Replies

Someone on Thread VI mentioned they noticed that "Bill Emmert" had been hired by Fox. Actually, his name is Bill Hemmer, and he indeed left CNN for Fox. Below is a somewhat snide article about his final day on his morning show at CNN. Rumor has it that Bill Hemmer was too much a Dudley DoRight for CNN, too much a straight arrow (I'll bet he was too conservative for them, or they were too liberal for him). Now he has popped up on Fox tonite, his first appearance. Roger Ailes once again swipes away a talking head from CNN and/or MSNBC. He got Greta Van Sustern, Whorealdo Rivera, and that dark-haired lawyer guy whose name eludes me at the moment. Bill Hemmer seems a nice guy. Here is the snide article on his last day at CNN:

Bill Hemmer’s Last Hurrah
Filed under Media : CNN
Today marked the last day of Bill Hemmer’s co-anchor duties of CNN’s American Morning — yes, we’re a bit weepy too. But, on the bright side, is there anything quite as fantabulous as anchor farewells? We think not, and Henry the Intern is inclined to agree. After the jump, his account of Hemmer’s last exaggerated send-off, complete with heartfelt messages from Anderson Cooper and mushy clip reels. Cue the violins…

7:01 There is no noticeable change in his emotional composure when opening the show and chit-chating with Soledad O’Brien about Tom Cruise’s marriage proposal to Katie Holmes.

7:57 Hemmer drops a hint to the “90-Second Pop” panel: “Thanks for being so terrific for so long.”

8:33 Carol Costello reports on Tom & Katie.
Hemmer: “Jealous?”
Costello: “Of the ring, nothing else… At times I say I like my ring more than my husband.”

9:24 Farewell, Bill. Soledad introduces a montage of well-wishers from fellow anchorbots.
Paula Zahn: “Good luck, Hemmer head, my friend Bill.”
Anderson Cooper: “A great loss for CNN… You have a great and exciting future.”
Sanjay Gupta: “His life is like a rocket, always accelerating and always moving up.”
Nancy Grace: He was a “baby reporter,” now he’s “heading off to the sunset.”
And William Schneider sang the Ohio State Song.
Costello: “I don’t even know what to say.”
Hemmer: “Well, give it a shot.”
Costello: “One of the truly genuine, honest, sincere people…”
Fade to mush.
Hemmer: “It’s been a longtime since I’ve cried.”
O’Brien: “No crying on us.”

9:47 Daryn Kagan shows a photo of the long-haired Hemmer, circa 1997: “You’re going to go on and be some superstar somewhere.” Hemmer: “Sweet, Daryn… Thirteen more minutes of me.”

9:55 The clip show begins. Hemmer is caught saying of O’Brien, “She makes me so nervous.” There’s a “white girl supermodel rap” about Hemmer and endless clips under the song “Forever in Blue Jeans.”

10:00 Hemmer: “Very touching… I don’t like goodbyes, I prefer ‘see ya laters’… Ten years is a good chunk of anyone’s life, and to each and everyone of you, thank you… I am a big believer in new beginnings, and this is one of them. I am not going that far this time…” Then a collective aw on the set, followed by applause. Hemmer: “Give me a whole box of tissues.”

Hemmer does a final toss to Kagan in Atlanta, who swears Hemmer’s hair is real. O’Brien ruffles it for proof. Hemmer says his glasses are real too.

10:05: Kagan begins the next show: A “good friend and a really, really good guy.”