Wednesday, February 16, 2011

Well, shoot ...

VALENTINE AMBUSH

Alycia Bumpus, a 9:00 p.m. producer at KTVI-2-Fox in St. Louis (Market #21), was minding her own business, perhaps dreaming of a Super Size meal after work, when she was ambushed with military-like precision.

Reporter Mandy Murphey, with a photog and a live TV audience in tow, closed in from the left. Bumpus's wide-body boyfriend, Chuck McPherson, rolled in from the right, trapping her in a pincer-like maneuver.

"What the fuck are you doing," she said on live TV.

As McPherson proposed marriage, a newsroom crowd gathered, applauded, and cried. Despite the manipulative shallowness of it all, the self-serving celebration of love, from a pure production standpoint, was exquisitely executed. Emmys all around, perhaps a Murrow or two. We propose a new awards category: Awkward Ambush Marriage Proposals During Sweeps.

"You're everything I ever wanted, everything I never knew I wanted, and you're everything I never thought was possible to have in my life," said McPherson. "I love you. I want to be with you the rest of my life. I want to marry you. More than anything, I want to be your husband. Will you be my wife?"

"I will," said Bumpus, and the crowd cheered. Three rollergirls stretched a Congratulations banner. Music played. "We have a celebration in our newsroom," said reporter Murphey. "Stay with us; we'll be right back."

Roll commercial.

God, I wish we had video ...

UPDATE:  Ask and you shall receive!