By Nicole Falco
Thousands answered a nationwide casting call to be the male and female trophy presenters at the awards show taped in California, scheduled to air on Fox on Aug. 19 at 8 p.m. Hopefuls made short videotapes explaining why they should be picked, but only two could be chosen.
Lorraine Radice, a junior at Valley Stream Central High School, got the call on July 26 that she was chosen to be the female trophy presenter. Kenny Esquivel, a teen from Pasadena, California, was selected as the male trophy presenter.
"I didn't believe the guy [from Fox]. I was fighting with him on the phone. He said, 'You are our Claim to Fame winner. You're supposed to be more excited than this,' I said 'you're not real,'" Radice said. "I couldn't take it in. I couldn't comprehend it."
Radice's dad, Robert, had seen an advertisement in a Long Island daily newspaper inviting teens aged 13 to 19 to come to the Hard Rock Cafe in Manhattan on July 12 for the opportunity to make the three-minute videotape necessary to enter the contest. Radice had also seen the ad in Seventeen Magazine. Seventeen and Old Navy sponsored the contest.
Radice never expected to beat out the hundreds of other teens at the Hard Rock Cafe that morning or the thousands who auditioned in cities including Chicago, Orlando and Atlanta. She left the city with a gift bag that included a pair of jeans, so it was worth it.
As a Claim to Fame winner, Radice received a shopping spree at Old Navy (during the awards show she's wearing an Old Navy denim skirt and rugby shirt); an all-expense paid trip for three to attend the Aug. 4 taping of the Teen Choice Awards; the opportunity to hold the "surfboard" trophies (a beach party is this year's theme) and be seen onstage; the chance to escort celebrity winners offstage and attend parties.
Her mom, also Lorraine, was anxious about flying so she regrettably passed up the trip (Fox offered to have her come to California by bus or train), so Radice's dad and 19-year-old cousin, John Schramm, went with her.
"You don't know how mad I am at myself. Now that it is over and they are back safe I wish I could have gone," Lorraine said.
They stayed at the Universal Hilton in Hollywood, a stone's throw from the Universal Amphitheater where the show was taped. An all-access pass allowed Radice to hang with the stars in the "green room" during rehearsals before the taping.
"You hear what they say when they talk to each other. They're regular people. It was weird seeing anybody," Radice said.
She's got pictures with stars like The Rock, "Mini-Me" Verne Troyer, "Friends'" Matt LeBlanc and Andrew Keegan. Most were nice and asked how she was doing and how she got her "job." Schramm took a picture with singer Mandy Moore and actor Chris Klein spoke to Schramm's girlfriend via cell phone. Her dad was excited to meet cast members of "7th Heaven," on of his favorite shows. Others like Britney Spears and the members of 'N Sync kept to themselves.
Radice and family will be in Canada when the show airs, but they hope to be able to watch it there.
"I don't even know who won half of the awards. I was busy backstage trying to do what I had to do," Radice said.
In keeping with the show's beach party theme, winners' names were sealed in coconuts. She kept the coconut with the name of the star who won the "Choice Action Hero" Award. She'll watch to see who won awards in categories including, "Choice Reality Show," "Choice Breakout Artist," and "Choice Male Hottie." Teens from across the country voted for the winners by mailing in a ballot found in Seventeen's July and August issues or by visiting their Website at www.seventeen.com.
According to Seventeen, past Claim to Fame winners have used the awards show as a springboard to launch a career of their own. One past presenter, Jared Padalecki, has an ongoing role on the "Gilmore Girls."
Last summer, Radice began modeling and has already appeared in clothes ads in magazines including YM.
Turn to Fox Channel 5 on Monday, August 19, 8 to 10 p.m. to watch Seventeen Magazine's Claim to Fame winner Lorraine Radice on stage with the stars at the 4th Annual 2002 Teen Choice Awards.
