Breaking News: Miss Universe Goes to the Bathroom

This week, Dayana Mendoza visited our studio. She is Miss Venezuela and the winner of the 2008 Miss Universe Pageant. As luck would have it, the Miss Universe office is right up the block from where I work, so Dayana was able to stop by to chat and do a live interview via satellite with our Miami people.

Dayana is beautiful as well as articulate, and as the new Miss Universe, has a pretty crazy 12 months ahead of her. But just in case you think it's all work, check out the list of perks she enjoys during her year reign .

Jealous yet?? Well, you would think that someone who's about to receive a year's supply of everything she could possibly desire, and who can call herself the most beautiful woman in THE UNIVERSE might be a bit full of herself, or as we like to say in Spanish, "un poquito come mier..." At least that's what I expected as I made myself up in the bathroom minutes before she arrived, making sure every strand of hair was in place and the mascara was flawless. One of my work colleagues actually ran out to change her clothes and shoes. Heck, if you are going to be in the same room as Ms. Universe, you can't look like the cleaning lady.

But to my surprise, Dayana was nothing like my preconceived notions. She was in fact extremely warm and approachable, and I found myself forgetting that she is even a celebrity. There are few people in the spotlight that can maintain this type of personality, and it was refreshing to see that, so far, Dayana has been able to "keep it real." Perhaps, it shouldn't have surprised me. Another Miss Universe I've met and interviewed, Denise Quinones (2001), is also very down to earth. So, if I ever run into a third, I guess I won't let the crown intimidate me. It seems that these women are just nice people who really do want world peace.

As if to make that point clear, when I asked Dayana what she wanted the public to know about her, she replied "I want them to know that we are regular people. That we eat, sleep, get sick, and go to the bathroom just like everyone else." She then told me that she had pink eye, hence her indoor sunglasses.

So there you have it! Cracker-jack reporting at it's best. I have uncovered a long standing secret behind one of the most celebrated pageants on earth- even the winners sometimes need a bathroom break.

;-)

R.I.P. Alex Jimenez

I had the somber responsibility on July 11th of covering a story close to my family. 25 year old Alex Jimenez was a soldier serving in Iraq last year when his brigade was ambushed by insurgents. Alex was kidnapped along with two other soldiers and even though the body of one was found a few days after the attack, Alex remained MIA until Army reps delivered the news that his body had been found and identified earlier in the week. Alex's family lived next door to my aunt and uncle for many years so they are good friends, and would always be present at their family gatherings.

I became aware that there was an update on Alex, ironically enough, through Facebook as one of my cousins had updated her status reflecting the bad news. This was before any of the other news agencies or wires had received an alert as to what was happening. I called my family members and soon found out the sad details. Some of my cousins and my aunt and uncle were consoling Alex's mom, Maria Duran, during this tragic period.

As a reporter, it is my job to cover this event, but as someone with a personal connection to the story, I felt that I had the duty to make sure that the coverage was tasteful, that Alex was reflected as the hero he truly is, and that the focus of the story was not simply of a mother crying for her son, but of the sacrifices our families make when our children fight for our country.

There were some frustrating moments while I was waiting at the news conference for Maria Duran to make her statement. I saw some reporters attempting to sneak "exclusives" with the mother by trying to intercept her on her way in. I also saw some jostling and pushing among the camera crews for the best angle, etc. While I did have direct access to Mrs. Duran, I chose not to exploit my connections for an exclusive, and to allow a mother to, albeit with every major news network parked outside her door, grieve for her son.

I also found out later that Mrs. Duran arrived late to the press conference, not because she was running errands or at church, but because her employer did not let her take the day off on the day she was to go before dozens of cameras to speak to the country about her loss. She works as a home attendant and while it is extremely important that someone cover her clients, I couldn't understand how her employer did not make the extra effort in this situation. This only added to the tragedy of the moment and also reflects the true reality of the difficulties many Latino families face in adjusting to life after they've lost loved ones in these wars.

My deepest condolences go out to the family of Alex Jimenez, and my utmost gratitude and appreciation for the service he gave to this country. It is easy to forget as we enjoy the freedoms we have at home, that they come from young men and women like Alex, willing to give their lives for an ideal of freedom and democracy.

Protecting My Guests - An interrupted interview w/ Piedad Cordoba

Sometimes it seems I have many roles at Mega TV. On July 1st, one of those was personal security.

Piedad Cordoba, a leftist Senator of the Colombian government, was being interviewed in my studio. She's pretty controversial, but a good "get" for Maria Elvira Live, our political talk show on Mega TV. I often set these interviews up via fiber optic connection with the studios in Miami, as New York is a major hub for many international politicos.

Well, today the morning show DJs of El Vacilon on 97.9 FM caught wind of who was in my studio and shared it with their audience. They received a flood of calls from New Yorkers regarding the guest, and decided they wanted to include her on their show.

In true Vacilon style, they sent Papi Chulo, one of their on air personalities, across the hallway to my studio - in nothing but his underwear - to interrupt my interview to invite Ms Cordoba to their studio.

Suffice to say what happened next can only happen on La Mega! Take a look:

http://elvacilon.lamusica.com/ElPapichulointerrumpeunaen.html