| Unexpected Happiness By Kasey (We open on the conference room. Everyone is sitting around, looking tired and bored.) Dana: Okay...how much time do we have? Elliot: Thirty minutes, forty five seconds. Dana: Damn it. Casey: Okay...what else can we stretch? Dana: Casey, we can't stretch anything else. You're drawing out the bridge story, I'm even letting Dan comment on soccer, which I shouldn't do, but it'll buy us time. What we NEED is a news story. Jeremy: Well...I didn't want to bring it up, but... Dana: you have a story? Jeremy: Well, you know the awards are tonight... Dana: (annoyedly) and that Sally's winning... Jeremy: I was just thinking...a lot of people from CSC were nominated... Dana: (Catching on) ...And many of them might win... Jeremy: Right. Dana: How much will it buy us? Kim: Maybe three minutes. Natalie: (Sighing) Okay...any other ideas? Dan: Darren Kehoe died. Casey: Who's Darren Kehoe? Elliot: Don't ask. Casey: Okay. (silence) Dana: (checking her watch) Does anybody realize that we have been on this for over eighteen hours and we STILL don't have a show? Natalie: It's that late? Dana: Quarter til seven. Natalie: In which case, it is time for Jeremy and me to go. Dan: Go where? Jeremy: We're going to go to the awards thing...even though I'm not going to win. We're going anyways just to celebrate that I was nominated, and then Natalie is going to replace my feelings of defeat with feelings of- Dana: That's more than I needed to hear. Natalie: So good luck. We'll see you guys tomorrow. (Jeremy and Natalie leave) Dana: So let me get straight all the stories we have. Rangers, Bruins, NFL Whiparound, Darren Kehoe, bridge, an uncoordinated coxen, the awards, and Dan's soccer commentary. Elliot: (who was checking them off on a legal pad) Yep, pretty much it. (Dana sighs and puts her head against the table) (To Commercial) (When we return, we see Natalie's apartment. Jeremy is standing in a tuxedo, and Natalie walks into the living room, wearing a black dress very similar to the one Dana wore in Hungry and the Hunted.) Jeremy: Woah...Natalie, you look great. Natalie: And normally I don't? Jeremy: no...You always look great. I'm just saying that right now, you look even greater than usual. Natalie: Okay. (silence) Natalie: (cont.) So. Do you promise not to cry when Sally gets her award? Jeremy: Why would I cry? Natalie: because it's what you do, Jeremy. Because you wanted this award more than anything and you deserved to win, but you didn't. Jeremy: I didn't deserve to? Natalie: You didn't win. Jeremy: Do you have to keep reminding me? Natalie: sorry. Jeremy: How did you find out? Natalie: What? Jeremy: How did you find out that Sally was going to win and not me? Natalie: Whenever you're going to win one of those awards, they call you to be sure that you're going to be there. And I overheard the phone call Sally got. Jeremy: Are you sure you weren't wrong? Natalie: Jeremy, what do you mean? Jeremy: I mean, are you sure she was nominated for the same thing? Are you sure it was MY award she got? Natalie: I'm sure, Jeremy. And I�m sorry. Jeremy: (sighing) Okay. Let�s go. (Cut to:) (The Conference Room. Everyone is still sitting, looking at various newspapers, laptops, etc.) Dana: Okay, guys. We are now only a minute short. Which Dan and Casey can fill, right? Casey: Sure. Dan: It�s what I do. Dave: We just have a small problem. Dana: What? Dave: Where are we supposed to get graphics for a bridge game? (To Commercial) (When we return, we see the awards ceremony in progress. Close up on Jeremy and Natalie sitting in the audience. Natalie looks partially interested, Jeremy just looks bored and depressed.) M.C.: And now, the award for best producer of a short segment. And the nominees are: Jeremy Goodwin, Sports Night. Sally Sasser, West Coast Update. David Tarses, Sixty Minutes. John Baldwin, Sixty Minutes. (Close up on Jeremy's face. We hear:) M.C.: And the winner is...Jeremy Goodwin, Sports Night. (Jeremy sits bolt upright. He and Natalie both look shocked. Then, as if realizing he should go get his award, he stands and Natalie hugs him. He then walks up to the stage. The M.C. hands him his award, then Jeremy stands at the podium.) Jeremy: Wow....I...Wow. Okay, I'd just like to thank a few people without whom I never would've gotten this award...(he is obviously sputtering and not sure of what to say.) Dana Whitaker, our executive producer, Isaac Jaffee, our managing editor, the great staff, the people who helped make my segments possible...thank you! (Grinning hugely, Jeremy walks back to his seat. Natalie looks angry.) Jeremy: Natalie, look! I won! Natalie: Yeah. But don't you think there are some people you left out of your speech? Jeremy: What do you mean? Natalie: The people you thanked were Dana, Isaac, the staff, and the other people who worked on your segment with you. Jeremy: (realizing his mistake) I didn't name you? Natalie: no, you didn't. Jeremy: But I know I did- Natalie: No, you didn't. (Natalie brushes past him and storms out.) (To Commercial) (We return to the lobby of the place where the ceremonies are being held. Natalie is walking briskly to the door, Jeremy running after her.) Jeremy: Natalie, I�m sorry. How many more times do I have to say it? Natalie: It doesn�t matter. Because you didn�t say it the ONE time it really mattered. Jeremy: It was some stupid award! Why do you care? Natalie: Because I�m supposed to be the most important to you, Jeremy! I saw how important winning was to you, by the look on your face when you thought you had lost. I�m supposed to be at LEAST that important. I�m supposed to be the one who cheers loudest when you win. And when you lose, I�m supposed to be the one who hugs you and says �It�s all right, sweetie, I know you�re the best�. And I do. But you don�t seem to care at all. Jeremy: That�s not true- Natalie: Then why was Dana the first you named? Jeremy: Natalie- Natalie: Why not me first? Jeremy: Natalie, I was in shock! I could barely remember my OWN name! Natalie: Yet you managed to thank the other people. Jeremy: I- Natalie: Good night, Jeremy. (She storms out the door and we see her get a cab through the glass. Jeremy stands and watches her through the door. We see him look at his award, then look sadly at the cab going into the distance.) (Cut to:) (The Newsroom. Dan, Casey, and Dana are all sitting around watching one of the televisions which is broadcasting the awards ceremony. The nominees are announced) Dana: You know, it�s really too bad. Jeremy deserved to win- Casey: Hey, wait! (he points to the television. Dan and Dana look. They see Jeremy standing on the stage and accepting his award.) Dan: I�ll be darned. Dana: Natalie was wrong. Casey: This surprises you? (Dana shrugs. They turn their attention back to Jeremy, who is making his speech.) Jeremy (On TV): ...like to thank a few people without whom I never would've gotten this award: Dana Whitaker, our executive producer, Isaac Jaffee, our managing editor, the great staff, the people who helped make my segments possible...thank you! (Dana, Casey, and Dan all stare at each other.) Casey: Danny, Dana, did you hear a certain senior associate�s name mentioned? Dan: No, I didn�t, did you, Casey? Dana: Jeremy forgot to name Natalie? Oh, God, is she going to be royally pissed and definitely edgy. Dan: (nodding) I think that would be a safe assumption, don�t you? Casey: Oh yes. I can tell we shall all feel the wrath of Natalie tomorrow. (Natalie storms into the newsroom, past all of them. Jeremy follows her in, desperate to keep up.) Jeremy: ...Natalie, listen! Natalie: Why should I? Jeremy: Because I love you! I love you and I made a mistake! Dan: Boy, did you ever. Jeremy: Shut up! Natalie: What?! Jeremy: Not you! Dan! Natalie: Do not tell Dan to shut up! Quit being so persnickety because I am angry because you left someone you SAY is important to you out of your acceptance speech! Jeremy: You ARE important to me! Natalie: Oh, really! Could�ve fooled me! (Reset to:) (The Control Room. They walk through, Natalie trying to get away from Jeremy, but he keeps following her.) Jeremy: Natalie, come back! You have to listen to me! Natalie: why should I? (Jeremy stops, she keeps walking. We see him, looking broken-hearted, standing in the middle of the room. he sits down in a chair and puts his head in his hands.) (CUT TO:) (The studio. We join a broadcast nearing its end.) Casey: (OTA) And on that note, we�d like to remind you that CSC will be bringing you all the coverage of the MLS playoffs on Saturday. Dan: That�s all for us, i�m Dan Rydel alongside Casey McCall, have a good night. Casey: Good night. Dan: So you liked your date named Pixley. Casey: Yes I did. Dan: Don�t let Dana know. Casey: Too late. Dan: Oh boy. This should be good. (We see Dana and Natalie walking past. The camera follows them.) Natalie: i just can�t believe he wouldn�t say my name... Dana: Natalie, cut him a tiny bit of slack here. Natalie: You�re on his side? I should�ve know- (We hear the P.A. system crackle to life. Jeremy�s voice comes onto it, and everyone freezes.) Jeremy: (VO) Hello, everyone. I know you probably heard about the fact that I won the producing award, but that�s not exactly the reason why I�m making this speech. i�m making this speech as a sort of retraction to my acceptance speech I made earlier tonight. Some of you may have noticed that I left out someone very important: Natalie. And I know it�s too late for apologies now, Natalie, but I wanted to tell you this: i love you. More than anything, i love you. And I never would�ve gotten half as far at this job if you hadn�t been there for me, every step of the way. I just wanted you and everyone else to know that...please resume your nightly conversations. (Natalie and Dana are standing in shock.) Natalie: I have to go find him. (she starts to walk to the control room, but she runs smack into Jeremy.) Jeremy: Natalie, I- (She hugs him.) Natalie: Jeremy, I�m sorry I got so mad...I shouldn�t have, really. you were just so flustered...it wasn�t your fault. Not totally, anyways. Jeremy: Natalie. Natalie: What? Jeremy: Don�t keep apologizing. Natalie: Then what do you want me to do? Jeremy: Remember what you�d said you�d do when you thought I�d lost? Natalie: Yeah... Jeremy: There�s no law that says we have to only do that when one of us is upset and defeated, right? Natalie: (Sly smile) right. Jeremy: So let�s go. (They walk towards the elevators.) (FADE TO BLACK) |