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Showbiz Tonight
First Family`s Fashion Choices; Lupe Fiasco Booted from Inaugural Event; Beyonce`s Flawless Inaugural Performance; Daniel Radcliffe`s Controversial New Role; Top 5 Newsmakers of the Day
Aired January 21, 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 MALE: I hate fake people. They`re just so -- it`s like they`re not there when you`re talking to them. But that`s different with Lennay.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
A.J. HAMMER, HOST: Is Manti Te`o just a joke? Funny or Die, "Saturday Night Live," even a hockey team, all making fun of him, hard core. So will the Manti comedy backlash top the SHOWBIZ Countdown of tonight`s top five news makers?
Hello, I`m A.J. Hammer. Thank you for watching.
We begin with our first big SHOWBIZ Countdown of the night, and it doesn`t get any bigger than this.
Barack Obama being sworn in today for a second term as our president. But SHOWBIZ TONIGHT has got to ask, what were the top three scene-stealers today at the inauguration?
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BEYONCE, SINGER (SINGING): Oh, say, can you see by the dawn`s early light what so proudly we hailed at the twilight`s last gleaming?
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HAMMER: Amazing, right? Tonight just about everyone agrees that Beyonce knocked it out of the park today, singing the national anthem, but is she even in contention to be one of our top three scene stealers? Well, let`s find out and get right to it.
No. 3 on our SHOWBIZ Countdown, the First Family of fashion. Look how great these ladies look. First Lady Michelle and daughters Sasha and Malia, in an eye-popping battle of the colorful coats today. This is what they wore at the inauguration.
Actress Sheryl Lee Ralph was right there today. Sheryl starring in the brand-new season that is upcoming of NBC`s "Smash." She is with us tonight from Washington.
So is Judy Kurtz, who covers celebrities for D.C. and the newspaper "The Hill."
So here we have the leader of the free world almost being upstaged by these three beautiful women in his life. Everybody talking tonight about how spectacularly the Obama ladies were dressed.
I want to take a closer look now at exactly what they were wearing. You have Michelle rocking this navy coat and dress from designer Thom Browne. She also wore Valentina heels and a jeweled belt from J. Crew.
And as for the girls, 14-year-old Malia also wearing J. Crew, that plum- colored coat. Eleven-year-old Sasha went with a Kate Spade coat.
And Sheryl Lee, to you first, you were right there. I mean, come on, they wore it right, didn`t they? They got it perfectly.
SHERYL LEE RALPH, ACTRESS: They all looked so beautiful. And what you could see around them besides that clothes, was that aura of love and loving confidence. I looked at them and I said, yes! Now that is a royal in all shades of blue First Family. They just hit fashion right out of the box. Loved it all.
HAMMER: Yes. Judy, has anybody not given them high marks for the fashion today? Come on.
JUDY KURTZ, "THE HILL": Well, Michelle Obama is really the queen of mixing and matching style, and today was no exception. She really is mixing those designer duds with more low-cost items that any old American can get at -- can get at an American mall. So she continued that trend today.
But I have to say, really, the talk of the town here in D.C. is those bangs. No one could stop talking about them. They made their public debut today. Those bangs are really the talk of the town here.
HAMMER: OK. I promise you, we`re going to get to the bangs. But we`re looking at these images of the young Obama daughters. And I have to say, like you know, so many people were, I was just so struck by how much Sasha and Malia have grown up since we first got to know President Obama`s family and certainly since his first inauguration.
There on the left we see them four years ago. And there we see them with Sasha almost as tall as her big sister, who really looks like a woman.
Sheryl, from what you saw today, what strikes you as the biggest difference with the president`s daughters?
RALPH: The fact, one, like you`ve just said, they`ve grown so much, and they are both so very tall. No matter what it looks like, one being shorter than the other, they`re all very tall women. And I love that smile of confidence.
They`re in those years, those developing years of their life, when the smile on a young girl tells you how she will live the rest of their life. And the smiles on both of them speak loudly and firmly: "I am a confident, young woman, ready to step out into the world."
Love Sasha and well, we should say Natasha, because after all, that is her real name. I wonder if she`ll start using that. Nat and Malia, love them.
HAMMER: I don`t know, but the truth is, you look at those smiles, and you`ve got to smile yourself.
RALPH: Yes.
HAMMER: I know Judy wants to get to the bangs. So let`s talk about it, because the Twittersphere was on fire. There was one picture that came out late last week, and people started writing about it. It was actually getting sort of an inordinate amount of attention from some places.
But let me read a couple of the tweets that I saw today. La Toya Jackson loving on Michelle Obama`s hair, saying, "I`m loving the First Lady Michelle Obama`s haircut."
Joan Rivers, though, had a different tact on it. Can we put that one up? Joan tweeting, :Today starts President Obama`s next four years in the White House. Let`s hope the same isn`t true about the First Lady`s new hairdo." Joan! Joan, come on! You know, bangs are all the rage. Very trendy right now.
Judy, whose side are you on, Joan or La Toya?
KURTZ: I`m digging the bangs. I like the fresh new look. It was her 49th birthday. She wanted a new start to go -- you know, to end her 40s, as we should say. I think everyone`s kind of digging the bangs here.
We talked to Eva Longoria who is in town for the inauguration. She said she loves the bangs. So maybe she`s going to start a celebrity trend with these bangs.
RALPH: Her hairstylist -- her hairstylist...
HAMMER: We`ll talk about -- we`ll all talk about the bangs, but what really matters is what her husband thinks about the bangs, right?
RALPH: He loves them.
HAMMER: He has just commented for the very first time. I want to watch what he said before today`s inauguration about these now-famous bangs.
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OBAMA: Now, first of all, I love Michelle Obama. And to address the most significant event of this weekend, I love her bangs.
She looks good.
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HAMMER: The most significant event of this weekend, I love it. But Sheryl, really, what else was he going to say? Even if he doesn`t like them, it`s not as if he was going to admit it in front of the world.
RALPH: Absolutely. But you know, these are some of the things that they talk about, because her look and how people respond to her is definitely a part of him.
But her stylist, Johnny, said quite simply, when asked about the bangs, he said, "Look, it was time for something new. And now was that new moment." I love it. Everybody`s going to be rocking First Lady FLOTUS bangs. You watch.
HAMMER: Yes. I think Jennifer Aniston`s breathing a sigh of relief, that suddenly people are going to start paying attention to somebody else`s hair and make a big deal about that.
But now I want to move onto No. 2 on our SHOWBIZ Countdown of inauguration scene stealers. Not a terrific one, in my mind. The Lupe Fiasco fiasco. Emmy-nominated rapper Lupe Fiasco just did something that really is unheard of for an inaugural performer. He bashed the guy who was being inaugurated.
Lupe was at this unofficial inaugural event in Washington last night, and he launched into this 30-minute anti-war rant that`s now seen in video from Now This News. But then he took a swipe at President Obama. Watch what he said.
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LUPE FIASCO, RAPPER (rapping): Gaza Strip was getting bombed, Obama didn`t say (EXPLETIVE DELETED).
That`s why I ain`t so (UNINTELLIGIBLE). My problem is I`m peaceful.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: So later on, we see lights dim. We see Lupe escorted from the stage. And today the group that held this event told SHOWBIZ TONIGHT they didn`t give Lupe the boot because of his anti-Obama lyrics, but because he repeated the same song for 40 minutes and that the crowd was, as they put it, vocally dissatisfied.
Judy, what do you think? Did Lupe deserve the boot? Certainly, you know, there`s free speech and that should be upheld, but it was such an odd thing to me.
KURTZ: Well, I love the term "vocally dissatisfied." I think that`s PR speak for totally ticked off in the audience.
I think the problem here for Lupe Fiasco wasn`t so much that he went on an antiwar and anti-Obama rant. It was that he committed the cardinal sin of show business, which is being boring.
HAMMER: Yes. Exactly. And that`s why people were upset. But at the same time, it`s pretty tacky.
He bashed the president before, too, by the way. This isn`t the first. In 2011, he actually called our president a terrorist.
Sheryl, to me, from the very start, it seems like a very strange choice to invite him to a party that is celebrating President Obama`s inauguration. You`ve got to wonder what they are thinking.
RALPH: I am right there with you on that, A.J. It`s not like you don`t know what Lupe Fiasco has been feeling about this whole "get out the vote" for young people. He`s been very vocal about it in his lyrics. Who did not know his feelings?
He has been nothing but public from the very beginning for the past three, four years, about how he felt about this. So like you just so rightly said, A.J., you did not know who you were inviting to be your headliner of this concert?
HAMMER: Yes.
RALPH: Come on!
HAMMER: What`s up with that? What`s up with that?
RALPH: Right.
HAMMER: Well, what Lupe said wasn`t music to the ears of our president and his supporters, of course.
RALPH: Right.
HAMMER: But what was music to everyone`s ears today is No. 1 on our SHOWBIZ Countdown of inauguration scene stealers. One of the president`s biggest supporters, Beyonce, she almost outshined the president`s inauguration with this amazing rendition of "The Star-Spangled Banner." You`ve got to watch and hear this.
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BEYONCE (singing): What so proudly we hailed at the twilight`s last gleaming, whose broad stripes and bright stars through the perilous...
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HAMMER: She nailed it. And what`s wild is she had to pull out her earpiece, I noticed, at one point, because obviously, she was having problems, and it didn`t throw her for a moment.
Now Sheryl, I want to go back to you, because the part Beyonce played in the movie "Dreamgirls" was originated by you on Broadway, so I need to get your take on how your fellow "Dreamgirl" did today.
RALPH: First of all, let me tell you something. She looked so "Dreamgirl"-ish. Loved the emeralds in her ears.
But she picked the absolute right key for herself. She sang the song beautifully. And I loved that...
(singing): And the home of the brave.
(speaking): I was like, you better sing, Beyonce.
HAMMER: Sheryl, you`re trying to get yourself an invitation for the next one. Yes, she nailed it. Perfect arrangement.
RALPH: Yes.
HAMMER: Sheryl, got to leave it there. Judy, thank you very much. I won`t make you sing.
There was other big news outside of Washington. Get ready for another incredible SHOWBIZ Countdown, tonight`s top five SHOWBIZ news makers. Did you see Steve Harvey`s emotional on-air breakdown?
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STEVE HARVEY, TALK SHOW HOST: I was 26 years old, man, struggling. I didn`t -- I didn`t have nothing. And these people at the furniture store in Cleveland, they took me in.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: Who would have thought a tough-talking guy like Steve would cry on his own show? But is Steve Harvey`s dramatic moment going to top this? It`s a J. Lo lookalike. That`s not J. Lo. It`s just a woman who looks amazingly like her. She tweeted a pic, and it caught the world`s attention. She`s with us tonight. Will J. Lo`s lookalike grab the top slot on our "SHOWBIZ News Makers" countdown?
This is SBT, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, on HLN.
Right now SHOWBIZ at the presidential inauguration. The always amazing Beyonce performs the national anthem for President Obama.
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BEYONCE (singing): And the home of the brave. The brave!
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HAMMER: Well, he`s Harry Potter no more, but Daniel Radcliffe is raising eyebrows with his racy new movie role. Here`s a little hint: you might want to keep your kids away from this one.
Welcome back to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. Right now it`s SHOWBIZ at Sundance. We`re taking you directly to the Sundance Film Festival. It`s underway in Park City, Utah. And of course, tons of independent movies are screening there. They hope to become the next big indie hit. There`s one movie that`s generating some pretty big buzz tonight. It stars former Harry Potter star Daniel Radcliffe, doing things on screen that we never saw the boy wizard do.
SHOWBIZ TONIGHT`s Nischelle Turner joins me right now from beautiful Park City.
So Nischelle, I`ve got to know, exactly what is this new role about, and why are people all up in a frenzy about this thing?
NISCHELLE TURNER, HLN CORRESPONDENT: Well, A.J., I think you hit it on the head when you said Harry Potter no more. Truer words have never been spoken.
Daniel Radcliffe is playing a young Allen Ginsberg, the iconic beatnik poet. And in this movie, he not only does drug, he has a gay sex scene, he`s naked, and he makes out with his male co-star. So that`s where the controversy comes in. That`s just about it.
But I have to tell you, with all the buzz that this movie is generating, the word around Sundance here is that Daniel Radcliffe knocks this out of the park.
And what he says is, "Listen, I loved being Harry Potter, but I`m 23 now, and I`m moving on to more mature roles." And if nothing else does it, this movie will.
HAMMER: And apparently he does love getting naked, because he did it on Broadway. Now he`s doing it on screen.
TURNER: Exactly.
HAMMER: So there is another film that is also causing a stun -- a big scene at Sundance, as far as I know, based on another real-life person, a documentary about someone a lot of us have forgotten about.
TURNER: Yes.
HAMMER: Tell us about that.
TURNER: Yes, you know, sex and politics are taking center stage here at Sundance. And Anita Hill has a documentary that`s debuting here, and if you -- when you hear that name, the eyebrows go up. Yes, that Anita Hill, the Anita Hill who 20 years ago testified in front of the Senate when Clarence -- Justice Clarence Thomas was having his confirmation hearing. She alleged that he had sexually harassed her.
We sat down after the premiere of her documentary, which by the way, she got a standing ovation for. We talked about a lot of things. But first of all, we talked about did she really understand what she was getting herself into?
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TURNER: Did you think you were going to be making a statement and kind of the first big statement that a woman made about sexual harassment in the workplace?
ANITA HILL, DEBUTED DOCUMENTARY AT SUNDANCE: Absolutely not. It -- it wasn`t my desire to talk about sexual harassment or to expose it as the critical issue it is.
My desire was to give testimony about the competency of Clarence Thomas to be on the Supreme Court. You know, it was almost like unintended consequences that the issue of sexual harassment was exposed.
TURNER: If I ask you what you think about him today, how would you respond to that?
HILL: I don`t.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
TURNER: OK. She doesn`t. Yes, that was pretty much the bottom line there, A.J.
You know, but one of the things that she did say is that she`s trying to move past this, and she`s trying not to think of Clarence Thomas as much anymore and make her life about him.
HAMMER: Yes, well, it certainly has been as far as that association that we all have, pretty blunt there.
All right. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT`s Nischelle Turner.
From the news makers at Sundance Film Festival to the top five news makers in tonight`s second amazing SHOWBIZ Countdown.
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KATHIE LEE GIFFORD, CO-HOST, NBC`S "THE TODAY SHOW": "Ladies Home Journal" asked us to give up drinking for one month.
HODA KOTB, CO-HOST, NBC`S "THE TODAY SHOW": I think we should have gone for February, the short month.
GIFFORD: I thought we did. That was the deal.
(END VIDEO CIP)
HAMMER: Well, Kathie Lee and Hoda fall off the wagon just days after their promise to put a cork in it. "The Today Show" hosts are back to sipping their beloved wine.
But will Kathie Lee and Hoda beat out Matthew McConaughey`s stunning new Lance Armstrong confession? Is Matthew about to dump Lance forever after his disgraced pal`s doping admission?
Well, only one stunning story can top the SHOWBIZ Countdown of tonight`s biggest news makers. Which will it be?
This is SBT, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, on HLN.
Right now SHOWBIZ at the presidential inauguration. It was a day of musical heavyweights, including Kelly Clarkson singing, "My Country `Tis of Thee."
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KELLY CLARKSON, SINGER (singing): Land where my father died, land of the pilgrims` pride. From every mountainside, let freedom ring.
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(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
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CHIEF JUSTICE JOHN ROBERTS, SUPREME COURT: ... preserve, protect and defend...
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: ... preserve, protect, and defend...
ROBERTS: ... the Constitution of the United States.
OBAMA: ... the Constitution of the United States.
ROBERTS: So help you God?
OBAMA: So help me God.
ROBERTS: Congratulations, Mr. President.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: A powerful moment, Barack Obama seizing the day, being sworn in today for his second term as president.
It is an inaugural moment that will go down in history. The 57th presidential oath of office being taken.
Right now, this is incredible. We`ve got a "SHOWBIZ Flashback" for you. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT revealing 100 years of presidential oaths of office in just two minutes. You`re going to want to hold onto your seat. Because this is one fast, cool ride, through ten decades of inaugurations: from top hats and horse-drawn carriages to an emergency oath aboard Air Force One. We have it all. It`s a truly American "SHOWBIZ Flashback" through an epic day that only comes once every four years.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No, this is not carnival day in Pumpkin Center. It is the day of days in Washington, D.C.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The presidential...
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Presidential...
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: ... oath of office.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Here comes the inaugural parade.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Are you prepared to take the oath of office as president of the United States?
GERALD FORD, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I am, sir.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Left hand on the Bible and raise your right hand.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Raise your right hand.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If you will raise your right hand and repeat after me.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: After me.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I, William Jefferson Clinton, do solemnly swear.
JIMMY CARTER, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I, Jimmy Carter.
OBAMA: I, Barack Hussein Obama...
GEORGE W. BUSH, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I, George Walker Bush, do solemnly swear...
JOHN F. KENNEDY, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: That I will faithfully execute the office...
RICHARD M. NIXON, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: That I will faithfully execute the office...
ROBERTS: ... execute the office of president of the United States faithfully. Faithfully the office of president of the United States...
OBAMA: ... the United States faithfully.
GEORGE H.W. BUSH, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: ... will, to the best of my ability...
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Eisenhower began his second term as leader not only of America, but all free people.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Preserve, protect...
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: ... and defend...
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The Constitution of the United States.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson and the grief-stricken widow with them takes the oath which brings him, together with the body of the late president, back to Washington.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The flag flies at half-staff. President Truman asks the full Roosevelt cabinet to remain in office.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So help you God?
LYNDON B. JOHNSON, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: So help me God.
OBAMA: So help me God.
CLINTON: So help me God.
FORD: So help me God.
NIXON: So help me God.
GEORGE W. BUSH: So help me God.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So help you God?
FRANKLIN DELANO ROOSEVELT, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: So help me God.
RONALD REAGAN, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: So help me God.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The entire country is behind you, filled with hope and patriotism.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HAMMER: Wow. What a "SHOWBIZ flashback." Amazing how much has changed over the course of a century and to see it all caught on camera like that.
OK. Get set, because I`m firing up another incredible countdown tonight of today`s top "SHOWBIZ News Makers," including Steve Harvey`s birthday breakdown.
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HARVEY: I was 26 years old, man, struggling. I didn`t -- I didn`t have nothing. And these people with a furniture store in Cleveland, they took me in.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: So what made tough-guy comedian Steve Harvey just lose it on his daytime show? You`re going to be surprised.
But will the shocking answer be enough to top the comedy backlash against Manti Te`o? The brilliant eHarmony parody, the "Saturday Night Live" spoof. Has Manti Te`o become nothing more than a punchline? The "SHOWBIZ News Makers" countdown. And only one news maker can come out on top.
This is SBT, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, on HLN.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HARVEY: I was 26 years old, man, struggling. I didn`t -- I didn`t have nothing. And these people with a furniture store in Cleveland, they took me in.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: Right now tough-guy Steve Harvey in tears on his talk show. But just what did that couple do to make Steve break down like that? And where will Harvey`s rare emotional moment land on tonight`s "SHOWBIZ News Makers" countdown?
And what about this, the model who looks just like J. Lo? Really, can you tell the difference between this dead ringer and the actual superstar? J.Lo lookalike Jessica Burciaga is right here with us tonight as we count down tonight`s top five newsmakers.
SHOWBIZ TONIGHT continues right now.
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HAMMER: Welcome back to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. Thank you for watching. I`m A.J. Hammer.
Tonight we`re kicking off our SHOWBIZ COUNTDOWN of today`s "Top 5 Newsmakers" with a stunner. Literally, a stunner. I`m talking about the woman who set the Twittersphere on fire with her uncanny resemblance to Jennifer Lopez. See for yourself.
At number 5, model Jessica Burciaga. Jessica has been featured in magazines as herself, even named "Playboy`s" playmate of the month back in 2009, but it`s her most recent Twitter pics that have everybody talking, because as you see, I mean, she looks just like J.Lo. It really is amazing.
I`m delighted to have Jessica Burciaga join me right now from Hollywood. It`s terrific to meet you, and I`m looking away from the camera at my monitor for a moment just to see you in action and not just in photos, and it`s just amazing. When you put those pictures out there, Jessica, did people think they were pictures of J.Lo being put out there?
JESSICA BURCIAGA, MODEL: I don`t think they think it`s her, but they were telling me I looked a lot like her.
HAMMER: And everybody has been talking about this, we`ve been talking about it, because it really is uncanny. Have you been surprised by the response you`ve got and how incredible it`s been?
BURCIAGA: Yes, I am. I didn`t plan for that to happen, but I have an amazing makeup artist, Ratel (ph), who I think is making me look a little bit more like her, bringing out certain features that are just causing a lot of attention right now. I didn`t plan on doing it, but I`m excited.
HAMMER: Yes, it`s exciting. And so it`s interesting to note, it wasn`t something that you did intentionally. So when did it happen? How long ago did you either look in the mirror or did somebody point out to you the fact that you know what, you`re a dead ringer for Jennifer Lopez?
BURCIAGA: You know, they`ve been telling me since high school. My hair color has always been this color. Once in a while I go darker and lighter, but they`ve been telling me for years. And I didn`t really try, but I started working with a new makeup artist, and he kind of maybe took inspiration from her. And just started going a little bit crazy with the photo shoots and all the J.Lo comments. And I just take it as a compliment. You know, I`m a fan and she`s so beautiful.
HAMMER: So has it happened, yet we`ve seen the pictures, but where you`ve been either walking down the street or some public place where people have come up to you and mistaken you for Jennifer?
BURCIAGA: No, they`ve never mistaken me for her. They definitely tell me that I look like her in person, but they don`t mistake me for her, no. On Twitter, they do.
HAMMER: You`re a beautiful woman, I`m sure heads are turning whenever you walk into a restaurant. But now that you`ve sort of really got closer to J.Lo`s look, do you find every head in the restaurant is flipping around as you walk in the room and people are kind of whispering to each other?
BURCIAGA: Sometimes people do a double-take, I think. But then when I start talking, say hello, they know it`s not her.
HAMMER: Do you have any idea if J.Lo is aware of the buzz that you`ve created?
BURCIAGA: I don`t know. I have no idea. It reached to you guys. I can`t believe all this happened over a Twitter photo that I posted on new year`s eve. And I don`t know what happened, but that picture ended up everywhere, and people were tweeting me a bunch of -- it was just crazy. I did not expect that to happen.
HAMMER: I know you`re successful in your own right, but you can make a lot of money as a celebrity impersonator. Has anybody approached you about doing that?
BURCIAGA: No, you know, somebody else told me about that, but no, I haven`t been contacted by anybody to be an impersonator.
HAMMER: Would you consider it?
BURCIAGA: I don`t know. Like impersonating her?
HAMMER: Well, yes, if somebody said show up at a party not to make-believe you`re her, but just as an impersonator. That happens all the time. People, there`s some big bucks involved there.
BURCIAGA: Yes, there is. I have to think about it. I never thought about that before, though. I never thought about it.
HAMMER: Well, give that some thought and just send me 10 percent for giving you the idea. No, that`s OK.
BURCIAGA: I`ll give you 20 percent.
HAMMER: Perfect. It`s terrific to meet you. Best of luck with whatever you do. I think you`re going to continue to astound people with your amazing, uncanny resemblance to J.Lo. But it`s great having you here. Thanks again.
BURCIAGA: Thank you so much.
HAMMER: I want to move right now from Twitter mania to morning TV madness. This is No. 4 on our SHOWBIZ newsmakers countdown.
"Today Show" host Kathie Lee Gifford, who was just caught in the act breaking her promise to not drink for a month. She and co-host Hoda Kotb have made sipping morning cocktails pretty much a traditions on their show, but they decided to put a cork in it and take on a challenge from "Ladies Home Journal" to give up drinking for a month in exchange for a cover story. Watch this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GIFFORD: This is going to be, if we can earn it, our last glass of wine for a little while, because tomorrow is the beginning of a very tough month for us.
KOTB: It is. "Ladies Home Journal" asked us to give up drinking for one month.
I think we should have gone for February, the short month.
GIFFORD: I thought we did. That was the deal.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: OK, well, it`s been about nine days since that big announcement, and Kathie Lee was reportedly spotted drinking at lunch this weekend, owning up to it, telling the New York Post, you got me.
I want to bring in Sheryl Lee Ralph. She`s going to be starring in the upcoming new season of NBC`s hit series, "Smash," debuting February 5th. Can`t wait to see you in that. Sheryl joining us tonight from Washington. All right, so, Sheryl, Gifford confessed. She couldn`t stick with it for a month. Do we give her a pass or do we give her a hard time about this?
RALPH: I think we give her a little bit of a hard time about it. Look, I love a good (INAUDIBLE) or a bit of the bubbly as much as the next person, but when you give your word and you say, look, I`m going to go off the sauce for a month, that`s exactly what you do. Your word is your bond. Especially when it comes to things like this.
There are a lot of young people, college students who watch that show, and when you make light of it like that, it`s like, oh, well, it`s not important. Yes, it is important. You`re going to stay off for a month, stay off for a month. You`re not going to do it, you`re not going to do it. Don`t make a joke about it and then say, ah, no big deal. For some folks who people look upon as very, very special, like the two of them, yes, it becomes a big deal. But that`s just me.
HAMMER: Well, this is what they`re doing at 10:00 in the morning. You know, wine, not just for dinner anymore.
RALPH: Thank you.
HAMMER: I want to bring in David Begnaud, who is the host and executive producer of "Newsbreakers" on Ora TV. David is in Hollywood tonight.
David, so what do you think, people try and fail with new year`s resolutions all the time? I guess you`re held to a different standard when you announce yours on TV. But I`m thinking that the "Today" viewers are going to be pretty forgiving to Kathie for not sticking with this, don`t you think?
DAVID BEGNAUD, HOST, NEWSBREAKERS ON ORA TV: Yes, look, Sheryl has got a good point, but AJ, come on. What makes that show great is that both of those ladies booze. I mean, look, it was a schtick to begin with, now she`s back on the alcohol. She needs to keep drinking, because that`s why I watch the show, that`s why I like it. If they went sober, it would be boring. So drink up, ladies. Cheers.
HAMMER: I think there`s a certain amount of responsibility and balance that they have to strike there, but go for it, ladies. I don`t care.
From Kathie`s confession to a fake girlfriend obsession. We`re up to No. 3. Big Manti Te`o news tonight. We just learned that the Notre Dame football star is said to do his first TV interview about his fake girlfriend to help clear his name, if that`s possible. He`s going to speak with Katie Couric on Thursday, but his imaginary relationship may have already trumped anything he could possibly say.
Take a look at one example. It`s a "Funny or Die" spoof of an eHarmony ad.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think what it is, you don`t know what you have until you have it. I`ve heard people in the past, oh, she`s not right for you, she`s totally fake, but I hate fake people. They`re just so -- it`s like they`re not there when you`re talking to them. But that`s different with Lennay. You`re right. She`s right. Totally different.
We`ve had our challenges, like when she got in a car wreck at some point within an eight-month span in 2011, but the chemistry was there from the start. I love that she isn`t afraid to be herself or someone else. I feel like I`m living a dream. Just ask her.
They talk about her so much, people keep saying, we want to meet her, who is she, is she real? Have you actually seen her? Is it a hoax? Are you part of the hoax? Because she`s just that amazing.
Sorry, whispers tickle.
She`s the most considerate person I know. Like when she called me after she already died of leukemia. That changed my life.
I can`t believe I met somebody this incredible, and no one else believes it either.
Log on to eHarmony.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HAMMER: OK, listen, this is such a bizarre story. Still so many unanswered questions. But the truth is, that`s pretty funny, Sheryl. Has Manti just become a big joke at this point already?
RALPH: He has become a big joke, and I feel so bad about it. Because you have this big, brawny guy, who everybody thinks is so rough and tough. He`s probably a guy with a bit of innocence in him and is probably very shy. But this exact same scam is going on across the country, and there are a lot of people who have quietly lost their savings, lost their homes by giving their money and their love to these fictitious people. It happens so much that it`s crazy. I`m just so sorry that he had to be the brunt of this joke, which is really very serious. Wait until you start to hear about some of the other people who have been completely taken advantage of, just like this. It`s awful.
HAMMER: You know, David, I`m watching you shake your head there and I`m thinking, No. 1, you don`t feel sorry for him at all, and No. 2, you agree that he`s become this big joke.
BEGNAUD: Yes, look. I mean, A.J., the guy is either incredibly gullible or just plain dumb. I don`t feel sorry for this guy. I feel sorry for the people who felt sorry for him. We got duped, we got duped by reporters who didn`t follow-up on the story, and we got duped because he reportedly after knowing it was a hoax, then continued to talk about it and give interviews. No, there is no feeling sorry for that dude.
HAMMER: It`s going to be very interesting to see if we understand this situation any better when he speaks with Katie Couric later on this week.
But if that or Jennifer Lopez`s uncanny look-alike or Kathie Lee Gifford aren`t No. 1 on our newsmakers countdown, what could be? Maybe Matthew McConaughey`s stunning revelations about his buddy Lance Armstrong. Or maybe this -- talk show host Steve Harvey`s emotional breakdown.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
STEVE HARVEY, TALK SHOW HOST: I was 26 years old, man, I was struggling. I didn`t -- I didn`t have nothing. And these people from the furniture store in Cleveland, and they took me in.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: This is stunning.
I`m about to reveal who made the top slot on our SHOWBIZ countdown of tonight`s top five newsmakers. This is SBT, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT on HLN.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I`m waiting for my answer, buddy.
HARVEY: Hey, man. I love you, man.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: Such an emotional moment. Talk show host Steve Harvey in one of the most cleverly orchestrated birthday surprises we`ve ever seen on TV. That had him and all of us in tears. It was a great moment, and it lands Harvey a spot in the SHOWBIZ countdown of the day`s top newsmakers.
Welcome back. Tonight, in the SHOWBIZ countdown, we`re counting down the day`s top five big newsmakers.
And coming in at No. 5, Jennifer Lopez look-alike right here, just moments ago on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, after she tweets pictures of herself and just sets the Twittersphere abuzz with this uncanny resemblance to J.Lo. Just amazing.
No. 4, Kathie Lee confesses. "Today Show" co-host Kathie Lee Gifford admitting to going back on her vow to give up drinking for a month when she was caught in the act after just nine days.
No. 3, what we learned today that Notre Dame football star Manti Te`o is set to do his first TV interview about his girlfriend hoax. He`s going to tell all to Katie Couric on Thursday.
And that takes us to No. 2 on our SHOWBIZ newsmakers countdown, and yes, it`s Steve Harvey. Steve was reduced to tears on his own talk show when his producers gave him the birthday surprise of a lifetime. They reconnected him with an old friend. Watch this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HARVEY: Let`s see who it is.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hi, Steve, this is Rich List (ph) from Orlando, Florida. And I called you to wish you a happy birthday and ask you one question. Do you still love me, baby?
HARVEY: I was 26 years old. Man, I was struggling. I didn`t have nothing. And these people owned a furniture store in Cleveland, and they took me in, and gave me my first contract with my little carpet cleaning company.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: Just a great moment. So happy seeing Steve reconnecting with his old friends. And that takes us to the big reveal of who is No. 1 on our SHOWBIZ countdown of tonight`s top five big newsmakers.
Matthew McConaughey, tonight, his stunning new revelations about his good friend Lance Armstrong`s bombshell doping confessions to Oprah Winfrey. Watch what he just told MTV.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MATTHEW MCCOUNAGHEY, ACTOR: My first reaction was, I was pissed off. I was mad. I then got kind of sad for him. And I took it kind of, first off, I had a part of me that took it personally, which I think a lot of people have. And what I`ve realized is that those of us that took that personally, like, oh, you, he lied to me, it`s not true.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Right.
MCCOUNAGHEY: What I mean by this, is what was he supposed to do? Call me to the side and go, hey, man, I did it, but don`t tell anybody. Then I would really have reason to be pissed off at him. You want me to walk around holding this?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: I want to bring back actor Sheryl Lee Ralph, who stars in NBC`s hit show "Smash." So, Sheryl, you heard what Matt just said. He`s sad, he`s pissed in his own words. He`s mad, but did he also kind of seem to be saying maybe we need to give Lance a second chance?
RALPH: I think we need to be more compassionate to people overall. We`re so quick to judge. Look I lost my dad to prostate cancer, and I know the millions of dollars and the hundreds that people raised under the Livestrong. So if he did that for my dad and for others, I thank him. I wish he could have been more truthful. I wish he had come forward sooner. But he did what he did in his own time, and we never know the burden that Lance Armstrong may be carrying right now. I`m sorry it happened, but I feel for him.
HAMMER: That`s very magnanimous of you, because I think people a lot of think it`s really early. I do want to take that to TV host David Begnaud from "Newsbreakers" on Ora TV, also back with us now.
So, David, now that Lance has confessed to some doping, and some friends like Matthew McConaughey may appear to be forgiving, does Armstrong deserve another chance, or is it way too early to be talking about that?
BEGNAUD: Look, I`m sitting here listening to your other guests taking a breath, because you know, we do need to be forgiving, but I got to tell you, I think this guy is the worst kind. Livestrong did some wonderful things, but everything about him seems to be based on a lie. And I got a hard time dealing with him. I literally hate everything that he has become.
HAMMER: Ooh. Strong words.
BEGNAUD: I really do. He`s done some wonderful things, but I don`t -- I don`t hate him. My father used to always say, you don`t hate people. But I hate everything that his image has become, because it`s a lie. And we bought it. We believed it.
HAMMER: Sheryl?
RALPH: You know what, I believe that hate in whatever context is a very strong word. I completely understand what he is saying. I do not condone lying in any way, shape, or form. But I`m trying to figure out what was going on inside that man that made him do and say the things that he did. Maybe by looking at him, we need to look a little bit deeper inside of ourselves and get truly right within ourselves before we start looking at the log in somebody else`s eyes.
HAMMER: I got to admit there, Sheryl--
(CROSSTALK)
BEGNAUD: Preach, I get it, but--
HAMMER: I do have to end it there. But at some point maybe we`ll actually hear him speak more truth and have a greater understanding of this. Sheryl Ralph and David Begnaud, thank you. Don`t forget to check out Sheryl in the all-new season of "Smash," kicking off February 5 on NBC.
Wait till you see the surprising look at the biggest newsmaker of today. Of course it`s President Obama. Inauguration day is all about pomp and circumstance. But come on, there`s always some time for a good laugh, right?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Come on, man!
(CROSSTALK)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: SHOWBIZ TONIGHT revealing the funniest moments from President Obama`s first term. And I got to tell you, these are hilarious.
This is SBT, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT on HLN.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HAMMER: Tonight, Obama`s funnies. From fencing with a lightsaber to serenading us with Al Green. Along with being the leader of the free world, the president has kept us quite entertained over the last four years.
Now as President Obama`s sworn in for a second term, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT looks back at some of the lighter moments from his first term in office.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
OBAMA: We cannot sustain -- oops. Was that my --
(LAUGHTER)
OBAMA: Oh, goodness. That`s all right.
All of you know who I am.
(LAUGHTER)
OBAMA: As some of you may have noticed, I had a lot more energy in our second debate. I felt really well rested after the nice long nap I had in the first debate.
In the next 100 days, my bipartisan outreach will be so successful that even John Boehner will consider becoming a Democrat. After all, we have a lot in common. He is a person of color.
(LAUGHTER)
OBAMA: Although not a color that appears in the natural world.
Come on, man! I got to get one of these.
No one is happier, no one is prouder to put this birth certificate matter to rest than the Donald. And that`s because he can finally get back to focusing on the issues that matter, like where are Biggie and Tupac?
(singing): I`m so in love with you.
(CHEERS AND APPLAUSE)
OBAMA: Hey! Get out of here.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That`s the most persistent fly I`ve ever seen.
Nice!
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HAMMER: All right. Terrific moments. Also, the inauguration set the scene for tonight`s moment in SHOWBIZ Awesomeness.
(VIDEO CLIP PLAYING)
HAMMER: The amazing moment when star power meets presidential power. Beyonce, President Obama, tonight`s most awesome SHOWBIZ moment next. This is SBT, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, on HLN.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HAMMER: It`s time for SHOWBIZ awesomeness, this is where we name the most awesome SHOWBIZ moment of the day. And tonight, that moment is, of course, from President Obama star-studded second inauguration. There were more heavy-hitters at this ceremony than a typical red carpet in Hollywood. Kellie Clarkson, James Taylor, the always amazing Beyonce, all there to perform. And for me the moment that really, absolutely stole the show was Beyonce`s incredible rendition of the national anthem.
So we end our show tonight with Beyonce and our national anthem.
(VIDEO CLIP PLAYING: BEYONCE SINGING THE NATIONAL ANTHEM)
END
