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Showbiz Tonight
Clooney Pranks Costars on Set of `Monument Men`; L.L. Cool J Shares Backstage Secrets; Girl, 9, Records Her Version of `Frozen` Song; Top Ten Rants; Grammy Nominee Darius Rucker Shares Inspiration for Hit Cover; Secrets of TV Crimes Shows
Aired January 21, 2014 - 23:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
A.J. HAMMER, HOST: Right now on the "Top Five Countdown," I am one-on-one with George Clooney and L.L. Cool J. George teaming up with Matt Damon for the fourth time onscreen. But was the real drama between them off-screen? I got George to fess up.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: You know, Damon is going around telling everybody how, while you filming...
GEORGE CLOONEY, ACTOR: I took in his clothes.
HAMMER: You were taking in his clothes to make him feel like he was getting fat.
CLOONEY: Yes.
HAMMER: First of all, is that true?
CLOONEY: That is true.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: Don`t call it a comeback. It`s a three-peat at the Grammys for L.L. Cool J. I am on location with the rapper and actor from the set of his hit show, "NCIS Los Angeles."
SBT starts right now.
Hello and thank you for watching. I`m A.J. Hammer.
We are kicking off our "Top Five Countdown" of today`s must-see, must- share stories with my must-see, headline-making interview with George Clooney.
And let`s just say it`s good to be George. His smash-hit movie with Sandra Bullock, "Gravity," is nominated for ten Oscars. And I have to tell you that George surprised me when he revealed why he`s not going to the Oscars this year.
I met up with him in Hollywood to talk all about his next big movie that`s about to come out. It`s called "The Monuments Men." It opens up on February 2. And Clooney is starring in this film along with Oscar nominee Cate Blanchett and Matt Damon. It`s a gripping story about soldiers trying to rescue stolen art masterpieces from Nazi thieves during World War II.
So I wondered, what if he was rescuing art masterpieces now. What would they be?
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
HAMMER: If you were fighting to preserve modern culture, what the heck would that mean? What would you be saving? Bieber albums? Madonna selfies? I don`t...
CLOONEY: Yes, I`d save the Madonna selfies. You know, I suppose what it -- it`s still the same things. Because it`s still the same pieces of art.
But it`s really, again, it`s sort of like, you know, you`d save the Declaration of Independence. You`d save great books. There`s a lot of pieces of culture that aren`t just paintings or sculptures or monuments of any kind. But there are all these pieces of this fabric that are our culture and identify us and tell us how we got to the place we are right now.
HAMMER: And how great to involve your dad in this film?
CLOONEY: That was fun.
HAMMER: You know, I think it will come as a surprise to a lot of people, without giving anything away -- and by the way, I got a text from your dad the other day. Actually, that`s a lie, but...
CLOONEY: Yes. He doesn`t text.
HAMMER: Yes. I understand that you had a little fun with him.
CLOONEY: Oh, yes.
HAMMER: When it came time for his scene. What did you do? Why torture Dad, George?
CLOONEY: It wasn`t -- we shot the scene, because my father plays me as an old man toward the end of the film. And there`s a moment when he`s walking into church and walking away towards this beautiful light. And it all goes to black and the first think that comes up -- I screened this for my dad in Italy. It was a rough cut of the film.
And the first thing that comes up is "In loving memory of Nick Clooney."
And he`s "What the hell?"
And I`m like, you know, "It`s a long time until the film comes out. You don`t know."
HAMMER: Is there any chance you filmed his reaction?
CLOONEY: No. No. He`s -- I mean, he is truly one of the funniest men I know. And it was really fun to do.
HAMMER: So has he exacted his revenge on you?
CLOONEY: No.
HAMMER: Is that coming?
CLOONEY: It will come.
HAMMER: You looking over your shoulder?
CLOONEY: Always. He`s always looking for something rotten to do, which is fun.
HAMMER: And of course, you know, Damon is going around telling everybody how while you were filming...
CLOONEY: I took in his clothes.
HAMMER: ... you were taking in his clothes to make him feel like he was getting fat.
CLOONEY: Yes.
HAMMER: First of all, is that true?
CLOONEY: That is true.
MATT DAMON, ACTOR: He took my pants in. I made the mistake of telling him I was going to -- "yes, I`ll lose a couple pounds on this movie," which I didn`t, I don`t think. But I really didn`t think so, because he was taking my pants in an eighth of an inch every three days.
CLOONEY: I wasn`t physically doing the stitching.
HAMMER: Of course not. You have people for that.
CLOONEY: Yes, I have people to help me be rotten. And they helped. But yes, I did do that. But it was -- I was really busy. That was really the only thing -- the only prank I did on the whole movie. So I think I...
HAMMER: It was a one-prank movie?
CLOONEY: Yes. I think I was behaving rather genteel.
HAMMER: Magnanimous.
CLOONEY: Yes.
HAMMER: Has he exacted his revenge on you yet?
CLOONEY: No, no, no. He`ll -- I`m sure I`ll find it somewhere.
HAMMER: Looking over your shoulder?
CLOONEY: Always.
HAMMER: Have you exacted your revenge yet on Tina Fey for the funny joke at your expense at the Golden Globes?
CLOONEY: Oh, I`m going to.
HAMMER: I figured.
CLOONEY: It`s a good one. I liked the joke. I didn`t see it live. But by the time I -- I was hanging on a wire up in Vancouver shooting. And by the time I got down off the wire the whole crew was laughing. And I was like something just happened. And then they showed me and I was like "Oh, it`s good, and now -- now they`ve poked the bear."
HAMMER: And...
CLOONEY: And don`t poke the bear.
HAMMER: The rule is don`t poke the bear.
CLOONEY: And if Poehler thinks she`s safe, you know, it`s collateral damage.
HAMMER: Well, they did that together.
CLOONEY: She was standing right next to her.
HAMMER: Did you want to hash it out a little bit? Do you know what your plans are going to be?
CLOONEY: I have -- I have a few more...
HAMMER: We`ll know...
CLOONEY: I`ve had a couple things.
HAMMER: Are we going to see you at the Oscars?
CLOONEY: No, I`m going to be -- I`m going to be in Spain shooting. So I`m working.
HAMMER: We`ll miss you.
CLOONEY: I will miss you.
HAMMER: What was the first -- thank you. What was the first year you went? Do you remember?
CLOONEY: The first -- I`ve only gone when I`ve been nominated. So I went -- was that 2005-2006?
HAMMER: And by the way, I figured out that you kind of screwed things up last year. Because if you look back since 2006, you`ve been nominated and have won in certain circumstances every other year.
CLOONEY: Oh, yes.
HAMMER: But last year was an odd year.
CLOONEY: Yes.
HAMMER: And you won with "Argo," of course, and that kind of screwed things up for this year.
CLOONEY: I screwed up my whole -- OK. Then I`ll just -- I`ll stay home for a couple of years, three years now.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HAMMER: Always good to hang with George.
And did you know about this? The charity auction for a date night with George. It has just passed the half-million-dollar mark. Wow. It`s all for charity. They just actually added a bonus, head-to-toe pampering makeover, for the package.
The night`s going to get you backstage with George when he visits David Letterman and it will have you walking the red carpet at "The Monuments Men" premiere here in New York City on February 2. So go to Omaze.com. That`s O-M-A-Z-E.com if you have more than half a million bucks to offer and do it by January 30 to enter. And if you don`t win, you should still check out "The Monuments Men" when it opens in theaters on February 7.
All right. Our must-see, must-share countdown rolls on with another big star telling his secrets from the set. At No. 4, SBT taking you on location in Hollywood. That`s where I visited the set of "NCIS Los Angeles" with L.L. Cool J, who of course, stars in the hit CBS drama.
L.L. now just days away from a Grammy three-peat. Yes, he`s hosting the Grammy Awards show again this Sunday. It`s the third year in a row he`s doing that.
L.L. has certainly come a long way since he and I first met over two decades ago. So in addition to finding out what we can expect to see at the Grammy awards, I had to congratulate him on now being a part of one of the most successful and popular crime shows in TV history.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
L.L. COOL J, ACTOR: It`s pretty amazing. You know, we didn`t -- I mean, you could never tell. It could have been two shows and off the air.
I`m just glad that, you know, a lot of people at home decided to watch the show. And I`m glad I had an opportunity to be a part of something big like this.
It`s a great feeling, man, you know, when you work really, really hard and you know, you have some pilots that don`t go and you have some failures. It`s nice to be a part of a huge success. It really feels good.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Sound, please...
HAMMER: As you know, fans of this show are so passionate about it. They tune in. They look at every little detail. I had so much fun walking around the set. I have to admit, I was going through the stuff on your desk. Don`t take that personally.
L.L. COOL J: No, no, that`s all right.
HAMMER: I had to check that out. But what are some of the things that might surprise the audience members in terms of how it gets done here?
L.L. COOL J: Well, the thing that probably would surprise a lot of people is that the technology we use is real and it does exist. Although we solve the cases a lot faster, these cases are based in reality. And this show, you know -- most American viewers don`t know that this show is seen in over 205 countries around the world.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE)
HAMMER: So psyched that you`re back hosting the Grammys, man. Are you psyched?
L.L. COOL J: Yes.
HAMMER: It`s coming quick.
L.L. COOL J: Yes. It`s going to be a lot of fun. I look forward to it.
HAMMER: Can you get back in your head to that first time you were at the Grammys? Because you`ve had so many experiences at the Grammy Awards since then. But what do you remember from that night?
L.L. COOL J: You know, it`s just feeling like you`re on your "A" game, you know? It`s like being at the Super Bowl for musicians. It`s just the best feeling in the world. I mean, it`s like -- and when you win, it`s like winning the Super Bowl.
HAMMER: What is going to be unique about this year? Something that we haven`t see before?
L.L. COOL J: You know, I think the thing that just makes the Grammys unique is the fact that, you know, every year there`s these spectacular performances and Grammy moments that you can`t get anywhere else. And this year, there will be some unique and new and fresh Grammy moments that will be for this year, specifically for this year. And it`s going to be a lot of fun.
HAMMER: You going to be backstage tweeting and getting all the social media done and engaging the fans?
L.L. COOL J: You know, I think we`ll engage the fans, and, you know, we`ll also have some surprises in that area. And people should get ready for a fun show.
HAMMER: OK. So if you and I met, what do we think, about 24, 25 years ago, what`s the biggest difference with how your life has turned out and how it`s going now, versus what you expected it to be way back then, when you were top of the game in your rap career?
L.L. COOL J: You know, it`s interesting that you say that. I don`t - - I set goals, but I don`t live my life -- I never had those kind of weird expectations. I think that would -- that would just make it cloudy. You know?
I just -- you know, I just go after my dreams, and nothing has changed in that regard. You know, I think that, you know, there is no difference. You know, I`m just doing what I do. This is what I do.
HAMMER: Nice ride to be on, huh?
L.L. COOL J: Yes, I`m very grateful to be on it. And you know, as long as the surfboard is nice and waxed and I can ride the wave, I`m going to ride it, baby. When I got to get off, I`m just going to sit on the sand...
HAMMER: Perfect.
L.L. COOL J: ... and sip something sweet.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HAMMER: My thanks to L.L. Cool J and everybody on the "NCIS Los Angeles" team. You can catch the show Tuesday nights on CBS. And of course, be sure to catch L.L. in action, hosting the Grammy Awards this Sunday night on CBS.
And you do not want to miss HLN "MORNING EXPRESS" anchor Robin Meade and I. We`re sitting down with some of the biggest names in music, giving you a look behind-the-scenes at music`s biggest night in something we`re calling "BACKSTAGE EXPRESS WITH ROBIN MEADE." Catch it Thursday night, 6 Eastern here on HLN.
Well, we are already in the thick of award season, and Disney`s "Frozen" is nominated for an Oscar for the hit song "Let It Go." I`m actually thinking the Academy might want to hire this 9-year-old viral star to sing it at the Academy Awards show.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
(MUSIC: "LET IT GO")
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: Pretty fantastic, right? Well, you`re about to find out the heart-warming story behind this version of the song.
Plus, Richard Sherman`s meantastic rant still has everybody talking. But how does it compare to some of the best star rants of all time?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JEANNE MOOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): What was Charlie Sheen smoking during his rants?
CHARLIE SHEEN, ACTOR: Can you smell the rotting dog (EXPLETIVE DELETED)? The fermented puke that is your viscera?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: Charlie Sheen, Anthony Weiner, the list goes on. We`re taking a look at the "Hothead Hall of Shame."
But what will be No. 1? This is SBT on HLN.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
(MUSIC: "LET IT GO")
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: That, of course, is the heart-warming song "Let it Go" from the Disney hit "Frozen." It is an Oscar contender. Idina Menzel, who`s the voice of the song in the movie, could melt the frozen tundra with those chops. Right?
Well, now I`ve got to show you the viral video of the young girl who belts out her own version of the song. It is going to make you stop in your tracks. That brings us to No. 3 on our must-see, must-share countdown. The very cool version of the "Frozen" hit.
This is 9-year-old Emily Forbes from Ontario, Canada. She reportedly hasn`t had any singing lessons, but she is lucky enough to have an uncle who is a music producer. Every year for Christmas, she records an album as a gift to her family. Well, this year we all get to enjoy part of that gift. This is just spectacular. Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
(MUSIC: "LET IT GO")
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: Look at her. I actually think Emily kind of resembles Anna from the movie. Look at that. I sure wouldn`t be surprised if Emily actually had a real Disney career in her future. Wow, what a voice at such a young age.
Well, we`re now down to No. 2 on our countdown. It is the NFL rant heard around the nation. Love it or hate it, Seattle Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman`s post-game rant after getting into the Super Bowl was pretty epic. But how does it rate when you compare it to the best rants ever? You know who I`m taking about: Charlie Sheen, Alec Baldwin. I could go on, but we put CNN`s Jeanne Moos on the case for SBT.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MOOS (voice-over): First, he hit the ball, and then he ran his mouth.
RICHARD SHERMAN, SEATTLE SEAHAWKS CORNERBACK: When you try me with a sorry receiver like Crabtree, that`s the result you`re going to get. Don`t you ever talk about me?
MOOS: Now we can`t stop talking about it. Seattle Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman has joined the ranks of the ranters. No. 9, Bobby Knight, famous for shooting a chair across the court and shooting off his mouth at his own team.
BOBBY KNIGHT, FORMER BASKETBALL COACH: Now I`ll (EXPLETIVE DELETED) run your (EXPLETIVE DELETED) into the ground. You`ll think last night was a (EXPLETIVE DELETED) picnic. Now you better get your head out of your (EXPLETIVE DELETED).
MOOS: No. 8, an Oklahoma State coach who defended one of his young football players.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Because it`s garbage. Come after me. I`m a man. That`s all I got to say. Makes me want to puke.
MOOS: Or, instead of throwing up, throw things. That`s what the press made then-Kansas City Royals manager Hal McRae do.
HAL MCRAE, FORMER KANSAS CITY ROYALS MANAGER: You think I`m a (EXPLETIVE DELETED) fool? I`m tired of all this -- damn questions every night.
MOOS: One sports writer, hit by a tape recorder, left with an inch and a half gash.
MCRAE: Put that in your (EXPLETIVE DELETED) pipe and smoke it.
MOOS: What was Charlie Sheen smoking during his rants?
SHEEN: Can you smell the rotting dog (EXPLETIVE DELETED), the fermenting puke that is your viscera?
MOOS: Viscera, a fancy word. Alec Baldwin used a three-letter word in a phone rant to his then-teenage daughter.
ALEC BALDWIN, ACTOR: What a little pig you are.
MOOS: All grown up, he said it was made out to be a much bigger deal than it actually was.
BALDWIN: You are a rude, thoughtless little pig, OK?
MOOS: Mike Tyson threatened to eat his rival`s kids.
MIKE TYSON, FORMER HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPION: My style is impetuous. My defense is impregnable. And I`m just ferocious. I want your heart. I want to eat his children. Praise be to Allah.
ANTHONY WEINER, FORMER CONGRESSMAN: It is a shame!
MOOS: Before he was shamed by his own sexting scandal, Congressman Anthony Weiner was a ranter par excellence.
WEINER: I will not yield to the gentleman, and the gentleman will observe regular order.
MOOS: Regular order went flying when an Illinois state representative lost it.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: These damn bills (UNINTELLIGIBLE) all the damn time!
MOOS (on camera): And then there was the guy who was just asking Ohio Republicans to nominate him for county treasurer. Treasure this.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I have been a Republican in times good, and I have been a Republican in times bad!
MOOS (voice-over): He didn`t get the nomination, but he did get in a Volkswagen ad.
SHEEN: Everybody wins.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HAMMER: You know, I think there`s one that she left out of that great collection. My favorite, Bill O`Reilly. "We`ll do it live." "I`ll write it, and we`ll do it live." That`s my favorite.
All right. From Hootie and the Blowfish to Grammy-nominated country star, I`m talking about the incredibly talented and super-nice guy, Darius Rucker. Well, now he is nominated for Best Country Solo Performance, and his inspiration for the song may surprise you.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DARIUS RUCKER, MUSICIAN: I had a bluegrass song and I never thought about cutting it. And then I`m at my daughter`s high school talent show, and the teachers get up and start playing. They`ve got drums and a slide guitar.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: Darius tells all to HLN`s Robin Meade. Will Darius`s daughter help him win his first Grammy as a country star?
Plus the secrets of TV crime shows revealed. You`ve got to see this. What made "Burn Notice" so hot? How real was the show`s portrayal of an outed CIA agent? Well, "Burn Notice" star Jeffrey Donovan is in the SBT hot seat with all the answers.
This is SBT on HLN.
It`s time for the "SBT Buzz List." These are the things we cannot get enough of this week.
"Captain Phillips" starring Tom Hanks, up for six Academy Awards. See if it gets your vote. It has just been released on DVD and Blu-ray.
Well, we`re trying to fix our New Year`s resolutions with the new Wii Fit Plus. It personalizes and advances the original Nintendo system.
We`re digging the golden lining from a "Klondike" on Discovery.
Now, if you have chomped into a Shake Shack burger, you`ll definitely want to dive into the behind-the-scenes story of Chef Danny Myers` restaurant empire. The secrets of his success are in the best-selling book "Setting the Table."
And James Gandolfini`s final film, "Enough Said" with Julie Louis- Dreyfus, is now available for streaming and on DVD and Blu-ray.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JULIA LOUIS-DREYFUS, ACTRESS: This is a nice party, with all the nice white balls hanging down like that.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Eva was just telling me that there are no men at this party that she`s attracted to.
LOUIS-DREYFUS: OK. I don`t know why you would make that announcement.
JAMES GANDOLFINI, ACTOR: Really? Is that unusual?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
(MUSIC: "WAGON WHEEL")
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: I really like that version of the song. Grammy nominee Darius Rucker with his cover of the Old Crow Medicine Show song "Wagon Wheel." It is the country singer`s most successful song of his solo career, and now his rendition is up for a Grammy.
That brings us to the big reveal, No. 1 on our countdown. Backstage with Grammy nominee Darius Rucker.
So this Sunday Darius is up against Blake Shelton, Miranda Lambert, Lee Brice and Hunter Hayes for the Grammy for Best Country Solo Performance. Robin Meade, the host of HLN`s "MORNING EXPRESS," is catching up with all the big names in music this week, and she just sat down with Darius -- Robin.
ROBIN MEADE, HOST, "MORNING EXPRESS": Hi, A.J.
So we have this special called "BACKSTAGE EXPRESS" where I got to talk with Sara Bareilles, among other people, about her career and then Darius Rucker about his nomination to the Grammys for a rendition of "Wagon Wheel." Did you know, apparently, going to his daughter`s school talent show gave him the idea to do this song?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MEADE: I think of you as not only a great baritone singer that we are familiar with, but I think of you as a prolific writer. And here we are, you`re going to the Grammys with a song you didn`t write.
RUCKER: I know. I know, but that`s cool. I mean, that`s -- especially the song "Wagon Wheel." I`m a huge Old Crow Medicine Show fan. I`ve love those guys for years, and I heard "Wagon Wheel" before, but I had -- it`s such a bluegrass song, I`d never thought about cutting it. And then I`m at my daughter`s high school talent show, and the teachers get up and start playing "Wagon Wheel." They`ve got drums and a slide guitar and everything. I`m like, man, that`s really good. I never thought of it that way. And before they were done, I was on texting with my producer, "We got to cut `Wagon Wheel`."
MEADE: Yes. But don`t you do that for a lot of songs that you listen to and go, "This is good. I`ll put that in my back pocket for a while"?
RUCKER: Yes. But I never cut them. I do that all the time and I never cut them.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MEADE: So A.J., can you think about the bragging rights that those teachers have now?
HAMMER: Incredible. And for a long time now, Robin, you know, back in the Hootie days, he was selling 15 million albums with the band.
Don`t miss me and Robin Meade with our Grammys special, "BACKSTAGE EXPRESS." It airs Thursday night, 6 Eastern, right here on HLN.
Right now, I want you to get ready for a must-see SBT special, "Secrets of TV Crime Shows." We`re revealing how real-life headlines have influenced your favorite TV crime scenes like "Burn Notice."
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONOVAN: Tie your hands. Tie your hands. Get up. Get up. You need to learn to follow directions. Be quiet.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: He`s got me nervous. So gritty, so real. "Burn Notice" star Jeffrey Donovan is in the SBT hot seat. I`m going to make him talk.
And we`ve got more crime secrets. Is the government really watching you like on the CBS show "Person of Interest"? Well, the executive producers of the hit show are right here with the surprising answers.
This is SBT on HLN.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HAMMER: Right now on this special edition of "SHOWBIZ TONIGHT" "Secrets of TV Crime Shows." We are counting down the top five TV crime show myths or truths? Do the cops really use their guns as often as we see on TV and just how fast does evidence really get analyzed? Also, we are taking you behind the police tape and revealing the stunning secrets of TV`s biggest crime shows.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It`s not a good idea to lie to people. This much gas around.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What are you doing? You`re going to kill both of us!
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, I am. I missed you. Answer my questions.
HAMMER: So, what are the secrets to making the drama behind shows like "Burn Notice" look so real? "Burn Notice" star Jeffrey Donovan reveals all the secrets of the nail-biting CIA drama. "SHOWBIZ TONIGHT" continues tight now.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: Welcome back to "SHOWBIZ TONIGHT." I`m A.J. Hammer. And this is a special edition of "SHOWBIZ TONIGHT." "The Secrets of TV Crime Shows." Now, get ready for us to investigate the TV investigators. Of course, sometimes our favorite crime dramas feature brave, dedicated good guys, sometimes, of course, they feature murderous meth making bad guys. But how realistic are they? Well, we have with us tonight two real life crime solvers who are the minds and inspiration behind two of these biggest shows on TV right now. And they are going to tell us what TV crime show get right then, what they get wrong.
But first, "SHOWBIZ TONIGHT" is counting down the top five myths and truths about TV crime shows.
As we watch the gang from "NCIS" solve crimes .
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That may be also in downtown.
HAMMER: Or Walter White from "Breaking Bad" commit them .
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I`m the danger.
HAMMER: It`s easy to wonder how much of what we see on TV crime shows is fact and how much is fiction? Crime show producers do try to get it right.
GREG PLAGEMAN, CO-EXECUTIVE PRODUCER, PERSON OF INTEREST: The writers in this business are doing themselves a disservice if they don`t attempt to try to find out what the reality is.
HAMMER: Still, just like criminals on "CSI" .
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Sometimes we have to wait for a killer to make a mistake.
HAMMER: TV crime shows make some factual mistakes, too. So in our "SHOWBIZ" countdown we are investigating, TV crime show myths or truths?
Number five cops using their guns often. Cops on TV crime shows tend to get in a lot of shootouts. Even the forensic investigators on "CSI." In fact, on "Criminal Minds" the law men and women are able to follow up a tense shootout with humorous bickering.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Are you out of your mind? You blew out my eardrums.
HAMMER: And now, at number four on our countdown, TV crime shows myths or truths .
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Wow. Talk about death by chocolate.
HAMMER: Cops making jokes at gruesome murder scenes?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So, that red stop is my (inaudible)
HAMMER: OK, Castle is a writer, not a cop. So, we`ll excuse his corny crime scene jokes. But what was Horatio Caine`s excuse on "SCI Miami?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It`s as cold as ice.
HAMMER: Do real cops make crime scene jokes and are they really followed by a song by the Who?
And now, number three on our countdown, TV crime shows myths or truths, extremely prolific murderers. In "Breaking Bad`s" first few seasons, Walt White`s body counts soared well into the double digits and Dexter`s? We stopped counting at 30. Do Dexter and Walt even have police in their hometowns?
Number two on our countdown "TV Crime Shows Myths or Truths?" Crime scene evidence is always found, collected and analyzed quickly.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: There`s something in here.
HAMMER: In "CSI" the technicians can locate crucial clues after only seconds at a crime scene.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Did you notice the female ghost hunter was missing and earring?
HAMMER: While back at the lab the fingerprints matches .
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You got prints?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We have those, partner.
HAMMER: And complex lab analysis take about as long as it does to get a pizza delivered.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The (inaudible) results of the tissue reveal fluid loss from damaged blood vessels.
HAMMER: And speaking of "CSI", here is number one on our countdown, "TV Crime Shows Myths or Truths?" Forensic labs are modern and well equipped. The gleaming TV crime labs like the one we see on "CSI" are certainly very high-tech and sleek. But that`s one of the things we see on TV crime shows all the time. Are they myths or truths? Only the real cops know for sure.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No need now. The verdict is in.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: Well, fortunately, my guests tonight have worked to crack hundreds of real life criminal cases. They are with us to separate fact from fiction as we count down the top TV crime show myths and truths. With me tonight from Hollywood, Jim Clemente, he is a retired FBI agent, now consultant for CBS`s "Criminal Minds." From Las Vegas, crime scene investigator Yolanda McClary who solves real cold cases on TNT`s "Cold Justice." Yolanda also inspired Marg Helgenberger`s character on "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation." So great to have you both here. I want to get right to it with one of those classic shoot `em up scenes. Because it really seems that most TV crime shows, they just can`t do without the big gun battles. This one comes from "CSI: Miami".
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Speak!
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: Pretty typical on TV. We get the gun toting bad guy really risking it all to battle it out with the law. Yolanda, the first secret we want you to reveal is this: Is it a myth or the truth, do the cops really use their guns as often as we see on these TV crime shows?
YOLANDA MCCLARY, TNT "COLD JUSTICE": I would say that is a myth. They do not. They would age 20 years every day if their life - if their days actually went like that all the time.
HAMMER: I was going to say, I had a feeling about that. Because it seems like it`s such a dramatic and traumatic thing, obviously, when guns are pulled and gunfire is exchanged. So, that is good to know. A myth. And it allows us to move on toward our next TV crime show secret. And when are we not seeing this scenario playing out on a TV crime show? A serious crime is going on and somehow humor gets mixed in. This scene is coming from "Castle".
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: How did it look?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Like you waited too long.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: OK.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: She was strangled, but she went down with a fight. Prelims suggest the sign of a struggle. She took one to the face.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: A well-dressed attractive woman in a city motel and a guy who flees the crime scene. Gone wrong.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Are we talking about the victim or Castle?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: OK. Now, listen, sometimes a serious situation, those require a little levity. But Jim, I want you to take this one, because we do see it all the time. Myth or truth? Do real cops make crime scene jokes?
JIM CLEMENTE, CONSULTANT, "CRIMINAL MINDS": Absolutely. That`s not a myth at all. Actually, it`s a psychological mechanism that they use to defend themselves from the horrors they have to live with every day. It is very common to have a lot of dark humor in the middle of a crime scene. And it`s actually refreshing to see some of that on TV, because a lot of shows won`t show that.
HAMMER: Yeah, it does seem a little untoward, but, of course, you should expect that. Again, whenever there is a serious situation like that, people do have those defense mechanisms. Everybody also seems to love the TV serial killer. We the lives of "Showtime`s" Dexter, we see "Breaking Bad`s" Walt White on AMC. You know, just kind of going about their business almost without a care. So, this myth or truth for you, Yolanda, do most murders go unsolved?
MCCLARY: You know, do most murders? No. I think the ratio to them being solved versus unsolved is definitely higher than your cold cases. But people like Dexter, serial killers, and as we know from the past, we have serial killers that definitely got away with what they did for a while. But they eventually get caught. I don`t think they ever get to the numbers that Dexter has or ever will.
HAMMER: Fortunately. Fortunately. But yeah, it does seem if you watch and pay attention to only TV crimes and not what goes on in the real world you would think, now, these guys get away with it all the time. But let me move on now to the next secret they would like to know about. It comes from yet another classic cop scene. You know, they walk into the room, right away somebody knows exactly what happened just from looking around. Watch this from "Criminal Minds".
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The position of the body suggests he is one of the last ones killed. He tried to escape and almost made it to the exit.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Jane Bernie and Vinnie and Dave were here.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Jane tried to run and Vinnie didn`t.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: How do you know?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: She is half under her desk, which means she tried to hide and found her.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: OK. I mean I realize they have to cram it all into a one-hour TV show. But Jim, let me go to you on this as a consultant on "Criminal Minds." Myth or truth here? Are investigators really able to analyze the crime scene that quickly?
CLEMENTE: Well in "Criminal Minds" case they are talking about crime scene behavior. This is a process called "crime scene reconstruction." It`s not actually the forensic science. That takes days and weeks, sometimes months to do. But the behavior exhibitor at the crime scene you can walk in there, you can see how they got in, how they got out, what the different movements were. It`s very easy for somebody who is very sophisticated and experienced at this to actually tell what is going on. The behaviors that occurred at the crime scene in a very short period of time. So, that`s actually not a myth.
HAMMER: Really cool to get your perspective on all of this. Both of you, Yolanda and Jim, thank you for separating fact from fiction.
CLEMENTE: Thank you. A.J.
HAMMER: And thanks for being here.
MCCLARY: All right, well now that we have busted the myths about TV`s hottest crime shows, I can`t wait to reveal their biggest secrets to you. Get ready, I`m taking you right behind the crime scene tape tonight to reveal just how much real life drama is actually represented in your favorite TV addictions? Like the smoking hot "Burn Notice."
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It`s not a good idea to lie to people with this much gas around.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What are you doing? You`re going to kill both of us
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, I am! I missed you! Answer my question!
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: What a great show. Seven amazing seasons of crime fighting in that show. And tonight, I`m putting the star of "Burn Notice" Jeffrey Donovan in the "SHOWBIZ" hot seat. He`s got to reveal all is behind the scene`s secrets. This is a special edition of "SHOWBIZ TONIGHT," secrets of TV crime shows. And now the secrets of ABC`s "Castle".
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I`m wondering if my character`s police buddies might have .
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, if you`re hero`s fictional cop buddies are anything like your real cop buddies, then they`d have real work to get back to.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: Seamus Dever and Jon Huertas played detectives on "Castle" and I asked them how they make their performances seem so real.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JON HUERTAS: First, the pilot episode we got to ride along with some homicide detectives from the NYPD, which was great. It was great inside. But now we use kind of, you know, cops that are local and homicide procedures, I think, across the board in most agencies are kind of very, you know, similar and you know, we stick to the procedures as much as we can.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Stay down.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: "Burn Notice" certainly knows how to bring the drama and tonight, we are blowing the lid off one of primetime`s hottest shows.
Welcome back to the special edition of "SHOWBIZ TONIGHT": "Secrets of TV Crime Shows." Right now, it`s "Burn Notice" Reveal." We are getting the real stories behind drama "Burn Notice" coming straight from the star Jeffrey Donovan. And Donovan plays Michael Westen for seven incredible seasons, and he reveals some true shockers about the show and real life spy games.
Here`s the first secret I need for you to reveal for us tonight, because maybe it can`t. But how often has real life drama found its way into your scripts? Obviously, there is a great veil of secrecy over what`s .
JEFFREY DONOVAN: Yeah, I mean, we have a consultant that the show has worked loosely on this former intelligence officer named Michael Wilson, very close to Michael Westen. And he gave us a lot of the first two season spy craft, how to bug an enemy`s phone. How do create an x-ray machine out of a taser. I mean all of these is he, actually .
HAMMER: Based in reality?
DONOVAN: Based in reality. I mean you can look it up. And then when it comes down to any kind of explosive device, which we talk about that we`ve built .
HAMMER: Right.
DONOVAN: We`ve always made some false ingredients, some made up names.
HAMMER: Thank you for that.
DONOVAN: It was inert.
HAMMER: I appreciate that.
DONOVAN: Nobody would be hurt by these things.
HAMMER: No, I don`t want anybody to learn from that. I look at your credentials. I mean you are a black belt. You speak Russian and you even lived in Russia. It is almost like you have been training to be a spy your entire life.
(LAUGHTER)
HAMMER: So, here`s the next secret I need for you to reveal, and that`s what makes you so believable on the show. But how closely did you work with agents or former agents to inject that realism of your own portrayal into the drama?
DONOVAN: Well, I`ve corresponded with this ex-operative over emails for many years. I`ve hung out with homeland security. Got the, you know, the inside on what they really do. And what`s interesting about today`s media coverage of what NSA is doing, it`s been going on .
HAMMER: Yeah.
DONOVAN: It`s really been going on and I think it`s a little naive of our country to think that with the technology we have today that they are not listening to more.
HAMMER: I have always said that.
DONOVAN: And a little quick thing: because only because I played a spy, and I researched it. There is a thing called the ASA, it`s no longer existing, its predated NSA, it`s American Security Agency.
HAMMER: OK.
DONOVAN: They were built to spy on Americans. It was just - it was during the World War II. We didn`t know who to trust.
HAMMER: That was the gig.
DONOVAN: And now it`s the gig. So, it`s just an old story that`s getting new blood. It`s fascinating.
HAMMER: I have one more very important secret I have got to ask you. Because on the show we see so much action. We`ve seen you, you know, jumping out of a helicopter, tumbling over a bridge, plunging into the depths of the water, hanging off the side of a building. Big fun. So, the next secret you must reveal for me, how much of your own stunt work do you do? Because so many actors, women, men, they like to do it themselves.
DONOVAN: No, I love doing it. And I didn`t think that you could be believable as a spy like James Bond - if you didn`t -- it wasn`t your face going through that. You don`t want to see the back of your head running through flames. I remember in the teaser you will see me jumping out of flames. That was me. That was me in a small explosion and I burned hair on my arms. My stunt guy comes in, they did the bigger explosion, they burnt his hair and his eyebrows.
HAMMER: Oh, mine.
DONOVAN: Yeah, so.
(LAUGHTER)
DONOVAN: So, my rule was - I will do the stunt right up until there is an ability for me to die. That`s when I stop.
HAMMER: It gives the whole new meaning to a "Burn Notice."
(LAUGHTER)
HAMMER: Jeffrey, congratulations, again, on really an incredible series.
DONOVAN: Thank you.
HAMMER: We look forward to what`s next from you, but congratulations on this again and thanks for being here.
DONOVAN: I appreciate it.
HAMMER: Well, our incredible TV crime show secrets are just heating up. So, I got to know. How closely does reality match the drama on the hinged CBS hit "Person of Interest?"
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We are concerned - they might be compromised. And as you might even have full access.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is very bad news, indeed. We go to contingency one. No cell phones, no cameras.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: Is the government really watching your every move just like on the show? Well, the masterminds behind "Person of Interest" have the answer they are not afraid to tell. This is a special edition of "SHOWBIZ TONIGHT," "Secrets of TV Crime Shows." And now TNT`s "Major Crimes" revealed.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Somebody shoots at us. I want to get out of the car, maybe jump out of the way. Seat belts can get you killed.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Don`t do that?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Why not?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If you hurt yourself through a crash, we`ll have liability, but if you get shot we`re off the hook.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Did you try to release?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: "Major Crimes" creator James Duff and technical advisor Mike Berchen, former LAPD detective, told me how they make all that drama look so real.
MIKE BERCHEN: In my head, 28 years of murder and mayhem in L.A. in there. And this man here, he ..
JAMES DUFF: He`s being very modest. I mean we have some - some cases, some details that you just wouldn`t get on any other show. And that`s because Mike brings all that experience with him.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Might be compromised. Unless you might even have full access.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is really bad news indeed. We go to contingency one, no cell phones. Avoid all cameras.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: This show makes me so paranoid. It`s so wild. The huge CVS hit "Person of Interest" is all about the government using that elaborate high tech system that you are looking at to track your every move. So, are you really being watched?
Welcome back to the special edition of SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, "Secrets of TV Crime Shows." And right now it`s "Person of Interest" revealed. I went one on one with the mastermind behind the hit TV crime drama and, of course, I had to ask the show`s executive producers Jonah Nolan and Greg Plageman, the secrets of how true to life their terrifying world of total surveillance really is.
Let`s get to some behind the scenes secrets from you guys. Because "Person of Interest" is such an amazing show. It`s doing so incredibly well. And one of the reasons we love it is we see this mind-boggling technology that`s used to stop criminals before they actually act. Let`s take a look at a little of that.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Your machine is telling me about all these people, Harold, their secrets. Beginning to understand how you acquired such a dim view of humanity. I can see for the first time, and you`re blind.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: See, that`s so spooky to me. I mean it`s hard to imagine that we`re being watched and tracked everywhere we are going, everything we do to the extent that we see in ""Person of Interest." But you guys did a lot of research developing this show. So, I need this first secret revealed from you tonight. And Jonah, it`s to you - is there really some version of this elaborate high-tech system out there?
JONAH NOLAN, CREATOR AND EXECUTIVE PRODUCER, "PERSON OF INTEREST": It`s called PRISM. We know that now. Greg and I have been kind of patting ourselves on the back all summer for getting our research right. I think the key difference with our show is that on our show it actually works. From everything we`ve heard, PRISM is still very much in a nation stage where you have all of this information, you know, kind of spewing into offices somewhere, whether in Bluffdale, Utah or at NSA headquarters. And sorting through all that information. That`s the tricky part. Where we started with the show was this, this premise that we have all this information. They`re really just looking for terrorists, but what do they do with all the rest of that information, what do they do with information they have about much, you know, lower profile crimes that may happen. If they had a chance to stop them, would they take advantage of it?
HAMMER: Exactly. And that`s why you can`t help, but, you know, kind to be paranoid when you watch "Person of Interest", very paranoid if you use a smartphone or a computer, you live in a big city, which I guess pretty much covers all of us, but we do need to know how you make the magic happen on the show. And Greg, this question to you. Are you using actual surveillance cameras for your show? Because it certainly looks like it.
GREG PLAGEMAN, EXECUTIVE PRODUCER, "PERSON OF INTEREST": Absolutely. We have what we call our machine b-o-b. Our surveillance unit, which achieves those angles, but, you know, when the show started and we were looking for surveillance. We were actually able to use some of - the Department of Transportation`s actual surveillance footage in New York City. Everyone is pretty much familiar with those angles now. Whether it looks like a fish eye lens or high angle. And, you know, the entire city of New York now, the mayor has what he calls his domain awareness program. I think everybody is well aware of it, that there are license plate readers and cameras on every corner.
HAMMER: Yes. This is why I walk around like this. All of the time. I always have something in front of my face. I can`t avoid it.
(LAUGHTER)
NOLAN: You`ve got to put duct tape over the cameras.
HAMMER: Yeah, exactly. Just keep looking over your shoulders and keep putting out great TV, guys. Thank you so much for being here. Jonah and Greg. I really do appreciate it. And thank you for watching the special edition of SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. "Secrets of TV Crime Shows." I`m A.J. Hammer in New York. We`ve got show this time, Monday through Thursday, 11 p.m. Eastern and Pacific.
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