Thing 160 Be On TV (or Pie Someone in the Face)

I don't mean appear on someone's television. I've done that before. I was in the background just behind Bertie Ahern when he was getting a hammering from journalists just before the last general election. I wasn't backing him up or anything, I was just caught in the crowd. As a result of that, I appeared very briefly on the six one news. It doesn't count though, because I didn't have a little bar at the bottom of the screen that said my name and gave me a cool title.

Personally I'd have gone for Dan Mooney, Local Crazy Person. Dan Mooney Project 366 will have to do.

Ostensibly, today's Thing was supposed to be hitting someone with a pie. Much the same as Token Northy did to me way back when we started this whole mess of a Project. I wanted the chance to thoroughly pie someone. Cartoon clown style, and the lovely people at RTE's new youth programme Elev8 were willing to give me the opportunity. I did it, but it wasn't the real Thing. Seeing how this show works was the Thing.

But first... Proof that I got my own name tag thingy - I even put a little ring around it!!

It takes a small army to run the show. There's three presenters; they're full of juice and energy and enthusiasm. Which is great, except as Talker said to me today, I looked like I could be old enough to be their Dad. What a horrible thing for her to say... I'm not THAT old looking. I felt it a little though. They'd all this energy, and I was kind of dead. My guess is that if you work kids TV you just need that kind of get up and go. Then there's the studio team. There were eight other people working on the show who were also in the studio. And I'm sure that wasn't even the whole team. There's one chap who does sound, another who mixes and changes the camera angles remotely. There's a Director and a producer, and technicians... it's unreal.

But before there's that there's make up... Yep. I went to make up and had my face make-up-ed. And my hands. It was surreal. There's an entire room of mirrors and make up artists. Daithi O'Se sitting just down the aisle from me. I wanted to ask him about his boots again, but I decided not to. I don't mind looking like a crazy person some times, but it just doesn't seem appropriate at other times.

The building itself is a rabbit warren. It twists and turns every which way. The amount of technology on offer is astounding. Pony Boy would have a heart attack looking at all the computers. My guess is that whatever you see on screen represents about 30% of the total amount of work being done on any one show.

And it's crazy. Every day contesting with the knowledge that the whole country is watching everything you do...

I'll never make a TV presenter.

I briefly harboured thoughts of replacing Brian Dobson on Six One. Think I'll give that a miss and stick to doing lame Things every day for a while instead.

If you want to watch it...

I'm on TV, click to see!

I debated with myself on whether or not I'd include that link in there, but since The Thief was planning to blackmail me, I think I'll just get it over with and you can all laugh at my sad attempt at being young and cool...

Also; I got to hit someone with a pie. All in all. A good day.