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Showbiz Tonight
Whitney Houston`s Death Photo; Conrad Murray`s Outrageous New Claim; How Reality Shows Drive Up Ratings; Zac Efron Drops Something on the Red Carpet
Aired February 23, 2012 - 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 CORRESPONDENT: Big news breaking tonight on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT -- the shocking Whitney Houston death photo. Tonight, worldwide outrage after the "National Enquirer" prints a picture of Whitney Houston lying dead in her casket.
Our SHOWBIZ Flashpoint -- did "The Enquirer" go way over the line?
Conrad Murray`s outrageous new claim. The brand-new appeal today from the doctor convicted of Michael Jackson`s death. He says stress actually killed Michael. SHOWBIZ dares to ask is that just ridiculous?
Tonight, a SHOWBIZ TONIGHT special investigation -- SHOWBIZ TONIGHT reveals the disturbing ways reality shows drive up ratings.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Slap me.
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HAMMER: The big debate tonight -- are reality shows exploiting minority groups for big profits?
TV`s most provocative entertainment news show breaks news right now.
(MUSIC)
Hello and thank you for watching. I`m A.J. Hammer in New York with big news breaking tonight, the Whitney photo shocker.
This is the photo that ignited everything, from disgust to fascination today. I`m talking about a picture of Whitney Houston lying in her casket splashed on the front page of one of the world`s most notorious supermarket tabloids, "The National Enquirer."
You have Whitney`s body, a disturbing picture, lying in the casket right there in the face of people everywhere as they stand on the supermarket checkout lines around the country.
SHOWBIZ TONIGHT can tell you that no one is saying where in picture came from. It`s a big mystery tonight but was "The Enquirer" wrong for publishing it? Well, they refused to talk to us about it today, but it sure has a lot of other people talking and outraged.
With me tonight in New York, Jane Velez-Mitchell, host of "JANE VELEZ- MITCHELL" right here on HLN, 7:00 p.m. Eastern weeknights. Also, Sunny Hostin, who is a legal contributor for "In Session" on Tru TV.
And look, we`ve decided we have no need to show this photo. It is just so disturbing, but there`s so much outrage today right to our SHOWBIZ Flashpoint. Did "The National Enquirer" really cross the line? Jane, let me start with you.
JANE VELEZ-MITCHELL, HOST, "JANE VELEZ-MITCHELL": Well, it is outrageous, but this is what "The National Enquirer" does and they`ve done it for decades. Back in 1977, they did the exact same thing with Elvis Presley. And word is legend has it that they bribed a family member to take a snapshot.
So this is nothing new. I think what is outrageous is why did somebody agree to take that photo? The funeral home says they had absolutely nothing to do with it. They`re very upset. They had close ties to the Houston family.
So the question is who had the nerve to do that? And then, did they sell it? Probably and that`s I think where the outrage should lie.
HAMMER: Yes. In my mind, shame on anybody who would even think about taking a picture like this. So you`re saying for "The National Enquirer," you don`t think they crossed the line. This is old hat for them.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: It`s what they do.
HAMMER: Sunny, what do you think? I don`t see any upside to publishing a photo like that. But do you think they crossed the line or even went over the line?
SUNNY HOSTIN, LEGAL CONTRIBUTOR, "IN SESSION" ON TRU TV: I`m going to agree with Jane on this one. I mean, this is "The National Enquirer." It`s a shocking type thing and that`s how they sell papers, right?
And it`s not the first time they`ve done it. And quite frankly I was sort of surprised when we saw pictures of Michael Jackson on his death bed and that was published by some of the New York newspapers.
No one was as outraged then, and so this is something that happens with celebrity. I think we`re so entranced with celebrity, quite frankly, that it`s going to sell a lot of "National Enquirer" papers.
But I am also shocked that someone would take the photograph. I mean granted Whitney Houston was a beautiful woman.
She looks beautiful in the photo, which is apparently what "The National Enquirer" publisher is saying. But bottom line is who did something like this? Because only close family friends and family members were invited.
So that tells me, was it a funeral home employee? The funeral home is saying, "No, no, not me." Who then did it and then sold it to make money?
VELEZ-MITCHELL: That`s a shame.
HAMMER: And from my perspective, you know, obviously, there`s plenty of outrage about it. But I`m trying to look at the big picture and say, OK, is there any upside to this at all?
I mean today a lot of people were saying, "We have seen this before," as we`re discussing here. We saw the death photos published on the front pages of newspaper time and time again.
Here`s a great example. Libyan dictator Moammar Gadhafi was killed. I don`t want to compare him and Whitney. The graphic images though of his bloody body were released.
And I think the thinking there was a lot of people -- separate from wanting proof that he had been killed, a lot of people would get some kind of a closure being able to see him one last time.
I don`t know. I don`t know if I agree with that. But Jane, is it far fetched to think that maybe some fans simply wanted to see Whitney one last time and will get some sort of closure for this.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Well, A.J., you and I were both there in Newark, New Jersey during the funeral services. I was surrounded by the fans. They all felt that they knew her, that she was a personal friend.
They had a very close bond. So if there is a silver lining to this, it may give those people who were shut out of the funeral who desperately wanted to be inside to pay their last respects, some kind of vicarious way of saying, "OK, I have closure."
She did look beautiful in that photo. You can`t deny that. So you never know the law of unintended consequences may operate here and give some people a feeling of closure.
HAMMER: Yes, maybe. But it`s interesting because I see people who were coming out. There were all those fans who were hanging out around you, you were taking those videos of.
They wanted to feel connected and that`s why they were there. I personally don`t need to see the casket. I don`t even want to see a casket at a funeral that I`m supposed to be at.
HOSTIN: Same here. Same here.
HAMMER: But everybody is different. I guess everybody deals with death differently. And as you guys have been pointing out, this is not the first time we`ve seen something like this. It happens quite a bit.
The photo of her causing much more of an uproar than just us discussing it here. They were talking about it on "The View" today. Whoopi Goldberg actually revealing that something very similar happened to her with her family. Watch this with me.
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WHOOPI GOLDBERG, CO-HOST, "THE VIEW": When my dad passed away, they ran his picture on the cover of "The Enquirer" talking about how I wasn`t there.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Somebody in your family?
GOLDBERG: No, it was someone at the place --
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: And to be very clear, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT reached out to a spokesperson for the Houston family today and they told us nobody was officially allowed to take this picture. Nobody was authorized to take this picture.
And so it really begs the question and I think we`ve addressed it a bit -- but Sunny, do you agree that the outrage should be directed more to the person who took it as opposed to "The Enquirer," because this is what we expect it from "The Enquirer."
HOSTIN: You expect it from "The Enquirer," but certainly, I don`t think you expect it from a close family friend. You don`t expect it from a family member.
You don`t expect people to want to make money off of tragedy especially when they are close to the person who died. So I certainly think that we need to find out who did this and the family, I`m sure, wants to find out who did this because it`s so shameful.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: And there`s such an irony because we were out there and the security was so tight.
HAMMER: Oh, yes.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: We literally couldn`t move an inch to try to talk to fans. And then, at the end of the day, it wasn`t all that security that stopped anything because this photo was taken nonetheless.
HAMMER: Yes. I`m surprised and then I realize we`re dealing with the A- list of the A-list. I`m surprised anybody was allowed to bring a cell phone with a camera anywhere near her in the entire time since she passed away.
But I do want to move on to another thing. We`ve been talking about the fact that, you know, Michael Jackson -- we saw his picture, that autopsy picture, splashed on the front of newspapers.
I, quite frankly, was shocked when they put that up in court and it got broadcast around the world. But tonight, there`s brand-new outrage relating to Michael Jackson and the doctor convicted of killing him.
In a brand-new appeal today of his conviction, Conrad Murray claims he didn`t kill Michael, stress did. Michael was so stressed out over his financial problems. That`s what led to him taking that fatal overdose of propofol.
Jane, you and I were right there. During every day of that trial, you were out there in Los Angeles. Stress? Really? Is that ridiculous for Conrad Murray to suggest particularly at this point? Come on.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: A.J., this is a wobbly Hail Mary pass and there`s nobody to receive this ball because it is a bunch of nonsense.
He`s saying he was stressed over his financial condition. Let`s face it. We have been debating Michael Jackson`s financial condition for decades. This was a big issue during the Michael Jackson child molestation trial.
And the red card, the wild card was always his ownership of a good chunk of the Beatles catalog and it kept going up, up, up.
So no matter how often people said, "Oh, he had money worries," he was always making more and more money. And so there`s no way you can say that money stress caused him to do this to himself. It`s nonsense.
HAMMER: Can`t bring stress into the courtroom. Say "stress," you`re on the stand. You`re accused of murder. All right. Thank you, Jane, Sunny, I appreciate it as always.
SHOWBIZ TONIGHT is getting to the bottom of another mystery tonight. This is wild. SHOWBIZ investigates reality TV.
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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: One of the biggest things is that reality TV has anything to do with real-life in America.
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HAMMER: This is a new disturbing reality trend. Tonight, the brand-new evidence that reality shows are exploiting minority groups to boost their bottom line.
Also, Jennifer Aniston`s big "Friends" revelation. You`ve got to hear this. Jen is setting the record straight on whether or not there`s going to that be "Friends" movie reunion that so many people are hoping for.
Also this Sacha showdown --
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SACHA BARON COHEN, ACTOR AND COMEDIAN: Ah, America, the birthplace of AIDS.
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HAMMER: OK, Sacha Baron Cohen wants to show up at the Oscars as that dictator from his upcoming movie. So is Sacha about to punk the Oscars or is the Academy going to give him the big old boot. This is SHOWBIZ TONIGHT on HLN news and views.
It`s time now for the "SHOWBIZ News Ticker" -- more stories from the SHOWBIZ TONIGHT newsroom making news tonight.
TEXT: "X Factor" reboot to have two female judges, two hosts. Justin Bieber to debut new collaboration with Far East Movement.
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UNIDENTIFIED ACTRESS: Get out of here! Get out of my underwear, you freak.
GEORGE CLOONEY, ACTOR: OK. Back inside now.
UNIDENTIFIED ACTRESS: Real good job you`re doing.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: Such a great movie. Tonight, Clooney`s kid. George Clooney`s character definitely had his hands full raising two daughters in "The Descendants." But what was Clooney really like on the set of the Oscar- nominated movie?
Welcome back to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. I`m A.J. Hammer in New York. And tonight, we speak with Clooney`s movie kid to get some answers.
Now, imagine this for a moment. For your big screen debut, you`re cast to play the daughter of George Clooney. Then the movie gets nominated for an Academy Award and you find yourself going to the Oscars.
Talk about hitting the jackpot. Well, that is exactly what happened to this young lady. It`s 11-year-old Amara Miller who plays George`s youngest daughter in "The Descendants," which, of course, is up for best picture. George nominated for best actor.
Amara Miller, joining me tonight in Hollywood for a SHOWBIZ newsmaker interview. It is such a pleasure to meet you. I loved you in "The Descendants." And I must say, Amara, I am shocked that this was your very first movie. How did you get this part?
AMARA MILLER, ACTRESS: Well, my aunt, who was at a barbecue, she -- with some friends she had heard that Alexander Payne was looking for his newest girl in the movie that he was about to start playing -- I mean about to start filming.
And so my aunt was like, "You know, Amara, she`s my niece. So she`s the person I thought" -- she was the first person she thought of.
So the next morning, she called us and she said to my mom, "Does Amara want to be in the movie?" Sure, why not. So my mom asked me -- yes, my mom asked me and I just -- why not, you know?
HAMMER: Yes.
MILLER: So I`d never done any auditions or acting or anything like that before.
HAMMER: Holy mackerel. You`re obviously a natural.
MILLER: Yes.
HAMMER: And there is a lesson for anybody who gets invited to a barbecue and decides not to show up. Go to the barbecue. You never know what`s going to happen.
And look, I`ve gotten the opportunity to spend some time with George Clooney over many years. And I`ve always known him. And this is his reputation in Hollywood to be nothing less than a terrific guy. For you, what was he like to work with?
MILLER: He was amazing. He just -- he welcomed me. Since it was my first time of ever being on a set, he just -- he made me feel so welcome and he was so friendly to me.
And it was just amazing getting to work with him and there`s really no other actor you`d want to work with more. He is just -- he`s humorous and he`s kind and just all in all phenomenal guy.
HAMMER: Yes. And your co-star, Shailene Woodley, had told me right here on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT what a spectacular time she had and how much fun she had because he was the guy aside from how much she learned from him.
So let`s talk about this for a second. It`s your first movie out of the box, getting nominated for best picture. You`re acting with George Clooney.
Do you even know beforehand because -- you`re 11 now, so I imagine you were 10 when you got the part. Did you know how big a star George was, that he`s like Mr. It in Hollywood?
MILLER: I didn`t know who George was. I was only nine years old. Yes. He doesn`t do kid films. So I was only nine years old and the only thing I knew him from was "Fantastic Mr. Fox." But you know, you didn`t see his face.
HAMMER: That`s fantastic and that is probably one of the reasons you guys got along so well. I guess you weren`t star-struck meeting only the biggest guy in Hollywood.
All right. So you`re going to the Oscars on Sunday. I`m so excited for you. We`re going to be looking for you on the red carpet. Are you nervous or are you just plain over the moon that you`re going to be walking that carpet?
MILLER: I am so excited and I`m not nervous at all because I`ve walked other carpets before so, you know, it`s just -- it`s just another carpet. But it`s just -- it`s so amazing.
HAMMER: It`s not just another carpet. No, this is the Oscars.
MILLER: Yes!
HAMMER: I`m not trying to make you nervous, really. That`s not what`s going on here.
MILLER: I know. I know. I know. I know.
HAMMER: Well, listen -- I have to end it there, but want to wish you the best of luck. We`ll be looking for you Sunday. Can`t wait to see what you`ll be wearing and I wish all the luck to the film, of course. Amara, thank you so much for being with us.
MILLER: Thank you. Thank you.
HAMMER: And you make sure you join me on Sunday night. I`ll live on the Hollywood red carpet looking for Amara and all the stars.
And SHOWBIZ TONIGHT`s Nischelle Turner and Kareen Wynter will be right along with me. Of course, "Real Housewives of Beverly Hills" co-star, Lisa Vanderpump, is going to handle all the hits and misses.
We are covering the Oscars like no one else -- "SHOWBIZ Road to Gold," our live red carpet coverage on your way at 6:30 p.m. That`s Sunday on CNN. You don`t want to miss it.
We turn now to a SHOWBIZ special investigation into reality TV.
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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The bigger the ratings, the more they`ll cast those types of personalities, the more they`ll fight. The more you`ll see more ratings. It is a cycle that will not stop.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: The startling new method used by reality shows to pump up their ratings. You`ve got to see this. Tonight, SHOWBIZ investigates reality exploitation.
No one knows the reality game better than "Real Housewives of Orange County" star, Tamra Barney. Tamra`s right here tonight with her insight on how far shows are willing to go to cash in.
Plus, the absolutely adorable video of Pat, the cat. Have you guys seen this? This is unbelievable. The SHOWBIZ viral video more than a million people have already fallen for. How can a million people be wrong, I ask you? This is SHOWBIZ TONIGHT on HLN news and views.
Time for the "SHOWBIZ News Ticker" -- more stories from the SHOWBIZ TONIGHT newsroom making news tonight.
TEXT: Angelina Jolie writes foreword to ex-husband, Billy Bob Thornton`s memoir. Kate Walsh poses nude for March issue of "Shape" magazine.
HAMMER: Time now for the SHOWBIZ buzz list. Here`s what the SHOWBIZ TONIGHT staff is buzzing about.
We are sticking to the hot new social media site, Pinterest. This is a visual bulletin board where you can pin up all your favorite things.
Buon appetito. We`re devouring Mo Rocca`s hilarious new cooking show. It`s called "My Grandmother`s Ravioli." That fired off this week.
And you`ve got to have "Fun." The brand-new album from the indie pop band, "Fun" in stores now. I dare you to not have a good time listening to this album.
And be like Archer. How the archer is sliding into bookstores. It teaches you how to be just like the hugely popular animated spy in the FX series, "Archer."
And you`ll want to pull up your bootstraps. That is because "Puss in Boots" is getting its Blu-Ray DVD release on Friday.
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UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: Very well. If it is to be a dance fight, then I will choose to dance fight you to the death.
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ADAM SANDLER, ACTOR: Someone presents a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame to the girl who put the grace in "Office Space," put the jolly in "Along Came Polly," put the whore in "Horrible Bosses," put the good girl in "The Good Girl" and took her naked boobs out of "Wanderlust."
Nice. Adam Sandler is always funny, you know, even when he`s a little bit over the line. Adam Sandler there presenting his good friend, Jen Aniston, with her star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Long overdue, if you ask me.
I`m thinking it just doesn`t get much better than a star on the Walk of Fame and a personal roast by Adam Sandler. Pretty cool. More Jen Aniston news coming up in just a second.
But first, Lindsay Lohan enters the homestretch. Probation woes could soon be over.
And is Britney spears about to get a gavel? Tonight, Britney`s big flirtation with becoming a music show judge.
And Jennifer Aniston`s surprising new "Friends" revelation. That tops "The Buzz Today."
A "Friends" reunion. Well, not if Jennifer Aniston has anything to say about it. In a brand-new interview, Aniston is shooting down talk of the Central Perk sitcom gang reuniting to do a movie.
Aniston tells "The Hollywood Reporter," "I can`t imagine how you would do it unless you did it years from now. I can`t imagine what that would be. It`s not normal. `Friends` is in your living room. `Friends` is not in a movie theater. It doesn`t make sense to me. I think it would be going against its authentic self."
Lindsay liberated? Lindsay Lohan could be in the homestretch of her probation. A Los Angeles judge has just told Lohan she needs 14 more days of community service and five more therapy sessions before her probation is lifted for shoplifting and drunk driving.
Lindsay could be in the clear by the end of next month and that would clear her to play the legendary Elizabeth Taylor, the planned Lifetime movie. Lohan is also hosting "Saturday Night Live" on March 3rd.
Judge Britney? Britney Spears is keeping quiet about the brand-new reports she could become a judge on Simon Cowell`s "The X Factor." She reportedly reached out to the show.
The Britney buzz comes as Simon figures out who he wants to replace Paula Abdul and Nicole Scherzinger who were fired after the first season. Janet Jackson and Fergie are also reportedly being considered.
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HAMMER: I would love to see Britney take that gig. Time now for the SHOWBIZ lineup -- here`s what`s coming up at the bottom of the hour on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. SHOWBIZ investigates reality check.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: One of the biggest myths of the last decade is that reality TV has anything to do with real life in America.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: SHOWBIZ TONIGHT reveals new evidence that reality TV may actually be causing a racial rift in America.
And Zac Efron gets red on the red carpet. You`ve got to see this. Tonight, what could be Zac`s most embarrassing moment ever? You won`t believe what fell out of his pocket at the premiere of a kids` movie. This is SHOWBIZ TONIGHT on HLN news and views.
And this is the "SHOWBIZ News Ticker" -- these are more stories from the SHOWBIZ TONIGHT newsroom making news tonight.
TEXT: Advance tickets for "The Hunger Games" selling out online one month before it opens. Leonardo DiCaprio helps buy ruby slippers from "The Wizard of Oz" for new museum.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The bigger ratings, the more they`ll cast those types of personalities, the more they`ll fight, the more you`ll see more ratings. It is a cycle that will not stop.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: Big news breaking tonight on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT -- do reality shows exploit minority groups for profits? Tonight, the disturbing reality TV secrets to drive up ratings. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT investigates.
Reality insider, "Real Housewives of Orange County co-star, Tamara Barney, helps expose the truth -- sex, fights and stereotypes. It`s a buzz-worthy new SHOWBIZ newsmaker interview.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
COHEN: Ah, America, the birthplace of AIDS.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: Sacha showdown. Will Sacha Baron Cohen be banned from the Oscars if he comes dressed as his big screen alter-ego, the dictator?
And persistent Pat, the purr-fectly cute SHOWBIZ viral video that has people everywhere begging for more.
ANNOUNCER: TV`s most-provocative entertainment news show continues right now.
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Welcome back to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT and thank you for watching. It is 30 minutes past the hour. I`m A.J. Hammer in New York with big news breaking today -- the troubling truth about reality TV.
Fighting racism, domestic abuse, greed -- the ugliest parts of our society are often the very lifeblood of our favorite reality TV shows.
You know, think about it. It`s hard to imagine "Basketball Wives" without grown women slapping each other in swanky restaurants, right? But do all black women do that?
Do we honestly believe that all Italian women are like "Mob Wives"? I`m sure you would say the answer is no, but the most outrageous and often the most stereotypical reality TV shows are the ones that get the highest ratings.
So does that make us all sexist, racist or worse, at least in the comfort of our own home? Tonight, SHOWBIZ investigates -- should we feel guilty about our guilty pleasures on reality TV? Here`s SHOWBIZ TONIGHT`s Kareen Wynter.
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KAREEN WYNTER, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Imagine you`re from China and the only images you have of the melting pot here in the U.S. comes from reality television shows.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Go ahead. Show me.
WYNTER: An explosion of unscripted programs like "Real Housewives" spreading to different cities.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I`m sure they would think that we just live in a completely degenerate society.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: There`s no way --
WYNTER: Brawling basketball wives, mob wives, even trading spouses --
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: She`s not a Christian!
WYNTER: Viewers have gained big brother access.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I wonder sometimes if the camera brings out the meaner side of people.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I`m not kidding.
WYNTER: Able to view everything from the surreal life --
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The viewers love it, I`m sorry to say.
WYNTER: To the real world.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Don`t disrespect me ever (EXPLETIVE DELETED) again.
JENNIFER POZNER, MEDIA CRITIC: One of the biggest myths of the last decade is that reality TV has anything to do with real life in America.
WYNTER: Media critic, Jennifer Pozner, wrote "Reality Bites Back: The Troubling Truth about Guilty Pleasure TV."
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: True story.
WYNTER: She says MTV`s "Real World," the granddaddy of unscripted TV which debuted 20 years ago opened the door to discussions of diversity.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I admire, you know, the black race. I really do.
WYNTER: But she says those days are gone.
POZNER: MTV`s "Real World" devolved where they used to treat race and gender and sexuality with some measure of understanding and reflection.
Now, they cast for people who have drunken hookups in the hot tub. They`ll get into huge screaming fights.
WYNTER: Pozner says despite the name, "Flavor of Love" --
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Slap me, (EXPLETIVE DELETED)!
WYNTER: This program was more than tasteless as `80s rap star Flavor Flav sought a mate and spawned spin-offs.
POZNER: The depiction were hypersexual, lazy, buffoons, clown, criminal, thugs, jezebel, hoes -- all of that.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It`s pure diva.
OMAROSA MANIGAULT, FORMER REALITY TV STAR: It really is a relationship between the audience, the producers and the participants.
We are all complicit. We`re all guilty of perpetuating these stereotypes on reality TV. We just want real.
WYNTER: Omarosa Manigault has made a career out of being a reality show fixture programs like "The Surreal Life." After failing to land a job with Donald Trump during season one of "Apprentice" --
DONALD TRUMP, BUSINESS TYCOON: You`re fired.
WYNTER: She is currently an editor for "Reality Weekly."
(on camera) You said that there are producers driving this.
MANIGAULT: The bigger the ratings, the more they`ll cast those types of personalities, the more they`ll fight, the more you`ll see more ratings. It is a cycle that will not stop as long as the audience keeps tuning in.
YUL KWON, "SURVIVOR" WINNER: You know, reality shows, more so than scripted shows, is an area where people are willing to cast more diversity.
WYNTER: Yul Kwon was the winner in "Survivor`s" most controversial season when tribes were separated based on race.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is a social experiment like never before.
WYNTER: The rationale according to the host and producer Jeff Probst --
JEFF PROBST, HOST AND PRODUCER, "SURVIVOR": The original motivation for this was the criticism we`ve received for being too white.
WYNTER: Kwon says when he heard the twist, he almost quit. He explained why he stayed on during the show`s finale.
KWON: One of the main reasons I wanted to be on "Survivor" was the fact that minorities were underrepresented in the media. And whenever you see a lot of minorities on TV, it`s just kind of like caricatures. I wanted America to see Asian-American men as they truly are.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think a lot of groups have benefited from reality TV.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Reichin and Chip, married couple from Beverly Hills.
WYNTER: Reichen Lehmkuhl and his then partner won "The Amazing Race" nine years ago.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It was about competitiveness. It was about showing the world that gay people can do anything that anyone else can do.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think reality television has made a world a better place and it`s made us all understand each other a little more.
WYNTER: Ultimately, media critic Pozner says the key is how we view these shows.
POZNER: Watching it in an engaged way, watching it in a critical way and debunk the stereotypes. Don`t take them in.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I may be married to a plastic surgeon, but I`m 98 percent real.
WYNTER: Don`t be fooled. Even if "real" appears in the title, it doesn`t mean it`s a true depiction of the real world.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HAMMER: Wow. So stunning. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT`s Kareen Wynter there with a fascinating SHOWBIZ investigation into reality shows. And this, of course, is a world that Tamara Barney is very familiar with.
For five seasons, she`s been one of the stars of "The Real Housewives of Orange County." She`s with me tonight in New York for a SHOWBIZ newsmaker interview. It`s great to have you here. I appreciate you coming in --
TAMRA BARNEY, REALITY TV STAR, "THE REAL HOUSEWIVES OF ORANGE COUNTY": Thank you for having me.
HAMMER: All the way from the O.C.
BARNEY: I know. It`s cold here.
HAMMER: Well, you know, that`s how I like it.
BARNEY: Fifty-five degrees.
HAMMER: Look, honestly, Tamra, is there any question that reality TV plays up the stereotypes like that all the basketball wives are brawling? Or all Italians -- you know, all Italians act like the cast of "Jersey Shore". I mean, this is played up.
BARNEY: yes. And I can only speak from my cast. We have five women and we`re obviously casted together for a reason. We have different personalities, which put them together, we wouldn`t necessarily be friends if we weren`t on the show.
They put us together and put us in situations and fights happen. You know, I don`t know how some of the other reality shows are done, but some of them are getting a little brutal.
HAMMER: And it`s not like there`s not enough drama to begin with. As you said, you guys were all cast and I`m sure by a casting director who said, "OK. They`re going to play off each other in this way. The drama is going to be built in."
But look, we get to see you go through a lot in this coming season of "The Real Housewives of Orange County," including among the other things -- you have your breast implants removed. Why did you decide to do that?
BARNEY: I did it for a few reasons. I just felt like I was at a time in my life -- I`m 44 years old. I felt like when I got them, I was a different person.
I was maybe a little bit more insecure, felt that I need them for my, you know -- I don`t know -- to make myself feel better. And it`s just something I didn`t want anymore.
And another thing was that I was having some medical issues and I felt that it would be best just to remove them.
HAMMER: I think that`s great that you`re talking about it because, obviously, there may be other women out there who are pondering the same thing.
BARNEY: I was afraid because you`re worried, like, what am I going to be left with. And you know, it`s a scary thick but it`s -- it`s one of the best things I`ve ever done.
HAMMER: Well, good for you for talking about it, too. And we`ve seen you go through some tough times on the show.
BARNEY: Oh, yes.
HAMMER: We saw your divorce play out over the last couple of seasons. Well, Divorce is hard enough for anybody.
BARNEY: I know.
HAMMER: Mix in the TV cameras, I imagine it has to be much, much worse. And probably, at times, you thought maybe I should walk away from this because I don`t want this whole all played out on TV.
BARNEY: I did. I thought about it many times just walking away. I had a very tough marriage and then to have it -- the divorce be played out on TV.
For me, the show was a little bit of a blessing because it gave me the financial ability to walk away from my marriage and --
HAMMER: Right.
BARNEY: But it was hard. It`s hard to see and it`s hard to think some of the things that are on there would be on TV for however long and I have children.
HAMMER: Yes. Yes. It`s out there and it`s history but you`re doing well now.
BARNEY: Doing much better.
HAMMER: We`re happy to see you back. Congratulations on that. I know you`re starting your own fitness business.
BARNEY: I am.
HAMMER: So good for you. We`ll be looking for you all season.
BARNEY: Thank you so much.
HAMMER: Thanks for being here, Tamra. Appreciate it.
BARNEY: Thank you.
HAMMER: Make sure you check out Tamra on "The Real Housewives of Orange County," Tuesdays on Bravo.
We move on tonight to the Sacha showdown. Will Sacha Baron Cohen be banned from the Oscars?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
COHEN: Ah, America, the birthplace of AIDS.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: Well, this could be an Oscars first. Sacha being warned, come as yourself, not as your dictator alter-ego or no Oscars for you. A brand-new controversy is next.
And persistent Pat. Everybody needs a little loving. That`s probably why more than a million people have been touched by tonight`s SHOWBIZ viral video, Pat the cat. This is SHOWBIZ TONIGHT on HLN news and views.
Time now for the "SHOWBIZ News Ticker" -- more stories from the SHOWBIZ TONIGHT newsroom making news tonight.
TEXT: Eva Longoria among national "co-chairs" for President Obama`s reelection. Bryan Cranston won`t reveal any "Breaking Bad" secrets to SHOWBIZ.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BRYAN CRANSTON, ACTOR: You know, the best thing about playing Walter White in "Breaking Bad" is that I don`t know. I only read the scripts a week before I start shooting.
This guy is on such a journey. I don`t know where he`s going and it wouldn`t help me to know too far down the road where the twists and turns are when I have to concentrate on what`s happening now, so I don`t know.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
COHEN: You are worth every penny. I trust everything is in there as your manager requested.
UNIDENTIFIED ACTRESS: What`s this, a ruby? Is that a joke? What am I, a Kardashian?
COHEN: No, of course not. You`re much less hairy.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: Tonight, the Sacha showdown over his character in the new movie, "The Dictator." So will Sacha Baron Cohen be banned from the Oscars?
Welcome back to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. I`m A.J. Hammer in New York. And tonight, I can tell you that I will be right there at the Oscars on Sunday.
Just like everybody else, I am going to be watching to see if Sacha actually goes ahead with his possible showdown right there on the red carpet and at the show.
Sacha is reportedly planning to come to the Academy Awards dressed as the raunchy character that he plays in his upcoming movie, "The Dictator."
And tonight, the folks who run the Oscars -- well, they are warning, don`t you dare. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT`s Nischelle Turner and Kareen Wynter will be there with me at the Oscars on Sunday. We`ll have a live red carpet show starting at 6:30 p.m. Eastern on CNN.
So Nischelle, what is all this fuss with Sacha about?
TURNER: A.J., Sacha is planning come to the Oscars because he stars in Martin Scorsese`s, "Hugo." Now, the movie has 11 nominations. That`s more than any other movie this year.
Sacha plays a bumbling policeman in the very pg-rated "Hugo," which is also up for best picture. But his next movie, "The Dictator" -- well, that is anything but PG. In the very over-the-top comedy, Sacha plays a ruthless tyrant who falls for a married commoner. Watch.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Get set.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: I do like his movies. All right. Nischelle, when you`re there on the red carpet on Sunday and he shows up dressed like that, I`m thinking you`re going to have to ask him just like this, "Mr. Dictator, who are you wearing?"
TURNER: And I`m thinking that he just may answer to me, A.J., "Saddam Hussein couture."
HAMMER: That is so last year. I mean, please. Look, I wouldn`t be surprised if he does show up like this. But quite frankly, is getting all the publicity he needs right now. Kareen, what are the folks at the Oscars saying about this?
KAREEN WYNTER, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT CORRESPONDENT: A.J., nothing like a little controversy, right? Well, the spokesperson for the Oscars tells SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, "We would love to have Sacha Baron Cohen at the Oscar show. We`ve expressed to him that we don`t like our red carpet to be used as a promotional stunt. We`re waiting to hear from him. We`ve put the ball in his court."
HAMMER: So what is Sacha saying out all? I`m sure he`s just loving all the publicity that he`s getting without this having not even happened yet.
WYNTER: Well, listen to this -- he`s saying nothing. Nada, A.J. We reached out to him and so far, crickets. No comment as of show time.
Hey, but, guys, you know what? Let`s not forget Sacha has pulled stunts like this before. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT was there in 2006 when he came dressed as Borat when that movie premiered in Los Angeles.
And SHOWBIZ TONIGHT was also right there three years later in 2009 when Sacha Baron Cohen came dressed as gay fashionista, Bruno, to promote that movie.
But of course, this time, it`s just different because we are talking about the Oscars here.
HAMMER: Yes, no question about it. Well, listen, Sacha, like I said, getting all the publicity he wants. I don`t see him turning him away. He`s got his ticket for "Hugo."
I have a feeling he`ll be there one way or the other. And we will all be there to see if Sacha follows through and if he`s prevented from walking the red carpet and attending the show dressed as the dictator.
All of this aside, it`s going to be an amazing night and could be a historic night as well, Kareen.
WYNTER: That`s right, in the 84-year history of the Oscars, A.J., there is one thing that has never, never happened before.
A black filmmaker has never won for best documentary. That could change this year with the powerful documentary, "Undefeated." Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: For almost 14 years, we never won a football game.
WYNTER (voice-over): From Manassas High School in West Memphis, losing football games was a decades-long tradition, until they became "Undefeated".
T.J. MARTIN, DIRECTOR, "UNDEFEATED": We picked the title "Undefeated" because it speaks directly to the subtext of the film, the idea of (UNINTELLIGIBLE).
WYNTER: T.J. Martin and Dan Lindsay filmed the 2009 season when the Manassas Tigers went from ultimate underdogs all the way to the playoffs.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You`ve got to believe in yourself, fellows.
WYNTER: With its unflinching action, heart-wrenching emotion and unwavering determination of a beloved coach --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Everybody says when you get these inner city kids down, they`ll lay over and you`ll beat them by 40. Not us.
WYNTER: The documentary is now Oscar-nominated.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We go up to take the photos on the risers and I get up there and I recognize kind of these two voices talking behind me. I turn around and to my left is Steven Spielberg and to my right is Martin Scorsese.
WYNTER (ON CAMERA): Rubbing elbows with industry icons has become somewhat of a habit for the 32-year-old filmmaker. First, Harvey Weinstein bought the film, and then Sean Combs saw it and became an executive producer.
SEAN COMBS, EXECUTIVE PRODUCER, "UNDEFEATED": I actually related to the film. It`s because the first time I felt defeated really, truly in my life when I got injured in my senior year of playing football.
I wish I had a coach, you know, like Coach Bill that would have believed in me and would have helped to rehabilitate me.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Anybody can be a champ.
WYNTER: If Martin is a champ come Oscar Sunday, he`ll make history as the first black filmmaker to win for best documentary. But he doesn`t want this to overshadow another important point.
MARTIN: This film is 100 percent a collaboration between myself and my filmmaking partner, Dan Lindsay. So I want to make sure he gets recognized for being the 10th director of Irish-American descent to get -- to also win an Oscar as well.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Nothing else to be said except for one thing, don`t quit.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HAMMER: OK, so Kareen, if "Undefeated" does not win, this isn`t the end of the road for that amazing story, right?
WYNTER: Absolutely not. In fact, Sean Diddy Combs, who you heard was one of the EPs, executive producers of the documentary. He`ll be the executive producer of the big screen feature film remake. That`s a pretty big deal, A.J.
HAMMER: Well, of course, we wish T.J. Martin the best of luck. And hey, we may get to do that in person as Kareen, Nischelle and I host our live red carpet Oscar special on Sunday.
Can`t wait for this and we will be joined by "The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills" co-star, Lisa Vanderpump. She`ll be our guest fashion commentator.
She certainly knows about her fashion as we cover the Oscars like no one else. "SHOWBIZ Road to Gold: Live Red Carpet Coverage" starts live at 6:30 p.m. Eastern. That`s this Sunday. Make sure you check it out on CNN.
OK. Don`t you hate it when you`re trying to get someone to do something for you and they just don`t take a hint?
Coming up next, Pat the cat needs some loving. And Pat is going to do whatever it takes to get it. This adorable viral video you must see, coming up next. This is SHOWBIZ TONIGHT on HLN news and views.
This is the "SHOWBIZ News Ticker" -- more stories from the SHOWBIZ TONIGHT newsroom making news tonight.
TEXT: "Harry Potter" author, J.K. Rowling, to publish first adult novel. Katy Perry tweets photo from guest role on "Raising Hope."
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HAMMER: OK. There`s really no other way to say this. No funny lines. No clever puns. Here it is. Here goes. Zac Efron drops a condom on the red carpet.
Oh, yes. And it happened at the premiere of the new animated kids` movie, "The Lorax." So Zac reached into his pocket to grab something, and popped out the condom.
As you would expect, this video has gone totally viral today. Check it out in slow motion now with the soundtrack somebody added on YouTube, of course.
(MUSIC)
I`m sure Zac and his publicist are just thrilled about that today.
All right. Let`s move on to something sweet, shall we? Everybody needs a little loving. That`s probably why more than a million people have been touched by tonight`s next SHOWBIZ viral video.
Pat the cat wants to be petted and Pat`s owner doesn`t seem to get the hint. Well, Pat is going to fix that if that`s the last thing Pat does. Watch this.
HAMMER: At least pat was being polite. Pat looked a little like a monkey. All right. Let`s move from cute cats to the Oscars going to the dogs.
I did my first live Facebook chat today taking your Oscar questions. Now, forget about Clooney and Pitt. You wanted to know about Uggie, the dog. I`ll explain next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HAMMER: So I sat down for my very first live Facebook chat today to talk Oscars. TV journalist, Taryn Winter Brill joined me. It was very cool. Got to answer your questions, your burning Oscar questions today.
And one of the great questions -- who will win the battle of the Oscar dog? That was an easy one.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
(on camera) That`s me and Uggie right there.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Awww.
HAMMER: Yes.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Cute.
HAMMER: I love Uggie, the dog. So there`s your answer. I can`t -- I`m partial. By the way, the day after he appeared on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, he retired. I don`t know how to take that.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He`s fine.
HAMMER: That`s what happened and that is it for SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. Thank you for watching. I`m A.J. Hammer. You can catch SHOWBIZ TONIGHT exclusively weeknights at 11:00 p.m. Eastern and Pacific right here on HLN.
And of course, I will see you live Sunday night at the Oscars. 6:30 p.m. on CNN. Stay right here for "DR. DREW," coming up next.
Tonight, have the conditions of the ticking and twitching high school girls in Leroy, New York, improved? Dr. Drew checks out their progress, coming up next right here on HLN.
END
