e.j. & ellen.  that’s who you hear on the show.  what you also hear is mention of people like jayme and rob — the producers, the people behind the scenes, the people who get into the office before we even get outta bed.  on a day like today…friday the 11th, you (we) are reminded of how invaluable a strong team of producers is.

case in point, before we even got to the station this morning, jmo (jay-mo as jayme monacelli is known around here) had not only been following the developments surrounding the massive e-quake in japan, she had laid out exactly how we were gonna cover it during the show.  she had put out a call to local folks that eventually resulted in an interview with an overland park woman on maui, in a hotel…and moving to a higher floor!  she had a local lead on a charter boat captain in honolulu as well as a tv reporter at the civil defense hq. both of these turned into interviews as well.  and while abc is screaming in their ears (there is a passive speaker system in the newsroom where they talk to us from new york whenever they want to), the phone is ringing, she’s tweeting, rob’s writing, she’s writing, rob’s doing news for another station and talking with joel at channel 9.  the web is being updated, the rest of us are walking in and trying to get up to speed which requires their attention too….

…and…they go with the flow.  they calmly continue to juggle a ball, a bowling pin, a burning torch and a functioning chainsaw…all while riding a unicyle on a tightrope that’s burning at both ends…in a hail storm.

it’s that kind of thinking, preparation and execution that makes kansas city’s morning news with e.j. & ellen tick.  and so much of it goes on behind the scenes. 

jayme, rob and everyone else behind the scenes and in the news department, try as we might, don’t get enough credit.  believe me, they deserve it!

so as ellen and i are working this morning, we keep coming across various quotes from two of the top news makers, charlie sheen and muammar qadaafi (pick a spelling, any spelling). 

as she read some out loud and i read some out loud, i quickly realized something:  the quotes are interchangeable.  either one of these _____________ (so many words could go in that blank space) could be saying these things.  let’s look at some of them.

“Clearly I have defeated this earthworm with my words – imagine what I would have done with my fire breathing fists.”

“They would die for me. They they will die to…to protect me.”

“I think people mistake my passion for anger.”

“If you’re a part of my family, I will love you violently.”

“I have Adonis DNA.”

“I am on a drug, it’s called Charlie Sheen.”

in the end, i doubt it really matters which one of them said any of those words.  but one word they do have in common is “tragic.”

it’s the day after the superbowl.  there’s buzz about the game, the ads and of course the singing.  i’ll let the halftime show go.  there’s plenty of bad things being said about it on facebook and twitter.  but the national anthem?  that’s another matter.

i don’t know if it was unpatriotic. i don’t know if it was disrespectful. i don’t know if it was a stroke of genius (hey, is everybody talking about you today?) or just plain nerves.  what i can say is that i try never to make fun of someone who forgets the words to the star spangled banner ‘cause if i do, that train’s comin’ ‘round!

if most pro teams/events are like the royals, they lay out exactly what you are supposed to do during the pregame ceremonies. so when i sing the anthem at the “k,” i know have 90 seconds to do it.

90 seconds. that’s not a lot of time to screw around, add an overly-contrived flourish to every single phrase and basically make the tune so unrecognizable that half the people are left asking, “why exactly did i take off my hat?”

90 seconds…60 seconds. it’s PLENTY of time. and maybe it’s a hint too.  was it just me or did it take christina “naked sundays” aguilera 90 seconds just to get to the part she screwed up?

if i remember only one thing that my singing teacher taught me in vienna, it’s respect your colleagues. and by colleagues in this case he meant francis scott key and the composer.

hey c.”n.s.”a. if there’s a next time, please just sing the song straight. even whitney got that right.