Seriously? Preempting FNC’s chief meteorologist Rick Reichmuth (and Fox & Friends Weekend) this Sunday morn mid-show for Shepard Smith seems like one of the stupidest programming decisions that FNC has made. Such disrespect to Rick, the F&FW co-hosts, and their fans is almost unforgivable. Rick and the F&FW crew were doing a much better job than this interloper and his crew are doing. Get a grip, Fox News!
[Update: At least, Rick reappeared on “Shep’s show” at 8:38 a.m. ET.]
Tony Snow: “God made you beautiful: Now you’ve got to make yourself smart.” Quirky Fox & Friends newsreader Heather Nauert seems to have found a more fitting slot of late on FNC as guest co-host of Happening Now. Paired with HN regular co-anchor Jon Scott oft now that Jenna Lee is on maternity leave, the “Chicago” chirper excels in her new chair as a sharp counterpart to FNC’s whilom Shakespearean actor/go-to aviation “expert” Jon: Consequently, fans of F&F are treated to a more mellifluous Carolinian cadence in the early morn as F&F First co-hosts Heather Childers and Ainsley Earhardt often fill in for Heather N. as headline news anchor.
F&F fans can now enjoy their show more as the Southern belle beauties ameliorate their Yankee (Rhode Island) colleague Elisabeth Hasselbeck‘s too oft nasal sounds with their delightful drawl. To boot, the viewers are not subjected to a pedantic Ms. Romper Room Nauert who too oft wants to “tell you about this” before she actually does.
Yes, the “younger sister of another Heather (Locklear)” is beautiful, and she is smart. But, she can be pedantic and irritating a la erstwhile F&F anchor Gretchen Carlson when she talks down to her audience who generally know as much or more than she does. Like the former Miss America [vid] with her new show (The Real Story with Gretchen Carlson), Heather now seems to be more relaxed and at ease on HN–not feeling as if she has to prove her smarts to her audience vis-a-vis the boys, F&F co-anchors Brian Kilmeade and Steve Doocy.
Heather Happening Now: beautiful, smart–and, finally, starting to chill.
[Author’s aside: The subtitle, supra, is based on a Tony Snow quote cited in a Paul Farhi article in the Washington Post.]
My husband and I are expecting our first child…in early fall. Friday, Happening Now co-host Jenna Lee confirmed what many of her viewers were expecting: the auburn-tressed beauty’s growing girth was not necessarily diet-induced.
Before announcing her gravid state [vid via J$P], she read a Tweet from a fan who asked, “Is it me or is Jenna Lee putting on a little weight in the tummy?” Turning to her co-anchor Jon Scott, she teased, “Jon, do you want to answer this one?” After he wisely refused to do so, Anna read a few more audience questions as to whether she was pregnant. In answer, Jenna joyfully remarked, “I can confirm that my husband [Leif Babin] and I are expecting our first child: It’s very much “happening now”: But, it will be happening in early fall.
Interjecting, Jon joked, “He’s [Jenna’s hubby Leif (pic)] former Navy SEAL….Did they teach him how to deal with a pregnant woman?” Chuckling, Jenna replied, “I can’t reveal all their…top secret training, Jon, but I do know that the SEAL’s have something that they call the frogman curse–which I think I can talk about–which is that a lot of them end up having little girls.” When Jon queried, “Should our viewers take that as a hint, Anna answered, “[N]o….We don’t know the gender: we’re not going to know, and it’ll, it’ll just be breaking news when it happens.”
Congratulations, Jenna and Leif! A little girl: Frogman curse? Nah, frogman blessing!
H/t, J$.
Happening Now! FNC meteorologist Janice Dean heated things up today as she forecast the latest winter storm on FNC’s HN. In her second hour debut, Janice declared that her hubby was staying home tomorrow with their sons and that she was “staying here…[in]…the sleeping bag set up: Setting up, perchance, a Freudian slip, she declared, “We could get another storm Sunday into Monday for the Northeast, and this could be a big one, Jenna.”*
Smiling, Janice continued, “So, yes, sl*t”: Reddening at her salacious faux pas, she haltingly chuckled, “Set up the sleeping bags and a lot of mothers and fathers are going ‘when are my children going back to school.'” Even though neither Janice nor HN co-hosts Jenna Lee and Jon Scott said nary a thing about her racy gaffe at the conclusion of Janice’s report, Jon did randomly remark, “I never like to see all that pink on those maps.”
Oops! FNC’s sexy Dancing Machine did it again!
*Happening Now – 02/04/14 (@ 12:08 p.m. ET)
No news is good news for Fox & Friends Weekend co-hosts Clayton Morris and Tucker Carlson. Yesterday, FNC’s “A Team” took the field after the capture of the last of the Boston Marathon bomber brothers: From an early edition F&F First to America Live, FNC’s regular programming (save for Happening Now) and their co-hosts returned to the day’s fare. Nevertheless, F&FW co-host Alisyn Camerota maintained her pivotal position on F&F‘s curvy couch as she was joined by FNC’s week-day alpha dogs, Brian Kilmeade (F&F co-anchor) and Jon Scott (Happening Now co-host). Notably, F&FW “B Team” boys, Clayton and Tucker were sent to the sidelines without a mere mention to their F&FW fans.
But, today was a new day. As the news returned to normal, Aly still reigned supreme on her curvy couch. And, joining her again were her courtiers, Clayton and Tucker, comfortably ensconced as her bookends: The alpha males had gone away and the beta boys were back in town.
Today, all was right again–at least, in F&FW‘s world.
Molly: “Baby Jacquelyn…I miss her.” Today, FNC correspondent Molly Hennenberg was warmly welcomed back from her maternity leave by Happening Now co-anchor Jenna Lee. After Molly’s report (on Defense Secretary Leon Panetta’s controversial trips home), Jenna queried, “Molly, where have you been by the way? Welcome back! It’s been a while since we’ve seen each other.”* Radiant, Molly answered, “Thank you, Jenna and Jon [Scott]….It’s so good to see you both. I’m back from maternity leave. And, it’s wonderful to see everybody again.”
Meanwhile, as HN producers ran a pic of Molly holding her darling new daughter, Jenna inquired, “We have some photos just to share with our viewers so they know we’re not kidding. You have a cute little baby there….What’s her name?” Joyfully, Molly proclaimed, “Baby Jacquelyn. Her name is Jacquelyn Amanda. And, I miss her, and she’s just the sweetest little baby.”
Subsequently, as a second photo of a lone blue-eyed, brown-haired Jaquelyn in her pretty pink lace dress and then a third of her with her proud papa [Marine Capt. Chris Nagel] at the park aired, Molly animatedly remarked, “Thanks for putting up the pictures of me. First-time mom knows, it’s, it’s a joy!” In response, perhaps, eagerly anticipating her own future maternal bliss with her new military stud hub [Navy SEAL Leif Babin], Jenna declared, “I love the picture of your husband and your little girl in matching sunglasses….That’s a great shot….The little girl is darling.”
Your “new Redskins fan” is darling indeed, Molly. Congratulations to you and Chris!
*Happening Now – 04/24/12 (@ 12:53 p.m. ET)
Update: For the second and third photos of Jaquelyn, supra, cf. Fox News Insider here.
Bushie no more? Fox News Sunday anchor Chris Wallace seemed to distance himself from his GOP establishment colleagues, e.g., Karl Rove, Dana Perino, etc. today. After pontificating yesterday on FNC’s “Your World with Neil Cavuto” that a Ron Paul victory would “discredit the Iowa caucuses,” Wallace chose a decidedly different tack this morning when Happening Now co-host Jon Scott asked him what a Paul win would mean in Iowa. With his sails more neatly trimmed, Wallace responded, “I don’t mean in any way to denigrate Ron Paul….I fully understand why his…millions of supporters across the country but thousands here in Iowa are so supportive of him.”*
Elaborating, he continued, “But, I think it is fair to say [that] he is a long shot for the Republican nomination. And, to the degree that people look at these States and say, ‘Are they picking a President?,” if they were to pick Paul, I think a lot of the–and, maybe, we’re not so smart–but a lot of the smart guys in the media and in the Republican party would say, ‘Well, that’s kind of an aberration.” Apparently, repentant, he added, “Now, it may be that Ron Paul proves us wrong, and I’d be happy if he did because it would be a very exciting race.”
Chris Wallace: fair and balanced? Trying.
*Happening Now – 12/15/11 (@ 12:11 a.m. ET)
“Back for good–for now.” Happening Now co-host Jenna Lee was radiant today as she returned to her FNC show from her honeymoon with new hubby Leif Babin, a Navy SEAL and Fordham law student. Welcoming the auburn beauty back heartily, co-anchor Jon Scott facetiously queried, “Anything big happen while you were gone?”* Shrugging her shoulders demurely, Jenna joyfully replied, “Thank you very much. You know, got married, went on a honeymoon but now I’m, I’m back: Back for good–for now.”
Sorry, boys, one of Maxim‘s “TV’s 10 Hottest News Anchors” and Ben Stein’s favorite money honey, “the heart-stoppingly beautiful” Jenna Lee, is now off the market. To boot, after an almost three-year, cross-country courtship, it sounds as if the thirty-one year old lovely may be down to serious connubial business. I.e., Jenna’s maternity leave not too far around the HN corner?
Congratulations, Jenna & Leif!
*Happening Now – 07/18/11 – (@ 11:00 a.m. ET)
And, missing her Teddy, too. FNC meteorologist, Janice Dean, may have left her bed even more reluctantly than usual this morning. Today, the “Weather Machine” had to “get out of [her] pajamas” and leave her new baby Teddy (and his two-year-old brother Matthew) at home as her maternity leave ended. Bearing photos of her beautiful little boy to work, the tearful mommy was amicably welcomed back by Happening Now co-anchors, Jenna Lee and Jon Scott.
As HN returned from its penultimate ad break, Jon and Jenna stood on each side of a beaming Janice as she tightly embraced them both. Then, as she recounted that she had signed off with them on HN right before her maternity leave, she proudly displayed three pics of her “Theodore Patrick Newman” for the HN audience.
When Jenna asked how her Teddy’s older brother was doing, Janice jested, “Matthew is okay. [But], he’s not the king of the hill anymore.” Segueing to a photo of Jon with Teddy on his lap, Janice related that Jon had visited both Matthew and Teddy and had brought “beautiful gifts.”
Likewise, Janice expressed her appreciation to her FNC fans, too. As she started to cry, Jon and Jenna ribbed her good-naturedly. Janice declared, “This is first day back so I’m allowed to get emotional and they’re all watching right now.” Tugging at her left ear lobe, Janice continued , “So, what does Carol Burnett do? She goes like this just to tell everybody that they’re loved. They’re loved, and mommy has to earn a paycheck.”
After the show, Janice elaborated, “It’s going to take a day or two to get my ‘footing.’ I have been missing my boys.”
Actually, the aptly self-dubbed “Dancing Weather Machine” doesn’t seem to have missed a step. Or, even a beat.
Trampoline Bear Abuse or Cool Critter Celebration? As Shepard Smith‘s beloved Ole Miss progresses forward with its mascot pick of the Rebel Black Bear to replace Colonel Reb, the Studio B and Fox Report anchor continues to be conflicted about moving forward from his signature segment “Bear Alert” to a more animal-friendly “Cool Critters.” As a case in point, last Thursday, Shep reported the very same story (about a newborn Atlanta panda cub) under the respective rubrics differently on his two daily FNC programs: To wit, on Studio B, Shep narrated the tale as the “Bear Alert,” accompanying it as usual with the cruel Trampoline Bear video (showing a tranquilized bear falling from a tree onto a trampoline, being hurled high into the air, and then crashing headfirst into the unyielding ground) whereas on the Fox Report, Shep retold it as a “Cool Critters” story without the repugnant Trampoline Bear clip.
Unfortunately, Shep’s recent setback occurred just a mere week to the day that he showed significant promise on Studio B during his “Bear Report.” On that show, he aired the Trampoline Bear clip but he elided the offensive frames of the black bear crashing into the concrete-like earth albeit jesting about “bear trampoline safety.” Optimistic that Shep may have turned a proverbial corner, the author penned, Carpe Diem‘s “Hope Springs Eternal” that he would not “return to his vomit.”
Unfortunately, Shep did just that as he returned to his folly Thursday on Studio B‘s “Bear Alert.” But, did he repent a mere three hours later on Fox Report‘s “Cool Critters”? Hope may spring eternal, but its flame is dimmed with each passing day.
Colonel Shep, walk into the light!
Update: Eight days later (last Friday), Fox Report producers took a different tack. Instead of choosing between the rubric “Bear Alert” or “Cool Critters,” they did both basically. As guest host Jon Scott previewed the FR‘s final segment entitled “Bear Buddies” (about an older female polar bear at Highland Wildlife Park in Kingussie, Scotland, being introduced to a twenty-three-month-old male as a companion), Jon commented, “Now, Bear Alert and Cute [sic?] Critter Alert, Britain’s only polar bear getting a new friend but don’t expect cubbies anytime soon.” The odious Trampoline Bear video did not run after this conflated alert. More progress?
*Fox Report with Shepard Smith – 11/12/10 (@ 7:54 a.m. ET)
When the Marquis is away, the servant boys will play. And so they did yesterday. With their master away Friday, stand-ins Trace Gallagher (Studio B) and Jon Scott (Fox Report) looked like naughty school boys who had just discovered a stag film hidden in their dad’s sock drawer.
On Studio B, guest anchor Trace practically giggled with glee after he got his peek at the Trampoline Bear. After airing a “Bear Alert” about a pizza-pilfering black bear in Montana, he exclaimed, “Montana’s own bare-foot bandit is still on the loose: And, someone set a trap with pizza and a trampoline.”* As he did, of course, the predictable Trampoline Bear clip ran (with a tranquilized black bear falling from a tree, bouncing high into the air, and crashing face first into the ground). Post-climatically, Trace beamed, “I’ve always wanted to see the video again. I love it!”
Almost four hours later, on Fox Report, a generally gentle John Scott got his guilty pleasure after he echoed Trace’s “Bear Alert.” As the pizza-pilfering bear segment concluded, Scott aired the Trampoline Bear footage. Smiling, Scott joked, “The bear is still on the run. Next time, try setting a trap with a pizza and a trampoline. Bears love trampolines, don’t you know?”**
Do they now, Jon? What a truly bad boy you are. Your master Shep will be proud but your mistress Julie surely will not.
*Studio B – 08/06/10 (3:59 p.m.)
**Fox Report – 08/06/10 (7:46 p.m.)
Carpe Diem 