Return to Transcripts main page
Showbiz Tonight
Miss Alabama Shirking 15 Minutes of Fame; Kim-ye to Keep Baby out of Spotlight?; Bieber to Poke Fun at His Pot Smoking?; Biggest Oscar Snubs; Top Five Reality TV Madness
Aired January 10, 2013 - 23:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Cynthia? Norma is here.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: She`s outside.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
A.J. HAMMER, HOST: Tonight on the SHOWBIZ Countdown, "Reality Madness". We are counting down the wildest reality TV shows on air. And those bra whisperers have an out-sized plan to take the title for strangest reality show ever, but are they the perfect fit for our No. 1 spot?
Hello and thank you for watching. I am A.J. Hammer.
And wow, do we have a full plate to serve up to you tonight, including the biggest shockers and outrage from today`s Oscar nominations. Have you heard what`s happened here? We`re going to fill you in, including what was certainly the first time a Hitler joke was told as the nominations were being announced.
But we begin with our first big SHOWBIZ Countdown of the night. It is today`s top three showbiz dilemmas. Fire it up, Charles.
Number 3 is where we kick it off with the beauty and a beast of a dilemma. We learned today Miss Alabama USA, Katherine Webb, is now reportedly lying low after becoming an overnight "it" girl during the BCS college football championship, as men everywhere have just been swooning over her while her boyfriend led his team on the field.
Katherine, it seems, is actually afraid that all of her fame is going to muck up her relationship with her boyfriend.
We`re taking the dilemma tonight to Nicole Lapin, who is the founder of Recessionista.com and Bill Bellamy, the great comedian and also the star of the syndicated sitcom, "Mr. Box Office." It`s great to have you both here, guys.
Let`s get to some reports from TMZ. They`re saying that Katherine is cancelling interview requests partly because her boyfriend, Alabama quarterback A.J. McCarron, is upset about all the fame, not that he`s jealous, but he just doesn`t want it to overshadow his team. And we should point out she`s only been dating the guy for about a month.
So that brings us to Katherine`s dilemma. On one hand, fame and great career opportunities like this, you know, they don`t really come around every day. On the other hand, neither do good relationships.
Nicole, to you first. What should she do?
NICOLE LAPIN, RECESSIONISTA.COM: She should be out there. She`s gorgeous. She`s ambitious. She should learn how to balance her personal life and her recent fame, and he just needs to man up. She doesn`t need to throw her career away for a man.
I mean, they should look at Tom and Giselle. He didn`t dump her after she made an offhanded comment, and she wasn`t even commenting. I was at the game. She wasn`t flaunting herself. She was just cheering on her man.
Also, look to Tony Romo and Jessica Simpson of probably what not to do.
But she should be out there. She`s stunning. And he should be proud of her.
HAMMER: Yes, and I`m sure he is, and I think she`s probably just trying to strike a balance here. Katherine is telling TMZ that it`s not her boyfriend who actually asked her to pull back on these interviews. She says that she just doesn`t want them to become another celebrity couple, because she does see a future with the guy.
And Bill, I`ve actually got to respect that. But what do you think about her dilemma?
BILL BELLAMY, COMEDIAN: I think it`s really, really cute that she`s like "I don`t want it to be about me," but baby, it`s about you.
HAMMER: Yes.
BELLAMY: She is a beautiful, just like Nicole said. I mean, she`s Miss Alabama. OK? She`s not miss Detroit. She`s not -- you know what I`m saying?
HAMMER: No. No, wait, explain that to me.
BELLAMY: You got to explain, this girl is Miss Alabama. She`s a naturally pretty girl. They make a great couple.
It`s like the perfect storm. He`s a great quarterback. He just won the championship. His girl is Miss Alabama. All they need is an Alabama baby, it`s over.
HAMMER: Bill, what`s your Twitter handle?
BELLAMY: At billbellamy.
HAMMER: OK. Detroit, that`s where you send your messages.
Katherine has only done a few interviews, and she`s been very careful, trying to keep the focus on her boyfriend, A.J., and his team. Watch what she told "The Today Show" about that.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KATHERINE WEBB, MISS ALABAMA USA: I`m flattered at all the attention, and you know, I`m humbled. But at the same time, I think we need to kind of draw back our focus to who the really winners are. And but at the same time, you know, I`ll do whatever I can to help the team out and support A.J. and do all that.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: OK. So it looks like Katherine and A.J. just want to keep the focus on his team.
Nicole, even though you feel she should be seizing the moment, jumping on every opportunity that comes to her, you can`t really blame them, can you?
LAPIN: She was a public figure before she met him, a whole month ago, right? I mean, Bill, they`re like American pie, right?
HAMMER: Right.
BELLAMY: Let me tell you something. She needs to call Beyonce today, ask Beyonce how to do it. Beyonce and Jay-Z have the best combination of, you know, working it together. It works together, complement each other. It`s a great time for them. They`re young. They`re both good looking. Why not do it? What is she -- what is she afraid of?
LAPIN: He needs to man up.
HAMMER: And if there are any conspiracy theorists out there who are suggesting that she intentionally planted herself in the audience to hopefully get some attention...
LAPIN: No way.
HAMMER: I think this pretty much shoots that down.
BELLAMY: Yes.
HAMMER: All right. So here we have Katherine Webb. She says she doesn`t want her and her boyfriend to be seen as the celebrity couple, unlike the celebrity super couple that appear at No. 2 in our SHOWBIZ Countdown of "SHOWBIZ Dilemmas," Kim Kardashian and Kanye West.
Now, there`s some brand-new reports today that they plan to keep the baby they`re having out of the spotlight. This is shocking to me. I feel like the earth`s going to just implode.
"Us" magazine reporting that Kim doesn`t even want her baby to appear on the Kardashian reality shows, if you can even possibly believe that.
So here`s our Kim-ye dilemma. On one hand, they don`t want to exploit their unborn child. I think that`s great. On the other hand, a baby would be huge for the Kardashian family business, a.k.a., the spotlight. Nicole, here`s my take on this.
LAPIN: OK.
HAMMER: I always feel like you`ve got to leave the kids off TV until they have a choice, but in a way -- and not that she owes anybody anything -- she`s kind of being hypocritical when she puts her whole life out there, and then suddenly she`s going to pull back the thing that people might be most interested in? What should they do?
LAPIN: Right. Why stop now? The Kardashians have always been family centric. Kourtney brought two of her babies through reality television. If any reality family was going to do it, the Kardashians know how to do it right.
HAMMER: Hey, Bill, it`s Kanye that`s shutting this down, isn`t it?
BELLAMY: I would assume that it`s Kanye, because I mean, he probably wants to be able to have a little bit of a private life with the baby, but he`s marrying into the machine. I mean, that is a machine.
And the mom, she already got the show probably produced and everything. So you know that baby, that`s going to be the most famous child in -- in reality history.
HAMMER: So do you agree with what their alleged plan is, what we`re hearing that they`re going to do? Do you agree that they should keep the baby off reality TV?
BELLAMY: Somebody is going to give them, like, $6 million because they offered them, like, you know, 3 point something or whatever, and then Jay- Z`s kid got that number. If somebody comes up with about 9 million, "Let`s go!"
HAMMER: You`re in. Right?
LAPIN: Everything is going to be sponsored. The placenta is going to be sponsored.
HAMMER: Of course it is. You know, I just -- I really have to wonder if Kanye West is kind of starting to back up just a little bit.
LAPIN: Yes. But A.J., why stop now? I mean, why not stop with the bikini waxing...
HAMMER: Yes.
LAPIN: ... or the other salacious stuff? This is a baby.
HAMMER: Yes, but that`s not Kanye. That`s not Kanye. You know, that`s all Kim. And I think Kanye has always been aware of what`s going on with that. But you know.
All right. So who`s facing the biggest dilemma tonight? At No. 1 on our SHOWBIZ Countdown, Justin Bieber, who has to decide whether to make fun of his pot-smoking mess.
Bieber is scheduled to host "Saturday Night Live" next month, and TMZ is reporting today that he actually told everybody over at "SNL" everything about him is fair game, including those TMZ pics that just came out showing him smoking something that looks like ganja.
So here`s Justin joking about toking dilemma. On one hand, making fun of the pot smoking scandal could diffuse it; on the other hand, of course, it could reignite the smoking scandal.
BELLAMY: No.
HAMMER: Bill, what does he do?
BELLAMY: Hey, I`m a comedian. I`m telling you, hit it head on. Don`t run from it. Hit it. Make fun of yourself. And have a good time. He`s a young guy.
You know, Michael Phelps, he had a little weed. He got right back in the pool. It was not even a problem. He was a little bit of "Oh, my God," and then it was like, bye, swim, win another gold medal.
I think he`ll be fine in a couple of weeks, especially because "Saturday Night Live" is a comedy show. He`ll get a chance to address it and have fun. Actually, I`ll write the skit for him.
HAMMER: Yes, I was going to say, Bill, what would you propose? Does he get out there and sing "Puff the Magic Dragon" or something? What`d you have in mind?
LAPIN: That`s a good one.
BELLAMY: I will write a song. But that`s actually a good song there, A.J.
HAMMER: Yes. It`s one of my...
(CROSSTALK)
LAPIN: And "SNL" has had a long history, of course, of celebrities addressing their controversies, from Alec Baldwin to Lindsay Lohan, of course.
BELLAMY: Yes.
LAPIN: And if he just addresses it, we`re all going to forget about it much quicker.
BELLAMY: In most places, like, if you go to Denver, that wouldn`t even be a story, because I think they legalized it out there in Colorado. But the great song that I think he should use for his skit is called, "I Got Five on It."
LAPIN: He is such a smart kid, though. You know what, A.J.? I actually did the first interview with the Biebs on CNN, and the booker tried to convince me to interview him. I had no idea who he was. But he`s such a smart young kid.
HAMMER: Yes.
LAPIN: He`s growing up in the media spotlight. So he`s going to have some blunders with growing pains. Just as long as he addresses it, everybody is going to forget about it a lot quicker.
BELLAMY: Easy.
HAMMER: Yes. He`s a smart guy, as is his manager, Scooter Braun, who we`re also big fans of. And you know that they`re having meetings, figuring out, "OK, we`ve got this thing. Let`s figure out how do we make it work to our advantage?" I have a feeling they will.
Bill, Nicole, great to see you both.
BELLAMY: Thank you.
HAMMER: All right. Tonight we have another SHOWBIZ Countdown you don`t want to miss. It takes you inside the positively bizarre new crop of reality TV shows.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: When Cynthia and I saw Norma walking across that parking lot, it looked like everything we`ve ever dreamed of.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh, my God!
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: They`re called the "Double Divas," and you can guess what their newly-minted off-the-wall reality show is all about. They`re bra whisperers, and they are right here with me as we descend into perhaps the strangest reality show on TV. It`s one of them. From the queens of the cup to a dynasty of ducks. The reality family that`s being called the Kardashians of the heartland. Their fortune is all about accessories, too, except theirs are for hunting.
Only one wild show can top our countdown of the strangest reality shows on TV. Which will take the prize?
This is SBT, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT on HLN.
Right now it`s the "SHOWBIZ Road to Gold." Naomi Watts tells SHOWBIZ TONIGHT she was just stunned to be nominated this morning for a Best Actress Oscar for her incredible, heartfelt and agonizing role in "The Impossible."
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
NAOMI WATTS, ACTRESS: I wasn`t sure it was going to happen. In fact, I was quite certain it wasn`t, because the day before, because the BAFTA, you know, gave us no love there for the movie. And I thought, "Oh, well, you know, we got three. That`s nice. And that might be it. So that`s fine with me."
I feel happy. I`m just happy, because I`ve loved this film and it`s such an important story that gives us a way to understand what happened, which is one of the greatest or the greatest natural disaster of our lifetime.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You think this can last. There`s a storm coming, Mr. Wayne.
Your friends better baton down the hatches.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: Man, that was a good film. "Dark Knight Rises" certainly stormed through the box office this year, making more than a billion dollars around the world. It was critically acclaimed, loved by millions, but apparently not by Oscar voters. They snubbed the film today at the Oscar nominations. It got nothing, zilch. Holy snub, Batman! And you`ve got plenty of company.
SHOWBIZ TONIGHT brings you today`s biggest Oscar snubs. Like Ben Affleck. I couldn`t believe this. His movie, "Argo," got seven nominations, including Best Picture, but really, what a shocker that Ben wasn`t nominated for Best Director for this film.
Another huge director snub was Kathryn Bigelow. She won an Oscar for directing "The Hurt Locker." But she was shut out for her controversial movie, "Zero Dark Thirty."
Even Bond got booted from the list. Academy voters not shaken or stirred by the critically acclaimed "Skyfall."
With me tonight from Hollywood, Paul Dergarabedian. He`s the president of Hollywood.com`s Box Office division. And Paul, if you couldn`t tell from me and really so many others, it was just so stunning that Affleck and Bigelow didn`t get the Best Director nods. Do they top your list of snubs?
PAUL DERGARABEDIAN, HOLLYWOOD.COM: Absolutely. Most years I`m trying to figure out what the snub is. You know, you could look at it one way or the other. Some people just -- one person a snub might be another person`s appropriate blocking out of a movie.
But in this case, I think this is so egregious. I mean, what, did these movies direct themselves? I mean, you know, and even "Django Unchained." I mean, look at Quentin Tarantino didn`t even get nominated.
So I think that when you have these auteurs, these great directors who are clearly the visionaries behind these films, for them not to be nominated...
HAMMER: Yes.
DERGARABEDIAN: ... is just shocking to me, and it makes my snub picks very easy this year.
HAMMER: Very easy. And as somebody said to me, though, it`s better to be the acclaimed and critically-lauded director who doesn`t make the list than the director who doesn`t make the list than the director who makes the list that nobody thinks should be on the list. So I guess they have that going for them.
DERGARABEDIAN: Well, that`s true.
HAMMER: I don`t think it makes any better for Ben Affleck today, though.
Let me bring in SHOWBIZ TONIGHT`s Nischelle Turner. Nischelle, long day for you.
NISCHELLE TURNER, HLN CORRESPONDENT: Yes.
HAMMER: Right there since the wee hours of the morning. You`ve been on the front lines. We were live on the air this morning for our coverage of the Oscar nominations. I have to imagine there was an audible gasp in the room after the Best Directors list was read.
TURNER: Yes, there was. And that`s because you heard names that you really were surprised to hear. You heard, you know, Benh Zeitlin land for "Beasts of the Southern Wild," and there was a gasp. But people were very excited to hear that.
And then after the names were announced, you kind of saw people looking around, like, wait, wait, wait, what happened to Ben Affleck? Wait, wait, wait, what happened to Kathryn Bigelow? Are you done? Do you have more names to read? And of course, they didn`t.
Another snub that I think, though, John Hawkes for "The Sessions." I thought that he would be nominated this morning. He was not. I also thought that maybe we`d see Javier Bardem or Leonardo DiCaprio in the Best Supporting Actor categories, and we didn`t see either one of them either.
HAMMER: Let me get to one of my favorite surprises from Oscar nominations this morning. Nine-year-old star Quvenzhane Wallis, star of "Beast of the Southern Wild," making history, the youngest actress ever nominated. And she spoke with SHOWBIZ TONIGHT after the nominations were announced. Watch what she and director Benh Zeitlin told us.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TURNER: Tell us where you were when you heard your name announced.
QUVENZHANE WALLIS, ACTRESS: In the hotel room half asleep. Saw my name just rolling down like this. On the inside, it was exciting. I was excited. And just sitting there, and boom, I hear stuff just speaking about the film and you and me and stuff like that.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: Paul, how cool is that? And how great that she shares the category with the oldest nominee ever, 85-year-old Emmanuelle Riva, nominated for "Amour."
DERGARABEDIAN: It`s a great story. And I think Oscars loves this, because to have that disparity in the demographic just means that you`ll have more people watching to see who can win. I don`t know if these are the odds-on favorites to win, but it`s great to have them in the mix.
HAMMER: And it`s amazing that Quvenzhane, she -- she auditioned for that role when she was five years old.
Paulie D., Nischelle Turner, thank you so much.
All right. Get ready for another incredible SHOWBIZ Countdown tonight. It`s going to be so cool. I`m revealing the most outrageous reality shows on TV.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You don`t mess with my guy.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hey, hey, hey. Whoa now.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: Yes. That`s what it looks like when a couple of Amish guys are about to throw down. "Amish Mafia" is one of the freakiest shows ever. We`re talking fighting, drinking, gambling. Who knew the Amish could be so wild? But could they possibly be wilder than the brand-new MTV show that takes on the zany world of online romance? I can tell you, "Catfish" takes us on a weird ride.
But which bizarre new show is going to take the ride to the top of the SHOWBIZ Countdown, "Reality Madness"?
This is SBT, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, on HLN.
Right now, "SHOWBIZ Road to Gold." Ang Lee tells SHOWBIZ TONIGHT that being nominated for Best Director for "Life of Pi" this morning actually made him feel uncomfortable.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ANG LEE, FILM DIRECTOR: You know, there are 3,000 people who worked for four years, give their heart and soul into this movie. And to us it`s a leap of faith. Just making this movie will feel like we`re blessed. And now starting to get rewarded. It almost feels uncomfortable.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SETH MACFARLANE, 2013 OSCAR HOST: Now, I read "Amour" was co-produced in Austria and Germany, right? The last time Austria and Germany got together and co-produced something, it was Hitler. But this is much better. Much better.
EMMA STONE, ACTRESS: Much better.
MACFARLANE: Highly recommended.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: A Hitler joke at the Oscar nominations? Well, that definitely was a first. And the sometimes risque jokes just kept on coming this morning, from first-time Oscar host Seth McFarland.
Movie pundits and reporters who gathered for the annual announcement in Hollywood could be heard laughing out loud in the background early this morning as Seth was just ripping on the nominees for the 85th annual Academy Awards.
But of course, with the cheers for Seth came some pretty loud jeers in Hollywood today. Some pretty big names in Hollywood were not only not impressed with Seth`s humor this morning, one actually had the nerve to compare him to a Kardashian.
It`s "Rolling Stone" veteran movie critic Peter Travers who wrote this, "The only thing dumber and more cowardly Oscar can do is sign the Kardashians to host the show next year."
Hey, Pete, you know, I love you, but really?
Let me bring back Paul Dergarabedian from Hollywood, the president of Hollywood.com`s box office division.
So Paul, look, the Oscar show has been slammed throughout the years for not having a whole lot of appeal or relatability to mainstream moviegoers. Every year we hope it`s going to get the boost that it needs, and I think Seth is that shot in the arm.
DERGARABEDIAN: I agree with that. I think he is. And, you know, don`t be surprised when Seth McFarlane acts like Seth McFarlane. I mean, have you seen "The Family Guy"? Have you seen "Ted"? I mean, this is what this guy does. And they`re really going for that younger demographic, obviously.
And people were laughing there in the audience. Now, of course, it may have been an inappropriate joke to some, but this is who this guy is. This is what you`re going to get when you hire Seth to host the Oscars.
And I think it may work well. It was probably the most entertaining Academy Awards nominations early morning announcement ever.
No question about that. And look, "Ted," his movie, made $450 million. So he`s got to be onto something. I spoke with Seth, by the way, moments after he announced the nominees this morning, and I can tell you obviously he doesn`t need any help being funny. He just kind of brings it, right?
Watch what he told me this morning on CNN`s "STARTING POINT."
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SOLEDAD O`BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: It was funny. It was wonderful, with Emma Stone. Congratulations, as well.
HAMMER: We need to say thank you, Seth.
O`BRIEN: Yes. Exactly. Thank you so much.
HAMMER: It was such a cheerful way to start the day and a little different -- completely from how we have seen it.
MCFARLANE: I`m -- I`m just a working American punching in and punching out.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: Just doing his job.
Let me bring in Tara McNamara, who`s a film columnist with Fandango.com. So Tara, "Entertainment Weekly`s" Ken Tucker called him smug and condescending. But are you with me that Ken, and really, all of Seth`s critics just need to chill out?
TARA MCNAMARA, FILM COLUMNIST, FANDANGO.COM: I am with you. I agree. It was the most entertaining announcements ever, and especially at 5:40 in the morning. I actually thought, if anything, it was more tame than I expected. So I`m feeling more comfortable with Seth McFarlane as a host.
HAMMER: Yes. Totally refreshing. All right. Paul, Tara, thank you both so much.
Well, get ready for this. I am firing up another must-see SHOWBIZ Countdown. It`s "Reality TV Madness". We`re getting set to count down the wildest reality shows on TV, but which is the most off the wall of them all?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It`s hard right now. He`s on the bench, knowing the next thing he has to do is put a finger in his nose.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That`s right.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Got that.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: How about real-life buddies who love to humiliate themselves on camera just so you can watch? Or are these two ladies more your style? They`re called the bra whisperers. They`re actually using their spidey sense to lift ratings and breasts. They`re the "Double Divas," and they are right here tonight for a special "SHOWBIZ Newsmaker" interview. But will their show be the perfect fit for No. 1 on our "Reality Madness" countdown?
This is SBT, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT on HLN.
Time now for "SHOWBIZ Say What?" Hollywood hunk Bradley Cooper gives a wave to fans from the red carpet at the Palm Springs Film Festival. And we asked you to fill in Bradley`s thought bubble on HLNTV.com.
Here`s what you imagined was running through Brad`s head. One person writes, "Ha, ha, no, no, I`m not dating Ms. Swift." And someone else gave a little more snarky with the thoughts, writing, "Five million and I`ll do `Hangover 3`."
Keep your great thoughts coming. Send us your "SHOWBIZ Say What?" thought bubble suggestions at HLNTV.com/ShowbizTonight.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: When Cynthia and I saw Norma walking across that parking lot, it was like everything we ever dreamed of.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh, my God!
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: Right now the SHOWBIZ Countdown, "Reality Madness." The "Double Divas" are right here with us as we count down the freakiest, most off-the- wall and just plain addictive reality shows on TV, from divas to ducks.
The "Duck Dynasty" reveals the zany family of duck callers who take us on a wild ride.
But which reality show will top the SHOWBIZ Countdown reality madness?
SHOWBIZ TONIGHT continues right now.
(MUSIC PLAYING)
HAMMER: Welcome back to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. Thank you for watching. I am A.J. Hammer.
Have you had enough of the housewives? Are you done with the dating shows? Well, there is a crop of new reality TV shows that will make Snookie`s drunken escapades, quite frankly, look like child`s play.
Tonight, this is SHOWBIZ Countdown "Reality TV Madness".
I am talking about the wildest reality shows on TV but are we tuning in or tuning out? Well, I do know we`re definitely tuning into our number five on the countdown, truTV`s "Impractical Jokers". You can call the show kind of "Punk`d" with a lovable twist.
The Staten Island New York jokers don`t pull pranks on strangers. Instead, they humiliate themselves and the result really funny. Let`s watch.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Today we`re interviewing house sitters to watch our place while we go on vacation.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: But, it won`t be easy because we have hidden a lot of strange surprises for each other.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No matter how odd the apartment, we`ll do our best to explain ourselves out of the weirdness.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If you can`t get someone to agree in the house, you lose.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is the bedroom. Come on in.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We will finally going to hey Joey.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So, this is --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Joey.
(LAUGHTER)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I`ll, no, she --
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This is the person going to be joining us?
(LAUGHER)
HAMMER: Very funny. Tonight I am so happy to welcome one of the stars of the very funny "Impractical Jokers". Joe Gatto joins me here in New York.
And Joe, you have yourself a date lined up there.
JOE GATTO, STAR, "IMPRACTICAL JOKERS": Oh, man. I am still scarred from the moment, A.J.
HAMMER: Very funny. I love it. And I love that you and your real life buddies, you have Q, Murr and Sal, all on the show together. But how do you decide, hey, wouldn`t it be a great idea if we humiliate ourselves and not other people on TV?
GATTO: Well, we do this all the time. We have been friends actually since high school. So, we are friends for over 20 years and we know each other who really well and nobody knows how to bust friends chops as good as friends, you know that. So, we decided, you know, the prank show, we are going to invert it a little bit and just embarrass each other in front of the general public. So, they get the collateral embarrassment, I guess.
HAMMER: Is there anything better than not growing up, just playing jokes and doing it on TV and getting paid for it? I mean, come on.
GATTO: I am living the dream.
HAMMER: Nice gig.
And what`s hard to believe for me as a New Yorker is that you get New Yorkers who are the people least likely to put up with anybody`s BS to react to your stunts. I want to watch one of my favorites. Let`s roll that, Charles.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Pick your poison, buddy.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Pick someone`s nose.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It is actually a favor.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: For whom?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Talk a woman out of her bra.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There you go.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: How do you tuck your finger inside someone`s nose?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don`t know.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There he goes.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Wow. Gorgeous out, huh?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Not complaining.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He is on the bench knowing the next thing he has to do is put a finger in a stranger`s nose.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Having lunch in the park, good place to eat.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He is not going to do it. There is no way he is doing it.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You got a little something.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, oh.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No, no.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Right -- right up there, man. I got you. I will help you out.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I can see.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Gross.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It is a field of success.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: No. I am going to be protecting my nose right here.
GATTO: Careful.
HAMMER: Do you look at each other sometimes and say how old are we?
GATTO: Yes, yes, that`s the underlying theme of this whole thing, you know. At this point in my life I am like, well, hey, it is still working, so.
HAMMER: Well, it has been a runaway hit for our sister network TruTV, "Impractical Jokers." And personally I thought for a long time that reality TV needs to get more funny, maybe less of the table flipping and the fighting. Is that the reaction that you`re getting from fans and why people are really tuning in so much?
GATTO: Yes. I mean, I think people like actually watching people enjoy themselves as opposed to other earlier, you know, their stages is reality TV people would just getting mad and, you know, flipping out and angry. I mean, this one, we are just full of friends really having fun. So, I think that`s part of the charm of the show.
HAMMER: All right, give me a sense and give our viewers a sense of one of the craziest ways that you have been humiliated on the show or that you have had one of your friends humiliated.
GATTO: Well, last season we were down by the boardwalk and they actually made me for punishment the show works that, you know, we compete and whoever loses gets punished at the end of the show by themselves. I had to put a woman`s toe in my mouth that was walking around the boardwalk for a good ten hours that day. So, that was fun.
HAMMER: How did that work out for you?
GATTO: It was delicious. Still taste it. I think my favorite moment how we got somebody is actually we go back to our old high school in Staten Island, New York, Monsignor Pharaoh, and we actually give someone a live polygraph test in front of the student body and all of our old teachers and nuns and priests in attendance. So, that was fun.
HAMMER: You`re living the fantasy, man, and it is relatable and funny and enjoy. Really appreciate you being here, man. Great show.
GATTO: Thanks for your time. Appreciate it.
HAMMER: Be sure to check out new episodes of "Impractical Jokers" Thursday night on TruTV.
Well, the SHOWBIZ Countdown reality madness rolls at number four in the SHOWBIZ Countdown, MTV`s "Catfish: The TV Show". This show is now reeling in millions of fans, really on the hottest shows on MTV right now.
If you haven`t seen it, I will give you kind of the Cliff`s Notes version of the show: Two guys travel the country helping the lovelorn figure out if online romances are real or actually big fat fakes. Let`s watch some of that.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That`s your favorite? So you posted on this a couple times I really like this pic, for some reason it looks stunning and you do in every pic.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes. Something about that picture I like. Maybe it is because she is like a regular girl there, something, you know, doesn`t look famous or nothing.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This ran through my head maybe it is a fake profile and maybe somehow my ex-girlfriend is behind it all.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: It is like online dating CSI. How cool is that? With me now in New York, funny man Bill Bellamy.
All right, Bill. Let`s get into this. "Catfish" is obviously such a hit because, you know, it hits close to home for online daters or people who imagine what online dating is like. I think it is a brilliant idea. Are you in for this?
BELLAMY: I think it is actually kind of fun because you get an opportunity to see a real person try to find love in the most open way. I mean, you don`t know what`s going to happen on that show. So you don`t know if it will be a fake like you said or just going to be like a dream girl or it could be a dude that`s crazy. You don`t know.
HAMMER: It is out of control out there.
BELLAMY: Yes. It is buck wild. I can`t believe people would be that vulnerable though, to be on the show because a you have to know, it could be up or down. So I guess the lure of the show is just going through, you know, that little journey. I think it is a good idea.
HAMMER: Yes, but you go on the show and I am guessing, hey, they`re on TV. So, now, they are going to get dates if they weren`t able to get them online.
I want to bring in celeb TV host - celebtv.com Kelly Zinc. She is in Chicago tonight.
Kelly, what do you think about "Catfish?" You tuning in? You tuning out?
KELLY ZINC, CELEBTV.COM HOST: I am addicted to the show. I have been addicted since I saw the film. But I don`t know if you have seen the people. I am not exactly jumping on line to get on their profile and try to go on dates with them. It is definitely a motley crew of folks on there.
You know what, I find it heartbreaking. That is one guy watching an episode, he was overweight and a girl saw him and he lied about how much he weighed. She didn`t want to be with him because of that and the positive spin was that he was getting healthy, but it was so sad to watch and it is heartbreaking and I can`t turn away.
HAMMER: Those that cause a problem for you at the concept? Because look, you know, reality TV needs drama. It can`t just be funny and voyeur experience.
BELLAMY: Well, like she said, it is. Like, it gets sad too because most of these guys are like Regular Joes, you know what I mean? And it`s like you might get a guy kind of cool one episode and the next episode it is like a guy who would never meet the dream girl, in love with a picture, it is crazy. I mean, that`s the thing about reality, a lot of us, we get sucked in by the train wreck.
HAMMER: That is what happened.
BELLAMY: That`s what happened.
HAMMER: We`re moving on right now to number three on our SHOWBIZ Countdown reality madness.
It is Emmy`s "Duck Dynasty." Have you met the Robertsons? They`re simple folk. And they made a bloody fortune off duck hunting accessories and just like our friends, the Kardashians, the matriarch of the Robertsons really knows how to whip her family into shape. Check this out.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: From the Christmas tree to the Christmas for duck in, mom wants everything to be perfect.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You have the big. Inside the big is the turkey.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I can see the eyeball.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Inside the turkey is the chicken.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It smells horrible.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Inside the chicken is the duck.
H UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You all going to love it.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I really need them to hang the lights outside.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Always the first to volunteer for the lights.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No. We`re going hunting. This has been planned.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He loves helping mom.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What about a sweet potato pie?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I am always in on sweet potato pie.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: What? What just happened here?
I mean, I think the thing is and this is true of all successful reality TV or at least lot of shows, you tune in the first time and you see the characters who are playing here and you think to yourself, "This can`t possibly be real." Kelly?
ZINC: Oh, no, it is real. I mean, I have a crush on Chum Lee from "Pawn Stars", which is the same kind of show. I mean, you really do. You get sucked in and you don`t know why. And I am addicted to those shows, "American Pickers", this "Duck Dynasty" now unfortunately, I probably going to have a crush on Uncle Si.
HAMMER: Nice. Nice. And Bill, I think you may developing a crush right there on Miss Kay. By the way, Bill, if you didn`t hear clearly, she said kerduckin, a chicken inside a duck inside a pig. I believe you`re tuning in to get the recipe.
BELLAMY: A.J., you are killing me with your reality shows. I came on about a month ago, you introduced me to Honey Boo Boo. Now, you are taking me all the way to duckland and this is the crazy thing.
Actually, those guys are my cousins. I just released my beard. I had one. And I don`t even know a duck call, A.J., do you? I mean, I thought like it was like it is duck season, duck season, remember daffy? These guys literally have duck calls, duck paraphernalia. How many guys you know, A.J. that got their own duck accessories.
HAMMER: Well, and they made a gazillion dollars doing it.
All right, so look. We have had catfish, we have ducks, of course bras have to make it into the SHOWBIZ Countdown, right? I mean, that`s just makes perfect sense.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Last night I was up and on I don`t know what channel it was, I saw this lady about midnight, Norma steps.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Norma steps.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Basically, she is the world record holder for the largest boobs. This woman is carrying two small children on her chest.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: It was inevitable, right? The reality show about bras, the intimate world of intimates has never been so funny though. Will "Double Divas", however, take the number one spot in our SHOWBIZ Countdown reality madness? Or is it going to bounced by the bad boys of "Amish Mafia"? We have the battle for number one coming up next.
And if you thought the countdown was wild and crazy, wait until you get a load of this guy.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What kind of animal?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A lion, a baby lion. A make and everything.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It was about the size of a Labrador retriever.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: Yes. Did you see this? He is ferocious. But look at him. He does look an awful lot like a lion, right? His wild look set off panicked 911 call from people who thought there really was a lion cub on the loose. Wait until you here how this amazing lion tale played out. I will tell you.
This is SBT. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT on HLN.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It started off like normal. Everything was going good. And the alcohol started kicking in. Starting to get out of hand.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You don`t mess with my dog.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hey, hey, hey, now.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: Isn`t no party like an Amish party, right?
At number two on the SHOWBIZ Countdown, reality madness, its discovered "Amish Mafia" -- beatdowns, drinking, gambling, who knew the Amish were such a hot mess? We love it.
All right. So, we have had jokers, lovers, ducks and the Amish. But we`re doubling down for number one tonight. They call them the "Bra Whisperers" and this bodacious pair of (INAUDIBLE) of reality stars are lifting spirits and breasts one woman at a time.
Number one on the countdown, reality madness is "Double Divas."
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Cynthia.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Norma is here.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: She is outside.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Where?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We have been bra fitters for years. And our passion is helping women. When Cynthia and I saw Norma walking across the parking lot, it was like everything we ever dreamed of.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I love it.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Lovely.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: My God.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It is beautiful. Look at all of this lovely girl.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Who is Cynthia?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: That is me.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I am so glad that you contacted me. I need you.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I know.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: And then they go to work.
All right. With me right now, the "Double Divas" themselves Mollie Hopkins and Cynthia Richards.
Thanks for being here, ladies.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Thank you for having us.
HAMMER: So Cynthia, let me start with you. As we saw there, you guys actually sought out Norma. Now, this can kind be touchy sometimes. It seems like she was welcoming your help but how did that go down?
CYNTHIA RICHARDS, STAR, "DOUBLE DIVAS": I will tell you how it went down. I was up late like I never do because I like to go to sleep nine, 9:30 for the record, and I just happened to stay up late and I was watching TV and I like all of those crazy shows where you can learn something from and -
So, I was watching and sure enough next thing I see it was Norma Stits coming on that screen and she was like I just want to let you know that I can`t find a bra. There is no bra for me and they showed her going inside and trying on the largest bra they actually make in the world, and it didn`t fit her. She couldn`t get it on. So my heart went out. This is our mission. This is what Mollie and I do, and I need to help her.
HAMMER: What I love about the two of you, is you don`t hold back at all. You will stop strangers who are just walking down the street or wherever you happen to run across them and offer your help. Let`s watch a bit of that in action.
RICHARDS: OK.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Girl, look, jiggling and wig lightning.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I don`t care where I am at, if some girl comes bopping by and her boobs look like they will fly out, oh, God, I can helper.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Your bra is like this beat.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: My bra?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes. Is that like a Demi cup? Because it is very little, like not covering you.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I can`t find them any bigger.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We got an n cup. It is like no way, but we got it. You need to come on today.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Thank you.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Come on.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: I mean, it is funny. It has to be pretty startling to some ladies.
Cynthia, have you or Mollie ever encountered a woman who maybe, wasn`t really thrilled that you offered to help them and critique their bra.
RICHARDS: Yes, baby, I have.
HAMMER: How did it go?
MOLLIE HOPKINS, STAR, "DOUBLE DIVAS": It went probably pretty OK because I had a few drinks, and I was in a bar, and typically that is when I like to approach women because we all know as girls we like to show our stuff when we go out at night or I used to. I don`t do it anymore. But, we used to, and so a lot of times you can see more of what somebody is working with because they`re wearing tighter clothes or they are wearing a really bad bra, and so I had a real knack for going up to people and telling them what size they need to be and whether they wanted me to or not.
HAMMER: I want to thank Mollie Hopkins and Cynthia Richards. Be sure to watch "Double Divas" on Lifetime. So much fun.
All right, folks. Wildest reality TV shows to a wild mix up that actually sparked a 911 frenzy. Is this a lion on the loose? Watch.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What kind of animal.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A lion, a baby lion. It has a mange and everything.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It was about the size of a Labrador retriever.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: Yes. Did you see this? The unbelievable story of the dog who sparked panic and pandemonium because he looked like a lion and now he is an overnight star. Wait until you hear the tale of the Labralion next.
This is SBT, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT on HLN.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You are really enjoying this fame, I think.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think he knows he is famous.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You actually cut him to look like a lion.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: I think it is so cool looking. Do you believe that guy caused mayhem and a flurry of 911 calls in Norfolk, Virginia. It is true. It is Charles the Labradoodle making an appearance on GMA today after a bunch of people actually mistook Charles for a lion cub on the loose and called the cops. It is a simple case of mistaken identity. But it did lead to some serious chaos and now overnight fame. So why the heck did Charles`s owner make him look like this?
CNN`s Jeanne Moos has the story of the coif that caused so much confusion.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEANNE MOOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): We have seen a dog in a pert show in a dog at a pet in China, made to look like a panda and a horse made to resemble a poodle. This is the tale of a dog with such a convincing haircut that people thought he was a lion and called 911.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And there was a lion that ran across the street, a baby lion.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: OK. Where? What kind of animal.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A baby lion.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It was about the size of a Labrador retriever.
MOOS: Actually, he is a Labradoodle named Charlie.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: But, until people I tell people he is a Labralion.
MOOS: Shaved like this to play the part of an unofficial mascot for old Dominion University. The 911 calls came on. Norfolk police called the Virginian zoo to confirm that both of his lions were secured and accounted for and that`s the zoo`s director posing with Charlie. The dog and the owner Daniel Painter, live near the zoo. When people spot Charlie walking there, they really freak out.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I have seen them dive through the window to get into a car thinking a lion is after them.
MOOS: In the wake of the 911 calls --
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We are not going anywhere.
MOOS: Charlie has become famous. This Facebook page he is getting a lion`s shares of likes.
We are being lie. And as we said, the color of Charlie Mane was natural. He gets the mane and the tip of the tail died. The groomers call it doggy style.
How often does he need maintenance to look like a lion?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: About once every four months.
MOOS: At least he is no cowardly lion even if he does resemble the one in "The Wizard of Oz". It is enough to give a dog a split personality. No wonder folks are in an up roar.
Charlie may not be an MGM trademark, he already made his mark and he is only three.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He is the most friendliest Labralion you`ll find.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HAMMER: (INAUDIBLE). And CNN`s Jeanne Moos for SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. AND I got to say that is one rip-roaring tale.
OK. Things are about to get really wild as we name our most provocative celebrity of the day, not Charlie the Labradoodle but one store avoiding the spotlight and another ready to put his scandal on stage. Who locked in the vote for most provocative celebrity? I have the big reveal coming up next.
This is SBT, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT on HLN.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HAMMER: Right now, it is time for SHOWBIZ TONIGHT to name the most provocative celebrity of the day. And today, there was again fierce competition including reports Justin Bieber is getting "Saturday Night Live" free rein to make pot jokes when he hosts the show next month. I guess he is embracing the photos of the what appears to be pot.
But tonight, the most provocative celebrity is stirring the pot in a much different way.
SHOWBIZ TONIGHT naming you the most provocative celeb of the day to go off the grid just as your shot to instant fame comes on.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KATHERINE WEBB, FORMER MISS ALABAMA: I am not kidding you when I say I have literally been on the phone like all day long.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: Webb became a household name, of course, after legendary sportscaster Brent Musburger sparked an all out friends by the comments about the Miss Alabama USA just watching her boyfriend.
Alabama quarterback A.J. McCrron win the BCS football championship. And brand new reports say Webb canceled at least eight interviews so the attention can be put back on A.J. and Alabama`s big win. I think it is commendable.
But this is a potential jackpot for her, a once in a lifetime chance to cash in on modeling contracts, a job offer from Donald Trump and a lot of people are saying she is crazy to not seize the moment. I guess we`ll wait and see if Katherine Webb decides to stand by her man or pursue her newfound fame.
Thank you for watching. I am A.J. Hammer in New York. Golden Globes this Sunday night and we will have special live coverage Monday morning, 10:00 Eastern and all the surprises and snubs.
HLN continues right now.
END
