Lauer Has Deer Run-in, Misses Today

As rumored, Ann Curry will replace her

(NEWSER) - Meredith Vieira today confirmed the rumor that's been going around for a while : She is leaving Today in June. As expected, Ann Curry will replace her as Matt Lauer's co-host. An emotional Vieira said she is "sad" to leave but looking forward to spending more time with her family; the AP notes that her husband has struggled with multiple sclerosis and colon cancer. Click for one reaction to the news of Curry's long-awaited promotion . More»

News follows report that Meredith Vieira is going, too

(NEWSER) - The morning show intrigue continues: On the heels of a report that Meredith Vieira will be leaving the Today show comes another that says co-host Matt Lauer is on his way out, too. An anonymous insider tells Entertainment Tonight that Lauer won't renew his contract in December, and ET raises the inevitable speculation that he'll rejoin Katie Couric—who's leaving CBS News —in her next venture. More»

Well-placed posters benefit from nearly 5M viewers

(NEWSER) - It costs $50,000 to get a 30-second ad spot on NBC’s Today, but advertisers needn’t pay to get their messages out if they’re willing to brave the weather, Advertising Age reports. All they have to do is stand in the Rockefeller Center Plaza with a sign and wait for the anchors to emerge; with luck, the sign will make it on camera. More»

(NEWSER) - Matt Lauer took some ribbing this week when Today co-host Meredith Vieira unveiled side-by-side photos of him and Abe Vigoda to demonstrate what he'll look like in old age. Vigoda got the last laugh today in a light-hearted appearance on the show, People reports. Vigoda, 87, says he has a grandson who looks like Lauer, and he even took time to debunk those stubborn rumors that he is, in fact, dead. To the contrary, he just did a voice-over for a commercial that will air during the Super Bowl. "I play death," he said. 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.'"