Look out, Diane Sawyer
This week I will fulfill my secret lifelong dream of becoming famous among millions. I will be the star of my own television show. At least that’s the gist I got when this proposal came to me.
A student of mine said that Jinan Television Station wanted to find someone to co-host a show that teaches a little English lesson everyday. I told him I was certainly interested and not two days later, I got a telephone call from someone at the station. The woman suggested that we discuss all this over dinner. How very businesslike. I played out scenarios in my mind of how my big break into stardom would later be described as having humble beginnings at a small television station in China.
Last night I dressed up extra special for our dinner meeting. I wanted to radiate charismatic TV personality. We made a little bit of small talk as we walked to a restaurant of my choosing, but I couldn’t wait for Bonnie to start talking showbiz with me. The first thing Bonnie said to me on the topic was this: We can’t pay you, is that okay?
I could feel a big smile sweep across my face as I had a little laugh at myself. I was reminded of an experience I had at the United Blood Drive shortly before I came to China. My agenda was to determine my blood type. It seemed to me the perfect combination of giving (blood) and receiving (information and oatmeal cookies). When I signed in, I asked about the blood test and the nurse told me she could mail it out to me in several weeks. The blood results were not going to be timely so I turned to head for the door. A split second before calling “okay, thanks anyway!” over my shoulder, I remembered that I was not in the blood test store; I was in a place where people come to give. How could I dare to add my name to a list of givers---a list of good people---with such a selfish motive? How on earth could I forget about giving? Luckily, I was the only one who knew of my secret agenda and my sudden instinct to leave; a nurse promptly whisked into a little office to give some personal history. After forty minutes, it seemed I was the ideal blood donor.
Just one more thing, have you had any unusual injections lately?
As a matter of fact, I had been stabbed with a number of needles only the day before, I was carrying a little bit of Hepatitis B, a drop or two of Japanese Encephalitis, and some Typhoid fever. And so it happens, they didn’t want my temporarily diseased blood.
Back to We can’t pay you, is that okay?
Of course I said, "yes that’s fine". It was the fame I was after; the riches would surely follow. But I did have the realization then and there that this was probably going to be a low budget production. No make-up lady, no trailer, no snacks. And my visions of reading off the teleprompter were shattered when Bonnie asked if I would please write the script and print out a few copies.
Hold up. Did I just go from Michelle Pfeiffer in Up Close & Personal to an unpaid English-speaking intern before we even looked at the menu? The straight story is that we will do our own make up, film it all in one afternoon, and every night a five-minute segment will air.
So, the beginnings might be really, very humble.
A student of mine said that Jinan Television Station wanted to find someone to co-host a show that teaches a little English lesson everyday. I told him I was certainly interested and not two days later, I got a telephone call from someone at the station. The woman suggested that we discuss all this over dinner. How very businesslike. I played out scenarios in my mind of how my big break into stardom would later be described as having humble beginnings at a small television station in China.
Last night I dressed up extra special for our dinner meeting. I wanted to radiate charismatic TV personality. We made a little bit of small talk as we walked to a restaurant of my choosing, but I couldn’t wait for Bonnie to start talking showbiz with me. The first thing Bonnie said to me on the topic was this: We can’t pay you, is that okay?
I could feel a big smile sweep across my face as I had a little laugh at myself. I was reminded of an experience I had at the United Blood Drive shortly before I came to China. My agenda was to determine my blood type. It seemed to me the perfect combination of giving (blood) and receiving (information and oatmeal cookies). When I signed in, I asked about the blood test and the nurse told me she could mail it out to me in several weeks. The blood results were not going to be timely so I turned to head for the door. A split second before calling “okay, thanks anyway!” over my shoulder, I remembered that I was not in the blood test store; I was in a place where people come to give. How could I dare to add my name to a list of givers---a list of good people---with such a selfish motive? How on earth could I forget about giving? Luckily, I was the only one who knew of my secret agenda and my sudden instinct to leave; a nurse promptly whisked into a little office to give some personal history. After forty minutes, it seemed I was the ideal blood donor.
Just one more thing, have you had any unusual injections lately?
As a matter of fact, I had been stabbed with a number of needles only the day before, I was carrying a little bit of Hepatitis B, a drop or two of Japanese Encephalitis, and some Typhoid fever. And so it happens, they didn’t want my temporarily diseased blood.
Back to We can’t pay you, is that okay?
Of course I said, "yes that’s fine". It was the fame I was after; the riches would surely follow. But I did have the realization then and there that this was probably going to be a low budget production. No make-up lady, no trailer, no snacks. And my visions of reading off the teleprompter were shattered when Bonnie asked if I would please write the script and print out a few copies.
Hold up. Did I just go from Michelle Pfeiffer in Up Close & Personal to an unpaid English-speaking intern before we even looked at the menu? The straight story is that we will do our own make up, film it all in one afternoon, and every night a five-minute segment will air.
So, the beginnings might be really, very humble.
posted by B | 2:04 AM
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