“Haggling” Gretchen Gone: Hottie Hasselbeck In

Finally. Carlson “promoted” to her own afternoon show. As Fox & Friends began this morning, co-anchor Gretchen Carlson announced to her Fox & Friends viewers that she was leaving the curvy couch sometime in September for her own Fox News afternoon show. Referencing obliquely the New York Post “Page Six” exclusive yesterday that she would be replaced by The View‘s co-host Elisabeth Hasselbeck and that she would get a one-hour show in the early fall, a smiling Gretchen threw up her hands, saying, “Welcome, everybody! Hey, I, I think we’ve been in the news recently!”

The news comes as little surprise to cable news watchers who have noticed that Gretchen has seemed to be increasingly absent from the show over the past year. On August 4, 2012, Carpe Diem noted in “Gretchen’s Last Summer Vacation” her very frequent vacations and F&F‘s showcasing of possible replacements, including regular fill-ins, Alisyn Camerota and Ainsley Earhardt, and outside talent, Dara Torres and Kara DioGuardi. Over a month later, New York Magazine indicated that Gretchen’s “conspicu[ous] absen[ces] from Fox  & Friends for days on end” that summer coincided with her “haggling over her contract terms,” including a contentious one for her own show, with Fox News.

Apparently, Gretchen has finally won that year-long battle with the FNC suits. Now, she will have to live or die on her own smarts, talent, and charisma. After seven years of Gretchen’s being buttressed by her bulwark F&F co-hosts, Steve Doocy and Brian Kilmeade, Roger Ailes and his Fox family and friends will finally find out if she can stand on her own.

Update 1: J$P “‘advance'” video of Gretchen explaining her “move forward in [her] career.” H/t, Johnny.

Update 2: In Elisabeth’s adieu on The View today, she emotionally declared, “I’m really happy and excited to confirm that indeed I will be joining the Fox & Friends team in September. And, [I] would like to thank Mr. Roger Ailes, Bill Shine, [and] the entire news channel for this incredible opportunity. Today is officially my last day at The View.” [Vid via Mediaite.com – @ 1:03/9:16.]

Fox & Friends: Gretch a Goner?

Fox & Friends co-host Gretchen Carlson‘s future at Fox News is in question according to New York Magazine. NYM reported that one of its sources said that Gretchen and FNC are “haggling over her contract terms” and revealed that Gretchen wants her own FNC show but Fox suits are not keen on the idea. However, NYM indicated that one lead said that Gretchen and FNC had “reach[ed] a short-term accord that would keep her on the curvy couch with Steve Doocy and Brian Kilmeade until the election [b]ut after November, it’s unclear.”

Over a month earlier, the author noted Gretchen’s uncertain future at Fox & Friends in a Carpe Diem article entitled, “Gretchen’s ‘Last Summer Vacation.'” After Gretchen decided to take her one “last summer vacation before kicking into high gear for the political conventions and the election,” he noted that F&F began not only to utilize its regular talent such as Fox & Friends Weekend co-anchor Alisyn Camerota and Fox & Friends First co-host Ainsley Earnhardt but also to showcase significantly possible celebrity replacements, i.e., Olympian Dara Torres and former American Idol judge Kara DioGuardi. Yet, the writing was still not necessarily on the proverbial wall.

Now, it well may be. As Inside Cable News declared, “If there is a shred of truth to this [New York Magazine story], Carlson is on dangerous ground. Roger Ailes and FNC have a history of summarily dispatching talent whose dreams are bigger than FNC reality will tolerate (see: Chetry, Kiran).”

Wouldn’t that be ironic? Deliciously so–if Ailes finally forgave Gretchen’s nemesis, Kiran Chetry, for her “seminal sin” and welcomed the waiting beauty back into the FNC fold with that “very special opportunity.” After all, Aly is indispensable to F&F Weekend.

Lindsay: The Last Standing

Lindsay Lohan appears to be the last member of the ruling pop tart trio standing. As to her two partners in party, Paris Hilton suffers from media fatigue and Britney Spears suffers from mental fatigue. The thrice rehabbed Lohan has come back from the brink of struggles with alcohol and drugs and has scored the ultimate American cheesecake photo shoot. She stars in Bert Stern’s recreation of his memorable “The Last Sitting” with Marilyn Monroe which is featured in New York magazine. (Marilyn’s iconic photos were shot six weeks before her death: some displayed a nude, doe-eyed demimondaine draped on a bed of white linen and others show the cine siren hiding coyly behind diaphanous scarfs.) Stern raved, “It was very similar, deja vu…like revisiting an old street.” Lohan said that she wanted to recreate the famous session: “I wanted to…get it point-on as much as I could.” Of her interpretation, she stated, “Here is a woman who is giving herself to the public.” Lohan added, “She’s saying, ‘Look, you’ve taken a lot from me, so why don’t I give it to you myself’: She’s taking control back.”

Cf. http://media.nymag.com/fashion/08/spring/44247