Oh Yeah - Friday. October 9, 2009
Um, what was up with the MOON BOMBING today? First of all, what was up with it in the first place - like, let me see if I get this right - shooting some old rockets into the moon, on purpose, to check if some ice or water blasts out in the debris. Ok, I get they wanted to do a scientific experiment, but it just strikes me as being sort of ludicrous. I do love, however, that NASA described the impact as having "no more effect on the moon than an eyelash dropping on a jet."
Which brings me to my next point - if they realized that the impact would be, as ABC correspondent Ryan Owens said, like a pebble dropped in a whole lotta sand - shouldn't they have perhaps facilitated a better view? I mean, just zooming in on that wide moon shot did not work. I, and the entire newsroom, sat with our brows furrowed, noses pressed up practically against our TV monitors, scanning, searching, straining to see any little hint of the explosion. No dice, Grandma.
Instead, I had to rely on my Twitter feed, Robin and Diane, and the AP newswire to let me know that the moon, in fact, had been bombed. Bummer - I would have loved to see something. But at least I wasn't one of the people who trekked over to the Longway Planetarium in Flint - which was rolling the same live picture Good Morning America did. It could have been so cool...
What WAS cool about my morning, however, was watching the ABC12 School Spirit Challenge! The crew was at Bay City Western, partying early-morning style with the Warriers. And it looked like so much fun! I was manning the booth here at the station, and our overnight editor/ associate producer Gwen went out for her first go at the School Spirit gig. It was great! The kids were rowdy and having fun - and they were great at talking about why they think it's important to help in their community.
Today - the kids and community came together to donate a $750 check to The Food Bank of Eastern Michigan - which translates to 6750 lbs. of food! So, like the rocket launched to bomb the moon, the Bay City Western Warriers have launched into 3rd place in the quest for the Spirit Cup... Unlike the moonbomb launch, however, the Warriers effort was certainly awe-inspiring.
The best part - the kids say they're going to continue to raise food and funds all year long - starting at tonight's homecoming football game celebration. I can't wait to see what they accomplish!
Have a great weekend - and we'll see you back here Monday morning.
Producer Molly
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Jaco Does JackoWelcome to Thursday, it's October 8th, 2009.
Ok, so, keeping with what's turning out to be a musical week, today Marc Jacobson headed over to The Lava Room at Shap's in Mundy Twp. Why was he hitting up a bar at 5:30 in the morning? It was all in honor of "The Gloved One" - Michael Jackson himself.
Marc was joined by a crew of ladies trying to corral some support for "Thrill the World." The event is, as the website describes it, "an annual worldwide simultaneous dance of Michael Jackson's 'Thriller.'" So what does THAT mean? Apparently, groups all over the country are preparing to try to set and break a world record - for the most people doing the "Thriller" dance at the same time. Cool right? It is - until you see poor Marc - or Jaco (said like Jake-o) trying to channel Jacko.
Jaco dancing is seriously more painful than watching Elaine make a fool of herself dancing on "Seinfeld." Brutal, vigorous, awkward, violent, random - any of these words fit the description of Marc's "dancing."
The cool thing about Marc is, he's a REALLY good sport - not just about dancing - but about everything we do here on ABC12 News This Morning. Marc and I share a similar philosophy - we don't want things to be too heavy when people are just waking up and starting the day. And while it's essential for us to cover breaking news - and we do, when it happens - people seem to enjoy Marc making a fool of himself day... after day... after day.
Tomorrow, the ABC12 Spirit Squad heads to Bay City Western for the next installment of the Spirit Cup Challenge. Right now, Grand Blanc elementary schools are in the lead for the cup - with more than 11,100 lbs. (food AND funds) raised for The Food Bank of Eastern Michigan. And the donations are still being tallied! Bendle High School is in 2nd place, with more than 6800 pounds of food collected. And the total - after just 5 schools - is a whopping 21,252 lbs.!
We'll see what happens tomorrow, when the Bay City Western Warriors throw their hat into the ring.
Enjoy your Thursday - we'll see you bright and early tomorrow morning, on the Big One-Two - at 5 a.m.
Producer Molly
Click here to e-mail the ABC12 Morning Show team
Breakin' Down DWTS
It is Monday. October 5th, 2009.
Did you catch Dancing With the Stars last night on ABC12? Don't worry - Marc Jacobson and EPLisa break down the moves on the dancefloor. Plus, Flint's own Mateen Cleaves moves from the basketball court to the recording studio. Check out "What's Brewing" in the video player above.
We'll see you in the morning!
EPLisa
