METHUEN - When Louann Santos answered the phone Tuesday night, she almost fainted when she heard talk show host Ellen DeGeneres' voice on the other end of the line.
"I started screaming. I just couldn't believe it," Santos said.
The call could only have been better had Tom Brady, Tedy Bruschi or Randy Moss been calling.
Santos, 30, a die-hard New England Patriots fan, is taking her love for the local team national. Selected from thousands of contestants, she will profess her undying affection for the team today as she competes for a VIP Super Bowl ticket on "The Ellen DeGeneres Show." She flew to Hollywood yesterday to tape the show today. It will air tomorrow on channels 5 and 9 at 9 a.m.
"I'm just dying here," she said as she readied for the trip.
A newlywed, Santos is among two Patriots and two New York Giants fans competing for a pair of coveted VIP tickets. If she wins, she'll go to the Super Bowl with the winning Giants fan.
"That's the joke. I'll have to sit with the Giants fan. Bunk with the Giants fan. Eat with the Giants fan. Everything," she said. "I'm just still in shock. I can't believe it."
A Comcast cable worker in North Reading, Santos has been a fan of DeGeneres since her days working second shift. She'd catch the show as she was getting ready for work. Now, working days, she tapes the show to watch at night.
"She's hysterical. What's better than making people laugh on a daily basis?" Santos asked.
Santos' love affair with the Patriots dates back 25 years. An only child, she began watching football with her dad. Today, she doesn't miss a game, has a Patriots' tattoo on her shoulder and her license plate reads "Pats 12." Her e-mail address is "Patsgirl" and her wedding in November had a Patriots theme. She even wore a Patriots garter under her wedding dress.
"Everything has the Patriots," she said.
DeGeneres told Santos to pack enough clothes to last her until next Tuesday, including nice outfits for parties and events. But Santos must be back in the Merrimack Valley by Wednesday. That's the day she and her husband, Greg, leave for their honeymoon in Hawaii.
"We're going to Hawaii to watch the Pro Bowl," she said, chuckling.
