AFI Honors Michael Douglas

Jane Seymour

Hugh Hefner with his three girlfriends haha

The American Film Institute honored Michael Douglas with the AFI Lifetime Achievement Award last night at Sony Pictures Studios. I was more involved in the making of this story for our show than any of the other stories I have worked on so far. I did all the interviewing, and I think my interviews were the best I've done since I started. I got to interview Michael Douglas, Catherine Zeta-Jones (his wife), Kirk Douglas (his father who is also an AFI Award recipient), Kathleen Turner, Jesse Metcalf, Anne Archer, Jane Seymour and Hugh Hefner. Matthew McConaughey, Tobey Maquire and Warren Beatty were also there, but they did not take any interviews. My favorite interviews were with Catherine Zeta-Jones and Jane Seymour. The two ladies were so poised when they spoke and looked absolutely beautiful. When we got back to the station, I wrote the script for our entertainment reporter, Ross. I had not written a script for broadcast yet in any of my classes, only for newspaper, so I was excited that I was finally getting to write for a show. Writing hard news stories for newspapers at school has not been my favorite part of journalism. I love writing, but I want to write something more creative and upbeat. Ross gave me a lot of useful pointers. Writing for broadcast is a lot more fun for me because, as Ross put it, the writing does not always have to be straight forward like in print. You can twist what you say to make it more entertaining and engaging for an audience. Ross does not always stick to the script either. There is a lot of breathing room for him to improvise. Maybe its because of my background in theater and dance and my love for performing, but that's the way I think news should be: entertaining. Even if the news story is covering a crime, you have to be able to engage your audience. Afterall, it's television! If your audience gets bored, they will easily flip to the next station. Next week, my producer, Allan, said he would let me edit the film after we shoot, which I've been really wanting to do! I'm learning so much! Also, Allan said that he would let me shoot a "stand-up" at the next event we attend to use for my reel tape, which is like a resume for broadcast journalists that I will be able to send out to future hopeful employers. I'm so glad Allan lets me do so much, and I don't just sit back and watch. Sometimes I get nervous with how much he trusts me to take care of the interviewing, but I guess I should take it as a compliment, trust my instincts and do my best. I know I will mess up sometimes... it's all a part of learning.