Let’s begin with the bad news. (I prefer to end blogs on a happy note.)
In a previous blog I detailed the tragic health crisis that former televangelist Tammy Faye Messner is dealing with. Unfortunately, things have gone from bad to worse for Messner. According to her website, doctors have stopped treating her cancer and she now weighs in at a mere 65 pounds.
Messner says she looks like a “scarecrow” and needs a “miracle” to survive. In what some are calling a farewell letter, Messner posted a thank you to her “faithful friends” who have supported her through three battles with cancer. You’ll recall Messner was first diagnosed with colon cancer in 1996, and later announced in 2004 that the disease had spread to her lungs.
“The doctors have stopped trying to treat the cancer and so now it’s up to God and my faith. And that’s enough!” she wrote.
One interesting (or sad) note to report is that Messner said her daughter and her daughter’s friends were taking care of her while her husband, Roe Messner, builds churches. When members of the media tried to contact Messner’s husband he reportedly had his secretary decline to comment on his behalf. (Hmmm.)
If you are having a hard time placing the name, Messner is the woman who was once married to Jim Bakker (they divorced in 1992 while he was serving a sentence for financial fraud). Prior to his arrest, the couple founded a multimillion-dollar evangelism empire in South Carolina.
On a much lighter note…
A question I have been asking myself (and various random family members that I watch the news with) has finally been answered.
For months (it may be years) I have watched John Seigenthaler anchor the weekend editions of “NBC Nightly News.” Yet, unlike other anchors I never see the guy reporting for or anchoring any other NBC news broadcasts during the week. I always wondered what Seigenthaler did when he wasn’t anchoring weekends. Mind you, I thought he did a great job at the anchor desk, but most if not all weekend anchors also contribute to the network by reporting during the week.
Turns out, Seigenthaler must not have done much because NBC News decided not to renew his contract saying it “couldn’t afford an anchor whose chief duties were weekend nights.”
Enter Lester Holt. Yes, the same Lester Holt who currently serves as co-host of “Weekend Today.” According to NBC, Holt is going to be working some long days on the weekends because he just got Seigenthaler’s gig. With his new job, Holt, who gets in at 5 a.m. on the weekends, will now stick around for the evening broadcast too.
Network executives say Holt will have a few hours to rest between shows. How nice.
Related Articles:
What’s Next For Oprah and Tammy Faye Bakker
A Trip to the “Today” Show–How to Say Goodbye to Katie Couric In Person