3/19/07, 3:02 am EST

The Definitive Guide to Episodes Nine and Ten!

“EPISODE NINE: NATIONAL LAMPOON”

ACT ONE

With two weeks left before a winner is decided, the kids are given their last assignments — news stories for the National Affairs section of the magazine. They meet with editor Eric Bates to discuss ideas. Eric tells the kids they’ll be going out into the field to report on companies that RS has determined are the country’s worst polluters.

Russell’s assignment is to cover Peabody Coal; Colin’s is Exxon Mobil; Tika’s is ASARCO (a smelting and refining company). As soon as Tika starts making calls, she feels as though she hit a wall with the company’s PR department, so she tries going through other channels and arranges to travel to El Paso for research-gathering. She finds a woman from the community who offers to take her down to Mexico to see some of the plants first-hand.

Krystal is completely disinterested in the project. She’s been assigned to work on the Southern Company, one of the largest electricity generators in the country. Rather than start working, she RSVP’s to a Victoria’s Secret “pajama party” at the Chelsea Piers.

Krish makes contact with someone at Tyson Chicken about getting information on how waste from their chicken slaughterhouses affect the quality of life of the people who live nearby.

Pete makes plans to visit Corpus Christi to research Koch Industries, a petro-chemical refinery.

Meanwhile, Krystal meets with Eric to try and talk her way out of doing the National Affairs piece. After offering to work with her on it and help her get comfortable covering this kind of item, he agrees to take her off the story.

Russell meets with Joe to discuss traveling to Kentucky for a fact-finding mission for his Peabody Coal piece. Joe informs him that he will not be allowed to travel to Kentucky as punishment for two months of inappropriate and unprofessional behavior at the magazine.

Freed from working on a National Affairs piece, Krystal attends the Victoria’s Secret pajama party, where she’s treated like a VIP. She convinces the event’s publicist to walk her down the red carpet so people will “know who she is.” She eats it up.

ACT TWO

Krish arrives in Owensboro, Kentucky, to continue work on her Tyson Chicken story. She and environmentalist Aloma Dew drive around the town as Krish takes notes about the profusion of “chicken houses” in Owensboro. She visits local resident Bernadette Edwards to interview her about the impact the houses have had on her.

Colin touches down in Cordova, Alaska, where he meets with scientist Dr. Riki Ott to do research on the Exxon Valdez oil spill. Ott discusses the history of the notorious 1989 oil spill, and Colin heads out to the water to see the damage himself.

Back in NYC, Russell hands in his story on Peabody Coal to Eric. Eric says he missed the crux of the assignment.

Pete arrives in Corpus Christi, Texas, to meet with local residents and discuss Koch’s impact on the community. He meets with a group of Corpus Christi citizens who tell him that cancer is like an epidemic in the immediate environs of the refinery.

Tika heads to El Paso, Texas, to cover ASARCO and meets with one of the company’s representatives, who assures her that all precautions have been taken to keep ASARCO’s functioning “above board.” Tika travels across the border to talk to residents in a Mexican border town, where local activist Mariana Chew tells her the ground is toxic because of ASARCO’s manufacturing practices.

Back in New York, Krystal attends Paris Hilton’s record release party, meets Kathy Hilton and poses for a picture with Paris.

Colin, Tika, Krish and Pete wrap up their journeys and begin plotting how to tackle the writing end of the pieces. They’ve all come away from the experience with a profound attachment to their subjects. They turn in their pieces.

Eric meets with Joe to talk about how the stories turned out, informing him that Krystal refused even to attempt the story, and that Russell, while proving again that he’s a good writer, didn’t follow the directives of the assignment. Both Colin and Tika turned in drafts that needed a lot of work, but Krish and Pete did well with their subjects and showed their passion for the topics.

Joe meets with the kids to praise them for their efforts and remind them that this piece was their last chance to prove themselves to RS.

“ROLLING STONE OR ROLLING HOME”

ACT ONE

Russell regales random kids on the street with a tale about a book he wrote that he lost when he was drunk. He informs them that he’s in the running to win a position at Rolling Stone as part of a competition, that he’s the best writer of the group but also the craziest. Then he and his buddy Jose make their way to a church in Times Square so that Russell can “take a picture of God.”

On their way to a party, Pete and Krystal discuss life after the show…Pete says that assuming he doesn’t win a gig at RS, he’ll try and get work at another magazine. Krystal jokes that her only talent is for attending parties and admits that she didn’t do as much writing as she should’ve during her stint.

The next day, Joe drops in on the kids in the fishbowl to let them all know that the following day a decision will be made regarding who has won the opportunity to stay on as a contributing editor.

Colin talks about his uncertainty as a real contender in the competition.

Russell’s friend Jose eats lunch with Krish and Krystal and asks them how they’re feeling about the final announcement. Krish says she “hates competition” and thinks it’s “tacky.” Later, Krish says she thinks RS needs her and that if given the job, she’d be filling a void in the magazine with her knowledge of hip-hop.

Pete approaches Jann about possibilities for an internship at the magazine after the contest ends — assuming he isn’t selected. Jann says it’s worth discussing and he’ll consider it.

Tika says she’d be shocked if she did not win the competition. Her mother and aunt visit her in the city, and they talk about her battle plan for after the show. She tells them she still has her job from before the competition, and that she’d like to freelance. Her mother is not encouraging, but says she’s proud of her.

Russell airs his regrets about handling his responsibilities during the course of the show. He talks to his friend Nicole about being anxious for the decision to be made so he can stop stressing about it. She suggests that he show up the following day looking nice and convincing the editors that he cares about the job.

ACT TWO

The big day arrives and all the kids head into work…except for Russell, who’s still asleep on the floor of his apartment.

Joe pops his head into the fishbowl, acknowledges Russell’s absence, and tells the rest of the kids that they’ll gather them up with Jann and have the announcement for them in an hour.

Russell hops in a cab and heads to the office, still convinced that he might have a shot at the job.

At the office, Jann meets with Joe, Will, Eric and Jason to discuss the final verdict. Jann polls the editors on the kids’ abilities, progress and potential, and each kid is analyzed in depth. As the kids await the decision, they dance and drink in the fishbowl.

ACT THREE

Jann and Joe enter the fisbbowl to announce the winner. They applaud the kids for all the work they did in their months at the magazine, and proceed to eliminate each writer one by one until the winner is all who remains.

Krystal is the first to go . . .

Next is Colin . . .

Then Russell . . .

Then Tika . . .

Then Pete . . .

. . . . and the winner is . . . . KRISH!

3/9/07, 5:18 pm EST

“I’m From Rolling Stone” Exposes America’s Eco-Disasters

As a companion to “Boss Hog,” an article by Jeff Tietz that exposes America’s top hog producer and also one our worst polluters, we sent members of the I’m From Rolling Stone cast into the field to document other eco-disasters. The result is a series of four reports from around the country, published exclusively on RollingStone.com. Check ‘em out, and if you’ve missed any of the episodes, read our definitive episode guides.

• The Dark Side of Kentucky: Krishtine de Leon Reports From the Tyson Chicken Fields
• The Dark Side of the Rio Grande: Tika Milan Reports on Asarco’s Texas Refinery
• The Dark Side of Alaska: Colin Stutz Reports From the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill
• The Dark Side of Texas: Pete Maiden Reports on Corpus Christi’s Koch Industries

3/5/07, 2:44 am EST

The Definitive Guide to Episode Eight: “All Night Long”

ACT ONE

Kids sit in on a production meeting to talk about the Fall Music Preview. Tika pipes up with an idea for a story about the “Chicken Noodle Soup” dance craze. Pete talks about how Lionel Richie is a pop star capable of uniting the Sunnis and Shiites in the Middle East, where he has a huge fan base. Jason wonders where Russell is. Jenny asks Colin if he’s seen him, but no one has.

Downtown, Russell is asleep. He rolls out of bed just before 11, and writes Joe a note saying he doesn’t feel good and isn’t coming in, then ponders why music journalism matters in the first place. He speaks about his frustration with his Lupe Fiasco piece, and how his attempts to invite political debate into a standard profile were thwarted.

Back at the office, Tika starts putting out calls for interviews for her trend piece. She’s also been assigned to interview Ice Cube about his new album. Pete, meanwhile, interviews a club owner in Dubai.

That night Jenny stops over to Russell to talk to him about his antics. Russell says he feels like a parody of himself. She tells him she believes in him.

The next morning, Russell pitches a story about Method Man’s new album, which the editors receive well.

Tika gets on the phone with Ice Cube, but after a few questions that seem to go nowhere, she ends the conversation feeling like it didn’t go as well as she would’ve liked.

Russell heads to the hotel where Method Man is staying to do a face-to-face interview. He asks about Wu Tang and new material. Method Man compares Wu Tang without ODB to chess with a penny instead of a pawn, to which Russell replies that it’s easier if you use checkers, because they’re easier to pick up. They end their interview with an arm wrestle, which Russell loses.

ACT TWO

Tika hasn’t heard back from anyone regarding her Chicken Noodle Soup story and her deadline is looming. She’s very frustrated and disappointed. Meanwhile, Pete heads to a hotel to meet with Lionel Richie.

Richie greets him warmly and the two discuss the strange popularity Richie enjoys in Iraq and the Middle East. Richie says that he got a call from someone on Nightline who’d done a report which revealed that Sunnis and Kurds agreed on nothing except their love for Lionel Richie songs. Richie says he thinks that the songs are about love and that those things transcend politics. Pete suggests that when things settle down, Richie should do a big concert in Iraq. Overall the interview goes really well. Pete is beaming — Richie is the most famous person he’s ever met.

Back at the office, Jason checks in with the kids on the status of their stories. Tika admits that she’s had difficulty getting anyone to respond to her requests for an interview. Pete tells the group how well his Lionel Richie interview went.

Jason speaks separately with Russell and says that if he can turn something around quickly, they might be able to run something short in the magazine that’s closing that week.

Tika keeps her nose to the grindstone, trying to get a few quotes for her piece. She gets through to a radio DJ but is disconnected twice and her frustration mounts. She goes to speak with Alex. Tika says Cube didn’t share anything exciting. Alex tells her that it’s not Ice Cube’s job to provide an interesting interview; Tika has to find the angle, do the research and craft something worth reading. Tika walks away stressed and confused.

Russell decides the best way to ensure that his Method Man piece gets done is to stay the night at the Rolling Stone offices. He likens the job of a journalist to the job of a criminal — you do things you aren’t supposed to do. He prances around the empty office smoking, talking to himself in the mirror and dedicating his work to Hunter S. Thompson.

At home, Tika labors over her Ice Cube item, saying it’s a tough job but it’s what she wants to do and she’s willing to get three hours of sleep a night every night to make sure she does it well.

In the early morning, Russell is still wandering around the building, musing on whether or not he’s cut out for a real job. He raids the kitchenette for beer, which he drinks out of a cognac glass. He says he’s confident that it will all come together in the thirteenth hour.

ACT THREE

Krystal comes into the office and finds Russell in the fishbowl. She asks why he’s wearing the same clothes. He says he slept in the office last night. Russell goes to Jason and says the Method Man piece is finished but requires some cleaning up. Jason says he can send it to him, then looks askance at his rumpled suit, knowing that he’s been there all night.

Tika checks in with David Swanson to tell him that she still hasn’t been able to get quotes for the Chicken Noodle Soup piece. He tells her that he’s counting on it, and if they don’t have quotes they can’t run the piece. She walks away upset, saying she’s been overwhelmed with the amount of work.

Pete goes over some revisions on his Lionel Richie piece with his mentor, Brian, who is encouraging and helpful. Back in the fishbowl, Russell continues to get drunk, then asks the other kids, “What’s something crazy I could do right now?” They look at each other and roll their eyes.

Russell finds a willing intern to spoon with him on the couch outside of Jann’s office, but the cuddle session is quickly broken up when a building security guard tells them they have to go their separate ways.

He goes and finds Jenny, and tells her that he’s unhinged. Jenny tells him that she’s mortified by his behavior. As Russell strolls past Jason’s office, Jason calls out to say that the piece is a mess. Russell wanders off with his tail between his legs

Pete meets with Jason to go over the Lionel Richie piece. Jason is very encouraging and says he likes the piece. Pete’s ecstatic.

Tika and Alex go over her Ice Cube article. Alex decides to kill the article entirely.

Joe, Jason and Alex review Tika’s work thus far. Jason says he feels she gets lazy with some of her reporting, Alex thinks she’s just gotten overwhelmed and isn’t great at juggling more than one project at a time.

Tika speaks to her father on the phone, questioning whether she’s just not up to the job.

Russell and Jenny go out for a cigarette to talk about his most recent screw-ups. Russell tells her he thinks he has a chemical imbalance, and again airs his frustration with his consistently self-destructive tendencies.

After a few edits, Russell’s Method Man item runs on the Web site, but not in the magazine.

Neither Tika’s Ice Cube story nor her Chicken Noodle Soup story get published.

Pete’s Lionel Richie piece is printed in the magazine and well-received.

2/26/07, 2:15 am EST

The Definitive Guide to Episode Seven: “Lupe and Other Fiascoes”

ACT ONE

Joe, Jason and associate editor David Swanson meet with the kids and ask for pitches. Russell talks about Chicago rapper Lupe Fiasco, saying he’s heard four tracks from the as-yet uncompleted album. Joe assigns it to him.

Krystal pitches Brook Hogan, to which Jason immediately responds that a piece on her might warrant a blog item, nothing more.

Krish pitches the new artist Cassie, whose MySpace page is hugely popular and who has just signed with Bad Boy records. Jason and Joe both agree she’s the perfect subject. Krish is pleased.

Krish goes back to the fishbowl and interviews Cassie on the phone while Tika and Krystal try to do their work. She hangs up and brags that Cassie would’ve wanted to talk to her forever.

Russell strolls through the office with his new attaché case and runs into his mentor, Jenny, who seems unimpressed. She advises him to a) turn in his Lupe Fiasco story and b) not leave at 5:30. He walks away muttering, “This is whack.”

In the fishbowl, Krystal works on her Brook Hogan blog item, which focuses on the pop-tart’s affinity for grillz. Krish offers to help her drop some hip-hop references into the piece.

That night, Krish is home laboring over her Cassie piece. She speaks about how hard she plans to work in the remaining weeks and that nothing is going to get in the way of her accomplishing her goals.

The next day, the pieces are all due. (more…)

2/19/07, 2:30 am EST

The Definitive Guide to Episode Six: “Time to Flip the Script”

ACT ONE

Monday…Krish finds out that her mother sent in the rent check two weeks late and yells at her on the phone, saying that she’s sick of her being financially irresponsible with her money. After hanging up, she explains that she doesn’t just want the job at Rolling Stone — she needs it.

Krish sits in with Joe, national affairs editor Eric Bates and managing editor Will Dana to pitch ideas. None of her pitches are met with enthusiasm. She returns to the fishbowl to vent, and considers pitching the ideas to other magazines.

Joe visits the fishbowl to inform the kids that two of them will be sent to cover Lollapalooza in Chicago. The selection will be determined by pitches all six kids submit proposing the best way to cover the fest. Pitches are due the following morning at 10:30 sharp. (more…)