Suzanne_Marques's Blog

If you're watching Good Day LA this week, you've had to endure my whining about being the runner-up to Miss Downey.  I'm sorry.  I could have just said I was a Downey princess, but second place (first loser) is one accident away from wearing the crown!  (Did I just type that?!) You know I'm kidding! 

All of you wannabe beauty queens out there know what I'm talking about.  One spot away from being queen!  You can tell I'm over my bitterness, right?  I will mention one little achievement I'm proud of.  There was a choice for every contestant.  We could participate in either a talent or speech competition.  Since I have no talent, I put my all into writing a speech and won!  Don't ask me to recall what it was about... all I remember is I won!

Here's a little photo tour.  Below is me at 17 wearing my sash shortly after winning my princess crown.  I'm standing in my front yard in the big D.  Look at my chubby cheeks!  :)How 90's is my look?!  I idolized Cindy Crawford - who didn't.  I had streaks in my big hair.  I don't have the highlights today, but I still love to rock the big hair.  And don't let me near a bottle of Sun In.  I love the stuff.  A bit of overplucking of the eyebrows and a not-so-subtle beaded gown with matching white gloves and I believe the shoes were beaded too.  Matching head to toe!

Here's the only closeup I have of me on the float, which is from the 1995 Downey Christmas Parade.  Steve was emcee sometime that decade I believe ;)   Isn't that cool?  See how the big white fish on the float don't have their flowers yet?  And check out the little white whale up front!  That's me.  A bit fluffier a few months after winning the crown.  It's okay, I was happy!  But look to my left and there's Miss Downey 1995 Ericka DeRemer.  She's wearing the gold shirt and black pants.   I must admit she looks like the queen.  She's gorgeous and she won Miss Congeniality too!  So how did I score the prime spot?!  Woo hoo!

There's our float in the 1996 Rose Parade!  It won the Founder's Trophy that year.  Memories.... :)  Do you have any great memories that you look back on fondly? 

It started with President-elect Obama talking about a puppy. 

He and and his wife, Michelle want to get a dog with fur that won't aggravate his 10-year-old daughter Malia's allergies and they also want to pick a dog from an animal shelter.  That's when he said this remark.

"Obviously, a lot of shelter dogs are mutts like me," he said. "So whether we're going to be able to balance those two things, I think, is a pressing issue on the Obama household."

I've been calling myself a mutt - jokingly - for years.  People often ask me, "What's your nationality?  Are you Latina, white, Italian?  It is an innocent question, but for me, it's difficult to answer, because while I certainly identify as Latina, there are many other parts of me that I feel are ignored when forced to choose.  If I have a few moments, I talk about my father being Portuguese and Mexican, my mother being so many things it goes on and on.  Scots-Irish, English, a dash of German... above all, Southern :)

I'm not offended by the mutt reference.  If I have kids they will have such a laundry list of cultures - Basque thrown in there for good measure - that I wll be happy if they just say American and feel proud they're a bit of a mutt.  That's the way our country is going and for those upset about it, I'm sure there's a purebred out there who agrees :) 

Two things are truly scaring people right now and they aren't ghosts and goblins.  The economy and the outcome of the election are two fears and realities that are sending shivers across the nation.

Here are some revelers letting off steam on Halloween night in West Hollywood.  (I looked for more pro-McCain costumes, but this was WeHo after all!)  Enjoy.

(The chicken was wearing a Prop 2 sticker)

Here's me with the cutest Good Day LA fan ever!  I was Audrey Hepburn if you were wondering.

Hanging with the enemy at Hangar 8.  Ok, not really the enemy, but a bunch of tv journalists from every LA station attended The Good News Foundation's High Flying Fundraiser this past Saturday at the Santa Monica Airport.

The charity raised enough money (1/2 million at last count) to build a school playground with the Kirk and Ann Douglas Foundation. 

The $700 billion dollar bailout is a bitter pill to swallow... but the buckwheat pancakes at The Pantry sure are delicious!  Ok, cheesy, but a spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down....

Back to the bailout!  Among the early risers enjoying a cup of coffee at The Pantry downtown, there was plenty of discussion about the President's prime time speech.  As the sun rose and hours ticked by, fewer and fewer people had even bothered to tune in.

Of course, there are always those who don't care.  But for a few people, it was a conscious choice.  They change the channel when President Bush is speaking because they are so frustrated with him.  When I pressed them further, most people admitted they were concerned about the economy, but fed up.  One diner said there are seemingly two choices: we can bailout companies and people whose greed got out of control and a government that didn't step in to tame the problem... and the other choice, head into recession with job losses, shuttered businesses, evaporating retirement accounts and a plummeting stock market.

The President said let's not play the blame game and move ahead and do something.  Obama and McCain are joining him to discuss a solution.   What do you think? 

Some lawmakers have said they don't like the President's plan, but don't know of a better solution.  It's fine and dandy to disagree, but if you disagree, what do you think should be done?

What do you think of the debates being cancelled?  I won't weigh in on when they should happen, but it would be interesting to hear both candidates' views on what should be done about the bailout, since one of them will soon be running the country. 

That would be a debate I could sink my teeth into... in addition to a second helping of Pantry pancakes.

I've never ridden in a helicopter before.  I am afraid because I get carsick easily.  Every trip I've taken to Big Bear makes me ill.  I can handle the open road, but twists and turns do me in. 

I can just imagine what it would be like in a helicopter, particularly on a blustery day.  Yikes.  Hopping & bopping all over the place. 

All of that and I'm still intrigued. 

The first step in overcoming my fear was making friends with Skyfox.   Rick (Dickert, who else?) gave me a little tour of his baby.

It was bigger than I thought it would be in person, but it's tiny inside.  I don't know how RIck stays in the cockpit from 5am-10am with the sun beating in through the window.  Plus, there's the obvious - no restrooms.  I think I'd get cabin fever, but I guess you get over it. 

Since I visited after the show I didn't get a chance to fly, but I am dying to go for my first ride!

I've been obsessively downloading 80's tunes and when I snapped up Peter Gabriel's Sledgehammer, I started to laugh out loud.

It's been one of my favorite songs and videos since I was a kid.  It was one of the few hit songs my parents would let me listen to.  They had a favorite term.... "That's too spicy."

That meant too provocative to put it gently.

So I grew up in Downey and the best Mexican restaurant around was La Guadalajara.  I loved the food, but I really begged to go because of the jukebox.  My brother and I would make our song choices and we both knew which ones we were allowed to play, but once in a while I would sneak in Madonna's Material Girl  (God forbid Like a Virgin!!!)

My mom would look around with disdain and then at us, asking who would request such a song by such a singer.

She loved Sledgehammer though... I wonder if she ever listened to the lyrics or just thought they were over our heads.  Of course they were.  But today, I just had the best laugh. 

Here are the Sledgehammer lyrics below.  Tame by today's standards, but still!

You could have a steam train
If youd just lay down your tracks
You could have an aeroplane flying
If you bring your blue sky back

All you do is call me
I'll be anything you need

You could have a big dipper
Going up and down, all around the bends
You could have a bumper car, bumping
This amusement never ends

I want to be your sledgehammer
Why dont you call my name
Oh let me be your sledgehammer
This will be my testimony
Show me round your fruitcage
cos I will be your honey bee
Open up your fruitcage
Where the fruit is as sweet as can be

I want to be your sledgehammer
Why dont you call my name
Youd better call the sledgehammer
Put your mind at rest
Im going to be-the sledgehammer
This can be my testimony
Im your sledgehammer
Let there be no doubt about it

Sledge sledge sledgehammer

Ive kicked the habit
Shed my skin
This is the new stuff
I go dancing in, we go dancing in
Oh wont you show for me
And I will show for you
Show for me, I will show for you
Yea, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, I do mean you
Only you
Youve been coming through
Going to build that power
Build, build up that power, hey
Ive been feeding the rhythm
Ive been feeding the rhythm
Going to feel that power, build in you
Come on, come on, help me do
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, you
Ive been feeding the rhythm
Ive been feeding the rhythm
Its what were doing, doing
All day and night

Check out the Sledgehammer video

I wasn't allowed to watch Three's Company either.  I never would've understood the innuendo.  I guess that's why I obsess about it today.  Thanks mom & dad! :)

I had no idea I was going to be flying on a trapeze Tuesday morning.

I guess you could say I was given some notice... if you count waking up in the morning at 2:30am and calling the desk while half-asleep to ask what story I would be covering that day. 

Drake on the other line, "Oh!  Good thing you called."

I can't remember verbatim, but it was along the lines of, find something that you'd wear to a work out.  About four hours later, I'm standing on a tiny platform more than two stories high on the Santa Monica Pier getting ready to fly.

So how does this gal - with no upper arm strength - prepare to swing from a bar, pull up their legs to hang and then do a blind backflip into a net?  It's the pressures of live tv, folks.  There are two choices.

1.  Freak out and lose it and make everyone have a good laugh at home.  (Always fun to watch by the way.  Especially when anger is involved or tears are spilled.)

2.  Man up.

I may be a girly girl, but I love a challenge.  As long as I'm not risking serious injury or mutilation, I'll give it a go.  I love a thrill.

I acknowledge that for some people, flying on the trapeze is risking serious injury, but many many moons ago, I took gymnastics and dance.  While I was never a serious gymnast, I loved the double bars.  I loved to swing and jump from bar to bar.  The main drawback was the pain of calloused, blistered, shredded hands.

I nearly forgot about my gymnastics training until the instructor with Trapeze School NY told me while were practicing, "don't pike off the bar," which means straightening your legs to dismount.  I wondered why I did it that way instead of what one naturally does - curl up in a ball to get off the bar.

He said gymnasts dismount that way, and I was so proud my body remembered even better than my mind.  It's guess it's kind of like riding a bike.  You think you can't remember how to do it and then your body takes over.  Isn't that cool?

So before I trained for the big jump, I figured that training would be intense like skydiving.  Taking notes, reading manuals, doing drill after drill to drill the info into your head so you don't make a mistake and die.

Oh no.  It took five minutes.  We had a mat with a low bar hanging over the ground.  He told me to hang from the bar, curl into a ball, hang from the bar, then grab the bar again and then release your legs and hang again.  He spotted me while I did it with his help.  Then he told me to do a backflip out of it.  We didn't practice that.

A few minutes later, I'm putting on a belt.  Just a belt!  And climbing and endlessly long ladder up to my destiny.

Once I got up there, it wasn't bad, because I'm not really scared of heights.  Good Day LA producer Josh Kaplan informed me humans have two innate fears.  The fears of falling and I can't remember the other one.  Sorry.   I remember it wasn't heights.

Well my fear of falling kicked in when I faced and held the bar and leaned forward.  I shifted my weight over the platform grounded by the instructor holding onto the back of my belt.  That left me a bit petrified and you can hear it in my whimper on the video. 

They said bend your knees and then do a little hop and then just hang and let gravity take over while keeping your legs together and toes pointed.  Legs together, toes pointed = every gymnast and dancer knows these instructions because it creates a prettier line.  And if I'm going to fall or slip, I'm going to do it as gracefully as I can!

They shout commands at you for every step.  That was a comfort because it helps you stay in the moment, focused and relying on one voice leading you the whole way. 

The hardest part was the little hop off the platform.  After that, I was focused on remembering the next step. The fear was still there, oh yes it was, but my determination was stronger than my fear.

The scariest part came when I had to do the backflip.  I hadn't practiced my tuck.  It's kind of impossible to do unless you practice on the trapeze and I wanted to authentically fly for the first time live.  If you're going to tackle something big like that, why not let the audience experience it with you?  That's why I like fear factor.  Watching people facing their fears and still going as the fight or flight syndrome kicks in.

I just followed the instructor's orders and did as I was told the best I could.  While my backflip could've been better, at least I didn't do a face plant into the net.  I saw someone do that - whose identity I will protect :) - and it was hilarious!

Then, I flew with a catcher.  The catcher was one of The Flying Casares with The Ringling Brothers Barnum and Bailey Circus.  (In LA next week!)  We didn't practice beforehand, but he did reveal he normally gives female flyers a kiss on the cheek if they are caught successfully.  I said, right on!  Not just for the kiss, but if he can lift me while hanging from a trapeze, I want to be able to brag about it.

He warned me before the jump to release my legs once he grabbed my arms, but that was the one thing I forgot to do... and boy am I paying for it today.  I have two "circus scars" - their lingo - bruises on the backs of my knees because I forgot to release my legs from the bar, they caught for a second and he said, "let go!"  I listened, and everything else went smoothly.  He did kiss me on the cheek and on the air it looked like a smacker on the lips, but it wasn't.  :)

And no, my husband wasn't upset.  He is in love with Jessica Alba and I'd let her kiss him on the cheek if she ever wanted to.

Thank you Trapeze School!!!  They are open 7 days a week on the Santa Monica Pier.  It's open to all ages and all day and into the night.  Wouldn't it be fun at night with the ferris wheel over your shoulder?  It's so much fun.  I recommend it wholeheartedly.  Just take  a nice long bath afterward :)

www.trapezeschool.com

What do you think of this new law that requires drivers to keep the phone away from their ear?

On GDLA this morning, I was riding with CHP Officer Blase Austin CHP as he ticketed a guy for breaking the new law.  The guy had a hands-free device sitting on his seat.

It sounds silly, but lots of people I've talked to say they've bought a hands-free device but don't want to bother with it.  I used one for the first time today and I felt it was more distracting than driving with the phone up to my ear.  My mind was on the conversation and I couldn't really hear the person on the other end, so I gave up and didn't take calls at all.  (Yeah, yeah, I know it's the best solution.)

Another annoyance is that the saying paired with this new law is, "keep both hands on the wheel!"  Yet you can still text, brush your hair, apply mascara, eat and do just about everything else and get away with it.

I scared myself the other day because I was texting while driving.  It was brief, my eyes were off the wheel long enough to drift toward the car in the next lane.  He didn't even honk, but I noticed how close my car came to bumping his new SUV.  I would've been toast!  It was a wake-up call & I don't text anymore behind the wheel.  Ok, let me come clean.  If I'm at a long light I'll check texts and USUALLY don't respond.  :)

I love to listen to music while driving, so I think I'm going to invest in an ipod hookup instead of a bluetooth.  The conversations can wait.

In my dreams, I have a beautiful garden.  I venture into my backyard to pick greens for a salad, vegetables for grilling, or pluck a fresh carrot out of the ground just like Bugs Bunny.

In reality, my backyard is a wild, rocky hillside and the closest I get to fresh vegetables and fruit is my local market, which sells a sad sample of wilted organic produce.  I admit some blame, because I live and work near two fantastic farmers' markets, but they are often so busy I can never find parking and lose patience.  I sell out and head over to Ralph's/Albertsons/etc.  (Whole Foods & Bristol Farms are for special occasions!)

I discovered a story today that seems so timely with this tomato recall.  First of all, California's tomatoes are not suspected of being part of the salmonella outbreak.  But when I go to the market, it doesn't normally say where the produce originated.  By the way, I bought some of the tomatoes with the vine still attached - which the FDA recommends right now.  They were a pretty penny - $2.61 for two tomatoes!

Let's get to the new concept.  What if you could buy a share of a local farmer's crop.  Say, a farm in Bakersfield?  They'd send you a box every week of their best produce, right to your doorstep.  It's local and fresh. 

More people in the US are doing just that.  It's reducing trips to the supermarket and the cost of shipping food.  Did you know California is the top agricultural state in the nation and it's been that way for the past 50 years?  We have an abundance, a cornucopia of options!  (Ok, I've been waiting for an opportunity to use that word outside of Thanksgiving... finally.)

The concept is called community-supported agriculture programs, or CSA.  You can buy a share of a farmer's crop, but the drawback (right now) is that it isn't cheap.  It costs between $500 and $600 for a a weekly box of vegetables and fruits during the summer and fall.  A box typically feeds three or four people for a week.  Sometimes farms offer half-shares if you are single or a couple.  I could break it down and do the math, but plunking down a half-grand for fruits and veg is a concept that's a bit hard to swallow.

If you're game, or just curious, find a CSA farm near you at a California-based website called LocalHarvest.

It is becoming so popular, there are waiting lists for many farmers.  Plus, it's a chance to help out your local farmer by skipping the middleman and paying the farmer directly.  You've heard of Farm Aid right?  :)

CSA farmers and members save on gas because rather than having produced shipped hundreds or thousands of miles, produce is dropped off and picked up at central locations.  It's often just a few miles away.    We all like saving money on gas, and the reduced emissions don't hurt either.

Could this be the start of something big?  Who knows.  Remember when shopping for groceries online was the next big thing.. and then it went belly up?  I still like the idea of buying locally, supporting your local farmers.  Plus, I love mail.  Especially when it tastes delicious.

By the way, I snagged this photo from a blog called Love and Veggies.  Check it out! They detail their CSA weekly surprises.

My girlfriends and I went to the Arclight theater in Hollywood to see Sex & The City.  We dressed as the characters, had lunch at Magnolia, then went to watch the film. 

We loved it!  My girlfriends and I were crying and laughing throughout the whole film.

Here are some snapshots!

Talk about party guests!  Michael Jackson, Britney Spears, Fergie, Snoop Dogg, Pamela Anderson... out at Christian Audigier's 50th birthday bash Friday night at the Peterson Auto Museum.

Christian Audigier is a French fashion designer aka Ed Hardy, who helped make Von Dutch popular... along with the trucker cap trend.  That's a distant memory.  Now he has his own clothing line, wine, a little bit of everything... and clearly knows how to throw a great birthday party.

I went with a group of friends & one of them, Manny Mijares is a record producer.  He was there debuting one of his new artists.  Her name is Maddie Lauer and her new song is called Butterfly Tattoo.  If you are familiar with Christian's designs, he has tattoos drawn all over his creations.  They've partnered up on something... That was my celeb connection.   

Let's get back to a play by play of the party!

You entered the museum passing the candy-colored lowrider exhibit.  Fitting, since Christian has such colorful designs.

After walking through the museum, guests entered a hall washed in white and icy blue.   It switched gears from hot cars to cool partying. Women perched on white pedestals looking like the Snow Queen from The Lion, The Witch & The Wardrobe.  Makeup that looked like icicles on their face, wearing huge hoop skirts like frosty cupcakes.  It was a bit of a winter wonderland.

Once you stepped outside, you were standing in an open-air rooftop with white tenting.  More dancers in white perched behind the bar, slowly fanning gigantic gauzy strips of sheer fabric.  The bar was serving Ed Hardy alcohol & Christian Audigier wine.  It's all about branding folks!

It was a bit chilly outside, but things heated up with the champagne fountain.  Brazilian Carnival dancers shimmied out to the fountain to collect the champagne and pass it out to revelers. 

But the main event was in a huge red ballroom, set up like an elegant circus.  It was over the top under this big top.  The doors opened with Macy Gray serenading the crowd.  Circque de Soliel trapeze artists wrapped themselves up and down 30-foot drapes, people were hanging from swings up in the air, campy angels and devils walked around entertaining guests.

As we made our way through the party, we posed for a photo with Perez Hilton, who was on his crackberry.  My girlfriend told him to get off it, he said, "I don't think so sweetie."  Such a Perez statement.  He looked good.  His red & blue hair is gone, along with a few extra pounds.  His hair is a tasteful shade of dark brown and he's slim & trim. 

Snoop Dogg

My girfriend talked our way into the VIP section, and then Snoop Dogg hit the stage and played a good long set.  Fergie came out and did the same.  When the performers weren't working it, the DJ played Gypsy Kings.  Gals painted in red, wearing massive wigs of the same color were perched on top of low pedestals in the VIP area.   They were a bit shocking, but heads never snapped so fast when Britney Spears sauntered into the VIP section.  Brit Brit sipped on a diet coke, sitting with two friends for a few minutes while photographers snapped photos.  She was there for about 15 minutes and then left. 

Michael Jackson

Now, the highlight of the night.  Michael Jackson walked onto the stage waving to the crowd, wearing a silky bright blue shirt.  The sound was deafening.  Screams and shouts and camera phones high up in the air.  It was like everyone reverted back to the first time they played Thriller on their record player.  (Okay, so that's what was going through my mind.)  Christian spoke about Michael being the King of Pop & Michael returned the compliment by calling him the best fashion designer.  I didn't hear the rest.  The crowd went wild....

Pamela Anderson also took the stage, but I was already outside.  I figured the night had hit its peak.  Poor Pamela, following Michael.  No one should have to!

About that time, the party moved back into the lowrider exhibit inside the museum.  Guests lounged on white couches set between vintage cars while the DJ was spinning songs.  Everyone was dancing... After a few turns on the dance floor, it was time to go.

Happy birthday Christian... 50 and fantastic!

Christy, brazilian dancer, Suzanne

Christy and Britney

Christian, Pamela Anderson

Record producer Manny Mijares

Maddie Lauer

Junior Achievement students at Prisk Elementary in Long Beach holding up "11" for the camera.

On Friday, I had the chance to speak in front of a junior achievement class at Prisk Elementary.

While I was speaking, I thought it would've been nice while I was in school to have a reporter come to my class and say, "Hey!  You're just like me!  You can do this too!"

I was a cheerleader in high school, on student council, hosted our assemblies and pep rallies, and won a few public speaking awards.  Yet, there was moment that almost made me lose confidence in my future. 

Every student has a school counselor who advises you on your class schedule to prepare you for the next step after graduation.  You can choose to do the minimum to graduate, take the track for junior college or the advanced schedule to attend a 4-year university.  Even though I took all of the appropriate classes for the university track, he recommended I attend a junior college.  I didn't understand why, when I worked so hard and had decent grades?  When I asked him why, he looked at me a little perplexed and exasperated.  I felt small. 

I remember questioning my self-worth.  Shouldn't I want to be the best?  I had always been taught to go for the biggest thing and let the chips fall where they may.  I went home and told my parents what the counselor had told me.  They just rolled their eyes and told me to blow him off.

A few years later, after I had graduated from USC and was producing KNBC's website at 21, I ran into that counselor at a Downey High basketball game.  He congratulated me on my success and I couldn't resist reminding him of the moment that nearly made me lose faith in myself. 

He gave me that same perplexed look. 

I wanted him to know that adults can make or break a child's dreams.  Thank God I had parents who always had faith in me.  What about students who don't have that support system?

I know every bright student in the class I visited at Prisk has the chance to achieve their dreams.  I hope every child in every classroom believes if they have a passion they can go for it.  Try like hell to achieve it and don't let someone else tell you what you should expect of your life.

We had an American Idol style performance.  She sang, Take Me Out To the Ball Game.  The whole class joined in for a sing along.

This little sweetheart played reporter for us!  Bravo!  I wouldn't have had the guts to do that in elementary school.  I was VERY shy. 

She sang Yankee Doodle Dandy.  The whole class joined in.  We had a patriotic moment.  :)

Signing headshots for the lovely students.

My little stars of tomorrow!

Nothing puts me in the mood for the heat like a good old fashioned lemonade stand.

I was driving home from LAX Sunday when I saw this lemonade stand near my home.  I think it's good karma to stop at every kid-run lemonade stand... especially when they're in your neighborhood.  Support your community!  :)

I was tired & grouchy when I spun my car around, but once I drove up, I was met with toothy girly grins asking me whether I wanted, "Sweet or tart?"

What were they raising money for?  They giggled, "No reason!"  They just wanted the experience.  Good enough reason for me. 

By the way, I got the sweet & it was delicious.