Okay...August was so cool

August seemed to have some of the most amazing segments to date. I am really blessed to be able to do this job. Enjoy!




1. 10 week old Clouded Leopard Cubs.

I got a phone call from the awesome folks out at Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium asking if I would like to be the only media person to come in and hang out in the cub den. Ummm, let me think about that one. YES, I WILL BE THERE! We had the best morning. I was missing patches of hair (they loved to sit on my head and pull it out) and I was scratched all over and bleeding but it was worth every second. Check it out by clicking the link below.

http://www.king5.com/news/pets-and-animals/Up-close-with-Woodland-Park-Zoos-snow-leopard-cubs-128468988.html

2. Rachel the Pig turns 25!

Rachel the Pig is a BIG DEAL here in Seattle. She's a brass pig who is the ambassador for the famed Pike Place Market. She's also a piggy bank and she's single 'hoofedly' raised over $200,000 for local charities. She turned 25 on August 17th and I decided to throw her a kick a$$ birthday party. Whoop Whoop!

http://www.king5.com/news/cities/seattle/Rachel-the-Pike-Place-Market-pig-to-turn-25-127891518.html

That's a cake btw ... crazy!

Me and my girl...

3. He's a super famous actor and now has the best gig in the world hosting the Price is Right. We hung out and had a great time with Drew Carey - check it out!

http://www.king5.com/video/featured-videos/Drew-Carey-ready-for-Seafair-Torchlight-Parade-126455718.html

4. I CAN WALK ON WATER

Have you ever been blown up inside a ball and then thrown on the water. It's high-larious.

http://www.king5.com/video?id=128390728&sec=549122

5. WAKEBOARDING

A pro wakeboarding series was in town and I went out to try it. Check out the face plants below ...

SEGMENTS:

http://www.king5.com/video/featured-videos/Northwest-Riders-Wake-Series-in-Monroe-this-weekend-127659583.html

WIPEOUTS:

http://www.king5.com/video/featured-videos/Christie-Johnsons-wakeboard--127660753.html



6. ENDUROCROSS

So I had on the best female Endrocross racer in the world - she just won gold at the X-Games. I decided it would be a good idea to give her powerful dirt bike a try on live TV, even though I've NEVER been on a motorbike in my life. BAD IDEA. Click below

http://www.king5.com/video/featured-videos/Worlds-best-female-dirt-bike-racer-from-Seattle-back-for-EnduroCross-127525678.html

7. WOMEN'S HOCKEY

HEY women!! Go ahead and give hockey a try. I've been skating forever, in fact, I think I was born with blades on my feet, so when they asked me to come out and skate with them I was stoked! Watch the video, see how fun it is, and then give them a call and get out there and give it a try!

http://www.king5.com/video/featured-videos/Women-urged-to-Give-Hockey-a-Try-Saturday-127616643.html

8. CHRISTIE WHIFFS NOT 1 BUT 2 BALLS WITH MR. BEN CRENSHAW...HELLO EMBARRASSING

So there I was...hanging out with one of the greatest golfers of all time thinking I could "fake it" for 2 mins that I was a decent golfer ... didn't happen. Mr. Ben Crenshaw saw what a loser I am on a golf course. I''m really good at looking cute out there but when it comes to actually hitting the ball ... not so much. lol

http://www.king5.com/video/featured-videos/Annual-Boeing-Classic-swings-into-action-Wednesday-128324723.html

July Highlights

HERE ARE SOME OF THE HIGHLIGHTS FROM JULY!!

1. THE DIRTY DASH! Who doesn't love a good mud puddle? I know I do! This day I went jumping in them and didn't even get in trouble...lol. Welcome to the Dirty Dash!

http://www.king5.com/video/featured-videos/Dirty-Dash-125268244.html


2. BEE KEEPING! I was live with a QUARTER MILLION BEES...yikes! I'm the chica screaming like a little girl whenever one comes around. Not good.

http://www.king5.com/news/slideshows/Busy-bees-what-they-do-and-why-its-so-important-125426923.html


3. I GOT A FLIGHT LESSON!! This was beyond cool. In honor of the 1st American woman to earn a pilot's licence, Harriett Quimby, I got to take a flight lesson. Check it out.

http://www.king5.com/video/featured-videos/KING-5s-Christie-Johnson-takes-her-first-flight-lesson-126342678.html


4. WORKING ON MY "SEXY GRUNT" ...HEE HEE HEE. A bunch of pro tennis players were in town for a tourney and I was wondering why they have to be so dang loud when hitting such a small ball. I got to the bottom of it.




http://www.king5.com/video/featured-videos/Professional-Tennis-Championships-bringing-players-to-Tacoma-126173573.html

5. I GOT CRABS! Yup, it's true...that just happened. I caught 5 of them actually...lol. Click below to see what went down.

http://www.king5.com/video/featured-videos/New-rules-for-crabbing-in-effect-126032128.html

Seattle Bike Expo

Okay, this was CRAZY! Picture this...

"Hi I'm Christie, nice to meet you"

"Hi I'm Lukas, hop on!"

"Ummm what?!"

"Get on my shoulders, I'm going to take you for a ride"

"Are you sure?" (said in a seriously questioning tone)

"Just get on"

So I got on. I climbed on to Lukas' shoulders as he hopped onto his bike and then proceeded to pop a wheely (that's shop talk for scare the Sh%&*t out of me). He was incredible and I'm sure very sore now considering he was smaller than I am...lol. All I'm saying is that I'm super glad I had a helmet on ... gotta protect the noodle.

CLICK HERE TO WATCH THESE AWESOME ACROBATS!

TNA Wrestling

CAN YOU SMELL WHAT THE ROCK IS COOKING???????

TNA Wrestling was in town on Friday but we got a sneak peek at what the show would hold for fans. Whoa! The thing I was most impressed with was their low low low voices. I think they teach that in wrestling school ... lol. I've never really been sure about the "sport" of wrestling - the characters these guys & gals play are always so in-your-face. I was pleasantly surprised at how nice all three of the peeps that showed up were.

We were joined by BEER MONEY and ANGELINA LOVE. They are normal folks except that they beat people up for a living. I asked them if the whole thing was "fake", they scoffed and then punched me in the mouth. Just kidding. They explained that there's some choreography & "storylines" - NO WAY??!! - involved but that they do actually fight and get injured (imagine a 250lb guy landing on you even if it is planned ...OUCH!). Okay, point taken.

CLICK HERE TO WATCH ME WITH TNA WRESTLERS!

Jimbo getting pinned by Angelina Love ... notice the grin on his face

Think these belts would go with my jeans?

Beer Money, Angelina Love, Jim, & I

The gang

Getting ready to "go live"

What are you lookin' at?

Somebody call for help!

Emerald City Reptile Expo

Ewwwwww! Gotta say, I'm not the biggest reptile fan in the world. I'm more of a cuddly puppy-dog kind of girl, but I did learn to respect the scaly, slithering kind.

I spent the morning hanging with the folks and their creatures from the Emerald City Reptile Expo. When I arrived all I saw was tons and tons of snakes in bags (that's apparently how snakes travel). Okay. Then they busted out the lizards. I've got to say that I think those little guys are actually cute. I always think that they'd talk with a British accent.

I decided to hold "Pizza" the Crested Gecko for my first segment and as Brad and Joyce came to me live, the damn gecko jumped from my hand up to my neck area. Scared the "H -E -DOUBLE HOCKEY STICKS" out of me! I didn't know whether to laugh or cry so I sort of did a bit of both. It was a totally hilarious moment.

CLICK HERE TO WATCH ME GET ATTACKED BY A GIANT LIZARD

Once I recovered from the utter shock of that attack, I actually learned a lot about reptiles and how fascinating they are. Scientists are using reptiles to research many cures for human diseases. See they can be our friends afterall :-)

It turns out that reptiles attach to their owners, have personalities and feelings, and are actually quite sweet as long as you provide the kind of care that they require. This weekend's expo will feature hundreds of animals up for adoption as well as "care experts" that can walk you through how to properly own one of these creatures. If you can't make it to the show and still want to adopt one, you can find them on http://www.petfinder.com/ (search reptile and it will lead you to the NW's folks).

Some kind of lizard

This guy is just chillin'

Don't know if he's cuddling or getting ready to suck some neck blood

The cutest Bearded Dragon I've ever seen!

My new little friend

If you're looking for something to do with the kids this weekend, hit the Emerald City Reptile Expo and check out some of these cool little guys. It's being held at the Lake City Community Center on Saturday & Sunday. Admission is $10. Tell them you know the reporter that was "ATTACKED" by the 1lb gecko ... lol.

WATCH THIS REPORTER GET ATTACKED - HILARIOUS!

Scott Firefighter Stairclimb

Everyone loves a firefighter don't they? Well here's just one more reason to idolize these folks.

1500 firefighters from all over the world (the US, Canada, and New Zealand) will descend upon Seattle this Sunday for the biggest single firefighter event in the world. These amazing people will climb 69 stories in the Columbia Center, the tallest building in Seattle, all in an effort to stamp out blood cancers. Get this ... the record time is 10 and a half minutes!! I've waited longer for elevators! Last year's winner, a 29 yr old Missoula firefighter, did it in 11.135 minutes. That's nuts! Imagine how tired you would feel after sprinting up 1311 stairs, that's 788 vertical feet. CRAZY!

I couldn't even breathe in my live hit after running up about 20 stairs ... maybe that's a sign that I should be at Husky Stadium running stairs on a more regular basis ... lol.

Firefighters aged 18-69 will strap on almost 60lbs of gear (bunker gear & breathing apparatus) and sprint-climb up to the 73rd floor. I spent the morning with two amazing guys that are competing in the challenge. Firefighter Dan Nelson and Firefighter Pat McNerthney are 60 & 61 respectively, and spent the entire time in between our shoots doing stairs - they had to get their training in I guess. We were also joined by Anne Gillingham, the Executive Director of the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. Anne and her team are the ones that make sure the money raised goes to patients, their families & caregivers, and live saving research.

The awesome team this morning! Pat, Anne & Dan

These guys are seriously fit!

Doing my best "firefighter holding a hose" impression

SO HOW CAN YOU HELP?????

Well for starters we need to you to go to Firefighter Stairclimb and donate dollars, benjamins, moola. You can pledge toward a specific climber or to a department. Whatever you can give will help. These guys are going to sprint up Columbia Center in support of folks with blood cancers ... it's the least you and I can do.

Playing with the Harlem Globetrotters

How did you spend your Sunday? Well, I spent mine showing off my mad basketball skillz in front of thousands at Key Arena. 

Okay, let me back up.  A couple of week ago, I had the Harlem Globetrotters on the show. It went well and I had a lot of fun. Before that even happened, the team had asked me to be their "special" guest at the game this past Sunday. BIG MISTAKE GLOBETROTTERS, BIG MISTAKE. Here's the thing, I have NO basketball skills in my bag of tricks. NONE. So the thought of playing basketball in front of thousands of people, against some of the world's best players gave me a migraine. 

My amazing teammates on the Washington Generals

I manned up though, put on the uni (and let me just say it's ummm...not the cutest thing I've ever worn. We should do something about getting cuter ones for girls), showed up to the arena, and put on my best smile. I had thought all along that I was going to be in the whole game. I was SO relieved to find out that I was only going in during the 2nd quarter. Whew. I can be a 'bench-warmer' - I'm so fine with that. 

So finally it's the 2nd quarter. I'm already sweating and totally nervous. They call my name and introduce me in front of the whole crowd. Great. Now everyone knows exactly who I am and who to make fun of on the blogs tomorrow. Super. 

"Special K" (my name is Christie "Can't Jump" Johnson) is who I'm supposed to guard. Ummm, good luck to Christie. He's 8 feet tall and I'm a whopping 5 foot 4 on a good day with heels. 

Do you see what I'm saying? 

Anyhoo, I tried my best to box-him-out (I think that's what they call it) and then it happened. 'Special K' says over the mic to the whole crowd, "Hey Christie, I think that you should try a 4-point shot." That's a new shot they're debuting this year from 35 feet out. I missed. Then with all eyes on me he tells me to try a 3-pointer. I missed that one too. Finally, he let me stand right under the basket ....and ... SUCCESS!! I made it! 2 points for Johnson!! 

CLICK HERE to watch  me play with the Globetrotters

"Boxing-out" ... or at least my version

Trying the 4 point shot. Granny-style

Check out my form...lol

Whoop whoop! Johnson for 2 baby!

Big sweaty hugs all around

THANKS SO MUCH to the Globetrotters. I had such a blast hanging with these guys! All of them were super nice and unbelievably hilarious. I would love to come back and play next year - I'm already working on my dribbling skills...lol.

Random Acts of Kindness

It's Random Acts of Kindness Week!

I hung out with a little girl today named Morgan. She's FOUR YEARS OLD - I want you to remember that when I tell you the following story.

Morgan's a little girl with a BIG vision. Morgan was driving under the West Seattle Bridge with her family when she saw some homeless folks and asked her parents what they were doing there. When she learned that they didn't have anywhere to live she became very concerned that they must be really cold. Seriously folks, this kid has heart. She insisted that she go home and collect all of her own blankets to bring back and give out.

Soooo..... FOUR YEAR OLD Morgan organized a Blanket Drive to make sure that those homeless folks can be warm. Wow. How many of you know a 4 year old that would dream up something like that. It's amazing. With the help of her Mom and Dad, she rallied the troops at her school (West Seattle Montessori) and started collecting blankets. Now she needs YOUR HELP!

Watch as Morgan describes her mission

Miss Morgan & I

Sitting in the fort that we built with donated blankets

With Mom, Lindy


Woohoo!

If you want to help Morgan - and YOU SHOULD - you can donate new or used blankets (as long as they are clean) to Carmilia's Boutique in West Seattle (4528 California Ave SW).

An Olympic Champion

Let me start by saying how doggone nice reigning Olympic Men's Figure Skating Champion, Evan Lysacek is! I wasn't sure what to expect when he arrived. He is, after all, an Olympic champion, runner-up on Dancing With The Stars, was just named USOC's Sportsman of the Year, and is ranked 82nd on the most powerful athletes list put out by Business Week. Whew, that's a long list ... and it's only the short version of this guy's accomplishments in the last year. Sooooo.... needless to say, I wasn't sure what kind of diva would walk through the door. You heard it here first people ... Evan Lysacek is down-to-earth, super funny, and was a blast to hang out with!



Funny story ... photographer Jim and I arrived at the ice rink about 5:40am - it's pitch black. I was getting my stuff out of the back of our SUV when a furry critter attacked the back of my legs. I screamed (probably woke up half the neighborhood) and heard a nice lady say, "Oops, sorry. Come back here Skeeter". It was Rosalynn Sumners and here adorable little pooch. She is the silver medalist from the 1984 Winter Games AND the original cast member from the Stars on Ice tour. She's local in case you didn't know and owns two stores over in Kirkland - visit them.



We were together today to talk about the upcoming Stars on Ice Tour here in Seattle at Key Arena. It's on Feb 25th and is going to feature some of the coolest, most amazing skaters on the planet. Current Olympians like Evan, and past superstars like Kurt Browning will all come together to put on a live skating show. If you are a skating fan, you can't miss it!

CLICK HERE TO SEE ME SKATE WITH EVAN!!!

Evan teaching me his DWTS pose ... loves it!



A 'heel stretch' is the only trick I know ... Evan was totally holding me up




Ryan, Evan, me, Rosalynn, & Jimbo

We spent the morning chatting, joking around, Evan practiced his 'broadcasting skills' by interviewing me ... we just all-around had a good time.

Rosalynn & I doing some sweet tricks

Me hanging with some Olympians ... how cool is that?

He's being coy about his performance

My new Olympic buddy

Hey kids! You can win a skating party with Evan and Sasha Cohen + 50 of your closest friends by going to the website (below) and entering. Also, Key Arena is having a "free skating day" on march 1st. COMPLETELY FREE! Rentals and everything. You should check it out.

So between you and I, we pre-tape our noon segment in the morning (shhh don't tell anyone okay?). Here's a video of us getting ready to do it ... and of course I wiped out. Evan, quickly came to my rescue. Totally hilarious.

For more info on how to get tickets to Smuckers Stars on Ice, go to http://www.starsonice.com/

Hangin' with Harlem Globetrotters

They named me Christie "Can't Jump' Johnson. It's fitting. I can jump ... I just can't play basketball. I was live with two stars from the Harlem Globetrotters who schooled me with their mad skillz.

Curly Neal is the face all of you know (he's been with the club for 40 years!) and Rocket Rivers is a hot-shot new guy that was awesome. They showed me all sorts of great ball-handling tricks but they wouldn't dunk. Seriously boys? And you call yourselves Globetrotters? Totally kidding... it was 6am after all. I'm just glad they were both coherent...lol.

I'm actually going to play in their game coming up at Key Arena. Holy bad decision GT's ...haha. I have NO basketball skills so if any of you out there want to give me a tutorial, give me a shout. Hopefully they don't embarrass me too badly. They are a ton of fun and all of you should get out and see one of their shows in the Seattle area.

Spinning the ball with Curly Neal and Rocket Rivers

CLICK HERE TO WATCH ME PLAY WITH THE HARLEM GLOBETROTTERS

visit www.harlemglobetrotters.com for more info