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December 31, 2008
Posted: 06:40 AM ET
Last week Robin was kind enough to give Eric some extra face time. So this week, we're letting her and the rest of the Morning Express crew get a little extra shuteye on New Year's Eve and New Year's Day. "News To Me" is HLN's spotlight on citizen journalism. It's usually on at 7:30pm and 9:30pm on Saturday and Sunday... and we will be back in those time slots this weekend. In fact the show you early-risers got to watch on 12/31 and 1/1 is a sneak peek at the "News To Me 2008 iReport Special" that will air this weekend! It's a show packed with as many of our favorite iReports and iReporters we could squeeze into half an hour. A spotlight on iReporters is PERFECT for these shows that air so early in the morning... because collectively, they never sleep! It doesn't matter what time of day or where in the world the story is happening you can bet someone is awake, watching and uploading. It might even be YOU! If you saw something in this morning's preview that you'd like to see more of, it's all waiting for you at iReport.com! Thanks for watching, and let a late rising friend know they can tune in this weekend to see the episode of "News To Me" you saw on HLN this morning! Posted by: Producer Grayson Thagard December 26, 2008
Posted: 07:40 PM ET
Here are the links to everything you saw in this weekend's special best-of-the-best "News To Me:" CLOSE CALLS: Icy Rescue - Family Outruns Fire - VBS.tv: Garbage Island - Coming soon - CAUGHT ON CAMERA: TALES FROM THE DEEP: Shark diving without a cage - ADRENALINE JUNKIES: Blue suit skaters - Mt. Hood ski-base jump - WEBHITS: From everybody at "News To Me" we hope you enjoyed this look back at the best of the best! We're back next weekend with another special show, this time we're putting the spotlight on HLN's iReporters! Posted by: Producer Grayson Thagard December 23, 2008
Posted: 10:04 PM ET
"News To Me" host Eric Lanford opened one of his presents early this year... and he picked the one from Robin Meade! He's pretty hard to buy for, but somehow she picked the PERFECT gift: extra exposure! Yep, in addition to the usual weekend run, Robin is giving us 30 minutes of "Morning Express" for a few days. "News To Me" will be on at 6:30 in the morning on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and the day after Christmas (all times Eastern) right after a special edition of "Not Just Another Cable News Show." We've put together a great episode of "News To Me" for these extra airings... it's a best-of the best-of HLN's spotlight on citizen journalism, viral video and Web culture. If you are a "Morning Express" viewer who is new to our show, this is a great way to get a feel for what we do every weekend! So big thanks to Robin for the awesome present... it's just what we wanted! Now here's something for YOUR stocking... the links to everything in this special show: CLOSE CALLS: Icy Rescue - Family Outruns Fire - VBS.tv: Garbage Island - CAUGHT ON CAMERA: TALES FROM THE DEEP: Shark diving without a cage - ADRENALINE JUNKIES: Blue suit skaters - Mt. Hood ski-base jump - WEBHITS: From everybody at "News To Me" thanks for watching, and we hope your holidays are everything you want them to be! Catch "News To Me" in the New Year for new shows, starting with an episode dedicated to HLN's own citizen journalists... the iReporters, premiering on January 3rd! Filed under: Hot Links December 20, 2008
Posted: 02:16 PM ET
It's an early holiday present from Eric Lanford to you! Actor, musician and now philanthropist Kevin Bacon is the biggest gift under the "News To Me" Festivus Pole tonight! Did he inspire you to do some good this holiday season? We've got the link to his SixDegrees project, and everything else you saw on "News To Me" right here! Starting with: Banjo Brain Surgery: Car slams into bus stop: Burglars kick in the front door, security cams catch them in the act: Visit Sgt. John Hames and the Johnson City, TN Police Dept. on YouTube. CNN.com Most Popular: Kevin Bacon & SixDegrees.org: Duct tape camper: Webhits: "Simon's Cat" in real life: Whatnot: That's the list! Thanks for watching "News To Me!" Thanks for visiting the blog (we'd love it if you'd leave us a little note to let us know you were here)! See you next weekend! Posted by: Producer Grayson Thagard December 18, 2008
Posted: 12:42 PM ET
Hi gang, AP Grayson here. One of my duties is to check out the blog comments and emails you send to "News To Me." You DO write to us. Not as much as you write to Robin Meade I suspect. But we DO get a fair amount of email and blog comments from all of you, and we appreciate it! Who doesn't like to get mail... right? This week's "News To Me" Thursday Three are a few of our recent favorites. For example: From Sharlene in Crivitz, Wisconsin: Good news Sharlene! As part of the network's recently announced name change (CNN Headline News is now simply called HLN) you'll start seeing more streamlined graphics on the bottom of the screen, including an updated "ticker" that has changed from a constant crawl, to more of a "flip." Take a look and let us know what you think! Secondly we have an ominous comment submitted to the blog from Chris: Thanks for that uplifting letter Chris! Perfect for the Holidays! In 2005 NASA did in fact acknowledge the discovery of a "10th Planet". Since then the object has been downgraded to a "dwarf planet" and has been given a name: Eris. As for it's possible interaction with the Earth, and our coverage of such an event all I can do is quote Ted Turner from the speech he gave at the launch of CNN, "...we will cover the end of the world, live, and that will be our last event... and when the end of the world comes, we'll play 'Nearer, My God, to Thee' before we sign off." Finally, an update from Joe Pyrek the team captain of "The Rolling Cones." That's the crew "News To Me" is rooting for in the coming Mongol Rally. Here's an update on their progress: 
Photo by Joe Pyrek of the step van that will become their Ice Cream Truck  "When we last left you, our trusty (okay, not so trusty yet) steed was stuck in an area of Richmond known as Scott’s Addition, for reasons relating to the fuel pump. Day jobs, cold weather and parts availability have prevented us from making a lot of headway on this issue this week, however, Andrew has been able to properly diagnose the problem. As it turns it, we fried the ground wire in the fuel pump as well as fried our connectors. While we were able to get the pump going again (external to the gas tank), we felt it prudent to not use this part again, because in my experience bum wiring, gasoline, and gasoline fumes do not mix well. Also we concurred that driving a potential ticking time bomb around was probably not the wisest thing to do. That said, we have found the pump we need and it is on its way to becoming a piece of one of the greatest adventures on earth….once it arrives in Richmond. One thing we have found thus far is that the knowledge of these trucks is quite a niche thing. Auto parts stores don’t seem to know what we are talking about and despite the fact that a majority of the parts are standard GM parts, without us having manuals or anything, it is quite difficult to figure out what is what. We have also begun planning how to utilize the interior and exterior space of the truck. We have taken many measurements to figure out…well, exactly how big this thing is, and what we can fit where, etc. On Saturday and Sunday trips were taken to the junkyard to see what sorts of cars were there and what parts were available. Interestingly enough, Andrew actually found a connector we needed for the fuel pump just laying on the ground. Sure beats paying $50 for the same thing from the store! There are a lot of items on our list that we want/need that we were hoping to find at the junkyard such as 19.5 inch wheels. We didn’t see anything, but we’ll be trying other places down the stretch. So, for this week our goals are to get that new pump in, install it, and get the truck back to Andrew's, so that we can give it a good once over (NOT on the side of the road) and then get it insured, titled, and registered properly. Before the end of the year, we’d like to try and scare out all the electrical gremlins and get a solid list of “to dos” down for the vehicle. Some of the stuff is simple, like replacing some rivets, fixing some bent metal, etc. Other issues to be diagnosed may be a tad harder; we still have a rotor issue to deal with, and the overall wiring is a tad suspect. All that said, honestly, we are in a great spot and further along on all fronts that we thought we’d be at this point. Early next year the fun with visas starts. Yippee!!" That's our Thursday Three for this week... keep those cards and letters coming! Coming up this weekend we'll be going from "three" to "six," as in Six Degrees from Kevin Bacon! Kevin will be on "News To Me" to talk to Eric about his new site SixDegrees.org. Posted by: Producer Grayson Thagard December 13, 2008
Posted: 05:30 PM ET
Thanks for watching "News To Me!" If you are reading this that means there must have been something in the show you wanted more information about... you've come to the right place. F/A-18 plane crashes into San Diego neighborhood: Mumbai Terror Attacks: For continuing coverage of the attacks visit the India page on CNN.com. Dog aids dog: Hurricane Track: Rescued from a burning car: The Scary City: One Shoe Diaries: Pull Ya Pantz Up: Big announcement about next week's show soon. Don't want to give too much away but as of next week, Eric will be only one degree from a certain star! Thanks for watching! We'd love to hear from you, feel free to leave your comments about the show right here so we'll be sure to see 'em! Posted by: Producer Grayson Thagard December 12, 2008
Posted: 10:38 AM ET
What’s going on world? AP Charles here. The word has trickled down from the powers that be: I have been re-assigned to another show. I will now be working on “Morning Express With Robin Meade”. So when you are asleep in your warm, cozy beds at 3 A.M., I will be in the office helping put together a great show for you Monday through Friday. If Grayson allows me, I may get to be a guest blogger for the "News To Me" blog. I can remember my first day working on this show. I was on a shoot with the guys and we were at Georgia Tech. Teague and Mike asked me to dance on camera (funny because I ran into some of my frat brothers and was stepping with them earlier that afternoon). From there on it was my staple to be “the weird random guy” in a number of shots. Unfortunately, not all of those made it to air. I’m going to miss searching the Web for great content. I’m going to miss the production meetings at “The Creek” (our production house), most of which primarily consist of us eating doughnuts and figuring out where we are going to shoot that weekend and what’s going in the show that week. I’m going to miss our Turner audio guys Gerald and Chris. I need to hang out with these guys. Gerald, I am not a lackey!!! To the NTM Crew: Teague: Remember when I fell asleep on the way back from the NASCAR shoot and you decided to wake me up while filming me? Payback is coming…lol Eric: Anytime you need a little advice on how to be the smooth ladies’ man, holla at me! Mike: I know I am probably still going to get a few e-mails asking me to crank out a [transcription] real quick for probably the next week or two. It’s ok. Aaron: Looks like your back on music reporting. Dude, hit me up if you need anything. “No Worries.” I’m stuck saying that now thanks to you. Grayson: Dude, you are ultimate hook up guy. I swear you are like the concierge for "News To Me." Keep those contacts. (Sorry about Craft). To all the viewers and readers of this blog, keep sending in your stories and pictures. It’s you that keeps this show going. ["News To Me"] exists solely because you guys can’t put a camera down. And we love it! I thank ya’ll. And who knows, you may see me on a shoot with the old crew sometime in the future. Holla!!! Posted by: Producer Charles Gilbert December 11, 2008
Posted: 07:26 PM ET
Our weekly glimpse into what's been coming across our desks here at "News To Me." This week we're going to give you a sneak peek into what is coming up on future shows. Without giving too much away of course. Let's just say that these three sites and the people behind them are all scheduled to appear on "News To Me" soon! Some sooner than others! The Scary City: SixDegrees.org: Ideas by Chuck: ...so there are three little teases to let you know what were working on for future "News To Me" episodes. See you this weekend! Posted by: Producer Grayson Thagard December 9, 2008
Posted: 05:00 PM ET
Howdy gang, Associate Producer Grayson here. Last Saturday while shooting “News To Me” we had the opportunity to pick up a couple of scenes in a location I thought would be awesome. Mostly because there was a famous person in there and there was a good chance I'd get to meet him. See, Top Chef judge Tom Colicchio has just opened up his new restaurant called Craft Atlanta in the Buckhead hotel district where we were shooting. We were there before the grand opening and were given very spur-of-the-moment permission to record a couple scenes inside! As it worked out, as nice as Craft is, it was not perfect for the scene we were shooting. Yes, technically it would have worked, but with so much preparation going on for the grand opening we would have been in the way. Plus, the scene really needed more of a casual vibe. Instead the fine folks at the "Corner Bakery Cafe" just down the street allowed us to take over a booth to get the shot. So we didn’t get to shoot in Craft, but I DID have a brush with fame! As we were leaving Craft, none other than the man himself, Chef Tom Colicchio walked right past me! I think I said something stupid like "Hey, you're Tom Colicchio!" Not an official "meeting" per se, but close enough! Check out a couple more pictures from our afternoon on Peachtree Street on the next page » Posted by: Producer Grayson Thagard December 8, 2008
Posted: 04:04 PM ET
A very cool guest blogger for you today. You met him just briefly in last weekend's edition of "News To Me." He was pretty hard to miss actually. Did you see the the 27 inch tall mohawk? It's attached to his head! Sure, he's in a punk band called "The Filthy Few," and he hangs out with the guys from "Bloodcow" and "Cordial Spew," but Eric Hahn isn't the angry rocker you might expect... 
Check out Eric Hahn and his record breaking Mohawk on "News To Me" 
Eric Hahn lets his hair down 
Eric Hahn lets his hair down It's pretty simple. I was sick of my hair. It had become a pain in the rear, and I wanted to cut it off. I am a bit of a procrastinator, so I didn't do it right away. I guess being lazy and putting things off can sometimes be a good thing, because after a few months of NOT cutting my hair, this is what happened. One day I came across a clip of the guy with the world's tallest Mohawk on the Ellen Degeneres Show. I gotta say I was a bit surprised at the length of the tallest Mohawk, only 24 inches. I thought it would be taller. "Well...I can beat that..." I thought. I did some research, and found that indeed the record was still officially 24 inches, and had not been challenged since 2004. That's when it sank in; I could really become a world record holder, at least for a while. I was cutting my hair anyway. Now there was no choice. If it can be done, it must be done! I put my application in to Guinness, and waited for their response. This is when I started to notice something that determined the course I took to breaking this record. I work at Universal Information Services, a media monitoring company in Omaha, scanning newspapers from all over the country. I saw articles about world record attempts, and not just in one paper here and there. One attempt would be covered by news all over the country. This could possibly grow some legs; get some attention. Not only that, but I knew that Todd and Jim Murphy, owners of Universal Info, could help insure that it got some attention with their 40+ years in the business. They ended up being instrumental. Ok, now my brain went into overdrive. I have to put on a show with my band, The Filthy Few, and sport the Mohawk on stage. And it has to be for charity, Locks of Love was the obvious choice. I wanted to do get a local charity involved as well, and I had already known about Project Nightlights here in Omaha. I need a stylist, and a good place to hold the event. It must have a tall ceiling. I need to promote this. It's going to cost some money. I am broke. I need a website, and a venue. I need some bands. I need to do some research. I need money. I need help! I found that it was going to be very difficult to bring Guinness to Nebraska, or go to one of their conventions, due to money constraints. This was definitely going to be a grass roots effort. My only hope was sponsorship. I approached Todd Murphy with Universal, and he liked the idea. Next was Smitty at Big Brain Productions. Having broke a world record himself for most piercings on one person, he was eager to help. Then, I went to Scott McCaig at Capitol School of Hair Styling, and I am glad I did! The stylists Elliot and Katie were skilled and professional, and it was a perfect place to hold the press conference. I called some old friends who are local business owners: Ed at Paradigm Gardens, Mark at United Services of America, and Nikki at Hebe GB Tattoo. I also made some new friends who supported the cause at Capes Comic Book Lounge, Omaha Fight Club, Paparazzi by Appointment, The Reader, 89.7 The River, 1% Productions, and The Waiting Room. I needed someone to record this whole ridiculous venture. Wayne Brekke had just documented a local Zombie Walk (which also aired on CNN), and It was clear that he was the man for the job. Finally, the bands: Bloodcow, Cordial Spew, Live Wire, and Somewhere Between Heaven and Hell. All of these people contributed in a big way, and they more than deserve the recognition I gave them here. I would like to add Bobbi Lovejoy, who made the banner, and my girlfriend Allyson Richard, who helped with design and had to put up with my relentless obsession towards the final outcome. It all came together on November 14th, 2008. I broke the world record [with a 27 inch tall mohawk], the benefit show raised over $850 for charity, and this got way more attention than I ever thought it would. Thanks to CNN [Headline News], "News To Me," and Eric Lanford for commenting that my world record hair just might have made me the coolest person in the world. Of course, he is wrong. Everyone knows that Lanford himself… is the coolest person in the world! Cheers! Filed under: Guest Blogger |
 
About this blog
Go "behind our cubicles" to see how "News To Me" comes together each week... warts and all. See the videos and stories that we did not or could not air (all SFW) and get the early word on what we'll be looking for next week. Want to see your videos or pics on "NTM"? Send them our way. Catch "NTM" with Eric Lanford every Saturday and Sunday at 7:30p/9:30p/12:30a... only on HLN!  Recent Posts
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