In an effort to make Fridays with Franni a more regular feature than the occasional interview, I emailed Franni with a couple of questions. Franni is the wife of Sen. Al Franken (D-MN).
In particular I was wondering how the fundraiser for Al featuring Conan O'Brien went. As you may recall, Franni said this was her "big break." She had the opportunity to once and for all time show who's the funniest one in the family.
I "killed" with Conan but, alas, he didn't hire me for his new show. Oh well, "Hope Springs Eternal," I'll have to work on some new material. Coco was great and so was the crowd. We all got in on the comedy action, especially a young guy named Kevin who riffed with Conan during the Q & A. And, Gloria Finley and Bob Levine, our hosts, really out did themselves, especially with the food from their restaurant, Loring Kitchen and Bar. So BIG FUN and BIG YUM!.
It's Al's birthday. We'll be in Minnesota and I have a few surprises ready for him. Although he knows"Something's up.", I can't say anything else because he reads your blog. Sorry honey, no hints, but" Happy Birthday!"
The final update is about Franken staffer Alan Peterson. Al hired Alana as his MN State Director even before the court ruled in his favor so that he could "hit the ground running" as Senator. She's played an integral role in Al's success as a Senator.
Saturday is BIG, BIG, BIG news. All of Team Franken celebrates again....for Alana Petersen, Al's State Director. She's receiving a DFL Woman of Distinction Award at the annual DFL Women of Distinction luncheon. Alana's been a real trail blazer working behind the scenes for years on behalf of candidates and electeds (Jim Oberstar) and now, for Al. She's smart, funny, and, boy, does she deserve this award. Not just for all her advocacy work but also for all the young women she's mentored and helped put on the path for leadership roles in public policy. She's Al's "Go-TO" person and he is so grateful to have her at his Minnesota helm. And, so am I, because I learn from her everyday.
