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Dean joins Pat today for some promo fun! Tune in to tomorrow's Morning Show to get a review on Will Smith's new movie, "Hancock." We also get a visit from The Hooters Girls...you don't want to miss it!
Rating - 2 stars
www.video.google.com
Robin reminisces on her morning with Kevin Costner. Find out all the juicy details...PLUS, what's coming up on tomorrow's show!
What's in a name? Apparently a lot. Pat shares his musings on the nickname of the newest Bulls player, Derrick Rose.
BIG show in store for you tomorrow...Kevin Costner joins us! Pat has all those details for you....or is it Paul? Tune in to find out!
Rating - 2 stars
youtube.com
Paul gets personal for this web exclusive and shows you the "real" him...find out what I mean! He also has all the scoop on tomorrow's show...tune in and check it out.
“So what do you do everyday?” This is the question a publicist asked me this week while she put a hat on the Pillsbury Doughboy. As an intern behind the scenes here at WGN, no day is predictable – except that you can count on rarely having to grab a cup of coffee for someone. Well, unless it’s Kevin Costner.
In one week you might meet the world’s fastest rapper, interview the man that created The Chicken Dance and write a story about a woman married to the Berlin Wall for 29 years.
And no matter how planned the show may seem, there’s always an element of surprise – even for everyone behind the camera. On Wednesday, the Doughboy, hoping for a picture with Larry, managed an impromptu dance session while Grandmaster Flash spun his turntables. That’s the same Grandmaster Flash who, we found out, is the Doughboy’s biggest celebrity fan. And, to top it off, we discovered our cameramen have some great 80s dance moves like The Robot, which will appear in a future Friday Dance.
Don’t get me wrong, every day brings new challenges, but on the bright side – we do get the leftovers for the summer dessert cooking segments.
Rating - 2 stars
WHERETHEHELLISMATT.COM
Chicago Gay Men's Chorus join Paul in this lively promo...and they sing one of his favorite songs! Find out what song...and what's new on tomorrow's show. Good stuff in store...including a performance from Grandmaster Flash! You won't wanna miss this...
Rating - 3 stars
cardosystems.com/pop
Pat & Paul take a break from the promo world...so Larry takes over. Lots of cool stuff on tomorrow's show...including this summer's hottest toys! Check it out in today's, web promo EXCLUSIVE...
Rating - 2 stars
www.thetanooki.com
Rating - 3 stars
www.chicagomag.com
Unlike the animatrons at channels 7, and 5, who do the news for the corporate
suits, we do the show for you. It's your show. So if you have ideas, send them my way because we are running low on new segments.
I do have a few in the secret file for next week....we''ll be looking at an amazing internet stunt to see if it is real or a hoax; we'll watch a guy ride a motorcycle through a mansion,
and puppets---lots of puppets.
Stay tuned.
Guest host fills in for Pat & Paul and has a one on one interview with actor, Matthew Modine! She clears up rumors and even gets Matthew to tell us a joke! Check it out for yourself...and also hear what's coming up on Monday's show...
Pat introduces you to Uncle Ike! Who's Uncle Ike?? You'll have to tune in to find out...and also to hear everything up on tomorrow's Morning Show. Check it out below...
Rating - 4 stars
youtube.com
"Earth mother" Val joins Pat for today's promo. She has a lot to teach him about a thing or two...so find out what "motherly" information she has for Pat. Plus, find out everything coming up on tomorrow's show!
Just read a story about the news director at our sister station in Los Angeles.
Apparently he was so angry with his station's poor coverage of breaking news that he drove to the station without taking time to change out of his pajamas.
While this might sound a little strange. It is actually pretty common in the business.
Our news director did the same thing about 6 years ago.
It wasn't a big deal to me...but some people were put out.
I just wish he'd go back to the flannels.
Say hi to the boss.
You may remember Robin and I recently had a debate on whether to send your kid to camp for the summer or not.
I asked your opinion and then I revealed my decision to keep Zoe(my 5 year old) home for the summer.
WELL, here's a report from week 3 of CAMP WARNER....
ALL IS WELL!
I'm shocked.
I thought for sure, I would have pulled out the little hair that I have on my head.
We have been very busy...keeping her brain sharp and having fun.
I'm very organized.
I have charts up around the house outlining our daily activities which include reading, snack time, arts and crafts, of course playtime, a summer enrichment program 3 days a week, tennis on Wednesdays, a field trip on Fridays and now she wants to swim.
So far so good!!!
But ask me in three weeks!.
I may be ready to jump into the Chicago River!
Rating - 2 stars
www.holytaco.com
Richard Roeper joins Pat and Paul for today's special version of the web promo... titled, "At the Blog." See what advice Roeper has for the guys...plus, check out what's in store for tomorrow's show. Tune in below!
The mailbag has been overflowing, but I had lost my letter opener. Thankfully, I found it, and now I bring you another installment of "Mailing It In." In this edition, I answer your questions about my co-workers isolating me, ANOTHER of my predecessors, and my local TV crush.
I have been watching the WGN morning show for several months now and it's great but when are you going to start covering MMA in the sports segment? If ESPN does so can you! Tell Robin I said "How Youse Doin?"
- Drew Guthrie, Yorkville
By MMA, you of course mean the Massachusetts Maritime Academy. Perhaps ESPN covers the MMA because of its geographical proximity (the Worldwide Leader is based in CT). I will give it some consideration.
Now, concerning Robin, "Youse" is not proper grammar. There are not 2 Robins. If there were, "How Youse Doin?" would be perfectly acceptable. It's how I greet my family in New Jersey all the time. But until Robin multiplies, stick with "YOU."
"WEEZE DOING GOOD"
Pat, your are so funny, where do you hang out at? Why aren't there any other guys out there like you that are intelligent, good looking, and not crazy!
- Mia, Chicago
Wow, Mia, why is there only one Mona Lisa? Why did Michelangelo scuplt only one statue of David? Why did Mr Holland conduct only one opus? I don't know.
Where do I hang out? Tae kwan do clubs, pawn shops, Elks lodges, the normal spots for intelligent, good looking and not-crazy men.
Val continues to be a studdering idiot who cant get through one segment.
- John Doe, Plainfield
Whoa!!!! Hold on there! Val is my friend and I will not have you talk about her like that. She does not stutter.
This morning before you were doing the sports you were looking at a picture of Marion Brooks. Do you have a crush on her?
- Linda, Evanston
Yes I do. It all started a few months back, when I saw her NBC5 blog entry about the hazards of nursing her newborn- NIPPLE CHAFFING! AHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!
She's a firecracker, no doubt, but I always fall for women who stimulate me creatively. We're always trying to find new ways to make our own WGN blog more appealing, and that bit of brilliance inspired me.
Unfortunately, thus far, it's been a one-sided love affair.
Has anyone ever told you that you look like Gilbert Gottfried? I'm not sure if it's the voice, facial expressions or what, but you have a Gottfriedesque quality about you.
- Tara, Chicago
Are you serious?
I'll assume that you've watched our show more than once over the last 3 years, and that you've seen and heard that exact comparison from hundreds of our viewers before, and that you're writing me simply with the hope that I'll direct you to the bit that Gilbert and I did together on our show?????
Good. Here it is.
Since Paul and Larry are BFF's and even made a video of their excursions around town, did you feel neglected and left out? Do you want to talk about it? How did that make you feel?
- Lynn, Tinley Park
Technically, I wasn't left out- I was driving those two clowns around and buying them ice cream. Would I have liked to be included? Sure. I look AWESOME in a blue blazer and khakis, and everyone knows an ice cream cone is best when shared by three.
If Kurt the cyber guy is go good a being a cyber guy, why are the links he talks about not put on the web site until days later? Shouldn't he be entering it before he talks about in on the air?
- Lenny, Chicago
I don't pretend to know the ways of the Cyber Guy. Perhaps if he spent less time watching blog promos of Paul and I, he'd get more done (though I fully understand the lure of Cyber Pat and Cyber Paul). Perhaps Kurt is the Milli Vanilli of tech reporting? Think about it- how many computer geeks do you know with movie star looks like that?
Who was the dude that did sports for the morning news prior to Bill Weir?? I can't believe he succumbed to Good Morning America.... not that he was any good at sportscasting..... at lease you make it interesting and you also make your viewers wonder what will come out of your mouth next.
- Shari, Wheaton
Not sure I'm following your note completely. Is the "he" in your second line referring to Bill Weir? Or the guy BEFORE Bill Weir?
I don't know either one of them, so I can't answer that question, but I assume what probably lured them to Good Morning America was MILLIONS OF DOLLARS.
Glad you enjoy my sports reports. I often don't know what will come out of my mouth next, either. Last week it was my gum.
Hi Pat, As always, I was watching the a.m. news today, and wondered if you, Larry, Robin, Val, Paul and Ana have ever had meltdowns. If so, I would be fun to see them.
- Sharon Sandberg, Chicago
That's fun to you, seeing other people suffer? You know, when we run clips of people falling, over and over again (and often in slow-motion), it's not for our enjoyment. It's to educate and inform YOU, the viewer. It doesn't make us happy to see people fall off ladders, or take a wiffle ball bat to the groin, or slip on a wet floor. Same thing for when our colleagues make mistakes- it hurts us to watch Bill O'Reilly have a stroke on camera, or listen to Pat O'Brien leave drunken, perverted ramblings on an answering machine. But we share them with you because it's NEWS. We're givers.
Are you married? If so why don't you wear a wedding band?
- Northside Irregulars, Chicago
Not yet. I'm still waiting for my very own cracked-nippled dream girl.
Rating - 1 star
www.youtube.com
"Weird Al" Yankovic joins Pat and Skip for today's promo! A little bit of tension between Skip and "Weird Al"...but they still manage to work together and bring you the run down for tomorrow's show. Check out this web promo EXCLUSIVE below!
Rating - 3 stars
www.heavy.com
Ten-time world boxing champ Oscar De La Hoya stopped by the show today.When we were introduced, I gave him a good, firm handshake, which no superstar boxer I've met has ever reciprocated. When you box thousands of rounds, you break bones, and when your livelihood lies in fragile hands, you don't engage in tests of manhood with every Joe you meet.
Yet I continue to grip million dollar hands like they're safety bars on a roller coaster.
I explained to Oscar that I shook Floyd Mayweather's hand the same way, though, and he seemed to forgive me. Mayweather retired last week, so it looks like the megafight rematch between these two won't happen. That leaves Oscar opponent-shopping for what he says will be the final fight of his illustrious career.
I offered up a few suggestions, and talked to Oscar about his new book.
In today's promo, Pat and Paul take a visit to our "video library." Check out WGN's updated movie collection, and get all the goods on Monday's show…in this web promo EXCLUSIVE.
If you saw the media columns in the papers this week, you might’ve read the stories speculating that Mark Suppelsa is coming to WGN, and that the newsroom is “giddy” about it. I can’t confirm the report, because when I go to the news director’s office, he always hides under the desk and pretends like he’s not there. But, I can confirm that upon hearing the rumor, Paul Konrad and Micah Materre embraced with tears of happiness; Dean Richard urinated his khaki Dockers in the middle of the newsroom; and Robin is tightening her corsett.
This is a competitive industry. The idea of a new anchorman coming to WGN has the male broadcasters here gelling their hair and whitening their teeth; in fact, Tom Negovan and I have pitched in to share a series of Invisalign trays.
Let me just take this moment to emphasize that Steve Sanders is one of the nicest guys you’ll ever meet, along with Tom Skilling, Rich King, Dan Roan and Bob Jordan. And if you’ve seen our show, you know I’m not just blowing smoke for the WGN PR machine. Those guys are “old school.”
Whatever changes happen at WGN, we can always count on 7 minutes of weather featuring 36 computer slides; expired milk and acid coffee at Café Nueve; and no Christmas bonus.
It is Friday the thirteenth. My mom is actually getting a black cat today, from a friend, who lived next to the Witch museum in Salem, home of the infamous Salem witch trials. The Potashes are not a superstitious bunch.
But, strange and eerie things are happening around the world on this very day. A phone rings, and it is a person you were just talking about. You show up to a business meeting, and the client has the same tie. (Insert Twilight Zone music here.) Are the forces of darkness steering you to your doom? Are the spirits from the great beyond sending you a message?
The truth is, there is nothing magical here. Strange and eerie things happen everyday; we just tend to remember the weird ones. Let’s take September eleventh, for example. Perhaps you’ve seen those forwarded emails about the mysterious “connections” behind the nine-eleven tragedy.
*9/11: 9+1=11
*After September 11 there are 111 days left in the year
*The twin towers look like an “11.”
*The first plane to hit the towers was Flight 11.
*State of NY was the eleventh state added to the Union
*Afghanistan has 11 letters.
*George W. Bush has 11 letters
(This is just a fraction of the list.)
Uri-Geller, who claims to be a psychic, posted something like this on his website and recommended everyone pray for 11 seconds. Dr. Robert Carroll of the Skeptic ‘s Dictionary, writes that this is an example of using selective thinking to make something seem designed or the result of a preordained pattern.
One of the 9/11 flights originated from Boston. John Kennedy and Conan O’Brien are from Boston and both have 11 letters. Is there a connection?
The only force at work here, is the one of coincidence and the only thing that’s mysterious about it is that it involves math, which, if you’ve seen my checkbook, can be very difficult to figure out.
Here’s an example. It seems unusual for us to run into someone with the same birthday. However, you might be surprised to learn that (according to math) in a random selection of 23 people, there is a 50-percent chance that at least two of them celebrate the same birthday.
Here’s a more disturbing example. How about a person dreaming of a plane crash, and the crash happening the next day? A million to one odds may sound large enough to rule out coincidence. But according to Dr. Carroll, “With six billion people on earth, having an average of 250 dream themes each per night, there should be about 1.5 million people a day who have dreams that seem clairvoyant.”
One needs to put coincidences back in context. With a big enough sample, you find that things are not so mysterious. Flipping a coin “heads” six times in a row might seem eerie. However, you would be less impressed if you flipped six consecutive “heads” during a thousand coin flips. You realize---this stuff just happens.
Wheaton native Jim Underdown of the Center for Inquiry West in Los Angeles explains that people are struck by coincidence because they don’t remember (and therefore disregard) the thousands of non-events that are also part of any set of statistics.
“Lottery boards never issue press releases about the 49 million people who lost this week,” Underdown said. “Slot machines don’t whisper ‘hey you won.’ It lights up like a Christmas tree.”
The September eleventh examples involve retrofitting significance. Underdown says look at the “connections” between Elvis and Jesus:
*wore white
*called “the King”
*frequented the desert (Jesus roamed the desert; Elvis often played Las Vegas.)
What does it mean? Nothing. Weirdness can be a piece of evidence worth exploring but in the end, statisticians have the ultimate proof in the numbers.
"One reason we attribute paranormal or supernatural causes to coincidences is because most of us are innumerate. That is, we don't have a clue about what the real odds are of things. When two events come together that seem uncanny or really weird it jolts us into thinking the coincidence is meaningful. But where is the meaning coming from? Not the natural world, because in the natural world, things happen according to whatever laws govern them. So we attribute the meaning to the paranormal or the supernatural. I guess it gives us some comfort and some sense that we're connected to something important, which makes us important, too," said Dr. Carroll.
Weirdness happens on Friday the thirteenth as well as Saturday the fourteenth. Science offers the best view of reality, even when reality is weird, and in nature, that’s not that uncommon. What would really be unusual, is if weirdness never happened. Now that would be creepy.
Rating - 3 stars
www.videosift.com
NBC 5's Ginger Zee joined The Morning crew for some fun...and decided to help Pat & Tim out with today's promo. So tune in below to find out all the inside scoop on tomorrow's show!
Rating - 2 stars
www.gocheeta.com/
Dean joins in on today's promo and introduces us to his intern! Get to know him... AND find out what's new for tomorrow's show...all in this web promo EXCLUSIVE.
Throughout my 13 years at this station, one thing has been a constant.
People hate my hair.
I shouldn't say that. People LOVE TO TELL ME they either love or hate my hair - mostly the latter.
I could have an exclusive interview with God himself, and people would only comment on how my hair looked for the interview.
If you don't believe me, check out our MORNING NEWS GRAFFITI BOARD.
Here's some of my favorite comments. They start nice, and get progressively more angry.
Bring it on, baby!
And thanks to all of you - really. I'd still have a mullet if not for your helpful tips.
Robin
Love your hair Robin!
Submitted by: Nicole
Robin, your new hair cut is FAB
Submitted by: Northside Irregulars
Nice looking new wig Robin!!
Submitted by: Ken
Robin, You've taken years off getting rid of that fluff!
Submitted by: Carol
Robins new haircut...makes her look so much less Southside.
Submitted by: Jennifer
robin...nice to see the eighties got their hair back.
Submitted by: annie
Robin- Regarding posts concerning either your hair or your age-who cares?
Submitted by: Dr.D
Rating - 3 stars
www.nkotb.com/
WGN has a bomb shelter?? According to Pat & Paul it does! See where it's located...and find out what's coming up on tomorrow's show, in this web promo EXCLUSIVE.
Rating - 3 stars
www.clipser.com
Paul takes you behind the scenes so you can experience first hand how the AM show promos are taped! A lot of work and skill put into them...check this out.
Rating - 2 stars
www.livevideo.com
In response to one email about the alleged psychic, James Van Praagh (Do you guys think he's for real?) the answer is "no." When we were off the air, he said to me "your infant daughter is going to have a health issue."
Wow?
Really?
Aside from being a real &*$ thing to say...here's the little game psychics play.
The "vision" is so vague, that for some gullible people, it becomes self-fulfilling. Obviously, my daughter will have a health problem at some point. Whether it's spitting up more milk, or the measles. Most people do have health problems, and babies are no exception. The drama behind his "vision" implies it is something serious, but believe me, whatever illness you report to them, they will register as a successful "hit."
My advice? Health screenings from a doctor.
On the more positive side, Richard Simmons made a personal phone call to my mom, to inspire her to get back on the weight-waters bandwagon. That's why we love Richard---what you see is what you get. Unlike psychics, who seek to manipulate people
with bad science, masked as "spiritual insight."
BIG celebration at WGN today...and it's all because of our #1 spot in morning ratings! See how we celebrated...and find out what's coming up on Monday's show.
Rating - 4 stars
www.runawaybox.com
My favorite baseball manager/coach tirade of all time is Lee Elia. For me, there is no equal, no comparison, no challenger. Elia is King. End of story.
But I may have a new entry on my Top 10.
First, a little more on Elia. You hear people describe intense or traumatic events in their life, and the phrase, "the next thing I know . . . ," is often used. I imagine that's how it was for Elia. Someone asked him a question, he blacked out, and the next thing he knew, someone told him he'd dropped 45 F-bombs in 3 minutes. He didn't expect to do this- it was completely spontaneous.
Last night in Seattle, Mariners Manager John McLaren experienced a similar eruption. Notice I didn't use the word "meltdown," because that suggests an element of surprise. McLaren's tirade was pre-meditated, and for that reason, I argue it may be more impressive. It was noticeably shorter than Elia's (only about 40 seconds), but packed with nearly as many profane words.
Which means . . . he had to concentrate on being that foul, something a person who's gone berserk (i.e. Elia) simply cannot do.
Take a look and judge for yourself.
WGN's very own "storm chaser's" are out and about for this promo! Check out the stops they make on their journey...and find out what's coming up on tomorrow's Morning Show, all in today's web promo EXCLUSIVE.
Rating - 3 stars
www.enniomarchetto.com
Good stuff in store for tomorrow's Morning Show...including an 8-year-old blues man! Pat and Paul have all the info, so find out for yourself in today's web promo EXCLUSIVE.
Ozzie Guillen is admittedly brutally honest. He says what's on his mind, WHENEVER it's on his mind, usually with no regard for sensitive ears or network censors. So when he suggested, Sunday night, that GM Kenny Williams shake up the roster, who were we to doubt him? He seemed to express himself rather clearly:
"F@#& it! If they can't get it done, Kenny should find someone to get it done."
(Exact words)
Well . . . TURNS OUT, that's not REALLY what he meant. Ozzie and Kenny met before Tuesday night's game, and Ozzie explained the true meaning of his comments. In doing so, I couldn't help but be reminded of one of the greatest sitcom stars of all-time.
Rating - 3 stars
www.youtube.com
Lots going on in today's promo...including some mechanical bull riding AND a web promo theme song for Pat and Paul, made by YouTube comics, Rhett and Link! Check it out below, in this web promo EXCLUSIVE.
Rating - 4 stars
WWW.RHETTANDLINK.COM
I don't know if you've watched Around Town these last few weeks, but I think someone wants me dead. I've played tennis, have been on a roller coaster with a 25 foot drop in the darkness, have been intimidated by three men in blue, have had sofas and blowdryiers set on fire around me and last, but not least, went to carpentry school. Not to mention that I had to wear a bathing suit to work out in the water with some very nice seniors.
The Around Town producer seems to be on a roll, but honestly, who am I to stop him. I guess that's what they pay me for.
What else do you think I should try? Keep it grounded. I've had a fear of heights all my life and don't plan to overcome it. Besides, I have a child now.
See ya later,
Ana
Rating - 3 stars
www.photos.tmz.com