I was thinking about writing a long entry about traffic in Los Angeles, but I'm more concerned about Nina Totenberg. Look, we've been friends for a while, right? It's time I come clean... I have a total platonic vocal crush on Nina Totenberg. As the child of artistic moderate Democrats, I listened to a lot of classical music and NPR in my dad's office growing up. While the classical music was all fine and good, it was NPR that I really got into... at the ripe old at of 15. I can distinctly remember copying inspection reports for my dad in his large one-room office in the coach house above our garage as his cassette recorder boom box played NPR's reporting of the Iran-Contra Hearings and the business of the day. During my heady introduction to all things public radio, I relished the voices of the reporters the most: the intonations of Robert Siegal, the gravelly voice of Carl Castle, the improbable lisp of Peter Overbee, the slightly-nasal authority of Cory Flintoff (an awesome name if I ever heard one), and finally, the amazing inflections and legal gravitas of Nina Totenberg.
During my drive home from Goofy Basic Cable Documentary Series, I listen to NPR's All Things Considered. Today was like no other, and when I heard Michele Norris (pronounced MEE-shell) tease a story about a Supreme Court ruling about a naked protester in Florida had to pay attorney's fees, my heart lept a bit. For me, no one else has the authority of legal proceedings like Nina Totenberg. Her voice is feminine but firm, intelligent and erudite but not snobby. She can inflect better than most actors I know, knowing perfectly when to raise or lower the notes in her voice to demonstrate, for example, Justice Scalia debating a ruling on Guantanamo or Justice Souter asking an attorney questions about eminent domain laws. Without coloring the proceedings with personal slants, she merely presents the information in an easily digestible manner. And, since the Supreme Court usually doesn't allow a lot of press recordings of their proceedings, Nina Totenberg will read exchanges from the court, playing all the parts. She won't affect different voices or throw on wacky accents -- she just presents what people said, and does it with a hint of a smile in her voice.
So, back to the naked protester. Nina starts the story and the spark? Gone. Her voice? Kinda gravelly. Instead of me paying rapt attention a story about nude protesters making peace signs with their bodies in Florida, all I can think of is "Oh gosh, Nina has a cold! Maybe she has allergies... ragweed season must have started early in DC this year. I hope she's okay." I'm actually a bit worried. Maybe she just needs to take some Claritin and just take it easy. Rest, Nina! Plenty of fluids.
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