Wednesday, August 31, 2005

while the Shep's away...

...Bill Hemmer is immediately becoming his most serious competition at FNC. While Shep is looking damp and uncharacteristically unlovely down in the soggy French Quarter, Bill is looking cool and snappy, establishing a relationship with Fox viewers, and showing composure under pressure to the powers that be.

While being a successful and skillfull news anchor is not all about looks, it sometimes seems that for Rupert Murdoch and Co it is largely about looks. Which means the gorgeous 35 year old on air female personality will always have an even lovlier 30 year old nipping at her (3 inch) heels, and the devastatingly handsome 40-ish male personality will constantly have a 35 year old even more comely fellow with even sparklier eyes, deeper dimples and cutely androgynous sex appeal (and just about as many rumors about his sexual proclivities floating around the web sites) looking to fill his handmade Italian shoes and anchor chair. (Need examples? What happened to Rita Cosby after Megyn Kendall was hired? For that matter, John Asman may or not have been promoted, but it looks like Bill will be sitting in his chair. I have concerns about E.D. Hill, and I've heard rumors that Linda Vester--don't know her age, but she projects grown up good sense and grandmothers like her---- will not necessarily be welcomed back, at least not as the host of Fox News Live.)

If I were Shep, I'd bring those beautifully tailored suits and sublime ties back home ASAP--You don't want to end up like poor Rita!
Posted by Kate :: 1:50 PM :: 2 Comments:   

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--------------------------------------- who will blink first?

Well, not Uma Pemaraju (Tallis calls her Ubububububu, and is truly her most devoted fan)! I believe she read the entire 1pm news recap today with nary a wink nor a blink. Blink, Ubu, please. It keeps your retinas clean and lubricated.

Posted by Kate :: 1:42 PM :: 0 Comments:   

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Monday, August 29, 2005

tomatos/tomahtos--New Orleans/N---whatever it is that shep is saying today

Here's the deal: I'll let you pronounce your own name anyway you like. If your surname is Smith but you prefer the less hoi polloi pronunciation, then hello Ms Smythe; if your name is Demi but you want to be called Demee, I'm happy to play along. But unless you're a native, don't say Bahston for Boston, and whatever you do, don't try to pronounce New Orleans like the locals do or you'll sound as silly as Shep does today as he tries on various ways of pronouncing the Big Easy, none of which make him sound Louisiana born (I think he's from Mississippi).

Posted by Kate :: 3:27 PM :: 0 Comments:   

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--------------------------------------- a new kind of news anchor for a new era or old/dead white guy anchors deja vu?

Perhaps no one at fox has exactly said that the Shep style of anchoring the news is the style of the future, but I think they've deeply bought into that notion. So why did FNC's Hurricane Katrina coverage look like your father's network news coverage of a natural disaster? All Shep needed to do to completely channel [your favorite old dea/defunct white guy anchor's name here] was to hang onto a dangerously blowing streetlight or palm tree blathering about how dangerous it was as his hat blew away!

I realize that it has traditionally been the prerogative of star anchors to be on the scene of disasters, but exactly why do they want to be? And precisely what is it supposed to bring to me? A sense of immediacy? I don't need that kind of emotional involvement with current events, and I have neither time nor intestinal fortitude to have my heart broken by everything that goes wrong in the world. Ace reporting? I expect the local news people who aren't intimidating to the peeps in crisis are better equipped to provide that.

After all of the apocalyptic prognosticating about how we'd have to make do in a world without The Big Easy, only to find that that grand city has lucked out yet again, is anyone but me wondering if we shouldn't stop reporting the news before it happens? And since as yet, New Orleans folks barely have their toes wet, is anyone else thinking about Geraldo Rivera and Al Capone's vault?

Posted by Kate :: 2:19 PM :: 0 Comments:   

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Thursday, August 25, 2005

foxnews.com web site: in need of time warner takeover!

Just for the record, I'm the other part of the Foxhouse team, but "Cock in the Foxhouse" somehow sounded inappropriate, so let's just let it go at that.

Admittedly, I'm more interested in the execution of all things Foxnews than I am about the folks and fashion involved. As one case in point, I can't understand why a big-budget operation like Fox insists on giving me a headache with the confusing, unprofessional and downright ugly design of their web site, foxnews.com. It's cluttered, it's busy, it's too riddled with advertising and National Inquirer-like condescending fear-mongering headlines ("Get Prepared! Terror Survival Handbook - Click Here!"). And on top of it all (for you who know about web design), it's laid out for 1024x768, forcing me to maximize my browser every time I visit.

But if that weren't enough, it's an embarassment the way they portray their on-air talent. For example, take a look at what CNN does for Wolf Blitzer. Clean layout, classy photo, detailed and informative bio. OK, granted, a Circuit City banner across the top (as of this writing anyway), but nonetheless a dignified and appropriate presentation of one of their key talents.

Now look at what Fox does for Shep. You can barely find where Shep's info is hidden behind the ads, promos, gratuitous links, etc. And when you do find it, you get a tiny high school yearbook-type photo that, should you deem to click on it, gives you a full sized picture that looks like the mug shot he mailed in with his resume. And Shep gets a better looking treatment that most of the other talent. (My heart goes out to Lauren Hill.)

Whatever you might want to say about CNN's merger with Time-Warner, at least they hitched up with someone who knew how to publish.

Posted by Renaldo :: 3:18 PM :: 0 Comments:   

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Wednesday, August 24, 2005

just cranky or early PMS?

I've only noticed things about which to grouse today:

E.D. looked like a big ol' peony wearing that pink suit and seated between the two conservatively dressed guys--not a good thing.

Dagan has heavily cosmetically modified eyebrows. Fine, but they don't quite match each other.

Jennifer Griffin pronounces "twenty" as it were spelled "twonny", and "annals" as if she were referring to a bunch of bodily orifices.

To be continued as I continue to carp throughout the day...or not.

Posted by Kate :: 11:47 AM :: 0 Comments:   

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Tuesday, August 23, 2005

who's feuding with whom at Fox?

I have a few pet theories about the interpersonal dynamics at FNC:

Someone in hair and makeup must not like E.D. Hill much, because while not a flashy or glamourous type, E.D. is a beautiful woman (in a cool Alfred Hitchcock-ian blonde beauty sort of way--think Tippi Hedren). Because of this hair and makeup (and often frumpy dressing), it took me months to even notice that she actually is gorgeous. The frosty pastel eyeshadows and pale lipsticks do not suit her at all (the pale mouth visually enlarges her slightly too strong chin, and the light shadow gives her a sleepy look), at least on camera; I'd give her more neutral, lightly smoky eyes, MAC "sheer plum" lipstick with a touch of gloss, and would darken her hair just a tad. French twist that hair, dress her in dark, conservative suits with interesting blouses and short skirts, and voila!--competition for Kiran and Lauren.

And poor Carl Cameron should never have offended his production team! Will they make him squint into the sun while taping his White House stories forever? I've never yet seen him with his eyes open. Carl, whatever you did or didn't do, apologize, send flowers, eat humble pie. Just make up with them and make them get you out of the sun!

Soon I'll explore how the wily, ruthless and endlessly corporate-climbing Jim Angle is keeping Brian Wilson out of the limelight. Does anyone but me find it amusing that Brian managed to get promoted to congressional correspondent the week before Congress went on vacation, and now has little to do until it returns?

Posted by Kate :: 7:54 AM :: 0 Comments:   

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Friday, August 19, 2005

Fox & Friends: Always too late

Perhaps it's not the norm to rise at 4am, but hey, there's a whole world of tv news out there waiting for me early in the morning--not! However, by 5, CNN has life with its "Daybreak", and at least on Mon thru Thurs MSNBC has "1st Look" (but "Headliners and Legends" on Fri?). FNC, who I guess hopes that their viewers are all lie-abeds, is showing yet another rerun from the previous day. Usually it's Neil Cavuto (already seen it, thanks), but today it was Shep with last night's Fox Report, except it was this morning.

For other early risers, Catch Chris Matthews on CNN at 3a, then choose between "The Abrams Report"(MSNBC) and Lou Dobbs(CNN) at 4, while waiting for the folks at Fox to wake up at 6. MSNBC shows Imus at 6a, and while Imus may be a great talk radio host, why anyone wants to actually watch him do a radio stint on TV is beyond me.

Posted by Kate :: 11:51 AM :: 0 Comments:   

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Thursday, August 18, 2005

BTK's sentence or as Shep says...

..."sennence". Shep is great looking, well dressed, and has most importantly in this age, a distinctive style and delivery. So why can't he pronounce the "t" in sentence? (Or the "r" in February, for that matter.) And note to Wolf Blitzer: the city in Kansas is Wichi-"tah", not Wichi-"taw". (Must work on Utah vs Utaw in the future.)

Seriously, I always wonder if these victim impact statements made to the perp before sentencing actually help anyone. I've fortunately never lost a loved one to violence, but can't imagine that expressing my heart's deepest pain to the person who caused it would ease my grief.

Posted by Kate :: 4:22 PM :: 0 Comments:   

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Wednesday, August 17, 2005

that fleeting moment of fame

Jennifer Griffin (I like to think of her as the anti-Christiane Amanpour) did an ace job with that sad story of the Israeli guard breaking down the door of the Gaza settler's house, but were those settlers prepared for their 15 minutes or do you think the kids are always dressed cutely, looking freshly cleaned and prepared to sing the Israeli anthem and read Torah? Jennifer, game gal that she is, made the best of an ugly situation, and turned in a solid piece of reporting.

Posted by Kate :: 7:09 PM :: 0 Comments:   

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--------------------------------------- why yet another blog commenting on the television news networks?

Indeed there are quite a few bloggers out there commenting on how CNN, FOX and MSNBC cover the news (especially the political naughty bits), and even making the news (I think here of the demise of Dan Rather’s career at the hands of agile fingered bloggers), but none as utterly devoid of intellectual retrospection and actual content as I expect this one to be. (I say “expect” because blogs sometimes take on a life of their own, regardless of the blogger’s intent.) I plan for my deeply felt and elegantly articulated stories to focus on nothing more momentous than how Shep has tied his tie on a given day or if Kiran’s skirt is too short.

Who is this “hen”? And what qualifies her to write about news television?

The “hen” (that’s me, Kate!) is a middle class, stay at home mommy who watches news television all day long, and who has an extensive background in staying home and watching news TV all day long. I’ve done this for most of my adult life (I’m sensing both waves of pity and of admiration coming from readers here) from everywhere that I’ve (to date) lived: from several Chicago burbs, from North Jersey, from Philadelphia and currently from Detroit. My extensive background as a musician and excessive education in the liberal arts qualifiy me for both this and being a Starbucks barrista, so don’t think I’ve taken on this lofty position without having paid my dues.

What “foxhouse”?

Slang for FNC, Fox News Channel, my current favorite and default news stop since last fall, before which time I was repulsed by it and watched CNN, before which I had a several month long fling with MSNBC. I plan to start out by writing mostly about FNC (but must take time off soon to talk about CNN’s new “Situation Room”).

How does a mommy have time to sit around and watch news TV all day?

I have the most wonderful, self-sufficient, attractive and intelligent children that anyone could want, so they demand little of me but feeding and affection. You’ll wonder at some point about the two-cents-worth of opinions that I’m sure they’ll pitch into the mix, so I’ll let you know up front that my kids are of the furry variety. So rather than think their remarks outré, consider first the miracle of such articulate dogs.

Tallis is an 8 ½ year old yellow lab mix. Currently a bit crabby as she continues to recover from major surgery to repair a torn ligament and highly opinionated, she is always the ringleader. Tucker, a 5 year old jack russell/cairn is very tenacious of his views and tends to be predictably conservative. He has recently painted a bow tie on his collar, not sure what that means yet. Beagan is a year old beagle pup, who will usually agree with Tallis, as she is not too disabled to deck him, but will side with Tucker if Tuck gives him a small pizza.

Posted by Kate :: 2:59 PM :: 0 Comments:   

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