Posted by Stewart on January 07, 2000 at 09:30
In Reply to: PAMELA ANDERSON WETS HERSELF posted by Soaking Pants S on January 03, 2000 at 19:07
Hi Steve,
Good story!
I've worked similar jobs over the years. One time a guest had trouble finding the studio. She arrived about 45 seconds before showtime (live show). She looked very uncomfortable. Seeing the time she gasped, "Oh God! I drank way too much coffee!" To my dissapointment, the director replied, "Down that hall. Walk on during the openning credits." She made it. Oh, well. I wonder if any viewers noticed the show had openning credits on only one occasion.
Another time viewers may have thought they saw a pee scene: We came out of a cartoon and returned to the live part of a children's show. The star (a local woman who did by far the best Halloween decorations in a town of 150,000) and an early twenties man (who was new to the lens end of the cameras) started a comic routine across a castle wall. Within a minute, LaMoine was hinting for another cartoon. The guy 'knew' it was too soon. Another minute and the audio engineer reported LaMoine's microphone was getting weak. The technical directer told me to reload the video-taped commercial from early in the show. Then, pulling his headset microphone toward his lips, he told the floor director to signal for a break. Then, "Stewart, load another cartoon." The male personality was very fond of the routine. Another minute and the audio engineer was riding the male's microphone up and down to compensate for LeMoine's dead lavaliere. LeMoine kept hinting for a break. The floor director again signaled for a break. Failing that, he started moving cables so he could roll the boom mic into place. Just then we heard a very faint clatter through the male's lavaliere. He looked over the wall and, without thinking, said, in a teasing voice, "That's a no-no. You don't do that on television." The technical director brought up a slide and theme music while starting the commercial. Halfway through the commercial the floor director reported studio would not be ready for some minutes. After the TD and I made sure the the cartoon was properly framed and all, we went to the studio to check our suspicions. Sure enough, LeMoine's lavaliere chord had broken. Gravity had gradually worked the microphone all the way through LaMoine's costume until it clattered to the floor. The floor director was frantically trying to talk LeMoine, still stretched out on the floor, into getting up and ready to get back on the air. The TD had somewhat better rapore with her. She still looked slightly shaky when the cartoon ended. She openned with, "My microphone chord broke." Without further explanation they finished the routine an got on with the show. I really wished we'd video-taped the show. After all of LeMoine's hinting and the guy's wise crack, I'd love to know what viewers thought happened.