Return to Transcripts main page

ISSUES WITH JANE VELEZ-MITCHELL

Theories Emergence in Murder of Ronni Chasen; Is the Jawbone Natalee`s?

Aired November 19, 2010 - 19:00:00   ET

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


JANE VELEZ-MITCHELL, CNN HOST: Tonight -- a startling theory emerges in the murder of Hollywood publicist Ronni Chasen. Sources tell "The Hollywood Reporter" cops think this was a planned hit and Chasen was targeted by a shooter who trailed her down Sunset Boulevard. Why would anyone want to murder one of the most legendary publicists in all of Hollywood?

Plus, anticipation mounts in the Natalee Holloway investigation. What will results of a DNA tests on a jawbone discovered on an Aruban beach show? Will they finally provide some closure in the mysterious and tragic disappearance of the Alabama teen?

And yet another celebrity couple heads to splitsville. Eva Longoria and Tony Parker suddenly file for divorce. Has texting -- that`s right, texting -- taken down another superstar marriage? You won`t believe who could have been behind their breakup. "Issues" starts now.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Usually people in Hollywood hate each other. It`s sort of a good morning. And they loved Ronni, partly though it was because she was a woman with who defied the trend of once you`re over 30 you`re done in Hollywood. She was 60-something and going strong and arguably kind of hitting her peak.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Tonight, stunning clues emerge in the murder of famed Hollywood publicist Ronni Chasen. Chasen was riddled with bullets while driving along a quiet mansion-filled street in an ultra-exclusive section of Beverly Hills. And now "The Hollywood Reporter" sources say police believe this attack was planned in advance and not road rage or a random hit.

If true, why would anyone want this popular Hollywood PR legend dead? New information in "The Hollywood Reporter" suggests Chasen was waiting to turn left when she was shot. Also that her killer might have pulled up next to her possibly in an SUVI and fired from up high down below to her Mercedes through the passenger`s side window. Now HLN has not confirmed that information.

Chasen`s new Mercedes crashed into a light pole after the shooting. You`ll see it right there, slammed into a light pole. First responders found her slumped over and bleeding profusely. Just a few minutes before, she had been at a premiere party for Sony Pictures` "Burlesque" starring Cher and Christina Aguilera. Here is a clip of that film.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHER, SINGER: You never told me you could sing like that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: L.A. cops say they`re working 24 hours a day round the clock on this one trying to figure out who might have had it in for this popular 64-year-old unmarried Hollywood publicist who was a legend. But it`s looking for and more like somebody might have wanted her dead. Why?

Straight out to my fantastic expert panel, we begin with CNN producer Alan Duke. Alan, I know we got some have breaking news from the mayor of Beverly Hills. What is the very latest?

ALAN DUKE, CNN PRODUCER: Well, it seems the mayor actually was the source of "The Hollywood Reporter" information yesterday. Last night, also speaking to local reporters saying that it was his understanding from talking with the police chief that it was a planned attack apparently from an SUV as you said. But this morning the mayor, his press secretary and the police chief were all backtracking on that.

The police chief just a short time ago sent me a statement saying erroneous information, theories and speculation have been reported in the media. We should be patient because they really don`t know. They have not ruled out, it might have been road rage. They`ve not ruled out that it was more ruled in, a planned attack. Mayor Jimmy Delshad of Beverly Hills spoke too soon, according to his press secretary.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: I know everybody in that area is rattled and, in fact, the police chief of Beverly Hills is assuring the public, hey, this was a rare, isolated incident and your community is one of the safest in the nation. In fact, somebody called this Hollywood`s 9/11.

Could Ronni Chasen`s killer have simply pulled up alongside her and opened fire? Now, you just heard all of this debate and discussion over "The Hollywood Reporter" claiming that its sources say cops think this was planned in advance and not the result of road rage or a carjacking gone wrong.

Apparently their source was the mayor, Beverly Hills, and now he`s backtracking saying, well, that was something that we may have deduced but we don`t know for sure what the heck happened here. Mike Brooks, HLN law enforcement analyst, what I find interesting is that they had no bullet casings on the ground implying that the casings fell back into the vehicle from which the shooter was shooting. That it wasn`t like he was standing on the street, it was like he drove by, and the casings went right in his vehicle.

MIKE BROOKS, HLN LAW ENFORCEMENT ANALYIST: That`s what it sounds like, Jane, because that`s one of the first things I talked about, was evidence possibly from the scene, possible shell casings. But we`re not hearing about any shell casings, so yes, it does sound that way. But you know, I find it interesting that the mayor, he comes out but then he`s backtracking because the police probably told him, shut your mouth. Because remember police officers, the chief of police in Beverly Hills, they work for the mayor. They work under the guise of the mayor. So was the mayor briefed and then he put some information out there that law enforcement maybe didn`t want out there? That remains to be seen. But the surveillance videos along Sunset, along Whittier, in that neighborhood are going to be extremely important, Jane.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: How big is the shooting of Ronni Chasen. A Hollywood publicist and friend of Ronni Chasen, Michael Levine, called it Hollywood`s 9/11. Listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Do you have any idea who would with want to do this?

MICHAEL LEVINE, FRIEND OF CHASEN: No. No, I don`t. She had a very good reputation, very likeable, very well respected in the community. Her real passion in life, besides her work, was movies. So she is very, very well entrenched in the movie industry.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: So here`s my big issue. Who might have wanted her dead? Given this theory which is now in dispute by "The Hollywood Reporter" that this may not have been a random shooting, you have to ask the question. Cops seized her computer, they seized her notes. Is it possible they found evidence that somebody had it out for her?

We`re going to go straight out to celebrity publicist Howard Bragman. Howard, you knew Ronni Chasen, and like her you`re a top publicist, you worked with her, you know the old saying, you`ll never eat lunch in this town again. When you make an enemy in Hollywood, it can be a very intense experience. Do you have any idea who might have had it out for this woman who represented it, let`s face it, composers and artists?

HOWARD BRAGMAN, PUBLICIST: No. You know, Jane, it`s one thing to have an enemy in this town, but this woman was murdered in cold blood. And that goes beyond enemy. There`s really two big fears in the PR community. One that we`ll find out who murdered her and it had something to do with the course of business. That will really scare the tar out of all of us in the PR business. And the other fear is that we won`t find out who did it and we`ll all be nervous because this town has been on edge for the last few days since we heard about this.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Now, as a publicist, I know because I`ve dealt with many, many publicists over the years, they`ve got to say no. I mean, how many times has a publicist said to me, no, you can`t interview my client. Is it possible that she may have angered somebody because, again, publicists sometimes have to play the bad guy and say, no, you can`t do this, you can`t do that. No, I won`t give you access to so-and-so.

BRAGMAN: I can`t believe that. And as you said, Ronni represented composers, screenwriters, producers. I mean, I have to tell you, you know, through the years, I`ve represented a number of controversial clients, and I have had some death threats. I`ve had some nasty e-mails. But I represent a very different kind of caseload than Ronni did. When you look at her kind of clients, no one frankly can imagine it happening through the course of business.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Well, this sounds like some kind of Hollywood movie. It reminds me of the movie "The Player". Remember "The Player?"

BRAGMAN: It`s a great Hollywood mystery. That`s what we have here. A true Hollywood mystery.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Let`s hope it`s solved. It really is heartbreaking. And so many people right in that area, it`s one of the most exclusive areas, so nervous right now. This is no ordinary crime scene. You`re talking about a quiet tree-lined street with multi million-dollar mansions that had been considered safe. The murder scene is only a short drive from Rodeo Drive. It`s filled with industry moguls, well-established stars. Cops are checking surveillance cameras from the homes in the area. According to "The Hollywood Reporter," that includes the home of Sherry Hackett. She is the widow of the late comedian and actor, Buddy Hackett. Remember this very much loved man, funny man?

Kim Serapin, senior editor for "In Touch Weekly," tell us about this area and the people who live in it.

KIM SERAPIN, SR. EDITOR, IN TOUCH WEEKLY: I mean, anyone who has ever lived in L.A. or probably been in L.A. has driven to this area on one with of those star tours. You always see those buses going through this area. Exclusive neighborhood, multi-million dollar homes and it`s a well-traveled street, this Whittier Drive runs between Sunset and Wilshire Boulevard right by the Beverly Hills Hotel where the Golden Globes are held. A lot of people take that street during the day, especially. It`s a very well- traveled street. But because a lot of these homes are multimillion-dollar homes, there are a lot of security systems, and obviously that`s what the police are looking for to go to some of these security cameras that are all in this area. But Beverly Hills had two homicides this year. No homicides last year. Both of the homicides this year were solved. So this is just crazy to hear that this would happen in this neighborhood where murder is just -- it doesn`t happen in Beverly Hells.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Ten seconds, Howard Bragman, has this rattled the people of Beverly Hills and the Hollywood industry?

BRAGMAN: We`re all freaked out beyond belief. I`ve been getting calls from friends and family around the country, are you all right? Are people after you? We need to find out what happened. We need to find justice for Ronni`s memory. And really go on and move beyond this because this has been a horrible week in Hollywood, by every measure.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: It is awful, Howard, always great to see you. Everyone, thank you.

Stay right where you are, we`ve got more on this scary shootout of Hollywood publicist Ronni Chasen.

Plus, is it Natalee Holloway? We are awaiting the results on the jawbone found in Aruba. What, if anything, will it tell us? Will it solve the case of the missing Alabama teen that has haunted us for five long years.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I would be surprised if he told the truth this time. I think his pattern is the same pattern, try and lie and get his way out of it. He`s tried to avoid this justice system for a long time, and, you know, I`m afraid it`s going to come back and haunt him someday.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LT. TONY LEE, BEVERLY HILLS POLICE DEPT: We don`t have crimes like this in the city of Beverly Hills so is it a surprise to us. We`ve got numerous investigators at the scene that are trying to piece this thing together. We don`t have a motive at this time. We don`t have any suspect information.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Los Angeles police reassuring the public that the murder of famed publicist Ronni Chasen was an isolated incident, but that does not explain who killed this woman out of the blue while she was driving her car through Beverly Hills some time after midnight. Mike Brooks, HLN law enforcement analyst, I know they`re checking the video cameras in the area of the mansions, including the home of the late Buddy Hackett.

BROOKS: Right.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: And his wife. What are they going to do from this point on if they don`t catch somebody on tape? How are they going to figure this out?

BROOKS: Well, that`s going to be interesting. One of the things they can do, go back and talk to the people who originally heard the shots who called 911 from where they live, try to find out where exactly the crime scene is. And I`m sure they`ve been over that crime scene with metal detectors looking for any shell casings, any evidence at all. They did find some broken glass. But it`s going to be difficult.

I think maybe that`s why they were concerned with the mayor putting information out there possibly about an SUV. But they can tell from the trajectory of the rounds probably into her body from the passenger`s side what kind of angle the shots came from. We don`t know the caliber of the weapon, anything at all like this. So they`re holding everything very close to the vest. I think they should. But I guarantee they`re going to get some video surveillance, I guarantee that. They can have that enhanced if they do get some, Jane.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Kim Serapin, you remember during the O.J. Simpson case where people came out of the woodwork and said, I saw his white SUV going around Bundy at that hour, even an area that seems to be completely deserted. There`s got to be some eyeballs.

That`s what I`m wondering is, is there somebody out there who doesn`t realize they saw something significant? Because we all remember the O.J. Simpson case, very similar kind of neighborhood, quiet, tree lined, nice houses. And a couple of people later came forward, unfortunately some of them sold their stories to the tabloids, but they did come forward and said, yeah, I saw that car going through an intersection.

SERAPIN: Yes, exactly. I think that`s what people are hoping for. And especially because she apparently left Dre`s nightclub at the W Hotel in Hollywood around midnight. They sort of have figured this out. And this happened around 12:30. So something could have happened along that stretch. Now this area where she was shot is very deserted, very residential, but she did pass through Hollywood where there are a lot of people out on the Sunset Strip. So I think that`s why they`re putting the information out there. They want information from people who might have seen something.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Five major studios have agreed to pay for a memorial honoring Ronni Chasen after her funeral this Sunday in Los Angeles. That funeral is sure to be a who`s who of Hollywood.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Very tragic. I`m stunned by that.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: She loved actors, that`s for sure. And that was one great thing about her. You know, you kind of love the buzz and the craziness of this nutty business we`re in.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, she`s full of life and really energetic and great, and you know it`s one of those things I still haven`t quite adjusted to, like, that really happened here last night? It just seems impossible.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Howard Bragman, celebrity publicist, you knew Ronni Chasen, you worked with her. Tell us about her. What was she like?

BRAGMAN: You know, Ronni was one with of the old pros. Somebody said, well, maybe she was one of those nasty people. Ronni was anything but. There`s about -- if people are shooting nasty publicists, Jane, I can give you a list of 25 that could go ahead of Ronni.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: I could, too. I`ve got a long list myself of all the nasty publicist who have hung up the phone on me. Go ahead.

BRAGMAN: A very important photographer in town called me the morning after and he said, you know, with Ronni, you always knew you where you stood. You didn`t always agree with her, but you always knew you where you stood.

She was very independent. She loved this business. She ate, slept, and drank this business. That`s what her life was about. You know, part of this whole shock to our system is that it happened to Ronni, you know? She`s like the last one on any kind of list you think is going to be murdered. You know, the buzz around town has been that this is some sort of hit. I mean, there were five bullets in a very tight pattern, small caliber.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: In her chest.

BRAGMAN: In her chest. Let me say something else, Jane. There`s some politics going on here. Beverly Hills has very few murders as we`ve discussed. The Beverly Hills police allegedly have not reached out to L.A. County, L.A. city police departments. They`re trying to do this on their own. And a lot of people are questioning that because they don`t have the experience of a city like L.A. with its hundreds of murders a year.

But I can tell you a couple of things. Number one, they have a very aggressive investigation going on. Number two, they do have some information. I think they do know what type of vehicle the shots happened from. I think they`re pretty clear on where it happened. Now they have to figure out the why and the who.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Yeah. And let`s face it, Hollywood is no stranger to bizarre intrigue-filled dirty tricks. We all remember the case of Hollywood private eye Anthony Pellicano who is behind bars for wire tapping and offering bribes to get dirt on celebrities. And what struck me about that case, Mike Brooks, is that he put a dead fish with a rose in its mouth and put that with a note that said "stop" on the car of an "L.A. Times" reporter who was writing an expose about some of his famous clients. So sometimes things can get very, very bizarre in Hollywood.

BROOKS: Yeah, they can for sure.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: You know, we are just about out of time on this, but I do pray for those who live in the area and for really the peace and serenity of everybody in Hollywood that they figure this out soon. Thank you so much fantastic panel.

A split nobody saw coming. Hollywood A-lister Eva Longoria files for divorce from husband Tony Parker. Did texting/infidelity cause the breakup?

Plus, testing on the jawbone found in Aruba will be complete any moment now. Will it turn out to be Natalee Holloway?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BETH HOLLOWAY, MOTHER OF NATALEE HOLLOWAY: You know, I want to move on in my life, and I cannot close the book and I feel as if we`ve lost your father, we`ve lost another young girl. Joran, you don`t need to lose your life here in prison and be sitting here when you`re 60 years of age and insisting to me that you don`t know what happened. If it was an accident, tell me. You know, I don`t know. I don`t know, but I`m here.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Nancy Grace scores an exclusive by obtaining that amazing video of Beth Holloway confronting the man she believes knows exactly what happened to her precious daughter, Natalee. And Nancy`s timing is extraordinary, considering we`re just about to learn whether a jawbone found on a beach near the hotel in Aruba is indeed Natalee Holloway`s.

Preliminary tests indicate it`s that of a human female. The jawbone now in the hands of forensic experts in the Netherlands who will compare it to dental records and to DNA. Jean Casarez on the ground live in Aruba. Jean, what do we know tonight?

JEAN CASAREZ, CORRESPONDENT: Well, we`re waiting. The entire island of Aruba is waiting. You know, I spoke with the prosecutor`s office several times today, and they said that we are on a waiting pattern, a holding pattern, because it is the Hague in the Netherlands that will definitively give the results of this jawbone with attached tooth, assuming that is what the officials here in Aruba are saying it is. They`re letting the Hague confirm whether it is that of Natalee Holloway.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Who found the jawbone? Where did they find it? We`re looking at supposedly the area that they found it.

CASAREZ: I was there today. We went there. It`s the Phoenix Hotel, it`s along the shoreline is where we heard that a couple from Massachusetts found it. Jane, I`ve got to tell you, first of all, it is a very clean beach so you don`t have a lot of debris coming up in the water or shells or seaweed.

So if there was a jaw with a tooth attached, it would be really visible. You would just see it right there. And another thing that`s pretty fascinating, Jane, do you remember the last story that Joran van der Sloot said about what he did with Natalee Holloway`s body? He said it to a European reality show, that she had fallen off a balcony and was dead. They panicked, they put her in the trunk of a car and came out to the bird sanctuary on the north end ever of the island and put her in the swamp?

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Yeah.

CASAREZ: That swamp, Jane, is about one football field away from the shore where that alleged jaw came in from the water.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Wait a second, Jean. I`ve got to say something. I`m looking at this area right now where supposedly found this jawbone. You`re right it`s a very clean, touristy beach. How does a jawbone just suddenly appear there out of nowhere? Could it have come from the water, in other words, washed up from the waves? But I don`t see that as waves. I see that as one of those nice, quiet beach where the water is very still. So I`m thinking in my mind -- because I always think of the suspicious -- could it have been dropped there by somebody in the dead of night?

CASAREZ: Well, that`s a good point, too. The swamp area that I`m telling you about, the bird sanctuary, we shot that also, that feeds into the ocean. So that also could have remained going into the ocean and then coming very quietly up to the shore right where we were.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: It`s unbelievable, and everybody on pins and needles waiting for the announcement. Jean Casarez, thanks so much. The Nancy Grace team on the ground in Aruba. Stay with us. They will have much more on the Natalee Holloway case at the top off the hour here on HLN.

Inconceivable horror as a kidnapped 13-year-old`s family is found massacred.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Yet another celebrity couple heads to Splitsville. Eva Longoria and Tony Parker suddenly filed for divorce. Has texting, that`s right, texting, taken down another superstar marriage? Who could have been behind their breakup?

Coming up, did texting lead to the breakup of Eva Longoria and Tony Parker`s marriage? That in a minute.

First, a devastating "Top of the Block" tonight.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SHERIFF DAVID BARBER, KNOX COUNTY, OHIO: As a sheriff this county for the past 18 years, I have never experienced a case this big, this serious and this tragic. And in my entire law enforcement career I have never experienced something like this.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is probably the saddest day in Knox County history that I can remember. You know, as elated as we were Sunday morning when Sarah was rescued, I think the tragedy today is just as devastating.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Yesterday we received the dreadful, heart wrenching news that a missing Ohio family was found dead, their bodies thrown in garbage bags and stuffed into a hollowed-out tree. Thirty-two-year-old Tina Herrmann, her 10-year-old son Cody and Tina`s friend 41-year-old Stephanie Sprang all brutally murdered.

Cops imply the man responsible is this guy right here, 30-year-old Matthew Hoffman, a tree trimmer who led them to the tree in the wooded area. Police say the sole survivor of this hellish nightmare, 13-year-old Sarah Maynard, was found gagged and bound in Hoffman`s basement. So far he has only charged with her kidnapping, nothing else.

Mike Brooks, HLN law enforcement analyst, why hasn`t Hoffman been charged with these three gruesome murders yet? Why are they taking this to a grand jury when it seems like an open and shut case because they said he led them to the bodies?

MIKE BROOKS, HLN LAW ENFORCEMENT ANALYST: Exactly. But they want to put together a case that will stick against this guy. He led them to the bodies. We have not heard any cause of death yet, Jane. So the autopsies have to be done and they have to present a case that also supports the evidence that they have so far.

They`re saying four to six weeks for a grand jury. I see it probably a little bit sooner than that. But they`re on the right track. They want to make sure that they have a case that does stick because Ohio is a death penalty state.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Yes, you have to wonder, did they offer to take the death penalty off the table in return for him leading them to the bodies? What do you think?

BROOKS: That`s always a possibility because, you know, we know that he was talking to police, then stopped. He wouldn`t cooperate at all. Then he got an attorney and then all a sudden we have this revelation and he leads law enforcement to the bodies.

So they could have taken it off the table, but then again they might not have. So it`s going to be interesting to see exactly what kind of plea deal they give him, if any.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: One thing I don`t understand. Cops had held out hope for days that`s these three might still be alive after they found the 13- year-old girl in this sicko`s basement. But they also said in the news conference that all this is believed to have happened the very night that they vanished in the home of the victims and that this little girl you`re looking at here was there. So how is it that she was unaware that her family members had been killed -- Mike?

BROOKS: You know, that`s another question that remains unanswered. Law enforcement probably knows, but when they found so much blood evidence in Tina Herrmann`s home, all the beer cans which sounded like maybe he had been there a while, it just said it`s not looking good.

But my question is, Jane, how did he -- how was he able to kill all three of these people? Because I`m sure they were putting up some kind of fight. Did they get drunk first? We just don`t know all the gory -- and I mean gory -- details about what happened in this case.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: And we don`t have a murder weapon. We don`t know if he came in there with some kind of gun and held them while he drank beers and then, you know, massacred them. All we know is that this is a horror and we`re going to stay on top of this horrific story and try to come up with something that we can learn from this horrific violence.

BROOKS: Yes. It really is.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Thank you. Thank you, Mike.

BROOKS: Ok.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

EVA LONGORIA, ACTRESS: Absence makes the heart grow fonder. We`re always missing each other and so when we see each other it`s always happy times. You know, we actually spend a lot of time together. We see each other every week. I fly back and forth; the summers we spend together whether here in Europe or back in Texas. We just -- you know, you have to prioritize and make time.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Oh, those were with the good old days when they were talking about love and romance.

Tonight, tale of the texts: a shocking celebrity divorce gets ugly. Eva Longoria-Parker really is a desperate housewife. She`s apparently desperate to get divorced after allegedly catching her basketball star hubby Tony Parker sexting another woman.

Eva reportedly discovered over a hundred texts between Tony and this woman. Now, guess what? This lady is a fellow basketball wife named Erin Barry.

Here`s where it gets messy. Erin is actually married to Tony`s former Spurs teammate and friend Brent Barry, and she`s supposedly super tight with Eva herself?

In fact, all three of them were such good friends they even recorded a cutesy video together last year that Tony posted on his Web site, spoofing a scene from "Grease". Now this was posted on current.com. Check this out.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

(MUSIC)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Those were the good old days, the good times. That was Erin making a cameo in the pink. Eva had no idea what was going on behind the scenes apparently. Now she`s filed for divorce.

Tell me more, tell me more. It`s no secret that athletes sometimes people cheat but is sexting, texting and Facebook making it a whole lot easier to catch (INAUDIBLE) in the act.

Straight out to my fantastic, expert panel: Melanie Bromley, West Coast editor of "US Weekly". Melanie, give us the latest Scooby-doo on this one.

MELANIE BROMLEY, WEST COAST EDITOR, "US WEEKLY": Well, it`s really, really sad. She`s obviously filed for divorce. We were told earlier in the week that Tony was trying to get back together with Eva, but now I think they both decided that absolutely there is no chance for this relationship.

And it`s sad because Eva was best friends with Erin, and Erin does deny it, but she was best friends with her and also -- so she`s kind of lost a friend as well as losing a husband.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Shanae Hall, you`re the former wife of an NFL player and the author of "Why Do I Have to Think Like a Man?" Very good question.

Here`s what I don`t get. I`ve heard that there`s kind of a sisterhood rule. And the sisterhood rule among the wives, spouses of sports stars is, don`t mess with somebody else on the team. Isn`t that a rule?

SHANAE HALL, FORMER NFL WIFE: Oh, yes. That`s a rule across all -- everyone, though. You don`t mess with somebody that you know. That`s not smart. But I think -- no, no. I think, Jane, the problem here that I have is I don`t think it`s just simply texting or sexting. I actually put in a call to a couple of NBA friends of mine today. There`s a lot more to this story than what we`re talking about right here. So, I`ll just say that.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Can you give me a hint? Is it bigger than a breadbox?

(CROSSTALK)

HALL: It`s definitely bigger than -- it`s -- I would say that she knows more than what we`re talking about, that it`s not a naive Eva Longoria, this sweet damsel in distress that`s just all these text messages are coming out of the woodwork and now I`m filing for divorce. There`s definitely more to this story and it will all come out sooner or later.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Well, you`re tantalizing.

Tony Parker certainly isn`t the first athlete to be taken down by texts. You know who I`m talking about. It`s been just about a year since Tiger Woods` ex-wife Elin discovered some rather racy text messages on Tiger`s phone which led to a Thanksgiving meltdown, chase, et cetera, et cetera, crash. It prompted Tiger to leave this voice mail for one of his alleged mistresses. Remember this?

(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)

TIGER WOODS, PROFESSIONAL GOLVER: Hey, it`s Tiger. I need you to do me a huge favor. Can you please take your name off your phone? My wife went through my phone and may be calling you.

(END AUDIO CLIP)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Dr. Jenn Berman, psychotherapist; host of the "Love Sex Show with Dr. Jenn". Are we seeing in today`s world more and more people being busted by these, their Blackberries, which of course if they leave down a spouse can grab and go through and say, whoa.

DR. JENN BERMAN, PSYCHOTHERAPIST: Absolutely. Technology today provides opportunity and privacy, which makes it so much easier to have an affair. And then you throw in things like social networking and it`s easy to connect with people from your past, it`s easy to connect with your teammates` spouses.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Yes, absolutely. You know, here`s the thing. We all know about athletes. We all know that athletes, well, let`s be real, they have women throwing themselves at them. They are right up there with rock stars in terms of being -- I don`t want to say bait -- but something Melanie Bromley that women have a tendency to go after. A sports star is a prize.

So in a way, can we blame them because they are subjected to so much more temptation than the average dude out there, Melanie?

BROMLEY: Yes, I think we can. I mean, I think that -- you know, I actually interviewed Jamie Grubbs, she`s the lady that had the voice mail from Tiger Woods. You know, I think that the situation is that these sports stars, they become godlike in their world, and this kind of arrogance and believing they can get away with it.

And there are rumors that there may be more women that Tony is linked to; I don`t know if that`s true. But also we know as well with Eva that she had suspected things before. This wasn`t the first time that she has suspected something. So I don`t think she just found the texts and decided to end the marriage on that. There was a history here that kind of forced her to come to this decision.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Now, of course, Tony and Eva, if you want to come on our show and set the record straight, if you don`t agree with anything being said, you are invited. We`ll have you on any time.

Shanae, very quickly, is that kind of what you were referring to when you hinted yes, this is the tip of the iceberg and it`s bigger than a bread box?

HALL: Yes. Definitely. Like I said, Eva knows more than what we`re reporting right now. There have been things in the past that have come out, and things that I got, like I said, via text message today directly from people that play in the NBA.

So it will all come out sooner or later. And what they want to talk about is their personal business, but I don`t want to minimize it and just say, he`s a big bad wolf and she didn`t know anything.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: No, no, no. We`ll have more on this right on the other side, Eva and Tony.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LONGORIA: I always say I work in L.A. but I live in Texas because that`s where my husband is.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LONGORIA: He has a very, very strict basketball schedule and so with myself probably 80 percent of my time is charity and 20 percent is "Desperate Housewives". Yes. I mean it`s a lot. That`s my life`s work.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Tonight, another celebrity couple headed for divorce, Eva Longoria splitting from her basketball star hubby Tony Parker after finding more than 100 scandalous text messages, allegedly, between him and another woman. "US Weekly" reporting the other woman, not only a friend of Eva`s and Tony`s but she`s also married to his former Spurs teammate Brent Barry.

Shouldn`t that be out of bounds? Tonight, that marriage apparently also on the rocks. I understand, Melanie Bromley, that they have two young sons. This is quite messy indeed, Melanie.

BROMLEY: It messy. And what we know actually is that Eva called Erin and confronted her about the texts she found. She actually found hundreds of texts that were sent over the course of one month. So that was a lot, and so she confronted Erin and Erin denied it. But Erin and Brent are getting a divorce.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: I have to say, Dr. Jenn Berman, Eva Longoria is a beautiful woman so we can separate this whole idea of cheating has anything to do with the attractiveness of the spouse that you`re allegedly cheating on. And again, I don`t know the story here. And I invite both parties on to tell their side if they want to because there`s always more than meets the eye.

But I find it fascinating that when you hear about these women being cheated on in general, like Halle Berry. I mean these are some of the most beautiful women on the planet.

BERMAN: And it just goes to show exactly your point that it has nothing to do with the attractiveness of the person that you`re with. It has to do with the quality of the relationship and also clearly with these kind of guys the temptation that they face. It takes a very strong kind of guy to not give in to that temptation.

And there are men out there who don`t, but clearly there were cracks in this relationship and it gave in.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Now, here`s my big issue tonight: SmartPhone -- stupid behavior? Is this all about the phone, or is it really about the opportunity? Athletes, as I mentioned, they`re like rock stars. They have groupies.

Do you remember Wilt Chamberlain who bragged that he had sex with more than 10,000 women? He wrote about this in a book. Well, those were the old days. Now it`s not anything to brag about.

With women literally throwing themselves at these sports stars, I do wonder how the wives deal with it on a day in and day out basis.

Shanae Hall, you were married to a famous athlete, an NFL star. What did you have to go through day in and day out? Was it driving you crazy to think, my husband just left the house, who knows who`s going to throw himself at his feet?

HALL: You know, I didn`t initially think like that, but I tell you one time we went to Miami and he walked to the bathroom and I happened to go to the bathroom, too, but I was far enough behind him where with this girl walked up to him and said, I`m going to have sex with you tonight.

Not in those words, but it literally took my breath away. I said, is that how people approach you guys? You don`t have to ask their name. You don`t have to buy them a drink. So how do you say no to that if that`s not morally part of your life? You really, truly have to be a morally spiritually founded person in order to be able to withstand some of the temptations because these are beautiful women.

I`m talking about the Halle Berrys, the Kim Kardashians that are just like -- of the world, not them per se -- but of the world. They are just throwing themselves at their feet and saying, I`ll do whatever. You can bring my friend along, we can do it all. You have no obligation to me. I`ve seen it with my own eyes. This is not hypothetical.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Shanae, I`ve got to ask you what did you do when you saw you that? What did you do?

HALL: It was funny because I just stood there and watched it transpire. I mean what can I say? He just looked at her and walked away.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: But what did you do? Did you go up and said, get off you know what? I can`t use the words here on TV. Back off?

HALL: You know, I didn`t say anything. I let it play out and it was funny because she came back over to the area, oh, you guys are so cute, I didn`t know you guys were together. I`m looking at her like, wow, you just don`t even know. She got away with it because I`m not an insecure person. I knew he was coming home with me. We were married.

And it really didn`t move me. It just shocked me that women are that low self-esteem, low respect, having some other words I can`t say on TV right now.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Well, I agree with you. I think it`s not just about the men. It`s about everybody in society and how we with interrelate and women have to really value themselves and not look at themselves as so worthless that just the idea of hooking up with a sports star is worth it at any cost.

Hall: Exactly.

And again, we want to hear all sides. Thank you, fabulous panel.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KAREN DAWN, TURKEY RESCUER: A fun way to present a serious message about animal welfare, about health, about the environment, of course, the main easy message is how much more fun is Thanksgiving with live turkeys?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: With Thanksgiving coming up, I thought it would be a great idea to introduce you to some alternative Thanksgiving. How about thanks living?

A growing number of Americans are rescuing a turkey for Thanksgiving and celebrating with that turkey.

Karen Dawn of Pacific Palisades, California rescues a pair of turkeys every Thanksgiving from a local slaughter house. Instead of eating them she bathes them and pampers them here in the kitchen and tells them, hey, guess what turkey, you`re part of the family. Eventually, they go to an animal sanctuary so she can rescue another pair.

Karen`s point is you can have a great Thanksgiving by celebrating with a bird, not necessarily feasting on a bird.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DAWN: We have a very traditional Thanksgiving feast. We do a lot of the traditional dishes. I do butternut squash soup. We have stuffing, we have cranberry sauce, lots of wonderful veggie casseroles. There will be tofurkey for people who like that sort of thing. And there`ll be pumpkin pies and pecan pies. But the only actual turkey will be alive. There will be wild turkey bourbon.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PAUL SHAPIRO, HUMANE SOCIETY OF THE UNITED STATES: Cal-Maine isn`t just any old egg producer. It`s the single, largest egg producer in the nation demonstrating just how pervasive these animal welfare problems are in the egg industry.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Tonight, disturbing video from an undercover investigation by the Humane Society of the United States shot at the Texas facility of the nation`s top egg producer. The Humane Society says the undercover video documents cruel and inhumane confinement of egg-laying hens, claiming that this one company, Cal-Maine, has nearly 30 million egg laying hens under its watch.

While Cal-Maine says there have been no salmonella outbreaks in their Texas facility, the company is no stranger to recalls. It allegedly recalled 288,000 eggs earlier this month when the FDA informed the company that eggs from one of its Ohio plant tested positive for a form of salmonella.

Wayne Pacelle, president of the Humane Society of the United States is here with me tonight. Wayne, you sent an undercover investigator to get this footage in Texas. What do you believe are the problems at this factory farm?

WAYNE PACELLE, PRESIDENT, HUMANE SOCIETY OF THE UNITED STATES: Well, you know, Jane, this industry has just been jamming animals to smaller and smaller spaces. Each bird under the industry standard gets 67 square inches, which is two-thirds the size of an 8.5 by 11 piece of paper.

If that were not enough, these animals got caught in the wire caging. It was squalid. It was dirty. There were very few laborers for the million birds at this farm. It was just unacceptable.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Now Cal-Maine foods responded to our inquiry about your undercover investigation and said that the Humane Society presented a, quote, "misleading and factually inaccurate picture of Cal-Maine Foods and its Texas facility, which has been in operation for more than 14 years" and they say has an exemplary record for quality, health and safety and has had not one positive test for salmonella in any test of the eggs produced there.

They also say it`s been audited for compliance by the USDA and that hen mortality is a natural part of the cycle in any egg-lying environment. The Cal-Maine Foods employees routinely, they say, check the houses and remove the mortality as necessary. Cal-Maine said, quote, "The conveyer belt containing some broken and soiled eggs that was depicted in the video malfunctioned and was properly, promptly corrected."

Your response to that, Wayne?

PACELLE: Well, you know, we couldn`t show the hours and hours of footage. But what we did show was a real snapshot of what was going on. Six or eight birds crammed into a tiny cage, unable to extend their wings, never getting out of the cage, life-long confinement, squalor and dirt.

You know, we have an alternative, Jane. The fact is cage-free production works. It exists all over the country. More and more retailers are selling eggs from cage-free producers. We want retailers, especially those dealing with Cal-Maine to make the switch because these animals should not endure this misery for an omelet. We can do better as a society than to confine these animals in tiny cages and cram them shoulder to shoulder against each other.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: What do you make of the United Egg Producers saying these chickens are housed in enclosures that are clean, sanitary and provide them with fresh water and feed every day?

PACELLE: Well, the evidence shows otherwise. And Jane, this is the largest egg producer in the country. We`re not like picking on some little operation saying that this is the industry. This is the number one producer with 26 million laying hens.

Earlier this year, the Human Society of the United States went to the second and third largest egg producers in the country in Iowa. We found very similar circumstances. And of course, the FDA, the Food and Drug Administration eventually went to two other Iowa producers and found --

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Got to leave it right there. Thank you, Wayne.

PACELLE: Ok.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Nancy Grace up next with the latest on Natalee Holloway.

END