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The seven members of The Wayne Brady Show audience who will introduce the star this morning will have a lot in common.
All seven will be nurses from the St. Joseph's Women's Hospital labor and delivery, and six of the seven will be pregnant. The seventh, Nicole Tyson, gave birth three weeks ago.
Tyson, Salome Acevedo, Jennifer Bommarito, Smythe Casiano, Natali Lima and Jessica Riggins were among nine St. Joseph's nurses featured in an Aug. 1 Times story because they are simultaneously pregnant.
Fran Brescia, the show's human interest producer, spotted the article, and when she learned they would do a week worth of shows from Epcot, she moved to get the nurses to make an appearance.
"Obviously, it's a wonderful story," said Brescia, who noted the show is usually taped in California. "When we found out we were going to be in Florida, how could we pass them up?"
A limousine will pick them up at St. Joseph's this morning and after the show, they will spend the day at Epcot.
Brady, a comedian whose show recently won four daytime Emmys, is broadcasting live all week from Walt Disney World. He always begins his show by having a celebrity or audience member introduce him.
The funny thing is that since the article was published, a 10th maternity ward nurse found out she was pregnant. So Kristi Davis will be with the group today. Approaching due dates and doctor-ordered bed rest are among the reasons the other three nurses will not appear.As for the rest of the nurses, I guess they're going to have the water tested.
Another set of area folks will get their 22 minutes of fame this weekend. An episode of the Food Network's new series, Food Fight, focuses on a sibling cookoff between sisters Jill and Natalie Khawam of Tampa and brothers David and Michael Shoffstall. David lives in Plant City and Michael lives in Apollo Beach.
Those who tune in on Saturday at 8 p.m. will get to see who cooks up the best dish using alligator.
The show was filmed last January at the Columbia Restaurant in Ybor City and Whaley's in South Tampa.
There will be no food fight at this weekend's International Plaza Taste At Bay Street Festival ... unless they run out of food.
The three-day event begins Friday and celebrates the mall's second anniversary by having 12 restaurants serve more than 80 taste selections. There is no prize for eating all 80 (darn), but there will be drawings for Gourmet Getaway Evening parties that will allow 14 people to dine at Profusion, Kahunaville, the Bamboo Club or Champps.
I don't mean to upset USF football fans so soon after the Bulls' dramatic win over Louisville, but with each victory coach Jim Leavitt becomes more enticing to University of Florida fans who are becoming disenchanted with Ron Zook.
I'm not saying Zook should be fired, but if the school decides to go in another direction after this season, Leavitt would have to be on the short list.
I guess for one night, The Hub became Tampa's first and only gay sports bar. Some of the attendees at the Gay and Lesbian Film Festival spilled out of Tampa Theater Monday night and into The Hub to see the dramatic conclusion of the Bucs game.
They cheered as the Bucs tried to move into position for a game-winning overtime score, screamed when the Colts forced Tampa Bay to punt and cursed when an official's call went against the home team.
Indianapolis eventually pulled out a 38-35 victory, which meant that even though The Hub was filled with folks who enjoy an alternative lifestyle, they could no longer be labeled a gay crowd.
That's all I'm saying.
- Ernest Hooper can be reached at 813 226-3406 or Hooper@sptimes.com