**GASPING** For Fresh Air

Fresh Air Fund Spring Gala
Tavern on the Green
June 2, 2005
6:30pm press call

Let's set the scene: Glorious Spring day, sunshine (sniff...), green trees (sniff....sniff....), outside in Central Park (sniff...what the heck is that smell?). Ohhh...I know what that smell is...horse manure and urine. Ahhhh...I love such sanitary working conditions. Luckily, we had the horse and carriages that stroll thru the city parked right behind us in the press area. A choking cloud of fecal matter blowing thru the air the entire shoot. No joke...some photographers were gasping from the stench.

Now for the actual shoot. The tip sheet does not have Mariah Carey on the list (isn't this her baby?). 35+ photogs, stretched behind velvet rope stanchions. We had a lot of room to work, even double-dip if necessary. The press corp. was definitely on edge after the Cinderella Man premiere. By 6:00pm we were set and ready to shoot. 6:30..um...time to start....6:45....7:00...Carson Daly shows up....7:15....7:30... C'mon Now! People have been here since 1 o'clock!

Finally Jennifer Connelly shows up. She poses up a storm, walks the entire line then stops for video. Vin Diesel arrives, poses for everyone. The possibility of a two shot is in the air. They are close in proximity, a couple of feet away at most. JENNIFER! VIN! TOGETHER! (Repeat this phrase ad nausea). The photogs charge the video guys, people fall off ladders, entangled in the sound man cables...they're getting close...almost...VIN! JEN!...and POOF! Jennifer disappears into Tavern. No two shot. What a waste...could have made some kind of photo out of this event.

The last one on the list...James Gandolfini. He still wasn't there by 8:15....

"Jesus Christ...It's only Carson Daly."
Video Dave responding to the photo frenzy.