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Showbiz Tonight
Carnie Wilson`s Surgery; Giuliana Rancic`s Double Mastectomy
Aired May 28, 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: Hello, I`m A.J. Hammer in New York. Tonight showbiz`s real star stories, from Tom Cruise. Tom reveals his real-life balancing act. How he deals with all the crazy rumors about him. Whether he might have plastic surgery. His controversial ties to scientology.
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HAMMER (voice-over): Also on special edition of "Showbiz Tonight," showbiz real star stories revealed. Carney Wilson`s shocking weight loss surgery secrets. Giuliana Rancic`s revelations about having a double mastectomy. Tonight the real story behind Giuliana and Carney`s incredible health comebacks.
And showbiz rocks.
Kiss, Sammy Hagar, Blondie. Get your air guitar out. "Showbiz Tonight" is taking you backstage with some of the biggest, hardest rocking bands of all time, and they`re revealing their secrets to me.
This special edition of "Showbiz Tonight" starts right now.
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HAMMER: Hello, I`m A.J. Hammer with a special edition of "Showbiz Tonight." Showbiz real star stories, Hollywood`s A-list of course, not always quick to share their intimate secrets. But tonight all that changes. First up, Tom Cruise puts it all out there, sharing his very real story of his ups and downs in Hollywood. The truth about his marriage to Katie Holmes. Cruise even gets blunt about all the mistakes that almost killed his career. Right now "Showbiz Tonight`s" Michelle Turner with Cruise`s confessions.
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MICHELLE TURNER, "SHOWBIZ TONIGHT" CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It was a dark time for Tom Cruise.
That ill-advised couch jumping on the "Oprah Winfrey Show."
TOM CRUISE, ACTOR: I think that you should be a little bit more responsible.
TURNER: And that ill-advised Matt Lauer clash on the "Today" show left Cruise`s career on life support and a comeback seemed like an impossible mission.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Your mission, should you choose to accept it.
TURNER: Nothing that a $600 million worldwide smash can`t fix. Fresh off the biggest hit of his career, "Mission Impossible Ghost Protocol" Tom Cruise is once again the top dog in Hollywood. And now the superstar is baring all, showing off his ripped body in "W" magazine and making some very personal revelations in "Playboy" magazine.
KIM SERAFIN, SENIOR EDITOR "IN TOUCH WEEKLY": This is probably the most honest he`s ever been in an interview.
TURNER: In the June issue of "Playboy" Tom Cruise owns his screw-ups. He said, "It was important to me to take responsibility. To take a hard look and decide where I go from here. All you can do is learn and say this is the way it`s going to go from now on. Here is the line."
SERAFIN: He seems actually kind of like he`s looking back on those incidents. He seems like he`s thinking about how that played out, how it looked to people.
TURNER: And one thing that changed, there will be no more of this.
CRUISE: You don`t even - you`re glib.
TURNER: Cruise got slammed left and right for that 2005 "Today" show clash. When an interview to promote "War of the Worlds" nearly turned into a shouting match with Matt Lauer over Cruise`s scientology beliefs.
CRUISE: Matt, I`m asking you a question.
TURNER: About that incident, Cruise tells "Playboy," "When I go back and look at it, I find myself thinking I don`t feel that way. I get how it came across but I don`t feel that way and I never have. Telling people how to live their lives, I saw how that came across."
SERAFIN: He was just very, almost apologetic about sounding that way. Because it wasn`t who he is as a person.
TURNER: Now Cruise suggests his days of being so preachy about scientology are over. He tells "Playboy," "Everyone now knows that if I`m dealing with humanitarian things, I will talk about that. When I`m promoting a film, I`m not going to get caught up in anything else, and that includes all my personal things."
SERAFIN: He kind of seems like he`s pulling back a little. He does seem like he`s trying to keep his scientology beliefs separate from his movie career.
TURNER: And while he`s given up the couch jumping, Cruise has not stopped gushing about his wife of six years, Katie Holmes. He tells "Playboy," "She`s funny and charming and when she walks into the room, I just feel better." He adds, "I don`t know what to say, I`m just happy and I have been since the moment I met her. What we have is very special."
SERAFIN: I think for a lot of people who thought, "Oh, this was not a relationship that is going to last," it just seems like they are truly in love.
TURNER: Cruise`s latest role is as a rock `n` roll star in the movie musical "Rock of Ages." And in a photo shoot for "W" magazine, Cruise shows off the ripped physique he sports as the rock star he plays in the movie.
SERAFIN: I kind of have to do a double take because his body is rocking. He seriously never seems to age. He looks the same as he looked in "Top Gun."
TURNER: But don`t think he gets his still youthful look from cosmetic surgery. He tells "Playboy," "I haven`t and I never would."
SERAFIN: He doesn`t seem to have any thoughts or fears or issues with turning 50. He just seems like he`s at a perfect place in his life and his career.
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HAMMER: Michelle, I`m glad he`s happy, but everybody is really talking about how great he still looks.
TURNER: Oh, absolutely. A.J., he actually looks better than men half his age. And Tom Cruise says it`s just because he`s living a good life. He`s happy at home. he`s got a great life at home and he`s just done with all the mess and that definitely comes through in that boyish grin. I tell you. So from Cruise confession to Tyson revelation.
Mike Tyson has long been considered a loose cannon inside and outside the boxing ring. From the infamous bite fight to that face tattoo and of course his rape conviction, Mike Tyson`s public persona has been shaped by a lifetime of outrageous behavior. But as I learned there`s more to Mike Tyson than all that. I caught up with the boxing great in Las Vegas when he was rehearsing for his one-man show and he confessed some shocking details of his life that really had a profound effect on him. Watch.
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MIKE TYSON: I`m a individual periodically, I guess. You know, I don`t know. That`s what I want to be. That`s what I was taught to be, raw. My mother and her friends were sex workers and I lived with many men in the house. So I was never really around a lot of women when I was young.
TURNER (on camera): When you say sex worker, you mean prostitute?
TYSON: Yes. Well, you know, the politically correct is sex workers now.
TURNER: Do you think that, seeing your mother be a sex worker and the other women, do you think that`s what some people would say you didn`t treat women with respect.
TYSON: No doubt about that. That I didn`t understand a commitment to like a couple of years ago, three years ago. You have to understand every man I met, they were all chauvinistic. They believed they were superior than women. That`s the world I grew up in.
TURNER: The truth is I was a little nervous today because, yes, that`s the image. I was a fan of you boxing, but the image is this tough, mean, rough, sometimes dangerous man.
TYSON: I was very successful at my job in making you think that.
TURNER: Well, can I ask you this because you talked about how you went to prison and you talked about that here. What did you learn from that experience?
TYSON: I was never at peace with myself, I was never comfortable with my skin you know, because of things I`ve seen as a kid. And I grew up in a real violent and dysfunctional household and that`s what I`ve seen was violence, dysfunctional and murder and all that stuff. And it`s just really a big burden to handle. I really didn`t like myself because of the things that I`d seen.
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HAMMER: So I thought it really interesting that you admitted that you were nervous before you actually spoke with Mike. You told it right to his face.
TURNER: I was.
HAMMER: How do you feel about the guy now?
TURNER: You know, Mike Tyson, he`s an interesting character. I`m not really sure, to be honest, how I feel about him now, A.J. still, do I think that he is fully there and fully evolved? No. But do I feel like he`s a work in progress? Absolutely. I think he has made steps, he`s been clean and sober for three years. He`s now a vegan, he`s trying to live the life of a domestic married man, so I think he`s trying to take some positive steps into really cleaning up his life.
HAMMER: Certainly a different guy and so candid. He opened up in such a big way about his life and all of his troubles. And he even had a very candid conversation with you about what was happening behind the scenes of "The Hangover."
TURNER: Yes, crazy. I had to ask him about his scene stealing role, in "the Hangover, A.J." and what was going on in his life. Then I have to say I was very surprised when he admitted that he was doing drugs at that time. Take a look.
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TYSON: I was just gambling with life back then. I wasn`t the person I am now, just gambling with life.
TURNER: Right. You were battling addiction when you were doing that movie.
TYSON: Yes. I was doing drugs. I was on the set and just did my lines. Regardless of my situation, if I was high or if I was obnoxious, I come to work. I come to give 100 percent. I credit myself with being a real professional artist, you know. I`m never late. My personal life is disgusting, I`m always late, I`m a mess but for my professional life, I`m unstoppable. I`m on my game then.
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HAMMER: So compelling to hear him talk about that and it`s really interesting to hear that he says he wasn`t the person then that he is now. "Showbiz Tonight`s" Michelle Turner, thanks so much, Michelle.
TURNER: Indeed.
HAMMER: Well, we turn out to Carney Wilson`s real star story. Tonight the real story behind Carney`s second dramatic weight loss surgery. She reveals to "Showbiz Tonight" the truth about her two-decade struggle to stay healthy and how she is finally feeling like she`s coming out on top.
Plus Giuliana and Bill Rancic`s cancer reality.
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GIULIANI RANCIC: So for me it was very important to go public and let other young women know that if it happened to me, it can happen to them.
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HAMMER: Giuliana opens up to "Showbiz Tonight" about her double mastectomy, her incredibly brave recovery and why she shared her private pain with the world. This is a special edition of "Showbiz Tonight," real star stories on HLN.
And now Tony Bennett`s real star story about recording his now famous duet with the late Amy Winehouse.
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TONY BENNETT, SINGER: Everybody said look out, you know, but she showed up completely sober, you know. And with her dad and they were so nice to me. She told me, she said when she received her first Grammy years ago, she said it wasn`t that she won that thrilled her, but the fact that Tony Bennett announced that she won.
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HAMMER: That, of course, Wilson Phillips, still holding on after two decades. Are you with me? It`s kind of hard to believe it has been a massive 22 years since Wilson Phillips first topped the charts with their huge debut hit "Hold On." That was back in 1990.
Welcome back to a special edition of "Showbiz Tonight," real star stories.
Tonight, pop stars get personal. Wilson Phillips still holding on after two decades, but so much has happened in their lives since the trio first topped the charts around the world all those years ago. More hit songs, of course, marriages, kids, and some very well publicized struggles, including the dramatic story of Carnie Wilson`s second weight loss surgery.
Well, I sat down with the three ladies of Wilson Phillips for a very revealing "Showbiz Tonight" newsmaker interview and I asked if they had any reservations about covering songs that were made famous by their superstar parents.
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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We were afraid of being accused of nepotism, basically. And we`ve dealt with that our whole career. But we`ve really stood on our own with our own hits and everything. We thought, you know, it`s time to embrace the legacy.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Embrace the legacy.
HAMMER: Well, and Carnie, you`re still talking about stuff that you and I have had some pretty serious and heavy conversations about.
CARNIE WILSON, SINGER: Still losing weight.
HAMMER: Well, look, it`s very interesting to see that you are still talking about getting healthy and being healthy on your show.
CARNIE WILSON: Yes.
HAMMER: Some 12 years after you had your first surgery, the gastric bypass, where you lost like 150 pounds.
CARNIE WILSON: Yes.
HAMMER: And you`re talking about that right before you had yet a second surgery.
WILSON: Yes.
HAMMER: We even remember, you broadcast that first one on the internet. Why did you decide to continue to sort of put this stuff out there?
CARNIE WILSON: Because I don`t hide anything that I do, and especially when it`s about the message of getting healthy, that I needed help again. I reached out and got it and I just try to encourage people to not feel afraid if they feel vulnerable or they need help to ask for it and try to make a positive change in their life. I needed help and I got it.
And the main thing is that it`s not just that I had a lap band put on and that I feel full quickly, thank you, god, for this tool, but it`s the change of behavior. It`s what I`m doing every day. It`s what I`m putting in my mouth. I`m changing the way I`m living, and I`m hoping that`s for good. That`s my intention.
HAMMER: Yes, and I`ve said to you before, I love that you put it out there because I do feel that you do it in a responsible way and let people know, "Hey, these are my choices. Maybe use this to inform whatever conversations you`re having with professionals or whatever it is."
CARNIE WILSON: That`s right.
HAMMER: But here`s the thing. We`ve seen this play out on the reality show, particularly as you were getting set to have your next surgery. And you broke the news to these ladies that you were having the surgery. You were going to have it a month before you went on tour. Let`s see how that unfolded, shall we?
CARNIE WILSON: I don`t want to become diabetic.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes, I agree with her.
CARNIE WILSON: Within a year I could become diabetic and I`m not doing it.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: When were you planning on doing this procedure?
CARNIE WILSON: It`s going to be in the next week.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What?
CARNIE WILSON: Yes.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Why are you just laying this on us today?
HAMMER: OK. I mean, you know, you`re springing it on you, did that worry you?
CHYNNA PHILLIPS, "WILSON PHILLIPS": Well, I mean it just took us by surprise because we were planning on doing a show in New Orleans and we had all of these plans and all of a sudden Carnie is getting surgery. So it freaked me out a little bit. And I definitely am supportive of Carnie and I wanted her to do it. It just was a little off-putting. I didn`t know what to do.
HAMMER: Wendy?
WENDY WILSON, "WILSON PHILLIPS": It was scary. I mean we felt like we were walking on egg shells, you know. We didn`t want to be sued. We wanted to please our audience.
CARNIE WILSON: You know, life happens and that`s what this show is about. It`s real and that`s what was really happening in my life.
HAMMER: And the truth is I think particularly with the scheduling of the doctors and everything you`re going through, so many women can relate to what you are dealing with.
CARNIE WILSON: Of course. Try standing next to these two. I don`t care, I`ll try my whole life and never be as thin or as tall as them and that`s the way it is but I`m proud of who I am. We should all be proud of who we are. We`re born with what we have and we`ve got to work with it. It`s about health first.
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HAMMER: Carnie, Wendy and Chynna, I think they`re just such amazing women, so much fun and it was so great, as always, having them right here on "Showbiz Tonight." To share with us what they have been up to as well as what I think some really important tips. And if you haven`t done so yet, I urge you to check out Wilson Phillips` album "Dedicated." It`s available everywhere.
Well, from Carnie Wilson`s real star story of her second dramatic weight loss surgery to Giuliana Rancic`s real-life cancer confession. Giuliana and her husband, Bill Rancic open up to "Showbiz Tonight" about why she made her battle with breast cancer so public.
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GIULIANI RANCIC: For me it was very important to go public and let other young women know that if it can happen to me, it can happen to them.
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HAMMER: How has life been for Giuliana since having a double mastectomy.
Plus showbiz rocks, hanging with Hagar. I`m one on one with the legendary Sammy Hagar. How he became the $100 million man. It`s got nothing to do with Van Halen.
This is a special edition of "Showbiz Tonight," real star stories.
And now Justin Bieber`s real star confession about being bullied.
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JUSTIN BIEBER, SINGER: I feel like I was bullied. And I think that almost -
KAREEN WYNTER, "SHOWBIZ TONIGHT" CORRESPONDENT: You were actually bullied?
BIEBER: Yes, I feel like most people in their lifetime have been bullied at some point. I think that it`s about time that people start making a change. A lot of times principals just let it go or teachers let it go or, you know, other students just let it go.
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GIULIANA RANCIC: I was sitting in the doctor`s office waiting. No one was coming. And like an hour went by and no one was coming in. I was just so nervous. I`m like something is really wrong. So I thought if I just leave the building, then I won`t hear this news.
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HAMMER: Wow. Such raw emotion from Giuliana Rancic about her breast cancer diagnosis and she shared her real star story on her reality show with her husband, Bill.
Welcome back to a special edition of "Showbiz Tonight," real star stories. Tonight Giuliana and Bill Rancic`s cancer reality. We watched as they juggled two demanding careers, as they struggled to have a baby and then their toughest challenge came when Giuliana learned that she had breast cancer. Through it all, Bill has been by Giuliana`s side as she had a double mastectomy and went through recovery. It has certainly been an emotional and difficult journey, but one they have been very open about. So I had to ask Bill and Giuliana how they felt about watching their real-life drama from her cancer diagnosis to her double mastectomy unfold on their reality show.
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GIULIANA RANCIC: I remember when this was all happening to me at the very beginning. I would look at childhood pictures of myself and I would go how did I go from that to here? How the hell did this happen to me?
HAMMER: At such a young age.
GIULIANI RANCIC: You know, it`s just shocking at 36 years old. How did this happen to me? And that was one of the reasons I went public is because I realized for the first time in my life, I`m really not invincible, I`m really not bulletproof. Yes, I take care of myself. That doesn`t matter always, you still have to stay on top of this. So for me it was very important to go public and let oar young women know if it can happen to me, it can happen to them.
HAMMER: Yes, I mean the invincibility thing I think is something we all feel until a point when something happens in our lives, something like you`re going through. And Bill, we have talked extensively in the past about this decision to go public because it still is a very personal decision and a very big decision that you guys made together. Has there been any point or is there any point now where you feel like despite the good that you`re doing, and you will continue to do that you want to pull it back, maybe say we need a little more of our privacy?
BILL RANCIC: You know, we get plenty of privacy. I mean the show, it`s not as if they live in our home and you know, we`re producers on the show so we do have the ability to control some of the content. But you know, from day one with this reality show, we said we`re going to use this show for good and not evil.
HAMMER: Right.
BILL RANCIC: And that`s what we`ve done over the last five seasons. We`ve tackled a lot of issues that affect a lot of couples and I think this is going to be a great legacy for Giuliana. Because you know, if you save one life as a result of going public, that`s more than most people can say they have done in their entire lifetime.
HAMMER: And it`s not lost, you want to do your show for good and not evil and the show is a success and it`s going on season five now.
GIULIANI RANCIC: Season five.
HAMMER: You know, evil usually wins out on reality TV, so bravo for Bill and Giuliana.
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HAMMER: I give them a lot of credit for being so candid. It`s pretty incredible.
Here`s what`s coming up at the bottom of the hour on a special edition of "Showbiz Tonight." Showbiz rocks. Why is Gene Simmons slamming the rock `n` roll hall of fame?
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HAMMER: For some unknown reason you guys aren`t there yet.
GENE SIMMONS: It doesn`t matter.
HAMMER: You`ve been eligible since `99. Why doesn`t -
SIMMONS: It doesn`t matter because it`s become a sham.
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HAMMER: Gene Simmons and the Kiss reveal to me what that beef is all about in a must-see "Showbiz Tonight" exclusive interview.
Plus I go one on one with rock legend Blondie. What does the legendary rock group think about becoming reality music show judges? Can you imagine (INAUDIBLE) on "American Idol?"
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HAMMER: Tonight on this special edition of "Showbiz Tonight," showbiz rocks, Kiss, diss. The giants of rock have got a bone to pick with the rock `n` roll hall of fame.
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HAMMER (on camera): For some unknown reason you guys aren`t there yet.
GENE SIMMONS: It doesn`t matter.
HAMMER: You`ve been eligible since `99. Why doesn`t it matter?
SIMMONS: It doesn`t matter because it`s become a sham.
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HAMMER: Those are fighting words. Will Kiss ever kiss and make up after their rock snub?
And backstage with Blondie. These guys are sounding better than ever, but tonight they`re sounding off about being judges on "American Idol."
This is a special edition of "Showbiz Tonight," showbiz rocks.
Welcome to this special edition of "Showbiz Tonight," showbiz rocks. And there is no way to even think about rock `n` roll without the ultimate rock showmen, Kiss. It is truly a wild time whenever I get to hang out with those guys. Is it me? They don`t seem to age, right?
I guess all that makeup helps. Anyway, there`s not a lot that gets these guys fired up like the massive pyrotechnics you can see in their concerts, except for one thing, their exclusion from the rock `n` roll hall of fame. These guys have been eligible for more than a decade now and they haven`t been inducted yet. You`ve got to hear what Kiss told me about that.
But first, I had some fun with the guys reminiscing about the very first time we met all the way back in 1996.
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HAMMER: Would you care to reminisce a little bit?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: About?
HAMMER: Well, let`s just fire up the old iPad and see what we`ve got here.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Technology rears its ugly head.
HAMMER: What`s that? He was harassing me way back then.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, my god, it`s Ryan Seacrest.
HAMMER: Yes, thanks so much.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What a handsome young man. Look at this.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Gene tried to kiss him then too.
HAMMER: Look at that. That was the closest Gene Simmons` tongue ever came to my cheek until right now. Do you remember this?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I do.
HAMMER: Now it touched me. This was 1996.
SIMMONS: This was the reunion. This was the tour that started back into the glory of Kiss in all its makeup and fine haberdashery.
HAMMER: Let`s talk about the rock `n` roll hall of fame. For some unknown reason, you guys aren`t there yet.
SIMMONS: It doesn`t matter.
HAMMER: You`ve been eligible since `99. Why doesn`t it matter?
SIMMONS: It doesn`t matter.
HAMMER: What doesn`t it matter?
SIMMONS: It`s become a sham. And because this is an insult to Madonna and all the other disco and rappers who have been inducted in there because they can`t get into the disco hall of fame. It`s a sham. We`re thinking of buying it and firing everybody.
HAMMER: Would you burn the place down?
SIMMONS: No. Leave the Elvis stuff, you leave the Stones, you leave the Beatles. There`s a lot of bands that shouldn`t be in there and you know it.
HAMMER: But there is a chance you will be inducted, your fans certainly hope you are and will you show up?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Gladly. Because it means something to the fans. The fans want us in the rock `n` roll hall of fame so of course, we`ll do it for them. But when you don`t know who`s voting for these people, it`s a great marketing ploy. You have a bunch of people who came up with this title, rock `n` roll hall of fame. Who are these people who do the voting? It`s obviously not the people because when you look at some of the nominees you don`t know who they are.
HAMMER: So things are obviously a lot different now than when you guys started. The way people get noticed is different. We`re talking about "American Idol," that is certainly one of the ways. Do you guys think you would have perhaps considered competing on a show like that, or would you be putting your videos up on Youtube from the very start when nobody knew who you are?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You know, it`s such a different time now to try to have these hypothetical discussions of what we would have been like. Would we have survived? Would we have come into existence today? You know, we`re fortunate that we are mighty dinosaurs who still rule the earth.
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HAMMER: And they definitely still rock. I also had the great pleasure of spending some time with the legendary Sammy Hagar in one of the greatest music cities in the world, New Orleans. I can tell you that I learned very quickly any time Sammy is around, it`s a party. And the man did launch his own tequila company and now he has got a brand new rum company.
But the question is would he trade all the good times on stage for a gig as a singing show judge on TV. You got to hear what he told me about that. But first, Sammy tells me why if he`s not performing in Cabo San Lucas, his infamous Cabo Wabo Cantina, there is only one place he wants to be, and that`s New Orleans.
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SAMMY HAGAR, SINGER: Cabo San Lucas, New Orleans, Las Vegas, those are party towns. I love playing these towns, because it`s like the party is already here. We just go join it.
HAMMER: I was a little surprised, Sammy, you walked into the bar, I half expected you to just go behind the bar for a second to make sure they were properly featuring. Well, just in case, I checked for you. I did my research and I made sure that the Cabo Wabo brand was represented.
HAGAR: Well, at worst I represent it this way. I`ve got one in my dressing room so I`m cool. We roll with a bunch of them. But the truth of the matter is I think they have it here part of the time or most of the part. You know, people market things and put their name brand on anything and then they show me holding a bottle of tequila. I said I didn`t put my name on that, I invented it. I put the bottles and put the tequila in them and put the corks in them myself. I totally started that from scratch.
HAMMER: That was not a little vanity project. Like you know, a lot of stars, particularly female stars and some men as well, they`ll come - a brand will come up with a perfume for them and then they go into the factory and they sniff a bunch of perfumes and then slap their name on it. You came up with the tequila.
HAGAR: The whole name, the brand, the Cabo Wabo, the whole nine yards. I didn`t slap my name on nothing.
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HAMMER: You know, you obviously with the kind of career you have had and the longevity you have had, you worked long and hard to get there. It`s not lost on anybody, it`s a much different game now. Fame and success comes much differently and in different ways than it used to. There are people, and some quite talented people, who get instant fame, whether it be because of Youtube or they went on one of these music competition reality shows. Anything wrong with that in your mind? Is it just a different day?
HAGAR: Just a different day. There`s nothing wrong with anything. You know, I`m a firm believer, I even - the whole thing about giving the music away. I think it straightened a lot of record companies that have been tough on artists. And they`ve ripped so many people off, you know, karma comes around. I`m OK with playing music for free, giving music away, I`m OK with all that. You`ve got to find a way that makes people more creative.
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HAMMER: Were you ever approached to be a judge on one of these shows?
HAGAR: Yes, I was.
HAMMER: Because I just look at you and I`m thinking it`s perfect.
HAGAR: One of the newer shows, one of the ones I like a lot, I won`t say who it is, and I turned them down. I was with my management this afternoon and flying in here and we were talking on the plane about doing this and doing that. I just said you know, I really don`t want to do TV because I get offered tons of TV and I don`t want to do it because it`s hard work. Admit it.
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HAMMER: Everybody always wants to know, and you have said not all that long ago that you feel it is inevitable that one day you will find yourself back on stage with Van Halen. My question - you said it.
HAGAR: OK.
HAMMER: But here`s my question. First of all, do you still feel that way?
HAGAR: So much water would probably have to go under the bridge. I`m really not interested right now anyway but I haven`t been asked so I`m not like saying no because I haven`t been asked. And I`m really happy that Eddie seems to be a good foot and healthy and that`s the most important thing for that band.
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HAMMER: I know a lot of fans think it would be really cool to see Van Halen in a reunion show with Sammy Hagar some day. But in the meantime, Sammy is still rocking on his own. He has got big plans for a tour that he calls "Four Decades of Rock" and features music from his bands, Chicken Foot, The Wabos and (INAUDIBLE) plus Van Hagar, songs from his days as the front man for Van Halen. So you should keep an eye out for that. It should be next year sometime.
Well, picture this for a moment, you`re stressed out, you can`t get to the beach so you pop on your iPod for an instant trip to margaritaville with Jimmy Buffet.
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HAMMER: Don`t you feel better already? Jimmy Buffett talking about being the king of all things cool and find out which young band he chills out to.
And backstage with Blondie, sounding off about "American Idol" and Justin Bieber.
And peeking of "Idol," did you know one of the hottest country bands wouldn`t be in existence if it wasn`t for one of the members getting dissed by the show twice. You got to hear what Hillary Scott of Lady Antebellum told me about that experience.
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HILLARY SCOTT, LADY ANTEBELLUM: I think I`m shedding a few tears just knowing that I had performed my best. Because I was so nervous. I mean I had never done any kind of audition like that before. And so if anybody has gone and auditioned, it`s a lot of pressure. There`s thousands and thousands of people in line to try to make it down to what will be a final 12, you know. I mean it`s really - it`s nerve racking. Honestly I would go back and do it again in a heartbeat. You know, I have no regrets.
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HAMMER: It`s 5:00 somewhere. No truer words have ever been sung. The great Jimmy Buffett taking everybody in New Orleans on a little trip to margaritaville. But just before that great concert we sat down backstage for an exclusive "Showbiz Tonight" interview.
Welcome back to a special edition of "Showbiz Tonight," showbiz rocks. As a proud part-time parrot head I was just thrilled to hang out and talk to Jimmy Buffett just moments before one of his legendary shows. Jimmy is an icon, not only for his music, of course, but for his enormous and extremely profitable margaritaville empire. He`s got margarita makers, restaurants. He`s even got his own skin Caroline for all those long days in the sun.
But even with all that, Jimmy tells me that for him there is nothing like getting on stage, especially in New Orleans, because that`s where he got his start as a street performer some 40 years ago.
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JIMMY BUFFETT, SINGER: New Orleans was always in my heart when I went out and traveled and moved to other parts of the country because I grew up here. I`m a child of highway 90 and I really believe that. So New Orleans was the first city that I came away from and I went to college, you know, 90 miles up the road, so it`s pretty engrained in what I do in which this is the base out of which I came.
HAMMER: And we feel it in your shows and I listened to quite a few of your shows on radio margaritaville that they`re playing all the time. And I get the impression with everything that you have done in your life, with the books and all the business and everything else, I still genuinely get the feeling listening to you play that you`re at your happiest when you`re on that stage bringing summertime to everybody in the audience.
BUFFETT: It is. It`s coming up. I mean we`ve got a beautiful day here, and I came out - I thought it was great because it`s kind of a festival atmosphere. I`ve got to hand it to the promoters who did this show. They really kind of put this thing together to make it comfortable for us as performers. I wasn`t quite sure because it`s kind of out of our element. We usually kind of roll in our own circus, you know.
HAMMER: Yes.
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HAMMER: The unique thing about you, look, a lot of artists when fans come to meet them, they say "Oh, I saw you in concert in Oklahoma, or oh, I bought that record when" and they`ll give you a little story. You`re probably the only guy who has fans coming up to you and say, "Oh, I have your margarita maker." Oh, I stayed at your hotel."
BUFFETT: Well, yes.
HAMMER: I mean that`s kind of cool.
BUFFETT: Well, that`s to the point that we were lucky enough to kind of create a brand as we went along, and it`s pretty authentic. You know, I still do those things. And the things that I like to do have kind of become a part of the brand. And, you know, as I said, I don`t know anybody that wouldn`t want to spend two weeks at the beach.
HAMMER: Exactly. What is the strangest item that somebody has ever approached you and asked you to perhaps license and slap your name on?
BUFFETT: Oh, god.
HAMMER: Something that you said, I don`t think that`s for me.
BUFFETT: That I said no to?
HAMMER: Yes.
BUFFETT: There was some interesting things. There was like a guy had a thing that he wanted to - like you could put - you could kind of shave your name or shave like (INAUDIBLE) on a dog, it was a trimmer.
HAMMER: To an animal.
BUFFETT: And I went -
HAMMER: No, not for you.
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HAMMER: Yes, he really is that laid back. Another fascinating thing I learned about Jimmy Buffett, he`s a huge fan of the band, Black Keys. Yes, one of the coolest guys on the planet. He rocks out to one of the coolest bands on the planet and I quickly learned why after hanging with the Black Keys. Dan Auerbach and Patrick Carney have been at it for a long time but they really hit it big with their album "El Camino." Dan and Patrick are kind of reluctant celebrities. They still really feel like they`re just two guys from Ohio who make music in their basement. That couldn`t be further from the truth anymore. The reality is they are international music superstars who now get to rub elbows with other mega stars and quite frankly not so mega stars. You`ve got to hear what the Black Keys told me about their strangest star encounter since becoming famous, being interviewed by the situation from "Jersey Shore." Watch this.
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PATRICK CARNEY, BLACK KEYS: He was interviewing us at the Grammys. And he asked Dan, my brother Mike was there too because he was nominated for a Grammy. He asked the three of us what our "Jersey Shore" names would be. And my brother told him his would be the situation and he couldn`t process that.
HAMMER: No, I`m shocked to hear that.
DAN AUERBACH, BLACK KEYS: He`s not very nimble, mentally.
(MUSIC PLAYING)
HAMMER: But right now, as you well know, there are many ways for bands who are working really hard or not working really hard to get famous very quickly. Obviously shows like "American Idol" and "The Voice" are among them. Is there anything wrong with that? I mean you guys had a much different path, but the instant success that can come with a show like "The Voice" or "American Idol" in your mind?
AUERBACH: I don`t think there`s anything wrong with playing music, loving music, and playing music and trying to do it for a living, any way you can figure out how to do that. It`s such a difficult business. I mean I wouldn`t suggest someone get in their van and drive around for 10 years playing shows at crappy little clubs.
HAMMER: It seems insane.
AUERBACH: It seems insane to us and we did it. You know what I mean? So there`s no wrong way to do it. I don`t know.
(MUSIC PLAYING)
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HAMMER: Be on the lookout for the Black Keys, the movie. You know, Dan and Patrick haven`t gone Hollywood. Their red-hot summer tour this summer is being filmed for a documentary. Not your (INAUDIBLE) the director tells "Spin" magazine the film is going to be a buddy movie with perhaps the greatest soundtrack of all time.
Well, coming up tonight, we have my exclusive with the great Blondie.
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HAMMER: I`m curious what they think of the current music scene and shows like "American Idol," and I want to be from Debbie Harry would she be a judge on a show like "American Idol." I bet your answer is going to surprise me.
And find out which member of Blondie is a belieber. Showbiz rocks backstage with Blondie.
You`re watching a special edition of "Showbiz Tonight."
Right now Jay-Z tells "Showbiz Tonight" why you`re going to wait a little longer before he drops his next album, but here`s a hint. He`s got a girl problem.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JAY-Z, RAPPER: I thought I`d be really motivated with all the things that`s happened and all the change, and you know, a child in my life now to get back in the studio, but I find that I`m really just motivated to just be with her.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Just to be a father.
JAY-Z: Yes.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: How is fatherhood?
JAY-Z: It`s fantastic.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: How has it changed you?
JAY-Z: It`s amazing. I don`t know. It`s just a real surreal thing.
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HAMMER: Tonight, backstage with Blondie. "Heart of Glass," "Call Me," "Rapture," those classic hits shattered the image of what was considered rock back in the late `70s. And all these years later, I`m happy to report Debbie Harry, Chris Stein and Clem Burke sound as great as ever on stage. I went one on one with them just before one of their big shows, and I had to ask what they thought of the flood of singing competition shows on TV. Are they cool with the instant fame that winners get? And would they be judges on one of those shows? Well, you might be surprised by what Debbie and the guys had to tell me about that.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
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DEBBIE HARRY, BLONDIE: I don`t know if I could really judge people. It`s very hard to judge. Well, I mean I figured if they got it together to do it, that that was high marks.
HAMMER: Yes, because you relate on the artist level to what these people have poured in, their heart and their soul into just getting up on stage and having that moment.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That`s what`s great about some of those shows. You`re seeing the output of emotion and personal connection that they have with the music and with the audience and all that stuff. That comes across, I think.
HAMMER: But obviously what has happened is it changes the way people become music stars. Like I said, you guys, look, you paid your dues for a long time and made your way through in a way that is not done any time. What do you think --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Justin Bieber, man, god bless him.
HAMMER: Instant.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Look at him.
HAMMER: What do you think of that?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I like Bieber a lot. I think he`s got a great voice. He`s a really nice kid, he seems like a great kid, I`d like to meet him. I`m a fan.
(MUSIC PLAYING)
HAMMER: And obviously the definition of what it has been to be Blondie has probably changed radically in the decades you guys have been at it. What was the best part of being Blondie in 1980?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: In 1980?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Chaos.
HARRY: I guess we had our first hit in the states, right, "Heart of Glass."
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.
HAMMER: 1979, "Heart of Glass." And of course the others not far behind.
HARRY: What was after that? That was -
HAMMER: "Call Me" came a couple of years later.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I enjoyed the chaos of it all. That was like really fun, just the sort of spontaneity, the punk rockness of it all. Yet we had the commercial aspect of it going. We had hit records but we had one foot in the underground and one foot above ground.
HAMMER: What`s the best part of being Blondie now, 2012?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Doing gigs like this.
HARRY: We`re still alive, man.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We`re still here, yes.
(MUSIC PLAYING)
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HAMMER: I just love seeing them playing live in 2012. And it was so much fun bringing you some of the greatest musicians of all time. I had a blast, hope you did too. That is it for this special edition of "Showbiz Tonight," showbiz rocks.
I`m A.J. Hammer. Remember, you can catch "Showbiz Tonight" exclusively weeknights at 11:00 p.m. Eastern and Pacific right here on HLN.
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