Brendan Pike: The GLAAD Media Awards

June 27, 2008

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It's 2 a.m. and I just got back from the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood.

I'm a 21-year-old filmmaker and photographer, and I'm currently an intern at Bravo Digital in LA. I spend a lot of time watching clips of Work Out --which isn't a bad gig -- but I have a real passion for shooting on location. Thankfully, this internship also consists of filming stuff like contestant bio videos, red carpets, and all sorts of behind-the-scenes coverage. There's an energy and buzz in the air that comes with this type of work, and I love chasing it.

The 19th annual GLAAD awards were held tonight, where Janet Jackson was honored with a Vanguard Award. Since Bravo is airing the show in June, I was all over it. (And for the record: I'm pretty sure that everyone just pretends to know what a Vanguard Award is -- I don't think that anyone actually does. Just smile and nod, raise both eyebrows and make your "impressed face.")

OK -- so we arrive at the red carpet around sunset and interview Kathy Griffin, Jackie Warner, and the Flipping Out team. It's like a real life Bravo marathon without commercials. It's gratifying to finally interact with these people in real life, after staring at their images on screen for the past four months. Here's the thing about Bravo personalities: They are exactly like they are on TV. What you see at home is pretty much what you’re gonna get in real life. (Except Jackie Warner isn't ordering people to do squats and yelling, "Drop down and give me 20." Although the second I see her, I'm prepared to do so.)

In typical red-carpet fashion, the big names (sorry, Kathy) don't show up until the end. Enter Janet Jackson. While shooting the interview, I'm not listening to a word she says. Going through my mind are three things:

1) I wonder when she last talked to Michael.
2) I wonder what she did this afternoon.

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