With all due respect to the Steelers and the Cardinals, Eric Lanford is not intimidated by Ben Roethlisberger or Kurt Warner. He's ready to take on a challenge like going up against the most watched sporting event in the United States. In fact, we've got our OWN thrilling halftime performance! Plus for those of you who tune in just for the commercials, we'll show you one that you WON'T see during the big game this weekend!

Here are the links to all that and everything else on "News To Me" this weekend:

Halftime "Water Cell" escape scare:
See the raw footage on YouTube: Houdini Water Torture Cell Gone Bad. Then surf over to RidgewayandJohnson.com for a look at what this amazing stunt looks like when everything goes right!

Mumbai Terror Attacks:
WATCH AGAIN as iReporter Aaron Butler brings the tragedy of that day very close to home. Visit his iReport profile to see the posts he created while he waited for word on the fate of his sister and step father. You may also leave condolences for Alan and Naomi at alanandnaomi.com.

F/A-18 plane crashes into San Diego neighborhood:
WATCH AGAIN to see
Superstar iReporter Chris Morrow's compelling footage and eye-witness accounts of the crash. Click over to iReport.com for the raw video she uploaded from the scene.

Super Bowl Single Girl:
OK, you "met" Amy Borkowsky, saw her commercial that WOULD have aired during the the Super Bowl on "News To Me" and instantly knew that she is the woman for you! It's your lucky day (and maybe her's)! We just so happen to have her contact info: amy@superbowlsinglegirl.com! Let her know you saw her on "News To Me!" If it works out we want to come to the wedding!!!

Dog aids dog:
Is this dog really dragging his dog buddy out of harm's way or is there something else going on here? Watch the raw video Live Leak and let us know what you think.

Best. Job. Ever.
Apply Here: islandreefjob.com Be sure to tell 'em "News To Me" sent you. If you get the gig we want to come crash on your sofa for a few days!

Worst. Escape. Ever.
See the raw clip from TVNZ.co.nz.

Caption This!
Take a look at our latest caption contest.

Thanks for watching! See you next weekend!!!

Being on an international cable news network like HLN means that "News To Me" is on in a LOT of time zones. For simplicity's sake we usually only promote our Eastern Time Zone air times, and then let you do the math.

I've always felt bad about that. You know? There are people all over North America (and elsewhere in the world) who get HLN on their cable boxes... It's always seemed a little rude to force them to crunch the numbers in order to find "News To Me."

So HERE, in all their glory, are all the times you can watch "News To Me," the the first cable news program to spotlight user-generated content, iReports, web culture and viral video, almost everywhere:

EASTERN TIME ZONE:
Saturday – 7:30pm & 9:30pm
Sunday – 12:30am, 5:30am, 7:30pm & 9:30pm
Monday – 12:30am & 5:30am

CENTRAL TIME ZONE:
Saturday – 6:30pm, 8:30pm & 11:30pm
Sunday – 4:30am, 6:30pm, 8:30pm & 11:30pm
Monday – 4:30am

MOUNTAIN TIME ZONE:
Saturday – 5:30pm, 7:30pm & 10:30pm
Sunday – 3:30am, 5:30pm, 7:30pm & 10:30pm
Monday – 3:30am

PACIFIC TIME ZONE:
Saturday – 4:30pm, 6:30pm & 9:30pm
Sunday – 2:30am, 4:30pm, 6:30pm & 9:30p
Monday – 2:30am

ALASKA TIME ZONE:
Saturday – 3:30pm, 5:30pm & 8:30pm
Sunday – 1:30am, 3:30pm, 5:30pm & 8:30pm
Monday – 1:30am

HAWAII TIME ZONE:
Saturday – 2:30pm, 4:30pm & 7:30pm
Sunday – 12:30am, 2:30pm, 4:30pm & 7:30pm
Monday – 12:30am

Of course, no matter where you are, you COULD just set a Season Pass for "News To Me" on your TiVo. It's on enough times over the weekend that it's unlikely you'd have a conflict no matter how far down it was on your Season Pass list!

Allrighty then! No excuses! We'll see you on "News To Me" this weekend and every weekend on HLN – no matter where you are!

We'll be announcing the winner of our LAST caption contest on "News To Me" this weekend (1/31 & 2/1)!

In the meantime... take a look at this pic snapped by Superstar iReporter Francois Chouinard. Apparently freezing temperatures caused a water pipe to burst which flooded this street in Montreal. Essentially freezing cars in a giant block of ice!

Combine a water main break, sub-zero Canadian cold, some poor unsuspecting parked cars and what do you get?

THAT is exactly what we want YOU to tell us! Leave a comment with your caption for this picture and if you come up with the one that makes Eric laugh the hardest* you win!

Share this with your creative web-friends... you'll all get a head start on the rest of the world who will have to wait until "News To Me" airs on HLN this weekend to get their first look at the pic.

*Eric claims to love the comedy stylings of Dennis Miller... if that helps.

Maybe you've heard... it was kind of a big story... last Tuesday... all the big media outlets covered it...

Barack Obama becomes President of the United States of America:
OK, you watched Aretha sing, heard Yo Yo play (sort of), saw Roberts' flub, and witnessed the peaceful transfer of power. Now see the Inauguration of the 44th President of the United States from the people's point of view:
iReporter Zennie Abraham
iReporter Brad Bailey

BJ Hill walked 4200 miles to witness President Obama's inauguration. He recounts every step on his blog: Walk America 2008

Check out the pictures and videos from everyone who contributed to the "Inauguration: Your view of history" assignment at iReport.com.

Obama art:
Want to put your face into Shepard Fairey's now iconic "Progress" Obama campaign poster? Click over to obamicon.me and give it a shot!

Get paid to blog from paradise!
So you think you have what it takes to live in a beautiful villa for a 6 months in a 3 bedroom "villa" overlooking the islands of the Great Barrier Reef in Australia, AND get paid $150 thousand Australian dollars to do it? So does Eric! Check out his video application and upload your own at islandreefjob.com.

Most Popular on CNN.com:
A boy and his hedgehog
Police chase goes off-road
Kansas City chase

Mac Vs. PC – for reals!
No, really. It's a Mac fighting a PC! Filmmaker Nick Greenlee's epic battle between good vs. evil (we'll let YOU choose which is which) is racking up the views on YouTube. Nearly 2 million so far. To get a look at how he did it and what else Nick has up his sleeve, check out his personal website nickgreenlee.com. It takes a second to load, but it's worth it.

Own a piece of a UK football club:
You can! For just 35 British Pounds (about $70 U.S.) you can own a share of the Ebbsfleet United Football Club! As an owner you'll even help make the decisions that could get this team to the World Cup!

Big Hair:
Meet the guy who's head is home to the World's Tallest Mohawk. Then watch the full clip of his first appearance on News To Me!

Webhits:
- Chain surfing.
- Shrimp on a treadmill...
...with the Benny Hill music
...with the Chariots of Fire music
...OK Go mashup

Whatnot!
Frozen precipitation + historic election + easily mashable name = Snowbama!

Thanks for watching! Next weekend on "News To Me" meet the woman who tried to raise 3 million dollars. To buy a personal ad!

So... "News To Me" the Vegas edition. What did you think? Would Sinatra approve? It was a pretty big undertaking getting an easily distracted Eric Lanford all over town and through the 2009 International Consumer Electronics Show. Luckily we had help.

Zach Honig from PCMag.com became a de facto part of the HLN/CNN team in Las Vegas. Whether he liked it or not! That's him in the photo above. No, not the gorgeous spokes model. Look over on the left... with his hand on his chin... in the background. That's Zach... and that is where Zach spent his time at CES... in the background. Making the rest of us look good, which is a much harder job than you might imagine. We thought that he might be a good "neutral party" to write today's blog post:

For a “print” guy, I’ve spent a lot of time around TV people in recent months. Between the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) and the Beijing Olympics, I feel like I just can’t get away from the hustle and bustle of cable news. I’ve been able to stay behind the camera most of the time, and luckily, CES was no exception.

As the product reviews coordinator for PCMag.com, I spend much of the year meeting with a range of tech players, including home entertainment reps, iPhone game designers, and of course, computer manufacturers. But many of those meetings take place in NYC hotel suites or one of our conference rooms, last an hour or more, and are largely focused on a PowerPoint presentation—nothing like what I experienced at the world’s largest consumer electronics show, where booth visits often last less than a minute.

I’ve always wanted to cover CES, walking well over a million square feet while soaking in the latest tech exhibits. Having the show in Vegas doesn’t hurt, but that’s really not what the week is all about. This year, I finally had my chance to see it all, while meeting the teams that helped create the gadgets we covered during the week and throughout the year.

For the first full week of January, I left my reporter hat in the Northeast and became a full-time TV producer, tasked with selecting and securing gadgets for PCMag.com Editor in Chief Lance Ulanoff's [HLN/CNN] segments (with a few appearances on *cough* the other networks). Most of my time was spent with CNN—I even took over one of the [HLN/CNN] workrooms for the week. During the show, Lance often wandered away from CNN’s booth in search of other hot gadgets to feature on his segments while I stayed put to research and receive product loans at the Las Vegas Convention Center.

Lance and I worked closely with CNN.com producer Dan Wright and anchor Nicole Lapin, but I later had several opportunities to talk tech with HLN producer Grayson Thagard and “News To Me” host Eric Lanford. One afternoon while Lance was out and about, I headed to the Sands Convention Center with the HLN crew to check out some of the wackier gadgets at the show. From the second we stepped on the floor, Eric was in the zone, scanning the room for his first victim. Our first stop was at Mattel’s booth, where Eric played with the Mattel MindFlex, an electronic game that raises a small ball higher the more you concentrate.

I had my eye set on one other gadget at the Sands, so I tried to get Eric to head straight to the back of the hall after we left Mattel. It wasn’t nearly that easy: Eric stopped for a few minutes at the very next booth, and a third time after barely leaving the booth neighboring Mattel. Eric is a lot of fun, but man [he] loves to wander. Grayson (Eric’s producer) and I were joking that he would even stop to check out [something as mundane as] a water ionizer a few booths up. Grayson said he wouldn’t put it past him, but I was surprised when he actually stopped at the booth: “Whoa — what’s this do?”

From what I could tell, the Mattel MindFlex seemed to be a hit with Eric, as was the Liquid Image scuba mask video camera that we saw later that afternoon. Some of my “best of show” gadgets were the Palm Pre, the Powermat home power concept (think wireless power on every surface in your home), and the Samsung OLED displays that we featured on some of Lance’s CNN.com segments. Post CES, I’m back to playing with a never-ending parade of gadgets at PCMag.com, but I hope to be back with the HLN crew at CES 2010. Until then, enjoy the warm(er) weather in Atlanta while I freeze my butt off in NYC!

Ciao,
Zach Honig – (twitter.com/zachhonig)

It's a Vegas Vacation on "News To Me" this weekend! The good news: it's free, there are no Elvis impersonators and you won't lose at the craps table. The bad news: the whole trip only lasts 30 minutes, Eric may do his Regis Philbin impression, and you won't win at the craps table!

Just like Vegas, there is a lot to see in this episode of "News To Me." And just like Vegas it all goes by pretty quick! So here are the links to all the raw video and websites we featured on this weekend's show:

Inside Afghanistan:
Watch Ben Anderson's full 8 part series about 24 hours in the life of British soldiers training Afghan troops in Afghanistan at VBS.tv.

Eric vs. the 2009 International Consumer Electronics Show:
There was literally TOO MUCH to see at the convention... but here are some of Eric's favorites -
- Inada Sogno massage chair
- fuji enviromax batteries
- Tri-Specs bluetooth sunglasses
- Electric bike from ELV Motors
- LED jacket by Nyx Illuminated Clothing Company
- Underwater digital camera scuba mask
- Hitachi Gesture Control TV Interface prototype
- Faithful Friends host Electra Mustaine
- Mattel Mind Flex mind control game (due out in the fall)
...and in case you missed it – take Eric's exclusive tour of the HLN/CNN workspace at CES and get a first look at the new Jeopardy! set!

Ideas by Chuck:
Here's a good idea... check out Chuck's blog: ideasbychuck.com

Blue Suit Skaters:
Watch the full blue suit, white knuckle video on designer Adam Kimmel's website: adamkimmel.com

OK, time for us to be leaving Las Vegas. We hope you enjoyed HLN's spotlight on citizen journalism, viral video, iReports and Web culture! We'll see you again next weekend for "News To Me" when Eric will show you how you can use the Net to become part owner in a professional football (soccer) club. Yes you! And you don't have to be Mark Cuban! See you then!

"News To Me" hit the Las Vegas strip for the show this weekend! What better backdrop for a show about citizen journalism than a city where everyone has a story?

Speaking of stories Eric has some DOOZIES to tell this weekend on "News To Me." He'll introduce you to an idea man in search of a man with a plan, take us behind enemy lines in Afghanistan and into the world's largest gadget convention! It's our version of a splashy Las Vegas show... except it's free and Eric won't be wearing a sequined jumpsuit. At least not for the whole show...

More pics from our shoot on the strip after the jump »

Howdy! Eric here, fresh from Vegas!

What a wild week it was for me! Let me first start off by saying, "Wow, where has the year gone already?" I am almost ready to turn the magic number of 38 years old in February. More on that later.

Anyway... back in November I was asked to be the HLN reporter for the 2009 International Consumer Electronics Show, or CES. What an honor! However I was not 100% prepared for the experience at hand... until I got there.

The plane ride there got me started. I used to be afraid of flying, but through all my travels on small jets and big 'uns... [my fear of flying] has subsided for the most part. BUT, the "unexpected turbulence" I experienced on the jet from Atlanta to Las Vegas, got me a little off... (never been on a plane where people screamed and had to use the "magic bags" in the seat pockets - usually this happens on the plane ride HOME from Vegas). But we made it through.

Believe it or not this was my first time to Sin City... and for someone like me who doesn't gamble it was a shocker.

We arrived and immediately began our treasure hunt of the latest gee-whiz-wowzers-techno-gizmos. From the moment we landed to the time we took off again, we worked the floors of this 1.7 MILLION square foot trade show. I made friends, I made people mad - it's what I do. BUT I got the stories HLN wanted - what is hot, what is not. Thanks to Ashley Preskar, and Paul Chase for editing all the pieces, Dan Wright for everything and Ferre Dollar and Eric Yanak for making it all look and sound good... a great crew.

See below for the ERIC LANFORD "what's hot and what's not" list for CES:

HOT:
3-D TV: is a'comin' but you will have to wear those geeky glasses.
Touch Screens: EVERYTHING will be touchy feely soon... I mean everything.
Convergence: ONE device that does everything.
Really small computers: really small, but yet you can still type.
Remoteless TV's: Do it all with your hand, not remote.
Vegas: Need I say more?

NOT:
Flat TVs: They are getting much thinner...trust me...like paper thin.
WebTV: Didn't see much about this, is it still a viable thing?
Vegas: Man, everything costs...I mean everything...

I could go on and on, but they limit me on the blog.* In summary, I had a great time and it got me back to my roots of having fun with people and showcasing my personality (and yes, I do have one).

That's all for now... see you on the "tech-side!"
-Eric

"News To Me" will come to you from Las Vegas next weekend! Including much more from CES!

*Editor's Note: It's not that Eric is being "limited" from the blog, it's more like YOU (the reader) are being "protected" from Eric.

We've been hyping Eric's reporting from the 2009 International Consumer Electronics Show a lot this week. The fact of the matter is that while CES has been a blast and we're glad you've been enjoying our little side gig... our "day job" is producing a TV show called "News To Me." It's HLN's spotlight on citizen journalism, Web culture, viral video and your iReports.

This weekend we're exceptionally proud of the first story you'll see at 7:30pm and 9:30pm EST. It's the story of a very brave man named Ed who needs some help, and his friend who turned a missed deadline into an iReport that touched and inspired all of us. You'll meet both these guys on this weekend's episode of "News To Me" and, like Ed, you may see the world a little differently after wards.

So without further ado... here are the links to the raw video that made up this weekend's episode of "News To Me:"

Ed Port:
- Donations to raise the funds for an operation that could help Ed see and hear clearly again can be made at any Chase Bank. There is a non-profit account set up there called "Ed Needs A Miracle." You can also make donations via his website: edneedsamiracle.com.
- The full video submitted by Ed's friend Michael Murphy is on iReport.com.
- To learn more about Ed's condition visit the National Neurofibromatosis Foundation.

Cars sliding down an icy hill:
- Visit iReporter Bob Cronk's iReporter profile page for links to the complete video and a wintery tour of his hometown!

Elephant plays a harmonica:
- The full video is streaming right now on iReport.com.

New Year's Eve Bankok nightclub fire:
- This raw iReport may contain images that some viewers may find distrubing. That being said, you can see the full clip right now on iReport.com.

CNN.com most popular:
- Mom finds bullet in baby's diaper!
- Car wash robber gets hosed.

Kate ran away with the circus:
- A response to an iReport assignment about living in a small space led us to Kate who uploaded a picture of her "room" aboard a Ringling Brothers & Barnum and Baily Circus train... that led us to her fascinating and personal blog called My Life in the Circus.

"Please Check my Blog" song:
- I hum this little diddy while I write these "News To Me" blog entries. Watch Wilbur Sargunaraj musically plead for more hits on YouTube!

Worker stacks 22 bricks... on his head:
- Great debate at "News To Me" headquarters about if this one is real... what do you think? Watch the full clip on YouTube and then let us know.

Domino PC's:
- 82 CPU's take a tumble... much like the stock price of the company that originally bought them. Watch the full clip on YouTube!

Whatnot:
It's another interesting iReport assignment: Show us your first car!

Let us know what you thought of the show, and what you'd like to see in upcoming episodes!!! Thanks for watching and we'll see you next week!

Jeopardy, the actual TV game show Jeopardy, shot several episodes here at the 2009 International Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. You won't see the shows on TV until March, but you can take a video tour of the set with Eric right here, right now! Click the picture above to go behind the scenes and get a view of the stage that only Alex Trebek and the contestants usually get to see!

It's online right now at CNN.com!