While most of me is back from Disneyland lag (which is worse than jet lag, because your feet hurt AND you have Disney Christmas parade music stuck in your head), I thought I would write in my blog about what's been going on the past week.
I actually didn't go to my KCSN shift this week because I went to Disneyland on Monday and I would have been WAY too tired to go. But I will have two shifts to talk about next week, so stay tuned!
Thankfully, I was able to register today for all of my classes next semester! I was worried that I wasn't going to get into my Reporting for Broadcast class, but luckily I woke up right at 6:00am and added them quickly...it really is a rat race to get into classes in the Cal State system.
My internship was great last week at KABC-TV. I was actually the only intern there...I guess people didn't come because it was a holiday weekend. Nevertheless, I had a fun time at the station because everyone was in a cheery holiday mood. It was interesting because most of the stories had to do with sales during Black Friday. At the end of my shift, I met reporter Rob Hayes in Woodland Hills near the Topanga Mall to give him a clip reel. He kind of did an "anti-Black Friday" story and showed how some people had fun that didn't involve shopping. For his live shot, he stood in front of a new outdoor ice skating rink.:
Other than that, I had a great day at Disneyland with Brad yesterday. I hadn't been to Disneyland around holiday time for a while now, so it was refreshing to see how gorgeous it was decorated. Plus, I loved meeting Mickey and seeing the Disney Christmas parade and seeing the Fireworks Spectacular! Until next time, -Brittany
Play Review: "How the Grinch Stole Christmas- The Musical"
No Christmas festivities could be complete without the Grinch! Many grow up watching the Chuck Jones special on TV, and this stage version brings the book alive...and then some.
The story is told in the eyes of Max, the Grinch's dog, who now is old and grey and talking about a Christmas from long ago (played by John Larroquette). He introduces the Whos, all looking like they just walked right out of the book. The real treat and reason to see the show is for the Grinch, magnificently played by Stefan Karl. His energy and audience interaction drives the play along. And just like the book, he is ever so determined to stop Christmas.
There are quite a few musical numbers featuring the Whos, and overall, I thought the ensemble was featured a bit too much. Their numbers started getting a tad boring and monotonous at times. I felt like there should have been more character development with the Whos and why they can't stand the Grinch. Also, I felt like there should have been more attention on Cindy Lou-Who, rather than all of the Whos. But hey...it must be pretty hard to translate a children's book into a play and I give the author props for that!
I'm a sucker for musicals and have been a huge theatre geek all my life, and I always love it when newer shows play a tribute to "classic broadway." The Grinch's solo "One of a Kind" is reminiscent of Joel Grey's jazzy routines. And of course, the true show stopper is when Larroquette sings the classic "You're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch," with occasional duets from Young Max (James Royce Edwards) and the Grinch, with flashing visuals of the Grinch stealing gifts and toys from little Whos. The attention to detail from the animated classic and book is great, and the sets really make you feel like you just walked into the pages of the book.
However, the main message from Dr. Seuss remains clear with the interaction between Cindy Lou-Who and the Grinch. Their combination and love makes the play a heartwarming tale for families all over to enjoy the magic of Christmas.
Overall Rating: ****/ ***** (4 out of 5 stars)
"Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas!" Pantages Theatre, 6233 Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood. Performance schedule varies, but includes 7:30 p.m. Tuesdays-Thursdays; 8 p.m. Fridays; and weekend performances at 11 a.m., 2 p.m., 5 p.m. or 8 p.m. Ends Jan. 3. $25 to $100. (800) 982-2787 or www.BroadwayLA.org. Running time: 1 hour, 20 minutes.
Since I last wrote, I feel like this transition into the holidays has made everything about 100 times busier. Now, on top of everything I already have to do, I have "What am I getting him for Christmas? What am I making for Thanksgiving?" at the top of my mind.
KCSN has been going fabulous lately...writing readers is so easy now! I remember in my first couple of shifts, writing more than four seemed like it never would happen. Yesterday, I doubled that to 8. It was actually really funny because I showed up yesterday morning and the door to the KCSN newsroom was locked. I called and the News Director answered. No one except me showed up for the shift, so we literally were a "2 man band." It was interesting because I normally don't get to work with him. A lot of people who do work with him tell me that he really edits their stories, so I was kind of surprised when he said mine were all good and I only needed to add one word into one of them. I think I impressed him :)
KABC-TV has been good too, although it seems that we've been answering a lot of calls from "crazy people" around the time of the holidays. One woman called last week and wanted me to let all of the anchors know that she is sending them cakes...another woman wrote Garth (one of the weather forecasters) a secret admirer note. It's crazy! I also got to help make boxes for ABC7's Spark of Love toy drive. It feels good to help out the community in some way and on my last day, I will probably be helping out at one of their locations.
Oy...I have an even busier week ahead. Thanksgiving is tomorrow, but luckily I've already made my dish (baklava this year). Next Monday I'm going to Disneyland with Brad and on Friday, we're seeing "Mary Poppins" at the Ahmanson Theatre. We're also attending the CSUCI President's Holiday Party next Sunday. All fun, but definitely makes me a tired girl! Lately I've been feeling like an old lady because I've been falling asleep before 9pm.
Hey everyone, Hope you're having a nice Veterans Day. Mine was spent mostly working, but it is nice to have a day to relax during the week...too bad my body feels tricked that it is Sunday instead of Wednesday, making me even less inclined to study for my Problems with Political Economy midterm that's tomorrow! But, I digress...
KCSN was good this week. I wrote about 6 stories....ranging from police chiefs, Cedars-Sinai patients, and the Fort Hood memorial. I thought it was kind of funny that I asked the producer if I could write the Fort Hood memorial story and she didn't know what it was...how could you NOT know what it is, unless you live under a rock? Seriously, my generation scares me sometimes. Other than that, my stories were good.
The only thing I've been worried about lately as far as school goes is whether or not I'll get into the classes I need to next semester. I already have a schedule mapped out and I really hope it works out. I do have a horrible registration date for being a junior, but hopefully luck will be on my side again. I really hope to get into the Television News class...too bad CSUN is only offering one section of it and I'm up against seniors to register for it :(
So last week, I had one of my favorite internship days ever at the station. I sat in-house for most of the day and helped with my usual duties. I actually thought I wasn't going to be sent out with a reporter since I wasn't sent out before lunch. Then, the assignment desk editor asked if I would like to go meet George Pennacchio at the Hollywood and Highland Center to cover the Twilight Tour. Well, naturally I was floored. I've always wanted to watch ABC7's entertainment reporter in action. So I went with another photographer to meet George to do his liveshot in front of the center. I'm actually pretty good friends with George's intern, so I had a lot of fun being with both her and George. We stood as George's bodyguards during his liveshot to make sure that none of the very colorful "characters" interrupted his standup (but the Michael Jackson character did like my shoes!). After that, I decided to stay and help George interview some of the Twilight-crazed teens. I loved watching George's interviewing style--he gets right up in front of people with ease, and he looks so comfortable in front of the camera.
George left after a couple hours and the editors at the station decided to continue the story with another reporter--Subha. I've met her before and she's so nice! We interviewed some of the band members featured on the "Twilight New Moon" soundtrack. Sadly, my favorite band Death Cab for Cutie was there, but for some reason, they did not want to be interviewed or taped by the media. Nevertheless, it was a really cool experience seeing my favorite band perform with my favorite news station. I almost felt like I was dreaming :) Then, the moment had arrived...all of the "Twilight" cast members were onstage! The crowd went wild (especially the other intern and Subha, haha). We also got more teen interviews and were finished around 8:30pm. It was interesting for me to see how the same event can be covered completely different. Yes, the 7:00am- 8:30pm day was pretty intense, but honestly it was SO worth it!
Hey everyone! Hope you had a fun Halloween. I cant believe how fast the semester is coming to an end...I think it's about 5 weeks. On one hand, I'm excited because I can't wait for holiday time (which Starbucks has been reminding me about lately with the red cups). At the same time, I'm nervous about my grades...I mean, I'm doing well in most, but there are some professors who never tell you your grade until the end.
So, KCSN is going great. Thankfully another writer showed up yesterday, so that definitely helped with the flow of the newscasts. I had my first exposure to a writing breaking news that was literally breaking. I have signed up for breaking news alerts from the LA Times in my email inbox. About 10 min before our last broadcast in the morning, I got an email talking about how Mayor Villairagosa had announced the new LAPD police chief. Luckily I checked my email because this story came to my inbox about five minutes before the wire printed. The producer wanted me to write the story, so I just wrote a short reader in less than 5 minutes about the announcement. I felt pretty proud of my breaking news :) I really am looking forward to taking the KCSN class next semester where I hope I can be anchor...or at least an on-the-field reporter.
I also had a fun time at my internship last week. I stayed in-house, but I did get to help a lot with checking up on stories, setting up interview times for reporters, and answering the tip line. It always amazes me to see how important the Assignment Desk people are...we always think it's all the reporters, but without these behind-the-scenes guys, there would be no newscast. I was also given a special assignment by the Managing editor to review a 70-page court case and write a summary...that was LONG, but trying to decode all that lawyer jargon was good experience ( It helps that I'm taking Mass Communication Law and Ethics with my professor who is a lawyer!). My internship advisor also stopped by to say hi with her class that was on a KABC-TV tour, so she was happy to see me in action. Everyone seemed in a good mood because of Halloween :). As always, I learn a lot at the Assignment Desk.
Besides that, my Halloween was great. I find it funny when people think that I was going to party on that day...is that how pathetic my generation has become? Instead, Brad and I volunteered at the Simi Halloween Carnival, which was a lot of fun...I always love giving back to the community. I was Princess Jasmine and I was in charge of a race car game booth, which of course the little boys loved. It was a hectic 4 hours with wall-to-wall people, but it was great fun! Wish I got a picture of it, but I do have a picture of the costume I wore to Starbucks when I opened that morning. I was going for an 80's rockstar, but somehow when I was putting it together, it turned into Hannah Montana, so I went with that.
Anyways, time to get ready for class! Luckily I have a light amount of homework this week...
Hey everyone, Here is my second radio reader about the swine flu vaccine that I wrote a few weeks ago. Man, was it hard to get this interview because healthcare officials are so busy, but luckily with a lot of determination, I got it. Hope you like it!
Again, I've been bad about updating this blog. I swear, it has been on my "to-do" list for about 2 weeks, so here I am. What a busy 2 weeks it has been. I am working, interning, and learning more than ever!
So far, I am really liking the Tuesday KCSN shift. I love the new crew that I get to work with! Yesterday was a little hectic though because 2 writers were absent and one left early, which left me and the producer to do the rest of the show. Luckily, I was able to crank out 7 good stories! I also got the News Director's approval to take the Broadcast News Practicum at the radio station next semester, which means I will be working there for 6 hours. I'm hoping that I can be an anchor or at least an on-air reporter and I am excited for the experience.
Also, I've been doing a lot of news readers for class. I will try to get my second reader up online by this weekend, which is about the H1N1 virus. Today I am interviewing the PIO for the Police station at CSUN about the dangers of texting while driving for college students. I've learned that you really have to be persistent to get the interviews that you want...I must have called this PIO about 5 times before she actually picked up! Plus, it's always good to have a back-up interview, just in case the one you want doesn't work out.
The past two weeks at the station have been great too. My supervisor came back from vacation and it was good to see her back. Now that I've been at the station for quite a bit, calling officials and confirming information is a lot easier. Last Friday, I had a blast because I got to go out with a photographer on 3 news stories!
The first assignment was to visit the Cookie Johnson's new jean company for "women with curves" that was featured on Oprah the previous day. First off, I have to say I never realized how much work goes into making a pair of jeans--especially by introducing a high-quality design that makes women look skinnier. I had a blast interviewing the designer and Cookie about their new company and it turned into a great segment for our news (Plus, I even got props from the writer on my interviewing skills! =] ):
We also attended a Press Conference in Long Beach about a new freeway sign dedication for a fallen officer. Many of the officers had a lot of great things to say about the woman they were honoring and I thought it was a really nice ceremony to commemorate her.
After that, we met reporter Leslie Sykes in Downey to do a story about a new space learning center opening. I always love watching reporters on the scene, but I really admired the way Leslie is so interactive with the camera, which makes it a lot more interesting to watch. She also has a great speaking voice and was a pleasure to watch. I also love watching photographers work their magic and make the story come together through editing. Like Leslie said, they turn "chicken into chicken salad." Haha, she is so funny!
Hi! My name is Brittany Silverstein and I am a 20-year-old journalist that attends California State University, Northridge. My dream is to become a television news reporter/producer one day. Thanks for the follow and I hope you enjoy my blog!
