May 23, 2002

-The following is a memo from the desk of Morris Levinsky, Assistant Director of Project Development at Universal Studios.

Dear Stan,

Universal Studios has made a priority of developing sequels to popular films. My team has looked into the feasibility of producing sequels to some of the most popular romantic women's films of the last two decades. These films have a very loyal audience and thus, as sequels, would naturally be favorably received. Scripts for four sequels have been commissioned and the synopses are attached. Frankly, the results are rather disappointing.  Perhaps we need new writers ... female writers. Regardless, here is what we have so far:

Ten years later, high-powered attorney Edward (Richard Gere) and former hooker with a heart of gold Vivian (Julia Roberts) are married and seemingly have the perfect family. They have an adorable precocious ten-year-old girl and twin three-year-old boys that Edward adores. However, that same restless itch that drove Edward to cruise the Sunset Strip ten years before is back. This time he falls for a sassy young street walker named Candi LaFleur (played by Sarah Michelle Gellar.) She is twenty years younger and even prettier than Vivian, but Vivian still has a few tricks up her sleeve. Can she triumph and win back her wayward husband? Sadly, the answer is no.

When last we saw them at the end of summer vacation in 1964, Baby (Jennifer Gray) was deeply in love with steamy dance instructor Johnny Castle (Patrick Swayze.) The story continues as they marry despite her family's protests. They said a rich girl and a blue collar dancer could never make it work. Their differences were too great despite their true love. In fact, they were right. While Baby goes to vet school, Johnny tries to make a go of it choreographing night club floor shows in Baltimore. After failing miserably, he takes to the bottle and pursues a new type of "Dirtier Dancing" as a male stripper in seedy downtown dives. It is while working a bachelorette party as "Johnny Action Three Way" that he meets Cha Cha Rodriguez (played by Jennifer Lopez) a sultry Puerto Rican cage dancer with all the right moves. While burdened with a growing veterinary practice and debilitating ulcerative colitis, Baby fights to compete with this brash newcomer with a few new sexy moves of her own. She fails and spends her life alone while Johnny and Cha Cha make a fortune in the growing adult movie industry.

The original movie ends as shy toll booth operator Lucy (Sandra Bullock) through a series of coincidences finds that her true love is not handsome Peter (Peter Gallagher) but his likable brother Jack (Bill Pullman.) They fall in love and plan their storybook romantic wedding. Our story starts as Peter and a bunch of old college buddies fly Jack out to Las Vegas for a boozy, wild Bachelor Party weekend. It is while roaring drunk at an elaborate Vegas revue called "That's (Topless) Entertainment" that Jack falls for perky, young Brandy Cherry (played by Britney Spears.) As his buddies abandon him to go to a whorehouse, Jack takes Brandy on a wild drunken gambling spree. At first, they roll up twenty thousand dollars in winnings. However, when he wakes up the next morning, his friends are gone, his credit cards are maxed out, and he finds himself in bed with Brandy, whom he married in a "Star Wars" themed wedding chapel. The last thing he can recall is Boba Fett telling him to kiss the bride. It takes forty-eight hours of madcap misadventures before Jack realizes that the vacuous, topless, half-his-age Brandy is his real, true soul mate instead of cute, wholesome, dull Lucy. He moves to Vegas and becomes a pimp. Lucy adopts several cats and lives alone.

At the end of the first film, brash, tough Navy pilot Zack Mayo (Richard Gere) finally learns to follow his heart and sweeps beautiful, sincere Paula (Debra Winger) off her feet and marries her. It is now thirteen years later and Zack has been promoted to Squadron Captain. He and Paula are the most popular couple on their Navy base in Pensacola. Paula's joy at her late, miracle pregnancy is tempered by her concern for Zack who seems distant and aloof. It is at her baby shower that she sees a furtive glance, a fleeting touch of the hands, and a surreptitious hug that let her know that passion has developed between Zack and hunky, young Airman First Class Rip Crandleton (played by Freddie Prinze, Jr.) Still fiery and passionate despite being eight months pregnant, Paula fights to keep her man. When threats, shouting, and tears fail to win back Zack, Paula finally gives in and invites Rip to move in with them and be a part of the family. Three months after the birth of young Zack Junior, they divorce bitterly. Paula's drinking lands her in jail after a traffic accident, and Zack and Rip get custody of the baby.