The Scrambled States of America Talent Show

**The Scrambled States of America Talent Show** is the second story in Laurie Keller's *Scrambled States of America* series. The book was released in 2008, just ten years after the first book.

## Video

https://youtu.be/zbWa6wZQqDE?si=NtM1WqVVd8MBxkyM

## Characters

* Uncle Sam
* Alabama
* Alaska
* Arizona
* Arkansas
* California
* Colorado
* Connecticut
* Delaware
* Florida
* Georgia
* Hawaii
* Idaho
* Illinois
* Indiana
* Iowa
* Kansas
* Kentucky
* Louisiana
* Maine
* Maryland
* Massachusetts
* Michigan
* Minnesota
* Mississippi
* Missouri
* Montana
* Nebraska
* Nevada
* New Hampshire
* New Jersey
* New Mexico
* New York
* North Carolina
* North Dakota
* Ohio
* Oklahoma
* Oregon
* Pennsylvania
* Rhode Island
* South Carolina
* South Dakota
* Tennessee
* Texas
* Utah
* Vermont
* Virginia
* Washington
* West Virginia
* Wisconsin
* Wyoming
* Washington, D.C.
* Dr. Globe
* Mr. Bee

## Synopsis

Sam greets the reader and asks us to pardon the fact that he and the states are cleaning up after a certain event, but Tennessee and Wisconsin warn him not to spoil it. Sam starts to believe them and starts the story from the beginning...

In the middle of the night, New York wakes up from a dream and wants everybody else to have a talent show. The other states wake up excited, and they all make plans to perform at a talent show. Some states plan solo acts while others plan group acts. Some states prefer to use their talents behind the scenes. After a few days of blood, sweat and tears, the states are finally ready for the big show.

All the states, that is, except for Georgia. She is one of the Jolly Jugglers, along with California, Idaho, and Massachusetts. But every time she tries to perform, she starts shaking so bad and drops everything they try to juggle. Massachusetts tells her she needs to see Dr. Globe.

The next day, Georgia makes an appointment with Dr. Globe, who runs through his exams - her check of temperature, square miles, average yearly rainfall, and x-rays of her cities and counties. Georgia tries to explain what's going on, but she ends up shaking again, which leads to Globe to say that she has a simple case of the stage fright. Georgia asks if there's a simple cure for that. Dr. Globe explains that the more she performs, the easier it gets, so for tonight she should try picturing the audience in their underwear.

That night, all the states gather around the stage, excited to watch the show, as the curtain opens. Washington, D.C., as the host, introduces the first act; Delaware jumps on a pogo stick while reciting all 50 states in order of their statehood, but he goes out of control. The next acts are the following...

* Kentucky sings while playing the banjo.
* Oregon sings while playing the organ.
* Ohio sings while Delaware is still out of control.
* Michigan's ventriloquism act, with his upper peninsula as the dummy.
* Minnesota the Magnificent attempts to saw South Dakota in half (it's actually North Dakota in the left slot of the box and South Dakota in the right slot).
* Connecticut, Missouri, and Texas perform as the States on Skates, but Texas gets stuck in the Gateway Arch.
* Hawaii and Kansas perform the hula.
* Nevada and Mississippi dance the tango.
* The New States on The Block (New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York) perform just before intermission.

Sam announces that the show is now at intermission. Vermont informs the audience that now would be a good time to use the "you-know-what" (restroom).

* Montana and the Montanettes kick off the second half of the show with their lively song and dance.
* Pennsylvania plays a peppy song on the Liberty Bell. However, when his song goes on for too long, Oklahoma ropes him off-stage due to Indiana's panicking.
* Alaska, cross-dressed as a female, recites the state abbreviations while being carried by Rhode Island.
* Iowa's corny jokes.
* Wisconsin's cheesy sculptures.
* The State Impersonators: Tennessee, Wyoming, Colorado and Florida portray as Oklahoma and Idaho, respectively.

The time has come for the Jolly Jugglers to take the stage as the grand finale of the show. Georgia has never so scared in all her life. Massachusetts urges her that she can do it while the others get ready. Washington, D.C. announces the final act when suddenly he takes a whiff of Georgia's peachy perfume and feels a sneeze the size of Alaska coming on.

Just as the curtain starts to rise, Washington, D.C., lets out a sneeze so big that it literally blows Massachusetts right off his feet. While Massachusetts sails through the air, Indiana yells to the other jugglers to start juggling. While they do so, Georgia becomes worried about Massachusetts and has no time now for the cure for stage fright, when Massachusetts suddenly, safely lands right in her hands. Georgia decides to juggle Massachusetts as everyone roars with delight.

Afterwards, Washington, D.C., invites everyone on stage for a celebration. Back at home, the states chat for hours about their big night. Georgia, however, ends up picturing the audience in their underwear just for fun.

## Video edits

* On the book title scene, we see a map of United States, with all 50 states smiling together. After a few seconds, the country's bordering countries, Canada and Mexico, disappear, and the states (all 60 landmasses in fact - including Washington, D.C., New York's Long Island, Michigan's Upper Peninsula, and Hawaii's small islands) fly out of their place, starting from the east. They loop a figure-eight and then form the shape of the Statue of Liberty. They then switch to form the country's national bird, the bald eagle. Then they body-spell the words "TALENT SHOW" while singing the title of the book. The Scrambled States of America logo appears above them, and the video copyright appears below them.
* Pages 3-4 happen before the book title screen.
	+ In that same page, a bee, who claims he's never stung a state, stings Connecticut.
* On pages 5-6, when the states are sleeping, their design is the same as pages 31-32, and the background is tinted to a midnight blue.
* On pages 7-8, the positions of the states are changed when they're excited to have a talent show.
* On page 9:
	+ There is an extra scene of Connecticut, Missouri, and Texas rehearsing as the States on Skates.
	+ Utah shouts "OW!" after Sam says, "After a few days of blood".
* Dr. Globe has three different medical instruments for Georgia's checkup:
	+ Square miles: a measuring tape
	+ Temperature: a mouth thermometer
	+ Average yearly rainfall: a blood pressure device
* On page 13, when Washington, D.C., laughs when he says he doesn't have any idea what his initials "D.C." stands for, one of the states in the audience yells "It's not funny!"
* Kentucky, Oregon, and Ohio sing their state songs in the show.
* Just when Ohio finishes his singing act, Delaware's pogo stick crushes his left foot.
* During the New States' act, the stage background flashes black to white repeatedly. Also, Mississippi and Texas are seen in the cheering audience.
* Pennsylvania plays Sousa's *Liberty Bell*.
* During Alaska's act, when the curtain rises, Alaska's bow is placed on his chest rather than on his head. Rhode Island clears his throat to remind him.
* After Washington, D.C., sneezes, Oklahoma says "Gesundheit!" before Sam narrates, "...that it blew Massachusetts right off his feet!"
* On page 31:
	+ California says "Totally."
	+ North Dakota has extra dialogue when he explains to Montana about Minnesota's act of sawing him and South Dakota in half.
* On pages 33-34, there is an extra scene: California calls Marty while leaving the scene. Sam asks Dr. Globe if it works if they picture the viewer in their underwear. They, Georgia, Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky, Ohio, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and New York picture the viewer in their "underwear" and then get a good laugh at it.

* The abbreviations scene plays in the credits.
	+ When Vermont asks Maine her abbreviation, he is smiling.
* Alabama, Connecticut, Indiana, Oregon, Utah, and Washington gain eyelashes.

### ‎Audiobook edits from the video

* The audiobook begins with the title sequence.
	+ During the sequence, the scene where the bee talks to Connecticut about not having stung a state before happens before Sam narrates the book title. After the states sing the book title, Sam narrates the author/illustrator credit.
* On pages 3-4, Vermont says "Hey, it's the closest thing I have to a hot tub," after Sam says, "IT'S SHOWTIME!"
* Kentucky, Oregon, and Ohio are not heard singing in the audiobook version.
* On page 26, Sam narrates "Washington, D.C., let out a sneeze so big that it blew Massachusetts right off his feet!" before D.C. sneezes. Oklahoma also doesn't say "Gesundheit!"
* After pages 33-34 are read, we move on to the state abbreviations scene.

## Trivia

* Unlike the first book, the illustrations for this book are digitalized on Photoshop.
* According to the copyright credits on page 1, Laurie Keller consumed large amounts of coffee and M&M's during the illustration process. Without them, this book might still not be completed.
* This book marks the first appearance of the United States' national capital, Washington, D.C., in character form.
* The Bee from *Do Unto Otters* makes a surprise appearance on page 2.
* Montana is the second state in the book series who sleeps with Z's coming out of his mouth, the first being Utah in the first book.
* In the video version, if you look close at the states mouths while they are sleeping, they are different depending on the color.
* On page 29, Missouri is seen holding a Montanettes feather, even though she isn't a Montanette.
	+ On the same page mentioned as before, South Dakota is seen holding Texas' streamer when she performs as the States on Skates.
* The only time Pennsylvania isn't seen wearing glasses is when he sleeps with the other states in the beginning of the story.
* This is the third Keller book where someone says, "That tickles!"
	+ The first is "Open Wide: Tooth School Inside", where one of the Tooth School students flosses another.
	+ The second is "Arnie the Doughnut", where Arnie is sprinkled on.
* This book has many references from the first book:
	+ Hawaii and Kansas perform the hula, since they switched each other's places.
	+ Nevada and Mississippi dance the tango, since they fell in love.
	+ South Carolina is a Montanettes dancer, since South Carolina danced with Montana at the party.
	+ Pennsylvania is wearing glasses, like in the states cast page in *The Scrambled States of America*, along with the card game.
	+ "All the states, that is, except for..." is said again in this book.
	+ Colorado (and Florida) was impersonating Idaho, since he called Idaho a "potato head" in the first book.
* The states Georgia imagines in their underwear share a border with each other, except for California.
* Oregon's act in the show is playing the organ, since Oregon's name sounds like "organ".
	+ According to Eleanor Swan, it helps with the right pronunciation of Oregon: "ore-GEN", not "ore-GAN".
* As of this book, all 50 states' full faces are shown. However, Delaware, New Hampshire, Maryland and Rhode Island are the only states whose noses are not shown.
* This book confirms some of the states' (whose genders are unidentified in the first book and its video version proves them wrong by their voice) actual genders; for example, Connecticut, Missouri, and Texas are female in this book, while in the video version of the first book, they sound like a male. Here are some other things to help prove it:
	+ Georgia is a female in this book; she even has eyelashes in the first book.
		- She was also putting on lipstick in the same book.
	+ Michigan has masculinely thick eyebrows.
	+ Maryland is wearing a feather headband and lipstick during Minnesota's act.
		- She was also seen going to the female restroom.
	+ Laurie Keller decided to make all four "New" states male, so she proved that the New States on the Block should be a *boy* band.
	+ Kentucky is seen going to the male restroom.
	+ Idaho, Louisiana, Missouri, and Texas are seen going to the female restroom.
	+ Montana also has masculinely thick eyebrows.
	+ West Virginia is one of Montana's backup dancers.
	+ Two of the four Jolly Jugglers, Georgia and Idaho, are wearing flowers on their heads because they are females.
	+ Missouri is wearing an underdress.
* On October 12, 2019, the full **FREE** video version of the book was finally released to YouTube, but only the audio is present.
	+ Over two years later, another full free version was uploaded, split into two parts, but apart from the subtitles, the video is left black with flashing split-second clips at some points.
* On pages 5-6:
	+ Twenty-three states' eyebrows are missing.
		- Connecticut, Georgia, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, and Virginia are the only states with half-open eyes and no eyebrows.
	+ Florida and New Jersey's eyes are open completely.
	+ Colorado's left eye is open completely, while his right eye is half-open.
	+ Arizona is wearing hair curlers.
	+ Oregon is the only state with a 3-shaped mouth whose eyes are half-open.
	+ Delaware, Idaho, Mississippi, New Hampshire, and Vermont only have one eye and no nose.
	+ Hawaii, Idaho, Mississippi, and South Carolina are the only states with visible eyelashes. There are no female states with their eyes half-open with visible eyelashes.

## Errors

* On page 5:
	+ Alaska's left handle is crooked.
	+ The New Orleans peninsula of Louisiana is drawn poorly.
* During intermission, the states' names are missing when they go to use the restroom.
* Video errors
	+ In the title sequence:
		- When the states are in map form, Washington, D.C appears and disappears repeatedly.
		- The names on the smaller states (Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Rhode Island, and Vermont) are abbreviated as CT, DE, HI, MD, MA, NH, NJ, RI, and VT
	+ In the first book, Sam has a little bit of hair on his head when he raises his hat. But in the video version of this book, he has a bald top.
	+ Although New York's speaking voice is gruff, his singing voice is different.
	+ When the states except for New York say, "Did someone say talent show?", South Carolina's arms are the same position from when she sleeps.
	+ On page 32:
		- Missouri and Indiana are pointing at Illinois' hat. But when they are close up, their arms disappear.
		- Minnesota's arms are missing when North Dakota explains to Montana about his act.
		- Utah's arm disappears after we pan from North Dakota to New Mexico.
		- Louisiana's arms are missing when Texas tells Oklahoma she'd be stuck in that arch if it weren't for his rope.
		- The Dakotas' arms disappear after we pan from Texas to Minnesota.
		- Ohio is holding a doughnut, but after we pan from Massachusetts to Kentucky, his arms and the doughnut disappears.
		- Texas' arms disappear after we pan from Tennessee to Louisiana.
	+ Delaware, Idaho, and New Hampshire's noses are invisible throughout the video.