"Wake up Hollywood, we're here!" Chris said.
I awoke from my slumber in the car to see the sign "Welcome to Palm Springs". We'd driven through the night in Chris' Jeep Cherokee to an assignment we got at the last minute. Our assignment this time was to shoot photos for Rhianna's new album. Our location would be the deserts of Palm Springs. And we'd be in a first class resort for what was expected to be a weekend shoot. Neither of us had been here before, so it was bound to be a weekend to remember.
The resort was everything we'd expected, her record company had sprung for first class rooms and everything would be on their tab. Still, it was hard for me to not look at the prices on everything.
It was incredibly hot there, even at 8 AM when we pulled in. We were met by Amy from the record company, who briefed us on what to expect. Rhianna would arrive later that day, she was giving a private concert that night, so our shoot would have to be quick and efficient.
When she did arrive, it was amidst a convoy of jet-black Hummer trucks. Even though I knew she was relatively tall, she looked like a midget compared to the "walking tree trunks" that served as her entourage. Each one was more menacing than the next. I was petrified to look at her, let alone say "hello". The lead guard was named "Junior" and he immediately started barking orders to Chris and I. It seemed like every scrap of equipment we had was analyzed, I would hope for authenticity, and not for "pawn shop value".
Needless to say, the shoot didn't go well. Rhianna was complaining the whole time, the shots didn't look good, Junior tried to take over everything. And we were fighting the clock. When it became clear this assignment wouldn't be good, Chris said "OK, everybody that's it, thank you Rhianna". To which one of her minders sternly told Chris she was never to be addressed by her first name. She was then hustled out of our workspace. And we stood there in silence looking at each other.
"Its days like this," Chris said slowly, his voice rising in volume, "that make me wonder why I ever got in this fuckin' racket!" he then yelled.
"Hey, you didn't know anything like this would happen, I'm just as mad as you!" I said
"Is there anything usable on there?" Chris said as he pointed to my laptop
"Maybe. Look we're here, let's take advantage of this place. We've been working our tails off lately, let's try and salvage this weekend. We'll go to her show tonight-"
Chris immediately interrupted me saying;
"Oh no, we're not that privileged Hollywood!" He said sarcastically
"What do you mean?"
"We're not worthy of this private show of hers, we just get to take the pictures."
"Wonderful!" I said
"I'm about ready to just pack up and go home!" he yelled
"Well, I'm staying." I said firmly.
Chris was silent, clearly thinking about what I said.
"OK, like you said, we're here." Chris said more calmly.
At least the food was good, and the pool area was top-notch. We spent the remainder of the day lazing in the sun, watching bikini-clad girls walk by. We later found out some were with Rhianna's show. And they all seemed to be going to this area of the complex marked "VIP's only". As you'd expect, the entrance was guarded by another walking tree trunk, probably Junior's partner "Senior".
"Well, I guess that's the closest we'll get to her show, right Hollywood?" Chris said.
"Sure looks that way." I said.
