Return to Transcripts main page
Showbiz Tonight
Gloria Allred Represents Twin of Petraeus Whistle-Blower; Reality TV Stars Weigh in on Gaza Conflict; Voice of Elmo Leaves `Sesame Street`; Top Five Stories That Made Us Say "What the.?"
Aired November 20, 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: Tonight, Elmo resigns. The voice of Elmo, Kevin Clash, steps down as a second accuser comes forward claiming sexual abuse.
And famed attorney Gloria Allred speaks out with the twin of the Petraeus whistle-blower. But which will top the SHOWBIZ Countdown of news breakers tonight?
Hello, and thank you for watching. I`m A.J. Hammer.
We`ve got two big SHOWBIZ Countdowns tonight, including five outrageous star stories today. Stars doing things that made us say, "What the...?"
But we begin with our first SHOWBIZ Countdown of the night. It`s today`s top three news breakers.
Kicking it off at No. 3 with famed attorney and protector of mistresses everywhere, Gloria Allred. Yes, today Gloria became the latest character in the cheating circus that brought down former CIA chief David Petraeus, the very same Gloria Allred who, of course, represented several of Tiger Woods` mistresses and the mistress at the center of Sandra Bullock`s split from Jesse James.
All right. I know what you`re thinking. I`m thinking it, too. What the heck does Gloria Allred have to do with General Petraeus and all the craziness in this story? Well, it turns out she`s representing the twin sister of Jill Kelley. Jill is the whistle-blower who reportedly got threatening e-mails from the general`s mistress.
SHOWBIZ TONIGHT was right there this afternoon for Allred`s news conference with the woman who revealed Petraeus has been supportive of Natalie in a bitter custody fight with her ex-husband.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GLORIA ALLRED, ATTORNEY: Natalie Khawam is a loving, caring mother to her 4-year-old son, a supportive, loving sister to her twin, Jill Kelley. And an aunt to her ten nieces and nephews. She is part of a strong and devoted family.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: OK. And to be very clear, Gloria`s client, Natalie Khawam, is not being accused of any inappropriate behavior or inappropriate relationship with Petraeus, but she feels like she`s being misrepresented by the media.
I want to bring in my colleague, Jane Velez-Mitchell, host of "THE JANE VELEZ-MITCHELL SHOW", weeknights, 7 p.m. Eastern, here on HLN.
Jane, I see Gloria Allred entering the picture here and I`m thinking, this can`t get any weirder.
JANE VELEZ-MITCHELL, HLN ANCHOR: But it can, A.J.! We don`t know how many more militarily-obsessed desperate housewives are going to come out of the woodwork and say what.
My question is, why was General Petraeus, who turned into the nation`s top spy, writing letters on behalf of a woman who was engaged in a custody battle? That is wildly inappropriate! And that is why these things happen when you get involved with people. It sets off a chain of events and you don`t know what the consequences are going to be. And it can actually hurt the very people you`re trying to help.
If his name hadn`t been associated with this, we know we wouldn`t be talking about this woman. So I say, General Petraeus, bad idea. Bad idea. Put the pen down, sir.
HAMMER: Listen, I`m thinking, you write this up as a screenplay, and you bring it into a pitch meeting and you get tossed out of an office. Nobody is believing this story at all.
Let`s go to defense attorney Midwin Charles. She`s also in New York tonight. Midwin, doesn`t it seem a little bit weird that Gloria Allred would hold a news conference with the woman just to declare that General Petraeus supported her in a custody battle? I don`t quite get it.
MIDWIN CHARLES, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: Well, it seems there`s been a lot of turns and twists in the real housewives of Petraeus. I mean, this is really what I`ve called this scandal.
But Gloria Allred has always been an attorney who represents interests of women, and she`s gone back years in doing this. It is odd in the sense where we haven`t really heard that much about this twin sister, but now here she is in the forefront in the public, and I think we can all agree that Gloria Allred does public very well.
HAMMER: She does. And Gloria, to be clear, you know I love you, and you know I appreciate how you support women and you stand up with these women. I`ve got nothing against that. It`s just all very surreal to me, especially when it`s a story of national security interests.
I`ve got to tell you, we were all saying, are you kidding me? When Gloria Allred got into the middle of all of this.
And the No. 2 in our SHOWBIZ Countdown of news breakers also had us saying "Are you kidding me?" We have a tie tonight. Tied at No. 2, Kim Kardashian and Paris Hilton, actually worrying about their reality star business interests in the Middle East while the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians explodes.
Listen to this. Kim actually just got into trouble. She even got some death threats by tweeting this to her 16 million followers. "Praying for everyone in Israel" and then followed it up with, "Praying for everyone in Palestine and across the world." Nice going, Kim.
She`s revealed she`s planning this whirlwind trip now to the region in order to educate herself on the issues.
But Jane, you know, it doesn`t get any more serious than this in terms of world events. And now we have Kim Kardashian inserting herself in the Mideast conflict. Are you with me when I say, Kim, just stay home?
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Yes. I say, yes, Kim, oh no you don`t. No, you don`t. And do not wear those revealing outfits that show off your cleavage. Not going to go over well in that part of the world.
I`d say, go to Vegas. You know the territory. And please do not try to tweet about religion and politics in 140 characters or less. It`s going to bite you, and it did.
HAMMER: Yes. No clubs to open in the Mideast right now, Kim.
Then there`s Paris Hilton and her Mideast mess. She`s getting slammed for opening a store selling luxury items in the Saudi Arabian holy city of Mecca. A lot of Saudis are saying her image shouldn`t be associated with such a holy place. You think?
Now Midwin, you`d have to admit, it is a strange association, Paris Hilton`s brand in Mecca? Huh?
CHARLES: Very, very strange association. But listen, I think Paris Hilton is doing the most that she can to hold on. Thanks to the Kardashian clan, she`s no longer really relevant here in the United States, and so she is looking to see where she can take her brand and so that it can grow and expand. And I guess this is her last grasp or resort.
Not that she`s not profitable. I know that her perfumes and all that stuff rakes in billions of dollars, but she`s clearly branching out, because she`s not really popping and locking it here in the United States.
HAMMER: Listen, it keeps her out of our hair, so that`s OK with me.
Listen, out of all the shocking stories that we never expected to happen tonight, only one can be No. 1 on the SHOWBIZ Countdown of news breakers. It`s the stunning news breaking today that the voice of Elmo, Kevin Clash, resigned from "Sesame Street" after another man claimed today he had sexual relations with Clash when the accuser was underaged.
SHOWBIZ TONIGHT`s Nischelle Turner is with us in Hollywood tonight with all the details -- Nischelle.
NISCHELLE TURNER, HLN CORRESPONDENT: Well, A.J., as we know, the first accuser later retracted his claim that Clash had sex with him when he was underaged and said it was a consensual relationship. Now, he has since claimed he was coerced into recanting.
But today SHOWBIZ TONIGHT was right there as this new accuser, Cecil Singleton, said he`s asking for $5 million in damages. Watch this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CECIL SINGLETON, ACCUSER: Most of you, I`m sure, may question my motives for waiting a near decade before coming forward. The truth is, in retrospect, it has occurred to me as an adult how truly inappropriate my relationship with Kevin was.
But another sad truth is that I was sexualized at a very early age, and while Kevin may have been the oldest man that I`d ever been with at the time, he was certainly not the only older man I`d ever been with.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
TURNER: All right, Jane, so after hearing yet another accusation like that, did Kevin Clash have any choice but to resign in the situation?
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Well, I say this. After the first accuser took back his story initially, I publicly suggested, "Kevin, go back to work, you`ve done nothing wrong. Get back to work and do what you do best."
But now that this second accuser has come forward, the fact is only Kevin Clash knows how much, if any of it, is the truth. So only he can decide in his heart, and he has made that decision. So that could indicate -- could -- that where there`s smoke there`s fire.
This is a very, very sad story, and it`s one, obviously, that Kevin is the only person ultimately to know how to deal with.
TURNER: Well, Kevin`s employer, Sesame Workshop, is weighing in, as well. They`re the production company that makes "Sesame Street." They told SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, quote, "Unfortunately, this controversy surrounding Kevin`s personal life has become a distraction that none of us want, and he has concluded he can no longer be effective in his job and has resigned from `Sesame Street`. This is a sad day from `Sesame Street`."
It seems to be a sad day for a lot of people, because "Sesame Street" has affected generations. You know, there`s a lot of people who have come to love it. But did they have any choice but to accept his resignation?
CHARLES: No, they didn`t. You know, and I think the irony here is we are talking about not just Kevin Clash but also General Petraeus, two men both brought down because of sexual relations. And I think it`s just unfortunate and really sad.
But given these allegations, and I think all of us know that we can`t really look against the creep factor, which is the sense that, as someone who does Elmo, he entices young children and what have you. And who knows whether or not he was using, you know, that platform in order to, you know, get younger or underaged men.
HAMMER: "Unfortunate" being the operative word there, Midwin. Midwin, Jane, also Nischelle, thank you all so much.
Tonight, Rihanna`s chaos in the air, a streaker, angry journalists, a mob scene on her 777 tour. What`s really going on up there on her exclusive tour plane?
Also, outrage after Madonna is more than three hours late for her own concert. Her fans are obviously up in arms, but what was her excuse? Will Madonna`s party outdo Rihanna`s sky fail?
Yet another SHOWBIZ Countdown. The spectacular stories that are making us say, "What the..."
This is SBT, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, on HLN.
And how the stars share their Thanksgiving plans with us. Carrie Underwood tells SHOWBIZ that she`s giving thanks with good friends.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CARRIE UNDERWOOD, SINGER: All of our friends that are in town that don`t have family around them like us, we`re going to get together and celebrate and cook and eat and eat and eat and drink and have fun.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HAMMER: Welcome back to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
And now, going to extremes. Stars who radically alter their appearances for their movie roles. And of course, watching beautiful stars messing with their good looks to play a character or to win an Oscar, it`s always interesting to see. But today we`re seeing a bunch of stars changing their appearances so drastically they have us wondering if maybe they`re going a little too far.
Joining me from Hollywood, Claire Kramer, founder of GeekNation.com. Great to have you here, Claire.
CLAIRE KRAMER, GEEKNATION.COM: Hi.
HAMMER: So our first star going to extremes, Charlize Theron. Now, of course, we all know she`s about as well known for her beautiful blonde locks as she is for her terrific, Oscar-winning performances.
Get a load of her now. She is sporting this super-short buzz cut. We got this glimpse at her while she was out about her native South Africa. She`s shooting a reboot of the old Mel Gibson post-apocalyptic classic, "Mad Max." Looking a little Sinead O`Connor there, I have to say.
Claire, what do you think? Is Charlize pulling off the buzz cut? I don`t think she can do anything wrong. And maybe she should make this her everyday look. I don`t know.
KRAMER: Well, you know, A.J., I mean, you`re right. Charlize can do no wrong. And anyone who`s a fan of her acting remembers her turn in "Monster," where of course, she played the notorious serial killer, and she won an Oscar for her portrayal. She changed her looks then. She`s doing it again for "Mad Max: Fury Road."
This is a much-anticipated, you know, follow-up to the "Mad Max" films. It`s been several years, a few false starts. People are excited. And you know what? She`s giving the fans what they want with this franchise. It`s a post...
HAMMER: Post-apocalyptic world. I love the look on her. I don`t think it`s quite as extreme as the change she made for "Monster," which of course, won her that Oscar.
But another star going to extremes is Ryan Gosling. You know, we`re used to seeing him like this. He`s a dapper, clean-cut young man working the red carpet.
Now, Charles, can we put up the poster for the new movie, "Only God Forgives"? Look at that. That`s not the Ryan we know. He`s an ex-boxer in this film. Kind of looks like he got on the wrong side of a punch for this very well-made-up photo.
The poster causing a bit of buzz on Twitter. In fact, the Web site Global Grind tweeted, "Whoa, Ryan Gosling is bloodied and beat-up but still looks hot."
Claire, what do you think? Is he even hotter as a beat-up, bloodied guy?
KRAMER: You know what? The prosthetics only enhance his looks. He looks great. I mean, he`s a character actor. His turn in "Drive," which he`s reuniting with the director for this, was amazing. That was a fantastic movie, so the fans are really excited to see this.
And of course, yes, when the poster hit the -- hit the Internet this morning, you know, the tweets were blowing up, the fans were blowing up. Perez Hilton said, you know what? He wants to cry because they`ve taken his gorgeous good looks. But it`s still shining through, A.J.
HAMMER: All right. Well, I want to put up one other guy known as a studly guy before we go here. Can we throw up what Matthew McConaughey is now looking like? This is what we`re used to seeing him as.
But now, he`s dropped 38 pounds to play an AIDS patient in "The Dallas Buyers Club." I have to say I could never have imagined him doing this for a role. A lot of people would actually say it might even be a bit unhealthy. But, wow, what an extreme change this star is going through.
Claire Kramer, thank you so much.
All right. Is Nicki Minaj about to do a duet with Mariah Carey?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And I saw Nick Canon said that you and Mariah should hit the stage and perform together on the show.
NICKI MINAJ, SINGER/"AMERICAN IDOL" JUDGE: Really? Oh, no.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: Could it be? Are the once feuding "American Idol" judges about to make beautiful music together? Nicki is speaking out about that sweet, sweet fantasy.
And Rihanna`s chaos in the sky. Wait until you hear about a streaker, angry journalists, practically a mob scene in the not-so-friendly skies.
But will Rihanna`s sky fail top Nicki`s duet in our SHOWBIZ Countdown of stories that made us say, "What the...?"
Time now for the "SHOWBIZ Buzz List." Here`s what we are buzzing about this week.
Break out the Thanksgiving leftovers and check out Lindsay Lohan as Elizabeth Taylor in "Liz & Dick." It makes its big premiere Sunday night on Lifetime.
We love ESPN`s "30 for 30" series, and now the fan favorites collection is available as a DVD gift set just in time for the holidays.
The great Kenny Rogers kicking off a month-long Christmas and hits tour. It starts this Friday in Oklahoma.
Nintendo launching its first new gaming console in six years. We are so psyched to pick up the brand-new Wii U.
And this Thanksgiving weekend we are headed to the theaters, eager to check out Daniel Day-Lewis as "Lincoln."
This is SBT, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, on HLN.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DANIEL DAY-LEWIS, ACTOR: ... stepped out upon the world stage now with the fate of human dignity in our hands. Blood`s been spilt to afford us this moment. Now, now, now!
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HAMMER: Tonight, the star of the storm. Through the media chaos during Superstorm Sandy, the spotlight found its way to one unsuspecting person. Not Andrew Cuomo or Chris Christie, not even Mayor Michael Bloomberg. It was the woman next to the mayor. You know her as the dramatic sign language interpreter mercilessly spoofed on "SNL" and YouTube. Her incredibly expressive signing got people asking, "Who is that?"
CNN`s Alina Cho found this superstorm superstar, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ALINA CHO, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In the hours before, during and after Superstorm Sandy, New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg`s press briefings were critical.
Yet often it was someone else who caught everyone`s eye. Lydia Callis, the mayor`s mesmerizing sign language interpreter.
JON STEWART, HOST, COMEDY CENTRAL`S "THE DAILY SHOW": Whose expressive sign-language interpreting turned disaster press briefings into an Alvin Ailey sign language recital.
CHO: Her signs are set to music.
(MUSIC: "I saw the signs...")
CHO: A "Gangnam Style" spoof.
(MUSIC: Psy`s "Gangnam Style")
CHO: And this on "Saturday Night Live."
FRED ARMISEN, CAST MEMBER, NBC`S "SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE": With a special thanks to my sign language translator, Lydia Callis, who brought some pizazz to what would otherwise have been a dour occasion.
MAYOR MICHAEL BLOOMBERG, NEW YORK CITY: I did want to bring -- did you see "Saturday Night Live"?
LYDIA CALLIS, SIGN LANGUAGE INTERPRETER: I did.
BLOOMBERG: Thought so.
CHO: Callis arrived for our interview with her own interpreter.
CHO (on camera): Were you surprised by the reaction?
CALLIS: I actually was very surprised, actually. I was a bit overwhelmed. But at the same time I thought, like, wow, this is great. If this is just going to shine light and bring it to the deaf community, and the culture and the language is a beautiful thing, then I`m all for it.
CHO (voice-over): Two to four out of every 1,000 Americans are functionally deaf.
(on camera): What`s this all about, when you were doing that?
CALLIS: This is the sign for a storm.
CHO: OK.
CALLIS: Then you have wind. You go like this.
CHO (voice-over): Alice`s mom and three siblings are deaf. Sign language was her first language.
CALLIS: If you watched any of the news reports, you could see that I was signing, but I was also mouthing the words, as well, because you have people that are -- that are completely deaf, cannot read lips, cannot speak and rely solely on sign language.
And then you have people at the complete other end of the spectrum who are oral and can speak for themselves and have some hearing who are hard of hearing and can`t understand sign language.
CHO: But why so expressive?
CALLIS: His tone was very fierce and very strong and I had to portray that through my message and my facial expressions, because it was important for people to know that it was -- if they were in Zone A, it was immediate danger and they needed to evacuate their homes as soon as possible.
CHO: She also follows the news, so she knows how to sign words like "surge" and "crane."
Then there are times that the message for the deaf and the hearing are one and the same.
CALLIS: One of the pictures that was taken of me and the mayor, we are looking at one of the reporters. We both have our hands in the air looking at the reporter like, are you kidding me?
CHO: Callis says it`s all about interpreting the mayor`s message as faithfully as possible. Her fans say.
STEWART: (SIGNS AND MOUTHS "I LOVE YOU")
CHO: Alina Cho, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HAMMER: I love her, too. How cool is that? That was Alina Cho for SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
Tonight, Rosie O`Donnell`s big revelation about her feud with Kelly Ripa.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ROSIE O`DONNELL, CO-HOST, ABC`S "THE VIEW": Six years ago when I was on "The View" she had Clay on, and she didn`t get along with him. And so I said, you know, it looked to me like it was a little homophobic, and she went -- she was very hurt.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: Really? Are Rosie and Kelly still on the outs? Should these two finally bury the hatchet?
And rapper Lil Wayne teams up with Paris Hilton? Really? Paris is ready to make a music comeback? Oh, goodie. Lil Wayne is helping her out. But which of these stories will top the SHOWBIZ Countdown, stories that made us say, "What the...?"
This is SHOWBIZ TONIGHT on HLN.
And now stars share their Thanksgiving plans with us. The lovely Jenny McCarthy tells SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, well, this year she is leaving the cooking to someone else at that table.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JENNY MCCARTHY, COMEDIAN/ACTRESS: I am going to my friends` house, and we are going to have a great time. I`m not cooking. I`m going to drink their wine and pass out on their sofa.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: Now on the SHOWBIZ Countdown, Rihanna`s concert chaos inside the madness at 30,000 feet on her tour plane. Streakers, champagne, fans, but no Rihanna. "What the -- ?"
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I saw Nick Canon said that you and Mariah should hit the stage and perform together on the show.
MINAJ: Really? Oh, no.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: Nicki Minaj`s duet with Mariah Carey? Have the "American Idol" judges come that far since their war? What the...
But which star`s jaw-dropper is the No. 1 story that`s making us say "What the.?"
SHOWBIZ TONIGHT continues right now.
(MUSIC PLAYING)
Welcome back to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. Thanks for watching.
Tonight in the SHOWBIZ Countdown is the top five stories breaking today that made us say, "What the..?"
Coming in number five, new "American Idol" judge Nicki Minaj just confessed to Ryan Seacrest she`s actually afraid she may come across on the show as the mean judge? Listen to what she told Ryan on his radio show.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MINAJ: It`s hard for me not to say how I really feel. Let`s just put it like that.
RYAN SEACREST, RADIO HOST: So are you having second thoughts on how honest you were sometimes?
MINAJ: Yes.
SEACREST: Is that what I`m hearing?
MINAJ: Yes.
SEACREST: Why?
MINAJ: Because everyone else is so nice.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: Well, that`s not all. Nicki also talks about doing a duet with Mariah, which makes us say, "What the..?" That after her infamous verbal smackdown against Mariah while they were judging an "Idol" audition together?
With me from Hollywood, Heather McDonald, who is a comedian and an author of the fine book, "My Inappropriate Life." Also from Hollywood, Sean Kanan, who stars on the hit soap opera "General Hospital", and is the author of fabulous book, "The Modern Gentleman."
OK. So, guys, she`s worried about being a tough judge. And here`s more about what Nicki said about doing a duet with Mariah.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEACREST: I saw Nick Cannon said that you and Mariah should hit the stage and perform together on the show?
MINAJ: Really? Oh, no. If she`ll have me, I`ll be there, waiting.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: What the heck is going on? Why is Nicki being so nice now? That`s not what the "American Idol" needs, Heather? They need nasty claws to come out between Mariah and Nick. They need another Simon Cowell from the old days, don`t they?
HEATHER MCDONALD, COMIEDEN/AUTHOR: They definitely do. I mean, there`s so many of these competition shows now, with the judging. It`s like, haven`t we found every talent in America now? I`m exhausted. I think we`re done searching. I think a duet with the two of them would be awful. They`re completely different. It would be -- what, she`s just going to pop in and rap during her long dolphin notes? No.
HAMMER: It would be fascinating. She certainly seems into the idea. And to add even more confusion to what Nicki Minaj`s could possibly thinking right now thoughts, I want you to listen to the lyrics to her new song, "Hell Yes." This is one of the tracks of her released album called, "The Rehab." A lot of people are suggesting Nicki is referring to her feud with Mariah in the lyrics. Let me play it for you. You can decide.
(VIDEO CLIP PLAYING)
HAMMER: OK. Did you hear that? I`m quick to check a "b," I heard her say, not me, if she`s out of line. You know, it`s lyrics like that that will keep Nicki`s feud going with Mariah potentially boosting "American Idol`s" ratings, certainly not going to be Nicki Minaj suddenly being nice that will help things, Sean, is it?
SEAN KANAN, ACTOR, "GENERAL HOSPITAL": Hey, listen, A.J., we all know that economics makes the music world spin around. If there`s a dollar to be made by having these two sing together, it is going to happen. They both have a lot of talent. And you`re absolutely right, the feud is what going to keep people will tune into the show for.
HAMMER: Yes. And I`m with Heather. I think we`ve found all the talent.
KANAN: Right around thanksgiving, too.
HAMMER: Exactly.
Well, from Nicki`s confusing messages to Madonna missing the mark at her concert last night in Miami. She showed up several hours late for her fans who may not all be fans anymore. This is it number four on the countdown of story that`s made us say, "What The.?"
Madonna`s tardy party. Yes, Madonna fans took to Twitter after waiting hours from Madonna`s concert. She does typically begin her shows on the later side, about 10:00 p.m., but on Monday night, she didn`t start kicking things off until 11:30.
I want to read one of the funnier tweets here. This one came from Susan Boo (ph). "You are 54. Stop it! Just sing `Material Girl` so we can get excited and then go home."
Heather, would you have said, what the, Madonna?
MCDONALD: I went!
HAMMER: You went to the show.
MCDONALD: I went when she was in L.A. and it was a Wednesday night, and she went on at like 10:40 and I was furious. I was tweeting. I was so mad. I mean, I have kids, I`m exhausted. She has kids. What is she doing us? I mean, my God, she did do two hours, which I give her that, but then we`re leaving the concert at 12:45. That is -- it`s too late. And her opening act was her son, D.J.
HAMMER: You don`t think she`s entitled because she is Madonna?
MCDONALD: No.
HAMMER: And only 40 minutes later for you. It`s not an hour and a half list she was last night.
MCDONALD: I would have -- if it was an hour and a half or if I knew that, I think I probably - I may have not even gone, honestly like. And she doesn`t do any of the -- she does very few of the songs that people know.
So, no, honestly, I don`t think I will go back and I`ve gone to like her concerts throughout the years since I was 16 I`ve been going. And so, I honestly don`t think I`ll go anymore. She really pissed me off.
HAMMER: All right. Let me go to Madonna fan Sean Kanan. Would you have walked out of a show if she`s was in an hour and a half late? It`s Madonna you have to stick around to see what she is going to do.
KANAN: You know, I don`t think we`re really looking at the selling point here, A.J. it`s what was going on backstage. Was it a late night? Yoga session? Was there a weird kabala thing going on? I mean be, I think that`s really the hard-hitting story we should be looking at here.
HAMMER: Yes. Well, no. And you bring up a great point because it`s not as if, you know, Madonna is not this hard-partying out-of-control superstar. She`s a pretty regimented woman with a terrific work ethic, which really surprises me when she`s so late to a show, given how hard I know she stays focused on things. But let me move now from.
MCDONALD: I think she`s just --
HAMMER: Go ahead.
MCDONALD: Yes. I think she is just inconsiderate. She`s just the ultimate diva. And she didn`t feel like going out at 10:00 and was like, who cares? It`s rude and annoying.
HAMMER: Look, she --
KANAN: She was working on her new children`s book.
HAMMER: Look. She may never address this, but I think she should because it really does come across as "I don`t care, I`m Madonna."
Well, from Madonna`s missteps now to her pal and concert fan Rosie O`Donnell who is suddenly fanning the flames of an old feud with Kelly Ripa. This is certainly made us all say, "What the.?"
Now, during a Madonna concert, Rosie seated just a couple of seats away from Kelly Ripa. Rosie and Kelly had a bit of a falling out over Clay Aiken after Rosie had suggested that Kelly was homophobic. Now, Rosie explained it on Anderson Cooper`s talk show where she was filling in along with reality star, (INAUDIBLE). Let`s watch.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
O`DONNELL: She, I think, doesn`t trust me anymore or would rather just not deal with me. But, you know, we were the same row. We were seated sort of right next to each other. But she was with Anderson so she made Anderson sit next to me. And so now I`m here. So thanks, Kelly.
Some people were mad because I said, "Boy, Kelly can hold a grudge," from the concert and then people were like, "Why did you tweet that?" Because you tweet your life, right? I wasn`t saying like Kelly is a "b." I wasn`t saying that. I was just saying, she can hold a grudge, but she`s allowed.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: Yes. Well, I think Rosie certainly knows in the past she can certainly hold a grudge as well. I won`t bring up any particular mop-top real estate moguls names. But listen, I say now and particularly given what Rosie`s been through with the heart attack and she seems to be letting things go, let bygones be bygones.
Heather, are you with me on that?
MCDONALD: Yes. But I think Kelly has every right to never speak to her again. I mean, you cannot accuse someone, especially a daytime talk show host, of being homophobic, especially because Kelly is not.
But that`s just - that is detrimental to your entire career and persona. You cannot say that. And I think that`s why Kelly got really pissed back then and then sees her at the concert and says, "Forget it, I`m not going to be nice."
If I had two hours to kill before Madonna came, I think I would make up with her just out of pure boredom, but you know. And Kelly has every right to shun her forever because you just do not do that to people. That`s wrong.
HAMMER: Yes. And you know, knowing Kelly a bit, I find it incredibly hard to believe that Rosie O`Donnell, of all people, would have suggested that of Kelly. But it was Rosie`s interpretation based on whatever went on with Clay Aiken. You know, maybe, maybe now that it`s sort of been fanned again these flames, maybe they should just address it and say, you know what, everything is good, let`s move on, people.
But who could possibly be named number one in our countdown of the big jaw- dropping stories that made us say, "What the.?" Will it be Rihanna`s concert chaos? Well, we are taking you right inside the madness at 30,000 feet on her tour plans. Will it be Lil Wayne teaming up with Paris Hilton for a new song? That certainly made me say, "What the.?"
Heather McDonald, Sean Kanan, you both stay where you are.
Moving on now, it`s not quite a secret but it is something the NFL is catching on to. Women dig football in a big way. No, it`s not about the hot guys. It`s the beer, the bravado, the action.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HOLLY ROBINSON PEETE, RODNEY PEETE`S WIFE: For years, even when my husband was active in the NFL as a quarterback, I tried to convince the NFL how many women were watching. And it was a little over 45 percent of the viewing audience, for Super Bowl especially, they`re watch. And they`re not all watching for the commercials.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: Well, it is pretty cool. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT resident superfan Nischelle Turner explains why the NFL is finally taking notice of female fans.
This is SBT. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT on HLN.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HAMMER: Welcome back to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. We`re counting down the top five stories breaking today that made us say, "What the.?"
At number five, Nicki, the mean judge. There are reports tonight that Nicki Minaj is furring fan backlash on being the mean judge on the new "American Idol."
At number four, Madonna late for her own party. Come on, Madonna. The fans were angry and they are ripping match tonight after a day of waiting hours for her Miami show to kick off.
At number three, the Rosie versus Kelly showdown. Rosie O`Donnell vows to put her long-lasting feud with Kelly Ripa behind her, saying it`s time to move on. Ladies, we couldn`t agree more.
This brings us to number two on our countdown of the stories that have us saying, "What the...?"
It`s Paris Hilton joining forces with Lil Wayne for the all-new single, "Last Night."
I want to bring back comedien and author Heather McDonald who is in Hollywood. Heather, you have Paris teaming with Lil Wayne. I hate to say this, his cred, his street cred, just got knocked down a couple of notches for me.
MCDONALD: Well, seriously. And maybe it would have helped if it was 2005. But come on, Paris is over with. I mean, I didn`t even know she was still living, honestly. I know she`s selling her perfume, but let`s just stick to perfume and not the singing anymore, please.
HAMMER: And if they do a video together, will she be carrying her bible along?
Of course, there can only be number one on our countdown of stories that made us say, "What the.?" It was Rhianna`s 777 tour that just wrapped up today, seven shows, seven countries in seven days. And to top it off, Rihanna took along 250 fans and reporters all on board the same plane. Sound like a great idea, right?
A lot of people on that plane were saying, well, it just didn`t work.
I want to bring in VH1`s Janell Snowden and Australian DJ Tim Dormer. Oh my goodness. They were on board the plane from start to finish. I know you were tired and a bit frustrated. But hold on a second.
First of all, Janell, can you confirm that Tim is wearing pants?
JANELL SNOWDEN, VH1 HOST: No, I can`t, sadly, A.J. I actually cannot.
TIM DORMER, AUSTRALIAN DJ: She keeps staring. Stop looking.
HAMMER: I realize, guys, it was tiring and frustrating, but --
SNOWDEN: We had just gotten off the plane. Our luggage is all here. We just come in.
HAMMER: And apparently Tim hadn`t unpacked yet. Buy, you streaked on the plane? I man, Tim, this gives a whole new meaning to snakes on the plane. What are you thinking?
(LAUGHTER)
DORMER: Have you seen where they blurred me out? They weren`t generous with the amount of blurring. No it is nice mike on the plane, I just got bored. We were kind a bit tired, a bit cranky. I thought everybody need a bit of a laugh.
HAMMER: I just can`t believe you got by SHOWBIZ TONIGHT security. Janell, you are sitting there, obviously had gotten to know Tim a bit. Or maybe after the streaking you got to know him.
SNOWDEN: It was afterwards.
HAMMER: What were you thinking when the guy gets naked and is running down the aisles.
SNOWDEN: A.J., honestly, I didn`t know what to think. I didn`t know who I was. I didn`t know where I was. I didn`t know who I was. We were all so delirious and just so frustrated because we were aboard planes and aboard buses for so many days. I think this was day six this happened?
DORMER: Yes, day six.
SNOWDEN: Yes. And so, all I know is I`m shooting with my iPhone, reporters chanting, "Save our jobs." Give us a story, in other words, because we hadn`t seen much of Rihanna. And then all of the sudden I`m like, oh my God, a naked a guy`s butt.
HAMMER: Jim told me. What went wrong with this plane thing that -- and Rihanna not showing up to be talked and need to do this, what happened? I thought it was supposed to be this great thing.
DORMER: Well, I don`t know, Rihanna was up at the front of the plane, we were down in the back. We saw her day one, didn`t we?
SNOWDEN: Yes.
DORMER: She came around and she poured us drinks. She was on the intercom on the plane. But after that she sort of went M.I.A. Poor girl is probably asleep.
SNOWDEN: She was exhausted in order to pull off this feat of seven countries, seven shows, seven days. She did have to rest her vocal cords. She could not exactly been that to this party. But I think people are hoping to see her a little more.
HAMMER: She pulled back. She did pull it off. He pulled his clothes so I guess it`s all good in the end.
Janell, Tim, thank you so much.
SNOWDEN: One of my shining moments, A.J. Thanks for this.
HAMMER: Nice going, Janell.
As we move on, remember the time when Sunday football couch time was mostly the domain of men. Well, guys, start making room on the couch for your girl and maybe a beer.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PEETE: For years, even when my husband was active in the NFL as a quarterback, I tried to convince the NFL how many women were watching. And it was a little over 45 percent of the viewing audience, for Super Bowl especially, they`re watch. And they`re not all watching for the commercials. (END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: Showbiz hitting a gridiron with the new breed of football fanatics.
This is SBT. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT on HLN.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HAMMER: Beckham takes a bow. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT can tell you David Beckham is leaving his soccer team, the Los Angeles Galaxy on December 1st. Soccer superstar in the team won`t call the departure a retirement. Beckham came to the U.S. back in 2007, tried to raise the profile of professional soccer on this side of the Atlantic, but he of course has been much more successful at raising the heart rates of female fans by strip being to his skivvies for a whole bunch of underwear ads.
Men and women in this country might not have taken to English football, but the good old American version is bigger than ever with female fans. Our resident football fanatic, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT`s Nischelle Turner, explores the passion, the plays and why women are the key to the future of football.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
TURNER (voice-over): She`s a mild-mannered makeup artist Monday through Saturday, but for her, on Sunday --
YORIKO BONDES, FOOTBALL FANATICS: That`s my guy!
TURNER: -- it`s how about them cowboys?
Who`s your favorite?
BONDES: DeMarcus Ware. That`s my guy!
TURNER: Her story is one the sports world has seen sky rocket in the past few years, the story of the female fan attic. When did you first figure out, I love football?
BONDES: Probably I met my husband back then boyfriend because he was always watching football on Sundays. So if I didn`t watch with him, I couldn`t see him. Because he didn`t want to see me if I don`t watch the game.
TURNER: So you said, if I can`t beat him, join him.
BONDES: Right.
TURNER: Here`s the stats. Nielsen numbers show in football alone, the number of women viewers have skyrocketed, growing by 1.5 million in the past five years, which according to Nielsen`s Stephen Master, is a big win.
STEPHEN MASTER, SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT, NIELSEN: If they can just do a little better with women, they`ll really increase their viewership and take their numbers and grow the pie.
TURNER: Oh, it`s growing. According to market research firm, Sports One Source, altogether last year for baseball, football and basketball, licensed apparel for women topped $330 million. This information now has advertisers licking their chops.
MASTER: Brands like Tide, Febreze, things that traditionally being more targeting the female audience, they`re using NFL as a vehicle to reach households because they feel that the NFL has done an effective job of not just reaching the male audience but the entire household.
TURNER: But the sports world hasn`t always welcomed the female fan with open arms.
PEETE: I`m hashtag crazyfootballmom (sic) on Twitter. And I will flood your timeline with football tweets.
TURNER: Actress Holly Robinson Peete is married to retired NFL quarterback Rodney Peete. In 2005, she wrote the book, "Get Your Own Damn Beer, I`m Watching the Game," and she meant it.
PEETE: For years, even when my husband was active in the NFL as a quarterback, I tried to convince the NFL how many women were watching. And it was a little over 45 percent of the viewing audience, for Super Bowl especially, they`re watch. And they`re not all watching for the commercials. They`re watching because they understand the Xs and Os, they know the game. We have the wallet, so we spend the money.
TURNER: And the time. You started liking them back in the days of Aikman, Michael Irvin.
BONDES: Yes.
TURNER: That`s when you really fell in love with the team?
BONDES: Yes. At that time I was just watching it because they were really winning every time.
TURNER: America`s team.
BONDES: Right! I am more into the team now than I was back then. So now I know all the players and I go to the training camp and I actually see them train and practice. So I`m like so much more into it, but, like, they don`t win.
TURNER: Even if their team is struggling. Uh-oh! Touchdown, Eagles!
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HAMMER: That`s SHOWBIZ TONIGHT`s Nischelle Turner. I got to tell you. I`m not surprised some of our female staffers are huge sports fans. I can tell you some of the pre-game trash talk that goes on around here, not safe for the workplace.
As we approach Thanksgiving, we`re all a little bit more grateful for the kindnesses that our families express, right? Well, everyone except maybe this kid. You`ve got to see the cruel but amazingly cute thing this little guy`s dad do to him. It`s all caught on tape.
This is SHOWBIZ TONIGHT on HLN.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HAMMER: Well, if you have a sibling like me, you were on the giving or receiving end of some sort of minor torture at this point, making them eat dirt, drink sour milk. You know the stuff. Well, this takes things up a notch. A dad makes his son eat a super sour candy and of course it`s all caught on tape.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We`re going to give Brayden an Atomic Warhead. You ready?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: All right. Eat it.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Put it in your mouth.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Told you it was really sour, didn`t we? It is not good?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No, no, no.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Super sour?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: That isn`t right, although I`m sure love the sister in the back totally egging their dad
But thank you for watching. I`m A.J. Hammer. You can catch SHOWBIZ TONIGHT Monday through Thursday 11:00 p.m. Eastern and Pacific.
"DR. DREW" starts right now.
END
