"Justice." "What does that word mean?" "Today, for example, it means that when an individual is charged with attempted murder, that charge must be proven beyond any reasonable doubt." "And in order to prove attempted murder, only one thing matters." "Intent." "Now, I'm not gonna lie to you." "Gordie Brock screwed up big time." "He came home drunk he beat up his wife, Deena, and sent her to the hospital." "But when Deena Brock was lying on that floor unconscious it was Gordie Brock who called for an ambulance." "It was Gordie Brock who stopped his wife from bleeding to death before help arrived." "Does that make him a hero?" "Obviously not." "But it does clearly show one thing." "While he abused his wife, he never meant to kill her." "He never meant to kill her." "You can hate Gordie Brock, if you want, for beating his wife." "I do." "But when you go into that jury room, remember those six words." "Because they go to the heart of this case." "See, you have a job." "And your job is to deliver justice." "And thankfully, the prosecution has made your job easy." "Two words." "Not guilty." "Do they always decide so fast?" "Three hours isn't my record for an acquittal but it'll do." " You saved my ass." " You remember what we talked about." " Yeah." "Got a meeting tonight." " Good." "Okay." "You didn't just save his life." "You saved mine too." "Shark strikes again." " Madam District Attorney." " I should've tried this one myself." "As much as I love going head to head with you, it wouldn't have mattered." "Attempted murder?" "Gordie Brock is headlines." " You went for the glory." "You lost." " I tried to put away a wife-beater." " Gordie Brock belongs in prison." " Jury disagreed, didn't they?" "But if it's any consolation, you look really hot in that suit." " Dream on." " I will." "How you doing, Stark?" " Hey." "Margaret." "Why be a buzzkill?" "Suspect's in the kitchen." "That's my lawyer, boys." "So why not save everybody some time and money and let me go right now?" "A shame I cancelled the photo shoot." "Margaret?" "Why are you still here?" "I've been asking myself that for nine long years." "Then surely you're familiar with the phrase "cancel everything"?" "Your clients are." "You gotta get back on the horse." "Look, here's a tip, okay?" "Take the equestrian metaphors and shove them you-know-where." "That's nice." " Why aren't you in school?" " It's 4:30 in the afternoon, Dad." "Do you want more green peppers in your eggs?" " I'm not hungry." " That's because you're depressed." " Hi." " Hi." "Oh, you smell." "When was the last time you took a shower?" "Tuesday." "After the Deena Brock thing, it makes sense to punish yourself out of guilt." "The white teen Oprah speaks." "Yes, well, the scars of my broken home have made me wise beyond my years." "Come on, Dad." "It's been a month." "I'm really worried about you." "These are good." " I'm okay." " Yeah?" "Really." "Yes, I am." "Shouldn't you be getting home?" "I came to remind you about the custody hearing." " I don't do custody, honey." "Custody of me, Dad." "Turned 16 last month?" "Thanks for the card." "Ouch." "Sorry." "I have to decide who gets final custody, you or Mom." "Oh, that judge was a major putz." " You got a phone call." " I'm out." "It's the mayor." "Said something about a 10-year audit on your city tax return?" "You read Lopez this morning?" "Aspen's still the playground for the rich but L.A.'s the new hot spot to get away with murder." "You should audit his taxes." "I'm sick of the poor going to jail for jaywalking while millionaires kill each other without missing a massage." "We're starting a high-profile crime unit in the DA's office to nail rich folks with fancy lawyers like you." " What's so funny?" " I tell you what, Mr. Mayor." "You put 10 prosecutors on a bigtime case give them all the money they can spend and I'll bury them every day of the week, with a matinee on Wednesday." " You think Devlin's incompetent?" " She's got great legs." "But she doesn't know diddly about winning trials." "That's why I'm bringing somebody from the outside to head the unit." "Ha!" "What schmo would take that job?" "Come on." "Me, a prosecutor?" "What are you...?" "No." "Come on." "Why not?" "I eat prosecutors for breakfast." "They're my main source of fiber." "Who better to shake up the DA's unit?" "Winning is what you do." "It makes you the man." " And I'd consider this a personal favor." " Jessica would never go for it." "I've got a 67 percent approval rating." "She's got editorials screaming for her head." "She'll do what I say." "Manny, give me one good reason I should even consider this." "I'll give you three, hermano." "You feel bad about Deena Brock." "You're sick of playing on the wrong side." "And you don't wanna go out like this." " Sir, she's on the phone." " Really?" "Come on." " Let's get this over with." " Let me call you back." "Welcome to the District Attorney's Office." "Ms. Devlin." "Well, this baby should get me out of a few speeding tickets." " Thank you." " Thank you." " Mind telling me what you're up to?" " Look at these digs." " Pretty good for a city employee." " Comes with a great parking spot." "Unfortunately, some jerk is parked in it." "Wow." "Some people have no respect, do they?" "Hm." "Look at that." "Terrible." "Think you can cleanse your conscience by putting away a felon?" "The mayor asked for me." "You know what I want?" " I want us to all be able to get along." " I want the Rams to come back to L.A." "But you know what?" "Not holding my breath." "I made my bones humiliating this office on a daily basis." "I want you to know it was never personal." "For you, the legal system is a game to be played for fun and profit." "You mind?" "You make that sound a bad thing." "Maybe not for a defense lawyer." "But a deputy DA represents this city." "And generally not very well." "You are a good attorney." "The people in your office, they..." "I don't know." "What's the word I'm looking for?" "Oh, yeah." "Suck." " Big trials require a big gun." " Please." "You screwed up." "We both know that's why you're here." "No matter how many you put away, Deena Brock's blood's on your hands." "What about yours?" "If this office had a clue how to mount an effective prosecution the guy'd still be in jail and she'd still be alive." " Well, this should be fun." " Yeah." "Mardi Gras." "County of L.A. V. Jennifer Dennison." " Are you joking?" " Accused is a 20-year-old..." "Charged with murder of Terrence Rourke at the Chateau Hotel." "Accused claims the victim raped her, she stabbed him in self-defense." " Am I supposed to be impressed?" " Guilty as sin." "But unwinnable." "Next." "All right." "You listen to me." " Okay." " Delgado forced me to hire you." "But this is my office." " You prosecute the cases I choose." " Okay." "What, the morgue wasn't available?" "Break a leg, counselor." "I hear he bribes jurors." " Zero conscience." " He's scum." "He won the Frye case by getting Judge Kranepool's kid into Berkeley." "That's completely unethical." "And the conviction rate of this office is completely pathetic." "And it was Harvard, by the way." "Well, it's clear you think you know me." "Let's see what I know about you." "Richard "Casey" Woodland." "Backup QB, USC." "Dad's a state senator." "Charming, good with the jury, weak on the facts." "Not a rocket scientist." "Billie Willis." "Smart, passionate, lets emotion cloud her judgment." " Martin Allende." " Allende." "Great on paper, weak on his feet, couldn't close a window." " And of course..." " Take your best shot." "Raina Troy, tough, brilliant." "I used to dream of getting you on a case." "Major authority problem." "A contempt citation waiting to happen." " Whatever." " I rest my case." "I have a dossier on every single prosecutor in this building." " Know thy enemy." " Aren't we on the same side now?" "The jury's out, isn't it?" "If the dragon lady assigned you to me, you're on her hit list." "That means you're damaged goods and we have something in common." " Madeleine Poe." " You're not on the list." " I volunteered for the unit." " But you're not on the list." "I graduated cum laude from Stanford, clerked for the 9th Circuit and I've led this office in convictions for the last two years." "I intend to become a defense attorney." " I'm here to learn from the best." " There you go." "Sucking up." "An effective tactic." "Sit." "You know, people say that high-priced defense attorneys beat prosecutors because it's easier to prove reasonable doubt than certain guilt." "But there's a simple explanation for why I always win and you always lose my vastly superior abilities as a lawyer notwithstanding." "A prosecutor must conform his case to the demands of the legal system." "A defense attorney conforms the legal system to the demands of his case." "You wanna win?" "Grab a pencil." "I live by three simple rules." "My cutthroat manifesto." "These rules guide every single decision I make on every single case." "Rule number one." "Trial is war." "Second place is death." "Rule number two." "Truth is relative." "Pick one that works." "Rule number three." "In a jury trial, there are only 12 opinions that matter." "And, Miss Troy, yours, most decidedly, is not one of them." "Now, from this day forward, every case will be David versus Goliath." "Guess who has the slingshot." "Now, I have some bad news and I have some truly horrible news." "The bad news is, from one of your lamer colleagues we have inherited the Dennison case." "The jury is lousy, the opposition has unlimited resources." "The truly horrible news, we go to trial in 48 hours." "For this to work, you must accept that winning is the only thing that matters." " What about justice?" " Hey, your job is to win." "Justice is God's problem." "So, guys, you're either on the bus or you're off the bus." "Let's get to work." "I've seen you on television." " Occupational hazard." " You represent criminals." "Terry wasn't a criminal." "Mrs. Rourke, I'm here to help you." "So please tell me about your son." "Terry was a great kid." "He always loved music and photography." "Shooting videos, he could do both." "Did Terry have an active social life?" "He dated a lot." "Girls liked him." "I have to ask." "Was he in the habit of having one-night stands?" " Do you have children, Mr. Stark?" " Sixteen-year-old daughter." "Then you know once they start to grow up they don't always tell you everything." "Maybe you don't wanna know." "You just pray they're safe." "Look, I believe this girl murdered your son." "But I have to tell you it's gonna be tough to convince a jury of that." "I understand." "But the thing is, Terry could never have done what she said he did." "And if I'm gonna find a way to go on living I need the world to know that." "Well, then, I'll have to restore your son's reputation, won't I?" "And I give you my word, I will." "Okay, Town Car picks up Jenny Dennison at 6 a.m." "Drops her at a Burbank sound stage." " She spends 15 hours shooting a video." " Terrence Rourke was the cameraman." "They got chummy, went out for drinks and landed back at the Chateau at 2: 15 a.m." " Alcohol impugns her credibility." " She asked him to leave, he refused." "He got sexually aggressive, pushed her down, raped her." "Exam shows no evidence of forced intercourse." "Or defensive wounds indicating a violent struggle." "If Rourke didn't rape her, why'd she kill him?" "You're like a guided missile." "Straight to the heart of the case." "Okay." "Strategy." "First, we gotta implode Jenny Dennison's case." "We want the jury to say:" ""How does a guy with no history of violence become some mad rapist?"" "We gotta create our own truth." "So here's Terrence Rourke." "Shows up on the set, meets a cute girl, asks her out for a date." "They have a few drinks, get into an argument." "Jenny settles it with a knife." "The existing prep work on this case is atrocious." "Start over." "Assignments." "Madeleine, all the dirt on Jenny." "Uh, boyfriends, friends, relatives." "Billie, same thing on Terrence Rourke." "Raina, forensics." " The CSU and the ME's reports..." " Are just the beginning." "Be creative." "Dig deeper." "Martin, you're gonna go to the Chateau." "Ask for Reid." "The assistant manager." "Tell him I sent you, and give him this." "Now, check out Jenny's story." "The whole crime scene." "Follow in her footsteps." "Find the holes in the case." "Let's get going." " What about me?" " Oh, yeah." "I want you to go to Jensen's." " Get a double order of cheese fries." " You're joking, right?" "Did I chuckle?" "You're gonna bring the fries to Jurors' Bailiff Ray Sabado." "Ray's in charge of the jurors." "Two things he loves more than life." "He loves yakking with the jurors and he loves to eat." "That bag of fries is gonna buy us more insight than 10 jury consultants." " That's prosecutorial misconduct." " We'll have to be brave on this." "We have to prove that Terrence Rourke was a victim of murder." "We need to make that jury hear his voice." "So how's the new job going?" "I've had better days." "Larry just got himself a new gig." " Head of Anesthesiology." " Can he put me out of my misery?" "He's about to." "You just wrote your last alimony check." "We're engaged." "Is that for my happiness or the alimony?" " Yes." " There's more." "Larry's new job is in New York." "Oh." "There's a great private school for Julie." "The custody hearing will be over by then." "The timing seems good." "What do you think?" "I mean, you obviously thought this all out and you always seem to know what's best for Julie." "Oh, it'll be great for her." "Hey, we always talked about moving to New York one day, remember?" "Yeah, right." "But that's a slightly different version." "Did you tell him?" "I told him." " Pretty freaky, huh?" "Yeah." "Yeah." "Pretty freaky." "But you're still gonna come visit us." "I know you're always swamped." "Oh, you kidding?" "No, I mean..." "Hey, we'll hit the Broadway shows, we'll watch the Knicks lose." "Yeah, no, it..." "It'll be great." "Great." "Yeah." "Yeah." "Good." "Okay." "So we'll let you get some work done." "Sweetie?" "Good night." "Good night." "Maybe I failed to make myself clear." "We're fighting the clock." " It's only been 24 hours." " A.k.a. Half the allotted time." "Your stuff on the victim is thin." "And your forensics overview is like every high school class I ever failed, Raina." "Martin, you interviewed the service guy but none of the maids on Jenny's floor?" " And what about Bailiff Sabado?" " He was sick yesterday." "And when you went to his house?" " He said he's contagious." " Better hope he dies." "I take that back." "The only good thing here is your stuff on Jennifer Dennison." "That's good." "We need more stuff like that if we're to clear Rourke's name." "That's what it's gonna take to win." "That is why we're here." "Okay." "Go, come on." "Hey!" "Hey, Julie." "That's my dad." "I'll call you guys later." "Hey!" " Is Mom okay?" " Why wouldn't she be?" " Why would you be here?" " I was in the neighborhood." "Is it so bizarre for me to stop by?" "You haven't visited me since the third grade." "This falls under the "bizarre" category." " Fine." "You wanna grab a bite to eat?" " What about your case?" "The evidentiary hearing got bumped till 4." "I got a couple hours." " Are you sure Mom's okay?" " Look." "I thought with you leaving soon, we might hang out a little bit." " You don't wanna, I can eat a PowerBar." " That's not what I said." "I was headed down to the Melrose." "Good." "I need a new pair of leather chaps." " Well, actually..." " You ready to go?" " Dad, this is Jared." " Hi." " Pleasure to meet you, Mr. Stark." " Jared?" "Caught the Brock trial on Court TV." "It was a killer cross on the neighbor chick." "That didn't work out, as it turned out." " Dad?" " Yeah?" "Jared, you know, my dad and I..." "No, sweetie." "It's okay." "You two go." "I'll see you later." " You sure?" " I'll catch you later." "Good meeting you, sir." " You too." " She's got me stuck in the damn closet." " Surprised she let you off for lunch." " What are you doing here?" " Training my council on physical fitness." "Couldn't get Magic?" "You're funny." "I hear I might need to find a new lawyer." " I'll get you names." " How about Anita Astin?" "Oh, outstanding." "Apparently, Defiance Records agrees." "They're about to bring her in to represent Jenny Dennison." "That's not good." " She as tough as they say?" " Tougher." " Didn't you two have a little thing?" " Once." "Well twice, actually." " How'd it end?" " Not well." "Involuntary manslaughter." "Five years, she's out in two." " You run this past the DA?" " It's a great deal." "Take it." "Are we talking about "jail" jail or Martha Stewart jail?" " We can work something out." " The offer's declined." "You sure, Jenny?" "Because if you get convicted, you could die in prison." "The offer is declined." "I need to speak to Mr. Stark." "Come on." "You like to roll the dice." "You think I'm some state prosecutor with 30 cases in the fire?" "You're taking a hell of a chance." "I know, but it'll be so much more fun kicking the Shark's ass." " Don't call me that." " Not like I haven't seen your fin." "You'd reject a primo deal to settle an old score between us?" "Don't flatter yourself." "I know you." "You've got squat, or you wouldn't deal." " Maybe your client deserves a break." " Now you're the prosecutor with a heart?" "Please." "You're a disgrace." " I'm sensing hostility." " You hopped the fence!" "Like being a defense attorney is something you need to rehab from." " Maybe it is." " Your client went bad, you melted down." "You sold out your partners." "You sold out your profession." "And now, Stark, I'm gonna beat you like an African drum." " You got something big, right?" " I'll see you in court." " Maybe they found an eyewitness." " They'd have to be on the list." " New forensics?" " Defense hasn't hired an expert." "Thanks for joining us." "I hired a Web-monitoring service to keep us posted on all things Jenny." "Well, there you go." "Score one for Mr. Law Review." " And the winner is...?" "Sexstacy." "Net." " Oh, God." "Is that...?" " Jenny Dennison and Terrence Rourke minutes before she killed him." " So much for Jenny being innocent." " That sex is definitely consensual." " Kind of hot too." " This thing's a slam dunk." "This thing's a train wreck." "Five minutes ago, we had a rape defense based on weak physical evidence." "Now we got Paris Hilton 2 with some sleazy Romeo with a hidden camcorder trying to get rich off a sex tape." "That's terrific." "Since when is secretly taping sex punishable by murder?" "Since rule number three." "Jury trials are not about the law." "They're about what 12 people think is right." "Anita will turn that tape into rape by humiliation." "You think winning this thing was tough before?" "The fun has just begun, kids." "You know that sex tape?" "It's all over school." "I mean, everyone's talking about it." " You watched it?" " Yeah, I mean, it was really creepy." "One second they're going at it, the next..." "You're too young for that stuff." "That's like PG-13 compared to some of the porn floating around on the Web." "So, what?" "You know all about sex." "Is that it?" " I know enough." " Yeah?" "Enough for what?" " Are you asking if I'm a virgin?" " No." "I'm not." "Because all my friends' dads are really sphinctered out about it." "You got your mom, your shrink." " Knowing would totally wig you out?" " Exactly." "Promise me you will never be in a hotel room with a man unless:" "A, you're married, B, I'm dead, or C, both." "There's this one hot guy I'm dying to go out with." " I don't need to know." " Will you have dinner with me tonight?" "A make-up date for the other day." "Okay, but I gotta warn you, I'm not cheap and I'm not easy." " Was your son prone to violence?" " Wasn't in his nature." "He did enjoy a reputation as something of a ladies' man?" "You can ask any girl he ever went out with." "Terry was a gentleman." "Thank you." "No further questions, Your Honor." "First, let me extend my deepest sympathy for the loss of your son." "Thank you." "Would you describe Terrence to be a stable young man?" " Absolutely." " Yet he spent three weeks in New Days Treatment Center in 2001?" "Terry had a problem with alcohol and painkillers." "Your son's records show that he was physically abusive to a nurse." " Your Honor..." " May I finish my question?" "Did your son have an altercation with Nurse Gina Hathaway on August 7th, 2001?" "That was a misunderstanding." " Objection." "Hearsay." " Overruled." "Please answer." "She took away his journal." "And Terrence was subsequently moved to a ward with exclusively male nurses." "Yes." " Rehab?" " It was a voluntary commitment." " Lf I'd had more time..." " Anita had one day and came up with it." " I'm sorry." "I did the best I could." " It's not your fault." "It's my fault." "Between writing briefs, putting together witness lists I should've found time to do your job." " She apologized." " There is no defense for mediocrity." " I've been up for 32 hours." "I interviewed his friends, his family, his teachers." "You want a merit badge?" "In jury trials, you don't get a second chance." "Your incompetence put us in a major hole." " Lf I'm such a major screw-up..." " Mm." "...why don't you fire me?" "That's the first helpful suggestion you've had." "Good luck with the rest of your career." "And you are on deck." "You fired her?" "You don't have the authority to fire her." "Gone." "See, this is a problem." "You don't play well with others." "So there's no team in "I." What do you want from me?" "Know what?" "She torpedoed my case." "She got what she deserved." "Let me put you out of your misery." "Your team could finish this up." "You go back to your million-dollar retainers your cherry-picked cases, and just forget this happened." "I never walk out in the middle of a movie." " I've seen this one." "You die in the end." " The hero never dies." "You're not exactly hero material." "Jess, I promised Elizabeth Rourke I would clear her son's name." "Well, you're off to a flying start." "Billie, come on." "He didn't mean it." " Sure, he did." " The guy is a major-league headcase." "Devlin's the only one who can fire you." "She's not exactly one of my biggest fans." "For God's sake, just let her go." "I'm sorry if I don't join the pity party, but Stark was right." "She blew it." "Rourke's friends knew he had a drug problem." " She didn't ask the right questions." " Would you repeat?" "With your head so far up Stark's ass, your voice is muffled." "I'm doing my job." "You should give it a try." "God, Madeleine." "We all know that you're God's gift to litigation." "You guys really don't get it." "Despite your glaring deficiencies, or rather because of them you're being given an incredible opportunity to prosecute every high-profile case in this city." "If you'd stop whining, you'd realize there's not a lawyer in this building who wouldn't trade places with you in a heartbeat." "Hello?" "Yeah, okay." "Got it." "That was Stark." "He wants us at his place now." "Madeleine is an obnoxious ass-kissing twit." "But she's right." "This is the chance of a lifetime." "Not for me." "So did you guys take the bus here or what?" "I'm just curious." " Nice place." " Thank you." "You've gotta be kidding me." "This place is beautiful." "Looks like it's got everything." " Except a conscience." " Let me guess." "Regulation indoor court?" "Exactly." "Ladies and gentlemen, this is where the magic happens." "Home sweet home." "The panels you're walking on covered the floor of the U.S. Supreme Court." "This thing's seen better days." "Looked better when Clarence Darrow sat in it during the Scopes Monkey trial." "That lamp was on lto's desk during O.J." "This box is from To Kill a Mockingbird." "You don't get enough court during trial?" "Not surprisingly, you miss the point entirely." "Trials are won before you ever step foot in the courtroom." "There are eight cameras, real-time polling technology for mock jurors the same voice-analysis system used by the FBI at Quantico." "I never make an argument in open court before it has been perfected in this room." "Now, we got one shot at this case." "Destroy Jenny Dennison on the stand." "We must convince the jury that she was this predatory little slut who lured Terrence Rourke into her hotel room got into a lover's quarrel, and killed him in cold blood." "Can we be sure defense will put Jenny on the stand?" "Anita has to prove self-defense." "Jenny's the only witness." "Slamming the victim in a sex trial can backfire if the prosecutor's a guy." "That's why I'm not gonna question Jenny." "You are." "We're gonna put that patented hostility to work." "I won't attack a defendant without foundation to prejudice the jury." "She's right." "It's an ugly tactic." "It looks desperate." "I don't know if you've noticed." "We are desperate." "Rule number one." "Trial is war." "And war tends to get ugly." "I'll do it." "I have no problem tearing Barbie's head off." "Why does that not surprise me?" "A smart defendant like Jenny is not gonna lose it." "Just for kicks and giggles, why don't you..." "May I, please?" " Step into the witness box?" "And, guys, you get in the jury box." "Come on." "Judge Margaret?" "You're sworn, charged with killing a man you just had sex with." "Miss Troy, how old are you?" " Twenty-nine." " How many men have you had sex with?" " What?" " Witness will answer." " I have no idea." " More than 50?" " Of course not." " Thirty?" " You may keep a running count but I don't." " Have you ever contracted a venereal disease?" "Have you ever contracted...?" "Once." "In college." " You enjoy unprotected sex?" " I was 20..." "Ever engage in S  M, bondage, sex with another woman, multiple partners?" " Is that a crucifix around your neck?" " Don't go there." "Are you a practicing Christian?" "Do you understand the teachings of your church?" "How do you reconcile those with your promiscuity?" "You don't know the first thing about me." "You may live in a fancy mansion but you are still a low-rent, ambulance-chasing son of a bitch." "No more questions, Your Honor." "You may step down." "Okay, I'll be back in two hours." "And when I return, I wanna see Jennifer Dennison's entrails hanging from that chandelier, right next to Miss Troy's." " Thanks for the picture, huh?" " Sure." " So, what do you think?" " I think, uh..." " About what?" " About Honors French?" "Oh." "Uh, if you wanna learn French, we should get you an apartment in Paris..." "But I'm talking about looking good on college applications." "Yeah." "Good." "That's much better." "Use the stuff with the boyfriend." "It's great." "Yes, great." "I'll be back soon." "Bye." "Electronic handcuffs." "So we were..." " Now, where were we?" " You know what?" "We should probably just go." "You're really busy." " No, Julie, I'm..." " It's fine." "I'm not mad." "In fact, I couldn't think of a more appropriate way to say goodbye." " Don't say that." "I'm trying..." " Dad, I never fit into your life." "Glad I can finally stop trying." "You know, when that lady died and you lost it I really thought you'd changed." "Turns out you just changed sides." "Now, what happened after you two had sexual relations?" "He said, "I just made you a star."" "I had no idea what he meant." "Then he showed me his camera." "He filmed your lovemaking?" "He must've brought the camera with him, set it up when I wasn't looking." " And what happened next?" " I told Terry to give me the tape." "He laughed in my face, pinned me down on the bed." "I kept thinking about my parents, how much this would hurt them." " That's when I spotted the knife." " And what did you do?" "I grabbed the knife." "And I swung it." "Did you call 911 right away?" "Yes." "Miss Dennison, why didn't the police find the tape?" "Before they came, I went to my manager's room, gave her the tape." "I didn't want anyone to see it." "Now it's everywhere." "No further questions." "I'll start with school stuff, build from there." "Does the prosecution wish to cross-examine the witness?" "Mr. Stark, do you wish to question this witness?" "We have no questions, Your Honor." "I saw Jenny Dennison." "I didn't see a guilty defendant." " I saw a troubled young girl." "I saw..." " Julie." " But she killed somebody." " Stone-cold guilty." "Murderer." " Should've torn her to shreds." " The maid let us in." "Start looking for a new maid." "Okay, how do you wanna do this?" "Take turns calling me a hypocrite?" "What?" "Saying, "Oh, yeah." "Trial is war and I'm a deserter. " I got it all." "Come on, take your best shot." "Come on." "Let's go." "State of Ohio v. Pavey." "Equipment used by Anita's serology expert yielded faulty results." "Grounds for a successful appeal." "Casts doubt on Anita's theory." "Jenny attended a program for gifted students her senior year." "Guy who runs it says she's a narcissist and a liar." " He's happy to testify to it in court." " Broke down the timeline." "Discrepancy between Jenny's account and room-service log." "Sabado's off the cheese fries." "He's on a cupcake bender." "Juror number six is born-again." "Thinks rock 'n' roll is the devil's music." "And the promiscuity angle should help us with three and 10." "You've worked your tails off and I let you down." " So, what's the next move?" " Honestly?" "I don't have one." "Make one up." "Truth is relative." "Yadda yadda, let's go." "You blew it, but you're the only shot we have to win." "And that is why we're here, remember?" "See that?" "She made that when she was 15." "Imagine how her friends laughed at her when she said:" ""Oh, I'm gonna be a big star." But hey, look at her now." "Yeah." "She's on trial for murder." "The point is she knew what she wanted." "She was driven by pure ambition!" "Nothing else mattered." "You know, all my life, all I ever wanted to be was the best lawyer in the world." "But when you lose that drive, that consuming ambition you're done." " Mine died with Deena Brock." " You're still the best." "If that were true, I would've let you rip Jenny's heart out." "To be the best, you gotta be like her." "Be in complete control." "Never leave anything to chance." "Never let yourself be vulnerable." "Obsessive control." "Never let yourself be the victim." "Oh, man." "Oh, man." "Yes!" "Yes, yes, yes!" "I want the original of that tape brought to the L.A.P.D. Crime lab." "I want it back in two hours." "In the bullpen, 30 minutes!" "Yes." "I am great, and yet I am humble." "The prosecution wishes to cross-examine the witness?" "Yes, Your Honor." "What now?" "Watch and learn." "Thank you." "Miss Dennison, when did you first decide you wanted to be a pop star?" "I guess it was the first time I saw a Madonna video." "I was 7." "Besides Madonna, what other performers do you emulate?" "J. Lo., Britney Spears Christina Aguilera?" " Definitely." "Those singers incorporate an explicit sexuality into their performances." "But according to publicity material from Defiance Records your label, you are the next Norah Jones." ""Wholesome, spiritual and family friendly."" " Doesn't that bother you?" " Defiance signed me." "They decide the way to sell my music." "But you've been planning your career since grade school." "And you know that sex sells." "Why do you think they didn't listen to you?" "Objection." "What is the relevance of this line of inquiry?" " Mr. Stark?" " Miss Dennison this is a video you made four years ago on an SD200 camcorder." "It is Defense Exhibit D, previously entered." "A forensic analysis confirms that this tape bears the precise electromagnetic artifacts as the videotape of you and Terrence Rourke at the Chateau Hotel." "In other words, these two tapes were made by the exact same camera, your camera." "Would you please explain to this jury why you lied about whose camera was used to make the tape?" "I didn't lie." "I guess Terry used my camera." "That's not what you said." "You said:" ""He showed me his camera." "He must have brought it."" "Your testimony is on record." "Shall I have it read back?" " A brief recess?" " Denied." "Miss Dennison, would you please tell this jury why you videotaped yourself and Terrence Rourke having sex at the Chateau Hotel?" "It was all a big misunderstanding." "Did you tell Terrence you were videotaping your sex?" " No..." "I didn't think he'd care." " Why not?" "He did care, did he not?" "In fact, he was horrified by what you did." "What happened when Terrence Rourke realized what you were up to?" "When Terry spotted the camera, he got really mad." "He was scared his mom would see the tape." "STARK:" "You intended to make the tape public." " I didn't say that!" " Is it possible that you could have released this tape to cause a scandal to launch your career?" " No." " You didn't give the tape to police." "You took your bloody fingers and slipped it to your manager." "And now it somehow magically, miracle of miracles finds its way onto the Internet." "Now everybody's talking about it." "Talking about you, the week your first album is about to be released." "Can you look this jury in the eye and tell any single one of them that this is a cosmic accident?" "Now, would you kindly tell this jury what happened in that hotel room between you and Terrence Rourke?" "Terry tried to grab the tape." "He wrestled me onto the bed." "His knee was on my chest." "I should've just given it to him." " Why didn't you?" " I don't know." "I couldn't breathe." "I got scared." "I was still kind of drunk." "When I grabbed the knife, I just wanted to scare him to make him stop." "I don't know how this all happened." "Jenny, you do, because the moment you met Terrence Rourke you decided to videotape your sexual encounter." "That part was premeditated, was it not?" "Yes, but I swear to God, I never meant to hurt him." "Please believe me." "I do." "But your plan cost him his life." "It cost Elizabeth Rourke her only child." "There is no greater loss." "No further questions, Your Honor." "Let me get a photo with the man of the hour." " Your Honor." " Madam District Attorney, por favor." " Beginner's luck." " It's called winning." "Don't worry." "You'll get used to it." " That's good." " Thanks, Manny." "I'm gonna give you exactly 30 seconds to gloat." " You know you won a huge case, right?" " Yeah." " You look like you lost your best friend." " I'm about to lose a lot more than that." "As stipulated in your parents' divorce having reached the age of 16, you must now designate which parent will act as custodian until your 18th birthday." "Have you reached a decision?" "Yes." "My mother's been everything to me." "My protector, my best friend." "When my parents got a divorce I thought the world was coming to an end." "But she made sure it didn't." "I mean, she was a mess." "But she pretended like everything was okay so that I wouldn't be scared." "And it wasn't always easy." "I mean, I can be a real pain." "But my mom taught me that it's not enough to love someone when it's easy." "You gotta love them when it's hard." "When they don't deserve it." "When they're in trouble." "That's what family does." "Which is why I choose to live with my dad." "Did you know about this?" "I'm as surprised as you are." "Probably more." " I didn't mean to hurt you." " Oh, I'm not hurt." "Well, okay, I'm a little hurt." "But mostly, I'm scared." "I mean, no offense, Sebastian, but you are incredibly self-absorbed." " No offense taken." " Well, seriously." "Do you have any idea what it takes to raise a teenage girl alone?" " No, but if this is what Julie wants, I..." " What she wants?" "She's 16." "She wants a Porsche, a date with Prince William and world peace." " She's a child." " Mom, my whole life is here." "Oh, Jules." "If this is really what you want I can't stop you." "I just hope to God you know what you're doing." "This is the biggest case you'll ever get." "Don't blow it." "Why?" "You're the only father I'm ever gonna have." "And if there is a God, I'm the only kid you're ever gonna have." "Mom's really mad right now, but she'll get over it." "If I go to New York you and I will exchange birthday cards and Christmas presents." "But we'll wind up perfect strangers." "You may prefer that, but I don't." " The last thing I would ever want..." " For once, don't say anything." "I've gone to the shrink long enough to know that I'll be screwed up for life if I don't get some closure on you and me." "And there's another reason why I chose you." "Something you probably don't understand and maybe you never will." "You need me."