Friday, August 31, 2007

Each day Monday - Friday we do a webcast that sits on my site from 4-7P pacific time. This is not like 'Wrap Session.' This is more of a mid-day update before you head home. It takes an entire control room staff to produce this, even though it only posts to the web, it's created just like what we put on-air.

VP's Random Pick - Happy Friday!



Song Of The Day
Jamiroquai - "Virtual Insanity"
Thursday, August 30, 2007
Q13 FOX News 'Wrap Session'
Part of my job is trying to come up with new ideas of doing things on the web. Taking traditional media and finding some way to make it interactive or give it a unique presentation.

The concept is simple, after the show we keep the cameras rolling and do 5 minutes off-air just for the web. This is a feature that allows the anchors to express opinion and how they feel about some of the top stories of the day. (something you should never see on-air on any news broadcast.) The Wrap Session will come in handy when we have another Paula Abdul moment. It was hard to watch our news clip do 2 million + page views on You Tube.. my interview, my numbers! grrrrr oh well.

Listening to them chat today made me think... I have always been in newsrooms when these things happened. Princess Diana, Sept 11 among other various national news stories. So today, I ask.. Do you have a major news event that you remember where you were? Lennon, Elvis, Diana, Phil Hartman or O.J.? Floors open, anyone or anything.

Song Of The Day
Elton John - "Empty Garden"

I am a HUGE Elton John fan. I never miss a concert no matter where I am. Talking about John Lennon made me think of this song.

This song is a tribute to John Lennon, who was shot to death in 1980 by a deranged fan. Elton had performed on several Lennon songs and even appeared onstage with him at his final concert in 1974. Elton is the Godfather of Lennon's second son, Sean. When he performed this at a sold-out Madison Square Garden show in August 1982, Elton was joined onstage by Lennon's wife Yoko Ono and Sean Lennon.

John joined Elton onstage in November 1974 to sing "I saw her standing there" which Lennon said was from "an old, estranged fiance of mine called Paul". Ah that Lennon humor, gotta love it...

10-Year Anniversary Tomorrow:
Princess Diana Death
Song: Elton John & Bernie Taupin "Goodbye England's Rose"

Wednesday, August 29, 2007

I am a huge fan of our FOX animation shows. On King of the Hill there was an episode where Hanks neighbor, Dale Gribble, breeds and raises Madagascar Hissing Cockroaches. I thought this was an imaginary thing, until today when they brought them to the studio for "Wild Animal Wednesday" on Q13 FOX News This Morning.

NOTE: IF YOU DON'T LIKE BUGS, DON'T WATCH THIS.. It is close up explanation of what they are while they crawl all over (not for anyone who can't stand cockroaches.)



Other News:

City Worker Charged With Attempted Rape

Mayor Nickel's Son To Plead Guilty To Casino Cheating

Teens Missing On Rafting Trip Found Safe

I didn't spend much time in the newsroom today. The creative department had an off-site meeting. We did brainstorming and had lunch (Ile and I had the burger and it was burned..yuk.) It is kind of fun to be with co-workers in a place you would not normally be. It was interesting to see what certain people were into. The idea was to get into a highly creative environment to stimulate us into new ideas of how to promote the entertainment and news products.
After the meetings we went to the Seattle Art Museum. There were some cool things to look at but right now they don't have any special exhibits. I wanted to go see the Bodies one but didn't make it before it left town.

Song Of The Day
Fastball - The Way


Again, sometime it's just the words... "Where were they going without ever knowing the way?" is my favorite line in this song.
- night
Tuesday, August 28, 2007
Slower than molases, Seattle continues to expand our public transit system. Mukilteo is about 20 miles from downtown Seattle. I lived there for two years when I returned to Washington State. The name means 'good camping ground' (it's native american ground.) I also love the lighthouse they have there.


Other News:
Craig Says He Did Nothing Wrong, Isn't Gay


I was over reading The Chambers, my friend Ile's blog and realized I have not shared by very best friend with you all. This is Reggie (Reginald, when he's in trouble.) He is 14 years old and i have had him since he was a lttle puppy. He is my buddy, been my company through all the moves to Dallas, LA and back to Washington state. He likes long walks on the beach and rolling into a small puppy ball for naps. He is named after Elton John - Sir Reginald (black and white like a piano.) He is the best dog I have ever had.


I got a new digital camera, now there is no excuse for not having pictures to post. I need to get a flickr account going so I can start putting up galleries. It s Sony DSC-H9, I am very happy with it.

Song Of The Day
Santana ft. Rob Thomas - Smooth

This one because I love Santana... and Rob Thomas even more! I cant' listen to this song without swaying back and forth to the beat (in my mind I am doing a medium salsa or mambo. -night
Monday, August 27, 2007
The big story today was President Bush visiting.


President Bush, deeply unpopular in Washington state, still raised more than $500,000 Monday for U.S. Rep. Dave Reichert, R-Wash., and state Republicans just hours after the resignation of Attorney General Alberto Gonzalez. Read the full story here.

Other News:

Two Alaska Airlines Planes Bump At LAX

'Pedophile Blogger' Says He'll Leave L.A.


Fruit Vandalism
This would make me so mad if it was my car!

BLOG Plug:
One quick plug for a new blog. I converted my friend Ile, a producer/writer/editor where I work, to move from the darkside (myspace) and start blogging here! Ile is awsome and a very dear friend of mine. We hang out and make fajitas..
Ile is from New Mexico and makes the best steak fajitas I have ever had. If you have a minute, please stop by and say hello, she is a very talented writer and I have enjoyed reading her on myspace since she arrived in Seattle.

Song Of The Day:
Natalie Merchant/Carnival


Sunday, August 26, 2007
I will make this entry about Reid so you can all know him a little better. He wasn't in the mood for pictures this weekend so let's use his true love to represent his image. Reid loves him some Volvo. When we ride together he always points them out on the road. Have you ever had friends who name their cars? Meet Olaf, Reid's Volvo.

That was my big outing this weekend. I headed up to the hill and hung out with Reid at his place. I always take my computer and we just listen to music and hang out on his terrace. He is only 1 block off Broadway (the main drag.)
Being so close to where people are heading proves for interesting people watching.

Reid just bought this condo! It's the first time he has owned his own home and he is very happy with it. I have enjoyed watching him buy little things for his place. Reid has been transforming his surroundings like I have been working on my outer image. His place shows how proud he is. What's cool about this is it's the same neighborhood he has lived his entire time in Seattle, I think 12 years now.

Let me get to the good stuff. Check out his closet. Oh NO, he's not gay.. LOL Only a gay man would have a chandelier in their closet.

What I admire most about this closet is his ability to organize all those clothes by style and color.. dark to light, slacks/pants on the bottom. When they told Reid that 'Closets are for clothes' it would appear he took it to heart.

The floors in the kitchen are a nice tile and the hard woods are bamboo. Speaking of the kitchen, all the appliances are new and I love his marble counters.

We need to talk about his laundry room... When you open the door, it's like walking into the bedroom he had when we were in school together. You can see all of his passions on the walls here. This is where Reid goes to escape back to the 80's a time of which he is very fond. Some of the things on these walls are from when he traveled.
Reid has worked for Seattle's Best and Starbucks for almost the entire time he has lived here. He has done everything from open stores and run them to working in the field servicing large territories. Currently he is in charge of the entire Microsoft account and that is keeping him very busy.

At one point it was his job to fly to exotic ports, board cruise ships and ride the cruise to it's destination. The whole time he would train crew and lead seminars where he would educate them on the world of excellent coffee. I will say one thing, he knows his coffee. It's very serious to him and I never joke about it. He will start talking about free trade brew and taxation and how the import/export works.. Sumatra, Americana..... it makes my head spin! I am not a coffee drinker but I do try to enjoy a cup when with him. The sweeter the better and yes i bury the flavor in syrups and frothy milk.

When he stopped traveling we sat down and watched all his video he shot while at these locations. He had bought a Mini-DV camera and created his own little documentary. Italy, Europe, Amsterdam and Mexico.. you name it and he has at least been at the port.

Featured Video:
I took all those clips digitized them and made him a little movie to "Maria" by Blondie/Deborah Harry. Reid is her #1 Fan... She actually know him, he has followed her on tour and through friendships with other musicians he has had the opportunity to meet her and chat with her many times. I threw this together about 4 years ago for him and never have had the time to go back and fix it proper.



I did not intend for this to be public. It was not created with the purpose of broadcast in mind. The quality is not very good but hey, you saw moving pictures of him.

Song of the Day:
"Miss" by Everyone but the Girl


For some reason when I was over on DABLOG and saw Tiffany had choose Better Than Ezra for her song of the day it made me think of Everything But The Girl. Now I am spending too much time 'Missing' someone I should not even be thinking about... ::sigh::... -night


Saturday, August 25, 2007

Fashion Project 07:

Some of you may have read on Tiffany's blog about my fashion project. You see, i have learned that apparently I am a gay man, born without the fashion gene. I am very lucky to have my friend Reid, a gay man born with said gene, to help me re-work my wardrobe.

When I moved back to Washington State and arrived in Seattle, I was so excited to connect with my Friend Reid. We have known each other since grade school but I had not seen him since high school graduation. We met for lunch up on Capitol Hill (the Boys Town/West Hollywood of Seattle) and Reid started hounding me about my clothing... to say hounding is being nice.

Eventually (that was six years ago) I came to realize that he was right, wearing tatered shirts and worn-torn out jeans was not helping my external/self image. I am a single gay man in Seattle, WA and it would be nice to meet someone.Reid is of the opinion that if I change how I dress, it will have an impact on my self image and attitude. I was skeptical to say the least.

This quest turned out to be a blast! We went on shopping sprees and Reid started setting fashion rules for me.

Robs' Fashion Rules
1. Never wear a shirt without a tee underneath
2. NO MORE LEVIS! - One pair allowed to use for mowing the lawn.
3. No High Top Tennis Shoes - Again, one pair for yard work.
4. No Coats/Clothing With Logos ie: Q13 FOX News or shirts with show logos on them.


I am allowed to wear some of the branded shirts but only for workout purposes.

Reid has told me that if he catches me in Levis jeans he will make me take them off on the spot and burn them. Apparently he feels that they do not fit my body well. He says they are too baggy. He says that 'my ass was made for gap jeans' ... whatever!

I had to clear out everything in my closet (shoes and clothing) and we headed to the stores in search of a new look. It was at this time that I realized i was still wearing some clothes that I wore in high school, some 17 years ago.

We had a blast and once I was able to laugh at myself and admit that I was a fashion misfit, my attitude did start to change a little.

We have bought Slacks, Pants, Jeans, Shoes, Shirts, Tee shirts, dress shirts, belts and ties. My poor wallet. But I love everything we have bought and i like that I am opening up my mind to some new styles. Shoes is the hardest part.. Reid is big on Italian shoes and i am not a huge fan of square toe mens shoes.

As we bought the clothing, Reid would have me put each outfit on and he would take pictures. He then printed them out (4 thumbnails on each 5x7 print) These went on the wall of my closet as a constant reminder of what I should be wearing. I thought it would be fun to share a few of my new outfits with you here. You can click on a picture to open a larger one in a new window.

I thought, being a little on the 'thick' side, that wearing a tee shirt would be horrible for me. I have gotten so used to it that I even wear one to bed at night now. It's the weirdest thing but it actually makes you feel cooler dressing in layers like that. Who knew? That's your tee shirt update Diane :-)

Today's Song Of The Day:
James Blunt - Tears And Rain (Live)


It was one of those dark grey days here in Seattle and that always makes me think of this song. I like the reference to Dorian Gray. I guess it speaks to my quest for eternal youth. I also think James Blunt is cute ;-)

So Tiffany, did I meet the expection? Is this entertaining enough? I am sure you are having a laugh or two since you, Reid and i have all been friends since grade school.

Friday, August 24, 2007
"Standby..... Fade up, track and roll 13. Open mic and cue talent!"

This is my first attempt at publishing my own BLOG. Don't get me wrong, I am no stranger to publishing on the internet. I have worked in television and tv news for going on 12 years now.

I hope that this blog will be a place where I can feature some of the local stories I work on and to have a little opinion. So Monday through Friday you will see posts about features (a mix of video, text and multimedia.) On the weekends I will try to give some insight into my personal world. You will see things like where I live and what fun things I do in my spare time.

Let's get on with it!

NOTE: I am the webmaster for Q13FOX.com the Seattle, Washington FOX affiliate.
Yes, i did breath a sigh of relief when 'Achorwoman' was cancelled the day after it aired. :-)

This week I have been working with our PM Anchor for our prime broadcast, her name is Lara Yamada. I enjoy working with the anchors/reporters who are true journalists and Lara is certainly one of those.

We were working on her most recent feature segment "From The Front Line." Here is what it's about...

Lara Writes:
We are proud here at Q13 FOX News to share with you a special series of reports on the soldiers of Fort Lewis . It's a project we call: "From The Front Line."


In June, I met Pierce County College Professor and Freelance Photographer John Simpson. Back then, I interviewed him on his extraordinary efforts to capture the stories of our men and women overseas. For the past 3 years, he's been traveling to Iraq , embedded with the 1st Brigade in 2005, the 2nd Brigade in 2006 and now the 4th Brigade--all out of Fort Lewis .

He is sending us, from Iraq , his amazing pictures along with the names of the soldiers he photographs and personal notes and observations. It is an inspiring, and at times intimate look, at the soldiers who are risking their lives to protect our country

To all of the men and women in uniform, we here at Q13Fox News wish you the best and a safe trip home.
-Lara

My take on this is, no matter how you feel about the war, these pictures will make you feel something for these men and women. For me it was a Strong sense of appreciation. I will continue to publish this feature over the next 4 weeks.

Here is a direct link "From The Front Line" - Q13 FOX News.

I was inspired by my dear friend, Tiffany Hauck to start this BLOG. I admire and respect her very much, so i am going to steal an idea from her blog. She posts a song of the day. I am going to post a music video each day but it's kind of the same thing... thank you Tiff. Check out Tiffany's blog here.

Song of the Day
"Unwritten"
by: Natasha Bedingfield




I tend to like songs that i relate to. If it 'speaks' to me or my heart I love it.

The video and editing makes this work so well. When I listened to it without watching it didn't move me as much. Just another fine example of music and video lending themselfs to each other.

I love the sound of her voice and when I found this live version my love of this song was rejuvinated. I must spend some more time looking thought the music library on You Tube! :-)

Have a good one everyone,

Comments always welcome, of course!

VP

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Robert Riley
I am a pretty easy going person but complex. I love music, film and art. I have a strong passion for the internet, television and websites.
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