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Showbiz Tonight
Justin Bieber Arrested for DUI
Aired January 23, 2014 - 23:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
JOHN QUINONES, ABC NEWS: I`m John Quinones with ABC News. Please join us next time for another edition of "WHAT WOULD YOU DO?" on HLN.
A.J. HAMMER, HOST: Right now on SBT, the top five Bieber bombshells. Justin Bieber busted, accused of DUI and drag racing. What the heck was he thinking? Where are his parents? And what`s been the most shocking reaction to Bieber`s big mess?
SBT starts right now.
Hello and thank you for watching. I`m A.J. Hammer. And now, a tornado of Justin Bieber bombshells.
Of course, they all began with him getting arrested on charges of DUI and resisting arrest after drag racing in a Lamborghini in Miami Beach. Let`s all just soak it in, shall we?
There was the Biebs early in the morning as he posed for this, his very first official mug shot. I`m not exactly sure what he was smiling about there.
And there was the Biebs hours later experiencing, I guess, what we can call a Lindsay Lohan moment as he stood before a judge in court facing DUI charges. Bail set at, well, for him paltry $2,500.
So many burning Bieber bombshells. We`re counting down the top five right now. With me in New York, I am so pleased to welcome Georgie O`Kell. It is O`Kell, right?
GEORGIE OKELL, FUSE TV: Okell.
HAMMER: I knew it. From Fuse TV. Pamela McGee, star of the hit reality show "Mom`s Got Game" on OWN. Singer Malcolm David Kelly is in Hollywood. Thank you so much for being with us. He was a teenage star. You remember him playing Walt on "Lost." He`s got a great hit song with the group NKTO. It`s called "Classic." And let`s bring in Jawn Murray, as well. He`s the editor in chief of AlwaysAList.com.
Right to it, here to No. 5 bombshell. So much ground to cover here. It is the question that everybody is asking: What was Bieber thinking? Let`s take another look at Bieber in court.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The total bond would be $2,500. Broken down, $1,000 resisting without violence; $1,000 for the DUI; and $500 for the expired driver`s license. Is there anything else before me involving Mr. Bieber?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No, your honor. But thank you very much for hearing us right away. And we appreciate your honor`s courtesy.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: He actually looks kind of sad. Very much unlike that mug shot where he was smiling.
"People" magazine actually reporting that after hearing -- after the hearing ended, Bieber was seen crying his eyes out.
Pam -- Pamela, I have to imagine it was kind of a sobering moment. Finally, he realized what was happening. Maybe it brought it down to earth, standing before a judge.
PAMELA MCGEE, STAR, OWN`S "MOM`S GOT GAME": I think I can show both side of the story. First we look at a different Justin Bieber. We don`t look at Justin Bieber when his mother was managing everything. He turned 18, he started managing his own affairs. And like I tell my son: You only know what you don`t know until you know.
And unfortunately, when you have a multimillionaire who can drive a Lamborghini, who can pay for one, and you have all these people around you who we call lookie-loos or people who want to latch on, they sometimes can be part of the problem.
HAMMER: There`s no question that he`s had terrible influences on him. Come on.
Let`s take a look at the mug shot again, Charles. Can you bring it up, because Bieber, again, crying behind bars. Totally different than what we saw in this mug shot. Yes, completely different. He had a big smile here. There was no smiling when he got arrested early in the morning about 4.
Watch what he told -- watch what the police chief said happened at that scene.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: First he was a little belligerent -- questioning, using some choice words, questioning why he was being stopped, and, you know, why -- why the officer was even questioning him.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: We got the police report. I can tell you the choice words. They all began with the letter "F."
Georgie, you really have to wonder what the heck he was thinking. It sounds like he may not have been of sound mind.
OKELL: I mean, you know what? You know what Justin Bieber is thinking? This kid is 19 years old. He`s grown up this crazy life since he was, like, 15 years old. He doesn`t live like a normal kid. He`s now retired from music, apparently, which I`m very sad about, because I think he`s a brilliant pop star.
HAMMER: You don`t believe that?
OKELL: I think Justin Bieber is a brilliant pop star.
HAMMER: No, you don`t believe he`s retired, though?
OKELL: I`m hoping not. But it seems like, you know, he`s retired. He has this time on his hands. He`s rolling with all of these kids, who seem to kind of be there when he`s getting in trouble with him. I don`t think any of us know what he is going through. He is at a weird life stage.
HAMMER: I don`t think it excuses dangerous behavior for a moment, or illegal behavior.
MCGEE: What people have to understand. Justin Bieber is a conglomerate, a conglomerate. There`s a lot of people who make a lot of money off Justin Bieber.
Sometimes because it`s more advantageous to get mom out of the picture, because now you control Justin Bieber, sometimes because they have so much money they get mom out of the picture. Those individuals who make money off of Justin Bieber can make money.
I always tell my son, everybody has an agenda. You just want to make sure that their agenda is on your agenda.
HAMMER: My advice is call your Mom.
OKELL: This is the thing. And he was saying what Justin is lacking is an older brother figure.
HAMMER: Which he seemed to have with Scooter his manager for a long time. And I`m not sure what happened there. I`m not sure.
MCGEE: I don`t know.
HAMMER: Let me make this point. Because Bieber did seem to sort of lighten up as the day progressed. When he left jail, we actually saw him - - as we`re seeing right here in this video. He`s jumping up on an SUV, waving to fans, kind of shades of Michael Jackson here, Jawn. I don`t know. It really flashes me back to that moment during Michael`s child molestation trial when he did sort of the same thing.
JAWN MURRAY, ALWAYSALIST.COM: Listen, A.J., about this time last year, I was on the show, and we were doing these stories about Justin Bieber goes bad. I think in Justin Bieber`s mind, he thought he was a thug, and he`s trying to live it out. But real thugs don`t smile in their mug shots. Real thugs don`t cry when you take them back to the penitentiary.
Let me tell you, when pop stars with well-manicured bangs go to prison they turn you into their baby, baby, baby. He might want to recognize he`s not about that life.
HAMMER: I have a feeling, if I`m only going to judge by the face we saw in court today, maybe he -- he got a bit of a wake-up call that it seems he sorely need.
Let me move to four on our countdown of Justin Bieber bombshells. Taking sides. Two of the biggest trending topics after the arrest of the Biebs, who is Canadian, #DeportBieber versus #FreeBieber.
Now on the deport Bieber side, we have tweets like, "I`m for #DeportBieber, because the guy is a total punk who, unbeknownst to him, is not above the law and sensibility."
Now, on the free Bieber side, fans are tweeting sentiments much like this: "But really, he`s doing the same things other boys his age are doing. He just happens to be famous."
Malcolm, out to you in Hollywood. Look, you`re a young star just like Bieber. You know what it ties have fame at an early age. You`re 21 now. But we loved you on "Lost." You began starring on that show ten years ago, man. You were, like, 11 years old. You`re now rolling with this great music career. What about that last tweet which seems to suggest, hey, not such a big deal, because boys will be boys?
MALCOLM DAVID KELLY, ACTOR/SINGER: Yes, I think boys will be boys. And I mean, when you grow up in the limelight, I mean, your life is magnified. You know, certain things we do -- we have Twitter nowadays, social media outlets where everybody can respond so fast and give their opinion. So you know, that`s why he`s getting bashed.
And, you know, Bieber is great at what he does, so I think he should free - - you know, Bieber should be free. So I`ll go with #FreeBieber.
But you know, there`s consequences with everything you do. You just have to have the right people around you. I mean, somebody should have said, I mean, "Go get your license. You shouldn`t be driving under the influence, first of all, and driving without a license." That`s a whole another thing.
HAMMER: Yes, and I just want to be clear, Malcolm, and make sure you`re saying what you mean to be saying. Because in no way "boys will be boys" excuses the idea of doing something that is super dangerous, super illegal and just stupid?
KELLY: Well, right, that`s what I`m saying. I don`t think it`s right. But I think when you have the right people around you, somebody should tell you that you shouldn`t be driving, and you should go get your license so you can drive. I think that, when you have the right people around you, you stay grounded. And you know, that`s why he`s acting up right now. He should talk to his mom.
HAMMER: Great point. I want to talk about that, because it`s such a shame he didn`t have somebody there to snatch the keys out of his hands. It`s incredible to me, especially when you have this conglomerate to protect.
So this is No. 3 in our Bieber bombshell countdown. This is really another big question that people have been asking all day. "Where are Bieber`s parents?"
TMZ is reporting that Bieber`s dad, Jeremy, seen here with the Biebs two weeks ago was actually partying next to Justin and was on the scene when the Biebs was arrested in Miami Beach.
And you also might be wondering, what about Bieber`s mom, Pattie Mallette? Just last year, I spoke with her right here on SBT, and she actually seemed to downplay all the negative headlines that were floating around about her son.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: As you know, Pattie, there have been an awful lot of stories lately that have really not put Justin in the best light. Do you think he`s being unfairly targeted?
MALLETTE: You know, it`s crazy. Some of these headlines, you know, that I see them, sometimes at the same time as everyone else. And you know, as a mom, I just look at them so differently from everyone else. It`s not just a story to me. I`m a -- hi mom, so, yes.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: OK, Pamela. Go. Go.
And remind everybody you are the mom of a famous NBA star.
MCGEE: Famous NBA star. Well, I think even with my son, Javelle, it shows our story. And one of the differences between me and maybe Justin Bieber`s mom is I have my own life. I`m not a momager; I have my own life. And when Javelle McGee stops playing basketball, plays basketball, or whatever, I`ll still be his mother.
But we have a relationship, were if he does something, I`m still old-school mother: "Pull it back. You have lost your mind."
And so, I call it "egolibrium." When you`re a famous person, Jamie Foxx calls it the mist. Everybody wants to be around you, but you need egolibrium, meaning ego-librium.
Other people who make just as much money, who are in the limelight. They`ll tell you, man, you`re doing too much. Give me the keys. Give me - - they love you regardless if you make money or not.
If you have all the people depend on you to make money, then if you get in a car accident, they just want to be in the entourage. They want to be in the mist. And those are the ones that get you in trouble.
HAMMER: I have so many celebrities I need you to talk to. Mama McGee. Call Mama McGee.
OKELL: It comes back to this same thing: people he`s surrounding himself with. And you know, not having the right people there, you know, looking out for him.
We`ve spoken to his mama on Fuse. And she said she just wants him to grow up, be a good person, you know, be a role model. But also, when you were 19 did your parents know everything you were doing? No. He needs...
MCGEE: But also, I also want to talk about Justin B. As my son`s business manager and mother, you pick your battles. I wouldn`t have been so concerned about throwing the eggs, depending on whose home it was. Because all 19-year-olds at a frat party have done that. But because he`s Justin Bieber, they say in a big fish bowl, people talk about it. We still have to give these young men an opportunity to be 19-year-olds.
HAMMER: I agree with that. But I still will say it does not excuse bad behavior. And I also will say that people who say he`s being picked on, in this case, because he`s Justin Bieber, are way out of line. He wasn`t busted because of that. He was busted because he was drag racing. He was apparently under the influence and resisting arrest.
KELLY: I don`t think he`s a drag racer. I mean, I think he was just driving his car a little bit too fast.
HAMMER: Well, there -- we`re going to see how it plays out, Malcolm. It`s a great point. But there is evidence that the cars were blocking the street to help facilitate that in a way that happens in that area.
I do have to end this part of the discussion, Georgie, Pam and Jawn -- Pamela. Malcolm, thank you as well.
Pamela`s show, "Mom`s Got Game," airs Saturday nights on OWN.
Well, the Bieber bombshells keep coming on our countdown. Who are his partners in crime? Should he clean house? Or are his boys getting a bad rap here?
Plus, busting on Bieber. Justin gets arrested. Everybody becomes a comic. We`ve got the good, the bad and the hilarious. Which Bieber bombshell is going to top our countdown?
Plus, R&B diva Faith Evans gets nominated for her eighth Grammy award. And she found out on Twitter.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
FAITH EVANS, SINGER: You want to know something funny? One of my fans tweeted congrats. And they were like, "You got nominated for a Grammy."
I was like, "Get out of here."
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: I am on location with Faith. She tells me why this nomination is so sweet and about her memories of going to the Grammys for the very first time.
This is SBT on HLN.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HAMMER: All right. So the Biebs is out of jail after his arrest for DUI in Miami Beach. But we are not done with our countdown of the top five Bieber bombshells.
Down to No. 2 and the burning question: who are Justin Bieber`s partners in crime?
So when Bieber was first starting out, he kept a pretty tight circle. Remember this? It was basically his manager, Scooter Braun, and also his mentor, Usher who got him into fame that he was spending a lot of time with.
But oh what a difference a few years makes, right? Now he is hanging tight with buddies like Khalil, who was arrested with Biebs for drag racing and DUI, Lil Za, you might remember got busted on drug charges at Bieber`s house just a week ago, and Lil Twist. Last year he was also arrested for DUI.
Singer Malcolm David Kelly is back with us from Hollywood. He was a teenage star, playing Walt on "Lost," has a hit song with his group NKTO called "Classic."
You know, Malcolm, when I think about the people that Justin has hung out with as he has grown up, it kind of seems like a no-brainer decision for Biebs, to me, in terms of who he should be with, Scooter and Usher, or the likes of Lil Twist and Lil Za. What do you think?
KELLY: Yes, man, I think so. I mean, Usher is back to work, you know. He kind of got Bieber off on his feet, and you know, he`s back and doing his thing and making music.
And but, yes, I think, you know, his mom is doing his own thing. But I think he needs to stay grounded, man, with the right people. I know Kyle Matthews, who`s also a great friend with him. And he`s a good guy. So you know, as long as you keep the good people with you, I think you`ll be all right.
You know, some of your friends that were your friends before, you know, you got to the fame. And you know people that are, you know, progressing along with you, as well. So you know, it`s hard to choose. But you, know it`s...
HAMMER: I have to imagine you`ve been there.
KELLY: ... decisions.
HAMMER: Malcolm, I imagine you`ve been there.
KELLY: I have. I have. Most definitely. So I always try to make time for family time. You know, we always travel a lot, work a lot. But always make sure we give that time back to the family. Because you know, they keep me grounded, no matter who I am, to the outside world. You know, they always treat me like the same old Malcolm. So that`s always good. It`s always humbling. And it`s about having that balance. It`s very important.
HAMMER: Yes. It seems so simple. But I`m sure it can very easily and very quickly get away from you when you`re surrounded by -- all of that influence.
Well, that takes us to the big reveal of what tops our countdown of the top five Bieber bombshells. No. 1, busting on Bieber.
Justin`s arrest really set off a party on the Internet. Have you been looking at everything today? Lots of stars just having a field day on Twitter.
Our executive producer, Dave Levine, who pummels us with e-mail all day long, just kept sending them out. Dave, give us a couple of what you were seeing.
DAVE LEVINE, SBT EXECUTIVE PRODUCER: Hey, A.J., crazy stuff out there. I want to show you what Zach Braff tweeted: "Who amongst us hasn`t drag raced a Lambo in Miami on pills? #FreeBieber."
Ricky Gervais -- love the guy. Put himself in a bathtub, tweeted this: "Bathing under the influence. I`m your Bieber now."
And how about this one from Blogerati.com, posting this picture and saying, "Orange is the New Biebs."
HAMMER: Orange is the new Biebs. Well, hey, on that occasion, let me bring in Georgie Okell from Fuse, who happens to be appropriately dressed.
OKELL: Hey, I dressed for the occasion.
HAMMER: I mean, got to love it. "Orange is the New Biebs." Do you think Bieber is getting what he deserves? He does get pummeled a lot online, but this kind of really opened it up.
OKELL: Yes. I mean, all jokes aside, of course people are going to jump on it and joke about it.
But the really interesting thing I thought about Twitter today. First of all, the deport Bieber was above free Bieber in a lot of areas on Twitter trending.
There were also messages of concern that were coming out from celebrities. Ellen said, you know, "I just hope he can learn to grow into an adult and not hurt himself or anyone else."
There were people genuinely concerned. There`s some anger out there on Twitter. Normally, you know, something like this happens, you get a few jokes, and you get the Beliebers really saying, "No, it`s all good. Stay strong. We`re Beliebers." It`s different this time.
HAMMER: Let me wrap it up with my favorite joke, though. From Rainn Wilson, who tweeted, "I`m starting to miss the young, adorable, mop bucket peeing, house egging and strip club raging, Bieber of 2013" with the hashtag Belieber and the hashtag DUIeber.
OKELL: That almost works.
HAMMER: Nicely done.
All right, guys. Thanks for being here. Malcolm and Georgie, I really appreciate it.
KELLY: Thank you.
HAMMER: Well, here we are, T minus three days to music`s biggest night. And I just got to crash a Grammy nominees` rehearsal. I`m on location with R&B diva Faith Evans.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
EVANS: You want to know something funny? One of my fans tweeted congrats. And they were like, "You got nominated for a Grammy."
I was like, "Get out of here."
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: You will not believe how Whitney Houston will forever be linked to Faith`s Grammy nomination.
Plus, from Hootie and the Blowfish, the Grammy-nominated country star. The incredibly talented Darius Rucker nominated for Best Country Solo Performance. And his inspiration for the song may surprise you.
This is SBT on HLN.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
(MUSIC)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: What a voice. That is Faith Evans`s "Tears of Joy." It`s from her Grammy-nominated album, "R&B Divas."
Faith just told me in a brand-new interview that, even if she doesn`t take home the trophy on Sunday, it is already a win, because her album has reignited the flame of what real soul music can be.
It is hard to believe that Faith Evans has been in the business for 20 years as a solo artist. You may remember she shot back into the spotlight with her reality show, "R&B Divas," which spawned the album of the same name.
And now she is back in the game and still bringing down the house. I spent some great time with Faith as she was rehearsing for her pre-Grammy show for the House of Blues in Los Angeles, and she told me the surprising way that she found out about this, her eighth career Grammy nomination. And I asked her which one was most surprising?
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
EVANS: Actually I think I`m probably most surprised by this one.
HAMMER: Why is that?
EVANS: Well, the album was released in the end of 2010. So it just missed the cutoff for that year. And you know, for so much time to have gone by, you know, and it was still an independent release. I didn`t -- you know, I didn`t expect that it would still be recognized.
HAMMER: OK. So then take me back to that morning when the Grammy nominations were announced. Were you paying close attention because you knew it was possible? Or did you get a phone call? How did you find out?
EVANS: You want to know something funny? One of my fans tweeted congrats." And "Much deserved."
And I was like...
HAMMER: On what?
EVANS: ... "Congrats on what?"
And they were like, "You got nominated for a Grammy."
I was like, "Get out of here." I was on Twitter, like, "Get out of here. For what?"
Like, then I called my manager and was like, "Um, do you guys know that they said we got nominated?" I mean, I was totally, totally surprised. Totally surprised.
HAMMER: Wow, that has to be a first, a fan alerting a star over social media that you got an award nomination as a big as a Grammy. That`s incredible.
EVANS: Yes. I wasn`t even tuned into the nomination.
(MUSIC)
HAMMER: Of course, you won your first Grammy for "I`ll Be Missing You," the incredible song that you did in tribute to your late husband, Biggie Smalls back in 1998.
But you have been attending the awards since back in 1995 or so...
EVANS: Yes.
HAMMER: ... when you were first coming up in the business. Take me back to that first night, the first time you were at the Grammys and what was going through your head.
EVANS: Wow, what was going through my head was like I can`t belief that I`m actually here. I don`t think I was even there as a nominee. But my debut album, you know, did pretty well, and I performed at Clive`s pre- Grammy event that year.
So when I want to the Grammys, I kind of felt like I got a course already. And like, OK, you`re in a room full of people that you`re going to be nervous around the night before at Clive`s party.
HAMMER: You were a little starstruck the night before. So you got that out of the way.
EVANS: Yes, yes. But I was still nervous, and you know, I guess no matter in your own mind or in your world, how much you may feel like you made it or how much success you may have achieved, it`s like, you still kind of feel like "I`m nobody" in that room full of all of these people who you just looked up to and heard about, you know, all your life.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HAMMER: Still so humble. I am sending Faith lots of good energy for a big win Sunday.
And did you notice, some of the proceeds of the "R&B Divas" album benefit the Whitney Houston Academy of Music in New Jersey. Very cool.
So the big Grammy show is this Sunday night, of course. Be sure to join SBT on Monday. Going to be live at noon Eastern with all the shockers and all of the inevitable snubs.
Right now, get more backstage exclusives and one-on-one interviews with music`s biggest stars. It is "BACKSTAGE EXPRESS." Robin Meade and I have your all-access pass to the Grammys, just moments from now.
I`m A.J. Hammer in New York. Thanks for watching.
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END