Heart and Soul

Part I

Christine walked into the studio. She could feel her knees shaking. This was to be her first interview since she became the new host of Total Request Live. She'd been offered the job after Carson Daly was fired for going off a tirade one day and telling everyone on national TV what he thought of "Boybands." How they all sucked and were without talent. Needless to say, MTV fired him on the spot. Which made Christine very happy. Her days of mindless goffering for Carson and his colleagues were finally over.

Mr. Benton, the Producer for TRL, had seen her audition tape. Her audition had consisted of a 15-minute interview with the whatever-happened-to-them Hanson brothers. Benton had been won over by Christine's remarkable talent of putting the brothers at ease immediately. Her questions were rehearsed, well thought out, and respectful of their private lives. Her voice was warm, her smile friendly. She had a natural flair for this. It was like second nature.

Unfortunately there hadn't been any openings when she applied a year earlier. Christine was so desperate to work there, that she volunteered her services doing any menial task they asked of her. She snorted now as she thought back to how Carson literally made her his slave. She had to make his coffee, run his clothes to the dry cleaners, run errands, even those not related to his job, make airline reservations so he could go visit his little prepubescent girlie down in California, or worse, so she could come see him. If she had to listen to Jen giggle and bat her eyelashes one more time, she would have thrown her out the MTV studio window. Christine laughed out loud. Those days were over. She could picture it now. Carson was on the phone, begging Jen to get him a spot on Party of Five. That was one relationship that was sure to bite the dust now.

She sat down in her chair and looked around. No one was on the set yet. She tried to calm her frayed nerves. Her first real, live television interview. Her mother and grandmother would be watching. She didn't want to make a fool of herself. She glanced upwards and mumbled a silent prayer. Her father was up there, watching over her. He wouldn't let anything happen to his baby girl. She knew that. Now if only she could get her brain to function. She picked up the coffee someone had set down for her and gulped it down. It burned down her throat, awakening her senses.

Picking up some papers, she read over whom she was going to be interviewing in an hour. They must already be in the building. She just hadn't seen them yet. She was sure Benton had told her that she would meet them 30 minutes before airtime. It had taken her an extra 20 minutes to get into work because hordes of screaming teenyboppers were causing traffic jams, blocking access to the studio, and generally causing mayhem. Sigh. The Backstreet Boys. Her all-time favorite group. 'It figures that my first interview has to be with the five hottest guys on the planet.' She heard someone coming and turned around. Benton was striding towards. "Christine, there's been a change of plans."

"What?"

"The Backstreet Boys never made it to New York. Their video shoot in Orlando ran into some problems. They can't fly out here until Friday."

"Oh..." Was all she could say. Dayam. So much for her interview.

"We're going to Orlando. How soon can you be ready?"

Her eyes widened. "Orlando? Today?"

"Yes. Today. You are up to this, aren't you?"

Her eyes met his. He was challenging her. Trying to see if she had what it took to be in the business. For all she knew, he knew the Boys wouldn't be here. It was all a test. She could feel it. "You know I'm up to this. I can be ready in an hour. That is, if I can make it out of here." She glanced out the window. All those fans waiting and no BSB.

"I'll handle the fans. Once they know the guys aren't here, they'll leave. I'll send a car to pick you up in an hour. Be ready."

She wanted to salute him with a "Yes Sir!" but refrained. She didn't want to be standing behind Daly in the unemployment line.

And thus her adventure began.

As the place touched down in Orlando later that night, Christine was reminded of being here a year earlier for Spring Break. How she and her friend had looked for the guys, but hadn't found them. Now she was going to be interviewing them. One on one. No more hopeful searches. Benton had given her the 411 on what was happening. She was going to Universal Studios to interview them on the set of their new video, Larger than Life. Benton said they were "on call" meaning they had to wait until someone associated with the Boys called and told them to come down. When they took a break from shooting.

She went to her hotel room and unpacked. Benton told her they would be there for 3 days. He wanted to try and arrange interviews with N Sync, Christina Aguilera, and LFO while they were there. Which made Christine even more nervous. She had her interview with BSB pretty much down in her mind. What would she say to the others? She didn't believe in asking the same questions for every interview. It got too redundant. Even more, she didn't like N Sync. But she wasn't about to pull a Carson. She was a professional and no matter what, she wouldn't crack under pressure.

She turned on the radio. I Want it That Way was playing. AJ's voice. So deep, arousing. She lusted after that man. She liked Kevin, also, but lately AJ had been stirring deep feelings within her. She couldn't decipher what they were. There was something about him that turned her on. He also made her laugh. She loved his wacky sense of humor. She lay on the bed and was asleep before she knew it.

A noise jarred her out of subconsciousness. Insistent knocking. She rubbed her eyes and ambled to the door.

Benton stood there, a grimace on his face. "It's about time. Why are you asleep? It's only 8:30. And I told you we were on call."

This man was a tyrant. Is this was she was going to be subjected to from now on? Everyone claimed how great he was to work for. She hoped this was only a test. "I'm sorry. I fell asleep. Are we leaving now?",

"Yes, this is the only time they can do the interview. Be downstairs in 15 minutes."

She ran around the room trying to figure out what to wear. Her hair was flat and she had a mark across her face from her bracelet. She had been sleeping on her arm. 'Great, I look like scarface.' She applied her make up quickly and efficiently, trying to conceal the imprint her bracelet had left. She put on a light purple skirt which reached her knees, a matching blazer, and white lace blouse.

Surveying her appearance, she decided she looked ok. Other than the mark. Which better go away by the time they reach Universal Studios.

She met Benton downstairs 12 minutes after he'd come knocking on her door. If he was pleased about it, he didn't say anything. He just stared at her face then walked towards the limo. It took them 10 minutes to reach their destination. Benton warmed up a bit and regaled her with tales of his youth in Orlando. Apparently he grew up in Orlando. She flinched at his obvious lack of respect for her ears when he started to describe losing his virginity at DisneyWorld. Too much information. There are things about your boss you just don't need to know. Yanno? Thank God they arrived when he was about to tell her about that night in detail. She flew out of the limo.

They were escorted into a room and told to wait there. She grabbed her notes and perused them quickly. She knew what she was going to say, but chances are she would forget something. Better to be safe than sorry. She heard some laughter and looked up. Three of the BSBs were standing in the doorway talking to Benton. Nick, Kevin, and Howie. She swallowed her nervousness as Benton went about introductions. "This is the newest recruit to MTV...Miss Christine Rambert. Christine is the new host of Total Request Live."

Click here for Part II