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<v Speaker 1>This is Later with Lee Matthews, The Lee Matthews podcast Warm.

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<v Speaker 1>What you Hear Weekday Afternoon is on the Drive.

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<v Speaker 2>William Keck began his career working for Titanheerance.

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<v Speaker 1>This is Later with Lee Matthews The Lee Matthews podcast,

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<v Speaker 1>What You Hear Weekday after Do is on the Drive.

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<v Speaker 2>Inquirer USA Today, Senior editor in Commonness for TV Guide,

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<v Speaker 2>a regular contributor to People US Weekly. Uh and so

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<v Speaker 2>you can imagine he's had a lot of experience interviewing

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<v Speaker 2>and interacting with some of the big top celebrities. He's

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<v Speaker 2>decided to write a volume full of many of those stories,

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<v Speaker 2>and it's called When You Step Upon a Star Crimsworthy

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<v Speaker 2>Confessions of a Tabloid bad Boy William Keck. I can't

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<v Speaker 2>believe you're a bad boy.

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<v Speaker 3>Oh I know, I'm just horrible. Aren't I a sort

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<v Speaker 3>of spanky?

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<v Speaker 2>And you got your share of the verbally did you not?

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<v Speaker 3>I'm afraid I did. Yes. You may have read a

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<v Speaker 3>few of them from some of the people who had

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<v Speaker 3>a hard time forgiving me for my transgressions.

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<v Speaker 2>What got you into this type of journalism? What interest

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<v Speaker 2>did you more than say going after the hard core

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<v Speaker 2>Woodard and Bernstein stuff.

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<v Speaker 3>Well, you know, I'll tell you I grew up as

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<v Speaker 3>an only child in upstate New York. My dad died

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<v Speaker 3>at an early age, and I just became a kid

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<v Speaker 3>raised on television and the TV families that I watched,

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<v Speaker 3>the Ewings of Dallas and the Carringtons of Dynasty, the

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<v Speaker 3>Brady Bunch, they became my surrogate family members, and I

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<v Speaker 3>really wanted to meet them before they were gone. So

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<v Speaker 3>I came out to LA and the Inquirer offered me

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<v Speaker 3>an opportunity to meet all these people. I just didn't

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<v Speaker 3>realize it was going to be. I was going to

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<v Speaker 3>meet them at their wedding and funerals in their hospital rooms.

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<v Speaker 2>And he's written all about it. And when You Step

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<v Speaker 2>upon a Star Crench were the confessions of a tabloid

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<v Speaker 2>bad bull boy. William Kick is with it and the

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<v Speaker 2>books now out everywhere you get books. So let's talk

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<v Speaker 2>about some of your more awkward run ends.

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<v Speaker 3>Yes, my goodness, Well gee, uh, you know a lot

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<v Speaker 3>of the stars that I wanted to meet were the

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<v Speaker 3>Golden Age stars, the vintage stars. Again, I wanted to

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<v Speaker 3>meet them before they passed. One story you involved Telly sabalas,

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<v Speaker 3>do you remember Telly Sabajack? And he was that's right, exactly, yeah,

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<v Speaker 3>the bald head and the lollipop. So he he passed away,

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<v Speaker 3>and but we found out that he never received a tombstone,

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<v Speaker 3>So Telly was buried in an unmarked rave. And I

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<v Speaker 3>looked into this and I found out the reason was

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<v Speaker 3>is that the family was not speaking to each other.

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<v Speaker 3>His new wife was not speaking his children, and so

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<v Speaker 3>they never could come together to find a date. So

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<v Speaker 3>I actually pretended to be somebody in a Sabalis family

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<v Speaker 3>and I called Forrest Lawn and I asked them to

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<v Speaker 3>call all the family members to get them together. I

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<v Speaker 3>picked the day in time. We had photographer in the

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<v Speaker 3>bushes and we got photos of Kelly Sabalis's plaque being installed.

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<v Speaker 3>So Kelly has meet a bank for his brave no

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<v Speaker 3>longer being on the market.

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<v Speaker 2>So you really really was born out of fandom for you?

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<v Speaker 2>Was there one particular star that you became stars struck

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<v Speaker 2>when you did come in contact with them. I'm not

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<v Speaker 2>going to say meat, because I don't think you met

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<v Speaker 2>many people, did you?

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<v Speaker 3>I did. I met a lot of security officers who

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<v Speaker 3>walked me out of certain places. Well, this is sort

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<v Speaker 3>of a similar story. But the person I was most

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<v Speaker 3>anxious to meet was Lindsay Wagner. I was a big

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<v Speaker 3>six million dollar man woman fan. My license plate on

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<v Speaker 3>my car actually is bionic. So I said to dance

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<v Speaker 3>interview Lindsay Wagner let me know, and they said, hey,

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<v Speaker 3>good news, it's your lucky day. Lindsay's father died. Go

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<v Speaker 3>to her funeral and try to get an interview about

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<v Speaker 3>her new boy toy that she's dating. So I went

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<v Speaker 3>to the service and Lindsay assumed I was just one

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<v Speaker 3>of the regular mourners. I told her who I was,

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<v Speaker 3>and we had snapped some photos of her with her

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<v Speaker 3>young lover, and she said, well, what do you need then,

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<v Speaker 3>and I said, well, maybe a caption and she said, well,

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<v Speaker 3>I'll give you a caption few. So that was brutal,

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<v Speaker 3>but you know what, she she took sympathy on me

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<v Speaker 3>and actually gave me a nice story and we're friendly now.

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<v Speaker 3>She actually wrote a very lovely thing for my book,

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<v Speaker 3>talking about the power forgiveness and it's never too late

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<v Speaker 3>to change your ways. So thank you, Lindsay.

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<v Speaker 2>Lovely woman, A babe inside and out.

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<v Speaker 3>Yes, exactly, A bionic babe.

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<v Speaker 2>What was the more classic you know, from old classic

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<v Speaker 2>Hollywood star that you encountered.

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<v Speaker 3>Oh my goodness, Well, gee, you know, Elizabeth Taylor is

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<v Speaker 3>in one that I was involved in a high speed

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<v Speaker 3>shape with actually both a little the tailor and Britney Spears.

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<v Speaker 3>They weren't together in the same car. That would have

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<v Speaker 3>been an amazing show.

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<v Speaker 2>That would have been.

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<v Speaker 3>Two different car chases, but in one, uh, we followed

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<v Speaker 3>Brittany for several miles on the freeway with Elizabeth, I

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<v Speaker 3>let her go. I really was. I was feeling like

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<v Speaker 3>a real jerk for following this legend uh on these

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<v Speaker 3>twists and turns in bel Air. So I'm like, you

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<v Speaker 3>know what, let's let let's let Dame Elizabeth have a

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<v Speaker 3>free pass today.

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<v Speaker 2>At what point in her career was this was she

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<v Speaker 2>was this a pre Larry Fartinsky or post.

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<v Speaker 3>Oh it was it was posts Oka. Yeah, so she was,

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<v Speaker 3>he was up there and she was she was actually

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<v Speaker 3>going to the hospital to get a procedure done. And

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<v Speaker 3>I'm like, what kind of jerk am I casing a

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<v Speaker 3>woman to the hospital. So every once in a while,

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<v Speaker 3>my you know, little Jimmy cricket would step forward and

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<v Speaker 3>do the right thing. So thank you, mister Cricket.

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<v Speaker 2>And he writes about it and when you step upon

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<v Speaker 2>a star cringeworthy Confects of a tabloid bad boy, William Kent.

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<v Speaker 2>It's an interesting read about all kinds of different celebrities

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<v Speaker 2>and private lives. And I imagine you're on some you're

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<v Speaker 2>on some some I don't want to say hit lists,

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<v Speaker 2>but do not enter lists.

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<v Speaker 3>You know, this was a while ago, so I actually,

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<v Speaker 3>I said three years and that's it. So I quit

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<v Speaker 3>the Inquirer, and then I ended up becoming a legit journalist,

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<v Speaker 3>as you mentioned, for USA Today and people in ew

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<v Speaker 3>Entertainment Weekly, So that really is what most people remember.

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<v Speaker 3>What my problem was is that even though I quit

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<v Speaker 3>the Inquirer, I found that the Inquirer didn't necessarily quit me.

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<v Speaker 3>So a lot of the tricks of the trade that

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<v Speaker 3>I had learned at the tabloids followed me in my

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<v Speaker 3>interviews with some of the A listeners that I had

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<v Speaker 3>a chance to speak with.

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<v Speaker 2>I find that when I talked to celebrities, because I

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<v Speaker 2>interview my share of them on this program, I usually

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<v Speaker 2>find that they really want to talk like a regular person.

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<v Speaker 2>Most of the time. Even though they're probably if they're

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<v Speaker 2>on a press junket and they're being asked the same

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<v Speaker 2>questions over and over and over again. I try to

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<v Speaker 2>go at it with a all right, I'm not gonna

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<v Speaker 2>go with any of the pre asked questions. I'm just

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<v Speaker 2>gonna just start talking to him about what what he

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<v Speaker 2>got planned for lunch, you know that kind of thing,

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<v Speaker 2>and that seems to just break the ice and they

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<v Speaker 2>open right up.

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<v Speaker 3>You're absolutely right. All day long, they hear, oh my gosh,

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<v Speaker 3>I love you, I loved you with this movie and TV,

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<v Speaker 3>and it just it goes in one ear and out

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<v Speaker 3>the other. They're just labeled fan, they're not labeled a person.

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<v Speaker 3>If you just treat them as if they're a regular person,

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<v Speaker 3>that usually does the trick. I know, will Bill Shatner,

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<v Speaker 3>William Shatner, he just listen. Obviously, he's he has a

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<v Speaker 3>certain respect for his fans because it's made him a millionaire.

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<v Speaker 3>But if you really want to get on his good side,

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<v Speaker 3>just sort of like talk to him like like in

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<v Speaker 3>a in a locker room. Yeah, and he'll he'll have

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<v Speaker 3>taken a back startle, but you'll you'll have a nice

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<v Speaker 3>conversation with them.

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<v Speaker 2>The most people after them. Yeah, they are the most.

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<v Speaker 2>The most I ever say, is I enjoy your work

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<v Speaker 2>because to them it is work. To us, it's entertainment,

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<v Speaker 2>but it's work to them.

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<v Speaker 3>Yes, And I say, I enjoy looking in your windows.

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<v Speaker 2>And he's looked in plenty and he'll tell you all

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<v Speaker 2>about it in his new book, When You Step Upon

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<v Speaker 2>a Star cringe Worthy Confessions of a Tabloid bad Boy

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<v Speaker 2>William Keck. This will be an amazing and amusing summer read.

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<v Speaker 2>And I thank you for joining us.

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<v Speaker 1>Thank you, Lee, thanks for listening to Later with Lee Matthews,

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<v Speaker 1>the Lee Matthews Podcast, and remember to listen to The

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<v Speaker 1>Drive Live weekday afternoons from five to seven. And iHeartMedia

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<v Speaker 1>presentation