Working as a Maury Show Intern

Sorry if I have not put this blog in actual date (in order) from the events occurred since I finally got into this "blogging" thing and I really wanted to write about some of my experiences from travelling and working in interesting places. Before I start my blogs about studying aboard to Trinidad and Tobago and my summer in China, I worked at the Maury Show in Stamford, Connecticut. I found myself fortunate and unfortunate that I lived in Hartford, Connecticut. Fortunate that getting to Stamford was about 90 minutes by car. Unfortunately, I do not have a car nor much money to commute more than twice a week. Thank you...Free Trinity U-PASS. Commuting to work on a CT transit line means I have to wake up at around 5AM in the morning to finally get to Stamford at around 8:45 AM. At least it was free commute until I reached New Haven. My first day of work was full of surprises. At first the old, gray, brick building in Stamford, Connecticut happens to be studio where the show was held. Worth waiting in the cold to figure out if this place was in fact the Maury Show studio. It was!

When I got to the Maury Show, I was greeted by the secretary and was given a few duties as a intern. They range from answering phone calls, listening to voicemails to jot the most important segments in a notepad, and doing errands around the city of Stamford. While some phone calls are prank calls and phone drops, I wish I could say that the majority of the stories are NOT fake. I repeat, the stories you see in Maury are NOT FAKE! I also get to run around Stamford to get items for the producers (I personality think its not all that bad) and eventually know my way around Bedford Street area. I guess my favorite memory was actually getting to work on set. It was the REAL deal. You get to see hands on of what it takes for Maury to be aired in front of Millions. The multiple cameras pointing at many angles at the audience and at Maury, how the guests prepare for the show, the countless amount of monitors in the control room, ETC. Plus, Maury is quite hilarious with witty jokes I heard from afar. (Learn from the craziest guests, I guess) Overall, yes it is unpaid, but the people you meet, whether they are fellow interns, your boss, or the guests made my 5AM droning mornings worth it each time!

The Coolest Things About Meeting Celebrities

Okay guys,
So I have encounter a good amount of celebrities in my life since I left high school. I remember the first official celebrity I met was AJ Calloway from BET 106 and Park when I was still in middle school, if you still count him as one. But nonetheless, here are some of the things I learned when encountering celebrities in life.

1) There are normal people, but some can be alot more egotistic than others
I learned that the hard way when dealing with people such as Fabulous. So disappointed that he only cared to get out after a concert at Trinity College. At least Juelz Santana was alot more of a genuine person when I interviewed him a few years ago. But everyone else that I met as celebrities seemed to have struggled from some point in their lives and push to get to where they stand today. My advice is that not all celebrities appear to be egotistic. However, some like Stan Lee would indulge you with many conversations and stories of his work, before I was asked to leave by the manager.

2) The star-power we give in the United States may not exist in other countries.

I was in Trinidad and Tobago for Spring 2011 and I was impressed with how famous Trinidadaians such as 3 Canal and Kes the Band could walk freely around their native country without being chased down by adorning fans, compared to the United States. I never forget how Kes was enjoying the Panorama Finals and only took pictures with fans instead of being chased down by girls. The same goes for 3 Canal when one of the students in my study abroad group to Trinidad got the chance to work with one of the members of the band. Crazy, huh?

3) How passionate they are in real life than in television, especially if they have written books.
Stacey Ann Chin was perhaps the first celebrity I ever met that would ever make me late for any class since her writings are so interesting, personal, and deeply honest that I forgot about class for a second and thought about my life. The Other Side of Paradise by Stacey-Ann Chin is currently my favorite book as of today. KRS-One's "The Gospel of Hip-Hop" is the philosophical masterwork of KRS-ONE set in a similar format as the Christian Bible. I was fortunate to get both books signed as well as read them.

4) By any means, if your lucky, party like a Rockstar with celebrities!!!
Just make sure you eat lots before you do. Partying with Kinetics and One Love was perhaps the coolest thing I did on campus. After filming on stage with them for a while, they invited me back to chill with them. I never knew that I could finish a flowing cup of Jack Daniels in less than 5 minutes. Jesus Christ, thank god my video equipment was safe and sound. The Cool kids are cool too!

Without further ado, here my list of celebrities I met/ would like to meet!

So far I met...

1) Juelz Santana
2) The Roots
3) Lauryn Hill
4) Ne-Yo
5) Stan Lee
6) Mario
7) KRS-ONE
8) Kes (Trinidad)
9) Elephant Man
10) Kinetics and One Love
11) The Cool Kids
12) K'naan
13) AJ Calloway
14) 3 Canal (Trinidad)
15) Maury Povich (for a quick second)
16) I kinda met Fabolous, but he only stopped when he gave George an autograph
17) Stacey Ann Chin

Would Like to meet:

1) Lady Gaga
2) Deadmau5
3) Tiesto
4) Armin Van Buuren
5) David Guetta
6) Netsky
7) Arnej
8) Chinua Achebe
9) Oprah
10) Genevieve Nnaji