timon's screencaps

Michael: You know your fans hate you in pink, right?
Hala: Hehehehehe. Yes.






(watching clips of the previous pic)
Michael: Wow, Hala, pink's not your best color.
Hala: My fans love me anyway.





Michael: I'm just saying...
Hala: You're questioning me? What? What exactly are you saying?





Off camera person: You're losing the title of prettiest CNN anchor to Andrea.
Hala: Say what?






Michael: Told you.
Hala: Oh, like you're the most popular male anchor. Anderson Cooper, anyone?





Hala: Come on, Mike, tell me how you're cuter than Anderson.
Michael: Um... I'm Aussie?





Hala: I saw Anderson on The Colbert Report and he was pretty funny. Than you'll ever be.
Michael: (to himself) I'm cuter, I'm sure of it.





Off-camera person: Guys, you're on air.
Hala/Michael: Oh, hahahaha. We're kidding. Having some laughs.





Hala: And that, kids, is why you never make fun of me wearing pink.

what she's thinking

Hala's black turtleneck, effectively borrowing Steve Jobs' look: "This doesn't need ironing."

Hala with Michael and Mark, delivering the football headline on the Colts' winning streak: "I have no idea what I'm talking about. More importantly, I don't care."

Hala having worked since Thursday and my only making commentary today: "I don't show, she's all whiny. I show up, she takes it for granted. Fan, my..."

Hehe.


A friend of mine noted that for the Chief International Correspondent who's so connected to Middle Eastern affairs, Christiane Amanpour was nowhere to be found during Eye on the MidEast. Huh. Maybe she's finally on vacation.

And, Hala's going to the Hajj again! Who gets the better deal: CNN, who has a pretty face to guarantee viewers, or Hala, who gets to get out of the studio?

I think I'm going to have a new round of Monita envy when she starts that new monthly programme next year. Luxury something.
And what is (was?) Max Foster doing at the New York Stock Exchange?

Eye on Hala, 5

It's a bit late, but wasn't Hala fab last Friday, at Petra?

A virtual hug to Liz/Tina for the caps.

I especially loved Schams Elwazer's segment on the technical difficulties of the crew to broadcast from Petra, and to capture the chapel behind my favorite anchor. I would have wanted to see Hala actually sitting/standing on that platform, but Schams all but made up for it with that footage of Hala putting on her makeup. Lol.



And, yerrghs, I actually enjoyed Jim Clancy's reporting.

Must have head checked.

Inside the Middle East was... consequential. It's nice to see Hala, but... I could've lived without seeing that episode.

Totally random, but speaking of Inside the Middle East: I was watching Casablanca early this morning, and I remembered Hala's segment last month. Everyone believes the line in the movie is "Play it again, Sam" (which is never actually said) but Hala... and this is the part that didn't occur to me until I saw the movie, Hala said "Play it, Issam." (Nodding approvingly) Hala knows her classic movies.

Eye on Hala, 4

I am... okay, I'm still a little asleep.

But that neckline. Hala, we love you even when you wear a pink turtleneck, so that outfit for Thursday's report? The low cut blouse, the pretty jacket, the necklace... Nice.

I admit I didn't really pay a lot of attention to the show, though. *ducks for cover*
It's just that I think the topic (how the youth population affects different aspects of the culture) has been covered once or twice on Inside the Middle East, and, well, Hala kept on throwing the show back to Jim.

It's odd. Spitfire, Tina and I all have differing opinions on which day has been the best.
But we all loved the doll report, don't we?


Inside the Middle East this weekend.

Eye on Hala, 3

Yes, I will use that title throughout the week.

Last night...

Oh. I don't know what was different last night, but Hala's eyes were incredible. So blue. So pretty.
And the shot where she's sitting down, before Nic's report? It's a good example of why I love Hala so: she makes you feel like whatever it is she's saying, you will understand perfectly, and you don't need to be so updated on current affairs. There's an ease about her, that makes me feel like watching CNN, a news channel, is not a strenuous exercise.
Oh, and did I mention how she's pretty? I know I once mentioned that I love her in light-colored clothes, but Hala in basic black? So pretty.

*shaking head at the fangirl sentiment*

This is where it gets impressive, though: it's Thursday here, and we've had three hours of Eye on the MidEast. And Hala's interviewed some really serious officials already. My favorite was yesterday's interview with... I forgot, I think it was Karen Silverberg (Assistant Secretary of State for something -- readers, if you can help me out here, I'd really appreciate it), and Hala once again showed her potential for the big news: when asked about the US's image in the middle east, Ms. Assistant Secretary of State (I was going to use an acronym, but realized it was inappropriate. heh.) tried to paint a sunny picture of it, that it's developing, growing, etcetera, all points beautifully undercut by Hala with tact and fact. And when discussing Karen Hughes, who for all her credentials, is a diplomacy and public affairs ambassador who is working on Middle East-related affairs but doesn't speak Arabic, I had one thing in mind: Hala, they could just hire you. Miss American-by-birth, French-by-culture and Arab-by-family. You've got three major cultures right there, Miss Gorani.

Damn. Where was I?

Anyway, that look of death Hala mastered on BizNews came into play, because while Ms. Assistant Sec of State rambled on, Hala had that expression that showed just how much she was not enjoying the interview, not really getting any substantial answers, and would want to further press the issue but knew better than to do just that, she professionally carried on.

Vic, you must be so happy: two of your three holy trinity reporters did segments. Except for 2.0, that is.


Oh, and Hala and her dolls: (thanks to Timon for the pic)
Sell it, Hala! Sell it!
Hey, no ticker. No CNN logo. No logo at all.


Dude, you're nuts:

Guido 19 Oct 2004, 06:48
Hala Gorani appeared this A.M. on CNN-FN wearing her dramatic ZYL frame, myopia correcting spectacles. She always looks so sweet and cuddly with her eyes framed.

I forgot where it's posted, but it's an eyewear fan forum.


Huh. While looking up Hughes and Silverberg, I learn that my country has no ambassador or director listed at the US State Department's website. Considering America's like our country's puppetmaster, I find that very strange.

Lest I forget: Inside the Middle East will air this weekend as part of this week's special programming. I love CNN.

And: it's horribly screwed up audio, but I've uploaded two mp3 files: one of Liz George bemoaning the David Beckham transfer of two years ago, and Richard and Hala discussing what make men and women happy.

Eye on Hala, 2

More Hala viewing. Not wearing pink, thank God.

Although this time, Jim was the more prominent "anchor" for Eye on the Mideast, and, hey, who cares. I saw Hala.

Is it wrong to base one's happiness on seeing a CNN anchor?


Oh, and Vic: I am so very thankful for the Hala-Guy pic on the forum. Good girl.

Eye on Hala Gorani

Ahh. Eye on the Middle East. Finally.

Could Hala look any happier to be a part of this special CNN Presentation?
Or is it the being in the Middle East part that's got her so happy?

Okay, I'm so happy right now about the whole thing I'll probably gush like a lunatic, so bear with me.
Just to be clear: I watched the whole hour while doped up on painkillers, I was suffering a ridiculously painful migraine. For some reason I was able to ignore the pain while watching Eye on the Middle East. Hmmn. I wonder why.

Hala wearing pink. Not my favorite color, but I'll live with it. She looks a little tan, though, must be all that outdoorsy sunlight.
Hala and Guy Raz is my mental picture of the day.
Hala's report on the head scarves. Not so much a laughing matter, but when she brought out the local version of the Barbie Doll (I was doped up, okay, forgive me for not remembering the smallest details, like, oh names). Something about Hala holding a doll makes me highly amused.

I cannot wait for Richard's report for this program.


More when I have the time.

And the painkillers (fresh new dose) starts to work.

Heh.

More Hala throughout the week! Yay!

Obviously looking for Hala won't be too much of a problem the next couple of days.

And certainly not during the week of November 21.


@Spitfire and Tina: Hee. "High as a kite." Yeah, she wasn't her usual composed self, was she? I maintain the explosions jolted her out of bed.

what is andrea doing at the LSE?

What is Andrea Sanke doing at the london stock exchange?
I know I said I liked Robyn Curnow at the desk, but not at this price!

Jeez. I go to sleep for a few hours and there's breaking news.

Hala and Zain taking part in the Situation Room. Yay.
Hey... If Hala's in Jordan, that means she could be all over CNN for the next few hours.
waitaminute. I sincerely hope Hala wasn't in any of the attacked hotels.

So much for "heightened terror alert in China". Wrong continent.


Is Colleen permanently doing YWT? Do I really want to know?

I miss The Music Room.

If Alessio and Ben are two, who caps off Vic's trinity?


Oh, and I love the use of Google Earth.



edit:
Tina: My theory on Hala's sort-of spacey demeanor: I think she just got out of bed when she started reporting from Jordan. Maybe the explosions woke her up.

Vic: Yes, Shannon. Absolutely.
Hmmn. Alessio, Ben and Nic. We definitely swing on opposite ends of the CNN spectrum.

Play it Again, CNN.

And again. And again. CNNI, why do you only play Inside the Middle East during its weekend run, and never again? Here's a tip: we (myself and the few people who read this blog) love Hala. So give us more Hala. Yes?


Did anyone else see the glittery thing masquerading as a ring on Hala's finger during her segment on Inside the Middle East, when she was interviewing the magazine editor?

Anyway.

Inside the Middle East was cool, as it had Hala, Monita, and Ben Wedeman, who for all intents and purposes means nothing to me. So, let's try that again: Inside the Middle East had Hala and Monita. Hala referencing Casablanca, nice. And I guess we all knew Hala wasn't going to do the Racing the Sahara story. That just wasn't going to happen.

Hala did World News this weekend, which I absolutely loved, just because.
Hee. Hala's filing system falls apart yet again. She's so adorable when she gets dorky, yes?
And when Hala tries introducing a story as strange as the Paula Hancocks' ravens report... Hala starts off with "I wouldn't be able to tell a raven if one hit me on the nose" and then tries -- and fails -- to be grave about it, as it's loosely related to the bird flu virus.

By the way, the Bird Flu special? Gross images. "Disturbing" doesn't quite cover the gross-ness of some of those images.

Anyway.

Last Friday Robyn Curnow did Business International, and I was riveted. Something I never imagined would happen. For a moment there, I was thinking, wow. This woman knows how to handle this gig. And her and Max Foster doing CNN Today (Monday last week. Or Tuesday. Something)? Not bad for a fresh pairing.

Oh, another good move by CNNI: Mallika Kapur hosting World Business This Week. I approve, CNNI.




And Spitfire's going to kill me for this, but I can't stand Asieh Namdar.

what's so funny?

Sumi (Das) was reporting from Florida the other day. Someone's making her way through the CNN ladder, yes?


Not much, except to share Hala being the clueless female when it came to American baseball: After sharing the baseball headline, to which Michael (Holmes) and Terry (Baddoo) were laughing among themselves, Hala, ever defensive, asked:
"Why are you laughing? What's so funny about that?"

Hala.

Then later asking Michael to repeat his statement on "following (you) up even if you don't care" about the baseball results.

Hala: "What's that?"
Michael: (repeating) "Even if you don't care."

Hala, Hala, Hala. Let it go.


And, to Anonymous: We know she's Arab in origin, and she's gone to the Hajj where only Muslims are allowed, but whether or not she's a devout religious individual, I personally don't know.

Dear CNN International

Dear CNN,

Thank you for giving Becky Anderson and Paula Hancocks something else to do. Yes, Becky hosts Global Office, but seeing her in Pakistan confirms that somewhere in her usually-formal demeanor, is a thriving field reporter who can rough it out. And Paula Hancocks, she really likes the color pink, doesn't she?

I like Robyn Curnow. I do. But her move to hosting MainSail only means one thing, and that's Liz George has moved on. I have always adored Liz, she has that great personality that translates well even when she's being a talking head. I'm not a fan of sailing, but I toiled through MainSail for any dose of Liz, because she can brighten anyone's day with her enthusiasm, even for sailing. The fact that she was getting a great tan was another point of amusement for myself. It will take a while, but I'm sure I'll move on and accept Robyn Curnow as MainSail host. After all, sometimes when they do that instant-replacement trick on TV or film, people accept it. So I'll try, and maybe in time that tiny voice will shut up from calling her a Liz George replacement.

Please tell Hala to stop wearing yesterday's outfit. The white buttons, the distracting belt buckle... Please tell Hala she usually a much better dresser. But I still adore her, anyway. And please also tell her to get more frames for her specs, as those bulky ones sometimes gets distracting. Pretty eyes, though.

Oh, and CNN: thank you for not overplaying Christiane Amanpour's interview with Bashar Al-Assad to death.



Now that that's out of the way:
Speaking of Liz and Hala (and please get the segue, or...), Liz has declared on the dotorg that she might be shutting down part of the fansite, the gallery. Which is fine, considering she has her photobucket account anyway. Although... what about all those other pix that aren't on photobucket? But, heck, if it's too tedious and not fun anymore, by all means stop. OR, Liz, you can just stop updating the page, but keep it online anyway. You can just update photobucket as you wish. How's that?

Eye on the Middle East. Hee.

stay with CNN

Ohh, Hala. Who knew you had nice feet.

What?

So Inside the Middle East was in Egypt. And, as I have come to expect when Hala is out of the studio, in her blue jeans.

By the way, Hala looks rather comfortable there, speaking with the women of Gaza. Anyway.

Hala on a horse-drawn carriage? awww. Where's your Prince Charming, Hala?


Other random notes:
Robyn Curnow is really earning her CNN keep, isn't she? She was on ITME, a report on Spark, and I didn't watch Design 360, but she was probably on it, too. The rerun of MainSail (get out of there, Robyn, I miss Liz George). By the way, proof of Robyn's over exposure? Her top during her ITME report -- seen it.

And Andrea Sanke on that ecological car featured on Spark? Ahh, cute.

By the way, Kristie Lu Stout should be replaced by Sumi Das on Spark. I doubt Kristie has a clear idea what she's talking about.

And before I forget: the other week I waxed rhapsodic over Richard and Hala sharing screen time.


But Richard was very cool towards the more enthusiastic Atlanta duo. And by Wednesday Hala was ignoring him, too. Say it with me, Hala: "I won't be ignored, Quest."(well, I wish she'd said that.) Anyway. Still cute.


*When Hala tells you to "stay with CNN" and you agree to do so, you know you're losing your mind. When Hala tells you that this is it for Inside the Middle East, and she hopes to see you next month and you promise to do so, you know you have lost your mind.
Yes, I did that. I need a life.


pictures, as usual, from Tina/Liz.

I love you, CNN International

Unlike the more technologically-gifted Vic, I actually have to stay up in the wee hours of morning to watch Your World Today.

And I have never been more thankful: no screencaps (because I don't have the tech for it), but near the end of YWT, crossing over to London for WBT and WNE (if you don't know what they stand for, you're not obsessed enough)... screencap heaven: Michael and Hala in Atlanta, sharing screen time with Robyn and Richard. I have never wanted a DVR more in my life. (Okay, except for that time Stephen Colbert wore that sailor uniform. sigh...)

CNNI. I don't know who to thank for that little image, but I will think of it and have it keep me warm and fuzzy inside.

Nothing much of note for Hala (which I haven't said countless times before, like how lovely she is wearing dark hues, etc.), except for her little

"My old buddy Richard."

After Michael noted who were in London.
Come on, Hala, we all know you miss Questy.
And Richard, you know you miss that Arab-American blonde.

But: Robyn Curnow. Earning her CNN keep and reinforcing that tiny voice in my head that insists she's a Liz George replacement. I mean, come on. MainSail? CNN, could you be more obvious? Don't get me wrong, I like Robyn, but really now.

Another note: Zain's makeup when she's in London. That's scary makeup, Zain. You're beautiful, you are, but what goes wrong when you're in London?


"My old buddy Richard." hee. *warm and fuzzy*


Finally: The Quest episode. I loved Gordon Ramsay's verbal abuse of Richard. And how Richard just took it.

By the way: Why is Inside Africa a weekly feature while Inside the Middle East isn't? I mean, Hala's prettier than Femi (and formerly Tumi). I know that's not the basis of programming, but think about it: Global Office, Quest, Business Traveller, and even MainSail has repeats during the week. Why not ITME?
@Liz: After reading your LJ, thought I had to address your fury- we in Asia weren't going to get ITME anyway, so I don't have the same hell-hath-no-fury feeling you do.

nothing quite like having Hala and Richard sharing screen time to spur me into a rant.



warm and fuzzy. :)

Tease.

Did I say I love Hala in light-colored clothes and her hair messy? I meant to say I like her in dark clothes and perfect hair, pulled back and looking as much as a professional talking head as she can be.

Then, of course, our cable signal disappeared.

Stupid rain storm.



Who else saw that feature on CNN last Sunday, about the other possible worst-case scenarios the US could face? Woohoo, if I were a terrorist, I'd take that report and present it to terrorist camps: "Possible Terror Plans". Come on, CNN. September 11 happened because the terrorists were thinking outside the freaking box. Now you're just helping them come up with scenarios.

And (the horror!) CNN blasphemy from myself! I watched the BBC airing of the HBO documentary "The Children of Beslan" last Sunday. Sadness. Disturbing portraits of how these kids would grow up. After what they've been through, the Psych graduate in me can't help but predict their own vengeful future.
Why, you ask, was I watching BBC World over CNN International? Because CNNI didn't air Inside the Middle East again. CNNI can be such a tease.



We don't do sarcasm ever! - Hala Gorani

me: *rofl*


Yay, Tina's back. Somebody to share the pain of missing ITME with.

By the way, I love the new look of the dotorg.

the jacket's back!

oh, the famous dark jacket with the stitch embroidery is back.

However, I think that's a new top underneath.
And no necklace...


Still photo courtesy of Vic, as posted on the forum.

I have too much free time.

@Spitfire: Fair enough. But I wish for Hala that she never has to cohost with Shihab again.

making it up

To make it up to me for not having any Inside the Middle East last weekend, Hala showed up on YWT. With Jim.

Hala, I know I said I love you in lighter shades, but please give that white jacket a break. Or maybe it's just me. I love the diversity in clothing choices recently, though.

Having read the posts by that guest on the forum, especially finding out that Hala prefers working with Jim C. (why?!?!), I've become a little more careful what I let out into the world... *laughter*. I'm kidding. I maintain Hala has minimal chemistry with Jim, and cannot create a spark with Shihab. Hmmn. Might be all that sparring she and Questy got into for so long.

I love that guest who posted what sounds like insider info. The opener-- "I got to see this forum when Hala told me about it in GAZA" -- was a kicker.

Ho hum.

One week without Liz/Tina on the forum. She'll be suffering withdrawal symptoms, I'm sure. I know I'll miss her ravings on the forum.



"And that's how much opinion you can squeeze into so many seconds of airtime."
- Richard Quest

I cry

I didn't see Inside the Middle East. After waxing ecstatic over the promo, after surviving the company outing, after waiting and watching Anderson Cooper share tales of woe on the victims of Katrina, CNNi failed to give me my monthly ITME fix.

Why, CNN, why?!?

The weekend started out so well with Anderson Cooper, then as the weekend wore on I realize... waitaminute. I haven't seen Hala.

Arggh.

And locally, there's this annoying little ad for Liveraide that local cable programming has been interrupting my blissful CNN viewing with. Urgh.

They better air that Inside the Middle East episode, darn it. Like, oh... every weekend. :)
I miss Hala's days on Design 360, airing every week, and all.

the promo

Of course, if you're a Hala fan, you don't need to read this entry. I just needed to post something to ease my mind about possibly missing Hala on YWT tomorrow night, and maybe even Friday (for details, see my other blog).


Saw the ITME promo. Aww, Hala.

Is that the same shirt that caused a stir on the forum?

Inside the Middle East this weekend! Yay!!!


We'll talk again once we see it, yes?

for-rumble

I'm just losing my mind, so if you don't agree, comment away. I also have been having my Hala viewing interrupted by live coverage of interviews, so...


From the dotcom:

cnnfreak wrote:
Was she demoted from top anchor position at CNN's flagship morning news show in London to be an weekend anchor in Atalnta? It looks to me.

To which Liz answered with a post from an old interview. Now, Hala nut that I am, remember that interview fondly, and recall it to have been from her days when she was still in London. The "breather" she was referring to, I believe, was doing more BI than BizNews. I could be wrong (and I often tend to be). I therefore conclude that the move to Atlanta was like a gift from God (or some other higher power, let's not get political here) for her.


Another thread on the dotcom:

The younger daughters, Fionnula, Becky, and the cousins from the ITN family are all well-educated, but apparently at single-sex universities, since their on-screen flirting and sense of humour appear to have developed in a parallel universe.
---------
Fionnula is from RTE so that would explain the lack of personality.

heehee.


On the dotorg:

A guest posted:

I find the Michael Hala team working well now, what do you think?
it's not like with Quest, that's for sure, but they are begining to have a chemistry.

Hala can work with Shihab, for crying out loud. And Michael manages with Colleen McEdwards. But the Hala/Michael interaction can be likened to a sibling relationship, not like the verbal sparring that Hala and Questy got into.

My two cents.


Hala: Some excitement there. Are you going to go see it?
Michael: (scoff) Me? (scoff) No. (inviting absurdity) You?
Hala: (adamant) No!
(hala and michael, ywt, date long forgotten, regarding the Star Wars episode 3 hype)

Sigh.

Sigh. Colleen McEdwards doing Hala's weekend shift again. I wonder what this woman does in her free time. Why does she appear at random time slots? Doesn't she have a life?

Whoops. I digress. Where was I?

Last Friday a friend of mine and I were discussing the The Gaza Strip pullout, Ariel Sharon, Yasser Arafat and the whole Middle East political landscape over dessert. The place we were eating at was showing CNN (don't ask me why), and then Hala shows up with her report on souvenirs. Having been aware of this report from the forum(s), I ignore my friend while I watch the report. And then my friend pointed out that if she's in Gaza, it's a major story to cover. A rough transcript of our "debate" follows:
Friend: Hey, that's a big story. That could be her 25 years "story".
Me: Guy Raz is there. John Vause is there. Paula Hancocks is there. And did you see that? Hala was talking about souvenirs.
Friend: Geez. Calm down. (the futile attempt at being comforting is) Maybe she's too pretty to be covering something so heavy.
Me: (evil glare)
Friend: What?

Well, at least Guy Raz is pretty.
Paula Hancocks has finally emerged from the confines of the LSE.

On the BA conundrum: I take it back, Robyn Curnow - you're no longer a Liz George replacement in my book. Love the glasses. *grin*

Hala reporting from the field. How do you fans of non-anchors stand it?
Sigh.



(edit: yup, I changed "West Bank" to "Gaza strip" because Spitfire pointed it out and I figured some people might be using this blog for their current events.)

the good, the bad and the incredibly ugly

Ahh. Back on the net. Long story of why I've been away, and will not bother.
Anyway.

The Good:

Hala's outfit on this month's ItME. How nice is that outfit?
Only Hala can pull off something like that and still seem so professional.


As per usual, image courtesy of Liz.


The Bad:
Colleen McEdwards doing YWT with Michael Holmes. Okay, they were good, but I wanted to see Hala.

The Incredibly Ugly:
Certain people posting at the Hala Gorani thread in the original forum.
And this insight :

Okay, one of the things I love about Hala is her ability to maintain composure even in the most offensive of guests (and there have been a handful). Although she sometimes takes on an if-looks-could-kill expression, she still keeps her professionalism. Yes, she sometimes abuses sarcasm, but that's in good fun. She never does it with guests. What is this writer talking about?


Edit: Yes, I've seen this before, too, but recent interviews (that general guy or something, I've repressed the memory a bit) I think have proven this writer wrong. Okay, it was written while Hala was in London, which means she was being sarcastic a lot more often than she does these days.

random

Ohhh... Hala in light blue. So pretty. So cute. So absolutely wonderful.

Did I say I like her in dark clothes? I take it back, she's better in light blue. And pinstripes.

@Liz: Great prediction on what Hala'd be wearing. :) And who cares if her blouse under the jacket was messy? The Ice Princess could be wearing a garbage bag and she'd still look good.

Check out the obsessive behavior. This is exactly what misssbev was whining about. Speaking of, why oh why isn't she letting it go? *insert eye-rolling here*


Can I just say that I was impressed with how well Colleen handles sharing a desk? Much better than Shihab...

Oh, for pink-a-demic fans: in Paula Hancocks' report from Gaza and Becky Anderson from the London desk, both were in pink.

And who else saw Guillermo and Femi talking in the background during Insight? *rofl*

the forum

Have you seen the Hala Gorani thread on the original forum? The latest bunch of posts (prior to Liz "saving" it at 2:30 am) was... well, disturbing.
I don't know exactly how it all started, but the thing is, it went from the prettiness that is Hala to a really disturbing exchange.
Vic tries to do a good thing, and it's completely misconstrued.
Geez. We were having fun on that forum.

Geez, part two. With such guests on the dotcom, no wonder the dotorg is thriving well.

Anyway. I just wanted to get that out. And why won't I be surprised if someone bites Lizzy's bait about what the exchange has to do with Hala?



"I have no idea what I'm supposed to be looking at here. Liz, explain to me why I'm looking at... a fruit plate?"
- Hala, waxing confused, when a cut to the LSE shows a plate of grapes and some other things.

sigh. I miss Liz George.

waiting for ITME's premiere to happen

Hala's back!!! Oh, yay. *does happy Snoopy dance* yay!

And Inside the Middle East this weekend! Yay! *does some more of the happy Snoopy dance*

I am so ecstatic I just don't know what to do with myself.


Heh. Maybe I'll pay more attention to what I should be doing.

Anyway.



Who else enjoys Shihab's new hair? Like a schoolboy who's been ordered to get a haircut. *evil laughter*

Oh: To the moderators/admin of the dot org, please delete Tiff from the members. I don't take advantage of it, anyway. I mean, I haven't posted anything. At all. So delete my membership in the meantime.


Inside the Middle East this weekend!!!

where in the world is Hala Gorani

Now I'm annoyed. Where in the bleeding heck is Hala?

It's one thing to not have Hala, another to see Colleen McEdwards during Hala's shift, and yet another to see Suzanne Simons (no, she wasn't on, but her showing up is usually a good indicator that Hala's away).
Okay, Zain taking over Hala's shift was wicked. I liked that.

I continue to hold out my opinion on Asieh Namdar.

Ahh. Zain. Wonderful to see you without Jim. And in good lighting, too. You're so pretty...

I miss Hala.

Now, I think I've mentioned my adoration for Sumi Das in a previous entry. Here's something from James Knine's site, and it's wicked funny. It's from Sumi's days on Tech TV, but what the hey. Click here.

I really, really, really miss Hala.

Gryffindor

I know I've done this before, but seeing Stephen Colbert join the fray just meant too much to me:

Bad, CNN. Bad.

Well, CNN, lovely new promo. Too bad the whole point went moot when you blurred out everything on Hala's passport.

Oh, Hala. It's not like everyone who paid attention to the ad weren't already rabid fans who just wanted to know your birthday. We all know where you're born, and the citizenship you hold. Okay, we didn't know some things that the promo revealed, but, well, you didn't know you had such rabid, rabid fans.

Pity Alessio Vinci if he were to be given a similar promo.


What else did I want to talk about... oh, yes. The, as Vic put it, "forum exodus". Can you blame the founders of the lovely cnnfan.org? I'm sure they would never create the following threads:

Seriously.

Markus, I'm sure you're a nice guy, and you are owed much for even creating cnnfan.com. But complaining that your site's "too popular"?
Funniest thing, as I was browsing, the same user currently online showed up on both the .org and .com forums.
If only for going back and streamlining the A&R forums (mixing the shallow and the not-so-shallow aspects of our dearests), much kudos to the .org founders.
But simply out of gratitude for starting the thing, I'm keeping the .com on the links.

ho hum.

August 7. (Or the weekend of August 7, because some people get it before we in Asia do.)

trespass

Okay, I'll come right out and say it: I tune Hala out sometimes.
Yesterday (the other day to other time zones), I switched to CNN, saw Hala, tried to pay attention, got bored (!!), and switched the DVD player on.
Last night I was too damn tired to even stay up for YWT to see if Hala would be on. The chances were good, but I was too exhausted to care.
Yes, I have trespassed against Miss Gorani.
I'll make up for it inevitably. Maybe later.


Now, to a lighter note:

"Yes, honey. Yes. No, I'm at work. You don't have the right to be complaining when you're so busy updating that Hala Gorani blog of yours. I work at CNN too, you know."

Yes, I'm insane.
And, *tear* All Things Cooper has disappeared from the face of the earth.
Oh, and Andy, I'm sorry about Jon Stewart's joke about your almost being cut into 180. I'm sorry I found it funny.


Today's picture courtesy of rissa_bravo from the Andy Cooper thread at the forum. Used without permission. Hehe.

Guillermo, I'm onto you

Mr. Weatherman (formerly Guillermo Arduino) is flirting with Hala. I can tell. I can smell it.

- Hala.
- Anderson Cooper.
- Andy Cooper sporting the wet look. By the way, someone's earning his CNN keep. First London, then Florida?
- Andy's dive as his crew warns him to get out of the way as a sign starts to tear away nearby, debris going right past Andy and the gang. I love a man in hurricanes.
- Hala and Guillermo discussing the tornado in Atlanta. (And Hala's car!)
- Hala and Lola Martinez discussing the tornado in Atlanta. (And the nice secure concrete walls of the CNN Center.)
- Hala and Andy addressing each other.


- Jim Clancy.

Live from London

Where to start with the London attacks. Well, my sympathies and support, I guess, to start with.

Moving on to more shallow matters.

Nice to see Zain on the not-so-twilight hour of HKT, but what the heck was the deal with her makeup? I love Zain, I do, but that was pretty bad makeup/studio lighting combination.

Lovely way to wake up: Anderson Cooper 360 on CNNi. Honey. :)

But, seriously, and I agree with Spitfire on this one: if you're going to use Atlanta-based anchors to talk about London, wouldn't it be wise to use an anchor who used to be based in London? Yes, I'm talking about Hala (duh).
And where's Questy?

Seeing Christiane, I recall what used to be on Vic's signature at the forum: "Amanpour is coming? Are we in trouble?"

Hopefully Hala will be on at her regular shift later.

blast from the past

I'm suffering a headache right now, so I'm totally procrastinating on work. I came upon the "The First Time" thread on the forum, and it got me thinking.

The first time I took note of Hala was... holy crap, a long time ago. It was still BizNews, Paris St. German was on top of the French first division league... that would be, what, six, seven years ago?

Anyway. Last night I was so bored I went through my video collection to watch the French Open final between Steffi Graf and Martina Hingis. (Because it's the damn best final ever, if only for the emotional breakdown of the Swiss Miss.) Anyway, a part of that tape has Saxon Baines.

I can't find a good enough picture that justifies Saxon Baines, so you'll have to take my word for it.

This was at a time that I followed Formula One, the NHL, tennis, and Man United. So for someone pretty to be hosting World Sport, Saxon Baines owned what to me then could be my dream job (she interviewed Goran and Steffi and Boris in the same week!!! damn her!!!). This was, of course, the era of Pedro Pinto, Graeme Joffe and some other people who are by no means worthy to be described as "pretty".

Why am I discussing this on this blog?
Because when Saxon left/disappeared, I had latched on to the next pretty too-smart-for-her-own-good and too-witty-to-be-grave blonde (cosmetic as that hair may be), which, of course, was Hala.


the end.
*bow*

Hala's taste in music

Edith Piaf, I understand.

@Spitfire: Okay, granted, she may have been being ironic/sarcastic/wry when she said she liked Def Leppard (see Vic's comment, which was my initial reaction). But, Abba? When she announced that to the world, I wanted to be Tony Campion and stare at her in absolute wonder, because, really, why?

Somebody should send Hala one of those annoying teenybopper questionnaires that ask for favorite color, favorite movie, favorite music, book, blahblahblah...

The Anchor's New Clothes

I've noted this a lot in recent posts, but Hala's clothes of choice have gotten remarkably lighter in color and hue in recent days. I'm not complaining, because at least this way she seems a little more relaxed, even casual, and she's finally given that blazer of hers some down time.

But, wow. Yesterday's cream-and-white combo then this morning's baby blue? Hmmn.


"They got married in the Carribean, lalala, bring out the violins..."
-Hala, abusing sarcasm on World News (03 July 2005),
re: the Ben Affleck-Jennifer Garner nuptials


quickedit: On the official Anchors&Reporters forum, Hala's thread is on the third page.

And Hala's a Def Leppard fan? Really?

Live 8

Oh, Hala. Where do I begin to discuss how I enjoyed your shift yesterday (or, to be local time about it, this morning)?

Was it your clothes, which made you look casual, relaxed, but in a professional way? I love the lightened hues of your recent outfits, by the way.

Was it the fact that you were mostly talking to people from CNN London, a throwback to your days in Europe?

Was it Richard Quest, reporting from Philly, so near to Atlanta? (*hoping for a reunion...*)

Was it the fact that you were on air, introducing you own program (ItME, of course)?

Was it your skepticism (and lack of impression) over some of the acts lined up?

Was it the fact that some of the music playing in London whenever you checked in were Annie Lennox, The Killers, and Velvet Revolver?

On a related note, my own opinion over Question of the Day: What do (you) think of celebrities backing causes?
My two cents' worth is that it's nice, and everything, in terms of raising awareness. But in terms of policy change? We all know how effective that is (*insert eye-rolling here*). For example, when Mike D. of the Beastie Boys, who campaigns heavily for Tibet, says jump, does China really say "How high?"

Oh, and I love how Hala, probably smarting over that publicity-hungry Turkish TV host, chose not to air any part of their interview on Inside the Middle East. Ha!

maggie lake's hair

I wasn't even going to comment on Hala taking over for Tumi, because CNN's (finally) wised up and put Hala on a permanent post with a co-anchor. We've always known she's --somebodystopmei'mabouttogush-- wonderful with a copresenter.

But, yay, more Hala.

On the other hand, does this mean the end of her weekend shifts? Hmmmn...


Anyway, last night's broadcast amused me so. Why?

- Guillermo is stalking Hala, I can feel it.
- Michael and Hala. The two have a good flow going on, a relief from the gravity of Jim Clancy (I had to do it. Mr.Talking Head did not amuse me last night.).
- The lighting of the studio's gotten better.
- Michael's mockery of Jonathan Mann's makeup.
- Guillermo's mockery of Michael's makeup.
- Hala.
- The remarkable lightness of Hala's clothing choices recently.
- Hey, is that a new blazer/suit jacket?
- Michael's tie. We know you're colorful, Holmes, but...
- The seaturtles of Oman story.
- Hey, Vic, how much do you love the CIA and Italian intelligence in their they said/we said fight over the missing Egyptian cleric?
- The prettiness that is Guy Raz. I'm sorry, but in my book he's less handsome, more pretty.
- Maggie Lake's hair.

Why, you ask. What was wrong with Maggie Lake's hair?
Try it looked like she just came from a very windy location. Maybe it's my imagination. But I saw her and I thought, um, do you need a comb?

Anyhoo, I love the Michael-Hala tandem. Not as much as the Hala-Questy pairing, but at least this pair don't aggravate each other on purpose.
**rofl, remembering Richard and Hala**


"I'm still Hala Gorani, last time I checked."
- Hala, after Michael starts signing off without referring to her.
(06-30-2005)


Oh, post note: Local TV showed the Conan O'Brien interview with Anderson Cooper last night. My dear spiritual boyfriend. Neither Michael Holmes nor Guy Raz can compare to you.

One last thing: The Hala thread on the forum has become (much) less active since the new rules. See? I told you, our (us Hala fans') obsession is so thorough that there is a very thin line between serious and light topics we'd discuss about my (our) favorite anchor.

warm in the summer...

I love this exchange, for several reasons, one of which is that it's Hala. Complaining. Again.

Friday, 24. June 2005

Hala: Alright, time now for a look at the international weather forecast. Guillermo Arduino joins us now from the weather center. And, Guillermo, are we starting with Europe this hour?
Guillermo: Yeah, finally.
Hala: OK. Swinging back, I just, I did e-mail you; swinging back from assignment. It was really hot in Paris. I wonder if it's gotten better.
Guillermo: Hala, let me tell viewers I got an e-mail from you saying, Guillermo it's unbearable the heat here. But Hala...
Hala: Nothing makes Paris unbearable, but this was a close as it can to making it unbearable. It was stifling.
Guillermo: You know what happened after you left?
Hala: Did it get cooler?
Guillermo: Take a look.
Hala: Okay.
Guillermo: We're gonna show you exactly what happened in Paris. Let’s go and show Hala what was going on there and ah it rained (weather forecast.) You jet setter, Hala Gorani. I feel envious of all your travelings around.
Hala: Alright thanks very much Guillermo.
Guillermo: Thank you.
Hala: I’ll try to fly back straight to Atlanta next time.
(thanks to Hala'sbiggestfan for the transcript!)

Did you get that? Hala, who used to complain about the London weather all the time, this time complaining about warm weather in Paris.
I love her love for Paris: "Nothing makes Paris unbearable." Now that's a soundbite for tourism, don't you think?
And Hala sending Guillermo email. Hmmn... *overactive imagination*
I do believe Hala was in Paris on a vacation. A break, a breather. Because if she was supposed to fly back straight to Atlanta, she was deviating from the plan. Bad Hala, bad.
Oh, what I'd do to have the right to complain about Parisian weather...


Saw the ITME promo. Love the hair. *giggle*
¡¡¡ITME this weekend!!!

Shihab's back

Friday got me all excited, because I braved the bad rain, and when I got home, I found Hala telling me the day's headlines (okay, World News, but still). Black really offsets her fair features, don't you think? I love how Guillermo spilled the beans on where Hala's been when he noted that she was part of the warm weather in Paris. Heh. Trust the weather anchors to reveal the dirty secrets of our anchors.

Then Saturday came along, and I switch the TV set on to find Mr.Personality. Shihab, you've been on vacation and I can't tell. Did you not have a good time?

Suffering mild insomnia, so got to see Hala for the Saturday shift. Wearing blue! Setting off her lovely eyes. Is it me or was one cheek's blush-on darker than the other?

Hala's back!
sadly, Shihab's back, as well.

so insanely shallow

My heart (and bloated, inflated ego) expands at these words, posted by Spitfire in the "shallow" Hala Gorani thread at The Forum:

I feel Marcus (sic) should put the Looking For Hala Gorani blog on the links page. With the self-deprecating humour found there I feels it deserves a place there.

I'm going to go gloat now. :)


Now, back to more important matters: if calculations are correct, Hala should be completing the taping of ITME. That should take a week and a half. So here I am, hoping she'll be back at least by this weekend. Colleen McEdwards at 3AM HKT just doesn't quite work for me. The sooner Hala gets back, the happier I'll be.


My friend's going to kill me for this, but I am still joyous over the absence of Shihab.

Suzanne Simons' hair.

With Hala going MIA, I had to settle for two things: Michael Holmes doing World News duties, and Suzanne Simons(!!!).

Suzanne Simons. So pretty. But, Suzanne, what have you done to your hair? It used to be so nice, all dark and shiny of it. Now it's all toned and with those highlights... It's not my favorite thing, I can tell you that.


And, MainSail was on, too. Oh, Liz. I miss you in the studio.
I miss Hala. Bring her back already.

Thorough Shallowness

July 3. July 3. July 3.

Hala's got herself a new blazer for Sunday. Wearing those chunky glasses again.

*disgruntlement for the day*
The new rules for the forum. Yes, we border on the shallow, but that's because we love our anchors/reporters so much, the smallest things make us happy.

For example, when Hala is wearing those glasses that don't flatter her, we hurt for her. Or when the blazer is being worn again, it's funny because we recognize it so.

The shallowness of our obsessive behavior is so thorough it almost passes as depth.

Heh. I wonder if that excuse will fly when I post something pointless on the Hala thread.

Three day weekend, so I got to see CNN Today and BI live.
Andrea: still pretty. So dignified, she's making me feel like Hala's move to Atlanta may have been for the best. Especially since Andrea seems to get along well with all her co-anchors (no snappy comments like Hala and Quest).
Aww. Max. So pretty. But you need to take lessons on how to be a proper anchor, my boy.

And who else is happy that Shihab's away? I actually sat through non-Hala World News broadcasts.

Sigh. I'm just sad that Colleen took over the Sunday shift sooner than I would've wanted.

if this CNN thing doesn't work out...

I saw this, and couldn't stop myself: If Hala's day job doesn't quite work out, she can be a spokesperson for Nokia phones:

hey, that's Todd Benjamin in the background.

Which, of course, won't happen, because Hala's brilliant at what she does.

Thanks for that pic (as posted on the forum).

I knew it!!! Well, whomever took that still, thanks. To whomever posted it, thanks as well. And thanks to the CNN person who allowed Hala to go through her bag. :)

@Vic: You know what they say: great minds... :) And, yeah, I thought that too the first time I saw it, but I was too lazy at the time to make the remark public.

Mad Lunatic Fan

I hate the internet connection at home, so I will gloat about Hala's presence ex post facto.

So pretty. With her hair up like that, the jacket making her seem even more vibrant than usual...

Mr. Anonymous , I think I've figured out why Hala has more female fans than male: Based on my research (read as: bugging all my male friends), it seems that CNN is, quote, "the last place guys will turn to" for a pretty face. Mindless jackanapes. Leaving people like Hala, Andrea, Zain and even Liz for more intellectual individuals like yourself.

And me. And us. And everybody else who belongs to the forum.

Likewise, while some of my friends drool over people like Orlando Bloom and, oh I don't know... (damn. I really don't know who else is being drooled over)
Anyway. We get Anderson Cooper and (for others) Michael Holmes. Questy (whatever floats your boat) and even Shihab (...). For Vic (and some others), it's that nice Italian man (who can't surf). And --Icantbelieveiforgotabouthim-- Max Foster.

Point is, they can have their mainstream idols. We have CNN.


If this post sounds a tad defensive, it's because the guy I just quoted just had to add, "I mean, how desperate do you have to be to watch CNN like a mad lunatic fan? And you rushed home for, what, an anchor?" He was answered with a vicious glare (by phone, but he knows. He can hear me glaring). Obviously he was not aware of this blog. He is now.

notes

I'm sick. I'm sleepy, it's raining outside, and is Zain Verjee's blue-and-cream 2-piece suit trying to beat Hala's blazer in the most-used clothing item ever?

Good lord. I sincerely hope Hala's taking a shift later, because that would be nice.

I love Andrea's hair.

Shihab, I don't like you anymore. Smiling seems like such a hurdle for you.

Anderson Cooper, will you be my new spiritual boyfriend?
and, to live up to my rep as a bad girlfriend, I forgot your birthday. (Belated) Happy Birthday.

when in oman

Hala with baby sea turtles. So cute.
Except for this shot:

because that's just scary.
And not wearing blue jeans. Must be in the wash.
The heart pendant, the top, the denim jacket... they all look familiar, all she needed was the immortal blazer that she wore on Sunday:

Yes, I know, I'm stealing Liz's pix, but when someone does a much better job at it, why bother trying? ;)

And last Saturday she demonstrated why I latched on to this CNN anchor in the first place: Hala's abuse of sarcasm is greater than mine. She's my sarcasm hero (for more information see Liz's quips, and some of the things she had to say about that Michael Jackson fan).

And I'm guessing she's seen Alessio Vinci's surfing report, because I do believe our girl was on the brink of laughing when she was introducing the report.

Oh, and, Hala: next time check your microphone. Sometimes we can still hear you when you laugh out loud into a break.
What is it with Hala and the end of her shifts? She keeps on breaking down, forgetting what she's saying, messing up names and things... to quote Richard, "you're thrilled to be off, are you?"

about last night...

lovely pic, Liz. just lovely.

Last night was a good night to be someone who doesn't have a social life. :)

Getting home from work, I was expecting Andrea to be the one to tell me about the headlines and an update on business news from London, but, instead, it's Questy, and I miss him (and I thought that would be impossible, with the way he's usually all over CNNi).

Then came the best part: HALA!!! Oh, how lovely it would've been if Questy crossed over to Atlanta to ask about the headlines as he signed off... *sigh*

Then there's the Defining Moments broadcast, which I missed the first few minutes off because of the World Report Conference thingy (I wasn't paying attention, obviously. Andy Cooper or not).
Luckily, there was a replay of Defining Moments this AM, which I saw, and, wow. Christiane REALLY deserves to be CHIEF international correspondent. But it must be annoying to be so associated with war crimes and such.
Oh well.

HALA!!!

oh, and what's with all the whining about two ITME promos? More Hala, I say.

CNN 25

Because if you read this blog, you too are a CNN junkie:

CNN, the pioneer of 24-hour news, marks its 25th anniversary on June 1 with a special programme offering a front row seat to history while looking back at events that have touched the lives of people around the world over the last quarter century.

“Defining Moments: Stories that Touched Our Lives” is an intimate recounting of the biggest television news events from the past 25 years as told by the newsmakers and journalists who lived through them, from Christiane Amanpour in the Balkans, Brent Sadler in Beirut or Matthew Chance in Beslan.


“Defining Moments: Stories that Touched Our Lives” airs:
Wednesday June 1 at 1500, 2100 and 0200 CET
Saturday June 4 at 1300, 2300 and 0500 CET
Sunday June 5 at 1400 and 1900 CET
CNN Be the first to know


my concern: I haven't done the time zone calculations yet (no, that's not an attack on Hala), but I think some of these airdates will mess with Hala's shift.


edit: So I've gone, and I've checked the schedules, and Hala's shift is clear. Yay.

that jacket

How badly does Hala love that blazer of hers? Look up Liz's photobucket account, and I guarantee you that blazer shows up in at least half of them.

Aww. Hala overdose. I would like to thank the French population for voting on the EU referendum, as it gave me an extra hour of Hala today.



Hala: (on the Yoko Ono dress-cutting fundraiser) Good excuse to go shopping.
Richard: You don't need an excuse to go shopping. 'Oh, it's Thursday! Got to go shopping!' 'It's Friday, must go shopping!' What are you talking about, 'a good excuse to go shopping'?"
(i can't remember the date right now. Just, back in the days of Richard-Hala anchoring together)

the night she saved my life

okay, that's overly dramatic, but bear with me.

yesterday i was so depressed i wanted to go into primal scream therapy. i was so violently moody that all i wanted to do when i got home was to crawl into bed and wake up on saturday. maybe even june 4, to make it worth my while.

then i get home and Hala is doing World News (saving me from having to learn my current events through Ralitsa Vassileva). And she's being light-hearted and friendly, not grave and serious. When Guillermo flattered her and said it was "nice to see (her) again," I loved Hala's amused expression, as if she's thinking, "uh huh, yeah right. flattery's not going to get you anywhere, weather boy."

thank God for Hala. i feel much better today.

and who says watching global tragedy unfold isn't uplifting?

Questy and Hala rule.

This is a random thing, just popped in my head after reading the CNNfan anchors forum:
1) Am green with envy for Liz's treasure, and want to have her friend who was nice enough to feed her obsessions.
2) Questy and Hala rule.
3) The only reason Alessio Vinci's forum thread is viewed more often is because few people can ignore an Italian man who is more than just a pretty face. (read what you want in that, Vic)
4) QUESTY AND HALA RULE. especially when they are together. (Michael and Hala come as a close second, and only because they're like the world's most intelligent brother-sister tandem.)

The weekend of June 5, everybody. ItME. June 5. (subject to time zone differences.)

Heh. Time zones. Oh Hala... (*shaking head sympathetically*)


And there's a new thread on the forum for Sumi Das. Sumi!!! You've come a long way!

If you notice there's a new link to the Chad Cleanly comic strip, by a forum guest under the alias Scarlet Termite. It seemed funny enough, and it's based on Bill Hemmer. Anyway, it's something to amuse myself with, you don't have to (look at it) if you don't want to.

Time Zone

What is the deal with Hala's (seeming) inability to calculate time zones? Even when she was in London, she always confused about the time differences, and usually I'd be LMAO about this clueless behavior, but since it's Hala I'm more than willing to forgive her.

> Coming up is World Sport. I'm sorry, I can't calculate the time... it's 8:00 GMT right now...
(20 November 2004)

> We hope you took note of those time zones... There'll be a quiz on those time zones later.
(19 May 2005)

> We're still trying to figure out the whole GMT thing.
(20 May 2005)

Oh Hala. Look at the clocks in the control room.

co-anchor duties

Hala was on Your World Today!!! with Michael Holmes!!! oh thank god somebody who controls these things realized how brilliant Hala can be with a co-anchor. She was (as she usually is) so funny, and cute, and just plain adorable, and you can't imagine how embarassed I am to know I'm using these words to describe a CNN anchor.
More Hala, come on! Put her with Michael more often, for pete's sake. Come on, CNN producers, make me happy.

But somebody's got to do something about those lights in the studio.

In a galaxy far, far away...

Last weekend, George Lucas premiered the third installment of the Star Wars prequel in the Cannes film festival. Last Sunday (Monday here, Sunday to everyone else including Hala), Hala said:

Hala: Now it was 28 years ago when film maker George Lucas first took us to his galaxy far, far away. Sunday night he unveiled the final installment of the series at the Cannes film festival in France. In Star Wars: The Revenge Of The Sith fans will finally learn what caused Anakin Skywalker (stumbles over the name and laughs) – see you can tell, you can tell I’m not absolutely a fan as much as some people are – to become the....

And then, yesterday, just to make me happy, Monita was waxing rhapsodic about the opening of Star Wars, while Richard looked on with an expression that could be described as bemusement.

I find this so amusing because while Hala stays true to form and is not a Star Wars fan, I never expected Monita to be one.



I have something in common with Monita.

questy

Because Hala pissed me off by knowing who Katie Holmes is, I will talk about Questy first.

Why am I not surprised that for CNN's 25th anniversary, the story Richard chose to discuss is the last Concorde flight? I know I've often mentioned how Hala openly mocked his excitement over being part of the flight, but... Okay, it was historic (for tech geeks and Questy fans), but would it really change your life?
Ahh, fine. I'd love to have been part of that flight too, only without the other celebrities on it (Elizabeth Taylor? shouldn't you be, oh, i don't know, getting married?)

Now: Hala. Hala, how can you betray me so? Giving Katie Holmes' opportunistic behavior the benefit of the doubt? Is this because you like Tom Cruise (I sincerely hope you don't, because that would be so... American of you)?
Speaking of celebrities, I remember Hala talking to Christian Slater. Now, I used to have a wicked crush on Christian Slater (I'm over it, thankyouverymuch), and if I had any way to create still photos from the TV...
Aggh. Okay. Earlier (5am here) Hala was talking to some guy (their gossip guy or something from LA), and he talked of two things: Episode 3(!!!) and Tom and Katie. Now, I already know Hala has very little interest in Star Wars (not a fan, Hala? Talk to Monita, she might enlighten you on The Force ;) ), but defending Katie Holmes?
We need to talk.

Hogwarts

In "You Nerd", I pointed out that Richard talks about Harry Potter and Hala can't care less. A few years back, around the release of Book 5, and the first paragraph was read out on what I think was still Biz News, and after Richard read the excerpt, he asked Hala if she follows the series. When she said no, he said he would "give (her) a copy".
I bring this up for two reasons: one, book 6 is coming out, and I wonder if he followed through on trying to get Hala to read this ridiculously brilliant series. The second: the other day, Richard wore his striped tie that when I saw it, I was like, "Gryffindor?" Now, I actually asked Liz/Tina/Hala'sbiggestfan for a still of Richard's tie, thinking it was new. She followed through, but I was stupid enough to not check her photobucket account first ()

Check it out:

unorthodox

first: the Orthodox Easter celebrations. How funny was that? My mom even noted that only Hala can make a simple report sound even more off-beat than it already is.

But: ItME. and Quest. Was a little unhappy that the explosions in Cairo interrupted the replay of Quest on our Saturday night, but I'd seen it already that morning anyway. And Hala speaking Arabic! Yes, we've heard her do so before, but she did it quite a lot this time.

Inside the Middle East. Hala and Robyn (Curnow, to the uninitiated) in the same half-hour. Nice. I wonder how much of a homecoming Hala's visit to Aleppo is. The road trip feel of her segment? Priceless. It's so nice to see Hala out of the studio. She's so lively and vibrant, and reveals how personable she can be instead of being one of the best talking heads ever.
But who else loved how she almost slipped at the tail end of the show? As she was telling us to email at mideast@cnn.com, i don't know who else saw it, but she definitely took a semi-stumble.

And, Quest. Stephen Colbert once said that nothing takes the fun out of comedy than trying to analyze it, but Richard did a pretty good job of analyzing it and still managing to keep it funny.

I take it back. THIS was the best weekend ever. (Labor Day holiday included) I got Hala, Richard, Robyn, Liz George (c/o MainSail), The Daily Show, Andrea and Questy doing CNN Today, and Max Foster!

happy happy joy joy and



now if only Richard and Hala could co-anchor again...

you nerd.

he looks the part, he sounds the part, and when he talks about airplanes and space exploration, he confirms his role in the part.
Richard Quest, you are such an adorable nerd.
I latched onto BizNews because of your chemistry with Hala, and the two of you never seem to be on the same page when it comes to pop culture. She knows Friends, movies, the latest incident on the football pitch. You... don't. But you can talk endlessly about Harry Potter, NASA and the history of the Concorde and Hala might as well not pay attention.
But when you agree on something, that's the best part. Your common stand on David Blaine's so-called "magic" by starving himself for 40+ days. Or how you both decided that Botox better be the thing to blame for actors' lack of acting abilities. And, most recently, the ridiculous hat fashion for Charles and Camilla's Royal Wedding.

Anyway. I had to say it because Richard was just rhapsodic about the "world's largest passenger jet" a few days back. He was absolutely... he was so excited. I just wish Hala'd been there to make fun of him for it.
Just like that time with the Concorde:

Tuesday, 21. October 2003

Richard: I could sit and look at this pictures of Concorde coming into London all day.
Hala: Some people do take it quite far. Turn a 60-mile-round-trip to see a plane take off and land. I don’t. Different strokes...
(Laughter)
Richard: I want a new presenter.
-- quote "stolen" from Liz's site. Thank you Liz :) --

so anyway. once more, with feeling: Quest! and Inside the Middle East!
check your local listings (or the appropriate fan forum thread) for schedules on these programs. What do i look like to you, TV Guide?

(you are so hearing from me next week about these programs)


to add: aggh. vic, you lunatic. now i, too, want to go and be in atlanta on may 30-june 1.
sigh.

such ungodly hours

HALA's BACK!
will i do this everytime she disappears off the face of the planet only to magically reappear a week (or two. or more) later?
yes.
you look well, hala. you look... happy. to be back at work? or did something fun happen while you were away?
either way.
Hala's back!

god. i cannot wait for ItME. there goes my weekend. between hala, the daily show and quest (!!!), i don't think i'll be stepping out this weekend.
oh gosh. Quest. questy with jon stewart, billy connolly and ricky gervais. this ought to be fun.

Richard: no matter which side of the fence i take on this...
Hala: just agree with me and it will be alright.

(ahh, the good old days of Richard/Hala. they were discussing World Women's Day, which Hala contends is an oxymoron for women's equality if there is a special day for it.)

Wellingtons

It's not Hala, but it'll do: who else loved Questy and his "report" on wellies (Business International, 22April)? You could tell he was amused enough already about having a national week dedicated to -- let's face it, these are rubber boots. It's bad enough there's a week for it, then he had that guy who was completely enamored with the things. Oh, Richard. Loved your expression when the guy waxed rhapsodic over the things. Also loved how you oh-so-carelessly tossed the welly aside. When that guy said you could write poems about wellies? :) Whomever has a picture of Richard being overcome by wellies, send them my way.

Max was World Business This Week. Max, you're improving everytime I see you.

But what the heck is Fionnuala (spell checker down!) doing in Atlanta?

MAY 1!!!

actually, i just wanted to give nods to that guest and to annalewis25 for putting the Hala thread back on page 1 of the fan forum site. and, yes, guest, i totally agree: Hala and Richard have this way of looking at the camera and making you feel like they're delivering the news especially for you. as for charisma, um, i may have to say Richard's on top of that list, because even when he's being British, or even rude, you still want to keep listening to him. Hala takes on this if-looks-could-kill expression when she disagrees with what the interviewee is saying.
sadly, it is this side of Hala that i find the most endearing.

i need psychological help.

edit: i'll get it on the 29th, too, but since CNN says May 1, i will abide by CNN's declaration of scheduling :)

christiane and liz

Hala being away has allowed me to broaden my horizons, so here are a few little comments on some of the rest of the pack:

- Christiane Amanpour: You get banned from Iran, you are chief international correspondent, you are the Queen of CNN. And you're funny - who knew?

"I have to stay alive now." - Christiane Amanpour, on how having children has changed her (The Tonight Show with Jay Leno)

- Liz George: I miss Liz George. I never really realized how much until I watched MainSail yesterday. She's so infectious, I found myself smiling with her. Now, Liz George reporting is a wonderful way to get your global tragedy. ;)
That sounds like fun. Max Foster and Liz George being co-anchors. I could dream, can't I?

Hala, where art thou?

Quick edit: Yes, I realize she may be off filming ItME. But it's so nice to whine and complain. Can't wait for May 1.

Sumi Das

Yes, this has absolutely nothing to do with Hala, but it's CNN-related, so I'm posting it anyway. Sumi Das is now an official CNN employee!!! Yes, she's going to be a reporter, and not an anchor that we can watch on a regular basis, but i don't care.

On that note, I now wonder: where is Hala? The fan forum for her has been relegated to the second page! This is not good.

best. weekend. ever.

so. friday afternoon was dedicated to watching the pope's funeral, and to be honest i didn't really pay attention, because that's just how i am. it was nice, though, to witness such an event.

anyway. moving on. the fun part of the weekend actually happened starting saturday. so with the papal hoopla on the slide, we move on to other news. okay, actually, saturday morning kind of sucked. it was massively slow. moving on.
the wedding of prince charles and camilla parker-bowles, which was going to be partly covered by richard quest, was going to be in the afternoon. call me optimistic, but i just knew CNNi would find a way to get richard to talk to hala.
and talk they did.
me goofily watching CNN as richard and hala talked to each other, discussing everything from fashion to the repercussions of the union... they may never admit it, but we know they miss each other.
did anyone else notice how amused hala was by the whole thing? and her comment on the hats? the woman is wicked.

sunday: inside the middle east. halahalahala... hala don't taste the dead sea!!! she did it anyway. got to love that look that crossed her face when she did. (to see the look, click here - courtesy of Starman)
oh look. alessio vinci learning to surf. who else thought alessio was adorable in that wet suit? (aggh. i just used the word adorable to describe a CNN bureau chief)
max foster doing world business this week. oh, max. i'm usually not a fan of wide foreheads, but call me.
hala had a report-like thing differentiating Prince Charles' two weddings, which you know she just found amusing. hala, is this your attempt at jeanne moos-like reporting?
then there was a montage of the different hats seen during the royal wedding. my suspicion is that some editor wants to be on hala's good graces and made that for her amusement. because it sure amused me.
i didn't see her report during sunday, which could be entirely my fault, i don't know. all i know is that i also saw the daily show.

finally, this morning. it wasn't quite hala, but it was suzanne simons. okay, suzanne, i like you, but what is the deal with your bangs? grow them out, quickly!

so. actually i'm just gloating that richard and hala shared screentime. i love these two together. even when (or especially when?) they're exchanging snarky remarks.

the only thing missing? liz george.

here's hoping the week is as good as the weekend on CNNi.



quick edit:
a quick amendment to the post: as proof that i am losing my mind, i stated that i saw ItME on sunday. that would be erroneous: i saw it on saturday morning. so that comment on saturday being slow would be wrong. or something. i don't know. point is, inside the middle east aired on saturday morning.

oh no. if my sense of time is shot, the rest of my sanity can't be too far behind.

pardon me for that mistake.

*slowly backing away out of the room*

hala's glasses

i miss hala's old glasses. she used to have this pair that was a whole lot less... (okay, i'll say it) nerdy than the ones she's been wearing lately. what's going on? what's the deal with those big clunky glasses? i mean, they do absolutely nothing for hala's features.

i bring it up because this morning, when i tuned in to learn about the latest headlines, hala was wearing her big clunky glasses. and if it weren't hala, i just know i'd have been waxing rhapsodic over why an anchor would be wearing those things.

i still remember the first time i saw hala wear glasses. i was riveted.

anyway.

my boss gave us the afternoon off if we want to go and watch the pope's funeral. people at work know i'm non-practicing, so they asked me if i was going to take our boss up on the offer.
answer: (and possibly miss questy, vinci and amanpour? on purpose? on what planet?) yes.
it's official: i am a CNN nerd.

how to start your day

Not much. Just to say that Questy kept me company through most of yesterday (I was home sick, and he constantly checked in to tell me about the latest goings-on at The Vatican).
Oh, and Hala woke me up this morning. Sleepy, fumbling with the remote, I switch on the TV to check on the time, and lo and behold: Hala Gorani. She also sent me on my way to work, as I left not soon after she told me about the latest news headlines. so there.

oh, ooh, maria ressa did some reporting yesterday about the prayers for the pope things that are happening locally. just sharing.

So it is...

A few things.
1) Hala and Richard sharing screentime last Friday. Mad, mad props to my mother for understanding my little obsession and recording some of it. They were all serene and serious, which, while deviating from the usual Questy/Hala interactions, is still a reunion, nonetheless. Loved the part where Hala takes back the "Pope is in a coma" statement and later on saying,
"We are expecting a statement from the Vatican in a few minutes, no speculation there."

2) Hala and Shihab sharing Saturday's shift. Well, Shihab's improved a bit since the last time I criticized his co-anchoring skills.
"Nothing is written in stone as of yet." (Hala still smarting from the mis-report on Friday, I think)

3) Hala's ponytail, or whatever it was she was doing with her hair on Sunday. Pretty.


and, this no longer has anything to do with Hala, but who is that rather good-looking guy at the London newsdesk? I keep missing his name. He was co-anchoring with Fionualla at 0600 HKT on Monday morning. He's pretty to look at...

other hala fans' insight...

There's this quote on the Hala fan forum, and it makes me smile and appreciate the world of CNN fans, because I like to think of the same thing.

Spitfire said:

Julius Caesar said of Cleopatra that "her face could topple empires" when Hala has her hair back I know exactly what he meant. This can be interpreted two ways I mean it as a compliment, so did Julius Caesar.

Three Hala queries
1 After Paris and London won't Hala find Atlanta a cultural vacuum.

2 Was Hala's only fashion faux-pas when she dyed her fringe.

3 Hala and Lola Martinez always have great rapport, are they firm friends off-air.

Well, for the queries, the only one I can answer is number two, and that would be no. She's made one or two other fashion mistakes, but because that's one or two in a hundred (or so) appearances, I think it's fair to let them pass.

Aggh. Loathe the travel to and from work. By the time I get home I'm so exhausted Your World Today is but a distant dream.

Need to stay up a bit more often...



by the way...
If anyone can tell me where in the world Maria Ressa is, it would be much appreciated.

Hala and Cellphones

some idiot earlier was letting his cellphone ring at the office, and two quotes come to mind:

Richard: Hala has to go now, her cellular's ringing. (pause) Answer it already.
(back when it was still BizNews, at the end of the three-hour shift)

and:

Hala: ...Sign up to receive breaking news alerts as well as mobile news with color photos and even a scrolling news ticker. Again cnn.com/mobile if you need your phone to ring and beep even more than it does already.
(Hala abusing sarcasm on March 19, 2005)

Hala during daylight

why oh why is Hala on during my working hours? What kind of cruel God is doing this to me?
okay, drama much?

anyway. turns out Hala has been making broadcasts during the morning, local time. while i am at work.

you see, this is why i almost decided to work at a call center a few years back. i figured, with a night shift, i can watch CNN BizNews/Today. then Hala started hosting Business International, which i could catch if i rushed home from work. then she decided to move to Atlanta, and, okay, it was glorious, because she was on during weekends. And on the rare occasion i'm not completely exhausted, i get to see her when she'd do YWT.

Now she's on during daylight hours, and i'm at work. Hala, you hurt me.

But, mercifully, i have people who don't work during the daytime, or start moving late during the day, and i have them videotaping hala. and since she has someone to talk to (kristie lu stout, but any "co-anchor" would do), maybe hala would be more quotable.

now to view the tape...

sigh. to have a DVR...
dear santa, i know it's a little early...

spoiler

okay, this has very little to do about Hala herself, so bear with me.
i just found out that the webmaster of halafan has been, well, grounded from the internet. this is really sad, because she made the fan forum constantly active, and she does have all those pictures. i don't know exactly what went wrong, but apparently we all have to wait 'til april for her to make a comeback.
and she's one of the reasons why i try to keep this blog updated, so i am sure to miss her the next few weeks.
liz, don't go through withdrawals, it'll be fine.
what else...

hala's accessorizing. the necklaces, i'm more than familiar with. but that ring. woohoo, where'd you get that ring, hala? should we be worried that you'll choose family over career soon?

not much in way of quotage, but hala did have some really amused expressions over the weekend whenever they aired that story on the dog on that New York highway.

she's supposed to have had a birthday recently, but still i don't know the exact date (other than the approximate that it's a bit before Richard Quest's), so i'll just greet hala a belated happy birthday.

our quote for today is by richard and andrea:

richard: (on some businessman whose affair has resulted in a sacking and a divorce) but it's been public knowledge that he and his wife had been separated since 1995.
andrea: that wasn't part of the report, richard.