Barbara Walters Enters Feud Between Trump and Rosie
A.J. HAMMER, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT ANCHOR: Should Oprah Winfrey run for president with George Clooney as her running mate? I`m A.J. Hammer in New York.</s>BROOKE ANDERSON, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT ANCHOR: And some words of wisdom for Lindsay Lohan from Drew Barrymore. I`m Brooke Anderson in Hollywood. You`re watching TV`s most provocative entertainment news show. It starts right now.</s>HAMMER: On SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, the Donald gets a talking to from the Barbara. Tonight Barbara Walters startling and unexpected shot at Donald Trump in his war of words with Rosie.</s>BARBARA WALTERS, "THE VIEW": Donald Trump also said that I am not happy with my decision to bring Rosie O`Donnell to this table. Nothing could be further from the truth.</s>HAMMER: Wait a second, is Barbara Walters calling Donald a liar? SHOWBIZ TONIGHT presents Barbara Walters` trump card. Tonight, inside Britney`s new years eve party. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT with the dramatic video of Britney Spears` party in Vegas just moments before she either passed out or fell asleep. Tonight, is Britney unraveling? SHOWBIZ TONIGHT calls in a doctor to write Britney a prescription for life. Hello, I`m A.J. Hammer in New York.</s>ANDERSON: Hi there, everyone. I`m Brooke Anderson in Hollywood. Tonight we are calling in a doctor to help cure Britney Spears of her wild ways. That`s coming up.</s>HAMMER: But first tonight the war of the Rosie. Just when we thought the war of words between Donald Trump and Rosie O`Donnell was over, oh, no. Barbara Walters has stepped up to the plate on "The View" and knocked the ball right into the Donald`s court. I spoke to Trump today for quite a while, and the only place you will get to hear that explosive interview is right here on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. Because now Donald has to respond to the woman he calls his friend, Barbara Walters.</s>WALTERS: Donald Trump also said that I am not happy with my decision to bring Rosie O`Donnell to this table. Nothing could be further from the truth.</s>HAMMER (voice-over): Barbara Walters spent her first day back on "The View" trying to clean up one big mess. Namely, the feud between "View" co- host Rosie O`Donnell and Donald Trump that erupted while Walters was on vacation. Walters tried to counter a statement that Donald Trump made to me right here on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, that Walters regrets bringing Rosie to "The View."</s>WALTERS: I have never regretted, nor do I now, the hiring of Rosie O`Donnell.</s>HAMMER: Now, in a phone call to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, the Donald himself tells me he is standing by his words. (on camera): You were very clear and emphatic when you told me that Barbara Walters is not thrilled with Rosie. Donald, is she calling you a liar?</s>DONALD TRUMP, "THE APPRENTICE": Barbara knows what she said.</s>HAMMER (voice-over): He said, she said, and she said. And SHOWBIZ TONIGHT is asking -- who are we supposed to believe?</s>MARC PEYSER, "NEWSWEEK": It`s hilarious the way these two are going after each other.</s>JO PIAZZA, "NEW YORK DAILY NEWS": I think that if we could send Barbara Walters to the Middle East, she would be able to solve all our problems.</s>HAMMER: Let`s turn the calendar all the way back to last year when the feud started. Donald Trump, co-owner of the Miss USA Pageant, publicly forgave current Miss USA Tara Conner for reportedly going a bit wild on the New York City party scene. That caused Rosie to say this.</s>ROSIE O`DONNELL, "THE VIEW": He annoys me on a multitude of levels. He is the moral authority? Left the first wife, had an affair. Left the second wife, had an affair. Had kids both times. But he is the moral compass for 20 year-olds in America.</s>HAMMER: And when I talked to him in his office the next day, the Donald fired back. (on camera): So you think your friend Barbara didn`t make a good choice in hiring her for that program.</s>TRUMP: Well Barbara Walters called me yesterday. She is a friend of mine and she is not a big fan of Rosie.</s>WALTERS: We are now going to move on.</s>HAMMER (voice-over): Now, as we saw on "The View" today, Barbara is saying that`s simply not the case. But Trump tells me he is sticking to his guns.</s>TRUMP: Let me explain it to you. Barbara called me. Barbara knows what she said. Barbara is not a fan of Rosie. That`s number one. Listen to me. That`s number one. Number two, I fully understand what she is doing. What is she going to say? She has got to work with the slob. What the hell is she going to say, that Rosie is this or that?</s>TRUMP: I fully understand what Barbara is saying.</s>HAMMER: Right. But they will hear you saying this and essentially --</s>TRUMP: Barbara knows what she said. Barbara knows what she said.</s>HAMMER: On "The View," Barbara tried to extend Trump an olive branch, clarifying an earlier statement by Rosie that Trump had gone bankrupt in the past.</s>WALTERS: ABC has asked me to say this, just to clarify things and I will quote, Donald Trump has never filed for personal bankruptcy. Several of his casino companies have filed for business bankruptcies, they are out of bankruptcy now.</s>HAMMER: Initially Trump told me in a rather colorful way that he may sue Rosie.</s>TRUMP: Taking money out of her big fat ass would be probably something that`s very easy.</s>HAMMER: And now that Barbara has cleared that up, I asked Donald if anything has changed. (on camera): Now that Barbara has gone on "The View" and made that statement, will you still go forward with your threat to sue?</s>TRUMP: Well, we`re looking at it. The lawyers are very, very -- there are many other things that were said that were very wrong and very inaccurate by Rosie, because Rosie lied.</s>HAMMER (voice-over): Well, one thing is certainly true -- the Donald versus Rosie feud is making for great</s>TV. PIAZZA: The "Apprentice L.A." starts soon. "The View`s" ratings are going up. If we can continue this feud through January, I think it is good for both Donald and Rosie.</s>HAMMER: But Trump tells me this isn`t about ratings. (on camera): With "The Apprentice" about to launch, I can`t imagine that you`re hating all the press that`s coming out of this.</s>TRUMP: I don`t like the press. I don`t like having to waste my time having to fight some low life like Rosie. I don`t really have to do that, but what I don`t like doing is I don`t like seeing somebody lie.</s>HAMMER (voice-over): But we do love seeing people fight.</s>HAMMER: Trump had lots more to say when we talked today. He really went off. The name-calling just kept on coming. I have to play the whole thing for you. So stay right where you are. My complete interview with Donald Trump is on the way at 30 minutes past the hour. But no matter how much we enjoy these celebrity feuds, there has got to be an end to it. Please let there be an end to it. This one, of course, has seemed to have taken on a life of its own. What is it going to take to squash it, put an end to it once and for all? Joining me tonight from Los Angeles "TV Guide`s" Mary Murphy, from New York Court TV anchor Ashleigh Banfield. Ladies, hang on, bear with me one second. I thought my head was going to explode. OK, perhaps a little bit later on. This is unbelievable that it continues. Hey Mary, Donald Trump, you just heard him tell me directly -- well, he told me directly. You didn`t here it. I was on the phone with him and he said that there is no chance he will ever go on "The View," and call a truce to this thing, put it all to rest, put it behind them. What is it going to take for this to end once and for all?</s>MARY MURPHY, "TV GUIDE": Well, the first thing is that Donald is not in a war are Rosie. He is now in a war with Barbara. And Barbara is going to win this war. Barbara absolutely, I promise you, will get Donald Trump on "The View" at some point this year, and then we can all go to sleep and rest.</s>HAMMER: Now Mary, I asked him if he would ever go on. He was pretty clear about how he felt about that. So that`s kind of a wait and see situation. I am kind of shocked about the things that he was saying about Barbara, because he is making her out to be a liar now. Ashleigh, I understand you talked to Trump today.</s>ASHLEIGH BANFIELD, COURT TV ANCHOR: I just got off the phone with both sides, in fact. Rosie is on vacation, so her publicist Cindy Berger (ph) spoke on her behalf. But as far as Donald is concerned, no concessions, no how, no time. So I don`t know that that means no concessions towards Rosie or to Barbara. But he did say I don`t blame Barbara for what she said, because she has to, quote, live with this animal. He is stepping it up a bit. But Cindy had something very different to say. She said he is desperate for ratings. They have buried his show on Sunday night and this is just his ploy.</s>HAMMER: Well, that`s certainly an interesting perspective. Now, here`s the thing though. Rosie stopped talking about this before she went on break. She kind of put an end to it. Barbara had no choice but to address it today. Mary, what`s going on here? Does Donald Trump just feel the need, kind of like a kid in a fight, to have the last word, because that`s sure what it feels like to me?</s>MURPHY: Yes, I think Barbara lit the fire again and he is like a kid in a fight. But the problem is that Rosie is not in the ring with him anymore and Barbara is in the ring with him. And it`s true, "The Apprentice" comes back Sunday night. The ratings have been terrible. He is bringing his children on. I wouldn`t want to be a critic attacking him this week. He is a tough guy. And I`m sure it works in business, but I`m not sure it works in the media.</s>HAMMER: Why is he being so tough though Ashleigh? I mean he has hurled insult after insult at Rosie O`Donnell. And Boy, let me tell you, when you hear the phone call I had with him, which is coming up at 30 past the hour, they just keep on coming. Why is he being so venomous? Why is it getting so personal?</s>BANFIELD: Well, on either side, I think, no one is mincing words and the language is pretty vitriolic. But I`ll tell you this A.J., this is a TV era and these people are television savvy. They work in an industry where it is increasingly more difficult to get press. This is a very good way of getting press. I know both of these people. I have worked with Rosie. I have covered her cases. And I know Donald and I like both of them very much. I think they are both real smart in terms of getting themselves headlines, because they sell a product.</s>HAMMER: But isn`t it embarrassing after a while to see this kind of behavior play out? Mary, I mean, who is going to win and who is going to lose when this is all over? Because I understand, good, take advantage of the press and the publicity, but I have a feeling there are a lot of people out there, and I`ve certainly read it out on the blogs and on the Internet, a lot of people are fed up with the whole thing on both sides, and now Donald is coming back at it.</s>MURPHY: Well, absolutely. And I think that Donald has always known where the line is and hasn`t crossed it. He is very savvy. But when you attack a woman and when you attack what she looks like and when you attack her so personally, I think a lot of women will be upset by these attacks.</s>HAMMER: Yes, if I have to hear Donald Trump saying one more time, I just want to get some more money out of big fat ass, you know, it`s pretty upsetting to me, as a man. So, Ashleigh, what do you think? Is anybody going to win here?</s>BANFIELD: Well, I`m increasingly getting fatter because I`m pregnant, and so I`m a little offended by it, too. But you know what A.J., Rosie did it too. She slapped her hair over to the side and made fun of his looks too. So I don`t think that`s a one-sided fight when it comes to the ad hominum attacks. I will say this though, neither one of them seems to be willing to back down on this and here`s the other thing, people in TV land have short memories for what battles were all about. They just remember the branding. This is what, I think, what`s most important in this fight, both of them are getting their brands out there constantly.</s>HAMMER: I would like to see this one end soon. "TV Guide`s" Mary Murphy, Court TV anchor Ashleigh Banfield, I appreciate you joining us tonight.</s>ANDERSON: Question for you. Should Oprah Winfrey run for president with George Clooney as her running mate? Coming up SHOWBIZ TONIGHT`s top seven wishes for 2007. We`re also going to have this.</s>HAMMER: We`ve got a dramatic video of Britney`s new year`s eve party just moments before she either passed out or fell asleep, depending on who you ask. But is it all one big cry for help? We`re calling in the doctor. That`s coming up.</s>ANDERSON: Here comes the doctor. Listen up, Lindsay Lohan. Some words of wisdom tonight for Lindsay from Drew Barrymore. Drew`s advice straight ahead. First tonight`s "Entertainment Weekly" great American pop culture quiz. Here it comes. Who sings back up on Carly Simon`s, "You`re So vain?" James Taylor, Kenny Rogers, Mick Jagger or Johnny Cash? Think about it. We`re coming right back.