Chasing Wendy

Working in the world of journalism can be a fascinating adventure, as every day brings with it a new challenge and experience. You never know where you'll be or what you'll be doing once you walk through those doors, yet you'll have to figure out how to sound like an expert on the subject by the end of the day. I've seen a fair amount in my years, but last week offered a challenge that I had yet to come upon... covering a story that I can't even pretend to be interested in.

Daytime talkshow host/DJ/former linebacker Wendy Williams was in town for a live show, and I was tasked with chasing her around town and formulating it into some sort of narrative. I stepped up to the challenge, but quickly realized that I am not really a part of their targeted demographic... mostly because I don't give a darn about shoes, celebrity fatness or wigs. But that didn't mean I wasn't going to give it my all. Let's do this!

The day started off with a visit to celebrity mayor Kevin Johnson, who declared it "Wendy Williams Day". What does that mean? I have no idea, but I assume it will be added to my calendar next year with other meaningless holidays like Boxing Day and Valentine's Day. But as long as I get the day off work, I'm in!

Then it was back to the station, where W.W. took a tour, snapped some quick pics with staffers and shot a few promos. In-and-out in about 20 minutes before she was on to the next stop. I'll tell ya, being famous must be exhausting!

Then it was off to lunch with contest winners before her show. As they ate, I wandered through the casino and found a massive line of rabid Wendy-ites waiting for the show to begin. They kept shouting "How ya doin?" as I walked down the line with my camera. "Fine!" I kept yelling back, wondering if perhaps I was looking ill or something. Probably just the exhaustion kicking in from chasing that woman around.

Finally the show was ready to begin, so I slipped backstage (with famed celebrity journalist Alfonzo Beta) and caught her for a brief interview before she hit the stage.

The show was interesting... basically the same as her TV show, with gossip and such mixed in with personal stories.

After about half an hour, I slowly got to the point where I just couldn't take any more talk about who's-dating-who and what kind of handbag is in this season, so I slipped out and headed back to the shop. After all, it was getting late, and I still had to figure out how to craft this into something that perhaps non-fans would be willing to sit through.

While her show and subject matter aren't quite my cup of tea, I will say she was lovely and left her fans happy and excited. As for me, I'm just amazed that after running around at that pace all day, she could still get up on stage for an hour and perform with the same intensity that she does on TV. I really don't think I have the stamina (or patience) to be famous.

Bees. Why'd It Have To Be Bees....

Being a journalist on the front lines can be a dangerous job. Few of us can hold a candle to the war corrospondents of the world (and their photogs behind the lens!)... but those of us who don't go to war have our fair share of occupational hazzards as well. Don't believe me? Just drop in on the Schmuck Alert! website, where you can find an endless array of photog dangers.

But those of us who have been "In The Biz" for a while have learned to stay on our toes. There are certain stories that require an extra layer of caution and awareness to make sure we don't end up... well... on the Schmuck Alert! victims list. They are generally few and far between, but they are out there.

Now on the "Caution-O-Meter", your run-of-the-mill grass fire is not something that raises red flags. They happen all the time, usually beside a freeway from a careless cigarette or some guy who hit a rock with his lawnmower. It's what we call in "The Biz"... well... a common grass fire. And that's where I was shipped off to yesterday.

So I drove my live truck along a gravel backroad into the boonies, singing along to a classic Beastie Boys album (Licence to Ill, a necessity to any serious photog), ready to phone this one in. But as I rounded the corner towards the flashing lights, I realized something didn't seem right. Usually at grass fires, there are two things you'll see: grass and fires. This one had a bunch of white boxes stacked around the area. What is this about?

Turns out this fire, which consumed all of one acre, happened next some sort of bee farm (bee-ery?). Well, this certainly changes things!

So, under the threat of attack, I did what any good war corrospondent would do... I hit reverse and backed right the hell down that gravel road.

After a quick re-grouping, I designed a new strategey. I grabbed my camera, drove back out there, and shot everything through the windows of the live truck. Am I a coward? Some may call me that... especially given the firefighters battling that inferno among those stinging bastards....

But hey, I'm alergic to bee stings (at least I probably am...), so I wasn't about to take any chances! And besides, bee stings hurt! Like, really bad! So they can settle for shakey video from inside the truck. If they don't like it, they can come back out here and do it themselves.

That being said, I suppose the bottom line here is that I won't be headed to Lybia any time soon. Because seriously... the bees are big over there.