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Showbiz Tonight
Real Star Stories: The Jackson 5; Special Edition: Child Star, Lost Star
Aired December 29, 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, a SHOWBIZ TONIGHT special event, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT presents, "Real Star Stories: The Jackson 5."
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Our music is positive. We were just kids with dreams and wanting to do something good.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: Jermaine, Jackie, Tito, Marlon and Michael. How these five kids from Gary, Indiana literally became an overnight sensation.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He said, "I don`t want any kid acts."
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We want to the studio and did our first record.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: And they were on their way to changing the face of music. The life, the legend - it`s Jackson 5.
(MUSIC)
Welcome to this SHOWBIZ TONIGHT special event, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT presents "Real Star Stories: The Jackson 5." Tonight, a revealing look at five kids from Indiana who became one of the biggest musical acts in history.
Millions of albums sold. Countless artists influenced. Michael Jackson`s career launched. A lasting legacy that will likely never be matched.
One of the original members of the Jackson 5, Tito Jackson, is going to join me to share his fascinating stories. But first, we begin with that lasting legacy of the Jackson 5.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
(MUSIC)
(voice-over) It`s a moment that wowed the nation. The Jackson 5`s first national appearance in 1969 on the variety show, "The Hollywood Palace."
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The Jackson 5 burst on to the music scene in 1969 with their debut album "Diana Ross Presents The Jackson 5." Their first single "I Want You Back" -
(MUSIC)
Shot straight to number one.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: "I Want You Back" is as perfect a single as anyone has ever made.
HAMMER: The man behind the music was Motown records legendary founder and owner, Berry Gordy. He says it was his assistant, Suzanne de Passe, who discovered The Jackson 5.
BERRY GORDY, OWNER AND FOUNDER, MOTOWN RECORDS: I said, "I don`t want any more kid acts." It was Suzanne de Passe that insisted I at least take a look at them.
HAMMER: The oldest of The Jackson 5, Jackie Jackson, remembers that first day they met with Gordy in 1969.
JACKIE JACKSON, MEMBER, THE JACKSON 5: We performed for his birthday, and we did our thing. The next thing we know we went to the studio within a week, maybe two days, in the recording studio recording our first record.
ALAN LIGHT, CONTRIBUTING EDITOR, "ROLLING STONE": The first four singles they put out all went to number one. That had not been done before. That`s an extraordinary way to come out and introduce yourself to the world.
HAMMER: Their next two LPs produced hit after hit on the soul singles chart. "I Want You Back" "ABC," "The Love You Save" and "I`ll Be There" all went straight to number one.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Ladies and gentlemen, my friends, The Jackson 5.
(MUSIC)
HAMMER: The Jackson 5 immediately appeared on a slew of TV shows, including this early appearance in the 1970 on "The Jim Neighbors Show." A 12-year-old Jackson sings -
(MUSIC)
GORDY: As a kid Michael was always beyond his years.
LIGHT: To watch Michael Jackson in those early days when he was 10, 11 years old, it was superhuman to see what he was capable of.
HAMMER: The Jackson 5 were breaking records and getting noticed. And together, they were making history.
MICHAEL YO, CORRESPONDENT, "E! NEWS": The Jackson 5 was the first African- American group to take over the households of America. They were the first black group to do that.
LIGHT: Think about how politically charged, racially charged 1970 was. These were kids who were not changing and cleaning up that black style. It was modifying it in a way that translated to a pop crowd.
HAMMER: There may have been racial tensions in the U.S. In the early `70s, but you would never have known it watching The Jackson 5 on TV, like in this 1971 appearance on "The Flip Wilson Show" singing "ABC."
(MUSIC)
LIGHT: There had been black singers who had made girls scream and swoon. But there hadn`t been this kind of black, young teen idol. That really wasn`t something that we`d seen before.
JERMAINE JACKSON, MEMBER, THE JACKSON 5: Our music was positive. We were just kids with dreams and wanting to do something good.
HAMMER: More albums and more fame came to The Jackson 5.
LIGHT: The Jackson 5 were such a direct product of Joe Jackson`s ambition.
HAMMER: Born and raised in Gary, Indiana, Joe and Katherine Jackson had six sons and three daughters.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think from my father - he saw something in us.
HAMMER: Every free minute the Jacksons had outside of school, they practiced and they competed in talent shows and contests around the nation.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We all traveled together. It was something I never (UNINTELLIGIBLE) as a family. (UNINTELLIGIBLE) the uptown, all through the Regal Theater in Chicago.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It was a great learning experience for us.
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HAMMER: In 1974, they took their album and its hit single, "Dancing Machine," on the road.
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HAMMER: Making historic television appearances on "Soul Train" and "The Carol Burnett Show," and in the process, setting off a new dance craze, the robot.
YO: Whatever was hot at the time, they would embrace it and make it better.
LIGHT: The Jacksons could look and see that there were other musical forces that were changing, that were ahead of where Motown was, that black music was expanding. They started to bristle against the restrictions that Motown kept on them.
HAMMER: In 1974, their contract expired at Motown and The Jackson 5 left their Motown roots and signed on to Epic.
LIGHT: Motown actually held the rights to the name "Jackson 5." And so when the group left, they started calling themselves The Jacksons.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And now, ladies and gentlemen, The Jacksons!
HAMMER: With more creative freedom and the addition of their brother, Randy, the newly-branded Jacksons forged ahead and dove right in to disco.
LIGHT: They certainly had big hits after they were at Epic. They had "Shake Your Body Down to the Ground." "Blame It on the Boogie," "Heart Break Hotel," a significant number of major hits that still came at that point.
HAMMER: The Jacksons would release one final album in 1989, "2300 Jackson Street." But The Jackson 5 will be forever remembered as the young vibrant kids from Indiana who influenced music and culture around the world.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
There is just so much more to the incredible Jackson 5 story. And here to share the J-5 experience, a man who obviously had a front row seat to this real star story, an original member of The Jackson 5, Tito Jackson.
Tito, it is great to have you here. When The Jackson 5 made their debut, all the way back in 1969, it really was as if all of America instantly fell in love with you guys. But you were all touring and competing for years before you made it big. What was that time like?
TITO JACKSON, Oh, that was a lot of work and a lot of practicing and traveling. And actually, we had this little Volkswagen van that we used to pack with equipment.
And we used to sleep and sit on the equipment because there were no seats in it. And we would ride for hours like this, whether we were going to St. Louis or Wisconsin or Chicago or New York. This is how it worked.
HAMMER: Hard to imagine you legends all crammed into a little VW van. And of course, life really changed when you first met Motown legend, Berry Gordy at his mansion. And performed for him at his birthday party. Tell me about that experience.
T. JACKSON: Well, that was quite interesting because I remember the first time we saw the mansion, we were all in awe because we`ve never since something so extravagant.
And so Berry Gordy had this golf course in his yard. And he betted all of us he would give us a $100 if we could do a hole in one.
We didn`t know how hard it was to do a hole in one. But we tore up his whole yard trying to put that golf ball in the hole.
HAMMER: And you never could imagine you would be leading your lives as Berry Gordy led his life as life went on for you all.
T. JACKSON: No, no. We couldn`t imagine but being under the wings of Motown, we knew that we would be OK.
HAMMER: Well, I want to bring in R & B singer and songwriter, Johnny Gill. Johnny, it`s great to have you here as well. And you, of course, were in the massively successful group, New Edition, which was a boy band born in the 1980s.
The Jackson 5 was probably the first ever African-American boy band. How did they specifically pave the way for your success?
JOHNNY GILL, SINGER AND SONGWRITER: Oh, my god. Without the Jacksons, there would definitely not be a New Edition. And the list goes on from Boyz II Men to a lot of the boy bands that you see today.
The Jacksons started it all. And I tell you, it`s like when I watch some of the footage here, it`s just - it takes me back to a time and a place in my life when I was just a little kid, a little baby.
And you know, when you`re living in that moment, you really can`t grasp what`s really going on when it`s happening. And it`s like I`m sitting there and looking at him, and I`m just like, my god, this is royalty. These guys have paved the way and opened the doors for so many of us.
And it`s been great to watch you throughout the years, Johnny, first with the bands and then in your solo career. And it was clear that, you know, it was just part of your DNA what The Jackson 5 brought to your life. But what to you is their lasting legacy?
GILL: Oh, my god. You know, I`ve often said that what`s written in stone could never be erased. And when you look at, you know, Tito, you guys might not have gotten that hole-in-one on the golf course, but you sure as heck got a lot of number ones. And that made up for your -
HAMMER: In golfing terms, I think it was eagles all the way throughout their career. Johnny Gill, Tito Jackson, thank you so much. Please don`t go anywhere. I want you back in a second to talk about The Jackson 5`s dramatic impact on its youngest, original member - that, of course, Michael.
But first The Jackson 5 - musicians, cultural icons and masters of merchandising?
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LIGHT: To see The Jackson 5 as a cartoon on TV reaching into, you know, white households around the country on Saturday morning to kids who were their age and younger - that was a very powerful statement.
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HAMMER: From cereal boxes to TV specials, the ABCs of J-5 nostalgia, next. You`re watching a SHOWBIZ TONIGHT special event, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT presents, "Real Star Stores: The Jackson 5."
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(voice-over) The Jackson 5 weren`t just a force of music. They were a force of fashion.
LIGHT: The Jackson 5 had such a career visual identity with the afros, with the patch suits and the bell bottoms.
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HAMMER: Their variety show in the mid `70s, "The Jacksons," brought their style into living rooms across the country.
BELL: It was taking a lot of the young, black street style and putting that out to a general public. And that was a very powerful thing.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HAMMER: Welcome back to the SHOWBIZ TONIGHT special event, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT presents, "Real Star Stories: The Jackson 5." I`m A.J. Hammer.
And now, behind The Jackson 5`s money-making empire. You know, if you grew up in the `70s, you were probably up on Saturday mornings. And before you even changed out of your PJs, you were watching The Jackson 5 cartoon or maybe you took a Jackson 5 lunch box to school or watched their star- studded variety shows.
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(voice-over) The Jackson 5 were masters of branding and commercial success. Not only did they grace the cover of magazines and cereal boxes, they also have major endorsement deals -
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Like this 1973 Alpha Bits commercial. Through much of the `70s, they had their own variety show and Jackson specials. And they had their own hit cartoon show called "The Jackson 5."
LIGHT: To see the Jackson 5 as a cartoon on TV reaching into, you know, white households around the country on Saturday morning - that was a very powerful statement and impactful thing.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HAMMER: Well, let the nostalgia talk begin. Joining me again from Hollywood, R & B singer and songwriter, Johnny Gill. Right now, in New York, radio host and editor of "EgyptSaidSo.com," Egypt Sherrod. And Janet Hubert, the author of the book, "J.G. and the B.C. Kids." She also played Aunt Viv on the `90s sitcom, "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air."
Janet, you grew up in the Jackson`s generation. What was it like to see a black pop group go so mainstream at a time when, let`s face it, there were still serious civil rights issues in the country?
JANET HUBERT, AUTHOR, "J.G. AND THE B.C. KIDS": Well, for me, growing up in a high school in a small town where there were probably maybe 10 of us, 10 black kids in the whole town, it was momentous.
It was like nothing we had ever seen. It gave you the hope and the feeling you could actually make it from a small town. And I had five brothers. So we all grabbed our Coca-Cola bottles and we put our microphones on and wanted to be the Jacksons. It was spectacular.
HAMMER: And look at you - you made it. And so did Johnny Gill. Johnny, you were also a product of The Jackson 5 generation. And I`ve heard where you have said that, as a kid, watching The Jackson 5 special was like watching an event. Why?
GILL: Oh, my god. It was like the whole family would gather around and it was like - you know, we were just in awe. I mean, as kids, we didn`t believe they were really real.
HAMMER: Egypt, I want to ask you as somebody else who really got to follow the Jacksons along as you were growing up, how did you feel that they impacted America? Not just musically, but culturally.
EGYPT SHERROD, RADIO HOST AND EDITOR, "EGYPTSAIDSO.COM": Well, you had to think, at that time, when the Jacksons first came out, we`re in the middle of the civil rights movement.
So black people were ready to break out - not only break out and dance, break out and scream, break out and tear the walls down.
And to have them on television - I`m sure you can agree, Janet - it was like, "Oh, my god. Black people are on TV. Mom, I can do it, too."
But the bigger implications there were, now, you have little white girls and little white boys also singing and dancing to the same songs, so they also helped to bridge the cultural gap there.
HUBERT: And there weren`t afros at that time.
(CROSS TALK)
HAMMER: If you look at pictures from back then and what was going on, there was a lot of that going on. Let`s go back to somebody who was right there and brought it all to us, Tito Jackson. Did you have any idea what an impact you were making in all of these ways on an entire generation of kids?
T. JACKSON: No. Us as children, you know, we were just having fun. We loved music and we would perform with people like Jackie Wilson, Gladys Knight, Miracles and so on and so on. And we wanted to be like these guys. We would study and stare at these guys to death, and that`s all. We were kids with a dream to be superstars.
HAMMER: And at a point, Tito, I imagine you probably got used to either seeing footage of yourselves on television, maybe even seeing yourselves in the magazines or on posters.
But seriously, we`re looking right now at cereal boxes that had your pictures on it. There were lunch boxes. I`m pretty sure I had a Jackson 5 thermos at one point. What was it like for you seeing yourselves on all of this paraphernalia and merchandising?
T. JACKSON: Well, it was very exciting, but there was so much in our life at that time, you know, doing new things that we didn`t have time to concentrate and stop and enjoy all the things that were happening around us.
Like people ask me today, "What was it like," like you just asked. And actually, it`s hard to grasp it because we were doing so much and we were just kids with a dream. It`s hard to grasp and my brothers and I talk about it all the time.
And we say can you believe we did so much as little children? We can`t believe it ourselves.
HAMMER: You know, it`s funny, it`s almost hard to believe. But maybe we enjoyed the ride a little more than they were able to because they were right in the mix of it.
HUBERT: Probably.
T. JACKSON: That was work to us.
SHERROD: From the time Diana Ross introduced you, the next day, you were overnight sensations. And it was probably a whirlwind that you can barely remember.
When you look at the pictures and the albums and the videos, you say, "Oh, I remember when." But in that moment, yes, you didn`t really get a chance to enjoy it.
HAMMER: Yes. Unbelievable. Janet Hubert, Egypt Sherrod, Johnny Gill, I thank you all. Tito, please stay right where you are because when we come back, Michael Jackson`s brother, Tito, back with me.
He`s going to tell us the dramatic story of how the Jackson 5 molded Michael into the pop sensation we came to know and love. This is a SHOWBIZ TONIGHT special event, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT presents "Real Star Stories: The Jackson 5."
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ANTONIO "L.A." REID: Michael Jackson is the greatest performer that ever lived. I think he influenced generations of people. We haven`t even felt the full impact of the brothers yet. You know, they`re amazing. All friends of mine, by the way.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: So how did The Jackson 5 impact its youngest original member, Michael Jackson?
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
(MUSIC)
(voice-over) The moves of Michael Jackson`s 1983 smash hit, "Thriller," owe a lot to his Jackson 5 roots, especially their work after 1975.
LIGHT: Those later Jackson records really were kind of the canvas where Michael tried out a lot of the things that then fully flowered on "Thriller" and his solo work.
(MUSIC)
HAMMER: Watching Michael on the hit variety show "THE JACKSONS" in 1977, you can`t help but see the roots of "Thriller" and so much more.
(MUSIC)
LIGHT: He did the robot and everybody went insane and that was years before he did the moon walk.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HAMMER: With me again, Michael`s brother and Jackson 5 band mate, Tito. So Tito, there`s really no doubt that Michael got a lot of his dance moves that made him famous in his solo career straight from the Jacksons and the Jackson 5. How did you guys develop those memorable, incredible moves?
T. JACKSON: Oh, well, actually, we used to put ourselves in a room, you know, and we would practice all day. We would put the song on that we had choreographed.
And Jackie, Marlon and Michael would stay there and they would work out dance moves and get in front of the mirror and say, "This works. That doesn`t work." Once they had something that worked, they would practice it for hours.
HAMMER: Yes. It was kind of thing, Tito, that seemed as natural as it appeared to come to you guys and to Michael later on. It was a lot of hard work, wasn`t it?
T. JACKSON: It was a whole lot of work. I can`t even imagine that I did all of that work. And I enjoy today looking back on it as God`s gift and I`m very grateful. But I wouldn`t want to go through that again. That was - it was hard.
HAMMER: Yes. It`s nice to look back. At least you know you had it in you at some point, right? That`s always a good thing.
So when you look at Michael`s later work, when you watch that "Thriller" video, when you watch "Billie Jean," do you clearly see The Jackson 5`s influence in Michael`s moves? I know he evolved but you see the J-5 there, don`t you?
T. JACKSON: Oh, absolutely. You know, he`s part of the product. You can`t peel something off the apple and not call it an apple. You know, he`s definitely a part of the product.
And that was training camp for Michael. Everything he did afterwards were just things that he had accomplished during The Jackson 5 as far as his dance moves. And his - everything about him. His video ideas, everything.
We used to brain storm and talk about things that was out of the circle and try to come up with things that were unusual and different. That was our whole thing. We wanted to be different.
HAMMER: Yes. It was such magic and it certainly was different. Tito Jackson, thank you so much for sharing your amazing story with us tonight.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
Time now for the SHOWBIZ lineup. Here`s what`s coming up on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. Are child stars doomed to trouble? Not Tatyana Ali - oh, no.
She started out on Sesame Street, and then alongside Will Smith in "Fresh Prince of Bel Air." So how did she avoid the pitfalls of being a kid actress.
Plus, we`re one-on-one with "Little House on the Prairie" star, Alison Arngrim. Her stunning revelation that the show saved her life.
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ALISON ARNGRIM, ACTRESS: So I had this enormous, creative outlet and this outlet for my rage that, really, most people in my situation don`t get.
HAMMER: Sure.
ARNGRIM: So that`s when people said, "Did Nellie Oleson save your life?" I have to go, "Yes."
HAMMER: It`s a not-to-be-missed SHOWBIZ special report, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT`s real star stories, "Child Star, Lost Star," next. This is SHOWBIZ TONIGHT on HLN news and views.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HAMMER: Now, on a special edition of SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, real star stories, "Child Star, Lost Star." Does being a child star always lead to disaster? SHOWBIZ TONIGHT goes one-on-one with the child stars who have beaten the odds. The remarkable success of Doogie Howser, MD star, Neil Patrick Harris.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: Hollywood takes a toll on you when you`re young.
WYNTER: When that series ended, he made a fateful decision.
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HAMMER: Tonight, Harris` shocking revelations to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT about how he survived fame as the world`s most famous kid doctor on TV.
All right. Remember this little guy? He stole the spotlight in Tom Cruise` film, "Jerry Maguire."
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JONATHAN LIPNICKI, ACTOR: Jerry, did you know a human head weighs eight pounds?
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HAMMER: Wait until you see him now. Jonathan Lipnicki is all grown up. And wait until you hear what he tells us about how he escaped the early pitfalls of fame.
Kirk`s shocking "Growing Pains" confessions. `80s heartthrob Kirk Cameron speaks out about SHOWBIZ TONIGHT about growing up on set and the toll his early fame took on his family.
TV`s most provocative entertainment news show breaks news right now.
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HAMMER: Hello. I`m A.J. Hammer coming to you from New York City with this special edition of SHOWBIZ TONIGHT - real star stories, "Child Star, Lost Star."
We are digging deep into the risky world of young fame. And right now, we begin with the child stars done right. You know, out of the countless cautionary tales of kids who got famous when they were young only to head down the wrong road, we can now reveal the real stories of child stars who have beaten the odds.
Tonight, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT with the secrets straight from former child stars who are now celebrating success in Hollywood and beyond. Here`s SHOWBIZ TONIGHT`s Kareen Wynter.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
WYNTER (voice-over): Lindsay Lohan at 12.
LINDSAY LOHAN, ACTRESS: I can`t believe it`s you.
WYNTER: Lindsay Lohan at 21. Another child star gone off track. There are more than enough to fill a police lineup. Dana Plato, Gary Coleman, Mischa Barton, Tracy Gold.
SHOWBIZ TONIGHT wants to know, is every child star doomed to live troubled lives? Doctor of psychology Wendy Walsh says there is hope.
WENDY WALSH, DOCTOR OF PSYCHOLOGY: Because it`s a hard road to walk. Remember, these are children, and they suddenly enter a very adult world where there are partly adult pressures, but a lot of adult pleasures. They enter a land of no no`s.
NATALIE PORTMAN, ACTRESS: It feels very, very dream-like right now.
WYNTER: Natalie Portman is living proof that a child star can escape the land mines of being a child star. She reached Hollywood`s summit this year with an Oscar victory, fulfilling all the promise she showed as a 12-year- old in "The Professional."
PORTMAN: What exactly do you do for a living?
WYNTER: SHOWBIZ TONIGHT uncovered this long lost interview with Portman where she talked about that first movie experience.
PORTMAN: I liked watching, you know, the camera and figuring out what it was doing and what different shots were on, even though that`s not my job.
WYNTER: In her teens, she kept on the straight and narrow, earning straight A`s in school, even as she built her career.
PORTMAN: Do you have any idea who is behind this attack?
WYNTER: By the time "Star Wars Episode 3" came out in 2005, she was studying neuroscience in Harvard. We talked with her back then and she knew just who to thank for keeping her grounded.
PORTMAN: I`m really lucky to have an incredible family and friends who would never let me, you know, get out of line. They would kick me in my booty before, you know, they would let me, you know, get too high on myself for anything.
WYNTER: Anna Paquin had every reason to be high on herself after winning an Oscar at age 11 for "The Piano."
ANNA PAQUIN, ACTRESS: When mother was struck down.
WYNTER: But young Anna kept it real as she told us back in 1996.
PAQUIN: When I`m not working, I get up. I go to school. I come home. I do my homework. I go to bed. Oh, my god.
WYNTER: Now 28, Paquin is the successful far of "True Blood." At the premiere for the she`s new season, Paquin told SHOWBIZ TONIGHT how she avoided becoming one of those wayward child stars.
PAQUIN: I`ve worked with some people that really inspired me to want to be good at my job and being good at my job didn`t mean being out until 4:00 in the morning.
WYNTER: Neil Patrick Harris admits it`s not easy for child stars.
HARRIS: Hollywood takes its toll on you when you`re young.
WYNTER: He was 16 when he became the star of "Doogie Howser, MD."
UNIDENTIFIED ACTRESS: OK, we`re getting circulation.
WYNTER: When that series ended, we made a fateful decision.
HARRIS: Moved back to New Mexico for about a year and a half and lived in an adobe house with brick floors and climbed rocks and just sort of calmed down a little bit.
WYNTER: Wendy Walsh tells us Harris got it just right.
WALSH: I think what Neil Patrick Harris did was genius. He didn`t forget his roots. He went back to New Mexico. He lived in a middle class way when he didn`t have to and he stayed in touch with extended family and friends. So he was, again, back in the real world.
WYNTER: Walsh has got a piece of advice for moms and dads who don`t want to see their child star turn into a train wreck.
WALSH: Parents, make sure you maintain the chain of command. The parents are still king and queen. The family support is so important.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HAMMER: So what are the other secrets to success after having been a very popular child star? Well, I spoke with someone who knows just how that goes.
Jonathan Lipnicki was the glasses-wearing kid who kept Tom Cruise on his toes in "Jerry Maguire." Wait until you hear what he did to survive being a child star.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
(on camera) You`ve had such a great career in Hollywood and, of course, had you some of the most memorable movie lines when you starred opposite Renee Zellweger and Tom Cruise in "Jerry Maguire." Let`s flash back, shall we? Roll that out.
TOM CRUISE, ACTOR: Did you know Troy Aikman in six years has passed for 16,303 yards.
LIPNICKI: Do you know bees and dogs can smoke beer.
RENEE ZELLWEGER, ACTRESS: (UNINTELLIGIBLE). He doesn`t smoke, does he?
CRUISE: I don`t know. Do you know the career record for most hits is 4,356 by Pete Rose who is not in the Hall of Fame?
LIPNICKI: Do you know that my next door neighbor has three rabbits?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: That`s fantastic, man. Look at you.
LIPNICKI: Yes.
HAMMER: And obviously, you look so different now. You`re working a lot. But I`ve got to ask, were you ever afraid, because of how big that movie was, that maybe people in Hollywood would only see you as the kid from "Jerry Maguire"?
LIPNICKI: Well, A.J., I was 5 years old so I don`t even really think it was part of my thought process. I just was having the most fun, you know, that I had ever known. And I just was moving forward positively, and I never really, you know, feared anything like that.
HAMMER: And after that moment when you starred in that film and you saw all the attention that you were getting, did you say at that point, at any time, "Man, this is all I want to do with my life? This is really, really cool"?
LIPNICKI: You know, I think I realized I wanted to be an actor before then. I think I realized I wanted to be an actor when I started doing acting classes.
It was not - you know, it was before I got any attention for it. I just loved doing it.
HAMMER: Seeing right there, the exact perspective that has kept you on the right track and the perspective that is lacked by so many child stars who didn`t stay on the right track.
LIPNICKI: Thank you.
HAMMER: And of course, the great Cuba Gooding, Jr. also starred in that movie. And I don`t know if you remember this, Jonathan, but CNN was right there on Oscar night with you and your family when Cuba won the Oscar for best supporting actor. Do you remember that?
LIPNICKI: I do remember that actually. I do, you know. Being that young, there`s stuff I do forget, but that`s something I remember pretty clearly.
HAMMER: All right. Well, let`s flash back to that moment because we`ve got it right here. Roll it out, Charles.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LIPNICKI: Yes!
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Show me the money! Yes!
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: Look how excited you are. I thought he was going to drop you there for a second. So much glitz and glamour around you at such a young age. And obviously, you`re sitting there at home watching. But what do you remember about that day?
LIPNICKI: For me, you know, Cuba and Tom and everyone who worked on it - they were really special to me. I loved all of them. And I was just so excited to see someone I worked with, you know, really triumph that night.
HAMMER: And one of the things you did that obviously helped you stay on track, I`m sure, is you took a break from acting. You wanted to go to high school. You wanted to be a normal kid.
LIPNICKI: Yes, yes.
HAMMER: Did you feel that that was important, or did somebody push you in that direction?
LIPNICKI: My parents definitely were amazing. They felt that whatever I did as a child was more important. And they always told me, "You can always work." So I did - I turned down a lot of projects for Little League Baseball, for Youth League Basketball, for different things, so going to school was a no-brainer for me.
I really thought that, you know, I`m going to come back later, but I need these experiences for me. I need to go to prom. I wanted to play water polo in high school so I got to do all that. And now, I get to come back as a completely different person and I think that`s such a blessing.
HAMMER: Total blessing.
LIPNICKI: Yes, definitely. I feel like I`m just very well adjusted because of it.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HAMMER: So great to see Jonathan all grown up. He also told me he felt so honored to work with James Caan and Edward Furlong in the movie, "For The Love of Money." Be sure to follow Jonathan on Twitter. He wants to hear from you.
Well, we have Kirk Cameron`s stunning confessions about his growing pains. The `80s sitcom star speaks out to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT about severing ties with his mom-mager.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
WYNTER: When he was about 18 years old, Cameron said he decided to end that part of their relationship.
CAMERON: For me, it was, like, I don`t like treating my mom as a business associate. She`s mom.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: Tonight, how Kirk Cameron came to terms with his childhood stardom. The original mean girl - no, not Lindsay Lohan. Nellie, from "Little House on the Prairie." Alison Arngrim`s surprising take on growing up on the set.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ARNGRIM: So I had this enormous creative outlet and this outlet for my rage that really most people in my situation don`t get.
HAMMER (on camera): Sure.
ARNGRIM: So that`s when people said, "Did Nellie Oleson save your life," I have to go yes.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: This is SHOWBIZ TONIGHT on HLN news and views. And now, a SHOWBIZ child star flashback to 1999. Eighteen-year-old Christina Aguilera reveals how she felt when she got her first number one hit with "Genie in a Bottle."
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CHRISTINA AGUILERA, SINGER: Seeing my name in the number one spot on a Billboard chart was a dream of mine forever. And to see it there on the chart, it`s like, "Wow, `Genie in a Bottle,` Christina Aguilera." Wow, that`s amazing.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Could you just say your name for me.
TATYANA ALI, ACTRESS: Tatyana Ali. Tatyana Ali.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: That`s legendary musician, Herbie Hancock, on "Sesame Street" making music with a very young and talented Tatyana Ali, one of the child stars from the 1990 hit TV show, "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air."
Welcome back to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. I`m A.J. Hammer in New York.
And tonight, secrets of a child star. Tatyana Ali is a childhood star who became famous alongside superstar Will Smith when they were in the hit TV show, "The Fresh Prince Of Bel-Air."
In my interview with her, Tatyana revealed to me how important her days on "Sesame Street" were for her career. Watch this.
ALI: Everything that I learned about - you know, first learned about being on a set and following directions and learning lines, it all happened there first. It was the perfect learning environment, very safe place for a kid.
HAMMER: Yes, and I imagine you were such a joy on that set, and you brought all that energy to "The Fresh Prince Of Bel-Air" years later.
But when you were on "Fresh Prince," did you even realize how big of a deal it was to be on such an enormous hit show?
ALI: You know what? At first, no. I knew that it moved me and my family to California. I knew that I loved the people that I worked with. I knew who Will Smith was as, you know, Deejay Jazzy Jeff on "The Fresh Prince."
But you never really know that something is going to have such an impact on so many people and just be around forever. I don`t think - I don`t think any of us were prepared for that.
HAMMER: Well, here`s what I love. I mean, look, you had a positive experience as a child star, and you started out so young. Who do you give the most credit to for helping you really stay on the right path whereas we well know so many child stars do not?
ALI: I think that it takes - with child stars sometimes we forget that they are children, that they are just children because they make us laugh and they entertain us.
But it really takes a large group of people to raise a child. So first of all, I`d absolutely credit my parents because they told me no.
You know, they had the same boundaries. I had the same boundaries, the same chores, the same - I had to have the same level of respect for them as I would have if I wasn`t in this business as all.
But I was also very blessed to work with people throughout my career who were more interested in me as an individual and as a person than in my career or what I did or what I could do for them.
And she`s doing great. Tatyana not only has her own production company, but she stars in the BET Web series, "Buppies" and the TV 1 sitcom, "Love that Girl."
We`re moving from `90s TV star, Tatyana Ali, to `80s teen heartthrob, Kirk Cameron. Kirk, of course, starred as Mike Seaver on the hugely popular show, "Growing Pains," from 1985 to 1992, quickly became a household name.
So just how did Kirk handle fame at such a young age and come out virtually unscathed by it? SHOWBIZ TONIGHT`s Kareen Wynter found out when she went one-on-one with Kirk Cameron.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
WYNTER: Kirk Cameron had a lot to smile about as a kid. He was one of Hollywood`s most successful teen heartthrobs and star of the hit sitcom, "Growing Pains." But now -
UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: You`ve grown up.
CAMERON: I have.
WYNTER: Certainly has. And nearly 20 years after his role as the wise- cracking Mike Seaver came to an end, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT can tell you that Cameron succeeded where countless others have failed, by not getting consumed by drugs, alcohol and rehab during his transition from childhood fame to adulthood.
Now, the 40-year-old devout Christian lives with his family 30 minutes north of Los Angeles and out of the Hollywood spotlight.
(on camera) You were such a big star on "Growing Pains." It really made you famous. At what point though did you realize you were becoming famous and you were a part of something truly special?
CAMERON: I think everybody else had a view of me and my role in "Growing Pains." That was much larger than what I had myself because I was, in my mind, one of three kids on a family sitcom.
Alan Thicke was the star. I was going to school in a little trailer behind the set. I`d wake up, go to work, come home, and that was my life. It wasn`t until I would go to the grocery store and I with a see my face on the cover of some teeny bop magazine.
WYNTER: That must have been so bizarre.
CAMERON: It was weird.
WYNTER: That you have the fame, you have the money. That is a lot for a kid to handle especially at such an early age. So how did you manage to stay grounded?
CAMERON: There were probably three crucial factors in me being able to keep my head through all of this. One would be my parents. My parents were very grounded.
They didn`t see me as their ticket to mansions and limousines. And I had a very strong faith in Christ when I turned about 17 or 18 years old, while my friends had their faith in beer.
Christ leads you in a whole different direction than beer does, you know, or drugs or something else. And then thirdly, as when I turned 19, I met the most amazing woman in the world.
WYNTER: Chelsea.
CAMERON: And she - Chelsea. Getting married to an amazing wife who loved the Lord and loved the concept of being a wife and a mother first above all things grounded us as a family.
WYNTER (voice-over): Family has always been crucial in Cameron`s life. His mother served as his manager during his rise to fame on "Growing Pains." But when he was about 18 years old, Cameron says he decided to end that part of their relationship.
CAMERON: For me it was, like, I don`t like treating my mom like a business associate. She`s mom.
WYNTER (on camera): So nothing personal about that. It just felt it was the right thing to do?
CAMERON: Well, in a way, though, it was personal. I wanted my mom to be my mom.
WYNTER (voice-over): But at the same time Cameron believes parents of young stars should still stay involved in their children`s careers, especially as they navigate their way through Hollywood.
CAMERON: That`s why we have families, to raise our kids with values and to shape them so that when they enter into the world, you`re right there alongside with them. You`re not handing them over to other people to raise.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HAMMER: And as we move on tonight, you remember Nellie from "Little House on the Prairie"? Well, before Lindsay Lohan`s "Mean Girls," Nellie, she was the original mean girl.
But despite her incredible fame, the actress who played her, Alison Arngrim, didn`t end up going down the same troubled path as Lindsay.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ARNGRIM: So I had this enormous creative outlet and this outlet for my rage that really most people in my situation don`t get.
HAMMER (on camera): Sure.
ARNGRIM: So that`s when people say, "Did Nellie Oleson save your life," I have to go yes.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: Why Alison says "Little House" saved her life. More of SHOWBIZ TONIGHT`s real star stories, "Child Star, Lost Star," next. This is SHOWBIZ TONIGHT on HLN news and views.
And now, a SHOWBIZ child star flashback to the young Jodie Foster. Jody was 13 when she played a pre-teen prostitute in the 1976 movie, "Taxi Driver." She was even nominated for the Oscar in 1991.
Before Jodie became a mom, she revealed to us how being a child star affected her view on kids. Watch this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JODIE FOSTER, ACTRESS: Played complicated children, children with problems, children with little pieces of them that were ugly, little doubts about themselves, not just this sort of prop that you stick in a chair and go, "OK, be innocent now, and now, we`ll see the movie through your eyes."
So I don`t really feel that children are kind of like dolls, I guess. And I guess that`s the kind of parent I`ll be.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ARNGRIM: Stay away from her. Don`t touch my horse.
UNIDENTIFIED ACTRESS: I`m not hurting anything.
ARNGRIM: I said stay away from her.
UNIDENTIFIED ACTRESS: Don`t do that.
ARNGRIM: She`s my horse and I`ll do as I please.
UNIDENTIFIED ACTRESS: You won`t get anywhere being mean to her.
ARNGRIM: I know how to handle a horse.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: Ouch. That`s why we like to call Nellie on "Little House on the Prairie" the original mean girl. But how did that character save Alison Arngrim`s life?
Alison, who played Nellie Oleson, is right here. And she reveals to me the surprising story behind her troubled child star past. Tonight, confessions from the prairie.
It`s now been 37 years since "Little House on the Prairie" made its debut on the small screen. And I`ve got to tell you Alison Arngrim, who played Nellie, has come a long way since then.
As a child star she endured a horrible home life despite her massive TV success. I asked her about that and how she liked playing TV`s first mean girl at that time.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ARNGRIM: I always liked the villains. When I was really little and I saw "Peter Pan," I really liked Captain Hook. I thought the villains were cool.
I liked horror movies, the villains. And in fact, when I read the script at the audition, I was so excited because so many parts for child actors, especially in the `70s, were, "Oh, yes, Mother. Oh, gosh, Daddy." And it was kind of revolting.
And here was this girl who said what she thought and really didn`t care and told everyone to bugger off. And I went, "This is great. This is insane. She`s a bitch."
And I was so thrilled and I read it with my father who was with me and he said, "Just read it that way." And they hired me on the spot.
I was the bitchiest girl they had seen all day. And as soon as I did it, I mean, the reaction the second it aired, it was so strong that I just hit some kind of nerve in people`s psyche. Everybody knows someone like that, and I was it.
HAMMER: So you`ve had all of this great success, but you`ve been very candid about the fact that home life wasn`t always terrific.
ARNGRIM: True.
HAMMER: You write about it in your terrific book, "Confessions of a Prairie Bitch." And quite frankly, could there be a better title than that?
ARNGRIM: Thank you.
HAMMER: One of the things you talked about though, which obviously had to have been difficult to talk about and certainly to endure was being abused by your brother.
Did being a star at that age, at that very young age - did being a child star sort of help you escape that situation?
ARNGRIM: In my case, it did. I mean, on the one hand, it could be more difficult. Here you are, going through trauma and having this situation that you can`t talk about to anyone.
And now, you have the pressure to be famous and to work. But I was so lucky being on "Little House." I was around this really great group of people who were very supportive and very kind to me.
And because I was playing this bizarre character who yelled and screamed and vented all of her hostility and rage, this gave me an outlet for all of this pain and all of this anger that had like nowhere to go.
So I had this enormous creative outlet and this outlet for my rage that really most people in my situation don`t get.
HAMMER: Sure.
ARNGRIM: So when people say, "Did Nellie Oleson save your life?" I have to go yes.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HAMMER: And Alison does such great work these days with the National Association to Protect Children to change laws to better protect children who are being abused.
Well, that is it for this very special edition of SHOWBIZ TONIGHT - real star stories, "Child Star, Lost Star." I`m A.J. Hammer in New York.
Thanks for watching. Remember, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT is now seen exclusively Monday to Friday at 11:00 p.m. Eastern and Pacific.
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