ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Saturday, December 7, 1996 TAG: 9612090020
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: A-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: JEFF STURGEON STAFF WRITER
WHEN LAMAR ALEXANDER came to town and needed a touch-up before a TV taping, a Roanoke Valley store's makeup artist stepped in.
Trisha Jones is turned off by politicians, but right when she had a chance to give one an earful the other day, she gave him a new face instead. And she said she was quite polite about it.
Jones is a department store cosmetologist. And now she is a cosmetologist to a political stars.
Lamar Alexander, the 50ish Republican and former Tennessee governor who ran for president, needed makeup for an early-morning appearance Thursday at Roanoke's public television station, WBRA. The station does not employ a makeup artist or keep many cosmetics around, and this put station personnel in a pinch.
Jim Hammerstrom, station producer and director, told colleagues: ``If it comes down to it, I'll do it, but I don't know what I am doing.''
Bob Denton, on whose talk show Alexander appeared, also had reservations.
``There I would be, trying to put up makeup on Lamar Alexander. Men putting makeup on other men?''
Denton first learned of the makeup request from Alexander's aides 15 1/2 hours before the scheduled taping of his talk show, ``At Issue,'' late Wednesday afternoon. He called around for help, ending up on the line with the cosmetics counter at Leggett at Tanglewood Mall in Roanoke.
``I have a strange request,'' he told them.
The store readily agreed to help, he said.
Jones, 31, a staff cosmetologist, got the nod. She went into it thinking Alexander probably would need touching up - anybody would to go on television. First thing in the morning, ``unless you get up and do a 10-mile run, you're very pale under all those bright lights,'' she said. Under a television camera's scrutiny, puffy eyes appear to bulge, freckles masquerade as pimples and bald spots gleam.
Denton said that both male and female television news anchors routinely spread colors, lotions and powders on their faces. Big TV stations employ makeup crews; at smaller stations, the on-air personalities do it themselves. Denton said he does his own makeup for his show.
The whole issue of makeup is ``interesting,'' he said, in terms of ``those who will allow themselves to be made up and those who won't.''
Denton said Oliver North, before appearing on his talk show, told him: ``I don't want anything on my face.'' When George Allen was a gubernatorial candidate and a guest, ``he wasn't crazy about it, but we talked him into it,'' Denton said. ``I powdered him down a little bit.''
Jones said the un-madeup Alexander ``looked fine. He really didn't need much of anything. I spent maybe 10 minutes.'' All it took was a coating of moisturizer and a smear of anti-puffiness cream around each eye.
For not charging Alexander, Leggett will get a mention in the credits when the segment airs at 6 p.m. Dec. 29.
As she dabbed and rubbed, she asked him where he lived, but she didn't get into politics. Nor was she star-struck.
``To me, it's no big deal. I've bartended and done a lot of private parties,'' she said. Through that work, she has met many people in the public eye. ``I've waited on The Turtles before. Liza Minnelli, when I lived in New York. Julie Andrews. Richard Dreyfuss.
``They're just people. We're all people.''
LENGTH: Medium: 68 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: ROGER HART/Staff. 1. Trisha Jones of the Tanglewood Mallby CNBLeggett said Lamar Alexander needed very little makeup before going
on television this week. 2. (headshot) Alexander. color.