#8. Bella Shaw

The Ultimate 50

8. Bella Shaw

2012 Update

Yes, there actually was a time when Bella did not have Super-Bangs. She pulled out a photo from her early years in Oklahoma City television (the one in black and white), for a feature story by a southern California newspaper. A slideshow with the article gives a good review of the range of hairstyles Bella displayed, even early in her CNN career.

Bella continues to anchor local cable newscasts in suburban Los Angeles -- but her bangs may be weakening a bit with time. About halfway through a video reel on Shaw's website, there's this moment. The bangs look a bit thin, uneven and awfully close to her right eye.

We simply must close in to investigate! And we find two strips of bangs are inside her right eye, on either side!

When she blinks, there's no doubt - the right eye is covered. Bella tossed her head back a bit milliseconds later, to clear the bangs away. But after years of living "on the edge," we've finally caught her with defeated hair. If you blinked, you'd miss it -- which only proves to us how marvelous the mane of Shaw has been for decades.

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2010 Update

If you live in southern California and have Time Warner Cable, you still can see Bella from time to time hosting Local Edition inserts. This vidcap from early 2010 shows her classic basic style, stretching about three inches below her shoulders (her online resume reveals she stands five-foot-six). But her amazing bangs aren't cut very deeply....

....and look at how risky that can be! Bella was listed as a star in a 2008 mocky-horror direct-to-DVD movie called Killer Tumbleweeds -- and this picture from a promotional clip shows long hair only a half-inch from her left eye. And on top of that, a strip of bangs again sits along the bridge of her nose, one wrong shake from dropping in that eye! Incredibly close -- yet the bangs are incredibly perfect. (But we wish clips from the movie were posted somewhere.)

Bella also works for a consulting agency called Women Media Pros. And a video on professional dress offers this moment! Have a few long strands finally dropped to defeat?

No -- because the side angle misleads us. Bella turns her head, to show that small strip of hair is away from her eye. You can watch the entire two-minute video, and marvel at how this woman can throw her Super-Hair around flawlessly. She's living dangerously, but she's still impressively undefeated.

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2008 Update

A 2008 infomercial featuring "journalist" Bella Shaw offers this professional look. Her length has been reduced an inch or two past the shoulders, with a bit of layering to shorten things near the face. Shaw's signature bangs remain, but they're scattered around the forehead.

And notice how long the bangs seem to be. A few seem to end at the right eyelash....

....or even lower! Check the strip against the bridge of her nose. Yet a lean of the head did not show that strip dropping in her eye, but barely staying above it. Shaw remains dramatically unbeaten, but by the narrowest of margins.

For a nostalgic look at Shaw's long CNN look (including that lambada dance we mentioned on the other page), watch a clip on Truveo.

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2006 Update

Bella still pops up in occasional infomercials, and supporting TV and movie roles. The good news is that she has her own web site to promote herself. The home page shows what we consider her hair at her best, with the classic long locks and bangs across the forehead.

Even lying down and looking quite relaxed, her hair stops just short of falling in her eyes -- still as undefeated as ever. (But ooo, are the bangs near the right eye too long in case a wind came up?!) You can't really download the pictures at her site, but we think a couple will surprise you -- including a set with body waves.

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2004 Update

We're delighted to report Bella finally returned to show business journalism (well, sort of) in September 2004. She's now part of the "Fashion Police" on the E! and Style networks. We have no vid-caps of that show, but you've probably seen her in the latest Carlton Sheets infomercial, anyway. She's switched from center-part to the side, with strands stopping around the shoulders. The trademark bangs are gone, unless they're combed to the side and hidden.

A slightly closer look with a lean to the side shows no sign of bangs at all. We must note her hair remains unbeaten, and probably is riskier now. Perhaps this change was inevitable -- but we're still a bit disappointed by it.

With no noticeable galleries of Shaw online, you might try a web site which shows one of her TV productions.

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2002 Update

Bella only makes rare public appearances these days -- and when she does, she tends to be selling something. The most recent TV program we saw found her interviewing Carlton Sheets for an infomercial. With all respect, we put more stock in Bella's hair -- lightly banged, not nearly as long, but still quite well-controlled. While we personally prefer the older style, this looks good on her.

We're apparently the only place still showing "Shaw style" in what we consider her prime, long-hair years. Our search for a photo gallery found only scattered pictures; your best choice may be the infomercial company where she's worked, or a few surprises at the web site of a former CNN co-worker.

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