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Showbiz Tonight
Neil Patrick Harris Versus Eric Braeden; Rockers and Shockers; Shocking Star Splits
Aired December 20, 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, CO-HOST: Big news breaking today on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. Neil Patrick Harris versus one of the biggest soap stars of all time. Their brand new explosive battle. Why Neil called "The Young and the Restless" star Eric Braeden a D-bag. Eric`s startling response. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT asks, who`s out of line here? You decide.
BROOKE ANDERSON, CO-HOST: Rockers and shockers - the rock stars who totally shocked us today. John Mayer, his explosive sex confessions about Jessica Simpson. Taylor Swift singing about her exes. LeAnn Rimes defending her affair. Who is the most shocking?
HAMMER: Shocking star splits. Sandra and Jesse. David and Courteney. Eva and Tony. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT reveals the shocking star breakup today.
ANDERSON: TV`s most provocative entertainment news show starts right now.
(MUSIC PLAYING)
HAMMER: Hello, I`m A.J. Hammer coming to you from New York City.
ANDERSON: Hi, there, everyone. I`m Brooke Anderson in Hollywood with big news breaking today - a star showdown between a beloved sitcom star and a beloved soap star.
ANDERSON: Yes. Brooke, there appears to be no holiday cheer between these two. You know, Neil Patrick Harris unloading on "The Young and the Restless" star Eric Braeden for bailing out of a cameo on Harris` CBS sitcom, "How I Met Your Mother."
Now, Harris went on Twitter and he actually called Braeden a, quote, "D-bag." Yes. But Harris may have messed with the wrong soap star. For 30 years, Braeden has played Victor on "The Young and the Restless." And anyone who watches the show absolutely knows he is not one to be to be dissed.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ERIC BRAEDEN, ACTOR: You know, you`re not the one who should cast aspersions on other people`s character.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: Now, Braeden is slamming Harris for casting aspersions on his character. Well, today Braeden suggesting to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT that Harris needs to learn to respect his elders. Wow, I hope they don`t run into each other at the CBS holiday party.
Right now, from Miami, it`s Eugene Ramirez, who is an entertainment journalist. And here in Hollywood, Tanika Ray, who is an entertainment journalist.
OK, so the Harris-Braeden war started with a tweet that Neil Patrick Harris sent his fans. Here`s what it said, "Eric Braeden is a D-bag. The actor (Robin`s dad) agreed to a cameo then, last night, bailed saying the part wasn`t `substantial` enough."
That`s pretty harsh. Now, Braeden was supposed to guest star as the father of the character Robin on "How I Met Your Mother."
Tanika, I have always like Neil Patrick Harris and this really surprised me. I`m thinking it was just a bad idea for him to take on Braeden so publicly. What do you think?
TANIKA RAY, ENTERTAINMENT JOURNALIST: Twitter strikes again. It really bad that he struck out at Eric Braeden. Here`s the thing. I went to high school with Eric Braeden`s son, shout out to Christian Gudegast, a class act al the way.
Eric Braeden is going to a class act. If it was going to be anybody that you make fun of, at least make sure he actually is a D-bag. Don`t just sort of spew things at somebody you don`t really know that well.
HAMMER: Yes.
RAY: Eric Braeden has proven time and time again that he`s classy. I just think that NPH made a little bit of a mistake and he`ll probably never do it again.
HAMMER: Well, and I think he had a pretty reasonable reason for bailing. I don`t know the circumstances particularly -
RAY: Absolutely.
HAMMER: As far as how he went about bailing. But he`s explaining why he bailed on "How I Met Your Mother." He says he had just had hip surgery and today, he told SHOWBIZ TONIGHT that he had a heavy workload on "The Young and the Restless" that left him exhausted and that he bailed on the "How I Met Your Mother" cameo because it was such a small role, which actually kind of makes sense when you think about it.
Well, he got a shot back in at Neil Patrick Harris at the same time. He told SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, "I`ve been in this business for 50 years. I`ve seen so many actors come and go, most of them never to be seen or heard of again."
And about Harris, here what`s Braeden told us, quote, "I suggest whoever this young fellow is enjoy his success and count his blessings and save his money." Wow.
RAY: Perfect.
HAMMER: Braeden pulling no punches there. But Eugene, was Braeden`s response to Harris overly harsh? Tanika seemed to like it.
EUGENE RAMIREZ, ENTERTAINMENT JOURNALIST: No. I think Eric Braeden proved that Neil Patrick Harris was right in calling him a D-bag because of that response.
HAMMER: Really?
RAY: No way.
RAMIREZ: Absolutely. You have a guy who Neil Patrick Harris, who also has been in the business for decades, who`s proven to be a good actor. How are you going to discredit this (INAUDIBLE)?
The guy has hosted the Emmys. He opened the Oscars. He`s an actor in his own right, a star in his own right. For Eric Braeden to come out now and say, "Who is guy? Who does this guy think he is? I`ve been doing this for 50 years," that`s wrong. And that tells me - yes.
RAY: He puts it into perspective.
RAMIREZ: Maybe he was right. Neil Patrick Harris was right.
RAY: When it comes down to it, health comes first. Health comes first.
HAMMER: Yes. Here`s the thing, though. I think he was also probably goofing around a little bit when he said whoever this young man is.
RAY: Exactly.
HAMMER: I really want to believe he is not so detached from the reality of modern television and, you know, theater and all the things that Neil Patrick Harris has quite successfully done that you mention there, Eugene.
But Harris did dial down the D-bag diss against Braeden when he later tweeted this. He wrote, "Now, I feel bad for the D-bag comment. Don`t know the guy personally. I`m just fiercely protective of our show."
And I get that. I`m protective of SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. But I think Harris was a little shortsighted in going after Braeden in the way he did.
RAY: Absolutely.
HAMMER: Tanika, do you think Harris` explanation at least justifies his Twitter outburst to some degree that he was being protective of the show?
RAY: Absolutely. For NPH, his show is the center of his universe. And sometimes it`s hard to see outside your sphere. So yes, he was really upset because it probably screwed with their schedules and it messed up his life for a small amount of time.
And he needs to see the world in a more macro-sense. And I think he got a little bit of reality check when Eric Braeden shot back. And I think he did it in a very classy way and he made his point right on the nose. So this is going to be squashed. They`ll kiss and make up at the next CBS party for sure.
HAMMER: Yes.
RAMIREZ: That`s what I`m saying. It like playground antics here, guys. Shake hands and move on. Grow up. It`s all childish the whole thing, right?
HAMMER: Yes. And Eugene, what do you think that Harris and Braeden should both learn from the whole Twitter feud that was launched here by Neil Patrick Harris.
RAY: Stay off Twitter.
RAMIREZ: Well, first things first. You know, be careful what you do on social media. I think we shouldn`t be talking about work problems, especially when you have over a million followers like Neil Patrick Harris does.
And when it comes to Eric Braeden, just let it go. Let it slide. You really have these years of experience and you`re such a great actor. Don`t be bothered by Neil Patrick Harris. Just let it fly and be positive.
HAMMER: I think more people know the name Eric Braeden today than have for some years, I`m guessing.
(CROSSTALK)
But we do have other big stories that are breaking today, and off to Brooke Anderson. What`s going on, Brooke?
ANDERSON: Well, A.J., a "Jersey Shore" star is indicted for assault. Also, was it Gwyneth Paltrow who hooked up Taylor Swift and Jake Gyllenhaal? Lady Gaga cancelled in France. It`s all making big news in "The Buzz Today." Watch.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
(voice-over) Lady Gaga snowed in and peeved in Paris. Gaga was no match for a massive European snowstorm. She just revealed Sunday`s cancelled concert in Paris is being postponed until Tuesday.
The weather forced the French government to close the roads which kept her concert trucks from arriving in time for the show. On her Twitter page, Gaga says she`s devastated adding, "I love Paris and I love my French fans. I`m sorry, little monsters. A photo of storm, I`m stuck on bus." But she adds, "I promise to give you the nights of your life."
"Jerry Shore" jailbird? "Jersey Shore" star Ronnie Ortiz-Magro was just indicted by a New Jersey grand jury for assault. Ronnie is accused of knocking a man unconscious in an off-camera incident during the first season of "Jersey Shore."
RONNIE ORTIZ-MAGRO, CAST MEMBER, "THE JERSEY SHORE": That`s one shot, Ted(ph). That`s one shot.
ANDERSON: Something he bragged about on camera. An assault charge like this one can reportedly result in a five-year prison sentence.
Gwyneth the matchmaker. Gwyneth Paltrow is reportedly responsible for putting Taylor Swift together with Jake Gyllenhaal. The love match supposedly happened at Gwyneth`s London home during a dinner party.
When the Oscar winner was confronted with the report, she didn`t deny it telling "USA Today," "I`ve just known Jake for a long time and he`s a great guy. And Chris has a friendship with Taylor. It`s so weird. I wonder how people find out these things."
(END VIDEOTAPE)
I wonder how people find out these things. That kind of sounds like an admission to me. Tanika, I think it`s cute that Gwyneth and her husband were, in a way, matchmakers here for Taylor and Jake. What do you think? Are you surprised by this?
RAY: I am because who would have thunk it that Gwyneth knew Jake. I didn`t know they did a movie together.
ANDERSON: Right. And then they all were at a London dinner party at their home.
RAY: And Chris is friends with a 21-year-old. It`s bizarre, but I guess celebrities need to help celebrities, other celebrities find love. And what better (INAUDIBLE).
ANDERSON: Because they hang out with each other.
RAY: Exactly.
ANDERSON: Yes. I mean, like you said, you know, I realize in the world of celebrities, a lot of people are connected. But this star matchmaking is a little bit random. Eugene, did you see this one coming?
RAMIREZ: Not at all. But you know what I think is happening here is Taylor Swift - who has she dated in the past? Joe Jonas, Taylor Lautner - little boys. She wants a man.
RAY: A man.
RAMIREZ: And Gwyneth Paltrow being the good friend that she is said, "You know what? I`m going to find you a man and not any man. I`m going to find you Jake Gyllenhaal." Does it get any better than that? That`s what`s going on here.
RAY: I love them. I think they`re a great match.
ANDERSON: They`re really cute together. OK. So Gwyneth was responsible for this celebrity star connection. Now, I`m wondering, Tanika, if maybe, just maybe, Taylor Swift was Gwyneth`s big country music inspiration.
RAY: There you go. And maybe she was giving her some tips behind the scenes. That makes it a little harder for Taylor to talk crap about them if they do break up down the road in a song. She`s got a lot of responsibility now. You don`t want to piss off Gwyneth and Chris.
ANDERSON: Keep it out of the lyrics. Eugene Ramirez, Tanika Ray, thank you both.
And there were so many shocking splits this year. We`re going to talk about that because I want to hear from you. It is our exclusive SHOWBIZ TONIGHT poll - "Star Splits of 2010: Whose split is the most shocking?"
Here are your choices: Courteney Cox and David Arquette. Sandra Bullock and Jesse James. How about Eva Longoria and Tony Parker? Vote at CNN.com/ShowbizTonight. E-mail us showbiztonight@cnn.com.
HAMMER: All right. Moving on, rockers and shockers. The rock stars who totally shocked us with what they did and what they said. Keith Urban`s dramatic confessions about how his wife Nicole Kidman saved his life.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KEITH URBAN, COUNTRY SINGER: The love in that room at that moment was just right and I was fully - I was like, "Put the cuffs on. Let`s go."
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: The country star opens up to Oprah. Let me tell you what his wife did for him. It is just incredible.
ANDERSON: Losing Lennon. The explosive new confessions from the wife of the man who shot and killed John Lennon. Mark David Chapman`s wife breaks her silence in a not-to-be-missed new interview.
Also this -
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JO PIAZZA, ENTERTAINMENT JOURNALIST: Sexual napalm was a conversation at dinner parties for months on end. My mom asked me what it was. It made me very uncomfortable. Thank you, John Mayer.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: Thank you, John Mayer, indeed. I couldn`t believe it when John Mayer blabbed about his sex life with Jessica Simpson calling her sexual napalm. But is he the rocker that shocked you the most? You vote, you decide. This is SHOWBIZ TONIGHT on HLN news and views.
Time for the "SHOWBIZ News Ticker" - more stories from the SHOWBIZ TONIGHT newsroom making news today.
TEXT: Shania Twain gets engaged to Swiss executive Frederic Thiebaud. And now, a holiday message from the Kardashians!
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED ACTRESS: After such a busy year, we wanted to take some time off from doing whatever it is we do.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Good evening. If you`ve been anywhere near a television set or radio these past few hours, you already know that John Lennon of the Beatles is dead.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: On December 8, 1980, time seemed to stand still as the horrifying news echoed around the world - Beatles great, John Lennon murdered in front of his New York City apartment.
Welcome back to this special edition of SHOWBIZ TONIGHT "Rockers and Shockers." I`m Brooke Anderson in Hollywood. A.J. Hammer in New York.
And now the shocking loss of one of the most beloved rockers of all time. Thirty years ago, John Lennon was gunned down outside of his home in New York City by Mark David Chapman.
HAMMER: Now, Brooke, over the years, we have learned a lot about Chapman, but not as much has been revealed about his wife until now. Gloria Abe Chapman has broken her silence in a remarkable CNN documentary called "Losing Lennon: Countdown to Murder" reported by CNN`s John Roberts
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JOHN ROBERTS, CO-HOST, "AMERICAN MORNING" (voice-over): It was a remarkable press conference, December 10th 1980.
CHAPMAN: Being a Beatles fan, I mourned the death of John Lennon and feel great sadness for his wife Yoko and his son, Sean.
ROBERTS: Two days after her husband shot John Lennon, Gloria Chapman appeared oddly disconnected. Her answer to one question shocked many people.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Gloria, do you still love him?
CHAPMAN: Yes, very much.
ROBERTS: In this exclusive interview, she reflected on those days saying she couldn`t comprehend the enormity of what had just happened.
CHAPMAN: For I guess the first few weeks I was just in a dream kind of thing. I mean, it just didn`t seem real, you know.
ROBERTS: As reality sunk in, it left Gloria wondering what happened to the life she had dreamed of when she first met Mark David Chapman in 1978.
(on camera): She saw him as a sort of a knight in shining armor.
JIM GAINES, INTERVIEWED GLORIA CHAPMAN: She did, she did.
ROBERTS (voice-over): Jim Gaines is one of the only reporters to have interviewed Gloria Chapman. He says she spoke lovingly about her engagement.
GAINES: They were walking on the beach and Mark said to Gloria, "Would you marry me?" And she was just ecstatic. And she described it to me as the happiest day of her life. Mark never did.
ROBERTS: Perhaps that was a glimpse into the misery and, she says, abuse that soon followed.
CHAPMAN: I don`t remember what I said but I must have said something sarcastic and he hit me real hard like on my ear and it really kind of sent me - you know, my ears were ringing and stuff. And I had to sit down it was so bad.
ROBERTS: Gloria`s naive dreams of happily ever after vanished all together.
CHAPMAN: The only place you could go for privacy was in the bathroom. I`d just go in there and lock the door and just cry. I can`t take this. You know, how long is it going to be like this? This is miserable.
ROBERTS (on camera): Why do you think she stayed with him all these years?
GAINES: She was faithful. It was a virtue. You obeyed virtues. She was trying to be a good wife in an impossible situation.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HAMMER: Really an amazing documentary. That was CNN`s John Roberts. And we move on now to another big rocker shocker - Keith Urban`s emotional addiction confession to Oprah.
Urban opened up in a big way to Oprah about how he checked into rehab just a few months after getting married to Nicole Kidman. Urban sat down with Oprah and revealed what he was addicted to and choked back tears when he talked about how Kidman literally saved his life.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
OPRAH WINFREY, HOST, "THE OPRAH WINFREY SHOW": What was the substance?
URBAN: Everything.
WINFREY: OK.
URBAN: Alcohol and cocaine predominantly. But it wouldn`t have mattered what it was. It was a huge hole in my life that was going to be filled by the right thing eventually or it was going to always be filled by the wrong thing.
WINFREY: Yes. I`ve heard you say or read that you said that Nicole saved you.
URBAN: Absolutely. Well, that`s - I mean, that`s the point right there where she really should have just walked. I mean, not should have - that`s not the right word but I -
WINFREY: Would have understood if she had?
URBAN: Of course.
WINFREY: Yes.
URBAN: I`m just so glad she didn`t and she made a decision to turn around and initiate ultimately this intervention.
WINFREY: For you?
URBAN: Yes. And it was done in such a way and the love in that room at that moment was just right and I was fully - I was like, "Put the cuffs on. Let`s go."
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: Such a powerful story. Now, Keith says he`d never experienced that kind of love before and that the intervention had such a profound impact on him, yes, he actually checked into rehab the same day.
ANDERSON: All right. Now on to the rocker who shocked you the most. Could it be LeAnn Rimes?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PIAZZA: When she did her interview with "Shape" magazine, she said, "Oh, staying in shape, exercising saved my life while I was going through this very difficult period of husband-stealing."
ANDERSON: LeAnn admits to her affair and defends what she did.
HAMMER: Also, the shocking star splits revealed. Sandra and Jesse. Courteney and David. Eva and Tony.
Also this -
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Look at this shot, gored by the buffalo.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Back, back, back.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh, (EXPLETIVE DELETED).
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: A shocker caught on tape. A bison charges. Watch out.
HAMMER: Plus, she may have kissed a girl but that`s not what got pop star Katy Perry in trouble on "Sesame Street." What did get Katy in trouble is what she wore in a music video with Elmo.
The Katy-Elmo bit was yanked after fans of the show complained about Katy`s cleavage. I want you to watch and see, too, if you think that Katy was too hot for "Sesame Street."
(MUSIC PLAYING)
HAMMER: You`re watching a special edition of SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, "Rockers and Shockers," on HLN news and views.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Look at this shot, gored by the buffalo.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Back, back, back.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh, (EXPLETIVE DELETED).
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: Caught on tape. When bison attack. Now, imagine getting this close to such a large wild animal and it charges you while the cameras are rolling.
I think it`s safe to say that all bison are bigger and strong are than humans, so when you see one coming at you, for everyone`s sake, just get out of the way, OK? I wish the tourists from Utah who were working around Yellowstone National Park realized this when they spotted the bison roaming around, because instead of walking away, they walked right up to the big guy.
And as you see, boom, the woman holding the camera told CNN the bison actually tossed her up into the air. Luckily, she only suffered minor injuries. She says the bison was gone as quick as it came, which is a good thing.
ANDERSON: Yes, A.J., a really good thing for them and a very lucky thing for a couple who was sailing off the coast of South Africa.
Listen to this - it is a miracle this duo did not get swept into the sea after a big old whale jumped out of the ocean and landed on their sailboat. Here`s a shocker for you, the couple, though surprised, were not injured. And authorities say the whale may have only sustained a scratch or a bump.
The couple contends that these amazing photos of the incident were not doctored. And believe it or not, the boat had only minor damage, too.
All right. Now, the SHOWBIZ lineup - here`s what`s coming up at the bottom of this hour on this special edition of SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
Usher gets kicked in the face by a fan and it`s all caught on tape.
Also this -
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PIAZZA: Sexual napalm was a conversation at dinner parties for months on end. My mom asked me what it was. It made me very uncomfortable. Thank you, John Mayer.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: John Mayer - his explosive sex confessions about Jessica Simpson. Yes, you remember how he called her sexual napalm. Is he the most shocking rocker? You decide.
Shocking star splits - Sandra and Jesse, Courtney and David, Eva and Tony. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT reveals the most shocking breakups.
HAMMER: Well, we all know Susan Boyle has the voice of an angel but even angels get a frog in their throat once in a while. During a live performance on "The View," that`s exactly what happened to Susan Boyle. Take a look at this.
(SINGING)
HAMMER: So that`s no good when that happens. Now, Susan did ask if she could try it again. But sorry, Susan. You know, on live TV there are no do-overs. You`re watching a special edition of SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, "Rockers and Shockers" on HLN news and views.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANDERSON: Usher`s uh-oh. Usher gets kicked in the face by fan. The mind boggling, shocking video.
Plus this -
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (INAUDIBLE) just sitting in the front seat.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It was a big bear.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: A bear taking a ride in the car? You bet you. A special edition of TV most provocative entertainment news show, "Rockers and Shockers," continues right now.
(MUSIC PLAYING)
HAMMER: Welcome back to this special edition of SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, "Rockers and Shockers." I`m A.J. Hammer coming to you from New York City.
ANDERSON: And I`m Brooke Anderson in Hollywood. And let`s face it, being shocking is kind of part of the rock star job description.
HAMMER: That`s right. But there are times when rockers do something so incredibly shocking, it deserves a special mention, like John Mayer, Taylor Swift and LeAnn Rimes. They`re all super famous, of course, and they all did some incredibly shocking thing.
Now, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT is asking which rocker shocked you the most?
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
(voice-over) Artists can shock with their music. Their bad behavior and sometimes with their wardrobe. But these three rockers repeatedly shock us with something else - their mouths.
PIAZZA: Pop stars just couldn`t seem to keep their mouths shut.
HAMMER: And now, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT asks which over-sharing musician gave us the biggest rocker shocker? The first rocker shocker, perpetual over- sharer John Mayer.
PIAZZA: I think he might have stopped seeing his therapist and just decided the American public would be his therapist.
HAMMER: In a "Playboy" interview, Mayer shared intimate details about his sex life with ex-girlfriend, Jessica Simpson, saying, quote, "It was like napalm, sexual napalm."
PIAZZA: Sexual napalm was a conversation at dinner parties for months on end because no one else knows what the hell it means. My mom asked me what it was. It made me very uncomfortable. Thank you, John Mayer.
HAMMER: Jessica Simpson and plenty of others weren`t amused at Mayer`s interview during which Mayer also used the N-word.
JOHN MAYER, SINGER: So maybe I need to take a break from trying to be clever.
HAMMER: The week news of his playboy interview hit, Mayer shocked us again with a tearful on-stage apology.
MAYER: I quit the sound bite game. I quit the media game. I`m out. I`m done.
HAMMER: Mayer pretty much kept his promise. He was quiet for a while after that. But are, sorry, John, you`re still one of the biggest rocker shockers.
Another rocker shocker, Taylor Swift, who writes songs that seem to be aimed right at her famous exes.
PIAZZA: Taylor is an open book. You want to know anything about her love life? Just listen to her songs.
HAMMER: One of Taylor`s songs seemed to be a friendly ode to ex-boyfriend and "Twilight" star, Taylor Lautner. But another of Swift`s songs, called "Dear John," appeared to be about another reported ex, fellow rocker shocker, John Mayer. That song wasn`t quite as nice.
PIAZZA: She pinned him against the wall, talking about his lies and his own indiscretions.
TAYLOR SWIFT, SINGER: That song kind of is what it is.
ELLEN DEGENERES, HOST, "THE ELLEN DEGENERES SHOW": OK. Great. We know the answer now. It`s about him. So now -
HAMMER: When Swift appeared on "Ellen," she refused to confirm whether "Dear John" was about this John.
SWIFT: I think people are going to continue to speculate about it and I`m going to continue to never tell them who the song is about.
DEGENERES: Right.
PIAZZA: Taylor doesn`t like to admit her songs are about all the people that we all know they`re about. But we know that she`s reading John Mayer`s text messages saying, like, "Yes, this is going to make an awesome refrain."
HAMMER: And the third rocker shocker, LeAnn Rimes.
PIAZZA: Not only did she over-share, but she upset a lot of people in the process when she talked to Robin Roberts about her affair with Eddie Cibrian when the two of them were still married to other people.
HAMMER: Rimes, who spent months being slammed as a home wrecker, didn`t do herself any favors when she and Cibrian did a shockingly unapologetic interview with ABC`s Robin Roberts.
LEANN RIMES, SINGER: You had two couples whose marriages didn`t work, who really stumbled upon each other and fell in love.
PIAZZA: She obviously had no idea that she was coming across as a totally heartless wench.
HAMMER: A shockingly big mouth, a shocking music payback and a shocking lack of sensitivity. Rockers give us the biggest shockers.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: So the big question in this big battle of shocking rockers leads right to our SHOWBIZ Flashpoint - Taylor versus Mayer versus Rimes - which rocker shocked you the most?
With me, right now, from Miami, Eugene Ramirez who is an entertainment journalist. And here in Hollywood, Tanika Ray, who is also an entertainment journalist.
OK. Eugene, Tanika, I`ve got to say with John Mayer, I almost expect him to over-share his personal life with us because he`s notorious for that. But Tanika, I think he should have stopped short at divulging sexual details about his relationship with Jessica Simpson.
RAY: And saying the N-word. That`s unacceptable.
ANDERSON: Yes, exactly.
RAY: Here`s what it comes down to - he`s always been a D-bag. That`s the theme of the show today. And I think his D-bag crown is a leftover from 2009. So it`s not a shocker exactly what you said.
I knocked him out of the running. Then there are some issues with Taylor Swift. But it`s still PG-13, kind of, right? Yes, she`s lashing out at boys that have done wrong to her. Not that shocking. But LeAnn Rimes?
ANDERSON: We`ll get to her. Save that for a second.
RAY: Girl -
ANDERSON: Yes, I know. We`ll get to that. I feel strongly about, too. But I do want to talk about John Mayer for a second more because I hope, for his sake, that he learns to be a little bit more sensitive so that women won`t pick up and run for the hills when they see him coming.
And you know, some of our Facebook fans agreed with us on that point. Callie wrote this on our Facebook wall. Check it out, "I picked John Mayer because not only is he the absolute worst example of a boyfriend, he`s also a big-time blabber mouth."
Eugene, let me ask you this. As a guy would you follow the John Mayer formula for being a good boyfriend?
RAY: Be careful.
ANDERSON: Tread lightly.
RAMIREZ: Listen, I`ll tell you what. Girls love a bad boy. Girls love a bad boy and we all know that`s what John Mayer is and that`s part of his appeal. He is a wolf in sheep`s clothing and the girls are digging it.
Nobody`s running away from this guy. Should he have said the N-word this that same interview? Absolutely not. That was completely uncalled for. But about the sex - sexcapades of John Mayer and his significant others, all guys brag about getting laid. What`s so different about John Mayer doing it?
ANDERSON: Not to "Playboy" magazine. I guess that`s the big difference. Not in public like that. I think John Mayer has potential and he`s learning the hard way. He needs to kind of watch what he says.
RAY: Shut up?
ANDERSON: Yes. OK. We did also get a ton of Facebook comments about none other than LeAnn Rimes. I want to take another look at that ABC interview where LeAnn equated her affair with Eddie Cibrian to so many other people out there unhappy in their marriages. Watch.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RIMES: It happens every day to so many people. You had two couples whose marriages didn`t work, who really stumbled upon each other and fell in love. And never, ever was I thinking of hurting someone.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Really? Tanika, she seems so blase about the whole thing in that interview.
RAY: Yes.
ANDERSON: And she never apologized for what she did. She just tried to justify it. Really, do you think that`s what ticked people off the most?
RAY: I do, but this is what happens with people when they want to justify it for themselves and they want to soothe their own guilt. They find any way they can to make it sound OK. And I think that`s what we`re dealing with right here.
Remember, she`s really young. She was emancipated from her parents really young. She married at a very, very young age. So I think her sensitivity chip is a little off kilter.
And as far as we`re all concerned, it looks gross from our perspective. We don`t know what position their marriages were in when they found each other. And I`m such a fan of love. If you can find it, go for it. Just unfortunately, people got hurt in the long run. And I think she`s a little off (INAUDIBLE).
ANDERSON: It was a terrible way to do it. Now, our SHOWBIZ TONIGHT Facebook wall exploded with comments about LeAnn.
Grace M. wrote this on our wall, "There is no defending having an affair with a married man especially when she is married, too. Shame on her. I thought she was better than that."
I think what LeAnn did was the most shocking out of all of these. But Eugene, to the SHOWBIZ Flashpoint, which rocker shocked you the most?
RAMIREZ: I`ve got to agree with LeAnn Rimes. You know, this is a girl who is as American as apple pie, a country music star.
RAY: Absolutely.
RAMIREZ: She`s blond. She`s pretty. She`s America`s sweetheart. And not only is she unfaithful, but she`s a home wrecker.
And wait, there`s more. Then she`s indiscreet about it. And you know that if you`re a good American girl, you have to be discreet about your indiscretions. She definitely was not. To go on "Shape" magazine - to go on "Shape" magazine and go ahead and say - call yourself a husband stealer, what are you thinking? This is definitely the most shocking rocker of them all right here.
ANDERSON: Tanika, which rocker shocked you the most? Quickly.
RAY: One hundred percent definitely LeAnn Rimes. Here`s the thing - she`s got that hot man now, so she`s like screw everybody else out there. I`ve got myself a hottie.
ANDERSON: As we were watching, Tanika kept saying, "Well, he is pretty hot." All right. Eugene Ramirez, Tanika Ray, thank you both.
HAMMER: All right. I want to show you something totally shocking that happened to a rocker that was all caught on tape. We all know Usher is a smooth operator on stage, but he was no match for one fan who kicked him in the face.
ANDERSON: Shocking star splits. I`m talking Eva and Tony. Sandra Bullock leaves her no-good cheating ex-husband. Courteney Cox and David Arquette. We are revealing the most shocking breakup.
And talk about shocking, watch this -
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: In the car, there was a huge bear just sitting in the front seat.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It was a big bear.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: Lock your doors and watch out for the car-stealing bear? Wait until you hear this unbearably shocking story.
Well, we all know Adam Lambert burst on to the music scene as a shocking rocker contestant on "American Idol." And now, he`s a major rocker selling out shows all over the world.
Well, while Adam was on tour in Amsterdam, he gave fans quite the shock. He lit up on stage. And trust me, this had nothing to do with Adam`s singing but with what he was smoking. Watch this.
(MUSIC PLAYING)
HAMMER: A shocker indeed. You are watching a special edition of SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, "Rockers and Shockers," on HLN news and views.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(MUSIC PLAYING)
HAMMER: I know Usher is a hit-maker, but did you know he`s also a hit- taker? When he was singing his hit "Trading Places" to one lucky fan, Usher may have wished he could trade places with someone else.
Usher got a swift kick in the kisser. Can you imagine if that woman had on spiked heels or some of those sky-high platform heels? Ouch. Usher was a real good sport about the whole thing, though.
Welcome back to the special edition of SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, "Rockers and Shockers." I`m A.J. Hammer in New York. Brooke Anderson is in Hollywood.
And right now heartbreak in Hollywood. You know, it happens all the time. Still, there are some star couples that shocked and totally blindsided us when they called it quits.
ANDERSON: Yes, A.J. From Eva Longoria and Tony Parker to Sandra Bullock and Jesse James, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT is ready to reveal the most shocking splits of 2010.
Right now, in Hollywood is celebrity couple Giuliana and Bill Rancic. Giuliana is from "E!" where is she is an anchor and managing editor for "E! News." You can watch them together on their reality show "Giuliana and Bill" on the Style Network.
Our first shocking split of 2010 that I want to address is Sandra Bullock and Jesse James. Remember just days after Sandra won the Oscar for best actress, reports of Jesse`s infidelity surfaced.
Jesse later admitted in an interview, "I took a pretty amazing life and marriage and I threw it away." The SHOWBIZ TONIGHT staff called this one of the most shocking star splits of the year. But here`s the thing, they were considered an odd couple from the get-go. So Giuliana, why do you think their breakup was so shocking?
GIULIANA RANCIC, ANCHOR AND MANAGING EDITOR, "E! NEWS": You`re absolutely right there, Brooke. I mean, I think from the beginning everyone thought this is an odd pairing.
But then you thought, "You know what? Maybe opposites attract and it is going to work out. And especially where you saw them at the Oscars right before the huge news broke, you saw, you know, him looking at her lovingly on the red carpet and she delivering that speech saying he was her rock.
And they seemed like this odd pair that really made it work. And then, suddenly, bam, it hit us like a ton of bricks that he was cheating on her and this whole scandal broke out. And you really have to file this one under what the heck was he thinking? He had this amazing girl.
ANDERSON: Yes. What was he thinking? Yes. She is America`s sweetheart.
G. RANCIC: He blew it.
ANDERSON: So I think people were shocked and really angry at him for this. But a runner up, you guys - I`ve got to move to this - for most shocking star splits of 2010 is Eva Longoria and Tony Parker. I did not see this one coming.
After three years of marriage, Eva was the first to file for divorce. Eva and Tony had a long distance relationship. She`s got a busy Hollywood career. He`s an NBA star, spends a lot of time on the road.
Bill, you and Giuliana somehow have managed to successfully juggle a long distance relationship while both being very busy. But can you see how that would test a couple like Eva and Tony?
BILL RANCIC, HUSBAND OF GIULIANA RANCIC: Without a doubt. I mean, you know, this town is tough as it is. And both those people have busy schedules. And let`s face it, the NBA does not have the best record for having successful marriages.
ANDERSON: No. Yes, it`s bad.
B. RANCIC: These NBA players have a pretty tough task with the marriages. So it`s tough, but you`ve got to put effort in. And that`s the one thing Giuliana and I do is, you know, we make an effort to see each other. We never go more than four or five days without seeing each other, because the road can really wreak havoc in your marriage.
ANDERSON: Yes. You`ve got to make each other a priority. OK. We`ve got to move now to this next shocking star split. It`s Kelsey and Camille Grammer. They called it quits after 13 years of marriage.
Now, I`m guessing it wasn`t part of the end of their plan to have the end of their marriage documented, in a way, for the reality show, "The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills". But it was. Watch.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CAMILLE GRAMMER, CAST MEMBER, "THE REAL HOUSEWIVES OF BEVERLY HILLS": I`m an individual and I`m not just in the shadow of Kelsey Grammer. I am my own person. I`m really upset that my husband`s living in New York for a year. It`s going to be hard.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Fast forward a few months, Camille filing for divorce. Kelsey goes public with a new relationship. Giuliana, you and Bill have your own reality show. You`re doing fantastic, but do you think there is a downside for couples like Kelsey and Camille who put their relationship under the spotlight? I actually think they had other issues well before the reality show.
G. RANCIC: They certainly did. I mean, it`s kind of amazing to me they lasted that long. They lasted 13 years together. But yes, absolutely. I think that reality shows - what they do to a couple is they accelerate the process.
So I think that if you are going to eventually split up, being on a reality show can accelerate that process. And you split up sooner because you`re under this very harsh spotlight in Hollywood.
So Bill and I, what we do, honestly, at the end of shooting, we come together and we go, "OK, this is the real world. That was reality TV." You know, you have to kind of get into a real space and just be a normal couple.
ANDERSON: OK. I do have to move to this because this list of most shocking star splits of 2010 certainly would not be complete without mentioning Courteney Cox and David Arquette.
Courteney and David announced their separation after 11 years of marriage. In a statement after their split, they said they remained best friends and still loved each other deeply.
Giuliana, breakups, of course, can be amicable but it can`t help matters when one part of the couple, David Arquette, blabs intimate details to Howard Stern, can it?
G. RANCIC: I mean, this relationship has always fascinated me, you know, the beautiful, conservative Courteney Cox and quirky kind of odd David Arquette. So nothing shocks me anymore.
But I have to say I was surprised because, you know, it seemed like they were so off that they were actually going to work because they had lasted so long. Eleven years in Hollywood is like 70 years in the real world.
So you know, it was a little shocking that they broke up. But yes, the most shocking thing about it was the way he did blab his mouth afterwards and shared all these intimate details, which was just such a no- no. And the fact that they`re over that and still amicable and friends after that really is a testament to Courteney and her patience for David Arquette.
ANDERSON: I was just going to say that. Yes, very mature of Courteney Cox to handle it that way, you know, not only for her sake but also, I`m sure, for the sake of their child together, their lovely daughter. All right. Giuliana and Bill Rancic, thank you both. Great to see you.
Moving on now to what could be the most shocking YouTube video. Check this out.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
(MUSIC PLAYING)
ANDERSON: Tens of millions of people have watched it. It`s called "The Bedroom Intruder Song." It`s about a guy whose sister was the victim of an attempted rape.
HAMMER: Will and Jada Pinkett Smith`s daughter, Willow, is a young rocker that shocks. Willow Smith may be new to the music scene but she`s showing everyone she knows how to rock and she certainly knows how to rock her hair. Watch this.
(MUSIC PLAYING)
HAMMER: You are watching a special edition of SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, "Rockers and Shockers," on HLN news and views.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANDERSON: Check out this shocker at a rock concert. Grammy winners Kings of Leon were on stage for a big concert. But before they could really get started, a bunch of pigeons started pooping on them. Apparently, lots of pigeons enjoy the music at this venue at St. Louis, Missouri because they hang out in the rafters above the stage.
Well, this was just all too much for the Kings of Leon who later cancelled the concert. Can you blame them? The band did know about the pigeon problem, but obviously, they underestimated the power of the pigeon poop.
All right. Well, from that pigeon problem to bears that break into cars? I think this qualifies as a shocker, right? A Colorado teen named Ben Story has quite a story. Ben says a bear broke into his car and took it for one wild ride. Listen to Ben`s story and his family.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We looked in the car and there was a huge bear just sitting in the front seat.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It was a big bear. In a little car like that, it looked pretty funny.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He couldn`t get out. He sure tried.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There`s a peanut butter sandwich in the back seat.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And I guess he smelled the peanut butter sandwich.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He had to smell something and I think that`s what it was.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He opened the back door and climbed right in.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: The bear was stuck in the car for several hours. I can tell you that the bear was safely removed and returned to its home. But the car was trashed and the bear left a smelly present on the front seat.
HAMMER: From intruding bears to a scary intruder. Antoine Dodson became an instant star due to a very unfortunate situation for him and his family. Antoine`s stunning reaction to an attempted rape of his younger sister was actually auto-tuned and then set to music.
Antoine Dodson`s bed-intruder song has been viewed over 60 million times on YouTube. That makes it the most watched YouTube video. Check it out.
(MUSIC PLAYING)
Shockingly good, isn`t it? YouTube separated out the most watched regular video from the most watched music video. That title goes to Justin Bieber`s "Baby." No big surprise there. So here`s another shocker for you. The second most watched regular video behind Antoine`s. It`s a spoof of Kesha`s "Tik Tok" by Key of Awesome.
(MUSIC PLAYING)
HAMMER: I thought that was pretty funny. And there were more than 50 million views for that particular video. Thank you for watching this very special edition of SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, "Rockers and Shockers." I`m A.J. Hammer in New York.
ANDERSON: I`m Brooke Anderson in Hollywood.
HAMMER: Now, don`t forget we are TV`s most provocative entertainment news show seven days a week at 11:00 p.m. Eastern and Pacific here on HLN.
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