It’s confirmed. I will appear on MSNBC’s “Connected Coast to Coast,” tomorrow around 5:20 p.m. EST.
I will be on with fellow CPAC blogger and MSNBC “veteran” Robin Burk and…The Wonkette.
OK, then. It’s all set. Now all I have to do is…wait.
I’m as nervous as a long-tailed cat in a room full of rocking chairs. 
Update: Hey, that’s a good idea. Give me some advice for tomorrow, especially if you’ve been on one of these talking head shows before. If not, I’ll still listen.
Update II (8:42 p.m.): For all the anticipation, I probably won’t get to talk for more than 30 or so seconds. The whole segment is only 5 minutes, and I’m sharing the time with two other bloggers and two hosts. As long as I get to plug my blog, I’ll be satisfied.
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Give it to ‘em Straight LaShawn! God Bless, you’ll do GREAT!
Dan
Awesome! I’m gonna have to run home from school to catch you. Hopefully I won’t have detention duty tomorrow!!!
Good luck, La Shawn. I wonder if sparks will fly between you and THE Wonkette! I can’t wait to watch.
No, nothing like that, Mike.
Looking forward to seeing it. Just be real (like you know any other way to be).
Room full of rocking-chairs ? Hmmm Well swish it back and forth a few times that will take care of that problem.
Mark
Looking forward to seeing your segment La Shawn. You’ll be great.
Thats great. I will be praying for you. Remember 1 Peter 4:11
God Bless
Will be looking foward to watching and recording it
Now I gotta think of a way to slip out from my meetings by 4 (CST) to get to the hotel in time
Hey La Shawn, don’t worry about being on TV. I’ve been on TV before (don’t think it was live, though), and really, you go in there and talk to people, and you forget anybody’s standing there with a camera. Have you noticed that when giving an interview, people never look into the camera? They always look sideways at somebody else. When I was on TV I looked a lot stupider than you’re going to look, so don’t worry.
(OK, and if you’re curious as to what I was on TV for, my local TV station a few years ago did a feature on my Celtic music band, Distant Oaks.)
It’s great you’re going to be on TV — too bad I won’t be able to see you! (I’m going to be working.) Congratulations! May God give you strength and courage.
Shayne
You’ll be fine. Can’t wait to see it.
Congratulations, La Shawn!
Good Luck LaShawn and break a leg!
This is wonderful news, La Shawn! I don’t get home til around 5:30 from work, so I’ll have to remember to set my VCR to tape it.
Excellent!! I look forward to seeing you Miss Barber!
Congrats! Be sure to practice, practice, practice. Make sure you know how to succinctly and effectively get your point across. Watch other guests on tv today and tomorrow to see how they handle it. Don’t let anyone misconstrue/twist your points, either.
God will be there with you LaShawn, as you have stood for Him. You’ll be great, as usual.
Hey La Shawn,
Go for it! Glad to see things moving your way a little bit more! Stand tall and in faith and God will give you the power and ability and words you need!
God bless!
- Louie
I bet this time Wonkette will show up.
I can see it now…
The gal with class vs the gal who talks about…
well, y’all get the drift.
La Shawn:
Don’t forget to breathe.
I’m quite serious. Adrenaline can do weird things to you, can make you freeze up, and a couple deep breaths can really help.
I’ve been in a couple films, and you’ve got to get used to that camera being trained on your face. It can be disorienting, so if you remind yourself, “Breathe … breathe …” (especially right before the camera rolls) - it will do wonders to clear your brain, and help you handle your own nerves.
You’re gonna be great, though!! Best of luck!
We’re going to talk about women bloggers, guys. I doubt the segment will be confrontational or that we women will disagree on this one fact: women political bloggers don’t get the same kind of attention that the men do. I’m cool with that most of the time. I want to earn recognition because of what I do, not my sex or skin color.
It’s still worth a mumble or two, though.
Thanks, Sheila!
Just be yourself. You’ve already passed the audition by just being you, they came to you, because you were you, so they obviously wanted you, so dont worry about anything.
Heck, Youre there already! take some digital pictures of the stage and post them so we can see what the other side of the glass looks like and live vicariously through you.
oh yeah, and kick a**.
Eat a light lunch/dinner. If you eat to much you may loose your cookies (hot lights and nervousness don’t mix), If you eat to little you may get the jitters (can’t compensate for the adrenline).
Deep breath. Picture the one person you are most comfortable talking to is on the other side of the camera.
Condi skirt! Wear a Condi skirt!
I was a local TV anchor for 25 years.
People watch TV alone or in pairs. Don’t think of yourself as talking to a large audience. You are talking to ONE person. In fact, you are talking one-on-one with, in this case, Monica or traitor-to-his-heritage Ron. The people watching at home are just eavesdropping. I suggest you not rehearse much of anything, and for Heaven’s sake don’t MEMORIZE anything. Just converse; don’t speechify.
Actually, all you have to do to be effective is be LaShawn, not someone you think LaShawn ought to be. After all, if you tried to be someone other than your real self in your blogs, I wouldn’t read them.
LaShawn,
Like Dave R. says, you talk like you were talking to one person, not the masses. And try to slow down the pace of your speaking voice, so you don’t sound like a chipmunk. Just talk clearly, and ENUNCIATE so people don’t say “What did she just say?”. And try to drink water throughout the day (a little more than usual) so that you don’t have dry mouth, but, of course, be aware of the consequences of drinking too much water!! Can’t wait to see you!!
I know it’s trite..and overdone…..And me being a 50+ year old white male, it’s not for me to say but anyways,…….
YOU GO GIRL!
It may have happened before and I missed it, but it was very cool to see you on townhall.com with all my buddies. I call em buddies cuz it’s where I get my commentary these days (other than blogs, of course). Anyways, I consider that the BIG TIME!
LaShawn,
Best advice I can give; “take it to the Lord in prayer.” He is your source and you are His witness. (I’ll be watchin’, sister).
Congrats! Picture everyone naked… just kidding. But remember to wear clothes yourself!
You can always arm wrestle.
Be prepared. As a conservative African American, you will be asked about this: http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansascity/news/politics/11001980.htm
LaShawn
If anyone lacks wisdom he should ask of God, who gives generously to all. That goes for confidence too. Relax He is faithfull.
Just be on the alert for false assumptions. Talking heads tend to preface questions with them. Your command of your material will be fine. Best wishes.
Your only goal is to glorify Christ. If fear comes, that’s okay. It’s okay to be afraid, simply tell yourself that and do the job anyway. You will be wonderful.
Biggest bit of advice from someone who’s been there: if they have a monitor facing you, ask them to turn it away or turn it off. First time I did one of those shows, my eyes kept drifting in that direction, no matter how much I tried to look anywhere else.
Another thing — if you pick a spot directly above the lens of the camera (there’s usually some sort of “landmark” that you can pick just above the lens) to look at, you should be OK.
Finally, relax! You know your subject; that means you are in charge. Don’t let ‘em rattle you. Just sit back and enjoy the ride.
Best of luck! I have never met you…but I bet if you just relax and act naturally, you’ll be excellent.
La Shawn
Be yourself
GO FOR IT .. LaShawn We’ll be watching and already know, you’ll do just fine. It’ll be the first of many…
Pappou
It kinda makes me wish I had a TV.
Break a leg.
Adrian
This is really great La Shawn. God Bless You.
You will be a talking head… so make sure you talk and ALOT!
Best Wishes…we’ll be watching and supporting you.
Wonkette was just on MSNBC today. So it will be a breath of fresh air to see someone with some sense.
Go get’em, La Shawn.
Sadly, I won’t be anywhere near a TV when you’re on tomorrow. Know anyone who can grab a vidcap?
Remember to smile! I’ve done a lot of interviews and smiling makes all the difference. Watch the pros…they all smile at one point.
I’ve already got the tape in and the VCR programmed. You’re going to do awesome, LaShawn!
I don’t really know what I’m talking about from any experience as much of a public speaker, but I would focus on the person speaking and the thought directed as though nothing else existed, not even your own body.
I liked the other advice, too, especially the ones relating to set distractions such as the moniter, and the “evesdropping” and single-viewer concepts of the situation.
Great news! I’m getting tired of Wonkette being the designated female blogger on these shows. Just talk to the hosts and forget about the camera. You’ll do fine.
I feel so left out! I won’t be able to see your appearance since I’m still deployed, but perhaps you’ll make audio or video available. You are on your way LaShawn!
La Shawn,
Just be You!! Everything else will work out just fine.
My prayers are with you for Success. You are a great writer and deserve it.
Keep moving forward
Monika
Same as Vulgorilla. Will my Subscription rate be going up La Shawn?
Give ‘em Hell!
Congrats! Remember . . . keep it real.
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