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Posts tagged as “Savannah Guthrie”

Hoda Kotb Named Permanent Co-Anchor of "Today" Show on NBC

By goodblacknews on January 2, 2018
Hoda Kotb Savannah Guthrie
Today Show Co-Anchors Savannah Guthrie (l) and Hoda Kotb (r) [CREDIT: COURTESY OF NBC]
by Brian Steinberg via Variety.com
Hoda Kotb was named co-anchor of the first two hours of NBC’s venerable “Today” morning show, launching the program into a new era after the ouster of longtime co-host Matt Lauer for inappropriate behavior in the workplace.
Kotb will sit alongside Savannah Guthrie, making the NBC program at present the only national A.M. program officially anchored solely by a female team. And she will continue to co-host the 10 a.m. hour of “Today” opposite Kathie Lee Gifford, a role she has held since 2007, when she co-anchored the hour with Ann Curry and Natalie Morales. Gifford, long known for co-hosting the syndicated “Live” with Regis Philbin, joined her at “Today” in 2008, and the two have led an unorthodox morning hour that involves drinking wine, interviewing celebrities and finishing each other’s sentences. The program has proven popular enough that NBC for a time offered repeats of it during overnight hours.

Kotb took up her new duties under difficult circumstances. Lauer was fired by NBC News, part of a wave of prominent media personalities who have been accused of sexual harassment. But during her time alongside Guthrie, the show’s ratings have surged. “Today” has won more viewers overall and among the 25-to-54 crowd than “GMA” or CBS’s “CBS This Morning” for four weeks. Its lead over “GMA,” however, has slipped and it is not clear whether the NBC show can maintain its new dominance.

“Over the past several weeks, Hoda has seamlessly stepped into the co-anchor role alongside Savannah, and the two have quickly hit the ground running. They have an undeniable connection with each other and most importantly, with viewers, a hallmark of ‘Today,’ said Andy Lack, chairman of NBC News Group, in a statement Monday morning. “Hoda is, in a word, remarkable. She has the rare ability to share authentic and heartfelt moments in even the most difficult news circumstances. It’s a tribute to her wide range and her innate curiosity.”

Kotb is likely to continue doing what she has always done at “Today.” Whether trading lines with the outspoken Gifford or lending a hand during the show’s first two hours (Kotb has for months had a presence during that time), she tends to bring a sense of calm to the proceedings.
“This has to be the most popular decision NBC News have ever made and I’m so thrilled,” said Guthrie in the opening moments of Monday’s program.
NBC News makes Kotb’s new role official at an important time for the show. NBCUniversal in February will launch its usual mammoth coverage of the Olympics, an event that often lends “Today” a ratings boost.
Kotb has been with NBC News since 1998, when she joined “Dateline” as a correspondent. She had previously worked at various local stations in places such as New Orleans and Fort Myers, Florida. Kotb began her broadcast career with CBS News as a news assistant in Cairo, Egypt in 1986. She has reported on everything from war in Iraq to health issues.
But viewers have followed her personal life as well as her career achievements. They have watched as she detailed a battle with breast cancer in 2007 and they recently followed earlier this year when she adopted a daughter at age 52. They will no doubt continue to track the host in her new position.
To read full article, go to: http://variety.com/2018/tv/news/hoda-kotb-co-anchor-nbc-today-show-1202650709/

50 Cent Brings Holiday Cheer by Volunteering with Feeding America

By goodblacknews on December 14, 2014

FiftyFeeding
This week, Feeding America, the nation’s largest domestic hunger relief organization, hosted a bi-coastal celebrity volunteer event.  Harlem and LA Feeding America food banks are just two of the 200 food banks they have throughout the United States. In total, they help feed nearly 46 million people.
The East Coast Hope For The Holidays event went down at the Food Bank For New York City’s Community Kitchen & Pantry in Harlem. Celebrity guests began to flow in for their day of volunteering. 50 Cent, Andy Grammer, Karolina Kurkova, and Savannah Guthrie all ventured out into the brisk NYC morning to give back to the community.
Meanwhile, in L.A., Troian Bellisario, Jennie Garth and Anika Noni Rose all came out to rep the West Coast event. With one in six individuals struggling with food insecurity in the United States, it became apparent this is a cause that 50 Cent feels very passionately about. “A lot of the stuff I am involved in, people don’t actually know. I just go quietly about it,” he tells us about volunteering. “When I have time to do it, it’s cool. To be here and run into cool people who are not from my genre of music… that will create things we didn’t know about each other.”
Volunteering is such an awarding part of life, and a great way to connect with your community. But it can often become overwhelming on where to even begin. As for that, 50 Cent stated, “Look on FeedingAmerica.org and from there you can learn all about it. Around the holidays is always a great time to start.”
article by Joey Parker via act.mtv.com

Pharrell Williams Talks Music, Fiancée and Fatherhood on "Today" Show

By goodblacknews on September 2, 2013

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cdv5FbuK4rY&w=420&h=315]
Even if Pharrell Williams isn’t a household name where you live, the music he’s had a hand in creating most likely is. He’s featured in this this year’s song of summer, “Blurred Lines,” Daft Punk’s “Get Lucky,” and he’s co-collaborated on songs such as Snoop Dogg’s “Drop it like it’s Hot” and Gwen Stefani’s “Hollaback Girl.”
083013-music-pharrell-williams-today-showSixteen Grammy nominations (and three wins) later, the music producer-song writer-recording artist sat down with TODAY’s Savannah Guthrie to talk about the path to getting to top of the Top 40. 
“I can write pretty much anywhere, but in the shower it’s, like, where it’s, like, really great,” Williams told Guthrie of where he’s come up with some of his best work, including “Hot in Herre” Nelly’s super-successful 1992 hit. 
But before he was sharing top billing with the likes of Nelly, Justin Timberlake and Ludacris, he was any other kid growing up in Virginia Beach, playing the drums and going to band camp. “Most of us were kinda nerdy,” Williams said. “Nobody sort of walked in, like, you know, Kurt Cobain, Dave Grohl-cool.”  It was at that camp where Williams, then 12, met his producing partner Chad Hugo. By the time they were 19, the duo had helped write and produce the 1992 Wreckx-N-Effect hit song, “Rump Shaker.” 
Fast forward two decades and many successes, Williams says he can point to the singular best song he’s ever co-written. “My son,” he told Guthrie of Rocket, his little boy with new fiance Helen Lasichanh. “Every night’s like a sleepover,” he said of Lasichanh, who he calls his “bestie.”
So what else does the super-successful Williams hope to accomplish? “Honestly? It’s … more music,” he said.  That said, music isn’t the only thing on the artist’s plate: Beginning Nov. 5, Williams will appear as a mentor on Rihanna’s new fashion reality competition show “Styled to Rock” on the Style Network.
article by Courtney Hazlett via today.com