ABC is deploying former Bush strategist and political commentator Matthew Dowd to moderate their Sunday political program This Week this Sunday, which is currently rotating hosts on a weekly basis since the departure of George Stephanopoulos to Good Morning America. With Jake Tapper, Barbara Walters, and Terry Moran among past rotating hosts, Dowd will be the first moderator since Stephanopoulos himself to have a background outside of objective journalism. (more...)

video Perhaps it was too early in the morning, or something about being reunited with old pal George Stephanopoulos made him feel open to being emotional, but James Carville looked uncommonly vulnerable today discussing the 2010 midterm elections and health care reform on ABC’s Good Morning America. Joining Stephanopoulos and former Bush strategist Matthew Dowd, Carville revived the Sen. Jim DeMint's term “Obama’s Waterloo” and admitted to feeling “frightened” and believing some of the hype that “Democrats can’t govern.” (more...)

video ABC's George Stephanopoulos was a guest on The O'Reilly Factor late last year, and this morning the tables turned. The Good Morning America host interviewed Bill O'Reilly, who was candid and balanced in his critique of partisan politics, Sarah Palin and more. So much so, it had Stephanopoulos asking if O'Reilly might run for political office as the man in the middle. (more...)

video Since leaving his influential gig as host of This Week, George Stephanopoulos has had to adjust to the lighter, free-form style of ABC's Good Morning America. While some critics have called him a bit uptight, most chalk up any early critiques to growing pains. However, perhaps in a concerted effort to loosen George up, today he received a rather startling birthday surprise: his wife Ali Wentworth's imitation of Diane Sawyer followed by a shocking stiptease-like reveal. It was, by turns, funny-strange AND funny-ha-ha! (more...)

Stephen Colbert interviewed George Stephanopoulos last night, and in between needling George about cooking segments as a path to the evening news anchor chair, he put in a good word for Jake Tapper as the next host of "This Week." Colbert isn't the only fundit® to weigh in on the subject recently. Seth Meyers, anchor of the resurgent SNL Weekend Update, also lent his support to the tenacious White House reporter. Whether ABC News taps Tapper or not, though, it's about time they make up their minds. (more...)

Media critics are, among other things, a spiteful and jealous lot. Covering programming decisions made by TV execs lends itself to actions and attitudes most similar to the worst type of sports fans -- taking for granted any successful or smart decision, while relishing the chance to boo every bad play or mistake. (more...)

Even though the release of Game Change has made it seem like a relic, it was only Friday when former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani stated that there had been "no domestic attacks under Bush."

Robert Gibbs responded with a dose of reality, but he hadn't had a chance to react to Rudy's later clarification (through a spokesman). I asked Gibbs about it yesterday, and he just seemed glad that Giuliani had cleared up the most glaring omission.

At today's White House briefing, Huffington Post's Sam Stein asked Robert Gibbs about Rudy Giuliani's remarks on ABC's Good Morning America. Gibbs succeeded where George Stephanopoulos failed, calling Rudy out for his inconsistent statements on civilian justice for terrorists, and observing that much of what Hizzoner said didn't "quite gibe with reality." You might say he took Giuliani to Schooliani.

Update: Stephanopoulos and Giuliani respond. (more...)

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Rudy Giuliani, who once threw a fundraiser where he asked for donations of $9.11, has suddenly forgotten all about the worst terrorist attack on American soil in history. He told GMA host George Stephanopoulos that there were no domestic attacks under George W. Bush, while there has been one under President Obama.

Perhaps worse than that, Stephanopoulos seems to have forgotten about 9/11, the anthrax attacks, and the "Shoe bomber," too.

Update: Giuliani and Stephanopoulos respond here.

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The final numbers are in for George Stephanopoulos' first week on Good Morning America. So how did he and the rest of the new ABC News morning show team do? It depends on how you look at it. (more...)

The year 2009 had many media bright spots, break-out stars, dominating networks and game-changing technologies.  The Mediaite 50 collects the finest, most exemplary innovators and influencers of the year, defining a media moment in time and setting the agenda as we move forward. (more...)

video George Stephanopoulos made his first appearance with his wife today since he took over on Good Morning America. Ali Wentworth, who stars in the movie It's Complicated, was interviewed by Robin Roberts, but her new co-host was there listening in while Wentworth revealed some personal secrets never before heard while Stephanopoulos was on This Week. (more...)

video George Stephanopoulos has been the anchor of a network morning show for a little more than a week now, and he's settling into his new role. But inevitably, there will be growing pains. Like today, when he named the wrong celebrity who's engaged to Meryl Streep's daughter. (more...)

video Sunday morning on Reliable Sources with Howard Kurtz, Mediaite's editor at large Rachel Sklar stopped by to chat about George Stephanopoulos' move to Good Morning America and Charlie Gibson's final week on the ABC News. It's time for Stephanopoulos to "flex a few different muscles," Sklar said, based on his week one performance. "It's time to go online and surf the net!" That, or "they should all just go out for karaoke," she suggested. As for Gibson, Sklar was "surprised to see Muppets in his farewell." See the full clip below:

George Stephanopoulos' debut on Good Morning America Monday morning did not do much to help the show cut into NBC's Today show lead. The difference between the two programs was even wider than the previous week. (more...)

video So did you watch George Stephanopoulos' debut this morning on Good Morning America? Millions of people did - and ABCNews.com is letting them sound off in a "shout out" section on GMA's site. Judging from the comments, the fans are not pleased. (more...)

video Sunday morning on This Week, George Stephanopoulos announced his move to Good Morning America tomorrow, bright and early. At the end of today's broadcast, Stephanopoulos took a moment to address his job switch, thanking the viewers and noting that he would continue as host "until a successor is named." As previously reported by Mediaite, accepting the GMA position meant that Stephanopoulos would vacate the This Week job, a trade-off that seemed to initially be a question mark for the Washington-savvy former Clinton staffer. For now, it seems Stephanopoulos can have his cake and eat it, too, at least on a temporary basis. Below is a transcript of the host's remarks, followed by the video clip:

That's our show for today. You may have heard that tomorrow I start at “Good Morning America." It's going to be a great challenge for me, and I hope you'll tune in there too. My only regret as I head to New York is that I won't be able to continue our Sundays on “This Week” for very much longer. As all of you know, this has been a special and important forum for discussing politics and public affairs ever since David Brinkley began the program almost thirty years ago. It's been a big part of my life too -- and an honor to anchor these last seven years. I'll continue until a successor is named, so for now, I'll just say thanks for sharing part of this Sunday with us. We'll see you next week.

Q&A With ABC's Good Morning America line-up finally set in stone - led by George Stephanopoulos and Robin Roberts as well as Sam Champion and Juju Chang - the show can begin to focus on Monday's debut and what the future holds. Executive Producer Jim Murphy tells Mediaite GMA sees this as a major opportunity. (more...)

Of the series of changes slated to take place at ABC News by the end of the week, it appears a couple decisions are clearer now. Juju Chang is in line to take over as the news anchor on Good Morning America, while Chris Cuomo, who currently has the job, is in talks to be a co-anchor on 20/20, along with Elizabeth Vargas. (more...)

Yesterday the news came out that George Stephanopoulos had been "offered" the Good Morning America job being vacated at the end of next week when Diane Sawyer takes over for Charlie Gibson the following week on World News. The Washington Post reported the story as "BREAKING" - but it wasn't a surprise. What it means is Stephanopoulos has to take the job. (more...)

Many changes are about to take place at ABC News, as Charlie Gibson officially signs off as anchor of World News December 18. If George Stephanopoulos gets Diane Sawyer's GMA gig, Nightline anchor Terry Moran could be the odds-on favorite at This Week. (more...)

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Obama-mania meets Bollywood spectacle as the Washington press corps is going a little starstruck over Obama's first State Dinner with Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. The Washington Post and Politico are devoting special sections on their websites to the event and CNN is already on the story.  Several outlets are planning live video coverage of the dinner and receiving line. (more...)

developing Last month we reported This Week anchor George Stephanopoulos was the leading contender to get the Good Morning America job opening up as Diane Sawyer takes over on World News. Now sources tell Mediaite there may be a knot in the plans - Stephanopoulos would have to vacate the This Week job if he takes the GMA anchor spot. (more...)

In the age of the Verified Account, we expect our celebrities and media personalities to be on Twitter. It's not only the quickest and easiest way for them to reach their audiences, but sometimes it provides us a small window into the minutiae of their everyday lives. "Famous people, they're just like us!" we like to think when Martha Stewart's dog pees in the house or Oprah says she's tired. But that's not why it's a category on our Power Grid. (more...)

As Mediaite reported last week, George Stephanopoulos came out of the blocks a strong contender for the Good Morning America anchor slot opened up when Diane Sawyer left to host World News. But lately, Chris Cuomo's name has repeatedly popped up in discussions of who should anchor GMA. And over at AOL, he appears to be the slight favorite for the job among readers. (more...)

video This morning on Reliable Sources Howard Kurtz, former Fox News contributor Jane Hall shared her own personal criticisms of Fox News, saying that she wasn't bothered so much by Fox's Republican bent as the network's lack of discussion and debate. She added that she's outright scared of Glenn Beck. (more...)

The rumblings about the soon-to-be vacant anchor seat at ABC's Good Morning America are now focused on one name as the lead candidate - George Stephanopoulos. While a spokesperson for ABC says no decision is close to being made, TV insiders say the This Week anchor has become the lead contender for the job. But there may be more to the story. (more...)

VIDEO White House senior adviser David Axelrod joined George Stephanopoulos on This Week today to follow-up on WH communications director Anita Dunn's remarks last weekend on Reliable Sources that Fox News isn't really a news station. After playing a clip from Rupert Murdoch in which he said that attention from the White House has been great for his Fox News ratings, Stephanopoulos really cut to the bone, asking Axelrod "Are You Worried That Your Strategy is Fortifying Your Enemy?" The enemy, of course, is Fox News. Axelrod responded with the same White House talking points we heard from Dunn last weekend, and encouraged Stephanopoulos to not treat them like a legitimate news organization. This knife, however, cuts both ways. Former President H. W. Bush's remarks at the end of the week that Rachel Maddow and Keith Olbermann are "sick puppies" will only make liberals love them all the more. What's the take-away here? Cablers should continue to arouse the ire of politicians with slanted coverage if they want good ratings. Update: Mediaite has received the following statement — a response to David Axelrod and Rahm Emanuel's television appearances this morning — from Michael Clemente SVP of News at Fox News:

Surprisingly, the White House continues to declare war on a news organization instead of focusing on the critical issues that Americans are concerned about like jobs, health care and two wars. The door remains open and we welcome a discussion about the facts behind the issues.

With the resignation of Van Jones and the sinking of ACORN, the right-wing noise machine sits on a mighty perch.  The mainstream media shows every sign of capitulating to their new pimp, at the ready to swarm whatever prey is selected for them.  The latest victim-to-be is the Obama administration's "Safe Schools Czar," Kevin Jennings.

Before I get to deconstructing the mountain of smears against Kevin Jennings, let me tell you what he has done.  Kevin  Jennings has made our nation's schools safer, for my children and yours.  (more...)

video ABC News anchor George Stephanopoulos appeared last night on Sean Hannity's Fox News show to discuss, mostly, safe schools czar Kevin Jennings. Here's some background on Jennings, who has been a frequent target of Hannity. Stephanopoulos' appearance not only drove home the point that a mainstream media figure thought the FNC host was overreaching, but proved on yet another occasion the willingness of the ABC host to go head-to-head with a Fox Newser. (more...)

video Pres. Barack Obama has now completed his unprecedented Sunday show media blitz ("El Completo Ginsburg"), and all the interviews have aired. We took a look at how the four interviews went (excluding Univision for this post), and what was learned, based on several categories: number of questions, first, last and best question and how the host handled the all-important "race" question. Here are the results: (more...)

video President Obama is doing the Full Ginsburg (well, El Completo Ginsburg, since he's going on Univision instead of Fox) this Sunday — five Sunday talk shows — but that really starts now in a series of pre-taped sit-downs with the Sunday show hosts. First to land in my late-Friday Rosh Hashanah inbox: ABC's George Stephanoploulos and CNN's John King. Because who can wait for Sunday anymore? (more...)