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News cameraman Carl Glogg had just come back from a tour of Afghanistan, where he and the rest of the crew spent a lot of time dodging bullets, literally, while covering the War on Terror with Geraldo Rivera.
His first assignment back in theUnitedStates: covering an open rehearsal of the Broadway musical “Little Shop ofHorrors” with yours truly.
Now you have to picture this…
Carl, a burly, bearded man who could easily be confused with a Special Ops (search)soldier, just back from the sandstorms and heat of the Middle East summer,rollingwhile Iinterview singers, dancers, director Jerry Zaks and Disney music guru Alan Menken.
At one point, in what could have been a scene from Bravo’s“Queer Eye For The Straight Guy,” (search)someone approached Carl and me with a serious, overly-dramaticmessage.
“Whatever you do, don’t shoot videoof the man inside the plant!”
Carl looked at me deadpan. “Yeah. Wewouldn’t want it to get out that that’s not a real, man-eating, singing plant up there on that stage,” he said.The irony and humor wasn’t lost on me.
As a contributing entertainment reporter, producer,columnist and Internet project manager here at FOXNews Channel, I take my jobs very seriously.Butthat doesn’t meanI take myself too seriously.
And whileinterviewing A-list celebrities and covering events where mostly naked super-models roam indiscriminately isa lot of fun and plays an important role in presenting viewers with a variety of coverage to choose from,it’s not war.People aren’t dying on the red carpet.
A little bit of realistic perspective goes a long way in this business.
That being said, it was a good year in “StrakaVision,” as FOXNews ENG coordinator/cameraman Adam Petlin, crew chief Janette Shaw,and the rest of the shootershave taken to calling assignments with me.
Long before the recall election, cameraman Tommy Chiu and Iwere able to getArnold Schwarzenneger (search)to answer whether or not he’d consider running for California’s governor seat if the state’s Republican party really needed him.
“I said it before and I’ll say it again.Yes,” he told us on the red carpet at one of his “Terminator 3: The Rise of the Machines” events.
MegastarTom Cruise (search)demonstrated the fine art of Samurai swordsmanshipforPetlin at “The Last Samurai” premiere a few weeks ago, where I asked himif his experience producing the film “Shattered Glass,” about a New Republic reporter who made up stories much like Jayson Blair did at the New York Timesthis year,changed his viewpoint on journalism.
“No,” said Cruise. “I’ve lived through things, peoplesaying thingsthat aren’ttrue, or taking it and twisting it just enough to try to convey their story or making up their own stories …those people have no sense of responsibility to their viewers or readership,” he said, just before wandering off the red carpet to sign autographs for some fans who were braving the bitter Manhattancold.
Cameraman Mike Fagan was rollingwhen 13-year-old surfer girlBethany Hamilton, (search)who became famous after losing her leftarm TO A SHARK, showed me just how proficient she was with herright arm by beaming me in the face with a snowball during an interview in Central Park earlier this month.
Fagan also pulled the envious assignment of going behind-the-scenes at theVictoria’s Secret (search)fashion show with me, but not to be outdone, cameramanScott Wilder and audio tech John Kisala coveredPlayboy (search)magazine’s 50th Anniversary party with me, where Hugh Hefner told us “the three greatest inventions of the world are fire, the wheel and Playboy.”
At Robert De Niro’ssecond annualTribeca Film Festival, (search)cameramanPaul Alvarez (search)and I were treated to a lengthy interview with none other than screen legendAl Pacino (search), where he gave this advice to anyone aspiring to a life in films.
“Despite all the obstacles and all the people saying you can’t do it — you can find a way if you truly have something to say,” Pacino said.
Making his Broadway debut, movie starAntonio Banderas (search)was nominated for a Tony award for his performancein”Nine.”He told cameraman Mayer Dubinskyand methat he’s nervous, as anyone else making a Broadway debut would be, but that he’s also facing some language challenges.
“I’ve never done a musical in English on the stage,” he said. “So that’s an obstacle I have to overcome,” he said.
Shooter Rob Ginnane (search)and I covered auditions for next month’s “American Idol” on FOX. Acerbic judge Simon Cowell told us when it comes to confronting he, Paula Abdul and Randy Jackson, “there’s nothing to fear but themselves.”
As a native Jerseyboy, my assignmentwith cameraman Rich D’Elia behind the scenes at a Bon Jovi concert at GiantsStadiumwaspretty cool.Imagine interviewing therockstars who sang the theme song at your high schoolseniorprom!
Meanwhile, in my travels forFOX Magazine (search), freelance cameraman Rick Smosky and I got around this past year.
In California covering Bob Hope’s 100th birthday, we spent the day atthe Hope estate in Toluca Lake with daughter Linda and wife Delores,andwe took a guided tour of theReagan Presidential Library (search)in Simi Valley — where plans to retire Reagan’s Air Force One aircraft, along with the limousine he dove in after being shot by John Hinckley Jr., are underway.
Wealso spenta weekend covering the luxurious side of Walt Disney World fora book feature, and another on the beaches ofBimini Island (search),for a feature onthe Miami Dolphins Cheerleaders Swimsuit Calendar shoot.
See. Now noone can say I didn’t brave the sands overseas.I don’t think, however, thatthat qualifies me as an “embedded” journalist.
But seriously, every producer andreporter in television newswould be lost without the dedication and the collaboration of their camera operators in the field, and the editors back at the shop.I, for one, appreciate their efforts, and look forward to more teamwork in 2004.
I also appreciate the opportunitiesthe bossesat FOX News Channel allow me to pursue. They’ve given me a lot of rope in the past seven years, and so far I haven’t hung myself, although I’ve come close on a few occassions.
Howevermy most successfulcollaboration of 2003 was with Mrs. Straka, when shegave birth to ourdaughter Maxine Elisabethin November.As far as I know, therewas no camera crewinvolved in any part of that!
Happy New Year everybody!
Mike Strakais the project manager for FOX News’Web operations and contributes as a featuresreporter and produceron FOX Magazine (Sundays 11 p.m. on FNC),a produceron Sunday Best (Sundays 9pm on FNC), and asa reporterand columnistfor Foxnews.com.
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