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Showbiz Tonight
What`s Truth Behind Manti Te`o Hoax?; Did Maria/Nicki Feud Deliver `Idol` Drama?; `Real Housewives of Atlanta` Star Engaged
Aired January 17, 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)
SHAWTY LO, RAPPER: It`s a lottery at it (ph). A lot on today right today is way worse than, probably, she was going to see, on my reality show. I think I feel like problems on this TV reality show was lame.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
A.J. HAMMER, HOST : A big SHOWBIZ exclusive. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT going one on one with rapper Shawty Lo on the outrage that led to the cancellation of his reality show, "All My Babies` Mamas." But will that top tonight`s SHOWBIZ Countdown, "Biggest Buzz Makers of the Day?"
Hello. I`m A.J. Hammer. Thank you for watching.
We will get to that SHOWBIZ exclusive with Shawty Lo later on, but we begin tonight with the mind-boggling mysteries in that Notre Dame football hoax. The baffling search for answers today in the shocking story of Manti Te`o, Notre Dame`s star football player, who claimed his grandmother and his girlfriend both died within hours of each other.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MANTI TE`O, STAR NOTRE DAME FOOTBALL PLAYER: I cried. I yelled. I never felt that way before. This is six hours ago, I just found my grandma passed away, and you take, you know, the love of my life. Last words shirr said was, "I love you," and that was it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: That in itself was such a stunning story, obviously. But as it turns out, the love of his life, his girlfriend wasn`t real. She never existed.
Manti Te`o is claiming that he is the victim of a cruel hoax. The kind of hoax we see week after week on MTV`s show "Catfish," based on the movie of the same name. Well, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT is bringing you news-breaking coverage with Max Joseph and Unique Shulman (ph). They both star in the MTV show "Catfish." Nev first brought us the documentary "Catfish," and he was the real-life victim of a similar hoax. They`re joining us from London tonight.
Also with us tonight, Tyler Moorhead. Tyler is a student at Notre Dame who got a lot of attention today when he revealed that he and fellow students had doubts about Manti Te`o`s story all along.
I also want to bring in Carlos Diaz from HLN`s "MORNING EXPRESS."
Carlos, this is one of the wildest stories I think the sports world has seen in decades, if you asked me. Who do we believe here? It`s outrageous.
CARLOS DIAZ, HLN`S "MORNING EXPRESS": Yes, it is outrageous. First off, A.J., you`re real. Right? I want to make sure of that.
HAMMER: I am 100 percent real.
DIAZ: Good. Thank you.
But no, it is an outrageous story, in all seriousness. Because you have a situation where -- and I`ve been going back and forth all day as to who I believe. You know, on one hand you say, "Well, it sounds to me like Manti Te`o was lying," because you sent white roses to her. Let`s see the receipt of the roses that you bought, and where did you send them? And where in Carson, California, did she die? And what`s the funeral home? You know, and all these different things. Let me see the phone records of you talking to her every night and falling asleep and having a five-hour time on your phone, or eight-hour time on your phone of being there. So I think you`re saying, "Hmm. I don`t know if he`s telling the truth."
But then you say, well, if this is some hoax that he`s involved with, why would he come forth less than two weeks before the biggest game of his life? Why would he come forth at that time to tell Notre Dame officials about this? That doesn`t make any sense. That kind of implies that he is, you know, a victim of a hoax here.
You know, so there are so many things. You talk to students on campus. They say he`s kind of a home body. He`s the kind of person that`s not out and about, that he would be the kind of person that would have an Internet girlfriend.
So there are so many things, so many inconsistencies here, that can lead you one way or lead you another. The bottom line is, we need to hear from Manti Te`o, who`s training in Florida right now. We need to him -- we need for him to come forward and say, "Listen, here is the truth," because right now he`s getting ready for the NFL, and NFL executives are scratching their heads.
HAMMER: Well, let`s go to somebody on that Notre Dame campus. Tyler Moorhead, a student there. Tyler, do you believe that Te`o is telling the truth, or do you believe that he made up this whole online girlfriend and the story that she died?
TYLER MOORHEAD, STUDENT AT NOTRE DAME: I do believe that he`s telling the truth. I think that he truly was duped by whoever the cruel pranksters were that kind of created this fake Lennay Kekua character. I really think that he was tricked into believing that she existed, that this was a real relationship.
And that doesn`t necessarily mean that Manti Te`o has been 100 percent innocent here. He`s probably fed off too much media hype and shouldn`t have played into the story so much and made it seem so significant. But I do truly believe that he did not orchestrate this event, and this was not created by him, but he -- he has been duped.
COOPER: And I`m curious what the general feeling is there at Notre Dame? Because obviously, it`s been so emotional for everyone, including the college`s athletic director, who really broke down about this. Let`s watch that.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JACK SWARBRICK, ATHLETIC DIRECTOR, NOTRE DAME: The thing I am most sad of, sad about, is -- sorry. That the single, most trusting human being I`ve ever met will never be able to trust in the same way again in his life.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COOPER: Now, he seems to believe that Manti Te`o is telling the truth, Tyler, and I know that Notre Dame is standing behind Manti 100 percent, but what`s the general feeling on the Notre Dame campus among your fellow students there?
MOORHEAD: I think there`s -- there`s two camps right now. I think one really does feel betrayed. Part of it is that the Deadspin came out all at once, that report, and it was in such detail that it was hard to get that out of people`s heads as soon as it came out.
And now there`s been a lot of other questions that have come out afterward, and even a lot of -- a lot of Twitter scandals that may have made it seem like Manti really was duped, as you know, supposedly the people pretending had shown that they were faking this account. So I think that a lot of people also want to believe Manti.
And obviously, the bottom line is we need to hear his side of the story. He has four years of credibility of being a great human being to everyone, to being gracious and being humble, and I think that at the very least, that earns him his spot. He deserves a spot to be heard before any judgments are made.
HAMMER: Yes. I think there`s no question about that. Let me bring back in Carlos Diaz from HLN`s "MORNING EXPRESS." And Carlos, you were there at the BCS college championship game when he was playing.
Here`s the thing: there`s obviously so much interest in the story, and everybody seems to have an opinion. I heard, when I was walking to work today, two guys talking about it. One guy says to the other, "There`s no way that he couldn`t have had something to do with this."
But what if he had absolutely nothing to do with this? Can he possibly get beyond it? I mean, it just seems like he`s being dragged through the mud on so many levels?
DIAZ: Had really is in a no-win situation, because he`s either lying, which means he`s a dishonest person, or he`s extremely gullible. And I don`t know if you know, but when you`re a big star in the NFL -- he`s a projected first-first-round pick. A lot of people wanting to get to you. And if you`re that gullible that might be a black mark for several NFL owners to say, you know what? If I want this guy who doesn`t have the big maturity to be on my team.
I mean, and that`s why the story has so many layers. I mean, Manti Te`o is a leader on the field. He`s addressing his team; he`s leading his team. Yet, off the field he can`t get a girl and you`re the star of the Notre Dame football team? You could get any girl want on campus, yet you choose an imaginary girlfriend that doesn`t exist. See, there`s so many questions with this that makes it just -- in a word, creepy.
HAMMER: It is creepy, and everyone today was comparing this to the MTV show and documentary "Catfish" about online dating hoaxes.
Max Joseph, who is a documentary filmmaker, who stars on the TV show "Catfish," and Nev Schulman, who also stars on the TV show and brought us the documentary, "Catfishing," that the show was based on, with us tonight from London. Thanks for being here, guys.
And starting with you. The documentary is all about how you also got hoaxed. So does Manti Te`o`s story seem plausible to you?
It really does. A lot of the details surrounding the story sound like things we`ve seen before. And even in my cases ring true.
He was introduced to someone. They started communicating online, and much like what we`ve seen in a lot of "Catfish" scenarios, the person in question was the victim of a car accident and then cancer, which are things that we see often in "Catfish" relationship scenarios.
HAMMER: Max what about you? Because n his press conference, Notre Dame the athletic director said that the people behind the so-called hoax, as he put it, enjoyed the joke, and he did compare it to "Catfish," which had everybody buzzing about your film. Do you see it that way? Do you see the straight comparisons?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I definitely see the comparisons. We`ve seen many instances of people getting duped on various levels of complexity in terms of the deceit. This one being very complex deceit, obviously. And there are definitely parallels in that the -- the catfish in this instance carried this on for a long period of time, and obviously knew how to manipulate Manti to a, to a degree that could illicit emotional reactions from him, and -- and manipulate him to the point of, you know, tears and grief and bereavement.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: Well, listen, I know there are obviously going to be more investigations into this, and I`m thinking, you guys being the experts, they should ask you to join in and help out. Nev, would you be interested in doing that if they did approach you?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: In fact, I`ve been involved in the investigation as two of the people who were connected to the story actually reached out to me looking for help. They knew about the show, and they were hoping to sort of get our services in not only investigating Lennay and her character but also unleashing and uncovering the truth and helping clear their names as they become involved unintentionally.
HAMMER: There`s no question we do need answers and I think you guys are the guys to get some of those answers. I appreciate you being here, Max and Nev. Also Carlos Diaz and Tyler Moorhead. Thank you so much.
Well, coming up, we`ve got the "Biggest Buzz Makers of the Day." Like rapper Shawty Lo`s battle against the world.
No joke here. We are one-on-one with Shawty Lo on the massive controversy and cancellation of his reality show "All My Babies` Mamas." Or will Tiger`s reported $50 million plea top the countdown?
Yes, we`re hearing Tiger willing to sign the $350 million contract not to cheat if he can get his ex-wife back. Which buzz maker tops our SHOWBIZ Countdown?
This is SBT, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, on HLN.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
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RANDY JACKSON, JUDGE, "AMERICAN IDOL": Nicki has a drum major hat here.
MARIAH CAREY, SINGER/JUDGE, "AMERICAN IDOL": From my dog, like -- We can have accessories I didn`t know that was allowed. That`s the last thing I`m going to say.
NICKI MINAJ, SINGER/JUDGE, "AMERICAN IDOL": Don`t -- we`re going to play nice.
CAREY: I actually love the hat. No, I do.
MINAJ: Thank you.
CAREY: It`s cute.
MINAJ: But why did you have to reference my hat?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: OK. It was the SHOWBIZ showdown that millions of people could not wait to see, but did it deliver the drama that everyone expected?
The debut of Mariah Carey and Nicki Minaj on "Idol" has really taken on a life of its own, pretty much overshadowing everything else about the show, right?
Long before "Idol`s" new season premiered, we knew that the two of them butted heads. Of course, there was that leaked video of their shouting match during auditions. Mariah even told Barbara Walters she felt unsafe working with Nicki because of some gun threats that Nicki denies ever making.
So how did the diva drama actually play out on the show? Well, I must go to an "Idol" insider to weigh in on this one, former "American Idol" contestant Kimberly Locke joining me now.. Always great having you here, Kimberly.
KIMBERLY LOCKE, FORMER "AMERICAN IDOL" CONTESTANT: Thanks.
HAMMER: So what do you think? This whole Mariah Carey, Nicki Minaj drama, was it good for the show?
LOCKE: Listen, one thing "American Idol" is good at is, you know, the drama before the show actually starts, like creating that buzz, and they did it. I mean, they did it again.
Nicki Minaj, I mean, she says things that I thought might have been a little bit inappropriate, but I have to say it was nice to see her personality on TV. You know, we always see her as a character.
HAMMER: Right.
LOCKE: And, you know, Mariah, I do believe she was a perfect fit for the show. This whole dynamic, I`m having a hard time deciding whether it`s contrived or if it`s real. It might be a little bit of both.
HAMMER: We need a little more time to tell exactly how it`s going to all play out, of course.
I was pretty underwhelmed. I don`t know if I was just tired, but I felt a little bored by it, I guess, based on my expectations. But let me bring in VH1`s Michelle Buteau.
So Michelle, now that we`ve seen Nicki and Mariah in action, do you think that they`re going to give the show the boosts that the producers are looking for here?
MICHELLE BUTEAU, VH-1: Of course they`re going to give the boost that everyone`s looking for. But can we just talk about it for two seconds? A dog is not an accessory. Can someone -- she`s such a big diva that a dog is -- it`s a live thing. It is not an accessory.
HAMMER: She was kidding. You know she was kidding.
BUTEAU: Did they have a meet and greet with the ladies before they put them in the room?
LOCKE: I mean, Mariah lived up to her -- you know, she lived up to her title. She lived
BUTEAU: She does.
LOCKE: She`s a diva. Come on.
Buteau: Yes, but Kimberly, come on, they`re making Paula look like the sane judge up in here? What is happening? They`re terrible, terrible judges. But it`s great entertainment. I`m going to watch it.
LOCKE: You know what? It`s great entertainment. Hands down, that`s the truth.
HAMMER: OK, Kimberly, you brought up a great point, though. It was really great seeing Nicki`s personality in a different way. Because quite frankly, a lot of big stars can be kind of one-dimensional. They`re very controlling over how we get to see them.
Buteau: Wait. How did we -- I`m sorry. How did we see Nicki in a different way? She was outrageous with wigs. She complimented herself, and she was yelling at people.
LOCKE: Yes, but she actually got to talk, and I saw her compassion for some of the contestants, and that was really nice. Up know, it`s always nice to see -- we need to see the human side.
Buteau: It`s about the contestants. The drama should be with the contestants.
HAMMER: Well, this is what I want to ask you, Kimberly. As a former contestant on the show, you know, a lot of people complained over the past couple of seasons that the show has become too much about the judges. Too much focus is on them, not enough on the contestants. Do you see it that way?
LOCKE: Well, I think this particular part of the show, it`s about the bad contestants. It`s about the judges. It`s a TV show first. These guys are trying to get ratings, and that`s what`s they`re good at, you know?
And, hey, we`re still watching at the end of the day. So I think that it`s OK that it`s about the judges right now. Trust me. When it gets down to the grit of the competition, they`ll get to the contestants.
HAMMER: And look, it was only the first episode. They`re just keying things up.
LOCKE: Absolutely.
HAMMER: Kimberly Locke, Michelle Buteau, I want to thank you both so much.
Buteau: I love you, A.J.
HAMMER: I love you, too. And make sure everybody picks up Kimberly`s new single. It is so good. "Finally Free" is available on iTunes.
OK. What is the real deal with Howard Stern`s Lena Dunham nasty slam, calling her a little fat girl who looks like Jonah Hill?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LENA DUNHAM, ACTRESS: I enjoy this "little fat chick" label.
HOWARD STERN, RADIO SHOCK JOCK: Right.
DUNHAM: You have a very beautiful slim wife.
STERN: Yes.
DUNHAM: I`m not that fat, Howard.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: Is Stern eating crow? Was the "Girls" star really offended? The story is getting huge buzz tonight, but is it bigger than the coast-to- coast controversy over the now -reality show "All My Babies` Mamas" starring rapper Shawty Lo?
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HAMMER: Tonight rapper Shawty Lo is right here taking on his haters, but which outrageous story will top our SHOWBIZ Countdown, "Biggest Buzz Makers of the Day"? This is SBT, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, on HLN.
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KANDI BURRUSS, REALITY TV STAR: I am very happy that Todd and Riley have become close, because if she didn`t like him and it didn`t go so well, I might have to give him the boot.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: That`s "Real Housewives of Atlanta`s" Kandi Burruss talking about the relationship between her 10-year-old daughter, Riley, and her beau, Todd Tucker.
Well, not only did Riley approve of Todd, Todd asked Riley for her blessing before he proposed to Kandi. And now Kandi is getting married. Kandi Burruss is with us tonight from Atlanta, sharing the big news here on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
Congratulations. Let me see the ring. Put it right up. Charles, take a shot there. Look at that. How do you hold your hand up? I mean, I don`t understand. It`s a lot of exercise just doing that.
BURRUSS: Ha, ha, ha. Well, I don`t know. It`s, you know, I`m very happy. I`m excited. You know, I was surprised and all of that. But you know, it`s cool. It`s a cool feeling.
HAMMER: It`s a pretty exciting time, right?
BURRUSS: Coming into 2013, engaged. It`s great.
HAMMER: Now, did you have to keep the romance a secret, at least at first? Because Todd was a producer on "Real Housewives"?
BURRUSS: Yes, I did. We did. It was kind of crazy, because, you know, he did work on our show, and at first you know, we were you know, just going to see each other in places where we didn`t think we would run into anybody else. But then, after a while when we decided to take the relationship serious and go to the next level...
HAMMER: Yes.
BURRUSS: ... then he was going to resign from the show, and, you know...
HAMMER: No H.R. issues there. All right.
Now, I have to ask you this, because I`m a little concerned. I`ve seen what happens when couples involved with reality TV get married. Sometimes things -- implode. Are you at all concerned about that? Are you going to take precautions so it doesn`t happen to you?
BURRUSS: Well, I mean, I don`t know if there`s any precautions to take. You know? He didn`t really even want to be on the show. You know? It was like, you know, they were like, "Kandi, you can`t keep your relationship secret, because that`s just going to be weird if you are taped every day for this show, and we have to avoid shooting him."
HAMMER: Right.
BURRUSS: And so he finally, you know, opened up a little bit, but this is not really his thing to be on TV. And -- but so far it`s, you know, it`s been cool for us. And I just hope it continues to be so, because I feel like we get a lot of support from the fans of the show. They show us a lot of love.
HAMMER: All right. And he had a big smile about it all. So listen, you`ve got the "Real Housewives," your wildly popular adult toy brand still going strong.
BURRUSS: Yes.
HAMMER: Your biggest job, however, is as a singer and songwriter, and people may not know this, but you wrote the Destiny`s Child now-classic hit, "Bills, Bills, Bills." As you know, they just released a new single called "Nuclear" for a compilation album. Listen to some of it with me. All right?
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(MUSIC: DESTINY`S CHILD, "NUCLEAR")
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: Bringing back the shuffle groove, Kandi. What do you think? What`s your professional opinion?
BURRUSS: Well, I don`t think I heard enough of it to make an opinion, but I am excited about Destiny`s Child getting back together, because I feel like they were a great group. And, you know, to see all of them have individual success, and now they`re coming back together. You know it`s going to be -- it`s going to be hot.
HAMMER: It is pretty wild. And hopefully they won`t be too bothered that Beyonce, apparently, is the sexiest woman of the millennia now according to...
BURRUSS: Really?
HAMMER: Well, somebody`s named her that. Why the heck now?
Kandi, I want you to stay where you are. Get comfortable. Rest your ring finger. Because I need to get your take on one of today`s "Biggest Buzz Making" stories. Is Tiger Woods trying to get his ex-wife back?
Yes, there are reports out there that Tiger wants Elin Nordegren back so badly he may be willing to bow to her demands for a $350 million anti- cheating contract.
And speaking of stars, what would Suze say? She`s one of my favorite people in the world. The great Suze Orman taking Kim Kardashian, Kanye West and pre-nups to the next level.
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SUZE ORMAN, PERSONAL FINANCE EXPERT: Well, I hope everything works out. They better have a clad, ironclad-type prenuptial agreement.
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HAMMER: You do not want to miss what else Suze has to say about Honey Boo- Boo and Charlie Sheen, too.
This is SBT, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, on HLN.
It is time now for "SHOWBIZ Say What?" So the lovely Megan Fox was snapped with her hubby, Brian Austin Green, at the Golden Globes. Now, this could have been a perfectly cute shot, but what is Megan thinking here? Well, here`s what you imagined is running through Megan`s head.
One person writing, "I would love to eat this food, but I`m one-fourth of an ounce overweight."
Someone else writes, "Really, how can I eat this with the camera on me?"
Very clever and possibly very true. Please keep your great thoughts coming. You can send in your "SHOWBIZ Say What?" thought bubble suggestions by heading on over to HLNTV.com/SHOWBIZTONIGHT.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HAMMER: Right now the SHOWBIZ Countdown, the "Biggest Buzz Making Stories" breaking tonight. Rapper Shawty Lo fights back. He`s got a brand-new petition to bring back his controversial reality special after Oxygen pulled the plug. I am one on one with Shawty in a SHOWBIZ TONIGHT exclusive. He is speaking out for the first time about the outrage over "All My Babies` Mamas."
But will Shawty`s counterpunch top the wild new reports that Tiger Woods want Elin Nordegren back, yes, so badly he may be willing to cave to her demands for an anti-cheating contract. What will be No. 1 on our SHOWBIZ countdown of buzz making stories breaking tonight? SHOWBIZ TONIGHT continues right now.
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HAMMER: Welcome back to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. Thank you for watching. I`m A.J. Hammer. And tonight, we kick off our SHOWBIZ countdown of today`s top 3 biggest buzz makers. Firing things up at no. 3, with reality TV outrage. The Oxygen Network has just caved under public pressure and canceled the all-new reality special "All My Babies Mamas" after public outcry turned to outrage. The Oxygen special was to follow the life of rapper Shawty Lo and his 11 kids by 10 women. But the mere concept caused an uproar with the petition that demanded that Oxygen pull the plug.
I spoke with the woman behind the petition about the reason for her outrage, and here`s what she told me.
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SABRINA LAMB, CEO, WORLDOFMONEY.ORG: You don`t have the right without criticism from the world to trot your children, to bring your children, along to witness your toxic behaviors. On this particular -- in this particular pilot, you saw the women engage in juvenile female power struggles. You saw the -- saw them fight for the sexual reward, the emotional reward, the financial support of this one supposed to be father. There was a countdown where he tried to remember the names of his children, and then the blatant message is, unprotected sex is good.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: Well, Sabrina obviously very passionate and determined and tonight successful in her efforts. And now for the very first time since Oxygen pulled the plug on "All My Babies Mamas," rapper Shawty Lo is speaking out, joining us tonight from Atlanta for this SHOWBIZ newsmaker exclusive, and I appreciate you being here.
SHAWTY LO: How are you doing, Mr. Hammer?
HAMMER: I`m doing very well. You heard Sabrina there, Shawty Lo. Do you get why she and so many people so desperately wanted your show booted from the air?
SHAWTY LO: Well, you know, I feel Sabrina. She probably just seen a 13- minute clip. She did not get the full chance to get going and see what`s going on. Basically, the show is basically going to be about me showing how I deal with my 11 kids and my ten baby mothers, and basically I haven`t had a child in 11 years. I`ve been a rapper Shawty Lo since the year 2006. So, you know, I`ve (inaudible) financial, emotional and physical, but it was not trying to show that -- about no promoting unprotected sex, because if I was promoting unprotected sex, I would have been having another child, within 11 years.
HAMMER: But let me ask you, was there anything that was to appear on the program that you might have been concerned that your kids were going to see? Because I think that was a big concern of hers. These are kids who are going to be exposed to these different parts of your life, and quite frankly, you were putting them out there for all the world to see?
SHAWTY LO: Basically, you know, my life -- I grew up hard in Atlanta, Georgia. In my projects, was (inaudible) projects, off of Bankhead Highway. And you know, I was raised, my mother was on drugs, my dad was elsewhere. My grandmother raised me. She died from cancer when I was 17. So you know, I had no father figure, you know I had had no guidance, and I did a lot of stuff in my life that you know, I wasn`t supposed to.
And I can`t -- I don`t want to bring up my life story, but I can`t be like a very (inaudible) in the Atlanta area, and you know, I was blessed to turn a negative into a positive, but turned my life around, but during that period, I had a lot of kids.
And, you know, as I got older, I came to my senses. You know, that was my teen life. But I can`t take back what happened. I`m in my children`s life. All of them, 11. And some parents don`t take care of one child. I take care of 11 kids.
HAMMER: Well, nearly 40,000 people, as you know, signed this petition saying they didn`t want to see your story on TV and "All My Babies Mamas." So what do you say to all of those people tonight?
SHAWTY LO: Basically, you know, it`s 40,000 versus it`s millions of folks in the world. 40,000, that`s a very low number. You know? So we know, we got a petition right now for the people to sign saying they want to see the show.
HAMMER: So here`s the thing. I think a big fear also was that it was going to glorify the idea of what pretty much everybody I`ve ever spoken with views as something that was irresponsible, having so many kids with so many women. Do you think that given your situation as a dad of 11 kids with 10 women, you aren`t in the position to send the right message about parental responsibility?
SHAWTY LO: Basically, you know, everybody was born with a silver spoon, and basically like I said, I came from a very hard upbringing, and I can`t take back what happened. This is my life story, this is real reality, you know what I`m saying, that`s what I`m showing right now, you know what I`m saying.
HAMMER: Were you worried, though, at all, some people have voiced that it was just playing into a stereotype?
SHAWTY LO: No, I`m not worried. You know what I`m saying? Why would I be worried when this is something that`s real? This is real life. This is not -- nothing made up. It`s a lot of reality shows on TV shown today is way worse than probably what you see coming from my reality show. Only thing I feel like the problem of this TV reality show was the name, "All My Babies Mamas." I didn`t agree to that. I feel like the TV show should have been named, "Being 21."
HAMMER: If you have success with your petition, I know you are petitioning to get the show on the air, maybe you`ll have some say in the title. We`re going to leave it there, Shawty Lo, but thank you very much for giving your side tonight. I appreciate it.
SHAWTY LO: You`re welcome.
HAMMER: We move on now to our No. 2 biggest buzzmaker in the SHOWBIZ countdown tonight. It takes us from a rap star to an athletic superstar. Tiger Woods, listen to this, there are brand new reports tonight that Woods wants to rekindle a lost love and remarry his ex-wife Elin Nordegren. Yes, after his major cheating scandal back in 2009, he cheated on her with all those women and now he wants her back. But there is a catch, according to reports, anyway. Woods would have to agree to, get this, a $350 million anti-cheating clause, more than half of his reported $600 million fortune.
I want to bring in from Atlanta, Kandi Burress, who is a star on Bravo`s hit reality series, "Real Housewives of Atlanta." Always good to have you here, Kandi.
BURRESS: Thanks for having me.
HAMMER: Absolutely. Now, to be clear, we can`t confirm that this is actually happening with Tiger and this contract, but listen, you`re newly engaged. I know you are about to tie the knot. What do you think about this possible premarital arrangement? You think Elin should go for it?
BURRESS: Honestly, I love people who get married twice. Because to me that means they really loved each other. You know, if you`re going to go through all of that and all of the drama and the backlash of people saying, you know, why`s he doing it again? That means that he really loves her, and I feel like they should do it.
HAMMER: I hope she, if she does it, does it for love and not for $350 million. Let me bring in VH1`s Michelle Buteau, who is with us in New York. It`s a lot of money, Michelle, and also, let`s not forget, he`s going to have to sign this anti-cheating clause, and I guess the deal would be, he breaks that, she gets the cha-ching. Is there enough money out there--
BURRESS: And she should.
HAMMER: Is there enough money out there in your eyes to justify taking back a massive serial cheater, and maybe you know, not forgive, but at least forget enough to move on?
BUTEAU: Well, I mean, my question is, what is she going to do with all the money she has anyway? I mean, what she should know is there is a lot of people who cheat and have sexless marriages, and they don`t have any money involved. Like why not just take some money and make shelters for women who can talk about their problems with their husbands? I mean, either she should take him back immediately, or drop him and get a PYT, like everybody else would.
HAMMER: Kandi? No?
BURRESS: I think the thing is, I think he probably came back and was promising he would never do it again, and all of that. So she probably gave him an ultimatum. Like, oh really, well, prove it. Because in her mind, no way in the world would he want to lose $350 million. So that is her way of assuring that he`s never going to cheat. So it`s --
(CROSSTALK)
BURRESS: She does not want the marriage to break up. It`s not about the money. She already got 100 something million.
BUTEAU: Is she even feeling him at this point--
HAMMER: Well, that`s the thing.
BUTEAU: Like he has done everything that he could do. I mean everything. You know, is she into it? Does she want to do it? Is she ever going to trust him again? Like, me, I would just get back with him.
BURRESS: Clearly she`s --
(CROSSTALK)
HAMMER: I do think the money thing is more about him not wanting to lose it than her need for it. I mean, let`s be real about that, but it will be interesting to see what happens, and if she really is feeling him as we say.
BUTEAU: You can`t put a price on somebody`s word.
HAMMER: No, you certainly can`t.
BURRESS: Well, the thing about it is, it`s like I feel like we all have things that can make us weak, but if we have extra incentive to keep us stronger, meaning the money he would have to pay, then he will, you know, not cheat.
HAMMER: Yes, a couple hundred million bucks, then you will do the right thing.
All right, it`s time for today`s biggest buzzmaker, it`s No. 1 on our SHOWBIZ countdown. Howard Stern, HBO`s Lena Dunham and the feud that, well, never quite happened. Everybody started buzzing when Stern started talking about "The Girls" star and her naked scenes on her hit HBO comedy. Let`s hear what he said.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
STERN: I watched two episodes. So I get on the air and I said, ah, I hate the show. I hate Lena. The character`s obnoxious. I said your nude scenes were disturbing to me. I felt like they were taking advantage of you, it felt like rape.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: Well, Howard later got on the radio and essentially recanted what he said, and ended up liking the show after he gave it a little more time. Now he is a big fan. But Dunham, to her credit, didn`t shy away from getting involved, and she called into Howard`s radio show yesterday so they could talk it out. Let`s listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DUNHAM: Here is what I will say. I enjoy the little fat chick label.
STERN: Right.
DUNHAM: You have a very beautiful slim wife.
STERN: Yes.
DUNHAM: I`m not that fat, Howard.
STERN: No.
DUNHAM: I don`t mean to take major issue with you about this, but I`m not super thin, but I`m thin for, like, Detroit.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: OK. I like her even more after she did that interview, Michelle. Lena, pretty new to the spotlight. I`m guessing that she is getting a whole lot more fans after this interview with Howard Stern and playing along with him.
BUTEAU: Totally. And I`m kind of shocked by Howard. Because I feel like Lena and Howard are from the same school in Hollywood, where they don`t fit into everybody`s boxes, so they had to create their own. I mean, Howard`s the first one to tell you, who couldn`t get a job on TV, so he was kind of fugly, so he went to radio. And Lena sort of made her own path too.
So I`m glad he decided to watch the show. But, Howard, boo, you cannot judge a book by its cover. OK? Not everybody is a tall, skinny white girl.
HAMMER: I think he figured that out in this conversation with her. All right, Kandi, Michelle, we`re going to leave it there.
Remember, you can check out "The Real Housewives of Atlanta" on Bravo.
Well, from tonight`s biggest buzzmakers to the hottest newsmakers. Going one-on-one with financial guru, the great Suze Orman, and I can tell you, she`s got the money advice our favorite stars need to hear.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ORMAN: While I hope everything works out, they better have a clad, ironclad-type prenuptial agreement.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: Listen up, Hollywood, because Suze`s coming to the rescue. It is a colossal SHOWBIZ newsmaker interview with the queen of cash, Suze Orman.
This is SBT, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT on HLN.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HAMMER: Welcome back. I have another truly amazing newsmaker interview for you tonight. The queen of cash, Suze Orman, right here, telling our favorite stars what they need to do with their money. Suze is the host of course of "The Suze Orman Show" on CNBC, but tonight, she is going to be our personal finance guru to the stars. So listen up, Kim, Charlie Sheen and Honey Boo Boo, Suze wants to make sure you don`t make a money boo boo.
Here is my incredible one-on-one SHOWBIZ newsmaker interview with the great Suze Orman.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
HAMMER: We know that so many reality stars come and go, and we see so many nightmare stories, particularly about young stars who make all this money and then it`s gone. They save nothing.
We just saw a great thing. Honey Boo Boo`s Mama June just told TMZ that she`s putting money aside in trust funds for each of her four daughters and for her granddaughter, and it seems to me like that is exactly the right way to go. But I`m not the financial guru.
ORMAN: But here is the thing. Where is she investing that money within the trust funds? Because it`s not just, oh, I`m putting this money away in a trust fund for them. What is the money being invested in, and when can they get that money? Can Mama June get that money?
HAMMER: The kids can get it when they`re 21.
ORMAN: 21.
HAMMER: So I think that`s a good start, anyway.
ORMAN: Yes, but we want to know that that money actually grows when it`s in there. But bottom line here, that`s a good thing that she`s doing and I`m proud of her for doing that. You have to really give it to her, really, A.J. You really do.
HAMMER: Yes, no. It`s terrific that she`s -- look, even if she puts it in a mattress, I know that`s not your advice, but as opposed to going out and spending it herself, that`s at least a start.
ORMAN: Let`s hope she`s not going to make a money boo boo.
HAMMER: No. Money boo boo. You got any other advice for Honey Boo Boo`s mom at this point, because her star is on the rise?
ORMAN: Her star is on the rise, but there`s going to come a time when her star isn`t on the rise, because Honey Boo Boo is going to become a little bit older and older, and when she`s older, it might not last. It`s when she`s young that we`re all liking this and that interaction. Maybe it will, maybe it won`t. So she has to also psychologically prepare her daughter for what happens when the cameras aren`t there one day, and money isn`t coming in. So just be safe with it, but I have a feeling that they may be touching that money before they`re 21. I don`t know why I think it. I just do.
HAMMER: Listen, I don`t know if she wants to be 40 years and people are calling her Honey Boo Boo child, so I think you have a great point.
They make somewhere in the neighborhood of about $40,000 an episode, which certainly is not chump change, but it is nothing compared to what Kim Kardashian and her sisters make for their reality shows, and now you have Kim and the father of her soon to be born baby, Kanye West, apparently, at least in some fashion, combining their fortunes. They`re reportedly buying this $11 million home. They`re not married. Nothing wrong with that, but this is how they`re planning.
Now Kanye West is reportedly worth, along with Kim, the two of them, $150 million. Do you have any advice for them as they try to manage their fortunes possibly together?
ORMAN: Yeah. I get that they`re in love right now. I get that they`re going all this stuff. I get that she was married for 72 days and then they split, too.
While I hope they stay together forever, while I hope that everything works out, they better have a clad, ironclad-type prenuptial agreement that says if they do not, that they walk away with whatever they walk away, because when you combine money like that, and you start to combine fortunes like that, that`s when divorce lawyers, if something goes wrong, make a fortune off of you.
HAMMER: Right. OK. Let`s talk about Charlie Sheen. He`s got a bit of coin sitting around somewhere. He`s worth somewhere in the neighborhood reportedly of about $100 million, but he has no problem spreading it around. I want to read a few of the things he`s done recently. He`s very giving. I think that`s the best way to put it.
After Charlie shot a scene with Lindsay Lohan for "Scary Movie 5," he cut her a check for $100,000 to help her pay her taxes. He just donated $12,000 to pay for the funeral expenses for the paparazzo who was killed when he was taking pictures of Justin Bieber`s car, and last December he gave $75,000 to a 10-year-old girl who needs treatment for a rare form of pediatric cancer.
I can`t hold particularly that last one, I can`t hold it against him at all. Is there any problem, though, in your mind with Charlie being so generous?
ORMAN: No. If he really is worth $100 million and at the same time has tremendous earning capacity still, so chances are he`s not giving the money from the money that the $100 million is earning and everything. It`s probably coming in from other things that he has going on. Those amounts really are pittance, in comparison to what he probably could be giving away if he wanted to.
So while those are generous and those are wonderful things, when you have $100 million, up the ante, Charlie, up the ante.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HAMMER: I got to say, if more stars listened to her, I think we would see a lot fewer reality stars going broke in Hollywood. You can catch the "Suze Orman Show" on CNBC Saturdays at 9:00 p.m. and at midnight Eastern Time. Thanks, Suze.
Well, from Suze`s incredible money advice to the incredible Facebook plea that landed five siblings a brand new dog. Their parents thought it would never happen, but it did. I am going to reveal to you how five savvy kids got a million likes on Facebook in less than seven hours, wound up with the puppy they always wanted.
This is SBT, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, on HLN.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HAMMER: And now SHOWBIZ trending. So the Facebook puppy plea is lighting up the Internet tonight, and I love this story. It`s about five kids that wanted a puppy so badly, but his dad told them that he`d only say yes if their appeal on Facebook got a million likes. Pretty tall task, right? Well, get this? It did. In just seven hours. Talk about the power of social media.
So the Cordell (ph) family is now shopping around for the perfect dog and making the rounds on morning television today. Family of seven stopped by GMA this morning to talk about what I think is an amazing story.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That sounded like a completely unattainable number.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It did.
(LAUGHTER)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I knew that we had a few hundred friends on Facebook. I didn`t think it was possible that it would spread so far. Or at least not so quickly. We`d at least have some time.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Buy yourself a week or two.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I can tell you, our Leah Spencer (ph), guilty. She actually liked it. When did it really start to take off? Were you watching it start taking off?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think around maybe 11:00 at night we realized that this was bigger than we ever imagined it would be.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: Nice going, kids. Comedian and VH1 "Best Week Ever" cast member Michelle Bateau is right here. So, Michelle, I think parents need to take note. This is a very important lesson for modern-day parents everywhere. You`ve got to think long and hard about the power of social media before making a deal like this with your kids. Wouldn`t you agree?
BUTEAU: Oh, my God. I wish the Internet was happening when I was their age. Are you kidding me? They`ve gotten more likes than in my whole career I have ever gotten. You know what I want to do? I want to say something on Facebook that I like it, make a request, and take a picture with a lot of cute little white kids, so maybe I can get it too.
This is amazing. This is genius. I mean, Oprah didn`t think of this. This is awesome.
HAMMER: I don`t think it`s what Mark Zuckerberg had in mind when he created Facebook, but you make a great point. I want to go back in time, and get a lot of likes so I can finally get that Atari 2600 that I was denied as a child so I can play Asteroids at home. Come on!
BUTEAU: Oh my God. You know what, single ladies should give their guys an ultimatum and say, look, if I can get a million likes, you better put a ring on it. OK?
HAMMER: Perfect. And you know there are kids everywhere taking notes on this, writing contracts in crayon to get whatever their heart desires. Right?
BUTEAU: I don`t know those kids, but I`m sure they`re doing this.
HAMMER: All right, Michelle, yes, kids, pay attention, before all your parents catch on. Michelle Buteau, great to see you, thank you so much.
BUTEAU: Anytime.
HAMMER: All right, well, landing a puppy because of a million Facebook likes, definitely awesome, but I`ve got to shine the light on another awesome story that`s viral tonight. You do not want to miss this incredible remake by the legendary Samuel L. Jackson.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SAMUEL L. JACKSON: We are never, ever, ever, ever getting back together. You lying, cheating, (EXPLETIVE DELETED) --
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: Perfect. It`s today`s SHOWBIZ Awesomeness. Sam Jackson`s bad-ass Taylor Swift remix.
This is SBT, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT on HLN.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HAMMER: Right now it`s time for SHOWBIZ Awesomeness, where we name the most awesome SHOWBIZ moments of the day. And tonight, we take awesomeness to a brand new level with the great Samuel L. Jackson. I personally think that just about anything Sam Jackson touches becomes extraordinary, just like that cement at the famous Grumman Chinese Theater. And it wasn`t any different when the legendary actor took on a Taylor Swift song at London`s Capital Radio. Is there anything more awesome than Sam Jackson slow jamming "We Are Never, Ever, Getting Back Together?"
Listen for yourself.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Ladies and gentlemen, Samuel L. Jackson.
JACKSON: We are never, ever, ever getting back together. I said, we are never, ever, ever getting back together. You go talk to your dumb-ass friends, talk to my friends, talk to me, but we are never, ever, ever getting back together. You lying, cheating piece of (EXPLETIVE DELETED).
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: We`re not the only ones who are thinking that Sam`s remake is truly awesome. Taylor Swift loved it so much, she actually tweeted it to all of her followers simply saying, "yes." I definitely concur.
Well, thank you for watching. I`m A.J. Hammer in New York. You can watch SHOWBIZ TONIGHT Monday through Thursday at 11:00 p.m. Eastern and Pacific. HLN continues now.
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