Conan O'Brien released a statement regarding NBC's plan to shift "The Jay Leno Show" to the time slot currently held by "The Tonight Show." Conan O'Brien released the following statement regarding NBC's plan to shift "The Jay Leno Show" to the time slot currently held by "The Tonight Show." People of Earth: In the last few days, I've been getting a lot of sympathy calls, and I want to start by making it clear that no one should waste a second feeling sorry for me. For 17 years, I've been getting paid to do what I love most and, in a world with real problems, I've been absurdly lucky. That said, I've been suddenly put in a very public predicament and my bosses are demanding an immediate decision. Six years ago, I signed a contract with NBC to take over The Tonight Show in June of 2009. Like a lot of us, I grew up watching Johnny Carson every night and the chance to one day sit in that chair has meant everything to me. I worked long and hard to get that opportunity, passed up far more lucrative offers, and since 2004 I have spent literally hundreds of hours thinking of ways to extend the franchise long into the future. It was my mistaken belief that, like my predecessor, I would have the benefit of some time and, just as important, some degree of ratings support from the prime-time schedule. Building a lasting audience at 11:30 is impossible without both. But sadly, we were never given that chance. After only seven months, with my Tonight Show in its infancy, NBC has decided to react to their terrible difficulties in prime-time by making a change in their long-established late night schedule. Last Thursday, NBC executives told me they intended to move the Tonight Show to 12:05 to accommodate the Jay Leno Show at 11:35. For 60 years the Tonight Show has aired immediately following the late local news. I sincerely believe that delaying the Tonight Show into the next day to accommodate another comedy program will seriously damage what I consider to be the greatest franchise in the history of broadcasting. The Tonight Show at 12:05 simply isn't the Tonight Show. Also, if I accept this move I will be knocking the Late Night show, which I inherited from David Letterman and passed on to Jimmy Fallon, out of its long-held time slot. That would hurt the other NBC franchise that I love, and it would be unfair to Jimmy. So it has come to this: I cannot express in words how much I enjoy hosting this program and what an enormous personal disappointment it is for me to consider losing it. My staff and I have worked unbelievably hard and we are very proud of our contribution to the legacy of The Tonight Show. But I cannot participate in what I honestly believe is its destruction. Some people will make the argument that with DVRs and the Internet a time slot doesn't matter. But with the Tonight Show, I believe nothing could matter more. There has been speculation about my going to another network but, to set the record straight, I currently have no other offer and honestly have no idea what happens next. My hope is that NBC and I can resolve this quickly so that my staff, crew, and I can do a show we can be proud of, for a company that values our work. Have a great day and, for the record, I am truly sorry about my hair; it's always been that way. Yours, Conan http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2010775198_conanstatement12.html
Conan O'Brien's statement
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
I love you, Conan!
Monday, January 4, 2010
So proud of all your hard work!
My friend Megan has been working her hiney off the last few years to get not one but two new businesses up & running. With the help of her friend & business partner, Danielle, they have started two successful companies: Soiree Event Designs and Bella Bridesmaid.
How I Got the Job: Megan Allen, 28
Megan AllenThe job: Owner
The businesses: One of my businesses, Soiree Event Designs, which focuses on wedding planning, is based in an office out of my new Brookside retail store, Bella Bridesmaid. Bella Bridesmaid was founded in San Francisco in 2000 and franchised in 2006. Our independently owned and operated shop opened here in Kansas City in October.
My role: The job is multifaceted. My co-owner and I keep busy with bridesmaid appointments, but also are busy with buying, bookkeeping and the wedding planning that operates out of the back of the store. We both wear many hats.
How long have you been in this position?
We’ve began operating Soiree Event Designs out of our homes since 2006.
Why did you decide to establish your own business?
First and foremost, I never saw myself not working, but I also want to have a family. I felt that if I started my own business at a young age, I could create the groundwork to make my life a lot more flexible when kids do come into the picture.
Although there is a ton of responsibility, long hours and dedication that goes into owning your own business — sometimes even more so than working for someone else — it is that much easier because you are doing something that you created. Plus, the successes of the company are so much more enjoyable when you can directly attribute them to the hard work you yourself put in.
How did you find your business partner?
Danielle Suarez, and I met in college and started our wedding planning company together based on both of our loves of entertaining. Also, we have very similar work ethics and goals.
Were there any organizations particularly helpful to you in starting this business?
Yes, the Small Business Administration Web site —www.sba.gov — was very helpful in terms of writing our business plan and the business development center at the University of Missouri-Kansas City offered us in-person guidance, which was nice.
What did you have to consider before starting this venture?
Too many things to count. Was it a good idea; was Kansas City a good fit for this concept; how would I come up with the capital needed to start; where would I put the shop; is this something I can see myself doing for many, many years to come; can I make money doing this; do I know enough about business to run my own company? The business plan helped answer a lot of those questions.
Are there any low points as a small business owner?
There are many days I get extremely frustrated and discouraged because there is a lot of “figuring it out.” Before, when I worked for someone else, if something didn’t go right or I didn’t know how to do something, there was always someone to go to and ask for guidance or help. Now it’s up to me and Danielle.
However, you overcome those low points by taking a step back, thinking through it logically and taking the time to do it right. Plus, there are always other small business owners out there that I can consult. They may not do the exact same thing I do, but I’m sure they’ve been in a relatable situation.
What is your advice for others wanting to start their own businesses?
Go for it! Honestly, that sounds corny, but I think you can sometimes be your own worst enemy by talking yourself out of something. However, don’t rush into it. You’ve got to do the groundwork to give your business a successful foundation. Do your research, write a business plan and have multiple people read it and make many revisions to it, and work really, really hard.
What is your educational and work experience?
I have my bachelor’s degree in advertising from the University of Kansas (May 2003). My work experience is in private and corporate event planning. My first career job was working for Kansas City’s The Catering Co., now called Inspired Occasions. Then I worked as catering manager for Restaurant Associates in Chicago. I also have been an account manager for Barkley advertising in Kansas City.
How does this retail store fit into your long-term career plans?
I plan to always be in this industry, however, my businesses give me the desire to always seek new business opportunities.
| Sue Dye Babson, special to The Star
How I Got the Job | add new comment
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
A feel great story that is also a bit sad
Someone on Twitter posted a link that led me to the following story:
Couple together for 59 years; die moments apart
DEFUNIAK SPRINGS – He was quiet. She wasn’t. He liked to hunt, while she loved her potted plants.
She was 16 when they met in a skating rink. They eloped in a dump truck later that year.
After 59 years of marriage, James and Lolie Brackin died Saturday morning only moments apart.
“They say when you die, you’re immediately in the presence of Jesus,” said their youngest daughter, Dana Troublefield. “I think she got up there and said, ‘Where’s my husband?’ And Jesus said, ‘Just a minute. I’m working on that.’
“She didn’t like to go anywhere alone,” Troublefield added.
At the time of their deaths, James was 79 and Lolie three years younger. They called each other “Honey” so often that one of their granddaughters thought it was her grandfather’s name.
They had four daughters, Carol, Debbie, Cindy and, finally Dana, who came 20 years after their first.
James told their oldest daughter, Carol Gruver, almost a decade ago that he was worried about dying first because he didn’t think Lolie would be happy without him.
“He was just waiting for her to go home to heaven so he could go with her,” Gruver said.
James spent more than 25 years in the Army, completing tours in Vietnam and Korea. Lolie was a homemaker, who stepped into her husband’s duties during his absences and stepped back into hers when he returned.
They faced challenges over the years, but never argued in front of their children.
“They completed each other,” said their third oldest, Cindy Spence. “I remember as a teenager, my parents had a big Mercury station wagon. My mom would always sit next to him.
“When they would walk somewhere, they would always hold hands.”
Recent years had brought increasing health problems to the couple. Both had memory loss. He was blind and had suffered strokes. She was in a nursing home on and off for years, while he stayed at their home with their youngest daughter.
The week before the couple died, it had become obvious that he was too weak to stay at home and arrangements had been made for him to share his wife’s room.
They spent one night together before they died, waking up Saturday morning and having breakfast together.
They were watching Animal Planet, one of their favorite shows, when a nurse’s aide checked on them.
“I’m going to die today,” Lolie told the aide, who asked her if she needed to go back to the hospital. No, she just felt “different,” Lolie told her.
When the aide came back a short time later, Lolie wasn’t breathing. Moments later, they discovered James had also passed away.
The doctor said he believes James heard that his wife had died and the shock killed him.
James and Lolie had always dreamed of having a church wedding, but it never happened. They will be buried together and share a funeral service on Wednesday at 11 a.m. at the First Baptist Church of Woodlawn.
“We’re going to miss them terribly, but we’re glad this happened the way it did,” Gruver said. “He was waiting. It’s a good thing that he was in the room when she passed.”
You can click here to go to the article & to see pictures of the couple.
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
Old Man Stewart - Shakes his fist at ???
Molly told me she was angry that I hadn't been posting to this blog every day! Since I've quit posting daily on this blog & started posting daily on The View Across Town, I don't know how I ever wrote a whole post each day!?! Sometimes I have a hard time coming up with one good picture to share, let alone something to write that someone might actually want to read.
Well, I've figured out what has made me feel the need to post less on this blog.
Twitter.
That's right, I'm Tweeting. It was just 7 short months ago that I didn't know about Twitter and what it was for, and now I'm hooked! It's basically a shorter (much shorter) way of blogging to let people know what you are doing. You only have 140 characters to share, so that is always a challenge.
I'm now following some friends from high school and college, friends from here, blogging friends, celebs and other random people that I found I have things in common with them!
Here is Jon Stewart "raising his fist" at Twitter last night! Pretty darn funny!
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If any of you are interested in Tweeting, just let me know. I can now show you how and get you hooked. I'm off to read all the updates that people posted today while I was at work. Some of us can't Tweet all the time! :)
Saturday, January 31, 2009
No more library books for kids?
I've been following the coverage for the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act that has been in the news lately. Basically it is a new law, that was on it's way to being fully enforced, that will mandate lead testing for all toys, clothes and other products that are made for children.
I started hearing about it when I saw fellow Etsians that were selling their hand-made baby clothes & toys for several thousand dollars. Jill told me that they were making a statement ... saying that they would have to up their prices if they had to go through all the official lead testing before they could sell their items. The lead testing isn't a problem for multi-million dollar companies that should be doing the testing anyway ... but for the small business owners, they would have to shut down, unable to afford the required testing.
Yesterday, there was an article in the Kansas City Star stating that this new law would mean that all children's books would need to be tested for lead before they could be on the shelves in public or school libraries. Are you kidding me?
Reading in the Etsy forums this morning, it looks like a one year stay was granted for the testing. Hooray! Oh wait. What does that mean? It now means that they've put off enforcing this law for just a year. Many Etsy sellers that were very worried, already closed their shops. Many are realistic and know that this doesn't mean they will be able to afford the testing next year. Yikes! I think it's a big, old mess. What is really scary is that the article states that the stay was granted by a unanimous vote of 2-0. TWO PEOPLE ARE IN CHARGE OF THIS LAW!?! I can't believe it.
Monday, January 26, 2009
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
5 marriages? Seriously?
Thanks to Jilly's Tweet earlier today, I saw that stoopid Drew Peterson is engaged ... AGAIN! Drew Peterson, the retired Bolingbrook, Ill., police officer who is named a suspect in the 2007 disappearance of his fourth wife is engaged to a new woman. Here is a look at his four previous marriages. Carol Brown Drew Peterson’s first wife met him in high school in Villa Park, Ill. She married him in 1974 and stuck with him for six years until she found out he had cheated on her, according to The Chicago Tribune. Victoria Connolly Peterson’s second wife married him in 1982 and told the Tribune in 2007 that her husband of 10 years “was a legend in his own mind.” They divorced after he started dating Kathleen Savio. Kathleen Savio She met Drew Peterson while he was still married to his second wife. She was found dead on March 1, 2004, in her bathtub. Following the disappearance of Stacy Peterson, Savio’s body was exhumed and her death reclassified a homicide. At the time, Savio and Peterson were divorcing and he was dating his soon-to-be fourth wife. Stacy Peterson The 23-year-old mother disappeared on Oct. 28, 2007, after failing to meet up with relatives. Drew Peterson contends she left him for another man, though her family doesn't believe she is alive. Her husband has been named a suspect in her disappearance. Future Fifth Wife She remains a mystery, though Drew Peterson told author Derek Armstrong that she is 23 and lives within 15 minutes of the former cop's Bolingbrook, Ill., home. I just don't get it!
I'm almost speechless. I cannot believe it! This guy must be made out of diamonds and ice cream and puppies, because I don't know what else would attract so many women to him.
Maybe he met his new 23-year-old fiance on the radio dating show he went on just months after his current wife "disappeared". Keep in mind, that he's still technically married to Stacy Peterson who's body is still missing. He became engaged to Stacy when he was in the process of divorcing his 3rd wife that "drowned" at home. Turns out, she didn't actually drown and it was more of a homicide.
I wouldn't typically site FOX News, but this was a simple summary of the women in Drew's life:
Sunday, December 7, 2008
He's gonna be a bit busy on the weekends
This morning when I woke up to the news, I saw a crawl on CNN that David Gregory had been picked to be the new moderator of "Meet the Press"!
I'm so excited! I love to watch David on The Today Show, and now I'll get to watch him on the weekends, too! David did a great job with all the election coverage the last few months, I think they were "training him" to be in charge of this long-running show!
Don't get me wrong ... I'm still sad that Tim Russert isn't here to moderate, but I think that David is a great replacement!
Friday, November 21, 2008
How do you handle ...
... THIS Parent/Teacher conference?
It's official, Malia & Sasha Obama are going to attend Sidwell Friends School. I'm sure the girls are great, and I know that the teachers are used to teaching children of well-known parents ... however ... I still think it would be hard to teach the children of THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES!
I wonder what kind of gifts might come near the holidays? I wonder what would happen if you had to send home a e-mail about bad behavior (maybe thinking about that since I had to do that 2x this week)? I wonder if you would get Mom & Dad's cell phone numbers for emergencies?
Maybe I should move to DC so I can get a job at Sidwell and then find some answers to some of my questions!
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
A bit more of election night
I just finished babysitting Monday night. It was a L O N G nine days away from my own home and from Minnie!
These are some pics I took on Election night. I pretty much was camped out at this kitchen table the entire week. I had to get my internet/blog fix and got a chance to watch a few of my shows.
Anyhoo ... this was me last Tuesday. My laptop on the left to get all the updated election scoop; work laptop on the right putting my kids' grades in the computer.
This was my "score keeping" sheet I filled out for "the kid" for his homework. Yes, I had to help him do his homework ... because he was off at swim practice for 2+ hours. The blue & red lines are his work after he did his coloring for the assignment. By the next morning, the "blue" states had run onto the back! Yippee!
Glad to be home where I can relax on my own couch & sit at my laptop in front of the TV & not have to complete 7th grade homework for someone else! :)
Friday, November 7, 2008
Are you smarter than my 4th graders?
Apparently not.
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Now that McCain and Palin don't have the media wrapped around their little fingers (I was actually saddened when I saw McCain sans security guards and driving himself home yesterday), the media is allowed to share all the gossip nuggets about their campaign that were "off the record" until Tuesday.
I love the phrase "off the record". Having a Dad who has been involved in politics for a L O N G time ... I've heard him say things are "off the record" on many a phone call.
I haven't had a chance to watch all of this video because the internet here keeps going in and out, but the headlines today stating that Palin thought that Africa is a country were SHOCKING to me! My fourth graders know that Africa is a continent. Again ... this goes back to my rant about Palin wanting to tell the nation that she was "just like us". First of all ... most of us that are adults know that Africa is more than a country and second of all ... I don't what someone who is just like me to be one of the most powerful leaders of the world. The President and Vice President should be so smart that I have NO clue what they are talking about. I like to think I'm smart ... but I know I'm not nearly smart enough to be on the Presidential ticket!
Don't worry ... I'm done ranting for now. Just waiting for something else to get me riled up. I bet you all can't wait!
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
Obama! He's Baracking my world!
To steal a quote from Grace Adler on "Will & Grace" ... she seemed to say it best!
I'm almost speechless. After all my politics chatter ... I just down at my laptop about 10 minutes ago, and thought ... "Hmmmm ... what can I write?"
I almost missed it. I was sitting here at the kitchen table. Trying to get my laptop to hook up tot he internet. I muted the TV for about 2 minutes to help "the kid" finish his homework (coloring the states according to how the electoral votes went). When he left the room, I turned the sound back on and saw it ... "Barack Obama - 44th President of the United States!" Tears immediately starting running down my face. And here they go again ... seeing the whole family walk out to speak in Grant Park. I hope that Emilie has made her way down there. (Em, make sure to fill me on on all the details!)
What an amazing night in history. Whichever way the votes fell ... history was going to be made. I can't wait to read about this in the social studies & history books in the near future!
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
Results?
I'm babysitting this week (and have pre-written a lot of these posts), so I'm hoping I get to watch the election coverage tonight. I'm almost positive that the kid won't be interested in watching any of it, so I'll have to keep him busy with other things.
My "Smart Women Vote" t-shirt ... vintage from 2004. I'm wearing it today.My cousin Katherine said that she's throwing a Results Party at her neighborhood bar for all her friends. She didn't couldn't do advance voting in New York City, so I'm interested to see what the lines where like there. I'm wondering what they'll be like here in OP. Very glad that I went early, because I know with my busy week there is no way I could have gone today.
I hope everyone is crossing their fingers like I am ... and if you are reading this early and you haven't gone out yet ... RUN! STEP AWAY FROM THE COMPUTER! Get your hiney over to the voting booths!
Sunday, November 2, 2008
Elections are about this!
Go check out the video that Dad posted this weekend. It is a bit long, but the graphics on it are great and it has a wonderful message!
He also has some great cartoons to get us all ready for the election this week! I can't believe it is actually here. What will all the news media talk about when most of this mess is over?
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
You should get extra votes for every 30 minutes you wait in line
If that were the case, then I would have gotten 3+ votes for my advanced voting wait!
I went to Metcalf South mall (can you still call it a mall if all the stores are closed?) to wait my turn to vote, vote, vote! I rushed as fast as I could after school to beat the after work crowd. No such luck. See these doors in the far end of this picture? Those were the doors I walked in. I saw this line and though, "Not so bad, maybe 100 people. I bet the line moves fast."
THEN, I turned the corner. A line at least twice as long as this one heading half-way down the mall. Ugh.
I got bored, after I flipped through the 2 magazines I brought with me, so I started taking pictures of good old Metcalf South. I couldn't believe how dismal it looks now, but there were a lot of the same features that I remember as a little kid. These lit, mirrored ceilings looked exactly the same. One thing that had changed (couldn't get a picture of it around the masses of people) were the fountains in the middle. They used to be open and they had cement walkways so you could walk across the fountain. No longer. I guess a few too many kids fell in because there is now a 3 foot tall iron fence surrounding the fountain.
See this blonde head on the right side of this photo? This is the woman that came in AFTER me huffing and puffing because of the long line. She hadn't even seen the front of the line to know it was long, she just assumed. She started in immediately with the complaining and yakking my ear off. This was when I promptly pulled out my Home Magazine. I guess my ignoring her was her cue to move AHEAD of me in line. And not just me, but the poor older woman (who was voting for the first time) was cut in front of, too. Her guise was that she was talking to this nice man in the jacket in the picture.
She went on and on saying probably 3 times that she's been voting for a long time and she's never seen lines like this ... and how Jefferson and Lincoln and Adams would be proud. Seriously? Then she said "I bet I could sell my spot in line for $___" every 10 feet we moved in line. When we turned the corner for the last stretch, she stepped out of line to sit down telling us she'd be right back after she rested her feet for a bit. Oooooh ... I was pissed!
While she was out of line, Creepy Raperman next to me asked me if I go on the internet much. WHAT KIND OF QUESTION IS THAT? I told him no, only at work (huge lie) so that he would stop talking to me. Mind you, that he'd been standing next to me for over an hour at this point. Then he said, "Ever think about having a website?" I told him no, and that I didn't have time for it. I don't know what he was getting at, but I wasn't about to tell him that I had a blog. I was afraid he was going to tell me about some creepy website that I could set up with who knows what on it. Ahhh! Then HE stepped out of line to rest his feet. There were elderly people in line waiting just as long as them with no problem.
As soon as I completed my ballot, I was out of there. I was sure to say many "thank you"s to all the volunteers at the voting booths. I know how long of a day they must have had. I was signature #982 in just one book, and Dad says he thinks there were plenty more filled books from today. If that's the case ... I hope to God that all the Obama voters are getting out there early and the McCain voters are waiting until the lines are too long on November 4th. I did see PLENTY of people walk in, see the line, and walk out. Yikes! I hope they go back at some point to vote. I can't wait to see the results of this election! I think many records are going to be broken when it comes to # of young voters, # of advance voters, # of minority voters, # of 1st time voters, etc, etc, etc.
Good luck to the rest of you that will be fighting the crowds. I'm sure they will be crazy everywhere! Just make sure you get out there and vote!
Friday, October 24, 2008
I bet Tim would think this was funny!
Tim Russert was known for doing his state-to-state count of the votes leading up to the big elections. Tim started all this on a tiny hand-held white board and then graduated up to a larger white board.
Now that a few people have started to take over his position on the major news channels, they have been playing around with large plasma screens and interactive maps that are like giant iPhones.
This week on the Thursday night edition of SNL, Fred Armisen did a spoof of that on Weekend Update. I thought it was great!
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I especially liked when he shrunk the country to put in his pocket!
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
Saturday, October 4, 2008
You betcha!
After a great conversation about the election after Molly's baby shower today, I was inspired to do some more reading online.
Check out this GREAT flow chart I found on a political blog.
Thursday, October 2, 2008
Hey, Katie! I read US Weekly!
Sarah ... please say something! Anything!
Tell Katie you read USA Today. Tell her you read Newsweek. People would even be a better answer. Hell, just tell her you read Dog Fancy!
Anything is a better answer than, "I read all of 'em!"
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{p.s. I love the look on Katie's face near the end of the clip. She's looking at the camera person with eyes that say, "Can she seriously NOT answer this question?" Ha!}
Friday, September 26, 2008
Gotta love a Letterman rant!
Who else saw this?? I didn't actually see this on Letterman the other night, but I saw the clips of it on The Today Show!
Note to self: When I am running for president, DO NOT cancel an appearance on the Late Show with a lame excuse!
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The clip is lengthy, but worth it!
