December 2007 - Posts
(From Ryan Osborn, TODAY producer)
Thank you to everyone who took part and voted in 2007: The Year in Pictures .
The shot that received the most votes may be controversial but there is no question it is an extremely powerful piece of photography:
John Moore/Getty Images http://www.leadthewayfund.org/ .
If you want to learn more about the photo, read John Moore's blog .
(Interesting Note: John is currently in Pakistan and last week took the last known images of Benazir Bhutto before her assassination. In an interview with Editor and Publisher he explained during the attack he "was splattered with quite a bit of blood on my shirt and face.")
WATCH VIDEO
So how will Matt be celebrating the big 5-0? According to the birthday boy himself, he's got a low-key day planned-- celebrating the big day with his wife and kids.
There are few things more exciting, especially for children, than going to the zoo. I recently went to one with my brother, sister-in-law, and their two kids, and my niece and nephew had a great time looking at the array of different animals -- even at this small zoo in New Jersey.
tiger on the loose (left, in an undated AP photo) at the San Francisco Zoo, which killed one man and injured two others, should give anyone pause about going to the zoo, especially if they have children.
Who is the better dancer -- NBC's David Gregory or Seinfeld's Elaine Benes? Watch and decide for yourself....
WATCH VIDEO
With Christmas approaching, I asked some of our TODAY personalities for their favorite holiday memories and traditions.
Here's the fourth entry in the series, from Natalie Morales:
It's a Wonderful Life for the 100th time.
With Christmas approaching, I asked some of our TODAY personalities for their favorite holiday memories and traditions.
Here's the third entry in the series, from Al Roker:
Got home around 2 a.m., and people came over. My mother had a ham going, food. I kept thinking, "How come I never heard any of this?"
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With Christmas approaching, I asked some of our TODAY personalities for their favorite holiday memories and traditions. Here's the second entry in the series, from Matt Lauer:
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(From Jenna Wolfe, TODAY correspondent)
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After watching Meredith's
emotional interview on Wednesday with Tom Johnson -- whose daughter, Tiffany, was killed by a gunman at Youth With a Mission in Denver -- Donald Trump opened up his checkbook and made a generous donation to the
Tiffany Johnson Memorial Fund. Trump called Meredith personally to let her know about the gift.
With Christmas approaching, I asked some of our TODAY personalities for their favorite holiday memories and traditions.
Here's the first entry in the series, from Meredith Vieira:
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Matt is off this week (David Gregory is filling in for him), but he's not spending his time idly. Over the weekend, he was in Florida to host two fundraisers for Hospice of Palm Beach County: the 10th annual Jay Robert Lauer Golf Tournament and the Ermenegildo Zegna Evening at The Breakers Hotel.
Photo by Jeffrey Langlois/Palm Beach Daily News Matt was at The Breakers on Saturday to raise money
Matt's father, Jay, received care from Hospice in 1997, when he was battling cancer. You can read more about it in this article from Sunday's Palm Beach Daily News.
In case you missed anything here on allDAY this week, here's a look back:
Remember when Meredith skated with Will Ferrell back in March and suddenly slipped, banged her head on the ice, and found herself sprawled on her back?
AOL's Top 5 TV awards , it is one of the "most memorable spills" of 2007. AOL conducted an online poll, and Meredith's fall placed third with 23 percent of the vote. She came in behind Marie Osmond's fainting spell on "Dancing with the Stars" and Miss USA's tumble at the Miss Universe contest. WATCH VIDEO
She said, "I certainly did, and I went on with the show and even smiled about it. I just think there should be a recount."
What she meant to say was, it's an honor just to be nominated...
This morning, Matt sat down with Julia Roberts to discuss her new film, Charlie Wilson's War . WATCH VIDEO
During the interview, Julia also mentioned her collaboration with Emporio Armani on a bracelet to help fight AIDS in Africa. Take a look:
And if you want to buy one, you can find it HERE
Plus, find out what is the worst Christmas gift Joan has ever received. WATCH VIDEO
The new movie Atonement has been getting a lot of buzz and picked up seven Golden Globe nominations yesterday.
It's also getting a lot of attention for what actress Keira Knightley wears:
WATCH VIDEO Breakfast at Tiffany's .
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This morning, Meredith moderated a panel on epilepsy with Dr. Nancy Snyderman, Susan Axelrod, the founder of the epilepsy advocacy group CURE, and Tiki Barber. WATCH VIDEO
DF: How old were you when you had your first seizure?
Tiki Barber: I think I was one when we -- talking about me and my brother -- had our first seizures. I don't know if it's genetic or coincidence, but we would always have them at the same time. So my mom was always extremely stressed about it.
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We began the conversation talking about another of his "Dancing" compatriots, boxer Floyd Mayweather, Jr. (after the jump):
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Got a question about TODAY? Send it to us HERE and check back on Friday for our allDAY Mailbag.
watched the segment , read the blog , and now you clearly have formed an opinion about Paul Janka -- so what is he, Casanova or scoundrel?
But not Paul Janka -- he apparently lives in a 300-square foot apartment (and you have to leave the apartment to get to the bathroom) and works as a free-lance writer and college tutor.
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This morning, Ann read a news item about the long-eared jerboa, an endangered animal recently found in the deserts of Mongolia. They're calling it the "Mickey Mouse of the desert," but Ann thought it reminded her of someone else. Take a look:
Personally, I don't see the resemblance, and I not sure anyone else here does either...but do you think Ann was onto something?
Got a question about TODAY? Send it to us HERE and check back on Friday for our allDAY Mailbag.
(From Paul Manson, TODAY producer)
a live and a taped interview with Brad Pitt regarding his new effort to rebuild the 9th Ward of New Orleans (Right: That’s me in the blue shirt ... hey look I’m famous) Ann asked Brad about this very subject:
Ann : Given how much fame takes away from you -- I know you don’t like to complain about that -- but fame comes at a personal cost ...
Brad : It’s a trade off you know it’s...fame is a price on your privacy but then there’s also other great benefits and this is one of them.
Ann : So in some way if this works does it make all the price you’ve paid in terms of your personal cost worth it?
Brad : It’s worth it now, listen if I don’t like it I’ll get out...it’s all worth it now but yeah this will work it’s all just a question of scale that’s all.
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(From Jen Long, TODAY producer)
That was until: “Excuse me, MA’AM
Needle off the record. Oh that’s right I’m not 19. I’m 35. Welcome to the “ma’am” years.
Which is why when a man closer to my own age walked up to me and said, “You have great energy”, (was it the mini-macaroni and cheese quiche I had shoved in my mouth? And did you know if you try hard enough you can fit two?), I was relieved.
Phone numbers were exchanged. Drinks were planned.
And that is how I met Paul Janka, who will be on Monday’s show to explain how he’s slept with over 100 women.
Needless to say, I discovered he might be interested in one thing from me. (Google is to women, what text-messaging is to men -- a godsend.)
We didn’t meet up for a drink, but we did meet up. Of course I had a camera crew in tow. Our second date will be a little awkward, but at least the food’s tasty in the green room.
Clearly, we’re taking things slow...
Miss something on allDAY this week? Have no fear -- here's a look back:
(From Jenna Wolfe, TODAY correspondent)
Now he wants to go to space -- not as an astronaut, but as a tourist. And here’s the best part: it’s not a question of if, but when.
Branson, the charming British billionaire entrepreneur, was kind enough to invite TODAY to a day of training as part of the preparation for going into space. So, I went to the NASTAR facility just outside Philly to partake in one of the required tests for this extravaganza -- the centrifuge. The day was surreal. There were six of us in “space class” -- two British reporters, Will Whitehorn (president of Virgin Galactic), Branson and his son, 22-year old Sam (spitting image of pop) and me -- all sitting in the front row of to learn about g-forces (g-x force and g-z force and a bunch of other letters). We took notes. (Branson and I disrupted class a bunch of times, basically out of sheer excitement over what was about to come.) He’s actually such a down-to-earth fun guy, you’d never know he is as powerful a man as he is. But we did take copious notes and we did pay close attention and we were fully prepared for our simulated voyage to space.
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WATCH VIDEO
And for their full dance...
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This week, we've been doing a series called "Men Turning 50," and our own Matt Lauer is turning 50 later this month. I sat down with Al Roker, who has already hit the half-century milestone, to talk about being 50 and what advice he has for Matt.
DF: What's the biggest misconception about men in their fifties?
DF: I don't recall him doing any complaining about it.
Al: When your dad hit 50, was there wailing and gnashing of teeth?
DF: No.
Al: Did he rend his garments?
DF: No. He would never rend his garments on purpose.
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She hails from Vallejo, California, and was joined here in New York by her parents, Kenny and Agnes. Kenny himself is a guitarist in a band, the Urban Bushmen.
So with her parents looking on, I sat down with Gabi to talk about her musical influences, what her friends think of her budding career, and the best part of being a musician. Here's our conversation (after the jump):
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We're a month away from the Iowa Caucuses, and all the talk is about Obama overtaking Hillary on the Democratic side, Huckabee's surge among Iowa Republicans...and yet, can you name the most-Googled candidate in the entire field?
Why is this man smiling?
The answer: Ron Paul.
Paul has been a hot commodity on the Internet, and that's reflected on trends.google.com , which tracks Google's most popular searches. This morning, Marissa Mayer, Google's VP of Search and User Experience, talked about some of the site's top searches and most interesting results. WATCH VIDEO
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And as Ann reported this morning, Brad Pitt continues to lend his Hollywood profile to bringing affordable housing to the Lower Ninth Ward in New Orleans. WATCH VIDEO
These are just three examples of celebrities championing causes, whether political, humanitarian or otherwise.
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