Chicago Sun Times
January 18, 2007 Thursday
Final Edition
Monkey business as usual at 'Today': Lauer adjusting to life without good pal Couric
BY Doug Elfman, The Chicago Sun-Times
PASADENA, Calif -- In the waning days of Katie Couric's decade at the "Today" show, Matt Lauer looked distant at times. He would stare straight ahead at the camera and not turn to her, even when she addressed him.
Or at least this was my impression. Lauer told me I "couldn't be more wrong."
But he acknowledged Wednesday that he may have had a "deer in the headlights" look, due to pressure that he'd soon have to carry the show without his "good friend."
"Katie and I were at a point where we could complete each other's sentences," Lauer said. "Meredith [Vieira, her replacement] and I aren't there yet on that timing, but chemistry-wise ... we like each other."
Hearing Lauer say that, Vieira -- who kissed a monkey on Wednesday's "Today" -- joked, "Don't touch me again."
"You can kiss a monkey, but I can't touch you?" Lauer kidded her back.
Lauer also said the media has unfairly treated Couric as a "straw man" for inflated expectations of her performance as CBS evening news anchor. And Couric is still troubled by criticisms of her, Lauer said.
"I had lunch with her not long ago and she talked about being a little agitated at the press," Lauer said.
EXTRA HOUR FOR 'TODAY'
He and Vieira made the comments during and after a press conference where NBC said it will expand "Today" from three to four hours come September.
The fourth hour of "Today" will look like the third hour, featuring lighter fare such as fashion, personal finance and decorating, executive producer Jim Bell said.
Lauer said a fourth hour won't "dilute the brand" of "Today," which is run by the news division. "The brand can sustain it," he said.
It's not clear yet who will join Al Roker and Ann Curry for that hour.
But it won't be Vieira. Her contract as host of "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?" forbids her from appearing on "Today" late in the show unless there's breaking news or a pre-approved exception, like coverage of the Macy's parade.
The reasoning is that "Millionaire" might be playing on TV somewhere in the country during a fourth "Today" hour.
But the 10 to 11 a.m. hour would compete against Vieira's old show, "The View," in Chicago -- and perhaps in other cities, depending on which affiliates agree to more "Today."
NBC News President Steve Capus would not comment on how much more money a fourth hour would earn for the network, although it is no secret "Today" is an enormous cash cow.
Kevin Reilly, president of NBC Entertainment, wouldn't rule out a fifth and sixth hour of "Today" in the future.
"Who knows?" he said. "But that's unlikely."
Lauer joked that if "Today" keeps expanding, "At the end of the show we're gonna get to the point where I hand it to [evening anchor] Brian Williams."
Roker, remembering Vieira's monkey-macking, added that the fourth hour will be about "interspecies dating."
Curry, also a "Dateline" anchor, said she'll take naps to keep up her energy. She also turned to Vieira and conveyed "how much we've grown to love you."
DON'T CALL HER 'DITSY'
Meanwhile, Vieira revealed that "Ditsy" was her nickname as a kid; that's how her barely older brother pronounced "Meredith" when he was very young.
"When I was in high school, when boys would call, my mother would yell 'Ditsy,' and they thought she was saying another word that begins with a 'T.' I was very popular until they met me."
Which nickname is Lauer's favorite? "I would never call her ditzy or the other one. I call her Meredith," he said.
"Meredith is probably smartest about this. She didn't come in and try to be Katie. She came in as Meredith, and that's why she got the job."
Lauer said he's surprised by the way Vieira second-guesses herself in an endearing way.
"If I were Meredith right now," he said, "I'd say, 'My God, I just accomplished one of the great feats in broadcasting. I've replaced someone who was enormously popular ... and nobody's really talking about any negatives.'"
"She's still in the stage where I think she's saying, 'Am I doing OK?'"
