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Showbiz Tonight
Jury for Trial of Michael Jackson`s Doctor in Deliberation; Michael Jackson`s Children Entering Show Business; Justin Bieber Denies he`s a Father; Reality Show Stars Discuss Physical Altercations on Camera
Aired November 04, 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, HLN HOST, "SHOWBIZ TONIGHT": Big news, breaking tonight on "SHOWBIZ TONIGHT."
Verdict watch -- tonight, the great Michael Jackson death trial mystery. The jury still undecided. What`s holding them up? As SHOWBIZ TONIGHT reveals, why they could let Conrad Murray go.
Bieber strikes back. For the very first time Justin Bieber directly responds today to the fan who claims she gave birth to his love child.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The headlines, someone is filing a paternity suit, saying you are the father of her three-month-old son. What would you like say about that?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: Plus, on a special edition of "SHOWBIZ TONIGHT," showbiz reality secrets. Reality fight club -- from the "Real House Wives," to "The Jersey Shore." Are all those reality fights real or really fake? SHOWBIZ TONIGHT shows the reality secrets.
TV` most provocative entertainment news show breaks news right now.
Hello, I`m A.J. Hammer in New York with big news breaking tonight. So what`s the hold up? Why did the jury in the Michael Jackson death trial go at it all day today on the first day of deliberations without making up their minds? After the defense and prosecution finish their closing arguments, there was a widespread feeling that, you know what, this was a slam dunk, that Dr. Conrad Murray will be found guilty of involuntary manslaughter in the death of Michael Jackson.
So what`s the mystery behind the hold up? We will get to that in a second.
But first, what about the kids, Michael`s two children? Like everyone else, they are on pins and needles waiting for a verdict so they can move on with their lives as well. And SHOWBIZ TONIGHT can tell you that they are already laying groundwork to follow in the footsteps of their father in show business. But would that be the wrong thing to do? Here is "SHOWBIZ TONIGHT`s" Kareen Wynter with a SHOWBIZ TONIGHT special report.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KAREEN WYNTER, HLN ENTERTAINMENT CORRESPONDENT: With amazing moves and a simulating voice, Michael Jackson became an entertainment sensation. Now SHOWBIZ TONIGHT can tell you his oldest kids want to follow their dad`s path. The heirs to the King of Pop are going into show business, says CNN`s Alan Duke.
ALAN DUKE, CNN WIRE ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR: Paris is interested in acting, being a teenage actress. And Prince is interested in the business side of entertainment. And I think we will see that very soon.
WYNTER: Katherine Jackson confirmed the news exclusively to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. She is raising Michael`s kids and tells "SHOWBIZ TONIGHT" 13- year-old Paris and 14-year-old Prince are getting ready for their close-up.
KATHERINE JACKSON, MICHAEL JACKSON`S MOTHER: They are taking acting lessons. This is what they want to do and well, Paris really wants to be an actress.
WYNTER: The entertainment world, that doesn`t scare them at all?
JACKSON: Not at all.
WYNTER: Alan Duke says some powerful people in the entertainment industry are looking out for Paris and Prince.
DUKE: Will and Jada Smith helped both of them. They have been going to acting classes with Will and Jada`s children. And no doubt that that family will open doors for the Jackson children.
WYNTER: Since their father`s tragic death, M.J.`s kids stepped out on the world`s stage, most recently appearing at a tribute concert to Michael in Wales. And Paris proved at ease on camera when she spoke over the summer about her dad.
PARIS JACKSON, MICHAEL JACKSON`S DAUGHTER: One of the greatest and nicest guys ever.
WYNTER: But SHOWBIZ TONIGHT wants to know if the kids go into show business, are they risking heartache? Publicist Marvet Britto who helped guide the careers of Mariah Carey, Kim Cattrall and Angela Bassett, among others, says Paris and Prince face the crushing weight of expectation.
MARVET BRITTO, PUBLICIST, THE BRITTO AGENCY: You really are under a magnifying glass and the public expects you to be as great or greater than your -- than the legacy from which you come.
WYNTER: And there`s another risk. Their wealth and budding fame could attract false friends and users.
BRITTO: There are people who will try to attach themselves to Paris, Prince and maybe even young Blanket. Prince Jackson I know is thinking hard about who can he trust.
WYNTER: A weary Prince tweeted recently, People behind you are opportunists. People in front of you are enemies. And people beside you are lasting friends." Entrepreneurs are already approaching him with endorsement deals.
DUKE: Prince Jackson, as they say, is bankable. And yes, a lot of product would like his endorsement, would like to associate themselves with Prince Jackson because of his father.
WYNTER: Their father is gone but the children can count on savvy aunts, uncles, and grandparents to guide them through the minefields of show business.
BRITTO: They certainly have people. Aunt Janet, the very individuals who shape the legacy and built the Jackson five family are still alive and still very much in the lives of his children.
WYNTER: Marvet Britto tells "SHOWBIZ TONIGHT" one thing is key to the kids` success.
BRITTO: The best advice I would give Michael Jackson`s children is to stay grounded, to learn everything they can about the business, to educate themselves about the business.
WYNTER: Britto says if they do that, anything is possible.
BRITTO: I wouldn`t be surprised if they were able to be guided to be just as successful as Michael Jackson was.
WYNTER: And that would make them truly worthy heirs to the king of pop.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HAMMER: That was SHOWBIZ TONIGHT`s Kareen Wynter, who joins us right now from outside the courthouse in Los Angeles where the jury has been busy deliberating. Also with me in New York tonight, Sunny Hostin, legal contributor with "In Session" on TruTV. I think it`s going to be fascinating to see what the King of Pop`s kids do as they grow up and they mature.
But right now, of course, all eyes are on the jury in the Dr. Conrad Murray trial. Tonight, the big question is this -- could they actually acquit Michael`s doctor of involuntary manslaughter. I know that a lot of people think that Dr. Murray being found not guilty is farfetched that point. But HLN`s own Nancy Grace just revealed on "Good Morning America" that she actually thinks Conrad Murray could beat the rap. Watch very closely as Nancy explains why she thinks that could actually happen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
NANCY GRACE, HLN HOST: I think that an acquittal, especially in California, hello, O.J. Simpson, anything could happen here. And another thing, Dan, as much as I don`t like it, people generally like their doctors. I liked my doctor. I went under the knife and he was the last thing I saw, wondering, will I make it? Will my twins grow up without a mother? Murray very wisely stayed mum. He let the jury suspect he might be guilty rather than take the stand and confirm their suspicions.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: So Sunny, Nancy is saying that the jurors typically do not like to convict doctors. Is that your experience? You worked as a prosecutor?
SUNNY HOSTIN, CNN LEGAL CONTRIBUTOR: I love Nancy, as you know, but I disagree with her on that. I think that certainly jurors hold doctors in a high regard. They love their own doctors. But they also put them on a pedestal. They expect them to do no harm. They expect them to be healers. In this case, you have a doctor that did some harm and didn`t follow the standards of care. And then I think the jury is more likely to come down on him because they want to reaffirm the notion that if you are a doctor one are to do no harm and you are to be a healer, not a killer.
HAMMER: On the idea he still could be acquitted, of course Kareen, we have doctor versus the memory of perhaps the most legendary pop star of all time. Does it seem to you that the doctor factor in your mind may help Conrad Murray win this?
WYNTER: In this case, absolutely not. It makes sense, A.J., that people hate convicting doctors. But there is no bigger title than the king of pop, than one of the world`s greatest entertainers. We are talking about the Jackson family. Just think for a second of the weight that that name carries, and if you are a juror, the weight of responsibility on your shoulders to get this case right, one of the biggest cases ever.
I mean, look at Jackson family. Why do you think there was such a heavy presence from the beginning with Katherine, with Joe, with LaToya, even Janet putting her big world tour on hold to come here? You know. Just imagine them being in court and jurors looking across and saying, this is this high profile family. It carries a lot of weight and I think Dr. Conrad Murray is in for a lot of trouble because his title doesn`t come close to M.J.`s
HAMMER: To that point, one of the reasons that the lead defense attorney told the jury during closing arguments should acquit him, he claimed that if Michael Jackson weren`t the victim in this case, there wouldn`t even be a trial. Let`s see how that moment played out here on HLN.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What they are really asking you to do, just say it, what they are really asking you to do, is to convict Dr. Murray for the actions of Michael Jackson. You know, we`ve been dancing around this for six weeks. Maybe two years. Somebody`s got to say it. Somebody`s got to tell the truth. Somebody`s got to just say it. If it were anybody else but Michael Jackson, anybody else, would this doctor be here today?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: Sunny, do you buy that argument, that if it were anybody else but Michael Jackson, it wouldn`t be an involuntary manslaughter trial? Perhaps it would be a civil case?
HOSTIN: I don`t buy that, because no one else could afford to have Propofol given to them in a surgical setting in their bedroom. Michael Jackson was a celebrity and it comes from the fact that this doctor chose to do this. So, no, I don`t think that a prosecutor wouldn`t have brought this case if not for Michael Jackson.
HAMMER: So if he is acquitted, it is likely not to happen because Michael Jackson is the man laying dead here?
HOSTIN: Sure.
(LAUGHTER)
HAMMER: Interesting to ponder. We will have to wait and see what happens. I guess it`ll all come down Monday. Or else all bets are off. Kareen Wynter, Sunny Hostin, thank you both.
As we move on tonight, Bieber fires back. Justin Bieber speaking out today for the very first time directly about the claims that fathered a child.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BIEBER: I`m going to be target, but I`m never going to be a victim, you know. I think this is crazy.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: Now the woman pointing the finger is letting her lawyers loose.
Kardashian damage control tonight. Kim`s mom goes on the offense defending her daughter against all of the Kardashian haters.
Coming up later at the bottom of the hour, wait until you see this, showbiz reality secrets. We will reveal the secrets behind the biggest reality shows on TV, and tonight reality fight club.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You want to hit me tough guy?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I will snap your neck.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Bring it.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No one is touching anyone in this house.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: The insults, the shouts, the flying fists. We expose what is real and what`s fake.
This is SHOWBIZ TONIGHT on HLN news and views. Here comes the news ticker. These are more stories from the newsroom making news tonight.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LEONARDO DICAPRIO, ACTOR: I think it was a Clint Eastwood scene in every respect because we were beating the crap out of each other. We had blood on our face, and then that happened. You will have to ask him how it worked that way. But I think it really worked considering these two characters today reserve so much of who they were for so many years.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BIEBER: Like I said before, there`s going to be goods and bads about this business. And I want to focus on what`s reel, like my fans are real. The charity work for this album is real. This is real.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: Justin Bieber faces his fans and tough questions on "The Today Show" this morning. He is speaking out by claims by a young woman that he is the father of her child. So is it true? Well, Justin sets the record straight.
Welcome back it "SHOWBIZ TONIGHT." I`m A.J. Hammer in New York. Tonight, Bieb`s baby battle. Justin Bieber on the warpath against the woman who claims he is the father of her three-month-old baby boy. In his very first interview about the claim Bieber said on "The Today Show" this morning that he want to shut the reports down for good.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BIEBER: I would just like to say, basically, that none of these allegations are true. And I know that I`m going to be -- I`m going to be a target, but I`m never going to be a victim. I think it`s crazy because every night after the show, I`ve gone right from the stage right to my car. So it`s crazy that some people want to make up such false allegations. But to set the record straight, none of it is true.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Do you know this woman? Her name is --
BIEBER: I`ve never met the woman.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: Has the Biebs done enough? With me right now in New York is Sunny Hostin. Sunny, we just sat there and watched it together, Justin Bieber and his handsome new haircut. He says he never met the woman. He says all of the allegations are false. Has he done enough in your mind to make this all go away, or do you think perhaps this isn`t quite the end just yet?
HOSTIN: I think that that he did what he needed to do what he did certainly, because before, remember, he tweeted this strange tweet, not addressing the issue head on. When there`s a situation like this, you have to address it head on. That`s what he just did. I don`t know the woman, this is not true.
Will it I go away? I don`t think so. This is Justin Bieber. People are still talking about it. There a hearing December 15th. They are asking him for some DNA. So I don`t think it`ll go away but this is what he needed to do, and I`m so glad that he did it.
HAMMER: I am too.
Here`s the thing, though. The attorneys for the 20-year-old accuser, this woman Mariah Yeater, just revealed to HLN`s Dr. Drew that they have what they call credible evidence that Bieber is the father of this child. So I got to ask you as an attorney, do you think lawyers would go on a national television show like Dr. Drew on HLN and say something like that if they didn`t have the goods in some way. It seems very suspect.
HOSTIN: It does seem suspect. And lawyers aren`t allowed to file frivolous suites. And they certainly know the law. You can`t defame people. You can`t make things up. So it gives me pause they say they have this other proof. But clients snooker attorneys all the time. Perhaps she`s got proof, but it`s not really accurate.
HAMMER: It could be a good snooker.
HOSTIN: It could be a good snookering.
HAMMER: It might be going on here is what I`m trying to say. All right, I have to talk about Kim Kardashian, maybe that`s why I`m getting all worked up. The divorce drama just rolls on. And Kim started wrapping up her trip down under in Australia. Her mom, Kris Jenner, is on damage control right now. At the same time Wendy Williams grilled Kris this morning on a number of burning questions, including those reports Kim may have actually cast Kris Humphries in the role of her husband on the reality show.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KRIS JENNER, REALITY TV STAR: My god, that is the most ridiculous thing I`ve ever heard.
WENDY WILLIAMS, TV TALK SHOW HOST: That they liked around for Knicks and Nets and Jets and people to cast --
JENNER: Knicks and Nets and Jets, OK. Well, listen. I don`t think Kim would, first of all, ever do something like that.
WILLIAMS: No?
JENNER: No. She`s --
WILLIAMS: No, not our Kim.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: I`ve got to tell you, Sunny, I don`t buy that she would do it. But is it so farfetched?
HOSTIN: It`s not really farfetched. I mean, this is woman who, yes, is a star, now a reality star. She made a lot of money as a businesswoman. But she started out making a porn tape.
HAMMER: You`re not going to let her live that down, are you? It`s a sex tape, not a porn tape.
HOSTIN: That`s Right, sex tape.
HAMMER: I don`t want you to get snookered.
(LAUGHTER)
HAMMER: Thank you, Sunny Hostin, very much.
As we move on tonight, you`ve got to see what we have coming up on a special edition of SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. At the bottom of the hour, showbiz reality secrets. We are revealing the secrets behind the biggest reality shows on TV. Tonight, reality fight club.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You want to hit me tough guy?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I will snap your neck.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Bring it.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No one is touching anyone in this house.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
Are all of those reality fights real or really fake? Well, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT exposes the reality secrets.
Plus, the demons of "The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills and Atlanta" share secrets of their coast to coast explosive smack-downs. This is SHOWBIZ TONIGHT on HLN`s news and views. Time for the show`s news ticker. These are stories making news tonight.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HAMMER: Check this out. The "Jersey Shore" meets the Ivy League. Yes, that`s "Jersey Shore`s" Vinnie at Columbia University, so far from his world of fist pumping. Vinnie was invited to give a lecture on behalf of the anti-bullying campaign. TMZ reports that Vinnie talked to a sociology class about his own experiences about being bullied. And apparently everything went great until the Q and A session. That`s when a student asked Vinnie how a hard drinking talk trashing cast member of "Jersey Shore" has a right to be a role model. I guess that seems like a fair question.
But according to people in the class, Vinnie thought it was some kind of an Ivy League trick question and he just stood there dumbfounded. Guess he won`t get an honorary degree from Columbia any time soon.
Here`s another celebrity shocker tonight. One of country music biggest stars is forced to put his golden voice to rest. Jessica Biel`s big new dating secret.
And who is Hollywood`s most overpaid star? That story tops the buzz today.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: Drew`s dubious honor. Forbes magazine is out with its brand new list of the most overpaid stars in Hollywood, and Drew Barrymore is number one when it comes to least bang for the buck. The magazine calculates Barrymore brings in just 40 cents for every dollar a studio spends on her. Just behind Drew on the overpaid list, Eddie Murphy, Will Ferrell, Reese Witherspoon, and Denzel Washington.
Keith Urban has just revealed he`s going under the knife. Doctors have discovered a polyp on the singer`s vocal cords, which means he has to have surgery sometime this month. It is considered a minor procedure, but Urban`s rep tells us he will need an undetermined period of recuperation. Urban is still onboard for the Country Music Awards on November 9, but he is postponing other performances until the New Year.
Biel`s lips are sealed on Justin. Jessica Biel just confessed some of her dating secrets but not revealing what the deal is with Justin Timberlake, who she`s been spotted with again. In a brand new interview with "Elle" magazine, Jessica says a girl doesn`t kiss and tell, but does admit her habit of dating actors. "I think actors are the people you meet, so it just kind of happens." That makes sense.
Well, tonight at the bottom of the hour, it`s a special division of SHOWBIZ TONIGHT showbiz reality secrets. We reveal the secrets behind the biggest reality shows on TV. Tonight reality fight club.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You want to hit me tough guy?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I will snap your neck.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Bring it.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No one is touching anyone in this house.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: When the reality cameras are on, the insanity ensues. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT reveals what makes seemingly normal adults act like children.
Plus the cast members of "Jersey Shore" reveal that they fight because they love each other. Right. 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.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HAMMER: Now, on a special edition of "SHOWBIZ TONIGHT" showbiz reality secrets, reality fight club. Body-slamming, in your face, all out wars. When reality cameras are on, the claws come out.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You want to hit me tough guy?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I will snap your neck.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Bring it.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No one is touching anyone in this house.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: SHOWBIZ TONIGHT goes to the force to find out why seemingly normal adults resort to schoolyard fights on reality TV. "Real Housewives of Beverly Hills" co-star Kyle Richards shares the secrets of the Beverly Hills smack down. And Tammie Burris of the "Real Housewives of Atlanta" reveals how she stays so calm surrounded by such explosive behavior.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Are you friends with her?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: Plus, they fight on "Jersey Shore" because they love each other? SHOWBIZ TONIGHT goes behind the scenes and reveals the real reason those crazy kids from Jersey fight so darn much. A special edition of SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, "Showbiz Reality Secrets," starts right now.
Hello, I`m A.J. Hammer in New York and this is a special edition of SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, "Showbiz Reality Secrets," reality fight club. Yes, tonight we are revealing the secrets behind all of those wild over the top fights between reality stars that we see all the time. From the "Real Housewives," to "Jersey Shorem" the cursing, insults, the fistfights. So how much of it is real and how much of it is staged to make you think it`s all real? Well, wait until you see what we found out. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT investigates the reality fight club secrets.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Welcome to fight club.
HAMMER: In the movies, fight clubs come with rules.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The first rule to fight club is, you do not talk about fight club.
HAMMER: But in the special fight club, known as reality shows --
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Bring it on.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I`m going to whoop that bitch`s ass, and I mean it.
HAMMER: There are no rules. For instance, in the movie "Fight Club" --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If someone else stop, the fight is over.
HAMMER: But in the reality fight club --
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Stop it.
HAMMER: -- just means keep fighting. In the movie "Fight Club" --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Only two guys to fight.
HAMMER: But in the reality fight club, two women can go at it.
HAMMER: So now, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT breaks all the rules.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You do not talk about fight club.
HAMMER: And we do talk about the secrets behind the reality fight club.
"Jersey Shore" has featured more Jersey style whackings than the Sopranos.
J-Wow and Sammy had a fistfight in the kitchen. Snooki fought Angelina in the living room.
It`s kind of like a "Jersey Shore" episode of Clue. Who fought who in what room, what weapon was used, who the police are looking for.
HAMMER: "The Situation" even once fought a wall, and the wall won.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No one even has to be around in get in a fight at the "Jersey Shore." It`s is you versus an inanimate object, and that`s enough.
HAMMER: J-Wow tells SHOWBIZ TONIGHT why the "Jersey Shore" gang is so slaphappy.
J-WOW, REALITY TV STAR: We have become a family. But just like brothers and sisters, we fight like a family.
HAMMER: SHOWBIZ TONIGHT can also reveal the fight club secrets line the "Real Housewives" franchise. No one is safe from "Real Housewives" cat fights, even the furniture.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The "Real Housewives," particularly in Jersey and Atlanta, just get down and dirty.
HAMMER: But the "Real Housewives of Beverly Hills" get down and dirty too. Brandy Glanville clashed with the Richard sisters.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You threaten me.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Listen --
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Enough.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I`m just me. And if I say it, I have to own it. And there`s no -- there`s no going back -- I mean, it is what it is.
HAMMER: And Brandy shares this secret with "SHOWBIZ TONIGHT," how they choose the housewives to make for a very volatile mix.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think they pick women that are all very strong personalities. And when you put really strong person amounts in a room together and you are different, people are going to clash.
HAMMER: No doubt reality show fights are entertaining, especially the one off then described as the best ever.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Slap me, bitch.
HAMMER: When the spit hit the fan on VH1`s "Flavor of Love."
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You put your hands on me.
HAMMER: But as entertaining as the reality fight club can be, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT has got to ask, is it all for real? The guys on the Discovery Channel`s "Car Fellas" have been known to have fights that look like they are going to punch each other out.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It is not a problem.
HAMMER: "Car Fellas" reveal to me they don`t fake anything.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It is as real as you can get. And I mean that. You know, there is so much chemistry between him and Mario, and that`s us. We have been doing this for years.
HAMMER: That`s good to know, because in a reality show where love isn`t always real.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Until death do us part.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Now you`re stuck with me forever.
HAMMER: -- at least we can count on reality show smack downs to keep it real.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: When you pull a lady`s wig off, it doesn`t seem like it came from a script.
HAMMER: Up like the movie "Fight Club," the reality fight club is something we can`t stop talking about.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Enough!
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HAMMER: And you know it`s true. We can`t stop talking about these fights, because frankly, they are entertaining. So what is the secret to holding your own in the reality fight club situations? I sat down with Kyle Richards who famously fought with her own sister and co-star on the "Real Housewives of Beverly Hills," and I asked her if there was ever any concern about hoping up to family about everything that reality show cameras capture, including all the scrutiny and conflict. Watch what she told me.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KYLE RICHARDS, CO-STAR, "REAL HOUSEWIVES OF BEVERLY HILL": It was family decision. I sat down with my family and my kids. We decided together. We thought, this would be a fun experience. I was a little naive, I have to say. I didn`t realize the amount of conflict and drama. But, you know, this is what happened when you put six, you know, strong and sometimes more women together in a room, and they are obviously very opinionated women. But I did not expect it to be this difficult.
HAMMER: And that would include sisters because wow, you and your sister, Kim, have had your share of ups and downs. Obviously that happens in every family, sisters, brothers and whatever. But yours was caught on TV for everybody to see. So I have to ask you, if can you go back now, knowing what you now know, would you make the same decision to appear on the show?
RICHARDS: I don`t know if I would do that. I mean, there`s so many negative things that do come with being on a reality show. But there are a lot of positive things too. You know, you have the opportunity to bring aware to your charities. I`ve lost a lot of families to cancer. So I try to make sure that I bring attention to my charities in each of the episodes, or each of the seasons, I should say. One of the charities ways involved with, the Lollipop Theater Network, after being in my episode, their donations went up 200 percent. It can have an upside, but there are a lot of drawbacks as well.
HAMMER: And this is what I`ve heard from many of your costars. We`ve had them right here on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT talking about the fact that, yes, it`s great exposing my charities and getting much-needed funds to these excellent causes. But the other things I hear from your costars, is I watch the show back and that not exactly how it went down. That`s not what really happened. Do you ever feel like you are a victim of the creative editing that is often done to present the greatest drama and conflict?
RICHARDS: I can tell new season one, in the finale, the fight with my sister, as difficult as that was, because so many people were angry about our fight, it was with you what I was feeling. It was a lot of emotions built up over the years. So as much I took heat for that, I have to own it because that is how I felt. I couldn`t explain the back story to everybody watching.
But the fight on game night with Brandy, I do look at that and think that is not me. I look like a mean person, and my sister does. We`re not mean people. We are nice people. I think it a combination of being caught up in the moment.
And there is tongue in cheek. I did offer to help Brandy down the stairs with her crutches but that part wasn`t shown. I don`t know if it is because they can`t fit everything in in an hour. But you have to take it with a grain of salt.
HAMMER: So is the potential upside the opportunity to get a I don`t know, therapy you couldn`t get, where you can take a look at yourself and say, hey, you know, I`m seeing a behavior that I need to work on here.
RICHARDS: Yes, absolutely. I did think that you can learn about yourself. I really thought that going into this -- I knew going into this that it would be difficult working with my sister at times. But I think that in spite of our big blow up at the end of season one, that it actually ended up helping our relationship in a lot of ways, because we both had so much we held in for so long it just kind of came it a head that night. I don`t think we would have ever gotten it out otherwise.
HAMMER: There you go.
Something I`ve heard often from people, particularly about the "Real Housewives" shows, you look at the various franchises, and quite frankly, it often looks like a glorified version of high stool, mean girls and all. They are all there.
Do you regularly watch the show and cringe at your own behavior, or by and large are you pretty pleased with the way you are portrayed?
RICHARDS: I think for the most part it is fair. And there are a lot of times I watch when I see myself with my husband and my kids doing my bike ride in Napa to raise money for cancer with my husband, I do enjoy watching those episodes.
I look at that and think, that is not me. I don`t know how it got to that point. I`m very disappointed when I see that. I feel sad. I actually cried a lot about watching that episode, just being ds pointed in myself and the whole night and disappointing anyone, feeling like I let people down.
HAMMER: So for as much drama for what we see on the show, there is a whole lot of drama going on behind the scenes. You are well aware of it. The New York franchise of "Real Housewives" is a major turmoil. Kelly, Ben, Simone all fired from the show. There are some questions raised about the New Jersey show imploding. "Real Housewives of D.C." didn`t come back after one season. Do you think the franchise is winding down or do you think it has more time than it would appear to at this time?
RICHARDS: I think that the ratings are still very strong, so that`s pretty indicative of people being interested and watching the show. I think everyone likes to be a fly on a wall. And I think people want to look back and see that, you know, OK, I have a lot of problems in my life or whatever it is that they want to see what is going on in other people`s lives. So I think that people are still watching. The numbers prove it.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HAMMER: Champagne and smack down, yes, it`s all in a day`s work for the "Real Housewives of Atlanta."
They fight because they love each other? The cast of "Jersey Shore" tells us the real bizarre reason why they are always tearing it up on their show. They`re going to share the secrets behind their on camera blowouts.
This is a special edition of "SHOWBIZ TONIGHT" "Showbiz Reality Secrets," reality fight club. Right now, "Real Housewives of New Jersey" costar Teresa Giudice turns a nice Italian family dinner into a table throwing free-for-all.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It`s just not name change and arrested. There has to be something else -- stripping, prostitution. Whore. You --
(SHOUTING)
HAMMER: Teresa acted like a frigging caged animal at the zoo. Tables need to be thrown at me because I had a book written about me.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HAMMER: Welcome back to "SHOWBIZ TONIGHT." I`m A.J. Hammer in New York, and you are watching a special "SHOWBIZ TONIGHT," showbiz reality secrets, reality fight club. It`s a cocktail that makes for the best kind of reality TV. Add reality house wives and drinks, then throw in a dash of couture, and voila, let the cat fights begin. One show takes the cake when it comes to smack downs is the "Real Housewives of Atlanta." The lovely and talented Kandi Burruss filled me in on some of the secrets behind the drama. And I just had to ask her, what is up with all the fighting?
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Dress for me and my family.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Bitch, control your husband.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: How do you don`t know if the --
HAMMER: We see these conflicts all the time, uncanny. Does it surprise you when they erupt?
KANDI BURRUSS, CO-STAR "REAL HOUSEWIVES OF ATLANTA": No, not at all, because the thing about it is, with our show, they have all these women with big personalities. When have you a lot of strong personalities and you make them be around each other a lot, things are bound to happen, especially when everybody is having beefs here and there.
Certain times, people have issues before even the start of taping. Like last season, I think they didn`t have many issues, but off season they had something happen. I don`t know what happened but by the time we came back for taping this year, they weren`t really talking.
HAMMER: So it has been feeding and bubbling up. Snap the cameras on and put them in the situation and let them go.
BURRUSS: Yes, exactly.
HAMMER: What is your secret to a cool head through it all? Is that how you have been throughout life? Because for some reason you seem to keep it real cool. Everyone is at war with one another.
BURRUSS: Normally I`m pretty laid back, so nothing that anyone has it say will phase me most of the time. But, I won`t lie, I have moments especially during the season where people get under my skin a little bit. But I try not to go too crazy.
HAMMER: Do you ever feel compelled because you know the drama is what sells on reality shows to step it up a little bit?
BURRUSS: No. I just always -- I say to myself when I even joined the cast that I was just going to be true to myself. I will do me and hopefully everybody likes it. If not, oh, well.
HAMMER: It is working out well so far.
BURRUSS: Thank you.
HAMMER: Thank you, candy.
BURRUSS: Thank you.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HAMMER: I love that candy keeps a level head by keeping things in stride.
Now, up in Jersey, not so much. It seems like Tracy DiMarco and Olivia Blois Sharpe use their styling scissors to stab each other in the backs more than hair on their hit show "Jerseylicious". So I had to ask, is there something in the air in New Jersey that feeds into the fighting frenzy?
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
HAMMER: Obviously it`s a formula that seems to be working. There is of course your terrific show, "Jerseylicious," the "Jersey Shore" and the "Real Housewives of New Jersey." And it always seems like the women are getting into the massive fights on these shows. Your show is no exception.
I want to roll this in the background, if we could. You two go at it, from what I understand, you`re going that the again this season. You sit here Tracy and Olivia, and everything seems to be peachy, fine, OK between the two of you. How are you able to move past all of that?
TRACY DIMARCO, CO-STAR, "JERSEYLICIOUS": We haven`t.
HAMMER: Or the moment you walk out of the studio you turn away from each other and don`t speak?
DIMARCO: No, we haven`t moved past it. We just know how to come -- we just met you. If he had known you for a couple months maybe you would see a different side of us, I don`t know. But we have to come in and act professional. We are with each other every single day.
HAMMER: It`s not as peaceful as it appears?
DIMARCO: No.
OLIVIA BLOIS SHARPE, CO-STAR, "JERSEYLICIOUS": We know when to be mature and when to be business oriented.
HAMMER: OK.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HAMMER: J-Wow versus Sammy, "The Situation" versus Ronnie. You know, the fights on "Jersey Shore," they have truly become legendary. But do they really fight before because they love each other? The cast of "Jersey Shore" tells us the bizarre reason why they are always at war on their show.
This is a special edition of "SHOWBIZ TONIGHT," showbiz reality secrets, reality fight club.
Right now, who can forget "The Situation" facing off with a wall?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don`t get how your relationship
(SHOUTING)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I`m sick of it.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Sick of it?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes. You want to hit me? You want to hit me? You want to hit me tough guy you want to do it?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Stop. Stop it.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Get out of here.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Stop.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Stop.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This this is my friend sunshine. Are you friends with her?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I`m going to leave.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: Hitting, screaming, name calling, hair-pulling -- good times. The cast members of "Jersey Shore" are charters members of the showbiz reality fight club. Barely a week goes by without someone taking someone else down. But you have to hear why they fight. They do it because they care? Watch this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don`t know, just because I guess the environment that we`re in, we are kind of cut out from the world. All we have is each other and we have to deal with each other 24 hours a day and heads clash sometimes. And just when you think that every conflict that could possibly happen has happened already, like two people will form another conflict. It just happens.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes. I love it. I think I can watch it. I bring popcorn and watch the whole thing, him and I. I stay away from the drama, you know.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We try not to be in the fight but watch the fights.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: At the end of the day, I love them. At the end of the day, it`s fun. I miss it when I go home. Like truthfully, I love doing this. They are all wonderful.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It`s weird for us to be we hate each other doing it and sick of seeing each other but the day we get home, we`re like, where are you. It`s like a family. You get sick of your family members and you`re like, I can`t deal with you today. Just walk away from me.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: But then there are types when the crazy kids don`t want to walk away from each other. That`s when the "Shore" stars go from fighters to lovers. Who doesn`t love a good make-up hookup? And even though what happened in the share house doesn`t exactly stay in the share house, the ever eloquent Dina and "The Situation" say sex is bound to happen. And they have nothing to be ashamed of.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No regrets at all.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This is the "Jersey Shore" house.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: At the end of the day, people have either done it or, you know, are going to do it.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If you`re in your 20s or you`re dating, not dating, you`re about to date, you know, you know, you`re in a relationship. You`re having some sort of relationships or something, you`re doing something. You know what I`m saying? It just so happens that there is hidden cameras in the house.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You do sex also.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You do sex all the time.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Well, I did it a lot because I have a boyfriend. He was always here. But the cameras, we`re so used to it, we just hide under covers. Sometimes a boob slips out.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A nipple.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes. But they can`t show that because this isn`t like porno.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, not HBO.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: Can you imagine Snooki uncensored? I don`t even think HBO can handle that.
Well, that is it for this special edition "SHOWBIZ TONIGHT," showbiz reality secrets. I`m A.J. Hammer.
END
