Tvnewser has an excerpt from a recent interview with Meredith Vieira explaining that she left the Today Show because the early hours were having a negative impact on her physical and emotional health. I don't doubt that (see http://www.mediabistro.com/tvnewser/meredith-vieira-today-gig-took-toll-health-peronal-life_b79083 ).
But in the excerpt she says that she was getting up at 2:30 every morning. Why? That show goes on the air at 7:00 am. From what I have read about how it works there in the past, I don't believe the hosts have to get there much before 6:00. Where does Vieira live - Philadelphia? I should think one prerequisite for working that gig would be to get an apartment in Manhattan, as close to 30 Rock as status allows, and live there during the week. They do the hair and wardrobe at the studio, so it seems like you could roll out of bed at 5:00, take a quick shower and put on some sweats, hop in a cab or limo be at work by 5:30 most days, where you could have your breakfast, get your hair and makeup done, and put on your work clothes. Most of the research for interviews can be done during the day for next show. Even if I am cutting it too close, I can imagine you have to get up much before 4:00 - what the hell was she doing getting up at 2:30 in the morning? She says she was sleep deprived, and I am not surprised. That early morning shift is tough enough as it is, but to have even minimal sleep on a schedule that gets you out of bed at 2:30 you would have to be asleep by 8:30 every evening, which I doubt she was doing. Sounds like she was getting 3 or 4 hours of sleep a night, if that. I am shocked that she extended her contract by even 1 year under those circumstances - how much were they paying her (ultimately, I guess, not enough). -- TV or Not TV .... The Smartest (TV) People! You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "TV or Not TV" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/tvornottv?hl=en
