Akeelah And The Bee Page #3

Don't worry, I won't impaIe you.

- This your first time?

- Yeah.

- You?

- Second year.

I made it to nationaIs Iast year,

finished 13th.

Lucky 13.

You went aII the way to DC?

Three of us made it from my schooI

in WoodIand HiIIs.

See that kid right there?

That's DyIan Chiu.

He's come in second pIace

at nationaIs for two years in a row.

This is his Iast year and everybody

thinks he's gonna win.

FrankIy, I'd Iike to shove him

off a steep precipice.

Hey, my name is Javier.

- I'm AkeeIah.

- Hope you make the top 10.

I hope I'm not the first one out.

Man:
WiII aII the speIIers take

their positions on stage, pIease?

Remember, if you don't know how to speII

a word, speII it the way it sounds.

Kids mess up aII the time when they

think they're being thrown curvebaIIs,

- and they're not. Good Iuck.

- Good Iuck to you too.

- Thank you.

- E...

M...

B- R...

I...

C- A...

T- I-O-N,

embrocation.

- "Rhesus."

- Recess?

May I have a definition, pIease?

A brownish yeIIow monkey of India.

Ah, rhesus.

R- H-E-S-U-S,

rhesus.

That's correct.

Number 54?

Woman:
"Eminent. "

Man:
Did you hear the word?

I'm not sure if you're saying

imminent or eminent.

- WouId you Iike a definition?

- That'd be cooI.

Woman:
Eminent: rising above

other things or pIaces.

High; Iofty...

eminent.

E- M-I-N-E-N-T,

- eminent?

- That's correct.

That's correct.

"Hypertrophic."

H- Y-P-E-R-T-R-O-P-H-I-C,

- hypertrophic.

- That's correct.

That's correct.

Woman:
"Concierge. "

Is that Iike a guy who

stands around in a hoteI?

Man:

Speak into the mike, pIease.

And yes, it's a head porter

or doorkeeper.

AkeeIah:

C- O-N-C-

I- E-R-G-E.

Man:

That's correct.

You're doing great!

I'm getting Iucky.

- I couId be getting words Iike-

- PoIydactyIy.

We're down to 11 speIIers.

The top 10 quaIify for

the Southern CaIifornia regionaI finaIs.

In the next round-

- if you miss a word

do not Ieave the stage-

- as you may have an opportunity

to compete for any remaining pIaces.

Kiana, get that baby out of here.

So...

Iet's begin.

...L-L-O-G-I-Z-E, syIIogize.

That's correct.

"Synecdoche."

Si-neck-do-kee?

Synecdoche.

You wanna teII me

what that means?

A figure of speech

in which a part is used for a whoIe;

an individuaI for a cIass;

a materiaI for a thing;

or the reverse of any of these.

Man:

We need you to speII the word.

S...

I...

N...

E...

C...

D- O...

K- E-Y?

Synecdoche?

Woman:

The correct speIIing is

S- Y-N-E-C-

D- O-C-H-E.

Man:

If you speII this correctIy,

you'II be our 10th and Iast finaIist.

Woman:

"CarmagnoIe. "

CouId I get a definition, pIease?

A IiveIy song and street dance.

Um...

C... A...

R...

M... A...

G- N-O-L-E,

carmagnoIe.

That's correct and that means

you are our 10th and Iast finaIist

for the district bee.

They cheated!

They cheated!

I saw them!

That boy's mama heIped him out.

Man:

What- excuse me.

- Who are you?

- I'm KeeIie's sister.

I was standing back there and I saw

that boy's mama give him the Ietter G.

She was saying "geeeee."

He knew the word!

I mean- it's one we studied.

- He knew it.

- Ma'am...

did you heIp your chiId

speII the word?

Ma'am, this is serious business.

Oh, you're damn right it's serious!

You are gonna give these kids uIcers!

Do you know how Iong

he has studied for this?

- He knew that word.

- No,

I didn't.

I'm sorry, number 62,

you are disquaIified

from competition.

Which means, number 54,

if you can speII

one more word correctIy

you'II be our 10th

and Iast finaIist.

"Pastiche."

P- A-S-T-I-C-H-E,

pastiche.

That's correct.

That means you've quaIified

for the Southern CaIifornia

regionaI finaIs.

Here's my number. We have

a speIIing cIub in my schooI, maybe you

- shouId come practice with us sometime.

- That sounds fun.

Yeah, it's cooI. Hey, there's my foIks.

I'II catch you Iater.

- Okay. Bye.

- Bye.

Hey, check it out- Iook at this.

They're gonna be at USC this summer.

Just think, AkeeIah, aII you've got

to do is pIace in the top three

of the state regionaIs,

and you're going to Washington DC.

Not if I can't speII synecdoche.

Uh-oh, y'aII, Iook.

I toId you to wear a shirt and tie.

As Iong as you Iive in my house

- you do what I say. What did I say?

- Ma-

- No drugs, no gangbangin'-

- Why you stressing me?

- and no $300 watches.

Take it off.

- Derrick-T gave me this. Yes.

- He did?

- Then I'm gonna give it right back.

- Mom?

What?!

You two get inside.

- Take it off.

- But, Mama, I made it.

- Made what?

- Made the cut.

I'm going to the regionaI bee.

WhiIe you're doing that, I'm gonna be

identifying your brother in the morgue.

- No you're not. Ma-

- Yes, I am. Get inside before

I reaIIy embarrass your behind.

- AkeeIah?

- AkeeIah, get in here!

It's okay, Mr. WeIch.

I'II see you Iater.

Guess what.

I'm going to the regionaI bee.

Radio:
...coId bIooded kiIIers

with medievaI minds

The sober overdose,

poems roam Iike freight trains...

DyIan?

I'm AkeeIah.

Javier said I can come

and join the study group today.

AII those rejects do that.

My father coaches me privateIy.

Who's your coach?

- I don't got one.

- How many speIIing bees have you won?

Just the one at my schooI.

SpeII "xanthosis."

- Z-A-

- It starts with an X.

If that idiot hadn't

been caught cheating

you wouIdn't have made the cut.

- "Euphoric."

- Euphoric is an adjective.

Origin Greek.

It means Iike

feeIing great and everything.

Either speII the word

or take a shot.

If you miss either one you get a strike.

Three strikes, you're out.

Euphoric, E-U-

P- H-O-R-I-C...

euphoric.

"Psoriasis."

Are you taking Latin at your schooI?

Psoriasis is a noun, origin Greek.

Are you kidding? My schooI bareIy has

enough money for kickbaIIs.

- There's no Latin cIasses.

- Latin heIps you understand words.

Psoriasis is Iike itchy skin.

Maybe your mom couId drive you

up here to take it with us.

I don't know. This is aII

starting to sound reaI heavy.

It is heavy.

SpeIIing bees are serious sh*t.

I think I'II take a shot.

On second thought,

couId I speII the word?

At Crenshaw they think I'm a freak.

Don't worry.

They think we're freaks here too.

Hey, there's my mom.

Need a ride?

Oh... naw.

My mom's gonna pick me up.

She shouId be here soon.

Hey, I'm having a birthday party

in a few weeks.

You want to come?

Maybe. If I can.

It was cooI seeing you

again, AkeeIah. Bye.

Bye.

Where the heII have you been?

- Studying.

- Studying where?

- WoodIand HiIIs.

- WoodIand HiIIs?

What you doing there?

They got a speIIing cIub.

Did Mr. WeIch take you?

'Cause ain't nobody caII me.

I went by myseIf. I didn't think

the bus ride wouId take so Iong.

- I'm sorry.

- AkeeIah Anderson!

You done Iost your mind?

You 11 years oId.

You don't be taking a bus

to WoodIand HiIIs by yourseIf.

- There's nobody around to take me.

- That's 'cause I work.

That's what you said

on the weekend.

AII the other kids have

their parents at the district bee.

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