Bale's furious rant becomes instant electro-dance hit

AN EXTRAORDINARY rant on a film set by Batman star Christian Bale has been turned into a dance music download that is on its way to becoming an internet hit.

Within hours of a film clip of the British actor's expletive-ridden rant being leaked to showbusiness website TMZ.com, musicians were rushing to remix the tirade into both a dance track and a pop song.

Bale's outburst last July had been recorded in New Mexico on the set of the forthcoming film Terminator Salvation. The actor, 35, was abusing Shane Hurlbut, the film's director of photography, for distracting him during a key scene.

Bale used "f**k" 37 times during the four-minute volley of profanities and threatened to quit the film if Mr Hurlbut wasn't fired. Bale's threat was sufficiently serious for the film's producers to consult their insurers, which is believed to have been how the clip came to be leaked.

The rant had taken place shortly before Bale, who is known for being highly strung, was arrested in London after he had allegedly assaulted his mother and sister in a row at the Dorchester Hotel last year. He was not charged.

Shortly after the clip was posted online on Monday night, the first musical version was being created by Los Angeles-based producer RevoLucian. His electro-dance mix, titled Bale Out, is on his website and on You Tube, where it has attracted more than half a million hits.

RevoLucian has previously remixed some of Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin's comments as a dance download.

Four-piece West Coast indie band The Mae Shi were also recording a musical tribute to Bale, entitled R.U.Professional. It features Bale's rant as a background track over which the group sing lyrics like: "Oh, whoo wow/ He is professional/ But I think he's lost control.''

The group said in a statement: "It's a tribute song to celebrate the epic-ness of Christian Bale".

Other versions circulating the internet include a drum-and-bass remix and a Nineties-style electronica version.

Some actors in Hollywood defended Bale. Whoopi Goldberg said actors are often intense on set. "You're in a zone. I too have gone off on people, because if you're a professional, you know what you're not supposed to do."

Los Angeles Times columnist Geoff Boucher wrote that Mr Hurlbut's interruption on set had been a "huge no-no". He added: "I'm not sure anyone in Hollywood will be surprised by this eruption, except by its duration."

Bale's rant: 'Do you want me to f***ing trash your lights?'

Christian Bale: Am I going to walk around and rip your f***ing lights down, in the middle of a scene? Then why the f**k are you walking right through, ah-da-da-dah, like this in the background? What the f**k is it with you? What don't you f***ing understand? You got any f***ing idea about, hey, it's f***ing distracting having somebody walking up behind Bryce in the middle of the f***ing scene? Give me a f***ing answer! What don't you get about it?

Shane Hurlbut: I was looking at the light.

Bale: Ohhhhh, goooood for you. And how was it? I hope it was f***ing good, because it's useless now, isn't it?

Hurlbut: OK.

Bale: F***'s sake man, you're amateur. McG, you got f***ing something to say to this p***k?

Joseph "McG" McGinty Nichol (director): I didn't see it happen.

Bale: Well, somebody should be f***ing watching and keeping an eye on him.

McG: Fair enough.

Bale: It's the second time that he doesn't give a f**k about what is going on in front of the camera, all right? I'm trying to f***ing do a scene here, and I am going, "Why the f**k is Shane walking in there? What is he doing there?" Do you understand my mind is not in the scene if you're doing that?

Hurlbut: I absolutely apologise. I'm sorry, I did not mean anything by it.

Bale: Stay off the f***ing set man. For f**k's sake. Alright, let's go again.

McG: Let's just take a minute.

Bale: Let's not take a f***ing minute, let's go again.

Bale: I'm going to f***ing kick your f***ing ass if you don't shut up for a second! All right?

(Unknown voices): Christian, Christian. It's cool.

Bale: I'm going to go... Do you want me to f***ing go trash your lights? Do you want me to f***ing trash 'em? Then why are you trashing my scene?

Hurlbut: I'm not trying to trash your scene.

Bale: You are trashing my scene!

Hurlbut: Christian, I was only...

Bale: You do it one more f***ing time and I ain't walking on this set if you're still hired. I'm f***ing serious. You're a nice guy. You're a nice guy, but that don't f***ing cut it when you're f***ing around like this on set.