So there we are, chatting away in the kitchen this morning when all of a sudden there was a huge commotion in the lobby. It was a little distracting, but I just assumed that whatever it was, security would take care of it.

Well, thank goodness that security knew that this was one unsolicited guest that they absolutely had to let on set.

RICHARD SIMMONS!!!!  I have to say, this is the highlight of 2009 for me so far

Dare I say, “BT is like a box of chocolates…you never know what you’re gonna get?”

In the last 24 hours, we had a chance to rub shoulders with Jay Leno (look for Jay’s new show airing on Citytv this fall!) and rub cheeks with Richard Simmons (who stopped into the BT studio unexpectedly on his way to a radio interview). What a way to kick off the weekend!

Richard Simmons is EXACTLY how you’d expect him to be in person. Hilarious, unpredictable and totally hyperactive. Jay Leno, on the other hand, kept his cards pretty close to his chest when we asked what we could expect to see from him this fall. Prime time will be unforged territory for Leno, who makes the move after more than 15 years of great success in his late night time slot. Check out our interview(s) with the comic legend (and the brains – and legs – behind “Sweating to the Oldies”) below!

rpj.

Jay and Jespo - both big fans of Citytv!

Ryan sweats, Richard glistens.

1. Richard came right off the plane, directly from the airport, rushing in thru the hotel lobby where I was waiting for him…singing at the top of his lungs and wearing the classic ‘Simmon’s’ outfit….a tank top and shorts. It was -24 outside, -38 with wind chill. It was one of the best entrances I’d seen in a long time.

2. Richard was ‘be-dazzling’ in every sense. In fact – he makes his own bedazzled tank tops…which look great with his super short shorts.

3. He wears super short shorts, and the dude has a great pair of legs.

4. Richard loves to kiss. He could kiss the world. He’s probably kissing someone right now. If you listen, you can probably hear him kissing someone in northwest Edmonton.

5. He used to weigh over 200 when he was in Grade 8. Now he’s 61 and I would say he barely tips the scale over 140.

6. He loves showtunes. Oh my god. The man loves singing showtunes and the ‘oldies’. Think ‘it’s my party and I’ll EAT if I want to…’ (his version, not mine)

7. When Richard came back from freshening-up up in his room, there was the sweet smell of ‘lotion’ in the air. Not sure what that means, but it was there. Or maybe I was slowly falling in love with him and that’s what love smells like. Again, not sure, but Jason and I were trying to figure it out.

8. He does not have ‘down’ days. If Richard is feeling blue, he allows himself to be depressed for 5 MINUTES MAX, then he gets on with it. I really like this.

9. He was APPALLED that I didn’t know any Carpenter tunes off hand. I must have been nervous, because I sort of appalled myself.

10. Richard Simmons is everything you think Richard Simmons would be. He is completely original, absolutely wacked and genuinely in love with people.

…ohh yeah, and I’m totally NOT supposed to mention this, but he reads aura’s…so if you are having a bad day, or a ‘fat’ day, or a ‘low’ day, or a ‘boo-me’ kind of day….and you run into Richard Simmons, don’t even think about trying to hide it…although after 5 minutes with that cat, i guarantee you will have a smile on your face and feel a whole lot better ’bout everything!!!

From the first day we worked together, Wendy and I have been debating the validity of expiry dates on food products. Milk…we both agree on (though I’m willing to cut the carton a few days slack if need be). Deli meat…Wendy’s a little more vigilant when it comes to tossing out the turkey, but we both agree if it’s green it’s gotta go. But when it comes to yogurt, we couldn’t be further apart.

Wendy’s stance is: The expiry date is non-negotiable, set-in-stone, there for a reason. My take is: yogurt by DEFINITION is the end result of bacteria taking over dairy products – like a fine wine, it can only get better with time.

Cleaning out our BT fridge, I came across four cups of yogurt – all with different expiry dates, the furthest-along being December 5th (Today’s date is February 26th). I also happened to have two sets of tickets to the Edmonton Motor Show and Citytv’s presentation of the Vagina Monologues. Turns out I’m not the only one with a “flexible” take on when yogurt’s dead and done…

enjoy!

rpj.

Ah, the pancake. The beautiful perfectly round, fully loaded pancake. This morning i was at Smitty’s and it was awesome, and gross, and glorious….as any ‘pancake eating contest’ should be. My mission there was two fold…to celebrate Fat Tuesday or Shrove Tuesday and to celebrate ‘THE PANCAKE’, and everytime I am around a pancake…there is usually a contest of some sort involved. This morning was no exception.

Usually I take on Nancy Critchley. She works for the United Way. She sort of my ‘doppleganger’ which is sort of your identical twin on this planet that you’ve never met…except with Nancy, I know her and we look nothing alike. Except we are sisters, soul sisters, and fiercely competitive with each other. This morning however, she could not make it – so she texted in that the principal that I was on remote with, from Inglewood Elementary, was to be her stand-in for the competition.

At first i thought there was no way this teacher, this ‘principal’, was going to say ‘yes’ to the competition, but i’ve quickly learned to the power of asking people to do something while the camera’s are rolling live…the answers tend to be ‘yes’. I held my breath as Leona looked at me after I proposed to her that she was the ‘chosen’ one by Nancy Critchley to compete in the pancake eating contest. Would she do it? Would she not? She is a principal after all. Then, after looking at me, at Jason, back to me, up to the God’s, Principal Leona became the COOLEST principal in all of Edmonton, and said ‘yes’.

Welcome to the world of the pancake eating contest, Principal Leona, you are in for a treat:

At first, when the competition begins, and that warm doughy goodness enters your mouth, you think ‘oh this is in the bag, i am going to shove this bad boy down my gullet and then WATCH OUT competition!!’ You actually look forward to the next bite as you lick the sweet syrup from your lips in preparation for the next bite…then things start to go south when you realize the pancake won’t (go south).

As you put the next bite in, you realize the previous bite is still lodged somewhere between ‘upper throat’ and ‘mid throat’ (don’t quote me on these scientific terms)…and now the area between ‘upper throat’ and ‘lower mouth’ is beginning to fill with pancakes, leaving very little room for the air that has entered thru ‘upper mouth’ to make it’s way thru! 

You hope your nasal passages are clear as the ‘breathing thru the nose’ has begun…as you chew on bite 2 while trying to shove bite 1 down thru to ‘lower throat’, you eyes began to scan the table for lubricant. Some sort of lube that will coat the pancake, making it more of a ’slider’ and less of a ’stopper’. Your eyes fix upon the syrup….’Traitor!’ you scream in your head as you originally thought this was your secret weapon…but not at all. Not only does the syrup mixed with pancake act as a thickening agent, it also adds unwanted calories to the contest. 

Butter. You grab several packets and start to smear it on the pancake…but then you hear someone whispering ‘dip the pancake in water…dip the pancake in water’….

REALLY?!

Okay. At this point, i’m willing to try anything…The pancake starts to dissolve almost on impact with the glass of water and you think you’ve got it all figured out! Then the watery pancake-like substance goes into your mouth and the taste is so watered-down-batter-revolting…you can feel Bite 1, 2 AND 3 wanting to come back up to see what is ‘a-happening’.

I think that would have been my key to success…but i couldn’t do it. Suddenly the only way for me to win this pancake eating contest was to resort to the good ol’ fashioned way…cheating. I tucked it down my shirt, under my pant leg, threw them onto my competitors plate while they were temporarily blinded from the syrup and whip cream flying up in their face…it was not a proud moment, but it was the only way.

And I still lost. But I lost to the COOLEST PRINCIPAL IN THE WHOLE CITY OF EDMONTON. So, sorta…I won, because how many people can say they got into a pancake eating contest with Principal Leona from Inglewood?! It’s a morning I won’t forget.

Bachelor fanatics are no doubt waiting with baited breath for this season’s “Final Rose” episode – airing right here on Citytv next Monday night. This week, it’s “The Women Tell All,” the popular franchise’s version of dumping a dirty laundry basket on the front porch for all the neighbours to sift through.

All signs point to Jason Mesnick ruffling a few feathers when he makes his final decision (just a heads up – the “final” decision may not come at the “final” rose ceremony), and rumours are flying as to exactly how he’ll wrap up his term as the Bachelor. One popular blogger, Steve Carbone (or “Reality Steve”), claims to have the inside scoop on exactly how the heartbreak will go down.

Regardless of who winds up together when the dust settles (based on my extensive research…cough, cough…I’m going with Jason and Molly), host Chris Harrison has promised an ending for the ages. Stay tuned to Citytv over the next few weeks to see how it all goes down!

rpj.

Jason & Molly

Now THIS is a dream job!

About a month ago, we first told you about a job advertised by the Queensland Tourism Bureau in Australia, paying six figures to one lucky winner whose assignment would be nothing more than a) live on a secluded island, and b) blog about their experience.

One BT viewer, Linda Hoang, not only submitted a video application (along with about 200,000 other people) – her submission is one of the most popular ones in the entire competition! She’s had close to 10,000 views so far, keeping her in the top 15 “Most Popular” applications!

Linda’s promised us special reports and Skype interviews WHEN she gets her dream job, so we’re backing her bid! We (and Linda) would love you to help us put an Edmontonian “down under”! You can check out Linda’s BT appearance here and you can rate her video here. You can access Linda’s personal website here.

Go get ‘em Linda!

rpj.

Edmontonian Linda Hoang belongs at the Great Barrier Reef, don'tcha think?