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Showbiz Tonight
Fashion Frenzy on Reality Shows; SHOWBIZ Reality Secrets
Aired December 20, 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, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT HOST: Now, on a special edition of SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, "SHOWBIZ Reality Secrets: Fashion Frenzy." Tonight, fashion legend Tyra Banks reveals all the surprising secrets behind her "Top Model" empire.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TYRA BANKS, "AMERICA`S TOP MODEL": You know, "Top Model" is very difficult. You know, people watch it on TV and then they go, "Oh, I want to be on the show so badly." And then they come on the show and they`re like, "This is fabulous. Look at this house, wow." And then they get a photo and are like, "It sucks."
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: Tyra Banks in a must-see SHOWBIZ newsmaker interview.
A top fashion insider who worked with Cindy Crawford reveals the secrets behind the creation of a TV supermodel.
Plus, big fashion drama. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT exposes how reality fashion shows deal with all of those huge personalities stuffed into those tiny dresses.
A special digs addition of SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, "SHOWBIZ Reality Secrets: Fashion Frenzy," starts right now.
(MUSIC)
Welcome to this special edition of SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, "SHOWBIZ Reality Secrets: Fashion Frenzy." I`m A.J. Hammer in New York.
And tonight, Tyra tells all. Tyra Banks could easily be considered royalty when it comes to reality TV. After all, she took her supermodel success and spun it right in to a reality TV empire that, quite frankly, a lot of people are still trying to duplicate.
Tyra`s show, "America`s Next Top Model," has become a prototype for a whole lot of shows that have followed. Now "Top Model" includes more than 17 cycles with dozens of women whose modeling career started on that show.
But what is Tyra`s big secret to reality TV stardom? Well, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT`s Kareen Wynter got Tyra to reveal all her SHOWBIZ reality secrets.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BANKS: "America`s Next Top Model is Jaslene!
JASLENE GONZALEZ, WINNER, SEASON 8, "AMERICA`S NEXT TOP MODEL": Oh my God, Tyra, thank you! Oh my God!
BANK: I think the reason why "Top Model" has been on for so long is that I push my team and my team pushes me back. You know, so I`m like, that`s the same. What can you do? I call it, "Add a layer." Give me a layer to make it different.
What are people going to be talking about tomorrow at that water cooler at work or what are they going to be twittering about? Give me those moments. So I push my team, my team pushes me.
Tyra, no, that`s boring. Or, no, that is not interesting. So, you know, we are hard on each other and I think that`s why we`re like cycle, what is this, 18.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Maybe I am angry inside! I have been through stuff! So I`m angry!
(CROSSTALK)
BANKS: Be quiet (UNINTELLIGIBLE)! Be quiet!
(CROSSTALK)
BANKS: Stop it!
KAREEN WYNTER, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Reality TV, Tyra, these days, it gets such a bad rap. And a lot of it is scripted, staged. Is any of that for "America`s Next Top Model"?
BANKS: No. See, it is kind of hard to watch reality TV a little bit because I can see what other shows are doing, you know, in terms of scripted or in terms of something in TV that we call "coverage."
It`s like, here`s a shot here, then there`s a close-up and then there`s a wide shot, and then there`s all this. And I know in order for that scene to have been shot that way, the lines had to have been said five times.
So I know those tricks, so sometimes it is kind of hard for me to watch reality TV. And then I get a little jealous. I`m like, dang, their coverage is all gorgeous and here we are chasing a girl out of the room crying.
And we might have missed it because she slammed a door in my cameraman`s face and is in the bathroom and that is off-limits. So you know, so it`s like, it gets me a little jealous that these other shows get more coverage.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh, my God! Oh, my God!
BANKS: Why are you screaming so loud?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Because you are so pretty!
WYNTER: So you give them that very big break where they go through the door. But how is it when they enter the fashion industry? Is it any easier? How are they received?
BANKS: You know, "Top Model" is very difficult. People watch it on TV and then they go, "Oh, I want to be on the show so badly." And then they come on the show and they are like, "This is fabulous, look at this house, wow." Then they get a photo shoot and are like, "It sucks." And they`re like, whoa.
Hearing that, versus seeing somebody else being told it on television, is two totally different things. So they start feeling that critique, and it is not so nice. And then say they either get very far or don`t, but still enter the real fashion industry.
It is worse. What your agent is telling you is worse than anything on "Top Model." I have certain rules of things that a judge can and cannot say to a girl on "Top Model."
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I talk probably almost at this level like when I am sitting at home.
BANKS: Have you ever had your hearing tested? Do you think that might have something to do with it?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Pardon?
BANKS: But when you go into the real world, they will say, your butt is too this, (UNINTELLIGIBLE) is too that. I mean, and it is just brutal.
On top of that, leaving a reality show and doing really well on a reality show, you know, and having this supermodel look, you go into an agency and they are like, yes, we love you. You can go to a client and they are like, oh, you were on "Top Model."
You know, so it is not an easy thing. So at the same time, even though a lot of the girls have this stigma of being on a reality show, when they leave "America`s Next Top Model," they still do have a modeling career that they would have never had.
WYNTER: And you have been a target yourself of the media. So how do you stay grounded and be who you are but not be bashed?
BANKS: I was put on covers of all of these magazines, "America`s Next Top `Waddle,`" and "Tyra `Shanks,`" I think it was?
WYNTER: It was really hurtful.
BANKS: Yes, most - well, when I first read it, it wasn`t that hurtful. And then I had a lot of people coming up to me and saying that it hurt them. And if they were calling me fat, then that means that they are what are they, because they are either my size or bigger.
So I have something to all of you that have something nasty to say about me or other women that are built like me, women that sometimes or all the time look like this, women whose names you know, women whose names you don`t, women who have been picked on, women whose husbands put them down, women at work, or girls in school, I have one thing to say to you, kiss my fat ass!
(CHEERS)
So I actually took the crusade on to answer the press in defense of everyone, although when I started talking and I teared up and said "kiss my fat ass," I wasn`t tearing up for every woman in the world, I was actually tearing up for myself, too.
And that`s when I realized I didn`t feel the pain physically, but there was obviously something that was affected to get an emotional response from me.
People are used to seeing me looking like this and like this and all of that.
I think it is really difficult for girls to live up to images that they see and not just in the fashion industry. It used to be that, oh, models are so skinny and girls feel like they have to live up to that. But the new epitome or the thing that embodies beauty to me today is just celebrity in general.
It is not so much models. Models don`t have those household names anymore so they are not as influential. And so when young girls see these celebrities that didn`t really get much attention but then they lost 40 pounds and now they are on the cover of everything. You know, those types of things, those images and those messages kind of start to ingrain in you something.
I had burnouts. And I have a production company but we weren`t producing anything else because I didn`t have the bandwidth to do it. And I stopped doing my talk show. And I was like, I can`t do anything else right now. Let me focus on "Top Model" and let me focus "Modelland."
But now I have a new CEO and she has helped me to understand how to delegate and empower people. So now, we are expanding the production company and going to go in serious production in television for children and television for women, teens.
And I know how to do it now because it is about hiring amazing people and being, you know, there and overseeing it but not like in the trenches at 3:00 in the morning in an edit bay.
WYNTER: You were such a superstar before "America`s Top Model." You still are, but your star just keeps getting bigger. Do you sometimes -
BANKS: I want it to get less.
WYNTER: You want it to get less? Why is that?
BANKS: Yes.
WYNTER: Because you are so ambitious and there is always something you`re looking to tackle, so that`s surprising to hear.
BANKS: I want the star of me to - you know, I don`t want to really push that so much. I really want to build my business.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HAMMER: And you can check out the finale of "America`s Next Top Model" when it airs this Wednesday on The CW. So exactly how do Tyra and all the other reality fashion shows find "America`s Next Top Model"?
Well, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT is blowing the lid off of reality TV`s best hidden fashion secrets. How a fashion superstar is discovered.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAEL FLUTIE, TALENT SCOUT: My name is Michael Flutie. I have spent my whole entire career scouting and developing models, Cindy Crawford, Milla Jovovich, Stephanie Seymour.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: I cannot wait to show you the secrets to finding the next Gisele Bundchen. And SHOWBIZ TONIGHT is revealing more startling fashion reality secrets. The genius behind megabrand, Baby Phat, telling all about how she ran a fashion empire right in front of the reality TV cameras. I`m going one on one with style star Kimora Lee Simmons.
This is a special edition of SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, "SHOWBIZ Reality Secrets: Fashion Frenzy." Tyra Banks grills a super skinny contestant on "America`s Next Top Model."
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I`m Anne and I`m from (INAUDIBLE).
BANKS: You have the smallest waist in the world. Look at this waist, and how tall are you?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I am 6`2".
BANKS: There is something about her that I like.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: She is going to make Miss J (ph) eat Tic Tacs and watercress for the rest of the season.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
FLUTIE: Our goal is to prepare you and test you and recommend you for Scott Lipps at One Management to sign you.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: OK.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: Oh, the excitement of plucking a beautiful face off of the street and transforming her into a supermodel. So what`s the secret formula those modeling scouts use to find the next Cindy Crawford? Well, you are about to find out.
Welcome back to this special edition of SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, "SHOWBIZ Reality Secrets: Fashion Frenzy." I`m A.J. Hammer in New York.
And tonight, fashion superstar. You know the names, Cindy Crawford, Gisele - they are names that most people know and their careers are ones that a lot of people envy.
So what exactly is the secret to finding a Cindy or Gisele? SHOWBIZ TONIGHT is about the blow the lid off this fashion mystery. And I can start by letting you in on a little secret right now. It all begins with the scout spotting a beauty at a gas station, maybe even a shopping mall.
And right here in New York with me is Michael Flutie, who has managed some of the biggest fashion icons, including Cindy Crawford, Stephanie Seymour, and Milla Jovovich. Michael also stars on E!`s reality show "Scouted." It`s great to have you here.
FLUTIE: Thank you for having me.
HAMMER: And you have worked alongside Cindy Crawford. It`s a great story of how she was discovered. She was 16 years old and she was discovered by a newspaper photographer who caught her and snapped a picture of her selling corn, really proving the point it can happen anywhere. So, what is the secret to scouting the next supermodel?
FLUTIE: Well, I mean, I think it definitely starts everywhere. And that particular photographer was a photojournalist who showed the pictures to James Stewart (ph), and then the rest is obviously history.
The secret is that you have to really understand what you are looking for. It is a very special look. It`s not that all-American girl.
And Cindy was discovered at a time when girls were transitioning from being classic all-American to somebody that`s very, very special. And Cindy was very special. She had that mole. She was really healthy.
America was going through a major transition in terms of women were becoming very empowered in business and she really represented that. So I think, as a scout, you look for trends. You look for pop culture events that are happening, and you train your eye to work that way.
HAMMER: And here`s the thing about training your eye. To me, it is almost like people who have that ability to walk into a house that is an absolute wreck and have a vision and see where this can go.
I`m not saying the women you find are wrecks but what I mean by that is you are seeing them without makeup. You`re seeing them not styled in any way. And yet, somehow, you are able to figure out this is somebody.
And on your E! reality show we see you going into burger joints, into high schools, looking for the next beautiful face. So what are your secret tools to taking that raw beauty and transforming them into these beautiful, beautiful models?
FLUTIE: Well, the secret is you look for diamonds in the rough. You have to be able to look at somebody and completely make them over. And in your mind I use a word called "telegenicity (ph)," which is a recall of images from iconic pop culture.
So you look at those things and then if the girl has long hair, you think of her with short hair. If she is a little bit overweight, you think that she is going to lose some weight.
And how does she transform in to that? So you do that all by your experience and your ability to understand what exactly the girl can transform into.
HAMMER: Yes. That is a huge talent in my mind, I mean, to have that level of vision and be able to figure out where this can be taken is something. Well, quite frankly, I could never do, which is why I`m sitting here asking you about it.
FLUTIE: Well, I also think it`s an innate quality. I mean, I had an incredible childhood. I grew up with a family where my father was a photographer.
We used to go around and take school pictures at high schools and I would look at them all. So I trained my eye to really understand what was beautiful and what was photogenic.
HAMMER: Right.
FLUTIE: So by the time I got to Elite, which was in early 1982, I had a natural ability to not only manage and understand fashion, but to really also understand what makes somebody beautiful.
HAMMER: Part of who you were. And of course, you are discovering some of these women that we know when they are very young. And of course, that means inevitably the parents get involved, sometimes acting as their manager. That goes a variety of different ways. Let`s watch how some of that plays out on your show. Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
FLUTIE: What do you do?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I have a management company I just started.
FLUTIE: What kind of management company?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Well, I represent a singer and I also have been managing Jennifer (ph).
FLUTIE: OK.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I`m unofficial. I have never taken any money from Jennifer. I`m her mother.
FLUTIE: OK, OK. So I just want to make sure because I don`t want there to be any conflict. Obviously, if she is signed by One Management, they are the ones that are going to be making all of the decisions and you realize like what potentially this whole world is about, right?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I want to see her be well-represented and for the whole world to fall in love with her. That`s my main goal.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: Ah, the "mom-mager." Love the "mom-mager." Some people want to shoot straight to the top. So what is the secret to managing those expectations? People think they got discovered, I`m going to be a supermodel.
FLUTIE: You want them to be involved. You want parents to be involved, but you just don`t them to be the manager, because, ideally, in order for a girl or a guy to succeed in this industry, they have to follow the people that are trained, listen to the advice of the agent or the manager, and not the mother who is basically trying to live vicariously through a child.
HAMMER: Yes, there is that. Great insight. Michael, so great to have you here. Appreciate it.
FLUTIE: Thank you very much.
HAMMER: And make sure you catch Michael Flutie on "Scouted," Monday nights on E!.
And now they call her the "queen of fabulousity." I`m talking about model turned fashion mogul, Kimora Lee Simmons. She is responsible for building the mega-brand Baby Phat. Now, she is the president and creative director of justfab.com.
And get this, she did all of that while raising her kids with her actor husband Djimon Hounsou, and while starring on her own reality show, "Kimora: Life in the Fab Lane."
So what exactly is the secret to building a huge fashion empire and managing to be a big-time reality star all at the same time? Well, Kimora revealed the trick to me right here on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KIMORA LEE SIMMONS, FASHION MOGUL: I think the difference between my show and a lot of shows is my show is a show that focuses on the business of fashion. I didn`t do anything extra other than being a designer, being a model, being a fashion girl.
My kids and my personal life is a small drop in the bucket compared to what is really going on. So I think any time you open it up that much and you have all of this going on and sometimes it gets a little chaotic, I don`t think we really do all that on my show.
HAMMER: Yes.
It is a little difficult and I think people tend to pass judgment very quickly. It is hard for you to live up to some of those standards that you probably set. It is very difficult. Like Djimon - we don`t have cameras in Djimon`s face. No.
HAMMER: Right, right. So work very hard at striking the balance.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HAMMER: So there it is, all about a balanced family, the career, the cameras. Sounds easy. Kimora did pull the plug on her reality show recently, but she told me, reality show or not, she is still living "Life in the Fab Lane."
Moving now to fashion drama, the divas, the cat fights, the beauty battles, a reality fashion insider reveals the secrets of dealing with all of the outsized personalities in those undersized dresses.
This is a special edition SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, "SHOWBIZ Reality Secrets: Fashion Frenzy." Michael Kors, Nina Garcia, and Heidi Klum of "Project Runway" show no mercy for a contestant`s botched dress.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAEL KORS, "PROJECT RUNWAY": I think it was so old lady couture. I mean, to me it is like the wallpaper and curtains at a really tacky catering hall. I hate that dust ruffle of gold on the top of it.
Is that what the Jordan Almonds came in at the wedding? They just ripped it open and stuffed that in there. I don`t think it has drama, and the skirt has no shape.
NINA GARCIA, "PROJECT RUNWAY": What I hate the most are the fabrics.
HEIDI KLUM, "PROJECT RUNWAY": We still have to know though who is responsible for this mess.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HAMMER: So what is it really like to design duds for the divas who grace the catwalks? And what is the secret to keeping your cool when your model says, maybe not, to your fashion creation?
It`s "Mad Fashion," Chris March, who was a finalist on "Project Runway`s" season four and stars on the Bravo reality show, "Mad Fashion," is ready to reveal his secrets to dealing with all that fashion frenzy.
Chris, it`s great to have you here. Let`s take a look at a clip from your show where, well, things get a little uncomfortable for you.
CHRIS MARCH, "MAD FASHION": Uh-oh.
HAMMER: Yes, let`s look at that.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This is new show (UNINTELLIGIBLE). Chris, can I look at this. I`m not sure it needs something to give it a -
MARCH: We have some other stuff.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: OK. You are dealing with some pretty big personalities in your line of work.
MARCH: Oh, yes.
HAMMER: Do you just want to pull your hair out when something like that happens?
MARCH: Oh, she was not that thrilled with what we made. She had a whole bunch of people there telling her that they weren`t thrilled with what we made. And so, you know, we went back and forth and just tried to make her as happy as we could to get her out of there.
HAMMER: But like in any creative profession, if you have a lot of creative people in the room, they all think they know what`s best. So how do you keep - what is the secret to keeping your fashionistas from flipping out? Because I imagine this happens all the time and you have to try to keep it from happening.
MARCH: Usually, I like to do a fitting alone, one on one. Like when I did the stuff for Meryl Streep, like I made sure that I was the only person in the room with her. That`s generally like my rules.
At the Susanne Bartsch fitting, she had an entourage that I didn`t know was coming and, you know, they all throw in their opinions. So you kind of have to just have it be one on one.
HAMMER: What is the secret to both keeping true to your vision? Because obviously you go into this with an idea of how you want it to look, and still keeping your fashionista happy. Or sometimes it is simply not possible?
MARCH: I`ll tell you, sometimes I just say no. If I feel like it`s worth taking the risk, I will just say flat out, no, I`m not going to change it. And sometimes, they don`t wear it. Sometimes they don`t wear all of it.
HAMMER: So then what`s the biggest secret to dealing with the big personalities that you have to encounter on a daily basis?
MARCH: You know, in my life, I have learned that big celebrities, rich people, big personalities - they all just wanted to be treated like people. If you kowtow to them and say yes all the time, they don`t respect you at all.
HAMMER: Just makes it worse.
MARCH: You have to push them around a little.
HAMMER: Chris March, it`s so good to have you here. Thank you so much. And make sure you catch Chris` show, "Mad Fashion" on Bravo.
Time now for the SHOWBIZ lineup - here`s what`s coming up at the bottom of the hour on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
A special edition of SHOWBIZ, "Showbiz Reality Secrets." SHOWBIZ TONIGHT is blowing the lid off the secrets to the biggest reality shows on TV like "Jersey Shore."
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ANGELINA PIVARNICK, REALITY TV STAR, "JERSEY SHORE": I had no idea it was going to be as big as it actually became. As a matter of fact, I thought it was going to be like the most embarrassing thing for my name and my reputation.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: Gym, tan, secrets. "Jersey Shore" alum, Angelina Pivarnick, spills secrets about the Sitch, Snooki and the whole "Shore" house gang.
"The Voice" winner, Javier Colon, reveals secrets to winning big on one of the biggest reality shows on TV. This is SHOWBIZ TONIGHT on HLN news and views.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HAMMER: Now, on a special edition of SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, "SHOWBIZ Reality Secrets," behind the GTL lifestyle. Confessions from a former "Jersey Shore" co-star.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PIVARNICK: I had no idea it was going to be as big as it actually became. As a matter of fact, I thought it was going to be like the most embarrassing thing for my name and my reputation.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: She`s revealing startling, brand new secrets about the entire "Jersey Shore" gang.
Plus, the make-up, the hair, the costume. Now, I`m not talking more "Jersey Shore." We`re talking with the cutie-patooties of "Toddlers and Tiaras."
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: What do you like most about being on TV?
EDEN WOOD, "TODDLERS AND TIARAS": I like it because you get to have fun and you always get to be in the camera. I love the camera.
HAMMER: You do love the camera. And quite frankly, the camera loves you.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: Inside the controversial world of kids` beauty pageants.
And the winner of "The Voice" is opening up about how it felt to win one of the toughest reality show competitions on TV.
A special edition of SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, "SHOWBIZ Reality Secrets," starts right now.
(MUSIC)
Welcome to this special edition of SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, "SHOWBIZ Reality Secrets." I`m A.J. Hammer in New York, and tonight "Jersey Shore" secrets revealed.
SHOWBIZ TONIGHT going one on one with former "Jersey Shore" co-star, Angelina Pivarnick. She is throwing down brand-new bombshell secrets about the hit reality show that are just amazing.
So get ready to hear the truth about just how real all that on-screen drama is and what it`s like living your life in front of the camera 24/7. Former "Jersey Shore" star Angelina Pivarnick spilled all the Shore secrets to me in an incredible, must-see SHOWBIZ newsmaker interview.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
HAMMER: So you were right there when "Jersey Shore" first got going back in 2009. When you all first got together in the shore house and you started shooting the show before anything ever aired, did you have any concept in your mind that it could possibly be as big as it became?
PIVARNICK: I had no idea it was going to be as big as it actually became. As a matter of fact, I thought it was going to be like the most embarrassing thing for my name and my reputation. Because I live on a small island, so everybody like knows each other. And at first the show was going to be called "Guidos."
HAMMER: Right. Right.
PIVARNICK: So, I was like, "Oh, my god.
HAMMER: And you had signed up for it knowing that was the name, or when you signed up, there probably was no name.
PIVARNICK: There was no name. And then when they gave me the contract, on top of the contract, it`s like "Guidos" and I`m like, "Oh, my god. What am I doing right now," you know.
HAMMER: You`re in the midst of shooting the season though. And when you sort of started to get a handle on what people were going to see, did you then say, well, yes, I think they got the formula for something that people who watch the MTV are going to love.
PIVARNICK: Yes. You know, I was a little hesitant at first. But then I just kind a - just took it by storm and just went out and did my thing and it was fun.
HAMMER: But when you guys were shooting the show, did you ever get together as a group and say yes. Maybe this is going to be a big deal?
PIVARNICK: You know what? Not really. At first, we were all kind of complaining about money like, you know, we don`t a job right now because we kind a just went into the show and when we like left our jobs behind and stuff. And we didn`t - we weren`t getting paid at first.
The first season, we really didn`t make any money. So it was kind a like, yes, so why are we going to leave our jobs for this? Because we didn`t think it was going to be a big hit.
HAMMER: So, I want you to take me inside with a couple of the secrets from the show, you know. Everybody imagines that before it ever started that maybe they came to you and they said, "You know what? Some of the scenes are going to be a bit exaggerated. We`re going to stage a few set-ups." Is that actually what happens?
PIVARNICK: You know what, they never - it`s crazy because they kind a sometimes they put us in, like, predicaments that we really didn`t want. Like for example, one time I wanted the car keys and the producers were like, well, we don`t have the car keys. Situation has them.
Me and Situation were fighting at the time. So of course, what do I have to do? I have to go to the Situation and be like, "Can I have the car keys, please." And I was going to create drama and it was going to be good for the show. So, it`s kind a like, you know, crazy.
HAMMER: Did they ever encourage you at any point though to step up the level of drama today by pulling you aside and say - quite frankly, we watch the shows. We know what works. We know what gets noticed. It`s the people around whom the most drama is surrounding. So, is there any point where somebody says, you know, step it up a bit?
PIVARNICK: I don`t really think to me. I think they just saw other people they were doing it. To me, I was kind a like - I mean, I was cool to the producers and stuff like that.
But I wasn`t really, like, close, close with them, you know, because I kind of had my own issues going on in the house. So I don`t think they were going to say that to me.
HAMMER: Did anybody ever object when they would say something like that, or as you mentioned, when they set up a situation, a scenario that might not otherwise have happened by - you turn to the producers and say, you know, "Come on, guys. Get real."
PIVARNICK: I`ve done that before. I`ve done hat before, yes. And I`m like, really? Come on.
HAMMER: You ever see Snooki or the Situation or any of those guys do the same thing? And it seems like their game for whatever.
PIVARNICK: They are.
HAMMER: But do they - do they ever call anybody out and say, "No, I don`t think we`re going to do that."
PIVARNICK: I`ve seen it happen a couple times. I mean, not too drastically, but you know, I`ve seen it happen where - because the producers are always -
HAMMER: Like who did what?
PIVARNICK: Yes, like the Situation always was having a problem with the producers and stuff like that. He was totally crazy. And -
HAMMER: Really?
PIVARNICK: Yes.
HAMMER: That`s so shocking for me to hear.
PIVARNICK: I mean, come on. He`s America`s most, like, loved guy in the world.
HAMMER: Can I ask you a secret about him that I`ve wanted to know?
PIVARNICK: Sure.
HAMMER: Is what you see what you get?
PIVARNICK: What you see is what you get with Mike Sorrentino.
HAMMER: It is not being put on for the cameras?
PIVARNICK: No.
HAMMER: And then Snooki as well, right? I mean, that`s just who she is.
PIVARNICK: You know what? I`ve known Mike before the show, and I told him - like I said, I`ve known him way before any other people on the show have known him. And to be honest with you, he changed a whole bunch. And I`m really upset with like what who he has become now.
And Snooki, what you see is what you get with her. She`s always drank. She`s a wild girl. That`s just how she is.
HAMMER: Take me a little further behind the scenes of what happens in the actual production of the show. How many cameras are there? I mean, are they just everywhere?
PIVARNICK: They`re everywhere. There`s like dome cameras. There`s cameras when you walk on one side of the room. It`s like - you know, they move. There are guys that are standing there filming us.
They have different, you know, sets where basically one guy comes in, another guy comes in. There are at least three cameras every night, you know, guys that are holding them.
HAMMER: Right.
PIVARNICK: And then, you - like I said, there are dome cameras, fixed cameras everywhere.
HAMMER: You`ve got the fixed cameras. You`ve got the night vision cameras in the bedrooms?
PIVARNICK: Night vision cameras is like -
HAMMER: You guys always pull the covers of -
PIVARNICK: I want to kill those - I want to break those cameras, I swear to God.
HAMMER: Did you ever block when they ever say, "Do not touch the cameras?"
PIVARNICK: You can`t touch the cameras.
HAMMER: So what is the secret then to getting comfortable learning to live with the cameras there? Because I`m sure at first, you`re very aware of them. And what I always hear from people is, after awhile, you actually do forget that they`re there.
PIVARNICK: You know what? I wouldn`t say you are going to forget that they are there. You try to forget that they`re there, but it`s very hard. It really is.
I mean, for me, being a woman, I just I could not deal with it. I`m not going to lie. At first I`m like, oh, no. And I really didn`t adapt to it as much. After a while, like, it was kind of getting OK for me, but I`m not going to say it was 100 percent OK.
HAMMER: But you probably went in saying to yourself - and I`m guessing here - you probably went in saying, well, I`m not going to put everything out there. I`m not going to reveal everything because these cameras are around all the time.
And then, did you ultimately find yourself getting so comfortable where there was no difference, cameras rolling or not rolling, with what you were going to do or say?
PIVARNICK: When I would get drunk, I was more OK with the cameras. To be honest with you, I was a little hesitant at first. Because of course, like if you`re in the hot tub kissing guy or whatever, you`ve got the guy right on you. You know, video -
HAMMER: So, the camera guy, yes.
PIVARNICK: The camera guy. And then you have like the dome camera right over you watching everything you`re doing. So, if you`re in the Jacuzzi getting it on, someone is watching you.
Actually, not one person - it`s like 30, you know. It`s just crazy and you really have to be a TV person to adapt to something like that. You really can`t be your full-on self. You have to adapt to it. It`s crazy.
HAMMER: So what would you say is the one thing that would surprise people the most about what happens when the show is actually being shot, something they might not know?
PIVARNICK: A lot of "Jersey Shore" is edited to - I mean, it`s just really is edited a lot. Like there is a lot of the show that you guys, the viewers, do not get to see.
Like, for example, me on the show - there is a lot of times where I had a lot of fun with the cast and they didn`t show any of it.
HAMMER: It`s not about having fun. It`s about having drunk and getting it on in the hot tub. Well, that`s it. It should be fun, I suppose.
(CROSS TALK)
PIVARNICK: Everything was in negative. Everything was the drama that everybody in the world was seeing, you know. And for my character on the show, I`m like, you know, the drama and all that stuff. But in real life, I`m really not like that.
HAMMER: And I`m guessing that has to do a little with why you chose to move on.
PIVARNICK: Exactly.
HAMMER: Angelina, great to have you here. Thank you so much.
PIVARNICK: Thank you.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HAMMER: You`ll find it all fascinating. And SHOWBIZ TONIGHT is just loving new "Jersey" tonight. In fact, we are going jersey crazy. We`ve got the stars of "Jersey`s" other huge reality show, "Jerseylicious," Tracy Dimarco and Olivia Blois Sharpe. You have got to see them in action.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Did you think I was not going to find out? What do you think? I`m (EXPLETIVE DELETED) stupid?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Find out what? What are you talking about?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What do you mean talking about? Why didn`t you tell me? Something you told Gigi that you were afraid to tell me. What did you tell Gigi?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What? What?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Why don`t you just tell me you want my boyfriend? When were you going to tell me that?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Why do you even care?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: Priceless, right? Well, Tracy and Olivia just sat down with me to give their take on the bizarre connection between reality shows and New Jersey. And they also took us behind the cameras on their own show. Watch.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Our job at the end of the day if the show goes away, we still have a job in clientele and all that.
HAMMER: Got it.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: At the end of the day, they have MySpace names.
HAMMER: So, what is going on with reality shows in Jersey? Because obviously, it`s a formula that people have hit on that seems to be working. They of course, as your terrific show "Jerseylicious."
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Thank you.
HAMMER: There, of course, is "Jersey Shore." There is "The Real Housewives of New Jersey." And it always seems like the women are getting into these massive fights on these shows. Yours is no exception.
I just want to roll a little bit of this in the background right here if we could. You two go at it. From what I understand, you are going it again this season, yet you sit here, Tracy and Olivia, and everything seems to be just peachy fine, OK between the two of you.
How are you able to move past all that? Or the moment you walk out of the studio, you turn away from each other and don`t speak?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No, we haven`t moved past it. We just -
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No, we haven`t.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We know how to come to as if - we just met you. If we`ve known us for like a couple months, maybe you`d see a different side of us. We don`t know. But you know, we have to do our business thing and we have common act professional, I guess. But I worked it hard with the schedule everything all day.
HAMMER: So, it was always not as peaceful as you may appear here SHOWBIZ TONIGHT right now.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Definitely not.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No, no, no. We`re not.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We know we need to be mature and we know when we need to be like, you know business-oriented.
HAMMER: OK.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HAMMER: And that may just be the secret to reality TV success, knowing when to be mature and knowing when to let loose with some serious on-camera drama which we get to see a lot of.
Well tonight, the "Toddlers and Tiaras" stars are in the house. Yes, the cutie patooties of "Toddlers and Tiaras" sharing their own reality show secrets with me.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: What do you like about being on TV?
WOOD: I like it because you always get to have fun and you always get to be in front of the camera. I love the camera.
HAMMER: You do love the camera, and quite frankly, the camera loves you.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: Miss Eden Wood. Miss Isabella Barrett. They`re adorable, of course, but do their moms think this show sets a good example for little girls everywhere?
Another huge reality star revealing startling secrets tonight, the winner of the hit show "The Voice" tells SHOWBIZ TONIGHT about the moment that changed his life forever.
This is the special edition of "SHOWBIZ Reality Secrets."
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: OK. Hold my ring, please.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes. This is tough. This is tough.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Don`t do this to me right now. I`m going to leave this house right now! Please! Get out of here!
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: She has been asked for her autograph. It`s your autograph. Cool.
WOOD: I got to remember how to spell my name.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: The makeup, the hair, the costumes. Move over, Kardashians. Step aside, housewives. These little girls are poised to take over the reality TV spotlight.
Tonight, the secrets of "Toddlers and Tiaras" straight from the breakaway star and the new face of the show.
Welcome back to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. I`m A.J. Hammer in New York.
Tonight, secrets from "Toddlers and Tiaras." Now, I don`t think that parents could be any more divided than they are over this wildly popular kids` reality show. What it does is take us inside the controversial world of toddler beauty pageants. And tonight, we`ll blow the lid off the show.
I went one on one with little toddler star, Eden Wood and up and coming star, Isabella Barrett, along with their moms, Mickie Wood and Susanna Barrett.
And I can tell you, they are revealing some startling secrets about what life is like on one of the TV`s most controversial reality shows.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
HAMMER: Appreciate you being here. Having a good time in New York City?
WOOD: Yes.
HAMMER: Particularly being on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, right?
WOOD: Yes.
HAMMER: So, you have these beautiful daughters, and lovely seeing them in action. I mean their energy is unbelievable to me. You put them on TV, everybody gets to see them. As you well know, there are some people who just think the makeup, the costumes - a little too much.
So Mickie, let me start with you. What do you think is the secret for setting the right balance between stage mom and good mom? Because it`s a line you`ve got to walk.
MICKIE WOOD, EDEN WOOD`S MOTHER: Right. Well, you have to take your child`s attitude, personality into consideration. Do they really want to do this? How much time are we going to devote to this?
Is she still going to have - or if it`s a he - have time to be a normal kid, and you know that was kind of why we bowed out of the pageant circuit because she`s far more than a beauty pageant girl anymore.
You know, she has her own doll, her own book, actually have her own show in the works, and there is a fine line that you have to walk. But, you know, you`ve got to be a mom first and a momma-ger second.
HAMMER: Yes. So having the TV cameras around all the time not at the top of your list of what`s important in your child`s life?
M. WOOD: That`s exactly. And that`s what you got to keep at the forefront, what`s best for your little girl.
HAMMER: Eden, what do you like about being on TV?
E. WOOD: I like it because you always get to have fun and you always get to be in the camera. I love the camera.
HAMMER: You do love the camera, and quite frankly, the camera loves you.
We all know that people do get upset when it seems like there isn`t a balance, like kids are getting pushed into this world. Let`s take a look a bit of what happens on "Toddlers and Tiaras." Roll that up.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: When I was pregnant, I found out I was having a boy. I was quite upset because actually have the children so we could do the pageant.
I didn`t even realize boys could do them. But we`re very pleased to find out that he can do the pageants, too, so it all worked out.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: So, Susanna, Isabella is just getting started in the reality TV world. When you see this - you`re aware of all of the things people say and aware of how some reality stars don`t do so well when they get older, are you worried at all? Are you excited all the same?
SUSANNA BARRETT, ISABELLA BARRETT`S MOTHER: I mean we`re really excited. We just got into this, eight months ago. We hadn`t stepped foot in a pageant until eight months ago.
And when we did, Isabella shined. We got involved because of my older daughter, Victoria. She had a traumatic injury and a counselor had recommended doing a pageant.
So we did, and we took Isabella and she loved the glitz and the glamour. I mean, this is what we do to get away with our family and have time to spend with our family, and then we go back to a normal life.
HAMMER: But as far as the TV cameras are putting her in the spotlight, now, you guys are going to go other places in other parts of the country and everybody is going to know her face. Does that scare you a little bit?
BARRETT: Absolutely. I mean, you know with everything, I mean, you have to take everything in moderation and into consideration. But I have to be honest with you - it`s been a wonderful ride.
It means she`s done a lot of great things. She`s the face of a toy at Toys R Us. I mean, it`s just a wonderful thing.
HAMMER: So, it does lead to other things, which leads me to my next question because, Eden, you`re passing along your crown. You made big headlines retiring at the ripe old age of what, six? You retire at six. I mean that`s pretty amazing to me.
Of course, you have your own show now. Of course, there are going to be something just for you. And you mentioned some of the other things, Mickie, that she`s going to be doing. What`s your secret for making sure she keeps a level head about herself and doesn`t go into what can happen to some reality stars?
M. WOOD: Well, because we didn`t go looking for all this, and so it wasn`t like, oh, I`m pregnant with a girl child. I must go do, you know, make her famous.
E. WOOD: She went on a cruise and she came back with me.
M. WOOD: I don`t think that was quite the line of questioning.
HAMMER: We`re breaking news right now.
M. WOOD: It`s a line of questioning that -
HAMMER: Listen, but it`s great to see you all. Good luck with the show. Would you sing a little of "Cutie Patootie" as I go?
E. WOOD: Sure.
HAMMER: Would you mind?
(SINGING)
HAMMER: It`s Eden, Mickie, Isabella, Susanna, thank you all.
Perfect. Give them a round of applause ladies and gentlemen.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HAMMER: Doesn`t that make you smile? Alright, we`re blowing the lid off even more SHOWBIZ reality secrets tonight.
Next, the winner of "The Voice" reveals what it`s really like to become a huge star on reality TV, taking us inside the wild world of reality singing competition.
This is the special edition of SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, SHOWBIZ reality secrets.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MACKENZIE, "TODDLERS AND TIARAS": No, no. I can`t do that. No, I`m not doing that. I`m sorry. You are driving me nuts. Leave me alone, people. I don`t have any (UNINTELLIGIBLE).
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Stop it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(SINGING)
HAMMER: I actually got choked up when he performed that song live. I mean, what a voice, just amazing. Javier Colon, the winner of the very first season of "The Voice."
And tonight, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT is revealing the secrets of what it`s like to win a big-time reality competition like "The Voice." Javier Colon is right here with me in New York to reveal all the startling secrets behind the hit singing competition.
It`s so great having you here. And when you think about it, I mean, it has to be almost daunting to even you. Hundreds of thousands of people hope to get a spot on one of these reality competitions or reality singing competitions.
And in reality, maybe a dozen, a couple dozen, have actually won these things. Tell me really what it was like, what was going through your head the moment they called your name and you were the winner.
JAVIER COLON, WINNER, "THE VOICE": You know, when they called my name, honestly, I didn`t expect it. I really didn`t expect to win. You know, going through the entire process, I was just happy to get from one week to the next.
And you know, I focus on one song at a time and one show at a time. And I would never expect to make it to the next week. And I`ve been in this business you know, a long time. I`ve been singing for a long time.
I had a lot of ups and downs, and you just almost expect things to not go your way at some point. And that`s kind of how I was with this. Every new week would be a surprise to me. But I was flabbergasted, you know, to know that I actually won.
HAMMER: I mean was it really - it was a shock.
COLON: It was.
HAMMER: I imagine it has to be a shock and (UNINTELLIGIBLE) and probably a feeling that you`d never felt before and may never feel again in your life.
COLON: Right. Absolutely. It was definitely shock but it was joy. You know, I was thinking about how hard I had worked to get to that point, and to see it actually come to fruition was amazing.
HAMMER: And to that, you mentioned and having actually worked in the business trying to really get a career going in the music business for such a long time.
COLON: Right.
HAMMER: Now that you have, and now that you are a bona fide star - I know that probably even still makes you uncomfortable to hear -
COLON: Very weird.
HAMMER: But it`s true, Javier. Now that you are - how does the reality of that compare to what you must have dreamed of all the years growing up as a kid imaging what it would be like?
COLON: You know, it`s a - it`s amazing. It`s a lot of hard work. I mean, there was a lot of - it`s a lot commotion. It was a lot of work in just in making the album as quickly as we did, because, coming off the show, you want to get the album out there as quickly as possible.
So there was a lot of work involved, but it was an amazing process and one that, you know, I`m honored to have. I spent enough time being at home wishing that I had work to do.
So then, you know, you`re not going to hear me complain about being busy or being tired. It`s about getting the work in and letting people know, you know, what we`re doing.
HAMMER: It is extraordinary. And it`s great sitting here with you because your energy is palpable. Again, as I said, not a lot of people have won these shows, so to actually have done it, wow, unbelievable to you and congratulations.
COLON: Thanks so much, A.J.
HAMMER: Javier, great to have you here, man. And thanks for watching SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
COLON: Absolutely. Love you guys.
HAMMER: And that is it for SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. Thank you so much for watching. I`m A.J. Hammer.
END
