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Tag: kathie lee gifford

  • Valerie Bertinelli Cooks Up Delicacies Ahead of Food Network Premiere

    Valerie Bertinelli is headed to the Food Network with her very own show. But before she lands there, she has cooked up some delicacies from her cookbook One Dish at a Time.

    Valerie’s Home Cooking premieres on the Food Network Saturday at 12 p.m. EDT. In addition to appearing on The Today Show this week and preparing some delicious recipes for co-hosts Kathie Lee Gifford and Hoda Kotb, she also made dinner for her Hot in Cleveland co-stars Betty White, Wendie Malick, and Jane Leeves.

    “It was a little nerve-racking because Betty doesn’t like too many things,” Bertinelli said in an interview for the Associated Press. “She likes tuna fish, she likes hot dogs, she likes Red Vines (candy) and vodka. So what am I going to make for Betty?”

    The One Day at a Time star turned to vodka for help. She prepared Betty White and the rest of her guests tuna salad with an Italian twist.

    Right now Valerie Bertinelli is scheduled to appear on the Food Network with 10 episodes of Valerie’s Home Cooking. Ratings will determine whether or not they buy more episodes of her show.

    Just because Valerie Bertinelli is Food Network bound, fans needn’t worry that she’s given up acting. In fact, she says she will soon be seeking out a new acting job. Hot in Cleveland was recently axed after six seasons on the air.

    “Then they canceled us because they wanted to put on younger shows,” she explained.

    Valerie Bertinelli has lots of spunk. It was obvious when she starred on One Day at a Time, and even thought that show aired decades ago, she still has a wealth of spunk left in her today. It will surely serve her well in Valerie’s Home Cooking, and in whatever acting job soon comes her way.

  • Whitney Cummings Describes Her Beauty Gadget As a Sex Toy

    Whitney Cummings has a beauty secret. The comedienne, actress, and television producer gave it up to Hoda and Kathie Lee without as much as pitching a product of her own.

    The hosts commented that it looked like Whitney had a new face. Apparently Cummings gets that a lot.

    “I did get a new face. I bought it on eBay,” Cummings joked.

    But it was actually easier than that.

    “I did this weird thing that nobody likes to do anymore where I gained weight,” Cummings revealed.”I put on, like, 20 pounds. People think I got a face lift.”

    While that is a tactic not too many people would want to try, for Whitney Cummings, it worked.

    “I gained, like, 25 pounds, which I think I needed to,” she said. “I was way too skinny before. Here’s the thing… when you’re on television you get confused. I looked like I was passing away, like I was so skinny. It’s not attractive.”

    While many women in Hollywood are decrying the insistence of producers that actresses lose weight before being considered for roles, Whitney found something in it all to laugh about.

    “I feel like all the advice to girls now to lose weight, lose weight … they say you have to pick your face or our ass. I’m picking my face,” she announced. “But I hope somebody else picks the other one.”

    But wait, there are a couple of products that Whitney endorses, or at least recommends to all the ladies.

    “And then I got this LED machine online, like you use on your face,” she explains “I’m always wearing it. It’s like a white mask that you put on, and you look so crazy. It’s like an LED mask that you wear every day. It tightens. I’ve been using it like three months.”

    It’s tough to drive while using that LED mask. So Whitney has another product that she takes with her when she is on the run.

    “There’s this machine, it looks like a sex toy, called Nu Face. I use it while I’m driving. I’m doing a new show on high-def television — which hates women — so I’m just trying to kind of [help my face].”

  • Kathie Lee Gifford Embarrasses Daughter Cassidy On National TV

    Kathie Lee Gifford Embarrasses Daughter Cassidy On National TV

    All thanks to Kathie Lee Gifford’s constant anecdotes on Live! With Regis and Kathie Lee, America now knows everything about her daughter Cassidy.

    The up-and-coming actress revealed in the latest issue of PEOPLE how Mom embarrassed her through an on-air overshare on Today.

    Cassidy, 21, says to the mag, “Oh my god, don’t get me started!”

    “I can’t even watch the show anymore.”

    “One time I called her, and she just happened to have her phone for a Today show segment and held it up and was like, ‘Oh, Cassidy’s calling me!’” the young actress gushes.

    “She opens up her old, little, dinosaur flip phone, and of course the cameras zoom in, and there was my number! All of a sudden I had hundreds of creepy texts,” she continues.

    “Like, ‘Really, Mom?!’”

    This mortifying moment not only caused Cassidy to receive creepy text messages from unknown numbers, it also nearly cost her the role for the found-footage horror movie, The Gallows, which was produced by The Purge’s Jason Blum.

    “That was right before I went to do my audition for The Gallows, and I almost didn’t get the film because of that: They just wanted to do a cast of unknowns,” she says.

    At that time, Cassidy was just launching her career. She was also just a student from University of Southern California during her mom’s accidental blab on her show.

    “So that was a huge thing going on, whether they’d give me the role or not: Whether or not she could keep her mouth shut,” the leading lady continues.

    Glad that Kathie Lee “has proven that she kind of can, at least for a little bit,” or else we wouldn’t have been hearing of Cassidy’s leading role on The Gallows which premiered on July 10.

  • Kathie Lee Gifford Gets Support From Jenners At Daughter’s Movie Premiere

    It was a mother-and-daughter date between Kathie Lee Gifford and daughter Cassidy plus Cassidy’s godmother Kris Jenner and godsister Kylie Jenner.

    The two pairs were at Hollywood High School last Tuesday night for the L.A. premiere of Cassidy’s horror movie, The Gallows.

    The movie, which was discovered on Youtube, was shot nearly four years ago and some scenes were done again as Cassidy was added to the cast.

    Other celebrities together with Cassidy’s family members and friends showed their support for the promising 21-year-old actress but the spotlight was on the Jenners in their high fashion outfits.

    Kylie Jenner attended the premiere wearing a stylish monochromatic outfit by Kimora Lee Simmons.

    Her attire included a chic white coat, trimmed black top and complementary pants.

    The 17-year-old reality TV star completed her look with a pair of aviator sunglasses.

    The 59-year-old Jenner wouldn’t be outdone with her revealing black dress and black sunnies.

    The mother-and-daughter pairs posed for photos together and Kylie promoted the movie on Instagram, claiming anyone looking for a good scare should watch The Gallows, which shows on theaters this Friday.

      Mother dearest   A photo posted by King Kylie (@kyliejenner) on

      Kathie Lee thanked the Keeping Up With The Kardashians stars with a tweet, saying she was grateful for their support for her daughter’s movie premiere.

    In an interview with People, the 61-year-old Gifford also expressed that the Kardashian matriarch has always been supportive of her ever since she was heavy with Cassidy.

    Kris also posted a photo of her and Kylie on Instagram while on their way to the premiere.

    The older Jenner mentioned that she was with her “angel girl,” with hashtags #blessed, #grateful and #loveofmylife.

    Date Night with my angel girl @kyliejenner !!! #blessed #grateful #loveofmylife

    A photo posted by @krisjenner on

  • Regis Philbin, Kathie Lee Gifford Together Again on ‘Today’ Show

    Regis Philbin and Kathie Lee Gifford are back together again. This time the stars of Live! With Regis and Kathie Lee have come together on NBC’s Today Show after spending 15 years apart.

    Kathie Lee Gifford stars alongside Hoda Kotb on the fourth hour of Today each morning. Regis Philbin was just named a contributor to the fourth hour of the show.

    “Regis brings his legendary charm and humor each time he visits Today,” Tammy Filler, the co-executive producer of Today, said in a statement. “His energy is infectious, and when Regis is around, you never know what will happen.”

    No stranger to the Today Show, Regis Philbin has appeared on the morning show several times in the past few months. He was a huge hit in Today The Musical–a sing-along that aired back in December.

    When Kathie Lee Gifford left Live! With Regis and Kathie Lee back in 2000, Regis Philbin brought in Kelly Ripa as his co-host. When he retired, the show became Live! With Kelly and Michael, with Michael Strahan serving as Kelly Ripa’s sidekick. Ripa and Philbin have lost touch since he retired from the show.

    During a segment on Thursday’s Today Show, Kathie Lee Gifford and Hoda Kotb appeared in a skit with Philbin announcing his upcoming appearances on the show.

    “Reg, what are you doing here?” Gifford exclaimed when Regis Philbin was seen tending bar.

    “I’ve got a job here!” he replied.

    “We thought [he] would be the perfect person to join our motley crew: Regis Philbin is joining the fourth hour,” Hoda Kotb said.

    “I wish we could have him every day, but he’s very busy,” Kathie Lee Gifford added.

    What’s your take on Regis Philbin joining Kathie Lee Gifford and Hoda Kotb as a fourth-hour contributor on Today?

    Regis Philbin is 83 years old.

  • Cassidy Gifford Gets Shout-Out from Kris Jenner

    Cassidy Gifford, daughter of Frank and Kathie Lee Gifford, will star in an upcoming horror flick called The Gallows. Last week the young actress got a shout-out about her breakout role from none other than the Keeping Up With the Kardashians matriarch, Kris Jenner.

    Kris Jenner and her ex-husband Bruce Jenner–now Caitlyn Jenner–have long been friends with Cassidy Gifford’s parents. Frank and Kathie Lee are godparents of both Kendall Jenner and Kylie Jenner. So it’s no wonder she’d want to celebrate Cassidy Gifford’s latest achievements.

    Jenner did so via Instagram, sharing a clip of Cassidy Gifford in her The Gallows role.

    “krisjennerHey beauties!!! Follow my niece @cassidygiff she is amazing and her new movie comes out July 10th!!!! Annndddd you’re welcome!!!!! #family #love #beautiful #proudmama xoxoxoxoxo,” Kris Jenner captioned the post.

    A video posted by @krisjenner on

    Last month Kathie Lee Gifford commented on Cassidy Gifford’s upcoming role in The Gallows, shortly after the trailer for the film was released.

    Fans can check out Cassidy Gifford in The Gallows when it hits theaters next month on July 11th.

  • Hoda Kotb Beats Michael Strahan on ‘Lip Sync Battle’

    Hoda Kotb and Michael Strahan went head to head (or is that lip to lip?) next week on cable’s breakout TV hit show of the season, Lip Sync Battle.

    The Live! with Kelly and Michael star and former NFL player had fans cracking up as he got down to the sexual innuendoes performing Fergie’s ‘London Bridge.’

    Hoda Kotb–sans her sidekick Kathie Lee Gifford–entertained fans singing about big butts while lip syncing Sir Mix-A-Lot’s ‘Baby Got Back.’

    Which of these morning television hosts do you suppose did the better job?

    Check out Hoda Kotb lip syncing ‘Baby Got Back.’

    And now check out Michael Strahan. Does he have what it takes to beat Hoda Kotb?

    In addition to ‘Baby Got Back,’ Hoda Kotb also performed ‘Uptown Funk’ by Mark Ronson. Michael Strahan’s second number was ‘Poison’ by Bell Biv DeVoe.

    Lip Sync Battle airs on Thursdays nights on Spike TV at 10:00 pm ET. Are you surprised Hoda Kotb beat Michael Strahan? Did you expect the results would be the other way around?

  • Kathie Lee Gifford: God Loves Bruce Jenner, As Does She and Frank Gifford

    Kathie Lee Gifford made a rather bold statement via Twitter regarding Bruce Jenner and his transition from a man to a woman. As anyone familiar with the Today Show host knows, Kathie Lee Gifford is a devout Christian. These days, many devout Christians translate the Bible quite literally, and some have little to no compassion for those who identify as LGBT.

    Even though Kathie Lee Gifford has never alluded to any hateful beliefs, it likely pleases her fans to know that she holds no animosity toward Bruce Jenner’s life change, and she doesn’t believe him to be an abomination.

    Kathie Lee and Frank Gifford are actually very good friends of both Bruce and Kris Jenner. Kathie Lee says she was shocked when she first learned of Bruce’s transition.

    “I never saw this coming,” Gifford said on Monday’s episode of the Today Show, adding the recent revelation “shocked me.”

    She said she spoke with Bruce Jenner last week, just ahead of the airing of his interview with Diane Sawyer on ABC’s 20/20.

    “If you can imagine the surprise….How do you deal with that? The way you do, ultimately, is when you put love first and try to put yourself in someone else’s high heels, I suppose. Louboutins, in their case,” Gifford said.

    It was via Twitter that Kathie Lee Gifford made her very bold statement, and it would be very interesting to learn if she has received any backlash for it.

    Kris Jenner tweeted her support of Bruce a day ahead of his interview with Diane Sawyer.

    Kudos to people like Kathie Lee Gifford who speak of love when discussing Bruce Jenner and his transition. Hopefully Bruce’s interview and the support of him by people like Kathie Lee Gifford and Kris Jenner–not to mention his two other ex-wives, Chrystie Crownover and Linda Thompson–will encourage others to feel a bit more ease about being themselves.

    As Bruce Jenner said in his interview, he was ‘born this way.’

    No one should feel uncomfortable being the person they were at birth.

  • Chrystie Crownover Watched Bruce Jenner Interview With Family, Feels His Pain

    Chrystie Crownover is Bruce Jenner’s first ex-wife. She watched the Keeping Up With the Kardashians patriarch’s interview with Diane Sawyer on Friday evening–along with other members of the Jenner and Kardashian families.

    Bruce Jenner and Chrystie Crownover were married from 1972 to 1981, and are the parents of Burt and Cassandra Jenner. He divulged his deep, dark secret to her many years ago, while the two were still married.

    “I can’t remember the exact words because it was such a shock to me, but he opened up his heart and confessed, and he had to share this deep, dark secret,” she explained of Bruce Jenner during the early years of their marriage. “He told me he wanted to be a woman, and understandably, I didn’t know what to say.”

    “It’s so hard to wrap your head around it, particularly because he was such a manly man,” she continued. “He never indicated anything feminine in his demeanor.”

    Despite the pain she saw in Bruce Jenner’s eyes the night his interview with Diane Sawyer aired on 20/20, she believes it was a very positive thing.

    “Pain… pain.” “He was tearful at times and it broke my heart,” she said. “It broke my heart for him… I think it was cathartic to watch it together. It was pretty intense.”

    “I’m sure there are plenty of people that don’t have the courage to come out at all, ever, and they live private, dark, tortured lives, and that’s tragic,” Chrystie Crownover added. “That’s just tragic and the fact that he did share it with me that first year, I feel like that was actually a gift he gave to me to trust me with something so intimate.”

    Hopefully the support of two of Bruce Jenner’s ex-wives–Chrystie Crownover and Linda Thompson–will help confirm he has made the right decision in going forward with his painful ordeal. Step-daughter Kourtney Kardashian believes his interview will change lives.

    Now if only Kris Jenner would get on board. Kathie Lee Gifford said Monday on the Today Show that she believes Kris is still ‘new’ to the idea of Bruce wanting to be a woman, and that she doesn’t not support him. She’s simply still processing the entire notion.

    Wouldn’t it be wonderful for Bruce Jenner to have the support of all three of his ex-wives? Chrystie Crownover, Linda Thompson, and Kris Jenner could teach the world a lot about love if they all hopped on board of his journey.

  • Kathie Lee Gifford Defends Kris Jenner Amid Bruce Jenner Transition

    Kris Jenner’s long-time friend Kathie Lee Gifford weighs in on Bruce Jenner’s 20/20 interview and says that she was “shocked” that he was transitioning.

    The 61-year-old revealed to her Today co-host Hoda Kotb that “I never saw this coming, I’ve got to tell you.” She added that “It would have shocked me as much if Frank had told me [the same thing.]”

    Gifford also mentioned that she had a deep conversation with Bruce before his 20/20 interview and stated that she will never reveal what they talked about. She admitted to being grateful for the talk because it prepared her “for everything he was going to say and even more.”

    Gifford and her husband, sports commentator Frank Gifford, have been friends of the Jenner family for a long time and remain supportive of the former Olympian.

    “How do you deal with that [the news]?” she asked. “The way you do, ultimately, is when you put love first, and try to put yourself in someone else’s high heels I suppose.”

    The TV host also came to the defense of her best friend, Kris Jenner, who’s been unnaturally quiet since Bruce’s revealing interview came out.

    “She’s trying to get her act together, trying to be a good friend to him or her now, trying to be a good parent,” Gifford said of her friend. “And it’s complicated in ways that we cannot even comprehend.

    Gifford also pointed out that while Bruce’s 2 ex-wives (Chrystie Crownover and Linda Thompson) had years to get used to the idea of Bruce transitioning, the idea was still new to Kris.

    This was contrary to Bruce’s claim that Kris knows his secret and that she had seen him cross-dressing. He even added that they would “probably still be together” if she had been more accepting of his situation

  • Kathie Lee Gifford Defends Kris Jenner During Bruce Jenner Transition

    Kathie Lee Gifford has come to the defense of Keeping Up With the Kardashians matriarch Kris Jenner in light of Bruce Jenner’s recent interview about his transition from a man to a woman, and how Kris has been dissed in the media for not supporting him.

    Frank and Kathie Lee Gifford have long been friends with Bruce and Kris Jenner. It was Frank who told Kathie Lee about Bruce’s transition and his interview with Diane Sawyer.

    Kathie Lee Gifford had a conversation with Bruce Jenner just a week ahead of last Friday’s interview.

    “Nothing I said, or he said to me, will ever be revealed,” she told viewers on the Today Show segment she shares with Hota Kotb. “But, I’m glad that we did have a long talk because I was prepared for everything he was going to say and even more, and I am grateful for that because we all want to know how to go forward. We all want to love him through this.”

    Kris Jenner has been under fire since the Bruce Jenner and Diane Sawyer interview on 20/20 Friday night. Bruce’s two former ex-wives issued statements about his transition, while Kris refused to comment.

    “The other [wives Chrystie Crownover and Linda Thompson], both fine women, had a long time to get used to this,” Kathie Lee Gifford explained. “This was new to Kris. She’s trying to get her act together. She’s trying to be a good friend to him. Trying to still be a good parent. It’s complicated in ways that we cannot even comprehend. Frank and I send our love and prayers to Bruce and his family. God loves you and so do we.”

    Do you think people will go a bit easier on the Keeping Up With the Kardashians matriarch in light of Kathie Lee Gifford’s remark?

    Gifford also lauded Bruce Jenner for being brave enough to go forward with his huge life change.

    “We also know that there are children who are…that have to learn how to deal with this,” shesaid. “If you could imagine the surprise– mean how do you deal with that? The way you do is ultimately when you put love first and try to put yourself in someone else’s high heels, I suppose, and Louboutins in their case. The story isn’t over obviously. The transition goes on.”

    Kudos to Kathie Lee Gifford for supporting both Bruce and Kris Jenner during this time of significant change. Are you surprised–given the strong Christian faith that Kathie Lee Gifford practices–that she so easily accepts what Bruce is going through?

  • Kathie Lee Gifford And Hoda Kotb Get Naked For April Fool’s Prank

    Kathie Lee Gifford and Hoda Kotb, in case you missed it, both went nude on a promo for their show on Wednesday for an April Fool’s prank.

    After having done all that Kathie Lee Gifford and her co-host thought they could pull off on the show, the only remaining stunt that seemed to be left was to pull a Kim Kardashian and bare it all for their fans.

    Kathie Lee Gifford said, “We wanted to bring you a really special show. There’s only one way…We are baring it all. Our special clothing-free show.”

    Kathie Lee Gifford and Hoda Kotb wore matching white robes during the dialogue, but then both dropped the robes, revealing a mess of nude-colored pixels.

    Later, Kathie Lee Gifford and Hoda Kotb revealed that they had been wearing nude-colored dresses.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FTEIJ2tZPkU

    Of course, they were. Because in Kathie Lee Gifford’s own words, “Nobody wants to see that.”

    Kathie Lee Gifford and Hoda Kotb weren’t the only talk show hosts on Wednesday to get in on the April Fool’s Day fun.

    Talk show host Kelly Ripa pranked the entire studio audience into believing that she is pregnant.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x1LNVqRrFSA

    Her hubby, Mark Consuelos, sat in for Michael Strahan and the two of them read an article claiming they were expecting their fourth child together.

    The audience immediately began to clap and yell, thinking it was a confirmation that Kelly Ripa was, indeed, pregnant with baby number four.

    However, Kelly quickly set the record straight.

    “Time out,” Ripa explained while laughing. She then said that it was just a joke. “I’m not saying we’re not trying. We’re always trying. We tried just this morning.”

    That’s a little too much information, but I guess that’s sort of Kelly Ripa’s style.

    What did you think about Wednesday’s many April Fool’s Day pranks on the talk show circuit?

  • Kelly Ripa and Regis Philbin Estranged Since 2011— Why?

    Kelly Ripa has not seen or spoken to her former Live! With Regis and Kelly co-star Regis Philbin since the show ended in 2011.

    This seems to be surprising news considering Kelly Ripa and Regis Philbin, 83, spent every weekday together for a decade as the co-hosts of the morning show.

    In an interview with Today‘s Hoda Kotb for her Sirius XM show, Philbin said he hasn’t seen his former co-star and his relationship with Kelly Ripa, 44, changed with the end of the show.

    “I haven’t seen her,” he said of Kelly Ripa. “I don’t see her.”

    Seemingly surprised, Hoda Kotb asked if he really not seen her at all since November 2011 when the show ended.

    “No, I haven’t,” he said, adding that it’s just fine by him.

    “I was over there yesterday as a matter of fact to do something for them,” Regis Philbin said of ABC’s studios in New York City.

    Despite the estrangement, the veteran TV fixture had good things to say about his time with Kelly Ripa, who now cohosts Live! With Kelly and Michael with Michael Strahan.

    Philbin also spoke of his other Live! co-host and good friend, Kathie Lee Gifford.

    “She lives in Greenwich and I’m a weekend guy there, so I do see a lot of her,” he said of Gifford, 61.

    Regis Philbin and Kathie Lee Gifford co-hosted Live! for 12 years before her departure in 2000.

  • Kelly Ripa and Regis Philbin: Why They Lost Touch

    Kelly Ripa and Regis Philbin: Why They Lost Touch

    Kelly Ripa and Regis Philbin hosted Live! With Regis and Kelly together for 10 years. Once Regis announced he was retiring back in 2011, everyone likely expected they’d stay in touch. Oh, they probably wouldn’t have coffee every week–or probably every month for that matter. But after Kelly Ripa and Regis Philbin worked side by side for 10 years, you’d certainly expect that at the very least they’d meet up for dinner once a year.

    How about none of the above? It came as quite a surprise to many people earlier this week when Regis Philbin was interviewed by Hoda Kotb on the Today Show’s radio show on SiriusXM, to learn that he and Kelly Ripa haven’t had any contact whatsoever since he left the show.

    “I haven’t seen her, I don’t see her,” Regis answered when Hoda Kotb asked him how often he sees or speaks to Kelly Ripa. “She lived downtown, and now I hear she’s on the East Side and, uh, you know.”

    When Hoda asked him if that seemed strange at all, he said no. He admitted that he and Kelly Ripa had a great run on the show together, however. Kelly Ripa now hosts the show alongside Michael Strahan on Live! With Kelly and Michael.

    Back in 2013, Kelly Ripa said she and Regis had lost touch.

    “I haven’t seen him, no,” she said.

    Does this strike you as really strange? If you sat beside someone for 10 years–and you liked that person–wouldn’t you at the very least pick up the phone once in a while to say hello? Do you think there’s something here that doesn’t meet the eye?

    Someone Regis Philbin has stayed in contact with is Kathie Lee Gifford. Kelly Ripa took over for Kathie Lee when she left the show back in 2001.

    “She lives in Greenwich and I’m a weekend guy there, so I do see a lot of her,” Regis told Hoda of Kathie Lee Gifford–now her sidekick on the Today Show.

    If you’re having a hard time swallowing the fact that Kelly Ripa and Regis Philbin haven’t been in touch in 10 years–you’re not the only one. It just goes to show you that show business can be just that–and that it doesn’t mean that two people who talk, smile, and laugh together for a decade will necessarily do so when the cameras stop running.

  • Kathie Lee Gifford Kisses Matt Lauer For Charity

    Kathie Lee Gifford locked lips with Matt Lauer on the Today show.

    But, don’t worry, it was for charity.

    Why anyone would kiss either one of those two for ANY other reason, I do not know.

    Kathie Lee Gifford was partaking in the latest do-something-make-it-go-viral-challenge-friends charity push.

    This time, Kathie Lee Gifford and Matt Lauer were supporting autism by chomping on opposite ends of a Twizzler until they met in the middle, Lady and the Tramp style.

    The whole thing started at Jon Stewart and Comedy Central’s “Night of Too Many Stars” autism event two weeks ago.

    During that event, Willie Geist was challenged by a Twitter follower to do the challenge with Uzo Aduba in exchange for a monetary donation.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ojbrolOWSj4

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jUjrYOCJneM

    Now Kathie Lee Gifford and Matt Lauer, along with the rest of the world, are smooching for Autism in a move that is highly reminiscent of 2014’s ice bucket challenge that raised millions for ALS.

    Hopefully, this charity drive will be just as successful.

    Eating a Twizzler and kissing a friend is way easier than taking a bucket of cold ice water on your melon.

    Along with Kathie Lee Gifford, Meredith Vieira also took the Twizzler challenge with Geist on her show, The Meredith Vieira Show.

    They ended up donating $5,000 towards programs that help those with autism.

    What do you think about the Twizzler challenge? Do you think that the momentum of the ice bucket challenge still runs deep enough to motivate people to support autism by nibbling Twizzlers and kissing people?

    It will be interesting to see just how far it goes.

  • Kathie Lee Gifford, Matt Lauer Lock Lips For Twizzler Challenge

    Kathie Lee Gifford and Matt Lauer shared a sweet on-air kiss Tuesday while carrying out the Twizzler Challenge on the Today show.

    Kathie Lee Gifford locked lips with co-host Matt Lauer after the twosome nibbled opposite ends of the red licorice candy until their lips met for the Twizzler Challenge, is a campaign to raise funds for autism awareness and related programs.

    The challenge involves two people nibbling the ends of the red licorice wand until lips meet, much like the spaghetti scene in the Disney film Lady and the Tramp.

    Kathie Lee Gifford and Matt Lauer were not the first Today show hosts to lock lips for the charity. Last week, Meredith Vieira completed the challenge with Today co-anchor Willie Geist last week, and then challenged Gifford and Lauer to do the same on Tuesday’s episode.

    Willie Geist and Uzo Aduba of Orange is the New Black inspired the campaign by sharing a similar kiss at the Night of Too Many Stars fundraiser in February.

    Kathie Lee Gifford and her partner in the challenge, Matt Lauer, nominated Regis Philbin and Hoda Kotb to complete the challenge for autism.

    All donations for the challenge goes to the New York Collaborates for Autism, which has raised over $18 million for autism programs since 2006.

  • Kathie Lee Gifford Unveils ‘Today: the Musical,’ Featuring Entire Cast and Regis Philbin [Watch]

    Katie Lee Gifford‘s Today: The Musical, a song and dance spectacle featuring the morning show’s cast and crew, was unveiled Monday.

    Starring the Today show’s stagehand, Sal Cacciato, who plays a props guy with big dreams to appear in front of the camera, the musical also features Gifford, Matt Lauer, Al Roker and Gifford‘s old cohost, Regis Philbin, who aids Cacciato’s character in realizing his dream.

    The project, announced in August, was scheduled to air on Dec. 4, right before NBC’s Peter Pan Live, but production delays made the Dec. 4 airing impossible, so it was moved to Monday.

    Along with Lauer and Roker, all of the Today show hosts participated in the 14-minute production, including Savannah Guthrie, Natalie Morales, Willie Geist, Carson Daly, Tamron Hall, Jenna Bush Hager and Hoda Kotb.

    Guthrie posted a tweet Monday, praising his performance.

    The musical opens as if it’s any other morning with the hosts sitting by the anchor desk, shuffling scripts. However, instead of leading with news briefs, the hosts burst into song with This Is Today. The hosts are then joined by hairstylists, make-up artists, producers, and stagehands. Then it’s Cacciato’s big introduction and his chance meeting with Philbin.

    Gifford, who has a long history in musical theater, includes a lot of inside jokes, including poking fun at frequent rumors that Lauer is leaving the show and a subplot involving the show’s kitchen director making a sauce that is meant to take down Martha Stewart.

    If you didn’t get a chance to catch Today: the Musical, watch the full video of the musical here.

  • Kathie Lee Gifford Says Bill Cosby Tried to Kiss Her

    Kathie Lee Gifford is the latest woman to come forward and share what once transpired between her and Bill Cosby. While her private experience with the comedian isn’t as harrowing as some, it still sheds light on this very disturbing situation.

    While discussing the recent comments Bill Cosby’s wife Camille Cosby made in defense of her husband, Kathie Lee Gifford said on the Today Show that Bill Cosby tried to kiss her.

    “I will admit, towards the very last times I saw him, he did try to kiss me,” she said on the show Tuesday. “I said, ‘Bill, no, we’re friends,’ and he said, ‘OK, goodnight,’ and I said, ‘Goodnight.’ And I went to my room, and he went into his room.”

    “A lot of married men come onto single women…but once I said, ‘No, absolutely not,’ he respected it,” she added a short time later.

    Kathie Lee Gifford explained that she was the opening act for Bill Cosby for many years, traveling with the comedian from show to show. She admits that he often exemplified “great kindness,” and was even known to give her and her backup dancers gambling money when they stayed at casinos.

    “I do know that I got a chill [reading Johnson’s story], because every night when we’d come off stage and Bill would be going on-stage, he would have made cappuccinos for all three of us,” she said. “And I always thought it was such a kindness and it was so sweet, and now you see Beverly Johnson saying that he made her a cappuccino, and I just don’t want it to be true, but I’m not saying that the women are liars.”

    “I’m just saying I never personally saw it with my own two eyes,” she added.

    Kathie Lee Gifford is known for her strong Christian faith and for upholding the morals that go along with that faith. She certainly doesn’t seem like the kind of person who would lie.

    Do you think Gifford’s admission that Bill Cosby tried to kiss her will serve to make the others who have come forward–including Beverly Johnson–appear even more credible?

  • Whoopi Goldberg Among Legion of Celebrities Mourning Joan Rivers at Funeral

    Whoopi Goldberg Among Legion of Celebrities Mourning Joan Rivers at Funeral

    There wasn’t the reported red carpet outside New York’s Temple Emanu-El Sunday for the arrival of mourners Sunday, but Joan Rivers’ funeral was very much the star-studded event the legendary comedienne envisioned.

    Whoopi Goldberg, who said “Joan made me laugh harder than anyone I’ve ever known,” joined dozens of A-list celebrities from the worlds of Hollywood, theater, fashion and media.

    Howard Stern delivered the eulogy, while Broadway singer-actress Audra McDonald offered her rendition of the gut-wrenching song, Smile.

    Leading off the service was a men’s choir singing some of Rivers’ favorite Broadway tunes. Hugh Jackman was also expected to sing at the end of the service, according to The Seattle Times.

    They were among the many A-list celebrities who came to mourn the 81-year-old trailblazer who died Thursday, a week after she stopped breathing during a routine throat procedure at a Manhattan medical clinic.

    Other mourners included Rivers’ dear friend Kathy Griffin; colleague and friend Kelly Osbourne; Sarah Jessica Parker; and celebrity doctor Mehmet Oz.

    Theater legends, including Bernadette Peters, Alan Cumming and Tommy Tune, were also in attendance.

    From the music industry, record producer Clive Davis was in attendance; and from the fashion industry, designers Carolina Herrera and Michael Kors paid their respects.

    Television stars Barbara Walters, Geraldo Rivera, Diane Sawyer, Giuliana Rancic, Kathie Lee Gifford, Hoda Kotb, Andy Cohel, and Late Night band leader Paul Shaffer, as well as moguls Barry Diller, Donald Trump and Steve Forbes, were among the many who came to mourn Rivers.

    And as per her wish, a large contingency of paparazzi lined the street across from the temple amongst hundreds of fans from around the world.

    The comedian shared her last wishes in her 2012 book I Hate Everyone … Starting With Me:

    “When I die — and, yes, Melissa, that day will come; and, yes, Melissa, everything’s in your name — I want my funeral to be a huge showbiz affair with lights, cameras, action….I want Craft services, I want paparazzi and I want publicists making a scene! I want it to be Hollywood all the way. I don’t want some rabbi rambling on; I want Meryl Streep crying, in five different accents. I don’t want a eulogy; I want Bobby Vinton to pick up my head and sing Mr. Lonely. I want to look gorgeous, better dead than I do alive. I want to be buried in a Valentino gown and I want Harry Winston to make me a toe tag. And I want a wind machine so that even in the casket my hair is blowing just like Beyonce’s.”

    Those words were reportedly printed in the funeral program.

  • Hoda Kotb Thinks Fifty is Pretty Nifty

    Hoda Kotb thinks turning fifty is pretty nifty–and she even got to dance and sing with Kenny Loggins. The Today Show personality and one-half of the segment that features her with Kathie Lee Gifford, Kotb has experienced lots of things thus far this week in honor of her impending milestone birthday.

    Hoda doesn’t actually turn the big 5-0 until Saturday, but she and Gifford will celebrate all week long, just like they did when Kathie Lee turned sixty.

    Something that has long been on Hoda Kotb’s bucket list was being a back up singer, and she was able to cross that off on Tuesday when Kenny Loggins graced Rockefeller Plaza with his voice and his moves. Loggins spoke to Hoda on the phone Monday and gave her the best advice he could offer as a means of calming her nerves. He told her to listen to Kathie Lee Gifford.

    Hoda and Kathie Lee wore similar red dresses for their back up singing roles and had a lot of fun both rehearsing and performing alongside Kenny Loggins.

    “It was so joyful and so much fun,” Hoda Kotb said after belting out the chorus to ‘Footloose’ with Kathie Lee Gifford. “I want to do it again!”

    Did you happen to catch Kathie Lee and Hoda yet this week on The Today Show on NBC? Hoda Kotb’s birthday celebration will continue throughout the remainder of the week. It will definitely be fun to see what kind of surprises may be in store for Friday–the day before she actually turns fifty years old.

    Image via Twitter

  • Kris Jenner Opens Up About Her Separation From Bruce

    It seems 2013 has been quite the eventful year for the Kardashian clan. With welcoming babies and new relationships, career endeavors and hairstyles comes the sad truth of saying goodbye to a few, really good things.

    While it always seemed that the Jenner/Kardashian girls sort of do their “own thing” often ganging up on the men of the family, it was still a little unexpected when Kris and Bruce Jenner decided to call it quits after 22-years of marriage.

    Kris opened up about why the two decided to end their marriage in a podcast interview with Kathie Lee Giffod.

    “We are better people and happier just spending time apart than we are spending time together. We decided this was best for our family. We came to a place where this isn’t healthy, the way we were treating each other,” explained Kris.

    But what might be a tad confusing to KUWTK fans is the fact that Bruce and Kris still hang out together on the show-and seem pretty content. Does this mean a reunion in the near future?

    “I was so blessed to meet Bruce Jenner,” she went on to say. “I adore Bruce. Bruce and I are and will remain best friends. We’re just separated, we’re not divorcing. And what happens in life is that we are better people and happier spending time apart than together. This is the best for our situation and we’re keeping it real tight and private. It’s just what we need to do right now.”

    So no divorce for the Jenner’s, but a separation? Hey, we’re happy that the two have found a solution that works for them and their not-so-Brady-like family.

    Kris continued saying, “But we will always have much love and respect for each other. Even though we are separated, we will always remain best friends and, as always, our family will remain our number one priority.”

    You can catch Keeping Up with the Kardashians on E!

    Photo Credit: YouTube