Digging up dirt on Hollywood heavyweights

"I was saddened. Michael was a great guy. I had met him several times, he was one of the most humble, most talented and interesting human beings you could come across. It was a real tragedy.”

During this phone interview, Halperin was in Medellin, Colombia, working on a documentary film about another pop icon, Prince, who died on April 21 at age 57. “Prince actually had some roots here, so we’re here filming for a few days. We are doing a doc about the mysterious circumstances surrounding his death.”

Halperin says he is just one in a long line of unauthorized biographers like Kitty Kelley and Christopher Anderson. “A lot of people before me did this much better than me,” he says. “I used to be the youngest guy in this business, now I’m like the oldest guy! But it’s a corporate environment today. I love and respect fine literature, but I will not let this brand of unauthorized celebrity journalism die.

“I have a responsibility to keep this genre going because what’s more boring than reading a celebrity’s authorized biography? That’s like watching paint dry! It’s so sugar-coated. It’s propaganda. People don’t want that! They want the truth.”

Halperin credits his studies at Concordia’s journalism school with laying a solid foundation. “When you’re 18 or 19 years old coming out of CEGEP, they’re giving you field work right away. Back in the day you could be covering (Liberal MP) Warren Allmand or (Montreal city councillor) Nick Auf der Maur. It was exciting. We were kids. I do believe in a good education and, compared to most universities, Concordia certainly offers a high-quality journalism program.”

Halperin officially got his degree in 2007: “I technically graduated in 1986,” he explains. “I had all my credits, then decided I didn’t need a certificate to authenticate my knowledge, or prove my chops. But when I became a U.S. permanent resident in 2007, I had to prove a degree. So I called Concordia, filed my graduation papers and graduated with the class of 2007!”

Thirty years after completing his studies at Concordia, Halperin still enjoys being a freelance journalist. “I never had a boss,” he says. “If I don’t feel like waking up, I don’t wake up. And the work is always changing, you’re always covering new subjects. So the work doesn’t become sterile. I’ve always believed in longevity. I don’t believe in the quick fix. Life is a marathon, not a sprint.”

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