Friday, March 03, 2000
Colerain Twp. woman is TV's top fan
BY MIKE PULFER
The Cincinnati Enquirer
Tina Taylor's home has six TVs.
(Steven M. Herppich photo)
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If everybody doesn't love Raymond, everybody should. This from Tina Taylor, the nation's No. 1 television fan, as designated this week by TV Guide magazine.
Mrs. Taylor, a 39-year-old mother of two from Colerain Township, says she can't pick a favorite program, but she can pick two: Everybody Loves Raymond (CBS Mondays) and Frasier (NBC Thursdays).
Here are some more thoughts from the west-side Cincinnati native who's in Los Angeles for an appearance on Sunday's TV Guide Awards (8-10 p.m., Fox, Channels 19, 45):
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HOW SHE GOT THE ROLE
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As it turned out, other people wanted to be the nation's top television watcher, too. Promoters visited shopping malls in 10 cities in January (Chicago was the nearest) and collected thousands of videotaped entries.
So Tina Taylor had her work cut out for her.
“I had my script, but I had to cut a lot out — things I thought were funny — to get it down to two minutes (the limit),” she said.
For the video, “We set up a desk in the living room with two TV Guides as props. As soon as my husband started taping, the door bell rang, the phone rang, and the kids ran in and out wanting juice and other things.”
Trenton, her 4-year-old son, who was watching the production from a couch, took a crawl-on role and infiltrated the set.
“All of a sudden, he was at my feet, under the desk, and it was bumping as I talked. One TV Guide plopped down, then the other.
“But I showed my acting ability,” she said. “I ignored the surroundings and kept on talking.”
And it was a wrap.
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Question: When did you first become interested in television?
Answer: When I was a kid. I always dreamed of being a TV star . . . I would love it if my 15 minutes of fame lasted forever.
Q: What would make you a star?
A: People tell me I have a unique voice. And I could be a good writer for sitcoms.
Q: Have you tried writing a script?
A: No. But I think I should. I don't want to be 100 years old and look back and say, “I wish I would have done this.”
Q: How extensive is your interest in television?
A: We have six TVs (including one 52-inch big screen, three connected to cable), five VCRs and a DVD player. It's on (usually in the family room) all the time.
Q: How many of your VCRs are flashing 12:00?
A: None.
Q: What's your favorite place to watch television?
A: The family-room couch (usually with husband Tony, daughter Toni Renee, 2, and son Trenton, 4).
Q: What do the kids watch?
A: Their favorite is the Cartoon Channel, but they watch what we watch.
Q: Do you channel surf?
A: Yes. But not as much as my husband.
Q: Besides Raymond and Frasier, what are some of your favorite shows?
A: Friends, King of Queens, Spin City and Malcolm in the Middle. I love sitcoms, Entertainment Tonight, game shows (Who Wants to Be a Millionaire, Greed), talk shows (Late Show, Tonight Show, Donnie & Marie, Rosie O'Donnell, Regis & Kathie Lee) and news programs.
Q: When do you find the time?
A: Evenings and weekends. I work full time (finance management, MCI WorldCom, Springdale.)
Q: Who are some of your favorite television people?
A: Michael J. Fox (Spin City) . . . Diane Sawyer (ABC's Good Morning America), Barbara Walters (ABC's 20-20 and specials) . . . Rob Braun and Kit Andrews (WKRC Channel 12 news).
Q: Is there a time period when you won't watch television?
A: No. There's always something to watch.
Q: What makes a good television program?
A: The ones I like are the ones that have something I can relate to . . . something that can make me laugh.
Q: What makes you the nation's biggest TV fan?
A: I love TV. I love TV shows. I love TV stars. I love anything to do with TV.
Q: But how did you win the contest?
A: I wrote a script and my husband shot a video of me to enter the contest. I'm told it was creative . . . and funny, I think. (Contest judges — TV Guide editors and producers — said they looked for enthusiasm, creativity, eloquence and dedication to TV.)
Q: Some examples?
A: I wrote (and read), “With a TV Guide and my remote, I can be anyone I want to be,” and then expounded on that.
Q: More?
A: In discussing the American Music Awards, I said “Ricky Martin shakes my bon bon.” I used TV titles in the script to say things like “Raymond and The Brady Bunch meet Malcolm in the Middle” to describe my family.
Q: Anything else?
A: My daughter looks like Michelle on Full House; my son looks like one of the twins on Everybody Loves Raymond; and my mother-in-law acts like Raymond's mom.
Q: What do you hope to accomplish in California?
A: To meet some stars. And to find a dress Joan Rivers won't make fun of. (Her prize includes the trip to Los Angeles and a shopping spree while she's there. Celebrity stylists will do her hair and makeup. Ms. Rivers analyzes fashion at celebrity events.)
Q: And maybe break into show business?
A: I hope so. That's my dream. If somebody would just discover me as somebody's wife or girlfriend or friend. Or even as a writer. I'd prefer to be in front of the camera, but a writer would be good, too.
Q: After you're discovered and after you become famous and/or infamous and Hollywood addresses the Tina Taylor life story in a made-for-television movie, who should play you?
A: (Without pause) Heather Locklear. She has blond hair and I think she's pretty.
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