Instant Star (2004–2008): Season 1, Episode 1 - Even Better Than the Real Thing - full transcript

Charming, punk underdog Jude Harrison shocks everyone by winning the first "Instant Star" songwriting contest, landing a prestigious record contract and a life that will never again be just "normal".

- Jude?
- Yeah?

- You still alive?
- Yeah. No problem.

I feel great.

She's on in two.

If I don't win,

I'm gonna look like such
a dork in school tomorrow.

On the plus side,
most people already think we're dorks.

Thank you, Jamie.

Just say the word, Jude,
and we're outta here.

I mean it.

Give it up for Eden Taylor,
everybody!



I have to do this.

Wish me luck.

Right now we're going to bring out
our final performer for the evening.

Give a big round of
applause for Jude Harrison.

I wrote my first
song when I was six.

Got my first acoustic at ten and
it has barely left my hands since.

Everything I am,
everything I've worked for

has brought me to
this stage tonight.

Sometimes, if you
listen really hard

you can almost hear it.

That moment your
life changes...

forever.

Our first ever
Instant Star is...

Jude Harrison!



Subtitles: Willow's Team

Transcript: Raceman

I always knew this
would happen.

What? That I'd win some
cheesy TV talent search?

No. That you'd be
discovered somehow.

You've said it before,
sometimes I can be psychic.

No, I think I said sometimes
you can be psychotic.

I'm just joking.

Don't let them
change you, okay?

I'm not changing for them.

I'm not changing for anyone.

I'm telling you, Georgia.
She's too young, too green,

too unpackaged.
I just want my objections put on record.

You can put 'em on mp3 for all I care,
EJ, then get over it.

Jude is our girl.

There she is, our Instant Star!

You travel light, Jude.
Your parents couldn't make it?

No, they could.
I kinda wanted to do this on my own.

I understand.

- And who's this?
- I'm Jamie.

- I'm her "people".
- Right.

Jude, there were some artists in
our contest-- Eden for example--

who were better positioned to become...
a pop star.

Well, I'm not, I'm not a popstar.
I'm a songwriter.

And that is why you won, Jude.

I believe that your
songs can move units,

but I also believe that
they can move people.

And that's why we've teamed you with
a writer-producer with real substance.

Billie Joe from Green Day?

Tim Armstrong from Rancid?

We were thinking
more Tom Quincy.

Little Tommy Q.
from Boyz Attack?

Sorry, I thought
you were kidding.

In the 90's,
Boyz Attack was it.

And little Tommy Q. was the
original boy band heartthrob.

Pick up the pieces

And put me back together again

Jude...

- Jude!
- Yeah? Sorry.

Look, I know his reputation, and I know
he's still in and out of the tabloids.

But he has grown as an artist.

He's become a
brilliant writer/producer.

But he's pop. And retro.

And really, really lame.
You can't be serious.

Little Tommy Q.?!

First? I'm here because
Georgia is a friend.

I could care less about
you or your whack contest.

Second?

The name's Tom Quincy.

Don't you ever call me
little Tommy Q. again.

Sorry.

Why don't you show
me what you got.

Okay.

At least I got my
trusted friend

We're on the road, alone again

I guess we're tired
of giving in...

You wanna stop?
'Cause you're hurting my ears.

You won a contest? With that?

You're singing it like a funeral dirge.
It's boring.

You gotta pick up the tempo--
straight quarters on the bottom.

Watch.

Sing.

Sing!

At least I got my
trusted friend...

Faster.

We're on the road, alone again

All right. These lyrics...

"We're on the road",

"we're tired of giving in",
"we made it here".

Who's "we?"

It's about me and
my best friend.

We don't care about
your friend, Jude.

We care about you.
Your song's too bland.

You gotta make it personal.

Well, I like itthe way it is.

Your song, it served its purpose,
it won you the contest.

But it's not ready.
I mean, not till we rewrite the lyrics.

Jude? We gotta go.

To that... thing?

I think that's enough
for today, Jude.

You can go.

Okay. See you later.

See ya.

And then I said "she's not
changing her song, Timberlake,

so why don't you back off before
I kick your well-coiffed ass."

You said that?

You're the envy of
the school, dude.

- Friends with a famous chick.
- She's not that famous.

Not yet, anyway.

Besides, I think Jude and I will soon
be leaving the town of friendsville.

Next stop on the Jude-Jamie
train is looooove.

This is just a
transitional phase.

Good luck, brother.

Transitional phase?
You been watching Dr. Phil again?

See this expression?
This is me ignoring you.

Bad idea.
Seeing as I am Jude's best friend.

And I'm a girl.
And unlike you, I'm from planet earth.

I know having a point
isn't your forte...

My point is you should talk to Jude
before you start picking out china.

I will. I know what I'm
gonna say and everything.

More or less.

So, are you like, rich now?

Please. Okay? She only got
some pathetic signing bonus.

If it were me,
I would've gotten way more cheddar

before I signed some
three-year contract.

Well, you didn't win,
did you Sadie?

I see your sister is taking your win
with her usual dignity and grace.

Yeah, well, at least
she's talking to me in the halls.

For years she was telling
everyone I was her second cousin.

So you admit it!
Tommy Q. is hot!

It's not his fault the
tabloids follow him around.

I mean,
it's just the price of fame.

Talk about the price of fame.

No...

Here she is-- our Instant Star!

Is that your song?

Kat, they're playing
my song with tubas.

Come on, everybody!
Give us an Instant Star smile!

Jude, congratulations.
We're really proud of you.

Thank you.

I haven't seen anything this dorky since
the chess club's "Strawberry Social".

Yeah.

Let's ditch this.

There's something
I wanna talk to you about.

I have to go.

Sorry.

Jude?

What're you doing here?

- Rescuing you.
- What?

That was great by the way.

- Love the tubas.
- Yeah.

Georgia scored you an
appearance at the Vinyl Palace.

Seriously? The Vinyl Palace?

Really. So that leaves
us just two days

to work on your song.

Where are we gonna go?

I was thinking somewhere where you
won't walk out on me this time.

Get in.

At least I...

At least I got my
trusted friend...

- What?
- That's your tenth chord variation

but you still haven't
touched the lyrics.

Well,
I'm just trying to get it right.

Do you wanna get it right?

Or do you wanna
get it right now?

That's funny.

You do everything
in such a hurry?

Just my music.
I'm on a timeline.

Kurt Cobain made Nevermind
when he was 23. I'm 15.

That leaves me only eight
years to create my masterpiece.

I guess that leaves
me just a year, then.

Right now your job is to get
ready to kill at the Vinyl Palace.

Look, the chords you want,

they're in the guitar.

They're hiding.

They wanna come out,
but you keep scaring 'em back in.

You wanna coax them out.

Gently.

Sadie!
Can you stop stealing my boots?!

What is this? An intervention?

"Ex boy band cutie gets
up close and personal

with prodigy Jude Harrison."

What? I'm in Talk National?
Are you kidding me?

That's awesome!

No, come on,
you know nothing happened.

- You see?
- I tried to tell them.

I mean, why would Tommy Quincy be
interested in someone like you?

Oh, that's so funny, Sadie.
You're hilarious.

- So he didn't touch you?
- No! Mom, gross.

- Honey, we need to talkabout this.
- Vic, she said nothing's going on.

Yet! I am not taking any chances.
I'm calling Georgia now.

No. This is Jude's shot and I'm not
gonna let you blow it for her.

Blow it for Jude? Or for you?

I'm not sure who this is
more important for.

It's for Jude!

I'm so jealous. He's so cute.

So, no truth to
this story, right?

No, I'd tell you.

Too bad cause you and Tommy
look so cute together.

Do you think so?

- Oh my God.
- Shut up.

Oh my God!

Kat, I can't like this guy.
He's from a 90's boy band.

The man is like an Orlando Bloom
sundae smothered in Johnny Depp sauce.

Yeah, I know.

But it's more than that, Kat.

I mean, he teaches me stuff.
I make great music with him.

And at the lake?

At the lake there
was this moment.

I don't know...
maybe I just imagined it.

Yeah, but what if you didn't?

Hey, I was wondering if maybe now
would be a good time for us to talk?

Famous for a few days and
already in the tabloid.

Wow.

Oh, yeah,
by the way I have something for you.

It's a ticket for tonight.

I'm singing at
the Vinyl Palace.

I've haven't even
been inside before.

- Wow...
- I know.

- Little Tommy Q. coming?
- Yeah.

- Jude...
- What?

Don't tell me you
rewrote the lyrics.

Not with little Tommy Q.

Jamie, he's grown as an artist.

- He drives a Viper.
- Right. I know.

But he's my producer,
what can I do?

Whatever.

- I got something for ya.
- Do you?

I bought it off Ebay.
It's Joe Strummer's guitar pick.

This is Joe Strummer's?
Are you serious?

That's awesome! Thank you.

I love it.

- Jude.
- Yeah?

We've been friends a long time.

But... I wanted to talk
about a transition

to something more.

But you don't. Obviously.

- Don't be mad, Jamie.
- I'm not. I--

I just can't believe you're
letting that hack change our song.

It's not our song,
it's my song.

But those lyrics...
they're about us.

Right. And they
don't work anymore.

They have to go.

Yeah.

Just like me.

Jamie...

Can I have your autograph?

Hey, I rewrote the lyrics.

And there's a new hook
and everything. So...

Yeah...

So you took my advice, huh?

Yeah...

This... this is
really good, Jude.

Good.

You know,
you should be happy about this.

- I am.
- What's going on?

It's Jamie.
He's not coming tonight.

For what it's worth,
back in the day,

I went through the same
thing with my best friend.

- Really?
- It was brutal.

Yeah...

Look, if you ever need
to talk, anytime,

about anything,
I'm here for you, okay?

Part of the job.

I know.

Before I met you,
I thought you were gonna suck huge.

Jude...

you're 15!

I'm such an idiot!

Jude, come on.
It's almost time.

How can I even begin to
like someone like you...

You're everything
I hate about music.

- You made me change my song.
- Don't give me that!

Because your song is a thousand
times better since we worked on it

and you know it.

Jude, we need you.

Okay.

All right... Jude Harrison!

Your Instant Star
Jude Harrison!

Yeah, baby!

I've been sitting in the dirt

I'd forgotten my own worth

Said that you'd be
here last night

I'm trying to shake
you from my skin

Clean up this mess
I've been put in

I'm guessin' you
can't always win

I 'm guessin' you
can't always win...

I can't have anything I want

They say I'm just too young,
but it's not my fault

I'll find my own
way home if I gotta

I'll make it all alone,
if I gotta

So, you still think
she's not our girl?

Why do I feel you everywhere?

Why do I feel this everywhere?

I can't have everything I want

They say I'm just too young,
but it's not my fault

I'll find my own way home,
if I gotta

I'll make it all alone,
if I gotta...

Couldn't stay away, could you?

I mean, look at her, man.
She was born for this.

I think I'd rather die

And I don't got a plan...

Back when you were shaking your
butt in a little boy band?

Jude and I were locked in her
bedroom listening to Sonic Youth

writing songs that
could change the world.

So save it.

Does that look like
her bedroom out there?

I can't have anything I want

They say I'm just too young,
but it's not my fault

I'll find my own way home,
if I gotta

I'll make it all alone...

24 hours

Jude? That was awesome!

I mean, you tore the roof off.

Thanks.

But I quit.

Jude...

- Jude, if I led you on--
- Let's just skip this?

- Cool.
- Cool.

Look, workin' on a song--

it's like falling in love.

At first it's a rush,

but then it gets painful.

And sometimes you
gotta walk away.

But sometimes you come out of
it with something beautiful.

Like that song.

I mean,
change can be good, Jude.

You want proof?

Just listen...

Don't quit.

Cause you're it, girl.

You're the real thing.

You're even better.

Nine o'clock. Monday.

Be at the studio.

Subtitles: Willow's Team

Transcript: Raceman