Happy Birthday to Meredith Viera; 10 years on Millionaire

[simmytbone]

Hey guys,

Blowing out 59 candles today is none other than

Meredith Louise Vieira

Born in East Providence, RI and standing 5'3", Meredith is a News Journalist and a Game Show Host

She appeared on all 3 major networks CBS, abc and NBC

She began her broadcasting career in 1975 as a news announcer for WORC radio in Worcester, MA, doing afternoon drive news during the B. J. Dean Show. She began a career in television working as a local reporter and anchor at WJAR-TV in Providence, eventually making her way into the newsroom at WCBS-TV in New York City where she was an investigative reporter from 1979 to 1982.

She first gained national recognition as a CBS reporter based in their Chicago bureau from 1982 to 1984. She later became a correspondent for nationwide news-magazine shows including West 57th (1985–89) and 60 Minutes (1989–91). Her final assignment at CBS was as co-anchor of the CBS Morning News (1992–93). She moved to abc initially as a correspondent for the news-magazine show Turning Point (1993–97). Following the cancellation of Turning Point, Meredith realized:

“I was a reporter who didn't want to report because it required a tremendous amount of travel, nobody was too interested in having me work for them. I had to reinvent myself...”

From 1997 to the spring of 2006, she became the original moderator and co-host of the abc Daytime Talk Show entitled The View a series that made her famous and co-hosted with her mentor Barbara Walters and Joy Behar

She also appeared as a Guest Celeb on the abc Primetime Game Show Who Wants to Be a Millionaire with Regis Philbin

and in the fall of 2002, she became the host of Millionaire when the show moved to syndication and she also served as Co-Executive Producer of the syndicated version

She hosted the show for 10 years and she's already in her 11th Season

Meredith left The View in 2006 and she moved to NBC in which she became the Co-Anchor for The Famed Today Show when she replaced Katie Couric who moved to CBS and now on abc

During her 10 year run on Millionaire, she won 2 Daytime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Game Show Host beating out Bob Barker and Alex Trebek and she's only the 2nd woman in history to win a Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Game Show Host-The 1st of course being Game Show Supreme Betty White

She was a celebrity contestant on the abc version of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? before she hosted the syndicated version, winning $250,000 for her charity. She even made an appearance on the abc version during the show's 10th anniversary series, hosting its final segment while Regis himself was given the opportunity to answer one question in order to win $50,000 for his selected charity

Even though Meredith left The Today Show, she still continues to host Millionaire and she can still be seen on Dateline NBC as well as an NBC Special Correspondent and she can also be seen as a correspondent on Rock Center with Brian Williams

She is married to her husband of over 25 years CBS News Journalist Richard M. Cohen and together, they have 3 children

She turned down opportunities to co-host The Early Show on CBS and abc's Good Morning America when her children were young

She also hosted Intimate Portrait on Lifetime and can be seen in reruns on Lifetime Real Women

and in an interview with MORE Magazine, she turned down doing an Interview with Paris Hilton during her time on The Today Show

This is what she said:

"I did not feel good about doing the interview, I just said, 'I don't think this is right, this is all about ratings.' There was this whole thing about whether we were going to give her a special, and all this minutiae and craziness."

She was knee-deep in coat hangers at the Container Store when Steve Capus, the head of NBC's news division, called. "I went outside and my heart was pounding and I said, 'We look bad. We're better than this.' We talked and he said, 'I agree. Let's not do this.' And I said, 'Yes! I love you!'" Vieira takes a sip of coffee and settles back in the chair. "It's good to have your own kind of journalistic compass." Hilton, by the way, wound up on Larry King Live spewing inanities about reading the Bible in prison, and even King said afterward that he would have liked "more introspection."

She still remains Good Friends with Regis Philbin, Barbara Walters, Joy Behar, David Letterman, Ann Curry and Ellen Degeneres

Joy recently appeared on Meredith's Version of Millionaire

and also, Meredith did something that Regis has never done and that was crowned the 1st woman to win $1,000,000 on Who Wants Be a Millionaire and that woman is Nancy Christy

Happy Birthday to ya Meredith, God Bless You and Keep Smiling and also, Thanks for 10 years on Millionaire



and now, here are some Millionaire Moments with Meredith:

Meredith as a Celeb on the abc version of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire w/Regis Philbin

Part 1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Smn93Tm5ObE

Part 2
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=viXV3fzS1g0

Kevin Smith becomes the 1st Millionaire on the syndicated version

Part 1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-OUZtUhcYck

Part 2
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZaEQu_jZ9g8

Nancy Christy become the 1st Female Millionaire on a Game Show

Part 1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yQdVfUjFy0s

Part 2
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A2fDiF2Mvo4

Tournament of 10 Finale
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q67PLn4FvJU

Regis and Meredith on the 10th Anniversary of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire on abc Primetime
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cq7Hc6P0FxE

Millionaire Bloopers and Funny Moments with Meredith
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3UDBhQyEKVM

The 9th Season Premiere of the NEW Millionaire with a Brand New Screen

Part 1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mUaMpSIiVo0

Part 2
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sjAWlkfXjWU

Preview of Meredith with her Good Friend Joy Behar on Millionaire
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hZD99goquYc

[Zoneboy]

Originally Posted by tnawcwvictoriafa

Happy Birthday to ya Meredith.

Likewise.