More Monday on Today 9/10

This is a bit of an extension of yesterday's post since it was the first day of the fourth hour on The Today Show. This hour has just three co-hosts, Ann Curry--who's not doing the news in this hour, Hoda Kotb and Natalie Morales. This hour seems to be dedicated more toward women's issues. Though, the first three hours are too. The first segment was a sit down discussion on women and aging called Graying Gracefully: Embracing Your Age. Nora Ephron was a guest along with a couple of actress/models who look great despite their advanced age. One had natural silver/gray hair that looked really pretty at shoulder length. I personally think gray hair looks good at longer lengths. I don't know who ever wrote the rule that once a woman is over a certain age or has white hair she must wear it short, but it's about time that was changed. You shouldn't cut your hair just because it's gray or white. And forget hair dye. It looks so much better natural. It just looks too fake after a while. But to each her own. At least women have a choice and can get a fairly decent dye job for a price. Men cannot no matter who does their hair. They always end up as copper-heads and the result is laughable rather than sexy. Anyway they discussed how women are judged more harshly than men. Especially in Hollywood where actors can get prime roles right into their 60's (think Harrison Ford), but actresses are shelved once they get to be a certain age. Sure, Meryl Streep and Jane Fonda are still at the top of their game, but do you see them paired with men 30 years younger for action/romance flicks like their male counterparts? There is quite a double standard. Women have to start standing up for their rights. Starting with shedding the husband's last name tradition. Why give up your identity for a man? We've come a long way since the suffragette movement, but we've got a hell of a long way to go for equality. Let's stand up for our rights and not bow to old standards. Who says we're the weaker sex? Women live an average of 5.2 years longer than men. Okay, enough of my rant. Their advice for living a longer, healthier and happier life was: self acceptance, which comes from the inside. And let go of other's perceptions. Do what you want, you've earned it--that's my advice.

After that discussion, the three co-hosts discussed the disaster that Britney Spears called a performance at the MTV Awards. It was supposed to be a come-back, but most say it was a come-down. Just when you thought the 25 year-old trailer trash bleach blonde couldn't sink any lower, she surprised everybody with an abysmal stage show that made people either shake their heads or just laugh because it was so pathetic. I just hope her kids are placed in a loving home with people who put their welfare above getting their next fix. Obviously, Ann, Hoda and Natalie didn't tear her apart like most people have (myself included) but even they didn't have a kind word to say about the former pop princess. If you're looking for a place for people to give honest opinions and not shy away from controversy, better switch over to The View. But so far, this is a good alternative for some informative stories. And I like it better than the third hour, so my main focus might switch to this new fourth hour show, which is a show within itself. Only problem is, my son is back in school and I have to get him off the bus about 40 minutes into the show. Seems the important stuff comes early on anyway, so we won't miss too much.

They're also going to feature Best In Show every day and today's doggie guest was a collie mix who broke all sorts of records on the obstacle course circuit--or whatever they call those things where dogs jump through hoops, among other things. The dog jumped rope and even walked up a set of stairs on its hind legs.

My only question is, since this new hour airs at 11:00 (there's an hour break between 9 and 10 for Regis and Kelly, at least on my local NBC affiliate), so what happened to The Martha Stewart show which used to air at 11?

And that's a wrap.

Thursday on Today 8/2

Today's fluff was cut short due to the ongoing coverage of the bridge collapse in Minneapolis. That certainly is the dominant news story of the day--more like the month. Natalie Morales was in Minneapolis talking to one of the doctors treating the injured. There are several in critical condition and one died as of the result of his injuries. I'm sure there will be ongoing coverage as the day goes on.

Meanwhile, America The Beautiful continues with number seven on the list: America's ballparks, in particular, Fenway Park, home of my beloved Boston Red Sox. Oddly, Tiki Barber, retired running back from The Giants, was the person doing the touring today. He did something I thought it was impossible to do: Fenway Park on $50/day. Tickets to Fenway are out of the park (pun intended) but you can get a bleacher seat for $12.00--that's news to me. Then he hit the concession stand where he spent $6.00 but didn't mention the famous Fenway Franks--they're the best. The Red Sox won their game, then Tiki interviewed Kenneth Hogan, author of "America's Ball Parks," up in the seats above the famous Green Monster. Those seats were only added in the last few years. Then it was time for some batting practice. Tiki put on a #21 shirt--his old number--and hit some balls with Red Sox slugger Wily Mo Pena and centerfielder, Coco Crisp, as his batting coach. I don't think the average tourist would have this option. Wily Mo knocked seven balls out of the park. Tiki didn't hit any home runs but he did make contact a few times. Fenway Park is almost a hundred years old and is one of the oldest ball parks in the country. Definitely a fun place to visit, but you'd better root for the Sox. Tiki finished up his visit with a trip to the souvenier shop and stayed for another game. He left a Red Sox fan--at least temporarily.

Today's Fitness featured "5-Factor Fitness" author, Harley Pasternak. Apparently his book shows gym exercises you can do at home. Today's page from the book of the obvious: A chest press that you do at the gym can be duplicated at home with the basic push-up. Pretty self explanatory. The leg press from the gym can be turned into lunges at home. For a new twist, try walking lunges. And here's where I'm really starting to question Ann Curry's intelligence. They walked over to the next person demonstrating leg extensions which everyone knows works your quadriceps. Ann says, "You're working your hamstrings with leg curls." That's the kind of comment I would expect from Katie Couric. I guess in Katie's absence, Ann feels like taking over as the resident ditz. Anyway, if those truly had been leg curls--which do work the hamstrings, the next exercise on the stability ball would duplicate that at home. You have to put your feet on the ball and lie on your back, bringing the ball up toward your butt, then away from you. These are pretty basic exercises, but if you want more you can buy the book. You can use my Amazon search box to check it out.

The last segment featured the stars of Drake and Josh: New Adventures For Kid Stars. I've never heard of them, but I guess they're big with the tweens. Drake Bell performed a bubble gum pop song in the studio to end the show.

And that's a wrap. Till tomorrow.