RADIOACTIVITY, ALL THE MORE VIVIDLY GIVEN OUR SWING DRAWS THE GLOW INTO A THIN GREEN LINE: COLD WAR CURSIVE, A MANHATTAN MILKY WAY. BUT WE SEE NO STARS.
NICOLA
I don't like it here, Brian.
******
[1.] We Are Young - Fun and Janelle Monáe (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FQLGhPHzxjc)
******
EXT. UTAHN STREETS - NIGHT
(CLARISSA, SAMANTHA, MATT)
THE LID LIFTS, THE MIRROR'S EXPOSED AND - HAVING EMBODIED THIS SMALL LENS - WE GAZE AT CLARISSA'S FACE, THEN DEEP INTO HER EYES. SHE TILTS HER HEAD TO ONE SIDE; THIS MOVE SCULPTURES THE PASSAGE OF OUR GAZE. THIS PASSAGEWAY BETWEEN CLARISSA AND US, COMPLETELY INTANGIBLE THOUGH IT IS, IS STRUCTURED SO PERFECTLY, A SERIES OF SCULPTURES - PERHAPS GLASSES - THAT FORM A PERFECT LENS THROUGH WHICH WHICH SEE HER WORLD. PERFECT IN THE SENSE THAT WE SEE HER WORLD IN ITS ENTIRETY. WE'RE IN THE SAME SMALL BLACK CAR SAMANTHA ONCE MET MATT WITH. AND WE'RE SOMEWHERE JUST SHY OF SALT LAKE. AND NOW SHE SEES US . . . SHE TAPS THE MIRROR TWICE.
CLARISSA
This mirror's a camera. Nifty, hey? Now Matt, I think you're the entertainer. You can promote the Hive without ever mentioning it. You have the skill, like a male Northern Cardinal songbird [1.]; they can sing without even being taught how to [1.], like with the very beat of their heart [4.], and can change their song style when they need to [2.]. They're so Robbie Williams.
SAMANTHA
And female songbirds like canaries are more concerned with their nests [3.].
SAMANTHA/CLARISSA
Honeybee Hive!
SAMANTHA TAKES A LEFT.
MATT
But we can't mention the Hive.
CLARISSA
No. But we can mention our lifestyle, we can talk about how good it is. Maybe other Hives will be created. Who knows?
MATT
You're saying I can spit rap like Hopsin, but promoting our lifestyle, and then gain heaps of followers . . . all the while entertaining people, making people happy, and having a damn good time myself? That's my mission statement? I love it, but I can't become famous just like that.
CLARISSA
Oh yes you can, B-boy. But you'll be getting famous when we want you to get famous. Bottom line . . .
SAMANTHA TAKES A RIGHT.
CLARISSA
. . . is I don't wanna be coming along for the ride. The fame one that is. I'm staying at the Hive, and the Hive is staying a secret. Emily and I were in NY recently. I was that close . . .
CLARISSA HOLDS UP HER RIGHT HAND, AND BRINGS HER THUMB VERY CLOSE TO HER POINTER.
CLARISSA
. . . to giving up my anonymity. So close. I could have joined my dad's campaign trail, like my sisters, but I chose not to. Ha. These days, people think giving away your virginity is a bad thing. Hell no. It's giving away your anonymity that sux. And we want you to understand that before you become famous . . . and then for you to decide whether you want to or not.
CLARISSA TURNS TO FACE MATT.
CLARISSA
I don't wanna be my dad.
SHE TURNS HER HEAD BACK AROUND.
CLARISSA
I love him and all. But I don't wanna be him. And I'm not sure you would want to either. And I ain't sure you wanna be Hopsin, or Eminem, or Robbie Williams . . . are you?
MATT
Well . . .
CLARISSA
You do realize you can control things from behind the scenes . . . and quite well too. Heard of Ryan Tedder?
MATT
Um . . . no.
CLARISSA
Well, many have. The guy's quite popular, don't get me wrong. But most of what he does is behind the scenes work. He's a songwriter and producer for so many artists.
SAMANTHA
And - of course - the lead singer of One Republic.
CLARISSA
Who gathered a following through MySpace in the early noughties. Simple and plain.
SAMANTHA
They actually thought up the idea of a band in their senior year at Colorado Springs Christian High School, way back in 1996. So, it does take time to get yourself noticed if you start with nothing . . .
CLARISSA NODS.
CLARISSA
But we ain't starting with nothing.
SHE ADJUSTS THE MIRROR, AND WINKS.
CLARISSA
We're starting with tales from the beautiful Honeybee Hive.
MATT
And Lone Star . . . at least as long as I'm working there.
CLARISSA
Yeah. Hopefully that's a while.
SAMANTHA
What do you think would happen if we told people about the commune?
CLARISSA SHRUGS.
CLARISSA
They'd wanna check it out. Their friends would wanna check it out. Their friend's friends, their friend's friend's friends. We'd end up being the talk of Utah . . . and suddenly Honeybee Hive wouldn't be a peaceful little abode anymore. We gotta invite people in gradually.
MATT SMILES.
MATT
My rap granted me access, didn't it?
CLARISSA NODS.
CLARISSA
You're silly Facebook rants. You betcha!
CLARISSA TURNS AROUND.
CLARISSA
And we couldn't be happier we found you.
SHE WINKS.
SHE OFFERS HER HAND TO MATT AND HE TAKES IT IN HIS.
******
- So Good - B.o.B (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FvlFXR7DD9Q&ob=av2e) [Produced by Ryan Tedder]
- Let Me Entertain You - Robbie Williams (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ymPu2PdLW3I&ob=av2e)
[4.] So Listen - Cody Simpson and T-Pain (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FzD2SgGrt2E)
[1.] Yamaguchi, A. (2001). Sex differences in local learning in birds. Nature, 411 (6835), 257-258.
[2.] Yamaguchi, A. (2001). ["Songs of adult cardinals form 'dialects' in different geographical regions, so dispersing juveniles may settle into a population with a foreign dialect. The male-typical sensitive phase therefore allows him to match his song types with those of his neighbours, even when he settles into a new population, whereas the female typical sensitive phase preserves her natal dialect."]. Sex differences in local learning in birds. Nature, 411 (6835), 257-258.
[3.] Kroodsma, D. E. (1976). [Abstract]. Reproductive Development in a Female Songbird: Differential Stimulation by Quality of Male Song.