Ann Curry of the Today Show Is So Cool

I was in NYC this weekend for a totally crazy wedding bringing one crazy wedding each for the past 2 weekends. My mom who was also invited to the wedding had a great idea. After all, what do you get the couple who has everything and refuses to register anywhere (far too bourgeois, of course!)?

"Why don't we get them a gift certificate for a dinner at a nice restaurant for two?" she said. Great idea. I asked the bride Susannah where I should take a "friend" for a nice dinner while in NYC? Where would she and Ben go?

Her answer was Pure Food and Wine. She hadn't been but had heard great things about it. It is a fancy restaurant for vegetarians and vegans (finally!). There's no meat and none of the food is cooked above 118 degrees F. Wow - I love restaurants where I can eat anything on the menu! So my mom and I went down to their juice bar to get a gift certificate we could present as a surprise to the nuptial couple later that day.

We got there just as they opened and started the 30 minute process of getting a personalized gift certificate typed up. Pure Food really did a nice job. While we were there, just behind us came a good-looking couple, one big and blond; one a bit more petite and a bit brunette. Behind them came a young man in sweats.

The juice bar is tiny -- the size of my mom's master bathroom seriously. I looked the woman square in the eye and said -- "Are you Ann Curry?" She smiled a little sheepishly and said yes, I am! I was so surprised! What a treat! Words of Wisdom from Ann after the jump...

My mother was of course super-intrigued and wanted to know who this person was. I told her she was a news anchor on one of the morning shows. I was really the only person there who actually recognized Ann Curry. The staff was totally bored with it. My mother, who is retired, said: "You know, I don't really watch morning tv. I have too much to do!" The young man said, "Yeah, I don't have a tv so I have no idea who you are!" Then he smiled and shrugged!

I would have been happy to have a short professional conversation with Ann and her husband Brian Ross, a software company executive about the earthquake in Pakistan, her coverage of Katrina, etc. This was not to be. In reaction to the non-reaction around her, Ann said to me

Fame is not important. It comes and goes. What's really important is what you contribute.

How cool is that? Ann lends a certain gravity to the otherwise rather fluffy, fun Today show. She's a real journalist. It's clear that her depth is not a put-on. Brian commented that she has worked hard to get where she is today. On Today. It didn't just happen overnight. She's also said:

Along the way, someone will tell you that you can’t do something or be who you want to be. When that happens, remember to think, ‘Oh yeah, watch me.’ I did and I showed ‘em. I bet you will, too.

Meanwhile, my mother was having a great time chatting with Brian, who thought she and I together were hilarious. Actually a lot of people think that. It's a little bit Oscar and Felix with us. While Ann ordered banana shakes, my mother learned all about them and their kids and shared quite a bit of herself. She's like that.

Anyhow, Brian and Ann, thanks for being so lovely. It was great to meet you. Susannah and Ben LOVED the gift certificate and are excited about Pure Food. Brian, I actually did make my mother drink most of the Thai Green. For the vitamins. Also, best of luck with Wall Street Software. Leave a comment if you happen to stop by PinkThunder.com and catch your story!

Comments

[sue]

I have had a similar experience with Ann... which has happened several times over the years. Here's the story-- A group of 3 friends goes to NYC every May, and we have made the "trip" to the TODAY Show part of our annual adventure. One particular day, something happened to another person in the outside crowd... he was a visitor to the States, and had a grand mal seizure. I was standing right next to the man and his wife, and stayed with them as we waited for help to arrive. (They did not speak English and there was some panic as help was in route.) Ann, noticing the chaos, came over to find out what happened. She was genuinely concerned (not that 'I am on the air' fake stuff)... after the man was taken to the hospital, Ann came back over to talk to me about what happened. She was kind, thoughtful and, although the show was over for the day, stayed to talk to me and my friends. Fast foward to the next year (same month, same weekend)--this time, my 11 year old daughter was with us, and Ann remembered us (me). The next year, same thing, except Ann asked me where my daughter was... inquired about how she was doing, then talked a bit about her kids. Guess what-- next year, she remembered me again... When we were invited into the studio one visit, Ann was hosting a cooking segment with the Scottos... one of the cameramen had taken us in to see the action up close, and Ann, seeing us, invited us over for "breakfast"... we were "nobodies", but Ann treated us like we were somebodies! She is real, and thoughtful. I really am one of her biggest fans-- not because she is on TV or because she is famous, but because she is kind and REAL. Her heart reveals compassion and real empathy. She is right, what you give back really matters most.

[air presto]

because she is famous, but because she is kind and REAL. Her heart reveals compassion and real empathy. She is right, what you give back really matters most.

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