Okay, we have threads on celebrity encounters and celebrity look-alikes, but I want to know when YOU have had your own little mini-fame, appearing on TV a minimum requirement.
For me, I’ve been on TV at least three times (that I remember right now): First, in high school, a video card I’d made for soldiers in Desert Storm was played on the local news.
But, on the national level (and please don’t lose respect for me), I was on the first or second season of America’s Funniest Home Videos as a member of the audience. They cut to a close-up of me laughing, hard, at a…a…barking bird! I WASN’T LAUGHING AT THAT! IT ISN’T THAT FUNNY! Nooooooo, after they taped the show, they showed us a whole bunch of “Best Of” clips that had the whole audience rolling in the aisles. Cameras were rolling, and they cut and paste the more animated among us to the clips they wanted.
The third and final appearance was on the even lamer America’s Funniest People. They came to our local mall asking people to do tongue twisters; I did my “Betty Botter” bit (see tongue twister thread) and wha-la. Yeah, I was on two shows hosted by Full House cast members. Whoo.
And hey! Candace Cameron went to my church when I was in high school and she was in junior high. What the hell is with me and the cast of that lame show? And being on lame shows?
Anyway, how about you? Surely you’ve had some more respectable moments than I have. Do share!
“My cat’s breath smells like cat food.” --Ralph Wiggum, hero and icon
I played basketball in college, so I was on TV numerous times for that. Once, as my grandparents were visiting Vegas, the game I was in was the game being shown on the gigantic screen at the MGM Grand sports betting area. They had the whole casino cheering on the game (Not sure if we covered the spread.) I sat in the front row of the Price is Right while honeymooning. Just inside camera range, but didn’t get called up.
There was also that episode of Cops…but now I’ve said too much.
I’ve never been on national TV, but I’ve been on locally a couple of times…does that count? And it’s not for anything I’ve done. I’ve been taped watching my husband’s band play at a couple of venues. They even asked me some questions once, and that got aired. People that I work with saw it, too, so I know it aired.
I’ve been on local news shows a number of times for “man on the street” type opinion questions.
The only time I’ve been on national TV was when I took my nephew to see a pro ‘rasslin’ match, and our seats were pretty close to the ring. I taped it when it aired, and a couple of times the camera caught us getting into the fun of it all.
I was on the NBC Nightly News once, when they did a story about a new product my company was producing. I was only only visible for a view seconds, working on a moviola.
TT
“Believe those who seek the truth.
Doubt those who find it.” --Andre Gide
I was in ESPN’s coverage of the 1991 Vancouver Triathlon. The voice-over was talking about “weekend warriors”, people who are just out there for fun, like we’re beer-bellied softball players or something. Of course the picture in the background was of me running to my bike. My training partners wouldn’t let that one go for weeks.
Many, many moons ago, when I was four or five, my dad took me to some political event with then-congressman, now DOE secretary Bill Richardson. Richardson’s campaign staff were apparently filming at this event, because later, a commercial aired which showed Richardson speaking, then cut to various people in the audience listening, and there I was, sitting on my dad’s lap. This commercial was aired all over the state, and reused during several of his re-election campaigns, well into my teens. I got to go up to people and say “Hey, did you see me on TV last night?” every election year.
When I was a little 'un (about four, I guess), my mom took “The Pepsi Challenge” and she shared her Pepsi and Coke samples with me. They might have aired it if I hadn’t asked if I could please finish the rest of “that one” (the Coke).
When I was in high school I got to be featured in one of those “person on the street” things regarding teenage smoking. They taped me smoking a cigarette and my mom was pissed when she saw it…
A local TV station filmed (unbeknownst to us) a friend and me walking on a downtown sidewalk at lunch and used it as a lead in to a show on drug use in the corporate world.
I don’t know if this counts or not but when I went to Spring Training I took many many ballplayer photos which a friend put on her various websites (one of which won and award from the Atlanta Braves magazine.) So technically little girls everywhere are enjoying my photojournalism of men in tight pants.
My friend and I was on public television twice. (Or possibly some educational closed-circuit deal, I dunno)
It was called APOLLO-SOYUZ: A Glimpse of Our Future.
This was when I was in fifth grade.
What was our requirements, you might ask. I mentioned I liked space stuff, and my friend was interested in the Cold War and Russia.
In part two, you’ll notice a black kid who is moving around alot. That was me, trying NOT to fall asleep.
Also, much more recently, my high school choir did a performance for the Newseum. It was netcast along with a re-telling of Yes Virginia, There is a Santa Claus.
Back when I was in the 4th grade, the King Tut craze hit NYC alongside the exhibit. We did a similar one in my elementary school. So I, in spite of my youth, got on the phone and called up every local paper to say it would be neat to cover.
Next thing I know, Newsday and the Daily News comes down and does a story on us., I even get a picture of myself in both papers! Newsday put it on the cover, in fact!
I’ve never had even 5 minutes of fame! I’ve done a few local public radio things and a couple of local TV micro-sound byte things. I sounded like a chipmunk on helium and hid from everyone I knew for weeks.
I strongly suspect my 15 minutes of fame will be when I’m a hopelessly senile old poop, living in a refrigerator carton under an overpass. Some overly dental nitwit with big hair will interview me as “human interest” piece and then step on my hand in the preoccupation with unclipping their lapel mike.
When I was a tyke and my parents were poor, we were at a health clinic getting our free shots, and that night on the news, the lead in for the health clinic story was a clip of me crying and getting a shot in the bum. Mom got interviewed as a human interest piece. I think my ass is still on tape around here somewhere (calling all peds!)
–Tim
We are the children of the Eighties. We are not the first “lost generation” nor today’s lost generation; in fact, we think we know just where we stand - or are discovering it as we speak.
All this talk of public access TV reminded me of another…when I was in high school, the octet I sang in performed at one of the City Council meetings. These meetings were played on a local public access channel, often in a continuous loop (or at least repeated several times throughout a few days). Flipping through the channels, and hey…that’s ME! And Jen! And everyone else in the group! It was weird. And, in the true tradition of public access TV, the lighting and tape were horrible, so we all looked like chemo patients.
Funny, all of my 15 minutes happened when I was in high school (except maybe the America’s Funniest People thingy–I think I was 19). I’m apparently already over the hill.
A related story: I was flipping through channels a few months ago, paused on Jeopardy, then kept flipping. :::PAUSE::: Hey! I know that person! Flip flip flip…yep, it was my friend’s dad on Jeopardy! And he WON! He only won around $2,500 (no one got the Final Jeopardy answer), and lost the next day, but it was a trip. What’s funny is one of the Final Jeopardy answers was “This animal’s name means mock man in ---- (some African language I’ve forgotten).” I’m thinking chimpanzee (that was the correct one), gorilla, monkey…My friend’s dad’s response? ZEBRA! What the frick?
I’ve enjoyed harassing him for that one ever since.
I was on a game show that was on Lifetime for one season called “Rodeo Drive”. It required lots of detailed, silly knowledge of true and false gossip and information about celebrities. I won the game, and I won all the prizes in the bonus round. I came back the “next day” (they shoot five shows in a day.) and lost. I was the perfect game show contestent, too, very animated and excited…almost too much. I kinda came off goofy. I even jumped up and down when I won all the prizes.
I also read the weather or something, don’t remember, for some piece on the local news where they had a bunch of people on the street reading a line each.
Been on “MarketPlace” on public radio talking about my website. Did a “live” interview on the Washington Post on the same topic.
So altogether I’ve had about 37 minutes.
I want more…
The one time it FELT like fame was when I played a packed house at the Improv in Hollywood during my comedy days. It was for a contest that was running over 12 weeks to find the funniest person in LA. I made the semifinals (top 12 of 110 entrants - I also sucked bigtime during the semifinals but kicked ass in my first performance.) People I did not know were coming up to me outside the club and telling me how great they thought I was. It was bitchen.
Stoid
This is a non-smoking area. If we see you smoking, we will assume you are on fire and act accordingly.
Yes, it was. Hey cool, now you know me better than anyone here, just cuz you’ve heard my voice.
I got so much mail from that, although it was mostly from people wanting advice how to get into the business. Like I have nothing better to do with my life.
