allaboutwomen

Nancy O'Dell O'Dell joins Entertainment Tonight as a special correspondent beginning today, and she's sharing some of her thoughts about her first big day on the job in a video blog.

"2011 seems like it's a very significant year in my life, especially career-wise," says Nancy. "When I was driving into work today, I didn't think I'd be nervous, but I really was a little bit nervous even though I met everybody and I've been on the set and it already feels like home -- but I was like, 'This is it, I'm starting at Entertainment Tonight,' so it feels like such a big day."

Nancy watched ET when it first launched back in 1981, and she reflects, "I remember thinking, 'That is the coolest, coolest show, and that must be a great job,' and to actually be here today is so wild. I remember watching Mary on the air … thinking, 'What a classy, beautiful lady,' and I'm so thrilled because this is her year. … I'm so excited that I get to be a part of her big celebration. It's just an honor to be part of Entertainment Tonight, because it is the show that started it all."

Nancy's first assignment was to interview Oprah, who launched her new OWN network on the first of the year. "I think it's very apropos that my first Entertainment Tonight exclusive is with Oprah, because it's two of my big dreams coming true," says Nancy. "To put them together, and the fact that she is my first interview, is just amazing."

On top of all the excitement, fans of Nancy and ET have been reaching out on Facebook and Twitter with warm wishes and comments, and Nancy responds, "The amount of people that have reached out, and the wonderful things they have said, have meant so much to me. … It's just a great affirmation. … It was just this wonderful, wonderful feeling of, 'This is right.'"