June 2008 - Posts
To find out if daily sex for a whole year would strengthen a marriage
or reveal its cracks, Charla and Brad Muller gave it a try, and
chronicled the experiment in
their new book.
So, what do you think? Given the opportunity to have sex for 365 days
in a row, would you take it? Tiki Barber headed to Central Park to find out what married men and women had to say...
This morning, Natalie interviewed Robert Burck, the Naked Cowboy, about his lawsuit against Mars Incorporated. WATCH VIDEO
I remember the days when the best way to establish your ownership of, say, a pair of underwear, was to sew a tag into the waistband.
Now, apparently, it's acceptable to use red paint on the backside. What a world.
(From Ryan Osborn, TODAY producer)
By putting just a photo of Obama and no text on the cover of Rolling Stone, the magazine is putting the presumptive Democratic nominee in the company of John Lennon.
In a 50-minute interview with the Editor and Publisher of Rolling Stone, Jann Wenner, Senator Obama talks about Bob Dylan (specifically the song "Maggie's Farm"), his priorities if elected (Iraq, health care, and energy) and also what he has on his iPod ("everything for Howlin' Joe to Yo-Yo Ma to Sheryl Crow to Jay-Z"). WATCH VIDEO
As the issue lay on my desk, it was the image on the cover that people kept noticing.
Here were a few of the reactions (after the jump):
CONTINUED >>
(From Nick Palladino, associate producer and TODAY softball captain)For those of you who missed it, TODAY softball ran its record to 3-0 with a thrilling come-from-behind victory against MSNBC rivals Morning Joe on Friday. After being taunted by the Morning Joe folks ON THE AIR on Friday morning, TODAY fell behind early and faced an uphill climb for most of the game, with Joe opening up a 9-3 lead in the middle innings.
But TODAY mounted a huge comeback in the final innings, narrowing the gap to 9-6 by the 6th inning. Sparked by an RBI single by Matt Zimmerman, a base knock by Sean Reis, and an RBI by Chase Levy, TODAY closed the deficit to 9-8 after six.
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From Stephanie Becker, TODAY producerYou might have caught t
his morning's piece on Al Roker's day as host of "Celebrity Family Feud." (video) We followed Al for his 13 hours on the set. The show airs tonight. While I'm hardly impartial (I adore Al), I'm not a big fan of game shows. (Except the real life presidential nominating ones.) Al cracked me up, so I'll probably watch tonight, just to see how much of the really good stuff gets past the "standards" department. But I did see the standards rep laughing several times.
By the way, I know who won. I can't tell you. I know what's on Hugh Hefner's nightstand, according to what the survey says. But I can't tell you that. I know what the cast of Playboy's "Girl's Next Door" says it is. I can't tell you that either. I even know the No. 1 answer to what your mother always does better than your wife. I can't say. I know who wins the throw down between the team of Dog the Bounty Hunter and Mrs. Dog and their puppies versus Kathy Lee Gifford and her family. All I will say is Cody Gifford sure liked looking at the Girls Next Door. And I know if the doughy white guys of “The Office” beat the buff team of the “American Gladiators.” But, if I told you, Wolf or Titan would probably pummel me. (Which might not be so bad, Wolf's kinda cute in spandex.) And I can't tell you whom Al Roker had a verbal smack down with. Of course all in good humor. Really.
CONTINUED >>
George Carlin passed away of heart failure on Sunday at age 71, and the obituaries and rememberances are pouring in -- including one from NBC News correspondent John Larson. WATCH VIDEO
Everyone always mentions Carlin's "Seven Words You Can't Say on Television" routine, and it certainly was a big deal and groundbreaking.
But his real legacy was as an innovator and role model to a generation of comedians that rose to prominence in the 1970s and afterward.
As Richard Zoglin writes in his 2008 book, Comedy at the Edge, Carlin played a crucial role in shepherding stand-up comedy from Borscht Belt schtick to topical material and social commentary, a legacy that continues every night, when "The Daily Show" airs.
CONTINUED >>
Lukasz Zbylut is an 18-year-old high school student in Brooklyn, New York, and he has the distinction of receiving acceptance letters from 18 of the country's most prestigious universities.
He talked about his college admissions process this morning with Matt and Meredith. WATCH VIDEO
Of those 18 schools, seven of them are Ivy League institutions, causing The New York Post to dub Zbylut, "A One-Man Ivy League." He applied to seven of the eight Ivies, leaving out Brown. I wonder, though, if you're going to apply to seven of them, why not go for 8-for-8?
TODAY Producer Sabrina Clay spoke to Lukasz in preparation for this morning's segment. Here's what he had to say (after the jump):
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(From Janet Shamlian, NBC News Correspondent)
With a job that sometimes requires all night travel to reach a story, it would be easy to believe my sleep suffers most when I'm on the road. But with five children, none yet a teen, the truth is my most sleepless nights are at home.
It doesn't take lightning out the window or a monster in the room for a child to find their way to my bed, where -- in truth -- I'm already awake thanks to the early alert system: the sound of little feet bounding down the hall.
So by the time they've arrived I'm alert and mentally calculating how much more sleep I'll get after dealing with that night's particular "emergency," which in the last week have included:
1. I'm hungry
2. I've got a growing pain
3. It's dark outside
4. I threw up on my bed
CONTINUED >>
Sleep. It's probably the most talked-about subject around here, because nobody gets enough of it.
For every story we do on the negative impact of sleep deprivation -- WATCH VIDEO for today's story, featuring an interview with Terri Trespicio of Body + Soul magazine -- none of us seems willing or able to make changes to our own lives.
Why? Well, a lot of us here at TODAY have to get up hours before dawn to come to work.
That includes Matt, Meredith, Al and Ann, as well as producers and crew members, many of whom arrive here either late at night or in the wee hours of the morning to get the show on the air at 7 a.m.
And it's obviously not just people who work on morning television shows. We're all told that we're supposed to get eight hours of sleep or we're opening ourselves up to an array of health problems. But do you know anyone who gets eight hours of sleep every night?
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On this morning's special tribute to NBC's Tim Russert, Matt Lauer shared his thoughts about his friend and colleague (WATCH VIDEO):
Although we have spent the last two hours or so trying to do justiceto the life and career of Tim Russert, my fear is that we have only scratchedthe surface. It's impossible, I think, for you people at home to know how big a hole we all have in our hearts this morning and how much we'll miss our friend and our colleague, or how we will forever be trying to fill his formidable shoes.
You know, Tim would be the first person to say at one point it is necessary to move on. The new cycle, he would say, demands it. There's an election and so much more to cover. But moving on is much easier said than done when it comes to Tim Russert, because in many ways he defined us here, and I know he elevated us all.
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With Father's Day two days away, I sat down with Matt to get his musings on the weekend ahead.
DF: So what have you got planned for this weekend?
Matt Lauer: I do the same thing every year. I tell my family that I'm more than happy to do a great breakfast, and all that stuff, but I really like to just go without plans.
Because of the schedule we all work during the week, there's nothing better to me than a weekend with nothing planned.
So hopefully on Sunday that will be the course of the day. We'll have a little lunch, maybe take a ride on the boat, maybe hit a few golf balls, sit by the pool, and just relax. For me, it's about getting to spend some uninterrupted time with family.
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He's one of the world's most famous people: a two-time heavyweight champion, celebrity pitchman/griller, and all-around cheerful guy, George Foreman.
He stopped by the show this morning to discuss fatherhood, along with author Tom Sturges and Roland Warren, the president of the National Fatherhood Initiative. WATCH VIDEO
Foreman also took the time to sit down with me for a Q&A, discussing subjects ranging from his most memorable Father's Day, his favorite food, and the highlight of his boxing career.
DF: Today you're here to talk about Father's Day and your book, Fatherhood...you've got five sons named George. Do you have nicknames for them? When you're addressing "George," how do they know which one you're talking to?
CONTINUED >>
In honor of swimmers Kaitlin Sandeno and Brendan Hansen's
appearance on today's show (video), we bring you a revealing look at several 2008 Olympic hopefuls' (including Kaitlin's) secret crushes...
(From Stephanie Becker, TODAY producer)
Here's a math problem that never came up in Mr. Gill's Geometry class. If a picture is worth 1000 words and television adds 20 pounds, how many times will I bypass the office candy jar after seeing my butt on a field tape?
That’s kind of the point of an on-going study being done at Stanford University. As Chris Jansing reported this morning (video), Professor Jeremy Bailenson's student, Jesse Fox is running a series of experiments asking the question: If you can see a computer clone of yourself lose weight, would you be more incline to be healthier in real life?
Early results have shown that as a result of the subjects exercising and watching their virtual bodies slim down, they spent more time working out in the next 24 hours than they normally would have done.
Now, before I get all snarky about this study, I have to come clean. I applied to Stanford University. They rejected me. So instead of wearing sweatshirts to class, I wore a parka and big bulky boots to get around during the winters at Indiana University in Bloomington. And I got a fine Hoosier education.
So my lack of a Stanford diploma has nothing to do with this critique: Who needs a virtual goal? Most of us already have some REAL life examples to propel us to lose weight.
For motivation I turn to my favorite skinny-me photo snapped 13 years ago. I was on the divorce diet plan. When my marriage failed, I spent the first week eating big tubs of gooey rice pudding. But once out of the comfort-food phase I just couldn't get up the energy to chew. So I didn't eat for three months. I lost 195 pounds of flab and 175 pounds belonged to my ex.
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Let me begin this by saying that if I ever shot 100 on a U.S. Open course, I would retire from golf a happy man.
With that said, Matt Lauer shot an even 100 last Friday at Torrey Pines, host of the upcoming U.S. Open, and he was not happy about it.
He took part in the Golf Digest U.S. Open Challenge, an exhibition that was sparked by a comment Tiger Woods made a year ago: that no 10-handicapper could break 100 on a course set up for the U.S. Open. (Note: You can watch highlights of the event on Sunday, June 15, at 2 p.m. ET on NBC, right before live final-round coverage of the U.S. Open.)
Two-time British Open champion Greg Norman served as Matt's caddy
at the Golf Digest US Open Challenge. (AP Photo/Christopher Park)
Matt (6.2 handicap) played with Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo (2.2), pop star Justin Timberlake (6.0) and "everyman"John Atkinson (8.1), who won a Golf Digest essay contest to try his hand at the championship layout at Torrey Pines.
Atkinson is not only a very good golfer, but he is also dealing with a serious medical issue just to play: he's undergoing treatment for advanced inoperable lung cancer, making him an inspiration for everyone watching, regardless of his finishing score.
At the end of the 6 hour and 15 minute round, Romo had shot 84, Timberlake 98, and Atkinson 114 (in addition to Matt's 100).
Altogether, the foursome did not record a single birdie on the 7,600-yard course, which featured diabolical pin placements, extreme rough around the greens and lightning-fast putting surfaces.
I spoke with Matt this morning about the experience (after the jump):
CONTINUED >>
Saturday was a sad day in the broadcasting world, when we learned that Jim McKay had passed away at age 86. Matt, Ann and Al discussed their memories of him this morning. WATCH VIDEO
McKay was the host of "Wide World of Sports" and the long-time face of the Olympics on American television for ABC Sports. The Olympics, of course, is an important subject around here, since NBC has broadcast every Games since 2000.
But even though he worked for a different network, his work had a dramatic impact on the way we cover the Olympics. The chairman of NBC Sports and Olympics, Dick Ebersol, was McKay's first Olympic researcher, at the 1968 Winter Games in Grenoble, France.
CONTINUED >>
You weren't dreaming this morning if you put on TODAY and saw Meredith sitting next to Matt. She was really -- and unexpectedly -- there in her usual seat.
She was supposed to be on her way to do a series of reports from China for the show next week, but while sitting at the airport yesterday morning, she learned that she was not permitted to travel.
So what happened? Before I tell you, I'll give you some choices in our allDAY pop quiz:
(and see her talk about it with Matt after the jump)
CONTINUED >>
There are certain perks to the job of working at TODAY, and one of them is getting to have Matt Lauer wash your car every Friday, as he is contractually obliged to do. He actually does a really nice job.
Wait a minute, what am I saying...I haven't owned a car in seven years.
No, one of the real perks is getting to sample the terrific food from cooking segments, as you can see above.
This morning, Executive Producer Jim Bell, Senior Broadcast Producer Don Nash and Stage Manager Mark Traub all sampled the fine barbecue stylings of Kevin Roberts (East Village Tavern & Bowl) and Adam Perry Lang (Daisy May's BBQ U.S.A.).
Don even made it into the segment, which is only funny or noteworthy if you know Don. I do, so I'm going to watch it. WATCH VIDEO
You can also check out some great summer BBQ recipes HERE.
A lot has been said and written about the musical impact of Bo Diddley, who passed away on Monday at the age of 79.
He was indeed a giant in the music world, but I'll also always remember him for his appearance in the "Bo Knows" ad campaign for Nike and Bo Jackson.
You can check out the ad from 1990 on YouTube HERE.
Full disclosure: I had posters of Bo Jackson, Michael Jordan and John McEnroe on my wall as a kid.
Fuller disclosure: I did not have any posters of Jim Everett.
