Hollywood Dreams
(Part III)
written by Zycho32
Date: 9/20/39
As they sometimes say, "so many things can happen to you in such a short period of time". I'd worship whoever first said that after this whole trip was over.
I got up, and was getting ready to endure another day's worth of ripping myself to shreds when someone knocked on the door. The person gave me a letter. Here's what it said:
Dear Jake;
Meet us at the port by noon today.
Daniel Richardson
Sawyer McDermid
So that's what their last names are........I checked the time (I had just bought a cheap watch from a flea market) and it was 11:45 A.M.
"11:45????????????????????? AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
I shot right out of the building, and almost got run over by a taxi in the process. I did get flung into the air from the impact, and surprisingly, no damage was dealt, even when I landed on my butt.
The taxi driver was, to put it mildly, fat. He was almost like a big tub 'o lard. No facial hair, so he must take care of his looks to a certain degree. He asked rather bluntly, "Need a lift?"
I gave him a smirk. "I doubt you could make it to the port in 15 minutes."
He gave me a smirk right back. "How about 15 seconds?" He shot back. He caused me to laugh.
"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!!!! THAT'S A GOOD ONE!!!!!!!!!!!Hehehehehehehe.......you're kidding, right?"
"Jump in and find out kiddo." He shot back. I was in the mood for a major dare, so I did.
Big Mistake!!!!!
Right away, he went from 0-90 mph, while making a SHARP right turn at the same time! That almost sent me right out the side window! The next few moments were filled with this psycho making this car defy every physical law known to any being, and me hollering out several curses that were way too much for my age.
And to top off the finale, the car lands in a load of luggage that's being lifted into the ship!!!! WHY ME!!!!!!!!!!
"Well, it's been 15 seconds kid. Told ya." He says, as if this was freaking normal for him!
I stepped out of the taxi......and fell into the water. After I got out of the water and onto the dock soaking wet, I looked up. I had noticed Danny and Sawyer saw the crash, and were rather shocked. It's easy to tell when someone is shocked when their eyes are as big as craters.
"Next time, just pick me up." I said. I had noticed that the taxi had somehow left it's predicament and had driven away. How the heck did he do that?
Now we were walking onboard the ship, having already given the captain the tickets we had.
"Hmm.....S.S. Bathtub." I said, remarking on the name of the ship. "Sounds rather corny."
"Tell me about it." Sawyer remarked. "You'd think they find a better name for a big ship."
"I'm going to look for my room, ok?" I asked. "I recall it's third class from the ticket."
"See you Jake." They both replied.
As it turned out, I was correct when predicting my room was in third class. The room was a 10 foot by 10 foot square, with a bed and a drawer. Why would there be a drawer in this room? I decided to rummage through it.
"Let's see..........some socks, a shirt...........a pair of pants.......a thousand dollars........."
"A THOUSAND DOLLARS?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!??!!?!?"
I can NEVER have a regular day.
Date: 9/21/39
It was around noon as I came up for some fresh air. I didn't see any of my friends so I went to the starboard edge of the boat to smell the scent of the sea.........and then paused to hurl over the side of the boat. I then went to go back to bed.
Yep, the mal de mer hit me with the force of a sledgehammer. I just wasn't able to hack it right now.
Along the way, I bumped into Danny. "Hi Jake......gee, you look rather green." It was an understatement; I looked more greener than an evergreen forest, if that was possible. "Hi Danny.......I’m gonna go back to bed."
When I got to the room, I had noticed a peculiar sight. Three gangsters, dressed in gangster suits, carrying oversized gangster guns. I couldn't see who they were. The middle one stepped over to me, and spoke in a New Jersey accent, "Youse seen a thousand bucks lying around here Mac?"
That sounded familiar........
"Um, no, I haven't." I replied. The heck I hadn't! I just wanted to get these guys out of here so I could relax.
Unfortunately, he just couldn't take the hint that I wanted him out of here. He took his gun, and pointed it at my face!! "Either youse tells us where the money is, or youse gonna be filled full of banana cream pies." Banana cream pies??????
I had somehow felt sick again, and was making several faces that looked like I was gonna hurl again, and this sent them packing. I guess they must run a huge bill on cleaning their suits.
Still, banana cream pies??? What kind of gangsters are these guys??
Date: 9/22/39
Round two. Me versus the Sea. Who would win this battle of the titans? Me! I won! I did NOT get sick this time!
Good thing too, because this was a big day.
I had noticed Flannigan was on deck. What was he doing here? I was soon to find out.
"Hey Jake!" He called to me. I went right over. "We've got a bit of a problem."
"Yeah? What's the problem?" I asked.
"Our cameraman just got sick." He replied. "How sick?" I asked.
"He's still barfing over there." He pointed me to some guy who had his head over the side of the boat, obviously doing what he had to do, which was hurl his brains, guts, and whatever vital organs he has left. "He's been barfing for the past three hours." Poor guy. He was a palooka compared to the sea.
"And I suppose you want me to take over the camera duties until he's well?" I asked.
"Of course." Then he hands me this weird looking prop. "This is a dummy camera, with tripod. Use it to practice your camera skills kid."
"Um, Mr. Flannigan, don't call me kid please." Remarkable. I had actually controlled my temper. I had left without another word, and headed somewhere else. There were friends nearby.
"Hi guys." I said.
"Hi Jake." Sawyer said.
"What's with the fake camera?" Danny asked.
"How can you tell this is a fake camera?" I asked back.
"He's got a photographic memory when it comes to anything that has to do with acting." Sawyer answered. "He knows more about technical stuff than he lets on."
"Oh well, anyway, I’m going to be a temporary cameraman. I need to practice." I said, almost rambling on.
"Be here by tomorrow night. That's when the camera is going to be rolling." Sawyer said.
"I will." I replied. "Wait, do you think you could help me out?" I asked.
"Sure. You need some help with using the camera?" Danny asked.
"No, I need some help in the script. I should know before hand what goes on so I don't make a mistake." I replied. "I am assuming there's a dance number in the script?" I asked.
They both replied "Yes."
"It's not a musical number, just part of the scene." Danny said.
"Ok. Does Flannigan tell the cameraman exactly what to do?" I asked.
"Not unless he's completely comfortable with the cameraman." Sawyer replied.
"Oh, I'm definitely sure that he's got confidence in me." I said. Was I becoming cocky?
Sawyer has a sly look to her face. "And YOU'RE confident you can keep up with us?" She said.
I wasn't about to back down on this one. "You bet!" I shot back. Now my sudden cockiness was starting to worry me. What the heck was I doing??
There was no turning back from the bet. Danny and Sawyer headed to a different section of the ship. I followed eagerly, fake camera in tow. Somehow, Flannigan had found us, and joined in. Now I was starting to regret the decision.
Anyhow, we stopped at an open square, about 35 feet by 35 feet(In my own calculations) and clear of any obstacles. "Well, shall we get started?" Danny asked, smiling.
Sawyer smiled back. "Of course. Ready Jake?"
"Of course!" I shot back. The three of us proceeded to the area, while Flannigan stood back and watched. I had noticed the tripod was a bit of an annoyance. So, unwittingly, I took it off, and tossed it into the sea. I could hear Flannigan shouting something, so I just motioned for him to shut his trap. I apparently didn't know word one about authority.
Danny and Sawyer proceeded to the center of the area. I stood back about 10 feet, and positioned myself. From the way they looked at each other, and the positions that they were in, this looked more like a duo than a duel. Well, it made my job easier......until I realized something.
I NEVER saw these two dance before!
There was no time to think about that however, because they immediately started. Danny immediately spun Sawyer away from my sight, or at least tried to. I secretly relished that they wouldn't make this easy for me.
One of the main rules in filming a dance, I believe, is to keep both dancers in the film. And this beginning move would violate that rule. But what could I do? I couldn't move to where Sawyer was headed, because Danny would go out of the shot.
So, I went towards Sawyer, but angled my path in a curve, while turning my camera towards Danny, which in effect, kept both of them in the shot. My lack of a tripod wasn't a concern, because I seemed to have the uncanny ability to keep the camera straight, and in complete focus. It was rather unusual, and interesting at the same time.
On and on this went for 15 minutes, each of the two cats making moves that would drive any ordinary cameraman nuts and cause him to end up flat on his/her back, with spirals coming out of his eyes. But not me. I kept up with them. My footwork was up to tempo with the way they danced across the floor. My reflexes were on the mark. Put simply, no matter what they did, I had them in the shot, all the time.
Then they finished. Almost surprisingly, they ended it with a dip, and then a 15-second kiss. That threatened to send me flying into the ocean.
When I turned, I could see Flannigan had his jaw wide open, and it literally hit the floor! But who was he gaping at? The two cat dancers, or me?
"Well guys," I said, my cockiness showing fully, "I'm pretty sure I can keep up with you." Then I became serious. "Although, I think I could try a few things..."
"A few things?" Danny asked.
"Well, I’m also pretty sure I can do much better. In my opinion, the best shot is a moving shot." I replied. "The stationary shot looks so pathetic. At least when moving, it gives you the thought of seeing things in first person view."
"Quite, but the stationary shot stays more in focus." Danny replied. I had to recall that Danny had good knowledge of such things.
I wanted to debate the discussion further, but I had to practice. "Very well. See you guys."
"Bye Jake." They both replied.
As I strolled past Flannigan, he grabbed me by the shoulder. "Hey Jake, how'd you do that?!?"
I had a confused look. "I don't know.....it just seemed so natural...."
"Whatever it was, it sure was good. I could use you as a stunt cameraman." He said.
"A what?"
"A stunt cameraman handles camera shots that are way out of the ordinary. It could revolutionize the whole thing." He explained.
"I'll think about it, alright?" I said.
"Sure." I left the others, confident I could handle my new job.
Later that night, when I was just taking a small break from my practicing, I went back up on deck, and checked out what life was like on a cruiser in the moonlight. I had anticipated it was either fine dining, or like those trips the pilgrims took on the Plymouth. It was neither. The dining was ordinary, just didn't have any hot dogs. They did, surprisingly, have pizza on board (You haven't lived until you tried a triple pepperoni pizza!) I was busy stuffing my face when a hand(or rather a hoof) tapped my shoulder.
"Hey kid!" He said. I turned myself to face him.
"Well, well, well! If it isn't Cranston Goat!" I replied, smiling, with a few pieces of pepperoni on my face. (I was REALLY pigging out!)
"To be perfectly honest, it's Cranston Gotovsky. I just shortened the name." He said. "Anyways, how have you been doing? I heard you got the job as main cameraman."
I smiled even bigger, as I took a large bite out of the slice of pizza that I was holding in my hand. (Pepperoni.....yum) "You bet! I think I’ve finally found something that suits me to a T!"
He was watching me eat for some reason. "Personally kiddo, I prefer the 'Garbage deluxe' Pizza." I had this very disgusted look on my face when he walked away, like I was gonna barf. "Garbage Deluxe?!?
With my appetite ruined, I got cleaned up, and set out for a lonely place to just watch the night sky.
Now, I’m generally not too comfortable in a big crowd, and I tend to spend most of my time in a solitary area. If I’m stuck in a crowd, I’ll just do my best to stay silent, and avoid any mingling. It's a very delicate and difficult task to stay hidden in a crowd. Why? Well, when it comes to clothing, there's a fine line between clothes too dull to ignore, and clothes to flashy to ignore. That's why my usual clothing succeeds in this category. It's not flashy, and not too dull either.
Oddly enough, very few people were out on the stern, where the full moon was located. From various resources, I had determined that most romantic places have occurred near a full moon, and what is more romantic than a little sea voyage?
However, I did see one romantic couple. And you don't have to be Sherlock Holmes to figure out who these were!
They were standing directly in front of the full moon, gazing into each others eyes, emerald to copper. Holding hands, two big orange hands, and 2 small white hands, entwined at the fingers. Contented smiles on their faces, almost as if they had already been having a good time together. The way these two were standing, it was almost as if they would break into an elegant dance routine, which they did.
It started out simple; he just twirled her around in a circle around him, rather slowly. The last time I saw them dance (Or more specifically, the ONLY time I saw them dance) it was literally a blur. I'm still amazed that I could keep up with every step, twirl, and twist.....okay, I’ll shut up about THAT....
The tempo never increased, as their bodies elegantly moved along the floor, abiding to an invisible melody that was played smoothly and softly, almost like liquid chocolate. (Yum)
I notice how beautiful both of them look. I notice she is wearing a snow white gown, flowing as various small winds blow softly around it. The way she looks in the light of the full moon is absolutely breathtaking for any man of any species.
I also notice that he looks just as elegant as she does. His own pitch black tuxedo gives him a sense of mystery, especially when the light of the full moon makes his face look totally dark in comparison.
They are dancing rather close, almost as if they were meant to be. The way they were staring into each others eyes when the moment allowed them. The way they always had their hands entwined at the fingers, never letting go for one step.
I watch them take a step to the right, then backwards, then forwards, then left. Every move they make has a bit of gracefulness to it.
He twirls her around in a circle again. She looks eternally content, and so does he, to be together like this.
And then they stop, right where they started. Their eyes are still staring into each other's. Their hands are still entwined. In fact, their entire bodies seem to be joined. The only part that isn't is their faces. But that changes in an instant. Slowly, their faces come over to each other. Then, it happens. Their lips make contact. Their arms go around each other's bodies; His around her waist, hers around his neck. The wind picks up slightly, but these two don't notice. I'm so mesmerized by this, I barely notice.
Unfortunately, I picked this as the time to start clapping.
It was a decent clap, sort of like a golf clap. I definitely knew it wasn't the time to start slapping my hands together and hooting out some unrecognizable sounds. But it was loud enough for them to hear and break off.
I immediately notice the faint blush from the insides of their ears. I even notice he has some lipstick smeared onto his own lips. Kissing looks so nice, I ought to try it out sometime.
"I'm sorry for interrupting you, really, I am." I apologize. "Well, I'll be seeing you guys tomorrow."
"Bye Jake." Is the reply by both of them.
I immediately turn around and leave, but in the corner of my eye, I can see that they have resumed what they were doing before I had begun to clap. My mind began to wander on one thought.
Are those two soul mates?
Date: 9/23/39
Man, oh man, was this a very big day for me.
5:00 A.M.
For some odd reason, I got up at 5 in the morning today. It's odd for me because I usually wake up at noon. Since I couldn't go back to sleep, I decided to try and find these mafia guys lurking on the ship. I collected the thousand dollars from the drawer, and stepped out the door.
Was I living dangerously? Not really, not with those guys using banana cream pies for ammo. But then again, that was then, and this is now, so I couldn't be entirely sure what they'd use for ammo.
I made my way to the starboard (right) side of the deck. The ship was headed north, so I could see the sun rise.
I've seen sunrises before, but never like this. The rays shone brightly in the sky. The sun itself was a bright orange. It was so spectacular, that the nearby clouds glowed the same color orange.
Yes, sir, my morning could not be more perfect.....but then disaster struck.
"Well, well, if it isn't that punk we saw a few days ago." The gangster leader, New Jersey accent in all.
I decided to play it cool, in order to avoid laughing. "Hello. I have the money you're looking for." I held it all out for him to take, which he immediately grabbed and stuffed in his pocket. I turned to leave.
"Wait a minute there kid." I heard him say.
When I turned around, I noticed they were carrying Tommy guns, but worse yet, they were REAL. And they were apparently armed and aimed at me. Whatever composure that I had before was whipped away in the blink of an eye.
What's the highest level of nervousness before you experience fear? Let's just say that it's nearly impossible to achieve that without beginning to experience fear. Until I came along, that is. I was very nervous, but I wasn't afraid.
"We can't let anyone know about this. Youse gonna hafta swim with the fishies." He stated deadly.
I ran.
I suppose you could call that desperation at its worst. Where can you run in a ship already on a voyage? Maybe I could hide out until the ship came to shore, then make my getaway there, but wait. I had filming duties tonight! I can't just hide!
Okay, let's review my options. I can't hide, because I would miss the filming tonight. I can't run, because there's nowhere for me to go. I can't stand up and face them, because they will kill me.
I had to sacrifice something. Either my chance as a cameraman, or my life. Either one of them.
Unfortunately, before I could decide, I ran into a wall. Before long, they had me up against the wall.
"Any last words?"
I was stuttering.....horribly. I wouldn't make it good as a character experiencing fear. Strike that, I wouldn't make it as anything other than a corpse. Not right now anyways.
"We'll take that as your last words." Without warning, they fired. I closed my eyes, and waited for the bullets to pierce my body and end my life.
You can imagine how surprised I was when I felt only water hit me.
"What the )*^$^*%$#&%$#%^*%#^*^%*&%#$&^$@#!!!!!!!" Yep, I was ENRAGED.
All three of those gangsters were laughing. That's when they took off their hats, and then I could recognize them.
The one on the left was Cranston. Surprising to say the least.
The one on the right was Flannigan. Not as surprising as before.
But the one in the middle......... unbelievable.
I went up to him, smiling. That's when I let him have it by a swift punch in the face, which he took wordlessly. And smiling too.
That's when I hugged him.
"Geez Enrique, what the heck is with this gangster thing? Oh wait, I forgot this is what you wanted to be...."
"Hey, it wasn't my idea to do this Jake."
"Then who's was it-" I turned around and stopped. I looked down.
The penguin looked up with a sly smile on his face. "Hey Jake. You look like you've wet your pants. Just kidding."
"Pudge......" I said, "I'd be very careful if I were you." I showed him one of my sly smiles. "I'm not sure if you could take on this kind of assault" I promptly grabbed the water gun that Enrique had.
"Hey Ja-" Someone said. I had immediately turned and gave them a swift soaking. I didn't even stop until I ran out of ammo. When I did, I was REALLY dead.
I had soaked both Danny and Sawyer!
"Eh......Hi." I sheepishly said. Then I took off.
6:47 A.M.
Well, they located me.
Wait a minute, let's not start thinking R.I.P. here....
By this time, both Danny and Sawyer had dried off and gotten new clothing. They had promised to get me back however (gulp). Pudge as it turned out, was an assistant director for this little film(Amazing for a 9-year old). And I also found out Enrique had a role too.
"So Enrique, what are you doing?"
"Well, I’m told I am to be playing a waiter." He replied.
"You sure? That's not exactly you man." I said.
"What is he like then Jake?" Sawyer asked. "Since you seem to know him"
"Actually, I do. He had been from Chicago. Very bad place to be actually. With the mafia going nuts and all. He developed a tendency to be a gangster, accent and all."
"A lot of the others I hung out with when I left that city gave me a few dopey names." He said.
"Yeah, The Prankster, The Gangster, The Soakster, The Dumpster, you name it." I added.
"He said that when he grew up, he wanted to be one of the mafia. This frightened a lot of us."
"So badly, that they made a dare. First one to go even near me wins ten bucks. Jake won every time." Enrique said.
"Gee, Jake must have been a good friend." Danny said.
"At that time, Jake was the smallest of us all. Naturally, he was the one pushed towards me a lot. The rest had an undying respect for him since he showed no fear."
"Anyway Enrique," I said, to change the subject. "What have you been doing?"
"Mafia movies." He said, smiling. " I've ALWAYS lived like a gangster. When I heard Hollywood was going to be doing some mafia movies, I came here in a jiffy."
"Is it good work? I keep hearing all the good stuff about acting. I'm wondering if that's true."
"Actually, it is." Danny said. "It's good pay, and it's fun too."
That's when the yawn came in. "Um ,Danny , are we starting very early today?"
"Not really. We have a few hours until we start." He replied.
"In that case, I’m gonna get some sleep. See you guys later."
9:53 A.M.
"If you squirt me with that water gun Pudge, then you'll swim with the fishies."
I could tell that something was sitting on my back, and judging by how stealthily it crept in, it HAD to be doing something sneaky.
"So you're awake?" He asked, bouncing on my back slightly.
I groaned. "Right now I am." I got up after he got off. "Is it time?"
"Yep!" With that, he sped out of my room. It took me a few minutes to be fully awake, and after that, I exited the room as well.
When I got over to the others, I noticed there was someone else there. A human, male, had sandy hair, with brown eyes. The hair was graying however. He also looked really green in the face.
"Hey Jake." Flannigan called. "This is Ned Jenkins, he was our original cameraman. Unfortunately, he hasn't been able to conquer the sea sickness."
"You're not sore, are you?" I asked.
He answered me by throwing up right then and there. Just about everyone make a disgusted look, even me. "Well, I’ll take that as a no."
Then, as quickly as he had thrown up, he had lifted his head back up. "Well, I had been told to instruct you on the camera skills." He explained.
I was tempted to say something really cocky, to dismiss that notion and say that I was perfectly fine with what skills I had. But I had managed to hold myself back. I decided that I could use the extra help. And I’m pretty sure this guy was an expert at this stuff. You had to be in order to teach those techniques to others.
"That's nice. Shall we start now?" I asked.
"Yes please, before I barf again." Having said that, he hauled me down to the lower decks.
First order of business was to use the tripod.
"Mainly, the tripod is in use all the time, for most regular cameramen. It's required to maintain a balance and steadiness, so the film doesn't look a little bouncy. No one likes to watch a film that's extremely bouncy."
Before I could speak, he continued.
"I've heard that you're capable of maintaining a steady shot when moving, without the tripod. However, you could still use it when in a stationary shot, don't you think?"
"I guess so." I replied. "I haven't exactly tried any stationary shots."
"You haven't? Then what HAVE you been doing?" He asked, either half-interested, and half-irritated, or completely interested. I was betting on the former.
"Mainly practicing on the moving shots, or more specifically, the dance number." I answered. "It's real tricky when you think about it."
"According to Flannigan, you kept up with those two dancers quite well. What else would you need to learn?" He asked. To be perfectly honest, it was beginning to get irritating being asked all these questions.
"I dunno, I guess I figured I could do better."
This little conversation continued for a while. Next on the agenda was a few gadgets that Ned designed to give him a better advantage when filming.
First item was these odd looking shoes. The bottoms of them were connected to a leather-like pad.
"These shoes are designed solely for when you move in a diagonal direction, as in going left and down, or up and right, or something like that." These shoes cushion any kind of impact your feet make with the floor, allowing you to avoid any bumps in the filming." He explained.
"Would it cause any trouble when keeping up with-" I said.
"No. Actually, the bottom part of this shoe is very smooth. You'd be able to move even faster." He answered.
The next item was much cornier.
The clothing was one short-sleeved shirt and one pair of pants, which also had built-in socks. Oddly enough, it was colored teal.
"This," He said proudly, "Is my cameraman suit. It allows for maximum flexibility and movement. Also, it's thin, and allows air to go through it, so you don't break into a sweat. I'm looking to getting it patented."
"What else does this come with?" I asked.
"Only a few other accessories." He replied. "Such as a hat when the sun is a little too bright."
Then, he asked me something that would just blow me away. "Would you mind putting it on? I'd like to see how it fits you."
I looked at him like he had grown 7 heads. "Are you nuts?!? I'm not gonna wear that!! I'll look like a %#^&%#%$@# weirdo!!!!"
11:24 A.M.
Well, he got me to wear it.
And as expected, I DID look like a weirdo. You wouldn't believe the reaction the rest of the group had towards me and the suit.
There was no one, I repeat, NO ONE, who wasn't on the floor, laughing their brains out. I swear, somebody could have just DIED laughing.
"Hey!!! Quit that!!" I was shouting, but to no avail. Finally, the laughing died off.
"Geez Jake," Danny said between suppressed giggles. "What is with that suit??"
"Like I should tell you?? You'd just laugh some more." I shot back.
The whole group waited a while before we began, probably to get all this laughter out of their system. I guess I could reason with them. I DID, after all, look silly.
But that was over. Now the rehearsals began.
11:35 A.M.
First off was line rehearsals. As to be expected, I stood on the sidelines, in football terms. At least it gives me a chance to check out what the others' roles are.
For those two lovebird dance-crazy cats, it looked like they were playing businesspeople. I could tell they were passengers. Their lines had some stuff that suggested a few stock deals, some contract negotiations, company mergers, etc. It was partially a bunch of mumbo-jumbo business stuff. The rest was the usual two-people-meet-on-a-voyage type chat.
Cranston was playing the ship's captain. Honestly, this had to be something big going on, to include a character like this. Maybe the ship will sink.........no, this is NOT the Titanic disaster!
I already knew Enrique was playing a waiter, but it sounded like they screwed up on him. He just wasn't that kind of person. Also, he had a hard time on the French accent. Why in the world would they go so far as to make this waiter person a French accent when he's only in the picture for a few seconds??
As for the rest of them, they were mainly extras, filling in several scenes, such as the dinner scene. But I could also see an old raccoon person leading what looked like a misfit group with all sorts of musical instruments.
A dinner, complete with band. How lovely. I suppose they're gonna change into something much more upbeat when the dance number comes along.
After a while, Flannigan called everyone to attention, and the first rehearsal began.
Apparently, they had already shot the scene where the characters played by Danny and Sawyer meet up, because they immediately started talking like they knew each other already. It begins with a get-together on the side of the ship. They chat for a bit, while walking, apparently towards the dinner scene.
At that scene, they take their seats at the tables amongst all the other extras. Enrique, the waiter-with-a-bad-accent walks in, and takes their orders. He then disappears, while the two cats start talking business, for the moment, they lose any bit of kindness towards each other during this chat.
I always thought businessmen were nasty, bloodthirsty, ravenous wolves, intent on tearing the living heck out of other companies, ripping each piece of flesh as if it were dollar bills, chewing on the bone like it was gold, no decency of table manners either, with blood dripping from their.....OKAY, I went too far there.
Anyway, Enrique comes in again, and gives them what they've ordered. However, he says something as he walks off stage.
"My duty to my country will soon be fulfilled."
How mysterious indeed. It sounded like he was the enemy of this movie. Maybe not, because that DOESN'T sound like what a villain would say.
Before those two can continue the chat, the music begins to pipe up. Sawyer kind of proposes a dare to Danny at this point. It involves dancing (go figure).
He accepts, and they proceed to the dance floor, the first ones there. The crowd is apparently American because the shouting and hooting when they do approach the floor is way too much to even be considered European.
Well, I figured this dance number was going to be a bit fast, I mean fast as in fast-paced. But I must admit, this was a bit slower than I predicted.
The way the dance ends is a bit different. They're facing each other, bodies joined except for the faces, but they don't kiss. Instead, they stare into each other's eyes as if they were confused. Well, at least it's not a love-at-first-site kind of movie. It's not that I don't like that kind of stuff, it's just that it's used too many times.
The scene changes to the bridge of the ship, where the captain (Cranston) and an unknown sailor are sailing rather peacefully. They make some idle chatter about a storm coming along.
That's when the rehearsal ends.
Flannigan then talks to each person, telling them a few things that need to be changed, and all that type of stuff.
What next? LUNCH!!!!!
12:36 P.M.
After the lunch break (More pepperoni......yummy, yummy, yummy) we got set to do more rehearsals. A few more hours were spent doing this stuff, while I sat on my butt and watched. By the 2nd hour, I had already fallen asleep. It just goes to show how bored I was.
When I did wake up, I noticed that they were just wrapping it up.
5:13 P.M.
I was told that the filming would take place shortly, so I was relaxing out on the deck, still wearing that suit.
I noticed both Danny and Sawyer had come out towards me. "Hi guys." I said. "Is it time yet?"
"Not yet." Sawyer replied. "A few more minutes."
"Jake, I think personally, that suit is absolutely silly." Danny remarked.
"Hey, you're not the only one." I replied. "Still, Ned says it's useful. I might as well try it."
I could feel both a white small paw, and a big orange paw touch my shoulders. "You're not having second doubts about this, are you?" Sawyer asked.
I turned, and smiled. "Of course not."
"Hey guys! It's time!" I could hear Flannigan bellow out.
We didn't need words, we just walked back towards the stage. It was time.
It was time to set my future in Hollywood straight
TO BE CONTINUED................