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Showbiz Tonight
Arnold Schwarzenegger and Maria Shriver`s Shocking Split; Whitney Houston`s Rehab Shocker; Sarah Ferguson`s Royal Snub; Chaz Bono`s Sex Change Revelation
Aired May 10, 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, HOST: Big news breaking tonight on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT - the inside story of Arnold and Maria`s shocking split. What went wrong, and was their breakup really surprising?
Whitney rehab shocker. The tough love from big stars today for Whitney Houston as she gets treatment again for drugs and alcohol.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Whitney you need more than outpatient.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: Should Whitney be doing more to clean up her act? Sarah`s royal snub. Sarah Ferguson speaks out for the very first time today. Her personal revelations to Oprah about not getting invited to William and Catherine`s wedding.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
OPRAH WINFREY, HOST, "THE OPRAH WINFREY SHOW": How hurtful was it to not be invited?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: Should we feel sorry for Fergie? Chaz Bono`s emotional brand-new sex change revelation. Tonight, we`re asking, is it understandable why Chaz` mom, Cher, had such a hard time accepting Chaz`s sex change?
TV`s most provocative entertainment news show breaks news right now.
(MUSIC PLAYING)
Hello. I`m A.J. Hammer, coming to you from New York City with big news breaking tonight - a stunning split that sent shock waves from coast to coast.
Arnold Schwarzenegger, Maria Shriver separated after 25 years of marriage. The power couple released a formal statement saying that they`re now living apart.
The unexpected news comes just as Schwarzenegger stepped away from his high profile political life as California governor and back into making movies. So what went wrong?
Tonight, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT investigates what led to the breakup of one of Hollywood`s most powerful couple.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
(voice-over) Ironically it`s the most shocking news about Arnold Schwarzenegger since he married a member of the Kennedy family.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Political power couple, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Maria Shriver have split.
HAMMER: The morning news shows today announced the news that has shocked Hollywood and Washington and all points in between. Arnold and his wife of 25 years, Maria Shriver, have separated.
In a statement to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, the couple says, quote, "At this time, we are living apart while we work on the future of our relationship."
NINA PARKER, TMZ: According to our sources, Maria moved out several months ago.
HAMMER: Throughout their 25-year marriage, they`ve literally been the perfect marriage of Hollywood and politics. And now, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT has shocking inside details what may have gone wrong with this powerful super couple.
The split comes just a few months after Arnold finished up his two terms as California`s governor and went roaring back to Hollywood. He began work on a new animated show, "The Governator."
ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER, ACTOR AND FORMER CALIFORNIA GOVERNOR: I`m going to be a private citizen once again.
HAMMER: And he even toyed with the idea of doing another "Terminator" movie.
SCHWARZENEGGER: I`ll be back.
HAMMER: But SHOWBIZ TONIGHT can tell you there are hints such big life changes have been hard on this famous couple. In a statement to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT announcing their split, Arnold and Maria say, quote, "This has been a time of great personal and professional transition for each of us."
MARIA SHRIVER, ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER`S ESTRANGE WIFE: We want to hear from other people who are in transition.
HAMMER: In this YouTube video from March, Shriver, who doesn`t appear to be wearing her wedding ring, actually asked people for advice on how to deal with transition.
SHRIVER: It`s so stressful to not know what you`re doing next. Tell me some things you wish you would have known before you transitioned, like it would help me.
PARKER: We`re told she`s been extremely unhappy and contemplating divorce since 2009.
HAMMER: Nina Parker is a producer for TMZ, which today is reporting that it`s Maria who wants out of the marriage.
PARKER: We`re told from our sources that Maria had been unhappy for a while and that he was very hard to deal with. He had a very big ego. A lot of people are saying, "Why now?" But you know, everybody has their breaking point and, apparently, she`s reached hers.
HAMMER: In the middle of his 2003 campaign for California governor, more than a dozen women accused him of extremely offensive behavior including lewd comments and groping. Some of the allegations stretched all the way back to the `70s.
SHRIVER: I wouldn`t be standing here if this man weren`t an A-plus human being.
HAMMER: On the campaign trail, Maria, who would later leave her job at NBC News to support her husband`s political career, proudly defended Arnold from the explosive allegations.
SHRIVER: You can listen to all the negativity and you can listen to people who have never met Arnold or who met him for five seconds 30 years ago. Or you can listen to me.
HAMMER: And that`s what`s so shocking about this split, because no matter the difference between Arnold, the Republican foreign-born action movie star, and Maria, the liberal, polished member of one of America`s most prestigious families, they were always a team as Arnold once shared on "LARRY KING LIVE."
SCHWARZENEGGER: She has always been the best partner and, I always knew, the greatest wife in the world and as a mother - untouchable. I mean, she`s selfless. She only thinks about the children and only thinks about me.
HAMMER: And today, TMZ is reporting that this action movie hero is not letting Maria go without a fight.
PARKER: We`re told Arnold does not want the split. He does want to stay with Maria. And we`re told ever since she`s moved out of the home that they share here in Los Angeles, he`s been the perfect husband, or trying to be the perfect husband, being very attentive, calling her. And they`ve been seen out self times, including on Mother`s Day.
HAMMER: We have to point out neither Arnold nor Maria, who have four children together, are mentioning the D-word, divorce, just yet. We`ll have to see if they terminate their marriage or save it.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
And I`ve got to say I certainly did not expect this news, especially after 25 years together. They were so enduring. But you know, when you look at the big picture, I can, at least, understand the timing. They waited until he settled in away from politics.
With me, right now, from Hollywood, the great Dr. Drew Pinsky, host of HLN`s "DR. DREW" right here on HLN.
Dr. Drew, does it surprise you that Arnold and Maria are separating after being married for 25 years, particularly given the massive changes in their lives recently?
DR. DREW PINSKY, HOST, "DR. DREW": Right, A.J., absolutely. I think everyone is surprised. This is not the typical story of a husband that`s misbehaving and an unhappy wife.
There`s something far more going on than any of us really know. It`s complicated, no doubt. I can tell you I have friends myself who know them and most people are surprised. And the most resounding reaction that really everyone around them is having is deep sadness.
HAMMER: Yes.
PINSKY: People love them as a couple. People love them as parents. They have great kids. It`s interesting that Maria stood up and called him an A- plus human being.
I think she would probably still say the same thing, even though it seems like everyone is kind of pointing at him as the weak link and maybe the precipitating cause in the breakup.
HAMMER: And at a minimum, I don`t expect this to get contentious knowing a bit about each of them. And this morning, you know, people were saddened. They`re also surprised. The ladies on "The View" very shocked to hear about the split. Watch what they said.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SHERRI SHEPHERD, CO-HOST, "THE VIEW": It`s a little sad because when you see somebody who you think they`ve gotten over the hump, you`ve got your little milestones -
ELISABETH HASSELBECK, CO-HOST, "THE VIEW": When you`re married, sometimes - now, based on the statistics, you`re operating almost in fear of divorce.
And you hear your friends say and you hear people say, "Well, you know, I haven`t been happy for this long or this started a long time ago. We`ve been trying to make things better for 10 years."
SHEPHERD: Yes.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: So I do think that Maria and Arnold splitting up after 25 years does make people pause. You think about your own situation. But in their case, Arnold left politics. He`s courting Hollywood again. Maria may reportedly return to broadcasting.
Dr. Drew, they are only separated. Nobody has filed for divorce yet. Do you think they stand a chance of working things out?
PINSKY: Oh, I do. I absolutely do. And I think Arnold may be the driving force behind that. And again, you pointed out something of significance here, is that Maria has sacrificed so much of herself and her own career, both as a mother and as a supportive spouse in a political campaign.
And it`s perhaps the case that her stepping up and establishing a life for herself back into her own career may help heal this thing. It`s possible. We can only hope so.
I think - again, the note here consistently is everyone around them, everyone who knows them wants it to work out.
HAMMER: Yes. We can be optimistic, but as you pointed out right from the start, we can`t possibly know everything that is going on. HLN`s Dr. Drew Pinsky, I thank you as always, my friend.
PINSKY: Pleasure.
HAMMER: All right. We`ve got to move on right now to even more big news breaking tonight - primetime Palin. Yes. We just learned Bristol Palin is returning to television in a brand-new reality show with her former "Dancing with the Stars" co-star Kyle Massey and Kyle`s brother, Chris.
Sarah Palin`s famous daughter is packing up her house in Arizona. She`s heading west with her two-year-old son, Tripp. And that is where cameras from the Bio Channel will be following her and her baby son`s every move.
I`ve got to say, right from the moment I heard this, I thought this is a terrible idea for Bristol. Why on earth would she do a reality show with her two-year-old son no less?
Let me bring in Maggie Furlong, who is the west coast editor for AOL Television and MovieFone. Maggie, I`ve got say I just think this is going to be nothing but trouble for Bristol. Where`s the upside here? Why is she doing this?
MAGGIE FURLONG, WEST COAST EDITOR, AOL TELEVISION AND MOVIEFONE: It`s unbelievable. After she worked so hard to get a cleaner, nicer image on "Dancing with the Stars," now, she`s moving in with two dudes. It`s two dudes, a baby and a Bristol Palin.
I keep look at that thinking, "How does that make it better and you`re taking your small child with you?" All of it screams desperation. And it`s on the Bio Channel. That`s not exactly like your top destination for a new show.
HAMMER: No. And maybe - to be fair, maybe they`re trying to change that. But of course, you don`t cut a reality show to make it look all - I don`t know - happy and like everything is right.
I mean, I just can`t imagine this is going to be good or paint her in a good light at all. Now, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT was right there on the set of "Dancing with the Stars" last night.
Bristol`s former "Dancing with the Stars" dance partner, Mark Ballas, and his new partner think this is a great idea. Watch this.
MARK BALLAS, BRISTOL PALIN`S FORMER "DANCING WITH THE STARS" PARTNER: I`m excited for them. They`re both - like, if you know Bristol - if you know her how I know her, she`s super-chill, cool, got a great personality when you get to know her, like, funny, smart, witty. And he`s just outrageous - setting stuff on fire. So -
CHELSEA KANE, "DANCING WITH THE STARS": It`s oil and water. Like the idea - we were saying, "I wonder what that house is going to be like." It`s going to be Bristol`s side, which is like -
BALLAS: A cup of tea, a little dim lighting and, like, chilling -
KANE: And then there`s Kyle that`s going to be like literally probably on fire.
BALLAS: On fire, like a giraffe, jumping out of the window.
KANE: Like jungle animals.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: Oh, good. Well, look at that. They can`t wait to tune in, so let`s step back for a moment, Maggie. Do you think that this thing could possibly be a hit even though we don`t think it`s a great idea?
FURLONG: I really don`t. I think the Bio Channel thing is working against it. If it was going to be a hit, you`ve got a Disney star. You`ve got two people that have been on "Dancing with the Stars." ABC or ABC Family would have picked it up.
HAMMER: Yes.
FURLONG: The fact that it got al the way down to Bio - again, even if they`re trying to change it. And it just screams of desperation, them saying, "Oh, it`s like oil and water." It`s like, who are you (UNINTELLIGIBLE)? Let`s cast them. Let`s make it happen.
HAMMER: All right. Maggie Furlong, I appreciate your insight as always.
Well, now, I would love to hear from you. It`s our SHOWBIZ TONIGHT exclusive poll - Bristol Palin doing a reality show. What do you think? Yes, you betcha, people will watch. Or, no, Bristol equals boring.
Vote at CNN.com/ShowbizTonight. You can E-mail us, too. Our address, showbiztonight@cnn.com.
Moving on now to Whitney`s rehab shocker. Tough love today for when is Whitney Houston as she gets treatment again for drugs and alcohol. Should Whitney be doing more to clean up her act?
Sarah`s royal snub. Sarah Ferguson is speaking out for the first time today to Oprah about not getting invited to William and Catherine`s wedding.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
WINFREY: How hurtful was it to not be invited?
SARAH FERGUSON, FORMER DUCHESS OF YORK: It was so difficult.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: So here`s what I`m asking - should we feel sorry for Fergie? That is coming up.
Tonight, Kirstie Alley breaks news to us, how she dropped five, count them, five dress sizes. How in the world did she do that?
And now, the "SHOWBIZ News Ticker" - more stories from the SHOWBIZ TONIGHT newsroom making news tonight.
TEXT: Lindsay Lohan to plead "no contest" in jewelry theft case. Christina Applegate talks about leaving baby with someone else for the first time.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CHRISTINA APPLEGATE, ACTRESS: I was crying in the car. We do it all ourselves, so this is a new thing, to have a nanny or a night nurse.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HAMMER: Welcome back to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. I`m A.J. Hammer in New York. And now, fit for a queen. Kate Middleton walked down the aisle in an Alexander McQueen dress, a possible future queen embracing the House of McQueen.
Well, the reviews on Kate`s dress were just great. Tonight, McQueen`s famous clothes worn by some of the biggest stars on the planet, like Lady Gaga and Michelle Obama. Well, those clothes are on display for all to see.
And only CNN`s Alina Cho has a backstage pass, part of a terrific special airing this weekend called "Fashion Backstage Pass." Alina, a little royal wedding can really raise your profile.
ALINA CHO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Oh, it most certainly can, A.J. You know, it`s funny how more than a billion people can make your day. That`s about how many watched the royal wedding.
Kate`s dress was designed by Alexander McQueen creative director, Sarah Burton. And now, New York`s Metropolitan Museum of Art is showcasing McQueen`s creations. And as A.J. said, only we had a backstage pass.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
(voice-over) When the now Duchess of Cambridge unveiled her wedding down to the world, she also revealed one of the world`s best kept secrets - Sara Burton, creative director of Alexander McQueen, designed the dress.
Suddenly, the high fashion house with a cult following had the royal stamp of approval - instant celebrity - Burton and the man she replaced, Alexander McQueen.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He`s royalty. He`s fashion royalty.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I just wish he could have been here to see this.
CHO: It`s been more than a year since McQueen committed suicide in his London home, shocking the fashion world. Burton, a little known, longtime collaborator, took over as creative director, so the House of McQueen could live on.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The world is suddenly experiencing a McQueen moment.
CHO: This month, the Metropolitan Museum of Art`s Costume Institute opened an exhibit of McQueen`s work.
(on camera) How do you cut it down to 100 pieces?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It was hard.
CHO (voice-over): Our cameras captured the painstaking detailed work that goes into restoring the elaborate gowns, turning this into this, this into this, and this into this.
SARAH BURTON, CREATIVE DIRECTOR, ALEXANDER MCQUEEN: When I worked at the exhibition, I thought of the emotion, passion and attention of detail he had for everything that he did.
CHO: The exhibit is called "Savage Beauty" because McQueen often saw beauty where others didn`t.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It wasn`t about the classical idea of beauty, of harmony and proportion. He found beauty in what you might think were ugly.
CHO (on camera): And yet the clothes are beautiful.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They`re exquisite.
CHO (voice-over): Perhaps one reason why Lady Gaga was such a fan. She even wore this McQueen creation in her video, "Bad Romance."
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CHO: It`s called the "Jelly Fish," now on display at the Met.
SARAH JESSICA PARKER, ACTRESS: He could create clothing that nobody else wanted to, nobody else saw in their imagination.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HAMMER: Alexander McQueen was just so talented. Alina, you had amazing access for this backstage pass special. What else can we see?
CHO: Thank you. Well, you know, I`m going to talk to you a little bit about spanks, because I know you want to know what they were. You know, it`s the women`s shape wear phenomenon.
HAMMER: Right.
CHO: It`s revolutionized the industry and it`s made it OK for women to wear a girdle. We went to Atlanta and we talked to the founder of this $350 million business.
I also talked to Tory Burch about her fashion empire. Her ballerina flats seem to be on every woman in America and she`s built her business very quickly. Really interesting to see.
HAMMER: I`m looking forward to the spanks part myself. Alina Cho, thank you so much. And be sure to catch Alina`s special. It`s fantastic. It`s called "Fashion: Backstage Pass," Saturday, May 14th at 2:30 p.m. Eastern on CNN.
Moving on now, Charlie Sheen dropping beats with Snoop Dogg? Or is Charlie recording a song with Snoop losing, losing, losing?
Chaz Bono`s emotional, brand-new sex change revelations today. How is mom Cher handling this?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CHAZ BONO, CHER`S SON: It`s a process that now she`s going through with becoming comfortable with me this way. It`s a big change.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: Coming up, we are asking, is it understandable why Cher is having such a hard time accepting Chaz` sex change?
All right. Check the calendar. Only two weeks until "The Oprah Winfrey Show" is off the air. Next, you`ve got to hear how Tom Hanks thinks Oprah should go out. This is SHOWBIZ TONIGHT on HLN news and views.
And now, the "SHOWBIZ News Ticker" - more stories from the SHOWBIZ TONIGHT newsroom making news tonight.
TEXT: Oprah considering a stint on Broadway after her talk show ends. Neil Patrick Harris to return as the host of the Tony Awards on June 12th.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GAYLE KING, RADIO TALK SHOW HOST AND OPRAH WINFREY`S BEST FRIEND: Every day, I have to say I get a little more irritated. You know, I watch the show and now, they have the countdown. I think we`re now down to 12 shows.
And I said to her, "It`s flashing lights, capital letters - only 12 shows left." And every time I hear it, you know, it just makes me a little sad.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: Oprah`s best friend, Gayle King, this morning on "Good Morning America." How Gayle is handling the last couple of weeks of Oprah`s talk show. It sounds like she`s taking Oprah ending her show pretty hard.
Tonight, I can tell you so are a lot of other stars. So how should Oprah get out? Well, we were right there at the star-studded fundraiser for the Shakespeare Center of Los Angeles.
SHOWBIZ TONIGHT`s Kareen Wynter joins me right now from Hollywood.
And Kareen, I hear that the big question at this event was not to be or not to be.
KAREEN WYNTER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That`s right, A.J. It was, what should Oprah do on her last show? Big question, right? Well, we have some pretty interesting answers. You know, we spoke with so many stars about this. But I think, hands down, Tom Hanks - he had the most creative answer. Listen to this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TOM HANKS, ACTOR: She should be just - she should visit every city, every TV studio and every market around and just talk to people and make them feel a little better about themselves and teach them how to tell the truth.
She`s going to be around still, so she`ll still be a force. But without that one hour every afternoon, I mean, we just - she was kind of like - for some of us, she was kind of like that cup of coffee at 3:00 that you needed. And for others, she was that nice big glass of beer you wanted at the end of a long working day.
Both things kind of like loosened the tongue. She`s like one of those kinds of ladies you fall in love and you realize you`ve been sitting down with her and you haven`t asked a single question. And she`s been listening to every word you said. So you kind of want to marry her.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WYNTER: Oh, you can tell Tom will definitely miss her as well as the rest of America. And you know, it`s going to be so tough, A.J., divorcing ourselves from Oprah when she signs off from her talk show. It`s right around the corner, May 25th.
A lot of people are in denial, but it`s going to happen like it or not. We`ll definitely miss her.
HAMMER: Yes. We will definitely miss her. And personally, I think that Oprah Winfrey should just do a show where she is sitting down, Kareen, and just reflecting and talking maybe even one-on-one with the camera about everything that has gone on over these last 25 years.
SHOWBIZ TONIGHT`s Kareen Wynter. Thank you so much. And I want to hear how you think Oprah should wrap up her show. I posted something on our Facebook wall today. Someone should head over there - "ShowbizTonightHLN" and let me know.
It is time now for the SHOWBIZ lineup. Here`s what`s coming up on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
Sarah`s royal snub. Wait until you hear this. Sarah Ferguson speaking out for the very first time today with her personal revelations to Oprah about not getting invited to William and Catherine`s wedding.
Whitney`s rehab shocker. Some tough love today for Whitney Houston as she gets treatment again for drugs and alcohol. Should Whitney be doing more to clean up her act?
And a brand-new reported Star Jones battle with her ex this time. This could cost her lots of money. This is SHOWBIZ TONIGHT on HLN news and views.
It is time for the "SHOWBIZ News Ticker" - more stories from the SHOWBIZ TONIGHT newsroom making news tonight.
TEXT: Rod Stewart to begin two-year Las Vegas concert residency in August. Billionaire investor, Warren Buffet, to guest star in "Office" finale.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HAMMER: Big news breaking tonight on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT - is Whitney doing enough? Whitney Houston getting treatment again for drugs and alcohol. The SHOWBIZ TONIGHT great debate - should Whitney be doing more to clean up her act?
Fergie`s royal snub confession. The Duchess of York reveals to Oprah how she really felt about being dissed from the royal wedding
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
WINFREY: How hurtful was it to not be invited?
FERGUSON: It was so difficult.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: But should we feel sorry for Sarah? That`s coming up.
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Charlie Sheen, Snoop Dogg recording a song together. Is this a winning track?
ANNOUNCER: TV`s most provocative entertaining news show continues right now.
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Welcome back to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. It is 30 minutes past the hour. I`m A.J. Hammer coming to you from New York City with big news breaking tonight - worried for Whitney.
Whitney Houston`s stunning admission that she`s getting treatment for drugs and alcohol is still sinking in. But what has people really scratching their heads tonight is the fact that Whitney is getting outpatient therapy.
Now, Whitney has been at war with her drug demons for more than a decade with at least two other trips to rehab in the past five years alone. So many people are asking, is outpatient treatment enough?
And tonight, a former celebrity addict has a no-holds-barred message for Whitney. If you ever want to work again, get it together.
With me, in New York, Megan Alexander. She is a correspondent for "Inside Edition." In Hollywood tonight, Wendy Walsh, she is a TV journalist and doctor of psychology.
And so farm there are very few details about Whitney`s treatment or the reason she`s getting the help right now. That did not stop talk show host, Wendy Williams, from offering this very stern message to Whitney just this morning. Watch.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
WENDY WILLIAMS, HOST, "THE WENDY WILLIAMS SHOW": Whitney, you need more than outpatient.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes, she does. I agree. I agree.
WILLIAMS: and furthermore, I`m going to tell you this right now, because I said it before, I don`t believe you were sober on "Oprah." I don`t believe that you went into rehab voluntarily this time.
What I do believe is that, Whitney - because I was watching "Inside Edition" yesterday - no, walk with me on this one, OK?
On "Inside Edition," they said that Whitney just signed on for "Waiting Exhale 2." Well, you know what happens with these Hollywood people. You have to be insurable.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: That`s right.
WILLIAMS: You know, you have to be insurable and bankable. And nobody`s insuring this.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Right.
WILLIAMS: So clean it up.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: Wow, some tough love there. And Megan, you know, it`s fascinating that Wendy`s watching your show, "Inside Edition," to learn all about what`s going on with Whitney so she can talk about her on her show. The power of TV.
Look, I think it`s great if Whitney Houston did check herself into rehab. It is an outpatient program, though. If she did this voluntarily, great for her, but do you think she`s doing enough?
MEGAN ALEXANDER, CORRESPONDENT, "INSIDE EDITION": You know, when the announcement came down that Whitney had checked herself in for the third time into rehab, A.J., I was remembering what Rob Lowe said last week when he was promoting his book and asked, "How did rehab work for you? Why did it work for you?"
And he said, "Because I wanted it to." We don`t know Whitney Houston`s mental state. We don`t know if she wants to get better. But I think it is ironic that, as she signed on to the film, "Waiting to Exhale 2," that she happens to conveniently check herself in.
But A.J., this is my thought - if anything can cause you to focus and point you in the right direction, I say more power to her. And if that film guides her down a healthy path, good for her.
HAMMER: Yes, even if the motivations aren`t exactly the purest or what we think they should be, I agree. And I`m always happy to hear somebody getting the help whatever the reasons for that are.
And Wendy Williams was referring, as you heard, to Whitney Houston`s 2009 interview with Oprah Winfrey where she said that she`s done with drugs once and for all. Obviously, she still needs help.
Again, I think this is just another step in Whitney`s personal journey, whatever the reasons for rehab. But Wendy Walsh, can we hold out hope that Whitney will clean up her act because this is a revolving door for her?
WENDY WALSH, TV JOURNALIST AND DOCTOR OF PSYCHOLOGY: You know, we always have to hold out hope. I mean, addicts are able to overcome their illnesses. But then, they`ve got to sort of walk the tiger for the rest of their life.
I know she said she`s done with drugs forever. But there are vulnerable things that happen at different times in somebody`s life where they can have a relapse.
I`m glad, like you said, that she`s getting some help. I would like to see her - like Wendy Williams said, I would like to see her be in residential treatment just because the statistical probability that she`ll get over it are greater.
And I really, really want to see her do well and be a happy mother again. She`s 47 years old. It`s time. It`s time.
HAMMER: And wow, when you think of a woman who is simply at the very top of her game, what a superstar and I think that`s why we all do hold out hope that she will get past whatever has been holding her back from just moving on and being well.
Right now, I`ve got to move on to Sarah Ferguson`s royal wedding confessions. Now, Sarah`s daughters were invited to their cousin Prince William`s wedding. But Sarah - she got snubbed.
That was after her caught-on-tape drama, you remember, where she was allegedly trying to sell access to her ex-husband, Prince Andrew.
Well, now, Sarah is revealing on "Oprah" how she really felt as the world watched William and Kate without her there.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
WINFREY: How hurtful was it to not be invited?
FERGUSON: It was so difficult because I wanted to be there with my girls and to be getting them dressed and to go with the family. And also, it was so hard because the last bride up that aisle was me and I knew all those feelings.
I think Diana would be so proud of her son - both of them. You know, they did a great job. And I sort of really love the feeling that sort of Diana and I both weren`t there but I was there - I`m here to say how proud she would have been.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: Well, Sarah takes full blame, as you see, for the fact that she wasn`t invited. And she says she didn`t even feel worthy of an invite.
Megan, I`ve always liked Sarah Ferguson. I was disappointed to see the drama that she went through with that caught-on-tape stuff involving her ex-husband. But do you feel a bit sorry for her? I do.
ALEXANDER: I absolutely do and she is so likable, A.J. I love watching this interview because Sarah Ferguson gives us something that we don`t see often from the royal family - warmth and feeling.
And I think that`s because her and Diana were such good friends. We remember that video clip of them skiing and falling down, laughing together, and the fact that they both felt like outsiders.
I think she would have brought a warmth to the wedding and been able to give us a perspective on what Diana would have felt -
HAMMER: Yes.
ALEXANDER: That we really didn`t have. That`s the one thing that was missing at the wedding that she would have shown us. And family is family at the end of the day. I wish she would have been here.
HAMMER: Well, here`s the thing, though, that I felt very interesting about what Sarah told Oprah. She said she loved the feeling that she and Princess Diana weren`t there at the wedding - I guess a reference to the fact they were both outsiders.
But Wendy, do you think - maybe it was a little bit of an odd thing to say given, you know, obviously very different reasons why she and Princess Diana weren`t at the wedding?
WALSH: The truth is, what she`s doing is she`s bonding and she`s underscoring the camaraderie she had with Princess Diana. The two of them were young girls - sometimes I call the "growing up" royals.
We watched them kibitzing in front of the camera. I don`t know if you remember the time they were taking their umbrellas at some event and poking other people, and pretending they weren`t seen, even though the cameras were catching them.
They - you know, she cares a lot about Diana. She has a bond with her and she wanted to underscore that by the statement.
HAMMER: Yes. And you cannot help but appreciate her absolute candor about everything that`s been going on. Megan Alexander, Wendy Walsh, I thank you both.
We have big new Star Jones news breaking today, a reported brand-new Star battle with her ex. And it could cost her a lot of cash.
Also, Beyonce`s big Billboard milestone. And a royal honeymoon revelation. Where in the world are William and Kate? Find out in "The Buzz Today."
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(voice-over) Royal honeymoon revelations. Britain`s Prince William and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, have finally just jetted off on their honeymoon. Online reports say they`re sunning in the Seychelles, a group of islands in the Indian Ocean.
But the prince`s spokesperson at St. James Palace would not officially say where they went. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT has confirmed the couple spent the weekend after their April 29th wedding on vacation in the United Kingdom. They are due to travel to Canada this summer, their first official foreign trip since getting married.
Beyonce beloved. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT can reveal that award-winning actress, singer and dancer, Beyonce Knowles, is just about to add another trophy to her collection. "PopEater.com" reports Beyonce will be crowned with the 2011 Billboard Millennium Award. Ken Jeong will host the awards when they present it on May 22nd.
Star`s explosive ex war? Star Jones has reportedly just gotten the legal smackdown from her ex-husband, Al Reynolds, for not shutting up about him.
The "New York Post" reports that Reynolds is demanding $50,000 from Star because she appeared on "The Wendy Williams Show" and made what he claims are disparaging remarks about him and his rumored girlfriend. The paper says Star may have violated a clause in their 2008 divorce agreement.
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I have got to move on now to Chaz Bono`s emotional sex change revelations and how his mom, Cher, is handling it all.
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BONO: It`s a process right now that she`s going through with becoming comfortable with me this way. It`s a big change.
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HAMMER: Tonight, we are asking, is it understandable that Cher`s having a hard time with this? Also this -
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Charlie Sheen and Snoop Doggy Dogg team up on a new song? Winning is on Charlie`s mind, but I`m thinking he might be losing here.
And Kirstie Alley breaks news to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT about her amazing weight loss. How she dropped five dress sizes. And will she keep on dancing after "Dancing with the Stars"? That is coming up. This is SHOWBIZ TONIGHT on HLN news and views.
It is time now for the "SHOWBIZ News Ticker" - more stories from the SHOWBIZ TONIGHT newsroom making news tonight.
TEXT: Al Pacino joins upcoming Gotti film with John Travolta, Lindsay Lohan. Lady Gaga debuts love song, "Edge of Glory," off her upcoming album.
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HAMMER: Yes. Your eyes aren`t bugging out. That`s Charlie Sheen`s new song, "Winning." And yes, that`s rap legend, Snoop Dogg. I`m going to have the brand-new details on this Gonzo Snoop Sheen collaboration in just a wiggle(ph).
Welcome back to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. I`m A.J. Hammer in New York.
And tonight, it`s Cher`s new reality. Cher`s son, Chaz Bono is becoming a transgender icon. He went from Chastity to Chaz. And he had a huge battle along the way with his mom over becoming a man.
Well, now, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT is revealing stunning, brand-new details about that emotional sex change transformation. That leads us to our SHOWBIZ Flashpoint - can you understand why Cher took time to accept her son`s sex change?
With me, in New York tonight, it`s journalist and comic Brian Balthazar and Maggie Furlong, who is the west coast editor for AOL and MovieFone.
The good news, I can tell you, is that Chaz says the battle with mom, Cher - it`s over. She`s come around. They`re moving closer and closer together. Listen to what he told "Good Morning America" just today.
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BONO: It`s a process. Absolutely. It really is a process. And look, it took me 40 years to start my transition and become comfortable with it. And so it`s a process that now she`s going through with becoming comfortable with me this way. It`s a big change.
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HAMMER: And look, Cher has been very candid about how difficult it has been for her, progressive as she is. She took a while to come around. So I`m happy to say that while it`s taken some time, she, in fact, has come around to supporting her son.
So Maggie, to our SHOWBIZ Flashpoint, is it understandable that Cher took some time to accept Chaz` sex change?
FURLONG: It is. You know, it`s kind of crazy. Cher is such a gay icon that you would think she would embrace anything either of her kids chose to do with their lives. I just honestly think has a mother, it hit a little closer to home than she thought.
HAMMER: Sure.
FURLONG: And you can see at the end of "Becoming Chaz," the documentary, that she`s still referring to him as a "she," as, you know, "my daughter" this, "she" that.
HAMMER: And that surprises me that she`s taking so long because that`s been going on for some time now.
FURLONG: A while. She had a heads up. We all had a heads up, let`s be honest.
HAMMER: Yes.
FURLONG: But she`s, I think - as a mother, I think it hits you in a different place.
HAMMER: You know, as much as I believe people should just accept people for who they are, Brian, this is one of those areas that - let`s be honest - it does sort of strike people as so different that they do have a hard time, even Cher. Is it understandable for you, host it took so long?
BALTHAZAR: Absolutely. Absolutely. This is probably as high scrutinized emotional decisions go. This is probably the biggest one that you can make. And remember, she didn`t just see this kid grow up. She birthed him and so this is something she conditioned herself to having a little girl for many, many years - that`s the reason.
She`s also worried about scrutiny. She`s been through a lot of scrutiny and she knows there`s going to be a lot of scrutiny on Chaz. And you have to be worried about their well-being.
It`s the same thing people go through when they realize they have a gay child. They`re worried about their well being as much as identifying and figuring out what it all means to them.
HAMMER: Well, hopefully, now that Cher has really fully come around and is showing all of this acceptance, she will become an icon once again. And people will look to her who maybe going through the same types of things who are trying to figure things out in their own lives.
Right now, though, I want to move on to more big news breaking tonight, from a true transformation to one that basically has everybody scratching their heads. I`m talking about Charlie Sheen.
Now, he has a lot of time in his hands these days since he`s wrapped up his "Violent Torpedo of Truth" tour. And the first thing he`s done - well, it`s record a song with no other than Snoop Dogg. It`s just out today. Please watch this.
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Oy. Winning? I think Charlie Sheen is the biggest celebrity flame out I`ve seen in years. Maggie, now that this bizarre tour of Sheen is over, don`t you agree he`s just flamed out like no one else?
FURLONG: I`ve really never seen anything like it. You think he`s done and then he comes out with something like this. This proves, A, Snoop Dogg can write pretty much about anything and rap about anything.
But B, all Charlie Sheen can really do anymore is say "Winning." That`s really all he`s got happening these days, and it`s just so sad to watch.
HAMMER: Huge flameout, right, Brian?
BALTHAZAR: Oh, yes. I mean, throwing up leaves a better taste in my mouth than seeing Charlie Sheen.
HAMMER: Oh, you had to go there -
BALTHAZAR: Come on. Let`s be honest. You look at him and everyone just groans. He`s kind of a punch line now. And you know, he`ll continue to get appearances and cameos and all that. But he`s still a joke and it`s sad. It`s really sad.
FURLONG: Why are people still not helping him? Someone needs to help him.
HAMMER: Right. Well, in terms of the appearances that he`s making - cameos, whatever. There`s one that could actually be quite interesting because the Snoop Dogg thing not the only one going on.
Apparently "Entourage" creator, Doug Ellin, wants to bring Sheen on to the show for a possible recurring role. Now, if you watched the show, you know, last season ended with a big drug arrest of the show`s main character, Vinnie Chase.
And Maggie, you know, "Entourage" is all about sex and booze and celebrity. I`m actually thinking this could be a perfect fit for Charlie Sheen, and again, maybe a recurring role and not just a cameo.
FURLONG: Well, you know, Sheen doesn`t believe in rehab. He does it himself. So there`s no way Sheen and Vince can be in rehab. But it does totally make sense for the show, because, I mean, they had Gary Busey before Gary Busey went crazy on "Celebrity Apprentice."
They had Bob Saget dropping F-bombs left and right. They really do like to take those images of what you think you know about this person and completely smack it silly on that show.
HAMMER: Yes. And he`s got the free time, Brian.
BALTHAZAR: Right. And on "Two and a Half Men", he was a toned-down version of himself. He`s just going to play himself and new exaggerate way, so why not? He`s got time.
HAMMER: And do we believe he`s going to say his one magical word, "winning"?
BALTHAZAR: Sure.
HAMMER: Sure. At least three or four times.
BALTHAZAR: He`s got the part.
HAMMER: All right. Maggie Furlong, Brian Balthazar, thank you so much.
Moving on. It`s Kirstie Alley who breaking news to us tonight. How she lost so much weight. Five - yes, five dress sizes. Plus, will she keep on dancing after "Dancing with the Stars"? That is next.
And now, the "SHOWBIZ News Ticker" - more stories from the SHOWBIZ TONIGHT newsroom making news tonight.
TEXT: Alicia Silverstone welcomes her first child - a son named "Bear Blu" Rihanna debuts new music video for "California King Bed."
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HAMMER: Time for the SHOWBIZ buzz list. Here`s what the SHOWBIZ TONIGHT staff is buzzing all about this week.
We cannot wait to get our hands on the June issue of "O" magazine. It`s out next week. It`s got a special section celebrating 25 years of "The Oprah Winfrey Show."
"Jar of Hearts" singer, Christina Perri, has got a new album out today. It`s called "Lovestrong." It`s sounds to me like a container of hits.
We`re absolutely loving the dual view Kyocera Echo, the double touch- screen phone. It is making it twice as nice to view two apps at once.
And we`re jamming to Pit Bull`s latest feel-good hit, "Give Me Everything" from his upcoming album, "Planet Pit."
And we can`t wait to see "SNL" stars Kristen Wiig and Maya Rudolph letting loose in Judd Apatow`s "Bridesmaids" in theaters Friday. This is SHOWBIZ TONIGHT on HLN news and views.
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UNIDENTIFIED ACTRESS: So will you (UNINTELLIGIBLE).
KRISTIN WIIG, ACTRESS: Of course, I will.
UNIDENTIFIED ACTRESS: I don`t know what I`m supposed to do.
UNIDENTIFIED ACTRESS: whatever, bachelor party and shower -
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HAMMER: Yes. Check out the dancing granny. Did you see this? It`s a 65- year-old grandmother who`s got moves like the gloved one within himself.
Bai Shuying blew everyone away on "China`s Got Talent" by busting out her best Michael Jackson to "Beat It" and other Jackson songs. And all I have to say is, I hope I can move like when I`m 65, if I even make it.
And now, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT breaks news with Kirstie Alley`s weight loss bombshell. The "Dancing with the Stars" favorite just revealed to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT that she has now gone from a size 16 to a size six. And she`s done it all since the show started just a few weeks ago. So what`s her secret? The foxtrot? Maybe the cha-cha?
Here, in New York, journalist and comic, Brian Balthazar. Maggie Furlong, the west coast editor for AOL and MovieFone.
And SHOWBIZ TONIGHT was, of course, right there backstage at the "Dancing with the Stars" show when Kirstie broke the news to us about her dramatic weight loss. She told us the secret to her success is the dancing. Watch.
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KIRSTIE ALLEY, ACTRESS AND "DANCING WITH THE STARS" CONTESTANT: I really do want to keep dancing. I`d like to dance two, three hours a day for the rest of my life. It`s just all around - it`s good for your health. It`s good for your physique. It`s good for your mind. It`s sort of a spiritual move, too. It`s pretty incredible.
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HAMMER: Yes. She`s going to keep on dancing. Now, we all know Kirstie has been on this rollercoaster ride with her weight for a long time, very publicly. She`s been very candid about it.
Maggie, do you think she has finally found the secret to staying healthy?
FURLONG: Well, she said right there exactly what the problem is. I don`t know how feasible it is to really dance two to three hours a day. And can you push yourself as hard as your pro coach pushes you every day in practice?
You know, she`s getting such a great workout. She looks amazing. I don`t want to say I don`t believe that she`s a size six, but she looks good - we`ll just say that.
HAMMER: Yes.
FURLONG: I just don`t know how easy it`s going to be to keep that up.
HAMMER: Well, and it`s not just the dancing, because SHOWBIZ TONIGHT is breaking news about Kirstie Alley`s incredible low calorie diet. She says she`s only eating 1,400 calories a day, which is hard to believe given the workout she`s getting.
But take a look at this - these dramatic before-and-after pictures. Brian, it`s going to be tough to sustain what sounds like a really strict diet. But she does sound determined.
BALTHAZAR: Well, she is determined. I think the best thing she can do is keep at it. Don`t talk too much about it. Just look great. That`s the best revenge.
HAMMER: Yes. Well, that`s where she seems to get into trouble, because then, what happens is she talks about it and then she goes the other way. And then, it creates issues and problems for her.
But Maggie, when you look at these pictures, if we could put them up again, the before-and-after shots of Kirstie Alley on "Dancing with the Stars," are you thinking, "Eat your heart out, Jenny Craig?"
FURLONG: I mean, I definitely think she`s got a big smile on her face for a reason, and it`s because they booted her because she couldn`t stick to the program. If this is truly a program she can stick to, then good for her and I`m glad she found it.
HAMMER: I feel a book deal in the works, the Kirstie Alley "Dancing with the Stars" diet. I don`t know. Maybe it could work. Sounds like a good enough plan.
All right, guys. Thank you as always, Brian Balthazar and Maggie Furlong.
And that is it for SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. Thank you so much for watching. I`m A.J. Hammer in New York.
Remember, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT is now seen exclusive Monday through Friday at 11:00 p.m. Eastern and Pacific right here on HLN.
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