09x08 - The Show Must Go On

[bunniefuu]

[theme music playing]

[Jamie] This is the true story.

[Matt] Of seven strangers.

[Melissa] Picked to live in a mansion.

[Kelley] Work together.

[Danny] And have their lives taped.

[David] To find out what happens.

[Julie] When people stop being polite.

[Jamie] And start getting real.

[all] The Real World: New Orleans.

[indie music playing]

We're doing a television show

and we were trying to gather
some information

on what people are concerned with.

-Anything?
-Anything.

Anything that you feel
needs to be voiced.

[man 1] Yeah, I think...

If you're going to film me,
I wanna be able to use...

I want to get a copy of it.

[Melissa] Stop filming. Stop filming.
He doesn't want to.

Well, now I know better
and for next time,

I'm completely unorganized.

-Ooh, wait, time out.
-No! No shoes. No shoes, no shoes.

All right, we can look, actually,
if you want to.

[Melissa] Yeah, I just want to look
at a pair of sandals.

Since we are seven 20-somethings
who only care about ourselves,

I don't think that any of us
have a real interest

in what the major issues
of New Orleans are.

We're done.

I want somebody, I don't care who does it,
to type up the five different, um,

questions that we're going to do.

For the first show, there are
a lot of things that have to be done.

[Kelley] And then also type up
all the segments

that everybody decided...

-[Matt coughs]
-...and have those all ready,

so that we can show those to Elton
that we've come up with some things.

So, who wants to do that?
You can raise your hand.

[tense music playing]

[Melissa] Well, I like secretarial stuff.

Everybody give me your questions.

Nobody is really taking the initiative
to try to get something done

and I feel like I always have
to tell everyone

as though I'm their mother.

This means something to me.

I would want it to go well
because if I do a good job in this,

then I have a good
résumé-booster to take with me.

The most important thing now,
is to make sure that while

we were on air live, we don't screw it up.

That's the only thing
I'm really, really worried about.

We have less than 48 hours
before the show goes live on the air.

My stress level
has just gone off the charts.

We're screwed.
I'll just tell you that right now.

All right, well you two are the leaders
so lead us in the right direction.

Kelley is bothered by the fact
that she has to tell people what to do,

but the job of the producer
is to tell others what to do.

-Nobody listens to me.
-[Matt] Because...

-It's important to listen.
-[Matt] I'll listen to you.

If you... you can make them work.

[Kelley] I don't want to, though.
Because it's, like, they'll say

"What do you want me to do?"
And since I can't say an exact, like...

There is no exact, 'cause I don't know,
either. You know what I mean?

Like if I knew what we were doing,

then that would be one thing.
But I really can't tell you.

I'm just kind of like,
"Well, we need to do this

and we need to do this,"
and however we do that, I don't know

but we need to do it.

[rock music playing]

I most admire my parents
for their perseverance in life.

We have five questions that would reveal
a little bit of character.

My favorite book is,
The Imitation of Christ

by Thomas à Kempis.

What I love most about
New Orleans is Magazine Street.

It helps you get to know the hosts

and the correspondents
without telling all.

Now, I'm going to yell at you
so we get a... a level.

Okay, I just want to...
yeah, I just want to...

-[playing piano]
-Hmm.

I'm a creative-type person.
I don't want to just sit there

and just say, "My name is," you know?

With pictures flashing of me
and things like that.

I have to, you know, make it something.

[scatting]

So I decide to, you know, start off

with a little scat and song,
you know what I'm saying?

That's how I present myself
because that's part of my personality.

♪ Come on, be my baby tonight
Mm ♪

♪ Come on, be my baby tonight
Mm ♪

♪ I've seen the way you've treated
Other th*gs you've been with ♪

♪ Come on, be my baby tonight ♪

[rock music playing]

[Matt] Lionel and myself
come together to build the set.

Lionel builds sets for NOATV.

So, he and I buddy up
and we take my design and make it happen.

[machine whirring]

So, everything is in place.

-[Matt] Yes.
-Uh, I've got a show behind this.

-[Matt] All right.
-How you going to get this out of here?

[Matt] Um... um...

Because, obviously,
it's going to have to be taken apart.

Yeah.

-Well, I am not exper...
-And pretty quickly.

I'm not experienced in set design

and I was not aware of that factor,
so I did not design for it.

So, it is a problem.

[Elton] If this were foam core,

and you weren't necessarily
locked into a solid wall,

then one person can
move this thing around...

[fingers snap] ...like that,
without a problem.

Now, I guess, we're at this point.
Well, let's... let's go with it.

Uh, but I really want to look at...

This has got to be foam core.

-Right.
-It's got to be lightweight, collapsible.

He wanted it foam core,
and no matter what,

it's gonna be foam core.
Even if it means

I have to spend 40 more hours
building a new set.

[Lionel] So, Matt, you got to do
some serious painting here, huh?

Yep.

I never thought about working with Elton,
'cause he's not the set designer.

So, it was all kosher when I'm working
with the set designer, and then

Elton's concern was that
it's not mobile enough.

But, and like... I don't want that to be
a concern of ours right now

'cause that's not your problem,
that's my problem.

[Melissa] It's not, but I'm just sad.

I'm sad that you put all that
time and work into it

and now it's being torn down,
when you had no idea that it was wrong.

[tape rewinding]

And as far as a professional level,

I would most like to model
myself after Oprah Winfrey.

[Melissa on TV] I choose Imelda Marcos.

I can see all of her shoes after dessert.

[Matt on TV] I admire my father
because he is selfless.

-[music playing]
-[David vocalizing]

[Danny] What the hell is he singing?

♪ Come on, be my baby tonight... ♪

[Kelley] Hey, is this for our opening?

-[Melissa] I don't know. And I thought...
-What the hell is this?

See, this is just going to sound
ridiculous when it comes over the top.

It doesn't look right. You know?
Everybody's answering these questions

and then, all of a sudden,
somebody's singing.

[vocalizing]

♪ Scooby doo-wah, ha, cha-cha! ♪

This is so stupid.
I don't even want this on the show.

[Kelley] Can he do another one?
Where he talks?

No, he won't.

[Kelley] Well, you know what?
I'm sick of that.

I mean, I'm not here... I don't wanna

blow up and
I don't want to get pissed off,

but this doesn't work.

We have to make it work.
This doesn't work.

I'm the one who knows

that David is going
to fight with me about it.

There is no middle road
when it comes to discussing David's music.

He won't compromise at all.

[upbeat rock music playing]

I shouldn't let him
intimidate me this much.

[Kelley] We're looking at the tape.

Basically, you need
to go into the studio

and answer the, like,
just answer the five questions.

-Do you mind doing that?
-I'm going to have to flow it.

You know what I'm saying?
That's the problem.

-Okay, what happened? I mean, why...
-See, no... You said,

-"Here's a... pick your... pick your five..."
-[Kelley] What questions did you answer?

-'Cause I didn't hear any questions.
-No... No, See,

just because... just because don't...
you're not understanding,

you know what I'm saying,
how I answered the questions,

it's a different perspective,
it's a whole different flow.

But I wouldn't... If I was watching
the show, I would not understand that.

But that's because you.
That's you, though.

You see what I'm saying? You coming...
you come from a different perspective.

You're not looking at it that way.

This is the perspective for people
that can understand flow,

they can understand that.
You see what I'm saying?

Everybody else went and sat in a chair
and had a microphone in front of them.

[David] That's what
everybody else did, yeah.

-That's what everybody else did.
-But that is the format.

Like, that's how it has to be.

This is just something that
we have to work together on.

It's not good to just be
difficult to be difficult.

-Can we not try to get along?
-I'm not being difficult to be difficult.

Then just go in there and say,
"My name is David.

I'm 22, I'm from Chicago.
I like this to eat for dinner."

Ain't nobody gonna back me down.
You know what I'm saying?

You can stand up to me,
you can say your views

and everything but when it comes
down to it, I'mma get my way.

I said I was wanting everybody
to pick the questions

and then I'd break it down.

If you would've been listening,
you would've heard that.

[David] Oh, where's the breakdown?
Where's the breakdown then?

It was there. You didn't see it.
Don't worry about it.

You know what?
We'll just screw the whole thing.

Yeah, roll it, 'cause that's
how it's going to be.

-[Kelley] That's fine. That's great.
-That's cool then.

[David] Did he call back?

All right, guys, remember, the...
the real key to a good rehearsal,

you treat it as if it is the real thing.

We do some dry runs through the show
and it does not go very well.

Three, two...

[Julie] Hi, and welcome
to The Real 7 on 77.

[suspenseful music playing]

The dry runs are pathetic.

And after Matt finishes talking, go to
camera one, and then go to camera three.

This is not what we have on here.

-That's not what we just did.
-[Melissa] So, can you tell us

-what the three topics are?
-Twenty seconds.

I just didn't know
what y'all was doing...

[Kelley] I guess they don't know either.

'Cause he's still trying to learn.

We have a skeletal frame, structure,
blueprint of what's supposed to happen.

You know, we're looking, "That was okay."
This is where I come back and say,

"Hello. Welcome back. Whoo-whoo."

But the problem is,
Danny doesn't have this.

I totally have a list of things
written down.

I just don't have them in front of me.

So what Danny is doing,
he's changing the whole thing

-and Kelley's getting pissed.
-Thank you, Danny.

This is all just coming out of... my a*s.

I'll guide you through the topics. I think
I know what the three top ones are.

People don't know
what they're talking about.

To me, it is just a bad sign.

To me, it looked like kind of chaos.

It looked like you guys didn't really know
where you were going.

I'm very concerned.
I don't feel like I have any direction

when I'm sitting there.
I don't know which camera to look at,

I don't know what tape
is about to be run, 'cause...

decisions get changed
right there on the set.

-That just can't be.
-[Elton] Who's the show producer?

-I am.
-[Elton] So, if you haven't made a change,

no one else should... Hold on a second.

And if that format is laid out,
it's organized,

you as a director,
you could walk in there cold turkey

and not know anything.

Follow the format, and guess what?

You're going to know
what cameras to punch,

you're going to know
what segments need to roll,

you're gonna know when they need
to go to a commercial break.

That's the whole purpose of organization.

So, that's why I keep telling you

this is what you're going
to live and die by.

So, between now and tomorrow,

you guys gotta to get this together
real quick.

All right, we got to finish it off
on a good note.

'Cause I know... we've all
been working hard

and we need some praise,
'cause if we don't have any,

we're just going to walk home angry.

I will say this, uh,
I'm glad to see what you've done thus far.

It is a stressful process

and it doesn't always work out
the way you want it to.

- [laughs] All right, well...
-[Danny] So get over it, man.

[Elton] You guys, why don't you take off?
Let me talk to Kelley.

[Kelley] I'm not going to get
my a*s chewed out by Elton.

That's what I'm thinking right now.

It's just my way to just be
completely blunt about things.

-[Elton] Mm-hmm.
-This is not an easy situation.

I realize, yes, as a producer,

it is your responsibility
to delegate everybody there

but they won't listen to me.

[Elton] Well, see, that can't happen.

-Exactly.
-As a producer, you are

the last line of defense.
I mean, you're responsible

-for that show. Okay?
-And I know that.

I definitely think
that I am capable of being

in a position of producer,
manager, whatever, in my life.

But I wouldn't have to live
with everybody

that worked below me,
and I would fire them.

If you tell me this is what
you want to take place,

then I'm going to back you up on that.

So, if someone's going
to disagree with you,

they're going to have to
ultimately deal with me.

I'm not really laying down the law
as well as I should, I guess.

I have noticed the fact
that if there's something I need to know,

nine out of ten times,
you're the one that's telling me that.

You're the one that's calling.

So those are the things
that I look for in a producer.

So, maybe I've been a little remiss
in not saying to you,

"Hey, good job.
Keep up the good work," et cetera.

-So, I'm saying that now.
-[Kelley] Cool.

-All right, see you tomorrow.
-Well, I feel much better.

[bell dinging]

[tense music playing]

[Melissa] Kelley is freaking out.

-She is scouring the Internet...
-[keyboard clacking]

...for factual information

on topics that we're going to talk about
for approximately one minute.

They're looking for stats
on drunks.

-We should've just bailed.
-We should've just hightailed.

-[Julie] We're going to just take a walk.
-Okay.

'Cause I'm sick of being in this building.
I was here really late last night, so...

-[Kelley] Okay.
-But we'll come back, and we'll help you.

-[Kelley] Okay.
-Okay.

I need help, please!
And there... wasn't there.

I don't feel bad if Kelley or anyone,
or the director tell me what to do.

What do you want me to do! I'll do it,

but like, I don't want to
just exist in this office

just so it makes us all feel like
"Oh, we're doing work."

We're all equally... yeah.

Delegate responsibility
and we'll get it done.

[Julie] And that's why I was
really happy yesterday

when we came to a decision that,
okay, I'm going to do editing,

'cause now I feel like I have...
a purpose, kind of, you know what I mean?

Right, totally.

-There's too much micromanagement, I feel.
-Exactly!

[Jamie] Everybody has to be involved
with everyone else's thing.

I trust... You do the editing
and do it well, you know?

Exactly.

[Kelley] Jamie has this uncanny way
of being able to slip through the cracks

and I must admit that I fall for it too,

because even though
I'm angry, I'm not saying anything.

[Jamie] When you think that things
are important in this world,

you just have to keep a perspective
and this show, there's no reason

why you should ever be
angry or ever pissed off

because in the end,
it means nothing. [chuckles]

Yeah.

The last thing on segment two
that can't, like, really be changed

has to be drinking, because
it has to flow into drinking.

-[Jamie] What time is it right now?
-[Julie] I don't know.

-We probably should go back, huh?
-[Jamie] Yeah.

[rock music playing]

All right. Let's lower the left
about a quarter of an inch.

[machine whirring]

Steven, put a couple of them
close together kind of like these.

Matt spends hours and hours and hours
building this incredible set.

And I think that he's genuinely interested

in giving the show
a really professional look.

This is a great set.

I am thoroughly worried.

It's going to be really bad.

The only thing we can
hope for is a miracle.

[Matt] No, it's not. It's gonna rock.

-Lose that bad attitude right now.
-[Melissa laughs]

At this point, it's out of my hands.

Our first show is going to suck.
I guarantee it.

[Matt] Real 7 on three, all right?

-[all] One, two, three... Real 7!
-[applauds]

Everybody just take a deep breath.

Relax. Inhale. Have fun.

-Six, five...
-This is it. This is it.

Two...

[rock music concluding]

[slow R&B music playing]

Hi, and welcome to The Real 7
on channel 77.

As you can probably tell,
we are a new show

and we hope to show you
for the next half hour

a little insight
as to what you will be seeing

every Saturday night
at 7:00 on Channel 77.

We took it upon ourselves to go
take footage around New Orleans

and give you a little insight
into our personalities.

So, sit back, relax and meet
your new seven best friends.

[Matt] Hi. My name is Matt
and I'm 21 years old.

I'm from Hiawassee, Georgia,
and I'm currently a student,

at the Georgia Institute
of Technology.

I hope to offer The Real 7
a spirited insight on young pop culture.

[Melissa] My favorite book
is The Yeast Connection and The Woman

because all of my issues
have been yeast related.

My body takes sugars and starches
and expels them in the form of migraines,

fatigue, and irritability.

And because of this book,
I have gotten help.

[Kelley] I would most like to model
myself after Oprah Winfrey.

I believe she has changed the lives
of thousands of people for the better.

I believe if I could impact
even one person the way that she has,

then I have done my job as well.

[Julie] Some other favorites
I have, are Romeo and Juliet

and boys with spiky hair.
I hope to grace your presence each week

to provide a unique look
at New Orleans' musical side.

[vocalizing]

♪ Come on, be my baby tonight ♪

People who will be able to say,
"You know something?

I heard every damn question
up in that flow.

And I understand him,
I see his perspective."

That's who I'm reaching.

[Danny] David with his shirt off.

David standing beside these nice cars
that don't belong to him.

It's a bad rap video.

Stand by, please.

♪ Come on, be my baby tonight ♪

-Cue. Cue.
-Cue.

Wasn't that absolutely tight?

Okay?

We'll be right back.

Cue.

The people of New Orleans are concerned

with issues like cleanliness,
police brutality,

the education system.
And I remember speaking to the lady

in the clock shop
about the violence in schools,

and she was saying
that she had to actually get two jobs

to send her children to a private school

because the public schools
in this city are so poorly funded.

People talk a lot about corruption.

And it's not just with
the police department

but in businesses
and everything around that.

Some people tend to think that
corruption festers here in New Orleans.

Would you all agree?

[David] What we feel is
a pressing issue is that alcohol

is the very backbone,
it seems to be, of New Orleans.

I mean, the drinking and things like that.

This is one thing
I can tell you right now.

-Zoom in on Matt...
-[Matt] When I first came to New Orleans,

they said there's two things
this city takes pride in.

[Kelley] The number one thing

that's bringing
the tourists into this town

is alcohol and food.

-[producer 1] Twenty seconds.
-Twenty seconds. Three-oh.

-[producer 1] Tell them to wrap it up.
-[Danny] Wrap it up.

[David] Like you're saying,
it's a choice.

There are going to be several times
for us to talk about this.

Tune in next week, Saturday at 7:00 on 77
to see what we have to offer.

-Thank you so much.
-We'll tell you.

We'll be back next week. We appreciate it.
We had a good time.

-Play the music.
-Three, two, one.

-[outro music playing]
-And... we did it.

[all cheer]

Dy-no-mite, you guys.

Good job.

[David] Can you say "success"?

Oh, man, it just felt so good.

-You did a great job, too.
-That was awesome.

[Melissa] For all of the stressing

and all of the arguing, we pulled it off.

[Elton] You guys were
absolutely fantastic. You did a great job.

It all came together.

Give yourselves a big, big hand.
I am so proud of you.

Let me tell you something.

What you did
was just absolutely fantastic.

The set looked great.
The music was great...

[Jamie] For the first time,
the vibe at NOATV

is a positive vibe.

If this is where you're starting now
with the first show,

imagine where we go from here.
It's just, it's going to go straight up.

So, you guys deserve to give yourselves
some great round of applause.

[applause]

[Kelley] Elton really is impressed

and I get the old, "good job."

[Julie] Everybody throws up their hands

and they're celebrating like
it was the greatest show.

First of all, the first show sucked

and if I'm the only person who saw that,
I'm sorry, but it did.

Are we doing these every week?

-Every Saturday?
-[Melissa laughing]

Every Saturday for the rest of the time?

[Melissa] It's not every other Saturday.
It's every Saturday.

[Elton] So, on that note, it's like,
first show's done.

So, what do we have
to think in terms of now?

Second show, and it's coming real quick.

[music concluding]

[Kelley] Are you going to produce
this next one?

-You should, I think.
-I don't know about that.

Elton wanted everybody
to produce a show

and everybody is going
to have their turn.

We need to figure out what, uh,
what we're doing.

Then, as far as like, I mean,
well, better... better yet,

like you were just alluding to,
we need to find out who's doing what.

Well, I think... I think you should.

I think you'd do a good job.

[David] I got a pad full of stuff.

When Kelley produced, I saw
good things, I saw bad things,

but I even learned from the bad things

and we just have
a lot more confidence now.

A lot more confidence.

[upbeat music playing]

[dog barking in distance]

[Melissa] It's just like...

really embarrassing.

You know, I'm finding out from
random people in the community

that here are seven brats

talking about things
they know nothing about,

that have been in New Orleans
for two seconds.

Yeah, but the first show is gone,
it's gone.

-But not in reruns, it's not.
-[Kelley] Who's going to rerun it?

-NOATV's not.
-They will be running it all the time.

That's how people
are watching it now.

[laughs] Oh, my God.

[Melissa] I'm about to send
a public service announcement

to every radio, newspaper, and chat room.

And be like, "Look, that first show,
we were just kidding, man.

It was a joke." [laughs]

-Great.
-[Melissa] See, this is what

-I'm talking about.
-[Kelley] Go, God. [laughs]

[vocalizing]

♪ Come on, be my baby tonight ♪

♪ Come on, be my baby tonight ♪

♪ I've seen the way you've treated
Other th*gs you've been with ♪

♪ Come on, be my baby tonight ♪

♪ Come on, be my baby tonight ♪

♪ Come on, be my baby tonight ♪

♪ I've seen the way you've treated
♪ Other th*gs you've been with ♪

♪ Come on, be my baby tonight ♪