'Stand Up To Cancer' Fundraising Telecast Returns

Katie Couric, Diane Sawyer and Brian Williams will host the "Stand Up To Cancer" telecast on Sept. 10 to raise awareness and money for research

The new anchors' respective networks – ABC, CBS and NBC – are donating an hour of airtime for the primetime event from Los Angeles at 8 p.m. ET/PT and 7 p.m. CT. It'll also be shown on HBO, Discovery Health, E!, MLB Network and The Style Network.

The show, which returns after a two-year break, will include celebrities, sports figures and musical performances. No names have yet been announced of the attendees.

The 2008 program featured an emotional appearance by Patrick Swayze, who later died after a fight with pancreatic cancer.

ABC has Offered Good Morning America Co-Host Position to George Stephanopoulos

ABC has offered George Stephanopoulos the coveted job of co-hosting "Good Morning America" and intensive negotiations are underway, according to sources familiar with the situation.

The network's chief Washington correspondent has not yet accepted the job, and the talks involve not just the level of multimillion-dollar compensation, but also the details of his duties if he replaces Diane Sawyer. Stephanopoulos was in New York this week, and Anne Sweeney, president of the Disney-ABC Television Group, was there for an affiliates board meeting. Sweeney met with ABC News President David Westin, who made his final pitch for Stephanopoulos.

The network has already turned its attention to who will replace the other contender, Chris Cuomo, as the "GMA" news anchor if Stephanopoulos, as expected, accepts the offer. Executives have staged taped sessions with three female staffers -- Kate Snow, JuJu Chang and Bianna Golodryga -- who have substituted in that role to see how they interact with the co-hosts.

As the discussions have dragged on for weeks, Stephanopoulos has pushed for a role reshaped to spotlight his interest in politics and hard news rather than feature segments. The sources, who declined to be identified discussing internal personnel matters, cautioned that the negotiations are complicated and the two sides might fail to reach agreement.

"We've made our timetable clear from the start, that this would be a four-month process," ABC spokesman Jeffrey Schneider said Thursday. "We're still in that process, and we'll make an announcement as soon as we can."

The onetime Clinton White House aide has also pressed to hang on to his current job as the host of Washington-based "This Week" for as long as possible, although ABC executives do not believe he can handle both programs over the long term. ABC has not yet turned to the question of who might succeed Stephanopoulos on the prestigious Sunday show.

The clock is ticking on the negotiations because Sawyer is slated to take over "World News" from Charlie Gibson, whose last day as anchor will be Dec. 18. Sawyer is expected to start the following Monday, December 21st, with little fanfare.

The reassignment of Stephanopoulos as Robin Roberts's partner on "GMA" would be a risk for both him and the network. In the 13 years since he left politics, Stephanopoulos has grown in stature as a Sunday host and ABC's go-to guy in Washington, and he recognized from the start that the lighter, fluffier part of morning-show life was not his strong suit. With Sawyer leaving a sizable void in the morning program, which perpetually trails NBC's "Today," bringing in a big-name star has obvious appeal to Westin.

But Stephanopoulos's likely promotion coincides with an effort by Westin's division to beef up the morning show's first hour with hard news, and to add more consumer information -- about health care and personal finance, for instance -- to the 8 a.m. hour, which often features cooking and fashion segments.

In a sign that ABC executives are looking toward a future with Stephanopoulos, they have been talking to Cuomo about new opportunities at the network. Cuomo, an alternative choice if the talks with Stephanopoulos break down, is being courted by other networks.

The job he is likely vacating can range from a straight headline reader to traveling field correspondent, as it was for Cuomo, who recently reported from Afghanistan. Some ABC insiders say the network will probably pick a woman who has children, given the sizable female audience. The choice could create a ripple effect, just as Stephanopoulos's move might eventually result in a vacancy at "This Week." Snow, for instance, now co-hosts the weekend edition of "GMA," while Golodryga is the weekday program's business correspondent.

Rihanna Shares her Story about Chris Brown with Diane Sawyer on 20/20

The long awaited 20/20 Rihanna interview with Diane Sawyer aired last night on ABC. The singer revealed that her once harmonious relationship with Chris Brown turned into something obsessive and dangerous. It all came crashing down in February 2009 when he turned on her in a rage that has altered their lives forever.

The pair left a pre-Grammy party and began arguing in the car about a text message Brown had received from an ex-girlfriend and then lied about. Brown turned on Rihanna and repeatedly punched and bit her. He then choked her to the point of near unconsciousness, while threatening to kill her.

She eventually managed to get out of the car and began to walk, bloodied and crying hysterically. Someone heard her screams and called 911. She was taken to a hospital for treatment and gave a statement to police.

She regrets the fact that she reunited with Brown in Miami a month after the altercation. Things were strained between them and there was no longer any “soul in his eyes.” She admits it was a mistake, and it sent the wrong message to her fans.

Rihanna soon ended the reconciliation, admitting, “Even if Chris never hit me again, who is to say that their boyfriend won’t? Who’s to say that they won’t kill these girls? These are young girls, and I just didn’t realize how much of an impact I have on these girls’ lives until that happened. It was a wake-up call.”

View the entire 20/20 Rihanna interview below.

Rihanna Breaks Silence About Chris Brown

Nine months after her fight with Chris Brown, Rihanna finally opens up about the night that left her bruised and bloody.

"This happened to me. … It can happen to anyone," the singer, 21, tells Diane Sawyer in an interview airing Thursday on Good Morning America and on 20/20 on Friday.

Rihanna says it was particularly difficult because of the special place Brown held in her heart: "He was definitely my first big love."

Both singers have worked to move on. Brown is serving his sentence and working on new music, his album Graffiti will drop December 15th; and Rihanna is shaking things up with her edgy fashion and releasing her fourth album Rated R on November 23rd. The album's first single "Russian Roulette" debuted last week.

Will Three Gays Head Up Good Morning America?

With Diane Sawyer making her decade-long exit from Good Morning America, all of New York media wants to know: Who will take her place? Depending on who ABC picks, the network's morning show could become the gayest place on television.

By comparison, NBC's Today and CBS's The Early Show are pretty straight chat fests. (Okay, we've heard the gay rumors about Early's weatherman Dave Price, too. He's single and lives in NYC with his dog. Uh huh.) But on GMA, you've already got Robin Roberts and Sam Champion, both of whom are out among colleagues, but not viewing audiences (at least, they don't make it anyone's business).

That leaves Diane Sawyer and Chris Cuomo as the resident heteros, making GMA a refreshing half-gay. But what if ABC filled Diane's spot with another family member?

Already, financial lez Suze Orman has raised her hand to ABC brass letting them know she wants the job. But "insiders" says ABC wants a dude to replace Diane (who's leaving to take Charlie Gibson's evening anchor chair) and sit next to Robin, "restoring" the male-female duo main hosting construct.

"A short list of candidates," says the Los Angeles Times' Matea Gold, "is widely believed to include This Week anchor George Stephanopoulos, World News Saturday anchor David Muir, GMA Weekend co-host Bill Weir and GMA news anchor Chris Cuomo."

Funny, then, that Weir already has the gays speculating And so does Muir.

Not that adding another 'mo would really change GMA's formula of news, entertainment, and crossing and uncrossing legs. But it'd be nice to wake up every morning and see Chris Cuomo quivering among the Gs.

Diane Sawyer to Replace Charles Gibson As ABC's 'World News Tonight' Anchor

Charles Gibson, who has served as anchor of "World News" since May of 2006, announced yesterday that he will step down from the post at the end of this year and retire from full-time employment at ABC News.

"Good Morning America" anchor Diane Sawyer, 63, will serve as the next "World News" anchor, beginning in January.

"It has not been an easy decision to make," Gibson, 66, said in an e-mail to the "World News" staff. "This has been my professional home for almost 35 years. And I love this news department, and all who work in it, to the depths of my soul."

ABC News President David Westin said that he and Gibson have been talking about the decision for several weeks and that Gibson "has persuaded me that this is both what he wants and what is best for him."

"I respect his decision, just as I respect the enormous contribution he has made to ABC News through the years," Westin said.

Westin also announced Sawyer's move to "World News."

"Diane Sawyer is the right person to succeed Charlie and build on what he has accomplished," ABC News' Westin said in a statement. "She has an outstanding and varied career in television journalism, beginning with her role as a State Department correspondent and continuing at 60 Minutes, Primetime Live, and most recently Good Morning America."

Westin noted that Gibson came to lead "World News" "after a difficult and turbulent time" following the death of anchor Peter Jennings and then the injury of "World News" co-anchor Bob Woodruff by a roadside bomb that struck his vehicle near Taji, Iraq.

With Sawyer's new role, two of the three major network's evening news broadcasts will now be anchored by females, a first in television history.

"There is no one like Charlie Gibson and it is an enormous honor to be asked to join the terrific broadcast he and the great team of journalists have built at 'World News,'" Sawyer said today.

"Until then, I'll be getting up early and spending mornings, as always, counting myself so lucky to be with Robin, Chris and Sam and the incredibly smart, talented and dedicated team of 'Good Morning America.'"

Charles Gibson Steps Down from 'World News'

Gibson, who previously co-hosted "Good Morning America" along with Sawyer, had originally planned to step down in 2007.

"But with Peter's illness, Bob's injuries, and Elizabeth [Vargas's] pregnancy, the job at 'World News' came open in May of 2006," Gibson said in the e-mail to the ABC staff. He was asked to step in as anchor. "It was an honor to do so."

Gibson said he would like to continue contributing occasionally to ABC News.

Before being named anchor of "World News," Gibson was co-anchor of "Good Morning America." He returned to "GMA" to re-launch the broadcast with Diane Sawyer on Jan. 18, 1999. He previously co-anchored the morning program from 1987 to 1998. In addition, he was also co-anchor of "Primetime Thursday," now known as "Primetime," from 1998 to 2004.

Sawyer has interviewed every president since President George H. W. Bush, including President Obama, and has handled an array of breaking news and special events, including Sept. 11 and, most recently, the 2008 presidential election.

Gibson's three decades at ABC

During his 34 years at ABC News, Gibson has provided America with firsthand reports of some of the world's biggest events.

In June 2001, at the Oklahoma City National Memorial, he anchored ABC's live coverage of the Timothy McVeigh execution. He had reported from the scene when the Murrah Federal Building was bombed in April 1995, and continued to follow the story on multiple return visits to Oklahoma City.

On Sept. 11 of that year, he and Sawyer were anchoring "Good Morning America" and began the network's award-winning coverage of the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon.

Gibson anchored "GMA" from the Johnson Space Center in Houston following the loss of the Space Shuttle Columbia in February 2003. He also won an Emmy for his hourlong "Primetime Thursday" investigation entitled "Columbia Final Mission."

In 2005, Gibson traveled to Vatican City to report on the death of Pope John Paul II, anchoring the network's coverage of the Pope's funeral and the election of Pope Benedict XVI. ABC's coverage was later recognized with an Alfred I. duPont-Columbia University Award.

More recently,Gibson has reported extensively on the economic crisis, traveling throughout the U.S. to see firsthand how the recession is impacting different corners of the country.

Gibson has interviewed each of the last eight American presidents, and has also anchored many broadcasts from Republican and Democratic national conventions, as well as presidential inaugurations. In 2004 he was chosen to moderate the 90-minute town hall style debate between President George W. Bush and Senator John Kerry that was watched by 47 million people around the country.

Additionally, he has interviewed leaders from around the globe, including Kofi Annan, Tony Blair, Nelson Mandela and the late Yasir Arafat. He reported from Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt, in October 2000 to cover the Middle East peace summit, and traveled to Israel in April 2002 to cover the crisis of suicide bombings. In 1995, just hours after the funeral of Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin, Gibson conducted a live interview with widow Leah Rabin in her home in Tel Aviv. In April 1999, he reported from Macedonia's tent cities for refugees from Kosovo.

Diane Sawyer to Become 'World News' Anchor

Sawyer joined ABC News in February 1989, as co-anchor of "Primetime." In addition to that assignment, she was named co-anchor of "Good Morning America" in January 1999. She currently co-anchors the morning news program with Robin Roberts, where the duo made network television history as the first female co-anchor team. In August 2009 "GMA" was recognized with its third consecutive Emmy Award for outstanding morning program.

Sawyer was the first journalist to speak with then Sen. Barack Obama after his Iowa Caucus win. Sawyer also reported "Portrait of a President," two hourlong specials that offered new insight into candidates Obama and McCain and their families.

In 2006, Sawyer's report on the crises in the foster care system was recognized with the Robert F. Kennedy Journalism Award. In January 2007, she delivered a moving and eye-opening report on poverty in America. "Waiting on the World to Change" gave viewers insight into the lives of families in Camden, N.J., the poorest city in America. Sawyer and her team of producers also spent two years in the hills of Appalachia reporting the February 2009 special, "A Hidden America: Children of the Mountains."

In October 2006, Sawyer traveled to North Korea and brought viewers an unprecedented look inside that secretive country. The first American journalist to ever report live from North Korea, Sawyer also anchored "North Korea: Inside The Shadows," an hourlong primetime special that included interviews with key government and military officials and new information on what life is like for North Koreans.

In February 2007, Sawyer traveled to Syria and Iran, where she conducted exclusive interviews with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. In April 2008, Sawyer anchored "GMA" from Afghanistan and Saudi Arabia.

Prior to joining ABC News, Sawyer spent nine years at CBS News. There she made history as the first female correspondent for "60 Minutes." She also co-anchored the "CBS Morning News" and was CBS News' State Department correspondent. While at CBS, Sawyer covered the 1980,1984 and 1988 national political conventions as a floor and then podium correspondent.

Sawyer was part of the Nixon-Ford transition team from 1974 to 1975 and assisted former President Nixon in the writing of his memoirs in 1974 and 1975. She began her career in broadcasting in 1967 in Louisville, Ky., where she was a reporter for WLKY-TV until 1970.

A native of Glasgow, Ky., and raised in Louisville, Sawyer received a B.A. from Wellesley College and completed a semester of law school before embarking on a career in broadcasting.