C-SPAN, which was covering the dinner live before it was cool, will kick off coverage at 6:15 PM Saturday with red carpet coverage, as well as full, unedited coverage of the event. C-SPAN will also have some liveshots from BuzzFeed’s counter-programmed BBQ.

CNN is planning live coverage from 9-11 PM, hosted by Don Lemon, along with Brianna Keilar and Nischelle Turner. The first hour will feature “best of” moments from past dinners, with the second hour featuring the key speeches live. There will also be reports from the red carpet during the 6-7 PM hour.

Fox News will be covering the proceedings as part of “Justice with Judge Jeanine Pirro” from 9-11 PM Saturday. There will be some guests to talk about the festivities, and live coverage of the speeches in the 10 PM hour, TVNewser hears.

MSNBC will also have special coverage from 9-11 PM, with the first hour featuring “best of” highlights, and live coverage in the second hour. Craig Melvin will host.
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On ABC, weekday anchor George Stephanopoulos will anchor “Good Morning America” from Newtown. Elizabeth Vargas will join him from New York. ABC’s Josh Elliott, Amy Robach and Dan Harris will report from the scene in Newtown.

NBC’s “Today” will also have the weekday team in, with Matt Lauer and Savannah Guthrie anchoring from Newtown. Lester Holt, Erica Hill, Ann Curry and Willie Geist will contribute to the program.

Anthony Mason and Rebecca Jarvis will anchor “CBS This Morning Saturday” from Newtown. CBS will also preempt “48 Hours” Saturday night for a special report on the shooting at 10pmET.

Fox News will be live at 5amET with “Fox & Friends First.” An expanded edition of “Fox & Friends” will air from 6-10amET, and will be simulcast on FBN. The 10am-noon business block will be preempted for live coverage anchored by Jon Scott and Jenna Lee. Scott will also host an expanded two-hour “Fox Report” beginning at 6pmET. Mike Huckabee‘s program will be live from NYC at 8pmET and Jeanine Pirro and Geraldo Rivera will host their primetime shows from Newtown.

MSNBC will focus on the shooting during regularly-scheduled programming and will be live until at least 7pmET Saturday night.

On CNN, Ali Velshi and Jon Berman will anchor from 6-9amET. Soledad O’Brien will anchor from 9-11amET, Wolf Blitzer will anchor from 11am-1pmET and Don Lemon will anchor from 1-3pmET. O’Brien will anchor from 3-5pmET, and Blitzer and Kate Bolduan will anchor from 5-8pmET. Anderson Cooper will anchor from 8-9pmET,  Lemon and O’Brien will anchor from 9-10pmET, and Cooper will take over again from 10-11pmET.

On HLN, Nancy Grace will host a special on the shooting tonight at 8pmET. Dr. Drew Pinsky will host a special live hour at 9pmET.

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• MSNBC has officially upped Lauren Skowronski to VP of media relations. Skowronski had been director of media relations for MSNBC, and took over the department on an interim basis when PR chief Jeremy Gaines left the cabler earlier this year. “Lauren gets MSNBC,” said MSNBC president Phil Griffin in a statement. “She’s creative, a strategic thinker, whose proven track record has earned the trust and respect of our talent and management.”

• Speaking of PR, our sister blog PRNewser attended a Paley Center event featuring CNN anchor Soledad O’Brien. “The anchor said her upbringing “shaped her as an outsider, which was a challenge at times.” But from that experience she also learned “your bosses don’t have to love you, and you can still succeed if your work is good. It’s not a popularity contest,” she added.”

• Fox News host Jeanine Pirro is profiled in the New York Daily News as her semi-autobiographical novel Sly Fox (get it?) is released. “So then, is it likely that Dani will some day follow her creator’s footsteps into the political arena? And if so, will real-life characters find their way into her fiction again? ‘Yes, she will,’ promises Pirro. ‘And all I can say is that it will be an interesting book.’”

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ABC also obtained video of the killer, from when he was attending a science camp at 18 years old:

With President Obama visiting Colorado this afternoon, the cable news channels are going live tonight, even in hours that have traditionally been for pre-taped programming or reruns.

On Fox News, “Fox Report” will have live coverage at 7, with Colorado native Jon Scott anchoring, while Jeanine Pirro will anchor her program from Colorado at 9 PM. Update: FNC will be live at 10 PM now, too. On CNN, Don Lemon will anchor a two-hour special from Colorado from 8-10PM ET. On MSNBC, Chris Jansing will anchor from Colorado from 7-10PM ET.

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When the series began last month, Morales told TVNewser, “Of all the things I’ve worked on, I’m so passionate about this because I am a parent and a journalist. It’s so important to our country and to raising our kids with healthy attitudes and great confidence.”

See what you think. The next installment of “My Kid Would Never Do That” airs Sunday night at 7pmET/6pmCT with the topic of discrimination.

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MSNBC broke into “Lockup” at 8:07pmET. Paige Hopkins anchored live coverage which included additional information from entertainment reporter Courtney Hazlett.

CNN broke into “Black in America” at 8:11pm, with Don Lemon anchoring. Larry King phoned in and gave his thoughts, comparing Houston to Judy Garland who died at the age of 47, a year younger than Houston. “People should not die young,” said King. King also mentioned he’s attending Clive Davis‘s Grammy party tonight and would report tomorrow on reaction from guests. Davis was Houston’s mentor.

Fox News Channel ran a lower third graphic with the news as the pre-taped “Huckabee” aired. Update: Harris Faulkner broke in to “Huckabee” at 8:28pmET and began continuing coverage. After running an obituary story on Houston’s life, the newschannel took live shots from LA station KTTV FOX11, which hovered over the Beverly Hilton hotel, reportedly where Houston died and where the Clive Davis pre-Grammy party is to be held tonight. Judge Jeanine Pirro is covering the story in the 9pmET hour and Faulkner returns for live coverage from 10pm-1amET.

> More: ABC News aired a special report at 8:12pm, which, in the Eastern and Central time zones interrupted a Charlie Brown special. Anchor David Muir told viewers, “we want to alert parents who might have children in the room,” before reporting Houston’s death. Muir then updated the “World News” broadcast for the West Coast leading with the news at 5:30pmPT. “NBC Nightly News” updated with Jinah Kim in the Los Angeles bureau at 5:43pmPT. The “CBS Evening News” updated the West Coast versions of their newscast at 5:45pmPT and ran a crawl across the network earlier, at 8:12pmET.

> More: MSNBC’s Rev. Al Sharpton phoned into the network to share his thoughts as he’s known Houston for 20 years. He phoned into CNN later, around 9:30pm.

> More: Piers Morgan joined CNN’s coverage just before 10pmET and interviewed Simon Cowell who said he was “very upset” by the news. He also cleared up rumors that Houston was being considered for a spot as a judge on the “X-Factor.” “When people want to be on one

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It’s all hands on deck for the cable news networks, even though many of those hands will be in the path of Hurricane Irene (satellite image above from 2:17pmET.)

• Fox News is planning to preempt the business block tomorrow from 10am-NoonET as well as “Huckabee,” and Jeanine Pirro tomorrow night. “Fox & Friends” goes on an hour early. And Shepard Smith will be in to anchor much of the weekend coverage.

• CNN, which has its weekend programming originate from Atlanta, is planning extended coverage Saturday night from 8pmET-Midnight anchored by Kyra Phillips (whose fiance John Roberts is covering Irene from the Outer Banks for FNC) and Martin Savidge. Wolf Blitzer will anchor a 3-hour “Situation Room” from Washington Saturday from 5pm-8pmET. (Regular weekend night anchor Don Lemon is in Philadelphia where he’ll do a Q&A with TVNewser’s Gail Shister at the annual NLGJA conference tomorrow.) CNN is back on the air at 5am Sunday with T.J. Holmes, Candy Crowley picks up at 9am and NoonET, Fredricka Whitfield as usual in the afternoons and Sunday night programming from 6pmET-Midnight with Randi Kaye and Savidge.

• MSNBC’s Chris Jansing will anchor “Hardball” tonight at 5pm & 7pm, with a Hurricane focus. Thomas Roberts is on from 10pmET-Midnight. The network, which normally goes to tape on Saturdays and Sundays at NoonET will be in extended coverage all weekend. Veronica De La Cruz anchors early mornings, Alex Witt anchors until Noon, Tamron Hall from Noon-5pmET, Jansing from 5-10pmET and Roberts picks up at 10pm.

And it will be an especially long weekend for all the newsers who live and work in New York City. Mass transit (subways, buses, commuter railroads) in New York City and the suburbs will be shut down as of Noon tomorrow.

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CNN broke in at 12:13am with a simulcast special report from CNN International and anchor Natalie Allen; Fox News broke in at 12:14amET, with anchor Marianne Rafferty; MSNBC also broke in at 12:14am with Mara Schiavocampo anchoring and live chopper coverage from NBC affiliate WESH-TV in Orlando. By that time Anthony and her attorney Jose Baez had left the Orange County jail.

Moments later, pool video of Anthony leaving jail was aired on the networks.

Fox News also carried a news conference from the three journalists acting as the pool, including the AP’s Matt Sedensky and photojournalist Tony Zumbado. Zumbado has worked for NBC News in the past, including covering the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans.

FNC also carried helicopter shots from WOFL-TV which showed a small airplane that Anthony was reported to be getting on to a destination unknown to the media.

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Not in a fireworks sort of mood? Fox News Channel has scheduled a two-hour special focusing on the Casey Anthony trial this evening. The special will run from 9-11pmET, and will originate from Orlando, Florida. Judge Jeanine Pirro will host and speak to guests who will recap the trial and preview jury deliberations.

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CNN’s Anderson Cooper anchored the 10 and 11pmET hours of his show live, with the final 33-29 vote occurring at 10:30pmET and remarks from Gov. Andrew Cuomo at 11:22pm. Cuomo signed the bill into law later. When it goes into effect in 30 days, New York will become the sixth and largest state to recognize same-sex marriage.

MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow anchored beyond her normal 9pmET timeslot into the 10pm hour when the vote occurred. Maddow anchored until 10:41, before the network returned to its normal documentary programming.

Fox News was in the middle of a two-hour special on the Casey Anthony case hosted by Jeanine Pirro when it broadcast a Fox News Alert at 10:38pm. Marianne Rafferty anchored that alert as well as another at the top of the 11pm re-air of “The O’Reilly Factor” and others into the early morning hours.

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Around 1:30pmET, the cable news channels began continuing coverage of a shooting spree at an event sponsored by Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-AZ) outside a Safeway store in Tucson this morning. The shooting occurred around 11amMT (1pmET.) At 2:09pmET Fox News reported, sourcing  NPR, that Giffords has died. CNN and MSNBC would also report that Giffords had died, sourcing NPR. FNC’s Bret Baier, joining the coverage of Kelly Wright and Jamie Colby reports “multiple fatalities.”

Giffords, a moderate Blue Dog democrat who was just beginning her third term, was a guest on Fox News Channel just yesterday with Bill Hemmer. Hemmer joined FNC’s coverage around 2:10pm to talk about his interview. “She was proud of the fiscal discipline that she was bringing back to Congress and how important this was,” Hemmer said of Giffords who was proposing a congressional pay cut bill. Hemmer shared that during the commercial break he’d asked her about whether things in Washington were really going to change in the new Congress. Giffords told Hemmer that she was optimistic. “She was filled with vigor and enthusiasm,” he added.

The suspect is in custody. > New: Gunman identified as Jared Lee Loughner, who posted an eery video titled “My Final Thoughts.” We’ve included it after the jump. Also, his YouTube channel is written in the past tense: “My favorite interest was….” “I had favorite books…”

> Update: Fox News’ Peter Doocy reports that in addition to Giffords, four others have died, including a child.

> Update: On CNN, Sylvia Lee, a friend of Giffords talked about how there had been threats against Giffords’ office and that of Rep. Raul Grijalva (D-AZ).

> More: On MSNBC, Rep. Kent Franks (R-AZ): “I am mortified beyond words. Gabrielle Giffords and I are on different ends of the political spectrum, but there has never been one unkind or cross communication between us.”

> More: Pima County, AZ Sheriff Clarence Dupnick talking with MSNBC’s Alex Witt: “I think it’s time that we as a country take look at what kind of hatred we inflame with all the crap that goes on … I think it’s time that this country take a look at … the inflammatory crap that comes out out of some of the radio and TV.”

> Update: By 2:30pmET CNN, MSNBC and FNC had reported, through various sources, that Giffords had died. But those reports would soon be corrected. Around 2:50pmET Bret Baier explained the conflicting reports of Giffords’ death and her condition being critical:

We had three sources, one very reputable source on Capitol Hill, one federal official, law enforcement official on the ground in Arizona, and one federal law enforcement official in D.C monitoring the situation. Three different sources tell us that the Congresswoman had been killed in this shooting. Now, it appears according to her office and the hospital, that she is in surgery, and that the hospital has told the AP and Reuters that she is still in surgery and in critical condition.

> More: Shepard Smith took over anchoring on FNC at 3pmET.

CBS’s Russ Mitchell anchored special reports at 2pmET and again at 2:30pm. ABC’s David Muir anchored specials at 1:37pm and 2:37pm. MSNBC’s Alex Witt interrupted her own coverage on the cable network to anchor an NBC network special at 2:25pmET.

> Condition Update, 4pmET: Doctors are “very optimistic” about Giffords’ recovery. She was shot one time, “in the head, through-and-through.” The bullet, “went through her brain,” said a spokesperson in a news conference carried on the newschannels.

> Update: Fox News, MSNBC programming changes after the jump…

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The program, “Justice with Judge Jeanine” will premiere Saturday, January 8 at 9 PM ET, and will focus on the big legal stories of the week.

“Judge Pirro is one of the most respected judges and sought-after legal commentators,” said Fox news senior VP of programming Bill Shine, in a statement. “We’re thrilled to bring her experience and expertise to Fox News’ weekend lineup.”

Pirro also hosts the daily syndicated court show “Judge Pirro,” which is from Telepictures and Warner Bros. Television. That program currently airs on the Fox O&Os.

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The famed Oak Room at New York’s Plaza Hotel was the setting for a party last night to celebrate the launch of HLN’s “The Joy Behar Show“, premiering Tuesday at 9pmET. The party, thrown by Behar’s “The View” co-host Barbara Walters, was packed with boldface names from news and entertainment and from all the networks.

In introducing Behar, Walters joked about her new show, “We originally thought it was going to go to Starr Jones. Then we were sure it was going to be Rosie [O'Donnell]. But finally, finally it is Joy.”

Behar thanked Walters and her “new boss” at HLN, CNN Worldwide EVP, Ken Jautz. “He found me. I was a poor little girl on a network show, trying to get a word in edgewise.”

Behar tells us she is a little nervous, but more excited about the new show. Her first guest, was Johnny Carson‘s last guest: Bette Midler.

Behar’s soon to be HLN colleagues were all there: Nancy Grace, Jane Velez-Mitchell and A.J. Hammer. CNN anchors Larry King, Anderson Cooper, T.J. Holmes, and Ali Velshi. CNN correspondents Alina Cho, Jason Carroll, Suzanne Malveaux (up from D.C. for U.N. week), and Jeanne Moos.

From NBC Hoda Kotb and Dawn Fratangelo; soon to be Fox Business host John Stossel, Judge Jeanine Pirro, Joan Rivers the Rev. Al Sharpton, Vera Wang, Lorraine Bracco and Alan Alda.

Behar’s “The View” co-hosts Sherri Shepherd and Whoopi Goldberg were on hand. From CNN and CBS News Erica Hill, and her Saturday “Early Show” co-anchor Chris Wragge and his WCBS co-anchor, and former MSNBC anchor, Kristine Johnson

CNN executives Jim Walton, Ken Jautz, Susan Grant and Jon Klein.

We’d just arrived when guest Suze Orman began telling us her concern that there’s something fishy about losing her once-commanding lead our GMA co-anchor off. “It’s physically impossible to gain that much,” said Orman of the lead now held by Ashleigh Banfield.

• More pictures after the jump and Monday on TVNewser, an interview with Behar and Jautz…

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