Isn’t is refreshing to see Alisyn Camerota with Steve Doocy and Brian Kilmeade? She has a real rapport with the guys unlike regular Gretchen Carlson: Aly clicks and Gretch grinds. Today Steve and Brian did not roll their eyes and try to “get” the the ditzy blonde in the middle today.
Furthermore, Aly doesn’t mind being eye candy for her audience. E.g., the Italian delight is wrapped in a sexy royal blue sleeveless mini with a taste of cleavage: however, as usual she is on her game today. She’s not a mere airy treat: she a delicious morsel with substance.
Enjoy her while you can on Fox & Friends. After this week she returns to F&FW with the castrato choir of Clayton Morris and Dave Briggs. Unless Gretch is on a FNC “vacation”!
Tags: Clayton Morris, Fox & Friends, Fox News
Carpe Diem 
July 29, 2008 at 7:11 am
Can’t believe you think skinny Ali is better than Gretchen!
July 29, 2008 at 7:51 am
Agreed- Ali is too thin! I like her command of the center seat on the curvy couch!! I hope the weekend crew finds a balance working together- too early to tell.
July 29, 2008 at 8:20 am
I think Aly is a good start toward revitalizing the weekend show, but I hope they’re not yet done. The next move should be ditching Claytoon and putting Rick on the curvy couch.
Ideally, they’d then bring Page back in place of Dave, but that’s a real longshot.
Am I the only one who likes both Aly and Gretchen? They are different personalities and serve different functions in the interpersonal dynamics of their respective shows.
July 29, 2008 at 9:21 am
I personally prefer Alisyn to Gretchen, but I can tolerate Gretch if the other talent around her is good. Boogie, I agree that they should now make a clean sweep and put Rick and Page on the couch. They have got to get rid of the twins (frat boy and dull Dave). They are making small steps in getting this train back on the tracks, but they’ve still got a long way to go before they have me back as the true fan I was back in February. It’s still take-it-or-leave-it viewing for me. Mostly leave it!
July 29, 2008 at 10:02 am
G.R.I.T.S., I totally agree that adding Rick and Page would make the show must-see TV. But I just don’t see them adding Page back to the show, because that would mean publicly admitting to a MAJOR mistake. I do, however, believe that promoting Rick to the curvy couch is a possibility – especially if enough people write in to request it. Hint, hint!
I have to admit that we were surprised just how much more watchable we found the show to be this past weekend. Claytoon and Dave are still like fingernails on a chalkboard, but the addition of Aly and subtraction of Butterface and Britney made a world of difference for us here. We’re still not the avid viewers we were prior to mid-Feb., but we’re not nearly as likely to flee screaming from the show either.
July 29, 2008 at 10:21 am
Boogie, you said “we”: does one of you prefer Aly and the other prefer Gretch?
July 29, 2008 at 10:33 am
No, not really, Jake. We don’t have a major preference for either, because they’re both so different and serve different functions.
July 29, 2008 at 4:31 pm
Boogie, I like Gretch, she just needs to calm down a bit…I don’t know what they give those guy to drink but, that is one hyper group of people.
July 30, 2008 at 12:22 am
I don’t like Gretch at all …
It’s hard to believe that someone at the age of 42 could be soooo naive & gullible …
Gretch is the SAME age as Alisyn and Page … But, seems like she’s stuck in “Little House on the Prairie” mode …
As Miss America, Gretch should’ve been “in” the real world … Yet, she seems like she’s been stuck in a cave for the last 30 yrs …
July 30, 2008 at 5:20 am
Yep, F&FW improved with the arrival of Aly and departure of Ainsley and Courtney. Still some way to go though.
Dave was totally out of his depth interviewing Jim Pinkerton and Ellen Ratner. Those two are veteran sparring partners and they ran rings around him. As many have said before me, a national news show should not be a venue for a trainee anchor. He’s pleasant enough but needs another decade of experience.
Clayton’s body language was interesting – caught him on more than one occasion sitting sideways on the couch, facing into the studio, virtually turning his back on Aly.
July 30, 2008 at 4:57 pm
Boogie, I’m not sure why you like Gretch when you dislike Ainsley so viscerally. The former Miss America seems no better informed than the South Carolina beauty and appears less attractive and much more opinionated. Also, please elaborate on what Gretch contributes to F&F in contradistinction to Aly or other FNC talent.
July 30, 2008 at 5:29 pm
What I like about Gretchen in comparison to Ainsley is that:
* Gretchen isn’t a motormouth who has to be the center of attention.
* Gretchen has some knowledge of current events other than what’s in the teleprompter or the prep notes. I have to disagree with you, Jake, because I think it’s obvious that Gretchen is far more knowledgeable than Ainsley. I think that the reason Ainsley isn’t particularly opinionated (except when it comes to religion) is that she’s not well-informed about most issues in the news.
* While Gretchen doesn’t hide that she’s at least somewhat religious, she doesn’t flaunt it or act as if she’s so superior because of it. I get a strong feeling from Ainsley that she’s more of the type to try to push her religious beliefs on others. Again, just a feeling.
* Gretchen has actual experience and credentials, whereas Ainsley reported at a couple of rather small stations before coming to FNC and getting the co-host job.
* Personal preference, but I think that Gretchen has a sweet, beautiful look, and I don’t find Ainsley to be particularly attractive. Face it, if Ainsley had a small chest and didn’t have the bleached, flatironed hair, nobody would notice her. I think that her mouth, teeth & nose are too large and out of proportion to the rest of her face.
As for the compare-and-contrast bet. Gretchen and Aly, I think that the main difference is that Gretchen is more of a “calming influence” on Steve and Brian (keeps things from veering too far out of control) while Aly dives right in and matches the guys.
July 31, 2008 at 4:32 am
Boogie I don’t get it, I find Gretchen to be a motor mouth refusing to just host the show. You as a viewer shouldn’t know whether any host is not reading a line, every day I saw her scold berate and discipline Brian and Steve. She seems to think her crown years ago put her on a pedestal, yet she screws up all the time. She is a like a spoiled rich kid, that refuses to take any responsibility for the fact that she is irritating and uninformed.
July 31, 2008 at 5:09 am
Well, Kathy, there’s the fact that Gretchen consistently pulls in good ratings, while others have tanked. Obviously the ratings don’t play into your scenario, and many more people find Ainsley far more irritating than Gretchen.
On just what subjects or topics is Gretchen uninformed? I’ve repeatedly given specific examples of Ainsley displaying an appalling ignorance, so now it’s your turn to do the same to Gretchen, if you can.
July 31, 2008 at 7:44 pm
Give me about twenty four hours and I will fill this site.
First of she is like the food police, they say the worst critic of smokers is a former smoker. For one entire week she wanted Brian to drink smoothies and not coffee, sorry Boogie but she really is just too bossy.
Gretchen thinks every child should eat healthy food at all times, works if your kid never leaves your side but they grow a bit and they will find the junk food. Gretchen seems to say the word obesity with no problem, but ask her to use tack or decorum she seems to lack it. There was one morning I finally changed the channel after she got mad that Steve did not agree about a healthy diet for kids, she went on and on. Gretchen has two small kids, Steve has three or four almost grown. He knows what I know kids eat junk when they get away from you. I finally changed the channel, I am sure Steve wanted to as well.
She overleads a guest to answer a certain way, bugs me to no end. Instead of asking what happened to cause an action she jumps in and explains the whole reason the guest is there. The guest then looks for a way to speak but nope ain’t gonna happen if Gretchen interviews you.
Personally I think Gretchen doesn’t understand any heavy issue involving politics. She wants to seem like she is prepared but she has no real reading that she has done. When she is supposed to be moderating a discussion she seems to want some of the opinionated people to answer her way. When they don’t she does this Kate Couric face, which really bugs me.
Boogie this stuff is off the top of my head. When I come back I will write more. I know she is better than Ainsley, but not Alisyn. That was a short test after I have received countless emails Gretchen would be there. My theory is if the viewers knew she was gone, there would be much more viewers. Don’t get me wrong I loved ED, I can’t stand Kirian (I know it must be confusing). I want someone happy to be there and not so bossy.
Believe me I can be bossy but Gretchen is more than I can take, Hubby refuses to watch her.
July 31, 2008 at 9:19 pm
Well, Kathy, at the very least you and I can agree that Ainsley was the weakest of the F&F women, I love ED and I was never a big fan of Kiran, whom I could take or leave.
August 1, 2008 at 2:55 am
Kathy – I’m with you on Gretchen … Plus, isn’t she an ex-smoker?? She annoyed me at Christmas when they all brought in some bit of their family’s Christmas traditions and when someone offered her some sweets she laid into them about her diet (She’s skinny & doesn’t need to be on a diet, unless she’s got some underlying medical condition but she didn’t say that) …
Gretch is constantly berating & belittling Brian & Doocy … She tries to do it to The Judge too, but he laughs her off … She’s constantly trying to mother people on the set …
She’s very weak when it comes to being able to have a battle of the wits / heated discussion with Brian & Doocy … When she doesn’t get her way, she tends to roll back on the couch … as if she’s trying to avoid something …
Her interview skills are poor … She’s like a lawyer always trying to lead the witness with her questions …
I honestly don’t think the ratings are what they are because of Gretch … I think it has a lot more to do with Doocy & Brian (& Aly) as they’ve built up such a great rapport with the viewers over all these years …
At least with E.D., Kiran & Aly (as well as Lauren Green), they could always run with the big dogs of Doocy & Brian … Gretch rolls up into a ball like a pill bug / armadillo …
August 2, 2008 at 10:07 am
Boogie I like your take on ED and Kiran!
Tia Christmas did me in for Gretchen, every Christian culture does more than half of what she said were her “church family” traditions. Plus the thing about her kids and trying to make a boy perfect. I like kids being kids.
Gosh I miss so many from F & F Lauren, ED, Page, Greg, Kelly. It is like a step to out the door for so many!
August 3, 2008 at 4:38 am
I’m sure it is tough to find the perfect foil for the amazing Steve and Brian, but Gretchen is not it. Alyson and ED were best, and Martha was very good last week: intelligent, beautiful, and easy, and certainly not carpy or big sisterish, as Gretchen often comes off. She, unfortunately, lacks ease… Alyson will make the weekends much more enjoyable; she adds substance and will rein in the naughty boys without appearing to be critical. And, yes, Rick is a marvelous TV personality and I would like to see more of him.
August 27, 2008 at 10:19 am
I can’t beieve it but I should. Someone saying exactly what I have been saying :
Aly’s On: Gretch On FNC “Vacation”?
Isn’t is refreshing to see Alisyn Camerota with Steve Doocy and Brian Kilmeade? She has a real rapport with the guys unlike regular Gretchen Carlson:
I would like to see her as a regular in the morning!