Posted on 01/27/2007 4:24:26 PM PST by marthemaria
KERRY O'BRIEN: What does Bindi Irwin have in common with Winston Churchill, Indira Gandhi and Nelson Mandela? Answer: Washington's National Press Club. She's only eight years old but, for the past fortnight, Bindi Irwin has spearheaded a quite staggering publicity blitz across America, selling the virtues of the land down under. From Hollywood to the Big Apple, the Bindi Irwin bandwagon relentlessly sang, danced and charmed everyone from fans to television talk show hosts. The final stop for the charismatic daughter of the late Crocodile Hunter Steve Irwin was the national capital. Tracy Bowden reports on the Bindi phenomenon.
TRACY BOWDEN: Washington DC, the US capital and the political powerhouse of the nation. Home to the National Press Club, and a podium normally reserved for business leaders, politicians and foreign diplomats.
BINDI IRWIN: G'day, I'm Bindi Irwin.
TRACY BOWDEN: Today the special guest is an eight year old girl from Australia with her mum by her side, sounding a lot like her dad.
BINDI IRWIN: I don't want to grow up in a world without wildlife. That's why we must do something now to help save their homes.
TERRI IRWIN: He had a drive and passion to do everything straight away. It was my honour to be there hanging onto the other side of a thrashing crocodile or holding the bag for a huge whipping snake.
TRACY BOWDEN: The event was broadcast live on networks across America as Terri Irwin and her daughter addressed the gathering in the National Press Club ballroom.
JERRY ZREMSKI, PRESIDENT, NATIONAL PRESS CLUB: They certainly are a little different. We have never had an eight year old girl speak at the National Press Club, as far as I know. I can never remember anyone close to being that young. And the topic too is certainly sort of different.
BINDI IRWIN: I can see everybody. Hello, world.
TRACY BOWDEN: As the smallest star of the G'day USA tourism promotion, Bindi Irwin is wrapping up a whirlwind tour of the United States.
INTERVIEWER: You're always so happy, you're upbeat, you're enthusiastic, how do you do it?
BINDI IRWIN: I'm just being myself. I'm myself and that's all I'm - well, all I am. I don't act, I'm just myself.
INTERVIEWER: What do you do on the show?
TRACY BOWDEN: Over the past 10 days the junior conservationist has confronted a different kind of wildlife, that potentially dangerous unpredictable creature – the American talk show host.
INTERVIEWER: What kind of songs do you sing?
BINDI IRWIN: I sing kind of songs, active kind of songs all about animals.
TRACY BOWDEN: Inevitably everyone has wanted to talk to the little girl about her father Steve Irwin, who died last September.
BINDI IRWIN: I have good days and bad days. Sometimes it brings back memories and it's really nice and some days I just cry straight off.
STEVE IRWIN: These spitting cobras, they're highly venomous.
MATTHEW FELLING, CENTRE FOR MEDIA AND PUBLIC AFFAIRS: Not only was Steve Irwin the ambassador to the animal kingdom to a lot of Americans, but he was actually the foremost ambassador to Australia. He was the face of what we thought of when we thought of Australians.
TRACY BOWDEN: Media analyst Matthew Felling says he isn't surprised by the enthusiasm of the American public for the Crocodile Hunter's family.
MATTHEW FELLING: I think grieving with his family is part of the grieving process for the American media public and it's a way of reaching closure in a way that we wouldn't do otherwise. We specially want to know the little girl, especially a little girl who shares so many traits with him, because he's obviously very placed a mantle, passed along to her a love of the animal kingdom and a friendliness that she can convey with her, and a child star is born.
WENDY DOUGLAS, EXECUTIVE PRODUCER, DISCOVERY NETWORK: I think we get really excited about them because they're so natural, they're so passionate, they're so enthusiastic just like Steve and we love that.
TRACY BOWDEN: The Discovery Network's Wendy Douglas has worked with the Irwins for close to a decade and is travelling with them on this hectic visit to the US.
TRACY BOWDEN: You've no doubt heard some people express concern about whether it's too much for a little girl who lost her dad five months ago; you've been watching her, what would you say?
WENDY DOUGLAS: I think she's doing great. She's fine. You know, this is truly what Bindi wants to do and I really hope that people, you know, hear that when I say that and when other people say that who know her and who are close to her, she's having the time of her life because she does want to share with people singing and dancing about animals and about respecting them and endangered species and why we have to pay attention to. That that's what she really, truly loves doing.
TRACY BOWDEN: It was Terri Irwin who struggled as she spoke about what she considers her late husband's greatest role.
TERRI IRWIN: If he was to be remembered for one thing and one thing only – sorry, Bindi, I'm going to need you to whack me – then it should be that he was the best dad.
TRACY BOWDEN: The Irwins' visit coincides with the US airing of the documentary Steve Irwin was working on when he died 'Ocean's Deadliest' and Bindi Irwin's new series, 'Bindi the Jungle Girl', is due to air in the US later in the year. Today, it seems, she's snared a few more fans.
JERRY ZREMSKI: We do have a lot of politicians here, a lot of world leaders, a lot of chief executive officers, but I could tell from the reaction in the audience that our audience was enjoying this probably as much if not more than any luncheon we've had that I've attended in the past year.
TRACY BOWDEN: Bindi Irwin is a straight talker, just like her father, and she also knows how to play to an audience. That was clear when she was asked her preference TV reporters or poisonous snakes.
BINDI IRWIN: OK, I really don't want to offend anyone but, um I really
INTERVIEWER: This ought to be good.
BINDI IRWIN: OK, so please nobody be offended.
INTERVIEWER: We've got that. We're not offended.
BINDI IRWIN: OK, good. I think I like poisonous snakes.
INTERVIEWER: I'm not surprised.
BINDI IRWIN: I really like poisonous snakes.
KERRY O'BRIEN: Tracy Bowden on the globalisation of Bindi Irwin.
It seems that she's learned early that there are a lot of easily offended idiots in the world.
First Elizabeth Taylor comes out for Hillary and now it looks like they got to Bindi.
ping
Bindi Bump!
Of course she probably meet with Hill Beast because possibity POSSIBITY Freepers she might be our next US President she probably meet with Republican guys
She's terrific.
As a transcript though, it's hard to follow, they don't seem to be having the same conversation much of the time!
Thanks for the ping!
She talks just as fast as her daddy did; that's part of the problem! Who can keep up, especially with adults interjection their opinion of what she's saying.......LOL.
Is that a recent picture of Terri? I hope so, it's good to see her smiling that big. Last time I saw her, she was still pretty crushed.
That must be it... did you see it on TV?
Yes, I did. It was very good and very sad at the same time.
Pardon me, but my $0.02 = BFD!
This obvious watching his daughter.
I would have loved to see this - I'm sorry I missed it.
She is a very sweet little girl. I saw a little bit of her at the National Press Club and it was good to see her smile and have a bit of fun.
Seriously, why the hell do you people feel compelled to do that? If you have no interest in an article, what is so difficult about the concept of shutting up and moving along to something that does interest you?
Same here.
I watched the Press Club coverage and I tried to catch as many appearances as I could of the Irwins. Bindi was genuine and charismatic and absolutely adorable! She looked like she was so excited to be spreading her daddy's and her message.
Thank you for the ping. She is an extraordinary speaker for her age. I watched her on TV and was amazed.
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