Holy moly, CNBC just had its most memorable segment in years.

Pershing Square Capital CEO Bill Ackman was on CNBC’s “Fast Money” responding to comments made by fellow billionaire investor Carl Icahn. The two have a feud going back more than 10 years.

Well wouldn’t you know it, Icahn called into the show, fireworks ensued, and the viewers were the real winners. Along the way Icahn dropped a few words that were not exactly family-friendly. Anchor Scott Wapner did his best to try and keep the peace.

WATCH:

People across the country today participated in “Spirit Day,” wearing purple as a sign of support for LGBT youth. The movement, started by the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation, counted several visible people as champions of the anti-bullying cause: morning anchors, evening anchors and cable anchors on several networks were color-coordinated today.

On the morning shows:

On ABC’s “Good Morning America,” George Stephanopoulos and Robin Roberts participated, as did Ann Curry and Al Roker on NBC’s “Today.” All four co-hosts on “The View” — Barbara Walters, Whoopi Goldberg, Sherri Shepherd and Elisabeth Hasselbeck — were decked out in purple as well.

After the jump, see who on the evening news and who on cable participated. Read more

Some changes are coming to CNBC’s business block starting next Monday.

CNBC’s 11am show “The Call” (formerly known as “Morning Call”) which has been anchored by Melissa Francis and Larry Kudlow will be replaced by an extra hour of “Squawk on the Street,” TVNewser has learned. The new hour will be anchored by Carl Quintanilla from the NYSE, accompanied by Simon Hobbs, Rick Santelli, Gary Kaminsky and others. Kaminsky, along with David Faber, had been been fronting the network’s NoonET half hour “Strategy Session” which has also been canceled.

“Fast Money Halftime Report”goes to an hour at NoonET and will continue to be anchored by Scott Wapner.

Kudlow continues to host is 7pmET show and Francis will now co-anchor “Power Lunch” with Tyler Mathisen and Sue Herrera at 1pmET. As we reported last week, Michelle Caruso-Cabrera is moving off “Power Lunch” and has been named CNBC’s International Correspondent.

Internal memo from SVP and EIC Nik Deogun, after the jump…

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CNBC has decided on its new anchors for the 2-hour “Squawk on the Street” morning show. The business channel is tapping several veterans to fill the seat left vacant following the death May 25th of longtime anchor Mark Haines and the departure three weeks earlier of co-anchor Erin Burnett, now at CNN.

CNBC SVP Nik Deogun announced that starting tomorrow, Melissa Lee and Carl Quintanilla will co-anchor the show, with contributions from Jim Cramer, Simon Hobbs and David Faber.

As part of the changes, Quintanilla moves off “Squawk Box,” with a rotating group of anchors filling in on the network’s signature morning show alongside Joe Kernen and Becky Quick.

Lee continues with “Fast Money” at 5pm. Also, Scott Wapner has been named permanent anchor of “Fast Money Halftime Report” seen at 12:30pmET.

Cramer, who continues hosting “Mad Money,” will appear in the 9amET of “Squawk on the Street,” while Hobbs, who has been filling in on SoS, will co-anchor the 10amET hour with Lee and Quintanilla.

More details in Deogun’s note to staff, obtained by TVNewser, after the jump…

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Maria Bartiromo greets the crowd at her book party tonight. As CNBC president Mark Hoffman, correspondent Scott Wapner and anchor Trish Regan look on.

We’re just back from the Empire Hotel on Manhattan’s Upper West Side where CNBC threw a party for anchor Maria Bartiromo on the publication of her new book, “The 10 Laws of Enduring Success.”

We talked with several of Bartiromo’s CNBC colleagues including anchors Trish Regan, who pulled out the Blackberry to show us a picture of her twins, now four months old. “I’m turning into one of those people.” As we were chatting, NBCU CEO Jeff Zucker came up to say hello. He was shown the baby pictures too.

Also here toasting Bartiromo, Melissa Lee and Melissa Francis, who’s just weeks away from delivering her second child. “Another boy,” says Francis. “I feel like I’m starting to be surrounded.”

Scott Wapner, Sharon Epperson, Michelle Caruso-Cabrera and Bob Pisani rounded out the CNBC anchor/reporter corps.

Bartiromo told us she’s been going non-stop for weeks. “And that says a lot for me,” she says. After an introduction from CNBC president Mark Hoffman, Bartiromo thanked her co-author Catherine Whitney and her CNBC colleagues.

Former GE chairman Jack Welch among the guests.

More pictures after the jump…

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CNBC is calling this first week of 2010 “Tech Week,” featuring special coverage across the network and ending with live reports and anchored shows from the annual Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.

It’s Apple night tomorrow and Tuesday with two documentaries: “Welcome To Macintosh” and “MacHEADS” which tell the story of how Apple came to be.

Wednesday, at 10pmET, CNBC’s David Faber presents “Marriage from Hell: Breakup of AOL Time Warner.” And Thursday, at 10pmET, “Plant of the Apps” hosted by CNBC’s Scott Wapner.

CNBC will broadcast live from CES Thursday and Friday as Maria Bartiromo anchors “Closing Bell” and “The Wall Street Journal Report” from NBC Universal’s studio at the show. NBC Universal is the CES broadcast partner.

CNBC’s Media & Entertainment Reporter Julia Boorstin, and CNBC’s Silicon Valley Bureau Chief Jim Goldman, will provide coverage and interviews from CES throughout CNBC’s Business Day programming.

• I’ll be covering CES again this year for several mediabistro.com blogs including TVNewser, WebNewser and eBookNewser…

> CNBC is tapping into the mixed martial arts craze with a new doc called “Ultimate Fighting: Fistful of Dollars.” Correspondent Scott Wapner travels to Germany for the UFC’s first-ever event in mainland Europe, tonight on CNBC.

> “Good Morning America” has announced the three cities selected to decorate the Times Square studio windows this holiday season. Designs from Las Vegas, San Antonio and San Francisco will be unveiled the week of November 29.

> Tonight BBC World News America heads to Greenland for an in-depth look at how rising temperatures are being seen as both a threat and an opportunity. The show airs on BBC America at 7pmET/PT.

> “Welcome to the Nantucket Film Festival — where Jews come to be honored,” cracked NBC’s Brian Williams, as he emceed the annual Film Festival this weekend. The event honored actor/director Harold Ramis. “I never thought I’d say this but how do you follow Brian Williams?,” joked Ramis.

> NPR’s Scott Simon will guest anchor BBC World News America tonight sitting in for Matt Frei. Frei is in Pakistan preparing reports for a special series later this week.

> Wednesday, July 29, CNBC debuts “Ultimate Fighting: Fistful of Dollars.” Scott Wapner travels to Germany and goes inside the UFC Octagon with controversial front man Dana White, and billionaire backers Lorenzo and Frank Fertitta.

After another huge drop in the markets today, the business networks will have special programming tonight:

• CNBC will air its live, “Wall Street Crisis: Is Your Money Safe?” from 7-9pmET. Larry Kudlow and Michelle Caruso-Cabrera anchor at 7 and Mark Haines, Scott Wapner and Caruso-Cabrera at 8. Live programming from CNBC Asia airs at 1amET.

• Liz Claman and David Asman anchored through a preempted “Happy Hour,” and “Cavuto” and “America’s Nightly Scorecard” will have special coverage of the market’s fall. Overnight, Sky Business Australia will be simulcast live, and FOX Business Morning begins an hour early, at 4amET.

• As reported earlier, Bloomberg has decided to keep the debates going, with the economic policy directors of both presidential campaigns. Peter Cook moderates.

The premiere of the CNBC documentary “American Originals: Budweiser” Thursday night drew 405,000 Total Viewers and 181,000 in the A235-54 demo. That’s a 5th place finish among the cable news networks in Viewers but 4th place (ahead of Verdict on MSNBC) in the demo.

And the Scott Wapner-reported doc didn’t have the benefit of a “Deal or No Deal” lead-in, which usually performs very well for CNBC.