Return to Transcripts main page
Showbiz Tonight
Deejays `Heartbroken` Over Results of Prank Call; LeAnn Rimes Opens Up about Affair; Psy Apologies for Anti-American Lyrics in Old Song; Top Three Newsmakers of the Day; West Virginia Senator Slams MTV`s "Buck Wild"
Aired December 10, 2012 - ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
A.J. HAMMER, HOST: Tonight on the SHOWBIZ Countdown, "Forgive and Forget"? LeAnn Rimes`s emotional breakdown. She reveals new details about her headline-making affair. The emotional apology from the deejays behind the royal phone prank that may have caused a suicide. Big apologies, big scandals. It`s the SHOWBIZ Countdown that has us asking is it time to "Forgive and Forget"?
Hello and thank you for watching. I`m A.J. Hammer.
Tonight in the SHOWBIZ Countdown, the top three stories breaking today that had us asking whether it really is possible to forgive, or should we forget?
And kicking off the countdown at No. 3, the extraordinary very first interview today with the Australian radio deejays who prank-called the hospital where Duchess Catherine was being treated for morning sickness. This is a call that led to a tragedy, with the apparent suicide of the nurse who first took the call.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MEL GREIG, AUSTRALIAN RADIO 2DAYFM DEEJAY: We couldn`t see this happening. That was meant to be a prank call.
HAMMER: The two Australian radio deejays behind the prank call that may have led to one of Kate Middleton`s nurses committing suicide want the world to know they`re extremely sorry.
MICHAEL CHRISTIAN, AUSTRALIAN RADIO 2DAYFM DEEJAY: Personally I`m...
GREIG: There`s not a minute that goes by that we don`t think than family and what they must be going through. And the thought that we may have played a part in that is discouraging.
Hello there. Could I please speak to Kate, please, my granddaughter?
HAMMER: Last Tuesday, deejays Mel Greg and Michael Christian pretending to be Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Charles called the London hospital where Kate Middleton was recovering from acute morning sickness.
JACINTHA SALDANHA, NURSE: How may I help you?
GREIG: Hello. I`m just after my granddaughter, Kate. I want to see how her little tummy bug is going.
HAMMER: Three days later, the nurse who transferred that prank call, Jacintha Saldanha, was found dead of a suspected suicide. It is still unclear if her death was connected to the prank.
CHRISTIAN: I think it was...
GREG: The worst phone call I`ve ever had in my life.
HAMMER: The deejays spoke out today on Australian shows "A Current Affair" and "2day Tonight." They say when they called the hospital, they never intended to get through to Duchess Kate or anyone else.
GREG: We wanted to be hung up on with our silly voices. The accents were terrible. You know, it was designed to be stupid. We were never meant to get that far.
HAMMER: But it did go that far. The nurse who would later kill herself apparently connected them to a nurse who told the deejays private details about Kate`s condition. Now they say their thoughts are with the dead nurse`s family.
GREG: I thought about this a million times in my head that I wanted to just reach out to them and just give them a big hug and say sorry. I hope they`re OK. I really do.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HAMMER: The deejays are obviously devastated. But should we "Forgive and Forget"?
Michael Billy is with me in New York. Good to have you here, Michael. You know, you`re a TV host. You`re a radio host. It`s your job to do what you think is entertaining. That`s what these deejays were doing here. But is this something that, in your mind, can be forgiven?
MICHAEL BILLY, TV AND RADIO HOST: You know, A.J., just like you, having been a morning personality, I definitely understand how a prank can go completely wrong, and how they would never expect the outcome that they -- that they got.
That being said, it`s brought to light a great conversation on what`s appropriate and what`s not, and the proper process to go through when looking at a gag like this for morning radio. For me, 2012, we`re ending. These guys have gone through so much and that poor nurse. For me, they didn`t expect this outcome. Forgive and forget.
I`ve experienced mental illness myself in my life. It had to be something more in this woman`s life, I suspect, than just this prank to send her over the edge like this.
HAMMER: Oh, I don`t think anybody would disagree with that. And the truth is, you can`t know. When you`re calling up to prank someone, and what we know, Michael, as somebody who was on the radio for a long time, I never did this kind of shtick. But this is Radio Basic 101 Prank Calling.
BILLY: Absolutely.
HAMMER: But you never know what the state of mind is going to be of the person that you`re playing a joke on. I actually do have a degree of sympathy for these guys over what they have to go through.
I mean, their careers are wrecked right now. And it`s going to be a really long, hard recovery for them. They`re certainly not going to get a chance to do this again on the radio station where they were working, because today their show was canceled.
I want to go out to Chicago and Kelli Zink, host of CelebTV.com. For you, Kelli, forgive and forget, is it possible?
KELLI ZINK, HOST, CELEBTV.COM: Absolutely. I mean, even the stuff we do on Celeb TV or here on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, you never know what story is going to strike a chord with someone and send them spiraling into depression. And clearly that`s never our intention as journalists or entertainment reporters. And you can see that these two are absolutely devastated.
And she said, "I don`t know if I can ever even go back on the radio again. I can`t even imagine doing it." So 100 percent think that we should move on and forget it.
HAMMER: And it wasn`t even their decision, according to them, to put the call on the air. It was their boss`s decision. Let`s watch that part of their interview.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CHRISTIAN: There`s a process in place for prank calls or anything that makes to it air. And, you know, that`s out of our hands. That`s -- this was put through every filter that everything is put through before it makes it to air.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: So their show was canceled, as I mentioned, Michael. The radio station, as I see it, didn`t have any choice. But do you see them as being scapegoats here?
BILLY: There`s no way they can go back on the air. There`s no way as personalities in their branding that they can go back on the air for themselves and for the network. They`re going to have to rebrand and find themselves somewhere else.
HAMMER: That was a move they had to make.
Well, we move now from emotional apologies to a superstar`s big regrets. This is No. 2 on our SHOWBIZ Countdown of stories today that have us asking if we should "Forgive and Forget."
Rimes` reasons. We just got to see a brand-new riveting, tearful, emotional interview with LeAnn Rimes. She`s making startling allegations about her cheating with Eddie Cibrian, breaking up both their marriages before they married each other. Rimes just sat down with E! News Giuliana Rancic for the "E!" special "LeAnn Rimes," which is airing all this week.
Giuliana Rancic joining me tonight from Hollywood. It`s always great to have you here.
GIULIANA RANCIC, "E!" CORRESPONDENT: Nice to see you, A.J.
HAMMER: So I want to start by watching this. It`s pretty powerful. She`s breaking down in tears as LeAnn is telling you about this life-changing decision that ultimately would end her first marriage and change her life forever.
Roll that, Charles.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LEANN RIMES, SINGER: No one (UNINTELLIGIBLE) my personal conversations.
RANCIC: Yes.
RIMES: Would ever understand how much thought it hurt, even for each other, were put into our decision. I`ve never felt the hurt so deep, and I`ve never felt the love so deep.
RANCIC: All at the same time?
RIMES: Yes. I never knew it could happen.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: You watch her there. Clearly, it`s taken an incredible toll on LeAnn. But Giuliana, we know, when it comes to infidelity, people get pretty red hot about this stuff. However, this affair happened nearly three years ago. Do you think it`s time for people to just cut her a break?
RANCIC: I do. And I got to say, I was one of those people that when the affair occurred, I thought, "Oh, how could they? Shame on them."
And you know what? They`re still together. And after a while, you just kind of got to forgive, and you got to move on. And especially after sitting down with LeAnn and listening to her, this was not something they wanted to do. They didn`t want to hurt people.
But according to her and Eddie, they were already in broken marriages. And the fact that their love was so intense, it just brought them together. And so, you know, I got to say, in my opinion, I say forgive and forget.
HAMMER: Well, sitting there, obviously this has been one of the hugest things she`s had to deal with in her life. But sitting right across from her, feeling her energy, why do you think she got so emotional with you?
RANCIC: Gosh, you know, I got to say, A.J., this girl has been the target of so much hatred the past three years. I mean, she went from being America`s sweetheart to America`s villain and home wrecker. And to be called a home wrecker and an awful person, and having so much hate thrown at you for three years.
HAMMER: Yes.
RANCIC: Just for simply following your heart, it`s hard. And after a while, it takes a toll on you. So those tears are very real. They occurred off camera. They occurred on camera. And I think she`s just so hurt inside. And she just -- it kills her that people hate her so much.
And I think we just need to move on from this. They`re obviously in love, and cut them a break.
HAMMER: OK. So if we can move on, do you think that she should move on, as well, in terms of not dealing with this publicly anymore, and certainly cut out any Twitter battles or any public conflicts with her husband or her ex-husband or her husband`s ex-wife?
RANCIC: Yes. I mean, I think she has been trying to do that. Certainly in the past several months. I think there was a lot of back and forth with them on Twitter and in the media between the ex and LeAnn. But if you notice, if you look back, she has toned that down quite a bit.
She went into treatment a few months ago, and she`s just doing so much better since.
HAMMER: Good.
RANCIC: She`s learned a lot in treatment. And one of the things was not to engage any of this any more. So she`s calmed down, and we talked about that, too. So she`s definitely trying to back away from all the public stuff, yes.
HAMMER: Good. Well, it`s good to hear your perspective, because obviously, you know, people were saying today, some people that the tears were for show. But is she truly regretful? We`re going to get more into that, Giuliana, because I was amazed at what she told you about it. So stay right there. We`re going to show that part of your must-see interview in just a moment with LeAnn Rimes.
And also tonight, too much, Miley? Miley Cyrus has been going to great lengths to transform from Disney princess to pop queen? But has she gone too far? Look at that. Tonight, it`s Miley dancing in a bra top, sporting a short new do and dancing with a topless dancer. Everybody`s talking about this jaw-dropping performance. It was all the buzz during my visit to the set of "The Talk" today.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh, Jesus, that`s not the achy breaky.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: "The Talk" giving Miley a good talking too. These ladies are not holding anything back.
This is SBT, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, on HLN.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HAMMER: Welcome back to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. and tonight in the SHOWBIZ Countdown, we are counting down the three big stories today that got us asking should we "Forgive and Forget"?
At No. 3, the two radio deejays behind the hoax phone call to Duchess Catherine`s hospital that apparently led to a nurse`s suicide, spoke out for the very first time today to say how truly sorry they are.
No. 2, a tearful LeAnn Rimes opening up about the constant mudslinging and backlash over her cheating scandal with Eddie Cibrian in a brand-new interview with E!`s Giuliana Rancic, who is back with us tonight from Hollywood.
Giuliana, let`s watch what LeAnn told you about whether or not she has any regrets.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RIMES: I wish I handled it differently. Because I wish it could have been better for me, for Brandi, for Dean, for Eddie, and for everyone else. I know in this situation it`s going to take some time. All I wish is that everyone that was hurt, that we hurt, that I hurt can be happy.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: I`m glad to hear that she feels that way. But do you think that she`ll ever actually get that wish? Can all the people that she hurt be happy, including Eddie`s ex, Brandi Glanville?
RANCIC: I hope so. I hope they can find peace in all of this. And I think like LeAnn said, it`s going to just be a matter of time. It`s just going to be a matter of time. I mean, fortunately time does heal al wounds. So when that will happen, I`m not sure.
HAMMER: And she was being so candid with you. I`m curious, of all the things she shared with you, what shocked you`d the most.
RANCIC: What shocked me the most? You know, I probably -- I got to say probably that part right there, you know, that she admitted hey, we wish we had handled it differently.
I think a lot of people looked at Eddie and LeAnn and just thought they were just acting impulsively, they were very selfish, they were just thinking about themselves. But a lot, a lot of thought went into the decision they made to ultimately end their marriages and be together. It wasn`t just something, a decision they made overnight or took lightly.
You know, they did resist it for a long time. And they just couldn`t resist it. I mean, when there is that type of connection and that love, I don`t know how many of us would resist it.
HAMMER: No, really good point. And let`s just hope -- and you and I as people who cover these, I think, can agree -- that we all hope that she does follow through with the advice she`s been given and doesn`t engage any more.
Giuliana, great interview. Thank you so much for being with us.
RANCIC: Thank you, A.J.
HAMMER: You can check out LeAnn`s confessions for yourself on the E! special, "LeAnn Rimes."
So out of all the stories out there on our SHOWBIZ Countdown that have us asking today if we should "Forgive and Forget," what`s No. 1? Here`s your big reveal. It`s Psy, and he says he`s sorry.
Yes, "Gangnam Style" rapper Psy performed last night at the "Christmas in Washington" charity concert. It was attended by the First Family. This is after apologizing for a bombshell new report that he had participated in some expletive-filled very anti-American protests back in 2002 and 2004.
With me tonight in New York, TV radio host Michael Billy. In Chicago, Kelli Zink from CelebTV.com. And let me show you some new video that we saw today from Meteorite.com of one of Psy`s anti-American protests. This was reportedly at a concert in `02 in South Korea where he is smashing a replica of a U.S. tank after two Korean girls were killed in an accident involving a U.S. vehicle.
In another show, which was in 2004, Psy raps that American troops tortured Iraqi captives should be killed slowly and painfully, along with their families.
Kelli, despite his apology, a lot of people today are wondering if it was OK to let him perform in front of the First Family. What do you think?
ZINK: Well, No. 1, A.J., I don`t forgive him for that song, still, and I don`t know if I ever will. And I think -- you know, I don`t really forgive the American public for not researching this guy before we made him a huge phenomenon. But I do think that, you know, it`s been years, and he`s moved on. And he wasn`t doing anything out of malice. And if the American people can forgive him, then I guess it worked.
HAMMER: Yes. I mean, right there in front of the First Family. And he said in his apology, "While I`m grateful for the freedom to express oneself, I have learned there are limits to what language is appropriate, and I`m deeply sorry for how these lyrics could be interpreted. I will forever be sorry for any pain I have caused by those words."
Michael, forgive and forget? I mean, how did he think they would be interpreted?
BILLY: It`s 2004. Remember, this was a wildly unpopular war. And there was a lot of anti-war sentiment for America`s involvement. That`s one.
Artists in general do big flashy, incredibly obnoxious things sometimes to jar our attention to these types of subjects. So I`m a forgive and forget.
HAMMER: All right. And you are marked down as such. Michael, Kelli, thank you both so much.
Well, there is another foot-in-mouth moment that has touched off a viral uproar in social media. This is crazy to me. A restaurant worker`s big fat fail after leaving a nasty insult on a dinner receipt.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I was looking at the bill, and I was, like, "Why does this receipt say `fat girls`?"
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I just see it over and over again. I still can`t believe it. "Fat girls".
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: No surprise, this thing has the ladies on "The View" kicked off.
And it`s another explosive SHOWBIZ Countdown of "SHOWBIZ Newsmakers." Miley Cyrus gyrating on stage in a barely there bra top along with a topless dancer? Will Miley`s monumental transformation be No. 1 on the SHOWBIZ Countdown of "SHOWBIZ Newsmakers"?
This is SBT, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, on HLN.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HAMMER: This is a sad, sad story. Tonight millions of fans around the world trying to come to grips with the tragic death of an iconic Mexican- American singer Jenni Rivera. Rivera along with six others died in a plane crash in Mexico over the weekend.
Rivera was known as the diva of Banda music because of her powerhouse voice and her amazing performances of traditional Mexican ballads. She sold 15 million albums. She was on the hit reality show "I Love Jenni."
Word of her death spread like wildfire on social media over the weekend, and today there were so many tributes and messages of support to her family.
Joining me now is CNN Espanol`s Jacqueline Furtado, who is outside Rivera`s home. It`s the family home in Lakewood, California. Jacqueline, I`d like you to help people understand the massive impact Rivera had, because it really explains why there has been such an emotional reaction to her death over the last 24 hours.
JACQUELINE FURTADO, CNN ESPANOL: Hi, A.J. I`ve been here all morning in Lakewood, California. And I can tell you hundreds of people have showed up to kind of remember Jenni Rivera.
Jenni Rivera was not only a Mexican-American singer, she was an empire. She was loved by many, and we can see it throughout the day. She`s kind of a story from rags to riches. She was poor in Long Beach and came a long way with her music. She was known as "La Diva de la Banda Mexicana." And so a lot of people have got here to pay their respects to her.
But let me tell you a little bit about her. When she sang her songs, they dealt with topics like men, disappointments, and struggles. And she had her own struggle. She was a victim of a domestic violence, she became the spokesperson for this organization, according to her family in 2010. And besides all the struggles she had in her life, she was always willing to help the community. That`s why she is so loved by many here in Los Angeles County, but also worldwide.
HAMMER: And what can you tell me, Jacqueline, about the even greater success she was now poised to leap into?
FURTADO: Yes. We just got information that she was in talks with ABC. She was going to be having a sitcom. We don`t know much details about that, but I know that she wanted to branch out. She had a reality show on Telemundos. It was such a successful show. And I know that in Twitter she also said that she wanted to become the Latina Oprah, because she wanted to reach out to millions of people.
HAMMER: Wow, what a sad and shocking story. All right, Jacqueline, thank you so much for bringing us up to date on that.
And we move on now to our SHOWBIZ Countdown tonight of "SHOWBIZ Newsmakers." LeAnn Rimes` raw new revelations. LeAnn`s teary new confession. But what really happened during her affair with Eddie Cibrian?
Plus, the deejays behind the royal phone prank speak out. This is a story you have not heard. But will their news-making new interview top the countdown? We`re taking the SHOWBIZ Countdown on the road. I am going to the set of "The Talk," and we will reveal which newsmaker is No. 1 tonight.
This is SBT, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT on HLN.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RIMES: I`ve never felt the hurt so deep, and I`ve never felt the love so deep.
RANCIC: All at the same time?
RIMES: Yes. I never knew that it could happen.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: Right now on the SHOWBIZ Countdown, "SHOWBIZ Newsmakers." LeAnn Rimes`s emotional breakdown. LeAnn`s raw new revelations about her affair with Eddie Cibrian.
Plus, Miley`s skin-tastic new transformation. Miley Cyrus sports a startling new look and sings in a bra top alongside a topless dancer. Well, tonight we are taking the SHOWBIZ Countdown on the road. I`m on the set of "The Talk" as we reveal which shocker will be number one.
SHOWBIZ TONIGHT continues right now.
(MUSIC PLAYING)
Welcome back to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. I`m A.J. Hammer. Thank you for watching.
I`ve taken a jog a couple of blocks away from the SHOWBIZ TONIGHT world headquarters to be on the set of WCBS, which is right by where the ladies of "The Talk" are hanging out all week. It`s so great to have you here to spend a little time.
But right now we`re going to count down our "Top Three Newsmakers" of the day. There are pretty big stories a lot of people are buzzing about. Got to get your take, because you`ve always got a lot to say. Then I want to find out what you`re doing in New York all week.
But first, let`s start with LeAnn Rimes. She just gave an interview to E!`s Giuliana Rancic yet again talking about the affair that she had, and the fact that her affair ended up leading to the breakup of two marriages, and she is still trying to explain to people what happened and why it happened. Let`s watch a little clip of that.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RIMES: You might have had so many wonderful things with each other, each other`s spouses in your relationships, but something along the way broke up. And when you can`t -- you can`t break what is broken already. Cut it off.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: OK, so LeAnn obviously still very emotional about this. But a lot of people were saying after watching this that it seemed like she was almost trying too hard to rationalize this behavior, and that she is searching for the words to justify it.
AISHA TYLER, HOST, "THE TALK": You know, I think it`s really difficult because there is probably no way to rationalize it, you know what I mean? I think everybody feels pretty universally that adultery is problematic, and that if you want to be with someone else, you should end your relationship first and then move on. But also, you know, people fall in love sometimes under difficult circumstances. And I think she -- she has been the whipping girl for this whole thing for a very long time. Out of all four people involved, she alls get the beating.
SHARON OSBOURNE, HOST, "THE TALK": I feel so bad for her. I know her, and she is a very decent young girl. She is a very hardworking, decent, lovely girl. And my heart goes out to her. But two, I think that it`s time that they just stop. It`s enough already. Just stop. Move on.
HAMMER: Enough of her talk about it?
OSBOURNE: Exactly.
SARA GILBERT, HOST, "THE TALK": But I think the reason that she is talking about it is that nobody else will stop talking about it?
OSBOURNE: Well, there was a Twitter thing going on between LeAnn and whatever.
HAMMER: To her credit, she is not really giving interviews any longer. She has a relationship with Giuliana, so she said I`m going to tell you what I have to tell you. She feels that she has been taken advantage of unfairly who have spoken with her in the past.
GILBERT: And I just feel like it`s a very common situation. It`s getting a lot of attention, as if this is the first time anyone has left a relationship. But the truth is I do believe if they were in happy marriages, they wouldn`t have left them. And is it in the best way? No. But are they human? Yes. And they probably just fell in love, and that`s what happened.
HAMMER: And if they weren`t celebrities, honestly, if the people we`re talking about weren`t celebrities, it`s not like they would be getting such a hard time for such a long time from so many people.
TYLER: It`s true.
JULIE CHEN, HOST, "THE TALK": They are in the public eye. I mean, I think, look, she probably just should have stayed quiet on it because she is giving more life to an old story. And the bottom line is it`s none of our business. And we can figure it out on our own. No one breaks a marriage. She didn`t break a marriage that wasn`t, in my opinion, already broken.
TYLER: Right.
CHEN: Do you know what I`m saying?
HAMMER: Yes.
CHEN: So it`s like look, she is human. People make mistakes. And it doesn`t help that Brandi Glanville has this show, right? She is one of the real housewives. And she is active on twitter also. So it`s --
OSBOURNE: Do you remember when she came on our show and she was talking about --
CHEN: Being the victim, being wronged.
OSBOURNE: Yes. And she was doing everything on twitter. And it`s like we say why are you doing all of this thing on twitter. And she was there with her therapist. Do you remember that?
TYLER: I remember her coming on.
OSBOURNE: And her therapist -- no, she was there.
TYLER: Sitting on the set with us? That I don`t remember.
OSBOURNE: In the audience.
TYLER: OK. Where was I? To me, Brandi is the one who has been fueling this fire, and LeAnn feels like she has to defend herself. But we said it on the show. Nobody gets stolen from a marriage who didn`t want to be stolen.
GILBERT: And I don`t believe anyone is really a victim in a relationship either. I think you kind of create your fate when it comes to relationships.
SHERYL UNDERWOOD, HOST, "THE TALK": And the big thing is they have children. So both of these -- all of the adults need to start acting like adults and stop talking about it. But I can see how she`s overwhelmed because she`s not just getting it from, you know, people in the industry. She is getting it from unknown people on twitter that are making her a villain that don`t even know this young lady.
HAMMER: As much as you guys try to ignore anything badly that people might say about you, it hurts.
OSBOURNE: You feel compelled to answer it.
HAMMER: It would be wonderful, if everybody can move on and let them move on. I don`t see that happening immediately. But why don`t we move on.
OSBOURNE: We will.
HAMMER: Let`s go to number two in our "Newsmakers" countdown. Did you see Miley Cyrus, Hannah Montana, no longer Hannah, out in Hollywood over the weekend at a concert? May I share with you some pictures? There is her outfit. And here she is dancing with a topless stripper. She looks a little like Sinead O`Connor, doesn`t she?
UNDERWOOD: Ooh, Jesus, that`s not the achy breaky!
(LAUGHTER)
(CROSSTALK)
HAMMER: Of course, the conversation that has continued about Miley Cyrus is, is she trying too hard? You know, it`s been years now since she has tried to sort of break away from the teen idol status. I actually personally think she is just being her real self, perhaps more she was when she was Miley Cyrus.
OSBOURNE: She is being a young girl. She is acting her age. I love her look. I have to say, she`s got such a beautiful face. I love the look with the shaped hair. She is fantastic. She is living her life.
CHEN: Yes. I applaud that she has done this because how old is she now, Sharon? She is --
HAMMER: 22?
OSBOURNE: I don`t think as old as that.
CHEN: I was going to guess 20 tops. But in any event, she is an artist. She wants to show the world that she is a woman. She can be who she wants to be. And maybe she wants to make some headlines, you know what I mean? We can`t expect her to stay that, you know, clean-cut Hannah Montana forever.
HAMMER: No.
GILBERT: I need to see the picture of her and the stripper.
(CROSSTALK)
HAMMER: You mull that over.
UNDERWOOD: This is the same thing I do when I go bra shopping. I get a good bra fitting, I`m dancing!
HAMMER: You mull that over. We`re going to take a little break.
Only one story can be number one of our "Newsmakers" countdown. I`m going to discuss it with you. We`re going to find out who that is and what that is coming up next, and then we`ll find out what you all are doing in New York as we approach this holiday season on our SHOWBIZ Countdown.
Also ahead, what do you get when you add one part Snooki, one part Honey Boo-Boo, and a Senator who is paying more attention to a reality show than the fiscal cliff? Well, I`m here to tell you that caustic mix adds up to the MTV show "Buck Wild." It`s being called a travesty that should be stopped even before it airs.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Just got done eating about 14 --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hold on.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: Even with the controversy, could "Buck Wild" be even bigger than "Jersey Shore"?
This is SBT, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT on HLN.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HAMMER: Welcome back to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. A.J. Hammer in New York with the crew from "The Talk," the Emmy-nominated crew from "The Talk."
OSBOURNE: Oh, yes!
HAMMER: Since the last time we were together.
UNDERWOOD: Right.
HAMMER: When we were having big fun in Hollywood. Thank you for being with us as we count down our top three "SHOWBIZ Newsmakers" of the day.
Of course in number three, LeAnn Rimes still justifying, rationalizing, trying to talk out her affair that led to two marriages breaking up and her marriage and all of that.
Number two, a new look for Miley Cyrus. No Hannah Montana anymore.
Only one story can be number one and it`s a tough story. It`s the royal prank phone call that is connected with a woman in the hospital where the prank phone call was made to who committed suicide last week. Really, really tough story.
Well, the radio personalities who made that prank phone call just gave their first very emotional interview. I want to listen to a bit of that with you guys.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GREIG: I thought about this a million times in my head, that I`ve wanted to just reach out to them and just give them a big hug and say sorry, and I hope they`re OK. I really do.
CHRISTIAN: We just hope, you know, that they --
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hope they get through this.
CHRISTIAN: Hope they get the love, the support, the care that they need, you know. I can`t imagine how they feel right now. I mean we`ve -- we`re shattered. And, you know, just know that it was never intended to be anything -- there was no malice, no intent. And we just hope that -- that they`re OK and that our deepest sympathies are with all of them through obviously what is an incredibly tough time.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: OK. So as you can hear, obviously they`re very remorseful. My first reaction when this story broke, obviously you feel terribly for this woman, her family, all of the people involved. I`m thinking, and partially as a radio personality, former radio personality, I felt badly for what these deejays must be going through. Because the phone call may made, cliche, run of the mill, everybody does it kind of a thing, never expecting it to perhaps lead to or precipitate that kind of result. And obviously they`re mortified about it.
OSBOURNE: I -- see, I look at it as yes, of course. I mean they must be absolutely devastated. But when you do things like this, you have to think of some consequences. Yes, they didn`t think they would ever be put through to -- to the room.
HAMMER: With those accents in particular. I mean the goof for them as they said was we were just probably following in the footsteps of hundreds of other deejays who probably tried the same thing.
OSBOURNE: But didn`t they think of somebody will end up in trouble here? The person that picks up the call, if they get any information, somebody is going to get into trouble.
GILBERT: It`s also always bothers me when it comes to the royal family, because I feel like I always think about, you know, Princess Diana and the press essentially murdering her as far as I`m concerned. And can`t we give them a break? And can`t we just let her have her pregnancy? What if private information came out. I just think they are tortured by the media.
OSBOURNE: Why was it a good idea? Why was it funny to ring a hospital where a beautiful young girl, pregnant for the first time.
HAMMER: And sick.
OSBOURNE: She is not well. Why is that any way, any route there leads to comedy?
HAMMER: Let me ask you this, though, because you would have better insight than any of us. Look, we don`t know why this woman actually committed suicide. Obviously, there is other stuff going on there. But it`s hard for us as Americans to appreciate the level, the gravity of the royal family and how much that means to people over there, which is why if she thought for a moment, and this is where my mind went, that she perhaps offended the royals. As a woman working in a hospital --
OSBOURNE: She must have felt that she let them down.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.
OSBOURNE: And she has a family, and that would have brought shame on her family.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: That`s right.
OSBOURNE: And it`s a whole different level of respect.
CHEN: But don`t you feel like -- I just wonder, OK, look, I agree, the shock jocks, whatever you call them in Australia, they never thought they would get through, and they never -- who could imagine this tragedy would happen?
HAMMER: Let`s talk about something happy.
OSBOURNE: Yes, please.
HAMMER: The fact that the gang from "The Talk" is here in New York City.
TYLER: Yay!
HAMMER: It`s always great having you here. You came specifically, obviously with the holidays getting under way. You wanted to bring some of your Hollywood holiday spirit here. What is going on this week? You have Jason Mraz coming on the show.
OSBOURNE: Oh, huge guests.
HAMMER: This is the season to give.
CHEN: And we did something last year that we are repeating. Well, we just showed it on Monday`s show which is we ripped off David Letterman. Instead, of doing the top ten list we did the top ten list and the top ten gifts for the holidays in our mind to our audience and viewers at home have a chance to win it. So, it`s a gift of giving. We wanted to give a little bit here and some of the great guests that we`re all excited about.
HAMMER: Yes. Who else? Jason Mraz, I know.
UNDERWOOD: Terajip (ph). Hanson.
CHEN: Elementary.
OSBOURNE: Brad Pitt.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Angelica Hudson.
HAMMER: Really? See? They got it all right here. I`ll look forward to seeing you probably around Oscar time out in L.A.
(LAUGHTER)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We`ll be here.
HAMMER: Right. Check your local listings for where you can check out "The Talk" all this week when they`re here in New York City. Always great seeing you guys. Thanks for counting them down with us today.
Also tonight, it`s a story that hit everyone in the SHOWBIZ Newsroom shaking our heads in disbelief today, and it`s not just us. So this numskull restaurant worker writes "fat girls" on a dinner receipt and it touches off a viral uproar on social media.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I was looking at the bill, and why does the receipt say `fat girls`?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I can just see it over and over again. I still can`t believe it. "Fat girls".
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: Unbelievable. The fallout and the fury, coming up.
This is SBT, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT on HLN.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Around here is whatever happens, happens.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: Are those Snooki`s hillbilly cousins? What`s going on. MTV`s replacement for "Jersey Shore" might even be more popular and controversial than the "Shore" ever was. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT can tell you a Senator from West Virginia, where the new show "Buck Wild" is set, is actually pulling himself away from the fiscal cliff debate to demand that MTV pull the plug on the show "Buck Wild" before it even hits the air. He calls the show shameful, ugly, and a travesty. It sounds like a hit.
And if that kind of talk sounds familiar, it should. Remember, some Italian-Americans felt the same way just before "Jersey Shore" debuted, and we all know what happened with that. The show became the biggest hit ever on MTV. So, will "Buck Wild" be a bonanza?
Here is CNN`s Jeanne Moos for SHOWBIZ TONIGHT with the country`s controversy.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEANNE MOOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It`s as if they crossed "Honey Boo-Boo" --
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Our cat is possessed.
MOOS: With "Jersey Shore."
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hottest, craziest guiros (ph).
MOOS: And got the whitest, craziest hillbillies?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Our motto around here is whatever happens, happens.
MOOS: What happens is fighting, licking, rolling down a hill in a tractor tire. With its run ending, MTV needed a replacement for --
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Going to Jersey Shore!
MOOS: But on going to Sissonville, West Virginia doesn`t have quite the same ring to it. Better to name the new show --
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: "Buck Wild."
MOOS: New reality series starts January 3rd in a time slot now occupied by "Jersey Shore." "Buck Wild" features nine young adults. As MTV puts it, a whole new hell-raising group of friends for you to fall in love with. "Jersey Shore" sand, make way for West Virginia mud. But West Virginians are worried their reputation will be made.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Make us kind of trashy like.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Ridiculous.
MOOS: Posted one critic, "I am so humiliated as a native of Sissonville, West Virginia, where they are filming this train wreck. I am just devastated that my hometown is going to be slandered by this show. Never have I ever done any of those things, especially swim in a dump truck."
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You all want a swimming pool?
MOOS: MTV wouldn`t comment on the criticism. The West Virginia film office twice tried to discourage the show`s producers by rejecting a request for state tax credits, but the show barreled on.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: One way in, one way out. No way around. Stay the (EXPLETIVIE DELETED) out.
MOOS: The bleep was the only part of that I understood. "This show needs subtitles," suggested one poster. But it may be more civilized if you don`t know what they`re saying.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You guys (EXPLETIVE DELETED) my bed. How disrespectful was that?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: All right.
MOOS: It`s either a barrel of laughs or the bottom of the barrel.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HAMMER: Looks like a gem. That was CNN`s Jeanne Moos for SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. And the show`s executive producer just told "Entertainment Weekly" that the show is not a train wreck. He says there is a certain coolness to it that will get people talking. I`m sure people will be talking.
Well, tonight there is something else that has people talking. One guy`s big, fat fail.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I was looking at the bill, and all of the sudden why does the receipt say "fat girls"?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I can just see it over and over again. I still can`t believe it. "Fat girls."
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: This is terrible. A restaurant worker touches off a viral uproar on social media after leaving a nasty insult on a dinner receipt. This thing, even as the ladies of "The View" ticked off. You got to see it, and you will next.
This is SBT, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT on HLN.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HAMMER: So there has been coast-to-coast outrage today after three women found an ugly, ugly insult on their bill after a meal in California at a restaurant. Look at this. When they got their check, this is what the women saw. He actually put it in the computer. It said "fat girls" right there. This was apparently the way their server identified them among his other tables. Well, the women were offered 50 percent off their bill by the restaurant, and they refused that. And the incident understandably left them in tears. Watch this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It`s not funny. It`s like a -- I can just see it over and over again. I still can`t believe it. There was "fat girls" something we have to deal with.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: Fifty percent off? That`s ridiculous. Well, the horrible story had everyone talking today, including "The View" Sherri Shepherd`s who believes more action should have been taken. Let`s watch that.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SHERRI SHEPHERD, HOST, "THE VIEW": I don`t know. I think it`s just such a professionalism issue. I wish I would walk into the cheesecake factory and see "fat girl with bad wig" on the receipt. If I go back next week, I don`t want to see that same waiter there because it says to me you don`t care what they wrote. It`s just that they got caught.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: The server in this case did get punished. He has been suspended. The restaurant has issued a public apology on the Facebook page. I think the server probably should have lost a job over that and the meal should have been free.
That is it for SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. I`m A.J. Hammer in New York. Catch SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, Monday through Thursday at 11:00 p.m. Eastern and Pacific.
"DR. DREW ON CALL" starts right now.
END
