Lauer will stick with his family on ‘Today’
Matt Lauer is sticking with NBC’s “Today,” ending speculation that the top-rated show might have to face ABC’s rising “Good Morning America” without him.
Lauer has signed a long-term contract to remain as co-host of the No. 1 morning show, a deal that NBC announced Thursday night but Lauer made public on “Today” Friday.
“This is my family,” he said on the air as the “Today” crew and co-anchors burst into applause.
“Truth be told,” he joked, “I was developing an idea for a new show, where viewers could tune in every morning and see someone they know lose a little more of his hair every single day right in front of their eyes. But then I thought, I could just stay here and do that.”
Current’s countersuit rips Olbermann
Al Gore’s Current TV is blasting back at fired host Keith Olbermann.
In a court filing Friday, the network attacked the liberal opinion-maker as “arrogant” and “immature” and said that he had failed to show up for nearly half of his recent workdays. The papers were a response to Olbermann’s $70 million breach-of-contract lawsuit filed Thursday against Current, which dismissed him in late March after months of turmoil.
Current said it doesn’t have to “pay a dime” to Olbermann, “who, having already been paid handsomely for showing up sporadically and utterly failing to keep his end of the bargain, now seeks to be paid tens of millions more for not working at all.” The papers also note that Olbermann told David Letterman during a TV appearance this week that “I screwed up” at Current.
Supermodel files for divorce from Seal
Heidi Klum moved to formally end her marriage Friday from singer Seal a little over two months after they separated.
The supermodel’s divorce filing in a Los Angeles court draws to a close a storybook romance that included numerous testaments to their affection for one another, including renewing their wedding vows annually.
The couple have four children together, including Klum’s daughter from a previous relationship. They had been married for more than six and a half years when they announced their separation in January.
Klum’s filing, which she signed Thursday, cites irreconcilable differences.
The birthday bunch
Sitar player Ravi Shankar is 92. Actor James Garner is 84. Actor Wayne Rogers is 79. Country singer Bobby Bare is 77. Movie director Francis Ford Coppola is 73. TV personality David Frost is 73. Singer John Oates is 63. Actor Jackie Chan is 58. Actor Russell Crowe is 48. Actor Bill Bellamy is 47.