American Morning guest co-host Alina Cho? Unbelievable. Truly! For some strange reason, the first generation daughter of Korean parents seems to feel that she must look and be perfect–at all times.
Oft, in her appearance, she does not fall far from the mark with her sharp stiletto stilts and the rest of her haut couture habit. Of course, the notable exception is when she dangles her garish “ping-pong” necklaces around her neck like an albatross. Whereas fashion correspondent Lola Ogunnaike was AM’s “recessionista,” Alina is its Tiffany demoiselle.
In fact, during the segments with biz correspondent Christine Romans and co-host Kiran Chetry, one could almost hear the strains of David Bowie’s “China Girl.” In the first one, Christine kidded Alina about seeming to be a “nice white wine drinker.” In the second, Kiran teased her about her propensity to spend lavishly on herself. However, it was not her mien or garb that garnered the author’s attention this time: It was what she said.
As Christine’s second spot concluded, Alina asked, “Did California governor Arnold Swartzenegger slip a hidden and obscene message into his letter to state lawmakers?…There are seven lines in this note. And, if you’re good at those word-finder puzzles, you’re going to notice that the first letter in each line spells out ‘F,’ dash, dash, dash, Y-O-U. You can fill it in.” She added, “Well, the lawmaker who recently heckled the governor sponsored the bill in question so that may explain that coincidence….” Then sounding like the small-town garden club prez who “splains” herself after sharing a scurrilous rumor, Alina remarked, “But, I mean, it’s interesting. I don’t know if I believe it.”
[Carpe Diem reader, actually, the vertical acronym in Swartzenegger’s missive spelled out “I-F-*-*-*-Y-O-U.” N.B. The sponsor of the vetoed legislation was Assemblyman Tom Ammiano who had earlier told the former Mr. Universe to “kiss my gay ass.” Coincidence? You make the call.]
Carpe Diem 