Secrets of My Hollywood Life #5: Broadway Lights (22 page)

Hollywood Can't Make a Move Without Us Watching!

BLOGS SIGHTINGS BIOS ARCHIVE

Kaitlin Burke Goes Broadway!

Tuesday, June 30th

A totally biased review by self-professed #1 Burke fan, Carly Asiago, age 16

No one was more excited to see Kaitlin Burke take the stage than me, but there were plenty of others in the audience who seemed pretty stoked to be there too. Kaitlin had a huge turnout for her debut, including her parents; her brother, Matty; security, Rodney; assistant, Nadine (sorry I don't know all their last names); cute boyfriend, Austin Meyers, with his mom and his sister, Hayley; and some of Kaitlin's friends, like Vanessa Hudgens and Taylor Swift, who gave me an autograph. Kelly Ripa was also there with two of her three kids. But let's get to the show itself.

The story is AWESOME. They totally nail how it feels to be in high school and deal with peer pressure. I love how they talk about the different high school cliques and what it's like to be an outsider. Kaitlin actually cries on stage at one point, has to kiss a boy (Leo, played by Mr. McHottie Dylan Koster), and has to display a huge range of emotions that are really tough to do. I don't care what the
NY Post
says about Kaitlin's lack of stage presence--this girl can act and she wasn't wooden at all. Kaitlin expresses all her emotions perfectly, just like she did on
Family Affair.
I especially liked the part when Kaitlin (I mean Andie) realizes that her crush on Leo is really just a high school crush and it might be too late for them to have their chance now that high school is over. That was a hard part to watch, but completely true because sometimes when you love someone you have to let him go because you know it will never work out. I would suggest that the critic from the
Post
go back and watch Kaitlin again. That guy from
Newsday
too who said, "Kaitlin shows potential but needs to work harder at commanding the stage rather than fearing it." If they had seen Kaitlin the second and third night--like I did--they would have seen how much more comfortable she was up there. Everyone has opening-night jitters. I know I did when we performed
Spring Awakening
last year at my school.

So in conclusion, I just want to say that Kaitlin is a great actress whether she's on TV, in movies, or up on stage. I'd watch her do a Tide commercial if it was the only way to see her! But for now she's here, in the flesh, performing every night for New York. If you're a Kaitlin fan, you don't want to miss it. Get tickets now!

HOLLYWOOD NATION

HOME NEWS STYLE PHOTOS ENTERTAINMENT CELEBRITIES

Friday, July 3rd

Ava Hayden and Lauren Cobb Get Their Revenge!

The Gruesome Twosome--Lauren Cobb and Ava Hayden's nicknames given to them by Sky Mackenzie on Twitter--got their own
SNL
-type revenge last night when they hosted a Kaitlin Burke and Sky Mackenzie Boofest. "Boofest was our way to pull apart Kaitlin and Sky's work in the same harsh manner that they did to Ava and me," said Lauren Cobb, at the event.

The pair invited thirty of their closest friends to the Hollywood Forever Cemetery in Los Angeles to join them in bashing SKAT's work. Against a backdrop of mausoleums and tombstones, LAVA aired a key
Family Affair
episode, a pirated scene with both girls from
PYA
, illegal video from
Meeting of the Minds
(which was confiscated by cops after its airing), and Sky's now never-to-be-seen fall pilot.

During each video, LAVA took the mic to critique the actresses' work and invited the others to boo or throw trash at the screen. Ava even took to throwing tomatoes whenever either girl was shown. Others, like party boy Finn Grabel, just heckled. Alexis Holden, who was also on the guest list, felt it was only fair that Kaitlin and Sky receive the same treatment they dish out. "Ava and Lauren were mortified by the girls' appearance on
SNL
," said Alexis. "What they did was so cruel." Added another partygoer, who wanted to remain nameless: "There are so many people who can't stand Kaitlin or Sky either so it was nice to give them some payback. If you know what I mean. We even had some folks in New York--who shall remain nameless--who wanted to be here, but couldn't. They said they'd definitely join us the next time we get together. Everyone got the biggest kick out of watching Kaitlin do a scene from her Broadway show. She's awful! I'm sure this will be her first and last stage appearance."

In the spirit of bashing, the girls also handed out Team LAVA tees, courtesy of
www.starslikeustees.com
, as part of the night's Boofest gift bag. "We got a lot of support and positive feedback from tonight's event," said Ava, holding her dog Calou, who was ripping a picture of Sky and Kaitlin to shreds with his teeth. "If those two want to get nasty, we can be even nastier. This feud is far from over."

ELEVEN: Reality Bites

"Sweetie, do you really think you should order
that
?"

That
would be the Waz-Za, the waffle with the brûlée top that is on the menu at Norma's, this eatery inside the Le Parker Meridien on West 57th Street that has the world's best breakfast. The restaurant itself is pretty boring by restaurant standards--no actual windows to speak of, nondescript tables, and boring white tablecloths. But the menu is mouth-watering. Nadine and I found it one morning after we went to Broadway Dance for a few classes. That day we had the PB&C Waffle 'Wich, which is this to die for chocolate waffle with peanut butter and toffee crunch filling. But today Mom is here, and my dreams of eating carbohydrates are about to go up in flames.

My dad comes to my defense. "Meg, she's at the gym every day, let her eat in peace." Mom closes her mouth, but flustered, she raises one hand to the collar of her white Versace tank shirt and plays with a small pearl brooch there. Mom may be eating a fruit platter, but that's only because she's been so busy with the Darling Daisies committee that she has almost no time for her pilates, yoga, or yogalates. She does look tanner than ever thanks to so much time spent in the Hamptons. She's been spending half the week and weekends out there---leaving Nadine to chaperone me and Matty while she and Dad golf, hit Barefoot Contessa for dinner, and do charity stuff. I, on the other hand, am glued to the city limits with my work schedule, which is fine by me. I'm free most days till 4 PM so I have had plenty of time to sightsee, visit museums, and take spinning, Zumba, or cardio dance jam with Liz (when she's not in film class) and Nadine. I have to admit, seeing Mom less has made my stress level go way down. I'm not being barked at on a daily basis by anyone other than Riley.

"I'll have the Waz-Za," I say sweetly to the waiter, handing him the menu. I play with the collar of my yellow silk Alice + Olivia pleated dress.

"Hell, I'll have it too," Laney surprises me by saying. Laney pats her taut midsection, which is hidden under a gray herringbone cropped Johnson blazer and a light white tank top. Laney even has on a skirt today--a knee-length black pencil one--which is a rarity. "I'll pay for it with my trainer when I go home in two days."

Laney and Seth have been doing business in New York all week after my opening night. Both have several other clients in town doing morning shows or shooting movies and Laney has been busy dealing with what she calls "avoidable client nightmares that are giving me a permanent migraine." I keep telling her she has to drop clients who are named after famous cities or pieces of fruit. Thankfully though, having Laney and Seth in town gave Mom the opportunity she was dying for--a chance to powwow about my life post-Broadway. It's something I've been thinking about a lot, but pretending not to because the unknown still freaks me out. A lot.

"Laney, you need some sun. You're so pale." Mom clicks her tongue. Mom is dressed in a white tank top and white pants and even has a wide-brimmed white hat, which she took off when she sat down. She's all about white these days. "You have to join us in the Hamptons and have dinner with us at Laundry. Their crab cakes are to die for. I keep telling Kaitlin how much she'd love them if she'd take a night off. " Mom raises her eyebrows menacingly, but I try to ignore her.

"Meg, you know she can't take any time off from the show," Seth reminds Mom gently, and rocks his sunglasses back on his head. Those shades are never far from Seth's eyes. "She signed a contract."

"Would it kill her to ask for one Saturday night off?" Mom protests. "It's July fourth weekend for goodness sake. No one is in town!"

"Except tourists," Dad points out. "Lots of tourists for those Macy's fireworks. Do you know what type of barge they put the fireworks on?" he asks Seth, who shakes his head. "The firepower on that barge is incredible and the boat they use to haul that stuff must be massive. I'm thinking of a duel engine motor yacht. Jimmy Harnold has a forty-two-foot Motor-yacht Fast Trawler that we were on last weekend. That boat can cook." Dad smiles widely, his teeth almost blinding me. They look so white against his tan skin, offset with a rumpled green Polo. With no car in New York except for rentals, Dad has been spending a lot of his time in the Hamptons looking at boats and their engines. He's seriously considering getting one when we get back to Los Angeles.

"Even the tourists know that the real scene is outside the city," Mom sniffs. "Everyone will be in the Hamptons this weekend except my daughter."

"Mom, I am sticking to my schedule." I point my fork at her. "My goal is not to miss a single performance. I'm eating well, sleeping a lot, exercising... doing all of the things I'm supposed to do when on stage. You heard what Kristin Chenoweth said the other day at the Calvin Klein luncheon."

"Yeah, yeah, get lots of sleep and rest," Mom clucks. "But you can't do that all the time. You could come out Saturday for a few hours for the Sun at the Shore house party, but you won't, or on Sunday for the Mercedez-Benz Polo Challenge, but you won't. It's only a three-hour car ride, if that! So you have to travel a little. Who cares? You'd be completely relaxed once you got there."

Nadine rolls her eyes at me, but neither of us says anything.

"Meg, I think she's being wise to rest up while she's in town," Seth continues, readjusting the yellow pocket square in his Theory suit. "Laney and I have been talking and we both agree--Kaitlin is in the best position she could be in right now. Everyone is still buzzing about her
SNL
stint and her Broadway reviews aren't shabby."

"If you ignore the
Post
and
Newsday
," Mom points out.

"But look at
Time Out New York
and
TeenVogue.com
," Laney reminds her and beams at me proudly. "They both said Kaitlin's voice is fresh, witty, and full of the spunk you need to compete with a live audience. Kaitlin is getting raves compared to what happened when Julia took the stage several years ago."

Laney is right. My reviews could be much worse. Even the
New York Times
said I wasn't an atrocity (I'm paraphrasing), which is positive considering what they've said about some stars who've hit Broadway. All in all, I'm pretty pleased with the reviews I'm getting. And the best one so far has come from Austin: "You're glowing when you're up there and that makes me happy because I know how happy you're making the people who are watching." Aww.

We had such a good time together last weekend. We vowed to be better about keeping in touch too. Austin and I promised to not miss our scheduled phone call before bed each night and we swore that if something was bothering us, we'd speak up rather than let things simmer. (That last one was my suggestion. Nadine read it in a relationship book. She thinks reading self-help books will help her find a "normal" boyfriend. Her word, not mine.)

"My point is, this is when we have to strike." Seth takes his Ray-Bans off his head. He stares at me intently. "Everywhere I go someone is asking about
you
. People are talking about you. The play,
SNL
, your thing with Lauren and Ava... you're hot."

"So why not up her exposure in the Hamptons?" Mom tries again, almost pleading. "Darling Daisies is having an event this Saturday that Kaitlin would be perfect for. They're practically begging for an appearance. Kaitlin, would it kill you to do take the trek out and come back the same day? Or Sunday? Please? Please? I know you said you'd come out Monday to Tuesday, but no one worth seeing will be there on Monday. Sunday is the 'it' day this summer."

"The Hamptons have an 'it' day?" Seth's mouth twitches.

"She's begging," Nadine whispers. "You might be able to get anything out of her if you say yes. Hint. Hint."

Nadine's right! "Can I visit Austin next weekend?" I blurt out. My bargaining skills are clearly sorely lacking, but I can't help it. "My night off? Nadine will come with--"

"Absolutely not." Mom freaks and clutches her short strand of pearls to her neck. "I told you we could pop over for a visit in August before you head home, but visiting a boy unsupervised? Can you imagine the press? Austin's mother would not approve either, and you know it."

"Nadine will be there," I say, digging my fork into the tablecloth in aggravation. "What's the difference if it's Texas or New York City? You're not here watching me!"

Our waitress smiles politely as she places my food in front of me. I grab the little syrup pitcher and pour on a huge river of liquid, then cut off a giant piece and chew angrily while I glare at Mom. I tap my foot anxiously and my coral Christian Dior mules almost slide off.

Mom sighs and takes a small dainty bite of a slice of cantaloupe. "You can have anything else." She seems to be mulling it over. "I'll let you go shopping at Blue & Cream or get a massage at the Naturopathica Spa when you come to the Hamptons. Sweetie, you would love it. Can't you at least think about it?"

Laney coughs and elbows me. Her fork clanks to the floor and I reach down at the same time as she does to retrieve it. She grabs my shoulder and looks at me quickly. "Just get it over with and she'll get off your back for the rest of the summer," Laney whispers. "I'll work on her about Austin."