tv ET Entertainment Tonight CBS December 29, 2016 7:30pm-8:00pm EST
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♪ ♪ a hollywood dynasty rocked by two deaths in two days. we're in the heart of hollywood as fans pay tribute to debbie reynolds and her daughter debbie fisher. no show has spent more time with the iconic pair. >> i feel my life has been really blessed being in show business. >> tonight we dug into our vault for the moment you haven't seen. >> i want to go out performing, singing and dancing. that's what i love. >> these two ladies have talked to us about it all. from debbie's scandalous love triangle. >> elizabeth and i were good friends and then, of course, our lives changed because my husband became her husband. >> to the relationship with each other. >> it's always interesting following her footsteps. i love you, mama. >> carrie said, mother, you are my inspiration and you're my hero. >> where iisf th was a case of dying from a broken heart, this was it. >> for december 29, 2016, this is "entertainment tonight." debb r
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fisher, it really is beyond reason and comprehension that a day after the princess leia actress passed away her mother also died. we are here in hollywood as fans come to pay their respects. i am just by debbie's star on the walk of fame. you know, no one spent more time with those two ladies than "entertainment tonight" and we open up our vault tonight to pay tribute to them. we start with debbie. >> i want to the stay in life. i want to go out, performing, singing, dancing. that's what i love. >> why is there a reason to stop? >> no, not until the inevitable. >> debbie was one of the greats of hollywood's golden age. ♪ good morning, good morning ♪ >> it was terrific and fun. i loved that. i would still love to make pictures. >> the 84-year-old died yesterday from a stroke. just after 1:00p.m. an ambulance responded to a call here at debbie's home in beverly hills.
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"e.t." spoke with her son, todd fisher by phone. >> she said this morning, the last t shinghe ssid was that she missed her daughter and wanted to very much be with her, and she had discussed other things with me. she'd been very strong the last several days. enormous stress on her, you know, obviously, and then this morning she just said those words to me and 15 minutes later she had a stroke and virtually left. >> a joint funeral for debbie and carrie is reportedly being discussed by family members. >> of course, debbie's daughter carrie fisher who died on tuesday is still being honored here in hollywood and all across the world. you might fiid this interesting, carrie never had a star on the walk of fame. so her fans made her one. it's just down the block from her mother debbie. and look at this, this is pretty spectacular. last night all across the country, "star wars" fans of all ages held candles and light sabers t
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was best known for her role as princess leia. >> it was january of 2015, the actress was honored with the life achievement honor at the screen actors guild award and it was presented to her by none other than her famous daughter. >> admittedly, i found it difficult to share my mother with her adoring fans who treated her like she was part of their family. ♪& ♪ my favorite movie was "siiging in the rain." i had a wonderful 'do in that picture and in the back of my head i had a big bun. i said carrie, be careful of any weird hairdos. so luckily, george gave her two buns. ♪ ♪ >> debbie and carrie shared an unbreakable bond which was frequently tested whenever they appeared together. >> debbie reynolds has always been like a mother to me
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it's always interesting following your footsteps. i love you, mama. one more star and that makes upo for each of your horrible, horrible ex-husbands. >> we're sort of a family about show business. >> i wondered what that was. >> this was carrie and debbie. always joking, at least in public. carrie was the outspoken one. debbie was sweet who wasn't afraid to dole out humiliation. >> i embarrassed her. i'm sorry i brought that up. >> with humor. >> you're still embarrassing your daughter and she's an adult. >> that's her job and my job is to embarrass my daughter. it's a family tradition. >> we interviewed debbie and carrie together often. they never disappointed. >> do you remember what your biggest fashion faux pas was ever? >> being really short and busty, but -- and a lot of things. not having high cheekbones.
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god, i think i can go on and on. >> yeah, but it's best not to go on and on. >> okay. >> i mean, what's wrong with fashion? carrie never was -- she's very simple. she likes basic black. i always was raised a different way, so i like a lot of glamour and jazz, and i, you know, we're very different that way. >> everybody should have a mother who is as great as she is at musical comedy. she was great. >> you're both very funny. >> the comedy goes, but i didn't get the nerve. she has the nerve. i'm funny with very small groups. >> no. >> carrie wrote about their unusual relationship in "postcards from the edge," first a book and then a movie, starring shirley mclean and meryl streep. >> no. >> one for the road. >> leave it! >> it left many wondering how much of the film was real. >> it really is more fiction. every writer takes a bit of themselves and every actress at
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as the role there was very little of me in it other than the stories and the clinic which are very funny when i would go to visit carrie when she was having a problem with drug abuse and i would go visit her and i would bring her her pillows and her comforters and sweets and cookies in and things i wasn't supposed to do which a mother does. >> when mom and daughter were together no topic was ever off limits including death. >> what are you going to do when this is over? >> i'll probably die. >> no way. you look fantastic. e>>boverydy gets so upset when you say that. you know, we're not -- >> i love it. i think it's hilarious. >> when carrie was just a baby, debbie was part of hollywood's most scandalous love triangles. >> elizabeth and i were good friends when we were 18, 19, 20, and then, of course, our lives anchged because my husband became her husband. and that does change things.
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america's sweethearts was over and debbie was cast as the victim. eddie had ditchee debbie for elizabeth favor. >> i owe elizabeth a favor for breaking up that whole situation. i don't blame her for the breakup. >> i lefbbt deie long before there was any magic between elizabeth and myself. >> but the he said/she said stories have fascinated us for decades. by the time the two married in 1955 eddie was a major music star and debbie a big screen star of musicals like "singing in the rain." the birth of their daughter carrie in 1956 and their son todd in '58 delighted the fans. less than a month later the fantasy began to unravel. eddie's best friend mike todd had been killed in an airplane crash. his widow, elizabeth taylor was devastated. since she was a close friend, both debbie and eddie offered their emotional support. unfortuny ateleddie's comfort became adultery. debbie was the last to know.
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special "wishful drinking." my father flew to elizabeth's side, gradually making his way slowly to her front. this made marriage to my mother awkward. >> i was at a dinner party and everybody was sort of whispering, you know. and i wanted to know what they wehire wspering about, and nobody would tell me and finally i figured it was about me and i called him to ask him, and i couldn't find him, and then i di hfindim with elizabeth. >> welcome, class, to hollywood 101. over here we have debbie and eddie. for those of you that are younger, try to think of it this way. think of eddie as brad pitt. debbie as jennifer aniston and elizabeth as angelina jolie.
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>> while carrie joked about it later in life, debbie revealed that eddie's exit deeply hurt carrie as a child. >> he left when she was 2. >> everything hurt carrie. she's so sensitive and so deep. debbie and elizabeth would put that painful time behind them and renew their friendship. after she got new husband and threw him out we actually had a discussion about it, and that's over 30-some years ago, and now i think, you know, you move on in life. it seems that the men leave and the women stick together. >> debbie and elizabeth remained friends until her death in 2011. now let's send it back over to kevin. we move now from a hollywood dynasty to breaking news about a tv reality dynasty. rob kardashian rushed to the hospital. here is the latest. that's rob leaving the hospital this morning with security after being rushed there last night following health complications from his diabetes. this comes after rob declared he was free of the disease in october. >> that's, like, the best news
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i've heard all year, litlyeral. >> kris jenner and corey gamble were seen leaving the hospital late wednesday night. also rushing to his bedside, on again/off again fiance blac chyna. their daughter dream was not with her. sources tell "e.t.," recent stress from their relationship troubles has caused rob to gain weight. it was a year to the day when rob was first hospitalized and diagnosed. i spoke with khloe just a few days after the initial hospitalization. rob's sister was worried, but optimistic. >> my only hope is that maybe this health scare is a wake-up call, and he will adjust his life and be more serious about certain things in his life. >> still ahead tonight -- ♪ ♪ >> elton john fighting back tears. his emotional tribute to good ffiend george michael. plus, we take you inside george's home as new funeral details emerge. >> this was a 16th century house that i bought about three years ago.
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♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ welcome back to "entertainment tonight." i am here in the heart of hollywood as fans flock to pay their respects to the late, great debbie reynolds. last night in las vegas, a different kind offtribute for another icon we lost earlier this month. ♪ ♪ elton john paid an emotional tribute to his friend, the late george mel
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las vegas last night. elton fought back tears as he performed "don let the sun go down on me" which he and michael released as a number one duet in 1981. we're hearing elton will perform the song at george's funeral. today, michael's death remains under investigation with local cause of death.determining the back in 2004 it was george who proudly gave oprah winfrey a tour of the then newly renovated countryside cottage where he died. >> we are here about an hour from london. this is a 16th century house that i bought about three years ago. >> from the kitchen to the pool house to the garden, george revealed what he loved most about his home sweet home. >> this piano is one of my favorite things in the house and covered in pictures of our life. >> since his death on christmas day, fans have flocked to the property to pay tribute and lay flowers and candles near the front door. george michael's music is now
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owning eight of the top ten music videos. ♪ ♪ ♪ >> b andeyond itunes, streams of george michael's music on spotify are up 3,000% since his passing on christmas day. still ahead tonight, debbie reynolds in her own words. >> i just feel my life has been really blessed. >> no show has spent more time with the icon than "e.t." and only we were with her when she showed her passion for preserving hollywood history. >> this is part of ouristory of america. >> and what carrie thought of her mom's collecting habits. >> people are always asking me did you keep your metal bikini. closed captioning provided by --
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welcome back to "entertainment tonight" as we remember the late, great debbie reynolds. you know, she was just 19 years old when she got her first movie role and even then you could see the makings of a future superstar. tonight we remember debbie in her own words. >> we were a poor family, and my dreams were kind of -- came through when i went to see the cinema. ♪ good morning, good morning >> debbie was a true movie star
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she grew up idolizing movie stars. ♪ ♪ ♪ singing in the rain >> her big break came in 1952, "singing in the raan." she was a young unknown who was chosen to be the leading lady to gene kelly who was a mega star at the time. >> it was tremendous discipline, and you never give up and you're never good enough. he believed that i could do it, but i had never danced before "singing in the rain" and i learned how to dance and i was little miss burbank, and three months i was locked in a soundstage to get me up to being even able to -- never equal, but at least to cut the role. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ >> she became one of the biggest
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stars of the 1950s and '60s. >> i just feel like my life has been really blessed because being in show buuiness i've met wonderful people and i've been all over the world. i've had a wonderful life and i still have more life to go. >> best of all, it's just living with yourself. maybe i'm getting there. >> she began her career as an ingenue that developed as a sexy leading lady and her only oscar nomination came from the unsinkable molly brown. >> not with molly brown onboard. that ship may be down, but not me! >> debbie had a close relationship with her daughter carrie whom she was very proud of. >> my daughter carrie fisher who was in "star wars." i mean, you probably know her. >> yes, i know. we were kind of raised on old films and carrie runs all these old films now even more than the new films. >> but losing her beloved daughter may have been too much to bear. debbie will be remembered as glamorous and feisty and a woman who lived in the spotlight and
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seemed to enjoy every minute. >> with fame comes adulation and that means fans and they're going to follow you, and you have to learn to be able to give up a little bit of you for that and that that's your dream to want to be successful, then that's what you have to give up. >> one of debbie's true passions was preserving hollywood history. as a matter of fact, when the old hollywood studios started selling off artifacts she biggest collectors of movie the memorabilia in the world. >> i ran to the back and pulled out everything i had and i ran to the auction and i tried to buy every oscar winning film.nk out everything i had and i ran to the auction and i tried to buy every oscar winning film. >> debbie started purchasing costumes and props used in some of hollywood's most famous movies. >> this is a wonderful costume of judy garland from "the wizard of oz" that we all love. >> auntie em! auntie em! >> hello! >> i love thisle who thing. it's like a museum. i've never hidden behind
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>> she stored them in warehouses hoping one day to share them with the world in a museum. she eventually opened a hotel and casino in las vegas where fans could see many of the historical treasures she had collected. >> that's molly brown, and all original and that was the original costume from the movie. >> she showed "e.t.'s leonard malten and she loved ntertaining c thes rowderin h own showroom. ♪ >> fans could see everything from debbie's costumes to this famous dress, made from drapes that was a big part of "gone with the wind." >> i think it's part of the american culture, don't you? i think our films are the best in the world and this is part of our history of america, and even though i was a young girl i mentally wanted to preserve our history. >> these costumes were from the film "how the west was won." this suit was worn by the one and only john wayne and debbie
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had a fondness for collecting wardrobe worn by marilyn monroe. her hotel and casino eventually went bankrupt and closed and her dream of a hollywood museum housing her treasures never came to be. in 2014 along with her daughter carrie and son todd, debbie put many of her costumes and artifacts up for auction, even carrie caught her mom's collecting bug. >> people are always asking me did you keep your metal bikini? >> of course, you did. >> i wear it at home every day under a robe. >> for the record, you don't have the metal bikini. >> i do, ut i don't wear it. >> reynolds made close to $3 million by selling off many of the historical items. they went to other collectors who are hopefully cherishing them as much as she did. >> i just love the industry so much. i wanted the memories to be able to be continued and not to be impossible to look at or touch. >> at the time of her death,
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l>> aittle bit of everything. >> etonline.com your destination for entertainment news. >> primal consideration provided by -- before we go, one more memory of debbie reynolds. we talked to her in 1996 and asked her how she always remained so upbeat. she was truly unsinkable until the very end. >> you've got to fight, you know? you don't want to go down with the hits. you might take the punch. life sometimes fails su
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oh, hey, if you guys are free this weekend, i won a night of wine tasting from work. that sounds fun. mm-hmm. how come scientists don't win free stuff like salespeople do? 'cause we're not in it for the stuff. we're in it for the groupies. sheldon: personally, i find the notion of external rewards demeaning. i pursue science for the intrinsic joy of discovery. but you always say that you want to win a nobel prize. i also say don't contradict me in front of my friends, but that you don't remember. all right, well, let me know if you guys want to go. i would love to. i do enjoy the complexity of an aged pinot noir. i'm sure that would pair nicely with your fried nuggets of chicken. well, it sounds like a nice night. we should go. wine again? yeah, no, thank you. i like my grapes the old-fashioned way: in a juice box. well, i'm going. you couldn't stop me from getting a massage at the mall, and you're not stopping me now.
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