Kiran: Me So Horny

Kiran: from Nepal’s “ray of light” to U.S.’s way of delight? American Morning co-host Kiran Chetry heated things up this morning with her horn blowing. In fact, after her lusty rendition, FIFA may never ban South Africa’s celebrated vuvuzela from the World Cup (regardless of how crazy the plastic “mad-hornet” trumpets drive the uninitiated ear).

In an AM report on FIFA’s decision not to prohibit the vuvuzela from the Johannesburg World Cup, CNN correspondent Richard Roth ineptly tried to master the “art” of blowing the cacophonous instrument. When his story had run, an in-studio Richard handed the vuvuzela to Kiran and remarked, “If you’d like to try, Kiran.”* After asking for some hand sanitizer first from Roth and not getting any, Kiran bravely replied, “Alright, they’re yelling in my ear, ‘Blow on it. If I get sick!”

After Kiran gamely blew the vuvuzela, Roth declared, “That is very good for the first time because one of the women at the restaurant said she had to take lessons and you could say I was pretty weak.” In response, Kiran exclaimed, “Lessons?!” Then, she suddenly seized the horn anew and zestfully blew a playful rift.” Grinning goatishly at Kiran, Roth queried, “Why are you so good at that?”

As the floor crew erupted in laughter and her co-host Drew Griffin beamed broadly, Kiran ignored Roth’s racy question, laid her trumpet on the desk, and glanced at Drew. As Drew chuckled and avoided her gaze, Kiran rolled her eyes and hid the trumpet behind her chair. Feigning offense, Kiran “icily” commented, “Always a pleasure to have Richard Roth with us. Thank you, Richard.”

CNN/US prez Jonathan Klein is right. Kiran definitely “light[s] up the screen” and “brings a delight” to American Morning and to its audience. Kiran, you lived up to your name today!

American Morning – 06/17/10 @7:57 a.m. ET)

AM’s “Open Marriage”?

Or, pre-separation spousal “infidelities” by American Morning co-hosts Kiran Chetry and John Roberts? For six straight shows, the two have not been seen together on AM and have been coupled with other partners. (Last Wednesday, it was Kiran and Drew Griffin; Thursday and Friday, John and Christine Romans; this Monday, John and Carol Costello; and Tuesday and today, Kiran and Jim Acosta.) Like cable news watchers at Carpe Diem (March 4), TheWrap.com (March 10),  Miami Herald (March 11), and Meidiaite.com (March 12), AM viewers are beginning to wonder what is going on.

Apparently, some of the AM anchors are also asking questions. For example, filling in for Kiran Monday, Carol Costello queried, “Where is Kiran this morning?” Acting like a cuckold lover, co-anchor John sheepishly shrugged and stammered, “I, I’m not my TV wife’s keeper. She, she has another husband, she has another husband who takes care of that on the weekend.” To which, a chortling Carol replied, “Smart man. That’s right. He [Chris Knowles] needs to worry about her this morning.”*

Perhaps, the AM audience should be worried, too–not only about Kiran, but about John as well. According to Inside Cable News (April 12), FTVLive has revealed that “un-named insiders [are] spilling dirt that CNN is going to make wholesale changes to American Morning that could see one or both hosts removed from the program.” If the six programs of American Morning are any indication, CNN may well have begun the auditioning process.

* American Morning – 05/17/10 (@5:59 a.m ET)

AM Employees Worried?

After recent rumblings about changes afoot at American Morning, are employees concerned about their jobs? The “third longest-serving CNN employee,” Richard Roth, seemed to suggest so today. Each time his twice-aired AM report (on a sandwhich-board-wearing man who finally got a job) ran, Roth joked about possibly needing to use the man’s methods in the future.

When his segment first ran, Roth discussed the newly employed man’s story with AM co-host Kiran Chetry and guest co-anchor Drew Griffin. As he concluded his comments, he deadpanned, “I may have to try some of his tricks. I don’t know.”* Kiran replied, “You have a major job here for now, at least. And, you have for the last thirty years.” Roth responded, “Yeah. Some would say I’m pulling a rabbit out of a hat every morning here, too.” Chuckling, Kiran answered, “Well, we love having you. We’ll see you back here, soon, I hope. Smiling, Roth responded, “Let’s hope.”

Later, after Roth’s tale aired a second time, co-anchor Griffen commented on the “transformation” of the sign-carrying-man from pathetic to positive. Roth explained, “That’s what his job coach stressed. And, I think it’s good for everyone to try to keep up, keep a different look. Happy. You want to look optimistic even if you’re crying inside. I mean I come to work everyday with that attitude.”**

Guffawing, Kiran replied, “And you’ve done it successfully for years and years.” Chiming in, Griffin commented, “And so far without the board.” Smiling and raising his eyebrows, Roth remarked, “I might need that coach [inaudible].” Then, somewhat ominously, he added, “We all may need that coach one day.” Nodding her head, Kiran responded, “You’re not kidding.”

*American Morning – 05/12/10 (@6:30 a.m. ET)

**American Morning – 05/12/10 (@8:57 a.m. ET)

AM Cuts: F&F Keeps

Both American Morning and Fox & Friends ran the same excerpt from a CNN Palin interview with not surprisingly DIFFERENT editing results. In the exclusive with CNN’s Drew Griffin, Sarah Palin brought up Joe Biden’s assertion that Barack Obama if elected would face a generated international crisis within six months to test his mettle. As to the “gaffe,” Griffin asked, “Does Joe Biden get a pass?” Palin declared, “Drew, you need to ask your colleagues and your bosses…why does Joe Biden get a pass on such a thing?” She added, “If I would have said that, you guys’d clobbered me.”

CNN ran the clip twice and ended it there. However, Fox & Friends ran the same clip four times and let it run a little longer. What was the difference? Griffin’s response. After Palin’s assertion that CNN would have “clobbered” her if she had said the same thing as Biden, he replied, “You’re right. You’re right.”

F&F’s take? F&F co-host Gretchen Carlson commented, “To me the reaction of that [CNN] reporter is the headline of that interview.” Co-anchor Steve Doocy added, “And that’s the key, he was truthful: He was absolutely being honest.”

Different quotes for different folks.

AM: ACORN Manifest

After a virtual blackout Thursday, CNN’s American Morning pulled backed the curtain on its coverage of the ACORN voter registration controversy. Before the first commercial break of the final hour, AM’s co-host Kiran Chetry promo’d the upcoming segment on “more claims of voter registration fraud against a liberal activist group already under fire in several states.” When AM returned, AM co-anchor John Roberts introduced the story about more claims against ACORN in Indiana in addition to other states, e.g., Nevada. Roberts asked Special Investigations Unit correspondent Drew Griffin, “What’s ACORN being accused of exactly here, Drew?”

Not mincing words, Griffin responded, “Well, it’s not even accused–there, it’s fraud, John.” Griffin went on to elaborate that the heavily Democratic county in a heavily GOP state had found that approximately 50% of ACORN voter registrations were “bad.” Further, he revealed that ACORN had endorsed Barack Obama and that the Obama campaign had given ACORN $800,000 for its voter registration in the primary but was not working with it in the general election. Giving ACORN an opportunity to respond Griffin interviewed ACORN Senior Counselor of Project Vote Brian Mellor: Mellor stated that he believed that the allegations were attempts to suppress votes.

AM may have been caught sleeping Thursday but it awoke Friday with a hard-hitting segment on ACORN by Drew Griffin.

[Caveat: Due to technical difficulties, the author has not yet reviewed the first two hours and three minutes of AM’s Friday program.]