TDY SPLIT CLEAN 10:00 Hour NY-TDY-20100802-0001 SPLIT TRACK TODAY SHOW (Part 1 of 2)

Transcript

Event Location(s): United States | Description: 10:00:19 KATHIE LEE GIFFORD, co-host: Hey, everybody. Welcome. It is Funday, August 2nd. It's the first week of August, but it's a very, very special day in our family because Cassidy is 17 years old today. HODA KOTB, co-host: Happy birthday to Cass. GIFFORD: I know. KOTB: Boy. GIFFORD: She's in hot yoga right now, so she's doesn't... KOTB: Oh, my... GIFFORD: She's very into the Berk--Berk--Bickman... KOTB: Bikram. GIFFORD: Yeah. KOTB: No, that is difficult. That's--you're totally drowning in sweat while you're doing the poses. GIFFORD: And so she--for her birthday present she wanted Cody to go do it with her today. KOTB: Did he go? GIFFORD: So they're off sweating someplace. Yeah. But anyway, yeah, she's born at 8:30 in the morning... KOTB: Happy birthday. She's got her driver's license now. GIFFORD: Yeah, she's driving all over the place. KOTB: She's off and running. GIFFORD: She's off and running, so. KOTB: She's very busy and important. KATHIE LEE GIFFORD, co-host: Did you have an awesome weekend? HODA KOTB, co-host: I had a great weekend. Spent a little time at the beach and a little time in the city. But I have to tell you just one interesting story that happened yesterday. GIFFORD: OK. KOTB: We were out for dinner, a couple of friends and I, at the table next to us was a guy with an eye patch, his wife and a child and another one. And he said, `you know, you're not going to believe what happened to me.' He just started a conversation. He said I was--they told me that I had eye cancer and there was a 30 percent chance of living. GIFFORD: Whoa. KOTB: Like just picture this conversation. GIFFORD: He just starts up with that? KOTB: He just starts up. But you liked him immediately. GIFFORD: Yeah. KOTB: And he said, `I was at the store the day before my surgery, a little girl walked up to me, touched my hand and said, "do you know God?"' He said, `I looked at her and I said I thought that was a teachable moment for her. I started talking to her about it and she put her hand on his and said "You're going to be OK."' The next day he went in for surgery. They removed what they thought was supposed to be this--he wasn't supposed to survive it. They found that the pathology was clean. They were out having dinner celebrating that night. It was like one of those nights that you're so glad you go out to dinner and strike up a conversation with the table next to you. It was--like it made my whole weekend. GIFFORD: Life-affirming. KOTB: Yeah. GIFFORD: Yeah. KOTB: And the little girl I keep thinking she's an angel. She game up to him and said that. I thought that was the sweetest thing. GIFFORD: They are angels. They are angels. KOTB: Right? Anyway, so great family. Congrats to them. GIFFORD: That's so nice. Well, I went to a place that I'd never been to before. KOTB: Mm-hmm. GIFFORD: And when you've lived as long as I have you've been pretty much everywhere. I'd heard about it, our friends have been asking us to come and visit them for about four summers now. And it's the first time we ever went to the upper peninsula, northern Michigan. KOTB: Where? Michigan. Michigan. GIFFORD: I've been to Michigan, but always it's been to the industrial inner cities. And so you come away thinking that that's all that that state, you know, has to offer. KOTB: Mm-hmm. GIFFORD: Well, we went to places like Bay Harbor and Harbor Springs and Charlevoix on our friend's boat. KOTB: Hi. That's a boat. GIFFORD: That's called--yep, that is the... KOTB: That's a boat. GIFFORD: ...Steadfast. Our friends are just some of the dearest, dearest people. There is--that's me on the left, the bodacious one. That's Emilie Weirda. We were her guests. And that's my friend, Drew, you've met Drew. KOTB: Drew Hammer. GIFFORD: From--Drew Hammer from California. But it wasn't--and it was girlfriends, you know, National Girlfriends Day yesterday. But we had the husbands and about 15 kids. And I got to tell you, Hoda, I am in love with... KOTB: What's this? GIFFORD: I'm smitten with the mitten. KOTB: What is that? GIFFORD: This is Michigan, and this is a little secret message I promised a certain guy. And if you can see this is where we were, all this little area up here. KOTB: Uh-huh. GIFFORD: And it's like a combination of Nantucket slash--oh, gosh, I can't even describe it, Cape May... KOTB: Yeah. GIFFORD: ...because all the houses are Victorian pretty much. KOTB: Yeah, yeah. GIFFORD: And long lawns down to the--and the water in Lake Michigan... KOTB: Yeah. GIFFORD: ...you're not going to believe this, Hoda. KOTB: Hm? GIFFORD: I went swimming. I didn't care about the satellites in the sky. KOTB: You put on a bathing suit? You got--you... GIFFORD: No, I didn't say that. We came back for like four mile--five mile walks every day and... KOTB: And you just dunked in? GIFFORD: And the kids have been jumping in and jumping... KOTB: Yeah. GIFFORD: And it looked so clean. You can see the bottom. And it's fresh water. KOTB: I love it. I love it. GIFFORD: That's where Harbor Springs comes from. And you can drive--you ride along--you walk along and there's little fountains and it's the water from the springs. So it's the first time in my life I've been swimming thinking like, `I'm swimming around and I want to drink from the water. It is gorgeous. KOTB: Beautiful. GIFFORD: And everybody said--some people said, `Don't tell anybody about this area because it's so beautiful'... KOTB: No, but... GIFFORD: ...`and we don't want it spoiled.' KOTB: Mm-hmm. Too bad. GIFFORD: Everybody else said `tell everybody how beautiful it is in Upper Michigan.' KOTB: Yeah. GIFFORD: So... KOTB: So that's near Canada, right? That's right up at the top. GIFFORD: Yes. And I happen to have a little gift for you. KOTB: What? OK. GIFFORD: This is from a shop called American Spoon... KOTB: Oh, my gosh. GIFFORD: ...and it's out of Petoskey, and it's all... KOTB: Wow. GIFFORD: ...the products, everything. It's totally made. KOTB: It's got the mitten! GIFFORD: It's got your mitten and everything's made from Michigan products. KOTB: Oh, I love that. GIFFORD: And I'm telling you... KOTB: Barbecue sauce. GIFFORD: ...I'm going back as soon as I can. It was that sensational. KOTB: That is beautiful. GIFFORD: Yeah. KOTB: Thank you. I'm going to sit it right over here. GIFFORD: So we've left very little time to talk about Chelsea and Mel and who else, Hoda woman? KOTB: Well, Chelsea was a big--this was a big wedding. GIFFORD: Yes. KOTB: She looked... GIFFORD: She looked gorgeous. KOTB: ...beautiful. I thought she looked absolutely beautiful. It was an interfaith wedding. And I also thought in addition to her looking beautiful, her--look at that sun. GIFFORD: That was--that was... KOTB: The father/daughter dance. GIFFORD: ...song that she and President Clinton danced to, yeah. KOTB: Now President Clinton, she looked very thin I...(unintelligible). Chelsea looked great, thin. President Bill Clinton looked very, very thin. Look at him. GIFFORD: She wanted him to lose 15. I guess he lost 20. KOTB: He lost more, yeah. GIFFORD: Yeah, he looked like he outgrew--I mean he shriveled in his suit. KOTB: Yeah, he looks swamped. GIFFORD: You know? KOTB: I have to say, I thought Hillary was a home run. GIFFORD: She looked beautiful. KOTB: I--she looked great that day. But the day before at the rehearsal dinner when she got out of the car... GIFFORD: Yeah. In the caftan, the green caftan. KOTB: Yes! The hair--look at this. Just if you missed it. Hair done, outfit on. GIFFORD: Well, think about it, Hoda. It's their only child. Their daughter. KOTB: Mm-hmm. GIFFORD: It's the biggest day of their daughter's life. KOTB: Mm-hmm. GIFFORD: And she's been traveling all over the world for the past, what... KOTB: Running, sprinting. GIFFORD: Yeah, and this is just I'm so happy for them as a family. KOTB: And it didn't--see, I knew there were talks--there was a lot of talk about the price tag. It didn't seem to be what they--what people were guessing. GIFFORD: It looked elegant and classy and understated. It might have been lavish, but it certainly didn't--it wasn't over the top by any means. KOTB: Unh-unh. No. And you didn't see--they kept saying Barbra Streisand was going to be there, Oprah was going to be there. None of those people were there. GIFFORD: I'm glad they weren't. KOTB: Yeah. It was... GIFFORD: It was--it was their day that way, you know? KOTB: ...I thought it was intimate. Yes! It sure was. GIFFORD: Yeah. Speaking of their day... KOTB: Yes. GIFFORD: ...Lindsay Lohan was released early, early in the morning in Los Angeles. KOTB: It was 4:30 Eastern, 1:30 Pacific, and she just sort of snuck out, no cameras. GIFFORD: Good. And then went straight to rehab, which is even better. KOTB: I still can't believe that you can go to court--I'm just going to say this--you can go to court, write FU on your finger... GIFFORD: Mm-hmm. KOTB: ...hold it up like this to the judge, get a 90-day sentence and get out in 13 days. GIFFORD: Welcome to America. KOTB: Thirteen. Thirteen days. GIFFORD: Yep. But if those 13 days changed her life and she doesn't ever again get behind a wheel drunk or under the influence and hurt somebody, you know, then it was worth it. I don't know. KOTB: Speaking of drinking, if you were around over the weekend... GIFFORD: Which I didn't do any of it all weekend long. No. KOTB: You didn't see--of course you didn't. Here's Snooki. GIFFORD: Snooki. I didn't read a newspaper or turn on the TV in four days. KOTB: Well, this... GIFFORD: And look what happened. KOTB: ...one--this is what happens when you're not around. She was on the Jersey shore, I think, stumbling down drunk and got arrested. GIFFORD: Well, they're shooting. They had to do something for, you know, the show. KOTB: Well, if you--TMZ I think had a little bit of tape. This is the TMZ tape. She's on a bike schnockered... GIFFORD: Snooki schnockered. KOTB: Oh, oh, oh, oh. And no helmet, which is the least of her worries at that point. That's bad. GIFFORD: See, that happened to me over the weekend, too, but thank goodness no cameras were rolling. KOTB: So Snooki is--she was upset when she got arrested. Oh, she's doing it again or is this a repeat? GIFFORD: I love that, "don't you know who I am?" thing. "I'm"--mm-hmm--"Snooki." KOTB: Yeah. Bleeping Snooki is what she said. GIFFORD: "You can't do this to me because I'm"--mm-hmm--"Snooki." Thank you. KOTB: Yeah, exactly. That was--but by the way, the ratings of the "Jersey Shore" were up... GIFFORD: Don't tell me. KOTB: ...several hundred percent. GIFFORD: Oh. KOTB: I'm just saying, people are interested in watching these kids drink and fight. GIFFORD: Doesn't that concern you mildly at least on any level that that's what we have an appetite for? KOTB: Yeah. I mean, it does. But I think people like watching... GIFFORD: Somebody else's life who's more out of control that theirs. KOTB: Yes. Yes, when things are spinning out of control. All right... GIFFORD: Perhaps. Well, we have some good news. KOTB: Yes, we do. GIFFORD: And that is that it's EVERYONE HAS A STORY week... KOTB: Mm-hmm. GIFFORD: ...because everyone does, Hoda. KOTB: I've heard this song somewhere. GIFFORD: That's the last time I wasn't hoarse when I recorded that. KOTB: Uh-huh. GIFFORD: I'm going to have to get this hoarseness checked. KOTB: You got them worked out, yes. All right, favorite things time. GIFFORD: All right, you go. KOTB: OK. I always have hair issues, so I find hair products. This one is crazy. It's called Tail RX. Now, here's the story. It's expensive. I'm telling you, it's $80 for three different bottles. GIFFORD: But it's worth it. KOTB: It's for horses. (Gifford makes horse sounds) KOTB: It's for horses. But when you put it on human hair, it does something where it makes it last longer. GIFFORD: Human hair, like yours. KOTB: Like mine. Well, other people, too. They use it--OK, so you take a little... GIFFORD: Like your mane. KOTB: OK I'm just going to use a little dob. The size of a dime, that's it. That's all you use. You rub it in your hands. You put it in your hair when it's wet. And then you blow it out. GIFFORD: What are you going to do with it now? KOTB: I don't--ha, ha, ha. (Motions rubbing it on Gifford) GIFFORD: Oh, Jerry! KOTB: Anyway, so that's what you do and it's $79. You go to--what is the Web site? Tail... GIFFORD: Can we back up a tad please so we can see. It's... KOTB: Tailrx... GIFFORD: Yep. By Mary Brunetti. KOTB: Tailrx.com. GIFFORD: Dot-com. KOTB: Tailrx.com. OK, what is yours? GIFFORD: All right, I don't know that this is my favorite thing. I'm going to try it out to see if it is. I got this last week. Freeze away fat contouring apparel. KOTB: What? GIFFORD: I'm not kidding. This is the coolest thing. OK... KOTB: You put on the shorts? GIFFORD: It puts this one, right? And you see that it has these little pockets and stuff. Then you freeze these and you stick them in the pockets. Wear them for 30 minutes a day for a week and you look like Giselle Bundchen at the end of the week. KOTB: Does it work? OK, let's... GIFFORD: I don't know! KOTB: Are you going to try it for a week? GIFFORD: I'm going to try it and I'll let you know next week. KOTB: You freeze fat away? GIFFORD: Yep. Yep. KOTB: Why don't you just stand in the freezer? GIFFORD: That would work, too, but I don't have the time. I'm a busy woman. KOTB: OK. Or Alaskans should all be thin then, I guess. GIFFORD: Maybe they are. KOTB: All right. GIFFORD: Anyway, we'll find out. That's called Freeze Away Fat. KOTB: Fat. OK, Sara, what do you got? SARA HAINES reporting: My favorite thing's actually Eve Pearl's dual foundation. I don't know if you've ever used it. GIFFORD: Yes, it's gorgeous. KOTB: Oh. HAINES: But it makes your skin look like--maybe like TV ready or something. But it... KOTB: Yes. GIFFORD: It makes it look like--it's a matte finish. It's--you look dreamy with it. Yeah. HAINES: Yeah. It's the only one I can actually use it. And I'm not a big makeup person, so. GIFFORD: All of Eve Pearl's things is gorgeous. KOTB: Her stuff is awesome. We love her stuff. All right, still to come our good friend, Piers Morgan. GIFFORD: I don't like him that much. KOTB: We're crazy about him. He's talked his way back here. GIFFORD: But first, 50's in the house! KOTB: 50! GIFFORD: He's got a lot going on. We're going to talk to him first, right after this. GFX: Insert still of a yacht. GFX: Insert still of Gifford and others. GFX: Insert stills off former President Clinton's daughter Chelsea Clinton and her new husband Marc Mezvinsky. GFX: Insert still of Clinton and her father former President Bill Clinton. GFX: Insert still of Clinton, her husband, father and mother Secretary Of State Hillary Clinton. 10:05:21 (:21) EXT NIGHT WS: Hillary Clinton disembarks vehicle as her husband looks on. GFX: Insert still of actress Lindsay Lohan's mug shot. 10:06:25 (:13) INT MS: Lohan crying in court. 10:07:01 (:22) EXT DAY SEASIDE HEIGHTS, NEW JERSEY (TMZ) WS: Reality television show star Nicole Polizzi "Snooki" falls of bicycle. 10:07:25 (:15) EXT DAY WS: Members of the cast of the television show "Jersey Shore" get into a vehicle. 10:08:05 (1:21) GIFFORD: It's four months now. It's ridiculous. We're going to talk to Angela Brock. She's from Brandon, Mississippi. She has four kids. The youngest daughter, Riley, was born with a congenital heart disease. KOTB: Mm-hmm. GIFFORD: Nobody knew about it. She had her first surgery eight hours old and her second surgery when she was five days old. KOTB: And Riley's going to be turning two this December. She's going to need another surgery at some point, but we're so happy to have you on the phone with us, Angela. How are you? Ms. ANGELA BROCK: I am super excited. How are you? KOTB: Good. GIFFORD: We're good. David and I loved your letter... Ms. BROCK: Thanks. GIFFORD: ...and you talked about the fact that going through this as a parent you found strength you never knew you had, right? Ms. BROCK: Yes, ma'am. You know, I've been through a lot of stuff in my life... GIFFORD: Yeah. Ms. BROCK: ...but this is the most emotional trip that I've ever had. KOTB: Hm. GIFFORD: Right. KOTB: Well, we so look forward to seeing you in our studio this week, Angela. GIFFORD: I hope you're going to bring your girl. Ms. BROCK: OK. I'm so excited. GIFFORD: You going to bring your little one? Ms. BROCK: Oh, yes. Oh, yes. GIFFORD: OK, good. Ms. BROCK: She is full of energy. Y'all will thoroughly be excited. GIFFORD: Well, one of my dear friends, Flo Lacey, is going to be singing to you the song that David and I have written for you. Flo is known as the greatest Evita that ever did... KOTB: Oh, good. GIFFORD: She did the national tour of "Evita" all over. And she's worked in several of my musicals and she's going to do this. KOTB: It'll be fun. GIFFORD: I know, it's great. OK. KOTB: All right. GIFFORD: We'll see you then, darling. KOTB: We'll see you soon. 10:11:41 (:09) CLIP: Clip from television show "America's Got Talent" with judge Piers Morgan. 10:14:33 KATHIE LEE GIFFORD, co-host: From rapping to riches, Curtis Jackson, otherwise known as 50 Cent, has sold more than 22 million albums worldwide. HODA KOTB, co-host: Wow. But the 13-time Grammy-nominated rap sensation doesn't only make music, he's got three new films to sing about. They're called "Gun," "Twelve," and "Things Fall Apart." GIFFORD: So nice to see you, Curtis. KOTB: Nice to see you. Mr. CURTIS JACKSON (Musician and Actor): Oh, I'm excited to be back. GIFFORD: And you wrote one of them, as well. Mr. JACKSON: Yeah. I wrote "Gun." GIFFORD: Yeah. KOTB: Mm-hmm. Mr. JACKSON: You know, it actually premiered Friday in the Latin Film Festival. GIFFORD: And you did--is that the one you did with Val Kilmer? Mr. JACKSON: No, that--yeah, it's me, Val Kilmer, AnnaLynne McCord. KOTB: Mm-hmm. GIFFORD: And why didn't Val Kilmer believe that you had written this? Mr. JACKSON: At first because I just sent it to him. I didn't want to put pressure on him for anything. GIFFORD: Right, right. Mr. JACKSON: So I just sent it to him and I said, `Check this out. I think this is what I want to do next.' KOTB: Well, I think a lot of people were shocked when we opened up some magazines and saw that you had lost all this weight, 60 pounds, for a role. Mr. JACKSON: Yeah. KOTB: You're playing the role of a football player with cancer. Mr. JACKSON: Right, yeah. KOTB: Tell us about that. Mr. JACKSON: A Heisman hopeful. It's "Things Fall Apart." It's myself, Mario Van Peebles, Lynn Whitfield and Ray Liotta. KOTB: Mm-hmm. Mr. JACKSON: And it's an interesting project. I mean, considering cancer, one out of eight people in the world die of cancer. KOTB: Mm-hmm. Mr. JACKSON: Topping malaria, tuberculosis and HIV together. So, you know, when I actually read the screenplay I was excited about it because I had a friend of mine that died of cancer growing up, you know, so it was exciting. KOTB: Yeah. GIFFORD: Yeah. Mr. JACKSON: And when I was making the physical transformation I concentrated on how he actually looked to me. KOTB: What'd you do--how'd you lose all the weight, though? What'd you do? Mr. JACKSON: I was on liquids. KOTB: Oh. Liquids. Mr. JACKSON: So I started with like cayenne and lemon and cayenne and... GIFFORD: Oh, yes. KOTB: That diet, yeah. Mr. JACKSON: Yeah, and then that got a little bit--after the first week it was too tough for me to stick with that. KOTB: Yeah. GIFFORD: Yeah. And you weren't working out obviously because you wanted to lose any body muscle. KOTB: Muscle. Mr. JACKSON: Yeah, but I was--I was doing like cardio training. GIFFORD: Really? KOTB: Oh. Mr. JACKSON: And then after my energy level started to drop I started to lose some more weight. So I was like speed walking on an incline. GIFFORD: How long did it take you to lose 60 pounds doing that? Mr. JACKSON: Nine weeks. KOTB: Wow. GIFFORD: That's hard on the body. Mr. JACKSON: Yeah. KOTB: I just saw you in the movie, "12" which is a really disturbing film about some upper east side rich kids who get involved in drugs and there's a lot of violence. GIFFORD: Too many of them do. KOTB: Yeah. Mr. JACKSON: (Unintelligible) KOTB: Yeah. What did you think when you saw this screenplay? GIFFORD: Is that Chace Crawford you're working with? KOTB: Yeah. Mr. JACKSON: I was really excited about it because Joel Schumacher attracted me to the part. GIFFORD: Oh, he's a terrific director. KOTB: He was great. Mr. JACKSON: Yeah. KOTB: And the cast is all those kids we know from like "Gossip Girls" and all that. Mr. JACKSON: Girls. KOTB: And like you know all the people... Mr. JACKSON: Everybody in there. KOTB: What was it like working with that crowd? Mr. JACKSON: I mean, I didn't get a chance to shoot scenes with all of them... KOTB: Yeah. Mr. JACKSON: ...you know, but I got, from my interactions with them, like we went to Sundance together, and then we went to...(unintelligible)...and the different screeners of the film, they're all great. Maybe it's because I'm like the darkest character in the film. They're like nice to me. They're like, `50. We love you, don't kill us.' GIFFORD: But I think it's just so terrific what you've done with your life. When you read the history of this young man's early years... KOTB: Yeah, yeah. GIFFORD: ...and what, by the grace of God you've come out of now to be doing such great work, we're really, really thrilled for you. KOTB: Yeah. Mr. JACKSON: I feel good. I'm excited. I think I'm a work in progress. GIFFORD: We all are, honey. Mr. JACKSON: I'll be better tomorrow than I am today. GIFFORD: You have no idea what's going on with this one. KOTB: OK, see what I have to live with. You--do you get it? You don't even get it. GIFFORD: Nice to see you. And... KOTB: Thank you so, so much. GIFFORD: Yeah. And up next, Piers walks down the aisle and into our studio. 10:14:58 (:13) CLIP: Jackson is seen in clip from movie "Gun". GFX: Split screen of Jackson in studio and photo of Jackson 50 pounds lighter for a movie role. 10:16:24 (:20) CLIP: Jackson is seen in clip from movie "12". 10:20:18 Kotbe and Gifford are joined in the Today New York Studio by "America's Got Talent" judge Piers Morgan. HODA KOTB, co-host: From underwater painters to magicians, dancers and singers, Piers Morgan has seen it all. KATHIE LEE GIFFORD, co-host: That and more, I'm sure. Piers is one of the judges on NBC's number one show in the country, "America's Got Talent." And the competition is heating up for an exciting finale in September. KOTB: Well, a lot of things are heating up for Mr. Piers Morgan. GIFFORD: Yeah. I just want to...(touches Morgan and makes sizzle sound). KOTB: You're hot! GIFFORD: He's hot in the studio. Mr. PIERS MORGAN (Judge, "America's Got Talent"): Well talking of hot, ladies, I mean, really. GIFFORD: I know, devastating, huh? Mr. MORGAN: It is. We've never met, have we? I've been your love rival for... GIFFORD: Yes, you have. KOTB: Your love rival. GIFFORD: But we've met your real love now. She's--you just got married in June, right. Mr. MORGAN: Yeah. I did. KOTB: I didn't know if you were going--I didn't know it was going happen to you. GIFFORD: She is beautiful. Hi, Celia. KOTB: I thought you might not have the courage to go through with it. CELIA: I know, same here. Mr. MORGAN: I know what you're thinking. How lucky is she, right? KOTB: Yeah. GIFFORD: Yeah. That's what everybody is thinking. KOTB: Yeah, right. Mr. MORGAN: How did she pull that off? GIFFORD: Isn't that what Simon said? He said, `How did you carry this off? How did you manage this one, Piers?' Where did you two meet? Mr. MORGAN: We met actually when I--Celia she was doing a photo shoot for GQ magazine wearing Agent Provocateur underwear. And I took one look at the pictures and I thought `I'm going to marry that girl.' GIFFORD: Yeah. KOTB: She's a journalist in her own right. We should point out... Mr. MORGAN: She is. GIFFORD: Who happens to look great in her--in her underwear. KOTB: ...she's very established and she's gorgeous. Mr. MORGAN: Yes. She's a proper writer. Not like me. KOTB: Yeah. GIFFORD: Well, good for you. But there's other things happening in your life. Mr. MORGAN: Yeah. GIFFORD: We hear you're close to announcing something. KOTB: Yeah, we been hearing everywhere you turn it's Piers is going to take over for Larry King and we've been reading about it. And why don't you just go ahead and break the news right here. GIFFORD: You can break it here. It's OK. We won't mind. KOTB: Yeah, it's OK. Not a word to anyone else. Mr. MORGAN: My lips are sealed. KOTB: Yeah, un-huh. Mr. MORGAN: Sorry, ladies, I'd love to talk to you about it but I can't at the moment. KOTB: Yeah. OK. Mr. MORGAN: But it's an exciting time. KOTB: It is. Well, talk about an exciting time for the show especially. "America's Got Talent," whenever--I always look at the ratings to see how NBC's doing... GIFFORD: Yeah. KOTB: ...and inevitably "America's Got Talent" takes a couple of the top slots. What do you--what do you think it is that's captured the country about it? Mr. MORGAN: I think it's like the ultimate talent show. There's no age barrier. You can be 94, you can be four... GIFFORD: No categories. Mr. MORGAN: No. You can do whatever you like. I was just with Eva Mendes and she was pulling some funny face on a show we did together and that was her secret talent. And actually it was very difficult. I was trying to do the same thing. They call it cheeky speak. KOTB: Yeah. Mr. MORGAN: And everyone's got something. And I mean, you two must have something. GIFFORD: Everyone--yes, that's right--has a story. No, it's true. And they do and they have hidden talents, and then America gets to vote, right? KOTB: Well, I love Gabourey Sidibe's mother. GIFFORD: Mother. Mr. MORGAN: She's amazing. KOTB: Tell us about her. She's a home run, this one. Mr. MORGAN: Well, I love--I love her, Alice, because she has for the last 20 years been singing on the New York subway and she's quite well-known in certain parts of the subway. But this to her was her break. KOTB: Mm-hmm. Mr. MORGAN: And imagine, your daughter's there at the Oscars. I remember interviewing her with her daughter at Oscars, and now she's got a real chance. And I think she's got the kind of passion and emotion and the talent that we look for that makes her a little bit special. GIFFORD: And her story is...(unintelligible). Mr. MORGAN: Amazing. GIFFORD: People get wrapped up in that. KOTB: You know, everybody's talking to--I have to talk about "American Idol" for one second. Mr. MORGAN: Yeah. KOTB: Everyone's talking about that show that it is--its day is done now. GIFFORD: It's on the decline. KOTB: Yeah, because of Ellen and... Mr. MORGAN: Well, I would argue that "America's Got Talent" is the new top dog. I mean, you know, we don't... GIFFORD: Hey, they had a great run. Mr. MORGAN: It was good while it lasted. GIFFORD: Yeah. Mr. MORGAN: But now everyone, tune into "America's Got Talent." GIFFORD: And Simon Cowell's going to have the "X Factor" coming out. GIFFORD: Right. GIFFORD: Which is going to be your competition. Mr. MORGAN: You're missing Simon then watch me. KOTB: I see. But what do you think about all the--what do you think about all the changes on "Idol"? That's a big deal. Mr. MORGAN: I think something had to happen. KOTB: Yeah. Mr. MORGAN: I think--I mean, I love Ellen for example... KOTB: Yeah. Mr. MORGAN: ...but she was clearly quite uncomfortable. KOTB: Sure. Mr. MORGAN: And I think the reason, I've seen it with some of the American judges we've had on "America's Got Talent." Americans are nicer people than Brits. KOTB: Yeah. Mr. MORGAN: They don't actually like being very critical of the--of the acts. KOTB: Yeah. Mr. MORGAN: But you have to be. As a judge you have to be pretty blunt and straightforward, I think, to have any credibility as a judge. And I think Ellen was probably thinking one thing, but not really wanting to say it. KOTB: Uh-huh. Mr. MORGAN: Because the audience will start booking and you feel uncomfortable. I get that. I think for certain people it's just not their (Continued...)