Well, this has come up again... and here I was hoping it was gone. I was so happy, over two years and no one posted it anywhere. It was a nice quiet two years, not having to think back to that show. But now it's out, people are talking about it again and once again believeing all of the stuff they hear on TV. Thank you Fred Willard and the crew of VH1.
I say it's time I set my story straight for anyone who cares to learn the truth. Welcome to the behind the scenes of "Totally Obsessed" with the Turtle Girl. Leading you back to the year 2004 and how things went down.
A friend of mine contacted me in Feb. 2004 and mentioned that they saw on a web site that a show is looking for collectors, and would pay $50 for a collector to be on their show. She wanted me to contact them, so I did. The show seemed interested, and asked for a 5 to 10 minute video of me with my collection, so the video mainly focused on my collection with the toys all nicely set up. I showed movie props and I mentioned how I did things like been on the set of the TV show, and how the Turtles have inspired my life.. that they were a part of my life.
They liked what they saw and through out March, April and May I'd get a call from time to time from the show, asking me questions and interviewing me. Than they called a bunch of my friends (local and online), and my family. They pushed to get ahold of members of my family even if they did not have a phone.
When they finally decided to come out, they gave me the date they'd be there. June 5th, 2004. I finally asked, what is the name of this show. When I heard "Totally Obsessed" I did become a bit worried. Though they were doing so much, they even tried to get a Mirage Artist to come out and paint my VW bug for me, but none of them could do it at the last second. With how nice they were being, I let my guard down.
They arived Saturday, June 5th at 8am and was there all day. One of the things they did that day was fly one of my internet friends into town only to be interviewed. They spent a good 3 hours interviewing me, they had me put on my costume and wait for a good 45 minutes to an hour with me in costume before even doing the sparring scene... than wouldn't let us stop till I got hurt. I notice they don't use any of the scenes where my brother went down.
They than did the pizza scene, they leave out the parts where I say I only have pizza 1 to 2 times a month usually, and that this type of pizza can be ordered at some pizza locations. It's called a BLT pizza and I heard of it LONG before Ninja Turtles even entered my life. I know it looks and sounds gross... I was one of the last people in my family to give it a try. I thought everyone else was just weird for eatting it, till I tasted a free sample and realized just how good it really was! So I've been eatting this type of pizza since 1987 or earlier in my life. They kept the cameras on us as we (my friend and I) both ate a full slice each, which felt weird as ever.
They took my friend outside to interview her in back and I sat around resting up a bit. Than they came in and asked my friend and I to play toys in front of the camera. That felt weird too! After the cab showed up to take my friend away, they had me do the movie props for the cameras, where I kept messing up on what I was trying to say. So I turned it into a joke which is how they got the "This is my head" line which they really liked to use.
Sunday was the going to the Dojo, interviewing my Sensei who I haven't trained with since 1997. Than interviewing my brother, one of his friends who barely knows me and forcing their way in to interview a friend of mine (who just got out of the Hospital and said she wasn't up for it). Than they interviewed my folks for like 2 hours on our front prouch. I video taped the full interview from the side. So I heard everything and trust me, my dad was bapped for that comment but he was lead into it.
The VH1 crew liked to lead people into saying stuff. One thing they couldn't get me to say was "When I fight I feel like a real Ninja Turtle" because it wasn't true. And they KEPT going back and pushing that topic... so to get them to leave me alone I said that when I fight I feel like the guys are behind me. Though I said it as a joke, so people would realize it's not true. Didn't realize that mainly my jokes would be used so people would think that's the real me.
With "Follow Your Heart" this is my chance to say "I'm sorry" to everyone! I wanted to speak the words out, but I'm not use to speaking it so to remember I had to sing it. I told them DO NOT USE THIS, and so I sang it just to remember the words (I could do better, but I'm not a singer and won't do it for a camera again). Than I spoke the words out for them, so that they could use that. To show why that song meant so much to me. Though they did not keep their word at all.
They even came around on Monday to my work place and did some filming at my machine (the same machine that later that year hurt me and changed my life).
Though if anything good was said about me it wasn't used. My mom didn't get one word in on the show, my friend who was flown in only was heard in the pizza scene because she was acting a little weirded out by the pizza (acting mind ya, she has been around me enough to know that I have had that in the past around her.). They didn't use my friend that they pushed to do the interview when she just got out of the Hospital. They only used stuff that could make me look bad and talked over the rest of it with Fred Willard, I'm sure he was just reading a script.
So no I am Not trying to become a real Ninja Turtle. No I do not believe those costume heads are my real heads. No I do not eat pizza everyday. No I did not make minamum wage working at the factory job. No I did not put myself in too much dept (only did that if I knew I could pay it off without affecting my bills, both loans for the movie props are already paid off).
What I am is a fan who likes to get out and do stuff with my fandom. Though I don't take it out of a realistic view. I know TMNT is not the #1 thing in the world to me. I got my family, and even have them marked as my heroes here on myspace since I got my account. When I was working (before my injury) I was 3 months a head on all of my bills, phone, car payments, insurance, ect. Also when I was working, I worked 68 hours a week at a factory, so it's not like I sat home watching TMNT all the time.
I have other interest like Anime, Fullmetal Alchemist being a favorite. And if people need proof of that, just talk to some of the dub actors for the show and a good handful of them can say they met a huge TMNT fan who also enjoys FMA. Along with many other series like Dragon Ball Z and Ranma 1/2. There's just so much more in this world than Turtles, but Turtles is my favorite media.
Now why am I obsessed with Turtles? What could make a person go out and get loans to buy movie props? What could get a person to allow a TV show to come out and do a story on such a crazy topic?
That is a story to long to tell... I need to write a book. Let me say that the Turtles have been there for me in their own way through out these past 18 years. The show helped me learn a lot, the comics helped me learn to read, the movies helped inspire me to stand up for myself, and the people behind the scenes showed me that not every media out there is ran by people who don't care about their fans. Every time I started to fall out of TMNT, something huge would happen... be it bumping into one of the creators without knowing I was going to be seeing him, or getting an invite to the set of the TV show. Turtles have found away to stay in my life, and I think that my stories are interesting and fun to share with others. If told right.
I plan to put some home video from the filming of "Totally Obsessed" on youtube for people to see.
Anyone got any questions feel free to ask me. I got no problem with it. Anyone have any rude annoying comments, feel free to take it to youtube I promise I'll read it and laugh.
up: It's funny 'cause it's true.
(this is just one of many mind you).
