Original subtitles

Cut.

Cut for a second.

That didn't get too far.

We're going again.

Quiet, please.

Rolling.

Good? Yeah. All right. Lock it up.

I'm not ashamed to say that I have an agenda, but my enemy has an agenda also.

So I make no apologies.

I'm a photographer, a photojournalist. When you're fighting a good fight,

apologies aren't necessary.

If celebrities want a private life, then they shouldn't become famous in the

first place.

I'm not one who believes in curtailing freedom, but it seems like something

really should be done to curtail...

The paparazzi's behavior.

Michael and his family and all of us have been through this awful thing.

All I know is my mom called me because Michael was producing another project,

you know. I mean, I'm trying to produce a project too.

Michael, you know, does that with ease. And this one he wanted to do.

And I was to respond because Michael got in trouble again. My career has never

been driven by the paparazzi.

It's always been driven by the work.

Well, I didn't really have any dealings with the paparazzi before.

You know, I was in a paparazzi -free zone.

I didn't create the system.

But I'm smart enough to know that these celebrities wouldn't last ten seconds

without. I'm kind of a private guy compared to people that invite cameras

their house for some kind of reality show. They all fight tooth and nail to

it. And on the way up, if they get...

Their picture are mentioned in the back of some rag doing a bit part in some

crappy place and they're fucking beside themselves.

But I'm not such a private guy when it comes to publicity and interviews and

things like that.

But I do have things in my personal life that I need to protect.

But once they hit the big time, then they're all private and they don't owe

anybody anything.

Everything's changed.

That's bullshit.

You know...

It wasn't easy for me when I started out.

I was pretty green.

In fact, I didn't really know what the hell I was doing.

But I always knew that publicity was part of the process, and I'm a process

-oriented guy.

The truth is, you know, Michael started this machine, okay, and it snowballed

and it built momentum just like I said it would.

But my voice is not quite as loud as Michael's in our family.

So... You know, I sat back and I just watched the train wreck.

I'm inspired by making films.

And I know that press junkets and interviews and press conferences and

appearances and autographs and things like that are, I know they're part of

whole thing. But you know what, I don't really seek out the press, whereas

Michael, there was a story in one of those rags about, like, his

snake.

escaping in his office.

I don't know that he really has a live snake in the office, first of all, and

also I know that he plays that story.

You know, he loves that. He loves, well, he used to.

Loves the tabloid press.

You know, tabloid speculating on something, that's okay too, but there's

thing I can't live with. It's a flat -out lie.

And that's why you made this documentary?

That's why, but I'm doing it, but...

I had help.

I had a little help.

Hilt. Dexter Hilt.

Dexter Hilt?

Dexter Hilt is an opportunistic, uh, a -hole.

Yeah, I know things turned out okay for us, but it was in spite of that idiot.

Not because of him. I guess I can understand Dexter's desire to advance

career, but I never thought he would betray me.

And Mark.

We were a team. I mean, we weren't some unbreakable team. I mean, we did deadly

veneer together, and yeah, I wanted... That doesn't mean we're married, you

know? See, I got hired by Michael, sort of a package deal with Mark and Jackie.

If that hadn't happened, any one of us were just as likely to move on to

something bigger with or without each other. My agent called me, told me that

Michael Manson wanted to have a meeting with us.

You know, I think he said that he said something like... Those kids that did

that Deadly Veneer documentary that won.

Well, that's what got me my agent. So I tried not to take offense at those kids'

comments. And I called Jack and Dexter and agreed to the meeting. Well, I'm not

the type to get all starstruck, but I have to admit it was pretty cool. I

Michael fucking Madsen.

His Malibu beach house, his producing partner.

I mean, plenty of beer, full spread of food.

I mean, he had his bird.

and dogs and his kids running around. It was like a scene right out of the

movies, man. It was great.

It was like art imitating life, life imitating army, all that good stuff. It

good, man. I got into documentary filmmaking to make a difference.

I feel that we accomplished that with Deadly Veneer.

When Mr. Madsen first pitched his concept to us to basically stalk Dance,

appalled. I knew that Dance had been writing those things about Mr. Madsen,

he supposedly murdered that woman.

At first I thought it was Mr. Madsen's way of getting revenge, and I did not

want any part of it. Uh, yeah, well, the three of us talked about it after we

met with Michael, and Jackie kept saying it was nothing but revenge, but that

didn't bother me at all. Matter of fact, I can get behind that more than

anything else. But I don't know, the more I thought about it, the more I felt

could view both sides of the equation. We could explore, do it justice.

I was wrong.

Michael went into the...

project i think with the idea of revenge and i think it proved a lot that i'd

always suspected that revenge is not justice that justice

is not the truth and the truth

is whatever you really believe it to be maybe we could

start at the beginning

You know, I remember when I got off the plane, when I first came to L .A., I had

a motorcycle jacket on and a motorcycle boots, you know.

And that was me.

And I didn't realize it was a Halloween costume.

He had raw talent, good looks, charisma.

They sent me on an audition for a television show called Saint Elsewhere.

And I was late for the damn thing.

And so I went. I was in my...

My, my gas station. I was in my 76 stuff. I had my blue shirt, my pants

You know, I had my shit on.

I had to go straight there. I was way late.

And so, I went in and I sat there and I read with the casting director.

It was the first time in my life I'd ever auditioned for anything.

You know, you have the piece of paper and you gotta say the things and look at

the person and it's very awkward.

It's really awkward.

Anyway, I got the... He got it.

He got the first thing he auditioned for.

When my agent called to say that I got the part, he said he was laughing on the

phone and I said, what's so funny? And he said, well, the casting director said

that it was brilliant that you came in as a working class guy, dressed as a

working class guy.

I was like, okay.

But he was by no means an overnight success.

Michael worked his ass off to get to where he is now.

He auditioned constantly, took almost anything he could book, got noticed in

smaller roles, and little by little, he got bigger, better parts.

That's about the time when I first stepped up at the agency and we started

working together.

I met Michael on the set of Kill Bill just before we were about to do our

together.

He pulled me aside.

We were in the middle of a desert.

And he said, what do you think about God?

And what can I do about the kind of world that it looks like my kids are

to grow up into?

And I gave him the easiest answers I could, which wasn't much, I guess.

And I realized right away that Michael's a really good guy.

and are a really good actor.

He's kind, he's gentle.

He's a gentle giant, really, you know? And, I mean, his bad boy image is just

that. He's big.

Big, good -looking guy.

Friendly. Good company.

Talented.

Good poet.

Good guy.

You know, on screen, Michael is a really tough guy, and...

Michael is a really tough guy, but Michael is one of the most benevolent,

righteous people I've ever met. Everyone has nice stories to tell about Michael.

You know, every set that I'm on, somebody comes up and is like, oh, I

your brother, and you're really so great, he's so funny.

And, you know, and so I tell Michael, and, you know, he even remembers their

name. I mean, who does that?

These are people on the crew.

It's, uh...

A much easier career to maintain and manage.

Way easier than the overnight successes, if you can believe it.

He's proven that he won't burn out and fade away.

That means bankability and staying power, both domestically and abroad.

All I have to do is sit back and cherry pick the offers.

Don't tell him I said so.

He will, too.

He really will.

With any role, it's all about the craft.

It's all about getting involved in the character without being self -conscious.

Being conscious of not being self -conscious, if that makes any sense.

It's all about the focus.

Keeping yourself in character.

I like Thelma and Louise. I like Reservoir Dogs.

I like Donnie Brasco. I like... Free Willy.

I don't really know. I think longevity is what I'm after,

you know?

Showbiz.

My opinion.

It's like everything else, it's what is.

Everything to me, the whole existence, the consciousness on the planet, it's...

It's a movie, and it's already in a can.

So it's all one big movie, all of it. Your life, I'm not in charge, and

in charge.

In a lot of ways, I don't really like where I'm at right now.

I never really counted on this much fame.

You know, I mean, it got to the point where I couldn't even walk down the

without 100 pictures of me being taken.

And I've always been completely honest about who I am.

About the partying and about everything. I mean, how much more honest can a

person be?

Even after laying it all bare, the tabloid press, they still keep making

up. So maybe he did have problems.

Who doesn't?

You do. I do. Cameraman does.

Crack whore on the street does. The point is, the point is, you put

life under a microscope?

Hello?

it's going to come off scandalous.

They'll interview somebody for 45 minutes and at some point the guy will

something that could be taken out of context and make it look bad and that's

they'll use.

Like when you're going to premieres, you're going to public events and stuff

like that, it's fine.

I don't think any actors, any musicians have a problem with dealing with

paparazzi. It's almost like sometimes the better you do, the worse it becomes

because... They see something good, and they just want more and more and more

and more. I've had people parking outside of my house for days on end so

know when I'm coming and going, who's there, when I'm alone.

It can be dangerous, and it can feel very threatening.

I know it's been said before, and it might be a cliche, but being famous is

all just easy living and kicking back.

Sometimes it's pretty damn tough.

I know that sometimes when one becomes famous, they say that your life is open

to the world.

You want to know something?

It isn't. But this one thing, this one thing, it just brought my outrage

to a whole nother level.

I did not kill Vanessa Rappaport.

I met that girl one time.

Once. She was a background atmosphere in a film I did.

She was background extra in a picture I worked on, okay?

I said hello to her. She's nice. She was sweet. She was a nice little girl.

All I did was say hello. That's all it was.

And I told the cops that.

And they believed me. And they were cool.

There's no way.

Michael would come to me and say, what the hell do I do about this?

And he'd tell me if he did it because he knows that I take care of him

no matter what he did.

I wouldn't put it past Michael to have some involvement with all of this.

Now, I know then it went too far and it became something else. But in the

beginning, you know, just not having spoken to Michael in a while.

You know, I really didn't know anything about this until suddenly it was like

headline news.

The person responsible for that is Dan.

Billy Dan.

Hey, what's going on, guys? Mr. Dan, we'd like to interview you. Find out

it takes to be the top reporter.

Right.

Who are you guys? Did sales send you guys?

Dan's rag.

The rag.

Printed the now infamous story.

Michael Madsen.

The murderer.

Michael Madsen, the murderer.

Okay, Dad, yeah.

Vanessa Rappaport, yeah.

I killed her. A lot of people just, you know, like the idea of the story, almost

like it was a good story that maybe he killed this girl.

Anyway, I knew that I had to do something.

A number of occasions.

Now, will you admit to that?

Madsen, the murderer.

Okay.

It's so ridiculous.

I can't even believe I have to defend myself against this.

Oh, come on. Give me a break.

I'm not going to dignify that with an answer.

For the last time, I did not kill Vanessa Rappaport.

Have you ever killed anyone, sugar tits?

Ladies and gentlemen, do your homework.

Are you going to let this...

and Billy Dan give you all your information?

Come on!

Give me a fucking break! Right here, Madsen.

And I did do my homework.

Now I've got a question for you. That's the game you clowns play. Why don't you

be that big, brave, tough guy that you pretend to be in all your movies and

confess that you killed Vanessa Rappaport? Against something that I

And you don't have any evidence.

That's ridiculous.

That's ridiculous.

Where are you going?

Where's the body, man?

Huh? Where's the body? Why don't you shut up? You killed Vanessa Rappaport.

up! You killed Vanessa Rappaport. Keep on printing your lies, and you're going

to find out.

You're going to find out who I am.

Are you going to kill me too?

The thing is, it wasn't even a murder investigation.

The girl was missing, yeah.

But there was no evidence of a murder, for Christ's sake.

But you know as well as I do.

That if someone blows that whistle loud enough and long enough, it becomes the

new hot topic. Am I right? Well, in this particular case, it's just been brutal

for our family. The harassment has been incredible, and it's been

exceedingly difficult.

I had no doubt

in my mind when we filed suit we were going to win.

We were going to send a message to all the tabloids who stooped to yellow

journalism. The trial, of course, was a field day, even for the legitimate

media.

What a disaster.

The way the liberal world works today, everyone's afraid to take a stand.

The judge upheld the first amendment rights, even though they had consented

they had printed sensational headlines.

But the judgment was that they had used creative punctuation of those headlines

and vague enough wording in the article itself to get away with it. It seems

like that.

That trial was, there was probably some other factors involved that skewed it

in a weird direction.

I guess the First Amendment means that you can print whatever you want about

somebody, even if it isn't true.

In defamation cases with public figures, there's a higher burden of proof, and

it's very difficult to make a case against the media in particular,

when the alleged defamer uses words like alleged.

I think it was wrong.

I don't know who paid somebody something or what went on, but he should have won

that. I mean, I'd say for sure this is libel. The problem we had in this case

was, of course, the higher standards required for the defamation laws vis -a

-vis a public figure when that public figure sues a media entity.

Total bullshit.

You know, it got to the point where I realized that the more you defend

yourself. the more guilty you seem.

Even in this documentary, where I wanted truth to be the main character, it

turned into a balancing act of what to say and what not to say.

So I guess I figured I'd just let happen what's going to happen and just let be

what's going to be and truly let that walk a mile in my boots.

You know, what Michael's doing is just...

simply bringing more attention.

I mean, he's just pouring fuel on flames, but that's just my opinion.

I mean, I think that had he not responded, it may have just sort of gone

you know, but that's just my opinion. It's not the way I would have handled

things, but it's, you know, it's Michael. It's Michael logic.

And that's when I got the idea to turn the tables on Tant.

To turn it around, give him a taste of his own medicine.

So, I went out and hired my documentary filmmakers.

When Mr. Madsen first pitched his concept to us, to basically stalk Dance,

appalled. With a guaranteed budget, how could I say no?

I spent years scrounging for finishing funds for Deadly Veneer. I didn't want

do that again.

I admit, I needed the money.

And that's what pumps my hips, you know what I mean?

But, uh... This being the exception, documentary filmmaking hardly pays the

bills. And you don't have the control like you do with the narrative, you

with the shots, the lighting, the whole look.

You know, docs are never about the image or the picture. It's just talking

heads.

Yeah? What are we at, like a medium close -up right now? Yeah. Yeah? Yeah.

I mean, I don't care what Mark and Jackie say. At the end of the day, all

documentary filmmakers really just want to make features anyway.

It's true.

My goal has always been to get to, like, a Ken Burns.

You know, where the money's always there, just waiting for your next idea.

figured this was the next step for me.

A big step.

Yeah, we turned the tables on Billy Dance.

Just like Mr. Madsen wanted.

But they got turned on us, too.

We didn't do unto others like we should have, so I got what I deserved.

I take full responsibility for my part in it all.

But hopefully, submitting to this interview, I'll get my chance.

To clean this late.

But, of course, who knows how all of this will turn out.

I guess that's up to you.

Or whoever edits this travesty.

Do you know what he looks like?

Of course, don't you?

Probably. Yeah, I can spot him.

Not too much glare.

He'll be fine. There's a lot of noise out here. Got time to put on a filter?

Don't worry about it, you guys.

There he is.

Do we need to get releases if anyone else gets in the shot? Don't be an

Dexter. Shoot first, ask questions later.

Hey, what's going on, guys? Mr. Dan, we'd like to interview you. Find out

it takes to be the top reporter.

Right.

Who are you guys?

Did sales send you guys? No, no, we're documentarians.

We want to talk about Deadly Veneer, the evils of the vinyl sighting industry.

I'm sorry, man. I never thought I'd... Just a few minutes, Mr. Dan. It would be

a great help to us.

You know, I'm in a bit of a hurry, man. Look, Mr. Dan.

We got lucky.

Just trying to keep the momentum going.

You remember what it was like when you were first starting out, don't you?

Well, um... Look at it hurt, right?

But just a few minutes. Ray, where do you want... Right up here.

Stand up.

Okay, first question.

What's your definition of tabloid media?

Is it news or entertainment?

First, the term tabloid is largely misused.

Define it for us.

Simply put, it means greatly condensed or shortened, as in abbreviated news.

True, but that's only part of Webster's. Isn't it also defined as lurid and

vulgar, characterized by sensationalism?

What's the basis of this documentary? You guys doing that?

comparative study of journalism or something like that. Do you think people

your profession are treated unfairly by the celebrities that you publicize?

Yeah, yeah, I definitely think we're treated unfairly. Well,

I think any publicity is good publicity.

If you read a person's name enough times, you won't forget it.

That doesn't really hurt anyone.

Especially not the people I'm dealing with.

So what you're saying is you feel justified in invading people's privacy.

I mean, you're doing them a favor.

Yeah, I mean, we're fulfilling a need.

The end justifies the means.

Look, what I do get greatly exaggerated by the quote -unquote real press.

I mean, we're just out there taking pictures, writing stories, you know,

reporting on what the public deems newsworthy, nothing else.

So you feel justified in crashing people's weddings, chasing them in their

getting pictures of them when... I get you. I get you. I get you're going out

there, but it's not going to happen. Okay.

So, considering the complete definition of... I got to go.

One more question, Mr. Dan.

One more, please.

Who are you guys really?

I got to go, guys. Take care.

We didn't know who we were, what we were doing, who had hired us.

I was surprised.

at how approachable dan was maybe i started to identify with him a little

than somebody who's trying to document and observe should not that that changed

my methods i think but you know having done a couple of these now

i find it's almost like stockholm syndrome the relationship between the

documentary filmmaker and his subject especially if it's a person uh maybe

a little more like uh

Florence Nightingale syndrome.

No, wait, it's, um... It's, uh...

It's like the uncertainty principle.

You cannot observe something without changing it.

Fucking douche.

That dance was so condescending that first time out, man. I know as a

I'm supposed to be objective, but... Right off the bat, I didn't like the

As soon as Dan opened up his mouth, I knew we were on to something big.

He was the epitome of the delusional state a paparazzi has to live in.

On the first day, I decided to, you know, catch Dan. The second he came back

of his office, you know, really keep the pressure on.

There he is. There he is.

Yep, that's him. Let's go, people.

Move it.

I have a couple more questions for you, Mr. Dan. Are you following me around

now? Oh, my God. I'm sorry.

What is it with you people? Seriously.

I'm sorry, Mr. Dan.

It's over, man. No interview.

I thought we were off to a rough start.

But, you know, you can turn those little accidents to your advantage. And it put

Dan on the defensive.

When Jackie boinked him on the head, that's when it started to get fun.

I wanted Dan to know that we were going to be a permanent fixture.

I mean, he got the idea, kept his head low, so most of the second day amounted

to surveillance footage. But that night, that was a different story.

What's your name? Cindy.

Cindy. Cindy.

Are you guys making a movie?

Did you meet Mr. Dan tonight?

We go way back. Way back. How far back?

You're a beautiful girl. How old are you?

I'm 24.

Tell me a little secret.

Sure. A little bit of Mr. Dan?

Yeah, buddy.

A lot. A lot? You've been drinking a lot. Do you feel comfortable with Mr.

driving while he's intoxicated?

The original intent, I felt, was a deconstruction of the whole patriarchal

system that allows for the exploitative existence of the paparazzi in the first

place.

But it just goes to show you, you can't reign in the demon.

The car chase thing was fun, and I was caught up in the moment too, but it was

outside the nightclub when I first realized what we were doing.

I mean, we were no better than Dant.

We were becoming him.

That wasn't obvious from the beginning.

Yeah,

right. The medium is the message.

In hindsight, it's 2020, Marshall McLuhan. Are you kidding me? That shit

was with was hot, man. I mean, that shit's why I'm all about success,

everybody wins.

You can't believe that girl wasn't happy as hell just to be seen with Dant.

Especially now.

But I'm a cinematographer.

And I wasn't about to stop shooting just because some dude gets in my way.

That's what you've got to do if you want to make it. I mean, I should know.

Check out the shades.

I knew what we were getting into. I mean, the whole hostile interview

I've always said, if you want to get to the core of your subject matter, you've

got to be prepared, patient, dedicated, and, if need be, relentless.

Sometimes merciless.

I mean, I thought it was ironic, if not too predictable, that Dan, now on the

other side of the camera, reacted the way that he did.

So, do you want an establishing shot of the house? We'll get it later. You know,

I can pan from the skyline to the door that opens. Just stay on the door.

All right.

Wait for it.

And... Come on, man.

What is it with you people? Seriously, this is my home. Good morning, Mr. Dan.

Good morning. Hey.

Turn off the camera. Hey, don't touch the camera, man. I'm serious. What's

name? I want all your names. I'm Mark Pollard.

I just want to ask you a few questions. Questions? More like harass me. I'm

interested in your career as a paparazzi. As a paparazzi?

You don't even know what I do.

Okay, get off my property before I call the cops. Mr. Dan, I know that we got

off on the wrong foot.

That's not where we started. That's where you took it. Okay, you're right.

But we are going to tell the story whether you help us or not.

Now, don't gripe to me later if your side doesn't get told. Now, all I'm

is that I want to include your point of view, and I want to get it right.

So this is your chance.

Why didn't you say that in the first place?

Mr. Dan, I'm sorry for hitting you in the head with a boom. Boom!

Yeah.

He could have called me or something, man. We try to capture our subjects in

their natural habitat, so to speak. But, you know, you're probably right.

Would you feel more comfortable with a traditional type of interview?

Like what?

A sit -down.

Your office, maybe. I ask the questions, you answer.

Traditional.

This will be about my work?

Yes.

Nothing else?

Yes, this is purely an exploration into celebrity journalism. So, will you give

us an interview?

Billy Dent, tabloid reporter and photographer, was not always the man he

today. Once upon a time, Billy Dent was not even Billy Dent.

Born Peter Kenneth Ryan, he too had dreams of glory, those dreams to become

world's greatest true crime author.

Peter Kenneth Ryan's fascination with violent death and criminology was

discovered in the forgotten stacks of old magazines and paperbacks in his

latchkey home.

He devoured every book, every article, and became more than just a devoted

reader of the genre. Before long, he was consumed with a criminal mind.

all things morbid, all things evil.

His obsession led him to study investigative journalism and photography

University of Connecticut.

He quickly made himself known and earned a reputation as a talented young go

-getter. Ryan, alias Dant, networked, met all the right people, and always

managed to be in the right place at the right time. He was on the fast track to

success.

Through alumni connections, Ryan stepped off the graduation podium and into a

highly coveted job at a major metropolitan newspaper.

He started with minor assignments, but it wasn't long before Ryan made a name

for himself.

His scoop, Bribery on the Docks, done on his own time, his own way.

won Ryan the coveted National Press Photographers Association Award and a

York Photojournalist Association tribute at the tender age of 22.

With his very next story, Ryan's stock went through the roof. His in -depth

Junkies in City Hall expose landed him the opportunity he had always dreamed

a substantial advance to write his dream book.

a concept the publisher had rejected just one year earlier.

His sample chapter for the life and killings of the old leather man promised

book as revolutionary as Truman Capote's In Cold Blood.

Yes, Peter Kenneth Ryan hit the point in his career where the world was his

golden apple, ripe for the taking, but something in his character was about to

spoil it all. Instead of taking a bite out of that apple, Ryan chose instead to

become the worm inside it. Instead of writing and researching, Ryan slash Dant

spent his entire advance on four decadent months traveling the world with

then -girlfriend. From Las Vegas to Mardi Gras to the Hawaiian Islands, it

wasn't long before all of the advance money was spent.

Piecing his book together at the last minute, Ryan plagiarized entire chapters

from his collection of vintage true crime books and magazines.

He fictionalized people, concocted interviews, fabricated evidence, and

falsified reports, all to meet his deadline.

In the end, Ryan's editor discovered the truth, but not before the book went to

press, costing the publisher a small fortune.

Now jobless and disgraced.

Word spread throughout the industry, and the name Peter Kenneth Ryan became

synonymous with sleaze. But our tale doesn't end there, and neither does the

sleaze. In his desperate decline into filth and debauchery, Peter Kenneth Ryan

rejected everything that he had once held sacred. The last thing to go, his

identity. His journalistic integrity long gone.

Ryan managed to pull himself out of the hole he had dug, legally changed his

name to Billy Dent, and landed a job at a celebrity -stalking tabloid weekly.

Dent, a new man, attacked his job with a zealousness never before seen, even in

an industry notorious for its great lack of moral and ethical fiber.

Billy Dent, formerly Peter Kenneth Ryan, a life with so much potential.

Gone down a road so wrong, it could do nothing less than rise up and slap him

the face.

So, will you give us an interview?

Ah.

Will it get you off my back?

I promise.

Come on, Mark said it.

What is it with this guerrilla filmmaking shit? I mean, it's still 90s,

Okay, well then we'll do it your way.

Tell us where and when.

All right, I'll do it. Just turn off the fucking camera.

I was pushing all the right buttons.

Told Dan the truth the way he wanted to hear it. I mean, even after we accosted

him for two days running, all I had to do was offer him the limelight. You

give him his own personal forum.

Of course he was going to agree to the interview.

It was great, man. He's all like, shut that camera off. And I'm like, you

touched my camera again?

You're dead. You're messing my camera. You're messing with me.

And I was going to get to shoot Dan like nothing ever happened before. You know

what I mean? Like, whoa.

Whoa.

There was some conflict over the footage we'd shot. I thought it was coming

together nicely. But after we showed our digital dailies to Madsen, he told us

he wanted us to take it to the next level.

I didn't feel good about the next level. Yeah, Mikey gave us the big guns.

Madsen had hired a private detective.

So from the beginning, we had a file about two inches thick on Dance. Now

remember, at this point, Dance had no idea that this was Mr.

Madsen's show.

That poor man, he didn't stand a chance.

Dex, is the second camera locked on?

Yeah, we're good to go.

Okay.

Are you ready, Mr. Dance?

Yeah, how's my lighting?

That's perfect.

So, when did you first become interested in photojournalism?

Um...

One Christmas, when I was 10, my father gave me his old brownie.

What's a brownie?

It's an old box camera.

You had to look down into the viewfinder.

Didn't really work, but it helped me with framing, you know, the basics of

seeing, of looking through a lens.

And that was the beginning for you?

Yeah. Then I got an Instamatic, and I would run around the neighborhood taking

pictures, getting people mad at me.

Why did they get mad at you?

I took pictures at inappropriate times, or at least they thought it was

inappropriate. How inappropriate?

I would, you know, sneak in on my father in the john while he was shaving or my

mom while she was doing her hair.

Little moments that weren't supposed to be preserved for popularity.

And you liked doing this?

Yeah, it was fun.

You know, kid stuff.

Getting people mad at you was fun.

Yeah, it was innocent.

Like I said, good stuff, really.

No big deal.

So you began to feel like that camera gave you license to be anywhere.

No, not really.

You know, it was exciting.

When I was 11 years old, I had an early picture of a burning house printed in

local newspaper.

And you took pride in that.

Absolutely. But didn't you get into trouble for going where you weren't

to go?

Sometimes. But I didn't really care, you know.

It was like, I felt like a real roving reporter. If you're not looking for the

news, you're not going to find it. And all this was when you were still Peter

Kenneth Ryan.

It's no secret that I changed my name.

But I'm not going to talk about why.

It's all behind me now.

Okay.

So let's keep talking about your childhood.

Peter Kenneth Ryan is...

somewhat legendary in his hometown.

Does the name Agnes Ripplehorn mean anything to you?

Who?

Agnes Ripplehorn. She was a friend of your parents. You mowed her lawn.

Her husband was a... He owned a local grocery store.

Right, right. What about her? As a teenager, weren't you caught taking

inappropriate pictures of Mrs. Ripplehorn?

I wouldn't call them inappropriate.

Every kid in town admired her. I just took some...

You know, really good pictures of her. She was a beautiful woman. I'm not your

average housewife.

But didn't you take those pictures without her permission?

Who'd you hear this from? I mean, as a matter of fact, weren't these pictures

taken while she was in the privacy of her own home, behind closed doors? I

weren't you peeking through her windows, taking dirty pictures?

There were no dirty pictures. I took some pictures while she was hanging

laundry. I mean, sure, she was wearing a nice...

Light summer dress and I may have favored certain angles, but I was a

I mean it was typical.

Do you mean these pictures?

Where'd you get these and these are beautiful right the same place we got

I bet you like this one, don't you?

Is that your only response to these photographs?

The whole thing was blown way out of proportion.

You know, but if I did a background check on you, I bet you I'd find

lot like that or worse. So you did take those pictures?

You're regular Mike Wallace over there. How much money did you get from your

classmates for selling those pictures?

You were a documentary filmmaker, not an investigative reporter.

What do you consider yourself to be? A paparazzo?

A voyeur? A stalker? I'm a photographer.

A photojournalist.

If celebrities want a private life, then they shouldn't become famous in the

first place.

It just kills me.

I didn't create this system.

But I'm smart enough to know that these celebrities wouldn't last ten seconds

without it.

They all fight tooth and nail to make it. And on the way up, if they get...

Their picture are mentioned in the back of some rag doing a bit part in some

crappy play and they're fucking beside themselves.

But once they hit the big time, then they're all private and they don't owe

anybody anything.

Everything's changed.

That's bullshit.

Is it true you're responsible for the death of your prom date, Sally Folsom,

was killed while you were behind the wheel driving intoxicated? You need to

your facts straight because that was an accident.

Pete, hurry up, man. Go faster.

Hey, Pete,

give me a hit on that.

Look out!

Is it true that you were responsible for Sally Fulton's death or not? No, it's

not. Well, according to the police report, your alcohol blood level was

Turn the camera off.

Don't move your shit, man. The interview is over. Okay.

Susan! Security! Get security in here, please!

I have motives.

Clear my name.

Get my career back on track.

If you read something enough times, you start to believe it. It's that simple.

Dance, yellow journalism infected my career.

It hurt us greatly.

Flow of jobs reduced.

I mean, really.

Who wants to go into a theater and pay eight bucks to watch some guy who you

think killed somebody?

Were we angry?

Absolutely.

Were we surprised?

Not really.

I've known Michael since before he was born. And it's just not

possible that this boy, this man I know, could ever have

raised his hand to harm another person. And I don't really know why they're

going after Michael.

Except maybe they've seen too many of his movies.

You know, they might think he really is a guy that could cut off some cop's ear

and throw him in the trunk. I think because I've played a lot of characters

are rather nefarious, I think

maybe, you know, people sometimes think I'm really that way. They think I must

be that guy.

Michael has been perfecting that persona of bad boy since he was 12.

It's just, you know, it's not... Michael and I really don't speak.

Revenge, that's one of my motives for sure.

And, I mean, really, what's wrong with that?

Why do you think Michael was acting that way?

It was righteous indignation.

He didn't feel ashamed.

And his response was completely natural, considering all the outrageousness of

the bull that Dant wrote and that he published.

I think when anybody is attacked... in the way that Michael has been in the

press by Dan.

I think most of us would do the same.

Today, nobody cares about the truth.

Everything is spin.

They don't care who they take out.

It's next week, it's another guy. They really don't care.

They have to sell their newspapers.

I think the most important thing in life is to tell the truth and to be able to

put your head on your pillow at night.

Sam Peckinpah used to say, I want to enter my house justified.

You can walk through the door of your house and you know you've done your best

and you know you've given the world your best shot.

Enter your house justified.

I think Sam said it better than I could.

I know you mad because we both committed the same crime.

That's what it's all about, that camaraderie, friends, making a

I mean, we were friends, but I probably shouldn't be surprised that's changed

now.

I mean,

Dexter.

Dexter.

All right, settle down, Dexter.

She has red hair just like you. Can you get the mic off? Can you get the mic

off?

I'm so glad I woke up.

I'm so glad I woke up.

I'm so glad I woke up. You want some coffee or something?

No.

I gotta go take a shower.

It's that glare down there.

Are you guys seeing what I'm hearing? What? What's going on? What is that in

that van?

I'm going in. I'm going in.

Mark,

what did I say about coming to

my house?

Huh? Huh?

Pick up your camera, bitch.

Are you crazy?

I'm fucking filming you. What are your fucking problems?

Get out of here. You're going to get hurt. Come on. You're going to get

up. I'm going to let your girlfriend protect you. You're going to love this.

Love it. Madsen?

You working for Madsen?

Aw. Huh?

Hope. Please.

It was Dexter who spilled the beans about Mr. Madsen.

That whole baseball bat incident, it was absurd.

Any doubts I had about this project were completely confirmed.

That's when I should have gotten out.

What a dick, man.

But I didn't. Like a billion car, man. It's like a girl car.

I've been in there all day.

Lunch!

About time, bitch!

Take it!

I can't believe that dickhead has a corner office.

I don't think it's coming out.

What is it?

Not that I rely on Nazi rationalizations or anything, but I

really was only doing my job.

I admit, more now than then, so I'm not conveniently revising history or

anything, but...

Yeah. I knew we were crossing ethical lines.

But I had to keep everything and everyone focused.

And sometimes with a small crew like this, the lines get blurred, those guys

forget. I'm the director.

Whoa! I see the pussy's got a new camera.

I'll bring my bat to work from now on.

You can't stop us, Dan.

Yeah, the restraining order's on its way.

Thank you.

He does his own stunt. Fuck you, motherfucker.

Have a great day.

I mean, they're all pussies, man. Pissing and moaning.

They had no idea what I was talking about. You know, like being in the film,

living the film, becoming the film.

I mean, that's the road I was going down, man. You know, that's pure.

That's what I believe in.

And this was bigger than the holier -than -thou Jackie agenda or Mark's

intellectuals -only club.

You know, I say, if you don't let the film take over, you're a fraud, man.

You want to say something? What?

I'm sorry. I felt like... That chick was still in there.

In your dreams.

Joe? You wish.

He's a bot.

He never comes out to play again.

Mark, what are you doing?

I got a hotspot. I'm just checking email.

All right, well, it's your turn to get the food. Okay, what do you want? I'll

in. You guys just sit tight.

Fiji water.

Okay. Please.

Jack?

Some cupcake and some saco. I'm tired.

Okay.

Oh, and some orange juice.

What? For breakfast.

Fine. Vitamin C, right?

Right.

Mark. I took my email, I got hotspot.

I wish we would have done this sooner.

Yeah, we've never been single at the same time.

The kids?

The kids got blown way out of proportion.

It hurts that Mark did that, especially since we've been friends for a really

long time.

I felt like he did that at my expense, even though I know he was just trying to

get back at Dexter.

I'm not embarrassed by it.

But it was an invasion of my privacy, especially since all the shows and

magazines made such a big deal out of it.

It was nothing.

Really.

It was nothing.

It was a moment.

I mean, that whole thing, you know?

I mean, I don't know. Jackie could be condescending sometimes, but she's a

hottie, man. No doubt.

I mean, I like her. I do. She's cool.

Hey, man, she's doing great now after all this, and that makes me really

Like so many things dealing with art and expression, you can never tell where

things are going to go. You can never tell what path they're going to take.

This is why I decided.

to include more of the Hollywood Three than I originally intended.

They became the story as much as Dant did.

To quote my friend, Dexter Hilt, life imitates art and art imitates life.

Billy, Billy, Billy Dant was imitating a celebrity.

That's the norm, I guess, for a lot of the paparazzi. They think if they rub

elbows enough with these people that it's gonna...

Turn them into a celebrity, like, through some kind of osmosis or

Life imitates art.

It almost seems written.

Get in, all right? Deck three, you in? Okay.

Jackie, get in. Give me that. Right.

Come on, get in quickly. Now, get the door. Okay. Get the door.

Okay.

All right.

Dexter, keep tape rolling.

It is like I cut it. Okay, now get a shot of me.

Get a shot of me. You got me? Okay, now listen. First, this is what I want to

do. I want to get this all on tape right now before we forget anything. I want

an immediate document from all of us of what just happened. You got him, Dick?

After yesterday, I thought he wouldn't have shown his face for a while.

I wonder who he's stalking.

Dexter, what's happening?

What is he doing? He's walking the limo driver, I think.

What? Yeah, he's walking the limo.

This was not our fault. Right. Yeah. Video document is to prove that. Okay,

is what happened.

Okay. Dan, he gets out of his car to chase Paige Davis. We jump out of the

We approach him. He sees us.

He has a fit. He plows through us to get back to his car. He's upset because

we're there. So he takes off in his car down.

The driveway and runs are over, right?

Does Chad have something?

Oh, yeah.

Oh, yeah.

Yeah. Without my friends, is it payoff?

Unbelievable.

Oh, this must be really big. Stay sharp.

Stay sharp.

Where's the driver going?

Hey, y 'all.

Oh, he's going. He's going. He's going.

That's not what happened. Dexter got in Dan's sweat. That is not what I saw.

Dan, it's the one who hit her. No, you weren't even looking that way. I was.

We all saw the same thing. Yeah, but some of us had our eyes open. Yo, I had

lens on. It's everything you're both saying. It's all bullshit anyway. All I

do is look at the tape. That's what people are going to believe.

Isn't that Paige Davis?

I don't know. I can't tell. I don't think so. Yeah, it's her.

Keep up, Dex. Come on.

Oh my god, nose job, nose job.

Hey! Get out of here, man!

Get out of here, please! How did you know that this David was here? Shut up!

That's his clinic. It's his clinic. Get out of my face!

What are you telling me? Is this the limo driver? You assholes are messing

my money now! You understand that?

Put the camera down!

Fine! Put it down!

Shut the fuck up!

God damn it!

I'm putting the camera down!

Just relax!

God damn it!

How did you get it? We had an effect on the outcome.

Bullshit! If we were never there, if we were never taping, none of this would

have happened. Of course it would have. Dan would have still been there. I mean,

uh, Paige Davis would have still come out and tell things. Whatever!

Okay, Dan is going to tell the police it was our fault. Oh, no, this is Dan.

Can you tell me, is this your definition of journalist marketing? Do you have

anything better to do? Driving? Do something else!

Lead me away!

Please, take all the photos you want, Mr. Dan. Sure, of course.

Tell me, is the Lord involved or not for you in this fantastic journalism?

I know what to do.

The only way that we're going to guarantee that it will be a dance floor

ours is to erase the tape.

What? Are you kidding me?

This stuff is gold. Are you talking about erasing the tape? I mean...

How many times, seriously, how many times has someone been on the scene of a

major accident with a major celebrity and gotten it all on tape? Get out of

way! One more question.

Can you tell me?

Fucking asshole!

Shit!

I said, sir, are you all right? Yeah. Oh, my God. I'm sorry.

I'm sorry. Are you all right?

Where the fuck were you? Now you want to help me, you fucking dick!

God damn it!

Did somebody call me?

We are giving the tape to the police. No. Are you guys fucking crazy? I mean,

seriously. Erase the tape. Give it to the police. We can make a killing here,

man. I mean, seriously.

Abe Zabruder, for Christ's sake. Abe fucking Zabruder. You think you're

overstating it a lot? That is totally unadulterated exploitation.

No shit. Shut up. Shut up. We're erasing the tape.

Here I was coming out of a doctor's office.

Silly, it happened, playing volleyball while vacationing with family.

Suddenly, Billy Dan is all over me, and the next thing I know, I'm bounced off

the hood of his car.

We argued about it for hours, but we kept going in circles.

The only thing we could agree on was to stay hidden and keep the footage under

wraps until a decision was reached.

I should have known that something was fundamentally wrong with the universe.

When it was Dexter who came up with the idea to give it until morning and not

make any rash decisions.

We were supposed to meet up, Jackie, Dexter, and I, the next morning.

But Dexter never showed.

And the next thing I know, the Paige Davis footage is all over the news.

Reports on the radio everywhere.

My phone started ringing off the hook.

Yeah, I thought Dexter had given everything to the press. You know, a

buck. But then...

Later, I found out that he had given everything to Madsen.

The first thing I did was call my lawyer.

After I got hit by Billy Dant, I got flowers from Michael.

And, you know, he paid all my hospital bills.

He came to visit. He told me the role he had played in this whole thing. I told

him it wasn't his fault.

But he felt responsible, and he wanted to make things right.

He was so nice and upfront about what he's trying to do, not just for himself,

but for all of us.

Celebrities, I mean.

That was all for, you know, keeping it real. I mean, to me, the whole point of

documenting something is so someone else can see it, you know?

So I don't know what they're complaining about. Not only was this the biggest

story of the year, it was the most publicity any of us ever got.

So I'm glad Michael released the footage to the press. It's like, go.

You know, I think in the future,

As much as for the roles he's played, Michael will be remembered for what he

for all of us in the public eye.

Welcome back to the 411 and TV Guide Channel's year -end look -back special.

Madison McDowell.

Fireworks usually only come on the 4th of July, but the explosion started in

for Hollywood veteran Michael Madsen.

That's when he turned the tables on celebrity scandal hound Billy Dance in

infamous Madsen the Murderer story.

Losing his day in court and the battle of public opinion, Madsen decided he had

nothing left to lose by bringing the fight to Dance's doorstep, literally.

Discovering the talent behind the award -winning film fest favorite Deadly

Veneer, Madsen hired his own dream team of three tireless documentarians to fix

their aim squarely on Billy Dance's life, love, and trouble.

The result, the overnight celebrity of the trio now known collectively as the

Hollywood Three, Mark Pollard, Jackie Stark, and Dexter Hilt.

The dramatic turn of events that shot the three, Madsen and Billy Dan, deep

scandal and superstardom? On May 26th, Cade Davidson, the hit show Trading

Spaces, had more than a volleyball injury to contend with.

As seen in this now legendary footage, Dan's attempt to photograph Davidson was

undone by the Hollywood Three.

That's when the crazed paparazzo used his car as a weapon to get his second

photo op.

Dant was arrested, tried, and convicted of reckless endangerment and assault.

In a case that defines Swiss just desserts, Dant was sentenced to three

a correctional facility on August 22nd. But this story was just getting started

for the Hollywood Three. With the buzz surrounding Madsen's movie, working

title, Being Michael Madsen, and the resulting allegations of payola between

tabloids and the big studios, the press turned its gaze.

the documentarian who put Dant behind bars.

In a media frenzy of biblical proportions, the Hollywood three became

overnight sensation.

But it's Michael Madsen, the man who started it all, or should I say finished

it, who'll definitely have the last laugh.

In a 411 exclusive, TV Guide Channel discovered that a rough cut screening

industry A -listers kicked off an unprecedented bidding war between all

major studios.

The winner is still undisclosed, but rumor has it the final bid is the

price ever paid to acquire an independent motion picture.

Bootleg copies are already flooding the market, but even this small cloud has a

silver lining for Madsen.

The critical consensus?

Being Michael Madsen pushes the limits of documentary and independent

in an unprecedented exploration of what critics have now coined hyper -reality.

And I quote, Madsen's genius film goes beyond all conventional boundaries to

deconstruct cinematic artifice into a self -creating hyper -reality as the

itself becomes the film itself.

I'm not sure what that means, but it sounds important.

All this acclaim amidst rumors that it was actually Madsen and his people who

leaked the bootleg.

So just how many steps ahead of everybody else is Michael Madsen?

They say he's going to add footage to his film right up to the minute before

official release to chronicle its own publicity.

So I wonder if this will make me a movie star.

For more of the 411 Watch TV Guide Channel's exclusive interview with

Madsen, followed by a rare interview with the reclusive Jackie Stark of the

Hollywood tree. I felt it was this big, complex thing.

The Paige Davis footage, should we destroy it, give it to the authorities,

deliver it to Mr. Madsen?

Turns out it wasn't complex at all.

Dexter's betrayal showed us all how easy it is to become an overnight sensation.

It's hard for me to believe that I am famous.

It's just not something that I think about at all.

The obsession with the trivial that the public has,

that's what's fascinating to me.

And I just think, well, okay, if you want to take these pictures, but what is

the value?

What are you really seeing?

It often makes me laugh.

Well, I want to be the next Doc Fujimoto.

I want to be the next Roger Deakins. You know what I mean? I want to be the

best. I'm not saying I'm the best. I'm still working on my craft, and I'm going

to get better and better. But people feel like now because there's little

digital cameras, they can make a freaking movie. It's like you're a

idiot. You know what I mean?

There's a lot to this. There's a certain level, I think career -wise, that some

of the fame has helped with, definitely.

I just feel like fame, it's like whatever you're hungry for, you feed on.

And whatever you feed on, you get hungry for and more hungry for.

I don't feed on it. I think there are plenty of people who do.

I don't think it serves my work.

I'm not doing this to be famous. I don't mind it, but...

It's like, this is who I am. Giving the Paige Davis footage to Madsen was

definitely a brave thing to do.

Yeah, brave, but stupid.

We were fortunate to be able to become witnesses for the prosecution and have

the charges against us dropped.

You know, I have to admit, what irks me the most is being

outsmarted by an idiot like Dexter.

Well, I've been accused of being loyal to a fault, you know.

Maybe so, but all I know is Michael was paying the bills, and Mark and Jackie.

You know? I didn't have some scheme mapped out in my head, but when Mark

had to destroy the footage, I was like, uh, no way, man.

But I didn't say that out loud.

Something in my gut.

And I owed it to Michael to deliver the goods.

Wouldn't you?

No, no, no.

I don't blame him.

I wouldn't give that idiot the credit.

Dexter's all balls.

No brains.

He was just following orders, kissing up to Madsen. Madsen is the one who

brought it all to the media.

I hate what we did to Billy Dan.

And I hate what Dexter did to me.

I don't even like being here right now, talking to you. I mean, this is not how

I envisioned my life.

Fame?

Fame is an illusion.

What's worse, though, is...

I mean, yes, I have a career from all of this now, and I am grateful.

But I... I will always be known as one of the Hollywood Three. I will

never be known for my work, just who I am.

And I don't even feel like I earned it.

I was just in the wrong place at the right time.

We all got what we wanted, man.

I mean, Michael got me hired to shoot all the second unit stuff on his next

studio movie. And after that, I'm DPing an indie feature financed by Lionsgate.

Mark, he's doing a TV pilot, some reality show that's going to be picked

sure now that everybody knows his name.

And Jackie, she's self -financing an Eagles of the Media documentary with all

the money she's raked in from her website, you know?

And I don't understand e -commerce, but I know that two million hits a month?

There's nothing to sneeze at. So, you know, like, hey, more power to her.

So really, what do any of us have to complain about?

I mean, we're lucky, man. We're all fucking rich and famous now, right?

We all got lucky.

Lucky we didn't end up in a jail cell right next to Billy Dan's.

Well, has your conviction, your time in prison changed you at all?

Yeah. Yeah, yeah, definitely.

I won't be taking pictures or writing gossip when I get out.

I'm writing a book now.

I'm going to tell the truth.

See, a picture only shows one moment in time. That proves nothing.

I'm going to tell the whole story.

Beginning, middle, end.

Show every side.

Give it all context.

God will open up the heavens and let the chips fall where they may.

See, I will not only be vindicated, I will be triumphant.

And all of those that have tried and still seek to hold me down, they will be

proven wrong. See, they thought they were taking on a weakling, a man of no

substance.

So though you seek to silence and shackle me, my words will rise above the

that oppress us all.

I will be the flame in the darkness.

I will right the wrong.

W -R -I -T -E. Right.

My camera used to be my weapon of choice.

Now the pen will be my sword.

The truth will blaze across the page, igniting the minds of all that have the

courage to read my word.

The truth will burn into the hearts of America, starting a fire the likes of

which have not been seen since Rome.

quaking in fear at the coming of Christ.

Because my path is the path of righteousness itself.

It's funny I used to be on your side over there with the camera.

But those days are done.

We know that because of pending litigation that we can't and you can't

publication, but...

Do you think that your magazine's decision to renounce Billy Dan had a

on his trial and further illustrates the inherent disloyalty in your profession?

No. No, I don't think that at all. We didn't renounce him, first of all. We

canned his ass. His head had gotten way too big.

Paige Davis, that was just icing on the cake. And the truth is that way before

this whole scandal, this guy was losing it.

He was losing it as a journalist as well as a man. And anybody who knew him

before knew that he was way up on that slippery slope before he started calling

himself Billy Dan.

And on the alleged link between tabloid journalism and the big studios, is it

true that you receive tips on locations and activities of celebrities? Oh,

that's some investigative reporting you got going there. Who hipped you to that?

Listen, I'm not saying anything about that.

Just know that one hand washes the other. You know what I mean?

And you don't feel any guilt over exploiting one of your former employees,

Dan? No, I don't feel any guilt at all. In fact, if anything, I think it shows

and proves exactly how fair we are. It shows how objective this is.

Oops, I guess you're going to have to bleep that.

Listen, how many legitimate so -called news agencies out there would even

acknowledge an association with a guy like Dan? We did. We owned up to it. It

shows how fair we are. We go out for the truth, we find it, and we report it.

And now, for one last surprise.

Did you know Mr. Dan?

Oh, I knew Mr. Dance, yes.

Or did I say he knew me?

I was at the scene, you know, that bar on La Brea.

And Mr.

Dance heard me saying that I had met Mr. Madsen when I was working as an

atmosphere artist on one of his films.

So Mr. Dance came over and he was talking to me. And, you know, of course,

thinking he's just trying to pick me up. But it never really went in that

direction.

So we would, you know, talk sometimes and see each other around, and he'd

and, you know, we'd grab coffee and talk.

At that point, things were really bad for me, money -wise.

I was behind on rent and bills, and I owed people money who were nice enough

help me out, and I just didn't know what to do.

So my friend called, an old friend, and said that she could get me a factory job

in Oklahoma where she was living.

and that I could just live in her trailer with her.

So I told Mr. Dan that I was going to go, but I didn't even have money for bus

fare, and, well, he gave it to me.

No strings attached, he said.

Was that all he gave you? Just enough for bus fare?

Oh, yes, that was all.

But I don't understand why you would leave all your belongings behind.

Well, I can't take them on the bus with me, silly.

Why so long for you to come forward?

You have to remember, I was in a trailer with no TV or anything.

I mean, I had left without telling anyone because I was so ashamed and, you

know, feeling like a loser because I hadn't made it in the movie business and

owing all of those people all that money and they trusted me and I was working

really, really hard just trying to get ahead and, you know, get ahead so I

pay everybody back.

You have no idea how shocked I was when I found out about Mr. Dance's trial

and... And then I was supposed to be dead?

I had to come back and make it right.

I mean, I can only assume that Mr. Dent used my unfortunate circumstance to get

back at Mr. Madsen, and I don't think that was a very nice thing to do.

And as you can see, I'm alive as can be.

Is there anything else you might like to say?

Oh, I would just like to take this time to tell you that it was an honor and a

pleasure to work on this documentary.

And please tell Mr. Madsen that it was an honor and a pleasure to come and

him all my help.

And I hope he thinks about me when he does another film.

Some might say you were playing both ends against the middle.

No.

No.

No, no, no.

So you see, everyone wins, or should I say, everyone becomes a star.

This is a good example of this whole thing that's happened to me, about

the truth come out.

And I think it was pretty creative.

But now I just want to put it all behind me.

I just want to be done with it.

With all the problems that are in the world right now, I mean, I mean, does it

really matter?

I guess I just feel lucky.

Blessed, really, to be in the business of making people happy.

When it was finally all over,

you know, it was still all about, you know, Michael, Michael, Michael. You

it's Michael world, you know. And, I mean, I'm like, hello, who got the

nomination?

What do I want on my team still?

Well,

I don't want them to write the guy from Reservoir Dog.

You know, I'd like you to please tell Mr. Madsen.

That I appreciate.

Sorry.

So close!

I want to do this. I have to refer to my nose. Nobody knows what I'm talking

about. I mean, they sort of know, but... I know it's better.

See,

it works so much better now.

What's your take on children?

On what?

Children?

They're little.

Good night.

Let's get some beds in here.

Can I do the whole thing in a bed?

Give me a bed. Let's start from the beginning and reshoot the whole fucking

thing in a bed.

Are you done?

Whatever that low -life daint gift,

He deserves.

Dan. Dan.

Whatever that lowlife Dan gets.

Sorry, man, I've got an itch on my taint.

You know, I think the rags, I think we call them, I guess they got their place

because I know a lot of people are reading them.

Without them, we wouldn't have had Men in Black.

You know, all the stories about two -headed babies and creatures from outer

space.

And, you know, Michael is a creature from outer space, that's for sure.

I don't want any blue M &Ms on the set.

I'm going to leave.

I want my dog in the shot.

I want everyone to wear green shirts or I'm leaving.

I want everyone to wear turbans.

Everyone has to wear turbans tomorrow.

But mine had a jewel on it.

Hang on. Just a minute.

Constantly with the texting.

Oh, embarrassing.

The texting.

Fuck off.

There's a little joke this guy had on his answering machine. He said, ladies

gentlemen, the tale of wisdom.

The devil and his brand were approaching the village.

Up ahead, the devil's friend saw a villager pick up a piece of truth.

He looked at the devil and said, did you see that? I saw it.

The devil said, they just picked up a piece of truth. Isn't that bad for you?

And the devil said, oh no, I'm going to help him organize it.

So we got religion.

And I don't know what kind of toilet paper Paul Newman uses, but that is the

problem today.

We know too much about it. Nobody knew whatever it was.

Things that Gloria Swanson used in Betty Davis. It was the mystery of it all.

You should be filming this. The original intent, I felt, was a deconstruction of

the whole patriarchal system that allowed for exploitative existence of

paparazzi in the first place.

What did I say, exploitative? I'm not the type to get all starstruck, but,

All right.

I'm not the type to get all starstruck, but I have to admit, uh... What the

fuck? The original intent, I felt, was a deconstruction of the whole patriarchal

system that allows for exploitative existence of the... Fuck. Giving the

Davis footage to Madsen was definitely a brave thing to do.

Brave but stupid.

We were fortunate.

The original intent, I felt, was a deconstruction of the whole patriarchal

system that allows for exploitative... Fuck me.

Documentary? At the end of the day, documentary filmmaking hardly pays...

The original intent, I felt, was a deconstruction of the whole

patriarchal system that allows for the exploitative existence...

I feel like I'm on a fucking blooper.

Do you know when I walked in here, the first thing when I walked in for my

interview... with the huge Res Bar Dogs poster next to an Easy Rider poster.

I mean, it's like, okay, the classic we all know.

Oh.

We know.

That's classic.

Here's my words of wisdom.