[A.j. Hammer, Co-host:] I`m A.J. Hammer.
[Brooke Anderson, Co-host:] And I`m Brooke Anderson. TV`s only live entertainment news show starts right now.
[Hammer:] On SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, it was a golden night, and SHOWBIZ TONIGHT was the only entertainment news show live at the Golden Globes.
[Reese Witherspoon, Actress:] I`ve been shaking and sweating and shaking and sweating more.
[Hammer:] Tonight, how risky business pays off big-time. Hollywood rolls the dice on gay cowboys and transsexuals, and scores Globe gold. But will controversy at the Globes translate into Oscar gold? SHOWBIZ TONIGHT investigates. Plus, who had the designer duds to die for? A no-holds barred look at the red carpet fashion fabulous and flops, live. Also, the painful pursuit of perfection. Tonight, the remarkable story of one woman`s battle with obsessive compulsive disorder.
[Unidentified Female:] It`s like a record of the same song playing over and over again in your head.
[Hammer:] It`s the heart-wrenching special report you`ll see tonight, only on
[Showbiz Tonight. Kate Beckinsale, Actress:] Hi. I`m Kate Beckinsale. If it happened today, it`s on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
[Anderson:] Hello, I`m Brooke Anderson, live in Hollywood.
[Hammer:] And I`m A.J. Hammer, live in New York City. Right now, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT is your one-stop shop for the Golden Globes post-game highlights. We`re going to tell you what everyone`s talking about, from all the fashion hits and misses, to what`s next at the Oscars.
[Anderson:] But first, taking risks and taking home the gold. Hollywood made a number of risky and controversial movies last season, and now it is paying off. The Globes were given to the most controversial films. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT has been on top of the trend, where risky business took center stage.
[Leonardo Dicaprio, Actor:] The Golden Globe goes to Felicity Huffman, "Transamerica."
[Unidentified Female:] Philip Seymour Hoffman, "Truman."
[Clint Eastwood, Actor/director:] "Brokeback Mountain."
[Natalie Portman, Actress:] George Clooney, "Syriana."
[Anderson:] This season, Hollywood took big risks with ground-breaking films on controversial subjects. And Monday night, those risks were rewarded at the Golden Globe awards.
[Unidentified Male:] To feel like this, just like this always.
[Anderson:] "Brokeback Mountain," the story of two cowboys caught in a forbidden love, ruled the night, winning four Golden Globes. Ang Lee, who won best director, says his film shows progress.
[Ang Lee, Director:] The gay community, they are a part of human experiences. Whether you disagree or agree with the movie, embrace it or are being provoked, any which way, I think it`s open for discussion, and I think it`s a good step forward.
[Anderson:] Also making strides, "Transamerica." Felicity Huffman got the best actress trophy for her role portraying a man living as a woman about to undergo sexual reassignment surgery when she learns she has fathered a son. Accepting her award, Felicity Huffman took a stance, speaking out in support of the transgender community.
[Felicity Huffman, Actress:] I would like to support the men and women who brave ostracism, alienation and a life lived on the margins.
[Anderson:] Philip Seymour Hoffman, who picked up best actor for his portrayal of gay writer Truman Capote, says this acknowledgment is proof that the way Hollywood and audiences are viewing cinema is changing.
[Philip Seymour Hoffman, Actor:] Films that maybe in the past might not have been embraced, this many at one time are. And that`s positive. That`s a positive thing.
[Anderson:] The Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation was quick to applaud the winners, telling SHOWBIZ TONIGHT that Hollywood is no longer afraid to take a chance.
[Neil Guiliano, President, Glaad:] I believe that it`s historic in the sense that 46 percent of the awards last night, 11 out of 24 categories, were involved with a film that or a show that had to do with a lesbian, gay, transsexual, transgender, either actor, or story line or character. That`s significant.
[Anderson:] Also significant, political controversy. In a time of war, a politically-charged movie like "Syriana," about government corruption and the oil industry, paid off. George Clooney, who won best supporting actor for the film, says he hopes more movies like "Syriana" get made.
[George Clooney, Actor:] Anything that can help the film I think is important. These aren`t easy films to get made.
[Anderson:] But now, many are getting made. This season, Hollywood is taking multi-million dollar risks. It was the talk of the red carpet, and SHOWBIZ TONIGHT was on top of the trend. Nominee Maria Bello sees a pattern.
[Maria Bello, Actress:] I think there is a trend in Hollywood, especially starting this year, that people are recognizing films that have a point of view.
[Anderson:] "Prison Break`s" Dominic Purcell applauds Hollywood`s latest direction.
[Dominic Purcell, Actor:] I think it`s really cool that Hollywood is taking a stand on that kind of stuff.
[Anderson:] But Golden Globe winner Hugh Laurie wasn`t buying it.
[Hugh Laurie, Actor:] A lot of it has just to do with chance.
[Anderson:] backstage, Rachel Weisz, who won best supporting actress for "The Constant Gardener," was on board.
[Rachel Weisz, Actress:] There`s some very political films around and I think that I think some people are saying that there`s kind of an almost a `70s revival right now. I think it`s I think it`s a good trend.
[Anderson:] But will the trend continue? Oscar nominations are coming out at the end of the month, and many people are wondering if these high- risk films with potential for Oscar gold will now become mainstream. So did the Hollywood Foreign Press Association get it right? We want to hear from you. It`s our SHOWBIZ TONIGHT question of the day. Golden Globe winners: do you think the right ones were picked? Go to CNN.comShowbizTonight. Send us an e-mail at ShowbizTonight@CNN.com. We will read some of your thoughts later on in the show.
[Hammer:] Well, tonight, former "Star Trek" star William Shatner may have truly gone where no man has gone before. Shatner has just revealed he sold his kidney stone for $25,000 to an online casino and Shatner, the Emmy-winning star of "Boston Legal," is doing it for charity. Live tonight on the phone for a "SHOWBIZ Newsmaker" interview, William Shatner. Bill, I appreciate you being with us tonight. I have to admit, this is a first for me. Why the heck did you do this?
[William Shatner, Actor:] Well, I did it because I was able to raise some money for a great charity, Habitat for Humanity. They`re building homes for the homeless all over the country but especially in the south, where there is so much need. And you know, I`d used the stone for awhile. I didn`t need it any longer.
[Hammer:] And does it come with a plaque of authenticity signed by you and everything?
[Shatner:] No, there`s a little blood but if you do DNA on it, I`m sure it`s mine. It comes with a stent, and GoldenPalace.com bought it, and made a check out for Habitat for Humanity. We had the cast of "Boston Legal" had earlier for Christmas, had earlier donated $20,000. We had gathered $20,000 for the cast members for Habitat for Humanity. So we had about a quarter of the house, and now, we have in conjunction with GoldenPalace.com, half a house, and I`m working on getting the other half in some manner or other. And then we`ll adopt that house. We`ll get pictures of its progression as it`s being built, as it`s being erected and as it`s being lived in. So it`s a it`s a really neat cause.
[Hammer:] It`s all for a good cause. And it`s so great that you did it. Twenty-five thousand dollars, certainly nothing to sneeze at. How do you arrive at that sum?
[Shatner:] If you sneezed if you sneezed at it we might be able to sell that, too.
[Hammer:] Well, you know, before long, somebody may actually clone you from whatever they`re able to get off that kidney stone. But how do you arrive at a price of $25,000?
[Shatner:] Well, you take what they are offering and double it.
[Hammer:] Is that basically what happened here?
[Shatner:] About what happened.
[Hammer:] Well, William Shatner, you I think we can coin a new phrase that charity is only a kidney stone`s throw away.
[Shatner:] That`s funny. Or you`re Bill-ding a house.
[Hammer:] Very nice. Well, we appreciate what you`re doing for Habitat for Humanity. William Shatner, thanks for joining us on the phone.
[Shatner:] Thank you for having me.
[Hammer:] And of course, "Boston Legal" airs tonight on ABC. And you can find Habitat for Humanity on the Web at HabitForHumanity.org. Well, tonight, a storm is brewing behind the scenes at the Weather Channel. A former on-air forecaster for the channel is suing her old bosses. She says that they fired her so that they could replace her with younger and prettier faces. Marny Stanier Midkiff was 41 when she was dismissed back in 2003 after 16 years at the channel. She`s citing a memo from a network official, who allegedly said that viewers called the network`s anchorwomen matronly, dowdy and old. The Weather Channel says the claims are a whole lot of hot air. But the case is making its way through federal court. Attorney Lida Rodriguez-Taseff joins us live from Miami to give us the lowdown on this quite fascinating issue. Thanks for joining us, Lida.
[Lida Rodriguez-taseff, Attorney:] No problem. Glad to be here.
[Hammer:] So this is a very interesting idea, because we`re talking about appearance. If, let`s say, you`re a television producer or TV executive, you know that your viewers like the talent on TV that they`re watching to look a certain way, perhaps to look young. What`s wrong with making sure your on-air staff reveals what you believe your viewers want to see?
[Rodriguez-taseff:] And indeed, you`re making the point that the Weather Channel is making, which is they`re allowed to pick the appearance of their people and that they actually can and that the law permits them to discriminate based on how somebody looks. They can look sexy. They want a sexy look. They want a happy look, they can do it. But the argument here is, wait a second. You weren`t really going after how somebody looks. You were going after age. You wanted to young up your forecast so that you could get hotter and hotter-looking forecasters so that you could get more ratings. And that what this is really about is a no-no, which is age discrimination. You didn`t want women over 40; you didn`t want men over 40. You wanted a young forecast crew.
[Hammer:] And this is something that we seem to hear about quite often, age discrimination, but it would seem that it`s fairly hard to prove, particularly in the entertainment industry, particularly when the employers can fall back on "Hey, you just don`t look the part." So how can anybody possibly win a case?
[Rodriguez-taseff:] Well, it has happened. You`re right, it is very, very difficult in an industry that makes all its money on looks and appearance to win these kinds of cases. But it happened in 1983, with a woman named Christine Craft, who won half a million dollars from ABC affiliate in Kansas City, because they said a focus group showed that she was too old. But you know, you see it every day. They`re very, very hard claims to prove. There`s a very thin line between appearance and age. And the networks and television exploit that thin line so that they can always make that argument, "We just want you to be prettier and hotter."
[Hammer:] And no doubt the Craft case is something they may be choosing to use as a precedent. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT contacted the Weather Channel. They gave us the following statement. They said that Ms. Midkiff was a supervisory employee whose position was eliminated in 2003, part of a reduction in force. No merit to her claims of discrimination. So real quickly, Lida, put on your forecaster`s hat. I want to know what the odds are that her lawsuit will actually succeed?
[Rodriguez-taseff:] Snowball`s chance in a very hot summer day. The temperatures really have to cool for this one to succeed.
[Hammer:] We just need to get that little map up behind you. Lida, thanks very much for joining us on
[Showbiz Tonight. Rodriguez-taseff:] Any time.
[Anderson:] Coming up, a woman`s painful struggle with a debilitating illness, one that causes her to take hours to do simple tasks. A special report.
[Hammer:] And, this duo could win the award for the oddest couple. Tonight, the amazing tale of a tortoise-loving hippo. But will this feel- good friendship story have a happy ending? Find out, coming up on
[Showbiz Tonight. Anderson:] Plus, Hollywood`s award season is off and running. So what`s next for the Golden Globe winners? And do they really have a better chance of snagging Oscar gold? SHOWBIZ TONIGHT is live with a panel of entertainment experts.
[Joaquin Phoenix, Actor:] Who would ever have thought that I will pay. I will pay. Who would ever have thought that I would win in the comedy or musical category? You don`t expect it.