Ann Curry Officially & Tearfully Bids Goodbye To "Today"

I don't think the line was unfair when you look who has succeeded and who has failed at the job. Lauer was doing "HBO Entertainment News" before he got the Today newsreader gig, Diane Sawyer did 60 Minutes, David Hartman was an anchor, Gumbel was great at Today, lousy on CBS, Joan Lunden was a weather girl in Sacramento..I could go on.
It's an "it" thing, either the viewers respond to you or they don't - the person in question doesn't really have much to do with it.
And to be fair to Curry, Couric and Viera were what made the Today show click. Seems pretty clear Lauer isn't enough of a draw to keep the audience.

 

As a "teevee" person, Curry was a fine reporter. A ground-breaker. Those are running backs.

She simply wasn't that good as a quarterback. That's all.

Ann Curry also had real trouble reading TelePrompters and would often stumble through the news updates yet we were all puzzled that she was promoted "up" to the main job. I think, all along, the NBC suits knew that she could not be the long-term solution but they sure were not going to pass her over for another "pretty white girl" without at least giving Curry the chance to fail.

ADD: I imagine once the first ratings came back - with the decline from Couric to Vieria to Curry -- NBC probably went through focus groups to find the problem. Me thinks the groups loved Lauer but probably nit-picked Ann Curry as "too smart". There is a real balance with morning news.

 

That goodbye was pretty over the top, IMO. You're not going from the Today Show to living on the street, for chrissake. Get over yourself.

I think Savannah Guthrie has potential. I remember seeing her a few months ago when Al Roker called her by the wrong name, and her reaction was pretty funny. She struck me as someone who would be cool sitting around in a bar having a few beers with and shooting the shit.

And I'm with Headbutt: Hell yeah.

 

Savannah Guthrie used to work in Tucson, and a lot of my friends worked closely with her there. Safe to say every single one of them has a crush on her -- even the straight women. She's pretty, she's smart, she's funny, she used to sing in a blues band. They're rooting hard for her to get the gig.

I don't know her personally, but I think she's far more suited to the gig than Ann Curry was. I'll be very surprised if she doesn't get the gig, and I suspect her presence on the show is what led Today execs to expedite the anchor opening.

 

Savannah Guthrie will rock. She may be there after Lauer is gone or pushed away or is hit by a cab.

 

So what is it? Alignment of the planets?

 

I think I said this in a previous thread, but this isn't Deborah Norville 2012. Savannah's a pretty decent reporter, not calculating (as far as I know)...

One thing not being mentioned much here: Ann Curry, as part of her new responsibilities, will get to sit in Brian Williams' anchor chair for Nightly News when Brian takes vacation. She's part of the anchor rotation now that includes Harry Smith and Lester Holt.

If you ask me... and I'm a Today Show fan... NBC did screw her over a bit, but she made out pretty good.

 

That reaction was gold. And I'll third the "Hell yeah."

 

I really liked Meredith Viera and throught that she was a perfect compliment to Lauer. Curry was poor in comparison and just seemed one step off the conversation.

 

She just lost her "dream job," but it's hard to feel too sorry for Ann ... considering how most of the "farewells" are handled in the business these days, she made out like a fucking bandit.