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SHOWBIZ TONIGHT
Developments in the Tiger Woods Drama; Did "SNL" Go Too Far with Their Tiger Skit?; Hulk Hogan`s Toilet Tirade
Aired December 8, 2009 - 23:00:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
A.J. HAMMER, HOST: Right now on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, big Tiger Woods news breaking. A blond-haired woman rushed to the hospital today from Tiger Woods` home. What really happened? How serious was the emergency?
Plus, startling new reports today that Tiger was drinking the day of his dramatic car crash. And has Tiger`s wife already packed up and moved out? Tonight, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT with the explosive new, fast-moving Tiger Woods` developments breaking today.
Hulk`s toilet tirade. The brand-new battle today between Hulk Hogan and his ex-wife over a toilet. Are you kidding me? A toilet? Come on, guys, put a lid on it.
The unbelievable worldwide reaction today. The SHOWBIZ TONIGHT naming Jon Gosselin the most provocative celebrity of the year.
ANNOUNCER: TV`s most provocative entertainment news show starts right now.
(MUSIC)
HAMMER: Hello. I`m A.J. Hammer, broadcasting tonight and every night from New York City.
BROOKE ANDERSON, HOST: Hi there, everyone. I`m Brooke Anderson coming to you from Hollywood. And tonight, the fast and furious brand new Tiger shockers.
HAMMER: That`s right, Brooke. Even at this hour, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT is still sorting out all of the drama at Tiger Woods` home. Early today, an ambulance raced into the scene, a blond-haired woman taken out on a stretcher and it made for big news breaking today.
There was an intense mystery about who was the woman taken to the hospital, the very same hospital Tiger was rushed to after his own mysterious car accident outside his house. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT also learning disturbing details today about what Tiger may have been doing the day of the crash. Was Tiger drinking the day he crashed his car into a tree, a fire hydrant and a bush? And will Tiger be telling all to Oprah about his alleged affairs with other women?
"The Oprah Winfrey Show" is setting the record straight for SHOWBIZ TONIGHT about what`s really going on with the possible Oprah-Tiger tell-all sit down.
Joining me tonight to get to the bottom of the big news breaking today, in New York is Midwin Charles, who is a legal contributor for "In Session." Also joining me tonight from Hollywood, Jim Moret, who is the chief correspondent for "Inside Edition."
As if there wasn`t enough drama, guys, surrounding Tiger Woods and his family, there was this bizarre mystery behind this blond-haired woman who was rushed to the hospital from Tiger`s home first thing this morning. Now, Brooke, a lot of people originally thought maybe it was Tiger`s wife. What is the latest?
ANDERSON: A.J., at 2:25 this morning, someone from Tiger`s home called 911. And the woman, only described as blond and middle-aged, was taken to the hospital by ambulance.
SHOWBIZ TONIGHT confirmed today that the woman was, in fact, Tiger Woods` mother-in-law, Barbara Holmberg. She was released hours later. And the hospital spokesperson held a press conference. CNN affiliate, WESH was right there to capture what he said. Watch.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DAN YATES, SPOKESPERSON, HEALTH CENTER HOSPITAL: Last evening, Barbara Holmberg, mother of Elin Woods, was admitted to the Health Center Hospital with stomach pain. She`s in stable condition and is currently undergoing evaluation.
Media reports other than this attributed to this matter have been erroneous and speculative. And we ask that her privacy be respected at this time.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Now, a Cadillac Escalade with license tag similar to the Escalade Tiger crashed was spotted driving away from the hospital. We`re not sure who was behind the wheel. Also, some are saying there was a blond woman behind the wheel. A.J., all of this just adding to the unbelievable drama of this entire story.
HAMMER: Yes. I mean, Brooke, this is drama none of us could have predicted. Jim Moret, I`m thinking the timing could not be worse for Tiger.
JIM MORET, SENIOR CORRESPONDENT, "INSIDE EDITION": Wow, that`s an understatement. I can`t even - every day you think you`ve heard it all. It couldn`t get worse. This - the fact that it`s his mother-in-law, you know, the guilt that he should be feeling at this point must be just bearing down on him.
And this story keeps growing with more and more women. It seemed that this story would go away quickly. But I think that`s out the window at this point.
HAMMER: Yes. And it really, obviously, it can`t be easy in any way on Tiger`s wife, Elin. Her(sic) mother-in-law goes to the hospital the same day that we`re learning as many as nine women are stepping forward claiming a relationship with Tiger.
Midwin, it is hard to even imagine what it`s like inside that house with Tiger, his wife, the mother-in-law - just mind-boggling?
MIDWIN CHARLES, LEGAL CONTRIBUTOR, "IN SESSION": Incredibly difficult, particularly since we`ve always known that Tiger has been someone who was fiercely - you know, protected his privacy and that`s something that he`s always wanted. And so now, to have his life and his entire family like under a microscope, I think, must just be horrific for them.
HAMMER: Under a microscope, yet not necessarily all in the same place or at least not in the near future. Because there were reports today that Elin actually moved out of Tiger`s house for a time. We don`t know that be true. But there are more reports that claim Elin actually bought a $2 million home in Sweden for herself, her twin sister and her kids but not for a life with Tiger in the picture, I would imagine. Jim, if this is true, I mean, you can`t really blame her at this point?
MORET: Oh, I can`t blame her at all. She`s been personally and publicly humiliated. I mean, there`s nothing that Tiger Woods could say to justify any of these actions.
At first, it looked like an indiscretion. But now, it looks like seven, eight, nine - who knows how many women? And not just one-night stands, but allegedly over a long period of time.
HAMMER: Yes.
MORET: I can`t imagine anything more painful for his wife.
HAMMER: And you think Tiger`s bad day ends right there? Oh, no. Late today, Pepsi announced that its dropping a Gatorade drink named after Tiger Woods. The company says this is all unrelated to Tiger`s scandal but again, this is tremendously bad timing for Tiger.
And Brooke, I would have to imagine that a lot of people are at least going to try to read into this that it is related and Pepsi is just putting their spin on it so they don`t slam Tiger too badly.
ANDERSON: Well, of course. And that would be entirely natural, A.J. because before this scandal, Tiger was perceived as an upstanding family man, one of the most famous athletes in the world, an incredibly likable guy who could sell pretty much anything.
And, yes, Pepsi is saying that it is unrelated, that`s it`s just part of a bigger overhaul of the brand. But mark my words, this will not be the last company to drop Tiger in the near future.
HAMMER: Yes, I know. And you make a great point, because obviously, he`s made a lot of money for a lot of people so they want to try to, at least, you know, not completely bury him lower than he`s been buried so far.
Let`s move on to this other explosive development today. A new police report just out reveals an unnamed witness to Tiger`s car accident told Florida police Tiger Woods was drinking the day of his car crash and that he was on prescription drugs.
And remember, Tiger`s neighbor told police in a recorded interview that he witnessed Tiger snoring right after the crash. Listen to that.
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE NEIGHBOR OF TIGER WOODS: I went out there. I saw Tiger laying on the ground, OK. Elin was talking to him and from that point I just said, OK. I immediately just ran back into the house, go the phone, dialed 911 and ran back out the house again to go out there and see if she needed any assistance or whatever the case, what was going on.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE POLICE OFFICER: Was he conscious? Unconscious?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE NEIGHBOR OF TIGER WOODS: At that point, he was snoring.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE POLICE OFFICER: He was snoring?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE NEIGHBOR OF TIGER WOODS: He was actually snoring.
(END AUDIO CLIP)
HAMMER: Yes. And police requested Tiger Woods` blood test results. That hasn`t happened yet. It`s actually pretty unlikely to happen, given that he wasn`t charged with any crime. So Midwin, we`ll probably will never really know, will we?
CHARLES: I don`t think we will. But what I find most surprising is that these kinds of tests were not done the day of the accident. I don`t whether there was some sort of a field sobriety test was administered or what have you. But I`m surprised that if he was drinking, if there were any drugs involved or what have you, that we didn`t hear about it at the onset when this accident first occurred.
HAMMER: And as I mentioned, Tiger is definitely feeling the heat from as many as nine women claiming to have had a relationship with him. And now, even some of his fans are really beginning to turn on him. Brooke, can you give us a sense of exactly what they`re saying here?
ANDERSON: A.J., by this afternoon, there were nearly 22,000 comments posted on Tiger Woods Web site, both positive and negative.
But I couldn`t believe some of the scathing comments slamming Tiger, someone calling themselves 1959 writes this today, "You`ve turned out to be a jerk. Your behavior has been pathetic. It`s sad and you have lost a lot of credibility. And you`ve ruined your reputation. There`s only one person responsible."
Johnny B. writes, "Tiger, transgressions? Why don`t you use the correct word? Cheater. You cheated on your wife. You`ve tarnished the sport of golf and the matrimony of marriage. I always looked up to you, but no more. If you continue with golf, I`ll always be thinking now if you cheat at golf, too."
So many of his fans have stuck by Tiger through this scandal. But A.J., now you`ve got to wonder if his fans there stand by him at all.
HAMMER: Yes. I know it seems truly that the tide is turning on him, Brooke. Jim Moret, wouldn`t you say that now, he has to speak out more than ever? Or do you think the damage has been done? Is it too late here?
MORET: I think he has to speak out. And I agree with that one blog that Tiger really has one person to blame and one person only - himself. However, as the public, you know, we tend to put these people up on pedestals, thinking that they`re superhuman. He`s an amazing golfer. That doesn`t mean he`s a role model. He`s clearly shown that he isn`t.
HAMMER: Midwin, Jim, thanks so much. Don`t go anywhere, though, because in another brand-new development, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT can confirm that Oprah Winfrey has reached out to Tiger Woods looking to snag the first interview with him since this all happened. But should Tiger talk to Oprah? It is the SHOWBIZ TONIGHT great debate. It`s coming up on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
Now, over to you. Here`s our SHOWBIZ TONIGHT question of the day - "Tiger Woods: Would you buy anything he endorses?" Vote at CNN.com/ShowbizTonight or E-mail us, showbiztonight@cnn.com.
ANDERSON: Well, with this shocking Tiger Woods scandal, I had a hunch someone was going to do this, you know, being the holiday season and all -
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JEANNE MOOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (on camera): The end of the year is always a time for lists, but whoever dreamed we`d be listing mistresses?
(MUSIC)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Forget "The 12 Days of Christmas." You`ve got to see our Tiger Woods version. Tonight, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT with "The 12 Days of Mistress."
Also, just in today, Hulk`s toilet tirade, a brand-new battle today between Hulk Hogan and his ex-wife. Let me tell you, they`re both flushed with rage over a toilet! Seriously, you two, you are killing me.
Also this...
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
911 OPERATOR: What`s the problem? Tell me exactly what happened.
HASSELHOFF`S DAUGHTER: My dad. Scary.
911 OPERATOR: You`re with him right now?
HASSELHOFF`S DAUGHTER: Yes. Yes. He has collapsed and (UNINTELLIGIBLE).
911 OPERATOR: How old are you?
HASSELHOFF`S DAUGHTER: He gets back up but he keeps falling back down.
(END AUDIO CLIP)
ANDERSON: This is so disturbing. The brand-new David Hasselhoff 911 call just out today. The "America`s Got Talent" judge rushed to the hospital. Again, I`ve got the tape you`ve just got to hear. This is SHOWBIZ TONIGHT on HLN.
And now, the "SHOWBIZ News Ticker" - more stories from the SHOWBIZ TONIGHT newsroom making news right now.
TEXT: CBS cancels "As The World Turns" after more than 50 years, last episode to air September 2010. Kings of Leon`s "Only by the Night" is bestselling iTunes album of 2009. Black-Eyed Peas` "Boom Boom Pow" is bestselling iTunes single in 2009.
(MUSIC)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANDERSON: Welcome back to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. I`m Brooke Anderson in Hollywood.
HAMMER: I`m A.J. Hammer in New York. Did you see this? Tonight, "The 12 Days of Mistress."
ANDERSON: A.J., I knew somebody was going to do this. Forget "The 12 Days of Christmas." The lords a-leaping, the golden ring, even that partridge in a pear tree. Here`s the "12 Days of Alleged Mistress," Tiger Woods style.
Here`s CNN`s Jeanne Moos for SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MOOS (voice-over): In golf, the lowest score wins. But when it comes to mistresses, the tabloids accuse Tiger of aiming high.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: That`s a new lady, number nine.
BARBARA WALTERS, EXECUTIVE PRODUCER AND CO-HOST, "THE VIEW": All of these women - so far we know of nine women. That`s exhausting.
SHERRI SHEPHERD, CO-HOST, "THE VIEW": I don`t know if I`m going to go buy a pair of Nike gym shoes with a man that cheats with nine women.
MOOS: We don`t know the real number but some are joking about the 12 days of mistress -
(MUSIC)
Well, Tiger did hit a tree, though no partridges were harmed.
(on camera): The end of the year is always a time for lists. But whoever dreamed we would be listing mistresses?
(voice-over): Well, not all of the lists agree.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This paper says nine. This paper says six.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Let`s average it out.
MOOS: There are golf puns galore, from three mistresses being a triple bogey to now a seven under for Tiger.
CRAIG FERGUSON, HOST, "LATE, LATE SHOW WITH CRAIG FERGUSON": This is the day I wait for all year. It`s Barbara Walters` list of the 10 most fascinating people has just come out. This year is a list of just Tiger Woods and the nine women he`s sleeping with.
MOOS: Some say 10 -
(MUSIC)
MOOS (on camera): Nine ladies dancing, 10 lords a-leaping. Some are predicting a dirty dozen by week`s end. It could hit 12.
(MUSIC)
(voice-over): Getting a drumming from his wife which "Saturday Night Live" joked about -
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I offer my profound apology for these multiple transgressions.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Multiple? So it happened more than once?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This just in - Tiger Woods is back in the hospital.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This time I have a prepared written statement which I shall stick to.
MOOS: You know you have a lot of explaining to do when you`re accused of having more mistresses than you can count on the fingers of one hand.
(MUSIC)
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: That was CNN Jeanne Moos for SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
HAMMER: And Brooke, obviously, Jeanne`s report is very funny as always. But people should not forget that Tiger Woods cheating scandal is really serious stuff.
ANDERSON: Yes. That`s right, A.J. Don`t forget Tiger and his wife have kids. This must be very difficult for them. We`re getting lots of calls into "Showbiz on Call" about whether this should all be a private matter. Richard calling thinks it should be.
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
CALLER: I don`t think that Tiger Woods marital problem is anyone`s business but his own. I also think that everyone is making a big deal about what`s going on in his house. He`s a golfer. He plays golf. That`s it. The money he makes from endorsements, that`s because he`s a good golfer, not because he`s a good husband.
And everyone wants to turn around and try to make it seem like he`s such a bad guy. No, he isn`t. He is a young man and he made a mistake. And if he did make a mistake, that`s between him and his wife.
(END AUDIO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Thank you, Richard.
HAMMER: All right. We also have Pam calling into "Showbiz on Call" from Oregon and thinks that Tiger is getting what he deserves.
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
PAM, CALLER FROM OREGON: I believe Tiger Woods is getting exactly what he deserves, the public humiliation, the private humiliation. And I believe that his wife should leave him. It`s about time a strong woman stands up to her husband and doesn`t put up with this.
(END AUDIO CLIP)
HAMMER: Thanks a lot, Pam. We`d love to hear from you, too. So call us at "Showbiz on Call" to let us know what you think about Mr. Tiger Woods or anything else at all.
ANDERSON: The "Showbiz on Call" phone lines are open 24/7. So give us a ring, 1-888-SBT-BUZZ; that`s 1-888-728-2899. Leave a voicemail. We will play some of your calls right here on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
HAMMER: Well, is Tiger about to go public? Is he about to speak out? Tonight, will Tiger tell his side of the cheating scandal story to Oprah?
Also, the fired-up Tiger Woods "Saturday Night Live" debate, the war over the controversial "SNL" sketch showing Tiger getting beaten up by his wife. Question, did the sketch go too far? And was it a totally bad idea since Rihanna was also on the show?
Also, Hulk`s toilet tirade, the brand-new battle today between Hulk Hogan and his ex-wife over a toilet. Are you kidding me? A toilet? Come on, guys. Put a lid on it.
And Bryant Gumbel`s shocking announcement today about his health. He totally surprised everyone on live TV. This is SHOWBIZ TONIGHT on HLN.
Now, the "SHOWBIZ News Ticker" - more stories from the SHOWBIZ TONIGHT newsroom making news right now.
TEXT: Will Madonna adopt again? Tonight, she says "never say never"! Robert Downey, Jr. puts hands and feet into cement at Grauman`s Chinese Theater in L.A.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HAMMER: A shocking and dramatic announcement today from Bryant Gumbel. The 61-year-old former "Today" anchor was filling in for Regis Philbin on "Live with Regis and Kelly" this morning and reveals that he`s battling lung cancer.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BRYANT GUMBEL, FORMER "TODAY" SHOW ANCHOR: Two months ago, I had cancer surgery.
KELLY RIPA, CO-HOST, "LIVE WITH REGIS AND KELLY": What?
GUMBEL: Yes.
RIPA: Are you kidding me?
GUMBEL: No.
RIPA: Oh, my gosh! I had no idea.
GUMBEL: I know.
RIPA: I thought we were friends.
GUMBEL: Well, we are.
RIPA: What is going on?
GUMBEL: I kept it private.
RIPA: You did?
GUMBEL: Yes.
RIPA: Oh, my gosh. Well, not that private because Gellman(ph) knew.
GUMBEL: Gellman(ph) knew, yes. Yes. Michael and I talked about it at dinner before I had the surgery.
RIPA: Oh, my gosh. And are you OK? Do you want to discuss it or should...
GUMBEL: Well, I mean, it`s nothing to hide from. They opened up my chest. They took a malignant tumor and they took part of my lung. And they took some other goodies. And the pathology on most of the stuff came back benign. But enough aggressive cells had escaped the tumor that had warranted some treatment. I went through that and it`s done now.
RIPA: I`m shocked. And I`m like - I honor and respect the fact that you wanted to keep it private. But I feel like I`m your friend and I just...
GUMBEL: Oh, I appreciate that. I mean, what am I supposed to do, call you up and say, "Hey, Kelly, guess what?"
RIPA: No, I just - I would be praying for you. And sometimes that`s what you need.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: Well, Gumbel only told a few people about his cancer. He didn`t even tell his staff in "Real Sports" - that`s the show he does on HBO. And Gumbel says that he`s seeing a surgeon and oncologist next week. He jokes that he hopes they`ll green-light him to golf again. Bryant, of course, from all of us here at SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, we wish you all the best.
ANDERSON: Absolutely. OK. I just checked our SHOWBIZ TONIGHT Facebook wall. I can tell you the fired up debate over Tiger Woods not slowing down at all. Hundreds and hundreds of comments about Tiger whether or not he should speak out and come clean.
Valerie W. thinks Tiger should shut his face, "I think he has no reason to kiss and tell at this point. He needs to let the scandal blow over. Focus on family and golfing."
Barbara M. thinks all these women that Tiger allegedly hooked up with should keep quiet, "Aren`t those women embarrassed that they fooled around with a married man who has kids? Then they want to announce it?
I want to hear from you on Facebook. Also, follow us on Twitter. For breaking news alerts, sign up our Facebook and Twitter pages at CNN.com/ShowbizTonight.
HAMMER: Now, the SHOWBIZ lineup. Here`s what`s coming up on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
Big, breaking Tiger Woods news today. Is he about to do a tell-all with Oprah?
And did the "Saturday Night Live" skit of Tiger getting beaten up by his wife go too far?
From the North Pole to the South Pole and everywhere in between, tonight, the fired up reaction to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT naming Jon Gosselin as the most provocative celebrity of the year.
Also Lady Gaga meets the queen. As in the queen of England? Really? SHOWBIZ TONIGHT truth squad, go check this out, will you? This is SHOWBIZ TONIGHT on HLN.
It`s time now to roll out the "SHOWBIZ News Ticker." These are more stories from the SHOWBIZ TONIGHT newsroom, and they are making news right now.
TEXT: "GMA" news reader Chris Cuomo likely heading to "20/20" as co- host. "The Bonnie Hunt Show" has been canceled, will end its run after this season.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HAMMER: Now, on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, will Tiger Woods break his silence by sitting down with Oprah Winfrey? Tonight, breaking news that an emotional Tiger-Oprah tell-all could be in the works.
The ugly Hulk Hogan divorce battle has just sunk to an unbelievably gross new low. Tonight, the brand-new battle between Hulk and his ex-wife over a toilet?
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
911 OPERATOR: What`s the problem? Tell me exactly what happened.
HASSELHOFF`S DAUGHTER: My dad. Scary.
911 OPERATOR: You`re with him right now?
HASSELHOFF`S DAUGHTER: Yes. Yes. He has collapsed (UNINTELLIGIBLE).
911 OPERATOR: How old are you?
HASSELHOFF`S DAUGHTER: He gets up but he keeps falling back down.
(END AUDIO CLIP)
HAMMER: The chilling David Hasselhoff 911 tape just released today. His life-and-death emergency caught on tape and we`ve got it.
Plus, more stories breaking from the "SHOWBIZ News Ticker."
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: TV`s most provocative entertainment news show continues right now.
(MUSIC)
HAMMER: Welcome back to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. It is 30 minutes past the hour. I`m A.J. Hammer, broadcasting tonight and every night from New York City.
ANDERSON: And I`m Brooke Anderson, coming to you tonight from Hollywood. And tonight, will there be a Tiger-Oprah tell-all? SHOWBIZ TONIGHT can now reveal that "The Oprah Winfrey Show" has reached out to Tiger.
But will he accept Oprah`s invitation to speak for the first time about his alleged affairs? It`s all making for big news breaking tonight.
"The Oprah Show" tells SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, yes. Oprah wants him to open up to her about his incredible mess. "60 Minutes," ESPN and The Golf Channel have also all reportedly reached out to Tiger. But is Oprah the ticket to Tiger`s redemption?
Also, breaking tonight, the brand-new Tiger Woods "Saturday Night Live" controversy.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I keep saying the wrong thing in these press conferences. So this time I have a prepared statement which I shall stick to.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: "Saturday Night Live" aired an outrageous Tiger Woods spoof depicting him as the repeated victim of domestic violence. Domestic violence groups said today they are outraged. But did "SNL" go too far? Or is Tiger fair game?
Joining me tonight in New York, Midwin Charles, who is a legal contributor for "In Session." Tonight, in Hollywood, Jim Moret, who is the chief correspondent for "Inside Edition."
Midwin, Jim, let`s start with Oprah`s big invitation to Tiger to appear on her show. Oprah and Tiger, as we know, are dear friends, both huge stars. If Tiger decided it was time to finally speak out, rehab his image, I think there`s no better place to go than Oprah. But let me tell you, Oprah needs to spend a full hour grilling him.
Midwin, what do you think? Is Oprah the perfect person for Tiger to make his public confession?
CHARLES: Well, I think it`s a great start. I mean, let`s be frank here. Oprah`s couch is always the path to redemption. McGreevey did it. A lot of others have done it. He`s going to need a whole lot more than Oprah in order to kind of rehabilitate his image, but it`s certainly a great step in the right direction.
ANDERSON: Now, she certainly cannot go easy on him if he does appear. And we know that Tiger has been stone-silent since the Thanksgiving car crash, silent through the slew of women claiming to be his mistress.
When he decides to finally speak, and eventually, he`s going to have to, should Oprah be that go-to lady? Well, I was absolutely shocked late today when we got the explosive results of our SHOWBIZ TONIGHT question of the day. We asked - "Tiger Woods: Should he do a tell-all with Oprah?"
Take a look. Only 25 percent said yes; 75 percent no. Jim, people overwhelmingly think Tiger should stay off Oprah`s show. Are you surprised?
MORET: I am surprised. I think he needs to talk. I think his main path to redemption will be Tiger himself. If he and his wife are going to work this out, they have to do it together and that`s going to be done in private.
But look at David Letterman and look at Tiger Woods. Both were faced with potentially crippling scandals. David Letterman came out, very self- effacing, poked fun at himself. He admitted what he did on the air to his viewers.
Tiger is a public person. Whether he wants to be private or not, he`s very much in the public eye. He`s an endorser. He needs to talk. I think Oprah would be great to talk to. I think he needs really to talk to a woman. And I think she needs, as you said, to be really tough on him for an hour.
ANDERSON: Yes. And he has got to put an end to all of the mysteries, all of the allegations. He`s got to suck it up and be open and honest and talk, as difficult as that`s going to be.
And our SHOWBIZ TONIGHT Facebook wall really blew up today debating whether Tiger should go on "Oprah." Cindy O. wrote, "Oprah`s not a bad idea. This story isn`t going away any time soon. If he decides to talk to anyone, Oprah would be the best choice."
But Markeda B. disagrees. She writes, "No. It`s none of anybody`s business if he cheated with nine or 900 women. The only person he is obligated to come clean with is his wife. This is not a `world issue.`"
Some are saying, Midwin, if these infidelity rumors are really true, what in the heck could Tiger even tell Oprah that would make it OK? What do you think?
CHARLES: I mean, I think that`s a very good question. I think what he needs to do - and I`m not a big fan of celebrities airing out their dirty laundry or things that for all, intense and purposes, private.
But Tiger is in a pickle right now. And unfortunately, he is going to have to speak only to save face and save these million-dollar endorsements. Remember, most of his money doesn`t come from playing golf. It comes from all these endorsement deals.
So in order to salvage that, he will, unfortunately, have to come out and speak. And he will tell Oprah that he has had transgressions. He`s made mistakes and he`s apologized. And I bet you he`ll come out and say he has a sex addiction.
ANDERSON: I bet you, he will, too.
CHARLES: I predict that.
ANDERSON: And the apology is key. He`s got to be contrite, not only to his wife, but his adoring public, those fans who have supported him and loved him for so long.
And A.J., this isn`t the only huge debate raging tonight over Tiger Woods. There`s an all-out fury over a brand new "Saturday Night Live" skit depicting Tiger as the victim of domestic abuse.
HAMMER: Yes, Brooke. And "Saturday Night Live," of course, is famous for making fun of stars who screw up. But with their new Tiger spoof, there are a lot of people who are saying that "SNL" went too far.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KENNAN THOMPSON, ACTOR, "TIGER WOODS": I`m far short of perfect.
BLAKE LIVELY, ACTRESS, "ELIN WOODS": Yes.
HAMMER (voice-over): "Saturday Night Live" is finding out the hard way that using domestic violence as a punch line in a Tiger Woods` joke is risky business.
THOMPSON: This is all my fault. Believe it or not, I actually ran over myself.
HAMMER: "SNL" is coming under fire today for this skit that featured "Gossip Girl" star Blake Lively as Woods` wife, Elin Nordegren. It lampooned Tiger`s Thanksgiving weekend car accident at his home and suggested his injuries may not have been entirely caused by a crash.
THOMPSON: I offer my profound apology for these multiple transgressions.
LIVELY: Multiple? So it happened more than once?
THOMPSON: Did I say "multiple?"
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This just in, Tiger Woods is back in the hospital.
HAMMER: As if the domestic violence jokes didn`t make things sketchy enough, "SNL" musical guest that night was none other than Rihanna, who became the symbol of domestic violence after her boyfriend, Chris Brown, beat her up the night before the Grammies.
KATRINA SZISH, ENTERTAINMENT JOURNALIST: You definitely thought, "OK. This is making me a little uncomfortable," even though you`re chuckling. But then, when you juxtapose that with Rihanna as the musical guest, it definitely - there`s something very awkward about it and it really doesn`t make it funny anymore.
HAMMER: Some online critics are bashing "SNL" for the sketch. And the "National Coalition Against Domestic Violence tells TMZ, "I hope that SNL refrains from using this kind of skit in the future as it diminishes people`s support for victims of domestic violence."
SZISH: There`s no doubt that the skit was in poor taste. But the reality is, it was funny.
(LAUGHTER)
HAMMER: The skit got big laughs when a clip aired on "The View." Some of the hosts talked about a double standard.
SHEPHERD: I wonder if it`s because people don`t necessarily see the man as the victim. You typically can`t overpower a man.
HAMMER: For the record, no one has been charged or even accused of domestic violence in the Tiger Woods incident. And in a statement the week before the sketch aired, Tiger defended his wife saying, "The stories in particular that physical violence played any role in the car accident were false and malicious." But it was jokes like this on "SNL" ...
THOMPSON: I lurched myself through a fake glass window.
HAMMER: ... that had some people asking if this was just a case of comedy or a case of really bad taste.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
I can totally get why people would be upset and even outraged about this. What do you think, Midwin? Do you think the "SNL" skit did go too far? Or is Tiger Woods fair game?
CHARLES: I think they did go too far. I think we`re talking about a double standard when it comes to domestic violence. Remember, if the roles were reversed and the person getting continuously hurt in that skit was a woman, we would all be outraged as we were when Rihanna was beat up by Chris Brown.
You can`t have it both ways. Domestic violence is horrible and we should have a zero tolerance approach to it.
HAMMER: Yes. Jim Moret, I mean, I think Midwin has it exactly right there.
MORET: You know, I think there is a double standard. I also thought it was funny and it`s something that everybody was talking about. You can`t tell me that people in bars were not saying, "Was Tiger beaten up by his wife?" It was very clear to the police that his injuries did not appear consistent with a car accident.
Tiger stayed mum on it because he didn`t want his wife charged potentially. Is it bad taste? "Saturday Night Live" goes up to the line. Sometimes they cross the line. I think that this is a very important issue. But I also thought that it was funny.
ANDERSON: Jim, what do you think? Do you think, though, that if Rihanna had not been on the show that we would even be talking about this?
MORET: Yes, I do. I think we`d still be talking about it. I think - look. I think if this were reversed sexually, role-reversed, I don`t think that they would have made a joke about it. I think it looked - you know, he was the butt of jokes whether he liked it or not.
"SNL" just took it and put it on screen. I mean, look at that clip that you`re showing up there. It looks so over the top and ridiculous. And I think that that`s what they`re in the game for doing - getting attention, making you comfortable with something you are otherwise uncomfortable with. I thought it was funny. I`m sorry I did.
ANDERSON: Yes. We`ve seen "SNL" do this time and time again. No surprise there. We`re going to end this here for right now. Midwin Charles, Jim Moret, thank you so much.
And we`ve been asking you to vote on our SHOWBIZ TONIGHT question of the day. It is this - "Tiger Woods: Would you buy anything he endorses?" Keep voting, CNN.com/ShowbizTonight. E-mail us - there`s the address - showbiztonight@cnn.com.
HAMMER: All right. You remember Hulk Hogan`s ugly two-year divorce battle? Hard to forget, right? All that fighting over money, the houses. And then, Hulk and his wife settled it and even kissed and made up in court.
Well, that`s all gone down the toilet, literally. The brand-new battle between Hulk and his ex-wife over a toilet? Yes. Plus, the utterly unthinkable way Linda Hogan is using Hulk`s old throne. Grab your Purell for this one.
The absolutely horrifying new David Hasselhoff 911 tape as well...
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
911 OPERATOR: What`s the problem? Tell me exactly what happened.
HASSELHOFF`S DAUGHTER: My dad. Scary.
911 OPERATOR: You`re with him right now?
HASSELHOFF`S DAUGHTER: Yes. Yes. He has collapsed and (UNINTELLIGIBLE).
911 OPERATOR: How old are you?
HASSELHOFF`S DAUGHTER: He gets back up but he keeps falling back down.
(END AUDIO CLIP)
HAMMER: It`s just heartbreaking. David`s desperate daughter pleading for emergency crews to save her dad`s life. We`ve got the 911 tape just released today.
And the overwhelming reaction to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT naming Jon Gosselin the most provocative celebrity of the year from Facebook to our "Showbiz on Call" phone lines, you`ve been giving us an earful. Did we get it wrong? This is SHOWBIZ TONIGHT on HLN.
And now, the "SHOWBIZ News Ticker." These are more stories from the SHOWBIZ TONIGHT newsroom and they are making news right now.
TEXT: Former "Family Ties" star Brian Bonsall arrested after cops say he was in a drunken fight. Two people arrested in alleged extortion plot against John Stamos.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HAMMER: Welcome back to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. I`m A.J. Hammer in New York.
ANDERSON: And I`m Brooke Anderson in Hollywood. And tonight, Hulk`s toilet tirade.
HAMMER: Yes. Hulk Hogan is flushed with rage claiming that his ex- wife stole his toilet seat. And I can tell you that all of the good will these two showed toward each other when their divorce was finalized, it may have been flushed down the toilet once and for all.
The Hogan feud did not end today as Hulk`s ex-wife, Linda, says she does have Hulk`s toilet seat and she`s been putting his sacred throne to good use. Wait until you hear how.
There is also explosive worldwide reaction today to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT naming Jon Gosselin the most provocative celebrity of 2009.
Joining me tonight in Hollywood is Ken Baker who is the executive news editor for E! In New York is Suzanne Rozdeba, who is a senior editor for "Star" magazine.
I must begin with the brand-new claims that Hulk Hogan is making about his beloved antique toilet seat. Hulk has actually gone to court and he`s filed a lawsuit accusing his ex-wife, Linda, of taking all kinds of things out of his home - chandeliers, a tanning bed, and yes, a wooden toilet seat from his guest house.
Now, Linda`s rep tells SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, "He knows I`m using the wooden toilet seat as a frame for his picture ever since I found out he is a serial cheater and liar. Once he comes clean and starts to be honest, he can have it back."
Ken Baker, it amazes me. These two have no idea how stupid they look fighting over this in public.
KEN BAKER, EXECUTIVE NEWS DIRECTOR, E!: Well, first of all let`s set the record straight. It`s not just any toilet seat. This was an antique toilet seat, OK?
HAMMER: Oh, sorry. Sorry.
BAKER: This is very expensive piece of toiletry. Now, the other thing we have to - the other thing that we have to make clear here is that back in July, I think it was, they settled their divorce, finally. It was a two-year process. It was very mean-spirited. It was ugly.
And Linda, herself, announced, the war is over. Well, so much for that. They`re back at it. I think these two just - they can`t leave each other alone. They`re obsessed with each other. And I guess, unfortunately for them, it`s got to be really painful and annoying. But fortunately for us, we get to make fun of them and we can talk about them every time they have one of these fights.
HAMMER: Well, yes. That is true and they`re toiletry. But here`s the thing. Going back to Linda announcing "The war is over," you know, she released this statement back then. And that`s why this is all so surprising to me because she said, you know, everything was fine. She praised Hulk Hogan. Really a classic statement.
I`ll bring in Brooke Anderson in now to do us the honors of parlaying that statement to the SHOWBIZ TONIGHT audience. Brooke?
ANDERSON: A.J., I`d be happy to. Charles, cue the music, please.
(MUSIC)
Here we go, "My husband took the big step of stopping this escalating war by making the decision to put this behind us. I am grateful to him for realizing that our family can be happier and stronger by working together. He and I both love our family dearly and look forward to working together to make it stronger than it has ever been. My family means the world to me."
HAMMER: Ladies and gentlemen, Brooke Anderson brought a tear to my eye. It was beautiful.
ANDERSON: Over to you, Suzanne. Has all that good will between Linda and Hulk now been flushed down the toilet?
SUZANNE ROZDEBA, SENIOR EDITOR, "STAR" MAGAZINE: Absolutely. I mean, there was no way in hell that these two were going to bury the hatchet. It was a complete PR move when Linda said a while back, you know, that everything was going to be fine and she`s so happy that Hulk is not going to bring - you know, sensationalize this anymore.
Her bringing up the toilet seat is just another way of bringing back the media attention on them. This is what this family thrives for. And we`re going to see much more of this.
HAMMER: All right. We`ve got to move on to the big news today, just in about SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. We made headlines literally around the world - I`m not kidding you - for naming SHOWBIZ TONIGHT`s most provocative celebrity of 2009 as Jon Gosselin.
Today, we asked our SHOWBIZ TONIGHT Facebook fans if we got it right and not everybody agreed. We heard from Barbara M. writing on our wall, "So wrong. Jon - most pathetic. Michael - (referring to Michael Jackson) most provocative."
Erin S. wrote on our Facebook wall, "We never knew what was going to happen next with Jon. Great choice!"
Now, Ken Baker, a lot of people did complain today on our Facebook wall. I read the comments. They don`t feel that Jon is even a celebrity. But I`m not buying that at all. Like it or not, Jon certainly does qualify, does he not?
BAKER: He`s definitely a celebrity. Now, he`s not exactly celebrated, but he is a celebrity in the sense that he`s famous. He`s a household name. He`s on the cover of every magazine. We`ve been talking about him ad nauseam for months. The guy has staying power.
I can just imagine that Tiger Woods is very upset right now. Because if this would have happened - the whole scandal with Tiger Woods - two months ago, he would have had a shot in being the most provocative. But clearly, he came to the party too late.
HAMMER: Yes, I know. We had very strict criteria and it needed to be continuous outrage and shock throughout the year, and Jon Gosselin certainly bought us that. Ken Baker, Suzanne Rozdeba, thank you, guys.
ANDERSON: Tonight, the horrifying, brand-new David Hasselhoff 911 tape. The chaos in the star`s home just moments before he was rushed to the hospital again. It`s all caught on cape and has just been released today.
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
911 OPERATOR: What`s the problem? Tell me exactly what happened.
HASSELHOFF`S DAUGHTER: My dad. Scary.
911 OPERATOR: You`re with him right now?
HASSELHOFF`S DAUGHTER: Yes. Yes. He has collapsed and (UNINTELLIGIBLE).
911 OPERATOR: How old are you?
HASSELHOFF`S DAUGHTER: He gets back up but he keeps falling back down.
(END AUDIO CLIP)
ANDERSON: It`s the unbelievable and heartbreaking plea for help from his daughter. And we`ve got the chilling tape. This is SHOWBIZ TONIGHT on HLN.
Now, the "SHOWBIZ News Ticker" - more stories from the SHOWBIZ TONIGHT newsroom making news right now.
TEXT: Kristen Wiig to host "Saturday Night Live" holiday as her special character "Gilly." HBO`s hit series "Entourage" may become a movie after two more seasons on TV.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HAMMER: Tonight, the SHOWBIZ truth squad goes international, separating fact from fiction, from Hollywood to the U.K. and beyond. First up, did Lady Gaga meet the queen of England while wearing a bright, red, sparkly mask?
Well, the SHOWBIZ truth squad has indisputable evidence right before you that this is totally true. Check this out. Lady Gaga shaking hands and bowing and clearly upstaging the queen with this red rubber number. Lady Gaga was part of a star-studded benefit performance in England.
Next, has the beautiful Uma Thurman split from her Swiss millionaire fiance? Well, unfortunately, the SHOWBIZ truth squad has discovered this is also true. Uma and her Swiss mister called off their year-long engagement a couple of months ago, according to "People" magazine.
But here`s what I want to know - does Uma have to return the eight- carat rock that she reportedly got from her former flame? I mean, come on.
ANDERSON: Tonight, the desperate plea to save David Hasselhoff`s life. TMZ has just obtained the 911 tape today with David`s panic-stricken daughter calling for help to save the life of the "America`s Got Talent" judge.
The call was made the day after Thanksgiving, just moments after David collapsed in his home. There have been all sorts of reports swirling that David had suffered alcohol poisoning or even a seizure.
David has been battling alcoholism. Those reports have not been confirmed. But this chilling call is proof that whatever went down, it was very, very serious and very, very frightening. Listen to this...
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
911 OPERATOR: What`s the problem? Tell me exactly what happened.
HASSELHOFF`S DAUGHTER: My dad. Scary.
911 OPERATOR: You`re with him right now?
HASSELHOFF`S DAUGHTER: Yes. Yes. He has collapsed and (UNINTELLIGIBLE).
911 OPERATOR: How old are you?
HASSELHOFF`S DAUGHTER: He gets back up but he keeps falling back down.
911 OPERATOR: And he`s been doing that for how long? The last hour, two hours?
HASSELHOFF`S DAUGHTER: Since two months ago. Yesterday, he started to go back down so we took him to the hospital.
911 OPERATOR: OK, Ma`am. It`s OK.
HASSELHOFF`S DAUGHTER: Hi, it`s me. I had to call 911.
911 OPERATOR: Ma`am.
HASSELHOFF`S DAUGHTER: Because he won`t stand up. He`s like fell over.
911 OPERATOR: Ma`am. Hello.
HASSELHOFF`S DAUGHTER: Sorry.
911 OPERATOR: No problem. No problem. There`s somebody else there in the house with you?
HASSELHOFF`S DAUGHTER: No, I`m on the phone with my sister.
(END AUDIO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Thankfully, David was released from the hospital just two days after being admitted. But this was David`s fourth hospital stay in two years. David`s attorney tells "People.com" that David is doing fine, but would not confirm what sent him to the hospital.
HAMMER: All right. Jake, could you hook me up there? Thanks very much. Monday we asked you to vote on our SHOWBIZ TONIGHT question of the day. Here now the final results just handed to me - "Tiger Woods: Should he do a tell-all with Oprah?" And the results totally lopsided, I think a bit surprising. Only 25 percent of you said yes; 75 percent said no.
Here are a couple of the E-mails. Justin in California writing, "I think Tiger should do a tell-all with Oprah because she would ask the right questions."
We also heard from Gary in Arkansas who writes, "Why does everyone think a celebrity has to go on `Oprah` to talk about what they did? It`s actually none of our business."
Well, that is it for SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. Thank you so much for watching. I`m A.J. Hammer in New York.
ANDERSON: And I`m Brooke Anderson in Hollywood. You can catch SHOWBIZ TONIGHT on the 11:00s - 11:00 p.m. Eastern, 11:00 p.m. Pacific, and in the morning at 11:00 a.m. Eastern on HLN. Take care.
END
