Matt Lauer Signs MEGA Today Show Contract

So much for those Matt Lauer firing rumors.

Heck, so much for those rumors about The Today Show hemorrhaging viewers.

Or at least about producers blaming Lauer for said hemorrhaging.

The controversial host has reportedly signed a new two-year contract to remain at the forefront of the NBC morning program, with sources telling Page Six that the deal will pay Lauer $ 20 million.

Per year, that is.

“The new deal will take him well into 2018,” one insider tells The New York Post, while another NBC source says that Lauer’s new “multiyear” pact could actually be longer.

More details will likely leak out regarding the contract over the next few days.

Lauer has somehow managed to survive a severe ratings decline for Today, along with a great deal of personal criticism.

He received a lot of backlash for how he handled Ann Curry’s firing back in 2013, with many believing he orchestrated the dismisal of his colleague from behind the scenes.

There was also chatter that year about Lauer refusing to take a pay cut in order to save the job of Today Show staffers.

Nevertheless, Lauer signed a two-year contract to remain host in June of 2014 and has now done so again.

It’s very possible that executives were worried about shaking up the morning program too much after the ousting of Billy Bush last month.

He had only been co-host of the 9 a.m. hour since August, but the network was left with no choice but to part ways with Bush after video surfaced of him acting all sexist and inappropriate with Donald Trump back in 2005.

This removed Bush as an option to eventually take over for Lauer, while Willie Geist and former Good Morning America-turned-NBC Sports anchor Josh Elliott have fallen by the wayside.

Lauer has managed to outwork and outlast them all on NBC.

Matt Lauer Says Goodbye to Billy Bush

In September, Lauer came under a lot of fire for how he moderated a live prime-time forum with Trump and Hillary Clinton.

It was believed in many circles that he did not call Trump out on his lies, specifically his claim that he was against the Iraq War from the beginning, and that he focused too heavily on Clinton’s email scandal.

However, The Today Show has been on a ratings roll of late, coming on strong to knock off Good Morning America (its chief rival) as number-one with adults in the coveted 25-to-54-year-old demographic for 63 of the past 64 weeks.

CBS This Morning sits in third place among these competitors.

No one from NBC or from Lauer’s camp has confirmed his new deal.

But we can confirm that we remain traumatized by Lauer’s portrayal of Pamela Anderson for Halloween many years ago.

This GIF still causes us to wake up in a cold sweat from time to time.

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Kate Plus 8 Recap: The Sextuplets Turn Twelve!

Tuesday on Kate Plus 8, the controversial mom of eight and tabloid mainstay reflected on the milestone of the sextuplets turning 12.

Yes … the Gosselins are twelve years old!

“The last year before the year of eight teenagers,” Kate Gosselin mused, adding “the year I’ve been dreading since they were all born.”

Based on her attitude, we’d think that would apply to every year since they’ve been born, but … that’s neither here nor there right now.

After all, she has a family to expand.

Yes, expand. Welcome, Nanook and Mack! Kate and the family got a pair of new dogs, then set about planning a big birthday celebration.

For the kids. Not the dogs. Every day is a celebration if you’re a dog that has that many kids to play with and is reasonably taken care of.

Of course, there was inevitable, and uncomfortable subject of the proverbial elephant in the room … or not in the room, or home, as it were:

Collin Gosselin.

With Collin being treated for special needs – or being hidden from Jon Gosselin, to hear him tell it – he will obviously not be at the party.

What kind of issues does the child have?

“I was not able with my own resources here to meet his needs,” she explained, pretty much as vaguely as she has in the past.

“He needs to be in an environment to help him learn the skills and help gain the insight to be the best Collin that he can be.”

Is Kate lying about his whereabouts? Or being intentionally misleading through omission? We can’t say with any certainty.

Whatever his behavior problems may consist of, having a party without Collin was “tough” for the kids and “tough for mom.”

Still, however, the show must go on.

After arguing with their mom briefly, the two older girls, Mady and Cara, performed their decorating duties as instructed by the taskmaster.

Mady said they “slayed” the job no less. Sweet.

When the party finally arrived, Kate gave instructions about the scavenger hunt theme she planned to a bunch of disinterested ‘tweens.

Or so it appeared at the time. But it went well.

The hunt mainly consisted of two Gosselin “teams” traveling to local businesses owned by parents of the kids’ friends, hunting for goodies.

Because there were more girls than boys in this Battle of the Sexes, Kate gave the boys a head start, which they used to their advantage.

They won. The boys WON!!!

Afterward, it was time to hit the party venue at last, and Kate gave some sage advice to girls about the virtues of sportsmanship.

“Inside, you can think the most horrible things you want, but outside you say, ‘Good game,"” she explained, somewhat ironically.

The only person who puts that attitude into practice less effectively than Kate might be her former boss on Celebrity Apprentice.

Just saying. Practice what you preach much? At all?

Anyway, the kids proceeded to play games, take photo booth pics and beat a piñata harder worse than Kate used to whomp Jon.

So to speak. They had a blast is the point.

Kate Plus 8 Trailer (2016)

The money booth, in which the kids grabbed as many floating dollars as they could, was the biggest hit, and an appropriate metaphor.

Kate, after all, is back where she likes to be.

With her trials and tribulations airing on TV, and garnering media attention left and right, she’s smack dab in the Money Booth of Life.

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Mitt Romney Dines with Donald Trump, Twitter Rejoices

In late November of 2016, Mitt Romney met with Donald Trump in New York City to discuss his possible role as Secretary of State.

The two dined together at a restaurant in Trump Tower.

And the Internet reacted to one particularly awkward photo with memes, jokes and commentary galore. 

See what we mean below…

1. How Did I Get Here?

And how do I now get OUT of here?

2. One of Us

Romney has trouble relating to the average American while running for President in 2012. But he totally gets us now.

3. Waiter?

Man. If only they had shared a $ 5 shake.

4. Smile, Mitt. Just Try to Smile.

Nope, sorry. Can’t do it.

5. This is Scary

But not any scarier than Trump’s Twitter account.

6. HIM, Really?!?

What does he have that I didn’t have?

View Slideshow
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Amanda Seyfried: Pregnant with First Child!

Amanda Seyfried used her boobs to predict the weather in Mean Girls.

Starting some time next year, however, the actress will be using her boobs for something even more important: breastfeeding.

That’s right, Amanda Seyfried is pregnant!!!!!!!!

The actress and fiance Thomas Sadoski will welcome their first child into the world some time next year, according to a rep for the couple.

It was nearly impossible for the actress to hide her baby bump in a sheer black minidress at the launch of Givenchy’s new fragrance, Live Irrésistible, this past Tuesday.

(Seyfried is a spokeswoman for the brand.)

Seyfried and Sadoski, a Broadway veteran best known to television fans for his role on HBO’s The Newsroom, got engaged in September after just a few months of dating.

They met as co-stars on a play and then got extra close while filming the movie The Last Word.

The private twosome didn’t release a statement themselves after agreeing to get hitched, but a source simply told Us Weekly soon after it happened:

“Tommy and Amanda recently got engaged and shared the happy news with family and close friends.”

While the news may come as a surprise because Seyfriend isn’t married yet, those who have followed the actress closely are likely aware she’s always wanted to be a mother.

“I keep feeling like my eggs are dying off,” she half-joked to Marie Claire U.K last year, adding:

“I need to get on it. I want a child. Badly. I want to be a mother, badly. That’s what I feel. I’ve been feeling it for like, two years. I’m not ready but nobody’s ready. It changes everything… so how you can ever be ready for that?”

Well, here she goes! There’s no more wanting now, just waiting and then celebrating.

This will be Seyfried’s first marriage and the actor’s second.

Sadoski was previously wed to Kimberly Hope, from whom he divorced in October 2015 after eight years.

Seyfried, meanwhile, has dated such celebrities as Justin Long and Dominic Cooper in the past.

Congratulations to the happy couple!

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