Internet Info 1997 December/Internet_Info_CD-ROM_Walnut_Creek_December_1997.iso/faqs/alt/answers/lila-feng-faq

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Path: senator-bedfellow.mit.edu!faqserv
From: Steve Frampton <[e-mail]>
Newsgroups: alt.fan.lila-feng,alt.answers,news.answers
Subject: Lila Feng Fan Club - Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
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Date: 1 Oct 1997 10:07:43 GMT
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Summary: All about Canada's favorite "Weather Network" personality.
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Archive-name: lila-feng-faq
Version: 1.29
Last-modified: 28 Jul 1996

             LILA FENG FAN CLUB - FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS (FAQ)
                   Version 1.29 - Last updated July 28, 1996

Compiled by Steve Frampton <[e-mail]> with help from
several contributors (listed at the end of this document, question #14).

This document is also available in HTML format, and can be located
at "http://qlink.queensu.ca/~3srf/lila-feng".  The document contains
extra goodies such as in-line images and audio clips, and is best
viewed with Netscape 2.x.

This document is copyright 1994-1996 by Steve Frampton (on behalf of himself
and all the contributors) but is freely distributable to the benefit of
fans of Lila Feng worldwide.  This copyright notice must remain intact.

---===

 0) Do you have any legal disclaimers to get out of the way first?
 1) What about an HTML version of this document?
 2) Who is Lila Feng?
 3) What are Lila's responsibilities on The Weather Network?
 4) I don't have access to the alt.fan.lila-feng newsgroup.  Help!
 5) How can I send fan-mail to Lila Feng?
 6) Is Lila aware of the alt.fan.lila-feng newsgroup?
 7) How many people read the alt.fan.lila-feng newsgroup, anyway?
 8) What else do you know about Lila?
 9) What does the media say about Lila?
10) Can Lila be seen via satellite?
11) I've heard Lila does radio weathercasting.  What station(s) is she on?
12) Are there any GIF's of Lila available?
13) Quotables:  Have you received interesting "quotes" regarding Lila?
14) Who contributed to this FAQ document?
15) How can *I* contribute some info to the FAQ?
16) In the perspicacious words of Janet Jackson, "Is that the end?"

---===

0) Do you have any legal disclaimers to get out of the way first?

Neither myself (Steve Frampton) nor any of the contributors (listed at
the end of this document) shall be held liable for any damages caused to
any part by the information (or mis-information, as the case may be)
contained within this document, including but not limited to, special,
incidental, consequential, or other damages.

Although every attempt has been made to ensure a reasonable degree of
accuracy is contained herein, this document has been prepared more as a
general guide to Lila Feng for her devoted fans, and probably contains
as much hearsay and speculation as fact.

Should Lila Feng, or agent(s) thereof, wish to correct any incorrect
statements about Lila, they can send corrections to the FAQ maintainer
(see question #15 for contact information) and they will be added to
this document as soon as possible.

In addition, some items from the news media were excerpted without
permission.  Should the controlling organizations, or agents of them,
have any concerns about this, I ask that they send information to the
FAQ maintainer (again, see question #15) and they will be corrected or
removed as requested.

---===

1) What about an HTML (WWW) version of this document?

This document is also available in HTML format, and can be located
at "http://qlink.queensu.ca/~3srf/lila-feng".  The document contains
extra goodies such as in-line images and audio clips, and is best
viewed with Netscape 2.0.

---===

2) Who is Lila Feng?

Lila Feng is an attractive Asian woman, who is one of the environmental
news anchors on Canada's own "The Weather Network" cable television
station.  Seen coast to coast, usually in the late evening, Lila has
attracted an almost cult-like following.  In the words of a fan:

  "I watched Lila since the day she started for the network.  She was
  unpolished, she was not so professional with her makeup, and she was
  so nervous while giving the weathercasts that, to put it bluntly, her
  saliva kept getting in the way of her words.  :-)  However, her shy
  demeanor only added to her charm, and from that day I was smitten with
  her beauty.

  Since then I have watched Lila transform herself into a professional
  veteran who does her job with ease.  Lila is true poetry in motion.
  My only regret is that she is on so late in the day.  :-) "

Indeed, should The Weather Network ever decide to lay Lila off in favour
of cheaper labour, it would not surprise us if they were deluged with
hate mail demanding her immediate recall.

---===

3) What are Lila's responsibilities on The Weather Network?

Lila started with The Weather Network since March 1992, first at the
key-wall.  From December 1992, she was writing/anchoring.

At one time Lila was quite active in forecasting the weather to
viewers.  However, as she is no longer seen in that role it is possible
she has been given a promotion.

Lila can now be seen in the late-hours of the day (currently, she
appears on-air after 11:00pm) in a myriad of "desk reporting" roles.
She discusses major weather disasters, as well as notable weather facts
from previous years.  One of her major responsibilities is reporting on
"Earth Watch".

In a P.R. clip shown recently, I was surprised that Lila takes an active
(major?) role in finding suitable material for "Earth Watch", actually
does the editing(!) for that segment, as well as doing her own makeup.
Indeed, everything this woman does seems to add to her fans' adolation
of her!

---===

4) I don't have access to the alt.fan.lila-feng newsgroup.  Help!

The best thing to do is to ask your system administrator to arrange for
your site to carry alt.fan.lila-feng.  Another solution would be to find
an NNTP server that carries the group and read from there.

---===

5) How can I send fan-mail to Lila Feng?

Your best bet at this time would be to contact her c/o The Weather
Network.  Here is the address:

   Lila Feng
   c/o The Weather Network
   1755 Rene Levesque E.
   Suite 251
   Montreal, Quebec
   CANADA  H2K 4P6

Note:  Please mark all correspondence "PRIVATE & CONFIDENTIAL".
Management at The Weather Network reserves the right to open all
correspondance not marked in this fashion.

Alternatively, if you would like to enter any comments for Lila, you
can send them by e-mail to <[e-mail]> (the "Official"
Lila Feng Home Page at "http://qlink.queensu.ca/~3srf/lila-feng" has
a special input form for such comments), and I will be pleased to
to pass them along to her whenever we are in touch (usually about
once a month).  Lila loves to hear from her viewers!

---===

6) Is Lila aware of the alt.fan.lila-feng newsgroup?

Yes, Lila knows all about it.  Surprised?  Unfortunately, Lila does not
yet have access to the Internet, but she has read the FAQ.  She became
aware of the FAQ and the alt.fan.lila-feng newsgroup early last year
(1995) when a coworker at The Weather Network stumbled upon it.

Lila, if you're reading this -- are those cute smiles you give us at the
end of each spot a requirement of your job, or are they really for your
fans?  :-)

---===

7) How many people read the alt.fan.lila.feng newsgroup, anyway?

The exact number is not known.  As of January 1, 1994, it was estimated
(with the help of Brian Reid's "USENET Readership Report", aka
"arbitron"), that approximately 9,300 people read alt.fan.lila-feng
world-wide.

This information contained data for USENET sites only, and does not
include readers on connected networks such as CompuServe, AOL, or Fidonet.

Unfortunately this survey appears to have been discontinued, or is no
longer reliable.  If I am incorrect about this, I would appreciate some
updated statistics.

---===

8) What else do you know about Lila?

Although there is much yet to be learned about Lila, here are a few
items for your interest:

Lila is 1st generation Chinese-Canadian, born and raised in Montreal.
Her father James, who is a lawyer, is from Shanghai and her mother Tina,
who has a PhD in Chemical Engineering, is a 2nd generation Chinese Filipino
from the province of Fujian.

Lila is dynamic and friendly, with a great sense of humour.  She is
apparently unmarried, and her date of birth is July 18, 1966 (which
makes her 30 years old if you are reading this in late 1996/early 1997).
In secondary school Lila seemed quite talented in ballet and
jazz-ballet.  It is not known if she has continued with this art.

Her family name, "Feng" is the same as the Cantonese name "Fong" but her
family hails from Si Chuen province in mainland China, and her name is
in the dialect of Chinese spoken there (Mandarin?).

She grew up in a suburb of Montreal and attended elementary and secondary
school there.  She attended Beaconsfield High School from 1979 to 1983.
From there she went on to CEGEP at Marianopolis College, a private school,
from which she graduated in 1985.  She then went on to McGill University
where in 1988 she received a B.A. in English with a major in Film &
Communications.  Since graduating from McGill, all work experience has
been as a broadcast journalist (which was one of her goals).  All
weather-related training has come strictly through The Weather Network.

In secondary school she was in the English-only stream instead of a
billingual stream, however she is fluently bilingual in both English
and French.  She is also almost completely fluent in Mandarin Chinese.

She was the President of the Film & Communications Department in her
graduating year at McGill; and created, produced, and developed the
"McGill Media Career Day" (1987 & 1988).

From February to September of 1989, Lila also performed news writing
and production for the national morning drive program, "Good Morning
Canada" on CKO/News Radio, Montreal.  Unfortunately, the 24-hour news
network closed in October that same year.

She was the Producer/Co-host on the public affairs program, "Hour
Montreal Magazine", at CJFM (FM96), now known as MIX-96 (all part
of Standard Broadcasting), Montreal from September 1989 to March 1992.

From August 1994 until April 1995, Lila Feng also appeared on CFCF 12,
Montreal (a local CTV affiliate) as an On-Camera Reporter for
"Fighting Back", a weekly investigative consumer affairs program
(Tuesdays at 7:30).  Unfortunately, the 6-year old program was not
renewed for Fall 1995, strictly because its format didn't make money.

In addition, Lila is a certified aerobics instructor, and has been one
since 1990.  Will a Lila Feng workout video soon follow...?

---===

9) What does the media say about Lila?

There was a full-page article on Lila in the Montreal Gazette a few years
after she graduated from McGill (between 1988 and 1991).  If anyone can get
access to a computerized index of Canadian Periodicals and send in the
article, perhaps it can be excerpted for inclusion in this document.

An additional article in the Montreal Gazette, Thomas Schnurmacher's
March 5, 1988 society column noted [excerpted without permission]:

  "Campus corner: Congrats to Lila Feng, who is special-events
   co-ordinator for the McGill Film and Communications Students'
   Committee. For the second year in a row, Feng has assembled a
   cross-section of the Montreal media corps to participate in McGill
   Media Career Day on Saturday, March 12.

   The media types who have graciously agreed to participate include
   CBC reporter Tony Ross, CFCF-TV reporter/anchor Howard Schwartz,
   The Gazette's Paul Waters, National Film Board producer Alanis
   Obomsawin, film producer Robert Verrall, who's spent a few decades
   working for the NFB, CHOM morning man Terry DiMonte, CJFM morning
   man Jeff Lumby, AM 60 talkshow host John Oakley, Montreal magazine
   features editor Rosa Harris-Adler and Bruce Hills, assistant
   programmer for the Just for Laughs comedy festival, to name just a
   few."

Lila was also a cheerleader for the Montreal Machine football team in
1991:

  "It's much the same for Lila Feng, 24, a radio producer at CJFM and
   assistant coach of the squad.
   "I needed a venue, a place to perform," she said.
   "I love cheerleading," said the McGill University graduate. "If
   it's athletic and there are stunts, it can be hot."

The Gazette noted that:

  "The 22-member troupe, which is outfitted in catsuits and gogo
   boots, are set to belt out cheers again Monday when the Machine
   takes on the Raleigh-Durham Skyhawks."

Another source found even more information on Lila, on Nexis, a news
research database that has thousands of sources on it.  Two additional
articles from the Gazette surfaced:

February 5, 1993, Friday, Final Edition, Living Section, Page D14
[excerpted without permission]:

  "Close to 100 people attended a showbiz party the other night at the Monte
   Carlo Club in Old Montreal."  Guests included Francine Potvin, Anick
   Chartier, Paul Bardier, Liz MacRae, Norris Dominque [sic], Ari Snyder,
   Pat Bigney, and Lila Feng.  It was described as a black-tie bash with
   fashion coordinators, makeup artists, actors, etc.  No mention made of an
   escort with Lila (or anyone else for that matter).

June 19, 1994, Sunday, Final Edition, News section, page A3 [excerpted
without permission]:

  "There was a heat wave in Montreal and an article featured Mr. Brad
   Chartier, a chef at the Laurier Avenue restaurant "Eggspectations,"
   trying to cook an egg on the street and also another egg on Lila Feng's
   black 1992 Mazda MX3.  She actually let him put this egg on the roof of
   the car.  The article mentions a picture of him and the car, but I don't
   know if Lila is in the picture also.  The article describes her as "a
   broadcaster with the Meteo-Media [sic] weather channel."

My favorite item appeared in the Toronto Sun, in the "Valentine's Day
Love Lines" pull-out section:

February 14, 1996, Wednesday, "Dunford's Top 10 List", page 4 [excerpted
without permission]:

  "#8. Lila Feng, Cruel Weather Mistress --
   Be still my heart.  Ms. Feng's the reason the TV zapper was invented,
   and the only reason to change your evening viewing habits.  Sleek,
   dominant and in control at her Montreal anchordesk, The Weather
   Channel's Lila gives us the damn weather we deserve.  A dull people
   must be punished.  Hit me with a cold front, babe.  Now ruin my
   weekend with indescribable slops.  You think I care?  Yes, there is
   an Official Lila Feng Fan Club on the Internet, and it trades daily
   comment on her hair, her dress, the special twinkle in her eyes
   whenever she says the word, "storm."  Let it snow!  We'll stay warm."

---===

10) Can Lila be seen via satellite?

Unfortunately, Lila can no longer be seen on satellite.  Canada's Weather
Network converted to a digital means of transmission early in 1996, and is
no longer accessible to home dish owners.

Fans in Canada will be able to see Lila on satellite once again when the
ExpressVU small-dish service starts up later this year, but this service
will not be sold to US homes.

---===

11) I've heard Lila does radio weathercasting.  What station(s) is she on?

Since starting "EarthWatch News", evening radio 'casts were heard in
Edmonton and in Toronto.  Unfortunately, Edmonton was stopped around
Summer of 1993 (the station went under), while Toronto's 680-News is
ongoing, but she stopped doing their 'casts around late Fall of 1994.
She was used in the interim, until Metro-Media's radio division got
more nighttime contracts, or an available staff.

The 'casts continue, however, albeit with a different voice.  If you
are interested:

Toronto, Ontario, CANADA:  680 kHz (AM), CFTR.  Weekday nights 9pm-6am.

---===

12) Are there any GIF's of Lila anywhere?

Yes, her "official" Weather Network photo is available in B&W.
Point your WWW client to: "http://qlink.queensu.ca/lila-feng/glossy.gif"

There is another GIF available that shows Lila in her anchor
duties, wearing a black jacket and white shirt with a floral design.
You may retrieve this file by FTP via itre.uncecs.edu.  Chdir to the
/pub/satellite/images directory, and then get "lila1.gif".  Make sure you
do a binary transfer.  If you're interested in what the other pictures
are, use a WWW client: "http://itre.uncecs.edu/misc/images/images.html"

If you choose this method, have patience, the network line there is quite
slow.

Of course, other GIF's would be appreciated, and can be posted to the
alt.fan.lila-feng newsgroup, or sent via e-mail to the FAQ Maintainer
(see question #15).  One image that would probably please many, would be
to see Lila in her rare (discontinued?) duty as stand-up weathercaster.

---===

13) Quotables:  Have you received interesting "quotes" regarding Lila?

Fan club members respond:

"Three words: Accent, accent, accent." - John Hansen
"It's the smile and the silk camisoles, no question." - Anonymous

Further quotations would be appreciated.  :-)

---===

14) Who contributed to this FAQ document?

I would like to thank the following people for their contributions:

     Jay Novello <[e-mail]>
     Glen Houghton <[e-mail]>
     Ron Hitchens <[e-mail]>
     Mark Nagel <[e-mail]>
     Eldon Sprickerhoff <[e-mail]>
     John Hansen <[e-mail]>
     Trong Nguyen <[e-mail]>
     Sam <[e-mail]>
     Andrew Lapsley <[e-mail]>
     Gord Nickerson <[e-mail]>
     Martin Phipps <[e-mail]>
     David Meredith <[e-mail]>

     [...apologies to anyone I forgot to mention...]

---===

15) How can *I* contribute some info to the FAQ?

Please send all contributions via e-mail to: <[e-mail]>
and if appropriate, will be included in the FAQ as soon as possible.
Make sure your subject line indicates it's a "Lila FAQ Submission".

---===

16) In the perspicacious words of Janet Jackson, "Is that the end?"

Yes it is.  Thank you for reading.