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Showbiz Tonight
Brand-New Balloon Boy Shocker; Tila Tequila`s Tearful Goodbye to Casey Johnson; The Controversy Over Kate Gosselin`s New Look; The Joke is on Tiger Woods; Bad News for Charlie Sheen; The Hoff is Leaving "America`s Got Talent"; Bristol Palin`s New Gig; Are Plus-Sized Models Taking Over?
Aired January 07, 2010 - 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: Right now, on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, the unbelievable brand-new balloon boy shocker today. The balloon boy dad now denies his hoax was a hoax.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RICHARD HEENE, FATHER OF THE "BALLOON BOY": I had to do it to save my family and my wife. And -
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: Tonight, the explosive brand-new interview, Richard Heene pleaded guilty to making the world think his little boy was in a runaway balloon. The incredible reasons he claims he pleaded guilty. Tonight, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT with the balloon boy dad`s stunning new confession.
Kate`s big revenge, the all-out controversy over Kate Gosselin`s jaw- dropping mommy makeover. Tonight, the great debate, is the dramatic new do sweet revenge against Jon?
The joke is on Tiger. Hey, Tiger, even Sandra Bullock is making fun of you. Wait until you hear America`s sweetheart is saying about Tiger Woods.
ANNOUNCER: TV`s most provocative entertainment news show starts right now.
(MUSIC)
HAMMER: Hello. I`m A.J. Hammer, broadcasting tonight and every night from New York City.
BROOKE ANDERSON, HOST: Hi there, everyone. I`m Brooke Anderson, coming to you tonight from Hollywood. And talk about being full of hot air.
HAMMER: Yes. The father of the so-called balloon boy, who admitted the whole thing was a hoax is now saying the admission of the hoax was a hoax. You got that? There`s an explosive new interview today with the reality show wannabe who claimed his little boy was in a runaway balloon.
And even though Richard Heene pleaded guilty to pulling off one of biggest hoaxes ever, he`s now doing one of the biggest about-faces ever. I mean, come on. This guys is so full of hot air he could have launched the balloon with his own breath. This all made for big news breaking today.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
HAMMER (voice-over): Looks like the family of the infamous balloon boy is taking America on another ride.
R. HEENE: We had searched the house, high and low. And I`m sorry...
LARRY KING, HOST, "LARRY KING LIVE": It`s OK.
HAMMER: In an exclusive "LARRY KING" interview that airs Friday, Richard Heene, who has pleaded guilty to tricking America into thinking his 6-year-old Falcon was stuck in a runaway balloon last October...
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A little boy who literally floated away...
HAMMER: When the kid was hiding in the attic the whole time is now saying it wasn`t a hoax after all.
KING: Tell me, do you believe your son was in the craft?
R. HEENE: I knew he was in the craft.
KING: Well, you didn`t know it...
R. HEENE: No, no, no. In my mind - in my mind.
HAMMER: Talk about a guy who can`t keep his story straight. In less than three months, Heene has gone from insisting the balloon boy incident wasn`t a hoax -
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Was this a hoax (UNINTELLIGIBLE)?
R. HEENE: They`ll find him.
R. HEENE: Absolutely no hoax.
HAMMER: To admitting in court that it was a hoax.
R. HEENE: I`m very, very sorry.
HAMMER: Only to now say it wasn`t a hoax because it was all true in his mind.
R. HEENE: I visualized him...
JO PIAZZA, CNN.COM ENTERTAINMENT WRITER: As long as something is true in your mind, is it doesn`t matter whether or not it actually happened in reality. Tiger Woods should listen to Richard Heene, because his defense can always be, "I didn`t cheat in my mind."
HAMMER: Heene is scheduled to report to jail Monday to start the 90- day sentence he got for the balloon boy fiasco. Prosecutors say the fame- hungry Heene, who had appeared on ABC reality show, "Wife Swap" ...
R. HEENE: And you suck!
HAMMER: ... orchestrated the balloon boy scam to get attention for a proposed reality show of his own. But the whole scheme quickly fell apart when little falcon apparently ratted out his dad during a live interview with CNN`s Wolf Blitzer.
FALCON HEENE, BALLOON BOY: He said we did it for a show.
HAMMER: Now, Heene tells Larry King the only reason he made his felony guilty plea was to protect his wife, Mayumi, a Japanese citizen. She allowed to plead guilty to a misdemeanor.
R. HEENE: The threat of deportation was imminent. I can`t break up my family.
HAMMER: Heene also has a convenient explanation for his son`s "we did it for a show" comment.
R. HEENE: I asked Falcon after that - I asked him, "Why did you say that? What are you talking about?" And he said, a Japanese camera man holding giant camera asked him to show him how he got into the attic for his TV show. That`s why falcon answered that.
KING: You didn`t mean you were doing it for a proposed TV show?
R. HEENE: No.
HAMMER: As you might imagine, the sheriff who busted Heene tells Larry King he isn`t exactly taking Heene at his word.
SHERIFF JIM ALDERDEN, LARIMER COUNTY, COLORADO: Quite honestly, I`m shocked that he would make such statements. The evidence against Mr. Heene and Mayumi at this point is very overwhelming.
HAMMER: As part of his sentence, Heene isn`t allowed to profit from the whole balloon boy mess, but he is allowed to talk about it. Who knows what he`ll come up with next? Maybe he`ll say the balloon boy stunt was a test of the nation`s air defenses or an audition for the Macy`s Thanksgiving Day parade, or for a remake of the movie "Up."
PIAZZA: He`s obviously someone that loves attention, wants to be famous. And he figured if he came out and gave this big interview, completely reversing his story, people would have to pay attention to him.
HAMMER: But no matter how many times Heene changes his story, one part will remain the same, that America will probably always think the fame-hungry family behind the balloon boy saga is full of hot air.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HAMMER: Oh, just when we thought that this had come to the last stop of the balloon boy train wreck, well, the train keeps on chugging along.
With me here in New York tonight is Carolina Bermudez. She`s the senior editor for "In Touch Weekly." In Hollywood tonight, Tony Potts - he`s a correspondent for "Access Hollywood."
Carolina, how does the expression go, "Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me."
CAROLINA BERMUDEZ: Shame on me.
HAMMER: Yes. Here`s my question. Could his twisted logic perhaps actually be right? Maybe we`re the ones who have it wrong?
CAROLINA BERMUDEZ, SENIOR EDITOR, "IN TOUCH WEEKLY": No, I don`t think anybody would believe this guy at this point anymore. Here`s the problem. Once you start blaming your 6-year-old son for things that you`ve done, I think your credibility goes out the window especially when the evidence that everyone has seen against them is so strong and it keeps mounting. And he`s not really helping himself out in anyway. But blaming your child? I just don`t get it.
HAMMER: He`s just kind of reinforcing an image that I think we already have of the guy. So even if we believe the balloon dad pled guilty to save his wife from being deported from Japan, even if we believe that he thought the boy was actually in the balloon - right - here`s something I can`t get past - why his son said, live on CNN, that the hoax was for a TV show. Watch what he told CNN`s Larry King.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KING: The authorities, Richard, specifically cited Falcon`s words as part of the probable cause they had for believing you committed a criminal offense. He said you did it for a show.
R. HEENE: OK. Well, first off, let`s take into consideration he`s only been speaking English and just learned three and a half years prior to that. He`s 6 years old.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: OK. Tony Potts, off to you. I`m sorry. Isn`t that just nuts?
TONY POTTS, CORRESPONDENT, ACCESS HOLLYWOOD: First off, he also says that a Japanese camera man told him it was for a show. What do we have - Godzilla next is going to appear on a balloon?
I mean, one of the things that I think Richard needs to do - when I was at the house, OK? I was outside the house and saw the tanks that they took out, the gas tanks. And he needs to get his lips off the gas tanks, OK? He`s got too much going on up here that`s not good.
Secondly, he needs to look in the mirror and stop blaming everybody else. We went inside the house with "Access Hollywood," and Mayumi, the wife, is very sheltered in the sense that she was very shy.
I think she`s kind of mixed up in all of this. One of the things that I think is interesting, if you notice, she`s sentenced to 20 days in jail and he is as well.
The authorities have made sure that the kids will have one of parents around. So the first one goes for 20 days, then the father 20 days after that or vice versa. But really, do we want the parents go back to these kids after all of that?
HAMMER: Yes.
BERMUDEZ: Yes...
HAMMER: It`s a really good point. And again, I think he`s reinforced this image this we`ve had of this guy once we learned the whole thing was a hoax. But maybe it`s just me, Carolina.
I do have a sneaking suspicion that when all the dust settles from this, this reality show train wreck of a guy is actually going to get his own reality show.
BERMUDEZ: Oh, hands down. He`s got his own show in the works right now. There`s somebody that`s going to give it to him. And the sad part is that people used to have to have a skill or have some type of a talent to get a television show.
Not any more. And I think that this just reinforces that if you have bad behavior, you`re going to get your own TV show. It`s really terrible.
POTTS: A.J., I can also add to that. I spoke with a man exclusively a day after that whole incident and he told me that worked on a reality with Richard for about a month, a month and a half. And everything was cool beans until Richard started coming up with these crazy ideas - we could do this to get attention and this to get attention.
So Richard had this planned out for a long time. And this guy just came forward because he didn`t want his name attached to this crazy guy.
BERMUDEZ: And I love how he says that his son didn`t know how to speak English for three and a half years. But yet teaching him on to go on YouTube and do these rap videos. He`s spoke fine then, but you know, now doesn`t know what he`s saying.
HAMMER: If you remember, he didn`t know what the heck a Wolf Blitzer was. Anyway, I want to remind you, you can see Larry King`s full interview with balloon dad, Friday, CNN, 9:00 p.m. Eastern.
Now, I want to move on to the next reality train wreck. Shocking news today that the White House party crashers have a brand-new gig, reportedly being paid to host a huge VIP-only party at a celeb-filled club in Vegas.
Tony Potts, I know you`ve been to this club. And as our friends at TMZ put it so well I can`t beat this - only in America does it pay to breach the highest levels of national security. I mean, this is just wrong, isn`t it?
POTTS: Absolutely. But remember, the Pure Nightclub also had Tonya Harding and Gary Coleman there as well to host a celebrity even, so that tells you the level or the lack of level that some of these people will pay to have them come to the club.
And they also said, you know, people want to rub up to people who have crashed the White House and gotten near Barack Obama. I don`t know. I`m done rubbing. That`s my New Year`s resolution - I`m not rubbing anymore this year. I`m done.
BERMUDEZ: You would have to pay me. You would have to pay me to go to those parties.
(CROSSTALK)
HAMMER: I`m thinking Michelle and Barack Obama should crash their party. But wait, there`s more reality train wreck madness tonight. New Tila Tequila outrage. The reality TV is getting slammed for really strange, quite tearful, caught-on-tape good-bye to Hollywood heiress and alleged fiancee, Casey Johnson, who, of course, died mysteriously. The tape appeared today on "Radar Online." Take a look at this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TILA TEQUILA, ALLEGED FIANCEE OF CASEY JOHNSON: There`s so much chaos going on without you here. And I just wish you were here because there`s so much chaos.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: OK. Carolina, Tony, Tila makes some startling claims and is at war with the Hilton sisters. It is just wild. Stay right where you are.
ANDERSON: Tiger, Tiger, Tiger, Tiger, even Sandra Bullock, America`s sweetheart, is making fun of you. Tonight, big news breaking, the joke`s on Tiger. The biggest stars out are there now making fun of Tiger Woods and his shocking cheating scandal.
And a lot of people made fun of Kate Gosselin`s hair. Remember the whole reverse mullet thing? Well, Kate ditched the mullet and has a brand- new mommy makeover. Everybody is talking about this today. It`s her dramatic new do sweet revenge against Jon? This is SHOWBIZ TONIGHT on HLN.
HAMMER: Now, the "SHOWBIZ News Ticker" - more stories from the SHOWBIZ TONIGHT newsroom making news right now.
TEXT: "Avatar" is now number all-time highest grossing movie: $1.12 billion; "Titanic," number one, $1.84 billion in sales. Ellen DeGeneres wins 11th People`s Choice Award for favorite talk show, beating Oprah.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ELLEN DEGENERES, HOST, "THE ELLEN DEGENERES SHOW": This is an honor I`m proud to be in the category. All the other nominees, thank you so much. Oprah, I love you and I`m sorry to hear your show got canceled, so I share this with you.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HAMMER: Welcome back to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. I`m A.J. Hammer in New York with Brooke Anderson in Hollywood. And tonight, trashing Tequila.
ANDERSON: Reality show train wreck, Tila Tequila, is getting slammed today, this time for a strange goodbye video to her fiancee, Hollywood heiress Casey Johnson who was found dead in her home on Monday.
You`ve got to see Tequila`s odd video. And if that`s not enough, there`s an even more bizarre video of Tila battling over Casey`s dogs.
With me again tonight in New York is Carolina Bermudez. She`s a senior editor for "In Touch Weekly." And Hollywood tonight, Tony Potts, who is a correspondent for "Access Hollywood."
Carolina, Tony, we ought to start by taking a look at this really strange goodbye message to Casey that Tila posted on "Radar Online" today. Watch this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TEQUILA: Casey, I just want to say that I love you so much and I miss you so much and that`s all that matters. There`s so much chaos going on without you here. And I just wish you were here because there is so much chaos. And none of that really matters to me, because all I know is that your love is right here with me always.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: OK. I know, everyone has his or her own way of grieving, but I really think this is beyond peculiar. Carolina, does this just seem like some desperate grab at attention?
BERMUDEZ: Well, that is what Tila Tequila is all about. That`s how she`s driven herself to fame. That`s why she exploits all of her feelings. Everything that she does is on the Internet. It`s on Twitter. It`s on MySpace, Facebook. That`s how she gets the attention that she wants.
But I remember a time when people used to mourn with dignity. And I just don`t think she`s going about this the right way.
ANDERSON: Yes.
POTTS: Well, Brooke, let me add thing...
ANDERSON: Yes. Whatever the motivation, it`s in incredibly poor taste. Go ahead, Tony.
POTTS: Well, I just want to say, in the old days - she`s right. Big society family like this would mourn in quiet. And anybody like Tila in the old days wouldn`t be heard from.
But now, what`s happened is that people like Tila through Twitter and Facebook and what have you, now have what`s called sort of a societal currency.
ANDERSON: Yes.
POTTS: That they can match a big society family. They can be heard whenever they want. By the way, Tila tweeted 15 times in about 13 minutes today or vice versa. And she`s been - as you guys were talking, she`s been doing it nonstop.
ANDERSON: Yes.
POTTS: A source told us that the family, the Johnson & Johnson family, takes anything Tila says with a grain of salt.
ANDERSON: Oh, I`m sure they do. And speaking of having that societal currency, let`s not forget that Tila was the one who actually broke the news of Casey`s death on, of all places, her Twitter page.
Since then, she has been using Twitter to randomly lash out at Casey`s friends and family. Today she wrote, "Casey picked me over her family, and that`s why they are all badmouthing me and the press because she loved me more."
All right. I really just cannot wrap my head around this. A woman has died and this is the kind of response that we`re hearing from a person who says that she loved her. Tony, isn`t this just despicable?
POTTS: Yes, it is despicable. I mean, she needs to get off Twitter. She needs to get off, you know, Facebook and what else and actually get off the airwaves if we could actually move her aside.
Yes, it is that way. But then again, this is what happens in this day and age. I mean, the Internet, I think is a great thing. Twitter is a great thing, but everything that is great can be misused in this way. And it has.
And I think what is interesting is, we just found out earlier today that, you know, there were two search warrants that were delivered to Tila`s house and to Casey`s house on December 11th, looking for alleged stolen items that a friend had said that happened.
So police were aware of the situation that`s going on between Tila and Casey for quite some time. And those search warrants did find items that this person did claim that Casey has stolen. So this story is far from what it appears. I want to warn everybody - when stuff like this happens, just take a step back and relax.
ANDERSON: Yes. These ancillary events are threatening to turn her death into a circus. It`s horrible. Carolina, very quickly - should Tila just turn off the Twitter and mourn the death with some grace and dignity?
BERMUDEZ: Absolutely, she needs to respect the family and what they`re going through right now. Let me just point out about her statement. Many people in the social circles have said that Tila was the worst thing that could have happened to Casey. And that`s the reason why she went into her downward spiral. So -
ANDERSON: Carolina Bermudez, Tony Potts, we`ll leave it there. Thanks, guys.
HAMMER: Makes me wonder if there`s Internet access in heaven. All right. Brooke, the "Showbiz on Call" phone lines have been flying off the hook today after we had a fired up debate about Joan Rivers getting banned from a flight.
Now, a gate agent didn`t like that Joan had two names on her passport. We got a ton of calls in flooding the "Showbiz on Call" operators. Everybody saying, can we talk?
ANDERSON: A.J., Joan called the agent a moron but Jennifer calling from Texas think it`s Joan who`s the moron.
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
JENNIFER, CALLER FROM TEXAS: I think she`s an idiot. I`ve been a flight attendant for a long time. It doesn`t matter who you are, or what status you think you have. In this day and age, after 9/11, she should know about security. She has no more precedence than anyone else on the airline. I don`t know who she thinks she is.
(END AUDIO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Thank you, Jennifer.
HAMMER: Now, Barbara from Tennessee called in to say Joan should not have been grounded.
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
BARBARA, CALLER FROM TENNESSEE: I say Joan Rivers is exactly right. I think the damn woman was an idiot. Everybody knows Joan Rivers and I love her. And I pity Joan.
(END AUDIO CLIP)
HAMMER: Thanks, Barbara. You can call us at "Showbiz on Call" and let you know what you think about this or anything else that`s on your mind.
ANDERSON: The "Showbiz on Call" phone lines are open 24/7. Write down this number - 1-888-SBT-BUZZ; 1-888-728-2899. Leave a voicemail. We`ll play some of your calls right here on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
HAMMER: Oh, boy. Some really bad news today for Charlie Sheen. You know, he`s accused of domestic violence and even reports that he held a knife to his wife`s throat. Well, aside from the big time criminal trouble he could be in, this is going to cost him some big-time cash as well.
Kate Gosselin big revenge. You know, everyone is talking today about Kate`s new do. Some people love it. Some hate it. But is her radical mommy makeover the sweetest revenge against her ex, Jon? It is the hair- raising debate.
HAMMER: And Bristol Palin, the new queen of spin? Yes, tonight, Sarah Palin`s daughter is starting her own public relations company. Really? This is SHOWBIZ TONIGHT on HLN.
Time now for the "SHOWBIZ News Ticker." These are more stories from the SHOWBIZ TONIGHT newsroom making news right now.
TEXT: Tori Spelling to write a third book called "Unchartered Territori." "Project Runway" host Heidi Klum launching two new lines of maternity clothes.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HAMMER: Seinfeld`s George Costanza taking the couch potato to the next level in his Lazy Boy, complete with a built-in refrigerator.
Well, tonight, I can tell you Jason Alexander, who played George, of course, is definitely no couch potato. He`s the brand-new spokesperson for Jenny Craig. It`s the Seinfeld slim-down. Tonight I can tell you that Jason Alexander is on a mission to lose weight.
So he`s taken a page out of the Kirstie Alley. Valerie Bertinelli and Queen Latifah playbooks. They were all Jenny Craig spokespeople. And now, he`s one too. Listen to what Jason says finally motivated him to take this dramatic step.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JASON ALEXANDER, ACTOR: It was a combination of a couple of things. One was seeing myself recently on film and just going, you know, when I look in the mirror, I can kind of see what I want to see, you know.
If you like your bathroom the right way, you can make it do anything. But when you look at yourself on film, it really does tell the tale. And of late, I would look at myself and go, it`s not even that I looked heavy. I did look heavy. But I looked unhealthy.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: Well, Alexander says his goal is to lose 30 pounds. And Jason, of course, we wish you the best.
ANDERSON: Hey, speaking of weight, I just checked our SHOWBIZ TONIGHT Facebook page. The posts are flying about this picture, Australian "Marie Claire" magazine putting un-retouched un-airbrushed nude model on the cover.
Very interesting because people are fired up and slamming the magazine and they`re also defending it. Mai S. thinks the mag made a big mistake says, "Women just want a bigger person on the front cover un-airbrushed so they can feel better about themselves. Having a beautiful woman un- airbrushed just makes them feel worse."
But Amy B. gives "Marie Claire" a thumbs up, "Even though this isn`t what an average girl would look like, it`s still better than the anorexic girls who are usually on the covers of these magazines."
Write me on Facebook and follow us on Twitter for breaking entertainment alerts. Sign up at CNN.com/ShowbizTonight.
HAMMER: Time now for the SHOWBIZ lineup. This is what we`ve got cooking for you at the bottom of the hour here on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
Hey, Tiger Woods. Tonight, even Sandra Bullock, of all people, is making fun of you. You know you are in trouble if America`s sweetheart is going after you. And you know what? She`s not the only big star who`s slamming Tiger.
Also tonight, really bad news for Charlie Sheen. Not only is Charlie accused of attacking his wife; he is about to lose a ton of money because of all of this.
And Miley is miffed. You know, Miley Cyrus has been slammed for being a bad role model. Well, tonight, Miley Cyrus is saying it`s not her problem. Wait until you hear what she is saying. This is SHOWBIZ TONIGHT on HLN.
Time now to roll out the "SHOWBIZ News Ticker." These are more stories from the SHOWBIZ TONIGHT newsroom and they`re making news right now.
TEXT: Lady Gaga is the new face of Polaroid. Brand is trying to make a comeback. Ohio police chief in Sarah Jessica Parker snooping case cops a plea deal.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HAMMER: Now, on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, the joke`s on Tiger. Hey, you know you`re in trouble when even America`s sweetheart is making fun of you. Tonight, wait until you hear the outrageous thing Sandra Bullock said about Tiger Woods` sex scandal.
Kate`s revenge. Everyone is talking about Kate Gosselin`s new look for the new year. But is Kate`s new do sweet revenge on Jon? The great Kate hair debate.
And Bristol Palin`s political PR machine. Yes, we heard today that Bristol is starting her own company. Plus, more stories breaking from the "SHOWBIZ News Ticker."
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: TV`s most provocative entertainment news show continues right now.
(MUSIC)
Welcome back to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. It`s 30 minutes past the hour. I`m A.J. Hammer, broadcasting tonight and every night from New York City.
ANDERSON: I`m Brooke Anderson, coming to you tonight from Hollywood. And tonight, Charlie Sheen loses his underwear. "America`s Got talent" loses the Hoff and the joke is on Tiger Woods. Here`s the buzz today.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON (voice-over): The joke`s on Tiger at the People`s Choice Awards. Tiger was the target of George Lopez and Sandra Bullock who both took shots at him over his sex and cheating scandal.
It happened when Lopez presented Bullock with the award for Best Movie Actress.
GEORGE LOPEZ, COMEDIAN: I have the honor of naming the five white women in America that Tiger Woods has not slept with.
SANDRA BULLOCK, ACTRESS: I just would like to make a correction that it`s only four women up here who have not slept with Tiger Woods.
ANDERSON: Bullock won best actress for her starring role in the blockbuster movie, "The Blind Side." Charlie Sheen loses his underwear deal. Hanes is pulling the underwear ad that had featured Sheen for the past two years because of his domestic violence arrest.
Hanes says it started yanking TV ads off the air December 28th, soon after Sheen was accused of threatening his wife with a weapon. Some print ads featuring Sheen will be out there until spring because they were distributed before his arrest.
"America Has Talent," but is losing Hasselhoff. David Hasselhoff has just revealed he will leave his judge`s chair on TV`s "America`s Got Talent." The Hoff says he`s ready to move on after four years and now wants to launch his own show, but he hasn`t said what kind. NBC says it`s sad to see him go.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HAMMER: That`s a lot of buzz. Let`s begin with Tiger Woods. Joining me tonight from Hollywood, Michael Yo who is a celebrity correspondent for "E!" Also tonight in Hollywood, Tanika Ray who is an entertainment journalist.
There was something to see - Sandra Bullock, of all people, taking pot shots at Tiger Woods on the People`s Choice Awards.
I`m watching this thinking - I`m thinking, "Hey, you know, Tiger, if you`ve lost Sandra, you`ve lost the country." Now, George Lopez named the five nominees for Best Actress. Sandra Bullock accepted the award. Watch how it played out.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LOPEZ: I have the honor of naming the five white women in America that Tiger Woods has not slept with.
BULLOCK: I would just like to make a correction that it`s only four women up here who have not slept with Tiger Woods.
(LAUGHTER)
Just kidding. I`m so just kidding. Please.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: It was fantastic. Off to you, Michael Yo. Are you with me? This really does solidify how big a national joke Tiger Woods has now become?
MICHAEL YO, CELEBRITY CORRESPONDENT, "E!": You know what? I don`t know if he`s a national joke. But the thing is, he is the hottest thing on market. I know David Letterman is relieved. Josh Duhamel when that rumor about him - you know, Fergie. He`s relieved. He`s like, "Thank the lord Tiger Woods came around."
You know, he`s the biggest, hottest thing out there right now. So everybody`s going to make jokes about him.
HAMMER: Yes. I mean, I supposed that`s true. But Tanika Ray, you know what I`m saying if you`ve lost Sandra Bullock, you`ve lost the country. I mean, she`s America`s sweetheart and she`s up there, poking fun at this guy.
TANIKA RAY, ENTERTAINMENT JOURNALIST: I mean, she didn`t want to be left out. Come on, A.J. We all want to take pot shots at Tiger. In the beginning, it was a full-blown Tiger drama. Now, it`s just slapstick comedy and he is the greatest punch line. We haven`t had this big of a celebrity infidelity since Bill Clinton and he had about four years of it. So Tiger`s got some time.
HAMMER: Yes. And that was one woman. Perhaps just as romping as the Tiger jokes is, all the wild speculation of where Tiger Woods has surfaced. Now, he hasn`t been seen, of course, since he crashed his car outside his house on Thanksgiving.
So let`s go to the SHOWBIZ TONIGHT map. The supposed sightings have gotten ridiculous. Let`s play, "Where in the world is Tiger Woods?"
All right. The latest report has Tiger hiding out at the estate of the Cable Vision mogul, Jim Dolan. Though Dolan strongly denies that, other reports say Tiger`s been spotted hanging around in New York City.
Now, some say he`s still in Florida. He`s at fellow golfer Arnold Palmer`s house or perhaps even at his own house, chipping golf balls. Or maybe even on his boat called "Privacy" heading to the Bahamas.
Now, Tiger has also supposedly been spotted in San Francisco at his mom`s house in Orange County, California. And if that`s not enough, he`s even supposedly in France and on safari in Africa.
Now, if all of this were true, he`s juggling more locations than women at this point. Michael Yo, has this truly reached the point of absurdity?
YO: You know what`s crazy to me? Tiger Woods is harder to fine than Bin Laden. I don`t really under this. I mean, we`ve got to go with the obvious here. Tiger Woods - we`ve got to go with the obvious, really. Tiger Woods, right now is in a ball in a fetal position up a girl`s skirt.
RAY: That`s what I was going to say.
HAMMER: No, no, no.
YO: He`s listening right - yes.
(CROSSTALK)
HAMMER: Michael, I don`t have a place for that on my map. I`m sorry. I`ve got to move on to another guy who is in hot water right now. Let`s talk about Charlie Sheen, who`s kind of earned his latest nickname, Teflon Charlie, because you know, scandal doesn`t seem to affect him.
But today, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT has learned the Teflon certainly is wearing thin. Underwear company, Hanes, has dropped all TV commercials featuring Charlie. Hanes revealed that they started pulling the ads soon after Sheen was arrested on those domestic violence charges for allegedly threatening his wife, Brooke Mueller.
Now, Tanika, his show, "Two and a Half Men," is the most popular sitcom on all of television. I`m wondering if it is now conceivable that he could end up losing that, too, depending on how things go.
RAY: No. "Two and a Half Men`s" pretty dang funny. But Charlie Sheen is the heart and soul of that show. Yes, Jon Cryer is great. But without Charlie Sheen, that show would be a no-go. There`s too many people who are banking on that show to make a lot of money and to continue on.
So I don`t think they`re going to pull the plug unless it gets worse. The allegations and the stories get even more salacious. I think he`s good.
HAMMER: That`s the point. Yes, I mean, Tanika, if things really go downhill, if he`s brought up on charges and all of things that have been alleged prove to be true ...
RAY: Yes.
HAMMER: ... I don`t know how the network, the company that produces the show, can back a show like that with a guy on it like that.
RAY: Yes. They`ve done it before. I think...
(CROSSTALK)
YO: A.J., let me tell you this. The only way he`s going to lose that job if Commissioner David Stern comes in and fires him himself. That`s the only way he`s going to lose that job.
RAY: Yes. He`s not going to lose that job. And here`s the thing, with Hanes, you have to remember, men don`t buy underwear; women do. So they ain`t buying nothing being hawked by somebody who actually had something violent towards a woman. So that`s the biggest difference there. The television show - we don`t care. People get television shows all the time who are disgusting, so that`s nothing new.
HAMMER: Well, as I mentioned, until Hanes pulled this ad and all the ads that they were running, a lot of people were saying Sheen was this Teflon scandal guy.
So here`s what we asked in our SHOWBIZ TONIGHT question of the day - "Charlie Sheen: Is he scandal proof?" We got the results in late today. Only 26 percent now say yes; 74 percent say absolutely not. Scandal does affect this guy.
Brooke Anderson, it does seem that the tide is turning against Charlie Sheen. The question I have for you is, is it about time?
ANDERSON: Well, yes. These are very serious charges. He was arrested on felony charges and you just can`t sweep that under the rug. And listen, Charlie Sheen has had a bad boy reputation for a long time. So people aren`t shocked when he does something out of line.
But if these domestic violence allegations are true, he does need some serious help. The two of them need some serious counseling before it gets to an extremely dangerous point.
RAY: Hey, guys. But let`s not forget, you could be a panty chaser. You could be a pimp and hoe. You could be a drug addict and an alcoholic. But once you touch a woman, the deal is off.
HAMMER: Yes. Game over right there. All right. Let`s move on to some more big news breaking today. David Hasselhoff has just announced he`s leaving "America`s Got Talent" after four seasons on the show.
He says he is starting up his own show. He`s what he tells SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, "It`s been a rewarding experience and now, I`m thrilled to follow my dream to do my own TV show which will be announced very shortly."
Now, of course, these days, when you talk about Hasselhoff, it is hard to ignore. He`s been battling alcohol abuse. He`s publicly fallen off the wagon a number of times since that show started.
What do you think, Michael Yo? Given all of Hasselhoff`s troubles, does he perhaps need to take a little break, maybe disappear for a while and work on himself and not another show?
YO: Absolutely. I mean, why are you jumping back into television? You should take a break.
RAY: Money...
YO: There`s just rumors a couple of weeks ago that he was actually getting in trouble again. He was hospitalized. Just get out. Stay out for a while. I mean, you`ve had a long career. Let it go, Hoff.
RAY: It`s not going to happen. It`s not going to happen.
HAMMER: Well, let me ask you, Tanika. It is not like this guy needs the money. He`s - in addition to appearing on television, he`s an international music superstar that people are unaware of. And I don`t think it`s for the cash. Why do you say it`s not going to happen?
RAY: It`s not ever about the money. It is about a large, man-sized ego. Michael, you know - you`ve interviewed David. He`s a sweet guy. He`s got a very healthy self-esteem and he sees himself still as a leading man.
He`s not done making hundreds of millions of dollars on shows like "Baywatch," which who knew that show would be as huge it was?
HAMMER: No kidding.
RAY: It broke records. He`s ready to take on the leading man role and make some television show huge and international and make more money and be a huge star. That`s why he`s leaving.
HAMMER: Got to leave it there. Tanika Ray, Michael Yo, thanks, guys. I appreciate it.
ANDERSON: Tonight, is Kate Gosselin getting sweet revenge in the form of hair extensions? Everybody talking about Kate`s new look. But it got us wondering, did Kate ditch the reverse mullet and get a red hot makeover to get revenge on Jon?
Also, are the super-skinny models` days numbered? Wait until you check out this brand-new magazine issue chock full of plus-sized models. So what message is this sending? I`ve got the fired-up debate.
And Bristol Palin`s new gig. Today, we heard that Sarah Palin`s young daughter is starting her own PR company. Really? This is SHOWBIZ TONIGHT on HLN.
HAMMER: Now, this is the "SHOWBIZ News Ticker" - more stories from the SHOWBIZ TONIGHT newsroom making news right now.
TEXT: Roman Polanski`s lawyer asks judge to sentence him in 1977 sex case without him there. Mariah Carey blames loopy acceptance speech on "splashes of champagne."
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MARIAH CAREY, SINGER AND ACTRESS: And please forgive me because I`m a little bit - yes.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Welcome back to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. I`m Brooke Anderson in Hollywood with A.J. Hammer in New York.
HAMMER: Tonight, is Kate Gosselin getting her ultimate revenge? Kate`s brand-new do has been generating a lot of explosive buzz today.
ANDERSON: That`s right, A.J. And I`ve got to tell you, we are getting some outrageous comments on a burning question that we`ve been asking - is Kate`s new do the ultimate revenge on her ex, Jon Gosselin?
Kate`s new look featured on the new issue of "People" has been shaking up the SHOWBIZ TONIGHT Facebook page all day long. Wait until you hear what people are saying.
Also, just in today - get a load of this. Brand-new photo spread of plus-sized models. They`re strutting their stuff in "V" magazine. Does this mean the end of the super skinny model? I sure hope so.
ANDERSON: And mark this one under "you just can`t make this stuff up." We learned today that Sarah Palin`s teenage daughter, Bristol, reportedly launching her very own public relations firm. Yes.
Joining me tonight from Hollywood, Jessica Weiner, an author and self- esteem expert. In New York, Whitney Casey, author of "The Man Plan," now available in paperback.
Jessica, Whitney, what a difference a do makes, huh? Kate`s new long locks compared to her shorter, once-signature look getting more attention than anything Jon could have dreamed up.
I`ve got to say, a lot of people are saying she looks smoking hot. Whitney, do you think that Kate`s new do is the ultimate revenge on Jon?
WHITNEY CASEY, AUTHOR, "THE MAN PLAN": I don`t know when hair became revenge. But you know, I guess if you had a mullet or a reverse mullet, this is much better.
But what I think would the best revenge, if these reality stars could actually translate fame, not into more fame, but fame into money, like Kim Kardashian - she`s got a perfume. She`s got porn. Paris - she`s got porn and perfume. Can we have - maybe if Kate Gosselin actually came out with some hair extension line, she could really get revenge. But you know - no. A haircut is not revenge.
ANDERSON: That`s a new one. I`ve never heard Kim Kardashian or Paris Hilton put up as examples for others. But there`s always a first, Whitney.
Our Facebook fans have really flooded the SHOWBIZ TONIGHT Facebook wall today, the comments still pouring in.
Beth A. wrote, "Yes, the best revenge against an ex is to look hot. You lose weight. Change your hair. Buy some sexy clothes. Eat your heart out, Jon."
Heather L. wrote this, "Love it! I hope Jon wants her back and she tells him off."
Jess, is Kate really getting back at Jon with this fresh new look and new Kate?
JESSICA WEINER, AUTHOR AND SELF-ESTEEM EXPERT: No, Kate isn`t getting back at Jon. And I just want to be like the total voice of reality for a minute, Brooke. And you know that I think Kate has had way more than 15 minutes of an allotted time.
I would like to see those 20 hours that she spent getting those hair extensions and devote that to two hours of therapy for each kid she has. Because let me tell you, that is the real loser in this whole case.
The more she goes out and kind of pimps herself out there and remakes her appearance and continues to sort of be so narcissistic in her pursuit of fame and money. We have eight children whose lives have been, you know, irrevocably changed. And that really saddens me.
ANDERSON: Yes.
WEINER: I know we`re making lots of jokes and it`s easy to do that. But in the end, I want this woman to be a mom and get some responsibility and pay attention to what`s in front of her and not, you know, what her hair looks like.
ANDERSON: Well, there has been a lot of talk that the kids have been affected by this. And she has even said she is working to help the children and to hopefully improve the situation so that they aren`t impacted down the future - down the line as they get older.
Well, Our SHOWBIZ TONIGHT on call phone lines went wild today. And they weren`t talking so much about Kate`s children, but they were focused on the new do.
And Scott in Arkansas says, love it. And Jon, you made a big mistake with that Hailey Glassman girlfriend. Take a listen to Scott.
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
SCOTT, CALLER FROM ARKANSAS: I think she looks fantastic. And she had a smoking bod before. And now, with the longer hair - like Hailey Glassman says, it`s a fresh new start. We all do know where she got the body from. And that`s all that needs to be said. She looks fantastic.
(END AUDIO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Thank you, Scott.
Now, Kate`s before and after is a winner. We`re going to keep it light here. But what about Jon? Here`s the old Kate with the old Jon back in the day of an innocent "Jon & Kate Plus 8."
Now, the new Kate and Jon - well, not much new. Whitney, it does seem to me divorce is agreeing with Kate a lot more than Jon.
CASEY: Oh, most definitely. She definitely gets the best before and after shot, where he gets the best mug shot. I can`t say no more.
ANDERSON: And we`ll leave it at that. Here`s something else, you guys, that really caught our eye today. Take a look at the photo spread of plus-sized models strutting their stuff in a highly regarded fashion magazine, "V," which is devoting its entire issue to plus-sized women.
Jess, I think this is incredible. And I bet a lot of women are going to be saying, "Hey, it is about time."
WEINER: I think so, Brooke. You know, I`m going to sort of - I have two opinions about this. And one, certainly being a curvy woman in the world and any woman who is not born with a sort of toothpick body is going to look at this and go, "Hallelujah, there I am." Or "There`s my mom or my sister or my best friend."
And really, beauty should be celebrated in all sizes. But I also love when the media and when fashion in particular pretends as though like finding a plus-sized woman is beautiful. It`s like finding a unicorn. You know, they are everywhere and women are beautiful in all shapes and sizes. And you know...
(CROSSTALK)
ANDERSON: You`re right. They are everywhere. It may not be the end of the bone-thin models. But maybe it`s enough of a statement that more publications follow suit after this.
WEINER: Yes.
ANDERSON: I do want to move now to the brand-new report just in today that Sarah Palin`s 19-year-old daughter Bristol is launching her own PR firm. Whitney, I know somebody who could use PR advice and that is the estranged father of her baby, Levi Johnston. Very quickly, what do you think? Should he be her first client?
CASEY: Oh, definitely. And then, the teenage moms are signing up by the droves. I mean, the best advice is for her to go back to college, to get out of high school.
ANDERSON: Yes.
CASEY: Go back to college. And you know, just because you`ve been maligned in the media does not give you the street creds to go be a PR person.
WEINER: Maybe she could represent Kate Gosselin`s new hair.
CASEY: Great idea.
ANDERSON: Very ambitious effort by Bristol. Jessica Weiner, Whitney Casey, thanks, girls.
HAMMER: Tonight, is Lindsay Lohan a great big copycat? According to a report in the fashion publication "WWD," two separate designers are accusing Lindsay of totally copying their designs for her own fashion line.
Now, Lindsay`s label is called "6126." Lindsay herself hasn`t said anything yet about these accusations, but the president of 6126 does say Lindsay did not copy a thing. She says, "Any alleged similarities are just a coincidence."
ANDERSON: Miley Cyrus says raise your own kids. Tonight, Miley`s incredible, explosive comments about being a role model. Miley gives the adults out there an earful, so listen up. This is SHOWBIZ TONIGHT on HLN.
Now, for the "SHOWBIZ News Ticker" - more stories from the SHOWBIZ TONIGHT newsroom making news right now.
TEXT: Gary Coleman released from hospital after suffering slight seizure. "The Hangover," number one selling DVD for third week in a row, tops rental charts as well.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANDERSON: Tonight, Miley Cyrus says. "Raise your own kids." In a brand-new interview with "Harper`s Bazaar," Miley talks about pressures of being a role model at 17 years old.
That pressure got a lot more intense after Miley did a pole dance at the Teen Choice Awards last summer. Some parents went nuts saying she looked like a stripper.
Miley says it comes down to this, quote, "My job is to be a role model and that`s what I want to do. But my job isn`t to be a parent. My job isn`t to tell your kids how to act or how not to act, because I`m still figuring that out for myself. So to take that away from me is a bit selfish. Your kids are going to make mistakes whether I do or not. That`s just life."
HAMMER: Did you see this? Alyssa Milano gets a "Jersey Shore" makeover. I`m going to show you this very funny video in just a second.
But first, you remember this, the Dove evolution ad? It shows the transformation of a woman through hair and makeup and photoshopping really making the point that it`s no wonder that our perception of beauty is distorted. Pretty powerful stuff there.
Well, in a new video on "Funny or Die," the same concept is used to spoof MTV`s reality show, "Jersey Shore," which follows the drunken exploits of self-described Guidos and Guidettes. And the spoof stars none other than Alyssa Milano.
(MUSIC)
HAMMER: I think that`s fantastic. If you were wondering why she did that, Alyssa Milano is reportedly one of many Italian-Americans who takes issue with the show. "Us" magazine reported that her husband showed her a commercial for it on YouTube, and it really upset her. Definitely, it looks like Alyssa is getting the last laugh there.
ANDERSON: On Wednesday, we asked you to vote on our SHOWBIZ TONIGHT question of the day. Just moments ago, we did get those final results. The question - "Charlie Sheen: Is he scandal proof?" Only 26 percent of you say yes; 74 percent don`t think so.
Here are some of the E-mails we received. Lisa from Nebraska writes, "He has always been a bad boy, and I think that is why women go for him, and he always will be."
Tom from New York thinks this, "Nobody is scandal-proof. We just have higher expectations of some than of others."
And we do appreciate your E-mails. Keep them coming.
HAMMER: It looks like the easy road is over for Charlie there, Brooke.
ANDERSON: Yes.
HAMMER: That is it for SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. Thanks for watching. I`m A.J. Hammer in New York.
ANDERSON: I`m Brooke Anderson in Hollywood. Don`t forget you can catch SHOWBIZ TONIGHT on the 11:00s - 11:00 p.m. Eastern and Pacific, and in the morning, 11:00 a.m. Eastern on HLN. Take care.
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