Bloopers

     Oops.

     Kind of makes me glad that Facebook, Blogger, and all of the other social networking sites were not around when I was an anchor and reporter.

     I certainly made my share of boo-boos. I don't believe I was ever guilty of the one in this photo, but I did refer to President Clinton's presidency as President Clinton's "pregnancy"; I mispronounced "Merlot" (I don't drink it and had no idea at the time how to pronounce it); and got caught running a microphone cable up my skirt on live TV. And, as a good friend and former co-worker recently reminded me, I also had a devil of a time trying to say "Shalikashvili"...as in John Shalikashvili, the former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. I might have suggested (on air) that perhaps the man was going to have to change his name, if I was going to be responsible for reading stories that contained his name. I might have.  

     My favorite blooper happened when I was on location at Lion Country Safari near West Palm Beach, FL taping a segment for a show I co-hosted, called PM Magazine. I was standing in front of a baby elephant. I felt a tickle at my backside. I thought it was my co-host, trying to get me to laugh while I was delivering my lines.

     It was not.

     About 5 seconds later, I felt an agressive lunge over my waistband and INSIDE my slacks! The baby elephant's trunk was slithering down my backside, in search of the wireless microphone receiver, which was tucked away out of everybody's sight... but his!

     Composure gone. Lines blown. Take 2.

     Ahhhh.... the blooper reel. Safely tucked away from the prying eyes of social networking!

     Then again... where DID I put that reel?

     Stay tuned.