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Showbiz Tonight
Brown Vs. Rihanna; Kelsey and Camille`s Custody Clash; Sandra`s School Success
Aired May 18, 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: Tonight, Can Oprah Winfrey help Maria Shriver put her life back together after Arnold Schwarzenegger`s heartbreaking scandal? I`m A.J. hammer. This is SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
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HAMMER (voice-over): Big news breaking tonight on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT is right there as Oprah comforts Maria Shriver on stage at Oprah`s star-studded spectacular taping of some of her last shows. What did Maria say to Oprah? Our "Showbiz Flashpoint" tonight, can Oprah help Maria? And is Arnold`s cheating no big deal? the startling claim tonight that boys will be boys.
DONNY DEUTSCH, ADVERTISING EXECUTIVE: When will we stop being shocked when men of power, when men of stature, when men of fame also chase women?
HAMMER: SHOWBIZ TONIGHT backstage at Oprah`s big goodbye.
KAREEN WYNTER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I`m Kareen Wynter here in Chicago to bring you all the details of Oprah Winfrey`s huge finale spectacular. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT has a backstage pass to chat with some of her all-star guests.
HAMMER: TV`s most provocative entertainment news show breaks news right now.
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HAMMER (on-camera): Hello. I`m A.J. Hammer coming to you tonight from New York City with big news breaking tonight. Can Oprah help Maria? Maria Shriver has apparently just the right shoulder to lean on to get over Arnold Schwarzenegger. That`s Oprah Winfrey`s shoulder. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT was right there to personally eyewitness this.
Maria Shriver getting on stage last night during the taping of some of Oprah`s final star-studded shows on the same day the world learned that Arnold had a love child with his mistress who was reportedly their long- time housekeeper. And today, we learned even more disturbing details about Arnold`s betrayal.
The woman was reportedly pregnant at the same time Maria was pregnant with her fourth and youngest child who`s now 13 years old, and I can`t help but think how all this sounds like one of those amazing and really sad stories that we saw so many times throughout the years on Oprah`s show.
SHOWBIZ TONIGHT`s Kareen Wynter is in Chicago tonight. She was right there at the taping of Oprah`s show when Maria got on stage. That has to have been something -- Kareen.
WYNTER: It truly was, A.J. People were just shaking their heads. They couldn`t believe that it was really a magical moment, and we almost also couldn`t believe it, the news that we learned that Maria Shriver was making a surprise appearance on the show. It had been rumored, and there she was right before us, this on the same day and just hours after the world learned that her husband, Arnold Schwarzenegger, fathered a child with a woman on his household staff more than a decade ago.
But I got to tell you, A.J., Maria, she looked absolutely radiant in a sexy blue gown, and while she made no direct, no specific mention of her husband`s scandal, I can tell you that she did make a slight dig at him in her tribute to Oprah. Here`s what`s she said, and I am quoting here, "For more than 30 years, you have bestowed upon me the most amazing friendship. You have shown love, support, wisdom, and most of all, truth." A.J., the crowd went absolutely wild with applause.
HAMMER: Oh, I`m sure they did. And Kareen, I cannot think of a better way for Maria to step out on the same day that we all learned about her husband`s truly heartless ways. What kind of vibe did you get when she was standing up there on that stage with Oprah?
WYNTER: Well, you know, A.J., she seemed resilient. She looked confident in that sexy dress. She was, after all, standing next to one of the most powerful women in the world, her good friend Oprah. She also got a huge support from the audience, that jam-packed arena where there were more than 20,000 die-hard Oprah fans. So, something tells me, you know, Maria Shriver, she`s going to be just fine.
HAMMER: Yes, and I think seeing her on stage with Oprah really was a refreshing departure of what we`ve seen in the past. You know, usually when a politician admits their infidelity, you have their scorned wives standing right beside him. I say rock on, Maria.
WYNTER: I couldn`t agree more. I have to second that. And also, people are talking about this friendship here. Is there something a little bit more to Maria and Oprah`s friendship? I mean, the big appearance yesterday on the farewell show. Some people were saying is there something in the works here? Could she be in talks, perhaps, to have her own talk show on OWN, Oprah Winfrey`s Network? I guess, we got to stay tuned, right, A.J.?
HAMMER: Yes, I actually think that would be perfect. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT`s Kareen Wynter from Chicago, I thank you as always.
You know, so what about all those report that Maria may be getting her own show on Oprah`s network, OWN? Do you think that would be a good idea? We`ll be getting to that in just a second, but first, I want to bring in Robi Ludwig, who`s a psychotherapist and author of the book, "Till Death Do Us Part."
Listen, Maria and Oprah`s relationship is, obviously, a very strong one. So, how can Oprah help Maria get through what has to be just an impossible time?
ROBI LUDWIG, PSYCHOTHERAPIST AND AUTHOR: Well, Maria gave up her career, really, to support her husband`s political career. So, if Oprah gives Maria the opportunity to have her own show, perhaps, focusing on women who live their whole life thinking their life was about one thing when they really found out it was about something else.
HAMMER: Yes.
LUDWIG: A woman who`s betrayed or going through transitions. This would be so important for other women out there, and it would give Maria an important voice and use her experience and her professional talents together.
HAMMER: It seems like a perfect fit. I mean, what a statement it would make if, indeed, Oprah did give Maria her own show on the Oprah Network. And let`s not forget, Maria, she did give up that very successful career, as we mentioned, so Arnold could run for governor and look what happened. Let me bring in Rachel Zalis who`s a contributing editor for "Life & Style Weekly." Rachel, what do you think? Great idea, right?
RACHEL ZALIS, CONTRIBUTING EDITOR "LIFE & STYLE WEEKLY": Absolutely. I mean, and you know, Oprah`s OWN could use some ratings, and nobody is going to be more popular than Maria Shriver right now, but it`s a little ironic because I don`t know if you remember but it was in 2003 that she went on Oprah to defend and support her man when he was running for governor. So, it will be coming full circle if she has her own show on her network.
HAMMER: Yes, and if Maria did get her show on OWN, I bet that her audience would, obviously, love to hear a whole lot more about her side of the story when the time is right. But in a brand new interview see on the "Today Show" this morning, another one of Oprah`s close friends, Dr. Phil says, he thinks right now, at least, the family needs to keep quiet. Watch Dr. Phil.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I hope that they clam up about this. They resolve it internally. They respect their family and respect their kids.
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HAMMER: What do you think? Do you agree everybody should just keep quiet for now? I think it would be cathartic for her at some point to tell her story, but right now --
LUDWIG: Yes, but not now, not in the middle of the storm, because, really, everybody is interested in the story, and really, the details of the story may not be healthy for the family at this point, and Maria has to think about her kids, too, because Arnold did not only betray his wife, he betrayed his kids and the whole entire family.
HAMMER: Yes.
LUDWIG: So, at this time, it`s best to stay quiet, heal, perhaps, go into therapy.
HAMMER: But not necessarily disappear, which is why I think it was terrific to see Maria showing up for one of Oprah`s last shows. I mean, I think she had this commitment. She was going to do it whatever the circumstances, but I think it is important that she doesn`t run off and hide. If Arnold runs off and hides, I think we`d all be OK with that.
LUDWIG: She has no reason to hide, and you bring up a great point. There`s a difference between hiding and revealing every single detail of your personal situation.
HAMMER: Well, Maria and Arnold`s children have not spoken publicly about the scandal. They`ve been using the social media sites to air their feelings right now. And wow. I think that really making a statement, in fact, just yesterday, their son Patrick wrote this on his Twitter page. "Some days you feel like expletive, some days you want to quit and just be normal for a bit. Yet, I love my family till death do us part."
And part of that is a rap song he`s quoting there. Today, Patrick actually changed his last name from Schwarzenegger to Shriver on his Twitter page. Dr. Robi, back to you on this one, I mean, doing something like that, I think that speaks volumes, doesn`t it?
LUDWIG: It huge. Basically, the son is saying, I`m taking my mother`s side. I`m very angry with my father. So much so, I don`t want to be anything like him. I don`t even want his name. So, he`s making a huge, huge statement.
HAMMER: He didn`t waste any time doing that. And some of Hollywood`s biggest stars are also weighing in on the whole mess. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT happened to be right there at the premiere of the -- I think ironically titled, in this case -- movie "Love, Marriage, Wedding." SHOWBIZ TONIGHT speaking with one of the stars of the film, Jane Seymour. You got to see what she had to say.
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JANE SEYMOUR, ACTRESS: I was not even remotely surprised. The moment I heard that there was an announcement of their separation, I, you know, he`s obviously jumping the gun before everyone else told the world of the news, but from what I gather, I think it`s going to be - there`ll be lots of information coming people`s way. I feel sorry for the kids.
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HAMMER: Yes. I hate to say it, but I think Jane Seymour is probably right. We shouldn`t be surprised if even more disturbing information does come out in the days ahead. I mean, Rachel, look at history. Look at what we`ve seen with Tiger Woods and Jesse James and other big stars or politicians.
ZALIS: Yes. I mean, I don`t think there was any big shocker in the fact that Arnold cheated after so many allegations of groping and sexual misconduct, but what I think was really shocking is that he actually kept her working in the household for over a decade. I`m sure, at some point, Maria wanted to say to him, couldn`t you be the terminate her? I mean, how do you keep this woman working there? It`s just absolutely unfathomable. And I don`t think we`re going to be surprised if this is not the end of it.
HAMMER: Yes, Dr. Robi, I mean, you`ve seen this pattern before in your work.
LUDWIG: No, I mean, listen, once a cheater, there`s a tendency to cheat. And not only that, he did it with someone in the home. It just disrupts the kid`s relationship with this person as well --
HAMMER: And the mistress could have been pregnant at the same time as Maria Shriver --
LUDWIG: And she may be a victim, too. She worked in the house. He was her boss.
HAMMER: No question about it. All right. Dr. Robi Ludwig, Rachel Zalis, thank you both.
Well, there are actually some people tonight claim Arnold Schwarzenegger`s cheating, no big deal.
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DEUTSCH: When are we going to stop being shocked when men of power, when men of stature, when men of fame also chase women. I could argue it goes with the character.
HAMMER (voice-over): Well, that is one of the biggest advertising guys, Donny Deutsch. I love you, Donnie, but I think what you said is just ridiculous.
Coming up, our big flash point debate, is being rich and powerful any excuse for what Arnold did?
SHOWBIZ TONIGHT`s Kareen Wynter right there in Chicago backstage at Oprah`s big farewell spectacular. Let me tell you, there were some big surprises and major stars.
ARETHA FRANKLIN, SINGER: It was a phenomenal night. I`m delighted to have been a part of a historical moment, and this truly was another historical moment.
HAMMER: This is SHOWBIZ TONIGHT on HLN, news and views.
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HAMMER (on-camera): And now, a showbiz farewell to Oprah. We spoke with so many stars at Oprah`s farewell spectacular, and they got really personal when talking about what Oprah means to them. Here`s Alicia Keys.
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ALICIA KEYS, SINGER: Everybody that came here tonight came here out of a love, out of a connection. You see all these amazing people who you love so much and shining in their own right and their own style and their own thing and celebrating this glorious woman who deserves every bit of celebration for everything that she`s done for every one of us.
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HAMMER (voice-over): SHOWBIZ TONIGHT news tonight. Is Chris Brown turning it around? Just a couple of months after his big GMA outburst, Brown leave the BET Award nominations tonight. He got six for his fame album. That album went to number one earlier this year. Brown will face off against his ex, Rihanna, who he beat up in the Viewer`s Choice and Best Collaboration categories. The BET Awards will air live on June 26th.
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HAMMER (on-camera): Welcome back to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. I`m A.J. Hammer in New York. Great news for Sandra Bullock tonight. An amazing milestone for her. John McCain talking about Snooki again. And Kelsey and Camille Grammer`s custody battle gets really nasty. All that making big news in the buzz today.
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HAMMER (voice-over): Kelsey and Camille`s custody clash. Kelsey Grammer just filed legal papers in Los Angeles to rip custody of his kids from his ex, Camille. Kelsey wants nine-year-old Mason and six-year-old Jude to live with his when he`s demanding full physical custody of the kids. He`s offering Camille visits in the summer and winter breaks. Kelsey`s rep tells SHOWBIZ TONIGHT any statement would be inappropriate. The filing speaks for itself. And Camille isn`t commenting. The couple split in July of 2010.
John McCain`s Snooki legacy. Arizona senator, John McCain invoked the name of "Jersey Shore" star, Nicole "Snooki" Polizzi while talking about the dangers of Twitter. McCain told an audience so what tweet got the award for tweet of the year? Not my profound statement about disarmament with Russia and the start treaty, not my profound observations about the workings of Congress and the United States Senate but the tweet I exchanged with Snooki. While running for president, McCain promised Snooki via Twitter that he`d never tax her tanning bath.
Sandra`s school success. Sandra Bullock has 220 reasons to celebrate. That`s how many students graduated from Warren Eastern Charter High School, 100 percent of the senior class. Sandy adopted the Louisiana school after hurricane Katrina and has donated hundreds of thousands of dollars to the school. Sandra told SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, "I cannot express how proud I am of the 2011 graduating class of Warren Eastern. How lucky am I to be a very small part of this great school." The graduates have been offered over $4.6 million in scholarship.
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HAMMER (on-camera): Nice going, Sandy. Now, to showbiz first look at "Charlie`s Angels." I got to tell you, I`m excited for this. ABC has picked up a reboot of the 1970s classic for the fall. The original, of course, starred Kate Jackson, Jaclyn Smith, and Farrah Fawcett.
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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He`ll get back to us on the alarm system.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: According to the police, Wells and Derco (ph) just disappeared.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It`s a miracle Wells walked away from that wreck.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What about Mary?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, the police talked to her, but she just played dumb.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Well, at least we confirmed it. Wells and Derco caused Susie`s death and used him to do the job.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes, but our only witness is dead.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes. we still don`t know why they killed Susie.
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HAMMER: I love that. Well, the new version stars Annie, Llonzeh, Rachel Taylor, and Minka Kelly. You got to see this.
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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Last time I cracked one of these, it was under two minutes, but that was after two cosmos (ph) and I was hanging upside down.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: That`s my girl.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Whoa.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Andy was a Park Avenue princess turned thief. Kate was a dedicated detective turned dirty cop. And Eve had a habit of taking cars that weren`t hers. They each made mistakes, but I gave them a second chance, and now, they work for me. My name is Charlie.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: OK, ladies. Time to fly.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I need to know you`re up for the fight.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Excuse me, ladies. Duty calls.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We need to move.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Trust me, I`m no angel.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Bring it on.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You know why Charlie calls them angels? Because they show up when you need them the most.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You know what it looks like.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We`re not. We`re angels.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Count your blessings. They`re not after you.
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HAMMER: We call that TV candy. Looks like a lot of fun. Drew Barrymore who, of course, was in the 2000 movie version of "Charlie`s Angels" is one of the producers on the show.
Well, so many huge stars with Oprah`s farewell spectacular. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT was right there with them.
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MADONNA, SINGER: Even if you don`t know her personally, you feel like you know her personally, and that`s, you know, a talent that she has.
HAMMER (voice-over): Madonna, Aretha, Rosie, their emotional goodbyes to Oprah tonight.
The Karate Kid versus the "Dancing with the Stars" judges. Wait until you hear how mad Ralph Macchio is. It sounds like he wants to give him one of those crane kicks.
And could this be the greatest wedding proposal ever? Check it out.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I want you to spend the rest of my life with her. She has my heart, my fried, my everything.
HAMMER: You got to see what this guy did. You will, coming.
This is SHOWBIZ TONIGHT on HLN, news and views.
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HAMMER (on-camera): Time for our showbiz farewell to Oprah. We were right there backstage with all the big stars at the big farewell spectacular. Listen to what Nate Berkus and Dr. Oz tell us what they`ve learned from Oprah.
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DR. MEHMET OZ, PROFESSOR OF SURGERY: (INAUDIBLE). I give them a chance, they would. She told me about how to let people be seen for who they are. These are things you don`t pick up on the screen, and she shared this secret to everybody if you are listening.
NATE BERKUS, INTERIOR DESIGNER: Oprah`s changed my life in so many ways. First of all, it is a pure -- the purest form of friendship that is based on love and honesty and truth telling and making the hard choice every single day. I -- in ten years of being a part of the Oprah show, what I`ve learned and what I know for sure is that the lessons don`t come small. They come as big as they can get.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: On this ninth week of competition, the couple who will be eliminated just one week shy of the finals is Ralph and Karina.
HAMMER: Ralph Macchio, Karina Smirnoff booted off "Dancing with the Stars" Tuesday night, and tonight, the "Karate Kid" star is waxing on about the dancing judges. He`s not happy with them.
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HAMMER (on-camera): I think I got to side with Ralph here. The judges were pretty rude to him and Karina on Monday. Listen to what they said about their two dances.
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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Like your feet, sometimes, they are dancing a little different dance than the upper part of your body. So, I want to see it all connected. Come on. I`m trying to help him. I`m giving him constructive criticism. Go Ralph! Go!
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It`s all too hard, too in your face, too much attack. It was too wild.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You`re wearing extra-large diapers. And your legs were about a mile apart.
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HAMMER: I think Bruno went a little too far there. Pretty much out of line. Karina and Ralph agree they are furious with the way that they were treated by the judges. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT was right there just after they got voted off the show. Listen to what they told us.
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RALPH MACCHIO, ACTOR: You know, I`m disappointed on the way it came down last night, but from the perspective of the judges having that kind of influence and being able to award 15 points to one couple, and then, I felt they were harsh and kind of disrespectful in some of their comments toward Karina and myself as opposed to just constructive criticism.
KARINA SMIRNOFF, PROFESSIONAL BALLROOM DANCER: I think the judges are there to give us the constructive criticism so we can then go and work on them.
MACCHIO: My shoulder is up too high and I need to drop it or --
(CROSSTALK)
MACCHIO: Or if the hands weren`t right early in the season, we worked on that in Romeo and Juliet. We solved that. Those are smart notes. This felt like, oh, you`re not worthy to be with this group.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Really?
MACCHIO: That felt generally --
SMIRNOFF: I think it sounds more like they wanted to be the stars. And if they wanted to be the stars, they should have auditioned to be as contestants on "Dancing with the Stars" rather than judges.
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HAMMER: Well, we reached out to ABC about all this, didn`t hear back as of show time. I still think the judges need to chill out just a little bit.
Time now for the showbiz lineup. Here`s what`s coming up at the bottom of the hour on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT right there in Chicago with incredible access to all the big stars at Oprah`s farewell spectacular, like Dr. Phil.
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DR. PHIL: She is so selfless in the way she does her show. This is hard for her to be the center of attention. It`s hard for her to accept all of this, but she deserves it so much and I am thrilled to be a small part of it.
HAMMER (voice-over): Aretha, Madonna, Rosie, too.
Is Arnold`s cheating no big deal? Startling claims tonight that boys will be boys.
And these two adorable cute young girls, well, they are now some of the biggest stars on TV. Can you guess who they are? Well, you will find out coming up. You do not want to miss it.
This is SHOWBIZ TONIGHT on HLN, news and views.
Now the "Showbiz News Ticker, more stories from the SHOWBIZ TONIGHT newsroom making news tonight.
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(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HAMMER: Big news breaking tonight on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. Oprah`s superstar farewell spectacular, and SHOWBIZ TONIGHT is right there with the stars.
FRANKLIN: It was a phenomenal night. I`m delighted to have been a part of a historical moment, and this truly was another historical moment.
HAMMER: Aretha, Madonna, Rosie, all talking to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
Is Arnold`s cheating no big deal? The startling claim today, the affair, the love child.
DEUTSCH: When will we stop being shocked when men of power, when men of stature, when men of fame also chase women? I can argue what goes with the character.
HAMMER: Our "Showbiz Flashpoint" tonight, is being rich and powerful any excuse?
ANNOUNCER: TV`s most provocative entertainment news show continues right now.
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HAMMER (on-camera): 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.
Oprah`s starry farewell. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT was right there in Chicago and backstage with the biggest stars in the world as Oprah taped her last two of her three shows. The final episode airs next week. It is top secret tonight, but SHOWBIZ TONIGHT can tell you that the shows taped last night were packed with superstars and plenty of emotion. How do we know? We were right there to see them.
SHOWBIZ TONIGHT`s Kareen Wynter is in Chicago tonight, and she was right there backstage for Oprah`s big star studded goodbye. Kareen, I have to imagine what you witnessed firsthand was just mind boggling, wasn`t it?
WYNTER: It really was. I had to pinch myself at time, A.J. I couldn`t believe it. And look, the name of these shows is called Oprah`s surprise spectacular. Look, not even Oprah was in on the surprise. She had no idea who would be joining her on stage for the four-hour long taping, so it was a real treat for her. But, hey, for Oprah and so many of the stars that we spoke to, boy, was it a special day.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Please welcome, Oprah.
WYNTER (voice-over): The energy inside Chicago`s United Center was nothing short of electric as more than 20,000 people, an entire universe of stars including Tom Hanks, gathered to say goodbye to the "Oprah Winfrey Show."
TOM HANKS, ACTOR: Thank you for what the "Oprah Winfrey Show" has meant in our lives.
WYNTER (on-camera): The star studded event has been kept top secret for weeks, but with Oprah`s farewell spectacular, you can bet it`s going to be an A list affair, and SHOWBIZ TONIGHT is taking you right in the middle of the action.
WYNTER (voice-over): Going in, Oprah had no clue about the parade of stars who would appear on these, her third to last and second to last shows airing next Monday and Tuesday. And the stars who surprised Oprah shared with SHOWBIZ TONIGHT their bittersweet feelings about saying goodbye to this TV legend and one-by-one they talked to me backstage.
JAMIE FOXX, ACTOR: Twenty-five years of bittersweet end, but it was fantastic.
FRANKLIN: I`m delighted to have been a part of a historical moment.
WYNTER: One of the first surprise guests was Tom Cruise who`s made Oprah history before.
OPRAH WINFREY, HOST: Have you ever felt this way before?
WYNTER: This time, there was no furniture on stage for Tom to jump on as he looked back on his long history with Oprah.
TOM CRUISE, ACTOR: I`ve been on the show 12 times. Each time, I knew coming to Chicago that I was going to see a loving friend.
WYNTER: Will Smith and Jada Pinkett-Smith also stopped by to pay homage to the queen of television.
JADA PINKETT-SMITH, WIFE OF WILL SMITH: I know you don`t have children of your own, but you have mothered millions.
(APPLAUSE)
WYNTER: The show was full of performances by some of the biggest music stars, and afterwards, they flocked to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT backstage to sing Oprah`s praises.
What was it like being out there, feeling the energy of the fans, feeling the love of Oprah?
PATTI LABELLE, SINGER: It was so much love. The thing is, we knew she really felt it from the beginning.
JOSH GROBAN, ACTOR: I`m so thankful that I got a chance to give thanks back to Oprah.
KEYS: She`s someone that I`ve always looked to to know that you can be a very good standup person, but she`s everything you dreamed.
JAY DEMARCUS, RASCAL FLATTS: She`s a human being who inspires everybody around her to be a better person.
WYNTER: Kristin Chenoweth performed a moving tribute to Oprah during the show was still emotional, and I talked to her backstage.
KRISTIN CHENOWETH, SINGER AND ACTRESS: As a performer, all you ever want to do is be a vessel. You know, you just want to be a vessel. I`m just so glad she accepted it. To get to perform for somebody who is actually a life teacher, I love her.
WYNTER: Three TV stars who owed their talk show careers to Oprah, Dr. Oz, Dr. Phil and Nate Berkus couldn`t let the day pass without telling me what their mentor means to them.
We all know Dr. Oz because of Oprah. How much does that mean to you?
DR. OZ: It means the world to me that Oprah trusted me.
DR. PHIL: She is so selfless in the way she does her show. This is hard for her to be the center of attention. It`s hard for her to accept all of this, but she deserves it so much and I am thrilled to be a small part of it.
BERKUS: I`ve grown so much as a man by being in the orbit of someone as wise and as kind and as open as Oprah really is.
WYNTER: And as the Oprah Winfrey show goes off the air, these superstars tell SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, just like viewers who watched her for 25 years, they will forever be inspired by this TV giant.
What`s the biggest life lesson do you think your good friend has taught you over the years?
LABELLE: Oh, gosh, how to give if you can, and it doesn`t have to be material things. She taught so many lessons, and that`s why people love her.
USHER, SINGER: She is fearless. She is fabulous. She`s Oprah.
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WYNTER (on-camera): Oh, what an incredible night. And, A.J., in just a moment, you got to see this, I`ll be back with my interviews with two super Oprah fans, Rosie O`Donnell and Madonna.
HAMMER: Can`t wait. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT`s Kareen Wynter in Chicago. Thanks so much, Kareen.
Well, one of the real highlights of Oprah`s big farewell last night was when Maria Shriver bravely got on stage with Oprah, and keep in mind, this is the same day that it was revealed just how unfaithful her husband, Arnold Schwarzenegger, had been to her, that he had fathered a baby with his mistress, but I got to tell you, a lot of people were saying today that it shouldn`t come as any great surprise that Arnold has a love child.
In fact, some of his friends say that the revelation was no shocker to them. And how many times have we heard all this before? With me in New York is Cathrine Goldstein who literally wrote the book on being a mistress to wealthy men. This book is called "Sleeping with Mortals: The Story of a New York Mistress."
And I want you to listen to startling claim just made by TV personality and advertising mogul, Donnie Deutsch. Donnie, basically says, hey, boys will be boys. Listen to what he just told CNNs Piers Morgan.
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DEUTSCH: I`m not condoning it morally, but as far as what I want for my politicians is performance in their job. I am not looking for them to be moral role models. I want them to perform. Now, without the right moral compass, can they get selected? That`s another question. The other thing I want to point out. When are we going to stop being shocked when men of power, when men of stature, men of fame also chase women? I could argue it goes with the character. It`s almost more exceptional if they don`t.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: Look, I like you, Donnie. I always have, but I don`t want my politicians to be capable of this level of dishonesty and betrayal. I just don`t. This leads to our "showbiz flashpoint," is being rich and powerful any excuse for a man to do something like this? Cathrine, you were the mistress to a lot of rich and powerful men. What do you think?
CATHRINE GOLDSTEIN, AUTHOR, "SLEEPING WITH MORTALS": Well, you know, I don`t think it`s an excuse for them to do it, but I think it is a lot of -- I think that a lot of rich and powerful men do do this. They`re a certain type of man. They are an alpha male. They go out there. They chase what they want. They`ve got these great careers.
They`ve got these great houses. They want that next thing as that next thing is the accessory. It is this young mistress. It is a conquest. They go through their lives. They`re very primal. They want to have this conquest, and she`s the next one there.
HAMMER: Yes, clearly, a pattern you`ve seen it before. So, it shouldn`t be so shocking.
GOLDSTEIN: It`s not so shocking.
HAMMER: Well, let`s bring in Sean Kanan, and Sean stars on CBS as "The Young and the Restless." Sean is in Hollywood tonight. What do you think, Sean, to our "Showbiz Flashpoint," is being a rich and powerful man any excuse?
SEAN KANAN, "THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS": A.J., it`s good to see you again. Look, there`s absolutely no excuse. I have a lot of respect for Donnie Deutsch, but I have to take exception with the generalization that he`s making. You know, I think once we start using generalizations and cliches like all men that are wealthy and powerful, it`s a no brainer that they`re involved in infidelities. You know, it`s a slippery slope.
It`s like saying that everybody is wealthy is greedy, and therefore, everyone who is not wealthy is, you know, a criminal and involved with drugs. And it`s just -- you know, I think it could lead to a lot of future problems.
HAMMER: What do you think about that?
GOLDSTEIN: I think absolutely. I`ve said this time and time again in speaking about infidelity, really, and I`ve become an infidelity expert with my book, "Sleeping with Mortals." It`s that there are two types of men. There are the man who cheats and the man who doesn`t cheat. The man who doesn`t cheat is not going to cheat. It doesn`t matter who should throw herself in front of him, but a man who cheats is going to find a way, and it doesn`t matter who the wife is. In this case, I mean, you can`t get much more beautiful than Maria Shriver.
HAMMER: And I`ve known a lot of rich and powerful men as well who have never cheated on their spouses or their wives or partners or anything like that.
GOLDSTEIN: Absolutely.
HAMMER: Sean, you got your big break playing the bad guy in "Karate Kid 3." SHOWBIZ TONIGHT just caught up with your "Karate Kid" co-star, Ralph Macchio. We`re backstage with him at "Dancing with the Stars" after he got tossed up. He had some advice for Arnold and Maia. Here`s what he said.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MACCHIO: Commitment is at the base of everything. You have to believe that you are meant to be together. If you don`t believe that -- my wife and I believe that through the toughest of times, and it`s up and down. Any relationship is work. And so, if that`s the foundation of the relationship and when children are involved, I think that you`re only shock (ph).
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: Kind of sounds to me like he thinks Maria and Arnold still actually have a chance. Quickly, Sean, is there a possibility of that?
KANAN: I don`t know. I don`t see it. I think once the trust is broken, you know, it`s exacerbated by having a child out of wedlock, et cetera, I think it`s almost unrecoverable, to be honest. I wish them both the best, but I think it`s a bit of a --
HAMMER: I particularly wish her the best right now. Sean Kanan and Cathrine Goldstein, I appreciate you both being here.
KANAN: Absolutely.
GOLDSTEIN: Thank you very much.
HAMMER: The SHOWBIZ TONIGHT farewell to Oprah continues. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT right there back stage at Oprah`s superstar spectacular in Chicago. We go one-on-one with Madonna.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MADONNA: The great thing about Oprah is that even if you don`t know her personally, you feel like you know her personally, and that`s, you know, a talent that she has.
HAMMER (voice-over): Tonight, Madonna reveals her emotional thoughts about Oprah ending her show and her favorite Oprah moment.
Take a look at this. Would you believe these two adorable little girls are two of the most powerful women on TV now? You`ll find out who they are coming up.
And it could be the greatest wedding proposal ever. A guy surprises his girlfriend with a movie trailer.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I want to spend the rest of my life with her. She has my heart, my friend, my everything.
HAMMER: It`s a showbiz viral video sensation, but will she say yes?
This is SHOWBIZ TONIGHT on HLN, news and views.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER (on-camera): Now, more showbiz farewells to Oprah. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT backstage with the stars about farewell spectacular in Chicago. You got to listen to what Usher told us about Oprah`s future.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
USHER: The one great thing about Oprah is that you know there`s going to always be a trick up her sleeve. You know, I think that there is a bigger vision, and I think that we all are waiting for her to unveil what that is, and I`m proud to have been a part of the past chapter and hope to continue to be supportive of whatever the efforts are around the world.
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(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HANKS: You know, some might say pulling off this party is, in fact, darn near a mission impossible.
HAMMER (voice-over): Tom Hanks surprises Oprah with Tom Cruise, and SHOWBIZ TONIGHT was right there and backstage in Chicago as Oprah Winfrey tapes the last two of her three final shows, but that is not where the surprises stopped.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER (on-camera): Welcome back to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. I`m A.J. Hammer in New York, and I can tell you that another big surprise of the night was when even Madonna showed up to say goodbye to Oprah and stopped to say hello to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. Madonna spoke with SHOWBIZ TONIGHT`s Kareen Wynter who`s in Chicago tonight, and she was right there at the United Center for Oprah`s star-studded spectacular goodbye. So, Kareen, I`m dying to know what did Madonna tell Oprah?
WYNTER: Well, leave it to Oprah, A.J. Only she has that power to unite some of Hollywood`s biggest stars, and, yes, Madonna was there front and center. She was in that jam packed arena. There were more than 20,000 people in the audience. She hit the stage, and listen to this. She called Oprah a self-made woman who`s been at the top of her game for 25 years, and she is still kicking butt.
Wow. A.J., I can tell you, it got pretty emotional up there on stage. Oprah was so moved by this. And after Madonna was done, we spoke with her backstage, and I asked her what was it like seeing everyone wrapped up in the emotions of it all?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MADONNA: She`s just all heart. I mean, she`s an incredible woman. To be near her and to, you know, I mean -- the great thing about Oprah is that even if you don`t know her personally, you feel like you know her personally and that, you know, is a talent that she has, you know, she`s very accessible.
WYNTER: What`s your favorite Oprah moment in history, all of the shows, all of the interviews, what resonates with you?
MADONNA: Well, the shows I`ve been on.
(LAUGHTER)
WYNTER: Of course. Our favorite.
MADONNA: And when I taught her how to dance.
WYNTER: How does she do? Did she pick up the move?
MADONNA: She`s a pretty good dancer. She`s got rhythm.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: Kareen, you know, I would love see Oprah go on tour. I`m guessing Oprah Winfrey is going to her hands full when she starts running her cable network OWN full time.
WYNTER: Oh, you can bet you will. She`s going to be a pretty busy lady. In fact, A.J., when she moves out of her Chicago studios here, Rosie O`Donnell is moving in. That`s right. She`s getting her very own show on the Oprah Winfrey Network. It`s a big deal. It actually debuts this fall. She`s really excited about it.
She told me it`s going to be a program about real people, real issues, but this TV thing is not new for her. She`s done it in the past. She`s been very, very successful, but I have to ask Rosie what`s her biggest fear here stepping back into that arena. Here`s what she told me backstage.
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ROSIE O`DONNELL, ACTRESS: I really don`t have any fears. I feel like it`s a tremendous opportunity and a huge gift, and I believe in Oprah Winfrey and her network, and I know that it`s going to be tremendously successful and to be asked to be a part of it is a big honor. I don`t have any fear. I mean, it`s a gift to me. You know, I`m ready and I`m happy to participate in any way I can, and I`m going to give it a hundred percent.
WYNTER: Last question, what can you tell us about the show?
O`DONNELL: It`s going to be fun, entertaining, enlightening. No politics, no controversy, just an hour of hopefully enlightened entrainment and laughter and levity. You know, what we do, real people are the stars on this show.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: Well, we certainly do wish Rosie and Oprah the very best of luck. So, Kareen, really, a remarkable night with Oprah Winfrey. You got to see it all from Tom Cruise to Tom Hanks, Aretha Franklin, Jerry Seinfeld. You were right backstage the whole night. What`s the one moment that sticks out with you the most?
WYNTER: Wow, A.J., that`s a hard one, but I think hands down when Michael Jordan, the former Bulls player, got on stage. It was like Oprah, she was so wide eyed. It was like a kid in the candy store and all of the celebs and all of her really close friends, well, guess what, they were the sweet treats.
You could see her saying, wow, you`re here for me. And then, this was the best part to pump your fist in the air and she goes, "M.J.`s in the house!" "M.J.`s in the house!" She did that like ten times. The crowd went absolutely nuts. It was great to see Oprah having such a great time, and this is a woman who hates surprises. This, I think, will be a night she won`t soon forget -- A.J.
HAMMER: Yes. Looking at some of the amazing footage that you got and the people you got to talk to, I think all the stars that were involved really pulled off the successful night, and I think Oprah looked genuinely thrilled. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT`s Kareen Wynter, thank you so much.
Tonight, is this the greatest wedding proposal ever? You got to see this. A guy surprises his girlfriend with a movie trailer all about proposing to her, and then, he proposes in the theater.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I want to spend the rest of my life with her. She has my heart, my friend, my everything.
HAMMER (voice-over): A showbiz viral video sensation next.
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 tonight.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KELLAN LUTZ, FASHION MODEL: Any end of an era is sad, sad ending, just like "Twilight" is for us. It`s bittersweet. I mean, you get more time to do different things, but in the end, it`s sad to say goodbye to some of it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Who are these two little girls? What is this?
HAMMER (voice-over): Did you see this? It`s a home movie of reality TV stars, Kim and Kourtney Kardashian as little girls, dancing around with masks on their faces. Kim just posted this video on her website and wrote about missing her dad who is the late famed attorney, Robert Kardashian. He made the tape, and Kim said, it was great to hear his voice, and she`s glad that he caught these memorable moments on video.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER (on-camera): Have I got a showbiz viral video for you. This could be the greatest marriage proposal ever. Michael Escobar of Georgia put together a very fancy movie trailer asking the dad of his girlfriend, Jenny (ph), for her hand in marriage. Well, you have that trailer played in the theater, while Jenny (ph) was watching the whole thing including her reaction was caught on camera. You got to watch this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: May I have your daughter`s hand in marriage?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You have my permission for her hand in marriage, and I would love to have you as a son-in-law.
What you waiting for?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Virginia Lee, since our second date, I`ve always said that we were going to be making (INAUDIBLE). You mean everything to me, and I meant that. Will you give me the honor and will you marry me?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Bravo.
(APPLAUSE)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: All right. Now, that`s a great proposal. What Jimmy didn`t know is that her family and friends were right there in the theater with her. This video has already gotten nearly 800,000 views on YouTube.
Well, on Tuesday, we asked you to vote in our SHOWBIZ TONIGHT exclusive poll. The surprising results are just in. Here`s what we ask. Arnold Schwarzenegger admits to having a child with a mistress. Whose affair shocked you the most? I`m actually a little surprised by this. Forty- three percent say Arnold`s was the most shocking, John Edwards, my pick, 37 percent, only 20 percent of you say Jesse James.
A couple of e-mails to get to you right now. Linda from Pennsylvania writes, "Arnold is a very selfish man. It must have taken a lot of work to keep this quiet. Doesn`t that just say what kind of person he is?"
And Sharon from California writes "John Edwards is, by far, the worst culprit. He was running for president. Enough said."
Thank you for your e-mails. Thank you for watching. That is it for SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. I`m A.J. Hammer in New York. Remember, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT is now seen exclusively Monday to Friday at 11 p.m. eastern and pacific right here on HLN.
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