tonight on "nightline," goner. after weeks of hoopla, congressman anthony weiner resigns. painfully act ward to the very end. >> today, i'm resigning from congress. >> we look at what finally made him decide to say good-bye. plus, bullfighting school. when hollywood needs to train for scenes like this, he's the former matador they call on. so, when our neal karlinsky gives it a try, he finds out, you mess with the bull, and you might get the borns. and, i correct. celebrity gossip is big business. but when the rumor mill goes too

far, can correcting online falsehoods be a thing of its own? >> announcer: from the global resources of abc news, with terry moran, cynthia mcfadden and bill weir in new york city, this is "nightline," june 16th, 2011. >> good evening. we begin tonight with political scandal. democratic congressman anthony weiner resigned today after weeks of fallout over lewd pictures and messages he sent to women on the internet. house minority leader nancy p o pelo pelosi, who was among those prominent democrats calling all week for his resignation, released a stamd saying, quote, congressman weiner exercised poor judgment in his actions and his reaction to the revelations. today, he made the right judgment in resigning. so, why did weiner finally agree to go? here's jonathan karl. >> reporter: tod >> today, i am announcing my

resignation from congress. >> reporter: even in the end, it was uncomfortable and awkward. >> i'm here today to again apologize for the personal mistakes i have made. and the embarrassment i have caused. i make this apology to my neighbors and my constituents, but i make it particularly to my wife. >> reporter: to announce the end of his congressional career, anthony weiner came to the place in queens where he launched his first campaign nearly 20 years ago. without his wife, without supporters, just hecklers. but even amid the jeers, as he resigned and apologized, weiner sounded like he wanted to give another campaign speech. >> i have never forgotten my neighbors, because they represent the same middle class story as mine. >> reporter: before the scandal hit three weeks ago, weiner was a brash, rising star in congress. >> you vote yes if you believe

yes. you vote in favor of something if you believe it's the right thing. if you believe it's the wrong thing, you vote know. >> reporter: he was considered to be the front-runner of the next mayor of new york. until this hit his twitter page. he meant to send it to a 21-year-old college student in seattle but hit the wrong button, posting for it all to see. >> it was someone sending a picture of a weiner on weiner's account. i've been getting those jokes since i was 5 years old. >> reporter: at first, he claimed his account was hacked. but his behavior and rambling public statements raised more questions. >> why don't you let me do the answers and you do the questions. i'm not going to permit myself to be distracted by this issue any longer. >> reporter: his vow of silence didn't last. the next day, he did interview after interview, including one with me, lying over and over again in the strangest way. just tell me is that a photograph of you? >> we're trying to find out the -- where that photograph came from and if it was

manipulated, if part of it might be from something that's in my account. >> reporter: this is kind of strange. you can't tell me definitively if it's a photo of you or not? >> i'm reluctant to say anything to you about this. >> reporter: the scandal was a gift to late night comedians. >> these are the kind of lives for when you have a job like mine. when cheney shot his lawyer in the face. i was like, oh, yeah! >> and a reporter asked him, what were you thinking? yeah. and then things got awkward when the congressman looked at his crotch and said, well, answer the man! >> investigation. you know -- i'm no big city detective, but why don't you just check inside your pants. where i believe you keep the item in question. >> reporter: weiner's claim he was hacked began to crumble when abc's chris cuomo revealed more photographs weiner sent to another woman.

26-year-old meagan broussard. >> just that it was hot, i liked to see someone who actually stood for something and was passionate about something. >> reporter: she began an internet relationship with him in april, complete with 100 pictures, including these. >> he was eager to hear if i wanted him or thought he was attractive or that sort of thing. >> reporter: that prompted another bizarre anthony weiner press conference, part confessional -- >> to be clear, the picture was of me and i sent it. i've exchanged messaged and photos of an explicit nature with about six women over the last three years. i haven't told the truth. and i've done things i deeply regret. >> reporter: part defiant. >> i'm not resigning. i never met any of these women. >> reporter: for days, weiner continued to dig in, pointing to polls in new york, showing the majority of his constituents did not want him to resign.

but his democratic colleagues weren't buying it. >> congressman weiner should resign from the congress. >> i think he should resign. >> if it were me, i would resign. >> reporter: as the calls to resign continued, weiner disappeared for days, checking in for unspecified treatment, and telling friends he wanted to stay in office. but then, the most damaging photos hit the tmz website over the weekend. he took them with his blackberry inside the intensely private members only gym. in the end, he had to resign. but even now, in disgrace, he's hinting at a political comeback. >> now i'll be looking for other ways to contribute my talents. >> reporter: democratic colleagues in congress are happy to see those talents go elsewhere. for "nightline," i'm jonathan karl in washington. >> no crime, but there are consequences. and just ahead, if you've ever dreamed of doing this, you may just have to go through this, as our neal karlinsky

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originated in roman times, as a gory entertainment to replace gladiator comebat. whatever it origins, bullfighting has captured crowds and critics for centuries, not to mention artists. so, you can understand why, when he heard there's actually a school to train bullfighters, our neal karlinsky was intrigued. and investigated. >> hey, hey! >> reporter: this is the dennis borba bullfighting school. and when you visit, you imagine two things. you'll be brave -- >> we have neal, first time ever. >> reporter: oh, yeah. and that of course it can't really be that hard. >> this is your shield. >> reporter: pretty heavy. and then you meet your opponent. >> watch out, watch out! >> reporter: 600 pounds of sprinting fury, looking to get even for a lifetime of burgers and steak. >> hey! >> reporter: this thing is not a baby. look at how big this thing.

that's me in the ring there. until this moment, about the only bull i knew the what occasionally came out of my mouth. >> it's your debut. take her away from your body. >> reporter: yeah. >> keep going. >> reporter: my teacher is dennis borba in a place filled with adrenaline and danger and no safety net. >> little bit more. good job. >> reporter: i wouldn't finish so lucky. and neither would most of my fellow students. here in central california, for one of the few bullfighting schools in north america. what does it take to be a matador? >> i'd say it's a man that likes to live on the edge. adrenaline rush. >> reporter: dennis knows his trade. as a presentation ofessional, h hundreds of bulls. today, he only performed so-called bloodless fights where the animals are not hurt. he's hollywood's go-to guy for movies that include bums.

he was a stunt double in "cowboy up." and he kept johnny knoxville and his friends alive in "jackass 2." it all begins with the cape. and it weighs nearly 15 pounds. >> it's got to be substantial because the wind is your enemy. the bull makes you famous. >> reporter: the other students include a telecommunications engineer and a couple of guys that work with livestock. >> keep your legs planted to the ground. feet like charlie chaplain. >> reporter: we're learning a move called the veronica. the bull is sent away from your body. the animals don't see colors, just movement. and the danger is very real. dennis has been gored by a horn through his leg and he's had spinal injuries. >> reporter: you look like a bull a little bit. >> to fight a bull well, you have to understand a bull. you have to read the bull.

you hear the expression, the bull can actually feel fear in us. we have to feel that we're stronger than them and we can dominate them. >> reporter: when it comes time to fight, we don't take on full-grown bulls, but calves. still, they're 600 to 700 pounds. and armed with horns. return student omar isn't having a great time of it right off the bat. >> grab ahold. >> reporter: another student becames mid flight and runs for the wag, getting a horn through his jeans in the process. holy cow. borba's prize student and assistant does prel well until he gets a horn through the shirt, ripping it open, but not breaking the skin. >> she's not a dangerous one. she could be. >> reporter: when i take the ring, it starts off well enough. i make the first pass. >> hey!

>> reporter: then i make another. >> you're the man. >> reporter: then i make another. >> good job. go again. >> reporter: and then -- it all goes bad. the calf won't charge. i get closer. >> go, go, go. back against the wall. there. take her away from your body so you don't get smashed. >> reporter: great. in this split second, i know i'm doomed. i'm handcuffed and can't decide if i should go left or right. so i go neither. >> open, open, open. you all right? >> reporter: yeah, fine. it was like getting hit by a fast-moving couch. that thing is strong. i'm fine. that's crazy, though. the horns didn't pierce me. determined, and let's face it, embarrassed, i take one more run. >> get ready. here she comes. good job. >> reporter: i quit while i can still walk.

and then, all of us marvel at dennis. confident, his panache. and that stare. this is what the calf sees, charging the cape, catching its breath and charging again. >> hey! >> reporter: bullfighting school isn't for the faint of heart. this is a place where the animaanimal s have the edge, and the rest of us are what matadors refer to as bull meat. i'm neal karlinsky for "nightline" in california. [ male announcer ] it was forged from the fires of imagination. sculpted by an unyielding passion for design. ♪ and tempered by 125 years of legendary performance. introducing the all-new 2012 cls from mercedes-benz. where the world's greatest automobiles take shape.

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what happens online stays online forever. and therefore, what people say about you online, well, it matters. so, wherever you're a thin skinned celebrity or have a hide like a buffalo, there's now a way to correct the record. and for nick wath, tht, that's "sign of the times." >> reporter: all right, let's just imagine, for a couple of minutes, that i am wildly famous. but i'm also a family guy. and, an all-around good egg. then, a scum newspaper publishing a totally fabricated story about me in a hot tub, cohorting naked with eight vegas showgirls. >> back in the day, when there was no internet, if there was a problem, ainaccuracy about you

would die. it didn't have anywhere to live forever. >> reporter: these days, it does live forever. google me for eternity, and there i am. so, what do i do? sue? it's costly and takes time. i can demand a correction, but a little box on page seven, big deal. >> it's a problem. the way you have to deal with it and the way it now spreads is very much new. people are getting scripts for that. >> reporter: celebs are fighting back online. lance armstrong, never failed a test. i rest my case. chris brown denying engagement rumors and bill cosby denying he's dead. and this guy, retailer, socialite, he's casting himself as the celebs online savior, with a site called i-correct. >> it's a sort of open court where the defendant is able to say his peace, for $1,000 a

year. >> reporter: here, tommy hilfiger trashes the rumor that "i claim to not one black people wearing my clothes." the queen's nephew stops talk of marital strife. "there's nothing at all to be glum about." >> any boxes you find on the read is an accusation. the black box is the correction. >> reporter: tony blair's wife denies ever hanging out with saif gadhafi. >> i found it extraordinary there wasn't a similar, not even a remotely similar platform. >> reporter: but this is site sound? >> they can do it for free on twitter which is much more effective. >> reporter: and many celebs do. >> twitter is not the only way. i'm using that as an example. loads of celebrities have blogs. >> reporter: maybe they don't want their website sullied with rebuttals of that kind of stuff.

>> there is that. >> reporter: and that's what tang is trying to kraecreate. a sort of garbage away from the fluffy stuff on your website or the 140 characters on twitter. >> that is a permanent correction juxtaposed against accusation in one fingertip click. >> reporter: is it worthwhile? >> i think it's a very old fashioned way of handling what is a new problem. >> reporter: business, so far, is slow. >> we are very, very new sight. it would take time to evolve. >> reporter: so, just for now, i'll stick to twitter. on the night in question, i was playing chess with my nephew. anyway, hot tubs make me itchy. i'm nick watt for "nightline" in london. >> itchy? good show, nick. thanks for watching abc news. we hope you'll tune in for "good morning america." robin roberts has an exclusive interview with president obama, on everyg