October 20th
Justin was ringing the bell of the Hughes house. Nancy Ludwig, John Hughes' wife, opened the door.
"Oh, hi there, Justin. How can I help you?" Nancy greeted him warmly.
"Hi, Mrs. Nancy. Is Mr. John home? I was looking for him," Justin asked politely.
"You came at the right time because John just finished his movie project. He's resting in the living room watching a movie with the kids. You can find him there," Nancy replied.
"Thank you, Mrs. Nancy," Justin said as he started walking towards the living room. He turned his head when he heard Nancy calling him from behind.
"By the way, Justin, do you want anything like juice or a snack?" Nancy asked.
"No, thanks," Justin replied, trying to be polite.
"You don't have to be shy. Just sit in the living room, and I'll get you some orange juice and cookies, okay?" Nancy insisted with a smile.
Justin knew Nancy's personality—whenever you visited her house, you had to eat something, even if you weren't hungry.
He made his way to the living room and saw that they were watching a movie on the TV. John had bought the DVD for the house. John Hughes mostly watched family movies because that was his favorite genre.
Most of John Hughes' films were set in Chicago, and he was best known for his coming-of-age teen comedies that portrayed suburban teenage life in an honest and relatable way.
When Justin entered the living room, John noticed him immediately. John paused the movie and turned to greet him.
"Hi, Justin. What brings you here all of a sudden? How's school going? How have you been?" John asked, showing genuine interest.
"Everything is fine. I actually got inspired by a movie and wrote a song with Max's help. I was hoping you could listen to it, and if you like it, maybe you could add it to the movie," Justin explained.
John, initially skeptical about Justin writing a song for his movie, wasn't sure what to expect. However, when he heard that Max had helped him—knowing Max was a talented songwriter with several hit songs—he decided to take it seriously. Plus, he didn't want to disappoint Justin, so he agreed to listen.
"Really, Justin? You wrote a song? That's so cool!" said James Hughes, John and Nancy's younger son.
John and Nancy had two children: John Hughes III, born in 1976, and James Hughes, born in 1979. James was now 18 and had just finished high school. His older brother was currently studying at university, and James was planning to attend the same university as his brother.
Justin nodded and held up a DVD. "I got inspiration from Kevin and thought this song would fit perfectly in the movie, so I wanted to show it to you and get Chris's approval to add it to the movie."
John took the DVD from Justin and inserted it into the player. "By the way, Justin, what's the name of the song?"
"It's called Naughty," Justin replied.
(Author's note: The song is 'Naughty' from Matilda The Musical. You can find it on YouTube.)
John leaned back on the sofa as the song started playing. It began with a playful melody, filled with the whimsical energy of children's mischief.
As John listened, he immediately imagined a scene where Kevin McCallister is left alone at home while his family accidentally flies away. The music brought to life the feeling of that moment: Kevin realizing his dream had come true—no rules, no parents, no one telling him what to do.
The lyrics matched perfectly: "We're told we have to do what we're told, but surely,
Sometimes you have to be a little bit naughty..."
As the song played, John could see it in his mind—Kevin running wild, jumping on beds, causing harmless trouble throughout the house.
When the song ended, John immediately called Chris Columbus, who had directed the Home Alone movies. At the moment, Chris was in San Francisco, sleeping after an intense post-production schedule. John knew this because Chris often joked about sleeping for days after a big project was finished.
After calling several times with no answer, Chris finally picked up the phone, his voice groggy. "Hello, this is Chris," he mumbled, barely awake.
"Hey, Chris, it's me, John. I want you to hear something. Justin wrote a song, and we think it could work for the movie," John said.
"Oh…yeah… sure…" Chris replied, still half asleep.
John knew Chris well enough to know that once he was asleep, nobody could disturb him. Nevertheless, he placed the phone near the speaker and played the song.
At first, Chris didn't react, but a few seconds into the song, his eyes shot open. Within minutes, Chris was in his bathroom, washing his face and getting dressed. "Just stay there. I'll be at your house right away," Chris said, fully awake now, excitement clear in his voice.
Chris's passion for making movies far outweighed his love for sleep. When inspiration struck, nothing could stop him. The song had him envisioning Kevin causing chaos in the house, with Naughty as the perfect backdrop.
Twenty minutes later, Chris arrived at John's house, speeding through the traffic. He rang the doorbell frantically. Nancy opened the door.
"Where's John?" Chris asked impatiently, walking in before she could answer.
Nancy, familiar with Chris from her husband's work, knew that when Chris was in a rush, it always had to do with something related to a movie project.
"They're in the living room, listening to the song Justin made," Nancy said, pointing him in the right direction.
Chris rushed into the living room and saw Justin, John, and James sitting on the sofa, sipping juice and munching on cookies that Nancy had prepared.
"John, where's the DVD? I want to hear the song right now," Chris demanded, unable to hide his excitement.
John chuckled, knowing Chris's personality. "Relax, Chris. I'll play the song for you. Just have some juice and cookies while you listen."
John called to Nancy, "Honey, can you bring more juice and cookies for Chris?"
"Sure, give me a few minutes," Nancy replied from the kitchen.
John played the song again. Chris sat back, letting the music wash over him. As soon as it finished, he exclaimed, "John, I got an idea for this! We need to use this song in the movie. The scene where Kevin realizes he's home alone—it'll be perfect! Picture it: Kevin jumping on his parents' bed, running around the house, and finding his brother's room—this song playing the whole time."
John agreed. "That's a great idea, but we'd need to reshoot some scenes. We'll have to recreate the Chicago house interior, and that's going to be costly."
Chris waved his hand dismissively. "Don't worry about that. I know a house with a similar structure. I found it just in case we needed it, and it's much more affordable than going back to Chicago."
"That's a solid solution," John said. "I'll convince the people at 20th Century Fox to add the song to the movie."
"Great, let's get the crew ready for the reshoot. Justin, do you have any other songs that might fit the movie?" Chris asked, always thinking ahead.
Justin thought for a moment. "Have you heard Jingle Bell Rock? It's been performed by many artists, but the 1957 version by Bobby Helms is the best-known one. It could really highlight the Christmas theme of the movie."
Chris and John listened to the song and immediately decided to add it for the Christmas scenes.
Chris and John worked overtime, preparing everything for the reshoot and presenting the idea to the executives at 20th Century Fox.
In the music industry, licensing and rights management are complex, especially when songs are used in films. For a song to appear in a movie, studios need to obtain the rights to use it. There are two main types of music rights: synchronization rights (sync rights) and master rights. Sync rights allow the movie to use the composition (melody and lyrics) of the song, while master rights pertain to the specific recording. For instance, if Fox wanted to use Justin's song Naughty, they would need both sync rights (for the song itself) and the master rights (for the specific recording Justin made).
Initially, 20th Century Fox wanted to buy the rights to Naughty outright, which would give them full control over the song's use, including future earnings. However, Justin, being protective of his creation, only wanted to grant them a sync license—this means the studio could use the song in the film but wouldn't own it. The master recording rights would also remain with Justin, preventing Fox from profiting from the song outside the film.
John and Chris, who were familiar with the industry, understood that Justin's decision could be lucrative for him in the long run. By retaining ownership, Justin could collect royalties from future uses of the song, including any replays of the movie or sales of soundtracks. Eventually, Fox agreed to Justin's terms.
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After the reshoot, Chris Columbus meticulously planned how to integrate Naughty into the scene. He had Kevin McCallister play the song on his cassette player while engaging in his mischievous antics around the house. To ensure that the song's playful tone matched the visuals, Chris had to carefully time Kevin's actions with key moments in the song—such as when Kevin jumps on his parents' bed or when he stumbles upon his brother's belongings.
Recreating the house's interior was no small feat. The production team had to replicate the original Chicago home's layout in a different location, making sure that every detail—from the furniture to the wallpaper—matched the earlier shots. They also needed to ensure the lighting and camera angles were consistent, so viewers wouldn't notice the transition between old and new footage. Despite the challenges, the team successfully created a seamless scene where Kevin's actions and the music were perfectly aligned, adding an extra layer of fun to the film's storytelling.
(Author's note: After this chapter, Justin is going to become a child star. Feel free to suggest song recommendations for a 7-8-year-old character—not too romantic, just fun, with simple lyrics and catchy tunes.)