Secrets of My Hollywood Life #4: Paparazzi Princess

by Jen Calonita

  I turn to Sky. "Thank you," I say gratefully.

  Sky shrugs. "I'm protecting myself too, you know," she says with a twinkle in her eye. "You're worth more to me as an ally than Drew will ever be." We both laugh.

  "I may have to tell Trevor that you really do have a heart in there somewhere," I say lightly.

  Sky smiles. "I guess that's okay with me." She's quiet for a moment. "So how are you? I haven't wanted to ask while we're at work. Did you really faint because you were dehydrated or is something else going on?"

  I bite my lower lip. "I don't know. It's everything lately. Aren't you scared at all about life after FA?" I ask her seriously. "We've spent our whole lives on that show. What if we never have another hit like this one? What if we never overcome our teen star status? Those thoughts keep me up at night."

  Sky looks away. "Okay, maybe I am a little scared. Even if I do have a hot pilot on my hands."

  "Congratulations on the show," I say and try not to sound jealous. Both Sky and Matty have great pilots that could be picked up for the fall. I could have had a TV pilot too, but I messed up. I guess I can't worry about it now. There's always next pilot season or even mid-season shows. New projects are being announced every day. And if I'm lucky, I'll get to do my first play this summer. That would be really cool.

  "I'm excited," Sky tells me.

  If Sky knows I wanted that part, she doesn't let on. "You should be," I say honestly. "You've got a great director."

  "Who knows?" Sky says with a sly smile. "If you're unemployed next fall, maybe I'll get you a one-time-only guest spot. I don't need another Alexis Holden on my hands."

  I laugh. "I'm sure I'll be too busy with my own hot project to try to take over yours, but thanks anyway."

  Sky's face clouds over. "Wait? You have something lined up? What is it?"

  There's a knock on the door and Hutch races in, looking as harried and frantic as ever. He's still thin, and he hasn't dressed up for the occasion. He's wearing one of his concert tees and jeans and has his yoga mat rolled up under his right arm. His publicist is two steps behind him and doesn't look pleased. Hutch sees me and breaks into a grin.

  "Kaitlin!" he says. He shakes my hand vigorously and doesn't let go. "Thank you, thank you, thank you!"

  "For what?" I ask, confused.

  "For your well-timed hospital stay!" Hutch looks at me like I should know what he means. "It couldn't have been timed better. We had to turn people away for this junket. Everyone wanted in to have a chance to interview you. We're guaranteed to get a lot of press and it's all going to be about you."

  Drew's jaw drops. "You're kidding me."

  "Nope," Hutch says happily. "They're here to see her." Hutch shakes me strongly. "Say what's on your mind, Kaitlin. Don't hold back. I'll see you guys out there."

  I'm speechless. Hutch is happy that I've timed my hospital visit to our junket? Should I tell him it's a coincidence? I bite my lip to keep from laughing till Hutch is gone. Laney, Nadine, Mom, Liz, Sky's team, and Drew's people file in.

  "What's so funny?" Laney asks me.

  "Nothing," I say.

  "Are you ready for your interviews?" Laney asks. "You've got your fainting spell story down pat?"

  "Um . . ." I start to say.

  "Laney, girls, do you think I could have a moment with Kaitlin alone?" Mom interrupts. Everyone looks at each other and I glance nervously at Nadine. Mom motions for me to join her out in the hallway, where I follow her across to a suite that she must have been waiting in with the stars' families and entourages. The room is empty now. She shuts the door behind us and locks it.

  Uh-oh.

  "Kaitlin, I was hoping we could talk a minute before you go out there," Mom says, looking more awkward than I've ever seen her. "I feel like I owe you an apology."

  I sit down on one of the couches and Mom sits next to me, leaving a huge gap between us. "Mom, it's okay, you don't have to say anything."

  Mom grabs my hand. "No, I do!" she insists. She shakes her head miserably. "Fashionistas is right. I've been a horrible mother." She starts to sniffle.

  "You're not a bad mom," I say. "If you didn't look out for me, who would?"

  "But I take it too far," she blubbers. "I just want what's best for you, but sometimes I blur the lines too much. You should be my daughter first and my client second. Not the other way around."

  "Mom --"

  "No, let me say this," Mom tells me sternly. "I want you to be the best version of yourself, Kate-Kate, and sometimes I think that means the biggest actress there is, but in actuality, I realize, it doesn't have anything to do with acting at all. It has to do with you being you, and growing into the woman you want to become. That means allowing you to make some of your own decisions, even if I don't agree with them."

  "Mom, I told you at the hospital, I know you're only trying to do what's best for me," I say quietly, but I have to admit, it feels good to hear Mom say these things. "And I trust your decisions -- sometimes -- but sometimes, I want you to listen to what I have to say. I've been in this field a long time and I know what kind of roles I want to take at this point."

  Mom shakes her head. "I just don't want you taken advantage of. This town can be so tough and I don't want them to destroy you. I've seen it happen to too many other girls your age."

  I squeeze Mom's hand. "They won't. I've got you, I've got Seth, I've got Laney. You're all helping me make good decisions. You just have to listen to what I'm telling you once in a while."

  Mom leans over and hugs me tightly, practically suffocating me. "Okay," she sobs. "I promise I'll try! And if I'm not listening, you just tell me, okay? Sometimes I need a small nudge."

  Small is an understatement, but why split hairs at a moment like this? "I will."

  We walk arm in arm back across the hall and into the other suite, which is pretty loud with everyone crammed inside it. Laney, Nadine, and Liz are waiting anxiously in a corner.

  "Everything okay?" Laney asks, looking concerned.

  Mom and I smile at each other. "Everything's great," I say.

  "Good." Laney smiles. "Now about your statement for today. Remember what we went over: You fainted. You didn't eat that morning. You hadn't drank anything. It was a fainting spell and nothing more. Got it?"

  I look at their expectant faces. Nadine is fidgety, Liz is looking at the floor. Even Mom suddenly looks pensive. "Laney, listen, I was thinking," I start to say.

  "Oh no! Don't do this to me now," Laney begs.

  "Just hear me out," I say calmly. "This fainting cover-up is thin. You know it, I know it, even the press knows it."

  "So what?" Laney says. "They can't prove anything. They'll be a few more days of press about this and then it will all blow over."

  "But I'll remember it," I stress. "And this will come up again in some other interview. Maybe not tomorrow. Maybe not six months from now, but I'll know I was being fake. Laney, listen. I was scared before, and I thought this fainting story made sense, but what am I being scared of? Isn't the truth better than what the press believes right now? They know I wasn't dehydrated. The truth is, what happened to me in the grand scheme of the world is not that bad. So I freaked out. Teens do it all the time. Yes I partied a little hard, hung out with girls I shouldn't have and spent a little too much money, but I didn't kill anyone. I didn't do drugs," I remind her. "I'm just a girl who has a lot of responsibilities for someone my age and I needed to take a break from it all. It's pretty common, you know." I look at Mom. "I don't want to read some scripted quotes that lie about what really happened. I want the girls that look up to me to read my quotes and be able to relate. I shouldn't be ashamed of myself."

  "I think Kaitlin's right," Mom speaks up, and Nadine's jaw almost drops to the floor. "I think we should let her tell the truth." Mom and Laney look at each other.

  Laney sighs. "If you feel that strongly about this, then okay, do it your way," she says. "I guess you're right. You shouldn't have to lie about just being a teenager."

/>   I smile at Laney proudly.

  "The first roundtable will start in five," an assistant announces.

  "Are you really going to tell them everything?" Liz whispers to me as I walk away to get a bottle of water.

  "Yep." I feel so confident all of a sudden.

  "This is going to be good," Liz says.

  My phone rings and I answer it. "Hello?"

  "Have you run from the hotel screaming yet?" I hear Austin's voice and instantly feel calmer.

  I tell Austin what happened. How Mom apologized and actually agreed with me for once. I tell him how Laney eventually saw my side of things. I also tell him what happened with Liz. And how Sky defended me. The combination of all these things happening in the course of one morning made me realize if I can handle all of them, I can handle anything. A room full of reporters doesn't scare me.

  "Thatta girl," Austin sounds truly proud. "Knock 'em dead."

  "I will," I promise. And for the first time in a long time, I feel prepared to do just that.

  "Kaitlin?" The studio publicist appears at my side. "I'd like to take you to your first room."

  I leave Mom, Laney, Liz, and Nadine and follow the woman down the hotel hallway. People are staring, but I don't care. The publicist opens the door and I see a group of about eight journalists sitting around a table with tape recorders in hand.

  "Hi, everyone. Your first interview will be with Kaitlin Burke," the assistant tells them.

  I eye the table full of food. Stars really don't eat at these things. The most we usually take is water. Otherwise you wind up with an article describing everything you ate that day. I grab a water and take a seat. I smile pleasantly as the publicist leaves the room.

  "So," I begin. "We'll get to PYA in a moment, but first, should we start with what you really want to know?"

  Saturday, February 28

  NOTE TO SELF:

  Last week on FA

  Monday calltime: 6 AM

  TV Tome

  Kaitlin Burke Comes Clean "I let fear get the best of me"

  Week of February 29

  Why Kaitlin Burke had a near total meltdown--and how she fought her way back

  By Joyce Waters

  Kaitlin Burke has made many headlines over the past few weeks. When her sudden inner party animal was released, thanks to new pals Ava Hayden and Lauren Cobb, Kaitlin's photo was everywhere--she was seen dancing at Shelter, shopping at Belladonna, and lunching at the Ivy. For a celebrity whose usual photo ops are charity events and Family Affair fan meet-and-greets, the new Kaitlin was much discussed in the media. A leaked demo, touting the star's revved-up image, called "Paparazzi Princess," hit airwaves and caused even more drama. (Kaitlin's publicist, Laney Peters, says the demo was nothing more than that, and was not meant for the public. "Kaitlin WILL NOT be making an album and she did not agree with the philosophy of that song," says Peters. "We regret that someone invaded Kaitlin's privacy by releasing it.") Even Kaitlin's mother, Meg Burke, wound up in the press thanks to an infamous interview she gave to Fashionistas, which branded her a momager.

  But nothing compared to what went down two weeks ago when Kaitlin was at a Sure cover shoot. When the afternoon supposedly went haywire (courtesy of an unannounced visit by Ava and Lauren), Kaitlin collapsed and was rushed to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. Later came this statement from Peters: "Kaitlin became overheated at the Sure photo shoot and fainted. The room was really hot and Kaitlin was dehydrated. That is why she passed out. She is so thankful to her fans for their support."

  Tongues were immediately wagging with speculation that the star had a drinking problem, or that excess partying was the real cause of Kaitlin's trip to the hospital. What the world wanted to know was what happened to the confident star TV Tome named the hottest young star on TV? At the Pretty Young Assassins junket over the weekend, Kaitlin finally came clean about that fateful trip to Cedars-Sinai. "You're right--I wasn't dehydrated. I did faint, but it was for a very different reason. I guess you could say I didn't handle the news that Family Affair was going off the air very well," she admits. "I should have talked to my friends and family about what I was feeling, but, instead, I bottled it up and tried to just go about my business. I kept pretending that it wasn't happening. I put off meetings about future projects. The truth is, the end of this series is a huge deal and I let fear get the best of me. I didn't know how to spend time away from a set I had been on since I was a pre-schooler.

  "I tried to escape my problems rather than deal with them," she adds. Escape came in the form of shopping. (She racked up a four thousand dollar credit card bill in one month, something she claims to never have done before. She is currently paying her parents back with her monthly allowance.) Kaitlin also started hanging out with girls that really weren't her speed. "Lauren and Ava are great," Kaitlin says cautiously, "but I think we have different ideas of what is fun, and mine is being in control, not out of it." (For their part, when asked about Kaitlin at the Hugs Not Drugs charity event on Sunday, Ava, who was hanging out with former FAer Alexis Holden, reportedly said, "We're over Kaitlin. This is our new BFF, Alexis.")

  Even though Kaitlin tried to escape, her problems found her in different ways. "Every time I would get upset, I would get these frightening heart palpitations, have sweaty palms, and start freaking out," Kaitlin explains. "I tried to ignore what was happening. That's what really happened at the Sure shoot. I wasn't dehydrated. I did faint, but the real reason--which I was afraid to admit up until now--is that I had a panic attack." Her doctor explained that Kaitlin was suffering from panic attacks and that she had to find a way to keep her fear in check.

  Kaitlin is sorry that she gave her family and friends a scare, and says she is ready to move forward, whatever the future brings. She's considering several new projects at the moment, but says she won't rush into anything unless she's sure it is right for her. She says her brief flirtation with the dark side of Hollywood taught her a good lesson about herself--even if she does wish she hadn't learned it while the whole country was watching. "I may have partied too much, but what I did wasn't illegal," Kaitlin points out. "If the worst thing I do in life is shop too much or dance on a table at a club one time, I think I'll be okay. Sure, I'm embarrassed by my actions, but I'm learning from them. I'm a teenager, and we mess up sometimes. I mess up a lot. But I still think we should be worrying about a lot more important things, like starving children in Africa or global warming. Not whether or not Kaitlin Burke shows up at Shelter."

  FA2024 "One-Way Ticket to Miami"

  (CONTINUED)

  18. INT. BUCHANAN MANOR--LIVING ROOM --FINAL SCENE

  The living room is bare, except for a pile of packed boxes. The rooms in view are also empty. Moving men continue to carry furniture past PAIGE, DENNIS, SAMANTHA, and SARA, as they stand together, watching the men work.

  PAIGE

  I guess that's everything, isn't it?

  DENNIS

  I think so. I told Penelope we'd leave our keys on the kitchen counter.

  SARA

  What time is our flight to Miami?

  PAIGE

  I told the pilot we'd be at the private runway at 4 PM. (She looks at her watch.) We still have a little time before we have to go.

  SAMANTHA

  Good. I feel like I need a few more minutes here, you know?

  SARA

  Were you okay saying goodbye to Ryan this morning?

  SAMANTHA

  I think so. Ryan and I are going to try to make the long-distance thing work. (Sara snorts.) He's forgiven me for the way I've been acting and it just makes me realize all the more how special my relationship with him is. (Looks at Paige and Dennis) I'm just glad you guys lifted my grounding long enough for me to say goodbye to him. There is something else I want to say too: I know this doesn't change the way I've acted lately, but I think I'm finally okay with moving to Miami.

  PAIGE

  I'm glad to hear that, sweetie. I know this is a little scary because it's happening s
o fast, but I think it's a great move for us. You can't be afraid of change, girls. Change happens whether you want it to or not. And sometimes, like now, it's for the best. This is the time to shake things up. Try new experiences on for size and see how they fit. You never know what you'll find out about yourself when you stretch outside of your comfort zone. There could be a new, better version of you just waiting for the opportunity to come out.

  SAMANTHA

  I hope you're right.

  PAIGE

  (Grabs Sam and hugs her. Paige reaches for Sara, who leans in too.) This isn't the end of your story, girls. I promise you, this is just the beginning.

  SAMANTHA

  You're right. I know things will work out the way they're supposed to. No more fighting fate, right?

  PAIGE

  (Holds Sam close.) Think of it this way: you realized that a lot quicker than I did. I don't think I picked up on that till I was thirty.

  DENNIS

  Maybe thirty-five. (Paige punches him in the arm.)

  MOVING MAN 1

  The truck is all loaded. Is there anything else? (The family looks around the room.)

  SAMANTHA

  Mom, the painting. (She points to the fireplace and to the family portrait of the four of them, taken several years back.)

  PAIGE

  Oh my God, you're right. How could we have forgotten to pack that? I guess it's been up there for so long, I think of it as a permanent fixture. (to the moving man) Could you get me some bubble wrap? We need to wrap this up. (The man nods and exits the room.)

  SARA

  I don't think Aunt Penelope will want our family portrait hanging in her new living room, do you? (giggles)

  PAIGE

  Probably not. But I don't care what hangs there. I'm just glad your granddaddy is giving her this place so that it stays in the family. Who knows? Maybe one day you two will want to move back and live here.

  SARA

  I call first dibs!

  Everyone laughs. Paige walks over to the fireplace and Dennis helps her lift the picture off the wall. They rest it on the fireplace and stand back to admire it.

  DENNIS

  I've always loved this picture of the four of us. We looked so happy, didn't we?