The Pentagon Channel's MC1 Liz Murray at the 2010 Grammy Awards in Los Angeles. DoD Photo by Michael Winneker.
By Petty Officer First Class Liz Murray
The much-anticipated 52nd Annual Grammy Awards had arrived. Excitement was buzzing through my fingers and toes, as we prepared to cover the L.A. red carpet event. Running through my mind were various thoughts of how I would approach each rock star or rap artist who crossed our path, but mostly I kept thinking that I was definitely a ridiculously lucky girl.
The crew, which included Michael Winneker, Candace Hewitt, Andrew Krauss and I headed to a salon near Beverly Hills for my makeover. Seriously, this just seemed like too much. I’m an enlisted sailor for crying out loud. Getting a makeover as part of my job was never mentioned by my recruiter. For all those fiscally conservative types, no need to worry. Your tax dollars were not spent on my Hollywood makeover.
My red carpet make up was done by a lovely lady, named Shellena. She was sweet enough to offer her expert make up services when she found out the Pentagon Channel broadcasts to military members all over the world. Shellena worked her magic and gave me smoky eyes, a fashionable dramatic look and even fake eyelashes! Lucky for me, my uniform was all I needed to wear. Maybe it would make the best dressed list.
We made it to the Staples Center. Found our designated spot, which happened to be right next to the crew for the Jimmy Kimmel show.
The buzz on the red carpet grew and soon turned into a roar, as stars like Lady Gaga, Pink, Rihanna and Taylor Swift made their way down to our celebrity-starved end of the aisle. Ritchie Sambora, Alice Cooper, Silver Sun Pickups, Alice in Chains, Flo Rida, The Crystal Method, Sean Paul, Elvis Costello, Quentin Tarantino, Kathy Griffin, Marissa Miller among others, all took a moment to talk with us and send words of encouragement to military members serving around the world.
The red carpet madness eventually died down, and network crews began putting away their gear. Suddenly, Grammy-winner, superstar, philanthropist, Wyclef Jean, appeared on the red carpet. Thanks to my producer, Candace, I had the microphone in my hand and was in place, as Wyclef walked toward us. He was gracious enough to give us a few minutes of his time, and sent one last message to the troops. Wyclef Jean, a Haitian-American, of course touched on what the military’s efforts in helping Haiti recover from the devastating earthquake. Make sure to watch this Command Performance special to hear his words of support.
The adrenaline rush was exciting indeed. While I knew I was lucky to be there, after the hoopla I felt fortunate to live in a simpler world that doesn’t revolve around the spotlight. The red carpet-hype was just too much for this sailor.
Congratulations on the opportunity to have reported from the red carpet!
Of course what’s really important here is how amazing the military is at trying to keep its service members not only entertained and happy but still connected to home, too. While (shockingly!) not every soldier, sailor, Marine, airmen or Coast Guardsman watches the Grammy Awards show, it’s comforting to know Defense Media Activity and the Pentagon Channel are great at broadcasting events of a wide variety.
It’s satisfying to hear those celebrities stopped to talk to you. They clearly saw you in uniform (and with your makeover) and made the effort to reach out to the deployed members. I’m a huge fan of Marissa Miller – here’s another reason to love her!
Great job! Will you be covering any other events soon?