Leona Helmsley`s Money for Trouble
ANDERSON: Welcome back to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. I`m Brooke Anderson in Hollywood. Tonight, the late Leona Helmsley`s $12-million dog. Yes. Shocking new revelations about the queen of mean and her love for her little dog, Trouble. When Helmsley died, she was worth billions and we have now learned she put aside $12 million of that for her dog. CNN legal analyst, Jeffrey Toobin, has a fascinating expose in this month`s "New Yorker" magazine. He told me just what an extremes Leona went to for her dog, Trouble.</s>JEFFREY TOOBIN, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: Well, not only did she love her dog more than her family, she liked dogs better than people generally. She really was a terrible person who hated everyone; most people hated her. So I think this will is indicative of someone who really wanted to express hostility to people as much as she wanted to express love for her dog.</s>ANDERSON: And listen to this. She dies, and as you wrote, she leaves the dog to her brother and her grandson, but neither man wanted Trouble, so to speak, especially since there were death threats against this pup. Jeffrey, death threats against a dog? Explain this to me.</s>TOOBIN: Well, once it came out in the New York tabloids that Trouble, the dog, was left so much money, so many were offended, there were apparently some death threats against the dog. So some - the two people who were designated for the dog said, "Look, no thanks," and they wound up giving the dog - custody of the dog to the manager of one of the Helmsley hotels in Florida. But he wanted to get paid for it, so he gets $60,000 a year to take care of Trouble. Plus, there`s $100,000 a year in security for Trouble because of the death threats. So this dog has a 24-hour guard as well as a guardian.</s>ANDERSON: Yes. That guardian gets, as you say, $5,000 a month, security, you mentioned $100,000 a year, grooming $8,000 a year, food $1,200 a year, veterinary care, $18,000. This is an obscene amount of money. It`s unfathomable, really.</s>TOOBIN: Well, is it?</s>ANDERSON: Jeffrey, how do you spend that much money on a dog, really? I mean, because it seems Trouble lives a better life than most humans.</s>TOOBIN: Trouble certainly does. But the interesting thing that I learned in working on this story for the "New Yorker" was that more and more people are leaving money to dogs. In 38 states now, they make it easy to set up a trust fund for dogs. So yes, Leona Helmsley was extreme in how much money she left. But the idea of leaving money to your dog and leaving instructions for your dog - that`s becoming more and more popular. And you see a lot of people saying, "The heck with my relatives. I`m leaving it to my dog."</s>ANDERSON: Oh, it`s really astounding. And if these amounts of money aren`t unbelievable enough, it is estimated that Helmsley left between $3 billion and $8 billion in a charitable trust specifically for, brace yourself, purposes related to the provision of care for dogs. Jeffrey, does this mean that all that money is going to be spent on dogs and there`s no wiggle room at all?</s>TOOBIN: Well, there might be some wiggle room because there is a provision in the will that gives the trustee some leeway. But, this would be at $8 billion - billion with a b - dollars, about the 10th biggest foundation in the entire United States up there with the Gates Foundation, the Ford Foundation, and it could be all for dogs. And a lot of animal rights activists have their eye on that money and they`re talking about spaying and neutering programs. They`re talking about adoption vans nationwide. So it could really revolutionize how dogs are cared for in the United States. But of course, the question is, is this the appropriate use of $8 billion? Couldn`t it be better used for medical research, for taking care of the needy. Leona wanted that money for dogs.</s>ANDERSON: Fascinating article. And you can read the full article in this month`s "New Yorker" magazine.</s>HAMMER: I want some of that money for my dog. All right. The "Showbiz On Call" phone lines have been ringing nonstop. We`ve been getting a lot of calls about Clay Aiken`s decision to finally come out and confirm that he`s gay. We heard from Darla in Colorado. Now, Darla gave a buzz to "Showbiz On Call" and said it was the right move.</s>DARLA, CALLER FROM COLORADO: I think it`s really a good thing that Clay Aiken came out the way that he did. I think it shows a lot of character, and we believe that the truth will set you free. And that`s just what exactly what`s just happened to Clay. And let me wish him nothing but the very, very best for him and his beautiful boy.</s>HAMMER: And we thank you for your call. Darla, remember the "Showbiz On Call" phone lines are open 24/7. So call us and let us know what`s on your mind. Our number is 1-888-SBT-BUZZ; 1-888-728-2899. Just leave us a voicemail. We will play some of your calls right here on this program. It is SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. Well, Brooke, I think it`s great that Clay Aiken has finally come out.</s>ANDERSON: Yes. And I think so many people feel the same way, A.J. But how does Clay feel now that it`s all said and done? For the first time since admitting that he`s gay, Clay has done an interview on camera. I`m going to have that, coming up.</s>HAMMER: Also, Paris talks politics. Uh-oh. Paris Hilton is talking about her wacky war of words with John McCain. You definitely do not want to miss this surreal bit of fun, still to come. Also this -</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I`m voting for Barack Obama. My name is John McCain, and I approved this message.</s>ANDERSON: Just like them, there are some amazing stories of ordinary people who have an incredible connection to McCain, Obama and Palin. They look like them. They have the same names. You`ve just got to see this, coming up on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. And be sure to check out the free, ever-changing SHOWBIZ TONIGHT podcast. You can find it at CNN.com/ShowbizTonight. Or simply download it on iTunes. Type SHOWBIZ TONIGHT in the search box. We`re coming back after this.