Fan Fiction |
by xtingtingx
With his backpack slung on one shoulder, Vanness Wu walked towards his car in the parking garage. His silver Mercedes SL 65 AMG beeped as he unlocked the car with the remote. Being rich is one of the good things about being a pop star. His dream car was no longer a dream, it became reality. Not to mention all the other cars he's got, such as the Porsche, the BMW, and the Aston Martin sitting there looking pretty in California while he was in Taiwan. With the roar of the engine, he was off to Sony Music, Inc.
According to the schedule his manager emailed him, he's got a meeting that morning with the big guys at Sony Music to discuss about the music video that's about to be made for one of his new song. Not only did he pick out all the songs for his second album, he handled many of the behind-the-scenes stuff. Vanness Wu became a producer as well.
Vanness walked into the conference and lazily sat down on a chair by the window. He looked out of the 10th floor window to find the busy city of Taipei in full swing. It's been several months since he was last in Taipei. Last time he was there, he was with F3, around the time of the Pepsi events. He had been busy in the L.A. studio recording for his new album. He took a break from that to attend the MTV Buzz Asia concert in Korea to perform both by himself and with the Chinese hip-hop crew, Machi. He arrived only 2 days ago to find out the details of his current trip to Taiwan.
The meeting went by smoothly and quickly. Vann told them what he was looking for and they informed the group what they wanted and didn't want. Since his new album has a new style to it, the top guys weren't sure what the reaction to it will be. Therefore, they were holding some of Vann's ideas back. They compromised and worked things out. Everything was ready to go by the end of the gathering. Now all they needed were the dancers.
Next on his agenda for the day: the dance audition. The audition for the dancers in the video was held on that same day. Vanness himself had to be there along with the director, producer, trainer and the choreographer. He wasn't looking forward to it. The last time he judged at the audition, it felt more like a meet-and-greet session. Most of the girls present were just there to see him, not dance. Only a handful of them were actually dancers. But if he wasn't there, like one of his first videos, the dancers turned out to be totally the wrong type he preferred. Vanness was the type of artist who liked to be involved as much as possible in things like these. He liked his ideas to be heard, and preferably, carried out.
He entered with the 4 others into the girl-packed room. Just so happens that only female dancers were needed for this video. Some of the girls looked like they were about to burst with excitement because the famous Vanness Wu was standing right before them. Then again, who wouldn't drool at the sight of the gorgeous hunk? Dressed in a short-sleeved white button-down shirt that clearly showed off his muscular body, blue jeans, and black shoes and with a pair of Gucci sunglasses on, Vanness could make any girl's knees go weak.
The director went over a few things with the girls, such as what they were looking for and how the audition was going to be conducted.
"There will be 3 parts to this audition. First, we will call in 20 girls at a time. We'll put on the type of music that is in this video. It'll be a freestyle dance session. We want to see your creative side, see what you can come up with just moving to the music. We'll make first cut after that. Then, we would like to see the dance you've prepared. You'll be judged on the music you picked and, of course, your skills. Second cut will take place after we've seen all the routines. The ones who make the cut will then be taught by our choreographer, Ms. Jessica Lin, a routine that we want you to perform for us. We want to see how quickly you can pick up a totally new choreography and how well you work as a team with others. After that, we'll make the decision on who will be cast for this video," the director informed the group.
"I know it's every girl's dream to be in a video with their idol, especially someone like Vanness," the producer added, drawing laughs from the crowd and Vanness, "But I need to ask for a favor, ladies. This is serious business and we want to make this as easy as possible. So if you're not here to dance, then please don't waste both your time and our time. As you can see, there are a lot of you here today. I hate to sound like a jerk, but if you're not prepared for this audition, I am afraid I have to ask you to leave."
'Ouch, that was kinda harsh. Way to let them down gently, Michael," Vanness thought to himself amusingly.
But before anyone got up to leave, Vanness spoke up.
"Ladies, there's something I want to say. Those of you that are here to see me, I extremely appreciate it. It's really heartwarming to see all of you here. But please give this chance to those who really want to dance. This is their chance to strike gold. And if you're here to do both, then hey, that's hitting two birds with one stone." Vanness tried to do some damage control. He gave the girls a bright smile.
Who can resist that smile?
Slowly, one by one, girls started to exit out the door. Even though they were being kicked out, they just received a smile from their idol. When people finally stopped leaving, the group was down to half of its original size, which was, in a way, good.
Vann's manager had entered the room and was now passing out packets to the leftover people.
"What Andrew is handing to you right now are information packets," the director spoke up again. "Please fill those out with the information we've asked for and turn those in. When you turn them in to us, you will be given a number. It's important that you remember that number. After you get your number, please step outside to wait. Once everyone is done, we'll begin with the first group of girls while the others wait outside for them to be called."
With that, the girls were given time to complete the packets. Soon, some of them started to come up to turn the forms in and receive their number. Discreetly under his sunglasses, Vanness checked out the girls as they walk by. Sadly, he didn't find any to his liking. Then again, that's always the case. After a handful number of girls, he gave up and slumped further into his chair.
'Whatever, it's just a video. There shouldn't be that many dance scenes,' Vanness told himself.
It wasn't long before the first group of 20 girls were called in, which officially started the audition, each with a number on them.
Out of the 20 dancers, Vanness didn't see one to his liking. Not one had the style he was looking for. Fine, he might have been a little picky, but he wanted the video to look good. The album has a new thing to it, so must this video. He saw a few girls who looked like they can dance, but other than that, the rest were hopeless.
The next group came in and the music started. Vann looked around like always lazily through his sunglasses. Out of the corner of his eye, the girl standing in the front but at the far left side caught his attention. Her body flowed with the music and her moves were unique. There was something about her that was different than all the other girls in the room. Clad in a yellow tank top, gray cheerleading shorts, and dance shoes, she gave off an aura of confidence and determination. He looked for her number to find that she was #21.
'No wonder I didn't see her earlier. I don't think I got past #14.' Vann answered his own question.
Although she was cute, she wasn't exceptionally pretty. Her dyed hair was pulled back into a messy knot at the back of her head. Vanness couldn't quite put his finger on it, but he knew that she was exactly the type he wanted in his video. There was something intriguing about the girl as well. He made a mental note to look up her info later.
Throughout the rest of the freestyle session, Vanness had his eyes kept on the girl. If she knew he was paying attention to her, she certainly didn't show it. She was lost in the music, in her own world, dancing to the beat. Some of the moves were so exotic that Vanness wondered where she got them.
First cuts were made and Vann made sure that the girl was still in the game.
Next were the prepared routines. One by one, the dancers who've made the cut performed for the judges. Some of the girls were good, but others were unprepared. It wouldn't be hard to pick out the 10 needed for the video. The variety of music was pretty much the same. They varied from Britney Spears to well, Britney Spears. Until Girl #21 gave the judges a show.
They saw her give the music guy her CD and walked over to get ready to dance. With the push of a button, Usher's "Yeah" was blasting through the speakers. Vanness' face immediately brightened up with a smile.
'She's exactly what I want. I love Usher," he proclaimed to himself, double pun intended.
The girl didn't disappoint them. She's got the music, the looks, and the moves. Her performance was filled with perfectly choreographed moves. The dance went with the song so well that it can pass as the original dance to the song. Not only that, she was extremely flexible too. A couple times, Vanness thought he was dreaming of her doing the impossible. Just what they were looking for; well, at least what Vann was seeking for.
Although the director and producer were eyeing her with an expressionless look, the choreographer and trainer along with Vann were looking at her with awe, obviously impressed by her. Vanness remembered thinking that she was putting Usher's dancers to shame.
When the performance ended with the song, claps were heard throughout the room. However, the producer and director didn't look like they were happy with her.
With the second part of the audition over and done with, the 5 judges got together to cut down the group. The group needed to be down to 20 for the last portion.
One by one they went over the girls who just performed their dance and decided whether she stayed or not. For the most part, they all agreed with each other. The air got stuffy when they came to #21.
"What's that girl's name?" Vanness asked.
"Alexis Wang. 21 years-old college student," Michael, the producer, answered him.
"I want her on the team," Vann said.
"What?!" The director gave him a look like he had two heads.
"Are you kidding me? That girl was amazing!" Vanness couldn't believe that the director didn't like her.
"She wasn't exactly what I was hoping for either, that's for sure." Michael piped in. "Jess, what do you think?"
"I thought she was great. Even if you don't let her make it, at least let her do back up. I want to get to know her a bit. I'm very interested in some of her dance moves," Jessica replied.
"No, no, no. I won't let her be just back up! She needs to be front and center!! The rest of those girls weren't half as good as this Alexis. She's the type that I've been trying to get you guys to see," insisted Vanness.
"I can see where you find her different," Chris the trainer decided he needed to say his piece, "a good different, of course. I can't put my finger on what exactly, but it's something about the way she dances and carries herself. She actually reminds me a little of Vanness."
"Thank you!! At least someone's on my side! This girl's got talent, you guys! She can dance. And like Chris said, I find her a little familiar too. I would rather work with someone that I prefer than some girl who's only in it for the fame and money," Vann exclaimed.
"Fine, we'll keep her for now. We'll see what happens later." The director finally gave in.
Satisfied, Vann sat back in his chair with a smile on his face.
Again, the girls were called in and told who made it and who didn't by their numbers. The disappointment seen on some of their faces were quite heartbreaking. But this is the showbiz industry. You have to learn to deal with things like that.
When the rejected girls left, Jessica stood up from her place at the table.
"Well, ladies, congratulations on making it this far. But don't jump with joy yet. You've still got one last part to pass. You will be given 30 minutes to learn a routine I teach you that's similar to the one we're using in the video. Then, you will perform it for us. Any questions?" Jessica said.
Seeing shaking heads, Jessica continued on to teach her routine while the 4 men walked out to take a break.
Half an hour later, the 5 of them were back sitting in their seats, watching the girls dance.
For the most part, they were pretty good. A couple forgot parts of the routine while a few mixed it up. They've made it easy for the judges on their decision.
When the song ended, the group was asked to step outside as the judges make the final decision.
Each of the 5 wrote down the 10 they thought were suitable for the group. Five was for the video, the other 5 for back up. But that was to be decided afterwards. Vann was extremely excited to find that Alexis made it easily without him having to argue for her.
The girls were called in after the master list was written up as to who made the final cut. They all sat down on the floor and the director spoke to pretty things up.
"First of all, I would like to thank everyone for coming," Mr. Chen started, "however, we can only pick 10 of you. Moreover, only 5 out of the 10 will end up being in the video. If you're not chosen, please do not feel dejected. Not being able to do a music video with Vanness doesn't mean you won't be able to do one with Jerry."
That got a few laughs out of the crowd.
"You have all showed some really good talent today. Unfortunately, we can't take everyone," the director continued, "If we could, we would. You girls did make it hard for us to pick. In the end, we hope we made the right choice with the 10 we picked."
During Mr. Chen's speech, Vanness was thinking to himself how much BS he was saying. Then again, it's all for show. Besides, no need to let them feel even worse when they'll probably already cry their eyes out if they don't make it.
Without further ado, Michael stood up and read the list of girls. Instantly, muffled screams were heard, both out of joy and horror. Just like he expected, a couple of them were now tearing up.
Chris gave them a few minutes before cutting into their little...uh...whatever you call it.
"Ladies, that is it for today. You may go home now. Those 10 who've made the cut, we're meeting tomorrow here at 11:00 am. Please do not be late. There's a lot to get done," Chris told them.
Some of the more ecstatic ones jumped up and ran for the locker room. Vanness' eyes followed Alexis as she casually walked out of the room.
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Lexie changed quickly and gathered her stuff. It was late and she was super tired. She wanted to get home soon so she can take a shower and eat. She's just walked out of the locker room when her phone started to ring.
"Hello?" she answered.
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Vanness was about to turn the corner of the hallway to get to the elevators when he heard a cell phone go off. Before he knew it, someone answered the cell with a 'hello'.
Normally that wouldn't bother him, but seeing how he's in Taiwan and people there say 'wei' when they answered the phone, Vann was curious as to who the person was. Slowly, he poked his head past the wall to see the person. He let out a small gasp when he saw none other than Alexis Wang.
She carried on the conversation in perfect Chinese, putting in a few sentences spoken in English once in a while. Again, her English had no accent.
Vanness was still standing there gaping when Alexis hung up the phone and walked into the waiting elevator. It was only then that Vann came back to his senses.
'That is one interesting girl.' Vann thought. He made a note to himself to get to know her better.
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Lexie sensed someone was listening in her conversation but she was too tired to be bothered with it. She walked out of the Sony Music building and headed for the subway station close by.
It didn't take long for her to arrive at her grandmother's apartment. She entered the dark, empty room and turned on the lights.
"Wonderful, another meal of ramen for dinner. Just delicious. Where's grandma's wonderful cooking when you want it?" She said aloud to herself.
But before she did anything else, she turned towards the bedroom to shower. Tomorrow will be another long day.
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sorry it took a while to get this up and hope u all enjoyed it. comments plz. thanks =)