Clipped (2024) s01e04 Episode Script

1
[ALVIN] Don't beat yourself up, Doc.
You got 'em to play tonight.
Yeah, yeah. I got 'em to play tonight.
For better or for worse.
[ALVIN] You didn't have
another choice, did you?
[DISTORTED DIALOGUE]
[CROWD APPLAUDING]
- In through the basket.
- [CROWD CHEERING]
- [DISTORTED DIALOGUE]
- [CROWD CLAMORING]
[REPORTER 1] The videotape
shows a crime being committed.
[REPORTER 2] The officers accused of
beating Rodney King were acquitted
This is the way our system works.
Um, you present the evidence to
a, uh, impartial trier of fact,
and that trier of fact
comes to a verdict.
And sometimes you
disagree with the verdict,
but that's the way the system works.
[MUSIC PLAYING IN STORE]
You and I ♪
[PHONE RINGS]
[RECEPTIONIST] Brentwood Wild Oats.
Could spend eternity ♪
Trying to make the pieces
fit together perfectly ♪
And so we make it
through another day ♪
Wondering to ourselves ♪
How did we ever get this way ♪
Why don't you go on ahead of me?
I kinda went overboard.
Oh, it's fine. I-I got a lot too.
Oh, come on. I insist.
You can go ahead of me too if you like.
to change our
ways to save our love ♪
[STAMMERS]
Just between the two of us ♪
[HELICOPTER WHIRRING]
[REPORTER 3] liquor
store this afternoon.
The LAPD is advising residents
to avoid the area entirely.
Multiple motorists have been dragged
from their vehicles and beaten,
resulting in critical injuries,
reports of fatalities.
- [SPRINKLERS SPUTTERING]
- [BIRDS CHIRPING]
- Doc, hey!
- Hey!
[DOG BARKING]
[DISTORTED] They should've
had you come straight home.
[DISTORTED DIALOGUE]
[SIRENS WAILING]
Worry about the verdict, not this.
[HELICOPTER WHIRRING]
- [CHILDREN'S MUSIC PLAYING]
- Oh, come on, baby.
You gotta let Grandpa win
at least one time, okay?
- Hi, Daddy.
- Hey, baby.
[CHILD 2] Hi, Daddy.
Rough commute?
Yeah, um.
The practice space is right
off Crenshaw, so here I go.
[SIGHS] Rich kid in a Corvette,
hauling butt back to Brentwood.
- I passed kids stealing TVs
- [CHILD 1] Why'd they steal TVs?
[KRIS] Because some people
aren't as fortunate, sweetie.
- Because they're angry. And heck, me too.
- Oh, please.
[YOUNG DOC] And for a
second, forget the playoffs.
If I didn't have y'all,
I would've been out there.
- You don't mean that.
- I do mean that.
You don't believe in-in people
destroying their own neighborhoods.
Their own neighborhoods, Kris?
Th-Those kids don't own a Radio
Shack. They don't own anything.
Give me the phone,
I'm calling Bob Costas.
- [KRIS] Why do you wanna call Bob Costas?
- You said it's awful.
- What do you mean by awful?
- What do you mean?
Which part is awful? Maybe we
need to show people like you
that what's awful is we
finally got them on tape,
and it didn't change a thing.
[KRIS] People like me?
You think that I don't care about that
above everything else?
You don't think I'm out of my mind
that those officers got away with
what they did to that poor man?
Uh, Jeremiah, now, while your
folks are yappity yapping,
why don't you go help your
mom unpack the shopping,
and make sure you put
my ice cream away first?
[YOUNG DOC SIGHS]
[KRIS] Go ahead and take your sister
to the playground.
[GRANDPA] You ain't calling Bob Costas.
[JEREMIAH] Let's go, Callie.
[GRANDPA] And why you pick
a fight with your wife?
Three kids.
You in a little deep to get mad
at her for being white now.
She wasn't on that damn jury.
That damn jury, they're gonna
regret for what they did today.
Well, I wouldn't wait around on it.
You really that surprised
on who they sided with
out in, uh, "Sammi" Valley?
Simi Valley.
[SIGHS] No.
I'm I'm just
I'm just looking around like,
"Did I go down a road where
I'm cut off from who I am?"
[SIGHS] So, Elgin comes
in to practice today,
and he tells us they acquitted the cops.
There's a curfew, and we gotta go home.
I looked at him and asked
about the game tomorrow,
and he looked at me like I was
the most disappointing person
in history.
So Elgin made you feel like a sellout,
and now you tryna to tap
into your inner Malcolm X.
Dad [SIGHS]
Answer me this:
Who the bigger sellout?
The one playing for Donald
Sterling for one year,
or the one who signed on
to be his GM indefinitely?
[DOORBELL RINGS]
- Who's that?
- Mm-mmm. I've got this. [GROANS]
This is why it's good to
have a cop in the family.
- [DOOR OPENS]
- [GRANDPA] It's just some white lady.
[SUSAN] No. Hi, I'm Susan.
Ugh, it's awful.
I had to get in the
backyard and just pick.
Susan, more oranges?
Is it oppressive? How
you holding up, Doc?
Are they canceling the playoffs?
[GRANDPA] Doc was just
asking himself the same thing.
Remember that summer I put
you in that expensive-ass
basketball camp?
I come home from patrol,
and you was crying.
I don't remember crying.
You was crying, talking some
You didn't want to go back
because them white boys
was calling you nigger.
Nobody called me that before.
And what'd I tell you?
I better show them who this nigga is.
You goddamn right.
And look where you at.
You got this big-ass house.
- You got yourself a gazebo.
- It's a pergola.
White ladies bringing you oranges.
You think what I do makes a
difference in how white folks see me?
- I know it do.
- They let me cut in line too.
- Because they scared of me.
- Nobody's scared of you.
[LAUGHS]
First game of the
series, against the Jazz,
we're in Salt Lake.
And I'm at the free throw line,
and I look out and I see 18,000
white faces looking at me,
cursing at me at the
top of their lungs
- You on the other team.
- And I got the owner screaming at me too.
It's like I'm their fucking property.
[SCOFFS] If they make
money off me, great.
Otherwise, they don't care if I'm dead.
Here you go crying again.
I'm not crying, I'm fucking angry.
Hide it. You make white
folks feel comfortable.
That's why they let you have all this.
You feel caught in between? That's good.
That means you're successful.
I love the life you have built.
And you ain't gonna
screw it up on a boycott.
Would Jordan do that?
Hmm?
[YOUNG DOC GRUNTS, SIGHS]
Please tell me that
ain't that low-salt crap.
This crap will get
you to a hundred, Dad.
[DOC SIGHS]
[GRANDPA] Hmm.
Well, then.
Y'all true Californians now, huh?
Trying to live forever.
I'm good. [LAUGHS]
You gonna get carpal tunnel
carrying that all by yourself.
[SUSAN] I think we
all need a heavy pour.
- Hello. Thank you, Susan.
- Of course, oranges.
[KRIS] All right.
- Oh, my goodness, guys.
- [SUSAN] Who wants a drink?
[CHUCKLES] Just you a little bit, right?
- Yeah, it's just that I can have
- Just a touch.
- [KRIS] Thank you.
- [SUSAN] It's a French wine.
- It's my favorite. [CHUCKLES]
- [KRIS] Oh.
[KRIS] I love these little things.
- What are they called?
- [SUSAN] Cornichons.
- [KRIS] Cornichons.
- [SUSAN] Yeah. I call 'em mini
[KRIS, SUSAN CHATTERING, DISTORTED]
[GLASS SHATTERS]
[DISTORTED DIALOGUE]
[DISTORTED DIALOGUE]
[COMMENTATOR 1] She
seems to really think
that she has a lot of
agency in this relationship
with Trump and that
she's the Geppetto, right?
- Like Omarosa's pulling the strings.
- [COMMENTATOR 2] Yes.
Like, for as good as she
is at the reality game,
I can't tell whether or not
she's good at the game of America.
No, I already told the last
customer service representative,
it's my mother's account.
Stupid-ass No, not you, ma'am.
- Not you.
- [CUSTOMER 1] She lookin' hot.
I'm calling on my mom's behalf because
English isn't her first language.
- [CUSTOMER 1 LAUGHS]
- Sorry,
is there something
wrong with your burrito?
- Mm-mmm.
- Then keep the service area clear please.
- Thank you.
- [ENGINE REVVING]
[V] Last time she called to
have her interest rate lowered,
and you increased her
credit limit instead.
I agree. She and only she is responsible
for her spending habits,
but I'm paying the bill.
- So
- [PHONE BEEPING]
Oh, could you hold please?
Don't-Don't hang up.
It's just that there's a, um
there's a child with a box of matches.
Dennis, hi.
I was just gonna text you.
I feel so good about
What?
Not even a callback?
[PEOPLE CHATTERING]
[SIGHS] Well, did you tell them
it doesn't have to be Flavor of Love?
I can do any of their shows.
They didn't like my new headshots?
You told me to do black-and-white.
You said it would add mystique!
Fuck!
- [SIGHS]
- [BELL DINGS]
[DEJA] Hi. Excuse me.
Hi.
What's up?
I was going to get the
Matthew McCona-Berry smoothie,
but I don't want to contribute
to your nervous breakdown.
I'm good. Sorry. Almond milk?
That's my girl.
"Catering to the Stars."
I mean, it's a pizza ad.
Isn't your boyfriend the director?
Oh, God, no. [CHUCKLES]
[V CHUCKLES]
So, are you an actress too?
More personality. I'm
getting into reality TV.
Wow. What a coincidence.
There's a party going on tonight,
some reality producers there.
- You should come.
- I have an early call tomorrow.
And I'm kind of broken out. [CHUCKLES]
You wanna be famous?
Find the people who can make
things happen in this town
drunk at a party.
Make a good impression.
Someday the stars will cater to you.
[DEJA SLURPS]
I'm Vanessa. Um.
Just to say, I know who you are.
I saw you on Spring Break Challenge,
and I I read your book.
- I knew I liked you. [LAUGHS]
- [V CHUCKLES]
Here.
Put your address. I'll
pick you up at 9:00.
It's a mask party.
[DANCE MUSIC PLAYING]
[GUESTS CHATTERING, LAUGHING]
- [DEJA] Okay.
- I I don't get it.
I thought you were going to pick me up.
I didn't realize it was
going to be in a party bus.
What's wrong with a party
bus? It's a party. [LAUGHS]
Here.
The Trix Rabbit is kinda not the vibe.
Come on.
[DANCE MUSIC CONTINUES]
[GUEST LAUGHS]
Somebody please ♪
I'm on my knees ♪
This is the part that we believe ♪
Maybe our lives are not in vain ♪
- Champagne?
- No, thanks.
Okay.
Somebody please ♪
I'm on my knees ♪
This is the part that we believe ♪
Maybe our lives are not in vain ♪
Yeah. Thanks.
[GUESTS LAUGHING]
[V] So there's no hot food.
[GUEST 1 LAUGHS] Hey, now!
An optometrist and an optician.
- Yeah.
- [V] Hmm. What's the difference?
Well, I just read
numbers off the phoropter.
Tawny is an artist.
You'd be amazed at how many
faces are ruined by a bad frame.
Most people can't tell you whether
they're square or heart-shaped.
- Hmm. What am I?
- Oval.
- You can wear anything.
- Can I come by your store?
Yeah. Next time you're in Scottsdale.
Wait, you came all the way from Arizona?
We never miss a Sanctuary
party. No, no, no.
We've been to, uh
Let's see, Mexico City,
Reykjavik, Minneapolis, St. Paul
[TAWNY] We're Delta Platinum
because of Sanctuary.
- Yeah.
- [V] Hmm.
Oh.
- Oh, my God.
- [GUESTS GIGGLING, MOANING]
Oh, my God.
No.
[GUESTS LAUGHING]
Hey. What's the matter?
Did somebody do something to you?
An optometrist stuck
his finger in my ass.
Why were you talking to an optometrist?
Oh, my God. Are you a pimp or something?
No.
If you're not in the mood,
just eat the canapés and look pretty.
I don't think I can even really be here.
I'm on probation.
Probation? For what?
Shoplifting. At Old Navy.
Ugh, listen.
There's plenty of overpaid,
under-fucked men in there.
So if the spirit moves
you to get a little frisky,
there are worse places
to catch a sugar daddy.
I don't need a sugar daddy.
That's how they get control of you.
No, you don't need a sugar daddy.
Which is why you're boosting
baby doll dresses from Old Navy.
You have to bargain with the
devil if you wanna get ahead.
I know you have dreams of
getting discovered [CHUCKLES]
but that never happens.
You were discovered.
It says so in your book.
Yeah. But in real life,
I was a high school junior
who showed her chest for
a Girls Gone Wild T-shirt.
And one of the producers
took me under his wing.
But it all worked out
though, right? [LAUGHS]
The bus leaves at 7:00 a.m.
["EYES" PLAYING]
Can't help myself I like to watch ♪
So I always keep the red light on ♪
[MUSIC FADES OUT]
[GUESTS GRUNTING, MOANING]
- [GUEST 2] Hey.
- Oh, my God.
- Who is that?
- What the fuck?
- [V] Sorry.
- Hmm.
[V SIGHS]
Hiding out?
Oh, um, I just don't feel very well.
Oh, poor baby.
- What is it?
- I have, uh
[SMACKS LIPS] diarrhea.
Mmm, yucky.
It's my house.
There you are.
[SMACKS LIPS] Thanks, um.
I should let you get back out there.
Well, I kinda like the view in here.
I like you.
Bad, bad baby.
- I'm not bad.
- Well, you put the light on in the other room.
That made everybody shy.
[V] Nobody seems that shy.
So, what are you, like a porn guy?
[HOST] I'm a sports agent.
My clients play all over the world,
and I'm on the road a lot.
Do you go to a lot of Sanctuary parties?
Oh, yeah. It's kind of
like my thing, you know?
What about you?
Is this your first time?
Yes, I'm a virgin.
I see.
Waiting for Mr. Right, huh?
[V SCOFFS]
[HOST] Well, how about Mr. Right Now?
Who are you? Did Deja bring you?
Nobody brought me.
I'm from the future.
- Oh, yeah?
- [V] Yeah.
[SNIFFS]
[GROWLS]
- [V SCOFFS]
- [GRUNTS] Mmm.
Fuck.
What happened?
[HOST] It's my veneer.
[PANTING] It popped out.
It's happened a few times before.
Really, it's no big deal.
- [GUEST 3 SCREAMS]
- [GUESTS CLAMOR]
Where's the first aid kit?
It's over there. It's-It's
in the hallway closet.
[GUEST 3 PANTS]
- Jesus Christ.
- [GUEST 4] He's okay?
I swear, I'm never doing this again.
Do you wanna know the
God's honest truth?
Whenever I do one of these things,
I always wind up in the kitchen.
- Well, that's hot.
- Yeah.
Hot.
- Exactly.
- Look at your place.
Look at all your amazing stuff.
You don't have to prove anything.
I use an art consultant,
music consultant.
I've got a stylist. Look at
me, I still look like shit.
When I travel, 90% of the
time, I just stay in my suite.
My mother always told me,
"You're a leech on the talent class."
Well, it takes talent
to discover talent.
Jesus, I keep having
this recurring dream
that my teeth are falling out.
I looked it up.
It means I'm insecure about sex.
And now my fucking teeth
are falling out for real.
Well, in my world,
sex doesn't make a man.
Bad news, Future Girl, the world
that you're trapped in is mine.
Well, the world sucks,
and everyone knows it.
Shouldn't we try to change it?
Is that what you're doing
here tonight? Being the change?
I'm just
trying to get somewhere.
Sounds childish, but you know that song,
"Part of Your World"
from The Little Mermaid?
That's how I feel,
like I'm way down below.
No one can even hear me.
And there's this whole
other level to life.
And that's where all the good stuff is.
That's where I can be happy.
I'm always thinking,
the people up there,
do they even appreciate what they have?
Like, have you ever even
cooked a meal in this kitchen?
[CHUCKLES] What do you think?
Look at this knife.
It's probably worth,
like, a thousand dollars.
I wouldn't know. It was a
Christmas gift from Shaq.
I think you need someone
to help you appreciate
how amazing your life is.
I think you need
someone that can show you
how beautiful a sunset is
from the window of a Hyatt.
I think you need someone that
you can take to a client dinner
and not worry about them
having expectations about,
mmm,
- performance.
- Mmm.
[CHUCKLES]
Feels good to be really
honest with someone, right?
What are you thinking?
I'm thinking, "When are
you gonna rub my feet?"
- So good to have you.
- [GUEST 5] Get home safe!
Well, quite a night.
- Thank you.
- You're lovely.
[V CHUCKLES]
[HOST] For my little knife wielder.
- [V] Aw. Aw.
- [GUEST 6] See you next time.
Oh, thank you. [CHUCKLES]
Enjoy it.
I will. Bye.
Bye.
[PHONE RINGING TO THE
TUNE OF "UNDER THE SEA"]
Hi. Um.
Uh, my truck broke down.
No. Well, it broke down, and
then it was hit by a big rig.
So you'll have to find
someone else. Sorry.
[PHONE BEEPS]
The honey badger got you car service.
Wasn't so bad, was it?
Did you just lay back and say,
"I'm rich, I'm rich, I'm rich"? [LAUGHS]
- I kept his tooth.
- [DEJA LAUGHS]
[CAR ENGINE STARTS]
Bye.
[ENGINE RUMBLING]
[PLAYER 1] Hmm, where she trying to go?
[DISTORTED DIALOGUE]
Let's give America the kind of comeback
that New Hampshire has just given me.
It's so inflamed.
God, it is like the
Eye of Sauron. Lance it.
No, no. It will heal on its own.
Tim stepped on a sea
urchin once in Saint Lucia.
- [SHELLY] Mm-hmm.
- [JUSTINE] Wouldn't let me get the splinter.
Almost lost his foot.
It's an ingrown hair,
and Tim is a moron.
[JUSTINE GASPS, CRIES]
Oh, Donald.
- No, it's true.
- [SHELLY] Oh.
[LAUGHS, SNIFFLES]
Wish it hadn't taken me so long to see
that we were on such different journeys.
[DONALD] Aaron Spelling died.
Grown man obsessed
with the friendships of teenagers.
A little seedy.
But who am I to knock a winning formula?
There's something
wrong with this orange.
[SHELLY CLICKS TONGUE, SIGHS]
Twenty-five years of marriage. You
You get into routines,
and then one day you realize,
"I have absolutely no
idea who my husband is."
And you find out
he is someone who buys
$3,000 thigh-high boots
[SNIFFLES] for his
Gyrotonics instructor.
[SHELLY] You couldn't
have known, Justine.
[JUSTINE] Yeah, well
What's this?
- Bullshit.
- Oh, it's just a bogus lawsuit.
A nonprofit group bullied some
of our tenants in Koreatown
into suing us.
People don't know the cost of upkeep
of apartment buildings.
The carpets alone,
it's simple economics.
You're scaring me.
I don't even know what
a one-bedroom rents for.
Don't worry.
You can stay here
until you can support yourself
with your jewelry business.
Or until some old stallion
comes along and snaps you up,
with your bedroom eyes.
You could do okay out there if
you show a little décolletage,
as they say in the Champs-Elysées.
Donald, go and get changed.
Randall will be here in an hour.
[DONALD GRUNTS]
I'll finish that. Real cherries, hmm.
- I feel like such a mess.
- [SHELLY SIGHS]
You and Don seem like
you're in such a good place.
We are.
[JUSTINE CHUCKLES]
[DONALD] She gets totally naked,
and the limo driver
says, "What's going on?"
She doesn't care.
Starts sucking me off, and I thank her.
I thank her for making me feel good.
She's 500 bucks a
night, worth every dime.
Mr. Sterling, the question
was, is this your handwriting?
Which part?
[ATTORNEY] "Happy birthday, Alexandra.
You are fabulous and delicious.
I adore you more than
words can express."
And then with the
heart sign and the X's,
what you might write to someone
you care for, a girlfriend.
Is it uncommon to tell a
prostitute she's delicious?
When she comes to my office
and gets me hot and wet,
I'd give her anything.
It's a con.
Did you call my client
"honey" on occasion?
If you're having sex with a prostitute,
you call her "honey" if
you don't remember the name.
- Did you take her to Paris?
- Took her to Paris for sex.
It was all money for sex.
Sex for money, money for sex.
[ALEXANDRA] Donny was
the love of my life.
We took my mother to Paris
to show her we were serious.
And Donny said, "Mommy, take
her to the Champs-Elysées.
Spend as much as you want,
a million dollars a day"
Well, there you go.
In her own deposition,
it was a transactional relationship.
Who's to even say this is her mother?
- It could be one of her hooker friends.
- [ALEXANDRA] I'd been employed
as a manicurist, but Donny
didn't want me to work.
We talked about starting a family,
but I wasn't getting pregnant.
But out of nowhere,
he said I didn't make
him feel good anymore.
I got served with this
lawsuit three days later.
[STAMMERS] She dreamed up
this fictional relationship
to justify keeping the house she
conned him into buying for her.
Look, I know that you were hoping
to reclaim the gifts you
gave Alexandra, Mr. Sterling,
but I want to recommend that you settle.
We have more profound
legal problems looming.
It looks like the DOJ has resolved
to bring a suit against you
for housing discrimination.
I-I thought it was
just a nonprofit group.
If the DOJ prevails, it'll
be on behalf of your tenants,
not just in Koreatown,
but all over the city.
Settle my ass.
- [SHELLY SWALLOWS]
- [KETTLE WHISTLES]
I found the mini bagels
Donald wanted in onion
Damn it, Justine. Not onion.
And I got organic oranges.
Here's your Amex.
And I got the finishing touch
to the pequeño regalo
that I have been making
for you.
You hate it.
Ah.
I love it.
Shelly, you know, I am
a little bit psychic,
and in my position,
I am no one to judge.
Don and I have been
dealing with a stalker.
He had a con artist who
got him to buy her a house.
Well, it turns out that
maybe she was his girlfriend,
and that Don and this woman were even
going to have children together,
and that Donald wanted me
to sue her for her house,
not because she was a con artist,
but because they broke up.
And now the Justice Department
is looking into that stupid
housing discrimination suit.
I don't understand. So,
they say it's discrimination?
They say it's not right to
put the Korean flag in our ads
because it's telling tenants
we prefer Korean applicants
over [STAMMERS] other races.
And one woman in the suit
[SHELLY SIGHS]
They're saying she died because of us.
- Well, that can't be true.
- Well, she is dead.
- How did she die?
- [SHELLY] A stroke.
Distress.
Her daughter testified.
When she rang for repairs,
one of our supervisors
reported that Don said,
"Is she one of those
Black people who smell?
Just evict the B-I-T-C-H."
This is all what Randall told us.
We haven't listened to
the tenant depositions.
I think we should
listen to the deposition.
Listen to the daughter.
- [STAMMERS]
- [JUSTINE] Shelly.
One thing I am learning
on my divorce journey:
You cannot change the past,
but you have to confront it.
[STAMMERS] You've already
listened to the girlfriend.
That was brave.
Now, let's keep going.
[EBONY] My name is Ebony Jones.
My mother, Kandynce,
was a plaintiff in the lawsuit
against Donald and Shelly Sterling.
She died last year.
My mother was an
award-winning hairstylist
who trained with Vidal Sassoon.
When I was 12,
my mother developed sickle cell anemia,
which took her eyesight.
She was still so stylish.
People didn't realize she was blind.
My mother had already lived
in the Ardmore for eight years
when the Sterlings bought it.
At first, the toilet broke.
My mother had to dispose of
her waste in plastic bags.
One day I came over,
and my mother was standing in
three inches of flood water.
They didn't want to fix anything.
They just wanted her to leave.
And I was, like, "Mom,
you have to move out."
But she wouldn't. And she told me
[SNIFFLES] "You have
to stand for something,
or you stand for nothing."
[BIRDS CHIRPING]
- [JUSTINE] How are you feeling?
- Sad.
But good for confronting it. Thank you.
Are you gonna talk to her? To Ebony?
- What for?
- To take responsibility.
Could be very healing for her.
And if she told people I apologized?
You're asking me to break
publicly with Donald.
[JUSTINE LAUGHS]
You mean the guy who told you
his girlfriend was a con artist
so you would sue her?
What do you think Donald would
say if he saw that deposition?
He'd call Ebony Jones a B-I-T-C-H too.
Look, I ditched the bad guy.
And I am here to tell
you from the other side,
life is much less stressful.
There's nobody keeping
you awake, snoring.
You don't have to wear makeup.
And you and I, we could go to
Bollywood Night at the Bowl.
[CHUCKLES] We could find
a great Ethiopian place.
We could go to Canyon Ranch
and get every kind of massage.
It sounds nice.
Her number's right here.
Let's call her.
What? Now?
- [KEYPAD BEEPS]
- [LINE RINGING]
[REPORTER 4] News is
official as of today.
Karl Rove has been exonerated.
He's not gonna face criminal charges
for leaking the name of a CIA operative.
So my first question to you all:
Why is President Bush still
Listen, I think we should settle.
Those depositions are
gonna go public, Donald.
If we draw this out, some
reporter is going to quote you
going on about sucking and licking.
And everyone's gonna read
all the horrible things
the tenants say about us.
So? People throw away their
newspapers. People forget.
It could be a problem with the NBA.
Do you think David Stern
is gonna touch a hair
on my pubic region?
He just got a $30 million extension
as commissioner because of my committee.
Nobody's coming after
us. You're being paranoid.
[REPORTER 5] Trying to undermine
our military's efforts
in Iraq to root out WMDs.
- Oh, Donald, your cyst popped.
- Gladys has a spray.
[GROANS] Get off my sofa!
You're like Pigpen in Peanuts,
you leave a mess everywhere.
Go away. I want you out.
[REPORTER 4] allow our
presidents to lead our country.
Wait, are you talking
about splitting up?
[REPORTER 4] seeing
a president get attacked
for trying to do the right thing.
You want me to take these to Goodwill?
No, honey.
Put them in Mr. Sterling's taxi,
and let's wash the bed linen.
- Okay.
- [SHELLY] Get his smell outta here.
Hmm.
[INTERVIEWER] We'll be concentrating
on your experiences as general
manager of the Clippers.
Mm-hmm. Yeah.
[DISTORTED DIALOGUE]
[CHANTING, DISTORTED DIALOGUE]
[REPORTER 6] Now Commissioner
David Stern has instituted
a mandatory dress code.
The dress code applies
to players at game arenas
and while traveling to and from games.
Now consider Richard "Rip" Hamilton.
Under the new dress code,
he would have three strikes.
He's wearing a medallion
outside his clothing.
That is a violation.
He is also wearing headgear
presumably not approved by his team,
or, quote, "appropriate" to the event.
And he is not wearing
a collared dress shirt
or a turtleneck.
We're looking for some more uniformity
and some sense of professionalism.
Happy Christmas ♪
- [SQUEALS]
- Good job. Give me that.
What a great girl.
- [DONALD KISSES]
- [GUEST LAUGHS]
Wonderful. Let's go sit
here for a minute, hmm?
[GUESTS CHATTERING, LAUGHING]
It's a respectful offer, Elgin.
It's a termination letter.
No, no, no. You're You're
still part of the organization.
It's a
It's a new role.
- A transition
- Transition to making half my salary,
so you can use my name without
having to hear my voice.
Elgin, come on. [STAMMERS]
Don't be like that. It's Christmas.
It's a It's a party.
[STAMMERS] We haven't
even done Secret Santa yet.
Okay. I'm your Santa.
[LAUGHS]
Uh, I-I got you a Wii Fit.
I don't want a Wii Fit. I want my job.
Elgin, you served the
Clippers for 22 years as GM.
That-That's something to crow about.
I mean, only 30 of those
jobs in the whole world.
And I've been the lowest
paid by a long shot.
From a certain viewpoint, you know, uh,
other franchises are more lucrative.
And other GMs, frankly,
have a better track record.
So, some-some people,
given those facts,
might look at this and say,
"Heck, you make a lot of money."
Andy, don't play with me.
Happy Christmas ♪
For years, I've put up with
being called the worst GM
in NBA history,
taking all the heat
for our sorry record.
Even in this dang office.
I hear colleagues talking
over the bathroom stalls,
"Elgin's got no vision.
Elgin's apathetic."
And not once did I said a word
about all the trades that I
couldn't get Donald to approve.
Not once have I told a reporter
about the bare-bones
operation we've had for years.
Losing kills me, Andy.
Happy Christmas ♪
[ELGIN] You never won
anything, so you don't know.
It kills me.
But I thought, why tell the world?
You get embarrassed on a play,
you don't let your opponent know.
But the things I could
have done for this team
if I had been given the resources.
[GUESTS CHATTERING, LAUGHING]
Okay, um.
[SIGHS]
When I get to feeling
down, you know what I do?
I look in the mirror
and I say to myself,
"You know how lucky you are
to have had this incredible
career in the NBA?"
You were 25 when you
started with the Clippers.
What had you accomplished? Good grades?
You are lucky.
- I was
- No.
True. [STAMMERS] It's a bad comparison.
You were great. You
One of the greats.
Okay. I'm gonna I'm
gonna go back out there.
[CLICKS TONGUE] Um.
There are a lot of our
colleagues who would love
to have one last happy night with you.
I wanna talk to Donald.
Uh. No, he's at a
He's at a charity event.
Look, Elgin, if he'd known
that you were gonna be so
unhappy with our offer
He was just here.
And now he's tied up, my friend.
Call him and tell him I'm going to sue.
Sue? For what?
Unlawful termination.
No, Elgin, you're not being fired.
Racial discrimination for years.
Okay. Who Who [CHUCKLES]
Who are you accusing of
racial discrimination?
- Donald. You.
- So [SCOFFS]
M-Me? Me? Me?
You and Donald and the NBA.
You're gonna sue the NBA?
What was David Stern doing
while Donald was paying millions
to make housing
discrimination suits go away?
Uh
What was the commissioner doing
while Donald was screaming
at the young men who played for
us, destroying their confidence?
The commissioner was making sure
our players didn't wear baggy pants.
He was trying to make the league
successful internationally.
Elgin, you know that. He
couldn't do that with a
With what? Look around, Andy.
Donald may be the only owner talking
like he's on the plantation,
but he's not the only
one acting like it.
[CHUCKLING] So, what? It's
just all one big conspiracy?
How many Black owners are there?
Okay, well, now you're
getting into who has the money
in this country, and
Okay. Let's count Black executives.
Starting with you?
Fine. Why did Donald hire me?
- Did you ever wonder that?
- [ANDY STAMMERS]
To entice players he wouldn't pay.
Oh, I
[STUTTERS] Okay, fine.
But you spent your
entire life in the NBA,
you're the worst possible
messenger. [CHUCKLES]
People are gonna think, "If
Elgin was really so unhappy,
why didn't he just leave?"
With the stain on me from
this team's reputation?
- Where was I going to go?
- [ANDY SIGHS]
You can understand that.
Elgin. You're gonna lose.
[PAPER RUSTLING]
People need to know.
[CHUCKLES]
[DOOR OPENS]
[DOOR CLOSES]
[DOOR OPENS]
[REPORTER 8] A jury
rejected Elgin Baylor's claim
of discrimination by the
NBA and Donald Sterling,
giving the league a resounding
victory over the former GM.
[TV ANNOUNCER] One OG who
doesn't get enough recognition
is Elgin Baylor.
Nobody played above the rim before him.
Dude averaged more points
per game than LeBron.
[REPORTER 9] When he
was with the Lakers,
a segregated hotel in
West Virginia wouldn't give
the Black players rooms.
So Baylor sat out the game,
in the first ever boycott in the NBA.
[REPORTER 10] The
situation in Los Angeles
forced the NBA to reschedule game four
of the Jazz/Clippers series.
No word on when the
playoffs might resume,
but the unrest has
Clippers GM, Elgin Baylor,
wondering if this moment
is bigger than basketball.
I think what's going
on here in Los Angeles
is far more important than
playing a basketball game.
We were excited about
getting to the playoffs.
First time we've been in the playoffs
since we've been the Clippers.
But I think everyone's put
that on the back burner.
[REPORTER 10] Tomorrow's game
was supposed to take place
at the LA Sports Arena,
which sits in the center of the turmoil,
currently engulfing the Southland.
[GRUNTS]
[PANTS]
[GRUNTS]
- Why are you on my court?
- [SIREN WAILS]
[GRUNTING]
[GRUNTS]
[CAPTAIN] Ladies and gentlemen,
we're back in Los Angeles.
It's just after midnight
Be sure to check for any belongings
in your overhead compartment.
Wakey-wakey, honey. We're back.
[PLAYER 2] Yeah, yeah, yeah. [COUGHS]
- [SIGHS]
- [SEAT BELT CLICKS]