Ann Curry expected to replace Meredith Vieira on 'Today'

A month ago, we told you that Ann Curry, longtime news anchor for NBC's "Today," was expected to replace Meredith Vieira as the show's co-host; over the weekend, the New York Times reported that NBC would make the announcement on Monday. (Vieira is leaving of her own accord, and if all goes as planned, Curry should take her seat in June.) Nothing's official yet -- NBC did not return calls for confirmation, and Osama bin Laden's death may have pushed the announcement back a day or two -- but NBC's expected to tap Natalie Morales, the 9 a.m. anchor of "Today," as the new news anchor, while moving White House correspondent and MSNBC anchor Savannah Guthrie into the 9 a.m. anchor spot.

The news could come at a time of great reshuffling among the network news and morning shows. Katie Couric recently confirmed that she's leaving CBS Evening News, and CBS is expected to announce Scott Pelley of "60 Minutes" as her replacement. On Friday, Erin Burnett of CNBC announced that she's leaving for CNN. Meanwhile, Couric is planning a move to daytime with her own show, leading some to speculate whether her former "Today" co-anchor Matt Lauer will eventually join her. (His contract is up in 2012, though his boss, Jim Bell, says Lauer's not leaving.)

Curry's promotion would come five years after she was passed over for the position when Couric left "Today" for CBS. Since Vieira began co-hosting in 2006, Curry has developed a reputation as a hard-news reporter, occasionally filling in on NBC's "Nightly News." We look forward to seeing her get just as passionate about interviewing drunk Ewoks and Donald Trump as she was about reporting from Kosovo, Darfur, and Pakistan.

-- Melissa Maerz

Photo: Ann Curry. Credit: NBC Universal, Inc.

Meredith Vieira expected to leave NBC's 'Today' in June, according to reports

It’s being reported that Meredith Vieira will leave NBC’s “Today” show in June.

If true, her exit would be accelerated nearly three months from her  rumored exit in September, when her contract expires.  “Today” newsreader Ann Curry will be promoted to co-host, according to The Hollywood Reporter, and correspondent Natalie Morales will take on the newsreader position.

Vieira, 57,  has been “Today’s” co-host for the past five years, replacing Katie Couric, who recently announced her exit from “CBS Evening News.”  Vieira was said to be tired of the morning grind and to want to spend more time with her husband, TV news producer Richard M. Cohen, who has battled cancer and multiple sclerosis.

NBC  would only call the reports “more speculation” and would not comment further.

--Yvonne Villarreal
twitter.com/villarrealy

Katie Couric on 'Today': I will make a decision in the next few weeks

Katie Couric returned to NBC's "Today" show on Wednesday morning, where she told her former "Today" co-anchor Matt Lauer that she will make a decision about her future "in a few weeks," but she said she didn't want "to feel pressured by outside forces to make a decision."

Couric's contract with CBS News will be up in June, but when Lauer asked if she'd secretly made a decision about her next move and was waiting for the right time to announce it, Couric demurred. "No, I really haven't," she insisted. "I'm in the middle of figuring out where would be the best place for me."

Couric acknowledged that her run at "CBS Evening News" was initially rough. "I faced a lot of criticism early on," she said. Pressed by Lauer, she confirmed rumors that leaving her post to host a syndicated talk show was one viable option that would allow her to investigate health and social issues as well as politics. "It might be nice to have a little more wiggle room for me to show a little more personality," she said.

Whether she'll team up with Lauer on the talk show remains to be seen. Until then, we'll stay tuned about where she'll wiggle next.

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

 

 

-- Melissa Maerz

Photo: Katie Couric. Credit: Peter Kramer / Associated Press

Today in Trump: The Donald intensifies his beef with Bill Cosby [Video]

Donald Trump has been getting Bill Cosby all riled up about his possible presidential run, between his dismissal of Obama's birth certificate and his suggestion that we should steal Iraq's oil. Last week, Cosby told the "Today" show that Trump should "run or shut up" because "he's full of it." On Tuesday, Trump fired back.

In a statement issued to "Today," the Donald claimed he was shocked at the statement, because he's friends with Cosby, and "the hatred was pouring out of his eyes." Trump blamed politics: "If he doesn't want me to run because he's obviously an Obama fan, he should state the reasons and not come into my green room in front of numerous witnesses and treat me like his best friend."

And yet, Trump -- who frequently finds a way to transition between talking about his presidential ideals and his ratings for "Celebrity Apprentice" -- can't help but find something to admire in Cosby, who knows his way around self-promotion. "Sadly, [Cosby] got more attention talking about me than he did on the merits of his own appearance," said Trump. "Maybe he is not as dumb as I thought."

-- Melissa Maerz

Is NBC News trying to fire Donald Trump's presidential bid?

Donald Trump says "you're fired" every week to a contestant on NBC's "Celebrity Apprentice." But the news division working for Trump's bosses at NBC appear to be drawing up termination papers for Trump's bid to run for president.

NBC Nightly News on Thursday unleashed a scathing attack on Trump, positioning him as a blowhard making false and contradictory statements as he escalates his hopes for candidacy. The report by senior investigative correspondent Lisa Myers focused on Trump's controversial statements claiming President Obama wasn't born in the U.S.

Though it was unusual for a network to take a shot at one of its most high-profile personalities, the report may also have been a response to criticism surrounding "Today Show" anchor Meredith Vieira's interview earlier that day of Trump. Some media critics blasted Vieira for not aggressively challenging Trump, who talked over her when she tried to press him.

With Trump placing second in an NBC/Wall Street Journal poll of potential Republican presidential candidates, the report said that Trump needed to be taken seriously, and that his recent pronouncements ranged from "the broad to the exaggerated to just plain wrong."

After playing clips of Trump saying there was no official documentation about Obama's birth, Myers showed a certificate of live birth, complete with a serial number, and a birth announcement from a newspaper in Hawaii. Myers said when she confronted Trump with the documentation, he stood by his statements.

-- Greg Braxton

Photo: Donald Trump. Credit: Lucas Jackson / Reuters

Meredith Vieira may exit NBC's 'Today' in September

Meredith Vieira may be ready to hit the snooze button on "Today."

Vieira, the NBC morning show's co-host for the past five years, is leaning toward exiting the program when her contract expires in September, according to a source familiar with the situation. Vieira, 57, is said to be tired of the morning grind and also wants to spend more time with her husband, TV news producer Richard M. Cohen, who has battled cancer and multiple sclerosis.

An NBC spokeswoman offered a statement: "The 'Today' show anchors are currently under contract and firmly in place."

Vieira's desire to leave has been a badly kept secret for months, but on Tuesday the Hollywood Reporter and TV Guide both delivered stories about her potential exit. The co-hosting spot opposite Matt Lauer is likely to touch off a scramble, with leading candidates including "Today" news anchor Ann Curry and CNBC's Erin Burnett.

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-- Scott Collins

twitter.com/scottcollinsLAT

Photo: Meredith Vieira interviewing Michael Buble on "Today." Credit: NBC.