B&C;'s Ben Grossman got CNBC's Jim Cramer on the phone the other day (Cramer happened to have Fox Business on his TV at the moment).

"We have a competitor now in Fox and it is really important to destroy and mutilate them," Cramer tells Grossman. "I'm not collegial. It's personal."

Grossman writes, "To prove his point, Cramer drops the word 'turncoat' when referring to Liz Claman, who jumped ship from CNBC to Fox Business this month."

"If you want to lose half a billion, in the end someone will watch," Cramer tells Grossman. "If your orientation is not to make money and you are as stupid as wood, you've got your station."

And FBN's reaction to Cramer's comments: "That's amazing — that's exactly what Jim used to say about CNBC before we fired him."

PRNewser scoops reports that FEMA's director of external affairs, John "Pat" Philbin is leaving his job just three days after the agency was "outed for a staging a fake press conference" related to the California wildfires.

PRNewser's Jason Chupick writes, Philbin asked questions "at the press conference which was carried live by the cable networks."

The incident, first reported yesterday in The Washington Post, has been condemned by DHS secretary Michael Chertoff, and, according to the NYTimes, has led to an apology from Harvey Johnson, the official who was answering the questions at the news conference.

Former NBC News Dallas bureau chief and correspondent Jim Cummins died last night after losing his battle with cancer. In a note to the staff, NBC News president Steve Capus wrote, "Jim and Connie had a vision for life after NBC. A damnable cancer diagnosis came a short time after he left the job, and those plans took a backseat to a courageous battle."

Click continued to read Capus' note...

continued...

For some inexplicable reason as an 8-year-old growing up in Seattle, Glenn Beck knew about Rockefeller Plaza. He knew that's where the pioneers of radio got their start. Last night, in celebration of his own 30 years in broadcasting, the radio and TV host was honored in the very building he once dreamed of working.

The GE Building's Rainbow Room was filled with family and friends and colleagues from Beck's two employers, Premiere Radio and CNN Headline News.

A video retrospective produced by his Headline News team featured clips from Beck's early days in radio; from his Seattle basement to stations across the country, with handles including B104 and Z95.

The video culminated with congratulations from Rush Limbaugh, Nancy Grace, and Anderson Cooper, among others. Upon learning the party was a celebration of Beck's 30 years in broadcasting, a figure that astonished Cooper, the CNN anchor joked, "I've been in this business 15 years and I'm about to have a complete breakdown."

Beck, known for being passionate on the air, became very emotional, even pausing a few times to compose himself. He talked about the legends of the business who broadcast "from this very room" and how it was "a dream come true" to be doing what he is doing. "This is not a party for me, but for all of you," said Beck.

(Photos/Chris Ariens)

Chris Matthews has his inside voice and his outside voice. Sometimes both come out on the air. Case in point: the end of tonight's Harbdall:

"Craig Crawford, you're great, Carla Marinucci it is DELIGHTFUL to have you on from the Chronicle. It's glad to see somebody's still working at that paper. And Mike Isikoff, buddy, thank you for joining us. Join us again Monday for more Harbdall. Right now it's time for Tucker."

...then Matthews whispers to Isikoff (microphone still up):

"Everybody's been let go."

It appears Matthews is talking about the staff of the San Francisco Chronicle.

...if you haven't, and want to, click here...

> Larry Kudlow's got some company tonight: The Veep. CNBC emails us, "Vice President Cheney discuss the state of the economy, the war on terror, oil prices, the feds response to the California fires, and the GOP prospects in the 2008 election" with Larry Kudlow tonight at 7pmET on CNBC.

> At 9pmET on CNN, Larry King talks will Lilly Lawrence, the heiress/philanthropist whose famed Castle Kashan was destroyed in the Malibu wildfire Sunday morning.

> And Sunday on CNN's Reliable Sources: ABC's Claire Shipman, CBS's Harry Smith and CNN's Kyra Phillips will talk with Howie Kurtz about the coverage of the California wildfires.

	5p:	6p:	7p:	8p:	9p:	10p:	11p:
FNC	BigStory:	Hume:	Shep:	O'Reilly:	H&C;:	Greta:	O'Reilly:
	229	315	387	589	273	330	333
CNN	Blitzer:	Dobbs:	Blitzer:	OutOpen:	King:	Cooper:	Cooper:
	145	260	297	295	279	340	249
MSNBC	Hardball:	Tucker:	Hardball:	Countdo.:	Abrams:	Investig.:	Special:
	149	43	86	186	59	168	158
HLN	Prime:	Prime:	Beck:	Grace:	Beck:	Grace:	Showbiz:
	104	99	147	97	113	122	128

continued...

Write-ups on FNC's Facing Reality, Choice, a documentary featuring three pregnant women deciding whether to undergo abortions:

• Portfolio.com's Jeff Bercovici: "When I read that Fox News had produced a documentary on abortion that 'avoids taking sides,' I didn't believe it...But the rumors are true...Fox has lived up to its "Fair and Balanced" slogan, and then some. It's thoughtful, understated, and entirely devoid of right-wing cant."

• Newsday's Verne Gay: "Fox has, in fact, proven that it can undertake a subject of this emotional magnitude and handle in a manner that's both intelligent and sensitive."

• David Bianculli at the NY Daily News: "Any program about abortion, given the incendiary nature of the subject, is a tricky thing to approach. 'Facing Reality: Choice'...intentionally limits its focus to profiling three young women facing difficult choices — and, to its credit, treats them all fairly."

Facing Reality, Choice airs at 9pmET Saturday, on FNC.

TVNewser has learned the Eric Bolling v. NBC case was back in New York State supreme court Tuesday, with this round going to Bolling. The judge denied CNBC a temporary restraining order to keep Bolling off the air of competing channels. An industry insider tells TVNewser CNBC claimed it was an emergency that had to be dealt be with immediately. They claimed Bolling's appearances on FNC & FBN are causing them "irreparable harm."

So, maybe this is what actionable means after all?

FNC's VP and Washington bureau chief Brian Wilson spoke to a group of journalism students at Texas Tech last night.
Wilson talked about the criticism often leveled at Fox News. Maggie Kiely of The Daily Toreador writes:

"Wilson said he believes the reason Fox often receives criticism for being biased is because of the opinions of Fox hosts like Bill O'Reilly. 'Bill O'Reilly is not a journalist; it is an opinion-based program,' he said. 'I think we get unfairly smeared because of Bill O'Reilly, and it has a huge following. I don't agree with half of what he says, but that is what characterizes Fox News."

The NYDaily News' Richard Huff reports, and ABC News confirms, that "Marysol Castro signed a new deal with ABC News — this after a source incorrectly suggested last summer she was close to leaving."

But that doesn't mean Castro didn't make the rounds. A TVNewser spy spotted her at CBS News HQ this summer.

HuffPost's Patrick Waldo has the videotape from a "rare public appearance" Ben Karlin made in New York. Karlin is the eight-time emmy award winning EP of The Daily Show. Karlin also co-created The Colbert Report. He left Comedy Central in December.

Waldo: "Karlin reflects on the worst part of his Daily Show experiences — interacting with actual journalists. He blasts the on-camera media types who praised the work of The Daily Show while still regurgitating mindless news, calling their choices 'a prison of their own construction'. Karlin also dismisses the assertion that some viewers only get their news from The Daily Show, saying viewers would be very confused if they tuned in with no background of the show's topics. Instead, Karlin insists that The Daily Show 'lives as a reaction to something', and shouldn't be used as a primary news source."

The NYTimes' Jim Rutenberg reports Fox News is trying to stop Presidential candidate John McCain from using a clip from Sunday night's debate in a campaign ad; an ad which is already airing.

"...lawyers for Mr. McCain say they are within their 'fair use' rights to use the clip of their candidate talking for 19 seconds of a 90-minute debate. Fox's lawyers say 'fair use' does not apply to commercial use and that Mr. McCain's campaign has no substantive legal defense. Fox News executives say they have faxed a cease and desist letter to Mr. McCain's campaign."

A network insider tells TVNewser supermodel Petra Nemcova was scheduled to drop by The Early Show this morning with a $100,000 check for relief efforts in fire-ravaged California, but her representative, Ken Sunshine, pulled the plug on the segment at the last minute.

The insider says Sunshine "panicked after someone across town at GMA claimed this would interfere with [Nemcova's] appearance there next month to promote her new book."

Nemcova was prepared to donate the check on behalf of The Rampage Relief Fund, with whom she has been working for the last two years.

So who loses out in this booking battle?

>Update: A source close to Petra Nemcova tells TVNewser the supermodel was never booked on The Early Show. Nemcova "has a job today" so there was "never a possibility that she would be on," the source says. As for being booked on GMA next month, the source knows of no booking. "The first time GMA heard about this was reading" TVNewser. It appears the Rampage Relief Fund may have promised CBS something they could not deliver. Either way the fund still gets the $100,000, which is really the bottom line to all of this.

>Update, Update: A CBS News insider tells TVNewser that an email confirms Nemcova was booked for The Early Show and that her schedule was clear until 9amET.