TITLE: Em & Em : Satisfying the World's Sweet Tooth
NOTE: This is a BIT different format from the rest because I wanted to have fun. SOOOO this is a possible RollingStone article on the world's couple! Please note that this is 2 years from when the fic ended!
SHOUT OUTS: Tammy, SaraC, Lauren, cc4mm, bajan, star, kwem, samantha, jana, vibe, Romi, Sammie & ryan
Imagine my surprise when, while sitting at my desk preparing to write a review of a breakout artist, the phone rang and I found myself speaking with Joan Atkins, publicity manager for Emma Jenson Rodriguez. Five days later, I found myself landing in Detroit and being driven to an undisclosed location. The limo stopped outside Gilbert's Lodge, a bar and grill in Detroit with a huge signed poster of Eminem, aka Marshall Mathers III, in the lobby. I was lead to a back room, private from the rest of the place, where I'm greeted by Emma and company.-Em & Em-
~Satisfying the World's Sweet Tooth~
The room was filled with about twenty or so other people, among them, her supposed boyfriend of one year, Eminem. The couple is seated in the middle of the room at a table with five children, a toddler of two in her arms. Upon seeing me, Emma passed the child off, to who I later learned is her older sister, and came to greet me.
Being in a room with what some are calling "Hollywood's Golden Couple" was the high point of my career thus far. I don't think anything could ever top that, short of an interview with the King, himself. In the two years that have passed since the couple made their first public appearance together, at the Oscar's in 2003, the world has had their eye on them. First, with the release of her second album, which was produced by the man himself and also received both negative and positive reaction from the hip-hop and pop worlds, respectively. Second, with the release of their heavily protested duet "Heat", which (if you've been living in a hole for the past year and half, was not able to be played on most radio stations until after eleven pm due to sexual content) managed to go quadruple platinum in spite of controversy surrounding it.
To say the couple has had a tumultuous time is to understate the obvious. It could not have been staged better, had they actually planned out their meeting. Eminem, controversial white rapper, had gained credibility from his acting debut in 8 Mile and was well on his way to becoming mainstream USA material and poster-child for the under privileged suburban child, when controversy struck again. The two became embroiled in a torrid love affair, which she tells me was more like "two elderly people meeting in a old folk homes with lots of Viagra".
Their relationship is as "solid as the Earth is round" says she, who followed that statement up with the impressive Earth Science knowledge that "the Earth isn't exactly round, though. It's oblate or something like that, which is to say that it's flattened at the top and rounded in the middle. Whether that matters…"
Whether it matters? Half the comments that she made I didn't even understand! They were either inside jokes between her and the others in the room, or utterances in Spanish that no one could (or would) translate. She seemed on an adrenaline rush on this, the eve of the release of their earth shattering screen-debut, I, like the rest of America, anxiously await the opening credits of what critics are calling "the best movie of the millennium". Either that, or they had lit up prior to my arrival because according to her, "there's nada like takin' X right before a really important thing to calm ya down or show ya what's real". But she later denied that she'd taken any drugs in the past three years since the start of her rise to fame.
The party, to which I was invited, was a small gathering of people to celebrate and view the finished product: Doomed. The film, another Emma Jenson original, is historical, in that it is the first film to be made specifically about the tragic events of September 11, 2001. Hollywood has been waiting for the first brave director or screenwriter to attack the attacks of the World Trade Center. The brave director? Yup. Emma Jenson. Not only does she make her second appearance in a film she wrote, but she also makes her directing debut, helped by none other than Curtis Hanson, who worked with her other half on 8 Mile. The two co-directed in between filming scenes with her co-star Eminem and composing the entire soundtrack for the film, which is a combination of patriotic themes beefed up with the emotion of one of the most tragic days in the history of America.
After viewing the final product, I was able to finally sit down with her in the staff lounge and speak about her family, the movie, her relationship with Eminem, and where she goes from here.
You looked so at peace in a sea of children. Any on the way?
Right now- I'm pretty focused on my work, my music, and the art. I love my nieces and nephews, though. It's great because I only get to see my sister's kid a handful of times a year because they live in Seattle. So it's really great to have had them here for a week, they go home tomorrow.
You seem family oriented. Would you describe yourself that way?
Family is important to me, yes. Extremely important. It's… vital, the air I breathe. Doesn't matter who you define as family- as long as you have someone. The people in that room? That's my family. My dad, brother, sister, their kids, Marshall and Hailie- they're who are important.
You and Eminem keep to yourself a lot in your private lives, recordings not included. Are you close to his daughter?
To Hailie? I've known her for a couple years now. Watching kids grow up- becoming the people they're going to be is fascinating to me. She's a wonderful child- very cheeky in some ways, sweet in others. But she gets along well with my one nephew; they're the same age.
You put out a duet recording with Eminem, which caused a lot of protest and controversy, yet you never once spoke on that. Care to now?
Now? [She laughs coyly, her face turning red.] Well… basically, we read all these articles about us- people claiming to have all this intimate knowledge of our lives- as if we let people watch when we fuck- can I say that?
Sure. Go on ahead. I certainly won't stop you.
Didn't think you would. Anyway- I had quite a few poems that I'd written for him. He had some about me. And god- when Regis and Kelly call and ask to have him on a daytime talk show, something's wrong. So I suggested we put an album together he and I.
And "Heat" was born?
Yeah- well… didn't intend on it being quite as sexual as it ended up. But then, nothing ever ends up how you intend it at first. But ya know- critics kept telling him to get over his family problems, stop rapping about drugs and gays- so what was left? There was nothing homophobic or misogynistic or violent on that album. People should just be careful what they wish for.
I, for one, enjoyed the album immensely. And the two DVD extras.
Yeah- we got a little carried away with the video aspect of the two singles. But… what can I say- a piano is a vital part of my songs…
You caught a lot of slack for the album. People hating the promotion of sex to children.
First off- I don't think we promoted the album to kids. It had a warning sticker on it. It was not played on TRL neither. We advertised it was it was- a sexually charged album. If kids got it- then its parent's not watchin' them or not talking about with them. I don't think we were ever as raunchy as Missy Elliot on her single "Work It" which taught girls how to be little whores and fuck any guy they saw. Marshall and I are two responsible adults in a monogamous, loving, serious relationship who enjoy having sex with each other and there's nothing wrong with that. If anything, I think the album promoted healthy sexual exploration.
Well said.
Thank you, thank you.
The country, for being so opposed to it, certainly ate it like candy.
Yeah- it did really well. It's still selling, so I'm told. But that's what we do- we complain about something and then do it.
For example?
As for example- just last week… wasn't it a year ago that the president said he wouldn't support the drug trade? And then he goes last week and pulls the funding from border patrol. Well- how do the drugs into the country? We say one thing and do another. The same parents who protested the album were the same people who do not censor their children's media exposure. They'd rather bitch about the contents of the album than take the album away from their kids. Ya know- this could have been a very enriching conversation between kids and parents.
How so?
Use the music as a way of relating to the kids. If your kid is in a relationship with someone- use this album as a jump off to talk about STD's or safe sex. Talk to kids about masturbation and how it's nothing to be ashamed of- use the track "Touch" as a way of communicating. Ya know- people don't realize, or want to tell their teens, that you can be sexually active and responsible. You can be extremely sexually satisfied and still be safe and protect yourself. It's just a matter of being open and honest.
Very wise advice.
Yeah, well- it's how I was raised. My father didn't hide sex from me. We talked about drugs and sex and stuff like that. And I think it was good in the end and I'd like to think that our album could have done that, if people would open their mind to the possibility that you can be in a healthy sexual relationship.
Hallelujah! And speaking about your relationship- there are still a lot of skeptics out there. People saying that it's a publicity thing- that you're together trying to boost each other's careers, that you're using each other to reach other audiences. Certainly your second album, which had a considerably more hip-hop feel than the first, is evidence of that relationship.
I agree. The second album was more hip-hop than my first. But you have to understand something- the first was a soundtrack for a movie. A movie! And I wrote the music to coordinate with the movie and the emotions of the character I was writing for. It was in no way a statement or commitment on my part to always produce that type of industrial sounding music. I happen to enjoy a variety of music- I love rock 'n' roll. I love metal and rap and hip-hop. I was just in the studio with him one day when he was mixing some new beats, just playing around. I started improvising with one- putting down some vocals- making up a hook. I remember this poem of mine that I'd written a while ago and started spittin' it to the music. I liked what we came up with- so we did it with a dozen other poems of mine. I don't claim to be one type of thing or another. I never asked to be a teen idol. I never asked to be seen as the first white girl rapper- those are labels that press put on me to classify me. I'm not trying to be anything but who I am.
And who are you?
I'm a creative person. I always have been- whether it's composing ballads, writing poems, writing stories or movies, dancing, painting- whatever. I love creating something from nothing. It just happens to be that music has always spoken to me, in any form. I'm no expert on hip-hop. I never claimed to be, but I put that album out and Marshall helped me make it be what I wanted- and all of sudden people are calling me a slut and telling me that I slept with him to try and use his name to make a name for myself in the hip-hop community? Fuck- I'm just going where my mind takes me- where I'm being pulled. Maybe the next album will be a rock 'n' roll thing- or a classical album just me and a piano. I'm just gonna go where the music leads me and I'll enjoy the view on the way.
And that view includes a historic journey back to September Eleventh?
Apparently so.
Tell me- where did this movie come from?
Basically- I got the idea from a variety of places. I felt the writing bug again and was between projects- looking for my next thing. So I took a few weeks off and wrote it.
Just like that? You can write a critically acclaimed movie in three weeks?
More like two. [She laughs.] Don't get me wrong- it was a rough copy. We did several revisions. Once I wrote it, I met with the right people- a more experienced screenplay writer and we tweaked, revised, and changed it. I got together with the director of historic preservation in New York and was able to view lots of video footage and information on the events of September 11. I spoke with a lot of victims of it- widows of victims… What I initially wrote in those first few weeks was just a basic sketch that I beefed up as I learned more and more. I literally got consumed in the pain of that event… it's very humbling to actually sit down with the wife of one of the men that took the fourth plane down in Pennsylvania. It's very gut wrenching to visit her home and see her children and her strength and not just be totally… insignificant. That's how you feel- insignificant.
So you got the movie finished and then what?
Well- I already knew Marshall was gonna be in it.
How?
I asked him. I actually wrote the part for him. And I know- we're already getting shit from the media about it. How he's using me to jumpstart his acting career. But I think he did that quite well on his own. 8 Mile did win an Oscar for Best Motion Picture.
What do you mean, you wrote it for him?
Exactly what I said. I wrote this movie for both of us- I mean, once I decided on the topic- I know his range of emotion- I know his talent and I exploited it to my advantage, I think. I hope. I wanted to work with him on screen and I thought he had the perfect attitude to be the hero. I wanted people to see what I see when I look at him.
[And as if on cue, the door opens and Eminem joins us.] Hello, Sir. Were your ears burning? [He sits down next to her on the couch she's on, and she immediately shifts to lean on him. They seem almost… perfect.]
MM: Burnin'? No. Should they be? She talkin' shit about me?
EJ: Talkin' shit? [She acts hurt and smacks him lightly on the arm before laughing.] I was just telling her why I wasn't gonna write the movie if you didn't agree to do it with me.
MM: Oh- right. I told her that I wasn't interesting in doin' another movie with someone who just wanted to use me for my ability to produce a good soundtrack.
EJ: Oh- you assume the 8 Mile soundtrack was good? [He gasps in what I assume in mock hurt. But she ignores him and continues.] Just because it sold four million copies doesn't mean it was good- it just means four million people didn't realize it sucked the first day it was out.
MM: [To me] She's still mad jealous that MY movie won the Best Motion Pictures and hers didn't.
You two obviously have some issues. But you were saying?
EJ: Right- for the record… I wanted to write a movie. I pitched the idea to him. He liked it. I told him I wouldn't write it unless he agreed to be in it.
MM: I thought that if anyone was gonna write a good script and who could handle this situation well, it'd be her. She's talented, my lady is. [He places a gentle kiss on her cheek and her hand slips down to his thigh, where it remains as she talks.]
EJ: I'd read somewhere that some actor had said that he did well in 8 Mile playing himself- but that that person wouldn't believe that Em could act unless he saw him playing something completely un-Eminem related. I wanted to give him the opportunity to prove to the world and himself that he might be an ill emcee- but that he's also a talented actor.
And I have to say- after having just seen the movie- you both just blew me away. The entire movie is just- incredible. How would you describe it?
EJ: I wanted to tell the story, or at least part of the story. I remembered seeing interviews with the wives of the men who called them before the plane crashed. I was intrigued and awed and just amazed. I got thinking- what were those men like? What was going on, on that plane? So that's where I focused. Basically, the movie is the story of the doomed flight that crashed in Pennsylvania.
Is it a true story? I mean- we all know it's true. But the characters?
EJ: No. [As she speaks, I'm able to watch them with each other. He covers her hand with his own and they play with each other's fingers as she talks.] The events are true as much as we could make them with the little details we had. But the couple we play was not an actual couple. I made them up. I didn't want to use actual names of people who were killed. So this just a fictitious couple, but certainly a couple that could have been there.
MM: And be prepared. They die in the end.
EJ: That's a really sick joke, Sweetie.
MM: Someone asked me that the other day in some interview.
They did?
MM: Yeah- I was talkin' to someone, some reporter, and they asked if our characters survive. I didn't know what to say- so I thought I'd just let people know in advance. Everyone dies.
EJ: Sadly. I wanted to change the ending- I mean… I wanted to make it happy- but it just wasn't. I wish I could have changed that for everyone involved. But I simply told the story.
What do you want people to leave with?
EJ: Well- first- I hope the people who go see it really know what they're getting into. It starts the morning of the eleventh and we get to know the couple a bit on their way to the airport. There are terrorists that overtake the pilots by killing them. Some passengers are able to take them over and crash the planes. I think everyone should be expecting this to be unsettling and painful and gritty, which is why I asked Curtis to help me.
Yes. Tell me about that.
EJ: Well- I was a big fan of his work on 8 Mile and L.A. Confidential. But basically, I wanted his ability to make a real film. Marshall had told me all the time Curtis had put into making 8 Mile as real as he could- how much research he did and how dedicated he was to making a real film. I wanted that. I wanted someone who would really care about making a realistic film. I liked the style of movie he makes and that's what I inevitably envisioned for my movie. I met with other directors but they wanted to turn this into some show piece- like Saving Private Ryan or Titanic- something showy and Hollywood. That's not what I wanted. I wanted something gritty and down to earth. Curtis was the only one willing to take me on as a co-director and match my vision with his own. We just clicked when we got talking about what the film could be. And it was just a plus that he'd worked with Em before.
So tell me about your character, Marshall?
MM: Jim? He's this young doctor, who can't sleep because he's not sure whether to start a private practice or work in a hospital. He's just a normal guy- worried about his wife and providing for her. Ya know- everyone's problems don't seem big to anyone else because they're not your problems. So he's got all these problems, like anyone does, paying the bills, supporting his wife, starting a career…
How did you relate to him? It seems that he and you don't really have much in common.
MM: That's the great thing about her writing. Emma is excellent at giving each character something that everyone can relate to. For me- I connect with him on that family level. He is completely, head-over-heals in love with his wife. Everything goes back to her- what is best for his career- it all goes back to making things the best for her and their future. And I can relate to that in that everything I do- every choice I make is based on what I think it best for my family- for Hailie.
And he ends up making some tough decisions.
MM: Yeah. A lot of people on that plane made tough decisions. They gave their lives up to save others. And that's pretty heroic.
How do you feel playing the hero?
MM: I don't think I am. I mean- I think that it transcends heroism. What happened on that plane is beyond playing the hero, because no one did play the hero. They did what they had to do and that's something everyone can understand. It's tragic and he's no hero. He inevitably makes the decision to kill his wife and himself and their future- the future of men, women and children on that plane- to save others. He's no hero. There's no word for how amazing those men were- no way to describe what they did to do it justice…
I agree. Had you already decided to include the names of all the victims in the beginning? When was that decided?
EJ: I knew I had to do something… and all throughout the making of it- we were throwing around ideas. I was originally opposed to putting the names in the beginning- but in the end, those people are really the whole reason for the movie, tragically. And I only hope that the movie will provide their family members with some closure of some kind- or at least give them something they hadn't had before- peace or acceptance… understanding of what was happening in the minds of their loved ones? I don't know. But the first five minutes is just a scroll of the names of all the people whose lives were taken because should not be forgotten.
Indeed. So are you pleased with the final product? I have to tell you- I cried and wept and screamed- I mean, the emotional ride you take us on- it felt like you were on the plane. It's very… unsettling. Is that what you wanted?
MM: Well, I know for me, when she was telling me about the idea- I knew it was gonna be a bit unsettling and uneasy… what with being the first movie to take this head-on. Hell- it may end up being the only movie made about it. But I knew, going into the project, that it would be a real film. I really feel is does justice to the people who were there and to their story. I'm very proud to have worked on such an important film.
EJ: Aw, thanks. [She kisses him softly on the lips.] Yes. I am happy. It is exactly what I envisioned. Curtis helped me transform what I saw in my head and to reality. It's exactly how I saw it- the music… the story- everything. It's exactly what I wanted to make. I just hope that it can provide some answers or understanding to people who are still trying to wrap their minds around what happened here four years later.
So, what's next for you two? Wedding bells?
MM & EJ: NO! [They both burst into laughter. It seems that I'm not in on the joke.]
EJ: If you knew how many people asked us that this afternoon- you'd understand how much practice we've had at that answer! No. I love him- but-
Not enough to marry him?
EJ: TOO much to marry him. Shit- if he was ever legally bound to me- fuck, man. He'd run so quick he'd break speed records.
MM: No, I wouldn't. [He seems to have thought about this a bit more than she?]
EJ: Oh my god- you SO would! Fuck- if you were forced by law to put up with my bullshit? You'd pack up your balls and leave so fast, even *you* couldn't rhyme fast enough to keep up with your feet.
MM: I can't believe you just said that!
Me neither. [She blushes and pushes him away. He falls off the couch and pounces on her, quickly pinning her down.]
MM: Do you give?
EJ: NEVER!
MM: I'ma tickle you unless you give! [And even I have to admit that's a show I'd like to see.]
EJ: Fine. Fine. I give. Whatever. Lemme go! [He releases her and she quickly gets up and sits on the edge of the couch.] Sorry for him. He's just a big kid sometimes- which is basically why I'd never marry his ass. I wanna HAVE his children, not raise HIM.
So there will be children? [She glances at me and he's staring at her. Perhaps they haven't discussed children? Or it's all part of their game? I'm not sure- but one thing is clearly evident. They'll be talking about THAT later.]
EJ: I um…
MM: Basically, we're focused on the movie right now. The big L.A. premiere is this week- she's got a bunch of interviews and press to do. That's what's next with us.
I meant privately.
MM: You know we don't talk about our private lives. That's what tabloids are for. [He takes her hand and it seems to be more in comfort this time. Another question successfully dodged.]
Certainly talked enough about it on the album.
MM: That's what I do. I get it off my chest in rhyme.
Well- one thing's for certain. I know there a lot of people hating on you two- calling you out, sayin' you're not really together… But as for me? I was a believer before but now I know. Sitting in this room, I am in the presence of great love.
EJ: Thank you, so much, for saying that. Ya know- it used to bother me, what people said about me- or us. People called me his whore in the beginning- called me a slut who was just sleeping with people I thought would help my career or image. Fuck- if I was doing THAT, why would I have picked HIM?
MM: Gee- Babe. Thanks.
EJ: You know what I mean. I could have gone after a big movie producer or something- not a controversial white wannabe! [She laughs and he sticks his tongue out at her. She tries to bite it, which is again, something I wouldn't mind seeing.] But seriously- all the things people said- yeah. It hurt- at first. But ya know what I realized?
MM: Oh, this is good. Tell 'em.
What?
EJ: It dawned on me, one night while reading a particularly vicious article about me, that the only reason why those people were saying all that shit about me was because they were jealous.
Jealous?
EJ: Yeah- they're just jealous because I'm the one fucking him and they aren't. Doesn't matter who he's with- whoever it is, is gonna get hate letters from girls who claim to be his next wife. They have to make themselves feel better about not having such a great guy- so they make me out to a bitch or whore to give themselves comfort at the end of the day… maybe that's the real motivation for me behind "Heat"- to put out an album spitting I their faces. I mean- the moaning tracks on there weren't fake.
WHAT?!
EJ: Well- for the most part. I mean- not to imply we were goin' at it in the studio to record. But- once you've been taken to the heights of ecstasy- it's not hard to recall the experience and replicate the sounds in front of a mic.
MM: [Staring at her disbelievingly] I take you to the 'heights of ecstasy', Baby?
EJ: Huh? [She turns to him and doesn't miss a beat before saying] Yeah. Sure. Yup. [Then she breaks out in laughter, kissing his hurt face and adds] Of course you do, Baby. Every time. So all those liars can go suck a dick because I get to suck his and they don't!
MM: I can't believe you just said that! Maybe we should take you home before you go giving away your cell phone number…
Well… it certainly has been enlightening. Any last words?
EJ: He's right. I've said too much. Just go see the movie if you can handle it.
MM: Hmm… I think I'll go with my ho, here, and say it's a great movie that'll give everyone something, we hope. And if you don't like us or wanna talk shit about us- you can go suck a dick 'cause we-
EJ & MM: Just don't give a fuuuuuck! [They say together in true Eminem fashion.]
-Jane Jones, Rolling Stone Magazine
THE END
Author: crazyevildru@yahoo.com
These stories are for entertainment purposes only. They are completely fictitious, and the authors mean no harm to EMINEM, his family, friends, or anyone else that may have been depicted as a 'real life' character. No money was made on the fiction here, either directly or indirectly, i.e. paid advertising. In other words - it's just a bunch of shit we wrote for fun. Please don't take it seriously.