People I Know Page #8

- We are allies.

- He needs to see my speech.

You know what, Mr. Sharansky?

You can kiss my black ass.

That's Nig for "tokus."

Well, this is impossible.

I don't know why you thought

this could possibly work.

It can work.

Elliot, please.

- Are you gonna spin me?

- No.

Don't spin me.

I'm not.

Where you going?

Elliot, come on.

Reverend, did you have to do that?

Don't you realize

how important this thing is?

Why, Eli?

So you can have something good

you've attached yourself to?

You white people and your guilt.

The look you all get.

"We're sorry. We love you."

Eli, I like you.

But you do not speak

for all these people.

You're a nice man.

We'll go to a Knicks game

sometime, huh?

Elliot.

Okay. Thursday.

Wait.

Nice to see you.

- Eli.

- Michael.

I'm gonna get to meet

Cary Launer, right?

- Oh, sure, you are.

- You look great.

Thank you. You too.

Why don't you sit at the table?

Hey, Elliot.

You're not leaving, are you?

Hey, Cary.

- How are you?

- Well, I don't...

God, this is great, isn't it?

When did we see each other last?

That dull party.

- It was in Switzerland.

- It was a while ago.

I never heard so much whining

about the deutsche mark.

Now, come on.

You cannot leave.

- This is a charade.

- Yeah. But stick around.

We got a lot of catching up to do.

- We do?

- We never had our lunch.

By the way, I read your Op-Ed

piece in the "Times" last month.

It was terrific.

Caught a lot of flak about that.

I'm sure you did.

But you know what?

That's the name of the game.

You told it like it was.

That's why we're here, isn't it?

Uh, yes.

I gave your piece

to Arianna Huffington.

She just loved it.

But the trouble is, you can't win.

And I can.

But I need somebody smarter than me

to make me look as smart

as I do, and that's you.

That's my thought exactly, Cary.

We should have lunch.

And I should fill you in

on my thoughts.

Elliot, please, just do this.

Please.

Only on one condition.

I can't talk to that man back there.

And only if Cary acts as a buffer.

Cary, you're gonna have to

introduce Blunt and Elliot.

Oh, no, no.

Come on.

Cary, this is the last thing

I will ever ask of you.

E., will you look around?

Do you think this is important?

This is just another rat f***.

I know that.

But I don't know what else to do.

God, you're dumber than me.

That would take a lot of work.

Listen.

I got enemies, Eli.

Some of them are right here

in this room.

I can't protect you.

Didn't she give you something for me?

You're such an actor.

Someone turns on a camera,

you just got to perform.

I don't know who's on that thing.

But I'm not giving it to anybody.

You think there's something

on that little thing?

- It's nothing.

- Yeah.

It's a movie.

If that's how you want to play,

I would get out of town.

Go find yourself someplace safe

where you can't get into any trouble.

There are people moving around this

I don't even know about.

The big three.

Right this way.

Cary! Over here!

Mr. Launer, big smile!

Hey, Eli.

Oh, not now.

Please.

We're gonna do a thing

about Jilli Hopper's last night.

Quite a performer.

I hear that she kept a little

black book or something.

- I'm sure.

- You know who was in it?

Mayor Conlin.

Mr. Family Values.

I'm sure.

They're all in there.

Cardinal O'Connor.

Pat Robertson. Jerry Falwell.

She claims to have f***ed them all.

Eli. We've met before.

I'm Sarah Niles.

You came to my book party

at Elaine's.

I was just gonna...

Oh, this is my boyfriend.

Detective Jack Pollan.

He wanted to meet you.

Listen, Eli.

It's a small department.

Word's out that you're saying

you saw something.

Maybe if you saw

someone do something,

perhaps they saw you, too.

Yeah.

I don't understand.

Are you giving me advice

or something?

It's like "The Cat in the Hat."

You try to fix the mess,

but you make it worse.

Then you call in more cats.

The wrong cats.

It's life, you know?

Yeah.

You know, I got to go.

Ladies and gentlemen,

Oscar-winner Cary Launer.

Thank you.

This is good.

This is very good.

I want to say a couple of things

about how important tonight is.

And how important it is

that we say thank you

to the man who put it

all together, Eli Wurman.

A guy who believes in

the history of the coalition

and a very silent guy.

A guy who knows how to

make things happen.

A long time ago, there was

a movement in this city.

People came together to be heard.

Now, there are two men who,

in very different ways,

have never stopped marching

for freedom

and fighting for the cause.

Ladies and gentlemen, I give you

the Reverend Lyle Blunt

and Elliot Sharansky.

Hey, E.

I met Cary Launer.

Jeez.

And you. You are the man.

They love you upstairs.

Cary Launer.

Holy sh*t.

He is so f***ing cool.

So f***ing cool.

He's a god.

He is a god.

God of death.

Cary.

Hey, thanks so much

for bringing me here tonight.

Oh. Yeah.

You okay?

This benefit.

It's so much goddamn work.

For what?

You know?

Yeah.

The worst thing in this world,

Michael, is to know too much.

You want to try and stay na?? Ve.

It's much better.

Come on.

? Pack up my care and woe?

? Here I go?

? Swingin' low?

? Bye-bye, blackbird?

Hi! Eli.

Fantastic night.

I'll never forget it.

Listen, next Saturday

I'm having the opening...

Eli, it's great.

Do you think you could get Cary

for the Lincoln Center gala?

Hey, it's terrific, Eli.

Listen, we're having

this human-rights-march dinner.

? No one Here can ever try

to understand me?

? And wHat Hard-luck stories

tHey all Hand me?

You can make a comeback, bubby.

? Make my bed

and ligHt my ligHt?

? I'll arrive late tonight?

? Blackbird, bye-bye-bye?

? Bye-bye, bye-bye?

? Bye-bye?

Hey, E.

Look.

Victoria's over there

waiting for you.

Hey.

Oh, I'm so glad you came.

Me too.

Let's get out of this madhouse.

I'm so sorry.

- No.

- I really am.

I'm sorry.

Nobody has anything

to be sorry about.

Well...

We're still kids, Eli.

Nobody knows what to do

or how to do it.

It's all just lurching.

- You know?

- Yeah, I guess.

It's working.

Is it?

Yeah.

Oh, yeah.

I guess it is.

And yet, darling, you look so sad.

Well, no.

I'm not sad.

I'm happy.

Can't you tell?

Oh.

You're gonna be okay.

You know that?

Okay.

Why don't we just...

Lurch on out of here

while we still can?

? Here I go?

? Blackbird?

? Bye-bye?

? Bye-bye?

I don't know.

It's changed, I think, this city.

You feeling sorry for yourself?

That's a new color for you.

No.

I'm just...

I don't know. Maybe I just

want to leave the party.

Do you really mean that?

E., are you ready?

I'll tell you the truth.

I don't think I have any more

days like today left in me.

I just don't.

So, you go to bed early

down there in Virginia?

I mean, the cows and the trees

and all them fresh eggs.

You can have the barn to yourself.

The barn, huh?

Yes.

It's very ascetic.

And monastic.

Yeah, sort of safe distance

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