Today is the last day of National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, so I wanted to post a couple informative segments I did for “Here’s to Your Health.” I’m the Senior Field Correspondent (fancy title) for the show, and I travel across the country to host and produce segments on health-related topics. The show airs on TLC on select Saturday mornings.
The first segment is about Digital Mammograms and how they are helping the fight against breast cancer. Digital Imaging allows the experts to have clearer pictures and more immediate results, so patients don’t have to wait as long to know what’s going on…early detection is SO important to help cure the cancer!
The second (breast cancer) piece I field produced/hosted highights the connection between breast cancer and bone loss. Many women don’t realize how the cancer can affect their bones, and in this piece… the patient didn’t even realize she had breast cancer until she began to have bone loss issues in her eye!
I stepped out last night in costume to attend a friend’s party…I “recycled” my costume! ha! I’m always amazed at the creativity people display for the occasion…I’m not super “spirited,” but I do appreciate those who go all out.
My sister Ade is a Halloween lover who takes it to another level…can you guess what her get up is??? She went the “edible” route… LOVES IT!!
In costume or not…always good times with my girls!! 🙂
So then I started thinking about past Halloween (work) experiences… In 2008, I visited a haunted house in Miami that seriously had me “spooked!!” I laugh now, looking back at the video, but that “startle” factor had me shook when I walked through the haunted house!!
And — in 2007 (my original Wonder Woman cameo) I hung out at O.J. McDuffie’s “Grand Ghoul” Halloween charity event in Florida, and interviewed Michael Irvin and some Miami Dolphins… 🙂
Football Sunday arrived so quick, I was still reminding myself I was IN London! Since going to Wembley for the “main event” was the focus of the weekend, I couldn’t wait to get there…I’d heard so much about all the great sporting events that had been held there, as well as concerts and other events…it’s sort of a pseudo hobby of mine to visit different stadiums and arenas when I travel, so I can now add Wembley to the list!
Kickoff was set for 6pm, but the Virgin Atlantic crew headed out early to attend the NFL Tailgate festivities being held outside before they opened the doors…
It was quite a sight to see THOUSANDS of fans out early in an array of NFL jerseys, representing virtually every one of the 32 teams… I sort of wondered how the British fans were selecting their team garb, was it the colors, the team’s city, the player?? I even saw some fans who sort of mixed and matched team apparel..hehe That’s a first! Nonetheless, great to see them all in the spirit and having fun taking part in an All-American tradition!!
Once inside, we made a beeline to the Virgin Atlantic Suite at “Pitch West,” where I was greeted/escorted by the gorgeous Virgin Atlantic Cabin Crew…
…into a stunning suite!! VERY “SWANKY!!”
Next, I ventured down to the field level to hang out on the sidelines before the game while the teams warmed up. FYI – I used the “Queen’s Lift” to make my way down!! 🙂
While down on the field for pregame, I ran into Tony Siragusa doing his thing for NFL on FOX… And — I bumped into my buddy Major Wright who is a Safety for the Bears.
When it came time for the game’s opening ceremony, it was very comparable to what you’d see in any NFL Stadium on a Sunday. They had the pregame performance by the cheerleaders, the anthems, the pyro, etc…
There’s just something about hearing the US National Anthem in another country…makes me proud to be an American! And, I think they did a little ‘extra’ for this game too, with a performance by the Goo Goo Dolls! 😉
T and I even got to visit with some of his friends from Chicago who made a spur of the moment decision to fly out for the game! Talk about loyal fans…
Eventually, we ‘retired’ to the Virgin Suite to take in the beautiful view!!
We also got an unobstructed overhead look at the shirtless guy running laps on the field…LOL Sort of random, but even more amusing was how he easily ran up and down the field, stopping to “high 5” one of the Bucs and eluding a few security before they could tackle him! WOW!
The NFL International Series game experience in Wembley was nothing short of awesome…definitely something I will never forget!
Sadly, the next day was time to travel back across the pond -I did try to extend my trip, but flights were tight, so I’ll just have to go back another time! However…BONUS!! We experienced the Virgin Atlantic VIP treatment once again when we got to Heathrow to check in for the flight home.
First was a separate VIP entrance for check in and security…
Then a MEGA 12,000 square foot Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse, where we could chill out prior to boarding!
Talk about “swanky” this place was super plush with lounge seating, a restaurant, spa and salon as well as fully-stocked bar! See for yourself….
Usually I’m not trying to have a LOOOONG time at the airport before my flight, but I could hang out in this clubhouse all day! Too bad I didn’t have more time, as I would’ve indulged in ALL the services!! haha
Thank you Virgin Atlantic for hosting us on this absolutely FABULOUS, one of a kind, trip of the year!! My experience as #RedHotReporter was nothing short of AMAZING and I can’t wait to do it again! 🙂
I woke up well-rested for my 2nd day in London as Virgin Atlantic’s Red Hot Reporter. We started with brunch at an Italian Restaurant near our hotel – St. Martins Lane is in a “happening” spot, literally steps to several cafe’s, restaurants, shops and points of interest! Then, the first activity on the agenda was a trip to Trafalgar Square where the NFL was holding its “Fan Rally.”
T is from Chicago, so he suited up in his BEARS gear…and I did too for the occasion! 😉
The place was packed with British and American fans. Thousands of people flooded the square, and it was really cool to see the NFL getting so much LOVE in London! And even though it was technically Tampa Bay’s “home game” in London, there were clearly more BEARS fans in the crowd. BTW, did you know the Bucs owner also owns Manchester United, hence a great UK tie-in for them! **NOTE: I kept thinking if the RAIDERS ever get to play in London, I KNOW the RAIDER NATION would be out in full force and England would be covered in Silver and Black!
We caught this moment of the Chicago Bears making a brief appearance at the event…
One of the main attractions were the Tampa Bay Buccaneers Cheerleaders…they can’t get enough of the NFL Cheerleaders in London! And — since the BEARS are one of the few NFL teams who do not have Pro Cheerleaders, the spotlight was squarely on ladies from Tampa Bay! I had the opportunity to interview a few of the ladies before they got on stage to perform, that will pop up On The Flipside soon!
At the same time I bumped into the cheerleaders, I also got the chance to meet NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell. He was very cool and took a few moments to chat with me about being the Red Hot Reporter and what I was doing for Virgin to share my NFL London experience with my peeps on social media..he was into it! 😉
The rally was a cool experience, I met many NFL Legends, including members of the 85 Bears, as well as fans who trekked from the U.S. and other parts of Europe to experience the festivities.
Uhm, did I mention I was interviewed for NFL Network?? I have no idea if this has aired or what they are going to do with the footage, but I’m sure someone will let me know if they catch my interview!!
After the rally, the excitement did not stop as we did a quick wardrobe change and set off for the NFL London Bash!
It was a swanky “invite only” event with some “celeb” sightings…
Jerome Bettis (Above) & Cuba Gooding Jr. (Below)
I haven’t talked too much about the cuisine in London, and they are NOT known for it, but one kind of “interesting” dish they had at the party was a beef meatballs with tomato sauce over mashed potatoes dish…not bad! :/ hehe
The highlight of the evening was a performance by London native, now international superstar Estelle!
All in all, a FUN night, overall GREAT day..and the best is yet to come!! At this point, the credentials are stacking up and I needed to get a good night’s rest for the big game at Wembley Stadium.
DAY 3 of my Red Hot Reporter RECAP is coming up tomorrow!!
Day 1 to London, I traveled to Washington-Dulles to meet up with my PR rep who was traveling with me (and T) to the UK. So, we set off early from Florida, before arriving at Dulles and we headed straight for the infamous Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse!
We had about a 4-5 hour layover, but let me tell you, the time flew by hanging out inside the very chic Clubhouse while waiting for the flight…the best part, the food! 🙂 Uh, I sampled just about everything on the menu…Chicken Corn Chowder, Shrimp Cocktail, Italian Sausage Pasta, Berries and Cream dessert and a Lemon one as well… 0_O
Soon enough, our “ride” arrived…
Once on flight we relaxed and even had a drink at “the bar!”
It was a quick flight into London, and we hit the ground running, coming off of a red-eye flight from IAD to LHR! Now, for many people, a “red eye” isn’t the most ideal, but actually, flying on Virgin Atlantic Premium Economy was super comfortable and upon arrival at Heathrow, I was able to utilize their (VIP) Revivals Lounge, which is where I was able to shower and freshen up with all the amenities of a luxe hotel!
Our first stop of the day was Tampa Bay Buccaneers practice at the Pennyhill Park Hotel (and Spa) and after practice I had the opportunity to interview a few of the players.
I have fresh footage that I will be editing On The Flipside, but for now here’s the clip of me and the most veteran Buc, Ronde Barber, talking about the experience of being in London to play American Football!!
After hanging out with the Bucs, we headed over to “The Oval” aka the Surrey County Cricket Club where the Chicago Bears would be practicing. This venue is considered the Yankee Stadium of cricket, and as luck would have it, a few cricket players were on hand to demo the game, so a few of the Bears tried it out before their practice!
Below a picture of Chicago Bears – Lance Briggs, Charles Tillman, Brian Urlacher and Matt Forte taking in the sights.
Lance Briggs takes a swing at cricket…
I also snapped a photo with Coach Lovie Smith
And — I talked one on one with Charles Tillman! Here’s a snippet, more to come OTF.
After we wrapped at Bears practice we checked into the St. Martins Lane Hotel in central London! I can’t tell you how exciting it was to take a “breather,” as the 2 days of travel and attending events, actually felt like one LONG day, running on pure adrenaline, fighting the time change, etc..! BUT — did I mention the in-room cupcakes!?!? 🙂
We had a free evening Friday, so T and I met up with my friend Christian (an Australian living in London), he took up to the Skylon restaurant for dinner overlooking the Thames, then we did a quick walking tour to see Big Ben and Parliament as well as Westminster Abbey and the London Eye, etc…
Tomorrow I will post my Day 2 RECAP…and stay tuned for NEW footage which will be On The Flipside soon!!
I WON!!! I’m the #RedHotReporter for Virgin Atlantic for the NFL International Series… The game is going down Oct. 23 in London (yes, England) at Wembley Stadium when the BUCS take on da BEARS!!! Cheerio!!
PICK ME! I want to be @VirginAtlantic‘s #RedHotReporter for the NFL International Series in London!! First off, I am a FAN, I grew up on football and even had the honor of gracing the NFL sidelines as a pro cheerleader for 2 NFL teams, taking my “fan status” to another level. I know all about the game, the experience and I’m still an unofficial “ambassador” for the NFL, being recognized as an alumni of the elite group of women who have cheered as team representatives and ultimate fans from the NFL sidelines! Alright…going into the archives for the throwback pics…RAIDERS and CARDINALS!
Outside of my “dance and cheer” background, I have been working as a TV reporter since I graduated from college, so that’s what I do, ask questions, observe and tell stories/share info with the masses!
I have my personal blog and website http://aubreyaquino.com which is sort of my online resume…but is also my forum to share the things I do, like and find interesting…like “behind the scenes” info with my friends, family and beyond! I tweet @aubreyanne have a youtube http://www.youtube.com/miaubrey and we can’t forget the FB page! http://facebook.com/aubreyaquino >>> SOCIAL MEDIA SAVVY enough?? 🙂
I have also taken my love for reporting and sports one step further by creating and hosting On The Flipside …a Sports Lifestyle show featuring Pro Sports/Athletes and entertainment away from the game, and it’s another way for me to connect with the fans and share the “flipside” of sports they may not normally see! http://ontheflipsidetv.com I could do a London episode!! 🙂
Between my twitter(s), FB pages, blogs, channels, etc…I have several thousand followers, I’ve accumulated hundreds of thousands of video views… and I’ve built all this up by my own grassroots efforts! I AM Virgin Atlantic’s #REDHOTREPORTER!! NFL Football is part of my life – to date (aside from being part of the game day experience as an NFL cheerleader), I’ve attended numerous games across the country and have journeyed to the Pro Bowl in Hawaii too, in addition to reporting on games/fans as a TV reporter! This opportunity would be an absolute dream for me to be in London and share the experience with everyone as the Official #RedHotReporter!!! If there’s anything I do well, it’s talking (a lot), tweeting and giving out the 411!
And — let’s not forget this little “sports fan” experience I took part in for ESPN! Click play below!
One more thing Virgin – I fly you coast to coast ALL THE TIME! Check my elevate account…AND I took the inaugural flight from FLL -SFO … SOOOO, why not? PICK ME!!!
P.S. MY PASSPORT IS READY TO GO!!!!
***Friends – PLEASE TWEET THE LINK to my entry http://aubreyaquino.com/2011/10/redhotreporter/ to @VirginAtlantic for @aubreyanne to be the #RedHotReporter AND COMMENT ON THIS POST BELOW!! Let them know why I’m the absolute PERFECT #RedHotReporter
I celebrated another year of my life last week…on both coasts! 🙂 And, without a doubt, my 2011 birthday has been one of the best EVER. I guess it gets better with age!! hehe I began my week in Miami…where I was greeted by these chocolate covered goodies…
Then surprisingly my cousin Marie just happened to be on layover in the Magic City, so I got to see her on my way to my first pre-bday dinner.
And then, me & my “favorite” headed to Makoto in Bal Harbour to meet up with my Deco Peeps!
Here I am with the Deco crew – Eli, Odette and Samantha.
This is where I also got to make my first birthday wish…blowing out the candle on a decadent chocolate lava, fudge cake dessert..YUM!!
The following afternoon I had my pre-bday lunch #2 with my 305 girls…
(l-r) Constance, Rene, Dara (with baby D), Neki and me!
We feasted on a slice of Red Velvet Cheesecake courtesy of Cherisse…so GOOD it’s BAD! ha
On my actually birthDAY I was in LA LA land…and I started my day with yummy banana pancakes at Vivian’s in Studio City…
Then for dinner I feasted on delicious crab and garlic noodles at Crustacean’s…this picture is actually of Tiffany’s Lobster and garlic noodles, it was more “visual” than my dish…but it was ALL delicious!!
And here I am with Tiffany and Abe who joined me for dinner… my bro the “Sneaker Sensei” gets the photo credit.
When I got back to the Bay…the now (post) bday party continued with my 408 girls in downtown San Jose at the newly opened San Pedro Square Market…we had a nice pizza brunch on the patio at Pizza Bocca Lupo!
GOOD FRIENDS, GOOD FOOD, GOOD TIMES..what more could a girl ask for on her birthday!?!?
I’m so THANKFUL to be blessed with another year…surrounded by my loved ones!! 🙂
Next year, I will start my birthday on an empty stomach…did you see all the food I just talked about!?!? lol
