Thursday, May 12, 2005
Glammin' up the News
Well I'm blogging this from a five-star hotel room in LA. I am living it up in the City of Angels and loving every minute of it. Wanted to blog yesterday but the hotel's wireless server was down.
Anyway, today the LA Times made a convincing argument as to why I should change my career objectives yet again and become a newspaper reporter. Because the big newspapers in this country make the newspapers back home look like a kid's grade school newsletter.
Here, reporting is a profession in itself. The Times is housed in the LA Times Building in downtown LA. And it is the most ridiculously looking corporate building I've ever seen in my life. Reporters at the Times walk around in corporate wear— suit and tie. None of the ridiculous polo-shirt-and-bermuda-shorts dress code of certain Singapore newspapers.
We were treated like royalty, fed gourmet food and seated at a round table a la King Arthur in the company's boardroom for the day. Then they had Times Dignitaries come talk to us. The Editor, the Deputy Editor, the legendary columnists. These guys talked about their experiences in the business, they were friends with people like Shaq, Kobe, Justine Henin-Hardenne, John Elway and Phil Jackson. They attend Hollywood events and live the famed Beverly Hills life. This is the life that anyone would want.
My awe was taken to a whole new level when later in the evening, they took us to Dodger Stadium and gave us the grand tour. We got to see everything. Press box. Player's entrance. VIP Suites. Player facilities. We even got to walk on the field. The field where baseball greats like Sandy Koufax and Jackie Robinson played.
Then they took us to dinner. At the Dodger Stadium Club where VIPs normally hide out and where press conferences are held. They spared no expense with the food. Buffet style. Crab and asparagus appetizer. Seafood paella. Sirloin Steak. Sugar Cane chicken. Clam pasta. I haven't eaten this well in a while.
But to top it all off, we got to meet Tommy LaSnorda. The legendary manager of the Dodgers who was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame upon retirement. Somehow I also ended up seated at his table. I had dinner with a Hall of Famer. How many people can say that?
He gave a talk, answered a bunch of our questions, and signed autographs. Oh yeah, I forgot to mention. The Dodgers organization made sure we left with souvenirs: bags containing a Dodgers baseball hat, a book, and a commemorative CD.
If this is what the newspaper world is like, I might have to seriously think about that as an option... except for the small problem of me cherishing my social life. Sports reporters don't get to have social lives. They work nights and weekends. That's a big issue with me.
Anyway, today the LA Times made a convincing argument as to why I should change my career objectives yet again and become a newspaper reporter. Because the big newspapers in this country make the newspapers back home look like a kid's grade school newsletter.
Here, reporting is a profession in itself. The Times is housed in the LA Times Building in downtown LA. And it is the most ridiculously looking corporate building I've ever seen in my life. Reporters at the Times walk around in corporate wear— suit and tie. None of the ridiculous polo-shirt-and-bermuda-shorts dress code of certain Singapore newspapers.
We were treated like royalty, fed gourmet food and seated at a round table a la King Arthur in the company's boardroom for the day. Then they had Times Dignitaries come talk to us. The Editor, the Deputy Editor, the legendary columnists. These guys talked about their experiences in the business, they were friends with people like Shaq, Kobe, Justine Henin-Hardenne, John Elway and Phil Jackson. They attend Hollywood events and live the famed Beverly Hills life. This is the life that anyone would want.
My awe was taken to a whole new level when later in the evening, they took us to Dodger Stadium and gave us the grand tour. We got to see everything. Press box. Player's entrance. VIP Suites. Player facilities. We even got to walk on the field. The field where baseball greats like Sandy Koufax and Jackie Robinson played.
Then they took us to dinner. At the Dodger Stadium Club where VIPs normally hide out and where press conferences are held. They spared no expense with the food. Buffet style. Crab and asparagus appetizer. Seafood paella. Sirloin Steak. Sugar Cane chicken. Clam pasta. I haven't eaten this well in a while.
But to top it all off, we got to meet Tommy LaSnorda. The legendary manager of the Dodgers who was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame upon retirement. Somehow I also ended up seated at his table. I had dinner with a Hall of Famer. How many people can say that?
He gave a talk, answered a bunch of our questions, and signed autographs. Oh yeah, I forgot to mention. The Dodgers organization made sure we left with souvenirs: bags containing a Dodgers baseball hat, a book, and a commemorative CD.
If this is what the newspaper world is like, I might have to seriously think about that as an option... except for the small problem of me cherishing my social life. Sports reporters don't get to have social lives. They work nights and weekends. That's a big issue with me.
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