Facing the music

Depression. Suicidal despair.

It was the cornerstone of Phil Spector's defense: his claim that Lana Clarkson, rejected by Hollywood, had the poor manners to choose his house and his gun to bring her own sorry life to an end. But now, the prosecution would get to respond and show a different Lana -- and a different side of Hollywood.

Question: Did you like her?
Michael Bay: I did. Because she was funny. I like funny people.

Director Michael Bay came to court to say that it was quite impossible that he would have "dissed" Lana, as Punkin Pie had described.

Michael Bay: If I disrespected her, she would probably would have slapped me. She's just funny and she's, she was kind of saucy, you know. She had no qualms coming right up to someone.

In fact, that suicide defense brought out a strong reaction from Lana's friends.

Nili Hudson: She was upbeat. She was going out on auditions. She was working.
Question: Do you ever hear Lana talk about suicide committing suicide or ending her life in any way?
Nili Hudson: Absolutely not.

Lana's agent brought in pictures of her at her last audition just 11 days before she died. Told the jury how she landed the part -- but didn't live to do it.

So where did Punkin Pie, the self-proclaimed best friend, get this idea?

Pie: She said "I don't want to live any, live any more."

Back in 2003, the day Lana died, Pie told the cops just the opposite.

Prosecution: He asked you specifically was there anything in Lana Clarkson's personality or what there anything you noticed about her that suggested to you suicide. Is that correct?
Punkin Pie: Yes.
Prosecution: And specifically you said "absolutely not."
Punkin Pie: Probably.

So was she telling the truth now or back in 2003?

The prosecution tried to answer that question with this letter Pie wrote to a friend almost a year after Lana died:

(Letter)
"My Lana, my best friend, my right arm, my inseparable sister, was violently and abruptly taken from me at the hands of Phil Spector."

But if the jury had to guess at the truthfulness of some of the witnesses, surely this would help them get to know the real Lana Clarkson:

(video of Lana Clarkson)
I started my career in show business working for the wonderful low-budget movie producer Roger Corman.

Her showcase reel. Now the jury saw her in commercials for K-Mart:

Lana: "Dang it Dan!"

For Budweiser:

"Pate, it's from France."

For Nike:

"No, no, no."

There she was, the pretty, ambitious actress.

It was during the cross-examination of Lana's agent that for some reason not entirely clear, the defense seemed to feel the tape would be helpful to its side by showing the jury that Lana wasn't very good, not marketable.

And then, some of the people in the courtroom began to cry.

In this tape, for the long suffering jury, Lana Clarkson had finally come alive.

(video of Lana waving)
"Ciao, bye-bye…"

It was hardly what the defense strategy intended.

But was there even agreement on the defense team? On the last day of testimony another one of Spector's high powered attorneys, Bruce Cutler, announced he was out. Done.

Cutler: There is nothing more I can do for Mr. Spector.

A fact the jury was not permitted to hear as it finally prepared to consider the case of the untimely death of Lana Clarkson in the home of Phil Spector.

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