Feet up, road trippin' to Huntsville for "Under the Covers"



Me and Billy Dean and Victoria Shaw are at Merrimack Hall in Huntsville.

“Under the Covers,” is an interactive show that is conversational and is a highlight at New York City’s Birdland Jazz Club that showcases acoustic performances of musical acts and songwriters spanning a variety of genres.

“I think Huntsville will love the show with Victoria and Billy and Me. Victoria and I have done these shows before and what they (the crowd) should expect is an experience like you’re sitting in a friend’s living room and jammin'.

You wanna go?

What: “Under the Covers” with Victoria Shaw and special guests Billy Dean and Robin Meade

When: Thursday, 7:30 p.m.

Where: Merrimack Hall Performing Arts Center , 3320 Triana Blvd.

How much: $30, $27 seniors

Information: Merrimackhall.com , 256-534-6455

Ask Me Anything Reddit - Personal Stuff


And some personal stuff
Handling anxiety...
its different for everyperson but one very good tip is to try to stay in the present instead of day dreaming forward imagining all the terrible things that can happen if you fail. that's just a movie we make up in our heads, ya know?
I put to rest an urban legend about me smoking...
dont smoke, never did. i depend on my voice! this is a funny urban legend i guess because of a few things 1) i have a deep voice especially when i'm tired. the more tired, the lower it gets. 2)this video is NOT a pack of cigarettes on the anchor desk. its an old flip camera that was hot then at the time. i'd shoot some of my podcast during the commercial breaks with it to give people a behind the scenes look. but thank you for your concern.
My sleep schedule, of course...
I wake up at 2:30 am, if I have to wash and blow dry my hair; but 3:00 am if I am not washing my hair. Those are the days I wear my hair in a braid! I wake up at 3:30a, if I don't care about hygiene. Just kidding! lol. ;)
I should go to bed at 7, but can't say I always do...I threaten when I retire I'm going to sleep for a full year.
O-H... I recommend people new to this shift to not take a nap! Doesn't that make you feel like you got hit by a Mack truck when you wake up! Most of the production crew do a "split-sleep" schedule: go home and sleep as soon as the show is over and then nap just before coming in (some as early at 11:30p the day before). But the on-air crew, most of us try to go to bed early and sleep 8 hours straight before coming in.
like who's my girl crush...
I don't think I have one...
Marijuana user?
nope never have. i was the preachers goody two shoe daughter. lol.

I got asked about dating...
Actually there's a great international farmers' market here in Atlanta and it's a great place to go and explore foods you've never seen! If I was dating, that'd be a great way to get to know someone and it's free to walk around!
Some people want to know how I stay in shape...
I'd much rather diet than workout any day, but at least with this treadmill at work I trick myself into moving https://twitter.com/AlexThomasHLN/status/451382447746187265/photo/1
and some tricks that make me look good...
Honey, that is all smoke and mirrors! Thank you Mr. Lighting Director. ;)
One brought back a memory from growing up... talking about coasters at Cedar Point amusement park in Ohio.
you are a brave soul apparently! believe it or not i'm not a big fan of the coasters! but i used to work at cedar point in the summers for two years in college. now, i have a little condo there that i go to close by when visiting my family in ohio a ffew times a year. so its still close to m heart! what new rides are they bringing in this year? i remember reading something about it. bet your exctied.
My white teeth...
My fab dentist!
What do I like to do passionately?
I love writing the most, songs and news.
About my personality...
i guess people have probably always regarded me as a bit on the over-excited scale lol. but i think what you're seeing is this: a real passion for what i do, but also an excitement to impact you whether its with information or as an entertainer. even at parties. i gotta make ya laugh. lol. now.....give me a checkbook, or a balance sheet...i lose all energy.
How Many Pairs of shoes do I have?
I've lost count! But when there is no longer space in my closet for them I have a policy that I must give a pair away to make room! Ask outr business anchor Jennifer Westhoven, she's gotten so many of my shoes! However, just the other day I was told I was wearing my boots too late in the season!!!
Where do I shop?
BostonProper.com, ruelala.com & INC at Macys! and more

And of course there was sex talk...
thank you BOTH for what you do! glad to know you are watching. i joke with spouses "he or she may wake with me, but they go to bed with you". its a good line. lol.

Ask Me Anything Reddit - About My Music, and Acting?


About My Music

Who do I like?
Love me some Billy Dean, btw it's his birthday today. Happy Birthday Billy!
Some of my music fans asked me about touring...
Regarding touring, I have to have my butt in the anchor chair 5 days a week... I should come up with a weekends only tour. Would you come? So I can sing to you personally!

i really feel like there's a reason im able to do both. meaning perhaps in the future in addition to news, i'll be thinking up some television show that combines both aspects into a never before done format
Would I do a USO show?
i would love to do that!
What was my inspiration to do news?
i actually wanted to do music first, but my dad frowned on it, so when my aptitude test in high school came back saying i was good in history, reading comprehension, etc, it asked what i wanted to do in the field of communications. i looked at my pals paper who wrote down "broadcast news anchor". i said to myself: great idea!
I should try acting???
My husband tells me I'm a bad liar and therefore I would be a bad actress because you have to actually convince yourself you are that person! However... he doesn't know the first thing about acting, so I think I could muster the right emotions... I just can't understand why ABC's Nashville hasn't called.

Ask Me Anything Reddit - Behind the Scenes Questions


About HLN behind the scenes and in front of the camera.
How do we keep the energy up...
We like to keep things in the fast lane!
We actually do something called 'anti-flow' in our rundowns that keeps different topics coming in a short amount of time.
Secret behind the scenes: we play loud music in the studio during breaks to keep the energy up!

Plenty of comments from regular viewers about how much they enjoy HLN and what we are trying to do...
glad to know you're watching. we are really careful to not to bog you down with downer stories three in a row or something,. you ever notice we will do completely different stories right next to each other? that's because i know in the morning you dont want to get depressed and go back to bed! so we'll spread them out and space them with uplifting stories
Hi! This is an extremely fun crew... even our 3am production meetings have a reputation of their own. A few years back, we all used to go to breakfast together but lives responsibilities have meant kids, sleep or other obligations... so growing up has limited our together time to mostly the weekends when we all can.
I think we all have our viewing habits. For some of us it is NO TV but others can't live without it! My nephew hasn't seen me live on TV in years. HLN really loves the interaction on social media and are looking for new ways to incorporate it into Morning Express every day!!!
My hardest story to keep composure?
9-11 for sure.
Did I have a wtf moment?
Yes. At the local level, I had a boss who had me do a story about women shaving their faces to look younger. I couldn't believe I got someone to admit it on camera. She was brave! But it left me, as a journalist, thinking, WTF, did this really help anybody today?
Best career advice?
"No is a complete sentence." A former co-anchor in Chicago told me that because I kept saying yes to extra shifts.
Can I intern at HLN?
We have a fabulous internship program here at HLN! Check it out http://www.turner.com/careers/
Is there still journalistic integrity?
yes i do and i'll tell you what, we have a standards and practices department that MAKES SURE its exists here. seriously. there is a department that makes sure there are no conflicts of interest in terms of the way stories are written, how things are appearing on air, and even sometimes what we are doing or saying on social media in our private lives. all morning long our copy editors and producers work to update and adjust scripts so they relect the most accurate information. i hope that answers your question:)
Live show with a studio audience?
someday i really want to make the show into a live studio audience news show. its like viewer reaction instantly!
no boss has ever taken my suggestion seriously that i want a live studio audience, a live studio band to play in and out of breaks, and a puppet who says all the curse words i cant. lol.

How I deliver the news conversationally.
this sounds hysterical, if you picture it. but in college i used to read the newspaper outloud until i sounded like i WASNT reading. but nowadays it just comes down to talking with the viewer, you, and not "reading". i think about the person in the story actually hearing the story on tv and it completely humanizes the delivery imo

I'd rather be wearing flip flops

LAMB is the brand. switching out to flip flops is the plan. lol. love how these look, but not comfortable. Fashion or comfort... yes, sometimes I choose fashion.

The victory of defeat as I laff wickedly



Want to axe me a question? I'll be doing a Reddit.com AMA on April 2 at 11 am eastern. http://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/wiki/index
Here's my reax to a wicked bio...