Showbiz This Week

Food Network Goes Live in New York; Jason Biggs Takes 'Loser' to Theaters; Harrison Ford and Michelle Pfeiffer Star in 'What Lies Beneath'

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

BILL TUSH, HOST: Coming up on SHOWBIZ THIS WEEKEND, Harrison Ford finds more than Michelle Pfeiffer in the new thriller "What Lies Beneath."

And "American Pie"'s Jason Biggs tries to convince an "American Beauty" that he's no "Loser."

What an exciting event. SHOWBIZ today is at Chelsea Piers in New York. This is Jacqui Malouf, who will be hosting at Food Network Live, which is an event that travels around the country. But it's here in New York right now. You're hosting "Ready, Set, Cook."

JACQUI MALOUF, CO-HOST, "HOT OFF THE GRILL WITH BOBBY FLAY": Yes.

TUSH: Four episodes of it tonight.

MALOUF: We've got some of the best chefs in Manhattan. It will be kind of the -- it's really the world's first cooking game show. And this is the home version...

TUSH: I know, I...

MALOUF: ... so people get to come and taste, play along.

TUSH: I never thought of a home version of that. That would be a great idea.

MALOUF: There you go.

TUSH: That would be a good idea. Anyway, you're going to take us over there and show us where you do all the cooking and stuff. But look at all these restaurants and beverage manufacturers.

MALOUF: Smells incredible in here, it really does.

TUSH: Oh, man, we need smell-o-vision here. You know what I often do with the Food Network? I get home late and I don't want to cook or eat, I just watch it for an hour and go to bed.

MALOUF: It's great. People tell me that they keep it on like they radio. TUSH: Yes.

MALOUF: You know, it's kind of replaced that, that ambient thing that they have going all the time. They work to it. It's fantastic.

TUSH: All right, we're going to go and meet Harrison Ford and Michelle Pfeiffer and Amber Valetta...

MALOUF: OK.

TUSH: ... Valetta -- I've got to get that right because I met her a few months ago. They're in a new movie called "What lies Beneath."

MALOUF: It looks scary.

TUSH: No, it's a big scary. It's very scary.

And here's Sherry -- here's Sherry "who's not scary" Sylvester to tell us about it. And then we're going to see where you're going to do your show later.

MALOUF: Great.

TUSH: OK, Jacqui, thanks.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, "WHAT LIES BENEATH")

PFEIFFER: I heard noises.

FORD: What kind of noises, where?

PFEIFFER: At the house. I was scared.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SHERRI SYLVESTER, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): You'll scream when you see what they did last summer. That's the idea, anyway. And preview screenings of "What Lies Beneath" have resulted in audience yelps as Michelle Pfeiffer and Harrison Ford play with the paranormal.

FORD: It's surprising the number of times that people are actually moved to a lack of control.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, "WHAT LIES BENEATH")

PFEIFFER: There's a in my house.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PFEIFFER: I think they are really hungry for this type of scary movie, because there is a whole audience out that just doesn't want to see people just get slashed up. SYLVESTER: When the two stars came to the Vermont set last August, Pfeiffer revealed her own fears about filming to director Robert Zemeckis.

PFEIFFER: I really am scared of the water. Bob, I'm really, I'm phobic about the water. You don't understand. So they sent over a scuba diving instructor. And then he called me night, and he said, "You know, I'm beginning to get the feeling that you really are afraid of the water."

ZEMECKIS: She's in these rigs, which are like sinking, and, you know, it's like, and it's scary, and there are all these safety divers around. You know, the whole thing is unnerving.

SYLVESTER: Ford takes the plunge as well, and so does Amber Valletta, whose ghostly reflection is seen in every drop of H2O. The supermodel-turned-actress performed most of her own underwater stunts.

VALLETTA: There was one that was shot at pretty deep -- about 20 to 15 feet of water -- which doesn't sound that bad, but it is when you get down there, and they take the regulator out of your mouth and they're like, "OK, action," and you have to perform.

FORD: I don't get any special praise, because I'm not afraid of the water, so it wasn't really a big deal.

SYLVESTER (on camera): You're not afraid of anything.

FORD: Oh, yes I am.

SYLVESTER: Whenever I talk to you about these things, the Indiana Jones films, you're like, oh, no, the snakes don't bother me -- the rats, that's OK. Do you have any height fears or any...

FORD: Yes, I do. In fact, I do. I have a bit of a fear of heights, and getting near the edge often takes some steeling,

SYLVESTER (voice-over): And Ford and Pfeiffer both admit they have been spooked by scary movies.

PFEIFFER: "The Exorcist" really terrified me.

FORD: The last film I can honestly say scared me was "Bambi" What happened to Bambi's family really terrorized me.

SYLVESTER: And a deer-caught-in-the-headlights fear is exactly what audiences should feel this time around.

Sherri Sylvester, CNN, Los Angeles.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

TUSH: Up next, Josh Ryan Evans says size doesn't matter when it comes to taking on big acting roles.

And Nine Days tells the story of a girl and a band. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: New York City, welcome back to Food Network Live. This is a really big event. I think we have about 1,800 people in this room -- 1,800 fanatic, crazy Food Network fans -- and you're one of them.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TUSH: This is where Jacqui will be cooking a little bit later on -- well, you won't be cooking. Your hosting the show.

MALOUF: Yes.

TUSH: Sorry, it's something wrong with my neck. OK, don't worry about it. Anyway...

MALOUF: What...

TUSH: That's such an old gag. Anyway...

You know, we do -- we are serving champagne down at Food Network Live. It's getting crazy.

TUSH: I just got here. I just got here. OK, all right, I watch the show, I really do. And I'm always amazed by these people -- now clarify this for me -- when the people come from the audience and they join the chefs, they have so much money to go pick out certain ingredients, the chefs don't know...

MALOUF: They have $10.

TUSH: ... what they are. Ten dollars?

MALOUF: And they have a bag full of secret ingredients. The rules are that you have to use every ingredient in the bag, they have to make a gourmet meal in 18 minutes, and they get extra points for using the pantry items. And the audience decides by round of applause who wins.

TUSH: I'm amazed by that.

MALOUF: It's like "Gladiator" but with food.

TUSH: The other night I had to make Rice-a-Roni in my mouth. Isn't that depressing?

And we're going to meet Josh Ryan Evans.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

GLORIA HILLARD, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): These days, Josh Ryan Evans' day in the life begins this way.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hi, Josh.

JOSH EVANS, ACTOR: Hey.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: How are you?

EVANS: OK.

I leave for New York Friday.

I want to make it.

You're just that, that little spark in my day.

HILLARD: Josh plays Timmy on the NBC daytime soap "Passions."

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, "PASSIONS")

EVANS: Timmy thinks your plans got foiled again.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HILLARD: He's also a recurring character on Fox TV's "Ally McBeal."

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, "ALLY MCBEAL")

CALISTA FLOCKHART, ACTRESS: You don't even know what punitive means. How old are you?

EVANS: I'll be 10 in less than a month.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HILLARD: Josh, who was born with a rare growth condition, is 18 years old, and as a result of his small physical stature is often cast as a child. But talk with him and he sounds older than 18.

EVANS: When I was younger I realized life was precious and not to take it for granted and to enjoy the good times, and to take everything with a grain of salt, because if you don't, it's going to build up, it's going to push you down.

HILLARD: Josh attributes his philosophy in life to having had three heart surgeries by the time he was 12. In his dressing room, you'll find clues to what inspired him to become an actor.

EVANS: I was sick, and I used to watch "Star Wars" a lot, and it would take me away into the fantasy world of the galaxy far, far away, and I would feel good when I was there. I would feel like the characters would, and I thought if I could do that for one other kid or one other person, it would be worth a lot to myself.

Cool, fan mail.

HILLARD: When he answers his fan mail, he thinks about when he was the fan, how the stories on the screen transported him to another world. He signs every letter and picture, "dream big."

EVANS: Because I dream of big things, but I don't dream of being big, and I think everybody should dream as big as possible. Dreams are what make the world great.

HILLARD: That's how Josh Ryan Evans sees the world.

Gloria Hillard, CNN Entertainment News, Los Angeles.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

TUSH: Sara Moulton, you know her from Cooking Live on the Food Network. She's been there four years doing this show. And today you're showing the folks here to make what?

SARA MOULTON, HOST, "COOKING LIVE": Lobster nachos. We put our guacamole down in the platter and top it with our lobster and surround it with our chips, and then we make sour cream -- spicy sour cream to go on top.

TUSH: Sounds so easy. Now you know what, I've never learned -- this sounds really like I'm from the sticks, but I've never learned how to crack lobsters or eat lobsters. Therefore, I never eat lobster.

MOULTON: Oh, you've got to get over it. It's so delicious. You just need lobster crackers.

TUSH: I'll just take a bite out of this avocado.

All right, we're going to the movies now and see a film called "Loser." It's from Amy Heckerling, who did "Fast Times at Ridgemont High," and Sherri Sylvester talked with the stars of the film and Amy all about another new teen movie -- which I'm sure you go to all of them.

MOULTON: I do all the time, yes.

TUSH: I never miss them myself.

MOULTON: Spare time, yes.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SYLVESTER (voice-over): Sure, they play a couple of college outcasts, but it's hard to believe that Jason Biggs or Mena Suvari ever lost a popularity contest. Still, in promoting a film called "Loser," a bit of self-deprecation is in order. First up, "American Beauty's" Suvari.

(on camera): There's a nasty rumor going around the hallway here that you didn't go to your prom.

MENA SUVARI, ACTRESS: Oh, that's nasty. Yes, I didn't. I mean, you know, I came out here from South Carolina. And so, I was turning 15. And I started my high school out here. And I had one or two friends and never really -- no, didn't have any boyfriends or anything.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, "LOSER")

JASON BIGGS, ACTOR: Let me try that one again.

UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: No man, that's good. It'll work.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SYLVESTER (voice-over): Biggs, whose fame came in "American Pie," says acting auditions have given him those feelings of rejection. He got his start in commercials and remembers one disastrous cereal shoot.

BIGGS: And I was playing in the junior football league that had a game on Sunday. And I tore ligaments in my left foot on Sunday. And we had to go back and continue filming on Monday. And Monday was a scene where I get dropped through this little graham-cracker cave. And we had to do it like 10 times. And the producers were mad at me and my mom because I was hurting, obviously.

SYLVESTER: These days, the pain comes from their fictional characters. Biggs and Suvari signed on for "Loser" in order to work together. Both appeared in "American Pie," but they shared no screen time.

SUVARI: When I heard that he was, you know, part of the project, I was just really, really eager. And I was hoping that they wouldn't see another "American Pie" with both of us and that they would give us a chance.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, "LOSER")

SUVARI: I'm calling about the ad for healthy girls with good SAT scores.

UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: You should take your clothes off in there.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SYLVESTER: In "Loser," they come together as commiserating misfits, as written and directed by Amy Heckerling. These have-nots counter the rich kids of her film "Clueless" and were inspired by her own life.

AMY HECKERLING, WRITER/DIRECTOR: That was much closer to what I experienced. And I assume that there's other people out there experiencing the same thing.

SYLVESTER: A film about financial-aid kids in a season of big- budget blockbusters is risky, but "American Pie" was a sleeper hit last summer, and another "Pie" is in the works.

BIGGS: I don't know what's going to happen with that. But, you know, there's little I won't do to get the chance to get to work with that same cast again, that's for sure. SYLVESTER: Sherri Sylvester, CNN, Los Angeles.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

TUSH: Still to come, Matthew Perry makes "Friends" with a hitman, played by Bruce Willis, as "The Whole Nine Yards" shoots its way into video stores.

And Nine Days is having a ball, thanks to a hit song.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The misconception with a lot of people is that all chilies are spicy, which is not the case. This is a guarjillo chili. It's called guarjillo and it's very tart and almost, like, cherry-like. It has a fruity flavor, almost like a cherry or a cranberry -- really, really nice.

This is a spicier chili. It's called chili neco (ph), and it's got an enormous smoky flavor. It tastes like -- whatever you're putting it with tastes like it was sitting on the grill forever.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TUSH: All right, Curtis Aiken...

CURTIS AIKEN, HOST, "PICK OF THE DAY": Yes, yes, yes.

TUSH: ... from Conyers, Georgia.

AIKEN: Conyers, Georgia, in the house -- hi, mom.

TUSH: Old buddy of mine.

AIKEN: I'm on CNN with Mr. Jim Nabors (ph). What's up, baby?

TUSH: Nothing -- "Calling All Cooks," that's what's up..

AIKEN: "Calling All Cooks," that's the new show, right, right.

TUSH: Yes, that's your new show.

AIKEN: I'll be co-hosting that.

TUSH: What is that all about?

AIKEN: Well, we go to folks' houses and find great recipes with good stories. So it's like, a guy that -- a guy that got his fiance over, like, a corn bred, a good Southern corn bread or chitlins in my case. My first -- no, I'm kidding. You know that.

TUSH: I've never had chitlins. I always wondered what they were.

AIKEN: Mom, can we go get some chilies for Bill for New Year?

TUSH: What are chitlins?

AIKEN: What are chitlins?

TUSH: Pig guts or something.

AIKEN: Exactly.

TUSH: All right.

AIKEN: It's soul food.

TUSH: All right.

AIKEN: It's food for the soul. But I don't eat meat, so I...

TUSH: So you don't even eat the stuff you cook?

AIKEN: Well, I -- I eat the stuff I cook. On my show, the present show, "Pick of the Day," is totally meat free. And I eat everything I cook. My kids I let eat anything.

TUSH: OK.

AIKEN: You know, they're at grandma's house right now in Conyers, and she's doing fried chicken, halibut and black-eyed peace.

TUSH: Oh, boy. Sounds good, sound good to me. I miss that cooking.

AIKEN: Oh, you and me both.

TUSH: Yes, but my wife's Southern so I still get it.

AIKEN: Oh, yes?

TUSH: Oh, yes.

AIKEN: But we're have having a blast tonight. Food Network Live, which is going to get out kicking tonight...

TUSH: All right.

AIKEN: ... we're going to keep it real as the guys up at 125th Street say, you know?

TUSH: All right, we're going take a break here, Curtis...

AIKEN: You all come down. Keep it real.

TUSH: ... and, by the way, if, you know, you can't get to New York for this because it's right now, look in the paper in your town and Curtis will show up somewhere.

AIKEN: Oh, yes. And I'm going to get Bill on stage with me. TUSH: No you're not.

AIKEN: Yes, you're going to cook with me. What's that pretty chick out there in L.A. that hangs with you? What's her name, that works with you on the show?

TUSH: Laurin Sydney.

AIKEN: Yes, that's my girl.

TUSH: She's in New York.

AIKEN: Oh, she's in New York? Wrong coast -- sorry, Laurin, but you're fine. You're fine, Laurin.

TUSH: All right, Dennis Michael's got our home video preview. I hang with him a lot, too.

AIKEN: Dennis Michael?

TUSH: Yes, Dennis has got a home video preview with "The Whole Nine Yards." Bruce Willis is in it. You're a funny guy.

AIKEN: Did you like that? Did you like that?

TUSH: I did like that movie.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DENNIS MICHAEL, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): If ever there was a film that was less than the sum of its parts, it's "Angela's Ashes." Based on the bestseller, the movie attempts to translate the memoir about poverty in Ireland into a satisfying movie. The translation part is very well-done, with all the production elements done to a turn and an exquisite performance by Emily Watson in the title role. The problem is in making the movie satisfying. It isn't. So if you're really looking for a movie that's going to leave you tired and bummed out, this is it.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, "THE WHOLE NINE YARDS")

MATTHEW PERRY, ACTOR: What got into him?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MICHAEL: On the other hand, as lightweight movie trifles go, "The Whole Nine Yards" pays off handsomely. Matthew Perry plays a timid dentist in the world's worst marriage who discovers a hitman, Bruce Willis, has moved in next door. "The Whole Nine Yards" manages to keep coming up with clever comic twists and turns. Michael Clarke Duncan and Natasha Henstridge deserve honorable mention for flawless work in supporting roles.

If you're really looking for a movie that will leave you laughing, this is it.

See you at the rental counter.

Dennis Michael, CNN Entertainment News, Hollywood.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

TUSH: Two of the hottest restaurants in New York, Tribeca Grill and Nobu -- which I've been trying to get into for a year -- Don Pintabona and Edwin Ferrari. This is the head chef of Nobu and the executive chef at Nobu and Tribeca Grill.

DON PINTABONA, CHEF, TRIBECA GRILL: I'm at Tribeca Grill. It's great. And Edwin's at Nobu. He does fine Japanese food.

TUSH: So I can't get into Nobu, so I need to talk to him.

PINTABONA: He's the man.

TUSH: All right, Don, nice talking to you. No, just kidding. Anyway, we should mention that the owner of both of these places is, one of the owners, Robert De Niro. Does he come in these places?

PINTABONA: Oh, both, yes.

TUSH: What does he like to eat?

PINTABONA: Oh, a range of foods. I know he loves sushi and I know he loves Edwin's food, Nobu's food. And he eats more Italian style when he comes by me.

TUSH: Ask you this, tonight, what do you -- you guys are competing against each other tonight?

PINTABONA: That's right.

EDWIN FERRARI, CHEF, NOBU: In the "Ready, Set, Cook Off," yes.

TUSH: Oh, you're doing the "Ready, Set, Cook" thing. Oh, so you don't know what you'll be cooking there.

PINTABONA: No, no, we're about to find out. Come join us.

TUSH: I love that show. We just talked to Jacqui, who is hosting it tonight.

PINTABONA: Yes, oh, she's great. We're going to have a lot of fun.

TUSH: OK, good to meet you guys.

PINTABONA: Excellent, thank you.

TUSH: I can get a seat at Nobu now, right?

FERRARI: I'll do my best. TUSH: I'll be outside. I know I'll be outside.

PINTABONA: Enjoy.

TUSH: OK, thanks so much.

We're going to meet Nine Days, a new band that we talked to in Central Park. We kind of played football with them.

PINTABONA: Great.

TUSH: Yes, you should have been there. I had so much fun. Laurin Sydney...

PINTABONA: Can I say I was?

TUSH: Huh? Oh, yes, he was there. He was there.

Laurin Sydney also played quarterback.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOHN HAMPSON, NINE DAYS (singing): This is the story of a girl who cried a river and drowned the whole world...

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LAURIN SYDNEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): And this is the real story of how the lead singer of Nine Days was inspired to pen their breakthrough hit after a fight with his girlfriend. .

HAMPSON: And I just thought to myself, you know, as much as she drives me nuts, I just -- I love this girl. When she's smiling and she's happy, I'm just in love with her. And as cheesy and corny as it sounds, that's just where it came from. I mean, like I went over, I started singing the chorus in my head, and I picked up the guitar, and the song kind of wrote itself.

SYDNEY: And here's Nine Days on an off-day, showing that these days, life is a walk in the park for the Long Island-based band, which formed in 1995 and fumbled about the local bar scene waiting for their call up to the big leagues.

HAMPSON: Just about every single record company passed on us at least once.

SYDNEY: The big reason record labels kept passing them over?

HAMPSON: We don't hear the hit. We don't hear the single.

SYDNEY: So the boys huddled together and put out a couple of independent LPs. After winning some local battle of the bands contests, they were on their way. BRIAN DESVEAUX, NINE DAYS: One of them we won some studio time with, and we did a third CD, and that just got -- got everything started, got our name our there and stuff.

SYDNEY: Not too long after, "Absolutely: The Story of a Girl" made a spike on radio play lists.

DESVEAUX: We were just, I guess, watching the amount of times it's been played on the radio, and it just kept building and building.

SYDNEY: The song has been featured on the WB's "Dawson's Creek," and...

VINCENT TATTANELLI, NINE DAYS: I think it's No. 4 on VH1. It's getting some MTV play.

But how has life changed? People will do things a lot faster for you now.

SYDNEY: As for the story of how the band got their name?

HAMPSON: And that's where we got the name of the band from is -- you can edit this, right?

(LAUGHTER)

(CROSSTALK)

SYDNEY: But really...

HAMPSON: It took nine days to get our first record done, our first sort of identity music-wise. And it just sort of stuck.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HAMPSON (singing): This is the story of a girl who cried a river and drowned the whole world...

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(END VIDEOTAPE)

TUSH: This is Tyler Lawrence, who's host of "Food 911" on the network. Look at this guy. Look at this. This is our audio man. Look at him.

TYLER FLORENCE, HOST, "FOOD 911": How's the pasta?

TUSH: Pigging out. Bring a camera crew anywhere, you know, it's like we really had to fight to get a crew to come here, I'm telling you.

FLORENCE: That's all the ziti and good times you want to have.

TUSH: "Food 911" is what, very quickly? Obviously an emergency? FLORENCE: It's a food emergency program. We go all across the country. We solve food emergencies from filagra (ph) to lasagna to meat loaf to sweet potato souffle.

TUSH: I can't tell you how many filagra emergencies I run into.

FLORENCE: On a day-to-day basis, right?

TUSH: Oh, easily. I had a filagra sandwich yesterday.

FLORENCE: America needs a show like this, I'm telling you.

TUSH: This is a fun event. This was good. We had a good time.

FLORENCE: Well, fantastic. I appreciate you coming.

TUSH: All right, I'm going to get some 911 emergency tips from you.

FLORENCE: And check out the lasagna over there. It's really good.

TUSH: Oh, is it better than the ziti?

FLORENCE: Better than the ziti.

TUSH: I don't know where to start.

Hey, we got to run. That's SHOWBIZ for this weekend. Don't forget "SHOWBIZ TODAY" weekdays at 4:30. Tyler Florence from "Food 911" -- remember the number. See you next time.

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