Today co-host Savannah Guthrie recently announced that she is getting married.

Guthrie said she is engaged to former Democratic political adviser Michael Feldman. This will be the second time the 41-year-old anchor has taken the trip down the aisle.

“We’ve been together four years, so, as he said, no one will accuse us of rushing into anything. We adore each other. Our families have been in-laws for years … they were just waiting for us to catch up!” Savannah Guthrie explained on the Today show.

She added, “I got engaged over the weekend. I just came in wearing this ring, hoping one of my colleagues would notice … and no one noticed!”

Michael Feldman called during the show to discuss the engagement and the upcoming wedding. Although the couple hasn’t set a proper date as of this writing, Guthrie’s husband-to-be said they would tie the knot “as soon as possible.”

“It’s not bad being the luckiest guy in the world,” Feldman said during his call.

Savannah also told viewers that she wasn’t sure what to make of her boyfriend’s behavior during their trip to the Caribbean. Apparently it took her a moment to realize what was happening when Feldman dropped to one knee to propose. She said it didn’t dawn on her while it was happening.

It didn’t take long after the announcement for Savannah Guthrie’s co-workers to start posting pictures of her ring on Twitter. Al Roker shared a photo of the impressive item on Instagram. He stated that he would love for the couple to tie the knot on the Today show.

“Savannah Guthrie and her engagement ring. Congrats to her and fiance Mike Feldman,” he captioned the image.

Matt Lauer also tweeted a picture featuring Guthrie and her ring. You can find the picture embedded below.

Big news from Savannah! twitter.com/MLauer/status/…

— Matt Lauer (@MLauer) May 13, 2013

Congrats to @savannahguthrie.Today throws a wedding!!! twitter.com/Studio1AErica/…

— Erica Levens (@Studio1AErica) May 13, 2013

Are you a fan of Savannah Guthrie? What do you think about the Today show co-host getting engaged to Michael Feldman?

[Image via Debby Wong / Shutterstock.com]

Savannah Guthrie Gets Engaged, Co-Workers Tweet Pictures Of Her Ring is a post from: The Inquisitr

New Jersey Governor Chris Christie will be taking on a new job soon: Morning show host.

The popular pol will co-host the second hour (that the 8am slot, mind you) of TODAY on May 24 when the struggling morning show comes to his home state. NBC said in a statement that the TODAY show is going on the road for its “Great American Adventure” tour during sweeps season.

The cast and crew of the program will go coast to coast and everywhere in between, hitting five major U.S. destinations in one week. They’ll start in Hawaii and end up in the Jersey Shore, still recovering from Hurricane Sandy.

Christie’s gig on the TODAY show isn’t the first time that NBC has solicited the help of a political figure for hosting. Republican Sarah Palin hosted the program back in April of 2012.

Though this is a fun piece of news for the New Jersey governor, he’s actually in headlines this week for a completely different reason. The New York Post revealed that Christie underwent an outpatient lap-band procedure in February, which is meant to help the 50-year-old lose weight.

Though Christie stresses that he made the choice to undergo surgery for his family and for his health, many political analysts also take it as evidence that he is indeed planning a presidential run in 2016, part of which would involve changing his image.

“I’ve struggled with this issue for 20 years,” he said. “For me, this is about turning 50 and looking at my children and wanting to be there for them.”

Are you a fan of Chris Christie?

[Image via: L.E.MORMILE, Shutterstock]

Chris Christie To Guest Host On ‘Today’ is a post from: The Inquisitr

Ann Curry “wasn’t good at her job,” said author Brian Stelter in his new book, Top of the Morning. Stelter went behind the scenes when Curry replaced Meredith Vieira on NBC’s Today show, only to get the axe a year later in the notorious Operation Bambi.

The New York Times staff writer and veteran reporter placed a lot of blame for ratings shift from Today to Good Morning America at the feet of the luckless Ann Curry. As far as Stelter is concerned, the ratings tell the tale — and the sorry truth is that Curry’s performance just didn’t cut it.

After 15 years, Good Morning America finally passed up Today in the ratings with co-host Ann Curry in the chair.

He also saved some blame for NBC itself, calling out the producers for letting the show get stale.

Whether Ann Curry was good at her job or not, Brian Stelter admitted that she faced an uphill battle for acceptance on Today. Calling the TV morning news business “Machiavellian” and “cutthroat,” he pointed out that hundreds of millions of dollars are at stake in the battle to win viewers.

Although Matt Lauer has claimed that he was unfairly attacked for Curry’s firing, Stelter didn’t paint an attractive picture of his role in Operation Bambi. NBC insiders, including Lauer’s co-host Kathie Lee Gifford, are reportedly furious about some of the accusations hurled his way.

An unnamed insider told Radar that Today show staff had lost what respect remained for Ann Curry in the wake of the book’s publication. According to that anonymous source, NBC blames Curry for somehow passing gossip to Stelter, either directly or by giving permission to her friends to speak with him.

According to that claim, “There is just so much negativity geared towards Matt and the bosses at NBC, that only a few people knew about, Ann included. Who would have the motivation to reveal such damaging information? Ann and/or her friends and allies.”

If so, Brian Stelter didn’t return the favor with some kind words for Ann Curry’s performance on Today. And, who knows, maybe he’s right.

With viewers defecting right and left to Good Morning America, is there anyone out there who actually watched to see whether or not Ann Curry “wasn’t good at her job?”

[Ann Curry photo by Rena Schild / Shutterstock.com]

Ann Curry ‘Wasn’t Good At Job,’ Says New Book [Video] is a post from: The Inquisitr

Meredith Vieira recently defended embattled Today show host Matt Lauer.

The former anchor believes the folks at NBC didn’t handle the controversy surrounding Lauer very well. Although many people believe he’s responsible for Ann Curry’s departure from the show, Vieira feels the network should shoulder some of the blame.

“Even if [NBC] blew it from a PR point of view, you’ve got to move on. I think what is happening to Matt is really wrong,” she explained to the New York Post.

As for the upcoming tell-all Top of the Morning, Vieira said she has no intention of reading the book since it deals with many of her friends. She added that she is “over it.”

“I’ve kind of been-there-done-that, and I don’t know what the interest is. I don’t want to get on a high horse, because I understand why people write it. I’m not trying to say he’s wrong to do it, but I look at it and it’s so personal to me,” she explained.

Meredith Vieira isn’t the only person associated with the Today show who has recently come to Matt Lauer’s defense. Kathie Lee Gifford recently wrote an open letter that addressed the situation surrounding the anchor and his recent troubles.

Gifford explained:

“No one seemed to be interested in the truth, and that was really frustrating for me because I have a deep sense of injustice about things. I don’t like somebody taking credit for something they had nothing to do with and I certainly don’t like somebody taking blame for something that they’re not responsible for.”

The letter continues:

“We the people of the Today show who work side by side, day by day, year in and year out with Matt Lauer are tired of unfounded and unrelenting stories by faceless characters regarding his character and reputation.”

What do you think about Meredith Vieira defending Matt Lauer? Do you feel that NBC should accept some of the blame for Ann Curry’s departure from Today?

[Image via Rena Schild / Shutterstock.com]

Meredith Vieira Defends Matt Lauer, Says NBC ‘Blew It’ is a post from: The Inquisitr

It has to be tough being TODAY host Matt Lauer. People really seem to hate him these days, and colleague Kathie Lee Gifford just can’t take it anymore. She wrote an open letter in defense of Lauer and got everyone on TODAY to sign it.

Lauer’s public image problems began just before Ann Curry’s controversial dismissal from TODAY, after which many in the audience and media industry cried foul, alleging that Lauer was the one who pushed her out. Following that rumor, several nasty reports seemingly confirmed that Lauer was the architect of Curry’s ousting, though TODAY bosses have officially denied the allegations.

After that, Lauer just couldn’t do anything right. The Curry drama never really died down, and rumors of Lauer’s own dismissal still abound.

Kathie Lee, co-host of TODAY‘s fourth hour, decided to write an open letter in support of Lauer, intended for publication as a full-page ad in USA Today. She got the entire cast and crew of the show to sign it in support (hundreds of people, sans Curry).

She showed it to Lauer, who was flattered, but asked her to keep it “in the family” rather than publish it.

So Kathie Lee showed it to the New York Daily News instead, and told the publication all about it.

“We read the same newspapers and saw all the media reports, and it was frustrating for all of us watching it day to day and feeling a little helpless,” Gifford said.

“No one seemed to be interested in the truth, and that was really frustrating for me because I have a deep sense of injustice about things. I don’t like somebody taking credit for something they had nothing to do with and I certainly don’t like somebody taking blame for something that they’re not responsible for.”

“We the people of the TODAY show who work side by side, day by day, year in and year out with Matt Lauer are tired of unfounded and unrelenting stories by faceless characters regarding his character and reputation,” reads the letter.

And humorously, it also notes: “No one has coerced us to sign this.”

[Image via: Rena Schild / Shutterstock.com]

Kathie Lee, Entire ‘Today’ Staff, Want You To Like Matt Lauer Again is a post from: The Inquisitr

Ann Curry was “tortured” by the Today Show staff, according to Brian Stelter’s new book Top of the Morning: Inside the Cutthroat World of Morning TV.

In his book, Stelter says the Today Show is run like a boys club and boys club president and co-anchor Matt Lauer developed a “growing indifference” to Curry and a “general meanness on set” towards his former co-star.

Also in the book, Stelter says Today’s executive producer Jim Bell made a blooper reel of Curry’s biggest on-air gaffs to show the staff, a move reserved only for Curry.

According to the book, the Today Show staff also gave Ann Curry a bad office location, and even the security staff made jokes at her expense.

In his book, Stelter writes:

“Many executives at the network never grasped how profoundly hurt and humiliated Curry remained — not just by her televised dismissal but by all the backstage machinations that led to that fateful morning. Curry felt that the boys club atmosphere behind the scenes at ‘Today’ undermined her from the start, and she told friends that her final months were a form of professional torture.”

Here are two more excerpts from Top of The Morning:

“At one point, the executive producer, Jim Bell, commissioned a blooper reel of Curry’s worst on-air mistakes. Another time, according to a producer, Bell called staff members into his office toshow a gaffe she made during a cross-talk with a local station. (Bell denies both incidents.) Then several boxes of Curry’s belongings ended up in a coat closet, as if she had already been booted off the premises. One staff person recalled that “a lot of time in the control room was spent making fun of Ann’s outfit choices or just generally messing with her.” On one memorable spring morning, Curry wore a bright yellow dress that spawned snarky comparisons to Big Bird. The staff person said that others in the control room, which included 14 men and 3 women, according to my head count one morning, Photoshopped a picture of Big Bird next to Curry and asked co-workers to vote on “Who wore it best?””

Apparently even Katie Couric had problems with Curry’s ambitions:

“Before she even arrived at Studio 1A, Curry’s ambition was legendary. In 1993, while anchoring an early-morning show called “NBC News at Sunrise,” Curry made a play for the weekend “Nightly News” slot. When it went to Brian Williams instead, she called the president of NBC News, Andrew Lack, at his home to express her frustration. When she eventually replaced Lauer as the “Today” news reader four years later, Curry jockeyed to fill in for Katie Couric every time Couric was away. According to several well-placed producers, Couric didn’t appreciate Curry’s eagerness. Producers said Couric thought Curry was melodramatic and, in a word that one used, “fake.””

Ann Curry felt “tortured” by the Today Show staff, but perhaps she had managed to get the last laugh. Stetler writes:

“On particularly bad days ‘Good Morning America’ beat ‘Today’ by a million viewers. Some of this was attributed to Curry’s fans exacting revenge. She was overwhelmed by condolences. ‘It feels like I died,’ she told colleagues afterward, ‘and I’ve seen my own wake.’”

With Good Morning America continuing to battle against The Today Show and fans still seemingly upset with the back stabbing and behind the scenes antics, perhaps its time for The Today Show staff to turn against the rest of the shows staff.

In the meantime, I simply don’t understand why Today Show fans don’t want to watch Al Roker suddenly turn into a frozen statue or talk about accidentally pooping his pants at the White House. Perhaps Ann Curry getting the boot from the show was the best thing that could happen for her.

[Image via David Shankbone]

Ann Curry ‘Tortured’ By Today Show Staff is a post from: The Inquisitr

The removal of Ann Curry from Today was dubbed “Operation Bambi” by the show’s producers. She was also “tortured” by staffers behind-the-scenes before she parted ways with the program.

Quite a few details about the host’s firing from the popular morning news program are being brought to light courtesy of New York Times reporter Brian Stelter’s book Top of the Morning.

The plot to fire Curry was dubbed “Operation Bambi” since some of the producers thought getting rid of her would be the same as killing the iconic Disney character.

“Curry felt that the boys’ club atmosphere behind the scenes at ‘Today’ undermined her from the start, and she told friends that her final months were a form of professional torture,” Stelter wrote in the book.

The “professional torture” Curry described allegedly came in the form of cruel jokes and pranks at her expense. A yellow dress worn by the host was referred to as “Big Bird” by Today staff.

Several workers are said to have moved Ann Curry’s belongings to a closet to make it appear as though she had already been fired by producers. An insider told Stelter that a blooper reel was made from the mistakes she made on-air and passed around.

The source added that “a lot of time in the control room was spent making fun of Ann’s outfit choices or just generally messing with her.”

Although news regarding Ann Curry and “Operation Bambi” are sure to cause quite a few headaches for people the people working behind-the-scenes at Today, the show isn’t quite ready to make an official statement on the matter.

“We are focused on covering several major news stories this week and producing the best show we can for our viewers, not on year-old gossip,” a rep show told The Huffington Post.

Brian Stelter’s Top of the Morning will hit shelves on April 23.

Are you a fan of Ann Curry? What do you think about “Operation Bambi” and the torture she received prior to leaving Today?

[Top Image via Rena Schild / Shutterstock.com Bottom Image via - Rena Schild / Shutterstock.com]

Ann Curry Firing Was Dubbed ‘Operation Bambi’ By Producers is a post from: The Inquisitr

President Barack Obama sat down with Today’s Savannah Guthrie for an interview just hours before yesterday’s tragic explosions rocked the Boston Marathon. The interview aired on this morning’s episode of Today.

“I think we got a good chance of seeing it pass if members of Congress are listening to the American people,” Obama said after Gurthrie opened up with questions about gun control legislation.

Obama asserted that 90 percent of Americans think lawmakers should make it tougher for criminals or people with serious mental illness to obtain a gun.

“So the notion that Congress would defy the overwhelming interest of the American people after what we saw happen in Newtown, I think is unimaginable,” Obama said.

The conversation shifted to the topic of North Korea, which has drawn the ire of the internationally community in recent weeks with persistent threats to South Korea, Japan, and US bases in the region.

“This is the same kind of pattern that we saw his father engage in and his grandfather before that,” Obama said. “Since I came into office, the one thing I was clear about is we’re not going to reward this kind of provocative behavior. You don’t get to bang your spoon on the table and somehow you get your way.”

When asked if this was the closest the US has come to war with North Korea under Obama’s watch, the president recalled an incident when North Korea shot down a South Korea fishing boat.

“That wasn’t just words, that was action,” he said.

The president predicted that North Korea will continue to provoke the international community in the days ahead, but he expects the country’s gestures to calm down enough for attention to shift over to helping the government provide food to its people. The US does not believe North Korea has the capacity to put a nuclear warhead on a missile, but Obama has ordered defensive measures just in case.

Guthrie then pushed Obama on his recent budget proposal, asking about his willingness to ask Democrats to make a difficult vote that he was not willing to do prior to his own re-election.

“What I tried to do is put forward a budget that I think is a realistic compromise,” Obama said. “It does not give Republicans everything they want. Frankly, it does not include everything that I would like to see. What it does is put forward some of the ideas that Republicans suggested around entitlement reform that I think are reasonable policy.”

Obama has attracted vitriol from the left over his proposal to make cuts to Social Security and other entitlement programs. While the president has not received enthusiastic support from Republicans, some, such as former vice presidential candidate Paul Ryan, have expressed optimism.

See Today‘s full interview with President Obama below:

Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Hours after the interview, two explosions went off at the finish line of the Boston Marathon. The premeditated attack left at least three people dead and over 100 wounded. Authorities are still investigating who was behind the attack.

“Any responsible individuals, responsible groups, will feel the full weight of justice,” Obama said in a televised statement given after the Boston Marathon explosions.

[Image by Elizabeth Cromwell ) [GFDL or CC-BY-SA-3.0], via Wikimedia Commons]

Obama Conducts Today Show Interview Just Before Boston Marathon Explosions is a post from: The Inquisitr

Joan Rivers have pointed the finger of blame at NBC executives for the drama taking place behind-the-scenes at Today.

Although many people have taken issue with Matt Lauer over the past several months, the opinionated comedienne said the host isn’t to blame for the show’s recent troubles. Rivers believes NBC executives are the root of the problem.

“It’s run by a lot of white men that went to Ivy League school and didn’t keep up with the times. You can’t sit on your laurels,” Joan Rivers told the folks at HuffPost Live.

Although the Fashion Police host believes that NBC should accept the blame for troubles at Today, she also had a few choice words for Ann Curry. NBC executives might be sitting on their laurels, but Rivers feels Curry was just boring.

“First of all, Ann Curry, with all due respect [makes snoring sound],” Rivers joked.

She followed up her critique of Curry’s performance by doing an impersonation of her interviewing technique.

“Do you really like coffee? Really? That’s making me cry that you like coffee,” the comedienne said.

She added, “I used to scream at the set, ‘Shut up, b****!’ But she’s a very nice woman, and I’ve heard Matt Lauer is a toughie.”

Joan Rivers also said that she thought it was wrong that Matt Lauer was getting blamed for the drama behind-the-scenes at the morning show. She called recent criticism of the host “unfair.”

Matt Lauer had a pretty rough go of it last week. In addition to facing rumors that Anderson Cooper could replace him on Today at some point in the future, the host also had to address reports that he “wasn’t very nice” to an intern years ago.

The week rounded out with a rumor that Savannah Guthrie flipped off Matt Lauer during a segment about vacuums. When Lauer suggested that Guthrie didn’t know how to use one, she allegedly gave him the middle finger. However, it was later proved to be her index finger.

[Image via s_bukley / Shutterstock.com]

Joan Rivers Blames NBC Executives For ‘Today’ Show Troubles [Video] is a post from: The Inquisitr

A stash of celebrity audition tapes hitting the auction block early next month shows that even A-list stars suffered rejection earlier in their careers.

The 54 audition tapes were obtained by Julien’s Auction House from three retired Hollywood casting directors who prefer to remain anonymous. Auctioneers Darren Julien and Martin Nolan talked about the rare tapes on the Today show earlier this week (see video below). In summary, “The tapes are not very high quality, but showcase some actors in the earliest years of their careers and shine a revealing light on just which actors went up for which roles, parts they weren’t always right for.”

In one audition, a 15-year-old Leonardo DiCaprio tries (and ultimately fails) to get a lead part on the TV version of The Outsiders. The role eventually went to Jay R. Ferguson (better known as Stan Rizzo on Mad Men), but the show only lasted one season.

Similarly, Brad Pitt, Robert Downey Jr., and Keanu Reeves apparently didn’t impress director Ron Howard, who cast Billy Baldwin instead for a role as Kurt Russell’s brother in the 1991 firefighter drama Backdraft.

The celebrity audition tapes also show Gwyneth Paltrow and Helen Hunt trying out for parts in Jurassic Park (Laura Dern got the gig.). Bidders can also try to buy the footage of the successful table read by Jennifer Connolly and Russel Crowe for A Beautiful Mind. Another tape also shows a tearful Nicole Kidman auditioning for Shattered, a role she later turned down. John Cusack’s auction for one of his first films, The Sure Thing, with Daphne Zuniga,

The celebrity audition tapes go up for auction on April 5 and 6 in Beverly Hills. The auctioneers admitted that they have had a hard time putting a valuation on the tapes. “We’ve never sold anything like this, so it’s hard to say,” Darren Julien conceded.

Rare Celebrity Audition Tapes Go Up For Sale [Video] is a post from: The Inquisitr

Matt Lauer has apologized to a former NBC intern on Twitter for not being a nice guy.

The embattled Today show anchor has been the subject of many rumors and reports over the past few months. His situation became even more complicated when a former intern said on the micro-blogging site that Lauer wasn’t very nice to him during his stay at the network.

Ohio reporter Mark Zinni was drawn into the Matt Lauer drama when one of his followers retweeted something he said about the Today host. Zinni claims that Lauer was “not too nice” when he was an intern at the network back in 1997. This was the year that Matt first took over hosting duties on the program.

Although Lauer generally doesn’t respond to folks who reference him on Twitter, he soon issued an apology to Zinni if he did something to offend him.

“Always tried to be nice, Mark. Sorry you didn’t think so,” Matt Lauer wrote. “Hope you’re doing well.”

Zinni soon addressed the controversy with the folks at FOX 8. The reporter said he “shocked” and “flattered” that Matt remembered who he was.

“If you know me, you probably know that I don’t take myself too seriously. So, my answer was more of a joke about being young and naive during my time at Today, but I added that he wasn’t nice to me. I didn’t slam the guy, I just made an honest comment,” the former intern explained.

Here’s the Twitter exchange that got people talking.

“I was just a young kid with a bright future ahead of me,” @markzinni talking about internship at @todayshow and “not so nice” @mlauer

— Darren Sweeney (@dwsweeney) March 26, 2013

The Twitter apology to a former intern comes days after reports circulated that NBC was looking to replace the host with Anderson Cooper. However, an NBC executive said that the network currently had no plans to get rid of Lauer despite viewer backlash.

“Matt Lauer is the best in the business. We want him in the ‘Today’ show anchor chair for many years to come,” NBC’s Alex Wallace explained.

What do you think about Matt Lauer apologizing to a former intern on Twitter?

[Images via Rena Schild / Shutterstock.com]

Matt Lauer Apologizes To Intern On Twitter is a post from: The Inquisitr

Anderson Cooper has reportedly been approached by the folks at Today as a possible replacement for host Matt Lauer.

A report surfaced on Deadline earlier today that suggested NBC executives had contacted Cooper about the position with the morning show. Word on the street is that Lauer was quite displeased that the network had contacted the journalist about possibly signing on.

Although initial reports suggested that Matt Lauer was unhappy about the arrangement, an insider at NBC told TMZ that the host was actually okay with Anderson Cooper replacing him on Today.

The source also explained to the website that Lauer and Cooper had originally planned to sit down and hash out the arrangement in private. However, the Today host later backed out of the meeting.

Tension between Matt Lauer and NBC executives has continued to grow in recent days. The host was reportedly unhappy with the network after they forced him to interview filmmaker John Ziegler. The director recently interviewed Jerry Sandusky for a documentary entitled The Framing of Joe Paterno.

“Matt feels that he was set up by producers to fail by participating in the interview with Ziegler,” an insider told Radar Online. “Matt didn’t think it was a good idea to air it to begin with. Jerry Sandusky is a convicted child rapist, and Matt’s feeling was, let’s talk to the victims.”

The source added, “However, he wanted to prove he was a team player and did it. Producers thought it would generate a lot of publicity, but no had any idea it would have garnered so much controversy.”

Anderson Cooper’s involvement with the morning show is just the latest rumor to make the rounds. Reports surfaced earlier this month that Matt Lauer could take over Jeopardy! should Alex Trebek decide to leave in 2016.

Lauer addressed some of these rumors at a recent upfront presentation.

“I would like to tackle a teeny white elephant in the room. We hate being in the news. We want to go back to being the most-watched morning program — and least talked about morning program,” he said.

Do you think Anderson Cooper would be a good replacement for Matt Lauer on Today?

[Top Image via Joe Seer / Shutterstock.com - Bottom Image via Rena Schild / Shutterstock.com]

Anderson Cooper Approached By ‘Today,’ Could Replace Matt Lauer [Rumor] is a post from: The Inquisitr

TODAY announced Friday that former TRL host Carson Daly will be joining the 9am hour of the struggling NBC morning show as a guest host this coming week.

Don Nash, TODAY‘s executive producer tweeted the coming week’s lineup on Friday. The third hour will be occupied by Willie Geist and Al Roker, while Carson Daly will sub for Natalie Morales.

Daly’s spot marks a departure from the normal way of choosing substitute co-hosts from NBC News. Lester Holt and Erica Hill, “Weekend Today” co-hosts, sat in for the third hour on Friday, for example. MSNBC anchor Tamron Hall also substitutes on TODAY, and Willie Geist did the same before being promoted to the third hour full time in November.

Daly currently hosts NBC‘s “The Voice.”

Other TODAY rumors suggest that the show is considering adding another person to the lineup due to Matt Lauer’s poor public image. Daly might be “auditioning” for a more permanent role on the morning show.

“Even if the person appeared only on the 9am hour, which Mr. Lauer is not a part of, such an addition would make TODAY more of an ensemble show, seemingly less dependent on his star power,” wrote Brian Stelter of the NY Times.

TODAY still hasn’t recovered from the negative publicity surrounding Ann Curry’s departure last June. NBC Universal News Group has been changing things up non-stop in an effort to improve the show’s ratings, and recent remarks from chairman Patricia Fili-Krushel seem to indicate that they’re still working things out.

“When you are No. 1, it’s easy to stop taking chances,” she said earlier this month, criticizing TODAY‘s apparent aversion to risk-taking. “I think we just stopped innovating.”

Do you think that Carson Daly could be moving toward a permanent position at TODAY?

Carson Daly Joins ‘Today’ As Guest Host is a post from: The Inquisitr

Should Jeb Bush run in 2016?

After eight years of President Obama, the highest office in the land will be up for grabs once again. It could go to Hillary Clinton, Joe Biden, or a surprise newcomer on the left. On the right, it could go to Marco Rubio, Chris Christie, or the “evil” Jon Huntsman. But there’s something missing, isn’t there? Don’t we need another Bush, at least in the line-up?

Former Florida Governor Jeb Bush appeared on TODAY Monday, saying that he hasn’t ruled out running for president in 2016, but that he won’t be declaring anytime soon.

“I have a voice, I want to share my beliefs about how the conservative movement and the Republican party can regain its footing, because we’ve lost our way,” Bush told Matt Lauer.

While Bush hasn’t ruled out a 2016 run he said, “I won’t declare today either.”

Instead, Bush talked about the current fiscal problems facing the White House and Congress, including the deep budget cuts going into effect in the coming weeks as a result of the sequester.

“The president kind of led the charge to say that widows and orphans were going to be out on the street, and so when it didn’t happen, he actually himself kind of stepped back on Friday and said it wasn’t going to happen that way,” Bush said.

He also opined that the impact of the sequester was “oversold” and that “people are just numbed by this dysfunction and they watch it with their peripheral vision.”

Bush also faulted the GOP and Mitt Romney for the 2012 election loss.

“Gov. Romney put himself in a box, I think, in the primary by trying to out(-conservative) conservatives, some very good conservative candidates, and never really recovered from it,” Bush said.

The key to the minority demographic, according to Bush, is immigration.

“It’s a gateway. If you set a tone that you don’t want people to be part of your team, they don’t join,” he said.

Bush himself supports immigration reform that grants legal status to illegal immigrants, so long as certain conditions are met.

“There has to be some difference between people who come here legally and illegally. It’s just a matter of common sense and a matter of the rule of law,” he said. “If we’re not going to apply the law fairly and consistently, then we’re going to have another wave of illegal immigrants coming into the country.”

Do you think that Jeb Bush should run for president in 2016?

Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Jeb Bush In 2016? Former Gov Hasn’t Ruled It Out [Video] is a post from: The Inquisitr

How good are the pickpockets in Las Vegas? We can’t speak for all of them, but one Vegas performance thief picked the TODAY show hosts clean with a routine that made sophisticated crime look like magic.

Apollo Robbins, known as “The Gentleman Thief,” is a Vegas performer and expert pickpocket who uses courtesy to disarm a target before making off with wallet, watch, iPod, and everything else. TODAY show hosts Matt Lauer, Willie Geist, and guest-host Ryan Seacrest demonstrated that even safe-zones like the front trouser or jacket pocket aren’t sacred to a sticky-fingered pickpocket who knows his way around one’s personal space.

Lauer, Geist, and Seacrest started the routine nervously standing far away from Apollo, who decided to demonstrate his “theatrical pickpocketing” skills by offering the three hosts an item of his own to hang onto. To Lauer, he gave his own personal wallet. To Geist, a $100 bill. Lastly, he handed Seacrest a pen.

While approaching the three hosts to hand them his items, he demonstrated some impressive sleight of hand that not even a slow-motion replay would have caught. After breaching the personal space of all three hosts, he asked them to check their pockets for the items he handed them.

They discovered that not only did Robbins make off successfully with the items he handed them, but a few more of their own personal items in the process. To Geist, he handed back identification and credit cards, as well as his watch which he was attempting to guard closely.

The most impressive act was demonstrated with Lauer, who wound up holding the pen Seacrest was given, with Geist’s $100 bill rolled up inside.

You can check out Apollo Robbins’s pickpocketing skills as demonstrated on the TODAY show’s hosts below:

TODAY Hosts Robbed Blind By Expert Vegas Pickpocket [Video] is a post from: The Inquisitr

Ann Curry allegedly asked the Today show to let her out of her contract so she can make the move to CNN. As previously reported by The Inquisitr, rumors about Jeff Zucker wanting the former morning show co-anchor to follow him to CNN began circulating earlier this month.

A Radar Online source allegedly close to the Today show had this to say about Curry’s alleged contract request:

“Ann wants out of her contract, big time. She has formally asked her attorney to explore exit options from the network. However, NBC bosses have indicated they are unwilling to release Ann from the contract. If Ann were to just quit, there is a non-compete clause, which would prohibit her from working for another news outlet for two years.”

Curry’s tearful good-bye from the Today show couch earlier this year sparked outrage with show fans. Matt Lauer has taken the brunt of the public backlash. The Today show has been beaten in the ratings multiple times after Curry’s demotion by top competitor Good Morning America.

Lauer’s popularity has reportedly taken quite a hit recently. NBC has allegedly urged Ann Curry and Matt Lauer to have lunch in a public place to help thwart the ongoing angst about the co-host’s departure, according to the New York Daily News.

The source also claims that Ann Curry’s attorney could be able to make a breach of contract case due to her change in stature on the Today show. Before making the move to CNN, Jeff Zucker was Curry’s old boss on Today. Rumors about Curry’s relocating to CNN also alleged that she would be given the prime time 8 pm slot, currently used by Anderson Cooper.

Ann Curry Allegedly Wants Out Of ‘Today’ Contract So She Can Move To CNN is a post from: The Inquisitr

Since people feel that Matt Lauer is the reason Anne Curry was fired from her position at Today, the host frequently has people yelling at him on the street of New York City.

TMZ reports that Lauer is a little “freaked out” about being blamed for his co-worker’s dismissal. In fact, sources explained that the co-host is “miserable” over the whole affair.

Anonymous sources also said that Matt Lauer feels hassled by New York City residents since he claims he had nothing to do with Curry’s departure from the show.

Folks have taken to shouting things like “You’re a bad guy!” or “You got Ann fired. Does that make you happy?” when they spot Lauer on the streets.

Some people have even started joking about Matt’s $25 million salary, which reportedly left him feeling “abused.”

“It’s driving him crazy. He’s so unhappy,” a source close to the network revealed.

According to Fox News, the drama surrounding the alleged problems between Matt Lauer and Anne Curry have caused some of the morning show’s crew members to split into two opposing camps.

Another source close to the network told the website:

“No one is at fault here. But things over there are not good, and this was the natural progression that happened. There are the people that love Ann because she’s so sweet and loyal and gives it her all. There are the people that adore Matt because he’s done so much for so many people.”

The New York Daily News points out that Matt Lauer was originally prepared for the backlash Anne Curry’s departure from Today might cause. At the time, the co-host was having to deal with a number of angry viewers on Twitter.

“They have an opinion and two thumbs, and that gives them the right to do whatever they want,” he explained.

Are you a fan of Matt Lauer? What do you think about the strangers who harass and hassle the Today co-host over Anne Curry’s departure?

Matt Lauer ‘Miserable’ That People Blame Him For Anne Curry’s ‘Today’ Departure is a post from: The Inquisitr

Today show anchor Mike Leonard retires after 30 years on the air, leaving in an emotional farewell with fellow on-air talent.

In his final segment on the Today show before retiring, Leonard gave viewers an intimate glimpse of his home life, showing his family as he celebrated his 65th birthday he shares with a grandchild. In the segment Mike Leonard paid tribute to his wife, who he said inspired him to “see the beauty in our everyday existence.”

Leonard noted that his wife, Cathy, worked hard behind the scenes to support him and allow him to go on-air to tell stories for the past 32 years, often using their home as a setting for filming.

“When the end comes, we often look back to the beginning and wonder how we ever made it through the pain, the fear, the worry, and the uncertainty,” Leonard said in his final segment on the Today show. “Where did our strength come from, and our inspiration, and our hope. Who pulled us through?”

As the Today show anchor retires, he also looks back on his career, recalling how he got his first on-air job in Arizona at age 30 after showing a news director his home movies.

Mike Leonard gained a reputation for his human interest stories, like one from February on James Hundley, the 63-year-old mailman whose route includes the building where Leonard’s son has a production studio. The story was one of Leonard’s favorites of his 32-year career, WPTV reported.

“Your stories … are a microcosm of you,” said Matt Lauer as the Today show anchor retires. “They all have incredible heart, they’re told with kindness, and hope, and modesty. They are understated and yet so powerful, and that is you in a nutshell.”

Today Show Anchor Retires: Mike Leonard Leaves After Three Decades On The Air is a post from: The Inquisitr

Ann Curry could be heading to CNN to work for her former boss, Jeff Zucker, who starts as the network’s new president in January, according to the New York Post‘s Page Six.

If Curry does join CNN, she could be taking over Anderson Cooper’s 8 pm time slot. Cooper would then move to a “Christiane Amanpour role” as a correspondent, which he has excelled at in the past.

“Jeff wants a headliner like Rachel Maddow or Bill O’Reilly in prime time,” the source told the Post. “He cannot allow the low ratings at CNN to continue…so he can’t hire a nobody. Curry fits that CNN-smarty-pants-foreign-affairs type.”

As we have previously reported, CNN’s outgoing president Jim Walton resigned in July over the network’s decreasing ratings. Walton said the station needed new leadership as it tried to bounce back from third place behind Fox News and MSNBC.

Zucker, the former chief of NBC Universal, was hired as the new president toward the end of November. He became a producer for the Today show in 1989 and was promoted to executive producer in 1996. Curry, who was replaced as co-host of the Today show in June, served as an anchor from 1997 until 2011 after previously serving as a replacement for Matt Lauer from 1994 to 1997.

The source told the Post that Curry’s messy departure from Today would boost her appeal if she does end up at CNN.

“Package her experience as a news anchor for 14 years at NBC with the sympathy that’s remained out there for her after the way the Today show treated her,” the source said.

CNN’s rep is dismissing the rumors, however, saying, “There is no shortage of rumors about what Jeff will do. He doesn’t start until late January, and any speculation at this point is just silly.”

An NBC rep said, “Ann Curry is under contract with NBC News.”

Do you think Ann Curry should move to CNN?

Is Ann Curry Heading To CNN? New Pres Wants Former Employee For 8 PM [Report] is a post from: The Inquisitr

Yesterday’s media blitz on Anne Hathaway’s Les Mis premiere wardrobe malfunction caught the actress’s attention this morning when she addressed her panty-less parade on the Today show with Matt Lauer.

Instead of talking about Les Mis, Lauer led with Monday’s wardrobe malfunction (he literally said the words “seen a lot of you lately” to Hathaway). Hathaway put on the self-righteous hat and gave the media a bit of a knuckle-rapping for running the photos and making such a big deal out of the whole thing.

“It was obviously an unfortunate incident. It kind of made me sad on two accounts. One was that I was very sad that we live in an age when someone takes a picture of another person in a vulnerable moment, and rather than delete it, and do the decent thing, sells it. And I’m sorry that we live in a culture that commodifies the sexuality of unwilling participants. Which brings us back to Les Mis [...] So lets get back to Les Mis.”

The Daily Mail reports that the 30-year-old actress was initially “devastated” by the shots, but she showed some serious poise on Today if you ask us. Of course, her seemingly smug response will cause that part of the internet that hates all-things Anne Hathaway to hate her all the more, but we have to hand it to her for how she handled this.

“Mom tone” and finger-wagging notwithstanding, this is exactly how you handle an embarrassing moment. You acknowledge it, and you move on quickly.

Nicely done, Anne Hathaway. Some may hate you, but we applaud you for how you handled your wardrobe malfunction. Here’s Hathaway on Today:

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Anne Hathaway Calls Wardrobe Malfunction ‘Sad,’ Blames Us [Video] is a post from: The Inquisitr

Jenna Bush Hager announced her pregnancy during a Today show segment on Wednesday. Former President George W. Bush will soon be a proud grandpa. The former first daughter and her husband Henry Hager will be cradling their first little bundle of joy in the spring.

Today host Matt Lauer began with a lead-in about holiday traditions when Savannah Guthrie followed up by teasing the audience that they have an ever larger story to report and asked Jenna Bush Hager if she had any news to report.

As previously reported by The Inquisitr, the Daily Mail ran an article yesterday afternoon dissecting Hager’s physical appearance and noting that her midsection had thickened. Thankfully, the British tabloid was correct and not merely pointing out that the young woman may have had a few too many cookies this Christmas season.

Jenna Bush Hager had this to say when she announced that she is expecting”

“I’m nervous and so excited to say that Henry and I are pregnant. Or I am pregnant.”

After the daughter of George W. and Laura Bush made her exciting announcement, her husband Henry walked onto the state carrying a bouquet of flowers. Once the flowers and hugs were exchange, it was time to phone the grandparents-to-be and get their thoughts on the new addition to the family. During the phone call the family joked about whether or not the former president would take a turn changing diapers, according to the Washington Post.

Jenna Bush and Henry Hager were married in Crawford, Texas in 2008. Hager is the son of former Virginia Lt. Governor John Hager.

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Jenna Bush Hager Announces Pregnancy On ‘Today’ is a post from: The Inquisitr

President Obama adviser David Axelrod, who has worn one of the most famous mustaches in politics for nearly 40 years, shaved his legendary lip-warmer Friday on MSNBC’s Morning Joe.

Axelrod, Obama’s senior strategist and the most visible architect of the president’s 2012 election campaign, placed a bet to raise more than $1 million for epilepsy research for a nonprofit run by his wife, Susan (the couple’s daughter suffers from epilepsy).

Axelrod shaved off his mustache live on Friday.

“There are people who have lost a lot more than to a mustache to epilepsy – 50,000 people a year lose their lives,” Axelrod said as his mustache was shaves. He appeared on Morning Joe with his wife, Susan, and hosts Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski.

Axelrod originally placed a bet with Scarborough that he’d shave his mustache if President Obama lost Minnesota, Michigan, and Pennsylvania in the November election. The president ended up carrying those states, but Axelrod’s mustache went back on the chopping block for his wife’s organization, Citizens United for Research in Epilepsy.

President Obama and Mark Cuban, the Dallas Mavericks basketball team owner, contributed $200,000. George  Clooney, Tom Hanks, and others donated to see Axelrod’s mustache shorn, and even Donald Trump donated $100,000.

“It took David’s mustache to bring Donald Trump and President Obama together,” Willie Geist noted.

“I’ve been staring at it for 40 years, Savannah. I’m very attached to it,” Axelrod told Today host Savannah Guthrie. “I was up all night, to be honest with you. It’s a little unsettling, but like I said, people have lost a lot more than a mustache.”

Now if only Trump would take Cuban’s offer to shave his head for a generous charity donation.

Here’s video of David Axelrod’s mustache being shaven off. How does he look?

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Obama Adviser David Axelrod Shaves Mustache, Companion Of 40 Years [Video] is a post from: The Inquisitr

Yesterday, we reported that The New York Post had received overwhelming criticism for running a photo of Ki Suk Han on their front page. Han had been pushed onto the subway tracks, and the photo showed him staring at the oncoming train mere moments before it struck and ultimately killed him. The photographer, R. Umar Abbasi, appeared on Today to defend himself and explain why he took a picture instead of intervening.

“It took me a second to figure out what is happening,” he told Today hosts Matt Lauer and Savannah Guthrie. “The only thing I could think of at the time was to alert the driver with my camera flash, and I started running.”

Lauer asked: “Was there nothing you could have done?” Abassi defended that there were others nearer to Mr. Han who could have intervened. “It looks like you’re very close,” Lauer said, holding up the controversial issue of the Post.

“This is a frozen moment,” Abbasi said. “There is no way I could have rescued Mr. Han.”

Abbasi also wrote a column for the Post defending his actions.

“I have to say I was surprised at the anger over the pictures, of the people who are saying: Why didn’t he put the camera down and pull him out?

“But I can’t let the armchair critics bother me. They were not there. They have no idea how very quickly it happened.

“They do not know what they would have done.

“Before I went into the subway, I had been up in Times Square, and my camera was still set for outside lighting. The flash was on 1/64th of a second, which would be split-second recharging.

“People think I had time to set the camera and take photos, and that isn’t the case. I just ran toward that train.”

“The truth is I could not reach that man; if I could have, I would have, Abassi said. “But the train was moving faster than I could get there.”

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NY Post Photog Defends Himself For Controversial Subway Death Photo [Video] is a post from: The Inquisitr

Matt Lauer isn’t getting fired from the Today Show over low ratings, according to the New York Post.

Rumors have been swirling that Lauer will get booted from his position as co-host of the popular morning news program if the show’s ratings don’t improve over the next several months. However, Today head Alexandra Wallace said that there simply isn’t any truth to these allegations.

“There is absolutely no truth to this,” Wallace said. “There have been some recent outrageous claims regarding Matt and the ‘Today’ show, and an awful lot of piling on from nameless, faceless sources. These stories are wrong and irresponsible.”

NBC News President Steve Capus also chimed in on the Matt Lauer situation. It would seem the rumors surrounding the co-host’s impending termination is nothing more than baseless internet speculation.

“Sadly, this is the era in which we live: Venomous tweets somehow threaten to drown out all of those who praised Matt for his coverage,” Capus explained.

According to Radar Online, a source close to the inner workings of the program explained that Lauer’s head was essentially on the chopping block over the recent ratings slump. If things don’t improve by February of 2013, Lauer’s career could be in serious jeopardy.

“News executive Alexandra Wallace has told NBC bosses she will have to replace Matt if the ratings continue to tank,” the anonymous source said. “If viewers continue preferring Good Morning America over the TODAY show that revenue will decrease and cuts will have to be made.”

The source added, “Matt’s contract pays him $25 million-a-year, and he just signed an extension to that deal last year before the ratings started falling. However, Alexandra has told her bosses if the show isn’t pulling in more viewers by February, she has no alternative but to fire Matt.”

Are you a fan of Matt Lauer? Do you feel the Today Show co-host is responsible for the dip in viewership?

Matt Lauer Isn’t Getting Fired From ‘Today’ Over Poor Ratings is a post from: The Inquisitr

A photo of NYPD Officer Lawrence DePrimo giving a barefoot homeless man a pair of thermal socks and boots on a cold night became a viral sensation this week. On the Today show, DePrimo chalked up his motives to basic human decency, saying he “just [had] to help him out.”

“The two things that really stuck out in my mind that night was just how cold it was and that this was the most polite gentleman I ever met, and I knew I had to help him,” DePrimo said on Today Friday.

Jennifer Foster, visiting Times Square from Arizona, snapped a picture of the act of kindness and posted it to her Facebook account. She later forwarded it to the NYPD, who posted it to their official page. The photo has picked up nearly 500,000 likes on the NYPD’s page, 70,000 on Today‘s, and trending mentions on Twitter.

“I knew what I was looking at,” said Foster, a law enforcement vet herself. “I knew it was remarkable,” she said.

The humble, 25-year-old officer was on counter terrorism patrol that night, and spoke to the homeless man before heading into a shoe store to pick him up a pair of socks and boots. “I worked in the city for about 10 years and no one’s really sort of taken that sort of initiative,” said the store employee who sold DePrimo the socks and boots (at a discount). It ended up costing DePrimo $75 of his own money.

“I really didn’t think about the money,” DePrimo said. “I said, I don’t care what the price is. We just got to help him out.”

He said his new-found internet fame is “surreal and extremely humbling.”

“It’s a great experience,” he said. “I think it’s a lot about the people, though, because you see such great comments. People are saying that their faith in humanity is restored and that’s the biggest thing that I can take away from all of this.”

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NYPD Cop: ‘Didn’t Think About Money, Had To Help’ Homeless Man [Video] is a post from: The Inquisitr

Matt Lauer has been declared the culprit behind the Today show’s ratings slump by many, but NBC News President Steve Capus points the blame in another direction: Twitter. During an interview with The Daily Beast, Capus praised the $25-million-a-year morning television show host for his news coverage.

The NBC News president had this to say about why he believes Matt Lauer has been unfairly targeted as a ratings wet blanket:

“Sadly, this is the era in which we live. Venomous tweets somehow threaten to drown out all of those who praised Matt for his coverage. The Twitter snarkiness is an unfortunate result of misdirected anger that’s been unfairly placed on Matt. There has also been a lot of mean-spirited piling-on, which has been manufactured by many anonymous sources.”

As previously reported by The Inquisitr, Good Morning America replaced the Today show in the top spot among morning news shows. The dip in Today’s ratings came not long after Ann Curry’s sudden exit from the couch. Capus acknowledged that the 54-year-old morning show host faced a plethora of backlash after Curry left. The network executive does not believe the angst is warranted. Capus had this to say about Lauer’s role in cast selection:

“He does not make those types of decisions. There has been an incredible amount of misplaced blame on Matt.”

An unnamed Radar Online source claims that the transition after Ann Curry was essentially forced off the Today couch really hurt the show. The source, which is supposedly an executive at NBC, allegedly maintains that Matt Lauer was involved with Curry’s ousting but preferred to have her make a gradual exit and not the quick parting which actually occurred.

Matt Lauer’s Popularity Decline Blamed On Twitter is a post from: The Inquisitr

Matt Lauer rumors are circulating around the internet after a new report in the National Enquirer claimed the Today show host may soon be out of a job. Ratings have dipped in recent months after alleged tensions between Lauer and Ann Curry surfaced.

A Today show insider stated during an interview with the National Enquirer Lauer is facing termination from the cast. The NBC morning show host reportedly makes $21.5 million per year. Unless he has been on some major shopping sprees lately, the 54-year-old star could retire young and not be fiscally impacted by losing his spot on the Today couch. Ego and pride could likely be more of a stumbling block for Lauer, if the source claims are accurate and he will soon no longer be the face of the show.

The source reportedly feels that Matt Lauer is getting his “just desserts” after years spent allegedly feuding with Curry, Meredith Vieira, and Katie Couric, according to Radar Online. The source had this to say about the host of the struggling Today show.

“Everyone has turned against him and Matt is going to be ousted because he’s being blamed for the show’s collapse. Adding a fresh new guy like Willie [Geist] to the mix is just what Al [Roker] feels Today needs to help pull the show out of the ratings doldrums and compete with GMA.”

Good Morning America recently replaced Today as the top breakfast time news show. The supposed show insider also maintains that executives at NBC are taking “big steps” to fix the show’s woes, and Willie Geist may allegedly soon become the host during the 9 am hour.

Is Matt Lauer Getting Fired From The ‘Today’ Show? is a post from: The Inquisitr

Legendary musician and avid pot smoker Willie Nelson said that he can prove that there are no harmful side-effects to marijuana use: He hasn’t suffered any.

There’s a growing contingency claiming that smoking marijuana does not yield any harmful side-effects. We can debate the scientific merits of this perspective all day long, but it’s an idea that Willie Nelson says is true because he’s smoked pot for a long time and has yet to experience any health problems from his recreational use of the drug.

Nelson stopped by the Today show to talk about his new book, Roll Me Up and Smoke Me When I Die, and wouldn’t you know it, the conversation turned to his marijuana use pretty quickly. When asked by Matt Lauer about the recent legalization of recreational marijuana use in Colorado and Washington, Nelson said that he doesn’t believe the perspective that smoking weed causes harmful side-effects because he hasn’t “seen any side effects that really are harmful to me.”

For those who aren’t convinced, Nelson says “I’m the canary in the mine. I’m 80 years old. Check me out.”

Nelson is also going to be saving himself quite a few trips to Amsterdam in light of the recent legalization measures in two states.

Here’s video of Willie Nelson’s Today show interview regarding marijuana use. What do you think? Will Willie Nelson live to see the day when marijuana use is legalized in all 50 states?

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Willie Nelson Submits Himself As Evidence To No Harmful Marijuana Side-Effects [Video] is a post from: The Inquisitr

Matt Lauer and the Today show’s new executive producer are already butting heads, according to a Radar Online source. Lauer and the new head honcho, Alexandra Wallace, allegedly have a “tense” relationship and cannot agree on the direction the struggling morning show take in the near future. Fox News notes that Wallace took the helm yesterday.

The new Today show executive producer also supposedly has a close friendship with former co-anchor Ann Curry. Lauer and Curry allegedly did not part on the best of terms. After Ann left her spot on the couch vacant, Today’s ratings took a turn for the worse. Good Moring America was able to kick Today out of the top ratings spot it had enjoyed for many years.

The Radar Online source had this to say about Matt Lauer and Alexandra Wallace:

“Matt Lauer is not happy that Jim Bell who had been the executive producer of the TODAY show since 2005 has been forced out. Alexandra Wallace, who will be Bell’s replacement, and Matt have never had a good working relationship. Matt doesn’t like the fact that Alexandra is a big advocate of Ann Curry’s. Alexandra is going to be shaking things up on the show in order to get it back on top. For instance, against Matt and Jim Bell’s long-time stance of only having NBC-paid experts to comment on current events in the news, which has made the show feel very, very stale, Alexandra plans on using non-NBC staffers to do that.”

The new Today show executive producer allegedly feels that using a diverse array of experts will offer a wider range of information and knowledge for the viewers. Matt Lauer supposedly wants to keep the standard format of frequently using NBC staffers like Donnie Deutsch and Star Jones. The new boss supposedly plans on continuing the familiar faces, just not as much.

Matt Lauer Already Allegedly Clashing With New ‘Today’ Show Producer is a post from: The Inquisitr

Kristen Stewart took a leaf out of Robert Pattinson’s post scandal interviews and kept her personal life close to her chest on the Today show this morning.

Faced with hosts Savannah Guthrie, Matt Lauer, and Natalie Morales, a casually dressed Stewart batted away an “are you back together with Robert Pattinson?” query from Guthrie, replying:

“Funny you mention that. I’m just going to let people watch whatever little movie they like to think our lives are and go for you know. Keep ‘em guessing, I always say.”

Given Stewart’s surprise Monday visit to the set of Jimmy Kimmel Live to watch Pattinson being interviewed, her evasion today will likely be seen by some as a bid for column inches just before The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn — Part 2′s big debut.

Or maybe this 22-year-old is — understandably — simply wary after a summer of pejorative headlines and molten, online opinion.

Stewart did get a chance to talk about letting go of her movie character, Bella Swan.

“I’m okay walking away but at the same time I could keep it for another five,” said the actress.

Sharing her take on Bella’s journey in the massively successful Twilight Saga series, she added:

“Fear is a funny thing when you’re that age — it’s — it can be a motivator, it can cripple you, and Bella’s always been the type of person to – once one of those walls are broken down she doesn’t try to build them back up.”

Later, that same morning on Live with Kelly and Michael, the actress pulled off a burnt orange Victoria Beckham cocktail dress and joked about a room “devoted” to sneakers in her new downtown L.A. pad.

The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 2 hits theaters on November 16.

Kristen Stewart Talks Walking Away, Guessing Games And Sneakers is a post from: The Inquisitr

Say what you will about Jersey Shore‘s Nicole “Snooki” Polizzi, the girl knows her priorities. Since having baby Lorenzo, Snooki has been slowly distancing herself from her fame, and recently announced her desire to quit the reality TV game for good.

Snooki appeared on the Today show to give her first interview since having her baby with fiance Jionni LaValle. The once hard-partying star told Savannah Guthrie that her priorities have changed, and that she wants a normal life and a normal family now.

“It’s crazy because, you know me, I just always wanted to have a good time,” Snooki said. “‘Where’s the next party? What am I going to do tonight?’ And now it’s just like, ‘I love my baby, what can we do with him?’ It’s just totally different.”

Fans watching the final season of Jersey Shore know that Snooki has been distancing herself from her housemates, even physically moving herself to a smaller apartment. Now that Shore has wrapped for her, Snooki seems to feel comfortable calling it a day with her reality TV career and focusing on her new family.

“I mean I definitely partied for like three people my entire life,” she said. “I feel like now, you know, I have a family, I have a baby now and this is just like a new chapter in my life and I love it. I’m just so excited.”

She’s slowly inching her way out of the spotlight with Jersey Shore‘s conclusion, though she will return for another season of spin-off Snooki & Jwoww.

“Right now, it’s fine while he’s this young,” LaValle said. “But once school starts, I think when he gets a little older, I kind of want him to branch off from that. Nicole could do what she has to do. But maybe with him growing up, I kind of just want him to just live a normal lifestyle.”

Snooki added: “We want him to have a normal life where he goes to school, he has friends, girlfriends. I want him to have those learning experiences that we did growing up so I want it to be as normal as possible.”

The couple also talked about their near-future plans, specifically what they’ll be wearing on Halloween: “I’m going to be Wonder Woman, he’s [LaValle's] going to be Captain America and Lorenzo’s going to be Superman.”

Good for Snooki. She already has fame and fortune, the kind of currency that everyone is seemingly desperate for these days, and will abandon all shame an human dignity to acquire even an ounce of. But she’s turning her back on it all to focus on family. That’s character.

Here’s Snooki and Jionni’s Today interview in which they talk about reality TV and a normal life for Lorenzo:

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Snooki To Quit Reality TV? ‘Jersey Shore’ Star Wants ‘Normal Life’ For Lorenzo [Video] is a post from: The Inquisitr

Lady Gaga gets all the credit for her body revolution campaign, but a New York College student had been a bolder advocate for body acceptance in recent months. Stella Boonshoft has become a viral hero thanks to her blog, in which she speaks frankly and powerfully about weight and body perception.

Boonshoft, who writes The Body Love Blog, recently made waves with an image of herself in a bikini on her Tumblr site, reports People. Yes, Boonshoft is a “bigger” girl, but that’s kind of the point behind the bold picture, and the reason that her courage has been celebrated.

“My body must be a revolution,” she wrote along with the photo, which was captioned, “Picture might be considered obscene because subject is not thin. And we all know that only skinny people can show their stomachs and celebrate themselves. I am not going to stand for that. This is my body, not yours. MINE.”

Appearing on Tuesday’s Today show, Boonshoft explained her reasons for posting the photo.

“I think people are cruel because they are uncomfortable seeing an image of people who are not thin,” she said during the interview. “I found that after years of struggling with my body image that really there was no way to justify the bullying as a child and as a teen.”

Her cause has gone viral with over 2.4 million views on Facebook and 80,000 shares of her bikini photo on Tumblr. Brandon Stanton, creator of the Humans of New York project, is also giving Boonshoft a boost, using her bikini picture in a collection of street portraits across the city. Though the prospect terrified Boonshoft at first, she eventually accepted it.

“It took a lot of years of soul searching to decide this isn’t right,” she said on Today. “I finally came to a place where I was really happy with the way that I looked. I wanted to leave a message to the bullies who tormented me.”

Here’s Stella Boonshoft’s interview on Today:

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College Student Becomes Viral Sensation And Hero With Bold Bikini Pic [Video] is a post from: The Inquisitr

After falling 128,100 feet, topping-out at 833.9 miles per hour, and becoming the first human being to break the sound barrier in free fall, daredevil Felix Baumgartner has announced his retirement from jumping off of really high things.

Appearing on Today Monday, the Austrian parachutist and former paratrooper told Savannah Guthrie that he’s done with the daredevil game, and who can blame him? How can you top that space jump stunt? “I am officially retired from the daredevil business,” Baumgartner said. “I did it all. I had enough. It’s time to move on.”

Breaking YouTube live-streaming records with millions of people watching, Baumgartner’s space jump represented a peak and a valley in his career as a record-shattering stunt that nearly cost him his life when he went into a violent death-spin early on.

“It’s kind of interesting because it represents exactly what I thought was going to happen because I’ve been told that I’m going to spin and that there’s no way to not spin,’’ he said.

But the biggest challenge in such a stunt is actually staying conscious, which, during a 4 minute and 20 second free fall, amounts to a chore.

“When you spin so violent, what we call the rapid onset, all your blood goes into your brain and there’s a lot of pressure,’’ Baumgartner said. “I had to maintain consciousness because I needed to stop this spin, and I did. I had to use all of my skydiving skills to perform well in those four minutes and twenty seconds.’’

Additionally, there’s no way to simulate such a high jump, making training a difficult prospect. The only way to really know if it can be done is simply to do it, says Baumgartner.

“The problem is you have to find a solution for how to stop the spin because you cannot practice for supersonic speed,” he said. “You either go for it or you don’t.’’

Still, Baumgartner trained extensively, and says that he had no hesitation when he reached the edge of the platform.

“We have been practicing for this for five years,’’ he said. “In my mind, I did that jump many times. I was ready to go. I had an incredible view when I standing on top of the world, but at the same time you realize everything around is hostile. I thought, ‘I had the privilege to stand here and nobody else was there before.’ When you step off, you’re on the way.’’

Lastly, Baumgartner actually admitted that he didn’t enjoy the space jump when asked by host Guthrie:

“Honestly, no,” he said. “This is hard work. Later on, when my parachute opened, this was the first moment where I enjoyed it a lot because I knew it was over and I’m alive.’’

The jump paid off for sponsor Red Bull, as well. Yahoo Finance reports that the company may have secured a cool £100m from the space jump, and that the brand, known for its risk-taking, could be worth £5bn.

Here’s the video of Felix Baumgartner talking about the space jump and his retirement on Today:

Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Can’t Top That: Felix Baumgartner Announces Retirement Following Space Jump is a post from: The Inquisitr

As debate fact check stats roll in following last night’s rollicking showdown, Vice President Joe Biden is weighing in with his own assessment on the veracity of claims made by his running mate’s opponent during the heated debate at Hofstra University.

A fact check from Joe Biden may be a biased one, but, coming off his own successful head-to-head with Romney’s potential veep Paul Ryan, Biden has again alleged that the Romney/Ryan ticket is refusing to supply key information to voters ahead of next month’s election.

While Biden laughed off many of Ryan’s claims last week, he believes a debate fact check is in order for many of the assertions put forth by Romney as he faced Obama in a town hall last night in Hempstead, New York.

Biden appeared today on TODAY, offering his own debate fact check following the intense Obama-Romney debate. As he assessed the answers Romney gave, Biden remarked that the former Massachusetts governor’s purported plans were “sketchy,” adding that there were ”no direct answers to any questions.”

But Biden also says he believes the obfuscation is intentional, due to the fact that his opponent’s ticket has a platform that “really [does] mirror the policies of George Bush on the economy, and they don’t want to talk about it.”

On TODAY, Biden was also asked about Obama and Romney putting on a more aggressive show in the second debate. He laughed:

“I really thought the forum was a great forum for both of them to try to make their case, and so when they were kind of circling each other, it was like, okay, come on, man, let’s level with each other here.”

Do you think debate fact checks support Joe Biden’s observations?

Debate Fact Check From Biden, VP Says Romney Evades Detail On His Platform is a post from: The Inquisitr

Donald Trump went on the Today Show this morning to announce the new cast for the upcoming season of The Celebrity Apprentice, which will premiere in March 2013.

The new edition, Season 13 of the television reality franchise that launched in 2004, will be The Celebrity Apprentice All Stars. “We wouldn’t have done the ‘All-Star’ concept unless we were able to get the right contestants back,” Donald Trump claimed.

Shooting begins Monday for the show which will feature the following returning contestants: Trace Adkins, Stephen Baldwin, Gary Busey, Penn Jillette, Lil Jon, Bret Michaels (the winner of the 2010 Celebrity Apprentice), Dennis Rodman, Dee Snider, Marilu Henner, La Toya Jackson, Claudia Jordan, Omarosa (who appeared on the first season of the non-celebrity Apprentice), Lisa Rinna, and Brande Roderick.

In general, when a reality show goes the “celebrity” route, it usually means the series is on the way out.  The Celebrity Apprentice, however, continues to pull good ratings with that format, so it must be a guilty pleasure for a large segment of the viewing population.

The “celebrities,” most of whom are looking to reboot their careers via the NBC reality show, donate their winnings from the various challenges to charity. The overall winner gets $250,000 for his or her designated charity.

According to Entertainment Weekly, several other notable former cast members will also show up:

 ”… Former winners Piers Morgan. Joan Rivers, John Rich, and Arsenio Hall will all be returning — but not as contestants. Instead, the four Celebrity Apprentice champs will show up alongside Donald Trump in the Boardroom at some point as advisors.”

Watch Donald Trump reveal the new cast of The Celebrity Apprentice on the Today Show:

Are you a fan of The Celebrity Apprentice?

Celebrity Apprentice 2013 Cast Announced By Donald Trump [Video] is a post from: The Inquisitr

Kony 2012 filmmaker Jason Russell opened up to Jenna Bush Hager on a segment that aired on Today Monday, discussing the meteoric rise of the YouTube documentary and his subsequent psychotic break.

Russell’s Kony 2012 was a passion project 10-years in the making, finding success as the most viewed viral video in history. Shortly after the documentary’s great success, filmmaker Jason Russell’s life very publicly unraveled. TMZ broke a story featuring a video of Russell seen naked on a San Diego street corner, pacing and screaming. His doctors determined that he had suffered a psychotic breakdown.

“My mind couldn’t stop thinking about the future,’’ Russell told Hager. “I literally thought I was responsible for the future of humanity. It started to go into a point where my mind finally turned against me and there was a moment where, click, I was not in control of my mind or my body.’’

Despite the success of the film, Russell experienced professional troubles when the media revealed that thousands of action kits ordered from Invisible Children, the group behind the film, had gone unfilled and the charity’s website crashed.

“It was so chaotic,’’ Russell said. “I mean, it was so exciting because it felt like the world was for us. And then at the same time it was heartbreaking and felt almost like a nightmare, because it felt like the world was against us.”

Jacob Acaye, a 12-year-old Ugandan boy who had been abducted by the LRA, served partially as Russell’s inspiration for the film. Now 22-years-old and studying to be a lawyer, Acaye wondered whether Russell’s dedication to the cause of Invisible Children took a toll on his mental health.

“I saw myself being the cause of everything that was going on in his life,’’ Acaye told Hager. “I was like asking myself, what if I had not met him? What if I had not told him my story?”

Regardless, Russell withdrew from the public’s attention in order to recuperate:

“I mean, it’s hard for my wife to even talk about it still, because it was so scary and traumatizing,’’ Russell said. “It’s just been really spending time with my family. A lot of slowing down. You know, yoga. Therapy.  And it’s been really healing for the mind, body, soul.”

Russell and Invisible Children have moved on with a Kony 2012 follow-up titled Move.

“I don’t think anything can compete with the perfect storm of Kony 2012, but we do hope that millions of people do see this next film and know that we are still committed,’’ Russell said.

Here’s the video of Jason Russell discussing Kony 2012 and his public breakdown via Today:

Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

‘Kony 2012′ Filmmaker Jason Russell Talks More About Naked Public Meltdown [Video] is a post from: The Inquisitr

Ann Curry is slated to make more appearances on the TODAY show in what some allege is an effort to curtail plunging ratings. The recently axed co-anchor and Matt Lauer could once again be sharing screen time, a scene which many fans likely never thought they would see again.

The journalist may still be stinging from her early departure from the morning show, but she plastered a smile on her face and kept on reporting for other NBC news programs. TODAY show producer Jim Bell recently took the fall for removing Ann from the anchor desk, but the public admission has done little to diminish the backlash against Matt Lauer surrounding the popular reporter’s departure.

A Radar Online source had this to say about Curry’s return to the set:

“Ann Curry reported for the TODAY show on Monday morning from the Syrian border, and she will be featured on a much more routine basis going forward. Ann is truly diong what she loves the most now, reporting from war-torn countries and bringing viewers stories of people that are affected by the destruction in the region. Fans of the TODAY show let the network know they missed seeing Ann and the plan going forward is to use her more. Hopefully that might bolster the show’s failing ratings.”

A New York Post source maintains that Matt Lauer was sick of being a “punching bag” over the Curry removal debacle and wanted Bell to publicly discuss how the staff decision allegedly came about. Reporting from the field is Ann’s strength, according to the insider source. She is expected to be reporting from Africa over the course of the next several months.

Ann Curry: Back On TODAY More Often In An Alleged Effort To Boost Ratings is a post from: The Inquisitr

Despite receiving quite a bit of negative feedback for skipping the 9/11 moment of silence, NBC reportedly will not apologize for airing a Kardashian interview in its place. According to The Huffington Post, the interview wasn’t a goof or a misunderstanding. In fact, the network never planned to observe the moment of silence on-air, which hasn’t taken place annually since 2006. The 2011 10-year anniversary is the only exception.

At 8:46 am, the official moment of silence was observed by the NYPD, FDNY, Port Authority Police, and families of the victims at Ground Zero in New York City, which many networks took part in. NBC, however, opted to air an interview with Kris Jenner, who shared her thoughts about breast implants. Not surprisingly, some people were offended by the move, and were quick to let NBC know as much.

According to The New York Times, a representative from the network explained that the company does not plan to apologize for airing the Kardashian segment in place of the moment of silence. TODAY Show spokesperson Megan Kopf explained, “It is not a tradition on our show.”

In order to prove that the show isn’t completely ignoring the 9/11 attacks, Kopf explained that the program aired an interview with survivor Pasquale Buzzelli during an earlier segment.

TV Newser reports that NBC was the only major network that did not observe the moment of silence; CBS and ABC both went silent to remember those who lost their lives during the attacks. Although it’s NBC’s right to do what they like on their own network, airing something as trivial as Kris Jenner’s thoughts on implants is surely what rubbed most viewers the wrong way.

The 9/11 debacle is just another stain on NBC’s track record as of late. The network was also heavily criticized for its coverage of the 2012 Summer Olympics in London. Regardless of the negative reviews, NBC posted very high ratings for the broadcast.

Do you think NBC should apologize for airing the Kardashian interview during the moment of silence?

NBC Isn’t Going To Apologize For Kardashian Interview is a post from: The Inquisitr

Matt Lauer does not believe that fellow Today Show host Al Roker is attempting to destroy the popular morning talk show with crazy antics.

Speaking to TMZ on Wednesday morning Lauer revealed that the entire riff between him and Roker is just a “rumor” with no merit.

When asked how he felt about rival Good Morning America recently taking over for the first time in the ratings war Lauer said:

“We feel the heat every day. but we have for the last 20 years that I’ve been there.”

Apparently Lauer is pretty happy with the show, revealing:

“We’re just trying to do the best show we can do every single day … and I think we’re doing a good job right now … and I think the cycle will reverse.”

Admittedly Al Roker has been acting very strange since Ann Curry was fired from the NBC morning talk show over her falling out with Lauer. Our favorite moment so far occurred when Roker appeared to turn into a statue for a short period of time, refusing to move or even blink.

Sadly it has been Al Roker’s strange behavior lately that has seemed to earn The Today Show its biggest mentions. With the show squarely centered around its hosts and not the news it covers no wonder Good Morning America is currently winning the ratings race.

Do you think Al Roker is attempting to destroy The Today Show or is he simply being the same strange host he has been for a very long time?

Matt Lauer Says There’s No Fight With Al Roker is a post from: The Inquisitr

The Kardashian’s are more important than than remembrance of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, at least that was the message NBC’s Today Show producers sent on Tuesday when they skipped a nationally planned moment of silence to interview reality TV star Kris Jenner.

The moment of silence which was observed by other networks was planned for 8:46 AM as a joint effort between the White House in Washington DC and officials in New York City.

ABC’s “Good Morning America” and “CBS This Morning” both carried the moment of silence. However when it came to NBC the Kardashian interview aired.

According to Media Bistro groups participating in the moment of silence included the NYPD, FDNY, Port Authority Police and the families of the victims.

NBC was the only national general news program to not carry the moment of silence.

So what did Kris Jenner talk about that was more important than the 9/11 attacks? She focused on her reality TV show and her new breast implants.

Following the moment of silence other networks quickly jumped back into their routine as CBS went to a commercial break and ABC began an interview with Richard Gere.

Not all local NBC affiliates felt it appropriate to show the Kris Jenner interview during the moment of silence. WNBC interrupted Today to show locally-produced coverage for the moment of silence. The New York affiliate chose to air the moment of silence alongside all other New York stations.

Do you think NBC’s Today Show erred by not participating in the moment of silence?

9/11 Moment Of Silence Skipped By ‘Today Show’, Kardashian Interview Airs Instead is a post from: The Inquisitr

If you’re a Today Show employee, you may not want to sign any long-term leases.

Comcast, the parent company of NBC Television, may reportedly be giving serious consideration to downsizing the show’s workforce, similar to the cutbacks that took effect recently on the Tonight Show.

In its “Page Six” gossip section, The New York Post reports that layoffs may be in the offing for the ratings-challenged NBC morning show.

Staffers at NBC’s struggling “Today” show are bracing for possible cutbacks and layoffs, and wondering whether Matt Lauer will give up any of his $25 million annual salary to save jobs there, sources tell Page Six…

A source told us, “Comcast has been looking at every one of its shows. The ‘Today’ staff has been warned that cuts could be coming, and the question there is, if they start dumping people, will Matt Lauer take a cut the way Jay Leno did?”

Another source said, “It will be the little people who go first — the makeup people, writers, but these people have families, and it will put pressure on Matt to do the right thing.”

In April, Matt Lauer signed a new contract in range of $25 million-$30 million to continue as the primary anchor for the Today Show. In July, co-anchor Ann Currie was pushed out in favor of Savannah Guthrie, but the show is still losing viewership to ABC’s Good Morning America.

A few weeks ago, Tonight Show host Jay Leno reportedly agreed to a salary reduction, and about 25 employees lost their jobs in a layoff.  According to the Post, “Leno took a pay cut of a reported 10 percent to stave off even more cuts.”

Layoffs Looming For The Today Show? is a post from: The Inquisitr

Kristen Bell and Dax Shepard, real-life couple and stars of the recent comedy Hit & Run, found nude extras for their film in a most unusual place: Craigslist. Because, if there’s one thing you’re going to find on Craigslist, it’s people who aren’t afraid to get naked. According US Weekly, the couple spent a fair amount of time tooling around the popular website in search of folks with a propensity for disrobing in front of the camera.

When asked by Today Show co-hosts Hoda Kotb and Kathie Lee Gifford about the rumor, Bell was quick to fess up. “We did find them on Craigslist,” the actress said. “That’s not a joke.”

According to Bell, the scene in question finds the happy couple entering a hotel room filled with people in their birthday suits.

“Everybody knew what was happening, but I’m gonna be honest: You can’t really prepare for a scene like that. And Dax didn’t let anybody see anything before we actually shot,” Bell explained. “So when Bradley Cooper, Joy Bryant and Ryan Hansen entered, that really was the shock on their face.”

The extras, meanwhile, reportedly didn’t have much trouble getting down to business. As Bell explained:

“They got there, they were excited, happy to disrobe, and they just hung out. I mean, it was so life-affirming! They were casual. Like I’m going to make it weird? No.”

Hit & Run, which was written and co-directed by Dax Shepard, allowed the pair to spend more time together. Since their schedules often send them off to different parts of the country, the opportunity to work together was clearly exciting for Bell.

“We actually enjoy spending time together,” Bell explained on the popular morning chat program. “Our shooting schedules take us to different cities and they separate us for 15 hours a day. When he shoots ‘Parenthood’, I shoot ‘House of Lies,’ so to have an excuse to shoot together and work together was a real treat.”

Finding naked people on Craigslist may not sound like a good time to many folks, but apparently it’s just another day at work for Kristen Bell and Dax Shapard. Hit & Run is currently in theaters.

Kristen Bell, Dax Shepard Found Nude Extras On Craigslist is a post from: The Inquisitr

Either Al Roker has some pretty serious medical issues that he hasn’t told anyone about, or he’s just about had it with Today co-hosts Matt Lauer and Savannah Guthrie. Roker just froze today. Stopped moving. All on live TV.

Roker just might be waging war on his Today co-hosts Matt Lauer and Savannah Guthrie. Roker, just last week, made a joke that some interpreted as a dig at Lauer’s treatment of ex-host Ann Curry. Roker later denied that the quip was about Curry’s departure, but then why the awkward silence? Then Tuesday, during what MSN called “normal (read: soul-crushing) banter” between co-hosts Lauer and Guthrie, Roker just froze up.

For a while …

To be fair, we would have frozen up too what with the general vibe of weird white-people awkwardness put off by Lauer and Guthrie. Today’s offense? The two engaging in an awkward slow dance that they then compared to a junior high school dance (gag us). Then the coup de gras: Savannah made a joke about “leaving room for the Holy Ghost.” That’s when things got weird, notes Twirlit.

This moment belonged to Lauer and Guthrie (in their minds, anyway), and we think that Roker knew it. He was wallpaper. So he just … stopped moving. Stared into the camera for a full 17 seconds (an agonizing eternity on live TV). His facial expression pretty much encapsulating how we all felt at the moment.

We earnestly hope that these are Roker shenanigans and that he’s not sick or just getting nutty as he ages. We also hope that “Al Roker shenanigans”‘ starts trending soon if he’s going to keep this up.

Here’s the video of Roker freezing in the awkwardness:

Al Roker Freezes On Live TV Over Painful Awkwardness [Video] is a post from: The Inquisitr

With Matt Lauer rumored to be largely responsible for the firing of Ann Curry, it was only a matter of time before he was called out for his actions on national television. That time appeared to come on Thursday when the typically happy Al Roker made a comment that appeared to be directly aimed at Lauer.

The two Today Show hosts were taking part in an Olympic rowing segment alongside Savannah Guthrie when the US team explained a tradition in which they throw one of their teammates into the water after each race.

Matt Lauer immediately commented:

“The tradition here in NY is you throw her in the Hudson River.”

Al Roker than chimed in:

“Which is different than OUR tradition … which is you throw one of us under the bus, but that’s another story.”

Savannah Guthrie, who is Ann Curry’s replacement, and Matt Lauer both let out an awkward chuckle and than continued on with the segment.

If its true that part of Matt Lauer’s decision for resigning with the Today Show was that Ann Curry be fired, then I say all the more power to Al Roker for his candid honestly.

In the meantime, my wife and I have long watched the Today Show specifically to see what crazy, weird, and awkward comments Al Roker would make during random segments. Given Roker’s track record here, it is quite possible he was not attacking Matt Lauer to call him out but instead simply making another awkward Al Roker created joke.

Do you think Al Roker was calling out Matt Lauer?

Did Al Roker Just Throw Matt Lauer Under The Bus? His Comment Points To Yes is a post from: The Inquisitr

When Ann Curry made her first appearance on Today since she was fired, she was in no mood to exchange pleasantries with her former co-host Matt Lauer.

The 55-year-old Curry and 54-year-old Lauer sat next to each other at the show’s temporary location in London for the Olympic Games, but there might as well have been an entire ocean between them. Curry was on the show to introduce a segment about Olympics still photographer Adam Pretty but made little attempt to converse with Lauer.

Laur greeted Curry with, “Ann, nice to see you,” but Curry simply nodded and remained quiet. She had the same terse reaction at the end of her segment when Lauer said, “Good to see you.”

Curry was fired from her job as co-host in June, although the reason for her ouster was never really released. Curry, apparently, believed that NBC fired her because they didn’t like the way she dressed. However, NBC News president Steve Capus tells a different story. He told the Hollywood Reporter,

“I think [TODAY] was not where her real passion was, … In her heart of hearts, I think she would admit that. I think her real passion is built around reporting on international stories … I think we’ve now come up with a role that will play to her strengths.”

Capus also said that Curry wears her emotions on her sleeve, but that the camera would pick it up if she wasn’t into a subject.

Capus also told THR that Curry’s replacement, Savannah Guthrie, distinguished herself as a White House correspondent and that the network has “thrown [its] weight behind someone who is a serious journalist.” He said everyone at the network compares her to Mary Tyler Moore and that Guthrie is “completely endearing.”

Ann Curry accepted a multi-year deal as an international correspondent for NBC News broadcasts and will appear on Today as an anchor-at-large.

What do you think of Ann Curry’s reaction to Matt Lauer?

Ann Curry Has Tense Reunion With Matt Lauer In London is a post from: The Inquisitr

Most American were shocked when Today Show host Ann Curry was gently fired from the show back in July.  We were left trying to figure out what Ann had done to deserve being kicked off the air.  Well, it seems as if her clothes and shoes may have played a role, according to an interview with Curry in the August issue of Ladies’ Home Journal.

Ann claimed in the interview,

“One day I wore a multicolored dress and someone asked if I was trying to be Toucan Sam. But I chose it because I thought, This will perk up America. I’m encouraged by my bosses to wear these ridiculously high-heeled shoes because women say, ‘I love your shoes!’ So if it makes women happy, I’ll wear them. But I’m still going to be me… I’ve tried to wear clogs and flats on TV and it hasn’t gone well with my bosses.”

Curry also addressed the issue of women who go grey saying she has no intention of ever dying her hair.

Curry said:

“I’ve decided not to buy into the idea that I want to stop aging. My wrinkles connect me to my family, to my ancestors and to my future. This is how my father looked when he was my age. I’ve got cellulite because it runs in my family. I’ve got gray hair because I won’t dye it.”

It is an interesting proposition that NBC may have disliked Ann’s choices of dress and foot covering, but there are very few websites which are buying into that theory.

Ann Curry: NBC Fired Me Because They Didn’t Like My Colorful Outfits is a post from: The Inquisitr

Judith Crist, a highly influential and provocative film critic, died at her home in Manhattan today at the age of 90. Her death was confirmed by her son.

Crist was one of America’s most widely read film critics for over three decades, according to the New York Times. She was a regular reviewer on the Today show, and her provocative and off-color personality helped bring her to prominence. An example of Crist’s notorious wit can be found in her review for 1965′s The Sound of Music, of which she said, “The movie is for the 5-to-7 set and their mommies who think the kids aren’t up to the stinging sophistication and biting wit of Mary Poppins. ”

Crist was the very first woman to be made a full-time reviewer for a big-time American newspaper with her job at The New York Herald Tribune. She was also Today‘s first regular movie critic, appearing frequently between 1963 and 1973. Her fame primarily stems from her stint with TV Guide, where she wrote popular reviews for 22 years, well into the 1980′s. She also wrote for Saturday Review, Gourmet and Ladies’ Home Journal, according to USA Today.

Though known for her harsh, barbed and unreserved criticisms, she considered herself a passionate film enthusiast, once saying in an interview that “true” movie fans take James Bond entries as seriously as “the grand auteurism of Bergman.” Fellow critic Roger Ebert also noted that though film studios were terrified of Crist’s reviews, her criticisms “led to every newspaper in the country saying, ‘Hey, we ought to get a real movie critic.’ ”

“She was outwardly motivated, where so many critics are inwardly motived and are concerned just with their own thoughts,” said Kenneth Turan of the Los Angeles Times. “She was about other generations, about this way of writing, showing other people how to do it. She created a legacy of critics whom she taught for decades. No one else did that.”

For her own part, Crist admitted that harsh criticism is merely a veil for the true bleeding heart. “Amid all the easily loved darlings of Charlie Brown’s circle, obstreperous Lucy holds a special place in my heart,” she said. “She fusses and fumes and she carps and complains. That’s because Lucy cares. And it’s the caring that counts.”

Judith Crist, Provocative Film Critic, Dies At 90 is a post from: The Inquisitr

Ann Curry is making a brief return appearance to the “The Today Show” this weekend as she heads to Aurora, Colorado to co-anchor coverage of the recent The Dark Knight Rises shooting from the ground.

The Washington Post reports NBC will be having Ann Curry return to co-anchor the weekend edition of “Today” along with her replacement, Savannah Guthrie. On Friday, Curry will also be anchoring a special edition of “Dateline” live from Aurora covering the recent shooting that took place at the midnight premiere of “The Dark Knight Rises”  that will be aired at 9 p.m.

In addition, Curry will also be on MSNBC providing coverage throughout the weekend from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m.

The L.A. Times makes note that the mass shooting in the Aurora movie theater that killed 12 and wounded at least 59 other movie goers by James Holmes during the midnight premiere of “The Dark Knight Rises” will be the first major story Ann Curry will have had the chance to cover since her departure from “The Today Show” earlier this month.

As US Magazine points out Ann Curry left the “Today” show as a regular part of the staff on June 29 after 15 years on the show, however, NBC did announce she would still be handling special reporting assignments as an Anchor-At-Large for the program.

RT @ErikaMasonhall: Brian Williams anchors #NBCNightlyNews from #Aurora tonight w/ Ann Curry, Miguel Almaguer, Mike Taibbi also in CO.

— NBC Nightly News(@nbcnightlynews) July 20, 2012

NBC’s @AnnCurry will anchor a special edition of #Dateline, LIVE from Aurora, Colorado, tonight at 9pm/8c.

— Dateline NBC (@datelinenbc) July 20, 2012

Ann Curry Heads To Aurora To Co-Anchor To Cover “Dark Knight Rises” Shooting is a post from: The Inquisitr

The rumor mill has been working non-stop as to who might be the next judge on American Idol, but a side story has been whether or not Jennifer Lopez would return to her role as judge on the show.

MSNBC reports that Lopez appeared on the Today Show Thursday to address the rumors, and from her own words it seems she may have one foot out the door.

“I know everybody wants that definite ‘yes’ or ‘no,’ and … all I can let you in on is my own thought process with it, because that’s where I truly am,” Lopez told Today. “And the truth is, I love everybody. I love all the guys on the show. I love the family that’s there. Like I said, I’ve just enjoyed it so much. But I am thinking that maybe it’s time for me to go and do other things that I really love to do.”

Lopez certainly has other career options. She’s been a successful singer, actress, judge and more. She is currently on tour with Enrique Iglesias.

TMZ.com reports that Lopez holding out to make a decision isn’t new, noting that she held out until August last year, eventually earning $20 million for a one-year deal.

The “Jenny From The Block” singer was rumored to have already told producers she would not be back, but those close to her have denied those reports, and TMZ suggests that she could be waiting to see how her popularity fairs on tour before making the call.

Let us know what you think. Would it be a great loss to American Idol to see Jennifer Lopez leave the show?

Jennifer Lopez On American Idol Future: “Maybe Its Time For Me To Go” [Video] is a post from: The Inquisitr

During filming of the “Today” show, Star Jones made a shocking statement about recently out of the closet newscaster Anderson Cooper.  “Today” host Natalie Morales asked her panel of “Today’s Professionals” how they feel about Cooper’s announcement that he was gay.  Cooper released a statement on Monday explaining to his audience that he was gay. Panel regular Star Jones said it was all about the ratings.

Morales inquired of the panel whether star’s like Cooper should feel obligated to make their sexual preferences known to their audience.  Jones said she did not think they should feel obligated and further that due to her own cynicism she feel Cooper had ulterior motives.

Jones said,

“I’ve been in daytime television for a long time. He’s a daytime talk show host and when the ratings slip in daytime, the hosts tend to tell you lots of things about them. I remember Oprah said she smoked crack. Oprah said she was pregnant at 14 and considered suicide. There were times that you generate information for ratings.”

Jones seemed to then be surprised at herself for her own candor and said,

 ”Whoa, I’m sorry I said that. But I say bravo! Bravo for him!”

Some of the other panelists agreed with Jones assessment and said that Cooper’s announcement will likely draw some viewers to his show.  He has not been on his nightly CNN show all week due to the July 4th Vacation but he has tweeted messages of thanks to his fans for their support saying,

“I appreciate all the nice tweets. I am in Botswana working but want to wish everyone a great 4th of July!”

Star Jones Suggests Anderson Cooper Came Out Of The Closet For Ratings is a post from: The Inquisitr