American Morning
Meeting Oscar de la Renta
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By Dashira Harris, CNN
I have admired Oscar de la Renta ever since my mother ripped a picture of one of his beautiful designs out of Vogue. I asked her, could she make a replica for my prom? She said yes, so – along with my grandmother – she went searching for the perfect materials - the beading, sequins, tulle – in order to create my perfect dress. And she did. Beautifully.
So imagine my excitement when six years later I’m standing before the man himself, Oscar de la Renta, and telling him the story. I brought along the magazine tear sheet (yes, I saved it for 6 years!) and a photo of my prom dress. He oooohed and aaaahed at the replica and smiled as I relived the story of my de la Renta-inspired creation. I might add, he insisted on "Oscar" instead of "Mr. De la Renta.”
While we were there producing a story how designers create fragrances, Oscar told our correspondent, Alina Cho, that he believes fragrance is an "invisible dress" and that smell evokes memories dating back to childhood, a more personal way to dress a woman.
The final piece of the story was a shoot at his runway show, where he revealed color and fur for his Fall 2010 collection. Seats were hard to come by, but when I told Oscar’s team the story of my prom dress, they secured a spot for me… and my mother. What a thrill. To see the models swoop down the runway, to see the iconic designer again in person, was truly a dream come true.
Witness becomes rescuer in Austin plane crash
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(CNN) - Robin Dehaven usually replaces windows. On Thursday morning, after a small plane crashed into an Austin, Texas, office building, he was breaking them, having rushed into the burning structure to help people escape.
Dehaven, an Army veteran who works for a glass company, was driving to a job when he witnessed the plane crash. With the building in flames and emergency personnel still minutes away, Dehaven drove his truck to the parking lot.
People in the building were trapped, screaming for help.
"[Other people who'd gathered] said they needed my ladders on my truck, because there were people stuck on the second floor," Dehaven told CNN's "The Situation Room."
He took a ladder off his truck and put it up to a window of a smoke-filled area where five people were trapped.
"The people were kind of in a panic, wanting to get out quickly, of course, so I climbed up into the building with them," Dehaven said. He then broke a nearby window under which the ladder could have better footing, and he helped the five escape, he said. FULL STORY
Some designers make millions on fragrances
When you think of high-end fashion it is usually the clothes that come to mind.
But would you believe the big money-maker for some designers has nothing to do with clothing? Our Alina Cho reports on how some designers make millions on scent, not style.
Tea Party organizer not for a third party
From CNN Ticker Producer Alexander Mooney
(CNN) – Karin Hoffman, the founder of a Florida Tea Party chapter called DC Works for Us, is echoing Sarah Palin's recent comments that the organization should not field third-party candidates.
"Until a third party would actually pull away from both sides of the equation, it really would be disruptive and kind of diminish what we're trying to do," Hoffman said on CNN's American Morning Thursday. "Our goal is in this election cycle… is on a local level we will identify the candidates that best represent us."
'Flying Tomato' strikes gold
With golds for snowboarder Shaun White, skier Lindsey Vonn and speedskater Shani Davis, plus three other medals, the U.S. wins six Winter Games medals in a day for the first time.
Today, America is looking to snowboarder Shaun White to bring home even more medals. Just yesterday, he won gold in the men's half-pipe. Our Mark McKay is in Vancouver and got a chance to meet the action sports rock star.
Obama to welcome Dalai Lama
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Washington (CNN) - President Obama will meet the Dalai Lama, the exiled Tibetan spiritual leader, on Thursday at the White House despite strong objections from the Chinese government.
The meeting has the potential to complicate Sino-U.S. tensions further, which have been rising in recent months.
China has warned the meeting will certainly damage ties with Washington.
"It will seriously undermine the Sino-U.S. political relations," Zhu Weiqun, a senior Communist Party leader in charge of ethnic and religious affairs, said recently. "We will take corresponding action to make relevant countries see their mistakes."
The Dalai Lama has said he favors genuine autonomy for Tibetans, not independence for Tibet. Beijing regards the Nobel Peace Prize laureate as a dangerous "separatist," a politician who wishes to sever Tibet from China.
Poll: Most Americans favor Tibetan independence
Obama did not meet with the Dalai Lama during his Washington visit last fall, making it the first time since 1991 a meeting with the U.S. president and Tibetan spiritual leader had not occurred. Ahead of a summit with Chinese President Hu Jintao, Obama persuaded Tibetan representatives then to postpone the meeting with the Dalai Lama. FULL STORY
Program note: The Dalai Lama goes one-on-one Monday with CNN's Larry King in his first interview after his meeting with President Obama. Hear his thoughts on China, human rights and the situation in Haiti. At 9 p.m. ET Monday on "Larry King Live."
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