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Another surprise guest joins Pat in today's promo...see who! PLUS...can you turn his bacon off? Don't know what that means?? Well, all you need to do is tune in to this web promo EXCLUSIVE to find out.
Paul was off today because his wife, Pickles, gave birth.
Paul has been pitching names to honor his Austrian heritage: Gretl, Shtupgardt; Heimyenkle; Sazzifrazz; Zima.
Find out Monday when his new child makes their TV debut at 8.
Rating - 4 stars
www.doobybrain.com
OK skinny pukes - I'm Jeff Hoover, a segment producer here at WGN and time is running out. I really need your votes for the Christopher Walken impression contest. (Voting ends at midnight on Feb. 29th)
Take a few minutes and help me win. My entry is called Holiday Classics.
Go to:
www.walkenthewalk.com
Click on the you tube link, and then give me five stars in the rating section. You will need a you tube account to vote. It’s very easy to set up. Just follow the instructions they give.
The video with the highest average will win. If everybody gives a video five stars, that video has a good chance of winning. If everybody gives a video one or two stars, it probably will not win.
As long as a video receives at least 100 votes, it does not matter how many people vote for a particular video; it just needs to have the highest average.
John Tesh (co-star in my entry) will be on the show Monday! How cool would it be to have Walken and Tesh do an acceptance speech if I won? OK…just cool to me. Sorry.
Thanks for taking the time out of your day to vote for my entry.
As Christopher Walken might say…
If you don't vote for me...
I'll scream like a little girl...and then I'll eat your soul.
I'll come to your house and collapse my spine like a rodent and squeeze under the door and have my way with your family pet.
Or better yet, I'll just sit in the room with you and the silence will be more uncomfortable than unloading a nail gun to your groinal region.
Jeff Hoover, Segment Producer
Paul's on vacation, so Pat will have a string of surprise guests to join in on the promo's! ...Find out who today's special guest is ...AND what Pat always orders for breakfast! All this and MORE in today's web promo EXCLUSIVE.
Rating - 4 stars
www.pandasmash.com
Jonas Brothers?!? Who are the Jonas Brothers? That's what Pat & Paul would like to know! Especially after finding out the number of hits on WGN's site the 'tweens' got yesterday, compared to this FABULOUS promo! They are very hurt & angry to think that the viewers could love Jonas Brothers, more than themselves...so go ahead and prove them wrong! Leave comments and spread the word of these amazing promos...but first, don't forget to watch today's!
I'm trying to be a more positive person.
Oprah tells me all the time I can "renew my spirit" and 'heal my own life."
I try, believe me. But then Wednesdays roll around and I have to do this stupid blog.
I mean, I know I don't blog very much, but WHO IS READING THIS CRAP??
(Can I say that on the blog?)
I don't get it.
I know the kids are all about the internet today, but I truly don't understand who would be remotely interested in what Larry had for breakfast, or whether Ana & Val's babies are breast feeding or bottle feeding.
My life truly is uneventful away from WGN, and the day I start blogging about "the adorable message my daughters taped for my home answering machine" is the day I need to be removed from my morning anchor duties.
Please. I beg you, our viewers, to expect nothing from me on this blog, as it is my firm belief that this "computer craze" will not catch on, and will be gone before we know it.
Plus.....I'm trying to remain positive, and I positively know that I am still too angry to be blogging. Gotta go - Oprah's on.
Robin
Please....I beg you.
Rating - 4 stars
www.museumofhoaxes.com
The web promo EXCLUSIVE is number 5 on our site...and Pat & Paul want to thank YOU for watching! So tune in to see them express their gratitude to all you fabulous viewers. Also, much more in store for tomorrow's show and you can find it all out here, in today's web promo EXCLUSIVE.
Rating - 3 stars
www.rottenneighbor.com
After Oprah Winfrey endorsed Obama, a Gallup poll in October found that Winfrey's support made "no difference" for 81 percent of the respondents; 10 percent said her endorsement made them "more likely to vote against" Obama got us wondering who cares about the parade of show biz types making sure we know who they like. Take a look at my story on "Celebrities on the Stump" and leave your opinions. Personally, I'd love to hear who the contestants on "Top Model" like. They all seem so thoughtful and well-read.
Dean
I think it happens when you belong to any minority. You celebrate every success and cringe at every crime. It's almost a knee jerk reaction when something bad happens, you are hoping it's not a member of your minority who did it because that just perpetuates sterotypes and resentment, even racism. But when something good happens and it's one of ours, we celebrate like he or she was related to us.
That is why last night, I got all chocked up whe Javier Bardem won an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor. I burst in to tears when he spoke in Spanish to his mother and his country. You would've thought I was Spanish. I'm not, I'm Puerto Rican. Remember Latinos are from different countries, we are not all the same. Unless we do something really good, so last night I was definetely Spanish.
Javier Bardem is a very famous and respected actor in Spain and so is his mom. Actually, his entire family is in the business. I've seen a few of his movies. My favorite was a Spanish tear jerker called "The Sea Inside". I cried doing the entire movie and almost cried when I had to interview him about his performance of a quadraplegic man who just wants to die.
But, as we all know, you are not a world respected actor until you win an Oscar, no matter how big you are in your country. Right or wrong, that's just the way it is.
What makes his Oscar win even more special is that it was for a role performed in English. My Benicio del Toro (I call him mine since he is Puerto Rican and went to my elementary school at some point. So as a good Puerto Rican, that makes us cousins, for me at least) won an Oscar for an amazing perfomance in Spanish (Traffic). Penelope Cruz was nominated for an Oscar for a Spanish role, as well. But Javier Bardem had the added degree of difficulty of performing in a foreign language and nailing it.
Not that I'm comparing us, but coming from a long career in Spanish, I feel I've had to prove that I could do this job just as well in English. And to this day I worry that my accent will get in the way of my perfomance or that my work is not as sharp because English is my second language. It's all in my head but it happens.
Anyway, thank you Javier Bardem for the feel good story of the day for Hispanics in the US. And thank you for being so genuine and true to yourself when you got the award.
The apocalypse is coming and only Paul Konrad has all the information you need to survive! Well, maybe not the apocalypse.. but we are expected to get 4-9 inches of snow. Paul will have the latest on weather all morning long...PLUS, the Jonas Brothers! Find out what other treats the Morning Show has for you and watch this web promo EXCLUSIVE.
It's been a few months since the sale of the Tribune Company was completed, and so far, not a whole lot has changed around here. My request for an ergonomic office chair still hasn't been answered, and we still have to bring our own pens to work.
But it's still an exciting time. We get e-mails from Sam Zell, himself, and they've started posting motivational signs around the building. The newest one features a quote from Ghandi. You believe that? The WGN of John Drury, Harry Caray, and Bozo is posting quotes from Ghandi!
(I'm submitting some prose from Kurt Cobain for the next round of posters).
I've learned, however, that these signs are not to be taken literally. They're merely words of "inspiration," and not "action." Watch the video below and you'll see what I mean.
Another star turning performance from Tom Skilling. He will, however, never be known as "One Take Tom."
Rating - 3 stars
www.collegehumor.com
Whenever someone asks me what my favorite comedy movie of all time, my answer is always "National Lampoon's Animal House." Usually followed by "Caddyshack" and "Stripes." These movies stand the test of time because of brilliant casting, outstanding performances and all of those great memorable lines. Everyone knows lines from these movies. And everyone knows someone in their own lives that are like the characters from these movies. Moreover, everyone knows someone that can quote verbatim from these movies. I guess you could say that the connection we make with the movies becomes a part of our lives and remain with us each time we get the chance to watch them again on TV.
Anywho, our show featured six of the cast members of "National Lampoon's Animal House." Karen Allen ("Katy"); Peter Riegert (Boon); Stephen Furst (Flounder); Mark Metcalf (Neidermeyer); Martha Smith (Babs); DeWayne Jessie (Otis Day) were here from 7 to 9 this morning in honor of the 30th anniversary of this comedy classic. This is a big deal. Universal pictures sent a small crew along with them to document their every move for a special new release of the dvd they are working on.
I must say that they were all wonderful people to work with this morning. They were game for whatever we asked. Larry, Robin and Dean did a great sit down interview with them in studio 2 and you could see that they still enjoy each other's company and love remembering the joy and laughter that the movie gave to them while making it.
Larry wrote some clever life lessons and used clips from the movie for his Larry's World segments which lit up their faces.
Even Neidermeyer interrupted one of Pat's sports tease and berated him for wearing a Cubs pledge pin and made him do push-ups.
Then, we played a gameshow with them called "Know Your Oscars" in honor of Oscar weekend.
All of the questions were about movies made in the 70's in honor of "Animal House." Babs and Otis won for losing first.
(Watch the clip on the website and hopefully it will make sense to you.)
The grand finale was Otis Day singing "Shout" with the Incognitos - complete with a studio filled with dancers that were made up of behind-the-scenes folks, cast members and anchor team! What a blast. I never thought that EVERYBODY would jump into the mix and get nutty.
I mean, Karen Allen was dancing and singing "shout"??? Somehow I don't think Harrison Ford would jump down onto the floor and do "the Gator."
Today was one of the best days I have ever had at work. I mean, it's insane that I got paid today.
Go meet and greet your college pals all weekend long at the Hollywood Blvd. Cinema in Woodridge.
Go to www.atriptothemovies.com for more details.
And, if you ever want a band for a party or want to party with a band, go to www.theincognitos.com
Click the exclusive behind-the-scenes video below taken by our Blog camera princess, Marisa Pozo.
Segment Producer, Jeff Hoover
Sunday is the Oscar's...so Monday morning we'll have ALL that coverage for you! ALSO...Paul's throwing an Oscar bash, and you're invited! Find out the location of that private party and what else the Morning Show has up their sleeve by watching this web promo EXCLUSIVE.
Rating - 3 stars
www.buzzsugar.com
Check out these "OLD SCHOOL" photos of your very own Morning News anchors!
Larry Potash
Robin Baumgarten
Dean Richards
Paul Konrad
Big things in tomorrow's show...including an "Animal House" reunion! See what else the Morning Show has planned...PLUS, check out what odd location Pat & Paul end up in, by simply watching today's web promo EXCLUSIVE.
Rating - 3 stars
www.videosift.com
Lots instore for tomorrow's show, plus...TWO surprise guests join Pat & Paul in today's web promo EXCLUSIVE! Find out who by tuning in...
Rating - 4 stars
www.i-am-bored.com
A nude photo shoot in WGN's Weather Center?? Tune in to today's web promo EXCLUSIVE and find out all about it!
Rating - 3 stars
www.easybartricks.com
Did you know that Paul is a Mime?? Watch today's web promo EXCLUSIVE and check out his impersonation...plus find out what else the Morning Show has instore for you tomorrow!
I'm just going to come right out and say it...PAT TOMASULO IS A BLOG HOG!!!
That's right...I said it!
He blogs every single day.
Each of us here on the morning show has a day to blog(Val/Ana- Mondays, Pat- Tuesdays, Robin/Paul- Wednesdays, and Larry- Fridays).
But whenever I go to do my blog, you know who has already done one, and in some cases, TWO!!!!
Listen, Blog-Hogger, you let the rest of us on this show say something from time to time!
Dog-gone-it...I'm so mad....I can't remember what I was going to say!
Just a little extra for the blog today. On Sunday night's "Instant Replay" show, Lou Piniella gave WGN Sports Director Dan Roan a hint who the Cubs' closer might be. But before he did, Lou forgot to turn his cell phone to "Vibrate." An awkward moment ensued.
It was perfect for our show.
On this morning's show, we featured a piece I did with "Venom" from the TV-show American Gladiators. Her real name is Beth Horn, and her "Gladiators" outfit is way skimpier than it looks on TV.
Never before had I told an interview subject, "Just so you know, I'll be staring into your eyes for the next 2 hours, because I'm uncomfortable looking anywhere else."
Turns out, though, every other man in this building was plenty comfortable.
I've shot at least a dozen pieces in this building, and not once had someone offered to help light it. Well, no one offered this time either.
They just showed up.
Stagehand Dave and his friend, Stagehand Steve, materialized out of nowhere with lights in hand. Guys who hadn't spoken to me in weeks approached to "see what was up." The quietest men in the building transformed into Casanovas. I had more volunteers than the Red Cross.
It was all a little embarrassing, to be honest.
Not so much the part about them wanting to meet an attractive blonde- I suppose I understand that. What was really embarrassing was how little game they had. Honestly, every one of them had the same opening line.
"Do as many takes beating up Pat as you need."
I was waiting for someone to ask if her Daddy was a thief.
*to learn more about Beth, go to http://www.bethhorn.com
Rating - 4 stars
www.spikedhumor.com
Monday is President's Day so we'll have Abraham Lincoln on the show...Hey, do you know who Paul's favorite President is?? Find out the answer to this question along with what else the Morning News has in store, in today's web promo EXCLUSIVE.
SPIDERWICK CHRONICLES
The best movie of the week is a family film adventure, based on a best selling novel. "The Spiderwick chronicles" has got siblings fighting off creatures in the spooky old house they've just moved into.
Goblins, fairies and ogres are not happy with the new inhabitants where the one time owner hid some powerful secrets in a book that the creatures want.
The kids and some friendly creatures have to protect the book at all costs and it’s there that "The Spiderwick Chronicles" delivers one of the most exciting and inventive mythical adventures that we've seen in a long time. It never gets bogged down in confusing terminology; it’s loaded with cool effects and always with a sense of humor.
Freddie Highmore, who we know from "Finding Neverland" and "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" turns in his usual great performance...in fact, two performances, as twin brothers.
"The Spiderwick Chronicles" is well made...perfect for the kids...and won't bore the grown ups. A Dean's List "B+."
DEFINITELY, MAYBE
More kids in movies this week!! This time, Abigail Breslin, from Little Miss Sunshine, only she's saying and doing things that are very grown up in "Definitely Maybe"; a clever comedy-love story-mystery about a single dad, "Just Friends', Ryan Reynolds, explaining to his daughter how he met her mom.
It’s a nostalgic blast from the early 90's as Reynolds shows off his considerable comedy-skills, but also balancing this well written story about his past loves, well-played by Mrs. Sasha Baron Cohen, Isla Fischer and Oscar winner Rachel Weisz.
Romantic comedies always so predictable. "Definitely Maybe" is definitely, the opposite. A refreshing Dean's List "B+."
JUMPER
Finally, there's Samuel l. Jackson and Hayden Christensen in "Jumper." It’s the story of a young man who discovers that he's got the ability to transport himself from one place to another instantly.
For reasons, not completely explained, he’s being hunted down by a cult of people including "Samuel L", who hunts down and kills the jumpers.
The effects here are great but the storyline is a pretty thin. Still, I had fun with the movie and wished I could transport myself to someplace warmer. A Dean's List "B."
Many of us have dreamed of running a marathon, or completing a triathlon, or biking 100 miles.
I have not. I don't even like driving 100 miles.
But for those of you who are more self-motivated, or better yet, for those of you who are not, there's actually an organization that will train you for one of these events, offer you coaching along the way, and help you with travel accommodations if you choose a race far away.
For free.
The organization is called "Team in Training." Many Chicagoans are familiar with it, and have utilized its services. The only thing Team In Training asks for in exchange for its services, is that you help raise money for blood cancers, such as leukemia, lymphoma and myeloma. And just like training for your event, Team in Training makes this easy. They'll set up a personal fund-raising website just for you.
Viewers of our show should be familiar with Team in Training. Every spring we hold our "Morning Show Showdown," where we annually get destroyed in a 4-person relay race by the other stations in town (we need to let them win SOMETHING).
While marathons and bike races aren't as prestigious as this event, they're a good place to start. Visit Team in Training's website for more information.
Thanks!
Rating - 4 stars
www.heraldnet.com
Hello,
I'm Stagehand Dave. I've been asked to post to the morning show blog, and will hopefully be posting occasionally to give you a behind-the-scenes look at the WGN morning news. Or not.
Things aren't always as smooth as they appear on the air, like the morning we lost power in the studio and had extention cords running everywhere across the set, the actress who refused to pose for pictures with the people at the station but just "had to have" HER picture taken with another of our morning show guests, which then had to be sent to her, or the actor who refused to demonstrate any of the impersonations he was known for. I think that was our fastest interview ever.
As a co-worker said, "You never know what you'll encounter in the hallways at the station. One day it's a 350 pound alligator, the next day it's the Lavender Cabaret girls in their underwear".
I enjoy my job here, and have been here for more than seven years now, and I do make occasional cameos on the air, as the stakes for a bet over the superbowl, doing dramatic? readings, or being the recipient of the "extreme stagehand makeover". The hair's grown back by now... My rule of thumb is that if you see me on camera, something's gone wrong.
That being said, stay tuned tomorrow morning as I read Valentine's Day poetry on the air. Or something. I don't know exactly what Larry has in mind for me.
I remain,
Stagehand Dave
WGN-TV
Promos are some of the most effective tools we use to attract viewers in this business. Most of the promos for this show run during WGN's prime-time programming (which helps explain the high ratings we're currently enjoying), but we're always looking for other ways to promote it. So, we came up with an idea that's inexpensive and doesn't require a whole lot of work, and the bosses signed off on it immediately.
A blog-exclusive promo!
Now everyday when you log on to our blog, you will find a poorly produced, grainy home movie of Pat Tomasulo and Paul Konrad giving you a preview of the next day's show. Enjoy our first promo, and remember to check back tomorrow, as well as the day after, and the day after that, and the day after that . . .
Ok.
It's cold and snowy.
It is also Chicago and Winter.
If you don't like it...please keep it to yourself.
(I'm hearing enough already from my wife who comes from San Diego, my neighbors from Arizona and the mailman Brazil.)
Chicago has always been made up of tough, hearty souls.
And we need to keep it that way.
I am beginning to worry that we have allowed to many warm weather wusses to move into Chicago.
(Anna-Puerto Rico Val-Los Angeles Larry-Uranus)
If you live in Chicago, YOU"VE made a decision to live in the cold and snow for 5 months of the year.
Don't take it out on me.
Toughen up!
Don't go soft on me.
A quick word for some of you sissy, fickle complainers...
Take a quick trip to California or Florida and look at all of the other of oddball, sally's out there.
Would you rather be cold or live with a bunch of pervert freaks.
Alright!?!
Ok...now get out there and have some fun.
Boy...I have turned into my old man.
Have nice day.
Konrad
Rating - 4 stars
www.walkenthewalk.com
Rating - 3 stars
www.jibjab.com
Play-by-play announcers have no fear of dead air when they're paired with Bill Walton. The man was saying "UNBELIEVABLE!!!" out of the womb. We spoke to him on the satellite hook-up this morning, and he was, as expected, characteristically locquacious.
As I've mentioned on this blog before, our satellite interview subjects can hear us, but not see us- same goes for any video we run. So . . . I thought it'd be fun to run a clip of comedian Frank Calieno doing his Bill Walton impersonation (which IS unbelievable), to see what Walton thought of it.
He thought it was him.
Immediately after the Caliendo clip finished, Bill launched into details about the story Caliendo told as Walton. I imagine he was so locked in to getting in his endorsement of Lunovo ThinkPad, that he wasn't really paying attention.
At least I hope so.
A few things we're working on....a woman who thinks she's Underdog.
Michael Jackson talks about the 25th anniversary of the Thriller Video (Tuesday.)
'Christopher Walken' stops by to tell you how you can help him win an award. (Wednesday)
WGN's Stagehand Dave reads love poetry for Valentine's Day (Thursday)
NIRVANA (tribute band) (Friday.)
You know it is a terrible winter when born and raised Chicagoans are complaining. You can hear them all over the city and suburbs. I know, Julian Crews knows and Marcella Raymond knows because we have been going out to get those reactions every time a storm is coming and/or Paul Konrad talks about dangerous conditions and his map says frigid rather than just cold. Frigid has never been a good adjective, think about it. It is definitely not a compliment.
Granted, thanks to my being a feature reporter, Marcella and Julian have done most of the freezing out there. But in my 11 years as a reporter, six of them as a general assignment reporter in Chicago, I have frozen my butt many times. But this winter takes the cake.
I say all this to pose a few questions, as viewers; do you enjoy watching other people complain about the cold weather or the snowstorm? Does it make any sense to you that we stand outside in “frigid” temperatures or “dangerous” conditions when we are telling you to not stand outside? Don’t we look foolish saying “any exposed skin will suffer” and there we are with our exposed faces saying this?
It probably makes sense to you. As viewers, you probably love to hear others agreeing with you about how horrible this winter is. That is why all the newsrooms send the their reporters to do the same thing during extreme weather conditions. You’ve seen plenty of reporters holding on to a palm tree or a lamppost during hurricane season.
We complain, we question it but we do it because it’s part of a job we love. The yearly bronchitis is a badge of honor in our journalist resume. But you know what would make us feel better, if once in a while weathercasters would head out there. What a better way to tell us about the cold temperatures than feeling it for yourself.
I love you, Konrad, but it wouldn’t kill you and your comrades to give us the forecast from the outdoors once in a while. You love cold weather. You don’t even own a coat. I know, I know you have to be in the weather office updating your maps because, believe it or not, Mr. Konrad is a one-man band. No employee of the month and no interns or producers for him either.
Oh, and by the way, all of you who told me October was a great month to have a baby are crazy. Amelia has not left the house for a week at a time this winter. Every time she leaves it, you can only see her eyes, which get watery when the sunlight hits her. You should have seen her sleeveless and sock less in Puerto Rico. She didn’t know what to do with herself in the warm weather. And too think she has to wait three more months to get enjoy her hometown
Rating - 4 stars
www.lookatthesevideos.blogspot.com
Rating - 3 stars
www.collegehumor.com
Rating - 3 stars
www.i-am-bored.com
Okay...can I just vent for a moment??? (I have nothing else for today.)
I am sick of all these freakin' potholes.
They are everywhere...big, little, deep, shallow.
I mean, I had really been doing a good job navigating the holes and staying clear.
But today, I met my match.
It was a big one.
I hit the hole about 3:30 this morning coming into work.
It was dark, I was tired(Superbowl kept me up) and I just wasn't on my A-game.
The result.....A FLAT TIRE.
Just what I needed to start my day!
Okay, I'm done!
Got a flat to fix...
VW
Rating - 3 stars
www.vids.myspace.com
On the board for next week....
Super Tuesday will be the big story through Wednesday.
But stay tuned for Super Thursday.
Josh Kelley will perform in our studio.
And, Paul's Mom has been part of an ongoing experiment that involves looking younger without surgery. Paul and I are putting a product to the test.
Josh Kelley
In between 57 weather reports, 42 traffic updates, and a combined 26 live reports from Ana and Marcella in the driving snow, we had a little fun on today's show. There was the segment with acrobatic cats, and earlier in the show, a satellite interview with John Elway.
Elway is an NFL, and college Hall of Famer, and during his senior year at Stanford, one of his receivers was freshman Ken Williams- the same Ken Williams who's now General Manager of the White Sox.
I imagine this was long before dramatic pauses punctuated his every word.
Both were baseball and football stars, who went in opposite athletic directions- Elway towards football, Williams towards baseball. What I found strange though, in talking with both men, is that they have differing opinions of their college relationship.
**As a follow-up to my blog yesterday about dog fashion, I'd feel like a hypocrite if I didn't share with you this picture of my dog. But know that it WAS NOT ME who dressed the her.
