He loved the dog and wanted him to remain part of the morning news block. More important, he wanted me to remain part of the morning news block. The downside was that he, like so many others, believed that when the dog did something funny, I had somehow orchestrated it. At the end of the meeting, he even said to me, “The peeing on the monitor was funny. But it won’t be funny the second time.” Was he serious? The dog had a mind of his own and minding me was not part of the game plan. I couldn’t say, “Okay, be funny.” I couldn’t even do that with myself. And there was another element: I was accustomed to being the center of attention. The emphasis was shifting. Was the tail wagging the hog? Was this my first tinge of Barney jealousy? Was I envious of a stray hound with absolutely no previous TV experience? I spent several days mulling this over. Finally I decided I was looking at this the wrong way. What other TV reporter had a dog as a sidekick? This human/canine team could be a meal ticket to success for both of us.
What do You think about Mornings With Barney (2011)?
