Meredith Vieira plans to renew her contract with Today when it expires this year

[USATVFAN]

Has it been four years already?

Meredith Vieira says, She plans on renewing her contract with The Today Show in September, after it expires.

Meredith Vieira 'Wants to Be' doubly busy, staying on 'Today' show and 'Millionaire'
By Richard Huff
DAILY NEWS TV EDITOR

Wednesday, February 10th 2010, 2:05 PM

Meredith Vieira has no plans to give up either of her plum gigs, 'Who Wants To Be a Millionaire' and the 'Today' show. Meredith Vieira's contract with the "Today" show is up in September and, after four years on the show, she has no plans on leaving.

"Today," of course, is one of her two regular jobs, the other being host of the syndicated "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire."

"I don't know what's going to happen [at 'Today']," she says. "I fully expect to be doing both."

Vieira joined "Today" in 2006 when she filled the slot left open after Katie Couric bolted for CBS.

"I enjoy it," Vieira says. "It's a tough schedule, but both shows are extremely accommodating."

Indeed, before heading to Vancouver yesterday to take part in NBC's coverage of the Winter Olympics, Vieira put on her "Millionaire" hat - the game show has some interesting weeks coming up.

Among them are five episodes featuring cast members from Bravo's "Real Housewives" franchise.

Shows airing the week of Feb. 22-26 - and seen locally on WABC/Ch. 7 at 12:30 p.m. - will team "Housewives" stars with fans of the show. Some - though not all of the "Wives" playing - are Caroline Manzo and Teresa Giudice of the New Jersey version and Jill Zaren and Alex McCord of the New York crew.

"It's pretty crazy," Vieira says of the "Housewives" episodes. "They were teamed with contestants who are serious fans of the Bravo series. They know everything about them, all the minutiae. They are celebrities."

Vieira joked that after a while, she felt like one of the "Housewives."

"I was not someone who watched these series. I don't get to watch much of anything," Vieira says. "But I think [the viewers] feel a real connection to them. There's also something voyeuristic. Some of these women really are the ladies who lunch, they're very comfortable. There's certainly a bit of a train wreck to a number of the shows. And for some reason, people are fascinated by that."

Vieira says she was surprised by the "Housewives" in the same way she was when she met the cast of "Jersey Shore," because they really are different off-camera.

"You think someone is going to behave in one way and they're not," she says. "They were very nice and thrilled to be helping out."

Without giving away the outcome of the games, she did say some of the women were better players than others.

"They were very competitive, which they are on their shows," she says.

But were there any incidents of table flipping, F-bombs or fights, all staples of the Bravo show?

"No, I wish," Vieira says. "That would have been great to have a monitor go flying or having someone's wig ripped off. They didn't do that for me - damn!"



Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/entertain...#ixzz0fBMtSsTX

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[Pitooey]

YAY....... I like her.

[Marvo301]

Not a great negotiating tactic on her part. Revealing 8 months in advance that she wants to renew her contract gives NBC leverage. But then again this is NBC. They probably wouldn't know what to do with leverage anyway.