I dont even know what they mean beat them off with a stick. Well, if thats your only problem. Its not. I got my report card. Three cs, two ds and an incomplete. I see you studying so hard, tom. What do you think the problem is . I just have to try harder. And i will. I will. I will. I will. I will, i will i will i will. I will thanks, dad. This talk helped. Can you, um. Sign it, please . Do you think a tutor would help . Thatd be great. Itd better help. What can you do with yourself if all you can do is look good . Im frequently asked what special difficulties are involved in being graduated from high school two months shy of my 15th birthday. I sometimes think the difficulties themselves enabled me to do it. If id been appreciated, or even tolerated, i wouldnt have been in such a hurry to graduate. I hope the next student who excels isnt made to feel so much an outcast. But im looking forward to college and this is the happiest day ive had in a long, long time. So, i thank you, and i forgive you. Come on slug him yeah go ahead. This will heal what im going to say can never be erased itll scar you forever ready . Here it is. Youll never make more than 19,000 a year cream him take him. O. K. what about this . Youll never leave south boston. Ill see the whole damn world youll never know the pleasure of writing a graceful sentence or having an original thought think about it 19,000. Not bad [bell rings] dear felicio. Its truly amazing to me. That we live a world apart and yet have the same favorite music. I love the picture you sent me and have it up on. And have it. And have it up on my bulletin board. Honey. Aah good god, jane daddy dont ever do that to me its time for you to go to sleep. G i just have two more pen pals. Finish quickly. I dont want you getting obsessive about these things. Good night. All right. Obsessive. Obsessive. Dad, you want me to choose my words so carefully then you throw a word like obsessive at me. Now, unless im wrong obsession is practically a psychiatric term concerning people who dont have anything else but the object of their own obsession, who cant stop and do anything else. Well, im stopping to say this, so be more precise instead of calling a person Something Like obsessive good night. Hey, its me. You have to meet me in 30 minutes. Nudge your mate. I dont think theres time to eat, but theres probably a cafeteria at the bus depot. I love working with you two. It saves me a call. Yeah. [ringing tone] hey. Arnold schwarzenegger is on all three networks. I think hes live on two of them. The wakeup news used the wrong missile graphic. And they want us to take even cheaper rooms. [imitating schwarzenegger] arnold said hes making 3 million a movie but hes not ever gonna change. Hes still the same person when he was making 2 million a movie. He also bought a condo with maria theyre gonna furnish tastefully. Ha ha ha halfhour in the lobby. Ill see you in the lobbies. [sobbing] there he is. Hi. Id like to talk to you for a second. Just a few questions. No. I came from washington. Move away from me. There might be a band at the bus depot for j. D. Singers return from war. He was decorated for heroism watch this. How does it feel being home . Get the beep lost. Beep. Beep. Beeping beeping you want to use that . Depends on how big a news day it is. I cant believe you said that im very proud of that. He really opened up to you. If this were a war the United States sanctioned world war ii or vietnam. You really ought to work on your speech. It makes me nervous to think about it. Lets do this. Im not expecting any big homecoming. We are being increasingly influenced by the star system. The network anchormen are so powerful, they comprise our last best hope. Our profession is in danger. Ahem. [woman] so, where do you want to go eat . The Current Group is clearly qualified tied still to our best traditions but who follows these men . Excuse me. We are being pressured to take a loyalty oath. Wow. Ive known so many women like that. They dont like their looks so theyre angry. Excuse me. All of you know what im talking about. Were all trying to act tougher than we are, but we care, so. Were all secretly terrified by whats happening, arent we . Ahchoo catch you later. I was going to talk about other trends, but. Magazine shows news as profit the historic influence of entertainment tonight, the danger, the hope the dream, the question. Oh i was going to show you a tape, a story carried by all networks on the same night, the same night that not one network noted a major policy change in salt ii Nuclear Disarmament talks. Heres what they ran instead. [voice cracks] please show the tape. [speaking foreign language] i know its good film. I know its fun. I like fun. Its just not news. Well, youre lucky you love it. Youll get a lot more just like it. Good. Thank you. I think its over. Im going to get a bite to eat. Hi. Hello. I just wanted to tell you how great you were. My names tom grunick. Thank you. Yeah. They hated me. I dont hate them. Well, they say if you can reach even one person, it means something. And you did that. Would you like to have dinner with me . Sure. Another thing i cant stand is this dull . No no, no. No. No. Another thing i cant stand is when white house reporters harbor with each other after a briefing and one of them has a theory and the other quotes it in his story as, white house sources say. That actually goes on . Yes i am not tired. You want to talk in my room . Sure. Aw, come on. Even im not that hard on myself. No, really. I got this job on a fluke and wait till you hear how it ends up. I was doing sports at this station. The newspaper ran this untrue story that i was leaving and they got these tons of protest mail. Ha ha ha so. So they made me anchor. So, great. Right . Except im no good at what im being a success at. How are you at back rubs . Its normal, the way you feel. In graduate School Everyone thought the Admissions Committee made a mistake in letting them in. You think i lack confidence. Thats not it. I know i can talk well enough and i can make contact with people, but i dont like the feeling that im pretending to be a reporter. And half the time, i dont get the news im talking about. Its not that im down on myself. Trust me. I stink i trust you. I didnt even have a chance to become really good at sports. I wasnt bad. What about the obvious remedy reversing things maybe working at a newspaper. I dont write. Ha ha but that didnt stop me from sending my audition tapes to the bigger stations and the networks. Well, come on. It is your life. Nobody is tying you to the fast track. Did you go to college . So youre not welleducated, you have almost no experience, and you cant write. Yeah, and im. And im making a fortune. Its hard for me to advise you, since you personify something that i truly think is dangerous. Uhhuh. I agree that youre not qualified, so get qualified. Insist on being better prepared. Dont just leave it with, uh. I dont write im not schooled i dont understand the news, but at least im upset about it. Whoa. What do you want from me permission to be a fake . Stop whining. Do something about it um. You dont have to start right now. I hated the way you talked to me just now, and it wasnt just because you were right. No, no, no. It wasnt just the speech. The same thing happened with this guy. I have passed some line someplace. I am beginning to repel people im trying to seduce. He mustve been greatlooking. Why . Nobody invites a badlooking idiot to their bedroom. O. K. , lets do me. I feel like im slipping but do people who are slipping feel that way, or do the good people who are moving up invariably think theyre slipping because their standards are so high . This conversation is not worthy of you. I wish that were true. Good night. Wouldnt it be great if insecurity and desperation made us more attractive . Call if you get weird. Hmm . Take care, doll. I will. [ring] i was just thinking it was our shortest phone conversation ever. [tom] i never told you the reason i was telling you everything. Those audition tapes i sent ive been hired by your network for the washington bureau, so ill probably see you at work. What . Sorry. Speak to you later. Bobby, go to 9 45 46 the soundbite that starts, why were you in angola . We could go all please, bobby were pushing. [tape rewinding] why were you in angola . Politics . Money . What brings you to these places . Thats where the jobs at. Thats what i get paid for. They said i should observe. Were working here you can stand play the last line. Thanks. Bobby, let me hear it. Jane we need it in 14 minutes. [telephone rings] just a second. Let me hear it. What did you expect when you came back . Its a long time since ive seen my folks but im not expecting any big homecoming. Stop there. I want to shoot the homecoming from a Norman Rockwell book i have in the office. You dont have time ill be right down. I have to tell ernie because there isnt enough time yes, there is i dont think shes going to make it. Ha ha ha [monitor] it was a surprise. You want copy . Yes, doll, 15 seconds. Just a 2second dissolve to the rockwell. Should i just a 2second dissolve we have three minutes why do you do this to me . Is it because i won an award . Homecoming Norman Rockwells enduring portrait. The return of a fighting man has always been a moving ceremony of war. We have 1 1 2 minutes. I have to tell new york were not ready. Well be ready. In 84 seconds . 15 seconds. Lay it in, bobby. The screen will be black because were not there what about careers, huh . We wont make it whoops. Whoops . Bobby, bobby bobby, bobby, bobby. Oh, god bobby, bobby bobby, bobby. Well make it, blair oh oh go uh uh hey, watch it, there whoa open the damn door thank you hey . Fighting inside the perimeter. Tell new york we wont be ready. There she is. O. K. Stand by. Here 3, 2, 1. Take it . Was there. In other times there might be a band at the bus depot. Guys. Homecoming Norman Rockwells enduring portrait. The return of a fighting man has always been a moving ceremony of war. Tearful women, proud men, excited children. But j. D. Singer was right. His homecoming was no big deal. Aaron altman lincoln, nebraska. An american comes home. Thats your news. Im bill rorish. Good evening. Look at that smile. That was good work. His, uh. Bill smiled. He liked it. Bill loved it. Thats a big smile. Bill hasnt smiled like that in weeks good piece. Thanks, ernie. I got to see it again. He did smile. Ha ha ha dont tell anyone i did this. Im sorry if i got in the way. It was totally impressive it was just a great piece you werent. Thanks. How does it feel . I cant believe im here. Where did martin go . Downstairs. I cant believe im here. No, im wrong. He went to research. I cant believe im here if youre through work now no. Aaron and i go to Central America on wednesday so i am cramming. I thought you were incredible in there. Everybody was. I have a lot to learn. I would really a lot appreciate it really a lot appreciate it . You make me nervous. If i can pick your brain, if. I cant help you. Sorry. Im not here to teach remedial reporting. It has nothing to do with the fact that i left your room instead of staying . Ha please youre going to have to understand something. This isnt personal. O. K. Good night. Good night. [whispering in spanish] [whispering] he just said hes scared. [gunfire] o. K. , lets get this. Its too dark. No, its not. Just go aaron, go. [gunfire] the first shots were fired not 10 seconds ago from over there, towards the east. The contras feel they must be outnumbered. Thats a given. Theyve managed to hold their ground despite the fact that their weapons have been acting up. No new shipment of arms is expected until tomorrow. All they got today were shoes. Great line at the end. Did you get a shot of the boots . Of course. I cant believe i just risked my life for a network that tests my face with focus groups i dont feel good. Ha ha ha [sobbing] the proposal stipulates electing a president from among several candidates. Graphic on in two seconds. Hi. Hows it going . C. C. , we need control of 5. Chosen by the military command. A fire fight along the nicaraguan border when we return. Audio is up full. The first shots were fired not 10 seconds ago from over there, towards the east. Freeze. Freeze it back over. Congratulations, you two. Finally got a piece in early, huh . Bill saw it earlier. He loved it. No kidding . No ones checked the spelling on these chyrons. Theres a guy downstairs. Clerk vouched for him. He has something to say about gays getting promotions at state. Could i buy you dinner sometime . I just got back. I dont know which end is up. O. K. Jane bill rorish is asking for you. Ive never heard of him handing out compliments during a show. Jane, if it gets any better than that ill have to bring you up here to new york. Thanks. I wish youd kept the first 20 seconds. But thank you. Well, the visual with the shoes at the end was just perfect. He loved the boots aaron should hear this so i have another witness. You always want to give the credit away, dont you . No. He happens to deserve the credit. Hes right here. Ill speak to you soon. He had to read over some new copy. What . Can i watch you tape that interview downstairs . Yes. Thanks. The contras have only a few months. [whispering] laugh so they dont think im dying inside but have so much style that i just said something funny. Ha ha ha what did he say . Ha ha ha oh, ill never tell. The contras, who are creeping back into action. I once made some stupid remark about his hairline. Hell never forget it o. K. Ill meet the crew there. Could you give me that address one more time . Right. Yeah, its good to finally be getting to work. 17204 colorado. Right. Like the state. Yeah. 17204. Got it. 17204 . Yeah. Bye. 172. 17204. Jane, ive got a story. Jane . [honk] hi. How are you . Wait. I need you. I got a story. Some public official skipped a week on his Christmas Club . The House Armed Services committee has a secret report which says that the allen fighting vehicle the army poured a fortune into plain wont work. They have 5 million in this thing already. Billion. Right, billion. O. K. Of course. They said i could have any producer i want, and i want you. [tom] one Committee Source called it a 5 billion metal sculpture, too ugly to look at and too big to bury. Over time, however costs have doubled. Did you write this . I write for you sometimes. Not because you have to. Firepower to defend itself against enemy tanks. The Suspension System had to be redesigned because of the vehicles extra weight. The allen can carry only six infantrymen. Oh, come on. The vehicle to sink in shallow water. General, i dont want to bother you anymore. Tom rates two cameras, huh . Tomorrow youll see a mob of me here. If you have anything to say, sir say it now the way you want. Its great you left in what you said. Yes, please, lets never forget were the real story not them. Yeah, i know. I couldnt decide about it. Hes not afraid of being human. Shh . Before the House Armed Services committee. Tom grunick, the pentagon. As if the pentagon didnt have enough problems. Thanks, jane. Sure. Tom . My youngest wanted to meet you. This is elli. Hi, elli. You should be honored. She never wanted to meet anyone here before. Dad. But she said she loved you on Television Just now. Hi, elli. Remember me . Iim not sure. Im sorry. Ive been to your house. Aaron was on that 14day raft trip with us last year. Oh, yeah. I wore a big yellow raincoat. Oh, yeah. It had a hood. Yeah hi your hairs different. Yeah. Hi hi, elli. She knows me. Ah. Our host come on in. Sorry were late. Its janes fault. Smells good. It is good. Anne worked all weekend. Why should we feel defensive about it . Newspapers are in business to make money. Why not us . They criticize us for pandering while they run wingo games. Exactly right. Excuse me. Im paid to mix. Ha ha goodbye, paul. Take care, paul. Because of money. I cant believe it. Ha ha ha martin, would you excuse us for a minute . No. Go away. Well, you know ive been meaning to ask you. Ah, forget it. This is very awkward. I see tom around you a lot. Id like to see him outside of work, unless theres some reason for you to mind. Whoa, whoa, whoa. Do i mind . Why would i mind . No. Wait. I do mind. I think about him outside of work sometimes, but i know i dont respect him. What am i talking about . What am i saying . Youre saying, stay away from him. I cant be. We dont have to settle this right now. Wait a minute. Ive studied these things. Tell me one person who ever left Television News to work on a newspaper. Right. It sure looks good. After all these years, we have a life. See you. See you. Hey. Hi, tom. Hi. Its the first time ive seen you dressed like this. You look so clean and pretty. What do you mean . Clean . At the office, you have this film over you. Ive got to find someone. Its important. Excuse me. Jennifer. Hey jennifer forget what i said. Do whatever you want to with tom. Theres nothing im going to do right this second. Its your day off. Youre entitled. A plane shot up an air base in sicily. This could be very, very thats it o. K. , right away. Ernie . Tom . Tom. Yeah. What is it . A libyan plane just shot up one of our bases in sicily. We should tap our source. Jennifer, we need you. Jane, we want you to exec produce a special report. A libyan plane shot up an american base in sicily. Since paul is here hes made the assignments jennifer at the white house, george at the pentagon martin at state. We need an anchor, since rorish is on his boat. Were doing the report from here with tom. What . Youre not going to use him at all . Its not my choice. Its 1 35, and its tom. You can reach me at the office. Paul, forgive me. Im really sorry. Pardon me for interrupting, but. Paul, i need to talk to you outside. Great. Toms not near ready for this job not by the longest shot. Aaron spent six weeks in tripoli. Hes interviewed qaddafi. He reported on the 81 story. Hes essential to do our best job. Its my responsibility to say so. Thats your opinion. I dont agree. Its not opinion. Youre just absolutely right and im absolutely wrong. It must be nice to always believe youre right to always think youre the smartest person in the room. No, its awful. Youd better get going. Hey would you come on . Nervous . Excited. Tell george and jennifer to try and cover everything without tom having to ask. O. K. Bobby says did you hear what i said . Take a breath. And most important make sure his earpiece works. Have backups ready. Thats never been more vital. He must be able to hear me. [telephone rings] get a picture of e2 hawkeyes i can put on the feed prompt. [telephone rings] [gargling] stand by animation. Ready vtr 1 and 2. Ready to announce. Ready on camera 1 with cue. Stand by. Good luck, kid. Ready. I need five. Six. 30 seconds to air time. Everyone here is programmed clearly . Yeah everyones good. Executive producer. Wow how many seconds to air . 30. Stand by camera 1. Camera 2 center it up. A little left. Tom, can you hear me . Tom, can you hear me . Tom . Tom. Tom tom . Tom damn it he cant hear me i can hear you. I was just teasing. 5, 4, 3. And announce. 2, 1. Cue him with effects. Good afternoon. A libyan fighter plane attacked a u. S. Military installation at comiso, sicily, at 10 07 a. M. , eastern time. The libyan mig21 was shot down by american f14 jets. The base a u. S. Naval air station. There are 500 men and women stationed there. The libyan bombs destroyed a warehouse which 30 minutes earlier had been crowded with servicemen. [stereo] bought a oneway ticket back. Oneway ticket back i can sing while i read i am singing and reading both leavin on that Midnight Train to georgia leavin on that Midnight Train the libyan mig21 dropped all four of its bombs on the u. S. Air station. [tom] the heatseeking missiles virtually disintegrated the plane. Id rather live in his world than live without him. George, you ready . Yeah. Should i cover everything or should i let tom ask me something . Cover everything. Were going to george. Say, the joint chiefs are meeting. We have george weln at the pentagon. To better monitor the situation. George weln is at the pentagon and reports that the attack has triggered a Massive Movement of u. S. Military might. A lot of alliteration from anxious anchors placed in powerful posts [george] was this the work of a dissident pilot or was the pilot acting on instructions . We now have qaddafi on the screen. Its aaron. 2 looks soft. Yes . The pilot that shot down the libyan in 1981 is stationed right here. Tell tom the f14 is extremely hard to fly and theyre nicknamed tomcats. Thank you. Said qaddafi this is not war. The f14 is extremely difficult to master. Theyre called tomcats. Isnt the f14 tomcat extremely difficult for a pilot to master . In the seventies the first craft had many crashes. There was trouble with them in the seventies. Thank you, george. I say it here, it comes out there. Jennifer . The white house is preparing. All right, stand by, please. [telephone rings] hi. Qaddafi doesnt foam at the mouth or anything. When you speak to him, he seems not at all nuts. He seems like a leader. Good. Were getting the 81 pilot. Nobody else will have him. Whats it like being executive producer . I got to go. Me, too. Got to go. Got to go. Were very busy. Stand by, camera 1. Center up. Were going to remote 3. Its the gulf of sidra. The u. S. Commander is nathan benchley. In 1981, two libyan jets attacked two american f14s [jane] they got an su22. Flying over the gulf of sidra. Today they got a mig21, a better plane. Qaddafi claimed that the gulf is part of libyas territorial waters. Both libyan jets were downed by the american fighters. He is nathan benchley. The commander of one of those planes, nathan benchley, joins us. Commander, it must have been tougher shooting down the mig21. You got an su22. Whats it like at confrontation . What is a dogfight like . After this well do a wrapup. Ask him how he knows when he has a hit. Do you know you have a hit from a screen inside your cockpit, or can you see your missiles strike . Thats good. [benchley] the equipment is sophisticated but you like to see it to confirm it. Its considered an Outlaw Nation but some who have interviewed qaddafi find him to use an american phrase, very president ial. Nice, jane. Well go to martin klein, then to the carrier pilot from the sidra what no you missed him . Theres only 10 minutes left how can you talk to me about parking problems . No, not youll try do it, bye i had no idea she was this good. Tom. Tom. Fill for a second. Tom . Go. The latest message seems to indicate that the libyan pilot was acting on his own without authority from anyone else. In other words i think were all o. K. Who the hell cares what you think . The Libyan Government has disavowed prior knowledge of the attack. Im tom grunick reporting from washington. Good afternoon. Animation. Thanks, everybody. We are out. Nice job, tom. Everybody on the floor thank you so much. Good job, buddy. Thank you, ernie. Jane, great work. Really. You know . There were no major gaffes, anyway. Oh no major gaffes. Ha ha you were brilliant josh, great stuff. Thank you. Congratulations, jane. You guys were so good. You guys thanks, jane. Thanks, ernie. You know, this was important for tom. Theres that bonding thing that happens. Im watching paul address the troops. Its not the conventions anymore. Its this kind of moment. Oh, hi. Wow hey, mr. Ice man you were great. You, too. Great job. Good work, tom. Thanks. What a baptism, tom congratulations. With all this help its easier than local. Wheres jane . Shes back there. Can i help you . Were here to play the new news theme. Youre an amazing woman what a feeling having you inside my head yeah. It was. An unusual place to be. Its, like, indescribable you knew just when to feed me the next line. You knew the second before i needed it. There was a rhythm we got into. It was like great sex ha ha ha you have to celebrate with me. Everybodys going to the bar down the street. Im going over to aarons. Maybe ill hook up with all of you later. How long do you think youll be. There . It starts off with this very hightech thing like this. Bom bom thats the news. Really . Ha ha it was good . Your calling in that information you are the classiest guy i know here. Have a beer. Celebrate. God. It was so strange watching him. Whats next lipsynching . O. K. , o. K. , o. K. Ive been doing some of the most important thinking of my life today. I wonder if i should tell you now. Whatever you think. I figured out why im so hung up on getting a chance at weekend anchor. If i do it well, theyll pay me more and theyll treat me better. You may be on to something. Which means im at their mercy and who wants that . I wont tell you where this thought has led me in the middle of this, i started thinking about the one thing that makes me feel good and makes immediate sense. And its you. Oh, bubba. Im going to stop right now. Except i wish you were two people. Id tell the one whos my friend about the one that i like so much. All right. Imim im not going to say anymore, primarily because im about to pass out. Ill walk you to the corner. You get some sleep. Right now . After i walk you to the corner. Come on, buddy. You were stunning today. You have someplace to go now, right . Yeah, yeah. Good night. Good night. Well i felt something. Hee hee hee i didnt think youd make it. Thought id see if all of you were still here. Ill go join the gang. The gang is gone. We were the last ones. Oh. Well, ill, uh. Ill go have a burger. You want another burger . Yeah. Hey, i know how to have a burger by myself. I feel like a little solitude. I sure know that feeling. Hey, terrific work today. Right back to you. Thanks. Good night. Good night. Ha ha i feel great. You sure i shouldnt get a taxi . What for . Oh, i dont know. Why . You have the greatest car and the greatest driver in all of washington. You look confused. Im not. Ohh give me some of that. Wheres the bathroom . Oh, through the closet. Wow im so tired of defending my closet. I always had a problem with space. It was getting so i couldnt find anything so i converted a bedroom. Wait till youve been doing it for 16 years. Its a great solution. Not only the storage t but you can see everything you have. Do you do bunny rabbits . Jennifer isnt this a great date . Well, theyve been looking at just about everything foreign bureaus, domestic bureaus all kinds of personnel even equipment. Anyway, they seem to be very, very serious about making me cut 24 million from the budget. Now, this is going to mean massive firings. Uh. Im doing whatever i can but i did want you to be aware of this very serious situation. Now, were going to also be covering the alaskan serial killer trial on a continuing basis. Id like it to be assigned out of washington. We have to put someone on a plane to anchorage. Jane . Who do you think george weln of jennifer . Jennifer. Good night, emily. Good night, jane. Come on. Ill buy you a drink. Theres a big thing at the italian embassy. Im not sure id be good company tonight. Ahh, ill be the judge of that. Ill get my coat. Two, please. Tom . Tom . [stumbles] ha ha ha im all right. Heavy hitters. Yeah. How are you doing . Great. Network news washington. I love it. What do you do when your real life exceeds your dreams . Keep it to yourself. You know, yesterday, i really wanted to know your reaction to how we did with the libyan report. I was going to ask but i think im. Im a little intimidated with you. Stop it you cant talk about feeling intimidated when youre on top of the world. Im not buying into that i have a load to learn you have your job. Shut up. O. K. Pretty peppy party isnt it, pal . I made one rule for myself when this started, and i realized i would take a lot from you people because of being from sports. And that rule was . Never to pretend to know more than i did. Can you name all the members of the cabinet . O. K. , lets drop it. Im not taking a test for you. If that came up in conversation were conversing. The names of the cabinet have slipped my mind. Say, do you know them . O. K. , dont me them. Just tell me if you know. Yes, aaron i know them. O. K. All 12 . Yes theres only 10. Youre feeling good, arent you . Im starting to, yeah. Hey, we may do state capitals next. 50, right . [jane] hi. There you are. Is this it . Yes. I am so exhausted. Punchy. Sick tired. I cant think, and i cant move. Im just a dead lump of pouredout flesh. Would you like to come up . Maybe we could just sit here, talk a little. O. K. Ill have to do a whole story on my own. Eventually. I have an idea for something. What . If i tell you, can you manage not to put it down or tell me why it wont work or is in bad journalistic taste . Yes, tom i think i can manage. O. K. Its about women who are attacked by someone they know on a date. Ugh. Im sorry, im sorry. I didnt mean it. Well, keep it that way. Wait a minute i didnt say anything stand. Im innocent before im ooh innocent. Youre guilty before you can be innocent. Door to door. [telephone rings] [ring] [whistling] hello . Jane . Jane. Yes. Tom . Tom, is that you . Yes. Hey, you called me. Is it your story . No, um. [clears throat] are you going to the Correspondents Dinner . You need me for the story . No. Are you going . Uhhuh. Maybe i get off work id like to go. Good. We could go together. So. So, you like me, huh . I like you as much as i can like anyone street cops say. That fits. Was that last cut good for you, bobby . Uh, yeah. Great. Thank you for asking. Thank you. [tom] according to the fbi there were more than 87,000 rapes reported last year. Most people think of a rapist as a violent stranger, but today, an attack may be whats called date rape being forced to have sex with someone you know. So anyway, it was that you know give him a chance thing. Hi. Shh shh shh i was lonely. So. We went to a movie and when he brought me home, he asked for a beer and said hed go. So how do you say no to that . My cousin donna. Really . So first, um. It was kind of like this wrestling match which was awful enough because. It got very violent. What is this . And im a modest person. And he ripped my clothes off. And he forced me to. Make love. And then he stayed in my apartment and forced me more times. I promised myself i wasnt going to cry. Um. Its just. This whole thing has just. Messed me up. Lets turn on the news. Come on sex, tears this must be the news. Sorry. Im in a pissy mood. Whats wrong with it . Nothing. You blew the lid off nooky. Oh oh the victims often remain too terrified to talk, the Police Powerless to perform properly, and all the welfare groups can do is monitor this epidemic of crime without punishment. Tom grunick, annandale, virginia. Malcolm west on trial for the murders of 15 men, has led police to four. Nice work. I got to get a crew off the clock. What did you think . It moved me. I did relate to it. I really did. It was unusual for you to cut to yourself when you teared up. And that might not have been my choice, but it was real, and it got me, and i think a lot of the time im too conservative about that stuff. O. K. . O. K. Body counts now 19. The jury returns to the site. Tom, that was really swell tonight. Good. Four more bodies now taken from the frozen earth. Jennifer mack, wodahamlet, alaska. Easterns got the right time. How are you . Hi. Im just writing you a note. Uh, what do you say we take a walk . Outside . Yeah. Come on. Im not suggesting the worst will happen. Its just that somebody with your brilliance gets nibbles about other jobs now and again. Maybe down the road, you should look into it. Oh, damn. Those freaking jerks they want to fire me. All i know is they got to fire a large number of people. Ahh. Theyre not even going by seniority. Theres a recklessness in the air. Do one thing for me. Get me one shot at anchoring the weekend news. It could turn it around for me. I could do that this saturday. Everybody wants off for the Correspondents Dinner. Do it, then. Please prepare carefully. This couldnt happen at a better time. Prepare what . You have saturdays news handy . Its a long while since youve read the news. Ill have somebody work with you, just on superficial performance things. O. K. I think i better be alone for a while. I understand. Ill go with you. Thanks. This is very uncomfortable for me and i dont mean that as a knock, either. O. K. , go ahead. Ill just tell you what i think. You can disregard it if you want. I dont know how effective this will be because of our different approaches. O. K. Reports tonight wait. Your coat jacket is rising up in back. O. K. When you sit sit on your jacket. That will give you a good line. Reports tonight look at the monitor. O. K. Reports tonight from far down on the Arabian Peninsula indicate that heavy fighting your jacket, aaron. What are you doing . Dont touch me. Sit on it. But just dont handle me. Im sitting on it look. Fantastic tip thats great. Continues for a second day between government and rebel forces in prosoviet no. Dont let your eyes move from the beginning to end. You dont want to look shifty, do you . No. The right side of your face is the good one. Theyll let me do the news like this . Heavy fighting continues for try to punch one word or phrase in every sentence. One idea per story. Punch. You were smoking there toward the end. The pointers were great. Ill study the tape. Remember youre not just reading the news, youre narrating it. Youre selling them this idea of you. Youre saying, trust me. Im credible. So when you feel yourself just reading stop and start selling a little. O. K. So long. [doorbell rings] [ring] you look like this porcelain thing. You look beautiful. You look beautiful. Thats gorgeous whats that . I spilled rum on my jacket. Help me pick something out. O. K. Im thinking the gray suit. [dials] tom, why dont i meet you there . I got some stuff to take care of. Did you rent the tux or buy it . I knew it. How much . Wow o. K. , ill see you there. Youre going with him . Dont wear that shirt. No, blue. Let me look at the gray. Not bad, right . Looks nice. So help me pick a tie. O. K. You brought all of them. How much was the tux . 1,140 bucks. No. Yeah. Try this one. Not bad. I read about it in a magazine. That way you dont put on too much. Could you at least pretend its awkward me showing up while youre getting ready for this date . Its not a date its coworkers going to a professional conclave. I hate missing it. I wish i could be there. Me, too. If it gets dull before 11 00 youll drop by the studio. Im not sure i can. Ill have the tape. Ill wait for you afterwards at my house. O. K. , great. Good luck. Thanks. Have a good time tonight. You, too. The marriott. What is it . Whats the matter . What are you doing . Oh, no. My little tailor you were all wrinkled and schmutzy. Ive got shoulders. Good . Thanks. Maybe ill just stand here and guard your corner. Ill be here when you get back. Dont take connecticut. Go. Taxi hey, nick. Read this over. See what you think. Sure. Aaron. Hey, george. What are you doing here . Anchoring the weekend news. Im going to anchor it. Hey way to go. This is terrific. This is a pleasure to read, really. Is there water on the set . Yeah, sure. Youll be fine. Well, hello, tom. He moves and smiles and moves and smiles. If he doesnt see me soon, were not supposed to be together. Its for me . Hi, jane. Hey, arlene. Its incredible whos here who . Me. Thats an outlaw dress. Thank you. Yes whoo o. K. , 20 seconds to air. 15 seconds. [music plays] 10 seconds. Cue graphic. The weekend report with aaron altman. Go, aaron. Good evening. In mood and language better suited to an espionage novel than the delicate world of the western alliance, the British Foreign secretary today pounced on what he termed the nest of professional spies and amateur traders who are turning nato headquarters into an instrument whose only true function is folly. We begin our coverage with edward towne in london. Take it. The british. Shes coming in now. 20 seconds. For denouncing breaches of security. Any breach of security. Gee whiz i think im starting to perspire a little. Involving nato military deployment was passed on. Are you seeing . The information was apparently delivered in coded messages written on paper bags from the nato cafeteria. Six cafeteria workers. Five seconds edward towne, london. The sub bases referred to are located in five countries norway, belgium, the netherlands, spain, and great britain. This is more than nixon ever sweated. Our own state department was rocked not only by the revelation but from the highly unusual persistence of the state press cps. Nice touch. Martin klein reports on the ruckus at foggy bottom. Just how noticeable is this . Huh . Do you have a bigger one . Hurry 10 seconds. Will severely limit natos ability. [hair dryer] five seconds everythings fine, aaron. [crash] a bomb exploded on a railroad bridge outside of madras, india sending a passenger train. Youve got your hands in. Youve got your hands in your hand get your hand out your hand you know he wrote some beautiful stuff. 120 people were reported injured, at least 22 people dead. Commercial. I wish i were one of them. Remember brinkleys great line . Its as irrevocable as a haircut. Can i check your purse . I got some decent stuff at yard sales. I like those. Can i have your autograph for my wife . How are you doing, paul . Tom. Youre finally learning to be flexible. Glad youve changed your mind about tom. Maam, can i check your purse . Id like to know what the contents are myself. Sir, may i see that briefcase . Id like to check the contents. Could i see your purse . We got to go. Im sorry. What . I. Oh you o. K. . Great. Im so sorry i pulled you away from that dinner. Those things can be a lot of fun. Everybody tries to be funny. All of a sudden, theres these people trying to make political careers out of how many laughs they get. Why cant i let go of this woman . Well. At least kiss me when you do that. You just cant stop editing me, huh . This is hysterical. I was half hoping i wouldnt have a good time tonight. Know why . Because youre nuts . Right. Isnt she fun to tease . Ohh. What . More and more lately when ive been watching you in action and seeing you and all your. Energy ive been wondering what itd be like to be inside all that energy. Me, too. I dont remember ever saying anything like that exactly. I dont know why i just did. Wait a minute. I can think of two reasons. I just thought of another. If you talk about it you dont have to do it. Thats not it. Youre trying to make it all about sex, or its that great feeling that you dont want to hold anything back. You know, intimacy. Oh, shoot. What . I promised aaron id stop by and see how he did. Ill go along. No ill be back at your place as soon as i can. Jane what happened . Dont run off like everythings settled the minute you make up your mind. He can talk more freely if i go alone. Its just that id like you to give me a minute. So i can catch up. O. K. Sorry. Dont yell at me like that again. You scared the life out of me. [buzz] its open i was in the shower. Howd it go . You didnt talk to anybody . No. Then it went very well. Really . Define your terms. Do you feel good about it . No. Do others feel you did well . No. What was good . I lost 6 pounds. Aaron, will you tell me . It was great there i was, writing my firstrate copy sitting on my jacket punching my one thought. Except i had this historic attack of flop sweat. Ill never anchor again, ever. I lost one of your shoulder pads. I think it drowned. What do you mean flop sweat . I bet you were the only one who knew. People phoned in. Stop kidding im not there were complaining calls because you were sweating . Nice ones worried i was having a heart attack. If all that happened, how come youre so chipper . I dont know. I dont know. At some point, it was so bad, it just got funny. My Central Nervous system was telling me something. Sweat pouring down my face makeup falling into my eyes people turning on this fusillade of blow dryers all so i could read introductions to other people covering the stories which is what i like to do anyway. And im chipper because you finally showed up. Im going to cook for us. I have to be someplace. Now . I told whats his nametom that id meet him. Call him up. It can wait, i. I may be in love with him. I knew it. Get out of my house now. Get out. Im not kidding get out of here you go to hell come back here. Come on. Dont go. This is important to me i think its important for you, too. Come on. Sit down. Sit down. What is this . Ill take it. What . Give me one minute, please this is tough. Ah jane. O. K. , lets take the part that has nothing to do with me. Let me just be your most trusted friend now the one that gets to say all the awful stuff, o. K. . I guess. Yes. You cant end up with tom because it totally goes against everything that youre about. Yeah. Being a basket case. I know you care about him. Ive never seen you like this with anybody so dont get me wrong when i tell you that tom while being a very nice guy, is the devil. This isnt friendship. Youre crazy you know that . What do you think the devil would look like . A guy with a pointy tail . What will he sound like . Aah aah no. Im semiserious here. Youre serious he will be attractive, nice and helpful. Hell work where he influences a great godfearing nation. Hell never do an evil thing or hurt a living thing. And hell talk about all of us really being salesmen. And hell get all the great women. Hey, aaron i think youre the devil you know im not how . Because i think we have the kind of friendship where if i were the devil, youd be the only one id tell you ran after toms help yes if things had gone well tonight, i probably wouldnt say this. I grant you everything but give me is. He personifies everything that youve been fighting against. And im in love with you. How do you like that . I buried the lead. Ive got to not say that out loud. It takes too much out of me. I never fought for anyone before. Does anybody win one of these things . [telephone rings] [ring] hello. Hi. Hi. Where are you . I. I cant get away just yet. Im at aarons. Oh, well, when . Im not sure. It seems like he had a mishap on the news. Not if you count singing in the rain. Dont treat it like a tragedy. Want me to talk to him . Uhuh. He says you could hardly notice it. Um. Um. Let me talk to him. Dont say anything about anything. Let me talk to him. Hi. Hi. Sorry to keep jane. I didnt realize youd be going this late. Ill put her back on. Thank you. Hi again. Im sorry about this. Look. Dont worry. That sounds more important. Lets. Lets forget about tonight. I dont know. If thats absolutely necessary. I have my father coming through tomorrow. I should get some sleep. Uhhuh. Ill see you at the office. Good night. Hello . Yes . O. K. Good night. Good night . Jane. I am not some chore you have to finish so you can stay on schedule. O. K. , grunick. Easy shots now. Good night. [hangs up phone] he just canceled. He had a. Chance to think, and he canceled. I cant i cant breathe. [gasping] damn it over a guy well, jane, thanks for stopping by. Good night. Hes on assignment right now. Hi. I kept trying to call you. You never called me were you just diddling me . When im a woman eet you, sir. Please forgive what i said. Sorry. Just light up a room and leave, huh . You want my opinion . Whats easy to miss about jane you want my opinion . Yes, i would. The way she just acted is not the way an affectionate person acts. Yes, it would be my pleasure. Rorish. When do you start telling people . Almost immediately, bill. Id like to take everybody out after the show. Fantastic. Hello, donny. Bill what a surprise. Hi, mr. Rorish. Bill, this is hard on all of us. Its no time for compliments, but i think its extraordinary of you to come down here for this. If were not here during the tough times were not a news organization. Bill welcome back to washington. Bill. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. I forget. Is she on the list . This is a brutal layoff. And all because they couldnt Program Wednesday nights. You can make it less brutal by knocking a million or so off your salary. A bad joke. Im sorry. Awful. Its a miserable day. That was just some kind of sick joke defense mechanism. It just doesnt indicate any of my feelings not one. It just shows the kind of stress this represents for all of us. No excuse for it though. Bill. Tom. Its about time. Good to see you. I feel terrible about what happened. What did he say . He said, um. That he liked you. Because you looked like you had fire and honesty. No. Did he really . Yes. What . Come here. Come here. Uh. Paul canned me. Well, my brother will feel great. Now hes not the only screwup. Tom, paul wants to see you. Bob, i just found out. Hell just be a minute. I hate this so much. You know im just old enough to be flattered by the term early retirement. Thats wonderful. What a lovely line. Now, if theres anything i can do for you. I certainly hope youll die soon. Tom. This is a severe cutback, tom. 27 people in this bureau alone including technical personnel. Were going to reorganize at the same time. Were dropping you from washington and assigning you to london. You knew they were going to offer me this before i went in there. I cant stand this we care for each other too much to be dishonest. Im leaving. No matter who they replace me with, they were making me leave anyway. The fact that its you takes some of the sting out of it. And i dont think youre any better than i am. Oh damn no, im not are you out of your mind . Have you guys seen jane . Shes back there getting my job. The first woman bureau chief weve ever had here. What happened to you . They booted me out of washington. Impossible there isnt a system in the world that wouldnt value one of us. What did they do to you . Its what he did. Im proud of him. They told me theyd keep me because they could plug me into any story and my salary was in line, so i quit. Jane, i got to tell you something. Yeah . Except for socially youre my role model. You packing up tonight . Mmhmm. Im sorry theyre sending you down. Im sure youll make it back. Where are they sending you . London. London . Yeah. Thats a promotion. I dont think so. Yes thats where they sent rorish before they made him anchor. I cant believe you theyre grooming you for it all you dont even know it keep it down will you . Let me ask you something. You had one camera crew on that daybreak piece . Yeah. Sticking around for the Farewell Party . No, it wont be much fun watching martin klein and ernie turn in their credentials to the security guard. Hi, hank. Can i speak with my wife . No message. Ill see her at home. This is one story theyre not going to cover. If the network doesnt cover it its not important so why worry . Im going to miss you. Youre a bastard in a great. Way. Ha ha ha you know what i mean. I like the way it made me sound. O. K. Be good. Well figure out whos hiring, o. K. . Nobody knows what theyll do now. Its not fair, donny. Thank you, jane. Good luck. Jane, martin would like to see you if you get a chance. This is the third cutback in four years. These people. Its all so awful. It just hurts, physically doesnt it . Like somethings wrong with your bones. Like your. Organs are shifting inside your body. Maybe i havent been here long enough. Hey, congratulations on the promotion. Congratulations . How can you say that. To me . Im sorry i cant stand here feeling bad because i dont feel worse. This has happened at every station ive ever been to. Do they owe you any time off . 14 weeks. I think its crazy for you to come here tomorrow and start a new job. I have a week before i have to get to my new job. Lets get the hell away to some island fast and. And find out how we are together away from this. Well. I just think. Thats an extraordinary proposal. Thats yes . Thats more than yes. Thats you bet. [ring] hello. Bastard sneak quitter speaking. I just found out. You didnt say anything to me. Will you meet me . No, i cant. Maybe next week. No. Im going away tomorrow. Ill meet you at the place near the thing. Anyway my agent says he has a very hot prospect the number two station in portland. They want to be as good the networks. Personally i think should aim higher. Tell me the gods honest truth. Are you leaving because of me . Ernie said youre lucky if you get out when you can ill cry. I should have quit three years ago. Youre just trying to say great stuff so ill feel even worse that youre not around. Lets go. I just want to ssit here. I mean the feeling to stay here. Is powerful. Why is that . Maybe the best part of your life is over and you dont want to start the bad part. You are now required to sit here with me come on be smart for a second. What do you. Think will happen to us . What will happen . Thats very easy. Five, six years from now ill be back to collect an award representing the surge in foreign coverage by local stations. What will they call the award . The euchy. Yes. Anyway ill be walking with my wife and children. Well bump into you. Son will Say Something, and i will say its not nice making fun of single fat ladies. You wont be able to stay mad at me, right . I hope so. No, im not really mad. Ill miss you, well talk well always be friends well get hot for each other and well never act on it. O. K. . I got to go. Jane . You know how tom had tears in his eyes in that interview with that girl . Ask yourself how we were able to see that when he only had one camera and it was pointed at the girl during the entire interview. Im fairly sure i was right to tell you. It was just. This whole thing has just messed me up. Maybe more than it should have. Im sorry. Are you o. K. . Yes, im sorry. Dont be silly. What are you sorry about . I just went. Oh we just need a we just need a minute more of your time. So he can shoot from behind you, toward me, and, uh. Well have some place to go when we cut. I sit here i nod my head, and i look nerdy. Tom, that kills me we didnt get you on camera. So powerful seeing your reaction. I thought you were going to cry yourself. That would have been something. Give me a minute. Uhh oh its amazing. Pardon me, please. Where would we catch a bus to washington . Turn right. Thank you very much. See . I told you. Mr. Robert p. Summer pick up the white phone. Mr. Robert p. Summer please pick. Look whos the organized one. I got everything im not going. [sighs] why . I saw the taped outtakes of the interview with the girl. I know you acted your reaction after the interview. Its verboten, huh . I thought since i almost did it the first time, but. But i get you. Thats not the reason youre not coming. Of course its the reason. Its terrible. Come with me well disagree and get a tan at the same time. If youre going to be glib y im going to lose it jane keep it down. I was up all night, and. Jane. It made me ill. Thats better. You could get fired for that. I got promoted for that. Working up tears for a news piece cutaway . You crossed the line its hard not to. They keep moving the little sucker it it proves that the differences we this is a oneway argument. We have six days. If we fight, well come home. If you dont go, i leave for london after that. So it would be a very big deal the plane is boarding. Youre good at deadlines. Heres your ticket. Its amazing. You commit this breach of ethics then you act as if im giving you a hard time about nothing try and get this when you edited that piece im leaving now. Gate e2. Good morning good morning. Dupont circle, please. Dont take the beltway, because at this time of day theres going to be a go any way you want. When they told me bill had decided to retire and offered me the evening news i thought it was the same kind of joke we used to pull at the station turning someones prompter off in the middle of a show. [laughter] but when they heard my reaction, they thought i was kidding. I told them id be their anchor, but i didnt want to be the managing editor, that there were People Better qualified than i to control the content and if there werent we were all in trouble. [laughter] now to something more important. Id like to introduce my fiancee. Lila . Oh, aaron congratulations. Lila, lila. Lila, this is aaron altman. Hi. This kid. Couldnt possibly belong to anyone else whats your name . Clifford. Do you know who this is . The big joke . Ha ha. Ooh. I dont know. You know janes down here. Im taking cliff to see her. Can i come along . Yeah. Ill meet you back at the place . O. K. . Yes. Well call mommy later. Your speech was magnificent. Oh, i forgot to Say Something about the speech. I appreciate that. Tom, we are proud of you. Thanks. Hey, guys come over here hey. Hey, what is this . My life is rushing in front of eyes clifford come over here i want to show you something clifford come on i want to show you something. Picnic . I thought for old cliff here but who knew about this . Itll be great, though. Did you get in last night . Yeah. Extreme culture shock. You are more adorable than your pictures. Look at you look what i got for you, cliff. Whoa whoa thats terrific let me see it, cliff. Come here. Are you any closer to a decision . I think so. Aaron, theyve been talking to me about being managing editor. Really . Whoo im going to take it. Oh, that is jane what a job a great surprise i didnt think we had a chance. They told me you wanted to stay in washington. Well theres a guy. But he says hell fly up a lot. Well we should talk. Do you have time for dinner . Id like you to meet lila. I was really looking forward to that. Im going to go back in a few hours. Its so good to see you. Its nice to see you. Congratulations, on the historys longest winning streak. If you ever get restless in portland let me know. Why . O. K. Bye. Boss. Hey, cliff where are you going . Cliff go back to your father. Come on, cliff come on. Daddy. So whos the guy . Uh, well we met about three months ago. He works at the Surgeon Generals office. He loves boating. So, hes been getting me into waterskiing. Ha ha ha i like it so what about you lately . Well. My wife got this new job. Great. Captioning made possible by fox video, inc. Captioning performed by the national captioning institute, inc. Public performance of captions prohibited without permission of national captioning institute
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