Written on February 5, 2010 at 9:25 am by

Red Carpet Mania

Filed under DoD News {2 comments}
The Pentagon Channels own MC1 Liz Murray poses next to a grammy trophy at the 2010 Grammy Awards in Los Angeles. Murray and a crew from the Pentagon Channel were in Los Angeles to produce new segements of Command Performance. DoD Photo by Michael Winneker.

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.

Check out these other posts:

Jose de Leon tagged this post with: , Read 517 articles by
  • http://www.celebrief.com/381-grammy-awards-2010-winners-nominees-taylor-swift-lady/ Grammy Awards 2010 Winners Nominees Taylor Swift Lady – Celebrief

    Red Carpet Mania – DoD Live You can follow any responses to Grammy Awards 2010 Winners Nominees Taylor Swift Lady through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site. Permalink to this post.

  • Marissa Myatt

    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?

Recent Comments

DoDLive on Tumblr

  • photo from Tumblr

    An United States Air Force C-130J Hercules cargo aircraft from the 146th Airlift Wing, California Air National Guard, conducts flare training off the Ventura County coast. The flares are used as tactical infrared countermeasures to confuse and redirect heat-seeking missiles.

    (U.S. Air Force photo by Master Sgt. Dave Buttner)


  • photo from Tumblr

    Famed Yankees pitcher “Lefty Gomez” once remarked “I’d rather be lucky than good,” but for one Tuskegee Airman, luck and good combined to make him one of the most successful combat pilots of World War II.

    During the summer of 1944, 2nd Lt. Clarence D. “Lucky” Lester was flying the P-51 Mustang over the skies of Italy’s Po Valley providing B-17 Flying Fortress bombers with cover support on their way to attack airfields in southern Germany.

    Lester was assigned to the 100th Fighter Squadron, a part of the 332nd Fighter Group, and had earned the nickname “Lucky” “because of all the tight situations from which I had escaped without a scratch or even a bullet hole in my aircraft.”

    Read the story of a flight that helped Lester earn his nickname here.


  • photo from Tumblr

    The only African-American ace of World War II, and a former Tuskegee Airman, went on to have a career in the Air Force, as well as success in the business world.

    Lee A. Archer joined the Army in 1941 with high hopes of becoming a pilot, but was initially denied because of his race. When the Army’s policy changed about a year later, Archer was accepted to the training program for black aviators at the Tuskegee Army Airfield in Alabama.

    Archer is best known for a day in late 1944 when he was involved in a series of dogfights over German-occupied Hungary. Flying a P-51 Mustang fighter, Archer shot down three German fighters. He would go on to add two more German fighters to his credit to become the first and only African-American ace of the war.

    As a civilian, Archer enjoyed even greater success, serving as vice president for urban affairs with General Foods, as CEO of North Street Capital Corp. and chairman of Hudson Commercial Corp. He also served on the board of directors of Beatrice International Foods and the Institute for American Business.

    Read the rest of his story here.