Part 586
“Welcome to TRL, Total Request Live. I’m Carson Daly, your host, and we’ve got a FULL show in store for you today. First, there’s my co-host, a hot new artist on the scene, the debut of a brand new video, and we’ll be catching up with one of the most popular boy bands now that their tour is over.” The audience screamed their approval and Carson went on. “Let’s start with my co-host. She’s a hot new artist on the scene but she’s definitely NOT new to the music scene or TRL. She met her husband just before his group’s ‘Millenium’ album hit the stands and has been with him for the ride ever since. You may have been lucky enough to catch her in the audience when her husband made appearances; you might have caught her knock-out performance with Richie Sambora on the VMA’s; you may have even been lucky enough to catch her opening for the Backstreet Boys. She is ‘Sweet D’s Angel’, Sarah Dorough.”
The reaction of the crowd overwhelmed Sarah as she made her way through the fans. They reached to touch her just like she’d seen fans reaching to the boys and she did her best to reach everyone.
“Welcome to the show!” greeted Carson with a hug.
“Thanks!” Sarah stepped back and looked around at the audience who was still buzzing with excitement. “WOW!”
“They love you already and haven’t even seen the video.”
“This is so cool!”
“How many of you have seen her with Howie?” asked Carson and practically the entire audience raised their hands.
“It’s a Backstreet thang,” laughed Sarah. “I’ve been VERY lucky and VERY blessed ever since Howie and I went public. The fans have been so supportive of our relationship and I have to say ‘Thank you’ to the fans for that.”
“Fans can make a big difference in a relationship. I have to know, how many of you have seen Sarah perform?” About half raised their hands and Carson moved to a girl closest to him. “Where did you see her?”
“I’ve actually seen her twice. The first time on the VMA’s and then in Toronto on September 13th.”
“Toronto was a tough show to do,” said Sarah.
“I bet. Weren’t you supposed to be on one of the planes that hit the towers?”
“Yeah, I was headed to LA with Danny but didn’t make the flight because I was having major morning sickness. I couldn’t get through to Howie or management to let them know I was okay for about 36 hours. The first time Howie knew I was safe was when I walked out to perform with him.”
“And that’s the only time you and Howie have been apart?”
“Since we were married, yeah.”
“What about today?”
“You know, I saw him this morning, kissed him goodbye, and I haven’t seen him since. They have soooo many guest appearances that I’m not exactly sure where they are today.”
“So all we can hope for is to talk to them on the phone?”
“Afraid so,” said Sarah apologetically as the audience groaned their disappointment.
“Well, at least we’ll have a chance to talk to them. Let’s get on with the countdown.”
As Carson introduced the video, Sarah found Becca in the crowd. The two friends had talked at great lengths about Sarah’s feelings for Carson. She thought he was a schmuck, always kissing up to the guys when they were there with him and trashing them behind their backs but Becca liked him. He had always been genuinely friendly to her. Becca tried to tell Sarah to let it go, that her career to a certain degree, depended on Carson promoting her.
As the show progressed,
Sarah began to get anxious. She knew Carson was going to debut her video before
he talked to the guys and she was nervous. What if it was a flop and they
didn’t like her?
“That was number seven. After the commercial, we’ll premiere a brand new video from ‘Sweet D’s Angel’.”
During the commercial, Carson asked, “Are you nervous?”
“A little.”
“Have you seen it yet?”
“Before we left Vegas. Kevin got a rough cut.”
Getting the signal, Carson turned back to the camera. “Welcome back to TRL. It’s time to premiere a new video and this one is from my co-host, Sarah. This is your first. Tell us about it.”
“Well, this is my first single from my CD ‘Dreams Do Come True’ which is set to be released in Japan November 17th...the day before the Backstreet Boys tour starts there. I’ll be opening for them along with Krystal. The CD will be released here in the US the day after Thanksgiving. The single is called ‘Underneath Your Clothes’ and it’s the song I sang at the VMAs.”
“And you wrote this for Howie?”
Sarah blushed, “I had help from AJ.”
“Let’s see the video.”
As the video began to play, Sarah held her breath. She wanted this to be perfect, for the fans to like it because it was HER video. The editors had done an awesome job of making sure it was impossible to figure out who the guy was and it had been agreed that Howie’s identity would NOT be revealed.
As she watched, Sarah felt a hand slip into hers and she looked down to see Becca’s hand in hers. Their eyes met and Becca silently told Sarah that no matter what the crowd thought of the video, SHE thought it was spectacular and her friends would always be behind her.
Backstage, Howie was riveted to the monitor with the other four sitting around with him. They had requested a camera be kept on Sarah the entire time so they could see her. Right now, Howie couldn’t have been prouder. HIS wife was handling herself like a seasoned pro as she worked the crowd and talked to Carson.
Brian nudged Kevin and pointed to Howie. “I bet if you stuck a pin in him, he’d bust,” whispered Brian.
Kevin grinned. “Can’t say that I blame him. Sarah’s come a long ways.”
Nick heard them and said, “I still can’t believe Russell told her she wasn’t any good.”
“Some men are intimidated by a woman who can bring home more than they can,” said Brian.
“And he knew he’d NEVER hold on to her when she made it big,” added AJ joining the conversation. “I’ll give him one thing though. He had excellent taste in women.”
“Very true,” agreed Kevin. “And he did help create a beautiful little girl. Come on. Carson’s gonna ‘call’ us in a few.”
AJ put his hand on Howie’s shoulder. “Let’s go, ‘D’.”
Not taking his eyes off the monitor, “I’m on my way,” but Howie didn’t move. He was frozen in place watching his wife.
AJ laughed, “You’ll be able to go out there if you’ll come with us NOW.”
Out in the studio, the video ended and the crowd let Sarah know they thought the video was one of the very best they’d ever seen.
“That was awesome!”
“Thank you,” blushed Sarah.
“This was your first video but you’ve been in others, as an extra, right?”
“Yeah. I’ve been in a couple of the Boys’ videos. They were just about to release ‘Millenium’ when Howie and I started dating and he insisted I join him for the making of ‘I Want It That Way’. I was in the crowd off to the side. I was also in the video for ‘The One’ and ‘The Call’ and I’ve been on the set for all the others.”
“We hear stories of how artists have been around for years before they get their break. How long have you been around?”
“I’ve been in music all my life. My brothers had a country band when we were growing up and I use to sing with them from time to time. I did the talent shows and competitions when I was younger but I got out of it for about eight years…until the guys heard me sing last Christmas at a party for the youth center I ran in Orlando. While AJ was getting himself better, Howie had me perform at ‘Tabu’, his club, and I also opened for Aaron in Baton Rouge.”
“What’s the album like?”
“It’s an awesome combination of R & B and pop with a little Latin flavor to it. This is also a BIG thing for Howie, Kevin, and AJ since they wrote all of the material for this CD with me or for me.”
“We’re going to take a break but when we come back, we’re going to get the Backstreet Boys on the pone and get their reaction to Sarah’s first single.”
Could three minutes last any longer? Three minutes, 180 seconds…how hard could it be? For Howie and Sarah, it was an eternity. As they each waited anxiously, they played with their wedding bands, their thoughts on each other.
“We’re back and on the commercial break, I got word that we have a satellite link to talk to the boys. Guys, can you hear me?”
The boys appeared on the screen and waved to Carson and Sarah. Sarah grinned as Howie put his hand over his heart to tell her that he loved her.
“Okay, I’ve gotta ask Howie one burning question.”
“What’s up, Carson?”
“Dude, that guy in the video was all over your woman. What was going through your mind?”
Pretending there was a delay before answering, Howie laughed. “I was watching and it was business so it was cool.”
“I REALLY protested NOT having Howie in the video with me but Kevin was adamant about using this guy,” pouted Sarah.
“We wanted this to be HER video,” explained AJ. “Even with this guy, you don’t see is face…just Sarah’s.”
“You guys have your hands all over Sarah’s career. Do you think the public’s gonna take her seriously or look at her and say, ‘Oh, she’s just popular because she’s Howie’s wife’ or ‘She’s got the Backstreet Boys backing her so of course she’s gonna be popular’?”
Brian put his hand to his ear as if he couldn’t hear Carson before saying, “Sarah’s a very talented lady and should be taken VERY seriously. She just got a tremendous break that every artist prays for.”
“Sarah gave up her music for about eight years because of the guy she was involved with. If she hadn’t walked away from her music, WE’D have had competition from her. She started getting back into it with Becca, Nick’s wife, while they were in college and when we met her, we had NO CLUE she was so good,” said Kevin.
“The only thing we knew Sarah could do was play the piano,” said AJ.
“And I wanted to record her instrumental stuff but she fought me every step of the way,” said Howie. “She never came to us about a record deal. We went to her and offered her a contract.”
Turning to Sarah, Carson asked, “What finally did it for you…to let the guys know you could sing and to do this CD?”
“I’d always wanted to do a CD but gave up on my dreams when I married my first husband. Then, last Christmas, I wanted to do something really special for Howie and Kevin just happened to catch me singing one day in the kitchen. He convinced me to sing and from there, the guys’ belief and faith in me to make it has been my inspiration.”
“How do you guys feel about the video?”
Nick looked at Kevin as if he didn’t hear Carson. After Kevin repeated the question, Nick said, “It’s AWESOME and she’s only gonna get better.”
“I want to thank you guys for talking to us and dudes…when you’re in….”
The audience erupted into chaos, girls screaming, crying, and rushing to touch all five guys as they made their way through the crowd. Security moved quickly to move the crowd back making it possible for the five men to join Carson and Sarah. Reaching Sarah, Howie gave her a kiss and a white rose which got a collective ‘Ahhh’ from the audience.
Laughing, Carson said, “That was so slick! You had me believing you weren’t here.”
“Did ya like it?” asked Nick. “Our acting debut!!”
“Yeah, but Sarah…you knew they were really here?”
“Of course,” smirked Sarah as she held Howie’s hand. “I don’t go anywhere without Howie if I can help it.”
“Okay…back to Sarah’s career. You guys have your hands in every aspect…you own the label, you produced her video and CD, she opens for you, you write material for her. Is it hard to treat her as an artist when you’re all so close?”
“You forgot that Howie’s my manager too.”
“One more thing!”
“Nah, she’s very much like us when it comes to music…very all business,” said Kevin. “We’re in a position now to help aspiring new artists and it’s our chance to give back to the industry.”
“You guys went through some tough legal issues when you first started out.”
“Yeah, we did, and if we can help other artists avoid that same thing, then all the better,” said Brian. “We had someone tell us once…this is the music business…while you’re out making music; someone’s taking off with your business.”
“One more question and then there’s a girl in the audience who is DYING to ask a question. Sarah’s very pregnant….”
“With twins,” added Nick as he rubbed Sarah’s stomach.
Sarah swatted his hand as Carson asked, “How do you do it every night? I’ve seen you perform and you’re just as intense as the guys.”
“I just do it. I can’t move around as fast now and I’m a lot more tired at the end but I enjoy doing it.”
“After the Japan tour, she’s gonna take a break until after the babies are born,” said Howie.
Turning to the fan, Carson asked, “You wanna say something to Sarah?”
“I have a question,” said the girl as she stood. Looking at Sarah, “First off, I think what you and Howie have is truly special and you’re really cute together.”
The couple answered, “Thank you,” as Howie slipped his arm around Sarah pulling her closer.
“In your video, I know you said it was an actor but it looks SOOOO much like Howie. Are you trying to cover it up because you don’t want him to be a focus?”
“What makes you think it’s Howie?” asked Carson.
“Well, I’ve seen them together and the couple in the video is just…so them…so in love. You can’t portray that kind of love with a stranger. Besides, you can see his hands and his wedding band which is the same as what Howie’s wearing and NO ONE has curls like that guy in the video EXCEPT Howie.”
Everyone laughed about Howie’s curls and Sarah said, “It was just an actor that the studio hired. I’ll admit, he did look sorta like Howie, but no…we’re not covering up anything.”
“We’re going to a commercial now and when we come back, we’ll talk more with the Backstreet Boys about what’s going on with them now that the tour is over.”
As soon as the cameras were off, Sarah turned to Howie excitedly and whispered, “They liked it!!”
Howie laughed, “Of course, they did! You were fantastic, ‘Angel’.”
The rest of the show went quickly as Carson talked to the Boys about the tour and their future, including the release of their greatest hits CD and the ‘Drowning’ video.
When the show was over, Sarah quickly found Howie and was in his arms in a flash. She was so excited about the response to her video and wanted to celebrate.
“OH MY GOD!! Howie!!! IT WAS SOOO….SOOOO….OH GOD!” bubbled Sarah.
Howie laughed as he watched her dancing around him with excitement. “Angel, you need to calm down before you bounce those babies out of you.”
AJ cracked, “Yes, ‘Tigger’ is alive and well…just being held hostage by a pregnant woman.”
Sarah stuck her tongue out at him.
“Yeah, baby!!” growled AJ as he grabbed Sarah by the waist pulling her to him. “Wanna show me how to use it?”
“You couldn’t handle it, ‘Bone’!!”
“You two are so bad,” chastised Becca. “Sarah, the video was perfect.”
“Thank you, Bec!!!” Pulling away from AJ, Sarah turned to Kevin and hugged him. “Thank you for breaking down that wall.”
“My pleasure, baby!! So, when are you two headed out?”
“Actually, it’s the four of us,” corrected Sarah as she continued to stand in Kevin’s arms as the group talked. “Becca and Nick are coming with us to Virginia.”
“Why?” asked Brian thinking that Nick would take Becca back to Florida for their six week mark.
Howie spoke up, “Sarah’s dad is getting worse and we thought it would be good for him to see Garrett before he got too bad. We’re pulling out on my bus after dinner. I promised Sarah’s brothers we’d be there in the morning.”
“What’s going on in the morning?” asked AJ.
“Because Daddy’s getting worse, Howie and I have decided to have someone with him around the clock so we have to hire two more nurses to stay with him,” said Sarah softly.
Howie was quick to catch the change in her mood with the discussion of her father. She hadn’t been handling it very well and he didn’t want this to get any worse so he changed the subject. “We’re also meeting with Lorraine about the house after lunch tomorrow.”
The group began to move out as they discussed their plans for the next few days. Despite Sarah’s mood, she did notice Becca wasn’t joining in the conversation and she knew her best friend was brooding over the fact that she would not be going back to Florida like she wanted. Sarah said a silent prayer that Becca would like what Nick had planned and that it wouldn’t backfire on them both.