Aubrey Up Close

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 wanted to share some of the VIDEO highlights produced by On The Flipside (aka me), for the Pro Football Cheer Alumni Reunion in Vegas! It was a fabulous event and a huge success, being the inaugural year. I met some amazing women who are both inspiring and empowering… I just KNOW this event will grow by leaps and bounds with each year, so I hope all the ladies who can claim the “elite” status of having cheered on the NFL sidelines will consider joining us next time around! As NFL Cheer Alumni we can be such a powerful group affecting change…and of course we make great girlfriends and memories.

Press “PLAY” to see the “reunion reel!” Also, big shouts to Abe who joined us in Vegas as our Official Video Man and captured all the great footage that I edited together!

A couple shots with my “NFL” sisters!

Another episode of On The Flipside is here!! For this edition I used the Pro Football Cheerleader Alumni Reunion in Vegas as the backdrop and filled it with lots of fun!

On this show we’ve got Dwyane Wade at a charity basketball event in Beijing, China, interviews with Brad Pitt for his new baseball flick, Moneyball, a flashback with the SF 49ers on their first Super Bowl win and a SEXY look at the Miami Dolphins Cheerleaders and their calendar reveal event! Go now >> http://ontheflipsidetv.com

Check out the official music video for “LEGO” by the Stereotypes

AMAZING weekend in Vegas with FABULOUS women representing most of the NFL teams and several eras of Pro Football!! I’m so glad I can say I was part of the inaugural..and this “association” is only going to grow bigger and bigger every year… a collection of a very elite group of women!

“On The Flipside” I created the opening slideshow (above) with photos showcasing many of the attendees in their “cheering” days – I’ll be editing a highlight reel with video from the event very soon… In the meantime, below are some of the unofficial event photos! Such a GREAT, inspiring and empowering weekend filled with lots of new “sisters!”

The 32nd installation of On The Flipside is now online, and I’m already looking forward to #33. The good news is I’m freeing up some valuable time, so I plan to figure out how to take OTF to the next level…

On this episode, we’ve got highlights from Zo’s Summer Groove, and this year special guests Alicia Keys and Cee Lo Green performed…I was a bit jealous I wasn’t on hand for this time around, but nonetheless I do have the highlights! Then, in Orlando, see footage from Dwight Howard’s Pro Camp, followed up with the SF Giants trip to the White House. This episode’s Sideline Distraction is Stephanie, a Seattle Sea Gal!! You can watch all the shows by visiting http://ontheflipsidetv.com

My latest episode of On The Flipside is out….and since I’m in the Bay, we shot this one near the Golden Gate Bridge at Chrissy Field in San Francisco.

Lots of fun stuff on this edition. First In Oakland for Seattle Seahawk Marshawn Lynch and his cousin Tampa Bay Buccaneer Josh Johnson’s youth football camp, Marshawn’s fellow Cal teammate Justin Forsett and Pittsburgh Steeler Lamarr Woodley were also there to help out. Then, it’s always a good time with DJ Irie…back in Miami for his 7th Annual “Irie Weekend.” I caught up with him, Lil Jon, Lil Jon sons DJ Slade, New Orleans Saint Darren Sharper and former N*SYNC-er Chris Kirkpatrick. also have video highlights from Red Bull’s red Bulletin launch party with Reggie Bush and the Sideline Distraction is an Orlando Magic Dancer!