Friday was the second time that I had been on The Today Show, but the first time that I was in the studio to do the segment. Back in July, when I was on the show they had filmed at my home, via satellite.
At the crack of dawn, I was greeted by a camera crew and had to force myself to look wide-awake even though I had only slept an hour the night before. The kids’ infant years had trained me well for such a task. This time, I was flown to NBC studios in New York and treated to the total experience. Friends and relatives have asked me, “What goes on behind the scenes?” So, to answer those inquiring minds, here’s the low-down.
I was called by a producer at The Today Show at 2:30pm on Thursday and asked if I could catch a flight right away. Being a girl who loves spontaneity (and of course, doesn’t mind the limelight either) I jumped at the opportunity. When I went to go pack, instead of it being a methodical choice about what I need to bring, I was throwing things in my suitcase at a frantic pace. My mind raced…“What looks good on camera? What is clean? What still fits?” That was about all the time I had to reflect on what to bring because I would need to get through rush hour traffic to make it to the airport with ample time to make it through security for my full body cavity search. My heart rate finally got back to normal as the flight crew sealed the doors for departure. On the flight, I made notes about points I would try to make during the debate with the other guest. (Knowing full well that even though I have responses crafted to things they may ask, most of what I had prepared to say will be next to impossible to retrieve once the camera is rolling.) I arrived at JFK airport at 9:00pm and as I was coming down the escalator to baggage claim (with my fingers crossed, praying that my luggage had also arrived or I would be forced to wear the summer dress I had been wearing for the past thirteen hours…which, was now laden with peanuts and cracker crumbs) I spotted a limo driver holding a sign with my name displayed. I brushed off my dirty dress and said, “That’s me!” Talk about feeling like a rock star. Okay, maybe not a rock star because their was no entourage or cheering fans, but to this stay-at-home Mom, it was pretty exciting. He whisked me away to my hotel, which was located a block or so from Rockefeller Plaza.
Daylight came too fast and although I was hoping that I would get a full night sleep before the show, again, my adrenaline rush had me tossing and turning. That, coupled with the fact that they had asked me to arrive at the studio without make-up, because they would have a professional doing that for me. I kept having the vision that I would arrive at the studio without a trace of color on my face and would find out that my segment was moved up and they would be dragging me onto the set kicking and screaming because make-up is my friend and constant companion. However, when I arrived at 7:00am, and made my way through the crowd who was gathered to hear Martina McBride play in the Friday Concert series, there were no last minute schedule changes. They escorted me to the “Green Room” (which consequently isn’t green) and there were a few other guests gathered who were also going to be on the show. They had a huge spread of goodies, but my stomach warned me to stay away from food. Yes, I must have been nervous if I declined to eat doughnuts and croissants. Al Roker strolled into the room and grabbed some coffee and said hello. He is just as jovial and friendly in person as he is on the show. Actually, come to think about it, everybody I met couldn’t have been more genuine and charismatic; from the producers to the interns. The time flew by and before I knew it, they had me up in make-up to apply the “spackle” I so desperately needed. Minutes before the segment, Ann Curry, myself, and the gentleman I would be debating on the topic all gathered to introduce ourselves. Although I have done live television before, I always get butterflies as they are weaving the microphone under my blazer and the cameras are jockeying into position. The four- minute segment felt more like forty seconds. It was over in a flash. Ann was a great moderator, although many were miffed that she seemed to not stay neutral in the debate and agree with more of what I had to say…could you blame the woman?
After the segment I was wiped. It could have been from the mental sparing or it could have been that my three hours of sleep were catching up to me. I returned to the hotel and fielded calls and e-mails from family and friends. (You know I was tired if I gave up shopping on 5th Avenue in exchange for trying to catch up on sleep.) The driver was back to take me to the airport and after many hours of travel, I was back in Orlando.
I loved the experience. It was fast-paced; excitement filled and my only regret was that my family couldn’t be there with me!
Just about all of what was said on show during the segment was predictable and "safe". Ann Cury was definitely poised to take one side and dominate the discussion while hammering home her point of view without allowing the guests to speak. There was not any true discussion of the topic, just a lot of defending one's stance. The Gentleman was not allowed to complete any of his points during the discussion which is pretty typical in this type of format. Rachel was well spoken and made a great point of stating that on-the-job training is the most effective way of learning these skills.
I think that any follow-up segments on this topic should include an actual student who has chosen this course of study. Lets hear from them instead of experts and Talk Show hosts. So often women shout from the mountain tops about their rights, their choices and their freedoms, yet when a woman chooses to take the path of something outside the path of what the NOW gang or feminists approve of, they are chastised and belittled for it. It seems to me that the most liberal position would be to allow and applaud every woman's right, ability and ultimate decision to choose her path for herself.
And by the way, I think the degree is ludicrous. A better idea would be to offer Financial Management, Time Management, Child Psychology, Life Management, and Coaching skills for Parents. (Primarily for Women as they are the ones who really mangage the home... and should be since they are so much better at it than Men.)
Posted by: Pattad Lindeer | August 27, 2007 at 07:13 AM