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Showbiz Tonight
Attack of the Teen Mom; Madonna`s Malawi Mess; Reese Witherspoon Gets Married; Attacks on "Jersey Shore" from Italy; "Black Swan" Bombshell; Chris Brown and Rihanna Reunited?
Aired March 28, 2011 - 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 - attack of the teen mom caught on tape. A young star of MTV`s "Teen Mom" show arrested after a fist-flying brutal attack on another woman.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: She`s going straight. What are you doing?
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HAMMER: The great debate today. Should MTV pull the plug on "Teen Mom"?
BROOKE ANDERSON, CO-HOST: Madonna`s Malawi mess. Madonna under fire today. Her planned all-girls school in Africa collapses. Disturbing claims of mismanagement. Our SHOWBIZ flashpoint today - is Madonna to blame? .
HAMMER: Remarkable new attacks in Italy today on Snooki, The Situation and the whole "Jersey Shore" crew. That`s not amore. Mama mia.
ANDERSON: TV`s most provocative entertainment news show -
HAMMER: Breaks news right now.
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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 - the attack of the teen mom.
HAMMER: Yes, Brooke. If what we learned today is true, one of the stars of the controversial MTV reality show, "Teen Mom 2" could wind up being called "teen monster."
An absolutely disturbing new video has surfaced of Jenelle Evans beating another girl with her fists, and I do mean beating. And this isn`t the first time a "Teen Mom" star has been arrested for disturbing violence.
SHOWBIZ TONIGHT can tell you once again serious doubts were raised today about whether these teen mom shows should even be on the air. Brooke you`ve been doing some digging on this all day long. What do you have?
ANDERSON: Well, A.J., it gets even worse. Today we learned Jenelle Evans was arrested in North Carolina. And I have the police report right here the fight she`s been charged with is really brutal stuff.
Last week TMZ posted the really violent clip of Jenelle`s fight which was not featured on "Teen Mom 2." In the video, we see Jenelle punching a girl in the face and jumping on top of her and whaling on her, even though it clear that the girl cannot fight back.
And get this - the whole time, a crowd is cheering Jenelle on. It is really despicable. Well, now that she is arrested, here are the charges that she faces - simple assault and something called simple affray. Both charges are misdemeanors.
But wait, there is more. The fight was reportedly triggered by an argument over her on again/off again boyfriend, Kieffer Delp, who`s also been featured on "Teen Mom 2." He has also just been arrested on cocaine charges. Classy folks. A.J., what a mess.
HAMMER: Oh, my god. What an incredible mess, Brooke. I want to bring in Sunny Hostin. Sunny`s a legal contributor for "In Session" on our sister network, Tru TV.
First of all, you`ve got to tell me what the heck simple affray is, Sunny. And also, you have the police report right here. I know you`ve been studying it. How much trouble is this teen mom in?
SUNNY HOSTIN, LEGAL CONTRIBUTOR, "IN SESSION" ON TRU TV: Well, simple affray is a public fight that has other people watching and other people sort of fearful. And I saw the video, and that is a perfect charge for something like that.
But these are two misdemeanors. Each misdemeanor could land her in jail for six months - so one year in total. But in any event, a criminal case is serious for anyone, even though the punishment is only perhaps one year.
This is something that, if I were her attorney, I would ask her to plead out, possibly get some sort of anger management. But let`s face it, she`s a teen mom. She has a child to think about.
HAMMER: Yes.
HOSTIN: What does that do for her custody?
HAMMER: And there`s no hiding from the charges here.
HOSTIN: Right.
HAMMER: I mean, she was pummeling this other woman.
HOSTIN: Oh, the evidence is there
HAMMER: It was really, really disgusting. This whole brutal assault that Jenelle was arrested for was featured on "Teen Mom 2."
But look, we`ve seen plenty of examples of Jenelle`s explosive temper on the show, like the time that she completely lost it and she threatened her own mom after her mom filed for custody of Jenelle`s baby boy. Watch this.
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JENELLE EVANS, CAST MEMBER, "TEEN MOM 2": Get out of my face!
JENELLE EVANS` MOTHER: It`s my house, Jenelle.
EVANS: I don`t give a flying (EXPLETIVE DELETED) if it`s your house. Now, guess what. You know why I did this, one reason, to get you out of my house so you can`t touch this baby!
Do you know I can punch you in my (EXPLETIVE DELETED) face right now? I swear to god I`m about to, Mom. I swear to (EXPLETIVE DELETED) god. You better get the (EXPLETIVE DELETED) out and get the (EXPLETIVE DELETED) inside the house. Get inside the house.
JENELLE EVANS` MOTHER: If you hit me you`re going to go to jail.
EVANS: Get inside the house before I spit in your (EXPLETIVE DELETED) face. Get inside the house!
JENELLE EVANS` MOTHER: I warn you.
(CROSS TALK)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: Holy Molly. I mean, obviously, it`s really disturbing stuff. Jenelle`s mom now actually has custody of her little boy. I`m hoping she keeps her voice down a bit.
Jenelle is also facing previous charges for marijuana possession and breaking and entering. I can`t imagine her getting her boy back any time soon. Sunny, a lot of people say this whole show is outrageous exploitation. I have a hard time disagreeing with that. What about you?
HOSTIN: I`m just so floored by what I just saw. I`m a mom answered could never even speak to my mother like that, and I`m a lot older now.
HAMMER: And, again, this mom now has custody.
HOSTIN: Has custody. Well, I think it certainly goes to show you that perhaps she may have struck this child. Perhaps she may have struck her mother because she was so aggressive towards her mother.
And now, we have the fact that she`s fighting with someone. I think it certainly does glorify this kind of behavior. I mean, she`s on television. She`s become a celebrity. She`s been on - they`ve been on the cover of "People" magazine and "Us Weekly" -
HAMMER: Yes.
HOSTIN: And that sort of thing, so what good comes out of this? This isn`t a good thing.
HAMMER: No.
HOSTIN: So I just - I think people really need to understand that this teen pregnancy - being a teen mother is not an easy thing. I have mentioned to you many times, my mother was a teen mother. It was not easy for us. Why are we glorifying this type of - I mean, this life?
HAMMER: And if the kids are already troubled, obviously, the added celebrity pressures just feed right into that. I want to go to "E`s" chief news correspondent, Ken Baker, joining us from Hollywood right now.
Ken, how could this not be seen as exploitation? Find a way for me here.
KEN BAKER, CHIEF NEWS CORRESPONDENT, "E! NEWS": Well, it`s supposedly a reality show. It`s documenting the reality of the lives of these young women and their families as they try to do something that, as was just pointed out, is immensely difficult.
A lot of people want to criticize these shows and say, oh, it`s exploitation. They are glorifying and they`re glamorizing - what are they glorifying? What are they glamorizing?
This is the harsh reality of what happens at reality, OK? There`s a lot of flak that these shows get for saying that - people say, "Oh, they`re not reality. They`re all scripted."
Well, look it, this is a dose of reality. Now, people are uncomfortable. I guarantee there`s a lot of people watching this right now who have seen something like that play out or know someone who has been in similar situations. This is reality and if we`re documenting it, then it`s warts and all.
HAMMER: Well, yes. That`s what they`re claiming as well. And that`s not the first time, by the way, a "Teen Mom" star has been accused of assault. Amber Portwood - do you remember that name? She was recently charged with beating her baby`s father after this disturbing video was shown on "Teen Mom." Let`s roll that.
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AMBER PORTWOOD, CAST MEMBER, "TEEN MOM": You don`t talk to my (EXPLETIVE DELETED) dad like that. Do you hear me? You apologize to him.
GARY SHIRLEY, FATHER OF AMBER PORTWOOD`S CHILD: Amber. Amber, no.
PORTWOOD: You apologize right now!
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: Ken, I don`t think you can ignore that reality TV shows tend to complicate the lives of their stars. But with all of these arrests, it seems to me that the problems appear to be even worse with the girls featured on "Teen Mom," don`t you agree?
BAKER: Well, it may be. I mean, of course, I`m not a social scientist. But I would say this. I would say that I don`t see a lot of glamorization. What I see here is that - if there`s any promotional campaign for abstinence or for not having a baby as a teenager, this is it.
I mean, this is all these advocates need is just say, "Look, this is what happens. This is how horrible it can get." So I think that it can actually have an educational benefit.
I think where it crosses the line was, say, that video that we saw of Jenelle Evans. If that was being produced in the show to entertain us in some way, then that would be stepping over the line.
But let`s be very clear. This is video that was sold to a paparazzi agency. It was posted on some Web sites. It`s a much different situation than actually MTV producing this or putting it out there.
HAMMER: Yes. And tons of people are watching the show. It`s so popular. Last Tuesday`s episode - 4.4 million viewers. And the girls on "Teen Mom" - they are reportedly making $60,000 this season. Unbelievable.
It`s not just Jenelle who`s been charged on the caught-on-camera fight. MTV had no comment when we asked them today about Jenelle`s new assault charge. But in the past, they said all they`re doing is documenting how hard it is to be a teen parent.
And we`ve also just now learned that all three of the girls who were involved in the fight have reportedly been charged.
Now, speaking of disturbing, guess what? There`s more Charlie Sheen news breaking today. Brooke, what is going on there?
ANDERSON: Yes, A.J. Charlie Sheen is at it again with a disgusting Twitter attack today on his ex-wife, Denise Richard. Sheen has reportedly been in a nasty custody battle with Denise, not over their two daughters, but over their dog.
In a tweet this morning, Sheen wrote, quote, "We must bombard with warlock napalm that trader and loser (EXPLETIVE DELETED) DUH-neese Poor-ards, a vile kidnapper and, now, dog thief."
Ken, I think this tweet is reprehensible, even for Charlie Sheen. I mean, Charlie, come on, talking about the mother of two of your children like that? You should be ashamed. Ken, is this a new low even for Charlie Sheen?
BAKER: Yes. Well, I think, first of all, let`s address the language that he uses. It sounds like he`s at medieval times and he`s somehow a knight or something. It`s getting kind of ridiculous.
But when you take the substance of what he`s saying, it`s very aggressive. I mean, this is the mother of his children, and he`s doing this in a public way. And I think that`s where people get uncomfortable.
Look it, we don`t know what the truth is here. I think, clearly, they`re fighting over this dog. And it`s sad and not to diminish it, but I think that in the scope of what`s going on in Charlie Sheen`s life, whether it`s addiction or his ability to get work or, you know, things that have been - he`s had restraining orders against him, this is low on the totem pole.
I wouldn`t say this is a new low because there are so many other issues that he`s been dealing with.
ANDERSON: Well, disturbing, nonetheless. Ken Baker, Sunny Hostin, thank you both.
All right. Moving now to Madonna`s Malawi mess. Madonna under fire today. Her planned all-girls school in Africa collapses. Disturbing claims of mismanagement. Our SHOWBIZ Flashpoint today, is Madonna to blame for all of this?
HAMMER: Chris Brown, Rihanna, together again in a blockbuster new interview? I`ve got to say these reports are wild. So SHOWBIZ truth squad, go check this out, will you?
ANDERSON: Reese Witherspoon gets married. What did she wear? Who was there? All the juicy details, next. This is SHOWBIZ TONIGHT on HLN news and views.
HAMMER: Time for the "SHOWBIZ News Ticker" - more stories from the SHOWBIZ TONIGHT newsroom making news today.
TEXT: Simon Cowell`s "X Factor" draws more than 18,000 people at L.A. auditions. Lady Gaga donates $1.5 million to Japan earthquake relief.
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ANDERSON: Lady Gaga just did it. Now, it`s Justin Bieber`s turn. The Bieb goes country today, doing one of his songs with Rascal Flatts that you see there.
Welcome back to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. I`m Brooke Anderson in Hollywood, A.J. Hammer is in New York. That song is called, "That Should Be Me." Bieber wrote it himself. It`s off his "Never Say Never" remix album.
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I love it! OK. So in other big Bieber news today - listen to this, the video for his song, "Baby," now has more than half a billion views on YouTube. Yes, billion with a "B."
HAMMER: Wow. That`s incredible. Also, just in today, Reese in love. Yes. Reese Witherspoon - she`s is officially off the market. The Oscar- winning actress said "I do" on Saturday to big-time Hollywood agent Jim Toth.
Now, the couple began dating in January of last year. They exchanged vows at her Ojai, California Ranch in front of about 120 guests, including, of course, a long list of A-listers.
"Us Weekly`s" west coast bureau chief, Melanie Bromley, joins us now from Hollywood with all these inside details. Melanie, I`ve got to tell you, I`m really happy for Reese. I look her a lot. Seems like she really found the right guy for her.
But there is a bit of mystery surrounding her new hubby - this guy, Jim Toth. He is a big-shot Hollywood agent. But of course, unlike her exes, Ryan Phillippe and Jake Gyllenhaal, not a lot people know of this guy. What can you tell us about him?
MELANIE BROMLEY, WEST COAST BUREAU CHIEF, "US WEEKLY": Well, Jim is a kind of down-to-earth guy. He loves sports and he started out actually in the mailroom at (CHEERS AND APPLAUSE), so he had very humble beginnings.
But he`s got a political science degree so he`s incredibly smart. Among his clients is Matthew McConaughey. And he`s just a great guy. And sources have told us that from the moment they went on their first date, they`ve kind of besotted with one another.
Of course, they got married on Saturday, but they`ve been dating for just over a year. It`s a very quick wedding, but they seem so happy and so everyone is very excited about this.
HAMMER: Yes I mean, this is, you know, obviously, a big, big deal and that she`s willing to settle down I think it says a whole lot about where she`s at in life right now. Become buzz, of course, about how stunning Reese looked as she walked down the aisle and said "I do." Melanie, what can you tell us about the wedding dress she was wearing?
BROMLEY: Well, she was wearing a Monique Lhuillier dress. And she also had a beautiful shoes - Jimmy Choo shoes. She looked wonderful. But what we know about the wedding is that it was in a kind of country style.
She had mismatched fun, so she had lanterns hanging from the trees. And she also had like a band playing and a D.J. And of course, there were tons of A-listers there.
HAMMER: Yes. I want names. I want to know who was there. It was a huge, star-studded event.
BROMLEY: OK. Honestly, it was like the Oscars, but over in Ojai. There was Sean Penn and Scarlett Johansson who were there as a couple, which was wonderful. Also, Matthew McConaughey, of course, because Jim is his agent.
They also had Renee Zellweger, which is interesting, of course, because last week, we were all reporting on her split from Bradley Cooper. So Robert Downey, Jr. as well was another one. So it was a really good A-list turnout at Reese`s wedding.
HAMMER: Yes. Sounds like a good way to spend a Saturday. Melanie Bromley, thank you so much.
ANDERSON: And now, the SHOWBIZ royals watch. I can tell you the Beckhams really excited today for the royal wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton. David Beckham tells Ryan Seacrest on his Kiss FM radio show that they are psyched to have made the guest list but that wife Victoria is a little bit worried.
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RYAN SEACREST, RADIO TALK SHOW HOST: Are you guys off to the royal wedding? Are you going to be heading out there?
DAVID BECKHAM, SOCCER PLAYER: Yes, we`re going to be going. We`ve obviously got the invitation, which we`re obviously really excited about. So we`re very proud of our royal family.
And it`s going to be an amazing occasion, you know, the excitement in the country for wedding - for the royal wedding has always been amazing.
So to be invited to it, to be able to go there, you know, we`re both excited. Victoria is obviously a little bit worried because she`ll be a few months more pregnant by then. But she`s excited as well. You know, we`re both proud to be going.
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ANDERSON: Why is she worried? Victoria, is it the baby bump? A baby bump is beautiful. And we actually want to send to you London. Here`s your chance to enter to win a trip for two to be CNN`s official royal wedding iReporter.
Head over to iReport.com/RoyalWedding. Send us a video of why you think you should be the royal wedding iReporter. And if your video is picked as the big winner, off you go.
And remember, I will be there covering the royal wedding, so keep it on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT for the biggest and the best coverage.
OK. Big news breaking in the Natalie Portman "Black Swan" scandal. Did Natalie really do most of her own dancing?
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UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: Attack it! Attack it! Come on!
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ANDERSON: Today, the movie`s director is setting the record straight. Was a dance double used?
HAMMER: Remarkable new attacks in Italy today on the "Jersey Shore Crew." Why some Italians what to say, "Arrivederci, Snooki and Company." Mama mia.
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ANDERSON: Serena Williams, too hot for TV. This ad banned. What the heck happened here? Next. This is SHOWBIZ TONIGHT on HLN news and views.
HAMMER: Time for the "SHOWBIZ News Ticker" - more stories from the SHOWBIZ TONIGHT newsroom making news today.
TEXT: Tom Hanks to guest star on "30 Rock." Rihanna talks about bad boys and sexting in the new edition of "Rolling Stone."
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HAMMER: Serena Williams banned today. There has been controversy over tennis star`s super-sexy ad that you`re seeing for the videogame, "Top Spin 4." Now, the ad, which features Serena in a sexy, barely-there outfit, sparked a lot of outrage.
Now, I can tell you the game`s developer has decided to pull the spot. 2K Sports tells SHOWBIZ TONIGHT the ad was not part of its final marketing plan and, quote, "its distribution was unauthorized."
ANDERSON: Kourtney Kardashian makes her daytime debut today. She got a guest gig on ABC`s "One Life to Live" playing a character named Kassandra Kavanaugh - all K`s, of course. And in (INAUDIBLE) fashion, there was even a kissing scene. Ooh. Watch.
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KOURTNEY KARDASHIAN, REALITY TV STAR: One second. I just wanted to say thank you.
UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: No problem.
KOURTNEY KARDASHIAN: It was fun working out with you.
UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: Even if we didn`t actually work out?
KOURTNEY KARDASHIAN: I just wanted to give you this.
UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: I already have one of these.
KOURTNEY KARDASHIAN: Check the back.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Did you see that look at the end? She`s such a soap star. As a long time "One Life to Live" fan, Kourtney says she was nervous, but it looks like everything turned out A-OK.
HAMMER: Oh, wow.
ANDERSON: A.J., a whole lot of calls coming in to the "Showbiz on Call" phone lines today about the raging debate that Chris Brown should be banned from ABC`s "Dancing with the Stars" for his "GMA" outburst.
HAMMER: Yes. A lot of calls, Brooke. One from Aimee in Ohio who is mad at ABC, seemingly banned Adam Lambert for a guy-guy kiss a couple of years back, but she also understands why Brown got mad.
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AIMEE, CALLER FROM OHIO: No, I don`t think Adam Lambert should have been boycotted off of ABC for a kiss. But at the same time, I think Chris Brown should have a little bit more forgiveness and understanding due to this event that happened two years ago.
And I know I would be frustrated if somebody kept bringing up an incident like that two years later and wanting to talk about it.
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HAMMER: Thanks a lot for your call, Aimee. For now, the SHOWBIZ lineup - here`s what`s coming up on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. You do not want to miss this.
Madonna`s Malawi mess. Madonna`s under fire today. Her planned all-girls school in Africa collapses. Our SHOWBIZ Flashpoint, is Madonna to play.
Now, let`s play "Guess that Music Star." Who is wearing that funky make-up and why? Here`s a hint: she loves fireworks. And who knows, there may even be fireworks at the royal wedding?
I`m going to tell you how you can enter to win a chance to cover all the excitement in London, coming up. This is SHOWBIZ TONIGHT on HLN news and views.
Time now for the "SHOWBIZ News Ticker" - more stories from the SHOWBIZ TONIGHT newsroom making news today.
TEXT: "Diary of a Wimpy Kid" tops weekend box office with $24.4 million. Willow Smith to perform at the Nickelodeon Kids` Choice Awards.
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HAMMER: Big news breaking today on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT - Madonna`s Malawi mess. Her planned school for girls falls apart, millions of dollars reportedly wasted. The SHOWBIZ Flashpoint today - is Madonna to blame?
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Attack it! Attack it! Come on!
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ANDERSON: "The Black Swan" bombshell today. Did Natalie Portman do all that dancing for her Oscar-winning role? The film`s director sets the record straight.
HAMMER: Chris and Rihanna reunited? Brand-new reports that Chris Brown and Rihanna may do a TV interview together. The SHOWBIZ truth squad is on the case.
Plus, breaking today from the "SHOWBIZ News Ticker" - who is the new Lois Lane? And Helen Mirren`s big honor.
ANNOUNCER: TV`s most provocative entertainment news show continues right now.
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HAMMER: Welcome back to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. It is 30 minutes past the hour. I`m A.J. Hammer coming to you from New York City.
ANDERSON: And I`m Brooke Anderson in Hollywood with big news breaking today - Madonna`s mess.
HAMMER: Yes. I`ve got to say things have gone from bad to worse for Madonna. There are disturbing new reports today about the collapse of Madonna`s mission to build a $15 million school for around 400 girls in Malawi. It all fell apart after Madonna discovered that the money wasn`t getting spent the way she intended it.
ANDERSON: Yes, A.J. It is mind-boggling what a money pit whole thing turned into with nothing to show for it. Get a load of this - $3.8 million had already been spent on the project.
And the executive director of the school reportedly spent money on a golf course membership and a car and driver for himself. Did I mention he happens to be the boyfriend of Madonna`s former trainer?
Madonna fired the members of the board who were in charge of seeing the school through. And today, there are brand-new reports that the people Madonna fired are now suing her.
HAMMER: You know, I hear all this and I`m thinking what a shame for Madonna. I can see why some people may want to blame her for the mess. At the end of the day, it`s her project. It`s her charity.
Let me go to Sunny Hostin, who is a legal contributor with "In Session" on Tru TV. Obviously, Sunny, these people were in charge of getting this project off the ground and appropriating the money where it needed to go. I say Madonna had every right to go in there and clear house and fire everybody
HOSTIN: You`re absolutely right. I mean, they had their fiduciary duty and they breached it. Clearly, they were supposed to do a job and they didn`t do it.
And she did the right thing. When you know someone is not doing the right job for you, then you have every right to fire them, especially if the allegations are true that there was some fraud going on. There`s no question about it.
HAMMER: Yes. People are buying golf club memberships? Are you kidding me?
HOSTIN: I know, and car and driver? I mean, absolutely. This was supposed to be money for a girls` school.
HAMMER: For a very, very good cause. Look, I don`t think anybody can deny that Madonna`s heart was in the right place when she decided to build this school in Malawi. Two of her adopted kids are from Malawi, of course.
Madonna says her idea for the school came to her when she was making a documentary called "I am Because We Are." Of course, it`s all about Malawi. Watch what she told CNN.
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MADONNA, POP STAR: When I made my documentary and we were traveling around the country interviewing people and just going out into the field and talking to women, what struck me was that women were doing all the work.
They had the babies strapped to their backs. They were in the fields raking up the dirt. They were - you know, they`ve got one sewing machine and turned it into 10 sewing machines. They were making dresses for their village.
They were the ones with the entrepreneurial spirit and they`re working their butts off. And they were all telling me that none of them were encouraged or even allowed or capable of getting an education. I was like, this is not fair.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: She was looking to fix that. That leads to our SHOWBIZ Flashpoint on the collapse of Madonna`s school. Is Madonna to blame? Let me bring in Ken Baker "E`s" chief news correspondent. Ken, what`s your take?
BAKER: My take is it`s hard not to be cynical when you hear a story like this because you sort of feel for Madonna and you sort of feel like, well, no good deed goes unpunished.
HAMMER: Ken, I`m going to interrupt you because your microphone fell off. I`m going to go to Sunny for the SHOWBIZ Flashpoint while you put your mike back on.
What do you think? Is Madonna to blame here? Because everybody wants to point a finger at the person sitting at the top.
HOSTIN: It`s tough. I mean, her heart certainly was in the right place. But I do believe that the buck stops with her. And certainly, she`s the person that is ultimately responsible for the board, putting the people on the board and it`s her charity.
So unfortunately, yes. I think the buck stops with her. I think as a leader, you have to take responsibility. You can`t blame the other guys.
HAMMER: You know, and she`s such an exacting, precise woman. You know this has to be killing her. Ken Baker, back to you. What do you think? Madonna to blame here?
BAKER: What I was saying - sorry about that. It just makes you kind of be cynical. And I feel for Madonna. I mean, it`s one of these sort of "no good deed goes unpunished" kind of thing because she was trying to do something.
Like you said, her heart was in the right place. And I think that, you know, she`s doing the responsible thing clearly. And by the way, you have to remember - now, anyone can sue anyone. Celebrities are often targets and it really will be interesting to see how this comes out.
HAMMER: Yes. I really hope. And Brooke, I`m sure you agree with me. I really hope this does not interfere with Madonna`s plans to move forward with this charity and do other great things in the future.
ANDERSON: Yes. Me either. And I really think that Madonna has very really good intentions here and just wants to get those girls in Malawi a quality education. I`m sure she`s sick at heart that this has happened. She trusted people to follow through and they did not.
I`m sure she`s probably blaming herself. But I do not think she`s to blame. I hope she can continue her mission and make it a reality.
OK. I do have to move now though to even more big news breaking today involving Natalie Portman. Natalie`s body double in the film, "Black Swan," is claiming that Natalie, who won a best actress Oscar for the movie, did not perform the majority of the ballerina dance scenes in the film.
Well, today, that war exploded. Sarah Lane, the body double, tells "Entertainment Weekly" Portman only did five percent of the full-body shots and is speaking out because Natalie`s boyfriend, who choreographed the movie, claimed just the opposite.
Lane says this, "They wanted to create this idea in people`s minds that Natalie was some kind of prodigy or so gifted in dance and really worked so hard to make herself a ballerina in a year and a half for the movie.
"It is demeaning to the profession and not just to me. I`ve been doing this for 22 years." Ken Baker, the director of the movie, Darren Aronofsky said today that the claims are bull. Who are you believing?
BAKER: Well, I guess either way, I would say this. On one hand, I respect - I know a lot of dancers. I know what they go through, their commitment. And to hear that dancer Sarah say that, you really feel for her because it really is for her about - look it, people think it`s so easy.
On the other hand, guess what. Breaking news, Tom Cruise didn`t really drive much of the car in "Days of Thunder" nor did he really do a lot of the motorcycle work in "Mission Impossible."
ANDERSON: What?
BAKER: It`s just what actors do. They fake it. Yes. They have stunt people, believe it or not. Body doubles. That`s what Hollywood is built upon. And I think we all know that. And maybe everyone needs to sort of check the ego a little bit and move on.
ANDERSON: You`re saying a lot of it is make believe? Ken, I had no idea! All right.
BAKER: Sorry.
ANDERSON: I do want to take a closer look now at what the director Darren Aronofsky is revealing as he fights back on behalf of Portman. He released his own stats today.
Aronofsky said he had his editor count the shots and that there are 139 dance shots in the film, 111 of those are Natalie untouched, 28 are her dance double, Sarah Lane. If you do the math, that`s 80 percent Natalie Portman. Sunny Hostin, who are you believing?
HOSTIN: You know, I don`t know. He`s got these stats. I tend to believe numbers. But I agree with ken. I mean, we know that she`s not a ballerina. I don`t think anyone thought that she did all of these moves by herself.
I think, though, that the actual ballerina probably should have gotten a little more credit for it, at least in the credits or at least in her Oscar-winning acceptance speech. And perhaps this wouldn`t have been such a big debate and such a big scandal.
ANDERSON: Good point.
HOSTIN: Give people credit where credit is due.
ANDERSON: Had she gotten a mention in the Oscar speech, maybe this wouldn`t have happened.
HOSTIN: Yes, a little shout out.
(CROSS TALK)
ANDERSON: Good point. I want to take a look now - yes - at Natalie`s dancing in "Black Swan," which got her that Oscar.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
(MUSIC)
UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: (INAUDIBLE) for the court, the audience, the entire world. Come on. (INAUDIBLE) there like spider spinning a web. Attack it! Attack it! Come on!
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Ken Baker, if it turned out the claims were true that that was not Natalie dancing for most of the movie, would her Oscar be tainted? Or do you think she deserved to win regardless?
BAKER: You know, Natalie, if you look at the record and I looked at a lot of her statements, the interview she was giving, she never claimed to have done everything.
And you don`t expect an actress to break down statistically what number of scenes were her and wasn`t. I think it`s sort of, you know, a moot point.
I think it`s something that maybe this ballerina should talk about - talk it out with Darren Aronofsky, the director, and Natalie. And maybe they should all just go to the ballet together maybe.
ANDERSON: Yes. Hug it out maybe. Yes. I think her Oscar would not be tainted even if these claims were true.
BAKER: No.
ARONOFSKY: Because I think the win - the honor was more for her acting, her talent, not so much about the execution of the ballet moves. Anyway, I`m sure the body double and the backup dancer - very, very talented all the same. Ken Baker, Sunny Hostin, thank you.
OK. Brand-new fist pumping outrage today just as "Jersey Shore" finally hits the airwaves in Italy.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You`re being a (INAUDIBLE). Really? I didn`t even know there was a charge for that.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Well, let me tell you, some of the Italians are not happy. The remarkable new attacks today against the whole "Jersey Shore" gang.
HAMMER: All right. Take a look at this. What`s with the alien look? Wait until you hear who the star is with the whole Avatar-like thing going on there.
ANDERSON: All right. And are Chris Brown and Rihanna really reuniting for a big TV interview? The SHOWBIZ truth squad is on the case. This is SHOWBIZ TONIGHT on HLN news and views.
HAMMER: This is the "SHOWBIZ News Ticker" - more stories from the SHOWBIZ TONIGHT newsroom making news today.
TEXT: "Modern Family" wins best comedy series at the first-ever comedy awards. Jesse James unveils cover for upcoming memoir.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANDERSON: Do you recognize the big star behind this Avatar-like make-up? Here are a couple hints. She likes fireworks. She`s a California girl. She`s even kissed a girl. Yes, it`s Katy Perry.
Katy`s got this new look going on for the brand-new music video for her single "E.T." She looks pretty cool. Katy unveils the video this Thursday on MTV.
Welcome back to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. I`m Brooke Anderson in Hollywood, A.J. Hammer in New York. And today, brand-new international outrage over "Jersey Shore."
HAMMER: Yes. Speaking of eye makeup, Brooke, the "Jersey Shore" crew is getting ready to leave the boardwalk behind and head to Italy for season four.
But today, I`m here to tell you Italians are saying they want The Situation and the rest of the cast to keep out of their country.
A columnist for a major Italian newspaper writes this, "They embody the worst stereotypes of Italians, multiplied by thousands and Americanized."
Wow. Doesn`t sound like Italy`s going to be welcoming Snooki with open arms. Let`s me go right out to Kelli Zink, the host of "CelebTV.com." Kelli, "Jersey Shore," as we all know, sparked a lot of outrage from Italian-American groups from the day it debuted all the way back to 2009.
Now, it`s simmering to a boil in Italy. Do you think the show`s producers are going to be forced to tone it down in order to avoid an international incident? We have enough problems going on abroad right now.
KELLI ZINK, HOST, "CELEBTV.COM": Absolutely not, A.J. They want ratings, ratings, ratings. And that`s exactly what the show is going to get. I`m Italian and, sometimes, I`m offended by these kids.
But you know what I do? I don`t watch. So if the Italians don`t want to see it, there`s a small chance they`re going to be in the same place at the same time. Otherwise, just don`t go there or turn off your TV and ignore the kids.
HAMMER: Yes. I think they love the fact that it`s getting this kind of attention. And they`re probably just going to turn the volume way up.
Brooke, you had a chance to talk with "Jersey Shore`s" J-Woww about all the uproar over their show. What did she tell you?
ANDERSON: A.J., well, J-Woww did not seem too concerned about all the outrage. I asked her specifically how she responded to the critics who said the show going to Italy is a really bad idea. Watch what she said.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Some Italian-American groups are not happy and saying it will portray Italians in a bad way. It will make people not look so good. What do you say to that?
JENNI "J-WOWW" FARLEY, CAST MEMBER, "THE JERSEY SHORE": They`re the same ones that were coming out when "Jersey Shore" first was going to air. And they got our ratings where it was at the beginning, so I say thank you.
ANDERSON: So you look at it as good publicity.
FARLEY: Yes. I owe them a box of cannolis.
ANDERSON: All right. I think J-Woww makes a valid point. The more people talk about "Jersey Shore," the more people want to watch it. Let`s bring in Brian Balthazar, editor for "PopGoesTheWeek.com."
Brian, you just heard J-Woww. Do you think this latest round of critics should expect more cannolis for boosting the show`s popularity?
BRIAN BALTHAZAR, EDITOR, "POPGOESTHEWEEK.COM": Absolutely. You know, on behalf the United States, I`d also like to add, they`re not exactly U.N. ambassadors for America either.
So I don`t think they`re the best representation of this country as a whole, let alone Italian-Americans or Italians. So I think buzz is buzz. They know it.
These guys know how hated they are by a lot of people. But they also see how much money they`re getting for public appearances and how many Twitter followers they have.
So I think, you know, Italy should fasten its seatbelts per se and just get ready because it`s coming.
ANDERSON: Yes. A lot of people love it as evidenced by the ratings. More than seven million people watched last season`s season finale. But as Kelli says, if you don`t like it, just don`t watch.
All right. We`ve got some other stories just in today, Britney Spears gives a surprise performance in Vegas. Bret Michaels suing over an onstage incident. Mariah Carey has some big baby news. All making news in "The Buzz Today."
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
(voice-over) Mariah`s false alarm. Mother-to-be Mariah Carey almost celebrated her birthday on Sunday with the premature arrival of her twins.
She reported via Twitter that she started having contractions on Saturday night and went to the hospital. But after being released early Sunday, a relieved Mariah happily tweeted, "Finally, they said I could come home after they got it under control, but they almost came on 3/27. We have a few more weeks to go but, wow."
Bret Michaels` head-banging lawsuit. The rocker is suing CBS and the Tony Awards for a head injury he sustained during the 2009 Tonys broadcast. Michaels was hit in the head by a set piece that dropped during the show.
And according to multiple reports, he`s claiming that blow to the head led to the brain hemorrhage that almost killed him in 2010.
Britney`s Vegas surprise. Britney Spears just threw a surprise concert at the Palms Casino in Vegas. She tweeted "It feels good to be on stage again." The surprise show upstaged her official comeback performance she taped on Sunday in San Francisco for "Good Morning America."
Both shows are promoting her new album, "Femme Fatale," which drops on Tuesday.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: Britney wowed the crowd in Vegas, but can she compete with Gaga, Katy Perry? Kelli, Katy Perry and Lady Gaga are reigning queens of the Billboard Hot 100. I don`t think Britney should be concerned though that she won`t be able to keep up. Very quickly, do you?
ZINK: No way. Britney`s fans are loyal. They stuck by her. They watched her fail in her personal life. And now, she`s coming back bigger than ever. And she has a PR team behind her. This album`s going to explode. Team Britney forever.
ANDERSON: I think there`s room for all of them. Kelli Zink, Brian Balthazar, thanks.
HAMMER: Time now for the SHOWBIZ truth squad. Does ABC want to reunite Chris Brown and Rihanna? A brand-new report out today says that even after Chris Brown reportedly threw a water cooler and a window at "Good Morning America" last week, ABC wants him back in a big way, to reunite for a blockbuster interview with Rihanna.
This idea is so unbelievable. We had to send in the SHOWBIZ truth squad. And a "GMA" spokesperson in fact tells SHOWBIZ TONIGHT this is not happening, no truth to the report.
Brooke, I don`t think that Rihanna would even consider an on-camera reunion after all that she`s been through. I highly doubt it. I can`t imagine why she`d ever do it.
ANDERSON: Yes. Me either. I doubt it, too, A.J. And besides, I don`t think anyone would want to see them together until Brown gets his anger management problem completely under control.
HAMMER: Yes.
ANDERSON: OK. Did you see this? It is a brand-new behind-the-scenes look at "Transformers" star Megan Fox`s super-sexy Armani ads. Megan Fox takes it all off, but some say she took off too much weight. Next. This is SHOWBIZ TONIGHT on HLN news and views.
HAMMER: Time now for the "SHOWBIZ News Ticker" - more stories from the SHOWBIZ TONIGHT newsroom making news today.
TEXT: Amy Adams to star as Lois Lane in the next "Superman" film. Helen Mirren gets hand and foot imprints at Grauman`s Chinese Theater.
(MUSIC)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HAMMER: Did you see this? Megan Fox`s racy new ad campaign for Armani.
ANDERSON: A.J., this video is pretty hard to miss. But for those who didn`t see this, it`s "Transformers" star Megan Fox stripped down to her skinnies for a brand-new Armani ad campaign.
HAMMER: Armani just posted this behind-the-scenes look at Megan getting ready for the shoot, getting her hair done, getting her makeup done and, of course, posing for the camera. But Brooke, these ads, of course, have not been without controversy.
ANDERSON: Yes. A lot of people think Megan looked way too skinny in the print ads compared to her "Transformer" days, sparking speculation maybe that she has some kind of an eating disorder.
But she looks healthy in the video, and her trainer has said that she`s constantly working on not being too skinny because she`s got a really fast metabolism. What do you think, A.J.? Too skinny?
HAMMER: Well, I haven`t seen the print ads. I saw one of them, but I don`t know if it`s the one they`re talking about.
I don`t know. I look at her and I think she looks terrific. I think, Brooke, she`s somebody who has always taken very good care of herself. What do you think?
ANDERSON: As long as she`s healthy, I think that`s great. I think she`s beautiful.
HAMMER: All right. Moving on now, this is incredibly cool. Here`s how you can enter to win a trip for two to cover all the excitement of the royal wedding. All you`ve got to do is send us a video of exactly why you think you should be CNN`s royal wedding iReporter for Prince William and Kate Middleton`s wedding, like what iReporter Kate A. did.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KATE A., IREPORTER: Oh, my dear, dear Will Kate, just remember on 4/29, you mustn`t arrive late for Vinnie(ph) and I will be present to watch your beautifully grand nuptial launch.
As a noble wedding iReporter destined as my duty, I`ll be completing the task without being snooty.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: All right, Kate. Nice rhyming and it good to not be snooty. If you want to enter to win, here`s what you`ve got to do. Go to iReport.com/RoyalWedding and send us your iReport. And if it`s picked as the big winner, you are off to London.
ANDERSON: I really like Kate`s iReport. And A.J., I will be reporting from London, too. I`ll be in London leading up to the big wedding. So keep it right here on HLN for all of the biggest and best royal wedding coverage.
HAMMER: Well, we just got the results in to our SHOWBIZ TONIGHT exclusive poll. Check this out. On Friday we asked - "Chris Brown `GMA` Rampage: Should he be banned from `Dancing with the Stars`?" And as you can see, most people say yes, 73 percent. Twenty-seven percent of you say no. He apologized already.
This from Jamie in Canada, "I am furious that ABC is allowing Chris Brown to perform on `Dancing with the Stars.` They banned Adam Lambert for a kiss. A kiss is unacceptable yet they deem continued acts of violence acceptable. You`ve got to be kidding me."
Thank you very much for your E-mail. We always love hearing from you, love to get your opinion. And thank you for watching. That is it for SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. I`m A.J. Hammer in New York.
ANDERSON: And I`m Brooke Anderson in Hollywood. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT is live at 5:00 p.m. Eastern Monday through Friday.
HAMMER: And we are still TV`s most provocative entertainment news show at 11:00 p.m. Eastern and Pacific right here on HLN.
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