On Air Tragedy

This morning as I watched the "Today Show" while getting my five year old ready for his first day of kindergarten, shocking images flashed on the screen as reports were coming in of a news reporter and her cameraman being shot and killed while on air.

Alison Parker, 24, and her cameraman Adam Ward, 27, were conducting a live interview at a Moneta, Virginia mall when 41 year old Vester Flanagan stepped forward and opened fire. Flanagan had previously worked for WDBJ as a reporter but had been fired two years ago. The woman being interviewed, Vicki Gardner, was shot in the back. The gunman later committed suicide.

As the day wore on and I learned more about the incident, I felt increasingly troubled. Over twenty years ago, I had been in similar positions. As a radio news anchor for CKSA Radio/TV in Lloydminster, Alberta, I was occasionally asked to be "on call" on weekends. I remember a particular Saturday evening when I got a call asking me to meet up with a cameraman to cover a fire at a local business. Many other times I was simply along for the ride with some of my good friends as they did "standups" for stories that would be broadcast on that night's news. Not then nor in the years that have passed had I ever imagined that something so terrible could happen to someone in that situation.

 

It seems to have become fashionable of late to heckle or harass on-air television reporters. With today's events, I'm sure reporters will feel incredibly vulnerable when broadcasting from public settings. Hopefully, those looking to get their "fifteen minutes" by doing something vulgar or ridiculous while being captured on live TV will think of Parker and Ward and the impact that this incident will have on those in their profession, and think again.

Radio Daze

Andy Warhol is famously quoted as saying that everyone would experience "15 minutes of fame." Mine technically lasted for about two and a half years, but considering the fact that it was at Podunk radio stations, it probably only counts as about 4 minutes.

I'd volunteered doing brief newscasts at the University of Alberta while in broadcasting school in the late 80's. It was a tad nerve wracking but someone else was manning the controls and everything was scripted, so there was a modicum of comfort.

My first "real" radio job came in 1989. I was hired as an evening "jock" at CJYR radio in Edson, Alberta. The station personalities referred to it as YR Radio. The locals were often overheard asking themselves "YR you listening?" This was probably due to the fact that the station suffered from a massive personality disorder. The format was an eclectic mix of country, rock, and pop. It was essentially the bottom rung of radio broadcasting. In other words, a great place to start.

There was a wide variety of personalities that took to the airwaves at YR. The morning man was Dave Shook. He was a local boy whose greeting each day was "Wakin' and shakin' with Shook in the morning." That left a mental scar that hasn't healed. Dale Michaels was afternoon drive. Both had really awful moustaches that went out of style about ten years prior. (Now that I think of it, Terry Mott and Chuck Farroh also had weazened moustaches as well.)

My mentor on the night shift was a gal from the Northwest Territories with frizzy blonde hair and went by the moniker "Katherine with a K." I honestly don't remember her real last name but I'm almost positive it wasn't "WithaK." I thought briefly of going with Graham with a G but opted rather for my birth name. I was so rattled in those early days that I didn't want to try and spit out something manly like Brick Samson and getting it horribly wrong.

I had a variety of educational and sometimes bizarre experiences during my tenure at YR. But I also learned a valuable life lesson.

I can remember my first night manning the control board "solo," so to speak. Katherine had been my mentor for several nights. I shadowed her and was impressed with how effortlessly she spun the LPs and quipped over the air between songs (this was in the days of dual turntables, folks; CD's were just becoming a thing).

Finally, it was my turn to take over. She would watch over my shoulder and offer suggestions. Despite the fact that it was just she and I in the booth, I froze. I remember it vividly. I was in the grips of one of the most powerful panic attacks I've ever experienced. I recall after the first commercial break removing my headset, looking at Katherine with what I suspect was an ashen face, and saying, "I can't do this." I was about 10 minutes into my first shift and was literally ready to walk away from something I'd been dreaming about since high school.

"I seriously can't do this," I reiterated as I started to get up. She put her hands on my chest and pushed me back down into the chair. "You're not going anywhere," she responded.

That moment has stuck with me for the past 26 years. Whether it be leaving my home country to begin a new life south of its border, starting college years later, getting married, becoming a father, starting the handful of jobs that I've had over the past 20 years, or even beginning this blog, as soon as the nerves begin to take hold, I can clearly hear Katherine with a K's voice in my mind telling me, "You can do this."

I left the radio business a couple of years after leaving YR following a stint at CKSA in Lloydminster, mainly because I wanted to grow accustomed to being able to afford groceries. But I'll never forget the advice of a 19 year old girl letting me know that you won't get on base if you don't get up to bat.

The Haunting: Memories of a Hometown Murder

I remember it like it was yesterday. The 10 year old boy was standing on the asphalt of the playground at my elementary school. He was staving off accusations that his mother may be a murderer. "I know her. She never would have done anything like that," he'd responded. My heart felt for the kid. While I hadn't had the guts to stick up for him, which is why I kept my mouth shut, I knew the other kids had crossed a line.

I'd heard rumors of the case from my parents talking about what they'd read in the local newspapers. The suspect kind of became my childhood boogeyman, so to speak. Or boogeywoman, I guess. My sister would tell me I needed to be good or she'd get me. Typically at bedtime.

Despite what appeared to be a miscarriage of justice, I really didn't think much more about it after that. Until 34 years later. Then I started thinking about it again. A LOT.

I'm not sure if it was because I'd been watching a ton of "48 Hours" or "Dateline NBC" or if it was because I'd taken three weeks vacation during the Christmas season of 2010 and had waaaay too much time on my hands. Probably a combination of the two. But I recall waking in the middle of the night and not being able to get back to sleep when the thought came to me. Man, this case would really make a great episode. Maybe I could get journalist and fellow Canadian Keith Morrison to take a crack at it?

I'd been classmates of the suspect's son, which was why I was present during the schoolyard interrogation years before. Maybe that, in part, was why I found the case so fascinating. That, and my firm belief that someone got away with murder.

So, I took my retired ex-cop/ex-firefighter buddy to breakfast early one winter morning to chow down on burritos and discuss my vague recollections of the case. He looked at me like I was nuts. I may have, in fact, been suffering from temporary insanity. Or at least obsession. That, I won't deny.

My wife and kids, to this day, accuse me of acting a lot like Tom Hanks' sidekick in the movie "The 'Burbs" during that period.

Let me lay out the highlights of the case for you. (I was fortunate enough to get my hands on some of the original press clippings of the case as well as a book dedicating a chapter to the case from a  librarian who had gone to high school with my sister.) What follows are some of the facts presented in those articles. They have been heavily summarized.

In November 1976, firefighters responded to a house fire. The heat was so intense that it had blown out the home's windows. When they had extinguished the blaze, they found the body of a 34 year old female doctor. She had suffered severe blunt force and other trauma and she had been stabbed 126 times. Despite the fire, there did not appear to be any other signs of a struggle.

The following evening, a police sergeant was summoned to the residence of a local criminal defense attorney. The lawyer accompanied the policeman to the home of his client, another 34 year old woman. She turned over some freshly dry cleaned clothing to the authorities and then led the cop and her lawyer to a dirt pile a few blocks from her home. She unearthed a towel containing a solid metal bar as well as a pair of blood soaked women's gloves and gave an explanation of how they came to be in her possession. The following day, the woman was placed under arrest. Before being taken to the station, she took out a kitchen knife, tossed it across the table and said to the sergeant, "I suppose this is the type of knife you're looking for." She later took a polygraph and was told it showed evidence she was not being truthful about her version of events.

During the trial, evidence was presented that the suspect had been having a "romantic liason" with a local doctor. During the time of their affair, he was also having an intimate relationship with the victim, with whom he shared an office.

The doctor testified that about a year before to the murder, the accused had arrived unannounced at his home and found the victim there. Prior to that occasion, an unknown individual had left a ticket to the symphony on his office desk. The victim expressed interest in attending the event so he bought them two tickets. While at the concert, he noticed that the person sitting in the seat next to his "mystery ticket" seat was the suspect.

The doctor ended the relationship with the suspect several months prior to the homicide. Despite the break up, he received a message from her on his answering service four days prior to the victim's death. He didn't return the call.

The victim received a call from the suspect on the day of her murder.

The accused took the stand at her trial. She testified that on the night of the murder, she couldn't sleep. She drove around the city in the early morning hours, as was her insomniatic ritual, she claimed. While passing the victim's home, she said she noticed smoke coming from the upstairs. She parked two blocks away and walked back to the house. She rang the bell and when no one answered, entered. She looked around, saw smoke, and discovered a lifeless body. Thinking the occupant had been overcome by the smoke, she knelt beside her to assist. That is when she claims she noticed the victim's injuries, which accounts for the blood on her clothing. She added that she may have passed out due to shock. Coming to, her hand unconsciously moved over an object. Thinking it was her handbag, she picked it up. It was the metal bar. Since the fire was now raging and threating to destroy everything, she figured she'd do the police a service and take some of the items she'd found at the scene with her. Then, instead of going directly to the police, she apparently panicked on her way home and disposed of the evidence in the dirt pile.

Her first trial was declared a mistrial. Apparently her words, "this is what you're looking for" had been improperly introduced. So, a second trial was set for the summer of 1977. She was found not guilty due to a lack of sufficient evidence.

So, what do you think? Was justice served?

I poured through the articles. Not sure why I lost interest shortly thereafter. Probably because my vacation ended and I went back to work.

If I could go back in time, knowing then what I know now, perhaps I could try and talk sense into the jury. But, I think I'd rather go back to that day on the playground. I'll never forget the look on her son's face. I wish I'd stuck up for him.

Why I Won't Be Seeing "The Man from U.N.C.L.E." Anytime Soon

I get what they're trying to do. Casting Superman and the Lone Ranger as CIA agent Napoleon Solo and the KGB's Kuryakin is a nice attempt at getting teenage girls in seats. Heck my wife was even asking about it this morning. Although, I think she's more interested in seeing her 90's crush Hugh Grant on the big screen. I'm sure director Guy Ritchie ("Sherlock Holmes") will bring some stylish action to the party. But, I just don't care.

Another 60's spy TV series adaptation? Two in one summer is just too much. At least they've modernized Mission Impossible. I do remember, vaguely, watching the show when I was a kid. But the key word is vaguely. This has Redbox written all over it.

Frankly, if you're looking for a cold war spy flick that is clever and funny and will have you gripping your arm chair, I'd recommend staying in and watching 1985's "Gotcha" with ER's Anthony Edwards (Dr. Mark Green). He plays a fish out of water American college student on vacation in Europe that winds up in a heap of trouble when he falls for an eastern European with a pixie cut. He has a full head of hair in this one, as did I when I first saw it. Good luck finding it, but if you can spot it online, it's definitely worth a look.

I can think of a great product tie-in for U.N.C.L.E., however. Baskin Robbins should be offering a Neapolitan Solo. You know, single scoop of vanilla/chocolate/strawberry. Yum.

Now I realize that your weekend plans don't hang on my review. But if so, you'll have to wait.

Improv Broadway: A Night at the Thee-uh-tuh

It's probably a good idea to start by defining what "Improv Broadway" is. I'm sure all of us have at one time or another seen "Whose Line Is It Anyway?" It's like that, but set to music.

I've heard rumors of a musical improv group performing weekends at a piano store in Orem. It sounded shady. Kinda like playing craps after hours in a furniture store. I was concerned I might get arrested. But then I heard they were performing at the Covey Center for the Performing Arts. That sounded LEGIT! So, on a sunny and warm Friday evening I did something unspeakable: I went to downtown Provo.

There were a couple of performances at the Covey that night. Some local theater group was performing "Mary Poppins" on the main stage. So, there were a lot of women wandering around in period costume searching for their parasols. Our tickets indicated that "Improv Broadway" was playing in the black box theater. We made our way up to the second floor and found the black box auditorium. As I walked in, I was beginning to think the tickets had been misprinted. It was resembling more of a black ops site than black box. We wandered around a bit more and discovered that the black box was under construction. What a relief to know I wasn't going to be waterboarded. They had moved the party to the dance studio.

It was a small crowd but that made it more intimate. The first half of the show consisted of the cast (Maddy, Jake, Sam and Sam. Really? Two Sams?) taking suggestions from the audience and doing warm up games. For example, one of the games was called "deleted scenes." They would take suggestions from the audience for a movie that they wanted to see them perform deleted scenes from. One audience member described an awkward date he'd been on years before. He'd taken a young lady from Mexico to see "Spanglish." (Good call, dude.) That got me thinking. I'm from Canada. I wanted to see deleted scenes from "Canaglish." But, they reminded me that's not really a movie.

As the cast continued asking for suggestions, I couldn't contain my eagerness to participate. I think they were getting tired of my "heckling." Hey, kids. If you don't want me to answer, stop asking me questions. :D

The second half was where the show really took off. To my delight, they improvised a musical version of "Canaglish!" It was great. One small thing. One of the cast members has lived with a Canadian for all but one year of her life. Yet her Canadian accent sounded suspiciously like she came from Minnesota or was raised by Sarah Palin. Is that how Americans really see us?!? The major takeaway for me from "Canaglish" was that Canadians who immigrate to the United States are far superior to their fellow compatriots of the red white and blue. Or, they could have been mocking me. I'll choose to believe what I want to believe.

They also performed a musical about spies who moonlight at "Staples." As you can probably tell, it gets pretty creative. Did I mention they also have a live piano player? You can't go wrong!

Left to right: Jake, Maddy, Sam and Sam

The show was about two hours with intermission. I believe they perform a couple of Friday nights a month at the Covey Center and every Saturday night at the black box at Brigham Larson Piano in Orem. Tickets are ten bucks for adults, cheaper for teens and seniors. It's clean entertainment but I'd suggest it for about 12 and up. Highly recommended.

Movie Review: Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation

No matter how crazy he may appear off screen, and oh, there's plenty of crazy spilling out of this cat, as soon as he agrees to hang off of a cliff or an airplane and assume Ethan Hunt's identity, people will line up around the block to get a peek at Tom Cruise. I actually remember literally lining up around the block when the first "Mission Impossible" came out in 1996. Of course, that's no longer necessary due to online ticketing. Thank you internet!

(That reminds me. Have you ever arrived at a movie that started five minutes ago and get stuck in line behind some schlub, leaning against the counter with all the time in the world, ordering tickets for a movie that doesn't even open for another two weeks? Is this really necessary in today's society? Smart phones. Dumb people.)

The last time I saw a Tom Cruise movie, he was dangling from the Burj Khalifa with the aid of some high tech mittens provided by the IMF (Impossible Missions Force). That WASN'T his last movie, however. Did anyone actually see "Edge of Tomorrow?" Or was it "Live, Die, Repeat?" (It's an action movie not shampoo instructions, people!) Always a bad idea to change the name of a movie between its theatrical release and when it arrives on DVD. It's the marketing equivalent of straddling lanes on the freeway. You want to roll down your window, extend a digit and scream, "PICK A TITLE!" Or, were they trying to fool people who avoided it the first time around? In that case, it's a BRILLIANT marketing ploy. But you have to wake up earlier to fool THIS guy, Warner Brothers.

Let me start by saying that you don't need to see the previous four MIs prior to viewing Rogue Nation. But I watched Ghost Protocol (my favorite of the bunch) the night before. Didn't really matter.

The plot's the same in all of these MI iterations. Some evil organization has their hands on some WMD and only the IMF can stop them. Of course, everyone always wants to blame the world's problems ON the IMF, Ethan Hunt in particular. (Seriously, dude. These folks aren't very loyal to their employees. It's always "what have you done for me lately?" with these spy organization suits.)

The gang from Ghost Protocol is back with the exception of Paula Patton whose absence isn't explained. Probably marital problems with Robin Thicke. Ving Rhames is back for this go around and Alec Baldwin is along for the ride as the Director of the CIA. The great thing about Alec Baldwin is you never really know if he's with you or against you. You'll have to see it to find out. This is a spoiler free zone.

As mentioned, the plot is really nothing more than a device to stage elaborate set pieces and stunts. They've got some doozies, as well as some nice "GOTCHA!" moments.

The thing that I really liked about Rogue Nation is that the title sequence has the original MI theme, not some jazzy or updated version. Nothing gets your heart started like that fuse being lit and hearing Lalo Schifrin's original score.

Here's the problem that I had with it. It's fairly minor. I LOVED the first "Mission Impossible" almost 20 years ago. The second and third outings were pretty forgettable. I think "Ghost Protocol" is the best of the five in the series. So, they've taken a step backwards. It's a small one, but that's a dangerous move for a franchise that's getting long in the tooth with a leading man now approaching his mid-fifties. Plus Ethan, they keep threatening to disavow you. Perhaps you should think about getting a new job with better security.

3 out of 4 stars