Commercial shoot at Curacao

Most of the show content that we produce is done in our building at our studio.  Once in a while, we do video shoots on location.  Today was one of those days.

I spent the afternoon at Curacao.  Curacao is a store located in a strip mall southwest of I-10 and 6th Avenue and could be best classified as a department store.  But, it's a bit of an unusual style department store because they just sell hard goods (no clothing) like electronics, furniture, appliances, bikes, that sort of thing.  It's a gigantic store and very nice inside.

We shot some segments that will air this fall on the show.  I hung out at the shoot to support.

While I was there, I shot some behind the scenes photos of the video shoot and also some photos of the inside of the store.

Getting ready for the first segment.
Setting up the shot while the on-camera talent gets final instructions.

Amanda from the Morning Blend and Nitzia from Curacao doing a segment in front of the TV wall

In the computer department.  And.... action.

A young man trying out this dance video game while his dad looks on.

The TV department at Curacao.
That's a video of Shakira on the big TV on the left, in 3D.

Lindsay and Austin shooting b-roll in the TV department.

A wide view showing approximately half of the store as seen from the furniture department.

An artsy photo of stove tops.

A long row of vacuums and Power Wheels cars beyond that.

Sewing machines and irons waiting for a good home.

Coffee pots and espresso machines

Amanda and Nitzia doing a segment in the furniture department.

A Barbie Power Wheels car.
Where Barbie goes... Ken follows.

Bikes.

Austin and Lindsay shooting b-roll of the inside of a refrigerator.

Check out this awesome deal on New Bright Sports Car Ass.

Exterior of Curacao in Tucson.

Best of the Blend Photos - May 2013

I shoot the still photos that go onto Facebook for the Morning Blend each day.  I average about 6000 photos per month that get narrowed down to a few hundred, those are the ones that I post online.

I thought it would be fun to share a handful of the many I take on my blog.  I love taking photos, and since I put most of the pictures I take up on this website from my own life and experiences it only makes sense to feature a few each month from the show as well.

My intent is to do this regularly.  So, plan your life around it.

Samantha from the Humane Society with two adorable puppies

Amanda and Shelley demonstrating how to burn the edges of fabric

The Million Dollar Quartet performs on the show.
Check out the head/hair flip by the performer on the left.

Amanda and a dog from the Humane Society get acquainted.

Amanda and Sally make a craft project created by Allison (the producer that works with me) and I:
Homemade bouncy balls.
Insert your own joke here.

Amanda checks out the Tummy Bed while Sally pats her on the head.

Amanda and Jody taste some chocolate made with cocoa beans from scratch.
It's not a great photo... except that I find photos of people eating totally hilarious.

A dog in mid-lick.

Show interns Cole and Taylor.
A candid photo of them watching a segment in progress on the set.

Shelley demonstrates a device that delivers a caffeine product to the area
under your eyelids while Amanda and Sally look on.

Dr. William Belfar, a physician from New York City, talks about the best ways to deal with a hangover
while Sally tests out the pillow for a stand up nap.

This is Sirsy, a duo that performed on the show.
The girl on the left sings and plays drums at the same time, and has a voice with enough power to blow your hair back.

Santiago from the Children's Museum Tucson is on the left, and showed Amanda and Shelley
how a compound called Hydrogel that Amanda is mixing with water instantly absorbs the liquid.
It's the same chemical compound that is put in diapers to give them their absorbing power.

This group of air talent from the radio stations in our building was assembling to shoot a TV promo.
I caught them at a candid moment.

KGUN news anchor Guy Atchley, Sally and Amanda at the Stuff the Bus for Oklahoma event
doing a live broadcast.

This dog from the Humane Society is super sweet / awesome.
Unfortunately, he's been waiting to be adopted since February.
He has a prominent underbite and a lot of people are hesitant to adopt animals when they aren't perfect.
That's a shame because he's an awesome dog.  I hope they find him a home soon.

R.I.P. Deacon Jones

Deacon Jones, a former NFL football player, Hall of Fame member (inducted in 1980), and a man considered to be one of the greatest defensive football players of all time, has died at age 74.  He played for the Los Angeles Rams from 1961-71, then two years for the San Diego Chargers, and finished his career with the Washington Redskins in 1974.

Deacon also was an accomplished R&B singer during his football playing days, backed by the band Nightshift, which later became War.  He was featured in the War hit song "Why Can't We Be Friends", which he recorded with the band.

I'm not a passionate sports fan (of any sport), but Deacon Jones holds an unusual distinction for me.  Out of the many photos I have with celebrities and autographed items that I own, he's one of three people in the sports world that I have an autograph from.  I met Deacon at an event at Desert Diamond Casino here in Tucson a handful of years ago and he was there autographing photos.  He was kind enough to autograph a picture which currently hangs on the wall of my home office.

In case you're wondering, the other two autographed items I have from people in the sports world are a pair of boxing gloves signed by boxer Fernando Vargas, and an autographed photo from pro wrestler Randy "Macho Man" Savage.  Now that I think about it, two of the three men who autographed items for me are no longer alive (Randy Savage died a few years ago).

R.I.P. Deacon Jones.  Thanks for the autograph and for the nice conversation when we met.

Autographed Deacon Jones photo that hangs on my wall

Quiznos and Adult Toys

Anthony and I ventured out for our usual Sunday dinner date and a trip to the grocery store today.

Dinner was at Quiznos.  A number of the Quiznos locations in the Tucson area have closed in recent years but the one at Broadway and Craycroft in the Williams Center is still going.  The food was good and the two employees working were very nice.  As usual, we once again managed to eat in an empty restaurant... we seem to eat a lot of places where we're the only ones in the dining room.

After dinner, we headed to Walmart Neighborhood Market at 22nd and Craycroft.  It was a pretty typical trip except for a moment in the bread aisle.  Anthony was approached by a woman who thought he might enjoy hosting an adult sex toys party and gave him her card.  Sounds like a Walmart moment.  He gave me the card and I still have it.  You never know when that will come in handy... like to squish a bug with.

Quiznos in the Williams Center at Craycroft north of Broadway.
It was 107 degrees today... and I'm thirsty enough to drink a soda the size of that inflatable on the roof.

Quiznos.
Mmmm...toasty!

Quiznos sign on the wall inside

Q's are everywhere... on the floor, on the chairs

I ate a ChicKEN Carbonara

Here's Anthony double fisting his turkey and double swiss sandwich on rosemary bread

I found this at Walmart Neighborhood Market:  Nesquik Sip 'R Eyes
Drinking straw glasses.  This is the greatest invention ever.

The Sesame Street Crust Cutt'R
Now your sandwich can stare at you with it's Elmo eyes

Nestle Drumstick Peanut Butter Variety
It'll make you go... nuts.

The card from the woman who thought Anthony should host an adult sex toy party
The only catch... is that Anthony isn't an adult woman.  As far as I know.

Police at Ridgepointe, I KENvestigate

I heard a police dispatch on the emergency scanner for the apartment complex I live in and decided to check it out last night.

I have the best excuse:  Walking Lucky.  He gets some fresh air and a chance to poop, and I get to snoop on my neighbors.

It was an apartment on the north end of the complex.  When I walked by, Lucky conveniently got interested in the smells at the bottom of a light post and I watched while two police officers kept banging on a door announcing who they were.  Lucky got tired of smelling other dog's pee and started walking on, but not before the woman in the apartment finally opened the door.

I walked back by with Lucky a few minutes later to overhear an officer explaining that it wasn't her choice, that the state of Arizona requires something or other.  That usually indicates a domestic violence arrest (I've watched Cops enough to learn how that works).

The whole thing wasn't very dramatic but it was exciting for a few minutes.  And Lucky was grateful that he got to go out and do his business.

Mission accomplished.

Police visit Ridgepointe, I take photo.
The end.