Instant Star (2004) s01e01 Episode Script

Even Better Than The Real Thing

- Jude? - Yeah? - You still alive? - Yeah.
No problem.
I feel great.
She's on in two.
If I don't win, I'm gonna look like such a dork in school tomorrow.
On the plus side, most people already think we're dorks.
Thank you, Jamie.
Just say the word, Jude, and we're outta here.
I mean it.
Give it up for Eden Taylor, everybody! I have to do this.
Wish me luck.
Right now we're going to bring out our final performer for the evening.
Give a big round of applause for Jude Harrison.
I wrote my first song when I was six.
Got my first acoustic at ten and it has barely left my hands since.
Everything I am, everything I've worked for has brought me to this stage tonight.
Sometimes, if you listen really hard you can almost hear it.
That moment your life changes forever.
Our first ever Instant Star is Jude Harrison! I always knew this would happen.
What? That I'd win some cheesy TV talent search? No.
That you'd be discovered somehow.
You've said it before, sometimes I can be psychic.
No, I think I said sometimes you can be psychotic.
I'm just joking.
Don't let them change you, okay? I'm not changing for them.
I'm not changing for anyone.
I'm telling you, Georgia.
She's too young, too green, too unpackaged.
I just want my objections put on record.
You can put 'em on mp3 for all I care, EJ, then get over it.
Jude is our girl.
There she is, our Instant Star! You travel light, Jude.
Your parents couldn't make it? No, they could.
I kinda wanted to do this on my own.
I understand.
- And who's this? - I'm Jamie.
- I'm her "people".
- Right.
Jude, there were some artists in our contest-- Eden for example-- who were better positioned to become a pop star.
Well, I'm not, I'm not a popstar.
I'm a songwriter.
And that is why you won, Jude.
I believe that your songs can move units, but I also believe that they can move people.
And that's why we've teamed you with a writer-producer with real substance.
Billie Joe from Green Day? Tim Armstrong from Rancid? We were thinking more Tom Quincy.
Little Tommy Q.
from Boyz Attack? Sorry, I thought you were kidding.
In the 90's, Boyz Attack was it.
And little Tommy Q.
was the original boy band heartthrob.
Pick up the pieces And put me back together again Jude - Jude! - Yeah? Sorry.
Look, I know his reputation, and I know he's still in and out of the tabloids.
But he has grown as an artist.
He's become a brilliant writer/producer.
But he's pop.
And retro.
And really, really lame.
You can't be serious.
Little Tommy Q.
?! First? I'm here because Georgia is a friend.
I could care less about you or your whack contest.
Second? The name's Tom Quincy.
Don't you ever call me little Tommy Q.
again.
Sorry.
Why don't you show me what you got.
Okay.
At least I got my trusted friend We're on the road, alone again I guess we're tired of giving in You wanna stop? 'Cause you're hurting my ears.
You won a contest? With that? You're singing it like a funeral dirge.
It's boring.
You gotta pick up the tempo-- straight quarters on the bottom.
Watch.
Sing.
Sing! At least I got my trusted friend Faster.
We're on the road, alone again All right.
These lyrics "We're on the road", "we're tired of giving in", "we made it here".
Who's "we?" It's about me and my best friend.
We don't care about your friend, Jude.
We care about you.
Your song's too bland.
You gotta make it personal.
Well, I like itthe way it is.
Your song, it served its purpose, it won you the contest.
But it's not ready.
I mean, not till we rewrite the lyrics.
Jude? We gotta go.
To that thing? I think that's enough for today, Jude.
You can go.
Okay.
See you later.
See ya.
And then I said "she's not changing her song, Timberlake, so why don't you back off before I kick your well-coiffed ass.
" You said that? You're the envy of the school, dude.
- Friends with a famous chick.
- She's not that famous.
Not yet, anyway.
Besides, I think Jude and I will soon be leaving the town of friendsville.
Next stop on the Jude-Jamie train is looooove.
This is just a transitional phase.
Good luck, brother.
Transitional phase? You been watching Dr.
Phil again? See this expression? This is me ignoring you.
Bad idea.
Seeing as I am Jude's best friend.
And I'm a girl.
And unlike you, I'm from planet earth.
I know having a point isn't your forte My point is you should talk to Jude before you start picking out china.
I will.
I know what I'm gonna say and everything.
More or less.
So, are you like, rich now? Please.
Okay? She only got some pathetic signing bonus.
If it were me, I would've gotten way more cheddar before I signed some three-year contract.
Well, you didn't win, did you Sadie? I see your sister is taking your win with her usual dignity and grace.
Yeah, well, at least she's talking to me in the halls.
For years she was telling everyone I was her second cousin.
So you admit it! Tommy Q.
is hot! It's not his fault the tabloids follow him around.
I mean, it's just the price of fame.
Talk about the price of fame.
No Here she is-- our Instant Star! Is that your song? Kat, they're playing my song with tubas.
Come on, everybody! Give us an Instant Star smile! Jude, congratulations.
We're really proud of you.
Thank you.
I haven't seen anything this dorky since the chess club's "Strawberry Social".
Yeah.
Let's ditch this.
There's something I wanna talk to you about.
I have to go.
Sorry.
Jude? What're you doing here? - Rescuing you.
- What? That was great by the way.
- Love the tubas.
- Yeah.
Georgia scored you an appearance at the Vinyl Palace.
Seriously? The Vinyl Palace? Really.
So that leaves us just two days to work on your song.
Where are we gonna go? I was thinking somewhere where you won't walk out on me this time.
Get in.
At least I At least I got my trusted friend - What? - That's your tenth chord variation but you still haven't touched the lyrics.
Well, I'm just trying to get it right.
Do you wanna get it right? Or do you wanna get it right now? That's funny.
You do everything in such a hurry? Just my music.
I'm on a timeline.
Kurt Cobain made Nevermind when he was 23.
I'm 15.
That leaves me only eight years to create my masterpiece.
I guess that leaves me just a year, then.
Right now your job is to get ready to kill at the Vinyl Palace.
Look, the chords you want, they're in the guitar.
They're hiding.
They wanna come out, but you keep scaring 'em back in.
You wanna coax them out.
Gently.
Sadie! Can you stop stealing my boots?! What is this? An intervention? "Ex boy band cutie gets up close and personal with prodigy Jude Harrison.
" What? I'm in Talk National? Are you kidding me? That's awesome! No, come on, you know nothing happened.
- You see? - I tried to tell them.
I mean, why would Tommy Quincy be interested in someone like you? Oh, that's so funny, Sadie.
You're hilarious.
- So he didn't touch you? - No! Mom, gross.
- Honey, we need to talkabout this.
- Vic, she said nothing's going on.
Yet! I am not taking any chances.
I'm calling Georgia now.
No.
This is Jude's shot and I'm not gonna let you blow it for her.
Blow it for Jude? Or for you? I'm not sure who this is more important for.
It's for Jude! I'm so jealous.
He's so cute.
So, no truth to this story, right? No, I'd tell you.
Too bad cause you and Tommy look so cute together.
Do you think so? - Oh my God.
- Shut up.
Oh my God! Kat, I can't like this guy.
He's from a 90's boy band.
The man is like an Orlando Bloom sundae smothered in Johnny Depp sauce.
Yeah, I know.
But it's more than that, Kat.
I mean, he teaches me stuff.
I make great music with him.
And at the lake? At the lake there was this moment.
I don't know maybe I just imagined it.
Yeah, but what if you didn't? Hey, I was wondering if maybe now would be a good time for us to talk? Famous for a few days and already in the tabloid.
Wow.
Oh, yeah, by the way I have something for you.
It's a ticket for tonight.
I'm singing at the Vinyl Palace.
I've haven't even been inside before.
- Wow - I know.
- Little Tommy Q.
coming? - Yeah.
- Jude - What? Don't tell me you rewrote the lyrics.
Not with little Tommy Q.
Jamie, he's grown as an artist.
- He drives a Viper.
- Right.
I know.
But he's my producer, what can I do? Whatever.
- I got something for ya.
- Do you? I bought it off Ebay.
It's Joe Strummer's guitar pick.
This is Joe Strummer's? Are you serious? That's awesome! Thank you.
I love it.
- Jude.
- Yeah? We've been friends a long time.
But I wanted to talk about a transition to something more.
But you don't.
Obviously.
- Don't be mad, Jamie.
- I'm not.
I-- I just can't believe you're letting that hack change our song.
It's not our song, it's my song.
But those lyrics they're about us.
Right.
And they don't work anymore.
They have to go.
Yeah.
Just like me.
Jamie Can I have your autograph? Hey, I rewrote the lyrics.
And there's a new hook and everything.
So Yeah So you took my advice, huh? Yeah This this is really good, Jude.
Good.
You know, you should be happy about this.
- I am.
- What's going on? It's Jamie.
He's not coming tonight.
For what it's worth, back in the day, I went through the same thing with my best friend.
- Really? - It was brutal.
Yeah Look, if you ever need to talk, anytime, about anything, I'm here for you, okay? Part of the job.
I know.
Before I met you, I thought you were gonna suck huge.
Jude you're 15! I'm such an idiot! Jude, come on.
It's almost time.
How can I even begin to like someone like you You're everything I hate about music.
- You made me change my song.
- Don't give me that! Because your song is a thousand times better since we worked on it and you know it.
Jude, we need you.
Okay.
All right Jude Harrison! Your Instant Star Jude Harrison! Yeah, baby! I've been sitting in the dirt I'd forgotten my own worth Said that you'd be here last night I'm trying to shake you from my skin Clean up this mess I've been put in I'm guessin' you can't always win I 'm guessin' you can't always win I can't have anything I want They say I'm just too young, but it's not my fault I'll find my own way home if I gotta I'll make it all alone, if I gotta So, you still think she's not our girl? Why do I feel you everywhere? Why do I feel this everywhere? I can't have everything I want They say I'm just too young, but it's not my fault I'll find my own way home, if I gotta I'll make it all alone, if I gotta Couldn't stay away, could you? I mean, look at her, man.
She was born for this.
I think I'd rather die And I don't got a plan Back when you were shaking your butt in a little boy band? Jude and I were locked in her bedroom listening to Sonic Youth writing songs that could change the world.
So save it.
Does that look like her bedroom out there? I can't have anything I want They say I'm just too young, but it's not my fault I'll find my own way home, if I gotta I'll make it all alone 24 hours Jude? That was awesome! I mean, you tore the roof off.
Thanks.
But I quit.
Jude - Jude, if I led you on-- - Let's just skip this? - Cool.
- Cool.
Look, workin' on a song-- it's like falling in love.
At first it's a rush, but then it gets painful.
And sometimes you gotta walk away.
But sometimes you come out of it with something beautiful.
Like that song.
I mean, change can be good, Jude.
You want proof? Just listen Don't quit.
Cause you're it, girl.
You're the real thing.
You're even better.
Nine o'clock.
Monday.
Be at the studio.

Next Episode