Return to Transcripts main page
Showbiz Tonight
The Death of a Country Star; Looking towards the Oscars; Canadians Prepare for Zombie Apocalypse; Beyonce Reveals Details of Her Life; Danica Patrick Makes NASCAR History
Aired February 18, 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)
MINDY MCCREADY, COUNTRY SINGER: I just keep telling myself that the more suffering that I go through, the greater character I`ll have.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
A.J. HAMMER, HOST: Tonight on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, the death of a country star. That`s Mindy McCready, in her final TV interview speaking about her troubled life, marred by addiction, a life that just ended in suicide.
NBC`s Andrea Canning was the journalist who did that last interview. She is right here with us tonight, along with HLN`s own Dr. Drew Pinsky, who treated McCready on VH1`s "Celebrity Rehab." And two counselors who worked with McCready on "Celebrity Rehab" are also here with us tonight, sharing their surprising insight into really went wrong.
SHOWBIZ TONIGHT starts right now.
Hello, I`m A.J. Hammer.
Look, a disturbing question tonight: Why did country music star Mindy McCready apparently fatally shoot herself in Arkansas? A tragedy only compounded by the two young children she leaves behind who must now cope with the death of their mother.
"Better Times," that`s McCready`s No. 1 hit from 1996, "Guys Do it All the Time." That`s just one of the songs that made Mindy McCready a country superstar back in the `90s. But it was her troubling life in the years that followed: the addictions, the rehabs and, yes, the suicide of her long-time boyfriend and father of one of her children just last month that all apparently came too much to endure.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MCCREADY: I have never gone through anything this painful; nor will I ever again go through anything this painful.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: McCready was just 37 years old. She shared her pain with "Dateline NBC" correspondent Andrea Canning in her final TV interview last month. Andrea with us tonight in New York. And with us tonight from Hollywood, Dr. Drew Pinsky, host of course, of "DR. DREW ON CALL" weeknights, 9 p.m. Eastern here on HLN. Dr. Drew tried to help Mindy McCready overcome her addiction demons several years ago on VH1`s "Celebrity Rehab."
And Drew, I want to start with you on this awful day. Such terrible news. And this morning, we heard the boyfriend -- an ex-boyfriend of Mindy McCready is telling "The Today Show" that he wasn`t surprised to hear about her death. Were you surprised?
DR. DREW PINSKY, HLN ANCHOR: I was surprised, because I had spoken to her about a year and a half ago. I knew she was struggling after the death of her boyfriend. And she spoke with me. She seemed to be clear after some conversation that she needed to get help and was going to.
But she was mortified how people were going to judge her, stigmatize her, and maybe even allege that she had something to do with her boyfriend`s death. And I had to convince her that her health and safety was more important.
It`s clear to me -- and I`m disgusted by this -- that it`s those issues that came to bear that caused her to leave the hospital prematurely. Had she not been so stigmatized by the public, she would still be in treatment, and she would be alive today.
HAMMER: It`s just so tragic, and Andrea, when you spoke with her a few weeks ago, watching your interview, it seemed like she felt, at least at the time, the worst of it was behind her. So I imagine you were quite surprised, as well.
ANDREW CANNING, "DATELINE NBC": I was. Because after the interview, she was in a fog pretty much up until the point of the interview.
After the interview, her friend who was with her in those days, he told me that she really had turned a corner. That she felt like people cared. She got it all out. She was doing so much better.
And then she got the horrible news that her children were going to be taken away from her and placed into foster care. And she cared about those kids so much, a 10-month-old and a 6-month-old -- 6-year-old, rather. And a lot of her friends and family feel like that is what really pushed her over the edge. That and the combination with her boyfriend dying.
HAMMER: And we know that her kids remained in foster care on Sunday when she apparently killed herself and fortunately were not at the house at the time that she died.
And Andrea, when you spoke with her in her final TV interview, you asked her about last month`s shooting death of her longtime boyfriend, David Wilson, also an apparent suicide. You asked about the speculation that had been going on about her involvement in her boyfriend`s death. I want to watch what you said.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CANNING: The police have not called you a suspect, but do you feel like just the way that it came out and the story -- that it was damaging in itself?
MCCREADY: It was hurting so bad. And then they just did whatever they could to make it hurt even more.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: And Andrea, watching it there, it`s so clear how much that all had to weigh on her.
CANNING: She was -- she was so upset. She felt that the sheriff was on a witch hunt. She believed it was a suicide and that`s what the media reported, and then all of a sudden, the sheriff said, "Hey, not so fast. I haven`t ruled yet on what this is." So he still has not ruled out murder. And she decided to do the interview...
PINSKY: Andrea, I`ve got to interrupt you. That`s the -- it`s the reason she didn`t go to treatment. It`s the reason she left treatment. I am so upset about this. Can you just see the pain in this poor woman? It is that pain, it`s the intolerability of that pain that leads to suicide. This is an egregious situation.
HAMMER: It`s awful.
CANNING: Mindy made the decision to do the interview. And she said she wanted to clear her name. And I felt like she came across as a devastated woman.
HAMMER: Absolutely.
CANNING: I mean, that is the reason she did it. And that was her choice. I mean, she didn`t have to do...
PINSKY: No, Andrea, my point is -- my point is the sheriff and the press who were scrutinizing this poor woman, who was shattered by the death of her boyfriend.
And by the way, she shared with me some of the facts about his death. It will all make sense for everybody when the facts come out. It had nothing to do with Mindy.
She was suffering a great loss. To me this is almost death by public scrutiny. People should be ashamed of themselves. This is a horrible situation. This woman needed to stay in treatment. She was fearful to do so because of how people judged her. It`s just unbelievable.
CANNING: She was very, very upset with the sheriff. The sheriff can speak for himself, but she definitely felt like she was being treated unfairly, and -- and yes, that definitely weighed heavily on her. And then I think her children being taken away from her was the final straw.
HAMMER: Dr. Drew, I want to go back a little bit to the time when she appeared on Season 3 of your show "Celebrity Rehab" for what`s described as a love addiction. Let`s watch that.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MCCREADY: I was in a relationship with a guy for about three and a half years. It later just beat the hell out of me. And I was addicted to the relationship. And you know...
DENNIS RODMAN, FORMER PROFESSIONAL BASKETBALL STAR: That`s the reason why you`re here?
MCCREADY: Uh-huh.
RODMAN: Really?
MCCREADY: That`s right.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: Dr. Drew, how did Mindy`s love addiction contribute to her problems that she experienced in life?
PINSKY: She -- well, clearly had a long history of getting involved with people that mistreated her. You know, it`s -- if you conceptualize Jodi Arias as somebody that keeps going back to a bad situation, if any of that is factual, which we don`t know, that`s sort of that circumstance.
But, you know, she had other issues with substances that she -- my job is not to out somebody if they don`t want to talk about it on television. That was up to her. She ended up dealing with those things, dealing with them more thoroughly outside, away from the cameras. And in fact, apparently was doing quite well with all that until the death of the boyfriend, at which time things really unraveled.
CANNING: And I just want to say Mindy brought up you, Dr. Drew. She really trusted you, and she felt like she had turned a corner. And I know that they called you, because they told me. And she knew she needed help.
And her friend who was with her was one of the only people who with her. He felt like "I just need to get this woman in treatment."
And the family is outraged that she left treatment. I don`t know why she left treatment.
PINSKY: Yes.
CANNING: But they are so upset because they feel that she could be alive today if she was still there.
PINSKY: That`s absolutely correct.
HAMMER: Andrew, want to -- I`m sorry, Dr. Drew, I just want to jump in. I think this particular part of the interview that Mindy did with Andrea is so crucial. It really jumped out at me. And I think anybody who heard this today, this was a part of the interview, which would be her last. Let`s watch what she said here.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MCCREADY: I just keep telling myself that the more suffering that I go through, the greater character I`ll have.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: Andrea, this is just about a month ago. It clearly didn`t give an indication to us at that time, anyway, that she didn`t expect to be here continuing to build her character as she worked through her issues.
CANNING: I mean, part of me is surprised that this happened, because she was doing pretty well when we went to visit her. And we really left on a positive note. She felt it was a very cathartic interview. And she felt good, and her friends said she did turn a corner and she was a different Mindy when she woke up the next morning.
But then when you look at her history -- multiple suicide attempts, addiction -- that part isn`t surprising. She was so fragile. And she had fought so hard for her son, and she had the baby, and then to have her children taken away. And it just hit her in the worst possible spot.
HAMMER: We do have to leave it there, but I just hope, as always, Dr. Drew, we always talk about this. I just hope this is a teaching moment, as we`re wont to call it, for so many people. Media, everybody...
PINSKY: Yes, yes. These are fatal illnesses. Fatal illnesses.
HAMMER: Andrea, Dr. Drew, thank you both so much.
I want to remind people to just check out "DR. DREW ON CALL" weeknights at 9 p.m. Eastern.
A little later tonight on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, I`m going to have more incredible revelations about Mindy McCready with two people who worked with Dr. Drew on "Celebrity Rehab." What they`re revealing to us about the demons that may have led to her suicide.
We have Bob Forrest and Sherry Gaba right here for a headline-making "SHOWBIZ News Maker" interview tonight.
Mindy McCready faced so much tragedy, but she`s not the only superstar forced to confront some very tough challenges. Tonight SHOWBIZ TONIGHT reveals Beyonce`s brand-new bombshells, including her emotional split with her father and manager.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BEYONCE, SINGER: I felt like I had to move on and not work with my dad. And I don`t care if I don`t sell one record.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: I am counting down Beyonce`s biggest bombshells as SHOWBIZ TONIGHT speaks exclusively with her dad, Matthew Knowles.
And check this out.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MIKE CAMERON, SAVED BY DOG: I woke up, and it was pretty black in my house. The house was engulfed in flames.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: Don`t call Lassie. Call Charlie. Charlie the dog saved his owner from a house that was going up in flames. This is our "SHOWBIZ Moment of Awesomeness."
This is SBT, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, on HLN.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SETH MACFARLANE, CREATOR, "FAMILY GUY": Hi, I`m Seth MacFarlane, and I`ll be your host this year for the Oscars, so tweet about it now. That`s not how you spell "douche."
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: He`s going to be great. That`s Seth MacFarlane in a hilarious promo for his first-ever Oscar hosting gig this Sunday. Seth will be MC- ing the big show, and of course, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT is going to help you get ready for all of the Oscar showdowns this Thursday. It`s our special, "SHOWBIZ Road to Gold." Do not miss our one-on-one interview with Seth MacFarlane and Oscar nominees Jennifer Lawrence and Denzel Washington. It all happens Thursday at 11 p.m. Eastern and Pacific, right here on HLN.
And I want to head out to L.A. for Hollywood`s biggest night. My pals, Kelly Ripa and Michael Strahan, are going to be there, too. So I decided to stop by the set of their show, "Live with Kelly & Michael," to find out exactly what they`re planning on doing at the Oscars.
Now, I found out that Michael is new to the entire scene. He has never been to the Oscars before. So I had to fill him in on exactly what the protocol is: you know, from kissing the stars outside to giving him some advice on how to avoid a Sacha Baron Cohen moment. You remember when the "Borat" star dropped ashes all over E!`s Ryan Seacrest, right? Don`t worry, after I spoke with Michael, he is ready for that and more. Watch.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
HAMMER: Look at us. We`re surrounded by Oscar.
KELLY RIPA, CO-HOST, ABC`S "LIFE WITH KELLY & MICHAEL": Isn`t it incredible? I want to know where we stole these from. That`s what I want to know.
HAMMER: So what amazes me is, you know, just a few years ago, you`re playing pro football, and now you`re going to the Academy Awards. In what world does this happen?
MICHAEL STRAHAN, CO-HOST, ABC`S "LIVE WITH KELLY & MICHAEL": In a fantasy world or only here on this show. Because I never thought it -- I watched it all the time. I loved it, but I never thought I`d be on the red carpet asking questions. But I`m looking forward to it. Just fun.
HAMMER: Of course, out there on the red carpet, Michael, I`ve got to tell you, I`ve been doing it for a long time out there at the Academy Awards. And it`s a crazy roller coaster wild ride. You can`t really plan anything. You don`t know what people...
STRAHAN: What advice? Do you have any advice for me? It`s my first time.
HAMMER: Actually, the first thing I was going to think was security. Obviously, this guy doesn`t need any security. Nobody is going to mess with him.
RIPA: But people are all over him.
HAMMER: Here`s the problem, you know. You don`t anybody pouring ashes on you...
STRAHAN: Oh, yes.
HAMMER: ... or anything like that.
STRAHAN: True.
HAMMER: So I would say be on guard.
Here`s the other thing.
STRAHAN: If they did that to me, we might have a very interesting piece on our hands.
RIPA: That would be fascinating, yes.
HAMMER: All of the stars, men and women, like to embrace you and kiss on the lips. So I`m going to warn you...
STRAHAN: Really?
HAMMER: ... so you do that. OK.
STRAHAN: The men, too? This is flu season. I don`t think that`s a good idea.
RIPA: I keep telling him, too, he`s going to be covered in body makeup and body glitter.
STRAHAN: Yes. So I`m supposed to do this. You`ve got to stand away.
HAMMER: Go right in. That`s what I`m suggesting.
STRAHAN: I have a feeling you`re setting me up.
HAMMER: Me? I wouldn`t do that.
RIPA: He`s setting you up.
HAMMER: Obviously, fashion is a huge part of the night.
RIPA: I don`t take risks. Like, you`ll never see my leg come out. You`ll never see a breast pop out. You`ll just never see any of that. I`m very boring.
HAMMER: The leg thing is very trendy.
RIPA: Yes. You know, this year, I`m doing -- I`m doing something crazy radical. I`m keeping both of my legs under my dress.
STRAHAN: The leg thing is trending, but you can make the breast thing trendy, too.
RIPA: Yes, yes, yes. He`s going to be interviewing people walking the red carpet. They`re sort of in a daze.
STRAHAN: They`re nervous.
RIPA: They`re very nervous. They`re very terrified. I see people after they`ve won an Academy Award. So everybody is happy to see me. Everybody that doesn`t mind talking to me. Everybody is like my oldest, best friend.
STRAHAN: They might blow me off on the way in. They`ll be happy to talk to you.
RIPA: Right.
STRAHAN: Yes.
RIPA: But next year we`ll swap. We`ll swap positions.
STRAHAN: No, no, no, no. I kind of like it, because I kind of like that. I want the nervousness.
HAMMER: Really?
STRAHAN: Because maybe they will tell me something that -- that just comes out.
HAMMER: They wouldn`t ordinarily say.
STRAHAN: Sometimes they`re so cool and collected and calm.
HAMMER: You have the big show the next morning. But you`re actually there on the Oscar stage talking to the winners.
RIPA: It is a lot of fun, but it`s a lot of -- it`s a lot of work for our staff. It`s a lot of work for us, too, because even though we want to be out all night at these fun parties, we have to be -- we have to go to work at 2 a.m. in the morning.
HAMMER: I can`t wait to see you guys. I`ll run into you out there.
RIPA: Yes. Actually you will.
HAMMER: Don`t actually kiss them on the lips. I`m going to let you off the hook.
STRAHAN: Give me a...
HAMMER: Michael, hold on.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HAMMER: He insisted. Thankfully, he has a good sense of humor. Always great being with those guys. And be sure to catch Kelly and Michael`s after-Oscar show on Monday, February 25. They`re going to be live from the Dolby Theater just hours after they wrap up.
And here`s something that is even more surprising than Michael Strahan`s Oscar revelations to me. I`m talking about Beyonce`s stunning bombshells about her love life with Jay-Z.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BEYONCE: You taught me how to take an opportunity and go for it (ph). You taught me how to be a woman. You taught me how to live. You taught me how to be a friend (ph).
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: Beyonce opening up for the first time about her super-private marriage. And she`s finally revealing what baby Blue Ivy looks like. Wait till you see our SHOWBIZ Countdown, Beyonce Bombshells," what bombshell will take the top spot?
Plus, it`s a real-life zombie takeover.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOHN BAIRD, CANADIAN MINISTER OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS: Under the leadership of this prime minister, Canada will never become a safe haven for zombies ever.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Here, here!
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: Here, here. The Canadian government is finally debating zombies. This is no joke. You`ve got to see why our friends to the north are going zombie crazy.
This is SBT, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, on HLN.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, my God. Go, go!
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: Tonight, it`s a real-life zombie takeover. You`ve got "The Walking Dead" on AMC shattering cable TV ratings records. And then you`ve got all those local TV stations that were hacked and started issuing zombie alerts without even knowing it.
And now our friends to the north are getting in on the zombie craze. Get this: the Canadian parliament is now debating what to do in the event of a zombie apocalypse.
Here`s CNN`s Jeanne Moos for SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEANNE MOOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Is there a zombie in the house? The House of Commons.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don`t need to tell you, Mr. Speaker, that zombies don`t recognize borders.
MOOS: This isn`t the latest episode of "The Walking Dead," though you could argue some politicians fit that description. This is actually Canada`s parliament.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I want to ask the minister of foreign affairs: Is he working with his American counterparts to develop an international zombie strategy so that a zombie invasion does not turn into a zombie apocalypse?
MOOS: It`s clear these guys aren`t brain dead, because they know how to joke. The minister of foreign affairs reciprocated with a pun that was dead-on.
BAIRD: Mr. Speaker, I want to assure this member and all Canadians that I am dead-icated to assuring that this never happens.
MOOS: The zombie issue came up because Quebec was supposed to hold a mock zombie disaster training exercise. And while that might sound bizarre, zombie drills are not that unusual. This one took place in Ohio.
The idea is to have emergency planners think outside the box, as opposed to dealing with crises they`ve dealt with in the past. Even officials at the Centers for Disease Control have used zombies to grab the public`s attention.
Zombies have no respect for romance. There were false zombie alerts this week at a handful of TV stations in places like Michigan and Montana.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The bodies of the dead are rising from their graves and attacking the living.
MOOS: Hackers managed to temporarily take control of the station`s emergency broadcast systems. Just as they used to do with far simpler traffic signs.
The zombie debate in Canada`s house had members laughing.
(on camera): But wait. Zombie apocalypse training has been canceled. The new scenario will simulate flooding. Flooding?
(voice-over): Yes. All the joshing about zombies had Quebec`s government worried the training exercise would lose its serious focus.
BAIRD: Under the leadership of this prime minister, Canada will never become a safe haven for zombies ever!
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hear, hear!
MOOS: Anyway, Canada has nothing to fear. As one guy posted on Gawker, zombies are allergic to maple syrup.
Jeanne Moos...
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: To a zombie apocalypse!
MOOS: ... CNN...
BAIRD: Canada will never become a safe haven for zombies, ever!
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hear, hear!
MOOS: ... New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HAMMER: That`s CNN`s Jeanne Moos for SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
Well, I`ve got to tell you, those zombies got nothing on the bombshells that Beyonce just dropped in her brand-new HBO documentary. Watch this one about the emotional breakup with her father and manager.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BEYONCE: Life is unpredictable, but I felt like I had to move on and not work with my dad. And I don`t care if I don`t sell one record.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: And we have a SHOWBIZ exclusive with Matthew Knowles about the story behind that shocking father-daughter split.
And what about this? A modern Lassie that just saved his owner from a burning house. It`s your "Moment of SHOWBIZ Awesomeness" with Charlie the dog. I`m going to show you how it all went down.
This is SBT, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, on HLN.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BEYONCE: You taught me so many things. (UNINTELLIGIBLE) You taught me how to be a woman. You taught me how to live. You taught me how to be a friend.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: Right now, the SHOWBIZ Countdown, "Beyonce Bombshells." Tonight, Beyonce`s brand-new revelations about her marriage to Jay-Z. And we are finally getting to see baby Blue Ivy`s face. But what`s the biggest "Beyonce Bombshell" of them all?
Plus, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT with new revelations about the apparent suicide of country music star Mindy McCready. Her desperate fight to beat addiction. Did it ultimately lead her to kill herself?
Tonight, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT brings you the addiction specialists who tried to help her on VH1 "Celebrity Rehab." Their surprising take on what went wrong in a must-see headline making SHOWBIZ newsmaker interview.
SHOWBIZ TONIGHT continues right now.
(MUSIC)
HAMMER: Welcome back to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. And thank you for watching. I`m A.J. Hammer. And right know in the SHOWBIZ Countdown, we are counting down three big Beyonce bombshells.
So, we just got a glimpse of Beyonce`s immensely-private world in her HBO documentary, "Beyonce: Life is But a Dream." And what we saw was this roller coaster life filled with love, pain, success and most importantly, family.
One of the biggest bombshells comes in at number three on the SHOWBIZ Countdown, Beyonce for the very first time publicly opening up about how much she`s crazy in love with Jay-Z. This is nearly five years after they got married. These two have been so private they never even publicly confirmed they were married until recently.
Well, now that love, it is on full display and Jay-Z actually sings it from the rooftops, almost. Watch this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BEYONCE: I just pray that Jay and I stay a team. Right now we are really connected and really are communicating well. We completely understand each other. We support each other and need (ph) each other.
(MUSIC)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: All right. I want to bring in entertainment host Patricia Lopez from Hollywood tonight. Patricia, were you like me, were you hitting the rewind button on the DVR, they are just to make sure, to make certain that you actually saw Jay-Z singing to Beyonce like that?
PATRICIA LOPEZ, ENTERTAINMENT HOST: I was in -- it was fantastic. I was on my couch, and I was singing along and I thought it was so beautiful. That was, probably, one of my favorite moments. It seemed genuine, it seemed real. They were enjoying some drinks and they were singing to each other. And, you know, it`s no hidden truth that they are both fans of "Coldplay." So that was -- that was beautiful. I really enjoyed that.
HAMMER: Beautiful, but almost crazy. I mean when you really think back at how much they kept from us for all this time. I guess maybe it was part of the master plan. Let it -- let it all out in one fell swoop on this documentary. And what we also got to see -- go ahead, Patricia.
LOPEZ: No, I was going to say I`m such a fan. And everybody keeps talking about how it`s this documentary and it really -- I`m describing it as a potato chip. You can`t just have one. I feel like this was the first time we got a glimpse into her life and now I want more. I definitely want more. I`m hooked. I want to go and see her perform. I want it all now.
HAMMER: You want to sit down with the whole bag. All right. We also got to see Beyonce at her most stressed and she shares with the world just how she works through all that stress. Watch this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BEYONCE: Stop pretending that I have it all together and if I`m scared, be scared. Allow it, release it, move on. I think I need to go listen to "Make Love to Me." No, make love to my husband.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: Wow! Wow, wow, wow! What`s going on here?
Jawn Murray, let me get to you, the editor-in-chief of Alwaysalist.com joining me from Washington. Some people are cheering on Beyonce here, Jawn, for finally opening up. But I have to say, I ran across a couple of things online where people today were saying maybe she`s gone too far and this is way too much. What do you think? I`m enjoying it, but, you know.
JAWN MURRAY, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF, ALWAYSALIST.COM: A.J., I enjoyed a lot of this. And I don`t think she`s gone too far at all. Because there`s some things that I wanted her to delve into that she didn`t, like the real reason she`s not working with her dad anymore. Or the real reason why the original girls from "Destiny`s Child" are no longer in the group. There`s some things that she could have went into that she didn`t.
I love that she`s showing us the humanity behind the hoopla. I love that she`s bringing her in -- bringing us into her life, because while her counterparts like J. Lo, Mariah, Christina and Britney are using reality shows to try to sell records, this is the best and the closest we`ll get to a Beyonce reality show ever.
HAMMER: Yeah. I was fearful it might be a little to self-indulgent and I didn`t find it to be that. And yet, to your point, she makes some huge news about the other man in her life, her dad, Mathew Knowles. That`s number two on our SHOWBIZ Countdown of Beyonce`s bombshells. It`s her very first confession about dropping her dad as her manager and then the subsequent fallout.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BEYONCE: Life is unpredictable, but I felt like I had to move on and not work with my dad. And I don`t care if I don`t sell one record. It`s bigger than the record. It`s bigger than my career.
I think one of the biggest reasons I decided it was time for me to manage myself was because at some point you need your support system and you need your family.
Hi, Daddy.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: Well, Beyonce`s dad has a new role that he simply cannot get enough of it, and that is granddad.
SHOWBIZ TONIGHT`s Nischelle Turner just spoke exclusively with Mathew Knowles and he talked about Beyonce as a mom and about the tiny new superstar in the family. Watch this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MATTHEW KNOWLES, BEYONCE`S FATHER: I`m proud. I`m proud to see her as a mother. I know this was something very important to her. And to see her just hold Blue Ivy, that`s something very special. I have a picture that nobody else will ever get to see of her holding Blue Ivy. That you can just see the joy in her face.
NISCHELLE TURNER, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT CORRESPONDENT: So what does Beyonce the mom like to do with Blue? Does she sing to her? Do they -- what do they do?
KNOWLES: I`m not going to talk about Beyonce the mom. Let`s just keep it on something else.
TURNER: What about -- what about Papa G, the grand dad? What do you like to do with Blue?
KNOWLES: What do I like to do, I`m not going to talk about that.
TURNER: The inauguration, and when you think about that and you look and see your daughter on stage at one of the most historic moments in modern history, what`s going through your mind? What are you feeling?
KNOWLES: Well, when I see her perform, I`m so proud. It reminds me of when she was a kid and I know all of her dreams will come true. That makes me so proud to see her just incredible talent. I know she must have felt - - I can tell that special thing when Beyonce is really happy. It`s a certain way that she dances and a certain smile that she has. And I saw that. And it brought tears to my eyes.
TURNER: What is that? What?
KNOWLES: I ain`t telling.
(LAUGHTER)
TURNER: You just know it when you see it.
KNOWLES: It`s a dad thing.
TURNER: And then you heard this criticism coming about was she lip- synching, was she singing live. Was that fair?
KNOWLES: Beyonce is a performer and she gave an awesome performance. And I`m proud about it.
TURNER: But as a dad, did you think that was fair?
KNOWLES: You know, I`ve been in entertainment for 20 years. There`s no such thing as fair.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HAMMER: Oh, he got that right. Beyonce may rule the world, but the world has been breathlessly waiting to see a picture of her daughter`s face and finally our wish was granted. At number one our SHOWBIZ countdown of Beyonce bombshells tonight, it`s Beyonce`s big reveal of daughter Blue Ivy.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BEYONCE: Look. Say hi, microphone. OK.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: Entertainment host Patricia Lopez is back with me from Hollywood. Patricia, honestly, if you blinked, you missed it.
LOPEZ: Yeah.
HAMMER: But did you think that was probably the best way that Beyonce could have introduced Blue Ivy to the world?
LOPEZ: It was what we were waiting for. It was beautiful. What a gorgeous baby. I couldn`t get enough of that baby. That`s what I`m talking about, it was one potato chip, I want more. I feel like, you know, it was televised press release and now I want more. I don`t know if it was necessarily a documentary, but what a beautiful, beautiful baby.
HAMMER: Pop culture expert Jawn Murray back from Washington, what do you think as far as her introducing her child whom she`s been very protective of understandably. She did it that way. Were you down with that, Jawn?
MURRAY: Oh, absolutely. She`s controlled every aspect of Blue Ivy from the time they left the hospital to her first showing a photo of her on her Tumblr page to now introducing her, you know, as a toddler in this documentary. She`s always going to control Blue Ivy, she`s going to be very protective of her. Because just like she told Oprah, she wants her daughter to have as much of a normal life as she possibly can. That she`s a super star, that`s going to be hard. But she`s going to control her for as long as she can.
HAMMER: Yeah, we`d like to with her really good luck with that. But here`s the thing that I know. I`m always afraid of celebrities putting their children out there too much. And I think if one person can do it in a very balanced way, it will be this lady right here, Beyonce. Patricia, Jawn, one more look there. All right. Thanks, guys. Great having you here.
And if you think those Beyonce`s bombshells are jaw-dropping, you`ve got to watch this eerie good-bye from the dead girlfriend of disgraced Olympic star Oscar Pistorius.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REEVA STEENKAMP, MODEL: I`m going to miss you all so much. I love you very, very much.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: It`s the brand new reality show that Reeva Steenkamp was working on before her boyfriend was charged with murdering her. Is it just plain bad taste to let the show air? Plus inside Mindy McCready`s painful addiction.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MCCREADY: I just keep telling myself that the more suffering that I go through, the greater character I`ll have.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: In and out of rehab for years, even a stint on "Celebrity Rehab" before her suicide yesterday. Well, tonight we have the inside story of Mindy`s tragic addiction from two people who worked with Mindy on "Celebrity Rehab." You`ve got to see my headline making SHOWBIZ newsmaker interview.
This is SBT, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT on HLN.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MCCREADY: I was in a relationship with a guy for about three and a half years. And later he just beat the hell out of me, and I was addicted to the relationship and, you know.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That`s the reason why you`re here?
MCCREADY: Uh-huh.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: Tonight, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT brings you brand new revelations about country star Mindy McCready, dead of an apparent suicide at the age of 37. Just three years after she shared her problems with America on VH1 "Celebrity Rehab."
Welcome back to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. Mindy McCready had a life of tragedy both before and after her appearance on "Celebrity Rehab." Mindy who`s found dead of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound had addiction problems, was repeatedly arrested and was dealing with the recent apparent suicide of her boyfriend and father of her youngest child. And now, those who knew her worked with her and tried to help her get better, are asking, could her suicide have been prevented?
With me right now from Hollywood, addiction therapist Sherry Gaba who appeared on VH1 "Celebrity Rehab" and worked with Mindy off camera, also from "Celebrity Rehab" Bob Forrest, founder of Bob Forrest Counseling Services. He also counseled Mindy.
I want to thank you both for being here tonight. And Shari, I want to start with you. When you worked with Mindy off camera, did she seem to be making progress with you?
SHERRY GABA, ADDICTION THERAPIST, VH1`S "CELEBRITY REHAB": Of course, she did. She was on the show on "Celebrity Rehab". She was open to being on the show. She was wanting to be on the show. Someone that goes on a show like that, absolutely was doing really well.
HAMMER: Bob, from your time with her and working with her on the show, do you have any insight, anything at all you can offer as to why she may have killed herself? Because obviously, there`s so many questions today.
BOB FORREST, FOUNDER, BOB FORREST COUNSELING SERVICES: Well, it`s just so complicated, the different problems that she had. She had addiction, she had codependency, she had personality disorders, she had some sort of biological mental health issue and what she described there in your clip, I`m addicted to men, I`m addicted to a man who abused me. She also had an alcohol withdrawal seizure on our show, so we know she had alcoholism. I mean, this is a huge, multi-layered, complex problem, problemed woman. And it`s so sad. It`s so sad.
HAMMER: Sherry, would you say all of that ...
GABA: And, of course ...
HAMMER: ... was exacerbated by the fact that at 18 years old, at such a young age, she achieved this level of stardom that clearly has to throw your life, you know, into this major roller coaster ride.
GABA: Right. It`s not a normal adult upbringing, you know. And she probably as a young child was, you know, grooming to be a celebrity. So she really didn`t have that normal childhood. And then, of course, besides the things that Bob mentioned, she has -- has had multiple lawsuits. Her kids were taken away from her and then she pushed -- she had the grief of the death of her boyfriend last month. And people underestimate what happens when there are multiple losses in somebody`s life. And the thing that is just so heartbreaking is why was she alone? You know, what was she doing alone and why was there still a gun in her house? You know, these are the questions that I`d like to be answered.
HAMMER: Yeah, there was obviously so much emotional pain after that apparent suicide of her boyfriend last month. I want to watch with you, guys, what she told "Dateline" NBC`s Andrea Kenning in what would be her final TV interview. Roll that, Charles.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MINDY MCCREADY: I`ve never gone through anything this painful nor will I ever again go through anything this painful.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: I mean it just seems like it was impossible for her to recover from that. Bob, when you hear that, and from the time you spent working with Mindy, do you think that anything could have possibly been done to prevent her suicide?
FORREST: Well, it`s hard to look back now. I just know my interaction with her, I wanted her to stay in Los Angeles for adequate treatment, a year`s treatment. And, you know, staying in sober living, getting -- seeing Sherry, getting all kinds of help, getting acquainted with Al-Anon and -- Adult Children of Alcoholics. Getting a 12-step role, then she wanted to go back and make her life, you know, manageable. And that`s the problem. We -- there`s a myth that you get fixed in 30 days in this country. It takes years to get well. It takes years to get well. And America needs to understand that.
HAMMER: Yes, Sherry, I mean it`s impossible to know if she could have been saved, but it does seem as Dr. Drew said earlier on our show, had she been able to stay in treatment this last go round, maybe she had a shot.
GABA: He`s absolutely right. And, you know, it`s a whole multilevel program. You need a therapist, you need a 12-step program, you need a sponsor, you need treatment, you need sober living and you need at least a year. And really recovery is forever, of course.
HAMMER: Yes, such as ...
GABA: She probably was in and out of treatment.
HAMMER: Such a sad loss. And Bob and Sherry, I do appreciate your insight having worked with her. Thank you so much for being with us.
So much tragedy tonight, but there`s also an incredible miracle that I want to tell you about and shift gears a bit. It reminded us all here at SHOWBIZ TONIGHT of the amazing power of the bond between people and their pets.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CAMERON: I woke up and it was pretty black in the house. The house was engulfed in flames.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: This is amazing. Charlie the dog just saved his owner from a horrific fire that was ripping through his house. I`m going to reveal to you how this modern day Lassie saved the day and became a hero. Your SHOWBIZ "Moment of Awesomeness" on the way. This is SBT, "SHOWBIZ tonight" on HLN.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Danica Patrick has made NASCAR history. When at the race quite a bit, so, they are very comfortable working together.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: That`s the incredible race car driver Danica Patrick making NASCAR history right there. She just put her barrier breaking career into high gear. And we were all cheering for Danica as she became the first woman ever to win the poll position at the Daytona 500, the Super Bowl, of course, of NASCAR. So, how does Danica feel about dominating at Daytona in the qualifying round?
Well, watch what she just told CNN`s Don Lemon.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DANICA PATRICK, NASCAR DRIVER: And one of the coolest things is to be able to think that parents and their kids, they are having that conversation at home about it and, you know, I`ve heard stories about a kid, boy a girl, saying, but mommy, daddy, that`s a girl that`s out there racing. And then they can have that conversation to say you can do anything you want to do. And gender doesn`t matter. Your passion is what matters. And that`s cool.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: Yeah, that is cool. And she did it all in a blazing 196 miles an hour. With me right now is Matt Bean, Matt is the managing editor of SI.com. I love this story, Matt. Danica`s star, it is so bright right now. But before she did any interviews or posed for a single publicity photo, the legendary NASCAR driver Jeff Gordon asked her to take this picture with him and his 5-year-old daughter Ella. Now, even the daughter of a four-time NASCAR champion is impressed by Danica. Matt, so, put this into perspective for us. Just how big a role model is Danica now?
MATT BEAN, SI.COM: Well, let`s just take this in perspective, A.J., of everything that we have seen in this series. I mean she`s the first woman to win not only the poll at Daytona, but in any sprint cup series race. And this is a significant accomplishment for her. And look, we`re a nation that loves a winner. And even though this was just the poll position, having her in the spotlight as someone who beat the pack is a significant moment for Danica Patrick.
HAMMER: It is huge, and it is about time. All right, I`m going to shift gears right now and make a hair pin turn myself. Bring up the remarkable new details in the Oscar Pistorius case. He, of course, is the South African Olympic and Paralympic star accused of murdering his girlfriend model Reeva Steenkamp. Big controversy tonight about whether a South African reality show called "Tropica Island of Treasure" that she appeared in should have been pulled this past weekend. Instead it aired as scheduled. Watch her eerie good-bye message to Jamaica where the show was taped.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
STEENKAMP: You literally fall in love with Jamaica. You fall in love with being in love with love. This is one love. I`m going home with a little bit of a sweet taste in my mouth. I don`t have any regrets. I don`t have any (INAUDIBLE). I take home with me so many amazing memories and things that are in here that I`ll treasure forever. I`m going to miss you all so much. I love you very, very much.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: That`s such an eerie good-bye knowing what we know now.
BEAN: You know, it is. And I think the two big words that stand out here, no matter what evidence emerges are tragedy and shock. I mean nobody could have envisioned that Pistorius would have been embroiled in this kind of a controversy. And certainly, no one would have envisioned that a clip like this would come out at a time like this. So, I think everyone is really trying to assess just how deep this is going to go. Of course, we`ll learn a lot more during the preliminary hearings that begin on Tuesday.
HAMMER: All right, Matt Bean, of SI.com. Thank you so much for being here, Matt.
BEAN: Glad to be here.
HAMMER: Well, we move on now from the tragedy of a fallen hero to this very unlikely hero.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I woke up and it was pretty black in the house. The house was engulfed in flames.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: The dog that`s just become a modern day Lassie. Yes, this little guy saved his owner`s life. And it is our SHOWBIZ "Moment of Awesomeness." I`ll show you how Charlie the dog rescued his owner from the smoke and flames of a terrible fire.
This is SBT, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT on HLN.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HAMMER: Right now it is time for SHOWBIZ Awesomeness. This is where we name the most awesome moment of the day. And tonight, we have a modern day Lassie for you. Look at this guy. His name is Charlie and he just saved his owner`s life. And how it went down, it is truly awesome.
Mike Cameron was knocked out from smoke as his house filled with flames in rural Canada. But Charlie came to the rescue. He was nudging and pulling Cameron until he was conscious enough to get out on to the porch. The fire department arrived very quickly after that and put out the flames. But you got to watch what Charlie`s owner just revealed about this incredible rescue.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CAMERON: He grabbed me by the shoulders and hauled me out to the end of the deck here. Nobody like Charlie. And nobody. Yeah, he`s staying with me forever.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: That`s so awesome. I think Charlie deserves a reward for being such an awesome hero.
Coming up next on "DR. DREW ON CALL," the men in Jodi Arias`s life. Dr. Drew talks with two men who dated Jodi before and after Travis Alexander`s death.
"DR. DREW ON CALL" starts right now.
END
