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May 6, 2000
TV - it's in her genes
By BILL BRIOUX
Amber Allicock-Hawtin gets a lot of that. The tall, 17-year-old Wexford Collegiate student is following in the footsteps of her famous mom -- radio and TV talk show host Jane Hawtin. Amber is one of three co-hosts for t3 (Teen Tribute Television), which debuts on Global tomorrow at 2 p.m. "I've always wanted to be an actress, and I go to a performing arts school," Allicock-Hawtin says. "So I get a lot of training there, but I guess it must be a little genetic." Amber shares hosting duties with two other teens, classmate Travis Blackman and Corrina Keeling. The three are joined by several other teen reporters in a fast-paced half hour aimed at the most fickle of TV viewers, teenagers. There's a lot of emphasis on music and entertainment, with up-close interviews with the likes of Enrique Iglesias and Boomtang Boys. However, karate lessons, electric-car rides and issues such as the impact of divorce on teens also finds a forum on t3. "There's a lot of input from us, the three hosts," Allicock-Hawtin says. "Teens really want to get their say, and there just aren't that many shows out there that allow us to voice our opinions." Despite her poise both on and off camera, Allicock-Hawtin is typical of her age group. Asked to name her favourite TV shows, she's stumped. "I don't watch a lot of TV, except maybe The Young And The Restless, which I've been watching since I was two. My mom got me hooked." Jane Hawtin, who's not just Amber's mom but also her executive producer, shakes her head. She noticed a big change in Amber and her friends when they hit high school, and always hoped she'd find a way to tap into it. "It was so astonishing to have my house filled with all these talented people who were singing, dancing and being opinionated," Hawtin says. Through her own production house, Electric Entertainment, Hawtin decided to test this teen talent pool. She teamed up with Teen Tribute magazine on the eight-episode series, which runs through the summer. "You need support from somewhere else to bring the eyeballs. They've got the Web site and the contests. We're going to be offering incredible prizes all summer long." She nervously auditioned her daughter along with 70 or 80 other hopefuls, most of whom also attend performance schools. "Amber had to cut it as well," Hawtin says. "I was terrified all through the audition -- please let her be good." Turns out, Amber is a natural. "If she'd been nervous, I'd never have encouraged it," says Hawtin, who also has a younger son, Skyler. "But she always seemed so comfortable with herself." In fact, Amber began reporting at age 12, occasionally stringing for her mother at CFRB. She also dabbled in reporting at Owl magazine. Hawtin has no anxieties about opening the TV door to Amber. "My only concern was that someone might say something negative about her because they don't like me." Amber says that has never happened. "My friends think she's pretty cool." However, it was a bit much when her mom's pictures were plastered all over TTC buses last year. "It was a bit of a nightmare," Amber says. "I couldn't get away from her -- those eyes beating down on me." |
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