May 2009 - Posts
On a royal visit to the U.S., Prince Harry spoke to Matt.
The full interview will air tomorrow (Monday, June 1st) on Today , but here is an excerpt of what the prince had to say:
"Deep down inside, I'm three different people. I don't know whether that's a good thing or a bad thing. But I can, I think you have to sort of jump from place to place. And you have, you have to go along with the situation that you are in. And it's very different--wherever you are, different places, different people. You just gotta roll with it. And I hope I'm doing alright by that."
Below is video of some of the highlights of Harry's visit.
From Meredith Vieira Last night
I sat in the audience at the finale of "Britain's Got Talent." It was the end of a long and emotional train wreck of a week for contestant Susan Boyle, nicknamed the Hairy Angel and SuBo (a take off on Rambo) by the British tabloids. After making it into the finals last Sunday, Susan had begun to crack under the pressure. There were stories of an obscenity-laden meltdown or two. And talent judge Piers Morgan admitted the Scottish spinster had
even packed her bags and threatened to go home. He said he had calmed her down and convinced her to focus on nothing else but just singing the song (“I Dreamed A Dream”) that had captured the world's attention -- and its heart -- several weeks ago. Susan was then taken to a secret location away from the public and the press, but Piers worried that the damage might already have been done. Would all the negative attention knock her permanently from her pedestal? Or might it turn her back into the underdog that Britain first rooted for? And what responsibility did the talent show bear for her emotional outbursts? Had it done enough to prepare her for instant celebrity?
CONTINUED >>
This Monday, June 1, the families of detained U.S. journalists Laura Ling and Euna Lee will be on our show.
It will be the first time they are speaking out since their loved ones were arrested in North Korea on March 17.
You can read more about the story here . Also, see video below.
A little late on this post, but MTV caught up with some American Idol fans in our crowd on Thursday and asked, "Who do you think sounded better?". It is amazing to see both Adam and Kris have such dedicated fans. See the video to see answers.
UPDATE: We announced the wedding couples competing in the series this year . Though Stephanie and Ryan weren't picked, just wanted to say thank you to them for applying. You clearly have some great friends and family. Thanks for being so much fun. Wish you the best of luck and hope to keep in touch.
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You will get to meet this years' wedding couples next Wednesday, June 3rd.
While our team of producers who are working on the series aren't giving any clues about who made the cut, one couple who applied has taken to the web in hopes of getting our attention.
Ryan Hupfer and Stephanie Marnitz are self-described "dorks in public" and the couple posted the following video on YouTube.
They even have a theme song (at 1:48 in video below).
From Ryan Osborn
played the plaza this morning , which was packed
with fans that started lining up overnight. Our show is always an early wake up call and Swift wrote on her blog that she had trouble sleeping: on her blog about everything in her hotel room that kept her attention and a funny story
about her dad who is traveling with her.
From Bob Dotson After the
Vietnam War Memorial story aired, something that ranks right up their with needles and haystacks happened. The brother of one of the dead soldiers mentioned was watching the story. That led him to read
my column online and he left a note on the
American Story Web page wanting to contact his brother's platoon leader, Bill Gray, one of the men we profiled. I gave him Bill's contact info and they exchanged e-mails. Below is Bill Gray's poignant reply to his fallen comrade's family, the family he mentioned in the spot, the one he wrote to tell of their loved one's death ... 40 years ago this month:
hello mrs. white, jenny, gail & dan, CONTINUED >>
A very interesting mix of stories on the show this morning. From Matt's interview with a woman who attempted to assassinate President Ford to American Idol's Kris and Adam, here is a behind the scenes look via Al's twitpics .
Matt interviewing Sara Jane Moore.
Adam Lambert and Kris Allen in our green room.
Hope you saw Ann's reports from Iran early in the week. Here is some behind the scenes video of her team at work.
This morning a little bit of NBC history was in our crowd. Bob Hope was the best man in this couple's wedding and they have a picture to prove it.
TODAY anchor Meredith Vieira talks to CNBC's Carl Quintanilla about their new special titled "The Oprah Effect," which explores how the talk show host turns no names into brand names. Check out the clip below:
The cast of the Tony-nominated Broadway show "Rock of Ages" rocked the plaza this morning.
Here are some behind the scenes twitipics from @rockofages who live tweeted the performance.
Almost everyday, we have noticed more and more of you (and Al ) have been sharing some great twitpics.
Thought that we would start posting some of our favorites on this blog.
Here are some pics from @falloutboy this morning.
Next week Adam Lambert, Kris Allen and Taylor Swift will all be performing on @todayshow ! Check out entire "Toyota Concert Series on Today" schedule here .
Matt was on "Late Night with Jimmy Fallon" last night.
From their blog: "Last night's show was a blast. Matt Lauer came on and had a heart-to-heart with the deer that caused his bike accident and shoulder injury."
Here is clip:
From TODAY correspondent Jill Rappaport When we
f irst did this very special Bow to Wow segment , the response was overwhelming. All of the dogs were adopted within minutes of the story airing. I feel so blessed to be able to do it again. This time, I went to one of the busiest pounds in the country:
Animal Care and Control of New York City . Here they take in more than 6,000 dogs a year ... all waiting for that special someone to give them a second chance at life. I decided this time to pick three dogs that had very challenging situations either because of their breed or age.
WATCH VIDEO CONTINUED >>
Hope you enjoyed
"The Cosby Show" reunion this morning.
Here is an interesting clip from The Daily Show with Jon Stewart last night which makes the case that "Barack Obama is Cliff Huxtable".
Who wouldn't want a home-cooked meal for four from Curtis Stone?
TODAY received more than 2,000 entries for the Girls Night In with Curtis Stone contest. On this morning's show, Stone called the lucky winner, Mary Schiesz, at her home in Bristol, Tenn., where she was gathered with three friends: Candie, Wendy and Denise.
The celebrity chef then told Mary that he was coming to cook at her house for her and her friends on May 29. Get your appetite ready, Mary!
Get the latest TODAY recipes
here.
When it comes to toys, most 5-year-old kids are focused on acquiring more playthings – not giving them away.
But Riley Hebbard is a little different from most 5-year-olds. After seeing an
Ann Curry report about children in Darfur , Riley decided to do something about the fact that the kids there have no toys to play with. So the enterprising youth started Riley’s Toys for Darfur. With drop-off locations in Mechanicsburg, Pa., the drive is taking off.
Riley’s mom, Rhonda Hebbard, says her daughter’s aim is for every kid in Africa to have a toy, so they don’t have to share.
Find more special reports from Ann Curry
here .
From TODAY correspondent Jill Rappaport
You don't have to be an animal lover to love the
Popcorn Park Zoo, but if you are, the experience is that much more intoxicating.
Tucked away on seven acres in Forked River, New Jersey is a wonderful wild kingdom, filled with beautiful exotics and wildlife to take your breath away (I spent the day with my jaw dropped in amazement)! There’s everything from lions and tigers and bears (oh my!) to camels, peacocks, wallabies and even a steer to stare at. And what makes this refuge so special is that all of these beautiful creatures are rescue animals that were saved from exploitation and/or death.
We all have heard the horror stories of what can happen when wildlife ends up where it should not be, or worse, in someone's home. The results can be devastating to the owners and the animals. So that is why it is so important to have a place like the Popcorn Park Zoo — a safe haven for our beautiful creatures and a magical place for us to get close to them.
Watch video: New home for exotic animals
Matt Lauer spoke to Drew Peterson today
in his first jailhouse interview (video). The full interview will air on Friday's show, but in the meantime here is an excerpt:
Matt : After you were arrested you called your handcuffs bling .. and you said that your prison clothes were spiffy. You've said in the past that this sense of humor of yours is the way you react to stress. But do you understand how it can tend to make you a very unsympathetic character in the eyes of the public?
Drew : Well there is no book written on how I'm supposed to act. Would it be better if I hid my head down and tried to hide my face ... and hunched over ... and tears in my eyes. I mean .. no .. that's just not me.
From Ann Curry, TODAY After impulsively touching Leonard Nimoy's ears, I would not be surprised if he asked for a restraining order, restricting me to another galaxy.
But what a delight to meet a childhood crush, a talented, intelligent man, who was just as gracious in person as I had always imagined him to be.
To watch the full interview with Leonard Nimoy and more interviews with the cast of 'Star Trek,' click here .
If you're in town tomorrow, May 6, and would like to be part of a TODAY shoot, meet us at Pier 83 (West 42 St. and 12th Ave.) for a
BEAST speed boat ride . It's not your typical tour boat, so expect to get wet.
Boarding : 12:30 p.m.
Return : Approximately 3 p.m.
There is a limit, so first come, first serve.
Life has a funny way of working out. Did you ever wonder what would have happened had you booked that flight just one day earlier? Or how about questioning your decision to attend a certain college? Or even accepting your current job?
Well, in this week's "Getting to Know TODAY," we decided to question our TODAY family when it came to their career paths. We asked the TODAY family: If you weren't working at TODAY, what would you be doing instead?
Be sure to post your thoughts on our anchors' other career choices. Do you agree? Could you imagine Hoda as a 3rd grade teacher? Would you let Matt design your house? Also, don't forget to add your ideas for future "Getting to Know TODAY" questions. Hopefully we'll pick yours.
As always, check the allDAY blog every Tuesday to learn the latest answers to all your burning questions about the TODAY family!
-A.M. in the A.M.
