Drop Dead Gorgeous Page #9

SUPER:
DRESS REHEARSAL - DAY BEFORE THE PAGEANT

IRIS:

Coupla things...Gladys wants to be

sure we go in show order today. All

right? So very important. Don't

forget that.

CUT TO:

DRESSING ROOM - HALLWAY

CLOSE ON LESLIE MILLER, in cheerleading uniform, standing

beside small framed photos of her boyfriend on the

counter.

LESLIE:

(unusually serious)

Oh-yah, really nervous. It's been

about two months. I haven't told my

boyfriend yet. How did you know?

DOCUMENTARIAN (O.S.)

I meant, nervous about the pageant?

LESLIE:

(suddenly perky)

Oh! Nervous about the pageant! Yah

sure!

She kisses a photo and GIGGLES.

CUT TO:

DRESSING ROOM - HALLWAY

CLOSE ON BECKY holding a sequin-covered poodle skirt and

sweater.

BECKY:

There are eight thousand sequins and

fifteen hundred beads on the skirt,

alone. My mom and Mrs. Lopez make it.

She's one of my father's many Mexican

(Me'hee'kan) workers he lifts from the

poverty they know in Mexico

(Me'heek'koe).

CUT TO:

DRESSING ROOM - HALLWAY

CLOSE ON AMBER ATKINS at the far end of the counter.

AMBER:

Yah-my ma's clothes all melted onto

mine forming like this big polyester

meteor in our closet, y'know? But, in

some kinda weird miracle, our neighbor

boy, Kenny Johanson, found my tap

costume on the roof-a their trailer

while he was settin' coon traps for

his dad. Here's the weird part. It

was still on the hanger.

DRESSING ROOM - HALLWAY

CLOSE ON TESS WEINHAUS wearing "I love German Shepherds"

sweatshirt, standing beside various trinkets.

TESS:

And, uh, this is my lucky bolt. They

think it fell from a DC-10. The

doctor said I was lucky the flat side

hit me, um, otherwise it coulda gone

right through my head.

(holds up red tap dress)

I know, I know, gives me the willies,

too. I guess the explosion...

Janelle Betz, wearing a flowing, nymph-like dress with

ballet slippers, glides up to Amber.

JANELLE:

(slow, due to signing)

Amber? Can we switch numbers? I need

to go first.

(smiling to camera)

My cousin just had a deaf baby and I

get to go see it!

AMBER:

Yah-sure, eight's my luck number

anyway. Diane Sawyer was number eight

at her local.

JANELLE:

Thank you.

INT. HIGH SCHOOL - GYM - DAY

ON STAGE "Through the Eyes of Love" plays as Janelle

performs her INTERPRETATIVE DANCE while signing the

words. In the f.g., Gladys appears very serious.

GLADYS:

(loud whisper)

I'll be honest. This is a hard time

for me. This is the part of the

pageant when you realize that tomorrow

night, all but one of these girls will

walk out of here a loser. It's hard

for me to know how that must feel, but

I'm sure it doesn't feel good.

In b.g., a BIG STAGE LIGHT FALLS on Janelle's head.

CRASH! Gladys and CAMERA rush the stage. "Through the

Eyes of Love" continues throughout.

EXT. LORETTA'S TRAILER - PORCH - THAT NIGHT

A very shaken Amber paces.

AMBER:

Don't you get it? I was supposed to

go first. I was contestant number

one. That light was meant for my

head. If Janelle hadn't wanted to

change numbers... God, I owe my life

to that deaf baby.

Loretta enters, portable phone and drink in hand.

LORETTA:

That was your mom. She wanted you to

have this.

AMBER:

(taking drink)

Really, Loretta?

LORETTA:

(avoiding eye contact)

You-betcha.

AMBER:

My mom wanted me to have this?

LORETTA:

Oh, shut up. I thought it might help

you get some sleep.

AMBER:

Loretta, never have kids.

LORETTA:

Well God-love-ya for thinkin' I still

could.

Loretta pulls a bag out of a closet and hands it to

Amber.

LORETTA (cont'd)

Here, your ma did want you to have

this since your other one got toasted

and all.

Amber pulls out an ELEGANT GREEN GOWN.

AMBER:

Oh...my...God! It's just like Diane

Sawyer's! kCourse it's not a size

ten, Diane was a little hippy back

then. Oh, thank you! Thank you!

Thank you!

She hugs Loretta.

EXT./INT. HIGH SCHOOL - MAIN ENTRANCE - NIGHT

SUPER:
NIGHT OF THE PAGEANT

BANNER:
"Welcome to the Mount Rose American Teen Princess

Pageant, sponsored by Sarah Rose COSMETICS." The ENTIRE

TOWN is excitedly entering.

CLOSE ON:

Mr. and Mrs. Howard and their daughter Tina, who's

embarrassed and continues to rant as they pass. All

three wear T-shirts with MOLLY'S FACE on them.

MR. HOWARD

MRS. HOWARD

Go Molly! Go! Number one daughter!

Behind them Leslie Miller's boyfriend, PAT, and a group

of ROWDY GUYS approach.

PAT:

Whooo! Leslie kicks Teen Princess

ass! Go Muskies!

INT. HIGH SCHOOL - GYM - DAY

STAGE IS DARK. Crowd takes their seats. You can feel

the electricity.

We hear the TAPE of a DRUM ROLL. SPOTLIGHT hits center

stage. Gladys enters wearing a gaudy gown, takes mic.

Applause!

GLADYS:

Welcome, welcome. Okay, alright, now.

Is this for me or the gown?

Laughter and applause trail off.

GLADYS (cont'd)

Welcome to the Mount Rose American

Teen Princess Pageant. While every

contestant you'll meet tonight is

special and unique, they all have one

thing in common. They're all "Proud -

to - be - an - American!"

Wild applause! Jazzy patriotic medley tape. Gym doors

fly open and like a Felliniesque Vegas review,

CONTESTANTS enter wearing gowns and U.S. Monument

Headdresses. They struggle to maintain balance as they

dance, moving only their arms, on stage.

CUT TO:

Becky, whose head is built like another president into

Mount Rushmore, is first at the mic. (The "dance"

continues behind each contestant as she steps up to the

mic.)

BECKY:

I chose Mount Rushmore, because to

live in a country where you can take

an ugly old mountain and put faces on

it, faces of great Americans, who did

so much to make our country super

great, well that makes me - Rebecca

Leeman - PROUD TO BE AN AMERICAN!

INT. HIGH SCHOOL - GYM - MONTAGE

A MONTAGE of OPENING NUMBER INTRODUCTIONS

ON LISA SWENSON:

wearing a Statue of Liberty Headdress. (It's a Barbie

Doll that holds an unlit birthday candle.)

LISA:

Living in a country where Lady Liberty

keeps her flame burning bright.

She reaches up with a lighter to light the candle. It's

hard to reach and won't light.

LISA (cont'd)

Keeps her flame burning bright...

INT. HIGH SCHOOL - GYM - MONTAGE

ON LESLIE MILLER

as she seductively strokes the sides of her Washington

Monument Headdress.

LESLIE:

The Washington Monument...

Guys WHOOP and CHEER O.S.

LESLIE (cont'd)

(enjoying this)

..makes me, Leslie Miller, proud to be

an American.

INT. HIGH SCHOOL - GYM - MONTAGE

ON AMBER ATKINS:

with a MAP OF THE U.S. HEADDRESS, dances up to the mic.

AMBER:

Living in a country where no matter

who you are or where you come from,

you can grow up and become what you've

always dreamed of, makes me, Amber

Atkins, proud to be an American!

INT. HIGH SCHOOL - GYM - MONTAGE

ON MOLLY HOWARD:

wearing an Atomic Blast at Hiroshima Headdress.

MOLLY:

Atomic power makes me, Molly Howard,

proud to be an Asian-American.

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