Bruce Wagner - Dead Stars

Benjamin got a call from his wife and left a bit early. Through a faraway window, Michael and his guests saw the explosion of flashes coinciding with Ben’s exit. They even heard shouts, no doubt of the “Where’s Natalie! Where’s your wife!” variety. Heather was the next to go, and went alone as well. Michael wanted to keep his project under wraps & didn’t want them to be photographed together.

. .

Whenever she left a restaurant, there were always professional autograph seekers begging her to sign all sorts of Brittany/HeMo glossies, posters, and promotional items. When she started getting famous, other s cautioned her not to sign, telling her those “fans” just turned around and sold everything online. Heather didn’t care. She felt so blessed that she always signed anyway as she walked to her car.

[strobe storm cell clusters, then:]

Heather!

Brittany!

Are you friends with Michael!

Why were you having dinner! Heather!

WHY

are you going to work together!

is Catherine returning to Glee?

is Michael going to be on Glee!

Brittany! Over

HERE!

Here! Smile! Does Catherine know

does Catherine know

does Catherine know you had dinner

with Michael? — —————

She got in the car. The valet unsuccessfully tried to block the chubby sweetfaced woman now at her window. “Heather we love you but we read in Us what you keep in your bag, & I need to warn you that a lot of the ingredients are not safe. Your MAC Skinfinish has TALC& retinyl palmitate which is linked to cancer ! And ethyl

“Heather! Heather!!!!!

hexyl methoxycinnamate interferes with cellular signaling, &

“H E A T H E R—————” can cause

mutations & H H H E A T H E R H E A T H

DEATH! Flirt Dreamy Eyes Eyeshadow has chlorphenesin

chlorphenesin is a preservative that is restricted in Japan it is NOT recommended for pregnant or nursing wo

H--

. .

Initially, Michael was concerned when his agent told him the talented director Bryan Singer was developing a film drama about Fosse for HBO. “Bye Bye Life” didn’t have a screenwriter yet, & would be based on the eponymous bio. They spent two hours on the phone — Bryan was in Europe — which began with trepidation and ended with the director’s peppy insistence that Michael proceed. Bryan said it might be a tougher call if he wasn’t making his film for cable; two Fosse biopics might be more than the feature marketplace could bear. By the end of their talk, both men were convinced that the approach of the two films was different enough for each to flourish in its own way. Bryan said that in light of Michael’s fairly recent, very public cancer drama, the whole concept of him dancing through a remake was beyond brilliant. It was inspired.

“ That’s a movie I want to see,” he said.

. .

Post- Glee , Catherine and the kids flew to their home in Quebec. He was 3 wks into Treasure , a 4-month shoot in all, and thus far workdays had been heavy. The producers assured him that wouldn’t last, or at least that his schedule would get light before it got heavy again.

Michael had a few long weekends coming up and was anxious to join his family.

. .

He was booked on Jimmy Kimmel at the end of the week. Before going to bed, he watched a a clip on YouTube of his Kimmel appearance last year. He looked for a while then scrolled down, idly reading the comments. He’d trained himself not to do that, but tonight it just happened.

whiteonwhite 4 days ago @j4902lovechild I always knew he should be on stage — STAGE FOUR!!!!! SOOO HAPPY as an actof he has always SUCKED

catacomb12 4 days ago @vermilion 1 month ago you are SO SICK he is a brave soul&wonderfull MAN may god have mercy on your DISSEASED SOUL

Destroyallcheese 2 weeks ago @2120juvenilia HE IS STILL SMOKING MARLBORRO REDS!!!!! that is not a fighter.

Jerseywhore 3 weeks ago @ottawacentipede (I hate to say this), but RARELY have I seen people winning against cancer. Many people I know(includin my grandfather) died from cancer. he was diagnosed in 2005, he went into treatment, he then felt alot better (the cancer was gone), but in 2009 the cancer “was back”. He struggled ALOT, went into treatment again, but he

Invisible forces led him to continue his scroll.

Someone said that Catherine wasn’t bipolar, she was just a spoiled cunt, & they hoped she got cancer right in her starting-to-droop tits and in her waxed butthole too because that’s what happens when you sell your soul for $$$$ to a philandering kike with an HPV.

Someone said the divorce with Diandra was a ruse, they were still married, & Kirk discovered that the greedy juices of Diandra’s vagina gave him eternal life. They said Michael didn’t fall too far from the jewjew tree because he bought Catherine at auction & everyone groupsexed, Catherine got paid $2,000,000 each time Diandra held her down for Kirk to rape her talentless, cellulite-strafed ass and another two mill whenever they did it in front of Michael and the kids…

He walked to the balcony to shake it off.

He thought about calling Calliope but it was already after midnight. She might still be up watching one of her movies, or be dead to the world. He didn’t want to risk waking her.

He tried diluting the poison by staying up and meditating. He went through the breaths Catherine taught him. (It really helped during chemo.) With each inhalation God came in and with each exhalation, the poison flushed out, from his head, his gut, his heart.

When sleep came, he fell instantly into bad dreams.

Backstage, waiting to go on. A producer approaches to tell him Jimmy Kimmel went to the hospital for emergency cancer surgery. The last minute replacement is Roger Ebert.

Michael hears himself being introduced. He takes the stage under glaring lights. The audience rises to its feet but does not applaud or whoop — like automatons standing formal sentinel. The actor knows he can soften them up with his famous icebreaker. He swivels on the couch, looking into the theater.

“There’s gotta be an easier way to get a standing ovation.”

His timing is perfect, but still no response.

Awkward.

He turns back to Ebert.

The film critic wears a black turtleneck whose collar ends at Ebert’s pointy Thalidomide witch’s half-chin. Above that, the we-never-close fishmouth, with an invisible hook pulling the lower lip into a goofy, sing-hallelujah-come-on-get-happy grin.

— Michael, thanks for dropping by! When did you first learn that the cancer came back?

The actor is nonplussed.

— It didn’t, Roger. I’m still cancer-free.

An explosion of laughter from the dead vertical audience.

— Aren’t we all!

Another volley of disembodied guffaws.

— Michael, let’s talk a little about the American doctors who ‘missed’ it. I was fortunate enough to have doctors who missed mine too. Now, I know it wasn’t until you had it looked at in Sierra Leone that—

— Beverly Hills.

— What?

— They diagnosed at the Beverly Hills Hotel.

— Were you angry?

— Very.

— Are you going to sue?

A pause, then:

— My wife Diandra will, on my behalf.

His timing is perfect. Ebert and the audience laugh in approval of his guest’s droll wit. Michael is surprised, thrilled at the reaction, & swivels again to acknowledge them but is perplexed to be looking out at an empty theater — a vast barn, with no seats or people.