NYT: "Pleasant But Bland" Vieira Is No Couric On "Today"

New York Times   |  Alessandra Stanley   |   December 4, 2007 03:36 PM


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Changes on "Today" have also smoothed out some of the more interesting quirks, making the new format seem even longer than four hours. Ms. Vieira, who replaced Katie Couric more than a year ago, is pleasant but bland, and not forceful enough to dim the ascendance of Ms. Curry, who was passed over for the top co-host job but seems determined to play the role anyway.

And Ms. Curry has proved that she can cover any subject, from Darfur to diaper rash, without critical distance. (She once led a segment on the power of female friendship by asserting that there is "a lot" of medical evidence that not having long-term friends is "as risky to your health as obesity, as smoking.")

The fourth hour of "Today" feels less like an extension of the three-hour show than a cozy Tupperware party that never ends.

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- OckhamsElectricRazor See Profile I'm a Fan of OckhamsElectricRazor permalink

In a South Park world that headline would mean that Veira is "No Sh_t". Is that a compliment or insult? Inquiring minds want to know..

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 02:39 PM on 12/06/2007
- BuzzingAlong See Profile I'm a Fan of BuzzingAlong permalink

Please, no more photos of Katie Couric on Huff Post. She makes me want to puke.

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 12:49 PM on 12/06/2007
- lefilmnoir See Profile I'm a Fan of lefilmnoir permalink

I'll take pleasant but bland over smug & obnoxious any day.

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 11:29 AM on 12/05/2007
- WilliePilgrim See Profile I'm a Fan of WilliePilgrim permalink

So what flavor of vanilla do you want? Extra-lite or super-extra-lite for days with heavy flow?

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 09:16 AM on 12/05/2007
- NBelle See Profile I'm a Fan of NBelle permalink

In the scheme of things, who really cares...coke or pepsi, Viera or Couric, watch, don't watch.

As to the 4 hours...I have always believed, as in medicine, if 2 is good, 4 is not good.

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 08:42 AM on 12/05/2007
- imsosure See Profile I'm a Fan of imsosure permalink

NYT, overrated, boring and very biased.

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 07:11 AM on 12/05/2007
- imsosure See Profile I'm a Fan of imsosure permalink

You mean she's not a gaseous windbag like Couric? I'd say thank goodness. She doesn't have a gummy grin that Katie has either or the condescending attitude, well, I think that's just dandy. Piss off Katie!

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 07:07 AM on 12/05/2007
- godlessclif See Profile I'm a Fan of godlessclif permalink

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Principle

Everyone ends up in a job they suck at. If they
were any good they would get promoted.

In Nancy Pelosi were any good as house speaker she would be running for President and dodging mudballs from Hillary. Hillary was a good Senator, she got lots of pork including that Woodstock Museum that taxpayers paid for, so not she is aiming at the flying pigs in the sky at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 01:24 AM on 12/05/2007
- Janco54 See Profile I'm a Fan of Janco54 permalink

Dear God how I hate Ann Curry.

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 12:30 AM on 12/05/2007
- ChiGuy See Profile I'm a Fan of ChiGuy permalink

Fewer giggles and more journalistic gravitas.

You're damned right she's no Couric.

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 12:12 AM on 12/05/2007
- mexamerican See Profile I'm a Fan of mexamerican permalink

they're both stupid twats, no?

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 10:27 PM on 12/04/2007
- Libsrule See Profile I'm a Fan of Libsrule permalink

OH lord, but do they have an inkling or are they shilling for CBS in a vain attempt to get people to take the grinning idiot Couric more seriously?

Meredith is heads and shoulders (literally and figuratively) much better than Couric ever was. When I watch the show, the few times I have, I found her more palatable than that grinning idiot ever was.

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 09:52 PM on 12/04/2007
- susiesorority See Profile I'm a Fan of susiesorority permalink

Memo to CBS Brass: No one's watching, period.

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 09:26 PM on 12/04/2007
- HeevenSteven See Profile I'm a Fan of HeevenSteven permalink

" Vieira Is No Couric"

Yeah and Couric is no Walter Cronkite"

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 09:03 PM on 12/04/2007
- provoice See Profile I'm a Fan of provoice permalink

For the life of me, I cannot understand any man that would prefer Couric over Meredith Viera... unless he's a man who is insecure about his malehood.

Meredith is a solid, sensual, intelligent, womanly woman... Couric is an emotional ball of fluff that doesn't appear to have matured past adolescence.

Given the chance to spend an evening or a weekend with either of them, I wouldn't have to think twice which one to choose.

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 06:25 PM on 12/04/2007
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