Aguilera Gaffe: F&F Flubs Snub

Brian’s karma? After blasting Christina Aguilera for the second day in a row for blowing the national anthem at the Super Bowl Sunday, Fox & Friends co-host Brian Kilmeade experienced his own embarrassing moment on live television. Ironically, it occurred as he was attempting to slight Aguilera during a segment with Simon Cowell, former American Idol judge this morning.

When introducing Cowell’s interview, Brian declared, “Hey, it was the hiccup heard around the world–Christina Aguilera, national anthem: well, she flubbed it.”* Then, instead of showing footage of Aguilera’s blunder, F&F producers erroneously aired an unrelated clip of the new American Idol which was followed immediately (without a segue) by footage of Aguilera singing perfectly the lyrics at the end of the national anthem. Recovering from that bungled beginning, Brian smoothly stated, “Alright, that was Christine Aguilera trying to end on a high note but it ended on a low note.”

Subsequently, after having welcomed Cowell back to F&F, Brian asked, “First off, did you watch and listen to Christina Aguilera sing the national anthem. What are your thoughts?” Seemingly, caught unawares, Cowell’s eyes widened and then darted back and forth as he searched for an answer. As he looked off-camera, Cowell artfully responded, “Well, I just heard it then. It sounded like a hundred thousand people in a stadium had just sat on a cat.”

Apparently, realizing that Cowell still had no idea about Aguilera’s mangled rendition, producers began to run the right clip (in a split screen with Cowell). Unfortunately, not catching their cue, Cowell caustically commented, “No, don’t play me any more.” Sensing that he needed to save the segment by adequately apprising Cowell, Brian began, “Alright. Yeah, we’ll, we’ll just lower it in the background.” Then, Brian finally explained, “Is it her responsibility to get it right, or is that just a human being? She messed up the words which is worse than anything you really could do in terms of a singer in America’s number one game.” [Italics added for emphasis.]

At last, informed him of Aguilera’s actual “transgression,” Cowell  responded, “Well, look, obviously, you know, she is regretting it now….It didn’t sound great to me. Uh, but to mess the words up, I mean, not great. More sympathetically, he added, “This is what happens when you perform in front of an audience. You know, even someone as experienced as Christina, you [sic] can get it wrong.”

Indeed, Simon. For F&F, a slight Super Bowel hangover. And, for Brian, a portion of poetic justice.

Fox & Friends – 02/08/11 (@ 7:37 a.m. ET)

John & Sanjay: 1 A.M. “Bromance”

For some men, the answer to getting old is a younger beau: For others, it might be a younger bro. Today, American Morning co-anchor John Roberts seemed to opt or, rather, re-opt for the latter. I.e., a renewed bromance from July.

AM’s “silver fox” feeling old? Apparently, so. After misreading a headline news story, John groused, “You know, from this distance, sometimes, an “8” looks an awful lot like a “3”: when guest co-host Alina Cho tried to imply kindly that it might be his contacts, John declared, “Telling you. This getting old thing? Hate it!” Later, after mistakenly saying that Lady Gaga was DirecTV’s ad gal, he admitted that he had trouble telling Lady Gaga and Christina Aguilera apart (even though he re-affirmed his “unique fascination” with Lady Gaga).

When the subsequent post-break segment with Dr. Sanjay Gupta began to “The Remedy,” a still smarting John exclaimed, “Him, I know. Jason Mraz….Lady Gaga, Christina Aguilera, I’m still having a problem.” Before Sanjay started his report entitled “Americans May Live Longer,” he looked at John and advised, “You need to get more sleep.” When Sanjay had concluded his story, John joked, “And, he [Gupta], is chastising me for not getting sleep. We were emailing each other at one o’clock in the morning.”

Dismissively, Sanjay stated, “That’s right. Yeah, it was about work stuff. Yeah.” Turning to Alina and then pointing to Sanjay, John smiling queried, “Notice how he qualifies it by saying, ‘It was about work stuff.'” Blushing, Sanjay looked down and chuckled. Grinning puckishly, John continued, “He’s always trying to downplay the bromance here.” As they all shared a lavish laugh, an abashed Sanjay struck his forehead with his papers and incredulously asked, “Back to that again?”

Sanjay, apparently, what’s old is new again!

F&FW’s Fireworks Fizzle Again

“If you’re watching us today, get a life, viewer!” seemed to be the message that Fox & Friends sent its audience on Independence Day, the anniversary of the birth of the nation. I.e., turn off the television, grill your favorite foods, imbibe your adult potations, and celebrate God, country, family, and friends.

Reminiscent of last year, Fox & Friends’ Fourth was a dreadful dud.* The tepid tenor of Fox & Friends Weekend’s Fourth was set as the show opened to an arid a capella rendering of “God Bless America” by a dour dowdy dame clad in a drab charcoal dress. Even more so, when co-host Alisyn Camerota subsequently inadvertently warned, “Catherine Gayle will be with us all morning.” (And she assuredly was.) However, the die was fully cast when co-anchor Dave Briggs philistinely proclaimed, “A wonderful way to wake up, even better than Lee Greenwood if  you can believe it or not: I mean, there’s not much to me that tops waking up to Lee Greenwood, especially on the Fourth of July.”

Dave, perhaps, Ray Charles’ incomparable and timeless rendition of “America the Beautiful” to stir not only the body but the soul and spirit as well? Or, for that matter, Christina Aguilera’s sassy, saucy version of Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy? Even the mini-skirted U.S.O. lovelies’ American tributes would have more aptly aroused the waking F&F fan on this special day.

Alas, F&F’s oft fire-hot Aly failed to heat up today’s ill-fated show as she cloaked herself in her distinctly demure all-red midi dress, surrounded by her co-anchors Clayton Morris and Dave bedecked in their dark, conservative suits with shirts and ties predictably picked from a virtual Hobson’s choice of colors (i.e., red, white, or blue). Illustrative of how bland F&FW was, one of its most palatable parts was the cheap beer tasting results. To echo Yogi Berra, “It was deja vu all over again.”

*https://jakeho.wordpress.com/2008/07/04/ff-fireworks-fizzle/

OK! Kiran Delivers!

According to CNN, last night at 10:45 p.m. American Morning co-host Kiran Chetry, her hubby NYC WPIX weatherman Chris Knowles, and their daughter Maya Rose welcomed a new addition to their family, Christopher Chetry Knowles. The baby boy weighed seven pounds zero ounces. Kiran described him as looking “so much like [his] Daddy,” according to People.

Little Chris came into the world a luminary like his lovely mother. According to Kiran’s AM co-host John Roberts, OK! Magazine has an exclusive on his baby pics: Ergo, AM was not able to show any photos. Kiran joins other hottie celeb moms like Angelina Jolie, Christina Aguilera, Britney Spears, and Jennifer Lopez in this reasonably new trend.

Your many friends and fans at both CNN and FNC (especially Fox & Friends) are very happy for you both. God has blessed you with both a daughter and a son. Congratulations, Kiran and Chris!

CNN: AM – 04/18/08
Link: http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20192750,00.html