Blizzards making early wakeup no thrill, and NBC beating tomtoms for the “Today” show, I decided to check in with George Stephanopoulos.
“Hey, at least I have better hair than some of my confreres,” he joked.
“Years ago my first time anchoring had disasters. In our third section I ended up onstage doing a surprise dance with Barry Manilow. He was a big star. I also somehow danced with Diane Sawyer. It was not elegant.
“Anchoring was not what I ever thought I’d do. Initially I planned to be a priest. Then came politics. Out of college I watched big stars like Cronkite, Jennings, Brokaw, Bill Moyers, Ted Koppel doing ‘Nightline.’ I came late to anchoring.
“Things are different now. We get news in lots of different ways. In today’s chaotic world we all need perspective. So it’s vital to us to present all sides of issues.
“Fortunately I don’t think I mispronounce anything. Certainly not my own name. But we sometimes debate whether it’s Catherine ‘Zayta’- or ‘Zeeta’-Jones. And we can stumble saying Hayden Panettiere. And we make sure it’s ‘Lara’ Spencer. Others call her ‘Laura.’ ”
Yeah, great, OK, but about getting up when most of us are turning over?
“I wake up 2:30 every morning on my own. I beat the alarm. Bedtime’s early as 8:30 or as late as 10:30. I have little kids and know I must cut back on all extra things because they have to see me and know I’m home. Christmas I spent around the tree with my family playing with some remote-control balloon flying around the room. I don’t even know what it’s called. At least it was good to play with for one day. Then we all headed to Spain.
“I have no New Year’s prediction. I only hope that for an entire year we can go without a government shutdown.”
Continental’s turbulence
United took over Continental but not its financial burdens. Thus United did not retain that other airline’s name. Also, its union is not easily accommodating those from the other’s union. Also, United’s booting longtime employees. At Christmas luggage handlers were told they’re done. Freed from benefits and the perks of allowing employees plane tickets, United’s future baggage “will be outsourced.”
A possible slowdown might explain thousands of suitcases going lost last month.
Paying $3 billion for Continental, letting the Internet do its job, they’ve also limited terminal personnel. During last week’s blizzard, travelers suffered endless lines for info or transfers. Staffing was insufficient.
United is not flying high internally.
Here ‘n’ there
The weather’s lousy even for hotshots. En route to Tampa and in from Stockholm — where they know from cool temperatures — Derek Jeter, changing planes at Newark, had to wait an hour and a half for luggage.
Don’t cross Joan
Remember condo board chairman Joan Rivers’ lawsuit? Looking to boot a resident who had difficulty in the neighborhood of $254,000 worth of maintenance fees and who called Joan a really not nice name? It’s now over.
“We won. Cost $160,000 in lawyer’s fees,” says Joan, “but the judge ordered this person out — never to return.”
The moral? You can call sweet Joanie a bad name — but do not — NOT! — try to stiff her.
Come spring comes Rizzoli’s expanded “Scenes From the City: Filmmaking in New York.” Memorializing Bloomy’s 12 years of NYC showbiz. Like directors Spike Lee, Woody Allen, Scorsese’s street work. Like Soho, Times Square, East Village, West Side, Coney Island, Harlem districts ending up in films. Like employing 130,000 New Yorkers, adding 30,000 jobs and $7 billion to local economy.
Only in New York, kids, only in New York.