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SHOWBIZ TONIGHT

Jennifer Aniston Mum on Personal Life; Will 3-D Bring Movie Patrons Back? ; "Golden Girls" Celebrates 20th Anniversary

Aired November 8, 2005 - 19:00:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


A.J. HAMMER, CO-HOST: I`m A.J. Hammer in New York.
BROOKE ANDERSON, CO-HOST: I`m Brooke Anderson in Hollywood. TV`s only live entertainment news show starts right now.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

HAMMER (voice-over): On SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, Jennifer Aniston on the question she has mostly been avoiding until today. Tonight, what she said about Brad Pitt and why she`s talking to everyone about life after the biggest breakup in Hollywood.

Leeza Gibbons` crusade: her personal connection with Alzheimer`s. How it affected her mother and her grandmother.

LEEZA GIBBONS, TV SHOW HOST: As you watch someone slowly disappear.

HAMMER: Tonight, the in-depth interview with Leeza Gibbons you`ll see only on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.

One of the most beautiful women in the world sees how the other half lives. Tyra Banks puts on a fat suit.

TYRA BANKS, FORMER SUPERMODEL: I saw people three people turn and laugh right in my face.

HAMMER: Tonight, what Tyra experienced that changed her life forever. Plus, is Hollywood giving you hang-ups about your body image?

Traveling down the road and back again with Betty White, celebrating a big "Golden Girls" anniversary. Tonight, Betty White is here live.

JESSICA ALBA, ACTRESS: Hi, this is Jessica Alba, and if it happened today it`s on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ANDERSON: Hi there, I`m Brooke Anderson in Hollywood.

HAMMER: I`m A.J. Hammer in New York.

Tonight, Jennifer Aniston, the artful dodger. As you may have noticed she is everywhere lately, aggressively promoting her new movie but doing it against the backdrop of headline-making stories about her personal life, including her divorce from Brad Pitt.

Tonight, a SHOWBIZ TONIGHT special look at how a major star confronts the problems, the pressure and the glare of a hungry press wanting answers, but walking on egg shells.

SHOWBIZ TONIGHT`s Sibila Vargas live in Hollywood tonight -- Sibila.

SIBILA VARGAS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, that`s right. From SHOWBIZ TONIGHT to Larry King to David letterman. Jennifer Aniston is getting thrown a lot more questions than she bargained for, which puts her in a sticky situation, considering her strict policy that she won`t talk about her love life. But reporters, well, they just can`t seem to resist asking.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BARBARA WALTERS, CO-HOST, ABC`S "THE VIEW": I`ve seen you and read a little bit that you do not want to discuss any personal relationships now.

JENNIFER ANISTON, ACTRESS: Thank you.

WALTERS: OK. However...

VARGAS (voice-over): She doesn`t want to talk, particularly about her rumored relationship with actor Vince Vaughn. Recently, several magazines ran photos showing the two canoodling on a hotel balcony. It`s causing a lot of curiosity.

WALTERS: I won`t -- I won`t even mention his name, Vince Vaughn, but when you see yourself linked in pictures, does that bother you, when you see all these pictures and everything or have you not really seen them?

ANISTON: I honestly, I`ve got to tell you, I don`t see it. I mean, I really haven`t. I just -- it`s something that you can`t bring it -- it`s just not real.

DAVID LETTERMAN, HOST, CBS`S "LATE NIGHT WITH DAVID LETTERMAN": Everybody is saying now that you and the co-star Vince Vaughn were good friends from the film.

ANISTON: Yes. That`s right.

VARGAS: She jokes, but she doesn`t want to budge about her personal life. And image consultant Judd Swystun told SHOWBIZ TONIGHT that might not be the best way to deal with all the buzz.

JEFF SWYSTUN, INTERBRAND FOUNDATION: I think you have to face it head-on and bury it by truthful answers. Otherwise, people are going to continue to probe and try to get at what they think is the answer.

VARGAS: A classic example of probing, CNN`s own Larry King.

LARRY KING, HOST, "LARRY KING LIVE": This is fair to ask.

ANISTON: OK.

KING: Vince Vaughn, I love him. Come on, we love him.

He`s a national treasure.

ANISTON: He`s a national treasure.

KING: Is it serious? Is everything going...

ANISTON: I`m not talking about it. I`m not talking about it.

KING: Because it`s none of our business? Or...

ANISTON: Because it`s none -- I don`t mean to say -- it sounds harsh to say it`s none of your business, but I`ve learned -- you know, you learn your lessons. That`s all.

VARGAS: So how is she coping with the barrage of questions? Our own Brooke Anderson decided to go straight to the source.

ANISTON: Well, the good thing is that people haven`t asked me any personal questions. I mean, people have been very respectful. And it`s been nice to come out and talk about something that I am really proud of, you know, that`s -- that`s been great. It`s been refreshing.

VARGAS: Really, Jennifer? No one`s asked?

DIANE SAWYER, CO-HOST, ABC`s "THE TODAY SHOW": I have to say a name. Vince Vaughn.

ANISTON: And?

SAWYER: So I`m looking here. This is a probing question.

ANISTON: Next question, Miss Sawyer.

SAWYER: Just friends, do you want to say anything? We see the pictures.

ANISTON: Pictures. Pictures are the pictures. He`s my friend, absolutely. Dear friend.

VARGAS: ABC`s Diane Sawyer was actually able to get a little information about Aniston`s personal life, but it wasn`t about Vince Vaughn.

SAWYER: Do you talk to Brad?

ANISTON: Do I talk to Brad? Yes, we do. I do. That`s very peaceful. It`s a really peaceful thing. That`s another thing, you know, another page turned.

VARGAS: And believe it or not Aniston has a lot to say about just about anything other than her personal life, and she told it to "Newsweek."

NIKKI GOSTIN, "NEWSWEEK": She was encouraged to talk about things other than Brad Pitt or Vince Vaughn. I was actually surprised at how political she was.

VARGAS: Aniston said, quote, "How about that indictment and why did it take so long to the respond to the crisis in New Orleans? Everything is imploding. It all seems to lead back to our dear president."

She also talked about beauty.

GOSTIN: She did talk about Botox and how women aren`t allowed to age gracefully in America and certainly not on film. Although it was very cute. She pointed out that more and more men are having plastic surgery done and that they look quite weird with their eyebrows half way up their forehead.

VARGAS: She`ll talk about all this stuff. Why can`t she just spill the beans about her personal life? After all, it comes with the trade.

SWYSTUN: At the end of day you are selling yourself. And so in selling yourself you have to talk about almost every facet of who you are. And people are enamored with stars. They want to know about how their personal lives work.

VARGAS: Well, not for this star.

WALTERS: Is there nothing else you want to tell us?

ANISTON: What do you want to know, Barbara?

WALTERS: I know you won`t tell me.

ANISTON: Oh, gosh. What do I want? Go see the movie.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

VARGAS: And her movie, "Derailed," opens in theaters this Friday.

A.J., you can also check out Larry King`s entire interview with Aniston tonight on CNN.

HAMMER: And as we saw -- as we saw a moment ago Larry not shy about asking the personal questions.

VARGAS: No, no, no.

HAMMER: Just going after her. Sibila, thanks very much.

SHOWBIZ TONIGHT`s Sibila Vargas, live in Hollywood.

Well, tonight, a mysterious real-life drama for an actor who plays a mysterious character on the show "Desperate Housewives." Page Kennedy, who plays Caleb, is being fired because of alleged improper conduct on the set. Now, there`s no word yet on exactly what he did or who`s going to replace him. A show spokesperson will only say that he was fired after a thorough investigation. And on the show Kennedy`s character is being held prisoner in the basement of Alfre Woodard`s character.

ANDERSON: Tonight, new controversy over the gun toting billboards used to promote rapper 50 Cent`s new movie. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT has been closely following the outrage that erupted from some communities over the promotion. But today the rapper got some new support as people say he is being unfairly targeted.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

LITA HERRON, MOTHERS ON THE MARCH: My question for 50 Cent today is should I be teaching this young baby to follow you or to follow me?

ANDERSON (voice-over): Outrage and protest have followed 50 Cent since this Paramount movie poster for his new film, "Get Rich or Die Tryin`," was posted in communities. It shows the rapper holding a microphone in one hand, a gun in the other. One hung near a preschool in this south central Los Angeles neighborhood.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The message is violence is OK. It`s promoted at the highest level. And we say once again, Paramount, you are doing damage to our community. You are doing an injustice our community.

ANDERSON (on camera): I`m here in Hollywood where it`s standard fare to see billboards for every movie that`s coming out. Studios pay top dollar for this kind of exposure, but since the community protest, Paramount, the film`s distributor, has taken some down of the "Get Rich" billboards in Los Angeles and in other areas.

(voice-over) And now a leading public relations expert is speaking out in defense of 50 Cent. Ronn Torrossian, whose company has worked with such artists as Diddy, Lil` Kim and Ashanti, says the removal of the 50 Cent billboard shows a double standard and is hypocritical.

RONN TOROSSIAN, CEO, SW PUBLIC RELATIONS: 50 Cent to me is no different than Arnold Schwarzenegger, than Sylvester Stallone or than Brad Pitt or Angelina Jolie in their most recent movie.

The greatest movies in American history have been "Scarface," have been "Goodfellas," have been "Rambo" I, II, III, IV and V. And let`s not forget, the great governor of California, who`s made "True Lies" and many other violent movies, no different than Curtis Jackson and 50 Cent.

ANDERSON: But this South Central Los Angeles grandmother of five says 50 Cent is a role model for black men, and he`s failing at that.

HERRON: I want to say to you, sir, that if you have no better representation for our young black men other than to die at the hands of the violence of some other young black men that looks just like them, then you need to leave our community.

ANDERSON: As for 50 Cent, he told me all the publicity can`t hurt.

(on camera) You said it was god publicity.

50 CENT, RAPPER/ACTOR: Absolutely. It`s great publicity.

ANDERSON: What would you say to those folks who are concerned, if you had the opportunity?

50 CENT: I think if they feel like there are kids in that neighborhood that can be -- that a person can actually make them do something that`s wrong, that those kids need to -- they should be trying to sit down and talk to those kids.

ANDERSON: And 50 Cent has been talking everywhere, getting the word out about his new movie: on "The Today Show," on "Letterman" and just today on "Regis and Kelly."

50 CENT: There are 18 films that came out this year where they had weapons on the cover or the artwork, and no one protested it.

KELLY RIPA, CO-HOST, ABC`S "LIVE WITH REGIS & KELLY": No. But it seems like when it`s you there`s a big uproar.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ANDERSON: 50 Cent appeared on NBC`s "Today Show" this morning and told viewers he shields his 9-year-old son from violence in his songs by having him listen to the clean versions, but 50 told me he`s not shielding his son from this film, that he will see it.

"Get Rich or Die Tryin`" is rated "R" for pervasive language, sexuality and strong violence. It opens in theaters tomorrow.

HAMMER: We have your first look at the new villain in "Spider-Man 3" and who`s going to play him. That`s coming up next.

ANDERSON: Plus a Golden Girls anniversary, and the show has a whole new generation of fans from St. Olaf to San Francisco. Rose Nylund herself, Betty White, is here live on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, coming up.

And...

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GIBBONS: As you watch someone slowly disappear.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HAMMER: Leeza Gibbons` personal and painful struggle as she watches her mother and grandmother battle Alzheimer`s Disease. That`s coming up in the interview you`ll see only on show SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HAMMER: Welcome back to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. I`m A.J. Hammer.

Thomas Haden Church is going from "Sideways" to "Spider-Man." But now SHOWBIZ TONIGHT can give you new details on his role in the blockbuster. It`s official, and this is your very first look.

Church is going to play the Sandman, also known as Flint Marco, in the third installment of the "Spider-Man" series. And for "Spider-Man 3," good to know that Tobey Maguire will be back as Peter Parker; also Kirsten Dunst back as Mary Jane Watson. We`ll have to wait for it, though. "Spider-Man 3" doesn`t hit theaters until May 2007.

ANDERSON: Right now at the movies, little is the new big. Disney`s animated hit, "Chicken Little," opened this past weekend at No. 1, pulling in almost $41 million. But some say its success could help bring in a new era in movie making and change the way you see movies.

David Haffenreffer is our SHOWBIZ TONIGHT newsroom to explain.

Hey, David.

DAVID HAFFENREFFER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Brooke.

Yes, a good chunk of "Chicken Little`s" big weekend haul came from theaters that showed it in digital 3-D. And as Hollywood executives shake in their collective boots about declining movie attendance, some feel that 3-D might be the way to get people to go back to the movies again.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ZACH BRAFF, ACTOR (singing): I am the champion.

HAFFENREFFER (voice-over): As the No. 1 movie in the country, "Chicken Little" has a lot to crow about, but could this movie about a chick who saves the world save Hollywood, too?

BRAFF: I can`t handle the pressure.

HAFFENREFFER: This past weekend more than 80 theaters around country showed "Chicken Little" in digital 3-D. These special showings shocked Hollywood by earning twice as much per screen as the two-dimensional versions.

BRAFF: The sky is falling!

HAFFENREFFER: And as Hollywood continues to panic about box office grosses that have fallen about six percent from last year, some are saying that to get people to buy theater tickets again, Hollywood might have to see the Light and go 3-D.

PAUL DERGARABEDIAN, EXHIBITOR RELATIONS: There`s been a lot of talk devoted to the fact that the box office has been down this year, and I think Hollywood is looking for new and innovative ways to get people to come back to the movie theaters.

HAFFENREFFER: Hollywood has been dabbling in 3-Ds for decade, but some think Hollywood is on the verge of a revolution that will make 3-D the standard in moves.

JOSHUA GREER, CEO, REAL D: We don`t really see too many black and white televisions anymore. People expect and demand that you`re going to see stuff in color. We think over the next 20 years they`re going to have the same kinds of expectations and demands for 3-D.

HAFFENREFFER: SHOWBIZ TONIGHT spent the day at Real D, the Beverly Hills company that provided the state of the art high tech digital equipment to theaters to show "Chicken Little" in 3-D.

GREER: This changes the Light for each eye, tunes it to the particular glasses you`re wearing and each lens in your glass can decode that either left or right image.

MICHAEL V. LEWIS, CHAIRMAN, REAL D: It`s going to get people excited about coming back to the movie theater again.

HAFFENREFFER: But will audiences be excited enough to pay extra for 3-D moves? SHOWBIZ TONIGHT took to the streets to ask moviegoers if they`d be willing to shell out more for that third dimension.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think it`s about the experience. I think 3-D brings something back to it.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It`s the same thing. I mean, wow! 3-D, what does 3-D really mean? That it just pops out? I would stay at home and wait until it comes out on DVD.

HAFFENREFFER: some moviegoers may be balking at 3-D technology, but Hollywood is definitely interested. The IMAX 3-D version of last year`s "Polar Express" made 10 times as much as its 2-D version. That movie`s director, Robert Zemeckis, is making his next two movies in 3-D.

"Titanic" director James Cameron says all of his future moves will be done in 3-D. And George Lucas wants to re-release all six of his "Star Wars" movies in 3-D.

DERGARABEDIAN: A lot of the big directors in Hollywood are really seeing 3-D as part of the future of cinema and as a way to keep the movie theater going experience viable and interesting to the audience.

HAFFENREFFER: And as Hollywood tries to lure people from their spiffy home theater systems and back to the theaters, movies may not be the only things you`ll see in 3-D.

GREER: We actually see live events in 3-D, pre-show in 3-D, concerts. We`re really about ready to open up, thanks to digital, a whole new series of experience for a multiplex. And I think that`s part of the drive that`s going to get audiences back.

HAFFENREFFER: Such a 3-D revolution would be a bold move, but more Hollywood execs and theater owners are realizing that, if they want their audience back, they can`t afford to be chicken.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HAFFENREFFER: But there`s a price tag on that revolution. It costs movie theaters anywhere from $58,000 to $100,000 per screen. That`s per screen to equip the theaters with all the technology needed to show the movies in digital 3-D -- Brooke.

ANDERSON: Not cheap. OK, David Haffenreffer, thanks so much.

HAMMER: It is time now for a "SHOWBIZ Sitdown" with TV legend Betty White. Among her vast TV resume you know and love Betty from the Emmy Award winning sitcom, "The Golden Girls." She played, of course, Rose Nylund, one of four female retirees living in Miami.

"Golden Girls" went off the air in 1992, but millions of people still tune in to reruns on the Lifetime network, which is helping the show celebrate its 20th anniversary.

Betty White joining us from Hollywood right now.

A pleasure and an honor to speak with you, Ms. White.

BETTY WHITE, ACTRESS: Betty. Oh my goodness, only people who hate me call me Ms. White.

HAMMER: Well, then let me rephrase that. And Betty, you look quite comfortable in our newsroom. We`re not talking about "Mary Tyler Moore" there, but you do look like you`re right at home.

WHITE: I`m pretending I`m an anchorperson. I`m having the best little game here. Yes, and tonight at 11 p.m. It`s wonderful.

HAMMER: Please feel free to push any buttons you like.

WHITE: OK!

HAMMER: So your show, "Golden Girls," was called by many people or has been recently called the original "Sex in the City." I mean, you were ladies who were dating and you were having sex and you were talking about sex. Big difference here, you were retired.

You`ve seen a lot of TV scripts in your lifetime. So when you first saw the script, were you thinking they`ve got to be kidding or did you know they were on to something?

WHITE: No. Everybody now compares us to "Sex in the City" because it was four girls, but so was "Designing Women." That was four middle -- you know, the middle area. And we were just four old broads.

And the reason we could get some certain racy situations, at our age, at that point we thought, younger it would be a little salacious, but at our age it was kind of fun, because it showed that people our age could still be human and warm and loving. And of course, some of us were more loving than others...

HAMMER: Yes, they were.

WHITE: ... including Blanche.

HAMMER: And it created a situation that evolved into this legendary show with great staying power. The show is up to five times a day on Lifetime, 16 million viewers a week and a new young audience watching the show. What is the universal appeal, would you say, of "The Golden Girls"?

WHITE: Can you believe, 20 years later? Well, I think the secret of the whole thing -- we get the credit because our faces show on camera, but it`s the writing, what`s on that page. We couldn`t do it if we didn`t have the kind of writing that holds up and it was funny. Just plain old- fashioned funny. And it -- you can screw up a bad -- a good show, but you can`t save a bad show unless it`s on the page.

HAMMER: Very true. And of course, people know you from "The Golden Girls," "Mary Tyler Moore" and many other shows throughout the years, but you were also on just about every game show known to man. So I was thinking it might be kind of fun to play a little "Golden Girls" trivia with you. Are you up for that?

WHITE: Sure.

HAMMER: All right. Well, let`s have that, and let`s bring up question No. 1. Which of the Golden Girls, Betty, was adopted?

WHITE: I don`t know? I haven`t the foggiest. Is it me? It was me?

HAMMER: I think it was your character Rose.

WHITE: Was it Rose?

HAMMER: It was Rose. I`m a little surprised that you got that one wrong.

WHITE: Well, only because Don Ameche played my father at one point. So...

HAMMER: That leads us to our second question. Who did -- who did Rose wish, which celebrity did Rose wish was her biological father?

WHITE: Well, I`m not sure who Rose wished. I wished it was Robert Redford, but there would have been a little incest.

HAMMER: We`ll let you have that. Bob Hope in one of the episodes was the person.

WHITE: Yes. Bob -- Bob came on the show as a special personal favor, and we had such a good time.

HAMMER: What street, Betty, did the Golden Girls live on?

WHITE: Honey, you`re talking -- we did -- for all those years, and I think the audience -- well, first of all, the audience knows the lines better than we ever did.

HAMMER: That`s always true.

WHITE: There were all these re-runs. In fact on November 11 they`re going start with the pilot, and then they`re going show 20 of our shows back-to-back up until 11 at night. And they`re going wind up with a re-run of the "Golden Girls" reunion, which I was thrilled to find out is the most popular thing yet.

HAMMER: Well, congratulations on all of that, and for all of the success with the show we offer you a cheesecake. I`m sure you`ve been given cheesecakes for the last 20 years.

WHITE: Thank you.

HAMMER: Thank you for appearing on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.

Again, have fun in our newsroom and enjoy your lovely "Golden Girls" cheesecake.

WHITE: I will. Would you have a piece?

HAMMER: If you can send it through the television, I will.

WHITE: We`ll do it. Thank you.

HAMMER: Betty, of course, also on the show "Boston Legal," which you can catch tonight on ABC. Make sure you catch that "Golden Girls" marathon on Friday on the Lifetime network.

ANDERSON: She needed a fork for that cheesecake.

All right. It was a reunion today for another beloved TV sitcom. The cast of "Who`s the Boss?" together again. That`s next.

Plus...

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GIBBONS: It`s death in slow motion.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HAMMER: Leeza Gibbons opens up about her family`s painful struggle with Alzheimer`s Disease. That`s coming up in the interview you`re going to see only on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.

ANDERSON: And Tyra Banks goes on a journey to see what life is like as a 350-pound woman. What she saw changed her life. That`s coming up as we look at the link between Hollywood and body image.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ANDERSON: Tonight, a very special get together with Angela, Samantha, Mona, Jonathan and Tony. On today`s "Tony Danza Show," the cast of "Who`s the Boss?" reunited for the very first time since the long-running sitcom - - ABC sitcom went off the air in 1992.

Judith Light, Alyssa Milano, Katherine Helmond and Danny Pintauro shared memories, did a little tap dancing -- you see it there -- and talked about breaking new ground on the show, which centered around a reversal of traditional roles, a male housekeeper and a high-powered female business executive.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ALYSSA MILANO, ACTRESS: We really crossed a lot of lines that weren`t crossed in that time in television. The single mother, the man sort of doing the gender switching role and, I mean...

TONY DANZA, TALK SHOW HOST: And for that time it really was like sort of revolutionary, you know, in its own silly way, I guess.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON: At the end of show today, the cast acted out a scene updating where their characters might have ended up, but once again, Tony didn`t propose to Angela, just like on the last "Who`s the Boss" episode 13 years ago

HAMMER: Well, after a tabloid scandal and a stint in rehab, Kate Moss gathers some new headlines, next on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.

ANDERSON: Plus, the experiment that changed Tyra Banks forever. Coming up, what she learned about life by putting on a fat suit.

HAMMER: And Leeza Gibbons opening up about watching her mom and grandma suffering from Alzheimer`s in the interview you`ll see only on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SOPHIA CHOI, CNN HEADLINE NEWS ANCHOR: SHOWBIZ TONIGHT continues in just a minute. Hello, I`m Sophia Choi with your "Headline Prime Newsbreak."

Well, police have a 15-year-old student in custody after a deadly school shooting in Tennessee. An assistant principal was shot and killed, and two other school officials are wounded. Police say the suspect hid the gun under a napkin and opened fire.

The polls are closed in Virginia where voters picked a new governor. CNN`s election unit says that one is just too close to call right now.

And in California, the political fate of Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger may be at stake. Several government reform proposals he`s supporting are on the ballot.

And police say two truckers were instrumental in helping them bring a California car chase to an end. Officers had been chasing a suspect when the truckers blocked his path. His car ended up jammed, as you see there, between the big rigs, and he was arrested.

Well, that`s the news for now. I`m Sophia Choi. Now back to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.

HAMMER: Welcome back to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. It is 31 minutes past the hour. I`m A.J. Hammer in New York.

ANDERSON: I`m Brooke Anderson in Hollywood, and you are watching TV`s only live entertainment news show.

HAMMER: Well, still to come in the next 30 minutes, Tyra Banks, 250 pounds. She made it happen so she could get a handle on the discrimination that overweight Americans face. We will hear from Tyra as to what she found out, coming up in just a few minutes.

ANDERSON: Now, she was shocked by how badly some people treated her. And also, A.J., Leeza Gibbons has suffered tremendous heartache. Her grandmother succumbed to Alzheimer`s. Now her mother is in the final stages of this debilitating disease.

I sat down with her recently, and she told me how she`s working to raise awareness of Alzheimer`s and help others cope whose loved ones are battling this disease. It`s a very honest and open, very emotional interview, and that`s coming up in just a few minutes.

HAMMER: And we`ll get to that in moments.

But first, we`ve got to get to tonight`s "Hot Headlines" with David Haffenreffer who joins us live once again in our SHOWBIZ TONIGHT newsroom - - David?

DAVID HAFFENREFFER, CNN HEADLINE NEWS CORRESPONDENT: Thanks, A.J.

Kate Moss tonight is back at work. The 31-year-old British supermodel just wrapped up a photo shoot. Her designer, Roberto Cavalli in Spain. The pictures will be part of the spring and summer 2006 collection.

Moss, you`ll remember, checked out of an Arizona rehab clinic last month. Pictures of her allegedly snorting cocaine were published in a British tabloid in September.

Well, if you tuned in to listen to Howard Stern this morning, he wasn`t there. The self-proclaimed king of all media was yanked off the air today by his bosses at Infinity Broadcasting. They reportedly hit him up with a one-day suspension for talking too much about his upcoming move over to Sirius Satellite Radio.

Radio stations ran a compilation of Stern`s best moments during his time slot today. He is scheduled to be back on the air tomorrow.

And those are tonight`s "Hot Headlines" -- A.J.?

HAMMER: My guess is he`ll be talking about his suspension, as well. David Haffenreffer, thank you very much.

ANDERSON: Tonight, Tyra takes on obesity. Supermodel and talk show host Tyra Banks has got a killer body, but she wanted to see how everybody would treat her if she were fat. So she decided to conduct a little experiment with a big twist. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT`s Sibila Vargas hung out with Tyra to find out what she learned, and Sibila is joining us live once again from Hollywood.

Hey, Sibila.

SIBILA VARGAS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Brooke.

Well, supermodel Tyra Banks took on a challenge that many Americans face every day, the battle with obesity. She decided to walk around Hollywood in disguise with a 200-pound fat suit on. She set down with me to talk about the stares and the glares she received as people reacted to her new body image.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

VARGAS (voice-over): Recognize this woman? How about now? Lots of people didn`t recognize super hot supermodel Tyra Bank as a 350-pound woman.

TYRA BANKS, SUPERMODEL: As soon as I stepped off the bus, I saw three people turn and laugh right in my face. I was stunned.

VARGAS: That`s right. The first African-American model to grace "Sports Illustrated`s" swimsuit edition, host of "America`s Next Top Model," and one of "People" magazine`s 50 most beautiful people in the world was treated like anything but beautiful.

(on-screen): You said it was a heartbreaking experience?

BANKS: You`re making me tear up. It just was heartbreaking, because it was so in-your-face. You know, it was so in my face. And I`m, like, I couldn`t believe it.

VARGAS (voice-over): Banks said she decided to put on the hefty fat suit and prosthetics to feel what it`s like to be overweight.

BANKS: The most important thing for this to work was that the suit had to be me only bigger, 200 pounds bigger.

Just when he started putting the neck on, I got emotional. I got emotional. And it wasn`t that I got emotional, like, looking in the mirror and seeing myself and, "Oh, that`s not so attractive." It wasn`t that.

It was almost like a precursor. I had a feeling about what was going happen that day.

VARGAS: Hidden cameras captured her experience for the "Tyra Banks Show" as she hit two trendy L.A. spots.

BANKS: The first store I walked into was this popular celebrity boutique. Walking in, I felt a bit uncomfortable. As I walked through the store, I felt the cold stares. And I even heard snickering from some people shopping.

VARGAS: And watch what happens as she meets one of three blind dates.

BANKS: I`m not sitting here desperate, but, as you can imagine, I`m a big girl, and I have to live this life being a big girl. Oh, you don`t have to imagine? What do you mean you don`t have to imagine.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I can see you.

BANKS: Yes, well, that wasn`t nice.

The first guy had to take a shot. I sat down. He immediately ordered a drink. And later he told me he had to take a shot to get through it.

VARGAS: Banks says the experience changed her life forever, as she now has a greater appreciation for what obese people live through.

(on-screen): You could take that off, but another person may not be able to do that.

BANKS: Another person cannot take it off, you know, not overnight, at least, like I could. Not in a matter of a couple of hours to take it off, actually. They can`t do that. They can`t do that.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

VARGAS: And tomorrow on her show, Tyra continues her look at weight issues. She`ll speak with former supermodel Janice Dickinson about the dark side of modeling and talk about eating disorders in the modeling business.

Brooke, back to you.

ANDERSON: Thanks, Sibila. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT`s Sibila Vargas live in Hollywood.

HAMMER: Well, what Tyra Banks encountered as an extremely overweight woman is something millions of women face every day. So does Hollywood create an unrealistic pressure to stay thin? Joining us live here in New York for our showbiz "Newsmaker" interview, Sandy Schaffer, chair of the National Association to Advance Fat Acceptance.

Thanks for being here, Sandy.

SANDY SCHAFFER, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION TO ADVANCE FAT ACCEPTANCE: Hi.

HAMMER: What exactly is the message of your organization?

SCHAFFER: Our message is size acceptance. No matter what size you are, to love the body you`re in and to do it healthy.

HAMMER: OK. Hollywood, as we know, obsessed with image. We see images of, you know, unbelievably thin people all of the time. We`re hearing about the fad diets that Hollywood celebrities are involved with.

What would you say, as far as Hollywood making people feel uncomfortable about their weight? Is that happening?

SCHAFFER: Hollywood`s a false place. You know, when you look in a magazine, even the models can`t attain that image. They`re all air- brushed.

So it`s just a place of pretend. And it always has been, and always has been an image nobody else can attain. So, yes, that`s true.

You know, do they make people hate themselves? Yes, if you`re looking at that and you think that that`s the image everybody should be.

But if you look at it like just something separate from real life, then you can look at it in a different way. It doesn`t have -- you know, it is what it is. And people have to change life. Hollywood will follow along to the trends that come up behind it.

HAMMER: Just kind of like a wag-the-dog theory almost.

SCHAFFER: I think so. I think people have to try to get into a more healthy lifestyle. Love your body, whatever size it is, so you will eat right, and you`ll exercise, and you`ll do healthy things.

HAMMER: Well, to that end, there`s clearly medical proof that says, if you are not -- if you are severely overweight, it does cause medical issues, clearly proven. So what do you say to people who says your organization promotes an unhealthy lifestyle?

SCHAFFER: Right. Clearly proven is not exactly true, because I can give you just as many things that say an unhealthy lifestyle promotes an unhealthy way of being, and weight not withstanding. Sometimes that is a symptom and sometimes it`s not.

HAMMER: But applied to weight...

SCHAFFER: My organization is trying to promote a healthy lifestyle at any size, trying to promote, not trying to go against self-hatred, trying to get people to love themselves, lead a better life, and to try to fight, exactly what Tyra Banks is trying to do, only we do it real.

HAMMER: OK. Sandy, we do appreciate your insight on the subject. Sandy Schaffer for the National Association to Advance Fat Acceptance. Thanks very much.

SCHAFFER: Than you.

HAMMER: So this leads us to our SHOWBIZ TONIGHT "Question of the Day." What do you think about all of this and the question of whether or not Hollywood makes you feel bad about your weight? Let us know exactly how you feel on the subject by voting at CNN.com/showbiztonight. Got more to say? Write to us at showbiztonight@CNN.com. We`ll share some of your e-mails at 55 past the hour.

ANDERSON: And coming up.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LEEZA GIBBONS, JOURNALIST: You watch someone slowly disappear.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON: Leeza Gibbons` emotional struggle as her family deals with a debilitating disease. Her very personal story about Alzheimer`s. It`s the interview you`ll see only on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, next.

HAMMER: And Kim Cattrall is a big star, but when it comes to keeping track of her clothes, she`s surprisingly just like the rest of us. Find out the secrets of the "Sex in the City" star`s closet, still to come in "Tuesday InStyle."

ANDERSON: But first, as we do every Tuesday, here`s a look at what`s new in music tonight.

Neil Diamond`s widely praised "12 Songs," country star Kenny Chesney`s "The Road and the Radio." Kate Bush is out with her first album in 12 years. It`s called "Aerial." Dave Stewart and Annie Lennox`s "Eurhythmics Ultimate Collection." And the girl who just wants to have fun, Cyndi Lauper out with new arrangements of her classic hits on "The Body Acoustic."

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ANDERSON: Welcome back to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. I`m Brooke Anderson.

Tonight, another "Showbiz Sitdown." This one is with Leeza Gibbons. She`s a well-known public figure, as a TV and radio personality for more than 20 years, including a stint hosting a daytime talk show called "Leeza."

But it`s her private life that`s occupied much of her time recently. Her mother`s battling Alzheimer`s disease. I sat down with Leeza to talk about her emotional day-to-day struggle and her ongoing personal mission to raise awareness about the illness.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

GIBBONS: Any family that has a disease process break into your life, it`s difficult. Memory disorder is especially cruel, I think, Brooke, because you watch someone slowly disappear. It`s death in slow motion.

You know, it`s like taking your life story and then rewriting it. And so that parent that you love, or that spouse that you love, they change before you have to say good-bye. And so it`s like Nancy Reagan said. It is the longest goodbye.

ANDERSON: It`s heartbreaking. I had a great-aunt succumb to the disease years ago. Just to watch that decline in their health. And your mother was the impetus for your involvement, for your action. She actually asked you to do this, to educate people.

GIBBONS: Don`t you love a woman with that strength? You know, she was such a steel magnolia, this woman from the south who, when she got her diagnosis, she said to me, "OK, honey." She`s the one who helped me figure out that I was a story teller in life.

So she said, "Take this story, and I want you to tell it, and use it, and make it count." So that`s what I try to do with our work with the Memory Foundation and when we open up what we call Leeza`s Place, which we are now -- from coast to coast, these are intimate settings and communities to honor caregivers and those who have been diagnosed with a memory disorder.

ANDERSON: Kind of a safe haven. Walk us through the emotions that you went through when your mother was diagnosed, and what you`ve been through, and how that compares and contrasts to how other people are most likely dealing with the same sort of thing.

GIBBONS: Oh, this battle is a deeply personal one. My mother, I believe, when she put her head on the pillow at night, knew that abyss where she was headed, because she saw her mother.

For me, getting the diagnosis was the end of the innocence because, until we got that moment we were able to say, "You know, mom`s drinking too much," or, "Mom`s life isn`t so full anymore, so she`s repeating herself."

But she was the one who said, "I have paid this bill three times. Something`s wrong."

She really took the lead. I remember the day we were in the doctor`s office, and they said, "We`ll need to take Mrs. Gibbons back and give her a little test." And I got up to go with her and they said, "You can`t go."

And I said, "I can`t be with her?" And they said, "We just need your mom." And I watched her walk down the hall.

And, Brooke, it was like watching a little girl. She looked over her shoulder. And I so wanted to stop it, you know? Like a parent wants to stop the hurt for a child, and...

ANDERSON: The roles were reversed.

GIBBONS: It were reversed, exactly. I think that what happens with all families is, first, a lot of guilt, because it creeps up on you. And when the memories are faded, then you`ve lost your best chance to get that family history, to appreciate that person, to let them know how much they mean to you.

ANDERSON: So this is you and your mom. Talk to us about what pictures we`re seeing here.

GIBBONS: This picture was taken at home in South Carolina with my mom after she was diagnosed, shortly before my dad was no longer to care for her anymore. And she wanted to be an advocate.

And we took these pictures. And I had no idea that this would come to symbolize wrapping my arms around what she represents. She did it for me for so many years. And now I can wrap my arms around her and embrace all that she is.

And now she really needs me. And I want to be there for her.

ANDERSON: And you`ve wrapped your arms around so many others that are suffering, as well.

GIBBONS: I hope so.

ANDERSON: Yes, absolutely. I think we have some more pictures that we`ve...

GIBBONS: This was after mom began to fade behind that veil of Alzheimer`s disease. The little baby is actually my sister`s child, Blake. But my mother couldn`t quite figure out who it was.

And she didn`t really know -- we didn`t think the baby was safe in her arms, because she would say, "What is this, and what am I supposed to be doing with this?"

And we`d give her a bottle, and she didn`t know what the bottle was. And it was important, though, to my sister that she hold that baby and that some day she was able to say to Blake, "This is your grandmom, and she loved you."

ANDERSON: Wow, very powerful image. How`s your mom now?

GIBBONS: Thank you for asking.

ANDERSON: Of course.

GIBBONS: I must be honest with you and tell you that I know my mom didn`t want to linger on in this state, so she`s here, but she`s gone. She`s in the final stages. She doesn`t speak. She has no glimmer of recognition.

She has transformed physically into someone that doesn`t look like my beautiful, confident mom. And yet, she said to me early on, "When I can`t call you by name, honey, I don`t want you to waste your time. I don`t want you to come visit me, because you have other things to do. Don`t come visit me. I won`t know that you`re there."

And I said, "But you know, Mom? I`ll know that I`m there, and I`m never going leave you."

And we don`t know what the thought process is. I don`t know which part of her can still feel, and touch, and need. I don`t know what`s transcended. So she`s doing as well as she can do.

ANDERSON: That is the saddest thing. I am so sorry to hear that. I`m teary-eyed from what you`re going through, but you`re doing something with it and you`re make a difference. Has this experience made you a stronger person?

GIBBONS: Oh, I think all pain makes us stronger, you know? My mother would always say those mom-isms, you know, like, "Well, God gave you those big, strong, broad shoulders for a reason, honey," and, you know, all those things that she said that were so true. Yes.

ANDERSON: You need to write all of those down...

GIBBONS: Oh, my gosh.

ANDERSON: ... and keep them as a memory book for your kids, for her, about her.

GIBBONS: That`s why I started scrap-booking.

ANDERSON: That`s right. And you have this book in stores, where other people can scrapbook and make memory books for their family.

GIBBONS: Tell the story of your life, you know? And for anyone that`s fading, anyone that you`re losing or have lost, keeping them alive in a scrapbook page is really cool.

So, all of our proceeds from the book and from my scrapbook products all go to the foundation. I`m just looking for ways to tell our message, and to keep funding out there, and to keep helping families.

ANDERSON: What a noble cause. And I wish the best for you, and your family, and your mom.

GIBBONS: Thank you.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ANDERSON: Leeza Gibbons` Memory Foundation has launched a 12-city memory wall tour. The wall is designed for personal tributes to caregivers and loved ones afflicted with memory disorders. For more information, you can go to Leezasplace.org.

HAMMER: Such a touching story. Thanks for that, Brooke.

Well, Kim Cattrall was known for her over-the-top clothes, of course, and sexual antics, as Samantha on "Sex in the City," but what would you will find in her real-life closet? SHOWBIZ TONIGHT knows. Find out next, in "Tuesday InStyle."

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ANDERSON: Time now for "Tuesday InStyle." Tonight, Kim Cattrall.

Well, we all know she flashed plenty of skin as sultry Samantha on "Sex in the City" with over-the-top, cutting-edge clothes on the show. But what`s in Kim`s real-life wardrobe? Come along for a tour of what she calls her private sanctuary.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Kim Cattrall is on such an iconic fashion- centric show, "Sex in the City," we figured that her closet would be like a treasure trove, and we weren`t disappointed.

Like any well-organized woman, Kim has her purses divided into day bags and evening bags. She`s got this amazing section of drawers and shelves in her closet where she has just the most (INAUDIBLE) high-end designer leather gloves, sparkly little clutches, and, you know, your average movie-star Birkin bag collection.

What`s really funny about the way Kim Cattrall decided to organize her closet is that, you know, she takes steps that any of us could do to keep everything sort of in line. You can go to Target or the Container Store and buy those little shoe organizer little containers that come on the, you know, the rack that you hang over the door, and that`s where she keeps her costume jewelry.

She`s just got rows and rows and rows of Manolo Blahniks, which isn`t surprising, considering that she`s a disciple of Pat Field, "Sex in the City`s" famed stylist. Everything from Prada to sort of French designers. There`s this wall of shoes that is enough to take your breath away.

She`s 49 years old. She`s not a little girl. And she`s thrice married and thrice divorced. So she really knows what she wants. And in that vein, her closet -- she`s created sort of an inner sanctuary for herself.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON: To read more about Kim Cattrall`s fashion, just pick up a copy of "InStyle" magazine. It`s on newsstands now.

HAMMER: We have been asking you to vote online on our SHOWBIZ TONIGHT "Question of the Day." And we appreciate you taking the time to do it. Does Hollywood make you feel bad about your weight?

The vote so far: 65 percent of you with a yes vote, Hollywood makes you feel bad; 35 percent of you say, no, it does not.

Some of the e-mails we have received include one from Ronald in Texas who writes, "No, because they live in an artificial, make-believe world with makeup and plastic surgery."

We also heard from Rachel in Washington who writes, "Hollywood`s had a positive influence. It has gotten me to use my gym membership."

ANDERSON: And now it`s time to see what`s playing on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT tomorrow. So let`s take a look at the "Showbiz Marquee." Marquee Guy, you what to do.

MARQUEE GUY: Tomorrow, a night to remember with Keira Knightley live. This beautiful actress is starring in a movie about a book we all read, or at least used the Cliff Notes for, "Pride and Prejudice." Keira Knightley live on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. When? Tomorrow.

Also tomorrow, this Dennis was a menace to opposing basketball teams, but his off-the-court antics really made him a lightning rod for the press, Dennis Rodman live, and his juicy tell-all book, "I Should be Dead by Now," tomorrow on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.

This is the Marquee Guy. And wait until you read my tell-all book. It`s salacious!

ANDERSON: Could be a best-seller, huh, A.J.?

HAMMER: Yes, I doubt it.

But, Brooke, "Whale Rider" was the movie that Keira Knightley got her Oscar nod for?

ANDERSON: Was it "Whale Rider"? Keira Knightley...

HAMMER: No, I`m mistaken on that. Count on a nod for this movie, though. I saw it yesterday.

ANDERSON: Absolutely.

HAMMER: That is it for SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. I`m A.J. Hammer in New York.

ANDERSON: I`m Brooke Anderson in Hollywood. Stay tuned for the latest from CNN Headline News.

END

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