Did NBC approach Anderson Cooper about assuming the lead anchor job on Today, or not? Deadline says they did. However, NBC is denying the blog's report to The Hollywood Reporter. So is a reported source close to Cooper. 

According to the article, NBC cops to approaching Cooper, but not for Matt Lauer's job. Here's a quote from Peacock suit Alexandra Wallace:

"As we’ve said before, Matt Lauer is the best in the business. We want him in the Today show anchor chair for many years to come." READ MORE

Somewhere Jane Pauley is opening up a Microsoft Word document to delete her time on this show right off her resume. On Friday's episode of Today, Kathie Lee Gifford and Hoda Kotb spent almost an entire act of the morning show's fourth hour discussing their grooming habits "down there".

This madness only transpired after Gifford shrieked an Irish song at the top of her lungs in honor of St. Patrick's Day. Sweet mother of Moses. Watch the televised trainwreck after the jump!
 

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Anderson Cooper

Matt Lauer

Someone else

Well, this may explain why Matt Lauer talked about the Ann Curry debacle in an interview with The Daily Beast.  The New York Times published an article Thursday about Today’s ratings decline, Lauer’s plummeting Q Score and if the show’s audience no longer feels a connection to its longtime host.

Reportedly, Lauer’s Q Score has fallen from 19 in June of 2011, when Curry joined Lauer as co-host of Today, to 9 in January of 2013. As if that isn’t bad enough, the New York Times points out NBC and ABC are now analyzing whether-or-not Today’s ratings are better when Lauer is on vacation.

Ms. Curry has been gone for nine months, yet “Today” is still losing to ABC’s “Good Morning America” by about 800,000 total viewers a day. (In the 25-to-54-year-old group, it is losing by fewer than 100,000 viewers.) The ratings are scrutinized now by NBC and ABC for signs that “Today” is stronger on the days when Mr. Lauer is on vacation.

 

A historic blizzard pummeling much of the East Coast wasn't enough to prevent me from hopping on a bird from Atlanta to New York City this past weekend. What would make me risk life and frozen limb in such a manner? Why, Jackie Collins of course!

The ultimate queen of sudsy pot boilers released her 29th novel, The Power Trip, on Tuesday and yours truly was asked to co-host a blogger party Monday night at Yotel, with my new homegirl, stylista extraordinaire Lara Eurdolian (above right) of the blog Pretty Connected. READ MORE

 

Dr. Phil McGraw is proving Oprah taught him well when it comes to snagging must-see interviews. On today's episode of his No. 1-rated syndie talk show, McGraw will air the first part of an exclusive interview with Ronaiah Tuiasosopo, the mastermind behind the Manti Te'o "catfishing" hoax that shocked America.

Last fall, Notre Dame football player Te'o revealed the back-to-back deaths of his grandmother and girlfriend were fueling his efforts to lead his college team to an undefeated regular season. What Te'o allegedly didn't know was that the "girlfriend" he'd met online, fell in love with over the course a two-year relationship and then grieved for, wasn't a girl at all.

McGraw appeared on Today to promote his exclusive with Tuiasosopo, sharing the young man's disturbing admission of being in love with his victim Te'o. Watch a clip from the Today preview, as well as a sneak peek from today's episode of Dr. Phil after the jump!  READ MORE