Post by DarkPhoenix on Jul 13, 2010 20:30:18 GMT -6
Black screen.
Cheerleaders: (V.O.) O-A-K-D-A-L-E! Oakdale is the place to be!
Quick flashes of Oakdale High School, during lunch. Your typical American high school, with its cliques and social groups. Over the next few lines, we see images and brief scenes focusing on who we will soon learn are our main characters.
Tiffani: (V.O.) It’s another beautiful day here at Oakdale High. I hope you’re all enjoying your lunch today.
Heather: (V.O.) Even though it is burger day, with the mystery meat burgers.
Veronica: (V.O.) Totally gross.
Sawyer: (V.O.) Seriously. I mean, come on, at least use the real stuff…
Sherrie: (V.O) Instead of Spam!
Shot of what could be considered the “nerd” table. Emily is trying to talk to Maya, who is apparently engrossed in a book. Sara walks by and waves at Emily, who gestures for her to come join them. Sara smiles and sits across from Emily.
Tiffani: (V.O.) But anyway, we at Oakdale High are the best and the brightest.
Sawyer: (V.O.) Speaking of which, I can’t wait for English class. We have to make speeches about a subject we really care about, and I’m going to do a speech on why cheerleading should be considered an official sport.
Heather: (V.O) It really should be!
Shot of the “jock” table. AJ, Lyle, and several other people in athletic uniforms and cheerleader outfits. Ophelia and Mae walk past, and Lyle throws a piece of orange peel at Mae, who turns and starts to lunge at the table. Ophelia grabs her and pulls her back, coaxing her away. As they depart, with Mae glaring back at them one last time, the whole table laughs and gives high-fives, with the exception of AJ, who watches them depart, brow furrowed.
Tiffani: (V.O.) But anyway, we’re the best! Right?
All: (V.O) Right!
Tiffani: (V.O) And we know it, and we’re not afraid to let others who are worse than us know it!
All: (V.O) Right!
Shot of Angela, sitting by herself beneath a tree, reading a book and crunching away at an apple.
Tiffani: (V.O) I hope you’ve all got someone fun to sit with for lunch.
Sherrie: (V.O) Because only a loser would eat lunch alone!
We finally see the cheerleaders. One of each hair color (and they look like they were chosen simply to have one of each)… and Tiffani. Tiffani is blonde; by fashion or Hollywood standards, she would be considered fat. To most normal people, she would be considered “big boned” or “Hollywood fat.” All five are clad in pastel-colored, skimpy exercise wear. Music begins playing (Anberlin‘s “Feel Good Drag“), and they start to dance. If poles were present, someone could easily call it a stripper routine.
Tiffani: Well, we had a great time, but we have to go now. See you guys later! We can‘t wait for next time!
We pull back to reveal that the cheerleaders are on a TV screen and find ourselves in a classroom. For the first time, we see Gabrielle “Gabby” Gibson. Intelligent-looking and in her thirties. She glares at the television with an expression of disgust, then reaches over to the chalkboard behind her and grabs up the eraser. She then hurls the eraser at the “power” button on the television and makes contact. The television goes blank.
Gabby: (Disgusted) I feel stupider now, just having watched that for five minutes.
She sighs and begins rummaging through her desk and purse, searching for her cigarettes (“Cigarettes… where are they…?”). We cut to the hall outside the classroom, where we see a pair of shoes-- but cannot tell who is wearing them-- slowly approaching the classroom. We cut back to Gabby, who is still rummaging around. We cut back to the hall, where we see a hand about to knock on the door. Then, we cut back to inside the classroom. There is a knock at the door.
Gabby: (looking up from her purse and scowling; irritably) Come in! (Frustrated, she tosses her purse back onto the floor)
A clean-cut young woman, about eighteen or so, enters the classroom. This is Charise Marlow, a former student of Gabby‘s; young, somewhat naïve (albeit fairly book-smart), and friendly. She grins at Gabby, who immediately cheers up.
Charise: Hey, Ms. Gibson.
Gabby quickly rises and rushes over to Charise, then tightly embraces her.
Gabby: (delighted) Charise, my favorite former student. How have you been doing, kiddo? How’s college been treating you? (She releases Charise and pulls back to look Charise over; concerned) You haven’t gone all party-obsessed, have you?
Charise: (amused) If I was supposed to, I didn’t get the memo. (Gabby responds with a sigh of relief.) I’m doing great. In fact, I’m going to be working part-time as a tutor here.
Gabby: (puzzled) Well, how come? As smart as you are, I figured you’d have financial aid coming out the… out the wazoo! (Somewhat jokingly) I always thought the college would pay you to attend, not the other way around.
Charise: Not quite. Remember, financial aid is kind of unavailable when your family is like mine. (Gabby nods, understanding.) Besides, it doesn’t cover expenses that aren’t education-related. I need to eat and pay rent and all those other things, too, you know.
Gabby: Ahh, true. You must forgive me, it’s been a while since I’ve been in college. (Playfully) A long time. Well, I was about to take a smoke break; dealing with stupidity on a regular basis drives us teachers to either smoke or drink, and I chose the former. So, if you’d like to follow me, we can continue the conversation. (She pats her pocket and finds her cigarettes and lighter, where they’ve been the whole time. She frowns slightly, as though thinking to herself, “Stupid! I should have known they were there!”)
Charise: (as though being asked to join a former teacher in a smoking break is the most normal thing ever) Sure. (She notices the eraser on the floor, then bends and puts it back where it belongs, then looks over at Gabby pensively.)
Charise and Gabby leave the classroom and make their way down the hall.
Charise: You’re slacking off on the housekeeping. It’s not like you to leave erasers on the floor.
Gabby: (nonchalantly) Actually, I threw the eraser at the TV. I was sick of watching the mindless drivel. (She pushes open a door and holds it for Charise, who walks through it. Gabby follows her. They are now outside, in the faculty parking lot. Gabby takes out a cigarette and lights it, then, as though as an afterthought, holds the pack out to Charise.) You smoke?
Charise: Nope.
Gabby: (approvingly) Good girl. Never start. It’s a nasty habit. (She pockets the pack and lighter, then takes a long drag off of her cigarette.)
Charise: I bet I know why you’re so ticked. The infamous cheerleader and dance team show is still going strong. (She shudders a little, remembering it from her days as a student.)
Gabby: Unfortunately. And they’re showing more skin than last year. (rolling her eyes) At this rate, in a few years, they’ll be performing naked.
Charise: (joking) You don’t need to worry about that; that’s why we have those laws in place. (more seriously) So, are there any intelligent things to do on campus? News shows or anything like that? Anything that stimulates the mind instead of letting it atrophy like this brainwashing eye candy for the male student population.
Gabby: (trying to keep a straight face) Nope. Lack of interest.
Charise: In watching it, or creating it?
Gabby: A little of both, I guess. We couldn’t get enough people to want to be on the show as anchors, and the few people we did get were all cheerleaders. The news program ended up being absorbed by the dance show.
Charise: I see. (They are both silent for several moments. Finally, Charise speaks up) Hey, look, this is just me brainstorming and, you know, talking off the top of my head. Nothing to pay any mind to, but here’s what I was thinking. What if you created a news show, but had each anchor person from each of the major groups here?
Gabby: I don’t follow.
Charise: Like, there could be… I don’t know. A jock, a prep, a nerd, a goth… you know, kind of the whole Breakfast Club thing. Then, students aren’t just looking at the beautiful people; they’re looking at their people.
Gabby: (getting it; her eyes light up) Interesting idea. Anything else?
Charise: (getting into it) Yeah, I’ve got more. Give it a catchy name; don’t just call it Oakdale High School News… I mean, that’s just blah. You need something that lets people know who’s actually involved in it, that there’s… I don’t know… all cliques represented, and there’s breaking news. And… I don’t know… maybe throw in some gimmicks to make it interesting. People want to watch interesting stuff. Just… you know… make sure it’s not totally mindless, or it’ll be like that dance show. Not everyone watching is an idiot, you know, but most of them are easily amused by simple things.
Gabby: I like those ideas. You know, Charise, you might be on to something.
Charise: (modestly) Thanks, but it’s just something stupid I was thinking about.
Gabby: So, how are the others? S and Sheridon and Gideon?
Charise: Same as ever. We’re renting a nice little place together, and S is majoring in music and theater.
Gabby: Oh, by the way, I nearly forgot, I wanted to tell you about this. Thought you’d be interested, or at least amused. There’s a couple of students in my sixth period English class… they remind me of you.
Charise: Yeah? How so?
Gabby: Smart… enjoy learning, unlike most of the unwashed cretins at this school. They act like they’ve got something to prove. One of them, especially. But probably not for the same reasons you do. And their families are definitely different from yours.
Charise: (taking this into consideration) Well, since you seem to think we have so much in common, is it okay if I sit in and observe that class? I mean, I promised Mr. Rivers I’d help out with his seventh period class, but I’ll be free after lunch.
Gabby: Sure, if that’s what you want. But, just warning you, you’ll be bored out of your skull. The students will be making speeches on topics that matter to them, which means, of course, that most of the speeches will involve sports… makeup… (making a face) cheerleading. That kind of thing. Not especially mentally stimulating. You’re more than welcome to sit in on it, though. (Gently shooing her) Now, you go get some lunch so you don’t starve. I’ll be in the classroom.
Charise: Sure thing, Ms. Gibson! (she chuckles and strolls away)
Gabby: (watching her leave) I think she may be on to something. (She extinguishes her cigarette and hurries back to her classroom.)
Fade Out. Fade in to her classroom. As we pan over the classroom, we see students passing notes, doodling in their notebooks, etc. while a student is in front of the classroom reading her speech from small note cards. This is Emily. Thin, quiet, and very intelligent, with tortoiseshell-framed glasses and long, somewhat frizzy black hair. A few people are paying attention, but they are in the minority. Among these are Ophelia (who we will learn more about later), Charise, and Gabby.
Emily: (concluding her speech in a clear, calm voice) In conclusion, the media in general provides unrealistic ideals for people to live up to. Female adolescents, in particular, are vulnerable to feelings of inadequacy as a result of these images, which may, in turn, lead to eating disorders and low self-confidence. It may be beneficial for the media to present images more representative of the majority of the population, rather than a small fraction. The average woman is closer to a size twelve than a size four, and perhaps television, movies, and magazines should try to reflect that. (she bows her head, then glances over at Gabby)
Gabby: (smiling warmly) That was great. Thank you, Emily.
(Emily smiles shyly back. Ophelia and Charise applaud, and Emily returns to her seat.)
Gabby: (to the whole class) I’ll give you your grades next class. (The bell rings, and Charise begins gathering her belongings together. As she passes Gabby, she hands the teacher a slip of paper.)
Charise: Just a suggestion, if you ever decide to try that show idea.
Ms. Gibson: (unfolding the paper and reading what’s written on it) Yes… I certainly will. I couldn’t have made a better decision myself.
Cut to: hallway. The group of cheerleaders/dancers we saw earlier have Emily surrounded.
Tiffani: (rolling her eyes) Oh, man, that was so stupid.
Veronica: Seriously. (mockingly) “The average woman is closer to a size twelve than a size four.” (indicating her companions) What about us? Are you trying to make us look bad? Are you targeting us?
Emily: (trying to back away, looking for an escape) No, I wasn’t targeting anyone. Honest. I was just stating a fact.
Luckily for her, another blonde girl shows up. This is Sherrie Aldrich, another cheerleader and a very popular student. She is friends with Tiffani.
Sherrie: (taking in the scene) Will you four stop wasting your time bothering her? Honestly, there’s a lot more to worry about than just some silly speech. (They gawk at her; she wasn’t in the class, so how did she know what happened?) Don’t gawk at me like I’m some freakin’ Houdini. I’m not a psychic; Bruno just told me you might be ticked. Now, get to class, or you’re getting kicked off the team. That reminds me, Tiffani, you’re needed in the coach’s office. She sent me to get you. Said it’s important.
Tiffani: (to Emily as she passes the startled girl) You were lucky this time.
Cheerleaders: (V.O.) O-A-K-D-A-L-E! Oakdale is the place to be!
Quick flashes of Oakdale High School, during lunch. Your typical American high school, with its cliques and social groups. Over the next few lines, we see images and brief scenes focusing on who we will soon learn are our main characters.
Tiffani: (V.O.) It’s another beautiful day here at Oakdale High. I hope you’re all enjoying your lunch today.
Heather: (V.O.) Even though it is burger day, with the mystery meat burgers.
Veronica: (V.O.) Totally gross.
Sawyer: (V.O.) Seriously. I mean, come on, at least use the real stuff…
Sherrie: (V.O) Instead of Spam!
Shot of what could be considered the “nerd” table. Emily is trying to talk to Maya, who is apparently engrossed in a book. Sara walks by and waves at Emily, who gestures for her to come join them. Sara smiles and sits across from Emily.
Tiffani: (V.O.) But anyway, we at Oakdale High are the best and the brightest.
Sawyer: (V.O.) Speaking of which, I can’t wait for English class. We have to make speeches about a subject we really care about, and I’m going to do a speech on why cheerleading should be considered an official sport.
Heather: (V.O) It really should be!
Shot of the “jock” table. AJ, Lyle, and several other people in athletic uniforms and cheerleader outfits. Ophelia and Mae walk past, and Lyle throws a piece of orange peel at Mae, who turns and starts to lunge at the table. Ophelia grabs her and pulls her back, coaxing her away. As they depart, with Mae glaring back at them one last time, the whole table laughs and gives high-fives, with the exception of AJ, who watches them depart, brow furrowed.
Tiffani: (V.O.) But anyway, we’re the best! Right?
All: (V.O) Right!
Tiffani: (V.O) And we know it, and we’re not afraid to let others who are worse than us know it!
All: (V.O) Right!
Shot of Angela, sitting by herself beneath a tree, reading a book and crunching away at an apple.
Tiffani: (V.O) I hope you’ve all got someone fun to sit with for lunch.
Sherrie: (V.O) Because only a loser would eat lunch alone!
We finally see the cheerleaders. One of each hair color (and they look like they were chosen simply to have one of each)… and Tiffani. Tiffani is blonde; by fashion or Hollywood standards, she would be considered fat. To most normal people, she would be considered “big boned” or “Hollywood fat.” All five are clad in pastel-colored, skimpy exercise wear. Music begins playing (Anberlin‘s “Feel Good Drag“), and they start to dance. If poles were present, someone could easily call it a stripper routine.
Tiffani: Well, we had a great time, but we have to go now. See you guys later! We can‘t wait for next time!
We pull back to reveal that the cheerleaders are on a TV screen and find ourselves in a classroom. For the first time, we see Gabrielle “Gabby” Gibson. Intelligent-looking and in her thirties. She glares at the television with an expression of disgust, then reaches over to the chalkboard behind her and grabs up the eraser. She then hurls the eraser at the “power” button on the television and makes contact. The television goes blank.
Gabby: (Disgusted) I feel stupider now, just having watched that for five minutes.
She sighs and begins rummaging through her desk and purse, searching for her cigarettes (“Cigarettes… where are they…?”). We cut to the hall outside the classroom, where we see a pair of shoes-- but cannot tell who is wearing them-- slowly approaching the classroom. We cut back to Gabby, who is still rummaging around. We cut back to the hall, where we see a hand about to knock on the door. Then, we cut back to inside the classroom. There is a knock at the door.
Gabby: (looking up from her purse and scowling; irritably) Come in! (Frustrated, she tosses her purse back onto the floor)
A clean-cut young woman, about eighteen or so, enters the classroom. This is Charise Marlow, a former student of Gabby‘s; young, somewhat naïve (albeit fairly book-smart), and friendly. She grins at Gabby, who immediately cheers up.
Charise: Hey, Ms. Gibson.
Gabby quickly rises and rushes over to Charise, then tightly embraces her.
Gabby: (delighted) Charise, my favorite former student. How have you been doing, kiddo? How’s college been treating you? (She releases Charise and pulls back to look Charise over; concerned) You haven’t gone all party-obsessed, have you?
Charise: (amused) If I was supposed to, I didn’t get the memo. (Gabby responds with a sigh of relief.) I’m doing great. In fact, I’m going to be working part-time as a tutor here.
Gabby: (puzzled) Well, how come? As smart as you are, I figured you’d have financial aid coming out the… out the wazoo! (Somewhat jokingly) I always thought the college would pay you to attend, not the other way around.
Charise: Not quite. Remember, financial aid is kind of unavailable when your family is like mine. (Gabby nods, understanding.) Besides, it doesn’t cover expenses that aren’t education-related. I need to eat and pay rent and all those other things, too, you know.
Gabby: Ahh, true. You must forgive me, it’s been a while since I’ve been in college. (Playfully) A long time. Well, I was about to take a smoke break; dealing with stupidity on a regular basis drives us teachers to either smoke or drink, and I chose the former. So, if you’d like to follow me, we can continue the conversation. (She pats her pocket and finds her cigarettes and lighter, where they’ve been the whole time. She frowns slightly, as though thinking to herself, “Stupid! I should have known they were there!”)
Charise: (as though being asked to join a former teacher in a smoking break is the most normal thing ever) Sure. (She notices the eraser on the floor, then bends and puts it back where it belongs, then looks over at Gabby pensively.)
Charise and Gabby leave the classroom and make their way down the hall.
Charise: You’re slacking off on the housekeeping. It’s not like you to leave erasers on the floor.
Gabby: (nonchalantly) Actually, I threw the eraser at the TV. I was sick of watching the mindless drivel. (She pushes open a door and holds it for Charise, who walks through it. Gabby follows her. They are now outside, in the faculty parking lot. Gabby takes out a cigarette and lights it, then, as though as an afterthought, holds the pack out to Charise.) You smoke?
Charise: Nope.
Gabby: (approvingly) Good girl. Never start. It’s a nasty habit. (She pockets the pack and lighter, then takes a long drag off of her cigarette.)
Charise: I bet I know why you’re so ticked. The infamous cheerleader and dance team show is still going strong. (She shudders a little, remembering it from her days as a student.)
Gabby: Unfortunately. And they’re showing more skin than last year. (rolling her eyes) At this rate, in a few years, they’ll be performing naked.
Charise: (joking) You don’t need to worry about that; that’s why we have those laws in place. (more seriously) So, are there any intelligent things to do on campus? News shows or anything like that? Anything that stimulates the mind instead of letting it atrophy like this brainwashing eye candy for the male student population.
Gabby: (trying to keep a straight face) Nope. Lack of interest.
Charise: In watching it, or creating it?
Gabby: A little of both, I guess. We couldn’t get enough people to want to be on the show as anchors, and the few people we did get were all cheerleaders. The news program ended up being absorbed by the dance show.
Charise: I see. (They are both silent for several moments. Finally, Charise speaks up) Hey, look, this is just me brainstorming and, you know, talking off the top of my head. Nothing to pay any mind to, but here’s what I was thinking. What if you created a news show, but had each anchor person from each of the major groups here?
Gabby: I don’t follow.
Charise: Like, there could be… I don’t know. A jock, a prep, a nerd, a goth… you know, kind of the whole Breakfast Club thing. Then, students aren’t just looking at the beautiful people; they’re looking at their people.
Gabby: (getting it; her eyes light up) Interesting idea. Anything else?
Charise: (getting into it) Yeah, I’ve got more. Give it a catchy name; don’t just call it Oakdale High School News… I mean, that’s just blah. You need something that lets people know who’s actually involved in it, that there’s… I don’t know… all cliques represented, and there’s breaking news. And… I don’t know… maybe throw in some gimmicks to make it interesting. People want to watch interesting stuff. Just… you know… make sure it’s not totally mindless, or it’ll be like that dance show. Not everyone watching is an idiot, you know, but most of them are easily amused by simple things.
Gabby: I like those ideas. You know, Charise, you might be on to something.
Charise: (modestly) Thanks, but it’s just something stupid I was thinking about.
Gabby: So, how are the others? S and Sheridon and Gideon?
Charise: Same as ever. We’re renting a nice little place together, and S is majoring in music and theater.
Gabby: Oh, by the way, I nearly forgot, I wanted to tell you about this. Thought you’d be interested, or at least amused. There’s a couple of students in my sixth period English class… they remind me of you.
Charise: Yeah? How so?
Gabby: Smart… enjoy learning, unlike most of the unwashed cretins at this school. They act like they’ve got something to prove. One of them, especially. But probably not for the same reasons you do. And their families are definitely different from yours.
Charise: (taking this into consideration) Well, since you seem to think we have so much in common, is it okay if I sit in and observe that class? I mean, I promised Mr. Rivers I’d help out with his seventh period class, but I’ll be free after lunch.
Gabby: Sure, if that’s what you want. But, just warning you, you’ll be bored out of your skull. The students will be making speeches on topics that matter to them, which means, of course, that most of the speeches will involve sports… makeup… (making a face) cheerleading. That kind of thing. Not especially mentally stimulating. You’re more than welcome to sit in on it, though. (Gently shooing her) Now, you go get some lunch so you don’t starve. I’ll be in the classroom.
Charise: Sure thing, Ms. Gibson! (she chuckles and strolls away)
Gabby: (watching her leave) I think she may be on to something. (She extinguishes her cigarette and hurries back to her classroom.)
Fade Out. Fade in to her classroom. As we pan over the classroom, we see students passing notes, doodling in their notebooks, etc. while a student is in front of the classroom reading her speech from small note cards. This is Emily. Thin, quiet, and very intelligent, with tortoiseshell-framed glasses and long, somewhat frizzy black hair. A few people are paying attention, but they are in the minority. Among these are Ophelia (who we will learn more about later), Charise, and Gabby.
Emily: (concluding her speech in a clear, calm voice) In conclusion, the media in general provides unrealistic ideals for people to live up to. Female adolescents, in particular, are vulnerable to feelings of inadequacy as a result of these images, which may, in turn, lead to eating disorders and low self-confidence. It may be beneficial for the media to present images more representative of the majority of the population, rather than a small fraction. The average woman is closer to a size twelve than a size four, and perhaps television, movies, and magazines should try to reflect that. (she bows her head, then glances over at Gabby)
Gabby: (smiling warmly) That was great. Thank you, Emily.
(Emily smiles shyly back. Ophelia and Charise applaud, and Emily returns to her seat.)
Gabby: (to the whole class) I’ll give you your grades next class. (The bell rings, and Charise begins gathering her belongings together. As she passes Gabby, she hands the teacher a slip of paper.)
Charise: Just a suggestion, if you ever decide to try that show idea.
Ms. Gibson: (unfolding the paper and reading what’s written on it) Yes… I certainly will. I couldn’t have made a better decision myself.
Cut to: hallway. The group of cheerleaders/dancers we saw earlier have Emily surrounded.
Tiffani: (rolling her eyes) Oh, man, that was so stupid.
Veronica: Seriously. (mockingly) “The average woman is closer to a size twelve than a size four.” (indicating her companions) What about us? Are you trying to make us look bad? Are you targeting us?
Emily: (trying to back away, looking for an escape) No, I wasn’t targeting anyone. Honest. I was just stating a fact.
Luckily for her, another blonde girl shows up. This is Sherrie Aldrich, another cheerleader and a very popular student. She is friends with Tiffani.
Sherrie: (taking in the scene) Will you four stop wasting your time bothering her? Honestly, there’s a lot more to worry about than just some silly speech. (They gawk at her; she wasn’t in the class, so how did she know what happened?) Don’t gawk at me like I’m some freakin’ Houdini. I’m not a psychic; Bruno just told me you might be ticked. Now, get to class, or you’re getting kicked off the team. That reminds me, Tiffani, you’re needed in the coach’s office. She sent me to get you. Said it’s important.
Tiffani: (to Emily as she passes the startled girl) You were lucky this time.