The Remote Island : The Today Show

No Doubt Does "The Today Show" And Reminds Us Why We Love Gwen Stefani [VIDEO]

Olivia Purnell — Fri, 01 May 2009 19:30:00 GMT

Gwen Stefani circa 1995. Remember her? That 90's riot grrl with a platinum pompadore halo and a red smear for a mouth. She fronted an all boy band, jumped around like a maniac, sweat like a hog in heat, and still managed to seem sweet and likeable. Gwen Stefani was it. She was like a pinup super hero with rock-solid abs and a ska day job.

We are fully familiar with Gwenny's current incarnation: the solo artist, designer, rockstar madre. She's still totally on are radar. Her 2009 style is the inspiration for our current look: Uptown Pirate Chic. Gwen looks like she'll come to the club and take all your money, but in a classy maritime sort of way.

But we also long for the belly-baring, bikini topped, stage ripping days of yore. Thank God Remote Jake hipped us to No Doubt's first performance in 5 years!

Check the video footage:

The best of both worlds! No belly, but we got the old school jams, evil red lipstick, stage presence, and the hair. OMG the hair. She's still a super hero.

Previously:

No Doubt, Tommorow On "Today"

No Doubt Signs On For "Gossip Girl" Finale

Who Ordered More Al Roker?

No Doubt, Tomorrow On "Today"

Jake Kalish — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 19:00:00 GMT

It's their first live performance in five years...

The band's back together with a new album and a new tour, and they're kicking off Today's Summer Concert Series, which must mean it's something like summer tomorrow, on the first day of May. It's a loosely defined season.

They rock out between 8:30 -9., which works for all of all you older "kids" who want the club to come to you, as you put on the business gear and think up your excuse for showing up late.

PREVIOUSLY:

No Doubt Signs On For "Gossip Girl" Finale

Who Ordered More Al Roker?

Of Course Prince Got Teased A Lot As A Child [VIDEO]

Who Ordered More Al Roker?

Jake Kalish — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 18:35:00 GMT

Aw, we like Al Roker. We do. But we feel Al Roker may be taking advantage of that like by taking over our world.

Big Al (littler since the gastric bypass) remains the weatherman for the Today Show, and still does all them Food Network shows, but will now also host the Weather Channel's Wake Up With Al show from 6 to 7 am Eastern starting this summer.

Again, we like Al Roker. But the title of this show needs work. Does anyone dream of waking up with Al Roker, besides his wife, Deborah Roberts?You roll over in bed and there's Al Roker, with a corny joke and the weather forecast. On the plus side, he's sweet, and we bet he'd cook us a great breakfast.

PREVIOUSLY:

That Nut Al Roker Has A Ball On Halloween

Imaginary TV Fights: Tiki Barber Of "The Today Show" vs. Tiki Barber Of "Football Night In America"

"Christmas In Rockefeller Center": Letter To The Stars

Jeremy Irons and Andy Cohen Pay Tribute to Natasha Richardson

Olivia Purnell — Fri, 20 Mar 2009 18:30:00 GMT

In the wake of her untimely and tragic passing, friends and colleagues continue to say farewell to Natasha Richardson.

Jeremy Irons seemed both saddened and shocked by the loss during his appearance on The Today Show yesterday.

Andy Cohen, Senior Vice President of Bravo, wrote a letter on his blog honoring his “loyal friend.” He says:

“Natasha was the kind of person that you'd be lucky to meet even for one moment in a lifetime.

Natasha knew how to live life. Every second of it.”

Read the rest of Andy’s tribute HERE.

(bravotv.com)

(dailymail.co.uk)

Previously:

R.I.P. Natasha Richardson From Her TV Fans And Friends

Jim Cramer Responds To Jon Stewart - On "The Today Show" [VIDEO]

Jake Kalish — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 15:44:00 GMT

After sheepishly saying "I got a lot of things wrong" on The Daily Show, Jim Cramer finally countered Jon Stewart's attacks on The Today Show, after NBC Universal chief Jeff Zucker called Stewart's attacks "unfair", "absurd," and "completely out of line." Cramer was a wee bit late with this response, and Meredith Viera isn't Jon Stewart, but hey...

As bad as The Daily Show made him look, we can't say the guy's totally wrong. Especially about this part:

CRAMER: I think that there are people who bear so much more responsibility that it's just wrong-headed -- the politicians, the regulators, the SEC, the lenders, the investment banks. I mean, listen to AIG. I mean, you're going to compare the media to AIG? There's some people who really should get in line to do -- to really take the responsibility. And the media, it's just a naïve focus. It really is, Meredith.

Is that ducking responsibility? Sure. But Jim Cramer really isn't responsible for this mess. This is not The Man. This is a bald guy on CNBC who yells catch phrases and honks horns. Does Jim Cramer bear some responsibilty? Sure. He admitted as much. But very few people saw this coming. And no one was looking to Jim Cramer to be a "watchdog." Everyone was looking to Jim Cramer to tell them how to make ridiculous amounts of money. That's what we all wanted, it's just not what we got. Yes, the shit hit the fan. Blaming Jim Cramer now is like picking up the shit and throwing it back at the fan.

PREVIOUSLY:

Bruce Springsteen On "The Daily Show" Tonight

Jon Stewart Opens Up A Can Of Whoopass

Jon Stewart Shows Jim Cramer No Mercy On "The Daily Show" [VIDEO]

Matt Lauer Takes His Show On The Road

Lindy Parker — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 14:35:00 GMT

It seems the current economic crisis has put the kabash on Matt Lauer's clever ruse of travelling to distant and exotic vacation locales in the name of entertainment...

Jim Bell, the executive producer of Today, said that Lauer had solicited suggestions from viewers for possible locations -- he has traveled to such exotic locales as the Taj Mahal and the Egyptian Pyramids -- over the past several weeks, but many told him that in bad economic times, the extravagant trip sent the wrong message. (Us Magazine)

It makes us feel weird that the Today Show viewers had to tell Matt Lauer about the recession. But wait, it gets better...

Instead, Lauer will take a road trip across America with his three co-anchors, Meredith Vieira, Al Roker and Ann Curry. (Us Magazine)

Are we the only ones who think this could be a potential disaster? We're taking bets on which of the co-anchors will be the first to get their head bitten off by Matt Lauer. Let's face it, Jack Keroac he is not. More importantly, we're pretty sure Oprah's already been there and done that, per usual...

We're predicting Matt Lauer's road trip will be just like Oprah's, but less fun.

Previously:

The Matt Lauer Celebrity Roast With Tom "Shecky" Cruise

Oprah Winfrey Shares The Cover of Her Magazine

Michael Phelps is Sorry For Being One of Millions of People Who Occasionally Smoke Pot

Stephanie March Reunites With "Law & Order," And It Feels So Good . . .

Olivia Purnell — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 19:24:00 GMT

Stephanie March is back tonight on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit! It’s been six long years since Stephanie’s character, ADA Alex Cabot, entered witness protection and left the beloved SVU cast. But Alex didn’t flee the Law & Order universe completely. In 2006, Ms. ADA reemerged inexplicably as a young hot bureau chief in the sexy L&O spin-off Conviction.

Conviction totally brought us hot attorney-sex on desks (and for that we are grateful), but we never really got answers as to what happened to Ms. Cabot in witness protection!

You still want to see the lawyer sex, don’t you? Okay, fine . . .

That little romp didn’t sate Stephanie’s fans. And Conviction certainly didn’t solve the mystery of Alex Cabot’s lost years. Instead, the show ignored her time in Witness Protection, a choice Stephanie takes issue with. She says: “I think the mistake on ‘Conviction’ was avoiding it [. . .] Because all it did was increase people’s curiosity” (bostonherald.com).

She’s right; fans want to know where Alex has been! Tonight their screen-side vigils, prayers, blog posts, and emails will be answered. Was she working a ranch in South Dakota? Did she break up a human trafficking ring in East Los Angeles? Maybe . . . maybe she was testing ice cream flavors in Vermont. We hear Ben and Jerry need a lot of help with that.

Although we’ll have to wait until tonight to find out for sure, here’s a little Today Show tease from Steph to you, with love:

Welcome back Stephanie (insert Law & Order chimes here).

Previously:

Top 5 "Law & Order" Stars Who NEED Memoirs
Mariska Hartigay Recovers From a Collapsed Lung and Stephanie March Returns to "SVU"
Hey, When Did "Law & Order" Get Kind Of Good Again?

Bottom Line: No One Wants a Kiss From Kathie Lee Gifford (VIDEO)

Lindy Parker — Wed, 18 Feb 2009 22:20:00 GMT

Kathie Lee Gifford was all about the love on The Today Show this morning. First, she tried to demonstrate her seduction technique on Hoda Kotb who was openly repulsed, and then moved on to guest Molly Sims who (bless her heart) attempted to rally an "take-one-for-the-team attitude." The moral of the story is: There's never a good time for a Kiss from Kathie Lee Gifford.

PREVIOUSLY:

Kathie Lee "Just A Woman With Crabs"

Barack Obama Will Be Interviewed By Matt Lauer On Super Bowl Pre-game Show

Jake Kalish — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 19:37:00 GMT

Yes, the President is holding an NCAA football, not an NFL one, in this photo. NFL footballs don't have the white stripes. We know, you were about to say that. So what? Shut up...

NBC, in great Super Bowl pregame tradition, isn't saying when in the pregame show this interview will air, in hopes that you watch the whole damn six-and-a half hour extravaganza. Seriously, pregame starts at noon and the game will probably kickoff a little before 6:30. Oh, and then NBC wants you to tune in to the second part of the interview, which will air on the Today show the following morning, Monday, the 2nd. So basically they're hoping you'll commit nine hours of television viewing to trying to catch what will probably be a ten-minute interview. Thanks, NBC!

PREVIOUSLY:

Our Obama Archive

Our Today Show Archive

Our Super Bowl Archive

The World Is Going To Hell In A Handbasket, But Here Are A Whole Lot Of Puppies!

Jake Kalish — Fri, 09 Jan 2009 22:05:00 GMT

Mama Dalmatian just set a world record. Can't you just see it on her face?

So, you know, we're in two wars, the economy is "sick," everyone's out of work, and don't get us started on the Gaza Strip, Darfur, the Congo, or Momma's Boys.

But there is good news, coming out of England - Button, a Dalmatian, just Wednesday birthed a litter of 18 puppies. This after popping out 15, which tied a British record, just last year. Yes, this isn't television news, precisely, but it was covered on the Today show, where Lauer and Viera were very happy to be talking about puppies. Still, we prefer this BBC clip, from Button's first litter, wherein Button's owner says the enormous litter has "been absolute shit hell, but in a good way."

Tom Cruise, Matt Lauer, Blah Blah

Bryan Christian — Mon, 15 Dec 2008 18:44:00 GMT

We couldn't care less about this and we couldn't find a video that didn't have this annoying celebrojournogal in it, but it's everywhere so, here you go: Tom Cruise was on The Today Show again this morning and didn't attempt to read Matt Lauer's engrams.

Sometimes you have to wonder whether the Internet's really good for people, huh?

Imaginary TV Fights: Tiki Barber of "The Today Show" vs. Tiki Barber of "Football Night In America"

Jake Kalish — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 22:11:00 GMT

Tiki Barber is a busy man - a correspondent for The Today Show all week and then, on Sunday night, strapping it on (that means something different in football than it does in pornography) to be one of the eighty-three people hosting Football Night in America.

In addition, his second book, Tiki Barber's Pure Hard Workout (It's a Victorian-era comedy of manners) was published November 13th. How can one man do it all? Our answer: he can't and half of these duties are being performed by Tiki's identical twin Ronde. But just in case it is Attiim Kiambu Barber himself handling all this work, he must, at the very least, have a split personality. So howzabout those personalities fight? Cryptopopculturalist and part-time pulling guard Jake Kalish, author of Santa vs. Satan: The Official Compendium of Imaginary Fights at your service, to give you the blow-by-blow. (That means something different in fighting than it does in pornography.)

TIKI BARBER OF FOOTBALL NIGHT IN AMERICA	TIKI BARBER OF THE TODAY SHOW
Broadcasting Teammate: Jerome "The Bus" Bettis	Broadcasting Teammate: Ann "The Tank" Curry
40 Yard Dash: 4.47 seconds, away from Keith Olbermann's commercial break political diatribes	40 Yard Dash: 4.53 seconds, to the set's kitchen to cook peach muffins
Bench Press: 3 sets of Eagles coach Andy Reid	Bench Press: 20 sets of Tim Gunn

THE FIGHT

Inspired by a classic Kathie Lee Gifford pep talk, Today Tiki takes a handoff from Matt Lauer, and, following a lead block by Gene Shalit, busts through the Viera and Roker led offensive line to pulverize and slobberknock Football NIght Tiki, who gets absolutely no assistance from any of his two hundred and fourteen co-hosts. Prone and concussed, football Tiki then is pestered by Costas and commentated on by Olbermann.

WINNER: TODAY TIKI

JAKE KALISH is a freelance journalist and humorist whose work has appeared in Details, Maxim, Stuff, New York Press, Blender, Men’s Fitness, and Playboy, among other publications. He could totally kick your ass.

Santa vs. Satan: The Official Compendium of Imaginary Fights is published by Three Rivers Press

PREVIOUSLY:
Imaginary TV Fights: Duchovny vs. Duchovny
Imaginary TV Fights: Dwight Schrute vs. Gareth Keenan
Imaginary TV Fights: Lance Bass vs. Joey Fatone
Imaginary TV Fights: Stamos vs. Stamos
Imaginary TV Fights: Shatner vs. Shatner vs. Shatner
Imaginary TV Fights: "Dexter" vs. Everybody From "C.S.I."

Annie Leibovitz on Miley: “She was ready to take that picture”

Olivia Purnell — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 21:22:00 GMT

We know the Miley Cyrus/Vanity Fair sitch is old news. But it still baffles us. Why was everybody so up in arms about a little bit of back skin? And we’re still disappointed that Miley C. couldn’t gather enough Disney gumption to defend what was in our opinion a fairly benign and fairly gorgeous photograph. The brilliant Annie Leib, on the other hand, has not wavered in her defense of the shot. During yesterday’s Today Show in promotion of her latest book, Annie Leibovitz at Work, Annie said:

"I love the photograph. It's a beautiful photograph. To me it's actually innocent," she tells Matt Lauer. "She was ready to take that picture and her audience was not. Maybe she shouldn't have posed for Vanity Fair." (Nymag.com)

Right? Annie, listen, anytime you want to take pictures of us draped tastefully in gagillion thread-count Egyptian cotton, we’re down.

Some of Annie’s genius work after the jump . . .

NewsCrush: Somebody Give Amy Robach A Steady Gig!

Bryan Christian — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 20:26:00 GMT

We've been remiss in our Today Show watching for a while -- hey, we try to live in a Kathie Lee-free zone, thank you very much -- which means that it's only recently, as the weather has been changing and we've been checking Al Roker before we leave the house, that we've noticed a certain doe-eyed blonde with amazing gams hanging out in Rockefeller Plaza. Holy smoke, does Amy Robach make us happy to be up in the morning. Even before her superfoxy turn as Rapunzel last Friday, she was shaping to be our latest NewsCrush, with her big, warm smile, piercing blue eyes, and -- we can't stress this enough -- remarkable, remarkable stems.

Here's the irony: she's not a regular anchor on Today. Sometimes she's there, sometimes she's on weekends, sometimes she's on the Nightly News. And of course she was nowhere to be seen in last night's election coverage. Someone get her a gig we can rely on, please!

Wanna see "what we're watching"? Click on through...

See, we weren't kidding about those gams.

Morning!

Maureen McCormick on Syphilis, Drugs and Growing Up Brady

Ben Kallen — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 19:20:00 GMT

Yesterday, we told you about Maureen McCormick's new book, in which she describes overcoming a lifetime of difficulties in the years since she played perky teen Marcia on The Brady Bunch. This morning, she discussed the details with Meredith Vieira on The Today Show -- and it turns out that things were far, far worse for her than you could have imagined.

While she was playing the "perfect" Marcia Brady, she says, her real life was something of a horror show. "My grandmother died in a mental institution from syphilis, going insane. Her husband committed suicide a week later. My mother contracted syphilis. And I thought that I had syphilis growing up, my whole life, and I thought that I was going to go insane too and be in a mental institution. It was awful.

"When I got off the show, for years I had a huge drug problem with cocaine. And then I was battling depression in my adult years for a long time."

Not only was she dealing with the syphilis issue -- it eventually turned out she didn't have it herself -- but while McCormick was filming the show, she found out that her dad had cheated on her mom. "You have to go into work and perform every day," Vieira reminds her. "You talk about that episode where Marcia has her braces put on and she's crying because she doesn't feel good about herself. What people don't know is that those were real tears."

McCormick's high school years and beyond brought on drug abuse, bulimia, abortions and depression. She missed her audition for The Brady Brides, she says, because she had been up for three days doing drugs and was hiding in her closet, playing Solitaire. When she finally agreed to get help, she was treated by Brian Wilson's kooky shrink Dr. Eugene Landy, who, she says, was "awful."

While she seems to have her life together now, it obviously wasn't easy. "I'm surprised that I'm still alive," she adds.

As for all the dopey fanboy questions we really don't care that much about anymore? While the show was going on, teenage Maureen was about to lose her virginity to fictional brother Barry "Greg" Williams, but his parents came home and it didn't happen. And she's still close with all the living Brady actors except Eve Plumb, who's apparently mad because McCormick once joked on another talk show that the two of them had kissed. (And that would be a bad thing?)

Whether you find all this inspirational, or a crushing of your fondest childhood memories, you'll definitely want to view the complete video here.

Previously:
Marcia, Marcia... Marcia?

MTV Puts Britney On The Record

Lindy Parker — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 17:20:00 GMT

We've said it before, we want a Britney comeback. We've been waiting for her to pull it together and rock it out, so we don't have to keep averting our eyes from the sad parade of a life falling apart before our eyes. Looks like we might get our wish -- to kick off the release of her new album, Circus, Britney's taking her tell-all to MTV for a 90 minute documentary, For the Record, that will air November 30. The thing is, we've heard this before: "Britney's speaking out, setting the record straight, telling her side of the story." And then we get:

Britney and Kevin: Chaotic on UPN or...

...that strange Matt Lauer interview. Apparently, this time is the real deal. We're keeping our fingers crossed that this will be a keep-it-real-it-was-wild-but-now-I'm-healthy kind of thing and not more crazytown.

Here's a sneak peak:

Celebrity Cabbage Patch Match Game. Ha.

Lindy Parker — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 18:00:00 GMT

So, US Weekly started our morning off right with a little game they like to call "Guess the Celebrity Cabbage Patch." In these uncertain times, it's nice to take a little time out to keep our minds sharp and exercise our powers of deduction.

Here are our favorite CP imitators:

Match all the dolls to their TV counterparts here. Go on, you deserve it.

Two Things We Didn't Know About Kirk Cameron

Lindy Parker — Tue, 23 Sep 2008 19:20:00 GMT

Listen, we like Kirk Cameron -- who didn't watch a little Growing Pains back in the day? But truthfully, we haven't seen much of him in the past ten years other than that True Love Waits video they showed us in health class in high school where he talked about abstinence. So, when he showed up on the Today Show this morning to talk about his new movie, we learned a couple of things about him.

Number 1: He's not aging. There he is in his argyle looking, for all the world, exactly the same as he did in the final seasons of Growing Pains. Perhaps, in lieu of a salary for the Left Behind films, the Catholic Church granted him some sort of sainthood that allows him to remain youthful for life.

Number 2: His wife, Chelsea Noble, worked as a stand-in in his new movie. A kissing stand-in. Apparently, Kirk refuses to kiss anyone on or off screen except his actual wife, so when it came to the scene where Kirk's character kisses his fictional wife, they shot it in sillouette so Chelsea could stand-in for the other actress.

We have two reactions to this. The first is, "Whoa. Weird." He's an actor. Is it that big a deal? But then we watch the interview, and we're like, "Well, okay. Whatever works for you." Kirk's clearly a man of high ideals (our friend used to see him at the gym sometimes reading his Bible between sets). Feel free to weigh in on this. We're still trying to decide if it's kind of lovely in a bizarre way, or just plain uptight.

Here's the full interview

Let's Go Visit Reality-TV School!

Ben Kallen — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 18:55:00 GMT

Yes, there is such a place. For just $139, the New York Reality TV School will teach you to be a more confident, exciting version of your boring ol' self, just so you can date a bachelor, survive on an island, suck up to Donald Trump, or get drunk and screw in an urban apartment.

The Today Show just visited this fine educational institution, and found a wide variety of actors and everyday famewhores looking to discover the magic formula for getting cast as a "real person" on one of these programs. (Our advice, free of charge: Be hot!)

So would you really want to spend money, and three hours of your precious time, to improve your chances of sleeping with Bret Michaels or Tila Tequila? Watch the video to find out.

Previously:
Joe, No! What Ever Happened to "Joe Schmo" and "Joe Millionaire"?
Top 7 Reality-Show Contestants Who Weren't There To Make Friends

Lynne Spears Tells All on "Today"...Kinda

Nicole Ankowski — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 17:01:00 GMT

Lynne Spears, mother of Britney and Jamie-Lynn, appeared on The Today Show this morning, to discuss/pimp her new book, Through the Storm. The book deals with (you guessed it) the turbulent times of the Spears family, from Britney’s Mousketeer days to Lynne now being a GILF (discuss the accuracy of that statement). Or, in Lynne’s words, “There was the tabloid version of our lives…I decided I needed to set it straight. I wanted to be in the driver’s seat. I wanted people to see my family as they really are.”

Both Al Roker and Meredith Viera tried to pin Lynne down on her feelings about her daughters’ troubled lives. Much like the current leader of our country, the woman has a sweet Southern twang, and ability to not answer a question directly. We bring you video, and some choice quotes...

At one point when Al asks Lynne if she blames herself for the hot mess her daughter has become, she answers “Completely.” At other times, you don’t know who she’s trying to fool: the audience, or herself.

Some of Lynne's words:
“It’s kind of like Britney was sent out into the world a little premature.” (Ya think?)

Al: On the balance, was this all worth it [regarding Britney’s fame, then fall]?
Lynne: I’ve thought about that a whole lot. And I think you have to look at life as being a journey. And you know we’re all going to have bumps, and you just have to get through. You just have to be strong and try to get through the best that you know how. What was I to do – persuade my child to not go after her dreams? ...What career guarantees happiness?”

On Jamie-Lynn's teen pregnancy:
“And, as far as Jamie-Lynne…things happen.”

“At one point I thought I could get no lower, and then I got sucker-punched on my knees. …You have to pray real hard.”

She sums it up on a cheery note, saying, “We’re through the storm, and we’re lookin’ at the sunshine right now.” Then again, tell that to Hurricane Ike victims. You can be standing in the sun, but still have a lot of cleaning up to do.

Christian Bale: "The Joker Role Didn’t Kill Heath Ledger." And: "I Want to Kick Your Ass, Matt Lauer."

Nicole Ankowski — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 17:26:00 GMT

The Dark Knight star Christian Bale appeared on The Today Show this morning, looking pissed as hell. Seriously, the dude did not smile once. But Lauer almost put him over the edge, when he asked if Heath Ledger’s immersion into The Joker role might have led to his death. Bale shot back (in his strangely sexy, I-will-piss-down-your-Today Show-throat accent of indeterminate origins):

“Personally, I find it to be a complete lack of understanding of acting. I also find it very rude to try to create some kind of sound bite for such a tragedy.”

“The man was a complex man, he was a good man, but you know what—I saw him having nothing but the best time playing the Joker. … At the end of the day, he was having a wonderful time making this movie. I say he couldn’t have been happier during it.”

Here’s a brief clip with Bale’s comeback, as well as the longer interview which ends with Bale joking that if Lauer took the Batpod out for a spin, he’d end up underneath it. Did we detect an almost-smile, then?

Kathie Lee "Just A Woman With Crabs"

Bryan Christian — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 12:28:00 GMT

Context? We don't need no stinkin' context!

[via Videogum]

Sex Every Day Sure Mellowed These Couples Out

Bryan Christian — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 18:34:00 GMT

What do you think, they still at it?

We're thinking maybe. Sure, after doing it every day for X days (101 days in one case, 365 in another) and writing a book about it, you're gonna want that first week off. And then... the cravings start!

[via New York]

In National “News”: Woman Sues Victoria’s Secret, “Wronged by a Thong”

Nicole Ankowski — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 19:28:00 GMT

We just received a package from Victoria’s Secret in the mail, and while we wish we could sue them for false advertising (and dashed hopes, and the cunning marketing that made us think we actually wanted a green and yellow faux-snakeskin bikini)…we are just going to suck it (and our gut) up.

Not so California resident Marcrida Patterson, 52. She and her lawyer appeared on The Today Show to discuss her claim that “she suffered an eye injury while putting on decorative thong underwear” made by Victoria’s Secret. You know her lawyer couldn’t wait to use the line “Victoria’s Secret does have it’s angels, but as we say, the devil is in the details.”

[via People; image and slightly lowered self-esteem via Victoria’s Secret]

Billy Ray Cyrus on ‘The Today Show’: Poop-Stomping on the Shit Storm

Nicole Ankowski — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 17:32:00 GMT

We don’t care how many “poop-stomping” or “turkey-neck” good ol’ boy references he makes: Billy Ray Cyrus’ appearance on this morning’s The Today Show still comes off as stinky. For the record, the whole Miley Cyrus, highly frothed “scandal” seems like a great deal of pandering to the imagined outraged masses. But now dad Billy Ray is saying he couldn’t protect his daughter from the evil lenses of Annie Liebotvitz because…of our troops? Leave the troops out of it, Billy Ray.

Our favorite part of this video? Wondering how “the talk” would go if your dad was Billy Ray Cyrus. Turkey neck metaphors can be quite versatile.

[Defamer]

We Do It Live!!!: Couric's Return To "Today Show" Turns Into Iraq Mea Culpa

Bryan Christian — Wed, 28 May 2008 19:50:00 GMT

Today Show viewers who hadn't heard that Katie Couric's return to her alma mater would be about charity -- and not her career -- still got an interesting bit of viewing this morning as nightly news anchors Couric, Brian Williams, and Charlie Gibson debated former Presidential Press Secretary Scott McClellan's new tell-all and the media's role in the lead-up to the war in Iraq. Who do you suppose was the most apologetic about dropping that ball?

That would be Couric.

“[McClellan] said we didn’t do our job and we didn’t ask the right questions,” said [Matt] Lauer, who co-hosted TODAY with Couric during the buildup to the invasion and the first three years of the war.
“I’ll start by saying I think he’s fairly accurate,” said Couric, now anchor of the CBS Evening News. “Matt, I know when we were covering it — and granted, [in] the spirit of 9/11, people were unified and upset and angry and frustrated — I do think we were remiss in not asking some of the right questions.”

Is it predictable that the new kid on the block -- and the one with the least job security currently -- would be the one most ready to admit fault here? We're not sure. What do you guys think?