TV superstar!

Just got back from taping and watching the CJOH news at noon segment. It was SO MUCH fun! I mean, even if it weren’t being filmed for TV broadcast, I could have sat around and chewed the fat with Andrea (and her gorgeous daughters) and Robyn and the ridiculously charismatic Leanne Cusack and the patient and friendly Dan the camera man all day long. Nicest people in the city of Ottawa, IMHO.

Got the day off to a rolicking start by realizing after I had left the house and pulled into traffic that I had no idea where I was going, so back to the house, wade through the snowdrifts and soak my cuffs again, crank up the laptop and find Andrea’s address. Then I got to her neighbourhood, and they’re doing snow removal on her street, so I have to go around and make a loop and find my way in through the back way, but I’m stuck behind the plow and miss her house and have to do an 800-point-turn between 2-metre-icebanks to get turned around, and then drive through a 20 cm windrow of frozen slush just to get into her driveway. By this point my blood pressure is already about double normal and I’m endlessly grateful that Andrea suggested we meet a bit early to chat and warm up (or, in my case, decompress) before the camera crew arrives.

But as soon as I start chatting with Andrea, whom I’ve met before, and Robyn, who is instantly likeable, I know it’s going to be good. Unfortunately, Kristina was so sick she couldn’t make it. We sit for a few minutes in Andrea’s lovely dining room, and discuss her very cool appearance this very week in none other than Reader’s Digest. I mean, you might call me a media slut, but I’ve got a lot to learn from Andrea – she’s a goddess!!

Dan the charming camera man arrives just a few minutes before Leanne. Leanne walks in bearing gifts (chocolate chip cookies, bless her generous heart), and her charisma is so strong that you feel like you are her best friend within two minute of meeting her. She introduces herself and makes a passing reference to how cute Tristan and Simon are, and I am completely in love with her. She obviously has my number – admire my boys and I’m yours forever! I have a moment of panic when I realize that a famous person has been reading my blog. Duh! She’s doing a segment on blogs, of COURSE she’s been to blog.

(Hi, Leanne!!)

Within 20 words, we’re all best friends. It’s just like that – I imagine that most people she interviews feel this way, but she is such a likeable person and so easy to talk to that I feel like we’ve all been girlfriends for years. We get to talking about Greta and Janet Podleski’s cookbooks, and it turns out Janet is not only a friend of Leanne’s, but that Leanne has a trunk load of their latest cookbook Eat, Shrink and Be Merry in the trunk of her car, so she gives us all one. (Unsolicted plug: If you haven’t read LooneySpoons or Crazy Plates or this one – you must try them! They’re my favourite only cookbooks!)

Where was I? Oh yes, basking in the glow of laughter and great conversation. So we do eventually get around to filming the segments, and thanks to Leanne’s easygoing nature and Andrea’s wonderful sense of humour and Robyn’s technical support and the adorable blond girls wandering in and out of the picture, it’s a huge amount of fun. At one point, Leanne is in the middle of saying something into the camera, and (sorry, I can’t remember if it was Emma or Sarah) one of the girls tugs on Leanne’s leg to show her the picture she’s just drawn. Leanne just bends over and thanks her for the picture, right on camera – it’s such a lovely moment it almost wrecks my mascara.

Leanne recognizes us for the attention-whores that we are, and makes sure that our blog addresses are mentioned in the clip, appear on-screen AND are linked to us from the CJOH Web site. So, if you are visiting for the first time as a result of today’s broadcast, hello and welcome!! Clear off a chair and make yourself at home, and drop me a note in the comment box or send me an e-mail (danicanada @ gmail . com) to let me know you were here. If you have any questions about blogs or blogging, feel free to ask.

And as if all that weren’t enough, while we were wrapping up, Leanne asked us if we’d be interested in doing an in-studio blogger panel, answering calls from the television audience. That high-pitched shrieking noise you heard around 11:52 this morning? Yah, that was me. I think she took it as a reluctant yes.

By the time Leanne and Dan went off to file the tape, it was almost noon so Robyn, Andrea, the girls and I settled down on the couch to watch ourselves. I’m quite pleased with how it turned out, all in all. Andrea will be sending me a digital copy of it soon, so either I’ll miraculously figure out a way to stream it here, or (much more likely), you can go over to her place and watch it.

Things I learned about watching myself on TV:
– I have to learn to think with my eyes open instead of fluttering my eyelids every time I open my mouth.
– My hair is too flat and I really need to learn how to put on makeup one of these days.
– My voice is much deeper out in the universe than it sounds in my head.

You know what the funniest part is? I called home after the first 4 minute segment to see what the boys thought, and Beloved HAD FORGOTTEN ALL ABOUT IT!! He had to stop the Wiggles DVD and flip it over to the right channel to catch the second 5 minute segment. Sheesh, so much for the fan club at home!! (smooch, I love you muchly anyway…) I called back on my way out from Andrea’s, and I guess Tristan said when he saw it, “I miss mommy. Can we go to her work to see her?”

I’ve missed a bunch of details, I’m sure, but I’ll post them as they come to me. You’ll have to excuse the overt fawning over Leanne and Andrea and Robyn, but I’m completely infatuated with all of them now. Thanks, my (new) friends, for such a lovely morning. And the TV thing was cool, too!

Author: DaniGirl

Canadian. storyteller, photographer, mom to 3. Professional dilettante. View all posts by DaniGirl