??
???that turned me from a vampire back into a human.
how long will it last? i don't know.
maureen? no!
ben talbot from the district attorney's office.
and you are? i'm mick st. john. i'm a private investigator.
maureen was killed by a vampire.
i can't save beth as a human.
you have to turn me back. (snarls)
your face-- what happened?
but vampires and humans can have sex,man.
you're not afraid beth's gonna get hurt.
you're afraid you're gonna get hurt. being a vampire
is not what's keeping us apart. it's just you.
he's still on us. * all alone in my room,think of you *
* at a rate that is truly alarming *
okay. this is a one-way street.
so?
i'm going one way. yeah,the wrong way.
* i keep looping my memories of you *
* in my head,i pretend that you want me * hang on.
okay,you can't die. you can't die.
you cannot die. what?
hmm? nothing. it's fine.
(tires screech) * pretending that she still wants me *
look,i've worked in many d.a.'s offices,
and whenever you get a new boss,well,
everybody runs things differently,you know?
it's-- it's all about personality. yeah,but maureen was what
made "buzzwire" work for me. she was totally supportive
of the kind of stories i wanted to pursue. and your new boss isn't?
i don't know yet. he's calling a big meeting this afternoon
to discuss "buzzwire's" new direction.
which might not include stories about
demented college professors or serial killers. you've looked at my stories.
yeah. they're,uh,not what i expected.
what do you mean?
they're not all fluff.
thanks... i think.
* attached to,on my mind,let me show you *
i can shake him. (tires squeal)
* i can't stop thinkin' about you *
* and i can't stop thinkin' about you *
* and you never could or would do what i do *
* and i can't stop thinkin' about you *
* i can't stop thinkin' about you *
* and you never could or would do what i do *
no,no,no,no,no!
* can't stop thinkin' about you *
you did it. you lost him.
that j-turn gets them every time.
okay,so you've done that before.
afraid so. welcome to my world.
so... you've been reading my stories.
you've asked me to lunch. why?
nothing nefarious. i just... wanted to learn more about you,
and we went through some pretty heavy stuff together.
yeah,it's not like you get kidnapped
by a plastic surgeon every day.
we almost died,you know? and i keep wanting to talk about it,
but i can't seem to explain it to most people.
well,you can't unless you experienced it.
there's no point of reference. exactly. (laughs)
you know,i still don't understand how mick
and that other guy got us out of there. (brakes screech)
(ben) who is that?
where did you learn to drive like that?
three sessions at the nascar training track.
oscar gift bag,2006.
nice.
you ready?
* i put myself at ease *
(woman) tierney! (paparazzi shouting at once)
is that tierney taylor?
yeah,making her "look at me. i'm a celebrity" entrance.
(mick) being human again, however briefly,
put me back out into the world, and it made me realize
i was tired of hiding. beth was right when she said
that being a vampire doesn't have to define me.
maybe i can use my job to live in both worlds,
but jumping into this world
makes me feel like i've gone straight from the minor leagues
to the world series.
welcome to hollywood.
whoa,whoa,whoa,whoa,whoa. too close.
no such thing.
are you sure you're not hungry?
yeah. i had a big breakfast. doesn't this bother you?
i expect it here... or at kitson,the grove--
anyplace they think a celebrity will show up.
but they were waiting outside my house this morning
like they knew exactly what time i was leaving.
and they shouldn't have. i sent fake schedules
to your manager,your agent,your publicist.
well,we know it's not them tipping off the paparazzi.
no,it's somebody close to you,like a friend,your boyfriend.
no. no way. this nightmare is affecting scott,too.
doesn't scott's band have a new album that's coming out?
look,i'm just saying maybe he wants the publicity.
i get it. i'm a celebrity.
i chose to live my life in the public eye,
but... i at least have to have
a couple people in my life that i can trust.
that's why you hired me--
to make sure you trust the right people.
jason.
(laughs) tierney. mmm.
honey,you look fabulous as usual.
oh,this one's new.
oh,no,jason,this is mick st. john.
he's overseeing some new security arrangements.
mick,this is jason abbott.
he's producing my new movie,"lusitania."
and this little girl is the reason for "lusitania."
we're gonna have a billion-dollar franchise
on our hands.
yeah,now that we finally have a start date,i am so excited.
would you two excuse me? i'm going to the ladies' room.
hot lunch date?
very hot.
and sunny. definitely too much sun.
it's not a date.
are you working for tierney taylor? what do you know about her?
just what everybody does--
what her favorite color is,everybody she's ever dated,
what she had for dinner last night.
right.
look,i've been meaning to call you about the other night.
(lowers voice) the other night when you kissed me?
so,uh,how do you wanna do this?
(normal voice) it's called dating.
right. we,uh,we go out,get to know each other.
you've known me since i was 4.
okay,it's weird when you say it like that.
(man) tierney! tierney! miss taylor,look here!
hey,hey. how was lunch?
what,are you following me?
oh,not me.
hottie,huh? you should put it up on your facebook page.
you've seen my facebook page?
of course i've seen your facebook page.
hmm. did you like it?
yeah. and i was surprised that mr. skulk-in-the-shadows
is suddenly all over the internet.
yeah,well,you know,
i want to expand my business,and i realize that
i need to put myself out there a bit more,so... your flashy new client will certainly see to that.
now this tierney girl-- yes,i know. i know.
she's a celebrity,and you're concerned
that i'm endangering myself to this kind of public exposure. yeah.
but don't worry,dad. i'll,uh,i'll be careful.
don't call me that. well,you did turn me.
re-turned you. okay,re-turned.
and you were gonna become a vampire again anyway,
and i'm not your sire. you're kinda my step-sire,though.
no.
now... you wanna know what i was gonna say?
i was gonna say tierney reminds me of jean harlow.
you went out with jean harlow?
i mostly stayed in with jean harlow.
now if i were going to give you advice,which i'm not,
d say go for it. okay,have some fun.
but for somebody who's finally decided
to join the 21st century,
you're going from zero to 60 in about half a second. jean harlow?
yeah.
as reporters,
you've all been scrupulous about researching your stories
and--and checking your sources and not intruding
into people's privacy.
and while you've been doing that,
"buzzwire" has been scooped on an hourly basis
by tmz and perez hilton and ain't it cool news.
so... new rule--
if you hear amy winehouse is out snortin' vodka shots
with prince harry,run with it!
yeah. and if it's not true?
we'll retract it later. so... off you go,
my little scoopsters. get me that news.
hi,mr. lewis. i'm beth turner.
oh,i know. i've had my eye on you. really?
i hear you have an in with tierney taylor's new boyfriend. scott walsh?
mick st. john. oh,he's not tierney's boyfriend.
he's a private investigator. even better. more likely to have the inside scoop on the curse.
the curse? on tierney's new movie--
the jason abbott "lusitaniathing.
the start date's been pushed back,like,three times. so you think there's
a supernatural curse on the movie? of course not,but it makes for a great headline.
so abbott's throwing a party for the movie tonight.
i scored you an invite,
and since you're in so tight with her new hottie,
i'm expecting you to come back with something hot! okay.
okay?
the last time i saw the "gray ghost"
was december 1942.
i was with my regiment,
sailing from new york to england,
scared to death.
off the coast of scotland, we got hit by a 92-foot wave,
almost capsized.
some guy wrote a book about it.
he called it "the poseidon adventure"--
exaggerated things a bit, but i like to think
the gene hackman character was based on me.
oh,please. don't shoot.
tierney taylor's new boyfriend.
who i am is none of your business. who are you?
i'm dean foster,and actually,everything that tierney does--
it is my business.
that's called stalking. it's called making a living.
oh,yeah? you getting any help with that?
anyone close to tierney been tipping you off? you think i would tell you that?
look,i get the whole obsessed fan thing.
you've seen all her movies.
you feel like there's some connection-- listen,i don't give a damn about tierney.
the only thing i care about is how much i can make off her.
the girl's my ride,man. dude,i've been knocked out
by guys way more famous than you,
so go ahead. hit me,
and then we'll see how much i can squeeze outta you.
come on.
i don't have time for trash like you.
i told you this was a paparazzi-free night.
you're here to have a good time.
you don't pay me to party. well,i don't pay you to be my bodyguard,either.
why don't you just think of it as a night off?
go talk to your friend.
what friend?
(jason) how many movies? uh... i saw you with her at lunch.
yes. she's um...
that was... last week,i was talking to malcolm...
i think we're dating.
you think?
well,it's complicated.
can you be yourself with her?
mostly,yeah.
then uncomplicate it.
scott,let's go,babe.
* hot *
* there ain't that much room at the top *
* yeah,ah,yeah,ah *
(jason) i know i look more mature,
and,hey,look,this is a mature town.
it needs mature people.
* gotta get to the top *
that was the most boring conversation of my entire life.
tierney's producer has the most uelievable ego.
who were those other guys? were they abbott's bodyguards?
investors. they're paying for the movie and this party.
looks like tierney's having fun.
yeah. she doesn't get to relax much.
so,uh...
where does a vampire take a girl on a date?
i don't know. the usual places.
probably not a lot of restaurants.
i'm guessing you get bored watching women eat.
actually,i haven't exactly
been in a romance relationship with a human
since i became a vampire.
what? do you mean,you haven't... not with a human.
wow. it's not like you've slept with a vampire.
maybe once in college,but i was really drunk. right.
(tierney) and what else are you doing behind my back?
i can't believe you don't trust me. how can i,when you do stuff like this?
i'm not the one keeping secrets,tierney.
i'll meet you inside. (sighs)
are you okay? it's nothing.
it looked like something to me.
it's a misunderstanding,that's all.
i'm gonna go to my stateroom and fix my face.
okay. i'll come with. no,i'm fine.
you really are very nice.
* now you're famous *
* do you know the price you pay? *
* i hope that ain't contagious,i ain't gonna live that way *
* thank you,no *
* but i don't need to go... *
there you are. i've been looking for you.
i'm sorry about that.
not a problem.
look,i-i've gotta get back to "buzzwire"
and fabricate a hot story.
did you hear that? what?
it's tierney.
mick,no!
hey,show some respect.
for what? some drunk actress who fell overboard?
you wanna go for a swim,too?
excuse me.
was she drunk?
no,she wasn't drunk. i would've smelled it on her.
where are you going? tierney's stateroom.
it had to be an accident.
who would have a reason to kill tierney?
nobody i know of.
but since i was reviewing the security,
if she was in danger,i should've known about it.
you can't think this is your fault.
i told her she could trust me,that i'd look out for her.
and now she's dead.
what is it?
(sniffs) blood.
this was wiped
and put back.
somebody hit her? (sniffs)
she was dragged from the room.
tierney was murdered.
well...
what a pleasant surprise.
what are you doing he? he's here because the d.a.'s office
wants to make sure that the police don't screw up
another high-profile celebrity case. is that right?
either way,i need you both to clear the scene.
the display case.
what about it?
the anchor's your murder weapon.
bag it.
what amazing luck,you being on the scene like that.
tmz didn't have anyone there,
and perez hilton's just sitting at home,
waiting for somebody to e-mail him.
i already have the headline--
"wild child tierney takes drunken plunge."
tierney wasn't drunk.
okay,if we're wrong,we'll--we'll do a retraction.
but in the meantime,we-- it's okay that people think she deserved what she got?
i can't help what people think.
(lowers voice) there is a chance that this was murder. seriously?
yes,but don't post this until i have the facts straight,
or i'm not writing it,and you have no on-the-spot story.
this would go so great with murder.
okay,i'm thinking splash page.
don't ask me what i paid for it.
where did you get this?
dean foster. and he's got more where that came from.
mick! welcome back to the land of the undead.
here for a little a-positive? i restocked.
no,i'm here about tierney.
yeah,it's a shame.
i liked her movies.
never actually saw one.
oh,she did a nch of teen movies.
i mean,not really my thing,
but matinee at the chinese theatre--
best air-conditioning in town,like a giant freezer unit.
yeah,if your freezer smells like popcorn.
dude,i sleep here.
popcorn would be a huge improvement.
you know,the press are saying this was an accident,
that she was drunk.
you know her blood alcohol was normal.
the c.o.d. was a temporal skull fracture. so she was hit in the head?
yeah,with this anchor.
i found traces of her blood on it,
and the shape matches the fracture.
where'd you get it?
uh... a.d.a. talbot brought it in.
hey.
hey. guillermo confirmed it.
tierney was dead before she hit the water.
someone at the party killed her. i came to show you this.
grant bought it off a paparazzo named dean foster.
i ran into him on the dock before the party.
to get the shot,he had to be on the boat,
so how did he get past security without an invite? (sighs) i don't know.
maybe whoever's leaking him information got him in.
look,i gotta speak with tierney's boyfriend scott.
i gotta find out what they were arguing about. i would love to help,
but grant insists i speak to tierney's producer.
he wants a quote using the words "movie" and "cursed." (scoffs)
listen,once you're done,you,uh,you wanna come by?
we could... share some information.
i'd like that.
they weren't here five minutes ago. who are they after?
hey,tierney's boyfriend! over here!
go. save yourself. see you later.
hey.
hey. you little punk,give me that camera.
man,you kidding? you know how much this thing costs?
the camera,lost boy.
you should be ashamed of yourselves,
making a living like this. talk about bloodsuckers.
it's perfect. we work at night.
we can get places other people can't.
you're a smoker? what are you doing,kid?
what? it's gonna stunt my growth?
what can you tell me about dean foster?
he's a little intense for the work.
i mean,we'll take a picture of anyone,but old dean?
(scoffs) well,let's just say he lacks diversity
in his subject matter.
let me guess--tierney taylor. where can i find him?
nobody's seen him since she died.
he's probably curled up in his shrine room,crying.
mm-hmm. can you keep your colleagues off me?
in the name of vamp solidarity,we'd love to help,but...
you're a celebrity p.i. now. you're the story,dude.
well,the movie's dead. the studio pulled the plug.
i heard the studio thinks the movie was cursed.
sometimes i even think there's a curse.
you know,every time we're ready to roll,something happens. like the fire on the stage and the boat sinking?
heal the bay's still on my case for that one.
now tierney's accident...
except it wasn't an accident. looks like murder.
now who'd wanna murder tierney? well,that's what i'm trying to find out.
well,that's pretty ballsy of you,miss turner,
chasing down tierney's killer. you should sell me your story.
i could get cameron diaz to play you,easy.
well,why didn't you get her to replace tierney?
nah. tierney was the movie.
the studio'd never let me do it without her.
you think i killed her? i loved her.
people kill for love all the time.
tierney and i fought sometimes,sure,
but we-- we always made up.
at the party,what was the argument about?
i found out she was hiding something for me,okay?
i was upset. the two of us-- we didn't have secrets.
everybody has secrets,scott.
not me and tierney.
i heard a message
that her business manager left for her.
she paid this paparazzo,dean,
50 grand to keep some photos off the market.
when i asked her about it,she blew up.
i figured dean had snapped her
fooling around with some other guy.
maybe you,even.
there was nothing going on between myself and tierney.
yeah,i didn't want to believe she was cheating on me,
but when she wouldn't tell me...
my band hasn't hit.. yet.
tierney had, and,um,
it was tough,sure,but...
we loved each other,
and,um,whenever tierney was keeping from me,
we... we would have worked it out.
come on. what are you doing?
i'm watching for paparazzi.
i figure we got about ten minutes
before they track me down...
(vehicle approaches) or less.
mick!
oh,god. mick...
here.
(panting) let's get inside.
you okay? yeah.
??
whoever's after you is-- wait,wait. after me?
yeah,what do you think,they're trying to kill me? they were headed right for you.
i pushed you out of the way. you had to push me out of the way,
because i was standing next to you. maybe they're after both of us.
i mean,my case and your story both connect to tierney,right?
maybe we're closer to a killer than we thought.
what did abbott say?
there's definitely something weird going on with the movie,
and,uh,now the studio's shut it down.
they're not gonna replace tierney? no,but the movie was insured,
so the investors will get their money back.
what about tierney's boyfriend?
we found out that tierney was paying dean off. for what?
i don't know,but scott thought tierney was cheating on him
and that dean had found out and blackmailed her.
maybe she got tired of paying him,and he killed her.
or she wasn't really paying him at all.
maybe the boyfriend was lying to cover up his own guilt.
no. the boyfriend's only crime is being in an emo band. what's wrong with emo?
nothing,when they were influenced by husker du,
but now they all just copy jimmy eat world,
and,well,that explains dashboard confessional,
doesn't it?
i like dashboard confessional.
no,you don't.
where you going?
home.
not alone,you're not.
somebody just tried to kill you. well,you can't drive me.
there's paparazzi outside.
well,then you should probably stay here,then...
with me.
oh,wow. from dating to speed dating.
no,i don't mean with me,with me.
i mean,i just-- i can't drive you,
and my couch is... comfortable,and...
besides,i sleep in my freezer upstairs,so...
okay. well,better safe than sorry.
okay.
(clears throat) and,you know,i mean,if you need anything,
i'm,uh,i'm just right upstairs anyway.
in your freezer.
yeah.
sweet dreams.
you,too.
* now waking to the sun *
* i calculate what i had done *
* like jumping from the bow *
* just to prove that i knew how *
you know,tierney spends $1,000 a month
on cat grooming.
cat... grooming.
(types on keyboard) wait. whoa,whoa.
here's... something.
a check for 50 grand to dean foster?
scott was right. tierney is paying him off.
this is weird.
her--her business manager,ryan gold--
he writes all her checks,right?
well,there's a payroll account,which is how he gets paid,
but every month like clockwork,he also writes himself a check
from her personal account-- 20 grand a pop.
maybe she found out gold was embezzling from her.
(ben) "i sort of remember seeing that guy"
isn't gonna stand up in court.
look,depose him again.
somebody tried to kill me last night.
ugh,listen,i have to call you back.
seems to happen a lot.
well,i wouldn't say a lot. (stammers)
i'm looking into the tierney taylor murder.
(scoffs) because i asked you not to.
and the car that almost ran me down
might lead to something important.
can you run the plate? why me?
what if i told you that everything i've found
points to one suspect,
and he might be the same guy who tried to kill me? which suspect would this be?
dean foster--paparazzo with an unhealthy interest
in tierney. yeah,well,tierney wasn't the first.
you know about him?
yeah. he's a person of interest.
look,five years ago,an actress filed
a restraining order against foster,
which he proceeded to violate with wild abandon.
threat management got involved,but foster wouldn't back off.
the actress finally moved off to london,
and foster moved on to someone new.
so tierney became more than just a subject to him,
and then she rejected him,and he killed her? it's possible,yeah.
well,why haven't you picked him up?
because we haven't found him yet. (cell phone rings)
i gotta take this.
i'll get back to you on the license plate,all right?
everyone thought she was one of those... vapid little girls
who runs around without underwear,
gets married to ys they meet in gas station bathrooms.
(sighs) tierney wasn't like that.
sorry.
ahem. you're probably looking for what we owe you.
actually,i'm here to talk about a payment that tierney made
to dean foster. it was a private matter.
what about the $20,000 checks that you cut each month
from tierney's account?
is that a private matter,too?
yes. leave it alone.
well,you can tell me,
or i'm gonna find out myself,and if i do that,
it may not remain private.
"tierney taylor" wasn't her real name.
she legally changed it. her dad was a drunk.
he'd slap tierney and her mom around,
and thenne day,her mom had enough. she snapped.
she killed him?
when she got out of jail,she was an emotional wreck.
and tierney bought her mom a house,
hired staff,private doctors.
but the payments--they couldn't trace back to her.
so you made them in your name.
that kid would've done anything to keep her mom
out of the limelight.
and then somehow dean found out. despicable freak.
so in the middle of everything else,
we had to find the money to pay him off.
"everything else"?
her movie,"lusitania"--
tierney was shelling out her own money
for costumes,swimming lessons,
abbott kept saying he was gonna reimburse her,
and she kept believing him
because he swore he wouldn't make the movie without her.
frankly,i'm surprised he stuck to his word.
i thought it was the studio that shut the movie down.
no. it was all abbott's decision.
hey,mick,what's up?
no-go on the business manager.
i did find out that tierney's pouring a whole lot
of her own money into the movie,though.
and it wasn't the studio that shut the movie down.
it was abbott. then why would abbott telle the studio was behind it?
(sighs) look,go see logan.
see what you can dig up on abbott.
beth turner.
dean foster.
did you get my e-mail?
pictures of mick st. john?
yeah,he's not a story without tierney taylor.
"buzzwire's" not interested. i didn't send them to "buzzwire."
i sent them to you.
so how did st. john
get hit by a car,then just get up and walk away?
i don't know.
i'm willing to bet that you do know.
what do you want?
you get a tip on a hot story,
i'm gonna be the first person that you call.
from now on,i get all of "buzzwire" exclusives.
otherwise,mick st. john becomes my number one priority.
it's up to you.
logan discovered that abbott was broke.
he spent all of the investors' money
before they even shot a frame of film.
he needed the insurance to pay them back,
and the only way to do that
was if the plug was pulled on the movie.
and that meant getting rid of tierney. mm-hmm.
hey! abbott!
hey.
i was just,uh,i was just heading off to a meeting.
for your next movie?
fish gotta swim.
i'll never,you know,forget tierney.
yeah,me neither.
there is one thing
we were hoping you could clear up,though.
sure. yeah,um,i'm-- i'm glad to help,but...
you know what?
i lefty... phone inside. i'll be right back,okay?
he's making a run for it.
yeah. they always do.
chasing people is so much different
when you're a vampire.
a vampire is always in control.
it's easy to forget that it isn't just a game.
and i can't deny the rush...
please. ...when i catch the bad guy.
i didn't wanna kill her. then why did you?
i had to pay back the investors.
with tierney gone,the insurance kicked in force majeure.
it's not an act of god when you kill somebody,abbott.
you murdered that girl.
she would have done anything for you,
but you killed her!
my investors are bad news.
they were gonna kill me. i had to shut the movie down.
look,i-i tried other things. i sicced the paparazzi on her.
i thought it would stress her out.
i tried to get her to drop out of the movie on her own,
and nothing worked.
let's go.
(man) hey,who is that? (man) jason abbott.
(woman) mick,did he kill tierney taylor? (man) did he kill tierney taylor?
hey,get these vultures outta here. (camera shter clicking)
(man) hey,abbott,why'd you do it?
i ran the partial. it traced back to abbott.
but i guess you already knew that,huh? we just came to talk to him.
he confessed. it'd be better if he confessed to the police.
i'm sure he'll give a repeat performance.
i guess that's the end of my 15 minutes of fame.
what happens when a vampire thinks
he's about to be exposed?
he moves on,changes cities,names,starts all over.
have you ever done that?
no,but i've been careful... and lucky.
i suppose one day my luck will run out,
but until then,
listen...
how about dinner tonight?
arbor bistro?
it's a great restaurant.
they grow all their own vegetables.
you are gonna get so tired of watching me eat.
i hope so.
it's a date.
the rest of the paparazzi have moved on,
but dean won't.
he won't stop stalking mick.
and eventually he'll get a picture of mick vamping
or drinking blood.
you know,this whole digital revolution
is bad for vampires.
back in the day,a photo didn't matter.
because vampires come out blurry on film?
it's the silver ne the emulsion,and all a blurry photo proves
is the photographer's incompetence.
are you speaking from personal experience?
let's just say there was
a,uh,particularly rowdy night at garbo's
i wouldn't want documented. don't tell me. you're the reason she wanted to be alone.
now,beth,you wouldn't want me to kiss and tell,would you?
so what do you want me to do about this foster character?
i thought you could handle it,you know?
pay him off or something.
yeah,well,you think that'll work?
no.
well,then you know how i'm gonna handle it.
mick has protected me
and saved me more times than i can count.
and you're returning the favor.
just don't tell him we're doing this.
i can keep a secret.
but as long as you're involved with mick
and you work at "buzzwire,"
his secret will always be in danger.
i,um...
yeah?
(sighs) i have something to tell you.
i quit "buzzwire."
why?
well,with maureen gone,
there's not even a veneer of respectability,
and i'm not gonna make a living feeding off people
like some kind of...
yes,well,um...
i suppose we're all vampires in one form or another.
to vampires.
to us.
hey. get outta her kid. come on.
come on. there ain't nothing for you to see.
go on. move along.
hey,i'm talkin' to you,you little punk.
go on. get outta here.
hey,don't you got a curfew or somethin'?
not in over a hundred years or so... punk.
hey,what's going on?
(whispers) oh,god,no.
i'm thinking yes. (snarls)
and for the last time,
this is beth turner reporting for "buzzwire."
(man) * don't blame me *
* i had a vision *
* and a whole philosophy of how things are to *
* be *