Secrets of My Hollywood Life #4: Paparazzi Princess (17 page)

"Look, we won't do it when you're with us, okay?" Ava says, sounding annoyed. "I can see it makes you uncomfortable." She looks at Lauren. "And we were going to stop doing it soon anyway, right Lau?" Lauren nods.

Well, I guess if they were going to stop anyway, they're not that bad. And they have been pretty great to me these last few weeks when no one else (other than Austin, of course) has. "I'm not mad," I say. "You do what you want." Ava smiles.

"Are you free tomorrow night? We're doing dinner at Mr. Chow." Lauren squeals. "You have to wear the dress. We'll all wear it. It will look so cute."

Ugh. I hate matching outfits. It's so babyish. But Lauren and Ava are looking at me hopefully, and I feel guilty saying no. I do like Mr. Chow. They have the best fried rice with shrimp. Besides, what's the alternative? Going home and being grilled by Mom and Dad or Nadine? Listening to Mom pace the halls as she waits for the DHL guy to bring an advance copy of her
Fashionistas
issue, which is due any day now? No, I need to get out. Even if it is a work night, it's not like I'm going to bed early. I can hardly sleep anymore. "Okay," I agree.

They both let out an ear-piercing squeal.

I look at my watch. It's now 2:30. I'm already thirty minutes late and by the time I get back to the set it will be forty-five. That's pushing it.

My Sidekick hums and I groan. It's Nadine.

FUTUREPREZ: Where R U????????????

Fashionistas

March Issue

Mommy Dearest

Being a mother and manager to one of young Hollywood's hottest stars--
Family Affair
's Kaitlin Burke--is a juggling act, but Meg Burke says it's all in a day's work. "If you want to keep your kid on top, you've got to push them hard. Even if they hate you for it." Looking out for your superstar daughter's interests are one thing, but critics say Meg's bullying is not only alienating her daughter, it's turning off the whole town.

By Andrew Pullichi

It's almost eighty degrees on this January morning in Los Angeles, but Meg Burke looks cool as a cucumber. Dressed in a dazzling Michael Kors pant suit and Jimmy Choo heels, the mother of
Family Affair
's Kaitlin Burke says she doesn't perspire. "I will myself not to," she declares. "It's so uncivilized. I tell Kaitlin if she just concentrates, she can do it too."

Just another nugget of advice from a woman whom some have nicknamed a momager--a mother whom pushes, pulls, and micromanages her child's Hollywood career to the point of making them almost not want one. "Some days Kaitlin looks like she just wants to cry," admits a friend of the young star. "She enjoys acting, but her mom puts so much pressure on her that sometimes I think she'd walk away from the whole business if she could." Not so, says Meg, who claims her daughter gets to make her own career decisions. "Kaitlin has to work hard if she wants to succeed," says Meg, sipping an unsweetened ice tea poolside at the family's multi-million dollar abode (which was paid for with earnings from her daughter's career). "She's one of the least stressed teenagers I know. She has a great job. She has an amazing career. Girls her age would kill for that attention. Is there anything wrong with making sure she ups that drive? Kaitlin knows what we do is for her own good."

"Kaitlin could be the next Reese Witherspoon. What could hold her back is her mother."

What Meg thinks is good business, others see as a real problem. "Kaitlin could be the next Reese Witherspoon," says one studio executive. Others interviewed echo that sentiment. With Kaitlin's show
Family Affair
going off the air in May, now is the time for the young star to really carve a niche for herself. "What could hold her back is her mother," adds the source. "There are studios who don't want to work with Kaitlin because her mom always has to put in her two cents. Meg's always making Kaitlin's deals more complicated," admits one studio executive. "She feels the need to be part of every decision, even though she knows so little about the business. All she cares about is profit and what she can get from the deal." Those who know Meg best claim she's even driving Kaitlin's beloved agent, Seth Meyers, up a wall with her excessive calling and her overblown ideas. "This woman wants to live her life through Kaitlin," says another friend. "She's going to ride that girl's fame to the bank."

The whole family seems to have the same idea. A former secretary, Meg left her job to manage Kaitlin after she scored a part as one of the Paige's and Dennis's twins on
Family Affair
when she was four. Kaitlin's father, a former car salesman, followed suit and started producing movies his daughter would star in during hiatus. After a while their son, Matt, now thirteen, wanted to get in the business too. "They drove studio executives crazy with their demands to get Matt hired for Kaitlin's movies," says a studio source. "The kid was cute, but he certainly didn't have the same potential that Kaitlin did right off the bat." Matt currently has a role on--what else?--Kaitlin's show,
Family Affair
.

Over the course of the few weeks we spent with Meg, we heard about her own love of stardom at least a dozen times. "I always thought I would be great in front of a camera," Meg tells us one afternoon. "I could be the next Diane Sawyer if I had the chance." She's currently pushing her daughter to do a family reality show that would eventually be spun off and just follow Meg and her management duties. "Of course, Kaitlin would pop up from time to time," she adds.

So what does Kaitlin herself think of all the drama? "My mom is very organized," says Kaitlin cautiously, when asked to comment on her mother's momager nickname. "She is on top of everything and usually knows who the hottest up-and-coming star is before I do. I always tell her if she was my age, she'd be a star ten times bigger than I am."

Meg Burke would love to believe that.

HOLLYWOOD NATION

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Retail Therapy

February 14

BFFs Kaitlin Burke, Lauren Cobb, and Ava Hayden forgo food for footwear during a one-hour shopping spree at Belladonna

By Kayla Steven

Who needs Cobb salad? Not Kaitlin Burke. Friends of the
Family Affair
star say she normally relaxes in her dressing room or hits the studio cafeteria on her work lunch hour, indulging in a salad or her favorite Subway sandwich and a TivO'd episode of
American Idol
.

But that was before she started hanging with socialites turned reality stars Ava Hayden and Lauren Cobb. During a break from shooting her hit show on Monday, Kaitlin and the girls went shopping at hipster store Belladonna and blew a ton of money. "Kaitlin was trying on dozens of outfits," says a source on the scene. "I've never seen her spend so much in one day before. Her bill was over a thousand dollars. She looked nervous about spending so much."

Belladonna sales clerk Prue Hammon says that Kaitlin was sweet and easy to deal with. "She's welcome to shop at Belladonna anytime," says Prue. (For a look at exactly what Kaitlin bought, click here.)

Kaitlin's friends hope the excessive shopping and partying (Click here for a story about Kaitlin's hectic week!) aren't turning America's sweetheart into a paparazzi princess for all the wrong reasons. "Ever since she started hanging out with those girls, Kaitlin has been acting weird," says one close confidante. Buying cute Scoop shoes doesn't seem that weird to us, but if anything changes, you know
Hollywood Nation Online
will be the first to find out!

Eleven: We Interrupt This Party to Bring You an Important Message

"Stop right there!"

I have my hand on the front door when Nadine's angry voice echoes through my home's two-story foyer. I sigh and turn around.

"Where do you think you're going?" Nadine wants to know as she winds around me and blocks my exit out the door, sounding and looking a lot like a mom should. But Nadine's not my mom. She's my assistant, and what she's still doing here at eight thirty, I don't know. All I know is she's going to make me late.

"I'm going out," I tell her. Isn't it obvious? I'm wearing my new Birkin jeans and Juicy sweater.

"You have to be on set tomorrow morning at seven!" Nadine reminds me. "And the SATs are in three weeks. You should be studying. You should be getting beauty rest so you look refreshed for your meetings and shoots. What's going on, Kaitlin?"

"Nothing," I say calmly.

Well, nothing may be pushing it.

I have been a
teensy
bit off my game lately. Nothing major, I swear. Just um, late back from lunch a few times, the first time being the day after the
Vanity Fair
party when I skipped out to go shopping with Lauren and Ava. When I got back to the studio late, Nadine was waiting outside, red-faced and looking like her head was about to explode. Not only did I leave without telling her and ignore her text, but I was late, something I never am for anything
FA
-related. Even though Nadine was mad, she still covered for me with Tom -- she told him I had a dermatologist appointment I had forgotten about -- and promised I would shoot my retrospective interview in the next few days.

I didn't. I've, um, kind of made excuses ever since.

And that's not the only thing I've put off. I know I need to call Liz back after what happened when we last talked. I'm just so embarrassed that I don't know how to start the conversation. Lauren and Ava think I'm crazy to even make up with Liz. Not that I completely trust their opinion after what I saw them pull that afternoon at Belladonna and with those fans. I actually talked to them about what happened and Ava said she was having a rough day and didn't mean to be so rude. That made me feel a little better, but I still can't push the stealing out of my mind. I've turned down all their offers to go shopping ever since. I can't seem to get out of our dinners, though. I already promised I'd go to events with them this week before that all happened and now I'm so busy that I've had to turn down a few work appointments. Seth has been trying to set up a meeting with the people for that TV pilot set in Alaska -- one I actually like -- but I've been putting him off too.

I know I should feel bad about avoiding everyone, but you know what?

I've
liked
playing hooky.

Yep, that's right. I'll admit it. The girl who plays practically perfect Samantha, the one who pretty much does everything her parents, manager, assistant, and publicist tell her to do, who stops to sign every autograph that is asked of her, has actually enjoyed being out from under everyone's thumb for once.

"This is not nothing," Nadine tells me, throwing her arms up in exasperation. "I never thought I'd see the day when you'd be this irresponsible."

"What good is being responsible anyway?" I question bitterly.

Being responsible hasn't saved my beloved job. Or made me hear back from the
Manolos
director yet (he's still out of town). It hasn't gotten me an offer for that Broadway show,
Meeting of the Minds
, either (even if the show's producers said I nailed my audition). So why shouldn't I blow off a little steam? As Ava says, everyone needs to party.

Nadine glares at me and I glare back. We're still glaring when Mom sweeps through the hallway on her way back from her Pilates workout on her new Pilates machine she bought to reduce the stress that's been brought on by her
Fashionistas
article. (She hasn't left the house in days she's so upset over it.) "Hi, girls," Mom says as she picks up the phone in the hall. "On your way out?"

"Kaitlin is," Nadine says, her eyes never leaving my face. "Not that I think it's a good idea."

"What did you say, Nadine?" Mom asks. She has the phone to her ear. "I couldn't hear you. I'm leaving another message for my lawyer." Mom is threatening to sue
Fashionistas
for defamation of character.

My stomach tightens. I don't want Nadine giving me a hard time in front of Mom. If it wasn't for the
Fashionistas
article taking up all of Mom and Dad's attention, Mom would be flipping out over all the stupid articles being written about me. Every day this week there's been another picture of me with Lauren and Ava or an article about my supposed "reckless" behavior. How is shopping and going out for dinner or dancing with friends reckless? (There was one article about my nice Valentine's Day dinner with Austin, but still.)

The press is so over-the-top sometimes. They've written so many false stories about me lately, including the kidnapping and my vacation BFs, that I'm not worried about what they're writing now. It's not like I'm driving without a license and getting into fender benders or shaving my head.

Nadine looks incredulous. "Haven't you been reading the tabloids this week?"

"Nadine, I've been a bit preoccupied," Mom snaps. "I have a lot on my plate with this
Fashionistas
fiasco. I don't have time to read all of Kaitlin's clippings."

Thank God.

"But --" Nadine tries again.

"Nadine, seriously, if something is wrong, Laney will tell me," Mom says.

Laney
has
been annoyed, but she's only yelled at me twice so far. She's also been busy. One of her other clients got into a huge fight in Vegas and caused massive damage to one of the casinos. Luckily, Laney has experience putting out Vegas fires!

"I know Kaitlin has been going out lately, but there's nothing wrong with that," Mom continues. "I've been begging Kaitlin to be seen at events for years. I'm just glad she finally listened."

"Wow, Mom, thanks," I say and shoot Nadine a triumphant look.

Nadine rolls her eyes. "Being seen out is fine, but I'm not sure the company Kaitlin is keeping is the best. Controversy follows Lauren and Ava wherever they go."

"I don't know," Mom says, looking pensive. "Lauren's mom is on a few committees with me and she is a doll."

Nadine's face darkens. This is one argument I don't think she can win.