My Life as a Wannabe Journalist

New Year, New Start

2011-01-31T20:36:00.001-08:00

Hey all,

I haven't written for a long time because my life has been so busy. From being heavily involved in CSUN's news station and working and trying to graduate on time, it's hard to catch a moment when I'm not supposed to be doing something. But I am trying to follow one of my own New Years' resolutions and make some more time for myself. I do a good job of continuously updating my Twitter feed...sometimes, it just feels a lot easier to limit what I have to say in 140 characters :)

So, what have I been up to? Well, I have officially started my last semester of college and let me just say, it's an amazing feeling. January flew by so fast, and now I just have four months until graduation. I'm so stoked for graduation and to start a new chapter in my life...yet, at the same time, entering the "unfamiliar" seems a bit daunting. But I know I'm ready for a change and I'm excited to open my door to new possibilities.

This semester, I'm taking two political science courses, Investigative Reporting, and On Point. On Point I'm most excited about because I get to produce and host two 30 minute talk shows. Other than that busy schedule, I'm also still involved at KCSN as a Morning Anchor/ Producer, in which I manage a small group of beginning broadcast students...and on top of that, I'm still working as a News Production Assistant at KABC. I love working at KABC...it just provides me with so much experience in the real world that school doesn't. Plus, it's great to go work at a job that you enjoy to do--even with the crazy morning hours! Boy, when I tell my friends that I have to work at midnight, they think I'm crazy! (which is a fact I am quite aware of already).

Well, there's my life in a nutshell...I promise I'll try to update more this semester.

Until next time,
-Brittany

I don't even know where to start!!

2010-06-14T23:32:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone!

No, I have NOT fallen off the face of the earth, but as much as I wanted to keep up the blog, it just wasn't happening last semester. Come to think of it, when I think of last semester and how busy it was...especially with the radio station and interning two days a week, I don't even know how I managed to stay afloat and actually do WELL in my classes!

A couple weeks before summer break officially began, I never would have imagined that it would have unfolded like this. I thought I was going to intern there...but given some corporate issues that wouldn't allow me to come back a fourth time, I didn't think I was going to get anything. But low and behold, my internship bosses persuaded me to apply to become a News Assistant. I didn't think I was going to get it, but they thought that I had a great shot. The last day of my internship, I applied, had my interview, and had a really positive feeling about it. I went for a MUCH needed 8-day vacation to Hawaii and came back to a job offer. I honestly couldn't be more thrilled.

Right now, I'm still in "training" mode of the new job, but what I like about it is that I get to do a little bit of everything. My favorite thing so far has been teleprompting the newscasts (although it can get a little stressful, especially when there is breaking news and it's hard to follow where you are!). I can't wait to learn everything there is to learn and its great that I am *OFFICIALLY* part of the station (and I am getting paid, which is always a perk!). It's definitely a refreshing change that I'm still getting used to, but I'll make sure to blog more about my adventures when I come to them.

Anyways...it is time for this crazy chica to go to sleep. I've got to be at the station in the morning, and under-eye concealer can only work so much! haha.

-Brittany

Winding Down the Road

2010-04-29T11:06:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone!

Well as much as I love blogging about my experiences, I sadly haven't had much time to indulge in that lately. School is already coming to an end this semester (just two weeks left!) but it still seems so far away. Junior year is almost over and it baffles me at this time next year that I'll already be sending out my reel and hoping to land a job in the industry! I can't wait because shortly after I get out, I'm going on a trip with my boyfriend to Oahu, Hawaii...so there will certainly be more pictures to follow!

KCSN has been great lately and I definitely feel like I am coming out of the class with such great experience. When I listen to how I sounded at the beginning of the semester versus more recent broadcasts, I definitely sound more confident (and FINALLY I can pronounce "Mayor Villaraigosa!" haha, just kidding). I am very proud of my 5 minute feature story that I made on the dangers of Texting While Driving and hopefully I'll be able to post that soon. I'll really miss KCSN next semester, but I hope that I can still be involved with it in some way.

Probably the largest amount of work came from my Reporting for TV News class. I had to make four packages and luckily one of them actually made it to our campus station "Valley View News" (which airs on Local LA Channel 36). Again, I love to see the improvement from my first video to my last videos, and it really makes me proud to see all my hard work paying off. Here is my favorite news package that I did this semester that aired on "Valley View News" about the overabundance of chihuahuas in California. Check it out at 1:55:

Anyways, it's time to work on some homework now that's due tomorrow morning. I'll definitely write a post about what's going on with my internship soon :) Can't wait until I have more time to blog more in the summer too!

-Brittany

Trying to sum up the last 4 months in a blog post!

2010-04-05T17:00:00.000-07:00

Greetings bloggers!

I have been SO horrible at updating lately (looking at my last post reading in January) and throughout this semester, I keep telling myself "Yes, I will update" but frankly, I haven't had the time. School, my internship, and work have been eating me alive this semester, and while I am having a lot of fun, I barely have "me" time anymore. Although I've been missing being busier, it's nice to have this week of Spring break to relax, slow down, and maybe catch a few more hours of sleep. Already my classes start again tomorrow, bright and early at 8:30am :/

As far as school goes, this semester has been my busiest semester to date. One class, my Television News class, has really kept me the busiest because it requires me to write, edit, and shoot 4 packages. It's amazing, yet so time consuming at the same time. I love the fact that we have free reign with our stories, but our professor seems to like hard news packages. So far, I've done three and one has made it to air on Valley View News (only 2-4 of our stories are chosen each week)! This class has really helped me hone my skills as a journalist because it's teaching me the essential components I need to know in order to get a reporting job!

In addition to that...my duties as the Tuesday anchor of KCSN have been keeping me on my toes. I am required to write 6 wrap-arounds (aka stories with soundbites) per shift, and then I go live at 6pm on Tuesdays. As another requirement of the class, we have to make a 4-5 minute radio feature story and I'm 90% percent done with my "Texting While Driving" story, which just has to be put on the air. I love anchoring...it really has taught me that the voice is an instrument that guides the audience along, and the clearer and more intuitive your voice is, the more it connects with your audience.

My internship though has been the epitome of awesome. George Pennacchio is such a sweet guy--as I mentioned before, he is probably one of the most genuine reporters that I've ever met. He is nice, but a quality I admire in him is that is that he is a perfectionist, which I think really helps me a lot with my own writing and encourages me to write the best I can. I really like entertainment stories, and quite a few times I've been able to go out on some amazing shoots and meet celebrities, and learn what questions are the best to ask (although I'm always astounded by the insightful questions he comes up with). This has been probably the best learning experience for me this semester!

Anyways, I better finish editing my piece that is due tomorrow morning. Talk to you sooner, rather than later!

-Me

New Year, New Possibilities :)

2010-01-23T11:40:00.000-08:00

Hello everyone,
Time to start thinking about New Years' Resolutions and well...making them happen. My semester started this week, and not only was it a crazy hectic week with the storms in California (referred to in the news business as STORMWATCH 2010, haha), but also it was hectic because I started classes and had my internship interview with George.

With classes alone, this will be a busy semester. I'm taking mostly journalism classes- Broadcast News Practicum (the class that allows me to work at KCSN for 6 hours a week), Writing/Producing/Editing TV News, and Reporting for Broadcast (where I get to learn how to create my OWN packages). I'm really excited for all of them this semester...especially Broadcast News Practicum, because I'm trying out to be the Monday/ Tuesday Evening News anchor. I also can't wait to start creating my own packages! I'm also taking a Film as Literature class, which seems to be pretty interesting, as well as Political Globalization.

So...about the interview. In December, I asked George if I could be one of his entertainment interns, so after I came back from my Grandma's funeral, we had the date scheduled for Tuesday. I was a little nervous because I knew he was going to ask entertainment-specific questions from all over the place. Luckily I did pretty well and yes...I was hired. I will be interning for him on Thursdays and Fridays. I am so excited for this opportunity, and I really feel that my skills will sharpen from being his intern!

Yesterday was actually my first day there and already I got to go out on a story with him. We stood outside CBS studios (aka the place Clooney was holding the Haiti telethon). Although the other intern and I were guarding the truck, the fact that Gerard Butler, Samuel L. Jackson, and the rest of the stars were pretty close was pretty exciting. Plus, I love watching George report- he has this incredible energy when he's speaking, and overall is one of the most genuine reporters I have ever met.

Until next week..with new adventures. I can tell 2010 will already be a great year :)

-Brittany

New Years Resolutions

2010-01-01T13:14:00.001-08:00

I always like to start my new year off fresh by seeing what I've accomplished. Unlike a lot of other people, I try to make resolutions that I can keep and I use them as goals. Here is what I said last year:

2009 Resolutions
1. To do well in my first semester at CSUN :)- I've kept my grades up remarkably well despite how busy I am. I'm quite proud of myself for that :)
2. To update my livejournal more. Although I do like Twitter and use that all the time, I miss writing in a journal.- Well, I've stopped writing in a LiveJournal because I felt like it had no purpose. I am happy I started this blog because it's a great way to reflect on my journalism experiences.
3. To keep doing well with my driving. No accidents, please! *knock on wood*- It's funny how I'm a "late bloomer" when it comes to driving, yet with my commute to CSUN and my internship, I drive more than everyone I know. I attribute my good driving skills from KABC-TV...I've gotten a LOT better with directions :) Sadly, I did get into an accident on the freeway, but it wasn't my fault.
4. To get an internship at a news organization this summer...I am really crossing my fingers for ABC!- Check ;)
5. More of a personal goal, but to learn not to be afraid to say what I really think and be proud of my opinions.- I'm still working on this one, but I feel like I have become more opinionated.
6. To get more politically active and pay more attention to politics. I don't want to be associated with the "apathetic young people" demographic!- Definitely! I voted in this past presidential election and I decided to sharpen my journalism skills by minoring in Political Science at CSUN. I definitely feel I have a more worldly view with the classes I have taken.
7. Have a great year :)- Overall, this year has been interesting--it's had amazing highs that I never would have imagined, yet I did have my share of misfortunes. I lost two people in my family that were very close to me and I keep them in mind everyday. The thought that keeps me going is that I know they would want me to be happy and move on with my life. RIP Grandma and Liz...theres not a day that goes by when I don't think of you both. I hope I'm making you proud.

2010 Resolutions
1. Continue to expand my journalism experience by keeping up my internships and working on my demo reel. After last year, I can't wait to see where this year will take me!
2. Try to give myself more "me" time...despite how busy I am!
3. Plan for Oahu...Brad and I are going this summer!
4. Learn how to cook new things...I realized over this past year that I like to cook :)
5. Continue to keep my grades up at CSUN
5. Again...have a great year!

Internship Photos from KABC-TV

2009-12-19T09:04:00.001-08:00

Here are some pics that me and the other interns took on our last few weeks there. Man, did it feel cool to sit at that desk!

I'm leaving on a jet plane...don't know if I'll be back again

2009-12-18T09:33:00.000-08:00

Hey all!

So this post is going to be a little short...I've been horribly busy lately with finals and packing for my week long trip to Venice, Florida to see my relatives. These past few weeks have been so wonderful/tiring/busy so it's hard to keep track.

Two weeks ago, I ended my semester at KCSN. I made up my shift from the week before so I worked two shifts that week. On Monday, I felt horribly ill but I did manage to write quite a few stories...only problem was the computer was still on the night programming and we couldn't insert our news in. On Tuesday, things were back to normal and I felt I ended on a positive note. Next semester, I'll be working there for 6 hours, so I'm sure there will be lots more stories!

Thankfully finals ended on Tuesday...they were a little stressful this semester. I thought I did okay, but I find myself being a little obsessive in checking them...I know that by Christmas they should be done. I am looking forward to this nice relaxing break because I am off until January 19th :)

My last two shifts at KABC-TV were awesome as well. I got to go out with a photographer two weeks ago and helped cover some stories. One was a press conference concerning swine flu preparations in LA county schools. We also met up with the sports intern in Santa Monica for the unveiling of a new Addidas soccer ball that represents Africa, the new location for the world cup.

Last Friday was one of my favorite shifts at ABC7 because I had the chance to help out with the Spark of Love toy drive in Woodland Hills. With a lot of hard work and support from viewers, we were able to fill two huge Metrolink buses with toys. Plus, it was just awesome getting the chance to hang out with the crew. A lot of local food vendors were nice enough to donate food for the event. Everyone was so excited to meet Garth Kemp! Overall, it was a great day and it helped reignite one of my biggest passions for news...helping people and making a difference in the community :).

Right now I'm actually updating at over 10,000 feet somewhere between Atlanta and Florida. I'm not sure how much I'll be able to log on to the internet during this trip, but if not, I'll write about it when I come back. I wish everyone happy holidays!

Until next time,
-Brittany

"Theres a Special Magic..."

2009-12-02T08:53:00.000-08:00

Hey everyone!

While most of me is back from Disneyland lag (which is worse than jet lag, because your feet hurt AND you have Disney Christmas parade music stuck in your head), I thought I would write in my blog about what's been going on the past week.

I actually didn't go to my KCSN shift this week because I went to Disneyland on Monday and I would have been WAY too tired to go. But I will have two shifts to talk about next week, so stay tuned!

Thankfully, I was able to register today for all of my classes next semester! I was worried that I wasn't going to get into my Reporting for Broadcast class, but luckily I woke up right at 6:00am and added them quickly...it really is a rat race to get into classes in the Cal State system.

My internship was great last week at KABC-TV. I was actually the only intern there...I guess people didn't come because it was a holiday weekend. Nevertheless, I had a fun time at the station because everyone was in a cheery holiday mood. It was interesting because most of the stories had to do with sales during Black Friday. At the end of my shift, I met reporter Rob Hayes in Woodland Hills near the Topanga Mall to give him a clip reel. He kind of did an "anti-Black Friday" story and showed how some people had fun that didn't involve shopping. For his live shot, he stood in front of a new outdoor ice skating rink.:

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Other than that, I had a great day at Disneyland with Brad yesterday. I hadn't been to Disneyland around holiday time for a while now, so it was refreshing to see how gorgeous it was decorated. Plus, I loved meeting Mickey and seeing the Disney Christmas parade and seeing the Fireworks Spectacular!

Until next time,
-Brittany

"Who likes plays? Whos like plays!"

2009-11-25T18:58:00.000-08:00

Play Review: "How the Grinch Stole Christmas- The Musical"

No Christmas festivities could be complete without the Grinch! Many grow up watching the Chuck Jones special on TV, and this stage version brings the book alive...and then some.

The story is told in the eyes of Max, the Grinch's dog, who now is old and grey and talking about a Christmas from long ago (played by John Larroquette). He introduces the Whos, all looking like they just walked right out of the book. The real treat and reason to see the show is for the Grinch, magnificently played by Stefan Karl. His energy and audience interaction drives the play along. And just like the book, he is ever so determined to stop Christmas.

There are quite a few musical numbers featuring the Whos, and overall, I thought the ensemble was featured a bit too much. Their numbers started getting a tad boring and monotonous at times. I felt like there should have been more character development with the Whos and why they can't stand the Grinch. Also, I felt like there should have been more attention on Cindy Lou-Who, rather than all of the Whos. But hey...it must be pretty hard to translate a children's book into a play and I give the author props for that!

I'm a sucker for musicals and have been a huge theatre geek all my life, and I always love it when newer shows play a tribute to "classic broadway." The Grinch's solo "One of a Kind" is reminiscent of Joel Grey's jazzy routines. And of course, the true show stopper is when Larroquette sings the classic "You're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch," with occasional duets from Young Max (James Royce Edwards) and the Grinch, with flashing visuals of the Grinch stealing gifts and toys from little Whos. The attention to detail from the animated classic and book is great, and the sets really make you feel like you just walked into the pages of the book.

However, the main message from Dr. Seuss remains clear with the interaction between Cindy Lou-Who and the Grinch. Their combination and love makes the play a heartwarming tale for families all over to enjoy the magic of Christmas.

Overall Rating: ****/ ***** (4 out of 5 stars)

"Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas!" Pantages Theatre, 6233 Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood. Performance schedule varies, but includes 7:30 p.m. Tuesdays-Thursdays; 8 p.m. Fridays; and weekend performances at 11 a.m., 2 p.m., 5 p.m. or 8 p.m. Ends Jan. 3. $25 to $100. (800) 982-2787 or www.BroadwayLA.org. Running time: 1 hour, 20 minutes.

Image courtesy of Playbill.com

It's the most BUSIEST time...of the year....

2009-11-25T18:33:00.000-08:00

Hey everyone,

Since I last wrote, I feel like this transition into the holidays has made everything about 100 times busier. Now, on top of everything I already have to do, I have "What am I getting him for Christmas? What am I making for Thanksgiving?" at the top of my mind.

KCSN has been going fabulous lately...writing readers is so easy now! I remember in my first couple of shifts, writing more than four seemed like it never would happen. Yesterday, I doubled that to 8. It was actually really funny because I showed up yesterday morning and the door to the KCSN newsroom was locked. I called and the News Director answered. No one except me showed up for the shift, so we literally were a "2 man band." It was interesting because I normally don't get to work with him. A lot of people who do work with him tell me that he really edits their stories, so I was kind of surprised when he said mine were all good and I only needed to add one word into one of them. I think I impressed him :)

KABC-TV has been good too, although it seems that we've been answering a lot of calls from "crazy people" around the time of the holidays. One woman called last week and wanted me to let all of the anchors know that she is sending them cakes...another woman wrote Garth (one of the weather forecasters) a secret admirer note. It's crazy! I also got to help make boxes for ABC7's Spark of Love toy drive. It feels good to help out the community in some way and on my last day, I will probably be helping out at one of their locations.

Oy...I have an even busier week ahead. Thanksgiving is tomorrow, but luckily I've already made my dish (baklava this year). Next Monday I'm going to Disneyland with Brad and on Friday, we're seeing "Mary Poppins" at the Ahmanson Theatre. We're also attending the CSUCI President's Holiday Party next Sunday. All fun, but definitely makes me a tired girl! Lately I've been feeling like an old lady because I've been falling asleep before 9pm.

Until next time,
-Brittany

"Twilight" Tour and crazy shenanigans!

2009-11-11T17:35:00.000-08:00

Hey everyone,
Hope you're having a nice Veterans Day. Mine was spent mostly working, but it is nice to have a day to relax during the week...too bad my body feels tricked that it is Sunday instead of Wednesday, making me even less inclined to study for my Problems with Political Economy midterm that's tomorrow! But, I digress...

KCSN was good this week. I wrote about 6 stories....ranging from police chiefs, Cedars-Sinai patients, and the Fort Hood memorial. I thought it was kind of funny that I asked the producer if I could write the Fort Hood memorial story and she didn't know what it was...how could you NOT know what it is, unless you live under a rock? Seriously, my generation scares me sometimes. Other than that, my stories were good.

The only thing I've been worried about lately as far as school goes is whether or not I'll get into the classes I need to next semester. I already have a schedule mapped out and I really hope it works out. I do have a horrible registration date for being a junior, but hopefully luck will be on my side again. I really hope to get into the Television News class...too bad CSUN is only offering one section of it and I'm up against seniors to register for it :(

So last week, I had one of my favorite internship days ever at the station. I sat in-house for most of the day and helped with my usual duties. I actually thought I wasn't going to be sent out with a reporter since I wasn't sent out before lunch. Then, the assignment desk editor asked if I would like to go meet George Pennacchio at the Hollywood and Highland Center to cover the Twilight Tour. Well, naturally I was floored. I've always wanted to watch ABC7's entertainment reporter in action. So I went with another photographer to meet George to do his liveshot in front of the center.

I'm actually pretty good friends with George's intern, so I had a lot of fun being with both her and George. We stood as George's bodyguards during his liveshot to make sure that none of the very colorful "characters" interrupted his standup (but the Michael Jackson character did like my shoes!). After that, I decided to stay and help George interview some of the Twilight-crazed teens. I loved watching George's interviewing style--he gets right up in front of people with ease, and he looks so comfortable in front of the camera.

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George left after a couple hours and the editors at the station decided to continue the story with another reporter--Subha. I've met her before and she's so nice! We interviewed some of the band members featured on the "Twilight New Moon" soundtrack. Sadly, my favorite band Death Cab for Cutie was there, but for some reason, they did not want to be interviewed or taped by the media. Nevertheless, it was a really cool experience seeing my favorite band perform with my favorite news station. I almost felt like I was dreaming :)

Then, the moment had arrived...all of the "Twilight" cast members were onstage! The crowd went wild (especially the other intern and Subha, haha). We also got more teen interviews and were finished around 8:30pm. It was interesting for me to see how the same event can be covered completely different. Yes, the 7:00am- 8:30pm day was pretty intense, but honestly it was SO worth it!

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Anyways, back to studying for my midterm...

-Brittany

The holidays are here! Well...kinda sorta

2009-11-04T10:09:00.001-08:00

Hey everyone! Hope you had a fun Halloween. I cant believe how fast the semester is coming to an end...I think it's about 5 weeks. On one hand, I'm excited because I can't wait for holiday time (which Starbucks has been reminding me about lately with the red cups). At the same time, I'm nervous about my grades...I mean, I'm doing well in most, but there are some professors who never tell you your grade until the end.

So, KCSN is going great. Thankfully another writer showed up yesterday, so that definitely helped with the flow of the newscasts. I had my first exposure to a writing breaking news that was literally breaking. I have signed up for breaking news alerts from the LA Times in my email inbox. About 10 min before our last broadcast in the morning, I got an email talking about how Mayor Villairagosa had announced the new LAPD police chief. Luckily I checked my email because this story came to my inbox about five minutes before the wire printed. The producer wanted me to write the story, so I just wrote a short reader in less than 5 minutes about the announcement. I felt pretty proud of my breaking news :) I really am looking forward to taking the KCSN class next semester where I hope I can be anchor...or at least an on-the-field reporter.

I also had a fun time at my internship last week. I stayed in-house, but I did get to help a lot with checking up on stories, setting up interview times for reporters, and answering the tip line. It always amazes me to see how important the Assignment Desk people are...we always think it's all the reporters, but without these behind-the-scenes guys, there would be no newscast. I was also given a special assignment by the Managing editor to review a 70-page court case and write a summary...that was LONG, but trying to decode all that lawyer jargon was good experience ( It helps that I'm taking Mass Communication Law and Ethics with my professor who is a lawyer!). My internship advisor also stopped by to say hi with her class that was on a KABC-TV tour, so she was happy to see me in action. Everyone seemed in a good mood because of Halloween :). As always, I learn a lot at the Assignment Desk.

Besides that, my Halloween was great. I find it funny when people think that I was going to party on that day...is that how pathetic my generation has become? Instead, Brad and I volunteered at the Simi Halloween Carnival, which was a lot of fun...I always love giving back to the community. I was Princess Jasmine and I was in charge of a race car game booth, which of course the little boys loved. It was a hectic 4 hours with wall-to-wall people, but it was great fun! Wish I got a picture of it, but I do have a picture of the costume I wore to Starbucks when I opened that morning. I was going for an 80's rockstar, but somehow when I was putting it together, it turned into Hannah Montana, so I went with that.

Anyways, time to get ready for class! Luckily I have a light amount of homework this week...

-Brittany

Radio Reader #2: Swine Flu Vaccine

2009-11-03T19:59:00.000-08:00

Hey everyone,
Here is my second radio reader about the swine flu vaccine that I wrote a few weeks ago. Man, was it hard to get this interview because healthcare officials are so busy, but luckily with a lot of determination, I got it. Hope you like it!

"I've got a hunger, twisting my stomach into knots..."

2009-10-28T09:33:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone!

Again, I've been bad about updating this blog. I swear, it has been on my "to-do" list for about 2 weeks, so here I am. What a busy 2 weeks it has been. I am working, interning, and learning more than ever!

So far, I am really liking the Tuesday KCSN shift. I love the new crew that I get to work with! Yesterday was a little hectic though because 2 writers were absent and one left early, which left me and the producer to do the rest of the show. Luckily, I was able to crank out 7 good stories! I also got the News Director's approval to take the Broadcast News Practicum at the radio station next semester, which means I will be working there for 6 hours. I'm hoping that I can be an anchor or at least an on-air reporter and I am excited for the experience.

Also, I've been doing a lot of news readers for class. I will try to get my second reader up online by this weekend, which is about the H1N1 virus. Today I am interviewing the PIO for the Police station at CSUN about the dangers of texting while driving for college students. I've learned that you really have to be persistent to get the interviews that you want...I must have called this PIO about 5 times before she actually picked up! Plus, it's always good to have a back-up interview, just in case the one you want doesn't work out.

The past two weeks at the station have been great too. My supervisor came back from vacation and it was good to see her back. Now that I've been at the station for quite a bit, calling officials and confirming information is a lot easier. Last Friday, I had a blast because I got to go out with a photographer on 3 news stories!

The first assignment was to visit the Cookie Johnson's new jean company for "women with curves" that was featured on Oprah the previous day. First off, I have to say I never realized how much work goes into making a pair of jeans--especially by introducing a high-quality design that makes women look skinnier. I had a blast interviewing the designer and Cookie about their new company and it turned into a great segment for our news (Plus, I even got props from the writer on my interviewing skills! =] ):

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We also attended a Press Conference in Long Beach about a new freeway sign dedication for a fallen officer. Many of the officers had a lot of great things to say about the woman they were honoring and I thought it was a really nice ceremony to commemorate her.

After that, we met reporter Leslie Sykes in Downey to do a story about a new space learning center opening. I always love watching reporters on the scene, but I really admired the way Leslie is so interactive with the camera, which makes it a lot more interesting to watch. She also has a great speaking voice and was a pleasure to watch. I also love watching photographers work their magic and make the story come together through editing. Like Leslie said, they turn "chicken into chicken salad." Haha, she is so funny!

Until next time,
-Brittany

"Hot N Cold" by the Starbucks VIA Gals

2009-10-15T20:13:00.000-07:00

"Hot N Cold" by the Wood Ranch Starbucks Girls
Simi Valley, CA

Written and starring me and some of my friends at the Starbucks I work at (Yes, we are a little crazy, haha)

Lyrics:
"Served hot and served cold,
It's light or it's bold
A 12-pack or three
it's served instantly!
It's compact and small
it's perfect for all!
You can drink it at school
or even by the pool.

You don't ever have to say 'no!'
'Cuz Via's perfect when you're on the go!"

EDIT: The video has been officially entered in the Starbucks VIA contest! Please vote for it so my store can win! Here is the link:

http://www.starbucks.com/via/occasion/onthego/post/1785

"Still haven't met you yet..."

2009-10-12T16:31:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone,

Midterm season has arrived and has (somewhat) left...last week was such a busy week with two midterms back-to-back on Thursday. But between the lack of sleep and the insane amount of time spent either at CSUN, working, or my internship, I find that I am the type of person that enjoys being busy. Not to say that I don't like my vacation time...but I do love my work :).

Last week was my first Tuesday morning shift at KCSN and it's amazing at how different the atmosphere was. It was the same room, but just the different group of people made it feel like such a different experience. I liked the girls that I worked with on Mondays, but compared to this group, they were so quiet. This group is fun and likes to talk a lot...but nevertheless, we still got our stories done. I was even welcomed by a big box of donuts, to which I attribute where my good stories came from ;). I was kind of surprised and flattered to find out that the news director told the Tuesday group that I was the best writer from the Monday group...definitely made me blush :). But I am happy to hear such positive feedback!

Last week, my internship was awesome as usual--I really love KABC :). The day started off with me answering phone calls and, as usual, checking for new stories. The newsroom definitely seemed different because two of the assignment desk editors were on vacation, but even with the same amount of work, everyone seemed to pull through it together. At around lunchtime, I had lunch with two other interns from CSUN, which was nice. To my surprise, one of the assignment desk editors asked if I could go out with a photographer to do an interview for soundbites.

Even though the interview never was aired (it may be in the future), I loved the chance to be able to go out and conduct interviews. It really helps me fine-tune my sense of what a good soundbite really is, which I'm learning in class. The photographer and I drove to Pasadena to interview someone from the tech company "Trend Micro" about spoofing. For those of you who don't know what "spoofing" is, it's when computer hackers get your personal information and make fake police calls and send the cops to your house. "Spoofing" also includes when hackers send you emails pretending that they are your bank to get your personal information. It was really interesting to talk about the big problems that could come out of spoofing and I enjoyed learning about it. I love technology news, and this made me realize that I would love being a tech reporter. You just never know... ;)

Before we left, the guy we interviewed said to me "Don't forget about me when you are on the news". I know I won't, but the fact that he did say this made me smile. Yes, I do have a long journey to get to where I want to be. Regardless of where I start out, I know I have the dream of becoming a news reporter, and as my life unfolds I'm increasingly becoming more excited as I realize I am getting closer to that dream.

Until next week,
-Brittany

P.S. Yes--the title of this entry is lyrics from Michael Buble's new album...I LOVE his music ;)

My first radio reader about the Car industry

2009-10-11T18:52:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone,
As part of a class assignment two weeks ago, I interviewed a Sales Rep at First Kia Automotive in my hometown to talk about the state of the car industry. We had to write a reader along with it for class, so for fun, I decided to try reading it. I just wanted to see how I sounded and to reintroduce myself to Final Cut because I haven't used it since last May. Ahh...it felt good to be editing again :).

Hope you like it! I'd love to hear feedback.
-Brittany

P.S. Does anyone know a good way to upload Final Cut audio files to the web? I saved it as a MP4 and it worked but I'm sure there is a better way.

I haven't written in here for far too long...

2009-10-04T17:57:00.000-07:00

Hey all,
I apologize for the lack of updates lately and I know I use it as an excuse a LOT....but life has been horrendously busy lately. Between studying, interning, and working, it's hard to find time for even myself. As busy as I am, I do enjoy everything that I've gotten the chance to do and I feel extremely lucky to be given these opportunities.

I'm already approaching "midterm season" at CSUN, but I feel like I've grown so much. For the first time, I have been seeing "check pluses" on my stories...and that's a big compliment from my hard-grading professor who used to be a writer for KNBC.

I've also gotten a lot of great stories to write for KCSN--such as the fire stories, the stories about healthcare, and the Roman Polanski story (Note: I'm not saying that these things are "great", but I'm saying that I'm getting good experience from writing about them). It's funny how a lot of CSUN students gawk at how early I have to go in to KCSN, but after my 3am internship at KABC over the summer, 5am feels like a piece of cake. I actually am replacing one of the Tuesday writers so now I will be writing for the Tuesday early morning newscasts, which thankfully works out a lot better with my schedule.

The main thing is that I'm excited for what I am learning and I can't wait until next semester where I can actually start making some packages to put on my demo reel (which, for all you non-journalism majors, is basically a visual resume of your work).

Plus, my internship at KABC has been insanely awesome. A couple weeks ago, I got to go out with a photographer and help cover a press conference in Torrance about Asian cancer survivors. All of the people getting treated were around when Japan was hit was the atomic bomb. It was heart-wrenching to hear the story of one of the victims and how he felt helpless when his town got hit. I'm glad to see that the survivors can finally get the help they deserve. That day, I also got to meet KABC-TV's Consumer Specialist Reporter, Ric Romero on a story about the possible ban of big-screen tvs that don't meet an energy requirement. I really liked the chance to shadow him because I felt that we had a lot in common and plus, he made it so much fun. I loved watching him and the photographer put together the package in the van, which really showed me how important it is to learn how to edit efficiently. Here is the story that I helped with:

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The past couple of weeks, I have been busy answering the phones as well as helping find new stories. This past week, I got to go out with a photographer to the Comedy Store on Sunset Blvd. in Hollywood to meet reporter Leslie Miller. She was really sweet and I loved watching her interview the PR person for the Comedy Store. The poise and confidence that she had is something that I can only wish to emulate. Her stand up in front of the camera was so natural. Watching her was definitely a great learning experience.

Anyways, time to study for my Political Economy midterm. Let's hope that FarmVille on Facebook does not distract me!

Until next week,
-Brittany

Hollywood Speaks Out on Healthcare Reform

2009-09-22T18:14:00.001-07:00

In this video released on "FunnyOrDie.com", celebs like Will Ferrell talk about why health care is so important. This PSA reminded me a lot of the "Don't Vote" PSA last fall. My question to you is...how do you feel about celebrities promoting their views? Do you think it's a good thing because it helps reach out to people? Or, do you think that they should keep their opinions to themselves?

I personally think it's a great way to reach out to the younger generation, who usually are classified under the "apathetic" category.

I'd love to hear what you guys think!
Protect Insurance Companies PSA

Shared via AddThis

-Brittany

"It's a new dawn, it's a new day, it's a new life for me...and I'm feeling good"

2009-09-14T15:13:00.000-07:00

Hey all! Labor Day really made last week fly by fast, and although I had the day off, the amount of homework and stuff that I had to do last week really keeps me on my toes. I've actually been enjoying having furlough days off from classes, although I still feel that overall campus budget cuts are pretty depressing as they lower the quality of our education. But, I digress...

My day at KABC-TV was a lot of fun last Friday. My supervisor (one of the assignment desk editors) told me and the other intern that we had a choice--one of us could go out and do some interviews while the other can stay and watch the "Eyewitness Newsmakers" segment with Mayor Villaraigosa. It was a tough choice, because they both sounded so exciting...but I let the other intern go out and do the interviews, since I knew my opportunity would come eventually AND to be nice because she never got to go out before (aren't I a nice little intern?)

In the morning, I mostly did more police beatchecks and helped follow up on more stories. I took my lunch break and when I came back, my supervisor told me that she wanted me to interview attorney Ira Salzman, who is representing one of the LAPD officers accused of leaking a battered-Rihanna photo to TMZ. I was stoked! I got to go out with a photographer and we met Mr. Salzman at his home in the Valley. It felt good to be back in the Eyewitness News van again ;).

Boy, was it hot there. But nevertheless, I managed to ask him some questions, and although I suspected he was going to deny all of the allegations toward his client, interviewing him was important. I enjoyed talking to him, and also the photographer I went out with. Later, part of it was added to Carlos Granda's stand up:

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Also, my KCSN shifts have been going well! Last week, my shift was cancelled because of Labor Day. Today, I went back and wrote 6 stories. Most of them got on air, and I have to say...it's a pretty cool feeling to have your words read. Although I don't think that I want a career in radio, working at KCSN is great broadcast experience. I've always liked writing, and even if I am not a reporter right away, hopefully I can work as either a writer/ producer. I feel like this experience, as well as my Broadcast writing class have really helped me hone my writing skills...and it's only been 3 weeks!

Anyways, time to get ready for Starbucks and serve everyone their Pumpkin Spice Lattes (which by the way, I really need to stop drinking, lol).

Ciao!
-Brittany

Getting my toes wet in my internship and the radio station

2009-09-06T11:45:00.000-07:00

After another jam-packed week, it's crazy to think that I've only been in school for two weeks. It already seems like much longer...not saying that in a bad way, but with the amount of school work, let's just say I'm happy it's Labor Day weekend :). Unfortunately I am spending most of it with my Problems of Political Economy book (which happens to be written in the most boring way possible), but at least I've been able to sandwich friends in here and there.

This week, I began my work at the KCSN radio station. I was happy that I was able to find it, since I've never had a class around there and the fact that at around 5am, it's pretty dark. I arrived and met with two other writers and the producer. I was given about 4 stories and had to write all of them in broadcast style in about a half-a-page to three-fourths-of-a-page, but I think I did pretty well, given it was my first time. I was surprised at how much easier it seems to write for broadcast when I am used to all the details and journalism constructions for print writing. I am definitely excited to continue with this and I already feel like I have improved so much with my writing these past two weeks.

Also, internship day #2 turned out to be a success. At least this time, it wasn't as smokey in Glendale when I arrived. I also met the other Friday intern and helped train her on the AP ENPS system. I've also been taking a lot of phone calls, which I believe is still a great learning experience because not only am I getting more familiar with how things at the station are run, but with each day I am learning what the station believes is newsworthy. The news station has still been in "fire mode" by trying to get the best fire footage...on Friday they were following the procession of the two fallen firefighters to Victorville. Plus, I'm now an expert on transferring calls :)

I also love getting to meet the dayside crew at the station, but I'm still trying to learn everyones' names. I loved getting to meet one of the dayside assignment desk editors yesterday, who said he has been working at the station for 35 years solely because he loves what he does. Its really refreshing to meet people who love what they do, and I hope that I can be as lucky one day.

Anyways, I hope everyone has a nice Labor Day weekend with their families!

-Brittany

She's a busy, busy girl with her busy, busy life...

2009-08-30T16:14:00.000-07:00

Boy, what a week filled with a full-time schedule of classes, So Cal fires, making lattes at Starbucks, and my internship. I feel like I did so much this week!

My semester is off to a great start so far...so far I like most of my classes. My favorite one so far is my Broadcast News writing class, which meets once a week. As a part of the class, we get to take a 3-hour shift and write for the KCSN news station, and although I did not get my first pick ANNNDD I have to be at the station and do the early 5am-8am shift on Mondays, I am still quite excited. It will definitely be a fun experience and I hope by the end of this semester I will be an even better broadcast news writer than before!

In other news (LOL, had to say that), my dayside internship started at KABC-TV for the fall and once I got through the doors, I literally felt like I was back at home. I love being at the station so much because I feel like I learn something new everyday about being a reporter. As most Southern Californians know, this has been a pretty brutal week with fires, especially in the La Canada Flintridge Area as well as Glendale, who have been forced to evacuate. On Friday, I helped the station find out the latest information, and I learned that the most important questions to ask are: (1) How contained is the fire (and also, when do they feel that it can be fully contained, although most of the time, they don't know)? (2) How many acres is the fire? (3) Who/ What areas are being affected? (4) Are there any damages to buildings/ structures/ homes? Pretty much, this goes back to the basic journalist 5 W's (who, what, where, when, why) and it really exemplifies how important they can be.

I can tell that since my first internship, I have grown a lot. I remember my first supervisor gave me a huge list of police and sheriff station numbers to call for beat checks and me having that fear of calling and sounding stupid or not asking all the questions that were important...but she was right. With practice and determination, I finished that list and now those fears and insecurities are erased. I am much more comfortable with making calls because I know how vital that information is to our public, and as journalists, we have the right to ask questions. I was proud of myself that I was able to investigate what was happening with citizen's power in Ranchos Palos Verdes. I first called their City Hall, found out that their power supplier was SC Edison, and then called the head of media relations of the company to find out what was going on with the power outage and what exact areas it was affecting. It made me feel like I made a little "baby step" to becoming an accomplished journalist.

Other than that, working the dayside shift seemed a lot different than the morning shifts that I was used to. First off, there is a lot more action and a lot more phone calls. Also, the crew that I work with is almost completely different. However, I am enjoying finding the differences and can't see what next week brings!

-Brittany

Photo of Station Fire, one of the Fires plaguing Southern California residents. Taken by: Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times

Article about me in the Simi Acorn

2009-08-29T16:21:00.000-07:00

Here is part of the article written about me in The Simi Valley Acorn for the short story contest that I won. You can read my entry, along with other entries here:

The Hero

Huge flames engulfed the hillside, chasing women and children who ran from their homes, tears flowing down their faces.

There were 10 other firemen with me, and so many people asking if their loved ones were still alive. I tried to stay calm, telling them that everything was going to be okay.

My lips were parched from the sweltering heat, and all I could do was wipe the beads of sweat from my forehead and just hope that it would be over soon.

They call me the hero, but I am the one that is most afraid.

— Brittany Silverstein, 20

Brittany Silverstein sought to reveal a different side of California’courageous firefighters in her contest-winning entry, “The Hero.” Silverstein, who is studying broadcast journalism at Cal State Northridge, said she was inspired to explore the topic by listening to the experiences of a friend whose fiance fights fires.

“Everybody just thinks that firefighters are these brave, strong people,” she said. “I wanted to humanize them in this story. They also have emotions. They also get afraid.

“I was thinking about the trauma that not only affects the families who are chased from their homes, but the lives of the firefighters.”

A 2007 graduate of Santa Susana High School, Silverstein said she enjoyed the brief vacation the contest allowed her from the nonfiction world of journalism she’s studying in college.

“I love being creative, and the opportunities where I can be creative, like in my blog,” the college junior said. “Journalism is so structured; I like where I can create my own structure. It was a lot of fun to play around with.”

You can review Silverstein’s blog at www.mylifeasawannabejournalist.blogspot.com.

“It’s more of a personal journal,” said the 20-year-old, who is interning this summer at K-ABC TV in Glendale.

The school bells are ringing...and so are the acorns?

2009-08-25T14:34:00.000-07:00

Things have been quite busy on my end lately. Yesterday, I started my first day of the fall semester. I'm a junior at CSUN in my second semester...hopefully I will graduate by Fall 2010 and I'm crossing my fingers that I get into all of the classes I need. Going back to school yesterday was definitely a different experience than when I first started CSUN last Spring, where I felt alone and didn't know anyone. It was nice to see some familiar faces...and also have my favorite sushi again. ("The Marketplace" at CSUN makes awesome Spicy Tuna Avocado & Spicy Salmon Avocado rolls!) Only thing that I've been disliking lately is the parking, but not like that is new. So far, my classes have been great!

One thing that is sad to see is how many students are trying to add into each class. KABC-TV did a story on this, but basically students are protesting the $335 increase this semester, as well as the availability of their classes at the 'Vent at the Tent' event. It was good to see Mr. Hayes from Channel 7 again and shake his hand...I can't wait to start my internship again this Friday! It's like I'll be going home :).

Another great thing to mention is that I won the annual "Fiction in a Nutshell" contest sponsored by my community's local newspaper, the Simi Valley Acorn. Basically the rules were to write a fictional story of 100 words, and apparently I was selected as first place for the 18 and older category. It actually was a lot of fun to enter...I love to get creative when I can and I miss creative writing sometimes (as opposed to journalism writing which is so structured). I will be featured in this week's issue, so I'll definitely post the link to that. No more details though...you all can wait to read my story on Friday ;).

Hopefully everyone else's semesters are off to a great start...I'd love to hear feedback!

Until next time,
-Brittany

Vacations, Sweepstakes, and winning, oh my!

2009-08-20T13:10:00.000-07:00

Last week, I was lucky enough to go on my "Hollywood Staycation" with Brad, and boy did we have a lot of fun. On Friday, my sister and I went to the Hollywood Premiere of "Legally Blonde" at the Pantages, where I got to meet a lot of celebs, such as Heather Tom ("The Bold and the Beautiful"), Nia Vardalos ("My Big Fat Greek Wedding"), Kate Linder ("The Young and the Restless") and Dorothy Lucey of Good Day L.A. The show was pretty cute too- pretty much exactly the same as the movie but with an awesome soundtrack and even better sexual innuendos. After the show was pretty fun, as my sister and I waited by the stage door to greet the actors. Everyone was so nice!

The second day, Brad and I had a couple's massage at Spa Luce, and let me just say, this spa was amazing! I felt totally relaxed, and what I loved about it was that we could go in the steam room after and just relax a bit. During the afternoon, Brad shopped with me (he must have been in a good mood to do that, haha) and I ended up getting some fun new makeup and shoes. Then, that night we were off to the Hollywood Bowl to see the LA Philharmonic perform the Tchaikovsky Spectacular. Boy, that experience was spectacular as we marveled at the glorious sounds in our box seats and our catered take-out from "The Grill".

The last day we tried to take it easy as we slept in and then went to the new Madame Tussaud's Wax Museum in Hollywood. We had way too much fun posing with the wax figures that looked so real. After that, we checked out of the hotel and finished our "Staycation" with a lunch at the Grill. I miss that weekend already and it was definitely an experience I will never forget :) Thanks again to the Hollywood & Highland Center!

Why can't I get this star treatment all the time?!? haha, just kidding.

Until we speak again,
-Brittany

"Chomp, Chomp, Chomp"

2009-08-11T22:36:00.000-07:00

Julie, one of the assignment desk editors at my internship, wanted to see this video of me from sixth grade. And she followed through with her promise to put it on YouTube, so now me and the guy I was in sixth grade with are internet celebrities. haha.

Hope you enjoy....I'm the alligator! :)

Oh where can I get credit for my internship? Oh where, oh where can I get it?

2009-08-11T15:29:00.001-07:00

First off, I would like to express how surprised that I am that this blog made it on to "100 Best Blogs for Career-Minded Students"...Number 11, baby!

But mostly, I feel like I need to express my anger for the California school system. You would think that schools would like to PROMOTE internships, right? Apparently not.

This summer I completed my internship through Moorpark College. Although I am officially a student at CSUN, I didn't have the "prerequisites necessary" in order to sign up for their program. Their "prerequisite" was a Writing for Broadcast class, which I am now taking in the Fall. Why you need to take a broadcast writing class...I don't know. I didn't do any news writing at my internship during the summer...sure, I did a lot of practice, but obviously reporters are not going to be reading what I write because they write their own material. When I asked my CSUN advisor last Fall why I could not get an internship, he mentioned that I would basically have to wait until I was a senior because only then could I be "experienced", and only then could I have my "time to shine."

But obviously, I didn't let that stop me. Moorpark College gave me the credit that I needed over the summer, and although it doesn't count DIRECTLY for my major, it does give me elective credit. I figured that now since I had one internship experience ANDDD that I am 2nd semester junior status that I would be a perfect candidate to receive credit at CSUN. Wrong again. I was greeted on the phone by a pessimistic person, saying that my chances of getting in are pretty slim because due to budget cuts, only seniors graduating this fall could get the credit. I told them that I would go back to Moorpark to receive my credit, and they seemed very angered at that and said "Well, I guess it's still good experience for you."

Today, I went to Moorpark College to beg and plea for a 1.5 unit internship class. Here I am...a college student BEGGING to be enrolled. I know Moorpark is experiencing budget cuts too, but at least they weren't MEAN about it. Now I just have to wait and hope that I receive this credit. But, if there is anything to learn from this experience, my advice is...Do not COMPLETELY trust your counselors and always check out your options for YOURSELF. If I had just listened to my CSUN advisor in the first place, I would have never had the chance to get my internship and all of the great experiences that I had over the summer.

Internship....the end has come...or has it?

2009-08-10T09:56:00.000-07:00

As summer continues to wind down, so has my internship. My summer Early Morning News internship ended last Thursday, but boy, what a time I had. My favorite part of the internship experience was getting the chance to see and appreciate what each job in the station did. The people at the station were so nice and I just really learned a lot about the whole news business. I had so much fun going out with reporters and this internship makes me really excited to graduate and put myself out there in the working world.

Since then, apart from getting "newsroom withdrawals". When I say "newsroom withdrawals", I really mean it...I was really sad to leave because I had so much fun working there. I'm hoping that I can keep up my internship and do it one day a week at the station, but I'm still trying to get things sorted out at school so that I can get the credit and yada yada. I am excited because this time, I will get to be a dayside intern and will get to see how much busier the station gets in the afternoons, as well as take on some new assignments and hopefully still get to go out with reporters on news shoots :). I'm very excited that I get the chance to do this!

Other than that, I've been doing my best at relaxing, and it will be nice to have a break for two weeks. My relatives from Florida have been visiting, so my family and I have been doing our best to showcase California. Also...quite RANDOMLY...but I won the grand prize of a "Hollywood Staycation" contest sponsored by the Hollywood and Highland center where I get to do a whole bunch of stuff in Hollywood, including seeing "Legally Blonde" with my sister, staying at the Renaissance Hotel, catered meals, and much more. I am soooo stoked for this...maybe this was a gift for all of my unpaid hard work this summer at my internship :)

School starts in 2 weeks, but most of me just wishes for the summer to continue. I'm especially not looking forward to parking at CSUN...yuck, lol.

Talk to you later!
-Brittany

San Diego & Internship: Weeks 8 & 9

2009-07-28T16:27:00.000-07:00

With all of the events happening lately in both my life and my internship, it's quite difficult to actually get the chance and write it all down. One thing that I can tell you is that by far, this is the most amazing summer in my life and I am continually wowed by the opportunities each new day brings. I've learned that by having a more positive attitude, more positive things start coming your way.

My trip to San Diego was a great getaway for Brad and me. My favorite part was definitely seeing "Coldplay" perform at the Cricket Wireless Amphitheater, which was a gorgeous venue (and much better than the Hollywood Bowl, in my opinion). We also walked around the Gaslamp District, had a great dinner at "The Spaghetti Factory", as well as an exciting day at the famous San Diego Zoo. See...a perfect vacation on a budget doesn't have to be that far...

But, back to my internship: I love getting the chance to go out with reporters and seeing how differently each of them perform. I went out with one on Week 9 who used his laptop as a teleprompter, which I found to be a pretty nifty idea. Most of them just use their notebooks, but from hanging around them so much, I am so impressed by their intelligence level. I mean...I know that they obviously have to keep up on the news, but I learn so much about the world and just life in general when I am with them. It's amazing to think that some of them have been in the business for 20 years (and more) and when I think of the fact that I have been living for only 20 years, it makes me seem like a baby!

The main highlight that I got to experience last week was the Internship Reception last Tuesday. I got the chance to meet some of the interns in the different departments, which was neat because I usually only see the same 2-3 people. I would say about 15-20 interns were there. It was really nice because the internship coordinator provided us with dinner from California Pizza Kitchen and that was delicious. However, the real treat of the night was getting to talk to the President and Vice President of the station. I was particularly interested in hearing their thoughts about industry trends, as well as what they personally look for when they are scouting for anchors/ reporters. I also enjoyed hearing their life stories and how they got up to this point (the VP, like me, was actually into theatre...funny coincidence, eh?). It was truly amazing to hear about all that they've accomplished.

Other than that, last week I got to hang out more in the Control Room with the producers (which I particularly enjoy), as well as meet the person who chooses the order of commercials during show breaks, which I thought to be a rather interesting job. A news station is like a puzzle...there are so many pieces, so many functions that you can't even imagine, but when you put it all together, it is truly a magnificent finished product.

Anyyways, that's all for now, loves!

-Brittany

"I'm growing older, too"

2009-07-21T14:31:00.000-07:00

Hey all!

I truly can't believe how fast this summer seems to be going now. I feel like my summer has just begun and that my internship just started, but now I have only about 3 weeks left. My second semester of my junior year is also coming up, and this morning I have finally finalized a nice Monday- Thursday schedule (nice schedules are a rarity for CSUN students). I'm taking two journalism classes (J315 Writing and Reporting for Broadcast, J400 Mass Communication and Ethics) and two Poli Sci classes (POLS156 Intro to Comparative Politics, J310 Problems of Political Economy).

With all of the vacations and trips and experiences I've had with my internship, I find myself sad seeing my summer come to a close. This has, by far been the best summer of my life and I feel so lucky to have had my share of great experiences. Tonight, I get to go to my internship's "Intern Night" at the station and meet the President and General Manager, the VP and News Director, and the VP of programming, promotion and advertising. Networking is always fun and finally I get the chance to meet all of the other interns. ("The Others"....okay, enough with my lame "LOST" references =P).

I can't be too sad yet though...I still have some time left. Now, time to get ready!

Until we speak again...

"And Thats the Way it Was"...R.I.P. Walter Cronkite

2009-07-19T15:23:00.000-07:00

During my weekend in San Diego, I heard the unfortunate news that journalism legend Walter Cronkite passed away at age 92. A couple of weeks into the beginning of my internship, I remember asking one of the seasoned reporters at the station who was the reporter they idolized the most. His answer was Walter Cronkite. His true passion for reporting and his candid performances really made him America's "most trusted man". I can only look back at his videos and hope that I can be even half as admired as him.

R.I.P. Mr. Cronkite

P.S. If you're interested, CBS has a primetime special called "That's the Way it Was: Remembering Walter Cronkite" at 7 p.m. I know I'll be TiVoing it :)

Internship: Week 7

2009-07-12T14:13:00.001-07:00

The weeks seem to be going by more swiftly as my internship is nearing it's last weeks. It is only Week 7, and I have 4 more left to go. I keep craving for each new day and each new adventure, but at the same time it is truly bittersweet because I do not want to leave the station. Everyone has been so nice and friendly, and continuously I find myself taken aback at how surreal it is to be interning at someplace so great.

This week definitely had a lot of events going on. On Tuesday, I stayed in the newsroom, but it was a very hectic day as me and the rest of the assignment editors did our best to help coordinate all of the photographers and reporters for the Michael Jackson memorial. The phones were constantly ringing throughout the day, and as one of the reporters later said to me "it was the biggest media circus event" that she ever witnessed. Luckily, everything ended up coming together at the end. However, I think everyone at the station can tell with all the battles of the will and the decisions on where to lay his body to rest that the coverage of Michael Jackson will not cease for awhile.

Now, I know I tend to be dramatic, but I literally was in heaven on Wednesday. I got to be sent out with one of my favorite reporters to do a story near Sylmar off of the freeway. She was doing an easy story on traffic, and how with the poor economy and high gas prices that congestion has cleared a little. As usual, while the reporter was writing the story, I tried to focus my attention on a magazine so that I wouldn't distract her. It was then that the photographer told me jokingly that my internship was not supposed to be reading magazines--it was about getting out there and making my demo tape. He told me that after the reporter was to do her stand-up that he wanted me to try.

Anxious, nervous, and still trying to grasp all of this in, I looked through all of the reports that the reporter used to write her story. I scanned the stories for the most relevant facts. I watched her stand-up for tips, and after about 2 re-writes and lots of editing with my green pen, after about 30 minutes, I was ready for the camera.

I grasped the microphone knowing that we would later review this. The bright spotlight on my face was something that I was familiar with in the past with theatre classes, and I was used to having my plays taped on camera, but the fact that this reporter and this photographer were going to review my tape made me nervous. I shook a little at first, and then did my best read. He let me do it again, and the second time through was a lot easier.

When we got back to the van to review the tape, I was surprised at their reactions. The reporter told me that I had natural talent and that "the business" would be easy for me. The photographer also commended me and said that he was surprised at how well I did for a first time. Trust me--at this point, I was on cloud 9 :) (Plus, I even got to go out and have coffee with them afterwards...they were so fun to be with, I didn't even want to leave!)

Lastly, on Thursday I was sent out again with another reporter to Forest Lawn Mortuary because she was doing a story about where Michael Jackson's body might be laid to rest. Following them in my car, it was a little scary to be driving around a mortuary at 4a.m. It was also quite cold and my "fake peacoat" jacket did not keep me warm enough (I'll remember that for next time, warmth comes before fashion!). It was fun to help the photographer set up his equipment, and I was amazed to see how fast he was able to set everything up. The reporter did a great job with putting her story together quickly as well, and as always, I had fun just watching them in their element. After that, I followed them back to the station and helped out the assignment desk editors again with answering phones.

All in all, I had a fantastic week and I am excited to see what happens next.

Until next time!

(Photo courtesy of ETonline.com)

The Princess and the Frog Trailer

2009-07-06T15:04:00.000-07:00

By the way...I don't know about you guys, but is anyone else is excited as I am for Disney's return to classic animation with "The Princess and the Frog?"

What are your thoughts?

Internship: Weeks 5 & 6

2009-07-06T14:11:00.000-07:00

As the weeks go by with my internship, I find myself more and more amazed by how much I learn. With July 4th and all the events happening recently, it's been tough to actually get a chance to write in here, but thankfully today is my first day of relaxation where I can unveil it all.

Week 5
On the week of June 23rd, we had a lot of events happening. The first of which was when I was working at the station on Tuesday and we found out about Ed McMahon's death. I guess you never fully realize how much hard work goes into reporting a celebrity death is, but basically almost everything was dropped at the station just so we could focus on his life. I had the chance to talk to Ed McMahon's publicist for a little bit who seemed a little flustered from all of the other news stations desperate to talk to him, but luckily we were able to get the perfect soundbite. Celebrity deaths are the perfect examples of a breaking news story, where everything else gets re-prioritized and more information keeps getting uncovered. Everyone tries to be the station that has the news first, but at the same time it's hard, because you have to realize that you are talking to people who have emotions and are traumatized by the events.

Wednesday and Thursday of that week went pretty well. On Thursday, I got to go out with one of the reporters near Hollywood & Highland to watch him do a story on how tourism in LA is one of the industries that actually appears to be flourishing in this economy. Originally, the writers wanted the reporter to interview people...but at the time that we were out (around 5 am) the only people on the street were people that, let's just say, you probably would not want to interview. In fact, our crew happened to come across one of these sorts as we did our story. A girl came up to us before we went on air, wearing no shoes and only a long shirt, telling us that she "is a videographer too" and wanted to be on our camera. We were all convinced that she must have been high on some type of drug, which allowed for a lot of laughs afterward. Harmless as she seemed, when the story was actually put on the air, she ran into the news van and closed the door, and then the photographer told her she had to leave. Despite that crazy incident on that day, I really enjoyed the "downtime" I had with the reporter and the photographer, where I got to talk to them about their past experiences. I really loved hearing about how they both were at the scene of the World Trade Center during the 9/11 attack and the hardships that they faced, both emotionally and physically. I just felt "wowed" to be even in their presence!

Week 6
Following the celebrity deaths of Farah Fawcett and Michael Jackson (as well as Billy Mays who didn't get so much of a mention), it definitely was a week for news. I spent both Monday and Thursday at the station. Thursday was cool because I got to meet news assistants and hang out with them and see what they do, which basically involved them handing everyone their scripts (and it definitely was a lot of exercise, lol). I would LOVE to be a news assistant if it meant that I could work at the station (a permanent intern would be nice too...however I don't think I could live off of no salary, lol).

Wednesday was interesting because I got to go with the reporter to Michael Jackson's family's estate in Encino. I couldn't believe when we got there at around 4 in the morning that there were already normal people at the memorial. The place was swarming with different news outlets ( I even saw a truck for ABC national news!). Whereas the week before I saw how a celebrity death affected a newsroom, this week I got to see how it affected all of the people on the field. The reporter had to report every half hour about Michael Jackson's will, and although it was the same information, it was important to continuously keep changing it to make it sound more interesting. Afterwards, I grabbed a cup of coffee with our crew and headed back home. By the way...I recommend lots of coffee for early morning internships :)

Hopefully more exciting things are in store for this week! I can't wait :) (Especially for my 20th birthday, which is on Friday...yay!)

Until next week!

"Drag Me to Hell" mini-review

2009-07-01T16:34:00.000-07:00

This weekend, I went to go see the horror film Drag Me to Hell at the $3 movie theatre near me, and to be quite honest, I was thoroughly surprised. Normally I am used to the classic "slasher" horror films, and have gotten quite used to the fact that horror films are all about blood and guts rather than focusing on an actual plotline.

Take for instance the new Friday the 13th movie. Basically, the plot is...anyone who comes to Camp Crystal Lake will be vehemently murdered by Jason. Yeah, there is still suspense wondering which bush that he will come out of, or where he is hiding, but the fact of the matter is that the audience KNOWS that the character is likely to die. And there is always a sex scene too. Plus, the gut-wrenching way they are killed adds in to the very "corny" aspect...normally for movies or for television shows, seeing blood makes me cringe, but seeing the ridiculous way that the characters are killed makes me not even connect the fake blood to reality.

Writer and Director Sam Raimi (most noted for the "Spiderman" and "Evil Dead" film series) took his horror film to new heights that made it really stand above from all of the rest. What I particularly admired was the attention to an actual plotline, which I thought was very clever and did not just involve monsters slashing people (well...it still had that, but he introduced it in a much more creative way). The plot centered around a Los Angeles loan officer's misfortune when an old woman named Mrs. Ganush put a horrible curse her for not extending her loan.

In the film, the main character desperately struggles to find any way that she can to lift the curse. What I also liked was Raimi's recognition that a horror film should have comedic elements, and frequently he paints these in a few parts of the movie to help lighten the mood. His success with the plot and the special effects made this a great horror film. Overall, his focus on suspense elements were intoxicating, and I frequently found myself trying to cover my eyes from fear (wow, that made me sound pretty wimpy, haha).

Overall, I would give this movie an 8/10 and recommend it to anyone with an appreciation for horror films..it definitely restored my faith in them! It was definitely worth the $3 :)

P.S. What made it particularly scary to me is that the main character drove the SAME car model as mine (later trashed in the movie by the "spirit" of Mrs. Ganush) and the fact that it was partially filmed at CSUN...it made me feel like I was really there! haha.

"UP" and Pixar's legacy

2009-06-28T09:49:00.000-07:00

In response to my previous post...I saw "UP" and loved it! Pixar did a fantastic job with creating a family movie that can not only appeal to kids because of the humor and phantasmic 3D features, but can appeal to adult audiences too with the amount of heart that the movie has. I love Pixar movies because they are so much more than just your basic plotline...they actually contain true depth and meaning, and their ability to reach out across audiences is incredible, just like good classic Disney animations.

After I watched "UP", I felt so intrigued by Pixar that I decided to pop in their documentary "The Pixar Story". Call me a nerd, but it's so interesting to me to see how John Lasseter (one of the Pixar heads) came up with the concept of computer-based animation, and how it was originally shunned by the heads at Disney Animation studios. With the help of financial backing from Steve Jobs and because Lasseter had such a strong vision, Pixar is the company that we all know and love today. "The Pixar Story" is a great documentary that I whole-heartedly recommend to anyone interested in Pixar!

I'm excited because I actually will get to see John Lasseter (one of the heads of Pixar) next month at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences building in his tribute to Hayao Miyazaki, a famous Japanese animator who created the popular "Spirited Away" next month.

Speaking of Pixar and Steve Jobs...here is a picture of me, my boyfriend Brad, and our friend Derek in front of the visitor center at Apple Headquarters in Cupertino when we went on our San Jose/ San Francisco roadtrip. The neatest thing about this picture was that it was taken by an actual Apple employee!

UP!

2009-06-20T12:34:00.000-07:00

As you know, I am a huge Pixar fan. I'm so excited to see "UP" tonight! Of course, I am seeing it in Disney Digital 3D. Is there any other way to see it?

Here is the trailer in HD for those who haven't seen it yet:

Internship: Week 4

2009-06-19T12:02:00.001-07:00

I can't believe that four weeks have gone by so fast! It's already been a month since I have been out of school and so far I have had the best summer of my life. This week was nothing short of exciting as well.

As I mentioned before, I went on a San Jose/ San Francisco Road trip (which will be blogged about later w/ pictures that I took) and came back close to midnight on Monday. Thankfully I was able to get enough sleep on the drive home from San Francisco to power me through my internship that started at 3am the next day.

This week, I continued to do more administrative work, like checking up on stories from wires. For the first time, I got to meet a lot of other interns this week...I still don't see any of them come at 3am, but most of them have been appearing around 7am.

On Tuesday, I got to be in the control room again, and although I can tell that it is hectic for the producers, I really admire how much work they put in to make every newscast a success. Oddly enough, the role of the producer kind of reminds me of the role of a god, because they are the behind-the-scenes glue that holds the newscast together, and without them there wouldn't be any organization. I love watching what they do, and although my main goal is to become a reporter, I'm starting to think that I wouldn't mind if my career took me to another direction if I had the chance to be a news producer.

This week, I also had the fortune of going on 2 news shoots. I love going on news shoots and although they can be a little stressful at that hour of the morning because I try as best I can not to get lost, they are so rewarding and I learn so much from them!

On Wednesday, I went out with a photographer in front of the Coliseum in order to get B-roll footage of fans lining up early in the morning to experience the Lakers parade. It was crazy to see how packed that street was (including the superfluous amount of cops there to supervise the very rowdy and eager crowd). It was interesting to see how many fans were willing to speak, and also how the fans there thought that WE were the celebrities (some were even taking pictures of our van!). One time, we tried to get closer to the crowd, but the police told us to stay back because we were firing them up too much. It was a lot of fun to get crowd reactions, and I was thankful that the photographer that I was with was a good driver, because it was difficult getting the huge newsvan out of the street that was lined bumper-to-bumper with cars!

On Thursday, I got to go out with a reporter and a photographer to cover the unveiling of the restored "Back To The Future"set in the Universal Backlot. It is so neat for me to see how different reporters do their stand-ups....and this particular reporter that I went out with had the most unique style of any reporter I had ever seen. Unlike all of the other reporters who use a notepad, this reporter memorized everything, which he said helps make him sound more conversational. He told me that he memorized the sequence of things he was supposed to talk about in his head, and only occasionally would he write things down if it was a story that was heavy on facts and information. It was also comforting that this reporter was like me and went to a CA state university and was able to eventually make it back to the large LA market (ironically, he also said that when he did internships, he completed them through a community college because it was easier...I guess times do not change :P )

Overall, this week was probably the most exciting week so far. Working at this news station makes me wish that I can just graduate now, however I know how important it is for me to finish my education. I can't wait to see what happens next week, although at the same time, it is bittersweet because I know that my internship will end toward the end of the summer :(.

Until next week!

Internship: Week 3

2009-06-10T23:57:00.000-07:00

Well, now that I am almost done with packing for my 5-day San Jose/ San Francisco roadtrip, I finally have the chance to write in here and talk about how my two days at the station went for internship week numero tres.

Although I was only there for two days as opposed to my normal three days, I still learned a lot. On Monday I finished all of my police beat checks, and now it is much easier for me as well as everyone else to find out phone numbers of police and sheriff stations that actually work...the old list was pretty outdated. I also did a little bit more office work, drank some more caffeine, and did some more.

Tuesday was definitely my favorite because I got to go out on another live shot. This time, the live shot was in Valencia, which driving-wise was a lot easier to get to than Downtown LA. I really enjoyed meeting the reporter, as well as talk to the photographer about how they got into the business, the pitfalls, and the upsides.

I think one of my favorite stories that the reporter shared was about another reporter that had to go to the bathroom so bad during a breaking news fire coverage story that she actually had to go in the bushes...pretty brutal, eh? Learning about the downsides of the industry is important, and being able to share past memories and experiences with such nice people who can laugh it off really made it worth the while.

When we got to the location, I tried to pay as best attention that I could to the reporter and what she was doing. What I admired about her the most was her sense of elegance and professionalism that she gave off during the live shot. Seeing how she had to memorize the lead of her story as well as her ending gave me a true appreciation for on-the-scene reporters. Also, her clear ability to turn an otherwise dull story into something that is exciting to viewers was impeccable, and looking at the video now posted on the internet, I can see by the numerous amounts of comments how effective her story really was. It really gives me a hope for journalism to see how great of an impact that we have on people.

Anyways, I better go to sleep so that I can wake up tomorrow somewhat rested (or at least feign it with a superfluous amount of coffee, lol). See you in San Jose...hopefully there is free wifi in the hotel we are staying at. If not, I'll post when I can :)

Got, got, got no time!

2009-06-10T14:38:00.000-07:00

Argh! I wish I could update but right now I'm trying to get myself all packed and ready to go for my 5-day San Jose/ San Francisco roadtrip with my friends. I can't wait...but there is a lot of stuff to do before that needs to get done.

I'll try to update later tonight, but if not, I'll "blog" to ya later!

P.S. Unfortunately I didn't get the chance to see "UP!" because of a family emergency...hopefully will get a chance to see it soon. By the way, for Pixar nerds like me, here is the new Toy Story 3 teaser:

I'm uber excited...what do you think?

Internship: Week 2

2009-06-05T11:25:00.000-07:00

Days are flying by so fast with my internship that I already can't believe that it has been two weeks! This week was a little less eventful than last week, but still provided some excellent learning experiences.

On Tuesday, I got to sit in on an editor's meeting, where the assignment editors and editors decided which stories were the most newsworthy to go on the air. It's really cool to see the "media as gatekeeper" role in action, as well as listen to their discussions about WHY this story was chosen and what is the best way to cover the story.

Mainly this week I have been continuing my role in beatchecks, which involves me calling every police and sheriff station that the news station covers. I remember first looking at the list thinking that I would never get through it, but already I am just about complete. It's interesting to talk to the Watch Commanders in the morning...most of them sound tired and groggy, but I have had a few jokers on the phone who definitely brighten up my day (especially the Watch Commander who asked if I was Britney Spears). I remember how nervous I was in the beginning when I was first making the calls, but now I'm definitely used to it. Practice makes perfect, eh?

This Thursday was exciting because for the first time, I got to go out on a news shoot. I followed the news van to the Staples Center, where our reporter covered the unveiling of a huge Lakers banner on a nearby hotel. It was really neat to witness all of the aspects of production and see how the news photographer not only is in charge of video, but of editing it for the package and sending it back to the station. The reporter also has a very important job, as he has to take the press release and the writer script and make it something of his own for his teasers and stand ups. All in all, it taught me how much work goes into every stand up (and it also proved how important it is to have a GPS in my car...I got a little lost with all of the "one-way-street" signs in Downtown LA =P).

Can't wait to see what next week brings! Also, I am really excited for my San Jose/San Francisco road trip next week...more blog entries to follow on that :)

P.S. Hope you like the pic of me on location where our live shot was. Please disregard my tiredness...after all, it was 6 something in the morning! haha

Internship: Week 1

2009-05-29T14:59:00.000-07:00

Wow, what a week it has been. My internship at the news station began this Tuesday, and after working 3 days, I have learned more about my craft and industry than I have my entire semester at CSUN. Not to say that CSUN lacks a good journalism program, for I do learn a lot from them too, but from having this internship, I get to learn about all of the aspects of broadcast news production rather than learning solely on how to be a reporter.

So far, I have been working a lot at the assignment desk doing beat checks, but I have also had the chance to observe a writer, an editor, a producer, a person in transmission, and a lighting director. It's actually really neat to look at what each person does to contribute to each newscast. I think my favorite experience so far was yesterday when I got the chance to view the studio, sit in the anchors' chair (man, was that comfortable!), as well as go on my first news shoot where I got to have the experience of asking questions spur-of-the-moment.

Many people have incredulous looks on their faces when I tell them that my internship starts at 3 am, but to tell you the truth, so far it gives me a great advantage. I get to work one-on-one at the assignment desk, and get to observe writers, editors, and photographers on a one-on-one basis as well. So far, I am the only intern on the days that I work that does have the early morning shift.

The best advice that I could give is to make sure that you do have an ample amount of sleep...I usually try to go to bed at around 8 pm. Also, even though you are on the road early and probably think that there will be little to no traffic, still leave pretty early (I already have sat in traffic because there was a horrible car accident on the road!)

I am so excited for the upcoming weeks of my internship! This week has been filled me with so much excitement about my future career, and already from just this week I feel like I am a better journalist. I can't wait to see how I can develop more with this over the summer.

Summer, take 1

2009-05-18T11:31:00.000-07:00

Man, has it been awhile since I wrote in here. Sorry I haven't had the chance to write lately, but with a heart-wrenching week of 5 finals, it was truly hard to find time to do anything...well, besides studying. Luckily my grades have been pretty good thus far, but I'm still waiting on two of them.

By the way, if any of you were interested in seeing the completed product of my Mexican Drug War website, here is the finished product: www.mexicandrugwar.wordpress.com. Overall, I think that my classmate and I did a good job, given that it was hard to reach a lot of sources because of the craziness of the swine flu outbreak. On our website we have interviews with a political science professor at Cal. State Northridge about the history of the war, with a DEA agent about the U.S's efforts to stop the war, as well as some vacation ideas for people who like to travel on a budget. Hope you like it!

Now that it is summer, I will have time to write in here a lot more, which is good because I missed blogging. My internship starts soon and I am super excited...even if I do have to be there at 3 in the morning! Thankfully, I also work at Starbucks which will provide the copious amounts of caffeine that I will need!

City Council Meetings: Are they really that boring?

2009-05-10T20:46:00.000-07:00

During the last few weeks of the semester, I have had the pleasure of going and reporting on city council stories for my journalism class. Now, at first when I heard that I was going to have to report on city council stories, I let out a large sigh...how BORING. But when I attended, I found out how wrong that I was.

Something that is essential for every reporter to have when you go to a city council meeting: an agenda. With my freshly printed agenda, my notebook, and a well-working pen (pre-tested!), I made sure to come to the city council meetings well prepared.

Sure, there were some parts that I would consider dull (like the conversation on the budget that seemed to drone on for almost an hour); however most of the city council session was intriguing, because I never really thought about how much work it takes to change one thing in the city. That traffic light on the other street. The widening of that freeway. The decision of having a new trailer park, or to construct a new senior citizen retirement community.

These are decisions that affect all of our lives, and they are in the hands of this small council. Some community members come to voice their opinions, but all in all, it's up to them to decide.

More importantly, attending the city councils made me realize one thing: how much we as humans take for granted. Like I said, I would have never imagined that it would take so much work, so much precise decision planning to put something in the city that seems so mundane. These city council people work so hard to make sure that we have a safe, happy, and economically viable community for us to live in.

Frankly, I have to applaud them for all that they do. Especially for helping widening the freeway that makes my commute to Cal. State Northridge a lot easier.

With Swine Flu and the Mexican Drug War, what is going to happen to Mexican Tourism?

2009-05-01T09:55:00.000-07:00

With all of the hype about the Mexican Drug War and heavy violence in certain areas due to the drug cartel alliances, and especially now with the outbreak of the Swine Flu, it is interesting to think about how this will affect Mexican tourism. Traveling to Mexico is usually great- for a much cheaper price, you can still have the luxury of going on a cruise and have that true vacation experience.

Although there was a little decrease in vacations to Mexico during Spring Break, I am wondering how this will affect summer vacations, not just for students, but for everyone. Given the Department of State's most recent warning, saying that "The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on April 27 issued a notice recommending that American citizens avoid all nonessential travel to Mexico at this time", it definitely can take a toll on summer plans.

Last week, I talked to Dr. Mechelle Best, Assistant Professor for the Department of Recreation Tourism & Management at California State University, Northridge who had advice for students, as well as the general public, about heeding the Department of State's warning.

"My recommendations would be to use the State Department's alert and additional information to update themselves on current situation before they travel." said Best. "As with travel to any destination, persons should take all necessary precautions to prevent harm to themselves or members of their group."

My question to you is: Has the outbreak of Swine Flu, as well as the ongoing Mexican Drug War, ruined your summer vacation plans? Why or why not?

**Please include your full name and occupation in your responses. Responses may be used on a project I am doing for my journalism class.**

Image courtesy of TheWashington Post

Chicks With Guns: What do YOU think?

2009-04-27T17:29:00.000-07:00

For my Diversity and the Media class, I am giving a presentation this Wednesday about the stereotypes of women in action films.

The first stereotype that I argue that is being portrayed is The Sex Symbol (think Charlie's Angels, Kill Bill, Tomb Raider, Catwoman). Each of these movies suggest that the heroine must have a "perfect body", their main source of power is from being overly provocative, must be emotionally weak (most of the time, that is their flaw), and she must have "ridiculous" physical strength, often involving sexual positions.

The second stereotype that I argue that exists in action movie is The Damsel in Distress (think James Bond movies, Indiana Jones movies, Superman, Spiderman). Each of these movies involve "the damsel", whose main purpose is to serve as the love interest in the movie, and among other characteristics are being submissive and again, being emotionally weak by always relying on "the prince" to save her.

My question to you is: What do YOU feel about the portrayal of women in action movies? Are they accurate representations of how women really are?

And.. If you are a female, do you think that it is degrading?

Comments are greatly appreciated and may be included in my project. Please include your full name and occupation.

Image courtesy of CharliesAngels.com

Be careful what you tweet

2009-04-24T17:39:00.000-07:00

As most of you know, I use Twitter constantly. I promote it to a lot of people and tell them that it is a great networking opportunity, and I stand behind my words. It really is. However, this week caused me to be highly disappointed in Twitter.

One of my Direct Messages was sent to the wrong person...it's a good thing that it wasn't that bad of a message. But still, that's such an invasion of privacy. And the person that Twitter sent my message to was completely random...I have no idea who they are. It's going to be hard trusting Twitter with my direct messages again.

Apparently they've fixed it. But watch out fellow Tweeps...you never know WHO will get your messages.

(Evidence that they have fixed the problem: Twitter's Blog)

Covering the Man Behind the Manson Trials: Vincent Bugliosi

2009-04-23T09:06:00.000-07:00

As I approached a very crowded Johnson Auditorium last night, I knew that I had a mission: to cover Vincent Bugliosi's lecture.

I was surprised at how packed the auditorium was- I didn't have an actual spot and was forced to sit in the aisle. Cramped and amidst the texting teenagers next to me, I strained to listen at the powerful words coming from his mouth.

Here he was, the man who prosecuted Manson, and the man who put him behind bars. A successful lawyer and writer with 3 books out that have reached #1 on The New York Times' Bestseller's List, it was hard not to be in awe of this austere-looking man.

Although I didn't necessarily agree with all of his viewpoints, it was interesting to listen to his argument about why George Bush should be committed on a first-degree murder charge. The strong tenacity of his voice was exhilerating, and I think I could speak for everyone when I say that you could feel his passion in the room. To prove his point, he talked about documentary evidence towards Bush that basically said that he lied to the nation as his basis for going into the war.

"Bush takes the nation to war and there are a minimum of 100,000 people in their graves," he said, fervently.

[There are a lot of great quotes from him that I got, but most of them will appear in my story, which I will probably post later]

Michael Haas's lecture about his own book, George W. Bush, War Criminal? (endorsed by Bugliosi, of course) was a bit less emotion-filled, but still an interesting argument, nonetheless. In his lecture, he talked briefly about the 269 war crimes that he felt that Bush committed, a lot of them touching similar topics that Bugliosi mentioned. He put a huge emphasis about the mistreatment on criminals, and ended his lecture talking about the first few war crimes that Obama has committed so far.

"Tell President Obama to stop the war crimes." said Haas, as he spoke to the crowded room, urging the people to sign the petition. "Get the people out of Guatanamo who are being abused daily. How many more days can we let this go on?"

And then came the "Q+A" session. A lot of interesting points came up, and although I knew that I had quite a few great quotes in the story, I knew that I needed a good closing quote. As I scrabbled my brain for the perfect question, I thought about a basic question: "What would a journalist do?"

I then remembered my instructors voice telling our class that one of the most primary functions that a journalist does is to answer not only "the what", but "the way". It was as if a lightbulb popped into my head, and I knew I had my question ready.

The organizer of the event called on me. A little nervous at first as I looked into the eyes of one of America's best-known prosecutors, I thanked both Bugliosi and Haas for their insightful speeches, and then asked, "In promoting and selling your books, individually, what is your main hope that the American people will take away from reading them?"

Bugliosi's eyes glistened. I grabbed my pen and my notebook, ready to write.

"I want the American people to read about justice," he said, fervently. "I may not succeed, but I will not be satisfied until George Bush is committed for murder. If I don't accomplish anything else, if I could just put the though in George Bush's mind that a prosecutor is charging him for murder....I don't want this guy to get by with it."

The whole experience happened so fast. I tried to write down everything he said as fast as I could, and mid-sentence, my pen ran out of ink and I quickly looked for another pen (thankfully that was easy to find). I also wrote down Haas's response as well.

Just knowing that I had hit the nail on the head and had gotten the best quote from the lecture, I felt invigorated. That quick nano-second in time when I used my reporter's instinct to ask a question to after his quote...it was as if I had just learned how to ride a bicycle without training wheels. It just clicked.

After my question, the lecture ended as people shuffled through to exit, I realized that this conference had taught me a lot about myself as a journalist: Never be afraid to trust your reporter's instincts. And, of course, make sure that you bring a pen that is full of ink.

Image courtesy of the book's website, www.prosecutionofbush.com

PostSecret Project

2009-04-19T23:24:00.000-07:00

Hi all!

So as most of you already know, I am making a project about PostSecret.com for my Visual Communication class. For the class, our assignment is to analyze the elements of the website to determine whether it stands collectively as an ethical image, or not.

I am looking for at least three good examples of postcards to use in my project to evaluate.

If any of you have submitted one of your own secrets to PostSecret, I would love to hear your input (and if you would like to link me to your secret, that would be even more fabulous, but I understand your decision if you do not want to). I will present whatever you email me as coming from "an anonymous user", so don't worry about your name being mentioned.

Here are a few questions that you can answer that would really help me out:

How much time did it take thinking about the artwork of your postcard? Artistically, how did you make your postcard best reflect your own secret?
What feeling did you have about making it? Were you nervous? How about after you mailed it?
What did you take away from the ability to write your own secret and share it with others, anonymously? How does it effect your life today?

Please email me at silverstein.brittany at gmail.com.

Thanks for your help!

He should have stayed young only once: Review of "17 Again"

2009-04-18T23:29:00.000-07:00

Movie Review: "17 Again"

Comedy, Rated PG-13 for language, some sexual material and teen partying. Run time: 1hr 42 min

**Review contains plot spoilage**

What if you had the chance to be 17 again? Would you do it? At least Matthew Perry's character desperately wanted to in the newly released "17 Again", also starring Zac Efron. Then again, if you could jump back in time and look like Zac Efron, who wouldn't jump at the chance?

The movie starts off in 1989 when Mike O'Donnell (played by Efron) is a basketball star and has a whole future ahead of him. About to play one of his most important games because it could catch the eye of a college basketball coach, Mike is told by his girlfriend Scarlett(Allison Miller) that she is pregnant. Shortly after the game starts, he rushes off to catch up with his flustered Scarlett, tells her that he will marry her, and all is happy with the tweens in the audience.

In the present, Mike O'Donnell (Matthew Perry) is not quite the star he used to be. He has had the same dead-end job with no hopes of promotion, his wife Scarlett (now played by Leslie Mann) kicks him out of the house and begs him for a divorce and his two teenage kids (Sterling Knight, Michelle Trachtenburg) are oblivious to him. It isn't until a magic janitor sees him and transforms him back into the younger Zac Efron that he realizes what he is missing. And the storyline continues to get more ridiculous.

Now a teenager, Mike O'Donnell's mission is to help his kids survive the terrible world of high school. Although he helps one get on the basketball team, and another through an awful break-up, the unrealistic and creepy aspect is when he flirts with his (later) wife Scarlett, and even at one point, kissing her (um...Oedipus complex, much?). And then, like a complete reversal of "Big" starring Tom Hanks, the six-packed Efron transforms into the NOT six-packed Perry, and everyone lives happily ever after.

True, I will admit, I did chuckle a few times during this movie. I give a wink and a nod to the writer for the hilarious awkwardness between Mike's best friend Ned (Thomas Lennon) and the school principal (Melora Hardin) and their surprising "Lord of the Rings" romance, which is sure to delight the LOTR fans out there. Nevertheless, there were some aspects of the movie that just did not make sense:

Zac Efron and Matthew Perry....ummm...who EVER thought that they looked alike?
In the first five minutes of the movie, I literally thought I was watching "High School Musical"...I even thought that some of the dialogue was a little similar...
When Matthew Perry turned into Zac Efron, what happened to Perry's dead-end job? Did that just disappear? That was never fully acknowledged in the movie.
As I mentioned before, the "creepiness factor" between young Mike and his later wife. The same thing goes with young Mike and his later daughter, which I'm sure Freud wouldn't condone either. True, it was meant to be comedic, but it was almost at the point of being uncomfortable.
And not to give the WHOLE movie away, but every dramatic scene in the movie was SOOO dramatic and SOOO corny, and SOOO predictable. I usually enjoy romantic comedies, but the fact that Scarlett accepted Mike's apology of "not being there for her for 20 years" seemed very unrealistic.

Despite these things, I'm not going to say that the movie was painful to go through, but it definitely was not "movie of the year", even as family films go. I actually thought that the acting on Efron's part was well-done, and the film will be sure to segue him into more cinematic roles that hopefully do not involve cheerleaders and high school (again). At least we can hope.

My Rating: **/***** (2 out of 5 stars)

Image courtesy of the Facebook page for "17 Again"

Welcome to my blog!

2009-04-18T13:04:00.000-07:00

Hello Blogger,

Spring has sprung, the flowers have bloomed, and I decided that I wanted to write a new blog. Now, I've had my share of blogs in the past- a diary blog, a blog that I kept in high school (with posts like "OMG! Why doesn't he like me?", etc.), and one that I previously started on Blogger, but none of them have I ever felt a true connection to. With this blog, I hope to change that.

Although I do love Twitter (You can follow me @britsilverstein), sometimes I feel a need to say things that is more than 140 characters, which is partially a reason I am creating this. I have also created this as an inspiration, and perhaps as a networking tool with other journalists, or "wannabe journalists", or people who purely have an interest in someone who has an interest in journalism. Either way, I hope that everyone has fun reading it.

First off, let me formally introduce myself. My name is Brittany Silverstein and I am a 19-year-old journalist. I currently attend California State University, Northridge as a full-time Journalism major (with an emphasis in Broadcast Journalism), with a minor in Political Science. My dream is to become a professional journalist, and hopefully be an anchor for a large-market news station one day. A lofty dream that is shared by quite a few others, I'm sure, but I am trying my hardest to make that dream into a reality.

When I'm not in school, I am working as a barista for my local Starbucks. Yes, I am the one who makes sure that your Venti, quarter-of-a-pump toffee nut, extra caramel in between the layers, extra foamy Cappucino is not only made right, but is served with a smile =]. I've worked with the company for almost two years, and I actually enjoy it quite a bit. I especially enjoy getting to know the different people that come in, but I guess that's from my journalist innate sense of curiousity. Plus, who DOESN'T love coffee?

And between those two things, some of the hobbies that I particularly enjoy are writing, being with friends, traveling and seeing theatrical productions. I am a HUGE Broadway nerd, and I'm sure that quite a few of my upcoming posts will show you that. I also am a fan of the cinema, and enjoy all types of movies, whether they be classics or contemporary. When I get the time to actually watch TV, a few of my Tivo-ed shows are "The Office", "LOST", "The Young and the Restless" (which satisifies my guilty soap-opera pleasure), "Oprah" , as well as a good 20/20 or Travel Channel special. It's hard to pin-point a favorite, because I love certain aspects of each of them...'Variety is the spice of life', is it not?

Anyways, I hope you enjoyed my brief little auto-biography, and I'm sure that more of my personality that I've forgotten to mention will come out in my blog. I'm looking forward to getting to know you too! I'm always open to ideas for topics/ suggestions, so feel free to contact me. To quote Casablanca, "I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship."

Yours truly,

-Brittany Silverstein