Rick's farewell, Fitz's sure bet and - oh Boy - more fallout

Pretentious. Pompous. Barf. Different. Is this how we do it now? Some of the reactions from Twin Cities media insiders to Rick Kupchella posting a video, www.vimeo.com/4721933, about his departure from KARE 11 after 20 years.

Always a tad full of himself, in 2003 Kupchella reportedly remarked around the newsroom, I am the next Paul Magers, when the Anchor God of Twin Cities Television decided to leave for Los Angeles. "Oh, that is so ridiculous," Kupchella said when asked about the alleged remark.

While failing in his bid to succeed Magers, award-winning Kupchella has been a terrific reporter. Although colleagues are scratching their heads over his viMEo video, they are also giving Kupchella his due, saying that his plans to leave TV to focus on health-care-related documentaries and info and some kind of online news project are admirable.

Some broadcast insiders are interpreting Kupchella's departure this way: The weekend anchor didn't want to take a salary cut and/or possibly end up doing fewer of the cushy "Extra" assignments for the grind of more general assignment reporting.

KARE's news director Tom Lindner said: "I don't have a comment on that. I don't see his departure as anything of animosity. This guy's done incredible work; I think he's been given incredible opportunities, flexibility to do this work."

Of course, the fact that the video was posted before KARE's announcement is considered a clue that the parting is not quite as mutual as it is being portrayed. The video raised all kinds of questions, which I e-mailed Kupchella about. Even though he doesn't look like a three-piece-suit guy to me, the threads were nice looking, as was the hair and the makeup. Looks like it was shot in HD. The lighting was so perfect, one source quipped, it couldn't have been done at KARE.

In other recent media movements: KOOL108's Dan Donovan is gone after nearly 20 years there, as is fill-in Fox 9 weekend meteorologist Christine Clayburg. I have also been told to brace for a MAJOR BLOW-UP in KSTP-TV's newsroom (and perhaps the dreadful "TCL") that will be more attention-getting than quotidian House of Hubbard disarray.

"Blogger Guy" stupidly tried to outrun one of the fastest people in the NFL in two footraces (www.tinyurl.com/ohb7l8).

When "Bullet" Bob Hayes played for the Cowboys, I was fortunate enough to spend time with the fastest man alive. Knuckleheads kept walking up to Hayes, who was also an Olympic gold medal sprinter, eyeballing him and remarking that he didn't look so fast. Hayes said nothing, just smiled. Classy.

Far from 'punctual' Computer issues delayed the posting of my video of the Fall Out Boy appearance at the MOA Sunday. It's up now at www.startribune.com/lifestyle/45365832.html. Go see if you recognize any of the people chanting "FOB" or singing "Where is your boy tonight? / I hope he is a gentleman."

As you may or may not know, gentlemen don't keep you waiting one hour. The boys arrived late for the autograph signing scheduled for 2 p.m. and then went directly to an event for VIPs. Tacky.

Sandy Longie of Redwood Falls wrote in an e-mail: "I want to thank you for your article about Fall Out Boy's tardiness. My daughter and her friends were at the mall for six hours also. And, as a parent, I stood around waiting to get a picture of my kid getting an autograph from her favorite band."

"On the upside, the concert was perfectly on time," Longie wrote. "At the beginning of their set, Pete did announce how they like things to be on time, 'punctual' is the word he used."

That's laugh-out-loud funny.

But it was easy for me to see why Pete Wentz is the star of this crew. Even if he were not married to Ashlee Simpson, mother of their child Bronx Mowgli, Wentz has more star quality than his bandmates. Not that he was twinkling at the MOA. Wentz was the only member of the group who didn't look as though he needed to be taken to a vet for a dip.

Clown down on his luck All sorts of clowns from the entertainment world are out of work these days, but not many of them are wearing red noses, as you can see at www.startribune.com/video.