allDAY : Live from Studio 1A

Celeb look-alikes: Sandra Bullock, KLG

Sarika Dani — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 15:19:00 GMT

Sandra Bullock was on the show this morning to talk about her new movie, "The Blind Side."

During the interview, Matt pointed out that Bullock's character in the film has a striking resemblance to Kathie Lee Gifford.

You be the judge.

'Star Wars' invades the control room

Ryan Osborn — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 15:51:00 GMT

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The Halloween debut of Meow to Wow

Sarika Dani — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 18:29:00 GMT

From TODAY correspondent Jill Rappaport

In honor of Halloween, we are debuting Meow To Wow for all our feline lovers! Since we have had such a wonderful response to our monthly Bow To Wow series (every dog we featured has found a loving home), we now are focusing on the cats that desperately need to get adopted, too.

The numbers are staggering -- approximately 25,000 cats and kittens end up at Animal Care & Control of New York City every year! So it's time to try to lower those numbers, and in return, YOU can end up with the most adorable affectionate pet.

For our launch, my producer Lindsay Grubb and I picked out four beauties ... a 3-year-old white purebred Persian named Grace and a stunning jet-black Bombay with piercing green eyes named Tina. Finally, we have two of the most adorable kittens up for adoption, brothers Nick and Vick, each of whom can fit in one hand. All of these precious animals are incredibly sweet and healthy and are just waiting for a second chance at life. Please consider giving them that chance.

In conjunction with this new segment, I have a new children's book out called "500 Cats." It is based on The Cat House on the Kings, the largest no-kill, no-cage cat sanctuary and adoption center in California. This is a very special place that has saved 18,000 cats and 5,000 dogs since it opened 17 years ago. The book follows one beautiful kitten named Mittens who finds safety, love and joy amongst all his many furry friends. I hope you enjoy the book, and I hope it will inspire you to adopt.

For information on how to adopt these featured cats and other animals, please visit the Web site for Animal Care & Control of New York City.

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A new hope in the war against dog cancer

Sarika Dani — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 18:15:00 GMT

From TODAY correspondent Jill Rappaport

The sickening truth is that cancer can affect anyone, and our beloved pets are sadly no exception. But this summer Palladia arrived, making it the first approved cancer drug for dogs, aimed at those afflicted with mast cell cancer. This is incredible news, and it could be a blessing for so many animals all over the world.

With this FDA-approved drug that kills tumor cells and cuts off blood supply to the tumors, dogs may have a better chance of surviving the disease. "It's very non-invasive," said Ann Hohenhaus, staff oncologist at the Animal Medical Center in New York City. "The oral nature of the drug makes it very appealing to drug owners."

When I went to the Animal Medical Center, I met with dogs afflicted with this disease and their owners. Knowing this drug is now available is helping so many owners breathe a sigh of relief, and so far it looks like the results have proven to be quite positive in several dogs. But only time will tell if this very important drug can really extend the lives of our "fur angels."

As a major animal lover and owner of four dogs, I am just so elated that so many advances are being made in veterinary medicine that can hopefully give our pets more precious years -- which they so deserve, and we as their owners desperately need.

Click here for more on the Animal Medical Center in New York City.

Al ‘rocks’ Tina Fey’s world

Danielle Brennan — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 13:09:00 GMT

What’s a gal got to do to get on the Emmy-winning NBC sitcom “30 Rock”? In the case of TODAY’s Meredith Vieira, pretty much anything.

Interviewing “30 Rock” star (and executive producer, and head writer, and….) Tina Fey on TODAY Thursday, Vieira noted rather pointedly that NBC Nightly News anchor Brian Williams has grabbed a guest spot on the show this season, while Meredith’s own invite must have got lost in the mail.

“I too love comedy, and I have a particularly strong relationship with your cast -- as you may or may not know,” Vieira pointed out to Fey.

Fey knew, all right: When her “30 Rock” costar Tracy Morgan appeared on TODAY last year, Meredith had locked lips with him in a faux display of passion that was, as Fey put it, “almost inappropriate.”

While Vieira maintained that she “would do more than that, if that’s what it took” to gain a guest stint on “30 Rock,” Fey bemoaned her own lack of steamy clinches on TODAY.

“Who do you want?” Meredith responded eagerly. “[Executive producer] Jim Bell? You want Al Roker?”

“I would take Al Roker,” Fey replied. Whereupon TV’s favorite weatherman stormed onto the set, dipped Tina’s head back, and pretended to give her a huge smooch. After the pseudo-clinch, Roker shook his head and bellowed, “Hoo-ha!”

“30 Rock” begins its fourth season at 9:30 p.m. ET Thursday, and while the show has long been a critic’s darling, it’s also picked up viewers every season.

“We feel very lucky – I feel we’re like in that movie ‘Final Destination’ and we somehow cheated death and it’s going to come find us,” Fey said.

The TODAY family weighs in on women in America

Sarika Dani — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 00:24:00 GMT

As TODAY begins to explore A Woman's Nation, the show's anchors, guests and producers offer their opinions about the state of women in America, from family life to the professional world.

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For more on A Woman's Nation, click here.

Behind the scenes with Gary Vee

Danielle Brennan — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 15:10:00 GMT

Wine expert Gary Vaynerchuk appeared on the show this morning to discuss how to pair wine with some delicious fall flavors. We caught up with him after his appearance to find out what it meant for him to be on TODAY.

From Bow to Wow: Meet pooches Betty, Max and Ollie

Sarika Dani — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 19:39:00 GMT

From TODAY correspondent Jill Rappaport

What a great way to start the month of October: with a new installment of From Bow To Wow. This time, my producer Vivian Fel and I went to Animal Care & Control of NYC, and picked out three fabulous dogs all hoping to find the perfect home.

First, we have the lovable Betty, who was tragically found next to her owner who was deceased. Needless to say she is terribly sad, but despite her trauma, she is so affectionate, but desperately in need of a loving home now.

Next we have Max, the energetic, young golden retriever who was given up by his owner who sadly is homeless ... now Max is, too. Finally there is Ollie, an adorable Maltese mix puppy, whose owners just gave him up! All of these dogs are healthy, sweet, affectionate and beautiful. The only thing they do not have is a home ...

Dear viewers: For more info on adopting these animals, please visit the Web site for Animal Care and Control of New York City.

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TODAY viewer: 'I have a sister and brothers'

Ryan Osborn — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 18:30:00 GMT

A TODAY viewer says she has made an amazing connection while watching our show this morning. During the story about two co-workers who learned they are long-lost brothers and then found their sister, Kat Cooper posted this on her blog:

Meredith Viera (sp?) asked about another sister that they have never met and were still looking for, Joanne said yes, her birth name was Claire Marie, she would be about 39 years old. That's me. I'm Claire Marie.

I knew the second I saw Joanne sitting on the couch, I knew who she was. We went to high school together, had a study hall, lunch, and gym class together. At one point during those high school years, my sister Jo and I talked to Joanne, we asked her if she had a sister, her last name is my birth last name, she said no, but that's because she didn't know that she even had a sister back then. But Joanne and I are identical, we look even more alike now than we did back in school. ...

That's my sister Joanne and my brothers that I never knew that I had, Gary and Randy. I have a sister and brothers, I'm meeting them tomorrow morning on the Today show.

You can read more of Kat's blog here (including her initial reaction which we couldn't share!), and check out the video that sparked this amazing realization here.

Tune in to TODAY on Wednesday to see Kat Cooper's reunion with her siblings.

Congrats! Natalie and Hoda are triathletes

Sarika Dani — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 16:10:00 GMT

On Sunday, Natalie and Hoda competed in the “War at the Shore” triathlon in Long Branch, N.J., which consisted of a .4K swim, 9.5-mile bike race, and three-mile run. Natalie finished fifth in her age group, and Hoda surprised herself with her performance – partially thanks to all the great prep work from trainer “Hot Rob.” See them in action here and send in your congratulations!

Video: Natalie, Hoda finish triathlon

Photos courtesy Bob Cowin

Video: Natalie, Hoda finish triathlon