Megyn Kelly: Kendall Crazy?

“I confess the judge has a conflict of interest.” Wow! If America Live anchor Megyn Kelly did not convince her fans that she is a free spirit with her racy GQ spread and her subsequent bawdy Howard Stern interview, the sexy married mother of two may have succeeded today. Less than two months after returning from maternity leave to America Live, Megyn invited as a guest to her show her husband–no, not Doug Brunt–but her former hubby, Dr. Daniel R. Kendall.

When her “Kelly’s Court” segment began, Megyn asked her legal panel (former prosecutor Jonna Spilbor and FNC legal analyst Mercedes Colwin) whether prosecutors could prove that Michael Jackson’s doctor caused the death of the King of Pop. Subsequently, Megyn explained to her audience that prosecutors claimed that the doctor was “guilty of gross negligence…because he used propofol to treat insomnia and [that] he administered it outside of the operating room…[and] that no reasonable doctor would do that.” Then, with a slight smile, she continued, “So, joining us now is an expert witness…an anesthesiologist by the name of Dr. Dan Kendall from our D.C. bureau.*

Somewhat surreally, Megyn continued, “[w]ho I confess the judge has a conflict of interest since the judge used to be married to Dr. Kendall.” As her legal guests chuckled uncomfortably, Megyn remarked, “But, Dr. Kendall is now happily married to another person as am I. So, there is no conflict of interest.” Subsequently, after giving her handsome former fellow less than two minutes to explain that the doctor should have continuously monitored Jackson and that his actions were, in short, “pretty nuts,” Megyn moved on.

“Pretty nuts,” indeed. Or, was Megyn Kelly Kendall crazy?

*America Live – 09/28/11 (@ 2:47 p.m. ET)

“The Five”: Shine’s Summer Show Permanent?

“We’ll be watching you over the course of a year on The Five.” Oops! Did America’s Newsroom co-anchor Martha MacCallum let the proverbial cat out of the bag? Yesterday, after presiding over a 2012 Presidential election segment with The Five co-hosts, Andrea Tantaros and Bob Beckel, Martha concluded, “We have a long way to go here, over a year….A lot can happen over the course of a year, Bob and Andrea.” Then, seemingly with a slip of her tongue, she added, “And, we’ll be watching you over the course of a year on The Five.” As a beaming Andrea nodded her head, a slightly smiling Bob, replied, “Thank you.”

The Five: Less than three months ago (in a June 30 FNC press release), Senior VP of Programming Bill Shine announced the premier of his new summer show, which was supposed to replace the departing Glenn Beck‘s eponymous show for a few months. Before the debut of The Five, Shine’s concept of this “revolving FOX personalities” panel was panned by media watchers such as Inside Cable News (including, in full disclosure, the author). However, The Five has surprised the critics: in fact, it has garnered comparable ratings to the Glenn Beck Show according to the Washington Examiner. Perhaps, Shine has taken note and has decided that he does not need an FNC daytime “shakeup” after all.

If so, thanks for the tip, Martha, and, congrats, Five’rs!

[Author’s aside: In addition to Andrea and Bob, The Five co-hosts include Greg Gutfeld, Dana Perino, Eric Bolling, Kimberly Guilfoyle, Juan Williams, Monica Crowley, Judge Andrew Napolitano, and, purportedly, Geraldo Rivera.]

America’s Newsroom – 09/26/11 (@ 9:37 a.m. ET)

Update: More evidence of The Five‘s apparent new status: After Carpe Diem‘s report, The Five co-host Andrea Tantaros announced her show’s new Twitter address and her co-host Bob Beckel’s one as well. N.B. Unfortunately, Andrea gave the wrong address to her program: it links to @TheFive held by a “giuseppe” with protected Tweets.

Three Divas on a Divan

“Tense” American Morning? AM co-anchor Christine Romans and guest co-host Alina Cho welcomed CNN correspondent Soledad O’Brien to their angular divan Friday.* Catfight? No, but they did have a lovefest over a 2012 Olympic boxing hopeful segment entitled, “Latino in America: “In Her Corner.”

As AM fans watched the trio discuss five-time national champ Mexican American Marlen Esparza‘s quest to win a gold, they saw AM‘s past, present, and, possible future in front of their very eyes. First, as to the past, Soledad had co-hosted the show with Miles O’Brien until the duo was dumped in favor of Kiran Chetry and John Roberts. Second, now that John and Kiran themselves have departed, Christine temporarily co-anchors (alongside Ali Velshi and Carol Costello) and Alina occasionally fills in. Finally, as to the future, Soledad has been referred to as the imminent host of the second show in a new CNN “AM,” i.e., one that incorporates AM: Wake Up Call and the first hour of AM and another that consists of the last two hours of the current AM.

With the current iteration of American Morning seemingly toast and the new “AM” about to begin, CNN viewers can hope for a more flavorful fare in the morning. Since fan fave Kiran Chetry inexplicably left the show in late July, AM has stopped serving its rather spicy stew of salient stories in favor of a more insipid hash of prosaic presentations. Hopefully, a new chef, i.e., Soledad, can confect a tastier breakfast for future “AM” viewers.

AM viewers can only hope.

*American Morning – 09/23/11 (@ 8:51 a.m. ET)

Dad: Anoka’s Gretch Carlson “Excellent at Boys”

Missing Hall of Famers? Garrison Keillor declined & Michele Bachmann snubbed. Fox & Friends co-anchor Gretchen Carlson may have been a bit abashed as she was was inducted into the Hall of Fame at her high school alma mater on September 8. Not only did the renowned raconteur Garrison Keillor decline the very same honor but her “favorite babysitter,” GOP Prez candidate and Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachmann, was not even nominated for it. To boot, her dear dad zinged her with zest about being “excellent at boys” during her time at Anoka High School.

When Gretchen returned to F&F four days later, she proudly previewed a snippet of her parents introducing her at her high school’s “first ever Hall of Fame induction ceremony.”* As the footage began, her dad proudly proclaimed, “While at Anoka High, she was valedictorian, homecoming attending: then, looking up over his reading glasses with an arched eyebrow, he jauntily jibed, “and excellent at boys and socializing.”  (Of course, her doting dad also included her being Miss T.E.E.N. Minnesota and Miss Teen Nationals runner-up and alluded to her being 1989 Miss America.)

After that vid clip ran (and a subsequent one of her hugging her parents), a tearful Gretchen profusely praised both her mom and dad and thanked her community and family. However, she failed to mention the declination of the award by Keillor (who self-deprecatingly said that he “wasn’t anything in high school” but was rather “a quiet, mediocre student with no plans”) nor the obvious omission of Bachmann to be named for the honor itself or in the preliminary nominations. As to her father’s ribbing about being “excellent at boys,” Gretchen said nary a word.

In Gretchen’s defense, she did address, at least, Bachman’s exclusion from Anoka High’s Hall of Fame with her home state’s largest newspaper. According to the Star Tribune, Gretchen said, “My favorite baby sitter….I feel completely disheartened that she’s not part of this”: she added, “In the committee’s defense, in growing up in a small town, I know this happens. It was a grass-roots effort, from the heart. This is just so unfortunate.”

Even though Gretchen’s viewers may not solicit an explanation for Keillor’s skipping out on the Hall of Fame. With little doubt, they may want to know more about her your dad’s “excellent at boys” barb. If they do, they may want to heed the advice of the eponymous host of “Your World with Neil Cavuto” as to cable news customers who do not get FBN: I.e., “Demand it!”

A belated congratulations, Gretchen!

*Fox & Friends – 09/12/11 (@ 8:32 a.m. ET)

Clayton: “”The Very Hot Pink Alisyn Camerota”

Fox & Friends Weekend co-host Alisyn Camerota was definitely back this Saturday in fine form. Welcoming the viewers to the show in her sexy short, low-cut dress, Aly cooed, “Morning, everybody! Wake up: rise and shine. I hope my dress helps that.” And, of course, it did–at least, her co-hosts, Clayton Morris and Dave Briggs.

In response to Aly’s remark, Clayton quickly eyed her up and down: then, holding his hands up and squinting as if to protect himself from its glare, he jested, “Whoa!” Meanwhile, perhaps, more subtly ogling the Bristol Bay babe, a smiling Dave declared, “It does! It woke me up far more than my coffee this morning.” Chuckling, Aly replied, “I know. I…recommend for the rest of the show [to] wear your sunglasses.”

However, Aly’s boys were not necessarily wont to follow her advice. When the trio returned to welcome their F&FW audience at a later hour,* Clayton introduced himself and Dave: then turning to Aly rather rakishly, he proclaimed, “The very hot pink Alisyn Camerota.” And, indeed, she was.

F&FW‘s long-lost Aly was really back.

*Fox & Friends – 09/24/10 (2nd hour – according to the author’s recollection)

American Morning Toast?

Kiran Chetry out & Soledad O’Brien back in–for good? CNN appears to have bared its future plans for American Morning two months ago: on the day after AM announced that Kiran was leaving the show, it brought Soledad O’Brien in to fill in for her. At the time, the author surmised that the substitution seemed to be a strange and sadistic slap at Kiran who had replaced Soledad herself almost four years earlier–perhaps, from the very AM insider who had told Page 6 that “Kiran [was] dumb as a rock.” In hindsight, it appears that CNN may also have been showing its cards.

According to TVNewser, American Morning may be ending it current incarnation and transmogrifying into two shows (a two-hour one from 5 a.m. to 7 a.m. ET and another from 7 a.m. to 9 a.m.). Furthermore, TVNewser reported that the former American Morning anchor Soledad was being considered to host the second show and that TruTV anchor Ashleigh Banfield has been mentioned for the first one. Apparently, CNN is hoping that a mix of its old blood and new blood can jumpstart its program that has lagged behind as of August not only juggernaut FNC’s Fox & Friends but also MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” for five consecutive months.

Hopefully, the lovely ladies Soledad and Ashleigh can resurrect a moribund AM. Ever since the gorgeous, engaging Kiran Chetry left the show on July 29th on an awkward note, the show has gone from must-see HD to quick-scan low-def. Without her at the helm, AM‘s relatively plain and prosaic temporary co-hosts, Ali Velshi, Christine Romans, and Carol Costello, have gallantly tried to keep the listing ship afloat–to little avail.

Good luck, Soledad and Ashleigh!

T. J.’s Real Bride

Marilee Fiebig Holmes. CNN anchor T. J. Holmes toyed with his fervid female admirers Friday who did not realize that he was off the market. He Tweeted, “Just in: I’m married! Surprised this week @ how many folks say they didn’t know I wed last yr. Here’s pic of my bride: tinyurl.com/5tdsfyx.” Tweaking his lovelorn ladies, CNN’s ebony Adonis linked to his favorite Bond babe, Halle Berry.

Apparently, after getting grief from his followers about his jest, T. J. replied, “Some of u pointed out I tweeted pic of a lady who is not my wife. I apologize 4 this TOTALLY innocent mistake. ;-) Let me find the right pic.” Not too surprisingly, T. J. has not yet  “found” the photo of his gorgeous Georgia peach, Marilee Fiebag Holmes. However, Carpe Diem has.

For the “right pic” of T. J.’s lawyer lovely, link here.

Alisyn Camerota: “Reunited & It Feels So Good”

The Bristol Bay babe (a/k/a Bikini Aly) is back for good? Last week Fox & Friends Weekend co-host Alisyn Camerota reclaimed her throne from her recent sole sub Juliet Huddy after a five-month absence. Whether it was because of Juliet’s peculiar attack on Ron Paul during her O’Reilly Factor segment (“yellow belly” who needed to be slapped down by O’Reilly for his refusal to return to the program) or not, Aly finally returned to the curvy couch last Saturday with little fanfare.

The previous Friday, Aly Tweeted her “surprise” return to followers as she co-hosted F&F weekday. Later, after F&FW co-anchors Clayton Morris and Dave Briggs did their usual weekend promo on F&F with a vid clip, Aly suddenly appeared between them asking, “And, can I come back and be with you guys tomorrow?”* Seemingly less than enthusiastic about his estranged TV wife, Clayton answered, “Uh, I don’t know. We have to run it through the powers that be. Let me go check on that.” After shrugging impishly, a more forgiving Dave declared, “We hope so!” Authoritatively, Aly replied, “Okay, I’ll see you tomorrow.”

When F&FW opened the following Saturday, Aly jested, “Good morning, everyone!…I’m Alisyn Camerota in for Alisyn Camerota.” Subsequently, she laughed, “Don’t adjust your sets: it’s not a mirage. We are reunited!” In response, Clayton stiffly patted her on the back and in a monotone remarked, “Alisyn Camerota is back. Nice to [sic] so much to see you. Thank you so much for being back here on the show.” Turning to Clayton and then to Dave, Aly answered, “Great to be back with you guys. I really missed you.”

Looking on with apparent amusement, a smiling Dave declared, “Okay. Group hug!” Embracing Dave, Aly answered, “Group hug. Give me some Briggs’ love.” Then, turning to Clayton, Aly said, “Give me some Briggs’, Clayton love.” After the two gave each other a salutary shoulder-bump hug, Aly seemed to arch her right eyebrow as if the “love” might be somewhat strained between the tutor and her erstwhile star student.

Perhaps, F&FW guest former Governor Mike Huckabee had some insight on the show dynamic a few hours later. When Aly introduced him, a beaming Huckabee remarked, “Welcome back to Saturday morning. These guys have needed some supervision. And, boy, have they been misbehaving.”**  As Dave nodded his head in agreement, Aly answered, “Not a moment too soon is all I can say”: Apparently dissenting, Clayton silently guffawed and subtly thumbed his nose at Huckabee’s ribbing.

Perhaps, Aly was echoing Carpe Diem when it suggested Aly had returned “just in the nick of time.” Happily, it appears that she is back to stay: Yesterday, she Tweeted, “I’m back on F+F Weekends as of this Saturday and Sunday!…Reunited and it feels so good.”

Welcome back, Aly!

*Fox & Friends Weekend – 09/09/11 (8:40 a.m. ET)

**Fox & Friends Weekend – 09/10/11 (8:35 a.m. ET)

Juliet Huddy’s Odd O’Reilly Appearance

Osama bin Laden still alive? Fox News anchor Juliet Huddy was back–stranger still. Last week Juliet curiously called GOP candidate and libertarian icon Ron Paul a “yellow belly” on the O’Reilly Factor and suggested that anchor Bill O’Reilly should slap Paul figuratively and/or literally for not returning to the show. This Wednesday, she seemed to have more comically missed the missive that Osama bin Laden had been killed by U.S. troops in May.

At the beginning of Juliet’s weekly “Did You See That?” segment, O’Reilly played a September 14th “The View” clip of Michael Moore apparently advocating the trial of terrorists in U.S. courts and co-host Elisabeth Hasselbeck anachronistically retorting that [the deceased] Osama bin Laden does [sic] not deserve a trial in New York City.* When O’Reilly asked Juliet for her opinion of the debate, Juliet responded, “Frankly, for him to say that Osama bin Laden deserves or should be tried here in the United States, first no. No, he doesn’t. We know he’s a killer….We don’t need to try him. There isn’t any proof to be shown. We all know he is and he admits it.”

Subtly correcting her and setting the record straight for viewers, O’Reilly responded, “Naw. He, he, he declared war on the United States and the military took him out.” In response, Juliet blankly looked straight ahead as he segued to a question on an MTV fighting teenage mom.

Oops! Perhaps, Juliet’s simply had her tense usage wrong–or, maybe, her mind was merely muddled as she entered San Francisco’s clime. After all, before her appearance on O’Reilly, she Tweeted, “Driving over foggy Golden Gate Bridge on way to do O’Reilly. See you tonite!”  Perchance, after embracing her new “foggy” bohemian environs a mite too much in the interval, Juliet simply lost her short-term memory for the moment.

Nevertheless, an “odd” Juliet is better than no Juliet.

*O’Reilly Factor – 09/14/11 – @ 8:48 p.m. ET

Gretchen: Hoping That I Could Forget @ That!

Cloris Leachman: “the chaos I cause.” The morning after–after Leachman’s lascivious lickings! When Fox & Friends co-anchor Gretchen Carlson heard comedic legend Cloris Leachman’s voiced-over intro to the show this morning,  she exclaimed, “Oh, god! I was hoping I could forget about that!” Smiling, co-host Steve Doocy replied, “She was great [in her F&F appearance yesterday]! She was funny.” Not as amused, “Gretchen groused, “Yeah, ’til she went for my ear!”

Chiming in, co-anchor Brian Kilmeade remarked, “She also…went after Bobby Bowden while he was doing a sports radio interview in the green room after our show. She was very aggressive with him and Bobby Bowden didn’t even know what was happening.” Steve concluded, “See, that’s the problem. If you miss a little of Fox & Friends, you miss a lot.”

If the reader did miss Chloris Leachman’s appearance yesterday, it was “a lot” of loco Leachman. Even before her return appearance (after licking Brian’s neck during a November 2010 F&F interview), Leachman had hinted that she would be up to her old tricks: She Tweeted, “Taking my foxy self over to @foxandfriends Watch it tomorrow It airs live, so the chaos I’m planning to cause will be shown unedited. ;)” When she showed up yesterday for the pre-commercial-break tease to her segment, Leachman saucily went up to the camera and tartly stuck her tongue out as if to lick the lens.

Subsequently, Leachman more than lived up to her promise during the interview. After she had promoted her series “Raising Hope and as the segment was nearing its end, Leachman leaned over toward Brian as if to lick him again. When a beaming Brian responded, “I, I don’t think we should relive the moment, she replied, “Well, it’s going to be awfully embarrassing if I’m this far.” Bending forward, Brian gamely consented, saying, “Okay. Go ahead.” As she proceeded to lick Brian’s right ear, Gretchen exclaimed, “Oh, my god!” and then screamed.

But, Leachman was not done: When she turned to tongue a reluctant Steve’s left ear, a reddened Gretchen again uttered, “Oh, my god.” After Leachman had done the dirty deed, Brian jested, “Wow! And, it’s a bit of a relie[f]. Now, we got rid of the tension, we can go along with the interview. And, now, we’re out of time.”

As a grimacing Gretchen leaned forward in relief, a lecherous Leachman turned to her with a wicked gleam in her eye and moved toward a ruddy Gretchen. As she did, an alarmed Gretchen exclaimed, “Oh! No, no!” Fleeing the couch for safety, an embarrassed Gretchen continued, “Okay, okay! I’m going over to Kristin [Chenoweth (her next guest)]. Hey, Kristin!”

Vintage F&F.

Gretchen Carlson: “Basel, Basil, Whoever He Is”

Basel a man? Oops! More fodder for Jon Stewart’s Gretchen Carlson “dumbing [herself] down” segment? Perhaps, the former Miss America, Stanford cum laude alum, and, yes, classical violinist (vid), is not dumb but she certainly did not adequately prepare this morning for a business segment. But, co-anchor Steve Doocy and FBN Senior Correspondent Charles Gasparino seemed to wish that she had.

During an F&F segment prosaically entitled “Politics or Good Policy? Frank Pushes to Reform the Fed Voting Rights,” Steve quoted JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon’s attack on Basel III banking capital rules as being “anti-American.” Afterwards, Steve explained, “What the Basel is saying is that you [banks] have to up the amount of cash in the kitty.” Concurring, biz whiz Gasparino elaborated, “There is a global regulation known as the Basel Accord: This is Basel III. And, they’re saying you need to basically up the amount of cash, the amount of capital on hand for a bank.” Subsequently, Gretchen weighed in–much to her chagrin.

Almost dismissively, a prolix Gretchen opined, “Right. But, the big story here–because most Americans don’t study Basel, Basil, whoever he is on a daily basis–the big story is that this leader of JPMorgan, one of the most esteemed banks in the world, has paid many visits to this White House and appeared to be a supporter of this President and for him to come out with this kind of anti-regulation argument is very substantial.” [Underscored and italicized for emphasis.] In response, both Steve and Gasparino gulped in apparent astonishment. As they tried to remain stone-faced, Steve could not quite suppress a slight smile nor Gasparino a subtle smirk.

As Gretchen should have well known, Basel is not a he. Rather, it is Switzerland’s third largest city. More to the point, it is the home of the Secretariat of the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision which developed those very “comprehensive set of reforms” known as Basel III.

No, Basel is not an herb either.

Related Carpe Diem stories include “No, I’m Not Dumbing Myself Down!” (December 14, 2009); “Gretch: Sorry, I Actually Was Valedictorian” (July 1, 2010); and “Gretchen Carlson’s ‘Release’” (December 2, 2010).

Andrea Tantaros On: Heavy-Breathing Beckel Off

Martha MacCallum: “very Darth Vader.” The Five co-host and liberal playboy Bob Beckel seemed to have it bad for his sexy conservative co-anchor Andrea Tantaros this morning. When the two appeared together on America’s Newsroom in their weekly debate segment, the long-tressed Greek lovely opined on Michele Bachmann’s performance in the GOP Presidential debate: As she did so in a solo shot, Bob could be heard breathing belaboredly off-camera.*

When Andrea had finished, AN co-anchor Bill Hemmer chuckled, “I hear Bob breathing heavy [sic]. I don’t know if that’s because of the question or.” Before he could finish, a grinning Andrea giggled, “Probably ’cause of me!” Grinning, Bill continued, “The coming answer. Or is it Tantaros?” Slightly smiling, Bob stammered, “Juh, juh, it’s just being on, it’s just being on here on the show, Bill, [that] does it.”

As the segment ended, Bill kidded, “Well, you got seven hours [until FNC’s The Five] to catch your breath, Bob. And, we’ll see you both at five o’clock. Alright?” Beaming broadly, a reddening Bob stuttered, “I, you, you, I’ll catch it as best I can.” After Bill had thanked his two guests, his co-anchor Martha MacCallum aptly added, “I mean–very Darth Vader.”

Bad boy Bob Beckel: The Five’s “dark side”?

*America’s Newsroom – 09/13/11 (@ 9:46 a.m. ET)

Aly Back In: Juliet Out?

Camerota: “Let’s make it a surprise.” A “Shine” surprise? After abdicating her Fox & Friends Weekend throne for five months, co-host Alisyn Camerota announced her long-awaited return to F&FW tomorrow. Early this morning as she hosted F&F weekday, Aly Tweeted, “FOX News Alert — I’ll be back on F+F this Saturday! …don’t tell Dave and Clayton. let’s make it a surprise. I may wear a disguise.”

Five months to the very day: Aly’s return just in the nick of time? Last week FNC aired a new F&FW promo for its Labor Day weekend that featured her recent sole sub Juliet Huddy with F&FW co-anchors Clayton Morris and Dave Briggs as “One Morning Team” and “the Friends You Trust.” The message seemed pellucidly clear: FNC had dubbed Juliet queen again of the F&FW curvy couch. After all, Aly had been strangely absent from her F&FW post for almost five months (approximately one month longer than the purported “maternity shuffle” for Megyn Kelly): Furthermore, in the interim, Aly had repeated anchored other FNC shows, including, America’s Newsroom, Happening Now, America Live, and even Fox & Friends weekday without returning to her own F&FW.

Perhaps, Aly realized that she needed to move now if she were to reclaim her F&FW throne from Juliet before it was too late: i.e., before her co-hosts, Clayton and Dave, and her viewers switched their allegiance to Juliet. Even though it may appear less likely, FNC Senior VP of Programming Bill Shine himself may have prompted the move to oust Juliet, at least, for now, after her questionable comments two days ago on the O’Reilly Factor: Juliet called GOP Presidential candidate Ron Paul a “yellow belly” who would not appear on O’Reilly and that O’Reilly should have “just slapped him down” – verbally or literally. Coincidently or not, just yesterday, the author wrote, “Unless Alisyn Camerota returns to her long “abandoned” center seat this weekend, F&FW viewers should not be surprised by a ‘contrite’ apology posthaste from jaunty Juliet to Paul and his Praetorian Guard.” (Apparently, Juliet’s apology will have to wait.)

Welcome back, Aly! Hopefully, you will stay. But, whatever you do, do not banish F&FW‘s beloved Juliet from your F&FW realm for good.

Juliet Huddy: “Yellow Belly” Ron Paul

“Just slapped him down!” Daring or ditzy? With a slight smile, Fox News anchor Juliet Huddy tore into GOP presidential candidate Ron Paul last night on the O’Reilly Factor over his refusal to return to the show. During her weekly “Did You See That?” segment (after Factor ambush reporter Jesse Waters’ interview of the recalcitrant Paul), host Bill O’Reilly revealed, “Huddy said something very interesting to me as she came on the set….You [Juliet] said I should have let Ron Paul have it.”* Gesturing as if she were smacking Paul on the face repeatedly, she exclaimed, “Just slapped him down!”

Subsequently, O’Reilly queried, “Really?” Pointing at him for emphasis, Juliet remarked, “We love seeing that.” Clarifying Juliet’s “slap-down” advice, O’Reilly asked, “Verbally? Verbally?”

Ignoring his suggested caution, Juliet answered, “Well, or, the other way, too. You know, you couldn’t do that on set, obviously, ’cause he’s not going to be here.” Interjecting, O’Reilly remarked, “I’m not going to slap anybody.” Upping the ante, Juliet responded, “The yellow belly won’t be here! But…it would have been great.”

Perchance, Juliet was just blowing sweet blandishments in the ear of her “William.” But, she must know that Paul has a phalanx of fiercely loyal supporters that may not take too kindly too her caustic comments. If they turn on her, she may experience a blowblack that she will not soon forget.

Juliet’s assualt: daring or ditzy? Regardless, of the answer, it was probably ill-timed. Just as she appears to be becoming more and more ensconced again on the curvy couch as a Fox & Friends Weekend co-host, Juiet seemed to give short shrift to the political hero of one of F&FW‘s core demos. Unless Alisyn Camerota returns to her long “abandoned” center seat this weekend, F&FW viewers should not be surprised by a “contrite” apology posthaste from jaunty Juliet to Paul and his Praetorian Guard.

O’Reilly Factor – 09/07/11 (@ 11:52 a.m. ET)

F&F Goes Dark

For an eternity–at least, in television. At 6:21 a.m. ET, Fox & Friends had a full thirty seconds without either audio or video after a commercial break. When the show finally returned, co-host Brian Kilmeade played it like a pro. Without losing a beat, or issuing an apology to his vexed viewers, Brian jested, “Alright, everyone. Put the brightness on in your TV. It’s not our fault!”

But, it was.

Update: Mea culpa! As Johnny Dollar (of J$P) kindly apprised me, the blackout was not universal and occurred only because DirecTV failed to properly insert its commercial. Even though Brian’s comments were incredibly coincidental, J$ explained that Brian was actually referring to a poorly lit control room vis-a-vis a darkened screen. Thanks, Johnny, for the correction!

Dave: Brandi’s “3rd in the Oven!”

“Brandi, you’re a fine [chef], what a good wife”! Thursday Fox & Friends Weekend co-anchor Dave Briggs joyfully announced that he and his wife Brandi are having their third child. Subtly prefacing his revelation, Dave Tweeted, “I’m a proud daddy, my daughter just boarded the school bus for the first time!” As if it were a mere afterthought, the proud papa proclaimed, “Maybe a good time to announce we have a 3rd in the oven!”

Dave and Brandi have been married eight years (as of August 2). They are the proud parents of six-year-old daughter Emerson and younger brother William. As to their “3rd in the oven,” hopefully, Dave will reveal Brandi’s due date soon.

Congratulations, Dave and Brandi!

Megyn Kelly Disappears

With her show without a word. Apparently, even America Live anchor Megyn Kelly’s lead-in, Happening Now guest host Greg Jarrett, was caught off guard this afternoon: as Jarrett confidently segued from HN to the next Fox News program at 1:00 pm. ET, Jarrett remarked, “America Live begins right now.” Apparently, getting a quick word from his producer, Jarrett quickly glanced at his computer screen and corrected himself, saying, “America’s News Headquarters.”

Subsequently, the screen switched to ANHQ and Kelly Wright began with a “News Alert”: Then, after finishing it, he remarked, “This is America’s News Headquarters. I’m Kelly Wright.” Thereafter, his comely blonde co-host chimed, “Great to see you, Kelly….I’m Jamie Colby.”

Oddly, neither Kelly nor Jamie mentioned that, at least, for the day, they were replacing Megyn Kelly and America’s News HQ was supplanting America Live. Furthermore, to the author’s knowledge, Megyn did not mention yesterday that she or her program would be absent today (Friday). Moreover, Megyn failed to alert her Twitter followers to any AL changes either. Not to mention, when the author consulted FNC’s on-air schedule at FNC’s foxnews.com/fnctv web site (at 1:55 p.m. ET), the “Now” tab showed no program for the 1:00pm slot but rather started with the 3:00 pm one (Studio B w/ Shepard Smith).

Strange indeed. Wherefore art thou, Megyn? Fox News flub-up or Shine “shakeup”?

[Author’s aside: Even at the start of the second hour and at the end of show, both Jamie and Kelly failed to acknowledge the obvious–the absence of Megyn Kelly and her show America Live.]

Update: On Labor Day itself, Megyn answered: She and America Live reappeared. Perhaps, it had been merely a Fox News flub-up. Or, was it Shine’s inadvertent portent?

Juliet, Dave, & Clay: “The Friends You Trust!”

Is the Labor Day weekend the official end of Alisyn Camerota as a Fox & Friends Weekend co-host? If Fox News’ Fox & Friends brand new ten-second Labor Day weekend ad is any indication, it certainly seems so. Replacing the usual F&FW promo with co-hosts Alisyn Camerota, Dave Briggs, and Clayton Morris was one of Juliet and the boys on the curvy couch.

As the very brief commercial opens, Juliet playfully slaps Clayton on the shoulder while Dave smiles.* Meanwhile, the announcer proclaims, This Labor Day weekend, one morning team helps kick off your day,” and a chyron choruses, “ONE MORNING TEAM HELPS KICK OFF YOUR DAY!” As the voice over continues, “Get the news you need from the friends you trust,” the “new trinity” reappears with a banner resounding, “GET THE NEWS FROM THE FRIENDS YOU TRUST!

Even though a doubting Thomas may protest that it is only a Labor Day weekend ad, the proverbial writing appears on the wall. According to Clayton, Aly was doing the “maternity shuffle” for the four months that America Live anchor Megyn Kelly was on maternity leave: However, this weekend will mark Aly’s  absence of four weeks beyond Megyn’s maternity leave. Furthermore, when Dave was asked only three days ago when Aly would return, he replied, “I really don’t know? [sic]”

“I really don’t know?” may not be fully decipherable but it certainly suggests that Aly is not, at least, scheduled to return any time soon. After three years of her second stint at F&FW, perhaps, Aly’s tutelage of the boys is now complete. If so, maybe, they’re now prepared to play with a possibly new F&FW two-timer Juliet Huddy–a proud cougar.

Probably not. Rowrr! But, it should be fun to watch.

*America’s Newsroom – 09/01/11 (@ 9:23 a.m. ET)