starjones

I'm risking a crapstorm of commenters on this one, but I'll post it anyway:

Immediately after Star Jones announced on The View this morning that she was leaving the show, People's web site came out with a story where Jones says that her contract wasn't renewed; "I feel like I was fired," she concluded. Apparently, she was told by The Powers That Be (coughBarbaraWalterscough) that her contract wouldn't be renewed just a few days before news leaked that Rosie O'Donnell was going to be joining the show in September.

So, despite the rumors, Star didn't ask to leave because of Rosie's arrival. At least according to Star. Heh. Things are getting interesting over there.

Page Six is reporting (I keep looking at that and still can't believe I typed it) that Star Jones is being shown the door by Barbara Walters and the producers of The View. Jones' departure was apparently one of the conditions of Rosie O'Donnell joining the show, a condition Walters and other knew and agreed to when they were courting O'Donnell. Jones' agents are denying the host is on her way out but others say they're sniffing around for a new home for her. Gayle King, a friend of Oprah Winfrey, is apparently in line to replace Jones on the show. The boisterous Jones has come under some fire recently for a series of disagreements with management over her agreements to pitch products or mention brand names on the show.

I have to tell you the absence of Jones on the show would absolutely kill the unintentional comedic possibilities inherent in a pairing of her and O'Donnell. I might have overcome the gag reflex both of these personalities cause individually, much less together, just to see when one would pounce on the other on the air.

If you have been crying into your pillow ever since E! announced they weren't going to have Star Jones work the red carpet for them anymore, dry your tears. Um, no, she didn't get the job back... But she's got a new blog! To help promote her new book Shine: A Physical, Emotional and Spiritual Journey to Finding Love, Star will blog about her book tour from now to March and, apparently, lay down the law about Internet etiquette (in the very first entry of her first-ever blog? Goodness).

11:01: OK, I'm ready for bed. But before I go, I'd like to thank my family, my friends, my agent, my lawyers, Jeff Zucker, Les Moonves, the cast, the crew, my computer, my fingers, and, most importantly, the makers of Tanqueray gin. Without your help I could never have live blogged this tonight. Oh, they're playing the music...goodnight! 

10:59: Outstanding Comedy Series: Everybody Loves Raymond? Seriously, Everybody Loves Raymond?! What kind of a world is it when the 9th season of a show wins for Best Comedy over a show like Arrested Development? 

10:55: Outstanding Drama Series: Lost! 

10:54: Emmy Idol Winner: Donald Trump and Megan Mullally for Green Acres. Yikes.

Just a quick reminder that I'm going to blog the Emmy Awards live tonight, starting at 6pm Eastern. Why 6 instead of 8, when the awards actually start (on CBS)? Because if I did that I'd miss the best part: the red carpet arrivals!

The only decision left to make: do I blog Star Jones' red carpet interviews on E! or Joan and Melissa's over on the TV Guide Channel? But that's like asking, "which would you rather have, a root canal or hemorrhoids," so I'll do both. That's why God made remote controls. Plus, I'm a masochist. 

Did anyone see Jimmy Kimmel Live on Tuesday night? I usually watch it but for some reason thought it was a repeat (you'd think the guy who does a daily talk show roundup would know what's new and what's repeated - duh) and I'm sorry I missed this. Seems that actress Viveca A. Fox wasn't too pleased with all the jokes that Jimmy Kimmel makes about The View's Star Jones (Fox is a good friend and was in Jones' wedding). The imdb has the lowdown.