I have some great news to report. I promised to give an update on a story I wrote here on the blog March 3rd titled “Military Pen Pal Proposal” about my friend Jennifer Jones and her army soldier finance Scott Lee who has been deployed in Iraq. She has been anxiously waiting for Scott’s safe return to the U.S. for an agonizing 17 months total, and just last week, he came home.

Jones flew here to New York from San Francisco, and met Scott at Fort Dix in New Jersey, then the two of them came to stay with me in the city, and what a joy it was to see them together again.

Can you tell how happy she is? Just look at those dimples! We took a walk around the city when they got in, and checked out Carnegie Hall, Times Square, and a place Jones and I called our second home several years ago, the Sheraton Hotel on 7th Avenue.

We each were dispatched to New York during 9-11 from our California radio stations, and were both sent to this hotel. This is where we each built mini remote radio locations in our hotel rooms and did live reports day in and day out. It was raining when we walked up, but wanted to snap a picture anyway…

The very first thing Scott wanted to do in New York, was to get a slice of New York pizza, and after much debate with my friends and co-workers about where to take him(everyone in New York has a strong opinion about where to go for the best pizza in the city…) the decision was made to go to John’s pizza on Broadway.

I had never been there before, and I think it really might be the best slice of pizza around. Can you imagine what this must have tasted like for someone who has been eating MREs in Iraq for all those months?

The happy couple are now off visiting Scott’s family in the south, then they will soon start their new life together in the San Francisco area.

The wedding plans are full steam ahead….no word on if John’s Pizza will cater the event.

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How nice to see Steven Levy, the technology editor of Newsweek without being in the middle of a mugging!

I ran into Steven today in our New York newsroom as we were switching out of the chair in Studio N for live appearances on Weekend Live with Bret Bair.

The last time I saw Steven we were on 5th Avenue in front of the Apple store, when I was doing a live interview with him, when suddenly a man (I use that term loosely) grabbed my microphone and ran off with it!

The guy didn’t get far, and lost his balance after running into another cameraman. The incident was all over YouTube, and I still get asked about it all the time. The good news is, mugger was arrested, and I am still keeping tabs on his case with the Manhattan D.A.’s I have since learned, the microphone mugger didn’t have a record, but has been charged with a felony. Last time I checked he had gone through two defense lawyers and is fighting the charges. Although, I’m not sure how you do that when your crime is caught on live television.

I still haven’t picked up an iPhone, despite it’s popularity. Perhaps, the whole thing just left me a little jaded. Steven Levy, however told me today, that he got one … in fact, he had the entire long version of the live mugging from YouTube on his iPhone and showed it to me!

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I can’t believe the pope’s visit to the U.S. is almost over. It has been an amazing trip for the Holy Father that has been so well received. I was only able to be at two of the events, the visit to St. Joseph’s Church Friday, and to the St. Joseph’s Seminary Youth Rally yesterday.

We had a tremendous staff that worked very hard to bring you the best pictures, give you the most amazing access, and provide educated, well rounded commentary, and I am so proud to have worked with them all on this historic Papal event. I put together a little photo album here, with lots of behind the scenes shots.

You will see New York FOX 5 anchor Dari Alexander, Fox cameramen Tommy Chiu and Rob Ginnane, FOX Religion Correspondent Lauren Green, and FOX’s Father Jonathan Morris in some of the shots. One person I wish I caught in action was our weekend producer Ellen Fleysher - she at times runs around so fast it’s hard to catch up with her, which may be why her nickname is “Flash.” Our coordinating producer Melanie Schuman was also working extremely hard behind the scenes, and was responsible for setting up all of our live shots all over New York, no small task!

I also took a few short video clips from our position inside the media pen — at one point, we had a front row seat for the Popemobile, as it drove right in front of our live shot. Check out all the secret service running with it…

and just to show you this screaming crowd can go from “zero to 60″ (or the other way around in this case) on the volume scale, listen as the massive crowd pays close attention to every word during the pope’s speech

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What a thrill it is to be on the grounds of St. Joseph’s Seminary watching Pope Benedict arrive to the screams of over 25,000 young people. They are waiving their yellow and white scarves in the air in circles, creating a sea of spinning Papal flag colors to welcome the Holy Father.

This feels familiar. Screaming fans … the buildup to the “main event” … it has felt like a rock concert all day, and it has been with over a dozen acts performing for the crowd. A rapping priest, former American Idol star Kelly Clarkson and synchronized dancers have been delighting the masses, but now that the pope is here and on stage … it’s all about the message he brings.

The pope addressed 50 disabled youths and their caretakers before he made his grand entrance via Popemobile — We have heard from the other side of the seminary, that many of the parents on hand were moved to tears. We have amazing team coverage of this historic event

As you’ve been reading here on the blogs… Father Jonathan Morris is here, along with our FOX News Correspondent Lauren Green.

I am mostly behind the scenes here providing color of the event, and am listening to their ongoing analysis and am positively riveted to their words.

This is one memorable moment. I had our Coordinating Producer Melanie Schuman take a picture of us while we were all waiting for the Pope’s arrival… more to come

Update!

The Pope just started speaking… here’s a quick clip..

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Secret service, NYPD, undercover agents.. they are everywhere outside St. Joseph’s Church in Yorkville.

I am sitting right across the street behind metal barricades along with many other reporters and cameramen anticipating the pope’s arrival later this afternoon. It is a very warm day here in New York, and the sun is beating down on the concrete - which is making it feel like we are all sitting in a ceramic kiln.

All eyes are pointed to the sky, watching for the sun to make it’s way past the top of the Church’s building to create more shade.

The excitement for the pope’s arrival is tangible. Many curious people are standing at the end of the barricaded block craning their necks as they try to eyeball the action… which really hasn’t started yet.

The pope is still hours away from arrival, but security is extremely tight. We aren’t allowed to move beyond our designated few feet outlined by the Secret Service — in fact, I just got yelled at for trying to get close to the barricade at the end of the block so I could take pictures of the people hanging over the metal gates. So, with that, I give you the only pictures I have been able to take so far.

New York’s Cardinal Edward Egan just showed up just a few minutes ago….

our camera man Tommy Chiu is ready for action,

And, no doubt recognize this person, my new friend - Dari Alexander, New York Fox 5, 6 p.m. anchor, we are using the steps of a walk up apartment right now as a working office!

Update: 6pm The Pope is here — and his followers are elated. This is the first Christian event for the Pope in New York, as he meets Protestant and Orthodox and Catholic leaders. Pope Benedict has said that he believes that there is too much division among Christian religions.. and that he hopes that he can help bring everyone closer together with a common understanding with his visit.

Can you imagine what it must have been like for this mother to have the Pope walk up and kiss her child as he entered the Church? Unbelievable, of course. Her name is Amy Carillo and that is her daughter Ashley who turns 8 months old tomorrow… what a gift.

With a huge day behind him, the Pope was off with his Papal entourage into the New York night, to meet up with a group of U. S. Cardinals and advisers for a special dinner, and I’m sure some much needed rest. Tomorrow, it’s off to St. Patrick’s Cathedral, followed by a “Popemobile Parade”, and a visit to St. Joseph’s Seminary where we will be bringing you more live reports

Stay tuned!

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Over the weekend, I had the opportunity to report live outside St. Patrick’s Cathedral on 5th Avenue here in New York, to preview the security measures that will be taken to protect the Pope. It will be an impressive undertaking by the NYPD, Secret Service, and Vatican Swiss Guard, which will join together and provide “360 degrees” of security around the spiritual leader.

After hearing from our security experts about bomb sniffing dogs, roof top snipers, hovering helicopters, divers in the waters that surround Manhattan, and armored limos, one thing is clear, the Pope’s visit to the Big Apple will be a well protected one.

The Pope has a full agenda here in New York, with visits scheduled at the United Nations, Ground Zero, St. Patrick’s Cathedral, St. Joseph’s Church and Yankee Stadium. I am thrilled to be a part of our Fox News team coverage, and will be doing live reports from St. Joseph’s Seminary in Yonkers Friday and will also be doing Pope reports Saturday (location yet to be determined) . I have been looking forward to this for a long time, and am honored to be in the company of our religious correspondent Lauren Green, Religion Contributor Father Jonathan, and our Rome Bureau correspondent Greg Burke. Full disclosure: I am not Catholic, so a lot of what I am researching for my assignment is new to me, which makes it such a thrill. I feel like I am studying for a big exam, that I can’t wait to take.

After I wrapped up my security preview Sunday, I wanted to check out the St. Patrick’s Cathedral gift shop, where I have heard Pope Benedict Memorabilia has been flying off the shelves, like T-shirts, pins and customized rosaries.

Several of Pope Benedict XVI’s Books were also on display, including “Joseph and Chico”

And, one of the most coveted items, has been the Pope coffee mug, it was sold out when I first went to the store, but the store got some back in stock yesterday…

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We are heading there now to find out. As you have probably heard, there is an uproar over recent comments made by Presidential hopeful Barack Obama about the people who live in small towns in Pennsylvania, and other small towns in the Midwest.

Here’s the quote:

“Our challenge is to get people persuaded that we can make progress when there’s not evidence of that in their daily lives,” he said. “You go into these small towns in Pennsylvania and, like a lot of small towns in the Midwest, the jobs have been gone now for 25 years and nothing’s replaced them. And they fell through the Clinton administration, and the Bush administration, and each successive administration has said that somehow these communities are going to regenerate and they have not.

“And it’s not surprising then they get bitter, they cling to guns or religion or antipathy to people who aren’t like them or anti-immigrant sentiment or anti-trade sentiment as a way to explain their frustrations.”

Hillary Clinton and John McCain have plenty to say about what he said…

“Pennsylvanians don’t need a president who looks down on them. They need a president who stands up for them, who fights for them,” Clinton said Friday afternoon at a campaign stop in Philadelphia. She said the Pennsylvanians she’s met aren’t bitter, but “resilient” and “positive.”

McCain adviser Steve Schmidt called Obama’s statement “remarkable” and “extremely revealing.” “It shows an elitism and condescension towards hardworking Americans that is nothing short of breathtaking,” Schmidt said. “It is hard to imagine someone running for president of the United States who is more out of touch with average Americans.”

So, this morning, we packed up our cameras and live truck and are heading to Allentown (we are all in the truck now listening to Billy Joel’s song “Allentown” as I write this to get us in the mood….) We are almost to our location - a diner where many locals hang, and are going to talk to them about what Obama said and how they feel about it.

My opening line? “are you bitter?” This should be interesting…. stay tuned

UPDATE: 11:45am. First interview; Thomas Graham who I found outside the Gate 7 diner in Allentown, here’s what he had to say

This is John McGurrin, a retired school teacher, Navy Vet, and former 30 resident of Allentown

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Come on, you know you want one.

While I can’t actually give you the real deal, I can bring you the next best thing: a couple of quick videos clips of Mick, Keith, Ron, and Charlie arriving at New York’s Ziegfeld Theater for the premiere of their new concert flick “Shine A Light.”

If you haven’t heard, Oscar winning director Martin Scorsese has taken his love of the Stones, and incredible access to the band and put all of us in the front row of New York’s legendary Beacon Theater for what has been called “a slick experience.” If you are a fan of Scorsese, you know that he likes to use the music of the Stones in his films. He’s used “Gimme Shelter” alone in three films — Goodfellas, Casino, and The Departed. If you are a fan of the Rolling Stones, you know that there is a documentary called “Gimme Shelter” that was released in 1970 … but this new film, leans more toward the live experience of being in an intimate setting. Shine A Light also takes you backstage at the Beacon with Bill and Hillary Clinton (it was Bill Clinton’s birthday) as they come in with their own entourage.

I didn’t have a chance to see the premiere of the movie because A) I couldn’t get a ticket, and B) was only on the red carpet for a very short time, and couldn’t stay long. As luck would have it though, Mick, Keith, Ron, Charlie, and Martin all showed up just as I was heading out of the white tent door, I couldn’t believe it, so of course I whipped out my camera and started shooting. You will not see video like this ANYWHERE else!

Stand with me and watch what it was like to have rock and film royalty set off the paparazzi as they make their grand entrance and greet old friends.

In the first clip, Mick comes in with stylist L’wren Scott. After he makes it part way down the red carpet (that was actually black, do you think it was in honor of their song “Paint it black?”) he wanders back to the door to talk to some folks. You’ll see his publicist come and “re-direct” him back to the carpet, and he runs off like he’s taking off down the stage at one of his shows.

In this second clip, Martin Scorsese makes his entrance. After he starts to make his way down the press line, he comes back to say hi to a woman standing right next to me. I almost felt guilty I was so close.

This is my favorite clip. All the boys are in this one! I love how animated Mick and Ron Wood are as they see their friends. You’ll notice a lot of big security guards popping up in front of the shot. Truth be told, I don’t think I was supposed to be standing where I was, and security was very tight, but I just had to experience the moment for as long as I could. I know, it’s only Rock n’ Roll, but I like it (like it, yes I do …)

One more thing, you should know about the people behind the scenes that make sure we all get our press credentials, the right spot on in the press line, and who do a lot of the hard word for the pieces you see on the air. I grabbed a picture with our fabulous entertainment producer Ashley Dvorkin, as all the action started to unfold.

Right now she’s working away editing all the video from the night and producing a report for our affiliates and Web site. I’ll post it here on the blog too when it’s done so you can see Mick talk about what it’s like to see himself on the big screen strutting his stuff. I bet you’ll be surprised with his answer!

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From the “You learn something new everyday file”…

I didn’t know about the big 5th Avenue Easter Parade/Bonnet Festival that happens in New York on Easter Sunday until I got into work this morning. Being a west coast girl, I suppose I’ve been in the dark about the wildly colorful, inventive, and sometimes outrageous affair that closes down 5th Avenue between 49th and 57th Streets in Manhattan, where Easter enthusiasts really get into it.

Unlike traditional New York City Parades, there are no floats, no marching bands, or cars with beauty queens or sports heroes waving from their convertibles. Fox News Headquarters is just a block from the action, so I grabbed my camera and headed out to take some pictures for you… Check this one out. Yes, there is a person under all those flowers.

As she started walking closer, I tried to get a better shot, and the thing almost swallowed me

Bunny playing cards bonnet

and there’s always someone that just can’t help themselves to bring politics to the party right?

How about a hat you can eat! Peeps are always better once they’ve been outside exposed to the air. This is a pretty good way to do it.

then on the other side of the cute coin … I give you, Easter bikers!

Now if we could have just seen these guys wearing the Peep hat … that would have been a sight. Here’s a guy who proves you are never too old to get into the act!

Easter drinking hats … with champagne glass towers … I like it.

Here’s the answer to “What do people do with all those expired Metro Cards anyway?”

Most of these pictures were taken just outside the world famous St. Patrick’s Cathedral, which I just love taking pictures of every chance I get, so here’s one more. Happy Easter!

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For days I have been blogging about my rock n’ roll experience of being on tour with Iron Maiden.

Just a day after returning to New York, I was back in the newsroom working away on a Barack Obama story when my producer Ellen, said “we’ve got to roll, there’s been a crane collapse a few blocks from here … and it’s bad.”

When we got to the scene, this is what we found. A 130-foot tall section of construction crane leaning up against a high rise brick apartment complex. You can see the building construction crews were working on, on the left hand side, when it fell over.

But this wasn’t the worst of it!

Just beyond this building on the right, one block south, was a four story townhouse, that had four residential units, and a bar on the ground floor, Fubar. The cab of the crane shot off like a rocket and flattened the building in a matter of seconds. Four construction workers died, and when I last left, two more had been found. There is still a missing 28- year-old woman who was here in New York visiting her friend for the St. Patrick’s Day festivities. I can’t imagine what the victims families must be going through right now. It is all just so awful.

Witnesses, who lived on some of the top floors of the first building hit, say they could see construction workers hanging on for their lives as they plummeted to their death. If you look closely at this next picture, you can see where the townhouse once stood.

The gray building to the left, had a big chunk torn off in the incident, creating what I’ve been calling a “doll house” effect. It looks like a grand scale dollhouse, and if you were a giant, you could reach in and move the beds around, and move the pictures off someones wall.

The search and rescue efforts have been heartbreaking, and impressive to watch. Agencies from all over New York came in and brought their most sophisticated equipment, “snake eye pole cameras” to get into the rubble and look in the small areas for signs of life, listening devices, thermal imaging devices.

Big hydrolic cranes were brought in to do the heavy lifting, while stunned neighbors could only look on. Twisted steel that looked like strings of spaghetti were scooped up by forklifts and trucks by the tons.

The question now remains: how could something like this happen? We will find out soon enough if this was a mechanical, or human error. The construction company had been hit with up to 13 violations, but the Mayor of NY says that is not unusual for a project this size.

As far as the owner of the bar that was crushed, and who had employees injured? He says “we are going to sue the hell out of them.”

I’m sure others will too.

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