NEW
YORK: I don't watch much daytime TV. Daytime, for me, is
for riding bikes, working in the garden and making pottery.
Still,
when I saw that The Chew was looking for people to do a segment on handcrafted
work, I sent photos of my earrings upcycled from tin cans and a note telling
them of my vast TV experience. I've been on AM Buffalo 3 times.
Maria,
the production assistant called and asked if I could teach Clinton how to make
a simple pair of earrings in 5 to 8 minutes. "Sure," I said, "I
was an elementary teacher for 35 years."
She
laughed and said she’d send a booking sheet. "Great!" I told her,
though I’d no idea what a booking sheet was.
Later
the show’s producer called to give me details on time and address – building
24. She said to walk up to the side door like I belonged there and my name
would be on a list. I should wear my regular makeup and be ready for a touch
up. I didn’t mention that I don’t own any make up.
What to wear? Kymberli
said to wear bling. I keep my bling with my makeup. Eileen, Allison and
Meredith said to wear a solid color. My new striped silk blouse was out but
Allison lent me the blouse we got at a thrift store.
Rick said I needed a new belt so we went shopping for belts the
day before I left - right after I had quality time with the dental surgeon
dealing with my root canal.
My
mouth was hardly swollen and I thought Clinton Kelly would like my newest shoes
so I worked on my lesson plan, chose my materials and selected a platoon from
my army of pliers and cutting tools. Time for a tiny television career.
I drove to my friend’s house in New Jersey. Norma always welcomes me and gives
me a place to leave the car and a place to stay in the city. We took the train
in. (Honestly, I love when they shout all aboard and blow the whistle.)
New
York is hectic with people moving head down into time as if pushing into a
strong wind. Helping someone pick something up earns a person a threatening glare
that softens into disbelief and then a crinkle-eyed grin.
My
daughter Emilie met me for dinner and a very short visit and came to the show
with me for support.
The
ABC Studios are in a massive building. I never got a booking sheet and my name
wasn’t on the list but nobody asked me for identification. Rather, Emilie and I
followed one person who handed us off to another threading through narrow halls
with uncountable arrays of electric wires.
We
passed the ABC nightly news desk. It’s inside of glass room so that it looks
almost like a museum exhibit. Then we entered the part of the building that is
The Chew.
The
while building teems with people. For someone not aware of the big picture, it
feels chaotic. It takes 142 people to put together The Chew and on Thursday
they tape both the Thursday and Friday shows so it’s really busy.
We
had to wait for the first audience to leave before we went to the green
room. (These are NEVER green.) Maria offered us water, coffee, tea and
snacks - the food prepared during the first taping.
Here’s
some of the behind-the-scenes scoop on creating a daily cooking show like The
Chew. There’s a rehearsal. A comedian comes out with a hand held microphone and
whips the audience to a frenzy of shouting, singing and clapping.
They
record a 30 second segment of clapping and hooting (some people really get into
this). The comedian says that it’s a warm up but the production people told me
that if the actual applause isn’t good they splice the best whatever seconds on
the clapping rehearsal into the show.
Ditto
for 30 seconds of laughing on demand. It’s a back up recording just in case
they need it.
Emilie
was in the midst of the hooting audience when the makeup artist arrived. She
said that half the guests she works on have no makeup. She applied lip gloss
and called me done.
In
the rehearsal the cooks chop and stir the air saving the actual food to use
during the taping. They use a teleprompter. Every word of their natural
conversation and banter is scripted and marches past in all capital letters, 2
or 3 words on a line matching their reading speed. How can they read so
naturally? The comedian uses has hand signals to encourage the audience to
applaud or laugh.
My
part was short. I introduced myself to Clinton Kelly and talked briefly about
making tin can folk art earrings. If I may brag, half the audience laughed at
my joke without being told to.
Then
Clinton talked with the other 3 guests and their projects. Diane stamps floor
tiles with permanent ink and uses them as trivets. Susan staples chicken wire
on picture frames to make an earring hanger and Sue ties plastic six pack rings
together to make flower-like decorations.
Clinton
chose to stamp on the floor tiles saying it looked the easiest and I applaud
his choice. They were all able to do this project in the very short time period
allotted. I couldn’t have worked with 5 people.
The
main focus of The Chew is to help people make fast and easy meals. That’s
reasonable. We all need the occasional fast meal. But I can’t work fast
whether I’m making pottery, tin can folk art sculpture or jewelry, my mind is
says slow. (My cooking is slow too and often starts with the growing part.)
Clinton
Kelly and Carla Hall came to the green room after the show and both seemed warm
and interesting. They invited me to come back to the show with them for a
longer segment this summer. I don’t know if anything more will happen. I’ve had
my 15 seconds of fame on national TV.
photos: Elaine on the set of The Chew
A sheet that blocks out the segments of Episode 153 of The Chew
Carla Hall peeking out and then Clinton Kelley and me in the blouse I got for
Allison at the Goodwill store but she lent it to me.
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