Red carpet disaster

Was it a stroke or a brain blip?

2/14/2011

Red carpets can be hazardous to your brain. A veteran TV reporter is OK after a brief lapse into incomprehensible speech during a live shot outside the Grammys, her station said. KCBS-TV reporter Serene Branson was examined by paramedics on scene immediately after her broadcast and her vital signs were normal, the station said in a statement.

She was not hospitalized. As a precautionary measure, a colleague gave her a ride home. The incident occurred during the 11 p.m. newscast Sunday. After a standard introduction by anchors, Branson was shown outside Staples Center in downtown Los Angeles, where the award show had taken place. A video clip burning up the Internet shows she started speaking and quickly encountered difficulty forming words. (See above).

"Well, a very, very heavy burtation tonight," she said.

Her broad smile turned into an expression of consternation as she struggled to regain control of her speech, which was coming out in gibberish. After several seconds, the station cut away to performance footage A two-time Emmy nominee, Branson worked at the CBS affiliate in Sacramento before joining KCBS. Prior to that, she was a reporter and anchor at TV stations in Palm Springs and Santa Barbara.