Simon Cowell`s Wedding Date?; Most Provocative Celebrity of the Week
HAMMER: Tonight, I think you`re ready for it - the big reveal as SHOWBIZ TONIGHT names the most provocative celebrity of the week. Is it Jessica Simpson for her gutsy slam against her weight critics and John Mayer? Is it Howard Stern for his offensive comments about Gabourey Sidibe`s weight? Or Lindsay Lohan for her $100 million cry baby lawsuit. Welcome back to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. I`m A.J. Hammer. Very excited about this. We`ll be naming SHOWBIZ TONIGHT most provocative celebrity of the week in just a moment. But first, it`s Barbara`s big smackdown. Yes, Barbara Walters fuming after the "National Enquirer" printed a story about her that she says is just a bunch of baloney. Barbara got to go head-to-head with the editor of "The National Enquirer" on "The View." I`ve got to tell you, Barbara did not hold back. So cue the fireworks. Here`s CNN`s Jeanne Moos for SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.</s>JEANNE MOOS, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Barbara Walters was dishing it out, and the main course was -</s>BARBARA WALTERS, HOST, "THE VIEW": This is just baloney.</s>MOOS: With the side helping of -</s>UNKNOWN FEMALE: They`re crap.</s>MOOS: It comes just when "The National Enquirer" is finally getting respect accepted into the Pulitzer Prize competition for its coverage of the John Edwards` affair. Edwards had to eat his words of denial.</s>FMR. SEN. JOHN EDWARDS (D-NC): Tabloid trash is full of lies. I made a very serious mistake.</s>MOOS: But it wasn`t the John Edwards copy Barbara was reading to "The Enquirer`s" editor.</s>WALTERS: "After 3 months of dating, Barbara has moved in Frank Langella who is an actor," who is a friend of mine, a friend of Whoopi`s, "into her New York apartment, and friends say a summer wedding is in the works." I looked all over my house. I can`t find him.</s>MOOS (on-camera): He may be the executive editor of "The National Enquirer," but Barbara Walters was the one doing all the inquiring.</s>WALTERS: "Barbara and Frank moved in together in January, and he popped the question soon after. Barbara has secured Whoopi`s blessing."</s>MOOS: "The Enquirer" reported Whoopi used to date Langella, seen here playing Count Dracula.</s>FRANK LANGELLA, ACTOR (as Count Dracula): Blood, my friend.</s>MOOS: The blood being spilled here was the editor, Barry Levine.</s>WALTERS: Totally, totally untrue. You never called me.</s>GOLDBERG: Nobody called me to ask me jack.</s>BARRY LEVINE, EDITOR, "THE NATIONAL ENQUIRER": All I can say, Barbara, is that we trust our sources. There are people around you -</s>LEVINE: Or did you go out on dates with Frank?</s>WALTERS: I have lots of friends whom I go out with, and so does Whoopi. But that doesn`t mean that somebody is living in my apartment.</s>LEVINE: We will look into the story again. I promise you.</s>WALTERS: Oh, baloney.</s>MOOS: In the words of Count Dracula -</s>LANGELLA: I need your blood.</s>MOOS: So do the tabloids, blood end.</s>WALTERS: Baloney.</s>HAMMER: All right. Barbara, good for you. That was CNN`s Jeanne Moos for SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. Well, Barbara Walters was certainly provocative, but sorry, Barbara, you are not in the running to be named SHOWBIZ TONIGHT`s most provocative celebrity of the week. Here now who is really in the running - Jessica Simpson for striking back at her weight critics and telling the word what she really thinks about John Mayer`s sexy tell-all. Howard Stern for his offensive comments about the weight of "Precious" star, Gabourey Sidibe. And Lindsay Lohan for her whopping $100 million lawsuit against e-Trade for their Super Bowl commercial which featured talking babies. Joining me tonight from Hollywood, Hyla who is an entertainment journalist with "5DollarPrep.com." Joining me tonight in New York, Nene Leakes who is one of the stars of the hit TV show on Bravo, "The Real Housewives of Atlanta." Nene, also the author of this fantastic book, "Never Make the Same Mistake Twice: Lessons on Love and Life Learned the Hard Way." I`ve got to tell you this was actually a pretty tough call this week. But of course, only one person can be named SHOWBIZ TONIGHT`s most provocative celebrity of the week. May I have the drum roll, please? Our pick is for most provocative celebrity is, yes, Jessica Simpson. Of course, Jess has been everywhere this week. She is promoting her new VH1 slow and she is slamming her critics at every opportunity for picking on her weight and being very open about her love life. Nene, off to you first. Did we get it right?</s>LEAKES: I think you`ve got it right. I`m a girl that loves curves, too. So I think Jessica looks absolutely fabulous. And I think they`re just coming down on her. She said that she`s a four. I would die to be a four. I mean, she`s a four.</s>HAMMER: Yes. When she was on "Oprah Winfrey," Oprah said, you know, "Eight is a goal for me," so I think you`re exactly right there. Hyla, what do you think? I don`t know if you reacted the same way we did to these stories.</s>HYLA: Not so much. I mean, all three of these stories are definitely provocative. But I think that Howard Stern and Gabourey Sidibe - I think that one struck an emotion more than anything. Everyone`s been talking about Jessica. It`s kind of we`re on the third or fourth cycle of this, you know, whole story starting with John Mayer. But with what Howard Stern said - he was just mean and he was nasty. I agree with what he was saying but totally disagree how he said it. I think it struck an emotion with what he said.</s>HAMMER: We`re hearing that from a lot of people. They agree with the point he was making. It was how he went about it. But then, again, Howard being Howard - Now, even though SHOWBIZ TONIGHT didn`t name Lindsay Lohan our most provocative the week, she certainly could have won most ridiculous celebrity of the week in my mind because of the she sued e-Trade for $100 million for what she called pain and suffering. I`ve got pain and suffering from reporting the story. She claims e- Trade portrayed her as a boyfriend-stealing milkaholic baby. She`s suing now. So Nene, tell me, do you agree with me if we did name the most ridiculous celebrity of the week, it`s Lindsay all the way, right?</s>LEAKES: Absolutely. I was dying laughing to hear when you`re saying that. Oh, my god. You have pain and suffering. So do</s>I. HAMMER: All right. Well, Lindsay, best of luck with you on that lawsuit.</s>HYLA: Yes.</s>HAMMER: Provocative, maybe not as much as Jessica Simpson. Ridiculous, yes. Hyla, Nene Leakes, thanks, guys. I appreciate it. As we move on, brand-new reports today - Simon sets a date? Yes, the "American Idol" judge has been extraordinarily tightlipped about his nuptials. He barely confirmed he was engaged. But now, we`ve got inside reports about when Simon Cowell may actually be walking down the aisle. And I`m hear to tell you it is sooner than you think. And now, the "SHOWBIZ News Ticker" - more stories from the SHOWBIZ TONIGHT newsroom making news today.</s>TEXT: Diana Ross to go on tour, kicks off May 15th in Boston. Musical featuring the music of Ray Charles to open on Broadway in November.</s>HAMMER: It is time now for "Making It Work." This is where we reveal how stars are make their relationships work in Hollywood which we know can be tough. And tonight, it`s Paul Bettany. He is the star of the sci-fi thriller, "Legion," has been married to Jennifer Connelly for seven years</s>PAUL BETTANY, ACTOR: "All you need is love," in the words of John Lennon. And that`s it, really. You know, if you love them, you - there`s certain things you just don`t do, you know. And you turn stuff down because you don`t want to go away from your family again. I think it`s that simple. My family first and always.</s>HAMMER: Well, Paul`s family with Jennifer includes their sons with really cool names - Kai, who`s 12, and Stellan, who is five. This is SHOWBIZ TONIGHT on HLN news and views.