Fred's FAQ

First of all, let me be very clear. I enjoy answering questions and don't mind a bit when people wonder about things when I see them out in public. I say, ask away.

However, I get some so frequently, I thought I'd go ahead and give you blog readers some of the answers to questions you may have on your mind. Or maybe not.

Question: What time do you wake up to go to work on Daybreak?
Answer: Nothing gets a groan like when I admit I have two alarms set to go off at 2:15am. One alarm runs on batteries and the other is electric. And there's a standing order with our producers to call me if I don't show up by 3:40am. I could still make it to the set in time to start the show at 5:00am in that worst-case oversleeping scenario.

Question: How do you wake up at 2:15am?
Answer: Not with much grace, but it feels nice to end my work day just after 12:30pm. I especially enjoy that feeling on Fridays.

Question: Do you do much writing for the show?
Answer: I write the whole thing.

Question: All right smart guy, answer the question.
Answer: I hate it when rhetorical questions get so cranky. I write a few stories and rewrite some others to fit my style. We have two to three producers who do all the heavy lifting and put together the other 98.5% of the show. They make us look good, so we can steal the credit.

Question: Who is Jimmy?
Answer: You mean the off-camera Question of the Day answer guy? The master of the Kiss of Death to a prospective answer to the Question of the Day? The K.O.D. to the Q.O.T.Day?

I know, I shouldn't answer a question with a question(s).

Jimmy is kind of like that cool uncle we all had, but you don't want him to visit too frequently. He hasn't been the same since he taken out on the sidelines by a tight end while shooting video of a Furman vs. Appalachian State football game in the early 1990s.

Question: Will we ever see Jimmy?
Answer: No. He's kind of like a vampire. Dracula can't be seen in a mirror and Jimmy doesn't show up on TV cameras.

Question: What is Superman's mother's maiden name?
Answer: Clark. Thus the name of Superman's secret identity, Clark Kent.

Actual Question: Why are you so bad at answering Question of the Day?
Answer: I don't know and with Duke owning three football victories as of this writing, it looks like I'll finish behind the Blue Devils in wins.

Question: What happened to your hair?
Answer: It didn't recede, it retreated.