Aly Honored by NOIAW

Camerota: “You Sexy Thing”! Today, FOX-y CNN New Day co-anchor Alisyn Camerota was honored by the National Organization of Italian American Women at their 35th Anniversary Luncheon today: The NOIAW has not released the reasons for the honor on their FB site yet. But, Aly’s achievements speak for themselves: As her faithful fans know, the Italian lovely was thrice Fox & Friends Weekend co-host (FNC) and is now New Day co-host–not to mention her stints with NBC and ABC.

Today, Alisyn’s lovely and loyal personal assistant Jennifer Rivera seemed rightly pleased, twice Tweeting, “Couldn’t be prouder of @alisyncamerota. [Hand clap emoji]….#2016NOIAWHonoree.” For good measure, she included a seemingly celebratory photo of the two together in her post.

Congratulations, Aly!

[Author’s aside: Re “You Sexy Thing,” in the subtitle, that sensual song was the first one that Aly and her hubby Tim Lewis danced to at their wedding: Unfortunately, she seemingly deleted a vid of that special moment from her Fox & Friends Weekend “In the Green Room” blog.]

Fox & Friends Fail: “Sh*t” Hits the Fans

And “the fan,” too? Today, Fox & Friends fans were the victims of a scatological aural assault this morning. Even though some may have felt that way when they first heard that heir apparent F&F Weekend co-host Alisyn Camerota was snubbed in favor of outsider ABC View babe Elisabeth Hasselback (for Gretchen Carlson‘s seat on the curvy couch), they actually were accosted with it as F&F transitioned to its final half hour after a baseball segment with erstwhile NY Mets pitcher Al Leiter.

When co-anchor Brian Kilmeade and Steve Doocy completed their interview of Leiter, Gretchen teased the final thirty minutes: When she had finished, the camera panned back to the trio on the mock field as producers aired Blake Shelton’s “Boys Round Here.” Apparently, someone had forgot to read the lyrics: As the final seconds ran, Blake is heard singing, “Backwoods legit, don’t take no sh*t.” Someone hit the mute button but to no avail: the damage had been done.

Today, the “sh*t” hit the fans. Did it hit their fan, too? Time will tell.

[Author’s aside: In a classy response to her fervid fans who thought that she had been slighted, Aly Tweeted, “Hi Everyone — thanks for the kind words of support. Stay tuned… I’ll tweet more soon.”]

E.D. Hill Blazes Back

Former Fox & Friends co-host E.D. Hill reappears today as “the face of TheBlaze TVs [sic] coverage at the RNC.”* The erstwhile FNC anchor who was shown the door not long after her ill-conceived allusion to a fist bump between the President Obama and his First Lady as a possible “terrorist fist jab” has infrequently been seen since in television news (save for appearances such as a guest co-host on ABC’s The View and a regular on CNN’s short-lived In the Arena). Perhaps, E.D. has finally found her real second chance and a new conservative home at TheBlaze, the house built by Glenn Beck, who himself seemed to be unceremoniously ushered out of the FNC family.

Congratulations, E.D.!

*Quote from Glenn Beck e-mail (08/28/12) in “On Today’s Program” section.

Gretchen Gets “Cheeky” with Brian

“As much as I like your back end.” Fox & Friends co-host Gretchen Carlson missed her boys, especially Brian, apparently, or, at least, his behind. After taking off on F&F Monday to guest co-host on the all-woman The View, Gretchen rejoined her co-anchors Brian Kilmeade and Steve Doocy this morning with a new-found appreciation of her boys. As the F&F started, Steve mentioned Gretchen’s ABC appearance on The View and Brian waggishly noted that there were “a lot of women” on that program: In response, Gretchen joyfully exclaimed, “I miss the testosterone: I miss double testosterone!”

About a half hour later, apparently, the male hormone was beginning to have an effect on Gretchen. As she read a headline news story subtitled, “Fighting Voter Fraud,” she began to stutter. Off camera, Brian teased, “Why are you hesitating?” Chuckling, Gretchen replied, “Well, it’s pretty tough to read a teleprompter with you standing in front of it–as much as I like your back end.”*

Somewhat inaudibly, Brian apparently riposted, “Oh…[you] can always blame [me].”

Or, this morning, Gretchen can blame her hit of F&F‘s “double testosterone.” Not to mention, a shot of estrogen espresso.

Good morning!

*Fox & Friends – 06/12/12 (@ 6:33 a.m. ET)

F&F First’s Nauert: Heather Who?

The late Tony Snow knew: “God made you [Heather] beautiful. Now you’ve got to make yourself smart.” Leggy lovely Fox & Friends First co-host Heather Nauert lit up the screen all week as she delivered the news much too early in the morn. As FNC viewers watched the tow-headed delight make her mark in the morn, they could be forgiven for asking, “Heather who?”

Before providing his particular answer,  Los Angeles Times columnist Paul Farhi posed a similar question albeit almost twelve years ago, asking, “Who the heck is Heather Nauert?” In a column entitled, “The Voice of Experience? Um, Not Exactly,” Farhi likened the then regular FNC contributor to the “younger sister of another Heather (Locklear), almost snidely noting that she shared Regis Philbin’s William Morris agent (while unsuccessfully reading for a Robert De Niro cine part) and was the “first to admit that she didn’t work her way up the journalist rungs. Even though Farhi seemed snarky initially, he rather fairly followed Heather’s journalist journey from an aspiring sixteen-year-old “Chicago-area [Rockford] scion” to FNC’s Senior VP of Programming Bill Shine’s hire in 2001.

Filling in the facts for his readers, Fahri related that Heather matriculated into Arizona State University in 1992; interned at WB as a country music veejay on “Young Country”; and graduated from Mount Vernon College. Further, he shared that she snared a position on NET “Youngbloods,” a parochial political polemics program (for “twentysomething conservatives and liberals). Then, when the Clinton/Lewinsky scandal occurred, Fahri recorded that Heather like other purported “pundettes” such as Ann Coulter, Laura Ingraham, etc. hit the proverbial pay dirt. Not necessarily admitting as such, Shine said, “When I first saw her, I thought Heather was our demographic, that she could bring in younger people.”

Poignantly, Farhi included the sage advice of the revered and deceased Tony Snow, former  “Fox News Sunday” anchor and whilom Bush 43 White House Press Secretary, to Heather.  Snow wisely cautioned, “God made you beautiful. Now, you’ve got to make yourself smart….TV can be a blond wasteland.” (Following his perspicacious counsel, seemingly, Heather now sports “her masters in journalism from Columbia University.”)

Subsequently, Heather did leave FNC  in  2005 for a few years: In June of that year, she went to ABC as an Los Angeles based correspondent, reporting for Good Morning America, World News Tonight, and Nightline. However, she returned to the Fox fold in February 2007 as co-anchor of “Big Story with John Gibson & Heather Nauert and later joined FOX 5 as “Good Day Wake Up” co-host (2009). Heather is still a FOX 5 morning anchor: however, she now also serves as co-host on the brand new, highly rated Fox & Friends First as co-host.

With regard to Heather personally, she and her hubby Scott Norby live in a beautiful Page-Six-Magazine-featured Glen-Cove-area home (or, at least, as of 2007). The couple have two sons, two-year-old Peter Raymond (baby1 vid) and fifteen-month-old Gage William (baby2 vid). They also have three dogs, German shepherds.

Heather who? A beauty, yes, but also, a brainy one, Tony. And, a sexy maternal addition to Fox & Friends–First.

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!

“Barracuda” Palin Bites Gingrich Back

“What in the heck did you mean?…Bless [your] heart.” Possible GOP Prez candidate Palin bit back hard against Newt Gingrich last night for his acerbic criticism of her four months ago in the aftermath of the Tucson shootings. In an interview with Greta van Susteren on On the Record, the former Alaskan governor was asked whether the media challenge of Gingrich for his recent attack on House Budget Committee Chair Paul Ryan’s Medicare plan (as “radical change” and “right-wing social engineering”) was right.* Palin replied, “[T]he media…we all have a right to ask Speaker Gingrich, ‘What in the heck did you mean that Paul Ryan’s budget plan is “radical” or “social engineering”?’ No, what is ‘radical’ is not proposing a plan to counter Obama’s budget plan that has us on the road to bankruptcy.”

Subsequently, Van Susteren observed that another GOP 2012 candidate, former PA Sen. Rick Santorum, should be grateful that the Gingrich controversy overshadowed his comment (that Sen. John McCain, Palin’s 2008 GOP Prez running mate, did not understand torture). Smiling sardonically, Palin answered, “[W]hat I thought after the whole Newt Gingrich thing in these last twenty-four hours, Greta, was bless his heart and every other good old boy’s heart that’s in that political game in the Beltway. They don’t really know any more than the rest of us.”

Seemingly, still smarting from Gingrich’s acerbic counsel to her after she accused her media critics of “blood libel” (after they seemed to insuate that she bore some responsibility for the apparent assassination attempt on Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, D-AZ),” Palin sniped, “Greta, it was Newt Gingrich who told me in January of this year Sarah Palin needs to slow down and really think through what is that she has to say. Well, you know, he, he stumbles, too. We all stumble: We all have our strengths and our weaknesses.”

With a bloodied Gingrich in the GOP waters, a hungry Sarah Barracuda was more than ready to feed.

*On the Record with Greta van Susteren – 05/19/11 (@ 10:08 p.m. ET)

Trotta Skewers Couric: “Pretend Journalist”

Outspoken conservative Fox News contributor Liz Trotta trashed CBS Evening News anchor Katie Couric during her weekly America’s News HQ commentary today. When AN co-host Eric Shawn asked the former Washington Times NY bureau chief how the media “report card” was for their coverage of the Egyptian protests, she replied, “It’s not very good.”* [Especially, for Katie Couric.]

Elaborating, Trotta explained that the media, especially the Big Three broadcast networks (ABC, NBC, and CBS), had long put foreign news “on the shelf” and, consequently, they were having to play “catch-up” in their Egyptian protest coverage without proper context, specificity, and facts. Concluding, Trotta blamed their purported sorry state on “major budget cuts” and the “star-ridden system.” Re the “star-ridden system,” Trotta caustically commented, “No better example of that, of course, are people like Katie Couric….This pretend journalist makes supposedly $300,000 a week and doesn’t even appear Thursday and Friday on the CBS Evening News to cover a very big story.”

In defense of Couric, Shawn answered, “Well, some, I think, would disagree with your contention that Katie Couric is a quote ‘pretend journalist.'” Incredulous, Trotta emphatically exclaimed, “Oh, certainly, you can’t have deluded yourself with thinking [that] this is a woman who is a journalist. Come on, now, Eric!” Arching her eyebrows, she scoffed, “You’ve been a reporter too long: You know that!”

Disagreeing, Shawn stolidly stated, “No. She is a journalist. She has, in my view, absolutely is, has been a solid journalist.” Unconvinced, Trotter riposted, “Well, you’re a lot kinder than I would be.”

*America’s News HQ – 01/30/11 (@ 11:56 a.m. ET)

MacCallum Mocks Napolitano

Martha: “367 Days in a Year” not “364 Days a Year.” Hoisting herself on her own petard, American Morning co-host Martha MacCallum poked fun at DHS Secretary Janet Napolitano today.

This morning, Martha reported that Secretary Napolitano told ABC’s Diane Sawyer in an interview that “we are…working 24/7 364 days a year to keep the American people safe.” Introducing the clip, Martha joked, “Homeland Chief Janet Napolitano may need a new calendar for the new year’s [sic].” Then, after playing the footage, Martha laughed, “[3]64, last time I checked there were 367 days in the year. Right, Bill?”

Not responding to Martha’s patent error, co-anchor Bill Hemmer jested, “We can actually vacation after that?”

Continuing to spoof the Secretary, Martha chuckled, “Which day are they not working is the question.” Then, suddenly, waxing a whit more charitable, Martha added, “I don’t know, you gotta cut her a little slack though in that regard. We’ve all misspoken at times. Right?”

Cutting Martha herself more than a little slack at that ironic moment, Bill ignored Martha’s mistake. Instead, he subtly corrected the Secretary, softly saying, “We’ll add one [day] next time.”

Update: Subsequently, some of Martha’s Twitter followers took her to task for saying that there were “367 days in a year.” In response, she Tweeted, “357 [sic] was a joke. Sarcasm was lost on some.” However, at least, one follower, @solucky was unimpressed: s/he responded, “@marthamaccallum Nice try, but you said 367 days and YOU misspoke and came up with the sarcasm excuse after the fact.”

*America’s Newsroom – 12/21/10 (@ 9:35 a.m. ET)

Megyn: Veils “View”

America Live co-host Megyn Kelly felt “definitely nervous” going on Howard Stern on Sirius today and it showed–in her clothing choice for his show.* Actually, Megyn seemed to intentionally make sure that she did not show it–at least, in a wardrobe malfunction. So, she “slacked” for the self-proclaimed King of All Media before shedding her pants for The View and America Live in favor of a short, sleeveless dress.

After Howard’s racy show, a relieved Megyn Tweeted, “Finished Stern – it was like an out of body experience. I liked him! & Robyn was cool. Some R-rated Qs but not bad. What’d u think?” Later, revealing that she was not quite the prudish prig, Megyn elaborated, “Well, of course, he’s Howard Stern so he did ask me some very personal questions. The answers, some I gave, some I didn’t.”** Then she teased, “The ones I gave may be a bit too edgy for daytime but his show replays all day on Sirius satellite radio so if you don’t get it you can subscribe now and listen to it.”

Megyn: Hiding from Howard? Not completely.

*America Live’s Stern snippet indicated that Megyn was wearing slacks and its vid clip of The View showed her wearing the dress. For the transcript of Howard Stern on Sirius clip it is as follows:

Stern: Look at you.

Megyn: I feel a little nervous, Robin.

Robin giggles.

Stern: Are those rip-away pants?

Robin: Rip-away pants?

Stern: Don’t they make such a thing as rip-away pants?

Robin: Not for newscasters.

Megyn: Yeah, exactly.

Howard: Baby, look at you!

Megyn: Aw, thank you!

** AL – 04/20/10 (@12:38 p.m. ET)

Update: An additional nearly 10-minute video of Megyn’s Stern interview can be found at Meidiaite. (H/t J$P.) Megyn gets personal as she discusses her friend Julie Banderas (“hot mama”), her “killer B’s” (real), and her love life (while pregnant).

American Morning Censored?

Iconic sex symbol Marilyn Monroe’s alleged marijuana use? Hush! Controversial pop SINsation Lady Gaga’s gender? Hush! Hush! What is going on at American Morning this week or, actually, the last eight days? Unfortunately, it appears that  AM executive producer Jamie Kraft has presided over its becoming C.N.N. (not CNN), i.e., the Censored Network News.

Last Wednesday, when AM co-host John Roberts reported on the recent sale of a private Marilyn Monroe video, he failed to inform his AM audience that Marilyn Monroe was allegedly smoking marijuana in it: rather, he simply twice said, “[It] shows her acting casually on the couch with friends, smoking and drinking wine.”** However, cable news rivals FNC* and MSNBC did not shy away from Marilyn Monroe’s alleged pot use nor did the main stream media, e.g., ABC, BBC, and the New York Times.)

Today, Jeanne Moos reported on Lady Gaga’s meeting Queen Elizabeth II in Liverpool, England, after the Royal Variety Performance.*** Afterwards, Roberts remarked, “I’ll admit that there’s something strangely fascinating about her but, I mean, it’s all image and marketing.” Co-host Kiran Chetry concurred, “Of course, it is!”

Really? According to recent concert footage, Lady Gaga may be Laddy Gaga: In the NSFW Gawker.com clip, as she gets off a motorcycle and subsequently shimmies in a micro red mini, she exposes what seems to be a small male member. According to Bossip.com, Lady Gaga confirmed her hermaphroditic status, stating “It’s not something that I’m ashamed of, just isn’t something that I go around telling everyone. Yes. I have both male and female genitalia, but I consider myself a female.” Reportedly, she added, “The reason I haven’t talked about it is that it’s not a big deal to me.”

With Marilyn Monroe, AM omitted a material fact, i.e., her apparent smoking of marijuana. As to Lady Gaga, AM seemed to include a significant fiction, i.e., that her “strangely fascinating” nature is “all image and marketing.” If Kraft does not give his AM viewers the full news, sans such salient omissions and questionable inclusions, they may begin to lose confidence in the accuracy of American Morning and, by extension, CNN.

___________________________________________________________________

*Fox & Friends (12/02/09)

** Full quote: A new home movie of Marilyn Monroe unscripted has surfaced. The quick clip from the ’50’s shows her acting casually on the couch with friends, smoking and drinking wine. The copyright to the film will be offered on Ebay this week by a collector who paid a quarter of a million dollars for it.” American Morning (12/02/09)- @ 6:08 a.m. ET and @8:39 a.m. ET (Second reading omitted “and” between “smoking” and “drinking” and substituted “one” for “a” before “million.”)

***American Morning (12/09/09) – @6:55 a.m. ET

O’Reilly: “Creepy” Ann Coulter?

O’Reilly’s subliminal message? During the O’Reilly Factor introductory previews,* a strange thing occurred. First, former Clinton advisor and ABC’s This Week host George Stephanopoulos was shown in color opining favorably about President Obama’s speech in a segment named “Critical Mass.” Offering her contrary view, conservative author and columnist appeared similarly in color but over a chyron entitled, “Conservative Commentary”: However, after she said, “I did expect Americans to turn against the socialist program of Obama,” the screen above the colored Factor banner turned ominously black and white and the camera zoomed in close as if to signal her scary essence.

Was O’Reilly sending a subtle signal to his more liberal viewers?

*O’Reilly Factor – 09/10/09 (@8:00 p.m. ET)

“Old” E.D.: New View

Former Fox & Friends co-host E.D. Hill may have been too old and controversial for FNC but she will be right at home on ABC’s The View.* According to the Washington Post, E.D. will be one of the substitute co-hosts for Elisabeth Hasselbeck (on maternity leave) this fall on the all-femme gabfest.** (As an aside, reportedly, another guest co-host will be the equally confident and assertive Meghan McCain.)**

As F&F fans may remember, E.D. was famous for her opinionated soliloquys on F&F. In fact, so much so, that the producers often would air a flying flag vid with accompanying patriotic music to give her the humorous “hush” hint.*** On the View, she will be in her element, where Silent Cal is seen as Satan. This conservative, brassy Texas beauty will be more than able to hold her own against her more lib counterparts, e.g., Joy Behar, Barbara Walters, et al.

Tune in: The sparks should be fun to watch.

*https://jakeho.wordpress.com/2008/11/19/ed-out-over-fncs-hill/

**http://www.nypost.com/seven/08202009/tv/meghan_mccain_liked_view_185476.htm

***https://jakeho.wordpress.com/2009/03/30/carlsons-carping-unfurl-eds-flag/

O’Reilly: Appalachian Children Hopeless

Bill O’Reilly, “champion” of children, dismissed Kentucky’s Appalachian children as “hopeless” last night on his “O’Reilly Factor.” Before his interview with Diane Sawyer on her ABC special, “A Hidden America: Children of the Mountains” on the need to help these impoverished children, O’Reilly,  opined, “There’s really nothing we can do about it.”

After Diane Sawyer compassionately spoke of the moral imperative to aid these economically challenged children (born generally of white mountaineers) through the information economy, O’Reilly, citing his former volunteer work in the area, replied, “Their parents are screwed up….Their parents are drunks….There’s a lot of meth; [and] there’s a lot of irresponsibility.” He added, “I don’t want to sound hopeless about it but I think it is hopeless.” In a green Gore moment, he moralized, “I don’t want to rebuild the infrastructure of Appalachia. I want to leave it pristine: It’s beautiful.”

Perhaps, in the “No Spin Zone,” all children are not created equal.

*O’Reilly Factor (02/13/09) – 8:24 p.m. ET