A tiny tie!
I did a double take when I saw what Patrick Elwood was wearing today. His 9-year-old son Marty had picked out his tie. Not one of Pat’s ties. His tie. At least it wasn’t a clip-on! No one could tell it was a child’s tie on television because he had his jacket buttoned for the newscast. Patrick is never short on love for his children.
Thanks to great communities like Glendale Heights!
What a thrill today to hear that our Fox Chicago / Jewel-Osco Food Drive during Hunger Action Month raised nearly $2 million in donations! Given our current economic climate, we didn’t expect to surpass last year’s total of $1.3 million. It’s heartwarming to know that people care about others even when they may also be in need.
Last month, Patrick Elwood and I met some amazing people while covering the food drive. From the man in Northwest Indiana who came out to donate a single can of beans to another man in the Southwest suburbs who added a single box of cereal, every little donation clearly added up.
All of it will benefit the Greater Chicago Food Depository, Northern Illinois Food Bank, Food Bank of Northwest Indiana, Midwest Food Bank and River Bend Food Bank where volunteers have seen demand about double over the past year.
Patrick and I proudly display the big check with our friends from Jewel-Osco & the Northern IL Food Bank.
To everyone who volunteered, to all the businesses that donated goods by the truckloads, to those who came out to donate into the bins during our live segments and to the countless others who donated during checkout at Jewel-Osco, THANK YOU!!!
Eek, where'd my earring go?
Somewhere between the Northwest suburbs and downtown Chicago this morning, I lost one of my earrings. I didn’t notice until just before the News at Noon. For some reason, I had just one spare pair in my locker and they were too bohemian for the argyle sweater I wore today.
I just went without. But my Fox Chicago colleagues were happy to weigh-in on my dilemma:
Hair spray: No help at all today!
Most Chicagoans know the Windy City nickname is linked to blathering politicians and not the weather. But today, we had very windy weather in the Windy City making it tough to look composed while I reported outside the Willis Tower. Soon after my first live report at 6:30 this morning, a viewer commented on twitter, “I can see from your hair that it’s very windy outside. Don’t blow away!”
It’s tough to control the elements but our Fox Chicago crews do what they can to deal with them. Camerman Stuart Orlin (who’s camera shy) used sand bags to keep the light stand from blowing over. Then, he positioned me behind the live truck so it would block most of the wind. But that meant I had to stand on the light kit box since I was down on the street and Stuart was shooting from the sidewalk.
Making the best of a windy situation.
He couldn’t do anything about the gusts swirling around the skyscrapers. For me, that meant hair flying everywhere and many strands getting caught in my lip gloss.
The wind is nothing compared to the elements we’ll have to deal with in just a few more weeks.
ABC7's Charles Thomas doesn't need hair spray.
Snow and sub-freezing temperatures are far tougher to work in. Many of us will be breaking out the parkas and serious winter gear soon.
As I messed with my messy hair, ABC7′s Charles Thomas stopped by the truck to say hello. Of course, he never has to worry about his hair blowing around.
Former Olympians Bob Beamon & Michael Bennett talked about the value of healthy competition.
My assignment for our extensive Fox Chicago coverage of the Chicago Olympic bid had me on the South Side this morning, Reavis Elementary School is just steps away from Washington Park where an Olympic Stadium would’ve been built for the 2016 summer games. It is not to be.
Before the devastating news of Chicago’s ouster in the first round of IOC voting, nearly 400 kids heard from former Olympians Bob Beamon and Michael Bennett. Beamon won gold in the long jump at the ’68 games in Mexico City and Bennett was captain of the US Olympic boxing team during the 2000 games in Sydney.
Reavis students cheer for the winning city, Rio de Janiero!
A viewing party was planned and timed for the big announcement just before lunchtime. No one expected Chicago to get voted out before the kids would even make it to the school auditorium. As the news spread through the school, Principal Michael Johnson decided to go ahead with the assembly as a Chicago Public School official told me, “This is an ideal teaching moment,”
When I asked student Nicholas Holas what he learned from the entire process, he was smiling as he said, “You win some, you lose some. It’s only important that you do your best.” Chicago is already a city of winners.
Patrick Elwood was back at work today and just about everyone involved in Fox Chicago News at Noon asked him, “Did you see Dr. Oz filling in for you yesterday?”
Dr. Oz did a great job and the studio crew loved him. He even called Patrick’s cell phone to leave a message about co-anchoring with me! I think it all got Patrick’s Irish up:
My "co-anchor" today, Dr. Oz!
You never know what might happen during a live newscast. Today, I was supposed to anchor Fox Chicago News at Noon by myself. And Dr. Oz was supposed to come on as a guest. He’s the doctor who now has his own program on Fox after becoming a household name on “The Oprah Winfrey Show”.
Dr. Oz showed up early for his segment. He’s a great guy – very friendly and at ease with everyone in the studio. During a commercial break, he plopped down in the chair where Patrick Elwood usually sits so I joked that he should just fill-in as my co-anchor.
The studio crew scrambled to rework the show and before you knew it, he was on the air announcing, “Patrick is sick today so the doctor is in!” It was great fun to have him join me for two segments of the show.
I asked Dr. Oz if he’s ever considered doing broadcast news. He was quick to say no but he enjoys television. His true passion is medicine so his new show allows him to dabble in both. And still have time to help me out… at least, for today.
Patrick Elwood: Always ready to chase a good story.
Before we anchor Fox Chicago News at Noon, Patrick Elwood and I usually cover stories for “Good Day Chicago”. That means a lot of running around town. Well, Pat showed up for work today wearing some interesting new shoes.
Exhibit "A".
I wasn’t the only one to mistake them for bowling shoes. They’re not. Pat loves that they’re flexible and far more comfortable than dress shoes. The rubber soles are perfect for chasing after whatever story comes his way.
People in the newsroom were eager to share their thoughts on Pat’s shoes:
David Novarro, ignoring the "funny face" cue from floor director Jacques Eady.
Among the many people you usually don’t see on the air during a newscast is the floor director. This person is like a field general in the studio – making sure we are in place, pointing us to the right cameras, letting us know about show changes, etc.
This morning for “Good Day Chicago”, David Novarro and I worked with Jacques Eady. He’s a proud graduate of the University of Notre Dame and he loves floor directing because “everyday is different and exciting”. Jacques understands the importance of the job, noting “I am the conduit between the director, producer and the talent to make sure everyone knows what we’re doing.”
Mark Strehl signals for a particular weather graphic.
Since we are on the air while things change, many of our cues are hand gestures. You can imagine the fun we often have without saying a thing. Some floor directors use cue cards that may say “:30″, “stretch” or “wrap”. Others use fairly universal hand signals. If we work with someone new, we may try to go over that person’s signals before the newscast.
Sondra Solarte makes a "T" sign for the "Traffic Times" graphic.
When meteorologist Mark Strehl and traffic reporter Sondra Solarte aren’t on camera, they are likely gesturing during their updates in order to cue their various video sources and graphics. It’s always fun to watch them from over at the news set. They are pretty adept at changing things up quickly since their alloted time can fluctuate.
I think David Novarro wants me to steal second base!
Many people who come to visit the studio comment about the “show behind the show”. Viewers see a lot of fun on the air because we are having fun and truly enjoy working together.
How about a high five?
What Chicago Olympic bid? What healthcare debate? There’s a chicken on the loose at Concordia University Chicago!!! When I considered this assignment for “Good Day Chicago” this morning, I was concerned it would be like a wild goose chase. But minutes after arriving at the school, students were asking “Are you here for the chicken? Please don’t take him away!” There were “Save the Chicken” signs all over campus and students were more than happy to flush the guy out for an appearance on live television:
Alright, it may not be the most hard-hitting story. But within an hour of the report, I had quite a few emails, messages and tweets about the chicken. Several viewers said, “Thanks, I needed that good laugh this morning.” Steve wrote, “I have had the worst month of my life. I’m losing my house and lost my job. I haven’t found anything funny lately but that chicken story you just did made me laugh so hard!” A viewer named Mike said, “Been miserable for several days but laughed my butt off with that chicken report.”
I’ll take covering a chicken over death and destruction anytime.
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