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Bay News 9 Morning Anchor Takes Steps Toward Furthering Career As Entrepreneur

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By WALT BELCHER The Tampa Tribune

Published: July 3, 2008

It took a while for Jen Holloway's workout invention to become enough of a success for her to be able to check out of Bay News 9 as the morning anchor.

Her Workout 180, a variation of those step-aerobic exercise devices, was developed more than a year ago as part of a PBS series about inventors, "Everyday Edisons." She first auditioned for the show in 2005 at an open casting call held at WEDU, Channel 3.

Holloway, a former beauty queen from Georgia, was selected from hundreds of people who had come up with all sorts of gadgets and ideas. The series, which debuted last summer, took the inventors and their raw ideas through all the development stages from concept to finished product.

The 180 device went on sale in late 2007 and has since become a hit on the fitness market (for information, go to www.workout180.com).

Holloway is one of the original on-air talents at the 24-hour cable news network Bay News 9. She has been there more than a decade.

She couldn't be reached for comment Wednesday, but earlier this year she told me that she was excited about her future as an entrepreneur. She said she was ready for a career change.

In an interview Wednesday with WSUN, 97.1 FM, she said she would remain with Bay News 9 until the end of the year. She also is negotiating with Bright House Networks, the cable company that owns Bay News 9, about a locally produced show.

Holloway, 37, is a fitness fanatic who keeps in shape by working out. Her 180 came about as the result of getting bored during her workouts and wanting a different way to exercise.

BEING BLONDE: Among the reality shows this summer in which people are desperately seeking to be chefs, hairstylists or hosts of interior decorating or food shows is a competition to find a Broadway star.

MTV is where you will find "Legally Blonde the Musical: The Search for Elle Woods," a competition to find an actress for the role made famous by Reese Witherspoon in a 2001 movie.

That's right, Broadway is so bankrupt for creative ideas that it turns to Hollywood for inspiration. I can't wait for "Wedding Crashers: The Musical."

"Legally Blonde" already is playing on Broadway, and it has been doing pretty good at the box office ever since the MTV series started in June.

The cast album sales have topped 100,000, and kids are gobbling up merchandise such as hats, sweatshirts and pants via Web sales. The play opened in April and was nominated for seven Tony awards.

"Legally Blonde," about a spunky blonde who becomes a legal whiz, features songs such as "Ohmigod You Guys" with such lyrics as "I'm gonna cry./I got tears coming out my nose./Mad props!/He's the campus catch/You're a perfect match/Cause you both got such great taste in clothes."

The current star, Laura Bell Bundy, will leave the Broadway production on July 20. Her departure opens the door for the winner of MTV's reality show.

The winner will be announced in the show's July 21 finale, with the new Elle Woods taking her place center stage at the Palace Theatre beginning July 23.

Supposedly, thousands auditioned. The hopefuls were narrowed to 50 and then to 10. There have been five episodes (Mondays at 10 p.m.), so there are five actresses left.

MTV has had better luck with "Legally Blonde" than NBC did when it tried to cast a revival of "Grease" with a reality competition last season.

"Legally Blonde" is scheduled to play Clearwater's Ruth Eckerd Hall in April.

TUNE IN TONIGHT

Smoking Gun Presents: World's Dumbest Criminals, 9 p.m., truTV

The title says it all. The Web site, famous for celebrity mug shots and more, showcases clips of criminals doing stupid things.

Frank Sinatra: The Man and the Myth, 10 p.m., WEDU, Channel 3

You can't have too much Sinatra. This biography follows his career from teen idol to swinging icon.

Keith Morelli contributed to this report.

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