Just Jill
9:34AM | comments: 7

Jaron And The Long Road to Love

This morning I had the opportunity to interview one of the hottest new country artists! He's definitely not new to the business. Many know him from his Evan & Jaron days when he and his twin brother performed as a duo. One of my favorite hit songs they sang was "Crazy For This Girl."

Jaron decided to move from LA to Nashville to pursue his music career. His sound and style I don't think can be classified into one particular genre...but since he is now in Nashville, I say this boy has "Gone Country!" And I am so glad he did!

Jaron And The Long Road To Love just released their debut album "Getting Dressed in the Dark" Now what does that title mean? I didn't have time to ask, but I could think of a few different scenarios :) His album debuted at Number 1 on the iTunes Country Charts and his hit single "Pray for You" which he co-wrote with Joel Brentlinger, is officially gold! Why the name ? Well it seems some of us have been burnt and well this is the perfect song for sweet revenge...


Jaron's debut Country single, "Pray For You," recently spent four weeks at #1 on the Billboard Heatseekers Chart. "Pray For You," is a Top 20 hit and rising on Country Radio.Jaron And The Long Road To Love is currently a Top 10 Country Artist on the Myspace Music Charts. Jaron And The Long Road To Love's videos receive 60,000 UNIQUE views on You Tube each day. In the last 6 months, Jaron And The Long Road To Love has earned a combined total of 3.9 million You Tube views. "Pray For You" has become a smash hit, currently selling 43k units a week on iTunes and peaking at #2 on the Country iTunes Chart and Top 25 on the All Genre iTunes Chart. "Pray For You" is currently in its 23rd consecutive week of sales increases on ITunes and is nearing GOLD single status. "Pray For You" (the prequel) is currently the third highest-streamed music video on CMT.com.

8:44AM | comments: 2

PIX Chroma Key Magic

b28984ab-4ca2-4db1-aeec-25d2fbe8fc61


8:41AM | comments: 1

Here is Mr Nicolini! Yep it's SPEEDO Time!

Take a look back at my favorite moment since I have been here at PIX :) Yes this is true, non-scripted..Papa Nicolini in the flesh, well mostly flesh :) Now we know why Brandon named him "Hairy Man!"



8:07AM | comments: 1

Jill Races Her Car on the Track @ POCONO 500 with Nascar Driver David Reutimann

This was another awesome experience!


7:24AM | comments: 1

Flying High with the Red Bull Air Race

FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER THE RED BULL AIR RACE IS COMING TO OUR AREA THIS WEEKEND~

SOME OF THE WORLDS BEST PILOTS WILL BE RACING OVER THE HUDSON RIVER BETWEEN NEW YORK AND NEW JERSEY LIBERTY STATE PARK!

I had the opportunity to take a test flight..take a look :)

The Red Bull Air Race World Championship takes 15 of the world’s best pilots and puts them in a competition of speed, precision and skill. One at a time the pilots fly lightweight, high performancerace planes through a series of inflatable "air gates" in a race for the best time
through the track. Pilots reach speeds up to 230 mph pulling 12 Gs and fly just 10-20 feet
above the water.

The season runs from March . September (8-10 races/year), and each race is broadcast live
and/or tape delayed in over 87 countries in six continents, reaching more than 300 million viewers in 2009.

The Red Bull Air Race is not an .air show.. It is a global motorsport competition challenging the
worlds best pilots in precision racing skills.

10:20AM | comments: 1

Cuddles the Cat has surgery




10:19AM | comments: 4

Jenkinsons Summer Blast Off with PLJ's Scott & Todd

What an amazing day we had on the Shore! Check out the video below! My favorite part was interviewing the Bare Naked Ladies and Kris Allan. Well standing in the bar was kind of fun as well :)




9:35AM | comments: 1

Dee Snider's Bikers for Babies Hits the Road

This past Sunday I joined Dee Snider and his crew for the 8th Annual Bikers for babies March of Dimes event. The kick off took place in Point Pleasant and over 3,000 riders showed up to support research of premature babies. I have been riding with Dee and his friend for 3 years now and every year it sure gets better. This year Twisted Sister performed the whole A&E crew was there his new reality show called "Growing up Twisted." His wife Suzette and kids even rode this year! The funniest part was when Suzette almost caused an accident with their son Jesse. She looked hot as always and boy oh noy this show is gonna kick a**. Look, Gene Simmons may be a friend of mine, but sorry...move over "Family Jewels," there is a new rock family in town and I have a feeling the Sniders will out due the Simmons!

Thsi day sure brought back memories of when we shot the reality show Married by America on FOX! (which I won, but yes left the guy at the altar! LOL ) The camera crews were everywhere even side by side us as we rode. I got to ride with Ronnie Starrantino, producer for Dee's new series and fellow Long Islander. We had a blast! Make sure you take a look at the videos below! Also I have to thank you all and my whole family for coming out to support the cause as well! Sorry to y sister Jen I missed her 36th birthday, luv ya!

Don't forget to visit my facebook page to see all the pics www.facebook.com/jillnicolini

9:02AM | comments: 2

Our Cuddy Winner & my good friend John Theissen!


Cuddly winner John Theissen purchased 100 "cuddlies" to donate to the kids in need for his charity John Theissen Children's Foundation.

The charity began 18 years ago, when Theissen discovered he had a brain tumor at the age of 17. The charity grants wishes across to kids from Long Island and the New York area. I became friends with John 7 years ago when I worked for the NY Islanders. He has been a dear friend since and I am proud to support him!

The next fundraiser will take place Friday May 21, 2010 for the 8th Annual Casino Royale @ the Woodbury Country Club in Long Island, of course my family and I will be there as usual!

For more info please check out check out http://www.jtcf.org/ or call (516) 679-TOYS

8:53AM | comments: 1

The A-Team

We're wrapping up TV Theme Song Week on the PIX Morning News with our remake of the opening sequence to the classic TV show The A-Team. Yes I'm a plant or a tree whatever you want to call it! I don't get it either! And out of all the trees/plants to be why does this look like Cannabis? LOL

Special thanks to our viewers for making TV Theme Song Week a success!

I hope we do more! I think we should do 3's company, Married with Children, Saved by the Bell...what do you think?

8:15AM

The Jeffersons

We are continuing our TV Theme Song Week on the PIX Morning News and we recreated the opening to the classic TV show The Jeffersons.

Tune in same time tomorrow because we've remade another classic TV show opening. Here's a hint... think undercover and black-ops.

And if you have a favorite theme, leave a message here, post it on our Facebook page or Tweet us and we'll try to play it.


9:37PM

The Golden Guys!

Yep its true the guys of PIX dressed up as ladies ...check it out!



9:55AM | comments: 2

PIX TV Theme Song Week!

We're remaking classic TV theme songs PIX style. Did you fancy the jingle to The Brady Bunch or were the Dukes of Hazzard more your speed? This is TV Theme Song week, so we want to know what your favorite TV Theme Song is?

Check out the ladies of the PIX Morning News as we recreate The Facts Of Life opening.

Tune in same time tomorrow because we've remade another classic TV show opening. Here's a hint..."thank you for being a friend."

And if you have a favorite theme, leave a message here, post it on my Facebook page or Tweet me and we'll try to play it.


Now here are the pics...Which one do you like the best? Let me guess LOL The guys are a riot, wait till you see them tomorrow!


jilltooty.jpg
Jill as "Tootie"

jillsuki.jpg
Suki as "Mrs Garrett"

jilltamsen.jpg
Tamsen as "Natalie"

jilltamsen44.jpg


Tootie and Natalie

guys.jpg
The PIXIES LOL

11:19AM | comments: 5

Celebrity Sports Night @ Abilities

Last night I attended Celebrity Sports night @ Abilities in Albertson, Long Island. Darryl Strawberry was honored and he actually helped me raise money during our live auction. Celebrities on hand included John Dockery, John Franco, Sara Hughs, Oksana Baiul, Rod Gilbert, my old NY Islander buddies Clark Gillies, Bobby Nystrom and so many more! Fellow newscasters on hand were Ken Alpert, Len Berman, Alexis Christoforous & Barry Landers.

The night was such a success! We raised over 600k which of course benefits those with disabilties. Please log on to www.abilitiesonline.org to learn more and please make a donation!


DSC03420.JPG

Rod Gilbert NY Rangers


DSC03427.JPG

Clark Gillies NY Islanders

DSC03421.JPG

Oksana Baiul

DSC03431.JPG


Bobby Nystrom NY Islanders

DSC03423.JPG

Darryl Strawberry

DSC03425.JPG

John Franco & my bff/shooter Tony Mazza


DSC03430.JPG

The News Crew


DSC03433.JPG


Sara Hughs


DSC03434.JPG

I got my own name pole LOL


Special thanks to Larry Sragow (Director of Sponsorship Sales at Live Nation, Theatre at Westbury) for getting me involved and of course Lauren McGowan (Associate Vice President Director of Development Abilities).

DSC03450.JPG

DSC03443.JPG

DSC03440.JPG


DSC03447.JPG


DSC03442.JPG


DSC03452.JPG


DSC03441.JPG


DSC03451.JPG

12:31PM | comments: 3

Weather Day @ Citifield!

JillLindaGWeatherdaycitifield.jpg

8:23AM | comments: 5

8th Annual Commissions For Charity Day

Photo Credit: Johnny Angelillo
jillreggimjfredo.jpg

Michael J. Fox, Reggie Jackson, myself and a wonderful little boy


8th Annual Commissions For Charity Day
May 6, 2010 - BTIG


The other day I was invited to attend the 8th Commissions for Charity Day @ BTIG here in NYC-Matt Dillon, Michael J. Fox , Reggie Jackson, Joe Girardi and many other celebs were on hand to participate as Celebrity Traders

BTIG LLC, an institutional broker dealer specializing in trading and related brokerage services, will donate equity, fixed income and derivative trading commission profits earned on Thursday, May 6 to a group children's charities.
The firm's last Commissions for Charity Day raised more than $3 million, and over the past five years BTIG has donated more than $10 million to various organizations, including Jacob's Cure, Catch 25, The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research and St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital.

BTIG, in conjunction with its clients, has selected several nonprofit organizations that deal with important issues facing children to receive the firm's equity, fixed income and derivative commission profits earned on May 6. The nonprofit organizations below are a sampling of those that have been designated to participate in Commissions for Charity Day:
• A Little HOPE - www.alittlehope.org • All Stars Helping Kids - www.allstarshelpingkids.org • Autism Speaks - www.autismspeaks.org • Children of Fallen Patriots - www.fallenpatriots.org • Deafness Research Foundation - www.drf.org • G.O.A.L (Giving Open Access to Learning) - www.goal4kids.org • Make a Wish - www.wish.org • Project Sunshine - www.projectsunshine.org • Say Yes to Education, Inc. - www.sayyestoeducation.org • The Robin Hood Foundation - www.robinhood.org • The Sallie Foundation - www.teenscreen.org • The Starlight Children's Foundation - www.starlight.org • Tomorrows Children's Fund - www.atcfkid.com


jillreggsignballredo.jpg

Reggie & Jill signing autographs(how cool is this? People want my autograph when Im standing with Reggie...surreal!)

jillregguywhoredo.jpg


jillreggiecharitytrade.JPG

Jill & Reggie Jackson

jillregredoallan.jpg

Jill & Allan Houston

"Our Commissions for Charity Day increases in popularity each year with more celebrities in attendance and more of our clients significantly increasing their trading volumes to support our chosen charities," said Steven Starker, Co-founder of BTIG. "We are thrilled to be able to partner with these organizations and make such significant donations to help them continue with their important work to support children around the globe."

"It is very gratifying for me and the whole BTIG team that we can make a real difference to these charitable organizations through our day-to-day jobs," said Scott Kovalik, Co-founder of BTIG. "We are very grateful to our clients for supporting our Commissions for Charity Day for so many years and look forward to making our 8th annual event the biggest and best yet."

2:04PM | comments: 6

Bring your Daughter to work Day @ the NY POST !

jilldadpaper.jpg

How would one describe my father?

A character, the mayor, hysterical, funny, a comedian, a moron(well that's what mom would say) Dad is definitely one of a kind! He definitely is unique and has earned a few nicknames. Kids have called him The Hairy Man, his co-workers call him Chief Broken-back and I like to call him SPEEDO MAN! Yep! That's what dad wears in the summer time. We have flown over his house in Air-11 and have watched him cannonball into the pool. He made sure to even flex for us. Hes favorite nickname is Celebrity Dad. He loves when I put him on tv (yes , I put up plenty of pictures of him in his speedos ) and even enjoys when Linda Church banters about him. He is also known as my PR guy He at least thinks so. This man calls me at least 5 times every morning to tell me what Im wearing looks good, or dost and f I should change my hair or jewelry I must say he is very observant of our whole crew and all of our guests. Believe it or not I take my Dads advice@ (I never thought I would say that but he is a viewer. And really is unbiased. There have been days he has said to me I look like crap! or that interview wasn't good, etc..so he is one smart cookie and definitely knows his stuff.

What's cool is that we are in the same business. Yep! Media :) My whole family actually. How cool is this,..there are not too many people who can say I worked in techs same building in NYC as my grandfather, father and uncles...I can! PIX is in the former Daily News building on 42nd streetand well the Nicolini family roots trace back to the El Diario , Daily News and NYpost..so its in my blood! When I walk into work every morning at 3:45 am I always think Wow , my grandpa and Dad used to walk through these same (heavy) doors! Its a little bit of a legacy and I am proud to be a Nicolini!

So at 11pm I decided to visit the NY Post in the Bronx and to help my Daddy load his truck I of course did a lot of socializing with his friends, bosses and fellow routemen! I dont recall the last time I was out until 2;30am! Thats wakeup time usually! LOL

jilldadboss.jpg

Jill & Ross

jilldaddybelmont.jpg

Jill & Bobby Belmont

jilldaddynyposttruck.jpg

Dads NY Post truck

jilldadmike.jpg

Dad and Michael loading the truck

jilldadplant.jpg

NY Post Plant

jilldadspibno.jpg

Charlie Pino and I(Dads longtime friend &my new bff)

11:04AM | comments: 41

100k Cash Grab Giveaway!

Watch the PIX News at Ten Thursday and Friday!

jillcashgrab.jpg

Money , Money , Money, Money!!! Look at me laying in 100k! SWEEEET!


jillcash.jpg

Lakeba Hairston of the Bronx will be grabbing as much cash as she can from our Secret Vault!

jillnj.jpg


Also today we had the cast of Jerseylicious on and they made Linda and I over LOL

More to come in bit...gotta get some sleep before I head back to work! :)

Good am eberyone..I;m back :) It's Friday morning and last night was so much fun! Lakeeba did a great job and I think grabbed even more cash than last weeks winner! We'll have to wait and see tonight , so make sure you tune into the PIX News at 10 once again.

Now the cool news os that YOU STILL HAVE A CHANCE TO WIN TOO! Log on to wpix.com and entwr to qualify! If you are chosen and guessteh amount that Lakeeba grabbed, we will give you the same amount of cash!

So honestly, I'm exhausted! I was up unti 12:30am and awoke at 3:30 whoo can;t wait to get some sleep, but I will be seeing you all later on the PIX News at 10! Don;t forget to tune in or if your not home DVR!

Here are some more pics from last night!

4:58PM | comments: 15

I finally made it to the new Yankee Stadium!

jillmets.jpg

Yes everyone these were good seats...did I mention this was right next to Jeters suite?

jillmetsuite.jpg

Suite 17, not so bad! All food and drinks and the best Yankee Vanilla Ice Cream with colored sprinkles!

jillsuite2.jpg

Look! Everyone was in their glory!

yankkee.jpg

Nice view from Suite 17

jillreggioe.jpg

But the best part by far was my good friend Mr October himself..yep! Reggie Jackson showed up to hang with us! I love this man! As always great conversation and I respect him tremendously ;)

yankereggiecrowd.jpg

Look how excited everyone was to meet him :) This makes me so happy. The fact that he is always so willing to go above and beyond for his fans , really says a lot about who is he as a person!

DSC03263.JPG

More smiles to be in this legends presence!

Ok so next time, I am eating at the NYY Steakhouse Citifield which I also love!
ok heres one more shot of he field...you want to know the score of the game? Dont ask me tume into ESPN I go for the soial aspect of it all! I even left early...remember I get up at 3am !


Please share with me your Yankee Stadium experiences and any suggestions on where I should go next time? Hey do they have Carvel? I know Citifield does!

yankkee.jpg

Looking forward to hearing from you all :) xo

8:26AM | comments: 7

Is Chucky my "Back-up Plan?

jillbackup.bmp

Have you heard about the new movie "The Back-up Plan" starring Jennifer Lopez and Alex O'Loughlin?

The Back-up Plan is a comedy that explores dating, love, marriage and family in reverse.
After years of dating, Zoe (Jennifer Lopez) has decided waiting for the right one is taking too long. Determined to become a mother, she commits to a plan, makes an appointment and decides to go it alone. Yep, she made a visit to the sperm bank! That same day, Zoe meets Stan (Alex OLoughlin) a man with real possibilities. The real pregnancy test comes when both of them realize they really don't know each other outside of hormonal chaos and birth preparations. With the nine month clock ticking, both begin to experience cold feet. Anyone can fall in love, get married and have a baby but doing it backwards in hyper-drive could be proof positive that they were made for each other.

Now take a look at the picture above. You will see Staten Island Chuck and myself in front of a billboard on 42nd street. Now take a closer look. You will see that that Staten Island Chuck and I have our names in this billboard! (Thanks to Wayne Westerfield, our graphics artist here at PIX) For those of you who don't know who Staten Island Chuck is, please allow me to explain. He is our Senior Writer here at PIX. He may is better known for his dance moves, newsroom teases and of course for carrying my pink suitcase everyday! (well on-air only, he dosnt anymore in real life!)

Most importantly Chucky D'Amodio is my best friend! It all dates back to November 12, 2001. I just started a new job at News 12 Long Island and I was with my co-workers (including PIX's Thalia Patillo, yes we worked together way back when!) training in a conference room. This happened to be the day that American Airlines Flight 587 took off from JFK Airport, heading to the Dominican Republic and crashed into Belle Harbor. It was a very somber morning to say the least, especially since the September 11 attacks were so recent. I was walking in the hallway (this part is hard for me to describe since the exact details are a bit vague, I'd like to put on the record that Chucky describes our first encounter best!) when I walked past a man, well he looked more like a young boy, I think I may have said "HI" first. I put "HI" in CAPS because that is how Chucky imitates my high pitched voice. From that moment on (yes just like the Shania Twain Song, From This Moment On) Chucky and I have shared a special bond.

It wasn't until 2005 when I started my job at PIX that I would run into Chucky again. I actually was shooting a Feature "Just Jill" series with the NY Mets at Shea Stadium when I met a very special person. I was on the field with Tony Mazza (my cameraman) shooting my groundskeeper piece when I was introduced to a sweet man Named Charlie. Charlie, who is the head supervisor on the field, mentioned that his son is a writer at the WB (Yes this was before CW and now obviously we are now PIX, we like change here! ) I didn't know his son, or so I thought, until one day I came back to the station (at this time I used to fly in Air-11 which was based in NJ, so I didn't make it into the studio everyday! ). So we officially meet again and then it took another let's say three years for Chucky to actually start talking to me., Every time I came into work he would look at me quickly then turn away. He was sooo shy! I'm serious it was as if he was scared of me! Am I really that intimidating? Gosh I'm "Just Jill" people, I hope you realize this by now :)

It's now been a year that Chucky and I officially talk! LOL Like I mentioned in yesterday's blog, he actually "touched" me. Yep he touched my shoulder at his cousin's wedding! Yee-haw! Chucky is a bit slow, but in a respectful, cute shy kind of way. We officially bonded last Spring when he began walking me to the Harvard Club here in NYC. This is where work out (gosh its been awhile to be honest due to some medical ailments the past 8 months) but I went faithfully almost every weekday to workout with friend and trainer Mark Rodino who is the athletic manager there. During our walk from 42nd and 3rd to 44th between 5th and 6th, we really began to bond. Yes everyone he would wheel my suitcase for me, how sweet. There aren't too many men out there who would be so kind, let alone wheel a pink suitcase. You have to be truly confident and secure..like I said he's always a gentleman! Wait until I tell you what he did for me on St. Patty's Day! It'I am thankful to have a best friend like Chucky..I say everyone needs a Chucky! Someone you can share your thoughts, secrets, dating ups and downs and just talk about anything with, without ever being judged! He is a true friend and I know he'd say the same about me. Let's see if he comments on this blog, he never does :( You better Chuck-a-latte! LOL Speaking of lattes I'm in the mood for Starbucks!

Do you want to meet us? Every year we have "Weather Day" at Citifield where kids from local schools come to an afternoon METS game. Linda Church and Mr. G put on a great weather show and we all hang out on the field. By the way this year it's May 12th, most of the PIX crew will be there so come on out and join us!

Sorry for the digression, but there is sooo much more to write about my BFF Chucky, in due time I'll write more, my hands hurt! Don't forget to check out my facebook page for our Citifield video! And of course please go to www.youtube.com and search Staten Island chuck and Jill Nicolini for some great videos !

In regard to the picture of us above in the"The Back-up Plan..." (have you seen the movie yet?) everyone here at PIX loves teasing us and thinks when we both finish sowing our wild oats well be together. Let me make this clear. Chucky is no "back-up plan!" He is a great man who deserves to be number one, no back-up! But everyone still loves to mess with him and say that he is :)

www.theback-upplan.com



Jill Nicolini is the Traffic Reporter for PIX Morning News, where she can be seen covering the traffic every Monday through Friday, between 5 and 9 am. Jill can also be seen delivering her "Just Jill" feature reports and filling-in as the Entertainment Anchor.

Jill started her broadcasting career in radio. While a student at Stony Brook University, she was hired in WBLI Radio's Promotions Department and was later promoted to a position as an on-air personality.

After receiving her MBA in Communications Arts with honors from The New York Institute of Technology, Jill began reporting for LI News Tonight in 2000.

In 2001, Jill became the arena announcer for the New York Islanders. That same year, Jill was hired as an on-camera traffic reporter at Long Island's Metro Traffic and Weather Channel. During this time she also filled in at News 12 Long Island as the Traffic Reporter and news gatherer for LI, NYC, NJ, CT, and Westchester.

In 2004, Jill joined PIX Morning News as the traffic reporter.

With over 60 piloting hours in a Cessna 172, Jill is on her way to completing her pilot's license. When she is not flying over the Tri-State Area, she enjoys rollerblading, ice-skating and dancing. An animal lover, Jill volunteers at the North Shore Animal League. In addition, she is involved with several Long Island charities, including: John Theissen's Children's Foundation, The American Red Cross Suffolk County Chapter, the Alliance for Lupus Research, the Arthritis Foundation and the Caroline Baldwin Breast Cancer Foundation.

   

Copyright © 2010 Tribune Interactive
By visiting this site, you are agreeing to our Privacy Policy & Terms of Service.