From: Robert Willers <willers@trombone.sps.mot.com>

Update for 4/12

STORYLINE: PARTIAL CONFESSIONS
           (location: Ally/Jocelyn/Molly's apartment)
* Alex asks Jocelyn if she is still involved with Malcolm.  She says
 she has had a really horrible day and she doesn't have the energy to
 discuss Malcolm right now.  He says she had better find the energy
 because he isn't leaving until he gets an explanation.  She asks him
 to please not do this right now.  Alex says, "Right now," and walks
 in.  He says he has racked his brain to try to figure out what he did
 wrong, but he didn't do anything wrong: she's sleeping with another
 man.  "Alex, that is not true."  He says he heard it from the horse's
 mouth: Malcolm Christopher himself.  She asks what Malcolm told him.
 He says, "Oh my God.  It *is* true, isn't it?"
* He grabs her arm and says he won't let go until she tells the truth.
 After a pause, he lets go.  He says the story that she was with some
 old friends on New Year's Eve was a crock.  "You spent the evening with
 Malcolm Christopher, didn't you?  DIDN'T YOU?"  "Yes."  "How could you
 do that?"  "It's very complicated, Alex.  [...]  You don't understand."
 No, says Alex, he does understand that she slept with another man and
 then lied to him about it.  He turns and walks toward the door.  "Alex,
 wait, wait, WAIT!"  Alex stops.
* Jocelyn asks Alex for a chance to explain.  He says he has heard all
 of her explanations.  What she did with Malcolm in the past is *her*
 business, but what she did with Malcolm while she was supposedly going
 with Alex is *his* business.  She says this is complicated, but he
 keeps interrupting.  He accuses her of "dancing," trying to avoid the
 subject like she always does, and then just saying that things are too
 complicated.  She says that's not fair.  "Fair?  You think sneaking
 around on me is fair?"  "I was not sneaking around on you."  "Then what
 do you call it?"  She asks him what Malcolm told him.  "It doesn't
 matter what Malcolm told me, what matters is what you tell me."  She
 accuses him of just wanting to compare stories -- "This is not a police
 investigation and I am not a criminal."  "You're probably right, but
 you are a hell of a disappointment."  He turns to leave.  She asks him
 not to do this to her -- "we had a relationship."  Yeah, says Alex, we
 did have a relationship, and I trusted you, but the first chance you
 got, you jumped in the sack with Malcolm.  She is tired of hearing how
 "wronged" he was, and says that seeing as he already has his mind made
 up...  No, says Alex, sit your butt down right here and tell me your
 sad, complicated little story.  "I can't talk to you when you're like
 this, Alex."  You're right, says Alex, we're wasting our time.  He goes
 to the door.  "Alex, WAIT!"  He stops at the open door.  "I'll tell you
 whatever you want to know about Malcolm."
* Alex slams the door.  "Talk!"  She tells Alex about when she first met
 Malcolm, while she was in law school.  She knew he was married, but he
 gave her a song and dance and said he was miserable at home and getting
 a divorce.  She believed him because he was older and worldly.  "Did
 you love him?"  "NO!  God, Alex, I never felt anything for him like I
 feel for you."  "What was it, then?  Was it sex?"  She doesn't know.
 They'd see each other a couple of times a week; he'd go back to her
 place, then back to his wife.  "This story gets better and better!"
 He says he doesn't know why he's there or even why he cares.  He says
 he is throwing in the towel.  "You win."  He goes to leave; she asks
 him to wait.  No, says Alex, he thought he could hang in there until
 she worked out her problems, but he now realizes this is over his head.
 He says he hopes she finds what she is looking for, but "I won't be
 around when you do."  He leaves.  Jocelyn cries.

STORYLINE: THE POWER TO HURT
           (location: City Bar)
* Molly is calling her mother.  She says she's fine -- then she says she
 isn't fine.  She's calling from the bar because she doesn't want her
 roommates to hear how badly she did in the audition.  She says, "It's
 this guy I'm dating, Danny."  She is disappointed that he didn't come
 to the audition...  She sees Danny approaching with a balloon bouquet.
 She hangs up.
* They have moved upstairs, and Molly is somber.  Danny says he's sorry
 he missed the audition and asks how it went.  Horrible, says Molly, and
 that's putting a good "spin" on it.  She says it's not the audition;
 she was "flying" all day expecting him to be there and it has been a
 long time since...  She says she doesn't "just sleep around" -- what
 happened the other night meant something to her.  Danny says it meant
 something to him, too.  She says she slept with him because she has
 very strong feelings for him.  "Same here."  She says she doesn't open
 herself up easily and, when he didn't show up, she felt like a fool.
 Danny asks if that means she doesn't want to see him any more.
* It's not that.  Good, says Danny, because he was telling the truth
 when he said she was the best thing that has ever happened to him.
 She asks if he couldn't have broken away from Sydney for an hour.  No,
 he was afraid to.  They were going over the plans and it was going so
 well.  "You know how important this is to me."  He was afraid he would
 screw things up if he left.  He says he feels terrible that he didn't
 show up.  Molly smiles and asks if it went really well.  Yeah, but it
 was like an inquisition, three hours of grilling.  The moment it was
 done, he ran over to the studio, but she was already gone.  "Molly,
 please forgive me.  I would never do anything to deliberately hurt
 you."  She says she believes him.  "So does this mean we're OK?"
* She guesses so.  He says that isn't exactly a ringing endorsement.
 He says he showed up at the audition, and he apologized.  What's wrong
 with that?  No, it's not you, it's me, says Molly.  It scares her that
 she feels this way about him.  "You have the power to hurt me now, and
 it scares me.  If you're not OK with that, please tell me so that I can
 walk away from this right now."  He says she is the first woman in his
 life that ever believed him, and he'd never do anything to hurt her.
 She hopes he really mean that.  "I never meant anything more in my
 whole life, and I'm going to start tonight by proving it to you."
 She says that is promising.  He offers to take her to dinner tonight.
 She wants to think about it for a moment, and asks him to give her a
 moment.  She leaves.

STORYLINE: THE BIG GIG
           (location: City Bar)
* Lorraine asks the bartender where everyone is.  Jacob took the night
 off for some private time with Angie, and Buck and Nick are upstairs
 with his album producer, Murray, checking out the bar's acoustics.
[Coming down the stairs.]
Nick asks if this won't be the perfect place to do the album.  Murray
 says that this is his kind of joint for a burger and a beer, but as a
 recording studio, "forget it."
* Nick asks what's wrong with this place.  Murray tells him that it's
 too small, there's no room for a crew, and the acoustics stink.  Nick
 says he has heard albums recorded in dumps "ten times worse than this"
 (for which Buck "thanks" him).  Murray says that the Beatles could
 record an album in a public bathroom and people would still buy it,
 but this is a comeback album.  Nick says the deal was that he would
 record the album there.  No, check the fine print, says Murray, he has
 the final say, and he says no.  Nick says the deal's off, then.  Murray
 tells him that if he comes to L. A., it will take three months max "A
 to Z" and he'll get the best studio and backup musicians in town.  Nick
 says he gave his word to Buck and Jacob that he would do the album at
 the Bar.  Buck says it's no big deal -- his career comes first.  Nick
 stands by his word, though, and Murray says that means they have a big
 problem.  Lorraine buts in, saying she couldn't help overhearing, and
 pulls Nick off to the side for "five minutes."  Nick says he'll give
 her one.  Lorraine asks what his problem is -- this is his career.
 Nick says he he doesn't know if he'll be alive in three months.
* Nick says he's dying.  "You do not know that."  Nick says the warranty
 on his body is about to run out.  She tells him to get to a hospital
 like a normal person.  He says he is going to check out on his terms,
 not in a hospital hooked up to a bunch of tubes and machines.  He says
 that he has to do the album at the bar and soon; he has a feeling that
 if he goes to L. A., he will never return.  Lorraine reminds him that
 Murray will pull the entire deal if he doesn't agree.  "I know.  Come
 with me."  She pulls him back to the bar.  Murray asks Lorraine if she
 talked some sense into Nick.  She pulls him aside and says she knows
 that the City Bar isn't quite what he had in mind, but if he actually
 heard Nick perform a live concert there, he'd change his mind.  Murray
 says he has done this his whole life, he should know.  She says Nick
 is a very different person in front of an audience -- a rapport, an
 intimacy that could never be duplicated in a studio.  Murray asks if
 she is his agent.  No, I'm his fortune teller and she guarantees that
 if he hears him, he'll change his mind.  While Murray appears to be
 considering that, she drags him back to Nick and Buck, asking if they
 forgot to tell Murray about next week's concert.
* "His concerts are legendary.  [...]  Every single one, sold out."
 Murray asks about next week's concert.  SRO, but there's always room
 for you.  Buck offers him "VIP treatment."  Lorraine says they'll have
 a limo pick him up...  "All right, all right!"  He says you meet all
 kinds in this business, noting that she is a fortune teller.  He says
 he'll hold off making the decision until after the concert.  Lorraine
 says he won't regret that.  Murray leaves.  Buck and Nick ask her how
 they are going to get a concert -- a sold out concert -- arranged by
 next week.  That doesn't matter, she says.  What matters is that Murray
 agreed to put off making his decision.  She says they'll use their
 imaginations -- advertise, maybe half-price drinks.  Buck complains
 that not only does he have to hire a limo, he's giving drinks away now.
 He says Jacob won't like this.  "$5 says he won't even blink an eye."
 She's on; Buck goes to call Jacob.  Nick says he doesn't know whether
 to kiss her or take her over his knee.  Buck says he'd pay to see that.
 Lorraine kisses Nick and says he'll be AOK.  "I know the real thing
 when I see it, Nick.  Trust me."

STORYLINE: "IMPROMPTU"
           (starting location: HOTLINE set)
* Richard tries to prompt Zoey to talk about her new job, but Zoey is
 still a zombie.  Richard laughs, saying that she must be doing this to
 try to make him squirm, and cuts to a commercial.  He tries to get her
 to snap out of it, but (rising slowly out of the chair) she says, "I--I
 can't do this!"  She tells him to get someone else.  He says he can't:
 they're live.  He tells her to just talk to the camera as if she is
 talking to him.  She says her tongue is frozen; he tells her that she
 has a minute and a half to unfreeze it.  He tells her to calm down.
 "Sit.  Breathe."  She sits and breathes.
* Zoey is pacing now.  She tells Richard she is OK and apologizes for
 the mess-up.  Richard sees the photo of Zoey's mother in her hands.
 Zoey says she wanted to show it on the air in an attempt to help her
 find her father.  He says that isn't a good idea, and asks her to just
 stick to the program.  "Places, please."  They run onstage, sit and
 smile.  "Ladies and Gentlemen, I'm Richard Wilkins.  Welcome back to
 HOTLINE."  Zoey waves at the camera.
* Richard says the "Impromptu" segment will feature ad-libbing on an
 audience-submitted topic.  Zoey says that's good, because she could
 never remember any "lines."  They open an envelope which contains
 tonight's topic: the rights of adopted children to make contact with
 their birth parents.  Zoey tells Richard to go first.  He says he
 seriously believes that the birth parents have a right to privacy.
 Zoey is quite surprised: "From their own children?"  Yes, if a birth
 parent makes such a difficult decision, they shouldn't be confronted
 with that child 20 years later.  Zoey asks what he is talking about,
 he is the one who told her to find her mother in the first place.  He
 says that was a different situation.  Zoey turns to the camera and
 says, "He's lost it, folks.  This man is a couple of french fries short
 of a Happy Meal."  Richard interrupts: "Let me finish."
* Zoey asks about a situation where a parent gives up a child and then
 realizes later that they want to meet the child.  Richard says that's
 an exception to the rule.  OK, says Zoey (more determined), what about
 a father who doesn't know that he has fathered a child.  What if he
 wouldn't have given up the child in the first place?  He interrupts,
 saying that they're out of time, and they hope this first segment of
 "Impromptu" was enjoyable and provocative.  Zoey holds up the photo
 and asks anyone with information about that woman to contact HOTLINE.
[Cut to the City Bar, with HOTLINE on a TV.]
 Lorraine, Buck and Nick are toasting his success.  Nick glances up at
 the TV.  "Man, I don't believe it!"  Buck asks, "What is it?"  "The
 woman in that photograph."  Lorraine asks, "What about her, honey?"
 "That's Cassie."  Buck asks, "Cassie who?"  "She's an old friend of
 mine, someone I knew very well."

-----
|  "I'm surrounded by idiots!"                         |  Bob Willers  |
|  --Simba's uncle Scar (voice talent: Jeremy Irons),  |  Phoenix, AZ  |
|    THE LION KING.                                    | MY opinions!! |
+------------ willers@trombone.sps.mot.com ------------+---------------+

