42
Monday, May 5th, 1986, 1:48 P.M.
One of the unique pleasures of having a T.V. show formatted like that of the Go-Go’s was that it allowed for occasional guest appearances from other celebrities to come on the show and play themselves. Ideally, the network favored singers or musicians (especially female) to make appearances since it coincided directly with the musical theme of the show. As a result, the girls were especially thrilled when A-List performers like Linda Rondstadt and Dolly Parton walked onto the set of their sitcom to pay tribute to the Go-Go’s and their groundbreaking venture into the world of prime-time television. CBS also pushed for stars from their own network to come and act on the show as it naturally promoted their own corporate agenda. Because of this encouragement, Charlene Tilton from “Dallas” made a cameo, as did Valerie Bertinelli from “One Day at a Time.” The appearance of Miss Bertinelli was all the more exhilarating because she managed to coax her virtuoso, superstar husband, Eddie Van Halen, into coming on the program with her and doing an acoustic version of “Lust To Love.”
The taping of Season 5 was almost at an end and it was becoming apparent that some rust was beginning to form around the edges. Because of the structure of the show, it was nearly impossible for the writers to figure out ways for the girl’s characters to grow and develop. They had to keep them young, bouncy, and single for the premise to work and it was becoming increasingly harder for them to come up with new plot ideas.
Needless to say, the various media outlets were picking up on this and were starting to hint to the American public that there were chinks in the Go-Go’s armor. As beloved as the Go-Go’s were, the press seemed to exhibit a perverse thrill in skewering them whenever they had the chance. It was a vicious cycle.
The forever changing world of popular music was also starting to play a hand in the fate of the program. Some of the better songwriters had left the show, preferring to promote their own careers by performing the songs they wrote themselves rather than just giving them to the Go-Go’s. The impending result was a lack of decent songs coming out of the bin and an increasing pressure on the Go-Go’s themselves to come up with new tunes. All of this amounted to the band not having a Top-Ten hit in the last thirteen months, and also led to a lot of disgruntled employees and artists walking around the set. In private, the girls were starting to whisper to each other that if they hadn’t agreed to preemptively end the show after six seasons, they probably would have gotten canceled anyway.
But, having the usual, never-say-die attitude, however, was exactly what the network had on their mind when they forged ahead with their search for the next hot sensation to jump-start the ratings for the week. Therefore, piggy-backing on some popular gossip that was starting to circulate around, the producers unanimously decided that the next guest celebrity should be none other than Susanna Hoffs of The Bangles. Some of the tabloids were having fun with the notion that the Go-Go’s and The Bangles were bitter rivals and that some physical confrontations had occurred. None of this was true, of course, as the two bands were actually good friends. On the other hand, none of the members were deliberately outspoken about the fabricated stories, either. It was free publicity and, in reality, was doing absolutely no harm to either one of the bands. Besides, some of the publications were making comparisons to The Beatles and The Rolling Stones— and that was pretty good company to be associated with.
Susanna was more than happy to come on the show. She was particularly amused by the context that was drawn out for her. The Bangles’ single, “Manic Monday,” was a big hit for them and the producers were anxious to get her on the air. Mysterious and sultry, Susanna was sure to be a big ratings boost for next season’s opener.
The writing staff prepared the script that was to coincide with the dirt flowing around Hollywood and the table was set.
In this scene, Susanna drops by at the Go-Go’s fictional home and proceeds to brag about The Bangles having a Top-Ten single on the charts. She then proceeds to boast about being on the cover of a popular magazine. This brash behavior would then allow the girls to begin acting catty towards each other, therefore achieving the desired effect of the two bands being adversaries.
42. INT. LIVING ROOM – AFTERNOON
The Go-Go’s are lazing about an obvious living area in various positions
of leisure. They are listening to the radio, reading magazines, chewing
gum, blowing bubbles, and generally acting like care-free teenagers.
Jane, Belinda, Gina, and Kathy are present. Charlotte is off camera. The
doorbell rings. Kathy stops playing with her Yo-Yo and jumps up to answer
the door.
KATHY
I’ll get it!
Kathy opens up
the door. It’s
Susanna Hoffs
of The Bangles.
Studio applause.
KATHY
Oh, hey, Susanna.
What are you
doing here?
Susanna lets
herself in.
Have a Safe and
Happy New Year Everyone!!
Clark P. Wright
224-433-9993