Zak Orth

A washed up singer is given a couple days to compose a chart-topping hit for an aspiring teen sensation. Though he's never written a decent lyric in his life, he sparks with an offbeat younger woman with a flair for words. Cheery Alex Fletcher lives comfortably in Manhattan off the residuals from his 80's pop success and reprising his hits at school reunions, theme parks, and state fairs. But those gigs are declining, so he jumps at the chance to write a song and record it with reigning teen idol Cora Corman. Trouble is, he's good at melodies but needs a lyricist and has less than a week to finish. Enter Sophie Fisher, subbing for a friend who waters Alex's plants; she's a pretty good poet, quick witted, and could do it, if she'd agree. But there's some sort of shadow over her head that Alex may not be able to charm his way past. And what if they do get a song written, what then? —<jhailey@hotmail.com> In New York, the washed-up singer Alex Fletcher has a decadent career singing his old hits in amusement parks, school reunions or dinner parties to survive. In the 80's, he was a successful singer of the band POP with Collin Thompson, but when his partner split, his solo-career was a complete failure. His manager and friend Chris Riley schedules a meeting with the successful teen singer Cora Corman and Alex has a chance to be promoted in a show if he delivers a new song for Cora's concert in the end of the week. Alex has difficulties to put lyrics in his melody, but he accidentally discovers Sophie Fisher, who is temporarily watering his plants and proves to be a sensitive poet and efficient lyricist. Their song is approved by Cora, but they disagree about her interpretation, while they fall in love for each other. —Claudio Carvalho, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil Alex Fletcher was one half of the 1980's British pop duo, PoP. While his PoP partner Colin Thompson has gone onto further fame and fortune in the entertainment business which includes being knighted by the Queen, Alex has faded into oblivion, his only forays into the entertainment world being singing PoP songs at cheesy retrospective gigs. He has the opportunity to make it back into the popular music world when current singing sensation Cora Corman, a huge PoP fan, commissions him to write a duet for the two of them, it needing to have the title "Way Back into Love", and which needs to be completed by the end of the week. There is no guarantee that Cora will actually record the song as she has made arrangement for other retro artists to write back-up material if Alex's song is not to her liking. Alex has a problem in that he was never good at writing lyrics, and is having issues with the lyricist he has chosen for the collaboration. He thinks he has come up with a solution when his temporary plant watering person, Sophie Fisher, starts humming some of her own made up and good lyrics to Alex's tune. Sophie is an unconfident woman and a hypochondriac, who believes that, although she writes, she is not a lyricist who can come up with words to Alex's very specific song. Even if Alex is able to convince Sophie to help him, he will have to help her overcome her emotional problems in life, most specifically around her own current minor notoriety concerning her now love/hate relationship with author, Sloan Cates, who has put his skewed version of their life on paper in the form of a best selling novel. If Sophie does assist him, she may learn the hard way of the compromises that often accompany the creative process, some of those compromises with which she may not be able to live. —Huggo Cheery Alex Fletcher faded into to background of the Manhattan pop scene after his partner split away from their hit band PoP, singing their old PoP songs at cheesy retrospective gigs. His first comeback opportunity is when current singing sensation Cora Corman, a huge PoP fan, commissions him to write a duet for the two of them, to be entitled "Way Back into Love", but to be completed by the end of the week. Lacking inspiration and confidence to match the melody he writes easily, Alex notices his plant watering help Sophie Fisher, starts humming some of her own made up and good lyrics to his tune and decides to hire the hypochondriac without self-confidence, but must deal with her distracting personal issues if they are to make the deadline. Once they deliver it, Cora's absurd, irreverent 'arrangement' causes discord whether to fight for the song or go along for the money, while Cupid strings his bow. —KGF Vissers

A college student, branded a loser by his roommates and booted from the dorm, falls in love with a coed who has eyes for their condescending professor. Is there room in Manhattan for a decent kid? Can a young woman see past a cad to true love? Paul, from rural upstate, comes to New York City for college. To keep his scholarship, he must study hard and do well. That makes him a loser to his partying roommates who connive to kick him out of their suite. He's assigned a room in an animal hospital. In class he meets Dora, a pretty coed who needs a job to pay for school, and who's the very young lover of their sarcastic and selfish lit professor. When Dora is slipped some drugs at a party, Paul nurses her back to health, and a friendship follows. For Paul, though, it's more than friendly feelings. Can they work things out for them to become a truly lucky couple? —<jhailey@hotmail.com> On a university scholarship, a good-natured student from the midwest gets a crash course in city life while dealing with three evil roommates. He befriends a virtually homeless college student whom he falls for but whom dates a nasty professor. —Mystic80 Clueless Midwesterner Paul Tannek arrives in New York City to go to college at NYU only to run into one complication and mishap after another. When Paul is branded a loser by his three outgoing dorm roommates (who then boot him from their room), he's relocated to a spare room at a veterinary clinic where, by accident, Dora Diamond, a fellow coed who is dating their unscrupulous literacy professor, falls under his care following an overdose. —Matt Patay

While attending college in New York City, sophomore Al / Alfred Connelly (Freddie Prinze Jr.) and freshman Imogen (Julia Stiles) begin dating. Al's roommate Monk (Zak Orth), who has become a pornographic film actor and director, tells him that love is illusory and fleeting. Monk gets paid $2500 per movie and is doing well for himself. Eddie (Shawn Hatosy) is Al's other roommate. Eddie wants to be part of the business, but Monk challenges Eddie to get a girl in bed by that night in their room, and he would be watching from Al's bunk. If Eddie succeeds, Monk agrees to get him an audition. Eddie and Monk go their separate ways, leaving Al looking for someone to spend some time with. Al and Imogen meet at the bar. Imogen was by the Juke Box picking songs when Al stops by and introduces himself. He says that he like female singers as his own mother was a DJ all her life and he has her influence in him. Lana (Rosario Dawson) is Imogen's friend. The girl that Eddie leaves the bar with is Lana. The night between Eddie and Lana goes weird as Al later finds out that Lana shoved her finger up Eddie's behind, throwing him off his game, and leading him to believe that he might be gay. Al and Imogen end up dancing together, though Imogen is approached by a fellow student Jim, who also offers her a drink. At the end of the night Imogen hugs Al, even though she wanted not to be in a relationship during her freshman year. Imogen says that she was in relationships all through high school and was looking forward to having a good time without being tied down. Al is intoxicated by the smell of her hair. Monk's co-star Cyrus (Selma Blair) shows up at the bar after Monk and Eddie had left and she flirts with Al. Cyrus is an MIT dropout and is now taking a break to explore herself and is looking to share herself. Monk is the closest person Al has for advice on the topics related to love. Soon, Al is visiting Imogen at her campus. Imogen hugs Al again and throws out all her rules about not dating anyone in her freshman year. Al finds that Imogen is majoring in art and has painted portraits of herself on album covers and so on. They do a fake therapy session to discover their likes and dislikes and also learn about each other's dating histories. Al takes Imogen to meet his parents Ray and Judy (Lucie Arnaz). They love spending time with each other. After three months they have fallen in love, and it is a first love for both of them. Imogen, an aspiring artist, arranges a private showing at an art gallery for Al's birthday, after which the two have sex for the first time. This was the honeymoon period of their relationship. Al loses a bet and must perform as an extra in one of Monk's films. This causes an argument between him and Imogen, who wants to spend time with him before she goes to France (in 2 weeks) for the summer. He abandons the film in favor of spending the night with her. Things are perfect and Al believes that they will remain this way. While in France, Imogen is asked by her cousin if she and Al will marry. This unnerves her as she is only nineteen, and she acts differently toward Al on her return. Al's father Chef Ray (Henry Winkler), who hosts a cooking show, wants to do a father-and-son show after Al graduates. His vision is of a reality TV show where Al and Ray travel all over the country in their large truck, and offer to cook dinner for families they pick on the fly with ingredients at the back of their truck. While they cook the food, they also teach their audience on how to cook various cuisines of food. Every week a new cuisine and a new home. But Al would rather pursue his dream of becoming a chef of French cuisine. Concerned that he and Imogen are drifting apart, Al arranges a picnic in the countryside. On the way back, she drives drunk and crashes into a tree. Seeing the accident as a sign, they try to improve their relationship. Though they seem happy, Monk predicts it is a precursor to a breakup. When Imogen declines to have sex one night, Al feels emasculated and has a sexual fantasy about Cyrus. Imogen fears that she may be pregnant, and though she turns out not to be, these further strains their relationship. At one of Monk's parties, Cyrus tries to seduce Al, but he declines. Meanwhile, Imogen spends time with musician acquaintance Jim (Ashton Kutcher). When Al learns she has agreed to design Jim's album cover, they argue and she leaves upset. The next day, she confesses she had sex with Jim afterward. After a tearful breakup, she moves to San Francisco to finish school. Al graduates but becomes depressed. Monk is too preoccupied with his new work as an author and lecturer to comfort him, and their friendship dissolves. After a period of isolation, Al starts dating again and has a casual relationship with Cyrus, but she eventually moves away. He enrolls in the French Culinary Institute but feels unmotivated and drops out and is reduced to bar-hopping with his single friend Eddie (Shawn Hatosy). Drunk and missing Imogen, he tries to purge himself of his feelings for her by drinking a bottle of her shampoo, resulting in his hospitalization. Al's parents throw a party with his friends to lift his spirits. Monk apologizes to Al, and they mend their friendship. Imogen appears, and they spend time catching up. She has become a cover artist for a San Francisco-based book publisher. She confesses that she misses him and gives him a book titled Down to You with her cover artwork depicting the two of them in love. They rekindle their romance, deciding that they met too young but can start over. Al takes a job at a four-star restaurant in San Francisco and surprises Imogen with a romantic evening.