For all of us struggling young chickadees who have ever gotten down on ourselves, it may come as some surprise that Meredith Vieira was once told that she didn’t “have what it takes.” I found out this tidbit from Today’s newest “It” Lady at Newsweek’s second annual Women & Leadership Conference this past Tuesday. Vieira patted my shoulder as she told me, in the way that only a super-successful person can, to be true to myself day after day and not to give up on “the things that make you you.” Noted, Ms. Vieira. Noted indeed.

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Here it is. The grand finale of the New York Television Festival. The premiere of Fox’s hostage negotiator show Standoff will be screened in a few minutes, and I’m downstairs within striking distance of Ron Livingston when I begin to envision my own hostage scenario. Do I go all out (or balls out, as it were) and make a grab for Livingston’s goods? Would he talk me down, or would a mini-army of SWAT teamers and PR flacks jump me? I’ll leave the possibilities open and let you all draw up your own crisis management plans.

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Lola’s continued coverage of New York Television Festival:

A creamy yogurt bath any time you need it. A manservant always prepared to offer his head for a swiftly kicked soccer ball. An entire room full of colorful, pimptastic hats. According to ABC’s upcoming fall comedy The Knights of Prosperity, these pleasures and more could all be yours if you were Mick Jagger. On the other hand, if you, like the loveable losers who form the Knights, live by more modest means - driving a yellow cab, plumbing Queens toilets or getting axed from your first internship - wouldn’t you be willing to risk it all to rob a rock god?

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My little black dress flapping in the breeze and turquoise mother-of-pearl earrings jangling seductively, I stood there on the red carpet and gave Delroy Lindo a chance to soak up my infectious personality. “We’ll keep this light,” I said, thinking,”Surely, he’s tired of talking about his new show.” He responded with an unimpressed “We’ll see how far that goes.”

It seems that Delroy and gonzo journalism don’t mix. When I attended the New York Television Festival opening gala premiere of NBC’s Kidnapped, thinking I would rock the zany questions Ryan Pinkston-on-Punk’d-style and give the stars a refreshing break from the serious reportage of Us Weekly and Access Hollywood, boy, was I wrong.

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After watching a contortionist try to fit himself in a 16-inch cube, a mustached nebbish free himself from wrist constraints in 1.47 seconds and a man eat a GE lightbulb, I was roped into an exit interview. I told the interviewer, one of seven magicians convened at Fantasma Magic, “I’ve never seen anything like this before!” Without missing a beat, he exclaimed, “Well, I’ve never seen anything like this before” while pulling out the top of my shirt and taking a gander at the girls. End of interview.

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A white picket fence and pristinely sculpted topiaries are the last thing I expect to see as I tromp down 14th Street. Nonetheless, they are the welcoming adornments that face visitors to month-old restaurant Gin Lane. Blending in with the topiaries was the Afro of a bow-tied door man (one of two permanent gatekeepers) who immediately gave me the once-over and asked if I had a reservation. Yes I do, thank you very much, and I hope you enjoyed the eyeful because I look hot tonight!

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