MY BIG BREAK!!!....

It was the late 1990's or 2000 when we took our morning show to New York City

 for a couple days. The main reason was to have roles as "extras" on the set of

CBS' soap opera, "GUIDING LIGHT"... Our local CBS affiliate tv station, WRAL

pulled the necessary strings and we were good to go.

My on air partners at the time, Schatzie and Angela, and I arrived at the

appointed time. The only "star" that was there at the time was actor Robert Newman,

a great guy whom I had met several times when he would come to Durham for the

annual Duke Children's Classic. We were briefed on our scene... It was set in a diner,

and we three would be in the background eating at our table while the principal

characters played out their scene in a booth.  A "waitress" brought us cold coffee

and cold toast and we pretended as though we were eating, complete with

ad-libbed conversation along the lines of..."Can you believe we're on the set of

"GUIDING LIGHT" and we're pretending to eat cold toast and drink cold coffee?"

But suddenly, things changed. The director wanted me in the MAIN SCENE.

My BIG BREAK!!!  "This is it!!!", I thought. My mind jumped to accepting an Emmy.

I was to be stage right and out of the shot initially. When the director yelled "Action!"

I would simply walk behind the character who was standing at the booth.

I took my place.

The director said, "Ready? ACTION!!!"

And.... I forgot how to walk.

Yes. You. Read. That. Correctly.

Now, a normal human being will swing their arms counter to their legs when they

walk.

Not I.

I swung my arms in sync with my legs. Right arm and leg forward. Same with the left.

Try it. It ain't easy.

I eventually got it right.

Still waitin' for that Emmy.