Secrets of My Hollywood Life #2: On Location (16 page)

When I finished reading, I was too shocked to say any thing. They would never talk about me to the press. Would they? "I thought we settled this," I said quietly too hurt to be angry.

"W-we did," Liz stuttered. "Kates, you have to believe me, I mean us." Liz grabbed Nadine's arm in sudden solidarity and the two clung to each other. "We would never say those things. You know why we're fighting."

"Madison is behind this," Nadine said firmly. "I saw her hanging outside Kaitlin's trailer that afternoon but didn't think anything of it. She must have leaked our fight to the magazine."

"That's why she asked me if I was getting along with you!" Liz hit her hand against her forehead. "I thought it was weird when she asked me if I ever felt like your intern. I can't believe I trusted her! I feel so stupid. I'm sorry I didn't be lieve you, Kates," Liz added. I just nodded.

"Laney we have to go after this girl," Nadine pleaded to the phone. "I've been doing some digging the past few days and I'm convinced that Madison is behind all these bad tabloid stories."

"NADINE, WE CAN DISCUSS THIS LATER," Laney yelled. "A COP IS PULLING
ME
OVER. THE NERVE! I'LL SEE YOU THERE, KAIT--" The line went dead.

Mom snatched the magazine from my hands. "I'm not wasting any more time talking about this. Kaitlin and I have to get ready The limo will be here in two hours, right, Nadine?"

"Yes," Nadine whispered. Mom stomped up the stairs to slip into her pale pink empire gown.

"I'm sorry we didn't listen to you about Madison. Espe cially me. I can't believe I sided with her over my best friend." Liz looked practically in tears.

"We're going to prove we didn't do this," Nadine added. "You'll see."

I wanted to believe they weren't bashing me to the press. But the three of us were the only ones in the room when they had their fight. Mom wasn't forgiving anyone. She didn't talk at all while she got ready. Neither did Matty, who wasn't thrilled about being referred to as a "wannabe actor."

With everything going on, is it any surprise I forgot the jewels? Thankfully, after the quick detour home, we arrive at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel in less than a half hour, including traffic. I powder my nose to control shine and slip the compact back into my Tod's Girelli pochette. Then I'm ready to hit the red carpet with fellow winner Mina Burrows, escorted by her P.A. boyfriend.

As Austin and I walk the line together, I can't stop smil ing. Austin may be nervous, but he's acting like a complete pro, steering me through the cameramen and answering questions from the interviewers (I almost fainted when Austin replied that his favorite things about me are my "in ner strength--and killer eyes"). I'm the one having trouble talking to the press! I can't concentrate. All I can think about is the gentle pressure of Austin's hand on the small of my back and the secret wink he gave me when freakishly tall and skinny Larry the Liar asked to take a picture of me solo.

Before I know it, we're being ushered through the restored lobby of the 1920s hotel and outside past the palm trees to the Tropicana Bar where everyone else, including Laney is waiting. A dozen round tables surround the pool and the low-lit bar area. Each "reserved" table is covered with a taffeta tablecloth in
Hollywood Girl's
signature color, crimson red. Small votive candles, surrounded by rose petals, light up the appetizer (a walnut and pear salad). Each place set ting has a red brochure, which, as I know from past years as a guest, contains the five winners' pictures along with copies of our profiles from the current issue. At each winner's ta bles, there are poster-size pictures from our articles. In my shot, I'm laughing at the Celebrity Cares Circus, handing out cotton candy to needy kids from the Watts section of LA. I can tell Austin is still nervous hanging with the likes of Scarlett Johansson, so I try to distract him by pointing out hotel landmarks, like the David Hockney mural on the bot tom of the still pool.

"That's nice, but more importantly, what is this award for?" Austin's eyes twinkle mischievously. He knows as well as I do this is no Oscar.

"Well, according to Laney,
Hollywood Girl
looks for stars who are likable, have great projects, and have overcome some sort of obstacle," I explain.

"You mean like enrolling at a public high school as some one else?" he teases.

"Yeah, like that." I lightly punch him in the arm and cringe as a flashbulb goes off to capture the moment. We're almost at our table. "It's going to be a long night if they're still fighting," I whisper, referring to the tag team of Mom and Laney versus Nadine and Liz. After the storm I walked into at my house, I quickly called Austin to warn him about the possibly tense evening.

"They'll be fine." Austin hits the table first and pulls out my chair. "Burke, you're forgetting your own celebrity rules," he whispers in my ear. "Rule number one: When in public, never air your dirty laundry."

I laugh. "How could I forget?" I say softly as I sink into my cushioned seat at our VIP table.

"Katie-Kat, finally!" Mom squeals as I place a red silk nap kin in my lap. She looks much happier than she was an hour ago. I'm not sure if that's due to the Chocolate Martini she's sipping or the fact that Liz and Nadine are seated as far away from Mom as possible. "Wait till you hear the amazing news Laney has!"

"I just got off the phone with Seth," Laney says breath lessly, talking about my agent, Seth. "You've been asked to be the new face of Fever cosmetics!"

"W-wow," I stammer and grin at Austin. He looks confused. Why am I surprised that he doesn't know his elite and oh-so-expensive ($350 for night cream) cosmetic lines? "Fever is a huge makeup company," I explain. "Hallie Diament did their campaign last year and she had ads in every fashion book, a billboard in Times Square, and a commercial shot by Baz Luhrmann."

HOLLYWOOD SECRET NUMBER FOURTEEN: Real celebrity en dorsement deals--and I don't mean stars talking about their favorite watch on
Ellen
in the hopes they'll get a free one delivered to their house the next day--are quite lucra tive. (We're talking seven figures! But you didn't hear that from me. Celebrities never reveal how much a company paid them for advertising gigs.) My mom and Seth have al ways been picky about who they thought was worthy of the "Kaitlin Burke brand," which is why you won't see me hawk ing zit medication anytime soon. But Fever is a no-brainer: classy high-end, and popular. Still, if I sign on, I've got to watch my step. If you're caught using a rival brand's product, or you talk about another brand in a magazine, you can get fired. A supermodel I know got canned from her diet soda contract after she was caught on film sipping the enemy's beverage on three separate occasions. And my friend Gina, who was hired by a brand that's known for their all-natural soaps, begged a magazine not to reveal that she used a rival body wash on the set of her new movie.

"So this Fever offer is a good thing, right?" Austin asks.

"Good?" Laney's smile reveals her recently laser-whitened teeth. "Are you kidding? This is huge!" She clinks martini glasses with my mom. "It certainly will help me spin some positive press for you. The only downside, Kaitlin, is that you have to use your next two days off to shoot their fall ads. And then when the Hutch movie wraps in three weeks, they'll want to shoot a commercial before you start pro duction on
FA,
which starts up on August twenty-first," Laney adds.

"That's not a problem," Mom answers for me as a
Holly wood Girl
editor stops by to steal me away for some pictures.

Before the main course of roasted chicken with cran berry chutney is served, I pose with
Hollywood Girl's
editor-in-chief and the publisher, then take a few more shots with the other recipients before my official duties are done.
Hollywood Girl
doesn't have a formal awards ceremony, but they do hand out little gold statues that look like the Hollywood sign to each of the winners. When I'm finished, I find Liz and Nadine whispering heatedly near the cor ner of the sleek bar. I stop short and eye them both suspiciously.

"Are you two fighting again?"

"We're not fighting," Nadine promises.

"Good. Where's Austin and Matty?" I look across the pool at our semi-empty table where Mom, Dad, and Laney are deep in conversation

"The bathroom." Liz looks glum. "We want to apologize again for bringing you into the middle of our argument. We should have handled our differences ourselves, which is what we're going to do from now on."

"Just don't ask us what we're up to, okay?" Nadine adds. "We'd rather you not be implicated if anything were to, say blow up in our faces."

"Um, okay," I laugh. Frankly I'm just relieved they're speak ing again.

"Mina Burrows and her boyfriend have to be the cutest couple ever," Liz gushes, changing the subject. The three of us turn to look at Mina and the tall, dark-haired PA. slow dancing. Mina is caressing his hair while he's kissing her neck.

Nadine rubs her left eyebrow. "In another minute I'm go ing to walk over there and tell them to get a room!"

"Leave them alone. They're in love," I say dreamily. Na dine purses her lips.

"I know you, Kaitlin," Nadine chides. "You just like them because Mina is dating a real guy" Liz chuckles. "You never read the tabloids unless your mom makes you and then sud denly you're asking me to pick up
Celebrity Insider
and asking if there's anything about Mina inside!"

I blush. Okay, maybe I am a little into seeing what hap pens to another couple in the same situation as my own, but I'm too embarrassed to admit it. "I don't know what you're talking about." I take a sip of my virgin raspberry margarita. Liz and Nadine are so busy laughing that we don't notice Carol Ingram walk over.

"Hello, Kaitlin," Carol says warmly. I don't know how I didn't notice Carol was here. Carol sticks out among the sea of partygoers in their Marc Jacobs and Stella McCart ney in her stuffy business attire: gray slacks and a fitted short-sleeved black cashmere sweater. In high heels, she's taller than most of the men here too. "I wanted to come by and congratulate you," she says.

"Thank you," I reply cautiously.

"Girls, would you mind if Kaitlin and I chatted alone for a minute?" she says to Nadine and Liz. They both excuse themselves, but Liz looks back at me worriedly.

"I didn't find out till the last minute that you were being honored." Carol taps her gin and tonic lightly with her short, clear-glossed nails. "I thought Laney was going to keep me in the loop about your publicity." She smiles.

"I'm sorry," I apologize. "The award had nothing to do with the movie so Laney probably forgot to mention it."

Carol stares down at me. "Kaitlin, everything you do dur ing filming has to do with the Hutch movie." Her voice is light, but definitely firm. "I wanted to remind you about that." Oh no.

"Your fight with Sky at the premiere
of Antarctica,
shun ning Sky and Drew on set in front of reporters, these are all things that reflect poorly not only on your reputation, but the film's as well."

I'm not sure how to reply. I can't exactly argue with one of the most powerful women in Hollywood, but Carol should know what's really going on. "I hope you don't believe all those things, Carol," I begin gingerly. "I would never do any thing to hurt the film. You know how it is with the tabloids. They're so eager to break a story that they'll run with any tip they get, even if it's from a completely unreliable source." I laugh, hoping she'll join in. She doesn't.

"I know I work differently than a lot of people around here, but I believe it's my innovativeness that produces the positive results." I nod nervously. "From what I can tell, every one else is getting along fine," Carol continues. "Drew is more than willing to be part of the aggressive publicity plan I've outlined. I fear you are the problem."

I look around for Laney to rescue me, but she's nowhere in sight.

"You're a bankable star, Kaitlin. I'd like to see you do more films with Wagman." Carol smiles at Scarlett Johansson as she walks by. "But the way things are going, I think you may run into problems with us. People talk, you know."

Is she threatening me? "Carol, I assure you," I reply firmly as I wave at Scarlett, "the last thing I want is to blow my movie career when it's just getting off the ground."

"Help me make my first publicity project go well here and all will be forgotten."

"I'll do anything," I reply, regretting the words as soon as they escape from my lips. I feel like I've been tricked.

"Good." Carol takes a small sip of her gin and tonic and grins. "Then I won't hear of any problems with you hosting the Teen Titan Awards?"

"Definitely not," I assure her.

"Great, I'll let Drew's people know we're on." Carol pulls her BlackBerry out of her Louis Vuitton bag to e-mail them immediately. "I think the two of you appearing together will give us great press."

"I'm sorry. You mean host together, right?" I can feel a pulse in my forehead as I wait for her answer.

"No, I mean
go
together," she says, emphasizing the word "go.""There's no need for dates. You'll be too busy to enter tain them anyway. That's what I told Drew when he asked me about bringing Sky"

Drew wants to bring Sky? He just won't quit trying to make me jealous. "But I already asked my boyfriend," I protest helplessly.

Carol's thin lips tighten. "I guess you'll have to decide what's more important then, your date or your career, won't you?" That definitely sounds like a threat, even if it was said in a tone of pure sugar.

"There you are." Austin puts a hand on my bare back be fore he sees I'm talking to someone. "Am I interrupting anything?"

Carol smiles sweetly. "No, I was just leaving." She locks eyes with mine. "Enjoy the rest of your night, Kaitlin."

"Who was that?" Austin asks as Carol stops a few feet away to greet Mina Burrows.

"That was Carol Ingram," I say hoarsely. "The marketing director at Wagman I was telling you about." I take a sip of my icy drink, but I can't taste it at all.