Broadcast News

Jane keeps looking for Tom -- passing another MAN, talking to
his SHARP-LOOKING DATE.

MAN THREE
He was lecturing me and finally
I just said -- I'm sorry, I refuse
to look at it as a negative that
I'm young and my news appeals to
people my age.

WOMAN
And it's not like he just didn't
hire a twenty-six-year-old producer
himself.

MAN
No kidding, twenty-six.

Jane moves to the steps and starts up, greeting several
people nervously.  More bits of DIALOGUE, leaking from
conversations of both substance and expedience.

ANONYMOUS OLDER MAN
Remember Brinkley's great line
-- "It's as irrevocable as a
haircut."

Now, on the second level, she scans the crowd.

JANE'S P.O.V.

The floor below.  Tom in the world's best-fitting tux... Clusters
of people from around him but he works his way easily through them
as he looks for Jane and grins his greetings, men are buoyed,
women's pulses throb.

ON JANE

As she silently mouths the words -- "smile and move and smile
and move."  Which is exactly what he's doing.  Then a contract
with the gods.

JANE
(to herself)
If he doesn't see me soon, we're not
supposed to be together.

ON TOM

Seeing her.  -- He does a tap step -- a brief giddy burst, the
meaning of which is not lost on Jane.  He is acting like her
boyfriend.

ON JANE

Anxiety stripped away revealing a first glimpse of Jane as a
joyous pretty young woman.

ON TOM

Moving quickly up the stairs -- as she walks toward him.

TOM
(excitedly)
It's incredible who's here.

JANE
Who?

TOM
Me!

She laughs.  Almost completes an affectionate gesture -- takes
his arm instead.

INT. NEWSROOM - NIGHT

Aaron seated in the main newsroom in shirt-sleeves, writing.  He
takes the just-completed page out of the typewriter and walks over
to the weekend news PRODUCER. (W.N.P.)

AARON
Want to look at this?

W.N.P.
Sure.

George Weln appears...

GEORGE
(to Aaron)
What are you doing here?

AARON
(feigning casualness)
The weekend news...anchoring...
anchoring the weekend news.

GEORGE
Way to go.

Aaron nods, as the Producer finishes the copy.

W.N.P.
This is terrific news, Aaron.  It's
a pleasure to read.

AARON
Thanks.  Oh, there's water on the set,
isn't there, in case I get an attack
of cotton mouth.

W.N.P.
Sure.  You'll be fine.

AARON
(feeling patronized
   and repelling)
I'll be fine!  Yes!!  I know!!!

INT. BALLROOM - NIGHT

Bomb sniffing dogs, SECRET SERVICE MEN and D.C. POLICE monitoring
the members of Washington's most trustworthy elite as they pass
through the metal detector.  The line moves slowly -- Jane and
Tom several couples back.

OFF-CAMERA VOICE
(o.s.)
Can I have your autograph for my wife?

Tom and Jane turn to see a grinning Paul.

TOM
How you doing, Paul?

PAUL
So this is why you wouldn't do the
Weekend New, you can't turn down
a free meal.

TOM
Yes, born to party.

Paul enjoys the riposte, looks at Jane who is shrinking within
herself.

PAUL
I'll see you two inside -- I think
we're all at the same table.
(sotto to Jane)
You're finally learning to be flexible.
Glad you changed your mind about Tom.

He passes through the detector... Tom starts to step through it --
she pulls him back.

JANE
I'm sorry.  I don't want to go in
there and sit with everybody.
(imagining it)
I can't...why don't you go?

He considers this option as she waits.

TOM
Suppose I go in for a little while and
you wait in the lobby-bar.  How's that?

JANE
Good.  That's it...See you.

She walks off.  He runs a few steps to stop her.

TOM
Jane.

She turns.

TOM
You're not going to take off on
me, are you?

JANE
Uh-uh.

She steps on the escalator... Riding upwards, concern deepens,
anxiety flows.

ON TOM

Watching her to up the escalator, he finds himself doing
simplest thing, stepping onto a moving step.

FULL SHOT

Jane four steps ahead of him -- not yet aware of him.  He moves
past one other man until he is standing directly behind her.

TOM
I just want you to know that my
giving up the Correspondents' Dinner
puts tremendous pressure on you.

Jane turns and is a bit blown away by his gesture -- life
threatens to be good.  And now Jane bumps a bit at the top of
the escalator, regaining her balance by grabbing Tom's offered
hand.  As they walk they continue to deliberately hold hands.

INT. NEWS STUDIO - NIGHT

WE are on the studio floor, FOCUSING on the activity around
the Anchor Desk and three cameras... The FLOOR MANAGER stands
ready to cue Aaron, the script is ready to roll on the prompter
machine.

FLOOR MANAGER
Twenty seconds.

ON AARON

Making sure he is seated on his jacket -- taking one last look
at the hand mirror being held by the MAKEUP WOMAN.  She starts
off -- but Aaron regrabs the mirror almost making her lose her
footing -- a check -- then another check -- he points to a spot
on his forehead which she dabs with the makeup sponge... Both of
them fuss enormously with his hair -- four busy hands.

FLOOR MANAGER
Ten seconds.

AARON
How many?

FLOOR MANAGER
Ten.

AARON
Okay.

He watches the Makeup Woman scurry underneath a camera lens,
resits on his jacket and finally has the moment the system has
been denying him for years.  We can HEAR the END OF HIS CUE
in a barely AUDIBLE CRACKLE from the Floor Manager's earphones...
"...with Aaron Altman."

AARON
(on TV)
Good Evening...In mood and language
better suited to an espionage novel
than the delicate world of the Western
Alliance, the British Foreign Secretary
today pounced on what he termed, 'The
nest of profession spies and amateur
traitors who were turning NATO
Headquarters into an instrument whose
only true function is folly.'  We begin
our coverage with Edward Towne in London.

Aaron looks up -- takes a breath.  He's done well -- he's
punched his words and his one thought for the story.  His gaze
has been steady, his voice firm but he has begun to perspire.
He dabs with his finger at the first trickles from his brow --
brushes some more prominent sweat from his upper lip... He
beckons nervously to the Makeup Woman -- who comes in and dabs --
then dabs again as Aaron feels himself under his arms...

MAKEUP WOMAN
Gee whiz.

FLOOR MANAGER
Five seconds.

She scurries away, Aaron reaching for another Kleenex from her
box and missing it... A graphic illustrating his next scripted
section appears behind him.

AARON
...the sub-bases referred to are
located in five countries...

And now the moisture on his face is clearly discernible -- the
Floor Manager and Makeup Woman grimacing at the growing specter
as they look at a large monitor.

AARON
France, Belgium, the Netherlands,
Spain as...

And now so much moisture sprouts from his upper lip that he
pushes his lower lip out to slurp away the sweat... The Makeup
Woman laughs briefly out loud before catching herself...
Aaron's eyes dart angrily in her direction.

AARON
We well as Great Britain...Our own
State Department was rocked not only
by the revelation but from the highly
unusual persistence from the State
Press Corps.  Martin Klein reports on
the ruckus at Foggy Bottom.

Half-beat until he's sure that he's off -- his shirt now
showing distinct sweat stains...

AARON
Help me.

The Makeup Woman picks up her Kleenex box -- then thinks
better of it...

MAKEUP WOMAN
Someone finds me some big towels.

ON AARON

He blots his face -- some makeup streaked -- by the towel.

FLOOR MANAGER
Five seconds.

ON MAKEUP WOMAN

As she scurries away, this time entering the control room
trotting up one stair to look at the monitor... the Director
talking to his Camera Operators.

DIRECTOR
I'd go looser but we wouldn't
see the graphic.

TECHNICIAN
(to other Technician)
No -- this is more than Nixon ever
sweated.

The Makeup Woman now looks at the bank of monitors.

MAKEUP WOMAN
Can't you just die for him?

ON MONITOR

Aaron's makeup-streaked face.

EXT. WASHINGTON STREET - NIGHT

Tom and Jane walking drinks in hand, her arm around his waist.
They stop -- he rests a drink on a ledge and boosts her up
and then sits next to her.

TOM
You okay?

JANE
Great.

FULL SHOT

REVEALING that they are sitting on an anti-terrorist concrete
abutment protecting a major government building on a beautiful
night in our capitol.  He is still holding her hand -- and
now he notes this.

TOM
(loudly to himself)
Why can't I let go of this woman?

JANE
Well...

He interrupts her with the smallest of kisses -- so mall and
swift a kiss that she is left doing her return kisses to mid-
air.  And then he does something he's thought about many times
before -- he briefly caresses her breasts -- while continuing
to look at her.

JANE
At least kiss me when you do
that.

TOM
(a grin)
You just can't stop editing me.
Huh?

JANE
This is hysterical.

She laughs a little -- then kisses him.  They break --
surprised and aroused and look at each other...

JANE
I was half hoping I wouldn't
have a good time tonight.  You
know why?

TOM
Because you're nuts.

JANE
Right, right -- Isn't she fun to
tease?

He leans forward and speaks softly and truly.

TOM
More and more lately when I've
watched you in action -- seen all
your energy -- I've been
wondering what it would be like
to be inside all that energy.

She takes a gulp of her drink -- puts a hand to feel the heat
on her own cheek.  Then turns to him.

JANE
Right back at you.

Several beats.

TOM
I don't remember saying anything
like that -- exactly...I don't
know why I just did.

JANE
(immediately at work)
Oh let's see -- wait a minute, well,
I can think of two reasons.

TOM
What?

JANE
Three...I just thought of a third...
If you talk about it, you don't have
to do it.

TOM
That's not it.

JANE
Good...Another is you're trying to
make it all about sex and heat and
nothing else.

She looks at him -- he's thinking.

JANE
Or it's that great feeling that you
don't want to hold anything back.
You know, intimacy.

She elbows him.  Tom takes in the choices -- then:

JANE
(suddenly)
Oh, shit.  I'm a creep.

She moves off the concrete wall.

JANE
I forgot all about Aaron.  I
promised to stop by and see
how he did.

TOM
I'd like to know.  I'll go along.

JANE
No.  I'll see you at your apartment
as soon as I can.

She starts to flurry with activity -- moves to the curb when
out of nowhere Tom barks a sharp command, the first time any
of his actions has been tinged with fury.

TOM
JANE!

Thrown, she stops and turns.  He walks to her.

JANE
What happened?

TOM
Don't run off --  like everything's
settled the minute you make up your
mind.

JANE
He might be weird -- he can talk more
freely if I go alone -- why's that so
hard to understand?

TOM
It's not that it's hard.  I just want you
to give me a minute to catch up.

JANE
Okay.
(she hugs him)
Sorry.
(another beat)
Don't yell at me like that again,
you scared the life out of me.

EXT. AARON'S HOUSE - NIGHT

As Jane exits a cab and moves up the steps.

INT. AARON'S APARTMENT - HALLWAY - NIGHT

It is at the top of a flight of steps.  She KNOCKS on the DOOR.
RINGS.  KNOCKS.  Aaron opens it.  He is wearing a sweatshirt
and cords.

AARON
I was in the shower.

She enters.

INT. AARON'S APARTMENT - NIGHT

JANE
How'd it go?

AARON
You didn't see it or speak to
anybody?

JANE
No.