01:02 AM EDT 10/08/2008

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Olympics Summer 2008

Al Roker & Matt Lauer (Try To) Go for the Gold in Beijing

Originally posted 08/19/2008 12:00PM



Give them an A (as in "award") for effort – but Al Roker and Matt Lauer should probably give up their dreams of Olympic gold.

In a segment from Tuesday's Today show, the manly hosts hit the mats in Beijing with Olympian Alexandra Orlando and give rhythmic gymnastics a whirl. Literally.

The result? The hula-hoops and ribbons go flying as the anchors struggle with coordination.

But while the sport proves initially difficult, the duo eventually grow into it, revealing a routine – and a sense of humor – that should impress even the toughest of judges. See for yourself.
Brian Orloff

Credit: Virginia Sherwood/NBC
Kathie Lee Defended After an On-Air Swipe | Kathie Lee Gifford

TV News

Kathie Lee Defended After an On-Air Swipe

Originally posted 08/11/2008 09:55AM

In light of some new criticism about Kathie Lee Gifford – stemming from a Today show regular telling her on-air last month to stop being such a Chatty Kathie – NBC is speaking up on behalf of its still-relatively new addition to the fourth hour of its top-rated morning program.

"The feeling here is we love Kathie Lee," Today executive producer Jim Bell tells the The New York Times. "She is unique, she's a character, she's colorful and she's not afraid to speak her mind. I don't think we’d have her any other way."

Since joining co-host Hoda Kotb in April, Gifford, 54, was targeted by some TV critics for falling into her same old pattern of monopolizing airtime to talk about herself and her family. (A PEOPLE.com poll in April, asking for reaction to Gifford's return to daytime TV, found that 42 percent of the respondents "loved it," while 58 percent "loathed it.")

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Credit: Peter Kramer/AP
Playwright Sounds Off on Jane Fonda's 'C-Word' Slip

Playwright Sounds Off on Jane Fonda's 'C-Word' Slip

Originally posted 02/15/2008 08:10AM

The Vagina Monologues author Eve Ensler was sitting next to Jane Fonda on the Today show Thursday, when the controversial actress dropped the C-word on live television.

Host Meredith Vieira later apologized for Fonda's use of the term – a taboo expression for female anatomy. The word was also removed from the Midwest and West Coast broadcasts of the program. In addition, Fonda's rep issued an apology on behalf of the actress, who said she regretted the "slip ... She certainly meant no disrespect," reports New York's Daily News.

But what was Ensler's reaction? Indifference.

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Credit: Michael Loccisano/FilmMagic
Katie Ribs Matt on His 10-Year Today Anniversary

Katie Couric

Katie Couric Ribs Matt Lauer on His 10-Year Today Anniversary

Originally posted 01/05/2007 08:00AM

On Friday morning, Today marked Matt Lauer's 10-year anniversary on the show with an appearance by a surprise guest: Katie Couric.

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Credit: Jason DeCrow/AP
Review: Thumbs Up for Meredith Vieira | Meredith Vieira

Review: Thumbs Up for Meredith Vieira

Originally posted 09/13/2006 11:35AM

A week after Katie Couric's unsatisfactory debut on The CBS Evening News came Meredith Vieira's first day as coanchor on Today, Couric's old job. We'll see how the ratings go, but viewers should have been happy at the end of Vieira's first two hours. Just as dependably as in her years on The View, she was relaxed, game for anything – the right woman for any job. And I hope this puts to rest all that cruel gossip that the spot more rightly should have been offered to Joy Behar.

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Credit: Richard Drew/AP
Today Says Goodbye to Katie Couric | Katie Couric

Today Says Goodbye to Katie Couric

Originally posted 05/31/2006 08:00AM

NBC's Today show said goodbye on Wednesday to its co-anchor of 15 years, Katie Couric.

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Credit: Walter Weissman/starmax
Our TV Critic: 'Good Luck, Katie!'

Our TV Critic: 'Good Luck, Katie!'

Originally posted 04/05/2006 10:50AM

It says something – it says a lot – about the state of TV news that Katie Couric's departure from Today makes for a more momentous headline than the fact that she'll become television's first solo female anchor at the CBS Evening News.

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Credit: Robin Platzer/Filmmagic
Katie Couric Leaving Today Show | Katie Couric

UpdatePosted 04/05/2006 02:15PM

Katie Couric Leaving Today Show

Originally posted 04/05/2006 07:55AM

Saying that "sometimes change is good," Katie Couric – after 15 years cohosting NBC's Today show – will jump ship to anchor the CBS Evening News, she announced on Today Wednesday morning.

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Katie Couric to Interns: 'You're Fired'

Originally posted 02/19/2004 10:00AM

"Today" show host Katie Couric doesn't have Donald Trump's hair, but NBC is hoping she will have The Donald's moxie when it comes to dismissing candidates from her morning show's upcoming series, "The Intern."

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Couric's 'Today' Show Coup Turns Sour

Originally posted 08/07/2002 01:00PM

A booker for NBC's morning show violated network ethics by purchasing an $80 pair of pants for an interview.

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