NOTTING HILL

 INT. BOOKSHOP - DAY

 The next day.  William and Martin quietly co-existing.  An annoy-
 ing customer enters.  Mr. Smith.

    MR. SMITH
  Do you have any books by Dickens?

    WILLIAM
  No, we're a travel bookshop.  We only
  sell travel books.

    MR. SMITH
  Oh right.  How about that new John
  Grisham thriller?

    WILLIAM
  No, that's a novel too.

    MR. SMITH
  Oh right.  Have you got a copy of
  'Winnie the Pooh'?

 Pause.

    WILLIAM
  Martin -- your customer.

    MARTIN
  Can I help you?

 William looks up.  At that moment the entire window is suddenly
 taken up by the huge side of a bus, obscuring the light -- and
 entirely covered with a portrait of Anna -- from her new film,
 'Helix.'

 INT. WILLIAM'S HOUSE - CONDOR/LIVING ROOM - DAY

 William heads upstairs and pauses.  Spike coming down, wearing
 full body scuba diving gear.

    SPIKE
  Hey.

    WILLIAM
  Hi...

 INT. WILLIAM'S KITCHEN - DAY

 The two of them fixing a cup of tea in the kitchen.

    WILLIAM
  Just incidentally -- why are you
  wearing that?

    SPIKE
  Ahm -- combination of factors really.
  No clean clothes...

    WILLIAM
  There never will be, you know, unless
  you actually clean your clothes.

    SPIKE
  Right.  Vicious circle.  And then I was
  like rooting around in your things,
  and found this, and I thought -- cool.
  Kind of spacey.

 EXT. WILLIAM'S TERRACE - DAY

 The two of them on the rooftop terrace, passing the day.
 William is reading 'The bookseller.'  The terrace is small and
 the plants aren't great -- but it overlooks London in a rather
 wonderful way.  Spike still in scuba gear, goggles on.

    SPIKE
  There's something wrong with the
  goggles though...

    WILLIAM
  No, they were prescription, so I could
  see all the fishes properly.

    SPIKE
  Groovy.  You should do more of this
  stuff.

    WILLIAM
  So -- any messages?

    SPIKE
  Yeh, I wrote a couple down.

    WILLIAM
  Two?  That's it?

    SPIKE
  You want me to write down all your
  messages?

 William closes his eyes in exasperation.

    WILLIAM
  Who were the ones you didn't write
  down from?

    SPIKE
  Ahm let's see -- ahm.  No.  Gone
  completely.  Oh no, wait.  There was --
  one from your mum: she said don't
  forget lunch and her leg's hurting
  again.

    WILLIAM
  Right.  No one else?

    SPIKE
  Absolutely not.

 Spike leans back and relaxes.

    SPIKE
  Though if we're going for this
  obsessive writing-down-all-messages
  thing -- some American girl called
  Anna called a few days ago.

 William freezes -- then looks at Spike.

    WILLIAM
  What did she say?

    SPIKE
  Well, it was genuinely bizarre...
  she said, hi -- it's Anna -- and then
  she said, call me at the Ritz -- and
  then gave herself a completely
  different name.

    WILLIAM
  Which was?

    SPIKE
  Absolutely no idea.  Remembering one
  name's bad enough...

 INT. WILLIAM'S LIVING ROOM - DAY

 William on the phone.  We hear the formal man at the other end of
 the phone.  And then intercut with him.

    WILLIAM
  Hello.

    RITZ MAN (V.O.)
  May I help you, sir?

    WILLIAM
  Ahm, look this is a very odd
  situation.  I'm a friend of Anna
  Scott's -- and she rang me at home the
  day before yesterday -- and left a
  message saying she's staying with
  you...

 INT. RITZ RECEPTION - DAY

    RITZ MAN
  I'm sorry, we don't have anyone of
  that name here, sir.

    WILLIAM
  No, that's right -- I know that.  She
  said she's using another name -- but
  the problem is she left the message
  with my flatmate, which was a serious
  mistake.

 INT. WILLIAM'S LIVING ROOM

    WILLIAM (cont'd)
  Imagine if you will the stupidest
  person you've ever met -- are you
  doing that...?

 Spike happens to be in the foreground of this shot.  He's read-
 ing a newspaper.

    RITZ MAN
  Yes, sir.  I have him in my mind.

    WILLIAM
  And then double it -- and that is the
  -- what can I say -- git I'm living
  with and he cannot remember...

    SPIKE
  Try 'Flintstone.'

    WILLIAM
   (to Spike)
  What?

    SPIKE
  I think she said her name was
  'Flintstone.'

    WILLIAM
  Does 'Flintstone' mean anything to
  you?

    RITZ MAN
  I'll put you right through, sir.

 Flintstone is indeed the magic word.

    WILLIAM
  Oh my God.

 He practices how to sound.

    WILLIAM
  Hello.  Hi.  Hi.

    ANNA (V.O.)
  Hi.

 We hear her voice -- don't see her.

    WILLIAM
   (caught out)
  Oh hi.  It's William Thacker.  We,
  ahm I work in a bookshop.

    ANNA (V.O.)
  You played it pretty cool here,
  waiting for three days to call.

    WILLIAM
  No, I've never played anything cool
  in my entire life.  Spike, who I'll
  stab to death later, never gave me the
  message.

    ANNA (V.O.)
  Oh -- Okay.

    WILLIAM
  Perhaps I could drop round for tea or
  something?

    ANNA (V.O.)
  Yeh -- unfortunately, things are
  going to be pretty busy, but... okay,
  let's give it a try.  Four o'clock
  could be good.

    WILLIAM
  Right.  Great.
   (he hangs up)
  Classic.  Classic.

 EXT. RITZ - DAY

 William jumps off a bus and walks toward the Ritz.  He carries a
 small bunch of roses.

 INT. RITZ HOTEL - DAY

 He approaches the lifts.  At the lift, he pushes the button and
 the doors open.  As he is getting in, William is joined by a young
 man.  His name is Tarquin.

    WILLIAM
  Which floor?

    TARQUIN
  Three.

 William pushes the button.  They wait for the doors to close.

 INT. RITZ CORRIDOR - DAY

 The lift lands.  William gets out.  So does Tarquin.  Rooms
 30-35 are to the left.  35-39 to the right.  William heads right.
 So does Tarquin.

 William is puzzled.  He slows down as he approaches room 38.  So
 does Tarquin.  William spots, so does Tarquin.  William points
 at the number.

    WILLIAM
  Are you sure you...?

    TARQUIN
  Yes.

    WILLIAM
  Oh.  Right.

 He knocks.  A bright, well-tailored American girl opens the door.

    KAREN
  Hello, I'm Karen.  Sorry -- things
  are running a bit late.  Here's the
  thing...

 She hands them a very slick, expensively produced press kits,
 with the poster picture of Anna, for the film 'Helix.'

 INT. THE TRAFALGAR SUITE ANTE-ROOM - DAY

 A few seconds later -- they enter the main waiting room.  There
 are a number of journalists waiting for their audience.

    KAREN
  What did you think of the film?

    TARQUIN
  Marvellous.  'Close Encounters'
  meets 'Jean De Florette.'  Oscar-
  winning stuff.

 They both turn to William for his opinion.

    WILLIAM
  I agree.

    KAREN
  I'm sorry.  I didn't get down what
  magazines you're from.

    TARQUIN
  'Time Out.'