[Hammer:] Welcome back to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT for a Friday night. This is TV`s most provocative entertainment news show. And yes, it is time now for another story that made us say, "That`s Ridiculous!" Well, first there was that grilled cheese that someone had claimed had an image of the Virgin Mary on it. It sold for thousands of dollars. Now, ladies and gentlemen, I`d like to feast your eyes on this: the Jesus-Satan fishbone. Yes, a North Carolina couple says they found this bone on the beach that has the image of Jesus on one side, Satan on the other. Isn`t that kind of like a McDLT? They`ve even got it in a safe deposit box so nobody walks off on it. They`ve hired a sea-life expert to figure out where it came from. But something smells fishy. And that`s why we say, "That`s Ridiculous!"
[Vargas:] OK, something else that`s ridiculous: celebrities appearing on TV shows sloshed and buzzed. Danny Devito just appeared on "The View," and it seems he had a little bit too many drinks in him. So we went digging to pull out the most outrageous clips of stars showing up soused. Here`s CNN`s Jeanne Moos for SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
[Jeanne Moos, Cnn Correspondent:] Danny Devito was able to walk. It was when he started to talk on "The View" that he earned his new tabloid nickname, Danny DeVino, though vino wasn`t what he admitted drinking.
[Danny Devito, Actor:] I knew it was the last seven lemon cellos that was going to get me.
[Moos:] Got him after a night of hanging out with George Clooney. And there Devito was midmorning, apparently still smashed, ranting about President Bush, likening him to the "Three Stooges."
[Devito:] The guy who went...
[Moos:] Devito came to plug his new movie, "Deck the Halls." Instead, he decked the president, describing how he visited the White House when Bill Clinton was there.
[Devito:] The place was had that kind of Clinton feeling. You know, I didn`t I didn`t go after, you know,
[Moos:] ABC bleeped what Devito called President Bush. But it`s a colorful phrase, a blend of numb and nuts, a phrase that basically means "numbskull."
[Devito:] I`m trying to, like, you know, figure out what to do with our country and our women and men in the military.
[Moos:] Devito is far from the first celeb to show up on TV in an altered state. There was Joe Namath threatening to kiss an ESPN reporter.
[Joe Namath, Former New York Jets Quarterback:] I want to kiss you. I couldn`t care less about the team struggling.
[Moos:] There was Courtney Love barging in on an MTV interview with Madonna.
[Courtney Love, Musician:] Am I fully interrupting?
[Kurt Loder, Mtv:] No, no, no.
[Moos:] Barging onto David Letterman`s desk. Poor David has had his share of out-of-it celebs. For years, it`s been debated whether actor Crispin Glover was on acid, which he denied, or doing a comedy act.
[Crispin Glover, Actor:] I can kick.
[David Letterman, Nbc:] I`m going to go check on the Top Ten.
[Moos:] And then there was Farrah Fawcett.
[Letterman:] How you doing? Are you all right?
[Farrah Fawcett, Actress:] You know what it`s like? It`s sort of like, they well, like, they receive it in I really thought I was looking out the window.
[Moos:] Sort of makes Danny Devito seem lucid talking about spending a frisky night in the Lincoln bedroom at the White House with his wife.
[Devito:] Really wrecked the joint.
[Rosie O`donnell, "the View":] Yes. Yes.
[Devito:] I mean, every place in that bedroom was...
[O`donnell:] Utilized.
[Devito:] Utilized!
[O`donnell:] There you go, Danny!
[Moos:] Devito ended his appearance on Rosie O`Donnell`s lap. When the next guest came on, Rosie greeted him with, "nice to see you sober." And the morning after Danny DeBlotto`s appearance, they were still talking about it.
[Elizabeth Hasselbeck, "the View":] He was a fun drunk.
[O`donnell:] He was a fun drunk.
[Moos:] Tell that to President Bush not that he didn`t used to party hardy.
[Vargas:] That was CNN`s Jeanne Moos for
[Showbiz Tonight. Hammer:] Ed Asner will always be remembered for the role he created: Lou Grant, the curmudgeonly boss of the TV newsroom on "The Mary Tyler Moore" show. Ed is now the boss these days of a corporation that runs an entire TV network on NBC`s "Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip." It is my favorite show of the season. He`s also starring in a new Hallmark Channel movie called "The Christmas Card." It`s all about a soldier in Afghanistan who receives a Christmas card that changes his life. Ed Asner joining us from Hollywood tonight. Welcome back to the program. Good to see you, Ed.
[Ed Asner, Actor:] Very good, A.J. Good to be with you.
[Hammer:] You know, I`ve always appreciated the fact that you`ve been so outspoken and and raised your voice at various times throughout history about our current administration, about our military action overseas and the wars that we`re in. Is that part of you what you got you interested in doing this film?
[Asner:] That very much so. I mean, they made it so easy. After Vietnam, there must have been some incidence where troops were spat on, and it was like, the whole country hated and reviled the troops coming back. So everybody was very concerned about not seeing that that happened this time. I think those incidents with Vietnam were very minor and very limited. But there were made to seem as if they were epidemic. So it`s easy to put the placard on you on your car if you want it, saying "I support the troops." And wherever I have gone, I certainly support the troops. But I certainly don`t support the war.
[Hammer:] And and how do you explain that to people? Because it`s something that I have certainly battled with. I`m I`m pretty much in the same shoes as you are, as far as that`s concerned. And a lot of people don`t understand that distinction. It is so possible to support our men and women, who are working so hard and fighting overseas, even if we don`t support the action they`re involved with. What do you say to those people?
[Asner:] Well, that`s the immediate reaction, to condemn John Murtha for his patriotism, wounded hero from Vietnam to to vote the the Congressman, the paraplegic congressman in in Georgia out of office, implying he was too toasty with Osama bin Laden or whatever. You can`t let them have the turf. You are as much a patriot as any of them. Your patriotism wants to save lives in this country as well as elsewhere. And so you condemn the war. And if we keep practicing more like this, we may have a good chance we`ll arrive at outlawing it finally. Which may be a very a very good positive effect from all of this.
[Hammer:] And we may have actually heard some good news today. The prime minister of Iraq saying that it looks like or they believe that they`re going to have enough control by June so our troops can actually begin to gradually withdrawal. Of course, we would like to see that happen. What do you think, Ed? You`ve followed this really closely; I know you`re fired up about it. Do you think it`s even possible at this point, to to have a deadline that quick?
[Asner:] I don`t think George will let us out by June. I think he has to prove himself constantly, and I think he`ll keep finding means and sources by which to say we need to stay longer, we need to stay longer. I mean, my problem is that while this is going on, you`re slowing losing Afghanistan. These troops in Iraq can certainly be used in Afghanistan, if you want to hang on to that. So you could easily find us losing both places if we keep up this parity.
[Hammer:] Well, "The Christmas Card" is is a movie all about supporting our troops, and I know that everybody who would like to everybody would like to be able to send some holiday cheer over our troops` way, around the world. They don`t think it`s a possible thing for them to do. But you guys are actually making it pretty easy to do, aren`t you?
[Asner:] We are. We are. We toured the Bethesda Hospital, the Walter Reed Hospital, and we met with some of the wounded from this war. And if this country doesn`t take care of those people for the rest of their lives, shame on this country. Because these are those beautiful, full-of-energy, full-of-hope-and- determination, intelligent charming these are a valuable resource, and we must keep their lives going. We must support their lives, because they`re beautiful people. So I definitely proclaim to the rafters, support these troops. Because they`re valuable assets.
[Hammer:] Ed, it`s always good to see you. I do appreciate you being on the program. Real quickly, the Web site to send a Christmas card?
[Asner:] The Web site to send a Christmas card is www.hallmarkchannel.com.
[Hammer:] And the new movie is called "The Christmas Card." It`ll air this Saturday on the Hallmark Channel. Ed, thanks again.
[Vargas:] Well last night..
[Asner:] Thank you,
[A.j. Vargas:] ...we asked you to vote on our SHOWBIZ TONIGHT "Question of the Day." Michael Richards` racist rant; Mel Gibson`s anti-Semitic tirade; Britney Spears behaving badly; "Celebrity Scandals: Do stars use controversy to promote themselves?" Wow, almost all of you say you do they do. Ninety-eight percent you say yes; only 2 percent of you say no. Here`s an e-mail: Sue from Wisconsin writes, "Come on. Are you honestly surprised that `Seinfeld` DVD weren`t impacted by Kramer`s outrage?" SHOWBIZ TONIGHT will be right back. Stick around.