[Next Day, Eddie is seen walking]

(cell phone rings)

Eddie: Good morning, Buster.

Buster: Hey, Eddie, how are you?

Eddie: Good. How's the show going?

Buster: Ah, it's going great. And hey, that's a sharp jacket you've got on today.

Eddie: Oh, thanks. Wait. (shrieks) What are you doing here?

Buster: Eddie, you can't come visit your nana without bringing her some flowers. Here.

(rings doorbell)

Eddie: What? No! Buster, no! Don't go in there!

Waiter: Yes, can I help...

Eddie: Buster!

Buster: Ah, Nana! Just look at you, dear. Wow! You don't look a day over 90!

Eddie: Oh my gosh!

Buster: Buster Moon! We met in Eddie's graduation.

Nana: Oh, lucky me. A visit from my useless grandson and his ghastly little theater friend.

Buster: Look at that, she remembers me. Okay, Nana, how would you like to be the sponsor for a very prestigious prize?

Nana: Not for that singing contest I saw on the news.

Buster: That's the one.

Nana: Oh, I see. You don't have the MONEY, do you?

Buster: Well, we don't quite have it all locked in...

Nana: Well, you won't get a cent out of me.

Buster: Nana, please just listen to me...

Nana: No, absolutely not.

Eddie: Don't listen to him, Nana.

Nana: I'm not listening to either of you. Lapsang souchong. No sugar. And be quick about it.

Eddie: Uh, Nana... I-- I don't know how to make tea.

Buster: Wow. I saw this show when I was a kid. Nana, you were absolutely amazing.

Nana: Please, this flattery is futile. I have no intention of bailing you out. (giggles) Your pathetic shows are the reason that theater no longer has an audience.

Buster: Oh, but this show is gonna pack them in like it did in the good old days.

Nana: They were not "good old days", Mr. Moon. They were magnificent. And that theater of yours, it was a palace of wonder and magic.

Buster: But, Nana, it still is.

Eddie: Yeah, right. Ow!

Nana: I can recall the ushers in their velvet suits. Queues a mile long just to get a ticket. The curtain rising over that glorious stage.

Buster: Music and light bringing dreams to life?

Nana: Precisely.

Buster: Well, it's just like you remember it. In fact, I've made it even more spectacular.

Eddie: No, you haven't.

Buster: Shh. Come see for yourself. A special performance just for you. What do you say, Nana?

Nana: I say, you are a liar, Mr. Moon.

Eddie Okay, well... We're done now. Thank you, Nana.

Nana: But anything's better than spending another evening playing checkers with this old fart.

Penguin Waiter: What?

Buster: Great! it's gonna blow you away, Nana. And that is no lie!

[Back to the stage]

Buster: Now, listen up! Tomorrow we're going to have a full preview of the show. And our audience will be none other than Miss Nana Noodleman.

Mike: Nana Noodleman? She's still alive?

Red: Hey, the fossil still lives.

[Stella lightly smacks his arm]

Buster: Oh, yes, and believe me, she's got some pretty high standards, alright. So, today we're gonna have a full dres rehearsal. And i want to see you light up the stage, folks!

Gunter: Well, thats cool.

Buster: Meena, Miss Crawly... What do you think?

Miss Crawly: Wow, it's so ambitious.

Meena: Yeah, are you sure about this?

Buster: I promised Nana something spectacular. And this.. (chuckles) It's gonna blow her away.

Miss Crawly: Oh, yes.

Buster: Two minutes, everybody.

Big Daddy (on radio): Johnny? Johnny, where are you? Johnny? Answer the walkie-talkie.

Johhny: Yeah, Dad. I'm here. I'm here. What's wrong?

Big Daddy: We got the call. Shipment's coming in.

Johnny: Tonight?

Big Daddy: Not tonight. Now. Meet us on the corner of Hector Street in two minutes.

[At the dock, Johnny dropped off his dad and his friends]

Big Daddy : (laugh)

Big Daddy: Stay here. We'll be back in exactly 37--

Johnny: Yeah. 37 minutes. You told me, repeatedly.

Big Daddy: (grunts)

Johnny: I can make it.

[He drove back to the theater]

Buster: Bravo, Mike! Nana is gonna love it! And may I add, I love the new suit!

Mike: Oh, you're too kind, Mr. Moon.

Buster: Okay, can we see Ash, next please? Ash, let's get you out here!

Mike: Oh, stand back. Moody teenager through.

Stella: You got this.

Meena: Good luck, Ash.

(Cut to Johnny driving like a maniac to the Moon Theater he passes two cars which collide into each other)

Ash:

I threw a wish in the well, Don't ask me, I'll never tell

I looked to you as it fell, And now you're in my way.

Your stare was holdin', Ripped jeans, skin was showin'

Hot night, wind was blowin' (voice breaking) Where do you think you're going, baby?

(tearfully) I just met you, this is crazy, here's my number, so call me maybe.

Buster: Whoa, whoa, whoa. Okay, enough of that. Cut it, cut it, cut it.

(Meena stops the music. Ash is crying.)

Buster: I don't think anyone's gonna call after that. Okay, Ash, um...

Ash: (sobbing)

Buster: Hey come on, Ash. What is it? Do you, do you not like the dress?

Ash: (crying)

(Ash unknowingly shoots quills out of her back. They fly and hit Buster in the face. Ash runs off stage sobbing)

Buster: Ow. Ow.

Rosita: Ash, what's wrong?

Stella: Ash?

(Cut to Johnny driving like a maniac to the Moon Theater)

(Cut to backstage where Rosita is comforting Ash as the latter blows her nose into a handkerchief)

Rosita: Well, it sounds to me like you are WAY better off without that, that...

Stella: Stupid cheater!

Gunter: And total super jerk dinkle-shplat!

Rosita: Exactly! Stupid cheater and total super jerk dinkle...shplat.

Buster: Rosita, Gunter, you're on!

Rosita: (hands Ash her purse) Okay, here. There should be some gum or some candy in there somewhere. Just help yourself.

[Red arrived at the theater as he ran inside]

Stella: Red! There you are. We're not up yet, but we will after Johnny's act. Where have you been?

Red: Missed the bus, so I had to run.

Stella: Oh. Maybe you should sit down for a while.

[She brought him to a chair as he sat down]

Red: Did I miss anything?

Stella: Well, not much.

(Johnny bursts in all frantic)

Johnny: Rosita, Rosita, wait, wait, wait! Can I take your place, please?

Rosita: Sure Johnny. Go ahead.

Gunter: Okay, get ready 'cuz I'm warning you, (laughs) this stage is about to explode with major piggy power!

Rosita: I am so sorry. I have no control.

Johnny: (groan)

Gunter: Yeah! (laughs)

Rosita: Okay, you can do this.

I stay out too late. Got nothing in my brain

(She tripped.)

Oof!

Buster: Are you okay?

Gunter: Oh yes, I'm fine, thank you. How are you?

Buster: Okay, Johnny! Let's get you out here! And you guys, you've got to work on that routine! Take it away, Johnny!

Johnny:

What would I do without your smart mouth

Drawing me in and you kicking me out

You got my head spinning...

Gunter: You can't just sing it. You got to show the fire and desire!

Rosita: The fire went out a long time ago.

Gunter: What?

Rosita: Look, I can't even keep count of the steps!

Gunter: Ugh. Counting, shmounting. She sings too much with her head. Right?

Ash: (blows bubble and pops it)

Gunter: Yeah yeah, see? Forget the steps and just like, let the music take control of your body parts.

Rosita: My body parts are not responding, okay? It's never gonna happen. I should just be getting groceries.

Ash: Rosita, no!

Meena: Rosita, come on.

Gunter: Like, don't go!

(Rosita walks out of the Moon Theater)

Mike: Psst. Hey, hey down here. (Rosita looks down) You see three nasty looking bears out there?

Rosita: Uh, no.

Mike: Oh, Great. Hey, by the way, I love your act. Seriously, the part where you fall flat on your face, that cracks me up every time. See ya round, Porky!

Johnny: And you give me all of you, oh oh. Aw, man.

Buster: Johnny, uh, I know  I'm asking a lot of you...

Johnny: Mr. Moon, I'm really trying, I promise.

Buster: Uh... what about your backup song? Have you practiced that?

Johnny: Um, no yet.

Buster: Well, why don't we go back and work on that one, okay? I mean, look, if you play like that in front of Nana Noodleman... (Johnny runs off) Johnny?

[Johnny was driving frantically through the street, nearly hitting other drivers. Back at the docks, Big Daddy and the others gathered some bags of money]

Monkey: Hey!

Big Daddy: We are set for life now, boys! (laughs) What's going on? Where's Johnny?

Stan: He's not here.

(police sirens are heard)

Big Daddy: (gasp)

Stan: Run!

[Police surrounds them. Johnny gets stuck on traffic]

Johnny: I'm dead.