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Banfield gets NBC's bad news (Ashleigh's been fired)
New York Daily News ^ | 3.26.04 | Lloyd Grove

Posted on 03/26/2004 8:25:18 AM PST by mhking

Onetime cable television star Ashleigh Banfield - a publicity magnet even before she achieved celebrity in the aftermath of 9/11 - is out at NBC News.

The 36-year-old former rock singer - once a fashion icon for her blond tresses and her ever-present on-air glasses, but whose career took a slide after she dyed her hair dark brown - joined the network's MSNBC outlet four years ago, and has been working without a contract since late January.

"Regrettably, we were unable to agree on a new assignment for her," an NBC News spokeswoman told me yesterday. "We thank her for her hard work and wish her well."

The native Canadian was a controversial figure at NBC, where detractors spread rumors of diva-like behavior and sniped at her supposed journalistic deficiencies.

Banfield didn't try to butter up colleagues and supervisors, and instead cast herself as an enemy of the Establishment. She once showed up for anchor duties at MSNBC's Secaucus studios in New Jersey sporting a T-shirt that shouted, in garish glitter: "Starf--r."

But on camera, the message was discreetly concealed by a conservative jacket.

On Sept. 11, 2001, her dramatic reports from Ground Zero won her star status and her own nightly live show from Afghanistan and Pakistan, "A Region in Conflict" (for which she wore a burka and dyed her hair) and, later, "Ashleigh Banfield: On Location."

But in due course, her star dimmed.

Banfield's manager, Alfred Geller, told me: "Since her contract expired, we have been exploring with a variety of NBC components the possibility of future activity that would include cable and network. At the end of these explorations, we were mutually unable to come to an accommodation that was okay with everybody. It didn't work. Life marches on."

Geller said Banfield, who didn't return my calls, is looking at syndication, as well as other network and cable television possibilities. "She will be just fine, thank you very much."


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Culture/Society; Extended News; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: ashleighbanfield; femalegeraldo; msnbc; nbcnews; soover
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1 posted on 03/26/2004 8:25:21 AM PST by mhking
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To: Howlin; Ed_NYC; MonroeDNA; widgysoft; Springman; Timesink; dubyaismypresident; Grani; coug97; ...
Rock singer!?

Just damn.

If you want on the list, FReepmail me. This IS a high-volume PING list...

2 posted on 03/26/2004 8:26:09 AM PST by mhking (Sporting News' pre-season pick? Cubs over Red Sox in 7... World ends next morning.)
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To: mhking
The 36-year-old former rock singer

I like popular music, but no wonder she knew nothing of Arafat and gushed when talking about him on Leno or Letterman (can't remember which) ...
3 posted on 03/26/2004 8:27:09 AM PST by Bobby777
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To: mhking
Good-bye to Ashleigh Talibanfield. Not a surprise--her 15 minutes of fame have been over for a while.
4 posted on 03/26/2004 8:29:14 AM PST by LiveFree99
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To: LiveFree99
Maybe her next employer will have her dye her hair red and have her bark like a dog...
5 posted on 03/26/2004 8:30:53 AM PST by samadams2000
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To: mhking
Now she can go on a highly paid speaking tour at liberal colleges complaining about the sexist tv news industry.
6 posted on 03/26/2004 8:31:00 AM PST by Grampa Dave (Krazy Kaddaffi: "I will do whatever the Americans want. I saw what happened in Iraq. I was scared!)
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To: mhking
...whose career took a slide after she dyed her hair dark brown...

This is another reason why we need "hate crimes" legislation.

7 posted on 03/26/2004 8:31:02 AM PST by Oldeconomybuyer (The democRATS are near the tipping point.)
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To: mhking

Ashleigh, You're Fired

8 posted on 03/26/2004 8:32:41 AM PST by capydick ("Think what your actions say to your soldiers.")
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To: mhking
"Starf--r."

Starfour?
Starfurr?

9 posted on 03/26/2004 8:33:29 AM PST by martin_fierro (Sili Con Carne)
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To: mhking
The 36-year-old former rock singer - once a fashion icon for her blond tresses and her ever-present on-air glasses, but whose career took a slide after she dyed her hair dark brown -...

Yeah, that's it. Blame it on the hair.

10 posted on 03/26/2004 8:34:14 AM PST by retrokitten (meow meow)
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To: mhking
"Ashleigh,......(you arrogant Canadian twit)......YOU'RE FIRED!
11 posted on 03/26/2004 8:34:30 AM PST by GreyWolf (My $.02)
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To: mhking

12 posted on 03/26/2004 8:34:33 AM PST by Constitution Day (Over 140,000 FReepers, and just about all of us will be going pro in something other than politics.)
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To: Oldeconomybuyer
...whose career took a slide after she dyed her hair dark brown...

More likely she stopped dying her hair.

13 posted on 03/26/2004 8:34:44 AM PST by NautiNurse (Missing Iraqi botulinum toxin? Look at John Kerry's face)
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To: mhking
She made her partisan views clear in 2000 and was a real annoyance to me when watching MSNBC. Her fall from grace is pretty amazing, she was the focus of the MSNBC ad campaign for a while there. She also made some outlandishly stupid comments at a college not too long ago, if I recall correctly. I don't think schadenfreude is a very positive emotion, but in this case, well....
14 posted on 03/26/2004 8:34:45 AM PST by KellyAdmirer
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To: Grampa Dave
"Now she can go on a highly paid speaking tour at liberal colleges complaining about the sexist tv news industry."

I think you just nailed it.

15 posted on 03/26/2004 8:35:32 AM PST by Bahbah
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To: mhking
"Mr Hot Dog Man...Mr Hot Dog Man" she screamed to a vendor she wanted to talk to....it was HILARIOUS!!!

I like her reports...actually I like the visuals of her riding in that open-air truck around Kabul. I thought it was interestng....but she is a twit. Bye Ash.

16 posted on 03/26/2004 8:36:00 AM PST by Ann Archy (Abortion: The Human Sacrifice to the god of Convenience.)
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To: an amused spectator; Liz; Timesink; Grampa Dave

SCHADENFREUDE

17 posted on 03/26/2004 8:36:38 AM PST by martin_fierro (Sili Con Carne)
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Comment #18 Removed by Moderator

To: mhking
We'll soon see how smart she is...

Russert, Franken [and Banfield] to appear on 'Jeopardy'


19 posted on 03/26/2004 8:37:57 AM PST by socal_parrot
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To: mhking
Maybe she could be a co-host for Jerry Springer. Or, she could join "The View".
20 posted on 03/26/2004 8:39:54 AM PST by mombonn (Viva Bush/Cheney!)
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