Original subtitles

Be right there.

I know it's a big day, but you didn't have to bring me flowers, man. You're

not my fiance.

It's true.

And I had to hear about it from Lily Park, of all people.

God, man, I'm so sorry.

Look, I swear I was going to tell you right after my dad, but we got so busy

dealing with the contest stuff, I just...

I just blanked. You blanked on what is supposed to be the biggest moment of

your young life after signing with me, of course?

Dude, if it's any consolation, I told nobody but my dad before we went live

worldwide. Not my family, friends, the nosy door guy.

And are they all as pissed off as I am about it?

Probably not.

But look, dude, Chloe said let's do this now, so that's when we did it.

And so it begins.

Oh, come on, that began a long time ago.

You forgive me?

Forgive you?

Of course, man.

Congratulations, Eddie.

And Tracy's the one you're going to have to do the explaining to, man. Rule

number one, wives like to be kept in the loop.

Okay, listen, I promise you two are the first to know the details of the

wedding. You know, when we have the details.

I know you two are going to be very happy together.

So do I.

And Papa Max, how'd he take it?

Better than I expected.

You know, he sees how happy she makes me, so I think he's trying to see Aaron

a whole new light.

Thanks, Max, for coming up here with me. What I have to say isn't exactly for

public consumption.

Who is it for?

You. Me? I'm sure now that Eddie and I are officially engaged, you must have

some questions about me.

Well, my only question is why you decided to suddenly come clean.

You act like the reason why I haven't been open about my background is because

I have some devious motive.

Do you?

Hardly. Then why me? Why not?

Come on, Max, you haven't kept it a secret that you're not thrilled about me

marrying your son.

Look, if I'm not thrilled, Chloe, it's exactly because of conversations like

this. You're not giving me any answers.

If I haven't been open to Eddie or anyone else, it's not because I'm hiding

something, but because I'm embarrassed.

You, Chloe Carter, embarrassed. You hardly strike me as a type.

Yeah, that's because your mom didn't give you the name Cynthia Jean Kowalski.

Cynthia Kowalski? Yes.

Chloe Carter is the name my modeling agent gave me after I booked my first

professional gig.

He said you don't think Christy Brinkley would have had the same career had her

name been Shirley Homongovic or whatever her name was.

Okay, that makes sense.

I've been Chloe Carter for so long.

I mean, Cynthia, I don't even think of myself as that.

Feels like a lifetime ago.

So you decided to change your name when you moved here from New York?

The truth is, Max, I'm not from New York.

I'm from Fresno.

Hey. Ah.

Sorry to barge in unannounced. Have you been waiting in the hallway this whole

time? Jake made me. He wanted a minute alone with you. How cute is that?

All right, guys. So a few things to go over for tonight's finalist competition.

All right. Let's hear it.

So bumping up from five to ten finalists so quickly required a lot of logistics.

I'm sorry, but, you know, I still feel like it was the right thing to do.

Well, yeah, all thanks to Kelly, who so expertly jumped through an inordinate

number of hoops, we managed to get all ten finalists to L.A., even though eight

out of the ten are out-of-towners.

Kelly, awesome.

And with Steven manning the phones back at the off, holy crap, sir. Whoa, whoa,

don't even think about it. That is for me and Chloe.

Chloe's a model. She's gonna get full just looking at all this food.

That's true.

Okay, so the plan is for you to go on stage, take the mic, and announce the

top three finalists. Then they'll perform the songs for you and the other

two judges.

God. I mean, how cool is it that they're both involved? And the buzz is so

intense. Yeah, and wall-to-wall media coverage.

Free publicity, thank you very much. All right, thank you. Okay, but I don't even

care about that.

I just want to discover new talent.

You know, and you guys think about it.

Tonight, we're going to change someone's life forever.

Please. Tell me you're not working tonight.

My heart can't take it anymore.

No, and I'm sorry if I scared you earlier. I just had a brief moment of

panic. Okay, well, you can't drop out of the contest, Lauren. You can't get this

close and suddenly drop out. I know. I'm going to go tonight.

There's just no way I'd miss a chance to meet Eddie. Well, officially, anyway.

What about the singing part? I mean, if you go, you're going to have to get up

on stage.

Yeah, but only if I make the top three.

That's true.

Let's not think that way.

No, I'm cool with whatever happens.

Something's changed, Lauren. You're way too calm. Are you under a spell or

something? Kind of.

I've been visualizing everything that's going to happen tonight.

Only the good things, though. Wow.

Who ever thought a jock could... I know, right? Yeah. It's crazy, but I've never

felt more ready for anything in my entire life.

So what time are you going to pick me up tonight?

What?

Well, it starts at 7, but there's going to be traffic.

Yeah, don't worry. We'll be on time. Okay, I just want to get there a little

early. I know. Oh, wait. So I got another mysterious text today. Here.

Don't be down. Show everyone how good you are tonight. Make Eddie notice you.

Sounds like your mystery buddy is a personal self-help guru.

Right? Wish I had one of those.

You? You're like the most self-confident person I know.

I thought so, but...

My confidence in my confidence has been severely shaken.

Why? What happened?

I kind of walked in on my parents.

Not like that.

Oh. They were talking about me.

Lisa was telling Gus that she thought I was... I don't know. Wait, why are

you... Can you just say mom and dad? You're confusing me. Right, sorry. So my

father was telling my mother that he thought I turned out okay after all

these years.

That's great. No more micromanaging.

Yeah, normally I'd be thrilled too, but then my mom said she keeps looking for

signs.

Signs? What does that mean?

No clue.

And then it gets weirder. A little later, at least Mom, she just started

taking an interest in me.

She wanted to know what outfit I was wearing tonight, and she didn't even

mention what time I had to be home. Maybe she's starting to finally realize

that you're the good kid of the family.

I just can't figure her out.

Do you think I should visualize her? Would that help? I don't know. What do

you want?

What I want is for you to win this contest and blow Eddie Durand's mind.

Visualize. Okay, visualize.

It's fine.

Fresno.

Wow. You can't get further away from New York than that. Exactly.

That's why I chose it. You were embarrassed to say you were from Fresno?

Ever been there?

No, I haven't. But it's where you were born and raised. Nothing to be ashamed

of. Not in this town.

People in L.A. look down upon you if you're from the wrong state, city, or

area code.

Snobby. That's what I was going up against.

So you told people that you were from the Upper West Side.

Suddenly people treat you as their equal. They treat you with respect.

So I take it that your father wasn't a dentist?

No. Your mom? She wasn't a lawyer.

Are they dead?

That's not something I would make up, even for a magazine cover.

Does Eddie know all this? I wanted to tell you first.

Why do you care what I think? Because Eddie does. And I want to put to rest

any doubts that you may have about me.

Well, normally what you've just told me would create more doubt, not less.

So I changed my name. I fudged my hometown.

Hardly uncommon in show business.

Hardly something to make a big deal about.

When are you planning to tell Eddie?

I'm going to tell him tonight, after he announces the contest winners.

How do you think he'll react?

That depends on you. How so?

How do you feel about it? Does it change anything between us? Well, I definitely

appreciate you sharing this with me.

I know it wasn't easy.

I could see where you're coming from.

Thank you for understanding.

I'd feel much more comfortable once you told Eddie I don't like lying to him.

Which I will do tonight.

It's hard for me to be open, but I'm getting better at it.

But if you have any more questions about me, please feel free to ask.

No more secrets.

Do you love Eddie? I do.

He makes me very happy, and I want to do the same for him. But I will not marry

your son if you don't approve of me.

I want no part of you trying to hurt my baby. I'm not out to hurt Chloe. I want

to help her. I'm worried sick about her.

Yeah, but I don't think the best place for me to reconnect with Cynthia is some

fancy pants gala.

Look, events like tonight are the reason Chloe moved to L.A.

She's going to love that you're seeing how successful she's become.

And with all of her celebrity friends there?

I mean, what daughter doesn't want to show off her mother?

Yeah, but she's already told everybody I'm dead. So how's she going to feel

when I come walking into this shindig? Like I said, she doesn't even realize

how badly she needs her mother around, okay?

And the truth is, she's been running as fast as she can and it's finally caught

up with her. Wait, wait, wait.

She's not doing drugs, is she? No, I don't think so.

But she's definitely in the fast lane with Eddie.

Reconnecting with her is what's going to bring her back down to Earth.

I desperately need to make things right between us.

And deep down, I know she wants that as well.

But if she won't talk to me, I don't know what I'm going to do.

You're just like your daughter.

You're always on edge. Let me get you a drink.

No, no, no, no, no.

Something doesn't feel right in my gut.

That's because you're nervous.

You're doing something really important for your daughter. You're bound to get

butterflies.

She and me, we don't have to be best friends.

I just want to make up for whatever it is she thinks I did to drive her away

from home.

More than that, I need her help.

I need some money right away.

Maybe I will have that drink.

Finally, it's you.

I've had a lot of people come by today. I was on my last rose.

Well, I feel like I just got picked by The Bachelor.

Yeah? There's no phony proposal at the end.

No, our love is not staged for the cameras.

Oh, my goodness.

That is so sweet.

Thank you so much. I am starving.

Hey, I thought you went wedding shopping. Where are the bags?

I didn't go shopping.

I went and talked to your dad.

You did?

Why? I wanted to get his blessing on our engagement.

That was a very thoughtful gesture, but you know we don't need his permission.

I did. I'm old-fashioned that way.

And?

He welcomed me to the family.

So, can we set the date now?

That is not an excuse to pop this bottle of champagne. I don't know what is.

So, what exactly did you have in mind, my little future Mr.

Ann? Well, I don't want to wait too long.

No, we won't.

Seriously, no long engagement.

What, are you worried I'm going to change my mind?

Maybe I'm worried I'll change my mind. Okay, you're right. No long engagement.

I'm just really anxious to be your wife and to live here full time and to be a

team in every way. I agree.

Okay, there's no reason that we need to drag out the engagement. I mean, it's

not like we need to find a place to live. No wedding gifts to register for?

Yeah, we kind of have everything.

So why don't we just do this now? We can go to City Hall tomorrow.

Oh, it's so romantic, but...

Okay, I had a little something more non-traditional in mind.

Our friend stopped by for a surprise visit.

Insisted on telling me her real name and that she was from Fresno.

Nah, she got tipped off.

Her timing was just too suspicious.

No, no, I want you to go on.

We just need to be faster.

Listen, go up to Fresno and find out everything there is to know about

Cynthia Kowalski.

And I mean everything.

Less traditional. What are you thinking?

Something more out there.

More rock and roll.

I'm listening.

I want to get married on a stage.

You know, someplace where you can feel the history in the walls. Like maybe one

of the old Hollywood theaters.

Or maybe even an old club on the strip.

On a stage?

Yeah. It'll be a nod to my parents because my dad, he proposed to my mom on

stage.

What do you think?

On a stage in Hollywood.

I love it.

So you came here to bleed money from Chloe?

Of course not.

She's my baby.

She's all I got in the world.

I really believe that you came here to make things right with her.

I don't want to be a part of some money-grabbing scam.

No, no, no, no. It's nothing like that. But I'm broke, Ty.

I'm afraid I'm going to end up on the street.

Even after all the money she sends you?

Well, that's not enough to cover our medical bills, okay?

I got sick last year.

Pretty bad, too.

Ended up in the hospital.

No insurance.

The pills just wiped me out. And you have real motivation to work your butt

off to get back into Cynthia's good graces.

But that's not the worst of it.

You know they're going to foreclose on my house.

I'm going to end up a back lady on the streets of Fresno. You know, I just know

it. How much do you need?

25.

Right away, you know, I wish I could help but Chloe just got herself in a bit

of a jam recently And I had to throw all my savings her way to fix it. What kind

of problem a paparazzi photo. It's not important You think she'll help me now

that she's marrying Richie rich rock star. It shouldn't be a problem Yeah You

don't get much more successful than Eddie Duran He must be rolling in it.

He might have coin, but that doesn't mean he's got any talent you Cynthia I

mean Chloe, you think she'll help me when she hears how rough it's been for

me, right?

Of course.

Look, no matter what happened in the past, she's not going to throw her

mother out on the street.

That's why you have to come with me to this party tonight.

Remember how excited we were right before we saw Eddie in concert?

Oh, yes. That's kind of how I feel right now.

Except I could be the one on stage performing.

What are you visualizing right now?

Not throwing up. That's my girl.

Oh.

What? I feel really bad that Adam can't come.

But I mean, with only three tickets, I had to let my mom invite Don. I mean,

without him, I wouldn't even have this shot. I'm still in shock that your mom,

who has had the lock on best mom in the world for the past decade, is dating the

man who sired little Miss Lucifer. I know.

And as horrible as she is in school, she only saved her best material for last

night. She was so brutal. So brutal.

She's just so jealous that you made the top ten, you're invited to the hottest

club in town, and you're taking her dad as your guest. Just sweet, sweet karma.

Hey, Mom.

Hi, how's my little rock star doing? Were you able to eat lunch? Can you

concentrate in school? Because I'm useless here at the clinic. I can't stop

thinking about tonight.

Hey, wow, you're definitely way more nervous than I am.

Do you want me to pick you anything up on the way home?

Yeah, why don't you pick up something to calm yourself down?

I know, I'm just so excited for you, honey. I mean, I feel like I've been

waiting forever for you to see you up on that stage winning this contest.

Well, I haven't won yet, so you've officially become a stage mom. But I

love you and goodbye.

If you visualize yourself throwing up, can you just visualize me off to the

side, out of range? I bought a new outfit for tonight.

That'd be great.

Big night tonight.

Oh, it's all thanks to you. Come on, Lauren's music did it. How's she holding

up? She sounds great. I'm a wreck.

Really? Yeah, not really.

I just hope she doesn't have another panic attack like she did last night.

I could prescribe something for anxiety.

Oh, thank you, Don, but pharmaceuticals aren't really what Lauren needs right

now. Just right now. I know.

I'm leaving work early.

I'll pick you up if that's all right. Yeah.

Are we taking Lauren and Melissa as well? No, they're actually going to go

earlier. Lauren wants to get acclimated.

I know she's going to be great. And I can't wait to see it.

Nora, what are you doing? It's too big of a night for you to be stuck here. I

know, I know. Don says I should go. I'm so nervous.

I'm having heart palpitations.

Did I just hear Don say that he's going to go with you tonight?

Yeah, I mean, Lauren wouldn't be in the finals if it weren't for him, so might

as well. We should invite him, right?

Well, wish us luck.

Good luck.

Hi,

Mr. Gold.

It's Ellie from Dr.

Master's office.

Yes, unfortunately, we need to reschedule your pre-op appointment with

Dr. Master's.

for this evening.

Being suspended from school doesn't mean you're on vacation.

It's not like I have homework.

Check your email. I told your teachers to send your homework so you can keep

up. I'll be checking to make sure it's done.

What ifs? One more thing.

I won't be home for dinner.

I'm going with Nora to Eddie Duran's songwriting contest.

Lauren invited me.

What, do you want me to throw a fit?

I'm sorry.

I'm not going to give you that satisfaction.

Oh, but Dad, have a great time tonight.

Oh, and when you get back, all my homework will be finished.

I promise.

Adrella? I needed to see you.

Just when I thought my dad couldn't get any worse, he decides to go to that

contest thing with that no-talent-twits mom.

I'm sorry, Dad. I wish I could make it better for you.

You know what would make it better?

Lauren losing.

Or having a total meltdown and puking herself on stage. You know, that would

be the best.

So you want to hang out tonight?

I need to do something to get this off my mind.

We should do something crazy.

I thought we heard somebody.

Hello, Adriana.

I don't need to remind you two that you're both suspended. She's just

leaving, Dad.

I'm going to walk her out.

You should come over tonight.

My dad won't be home till late, and since I can't go on our Hawaii trip, I

was thinking that maybe we can have our own little private party.

You can give me that surprise you've been promising me, and I can give you a

few surprises, too. Well, your surprise isn't ready yet, but I promise I'll be

there.

You know we don't open for another couple hours, even to the press.

Jake told me to arrive early so I can set up for the announcement tonight.

How come you always manage to be around everything Eddie does?

Well, your son drives ratings, and it doesn't hurt that I'm friends with

Chloe. How long have you known my future daughter-in-law? A few years. We met in

yoga. You know, she was just starting to act and model, and I was just getting my

own shows. It's been mutually beneficial.

Okay. Okay. Well, you know where to set up, right?

Thanks, Max.

Okay.

Congratulations on the engagement, by the way.

Oh, yeah.

Exciting news, huh?

Do you really think it's a good idea for your son to be taken off the market at

such a young age?

Well, you know, as long as he's happy, I don't care how old he is.

What about your future daughter-in-law? Is she everything you ever hoped for?

Yes, she is. You know why?

Because she makes my son happy. What about you, Max?

You're one of the most eligible guys in L.A. Is there anybody special in your

life? I'm saving myself for you.

Then you and Daphne haven't hooked up yet.

Wait, how do you know about Daphne? I introduced her to Eddie and Chloe.

She thought you two might hit it off.

Chloe?

She told me it was Eddie's idea.

Well, they were both pushing for it.

Interesting.

I know, I was just here.

But Jake wanted me to give you a list of the top ten finalists, their names, the

names of their songs, where they're from.

etc it's cool i like doing shout outs to hometowns so do you have any idea who

the top three finalists are gonna be i'm close to my decision but i i gotta give

it another listen you know i just i want to make sure i'm choosing the best it

sucks because there can only be one winner hey all 10 finalists are psyched

to be a part of this even the out-of-towners they feel like they've

won just being flown out here adding lauren's song was the right thing to do

right absolutely I was high on her song from the moment that I heard it. Me too.

I just feel like Jake's not too crazy about it. Yeah, well, it's not his

competition.

And it's not a PR stunt, okay?

Literally, I'm genuinely looking for someone I can collaborate with.

You know, it's so great that you're willing to reach out to your fans like

this. Not a lot of artists have enough confidence in their talent to let new

people in.

You're great.

Thank you so much for all your help with this. No, thanks for letting me be a

part of it.

I'll see you tonight at the club.

Yes, you will.

Whatcha doing?

Oh, I was gonna go over the top ten again.

Uh, haven't you done that, like, a million times already?

Yes, okay, but I gotta be sure that when I make that announcement for the

finalists, that I make the right choice.

I won't be sorry when this contest is over.

Things will get back to normal.

I need your help.

Which one should I wear tonight?

That one.

You just pointed to the fruit bowl.

I would love to see you wear that.

And only that.

Oh, right.

But it doesn't matter which dress you wear. You look beautiful in everything

and nothing.

Well, you know, we're going to have to eventually get ready for tonight.

I know. I just didn't realize how hard it was going to be to pick a finalist.

Does it really matter what song you pick? Of course it matters.

Each song is unique in its own way. That's the reason they made the top ten

to begin with.

But it's not like you're going to record that song. It's just a PR thing, that's

all. If people think that, they're going to be surprised when they see the

winner's song on my next album.

What if the winner turns out to be a nut job?

Oh, well, we can't have that.

You know, not in the music industry. They'll never make it if they're crazy.

Well, what if the winner is that creepy Twitter stalker girl?

Love to love you?

Yeah, what if the winner's her, someone like her? It could be dangerous.

You're going to have your chance to find out.

Because she's one of the finalists.

Eddie, no.

She is so creepy.

She is not creepy. She's a girl who lives in the valley who writes great

songs. This could be a conflict of interest.

Why? Because you guys have been privately sending tweets back and forth.

People might think that you're favoring her. No. First off, I had no idea that

she was Love to Love You when I heard the song. And second, I'm not going to

be the only one choosing winners. There's other judges.

Well, I'm just trying to avoid some sort of contest rigging scandal.

Not possible.

Okay, if Lauren Tate wins, it's because she has the best song.

Well, are you going to meet the Twitter girl? I'm going to meet them all.

It's not safe, Eddie.

I'll tell you what.

I will avoid all of the finalists if you promise to wear that fruit ball.

Something's missing.

I'm not wearing neon, Mel.

Fine. We'll find something.

Mel, I finally feel comfortable in my own skin. I like to feel comfortable

with what's on top of it. Just tell me if I'm getting warmer or colder.

Fairbanks, Alaska.

Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh.

Little pop of color. Still see my breath. Okay.

And now I have frostbite.

Um, how about these guys?

Subtle, but, yeah.

Maybe.

Yeah. Yeah.

You can work with this. Like this.

A little bit.

Yeah. You can do that, right? Yeah. Is that good? Perfect. Okay. All right.

That wasn't so bad. Yeah.

Okay. So, now, on to the shoes. Oh, God.

You made it.

I didn't think you'd be able to break out of jail. For my parents, I had a

working night shift at the auto body. Mm-hmm.

They think I'm safe enough to buy a car.

Don't.

Get it.

I'll be quick, okay?

Party time.

Anyone else here yet?

Once I figured out I had the whole house to myself, I blasted in the SOS text to

Nicole and everyone.

It was supposed to be just us tonight.

Jason just texted me. He said he's bringing a bunch of friends by.

Cool.

You ready to go?

I don't know about this dress.

It's really not me.

This is L.A. You gotta dress for success.

You look fabulous.

Come on, let's go see your daughter.

You ready to show off that, right?

I think this dress shows off the diamond the best, don't you?

I doubt anybody's going to miss that ring.

Well, that's the point.

Eat your heart out, everyone.

Ah, you guys look amazing.

It's like you should be going to the Grammys.

When we go to the Grammys, I'm going to be wearing something way more eye

-popping than this. Trust me. Really? Is that possible?

You watch.

Lady Gaga's going to be like, damn, I have been out Gaga.

Oh, Lauren looks so glamorous.

Oh, my baby's all grown up.

Look at the tears. Oh, God. Why is this starting to feel like prom? All right,

we'll see you at the club.

Okay. Oh, that sounds so cool, doesn't it? We'll see you at the club. I know,

doesn't it? We'll keep an eye out for you. Okay. So, Lauren, your chariot

awaits. All right.

Okay, you guys be so careful. Okay. You guys are so funny. You look beautiful.

Love you.

I love you.

Leave your phone on.

Well, hello, Dr. Masters.

Norton, I just found out there's been a screw-up with the scheduling. I have to

see a patient for an important pre-op tonight.

Oh, no.

I'm fully booked the rest of the week, so I can't reschedule. Which means I

won't be able to make the show. I'm so sorry.

You'll be missed.

I'll just have to rock out twice as hard to make up your absence.

I'll make it up to you, I promise.

Best of luck to Lauren.

All right, thank you. I'll pass it on.

Thanks.

I could have sworn Mr. Gold's appointment was tomorrow afternoon.

It's always been for tonight. But you're so busy, I'm surprised you even know

what day it is.

I'm sorry I messed up your evening as well. I'll manage.

Okay. Okay, easy, Sonny.

Easy, boy.

No, no, no, don't worry. Sonny knows how important tonight is.

Okay. Lauren Chase, are you ready?

Are you ready to make music history?

I think so.

Take a deep breath and let's do this. Okay.

Don't forget to let it out again, though.

Oh, right.

Do good.

Breathe it out.

Okay.

Wow, I think they're happy for us.

I think it's good.

Sucks for Dr. Don, but thanks, Lauren. I'm honored to be your second choice.

I'm just glad you didn't have any other plans.

Oh, well, I had this hot date with a foreign exchange student, but supporting

you guys is way more important.

Oh, yeah? What country is she from? I mean, Believerstan?

Singapore?

I'd love to introduce you, but she's headed home soon. Oh, okay.

Mel, didn't you just miss the on-ramp for the freeway?

No, it's rush hour. The freeway's jammed. I'm taking surface juice to the

club. Trust me, it'll be way faster.

I'm so glad Daphne made it. Come on, let's go say hi. Of course.

Max, your club has got such a great vibe.

It's the perfect mix of new and old. Kind of like Max.

Hey, hi. You all know each other?

Yeah.

You having fun?

So far, so good. I was just about to tell your dad.

This place reminds me of that cool club in Paris where we did the Benefit

concert in 87.

My dad has a poster of that gig upstairs.

Didn't Culture Club and Tears for Fears perform too? Yeah, I was only the

opening act, but I got to witness all the fireworks.

Katie and boy George almost got into a tuffle. He asked her out onto the stage,

and at the after party, she dumped a glass of Bordeaux on his head. I love

it. I never really knew mom's crazy side.

Am I telling the story right, Max?

Yeah, yeah, pretty much, pretty much.

You know, I got to go check on something. I'll be back in a bit, okay?

Oh, of course.

Did I say something wrong? No, it's not you, Daphne. It's a big night for the

club and he has trouble delegating. Are you sure it's not something else?

I'm sure. He will be exactly back to his normal fun self when the evening's over.

Who knew being suspended could be so much fun? I know!

We should do it more often.

I know, right?

What kind of party do you think this is?

I'm the host.

I get to break the first thing.

Look at you. You look incredible.

Thanks.

Jake, you just always wear the same thing, don't you? So you get no fashion

love from me.

Where's your better half so I can compliment her?

Tracy's working late. She'll be by a little later.

It's always work, work, work with her, you know? I wish she would just let go

and have fun for one night, right? I'd like to see you say that to her face.

Well, you'll be seeing and waiting a long time because I'm no fool.

So, where are the ten finalists?

Stephen's got him sequestered, but no peeking for you, all right? You're only

judging their performance, nothing else. Eddie would never do anything to

besmirch this contest.

Besmirch? Yeah, Hannah uses it on Words with Friends.

Wow, this place is looking a lot better than I thought it would.

Yeah. Including your favorite reporter.

Good evening, Lily.

Hi, Jakey. I hate to be rude, but I'm really here for the man of the hour.

This is becoming a habit, Lily. One that I hope you don't start to break.

Congratulations on all the buzz on the contest tonight.

I have a quick question.

You know, you write all of your own music. Are you really ready to give up

the reins to one of your fans?

I'm not giving up anything.

You know, this will be a total collaboration between me and whoever

wins. And I'm really excited to announce the top three, you know, because they've

written some killer songs.

I have to hand it to you.

You guys, really, this whole contest is a genius marketing tool to get everyone

excited about your next album.

But that's not the reason I'm doing it.

I want to give someone a real shot.

Oh, so you're more like Usher was to Justin Bieber, trying to help launch

somebody from obscurity into the limelight? Yeah, it would be great if we

have half as much success as that combination, but who knows? You know,

the winner that me and my fellow judges pick tonight could be the next Eddie

Duran. Whoa, let's not go there just yet. I want to make sure I enjoy the

success of the current Eddie Duran.

So, Eddie, do you want to divulge any more about your engagement?

Oh, Lily, look, the other judges have arrived. Go this way.

I sensed that you were done with that interview, but I had no idea how to get

rid of her.

Jake's a pro.

Yeah, well, you are learning from the best.

Is that Daphne Miller talking to Chloe?

Yeah, you know her?

No, I've never met her, but I'm a fan of her music. Oh, you mean her one-hit

song, Oh, I Love You? No, no, no, don't even sing it, because if not, it's going

to be in my head the whole night.

Has Max met her?

I bet he would love to have someone from his era to reminisce with.

You would think.

Hey, Grace, I expect a mad rush at the bar after the show, so make sure we have

enough sodas for the under-21 crowd, okay?

Already covered, boss.

Okay, good.

Oh, thanks. Hi, I'm Nora Tate, the crazy mom who forced you to listen to my

daughter's song. Hey, no need for introductions. And you're not crazy.

You're not crazy. Your daughter is very talented. Thank you. That means the

world to me.

Absolutely. I'm glad Eddie got to hear the song and that she made it. I know.

be here the both of us i just i'm not sure if she's here yet though i'm sure

she is she's somewhere around soaking it all in yeah please let me buy you a

drink so we can celebrate oh um the same for me and uh you know i would love to

thank you even though i feel like it might faint but um maybe later i really

feel like i need to find lauren please excuse me no please please go ahead yeah

oh how can we be lost when all of our phones have gps

You'd think with a combined 54 years of living here, we'd know how to get to

Hollywood. Yeah, maybe if we went to Hollywood often, which we don't.

Yeah, unless you're sneaking into Eddie's concert or his dad's club.

Okay, that was twice in 18 years. Came the same way as before, but I got all

turned around because of that detour in your map reading skills.

Sorry, as a joke, Liam set all my settings to Swedish.

That's kind of funny. Who's Liam? You wouldn't like him. He plays tennis.

I think if we can just get the sunset, that will be golden. Look, that is the

problem, isn't it?

My phone says we're just a few miles away from the club.

Lauren, you're being really quiet. Are you all right? Yeah, yeah, yeah. I'm

just visualizing. What do you see?

Okay, I'm seeing us finding the right street and pulling into valet and

walking right into MK. Do you visualize me making a left or right onto fountain?

What's happening? Oh, Sonny, don't feel me now. Not now.

No, no, no, no, no. What was that?

No, no, no, no, no. I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry.

Sonny has died.

A moment of silence.

Hey, babe.

It's a zoo in here. Have you seen Daphne? I lost her.

She's not with my dad? No, he went to go check on something and didn't come back.

Maybe they didn't hit it off.

Thanks, guys.

It's just a hunch, but maybe he doesn't like talking about being on the road

since those were his best memories with my mom.

Makes him miss her even more.

Yeah, well, it might be nice for him to have someone to talk to.

You know, someone that speaks his language.

And they do look cute together.

Okay, so have you picked the three finalists yet?

Ah, they are in my head. Okay, I cannot wait to see them perform.

So you sure now? I mean, once you announce, there's no turning back. Okay,

relax, all right? I'm totally confident in my choices. Any one of these three

people could be our new songwriting partner.

I'm so excited about this. Yeah, whoever wins, no idea what they're in for. I

hope they can handle it. Yeah, but they'll have you to help them avoid any

minefields. He's not going to hold their hand.

No, but it's not enough just to nurture their talent. He's got to make sure they

know how to handle their sudden fame.

I guess I am responsible for them.

You just thought about that now.

No, I mean, I've been thinking about what an opportunity I'm giving someone,

but I mean, it makes sense that I kind of have to guide them.

What the heck have I gotten myself into?

Showtime, Eduardo.

So we need you to go on stage, say a few words, and announce the three finalists.

Okay. Let me just sort it out in my head. Give me a second. All right?

Any luck?

No. No, she should be here by now, right? She left before I did.

You think she got lost?

No, she's been here before.

Oh, yeah?

Yeah, her and her friend Melissa finagled their way into your opening

night party.

Look at that, a girl after my own heart.

This really isn't like her. She's usually polypunctual. She's never even

been late to work.

She's fine. She's probably stuck in traffic. You know Sunset. I'm normally,

I'm not the worrying type.

That's not true.

I'm absolutely the worrying type, and now I'm starting to freak out a little

bit.

Okay, we should have just enough money to take a cab to the club. Okay. Have

you been in a taxi recently? This is barely enough for bus fare. Shut it!

We have enough.

Guys, we're getting late. We gotta go.

She's not picking up.

Well, it's very loud in here. Maybe you just couldn't hear her. Yeah.

I'm gonna try to text her.

This is gonna be fun. Oh, good luck, babe.

I can go through with this. What if she... Relax. This is going to be great.

This will be a night you'll never forget.

Hey.

You guys have your invites?

Damn,

you know I left it in my other jacket.

Are you on the guest list?

How's everyone doing tonight?

I said, how's everyone doing tonight?

Now, you guys, I'm as soaked as you are because guess what?

Tonight we get to hear the first track off of my next album.

And it's going to be written by one of these three finalists I'm about to

announce.

All right? This is how it's going to work. Once I announce these three

finalists, they're going to come up here and they're going to rock this joint.

Okay? And then after that, the two judges and myself are going to shout out

to the world the winner.

First off, I want to thank all ten contestants for coming out here tonight.

You all are extremely talented, or you wouldn't be here.

And to be honest with you, I would choose each and every one of you if I

could. So just know, you're all winners.

Okay,

so...

Shall we announce the finalists?

So let's meet him.

Give it up for Tatum Devereaux from Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

There he is. There he is.

All right. So our next finalist is Blanca De La Fuente

from Miami, Florida.

Look at her all pretty and clean.

All right, you guys, you ready for the last one?

You ready for the final one? Yeah. All right. So, and finally, from right here

in the city of Los Angeles, Lauren Tate.