Huell Howser leaves behind a song that represented his enthusiasm for the state that he loved showcasing on his PBS show, “California’s Gold”

KCET Los Angeles pays tribute to statewide PBS icon, Huell Howser:

A day of fun on a frozen California lake in Wrightwood became pandemonium after one person fell through the ice, then another… and another. As people overshot the edge of the ice and fell into the bitterly-cold water, flailing and waving their arms in panic, pals to rushed to their aid. The situation in Wrightwood, California, rapidly became a mass rescue attempt, involving ropes, rubber rings and plastic sledges. But as dozens of people joined in, several more crashed though ice. Some of the victims remained in the water for up to nine minutes before they were eventually pulled out.

Dick Clark was no longer around for ABC, so other networks were trying to lure viewers over to their own live New Years Eve telecasts. For those who tuned into CNN (a 24 hour news channel), they were treated to a night of simulated porn with Kathy Griffin and Anderson Cooper. This video contains adult language and situations: