*CRINGE* (Famous for 15 minutes?)

Member Name: Wease

Product:	Famous for 15 minutes?
Date:	21/07/02 (458 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: You get to see me on tv

Disadvantages: I've made a fool out of myself far too many times now!

When I was younger one of my greatest desires was to feature on television... it all started when we got a video camera... that kept me engaged for years... then I found various ways to get on real TV!

I think my first port of call was Howard’s Way... yes you remember the soap opera about rich people sailing (or more generally just ponsing) about on the River Hamble? Well, I lived a few miles away from Hamble and Bursledon (where the majority of it was filmed) and they were always on the look out for extras. I made my acting debut whilst still in my pram... well I appeared in the background!

I didn’t stop at Howard’s Way though... I also made it into the background of a Ruth Rendle Murder Mystery... you know the one with Colin Firth which is predominantly filmed on Dartmoor? Well, the village scenes were filmed in my village – Titchfield – (a good way from Dartmoor lol) and I can be seen strolling past the “Pet Shop” (which was a bakery at the time and is now a small art gallery) window on a few occasions.

I then crept onto Meridian news when I was about 8 by walking next to the donkey at the Easter parade in Portsmouth... I was ever so excited then... but of course it wasn’t long before I set my sights much much higher!

Upon hearing that Fern Briton would be appearing at my local shopping centre I embarked on a mission to appear on TV again! My brother and a few friends decided we could lurk in the background or stage something a little bigger... we were quite drunk at this time and drew straws to decide who should feature... I got the shortest and was informed my task was to stand at the back and shout, “WHO ATE ALL THE PIES FERN?” (This was in her tubby days!). I was a little reluctant but knew I couldn’t back down from my task which is why I so boldly marched forward when the media asked if the crowd had any questions for Fern. I stuck my hand up and began, R
20;Who...” but before I could say anymore an eager lady with a microphone was in front of me plus a man with a hamster on a stick (apparently he’s the boom man) and another with a mahhhhhhhooooooosif TV camera! In classic Bridget Jones style I froze and began to stammer... “Who... who... who... (my mind was racing to find something suitable to say... and then remembering she had just arrived onto the whole Ready, Steady, Cook scene...)... who taught you to cook Mrs Briton?” And yes of course that night I was on the evening news in full glory sounding like a right geek... and unfortunately the majority of the South Coast was watching me!

From there it actually got worse! Not so long ago I was watching a documentary on binge drinking... hmm those people look familiar! Sure enough there I was, accompanied by two close friends, staggering down Queen Street in Cardiff swigging a bottle of Smirnoff Ice and doing a sort of "can can" kick whilst bellowing Frank Sinatra’s New York New York.... I really don’t recall that cameraman being there at the time!!!

Before long I was stung once again by the cameras... this time whilst relaxing in a Cardiff street cafe with my beau of the time, Jonathan. A smart looking woman rushed up to us with a microphone whilst tugging a panting man with a camera behind her. She hurriedly explained they were doing an item on the marriage of Catherine Zeta Jones and Michael Douglas and asked if she could do a brief interview with us... of course we leapt at the chance... but then she went all uptight and the camera man did the whole, “In 5,4,3,2,1,LIVE” thing....
Pretty lady with mic: Here we are in Cardiff on the wedding day of local belle Catherine Zeta Jones and A list celebrity Michael Douglas, with us we have another local couple, Louisa and Jonathan... so Louisa, why do you think pretty woman(camera zooms to me and I get very flattered) go for ugly men? (camera
zooms to Jon – who’s bloomin’ sexy! But soon puts on a moody pout haha)
Me: *stifles giggle* well... obviously most people don’t base their relationship on just looks... there are lot more things involved *starts giggling* aren’t there Jon...
Jon: *tries not to look so offended now the camera is in his face* oh of course... I mean obviously when Louisa met me she fell not only for my great looks *grins smugly* but my sense of humour, lovely personality...
*Lady with mic cuts Jon short*: Well, that’s all we have time for I’m afraid...

Turns out 99% of South Wales saw that... both Jon and I picked up celeb status at college (where we are already infamous for our nit picking little tiffs!) for the next week or so!

My most recent appearance on television happened only a few months ago... when Neath lost to Pontypridd in the rugby. My good friend Ozzie was absolutely devastated at the lost... he knelt down on the pitch nursing his head in his hands... it was then that I spotted him on the stadium screen and pegged it through the stands and ran over and jumped on him – hooray I was on stadium TV! It wasn’t ‘til the next day that I realised I’d made it onto the news as well! I’d popped home from college for lunch and whacked on the TV... straight onto the sport news.... “... and there were mixed reactions at The Knoll rugby ground last night as Neath missed out on winning the league...” *enter footage of Ozzie practically crying and me sprinting up to him giggling and jumping up and down before bundling him* - Louisa strikes again!

Recently I’ve had my name mentioned a few times on TV as well... namely for answering a few tennis queries regarding line calling for the BBC team during Wimbledon.

My appearances haven’t stopped at television... why yes I’ve even crept onto radio! Whilst still a young teenager a few friends and
I had a girly night in... a few drinks... talking about boys... giggling at magazines and it all culminated in us listening to the agony aunt hour on our local radio station... although we didn’t exactly stop at listening! Yes of course one of us... ok yes it was me... got dared to ring in and have a chat with the agony aunt! The number was dialled and the phone thrust into my hand before I could even think of a cunning story! Having been put on the spot I babbled out a story about fancying my headmaster then tried to stifle my giggles whilst the others rolled around on the floor and the ever so helpful agony aunt questioned some of my morals. Hardy ha ha wasn’t that funny....

Except that wasn’t quite the end of it! Friday afternoons used to be double Art at school and if we were lucky we would be allowed to tune into the radio. So there we all were making funny sculptures out of clay... shading in our perspective drawings... or scribbling randomly in my case... when on came an advert for the agony aunt show... and yes of course it featured certain stories from the previous session! Before I even had time to giggle the whole room was filled with my voice saying, “yeh I couldn’t help myself and we ended up sleeping together” – CRIPES!!! – and yes of course everyone knew it was me! My cheeks had begun to resemble plums and my girly chums were in fits of laughter... however, worst of all was the fact my current boyfriend was sat a mere few feet away with thunder rippling across his face – oopsey! My ever-so sardonic art teacher found it very amusing and managed to stop laughing long enough to say, “You do know he’s married don’t you Lou?”... “Ho ho ho... yes I did realise my 60 something year old, face like a frog, headmaster was married thank you sir!” God what an awful day! Yes eventually sorted it out with bf of the time and I was able to stop the story from reaching a
forementioned froggy-faced one, however, my bid to prevent the tale from reaching the staff room was rather unsuccessful! Yes it took a few years for my street cred. to return!

Nowadays I’ve had my fill of fame (you’d have thought I’d have packed it in anyway though wouldn’t you) and I’m sticking to lying low in the background... you see I’ve recently acquired a new job – calling lines at tennis tournaments... so for sure (all things going well) in a few years I’ll be creeping around at the back of the court at Wimbledon.... keep your eyes peeled for me!

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