November 2007 - Posts
It was a festive week here at TODAY as we plugged in the Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree on the plaza. In case you missed anything here on allDAY, here's a look back:
Miss Puerto Rico visited the studio to discuss her allegations of sabotage
Meredith forgot her contact lenses and made a fashion statement
"TODAY Gets Extreme" kicked off with Meredith's roll in a Zorb
Magic and Cookie Johnson talked to Matt about HIV/AIDS prevention
allDAY Vlog-o-spondent Sara Haines chatted with the guys from OneRepublic
If it's Friday, it's time to crack open the ol' allDAY Mailbag to answer questions from you, our attentive viewers/readers. If you have a question you'd like to see answered in the Mailbag in a future edition, send it HERE.
On to the emails...these are actual questions from actual viewers:
Q: I love the glasses Meredith was wearing on Monday.
Would you mind sharing the designer? I have had trouble finding some I like.
Monday was my birthday so this info can be your present!!!
Mary Ellis Gabriel
Lexington, South Carolina
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allDAY Vlog-o-spondent Sara Haines is not "apologizing" for getting the boys from OneRepublic up early this morning to talk about tipping, writing hit songs and more. WATCH VIDEO
Magic Johnson and his wife, Cookie, were on the show this morning to talk about the I Stand With Magic campaign and their personal fight against HIV/AIDS. WATCH VIDEO
I always marvel at Magic whenever I see him on TV, because I can't help but think back to November 7, 1991.
I was in the seventh grade, headed to a tennis lesson when the news broke on the radio that Magic had HIV and was retiring from the Lakers.
It was a stunning announcement, a presumed death sentence.
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Well, you've heard Ingrid Marie Rivera's story that she broke out into hives at the Miss Puerto Rico pageant because her makeup, evening gown and bathing suit were sabotaged. WATCH VIDEO
She claims it was probably pepper spray, while skeptics say that she was just having a nervous reaction, that there was no sabotage.
What do you think -- did one or some of her competitors try to knock her out of the pageant? Did she make the whole thing up as a publicity stunt? Or was this all just a simple misunderstanding?
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"Enter the Zorb" -- it sounds like a futuristic Bruce Lee movie or something.
But in fact, it's the latest extreme sports craze to come from New Zealand (the good people who brought us bungee jumping, among other half-crazy pursuits).
This morning, in the first installment of "TODAY Gets Extreme," Meredith showed us what a Zorb is and what it's like to hop in one and roll down a hill. WATCH VIDEO
Check out TODAY producer Karen Trosset's blog for a behind-the-scenes look at Meredith's Zorb shoot.
When I was a kid, we didn't have these new-fangled apparata like giant, plastic Zorbs -- we just rolled down hills on our own. You could either do somersaults down the hill or roll like a log. Those were the options. This was before the Internet, mind you. We also had to walk five miles, both ways, in the snow, just to get to the hill, and Coke was a nickel, etc.
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(From Karen Trosset, TODAY Producer)
She came. She zorbed. She conquered...and the producer breathed a sigh of relief. I had the distinct pleasure of working with Meredith on her Zorb ride segment for the "Today Gets Extreme" series, but I've got to tell you, man am I glad it's over. WATCH VIDEO
Our Today Show anchors are great adventurers. I am always surprised how game they are to try practically anything, even if it's risky. So the producers are always a little worried.
We did several test runs on the Zorb before Meredith arrived at the park to make sure cameras worked and, most importantly, that she would be safe. I did it, and I absolutely hated it. Furthermore, I was convinced she would too and questioned whether we should move forward.
Out of seven crewmembers who did the ride, testing the cameras, three of us vehemently disliked it, four loved it. It's not for the faint of heart.
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Ever have one of those mornings when you walk out of the house, head to work, and then realize that you forgot something important?
I'm pretty good about making sure I have all my stuff when I leave my apartment, but one morning a few weeks ago, I forgot my wallet.
I spent the rest of the day depending on the kindness of my colleagues Zoe and Mary Elizabeth, who made sure I had proper transportation and food.
Anyway, I tell that story to explain why Meredith was going with a new, bespectacled look this morning.
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(From Bob Dotson, NBC News National Correspondent)
There are dark shadows on the earth, but its lights are stronger in contrast. Today's American Story with Bob Dotson focuses on one of those lights, a youngster just 16, who is already showing us the way.
Andrew Hsu is far more than he seems. Brilliant, yes, but compassionate too. His family taught him to think more of others than he does himself. When he was just a little boy, they took him to homeless shelters. Let him wonder why some people lived that way. Let him ponder what he could do. WATCH VIDEO
Television is at its best when it shows us such people. Breaks down stereotypes. We see so many stories about gifted children who are self-centered and selfish. Not Andrew. He has a dream as big has his brain. Visit Andrew's Web site HERE
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Since this is a holiday week, we're going to open up the allDAY Mailbag a couple days early. We'll be back with more answers next Friday, so if you have questions, send them to us HERE.
On to the questions...
Jason DeCrow/Associated Press
Who is this man next to Meredith? Check out the allDAY Mailbag to find out.
Q: I watch TODAY EVERY morning while gettiing ready for work. I have one burning question: Who is "Lenny," and why is he always on the plaza? Does he have a job, or is hanging out with the TODAY Show gang is job? And why is he always in the front? How does he manage that? I'm really curious.
Connie Galloway
Richmond, Virginia
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Please join us in wishing Ann Curry a happy birthday today!
I won't give away how old she is, but you can watch the taped segment we ran this morning to find out -- and to look back at a great year that included Ann's reporting from Darfur, the South Pole and Borneo, among other far-flung locales. WATCH VIDEO
And if you have a birthday message for Ann, feel free to post it in the comments below.
(From Angela LaGreca, TODAY producer)
If you happen to read Meredith’s blog on iVillage.com, I’m the producer who works with her to help facilitate her electronic musings…it’s only a small part of my job, but it’s often the most fun part of my day -- knocking on Meredith's door at 9:05 a.m. and then trying to coax a blog out of her (she is a very good writer, but trying to blog on a daily basis when you have a schedule like hers is "ambitious" -- so I’m there to help keep her on track).
Angela visited with Veronica and her mother, Maria, in Studio 1A.
In trying to jog her memory, I'm sure I ask too many questions--but I've found that even the smallest detail can turn into something that’s "blog worthy." And since I know Meredith pretty well (I worked with her at "The View" for nine years; she said, "Come with me to the TODAY show," and here I am, 13 months later), blogging with her is not only satisfying, it's usually a laugh riot.
But today it's my turn to jot down some thoughts. And I’m pretty sure that the subject matter is "blog worthy"…it’s the story that aired this morning called "Ballerina Dreams," about how little girls with physical limitations went on to become ballerinas and then perform their version of "The Nutcracker." WATCH VIDEO
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Ever since I started working at TODAY, friends, family, even strangers have lined up to ask me all kinds of questions about the show. They've wanted to know all sorts of information, from how things work at the show to what kind of hours people keep to specific questions about segments we've done.
We here at allDAY figured a lot of you might also have questions, so we're giving you the chance to write in and uncover the mysteries of TODAY. You can post your questions HERE, and every Friday, I'll open up the allDAY mailbag and answer a few of them.
And if you're all tapped out on TODAY queries, feel free to write in about movies, TV, sports, whatever you want. I'm ready to take on anything you've got.
It's been a little while since we heard from Kyla Ebbert, the young woman who was asked to cover up her attire on a Southwest Airlines flight. In case you've forgotten about her, read about it HERE and HERE.
Well, she's back. Many of you cynically suggested that her complaints about Southwest's treatment of was just a publicity stunt.
I'm not going to weigh in on that, but I'll let the following news speak for itself: Kyla has now posed for Playboy's Web site.
Yes, she informed the Associated Press yesterday that she appears in photos -- some nude, some in lingerie -- under the title, "Legs in the Air."
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(From Janet Shamlian, NBC News Correspondent)
The first few will arrive next week, right after Thanksgiving. Those early birds make me feel so unorganized! Opening greeting cards is one of my favorite parts of the holidays, because I love seeing pictures of everyone's children. What I dread is the process of getting our own photo taken.
Unlike many families, we've never had a vacation photo that worked.. so for the past few years I've entrusted the job to a neighborhood mom who works out of her garage studio, photographer Leticia London (www.leticialondon.com).
With all that's involved in getting everyone ready, it's always a stressful day for me. This year, there was a little added pressure as a Today Show crew documented the process for a story on holiday photos. WATCH VIDEO
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(From Alicia Ybarbo, TODAY producer)
The holidays always seem to creep up on us. Just like the store windows that, magically overnight, get transformed into miniature winter wonderlands, so does every other part of the season: Christmas parties, city traffic, the holiday tree arriving at Rockefeller Plaza, frazzled shoppers.
No doubt, you'll always find me, along with the rest of my immediate family, at Target on December 24th, looking for last-minute white elephant gifts or stocking stuffers. But one thing that I try not to let sneak up on me is the holiday photo card.
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Editor's note: This post was written by Mike Simon last week in Antarctica. Internet connectivity being what it is at the South Poe, we are publishing it now.
(From Mike Simon, NBC News photojournalist)
I’ve been humming an old Chicago tune down here in Antarctica. Anyone vaguely aware of 70’s music will know the song, “Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is?”
You see, it’s been a constant battle trying to compute all of the different time zones that we have to remember. For starters, there is only one time zone that matters to all broadcasters: New York time. Antarctica operates on New Zealand time, which is 17 hours ahead of New York. I also have to keep in mind that New Zealand/Antarctica is 19 hours ahead of my home base in Denver. (My wife probably did not like me asking about Halloween two days before it was October 31.) How could I be so clueless about what day it is? Well, things would not be so hard if I had any math skills. Our brilliant IT guy here told me all you need to do is subtract 24 hours then add seven hours for New York and five hours for Denver. (See, you’re already getting confused. Just like me.) For our live shots on the Today Show, we have to be ready two hours ahead of the 7 a.m. East Coast broadcast. Hmm, 7 a.m. ET is, oh, midnight in Antarctica. Two hours before is 10 p.m. But Antarctica/New Zealand is a day ahead of New York. So it’s going to be Tuesday already before we get even get Monday’s Today Show off the air.
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When he is not writing music or helping with a charity, you can find Five for Fighting front man John Ondrasik home with his family playing battleship and indoor football. AllDAY's Sara Haines had a chance to catch up with Ondrasik and his family. WATCH VIDEO.
Ann successfully made it back from Antarctica and was back on the show today.
When she walked into the studio this morning, she was greeted with a warm ovation, and the crew provided her with her very own igloo at the news desk. WATCH VIDEO
She also recounted some of the highlights of her trip with Matt, Meredith and Al. WATCH VIDEO
When things settled down a bit, she sat down with me to discuss her trip. Here's our conversation:
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(From Shartia Brantley, NBC News News Associate)
I recently joined NBC News in the news associates program. TODAY is my first assignment. As a news associate I assist producers with stories and segments. The biggest highlight has been working on the Antarctica Ends of the Earth team with the fearless Ann Curry and a top-notch production team led by Mary Alice O’Rourke.
Unfortunately or fortunately, depending on how one views extreme cold temperatures, I did not make the three-day one way commute to the last frontier. Nevertheless, from 30 Rock I've learned so much. While gathering articles, screening and logging numerous tapes on Antarctica, I have increased my knowledge tremendously about the Earth’s hall monitor. This unique place tells us vividly what we’re doing right and wrong to our environment.
Successfully conducting a live broadcast from three points of the earth was exciting. It was great to be a part of a historic network event, especially one with such a clear mission. In working on an assignment like this it’s difficult not to be impacted by the information. This assignment has motivated me to be more aggressive in reducing waste in my daily life. I hope the segments from the broadcasts and Green is Universal week have inspired my colleagues and viewers to research the continent a little more and understand its role and impact on ALL of our lives.
(From Katie B. Ciarcia)
Hi! My name is Katie, and I'm a 42-year-old small business manager from Monroe, Washington. Like everyone else, I’ve been searching for the magic potion on weight loss for 19 years. I’ve tried every weight loss diet plan in the books -- prescription pills and shakes -- but none of them worked for me. In desperation I even tried all of those expensive specialty exercise gimmicks seen on infomercials, with no success. And then, “success.” I lost 124 pounds in 17 months, going from an over-sized petite of 5’0” at 234 pounds to my current weight of 110 pounds.
My story goes like this. On my wedding day I weighed 98 pounds and maintained that for the first year of my marriage. Then I gave birth to my daughter in 1989 and started gaining weight continuously. My basic activity levels just seemed to drop to chasing diapers instead of my morning five-mile run.
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It was a big week at TODAY with our Ends of the Earth coverage, and we had plenty to talk about here on allDAY. In case you missed anything, here's a look back:
Other coverage:
For many of us at 30 Rock, today is the unofficial start of the holiday season as the world-famous Rockefeller Center Christmas tree has arrived. This area is always a big tourist spot here in midtown Manhattan, but for the next two months, it will take on a whole new appeal.
This year's tree is 84 feet tall and 48 feet around. It comes from Joe and Judy Rivnyak's yard in Shelton, Connecticut (Shelton's high school is a rival of mine, so I have mixed feelings about this). The lighting ceremony is planned for November 28, and this year, the tree will have 30,000 lights on five miles of wire.
I snapped a few photos at about 6 a.m. today with the tree still on the flatbed truck on 49th Street. To give you an idea of how enormous the tree is, the young woman pictured in one of the photos is TODAY production manager Erin Reynolds, who is 8-foot-4 (give or take three feet):
(photos after the jump)
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(From Matthew Glick, TODAY Producer)
Talk about an opportunity. As we do everyday, Matt Lauer and I were going over story ideas in his office after the show when something caught my eye. It was an article buried in the St. Louis Post Dispatch about an 18-year-old walk-on freshman to the University of Illinois basketball team. But it wasn't just any student entering his freshman year at one of the top 10 public universities in the country -- it was Michael Jordan's son. You have to understand, for a guy like me who grew up in Chicago and watched with wide-eyes as arguably the best ball player of all time lead his team to six championships, Michael Jordan is not just celebrated in the windy city, the man is revered.
Going after a story like this one, we all knew was going to be tough. Michael rarely agrees to 
interviews. In fact, it had been more than two years since the man last sat down for an interview. And the father of three, who just last year divorced his wife, is known to be very guarded, protective of his kids, and keeps his privacy. There were a lot of hoops to jump through but at the end of the day (and with much coaxing) we got the exclusive sit-down interview with MJ and his son Jeff (right).
We seized on the opportunity to put together a "like father, like son" profile piece heading into the basketball season. This interview was a perfect fit for Matt and our show. It's something any parent, sports fan or son or daughter who ever aspired to walk in the footsteps of their dad or mom can relate to. The footsteps in this instance are enormous.
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At 6:56 a.m. ET, just four minutes before we went on the air, TODAY producer Matt Carluccio called the control room to let us know that Ann and the crew had successfully landed at the South Pole.
Moments after we went on the air, Ann spoke to Matt, Meredith and Al on the phone, getting a standing ovation from the studio. WATCH VIDEO
After six days of unsuccessful trips from McMurdo Station to the South Pole, Ann and company finally made it -- and arrived to people holding "Welcome Ann!" signs. It sounds like she and the crew were a little queasy when they arrived, which stands to reason -- in about a three-hour span, they went from sea level to an altitude of more than 9,300 feet. That'll mess with your body.
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Matt was back this morning with plenty of stories from his trip to Greenland for Ends of the Earth. After the show today, we sat down to talk about his favorite and least-favorite memories, his new friend Peter and, yes, the rugged look.
Here's our conversation:
Q: What was your favorite part of the trip?
Matt Lauer: I think by far, taking a helicopter -- and it was one of these big, 20-passenger, Sikorsky monstrous helicopters -- and flying from Ilulissat Airport up to the glacier. And actually flying and landing on a cliff overlooking what they call the calving area of the glacier. So you're looking at where the icebergs actually break off, fall into the fjord and then head down to the sea.
So from that calving area, as far as the eye can see, is the actual glacier. It covers 80 percent of the country of Greenland, which is the largest island in the world. So you can get a sense of how big this is, and all it is is this kind of rippling off-white ice. It's just awe-inspiring. I've never in my life seen anything like it that close. It's something I'll never forget.
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(From Peter Alexander, NBC correspondent)
The Galapagos Islands boast a mesmerizing diversity of creatures -- many of them seen no where else in the world and most of them, sadly, endangered (video). Once 200,000 tortoises roamed the Galapagos chain. Today, only 15,000 to 17,000 tortoises remain.
Packed into a small van, my crew and I ventured into the higher elevations of Santa Cruz Island. (In total, the Galapagos consists of 13 major islands, six smaller islands and hundreds 
of tiny islets.) Our Ecuadorian driver slowed the van to a stop. The road was blocked. Right there, lumbering in front of us was one of the giant tortoises that make the Galapagos famous. Later, we saw at least a half dozen more in a nearby field -- a patch of land bought and protected by the Nature Conservancy. From a distance, they look like giant cocoons. The tortoises -- “tortuga” in Spanish -- can weigh up to 600 pounds. And their age? No one really knows how long they live, but estimates range from 100 to 150 years. CONTINUED >>
One of the beauties of live TV is its unpredictability. In many cases, when things don't go as planned -- or when technical glitches pop up -- everyone has to improvise to make sure that we stay on the air and retain some semblance of coherence.
Other times, unpredictability has hilarious consequences. Take this morning, when Matt was doing a long explanation of what happens in the Greenlandic town of Ilulissat.
While talking about roads, hospitals, restaurants and bars, he made a new friend, an apparent local named Peter.
For a few seconds there, nobody -- especially Matt -- knew exactly what was happening or what was going to happen.
(check out the video after the jump)
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(From Shelley Napier)
Hi! My name is Shelley, I am a hairstylist from Wadsworth, Ohio and I have struggled with weight my whole life. Although I was chubby as a child, and heavy as a teenager, it wasn’t until my twenties when I gained most of my weight. At my heaviest I weighed 326 pounds. Some days I felt so self-conscious that it was hard for me to even get out of bed. Just trying to find clothes and getting dressed to go out was a challenge. I always felt like people were judging me based on my weight and couldn’t see past it to see who I was inside. I was so unhappy most of the time, which I think also made me develop a bad attitude. I used food to cope and whenever I felt happy, sad, bored or lonely, I would turn to food.
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As you've no doubt seen, TODAY went to the Ends of the Earth today, with Matt traveling to Greenland, Ann to Antarctica and Al to the Equator (in Ecuador),all to increase awareness about environmental issues, particularly climate change.
There's obviously been a lot of talk about climate change and the science behind it, and plenty of people either don't agree with the scientific consensus or think that what's out there is exaggerated.
Do you think humans have played a large role in the earth's rising temperature? Do you think it's more hype than science? Have you gone to any lengths to cut down on your carbon footprint? Are you teaching your kids about environmental issues?
Feel free to share your thoughts with us!
On assignment for Green week, NBC News' Kevin Tibbles traveled to Barrow, Alaska and the North Pole to report on the shrinking polar ice cap and the race amongst nations to claim a stake in the regions future. Here is a taste of his journey en route to the top of the world a few weeks ago.
(From Kevin Tibbles, NBC News Correspondent)
There may have been a time when where I am headed was considered unimportant… inconsequential… and well, nowhere. But times seem to have changed for the high Arctic.
I am sitting aboard a US Coast Guard C-130 transport as it makes its way through the sub-zero darkness of a murky morning en route to the North Pole, a place the Coast Guard has not scouted from the air for decades.
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(From Bob Lapp, TODAY engineer/audio operator)
We have a saying in the freelance world, “stupid people make us money” and “the dumber they are, the more money we make”. The examples are endless; athletes and dog fighting, racist disc jockeys, the majority of Hollywood under 25 and OJ. You also find that most people you meet want to be famous, by talent or by sheer ignorance, it does not matter, whatever gives them their 15mins of fame. Just take a look at the explosion of “Reality TV”, You Tube, or any of the web based “video garbage cans”, somehow peoples lives will never be complete if they are not part of some massive download, or talked about on cable news.
Michael Jackson paid for my master bathroom remodel and The Enron trial paid my mortgage for 6 months…(tragic yes, but they still make the stupid list for thinking they could get away with it!), and the everyday criminal puts food on my table…..yes it is the moron money train.
Don’t get me wrong, Idiots have been keeping me busy for 20 years and I got 2 kids to put through college, so keep those Paris Hiltons and Astronauts in Diapers coming. But I often wonder what happened to all those people who actually paid attention in college? Where are all those selfless folks who wanted to save the world, not own it?
I only had to travel to the bottom of the earth to find them.
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Here's a look back at a spooky week on allDAY:
If you've been following some of my posts over the past few months, you know that I'm a big fan of the NBC series "Friday Night Lights."
I did a Q&A with stars Kyle Chandler and Connie Britton last month and discussed the new season with my colleague Noah Oppenheim.
This morning, Adrianne Palicki, who plays the beautiful but emotionally-scarred teen Tyra, stopped by for a quick chat with Matt, Natalie, Al and Hoda. WATCH VIDEO
Before the segment, I visited her to talk about life in Dillon, her character's controversial storyline and her affinity for comic books.
Here's our conversation (after the jump):
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On assignment for Green Week, NBC News' Kevin Tibbles traveled to Barrow, Alaska and the North Pole to report on the shrinking polar ice cap and the race amongst nations to claim a stake in the regions future. En route to Barrow, here is a slice of life from the northernmost point in the United States as he observed it last week.
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(From Janet Shamlian, NBC News Correspondent)
I was trying to keep up with my five little trick or treaters as they worked the neighborhood a few nights ago. Keeping pace alongside me was a mom from a few streets over. I hadn't seen her in months. "I saw you on TV in a really bad outfit recently," she said with a smile, "but I have to say you made the most of it." And then it hit me, she was a frenemy.
It's a word I hadn't heard until recently but a relationship many of us have experienced. There are a number of definitions... but most agree, at its core, a frenemy is someone who upsets you as much as they make you feel good.
I traveled to Jerrico, New York, for a roundtable with a group of women to discuss frenemies for TODAY. WATCH VIDEO
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