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Montreal 90210 >> Is local VJ Karina Huber the next Spelling girl? by JON STEFAN TRZCIENSKI
Following brief stints at ABC's World News Tonight and MTV, Huber enjoyed a run of more than a year as the midday VJ on MusiquePlus. After suffering through early criticisms for her on-air difficulties in coping with a second language, the native Montrealer enrolled in intensive French classes and emerged as one of the station's more engaging hosts. With experience both in front of and behind the camera, Huber has also landed supporting parts in the series Student Bodies and the film The Witness Files, local projects slated for export to the U.S. During a visit to Los Angeles last year, Huber encountered the opportunity many budding starlets would die for. In conversing casually with a friend of the family who worked as a producer, Huber passed along a demo tape of her work in Montreal. The producer screened the tape for a friend who, as luck would have it, was Joan Sittenfield, the ex-head of casting at Universal Pictures. Sittenfield was impressed with what she saw and extended an offer to represent her as a manager. After slight coaxing, Huber agreed and returned to L.A. in November to meet with five agencies and the heads of casting at Fox, CBS, ABC and NBC. Interest was great, so she decided to make the permanent move to California earlier this month--just in time for "pilot season," the frenzied few weeks where auditions are vast for new fall programs. The inside word is that Huber has been pegged as the next "Spelling girl," a rumour that has emerged from the very real interest Spelling Entertainment has expressed in her talents. "Nooooo!" she yelps, turning bright crimson. "No confirmation... I met with Spelling casting, and they called my manager back and said I was definitely 'Spelling material,'" she explains. "They want me to audition again." This begs the question: does she envision herself most as a Donna, a Kelly or a Brenda type? "Oh God," she laughs, "Brenda was a bitch, so I liked that... I mean, she had the most interesting role." With rolling eyes and a valley-girl drawl, she emphasizes, "Definitely not Donna."
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Asked why she doesn't figure to become yet another waitress working in Hollywood, Karina Huber laughs and responds without batting an eye. "I know that I work hard at something when I want it," she muses, "and I feel secure heading out to L.A. with an agent and manager and auditions lined up." She pauses for an instant, then suggests that with half the battle won, "the question becomes, 'can I deliver?'"