I honestly feel sorry for the guy.

While AJ Clemente was terminated for his awkward on-air debacle, he’s accepting responsibility and learning the hard lesson a hot microphone can be the guillotine of a reporter’s career.

Yeah, he said some pretty bad words on TV…stuff you shouldn’t say on an FCC licensed station.

While his mistake is quite amusing and easy to laugh at, I’ve got to express my sincere empathy for the dude.

Like a bad zit that won’t go away, Clemente’s mistake will now live forever on YouTube. Future employers googling his name will likely find that awkward moment years from now.

Thank goodness YouTube didn’t exist when I began in TV news.

All of you would have a field day.

Here’s a couple of my screw-ups I remember:

-During one of my first live shots, I remember stopping right in the middle. I just stopped and looked into the camera. I froze. I didn’t know what to say. The anchor took over awkwardly. I remember walking back into the station and the whole newsroom was crowded around a TV laughing at it. A confidence killer. I almost quit.

-While anchoring, I got the giggles talking about “World Psoriasis Day.” I couldn’t stop. I laughed through the whole newscast…NON STOP.

-I was teasing a story about “Funk Master Rick James.” When I said the word “funk,” it came out like that other F-word. Ugh. I wanted to leave earth’s orbit that night.

When we screw up in front of THOUSANDS of people, we are often told we suck through twitter or Facebook.

It comes with the territory.

TV news guys, especially when we first start out, are easy targets as we try to look professional while looking more like Fred Savage in a suit.

But those of us who’ve managed to stay in this industry have somehow found the motivation to get in front of an unforgiving audience again and again after we do something seriously embarrassing.

I wish Clemente good luck in the future.

I’m not sure if he will have a career in TV news after this…but as his twitter page says

“Keep on, Keeping on…”

If there’s one place a TV reporter should NOT be, it’s sitting in court among angry family members of a convicted child killer.

They are deeply upset and are looking to channel their anger at someone or something.

A reporter like myself is an easy target.

What you’re about to read is going to sound like it was ripped from the pages of a $4.99 self-help book found in the clearance bin at Barnes and Noble.

Excuse the cheesiness.

By the way, I could totally go for some cheese right now.  The good kind on nachos that gets kinda hard after awhile but is still delicious.  But not the horrible stuff you buy in blocks found at some organic grocery store.

I’m 33.  Is it still acceptable for me to eat string cheese by peeling it like a banana?

Anyway….

I was really impressed with this guy I met weeks ago before Christmas.   His name is James Holmes and he is sticking by his name, despite some inconveniences he’s had to deal with since the theater shooting.

His story made me think about self-identity and how we see ourselves as people through our names.

Our names were given to us, without our input, by our parents.   I guess if they did ask us in the beginning, we’d have a bunch of Goo-Goo Smiths and Gaggahhahawaaaaah Andersons running around.   Hahahaha!!  Jojola sounds good.

I’m actualy named somewhat after Jeremiah Johnson (Jeremy Jon), the mountain man.   I think that’s pretty awesome if you ask me.  I would be a horrible mountain man, though.  I like the conveniences of toilet paper .  And warm socks.   Not dying of hypothermia is cool too.

When we say or hear someone’s name, we may think of their physical image, but who they are often comes with the mental connection.

Like when I hear the name Mister Rogers, I think….nice dude in a sweater.

Lance Armstrong….cheater on a bike.

If only we could really know what perceptions people have of us when they mention our name during discussions or when they write Christmas cards.

Our name grows with us and it’s used by people who love us and sometimes by people who may detest our existence.

You can’t control who uses your name and how they use it.   If they trash it, that’s cool.  Their mental waste bin is likely full and they have their own problems with garbage.

Gossip is the junk food of conversation.  Let them have their fill.

But do YOU like your name?

If you do, I bet you’re doing okay.

My eyes are tired.

After scrolling through 1,000s of emails, I can report a TAD bit of new information.    To be honest, nothing really significant came out of these emails.

But here are the emails I personally found slightly interesting:

The fMRI Email

Holmes received a lot of request, sent out campus wide, to participate in studies. He responded to a Jason Smucny, to participate in some sort of “fmri” study.

I’m not an academic, but this may have more info on what exactly an fMRI is….apparently brain mapping.

“Hey Jason,

The fmri study sounds interesting and I would like to be a subject if possible.

Cheers,

James Holmes.

Why is this interesting?

I’m still trying to do research on exactly what the brain mapping study was about. But it’s clear it peaked Holmes’ interest. Was the study seeking people with certain mental conditions? I found this after a google search:

Did this schizophrenia study interest Holmes?

The Relationship email

A CU pharmacology professor wrote James Holmes may have had a girlfriend for a brief time.

“Yeah, he was a grad student here, and, it turns out, had a brief romantic relationship with one of the grad students in my program last fall.  She, fortunately, it turns out is in India right now.  She knows, and is pretty freaked out.”  -Dr. Larry Hunter / July 20^th

Why is this interesting?

We heard rumors Holmes may have had a girlfriend, but nobody verified that and the people who have spoken publicly about him never mentioned anything about a girl.  If he did have a relationship, what did she know?  Did she see any danger signs?

The Rejection email

The same professor who mentioned a relationship also indicated Holmes was rejected for lab rotations.

“He rotated in the labs of two professors I know (one of whom just walked out of my office), and was rejected for a rotation by one other.  The guy I talked to didn’t’ say that he had any indication of anything, but I would be very cautious about saying anything like that if I were him.”

Why is this interesting?

Several universities expressed deep interest in Holmes and courted him to study on their campus.  One professor in Iowa, after meeting him in person, changed his mind about Holmes.

Why would Holmes, who was a star student, be rejected?   Exactly when did the “downward spiral,” as prosecutors noted in documents, begin?

The Social Media email

One of the heads of the CU Neuroscience Department made an effort to keep a lid on information coming out of her department during the morning of July 20^th.

“In the meantime, I’m requesting that you please not post anything on Facebook, Twitter, etc.” –Dr. Cammie Kennedy

Why is this interesting?

This email possibly stifled loads of first-hand observations about the suspect and his behavior at the university before the shooting.

Students and faculty in the department may have a wealth of anecdotes that the public would definitely find of serious interest, especially if anybody saw hints of violence or concerns.   We can learn from them and what they may have seen.

I don’t remember any significant tweets coming from students or staff within the neurosciences department.

It’s clear the university moved FAST to keep this information from going public through social media and it worked.

Was it for the best?

Many questions remain…..

Sullivan seen without his cane during surveillance and Sullivan at court in the public eye.

On Tuesday I sat in court and heard a probation officer call former sheriff Pat Sullivan “manipulative” and dishonest.

This made me think about what I observed of Sullivan when he knew he was being watched and when he didn’t think a camera was recording his behavior.

Every time I’ve seen Sullivan show up to court, he’s used a cane.   He even used it when he bonded out of jail and was swarmed by news cameras.

But for some reason Sullivan didn’t use his cane once during time I spent doing some surveillance.

When I first heard the former sheriff was violating his probation, I spent four days doing surveillance to see if Sullivan was doing anything against the terms of his probation.

I saw Sullivan NUMEROUS times walking around WITHOUT his cane. There were even times I saw him loading some things into his car.  I saw him walk into a hospital.  I even saw him walk into a drug testing facility, all without his cane.  He does walk with a slight limp even when he is not using it.

But for some reason, when Sullivan is surrounded by news cameras and going to court, he uses the cane.  Here’s a brief video I made showing  what I saw during my surveillance:

My drive to get information is often fueled by the intensity of public interest.

The Aurora theater shooting case continues to be one of the most read news items on 9NEWS.com, even when mundane court procedural developments are published.

For now the gag order and sealed documents keep much of the significant details about the case secret.

What did the suspect allegedly say and do before the shooting?

Motive?

Intent?

Why?

But as the famous Streisand effect goes, the more you try to keep something secret, the more interesting it becomes.

The unknown becomes a story in itself. When there is no public official to quote or court document to attribute, reporters cite sources.

Those sources may not have accurate information which is then spread exponentially through other media outlets that may attribute the reporter with the bad source.

Ironically the gag-order, which is designed to limit pre-trial publicity, actually has a negative side-effect of what judges and attorneys don’t want—more publicity.

Two times within the past several weeks we received this photo of a cloud that looks like an angel:

This photo has been circulating around the internet for a while. Two people have sent it to 9News claiming they took the photo.

The two people who sent the photo to 9News either say they or a family member took the photo in Colorado Springs or Aurora.

Why would they lie?

Here’s a link showing a blogger who claims the photo was taken by their family member in the Midwest.

Another link says it was seen in South Africa.

A lot of other people online say the photo was taken just after the theater shooting in Colorado.

Not true.

A reverse Google image search shows this image has been circulating through the internet many many months before the shooting.

The appetite for new updates in the theater shooting case remains constant as a gag order restricts the flow of new information.

And even minor details, such as what the suspect had on the walls of his booby trapped apartment become the focus of news and online discussion.

The Denver Post featured a brief article about the Soldiers of Misfortune poster James Holmes had on his wall. 

A while ago, I came across an AP photo showing a zombie  poster inside his apartment. I knew I’ve seen the poster somewhere, but I couldn’t put my finger on it.  Then while scrolling online, I found the poster for sale here.   Considering the suspect was a neurosciences student, he may have found the BRAINS poster some sort of amusing novelty item.

AP photo. The zombie poster inside Holmes’ apartment.

Perhaps these minor details could provide some sort of perspective …….or maybe not.   However minor, they are still details.

As for his apartment, Holmes was officially evicted last week.
–

To donate to the victims of the theater shooting, click here.