Original subtitles

Yeah, but how do you know when you're compromising or when you're just plain

selling out? A bullet.

I think I'm seeing gold here.

You've been

in rehearsals all week. You've

seen what they've done to my song.

Do you like it?

I got my brass section.

What are you going to get, Mr.

Velasquez?

It says you saw a thing.

A song in your heart. Put it on tape and send it to us. You may be the WWEN star

of the future.

The winner will perform live in concert and will participate in the making of a

video. Help us uncover New York City's undiscovered talent.

That's me, man. That's me.

I'm talented and I'm undiscovered. This could be the chance I've been waiting

for, man. I can compose, produce, perform.

And I'm wonderful.

Forget about it, darling. You're looking at the winner right here, babe. I've

already picked out the color of my Ferrari. Jump back before I run over

forehead with my rose rack. Yo, man, is that all you guys are interested in? A

chance to fatten up your wallets?

Yo, man, lighten up, Velasquez. We just daydreaming loud.

Yeah, well, everybody's got their dreams, you know, only they don't always

true. Some people never even get a chance. All they can do is pass those

along.

More feeling, Mr. Elliot. More feeling.

What?

How's he doing?

He's deaf.

Sounds great to me.

Get a hearing aid. He has absolutely no talent.

Oh, talent's such a subjective thing.

Quite true. One man's music is another man's noise.

You know, Bradley Elliott's father is one of the most generous patrons in the

city. You know, there's a pavilion in the park named after his grandmother.

Good. Let the boy play in the park.

Did I mention the theater named after his grandfather?

At least a dozen times.

Need I say more?

I wish you wouldn't.

Artists.

When are they going to join us in the real world?

All right, that's enough for today. You may leave.

That plane was awful, wasn't it?

Awful?

Let's just say... Let's just... Maybe we shouldn't say anything.

Does that mean I'm not accepted?

Nope. Then I am accepted.

No, it doesn't mean that either.

I mean, I'm just not ready to make a decision.

Tell me something, Mr. Elliott.

Was music your major in prep school?

Um, actually, I played a lot of football.

Tackle.

Suddenly, everything is very clear.

I love the violin.

And I really want to be a student here.

Unfortunately, you're not the only one.

Mr. Shirovsky. Look, I suggest you practice, Mr. Elliot. Practice until

totally exhausted.

And then what?

Then you practice some more.

Hey, Holly.

Yo, what are you doing?

I'm writing a wing song.

Always knew that dancing was life.

You know what, Jesse?

Jesse, wait a minute.

I didn't hate it. It just needs more work, that's all. Yeah.

Hey, listen, it's a work in progress. Why are you getting so frustrated?

Because I can't mail down the song, Nikki. I just can't seem to find it.

just a contest. It's not just a contest.

It's a real shot.

I've been remembering a lot of things lately.

Thinking about home again?

Yeah.

About my life in Mexico.

My grandfather.

And the way that he gave me everything he had.

God, I want him to be so proud of me, Mickey.

That's why I want this song to be wonderful.

I need to win, Nicole, for him.

Then you keep looking.

I've been looking, man. I've been up half the night watching some videos,

listening to tapes.

Just trying to get a handle on what people want to hear.

Don't you think more about what you want to say?

You know, you've got a lot to say, Jesse.

Maybe you've just been looking in the wrong places.

Brother to brother, bound by flesh and blood.

There, oh, my brother, there's no exception to the rule.

Brother, can you spare your brother? Brother, now, brother, I'm hurting,

you see? Now, brother,

now I need your brother. Brother, now, brother.

Don't walk away from me.

In my dream, I have a brother. In my life, I have no brother.

In my dream, he has got it all. In my life, who has got it all?

Brother.

Be your brother, brother. Now, brother.

I'm hurting, can't you see? Now, brother.

Now I need you, brother, brother, brother, brother.

Don't walk away from me.

Mi hermano, mi hermano, you do not understand why we find ourselves

trapped in our own land. Now, brother, mi hermano, mi hermano, esta

noche es oscura y silenciosa.

Can you spare your brother? Don't you walk away from me, brother.

Somebody told me.

Somebody told me.

On the other side.

Somebody told me. On the other side of the road.

There is a dream.

We've been waiting all week.

Yeah, come on, let's do it. Okay. Well, I wanted everything to be just right.

Now, first, imagine we're at the Waldorf Astoria, and it's my opening night.

The spotlights are shining.

Now, imagine me in something sequent and sexy.

Floor length, it's low -cut, very revealing, and very

expensive.

It's lovely.

of a day Lord it made me feel so tired

before the

but it's already been done. Well, not by me, it hasn't.

You see, Dusty, this is a songwriting contest, not a singing contest.

Huh?

They want an original.

Well, why didn't...

but give her the rest. Is he still hawking you about that Bradley Elliott?

Oh, hey, what's new with the Elliott kid?

What's new is he still can't cut the mustard.

Okay, I can understand your position, but I want you to think about the

amount of money his father would like to give to this school.

Mr. Morlock, are you trying to get Mr.

Sharofsky to sell out?

No, I don't look on to selling out. It's more like compromising, bending your

principles. Selling your soul.

Yeah, more like that. So, how about it, Benjamin?

At least when Faust sold his soul to the devil, he got youth. What am I getting?

Oh, how about brand new shiny piccolos?

Beautiful mahogany violins.

Brand new jet black clarinets.

Enough already. I can't take it anymore.

That very same money could get you a brand new dance floor.

guy see jesse yeah he's in a music cubicle but he doesn't want to be

looks pretty intense he always looks intense well he looks intense intenser

what's up man was that great or what chris i don't know it's

like you have to have a certain kind of background to pull off the blues like

what

A couple hundred years of slavery.

Then maybe a few dozen more struggling and suffering in the street.

And a little time spent with the hardest life and the smallest amount of hope.

Then maybe you could pull off the blues.

Maybe I ought to try something to disco beat.

Mrs.

Burns, this was absolutely awesome.

Try to imagine it with a heavy metal fax. For the other side of the road

For a whole new kind of feeling A brand new me and a

brand new place to be On the other side

of the road There's a chance I'm gonna take it I'm gonna make it

To the other side

It's special, Jesse.

Just like you.

To the other side of the road.

Alan, what did I tell you?

A bullet.

I think I'm seeing gold here.

Well, the sound could have been better. On the tape, I mean.

Don't worry, Jesse. When Mitch and I get into the studio and mix it, play some

tracks... You're gonna love it.

America's gonna love it. How did you come up with the song? It's dynamite.

I got the idea from my grandfather.

No kidding.

You got any more ideas like this?

Bring him in. We'd love to talk.

No, see, he's in Mexico.

See, he's kind of my inspiration for this whole thing.

I mean, if it wasn't for him, I wouldn't even be in this country. I wouldn't

even be here. We need a really sexy girl.

Huh? He's right.

The female vocal in the video.

I wrote this piece as a solo.

Oh, it'll still be a solo.

But the whole idea is to turn it into a video. And that requires production

value, so we're going to have 60, 70 visual cuts. That means dancers, backup

singers, special effects.

Um, I don't want this thing to turn into something plastic, you know. Oh, hey,

just come on. You know how this business works.

Producing a record or a video is a collaboration.

Now, Alan and I are just here to give our input. The three of us are a team

Sure, I can understand that. And the song will keep its integrity.

Hey, can I use my own people?

I think I've got this great girl singer, and I know this good choreographer.

Okay, fresh faces are always good. You put something together, we'll look at

All right.

Congratulations, Jesse.

Thank you. Want to join us for once?

No, no, listen. Do you guys mind if I just sit here for a few minutes? I mean,

everything's happening so fast, you know.

Sure, sure.

You're going places, kid.

John, who won the contest?

I don't know, man. Some dude named The Last Pete and The Last Queen.

Did he count?

No, man. He probably knew somebody. Oh, his father was running the contest?

Hey, guys, give me a break. You know, I thought you guys were going to let him

put together his own video. I knew they were going to let him pick the people

that are going to be in it. Hey, guys, do me a favor, will you?

What? Be in my video.

Video. Video? Video. Video? I may be persuaded. No, darling, let's not be too

quick to decide, okay? I mean, we don't know what the concept is. We don't know

where they're bringing it to. I mean, the question here is, are you willing to

compromise yourself as an artist? Now, that's a question to me, pal.

Totally. You're a love.

Thanks, babe.

Totally. Where are you from, L .A.? Hey, listen, Jeff. I know there are a lot of

incensive quadrant heroes hitting on you for a part in your video, and I just

want you to know that I'm no different.

You got it.

Really? Yes.

Oh, you're the best. Thanks, Jeff. You're really great.

Jesse. Jesse.

Come here.

I know how important this was to you.

And I know that it was about a lot more than winning.

And I'm just really happy.

And I'm so proud of you.

You know, when you stop being proud of me, that's when I'll start to worry.

I'm not saying I don't want to choreograph your video.

I'm just saying I know how very important this is to you. What are you

man? Look, I'm saying maybe you should be trying to find someone more

experienced than me.

This is your big shot, man.

You know, maybe there are people out there with more experience, man.

But they can't be better.

At least not for me.

Because you and me, man, we come at our work from the same place, you know? From

our gut.

And that's why I know that you're going to give me 500%.

You got it.

Push through!

To the floor!

Ha!

Good fellas!

Ah! Hit it!

Ha! Ladies, I need you!

Great! You look great! Never look better!

Swirl!

Nice, Jeff.

It's a real knife.

Ah, hit it!

Ha!

Looking good, looking good. Still working some of the jigsaw.

I'm just not sure that it fits in with what we've got planned.

Why not?

See, we want to incorporate the live action on stage with the other stuff

we're shooting.

Now, Alan had some fantastic shots of the Statue of Liberty, the way it looked

as she's coming into the hall. Then we swoop down on you in the middle of

nowhere, some godforsaken no -man's land.

You're lost.

aimless, dreaming about a better life for the city. Then the statue comes to

life. The girl of your dreams becomes a real flesh and blood woman.

That's not exactly what I had in mind when I wrote it.

Story. The guy meets the girl. She represents everything that's new and

different about the city.

He falls for her. She dumps him. Boy meets girl. It always works.

But it's not about that.

Jeff, you don't want to get too locked into anything.

No, see, it's not about some boy and some girl.

It's about a dream.

It's about how people come to this country with a dream and how they

make it come true.

It's still about that.

It's about you, Jess.

It's about making you a star. Now, if that isn't a dream come true, I don't

what is.

Okay, how we doing here?

It was great, fellas. Everything was good. We got some stuff here. We're

to make this look good.

How did we look up there, man? It felt like we were fierce.

Good. It was really good. Seriously.

You know something? We are definitely on a roll.

You doing the writing and the singing and me doing the choreography. I am

every minute of it.

We are definitely Sin City's new triple threat.

Definitely. All right. Yeah.

Yeah, that's it. That's it.

Jess, man, you all right? What's wrong?

Oh, it's okay.

It's going to be good. Just like you said.

All right.

What are you doing, Mr. Elliott? This is a violin, not a football. You're

supposed to make a thing, not maul it. Give me this.

If you can't distinguish between the two, why bother coming here? Go back

you belong, bashing heads in some stadium.

Mr. Sharofsky, the way you just played, it was beautiful.

That's why I came to this school, to play like that.

There's music in me, I know it.

All I need is a chance to grow.

This is a school.

You're a teacher help me I

Don't know if I can

I

Do know one thing Nobody

loves a violin more than I do that's gotta count for something Doesn't

Mr. Sharofsky, can I ask you a question?

Can't innovate until tomorrow. I've had a very upsetting day. No, no, no, no.

Tomorrow may be too late.

All right, shoot.

Is there a right way or a wrong way to do a song?

Well, you wouldn't want to play a Mozart sonata like a Suda March.

Yeah, but how do you know when you're compromising or when you're just plain

selling out?

I'm struggling with much the same problem myself.

Oh, you mean that kid that just left?

So what are you going to do?

Try to find a way to make my bargain with the devil without selling him my

Wait, now you're changing the lyrics?

Can't you understand?

Hey, we said we were going to make some fixes. Yeah, but you said that that was

just going to be with the visuals.

Look, Chet, it's a great song, but it needs a hook, a catchphrase, something

that'll stick with the DJ and the listener once they've heard it. I don't

about this, man.

You see, I wrote this song for a reason, you know? It's personal.

It came out of me because of my grandfather, my life. Hey, Jess, we

We all understand. But things are rolling here.

We're set to go this weekend. We got a unit out in the harbor shooting

exteriors. Now, don't blow this, Jess.

Don't go getting a case of the nerves on me now. Not nerves, man. Then don't

make trouble.

No. See, I can't sit by and let this happen. There have been too many changes

already. If I allow any more, it won't be my song. It'll be yours and Alan's.

It already is.

When you agreed to the terms of the contest, you signed away your rights to

song.

We own it.

You can be a part of the package if you want to be. If not, we'll find somebody

else.

Now make up your mind, kid. Are you in or out?

He's the last guest.

Wait up a minute, man. I want to talk to you.

I got other things on my mind.

Look, I got things on my mind, too.

Look, I can't take all these changes. They're ruining my work. Y 'all was.

Yeah, I thought I had some space on what went on. I mean, you got that guy named

Alan. He only listens to himself.

That other little guy with the cap teeth is worse than him. They're the

producers, man. Without Mitch and Alan, there wouldn't be a concert or a video.

I know that.

All right, so it's not exactly what you had in mind. You think I'm happy?

That's the business, man. This is how it works, right?

Everyone has to do some stuff that they don't like on the way up. Everybody has

to pay some dues.

Well, I think that's a pretty high price to pay. So what do you want to do, man?

You want to quit?

Give up?

Walk away? Is that what you want me to do? Look, I ain't say nothing about

quitting. I know it's a gig. I know it's a shot.

I had to let that steam off. That's what I had to do. That's right.

It is a shot.

It's my shot, and I'm going to take it.

Did you talk to them again today? Yeah, I talked, but they wouldn't listen. All

week, they've been chipping away at what's left of my season.

Hey, man, how's it going, Blaster?

What do you think?

Look, man, we know what you're going through. These guys may be jerks, but

are the producers, and this is your first shot.

There'll be other times, Jess, the other songs.

You know, man, it's like my Uncle Vito used to say, man. When you're first

breaking in, man, you can't be taking things personal.

You gotta go through everything real business -like, and you also gotta be a

gentleman no matter what, man. That's right.

Uncle Vito.

Isn't that guy doing eight to ten for salt and battery?

Well, one time he took it personally, but just one time.

There are lots of people who took jobs they didn't like on their way out. Look,

look, the point is you're getting a chance to perform at a concert and a

Millions of people are going to see you perform your song.

This is a professional gig, man.

We'll change places, but you can admit it. Yeah?

Even if it meant selling your soul?

Or I should say it's my soul?

Gentlemen, what's that supposed to mean?

Think about it.

And how about you?

You haven't said much.

You've been in rehearsals all week. You've seen what they've done to my

Do you like it?

Well, Jesse... Thank you, sir.

Thank you.

Oh, jeez, I'm sorry. I wasn't paying attention.

I was looking for the administration office.

It's down the hall, man.

Thanks.

Bradley Elliott.

I'm new here.

I got to register.

Get a locker.

Good luck.

I take it my decision doesn't meet with your approval.

Why did you do it, Mr. Sharofsky?

There were other considerations.

Yeah, like his father's dough, right?

I guess the thought of all that money suddenly made his violin sound a little

sweeter.

I admit he's not as talented as most musicians here.

But he's a hard worker, and his father's money would be a big help to the music

program. Yes, I compromise.

That's a nice word for it. All I know is musicians have to live in the real

world, and so do music teachers.

And that takes money.

That makes for some hard choices.

Then how do you know you're making the right one?

I got my brass section.

What are you going to get, Mr. Velasquez?

Ask yourself.

Great, great. This is the big one, Jess. The big one. Jess, why are you in the

wardrobe? Where's your jacket? We're starting in a couple of minutes. A

and ten seconds to dig back. What the hell is going on here? Sylvia, call

wardrobe. Where's Jesse's jacket?

The audience always knows when you're pushing. Always.

Keep your breathing steady and deep.

On the way.

On the diary.

Keep your... Fifty seconds. Fifty seconds between you and Stardom, baby.

Jess, are you okay?

See my hand?

He's okay. He's okay. He's okay. He's okay. He's okay. He's okay.

He's okay. He's okay. He's okay.

He's okay.

He's okay.

He's okay.

Ladies and gentlemen, Mr.

Jesse...

Turn these lights off over here.

Q27, go down on five.

Just go ahead and give me one spot.

Give him number two.

What the hell does he think he's doing? Who gave that idiot a spot?

I did. Why?

He asked for it. You're fired.

Somebody told me on the other side of the road there is a dream

and it's all mine for the taking.

Somebody told me on the other side there is gold hard to believe

that it's really out there waiting.

But I close my eyes and I I can see it shine And

I know it's time For the other side

of the road For a whole new kind of feeling A brand new

man, a brand new place to be On the other

side of the road There's a chance I'm gonna take it I'm gonna make it

Thank you.

who had fun out there.

We're not going to use it.

We're just going to do it over again. No one will ever hear that song again.