Kanye West: Matt Lauer Used Me

Singer won't perform day after Thanksgiving for 'obvious reasons'

(NEWSER) - Kanye West and George Bush may be singing Kumbaya, but the artist still isn't feeling any love for Matt Lauer: West announced on Twitter that he'd canceled a high-profile appearance on the Today show "for obvious reasons" following his disastrous, "very brutal" interview with Lauer. West had been scheduled to perform on the nation's most-watched morning show on Black Friday to promote his latest album, notes People, but was angered when Lauer showed clips of Taylor Swift and George Bush during an interview. More»

Obama, Bush must recognize that demeanor isn't trivial

(NEWSER) - In office, George W. Bush seemed laid back no matter what, while Barack Obama “has not been a happy warrior.” Both men have been true to form in major interviews over the past week, writes Howard Kurtz in the Daily Beast . Obama acknowledged discouragement—a fair point, but not an inspiring one. “If the president is discouraged by 9.6% unemployment, how should the rest of us feel?” More»

Bush 'didn't appreciate' being called 'racist' by rapper

(NEWSER) - The lowest moment of George W. Bush’s presidency may not be the one you’d guess: It was when rapper Kanye West said, in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, that Bush “doesn’t care about black people.” When he heard the comment—which he interprets as West calling him “a racist”—“it was one of the most disgusting moments in my presidency,” he tells Matt Lauer in an interview airing Monday. More»

Former governor happy to poke fun at herself

(NEWSER) - Sarah Palin kicked off her Today stint this morning by reading a newspaper on screen, as co-host Matt Lauer joked, "Oh, man, she's doing her homework!" Lauer had already teased Palin about that issue—a reference to her 2008 interview with Katie Couric in which she couldn't name any newspapers she read—yesterday. It was the first in a series of quips proving Palin has no problem poking fun at herself, Politico reports:

• After coming out from behind the newspaper, Palin shared a story from yesterday: "Oh geez, Matt. The nicest lady in the world, she stopped me, asked me where I was heading. I said 30 Rock and she said, 'Oh honey, I told you, Tina Fey is here.'"

He promotes 'Anger Management' on 'Today'

(NEWSER) - Charlie Sheen himself is the first to admit that some of his actions during that "winning" meltdown phase of his life were "a little cringeable." On Today this morning, he told Matt Lauer that when he watched footage from that time, "I didn't recognize parts of who that guy was." But he's back, just a year later, with a new show. "I didn't really have a plan" for how to make a comeback," Sheen said. "I guess the plan was to just reintroduce myself to America and to the media and say, 'Sorry about that, but here's what's happening now.'" More»