Jogging Journalist

We've all been victims one time or another: you've received a truly bad gift.

Now, we want to know what the worst gift you've ever received is!  Let us know in the comments!

This morning we were talking about the free stuff you can get from area businesses for bringing in your "I Voted Sticker" on Election Day.

I early voted in JoCo, but I did save my "I Voted" sticker.  No real reason why, but now I totally plan on finally hitting up Ben and Jerry's for my free scoop in the name of the electoral process.

Web Producer Sarah put together a great list of all the other places you can score free stuff for bringing in your sticker.

Do you guys know of any other places that give out free stuff after you get out the vote?  Or maybe you want to suggest a couple of places?

The Boy Scouts office is located right near my parent's house in Omaha. Whenever I am in town, I almost always drive past it. On Thursday night, a candlelight vigil was held for those who died or were injured in the storm on Wednesday.

My parents walked over to the vigil and took some pictures:

The Kansas Jayhawks won the National Championship, the Royals aren't dead last...sounds like a good year for Metro sports!

What are your predictions for the 2008 Chiefs?  Is this our year to....go....all.....the.....way?

....GO KU!!

As a KU alum, I am literally jumping out of my seat (literally.  When we won, I bounced up like someone lit a fire under me).  Kansas Jayhawks finally National Champions after such a long wait!

Man, it was hard trying to watch both the game AND the news, trying to actually get work done that wasn't related to the game was nearly impossible!  I'm still trying to string together a coherent sentence that isn't, "Wow!" and "Yeah!"

So, Jayhawk fans, share your game-night stories here. 

What was the highlight of the game for you?  (Mario's crucial three to get us into overtime!)
Where did you watch the game Monday night? (Don't say your desk at work!)
How did you celebrate? (Safely, I hope.  Anyone in Lawrence or San Antonio?)

ROCK CHALK!

Oh, how I want to love the Power and Light District!  I want to be a patron at every restaurant, I want to go bowling at the new bowling alley, I want Omaha to stop taking all the good concerts and I want to see them at the Sprint Center.

I want all these things, but apparently the one thing I want is even more impossible than getting Radiohead to play in Kansas City: one compact car-sized parking spot.

Read more on the Power and Light blog...

The sports staff here at FOX 4 has talked about a number of Hall of Fame inductees over the years, but we've never talked about one of our own being a hall of famer.

That changed on Friday in Philadelphia, as FOX 4 Sports Director Frank Boal was inducted into Villanova's Varsity Club.

Frank played three seasons for the Villanova Wildcats from 1966-68 and was a senior captain in '68. During his career he helped Villanova post an overall winning record while playing halfback. He rushed for more than 1,000 yards and eight touchdowns during his career. He also caught 45 passes for 600 yards and two touchdowns.

Join us in congratulating Frank for this great accomplishment!

I don't have any kids.  Or pets.  Or plants.  I spend all my money on clothes and makeup. I am the queen of the impulse purchase. Don't tell anyone.  Shhh.

Laura Thornquist did a story today on how it costs $15,000 a year (!) to raise one child.   Holy moley.  In her story, she had a couple of suggestions on how to dam up that money flow once the kids come: stick with public schools, don't move so often, don't buy a new pair of shoes every school year, etc.

I know our bloggers must have some good tips on cutting corners when it comes to finances.  You don't even have to have kids to take some of these into consideration.

So, share your tips on saving bucks, whether you've got a kid or not.  Who knows, maybe one day we could all be millionaires if we follow these tips (or at least thousand-aires).
 

Well, it's happened.  Steve Jobs announced today a whole slew of new iPods including squattier iPod nanos, a redesigned iPod Classic and an iPhone lite, or as they are calling it, iPod Touch.

The iPod Touch was what I was most looking forward to.  My first hands-on experience with the iPhone was completely mesmerizing and since then I couldn't wait to get a hold of a new iPod that had everything the iPhone had minus the back breaking price tag and blood ties to AT&T.

And the iPod Touch gets close.  It gets so, so close.  It has literally everything the iPhone does without the phone part.  WiFi, You Tube, Safari browser plus the touch screen interface that makes the iPhone so fun.  But the iPod touch only comes in two paltry sizes: 8G and 16G, which hold 1,750 and 3,500 songs respectively. For someone, like me, who has 3,000 songs already and is constantly adding more, this is a horrible option.  There is no way I would shell out $400 for something that I'll only be able to add 500 more songs to.  That doesn't even include any possible videos I would want to add.

The iPod Classic is basically a cleaned-up iPod: new shell, brighter screen, cover flow.  But it comes in the mammoth 80G and 160G sizes, which means 20,000 or 40,000 songs!  I would have give my left foot for an iPod touch that had 80G!  It would have been the ideal next iPod generation.  I read somewhere that Apple suffers from "Apple Anorexia."  They are so enthralled with the idea of a media player that is thinner than a mouse pad that they'll sacrifice actual hard drive space.  Which, I think, defeats the purpose.  Why do I care that I can carry my iPod in my jeans pocket if I can only get a third of my music onto it?

I've had my current iPod for almost 4 years. It's the very first one that came out: no colored screen and no click wheel, it has the four buttons beneath the screen to play, stop, pause, etc. This was also the generation of iPods that could only hold about 15 minutes of battery life, so for the past 3 years I've had to listen to my iPod plugged into my car or stereo or computer. Not very portable. Plus, I've realized that I am going to soon hit the limit on my iPod's storage capabilities. My 15G iPod holds about 3,000 songs (keep in mind that iPods now are offered in 30G and 80G sizes now). So, it's time to buy a new iPod. And the decision couldn't come at a better time:

Rumors have been circulating for months about the latest iPod release. Once Apple got the iPhone out of their system, I have been waiting patiently for their announcement. Now it looks like it is coming! On September 5, Apple is holding a special event and insiders say that the big iPod Announcement of '07 will be then.

Why am I so hyped up about this? Well, first of all I'm a geek. Second of all, this could be the iPhone for a) those who can't afford an iPhone b) already like their cell phone and c) just wanted to use that sweet user interface of the iPhone on their iPod. Rumor has it that this new iPod will have the same touch screen, wide screen, click, flick, drag and snap moves that the iPhone does. PLUS, it could have WiFi. Man, my iPod doesn't even have color! It doesn't play TV shows or movies! I can barely get it to play songs sometimes! This is revolutionary!

I never thought I would be the sort of person who sat in line for hours to get a new gadget. But as the announcement approaches, I'm considering shoring up my savings and fishing out my camping chair for a long haul in front of the Apple store at the Plaza. That's the other problem: we all know how much iPhones cost. More than my dining room table. Apple NEEDS to make this iPod $350 or less or else it loses a large percentage of college kids and starving musicians that made the iPod what it is today anyway.

Of course, all this hinges on what Apple has to say next Wednesday. They could just reveal something about new Beatles ringtones or an iTunes licensing agreement for overseas music fiends. Don't let me down, Apple. Don't let me down!

What a great day! Saturday, as I'm sure you've heard, was the Love Fund 5K. When I started at FOX 4 just one year ago, my first station "event" was the 5K. The Gossip Goddess and I stood outside in our ponchos, watching the runners go past. It was such a fun event, I knew that I would want to run next year.

Luckily, with my half-marathon training encouraging some 5Ks to shake off the pre-race jitters, this year's 5K fit in perfectly. Also perfect? The weather! Last year's misty chill got blown away by the first humidity-free day in weeks. I had been worried that the heavy air would give me problems, especially since the last few weeks I've been slacking on my running and just drinking coffee (American Idol auditions) or eating funnel cakes (American Idol concert). But the skies were clear and conditions were perfect. I even got the see SKYFOX land! That was pretty cool.

Me and Ashlee, 10 p.m. producer

I'm happy with my finish time and I had a good time. The half-marathon is a little less than two months away...and I'll have Labor Day fried chicken and mashed potatoes to contend with. Sometimes food takes precedence over training. :)

American Idol Round 1 is over in Omaha, but Rounds 2 and 3 are still close on the horizon! According to producers, round 2 and 3 will be in front of executive producers and then Simon, Randy and Paula.

Friday was the big day for the close to 8,000 people who registered the previous two days for their chance to sing for 15-30 seconds in front of a couple if Idol producers. People were told they could start lining up at 5 a.m., so I showed up at 4:45 in the morning. Of course, I didn't go to sleep at all because a) I'm a nightside producer and b) I was anxious to get started. Also, Starbucks doesn't open until 5 a.m. Boo.

So when I arrive at the Qwest Center in the darkness of early morning, I am instantly jolted awake by the huge group of people lined up, walking to and generally milling around outside. A fourth of the total line had already lined up and that included at least a couple hundred of people dressed up in everything from pajamas to someone dressed up in a bathrobe, swimming trunks and shower cap (he got through to the next round. Of course, he did.)

Our morning crew was already there setting up and preparing for a huge list of live shots we were going to take that morning. I spent the wee hours tracking down our various Metro Idol hopefuls so we could interview them on-air and then racing to a 6 a.m. press conference with American Idol Senior Producer Patrick Lynn. Patrick told us that they found the world's largest combine and had plans to take video of Ryan Seacrest on top of it. The population of Omaha groaned collectively. Seriously, though, Patrick said that Omaha had been the nicest city that had been to so far and they were all pleasantly surprised.

By this point it was still only 6:30 in the morning, and I kept checking my watch thinking it was noon. I was blown away to see the line wind past the front of Qwest Center, around the corner, past the parking lot and all the way into a field. Impromptu choir practice was popping up all over the place and I had to break the news to a couple of people that Ryan, Simon, Randy and Paula weren't here.

My favorite part (because I am a nerd) was seeing them shoot the opening of the episode. They had a huge crane camera and Patrick was standing on a ladder with a megaphone. They had one guy hold up a sign and yell, "Welcome to Nebraska!" and then everyone else would cheer for like 2 minutes. They did that something like 4 times before they got one they liked.

I even got to meet previous Idol contestant Brandon Rogers. He was there covering the event, as well. I was excited when I got the chance to interview him, even though it was 6 in the morning and I didn't expect to see a former-Idol there. I'm not going to lie, though. I would have rather seen Blake Lewis. :)

So that was what it was like at American Idol auditions in Omaha. It was a great experience and I can't wait to see the episode on TV. I'm excited about our Metro singers who got through to the next round.

Next week, the Gossip Goddess and I will be heading to the American Idol tour at the Missouri State Fair. Maybe that will be my chance to see Blake! Then we'll have round 2 and 3 sometime in September or October and then before you know it, January will be here and it will be Idol time once again.

Kelleher, out (Gosh, that was cheesy, but I had to!).

Finally!  I had been waiting for some American Idol-related craziness here in Omaha and we finally got some!  I met the Westras from Colorado this afternoon who drove 10 hours to audition.  Once Jenny was registered, she and her dad Drew stood outside the Qwest Center with a sign with Jenny's picture on it, encouraging cars to honk.  Now that I think about it, I remember sitting in the truck and thinking, "Why are there so many semis honking their horns out there?"  It wasn't until I took my chances out in the oppressive heat again that I saw those two.  Here's a short little clip of what Jenny and Drew's afternoon looked like:



The other thing I was really excited about today was the steady stream of KC Metro folks registering.  Seemed like everytime I turned around, another person was running up with a Mizzou hat or shirt on, jumping around and telling me they are from Kansas City (which raises another question: where are all my Jayhawks?  Can we handle a Mizzou American Idol?  Come on, Lawrence!).

Seeing all these Metro singers is making me really excited about seeing Omaha's audition episode (not until January, probably!  Though, there was a brief moment today where I thought that if I heard one more thing about American Idol before January, that would be too soon.).  I'm convinced that most of the people I talked to today deserve a chance in front of Simon, Randy and Paula.

Well, tomorrow is the big day.  People are going to be lining up at 5 a.m. and I'll be there along with our morning show folks to get the whole scene for you guys back home.  Seriously, can you imagine how cool it would be to have a Metro American Idol?  We would get to have a parade! :)

You've heard of the magic of television: that certain something that happens in studios, editing booths and the writer's table.  After seeing season six's auditions pandemonium, I was stopping short of putting on a helmet and suit of armor to prepare myself for my entrance into Omaha.  I was ready to throw myself into the wild; to be amongst yellow feather boas, cowboy hats and every other possible outfit in between to catch those judges' attention.  

So when I drove past the Qwest Center and practically saw a tumbleweed blow by, I wondered if I was on the wrong side of the building.  Turns out, no, I was in the right spot.  Then panic struck me: where had all the Idols gone?

Here is where the magic of television comes in.  As of Tuesday evening, 3,000 people have already registered for a shot to be shot down by Simon Cowell.  So that mass of insanely dressed people you see practically tearing down the barriers to get into past Idol locations on TV?  Those screaming fans competing in the biggest sing off ever? That comes later.

Also coming later (if at all)?  The Big Four: Ryan, Simon, Randy and Paula.  They are not making an appearance in the Big O.  Rats.  I needed to see if I was taller than Seacrest.

But fear not, Idol fans.  There is still plenty to see.  Come Friday when everyone is registered and properly riled up, those thousands of fame seekers will be back to sing their hearts out to Idol producers and of course, we will be there.  I still have time to buy that helmet.

In the meantime, hit up the Idol Confidential page to see what I've been up to. 

Tomorrow morning I am heading to Omaha to cover the American Idol auditions for myfoxkc.com and FOX 4!  I'm excited to go and see the pandemonium first hand, it always looks like such chaos on TV!

We've got a crew of reporters and photographers headed to Omaha as well, so we will be all over the Idol auditions.  I'll be updating the Idol Confidential page as often as I can with videos and photo galleries, so be sure to check that out and see if you see someone you know!

This is the closest that the auditions have ever been to the Metro, so I'm also excited that we could have a Nebraskan, Kansan or Missourian in the top ranks.  To tell you the truth, I am actually more excited for February when they actually air the auditions.  I'm originally from Omaha, so I'd like to see what light they cast my hometown in.  I can already picture it: take a wideshot of a corn field, find a cow, track down someone who mildly looks like a farmer.  Basically, make Omaha look like nothing the majority of people that live there have experienced!

But I'm getting ahead of myself.  Be sure to check the Idol Confidential page often, you wouldn't want to miss your chance to see the next Idol before they hit it big!