January 2009 - Posts
Super Bowl Saturday? It may not have quite the ring of the traditional moniker for America’s biggest day in sports, but Martha Stewart thinks it would do newly installed President Barack Obama well to make just such a declaration.
“I think it has to be Super Bowl Saturday,” she told Matt and Meredith. “Then you don’t lose productivity. President Obama, here’s another good thing for you to do – change Super Bowl Sunday to Saturday, then we won’t lose productivity!”
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More on this story:
The bad blood between Matt Lauer and Conan O'Brien has been ongoing. But with Conan heading out to Los Angeles, will it finally be put it to rest?
This morning the TODAY family put on their clairvoyant hats and made predictions about which team would win Super Bowl XLIII. The loser has to
"walk the plank" ...in theory
Steelers Video : Matt, Meredith, Al and Ann make their Super Bowl predictions
Pete Souza
Matt Lauer will sit down with President Barack Obama at the White House for a live interview during the Super Bowl Pre-Game this Sunday. It will be the president’s first interview from the White House since his inauguration. You can see more of the interview on Monday (Feb. 2) on TODAY.
From Hoda Kotb I LOVE New York cabbies. Let me say it one more time -- I LOVE New York cabbies!
I left my wallet behind in a New York City cab on Saturday night. I called the police, the taxi commission...and, well--- I got nada. I pretty much kissed my wallet goodbye.
Then, early Sunday morning just as I was about to cancel my credit cards, I checked my voicemail at work and there he was, ASHAM. “Lady, I found your wallet in my cab. My name is Asham. Call me.” Beautiful.
I love New York City cabbies, especially Asham.
From Amy Robach CONTINUED >>
From Hoda Kotb Today my heart broke. An adorable little boy climbed in it---filled it up---and then abruptly left.
I met 8-year-old Nicolas at St. Jude Hospital in Memphis. He was so full of life that if it wasn't for the chemo pack he carried with him, you never would have known he was sick. He held my hand and showed me his world at St Jude. I remember just what his hand felt like in mine.
As I am writing this, I can't believe he is gone. He died Wednesday; the cancer was too much. He leaves behind wonderful parents and a brother. I have an ocean of tears for him.
But the funny thing is, when I think about him I remember one thing he said. He said don't worry about me, God is going to take care of me.”
I know he is.
by Lester Holt, NBC News anchor
During my 28-year career in television news I’ve been knocked down while on camera, held at gunpoint, trapped between walls of fire, broken a bone while on assignment, and inhaled tear gas. The one thing I’ve never done is bleed on air, that is, until today. If you caught the third hour of this morning’s broadcast, then you saw my little mishap with a cute 3-month-old puppy that joined us on the set.
Just moments before – at the beginning of a segment on pet adoptions – the pooch tried to leap from Amy Robach's arms, and in the process scratched a very large hole in her pantyhose. As a dog lover, and owner, I assured Amy I could control the pup (big mistake).
The segment began, and the dog tried to squirm from my grasp. As I tried to restrain it, one of its razor-like claws nicked my chin, drawing a fair amount of blood. Rest assured I am fine – I’ve done worse damage to my face with a razor. A few minutes of applied pressure, and I was able to go back about my day.
Despite our little dust up, I still find that little pup adorable. What I would hope is that no one would let the episode discourage them from providing a good home for a needy pet. Saturday is “Change a Pet's Life Day” – a national adoption drive for shelter animals. My family adopted from a shelter in Chicago 10 years ago, and I can tell you from experience it is not just their life that changes for the better, but yours too. A little scratch is a tiny price to pay for getting that message out.
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From Al Roker My good friend Brian Williams threw down the gauntlet early on. Would I, after several presidential snubs dating back to the Clinton administration, finally get props along the inaugural parade route from a member of the first family?
After all, it was my mentor, Willard Scott, who got a kiss on the cheek from First Lady Barbara Bush. He set the bar.
Could I come close? Well, not really. But I did get a weather report from President Obama. When I asked him for a comment , he responded, "It's warm." Okay, not a kiss, but I must admit his first public comment along the parade at least made Williams back down a bit.
So there, Brian. As they say in political circles, "Nyah-Nyah-Nyah-nyahi-nyaaaah-nyaaah”
As part of a morning devoted to the impending inauguration of Barack Obama, TODAY aired a story about how presidents are aged by the office. But if a graphic of Matt Lauer is to be believed, the pressure of the presidency is nothing compared to what the job of TODAY show anchor does to a man.
From Hoda Kotb, TODAY co-anchor
I can only say that I was THRILLED that Keenan Thompson didn't play me. I thought the spoof was hysterical ... I didn't know that being needled by a hot show like "Saturday Night Live" could feel so good. Hats off to "SNL"!!! xoxo, Hoda
See a clip of the skit here:
