Sometimes you have to be a diva

I'm just back from a week of vacation in the North Carolina mountains. The last thing I did before I left was send out a Tweet saying that the segment I taped for The Debra Kennedy Show was airing May 12. It turns out there was a technical problem, so the segment didn't air until a week later, May 19, so my apologizes to anyone who tuned in on the wrong night.

Debra was nice enough to send me a link to the podcast, so I watched it on my new iPhone while on vacation.

My segment is about 10 minutes long with a short break in the middle. Here's the link: http://debrakennedyshow.com/index.php/podcast/197-may-12-2012#.T7JpHL5iNSs.gmail

It was thrilling for me to share my passion for my job, my thoughts on the future of the newspaper industry and how I make my life work.

My husband John, an opera singer, was a huge help to me in preparing to be on TV and I think his advice to "do my homework and then visualize greatness" that I wrote about in a previous blog helped me tremendously.

After John watched the show, he had some more advice that I wanted to share: Be a diva.

That's because right before the cameras starting rolling, I took a sip of water. It smudged my lipstick, which I didn't realize until the episode aired.

"Why didn't you look at yourself in the mirror?" he wanted to know.

I told him that seemed a little high maintenance. He gave me this ultra dramatic look honed by years as an opera singer. With his eyes wide and his nostrils flared he said, "Sometimes you have to be a diva!"

He's got a point. If I'm every lucky enough to be invited to be a guest on a TV show again, I will make sure my "costume and makeup" look perfect before I "go on stage."

One thing that did look perfect is my hair. I owe that to my hair stylist and dear friend Nikki Wilson at Salon Red 11 on Woodlawn Road. Debra Kennedy told me she received comments from viewers wanting to know how to get in touch with Nikki. To book an appointment, call Nikki at 704-236-0834; e-mail her at nlw312@bellsouth.net; she Tweets at @Queencityhairdo.

Here's a photo of Nikki and and her own fabulous hair: