KMOV field trip

The view across the studio from the news set

Do not use this sink.

This morning, I went along with my friend and colleague Evan for his appearance on "Great Day St. Louis" at KMOV. I was his celebrity handler, which means I shlepped his gear into the studio and made sure he powdered his face.

It had been years since I'd been in a TV studio, though, so I mostly just observed the process. Notable:

• KMOV's three studio camera are unmanned. Except for one handheld camera, they're remote controlled by a guy sitting at a desk.

• Everything on TV looks huge. In reality, the set is tiny. The "Great Day" set can't be more than 40 feet wide. Across the room is the news set; the robotic cameras roll between the two.

• Also, many set pieces are faux and/or covered in Scotch tape, apparently not visible on TV.

• Dull colors photograph brilliantly, and dim light becomes bright light. It's magic, I tell you.

• The kitchen is fully functional except for the sink. Do not use the sink. No!

• I had an overwhelming urge to clean the stainless steel and dust the cabinets.

See the rest of my exciting behind-the-scenes photos here.

Red-carpet ready

This is the second mic flag I've hand crafted in my lifetime. The first was when I was a child pretending to be on the TV news.

They're basically the same, but this one is a lot sturdier. And for a more reputable newsgathering organization.

I'm one of St. Louis' 'must-read contributors to the blogosphere'!

The Riverfront Times included my Girl, You Lost Your Weave project among their list of 13 of their favorite local blogs. What an honor! Here's the story that ran in the print edition. And here's a follow-up piece they ran to promote a blogger happy hour they hosted. (I was unable to attend.)