It’s been quite an experience for a Chesapeake mother and daughter who flew to Los Angeles for the big American Idol Finale.

Jessica & Cindy at Idol

You watched it here on Fox 43 TV, but Cynthia and Jessica Chang got to see it live in the Nokia Theater.  And they even got into an after party!  They were tired, but stuck around and got to meet former Idol champ and country singer, Scotty McCreary.

Jessica with former Idol winner Scotty McCreary

Cynthia won the Fox 43/Hot 100.5 “Finale fly away” contest.  They emailed me pictures and notes during their trip.  Jessica got to meet many of the Idol contestants and got lots of autographs.

Jessica with with Idol contestants Paul, Devin, and Curtis

Jessica got all of the autographs

They could see the red carpet being set up from their hotel room.

Jessica near the red carpet at the Nokia Theater

When they weren’t at the show, she and her mom checked out the L.A. Zoo and the Grammy Museum.

Jessica at the Grammy Museum next to Cee-Lo’s outfit

They say the trip, the weather, and the experience have been perfect and we’re glad we could be a part of it here at Fox 43. And Jessica has quite the story to tell and pictures to share with her classmates at Nansemond-Suffolk Academy when she gets back home.

Jessica representing her school Nansemond-Suffolk Academy outside Nokia

Here’s some of what Cindy sent me in her own words:

“Everybody seemed so excited to be there. A host named Corey got the crowd all energized before the show, and he’d interact with the crowd between commercial breaks.
It was neat to see how fast the crew worked to change sets in that brief time during the commercial break. Staff would swarm the judges to fix make-up and hair. That made me chuckle a little bit. Keith Urban several times went to the crowd in those brief minutes and engaged. Gave one gal a Birthday hug.
Both Kree and Candice were Amazing! I couldn’t vote, because I’d be voting for both of them! Kree is a country girl, so I am sure I will be following her career more closely and certainly will see her perform again in the future, since I’m a big concert buff. I will get off the plane in Norfolk tomorrow to go directly to the Luke Bryan concert at the amphitheater. Jessica is a big Hot 100.5 listener, so she will be following Candice (& Angie who she adores) more closely.
I’m not sure what we will be doing today before the show. We may go to the Zoo if it isn’t too far.
Thanks for being a part of our excitement. This has been a very special time for my daughter & I!Jessica was able to see all of the Idols from a short distance away. Most came to the fence and signed autographs. Jessica got autographs from Angie, Lazero, Burnell, Janelle, Paul, Curtis, & Amber.The show was wonderful. It was fun to see how they do the show. Very Exciting! Both Kree and Candice were fantastic!”

Red Carpet

It started with an ad campaign on television and in print asking folks to gather up non-perishable goods to donate to the local needy for the big food drive.

Then, the big day was Saturday, May 4th.  The Face of Fox 43, Rhonda Arrington and I  joined the Girl Scouts of the Colonial Coast for the Helping Hands Food Drive.

  People dropped off non-perishable food items to Walmart

collection sites where the donations were sorted and loaded onto trucks for the Foodbank of Southeastern Virginia andother area foodbanks.  It was cold, windy and rainy day, but we bundled up and huddled close and got the job done. They collected thousands of pounds of food to be distributed to help feed the hungry in our community. Some of the girls earned their Girl Scout Gold Award for help organizing projects devoted to the issue of hunger. I never got to participate in a project like this when I was a Girl Scout, but I’m happy to see how this group came together to help out.  WAVY and Fox 43 TV were among the sponsors of this event. Thank you to all who stopped by to say hi and support the cause.  If you missed us at the food drive, you can always help local food banks by volunteering your time or donating canned/boxed goods and of course money always helps, too.

Another year of celebrating hospitality workers in Norfolk and another great (and loud) rally at Half Moone Cruise and Celebration Center downtown.

The Booker T. Washington High School band provided the welcoming beats and the area mascots gave hugs and put smiles on our faces.

The Champions of Hospitality Rally is put on by VisitNorfolk as part of National Travel And Tourism Week.

We never forget our dear Uncle Pete Decker who was one of Norfolk’s biggest cheerleaders and the star of this show for years. His sons Paul, Peter and Phillip have taken over for the late great local legend who died last year.

Norfolk Airport Hilton won for large group most spirited. They’re employees put on a quite a skit with a boxing theme.  The Downtown Norfolk Council won for small group. They consist of those always helpful ambassadors who greet visitors to the city and guide us all in the right direction. The competition was fierce and one thing is  certain, there are a lot of hospitality workers in Norfolk who absolutely love what they do!

My  co-workers Bruce Rader, Tom Schaad and Stephanie Harris joined me on the judging panel for most spirited – along with Old Dominion University’s football coach , Bobby Wilder.

Here’s the complete list of winners:

Admissions/Box Office – Megan Gullickson of the Virginia Stage Company & Virginia Arts Festival

Audio Visual – Everett White of Norfolk Special Events

 Banquets – Lenora Southall of Norfolk Waterisde Marriott

Bartender – John Queen of Kincaid’s

Concierge– Ellie Porambo of Hilton Norfolk Airport

Front Desk – Amelita Avendano of Navy Gateway Inn & Suites and Loleta McGary of Navy Lodge

Host – Mikah Haydu of Shula’s

 Housekeepers – Quenella Somerville of Courtyard by Marriott Downtown and Mary Matthews of Residence Inn Downtown

 Kitchen – Mary Hearvey of Holiday Inn Airport and David Moore of Sheraton Norfolk Waterside

 Maintenance – Rafael Rosado of the Ted Constant Convocation Center

 Military Tourism Ambassador – Gregory Bell of USN

 Parking Attendant – Ruth Jones of MacArthur Center

 Public Service Ambassador – Marcia Oubre of Norfolk Botanical Garden

 Receptionist – Sarah Gilbert of Ted Constant Convocation Center

 Retail – Elizabeth Joseph of Nauticus

 Server – Mark Montgomery of 219 An American Bistro

 Valet – Marcus Watterson of Byrd & Baldwin

 Volunteer – Don Pipes of Nauticus

 Zoo Keepers – Aubry Hall of Virginia Zoo

 Zoo Ambassador – Oscar the Red Panda

CLICK HERE to watch the trailer for Iron Man 3.

The third installment of Iron Man has arrived…but an argument can be made for this being the fourth considering last summer’s The Avengers. But nevertheless…. Robert Downey Jr. Returns as Tony Stark aka Iron Man. Fresh from The Avengers domination (both of their enemies and at the box office).

We find Tony Stark having anxiety attacks and not sleeping.  He is working tirelessly on new suits that can be summoned remotely and forgetting to keep the home fires burning with Pepper (Gwenyth Paltrow).  Also Don Cheadle is back as Stark’s friend Rhodes doing his best in his red white and blue armor to defend the US intents.

Soon enough multiple enemies are after them.  The Mandarin (Ben Kingsly) is some kind of terrorist targeting US interests and destroying them and Aldrich Killian (Guy Pearce) and Rebecca Hall (as a former one-night stand of Tony’s) are out to get Stark because he dismissed their theories of regeneration in 1999.  The story is a bit far fetched, but interestingly enough all the enemies appear to be tied together, event though you never quite know how.

The ultimate battles set Iron Man up for the loss of his suit. Stark spends about the middle third of the film sans armor and surviving on instinct.  Atone point he has to rely on a kid for help.  This was my favorite section of the film, because Stark had to face that sometimes you need help, and sometimes that help comes from a little kid.

Some of the ensuing battle scenes are one dimensional even in 3-D.  I felt the plot was a bit messy in places, but the witty dialogue from Director and co-writer Shane Black along with co-writer Drew Pearce was still fresh tripping off the tongue of Robert Downey, Jr.  Downey is Stark and Iron Man and we no longer wonder where one ends and the other begins.

Be sure to stay for the Easter egg in the credits… It’s worth the wait and hints at things to come.

THREE AND A HALF OUT OF FIVE COOKIES

Rated PG-13 for for sequences of intense sci-fi action and violence throughout, and brief suggestive content.

I don’t know about you but the week just flew by for me.  Today was Stephanie Harris’ first Live Music Friday.  Stephanie is a big music fan who will rock out to just about anything but mostly to Neil Diamond and Wham! That’s how she rolls and we love her for that.  Our featured artist is this year’s Sea Level Singer/Songwriter Festival’s Emerging Artist Contest winner, Luke Hartman.  Luke is a member of the Reckless Passengers and a very talented singer/songwriter.

A pretty cool thing is happening in Norfolk this weekend.  You’ve heard of pop-up restaurants but what about a pop-up city block?.  That’s exactly what’s happening in downtown Norfolk Friday and Saturday nights.  Better Block is an international project that rebuilds a block in the city that is in need of some TLC and with the help of volunteers, they put in some elbow grease and a lot of love to spruce it and house pop-up shops and eateries to showcase what it would look like if the area was thriving on a permanently level.   This particular one will be located at Granby Street from Olney Road to Addison Street.  A handful of local business’ will be on-site in their temporary weekend home including O’Connor Brewery, who will be hosting a beer garden for the thirsty adults and, of course, there will be plenty of live, local music.  A lot of our LMF family will be tantalizing the crowd with their tunes including Over The Ocean, The Hunts, Skye Zentz and The Gents, Gina Dalmas and CTP and Broken Mouth Annie.  It’s going to be a great event that kicks off Friday at 5p and goes into Saturday.  Everything is still being finalized and added, so click on this link to stay up-to-date on everything.

Our friends at Muzik Lounge and Chichos in Chesapeake are putting on a Spring Fling Saturday night and a couple of our good friends will be in on the fun.  K’bana Blaq and D*Nik will be there supplying a good amount of their funky, soul.  On The Bright Side and City Voices will provide plenty of rock.  Click here for more info on the show and check out Muzik Lounge’s review of City Voices’ Transparency release show.

That’s it for me today.  Tons of great music out there this weekend for you to hear, so get out and SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL MUSIC!

On the Run,  Featuring The Latest Running News and Notes in the “757″ from Sportswrap Running reporter, Jon “Flex” Leiding

We’re On the Run Again!

Can’t Stop Now- We’ve Got News

A technical glitch had us away last week, so let’s give up some “luv” for those of you who hit the road last week, like the Autism Awareness 5K at Mt Trashmore.   Virginia Beach’s David Kidd was the Overall Champion in 16:24, while Lizzy Vanderbilt blazed the 3.1 mile course in 20:25.

At the Queens Lake 5K, good friend of the Blog, Todd Kessler,  from Newport News, won in17:17.  The real story on the Peninsula has been Mercedes Castillo-D’Amico.  The 55 year young, Newport News Resident, captured thhe Ladies title and set an Age Group Course Record with a swift20:29. Wow!

Can’t Forget My Suffolk Friends-  The Suffolk YMCA Run was fun for all who got out on the 5.66K run.  Also in Suffolk, the Bon Secours Colon Health 5K went to good friend of the Blog, Steve Speirs with a solid 17:28.  There is no stopping him these days… Chesapeake’s Emily Rivet was the Fastest female with a 22:10.  Races are all over the “757!”

A Duathlon combines two activities, this time Biking and Running.  The Va. Duathlon in Surry had plenty of Hampton Roads best, including Virginia Beach’s William Byland, a Top Three Finisher and Chesapeake’s Rachel Jastrebsky, the Winner of the Womens division.  Gotta give the “shout outs” to Courtney Ann Pollman of Virginia Beach, along with Lisa Armistead, who both rocked the 5K run along with the 23 mile Bike Ride.  Well Done, Ladies!

Time to Get Busy This Weekend!

Last week may have been a bit light but, what a weekend it will be!  Take your pick-  all over Hampton Roads, you can find races almost everywhere.     Saturday, the  Monarch Kids Run features a 5K and One Mile in Norfolk.In Newport News, the Earth Day 5K Races away from Newport News City Center, then go to the Southside.

The Dismal Swamp Half Marathon has become a tradition.  Love this race!  Ann Hupp always puts on a good event.  Sadly, work will keep me away this time but, I hear there are a few spots available.  Check out mettleevents.com to get registered.

If you crave more, take a trip to the Outer Banks and you’ll find plenty of Fun with the Flyin’ Pirate Half Marathon.  My good friends, Angelo Celesia and the legend, Dr. Mel Williams will be there.  Be on the lookout for them!

No, we’re not done yet!  Up the road, the Ukrops Monument 10K is always a Big race in Richmond.  Good Luck to all of you taking the trip!

Then, Monday…..   BOSTON!

It All Starts Here!

Many of you will are taking the trip to be part of the “Massachusetts Madness”.  This is one race that you have to have a qualifying time.

From Hopkinton, all the way to Boylston Street, over 26,000 Runners will challenge the famed Heartbreak Hill, while experiencing the worl’d oldest Marthon. There are so many stories, charities, and great people, just “amped up” to get to the starting line.  Having run the event in 2009, I send “best of luck” wishes to all of you going.

Race Director, Dave McGilivray, who is also holds the same duties for the Williamsburg Run For the Dream Half Marathon weekend,  has run the marathon each year since  1973. For 16 years he ran it with all the other runners and since he began working with the race in 1988 he has run  the course afterwards.

Two Years Ago,  I caught up with him and we cghatted a while.  Here’s a look back to give you some of the flavor that is the  Boston Marathon:    Click on this link>>>   On The Run With Boston Marathon Race Director, Dave McGillivray    <<<Click on this link

If I look a bit exhausted, I had just finished the Half Marathon about ten minutes prior. Thanks for checking out the interview!

Here’s to Fast Times a Good Breeze to take you to the Finish!

Also on the Horizon, the Peninsula Track Club will be holding a 24 Hour Run at Sandy Bottom Park in two weeks.   That should be a real challenge.  We’ll try to keep you informed.   We always appreciate the Feedback.  If you have a story idea or just want to drop us a line, please do!

That’s All for this week.  Maybe we’ll catch you soon… “On The Run!”

On the Run With Sportswrap Running Reporter, Jon “Flex” Leiding on WAVY.com.

CLICK HERE to watch the trailer for Jurassic Park!

It’s the 20th anniversary of this exceptional film by Steven Spielberg that gave us all hope that something as amazing as really experiencing dinosaurs was plausible!  S what does Spielberg do?  Re-imagines it employing 3D technology for the really big screen!

I remember when I first saw the original thinking– that would be cool in 3D, that would be cool in 3D, oh, I’d love to see that in 3D!!   Imagine my excitement at finally getting to see it in 3D.   My only hesitation was… Would it live up to itself?  Would it seem dated?  The answers: YES AND NO!  Yes, it lives up to it’s self.  Even knowing the story as well as I do, I thoroughly enjoyed watching this and remembering things like: I LOVED JEFF GOLDBLUM IN THIS FILM! And no, it doesn’t seem dated, unless you count the DOS programs running on the computers or the size and shapes of phones and monitors.

I won’t bore you with the plot and the characters because you must surely know them.  This film is legendary.  I simply want to talk about the 3D part of this release.  In a word:  awesome.  It really lives up to all expectations.  If you are a fan of film, if you are a fan of dinosaurs, if you are a fan of Spielberg, if you are a fan of 3D… Don’t miss this in IMAX.

It more than stands the test of time.

FIVE OUT OF FIVE COOKIES

Rated PG-13 for intense science fiction terror.

CLICK HERE to watch the scary trailer from 2013′s Evil Dead!

Now showing in theaters around Hampton Roads.

Evil Dead is blood, guts and gore to the extreme as writer-director Fede Alvarez along with co-scriptwriter Rodo Sayagues  takes on Sam Raimi’s 1981 cult classic The Evil Dead.  The original was funny and scary and gory.  And most importantly is beloved by so many.  This 2013 version manages to pay worthy homage to the original, but never quite achieves what that original did.

The crux of the original story is still there: Five twenty-something friends head to an isolated cabin in the woods where they manage to unleash evil that is hooked on demonic possession.  But, instead of going there on vacation like the original, these 2013 friends are on a mission to help their friend Mia quit heroin cold turkey.

Eric is the teacher who discovers a book bound in barbed wire with warnings all over it not to open it, look at it, read it… So what does he do? Open it, look at it, read it.  Thus, unleashing a reign of horror!

There are some frightening moments and plenty of shield your eyes scenes (I’m thinking of things involving a nail gun, an electric knife, and oh, yes!  The chainsaw is back!  If you loved the original you should like this one.  There are enough mini tributes to the original to make you smile.  I’ll just say it was pretty GROOVY.  Fans will get it.  And fans should stick around through the credits for a surprise.

THREE OUT OF FIVE COOKIES

Rated R for strong bloody violence and gore, some sexual content and language.

Hand of producer pushing button to talk to anchor on the set.

   With the rise of the online world and social media, more information is available to us than ever before.   You are gracious enough to let us into your homes daily, but you don’t always get that extra look at how information gets to you.  Here then is a look behind the scenes; pictures I snapped around the station, to provide an additional angle of the news and a candid look at just some of the journalists and production specialists  on which you depend daily.  That’s 10 on your side.

Social media, (WAVY.com, Facebook, and comments from nameless readers at the end of articles on newspaper web pages) is the new water cooler gossip zone, reminded my colleague and Old Dominion graduate Jeff Myers today. Jeff is a season ticket holder for both ODU football and basketball, and like thousands of others, had an opinion of the hiring of new basketball coach Jeff Jones.

In less than 24 hours, anonymous pundits typed their fingers raw, calling for the firing of Old Dominion athletic director Dr. Wood Selig after word leaked out Selig had hired Jeff Jones away from American University in Washington, D.C. to replace longtime coach Blaine Taylor who was fired in the midst of Old Dominion’s most miserable season in school history.

Looking back, I must admit I think Dr. Selig made his first mistake by being honest and saying he was looking for a hard working, maybe young coach, who would work hard, knows the area and would bring excitement back to the Ted Constant Center.

So much for honesty. Like other AD’s, Dr. Selig should have just clammed up and said he was looking for the best coach possible. But that is not his style.

His second mistake (and this is only my personal opinion) came when he publicly proclaimed in late February that interim coach Jim Corrigan was not only in the running for the job, but that “another candidate had to come in and beat him.” A great slap on the back for a job well done under difficult circumstances, but nothing I ever believed to be true. Although I am sure Dr. Selig will disagree.

I wonder how ecstatic Monarchs fans would have been if Selig had hired the loyal 54-year old Corrigan who had spent 19 years as an ODU assistant, but had only won three games as a head coach? Not a very sexy hire.

Virginian Pilot reporter Ed Miller, one of the best, and who’s primary beat is ODU basketball, reported the finalists to replace Taylor were down to a handful. Dennis Felton, who left Western Kentucky to move onto Georgia where he was fired in 2009. Kevin Keatts, a promising assistant to Rick Pitino at Louisville, who’s previous job was as a Prep School coach at Hargrave Military Academy. And 56-year old Steve Robinson, Roy Williams’ top assistant at North Carolina, who was fired as head coach at Florida State after five years. Felton has been out of the business for four years, and although Robinson is considered one of the top assistant coaches in basketball he did not fare well in his only shot at being a head coach.

Keatts seems to have the most upside, but there is no guarantee he would be the next Brad Stevens, Shaka Smart or Danny Hurley (my guess to be the next coach at Rutgers, if they can get him).

So who would have drawn cheers had they been introduced today instead of Coach Jones? Alabama’s Anthony Grant would be nice, but his $1.8 million price tag is a little out of ODU’s reach. Seton Hall took a chance with Tommy Amaker, a then young Duke assistant, who left Seton Hall after three short years for a better job at Michigan where he was fired and replaced by Richmond’s John Beilein. Amaker is at Harvard now, where he turned down a $1.1 million a year offer from Miami last year.

Of course, it would have made national news today had Florida Gulf Coast’s Andy Enfield donned a Blue and White Monarchs cap. Dr. Selig had the darling of this year’s NCAA tournament secretly on his radar before March Madness began and had already interviewed Enfield before his team’s unbelievable run in the NCAA tournament two weeks ago. Selig was so interested in Enfield he had a private plane ready to fly down to Ft. Myers to bring Enfield and his wife to Norfolk for a final talk and maybe a final offer. The plane was sent back into the hanger when Enfield instead flew to Los Angeles where he landed a six-year $6 million dollar deal to become the new coach at USC.

But let’s be honest. Let’s say FGC (where is it, again?) had not beaten San Diego St. and Georgetown two weeks ago. Let’s say Enfield had agreed to come to Old Dominion. How many Monarchs fans had him in their coaches search bracket? What would the reaction have been when word leaked out that ODU’s new coach was a former businessman with two years of coaching experience at the school nobody had ever heard of.

“Fire Wood Selig” would have been the rant of the day.

So with Enfield in LA, and all the other finalists with their fair share of question marks, Selig may have taken the safe way out. ESPN college basketball guru Fran Fraschilla, the former coach at St. Johns and New Mexico convinced Dr. Selig that Jeff Jones was the perfect man for the job. A hard worker, a great strategist, well connected in the world of AAU basketball (maybe the most important complement). A coach who can calmly make the kind of adjustments on the fly which is worth two or three wins a year. That can be the difference between making the postseason and being a bubble team bust.

ESPN host Tony Kornheiser pointed out today that Jones’ record at AU was the best in the school’s history and even more impressive considering the private school in the Patriot league with tough academic standards is no Duke. NBA reporter David Aldridge said this morning Jones had taken American U to the NCAA tournament twice, something none of its previous coaches including Gary Williams (Ohio St. and Maryland), Jim Lynam (St. Joseph’s), or Tom Davis (Iowa) was able to do during their coaching stints there.

Aldridge said what impressed him the most, was that Jones stayed at AU for 13 years and did not use it as a stepping stone for a better job. Aldridge said Jones respected the people and fans at American University and appreciated their love of basketball, that he gave the fans there the excitement of having a winning and championship team. When AU beat Colgate in 2008 and made the NCAA tournament for the first time in school history, Jones sat on the bench after the game with a towel over his head and sobbed with joy over what his team had accomplished and what it meant to the fans. He brought respectability and a winning attitude to the program, and the AU fans will forever be grateful for that.

It may not be sexy—but it appeared to be sincere.

Boo Williams, one of the most successful AAU coaches in the nation, who lives in nearby Hampton, told David Teel of the Daily Press today, “They (ODU) needed to get somebody who knows the 757 and North Carolina. Jeff knows the area. I think it’s a good hire.”

But in the age of the web, where every game is on TV, and a totally obscure coach with a hot wife can get a million dollar a year raise by winning two games, fans want flash. You know, Mark Schmidt at St. Bonaventure, Scott Nagy at South Dakota State, Chris Mack at Xavier, Baylor’s Scott Drew. Had Dr. Selig been able to steal away any one of these household names how excited would Monarch fans be tonight?

I pointed out to Dr. Selig today, something he already knew of course, that some ODU fans were disappointed and were wishing for a “sexier” hire.

His response…

“I can understand that but my number one goal is to put ODU basketball in a position to win championships, because I believe championships are sexy. So if ODU is going to win Conference USA championships, if ODU is going to go to the NCAA and compete and make noise in the NCAA Tournament, the position I believed was best suited to put us in a position to accomplish that was Jeff Jones.”

And considering the options, I tend to agree.