Missing Aly: I Plan to Come Back

Camerota and Chetry back together again: “That would be a blast.” Former Fox & Friends Weekend co-host Alisyn Camerota has been reaching out to her fervid fans and letting them know that she may have left the FNC building but she is ready for an encore. In a fab flurry of Tweets, the formerly Twitter-phobic queen of the curvy couch is loving on her acolytes in an unprecedented fashion. And, the too oft censored Camerota has a website for them and it ain’t FoxandFriends.com: It’s the one and only alisyncamerota.com.

Last month, the Bristol Bay Babe roiled the intrigue, when an admirer Tweeted, “Where ARE you??!”: Coyly, Aly answered, “At the moment CVS.” Subsequently, another devotee wrote, “What kind of dastardly scheme is this? Where are you going, Alisyn?” Deftly, she jested, “It’s quite nefarious.” When another asked why she had left FNC and whether it had been her former America’s News Headquarter’s co-host Bill Hemmer’s fault, she joked, “Exactly! @BillHemmer = diva.” Fanning her devotee’s desire all the more, she later Tweeted, “For anyone wondering what I’ve been up to…: Included in her missive was an pulchritudinous photo of the bathing beauty posing like a Hollywood starlet with a sexy come-hither look.

Less than two weeks ago, Aly continued to stoke the fires of her fervent followers. When a true-blue F&FW fan of hers Tweeted, “You and @kiranchetrytv should team up again. You two were great.” Quickening the zeal of such votaries from the golden age of F&FW, she teased, “That would be a blast:” When another devotee chimed, “Bring back Julian Phillips so you’ll have someone to pick on ;),” Aly artfully answered, “Another good idea.”

Later, the queen of the curvy couch gave her restless troops a semi-serious message. When a soldier in her amorous army asked, “My queen, we miss u so much. any marching orders for the nation of camerota?,” she declared, “I preach patience — pizza for all!

The pizza sounds good, Aly: But, your return would be even better! Hurry back–and bring the comely Kiran Chetry with you!

[Author’s aside: Re the title, supra, when an Aly Twitter follower yesterday remarked, “@AlisynCamerota hope all is well..will you ever come back to TV so we can see your beautiful smile again?,” she answered, Thanks! I plan to….”]

 

Aly Tears Up: “My Last Day”

“Censored” Camerota’s “Orwellian Twist”: A very special day.”Not! In her America’s News HQ tease today on Happening Now, Alisyn Camerota promised, “Today is a very special day for us: we hope that you’ll tune in at the top of the hour!”* For those who did tune in as Aly asked, it was anything but–special.

Of course, Aly’s fans knew the end was near. On Monday, TVNewser reported that her tenure at Fox News would conclude sometime this month. On Tuesday, Judge Napolitano clued Aly’s acolytes into the fact that her departure would possibly be this week when he rhetorically asked Aly if he would be on with her again, exclaiming, “Mother of God!” Today, the writing on Belshazzar’s wall needed no interpreting when Aly promised “a very special day.”

When America’s News Headquarters began to conclude this afternoon, Aly’s co-anchor Bill Hemmer announced, “And, today marks the end–of a wonderful run for our friend and our colleague, Alisyn Lane Cameota.”** As tears began to well up in Aly’s eyes, Bill continued, “I tried to talk her out of it: Oh, I tried! She’s leaving us after sixteen years here at the Fox News channel but she leaves us laughing because that’s what Aly does!”

On cue, a collage of innocuous Aly FNC clips ran: Unfortunately, it appeared to have been cobbled together at the last minute by an intern who had little knowledge of Aly’s tenure on the “Fair and Balanced” network. Bizarrely, there was no real footage of Aly with her Fox & Friends Weekend co-hosts during her remarkable three stints on the show: Vintage Aly video with her comeliest of co-hosts Kiran Chetry and their stalwart colleague Kelly Wright was a no-show, e.g., the hilarious spanking tape; Aly clips with her Doublemen twins, Clayton Morris and Dave Briggs, on cam were absent, e.g., “Dave’s Farewell;” and Aly snippets with her final F&FW fellows Clayton and Tucker Carlson apparently were also left on the cutting floor, e.g., Aly’s full “Down and Dirty in the Mud.” To make matters even worse, there was no vid of Aly and the F&F week day boys, Steve Doocy and Brian Kilmeade either (“Aly’s Back: She’s Rocking–& Ringless“).

In the strange melange today, it was almost all Aly and Bill: There was scant recognition of what Aly has meant to her fans throughout the years on Fox & Friends (weekend and week day). Aly was and is an FNC icon: Too bad, Bill Shine appears to not aptly appreciate that fact. But, Aly’s fans do.

Kudos, Aly! A job well done. You will be missed!

*Happening Now – 03/14/14 (@ 12:43 p.m. ET).

*America’s News HQ – 03/14/14 (@ 1:54 p.m. ET).

Update: J$P vid: “Alisyn Signs Off from Fox News.”

Alisyn Camerota: Departure “Bittersweet”

Staying classy. “Mother of God!,” exclaimed Judge Andrew Napolitano as he revealed beloved long-time FNC anchor Alisyn Camerota‘s imminent departure from the network to her America’s News HQ viewers today. Even though Aly had not yet announced her adieu to her audience, the Judge let them in on her “secret” at the end of his segment this afternoon.*

When the Judge finished his America’s News HQ analysis (on passenger rights on an ill-fated cruise), Aly remarked, “Judge, great to see you”: Grabbing her hand forthwith and kissing it affectionately, he animatedly remarked, “Pleasure. Aly, all the best to you! Is this the last time I’ll be on with you? Mother of God!” Not quite acknowledging his disclosure, she jested, “I doubt it! I sense [that] you’ll be at my house a lot!”

But, the erstwhile three-time queen of Fox & Friends Weekend was more forth coming to her Twitter followers earlier in the day. In a obvious nod to her fans who had Tweeted or otherwise expressed their love for her and her work after learning of her leaving Fox News, Aly Tweeted, “Wowee! Thanks for all the beautiful tweets and well wishes. It’s great to feel the impact of the work I’ve done. #bittersweet.”

Bittersweet indeed. According to the TVNewser’s scoop, Aly is expected to leave the building later this month. Encore, Aly!

*America’s News HQ – 03/11/14 (@ 1:49 p.m. ET).

Aly Rocking & Ringless Again?

Camerota’s new “camera.” Today, America’s News HQ anchor Alisyn Camerota got a new room with her hunky single counterpart, Bill Hemmer. Rocking without her marital rock this afternoon (a la F&F 06/10/11), the sexy siren brought her beauty and brains to bear as she and Bill proclaimed the news again from the “broom closet” (because of “technical issues”).* Safely ensconced behind a desk that blocked a view of her svelte shape, the Bristol Bay babe brought very little to bare–but she did flash her naked bronzed ring finger.

Yesterday’s “Lovergirl” Aly: “Working [it] for the weekend”? Her F&FW fans can only hope.

*America’s News Headquarters – 01/04/14 (@ 1:33 p.m. ET).

Aly & Bill: “In the Closet”?

Camerota seems ready to get out of it with Ms. “Money.” For three days straight,  America’s News HQ co-hosts Alisyn Camerota and Bill Hemmer have appeared in their “new studio,” an apparent homage to a bourgeois master bedchamber closet. Instead of heralding from their usual capacious, plush high-tech studio with multiple sets, they are doing so from a small Spartan one that simply features two chairs and a desk. To make matters worse, poor Aly and Bill seem so crowded in their new quarters that they can barely read their papers without the camera itself physically intruding into their personal space.

In her first show in her new digs Monday, Aly appeared to inadvertently disclose that she was less than thrilled with the change. Before interviewing Money (FBN) anchor Melissa Francis who appeared on screen (from the FBN studio), Aly chuckled, “We’re in a new studio! And, you’re still money!”* Laughing, ANHQ co-host Bill Hemmer concurred, “And, you’re still money, all the way from here.”

At least, Bill still has a nice studio on America’s Newsroom with Martha MacCallum. But, Aly does not: She has more than paid her dues on Fox News as her Fox & Friends Weekend fans will attest. It’s time for FNC to treat Aly with the respect that she has earned.

*America’s Newsroom – 12/02/13 (@ 1:16 p.m. ET)

New(s) Starts Monday

Sambolin and Berman; Camerota & Hemmer; and solo Carlson. Early Start gets even earlier as Zoraida Sambolin and John Berman‘s show starts 4:00 a.m. ET as it expands to two hours Monday (September 30).* Also, America’s News HQ gains a new hour slot at 1:00 p.m. ET with the end of Megyn Kelly‘s America Live: The abdicating queen of Fox & Friends Weekend Alisyn Camerota and her single “sidekick” Bill Hemmer host. Furthermore, the former diva of the weekday curvy couch debuts on her eponymous new show The Real Story with Gretchen Carlson at 2 p.m. ET.

[Author’s aside: FIVE hours of CNN morning news dawn; Aly AND Gretch rule Megyn’s former throne; and Bill FINALLY gets the girl.]

*Early Start – 09/27/13 (5:09 a.m. ET)

Camerota Says Ciao

Aly: “I know it’s disruptive.” Today, Fox & Friends Weekend co-anchor Alisyn Camerota gave her F&FW fans a final farewell in “Say Goodbye to Aly” (a vid generated by now former co-anchor Clayton Morris). Apparently, acknowledging that her loyal F&FW audience may be miffed by her unexplained departure–yet another–from the weekend morning show (to the afternoon America’s News HQ with Bill Hemmer), the three-time co-host declared, “I do want to say to all of the viewers…I don’t make this move lightly….I love our dedicated fans…and I know its’ disruptive.” Unconvincingly, Aly added, “But…sometimes change is good.”*

And, Aly, sometimes it’s not. Food for thought, Shine: Future fourpeat?

* Say Goodbye to Aly – 09/28/13 (7:07/11:36)

F&FW’s Alisyn Camerota: “I’m in Denial”

Anna Koiman: I have big shoes to fill at Fox & Friends Weekend. Before her curtain call on Saturday, the queen of the curvy couch, Alisyn Camerota, seemed somewhat reluctant to give up her throne and to leave her acolytes alone. Perchance, as succor, her successor, at least, “for now,” Anna Kooiman gave her apt homage, Tweeting, “Congrats on ur new show @AlisynCamerota[:] You are amazing in every way. I [have] big shoes to fill @ffweekend.”

Indeed, Anna does! Aly has regally ruled that curvy couch thrice. As faithful fans of Fox & Friends Weekend may well remember, the Bristol Bay babe first held court on the curvy couch with the incomparable Nepalese beauty Kiran Chetry in the early-and-mid 00’s. Subsequently, Aly was “promoted” to the weekday F&F crew as newsreader: But, a wise Shine summoned her back in 2008 to captain Clayton Morris and Dave Briggs on a more certain course (than a then too callow Ainsley Earhardt could fathom). About a year later, Shine gave Aly a strange five-month Sabbatical, pairing her oft with Bill Hemmer of America’s Newsroom (during then co-host Megyn Kelly‘s maternity leave and beyond): After auditioning apparent aspirants who did not quite measure up to the role, Shine brought Aly back for yet another run.

In true form, Aly was stellar yet again. And, now, as she is about to be paired more permanently with Bill Hemmer (in a new America’s News HQ slot), Aly’s able assistant aptly asserts, “The journey continues, enjoy the ride.” But, speaking, perhaps, for her fervid F&FW fans, Aly empathized, “I’m in denial.”

Aly Abandons F&FW?

“I’ve got to go with Bill. I’m sorry.” Sorry, Alisyn Camerota fans: your fave gal has taken flight after three unforgettable stints as a fab Fox & Friends Weekend co-host. F&FW co-host Alisyn Camerota will leave F&FW to host America’s News HQ on the weekdays with Bill Hemmer at 1 p.m. ET according to TV Newser. The move should come as little surprise to long-time followers of F&FW who watched Aly leave her F&FW hubbies Clayton Morris and Dave Briggs for five full months in 2011 (during Megyn Kelly‘s “maternity shuffle” and a month more) to cavort shamelessly with America’s Newroom co-anchor Bill Hemmer and other FNC co-anchor rakes.

All levity aside, Aly has more than paid her dues on Fox & Friends Weekend (and other F&F iterations). In fact, in the author’s opinion, she assuredly merited a permanent seat on the curvy couch with Steve Doocy and Brian Kilmeade on the weekday Fox & Friends. But, unfortunately, she lost out to Shine’s choice Elisabeth Hasselbeck: Not bad–but she’s no Aly!

Thanks for the memories, Aly! First, you and Kiran Chetry made F&FW must-see TV in your first stint at F&FW. Second, you came to the rescue when newbies Clayton and Dave desperately needed someone to steer their ship on a more certain course. And, third, you gallantly returned to the helm when you reluctantly realized that your F&FW wannabe replacements could not quite measure up.

Good luck, Aly! But, you’ll be missed–sorely!

FNC’s Liz Trotta DISSES The Donald

“Vulgarian…celebrity journalist…lounge lizard.” Ouch! Fox News contributor Liz Trotta minced no words in her weekly America’s News HQ commentary about the prospect of real estate mogul Donald Trump’s moderating the GOP Presidential debate on December 27 in Iowa.* Instead of the almost worshipful tone usually adopted by FNC’s Fox & Friends co-hosts for The Donald during his own weekly appearances, Trotta employed a more iconoclastic attitude as she joyfully bashed the Celebrity Apprentice star.

When ANHQ co-host Eric Shawn introduced Trotta’s segment (about media reaction to the debate and candidate participation in it), he sardonically remarked, “So, from the venerable Howard K. Smith moderating the Kennedy-Nixon debate to The Donald.”

Chuckling in concurrence, Trotta first opined that the media were afraid of Trump or of losing access to him: Sneering, she added, “The man really is a vulgarian and really traipses in where he shouldn’t be such as Presidential debates.” Approvingly, she then noted GOP candidate Ron Paul had declined Trump’s invitation and quoted his issued statement which read, “The selection of a reality television personality to host a presidential debate that voters nationwide will be watching is beneath the office of the Presidency and flies in the face of that office’s history and dignity.” With less favor, she subsequently cited Republican frontrunner Newt Gingrich’s “whole-hearted” acceptance of Trump’s invitation and his assertion that he “loves entertainment,” Disdainfully, she declared, “Well, thank you, Newt, because that’s exactly what it’s going to be: It’s certainly not gonna have anything to do with journalism. I mean, Donald Trump as journalist or, we should say, as celebrity journalist.” When concluding her report, she snidely noted that Trump has a new book out and that he seems to surface whenever he does.

Smiling, Shawn sarcastically responded, “‘Seems to surface,’ I don’t think he ever goes away. But he does say, Mr. Trump in his defense says [that] he will talking about important issues…[that] it will be a serious debate and…[that] he gets high ratings.”

Dismissively, Trotta declared, “Well, I don’t know about the ratings but…he keeps just repeating the same thing: I’m sure [that] we’re gonna here the same old line about China and all his…sorta truck-driver tough remarks.” Scornfully, she snarked, “I mean, here is this lounge lizard trying to sound like a working man: It really is quite laughable….But, it will be entertainment.”

After Trotta tossed back to Shawn, he duly laughed, “Alright, vulgarian, lounge lizard, Liz, when you go home, stay away from Trump Tower. Okay? You don’t know what could come off the terraces.”

Other than the boiling oil.

*America’s News HQ – 12/4/11 (@ 11:56 a.m. ET)

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?

ANHQ: Who’s the New “Girl”?

Heather Childers. When a Twitter follower asked Julie Banderas yesterday about not seeing her on with Gregg Jarrett on the weekend [America’s News HQ], she tersely Tweeted, “Yeah, he got a new co-anchor.” And, just who is that co-anchor? Her name is Heather Childers, a recent Fox News hire.”

According to her hometown paper Charlotte Observer, Heather was reared in Charlotte, North Carolina; graduated from UNC Chapel Hill; and worked for eight years at Time Warner Cable’s News 14 Carolina (a 24-hour news channel). The Observer reported that Heather left News 14 Carolina last year in search of “bigger things” and finally landed a job at Fox News. It quoted an apparently ecstatic Heather as saying, “Now my dreams have come true.”

At FNC, Heather co-anchors America’s News Headquarters with Gregg Jarrett on the weekend generally from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. ET. She also Tweets her Twitter followers almost daily with a truly personal touch. (Cf. link here.)

A belated congrats, Heather!

Juliet: Texting or Sexting?

Huddy: “Because I don’t think that’s appropriate: You have a wife!” Poor Rick Folbaum! Introducing an America’s News HQ segment by Casey Stegall on candidates using text messages to reach voters, co-host Juliet Huddy joked that she probably sent three of the four billion text messages that Americans send every day.* After the story, Juliet commented, “Already, Case, thanks very much for that report, I got to get back to texting now.” Sounding hurt, co-anchor Rick asked, “How come you never text me?”

Looking down and smiling coyly, Julie responded, “Because I don’t think that’s appropriate: You have a wife!” Nodding his head and grinning rakishly, Rick queried, “Yeah. What kind of texts are you sending?” Her eyes widening and her countenance reddening, Juliet heartily laughed, “I didn’t mean that! Oh, geez, forget it! Just move on.”

Feigning ignorance, a smiling Rick replied, “I’m not sure what you’re talking about.” A giggling Juliet could barely contain herself as Rick read out the block. Perhaps, she thought or knew that he simply wanted the bare facts.

*America’s News HQ – 10/09/10 (@1:20 a.m. ET)

“Weird Cal”: Just Repeat It

A possible successor to embattled RNC Chair Michael Steele? According to FNC contributor Cal Thomas, another African American, Ken Blackwell, who is “very, very intelligent, and articulate, and smart, and as Joe Biden would say, ‘clean.'”

During an America’s News HQ segment Saturday, co-anchor Rick Folbaum  asked the conservative columnist whether Steele should stay at his GOP post after his controversial comments about the Afghan war. After saying that he “was an early supporter of  Michael Steele…because he represented a different face for the party” and had a compelling life story, Thomas answered, “But, he’s not the only African-American in the party. One of those who ran against him for the chairmanship, Ken Blackwell, former Secretary of  state of Ohio, very, very intelligent, articulate, and smart, and as Joe Biden would say, ‘clean’ candidate.”* After smiling at his peculiar homage to the Veep, he continued, “If he’s still out there and still wants the job, I think…he might be a good candidate for it.”

As the reader may recall, Biden apologized for similar remarks about then Senator Barack Obama, his then Democratic primary opponent during the 2008 election season. (Biden characterized Obama as “the first mainstream African-American who is articulate and bright and clean and a nice-looking guy.”) To the author, it seemed strange at best that Thomas would intentionally happily echo what many consider to be a racially-charged “compliment” for another charismatic black candidate. Perhaps, he was tippling before his holiday weekend appearance on the America’s News HQ: It might help explain his racially rasping remark but it certainly does not excuse it.

*America’s News HQ – 07/03/10 (@6:06 p.m. ET

Rosenfeld: Doctor Without a Heart?

Fox News’ kindly and curmudgeonly cardiologist-in-residence Dr. Isadore Rosenfeld gave a rather awkward “compliment” to his “Sunday Housecall with Dr. Rosenfeld” audience this morning. Before sympathetically discussing the National Institute of Health’s report indicating that Alzheimer’s Disease was not preventable, “America’s Doctor” jested, “I know no one who is watching this program has Alzheimer’s: they’re too smart for that.”* Obviously, Dr. Rosenfeld understands that intelligence is not the issue but that a disease ravaging possibly 5.3 million Americans in its progressive stages (ranging from “no impairment” to “very severe decline”) is.

Assuredly, more than a few of these Alzheimer’s sufferers  were watching this morning when Dr. Rosenfeld made his regrettable remark: undoubtedly, some even had knowledge of their condition. At the very least, they and their loved ones deserve an apology from the self-described “Doctor of the Heart.”

America’s News HQ – 05/02/10 (@10:32 a.m. ET)

Ainsley: Poor Thing

She did not just say that! “Poor thing”: Intended double entendre or merely mistimed Southern colloquialism? Either way, today Ainsley Earhardt, America’s News HQ co-host, made viewers grit their teeth and roll their eyes when she uttered those words.

Initially, Ainsley introduced a segment on South African runner Caster Semenya, a purported hermaphrodite in danger of being stripped of her women’s 800 meter medal in the  world championships. When it was over, co-anchor Rick Folbaum repeatedly referred to Semenya as a female and expressed deep sympathy with her plight. Ainsley concurred, “I know. I know. Poor thing! Hopefully, they’ll figure it all out.”* [Italics added for emphasis.]

Ouch! Assuredly, one would not think that Ainsley was being intentionally hurtful. However, her choice of words was most regrettable. Obviously, no human is a thing whether male, female, or otherwise classified.

*America’s News HQ – 09/12/09 (@6:26 p.m. ET)

Biden’s Bite: Puppy Pick Message?

Vice President-elect Joe Biden appeared to send a subliminal message to Obama bashers: smiling, kissing Joe still has his bark and his bite. Picking a purebred German shepherd pup for himself before Barack Obama gets his children’s canine, seemed a subtle reminder that no matter how cuddly and gentle Obama may be, that Biting Biden will be on guard.

Opining on Biden’s buy, Fox & Friends co-hosts Aly, Dave, and Clayton seemed to agree that it was a bid to get back in the public eye. Ironically, in the next show, America’s News HQ, FNC displayed a similarly colored German shepherd watching over JFK, Jackie, Little John, and Caroline apparently at the Kennedy compound. The author began to wonder if Biden’s selection was a part of a larger play: remember, the Obama team has patterned itself after Reagan’s resonance, Kennedy’s Camelot, and Clinton’s politics.

In the new Obama administration, Biden will play a role. He may agree to a shrinking Veep script but he’ll be no shrinking violet.

http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2008/08/28/biden_comes_out_punching?mode=PF

http://news.yahoo.com/s/politico/20081214/pl_politico/16558;_ylt=AlqTra8FRD75tve5AoaK33myFz4D