Angelina Jolie Makes Trip to Africa to Chronicle Poverty
HAMMER: Welcome back to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. I`m A.J. Hammer. For supermodel Petra Nemcova, the scenes of destruction following Hurricane Katrina hit very close to home. As you may remember, Nemcova`s boyfriend died last year`s Southeast Asia tsunami, and Nemcova herself nearly lost her life. In New York today, Nemcova was out promoting a new on air campaign for the Women`s Entertainment Channel called "Minute of Empowerment." She told SHOWBIZ TONIGHT how she reacted to Hurricane Katrina and what she thinks should be done to help.</s>PETRA NEMCOVA, SUPERMODEL: When it happened, it was very emotional, very hard. Because, of course, it`s brought the memories back. And what was the most heart breaking, really, is just that everybody knew it was coming. So there were so many lives lost, you know, because of a mistake. What`s important, instead of losing the energy on finding out what happened, who did the mistake, to use this energy to help people actually out there. And then later on, you know, you can find out. But now, it`s still very critical and very fresh. So I think the energy needs to be used there.</s>HAMMER: Nemcova was one of the first celebrities to sign onto the WE Networks`s "Minute of Empowerment" campaign, which supports women`s health and education issues. The campaign starts airing on October 1.</s>BRYANT: Angelina Jolie is arguably one of the biggest stars in Hollywood. But the Academy Award winner and mother of two is also a big- time humanitarian. At the moment, she has her sights set on global poverty. She`s raising awareness for the new MTV documentary about a trip she took through Kenya with Dr. Jeffrey Sachs of the U.N. Millennium Project. I had a chance to speak with them about that very trip.</s>DR. JEFFREY SACHS, U.N. ADVISOR: I have never seen people piled in the beds. Somebody comes in with malaria, they`re put in a bed with someone with tuberculosis.</s>ANGELINA JOLIE, ACTRESS: You leave the hospital sicker than you came in. I would be scared to death if my child was in that hospital.</s>BRYANT (voice-over): A dramatic journey through Africa, a road trip through Kenya by one of the most famous actresses in the world. It`s Angelina Jolie`s video notebook chronicling the struggles of some of the poorest people in the world. Angelina told me she can`t understand why people even have to live like this in first place.</s>JOLIE: We can accomplish things. We understand this, and there are people that have a lot and people that have nothing.</s>BRYANT: Jolie came to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT to talk about MTV`s new documentary, "The Diary of Angelina Jolie and Dr. Jeffrey Sachs in Africa." It takes a look at one village`s efforts to end poverty, hunger and disease.</s>JOLIE: I traveled to Africa with Dr. Jeffrey Sachs, the world`s leading expert in extreme poverty, to explore how we can solve inconceivable problems with very simple interventions.</s>BRYANT: As a mother of two adopted children, Jolie encountered moving stories, heartbreaking accounts from mothers with virtually nothing, who struggle to feed their children.</s>SACHS: Monica`s one of the poorest people in this village.</s>UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Up to the time that we came in, she didn`t know where she was going to go. So she was just going to sit and think and trust in God to give her something to eat for the children for supper.</s>BRYANT (on camera): One thing I found really very moving, I know you`re a mom, you went into a woman`s hut. And she basically said that she asked God for dinner.</s>JOLIE: I really wasn`t expecting -- you don`t know -- you certainly see poverty, you see hunger. But we were just -- we were asking such a kind of simple question. Because we thought, well, we`re here with the camera crew, and we`ll say to her, "Could we see how you`re going to prepare dinner? You know, would it be OK to show us how you prepare dinner? And could you describe how you`re going to prepare dinner?" And she said, "Well, I`m going the sit and I`m going to think about it. I`m going pray about it." And it took us awhile to realize what she was talking about. You can`t afford not to just find these solutions. And we`re so capable and we have so much these days, that the mom having -- having all of her children and having nothing to give them. If my kid was hungry and asked me for food, to not have anything to give my children for dinner, I can`t imagine how horrible that feeling would be as a parent.</s>BRYANT (voice-over): Jolie tells us she was astounded that so little could go such a long way. Here in the village of Sari (ph) in Western Kenya, simple $7 mosquito netting, dramatically lowered the malaria rates.</s>SACHS: When a whole village uses these bed nets, it`s been shown time and again the malaria drops tremendously.</s>BRYANT: Angelina tells us she donates a third of what she makes to battle poverty. But, as much as she wants to help, there`s only there`s so much she can do.</s>JOLIE: Frustration and for me, it`s anger. That I just don`t get why it can`t be done. I know it can be done. I know if the right people who are in the right positions and just had a clear, you know, worked with and listened to each other and made some bold decisions, it could be absolutely be done.</s>BRYANT: Is there ever a part of you that says, "I might just become a humanitarian full time"?</s>JOLIE: Part of me would love to. But the reality is the reason I can have people watching right now is because I keep my foot in both doors.</s>BRYANT: Angelina Jolie has donated $3 million to the United Nations since becoming a goodwill ambassador in 2001. Her special, "The Diary of Angelina Jolie and Dr. Sachs in Africa," airs tonight on</s>MTV. HAMMER: In tonight`s "SHOWBIZ Showcase," celebrities are reacting to the heartbreaking sights of abandoned animals aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. Stars including Alec Baldwin, Dennis Rodman and Pamela Anderson are calling for the government to include pets in all of the rescue efforts that are taking place and to take steps to reunite animals with their owners. They`re speaking out in a new ad from People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, or PETA. Here`s a look at tonight`s "SHOWBIZ Showcase" exclusive.</s>ALEC BALDWIN, ACTOR: Hurricane victims have lost enough. Let them keep their animals.</s>UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hurricane victims have lost enough.</s>PINK, SINGER: Please let them keep their animals.</s>DENNIS RODMAN, BASKETBALL STAR: I hope you let them keep their animals. I hope you understand these animals are just like animals.</s>UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Let them keep their animals.</s>UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Please, help them protect their animals.</s>PAMELA ANDERSON, ACTRESS: Hurricane victims have lost enough.</s>UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Let them keep their animals.</s>HAMMER: PETA`s not stopping there. Tomorrow, they`re going to be having a demonstration right outside the congressional hearings that are taking place to protest animal neglect in Katrina`s aftermath.</s>BRYANT: Well, it is time now to take a look at the best in late night laughs in "Laughter Dark." Well, on "Late Night with Conan O`Brien," Conan takes a look at potential casting for "Hurricane Katrina: The Movie."</s>LATE NIGHT WITH CONAN O`BRIEN": For example, Louisiana Governor Kathleen Blanco will be played by Kathy Bates. I think that`s good casting. Former FEMA director Michael Brown will be played by Jon Lovitz. Good casting. Michael Chertoff will be played by Sam the Eagle, I think. Pumping station number six -- pumping station number six will be played by Paris Hilton. And finally, President George W. Bush will be played by Ralph Wiggum from "The Simpsons." (</s>END VIDEO CLIP0 BRYANT: All right, Conan. You know, sometimes it`s nice to have a little bit of lightness in such a difficult situation. Well, tonight Conan welcomes "Proof" star Gwyneth Paltrow. Now, when you think of Ellen DeGeneres, you might think it`s all fun and games. Well, tonight on the -- rather, on "The Tonight Show," Ellen shows Jay that her summer diet has made her just a little bit cranky.</s>ELLEN DEGENERES, TALK SHOW HOST: But it was -- I thought it was diet food, so I was having huge portions of that and a peace. But apparently you`re supposed to have something the size of your fist, and then -- no, protein is the size of your palm, carbs the size of your fist. And you eat five times a day. That`s the rule that these.</s>JAY LENO, HOST, NBC`S "TONIGHT SHOW": Really?</s>DEGENERES: I go like that to them.</s>LENO: Wow.</s>DEGENERES: I don`t know what happened. That`s not me.</s>LENO: I never saw working blue. Unbelievable.</s>DEGENERES: I never have.</s>LENO: That`s the x-rated "Ellen" show. Oh, my God. This is unbelievable.</s>DEGENERES: I surprise myself. When you have such little food you get angry.</s>BRYANT: Amen to that, Ellen. I understand. Good thing that was on a late night show, A.J. Well, it is a personal connection to the hurricane story for a member of CNN family. The executive producer of "AMERICAN MORNING" takes an emotional trip home to New Orleans, and she joins us live. That`s coming up.</s>HAMMER: Plus, what part did the media play in President Bush finally taking responsibility for the government`s response to the hurricane? Spin doctor extraordinaire, the raging Cajun himself, James Carville, is going to join us live, and he`ll give us his take on that, coming up in a bit.</s>BRYANT: And the Emmys are taking place this weekend, but is it appropriate for an awards show to be happening right now in the hurricane aftermath? We`ll have one nominee`s strong opinions on that subject. That`s later on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.