in twins.
Then Nadya`s father takes on Oprah Winfrey in a brand new interview that aired late this afternoon. In the tell-all interview, octo-grandpa sits down with Oprah and reveals how he begged Nadya`s doctor to stop helping his daughter get pregnant.
And in another wild development tonight, why were the police called to Nadya`s house after a shotgun scare. We just can`t make this stuff up.
Joining me tonight in Hollywood, Leslie Marshall of "The Leslie Marshall Show." In New York, Lisa Bloom, who is an anchor for Legal Network "In Session."
Lisa, Leslie, I want to begin with the news today that a neighbor of Nadya`s walked out of his house brandishing a shotgun. And he was apparently frustrated with the constant media attention, the paparazzi camped outside in the neighborhood. He made some threats. Police were called. He left in his car.
Lisa Bloom, given how passionate people are about this entire situation, is there a danger that this could go from bizarre to downright dangerous?
BLOOM: Absolutely. And keep in mind those little eight babies who are still in the hospital are going to be coming home at some point probably within the next few weeks. Are they going to come home to this situation of media madness, shotgun-toting neighbors and a mother who seems completely unable to care for them? I mean, this has become a very volatile situation.
ANDERSON: Absolutely. And Nadya has said that she wants to move as soon as possible. And in a brand-new interview with "RadarOnline.com" that has been making big headlines today, Nadya confronts her mother. And things get really heated when mom questions why Nadya thought having more kids after she already had six was a good idea. Watch this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
A. SULEMAN: When you already have six beautiful children.
N. SULEMAN: You need to learn to let go. You need to learn - you need to learn to let go.
A. SULEMAN: I will never understand.
N. SULEMAN: You never will.
A. SULEMAN: Yes.
N. SULEMAN: That is the best choice I`ve had in my life.
A. SULEMAN: If I could only let go - these are my grandchildren, I would. But you know, it is very difficult now that you have eight more.
N. SULEMAN: No, no, no. Not now. Excuse me. Not now. Learn to let go of what I chose to do. You didn`t accept it. Move forward.
A. SULEMAN: Right.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Leslie, they have each done interviews before, but never together until now. Why do this? Why air their dirty laundry, their family discord in the public eye in this way? I don`t get it.
LESLIE MARSHALL, HOST, "THE LESLIE MARSHALL SHOW": Come on, the more they do this, the more money that flows. And quite frankly, this just kills me. You have a mother who is not paying the mortgage on the house for her daughter and her six grandchildren, yelling at her daughter for how she is going to support the rest of the children that have come forth and eight more children.
The apple didn`t fall far from the tree here. You know, I`m kind of wondering if they even set this up so that people just start sending them money, you know, for a new house, mortgage, et cetera. I feel really sorry for these babies. I really do.
BLOOM: No. I would suspect, though, Brooke, that they got paid for the interview because it`s by a Web site.
MARSHALL: Yes.
BLOOM: It`s not a legitimate mainstream media organization..
MARSHALL: Although Web site says they didn`t. They Web site said they didn`t. I have to say suspiciously.
BLOOM: OK. So they`re paying them, that`s why they submitted to it. And you know, we call this "caught on tape." I would call it "staged for tape."
(CROSSTALK)
BLOOM: They`ve got hair and the make-up and the lighting. And then, they sit down and have the argument. Please.
ANDERSON: Yes, they looked pretty good, didn`t they?
BLOOM: She is so disrespectful.
(CROSSTALK)
MARSHALL: (UNINTELLIGIBLE) considering she can`t pay the mortgage, right?
ANDERSON: Well, "Radar" has said they did not pay for this interview. But they haven`t said if they paid for individual interviews or made other financial arrangements.
But in Nadya`s showdown with her mom, things get even more heated than that. Watch this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
N. SULEMAN: OK. So when you saw the babies and you started to hold them, you weren`t telling me that you have let go of my choice. You didn`t agree with it. And now, you are acknowledging the fact that they are here already and they`re looking at you and greeting without any hesitance.
A. SULEMAN: And I felt sorry for them.
N. SULEMAN: That they are healthy and thriving and crying?
A. SULEMAN: No, because they`re so many. And how are you going to be able to provide for them. Fourteen - think about it, Nadya.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Lisa, let me ask you something. They have spent a lot of time doing interviews, talking, talking, talking, talking. But the last time I checked, they`ve got six young kids at home, eight newborns in the hospital that need attention, need love, need that time. Isn`t that where the priority should be at this point?
BLOOM: Yes, I have never seen someone so self-centered and rude to her own mother as Nadya Suleman, interrupting her, acting like a surly teenager, telling her, "You have to let go," while her mother is only voicing what the entire country is saying, "Nadya, you behaved terribly, irresponsibly."
And the fact that she talks to her mother that way, I think, shows how immature and disrespectful she is. I think it is appalling to see this interview.
ANDERSON: And a mother who has helped her care for these six children since they were born. Leslie, what do you think?
MARSHALL: Well, you know, it is funny, Lisa. I know you are mom and have a great deal of respect for her and I love my mom as well. So you know, high five on the way she is talking to her mother there.
But, you know, look, this is the most irresponsible decision. I have had 13 IVF cycles. This is not a walk in the park. And not only is very expensive, it`s very painful. And the doctor - completely irresponsible. You don`t put in more than two embryos at this young lady`s age.
Obviously, she has some psychological problems. I am not a shrink. That`s just my personal opinion as a woman who, after number 13, was successful and has gone through this.
But why anyone with six children at home would want to go through IVF again and have more and this many more. And her mother needs not to support her decision but needs to be the grandmother, I think, as well at this time whether she`s going to pay the mortgage or not and focus not on her anger toward the daughter but on her love toward those grandchildren.
Because you know what really rots about this whole thing is these eight kids shouldn`t be suffering or to blame for their mother`s really stupid decision.
BLOOM: Right.
(CROSSTALK)
ANDERSON: Absolutely right. They should not be punished. And you know, it`s not just the grandma they`re getting in on the action. There`s Nadya`s dad as well in a bombshell interview with Oprah Winfrey that aired late today.
MARSHALL: They`re milking this. Guys, they`re milking.
ANDERSON: Nadya`s father, recalls - listen to this - a telephone conversation that he had with Nadya`s doctor after Nadya had child number four. Watch this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DOUD: "Doctor, you have been doing this. Don`t you understand that enough is enough. Don`t you see that you`re putting so much burden on her mom and on me?" "Man, I did not know. I did not understand." I said, "What do you mean you did not understand? You are a doctor. When you do such a thing, don`t you do some checking and studying and knowing what your patient is capable or not capable of doing or not doing?"
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Lisa, as heartbreaking as all this sounds, do you think Nadya`s father appearing on "Oprah" will help Nadya gain more sympathy? Because at this point, the majority of people out there don`t have a lot of sympathy for her.
BLOOM: I have a lot of sympathy for her parents. They seem like decent people with good values. I mean, they fell behind there on the mortgage, but so did millions of Americans. I don`t hold that against them.
Mom has really stepped up and helped take care of the kids. And both of them are saying, "Nadya, this is insanity. And dad is saying that the octo-doctor should have some responsibility, which I think we can all agree with.
So Nadya needs to open her ears and open her heart and listen to her parents and stop acting like a spoiled little brat. And maybe she can learn something from them.
ANDERSON: Oh, it`s just a terrible situation. I really question why they would all air their personal grievances in this way. Lisa Bloom, Leslie Marshall, thank you both. Good to see you.
And we`ve been asking you to vote on the SHOWBIZ TONIGHT question of the day - Octomom Family: Are they out of control?" Keep voting at CNN.com/ShowbizTonight. Also send us an E-mail. You can do that this address - showbiztonight@cnn.com.
Tonight, a brand new Sarah Palin controversy.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PALIN: Of course, I read newspapers. I read publications. I spend a lot of time, of course, reading our local papers, and the highly-circulated publications here in Alaska because that`s my job.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Palin, fighting back after being asked what newspapers she reads by Katie Couric. Tonight, there is a new Sarah Palin documentary out. And the producer is waging war on the media. He even ripped Matt Lauer to his face on the "Today" show. Tonight, the producer is right here, next in the interview you will see only on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
Also, this is the question everybody has been asking, is George Clooney coming back to NBC`s "E.R." for its final season? Tonight, George is finally setting the record straight. Plus, the surprising reason why Clooney skipped the Oscars.
And a brand new, Britney Spears court battle. Who is being called a predator? We`ve got the answer to that question, straight ahead. This is SHOWBIZ TONIGHT on HLN.
And now, the "SHOWBIZ News Ticker" - more stories from the SHOWBIZ TONIGHT newsroom making news right now.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KATIE COURIC, ANCHOR, "CBS EVENING NEWS": Even in the post-election interviews, Dave, that she has done, nobody`s really asked her, "Why didn`t you answer that question?"
PALIN: Because Katie, you are not the center of everybody`s universe.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Tonight, the explosive new documentary on Sarah Palin and the man behind it right here in the interview you will see only on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
Welcome back to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. I`m Brooke Anderson in Hollywood.
Tonight, the Sarah Palin showdown. Sarah`s showdown with the media and the documentary maker`s showdown with Matt Lauer. In a brand new documentary that has just been released, Sarah Palin lets loose on Katie Couric, Tina Fey and the media who tracked her every move when she ran for vice president. The new documentary is called "Media Malpractice: How Obama Got Elected and Palin was Targeted."
Joining me from New York tonight is the producer of the film, John Ziegler. Good to have you.
JOHN ZIEGLER, PRODUCER, "MEDIA MALPRACTICE": Brooke, thanks for having me.
ANDERSON: All right. In this documentary, Sarah Palin goes on the attack against everybody from NBC`s Brian Williams, ABC`s Charlie Gibson, CBS`s Katie Couric. We are talking some of the most respected names in network news. John, what`s her beef?
ZIEGLER: I don`t know if I would use the word "attack." I think she is setting the record straight. There is very little attack here, although there are some sensational clips of Sarah Palin saying things that surprise people because they`re so contrary to the mainstream news media`s perception that was created about Sarah Palin which I believe, in large part, was a misperception. And that`s why I have done this documentary, "Media Malpractice."
ANDERSON: OK. We`ll temper it. We`ll say "setting the record straight," not "attacked." During the campaign, one of her most talked about interviews was with Katie Couric when Katie asked Palin which newspapers she read. Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
COURIC: What specifically? I`m curious.
PALIN: All of them, any of them that have been in front of me over all these years.
COURIC: Can you name a few?
PALIN: I have a vast variety of sources where we get our news. Alaska isn`t a foreign country.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Now, Palin took a lot of heat for that because many claimed it seemed that she didn`t read newspapers. But let`s take a look at what she says in your documentary.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PALIN: Of course, I read newspapers. I read publications. I spend a lot of time, of course, reading our local papers and the highly circulated publications here in Alaska because that`s my job - it`s to know the business of Alaska and our communities. But also "USA Today." Yes - and "New York Times."
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: John, I think a lot of people see that and wonder why didn`t she say that in the first place because it was an easy question? Do you think that she was just taken off-guard - caught off-guard?
ZIEGLER: Well, we go into great detail on this episode in my documentary, which people can find for themselves at "HowObamaGotElected.com."
And it`s really important, the context here. She felt as if she was under siege by this point in the interview, that Katie Couric was playing a game of "gotcha" over situations like the question of her opinion on abortion, coming back time and time again, trying to set trap doors.
And I think Sarah Palin would acknowledge that she kind of shut down a little bit, became skeptical, maybe even a little bit understandably paranoid. And I think she was concerned that anything that she would say would have the potential of being mocked.
And as a conservative, the reality is, in the liberal mainstream news media, you are far more vulnerable to such accusations and such situations than if you are a liberal. And I think it is very understandable when you watch my documentary what was going through Sarah Palin`s mind there.
And I think that was one of those episodes that was very much misunderstood and very damaging, unfortunately, to her credibility because it was totally unfair.
ANDERSON: So maybe she closed off a little built because of her concerns. Makes sense.
Well, John, you contend that the media made Palin out to look like an idiot. And that led to an explosive confrontation that you had with Matt Lauer on the "Today" show. I want to take a look at a brief portion of that.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ZIEGLER (on camera): Voters knew all the bad information about Sarah Palin because people look you repeated it constantly over and over even though you know, since you have been to her home, that it is a lie that she is some sort of a moron. You know that. Come clean. Be the A-Rod of the media. Come clean, Matt. You can do this right now in front of America.
MATT LAUER, CO-HOST, THE "TODAY" SHOW: Well, if I were the A-Rod of the media, I would give you half the truth.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Now, John, Matt Lauer never specifically called Sarah Palin a moron. Do you regret that? Do think you were out of line at all, or no?
ZIEGLER: Well, no. Because what I was doing there was I was saying, "Matt, you know that the perception created by the media that she is not intelligent is false because you have been to her home. You have interviewed her."
And at one point in the interview, he acknowledges that I`m right, that Sarah Palin is not some sort of an idiot, moron, or not intelligent. I was simply asking him to tell America and his huge audience the truth that he knows which he did acknowledge, although in a very muted sort of way because he is part of the media elite and probably doesn`t want to get kicked out of the club.
The reality is, Sarah Palin is very, very smart. She is not whining in my interview. She is simply setting the record straight. And I think this is a very important story for people to understand the nature of our news media and the nature of our election. This was a grave injustice that was done to her and we are trying to set the record straight.
ANDERSON: Well, let me ask you this. Do you think that if - say that Katie Couric interview had never happened, if those "Saturday Night Live" skits that lampooned her had never happened, do you think it would have changed her image and the McCain campaign`s image so much so that they would have had a better chance of getting elected?
ZIEGLER: I don`t think that there is any question, Brooke. I mean, the reality is that after Sarah Palin had her convention speech and her poll ratings were incredibly high, the McCain-Palin team took the lead by a fairly solid margin for about a week or so.
The economic crisis certainly played a role in this. Who knows exactly what would have happened? And in fact, I`m not even suggesting for sure that had the media treatment been fair for Sarah Palin, that we would have had a different president.
I`m just saying that the media coverage was unjust. There was a different standard that was presented to Barack Obama than, for instance, Hillary Clinton or John McCain or Sarah Palin ...
ANDERSON: OK.
ZIEGLER: It was unfair. It was unprecedented. It was dangerous and it was not the truth and that`s why we created "Media Malpractice."
ANDERSON: Point taken. Point taken. John Ziegler, thank you so much.
ZIEGLER: Thank you.
ANDERSON: We appreciate you being here. And the new Sarah Palin documentary "Media Malpractice" is available on DVD right now.
Tonight, a dramatic apology over the "New York Post" cartoon that some say is racist. In an article in Tuesday`s paper, "New York Post" chairman, Rupert Murdoch takes personal responsibility for the cartoon.
Now, that cartoon caused coast-to-coast outrage. Some say the cartoon links President Obama to the chimp that mauled a woman in Connecticut, a historically racist image comparing the black president to the monkey.
The cartoon outraged stars like John Legend. In the apology, Murdoch says, quote, "Last week, we made a mistake. We ran a cartoon that offended many people. Today, I want to personally apologize to any reader who felt offended and even insulted. I can assure you without a doubt that the only intent of that cartoon was to mock a badly-written piece of legislation. It was not meant to be racist, but unfortunately, it was interpreted by many as such. We all hold the readers of the "New York Post" in high regard and I promise you that we will seek to be more attuned to the sensitivities of our community."
OK. This is something I`ve wanted to know for a while. Is George Clooney coming back to E.R. for a final season? I`ve heard the rumors, read the stories. But tonight, George is finally coming clean. Will he or won`t he? That`s next. And the brand-new, startling Britney Spears court battle. Who is being call a predator? This is SHOWBIZ TONIGHT on HLN.
And now, the "SHOWBIZ News Ticker" - more stories from the SHOWBIZ TONIGHT newsroom making news right now.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANDERSON: Welcome back to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. I`m Brooke Anderson.
And tonight, I can tell you that yes, George Clooney is coming back to NBC`s E.R. for one last time. Clooney played Dr. Doug Ross on the show which premiered in 1994. He left in `99. E.R. is going off the air at the end of the season. And there`s been all kinds of talk that Clooney is going to show up on the series finale.
On CNN`s "LARRY KING LIVE," by George, Larry drags it out of him.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LARRY KING, CNN HOST, "LARRY KING LIVE": One other quick thing. Are you going to be in the final presentation of E.R.?
GEORGE CLOONEY, ACTOR: Actually, I`m doing a remake of "Friends" which I didn`t want to break the news, but I`m doing .
KING: Oh, my gosh.
CLOONEY: Yes, I`m doing the Jennifer Aniston role.
KING: I`m thrilled for you, George.
CLOONEY: Thank you. It`s a career move. It`s a choice.
KING: Yes, I know. This is a big move. Are you going to be in "E.R."
CLOONEY: I am. I`m in the last episode with Susan Sarandon and Juliana Margulies. So it should be fun.
KING: That`s great.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Margulies who played Nurse Hathaway and Clooney were one of the most talked-about onscreen couples. No word on the exact date "E.R.`s" 15-year run will end.
By the way, Clooney, who missed the Oscars on Sunday, had a pretty good reason. He was meeting with President Obama Monday morning about the humanitarian crisis in Darfur. Clooney will want Obama to appoint a full- time person to help the hundreds of thousands of refugees there.
Tonight, Britney Spears` dad is calling her former manager, quote, "a predator" and wants a restraining order against him and others extended. Jamie Spears gave a dramatic testimony in court as to why he wants Sam Lutfi, Britney`s ex-manager, Britney`s ex-boyfriend and paparazzo Adnan Ghalib and lawyer John Eardley to keep away from his daughter.
Britney`s father also repeated a starting allegation that Lutfi put medication in Britney`s food. There`s a temporary order in place until Wednesday. Brit`s dad wants it to become long-term.
On Monday, we asked you to vote on our SHOWBIZ TONIGHT question of the day. It was this - "Oscar Winners: Did they get it right? Fifty-three percent of you say yes, they did.; 47 percent say no, they didn`t.
Here`s some of the E-mails we received. Margie from Kentucky, "I cannot believe that `Slumdog` won. It would be good for a little small feel-good show at high school but as far as great acing goes, I`ll take `Benjamin Button.`"
Robyn from Arizona thinks they got it right - the Oscar host, that is, "I really thought Hugh Jackman was great. He is an all-around entertainer. I would watch again if Hugh hosts."
We appreciate your E-mails. Keep them coming.
That is a wrap for SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. Thank you so much for watching. I`m Brooke Anderson. Take care.
