disturbing story and is asking is it a good idea for hulk to be sharing his dark secrets? get this, jon gosselin grabs the mike at a family values event. are you kidding me? >> yol, i'm going through a divorce. it's pretty public. >> wait until you hear what he asked, but is this just a publicity stunt? >> and oprah's big news. sarah palin is going to be on her show. what will she ask? will it be a tense interview, and should oprah have had palin on a long time ago? the weekend edition of tv's first most provocative entertainment news show starts right now.

former wrestling and reality show superstar hulk hogan isn't holding back about his darkest hour. >> his brand new revelations are disturbing. hulk reveals all about his suicide shocker. he details his desperate moments during his bitter divorce when he almost took his own life. hulk makes these dramatic confessions in his new book and in the excerpts just released, we're getting the view of hulk hogan we never could have imaged. how this strong powerful hero broke down, took a gun, and almost ended it all. so what happened to snap him out of it? hulk's heartbreaking confessions made for big news. >> their super popular reality show family that seemed to fall apart before our very eyes. >> every day is drama.

it's just ridiculous. bloo in case you can't tell, i've had it. >> ex-wrestler hulk hogan, his wife linda, and children brooke and nick were at the center of "hogan knows best." >> it takes me two seconds to pack up my closet and be gone. >> in relate life you find more scandal than you find in any reality show. now show biz tonight can tell you in a hard-hitting new book hulk hogan reveals all that drama took a shocking toll. >> it's pretty amazing to hear what hulk hogan is writing in this book saying that he was so close to committing suicide that he actually had the barrel of the gun in his mouth. >> in his new book "my life outside the ring" the famous ex-wrestler admits the end of his 23-year marriage to linda did quite a number on him, and his depression hit a dangerous low in december of 2007, less than two weeks after linda filed for divorce. >> he apparently went out one night, went out to a strip club, getting a lot of attention from

women, came back home and said he was so lonely that he drank rum, took xanax and actually put the barrel of a gun in his mouth. >> hogan writes, "i remember how it tasted when i put the barrel in my mouth and the sound it made when the metal clicked against my teeth." even more shocking than his suicidal thoughts is what hulk says snapped him out of it. >> what saved hulk hogan actually from blowing his brains out with a gun that he was holding in his mouth was a phone call from laila ali. layla is the daughter of mohammed ali. at the time she was hosting "revival of american gladiators." hogan writes, "at that moment that call saved my life." show biz tonight can tell you that's not the only shocking allegation in hogan's book. >> i'm not going to talk to you about this anymore. >> he writes in excruciating detail about the simmering family tensions that boiled to the surface as they filmed their reality show. >> in fact, the family was falling apart.

>> hogan pins much of the blame on his ex-wife linda who he claims was verbally abusive and a problem drinker. he writes, "her drinking also started to affect the family. it seemed like every night she would get into the wine and before long she'd start cussing everybody out, including brooke and nick. >> in addition to all of the family drama that was going on, it was all exacerbated by nick's accident. nick totaled his car and then really seriously injured his very good friend who was left in a vegetative state and then, of course, this is what led to nick going to jail. >> hogan says linda was threatening to file for divorce during nick's legal trouble. he writes, "i practically begged her, please, don't file. our son's just had the accident. if we do this now, it will make us look like the britney spears family. please don't file for divorce!" but linda filed for divorce in late 2007, and now the hogans just settled their nasty divorce, and the tabloids still can't get enough of this famously fractured family.

>> it makes you wonder why would anyone want to do a reality show and put their family through that? you look at what happened to the hogan family. you look at even what happened to jon and kate that we've been talking about for months, and look at the issue with richard heene, allegedly he pulled off this stunt because he wanted a reality show. it really only leads to horrible things. >> show biz tonight reached out to linda hogan for a comment. she didn't respond directly to hulk's allegation, but here's what she tells us. "my ex-husband's serial infidelitied forced me to take the route that i have taken, breaking our family apart was the last thing i ever wanted." >> tonight chris brown's explosive new confessions about reana and his big beef with oprah winfrey. what is that all about? in brown's first radio interview since pleading guilty to brutally attacking rihanna, he says he is still totally ticked off that oprah took ooidz sides in his domestic violence case. plus, chris reveals intimate details about the emotional call he got from will smith after his

arrest. is it time for everyone to forgive chris brown? we've got the shocking brand new results of our show biz tonight question of the day. we ask is rihanna obligated to be a role model? right now in hollywood jessica wiener, the creator of the website jessicawiener.com and our celebrity publicist and brand strategist. >> chris brown is going on to thank fans that stood by him. now is he lashing out at one of the biggest critics, oprah winfrey. oprah slammed chris on her show warning rihana that if he hit once, wee do it again. chris tells hot 97's angie martinez that he was blind sided by oprah's attack. >> at the time where i needed a helping hand, and not saying to boost my career, but just me as a person for her to reach out and just talk to me and rihanna and make it like, look, this is

what it is, and this is wrong. this is right. this is right. this is not what it's supposed to be, whatever the case may be. maybe -- i'm not even saying have me on the show, but make it to where -- >> help. >> just help. just help. that's all i was asking for, because at the end of the day i thought we had that relationship to where it could be like that. >> okay. i get that he is disappointed that oprah did not support him, but why does he still act like he is the victim here? he is the one that slammed rihanna's head into a car window. >> absolutely, and oprah's only obligation is to her audience. you know, what she said to rihanna was semplly the fact that if a man hits you once, he will hit you again. oprah doesn't owe chris anything, and i think he might be looking for love in all the wrong places. she's not his parent, and the advice that she gave to her audience, which is predominantly women, was truthful, correct, proper guidance, and that's all that oprah is expected to do. >> yeah. it was great advice from oprah.

sounds like just a bunch of whining to me from chris brown, and another shocking confession here. chris says that will smith was actually one of the few stars to reach out to hem with amazing words of encouragement. chris admits that he was stunned, but pretty grateful for the call. >> the situation was certain people that called me, like will smith called me, like, and he was, like, talking to me one-on-one, man-to-man. >> will smith? >> yeah. like -- >> did you know him before? >> i mitt him at a couple of events. i spoke to his kids and different things like that, but he actually reached out a hand and helped, like -- you know what i'm saying, really was a man that as a young black man myself, i needed an older black man role model to step in and, look, man, this is not how you do things. stoo this is not how you do things. i think chris having someone like will smith as a mentor is awesome, and hopefully chris will never harm anybody again. jess, do you think it's time, that said, to forgive chris brown, or is leaving rihanna

bloodied and bruised completely unforgivable. >> i don't know chris brown, so it's not up to me to fri him or not. this is what i will tell you -- >> yes, it is, jess. >> if it is up to me, then, no, because i think this is the biggest bunch of mularchy i have ever heard in my life. he is a complete idiot around this right now. he is playing the pr game. i'm sure he is, like, not as remorseful as he needs to be. he is not getting the point. as it was said earlier, it's not anyone else's responsibility to teach him how to control his anker and how to look at some of the demons in his life. that is up for him to do. i will believe him, brooke, and believe him when he dedicates all proceeds to the poor to every domestic crisis shelter in the country. then i'll believe him. >> yeah. you know, and a portion of the proceeds is going to a domestic violence charity, but not all, and you're right. i think it's a bunch of malarkey too. i want him to be sincere. he also says this new interview is the last time he is going to publicly talk about the rihanna

attack. it's been eight months. we have not heard from rihanna. do you think she owes it to her fans to finally speak out? >> i think she does as a role model, and she is a role model. the day she signed on to represent cover girl, she became a role model that day. yes, you do owe it to your fans, because they do want to know how have you dealt with this? how did you forgive him? why did you forgive him? i think more importantly, chris should be allowed, you know, to move past his pain and to redeem himself. we can't hold this kid's future hostage by his past. rihamna and him both -- >> i do think we can also have conversations right now that don't let celebrities off the hook so easy. >> no. we're not letting him off the hook, but we also aren't here to judge, and we can't let people push past the pain of their mistakes on to their future if we hold their past hostage. >> stop acting like a victim and be remorseful. genuinely remorseful. we do have to leave it there for now. thank you.

>> jon gosselin goes looking for parenting advice. >> as a single dad, you know, what two or three values can i use to raise good kids? >> that's right. jon went to a synagogue, a family values conference looking for answers. you got to see this one for yourself. zishgts also, are recognizey o'donnell and her long-time partner really calling it quits? rosie opens up in a tearful interview. >> the balloon family's alleged hoax. >> now that the story is popped, time to hand out the coveted silver sauce. >> tonight we are picking out the best, the most shocking, absolute weirdest moments of the whole balloon thing. we're calling them the balance-on-whoppers. this is show biz tonight on hln.

welcome back to show biz tonight this weekend wrshgs i'm a.j. hammer. >> i'm brooke anderson. >> so if the claims of the balloon boy saga proved to be true, it would have involved quite a bit of abboting. show biz has the awards for the best and weirdest moments from what may well be the year's weirdest stories.

cmn's jeanne moos for show biz tonight. > a kid who looked like the cat that swallowed the canary gets adrift if a balloon representing an unidentified flying ship. >> now that the story is popped, p time to hand out the coveted silver saucer. the silver saucer award for most awkward moment goes to the parents of the acting of their son. they seem speechless when he told wolf blitzer -- >> we did it for a show. >> yeah. >> the best pba, public display of affection, we award the silver saucer to the dad. >> i'm just so glad he is here, you know? i am really sorry i yelled at him. >> mom had a supporting role with comforting rubbing. we award the silver saucer to

the most heart felt tears to the mother. during that 911 call -- >> it's a flying saucer? >> yes. >> the silver saucer for worst acting goes to mom and dad during a reality show "wife swap." >> i'm talking. >> you're not my wife. you're a man's nightmare. >> the silver saucer award for not acting but acting out goes to young falcon. before the family's interview with wolf blitzer, wolf introduced himself. >> say hi to wolf. his name is wolf. >> hi. >> hi. >> who the hell -- >> falcon made faces, took his dad's phone, and slapped his brother. the kids also get the silver saucer for best hygiene. the silver saucer award for best balloon cameo goes to "saturday night live." >> it was a hoax. >> yeah, we know.

>> the silver saucer for most genuine moment goes to falcon's brother for their reaction when he through up on national tv. dad looks like he almost lost it. the silver saucer award, you can eat it after receiving it. >> just don't make yourself sick. >> not enough room in there. >> who the hell is wolf? sfwloom that was cnn's jeanne moos. while i think this thing is by far the most bizarre story, it's also one of the most serious. brooke, we have other family drama to talk about, because we always have the gosselins, after all. show biz on call phone lines continue to ring. a lot of people calling in about whether it's ever okay for kids to be on reality tv. she says kate gosselin is

clueless. >> i just find it unbelievable that kate gosselin still believes that her children are not being affected by being on tv. when you have your children in between you and the show with the paparazzi, i don't know how you can find that not harmful, and these children are going through extremely hard times with the divorce, and had he do not need to see that being put on tv, and i think she needs to keep the kids off tv, and i think jon is doing the right thing. stoo thank you, nancy. >> we also heard from karen calling in from michigan. karen says some families can handle the attention better than others. >> i think it depends on the personality of the parents. look at the duggars. their children are doing very well on tv. i think kate gosselin was very paranoid, afraid of a lot of things. if you watch the show, you can see that. always worried that she wouldn't have enough money to raise the kids, so this motivates her, and

she was very nasty to jon. >> thanks, karen. show biz on call phone lines are always open. >> give us a call at 1-888-sbc-buzz. that's 1-888-728-2899. simply leave a voice mail. we will play some of your calls here on show biz tonight. an oprah winfrey sarah palin smackdown. are you ready? palin is going on oprah, but will there be fireworks? what kind of questions should oprah ask? plus, jon gosselin on a spiritual quest? >> as a single dad, you know, what two or three values can i use to raise dpood kids? >> that's right. jon gosselin in a synagogue at a family values conference. you got to see this one for yourself. also, i never thought i would see the day when marge simpson of all cartoon people would pose for play boy. here's what i'm asking. does cartoon nudity cross the line, or is it just plain funny? doh! show biz tonight this weekend on

hln. 

>> what two or three values can i use to raise good kids? >> now on show biz tonight this weekend, jon gosselin goes to temple? tonight jon shows up at a synagogue seeking spiritual advice, and to ask about family values. seriously? big news palin is going on oprah, so will there be fireworks? will they play nice? and what should oprah ask? and marj simpson poses for "play boy." a naked cartoon mom? no big deal or a really bad

idea? sdmrichlt jon gosselin seeking spiritual advice. jon gosselin made an unexpected appearance at a seminar in new york city and asked a family values question in front of hundreds of people, and it just so happened that it was caught on tape. wow. is jon gosselin trying to be a better dad, or is this just a big pr move? wait. there's more. wait until you hear the crazy story behind jon gosselin's

$10,000 redee manned to a florida radio station. >> shocking oprah winfrey news. she just nabbed the interview of a lifetime with former republican vp pick and alaska governor sarah palin. what will she ask and seriously, can these two actually get along? a.j., i don't know. there could be some big-time fireworks. >> either way, brooke, i think this thing is long overdue. right now from hollywood, attorney for midland charles and associates. also from hollywood, carlos diaz, a krbt with "extra." all right. jon gosselin wants a little peter spiritual advises. we have this brand new video of jon getting up before hundreds of people and asking a deep question to some celebrity advisors. you know their names. rabbi, dr. mehmet oz, and two other wise men there as well. take a look at this. >> my question to the panel is, you know, obviously i'm going through a divorce. it's pretty public. as a single dad, you know, what two or three values can i use to

raise good kids? >> yeah. okay. j jon, i really want to believe that you want to change your ways. i hate to be cynical about this. let me start with you. i'm sorry. this smacks of an enormous pr stunt. what do you think? >> it really does. i mean, look, i'm always for one for people who are looking to change and find advice and counseling and what have you, but the marn in which this was done smacks of what jon has been doing all along, which is really courting the media. i mean, this is really what he does best and has been doing for months now. it does kind of smell a little suspicious, but, hey, if he is trying to get help, more power to him. >> i guess so. it's almost like the start of a bad joke. so a rabbi, a doctor, and a reality show star. go to temple. actually, it was pretty serious stuff. i do want you to listen to rabbi's sage advice to jon gosselin. >> your kids should not ob the show. i know you are fighting to get them off the show, and i hope

you are successful in that regard. to the successful you are a celebrity, i know some of the things you do today, if you'll share with others, because you -- you become one of the most famous people in the country right now, and you can spread that very valuable message. >> carlos, i mean, it is great advice, but if it's not a pr stunt, you got to wonder why didn't he talk to these guys in private? >> a.j., just one thing. give me a second here. come on. seriously. i have been saying this for so long. okay. a, it is a total pr stunt. you don't just run into them and ask him a question. b, this is what they should have been doing all along. they should -- it should have been about jon and kate, their divorce on tlc. move the kids out of the situation, and you focus on that, and now they're just getting that message, and jon actually sounded contrite. you almost felt sorry for him there, but they're giving the mulg away for free. >> let's move on to the business side of jon, because he does want to make some money for the

milk, if that's what we'll call it tonight. brand new revel ags tonight about jon's wheeling and dealing. he has reportedly asked a florida radio station for somewhere between $10,000 and $20 12,000 because they want him on for a one-hour appearance. i got to ask. he is a huge celebrity. is jon worthy of that kind of dough, or is he totally out of line asking for that to show up on a radio station? >> well, i think he is not out of line. remember, he no longer has a job right now. he is no longer collecting a check from tlc. this is someone whose face was plastered on magazines and newsstands for the past six, eight, nine, ten months. he has to earn a living, and i guess this is how he is going to do it. >> brooke anderson, come back in here. anything wrong with jon trying to capitalize on this fame, making a little dough? >> i disagree with midland here, and i love you, but heck, no. $10 house? if he did, indeed, ask for that load of cash, i think he is dilutional. he does have to find some source of income to support his family -- help support his family, but come on.

i wouldn't pay the guy $10 to do it. he really needs to come back to earth pretty soon, a.j. that's what i think. you know what, right now we do have to move on to a truly explosive brand new announcement that oprah winfrey will be interviewing sarah palin. now, these two don't seem like they would be natural busom buddies. oprah actively campaigned against her in 2008, but do you think there will be some fireworks between these two? >> oh, i'm sorry. the producer in my ear is reminding me that i called this exactly last november that she would sit down with oprah. i totally called this. you know what, fireworks are good. it's november sweeps. it's the perfect time for oprah. it's a monday. you know, people will talk about it all weeklong. sarah palin needs oprah to sell her book. oprah kind of needs sarah palin for the ratings. >> yeah. it is in the middle of sweeps, so it is smart programming. it's going to draw huge numbers, i'm sure. our show biz tonight facebook page already blowing up over

this. sarah c writes, "i think oprah will be civil. therefore, there will not be fireworks, although it would be nice to see a little drama unfold between the two." josee l. writes, "palin better be ready for a thorough grilling, especially if she's planning to run against obama in 2012." do you think oprah would actually be kind of tough on palin because they do have different political views? do you think she may come at her with really challenging questions? >> i think she will come at her with challenging questions, but that's what oprah does. oprah is a professional. she's a journalist. she always goes about things with credibility and integrity. so, of course, shaes going to come after her with challenging kwegz because that's what people want to know. no heart how you think about sarah palin, at the end of the day she's a polarizing figure, but she also has a lot of support. she has a huge fan base. so a lot of people want to know what was she thinking? >> yeah. you know, i think she needs to be much better prepared this time around than -- >> let's hope so. >> she's got to get herself

ready for this. that's for sure. carlos, i want to talk a little bit about the timing here, too, because don't you think pale in maybe should have done this a long time ago? it sort of feels like too little too late. >> it's exactly what she just said. you don't go against the oprah. she'll take you to task, unless you know your ps and qs. oprah will find out what you do and don't know. here's the thing. i don't think there's going to be that many fireworks because everybody is happy. oprah's candidate won. barack obama. sarah palin is making a lot more money than she would have if she was vice president. seeing the mess the country is in right now, i think sarah palin is going, you know what, i'm all good. i'm doing okay. >> yeah. oprah's man won the race. sarah palin wants to sell her book. what do you hope so see from this interview? >> i hope to see a side of sarah palin that we haven't seen thus far. i mean, we've all seen jokes. we've seen the tina faye coverage, and we've also heard

sarah palin and what have you, but i'm looking to hear another side of her, and i'm sure a lot of people are looking to hear explanations for what's been going on with her daughter and her family and the kind of photo opes and what have you. >> yeah. good point. we know that oprah will go there. midland charles, carlos diaz, great to see you. thanks. >> all right. you know, so many people love to throw that word cougar around to try to describe people like madonna and courtney cox. courtney even has a brand new tv show called "cougar town." >> to hell with it. hey, kid. >> courtney is 40 something, looking great, but is that word cougar offensive? is it time for it to go? the brand new cougar debate next. >> hey, have you seen the marj simpson "playboy" spread. i had to take a look at this. i got to say, i a lot of people are pretty fired up. is a cartoon mom posing naked

totally wrong auto or no big deal, and making news right now rosie o'donnell and her lock-time partner rshgs they splitting up some rosie speaks. this is show biz tonight this weekend on hln. now the show biz news technical are. more stories from the newsroom making news right now.

thank you, charles. the weekend. show biz tone this welcome. i'm a.j. hammer. >> i'm brooke anderson. tonight show biz caught on camera. you know, bend it like beckham, right? how about send it like beckham,

as in a text message while driving. that's right. becks got busted big-time texting and driving. he was leaving soccer practice for the l.a. galaxy, and it's illegal to text while driving in california. he is not the only star doing it. maria shriver also got caught using her cell phone while driving. >> tonight cougar fight. an all-out war breaking out, and cougars, they are trapped in the middle. ever since courtney cox's new tv show "cougar town" made its debut, the term cougar has come under some intense scrutiny, but tonight we are asking is it so bad to call women over 35 who are unmarried and interested in ynker men cougars? some people say yes. next up tonight marj simpson naked on the cover of "layboy." what does homer think about this? what do you think about this? are you outranled, or is it all in good fun? right now in new york cooper lawrence, psychologist and author of "the cult of celebrity" and from hollywood, wendy walsh, a psychology expert

for mom logic.com. >> i want to begin with this brand new cougar controversy. there's a new column in the new york post from an dree who says this word needs to go away. here's what she's writing about it. "cougars, the very word turned injurings of hotd babes overnight from sex objects into the butt of jokes. and it turned smoldering lust from something dirty into something nasty and skanky." wendy, i want to know if you think andrea peyser has this right, because i think, you know, cougar, demi moore and ashton kutcher, a post are couple for a cougar relationship. somehow nasty and skanky doesn't seem to describe them accurately as far as i'm concerned. >> definitely implies predator. what we've always called men dogs, right? i think men need to have equality here and be called wolfs because i don't think being a cougar is necessarily any power. it's a pretend power for a woman. >> she's basically saying, too, though, it has this negative

contation, that until "cougar town" the show came around, cougar was really a word that people would throw around and have fun with it. courtney cox plays a cougar on tv and she plays one in real life too. her husband, david arquette is 11 years younger. cooper lauren, should people have a problem with the term cooper? >> i have a little bit of a problem with it because it's meant to be derogatory. it's not meant to be a compliment. you don't look at an older woman with a younger man and go, hey, cougar. you look at it like there's something wrong with it. that's the problem. also, the word is not empowering. it wasn't coined by women. it was a term coined by men in order to put women in their place once again. i just think women are individuals. if you want to date somebody much younger, go for it without having to live up to some stereotype of what it's called. >> naturally, our facebook fans are very fired up over the new cougar controversy today. in fact, as soon as we posted this up on facebook, our wall was jumping with comments. let me get to a couple. this is nitih who says --

>> you have demi. you have courtney. you have madonna, of course. her boyfriend, jesus, is 23 years old right now. sexy women want it all, wendy. does it take away from their sex appeal, do you think, to be called a cougar? >> i don't think it takes away from their sex appeal, but it takes away, i think, from their whole identity. i mentioned it with pretend power. listen, a.j. any woman in her 40s can get a young guy. these guys got loaded guns that will shoot at any target. what does that say? is it saying just that your fannie hasn't gone to the south of france. it's still in paris. really, ladies, are you emotionally secure? are you smart? are you able to nurture your children and the world, or are you just able it get a young gun? so what. >> this is coming from monica s who wrote on the show biz tonight facebook wall --

>> there you go. that's more your point, cooper. demi, not a cougar. madonna, not a cougar. courtney not a cougar. whatever you want to call them. hey, look, they're having the time of their lives. in that case, no harm no foul. just get rid of the word. >> the pressure to have to look a certain way. now you can't be a woman over ho. now you have to be a hot woman over 40. if you weren't a hot 20-year-old, it doesn't mean you're not going to be a hot 40-year-old. now there's another level you have to live up to. >> speaking of hot women, can we move on to this other controversy, which is just burning up today? marj simpson's debut in "playboy." marj, of course, stars in the long-running animated sit com"the simpsons" and she's featured in the new november issue of "playboy" making sdmreen. i want to show wendy walsh these amazing pictures. is it just outrageous? is it all in good fun? >> marj, marj, marj. first of all, the simpsons are famous for chronicling all our

times, all our culture, and, remember, all comedy is just tragedy viewed from across the street, right? what is left for a woman who has no identity as a wife and mother anymore? you know, when we got feminism, we threw away a through rights t too. marj has to be hot now? marj has to be posing for "playboy?" what's up with that? >> you know it's a cartoon, right? i appreciate your insight. wendy, cooper, thank you for being with me. >> thank you. adam lambert is really steaming things up in his brand new details making sfleen photo shoot. let me tell you, if you didn't know adam was gay, you wouldn't be able to tell from this super sexy photo spread. in fact, these are really the only photos i can safely show you without getting fired. the other ones feature adam with his hands all over a naked woman, and when this guy goes out in public, women throw themselves at him. about that, adam says, "i am gay, but i like kissing women sometimes. women are pretty. it doesn't mean i'm necessarily

sleeping with them." check out the full interview with adam and, yes, the pictures in the november issue of "details" on newsstands october 27th. >> we have shocking news about rosie o'donnell. is she splitting up with her long-time partner kelly carpenter? these two have four kids together. i thought they were the perfect couple. but rosie is speaking out. things do not sound so good. this is "showbiz tonight" this weekend on hln. it is time now for the "showbiz tonight" news ticker. more stories from the "showbiz tonight" newsroom making news right now.