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Showbiz Tonight
Jennifer Lopez`s Wardrobe Malfunction?; Sacha Baron Cohen`s Sabotage; Outrage Over "The Artist"; Angelina Jolie`s Right Leg; Taylor Swift`s Sweet Surprise; Jennifer Aniston`s Big Screen Flop
Aired February 27, 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, HOST: Big news breaking tonight on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT -- explosive big burning Oscar questions. Tonight, the great debate. Did Jennifer Lopez have an embarrassing wardrobe malfunction on stage at the Academy Awards?
Sacha`s sabotage. The incredible fallout tonight over Sacha Baron Cohen`s red carpet dictator stunt. Should the Oscars have banned him?
Tonight, the roaring outrage over the silent movie, "The Artist." Are the Oscars totally out of touch for picking "The Artist" and dissing George Clooney and Brad Pitt"?
Dramatic fashion face-offs. Angelina Jolie`s golden gams. Did she really have a leg up?
Viola Davis` bold, daring `do. The remarkable response tonight. Who was fabulous? Who was a flop?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Viola Davis, what is she saying to you tonight?
MERYL STREEP, ACTRESS: Oh, she`s avoiding me.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: She`s mad at me.
STREEP: She`s mad at me. Not speaking to me.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: SHOWBIZ TONIGHT goes one on one with Meryl Streep and all of the thrilled winners as we hit the star-studded Oscar after-parties.
TV`s most provocative entertainment news show breaks news right now.
(MUSIC)
Hello. I`m A.J. Hammer in Hollywood tonight with big news breaking - - burning Oscar questions.
SHOWBIZ TONIGHT can tell you, there was a pile of them today, a big overflowing pile of them. Everything from Billy Crystal`s hosting gig to Sacha Baron Cohen`s dictator stunt, to probably the biggest burning question of all tonight is this -- did J. Lo have what is being called a nip slip, or to put it another way, a Janet Jackson-like wardrobe malfunction?
Not since J. Lo wore that now-infamous sheer, sliced-right-down-to-the- navel Versace dress back at the Grammys in 2000 has so much been made of, well, so little.
That was then and this is now. J. Lo at the Oscars on stage with Cameron Diaz, presenting the best costume design and best makeup with Cameron, wearing a daring gown with a deep plunging neckline.
Either it was an optical illusion or something seemed to slip out of J. Lo`s dress that turned a lot of men into new J. Lo American idols tonight, I`m thinking.
I was right there at the Oscars last night for SHOWBIZ TONIGHT`S live coverage along with SHOWBIZ TONIGHT`s Nischelle Turner, who was on the red carpet talking to all the stars.
Nischelle`s in Hollywood tonight, along with Life and Style -- Rachel Zalis from "Life and Style Weekly" is here.
I can tell you I was looking around online today. Social media exploded over the great J. Lo nip slip debate. Everybody was talking about it, so let`s get to our first burning Oscar question tonight.
Did Jennifer Lopez have a wardrobe malfunction? Or are we perhaps just seeing things? Rachel, what do you think?
RACHEL ZALIS, CONTRIBUTING EDITOR, "LIFE AND STYLE WEEKLY": Come on, it`s J. Lo, or what I like to call J. Lo-cut dress. This is what she does. No one wants to see her covered up and conservative and in a muumuu like -- the only person that should be really mad is Cameron Diaz.
She stole the spotlight and, you know, I think she was taped up within an inch of her, well, life, I would say.
HAMMER: I would have to believe she was. I think it could simply be another case of J. Lo dressing deceptively skimpily.
ZALIS: Yes.
HAMMER: If that`s a word. As J. Lo proved at the Grammys 12 years ago, she is a master of making it look like you are seeing more than what you`re actually seeing.
Nischelle, you were right there up close and personal with J. Lo. You got to see her dress when you were on the red carpet last night for SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
So what do you think? Was this truly a wardrobe malfunction? Put this to rest to for us. Was it a wardrobe mirage?
NISCHELLE TURNER, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT CORRESPONDENT: You know what? I think I agree with both of you guys. Listen, A.J., J. Lo`s a red carpet perfectionist, and I just don`t see her not being taped and re-taped and then taped again.
And today, her stylist claimed that we didn`t actually see what we thought we saw. Here`s what she told SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. She said, "The dress fit perfectly to her every inch. There were cups built in. There was no chance that there was any -- how do you say? Slips."
"While the dress did give the illusion of sheerness, joke`s on everyone who wishes they thought they saw something."
A.J., the bottom line is, J. Lo doesn`t show anything that J. Lo does not want to show. Believe it.
HAMMER: Yes. I mean, come on, really. Now, we do hope that`s true and I do believe it to be true. Certainly didn`t look that way to a lot of people, and gosh darn it, we`re talking about it today.
The other talk of the Oscars, of course, wasn`t about what J. Lo was wearing. It was what poor Ryan Seacrest wound up wearing. Nobody expected this. This was thanks to Sacha Baron Cohen.
Sacha arrived at the Oscars, as expected, dressed as his character in the upcoming movie, "The Dictator." And as you will see, he spilled what he was referring to as the ashes of the late North Korean leader, Kim Jong-Il all over Ryan when he was live on "E!" It was priceless. You`ve got to watch this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SACHA BARON COHEN, ACTOR: The funny interesting thing is, actually -- sorry! No, no, no. Sorry! You`ve got Kim Jong-Il on you!
Wait a minute, we need to clean this up. It`s OK. If somebody asks you what you are wearing, you will say Kim Jong-Il.
RYAN SEACREST, TV PERSONALITY: Have fun this evening.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: It was a long way to go just for that punch line, "If somebody asks what you`re wearing, you can just tell him Kim Jong-Il." That`s actually pretty funny, but that`s all he wanted to get out there.
Let`s not forget the Academy had originally wanted to ban Cohen from attending the Oscars in his dictator character costume before they had a last-minute change of heart probably because they realized, hey, this is getting us an awful lot of publicity.
But that brings us to our next big burning Oscar question, should the Oscars have banned Sacha Baron Cohen from the Oscars last night?
I want to bring in "MTV News" host, Josh Horowitz, who`s also with me here in Hollywood. So Josh, what do you think? Should they have banned him? It was, you know, a bit of a commercial, if you ask me.
JOSH HOROWITZ, HOST, "MTV NEWS": It was, but we`re talking about the Oscars, not a presidential debate. Let`s have a little fun, OK? Sacha Baron Cohen is a comedian.
We know what to expect out of him and he delivered a priceless moment we`re all talking about. And I think everybody`s laughing about it today. The only person that could be offended by it is Kim Jong-Il`s family, I think. Seacrest is cool with this. He`s happy.
HAMMER: Yes. I don`t think he didn`t expect the ashes to actually be dumped on him, but I also don`t think he`s bothered by the fact that we`re all talking about him today and showing clips of his show right here on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
Nischelle, after the dust settled, so to speak, you caught up with Ryan on the red carpet. What did he have to tell you about all this?
TURNER: Yes, A.J., I did talk to him. And he told me, you know, when you`re interviewing Sacha Baron Cohen, you`ve got to expect to get, well, a little dirty. Watch.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TURNER: You had no clue, or you thought something could happen.
SEACREST: Sure. I remember earlier in the day, our producer said, "Would you like to interview The Dictator in character?" And when I accepted that, I had to know that something would happen.
It wouldn`t be a simple conversation. So I wasn`t quite sure what, but I was ready for something. It was a typical Sacha Baron Cohen in character conversation.
TURNER: And then all of a sudden, here comes the --
SEACREST: All of a sudden, what smelled like pancake mix was on my lapel. This is why we love live TV, right?
TURNER: Exactly.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
A.J., you know what? Ryan gets it. He seemed to be a really good sport about this whole thing. And you know, he insists that this whole thing was actually not staged.
HAMMER: Yes, I was actually watching his face very closely when the gag happened, and I buy that part. He knew something was going to happen, maybe not quite that. And again, I don`t think he`s really bothered by it at all.
TURNER: Exactly.
HAMMER: All right, Nischelle. Well, of course, soon after that whole dustup, the Oscars did get underway. Host Billy Crystal was on stage, of course, the ninth time he`s doing this gig, and the reviews are in today.
A lot of them not really kind. Let me read a couple of notes I pulled out. "The Hollywood Reporter" calling the show, "The safe, unfunny, retro- disaster that was Crystal making jokes that he laughed out repeatedly."
"The Washington Post" writing, "Billy Crystal seemed to be overseeing a cruise ship dinner show designed to appeal to the over-50 travel club. Early on, it hit the rocks and started to list. Almost everyone drowned."
That leads to our next big, burning Oscar question tonight, Billy Crystal, hit or miss? Rachel Zalis?
ZALIS: I mean, it was like turning on the TV circa 2000. But at the same time, it`s Billy Crystal. You know what you`re going to get when you hire him. He does his montage, his song and dance.
If they want to create controversy, get Ricky Gervais. Get Snooki and The Situation. I don`t know. But the truth is it`s not even the host`s job. The show is boring. There`s only five to six categories anyone cares about, so --
HAMMER: They should reduce it to two hours, and if they could sell that, maybe they would.
ZALIS: Yes.
HAMMER: But they can`t make nearly as much money as they do. He didn`t hurt the ratings, though. I was surprised by this, but maybe after last year`s debacle, people wanted to see what would happen.
Thirty-nine million people in the ratings revealed today, 39 million watched, up four percent from last year. But the big complaint was about the pictures involved, and the best picture winner in particular.
Of course, top prize going to "The Artist," a silent movie. Not a lot of people have seen it. The "New York Post" today had a headline that I think captured perfectly how people are feeling around the country, "Say what? `Artist` win has Hollywood speechless."
So our next big burning Oscar question, are the Oscars out of touch? What do you think, Josh?
HOROWITZ: Quick answer -- yes, of course they are. I mean, they are stuck in the past. The average age of the Oscar voter is like 312. But that`s what -- I`m from MTV. We can stay hip. The Oscars stay a little bit in the past --
HAMMER: Well, that`s there thing.
HOROWITZ: Do their thing. It`s comfort food. It`s fun.
HAMMER: You know, that`s why we have things like the People`s Choice Awards and the other younger-skewing awards show. So use that technical word "skewing" --
ZALIS: But they tried it last year and it didn`t work.
(CROSS TALK)
HAMMER: Got to leave it there. All right. Josh, Rachel, thank you both so much.
Well, if last night proves anything, Angelina Jolie knows how to make an entrance and stop everyone dead in their tracks, right?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ANGELINA JOLIE, ACTRESS: Good evening.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: Angelina`s sexy leg reveal has launched a Twitter feed of its own. Can you believe that? But was she the best dressed of the night? It certainly was a night of fashion face-offs, from legs to locks.
Viola Davis goes wigless. Now, she may have lost the Oscar, but I`m thinking she won the hearts of a lot of fans all over the world. She was rocking her natural hair last night.
Plus, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT takes no prisoners. The best and worst of the Oscars red carpet is coming up.
And Jennifer Aniston`s big, fat flop. Sadly, bad movie news for Jen on the same weekend of the Oscars. This is SHOWBIZ TONIGHT on HLN news and views.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
VIOLA DAVIS, ACTRESS: This whole journey, we`ve made history in our friendship and how we had the bond and had each other`s back. It speaks to the power of community and friendship and finding one`s voice.
SANDRA BULLOCK, ACTRESS: I`m most excited about Octavia. I`ve known Octavia for -- she was my P.A., and she was first (INAUDIBLE) and then I did a short film.
And she was my P.A. and I hired her on the spot as an actress and she ruled it. I`ve known her and so I`m carrying her mints tonight. I`m her mint carrier. Yes. I`m sort of like her P.A.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
OCTAVIA SPENCER, ACTRESS: I have to thank my families. My family in Alabama, the State of Alabama, my L.A. family, watching at Steven`s or at Gada, my "Help" family. Thank you.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: That, to me, an amazing Oscar moment right there, a very emotional Octavia Spencer accepting the best supporting actress award for her role in "The Help."
She seemed to move all of Hollywood and really the whole country last night. I think that kind of honesty is exactly what the Oscars are all about.
Welcome back to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. I`m A.J. Hammer. I`m in Hollywood tonight. And it really seemed like everyone got swept up in Octavia`s emotions. Her peers and her fans gave her a standing ovation when she won that Oscar.
Octavia had some tough competition to be sure last night, including the very funny Melissa McCarthy. But Octavia`s co-star in "The Help," Viola Davis, was not as lucky. She lost out to Meryl Streep for the best actress category.
SHOWBIZ TONIGHT`s Kareen Wynter spoke with Octavia right after the Oscars at the Governor`s ball. Kareen?
KAREEN WYNTER, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT CORRESPONDENT: A.J., we are with one of the women of the night, a big winner, Octavia Spencer, best supporting actress. And look, you`re even holding Oscar in your hand.
SPENCER: Yes, indeed, I am.
WYNTER: How sweet does that sound?
SPENCER: It`s pretty wonderful, pretty gratifying.
WYNTER: Everything that you thought it would be? We saw you on stage and I think there wasn`t a person in the room with a dry eye. You brought everyone to tears and everyone to their feet.
SPENCER: Oh, I think they were standing up going, "Please don`t fall. Please don`t fall." Because I was thinking that in my head, and I didn`t fall, thank God.
WYNTER: Have you had a chance to speak to your best buddy, Melissa McCarthy?
SPENCER: We spoke in the aisle-way, you know, during the commercial break, so yes.
WYNTER: And Viola must be so proud of your big win.
SPENCER: Viola couldn`t be happier for me and I love her dearly.
WYNTER: You`re holding on to Oscar tight.
SPENCER: Thank you, honey.
WYNTER: You`ll be sleeping with him tonight, right?
SPENCER: Yes, I will. He`s going to be across my lap on the ride home tomorrow.
WYNTER: Thank you, Octavia Spencer. You heard it, A.J. She`s going to be holding on to Oscar quite tightly tonight. She`s about to make it in behind me to the big party, the Governor`s ball, the first stop for all the big winners and it`s just getting started here. A.J.?
HAMMER: SHOWBIZ TONIGHT`s Kareen Wynter. Thanks, Kareen. And as we mentioned, Octavia Spencer`s co-star in "The Help," Viola Davis, went head- to-head with her close friend, Meryl Streep, in the lead actress category.
Of course, we know now Streep took home the gold. It`s her third Oscar. But today, a lot of people are calling Streep`s win an upset.
There`s a new poll by the movie site, "Fandango." It`s just out today. And they found that 51 percent of voters thought that Viola Davis` loss was the biggest snub of the Oscars this year.
George Clooney`s loss to "The Artist`s" Jean Dujardin -- you know, I`m tired of saying this thing. I`m glad the awards season is over. He won for best actor. He was voted the second biggest snub, 17 percent there.
Let me bring back MTV news host, Josh Horowitz. I`m happy -- Jean Dujardin.
HOROWITZ: You don`t have to say it anymore. Great actor, but a tough name.
HAMMER: I know. This is the last night. But look, nobody can argue Meryl Streep was amazing in "The Iron Lady." I thought she was incredible.
The frontrunner, however, by most people`s account, going into the show was Viola Davis and a lot of people are screaming and crying that she lost to Meryl Streep. Do you consider that the biggest snub of the night last night?
HOROWITZ: Definitely, without a doubt. I mean, Clooney, as that poll indicated, is probably second. But Viola had won SAG, had won Critic`s Choice, had really been out there campaigning for this.
I mean, you`ve got the feel for her today, especially considering Octavia, that wonderful speech. She had her moment, and you thought it was going to be a big night for "The Help" women and it was just a big night for one of them. And Viola has to feel a little bit left out.
HAMMER: But in truth, it doesn`t feel like the word "snub" should even apply, because, really, in all the acting categories, there were no great unexpected moments. It was going to be Meryl or Viola last night.
HOROWITZ: Yes.
HAMMER: And on our Facebook page, I notice that so many people are writing really strong comments about Viola`s loss. Why do you think this has touched people so significantly?
HOROWITZ: I think because she`s relatable. I mean, Meryl, we expect to be great, right? I mean, she has 17 nominations, the most acclaimed actress of her generation. So yes, it`s great to see her win another award.
But Viola -- you know, if you saw "The Help," you felt for that character. It was such a great performance. She`s an actor`s actor, somebody that the acting community loves.
And again, you walk out of "The Help" and you want to award that kind of performance. And she`ll be back at Oscars, without a doubt.
HAMMER: Yes, yes, with or without her wig, we don`t know yet.
HOROWITZ: Right.
HAMMER: But were there any other snubs in your mind? Because again, I think everything sort of went as predicted.
HOROWITZ: Yes, for the most part. If you were going with your favorites in your Oscar pool, you probably did pretty well. Clooney, though -- it could have gone to Clooney just as well as Jean Dujardin. We have to say the name one more time, unfortunately.
HAMMER: Jean Dujardin, you did very well.
HOROWITZ: Thank you. I practiced for a while this morning. But Clooney could have taken it. Dujardin was always a favorite, but that was a wash, I think.
HAMMER: Not unexpected at all, nor the best picture race going to "The Artist."
HOROWITZ: Yes.
HAMMER: All right, Josh. Thanks so much.
HOROWITZ: Of course.
HAMMER: Angelina`s Oscar fashion face-off is something we must deal with tonight. It`s the leg that has tongues wagging.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOLIE: Good evening.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: Indeed. Angelina Jolie`s flashing fashion moment has launched its own Twitter feed. No huge surprise there. But did Angie get a leg up on the Oscar fashion? The best and the worst of the Oscar`s red carpet coming up.
Also, terrific Taylor. Wait until you hear this story. The sister of a cancer-stricken 18-year-old asks Taylor Swift to her brother to the prom. Taylor says no. Aha, not the end of the story there.
Tonight, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT has the inside story about Taylor making a dream come true for one of her biggest fans. This is SHOWBIZ TONIGHT on HLN news and views.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TURNER: Why did you get emotional? What happened?
PENELOPE ANN MILLER, ACTRESS: I`ve never been to the Oscars. I`ve been in this business a long time. I`ve been on a long journey since September with this movie, starting in Telluride.
And I just feel like, you know, it`s been exhausting, but then to end up here at the Oscars is just -- it was just -- I really was caught up emotionally about it. I`m so proud of this movie, I`m so proud that I`m a part of it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TURNER: What`s a typical day at the Clooney house, like getting ready for the Academy Awards? What do you do? Sit around, read the paper, eat a burger? What do you do?
STACY KEIBLER: He does nothing until 10 minutes before.
GEORGE CLOONEY, ACTOR: Yes.
KEIBLER: He didn`t play basketball.
CLOONEY: I played basketball, usually.
KEIBLER: He took a nap.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: Does George Clooney have to make everything look so easy? Come on, George. George confessing there to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT`s Nischelle Turner right on the red carpet he simply showers and shaves with minutes to spare before hitting the Oscars, where he was up for two awards.
I don`t believe it for a moment. George and his girlfriend, the beautiful Stacy Keibler, served up a double dose of glamour on the Oscar`s red carpet last night.
SHOWBIZ TONIGHT`s Nischelle Turner joining me again now. And they clearly looked like they were having a good time hanging out with you.
TURNER: Yes. You`d think George was primping and doing a whole bunch.
HAMMER: Absolutely. People and handlers and a valet and all that stuff.
TURNER: You know, A.J., though, it is always a lot of fun, a blast talking to George. You know, he and Stacy together were the best combination of fun, cool and glamour on the red carpet.
But as you know, when George is around, there`s always time for a joke or a two. Here`s what he told me. Stacy didn`t get away from his ribbing last night. Watch this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TURNER: Your buddy, Brad Pitt, I haven`t seen him yet. You`re going up against him tonight. I mean, last time we talked to you, you said he`s walking around with lifts in his shoes. So what do you expect him to have?
CLOONEY: It looks like I`m going to need some more limp. I`ll stand like that. Stacy just hit her head on the blimp.
TURNER: She does look tall and regal. One other thing I`ve been wanting to ask you real quick as they`re pulling you away from, this does have to be a big, special night. You`re a double nominee, acting and writing. And I know those are both of the things that you really, really take seriously.
CLOONEY: Also, you know, the thing is you never take it for granted, because you`ll never know if you`ll ever be allowed back, so for me it`s really fun. And you know, I really enjoy this night.
TURNER: George, I think you`re coming back. I think they`ll let you back in.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: I think maybe he`ll stick around for a while.
TURNER: Yes. You think?
HAMMER: And look, it`s always a blast talking to George. He truly is, as everybody says, the nicest guy in Hollywood. But for you last night, what was the highlight of the red carpet?
TURNER: Oh, George might be mad, because for me, it was his buddy, Brad Pitt. You know, really, it was a really good time. I spoke with Brad and Angelina and they had Brad`s parents with him, and they all came over.
I`ve been teasing everyone. I say Brad and I are family because we`re both from small towns in Missouri --
HAMMER: Yes.
TURNER: And went to the University of Missouri. But they all came when we were just talking about the night was. Everybody was in a great mood. Angelina was in the best mood, I think, I`ve ever seen her. So that was my favorite.
HAMMER: Well, it looked like you guys were having a great time. Thanks, Nischelle.
TURNER: Yes.
HAMMER: Well, now, it`s time for the SHOWBIZ lineup -- here`s what`s coming up at the bottom of the hour on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
Explosive, big, burning Oscar questions. Did Jennifer Lopez`s revealing dress reveal a little too much on stage at the Academy Awards?
Viola Davis goes wigless. The Oscar nominee`s daring `do. But was it a do or a don`t?
Plus, Jennifer Aniston`s big screen flop on the same weekend as the Oscars. Tonight, the surprising reason why Jen might not even care that her new movie bombed. This is SHOWBIZ TONIGHT on HLN news and views.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ELTON JOHN, SINGER: So many great parties. I mean, the Vanity Fair party is where all the stars go with their Oscar. And Madonna has a great party, which I`ve always have been to with David afterwards. And that`s a great party to go to.
So it`s a fun night all around this town. And there are so many great parties. And it`s -- you know, it`s a celebratory time of the year for people in the business, and this is Hollywood, you know, so why not?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HAMMER: Big news breaking tonight on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT -- tonight, the epic Oscar`s fashion controversies. J. Lo`s double exposure. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT reveals why the superstar`s stylist is saying she did not have a wardrobe malfunction.
Angelina`s leg up? Angelina Jolie`s thigh-high slit is grabbing major attention tonight. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT dares to ask, is Angelina`s vamping super-sexy or super-awkward?
A very special dream date with Taylor Swift. How Taylor Swift is making a wish come true for a teenager who`s fighting cancer. Tonight, we speak with the boy`s sister right here in a remarkable SHOWBIZ newsmaker interview.
ANNOUNCER: TV`s most provocative entertainment news show continues right now.
(MUSIC)
HAMMER: Welcome back to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. It is 30 minutes past the hour. I`m A.J. Hammer. I`m in Hollywood tonight and I`ve got big news breaking over the fashion frenzy at the Oscars.
Tonight, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT is bringing you the raging debate that exploded today, all over the world, over what the biggest stars wore last night. We`re talking everything from Angelina`s possibly awkward pose to J. Lo`s possible nip slip.
Tonight, it`s the body parts that have everyone talking. I was right there for "SHOWBIZ tonight`s" live coverage, right along with SHOWBIZ TONIGHT Nischelle Turner, who is fresh off the red carpet. Nischelle`s with me in Hollywood, along with Rachel Zalis, contributing editor in "Life and Style Weekly."
So ladies, let us begin with Angelina Jolie, who, of course, is considered a major sex symbol, one of the biggest in the world.
But last night, at the Oscars, there was a moment when she walked out on stage and she captured everybody`s attention, and it was all about the leg. Let us watch that together, shall we?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BILLY CRYSTAL, ACTOR AND OSCAR HOST: Angelina Jolie --
(APPLAUSE)
JOLIE: Good evening.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: Strike a pose. Look, I`m sure I heard some cat calls out there. But look, she always looks beautiful. Rachel, here`s the question. We know she looks beautiful.
But was that something that you would consider, you know, obviously, so obviously flashing her leg like that? I don`t believe we`ve ever seen that before. Would you consider that to have been a faux pas, or was that just like a major A-list move on her part?
ZALIS: Oh, A-list all the way. She`s like, "I am more than -- I am mommy. I am a vixen, diva, bad girl." That was my favorite part of the show. I love Angie. Best part.
HAMMER: "Here is my leg."
ZALIS: She can rock it.
HAMMER: "Deal with it!" I love it. You love it. Here it is.
ZALIS: Oh, yes.
HAMMER: That`s the end of it. Obviously, no doubt what Angelina Jolie was showing off last night. We know that. She struck that serious pose, showing off the super slit in her super beautiful dress.
That`s quite a lot of leg there. But how popular was Jolie`s leg display? Well, this morning, a new Twitter feed called "Angelina`s Right Leg" had more than 10,000 followers.
I just think that is ridiculous! Oh, goodness. Awards season is over, right? OK, Nischelle, you were right there. You got to speak with Brad and Angie on the red carpet.
You were hanging out with them. You got a good look at the dress. But here`s the thing, I didn`t get to see this. Was she there, sticking her leg out at you --
TURNER: Yes.
HAMMER: And making that --
TURNER: Yes.
HAMMER: That`s how she was standing? Every time she would stop, she`d go -- she`d put the leg out?
TURNER: Well, she -- it wasn`t as dramatic on stage.
HAMMER: It wasn`t like that.
TURNER: She was having -- she was having a good time, though, A.J. And let me just say this, the pose, a little awkward, but Angelina was feeling herself last night.
She knew she looked good. She knew that slit was up to there, and she wanted everybody to see. Like Rachel said, "You think I`m this demure person now? No, no, no. I have a little bad girl in me and I`m going to show it to you tonight."
That`s what I think she was doing because she was strutting. When I say strutting, she was strutting on the red carpet.
HAMMER: And by that, you mean feeling good about herself.
TURNER: There you go, A.J.
HAMMER: I want to make sure we`re with all on the same page here on the day after the Academy Awards.
(CROSS TALK)
Well, Angelina, not the only one to appear to have some kind of a wardrobe malfunction, although Angelina`s wasn`t a malfunction in any sense.
But there are some people today who are thinking that Jennifer Lopez may have had -- they`re calling it a double nip-slip. That`s just what they`re saying. She got up to present with Cameron Diaz and here`s what happened.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CAMERON DIAZ, ACTRESS: Edith Head, the brilliant costume designer once said, "A dress should be tight enough to show you`re a woman" --
JENNIFER LOPEZ, ACTRESS AND SINGER: "And loose enough to prove you`re a lady."
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: Well, I`ve got to say, you know, you look at this. It`s kind of a tough call. You were right there on the red carpet, of course, Nischelle. You got a firsthand look at everyone. Was anything out of place? Was there a sign of a slip of any kind, up close and personal?
TURNER: The way she was poured into that dress, A.J., there couldn`t have been anything out of place --
HAMMER: Not a chance, right?
TURNER: As they wanted to be. Nothing -- not a hair, not a this, not a that, not this -- nothing. She looked perfection. And I`m telling you, J. Lo knows how to do the red carpet.
I refuse to believe that there was any sort of malfunction that she wouldn`t have been double checked and rechecked and triple checked before she walked on that red carpet.
HAMMER: Yes.
TURNER: So I think it was our eyes playing tricks on her.
HAMMER: Yet, for some reason, I believe there are men all over the world today, reviewing this videotape just to be sure, over and over and over again.
TURNER: I`ve watched it about 30 times already.
HAMMER: And obviously, everybody is talking about this today, because, quite frankly, not a lot of huge glaring stories came out of the Oscars last night.
TURNER: Good point.
HAMMER: So let`s talk about Jennifer Lopez`s boobs. But of course, it is very reminiscent of what happened with Janet Jackson and her wardrobe malfunction at the Super Bowl, something they called "boob gate." But is that even a fair comparison here?
ZALIS: Not even close. I mean, boob-gate like her whole top came off.
HAMMER: Yes.
ZALIS: It`s ridiculous to compare, but I actually think the Oscars would be a better show if they substituted one of the categories with like best body part category. I mean, we already have two amazing nominees here.
TURNER: Yes.
ZALIS: Angie`s leg, J. Lo`s boobs, like Cameron`s arms.
TURNER: Cameron`s arms.
HAMMER: And by the way, J. Lo`s body part that did not slip out although people think it did has its own Twitter feed going today. I haven`t had the chance to check what the numbers are.
ZALIS: How many?
HAMMER: Oh, I`m sure it`s in the hundreds of thousands by now. And I should point out that SHOWBIZ TONIGHT did reach out to J. Lo`s dress designer, because we wanted to find out what really happened from their perspective.
Here`s what they told us today when we asked quite point black, did J. Lo have a slip of the you-know-what? And here`s what they told us, "That doesn`t make any sense. We had this dress custom made and all the construction and fit was to a T."
"I think looking at the pictures, people got confused by shadow and all of a sudden it the turned into a frenzy. It`s so crazy how much buzz this started, but I hate to disappoint those that believe it was a slip, but it really wasn`t."
So you be the judge. All right. Let`s move on to another red carpet moment. Wow, Viola Davis shows up and wowed the crowd. We all did a double take -- Viola going au naturel. She was not wearing a wig.
Her natural locks instead. And really, you couldn`t help but notice how dramatically different she looked and how we`ve been used to seeing her throughout this awards season.
You spoke with her, Nischelle, on the red carpet. Let`s take a look at what she said to you.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
VIOLA DAVIS, ACTRESS: I felt like this project forced me to step into who I was. You know, the choice of playing a maid in 1963 Mississippi with a broken dialect and having to defend my choices. It speaks and it reeks of so -- you`ve got to be who you are.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: Good for her. I love what she said there, Nischelle. And I just thought she looked stunning. And I feel like it`s terrific that she was making this statement, at the same time.
But why is this such a big deal? Because, really, if you look at the top five most buzzed about things coming off of the Oscars last night, this is right on that list.
TURNER: Well, because Hollywood has a standard of beauty for women in general. But for women of color, there`s also this the pressure to be chemically straightened, to try to conform and look as close to the standard of beauty as you can.
And she`s been doing that for the longest time and looked beautiful in her wigs. I say this with a head full of weave. Bravo to her for saying, "I`m not going to do this anymore. I am who I am. Accept me for who I am. I`m natural. I have kinky hair. It`s beautiful. This is me. I still can be a player in Hollywood, looking like I look, like a real woman." And I think it`s fantastic.
HAMMER: Rachel, were you shocked when she showed up sans wig?
ZALIS: Well, you know what? She was kind of testing it out all week. And I think it was a really brave choice. I think it was her husband who actually pushed her into doing that. And she`s a proud African-American woman. I think she`s a great role model for all the women out there today.
HAMMER: Well, we certainly had a great time last night.
TURNER: Yes, we did.
HAMMER: That was your first time on the red carpet doing the Oscars.
TURNER: You warned me. You warned me.
(CROSS TALK)
HAMMER: It`s a frenzy. It`s almost out-of-control, but you did a great job.
TURNER: Thank you. Good times.
HAMMER: And thanks. It was great seeing you talking to all the stars from George Clooney on down. All right. Rachel, Nischelle, thank you both so much.
We move on now to an amazing story. Taylor Swift`s very special date to the American Country Music Awards. How Taylor Swift is answering the dreams of a teenage boy who`s battling cancer.
Well, I`m speaking with the boy`s sister tonight in an uplifting SHOWBIZ newsmaker interview.
Plus, Jennifer Aniston`s huge box office flop. I hate that I`m even saying that, but why is her brand-new movie bombing despite the huge buzz that it got? As the rest of Hollywood celebrates the Oscars, is Jennifer freaking out about her career? This is SHOWBIZ TONIGHT on HLN news and views.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CLOONEY: The thing is, you never take it for granted, because you`ll never know if you`re ever allowed back. So for me, it`s really fun. And you know, I really enjoy this night.
TURNER: George, I think you`re coming back. I think they`ll let you back in.
This is amazing, right?
JEAN DUJARDIN, ACTOR: This is crazy. This is, "Oh, my god." "Oh, mon Dieu" in French. Oh, mon Dieu.
TURNER: Oh, mon Dieu.
DUJARDIN: Oh, oui. Oh, mon Dieu.
BRAD PITT, ACTOR: I`ve got my folks here. This is my mom. This is my dad.
TURNER: This is a beautiful picture here. You guys must be so proud.
JANE ETTA, BRAD PITT`S MOTHER: Yes, we are.
PITT: This has been great fun, man. This whole season has been great fun. George and friends and doing this and the movie`s being acknowledged this way. We`re happy to wrap it up tonight and it`s a great way to go out.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(MUSIC)
HAMMER: Well, Taylor Swift says yes to making a teen`s dream come true. Kevin McGuire, who`s battling cancer, wanted to dance with Taylor at her high school prom, just like in her video "Love Story."
But Taylor just came through with something even bigger, thanks to Kevin`s big sister who is right here with the unbelievable story tonight.
Welcome back to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. I`m A.J. Hammer in Hollywood. Tonight, a Swift dream date.
Taylor Swift just came through big-time for a teen who`s battling leukemia for a second time. Kevin McGuire, who`s a football star at his high school, is a huge Taylor Swift fan.
And when he wanted to ask Taylor to his prom, well, his big sis, Victoria, was determined to make it happen. Victoria put together a Facebook page. It`s called, "Taylor Swift, take Kevin McGuire to the prom."
Well, it wasn`t long before Taylor made this teen`s dream come true.
Joining me right now by phone from Stratford, New Jersey, Kevin`s sister, Victoria McGuire for a SHOWBIZ newsmaker interview.
Victoria, it`s great to speak with you. Thanks for joining us today.
VICTORIA MCGUIRE, SISTER OF KEVIN MCGUIRE (through telephone): Thank you. It`s great to speak with you also.
HAMMER: Well, I know Kevin was looking forward to joining us today by phone, but he is getting treatment today. So first of all, Victoria, tell us how he`s doing.
V. MCGUIRE: Thank you very much for asking. He`s doing as well can be expected. He just had a triple dose of chemotherapy today, so he`s not feeling that good.
HAMMER: So what is happening right now that you`ve been able to put together has to be a very bright spot for him. And what a great sister you are to do this.
And that, quite frankly, is exactly what Kevin just said about you in a brand-new interview with an HLN affiliate, WPVI. Let`s watch that.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KEVIN MCGUIRE, TAYLOR SWIFT FAN: Honestly, my sister -- she`s an amazing girl, like whenever she puts something in her head, it`s going to happen.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: Well, when you put this Facebook page together, I know you hoped it would happen, but did you really think or did Kevin really think that Taylor would actually even see this or respond in some way?
V. MCGUIRE: No. We had no idea. I mean, I really hoped so, because I had promised my brother that I would make it happen, and when he saw that I promised, I think he had a little feeling that I would do whatever it took to make it happen.
HAMMER: So how excited everybody must have been when Taylor finally did respond. And unfortunately, at first she said, "Well, I can`t make it to Kevin`s prom on June 1st." But it gets even cooler, because she invited Kevin to, shall we say, a slightly bigger event in April. Nothing against his prom.
But here`s what she wrote on her Facebook page, "Kevin, I`m so sorry, but I won`t be able to make it to your prom. But I was wondering, the ACM Awards are coming up. Would you like to be my date? Love, Taylor."
Wow. You guys must have been blown away. This is one of the biggest events in country music. Taylor, of course, is one of the, if not the biggest stars in country music right now.
I imagine that Kevin was just over the moon when he saw this happen on Taylor`s Facebook page. Give me a sense of his reaction to Taylor`s offer.
V. MCGUIRE: He`s just ecstatic. He said going to the Country Music Awards is a million times better than going to his senior prom.
He actually had his final tests done that day, which leaves him very tired and lethargic all day, and he usually doesn`t get out of bed. But he definitely got out of bed after Taylor Swift responded to him.
He was up. He was alert. He was so happy. "Ecstatic" is not even the word.
HAMMER: That is so great. I mean, talk about, you know, something like that being the absolute best medicine possible. And I understand you got a call from Taylor`s people today. They wanted to set something up.
So Kevin must be abuzz. I know he`s dealing with treatment right now, but has he talked at all about what he wants to wear, maybe getting her -- even though it`s not a prom -- getting her a corsage, maybe a box of chocolates or something?
V. MCGUIRE: Definitely. He actually is planning on getting her 13 flowers, because 13 is her favorite number.
HAMMER: Perfect. Perfect. And I imagine everybody in the McGuire family now enormous Taylor Swift fans. You must be singing her praises and playing her music and nothing but.
V. MCGUIRE: Oh, my gosh. It is beyond our belief that she would be such a kind, compassionate person. And the whole McGuire family, the whole Stratford, New Jersey community is definitely Taylor Swift`s number one fan.
HAMMER: Well, it really is such a heartwarming story. Please give our best to Kevin. I hope he has a great time. We`ll be following this. We want to know exactly how it goes.
Victoria McGuire, thank you so much for filling us in on this hookup with Taylor Swift that you put together. Well done. Well done.
V. MCGUIRE: Thank you so much.
HAMMER: Well, we move back now to the Oscars. After all the statues were handed out last night, the first thing on everyone`s minds, of course, the parties.
The hottest party of them all is the Governor`s Ball. That`s where all the big stars get to talk and finally get to relax, and, you know, maybe have a little champagne, or three glasses of champagne.
SHOWBIZ TONIGHT`s Kareen Wynter scored a ticket to the big event. That`s where she spoke with some of the Oscar winners last night, including three- time best actress winner, Meryl Streep.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
WYNTER: A.J., from cheers to tears, memories were definitely made at this year`s Academy Awards. And wait until you hear what best actress winner, Meryl Streep, just told me.
Come on, everyone was rooting for you. You`re so beloved, including your --
STREEP: No, but it`s a weird thing. And of my fellow nominees, you know, two of them are my old friends.
WYNTER: Viola Davis --
STREEP: Viola Davis --
WYNTER: What did she say to you tonight?
STREEP: Oh, she`s avoiding me.
WYNTER: Is she mad at you?
STREEP: She`s mad at me. Not speaking to me. She knows it`s a crapshoot. You know, it really is.
WYNTER: But you know, you continue to make history with your nominations. I mean, how do you sum up a night like this, where your peers just think you are just fabulous? You`re speechless.
STREEP: I am. I mean, I can`t believe I`m here. I can`t believe that I`m still able to, you know, have the privilege of being an actor, which is, you know -- it is -- I`m a lucky girl.
WYNTER: And A.J., get this -- Meryl says she already has a spot picked out for Oscar at home, her third.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: wow. And how humble she has remained. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT`s Kareen Wynter, thanks so much. You`ve got to love Meryl Streep. She`s been nominated for 17 Oscars and still doesn`t take herself too seriously.
Well, while Hollywood celebrates the Oscars, Jennifer Aniston`s brand- new movie was tanking despite that huge buzz this film was getting.
Here is our SHOWBIZ flashpoint tonight -- does Aniston`s big bomb mean big trouble for her career? This is SHOWBIZ TONIGHT on HLN news and views.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MELISSA MCCARTHY, ACTRESS: I`m wearing a Marina Rinaldi and my dear friend Brian Atwood made me my bag and made beautiful shoes for me with a little sweet message on the bottom.
He wrote, exclusively made for my BF, Melissa McCarthy on Oscar night. And they made me cry. And Katie, who does my makeup, is like, "Stop crying. You`re going to ruin it."
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HAMMER: Tonight, all of the big Oscars buzz. The shocking Oscars weekend box office flop. Is Jennifer Aniston`s career in trouble?
Also, Salma Hayek`s surprising Billy Crystal slam. Why the Academy Award winner is hating on the nine-time Oscars host?
And the star-studded Oscars after-party. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT goes beyond the red carpet. That tops "The Buzz Today."
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
(voice-over) SHOWBIZ at the Oscars. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT was right there for all of the star-studded Oscars parties, including Elton John`s annual Oscars fundraiser.
Last night marked 20 years since Elton first started raising money for AIDS research through his foundation, and he told us he`s got a lot more to do.
JOHN: Twenty years is fantastic, we don`t sit there and say, "Well, well, done." We just say, "How can we do better?"
HAMMER: Elton`s husband, David Furnish, also told SHOWBIZ TONIGHT he gives President Obama high marks for supporting the AIDS fight.
DAVID FURNISH, ELTON JOHN`S HUSBAND: Obama`s done a great job so far. What he did on World AIDS Day in terms of announcing more funding, because the disease is growing in this country and it`s growing within marginalized communities. And we know where to spend the money.
Salma`s big Billy diss. Salma Hayek just revealed to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT how she really feels about nine-time host Billy Crystal`s act last night.
We caught up with her right after the Oscars at the big, star-studded Vanity Fair party, and she wasn`t exactly cheering for Billy`s latest performance.
SALMA HAYEK, ACTRESS: I think the songs, you know, those songs where they talk about -- I think it`s very funny, but we`ve seen it enough times. We`re ready to move on to something else.
HAMMER: Aniston`s huge flop. While the rest of Hollywood celebrated big winners, Jennifer Aniston`s brand-new film, "Wanderlust," lost big time at the box office this weekend. The film which also stars, Paul Rudd, and her current fling, Justin Theroux, finished in eighth place at the box office, earning just $6.5 million.
Her consolation prize, she actually met Theroux while filming "Wanderlust." And it seems they are still going strong. Jen and Justin just shared their first public kiss last week on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
And Jen`s shocking box office flop leads to our SHOWBIZ flashpoint tonight, does Aniston`s big bomb mean big trouble for her career?
I want to bring in Rachel Zalis, who is a contributing editor for "Life and Style Weekly." She`s here with me in Hollywood tonight. You know, Rachel, there was huge buzz around this film "Wanderlust."
I thought it was going to do better. It looked like it had al the right elements. It was racy. Does this mean big trouble?
ZALIS: It`s crazy that someone as popular as Aniston cannot carry a movie and particularly unfortunate the same weekend she`s a bomb at the box office, Angie is a sex bomb at the Oscars.
HAMMER: Yes.
ZALIS: She can`t win. At least she got the guy from this movie.
HAMMER: You know, I had a conversation with somebody about that the other day. And I said, does stuff like that even really matter? And they said, yes.
ZALIS: Kind of.
HAMMER: A lot of people pay attention to that. But I`m surprised because I root for Jen. I really, really do. And I hate even saying "box office bomb" attached to her name.
ZALIS: You know, she needs a big leading man for her movies. Jim Carrey, Vince Vaughn -- those are the guys that really make it happen for her.
HAMMER: So you don`t see this as spelling trouble?
ZALIS: No, I do think it`s trouble.
HAMMER: All right.
ZALIS: I do.
HAMMER: Rachel Zalis, thank you as always. And thank you for watching. That is it for SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. I`m A.J. Hammer. Have a great night.
END
