Wednesday, November 11th, 2009 at 3:28 pm  |  34 responses

Links: The Beat

Wow!

by Lang Whitaker

So my initial foray into a weekly TV gig has been endlessly interesting, especially from the perspective of someone who’s worked at a monthly magazine for the last 8 years. Here at SLAM, we have an idea or a concept, we get a few weeks or months to work on it and execute it. On TV, we have hours. For instance, “The Beat” airs live at 6:00 p.m. every Tuesday night. We have a conference call to figure out the show at 2:00 p.m. on Monday. This Monday, we all agreed that the Iverson story was the big news we should probably lead with. Then early Tuesday morning, Kareem Abdul Jabbar announced his battle with leukemia, which was obviously the big story of the day. So that became the major story on “The Beat.” Because our producers had already booked Brandon Jennings and Steve Kerr as guests, talking about Iverson got bumped completely from the show. I was supposed to talk about Joe Johnson at the end of the show, but around noon I switched to talking about Iverson, so we’d at least have him in the show, and I wrote the little AI spiel which I gave at the end literally as the show was happening.

I’m still not very good at TV, but I’m improving — gotta be more energetic — and I’m surrounded by a lot of pros, both on camera and off, who are all a lot of fun to be working with. My dad called me after the show last night to say he enjoyed it, and he accused me of becoming a TV star. I pointed out real TV stars don’t have to do laundry and walk the dog as soon as their TV show ends.

Anyway, some clips from last night’s show.

(Oh, and I’m doing color commentary on the Atlanta radio broadcast of the Hawks/Knicks game tonight. If you’re in The ATL, you can listen in on 790 AM. If you’re not in The A, you can listen on hawks.com. And then I get to rest. Anyone played that new Modern Warfare? Haven’t had 10 minutes yet. Yet. I might burn out my flat screen this weekend, though.)

Also, right here I’m writing a totally pointless paragraph to fill up space and make sure the embedded videos that follow get bumped down below the “related stories” box, which appears to have been designed to keep me from writing short posts that have a video in them. Is that enough? I think that’s enough.

Anyway, again, here are some clips from last night’s episode of “The Beat.” Hope you enjoy…

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  • http://www.shawn-kemps-offspring.blogspot.com Eboy

    Lang, to be honest, I initially though you were wearing a bluetooth headset and then when you finally started speaking about Kareen, your image blurred out and you looked like the ghost chick from The Ring for a second.

  • http://www.slamonline.com Myles Brown

    I love DA, but if hes hooked on Funjuns(sp?) then I hope hes also addicted to gum. And you know what they say about Mountain Dew and yellow no.5…..

  • http://slamonline.com Lang Whitaker

    Funions, I think it is. Because it’s a play on onions. Come to think of it, they should get Bill Raftery on the ads. “Funions!”

  • JB

    Saw you on the tube last night…must say, I’m not used to you without a hat on. Need to sneak your ATL braves hat sometime.

  • http://josephrhee@yahoo.com JoeJoe

    The zoom worked! Way to give the rook a hard time a bout his budget, ha. But its good that he’s being grounded.

    I can’t help but compare Brandon to a young Allen Iverson though, but with possibly more of a playmaker/passer’s mentality. Although does score in bunches. Even their frames are similar. And BJ can get up just like AI could. He can even take it through his legs.

  • http://slamonline.com Lang Whitaker

    @JB: Not used to being without the hat, either. Josh Smith said I look “weird” without my hat on.

  • http://slamonline.com Adam Fleischer

    2/2 Lang. Brandon wasn’t too talkative about his ballin’ on a budget without some prodding. I was uncomfortable for a split second. You got it out, though.

  • TONEY BLARE

    we fly high, no lie, you know this..

  • http://www.digitalthread.com AlbertBarr

    Lang, you should put some slamups or posters of covers or something interesting on that wall behind you. We got you zoomed in, now the space needs to have some life to it. DA and the other guy have awesome graphics…you need to compete.

  • http://slamonline.com Lang Whitaker

    @AlbertBarr I brought home a huge LeBron cover blowup to put behind me but didn’t have time. I did have a dog sitting at my feet — bet DA and Howard didn’t have that.

  • http://realcavsfans.com Anton

    May I recommend a “Dime sucks” poster?

  • http://www.in-n-outnba.blogspot.com Lucas

    Wow! Hahaha, didn’t know Psycho T was funny like that.
    I have watched a couple of episode’s of The Beat and it’s my favorite show on NBA TV by far. Congratulations Lang, this show is going to become real popular, real quick. That would be a dream job for me.

  • http://myspace.com/2grownup2beshownup Jack

    Interview Hasheem Thabeet on The Beat. Get it? Lame I know.

  • http://t2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:OzhW3M1GBSKkgM:http://fashionsensei.files.wordpress.com/2008/02/jackie-moon.jpg Jackie Moon

    I’m no expert, so you don’t have to take my advice, but you mentioned that you have to have more energy, and it’s true, so remember that to get across that energy takes twice the energy you would think it takes (of course I’m not being precise, but it’s more energy than you think). If you feel at regular energy, that comes across to us like you are tired, even if you aren’t. I didn’t realize this until I did some acting of sorts, I can’t imagine how a guy like Seacrest keeps it up, because to host 3+ hours of radio (although it doesn’t sound like much) takes a lot of energy to sustain!

  • rainman10

    Thats why Billy Mays was on the coke

  • http://www.slamonline.com James the balla

    I am dissapointed in Lang man. When it’s vaentines day, christmas, easter… whatever. It is mentioned on here. Today is Remembrance day, and Veteran’s day. And nothing. This website wouldn’t exist without the sacrifice of soldiers in WWI and WWII, and Korean War!!!

  • http://www.slamonline.com James the balla

    valentine’s*

  • http://www.slamonline.com Lang Whitaker

    @Jackie: I hear ya. It’s weird, it does require a little acting just to seem like you’re normal, if that makes sense.
    @James: Gave a shoutout on Twitter and also tonight on the radio during the game — my father is a veteran and my grandfather was a veteran, so I have enormous respect and gratitude for any and all veterans/people in the armed service. I wear my grandfather’s WWII dog tags around my neck every day.

  • German Reignman

    Lang, dont get mad but at first sight it looked like christopher reeves was talking … man, get moving, seriously, you dont have to go all busta and break yo neck but a little more animation … nad two things regarding the background: photos nobody can see look like shooting a video in a dorm …. and get some extra light, the shadow of your head on the wall frightens the hell out of me …

  • German Reignman

    apart from that:
    good stuff, keep it up

  • http://dsfjkl.com Jukai

    Lang, I’m lovin’ you on this, when’s the movie contracts coming?

  • http://dsfjkl.com Jukai

    Also, co-sign on Anton’s suggestion, Lang. Maybe you can pull a Woody Paige and have a chalk board in the background with a different Dime insult every time you go on the show.

  • karan

    that “pointless paragraph” deserves a pulitzer

  • http://www.alloutblitz.com Cordeazy

    wait, why the Korean War? we essentially lost that. just sayin… I LOVE AMERICA!!!

  • Michael

    @Cordeazy…surely you aint serious

  • http://www.alloutblitz.com Cordeazy

    no, i’m not. except about the USA part, as it is the shizit.

  • http://www.slamonline.com James the balla

    I would have liked to see something. Something about basketball in the forces. A shout out … something. But nothing. Very fu(king dissapointed!!

  • Diesel

    lang you are officially a news personality with their dry sense of humor laughing at unfunny things…I fully expect you to show the water skiing squirrel clip in about 2 months and the whole panel will get a good fake laugh out of it. I like hotel chocolates..HAHAHAHAHA…. I don’t get it!

  • JB

    Lang keeping it OG with the dogtags before it was in vogue.

  • http://www.slamonline.com Lang Whitaker

    Thanks for all the feedback, everyone. Like hearing the good and bad. BTW, the Korean thing, at least in the US, was a officially “conflict” not a war — my Dad served during it. Diesel, we’ll run the squirrel video next week. And I’m sorry, but David Aldridge being addicted to Funions is officially funny.

  • bakers’ dozen

    You need to buy a tie.
    And 2010 Edge’s run $35,000.

  • Bruno

    Poor Varejao

  • http://tudobola.blogspot.com/ Edu

    Hey, Lang, way much better this week, man. The idea of a SLAM poster behind is great (would they allow that?). Also try to have a little bit more light on the background. Welcome to TV, soon you’ll see it’s an addiction.

  • Diesel

    If it were me, I’d have something completely random in the background…maybe hire an old lady to put pantyhose on…or a little asian man in a cage…and don’t aknowledge it at all during your time to speak.

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