Guess I'm #1.

Don't you just love it when they do that.

What About The Bloopers?

I know I posted this earlier but last year's Christmas Reel was the most fun I've had in a long time. The material was just priceless and everyone had a good time making it. Me being somewhat of a perfectionist the only thing that really bothered me was the video quality. Some of the best stuff had to be dumped to tape then captured back into the edit system. By doing that there was some dropout on the tape, some of the tapes were misplaced and so on. The reel was good but there's always room for improvement. Not to mention another problem that came to light and that was video being erased either by accident or by the computer itself. The first question that was asked, "How much stuff did we lose"? A lot. The next question, "Did you lose any bloopers?" Nah, I didn't but I can't leave anything to chance from now on.
Had to appropriate some funds for this bad boy. This 500 GB hard drive will help keep the bloopers safe until it's time for their annual showcase. Plus it keep the quality level up as well. So for those concerned remember the camera and the hard drive is rolling.

Take Me Out To The Ball Game.

Baseball at the Box. Something a lot of Tiger fans have been looking forward to, since football season is a ways away & the basketball team is having a down year. With the season opener that can mean only one thing for me, LIVE SHOT. Man I was hoping to avoid this but so it goes. Alex Box Stadium, or the Box as the faithful call it, has been around for 70 years and now it's to to upgrade. A more fan friendly facility is in the works but the memories from this place will stand through the hall of time. One memory for me didn't happen at the Box but it close to it. It was the year 2000, LSU was back in Omaha for the College World Series playing Stanford for the Championship. The game was on our station, a sports crew was sent there, and Post Game Special was in the works. Naturally, we needed a live shot from some watering hole of fans watching the game. Guess who got that assignment. So a reporter by the name of Bob Waters gets us in a bar near campus where a lot of students are watching the game. We head over there find the owner and he's thrilled we're there, free ad time no doubt. Start setting up the truck for the shots coming our way. In between stringing cable and flirting with the Budweiser Girls gotta get the students watching the game. Tigers are getting spanked down 5 to 2. This going to be a boring shot. Everyone's sad. Gonna be hard finding people to talk. So Bob and I head to the truck and start putting the story together. Bottom of the 8th, LSU batting. Ball meets Bat. Sound of a "Ping" over the TV leads to the bar erupting. The rally is on Tigers score 4 unanswered runs to win their fifth National Championship. The place is going wild. They come to us for the shot and Bob gets swallowed be elated faithful. Beer is flowing from the heavens thank goodness the camera was spared. What a day that was.
I hope they send the old Box out in style. I also hope we get a fiber line to the new place so I can stop lugging the portable gear around.

Who's That?

I guess it's true. Streebeat does leave his desk from time to time. Now to get him out of the building.

Be Very, Very, Quiet....Jacques is Working

Gotta walk on eggshells when Jacques Doucet is around. For those who don't know Jacques is the resident Weekend Sports Anchor at the Big Raggedy, a die hard Van Halen fan, and someone with a really shot fuse that will go off at any given moment. Especially when he can't stay focused due to the noise level. After showing off some Circe De Soli from the Hornets game. Things got a little loud due to the Physical Challenge being thrown around by X Ray Ted and Lil Moo. Ol Jacques' blood started to boil and then it happened, " Can you turn it down. Can you lower your voice". That wasn't word for word but it was funny as hell. 40 seconds go by and you can hear a pin drop. Lil Moo, "Is that quiet enough for you Jacques"? The Sports room clears out in a heartbeat. Laughter is speading all over the station. Got to feel for Jacques. No you can't but I'll try.Here we go this should work. Using special Big Raggedy materials I'm able to make this sign using an abandoned umbrella, a sheet of paper, and some tape.
I must get the word out. Doucet needs it quiet. Please the man is trying work. Heven help us if Mt. Frenchy has another eruption.
Crisis averted. Nice thinking Meeks I couldn't hold that sign up forever. Now to sit and wait until the next explosion. Then we can fall out laughing again.

The Hannah Montana Hysteria

Who would have thought that some teen sensation not named Spears would causing such an uproar. Yesterday Senior Big Raggedy reporter Jim Shannon got word that one of Gov. Jindal's High Ranking staff members scored some free tickets for the Hannah Montana concert in the Big Easy last month. We are talking the whole sha-bang-a-bang. Tickets not for show but in the Gov.'s Suite. Across the country people were having to taking out loans just for one ticket. Last going price I found was for $3000 in the nose bleed section. Just one thing about this...isn't the current admistration running on ethics reform in the state of LA???? That is somewhat ironic did you know??? Wait a minute she's got a video game too???? They're right the money is in merchendising. I wonder if I can get a Big Raggedy game made? Anyway back to the post. So today members of the Senate Commitee on TV Ways & Means to make it Interesting, that being Caroline and the Turdpolisher, hit the halls looking for follow up answers. The blurred gentlemen bolting from C-Line is the staff member in question. No on camera interview. No returned phone call. However what was found also puts up a red flag. It turns out that four members of the legislature also got free tickets to the same concert. Now in years past I helped worked on stories were lawmakers got first dibs on tickets to certain events, sporting events, concerts, and so on. I thought nothing of it since there is nothing illegal about getting the tickets in the first place. I do recall efforts by some to stop getting said free tickets but nothing came out if it. Every time the issue would come up, it gets bogged down in some form or fashion. Fast forward to the present. If you were to poll everyone in the legislature, I'm willing to bet that at least 3/4 of them ran under ethics reform to get into office. I guess it was the cool thing to do at the time. That being said you can't have it both ways. Either pass the legislation or go back to the way things were. What ever you do please be straight forward with us and the public. And try not to go to any more HM concerts. Now to get to work on that Big Raggedy video game.

Gotta Go, Gotta Go.

Stand Off. A couple of words that sends chills downs one's spine. Knowing that there is someone evading the cops. Knowing that you will be stuck there until it is over. Knowing that sooner or later that you gotta go. For me that happened much sooner than later. They got him surrouned. Go get him out. They can't. Might be some kids in there and they don't want to put them in danger. So they pull back. Meantime the air is getting a chill. Night is continuing to fall. And I gotta go. Not a decision I want to be in. Do I go and miss the shot of them getting the wanted suspect. Or do I hold it. I pick the latter. Still no end in sight. The guy they want is still inside. Neighbors asking me what's going on. I wish they would why I have a painfull look on my face because I gotta go. All right it's now or never. I call Randy, fellow photographer who tipped us to what's going on. I ask may I use his bathroom, he lives not far from the scene. Come on over he says. I'm heading that way, I see him walk out. Only thing in my mind is I gotta go. Walk up to him and he tells me that some of the lights have been turned off. Crap. They might be going in to get him. No time to tell him thanks for the invite, let alone go handle my business. I jog back to the car and get the camera. False alarm. No entry into the house. No getting the suspect. No me going to do a #1 because I really gotta go.A little before 9pm. The suspect surrenders. After spending nearly two hours in some chilly wind and the need to go, someone is getting on TV tonight. I don't know what you did and I don't care. I will let the Legal System deal with you. Right now only thing on my mind is finding a restroom because I gotta go.

Driving back. I see a gas station but it looks closed. This isn't looking good. I see one attendent outside taking a smoke break while her co worker is behind the glass. Politely, "Miss, do you have a restroom"? She must have seen the pain in my face because I gotta go bad at this point. "Yeah we got one". She let's me in and I make a b line to the Men's Room. Who would have thought that doing a #1 would be the highlight of my day because when you gotta go, you gotta go.

What's on TV????

Before I head in to Big Raggedy, I usually try to check in on my buddy Jean Luc. Just as I thought on the couch. Not taking I nap I see. He must be watching television. I wonder what's on? I should have known. The annual Dog Show. I bunch of pricey pooches and their high society owners taking up good airtime from some sporting event. No Jean Luc I am not entering you in next year's show. Let's watch the Noon news. I see he's ignoring the anchor. Not to worry Jean. We ignore him while we are at work also.

They're Back!!!!!!

When covering Politics one of the most important things I have developed over time is patience. I must have a great deal of it since I now have an "Uno" deck of press passes. I'm just missing the Black Draw Four Wild card. Wonder if they will make those next year. Anyway the halls of the Capital are a buzz once again. Eariler than expected I might add. Gov. Bobby Jindal, who's not that much older than me, ran on a platform of Ethics Reform for the great state of Louisiana.
I know what your thinking. Ethics Reform in this state. Good luck trying to get this one to work. Every so often it seems that some public official get's their hand caught in the cookie jar. For so many years this state has been the punchline of every joke when it comes to image. The sins of the past are haunting the present. This may have a chance. There are so many new faces in the legislature to go with a new admistration that the platform ideas may become reality than just talk.

Here are couple of familiar faces. Big Raggedy past and Big Raggedy present. It's Caroline and Cyndi. I asked them for input on what else we need to get passed this year. The TV legislation is vital to the reform packages for this session. With some help from my collegues I have no doubts to better state being provided with quality television news, did you know?I hope Gov. Jindal knows what he is in for. He'll have an eaiser time taking care of the wife and kids then minding the nuts in the peanut gallery.

Didn't See It Coming

I know you are to always expect the unexpected in this business. But there's something that will catch you off guard. Yesterday while I was alseep, the phone rangs. On the other end was the station,"I would not do this to you if I didn't have to. I need you to go to a shooting at the Tech College on Acadian". That just jolted me with some adrenline but it also got the worse case scenerio going through my head. Trying to get focused I head out there trying to keep that scenerio in the back part of my mind. When I got to the scene that's when it hit me. First thing I saw was the Coronor Van. The worst case was unfolding. Multiple shots fired. The smell of gun powder lingering in the hallway. Three people dead. Two of them were there trying to further their education. A campus in mourning. A city is shock and disbelief. All from one senseless act.

I'm at the scene doing my job. Trying not to get add any more tension to an emotional charged scene. Later in the day one of victims fmaily members comes up to us. We offer our sorrows to them. I really don't like meeting people under these circumstances. They invite over to their place wanting to tell us about their love one. We talk, take some picutres, and talk some more. All they want is for us to tell everyone that she was a good person that just wanted to be a nurse. A senseless act takes away two people who wanted to make a difference in the world. We head back and do our part in the healing process. It's a small part but every bit helps.

My thoughts and prayers are with you all that was affected by this. Maybe one day we can make sense of it all.

Laissez les bon temps rouler!!!!!

The good times are rolling in the Bayou State. It's Mardi Gras and folks all over are enjoying one last celebration before the Season of Lent. There was no question that we were going to the Big Easy but in true form we also span the state to bring every possible angle of every celebration that our teams can find. From the chickens in Mamou, to the protesters in New Roads, and finding Cleopatra in Lafayette no bead was left behind. With everything going on what's happening at the Big Raggedy you ask???? Not much but someone has to watch over the station.