Costa was born on June 26, 1981, as Adrianna Heber, and later, when her television career started really taking off, she adopted the pseudonym Costa for her last name, which has sparked some controversy, considering that pseudonyms—while quite common with actors, actresses, and musicians—are quite unusual for journalists and reporters. CNN correspondent and screenwriter/producer Bryce Zabel says Costa may have done the name switch in order to turn her Jewish-sounding last name (Heber) into one sounding more Latino.
After graduating from the University of Colorado in 2003 with a bachelor’s degree in broadcast journalism coupled with a minor in film studies, Costa got started as an entertainment reporter for KPSP-LP (CBS 2), the local TV station affiliated with CBS in Palm Springs, California. This soon led to other gigs, reporting for E! Entertainment Television (for various major red-carpet events), MSNBC, and KDFX-CA, a local Fox broadcasting affiliate, Access Hollywood, Show Biz Tonight, and Good Day L.A. In October 2005, the rising star—who was now officially known as Adrianna Costa, rather than Adrianna Heber—signed a three-year contract reporting the entertainment news for the CNN morning news program Robin & Company, with Robin Meade as the host. Costa’s official title was entertainment anchor.
In May 2007 Costa left Robin & Company after she landed the hosting gig for Fox’s new reality show On the Lot, which premiered on May 22 and will be featured on the network twice a week. Produced by tag-team Steven Spielberg and Mark Burnett, On the Lot involves filmmakers and filmmaking wannabes competing for a DreamWorks deal worth a cool million, and features weekly eliminations, much like the other TV reality-based competition. On the Lot also features judging by Carrie Fisher and Garry Marshall, and Costa herself has been judged by fans and critics for reportedly screwing up her lines—as well as contenders’ names—during the few shows that have aired.
However, Costa has earned a solid reputation for being one of the most interesting and reliable sources of Hollywood news around, and she has also helped to propel the careers of now-famous celebrity gossip kings Perez Hilton and Tom O Neil and has hosted charity events, including Elton John’s Aids Foundation.
YUDDY
