TV TV Blog Popwrap Linda Stasi Michael Starr Phil Mushnick Reviews Listings Last Updated:Sun., Jan. 9, 2011, 10:00pm Andrew Cuomo Katy Perry Mark Sanchez Natalie Portman WikiLeaks PicsPostToday in Pictures Story Comment WHO ME?: Nancy O'Dellsays "ET"job wasa totalsurprise.Nancy O'Dell swoops in to take top H'wood TV job By MICHAEL GILTZ Last Updated: 5:16 AM, December 30, 2010 Posted: 11:33 PM, December 28, 2010 Comments: 4 Like Sign Up to see what your friends like. 11 TV is filled with stories of stars who moved in at the last minute to snatch up a marquee job.</p><p> Jay Leno cut in front of David Letterman when Johnny Carson retired.</p><p> Dan Rather hip-checked Roger Mudd out of the way for Walter Cronkite's chair.</p><p> When it was announced a few weeks ago that Nancy O'Dell would be succeeding the retiring "Entertainment Tonight " anchor Mary Hart -- and not Lara Spencer, the longtime host of the "The Insider " and Hart's heir apparent -- you could have heard a pin drop on Hollywood Boulevard.</p><p> It's one of the more astonishing TV coups of the past few years and O'Dell, who quit her job as anchor of " Access Hollywood " last December, promises it wasn't planned.</p><p> First of all, O'Dell told The Post, she stillhad two years left on her contract. "And I'm sure 'Access' wouldn't have let me out of my contract if they had known" that "ET" was interested, laughs O'Dell.</p><p> That's sort of the point.</p><p> Everyone in the TV business believed the job was taken.</p><p> Last August, when Hart announced she was leaving "ET" after nearly 30 years, itwas widely believed Spencer would get the top job. "ET" executive producer Linda Bell Blue had reportedly coaxedSpencer to move her family to LA with the promise of eventually replacing Hart.</p><p> But, according to an industry insider, the decision to go with O'Dell was CBSboss Les Moonves' (his network owns "ET"), who apparently believed O'Dell was the best way to maintain warm tiesto celebrities.</p><p> O'Dell says she anticipated none of this when she walked away from "Access." More Print Sponsored Links Online Six Sigma Training Earn A Six Sigma Master Certificate Today FromVillanova University.</p><p> Entertainment Twang wreck There's no craft in this 'Witch' Way-out Oprah Home TVMovies Music Fashion Theater Food Travel Pets Events Comics & Games Columnists Blogs Horoscope Lifestyle NYC Local Business OpinionNews Aretha: I'm OK DETROIT — Aretha Franklin says the undisclosed ailment that led...</p><p> Gossip Celeb Photos PopWrapPage Six Eatery role "Entourage" creator Doug Ellin is batting around ideas for Amar'e...</p><p> Teams High Schools Scores Sports 'Rock star' PHOENIX -- Facing a phalanx of cameras at shootaround this...</p><p> PHOTOS VIDEOS BLOGS 31 ° Today's Paper Login Register Classifieds Archives Subscribe More in Photos Click on Each Photo Video More in Videos Fran Drescher Disses President Obama, Plans to Run For Congress Wed, 24 Nov 2010 18:56:41 GMT EXCLUSIVE: Lindsay Lohan’s Team Says SheWasn't Fired From 'Inferno' Fri, 26 Nov 2010 05:07:33 GMT Black Eyed Peas to Perform During Super Bowl's "I had feelers out there and had taken meetings," she says.</p><p> But there'd been no promise of an "ET" job.</p><p> She landed a few smaller jobs right away: a reality competition show for Oprah Winfrey's OWN network thatdebuts next month, as well as a chance to host Fox's New Year's Eve special this Friday night.</p><p> It all came about because O'Dell was unhappy at "Access Hollywood," sources say."It didn't feel like the right fit anymore," says O'Dell. "I think after you reach a certain level of maturity and a certain point in your career and you know what you want and what you feel goodabout, you know when it's time to make a change. " 'ET' is the gold standard," she says. "Celebrities trust it and they know what they're going to get when they go on.</p><p> Obviously, audiences like it too." Her first day on the job at "ET" -- where she is a correspondent until next May -- "felt weirdly like home," says O'Dell. "The people feel right, the executives feel right, the fellow correspondents feel right, the way the show is -- the classiness -- feels right.</p><p> It was such a great confirmation.</p><p> Yeah, I felt I made the right decision." As O'Dell jokes, the switch isn't that jarring."Everybody already thought I worked at 'Entertainment Tonight' anyway," she says. "It was frustrating when I worked at 'Access' . . .</p><p> I would walk through an airport and people would say, 'Nancy O'Dell! Da-da-da-da-da-da!' They'd sing the 'Entertainment Tonight' theme song!" Like Sign Up to see what your friends like. 11 More PrintNYPOST Comments (3) Eileen P 12/30/2010 2:28 AM Love...love...love Nancy!!! ET made the right choice.</p><p> Nancy will be awesome! Access Hollywood's loss is most definitely ET's gain! lisalisa 12/30/2010 2:19 AM Nancy really is the best...beautiful, genuine and a real pro.</p><p> I'll be very happy to see her on ET!DreamInsider 12/29/2010 4:17 PM AM DISAPPPOIONTED ABOUT O'DELL.</p><p> WAS LOOKING FORWARD TO A BRAND NEW EXCITING PERSONALITY.</p><p> O'DELL IS NOT THAT! 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