So will Al ever get that heavy again? Fat chance
HE’S ONLY TWO-THIRDS the man he used to be, but Al Roker is still on a diet. Thanks to his gastric bypass operation in 2002, the “Today” show weatherman spent the past few years as the incredibly shrinking man.
Roker was 330 pounds at his peak, and bottomed out at 200.
He has gone back up to 225 pounds, which is why he’s trying to take some more off now.
With the Winter Olympics again near, his thoughts drift to the Salt Lake City games in 2002, just weeks before he went into surgery.
“I ate myself stupid,” he said. “I thought, ‘I’m never going to eat like this again.’
“The only trick was to make sure I didn’t have a heart attack before I did the deal.”
On Friday’s “Today,” Roker celebrated his 10th anniversary with the show.
“I was just thrilled to get the gig to begin with,” he says. “Ten years later to still have it is not only thrilling but also somewhat of a puzzlement.”
Phoenix rising
Joaquin Phoenix was involved in a traffic accident after his brakes went out, but there were no reports of injury.
Phoenix, the 31-year-old star of the Johnny Cash biopic “Walk the Line,” was driving eastbound above the Sunset Strip about 2:50 p.m. Thursday when he realized his brakes were not working, police said. He lost control of his car, which overturned and hit another vehicle.
His publicist said Phoenix was wearing his seat belt and walked away from the scene after being helped out of his vehicle by a passer-by.
‘SNL’ DUI?
Former “Saturday Night Live” star Tracy Morgan is heading to court after pleading not guilty to charges of drunken driving.
Morgan pleaded not guilty earlier this month to two misdemeanor charges of driving under the influence of alcohol after being arrested in Los Angeles on Dec. 2. A pretrial hearing is set for Feb. 23.
The 37-year-old comic, who has starred in various films and TV shows, is known for “Saturday Night Live” characters Astronaut Jones and Brian Fellow.
Gathering more Moss
Now, for today’s Kate Moss update: The infamously coke-sniffing supermodel took refuge in a Paris police station to escape a fleet of paparazzi chasing her car.
Moss and a friend stayed in the station for about five minutes on Thursday, then police blocked off the photographers so they could leave safely.
Meanwhile, Moss’ former boyfriend, British rock singer Pete Doherty, was jailed Friday after pleading guilty to heroin possession for the second time in a week.
The proof is in the …
Richard Gere and Halle Berry are this year’s recipients of the annual Hasty Pudding awards, given by a student drama group at Harvard University.
The awards are given to performers who have made a “lasting and impressive contribution to the world of entertainment,” by Hasty Pudding Theatricals, the nation’s oldest undergraduate drama troupe. Last year’s recipients were Catherine Zeta-Jones and Tim Robbins.
Berry will lead a parade through the streets of Harvard Square on Feb. 16, with students dressed in drag.
The birthday bunch
Actor Alan Alda is 70. Actress Susan Howard (“Dallas”) is 64. Actress Barbi Benton is 56. Singer Sam Phillips is 44. Singer Sarah McLachlan is 38. Rapper Rakim is 38. Actress Kathryn Morris (“Cold Case”) is 37. Singer Joey Fatone (‘N Sync) is 29. Singer Nick Carter (Backstreet Boys) is 26. Actor Elijah Wood (“The Lord of the Rings”) is 25.