Meredith Vieirasigned off from ‘TODAY‘ for the last time Wednesday morning after five years on the job.
The co-host of the NBC program decided in April to leave the show, passing the baton to colleague Anne Curry.
“It’s tough. It’s a hard one. Very mixed emotions. I’m looking at everybody right here and wishing I … no, I know it’s right, but it’s hard,” Vieira said at the top of her last show.
Matt Lauer got right to it in the early part of the show and with Al Roker, Curry and Natalie Morales on hand, introduced a playful montage of some of Merdith’s most memorable moments.
“It’s been a privilege working with you over these past five years,” Lauer said. “And I know the folks at home have enjoyed starting their day with you as well. It has been a great ride.”
Becoming emotional, Vieira spoke about the “power of this show to really reach people and it’s such a blessing to have had that ability. I’m so honored to have sat with all of you.”
Quick with the wit, she added, “Most of you.”
Meredith made the official announcement of her departure last month after rumors that she planned to leave the show popped up in April.
“After months of personal reflection and private conversations between my family and my friends, I’ve decided to leave ‘Today,’ in June,” she said, sitting a couch next to Curry, Matt Lauer and Al Roker.
Vieira has hosted NBC’s ‘Today’ for the past five years with Lauer, taking over for Katie Couric when she decided to the leave the show in 2006. Before taking on the early morning role, Vieira was the original moderator on ‘The View.’
As co-host of the popular show, Vieira has had her fair share of interesting experiences — all caught on camera for the world to see. ‘The Today Show’ has been replaying some of Vieira’s top moments this week, leading up to today’s farewell show.
‘Today Show‘ co-host Meredith Vieira is officially leaving the NBC morning show, she announced during Monday’s broadcast.
“After months of personal reflection and private conversations between my family and my friends, I’ve decided to leave ‘Today,’ in June,” she said, sitting next to Matt Lauer and Al Roker.
Vieira, who has co-hosted the show with Lauer for the past five years, said she has decided to spend more time with her husband, who suffers from multiple sclerosis, and their three children.
Ann Curry will take over Vieira’s chair, and NBC correspondent Natalie Morales will take over Curry’s news desk position.
“I feel like the high school computer nerd who was just asked to the prom by the quarterback of the football team,” an emotional Curry said, calling Vieira a “gift to this broadcast” and if it was her choice, Vieira would stay on ‘Today.’
Vieira said her goal is to stay in the NBC family, just not on the ‘Today Show’ couch.
Kate Hudson appeared on the Today Show yesterday where she showed off her engagement ring to Matt Lauer during an interview with him and what a ring it is.
Speaking about the engagement to Muse’s Matthew Bellamy she said “I haven’t really announced it, I was waiting for someone to notice,” she also said that the proposal was “romantic and sweet”.
Rumors first started swirling that they were engaged back when they announced she was expecting a baby back in January, there’s no word on when the couple will walk down the aisle.
I’m shocked that this relationship seems to be lasting given her track record with men.
This week has been full or rumors and reports of people leaving their seats as TV journalists and presenters, the latest comes in the form of Matt Lauer who is supposedly leaving The Today Show when his contract expires next year.
Entertainment Tonight report that Lauer’s contract expires on December 31st 2012 and he has no intentions to sign the dotted line on another contract. This comes hot off the heels of the news that his co-presenter Meredith Vieria may not renew her contract for Today when it expires later this year. Today show bosses released a statement saying:
“There seems to be an awful lot of speculation around news anchors these days, and it’s not our practice to comment on any of it. Matt Lauer has a long term contract with NBC News and ‘Today.’ The Today Show anchors are currently under contract and firmly in place.”"
This all comes with the news that Matt’s former Today Show co-host, Katie Couric, is also leaving her gig on the Evening News after joining the show back in 2006.
Now there are rumors that both Matt and Katie are planning on teaming up with Jeff Zucker, the former Today Show exec producer, and launch their own show. I guess time will tell how this all pans out.
President George W. Bush says that when he heard Kanye West say, “George Bush doesn’t care about black people,” “it was one of the most disgusting moments in my Presidency.”
Bush has taped an interview with Matt Lauer that will air on a special prime time Matt Lauer Reports on NBC Nov. 8. It’s to promote his forthcoming book, Decision Points.
The subjects of the interview are wide-ranging, but the former President is very passionate on the subject of West’s criticism of the way Bush handled the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. NBC has released some quotations from the interview.
“He called me a racist,” Bush tells Lauer. “And I didn’t appreciate it then. I don’t appreciate it now. It’s one thing to say, ‘I don’t appreciate the way he’s handled his business.’ It’s another thing to say, ‘This man’s a racist.’ I resent it, it’s not true.”
Lauer quotes from Bush’s new book: “Five years later I can barely write those words without feeling disgust.” Lauer adds, “You go on: ‘I faced a lot of criticism as President. I didn’t like hearing people claim that I lied about Iraq’s weapons of mass destruction or cut taxes to benefit the rich. But the suggestion that I was racist because of the response to Katrina represented an all-time low.’
President Bush responds: “Yeah. I still feel that way as you read those words. I felt ‘em when I heard ‘em, felt ‘em when I wrote ‘em and I felt ‘em when I’m listening to ‘em.
Lauer: “You say you told Laura at the time it was the worst moment of your Presidency?”
Bush: “Yes. My record was strong I felt when it came to race relations and giving people a chance. And it was a disgusting moment.”
Lauer: “I wonder if some people are going to read that, now that you’ve written it, and they might give you some heat for that. And the reason is this — “
Bush [interrupting]: “Don’t care.”
Lauer: “Well, here’s the reason. You’re not saying that the worst moment in you’re Presidency was watching the misery in Louisiana. You’re saying it was when someone insulted you because of that.”
Bush: “No, and I also make it clear that the misery in Louisiana affected me deeply as well. There’s a lot of tough moments in the book. And it was a disgusting moment, pure and simple.”
The full interview will air on the Matt Lauer Reports special on Nov. 8 at 8 p.m., the day before the former President’s book is published.
Dina Lohan defended the way she raised her daughter Lindsay Lohan in an oft-tense interview with ‘Today‘ host Matt Lauer, saying she had to let the troubled actress go through personal trials in order to emerge a better person.
“As a parent, you have to let them go a little bit,” she said during the Friday morning chat. “When she went out to Los Angeles when she was 19, I had to let her live and fall and fail and survive. Without failure, there’s no success.”
Dina stressed that she does not condone Lindsay’s behavior — “You can’t make your child not go out and go to a club and not get behind the wheel of a car” — and confirmed reports that Lindsay will be released early from rehab, but declined to say exactly when.
Dina Lohan said her daughter, currently in court-ordered rehab, was doing “wonderfully” after 14 days in jail for a DUI probation violation. The showbiz mom blasted Judge Marsha Revel for going “overboard” with her sentence and reveled in her recent recusal of the case.
“The judge played hardball. Lindsay was in with alleged murderers and she’s become friends with a lot of them. Lindsay rolled with the punches and she’s doing wonderfully.”
So basically, everything was the judge’s fault. Clearly Dina Lohan is an enabler, and in complete denial. I don’t know who I loathe more, cause Michael Lohan is just as bad.
I seriously laughed when she accused Matt Lauer of reading TMZ.
It’s reportedly over between Matt Lauer and his wife of 12 years, Annette Lauer.
Amid new accusations of cheating by his Dutch-born model wife, the National Enquirer reports that Lauer has moved out of the family home.
However, according to a Today show insider, the couple have been living apart for about two months, and Annette is no longer wearing her wedding ring.
According to the show insider,
“Matt is trying to keep this [split] on the down low.” In addition, sources say that Lauer’s NBC bosses are pressuring the presenter to maintain his image as a solid family man to appeal to his largely female audience.
The source goes on to say, “Matt is still very involved in his children’s lives. He goes to the family apartment after he finishes his Today duties to see the kids – and picks them up from school.
“For their sake, he and Annette plan to continue getting together on weekends – and they’ll go to their house in the Hamptons.”
Rumors initially flew when Matt stood Annette up for Valentine’s Day, choosing instead to stay in Vancouver, where a source says Matt has often been spotted boozing and flirting with women.
Adding fuel to the fire, Matt decided to stay behind in Canada after the Today Show crew returned to New York at the end of the Olympics.
Cue the sex scandal and/or the sex tape… this stuff is becoming so dang predictable!
source: REPORT: Matt Lauer And Wife Split [radar online]
Matt Lauer was riding his bike over the weekend, probably pretending he’s in the Tour de Frace, when a deer jumped in front of him, causing him to flip over the handle bars and injuring his shoulder.
Deer: 1, Lauer: 0.
Lauer — who was scheduled to have surgery Monday — hopes to return to the show later this week. Co-anchor Meredith Vieira told viewers that Lauer “thinks the deer was hired by the competition.”
“I hired the deer,” Vieira cracked, “but I said, ‘Just graze him.’”
Tom Cruise appeared on NBC’s Morning show today and publicly apologized to host Matt Lauer after calling him “glib” back in 2004.
The pair who had a fight back in 2004 on air over Tom criticizing Brooke Shields for taking anti-depressants seemed to let the past be the past.
On the infamous interview Tom said “I thought about it a lot. It was a subject matter that was important. And now it’s being debated in the public, which it should be. But looking at it, it’s not what I had intended. It came across as arrogant. That’s one of those things I could have handled better.. It’s not the person I am… I learned a lesson. I learned a really good lesson.â€
I didn’t think I would see the day when Tom Cruise apologized on television.
In June, Richie Sambora checked into UCLA Medical Center to complete a detox program. Sambora stayed only a week and told Matt Lauer:
“I was just drinking too much, and I needed to get my life together. I’m still in therapy, but it’s good; it’s great. I feel fine.â€
Those good feelings must have gone by the wayside because Sambora is now hanging out with Lindsay Lohan at the Cirque Lodge in Utah. Sources are saying he checked into the facility last Monday.
So long before the Lohan-Sambora hook up rumors start?
Source: “Star Exclusive: Richie Sambora Back In Rehab!” [star]
