Will Bequeathed to Fox News

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Bowtie-wearing, Chicago Cubs-loving, Pulitzer Prize-winning  conservative commentator George Will is jumping ship from ABC News after three decades to join Fox News.

Originally reported by the Daily Caller conservative Web site, as well as by The New York Times and mediabistro.com TV Newser Web site, Will has been a panelist on ABC's Sunday morning gabfest This Week since the program debuted with host David Brinkley in 1981. Reportedly, the 72-year-old Will, who resides in Washington, D.C., tired of travelling to New York City, from where This Week largely is broadcast nowadays.

Will is going to appear on a variety of Fox News shows, including Fox News Sunday with Chris Wallace and Special Report with Bret Baier. Will, who was editor of The National Review and has taught at Harvard, every so often takes Republicans to task, harshly criticizing Newt Gingrich and Sarah Palin, for example. Still, unforgiving liberals recall his ethically questionable help preparing Ronald Reagan for his presidential debate with Jimmy Carter in 1980 and then, as an ABC commentator, declaring Reagan the debate's winner.

Only at Fox News would adding a 72-year-old cranky White guy to the stable of commentators constitute diversity. Hard to top the observation of Politico columnist Roger Simon who said the effect of Will's move from ABC to Fox was to raise the IQ of both organizations.

ABC News Taps Amanpour to Host 'This Week'

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Barring a last-minute blow-up, ABC News is expected to install longtime CNN Chief International Correspondent Christiane Amanpour as host of its Sunday morning gabfest "This Week."

Amanpour, 52, who joined CNN as an entry-level assistant in 1983, has hosted a 30-minute interview series on CNN, immodestly titled Amanpour. She would succeed George Stephanopoulos, who has moved over to co-host ABC's Good Morning America.

Amanpour, an award-winning foreign correspondent, has previously been based in London and New York City, where she presently resides with her son and husband, a State Dept. spokesperson and former Asst. Secretary of State. Not known for her political reporting, Amanpour's ease strolling through war zones would likely smooth her transition to Beltway brawling in Washington, D.C.