Star Jones Versus Barbara Walters
A.J. HAMMER, CO-HOST: Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama and now, Alec Baldwin? Is the "30 Rock" star going to run for political office? I`m A.J. Hammer in New York.</s>BROOKE ANDERSON, CO-HOST: And Marie Osmond`s rips into Miley Cyrus` parents over Miley`s half-nude photo scandals. I`m Brooke Anderson in Hollywood.</s>HAMMER: TV`s most provocative entertainment news show starts right now. On SHOWBIZ TONIGHT - in this corner, Star Jones. In that corner, Barbara Walters. Tonight, a startling new nasty fight. Did Star Jones sucker-punch Barbara over Barbara`s affair confession and her explosive revelations about Star`s weight loss? But why is Star speaking out now? And should she just shut up? In this corner, Madonna. In that corner Mariah Carey. Tonight the Mariah-Madonna smackdown. Tonight, it`s a no-holds-barred battle of the divas as they try to one-up each other. Madonna vacuums. Mariah gets married. Who will be left standing? It`s Madonna. It`s Mariah. And it`s getting wild. Plus "Sex and the City`s" Cynthia Nixon opens up line never before about her courageous cancer battle and her life with her lesbian partner.</s>ANDERSON: Hi there, everyone. I`m Brooke Anderson, coming to you from Hollywood with "Star Wars: the Attack of the Jones."</s>HAMMER: That is right, Brooke. Tonight, Star Jones has launched the war attacking Barbara Walters so angrily, so bitterly, I`ve got to tell you, we had to double and triple check today to make sure this thing was really true. That`s how unbelievable it all is. Star is just ripping into her former boss at "The View" nearly two years after she was fired and nearly two years after she publicly vowed to never ever say anything nasty about Barbara. Well, Barbara`s new book and what she wrote about Star set this whole thing off. And I can tell you, this isn`t over yet.</s>JO PIAZZA, "NEW YORK DAILY NEWS": Barbara Walters in her autobiography, not revealed that she had had a two-year long affair with a married senator, but she also trash-talked her former "View" co-host Star Jones, saying she left "The View" in a nasty manner.</s>HAMMER: Star`s response is fierce. She released a statement saying, quote, "It is a sad day when an icon like Barbara Walters, in the sunset of her life, is reduced to publicly branding herself as an adulterer, humiliating an innocent family with accounts of her illicit affair and speaking negatively against me all for the sake of selling a book. It speaks to her true character." Ouch! Wait just a second. What was it that star said on "LARRY KING LIVE" soon after leaving "The View"?</s>STAR JONES, FORMER CO-HOST, "THE VIEW": I will not denigrate Ms. Walters ever.</s>HAMMER: Now, Star`s hurling words like "adulterer" at Barbara. Time and a book sure can change everything.</s>PIAZZA: Star came up with everything she could and she really threw some vitriol at Barbara.</s>JONES: The show is moving in another direction and I will not be returning as co-host next year.</s>HAMMER: It`s been almost two years since Star blindsided Walters by abruptly announcing her firing from "The View," a fact Walters had been keeping secret to protect Star. It`s clear that after all this time, the wounds are still fresh for both Jones and her former boss. (on camera): Is there a standout low for you over the 10 years?</s>WALTERS: Well, I think that when Star was dismissed by the network, that was very hard.</s>HAMMER (voice over): When I spoke with Barbara, she repeated some of the criticism she throws at Star in her book.</s>WALTERS: Star made an enormous contribution to "The View," and things went wrong with Star and the audience lost its faith in her.</s>HAMMER (on camera): Well, after Star was fired from ABC, she went everywhere to tell her story. And you say in your book that you believe that made her unemployable. Do you think she should have just parted ways and kind of shut up?</s>WALTERS: She went on the air and said that she had been fired and that I was a liar. I think people understood that maybe that wasn`t the way to behave. And it took her a while to get a job.</s>HAMMER (voice over): It is true that since leaving "The View" Star Jones has had trouble finding an equally high profile job. And Jo Piazza of the "New York Daily News" says that with her fresh attack on Walters` character, Star might be proving Walters` point.</s>PIAZZA: She can`t keep her mouth shut once again and she`s not playing nice with the other kids in the sandbox.</s>HAMMER: But then again, does Star also have a point about Walters revisiting old painful topics for the purpose of selling a book?</s>PIAZZA: Barbara was the one who reopened the can of worms. So of course, Star had to react.</s>HAMMER: Star Jones` publicist tells SHOWBIZ TONIGHT she won`t be saying anything else on this situation. Barbara Walters` people are saying the same thing. But if Jones and Walters` history is any indication, these "Star Wars" will likely have another episode at a time not too far, far away.</s>MARY MURPHY, ENTERTAINMENT JOURNALIST: She got way too personal, but I loved your galaxy analogy. I kept thinking the force is with Barbara, not with Star. You know, the sad thing is, is that this feud, this cat fight - I sort of want to go meow - really was going on the whole time they were on "The View." And now we`re finally seeing it. You know, it`s like why didn`t we see this when it was really going on? "The View" is supposed to be about women opening up to each other.</s>HAMMER: Yes, I think there is a lot of bitterness, residual bitterness after Star rather unceremoniously, or perhaps, ceremoniously left the show.</s>MURPHY: Right, but I don`t think the bitterness is on Barbara`s part ...</s>HAMMER: No.</s>MURPHY: I think all the bitterness on Star`s part.</s>HAMMER: I would agree with you on that. And of course, when these things happen, and I only wish I got to see Barbara after Star released the statement, but I saw her before that. So when it happens, you know, we call up a spokesperson for Barbara Walters. They tell SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, you know, Barbara is not even going to dignify this whole thing with any kind of a comment. As I mentioned, Star`s rep told SHOWBIZ TONIGHT she is not going to be making any further comments about this. Kim, what do you think? Should Star not have made this one in the first place?</s>KIM SERAFIN, SENIOR EDITOR, "IN TOUCH WEEKLY": Oh, she definitely should not have made this comment. You know, to go up against someone like Barbara Walters who is such a professional. But on the other hand, you know, she already did burn bridges with Barbara. And she did probably have to respond since she was mentioned in the book. She didn`t have to get so personal. She didn`t have to go for the "adulterer" comment. She could have limited her comment just to the things that Barbara said about her. But, you know, this is where Star is in her career right now. I think maybe she just felt she didn`t have an option and she just kind of put it all out there. But to go up against Barbara Walters, you know, what was she thinking?</s>HAMMER: Yes. So all that taken into account, imagine if you will, for just a moment, that we were to do a poll and asked the question who do you like better, Star Jones or Barbara Walters? I`ve got to say I don`t think it would even be close. Mary, I`m having a hard time understanding exactly what it is that Star hoped to gain by doing this? You know, Kim said maybe she felt like she didn`t have a choice. But look at it. Her show was recently canceled on Tru TV. She`s filed for divorce. Do you think she`s just determined to burn as many bridges as possible?</s>MURPHY: Well, also I think that she`s doing even what Rev. Wright did, you know, trying to say in the end, "Wait a minute, I have to tell you my side of the story." But why should she call Barbara Walters an adulterer. Barbara Walters already called herself that. There is nothing to gain from this except more hatred. And she is going down in the polls, I`m telling you. She is at zero percent.</s>HAMMER: Yes, and as you guys have alluded to - and this is where I`m having a hard time understanding. In her statement, Star Jones accused Barbara Walters of speaking negatively about her. I can tell you I have read the book, we here at SHOWBIZ TONIGHT have checked this thing out, Barbara simply reveals that the ladies of "The View" hated lying and covering up Star`s gastric bypass surgery. Here`s what Barbara told me about that.</s>WALTERS: She was our colleague. We had to protect her. But we all found it very difficult, especially as we were doing so many pieces on diet and so on. And we didn`t tell the truth about her. We felt we had to acknowledge her wishes. I don`t know what else we could have done at that time. And probably it was a mistake.</s>HAMMER: Kim Serafin, very quickly - yes or no. Is there any upside to Star in this?</s>SERAFIN: No, not really. I mean, she made a huge mistake. Again maybe she felt forced she had to do this, but she made a mistake in attacking Barbara Walters. I don`t know what she was thinking.</s>HAMMER: Kim Serafin, Mary Murphy, I thank you both.</s>ANDERSON: And remember, you can watch SHOWBIZ TONIGHT video any time. We are always posting new stuff for you to watch at our Web site, CNN.com/ShowbizTonight. Among the videos now playing, A.J.`s one-on-one tell-all with Barbara Walters.</s>HAMMER: Well, I`ve got to say, Barbara Walters may not be perfect, Brooke. But I think the way that Star lashed out at her does not make her look very good at all.</s>ANDERSON: True, Star is clearly angry, very hurt by Barbara`s comments about her. I`m surprised though - and Kim mentioned this - Star ripped into Barbara for the affair as well, something that didn`t involve her.</s>HAMMER: Yes. So Brooke, tonight, we`re telling Star to just zip it. And she`s not the only one. Lindsay Lohan`s parents at it again. Oh, I cannot take this. They all need to zip it. That`s coming up. Also this -</s>CYNTHIA NIXON, STAR, "SEX AND THE CITY": I got my diagnosis about a year and a half ago. And I certainly didn`t want to, you know, send out a press release.</s>HAMMER: I get "Sex and the City`s" star Cynthia Nixon to open up like never before about her courageous battle and scary battle with cancer. Plus, the real story behind the success of her lesbian romance. That is on the way.</s>ANDERSON: Madonna and Mariah Carey. I am big fans of both. But what`s with these two? It looks like they`re really trying to one-up each other these days. Madonna vacuums; Mariah gets married. Will this ever end? Up next, I`ve got the no-holds-barred Madonna-Mariah smackdown.</s>HAMMER: But first, please vote on our SHOWBIZ TONIGHT question of the day - "Mariah Carey`s Quickie Marriage: Will it last?" Go to CNN.com/ShowbizTonight.