INDIANAPOLIS — Katie Daryl, host of the HDNET entertainment show “Deadline!,” put a camera on the top of a giant red and blue foam finger and raised her arm as she walked through the throng of media and players at Media Day Tuesday.
“I’m short,” she said. “This is the only way I can videotape anything.”
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She didn’t mention her own cameraman following her, capturing her every twist and turn, of which there were many.
Ciera, the R&B singer, wore a blue Tom Brady jersey – along with black leather pants and stiletto heels — for the New England Patriots session at Lucas Oil Stadium. Then she wore a blue Victor Cruz jersey to the Giants session.
“You’ve got to be respectful,” she said, then whispering that she’s really a Patriots fan because she shares the same trainer as Tom Brady and his supermodel wife, Gisele.
Shaun Robinson, host for Access Hollywood, tried to see how many players knew the cast from the reality show Jersey Shore. (Not many, by the way, though Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski came close to naming them all.)
And then there was Pick Boy.
Nickelodeon’s superhero mascot once again donned his purple and orange and green costume to join the chaos and fun that is Media Day during Super Bowl Week.
And, yeah, it’s the original Pick Boy. Created 10 years ago, he’s been resurrected in the last couple of year’s to try to teach a new generation of football players about touchdown celebrations.
His only regret on Tuesday was that he couldn’t get close enough to Cruz to throw down a salsa showdown, the salsa, of course being Cruz’ touchdown celebration.
Funny though, Cruz had time for a little dancing with Ciera.
Oh well.
As Maria Menounos, the host of Extra (another entertainment show), said after it was all over, “It’s fun, it’s chaotic, it’s exhilarating.”
An unabashed Patriots fan — “Hey, I’m from Boston,” she said — Menounos wore a Brady jersey throughout the day. And she didn’t get any grief from the Giants players.
She said she was here to work, but spent as much time being interviewed as she did interviewing.
“The Super Bowl is where sports and entertainment collide in the biggest way,” she said. “I’m here to cover that entertainment side.”
There was plenty of that on Tuesday, though New York’s Chris Canty — a ginormous man at 6-foot-7, 317 pounds — said he found most of the media very respectful.
“Everything has been pretty good,” he said. “All pretty classy.”
Yes, Inez Sainez, the Azteca TV reporter who is more known for her fashion than her questions, was back. She wore her usual skimpy outfit and posed for a thousand photos. Sainez made headlines earlier this season when she went to the New York Jets camp to interview quarterback Mark Sanchez.
Apparently there was an incident in the locker room and, Sainez told other reporters, she’s had a hard time since gaining access to NFL players.
But she was welcomed back on Media Day, where everyone gets a chance to tell a story.
Perhaps the most amazing aspect of Media Day? The fans.
The NFL sold about 7,000 tickets at $28 a pop to attend the annual circus act. They went quickly.
Chad and Tiffany Dzerve of Anderson, Ind., were among them, traveling the 45 minutes to join the crowd.
“It’s a once-in-a-lifetime experience,” said Chad.
“History,” said Tiffany. “And we’re having a great time too.”
The NFL handed out ear pieces which allowed the fans to listen to the player interviews. They were able to switch to six different channels.
Tom Brady had one of the best lines at Media Day. Asked if his wife Gisele Bundchen had ever given him advice, he said, “Throw the ball quickly. She doesn’t like it when I get hit very often.”
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