Upon my arrival in the city, some stereotypes about New York turned out to be true. A siren blared in the distance, congestion choked the streets, and sounds in the subway made me believe in the cannibalistic humanoid underdwelling demons (or C.H.U.D.s) of New York. But as any avid Simpsons fan might note, of course the city will seem bad if you just focus on the CHUDs. Instead, I will discuss my first day as an intern at U-Pick Live. If you're not a regular watcher of the show (and to be honest, I would be concerned if you were), U-Pick Live is a children's show on Nickelodeon that runs from 4 to 6 p.m. on weekdays. There's only about 20 minutes of actual show, however. The program consists of skits and interviews by the show's two hosts between the Nick-toons that are picked by kids in the studio audience and online.
My day began at 9 a.m., and after a morning of clerical work, I was looking forward to preparation for the show, especially since I was informed that Paula Abdul would be making an appearance to plug American Idol 3. Then I was informed that the woman who regularly plays "Cow" on the show would not be in today, and that I would need to jump into the cow suit for a scene with "Pick Boy" (A Superhero who picks the cartoons) and Paula. At first I thought they were joking, but my nervous laughter quickly transformed into abject horror as I was helped into the suit.
I now believe that one cannot properly assess one's life until he or she is thrust into a cow suit on national TV with Paula Abdul. As I was pondering my existence, the producer gave me instructions on how to perform the wide range of emotions of Cow, from confusion to severe confusion. When showtime came, I nailed my two "lines", by which I mean exaggerated cow shrugs when Pick Boy asks if he can become the next American Idol, and then again while watching Paula walk by. It was a brilliant performance, if I do say so myself. Fortunately, the regular Cow actor showed up later, so I was put out to pasture making cue cards and copying scripts for the rest of the night. Not bad for a first day on the job.
