There has been frequent speculation lately that Katie Couric will be leaving ‘CBS Evening News‘ for another show, perhaps even for her old gig on ‘Today.’
Couric dodged most of Barbara Walters’ pointed questions today on ‘The View’ about her job status, saying there has been no announcement and her plans, whatever they may be, are not public.
“Will you finally confirm that you’re leaving already?” Walters said.
“I don’t think it’s my place to do that,” said Couric. “I haven’t made a decision. I’m in the middle of discussions.” Couric would say only that she is exploring different opportunities and “figuring things out,” while still enjoying her job at CBS.
Walters asked if anyone could have saved the ‘Evening News,’ a question which made Couric bristle a bit, insisting she was proud of the work, valuing quality over ratings.
Walters tried one last shot, telling Couric that she was doing the right thing. “Well, you don’t know what I’m doing but thank you for saying that,” Couric said. Walters still thinks she has a pretty good idea.
Actors, musicians, and entertainers are routinely rewarded for their ability to captivate the masses, but when it comes to the most fascinating people of the year, Barbara Walters is the definitive judge.
Walter’s 2010 list included the people who wowed the world this year, from princess-to-be Kate Middleton to octogenarian actress Betty White, making sure to leave a little room for the big muscles and even bigger hair of the ‘Jersey Shore’ cast.
However, the most fascinating individual of 2010 isn’t a TV star or other celebrity, he’s none other than General David Petraeus, lead commander of our America’s war overseas. As reported by PEOPLE, Walters commended Petraeus’ benevolence toward the citizens of Afghanistan.
“In life, it seems, there are people who break things and people who fix them,” Walters said of Petraeus. “This man is a fixer.”
2. Sandra Bullock
Bullock had a remarkable and tumultuous year, beginning with her Oscar win for her performance in ‘The Blind Side.’ The actress became tabloid fodder when news of her husband’s infidelity broke, but Bullock ended the year on a strong note, becoming a mother to son Louis in April.
3. Justin Bieber
The Canadian heartthrob’s charisma is strong enough to make even Barbara a belieber! Bieber has had a wild ride to success, beginning with YouTube stardom with no end in sight.
4. Sarah Palin
Palin has been a media darling since her unsuccessful run for vice president alongside John McCain, but 2010 has truly been the year of the whole Palin clan. Palin’s eldest daughter, Bristol, had a successful run on ‘Dancing With the Stars,’ while Mama Grizzly nabbed her own show, ‘Sarah Palin’s Alaska,’ on TLC.
5. LeBron James
The basketball champ made waves in the sporting world when he left the Cleveland Cavaliers for the Miami Heat, leaving one-time fans sipping hatorade.
Check out the full list of 2010′s most fascinating people after the jump!
6. Jennifer Lopez
The actress, singer, and mother, has added yet another title to her already impressive resume this year since signing on as the latest judge on ‘American Idol.’
7. The ‘Jersey Shore’ Cast
Pickles, punching, and of course, GTL , launched seven unknown twenty-somethings into the public discourse, with each cast member’s star continuing to rise following the launch of the second season in 2010.
8. Betty White
Don’t call it a comeback! After legions of fans petitioned on Facebook to have Betty White host ‘Saturday Night Live’ earlier this year, the 88-year-old actress has found success in film, on television, guest-starring on NBC hits ’30 Rock’ and ‘Community,’ and even winning an Emmy for her hosting duties on ‘SNL.’
9. Kate Middleton
The British beauty, nicknamed “waity Katie” by the press for her lengthy relationship with Prince William, finally became engaged to her beloved in 2010, landing her in line to one day become queen.
10. Mark Zuckerberg
Zuckerberg may have started out as a Harvard dropout with a dream, but the Facebook co-founder has since revolutionized the way hundreds of millions of individuals communicate worldwide, raking in billions of dollars in the process.
Fireworks erupted on the set of ‘The View’ today when hosts Whoopi Goldberg and Joy Beharleft the set during an interview with Bill O’Reilly while discussing the proposed “Ground Zero mosque.”
“The mosque down here on 9/11. That’s inappropriate,” O’Reilly said of the planned Islamic community center being built near the site of the former World Trade Center.
“Sure, they have a right to do it,” he continued. “But it’s inappropriate because a lot of the 9/11 families who I know, say, ‘Look, we don’t want that.’”
When Joy, Whoopi and the other ladies expressed their opposition to ‘The O’Reilly Factor’ star’s opinion, he attempted to shut them down.
“Listen to me because you’ll learn,” he exclaimed. He added that he believes President Obama’s numbers are falling because of his unwillingness to comment on “the wisdom of” building the community center.
“You’re saying that Americans are not smart enough to recognize that while it is part of our Constitution to say freedom of religion and freedom to worship and there were 70 families who are Muslim who also died in that building. So you’re saying that his saying that they have the right to do it and not saying anymore is why his approval ratings have gone down?” Goldberg questioned.
The heated discussion went back and forth, but the huge blow came after O’Reilly said “Muslims killed us on 9/11,” causing Goldberg and Joy to walk off the set enraged.
Michelle Obama is Barbara Walters’ Most Fascinating Person of 2009.
Almost a year since the Obama family moved to Washington, D.C., the first lady reflected on the transition to the White House.
“It has been a whirlwind. But it’s been amazing,” she told Walters. “I mean, if you think about this year, I had to get these two beautiful girls settled into a new city, into a new home, into a new school. We got a dog. I visited eight countries with my husband. I planted a garden. I’ve started a mentoring program. It has been everything. And now, here we are at our first Christmas in the White House.”
During her tenure as first lady, Obama has promoted healthy living and taken steps to combat childhood obesity — creating a vegetable garden on the White House lawn and holding health fairs with exercise stations for kids.
“I think I’ve begun to lay the foundation to a conversation about the health of our kids — particularly when we’re looking at statistics that say that one in three kids in this country are obese, and those numbers increase if you’re African-American or Hispanic,” she said. “So we’re going to spend a lot more time on that issue in the years to come.”
Relieved it’s her. I was convinced it would be Taylor Swift or Stephanie Meyers. Michelle Obama is totes fascinating. The fact that she’s really active and is doing something different and really reaching out to people in simple ways, I love it.
source: Exclusive: Michelle Obama on ‘Whirlwind’ Year [abc news]
Check out Sherri Shepherd showing off her swimsuit body on The View yesterday.
Sheri “strutted her stuff” on stage to I’m Every Woman and then said “I feel really great. I just wanted to show people that you don’t have to do anything crazy. You just have to make some choices and exercise and the weight will drop off. I hope some folks were inspired.”
Sherri made a promise to diet and work out back in May, she has since lost 5 inches from her waist and 10 inches overall. Some of her menu consisted of grilled chicken, salad and water.
On the exercising she said “I do a lot of stairs, a lot of planks, a lot of squats, a lot of treadmill, a lot of screaming — and I do it four times a week.”
The one part of her body that she will never change? Her boobs, that’s what I like to hear a woman say – “I love my boobs!”.
When asked if she would have a breast reduction she said “What?! No! I would never ever, ever, ever, I don’t care how old they get and how long they get, I’m going to love my boobs. I’d never get rid of them.”
On The View today, Barbara Walters said that the T-shirt Elisabeth Hasselbeck donned yesterday caused the show to get “e-mails and calls with people complaining.â€
What was emblazoned across her chest? “Great Ameri(Mc)Cain Hero.â€
With a quick roll of the eyes, Elisabeth huffed, “Well, they must all be voting for Obama.â€
Responded Babs: “It’s one thing to wear it during Hot Topics but then when you’re interviewing celebrities….†She asked whether the jest then becomes “an advertisement.â€
Elisabeth was quick to chime in with: “I designed the shirt. I sent it to the campaign! … That’s who my heart is for.â€
And, of course, no event on The View can go by without Joy Behar throwing in her two cents. “I would wear an Obama T-shirt, she said. “But I would need shoulder pads and I don’t think that would look good.â€
Do you think it was politically incorrect for Elisabeth to wear a McCain shirt on the show?
Sarah Palin sure is shaking things up isn’t she? The ladies from The View got into yet another fight over Palin, well it was mainly the women against Elisabeth Hasselbeck.
Barbara Walters jumped in (for a change) and said to Elizabeth “Every single day you never ever say, maybe there’s another point, so this is your chance. Tell us now why you think that Sarah Palin would make a very good President.”
This didn’t go down well with Elizabeth who said “Yes, I do!†she then went on to say, “well, since I’ve been studying for this pop quiz forever! I….tell me why Barack Obama is qualified. Give me three tangible things he has done.”
Of course before it could get even more heated they went to a commercial. So who do you think is in the right – Hasselbeck or the other ladies?
Did you see John McCain on ABC’s The View this morning? Well the presidential candidate said he would like the Constitution interpreted the way it was originally written to be.
Whoopi Goldberg didn’t really like this statement and said, “should I be worried about being a slave, about being returned to slavery because certain things happened in the Constitution that you had to change?”
Barbara Walters chimed in and said to Sheri Shepherd and Whoopi that “us white folk will take care of you.”
Elisabeth Hasselbeck talked smack about Michelle Obama, hinting that she must have something to hide.
Hasselbeck compared Cindy McCain, John McCain’s wife who wore a $300,000 outfit at the Republican National Convention to Michelle Obama, Barack Obama’s wife who grew up in the South Side of Chicago:
“Cindy came into our hair and make-up room fresh as can be. And unlike another wife of a political candidate, who shall remain nameless, she didn’t come with a list of topics that we weren’t allowed to touch. Nope. That’s because she has nothing to hide.â€
