good times anytime you need a payment good times anytime you need a friend good times anytime you're out from under not getting hassled, not getting hustled keeping your head above water making a wave when you can temporary layoffs good times easy credit rip-offs good times scratching and surviving good times hanging in a chow line good times ain't we lucky we got 'em?

[ both shouting ] just calm down! [ all shouting ] [ whistle blows ] at ease! all day long i have to handle a bus full of screaming kids, and there's only one thing worse -- coming home to a house full of screaming kids. you had a bad day, huh? let me tell you. you know that little leroy jr.

well, billy brought his dog on the bus. and before i could stop the fight, leroy bit the dog. [ laughs ] ma, you... [ giggles ] now, will somebody tell me what started all this? j.j.'s stupid art class again. i'll tell you what started all this, ma -- june 18, 1957. the day "omen iii" was born. mama, j.j.'s art classes are here. i mean, this apartment is crowded enough. it may be crowded, but the fees j.j. gets from his students is helping to pay the rent. ma, he only has two students -- clumsy earl, who eats more than he paints, and dumb donna. dumb donna?! that's right. dumb donna.

she said... "mazola or crisco?" that's dumb, honey. well, you got to admit that that little earl mitchell really has got talent. michael, did you see this one? let me see, mama. hold on. yeah, that one's really good. but did you take a look at this monstrosity? what do you call it? hey, come on, michael. donna's one of my prize students. uh, this is, uh... this is, uh... an abstract version of pizza with everything on it. well, it looks like an explosion in a paint factory. [ knock on door ] well, look here, y'all. donna's got a lot of talent. it's just a matter of bringing it out, you know? hi, j.j.

hi, everybody. hello, donna. nice to see you again. hi, michael. yeah, baby, you got a lot of talent. j.j., i just know i'm gonna be a famous artist someday. yes. i saw the cutest purple smock today. it was low-cut in front, and it comes up to here. so, what do you think, j.j.? if lautrec saw that, he would really be toulouse. [too loose] mon ch\rie, la amour de faveur. lord have mercy. say, donna, how'd you get started in that painting stuff? well, all my friends at school just rave about the way i paint my nails.

um, keith, darling, let's go to a movie. a movie? yes, a movie. you know that movie you wanted to see with peter falk? oh, yeah, peter falk movie. [ imitating columbo ] excuse me there, lady. there's one thing i want to ask you. it's a simple question. oh, jeez, i forgot the question. see, it's about the great form you have there. my wife has a form like it. uh, ha ha! see you later, okay? bye-bye, everybody. beautiful lady. wow, he's nice. but he sure talks funny. he certainly does. he certainly does. what's the lesson for today, j.j.? well... [ laughing ] the lesson for today is to... erase what you did yesterday. uh, no, i mean, donna, i think you're gonna need a little more private instruction. yeah.

come in. oh, hey there, earl. how you doing? hey, j.j. sorry i'm late. you wouldn't believe what happened to me today. hi, earl. oh, hi, mrs. -- earl! if i dirtied any of the fruit, i'll eat it. it's all right. what happened to your other shoe? oh, my shoe? well, um, i spotted this pigeon who hurt his foot. so you gave him your other shoe? no, but there was a cat that was ready to pounce on the pigeon, so i threw my shoe at the cat. i see. no, i don't. what happened to your other shoe, boy? uh, well, when my shoe missed the cat,

now, i never seen anybody so mad. he held up my shoe and said, "hey, kid, is this yours?!" i said, "no, it belongs to the pigeon." and i ran all the way over here. [ laughs ] boy! j.j., my nose is itching. penny, you can't scratch it now. earl's in the middle of painting your left nostril. but i have to scratch it. hey, look there, penny, you should've thought of that before. whenever napoleon had a portrait done of him, he knew his stomach was gonna itch. that's how come he always held his hand right in there. okay. earl, you really can paint, honey. thank you. lesson's over for today, so you can take a rest. same time, same station tomorrow.

my modeling fee -- 25 cents an hour. oh, yeah. what? somebody picked my pocket. goodness. well, look, i'll get it to you, but in the meanwhile how about a banana and an apple? farrah fawcett never worked for bananas and apples. a banana and an apple? you're too kind, cheapskate. let's go home, baby. oh, wait a minute. got to tell thelma something. they're not in the bedroom. say what? [ laughs ] i knew sooner or later they had to come up for some air. they went to the movies, willona. well, honey, if those two are up to their usual tricks, even the "eyes of laura mars" will be looking at them. [ laughs ] listen, tell thelma that the new french bikinis came into the boutique this afternoon, honey. whoo! 60% off.

that's not off the price, honey. that's off the bikini. [ laughs ] i swear, i was born wearing more than that. i'll catch you later. honey, take your money, the jive...so-and-so. hi, willona. [ sniffing ] ooh, ma, that food smells good. when are we gonna eat? as soon as somebody sets the table. i will. what are we having? spaghetti, earl. oh, i love spaghetti. so do i, but it always goes to my hips. gee, i never noticed. you're just as big on top. i-i-i mean, you're built real solid. i mean... you know what i mean?

earl, don't your parents ever say anything about you always eating over here? well, my parents are divorced. so you live with your father? yeah, i guess he lost the custody fight. but he doesn't mind me eating here. i told him i feel right at home. thank you, earl. sure. all that hollering and screaming that goes on around here doesn't ther me at all. i mean, i didn't mean it that way. it's all right, earl. what does your father do? well, he's a construction worker. he works so hard that when he comes home, it's 3-b time for him. 3-b? beer, belch, and bed. well, you can tell him for me that we think you are very talented, very nice, and very... very coordinated. [ knock on door ] i'm frank mitchell. is my son, earl, here? oh, there you are.

didn't i tell you i didn't want to have to come looking?! you can't be pulling that kid's ear like that! say what?! uh, van gogh, yes, he did. van gogh got along very well with one ear. yes, he did. yes, he did. that's no way to treat the boy. mr. mitchell, earl is my brother's best student. not anymore. from now on he's your brother's ex-student.

u had a chat with your daughter, what'd you tabout? what time will you be home? who's driving? and who are you going with? be true to yourself baby. are those my shoes? get your homework done first. i am so proud of you. here's something else i'm discussing with my daughters. it's the connection between cervical cancer and some types of hpv, the human papillomavirus. a virus that causes cervical in thousands of american women each year. and if you're african-american, you may be at higher risk. the good news is that cervical cancer can be prevented through screening. even if they don't ways admit it, our daughters are depending on us. to learn more about the connection between cervicalanr and hpv,

make the connection is public education campaign sponsored by the cancer research and prevention foundation and the step up women's network. cervical cancer and hpv, make the connection. that's make the connection dot org. y,y, donna, you can't quit taking my art lessons now. so what if you painted a dog that looked like a giraffe? haven't you ever heard of a long-necked doberman? [ knock on door ] all right. bye. first earl quits taking my art lessons, now donna. what worse could happen? it just happened. all right, j.j., there ain't nothing in your lease

now, how does the word "eviction" grab you? go ahead, bookman. evict me, torture me, put me on the rack. show me pictures of your wife. i'm washed-up anyway. what's wrong, man? i just lost my only two art students. you mean you only had two students and they both quit? yeah, bookman. [ laughs ] whoo-hoo! hey, bookman, what's so funny? you got an art class with no students. you know what that means? no, what? that means you ain't got no class. get it, j.j. -- no class? i get it, bookman. now, there's the door. you get it. i mean, if you want to practice, you can always paint me, man.

that's right. i've heard of the leaning tower of pisa, but i'd never paint the slumping pile of lasagna. that does it! hey, look out, clown. hi, j.j. hey, earl, what you doing here? i'm here for an art lesson. my father changed his mind. don't you believe me? earl, i believe you as much as i believe "mean" joe greene sleeps with a teddy bear. i guess i'm not a very good liar, huh? i just want to finish my portrait of penny. j.j., if i can't paint, i'm lost. yeah, i'm the same way. hey, but don't worry. i'll figure out something. i'll my mother -- well, i'll tell her a little white lie. okay, j.j., what will you tell me? uh, that earl painted a picture of an apple that looks so real, there were worms on the canvas. now, j.j., you know how mr. mitchell feels

oh, ma, but it's unfair. i'm teaching the guy a skill so one day he can hold his head up high and be a genuine starving artist. i don't know why he won't let me be an artist. i can't do anything else. i couldn't even put together a jigsaw puzzle if it only had one piece. mama, suppose earl had to give up his dreams to be an artist. you wouldn't want that on your conscience, would you? now, michael, don't you try to push me into a corner. you forget one thing -- earl isn't my son. yeah, but just suppose. suppose he was. would you want somebody like mr. mitchell stomping all over his future? j.j., if earl was my son, i wouldn't want anybody teaching him to disobey me, so i'm not going to interfere with the way he chooses to raise earl. earl? earl, wait a minute. well, he didn't say anything about visiting. anybody for pie? yeah!

dive right in, earl. make yourself feel right at home there. [ pounding on door ] uh-oh. that's your father or the avon lady's got brass knuckles. i'll get the door. don't tell him i'm here -- please! florida: earl! oh, hi, mr. mitchell. he's here again, isn't he? uh, h-h-h-h-he's... uh, who are you looking for, stranger? you know damn well who i'm looking for. well, we got so many art students here, i get confused. come on, come on, stop jivin'. where's my boy? a fellow about this high, big afro? yeah, yeah. michael, he's talking about that little korean boy. all right, then. i'll ask you.

earl, you in there?! earl: no! uh-huh! well, you heard him. don't you believe your own son? get out here! you're about to get the whipping of your life! mr. mitchell, calm down. you mind your own business, woman! i said, calm down! well, i did ask you nicely. all right, i'm calm. why, thank you. now, can't we talk about this sensibly, parent to parent? all right, parent, tell me -- who gave you the right to interfere with another parent trying to raise his kid? believe me, mr. mitchell, that's farthest from my mind. but why are you so dead set against the child taking art lessons? it's a waste of time. it's just a couple of hours a week.

then i'll give him a special j.j. evans free scholarship for sons with hardheaded fathers. j.j. it's a waste of hope. hope is never a waste, mr. mitchell. oh, sure. you're gonna tell me that canvas over there is some magic carpet to fame and fortune, but i don't close my eyes to the fact my boy and i live in the ghetto. you don't have to tell me that. do we look like we get room service around here? then you should understand. here we are, and here's where we're stuck. don't you care about your son's future? sure, i care about my kid, but where is he going? he got 2 left feet and 10 thumbs. [ clattering, glass shatters ] see what i mean? earl, what's going on? what happened? earl: oh, it's okay. i didn't break much. just something that smells like burnt rubber. it's called "ghetto musk."

how much of it can you sponge up? when that boy was born, i hoped and prayed he'd be an athlete or performer. some kind of job to get him out of the ghetto. but the first thing he does after he gets up in the morning is fall down. i'm telling you, that boy could trip over lint. he can't do nothing. i've seen people fall off a scaffold with better coordination than what that boy's got. mr. mitchell, instead of harping on what he can't do, why don't you talk about what he can do? yeah, look at this, mr. mitchell. he did this with 10 thumbs. i'm telling you, the boy could paint with his feet. in my opinion, i think earl has the potential to be one of the best artists to come out of the ghetto... ...since me, and that's the best compliment i can give him. this painting business, that's a pastime for white folks. what did somebody do -- bleach me? where have you been, mr. mitchell?

are the only way out of the ghetto? a lot of our people are serious artists. haven't you ever heard of artists like ernie barnes, charles white, or bernie casey? i ain't never heard of no black man getting out of the ghetto with a paintbrush. oh, yeah? what about the guy who painted the white line down the freeway? j.j., please! earl, you get out here right now! listen, will you get that boy out of your bathroom? i want him out here in front of me right now! now, earl -- there you are. now, you go on home with me, and you ain't ever coming back here again. you got that? no. boy, you don't hear so good. you ever come back here, you gonna get a worse whipping than the one you're gonna get tonight. i'm coming back, pa. i swear i'm gonna whip you. and i'll come back again. and i'll whip you again! then i guess that's just how it'll be

what am i gonna do with this boy? for starters, you can try listening. i just want to talk for myself just once. all right, then, talk. i don't know what to say. maybe you can try telling me why you just have to do this fool paintin' thing. pa, i have to. it's my life. you think you're gonna paint your way out of the ghetto? i'm not trying to paint my way out of the ghetto. i just want to paint the ghetto. well, for somebody who didn't know what to say, you said that very good, son. okay, then, you throw your life away taking painting lessons, but you ain't gonna use my money to do it. where you been getting the money to take them lessons anyway? what you been doing -- stealing? i been using my lunch money. oh, my lord. no wonder the poor child is always so hungry. yeah.

mr. mitchell, my brother did say he'd give earl free lessons. no, no, the mitchells don't take no charity. i'll pay for the lessons. pa, you don't have to. you shootin' off your mouth again, huh? i said i'll pay for the lessons. that's final. don't be a stubborn fool... like your father. pretty good, huh, mr. mitchell? we mitchells don't do anything "pretty good." it's great.

-- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com captions paid for by sony pictures television