Kristi_Powers's Blog

The new James Bond movie opens today (Quantum of Solace) ... I can't wait to go see it!  Will this be your favorite new Bond movie?  What is your favorite 007 flick?

Looking ahead ... who would you like to see as the next Bond girl?  I've heard ... Beyonce, Jessica Alba, & Hayden Patteriere (from Heroes).

Blog all things Bond here!

While I was flipping through channels yesterday ... I heard 3 references to our FOX show '24'. 

They all basically said the show helped pave the way for Obama to win the election.  If you're a '24' watcher (like me), you know that the President in the first few seasons was african american (his name was David Palmer).   They said this popular show got thousands viewers used to seeing an african american as President and that helped propel him as the frontrunner in this election.

Do you think '24' helped Obama win the election?

(And on a side note ... are you excited about the 2-hour '24' special coming up in a few weeks?  What do you think will happen in the special?)

I went to this concert a few weeks ago at Warehouse Live. I first heard this band (described as indie rock, electronica) on XM radio's alternative channel about 1 1/2 years ago (and have liked them ever since). I was excited to hear they had a new album coming out, which would mean they'd be touring!

 My photographer and I showed up at 7:30pm (before the doors opened) to do the interview with Shiny Toy Guns bassist/synthesizer Jeremy Dawson. We were escorted into the dressing room backstage. Hanging out on the couch, Jeremy. I introduced myself and my photog, Greg. We immediately started chatting about last nights show and the after party (it was the male lead vocalist, Chad's birthday) - apparently they tore up Dallas because they were all pretty hungover! He said, 'We've all had those nights, but the show must go on!' They did not dissappoint. You would never know they were 'recovering'! There were 5 of us that went ... 3 of those friends hadn't even heard of them and when the concert was over - they said they liked their music. The opening bands (Delta Fiasco and The Jonzettas) were pretty good too!

While we were setting up the camera and lights, in walks Mikey (drummer) to check on Jeremy. He asked if we needed him for the interview, if not he was walking next door to Lucky's to eat with the 2 singers. I told him to go ahead and eat. I was more interested in talking weather with Jeremy ... yes, you heard me right ... weather!!!

When I was setting up this interview, I mentioned to Shiny Toy Guns PR gal that I was the weather girl for the FOX station in Houston ... she said that Jeremy and Chad were REALLY into the weather. That peaked my interest to chat with them even more! A band that I like ... and they like weather - how cool! It did make more sense with songs like "Weather Girl", "Rainy Monday" and mesocyclone in the "Ricochet" lyrics ... I should've known!

When I asked Jeremy, "What's up with all the weather analogies in your songs?" ... that started a long conversion! He said, 'Chad and I used to stormchase and stormspot back in Oklahoma where we're from. I said, "Get out!" He talked about some of his experiences stormspotting and then pointed to a tattoo on his forearm. It was done on an episode of Miami Ink ... it's a version of the Skywarn logo (yes- with a tornado in it). He When the interview was over, he said, "THis was the best interview ever ... I got to talk about weather too!" I'm planning on putting a story together about our weather conversation --- it'll air on the FOX 26 morning show --- stay tuned for it!

Jeremy was very nice. A cool guy and our 'tour guide' backstage through the night. He invited us to hang out backstage before the show. We tried to stay out of their way. I took a picture with the new female lead singer (Sisely), who definitely has her hands full with these 3 guys! They all seem to get along great. Just minutes before the show, Chad is pacing the halls and trading face slaps with Mikey (a funny preshow tradition). It's all about getting 'pumped' for the show. Sisley is stretching, drinking water, and trying to get the rambunctious boys to take a group picture. Jeremy just leans against the wall and observes the preshow rituals. He also points out to us that this is the typical rountine before the show (again playing tour guide). Right before they headed to the stage, their audio guy and their tour manager gathered around for a quick group prayer. Now,,, it's time to take the stage! The opened with "Starts with One" and ended the show with "You Are the One" . They sounded great in concert (there's nothing worse than going to see a band and they sound like crap live)! They had monitor problems through the first 2-3 songs (the earpieces they were wearing to hear - were going in and out - so it was hard to hear what they sounded like). You wouldn't know they had problems ... they covered it nicely. I took pictures during the first 4-5 songs and then went to hang out with my friends. When the show was done, I went backstage to catch them coming off the stage. Jeremy saw me and asked, "Did you like the show?" I thought that was very thoughtful of him to ask my opinion. We chatted briefly, I told him bye and thanks for giving us backstage access and an interview.

On Thursday afternoon our future here in Houston & Galveston looked dark and gloomy as Ike loomed offshore ready to strike our shore. 

Here in the newsroom, management decided a backup plan was needed - just in case KRIV gets knocked off the air.  They decided to send a news team up to our sister staiton in Dallas (KDFW).  Damali Keith (anchor), Denise Albert (producer) and I (weather) were the chosen ones to head for the hills.  The station chartered a helicopter to take us up to the Big "D".  This was a military helicopter ... i won't lie - it was a rough ride (and I have a really strong stomach).  I was OK, but the other 2 weren't. 

Once we arrived in Dallas, we went to the hotel (to check in and nap for an hour) ... then off to the station for a crash course on their weather computer (so I can make local graphics for Houston).  The weather guys up there were very helpful.   They seem like a fun group of guys. 

By midnight, the graphics were made, makeup was on and our show was ready to go ... now - the "LONG" wait.  

We sat nervously watching our station broadcast the landfall of Ike.  We hoped we didn't have to go on the air because if we did - that meant there was some serious damage to the staiton (and possibly our homes).

We were on standby from midnight to 11am ... and they never needed us.  The station lost power, but we never lost generator power.  I was never so happy NOT to go on the air!!!

Now it's a long anxious ride back to see how Houston and the surrounding areas faired...and our own properties.

We stopped in Huntsville to refuel and to get clearance from the FAA to fly back to the station (located near 610 & 59).  The FAA had restricted airspace on Sunday to military, govenrment and medical personnel .  Understandable ... considering there were still search and rescue missions going on.  After we got clearance, we had to wait for the weather to clear.  Meantime, two military helicopters landed.  It turned out to be Gov. Rick Perry and his staff.  They were headed to Galveston to look at the damage and do a press conference.  We chatted briefly and then they left.  We left right after them.  From Huntsville right down to Houston we saw aerial evidence of the damage.  I snapped a few pictures from our 52-hour whirlwind trip.

I was one of the thousands who flocked to the grounds that was "Astroworld" Friday night.  This quiet, open field is now thrilling it's visitors again, but in a different way.   Dozens of rock bands have decended on this sacred ground for 4 days of Rock n Roll madness ... they've cranked up the volume levels and the energy - things that used to go hand-in-hand with amusement park fun.

I had a pass that got me pretty much anywhere I wanted to go.  It was cool to stand up front during the first 2 songs of each band and snap pictures like the professionals that lined the stage waiting for their "money" shot.  I visited a couple of meet n greets ... and got to see Queensryche there.  Also ran into some local bands that were playing on the smaller stages around the grounds.  One band recognized me as the weather girl - thought that was funny - and cool!  We found out in the meet n greet room that Faster Pussycat had missed their plane (due to bad weather) and was going to play on one of the smaller stage venues!!! We ran over there to catch them up close and personal.  Got pics of them performing and got to walk up on stage to take a few shots!  Then it was back to the main stage to see RATT.  I ran into one of the guys putting on the concert and he took right up to the side of the stage where I watched the last couple of songs.  Now I know what being a rockstar's girlfriend feels like ... sitting on the side, watching the show.  I did get my picture with Stephen Pearcy.  Last up, Queensryche.  I love the lead singers voice - and it still sound incredible.  In fact, Faster Pussycat, RATT, and Queensryche all ROCKED!!! They sounded great and put on a good show!  They did not dissappoint. 

I'm working this weekend (because of Hurricane Gustav) ... so I can't see as much of the 4-day concert fest as I wanted to ... but I'm going to try to catch Great White and maybe Lita Ford today.  I'm hoping to see Bret Michaels and Twisted Sister ... it just depends on Gustav!!! If I go again I'll post pictures in my Rock the Bayou album!!! 

Stay tuned!!!

For pictures from the concert, visit my 'Rock the Bayou' photo gallery.

I was reading this NPR article on the Beijing Olympic Pool and was fascinated by the technology & science that went in to designing this "speedy" pool.  Turns out - the pool could be the reason so many world records are being broken!  Yes, this is one fast pool!!! Here's a piece of that article explaining how the pool at the Water Cube is redefining fast!

"It's by far the fastest pool in the world," says Rowdy Gaines, Olympic swimming commentator in Beijing. The design of the of the pool discourages turbulence and encourages speed.

"I'm talking about deep water," Gaines explains. "It's a perfect depth because if it's too deep, you lose your sense of vision and where you're at in the pool. But it's just deep enough to where the waves dissipate (and) the turbulence dissipates down to the bottom."

The Water Cube pool also has 10 lanes instead of eight. Waves churned up during races don't bounce back into the swimming lanes. Waves that reach the sides are siphoned off by perforated gutters.

The Water Cube pool is close to 10 feet deep. That's 3 feet deeper than the pools of the past. The lane lines that separate swimmers are called wave eaters because they dissipate turbulent water. The goal is to make the water as flat and clear as possible, despite the churning that swimmers create.

An indoor setting also helps, along with temperature, humidity and lighting control. Wide decks with seats sharply cascading back give swimmers an uncrowded sense of space. That can energize athletes, like American Dara Torres, who calls the pool "awesome."

Gaines believes the pools have reached their technological limits.

All that's left, Gaines suggests, is making the water faster, perhaps by changing its chemical composition.

Pretty cool, huh?  Just in case you're wondering ... the technology used in the Water Cube pool is standard now for competitive pools. 
What do you think of the "fast" pool?  Should technology play into athletes going faster?  Or should it be the same as the pools of the past Olympic greats ... that way the world record that's broken ... gets broken in the same conditions?  What do you think?  Of course, I haven't even touched on the "special" shark-like swimsuits!!!  I'll let you guys debate this one!

One word ... ROCKED!!!!!!

I have been at Nail Salon, a Sports Bar, at lunch with friends & even here in the newsroom in the past couple of days & that's what EVERYONE is talking about!!!

I don't think London (who has the next summer Olympics in 2012) will even come close to that amazing Opening Ceremony!

I loved the 2008 drummers and their "dead on" synchronization.  Especially when the field went dark and they lit up their drumsticks!!!  Incredible! 

I thought the boxes were cool ... neat suprise when it turned out to be people in those boxes!!  They creators said they practiced that portion for 4 months (8 hours a day) and never got it right - until Friday night!

The story of the little boy walking with Yao Ming was as inspiring as the spirit of the Olympics.

The way they lit the flame with the torch runner on a wire and running the full length of the stadium up top before lighting the cauldron was unexpected.  I'm sure that wire lift took a lot of training !!!

Did you watch the opening ceremony?  What did you think?  What were your favorite parts of the spectacle? 

After seeing/hearing about the LA quake last night ... I thought ... has Texas ever had an earthquake?  The answer - YES!  

There was a historic earthquake in Valentine, TX (that's in west Texas).  Certainly, no love there!!! It happened on August 16, 1931 and the magnitude of the quake was 6.4 (larger than the 5.4 magnitude quake that happened yesterday in LA).

One other historic earthquake I should mention is the New Madrid quake.  It's just north of Memphis, TN (in Missouri).  I lived in Memphis and learned a lot about this earthquake prone area.  I know it sounds weird, but this area does have frequent seimic activity. The New Madrid quakes happened WAY back in 1811-1812 with magnitudes between 7.5-8.0!!!

Have you ever been in an earthquake? Share you story with us! Was it scary? Did you feel it?

I've never been in an earthquake ... I don't know what I would do (other than freak out) if I found myself in the wrong place at the wrong time.  What would you do?

We continue to watch Dolly closely ... it sits right over the tip of the Yucatan Peninsula (which is where Cancun is located).  While the Tropical Storm sits over land, it tends to produce friction and help tear the storm apart.  Dolly will stay intact enough to maintain Tropical characteristics.  In fact, Dolly is excpected to decrease in forward speed (right now it's moving NW at 15mph, with 50mph winds).  Usually a decrease in forward speed leads to an increase in wind speed.  Dolly could become a hurricane by Tuesday. 

Right now models are in good agreement (keeping it south of us ... between Corpus Christi and northern Mexico).  This set up puts us on the rainy side of the system (the right, front quadrant) ... so look for better rain chances on Wed. & Thurs.

Dolly should be inland by Thursday afternoon.  We'll get back to normal by the weekend.

You'll want to stay up to date on this storm since it's so close to southeast Texas.  Check out our Weather Section on this website.  We have a hurricane toolbox, my tropical tracker, and live hurricane briefings at 11am and 4pm to help you stay safe!

If you watched FOX 26 last week, you know I just got back from Vegas!  I've finally caught up on sleep (and am making complete sentences)!  It's hard NOT to have a good time in this city.  I love the food, the sites, the nightlife, and the people watching!  Oh yeah, the gambling's OK too.  I'm not a huge gambler, but it is fun to play a few hands. 

Erin Anthony asked me what the best and worst part of my trip was ...

The best part - going out there for a friends birthday (there were 12 of us that went) ... while there, we went to see KA (the Cirque Du Soliel show at MGM Grand).  It was so cool!

The worst part - trying to round up those 12 friends to go do something "together"!!!  Everyone was on different time schedules!  One friend we h\never saw the entire trip ... he was up 12am - 12pm!  Totally  different for our schedule.

What do you like best about Vegas? What are your best and worst parts of your last trip?

Blog it here!

OK ... I've been packing, moving and unpacking (and I'm not done yet)  here to Texas for the past couple of months ... and I've missed all the latest summer movies!

Well, not all ... I did break away from the boxes to catch the latest Indiana Jones movie.  I love the old 80s trilogy.  This film is what I expected, it was entertaining (not spectacular).  I hated the swinging like Tarzan with the monkeys scene and the going over 4 waterfalls without a scratch. Cmon!  Other than that ... I had fun and liked my popcorn!  Loved the opening sequence ... it was shot so cleverly!  Go back and watch how they move from scene to scene.

What movies have you seen this summer?  Were they good or bad?

Do you have an all-time favorite summer movie?  Share it here!

Here we go this year! 

T.D. #2 sits waaaaaaaayyyyyy out in the Atlantic (about 230 miles from the Cape Verde islands off the coast of Africa).  This is rather unusual for this time of the year.  You don't typicvally see storms form off the coast of Africa until AUgust and September.

  T.D. #2 is weak - 35mph (that makes it a Tropical Depression - barely).  It's moving W/NW at 9mph.

It will get stronger ... conditions ahead of T.D. #2 look favorable.  When it becomes a Tropical Storm, it gets named.  The next name on the list is "Bertha".

It's expected to curve back out into the Atlantic and not be a huge threat to us here in the Lone Star State, but we'll continue to monitor it ... and you shouold do the same!   We'll keep you posted on the air and online here at myfoxhouston.com.  Click on the "Weather Tab" and you'll find a "Tropical Weather Tab" on the left side of the page.  It's a very cool, interactive website.  If you click on the "US View" (above the map) it'll zoom out and you can drag the map over into the Atlantic and see the latest track for T.D. #2.

Are you ready for hurricane season? Blog it here.

Drum roll ... please...........................

...... is Denmark!!!

With its democracy, social equality and peaceful atmosphere, is the happiest country in the world, researchers said on Monday.

Zimbabwe, torn by political and social strife, is the least happy, while the world's richest nation, the United States, ranks 16th.

The Top 5 Happiest Countries are :

5) Northern Ireland

4) Iceland

3) Columbia

2) Puerto Rico

1) Denmark

Overall, the world is getting happier, according to the U.S. government-funded World Values Survey, done regularly by a global network of social scientists.

It found increased happiness from 1981 to 2007 in 45 of 52 countries analyzed.

"I strongly suspect that there is a strong correlation between peace and happiness," said Ronald Inglehart, a political scientist at the University of Michigan's Institute for Social Research, who directed the study.

And, said Ingelhart, there is a strong correlation between happiness and democracy.

"Denmark is the happiest country in the world in our ratings," Inglehart said in an audio statement released by the National Science Foundation, which paid for the analysis.

"Denmark is prosperous -- not the richest country in the world but it is prosperous."

Puerto Rico and Colombia also rank highly, along with Northern Ireland, Iceland, Switzerland, Ireland, the Netherlands, Canada and Sweden.

5) Ukraine

4) Belarus

3) Moldova

2) Armenia

1) Zimbabwe