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Showbiz Tonight
Mel Gibson in Court; Chasing Charlie; Jessica Biel and Justin Timberlake Break Up; J. Lo Teary-Eyed; Did Aretha Franklin Get Gastric Bypass Surgery?
Aired March 11, 2011 - 23:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BROOKE ANDERSON, HOST: Big news breaking on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT - Mel Gibson in court today. And SHOWBIZ TONIGHT is live right there. Mel cops a plea in his domestic violence case. Will he avoid jail time?
Chasing Charlie. A shocking late night police search of Charlie Sheen`s home. A gun found. Will this hurt Charlie`s fight to get his twin boys back?
But wait, there`s more. It`s un-follow Charlie Sheen day on Twitter. Our SHOWBIZ Flashpoint today - are Charlie`s friends and fans turning on him?
Oh, no, one of Hollywood`s hottest couples breaks up - Jessica and Justin. We`re asking today, are you shocked?
And Jennifer Lopez gets teary again on "American Idol."
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JENNIFER LOPEZ, "AMERICAN IDOL" JUDGE: Not this time, baby. I`m sorry.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Our big debate today - do you like J. Lo more than ever, or is she not doing it for you?
TV`s most provocative entertainment news show breaks news right now.
(MUSIC)
Hi, there, everyone. I`m Brooke Anderson in New York with big news breaking today - Mel Gibson`s big day in court.
Today, the L.A. District attorney formally filed a misdemeanor domestic violence charge against Gibson related to an altercation last year with his ex-girlfriend, Oksana Grigorieva.
And just moments ago Gibson entered the L.A. Superior Courthouse where he pleaded no contest. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT is live right there and we will have all the big breaking developments for you.
But first, today, chasing Charlie Sheen. There is explosive news today in the Charlie Sheen saga. First, new details are revealed today after police swarmed Sheen`s home Thursday searching for weapons and drugs.
That wild police scene came just as the news broke that Charlie and his estranged wife, Brooke Mueller, have reached a custody agreement over their two-year-old twin boys.
And if that weren`t enough, Charlie is getting ready to go on a stand- up tour. Yes, tickets on sale now. Get them while they`re hot.
And today, we may have the first signs that Charlie`s fans have had enough of his antics. A new movement telling his millions of fans to stop following Charlie on Twitter.
All right. I`ve got to kick things off with the inside story behind that massive police search at Charlie Sheen`s home Thursday night.
Look at this - SHOWBIZ TONIGHT was right there after authorities turned Sheen`s home upside down. They were searching for weapons, searching for drugs which, if police found any, could have violated the restraining order Charlie`s estranged wife Brooke Mueller had filed against him. Watch what Sheen`s divorce attorney had to say about it.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MARK GROSS, CHARLIE SHEEN`S ATTORNEY: Somebody made some statement, apparently, to the LAPD, a reckless statement, about something with Charlie and guns. They properly did their job. They did an investigation, and as a result of that investigation, a warrant s issued.
The LAPD came in, efficiently, professionally, courteously and thoroughly executed the warrant. The only thing they took with them and they found was a few bullets and an 1800 antique gun.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Well, that`s enough for me. After the police incident, Charlie Sheen tweeted to his fans, "All good here on the home front." Really, Charlie?
I want to go out now to Vinnie Politan, host of HLN`s "Prime News." Vinnie, I wouldn`t necessarily call Charlie`s situation right now "all good." Would you?
VINNIE POLITAN, HOST, "PRIME NEWS": Well, I think it`s all relative, right? I mean, think about what they could have found there.
ANDERSON: Yes.
POLITAN: So - and the best news is he`s got his attorney speaking on a microphone instead of Charlie speaking on a microphone about what happened. I think that`s a smart move right there, because he`s a lot more coherent, respectful and everything else.
And really, the good news is, you know, they didn`t find an arsenal of weapons in there. So I guess that`s good. But there was one gun, right?
ANDERSON: Yes, there was. It was an antique gun, but it was a gun. And the odd thing is that this whole police drama went down right after Charlie`s attorney confirmed to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT that Charlie and Brooke made a deal in their custody battle over their twin boys, and that`s why they didn`t have to appear in court today as originally planned.
I want to bring in Atty. Sunny Hostin, who is a legal contributor with "In Session" on truTV.
Sunny, does it sound like a run-of-the-mill custody case to you?
SUNNY HOSTIN, LEGAL CONTRIBUTOR, "IN SESSION" ON TRU TV: It does, actually, because typically, when there`s a restraining order, Brooke, the police do check the home. And so it is perhaps - I don`t know. Perhaps she said, "You know, I`m afraid I heard that he has guns. I want to make sure that the home is OK so that my twins can be there."
And then they did their job. It sort of sounds like, yes, run of the mill. That`s what happened.
ANDERSON: Yes. The police received a tip from someone.
HOSTIN: From someone.
ANDERSON: We don`t know if it was Brooke.
HOSTIN: We don`t know -
ANDERSON: But it does sound like standard operating procedure to you?
HOSTIN: Yes, it does.
ANDERSON: OK. Well, there were wild reports flying around that police were going to force Sheen into a psychiatric facility. That`s called a 51-50 hold. Sheen`s attorney was quick to shoot down those reports.
But Vinnie, I hate to say it, but I think a whole lot of people would be relieved right now if Charlie were forced to get help. Look, it worked for Britney Spears.
POLITAN: Yes. He`s not voluntarily going to do it. As a matter of fact, he`s got plans to do the exact opposite of it. And that, ultimately, would be probably in the best interest of him, his children, his family and to get his life turned around.
But we`ve seen the state that he`s in. He`s not going to do it voluntarily. I think, unfortunately, something drastic or something dangerous is going to have to actually occur.
I don`t think it can be prevented at this point, although I will say the one thing, when I watched that "Funny or Die" video he did, it looked like he was hitting most of his lines on that.
ANDERSON: I think he was. It seemed like he was maybe reading a teleprompter. Maybe he had memorized the lines. I don`t know. But the "Funny or Die" cooking video, the food, did not look appetizing to me, Vinnie.
POLITAN: It did not.
ANDERSON: And it appears, I`ve got to tell you, that Charlie Sheen`s - I want to talk about his massive Twitter following, because it seems to be growing today despite this brand-new campaign by New York newspaper, "the Village Voice," asking Sheen`s fans to un-follow him on Twitter.
I want to bring in SHOWBIZ TONIGHT newsmaker, Jen Doll, who is a staff writer with "The Village Voice."
Jen, why did "The Village Voice" decide to make today worldwide un- follow Charlie Sheen on Twitter?
JEN DOLL, STAFF WRITER, "THE VILLAGE VOICE": You know, like everyone, like you guys, like the world out there - we`re watching this man and we`re watching him flame out.
And we`re watching him have more and more people come and listen to what he`s doing and laugh at him, enjoy what he`s doing, tweet it out to the people that they have as followers on Twitter.
And it just got to the point that it felt kind of gross. You know, it`s taking advantage of someone potentially. We`re all enabling this guy. He`s got, you know, a coterie of people who are enabling him already. And everyone else who`s following, 2.6 million people -
ANDERSON: Yes. More than 2.5 million people.
DOLL: Right.
ANDERSON: I`ve got to tell you according to "TwitterCounter.com," Charlie Sheen gained almost 40,000 followers since yesterday. And he`s holding steady at 49 for the top 100 Twitter users.
So Jen, are you disappointed by the fact that so many people are still following Charlie Sheen?
DOLL: You know, honestly, not, because in that first 24 hours that he was on Twitter, he got a million followers. If he`s down to 40,000 a day now, at least we doing something.
ANDERSON: Gaining 40,000 fans a day.
DOLL: Yes.
ANDERSON: All right.
DOLL: At least we`re making - and people are all tweeting un-follow Charlie. People are - you know, the hash tag is out there. People are talking about it, and that`s really the most important thing that we`re starting to realize about what may be happening.
ANDERSON: So you`re optimistic that the whole phenomenon may slow down soon?
DOLL: I hope so.
ANDERSON: Well, you know, how many times - I`ve got to ask this - does Charlie here cha-ching when he tweets a message to his millions of followers?
Don`t move a muscle because SHOWBIZ TONIGHT has the inside scoop on just how much moolah Sheen stands to make off his really bizarre messages.
And get this one - Sheen is taking his theatrics on a tour. I mentioned this earlier. We`ve got to talk about it. According to one of his tweets, Sheen is embarking on a journey called "Charlie Sheen Live: My Violent Torpedo of Truth."
It kicks off in Detroit, April 2nd, followed by a stop in Chicago. Sunny, do you think that people - very quickly - do you think that people will actually buy tickets to see this show? Because, basically we`ve seen everything, considering "Sheen`s Korner" and his Web cast. I thought we`ve seen it all.
HOSTIN: I don`t think they`re going to buy it. I don`t think that they`re going to buy tickets and spend money to see what we`ve already seen.
I was surprised, actually. I went on the link. And I mean, TicketMaster is actually selling these tickets.
ANDERSON: Yes.
HOSTIN: So it is out there for people to buy, but I don`t think people are going to do it.
ANDERSON: He may have gone a little - been a little too exposed thus far to go on a comedy tour like this.
HOSTIN: Yes.
ANDERSON: All right. Vinnie Politan, Sunny Hostin, Jen Doll, thank you all.
All right. Moving on to Mel Gibson now. Big news breaking - he is in court today entering a plea deal in his domestic violence case. Mel is accused of hitting his ex-girlfriend. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT is live at the courthouse.
And oh, no. One of Hollywood`s hottest couples breaks up - Jessica and Justin. We`re asking today, are you shocked?
Justin Bieber mania hits the U.K. Justin shows up in the Beatles` old `hood and the crowd goes nuts. So we`ve got to ask, is the Biebs now bigger than the Beatles? This is SHOWBIZ TONIGHT on HLN news and views.
Now, the "SHOWBIZ News Ticker" - more stories from the SHOWBIZ TONIGHT newsroom making news today.
TEXT: John Stamos shoots down reports that he`s replacing Charlie Sheen on "Men." SHOWBIZ first look! "The Smurfs" starring Neil Patrick Harris, Katy Perry.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANDERSON: Kate Middleton`s partying days are behind her as she enters the royal family. And her sister`s may be, too. But according to ABC News "Royal Diary," Pippa Middleton, who will be the maid of honor at Kate`s wedding to Prince William, likes to party. She`s the wilder one.
Some have called her the number one bachelorette in the U.K.. She may need to chill, though, if Kate makes her little sis royal lady-in-waiting. That`s a fancy title for right-hand woman.
Welcome back to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. I`m Brooke Anderson in New York.
And the SHOWBIZ "Royals Watch," the secrets of Kate Middleton`s wedding dress revealed. Everybody wants to know what will Kate wear at her wedding to Prince William. I`m sure she`s going to look gorgeous no matter what.
But I want some scoop on this, so "People" magazine`s Suzanne Zuckerman gave me some juicy nuggets of royal dress dish.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
(on camera) Suzanne, "People" magazine has an inside information about what Kate is going to wear on her big day. Is it true that she`s going to wear more than one dress?
SUZANNE ZUCKERMAN, STAFF WRITER, "PEOPLE" MAGAZINE: You know, the truth is nobody actually knows what Kate is going to be wearing on her wedding day, except for Kate.
The palace has maintained repeatedly throughout this entire sort of big walkup to the wedding that Kate wants to keep her wedding gown a secret.
That being said, there are people who have special relationships, who are even close to the Middleton family who are speculating quite confidently that she will be wearing two dresses.
ANDERSON: Wow. I understand her wanting to keep it confidential, top secret. Most brides do want to reveal it on their big day. You know, I really love Kate`s style.
ZUCKERMAN: Yes.
ANDERSON: Her engagement dress alone caused an overnight frenzy, turning her really into a style icon. I want to ask you this, Suzanne - do you think she will kind of follow in Princess Diana`s footsteps with the choice of her gown, a long train? I don`t envision puffy sleeves. Do you think she`ll do that, or do you think she will keep it simpler, more understated?
ZUCKERMAN: As you said, I mean, Kate has a very simple, polished, princess-perfect style. And in line with that, experts do expect she will wear a more streamlined dress that is cut close to the body and shows off that amazing enviable figure.
Elizabeth Emanuel herself - you know, she was the creator, the designer of Princess Diana`s famous 1981 wedding gown -
ANDERSON: Of course.
ZUCKERMAN: Even she doesn`t believe that Kate is going to go for the leg-of-mutton sleeves or the 25-foot train. However, you know, it`s Westminster Abbey. It is a global occasion.
ANDERSON: It will be formal.
ZUCKERMAN: It will be formal. It will be conservative. Her shoulders will be covered.
ANDERSON: But not (UNINTELLIGIBLE).
ZUCKERMAN: Exactly, but not sort of the frothy, poofy -
ANDERSON: The dress of the `80s.
ZUCKERMAN: Exactly.
ANDERSON: Well, you know, in the U.S., we are obsessed with the dress. But in Britain, I hear that it`s more about the tiara. So will the queen lend Kate a crown for the ceremony?
ZUCKERMAN: We`re all - royal watchers are waiting to see what Kate will wear on her head on that wedding day. Philip Treacy, who is the famed milliner, who is the famous hat creator who Kate has worn many times -
ANDERSON: Yes.
ZUCKERMAN: Has admitted that he`s creating hats and (UNINTELLIGIBLE) for some key members of the royal family. He would not comment about whether he was dressing the bride.
That being said, we are expecting Kate to wear a tiara on her wedding day. If we look at, you know, Fergie, the Duchess of York, or Sophie who married one of Prince Charles` brothers, both of those commoners, so to speak, were gifted with tiaras from the royal family, Kate does not have a tiara in her own family, so chances are she will be gifted with some -
ANDERSON: Can you imagine being gifted with this beautiful diamond tiara?
ZUCKERMAN: Yes.
ANDERSON: How exciting will that be? And I imagine she will incorporate a lot of modern elements into her big day as well. Suzanne Zuckerman, great to see you, thank you so much.
I am sure Kate will be breathtaking. I will be in London for the royal wedding on April 29th and the week leading up to it. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT is teaming up with "People" magazine for the very best coverage of the year.
And for more details on the royal wedding and a peek into Prince William`s former flame, pick up the new issue of "People" magazine. It is on newsstands right now.
Charlie Sheen has been fanning the flames of his battle with his ex "Two and a Half Men" bosses. Charlie filed an incredible $100 million lawsuit against them.
And as we told you about that, the "Showbiz on Call" phone lines started lighting up. Nancy calling from California says Charlie should have to pay up himself.
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
NANCY, CALLER FROM CALIFORNIA: I believe every cast member and crew on the show should bring their own individual lawsuit against him for costing them their livelihood.
(END AUDIO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Thanks, Nancy. But Sheila, calling from Tennessee, feels badly for Charlie.
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
SHEILA, CALLER FROM TENNESSEE: I`ve been a fan of Charlie Sheen forever. And please, just leave him alone. He`s trying so hard. You can see it in his voice. And he loves his children.
And he`s trying really hard to beat this. And I applaud him for it. And I know he`s going to do it. And I know he`s a great father.
(END AUDIO CLIP)
ANDERSON: OK. Thanks, Sheila. Call us at "Showbiz on Call" and let us know what you think about this or anything else on that is on your mind.
The "Showbiz on Call" phone lines are always open. Here`s the number - 1-888-SBT-BUZZ; 1-888-728-2899. Simply leave a voicemail. We will play some of your calls right here on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. We appreciate your thoughts.
ANDERSON: J. Lo - I really love just her on "American Idol." Even though she`s crying a lot, she does seem really sincere.
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
STEVEN TYLER, "AMERICAN IDOL" JUDGE: Jennifer, what have you decided to do?
J. LOPEZ: Not this time, baby. I`m sorry.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: We`ve got a big debate coming up. Do you like J. Lo more than ever, or is she not doing it for you?
Big news breaking today - Mel Gibson in court. There he is. And SHOWBIZ TONIGHT is live right there.
Did Aretha Franklin get gastric bypass surgery? Aretha lost 85 pounds. Some reports claim that there is no way she could have done that without the surgery. Aretha sets the record straight. This is SHOWBIZ TONIGHT on HLN news and views.
And now, the "SHOWBIZ News Ticker" - more stories from the SHOWBIZ TONIGHT newsroom making news today.
TEXT: Martha Stewart`s a grandmother! Daughter Alexis has a baby girl. Kendra Wilkinson says her husband and son are helping her get ready for "Dancing."
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
KENDRA WILKINSON, TELEVISION PERSONALITY: After learning how to dance, to actually come home and teach my husband all my moves and how to dance. And my son is watching us, so he is picking up the moves. And it`s a family affair now. It`s a family thing.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANDERSON: Big stars being affected by the devastating Japanese earthquake and tsunami today. Due to tsunami advisories, Kristen Stewart and Taylor Lautner, as well as the rest of the cast of the new "Twilight" film, were evacuated from Vancouver Island in British Columbia.
Also, lots of stars speaking out on Twitter today. "Glee`s" Lea Michele, "So devastating to hear about the huge earthquake and tsunami in Japan. My thoughts and prayers are with everyone there."
Taylor Swift, "I`m sending my thoughts and prayers and love to those in Japan who are hurting." And a lot of people are hurting.
All right. Moving now to something much lighter today - Ryan Phillippe opens up about single life today. And Ryan reveals his mom reads all those tabloid reports about who he`s reportedly hooking up with.
Ryan`s divorced from Reese Witherspoon. They`ve got two kids. And he tells Ellen DeGeneres today that his mom gets angry when she reads mean things about her son and women.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ELLEN DEGENERES, HOST, "THE ELLEN DEGENERES SHOW": Do your parents pay attention to these things. Do they call you up and say, "Are you dating these women?"
RYAN PHILLIPPE, ACTOR: They pay way too much attention to it. My mother, who recently had a surgery - she`s not been in the best of health. She`s recovering. But she spends all day in front of the computer.
And every other day or so, I`ll see her name come up on the caller ID and preemptively open my laptop knowing that she`s going to want to address whatever rumor she`s read recently.
And then, she took particular umbrage with this. She said, "I always read in the comments that they call you a DILF." And she goes, "And I don`t like that. I don`t know what that means, but I don`t like that. What is that, Ryan?"
And I go, "Actually, mom, that one means that I`m a dad they would like to have sex with." And I`ll hear my dad in the background, like, "Susan, did he tell you what a DILF is?" And she`s like, "Yes, it means they want to have sex with him."
DEGENERES: Now, she`s not so upset about that anymore?
PHILLIPPE: I think she`s embraced DILF.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: OK. D-I-L-F - the literal translation of that, you can Google it on your own. I am not going there.
Here now is what`s coming up on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. Mel Gibson cops a plea deal in his domestic violence case. And SHOWBIZ TONIGHT is live right there at the courthouse, next.
Is Justin Bieber now bigger than the Beatles? Yes, I said it. Wait until you see what happened when the Biebs showed up to Liverpool where the Beatles got it all started.
And we are about to name the most provocative celebrity of the week. Here are the nominees - Charlie Sheen, Mel Gibson, Lindsay Lohan. This is SHOWBIZ TONIGHT on HLN news and views.
And now, the "SHOWBIZ News Ticker" - more stories from the SHOWBIZ TONIGHT newsroom making news today.
TEXT: Keira Knightley voicing "Tinker Bell" in Peter Pan prequel on SyFy Channel. "American Idol" finalist Casey Abrams feeling better after hospitalization.
(SINGING)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANDERSON: Big news breaking today on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT - Mel cops a plea in his domestic violence case. Will he avoid jail time? SHOWBIZ TONIGHT is live right there at the courthouse.
Justin Timberlake, Jessica Biel splitsville. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT has to ask are you shocked?
And J. Lo`s "American Idol" tears again.
Jennifer, what have you decided too?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TYLER: Jennifer, what have you decided to do?
J. LOPEZ: Not this time, baby. I`m sorry.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: It`s the SHOWBIZ TONIGHT great debate. Do you like J. Lo more than ever, or is she not doing it for you?
Plus, breaking news today from the "SHOWBIZ News Ticker, who is the wealthiest hip-hop star? And Tony Danza`s divorce shocker.
ANNOUNCER: TV`s most provocative entertainment news show continues right now.
(MUSIC)
ANDERSON: Welcome back to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. It`s 30 minutes past the hour. I`m Brooke Anderson in New York with big news breaking today - Mel Gibson tells it to the judge.
Just minutes ago Gibson, appeared in court to plead no contest to a charge filed against him earlier today. That charge - misdemeanor battery against his ex-girlfriend, Oksana Grigorieva.
SHOWBIZ TONIGHT`s Kareen Wynter is at the Los Angeles courthouse where this all went down, where Mel Gibson made a dramatic move to put this ugly case to rest. Kareen, what happened in court today?
KAREEN WYNTER, CORRESPONDENT: Brooke, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT has all the details on the mega plea deal. He faced the judge in court today. And let me tell you, boy, was he nervous as all this legal drama played out in front of the press. Listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: How do you now plead?
MEL GIBSON, ACTOR: No contest pursuant to People versus West.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The court accepts your plea and you are convicted on it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WYNTER: SHOWBIZ TONIGHT can also tell you, Brooke, that this is an extremely - a rare plea that Mel Gibson entered by pleading no contest. Basically, in a typical case, it`s an admission of guilt, but not in Mel Gibson`s case. He gets to maintain his innocence.
His attorney saying that he did this to put this case behind him and do what is in the best interest of his children.
ANDERSON: Thank you so much, Kareen, and great job. And hey, TMZ is also reporting today that Oksana Grigorieva will not be charged with extorting Mel Gibson for those infamous recordings that she says captured their explosive phone arguments.
In a statement to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, her attorneys say, quote, "The decision of the district attorney was made after very careful consideration of all the facts and with complete fairness to all involved."
She goes on to say, "Ms. Grigorieva will now concentrate on co- parenting Lucia, resuming her charitable work with the children of Chernobyl and moving forward with her life."
I want to bring in Sunny Hostin now, legal contributor for our sister network, "In Session" on truTV.
OK. Gibson entered a really unusual plea today, a west deal. And typically when you plead no contest, Sunny, isn`t that tantamount to an admission of guilt? But not here. Wasn`t there a lot of deal-making - don`t you suspect - going on?
HOSTIN: There`s no question. This was a sweetheart deal for Mel Gibson, because West is a California case in 1970, very old case. It is unusual. It has the same force and effect of a guilty plea, but you don`t accept responsibility for the guilt.
You just admit, really, that the D.A. has enough to go forward - enough evidence to go forward on the charges. So it can`t be used against him in a civil proceeding, the fact he has this now misdemeanor, you know, criminal conviction -
ANDERSON: Battery.
HOSTIN: Battery. It can`t be used against him. So let`s say they get into another problem, another custody battle. She can now not use that against him, so sweetheart deal for him.
ANDERSON: Certainly a sweetheart deal.
HOSTIN: Yes.
ANDERSON: Oksana had accused Mel of beating her brutally during an argument in January of the last year while she was holding their baby daughter, Lucia. That incident did come up during one of the disturbing phone calls taped by Oksana and leaked to "Radar Online." Listen.
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (allegedly Oksana Grigorieva): You almost killed us? Did you forget?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (allegedly Mel Gibson): The last three years has been a (EXPLETIVE DELETED) gravy train for you.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (allegedly Oksana Grigorieva): You were hitting a woman in with a child in her hands? You. What kind of man is that? Hitting a woman when she is holding a child in her hands. Breaking her teeth twice in the face. What kind of man is that?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (allegedly Mel Gibson): Oh, you`re all angry now. You know what?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (allegedly Oksana Grigorieva): You know what?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (allegedly Mel Gibson): You (EXPLETIVE DELETED) deserved it.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (allegedly Oksana Grigorieva): You`re going to answer. One day, boy, you`re going to answer.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (allegedly Mel Gibson): What? What are you threatening me?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (allegedly Oksana Grigorieva): Nothing, nothing. I`m not the one to threaten.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (allegedly Mel Gibson): I`ll threaten. I`ll put you in a (EXPLETIVE DELETED) rose garden you (EXPLETIVE DELETED).
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Well, Gibson has always denied punching Oksana with a closed fist. He did admit to slapping her with an open hand trying to get her attention, saying she was acting erratically while holding their baby.
Now, instead of going to court to seek full vindication here, he is pleading no contest. Sunny, does that show you that he wasn`t fully confident in his case, in his argument, or like his attorney says, that he wanted to put an immediate end to all of this for his kids?
HOSTIN: Well, I think it`s probably a little bit of both. I mean, listen, being in a criminal trial even for a very public person, is very, very difficult. People aren`t used to it. A lot of dirty laundry gets sort of just spewed out there for everyone.
And so certainly, he probably wanted to put it behind him. But again, pleading no contest, a West plea means he is admitting that the D.A. had enough evidence to go forward.
When I listen to that tape, Brooke, what does he say? He says, "You deserved it." That`s an admission.
ANDERSON: Why doesn`t everybody ask for the West plea? Why does Mel Gibson get the West plea?
HOSTIN: Very fancy lawyering, very fancy lawyering. I mean, bottom line, people would love to get no-contest pleas all the time, because you get a misdemeanor count and you go on with your life.
ANDERSON: So you say this does not affect - will not be able to affect his custody case with Oksana going forward?
HOSTIN: No. It cannot be used in a civil proceeding.
ANDERSON: So a victory, essentially, for Mel Gibson in court today.
HOSTIN: I think so.
ANDERSON: All right. Sunny Hostin, thank you so much. Good to see you.
Now, we`ve got a showbiz special report. We`re talking about Charlie Sheen and his money. It may seem like Charlie is barefoot and broke after losing his day job. But today, there`s brand-new evidence that Charlie is cashing in big one tweet at a time. Here is SHOWBIZ TONIGHT`s Kareen Wynter.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
WYNTER (voice-over): From shocking public behavior to bizarre online video rants.
CHARLIE SHEEN, ACTOR: People need to hear my gold as it rolls out, not as it`s disappearing - disappearing.
WYNTER: SHOWBIZ TONIGHT can tell you Charlie Sheen is not disappearing anytime soon. And although he`s lost his day job on "Two and a Half Men" -
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Winning! Winning! Winning!
WYNTER: He`s won a deal with a company that specializes in savvy celebrity endorsements on Twitter. That`s right. The out-of-work actor could make millions simply by tweeting.
But SHOWBIZ TONIGHT asks, after stars Chris Brown, T.I. and Tiger Woods lost sponsorships over bad behavior -
TIGER WOODS, GOLFER: I had affairs. I cheated.
WYNTER: Why is Sheen, who is in the middle of a downright disturbing public meltdown, the new go-to guy for endorsements?
SHEEN: I would like to thank our sponsors for this evening.
MARVET BRITTO, BRAND STRATEGIST: Charlie Sheen has value because he has access to an impressive, massive audience.
WYNTER: Public relations and brand strategist Marvet Britto tells SHOWBIZ TONIGHT that it all boils down to exposure. And right now, Sheen`s got a lot of it with more than two million Twitter followers and a barrage of media keeping up with his every outlandish move.
BRITTO: He has interest in water-cooler conversation among various, vast demographic. And I think that`s very appealing to corporate sponsors.
WYNTER: One company who finds him very appealing is "Internships.com." They benefited from Sheen`s first-ever endorsement tweet, a job posting searching for a winning intern with tiger blood to assist in Sheen`s rapidly expanding social media campaign.
ROBIN RICHARDS, CEO, "INTERNSHIPS.COM": We kind of knew we were in un-chartered territory when Charlie Sheen was going to sent out this tweet.
WYNTER: "Internships.com" CEO, Robin Richards, tells SHOWBIZ TONIGHT that latching on to the Sheen machine has paid off for his company`s exposure big time.
RICHARDS: 10,000 clicks on that tweet in the first 30 seconds. In the first two hours, we`ve had over 20,000 applications from around the globe for Charlie Sheen`s internship.
WYNTER (on camera): And this may be just the beginning. Sheen is reportedly getting interest left and right from companies who want to be included in the troubled star`s tweets. But of course, they have to pay up.
SHEEN: I`m drinking something I won`t reveal unless they pay me.
WYNTER (voice-over): Richards wouldn`t say how much Sheen was compensated for the "Internships.com" tweet, but he tells SHOWBIZ TONIGHT that despite Sheen`s recent public behavior, his company simply could not resist tapping into Sheen`s enormous audience.
RICHARDS: I don`t see any reason why anybody wouldn`t take advantage of a, you know, social media campaign that brought these kinds of results. I think a lot of good came out of this.
WYNTER: How much good comes from Sheen`s endorsement remains to be seen. But SHOWBIZ TONIGHT can tell you as long as the radioactive star keeps cashing in on his notoriety, we`ll be hearing more and more of his now famous slogan
SHEEN: Winning!
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: That was SHOWBIZ TONIGHT`s Kareen Wynter. Charlie`s tweets broke a big record for "Internships.com." The site says that it received over 74,000 applications within 24 hours of Charlie`s first tweet. Incredible.
OK. I have heard of Beatle-mania, but Bieber-mania? Yes. Justin Bieber takes his fever and his hair to the U.K. only to get locked down in his hotel room. And we`re daring to ask, is Bieber now bigger than the Beatles?
"Idol" judge Jennifer Lopez brought to tears again. The SHOWBIZ TONIGHT great debate today, do you like J. Lo more than ever, or is she not doing it for you?
And cry me a river. Justin Timberlake and Jessica Biel kaput. Should we be shocked? This is SHOWBIZ TONIGHT on HLN news and views.
Now, the "SHOWBIZ News Ticker" - more stories from the SHOWBIZ TONIGHT newsroom making news today.
TEXT: Forbes declares P. Diddy the wealthiest artist in hip-hop, worth $475 million. Rose McGowan granted three-year restraining order against stalker.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANDERSON: Welcome back to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. I`m Brooke Anderson in New York with big "Idol" drama - what brought J. Lo to tears again on "American Idol"?
Justin Bieber mania explodes in the U.K. And cry me a river - Justin Timberlake and Jennifer Biel are no more. It`s all making big news in "The Buzz Today."
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
(voice-over) Justin and Jessica`s breakup bombshell. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT has confirmed Justin Timberlake and Jessica Biel are officially over as a couple.
Reps for both J.T. and J.B. have just issued a joint statement to address speculation that they`ve split saying, quote, "We are confirming that they mutually have decided to part ways. The two remain friends and continue to hold the highest level of love and respect for each other." The two began dating in 2007.
Bieber-mania explodes in Liverpool. Justin Bieber has just hit Great Britain and ignited Bieber fever in the Beatles` hometown. Liverpool police issued a warning to Bieber to stay in his hotel or he could be arrested for inciting a riot.
Crowds of hysterical fans mobbed the street outside the hotel where Biebs was forced to barricade himself inside. He did manage to tweet to his fans, quote, "There are like thousands of people out there. Love everybody, but got to try and get some sleep. Please don`t scream, LOL."
J. Lo`s "Idol" tears. A heartbroken Jennifer Lopez just couldn`t take it as "American Idol`s" top dropped down to just a dozen contestants.
Contestant Ashton Jones got the least amount of viewer votes and tried one more time win the judges over with a Diana Ross song. A tearful judge J. Lo had to break the news to Ashton that she would be the first finalist kicked out.
LOPEZ: Not this time, baby. I`m sorry. And it was unanimous. I`m sorry, baby. You know, I was rooting for you, baby.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: I think J. Lo is great on "American Idol." I think she truly cares and it shows. But today, we`re asking in our SHOWBIZ TONIGHT exclusive poll - Jennifer Lopez gets teary again on "American Idol": Is all this crying making you like J. Lo more than ever or is she just not doing it for you?
Radio host K. Foxx from New York`s Hot 97 is here with me now. K, is it go J. Lo or J. No for you?
K. FOXX, RADIO HOST, NEW YORK`S HOT 97: It`s go J. Lo. Yes. She was at that place at one time. She was an artist. She`s open to criticism. A lot of people have criticized her for not being able to sing and act and things like that. So when she`s giving the criticism back, it`s hard to do.
ANDERSON: She has been their shoes.
FOXX: Yes.
ANDERSON: She speaks from experience. Hyla, co-host of "Hollywood 5 Countdown." Here`s with us now, too. Hyla, is all this crying making you like J. Lo more than ever?
HYLA, CO-HOST, "HOLLYWOOD 5 COUNTDOWN": It`s going to take a couple more episodes of "American Idol." Listen, this is J. Lo. Everything she does is very calculated, especially when she has 25 million eyes on her. I`m going to need some more evidence before I can come to a conclusion.
ANDERSON: Such a critic. I think it`s sincere. I think she`s doing great. I think Steven Tyler is rocking it, too, and my dog, Randy, always consistent.
Well, the other heart-stopping "Idol" moment that everybody is talking today about J. Lo is her big reunion with her ex-boyfriend, Diddy.
It`s been 10 years since they split. Still, Jennifer was cheering Diddy on as he performed on "Idol," Thursday. Diddy recently said that he`s proud of J. Lo on "Idol." They didn`t seem awkward to me. K. Foxx, were you hoping for some fireworks, though?
FOXX: Well, no. They`ve grown. They`ve gotten past the shooting incident that kind of broke them up. And I think that when they broke up, they were still in love with each other.
But an unfortunate incident happened, and they had to part. So I think that - I wasn`t expecting fireworks. But they`re grown. Wish them well.
ANDERSON: They`re adults. They`ve moved on. They each have families of their own.
FOXX: Yes.
ANDERSON: Good for them for remaining friends.
FOXX: And her husband is one-woman man and Diddy isn`t.
ANDERSON: Oh, good point. I`ve got to move now though to Justin Timberlake and Jessica Biel`s split shocker today. You know, I really liked them as a couple, especially since they seemed to fly under the Hollywood radar.
Hyla, are you crying a river over Jessica and Justin`s split?
HYLA: Absolutely. It`s more competition for me. A single Justin Timberlake is not good for the single men of this country at all. This is bad, very bad.
ANDERSON: He is a ladies` man. Are you crying a river, K?
FOXX: No. I`m trying to give him my phone number. That`s it.
ANDERSON: Justin or Hyla - he`s looking, too.
FOXX: Hey, Hyla.
HYLA: What`s up, girl?
(CROSS TALK)
ANDERSON: All right. Just in today - I want to move to this now. Bieber-mania explodes in Liverpool. There was really utter insanity over Justin Bieber in this same city where Beatle-mania began 34 years before the Biebs was even born.
Justin is talented, you know, so popular. But Hyla, is now he now bigger than the Beatles?
HYLA: You know what? I`m a believer, but this is a ridiculous question. I mean, when the Beatles came to the states, 40 percent of the U.S. audience, 74 million people, tuned in. He`s not even close yet. This is - come on, stop it.
ANDERSON: Is this ridiculous, K? Or is he bigger than the Beatles?
FOXX: No. It`s ridiculous. The Beatles made timeless music. Justin Bieber`s music - no disrespect - is fleeting. We`re going to forget about the song, "Baby."
ANDERSON: You don`t have Bieber fever?
FOXX: No, I don`t.
ANDERSON: I can`t believe it!
FOXX: Do you have Bieber fever?
ANDERSON: A little bit. I do. I like the Biebs. All right. We`re going to leave it there for now. K. Foxx, Hyla, thank you both so much. Good to see you. And you two should exchange numbers.
All right. Did the Queen of Soul have gastric bypass surgery? Aretha Franklin dropped a stunning 85 pounds sparking reports that she did it by getting the surgery. Aretha sets the record straight today on whether she had it done. This is SHOWBIZ TONIGHT on HLN news and views.
And now, the "SHOWBIZ News Ticker" - more stories from the SHOWBIZ TONIGHT newsroom making news today.
TEXT: Eddie Cibrian gets lead role in "Playboy" TV pilot. Tony Danza files for divorce from wife of 24 years.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANDERSON: All right. Did the Queen of Soul get gastric bypass surgery? Aretha Franklin is setting the record straight today after reports surfaced that she had it done.
Aretha lost a stunning 85 pounds following an undisclosed surgery in December. The legendary singer has refused to reveal details about the surgery sparking wild reports.
So is it true? In a brand-new interview with "Access Hollywood," Aretha says, come on. How about a little respect?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ARETHA FRANKLIN, SINGER: Somewhere, I heard somebody thinks I got some bariatric surgery. I said, that is a surgery I would never, ever, ever, ever, ever -
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Aretha?
FRANKLIN: Believe me.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Really? So no, you have not had gastric bypass surgery?
FRANKLIN: Definitely not and would not.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Really?
FRANKLIN: And would not.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: OK. That`s astounding because a lot of people - you know, the rumors are out there.
FRANKLIN: I`ve heard that. That is crazy. That is crazy.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Pancreatic cancer. We heard it first.
FRANKLIN: Yes, I know.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And gastric bypass surgery.
FRANKLIN: Yes, that was the next thing.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: That was next rumor.
FRANKLIN: Yes, that was the next thing.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: OK. So how did -
FRANKLIN: I definitely wouldn`t. If I had to have that surgery, I would be fat, OK?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Really?
FRANKLIN: Believe me. I would look like this if I had to have that surgery.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Because too scary?
FRANKLIN: Yes.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Too scary to have that surgery?
FRANKLIN: Yes.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: And I`ve got to say, she looks spectacular. Whatever Aretha had surgery for, I`m just glad she`s OK and back on her feet.
All right. It`s time now for SHOWBIZ TONIGHT to name the most provocative celebrity of the week and see who you picked.
Will it be Charlie Sheen for his $100 million lawsuit against his old bosses and also for his wacky web casts? Mel Gibson for his plea deal today with no jail time? Or Lindsay Lohan for rolling the dice and not accepting a plea deal yet in her necklace theft case?
Drum roll, please. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT names - shocking shocker here - Charlie Sheen is the most provocative celebrity of the week.
But who did our Facebook fans choose? Here it is. A landslide 94 percent of you guys say Charlie Sheen.
Kelly C. posted this, "Sheen for the win. He`s losing it."
And on Thursday, we asked you to vote in our SHOWBIZ TONIGHT exclusive poll, "Lindsay Lohan Doesn`t Accept Plea Deal in Necklace Theft Case Yet: Smart move?"
And talk about lopsided results just in - 87 percent of you say yes, she will beat the charges. It was a smart move. Only 13 percent of you say, no, big gamble on Lindsay`s part.
Check out this E-mail. Britney(ph) from Kentucky, "I don`t think it matters, whether she chooses to plea out or not, she`s gotten off the hook before. And even if she is sentenced to jail time, she is not going to serve the full amount. She is never going to learn if she is let off the hook."
We do appreciate your thoughts. Keep them coming. And that is a wrap for SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. Thank you so much for watching. I`m Brooke Anderson in New York.
SHOWBIZ TONIGHT is live at 5:00 p.m. Eastern Monday through Friday. Don`t forget we`re still TV`s most provocative entertainment news show seven days a week, 11:00 p.m. Eastern and Pacific. Take care.
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