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Showbiz Tonight
How Realistic was Jodi Arias TV Movie?; Lifetime Biopic to Depict Anna Nicole`s Rise and Tragic Fall; First Glimpse of Ashton Kutcher as Steve Jobs
Aired June 24, 2013 - 23:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CARLOS DIAZ, HOST: Tonight on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, "Jodi Arias Movie Shockers."
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TANIA RAYMONDE, ACTRESS: You`re not ready for that, marriage? Or you`re not ready for that marriage with me? You think I want to be your booty call forever? If so, man up and tell me.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
DIAZ: A brand-new dramatic depiction of the love affair gone wrong uncovers shocking new details about Travis Alexander`s murder. Two of Travis`s friends are here to tell us just how close it was to the brutal reality.
Also tonight, the "SHOWBIZ Countdown," "Paula Deen Shockers."
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PAULA DEEN, CELEBRITY CHEF: And I offer my sincere apology to those that I have hurt, and I hope that you forgive me.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
DIAZ: The apology catastrophe. Paula`s surprising defenders. Plus, the shocking lost interview that could completely reignite her racially-charged controversy. The reporter who uncovered the interview is revealing it right here tonight. Will it top our countdown? SHOWBIZ TONIGHT starts right now.
Hello, I`m Carlos Diaz, in for A.J. Hammer. "Tonight, SHOWBIZ True Crime." You heard all the hype. The very first movie to tell the story of what led Jodi Arias to murder her boyfriend, Travis Alexander. And now that it has just debuted, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT brings you the just-revealed Jodi Arias movie shockers. But what was real and what was not?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JESSE LEE SOFFER, ACTOR: I`ve got to get back. I`ll talk to you later.
RAYMONDE: You did not just hang up on me. Hello? Son of a bitch.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
DIAZ: Jodi Arias, totally losing it in a scene from the Lifetime movie "Jodi Arias: Dirty Little Secret." Furious, obsessive over her boyfriend, Travis, who she later stabbed to death in a frenzy and was convicted of first-degree murder.
Tonight, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT brings you two people who were friends with Travis. Clancy Talbot is in Salt Lake City, Utah, and Dave Hall is in Highland, Utah.
I know both of you watched the movie, and I have to imagine it was really difficult. Like this one scene, where an insanely jealous Jodi completely loses it.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SOFFER: What?
RAYMONDE: You think I want to be your booty call forever? If so, man up and tell me.
SOFFER: Jodi?
RAYMONDE: Who the hell is Marie?
SOFFER: A girl that I know.
RAYMONDE: How well do you know her?
SOFFER: Well enough that she texts me from time to time. This is crazy. You`re acting crazy. This is, like, insane jealousy.
RAYMONDE: I feel like a prostitute, Travis. A piece of toilet paper.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
DIAZ: All right. This Jodi Arias is 100 percent crazy. There is no fine line in this movie. She`s crazy jealous. She breaks into Travis`s house. She slashes his tires. Dave, you also knew Jodi. Did the movie get it right?
DAVE HALL, FRIEND OF TRAVIS: Yes, the movie portrayed Jodi Arias as the crazy lady that she actually is. And I think you did a pretty good job of bringing that up.
DIAZ: Clancy, was Jodi Arias really as "Fatal Attraction" crazy as she is in this movie?
CLANCY TALBOT, FRIEND OF TRAVIS: She absolutely was "Fatal Attraction" crazy. But I think that the big difference for me watching it was, she wasn`t so obviously crazy from the beginning. I mean, there was something off about her, something not right. She gave some people an -- you know, an uneasy feeling.
But in the movie, it was just, you know, full on from the beginning, psycho, crazy, obvious. And it was a little -- a little bit, you know, slower than that for us. She acted very shy and timid. So it was a bit of a difference.
DIAZ: Dave, do you agree with that?
HALL: Yes, absolutely. They have her walking right in the bathroom to meet him right out of the gate. She wasn`t that bold and brazen. But she definitely was calculated in her tactics that she used on Travis.
DIAZ: Well, another shocker from the Jodi Arias movie, there were ton of scenes where Travis`s friends told him, "Get rid of Jodi. She`s bad news." Watch this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Listen, Travis, it`s none of our business here, but don`t you think she`s being a little obsessive? A little creepy?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You know her way better than we do. OK? Is this girl really the kind of girl that you`re looking for?
SOFFER: OK, so you guys don`t like her. Let`s put that on the table.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No, she`s fine. It`s just we don`t like her for you.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No, no, Travis, Jodi was a skank.
SOFFER: She wasn`t a skank.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You should have seen the looks she gave us when you weren`t around.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You`ve got to pull your head out of your ass. This lady is getting crazy, and you`re messing with this girl`s head.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
DIAZ: So Dave, I know it`s hard to talk about, but was -- was that the way it was? Were Travis`s friends constantly warning him about Jodi?
HALL: You know, you never want to tell your friends who they can and can`t date, but there was no shortage of input from Travis`s friends that he could always do better than Jodi. We were always suspicious of her motives, even down to joining the Mormon Church.
DIAZ: Clancy, how about you? Did you see Travis`s friends warn him about Jodi at any time?
TALBOT: Well, on two separate occasions, I actually had conversations with Travis, and one of them was, you know, by myself. The other was with another friend of ours. And it just hurt his feelings.
And in the movie, they kind of got it backwards, where you know, the friends are saying, "We don`t know her as well as you do." He was actually the one that told us, "You know, you guys don`t know her as well as I do. You`ve just got to get to know her. She`s so nice."
And the hard things for me was, after the fact of him being murdered, is when I found out that there were several other people that did the same thing. And I had no idea that so many people had pulled him aside and said that. So I wish we all would have known what the others were telling him so that we could kind of get together and do some sort of an intervention or something for him.
DIAZ: Yes, it`s a great point.
And the trial focused a lot on Jodi and Travis`s wild sex life. The Lifetime movie, guys, it didn`t shy away from that at all. It showed how Travis, who was a Mormon, struggled with Mormon rules about sex. Let`s watch that part.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SOFFER: Beds are made for sleeping.
RAYMONDE: Oh. Travis Alexander, whatever would the church folks think?
SOFFER: Don`t bring that into it, huh? I`m not supposed to be doing most of the stuff we`ve already covered, Jodi.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HALL: Dave, was that really how it was? Did Travis struggle with what he was doing in bed with Jodi?
HALL: Well, he obviously struggled with his relationship with Jodi conflicting with the standards of the LDS Church, but he had confided in a few of his different friends about his struggles and that he was working on them, and trying to get through them.
But it makes it awfully difficult as a 30-year-old single guy to continue to say no to that, when Jodi continually came over, sneaking in his house in the middle of the night and throw herself at him.
DIAZ: Now another thing that shocked us about this Lifetime movie, is it shows something that no one was able to nail down at the trial. Reenacting the exact moment where Jodi decides to kill Travis. According to the movie, it came when he told her to leave him and his new girlfriend alone. Watch.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SOFFER: I`m with Katie now. I need to hear that you understand that. Tell me, Jodi.
RAYMONDE: I understand, Travis. Everything is clear now.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
DIAZ: The very next scene, we see Jodi plan and carry out Travis`s murder, which this movie shows in gory detail. Clancy -- and I know it`s tough seeing that. I can`t imagine how difficult that was to watch. What was that like for you?
TALBOT: Well, I think that -- you know, whatever it was that he found out about her on May 26 and confronted her with, was the day that she decided to, you know, her premeditation.
The actual murder scene itself, I think, was probably the most accurate of the entire movie. It was very long, drawn-out. It was very hard to watch, but I think, you know, for Travis, that`s probably how it was. I mean, when something like that`s happening, time is slow and it moves in slow motion. And I think that, you know, that put it into perspective of exactly what he had to go through and how he had to suffer.
DIAZ: Some are saying today that the movie went overboard in showing two graphic minutes of Jodi murdering Travis in the shower. Clancy, you say it`s appropriate.
David, what do you think about that?
HALL: I actually thought -- found a lot of conflicting material in the murder scene. It starts with her stabbing him in the back, and the evidence points to her actually stabbing him in the chest, most likely while he was sitting down vulnerable, possibly his face in the shower head so he did not see the knife coming.
But once that first stab wound went through his heart, the rest of it`s insignificant, the other 28 stabs, because that one stab was going to be enough to ultimately take his life.
I know a lot of people are saying that, "Hey, it was really gory and hard to watch," but in reality, when you`ve been in that bathroom, when you`ve, you know, brushed your teeth at that sink and showered -- and I`ve just been in that house so many times, picturing Travis actually dying the way that Juan Martinez and Dr. Horn described he died was a lot harder thing for me emotionally than what that movie portrayed.
DIAZ: Well, Dave, Clancy, I`ve got to tell you guys, it`s a tough topic to talk about, and I appreciate you guys coming on. Thanks so much.
And I have to say, a stunning "SHOWBIZ Countdown" is coming your way. "Paula Deen Shockers."
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DEEN: And so I`m taking this opportunity, now that I`ve pulled myself together and am able to speak, to offer an apology to those that I have hurt.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
DIAZ: We`re including her apology catastrophe. Why did Paula release not one but two apology videos for her racist language?
Plus, the shocking lost interview with Paula that may blow up this controversy all over again. "The Huffington Post" reporter who discovered the video is here with us, and he is revealing it right here on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. Will the lost interview top our countdown of "Paula Deen Shockers"?
And Madonna sends her very first Instagram video. But did it really have to be this? The 54-year-old Queen of Pop is still booty popping. Should we be cheering or telling her to stop?
This is SBT, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, on HLN.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
DIAZ: Welcome back to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. I`m Carlos Diaz, in for A.J. Hammer.
Right now a "SHOWBIZ Newsmaker." Playing Anna Nicole. Anna Nicole Smith`s epic rise to fame and her tragic demise are captured and capturing Hollywood headlines again with her incredible life style, portrayed in a new made-for-TV biopic.
Smith was found dead in Florida, in a Florida hotel room, back in 2007 of an accidental overdose of prescription drugs. Her tragic rise and fall plays out in a new Lifetime movie special called "Anna Nicole," which is set to premier this Saturday night, starring Agnes Bruckner.
Here`s HLN`s Natasha Curry, one on one with Bruckner for this "SHOWBIZ Newsmaker" interview.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
NATASHA CURRY, HLN CORRESPONDENT: I have to say, it`s amazing just how much you look like Anna Nicole Smith in this new Lifetime movie. And I`ve got to show everyone exactly what we`re talking about here. Let`s take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
(MUSIC: "Remember my name. I`m going to live forever. I`m going to learn how to fly. I feel it coming together. People will see me and cry. I`m going to make it to heaven, light up the sky like a flame.")
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CURRY: Wow. It`s really amazing. I mean, you really did become Anna Nicole. How did you make that transformation on set every day? I imagine it was really involved.
AGNES BRUCKNER, ACTRESS: Yes, definitely. Well, we had an amazing team of people, Emmy-Award-winning make up, hair, wardrobe, that you know, we really came together as a team and just worked so hard.
I was a brunette when I got the role, so we, you know, bleached my hair and we had all these difference pieces and, you know, fake eyelashes. And the wardrobe team came together and just create these wonderful gowns and dresses out of scratch, and we had amazing prosthetic breasts that were built for, you know, especially me. And it was just really an amazing transformation.
And I had a little bit of time. I had two weeks to kind of research Anna Nicole and do as much research on her as I could. And we really came together as a team, with all the, you know, amazing actors in this film and made a really, really cool movie, I think.
CURRY: Yes, you certainly pulled it off well, because you look like two different people when we see the movie and then here you talking to us.
Did you have any concerns about taking on this role?
BRUCKNER: Oh, definitely. I was very nervous. I was very scared to, you know, take on such an iconic, famous person like Anna Nicole Smith. It`s just something that I`ve never played before. It`s something that I`ve never done before. So it`s very nerve-wracking as an actress.
But you know, after meeting with Mary Harron, the director of the film, and you know, Judith Verno, the producer, and just all of the amazing people, the actors, Martin Landeau, I mean, Oscar-winner Virginia Madsen, Adam Goldberg, Cary Elwes, just, you know, it eased me -- eased my nerves so much. It was definitely an experience that I`ll never forget.
CURRY: Did you hear at all from Anna Nicole`s family or from Larry Birkhead, the former boyfriend and Dannielynn`s father while you were making this movie, and do they approve?
BRUCKNER: I have no idea. I didn`t get a -- I didn`t speak to anybody that was, you know, a part of Anna Nicole Smith`s life. I just -- I did as much research as I could with everything I could find online. And you know, in interviews and magazine clippings and things like that. But I didn`t actually have any contact with any of her family members.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
DIAZ: Our thanks to HLN`s Natasha Curry and to Agnes Bruckner.
This is definitely a highly-anticipated film. Again, it`s called "Anna Nicole," and the world premier is set for this Saturday night on Lifetime. Check your local listings for show times. It`s going to be an amazing film.
All right. Taylor`s Abercrombie & Fitch`s takedown. Taylor Swift`s fans just got the ultimate clothing company to drop a T-shirt that mocked the singer`s messy love life. So is Taylor Swift really more powerful than a company listed on the New York Stock Exchange?
Plus, an eye-opening "SHOWBIZ First Look": Ashton Kutcher becomes Steve Jobs.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ASHTON KUTCHER, ACTOR: Welcome to Apple Computer.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is everything?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is the start-up.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
DIAZ: Get ready to see Ashton Kutcher`s stunning transformation for the new movie about Apple`s iconic founder.
This is SBT, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, on HLN.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
DIAZ: Now, get ready for an eye-opening "SHOWBIZ First Look." I know you`ve been wondering how the heck leading man, Ashton Kutcher, is going to pull off playing tech genius Steve Jobs on the big screen. He`s starring in the brand-new movie about the Apple founder.
Well, you don`t have to guess anymore, because SHOWBIZ TONIGHT is revealing your very first look at Ashton as Jobs. And the transformation is amazing. Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Steve, it takes guts to drop out like you did.
KUTCHER: Higher education comes at the expense of experience.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What are you working on?
KUTCHER: A computer terminal that holds up to the TV in the screen. Steve. Wow.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: These are state of the art. Nobody is making anything like this.
KUTCHER: Welcome to Apple Computer.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is everything?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It`s a start-up.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think we should start with around 90 grand.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Could you repeat that?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If you`ll have me aboard.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Apple Incorporated went public this evening.
KUTCHER: We`ve got to make the small things unforgettable.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Face it, it isn`t a pressing issue.
KUTCHER: Get out.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He`s trying to start a war with IBM.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Steve has been doing the impossible ever since he was in a garage.
KUTCHER: I`m trying to build Apple, and they`re taking it away from me?
If you keep heading down this path, I will not protect you.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It`s a blatant rip off.
KUTCHER: I`m going to sue you for every cent.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I`m you own worsen enemy.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The board is unanimous, Steve will no longer be involved in this company.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Ten years after Steve job`s departure, the future of Apple Computer is in jeopardy.
KUTCHER: In life, you only get to do so many things. I want to make the Apple cool again.
Here`s to the crazy ones and, in this case, the rebels. Because the people who were crazy enough to think they can change the world are the ones who can.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If we`re going to do this thing, we need to come up with a name.
KUTCHER: Apple.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That is so much better than Phaser Beam Computers.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
DIAZ: I`ve got to agree. Apple kind of rolls off the tongue a little bit easier.
"Jobs" opens everywhere on August 16. I cannot wait. I`m going to be there so big time.
And I am firing up an explosive "SHOWBIZ Countdown," "Paula Deen Shockers." Paula`s apology catastrophe, her shocking new defenders and the stunning brand-new video that could reignite the controversy over her use of racist language.
"The Huffington Post" reporter who exposed that hidden video is right here tonight. Will his jaw-dropping revelations be No. 1 on our "SHOWBIZ Countdown" of "Paula Deen Shockers"?
And this is shocking in an entirely different way. Get ready for high wire history.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You`re doing fine; you`re handling it fine. It`s nothing that you haven`t encountered before. Just need to relax more. That`s right.
Kind of hard to relax when you`re 1,500 feet above a canyon.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I hear you.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Talk all you want. That`s why the world is watching.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You get here (ph).
(END VIDEO CLIP)
DIAZ: SHOWBIZ TONIGHT is revealing how the legendary Nik Wallenda made it across the Grand Canyon on a two-inch wire. It`s your "Moment of SHOWBIZ Awesomeness."
This is SBT, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, on HLN.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DEEN: And so I`m taking this opportunity, now that I`ve pulled myself together and am able to speak, to offer an apology to those that I have hurt.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
DIAZ: Right now, the "SHOWBIZ Countdown," the brand-new "Paula Deen Shockers" today. Her apology catastrophe. Celebrities now coming to Paula Deen`s defense over her racial comments. And the shocking, newly-revealed interview that may land Paula in a whole new heap of trouble. The "Huffington Post" reporter who just revealed that video is right here tonight. Will his stunning revelations top the Paula Deen shockers countdown?
And what about this? Madonna`s first Instagram video is seriously booty popping. But is it time for the 54-year-old queen of pop to take it down a notch? SHOWBIZ TONIGHT continues right now.
Welcome back to "SHOWBIZ TONIGHT." I`m Carlos Diaz, in for A.J. Hammer, and tonight in the "SHOWBIZ" countdown, the top three brand new Paula Deen shockers we could not believe today. The queen of Southern cooking is getting her goose cooked, well done, over her racial slurs, including getting dumped by the Food Network, after admitting she used the n word, revelations from a deposition she gave in a lawsuit involving a former manager of one of her restaurants in Georgia, who is suing Deen and her brother, claiming racial and sexual harassment. But not everyone has soured on Deen tonight, in fact there`s a twist. And that is how we are kicking off the SHOWBIZ countdown, at number three, defending Deen. Bill Maher of all people has just defended her on a brand new episode of his HBO show, "Real Time." Watch this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BILL MAHER, COMEDIAN: No excuse for it, but I`m just wondering if you are 66 years old and you were raised in Georgia and you were a child before the civil rights movement, do you get a bit of a pass?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
DIAZ: Give Paula a pass? Let`s ask Kelly Goff in New York. Kelly is a special correspondent for "The Root," a daily online magazine, and Marvet Britto, who is the president and CEO of the Britto Agency. So Bill Maher is saying, give Paula a break. She said it in the past, she is 66 years old. Kelly, are you giving her a pass?
KELLY GOFF, THE ROOT: Not anymore. I mean, in all fairness to Mr. Maher, watch the entire clip. And what he actually said was, what she said was inexcusable, does that mean she has to lose her show. And my response to that is, well, I think the Food Network is listening to its viewers and its advertisers. They are welcome to keep her on, but I don`t know how many more viewers they would continue to have.
Look, I`m from the South, my parents are a product of the segregated South. My mother`s initial reaction was, well, of course, a woman of a certain age from that background, probably said it at some point, but when the rest of these allegations come out, Carlos, and you start hearing that it was not just 20 years ago, 30 years ago, 40 years ago. Some of these jokes in the workplace are fairly recent that she seemed to be defending, and that is where she stops getting a pass.
DIAZ: Very well said. Marvet, does Paula deserve a pass in your mind?
MARVET BRITTO, PRESIDENT AND CEO, BRITTO AGENCY: Never, she absolutely does not deserve a pass. That is not a word that you use in any context, and for her -- for Paula to use it and not come out swiftly and apologize to the community that she offended is quite disturbing. She cannot profess to be the queen of the South, yet use a word that is so racially charged and connected to the very DNA that many Southerners are, you know, have grown up with. I think for her, she should have stepped up and been transparent, and we have yet to see a humble, honest, transparent apology from Paula Deen.
GOFF: Amen, that`s all I have to say about that, amen, right on.
DIAZ: And the Food Network, which first made Paula a star 11 years ago, is definitely not giving Paula a pass. They just fired her. Now, Bill Maher says, come on, they should not have done that. Let`s watch that clip. Let`s watch the clip.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MAHER: But I also don`t think that people have to lose their shows and go away when they do something bad. It`s just a word, it`s the wrong word, she is wrong to use it. But do we always have to make people go away?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If they use that word? Yes.
MAHER: Really, they got to go away?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They got to go away, yeah.
MAHER: I disagree.
(CROSSTALK)
MAHER: I mean, really? For one [EXPLETIVE DELETED] up?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Didn`t sound like it was one.
MAHER: You don`t know. You don`t know.
(CROSSTALK)
MAHER: For me, that is somebody else`s testimony. That is not what she said.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You have to have like dyed in the wool proof.
(CROSSTALK)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Got to be some kind of a line.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
DIAZ: Bill Maher obviously stood alone on his show defending Paula. Kelly, did the Food Network have no choice or did they jump the gun?
GOFF: Let`s not forget the context is really important here, because let`s not forget, Bill Maher lost his show, remember, after 9/11. He made a controversial comment, and he lost his show that was on ABC. And there are a lot of people who felt that that was censorship, and it was not particularly fair. And I think that we are seeing him sort of speak for someone else that he seems to think is enduring a similar thing.
Again, I go back to the Food Network is a business, and they are looking out for their business interest. If another network wants to pick her up and take their chances, they are welcome to do so. This is not censorship. She had a contract, they chose not to renew it. One thing I have to say, though, I have to mention a letter I received from a family friend down South. Susan Banks (ph), who is a wonderful writer, and she said, "I am a white woman of a certain age, I`m Paula Deen`s age, Kelly, and I am angry because she makes all of us Southern white women of a certain age look bad, because we are all getting painted with this broad brush of, of course, that is how we think, of course that`s how we speak, and it`s not."
DIAZ: Kelly, amazing points you are making tonight. Also, defending Paula Deen, her loyal fans, now she does have fans who are defending her. Watch what some of them are saying outside of her restaurant in Savannah, Georgia.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: None of us want to bring any sadness or anything against any race. God made us all, didn`t he? And we all said something that we say we are sorry for in our lifetime. I don`t think she should lose her show for that.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
DIAZ: And take a look at this, Facebook pages, you can see, Facebook pages supporting Paula Deen were all over the place today. Marvet, angry messages also flooded the Food Network`s Facebook page today saying that they should have kept Paula Deen. Should they have waited, did they jump the gun and should they have waited before they made the decision to fire her?
BRITTO: I don`t think that they should have waited. I think the Food Network made the right, smart decision. Understanding and valuing the very potent, strong, African-American consumer. To me, this case has really come down to Paula Deen`s camp and herself not stepping up and taking immediate ownership and really negating the force and gravity of a community that she should not have offended. So, to say that she should or shouldn`t be on the air is a moot point at this point, because I think they distanced themselves and they were smart.
This is seemingly habitual behavior, it`s not one instance, it`s seemingly several instances where she is using offensive language, and so yes, we all make mistakes, but she has yet to step and take ownership and really apologize for her behavior. And so for us to allow her a pass just means that we have to allow others a pass, and I don`t think that we as a community are ready to do that.
DIAZ: Guys, from defending Paula Deen to number two in our SHOWBIZ countdown of today`s brand new Paula Deen shockers. Paula revealing today she is now going to do the interview with Matt Lauer on "The Today Show" that she got slammed for bailing on last Friday at the last minute, and for what she apologized for in her bizarre Youtube video that followed.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DEEN: I`m Paula Deen, and I`m here to issue an apology to Matt Lauer. I was invited to do an interview with him this morning. And Matt, I`m so sorry, I was physically in no shape to come in and talk with you. The last 48 hours have been very, very hard.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
DIAZ: But today, Paula tweeted this, "see you Wednesday. I am so glad Matt, Al and my friends at "The Today Show" are bringing me back." Kelly, if there`s one question, just one question you want to ask her, one question, what would it be?
GOFF: I`m so confused, is this apology, one, two, three, four, five or six? There`s so many videos released at this point. One question, I guess would be what do you think makes someone a racist?
DIAZ: That`s a great question. Marvet, one question, very quickly?
BRITTO: I think my one question would be, how can she recalibrate from her alleged comments and why should the community forgive her.
DIAZ: Guys, great questions there. For more bad news on Paula today, Smithfield Hams announcing they are firing her as their spokesperson, which takes us to our number one SHOWBIZ countdown Paula Deen shocker. Brand new disturbing video of Deen just revealed, and I can promise you that this one is a real doozy. We will have that one coming up in a moment, and here is another big controversy breaking tonight. Abercrombie`s Swift move, the massive clothing company just pulled a t-shirt that mocks Taylor Swift`s high profile love life after an army of her fans complained. Did Abercrombie & Fitch just get burned worse than one of Taylor`s exes? And talk about incredible moves, look at this. A legendary daredevil just walked his way into history, with just a two-inch cable and a pair of moccasins.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You`re doing fine, though, you`re handling it fine. It`s nothing that you have not encountered before.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Just need to relax more.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That`s right.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Kind of hard to relax when you are 1500 feet above a canyon.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I hear you.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Talk all you want.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That is why the world is watching.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
DIAZ: Nik Wallenda just pulled off a feat that no one else has managed in the history of the world. And it`s your SHOWBIZ moment of awesomeness. This is SBT, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT on HLN.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
DIAZ: Welcome back to "SHOWBIZ TONIGHT," and in the SHOWBIZ countdown, we are counting down the top three Paula Deen shockers today. Here is where we are at right now. At number three, defending Deen. TV host Bill Maher comes to Deen`s defense, saying she should get a break over her racial remarks, and at number two, Paula Deen reveals today that she will sit down with Matt Lauer on "The Today Show" Wednesday, following her bizarre Youtube apology after bailing on him last Friday.
And that takes us to our number one SHOWBIZ moment in our SHOWBIZ countdown, and if you thought Deen`s video apology was bizarre, you have got to take a look at this just revealed video of Deen caught on tape during her chat with a reporter from the New York Times. Deen talked Southern attitudes toward race. Watch this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DEEN: I feel like the South is almost less prejudiced, because black folks played such an integral part in our lives. They were like our families. I think we are all prejudiced against one something or another, and I think black people feel the same prejudice, you know, that white people feel.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
DIAZ: I want to bring in Joe Satran, who is a food reporter from the Huffington Post. Joe first posted the video of Paula Deen`s comments during her chat with the New York Times. Joe, Paula Deen made those comments last fall, and after all that happened in the past few days, you wrote on the Huffington Post how it floored you looking back, why?
JOE SATRAN, FOOD REPORTER, HUFFINGTON POST: Yes, so I went to this event in October at the New York Times building. It was a really cool event, really interesting. I was sitting maybe six feet from Paula Deen, she is a charming woman, and there was this one part of the segment where she talked for a while about race. And I thought it was really weird at that point, and I wrote about that in my write-up of this Times talk. But at that point, people did not really connect Paula Deen and race in a serious way. People were interested in Paula Deen and diabetes mostly. So we did not really focus on that.
DIAZ: I want to play some more of her interview, when she introduces a long-time African-American employee of hers. Someone she has known for 18 years, Hollis Johnson (ph). Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DEEN: I have a young man in my life, and his name is Hollis Johnson, and he is black as that board.
Stand up, Hollis.
Come out here, Hollis. We can`t see you standing against that dark board.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Welcome to New York City. All right.
DEEN: Welcome to the South.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
DIAZ: To be fair here to Paula, she did say that she would trust her friend Hollis with her life and his color has nothing to do with it. Joe, do you think Paula Deen is just misunderstood?
SATRAN: I think to some extent. I mean, with that segment in particular, I think it`s pretty shocking when she compares him to the color of the board, I think all that is really weird. I think that she does feel genuine affection for Hollis, but on the other hand, the easy criticism of that moment is that she`s saying, I`m not racist, I have this one black friend, he has been in my life for 18 years, so that means that everything else I have done is, you know, does not matter. Which is just not true, right?
DIAZ: Yes, my dad is from Cuba, and if he were standing next to a brown board and somebody said, you know, Armando, you - I can`t see you next to that brown board, I might be offended with that, because it`s just a little bit - it`s the color of your skin that you`re making fun of. Joe, I really appreciate your time. Thank you so much for joining us.
SATRAN: Thank you so much for having me on.
DIAZ: Thank you so much. And switching gears now to Madonna`s booty popping debut on Instagram, the video. Sure, she is 54, but the queen of pop is still using every avenue on the planet to flaunt her booty popping bod. So is it time for Madonna to finally give it a rest or should she just keep popping along? Plus, wait until you see what made our moment of our SHOWIBIZ awesomeness. You got to see it to believe it. This is SBT, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT on HLN.
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DIAZ: Now, showbiz quick hits, where we take on the day`s buzziest stories at lightning speed. Let`s get things rolling with the new video that has everybody talking. It`s only 15 seconds but it`s already an online favorite. It`s Madonna`s new booty pop Instagram video -- yep, I said it. Madonna is one of the first superstars to try out a new feature on the popular app that lets you send video on Instagram. She stood in her own bathroom, and while the camera was rolling, she started shaking her money maker. Watch.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MADONNA: Tell me when you are moving.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Coming up.
MADONNA: Booty pop, booty pop, booty, booty, booty pop. Shoulders, shoulders, yeah, yeah.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
DIAZ: All righty then, booty pop, what a way to get your fans to pay attention. Let me bring in from New York, Syleena Johnson, who is a cast member on TV One`s hit reality show "R&B Divas." And an all-new season is set to premiere July 10. So, Syleena, Madonna is there trying to prove she still got it at 54. But she is shaking it like she is 25. I will give her that. Is 54 too old to make your booty pop, or does Madonna make you want to get up and bust a move or two? Your take in 30 seconds. Go?
SYLEENA JOHNSON, R&B DIVAS: Madonna, booty popping by yourself, really cool. Booty popping for the world, questionable. I don`t want to see your booty, lady. I don`t want to see your booty. I just want to hear your music.
DIAZ: Moving on to our second SHOWBIZ quick hit tonight, it`s the power of Taylor Swift. With a fan base so darn loyal, so darn strong and so darn organized, they forced Abercrombie & Fitch to stop selling a t-shirt that mocks Swift`s relationships. Take a look at it. It says "hashtag, more boyfriends than T.S." It`s clearly implied that they`re talking about Taylor Swift. Swift`s fans saw the shirt and went into ultra-complaint mode. Abercrombie & Fitch (inaudible) incurred the backlash, pulled the shirt from the shelves and stopped selling it. A lot of people say they actually love the t-shirts. Is it crazy for Abercrombie & Fitch to cave so quickly or so swiftly? Or is it just smart not to mess with Swift? You have got 30 seconds, use them all, go.
JOHNSON: It`s smart not to mess with Swift, that is a very important thing. However, it`s unacceptable to make money off of someone else`s 5,000 boyfriends. I mean, ultimately that is her business, maybe she should probably try to keep them a little more quiet, then you cannot complain.
DIAZ: Our next SHOWBIZ -- I will stop you before you get in trouble. Comes from today`s big blockbuster movie news. Bring on the alien invasion. It`s our official trailer in the works news, watch.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
WILL SMITH, ACTOR: I really don`t think they flew 90 billion light years to start a fight.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
DIAZ: OK, of course, that is the original, a great sci-fi classic, "Independence Day," but someone else will have to battle to save the world, because it`s just been revealed that Will Smith is not coming back for the sequel. "Independence Day" without Will Smith? Are you kidding me? The film`s director telling the New York Daily News, Smith cannot come back because he`s too expensive. So Syleena, should Will Smith take a pay cut to make this happen for his loyal fans? You have 30 seconds, go.
JOHNSON: Come on, Will, what about us? I mean, you know, "Independence Day" is nothing without Will Smith. I mean, it could be something. There`s tons of other actors out there, there`s Channing Tatum, whom I love. There`s The Rock, but you got to bring back Will Smith. Give the man the money he wants. You got it.
DIAZ: Look. The next seven seconds, thinking about Will Smith. Syleena, thank you so much.
JOHNSON: Will Smith, yes.
DIAZ: And you can check out an all-new season of "R&B Divas" beginning July 10 on TV One. Syleena, thank you so much.
JOHNSON: Yes, "R&B Divas L.A." Thank you.
DIAZ: All right, cool.
Moving on to an epic walk into history. A quarter mile above the Grand Canyon. No net, no harness, just nerves of steel, and a lifetime of training. I am going to reveal how legendary daredevil Nik Wallenda pulled off this high-wired journey of a lifetime. It is our SHOWBIZ moment of awesomeness. This is SBT, "SHOWBIZ TONIGHT" on HLN.
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DIAZ: It`s time for SHOWBIZ awesomeness, where we name the most awesome story of the day, and tonight, we are revealing what may be the most epic high wire walk of all time. I am talking about a quarter mile trek across the world`s most famous Grand Canyon. That`s right, it`s called the Grand Canyon for a reason, because it`s grand, and I see they are going across it without a net, a harness or any kind of safety aid. Daredevil Nik Wallenda took the challenge walking across on a two-inch thick metal cable, suspended 1500 feet in the air, while fighting winds that could knock over mere mortals. His stunt gave us a nail-biting, anxiety-filled, 22-minute, 54-second tight rope walk through history. You have got to watch it play out. Check it out.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You are doing fine.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You do not have to tell me how long I`ve been on the wire.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: All right.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thank you, Lord, thank you, Discovery Channel, for believing in me.
(CROSSTALK)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: True artiste, I think.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don`t know about that.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Take your time now.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I am.
CROWD: Yeah, whoa! Awesome.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hi, camera.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, prime rib.
Oh, finally. I did it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
DIAZ: Amazing, I cannot believe that Nik Wallenda did that with just a pole and a pair of moccasins, unbelievable.
Next on "DR. DREW ON CALL," as the George Zimmerman trial officially gets under way, Dr. Drew and his guests sound off. Which side has scored early points with the jury? "DR. DREW" starts right now.
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