The Phil Spector Trial: We Watch Court TV So You Don't Have To (08/07)

WHAT HAPPENED YESTERDAY? After a suspenseful buildup that rivaled a scene from any of his films, Transformers director Michael Bay finally took the stand as a rebuttal witness for the prosecution. The box office titan had a specific role: to disprove previous testimony that named him as a catalyst for Lana Clarkson's alleged suicide after he snubbed her at a party. While he admitted that he attended the party, Bay testified that he didn't see Clarkson there and certainly didn't snub her. On redirect, the defense questioned why Bay, who knew and liked Clarkson, never cast her in any of his character-heavy action epics. Bay quickly responded, like a true Hollywood vet, "I never offered Tom Hanks a part either."

IS THIS GOOD OR BAD FOR SPECTOR? Bad. Bay exposed Clarkson's so-called "best friend" Punkin Pie as a fame-seeker who was willing to help the man who might have killed her friend go free in exchange for some free press and popularity.

MEANWHILE, OUTSIDE OF COURT: The jury's field trip to Phil Spector's mock castle has been scheduled for this Thursday. It is imperative during this crime-scene visit for Team Phil to hammer in their theory that Spector was standing too far away from Clarkson to have killed her.

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Song Stories

“Help Me”

Joni Mitchell | 1974

Joni Mitchell wrote and recorded this song for her album Court and Spark, but she had to switch from her regular band to make the song sound exactly the way she wanted. "I had attempted to play my music with rock & roll players," she told Rolling Stone. "They’d laugh, 'Awww, isn't that cute? She's trying to teach us how to play.'" Mitchell switched to a jazz band, Tom Scott’s L.A. Express, and scored the biggest hit of her career in the process.

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