This past weekend my partner in crime here at News 12 Connecticut got married! Here is a short iPhone video of her being fed cake. Look how beautiful and happy she looks!
And here is a picture of the bride the night BEFORE her wedding, on Halloween, when we took the kids trick-or-treating.
(Believe me, she got all of her witching out, because she was the most calm and happy bride the day of her wedding.)
I have to admit I was double- sometimes triple fisted at her wedding! By this I mean with cameras. The video posted here is with my iPhone. I also taped the wedding and reception with a camera she bought for the occasion, as well as with my Flipcam.
The best video is on her cam- but she has it with her on her honeymoon in France! Since I was shooting video, I don't have many still photos to share. She does, however, and I'm sure she can't wait to post them on her fabulous blog.
So Lori, Congratulations!!!! Enjoy France! But hurry and get back so we can get back to work! We have holiday cards to put together :)
Check out the new M-8 rail cars soon to be on their way to Connecticut from the Kawasaki plant in Japan.
In a press release, Governor Jodi Rell says the first pair of these cars will be ship out on October 28th.
She says over the next four months, three additional pairs will be shipped to Connecticut.
Before Metro North commuters will get a chance to test them out, Rell says all cars will undergo rigorous quality-assurance tests lasting several months.
During the testing, Kawasaki will be producing and shipping ten cars every month to fulfill Connecticut's 300-car order.
Charles Grodin says he doesn't like to leave his home very often. He does his CBS radio commentary and newspaper columns from his home in Wilton, Connecticut. He also writes his plays and books from home, saying working from home is the key. He also says he doesn't like to travel, and that the reason he keeps an apartment in Manhattan is so his son and wife can get away from him.
What does get Grodin out of the house is his charity work. Actually, from all he told me he's involved with during an interview at the Red Barn Restaurant in Westport, I'm not sure he is ever at home. The night after the interview, Grodin served as Master of Ceremonies for the Children's Cancer and Blood Foundation. The following Monday night he said he had a reading of a play he worked on with the boy he mentors through Mentoring USA.Grodin is also donating all the sales of his 2009 book, "How I Got to be Whoever it is I Am," to the charity.
Then coming up October 30th, Grodin will serve as MC for the Malta House Celebrate Life Concert in Norwalk. He also mentioned work with Road Recovery and various other charities. I first met him in 2004 at a Human Resources Council charity event where I hosted the live auction and he was the key note speaker. I was told to try to raise as much money as possible, but keep it tight because Grodin doesn't like to be out late.
Here we shot a little video with my iPhone. He was very much "in character" here. Remember when he used to go on Johnny Carson and refuse to answer certain questions? That was his act.
Of course, the fling with Miss Piggy he speaks about in above video happened in The Great Muppet Caper. I asked about it because of something in "How I Got to be Whoever it is I Am" that made me laugh. He said once he thought this major politician was going to ask him to run for office. Instead, he asked what it was like to work with Miss Piggy. The lesson, Grodin writes, "Watch out for delusions of grandeur."
That actually lead to the chapter on Co-ops which outlines his experience of trying to buy a place on Fifth Avenue in New York City and his experience of being asked to sit on the board of directors. It was so unpleasant, he says he found it riveting. He also wrote the play "The Right Kind of People" based on his experience. His play will open the Square One Theatre Company's 20th anniversary season this November in Stratford. Grodin says the play is universal in how it looks at the power private organizations sometimes feel they have. Grodin isn't in the play, but he will host a question and answer session Saturday, November 21st. The theatre will also show a double feature of "Midnight Run" and "The Heartbreak Kid" on Saturday, November 14th.
Grodin says he really doesn't have much of an interest in acting anymore. Instead, he says his main focus right now is the justice system. He says he was involved with repealing the Rockefeller Drug laws and now he's working on the Felony Murder rule. He says the United States is the only country that still has it. He says he is working to raise awareness, and hopefully get it ruled unconstitutional.
In the meantime he's keeping busy writing. He says he has a play about Shakespeare that Jerry Zaks is supposed to direct starring John Lithgow. He says "The Right Kind of People" is being considered for runs in other theaters, plus he has another play about male friendship and boundaries. He has another play that he says he's turned into a screen play that would star Carol Burnett and Rosie O'Donnell that they're trying to sell as a cable movie.
He says he also has a musical that no one has even seen. He describes it as a two-person comedy, of which he says he'll do a reading of eventually.
Grodin is also known to talk excessively. He was impeached as class president in fifth grade for talking too much. He says his family gets aggravated with him, and that his son recently said to him, "say 1/8th of everything that comes to your mind."
While his act may get old to those always around him, Grodin says his life purpose is to use his voice for those who can't be heard.
"If you love what you do, you never work a day in your life."
If you watch News 12 Connecticut in the morning, you have heard Paul Piorek say that quote often.
You also know Paul loves his job. He arrives around 3am every day. He produces the weather for News 12, does live hits for the radio, writes a blog for News12.com nearly every day and visits schools once a week for "Weather Kids."
I caught Paul doing the voice-over for the news piece he wrote about Weather Kids. Here he is at about 4:30 am... In 3, 2, 1...
However, it must be LOVE that has kept Paul at the helm. He is celebrating 20-years on air at News 12 Connecticut. He says that Friday, September 25 marks his 20th year on the air.
For information on how to buy the album, go to News12.com.....
"I've got goosebumps."
His working for 20 years at News 12, however, doesn't make him haggard and non-relevant. Quite the opposite. He proves here in his singing that he is a "modern" weather man.
I've worked with Paul on the morning shift every Monday through Friday since October of 2002. I can't imagine waking up with a better man. Even when something at work has gone terribly wrong, he has a way of putting a comedic spin on it. I spend my entire morning laughing in between news stories. He is a hard working, loving, caring, talented man who really does love what he does. His work hasn't gone unnoticed. He has numerous awards. ( He keeps asking to borrow the windex I use to clean mine. )
Here I caught up with him as he did one of his numerous weather hits for the radio station WSTC.
I know watching these fun video you might not realize what a great weather man he is, but News 12 Connecticut does compete in the New York City market, and he has a New York Emmy for best weathercaster- among others!
Sherwood Island State Park in Westport offers a view of the New York City skyline on a clear day. However, eight years ago this week, people there watched in the distance as smoke and debris filled the sky.
Tonight (9/9/09) lawmakers and residents gathered at that spot for the annual 9/11 memorial service to remember those from Connecticut killed in the terrorist attacks. As this event takes place, New York City leaders are preparing for it's annual ceremony on Friday, 9/11/09.
It is hard to believe eight years have passed. Just after the attacks, I remember walking near the area amazed at how buildings blocks away were covered in soot. Businesses were closed and the area wasn't recognizable.
Over the years I have watched progress take place. I have read the praises and the criticisms. I've written a few words myself for this blog over the past three years.
If you haven't visited recently, here are some pictures of what the site looks like now. I took this picture Wednesday night as Connecticut held it's ceremony in Westport. (Hint- it was taken from the upstairs of the Burger King near the site. You can't see the construction from the street.)
This picture was taken last week from the roof top of a building on Broadway.
You'll also find pictures to compare pre-9-11, now and the future.
Be sure to tune into News 12 Connecticut Friday morning. We will carry the ceremony live from NYC.
Since students started going back to school at the end of August, News 12 Connecticut has been asking parents to send in pictures of their children's return to academia. I've enjoyed showing those pictures during the morning newscasts. All of the boys and girls look so happy and proud to begin a new period of their life, to experience the unknown. What will I learn? Who will my teacher be? Will I meet new friends?
For many students in the Bridgeport district, this year is a first of mandatory uniforms. I'm not sure how all the students feel about it, but they sure look great in all the pictures that were sent to News 12 Connecticut.
Plus, here is something to think about. When you look back on those pictures in 20 years, you can blame the "style" on school. You can say, "oh, I was forced to wear that." Unlike my picture from my first day of first grade.
Two years ago I wrote a blog post about going back to school. You can see read it here.
Sometimes you see glitches on News 12 Connecticut. Not very often, I know, but it happens! One morning during a power outage we were trying to get a live phone interview on the air with Mitch Gross of Connecticut Light and Power.
Unfortunately, something wasn't working with the system, and every time we'd try to toss to him, we heard silence. It sounded something like this: " We are joined now live on the phone with Micth Gross of CL&P. Mitch, how many homes are without power?" ---- "Okay, it seems we don't have Mitch." "Oh, I'm being told we have Mitch now, Mitch? ----It probably didn't go on as long as it felt to Amelie and me on the desk, but it happened a little more than a year ago, and to this day, all anyone has to say in the morning is, "I've got Mitch," and everyone erupts into laughter.
So when I spoke with Mitch this past week about energy usage this summer, I reminded him of that morning. He laughed and said the worst thing was that he could hear us, but that we just couldn't hear him. I shot a fun little interview with him using my iPhone.
What he also said about power usage this summer was, "So far so good."
He says that demand does go up when there are stretches of high temperatures or high humidity because customers like their air conditioning.
I also talked with a spokeswoman for ISO New England, the region's power supplier. She says the grid is doing fine this summer, that there shouldn't be any concerns over a possible blackout like in 2003. She says that the cooler weather and poor economy seem to have people conserving energy. However, she said the biggest drain on supply is air conditioning.
Back to Mitch Gross of CL&P. He says, "It's our job to deliver the power, to make sure its safe, make sure it's reliable and make sure it's there when its needed."
He says when the customer throws on that switch, that power needs to be there.
He says you might have noticed many of his crews in downtown Stamford lately. He says, "We're investing upwards of 73-million dollars in upgrades to Stamford through the year 2013."
He says there is a lot of upgrading to be done.
"It's needed. It's the financial hub of Connecticut. Stamford has a high demand for power."
As for what you can do to conserve, he says the easiest thing is to turn off the lights when you leave the room. He also suggests replacing light bulbs with those new compact fluorescents. He says they run cooler and longer and save energy.
Everyone is looking back to the Summer of '69 this weekend because it marks the 40-year-anniversary of Woodstock.
I wasn't around to be a part of the peace, love and rock and roll fest, but this summer also happens to mark the 10-year-anniversary of an event I will never forget, Woodstock '99.
I found some of our old footage.
Here are some scenes from Woodstock '99.
I was working as the weekend Anchor at the NBC affiliate in Utica, New York. Our coverage included the old army base in Rome where the concert was held. It was less than 20-miles from the news station. For more than a year leading up the concert, we covered the impact that the event would have on Oneida County. We constantly interviewed the promoter for Woodstock 99, Michael Lang, the same man who was responsible for the original Woodstock.
The first two days of the festival went well. We had several reporters and photographers camped at the festival because the crowds were just too big for us to get our satellite trucks in and out.
I was out at the concert the first day, but was back at the station anchoring for the weekend. I also produced the shows and had a lot on my hands. Cooperstown, New York was also our coverage area, and that same weekend the National Baseball Hall of Fame was holding it's inductions.
Sunday night is when it all heated up.
People at Woodstock started building bonfires. The tore down the art murals to feed the fires. One of the stages caught fire while a band was performing. MTV was there covering it live but decided it was too dangerous to stay. Our crews remained as we did live shots throughout the night.
The next day I was out at the site of the festival doing a piece on the damage. Trucks full of vendors' merchandise had also went up in flames and much of the field was still smoldering. Rioting crowds had even attacked one of our live trucks, smashing the windows and causing about 15-thousand dollars worth of damage.
All was calm in Cooperstown that weekend.
Driving home from work yesterday I heard my friend Steve Scott announce on WCBS 880 that NYC Mayor Mike Bloomberg had joined Twitter.
(Of course I already follow Scott, who is @SteveScottWCBS on Twitter.) As soon as I got home, I logged on to find Bloomberg's tweet feed. You can follow him @mikebloomberg .
Up until now, it looks as if someone in his office or campaign has been doing his tweets. But now it does look as if the Mayor is updating his own status. One of my favorites he posted from yesterday refers to the Mayor of Newark, New Jersey, Cory Booker ( @CoryBooker.)
" @corybooker told me I ought to shave my head. He also suggested I try twitter. I decided trying twitter was a better idea "
So now I'm also following @CoryBooker.
You can even find a picture of Bloomberg tweeting from the Mayor's Mansion with the Creator, Chairman and co-founder of Twitter @Jack. Or you can just click here to see it.
Following politicians on Twitter doesn't necessarily mean that I endorse them. I follow as many Connecticut leaders as I can to keep up with what they are doing. They often provide links to what issue they're discussing or where they will be shaking hands with the public. Some update their own links, others are kept by their campaign.
I'm sure politicians will look to social networking sites like Twitter and Facebook to connect with voters. When I first joined Twitter more than two years ago, I mostly followed tech experts from San Francisco. Slowly politicians, musicians and spammers started to follow. Of course following President Barack Obama, @BarackObama , is how I found out who he had chosen as his running mate.
I think I can say Connecticut Governor Jodi Rell is Connecticut's first Governor on Twitter. @GovernorRell
Many of those said to be vying for her job also have accounts.
Of the Democrats, Stamford Mayor Dannel Malloy is @DanMalloyCT.
Republicans considering a gubernatorial bid include House Minority Leader Larry Cafero of Norwalk, Senate Minority Leader John McKinney of Fairfield and Connecticut Lieutenant Governor Michael Fedele. I couldn't find individual twitter accounts, but I do follow the CT House Republicans @CTHouseRules . (If you find one to have an account, let me know!)
You can follow Senator Chris Dodd @SenChrisDodd. He faces his toughest re-election fight in nearly 30 years in the Senate. Recent polls showed him trailing former GOP Rep. Rob Simmons, who you can follow @RobSimmons.
US Representative Jim Himes is @JAHimes.
You can find one of his challengers for the 4th Congressional District seat at @WilliamGregory. Gregory is the 24-year-old from New Canaan.
Let me know which politicians you follow. And of course you can follow me @hrkovar .
Tweet ya on the campaign trail 2010!
What would Hunter S. Thompson say?
July 30, 2009
A band from Ireland will go down in trivia history as the first band to play at the Met's new home, Citi Field.
"The Script" opened for Paul McCartney at Citi Friday, July 17th. Sir Paul is considered the first headliner at Citi Field.
"The Script" has number one records in the UK, but are still seeking fame here in America. In 2008, they received "Best Irish Band Award" at the World Music Awards.
Check them out on iTunes here.
I happened to know about the band through a friend of mine from London. I also got to chat with some members of the band after their first couple of performances with McCartney.
Yes, it's a bad iPhone picture, but the man on screen right is Script drummer Glen Power. The one in the middle is the bass player.
I asked them what it was like playing at Citi Field. They told me there was a lot of interference because of planes flying overhead. They said the first night they played they had no idea what was going on and so it made them nervous. However, they said the same did not happen to McCartney, because the planes were rerouted around the stadium for all his shows. But they said once they knew what the interference was, they were fine with it.
If you haven't visited recently, here are some pictures of what the site looks like now. I took this picture Wednesday night as Connecticut held it's ceremony in Westport. (Hint- it was taken from the upstairs of the Burger King near the site. You can't see the construction from the street.)
This picture was taken last week from the roof top of a building on Broadway.
