this baby was snatched after his mom was stabbed and the baby was found, but authorities decided to take him and the mom's other kids into state custody. iran now has enough knowledge to design and make a nuclear bomb, that's according to "new york times." it described the concern as u.n. inspectors get ready to inspect iran's new plant. plus, you are looking at the taxi driver of the year, named for his bravery of running into

a burning build to save a woman. federal agents are following several people around the clock in connection with a suspected new york bomb plot. that's from sources close to the investigation. they're saying some of those people traveled with zazi to pakistan. authorities say they have found a scale, chemicals, instructions on bomb-making evidence. chemicals had been cooked as well. and some backpacks like those used in the madrid and london bombings. all found in his apartment and hoemt room. here's the new york city police commissioner with more. >> there's a significant amount of resources being devoted to it and the investigation is going forward aggressively. >> those people will not get away? >> yes. >> zazi pleaded not guilty to charges related to that bomb plot. one of the men being watched is a childhood friend of zazi's,

saying it was a coincidence. also, nearly 1 in 100 kids in the united states has some type of autism disorderer. those are the studies we're watching. this is based on a survey of more than 100,000 parents. one expert says the study might be underestimating the actual number of cases. >> the studies back in '07 suggesting this might be a $35 billion challenge to the u.s. health system. we're not ready to tackle that. >> the study's author says that may explain some of the increase they've found. the mother who was stabbed and her baby snatched now has none of her children. she briefly saw her newborn saturday. then prengtive services took him and her three other kids away. a judge will review the case

this week. a woman's charged with kidnapping this baby. a boat slammed into a long island marsh killing three people on board and the rescue team says they found the boat 150 feet from the water with the captain ejected. a detective told local media the boat had to be going very fast to end up on the marsh. president obama will keep pushing for health care reform. in about an hour, that's when the president and doctors will meet at the white house to talk about the need for better health insurance. after the weekend of going up against powerful winds. firefighters in southern california are catching a break. today, cooler weather and high humidity should help crews in san bernardino county. thousands of people have been ordered to evacuate. evacuees stuffing their cars

with whatever they could grabbing from their homes. >> got everything we could think of. clothes, computers, pictures. >> mostly just clothes and valuables. >> we evacuated 40 head from my ranch last night. >> all right. at least 7500 acres have been scorched since the fire started on saturday. three homes are destroyed. officials still don't know how the fire got started and yesterday, winds as high as 50 miles an hour fanned these flames. that made it really hard to get a handle on the fire. gusts are expected to be lighter today. u.s. forces in afghanistan have suffered their worst loss sz in more than one year. at least eight americans were killed saturday when hundreds of militants attacked their outpost. the military says the attack was pushed back after a 12-hour battle. the top u.s. commander in afghanistan has reportedly asked

president obama for as many as 40,000 additional troops. >> idealy, it's better for military advice to come up through the chain of command and i think that the general and the others will present the president with not just one option, which does in fact tend to have a forcing function, but a range of options that the president can consider. >> the obama administration says it is reviewing u.s. strategy in afghanistan at the moment. let's now move to the man accused of illegally videotaping espn reporter, erin andrews. he will be in court today. larry smith has more on that. >> she says she hopes bringing this man to justice will help others. the 47-year-old faces federal charges and is accused of videotaping andrews through an altered peephole, then posting

them on line and trying to sell them. issued today in a chicago courtroom is whether he'll be given bail and his release before a trial in los angeles. >> what a strange story. thanks a lot, larry. those possibly perfect models in magazine ads may soon come with a warning label. at least in france. lawmakers are weighing a proposal on putting warnings on images that have been digitally enhanced. the author says retouched photos lead to impossible expectations. >> it's true. you know? >> just about every photo would have a little copy ad at the bottom. >> we don't do that here, obviously. i mean, look at us. i want to wide shot for a reason. no perfection here. >> well, well, well said.

>> first real major storm system we're watching right now producing heavy snowfall. we had that across lower parts of montana in towards wyoming. you can see as the clouds start around that, it's all heavy rain around the dakotas. coming down the mountains, it's going to warm up just a touch. if you watched the football game yesterday, the broncos and cowboys, the weather was nice. temperatures in the upper 50s. same thing today. dry with temperatures about what you had yesterday afternoon. thanks for that shot. looking real nice out there. where it's not so nice, up towards the north. if you want to do any skiing, we're starting to get a jump on that. all these areas shaded in red, winter storm warnings. a little less than that, but you can see what the computer models are thinking. west and south of billings,

that's where most is going to fall. real first taste of winter in the northern rocky mountains. and a system is spliling a lot of rain in atlanta, birmingham. the georgia coastline, northern florida, it should stretch off the coast tonight. things begin to dry out just a bit tonight. let me show you some video we got yesterday that fr that rocky mountain storm. this stretch of i-90 near ridgeville was closed for 40 miles because of blowing dust. they had to close down i-90. doesn't happen very often because of dust. for snow, yes. but not for dust. visibility down to zero. >> you're going to tell us about travel delays in just a bit. thanks. wildlife officials in florida are making a bold move

against owners of exotic pets and some people say it's just unfair. how a little girl's death urged people to crack down and turn their pets in.

an unregistered python killed a 2-year-old girl this year and now, officials are pushing to get these animals out of people's homes. >> when new legislation even just gets mentioned on tv, people tend to misunderstand and start to release animals. >> places like florida's gator land will probably take on many of the reptiles. and new this morning for you, three u.s. citizens are sharing this year's noble prize in medicine. the institute that hands out the award says they won for their work on chromosome research.

that h we have new details on the man accused of trying to blackmail david letterman. the suspects former live-in girlfriend is letterman's former assistance. prosecutors say joel halderman tried to shake down letterman for $2 million to keep quiet. his attorney making a somewhat cryptic comment on this. >> this story is far more complicated than what you heard. it's not the open and shut case you just heard about. >> he also worked for 27 years for cbs, most recently as producer for "48 hours." court documents say he had to pay $6800 a month in child support and alimony.

what do you think about this? will you still watch him? kathy writes -- and there's chris long who writes -- thank you both for your comments and if you'd like to pipe in, go to cnn.com/robin. or go to the facebook link as well. we don't have the exact details. supposing it's outside of the marriage, but we're learning more on that. if several employees where you work got sick with h1n1 flu, who wuld fill in? jennifer westhoven -- resources are quite small and not large. >> we were trying to look at this from the point of view of

what if you work at a small business. if there's a flu epidemic, it's going to affect you. so, what could you do to try to make your office place safe? one of the things is to make sure other people know what you do and how to do it. people think, i want to be indes penceable, but the whole company can suffer. how can everybody do each other's jobs in a pinch, not perfectly. plus, your boss should have a back-up for key roles like somebody to fix the computers. if they're down, you're all not going to be able to work in some offices. and don't feel guilty if you do call in. even the president asked companies to be flexible about this because if you come in, you could get a lot of other people sick.

it seems like your employer could force you to go home. if you pay taxes, this will make you think, i'm paying for a lot of people. you'd be surprised how many americans don't pay a dime to the irs. 47% of households, so it's not like that's including children. 71 million households and this isn't people who are cheating. most make less than $50,000 a year. that's the biggest bracket there. but look how many people who go over 100,000 are getting away with not paying taxes. i mean, i'm saying getting away. it seems like it's legal, but -- >> for some of those folks, they do bigger investments, then lose on them. that's how they can get there. this might be the year where we see more. thanks, jen. a colorado woman says he owes her life to a cab driver. >> you can see the tears from her eyes and she look at me and say, thank you. i say, you don't need to thank

me. i just did what i was supposed to do. >> the heroic act that's earned him the title of taxi driver of the year.

japan's former finance

minister was found dead in his home yesterday. police don't know what caused his death, but ruled out foul play. he resigned from his post in february, three days after appearing intoxicated at a news conference. he apologized for his behavior, but denied it was because he was drinking heavily. a woman was mauled to death when her pet bear turned on her. she was attacked as she tried to feed the 350-pound animal. a neighbor shot and killed the bear. she also had a permit to keep a tiger and african lion on her property. u.n. experts say iran has all the information it needed to design and build a nuclear bomb. >> one of the assessments is that iran probably has the

ability to make a workable crude fission weapon. another, which is a little more disturbing, is that they appear to have the ability or may have the ability to make one small enough or at least design one small enough to fit on top of the missile. for me, that was one of the more disturbing conclusions, that iran may be further along developing weapons. >> it has agreed to allow u.n. inspectors to visit a newly revealed plant on october the 25th. the nfl was thinking pink this weekend in recognition of breast cancer awareness month. it's really great to see that. it's really odd to see, but brings attention to this. >> the nfl, fashion police, you can't wear anything out of the ordinary. they did release those rules.

kind of funny to see the linemen with pink gloves and wristbands. i love the pink cleats. that was the idea of d'angelo will williams. his mother is a cancer survivor, but has lost three three sisters to the disease. all three women inherited a gene from their father's side of the family. those pink items will be autografted and auctioned for charity. this was the scene, brandon marshall throwing fits. acting like well, an idiot. fast forward to sunday and marshall must be getting more sleep or else daddy spanked his bottom pretty good. seven white shirts can't grab him. the great athletic touchdown

here. look at this. after wards, he's hugging his coach. are you kidding me? what's this world coming to? >> anything's possible. >> happy days. mark sanchez, he's had happy days. anointed as the one. the jets drafted him last spring. who he's dating, everyone wants to know. no more. he was abused by the saints yesterday. his first loss as nfl starting quarterback. you get played millions to play football and you can't get the play book right? mendenhall got his act back together. >> you got study. >> a georgia high school that displayed bible verses at games did something different. the team ran through a banner, then each player knelt to pray. some also wrote bible verses on signs in defiance of the school district who said those verses

could be unconstitutional. a man ended up staying a little longer in thailand when this happened. his bungee cord broke. 

investigators are watching several people suspected of traveling to pakistan with bomb plot suspect, zazi, and then returning to the united states. last week, he pleaded not guilty to conspiracy charges. also watching this. five people that were killed in a suicide bomb attack on a united nations office in pakistan. officials from the world food program say they are temporarily closing all their offices there. the taliban's new leader threatened new attacks yesterday, but it's still unclear whether they're behind

today's bombings. unfortunately, one belonged to one of our employees and he lost a number of pets. >> a fireman is battling a wildfire in san bernardino that took his own home. yesterday, the gusts got as high as 50 miles an hour. and the undead were hungry for the big take at the box office this weekend. zombie land opened at number one. moviegoers more interested in family dining feasted on "cloudy with a chance of meatball." it dropped to second-place. today, a 19-year-old accused of trying to blow up a dallas skyscraper returns to court. he is charged with trying to detonate what he believed was a truck bomb beneath a building. the former landlord says there

was nothing suspicious about him. >> some of the people have told me he was more of a party animal than philosopher. >> two weeks before his arrest, he was pulled over for a string of traffic violations. a dash cam video shows him asking about that legal process. now to indonesia for you, calling off the search for survivors who may be under buildings. it's rescue agency says no one could have survived for this amount of time. emergency workers are clearing the rubble now. the u.n. saying it's focussing on relief for survivors. devastating quakes hit last week. more than 600 people died and more than 300 still missing. the supreme court starts a new term today, the first for justice sotomayor. a big case focuses on the challenge to a gun ban in chicago. jeffr

jeffrey toobin talked about the case. >> two years ago, the court issued a very important decision, saying the second amendment is a personal right to individuals. when it comes to federal regulations. it was the case that came out of d.c., but it's an even bigger issue this time because the question is, does this right to keep and bear arms apply against the states. because most gun control laws are not federal laws. they're state laws. and the question is, are all those state gun control laws unconstitutional. >> another big case will focus on how corporate spending is handled in political campaigns this term. terrible flooding has forced about a million people to flee their homes. rains are being blamed for the high waters in india. the death toll has risen to 171. india's air force has been dropped food packets to parts

that are underwater. wow. 18 huge pumpkins competed in an annual weigh off in colorado springs on saturday. a forklift was used to move them to the scales. this year's winner was 1,000 pounds. the second-place winner, 954 pounds. and about 50 times the size of a small baby girl there. >> how long do you think it takes them to grow? >> i go to ask that question, too. i love watching that every year. >> sometimes, they carve them out into boats. >> and there's some water folks in the southeast could go around in. >> it really hasn't affected us in the atlanta area. we saw a lot of rain over the last 12 hours, about 1.5 inches

in atlanta, but it's getting away. getting in towards the carolina beaches. the heavy rain is out there. sliding towards the east. atlanta, a couple of showers still on the backside of that, but once this clears on through, we'll see drier air. look at the rain when you get in towards eastern north carolina. that's in towards myrtle beach, charleston, also hilton head. most of it should fall in the first calm of hours this morning. thunderstorms to the west of tallahass tallahassee. things will dry out tonight and tomorrow. the other big thing we're watching, this big area of low pressure by wyoming. it's producing a lot of rain. it's the snow we're watching right now. it's going to be heavy at times. winter storm warnings out there

for the areas above 5,000 feet. two to four feet of snow by the time it tapers off late tonight or tomorrow morning early. our first major winter storm of the year. >> i'm just getting a sense that summer's over. >> i think you're right. the first arctic air outbreak this season. >> and the first major storm last week when it hit us, too. thanks, bob. we've got video for you. this lab boxer mix vanished ten years ago and was just found 1300 miles from home. the dog's microchip revealed the owner. the girl who found him by the side of the road said it was a happy ending. >> if i didn't, he would just be sitting in right now with no family, no friends, no nothing. >> well, the family tracked down the dog's owner on facebook.

they'll soon be reunited. 1300 miles away from him. talk about making room for baby. >> nervous. i mean, i went out of the room and back here and just broke down in tears. >> actually five times probably because he had five bundles of joy that showed up about three months early. now, the family is juggle their new life.

want to take you to visit with a family in buffalo, new york, who had just grown from four people to nine and it happened a little sooner than expected. doctors delivered their three

boys, two girls, 15 weeks early. the mom said all of a sudden, the contractions would not let up. >> little scared right now. they're so small, you know. you usually bring home a baby that's like this big and they're like a pound. >> actually weighed anywhere from a pound and a half to just under two pounds, which is not bad for 25 weeks. >> so you take the quintuplets and then add the twins the couple already has at home. big family. if you bought a power ball ticket in orlando, you might be $189 million richer today. the store's owner is a big winner as well. he gets $80,000 for selling the ticket. he says he's going to spread is wealth. >> i'm going to give some money to my cashier. >> the jackpot winner has not come forward as of yet.

get going. have you checked out the new addition to our line-up? "the joy behar show" airs every night at 9:00 eastern. >> i want to be jennifer aniston. >> why? >> because my life would be better and i'd be happy. >> she doesn't have a boyfriend. >> i want to be somebody from "the hills." i want to be one of the kardashians. khloe. there, you didn't see that coming. you thought i would say kim. >> i don't even know who they are. >> catch the show at 9:00 p.m. eastern. of course you know joy. looking for a job? there are a lot of good jobs out there going unfilled. jen, there are some favorites you have. >> yeah. even in this economy, appare

apparently, some companies are desperate to hire people and can't find anyone who meets their really specific qualifications. what jobs? nursing, engineering, accounting, sales. got to be okay with math, so keep practicing. richard asked me before which was my favorite and i said ak ware. >> come on. nerd alert. nerd alert. >> i really like it though. bringing you this story because jokes aside, if you can find a way to get those kinds of classes and put your nose to the grindstone as they say, you may be able to get close to these jobs and they're pretty well paid and don't get outsourced. and also local community colleges. sometimes, there will be a big company nearby and they'll work together. the companies actually go to the

school and say, we need people trained in x, y and z and they may be able to help you out. gas prices are down. that is good news in a bad economy. on your ride to morning, take a look at the signs. aaa's latest tally, the average price is about $2.46. you should be paying 15 to $20 less to fill up your tank than you did last year. who's going to the drive through? richard lui likes the fast food. the winner is chick-fil-a. mcdonalds, you might have thought. they got slumped in the last for making people wait too long because you had to wait an extra 15 seconds there.

it wasn't just about the speed. they also measured did you get your order right and could your hear the person over the speakers clearly. >> at chick-fil-a, my favorite is in and out in southwest. they have a little clock. >> i like measuring it. >> i was laughing at you at the top because i noticed you were trying to eat a bagel. can she finish it in time. a cast member of atlanta's real housewives is dealing with a real tragedy. her former fiance was killed in a strip club fight.

the mother of a chicago teen seeing beaten to death cannot bear to watch the tape, but

wants it shown. he was laid to rest on saturday. his funeral drew city officials and leaders. she sat down with don lemon and talked about the vicious beating. >> i can't watch it, but i want them to see it. i want them to know what they're doing. i want them to see what they did to my son because they need to pay for this. it's unfortunate these are kids doing it. somebody's got to step in. >> this is the amateur video caught on a cell phone. police say he was an innocent bystander when two gangs got into a fight. four suspects now charged with first degree murder. david letterman's fellow comedians with not cutting him any slack. he had to see this one coming.

jimmy fallon getting him on his top ten list. >> there's a new book called why women have sex that has a list of 237 reasons women have sex and letterman knows the top ten. >> people are piling on in terms of making fun, but there are also the folks who did not make jokes. conan o'brien. drew carey even brought up the scandal, but o'brien shot him down with a no comment. let's get to "saturday night live." >> producer for 48 hours was arrested yesterday for attempting a stupid human trick. it was reported that the blackmailer was threatening to reveal embarrassing details of letterman's personal life. for example, after sex, he would always say, stay tuned for craig

ferguson. meanwhile, also on the story, the man accused of trying to extort money from letterman to stay quiet about the affairs pleaded not guilty on friday. for years, brett favre visiting green bay with a packers. tonight, he is in the twin cities playing against the packers. everybody saw this one coming. >> i really can't wait until november 1st when brett favre and the vikings go visit lambeau field. 16 seasons, three nfl most valuable player awards and two super bowls with the packers, but tonight, he's going against his former team. he turns 40 on saturday, by the way. the first quarterback in nfl history to have beaten every team in the league. nfl players wearing pink

gloves, wristbands and cleats, they're going to sign these items and auction them off for charity. tom brady and randy moss looking pretty in good, beating the ravens on sunday. bears and lions, the play of the weekend. jays quarterback jay cutler can't find a receiver open, runs to the end zone, usually doesn't run, and may not run again after this. boy, does he get upended. bears in a route, 28-24 over detroit. cutler held on to the ball, got the touchdown, and yes, he can okay. other detroit tigers are trying to avoid a great collapse recently in baseball. had a seven-game lead over the twins, but that is gone. they'll play a one-game playoff tomorrow to determine the american league central division champ. the winner gets the yankees in round one of the playoffs. tony stewart is trying to win for the first time as a

driver/owner. taking the checkered flag in kansas city for his fourth win of the season as he moves up to fourth place in the chase for the cup. trying to win one for himself. and himself. congratulations to tiger woods and wife ailen. today is their fifth anniversary. got married just after the rider cup in detroit five years ago. the billionaire golfer and his wife have two children, daughter sam alexis, and son, charlie. and a whole bunch of george washingtons around the house. >> a whole bunch of george washingtons. the former fiance of a kansas member on "the real housewives of atlanta" was killed in a brawl. a.j. joule is seen here with candy burris who joined the show this season. atlanta police say he suffered a severe blow in a fight outside a strip club. an ageing gorilla goes under the might have so doctors can try and save her sight. >> we had to weigh the pluses and minuses and she's pretty

much almost blind now. by doing this, we really can improve her quality of life. >> riskiest part of the scenario was not the surgery itself. toni

sex extortion shocker. brand-new late-breaking developments today after letterman's incredible on-air confession. >> i have had sex with women who work for me on this show. >> tonight, what's the real story behind the alleged extortion attempt? and could letterman get fired over this? a brand-new star war over roman polanski. kirstie alley's remarkable rants against roman. chris rock comparing roman to o.j. simpson. tonight, "showbiz tonight" with the roman star outrage.

and the brand-new jon and kate bombshell. the unbelievable fallout today after jon gosselin goes on "larry king live" and opens up about everything. >> i had an epiphany one day. i just looked in the mirror and said, i don't want to be this person anymore. tv's first most provocative entertainment news show starts right now. hello. i'm a.j. hammer broadcasting tonight and every night from new york city. and tonight, david letterman's sex extortion shocker. "showbiz tonight" learned today brand-new details about david letterman's confessions about the twisted alleged blackmail plot against him. the extraordinary developments made for big news breaking today. a producer for the cbs tv show "48 hours mystery" was indicted and arraigned today on grand larceny charges. he's accused of demanding $2

million from letterman to keep quiet about the fact that letterman had sex with women who worked for him. but he's pleading not guilty. and in an extra twist to the story, david letterman not only fesses up, but actually jokes about this terrifying plot. >> would it be embarrassing if it were made public? perhaps it would, perhaps it would. especially for the women. >> and late-breaking today. new york city's district attorney reveals all the shocking new details of this incredible story. tonight, "showbiz tonight" wants to know, did david letterman handle this scandal the right way? and could he actually be fired over it? joining me tonight in new york, vinnie politan. also in new york, midwin charles, an attorney for midwin charles and associates. this extortion case, guys, it's just outrageous. letterman claims that this guy, joe halderman is his name, he claims that he blackmailed him, asking for $2 million so he would keep quiet about

letterman's sexual affairs. what letterman said on his show, it was just riveting. he revealed that early in september, early in the morning, he found a package in the backseat of his car. look at this. >> so i go through it and i study it and what this is is a guy is going to write a screenplay about me. and you know, that's good news for anyone, isn't it, really? i'm like you. i think, really, that's a little -- and this is the word i actually used, that's a little hinkey. so i just want to reiterate how terrifying this moment is. >> and dave didn't hold anything back on his show. vinnie, let me start with you. i don't think that david letterman could have handled this incredibly sticky situation any better than he did. are you with me on that? >> i'm with you 100%. the first thing he did, he sees what's going on here and he

contacts authorities and they get involved immediately. for a lot of people with that much money, they might have thought about doing this a different way, but he did that the right way. and then what he did is on the show last night, absolutely incredible the way he handled it. i think the only people who were a little bit confused and uncomfortable, were the people in the audience trying to figure out what this was all about. >> yeah, they thought it was a buildup to a big joke. he got up on stage and said, i don't want you to laugh, i'm about to tell you a serious story. he worked with the d.a. to record evidence and eventually busted the guy. he even gave the alleged blackmailer a fake check for $2 million. the same day, the guy cashed the phony check, was arrested, and hours later that's when dave went on his show to reveal all of it. watch how letterman talked about the creepy stuff that the blackmailer threatened to expose. >> the creepy stuff was that i have had sex with women who work

for me on this show. now, my response to that is, yes, i have. i have had sex with women who work on this show. and would it be embarrassing if it were made public? perhaps it would. perhaps it would. especially for the women. >> now, all day long people have been wondering about the time line of all of this. late this afternoon, letterman's spokesperson did tell "showbiz tonight" that these relationships all took place before letterman was married. midwin, i got to ask you, this is obviously very serious stuff, but when letterman dropped this bomb, people were laughing and they were applauding sometimes at inappropriate places. do you think he's going to go down in history as really the best example of a guy dealing with a potentially explosive sex scandal in the best possible way? >> absolutely. i mean, it seems like the way people typically do these kind of things, they have a press conference and the wife is standing behind them with an ashen look on her face. so this is something that only

someone like david letterman can do, because he's a skilled comedian. there was no better way for him to do this. but i got to tell you, a.j., david letterman is now the poster boy for viagra. >> very good. all right. i don't know if he'll be signing a contract with them. we'll have to wait and see on that. "showbiz tonight" can tell you that late this afternoon, letterman's alleged blackmailer, joe halderman is his name, he was charged with grand larceny. he was arraigned today. new york city's district attorney did hold a press conference today to reveal halderman blackmailed letterman by threatening to write a screenplay about his escapades. take a look at this. >> it's a one-page screenplay treatment attached to the letter, referred to mr. letterman's great professional success and to his, quote, beautiful, loving son. the document related then that mr. letterman's, quote, world is about to collapse about him, unquote, as information about his private life is disclosed,

leading to a quote, ruined reputation, unquote and severe damage to his professional and family lives. >> you can certainly understand why this guy thought he could do damage to dave. now this guy faces 5 to 15 years for this alleged crime. vinnie, let me ask you, you work in the legal world, does it blow your mind -- i just can't get over that this guy actually thought he could get away with this. >> yeah, the guy worked for "48 hours mystery." hasn't he seen what happens at the end of the mystery? the bad guys get arrested. i don't know what he was thinking. just write the screenplay and try to sell it, shop it around, you could probably get money for it. >> and now he thinks he can get off on the charges. late breaking today, we hear this guy halderman is pleading not guilty to the charges. he was just released on bond. the d.a., though, they say, we got the guy on tape. midwin, as an attorney, i mean, tell me, knowing what we know, is it even conceivable this guy

could walk? >> i doubt it. remember, he tried to cash the check. he was given a fake check and then tried to cash it. what is he going to say? he thought david letterman was giving him this money for what? to have a good time, to go on a vacation? it just makes no sense. but, but, as a defense attorney, you always want to enter in that not guilty plea and put the burden on the prosecution to try to prove that he -- >> but, a.j., who do you think the jury's going to like more? david letterman, a professional who did this amazing job last night, or this producer from "48 hours" who's trying to get $2 million. >> i absolutely agree. i could try this case in the parking lot as the prosecutor. >> even though justice should be blind to celebrity, we all know what the reality is on this. vinnie, let me ask you this. obviously, there's a lot of debate now about sex going on in the workplace. letterman copped to it, shut down ever having to talk about it again. but he said if the women i was involved in these relationships with want to talk about it, that

is their prerogative. is this something he could actually get fired over zblm yeah. and he better hope they don't want to talk to a lawyer about all this. when you're the boss and you have people working for you and you're sleeping with them, that is just ripe for sexual harassment, uncomfortable work environment, all those things which is why you have the sensitivity training at any company you work for and why companies say this stuff should not take place. so i don't know what his relationship is with these women at this point, but there's the danger. there's the danger. can cbs fire him? maybe. but, remember, we had a president that did something pretty similar. he didn't get fired, but what he got in trouble for was lying about all of it. david letterman has not lied about it. >> vinnie politan, midwin charles, thank you both for being here. appreciate your insight. now over to our "showbiz tonight" question of the day. letterman sex scandal, was hi tv confession the right way to go? do you think he did it right? you can vote at cnn.com/showbiztonight. you can e-mail us more of your thoughts at showbiztonight@cnn.com. and the other big story

everybody is talking about today, jon gosselin's brand-new interview bombshell. why he really pulled the plug on his own show. >> and i want kate and i to mediate, become friends, figure out our marriage and i don't want us to be filmed anymore. >> i can tell you, kate gosselin watched this interview, i would have loved to have been a fly on that wall. jon wants to be friends with her, really? plus, the secrets to jon's finances. what he actually made on the show will be revealed. and how much he spent on counseling. also making news right now, a brand-new star war over roman polanski. kirstie alley's remarkable rant against roman. you've got to hear this. also, chris rock even comparing roman to o.j. simpson. and it's that time again, yes, tv's most provocative entertainment news show is naming the most provocative celebrity of the week and you know there is some tough competition. jon gosselin, roman polanski, david letterman, wow. so hard to choose, who will it be? this is "showbiz tonight" on hln. time now for the showbiz

news ticker. more stories from the "showbiz tonight" newsroom making news right now.

on defending roman polanski because he made some good movies? >> i don't get it. >> are you kidding me? >> tonight, chris rock and some of hollywood's biggest stars are outraged about the support roman polanski is getting from some of the biggest names in the business. welcome back to "showbiz tonight." i'm a.j. hammer. tonight, stars slam roman. chris rock's not the only celebrity lashing out at the big stars who are supporting roman polanski after his arrest.

roman fled the u.s. 30 years ago after pleading guilty to having sex with a 13-year-old girl. and brand-new tonight, kirstie alley is also blasting celebrity polanski supporters, even calling the legendary director a coward. joining me tonight in new york, vinnie politan, a host for sirius/xm satellite radio and also with me, midwin charles. after polanski was arrested, big-name celebrities like martin scorsese and others signed a petition asking for him to be released. kirstie alley, not having any of it. let me read what she put up on her twitter page. she said, just for the record, rape is rape. this is one hollywood star who does not celebrate or defend roman polanski. his art did not rape her. there is no such thing as consensual sex with a 13-year-old girl. it is rape and polanski is a coward. he made two bad choices, rape

and flee. vinnie, i've got to tell you, i find it hard to argue with kirstie's logic, but obviously there are some in hollywood who think there is an argument there. >> there are some people in hollywood that are completely out of touch. they get all their facts about this case from what, a movie. that's like trying to solve the jfk movie by talking to oliver stone. it's ridiculous. what you have to do is read that grand jury testimony of this 13-year-old victim. after you read that, then talk to me, and obviously, kirstie alley read it, because she's making sense. >> and i love what kirstie had to say. her words were so incredibly passionate. midwin, doesn't she sum up so clearly how so many of us are feeling? >> she sure does. and i think she's done an excellent job of doing that and m coing forward and saying this. beside, do we really want to be listening what woody allen has to say about sex with young girls? >> i was really surprised to hear woody -- >> not the one, woody, not the one. >> and not just kirstie, but chris rock. he made such a great point last

night on "the jay leno show." rock can't get over the fact that some stars seem to excuse polanski for raping a 13-year-old girl. take a look again what he said. >> people are defending roman polanski because he made some good movies. >> i don't get it. >> are you kidding me?! >> here's my thing -- >> he made good movies 30 years ago, jay. even johnnie cochran doesn't have the nerve to go, with well, did you see o.j. play against new england? >> vinnie, there are certain celebrities that have certain justification for supporting roman polanski, but whatever reasons these celebrities have for supporting him, are you with me that even if it's not their intention, they come across as condoning what he did. >> absolutely. because what they do, they deal with what happened 32 years ago to a 13-year-old and they call it the so-called crime, it's not rape rape, it was so long ago. they don't -- read the transcript and see what this 13-year-old girl went through and then talk to me. >> a lot of outrage on our

"showbiz tonight" facebook wall. a lot of people saying by defending polanski, it shows just what you were saying, vinnie, that hollywood stars think they deserve special treatment. this is ashley g. writing, okay, really, he might be famous, but no one is above the law. if someone who was a nobody raped somebody and fled the country, they would be hunted down and thrown in jail. and breanna b. writes, so sad that hollywood is defending him. it makes me sick. it is telling the world that once again, if you are famous, you can get away with anything. and when people see stars defending polanski like this, isn't it easy for a lot of people to think hollywood is just out of touch? >> it is. and i hope the justice system does not kowtow to this. because it sends a horrendous message, that someone who pleads guilty -- this man stood up in court and said, i did pit.

>> got to end it there. we're getting so many calls, fired up people, not just about roman polanski, but about jon being fired and then trying to pull the plug on "jon & kate plus 8." here's a call from joyce. >> caller: whatever the reason that jon has decided his kids do not need to be on the show at this time, i agree. i think it's a good thing that somebody has finally decided they don't need to be on the show. >> thank you, joyce. but teresa from california is glad that jon got canned. >> caller: i think jon deserves to be fired. he's not really involved in the show. he's busy out partying and doing his own thing and i think jon needs to grow up and act his age and stop acting like a big baby. >> thank you, teresa. give us a shout at show "showbiz on call" to let us what you think about this or anything at all. the "showbiz on call" phone lines are always open, 1-888-sbt-buzz. we would love to play your call

here on "showbiz tonight." we're posting them too right there on our home page, cnn.com/showbiztonight. well, tonight, the explosive fallout over jon's brand-new interview. he reveals he was so disgusted with himself. >> i had an epiphany one day. i just looked in the mirror and i said, i don't want to be this person anymore. i made mistakes, i know i messed up. >> i don't know. should we believe this guy? is he finally coming clean for real? also tonight, we're revealing the secrets of what jon got paid on "jon & kate plus 8" and the incredible amount of money he spent on counseling. making news right now, is kanye west paying the ultimate price for dissing taylor swift at the mtv music video awards? you know what they say, what goes around comes around. is don't go anywhere, but it's that time of the week. tonight, "showbiz tonight" naming the most provocative celebrity of the week. the nominees, jon gosselin, roman polanski, david letterman. this is going to be a close vote. this is "showbiz tonight" on

hln. now the "showbiz news ticker," more stories from the "showbiz tonight" newsroom making news right now.

and i want kate and i to mediate, i want us to become friends, i want us to figure out our marriage and i don't want to be filmed anymore. >> now on "showbiz tonight," the fallout today over jon gosselin's brand-new tv interview bombshell. now he reveals, he wants to be friends with kate. is he for real? "showbiz tonight" names the most provocative celebrity of the week. jon gosselin, roman polanski, david letterman. it has been one heck of a week, but who will come out on top? it's one thing to have a fish fry, but frying your own pet goldfish to get back at your

common law husband -- >> that's sick. >> it's the unbelievable real life story of a woman's twisted revenge. and more stories breaking from the "showbiz news ticker," tv's first most provocative entertainment news show continues right now. 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. and tonight, the incredible fallout today after jon gosselin's first interview since he demanded that tlc shut down "jon & kate plus 8." here is the big news breaking today. in a brand-new revelation today, kate's attorney says she watched jon's interview on "larry king live," even heard jon say he wants to be friends again. what in the world could kate be thinking tonight? so, what did tlc today say after jon slammed them on larry king, accusing the network of

blindsiding him and blasting them for continueding to tape "jon & kate plus 8," which she now calls unhealthy for his kids. and in even more big news breaking, jon's bombshell about how much he and the family have really been getting paid to do "jon & kate plus 8." and the surprising amount of money he says he spent on marriage counseling. joining me tonight in hollywood, hyla, also joining me tonight in hollywood, kim serafin, a senior editor with "in touch weekly." all right, guys. as if this gosselin war couldn't be more out of control today. for the first time, we've got jon gosselin speaking out, explaining exactly why he sent tlc that cease and desist order so they would halt taping of "jon & kate plus 8." you have got to see what jon said on cnn's "larry king live" about why he wants the show to end. >> it's not healthy for my kids to be going through this. i had an epiphany one day. i just looked in the mirror and i said, i don't want to be this

person anymore, i made mistakes, i know i messed up, i do we great a lot of things, but i have to learn from those mistakes and move forward. i have a great lawyer now, mark keller, mike keller, my manager, i have a great family support from his family, the glassman family, hailey, and i have this sense of empowerment that i have to take back my life. >> oh, he says he had an epiphany. all of a sudden, he wants to be a better man. you know, i'm all for people changing for the better, but hyla, do you buy that? is jon gosselin really is changed man after everything that's gone down? >> not at all? >> anytime he speaks, it's about two to three weeks later he regrets it. it's just a matter of time he's going to regret this interview too. this makes no sense. he's not a genuine person. he just needs to go away for about a good year and then let's see his actions, what happens, how he reacts. no what he says on "larry king live." you can't believe anything he says. >> he can go away for more than

a good year if you ask me. and here's what's fascinating. jon said he had this epiphany two days after tlc fired him and announced his name was being dropped from his own reality show. now, the show was still taping as of last friday. oh, kim serafin, why don't you chime in. what do you think? did he really have an epiphany, or could it be, call me a cynic, perhaps he has an ulterior motive here. >> some people have epiphanies when they lose a paycheck and their name is removed from a show when they were the star of. some people have epiphanies when public opinion turns against them and they're the butt of every late-night comic's joke. for jon, it was when he looked in the mirror, not the other things. look, is it possible that he did have an epiphany, yes, things like that happen when something big happens in your life. but i think he probably would need to explain in more detail this epiphany. was it when, for example, you interviewed kate major, was it when "in touch" did the story on the nanny, when it was when he

saw what was happening in his life and his family? i think he would need to explain a little bit more for it to ring true. because the timing, of course, does make it seem not so legitimate. >> yeah, he needs to come out and say, i had an epiphany when i got fired from the show. we all do know that jon has said in the past that he thought the kids were having a terrific time doing "jon & kate plus 8," but now he's saying something completely deferent. he's now saying the show is detrimental to the kids and as i mentioned, he wants tlc to stop shooting the show. listen to what he told cnn's larry king about that. >> i don't want them to film anymore. i don't think it's healthy for for them and the reason i don't think it's healthy for them is we're going through a divorce right now and i don't think it should be televised and i think my kids should be taken off the show. now i have a sense of empowerment. before, i didn't have any representation. i take blame for not being an initiator. i was an avoider, i was passive. >> all right. so you might be wondering, what is tlc saying about all of this now? "showbiz tonight," of course, reached out to tlc today.

as of showtime, they have not responded, which i find odd, because tlc has certainly not been shy in the past about responding to everything. radio silence today, hyla, what does that tell you? >> this doesn't shock me. a, they're getting their legal team together, but for jon gosselin to say that tlc is exploiting their kids, hello, you're on a reality show, that's what you do, you exploit. they signed up talent so they could make a profit. they're a tv network. why is this a surprise to them? >> yeah. well, jon says he does take the blame, as you heard, for being passive up until now about having his kids on tv. kim, do you think he deserves some credit now for taking some of the blame here, or as it appears to me, do you think he is just talking out of both sides of his mouth? >> well, yes, he is sort of owning up to it, so you do have to give him credit for that. and in a way, he is kind of echoing the sentiments of a lot of people out there. a lot of people have been saying this for a long time, that they think the show is detrimental to the kids and he's now agreeing

with them. so is it possible he can kind of get back on the good side of people, get back in their good graces because he's now kind of seen the light. whether it's a pr stunt, whether it's his lawyers in there, whether he's kind of repeating the statements that somebody told him to say, it doesn't matter, because at the end of the day, it is still ringing true with a lot of people. he might get some credit there. >> in a brand-new development, "showbiz tonight" learned today that kate gosselin actually watched jon gosselin's interview on cnn's "larry king live." and you remember jon said just weeks ago, he despises kate. he actually had some nice things to say about kate to larry. watch this. >> and now looking back and what has recently happened, after filing for divorce, this has been a media explosion. this is ridiculous. i've been on the cover of magazines since january. you know, and it's just -- it's just crazy. i want the fodder to stop and i want kate and i to mediate, i want to us become friends, i want us to figure out our marriage and i don't want to be filmed anymore and i don't want the kids involved. >> i can tell you in a new report out today, jon also said

he wanted to apologize to kate for his actions. i'm just trying to imagine kate sitting there, watching jon tell larry king that he now wants to be friends with her again. hyla, do you think kate was sitting there thinking, eh, fat chance, jonny. >> honestly, i think they feed off of each other. because if they really wanted to put their differences aside and do what's best for the kids, she wouldn't go on "the view," he wouldn't go on larry king, they would go behind closed doors and have a conversation. i honestly, honestly believe they love this. they really feed off of each other and she's thinking, okay, you did this, now i'm going to try and one-up you and do this. she's already planning her next attack. >> kim, quickly, do you think that's what's really going on here? this is pretty ugly. >> oh, sure, they could stop filming the show tomorrow and we'd still be talking about it. we'd still be talking about kate's appearance on "the view" and what kate's lawyer said on the "today" show and what jon said on larry king and what the next interview is. that's what's creating this feedy frenzy. it's not the show that 1.3 million people watched on monday

night, down like 80% in ratings since june. >> and there's been a lot of speculation over time about how much money jon and kate have earned on their reality show. larry king actually asked jon about that. watch this. >> you made a lot of money, didn't you, jon? >> no. >> how much did you make last year? >> how much did jon gosselin make off of "jon & kate plus 8" and how many of thousands of dollars did he actually spend on counseling? hyla, kim serafin, stay right where you are. our coverage will continue. speaking of jon gosselin, he is a major contender for "showbiz tonight's" most provocative celebrity of the weak. and what a roller coaster ride it has been. jon's not the only star making us shake our heads today, of course. roman polanski's sex charge arrest drama, david letterman's blackmail sex shocker. we're naming the most provocative celebrity of the week and i can't wait to reveal

the winner. or is it the loser? it's one thing to have a fish fry, but frying your own pet goldfish to get back at your common law husband? >> that's sick. >> do you remember the nursery rhyme, there once was a woman who swallowed a fly? well, tonight i've got the real story of a woman who swallowed her husband's fried goldfish. now the "showbiz news ticker," more stories from the "showbiz tonight" newsroom making news right now.

so who will be named "showbiz tonight's" most provocative celebrity of the week? will it be jon gosselin, roman polanski, or david letterman? certainly a tough choice tonight, but we will make that call in just a moment. you won't want to miss it when "showbiz tonight" names the most provocative celebrity of the week. welcome back to "showbiz tonight." i'm a.j. hammer. i want to get back to one of those nominees who may be our most provocative celebrity of the week. jon gosselin, our coverage of

our explosive brand-new coverage continues now with jon's war. what about the money. wait until you hear what jon is saying about the money that he and his family have been making from "jon & kate plus 8." jon says he tried to save their marriage, not kate. joining me tonight from hollywood, hyla. also in hollywood, kim serafin, the senior editor for "in touch weekly." you guys know there has been wild speculation about how much money the gosselins have been making for their reality show. one number that's been thrown around a lot, $75,000 an episode. but jon tells larryain't right,y they did make $1 million for the year. take a look at this. >> after taxes was $500,000 divided by ten. >> larry: and kate also made $1 million. >> no. the agreement is the gosselin family. it's not broken out. that's what we made. $22,500 per episode.

>> certainly a far cry from that $75,000 number we'd been hearing about. are you surprised by the discrepancy? >> no, it's jon's responsibility to do the best for his family. if he was dumb enough not to have a lawyer look over those papers and give him some suggestions, that tells me, he's not fit to be a father. that's common sense. >> kim, what do you think? the number is not what people imagined they were making all along. >> not at all. and not like, oh, it's okay to exploit your kids for $75,000, but not okay for $22,500. but this is a big difference. we were hearing, they were doing the show because this way at least the kids will be paid for for all their lives, their college education. that's a huge difference and it makes a lot of this trouble maybe seem not worth. they should certainly be paid more, especially when you consider the publicity tlc is get and the money they are making off this. >> and to be sure, $22,500 an

episode of tv, also nothing to shake a stick at. jon also revealed to larry king, and i found this particularly interesting, what he has spent on marriage counselinging. take a look. >> i went to counseling, i have a $22,000 bill from last year. i mean, i tried to save our marriage, i tried to do everything. >> hyla, that's a lot of therapy and if you ask me, it doesn't seem like it worked. do you think they should be demanding a refund? >> i say take the receipt back, fire that guy and demand your money back. for $22,000, you should be an angel at this point. >> he did use words like "avoider" and he's not afraid to commit anymore or anything, all those terms from therapy. >> price per word, about $5,000 each. jon's interview coming on the same day he tried to shut down the show for good. since that happened, the "showbiz on call" phone lines have not stopped ringing. we got a call from irlean from

kentucky saying, right on, jon. >> caller: hoar ray for jon. if if he's doing it for the wrong reasons, the show, the kids, the whole mess needs off the air. that's the best thing that can be done. >> yeah. at the end of the day, and i appreciate your call, it might be for the wrong reasons, but wanting your kids off a reality show, probably the most adult thing he's ever done, wouldn't you say, hyla? >> i don't necessarily agree with that. there's plenty of kids in hollywood in the entertainment industry. it doesn't mess them up. you know what's going to affect the kids the most? watching the interaction between their mom and their dad. that's what's going to be the ultimate decider. whether they're on tv or not, that's an excuse. that has nothing to do with anything. >> here's what everybody's sitting around wondering right now. will jon gosselin be named the most provocative celebrity of the week? the nominees are, jon, up there for everything that's happened this week, from trying to shut down "jon & kate plus 8" for his tv confessions. our next nominee, roman polanski

arrested in switzerland on a decades-old charge of having sex with a minor. and our next nominee, david letterman who confessed on his show he was the target of a $2 million extortion attempt who claimed he knew letterman had sex with women who worked for him. and because of the international outrage, "showbiz tonight" is naming roman polanski the most provocative celebrity of the week. kim, what do you think? did we get it right? >> i think so. yes, we're talking about jon gosselin and he was able to take over the news yesterday, even though michael jackson, the results of the autopsy was released, nobody was talking about that. but roman polanski, it has a much broader impact. this is what talk radio airwaves were talking about all week. this is sort of an international thing. this is a guy who fled the country, but wasn't hiding. i mean, he was making oscar-winning movies at the same time, has so many other implications in terms of children and rape allegations. definitely, they picked the

right choice. >> we, by the way, were not alone in the decision making process. before we made our choice, we did ask our facebook fans who they thought should be named the most controversial celebrity of the week. and a lot of people said it should be jon gosselin, including amy r. she wrote that jon gosselin for sure, get a life. hyla, what do you think, quickly, did we get it right? >> this is tough. mint chocolate chip or vanilla ice cream, don't know what i like more. i think jon gosselin. this is a story that resonates with people, eight kids involved, a single mother, it's jon gosselin. >> all right, appreciate it. let's let's move on to the outrageous story of a woman eating a pet goldfish for revenge. >> reporter: it's one thing to have a fish fry, but frying your own pet goldfish to get back at your common law husband? >> that's sick. >> they say revenge is a dish best served cold, so what the heck do you call deep-fried goldfish? the unbelievable but totally true story you have got to see. this is "showbiz tonight" on hln. now the "showbiz news ticker,"

more stories from the "showbiz tonight" newsroom making news right now. now, making it work. "showbiz tonight" reveals the secrets how stars make their relationships work. now, china phillips married to michael baldwin, 14 years. come from families fames. the daughter of john phillips of the mamas & pappas, billy one of the baldwin brothers.

i had to ask chyna just how she makes it work? >> communication. got to talk. can't sweep things under the carpet and remember you'll have your bad days and good days it. ups and downs and there might be months at time where you drive each other up the wall but get through. it you made your vows under god and you stick with that commitment. >> chyna's new album is called "one reason" in stores now. we promised to bring chyna's new interview today but instead we'll have it for you on monday. they said it would never last.

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