The Front Man

The Front Man by Josh Levine & Robby Kushner Robbykushner@hotmail.com WGA Registered INT. DUSTIN'S APARTMENT - MORNING DUSTIN DELL (29) sits in a dark room playing an inspired, original song on a guitar. All we can see is his LARGE SILHOUETTE. He's got an intriguing, soulful voice and strums perfect chords. He finishes his song and puts down his guitar. He pulls on a pair of BLACK SLACKS but has trouble with the button. He forces on a nice BLACK JACKET. It TEARS. INT. CAPITOL RECORDS EXECUTIVE OFFICE - MORNING Three hip, young MUSIC EXECUTIVES sit in an office. In walks Dustin. We now see what he looks like; a fat, ugly nebbish with a horrible sense of style. Uncomfortable silence. The executives expected someone... better looking. One of the executives finally snaps out of it. EXECUTIVE #1 (enthusiastic) Hey, Dustin Dell. Yeah. Take a seat, man. Yeah. Can I get you a bottle of water? DUSTIN Okay. The executive presses a button on his phone. EXECUTIVE #1 Courtney. Can we get Dustin a bottle of water? COURTNEY (enthusiastic) Yeah! EXECUTIVE #1 All right. Yeah. Dustin seems hesitant and nervous. The other two execs are silent. They just stare. EXECUTIVE #1 (cont’d) Love the demo. Real pseudointellectual post-modern appeal with a real folk pop influence. 2. DUSTIN Thanks. EXECUTIVE #1 Yeah. I smell a big hit. This sound is exactly what we're looking for. The kids are gonna love it. Dustin looks hopeful. DUSTIN Oh. Wow! What a relief. I can't tell you how many times I've been through this. I thought you were going to reject me. EXECUTIVE #1 We are rejecting you. DUSTIN But... you just said this is exactly what you're looking for. EXECUTIVE #1 We're looking for the whole package. The sound and the look. We want someone who looks like Bon Jovi and sounds like Coldplay. DUSTIN (frustrated) Hold on. You're rejecting me because I'm ugly? Do you know how many meetings I've taken? Do you know how many executives told me I was great only to reject me? This is the last label in town. This is my last chance. Dustin stands up. He starts to get angry. The executives are uncomfortable. They start to pack up their stuff. DUSTIN (cont’d) You people are unbelievable. You're all the same. Here I am, a great musician, with an awesome demo and so I'm a little overweight and I'm sweating because I'm exerting myself-EXECUTIVE #1 Hey, man, calm down. 3. DUSTIN All you people care about is image. I'm so tired of this shallow industry. How the fuck did Lyle Lovett or John Popper get signed? Look at Seal, he looks like he was on the losing end of a knife fight. The three execs stand up. EXECUTIVE #1 I think it's time for you to go. The ASSISTANT runs in with a BOTTLE OF WATER. Dustin, who is perspiring, grabs the bottle and downs it in one gulp. DUSTIN And really what's with you people and bottles of water? He drops the bottle and storms out of the office. CUT TO: INT. BRANDON'S APARTMENT - MORNING BRANDON MARKS (30) is asleep in bed. He’s got tatoos up and down his muscular body. He’s attractive, but in a rough and unpolished way. There is a MODEL-TYPE GIRL next to him. His apartment looks like a sexual hurricane swept through it. Bras, panties and skirts are scattered all around. Brandon SUDDENLY wakes up and gets out of bed. He’s frantic. He searches for something. He has a hangover and his head hurts. He finds a REMOTE and turns on the TV. He lights a cigarette and sucks down a massive hit. He watches nervously. ON SCREEN The 49ers are up by 2 points. Green Bay has the ball with 2 seconds left. The crowd at Lambeau Field is silent. JOHN MADDEN won’t shut up. Brandon sees the score. He clasps his hands together, praying. BRANDON Oh please. I promise I’ll never make another bet again. (MORE) 4. BRANDON(cont'd) (to God) Just give me this one... The Packers snap the ball. The KICKER makes a connection. The ball is up, up, up... It’s good! The crowd at Lambeau goes wild. The Packers go up by one point and the game is over. Brandon falls to his knees. He starts to cry. BRANDON (cont’d) (screaming) NO!!! The Model wakes up. MODEL What’s wrong? Brandon is even more panicked. He searches around his apartment, tearing it apart. He finds his boots. BRANDON We have to get out of here! MODEL You promised we could go to the aquarium. Brandon goes over to the girl and lifts up the covers. His reaction tells us she's naked and super hot. BRANDON Sally, Sally, Sally. Did I say aquarium? MODEL Who's Sally? I'm Cynthia. BRANDON I was close. The model throws a pillow at Brandon. MODEL Fuck you! Then, POUNDING on the door. Brandon looks up. BRANDON That’s impossible. He goes to the door and looks through the peep hole. 5. A dark, slick-haired Pakistani named THE LLAMA pops into view. He wears a thin mustache, a hairnet and has on more bling than Mr. T. He's waving a GUN around in the air. THE LLAMA (thick accent) Mr. Brandon open up this door. The Packers won the football challenge. More pounding. BRANDON (to himself) Fuck. Shit. Fuck. The model gets up to find her clothes. MODEL Are you in some kind of trouble? BRANDON Get up. We’re leaving. She walks towards the front door. Brandon grabs her. BRANDON (cont’d) We’re going out the window. He leads her to the FIRE ESCAPE. She’s agitated. MODEL I'm not going out there. Brandon pushes her through the window. He grabs his keys and jacket and follows her. More pounding. THE LLAMA I hear the noises coming from you. Brandon and the model, who is still trying to put on her clothes, stumble down the fire escape. MODEL (angry) This is retarded. I'm not moving. Brandon lays a huge KISS on her. At first she pulls away, but then starts to melt in his arms. She looks at him. There is a sparkle in his eye. 6. MODEL (cont’d) (dreamy) Wow. Brandon climbs down to the ground. MODEL (cont’d) Wait for me. The model climbs after him. INT. GARAGE - MOMENTS LATER Brandon and the model run into the garage. They approach a run down, piece of shit MOTORCYLCE. They hop on. Brandon REVS the motor, it COUGHS and spits out plumes of SMOKE. He takes off out of the garage. EXT. BRANDON'S APARTMENT - MORNING The Motorcycle pulls onto the street. The Llama exits the apartment complex and chases after them. THE LLAMA The Llama wants his money, you cunt! The Llama starts FIRING his gun recklessly down the street. CUT TO: INT. COUNTRY CLUB RESTAURANT - DAY Dustin walks into a fancy restaurant. He's still in a bad mood. A MAITRE D' gives him a dirty look. MAITRE D' Sir, you cannot come in here with this attire. We have a strict dress code. I can provide you with a more appropriate jacket. DUSTIN Fine. Do what you gotta do. Dustin walks over to the coat check window. A beautiful WOMAN greets him. Jacket after jacket does not fit. It's becoming embarrassing. 7. Dustin's fatter, uglier FATHER approaches the Maitre d'. DUSTIN'S FATHER (to the Maitre d') It's obvious my son is too fat to fit into these jackets. MAITRE D' I didn't know he was your son, Mr. Dell sir. DUSTIN'S FATHER You can't see the resemblance? They are obviously related. DUSTIN'S FATHER (cont’d) Dustin, go sit down. Dustin stares at the coat check girl, embarrassed. INT. DINING TABLE - MOMENTS LATER Dustin sits across from his father. There are plates and plates of food all over the table. It’s a grotesque free-forall. DUSTIN'S FATHER Now listen boy, have you thought about the offer I've given you? Dustin grabs the salt and pours it all over a baked potato. DUSTIN (whining) I don't want to sell tampons. DUSTIN'S FATHER How many times do I have to tell you it's not just tampons. The company’s now in pads with butterfly tips and wipes-Dustin’s father samples from Dustin’s plate. 8. DUSTIN’S FATHER I work for the largest feminine hygiene distributor in North America and I don't want all those years of loyalty invested in this company to be flushed down the toilet. For Christ’s sake I just made Vice President. DUSTIN I'm not like you. I don't want to give my soul over to corporate America. I'm following my dream. Dustin’s father slabs butter on a steak. DUSTIN'S FATHER Rock n' roll is not a dream. It's a frivolous hobby. All those wasted hours playing that horrible music. (referring to the food) Oh, this is juicy. DUSTIN I'm gonna do it. I don't know how. I don't know when. But I will. (referring to the food) Can I have some? Dustin dips his bread in some ranch dressing. DUSTIN'S FATHER No. Our family is not known for their sex appeal. We're not meant to be in the limelight. We're the guy behind the guy, running things. Look at us, son, all we have going for us is tampons. Dustin's father downs a glass of coke with one gulp. He belches. DUSTIN I need to give myself more time. DUSTIN'S FATHER You're almost thirty. Time is something you're running out of. If something doesn't happen with your career soon-- 9. DUSTIN (routinely) I'll have to take your offer. Dustin realizes the pressure is on. He looks totally overwhelmed. Dustin’s father calls for a waiter. DUSTIN’S FATHER I need pudding! CUT TO: EXT. DEL TACO - MORNING The motorcycle pulls into a Del Taco parking lot. Brandon helps the model off the bike. MODEL What's this? BRANDON This is the end of the road. MODEL Del Taco? BRANDON Yeah. Brandon gets back on his bike. MODEL Barry? Should I just wait here? BRANDON Name's Brandon. And I don't care. He rides off. EXT. SUNSET STRIP - MORNING Turn Me Loose by Loverboy blasts on screen. We see quick cuts of Brandon on his crappy motorcycle riding down THE SUNSET STRIP. He passes by a HARLEY DAVIDSON SHOP. He sees a CANDY-APPLE RED HARLEY DAVIDSON MOTORCYCLE in the window--the object of all his desires. Brandon stares longingly. The price tag reads: $30,000. 10. BRANDON (regretful) One point. God damn Packers. Just one point. Brandon looks disappointed. INT. THE GOLDEN EEL - DAY Brandon walks through the back door of a bar called THE GOLDEN EEL. He passes by the kitchen and sees TWO GAY MEXICAN DISHWASHERS. They wave at Brandon. BRANDON What up, Jose? JOSE #1 Que paso? BRANDON What up, Jose? JOSE #2 Muchacho. How's it hanging? BRANDON All right. JOSE #2 No really, how is it hanging? BRANDON You guys crack me up. Brandon leaves the kitchen and heads into the bar. INT. BAR - DAY Brandon sneaks up on his boss, ANGELA (40), who does inventory at the bar. She looks like an ex-porn star. Brandon grabs her from behind. BRANDON Gimme some of that sweet sugar. Angela turns around, flings Brandon back and uses the fountain gun to shoot him in the face with soda. ANGELA You're late! 11. BRANDON But I'm handsome. ANGELA That can only get you so far. BRANDON I need to ask you for a favor. ANGELA What is it this time? BRANDON I need an advance. ANGELA You need to work before I can pay you. You’re the laziest employee I’ve ever had. BRANDON (boyishly) Come on, Angela. Help me out? ANGELA I'll help you with some advice. Try using your brain instead of your face. I'm sure you'll get a lot farther in life. (beat) I take that back, continue to use your face because it's all you have. Brandon shrugs off her comment. Angela exits. Brandon notices the TIP JAR filled with cash. The coast is clear. He contemplates taking it. He does not. Frustrated, he grabs a bottle of JACK DANIELS and walks out the door. CUT TO: INT. VINYL MAGAZINE HEADQUARTERS - DAY Inside a tiny office at the VINYL MAGAZINE headquarters ROSE THOMAS (26), a fresh, young intern works a tight schedule. She is smart and perky but is annoyed at AMY (26), a pretty blond girl, who flirts with DEAF DARRYL, the mail guy. ROSE Amy! I'm trying to work. Could you please keep it down? 12. Amy rolls her eyes at Rose. She looks at Deaf Darryl. AMY So like, don't you think music is like, just the best. Deaf Darryl gives her a funny look. DEAF DARRYL (deaf accent) I'm deaf. What did you say? ROSE Shush. Please! Cassidy is going to be here any minute. Have you done any work at all? Deaf Darryl exits. AMY Shit, Rose. You just ruined my chance with Deaf Darryl. ROSE He’s the mail guy. AMY David Geffen was the mail guy once. ROSE David Geffen is gay. AMY Well I'd do him with a strap-on if it helped me move up the ladder. Rose is sickened by Amy. She pushes "Save" on her lap top. ROSE I'm done with my article. I'm going to get some coffee. Rose exits the room. Amy gets up from her desk and sneaks over to Rose's lap top. She prints out ROSE'S ARTICLE. CASSIDY (50), a creative editor at Vinyl Magazine, comes to collect Rose and Amy. She notices Rose’s absence. CASSIDY (curt) Where's the other one? Amy shrugs. 13. CASSIDY (cont’d) Where's your article? Amy hands her Rose's article. Cassidy paces around the room as she reads. CASSIDY (cont’d) (reading from the article) "...Problems with contemporary music and how it defines the current climate..." Good. I like that. "...How the internet has changed the industry..." Rose enters and overhears Cassidy reading from her article. Amy looks nervous. Cassidy looks up. She's impressed with Amy. Rose is confused. CASSIDY (cont’d) Hey, blond girl, this isn't half bad. ROSE What are you talking about? That's my work! AMY Uh, excuse me, why are you trying to take credit for my article? ROSE (dumfounded) What!? That's my article! AMY No it isn't. CASSIDY Oh Jesus! I don't have time for this. Amy, you get the first assignment. Go talk to Sam in production. Amy exits, flaunting her success to Rose who is pissed off. ROSE But Cassidy, I swear that was my article. I swear it. 14. CASSIDY This isn't some sorority pantydecorating party where you get to give Johnny Handsome a blow job after the formal. This is the fucking music industry and it's hard core. Rose is in tears. ROSE I worked on that article for a week. CASSIDY All right, look, I know Amy is an idiot, but my hands are tied. She slept with a few big-wigs at the magazine. She'll fail. It's only a matter of time. ROSE A lot of good that does me, she just got her first assignment. CASSIDY This industry is all about image. It's how everyone here perceives you, not who you are inside. Rose is still upset. CASSIDY (cont’d) Go out and find something fresh and exciting to write about. Rose perks up. She jumps up and down. ROSE Oh Cassidy, this is so great. CASSIDY Hey, none of that cutsie shit. Rose stops jumping. ROSE Sorry. CUT TO: 15. INT. STUDIO - DAY Dustin's band, HAL, practices in a studio. They have no gravitas or style, but they're musical geniuses. Dustin plays guitar and is the lead singer. GEORGE (55) is on drums, and is a Vietnam Veteran who looks and acts like Animal from "The Muppets." SPENCER (26) is the bassist and a nerd. ERIC (28) is on rhythm guitar and is by far the bestlooking band member. They are in the middle of playing a song. Eric stares at Dustin. He notices his fat belly jiggling underneath his tight shirt and his greasy hair and bad skin glistening under the lights. He looks at the rest of the band and finds them pathetic too. Eric stops playing. In a moment that he has probably dreamt about for a while he finally lays into Dustin. ERIC I can't do this. The band stops playing. DUSTIN What is it? ERIC Look at us. We're pathetic. DUSTIN Hey, it'll happen. I promise. ERIC (pointing at George) With him on drums? Look at him, he's older than my dad. GEORGE Fuck this. George goes over to a PLAYSTATION and plays a Vietnam game. SPENCER Come on, guys. We were sounding great. Eric goes to pack his things. 16. ERIC I hate to break it to you, Spencer, but you're a fucking dork. Spencer, used to the abuse, ignores Eric and joins George at the Playstation. Dustin becomes desperate. DUSTIN Eric, don't do this. We need you. We have a gig next week. ERIC I'm over this shit. It's gonna end up like all the others. No groupies backstage, the bar won't ask us back and Spencer's mom will give us a standing ovation after every song. CUT TO: Spencer leans over to George and says: SPENCER Dude, my mom loves us. In the video game, George BLOWS the head off a Vietcong. GEORGE (amazed) It's so real. CUT BACK TO: Eric turns around at the door before exiting. ERIC (heated) You need me because I'm obviously the best looking guy in the band but I don't need you. The execs were right. Eric exits. DUSTIN Screw you then, we don't need you! Dustin walks over to Spencer and George. He looks defeated and depressed. 17. GEORGE Sorry, Dustin. That guy's an asshole anyway. You're only as strong as your weakest link. Back in 'Nam we had a guy like him in our squad... we had to kill him. DUSTIN Yeah, but he's right. SPENCER He's not right. I like our music. I think we're great. Spencer doesn't make Dustin feel any better. SPENCER (cont’d) Why don't we go check out some local bands? That's how we found George. DUSTIN We found George drumming on buckets at Venice Beach. George doesn't look up from his game. GEORGE Fuckin' A right. DUSTIN No, we need a new direction for the band. The executives told me I'm too ugly, fine, I'm too ugly. We need someone to lead us to glory. We need to find a front man. INT. DUSTIN'S APARTMENT - DAY Dustin sits in his apartment and strums his guitar. He SINGS a tale about how ugliness is his biggest obstacle in becoming successful. It's funny, a bit sad, but most importantly, really good. BEGIN MONTAGE: EXT. CITY STREETS - DAY The song continues as we go into a montage of Dustin walking around beautiful Melrose and Robertson looking at all the GORGEOUS WOMEN and HANDSOME MEN. 18. He plays his guitar as he walks down the street. Great looking people give him dirty looks. Someone think he's homeless and throws change at him. INT. MCDONALDS - DAY Still singing, Dustin spies a MCDONALDS, he feels comfortable there. He orders 4 Big Macs and a diet coke. He eats, depressed, singing, food falling out of his mouth, alone. He starts to cry. END MONTAGE: INT. THE GOLDEN EEL - NIGHT Back at The Golden Eel, Brandon sets up for Karaoke night. Angela looks confused as she approaches him. ANGELA What the fuck, Brandon, tonight's local band night! What are you setting up karaoke for? BRANDON Man, nobody told me. ANGELA You didn't book any bands for tonight? Brandon continues to set up the karaoke equipment. ANGELA (cont’d) (angry) Are you listening to me? BRANDON Okay, look, I fucked up. ANGELA There are dozens of people outside expecting to see live music! BRANDON So we'll give them live music. EXT. THE GOLDEN EEL - THAT MOMENT There is a long line of PEOPLE outside The Golden Eel. 19. Rose with her best friend, NICOLE (26), wait to get in. ROSE (frustrated) That bitch stole my article. She took it right from my computer and handed it to my boss. NICOLE What did you do? ROSE What could I do? I've worked so hard to get where I am and I'm not even really anywhere yet. It's not fair. I hate people who cheat. Why do people lie? NICOLE People lie for different reasons. Fear, laziness. Some people do it to get ahead. ROSE Then why don't I do it? NICOLE Cause you're a good person. ROSE Does “nice guys finish last” apply to women too? Nicole takes a step forward. NICOLE Joey Hapsburg. ROSE (defensive) That’s not fair. NICOLE You knew he was cheating on Mr. Oring’s test and you didn’t tell on him. What happened? ROSE That was fourth grade. NICOLE I don’t care. It still applies. Rose follows. 20. ROSE I got in trouble. NICOLE And why? ROSE Because we ended up getting the same answers. NICOLE Because he cheated off you and you didn’t say anything. ROSE He’s an investment banker now. NICOLE Well that’s a bad example-ROSE Look if I’m going to get anywhere in this business I’m going to have to be more aggressive. CUT TO: Further down the line, Dustin, Spencer and George stick out like sore thumbs. Everyone around them is hip and goodlooking. George sees a giant BILLBOARD advertising the tampon company Dustin’s father works for. Next to a picture of a very HANDSOME MAN is a caption that reads: “OUR TAMPONS ARE FIT FOR A QUEEN. YOU CAN TRUST ME. I AM THE TAMPON KING!” George points. GEORGE I love the fact that your dad sells tampons. Dustin stares at the billboard and rolls his eyes. DUSTIN Shut up. GEORGE (to Dustin) Testy. (to Spencer) (MORE) 21. GEORGE(cont'd) You know your mother and I were talking and we both agreed that you should start taking karate lessons. SPENCER How did you get my mom's number? GEORGE That's not the point. The point is we think it will help your selfesteem and maybe you can ask out that girl you had your eye on at school. SPENCER Have you even met my mom? GEORGE We had a moment after our last show. Spencer looks confused. SPENCER You're not my father. The line starts to move forward. DUSTIN Come on, guys. We're moving. INT. THE GOLDEN EEL - NIGHT Brandon drinks at the bar with his best friend ALF (30), an eccentric guy with a Jew fro. He wears an unkempt CHAUFFEUR’S UNIFORM. ALF So you fucked her, right? I want all of the details. I want to know how the aromas filled the room. What they reminded you of? The sense of smell is a powerful tool. Were there foreign objects? Alf gets intense. ALF (cont’d) I need to know. I really need to know. If I don't live vicariously through you I'm going to go rape a farm animal or something. 22. BRANDON Calm down, Alf. Do you really want to know what she was like? Alf is on the edge of his seat. Brandon is about to describe the situation when Angela interrupts. She grabs Brandon by the shirt collar and spins him around to face the crowd. ANGELA (angry) Look at these people! They're expecting the best new talent in town. Fix this! Brandon removes her hand from his shirt. BRANDON It's under control. Brandon slaps her ass. She reels back to slug him but he runs into the crowd and grabs a group of HOT SORORITY GIRLS. He leads them onto the stage. CUT TO: Dustin, Spencer and George are at the bar not blending in with the other cool patrons. DUSTIN Keep you're eyes peeled. Dustin turns from the bar to peruse the room. GEORGE For what? DUSTIN A front man for the band, you idiot. GEORGE You can call me an idiot when you've spent three years in a fox hole hiding from Charlie getting your nuts gnawed off by some kind of crazy oriental varmint. Dustin rolls his eyes. Spencer takes the bait. 23. SPENCER (innocent) You got your nuts gnawed off? GEORGE I've got prosthetics, son. (to Bartender) Three Wild Turkeys! CUT TO: Rose and Nicole sit at a table. A WAITRESS drops off two cocktails. NICOLE I don't really know how to tell you this, because I don't want there to be any weirdness between us and I know how you want someone in your life too... ROSE What are you talking about? NICOLE Theo proposed to me last night. Rose is happy for Nicole but at the same time envious. She picks up a glass of water but it SPILLS, flooding the table. ROSE Oh shit. Rose stands to clean it up. ROSE (cont’d) I’m fine. It’s fine. Sorry. NICOLE Are you okay? ROSE I’m fine. I can't believe you didn't tell me sooner. NICOLE It just happened. ROSE I'm so happy for you. 24. NICOLE Can you believe I'm marrying a surgeon? ROSE That's great. He's such a great guy. Nicole senses that Rose is envious. NICOLE It's not going to change anything between us. And I know you'll find a guy soon... CUT TO: On stage, Brandon picks up the MICROPHONE. He is a man in control of the situation. The sorority girls next to him giggle and wave to the crowd. BRANDON My name is Brandon Marks. Rose stares up at the stage. She sees Brandon for the first time. The look on her face tells us that she is immediately infatuated with him. BRANDON (cont’d) I am the host here at the world famous Golden Eel bar on Sunset Boulevard. The crowd cheers. Brandon works the stage. BRANDON (cont’d) I have some bad news. We won’t be listening to the hippest, most talented bands tonight but instead will take part in the ancient Japanese tradition of karaoke. The crowd boos. Brandon remains calm. He looks over at Alf, standing by the karaoke machine. BRANDON (cont’d) Hit it, Alf. Alf switches on the karaoke machine. A live version of "Sweet Caroline" by Neil Diamond plays. The sorority girls go nuts over the song. The girls sing with Brandon. Brandon’s voice is drowned out. 25. The crowd joins in. Brandon moves with the raw energy of Mick Jagger infused with the good looks of Bon Jovi. CUT TO: Dustin, Spencer and George think Brandon is the coolest guy any one of them has ever seen. Dustin looks around the room and sees the control Brandon has over everyone present. CUT TO: Rose smiles at Nicole. ROSE He’s cute. NICOLE I know. CUT TO: Dustin locks in on Rose at the other end of the bar. He is transfixed by her beauty and grace. Dustin can't believe how hot she is. Dustin notices how both girls adore Brandon. We can see on Dustin's face that he knows he'll never get a girl like Rose unless he's a guy like Brandon. CUT TO: The song ends and the sorority girls are all over Brandon. He looks out into the crowd and sees Rose with a smile on her face. The two share a moment. Brandon jumps off stage and goes over to Alf at the bar. They are surrounded by sorority girls. CUT TO: Rose turns away, embarrassed. Nicole sees Brandon staring at Rose. She pushes her towards Brandon. Nicole (cont’d) He was staring at you. ROSE Stop. 26. NICOLE He wasn't staring at anyone else. Go talk to him. ROSE What am I going to say to a guy like that? NICOLE You're cute. Say hi. Nervously, Rose takes one step forward. Brandon is in awe of her beauty. ROSE Hi. BRANDON Hello-A sorority girl shoves her tits in Brandon's face. Brandon is in awe of her tits. The moment is lost. Rose grabs Nicole and they exit the bar. CUT TO: Dustin is convinced Brandon would make a great front man. But because there are tits and ass everywhere and Brandon can't focus on any one pair, Dustin is too nervous to approach. EXT. PARKING LOT - NIGHT Rose and Nicole get into their car. NICOLE You're so ambitious at work, but most of your industry takes place in places like this with guys like that. If you see something you want you have to take it, because if you don't somebody else with bigger tits will. Rose laughs it off not wanting to deal with anything serious at this moment. ROSE My tits are fine. Let's go eat. 27. INT. THE GOLDEN EEL - LATER The Golden Eel has cleared out. Dustin, Spencer and George still wait at their table, too nervous to approach Brandon. Dustin finally stands up. DUSTIN All right. I'm gonna do it. Brandon cleans up behind the bar. Dustin approaches. DUSTIN (cont’d) It's Brandon, right? BRANDON Yah. Brandon looks up and is startled by Dustin's fierce looks. Dustin extends his hand. DUSTIN Hi. I'm Dustin Dell. Brandon shakes it. BRANDON What do you want? DUSTIN I'm in a band. BRANDON So. DUSTIN We have a gig next week. We need a front man. Someone like you who can raise some hell, who has a real way with the crowd like you had tonight. Brandon is flattered. BRANDON You saw that huh? DUSTIN You were great. 28. BRANDON Shit, man I don't know. My life's pretty crazy these days. Is there any cash comin' with this gig? DUSTIN Of course. Pays a hundred each. Brandon considers this. BRANDON A hundred. Sure. What the fuck. DUSTIN Really? Oh, that's great. Brandon’s got a big smile on his face. awkwardly for a moment. He stares at Dustin One of the sorority girls stands up in front of Brandon, obviously having just finished giving him a blow job. SORORITY GIRL #1 Thanks. The sorority girl walks away. Alf barges in, sweaty and out of breath. ALF (to Brandon) Man! The girls are getting restless. I promised them you were coming. Come on! Dustin can’t believe what he just saw. Brandon zips up his pants. BRANDON See you, dude. DUSTIN Cool. INT. BRANDON'S APARTMENT - NIGHT Brandon opens the door to his apartment to find three screaming PAKISTANI BOYS destroying his stuff. Brandon is confused. 29. The Llama steps into view holding his gun. Brandon freezes. THE LLAMA Sufi! Radu! Steve! Stop your yelling. The boys ignore their father. They continue to tear up Brandon's room. The Llama points his gun at Steve and shoots him, grazing his ear. The boys instantly stop. STEVE OW! Papa, my ear! THE LLAMA This is what happens when you provoke me. Brandon is scared shitless. THE LLAMA (cont’d) In a most unfortunate way your beloved 49ers of San Francisco failed to defeat the Packers of Green Bay by one point. As you are aware you placed a thirty thousand American dollar bet on this football challenge. The Llama is here to collect on your promised bet. If, for some unfortunate reason, you are unable to pay, I will gladly shoot you in the face. BRANDON Okay, don't worry. I'll pay you. I just don’t have the money. THE LLAMA In which case, I will gladly shoot you in the face now then. The Llama points the gun. Brandon ducks out of the way. The boys are excited. BRANDON Look, look, look. I’ll get the cash. No problem. It’s under control. The Llama stares at Brandon, uncomfortably, for a long time, judging him. 30. THE LLAMA Okay. The Llama stares at his boys. THE LLAMA (cont’d) Why do you not leave Mr. Brandon something to remember us by, boys? The three boys pull down their pants and URINATE all over Brandon. The Llama and his boys turn to exit. STEVE You shot me, Papa. THE LLAMA But do I not love you? They exit the apartment. Brandon stands there dumbfounded. FADE TO BLACK: INT. HAL'S STUDIO - DAY Dustin, George and Spencer are in their studio. George and Spencer sit at a table. George teaches Spencer how to crochet. Spencer’s lost. George is angry. GEORGE No! Up and under and over and out. Now you do it. SPENCER Up and... what? GEORGE You disappoint me. Dustin sifts through his mail. He sees a BROCHURE for the Tampon company his father works for. Dustin looks annoyed and dumps it into the trash. Brandon walks into the studio. He's pumped up. BRANDON Who's ready to rock? Dustin looks up at Brandon and smiles. 31. DUSTIN You're here. BRANDON Of course I am. George and Spencer walk over to Brandon and admire him. BRANDON (cont’d) What's with the old guy? DUSTIN This is the band. That’s George... George shakes Brandon's hand. GEORGE Drummer. Vietnam Vet '72. Damn glad to meet you. Spencer walks forward, a little intimidated. SPENCER I'm Spencer. I play bass. Brandon looks the guys over. He's not impressed. BRANDON Well, shit, you guys need to loosen up. We're a rock band. Where's the coke? Dustin laughs, thinking that was a joke. DUSTIN Oh, yeah right. Brandon peruses the room. Spencer and George follow him around like puppies. Brandon picks up a guitar and plays a riff from Led Zeppelin. It’s generic but well played. Dustin gets excited. BRANDON So this is where the magic happens? DUSTIN Yep. We record everything here at the studio. BRANDON You must get loads of tail then? 32. GEORGE We certainly do get plenty of tail. Spencer looks at George like he's crazy. BRANDON When do I get to hear you guys? INT. HAL'S STUDIO - MOMENTS LATER George is on drums, Spencer is on bass, Dustin has his guitar ready and Brandon stands in front of the microphone. Dustin hands Brandon a piece of paper. DUSTIN These are the lyrics. I'm gonna play you the song. Listen to my voice, the melody. Do you think you can mimic it? BRANDON Not a problem. DUSTIN (to Spencer and George) You guys ready? Spencer and George nod. They start to play their song. Dustin sings, he has an amazing voice and the song is great. Brandon is into it. He can't help but groove along. After a few bars, they stop. DUSTIN (cont’d) What do you think? BRANDON You guys are all right. I can definitely get into this. DUSTIN You want to practice? BRANDON No problem. I got this. Just do your guitar thing. The band starts to play their song. Brandon moves around the room like Mick Jagger. He's definitely got the moves. The song is great, each member really knows their instrument. 33. The band keeps playing, but Brandon misses his cue. Dustin gives him a signal and Brandon starts to sing the lyrics. There's a problem though. BRANDON SUCKS! He has no voice, no pitch, no tone. Spencer and George stare at Dustin, who looks confused. DUSTIN (over the music) Brandon. You okay? Brandon rocks out, he's trying really hard to sing. The band stops playing. BRANDON What? What's wrong? INT. MIXING BOOTH - MOMENTS LATER Dustin, Spencer and George are in the mixing booth. They watch Brandon, in the studio, through a glass partition. He's messing around with a guitar. DUSTIN He sucks. GEORGE No shit. DUSTIN This sucks. SPENCER But he's super cool. DUSTIN What do we do now? GEORGE We could go back up to Sunset. Cut our losses. Dustin rubs his temples, he's very frustrated. He watches Brandon pick up a CD. He puts it into a CD PLAYER. DUSTIN I was sure this guy was it. SPENCER Well don't overreact. Maybe-- 34. DUSTIN Maybe what? The guy has no voice. SPENCER At least he plays guitar well. Brandon presses play. HAL'S DEMO is heard through the speakers in both the studio and the mixing booth. He starts singing along to Dustin's voice. SPENCER (cont’d) What's he doing? They all watch Brandon in the next room but because the room is sound proof they cannot hear his voice. It sounds like Dustin's voice is coming out of Brandon, and he looks really natural doing it. Dustin ponders something. DUSTIN I have a very good idea. CUT TO: INT. BARNEY'S BEANERY - NIGHT Dustin and Brandon sit inside Barney's Beanery. They share a pitcher of beer. DUSTIN I want you to be the front man for our band. BRANDON Fucking cool. DUSTIN You're going have to learn all the lyrics. BRANDON Done. DUSTIN I want you to play the lead guitar. How fast can you learn? BRANDON How fast do you want me to learn? 35. DUSTIN We have a gig next week. Are you in? BRANDON Like eighty eight percent. DUSTIN But there's a problem. BRANDON What? DUSTIN You suck. Your voice is terrible. It's the worst thing I've ever heard. Brandon is speechless. Then: BRANDON Fuck you, you're ugly. Dustin nods his head in agreement. DUSTIN (with passion) Exactly. I'm going to mold you into the perfect rock machine. I haven't had any success selling this band and it's because we don't quite fit into the mainstream image. But you do. BRANDON What are you saying? Dustin is very convincing. DUSTIN I want you to lip sync our songs. There is a moment of silence between the two. BRANDON What about you? DUSTIN I'm going to be mixing. I'll control everything from behind the scenes. Brandon isn't sold yet. 36. BRANDON I don't know about this. Seems like a lot of effort. DUSTIN Rock n' roll takes effort. I'm not going to say there isn't a lot of work involved because there is. BRANDON Being responsible has always been too much of a responsibility. DUSTIN There's money involved. Every gig pays. I have plenty of contacts in town and with your face and my songs we're sure to be a hit. Brandon puts his legs up on the table, scratches his face. He takes out a ZIPPO and plays with it. BRANDON The music is good, you guys definitely know what you're doing there. DUSTIN We have a gig next week at the Whiskey. Are you in? Brandon peruses the room. He turns back to Dustin and says: BRANDON Let's do it. CUT TO: INT. VINYL MAGAZINE HEADQUARTERS - DAY Rose walks down the hallway at Vinyl Magazine when she is accosted by DEAF DARRYL who is very excited. DEAF DARRYL (deaf accent) Tatoo beer with a little baby? ROSE What? DEAF DARRYL Little baby, ugh, is toasted. 37. Deaf Darryl is frustrated. Rose tries to understand him. ROSE Amy? Deaf Darryl nods. DEAF DARRYL Toasted. ROSE Who's moded? DEAF DARRYL Toasted. ROSE Amy got promoted? DEAF DARRYL Yeah. Baby is toasted. Rose is frustrated. ROSE What was that middle part? DEAF DARRYL Yay a gull recorder. ROSE She's a full reporter!? DEAF DARRYL Uh-huh. ROSE Amy was made full reporter? DEAF DARRYL That’s it. ROSE (angry) That's it! Rose storms down the hallway. INT. CASSIDY'S OFFICE - MOMENTS LATER Cassidy works at her desk. Rose, outraged, interrupts her. 38. ROSE Deaf Darryl just told me Amy got promoted. First she steals my article and now she sleeps with half the management to get a job I'm more qualified for. CASSIDY Not that I was busy or anything but yes, she was promoted. ROSE How did the deaf guy hear before me? CASSIDY That's the industry. Eventually we all have to compromise ourselves to get ahead. Rose thinks with her heart and not her head as she lashes out at Cassidy. ROSE Who did you sleep with to get where you are? Cassidy is shocked. Did Rose just say that? Cassidy calms down and smiles at Rose. ROSE (cont’d) I'm so sorry I just said that. Cassidy gets up and takes Rose by the shoulders. She leads her to the window and points down to a busy, bustling intersection. CASSIDY Look down there. See that? ROSE Yeah. CASSIDY What is that? ROSE Um, La Cienega and Wilshire? CASSIDY No. That's America. Stuff like that is going on all over the country. And see that over there? 39. ROSE Yeah. CASSIDY That's my Mercedes. That car is worth a shitload. You know how I got that car? ROSE How? CASSIDY By being a bitch. By being mean. I didn't act like a little girl, I didn't jump for joy or cry. I worked hard. If you're as hungry and talented as you say you are go out there and find us something we can't afford not to print. Rose ponders this. INT. FARMER'S MARKET - DAY Rose and Nicole eat lunch at the food court in the FARMER'S MARKET. NICOLE If I had a dime for every time I wanted to kill a pretty, blond girl, I'd be a rich woman. ROSE I hate Amy. NICOLE Speaking of being a rich woman, Theo made resident at St. John's. ROSE (envious) Your life is totally perfect. Rose takes a drink of water. NICOLE We're moving to New York. Rose chokes on the water. She coughs. NICOLE (cont’d) Are you okay? 40. ROSE I’m fine. Great. NICOLE You should be more careful. Nicole hands her a napkin. ROSE There aren’t any cool people left in this city. Who am I supposed to go out with? NICOLE You’re the nicest person I know. ROSE Everyone in L.A. is so standoffish. NICOLE It’s your industry. There are good people here. You just have to search for them, but they’re here. Rose changes the subject. ROSE What about your job? Nicole I'm quitting. ROSE How can you do that? NICOLE Theo wants to take care of me. ROSE What about your career? NICOLE That's not what's important to me. ROSE I couldn’t be happier for you but I don't think I could ever let a man get in the way of my career. 41. NICOLE We all have our own path to follow, Rose. BEGIN MONTAGE: INT. HAL'S STUDIO - DAY The following is a montage of Dustin and his band bonding, practicing and getting ready for their first gig. Dustin teaches Brandon chords on the guitar. Brandon gets it. They smile. INT. MIXING BOOTH - DAY In the mixing booth, Dustin puts a TAPE in the machine labelled "Voice Track." He gives the thumbs up to the band on the other side of the glass. Brandon lip syncs perfectly. INT. HAL'S STUDIO - DAY Brandon watches Spencer who can’t dance. Brandon helps Spencer with a few moves. Spencer still doesn't get it. Dustin and George laugh at him. INT. HAL'S STUDIO - DAY Brandon is sick of practicing. He grabs Dustin's guitar away from him. He shoves the guys outside. They've been practicing for so long that they don't adjust to the sun light. Brandon hands Dustin a pair of sunglasses. EXT. VENICE BEACH - DAY Dustin, George and Spencer sit on the beach facing the ocean. They're extremely white and use way too much lotion. Brandon faces the boardwalk, checking out WOMEN. He nudges Dustin. Dustin stares at the women. Dustin nudges Spencer and George. They turn around to stare at the women too. 42. INT. HAL'S STUDIO - DAY Back at the studio, Dustin watches the band practice. He looks pleased. They're becoming a band. END MONTAGE: EXT. WHISKEY A-GO-GO - NIGHT The band pulls up to the Whiskey A-Go-Go. There is a large sign in front that reads: HAL Performing Tonight. INT. WHISKEY A-GO-GO - NIGHT Backstage, the band prepares for their gig. Brandon is excited and ready to go. Dustin is in control, he drinks a GIANT SLURPEE. Spencer looks concerned. SPENCER Are you guys sure we should do this? My mom is here, she always knows when I'm lying. GEORGE Don't worry about it, son. I'll talk to your mom after the show. Spencer shoots George a look. DUSTIN Everything's going to be fine. We've practiced a hundred times. We know our shit. Brandon jumps on a chair. He unbuttons his shirt. BRANDON There are fifty women out there who want to fuck us just because we're the band. Those are your bitches to lose. Put your game faces on because we're gonna rock! INT. WHISKEY A-GO-GO - LATER Dustin goes to the MIX BOARD and sets everything up. He watches the band go on stage. The crowd is ambivalent. 43. Spencer plays his bass. George works the drums. Brandon spins around and stares intensely at every WOMAN in the crowd. Each woman is affected by his powerful presence. Dustin isn't sure what Brandon is doing. He has his finger on the VOICE TRACK BUTTON, but doesn't know when to press it. The women in the audience hang on Brandon's every move. Brandon does his best Jim Morrison impression and starts to moan. Sexy, pornographic moans. BRANDON I'm going to emotionally fuck every one of you. The women in the audience go wild. Dustin presses down on the button and Brandon starts to sing. It works perfectly. The song is fantastic. CUT TO: Alf, in his limo attire, is in the audience. He looks over at TWO TEENAGERS in prom attire. The Teenage Boy points at his watch and says: TEENAGE BOY Excuse me, sir-ALF Not now. I know that guy singing. CUT TO: Dustin watches Brandon on stage. Everything’s working. He looks over the crowd who loves the music. He then looks over at the door. In walks Rose. Dustin gets excited, he can't take his eyes off her. Dustin accidently BUMPS into his giant slurpee sitting by the controls. It spills onto the equipment, shorting out the electricity to the entire venue. SPARKS fly. Everything goes black. The audience reacts. BAR MANAGER (O.S.) Keep calm, folks. We’ll have this fixed in a jiffy. Dustin thinks on his feet and sneaks on to the stage. He gives Brandon his ACOUSTIC GUITAR and says to the other members of the band: 44. DUSTIN (whispering) Guys. Keep playing. George begins to drum. Spencer picks up a TAMBOURINE. Brandon starts to play the acoustic guitar. Dustin, standing UNSEEN behind Brandon, begins to sing. The audience enjoys the acoustic set, a few flick on their LIGHTERS illuminating only Brandon on stage. Rose looks up on stage and sees Brandon. She recognizes him. Brandon looks out at the audience and sees Rose. The two of them share a moment. HAL finishes their set. The crowd goes wild. The FLOOD LIGHTS go on. SPENCER'S MOM gives them a standing ovation. SPENCER’S MOM Spencer. Hi! Spencer waves to her as the band runs off stage. INT. WHISKEY A-GO-GO - LATER Backstage, Brandon, Spencer, George and Dustin run into the green room. DUSTIN You guys were freakin' awesome! Spencer and George are super excited. The three nerds embrace. They look over at Brandon, who is hesitant, but succumbs to their excitement and hugs them. BRANDON Good job covering for me. What happened out there? DUSTIN I was, uh, distracted by something. GROUPIES and random PEOPLE flood the room. A spontaneous party erupts. Spencer is surrounded by WOMEN and doesn't know what to do. George is in the corner of the room very uncomfortable, possibly having a Vietnam flash back. Brandon makes out with two GIRLS. Dustin is off to the side alone because nobody knows he's with the band. 45. INT. WHISKEY A-GO-GO - THAT MOMENT Rose follows two bubbling blonde GROUPIES into the green room. She laughs like an idiot to blend in with them. A BIG BOUNCER lets them in. Dustin, at the food table, stuffs his face. He notices Rose enter. Rose sees Brandon in between two HOT GIRLS. She looks over at the concession table and sees Dustin all alone. Dustin stands there like an idiot as Rose approaches him. ROSE Hi. Dustin doesn't know what to say. He can't believe she's standing right in front of him. ROSE (cont’d) Are you okay? DUSTIN Oh, yeah. (beat) So what did you think of the band? ROSE I thought they were great. They had a ton of energy. And I can’t believe how well they recovered. I’ve never seen anything like that before. They sound just as good acoustically as they did before the lights went out, not that the mix guy was that great though. Dustin is impressed, if not a little hurt. DUSTIN So you think the mix guy sucked? ROSE I only heard a few minutes but he could have spent a little more time during sound check. The bass was way too high. DUSTIN (defensive) They only gave us ten minutes. Rose realizes she just insulted Dustin. 46. ROSE Oh! I'm sorry. You're with the band. DUSTIN Dustin Dell. I'm the manager... and mix guy. Rose gets excited. ROSE You're their manager? Where did they come from? What's the lead singers name? Did he come from another band to join yours? DUSTIN Oh, Brandon. Brandon’s great. It's a funny story... ROSE Brandon. That's his name. Rose turns away to watch Brandon. Dustin is jealous. ROSE (cont’d) Dustin, can I ask a huge favor? DUSTIN Sure. What is it? ROSE Will you introduce me to Brandon? This stings Dustin. He hesitates. ROSE (cont’d) Wait. Never mind, I can't believe I just asked you that. Dustin is torn, but he doesn't want to disappoint her. DUSTIN No. Come on. Let's go talk to him. Dustin takes Rose over to Brandon. There is a moment between them. Just as Dustin opens his mouth to introduce them, the BAR MANAGER grabs Dustin and pulls him away. BAR MANAGER Hey fat boy, I got something for you. 47. The bar manager hands Dustin an envelope. BAR MANAGER (cont’d) Open it up. You guys did well. You're welcome back any time. Dustin opens up the envelope. There is a WAD OF CASH inside. The manager hands Dustin his empty slurpee cup. BAR MANAGER (cont’d) This belong to you? The manager gives Dustin a wink. Dustin takes the cup and smiles back, nervously. BAR MANAGER (cont’d) I’ve seen some bands come in here and do a hell of lot worse then you. You ever hear that story about the boys from Led Zeppelin, that girl and the hammerhead shark? DUSTIN Yeah. BAR MANAGER It’s true. I had cops all over the place that day. DUSTIN I’ll come back and fix everything. I’m really handy with that equipment. BAR MANAGER Don’t sweat it. The Bar Manager exits. Dustin looks over at Brandon and Rose. CUT TO: Brandon thinks Rose is a groupie. BRANDON Hey, sugar. ROSE Great recovery out there. Really spontaneous. Brandon’s pleased with himself. 48. ROSE (cont’d) I have a question. BRANDON It's huge. ROSE What? BRANDON Oh, what? ROSE Um, most rock songs use a standard 4/4 time signature. Your choice of using 7/8 was really interesting. I like that a lot. Brandon looks like a deer in headlights. BRANDON I have no idea what you’re saying. Rose looks confused. ROSE Oh, sorry. I just had a question about time signature. BRANDON Right. Time signature. Brandon gets nervous. He looks for a way out. BRANDON (cont’d) I-- excuse me. Brandon leaves Rose. Confused, Rose walks back over to Dustin. ROSE It was nice meeting you, Dustin. DUSTIN How'd it go? ROSE I don't know. He, uh, left. Rose turns to leave. 49. DUSTIN Hey, what’s your name? ROSE Rose Thomas. Rose exits. Dustin watches her leave. He wants to talk to her more but doesn't. EXT. WHISKEY A-GO-GO - NIGHT The band exits the Whiskey. Dustin runs up to Brandon. DUSTIN Hey, what did Rose want? BRANDON Rose? Which one was Rose? DUSTIN The one I introduced you to. BRANDON Oh, man, I don’t know but it was the weirdest thing. I froze. Have you ever been totally blown away by a chick and didn’t know what to say to her? DUSTIN Pretty much every day of my life. BRANDON Let me let you in on a little secret. He pulls Dustin close. BRANDON (cont’d) (whispering) I've never fucked a smart chick before. Dustin’s not surprised. DUSTIN (sarcastic) No. BRANDON Yep. I’m not an idiot-- 50. DUSTIN (sarcastic) Of course not. BRANDON I do mostly biker chicks, the occasional barfly. I guess it’s in my blood. Smart chicks, they want relationships, a future. I’m not into that. But she was hot. Maybe I’ll throw her a bone. Brandon walks towards the limo. Dustin stops and stares at Brandon. He is jealous. Alf holds the back door open for the band. ALF Your chariot awaits. The band enters. INT. LIMO - CONTINUOUS The band sits opposite the two confused teenagers in prom attire. Brandon sticks his head out the door. BRANDON (to Alf) What's with the teeny boppers? ALF I was double booked. Don't worry, it's chill. Alf shuts the door. There is an awkward moment as the band and the teenagers stare at each other. George sits next to the teenage girl. He stares at her like she's a juicy turkey and he's a hungry lumberjack. She scoots over to her boyfriend. Alf gets in the driver's seat. TEENAGE BOY (to Alf) Sir, we've missed our prom. Can we go to the after party now? 51. ALF Oh, we're going to party all right. Yes we are. Don't you worry your pretty little head off. TEENAGE GIRL (to boyfriend) I'm scared. George pulls out a JOINT. He hands it to the girl. GEORGE Suck on this. INT. LIMO - NIGHT Down the Sunset Strip in the limo, Brandon hears the sounds of Harley's BARKING in the night. Out the window he sees a group of BIKER CHICKS. BRANDON Alf, pull up next to these bikers. Brandon stands up, his head out the moonroof. He waves to the bikers. BRANDON (cont’d) Hey! Where are you going? An older BIKER CHICK flashes him, which is pretty gross, but Brandon flashes her back. BRANDON (cont’d) Follow me. I wanna buy you drinks. BIKER CHICK Kick ass! Alf pulls the limo over at a bar. The biker chicks follow. EXT. BAR - MOMENTS LATER The band and the biker chicks enter the bar. Alf stands with the two prom kids. ALF Wait here. We shouldn’t be more than a couple of hours. TEENAGE BOY But sir... 52. He turns to leave, but looks back. ALF Don’t touch anything. The kids stare blankly at Alf. He enters the bar. INT. BAR - LATER Brandon is now drunk and in the middle of a conversation with a BIKER CHICK. BRANDON That’s my dream. Just get a Harley and take off on the open road. MARGE What the fuck do you know, kid? There's a fine line between being a rebel and being a loser. Take us for example. We're the one percenters. The one percent that don't fit in and don't care. Get your man or your dildo and your bike and you're on your way. We're royalty on the road. Brandon ponders this. He gets caught up in the moment. He stands up and shouts: BRANDON Drinks on me! Let's get loaded! The bar erupts with cheers. INT. BAR - NIGHT Dustin and Spencer are crammed into a booth. TWO LARGE BIKER CHICKS are on either side of them. DUSTIN You lady's come here often? The four biker chicks salivate over Spencer. BIKER CHICK (to Dustin) How much for the little one? 53. Fear spreads over Spencer's face. CUT TO: Alf and George finish a shot at the bar. They’re drunk. GEORGE (matter-of-factly) The prettiest prostitute I’ve ever been with was a nine-year-old Vietnamese boy named Toi. His parents gave me a great deal. I couldn’t say no. Alf stares at George blankly, then notices someone off screen. He waves. ALF (surprised) Hey! I know that guy. He's in my DUI class. Alf walks away. CUT TO: Dustin approaches Brandon. He pulls him aside. DUSTIN Tonight was awesome. BRANDON I wish I hadn't bought everyone drinks. I just spent the last of my money. DUSTIN We've got another couple of gigs coming up. Things are looking good. I can feel it, something good is coming. Brandon smiles at Dustin. BRANDON From your lips... DUSTIN We’re in this for the long haul, right? BRANDON You’re the man... 54. They shake hands. FADE TO BLACK: INT. DUSTIN’S APARTMENT - DAY Dustin writes notes on a chalk board. The name "Rose" is underlined. He strums a few chords and sings. The phone rings. He answers it. DUSTIN Hello? ROSE (O.S.) Dustin? DUSTIN Yup. ROSE (O.S.) It's Rose. I met you last night at the Whiskey. Dustin stiffens. He can't believe she's on the phone. DUSTIN Rose. Yeah. Hi. How are you? ROSE (O.S.) Great. I hope it's okay that I called. I got your number from one of the fliers. DUSTIN It's okay. I'm glad you called. What can I do for you? ROSE (O.S.) I never got a chance to tell you this but I'm a reporter for Vinyl Magazine and I want to do a story on you guys. Dustin is excited. DUSTIN Wow. Are you serious? ROSE (O.S.) Yeah. Could be some nice exposure. 55. DUSTIN Sounds great. Let's get together. ROSE (O.S.) Actually, I want to interview Brandon. DUSTIN (disappointed) Oh, Brandon? Um, yeah. You want me to call him for you? ROSE I was wondering if you could give me his number. I don't mind calling him myself. I think interviewing the front man might be the best approach. DUSTIN Um, no problem. ROSE You are so great. DUSTIN Yeah, sure. Dustin hangs up. He walks to his fridge, pulls out a CARTON OF CHOCOLATE MILK and downs it. Then he opens up a BAG OF CHIPS. EXT. BRANDON'S APARTMENT - MORNING Brandon approaches his apartment. His good mood fades when he sees The Llama directing TWO GOONS who load his COUCH and TELEVISION into a MOVING VAN. Brandon runs up to The Llama. BRANDON Whoa! Whoa! What’s going on? THE LLAMA Perhaps you did not take The Llama seriously. He wants his money. BRANDON I don’t have all your money yet. 56. THE LLAMA Then you don’t exactly have any more furniture. Or television. Or microwave oven. BRANDON You can’t take this stuff. Brandon tries to stop one of the Goons. THE LLAMA Take care of him. One of the Goons grabs Brandon and hits him in the stomach. Brandon falls to the ground. The other Goon kicks him. Brandon rolls around in pain. The Goons close up the van. THE LLAMA (cont’d) Next time you won’t be so lucky. Remember, I shot my own son. Just think what The Llama can do to you. He gets in the van. They drive off. INT. BRANDON’S APARTMENT - LATER Brandon enters his stale, urine-soaked apartment. He reacts to the smell. His apartment is in shambles. The phone RINGS. Brandon looks worried. He doesn't answer it. The machine picks up. ROSE (O.S.) Hi... uh... Dustin gave me your number. I work for Vinyl Magazine and I want to take you to dinner and maybe do a story about you and the band. Oh this is Rose Thomas by the way, I met you-Brandon rushes to pick up the phone. BRANDON Rose. ROSE You're home! 57. BRANDON I'm screening-ROSE Um, what are you doing tonight? Brandon looks around his ransacked room. BRANDON I’m kind of busy. ROSE (disappointed) I wanted to take you to dinner. I mean, interview you, you know, for the magazine. Brandon gets nervous. BRANDON You want to take me out? ROSE I really want to pick your brain. BRANDON Uh, why don't I give you a call and... we can pick a place to meet? ROSE Sounds great. Bye. Brandon abruptly hangs up and immediately calls Dustin. Brandon paces around his messy apartment. The following phone conversation is INTERCUT between Dustin and Brandon. INT. DUSTIN’S APARTMENT - THAT MOMENT Dustin stands in front of an open REFRIGERATOR, on the phone with Brandon. DUSTIN Hello? BRANDON Dustin, I'm freaking out. Rose just called me. She wants to meet for dinner. 58. DUSTIN I know. I just gave her your number. BRANDON Why did you do that? DUSTIN What do you mean? She wants to write a story on the band. Be charming. Be yourself. This is good news. Dustin takes a bite out of a SALAMI. BRANDON I can't. Not with her. DUSTIN What are you talking about? BRANDON She's really smart. I can’t deal with smart chicks. She'll know I'm lying. She'll find us out. DUSTIN You're Brandon. You can talk to any chick in the world. BRANDON You do it. You meet her. DUSTIN She doesn't want me. She wants you. BRANDON Come with me. DUSTIN I've never seen you like this before. BRANDON Dustin, please. As a friend. Help me out. DUSTIN I'll figure something out. 59. INT. THE GOLDEN EEL - NIGHT Brandon and Rose sit opposite each other at a table in The Golden Eel. Brandon is intimidated and Rose is nervous. Rose decides to get down to business to break the ice. She pulls out a note pad and a pen. ROSE I guess I should start asking you some questions. BRANDON Shoot. ROSE Where did you get the name HAL? Brandon looks over Rose's shoulder. He squints his eyes. CUT TO: C/U of the KARAOKE MONITOR where words begin to appear on screen. Brandon reads the following words: BRANDON "My favorite movie is Stanley Kubrick's film "2001." In the movie, technology takes on a dominant role and ultimately controls man. It's kind of like music, when properly composed, it can take over the soul." Rose likes the answer. She jots a few notes down. ROSE You don't strike me as someone into science fiction. BRANDON I love science fiction. I love all kinds of science... and fiction. ROSE So who are your main influences? CUT TO: 60. Dustin sits in the booth behind Brandon. He wears a CHEAP DISGUISE and types out the answer on a KEYBOARD hooked up to the karaoke machine. CUT BACK TO: Brandon looks over her shoulder and reads from the monitor. BRANDON "The Beatles and Radiohead definitely." ROSE Great bands but what about going back to the old Motown recordings from the early 50s that influenced the Beatles. And isn’t Radiohead just a modern-day rip-off of the Beatles later stuff. Brandon looks like a deer in headlights as he waits for Dustin's response. He finally gets his answer. BRANDON "Good point. You're right. Just wanted to make sure I wasn't talking to an amateur." Jose #1 walks by with a TRIPLE CHEESE BURGER and FRIES. He stops to talk with Brandon. He gives Rose a dirty look. JOSE #1 Hey, Brandon, I heard your show went well the other night. You want to make out? BRANDON What? JOSE #1 I said let me know when the next one is so I can stop by. ROSE That's not what you said. You said you wanted to make out with him. JOSE #1 Whatever, Ms. Thing. Jose #1 walks away. He stops at Dustin's table and drops off the burger and fries. 61. Dustin looks excitedly at his food. He picks up the juicy burger and takes a huge bite. ROSE Dustin seems like a really genuine guy. How did you two meet? Jose #1 accidently UNPLUGS the WIRE connecting Dustin's keyboard to the karaoke machine. Dustin is consumed with his burger and doesn’t notice. Brandon waits for his answer, but nothing comes up on screen. He starts to squirm in his chair. Dustin puts his burger down and types his answer, thinking he’s doing his job. However, the lyrics to "Magic Man" by Heart appear on screen. BRANDON "Cold late night. So long ago. When I was not so strong you know. A pretty man came to me. Never seen eyes so blue. Dustin overhears Brandon and his eyes widen. BRANDON (cont’d) You know I could not run away it seemed, we'd seen each other in a dream. It seemed like he knew me, he looked right through me." ROSE What? Brandon and Rose share a confused look. BRANDON I don't know. Dustin scrambles to plug the wire back into the keyboard. Brandon gets up. BRANDON (cont’d) I have to go to the bathroom. Brandon leaves Rose at the table. He kicks Dustin's leg as he walks by. Dustin follows Brandon into the back room. 62. INT. BACK ROOM - CONTINUOUS Brandon smacks Dustin's head. BRANDON What's wrong with you? What happened out there? DUSTIN I don’t know! BRANDON How could you not know? I just read the lyrics to fucking Heart. She's gonna think I'm a fag. DUSTIN Sorry. You guys make a great burger. BRANDON You fat bastard. DUSTIN Fuck you. I'm walking. Dustin goes to leave. Brandon grabs him. BRANDON (apologetic) Come on, Dustin, this is serious. What are we gonna do? I can't go back out there. You have to think of something quick. Dustin sees a MICROPHONE connected to a P.A. SYSTEM. CUT TO: INT. THE GOLDEN EEL - THAT MOMENT Rose sits at the table waiting for Brandon. Brandon's voice is heard over the P.A. system. BRANDON (O.S.) Hi everyone. I have a special song to sing to a very special lady. Rose, I'm sorry I can't come back out there. You're such a beautiful woman that I can't focus when you are facing me. (MORE) 63. BRANDON(cont'd) I wrote you this song but I'm going to sing it from this safe distance. I hope you like it. Rose smiles. She thinks Brandon is very romantic. CUT TO: INT. BACK ROOM - THAT MOMENT Brandon hands Dustin the microphone. He starts to sing his new song about a girl named Rose. It's a touching song and he has a beautiful voice. CUT BACK TO: INT. THE GOLDEN EEL - CONTINUOUS Rose loves the song and is touched by Brandon's gesture. Dustin stops singing. Brandon can see Rose’s reaction. BRANDON It worked. Good job. Brandon appears and walks back to the table. The Patrons applaud. Brandon sits down with Rose. BRANDON (cont’d) Hope you don't mind, I just had so much pent up emotion, I wanted to share that with you. ROSE That's so sweet. Dustin peers out from behind a door and sees Rose put her hand on Brandon's hand. Dustin knows it should be him out there holding Rose's hand. Dustin notices a mirror on the wall. He gives himself a hard look. Am I really that bad? FADE TO BLACK: 64. INT. INSOMNIA CAFE - DAY Rose sits in INSOMNIA CAFE at work on her article. She's writing the final paragraph. C/U of monitor: ROSE (ON MONITOR) "How can you explain the music? It's a lifestyle, a way of thinking, a solitary voice screaming out to everyone. That indefinable thing that talks to people. The recognition of something real. According to this reporter, the lead singer, Brandon Marks, will be the epitome of the next generation of artist/musicians." Rose smiles, proud that she has finished her article. She emails it to Cassidy. Nicole enters the coffee shop. She sits down with Rose and pulls out her BLACKBERRY. NICOLE I've made a list of all the single doctors. I've narrowed it down by height, looks and humor. I have ten names for you to ponder. Each very single and very eligible. Rose rolls her eyes. Nicole (cont’d) How does "Rose Nasimnanajar" sound? ROSE I-NICOLE I've got a “Goldberg.” Is that better? ROSE I appreciate the list, I really do, but I have something to tell you. NICOLE You're a lesbian aren't you? Rose laughs. 65. ROSE No. I met someone. Nicole can't believe it. NICOLE Who? ROSE Remember at karoake, the rock star at The Golden Eel? NICOLE No way! ROSE His name is Brandon and I just finished an article about him. NICOLE Holy shit. ROSE He's amazing. I saw his band the other night. Totally great show. I talked to him afterwards and he's just as brilliant in person. NICOLE I am so proud of you. ROSE He wrote me a song and sang it to me. NICOLE Well look at you, your career helped you find a man and the man will help your career. Rose has a huge smile on her face. INT. VINYL MAGAZINE HEADQUARTERS - LATER Later that day, Rose enters the Vinyl Building. She walks by Cassidy's office and hears HAL'S music. Rose enters her office. ROSE That's HAL! 66. CASSIDY Yeah, they're not bad. Oh, and hey, great article. ROSE (happy) Really? You really think so? CASSIDY I'll re-work it a little, print it. Local band makes good, very inspirational story. Good for the band, good for Vinyl. Rose is ecstatic. She can't wait to tell Brandon. INT. THE TROUBADOUR - NIGHT Dustin, Brandon and George are in the green room at The Troubadour. Dustin reads from Vinyl Magazine: DUSTIN "...that indefinable thing that talks to people. The recognition of something real." Dustin can't contain himself he is so excited. DUSTIN (cont’d) "According to this reporter, the lead singer, Brandon Marks, will be the epitome of the next generation of artist/musicians." Dustin reads that last part and realizes that he hasn't been mentioned in the article. A saddened look crosses his face. He looks up at Brandon, cool, calm, collected, sitting on a chair, throwing a baseball against a wall. GEORGE That's it? Nothing about me? BRANDON Hey, it's not about that, man. The band made Vinyl magazine. GEORGE Easy for you to say, your name is all over the article. Spencer runs into the room, out of breath. 67. SPENCER Guys! The place is sold out and there's a line around the corner. Dustin is anxious. He instinctively pulls out a CANDY BAR and wolfs it down. BRANDON (to Dustin) Hey, slow down. Dustin is insulted. DUSTIN (curt) I don't need you giving me advice. Brandon, Spencer and George exchange glances. GEORGE (to Dustin) Are you okay, Dustin? DUSTIN Yeah, I'm sorry. I guess I have a lot on my mind. Let's just forget about it and have a great show. He exits. They follow. INT. THE TROUBADOUR STAGE - NIGHT Brandon, Spencer and George take the stage. They can't believe how packed the place is. Brandon walks up to the microphone. He hears cat calls from the WOMEN in the crowd. He soaks it up. This is Brandon at his best; teasing his fans. BRANDON Good to see everyone tonight. The crowd CHEERS. The music starts. BRANDON (cont’d) I wrote this song for a special chick. Those words thrust a dagger in Dustin's heart. He wrote this song. 68. The band plays the song that Dustin wrote for Rose. Rose, in the audience, stares at Brandon. The CROWD loves the song. Spencer's mom gives a standing ovation. INT. THE TROUBADOUR - LATER After their set, the band enters the green room. George, Spencer and Brandon are pumped. BRANDON Great set. Good work all around. George, I don't know how you get that energy to beat those drums. GEORGE I enter my tribal zone. I'm completely unconscious when I drum. Dustin is quiet. He finds a seat away from everyone else. There's a knock on the door. Dustin opens it. RODNEY ON THE ROCK enters. SPENCER Oh my gosh! Rodney on the Rock! GEORGE Gosh? What does that even mean? RODNEY ON THE ROCK I read the article about you guys in Vinyl. Brandon walks over to shake Rodney's hand. BRANDON I'm Brandon. This is George. That's Spencer. Dustin, get over here. Dustin, impressed by Rodney, approaches. DUSTIN I'm a big fan. RODNEY ON THE ROCK (to Brandon) You’re really good. I'm going to get KROQ to put you on the air. 69. The band gets excited. Dustin feels torn but decides to go with the flow. He, Spencer and Rodney exit. George pulls Brandon aside. GEORGE I got this for you. He’s holding a GRENADE. He puts it in Brandon’s hands. Brandon is unsure of what to make of this. BRANDON Is this real? GEORGE It sure is. This grenade represents a token of my gratitude. BRANDON Well, that’s nice of you George. GEORGE Hey. Anytime. George kisses Brandon on the cheek and, happy with himself, exits. INT. WALGREENS - DAY Dustin enters WALGREENS. He walks down the aisles and compares the different FACE CREAMS, ACNE MEDICATIONS and DIET PILLS. He passes by a CARDBOARD CUTOUT advertising the tampon company his father works for. Dustin rolls his eyes. Dustin approaches a PHARMACIST and dumps a plethora of products down in front of him. PHARMACIST Can I help you? DUSTIN (embarrassed) I'd like to know which of these products is the best. Rose enters Walgreens and gets in line behind Dustin. She does not notice Dustin. She’s on her blackberry. 70. PHARMACIST First describe your ailments and then I'll tell you which products are best to use. DUSTIN Where do I start? Aside from the acne and the obvious weight problem I'm always getting this cheese between my legs. Rose looks up. She still doesn't know it's Dustin. She giggles to herself. PHARMACIST Cheese? DUSTIN Yeah. It's kind of like a cheese. It smells bad. It's flaky. I've got this, what's it called, psoriasis under my arm? Then there's the fucking dandruff. The Pharmacist is in awe of his list. DUSTIN (cont’d) And finally I think I have gingivitis but I'm not sure what that is, but it's bad right? PHARMACIST It's not good. DUSTIN I'm pretty much a train wreck. The Pharmacist picks out five items from Dustin's pile. PHARMACIST Try these. But I'd slow down on the junk food and get out there and try jogging. DUSTIN Jogging. Thanks. Dustin turns around with his pile of products and faces Rose. She is surprised. He is very surprised. DUSTIN (cont’d) Rose!? 71. ROSE Uh, hi, Dustin. Rose doesn't know what to say. DUSTIN Wow. ROSE Yeah, so... DUSTIN I-A moment of awkward silence. Rose makes him feel better. ROSE I have a yeast infection. Dustin laughs. DUSTIN You should get that checked out. ROSE That's why I'm here. DUSTIN Good. The two share a bonding moment. Rose changes the subject. ROSE So you guys are going to be on the radio. DUSTIN I know. ROSE I'm so happy for you. DUSTIN It was your article. Dustin looks down at his products, still a little embarrassed. DUSTIN (cont’d) I guess I should, um, get going. 72. ROSE Right. DUSTIN It was really nice seeing you. ROSE Yeah, it was. I'll be seeing you. DUSTIN I hope so. Dustin leaves. BEGIN MONTAGE: C/U of various RADIOS as we hear HAL'S first single. All across America, in diners, on basketball courts, in offices and in cars PEOPLE are enjoying their songs. The band plays larger and larger venues in front of more and more adoring FANS. PAPARAZZI hound Brandon to no end. The band is constantly looking over their shoulders. Will they be found out? END MONTAGE: INT. HAL'S STUDIO - DAY The band hangs out in their studio. Dustin is on the phone. DUSTIN Absolutely. We'll see you then. Dustin hangs up the phone. SPENCER Who was that? DUSTIN (excited) You aren't going to believe this! GEORGE What? DUSTIN I just got off the phone with Green Day's agent. He wants us to open for them at their next show. 73. There is a moment of contemplation. Then, realizing what this means, they get excited. Except George, who says: GEORGE I don't like Green Day. SPENCER You're not exactly in their demographic. DUSTIN He loved the article. He talked to Rodney. Man, yes, this is how it happens! This is huge. BRANDON Fuck yeah this is huge. But we can't go looking like this, well I can, but you guys can't. Dustin, go call Rose. We need a woman’s point of view for this. We have to do something about the way you guys look. EXT. RODEO DRIVE - DAY Brandon and Rose lead Dustin, Spencer and George down Rodeo drive. They are humbled and subdued, completely out of their element. INT. VERSACE - DAY They enter Versace. The hottest, most amazing-looking WOMAN wearing a see-through top and ventilated, plastic pants approaches. Her small breasts are visible. LIQUID Welcome to Versace, I am Liquid. I will be your fashion hostess. They’re in awe, jaws dropped. Rose snaps them out of it. ROSE Um, we're looking to do a total make-over on these guys. Liquid walks up to George. George is in awe of her. 74. LIQUID The Versace man is charismatic, with an inner confidence which reflects on the outside. She moves next to Spencer who is scared. LIQUID (cont’d) The Versace man seduces with his personality, attitude and carriage. She stops in front of Dustin and touches his face, his hair. LIQUID (cont’d) True personality comes from within. Our clothes are merely the choice of a man who wants to be discovered. She looks Brandon up and down. She likes what she sees. Rose breaks it up. ROSE Great. So, let's get started. Liquid gives her a dirty look. LIQUID Follow me. Liquid leads them to a back room where, bent over, a long pair of white legs in tight, hot pants moves to the beat of the store's soundtrack. GEORGE Nice. SPENCER I love Versace. The PERSON stops dancing and turns around revealing that he is HELMUT, a middle-aged German man with curly blonde hair. His hot pants are connected to a pair of suspenders and no shirt, revealing his neatly-manicured hairy chest. The band is disgusted. HELMUT (thick accent) What did you bring for me today? 75. LIQUID These men want a total make-over. This girl is a bitch. Rose thinks this is all too crazy to get angry about. HELMUT Hello, bitch. Hello, men. I am Helmut. I will transform you now. INT. VERSACE - LATER Helmut forces himself on George as he tries to help him zip up a pair of pants, getting way too close to his crotch. George slaps him away. Rose watches Dustin, wearing very trendy clothes, looking at himself in the mirror. He looks almost decent. ROSE You look great. DUSTIN I do? He smiles. INT. VERSACE - LATER Spencer, in a dark suit, is almost unrecognizable. He busts a move to the music. Brandon loves it. BRANDON Looking good, my man. SPENCER Feeling great, my man. INT. VERSACE - LATER Rose leads Dustin, Spencer and George to a rack of clothes. Brandon approaches Liquid. He flirts with her. Rose doesn't notice. Dustin turns around and sees Brandon flirt. He's disappointed in him. But he tucks this information away. 76. EXT. VERSACE - LATER Dustin, Spencer and George exit Versace with their bags. Brandon sees a BROCHURE on the counter for a plastic surgeon's office and tosses it to Dustin. DUSTIN What's this? Brandon laughs and ignores the question. BRANDON I'm going to take these two to get a haircut. ROSE We'll meet you in an hour. Brandon, Spencer and George take off. Rose and Dustin walk down Rodeo Drive together. Dustin looks through the brochure. Insulted, he tosses it into a trash can. Rose does not see the brochure. ROSE (cont’d) I’m really impressed with you, Dustin. You’ve really taken this band far. DUSTIN Thanks for noticing. Music is my life. ROSE Why did you choose to be the guy behind the music? Didn't you ever want to be in the spotlight? Dustin smiles to himself. DUSTIN I had my chance. I've written some songs, but I think what people want to hear and what people want to look at are completely different things. Brandon is much more suited to be the front man. ROSE Don't sell yourself short. Look at Lyle Lovett. (MORE) 77. ROSE(cont'd) He's been around forever, he's been in movies and I think he's kind of cute. He did marry Julia Roberts. DUSTIN Trust me, I've thought about that scenario a million times. ROSE That's funny. Dustin is nervous. DUSTIN You know, um, I think you're much better looking than Julia Roberts. ROSE Oh shut up, you do not. DUSTIN I do. Brandon’s a lucky guy. ROSE Thanks, Dustin. But I think I'm the lucky one. Brandon is like this musical genius. I think it's beautiful the way he sees the world. And it's so cute the way he says I make him nervous. DUSTIN But girls love him. He's a good looking guy right? You must care about that a little? ROSE Honestly, I think his brain is much more important. DUSTIN Aw, that's bullshit. Rose hesitates. ROSE You're right. His looks certainly don't hurt. Dustin ponders this as they continue to walk down the street. 78. INT. CRUNCH - DAY Dustin enters Crunch, the chichi gym up on Sunset Boulevard. He wears full gym attire. He hasn't begun to work out yet, but he's drenched in sweat. He approaches a GIRL at the front desk. GIRL Looks like you had a great work out. Thanks for coming to Crunch. DUSTIN I just got here. GIRL Oh. Dustin enters the gym. He gets on a treadmill. He presses "Start." It won't budge. He increases the speed, but his weight won't allow the treadmill to move. Smoke emanates from the back of the machine. CUT TO: Dustin walks over to the Squat Machine. He readies himself and lowers down to do a squat. He lets rip a giant FART. A group of HARD BODIES leave the area. Dustin is embarrassed. CUT TO: Dustin enters the steam room. He stands there, breathing heavily, panting. He collapses face first onto the floor. CUT TO: EXT. CRUNCH - DAY An Ambulance pulls up to the gym. Dustin is wheeled out on a stretcher. He's fighting the PARAMEDICS. DUSTIN I'm fine! I can't do this. I need to go! Green Day is waiting for me! PARAMEDIC #1 (to Paramedic #2) He's delusional. DUSTIN I'm gonna be late. 79. PARAMEDIC #1 (sarcastic) Sure you are. They force him into the ambulance. CUT TO: EXT. GREEN DAY STUDIO - DAY Brandon, Spencer and George approach Green Day's Studio. Spencer and George are in their new duds and have new hair cuts. George is uncomfortable in his. SPENCER Something’s wrong. Dustin wouldn’t flake. BRANDON You tried to call him? SPENCER Like ten times. He's nowhere to be found. BRANDON Whatever. This is my band. I can handle this. Spencer stares at Brandon. Brandon knocks on the front door. CUT TO: EXT. CEDAR'S SINAI - DAY Dustin bursts from the doors at Cedar's Sinai wearing a HOSPITAL GOWN. He runs to the street and hops on a bus. CUT TO: INT. GREEN DAY STUDIO - DAY An ASSISTANT opens the door. BRANDON I'm Brandon. This is my band. 80. ASSISTANT Hunter will be with you in a moment. Can I get you a bottle of water? BRANDON Fiji? ASSISTANT We have Evian. GEORGE Evian tastes like shit. How about a diet orange Shasta? ASSISTANT We have Evian. The assistant walks off. GEORGE (to Spencer) I hate Evian. Brandon, Spencer and George check out the studio. Rock memorabilia lines the walls. George sees a life-size GENE SIMMONS doll in full Kiss gear. GEORGE (cont’d) Check it out guys. George touches the dolls long TONGUE. HUNTER (50), a big, broad-shouldered man in safari gear walks into the room. HUNTER Drop that tongue! George drops the tongue. GEORGE Sorry. Brandon walks over to Hunter. They shake hands. BRANDON Hi. I'm Brandon Marks. 81. HUNTER (curt) There are supposed to be four of you. Who's missing? CUT TO: INT. BUS - MOVING - DAY Dustin, still in his hospital gown, rides the bus. He looks antsy, nervous. Next to him is an OLD WOMAN mumbling. Across from him, a PERVERT tries to look up his gown. Dustin crosses his legs. Sitting on the other side of him is an ARAB GUY wearing THE SAME HOSPITAL GOWN. He winks at Dustin. Dustin immediately pulls the chord to get off the bus. CUT TO: INT. GREEN DAY STUDIO - DAY Hunter leads Brandon, Spencer and George down several different long hallways. HUNTER We want to welcome you to the Green Day family. I dig your shit. We all dig your shit. But we're not just going let you get up on stage and potentially fuck everything up. So you're going to go sing with Green Day... right now. Spencer and George shoot each other looks. Brandon is cool. BRANDON Sounds good. HUNTER I don't understand why your manager didn't show up. I don't deal with amateurs, but Billie Joe likes your vibe. BRANDON I appreciate that. 82. Hunter stops at a door. He opens it. Brandon, Spencer and George are not sure what to do. HUNTER Get in there. Spencer and George stare at each other nervously. SPENCER (to George) Maybe we should wait for Dustin. George shrugs his shoulders and enters, followed by a reluctant Spencer. Hunter pulls Brandon aside. HUNTER Let me give you a little advice. This industry can be a cruel bitch. You're the front man, the one writing the songs. It's your ass up there. Thousands of fans are going to be screaming your name. You can't disappoint them. I'm going to leave you with four parting words-Hunter taps on Brandon's chest as he says the words: HUNTER (cont’d) You need to produce songs. You need to constantly be writing hits. Brandon digs his words. BRANDON I need to produce. HUNTER The pressure’s all on you. Brandon, fearlessly, enters. CUT TO: EXT. RESIDENTIAL STREET - DAY Dustin, flailing his arms, sweating, crying from pain runs down the street toward Green Day's studio. CUT TO: 83. INT. GREEN DAY STUDIO - DAY BILLIE JOE, TRE and MIKE from Green Day stand opposite Brandon, Spencer and George. Nobody says anything. Nobody moves. Finally, Billie Joe says: BILLIE JOE You guys ready to jam? Spencer and George look scared. Brandon looks poised. CUT TO: EXT. GREEN DAY STUDIO - DAY A GARDENER, driving a pick-up filled with equipment, drops Dustin off in front of Green Day's studio. DUSTIN Thanks for the ride. Dustin runs up to the door and rings the bell. The door opens. The assistant stares at Dustin in his hospital gown. DUSTIN (cont’d) Where are they? INT. HALLWAY - CONTINUOUS The assistant leads Dustin down the hallways. Dustin tries to remain calm. The assistant opens the door to reveal: Green Day and HAL sing along to "Sweet Caroline" by Neil Diamond. They're all taking shots of tequila and having fun. Dustin is relieved. FADE TO BLACK: EXT. STAPLES CENTER - NIGHT The biggest benefit concert of the year takes place at the Staples Center. LIGHTS, PAPARAZZI, LIMOUSINES, SCREAMING FANS and NEWS CREWS add to the excitement. Headlining the concert are Green Day, The White Stripes, Evanescence, The Killers, Postal Service, The Strokes and HAL. 84. INT. STAPLES CENTER - STAGE - NIGHT The FANS at the Staples Center scream. HAL takes the stage. They're the opening act. Brandon is at the microphone. Spencer is on bass. George tests out the drums. CUT TO: INT. MIXING BOOTH - THAT MOMENT Dustin works the controls on the mix board. His face has cleared up, he’s lost a little weight and he’s in good spirits. The sound check goes smoothly. INT. STAPLES CENTER - STAGE - LATER The energy is electric. The lights and pyrotechnics illuminate the stage. George and Spencer start to play. Nobody notices that HAL fakes it. Brandon works the stage, a total pro. The song ends. George and Spencer exit the stage to fans chanting "Brandon! Brandon! Brandon!" Brandon stops to listen to them scream his name. He soaks in the glory. INT. STAPLES CENTER - BACKSTAGE - CONTINUOUS Brandon, Spencer and George are thrilled as they make their way through the crowd backstage. JACK WHITE and MEG WHITE stop Brandon. JACK WHITE You’re Brandon Marks. Great set. MEG WHITE Yeah. Really dig your energy. George walks up to Meg. He lifts up his shirt. GEORGE Will you sign my breast? MEG WHITE Sure. She signs his flabby breast. 85. SPENCER (to Jack White) If you guys ever need a bassist. JACK WHITE I'll be sure to find you. Spencer is giddy. Brandon, Spencer and George continue to their green room. INT. STAPLES CENTER - GREEN ROOM - CONTINUOUS Dustin waits in the green room as the other members of the band enter. George and Spencer are happy. Brandon has a concerned look on his face. BRANDON That was totally off tonight. DUSTIN What are you talking about? We were awesome. BRANDON Awesome's not good enough. We need to be perfect. The band is frustrated with Brandon. DUSTIN We were perfect. Brandon paces around the room. He's having a breakdown. DUSTIN (cont’d) Are you okay? BRANDON We've got to write another hit. I need to keep producing. DUSTIN What? BRANDON You need to go back to the studio and write. I need to maintain this high. I can't do this by myself. Dustin gets angry. 86. DUSTIN By yourself? You're not doing any of this by yourself. BRANDON The hell I'm not. All those people are here to see me. GEORGE I think they're here to listen to Green Day. BRANDON Shut up, George. George backs down. DUSTIN You're the "lead singer." Why don't you write another hit then? Brandon calms down. He walks over to Dustin and puts his arm around him. BRANDON Come on, Dustin. You know what I mean. We're with the big boys now. We have to stay on top. DUSTIN I’ve stood by for way too long while you took over this band. But this is it, man. I’m taking the band back! CUT TO: INT. GREEN ROOM - DOOR - THAT MOMENT Rose approaches the CRACKED OPEN DOOR to the green room. She overhears Dustin and Brandon arguing. She stops to listen. CUT BACK TO: INT. STAPLES CENTER - GREEN ROOM - THAT MOMENT Brandon screams at Dustin. Nobody notices Rose at the door. 87. BRANDON It's my face out there. It's my ass on the line. If we get caught I'm the one who's fucked! DUSTIN You wouldn't be here without me. You're nothing without me. You were just a deadbeat at some lousy bar on Sunset. BRANDON I made this band. Brandon points at Spencer and George. BRANDON (cont’d) You think those guys are the reason all those people are out there? George and Spencer are visibly hurt. DUSTIN You're out of line, Brandon. Those guys were great out there. You're the one who missed his cue. BRANDON I didn't miss anything. Dustin is pissed at Brandon. He lays into him. DUSTIN Fine. You want to take credit for those songs publicly you go ahead. Rose enters the room. Dustin does not see her enter. DUSTIN (cont’d) But between you and me, you know who wrote those songs and it's my voice that they're listening to. Not yours. You're a fraud. Rose is shocked. George coughs to get Dustin's attention. GEORGE Hi Rose. Dustin and Brandon stare at Rose. ROSE What are you talking about? 88. Brandon walks over to Rose. BRANDON Rose. Hi. Nothing. We were just talking about the show. ROSE Brandon, is this true? Brandon looks away. Rose looks at Dustin. DUSTIN Sorry. ROSE I wrote a story about you in Vinyl, a national magazine, promoting the band! Do you know how bad this makes me look? I'll look like a liar to the whole world! Brandon doesn't see why she's so upset. BRANDON Then just don't tell anyone. Rose is disgusted. She exits the green room. INT. NICOLE'S HOUSE - DAY Rose helps Nicole and her fiancee, THEO (30), pack boxes for their move to New York. THEO I'm gonna go get started on the other room. Theo kisses Nicole on the forehead. NICOLE Thanks, honey. Rose watches Theo exit. Rose is in a bad mood. Nicole attempts to focus Rose on her goals. Nicole (cont’d) So, this guy turned out to be a complete asshole. Life goes on. ROSE I was really falling for him. 89. NICOLE Are you sure you were falling for the right guy? Rose hadn't thought about that. She suddenly realized that it was Dustin's music and lyrics that she fell for. ROSE No, that's ridiculous. Dustin? No. He's so... Dustin? NICOLE All I remember you saying is how much you loved his music. How brilliant you thought he was. ROSE I guess I was talking about Dustin. NICOLE You once told me you'd never let a man get in the way of your career. You need to concentrate on what's important. If you don't expose them somebody else will and then you're really screwed. Rose thinks about Nicole's words. INT. THE GOLDEN EEL - NIGHT Brandon is at the Golden Eel. He's at the pay phone. He's drunk. He holds a piece of paper with Rose's phone number on it. His fingers hover over the numbers. CUT TO: INT. VINYL MAGAZINE HEADQUARTERS - THAT MOMENT Rose is in her office at her computer. She writes, getting out all her frustration and anger. We get a glimpse of some of her article. ROSE (ON MONITOR) "...in a culture obsessed with celebrity and fame, in an era of instant gratification, total accessibility and the internet, one must come to the conclusion that it is a futile notion to try and "pull one over" on the people..." 90. She stares out her window in deep thought. CUT BACK TO: INT. THE GOLDEN EEL - THAT MOMENT Brandon hangs up the phone, he can't do it. He is disappointed with himself. CUT TO: INT. VINYL MAGAZINE HEADQUARTERS - THAT MOMENT She continues to write. ROSE (ON MONITOR) "...and that is why this reporter must apologize. HAL, as it turns out, is a fraud. Nothing more than a farce, a dangerous farce that can unbalance the whole nature of our society..." She finishes the article. It's a catharsis. The phone rings. She picks it up. The following phone conversation is intercut. ROSE (cont’d) Hello? DUSTIN It's Dustin. Rose is surprised to hear Dustin's voice. DUSTIN (cont’d) I'm sorry we lied to you. Her emotions get the better of her. ROSE Did you actually think you were going to get away with this? You had to know you were going to get caught eventually. DUSTIN You're right. 91. ROSE Jesus, to think the whole time you were lying to me, to your fans. DUSTIN I know. ROSE I just finished an article exposing you. I could have it published. DUSTIN I'd corroborate it. If that would help. ROSE I know how much it would hurt. DUSTIN Rose, listen, I promise we're going to give it up. Spencer and George feel terrible. I feel terrible. ROSE And Brandon? DUSTIN I don’t know where Brandon is. Rose is disappointed. DUSTIN (cont’d) You have my word that HAL will never be heard from again. Rose contemplates what to do. She comes to a decision. ROSE You have to promise never to talk about this with anyone! I'm the one who discovered you guys. If this comes out and I'm not the one to break it, my career is ruined. DUSTIN I understand. Ultimately you're the one who has to make the decision. I made my bed and I'm prepared to lie in it. I can't tell you what to do. Dustin doesn't have the balls to tell her what he really wants to say. 92. ROSE Is that it? Beat. DUSTIN Yeah. Rose hangs up on Dustin. FADE TO BLACK: INT. VINYL MAGAZINE HEADQUARTERS - MORNING The next morning, Amy snoops around Rose's desk. She jumps on Rose’s computer and opens a FOLDER called HAL. Cassidy walks by and admonishes her. CASSIDY What are you doing? Amy is startled. AMY Cassidy. Hi. CASSIDY Isn't there a temp you should be blowing right now? Amy laughs the comment off and exits the office. She flips Cassidy off on her way out. Cassidy does not notice. Cassidy is suspicious of Amy. She goes over to Rose's desk to see what Amy was up to. Cassidy finds the ARTICLE on the COMPUTER MONITOR. Curious, she starts to read it. INT. VINYL MAGAZINE HEADQUARTERS - MORNING Rose finally shows up at work. She feels better about everything today. At Cassidy's office, Deaf Darryl stops Rose. DEAF DARRYL (deaf accent) Cassidy is chewing glue. 93. ROSE What? DEAF DARRYL With an orifice. ROSE Orifice? DEAF DARRYL Cassidy hums glue! ROSE I don't understand you. Deaf Darryl points at Cassidy's office. Rose gets it. She enters. INT. CASSIDY'S OFFICE - CONTINUOUS Cassidy is at her desk. Rose walks in. ROSE Hi Cassidy. You wanted to see me? CASSIDY Is it true? Is HAL a fraud? Rose is shocked. ROSE You were at my desk? CASSIDY I'm the editor here. I know everything that goes on under this roof. Is it true? Rose hesitates. ROSE It is but I don't want it published. I promised I wouldn't. CASSIDY Can you prove it beyond a reasonable doubt? ROSE (apprehensively) Yes. Wait. I can't publish it. 94. Cassidy gets up and paces around the room. CASSIDY This is a huge story. One of the hottest bands today is a fraud. We have a responsibility to publish this. When you first got here I saw something in you, a hunger, a passion that I haven't seen since... well, myself. You have to decide what's more important, your career or your relationships. This will make your career. Rose does not know what to do. ROSE I don't want to do this. I can't-CASSIDY You can and you have to. Rose is confused. EXT. MTV STUDIOS IN NEW YORK - DAY TEENAGERS outside MTV's studio in Time Square hold angry poster's denouncing HAL. They chant "HAL SUCKS!!!" INT. MTV NEWS - THAT MOMENT GIDEON YAGO of MTV NEWS gives the audience a rundown on HAL: GIDEON YAGO Former HAL front man, Brandon Marks, was outed this week by his former girlfriend, Rose Thomas, when she wrote an article for Vinyl Magazine claiming the band a fraud. INT. LATE NIGHT WITH CONAN O'BRIEN - NIGHT CONAN O'BRIEN does his monologue. CONAN Everyone's talking about this band, HAL. Apparently they've been lip syncing. So they wanted to come on tonight to prove that they're for real. 95. Some of the crowd cheers, most of them boo! Three Conan O'Brien STAFF WRITERS dressed as homeless men run on stage and lip sync a HAL song poorly. The crowd erupts with laughter. INT. LAST CALL WITH CARSON DALY - NIGHT CARSON DALY sits at his desk across from Rose who looks hot, if a little uncomfortable. CARSON I've heard rumors in Vinyl Magazine us, right now, on front of all five real story. Rose laughs. ROSE You weren’t supposed to ask me that. CARSON Is HAL a fraud? ROSE Look, I'm not here to slander anyone. I wrote this article and it turned out to be a pretty big story. CARSON Are you still dating Brandon Marks? ROSE I'm definitely not talking about that. CARSON I'll take that as a no. How long are you in New York? ROSE Are you asking me out? The audience cheers Carson on. CARSON Let's see how the rest of this interview goes. that your article isn't true. Tell national tv, in of my fans, the 96. Rose laughs. CARSON (cont’d) So what's next on the agenda? ROSE I was asked to organize the KROQ Acoustic Christmas show this year. CARSON I used to work for KROQ. ROSE I know. CARSON Maybe you and I can get together and throw around some ideas. ROSE Is that what the kids are calling it these days? The audience laughs. EXT. HARLEY DAVIDSON MOTORCYLCE SHOP - DAY Brandon and Alf stand in front of the bike shop staring at the candy-apple red Harley that Brandon has always wanted. ALF I don’t think this is a good idea. BRANDON I’ve got thirty grand left. I can either pay the Llama or buy my dream and get out of town. There’s no way I’m giving this money to the Llama and I’ve got nothing left here. ALF You’re my hero, man. Brandon walks in the front door. EXT. BRANDON'S APARTMENT - NIGHT Brandon, with a proud smile on his face, rides up to his apartment on his brand new Harley. 97. INT. BRANDON’S APARTMENT - LATER Brandon enters his apartment and closes the door behind him. He takes two steps when suddenly there is POUNDING on his front door. Brandon looks confused. The door BURSTS open. TWO GOONS with BASEBALL BATS step aside and The Llama enters the apartment. THE LLAMA The Llama is home, honkey! Brandon is scared. BRANDON Llama. Hey. I was just going to call you. THE LLAMA Isn’t that what they all say? GOON #1 It is. BRANDON I have your money. I, I have to go to the bank. THE LLAMA No excuses any more. I must to kill you. If the Llama does not then people with think the Llama is a pussy. The Llama is not a pussy. Thus, you must die. (beat) Or... maybe the Llama can take that new motorcylce you arrived so handsomely on. The two goons step forward with bats raised. Brandon scans the room and sees GEORGE’S GRENADE on the coffee table. Neither The Llama nor the Goons notice it. Brandon lunges for it. He grabs the grenade and threatens to pull the PIN. BRANDON There’s no way you’re taking my Harley! This is a live grenade. I’m walking out of here. 98. THE LLAMA I don’t believe you. Brandon doesn’t know what to say. BRANDON Well, well it is! The Goons look worried. GOON #1 That looks real, boss. Brandon makes for the door. THE LLAMA (starts crying) Fuck. This is not fair. The Llama wants his money. You owe The Llama. He wipes the tears away. THE LLAMA (cont’d) (really wanting to know) Why do you have a grenade? BRANDON Stay where you are. Brandon is at the door. BRANDON (cont’d) Them’s the breaks, Llama. I’ve got nothing to stay here for. I’ve burnt all my bridges, sealed all my envelopes and crossed all my t’s. You’ll never see me again, that’s for sure. Don’t come after me. I’ll blow you up. Brandon runs out of his apartment. The Llama and the goons chase after him. EXT. BRANDON’S GARAGE - MOMENTS LATER Brandon runs down the stairs to the garage. He jumps on his Harley. It roars to life. He revs the engine and takes off. 99. EXT. STREET - MOMENTS LATER The Llama and the Goons reach their car. Brandon pulls the pin on the grenade and tosses it into The Llama’s car. The Llama and the Goons dive for cover. The car EXPLODES into giant flames. Brandon rides his motorcycle down the street. EXT. TAMPON FACTORY - DAY George, Spencer and Dustin pull up in a VAN in front of the tampon factory. Dustin gets out of the van. DUSTIN You guys have a plan? GEORGE No, man. Just going to see America. Get into some trouble. Catch a few baseball games with my son. George puts his hand on Spencer's head. Spencer slaps his hand away. SPENCER You're not my father! GEORGE Well I fucked your mom last night. SPENCER You did not. DUSTIN Send me a postcard? SPENCER Sure thing, Dustin. The van drives off. Dustin turns around to face the Tampon Factory. INT. TAMPON FACTORY - LATER Dustin, in a suit, sits behind a desk. He looks defeated. 100. INT. THE SHRINE - DAY Rose is at The Shrine Auditorium preparing for the KROQ Acoustic Christmas Show. A radio nearby is tuned to KROQ. The DJ comes on air. DJ I'm gonna play some HAL. Can you believe the manager wrote and performed this song? This is "Rose." Sounds to me like the manager had a crush on the reporter that exposed them. Brandon Marks sucks but this is a good song. HAL'S song "Rose" comes on the air. Rose stops to listen to it. We can see in her face that she realizes Dustin, not Brandon, wrote this song for her. EXT. ROUTE 66 - DAY Brandon rides his Harley through the desert. He pulls off the highway and pulls in to an old gas station. INT. GAS STATION - CONTINUOUS Brandon enters the convenience store. He hears the song “Rose” on a dilapidated radio next to an OLD DOG. Brandon listens to the song. He takes it in. He looks out towards his new Harley. He sees a pay phone out near the highway. CUT TO: INT. TAMPON FACTORY - NIGHT Dustin sits in his office at the Tampon Factory. Even though he’s not happy, his recent efforts at dieting and exercise are beginning to pay off. The phone rings. He picks it up. The following phone conversation is intercut. DUSTIN Hello? 101. BRANDON Hey, man. It's Brandon. Dustin remains silent. BRANDON (cont’d) I need to get something off my chest. DUSTIN Sure. BRANDON I wanted to thank you and I want to apologize. I'm sorry my ego got the best of me. You were always the soul of HAL. You were right. I didn't deserve what you gave me. I want you to do something for me. DUSTIN What? BRANDON Don't stop believing in yourself. You wrote those songs. That was your voice people loved. It was your music. Dustin smiles. BRANDON (cont’d) And one more thing. DUSTIN Huh? BRANDON Go get Rose. She loved your music. Not mine. Dustin’s father enters the office. He waits impatiently for Dustin to get off the phone. DUSTIN Thanks, Brandon. BRANDON Thank you, man. Dustin hangs up. 102. DUSTIN’S FATHER What do Martha Stewart and a tampon have in common? DUSTIN (annoyed) I don’t know. DUSTIN’S FATHER They’re both stuck up cunts. He’s pleased with his joke. Dustin doesn’t laugh. Dustin gathers his stuff together. DUSTIN’S FATHER (cont’d) Where do you think you’re going? DUSTIN Dad, I appreciate everything you want to do for me, but I’m my own man. I’m not working here. Dustin heads out of the office. DUSTIN’S FATHER You’ll be back. DUSTIN No, dad. I won’t. EXT. ROUTE 66 - DAY Brandon gets back on his Harley. The engine roars to life. He pulls out onto Route 66 and rides into the sunset. EXT. THE SHRINE - NIGHT It's the night of the KROQ Acoustic Christmas concert sponsored by Vinyl Magazine. Everyone who is anyone is there. Bright lights, big city stuff with REPORTERS, CELEBS, MODELS, MTV, and SCREAMING FANS. EXT. THE SHRINE - BACK LOT - NIGHT Dustin approaches a SECURITY GUARD at the entrance. DUSTIN I need to talk to Rose Thomas. The coordinator of this event. 103. SECURITY GUARD Are you kidding? DUSTIN No. SECURITY GUARD You ain’t gettin' in here without a pass. You gotta pass? DUSTIN No. SECURITY GUARD Do I look like I’m gonna let you in? Dustin turns to leave. In the parking lot, Dustin sees THE FLAMING LIPS and their ENTOURAGE OF PEOPLE DRESSED IN MULTI-COLORED BEAR CUSTOMS. The GREEN BEAR is off to the side. Dustin gets the Green Bears’ attention. DUSTIN Hey. Buddy. Come here. The Green Bear turns around. GREEN BEAR Me? DUSTIN Yeah. Give me a hand. The Green Bear turns a corner. We hear a loud SMACK. Then a THUMP. EXT. THE SHRINE - BACK LOT - MOMENTS LATER Dustin appears wearing the Green Bear suit. He slides on the head and joins The Flaming Lips as they enter The Shrine. INT. THE SHRINE - BACKSTAGE - LATER Dustin leaves the other Bears and goes in search of Rose. He runs into OZZY & SHARON OSBOURNE. 104. DUSTIN Hey, Ozzy. I'm looking for the coordinator of the event. Rose Thomas? Have you seen her? Ozzy is freaked out. He turns to Sharon. OZZY You see a green bear, right? SHARON I do, Ozzy. OZZY Oh, thank heavens, I thought someone spiked my juice box. Ozzy and Sharon walk away. Suddenly, the guy formerly in the green bear suit appears with a SECURITY GUARD. GREEN BEAR SUIT GUY That's the guy! The security guard chases after Dustin. INT. THE SHRINE - BACKSTAGE - CONTINUOUS SNOOP DOGG and his BOYS smoke weed next to a craft service table. Dustin, in his green bear suit, runs by. SNOOP DOGG (referring to the weed) This is good shit. The security guard continues his chase. INT. THE SHRINE - BACKSTAGE - CONTINUOUS COURTNEY LOVE smokes a cigarette in her dressing room. She's topless. The door bursts open and Dustin enters. COURTNEY LOVE You weren't supposed to get here for another half hour, man. Dustin tilts his green bear head like a confused puppy. Dustin opens the door and watches the security guard run by. Dustin goes in the opposite direction. 105. INT. THE SHRINE - BACKSTAGE - CONTINUOUS Dustin climbs a ladder. He makes his way over the stage across a cat walk. The security guard notices. SECURITY GUARD Stop! Dustin loses his balance. CUT TO: INT. THE SHRINE - BACKSTAGE - CONTINUOUS BECK waits by the stage with his guitar. STAGE HAND Beck. You're on in ten seconds. Beck gets ready to go on stage. He hears a noise and looks up. He sees a large green mass of fur headed right for him. Dustin knocks Beck out. He picks up Beck's GUITAR. Before anyone notices, Dustin takes the stage. INT. THE SHRINE - ON STAGE - CONTINUOUS Bright lights spotlight Dustin in the suit. CUT TO: INT. THE SHRINE - CONTROL ROOM - THAT MOMENT Rose and the other PRODUCERS freak out when they see the green bear on stage. ROSE What the hell is going on? Beck is supposed to be on stage. The Flaming Lips are next. CUT BACK TO: INT. THE SHRINE - ON STAGE - THAT MOMENT Dustin walks over to the microphone. He takes off the Green Bear Head. 106. DUSTIN Hi. The crowd is confused. DUSTIN (cont’d) My name is Dustin Dell. You probably don't know who I am, but I used to be HAL'S manager. Well, I guess I'm really the voice too. The crowd BOOS him. DUSTIN (cont’d) Hold on. I wasn't planning on this, but now that I'm here, I want to take the opportunity to apologize publicly for what we did. The crowd falls silent to listen to Dustin. DUSTIN (cont’d) But more importantly, I want to apologize to someone in particular. Someone who I lied to and took advantage of. Is Rose Thomas here? Dustin holds his hand over his eyes to block the spotlight. The crowd looks around the auditorium. Rose appears on stage. The security guard comes on stage as well. Rose motions for him to wait. ROSE What are you doing, Dustin? This is inappropriate. DUSTIN Rose, I need you to know how I feel about you. Rose feels a little awkward. DUSTIN (cont’d) I want to sing a song. Rose looks back at the control room and shrugs her shoulders. Dustin turns to the crowd. Dustin sings a new song to Rose on stage. For the first time we see Dustin act like a rock star in front of his fans. It's a great song. The audience recognizes his talent. Finally. 107. Dustin finishes his song. The crowd loves it. Rose hesitates, then gives Dustin a big hug. FADE TO BLACK: INT. THE IVY RESTAURANT - DAY The next day Dustin and Rose eat at THE IVY. A few FANS at the next table lean over. FAN #1 Great job last night. DUSTIN Thank you. Dustin and Rose smile at each other. Executive #1, the same music executive from the beginning of the film, approaches Dustin. EXECUTIVE #1 Dustin Dell, right? DUSTIN Hi. Yeah. I'm Dustin. The executive hands him a business card. EXECUTIVE #1 I'm from Capitol Records. I was at The Shrine last night and I want to tell you I was really impressed with what you did. I've talked it over with some people and I think you and I should sit down and talk. Dustin finds this ironic. DUSTIN You don’t remember me, do you? Executive #1 stares at Dustin. It finally hits him. EXECUTIVE #1 Oh, yeah. I, um, remember. Bad timing. We were-DUSTIN Look, I’ll sit down with you. I’ll listen to what you have to say. (MORE) 108. DUSTIN(cont'd) I may even sign a contract with you, but I want you to realize something. I’m in the pole position here. I can sign with anyone. I want total control. Executive #1 stammers. DUSTIN (cont’d) Total control. EXECUTIVE #1 (defeated) Let’s talk. We’ll work out a deal. DUSTIN Good. I’ll talk to you on Monday. Dustin shakes his hand. EXECUTIVE #1 We'll be in touch. The executive exits, humbled by Dustin. Rose smiles at Dustin. ROSE I believed in you the whole time. DUSTIN Yeah right. ROSE It might have been Brandon I was looking at but it was you who I was listening to. Dustin doesn't know what his next move should be. DUSTIN Rose? ROSE What? Dustin clears the table at The Ivy, throwing everything on to the floor. He grabs Rose and throws her down on the table. The PATRONS and the STAFF stare at the scene. Dustin plants a HUGE KISS on Rose in front of everyone. The End