Broadcast News Page #11

---

TOM:

Hey, okay. Look Buddy -- I've

got to go to work.

BUDDY:

(to Tom)

...good-bye then.

TOM:

I'll speak to you.

BUDDY:

Well, who knows. Just let m tell

you what my favorite teacher ever,

told me -- 'Don't be afraid to be

wonderful.'

He leans forward, gives Tom a quick embrace, a small kiss on

the cheek. Tom turns and walks off down the hallway to meet

his immediate destiny as Buddy looks on.

INT. CONTROL ROOM - DAY

Jane mounts some steps in the control room -- she moves past

the DIRECTOR and TECHNICAL CREW up to the next level where the

two news execs, Ernie and Paul stand with their backs to the

wall, and then up one more step slightly above the desk and

table occupied by Blair. Now she slips into the large well

paddled throne-like seat -- as WE BEGIN MUSIC CUE.

Literally at her fingertips is the row of buttons which provide

immediate access to the field reporters at the Pentagon, State

and the White House. In front of her the bank of monitors, the

Technical Team and past them the studio where Tom is seated at

Anchor, a FLOOR PRODUCER and WRITER feeding him copy.

ANGLE FAVORING BLAIR

As she looks at Jane, poised to control the complicated apparatus

of minds and machines comprising the big time network news.

And Jane Craig is at the helm. Blair experiences a flash of

emotion which transcends envy and verbalizes it.

BLAIR:

(sotto to Jane)

Executive Producer -- wow.

Jane looks at her and, in a moment of atypical merriment, does

a choking gesture at her own throat as the monitors flash a

graphic reading:
SPECIAL REPORT... We HEAR an ANNOUNCER'S VOICE

say, "This is a Special Report from..."

INSERT:
JANE'S CONTROL PANEL

Each of four buttons labeled so that the microphone can connect

her to Tom and the Field Reporters. She presses the button

marked "Tom."

JANE:

You hear me, Tom? Tom? Tom?

Damn it...He can't hear me...

(to Blair)

I told you if there was one thing...

Tom's VOICE on speakers.

TOM:

(voice over; relaxed)

I can hear you. I was just teasing.

Gulping the air in relief, she slumps nonetheless impressed by

the macho cool as:

Tom smiles towards her then -- poises himself just as the

Announcer's last words clear.

ANNOUNCER'S VOICE

(voice over)

...in Washington, Tom Grunick.

He begins his report. He seems authoritative, compelling, even

in a low key way. We trust him.

TOM:

Good afternoon. A Libyan fighter

plane attacked a United States

Military Installation early this

morning and was, itself, shot down

by American F-14 Interceptors.

Another monitor shows the Graphic running. In the b.g. two

men approaches Paul. They look out of place, decidedly

non-business like.

MAN ONE:

Mr. Moore, I'm Marvin Usher and this

is my brother, Stuart.

PAUL:

Not now!!!

(gesturing)

Look.

TOM:

The Libyan Missile destroyed an Army

Warehouse which, just thirty minutes

earlier, had been crowded with

servicemen. No one was injured.

INT. AARON'S APARTMENT - DAY

Aaron is seated, feet up, drinking, listening to MUSIC -- reading

a book, two remote controls are on the cushion next to him. He

SINGS OUT LOUD with the record as he reads -- at one point

providing his own lyric line OVER THE MUSIC.

AARON:

(SINGING LOUDLY)

And I can read while I sing.

He picks up the television remote-control device an puts the

television on, the SOUND OFF.

ON TV:

We SEE the graphic of the Libyan plane's flight route, its

missile firing -- the U.S. planes taking off and the shooting

down of the Mirage jet... At one point Aaron lowering the MUSIC

and raising the TV SOUND hearing Tom.

TOM'S VOICE

(voice over)

The heat seeking missile virtually

disintegrated the plane on...

Aaron turns down the TV SOUND and turns up the MUSIC.

INT. BOOTH

Jane's hand flicks at the button marked "PENTAGON."

JANE:

George, you're ready.

ON PENTAGON MONITOR

We SEE George and HEAR him through Jane's voice box.

GEORGE:

(voice over)

Should I cover everything or should

I save something for Tom to ask about?

JANE:

Cover everything!

George nods.

JANE:

(hitting Tom's button)

We're going to George. Say 'the

Joint Chiefs are meeting -- we have

George Weln at the Pentagon'.

ON TOM:

TOM:

George Weln is at the Pentagon where

the attack launched by the lone

Libyan pilot has resulted in a massive

movement of military might.

INT. AARON'S APARTMENT - DAY

Where he still balances STEREO and TV SOUND.

AARON:

A lot of alliteration from anxious

anchors placed in powerful posts.

He picks up the phone.

INT. CONTROL ROOM - DAY

As Blair hands it to Jane.

BLAIR:

It's Aaron.

JANE:

Yes?

AARON:

I think the pilot that shot down the

Libyan in 1981 is stationed right

here. Maybe you could get him --

and maybe Tom should say that our F-14

is one of the hardest planes to fly.

They're nicknamed 'Tomcats'.

JANE:

Thanks.

(to Tom)

The F-14 is one of the most difficult

planes to master.

(remembering)

Oh, you call them 'Tomcats' and in

the 70's the first crop had a number

of crashes.

TOM:

George, isn't the F-14 Tomcat one of

the most difficult machines for a

pilot to master?

GEORGE:

I think you're right -- it's certainly

one of our hottest planes.

INT. AARON'S ROOM - DAY

AARON:

I say it here -- it comes out there.

He giggles.

TOM:

(voice over)

There was trouble with them in the

early days -- back in the 70's.

Aaron dials again... As we SEE Jennifer standing at the

White House.

AARON:

(into phone)

Me again. Hi. Listen Gaddafi doesn't

foam at the mouth or anything. When

you speak to him he's not at all nuts.

He seems like a leader -- very

impressive, self-control...that's

what's so strange.

ON JANE:

JANE:

Right and we have the '81

pilot on the way in -- Nobody else

will have him.

AARON:

(voice over)

You're welcome. Sow how does it

feel to...I know you gotta go --

Me too. We're very busy here.

He hangs up -- LONG SHOT... Aaron with his remote controls.

The picture switches back to Tom. He turns UP the VOLUME.

TOM:

(voice over)

...outlaw nation but strangely those

who have interviewed Gaddafi find

him, in a phrase we like to use in

this country, very 'presidential'.

AARON:

Nice, Jane.

INT. CONTROL ROOM - DAY

Jane is on the phone. The atmosphere buckling with strain.

JANE:

(into phone)

Just a minute.

Her finger hits the "Tom" button.

JANE:

(to Tom)

To State for the message from Libya,

then you'll have the carrier pilot

from the Sidra in time to...

(a sudden shriek)

What? No!

ON TOM:

Jolted by the shriek in his earpiece but nonetheless continuing.

BACK TO JANE:

As she SCREAMS INTO the phone -- this is more than volume, she

is over-the-top livid, her face red, neck cords popping.

JANE:

We only have ten minutes left --

how can you talk to me about parking

problems? No, not you'll try...you'll

do it -- do it or I'll fry your fat

ass, Estelle. Good-bye.

As she BANGS the PHONE down. Paul comments sotto to Ernie.

PAUL:

(sotto)

I had no idea she was this good.

JANE:

(hitting Tom's button)

Fill for a second.

TOM:

(fluidly)

The latest message seems to indicate

that the Libyan pilot was acting on

his own without authority from anyone

else.

(into camera directly)

In other words, I think we're okay.

Rate this script:0.0 / 0 votes