[cool pop music playing] ♪ i never thoughtthat i could be so satisfied ♪ ♪ every time that i lookin your angel eyes ♪ ♪ a shock inside methat words just can't describe ♪ both:♪ and there's no explaining ♪ ♪ there's something in the wayyou move i can't deny ♪ ♪ every word from your lipsis a lullaby ♪ ♪ a twist of fatemakes life worthwhile ♪ ♪ you are gold ♪
both:♪ and silver-er-er ♪ ♪ i said i wasn't gonna losemy head ♪ ♪ but then pop ♪ ♪ goes my heart ♪ ♪ pop goes my heart ♪ ♪ i wasn't gonna fall in loveagain ♪ ♪ and i just can't let you go ♪ ♪ i can't lose this feeling ♪ ♪ these precious momentswe have so few ♪
♪ let's go far away ♪ ♪ where there's nothing to dobut play ♪ ♪ you've shown to methat my destiny's with you ♪ ♪ and there's no explaining ♪ ♪ i said i wasn't gonnalose my head ♪ [synthesizer playingfunky solo] ♪ a twist of fate makes lifeworthwhile ♪ narrator: pop was one of the biggest bands of the '80s, but today they're known as colin thompson's old group.
colin, or as he's been dubbed by the queen, "sir colin," has gone on to sell millions of records, star in blockbuster films, and create his own cologne, "a whiff of colin." but here's a question: can you remember the name of the other guy in pop? whatever happened to alex fletcher? tonight we find out on battle of the '80s has-beens. we think it's gonna be biggerthan american idol.
so, what do you think, alex? mm, well, i love it. it's-- it's brillianton so many levels, i don't even knowwhere to start. david:good for you. because some of the peoplewe've approached have had a little... [chuckles] problem withthe term "has-been."
alex:have they? have they? you see, i don't--i don't share that. i am a happy has-been. really. it's a very clear statement:"i live in the past. "everything good i ever didwas long ago, so don't expect anythingnew or exciting from me now." really takes the pressure off.especially on a first date. good for you. so, uh, we've alreadytaped several shows,
and we're going to startairing them this week. and some of the performersinclude reo speedwagon, speedwagon. flock of seagulls, the flock? okay. debbie gibson, tiffany, debbie. ooh, heh-heh.history there. and frankie goes to hollywood.
so..."relax." [all laugh] nice one. um, good. okay.worthy adversaries, all. uh, and, um, how many songswould i actually get to perform? i'd like to do two, you know? a ballad and then maybea more up-tempo number where i get to shake it a bit. i can't promise...
any of the actsthat they'll be singing. uh, sorry, confused. [chuckles]what would we be doing, then? boxing. that's why the show is called battle of the '80s has-beens. only the winner gets to sing. oh. right, right, right. got you. afternoon, mr. fletcher.
hello, willy. have a good day. yes, well, enjoyed it so far. [keys jingling] chris:all right. there he is. oh, my manager. all right, listen,i had no idea they meant boxing. nobody said a word to me,i swear. no, it's not a problem.
i can definitely takeflock of seagulls. we did a tour with them in '89,and we beat them severely. they cried like little girls. all right, listen. it's my fault,and i hate myself for it, but i'm not upset,and do you know why? um, you've been at my liquor. because... of her.
cora corman.biggest star in the world. bigger than britney andchristina put together. and... guess who she loves. her country? you. she's a huge pop fanand she wants to meet you, alex. [intercom buzzes] hang on, hang on.
khan, i've missed you. khan: alex, i have sophie here for you. uh, that sounds like fun.who is she? she's here to do your plants. uh, but janedoes my plants. she says she can be in and out in five minutes, and this is really the best time for her. it seems she cannot be stopped.send her up. so start again. cora corman...
why do you havea plant lady? why do you evenhave plants? because from time to time, ladies accompany meback to the apartment, and one of them once mentioned that plants make womenfeel comfortable. is that true?plants make women comfortable? well, maybe if i had plants,i'd still be married. yes, i think that wasthe problem.
not susan's affairand raging nymphomania, but your lack of vegetation. [knocking on door] hang on. [clears throat] hi, i'm sophie fisher. i'm alex fletcher. you didn't get the messagefrom jane? no. i haven't listened to--
she was supposed to call,and let you know i'd do your plantsfor a couple days. very nice. lovely.well, come on in. thank you. i hope you haveyour own watering can. because jane told methat everyone had their own. but this last guy,mr. werther, about 80, he didn't havehis own watering can, so he starts yelling at meand screaming at me in german.
"schnell. raus, schlampe." and unfortunately, i'm fluentenough to know what he's saying. you haven't been cursed at until you've been cursed atin german. as a matter of fact,i know what you mean. i dated a fraulein once. um, plant stuff is inthe kitchen under the sink. and, um, i have my own can. oh, well, vielen dank.
hi, i'm chris riley,alex's manager. oh, sophie fisher.nice to meet you. so...kitchen? yeah. great. so cora corman, huh? how greatis that? do you believe it? all right,wait, wait, wait. is it even a good idea?pros and cons. pros: she's a huge star,
great publicity, terrific money. cons? no matter what you do,in 40 years we'll both be dead. okay. huge star,great publicity, terrific moneyversus eventual death. i think we have to thinkabout it, chris. okay, good, because corais shooting a video tonight. she wants to meetboth of us right after. alex:tonight?
yes, tonight. ow! mm. you all right? um... do you have a band-aidand antibiotic cream? no, no. and sadly, i thinki've lent out my iron lung. oh. okay. well, then i'm gonna gobecause, you know,
this could get infected. and it's not clotting yet, but, i mean,i'm a little hypochondriacal. you just-- you can neverbe too careful. um, anyway,i'll come back and finish. um, so come again. i mean, you live here.i'll come again. i'm gonna goget this looked at. you should really havea first-aid kit.
thank you. have a good night.i'll see you. weird. don't give her a key. no. so you said somethingabout tonight. tonight we meet cora. [mystical dance music playing] men:♪ la-la-la ♪ ♪ i've got to havemy buddha's delight ♪
women:♪ om shanti, shanti ♪ ♪ om shanti, shanti ♪ ♪ i want a revelation ♪ ♪ and sweet salvation ♪ ♪ and the eternal fire ♪ ♪ show me the eternal fire ♪ ♪ like sitting meditation ♪ ♪ you give me elevationcan you take me higher? ♪ she seems likea very spiritual kid.
yeah. it's nice to see a youngwoman exploring religion. ♪ ah-ah-ah-ah ♪ ♪ ah-ah-ahah-ah-ah-ah ♪ ♪ i'm not satisfied if i don't ♪ ♪ get my buddha's delight ♪ ♪ la-la-la ♪ man:and cut. [people cheering] man 2: terrific.
man 3: we nailed it. [bell ringing] hey, i'm ray, cora's manager. hey. chris riley. nice to meet you. you know alex fletcher. great to meet you. hi, ray, um...? just ray. cora's this way.come on. follow me please.
c, this is alex fletcherand his manager, chris riley. we loved the video. it was unbelievable. i wish i brought my daughter.she worships you. i'm divorced. but that's--that's another story. [peaceful eastern music playing] mr. fletcher, it's a pleasure. your song"dance with me tonight"
got me through my parents'divorce when i was 7. really? wow. yeah, 'cause i recorded thatwhen i was 9, so... yeah. i want my fans to knowthe same spiritual uplift that your music gave me. that would be lovely. i actually have a few tunes,it would be nice, to update. oh, i don't live in the past,mr. fletcher. it was so long ago.
i want you to write a new song. ah. okay. you see, i recently broke upwith my boyfriend. we had been togetherfor almost two months. oh, i'm sorry. it was a terrible experience. but then i read a bookby guru mathashavi called a way back into love.
and that will be the titleof our new song. and in two weeks when i open mytour at madison square garden, we'll perform it together. okay. here's the snag-- we also wanna put the songon her new cd which is pretty much finished,so we need it by friday. you talking aboutthis friday? but don't feel any pressure. we've got seven otherretro artists
working on "way back into love," so if you blow it,we're covered. mr. fletcher, don't look at thisas a competition. if it's meant to be,it will be. it's destiny. yes. or not. [jewelry jingles] okay.
i can't possiblywrite a song by friday. what could shebe thinking of? all right. look, look,can i be honest with you? of course not.you're my manager. i would have to fire youimmediately. we need this. let's not be desperate.we have the state fairs and knott's berry farm. they've canceled.
knott's berry canceled? look. we're still on forthe indiana state fair, okay? but texas and arkansasdropped us. the apple picking? the apple picking festivalis a go, but great adventure only wantsthree nights instead of 10. all right? oh, my god.i had no idea. why didn't you tell methese things? why--?
i'm telling--i'm telling you now. alex, it's been 15 yearssince pop. there's new old actscoming up all the time. tears for fearsis going on tour. there's talkof a spice girl reunion. well, that's not my audience. ricky martin. i'm dead. i'm dead. i'm dead.i'm finished. i'm finished. no, you're not--you're not dead.
i'm gonna wind up doingbar mitzvahs. no, you're not. thirteen-year-old kidshave no idea who you are. well, that's good to know.but what about you? you might actuallyhave to take on another client. look, don't worry about me. what we gotta concentrate onis refreshing your image. then we'll get knott's berryand great adventure. who knows? we might even get disneyland.
don't tease me. i'm veryvulnerable at the moment. tell you something, alex:you do a song for cora, and there is a spot for youin the magic kingdom, baby. oh, i don't know.writing a song, i thought i was donewith that whole nightmare. just one song.that's all we need. one song. but it's so... time-consuming, you know? it's...
and i haven't writtenfor 10 years. and i need a lyricist. and it's never workedwith anyone except colin. look, i know it's not easyto get somebody good this fast, okay, but there's this guy. supposedly he's very hip,very edgy. he just worked with avril. [piano playing simple melody] uh...
[piano silences] i'm sorry. i'm so sorry.i'm just a bit blocked here. if you don't like the lyrics,be straight with me, dude. no, no, no, no. the lyricsare very, very powerful. maybe you want somethingmore commercial? more...pop-y? just hold that thinly veiledinsult for one second. hello. hey. uh, khan said i could justcome up?
they were able to savethe whole hand. i know. i made too big a dealout of it. it's just thati hate infections. but then again,who likes them? maybe the peoplewho make penicillin. ah, yes. there's two sidesto every story. that's true.except for the nazis. i can't really seethe other side of that argument. excuse me?
i'm sorry. i didn't even see you there.hi. i'm sophie fisher. yeah, sophie,this is greg antonsky. he's a noted lyricist. really? well, uh... i don't wanna get in your way. and i can seethat i already have. so i'm off to the kitchen.don't tell me. she's kinda hot.
good. yeah.i'm glad you enjoyed her. she's coming back in here,right? yeah, i would imagine so. unless she goes directly backto the mother ship. how about: [piano playing sweet melody] ♪ get it up ♪ ♪ i'm a bad hot witch ♪ ♪ i look real goodbut i'm a nasty bitch ♪
♪ i can scream and clawand curdle your blood ♪ ♪ but you'll die on your wayback into love ♪ start on a minor third.try that. right. so, uh... [plays minor chord on piano] ♪ give it upi'm a bad hot witch ♪ ♪ i look real goodbut i'm a nasty-- ♪ oh, come on.you're missing the point. from the first line.
"give it up, i'm a bad hotwitch" is okay. but then it should be-- ♪ but with some magici just might switch ♪ [humming] uh, sorry.wh-what did you say? i don't remember. i think it was,"but with some magic, i just might switch." that is actually quiteintriguing.
that's not my lyric. no, i know,but it's a lovely phrase. look, if you can't handleanything except moon and june, why don't we just letplant girl finish the lyrics? plant girl. give it up i'm a bad hot witch but with some magic i just might switch finish it. i'm just here to caterto the plants.
and you are doing a fine job,if i may say so. although that oneis plastic. huh? oh. [sighs]this is a waste of time. let's fly my broom to the stars above and we'll charm our way back into love what's the next line? "feelings,nothing more than feelings"? you people disgust me.
i'm sorry. i shouldn't havegotten involved. i have no filtering system. no. that's fine, that's fine. he had to get back to his jobat hallmark anyway. listen, have you ever doneany writing? i mean, everybody's donesome writing, you know?well, not everybody. illiteracy is a growing epidemicin this country. i write slogans for weight-not,
this weight reduction companythat my sister runs. did you ever hearof the band pop? yeah, of course, everybody has.my sister rhonda loved them. they had ridiculous hair andthose ridiculous outfits and-- oh, my god, you're one of them. that hair was actually very muchin style then. i'm very sorry. yeah, that's fine. but i would love to talk to youabout maybe writing some lyrics.
but i don't write lyrics. well, we could just kick someideas around, repot the ficus. i don't think so.i appreciate the offer, though. i have to go babysitfor my sister now. i mean, her kids. you know.she's 38 now, so...thank you. okay, listen.do you know who cora corman is? oh, yeah. my niece loves her. okay, well, i'm writinga song for her,
so if you change your mind, and the idea of working with meis of any interest at all, please just call, okay? oh, okay. or if you just fancya good laugh, i am performingat the hilton tonight. well, thank you. i mean, but i can't,you know. i'm sorry. "i just can't," she saysmysteriously. but i just can't.
i'm sorry.thank you for the offer. [fun dance music playing] [children whooping] oh, my god! go to the next level, weirdo. you have to goto the next level. [door opens] [gasps] it's your parents.go get into bed.
get into bed.this is not a drill. lucy:we haven't even brushedour teeth. get in there. get in there.get into bed. hi. how was the movie? i enjoyed it. he fell asleep. i enjoy sleeping. how was dinner?
really nice place. it's really hard to enjoy dinner when you runa weight-loss center. if i get fat, there goesmy fiscal year. honey, you're not fat. well, you're not aboutto open a branch in boca. but thank you, sweetie. so how'd everything go here? oh, yeah. good. great.
the kids ateand went to sleep. [children giggling] yeah, it--they're really bad children. okay, okay.everybody goes to bed. i'm sending your fatherin there. lucy:whoa, we're so scared. [both giggling] and then i'm coming in. [giggling stops]
i'll just go check to make surethey're still breathing. hey, you wanna dosome stress eating? just a piece of diet cheesecake. this thing happened to me today, and i don't know.i'm just gonna go home. you seem so jumpy tonight. oh, you know, i feel a littleguilty about something. how unusual for you. okay, listen.i have to tell you.
i met that guy from that bandyou used to like. um, alex fletcher from pop? oh, my god. anyway, i do jane'splant service. you know, i'm taking overfor her while she's gone. and anyway, she does hisapartment, and so i was there. actually,it was the second time. and he invited meto come see him perform tonight. gary, i'm going out!
oh, my god. i love him, i lovehim, i love him, i love him! [gasping] that really wasn't the endof the story. come on. help me dress. wait-- should i wear the red one? [dreamy music playing] [women cheering] ♪ i saw you acrossthe dance floor ♪
♪ out of the corner of my eye ♪ ♪ i felt a connection ♪ ♪ i don't know howi don't know why ♪ ♪ i shouldn't have stayedwhen i saw you there ♪ ♪ with another man ♪ ♪ but as we slipped awayi thought i heard you say ♪ ♪ "this wasn't partof the plan" ♪ ♪ just a meaningless kiss ♪ ♪ it wasn't supposed to end uplike this ♪
all:♪ oh-ooh-oh-oh ♪ ♪ we knew it was wrongbut we couldn't resist ♪ ♪ 'till i fell in lovewith you ♪ girls, tell me the truth.are these pants too tight? [all cheering] oh, my god,i gotta get up there. ♪ and here we aretwo years later ♪ ♪ too late to turn back now ♪ ♪ we've gotta finishwhat we shouldn't have started ♪
♪ we gotta walk away somehow ♪ ♪ but it's easier saidthan done ♪ ♪ when two hearts beat as one ♪ ♪ and three heartsare one too many ♪ ♪ that's why we shouldn't haveever begun ♪ all:♪ 'till i fell in lovewith you ♪ ♪ we can't go on like thisforever ♪ ♪ when we're not meant to betogether ♪ ♪ so leave me here on my own ♪
♪ from now on i guessi've got to dance alone ♪ [coughs]♪ it wasn't supposed to end uplike this ♪ women:alex! alex! hello, girls. alex, i'm barbara. in boston, in 1989,i came back to your hotel... chris:if you wanna see alex again, check his websitefor the tour schedule. and the knott's berry farm showis temporarily postponed, okay?
great show, huh? they love you.they're hot for you. of course, they're also hot 'cause so many of themare going through menopause. wait a minute.barbara from boston. from boston. i do rememberthat barbara. i do. i'm going backfor one second. no, no, no.that's how we wind up getting chasedby angry husbands.
not necessarily. she-- well, hi. hello. hello, hello.very good news. yes. chris, you remember sophie? planted in my memory. um, i just wanted to apologizefor being so cryptic earlier. this is my sister, rhonda. [panting]hi. m-- i'm sorry. i've--
you were so great tonight. we've met, haven't we?right? we were practically a duetthere. i know. anyway,could i get a quick autograph? you may, rhonda. could i get a picture too? only if you're single. i've been married 16 years,but nothing's written in stone. could you scootch? thanks.
also, i really wantedto thank you for your offer. what offer? okay. while greg, the rhyming psychopath--thanks for him, by the way. --was in my apartment, sophie spoutedsome really interesting lyrics. i thoughtshe was doing plants. i'm holding a pose here. i appreciate it, but--
i need a song by friday, and it is amazingly difficultto find a sane lyricist. why don't you justwrite the lyrics yourself? you know, that's reallynot a strength of his. that's absolutely right. i once rhymed "you and me"with "autopsy." well, that'snot necessarily bad. you could do somethingwith that. you know? figuring out...you and me...
press the button. is like doing a love autopsy you see, you see.that's quite good. that's not bad. alex:go on. more. how does it go? i have no idea. someone could have sculpted usin this time. you know what? let me take it. they could operate all day long
and never figure out what went wrong. my god, you are--you are cole porter in panties. of course, having said that, cole porter probablydid wear panties. anyway, um, thank youfor inviting us. okay, i'm just gonna takea real quick one. let me take it.let me take it, sophie. thank you so much.that was great. hang on one--
nice to meet you guys. bye-bye. so this is where sophie works,eh? yeah. she is gonnabe right out. excellent. excellent.thank you very much. so how much do you weigh? i fluctuate. yeah. mm-hmm. [footsteps approaching] okay, look, i am terribly sorryto barge in like this,
but i have decided... i cannot take nofor an answer. i told you that-- i know. you're not a writer. except when you are writingpoems and short stories in the new schoolliterary magazine. i googled you.and you were good. look,i-i'm flattered. i mean, you're one of six peoplein the world
who's actuallyread those, but...that doesn't meani can write a song. you already did. five minutes,that's all i ask. please, step in.you'll enjoy this. this is a treat. ah, mr. fletcher.nice to see you. very nice to see you, mia,how are you? wonderful.
i just wanna-- can i trythe new mason & hamlin? absolutely. be my guest. thank you very much. thanks. please. this is, uh--it's just a little something that you-- you might possiblyrecognize. [playing romantic melody] ♪ figuring out ♪ ♪ you and me ♪
♪ is like doing ♪ ♪ a love autopsy ♪ ♪ they could operate ♪ ♪ all day long ♪ ♪ and never figure out ♪ ♪ what went wrong ♪ ♪ love autopsy ♪ ♪ ahhh-ahhh ♪ ♪ what went wrong? ♪
god. that melodyis so beautiful. but i've never writtena song. a song. i know, i know, i know.and if i'm wrong, i'm wrong. i just don't think i am. i thinkyou may be a born lyricist. we don't have very long,but what i would like to do, in an ideal world, is continuewith the "autopsy" song. but i think it's gonna bevery hard to get back from there into "way back into love,"
which is the titlethat cora demands. uh-huh. now, what we could dois continue with greg "the angel of death's"version. that's plagiarism. yes. yes, yes.good. excellent. i would never in a million yearsuse someone else's work. and i'm very gladyou agree. so, what we need,
we need something, uh... brand-new. so let's see.a song for cora. has to be called "a way back into love." correct. and it has to be somethingcora would sing about. good. and it has to be somethingyou would sing about.
good, yeah. what would yousing about? ah, whatever gets methe job, really. oh, that's inspiring. [clicking] [mouths] okay. [piano playing,pen clicking] sophie:okay. two peoplesearching for love,
for salvation. alex:good, good, i love that. sophie:love lost, love found. love lost again. [pen clicking] alex:yes, this is starting to sounda bit like luggage, but good. [clicking pen] [plays "jeopardy"theme song] thanks.that's really helpful.
it doesn'thave to be perfect. just spit it out. they're just lyrics. "just lyrics"? ah...lyrics are important. they're just not as importantas melody. [scoffs] [plays graceful melody] i really don't thinkyou get it.
oh, you look angry.click your pen. a melody is like seeing someonefor the first time. the physical attraction. sex. i so get that. but then, as you get to knowthe person, that's the lyrics. their story.who they are underneath. it's the combinationof the two that makes it magic.
let's go for a walk. [sighs] a walk? what, now? out on the streetsyou see things and, you know, hear thingsand eat things. it all sort of unlocksyour mind. [sniffs] this is good.
when you hit a wall,you gotta change the subject. so why did popbreak up? i mean, rhonda told me that youguys were friends growing up? we were, yes, and then colinmet a new manager who convinced him he wasthe true star of the band. shortly after,he left, taking with him the last three songswe'd written together and putting themon his solo album which went on to sella mere 8 million records.
but how did you dealwith that? oh, with drugs,uh, alcohol and, uh, ultimately, my own solo album. cool. this copy has been in the racksfor six years. come on. no, no. i check every week. you see, i made a little mark,j-just there on the back. see?
it soldonly 50,000 copies, most of thoseto my mother. rolling stone called it"a crass, contrived effort not even good enoughfor a dentist chair." well, i'm surethere were other reviews. there were, there were.but none as good as that one. and they were right,by the way. yeah. uh, to cut a long story short,i gave up trying to write, lost an incredible amountof money and then my apartment.
chris stuck by me, booked me an '80s reunion nighton long island. and suddenly,they liked me again. you know? it was weird.it was like i'd never been away. the audience was a tad older,as was i, but we were very, veryprofoundly happy to see each other again. and, uh... it went on from there.cruises. reunions.
knott's berry farm, which i'msure you're familiar with. busch gardens, that's oneof my big fixtures of the year. uh, what elsecan i tell you? i really appreciateyou opening up to me like this. i know what it's liketo live with a shadow overhead. [inhales] what? [softly]shadow... alex:♪ i've been livin'with a shadow ♪
♪ overhead ♪ now, that-- that'sa nice melody, isn't it? sophie: it's good. thank you. thank you. mind you, what do you know?you don't even like melody. i never said that. you prefer the lyrics. i don't trust you. your turn,what's next?
i think that we shouldget some breakfast. please, come on, we're finallyon a roll here. listen again. ♪ i've been livin'with a shadow ♪ ♪ there'll beno more rhymes ♪ ♪ until i'm fed ♪ please, seriously,seriously. i've been living with a shadow overhead i could be inspired with just a piece of bread alex:i have the perfect place.
sophie:wait a minute. it's juston the next corner. keep moving and keep writing. all right. i've been looking for someone to shed some light that's good. that's good. yeah? shadows and light.you're deep. okay, we need two more linesof cora verse.
what's next? soph? sophie? what areyou doing? uh, nothing. uh, i thought i saw someone,but it wasn't him. so it's fine. [chuckles]oh, there he is. a very nice picture,though.
that's funny. i-- interestingly enough,i mean-- well, it is a bookstore. so, you know, that does happen. um, uh... uh, gosh, where were we?uh, okay. uh, shadow overhead... okay, can i just say,with all due respect, that you are clearly--
uh, what is the word?--insane at this moment. and because, according to chris,we have less than 36 hours before cora goes to l.a.to do leno, at which pointmy career is over, uh, it would be infinitelybetter for me if you were, uh, sane. so how can i help? do you know this book? sally michaels?yes, yes.
big bestseller. yes. have you read it? uh, no, of course not. no, last book i read was the alex fletcher story by the editorsof teen dream magazine. why? [♪♪♪] i'm...sally michaels. i saw that they were, you know,
giving these courses on writing at the new school, so i signed up. and my teacher was sloan cates. brilliant, handsome. the truth is, i was in love with him. and we began spendingevery minute together. which is why i wassort of surprised when his fiancã©eshowed up.
yeah, he never mentioned that he was engagedto a history professor who was on a year-longsabbatical in spain. and when she popped infor an unexpected visit, it sort of turned into a reenactmentof the inquisition. and that-- and that was that?that was the end of that? yeah. we neversaw each other again. i dropped the class,and a year later,
his new novel showed up. the sally what's-itnovel. "the tale of a student "with exalted literaryaspirations "who lures a brilliant writerinto an affair "so she can take advantageof his connections. "but when he triesto break it off, she devotes herselfto ruining his life." well, i-i mean,that obviously wasn't you.
well, um, she's a lit majorfrom long island, 5'4", my color hair,all my habits. you know,talks to herself and askstoo many questions. and her parents foundeda weight-reduction company that nowher sister runs. well, anyway, i... since then, every timei pick up a pen,
i'm haunted by those wordsthat he wrote, you know? "she wasa brilliant mimic." you know. "she could ape dorothyparker or emily dickinson. "but stripped of someone else'sliterary clothes, "she was a vacant, emptyimitation of a writer." first of all, you can't listento some jerk. he's not a jerk. he's a national book awardwinner.
well, then, uh...get the best revenge:write a hit song. [laughs] honestly, i don't thinka pop song is gonna impresssloan cates. oh, no,of course not. because pop is just for morons.forgot that. i didn't mean anythingby it. brain-dead, or takentoo many drugs.
you know what i would sayto you and mr. sloan cates? i'd say that you can takeall the novels in the world, and not one of themwill make you feel as good as fast as: ♪ i got sunshine ♪ ♪ on a cloudy day ♪ ♪ when it's cold outside ♪ ♪ i got the month of may ♪ that is real poetry.those are real poets.
smokey robinson,stevie wonder, bob dylan, the beatles. okay. what ifone of your heroes came up to youand said...? you know, smokey,what if he said, "alex fletcher, you area horrible songwriter"? how would you react? first, i do know smokeya little bit.
and he's far too nicea gentleman ever to say such a thing. uh...dylan might. dylan would, actually.in fact, dylan did. okay, dylan walks up to youand he says, "you area horrible songwriter." how do you react? i would be horribly depressed. yes. i would. i would.
but then, after, you know,months of brooding, i would find a lyricist... and write a song about how horribly depressedi was. and it would be a big hit,and everyone would love me, and i'd make lots of money. and suddenly i'd bea lot less depressed than if i just sat around beinga little bit self-indulgent,
and letting my miseryeat away at me until i'd becomean emotional wreck and-- and-- and creativelycompletely moribund. yes, moribund. okay, let's go. come on. ♪ i've been sleepingwith a clown ♪ ♪ above my bed ♪ "clown" is not right. what is that word?
it's "cloud." well, write more clearly.how can i--? why would you have a clownin your bed? it would not be the first time. yeah, i'm not surprised. just write in capital letters. hey, why don't you write it? i'm sorry, khan. we'll come backin one second. yes, you dictate,i'll write.
and i will writelike a human and not likea small pekingese dog. what are you doing,you madwoman? you're destroyingmy apartment. ungh! i can't writefrom across the room. well, you're not writing here.get back. get back to your corner.i can't have you here. i'll be blocked.i'll be completely stuck. so go outthe other side.
i've-- i've never beenthe other side. [both grunting] sophie:push, push. push, push. good. better. you're stilla fraction close. just-- just back off,just one... just-- just-- just-- there, fine, good.
[playing "jeopardy" theme] [both laughing] [playing graceful melody] sophie:and i don't thinkthose chords are right. [groans] it has to sound differentthan the verse. wh-wha...? what kind of differentdid you have in mind? i don't know.
something sadder,you know? and i stilldon't like my line about "places in my mind." it's fine. fine isn't good. we only have timefor fine. i tell you what, look. we'll change"places in my mind" if i can keep the chord sequenceinto the bridge, yeah?
this isn'ta negotiation. it's eitherright or wrong, inspiredor insipid. it's 4 in the morning, and we'renot writing the last movement of the "jupiter symphony." it's a song for someonewhose last hit was called"welcome to bootytown." please, get back to work. i still don't like it.
[groaning] oh, christ. and it's"entering bootytown." and another thing,the whole top section... i mean, it's so close.we're just not there yet. we just-- we have to focusand stay, you know, completely understandingof what we're trying to say. okay, you may nowstart killing the next one. ♪ all i wanna do ♪
♪ is find a wayback into love ♪ ♪ bum, ba-ba, ba-ba ♪ ♪ bum, bumba-ba, ba-ba ♪ ♪ i can't make it through ♪ ♪ without a way ♪ ♪ back into love ♪ ♪ oh-ohhh ♪ you know, i'm tone-deaf. [piano playing sweet melody]
hey, what do you think of this? [water splashes] just keep writing.cora is leaving in an hour. listen, i was thinkingthat "corners" was such a better wordthan "spaces." for "in the mind.""the corners of my mind," rather than "the spaces." it just seems to havea better boundary to it, you know?
should i speak to youabout this later? okay. [sweet melody continues playing] it sounds so good. i can't believe it. [music silences] and now... vocals. no, no, you see, you haveto sing into the microphone. it won't follow you.
but i can't. it's a duetfor a man and a woman. we are as closeas we've got. your headphones and a level.you look nice in those. you should wear themall the time. how is...that? yes? okay! shhh, shhh, shhh. [quietly]it's okay.
"way back into love."take one. [sweet melody playing] oh, god. i'm gettingreally nervous. you'll be fine. just useyour normal, nice voice that i've heard so much ofin the last three days. it's like, ugh,my throat's closing up. it's like anaphylactic. [coughs]
it's fine. it's justa three-minute song. [quietly]♪ i've been livin'with a shadow ♪ ♪ i've been sleepin'with a... ♪ just a little bit louder 'cause this songis intended for humans, okay? "way back into love."take two. ♪ i've been sleepin'with a cloud ♪ ♪ i've been lonelyfor so long ♪ ♪ trapped in the past ♪
♪ i just can't seem ♪ ♪ to move on ♪ ♪ i've been hidin'all my hopes ♪ ♪ and dreams away ♪ ♪ just in casei ever need 'em ♪ ♪ again someday ♪ ♪ i've beensetting aside time ♪ ♪ to cleara little space ♪ ♪ in the corners ♪
♪ of my mind ♪ both:♪ all i wanna do is find ♪ ♪ a way back into love ♪ ♪ i can't make it throughwithout ♪ alex:hey, hey! taxi! she's gonnahave a baby! hey, what if thatwere true?! another one. sophie: ♪ i've been watchin' but the stars ♪
♪ refuse to shine ♪ ♪ i've been searchin' but i just don't ♪ ♪ see the signs ♪ ♪ i know that it's out there ♪ ♪ there's gotta be something for my soul ♪ ♪ somewhere ♪ alex: ♪ i've been looking for someone ♪ ♪ to shed some light ♪ ♪ not somebody just to get me ♪
♪ through the night ♪ sophie: oh, my god. it's cora. alex: okay, stay calm. c, you remember alex fletcher. alex: how are you, c? cora: hi, alex. sophie fisher, my lyricist. hi. aspiring lyricist,actually. so ray tells meyou have a song.
we do.a little ditty. uh, it's just a rough... um, yeah, go ahead,take it. help yourself. oh, we're gonnado it now? great, great. no time like the present.heh-heh! very rough.just put together in... in my little studio.both of us singing.
she's gonna hear my voice,it's gonna ruin it. it's gonna be fine,gonna be fine. so anyone see battle of the '80s has-beens the other night? that debbie gibson,she can take a punch, huh? huh? i didn't see it. [helicopter beeping] [helicopter powering up] this is the songi've been looking for.
i can't waitto work on it. congratulations, guys.we gotta book. hey, thank you so much. looking forward to workingwith you. congratulations. d money! that's right, folks. it's unbelievable.we got the job. i thank you. thank you.
mwah! mwah! i thank you,i thank you... [cell phone ringing] [grunts] yes? chris!she loved it! unbelievable! definitely.where are you? okay, got it.got it. we're going to dinner.come on.
to sophie fisher, the womanwho paved my way back to knott's berry farm. gloria, i love your dress. oh, thank you. it's nice to clean upafter a day of work. oh, yeah.where do you work? i'm a therapistat columbia-presbyterian. i'm working on a studyexamining the-- [gasps]oh, my god.
that's a strike against us,right? i mean... alex:what is it? sloan. sloan? shhh! mr. cates, good evening.how are you? nice to see you. i'd say about two minutes. man: hi, how you doing? man 2: here it comes.
here's the thing... [dishes clattering] [cutlery clattering] oh! is she all right? yeah, yeah,she always does this. it's her way of working upan appetite. hello?sophie? sophie:he's at the bar.
oh, i know. i know. i know.i saw him. i saw him. he's not that great,you know. he, uh-- i saw the beginningsof a bald patch. why, come and have a look. oh, he hasa great head of hair. oh, god. i think i'll just stayin here until he leaves. maybe you could send ina salad and an iced tea? right. i'll get the waiter.
would you like to seethe dessert cart as well? look, this isridiculous. it's... i've been dreamingabout confronting him too. i had a speech preparedfor over a year. would you liketo hear it? very, very much. hello there.good evening. [door closes] sloan,
even thoughsally michaels only lives on paper, i livein the world. and i can neverforgive you for using meas raw material to createa fictional monster. sally michaelsis my own personal ghost, a shadow hanging overeach phone call and cup of iced tea.
and one cold day, when age has robbed your mindof its fertile phrases and your handof its dexterity, all the success won't be ableto shield you from the pain you've causedand the shame you deserve. or something like that. but now i know i could neveractually say it to him. no. no, no, no.you have to say that. you have to say that.you have to say it now.
now is the perfect time.you're on top of the world. you just wrote a song forthe biggest act in the universe. yeah, you can. people wait all their lives to see an ex-lover whenthings are going really well. it never happens. you can makerelationship history here. but i can't.i mean, look at me. i haven't showeredin days. i'm coveredin songwriting grime.
the helicopter flew bugsinto my teeth. yes, yes, yes.you are a little mangy. uh... wait. wait. stay. [sucks air] sorry, gloria. can i--?can i ask you a great favor? could you accompany meto the ladies' room? [exhales] he's a good guy.go ahead. thank you. thanks.
sure. be right back. that's fantastic. you look great. eleven years of therapy,and i finally help someone. good luck, honey. thank you so much. yes, thank you.thank you, doctor. it doesn't really fit. on the contrary.it fits you perfectly.
really? well, i'm not saying you shouldgo to confession like that, but for what you'reabout to do, it's perfect. [sighs, inhales] okay. are you ready? i think i'm developinga sudden coronary blockage. those pass very quickly,okay? shortness of breath.blurred vision. you're fine.
scurvy? alex:you're beautiful. no, it's fine. "i don't write bestsellersbecause i despise humanity." and i said, "no, john,you don't write bestsellers because the feelingis mutual." [group laughing] should i have stopped? should i have stoppedright there? was it over?
hi. sophie. my god, sophie. how are you? i'm fine, yeah.mmm. mm-hmm. good, it's great to see you. alex fletcher.hi, how are you? hey, alex. sloan cates.how are you? well, it's been an eternity.wh--? you look incredible. then, you were alwaysmysteriously seductive, weren't you?
[moans] she is writinga song for cora corman. what? no. wait. you're a songwriter? i-- i wrote... brilliant lyrics.fantastic lyrics. a lot of people are talkingabout them, actually. i had a pen,a paper and wrote... [giggling nervously]
sloan, the thing is, even though sally michaelsonly lives on paper, sophie livesin the real world. and she can neverforgive you-- mr. cates,your table's ready. oh, great, thanks, stefan. listen,i'll be right there, guys. i'm sorry. um, uh-- they're, uh, throwingthis little dinner thing for me.
it's crazy how lavish people getno matter how cheap they are when hollywoodcomes calling. hollywood. i've completely sold out. they're making a filmout of sally michaels. it's been crazy.i-i-i wrote the script. we're seeing actresses.it's been-- you know. but listen,it's great seeing you. uh, let's gettogether, okay?
take care of yourself. mmm. take care, allen. well... must feel goodto get that over with. i just wanna go home. okay. okay. okay. hang on. just hang onone second. one second. i'm sorry.i'm so sorry to bother you.
just-- it would mean the world if you'd just let her saywhat she came to say. yeah, i know what shecame here to say, okay? some sad little storyabout how i ruined her life while the truth is that... she seduced me so that i'dhelp get her published, okay? oh, come on. y-you were engaged,and you never even told her. i'd say we're done talking. bye-bye.
[whispering]let's go. let's go. let's go. [mouths] wait. do me a favor.why don't you just shove off? i appreciate your request, butwhy don't you just shove off? take it easy, my friend. i don't believei will take it easy. [people gasp] all right. all right! don't hurt his hair.
he's workin' adventurelandthis weekend. i'm giving up.my face is in the butter. thank you. ow. are you okay? yeah, yeah, i'm fine.it's just my pop hip. it comes from years of doingour patented dance move. my god, i've sufferedfor my art. no, the thing that really hurtsis my upper gum. i think i may have impaledmyself on a dinner roll.
it's a very good thingthey didn't have breadsticks. i could've lost an eye. well, you shouldget some ice on that. only if it's attachedto some whiskey. oh, god. i can't believeyou convinced me to do that. now i'm more of a joketo him than ever. and to top it off, i'll havemy own personal nightmare playing on 3000 screens.
and you knowwhat the worst part is? uh, you stolesome poor woman's dress? the worst part is that he still hassome kind of power over me. i still care what he thinks. i'm sorry, but how? how can that possibly be?the guy is a jerk. well, that's easyfor you to say, but-- no. he is a jerk.he is a jerk.
it's not a question.he is a jerk. no, he is, he's a jerk.he's a jerk. okay, here's what i think.i think that the truth is that you are terrifiedof losing sally michaels because then you'd havenothing to hide behind, and you'd have to standon your own feet. yeah. wow. i didn't see that coming. no. well,
i have amazing insight. i would use it on myself,only i don't have any problems. and i will tell youmy other insight. i think you areway too talented and gifted and unusual to let anyonekeep you from standing. that's wonderfully sensitive,alex. especially from a manwho wears such tight pants. it forces all the bloodto my heart. listen.
you were amazing tonight. as were you. the few syllables you got outwere absolutely devastating. does this feel any better? it would if it wason the right side. and that... felt much better. [moaning] [thud]
alex: ooh! [phone ringing] [thwack] ah, oh! hello? hello? chris [over phone]: hey, buddy. how's my hit songwriter? hang on. just-- just hang on. you don't sound right.
maybe it's the connect--hello? i have a strange situation here. oh, you've gota strange situation? i'm at beth's soccer gamewith my ex-wife who's here with my ex-gardener. they came on a riding mower. i slept with sophie. you slept with sophie?! rememberyour blood pressure.
you are a tall man. you needall the pressure you can get. are you out of your mind? thi--this-- alex, this is terrible. unless, of course,you're happy about it, and then i couldn't bemore pleased for you. should we do pros and cons? alex: not necessary. [piano thwacks, sophie yells] i think she's up. i gotta go. remember, we got a show today. 2:00. i'm gonna--
listen, i'm gonna pick you up in a little while. i want you to wear the white shirt with the fan-friendly pants. listen to me-- too much. too much.hanging up on you. hanging up. don't-- good morning. that was chrisjust...checking in. so...
i'm gonna-- i'm gonnahelp clean up a little bit, seeing as we don'thave any work today. right. fine. thank you.well, very nice of you. i mean, i would obviouslyinvite you to stay, it's just that i actuallyhave a show to do today. oh, really? oh, yes. a big one. i'm headliningat adventureland amusement park, long island'sfamily fun center,
biggest outdoor amusement centereast of rye playland. you have my permissionto be impressed. sounds great. so. i mean, you... you could come. [people whooping] [bell clanging] chorus: ♪ pop goes my heart ♪
♪ i wasn't gonnafall in love again ♪ ♪ pop goes my heart ♪ okay.let's hear everyone clapping. hey, come on.these guys over here on line at the little dipper,let's hear you clapping. don't--don't if you don't want to. ♪ and silver-er-er ♪ ♪ i said i wasn'tgonna lose my head ♪ [crowd cheering]
thank you, adventureland.thank you. that was great.that was great. yeah! good show. all right,you gotta do the encore. do i really have to? it's in the contract. wanna do "meaningless kiss"or "dance with me tonight"? this is embarrassing.they don't want it.
no, it's not. these songs,they're fantastic. i mean, i've never heardmost of them before, but they're full ofwonderful melodic surprises, and they're catchy, and they're making people happy,and they're just good. so you should beincredibly proud to sing them. you're not just saying that because you've beenon the wave ride three times? they're good, really good.
uh...okay, then."dance with me tonight," please. it's not often one grown mangets to say that to another with such joy. okay. pop face. [bittersweet melody playing] thank you. ♪ it's been so long ♪ ♪ since i've knownright from wrong ♪ ♪ got no job ♪
♪ sometimes i justsit down and sob ♪ ♪ wondering ♪ ♪ if anything will go right ♪ ♪ or will you dancewith me tonight? ♪ ♪ when the sun departs ♪ ♪ i feel a holedown in my heart ♪ ♪ put on some shoes ♪ ♪ come down hereand listen to the blues ♪ ♪ i'm lookin' at you ♪
♪ you're lookin' at me ♪ ♪ we're the only twooff the dance floor ♪ ♪ do you see what i see? ♪ ♪ two broken lives ♪ ♪ workin' in harmony ♪ ♪ might make for a decent time ♪ ♪ so get up and dance with me ♪ chris:it was a great show.you should be very pleased. how much money did we make?
i don't talk business in frontof a non-client. you know that. actually, i'm thinkingabout signing with you. well-- well, thank you, sophie.that's-- that's terrific. well, then, in that case,i don't think it's right to talk about one client'sbusiness affairs in front of another client. i'm very discreet that way. you don't know how much moneywe made, do you?
i have a ballpark figure. is it enoughfor a nice dinner? [gasps]dinner! i'm supposed to goto rhonda's for dinner. i'm late.oh, god, help. uh... you know, she wouldn't yellat me if, uh-- if you came. oh, very well. i can't go. i'm losing my mind.you've got me frazzled.
oh, there you go.you're gonna love these. thank you.no, that's plenty. honestly. trust me, you're gonna wanteven more than that. say when. when, when, when.thank you. oh, thank you. that's plenty.thank you. one more. trust me. listen, now, i don't wannabe presumptuous, but... i'm about to opena new weight-not in boca, and i was wonderingif maybe you'd like to perform.
sounds wonderful.i performed at a fat farm once. they loved me. i threw out little treatsfrom the stage. they went crazy. it was likea dietetic altamont. [rhonda laughing] that's funny.no. no, no, honey. no cell phonesat the table. could be jessieabout the meeting. if we break the rules,what'll the kids think?
don't do it.sorry, alex. very rude. weirdo, is there a waywe could go to the cora show? that would be so cool. yeah, we couldwork that out. i believe we can.we've become very close friends. don't bug him like that. sorry, sorry, sorry. apologies.i know the rules. turn it off. oh, no, no, no, honey. you goright ahead. you're a guest. you sure? you want meto call jessie back while i'm--?
i'll be very quick. chris, yes? say that again.cora's people what? what?is it about the song? alex:really? well, what does he say? yeah, no, it's sophie.really? okay. okay, got it. cora is back in town tomorrow and wants to meet usat her studio
to work on the song. and, um, she wants to knowif we like wheatgrass. sophie:sounds ominous. are you worried? well, i don't-- you know, yeah. alex:if you're not worried, i'm not. you've got your worried eyes. you look likea little worried doggy.
ruff. sophie, bring those dishesin here, hon. [upbeat music playingin distance] alex:okay, honey.you lead, i'll follow. boy:there you go.there you go. [rhonda clears throat] nothing. just looking. what? what, what, what,what, what? well, look.as your older sister--
seven years older. now, that's just uncalled for. why do you do that?it just-- it hurts, you know? mm. uh-huh. look. i like alex,you know. i mean, he's alex fletcher!ah! so hot. and he atemy mashed potatoes. yes. it wasa magical evening. but look, hon,you don't fall a lot.
and i've seenthe way you look at him, so if you arefalling for him just please, please make surehe's passionate about you. well, you know,i mean, i'm not falling. we're just working together,you know? and besides, the one timewe slept together, it's been totallyprofessional. you did not! i did.
you slept with alex fletcher? shhhh! don't worry about it, all right? besides, you know, how do youknow who's passionate? ah. you know, i think you-- i think you just see itin their eyes. and you feel itin their touch. in gary's case, it was whenhe said to his mother,
"i'm marrying her anyway." god, i hate her. i don't know.i think it's just when they do somethingextraordinary. soph, just be careful,okay? alex:and bigger.and bigger. and bigger.and bigger. with claps, and: ready...to...spin.
♪ and boo-boo, boo-booboo-boo ♪ well...that was fun. it was, it was, it was.except for those potatoes. it's what i imagine eatinginsulation would taste like. so, uh, cora tomorrow? yes, tomorrow, 10:00,her studio, 19th street. should i meet you there? that would be fine. although i was gonna take a cab,and seeing as i live
just a little bitfurther uptown than you, i could, theoretically,pick you up. you could if i was on the streetat, say, like, 9:40. then i would probably see you, depending, obviously,how brightly you were dressed. i'd wear orangeso you couldn't miss me. perfect. you could get someroad work done while you wait. well, goodbye and thank you. thank you very much for this.i enjoyed it.
and thank youfor your support today. thank you. today was great. it was. okay. bye. goodbye. [smooch] heh. cora:i want you to hear the new introto "way back into love." so imagine this:
instead of just startingthe song with the piano, we get this heavy indian thinggoing, very rhythmic. derek, gimme a beat, steamy and sticky. ♪ boom-boom, chickaboom-boom, chicka ♪ ♪ boom-boom ♪ ♪ boom-boom, chickaboom-boom ♪ [mystical melody playing] ♪ way back into love ♪
♪ she's been livin'with a shadow over...head ♪ ♪ she's been sleepin'with a cloud above her...bed ♪ mm. ah! ♪ go cora, go cora ♪ ♪ cora cormanand alex fletcher ♪ ♪ got a new songthat's gonna getcha ♪ ♪ way back in...to love ♪ you know, i think that i willget some wheatgrass after all. you don't like it?
no. no, no, no,it's not that. she had her eye on thatwheatgrass since we came in. what you're doing,that thing there, is great. it's-- it's-- it's steamyand it's sticky, you know. which is--one is normally enough, but the combo's just amazing. c, time for the press shoot. i really likewhat we came up with. oh, and add another verse.
it doesn't feel likethe song ends yet. another verse?right, yeah, great. that would be an honor, c. i'm sorry-- i'm having a littlepre-recording session party at my place. i want you both to come. i think though, that, um--that there-- but wait-- cheers. thanks a lot, ray.
thanks, derek. nice one. don't speak.don't say anything. you didn't actually likethat orgasm set to the gandhi soundtrack,did you? well, i thought it was,you know...horrible. i mean,it simultaneously destroyed two musical culturesin under a minute. we have to tell her. no, no.i don't think we do.
honestly, if she wantsto dance, let her dance. i don't understand.wait. i'm sorry. i don't understand. your heroes,the beatles, smokey, they would neverlet this happen. that's a completelydifferent thing. they were geniuses. you know, they wrote dinner.i write dessert. no. you're betterthan dessert.
and that's exactlywhy i'm gonna tell her what i think at the party. you are not gonna do that. yes, i am. no, you are not. in that case,you are no longer invited. what--? she invited me. she invited us, as a team.
now that we disagree, we no longer presenta united front and are thus un-teamed forthe purposes of the invitation. so are you going? i might drop by.i don't wanna be rude. well, i don't wannabe rude either. you don't thinkthat going to a party and telling the hostess that she's destroyedtwo musical cultures is rude?
i'm enrolling youat the nearest charm school. i have to say what i think.i can't work this way. what do you mean,you can't work this way? you've been a songwriterfor six days. god created the universein six days. and he never had a hit. okay, he did. he had"he's got the whole world in..." i'm going to the party. you are not going to the party.you, young lady, are grounded.
you're grounded.come back here. please. i'm a littlebit desperate. please. i'll see you there. you won't. you won't'cause you're not invited. they won't let you in. [the sounds' "tony the beat"playing] ♪ hey! ♪ [indistinct chatter] hey, ray.
alex, my man. i'm good, man. how you doin'? good to see you. so is sophie here? you know what?i-- i haven't seen her. chris? who? you know, my manager.
i'm sorry. have fun. hey, michelle.good to see you, babe. hey, how's it going? ♪ i like it that way and you know it ♪ ♪ so let's do it ♪ man:hey, ray, what's up, man? how's it going? ♪ this song is not for you lovers ♪ ♪ ooh-ooh-ooh ♪
♪ don't stop, push it now ♪ ♪ and i will give it all to you ♪ ♪ don't just stop now ♪ ♪ and try to give it all up ♪ ♪ hey, let's kick it ♪ ♪ stop, just lick it ♪ ♪ let you start it 'cause ♪ ♪ 'cause it's so easy ♪ where's sophie?
hang on. god, she's here. please don't let her through.don't let her through. listen. we cannot let hertalk to cora. she's gonna ruin everything. sophie. she hates the song. she hates the songyou wrote? yes. she hates it. chris:but she wrote the song.why does she hate it? alex:we had a littledisagreement.
hi there, soph, how are you? hey, sophie. good evening. so you brought something,did you, sophie? yes. my mother told me, "never go to a partyempty-handed," so i went to the zen eatery and got a selection of cookies.no, thank you. nirvana nougat...
[dreamy mystical music playing] hey. it's my favorite writers. hi, c. how are you? we brought you some cookies,from all of us. thank you. derek. cora, i really wantedto talk to you-- about the fact that unfortunatelywe're gonna have to leave early to finishthe last verse of this song
which has becomeso important to us in both an artisticand a spiritual sense. you can't leave yet.come see the house. i wanna show you the roof.it's upstairs. do you know--? well... [funky music playing] sophie:cora, i definitely see how much you've thoughtabout the song and-- great roof. in a veryinteresting place as well,
right at the top-- one second. sophie was aboutto say something about our song. was she?i don't think she was. no. sometimes she looks likeshe's about to say something, and then she just clams up. what i wanted to sayis that i appreciate that you're bringing your ownspecial thought to the music, but i really and honestly feelthat we're pandering.
which means trying to makeothers like you, which i personally thinkis a really nice thing. i do a lot of it myself. "just going out pandering,be back soon." the song is aboutthe struggle, you know, to show your true feelings. and your very confidentsexual display is... you know,a total contradiction of the fearand insecurity.
eh, yes and no. no, i don't think so. and my fans really love itwhen i dance. yes, you'rea wonderful dancer. that's a fair point. my last cd only wentto number two. but in this case,if you trust us-- and shakira is breathingdown my neck! so i wanna dance.
you--you shall dance. but thank youfor your honesty, sophie. i cherish your passion. ray: cora. timberlake's here.wants to say hi. alex:nice to see you, c. talk to you later. looking forwardto the new last verse. cora, wait.
it's over, it's over. it was a very nice try, butyou have hit the karmic wall. with no help from you.you just stood there. talk about pandering. i did not pander. i just told her exactlywhat she wanted to hear. i'm gonna go tell herthe truth. well, you just did. what, are you gonnause flash cards this time?
my god, you're stubborn. and you're notstubborn enough to stand upfor what's good. i mean,i just don't wanna see you do what you didon your solo album. yes, yes, yes. i bought it.the last copy. all right, well, i insiston paying you back immediately. um, 9.99, right?do you have a penny?
it's like you weretrying so hard to get a hit that it wasn't you. the songs were soulless. i agree. but ours has soul, so... but not if we ruin it.and you know that. why are youso scared to care? because it won't matter. because...behind all herbuddhism-in-a-thong philosophy,
what she cares aboutis seats filled and units sold. and nothing in the worldis gonna make her your pal any more than my yearswith colin made him mine. because in the end,it's all just business. what is? oh, all of it.everything. that's why they call itthe music business. and it's a good thing. i wish everything in lifewas that clear, you know?
i want something from you,you want something from me. no false promisesor expectations. congratulationson your feel-good song. can i get you a drink? there's plenty of time,by the way. we have the whole night,part of the morning, teeniest little bitof the afternoon, so yeah... [sophie sighs] i can't read it.
what does that--?what does that say? "sorry, i can't do this." ♪ sorry, i can't do this ♪ not sureabout the scansion. what--?what, are you leaving? yeah. um, i'm sorry. uh, maybe i'll-- i'll thinkof something later. there is--there is no later.
she needs the song tomorrow. if we don't give it to her,she's gonna go to someone else. i will have--i will have lost the job. okay, look. no, i want to help.i do. i-- i wanna helpyou finish... uh, i-- ...but i can't. i can't writewhen i feel like this.
i'm not inspired. i don't care. i don't careif you're inspired. inspiration's for amateurs. i ju-- i just wantfour lines. please. i just want four lines. i can't. oh, but you can, and you won't. are you sayingthat i wanted this to happen?
i'm saying that's what you do. you push and pushand move the furniture around and talk all the time and screw everything upjust like he said. who's he?what are you talking about? what are you saying? i read the bookbecause i wanted to be able to come to you and say, "you're not at alllike sally michaels."
but actually,he's got you spot on. what are you talking about?what are you saying? i'm sayingsloan cates was right. [sobbing] please take that back. the poor, innocent,helpless, "'oh, i can't write,'she says to herself" girl has co-authoredthree-quarters of a hit song and is now holding it ransom
because she can't getexactly what she wants. you're--you think life is this-- is this-- is this fairy tale. and when it turns out thateverything doesn't end happily, you can't deal with it. [sniffles] [funky, seductive melody playing] ♪ mama says i can'tdaddy says i can ♪ ♪ but right now my bodyjust wants to slam ♪
♪ slam ♪ c, alex fletcheris here. hi, alex. um, c, could--?could i have a quick word? thanks a lot. hey, derek,how are you? alex fletcher. what's--? yo, so how'smy girl sophie, man?
uh, yeah, no, she's-- she's keeping itpretty...real. yeah, what a girl. mm. c, hi. listen, it's-- it's aboutthe new last verse. it's not completely formedin the classical sense yet. it's more a kind ofstring of words that you can connectin almost any way. i th-- i think it'squite innovative.
i got the lyrics. sophie faxed them overthis morning. they are so beautiful. it's what i always wantedto say to my boyfriend. it's the perfect endto the song. [bold pop melody playing] ♪ there are momentswhen i don't know ♪ ♪ if it's real ♪ ♪ or if anybody feelsthe way i feel ♪
♪ i need inspiration ♪ ♪ not just anothernegotiation ♪ ♪ is find a way back into... ♪ is everything okay? yeah, yeah. sorry, sorry. i just, uh-- i just completely,i don't know, spaced out. that's okay. then let's take itfrom the top
with the new intro. yep. great. derek: uh-huh. yeah, cora corman and alex fletcher. way back into love. [speaking indistinctly] alex:hi. rhonda, i bought thesefor your children because one should nevershow up empty-handed. they're aliens.
clearly,i have no children. here. here, let me get that for you. um, i am gonna goto the office. i am too.have fun with those. bye. put them, um, there, thanks. so are you comingto the concert tomorrow night? can't disappoint lucy.
ah, yes, yes,very important. chris is bringinghis daughter as well, so...should be fun. i just wanted to say i thought your last versewas fantastic. thank you, alex. and i'm very sorryabout what i said. well, you know,life isn't a fairy tale, and i have to grow up,
and i'm gonna do thatin florida. well, that's just ridiculous. no one grows up in florida.unless they're an orange. well, i'm managing the newweight-not branch in boca raton. you should be writing,not fighting cellulite. well, i can do both. we needa new marketing campaign. swimsuit seasonis coming up. thing is...
i can't... compose without you. thanks, but i don't thinkit's a good idea. oh, all right. well, you'reobviously very busy here. good luck. you too. woman:cora! gracie, aren't you excited? let's go.
uh, you know what? um, you guys,uh, just go. i thinki'm gonna skip it. no, come on.you can't skip it. um, you know what, kids?you know what, kids? i'm gonna talkto your aunt, okay? gary, take 'em in. well, should i meet you--? just do it.how hard is it, right?
go, walk, sit. want me to get you something? honey, i need a second.thank you. love you.you're a good man. now, listen to me. those kids have toldall of their friends that their auntwrote cora's new hit song. and they-- they wannashare this with you. you gotta go in.
yeah. no, i know.i know. i-i just, um... i don't know howi'm gonna go in there and-- and look at him. oh, i know. it's just one night,though, and i really thinkyou need this. and then he'll go his way,and you'll go yours. okay? [crowd chattering]
boy:do you have her autograph? isn't this exciting? yeah. this is totally cool. lucy:yeah, weirdo.this is so cool. charlie:it's great. lucy:we're in the cora fan club.can we? please, mom? rhonda:okay. girl:cora! [gong bongs]
[screams] lucy:cora! charlie:cora! look, there she is! is that cora? ♪ i'm starting to believe, boy ♪ ♪ that this wasmeant to be, boy ♪ ♪ 'cause i believe in karma ♪ ♪ boy, do youbelieve in karma? ♪
♪ each time you putyour lips to mine ♪ ♪ it's like a tasteof buddha's delight ♪ hey, gary. come on.i'm just watching. ♪ for a tasteof buddha's delight ♪ ♪ tell me allyour fantasies tonight ♪ ♪ and i willmake them happen 'cause ♪ ♪ i'm not satisfiedif i don't ♪ [peppy theme playsover tv]
announcer: this tuesday on the cw, it's battleof the '80s has-beens, featuring tiffany battling reigning champion debbie gibson, followed by a bout between adam ant and billy idol. tuesday night on the cw. woman:five minutes,mr. fletcher. ♪ entering bootytownso shake my booty now ♪
♪ 'cause your bootyis the way into his heart ♪ new york, i love you! shanti, shanti. what's that mean? cora:and now i'd like you to hearsomething very special. oh, soph. something very different. it's a new song. this is it, weirdo,your song.
i don't thinki can listen to this. a song no one has heard before written by mr. alex fletcher. wait. alex fletcherand my sister. how quickly they forget. let's just go and come backwhen the song's over. you and me. actually, you know what?i'm gonna go.
no. what? yeah, no. i'm fine. just, um... are you sure? yeah, i'm fine.i just wanna be alone. just take care of the kids. [piano playing graceful melody] ♪ it's never been easy for me ♪ ♪ to find wordsto go along with a melody ♪
♪ but this time there's actuallysomething on my mind ♪ ♪ so please forgive ♪ ♪ these few briefawkward lines ♪ ♪ since i met youmy whole life has changed ♪ ♪ it's not just my furnitureyou've rearranged ♪ ♪ i was living in the past ♪ ♪ but somehowyou've brought me back ♪ ♪ and i haven'tfelt like this ♪ ♪ since before frankie said"relax" ♪
♪ and though i know ♪ ♪ based on my track record ♪ ♪ i might not seemlike the safest bet ♪ ♪ all i'm asking you ♪ ♪ is don't write me offjust yet ♪ ♪ for yearsi've been telling myself ♪ ♪ the same old story ♪ ♪ that i'm happy to live offmy so-called former glories ♪ ♪ but you've given mea reason ♪
♪ to take another chance ♪ ♪ now i need youdespite the fact ♪ ♪ that you've killedall my plants ♪ ♪ i've already blownmore chances ♪ ♪ than anyone should ever get ♪ ♪ don't write me offjust yet ♪ alex! whoo! [funky dance melody playing] man:nobody backstage.
i have to get up there.i know cora. i know cora. i wrote this song. yeah, i know cora too. she's okay. there's nobody backstage. i said she's okay, right? well, you vouch for her, then. yeah, yeah.
what's wrong with you? as soon as cora'sdone with "slam," we'll need youon-stage. okay, got it. got it. good.thanks very much. cheers. cora:♪ slam ♪ men:♪ oh-oh, oh-oh ♪ ♪ oh, oh, oh ♪ you come to a concert,you don't bring anything? alex, that song.
yeah, i know, i know.i'm sorry. it's the best i could do.you could fix it. no, that song was dinner. cora:thank you! i want you to hearmy new single. thank you! "way back into love," music and lyricsby sophie fisher and alex fletcher.
what happenedto steamy and sticky? cora:shanti, shanti! well, i explained to corathat it violated the very core of the lyric and corruptedthe purity of the song. and when that didn't work, i told her it would help meto win you back. and, uh, that did it. turns out thatalthough she thought
the dalai lama was,incredibly, a llama... ...she is, in fact,quite the romantic. go. go. go. okay,mr. fletcher. ♪ trapped in the pasti just can't seem to move on ♪ ♪ i've been hidingall my hopes and dreams away ♪ ♪ just in case i everneed 'em again someday ♪ ♪ i've been setting aside time ♪ ♪ to clear a little spacein the corners of my mind ♪
both:♪ all i wanna do ♪ ♪ is find a way back into love ♪ ♪ without a way back into love ♪ ♪ oh-oh-ohhh ♪ cora:♪ i've been watching ♪ ♪ but the starsrefuse to shine ♪ ♪ i've been searching ♪ ♪ but i just don'tsee the signs ♪ ♪ i know that it's out there ♪
♪ there's gotta be something ♪ ♪ for my soul somewhere ♪ ♪ i've been lookingfor someone ♪ ♪ to shed some light ♪ ♪ not somebodyjust to get me ♪ ♪ through the night ♪ ♪ i could usesome direction ♪ ♪ and i'm opento your suggestions ♪ ♪ and if iopen my heart to you ♪
♪ i'm hoping you'll show mewhat to do ♪ ♪ and if you help meto start again ♪ ♪ you know that i'll be there ♪ ♪ for you in the end ♪ cora:♪ ohhh ♪ ♪ ohhh-ahhh ♪ ♪ ohhh-oh ♪ ♪ whoa ♪ ♪ a shock inside me ♪
♪ that wordsjust can't describe ♪ ♪ there's somethingin the way you move ♪ ♪ i can't deny ♪ ♪ a twist of fatemakes life worth while ♪ ♪ i wasn't gonnafall in love again ♪ ♪ and i just can'tlet you go ♪ ♪ i can'tlose this feeling ♪ ♪ i can't losethis feeling ♪ [america's "work to do"playing]
♪ well, it's a tough job ♪ ♪ but someone's gotta do it ♪ ♪ stickin' it out not givin' in to it ♪ ♪ when everybody's given up on me and you ♪ ♪ and if we're gonna make it, baby ♪ ♪ if we're gonna make it, baby ♪ ♪ we still got some work to do ♪ ♪ well, it didn't go down quite the way we planned it ♪ ♪ you made mistakes took some things for granted ♪
♪ but we've come this far we've got to see it through ♪ ♪ and we've got long hours ♪ ♪ and late nights ahead of us now ♪ ♪ but if we try we just might ♪ ♪ make it all right ♪ ♪ it might all work out somehow ♪ ♪ well, it's a tough job we didn't ask for it ♪ ♪ takin' what's breakin' and tryin' to restore it ♪ ♪ it won't be easy ♪
♪ what else is new? ♪ ♪ yeah, if we're gonna make it, baby ♪ ♪ ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh ♪ ♪ ahhh, ah, ah-ah ♪ [haley bennett's "invincible"playing] ♪ boy, you're a man ♪ ♪ but when this thing first started ♪ ♪ and people said it wouldn't last ♪ ♪ but it's still growing like an english garden ♪
♪ and we're just laying in the grass ♪ ♪ sometimes the rumors start floating around ♪ ♪ but i promise ♪ ♪ they can say whatever they want ♪ ♪ this love's invincible ♪ ♪ they can try to shoot off their mouths, boy ♪ ♪ but they only want what we got ♪ ♪ they can never turn us around, boy ♪
