NY Observer > Katie Couric

Katie Couric to Senator Hillary Clinton: "Do You Pop Vitamins?"

Felix Gillette — Mon, 11 Feb 2008 13:12:44 -0500

There have been more than 25 presidential debates already this political season, hosted by FOX, CNN, MSNBC, ABC News, and Univision. But to date, CBS News has yet to sponsor a single showdown.

Last night, however, viewers who would like to see Katie Couric questioning the leading presidential candidates on a big stage, got the next best thing: Katie Couric questioning Hillary Clinton on 60 Minutes.

What did Ms. Couric ask?

Over the course of a lengthy back-and-forth, among other questions, Ms. Couric asked if Ms. Clinton popped vitamins, whether she liked Barack Obama, if she felt responsible for a deficit "caused largely by a war" she had authorized, what she was like in high school, and did her teenage classmates really call her Miss Frigidaire?

After the jump: the transcript of the interchange, courtesy of CBS: read more »

Katie Couric: Caught Sassin' On Tape!

David Foxley — Tue, 15 Jan 2008 10:43:28 -0500

With all her years of experience in front of the camera, one would think Katie Couric might stash the snark when preparing to go live. Not so.

In this clip, after complaining about her crappy microphone, Ms. Couric, 51, goes on to joke that “Giuliani’s dead,” pretending to decapitate herself. After a few more moments of idle chitchat, the CBS Evening News anchor compares John McCain’s wife, Cindy, to a Husky (as in the breed of dog). “Look at those eyes, she’s freakin’ me out a little,” she wisecracks of the politico’s spouse.

Jibes aside, Ms. Couric comes off as kind of hysterical—the life of the party, in fact. Even still, after she jokes about suffering a heart attack, the set crew cheers excitedly off-camera. read more »

CBS Evening News Loses Over 1 Million Viewers

Zachary Roth — Mon, 31 Dec 2007 09:30:11 -0500

More bad news for Katie Couric and CBS: Evening News lost 1.1 million viewers over the last 12 months, according to ratings numbers for the third week of December reported by the New York Post.

By contrast, Brian Williams of NBC lost just 164,000 viewers, and ABC's Charlie Gibson gained 38,000 over the same period.

Somewhere, Dan Rather is smiling.

Couric Caught on Tape: Rather "Deserves a Little Payback"

Zachary Roth — Fri, 16 Nov 2007 09:39:18 -0500

Wanna see a clip of Katie Couric making fun of Dan Rather for trying to decide whether to wear his coat open or closed? Ok, so did we.

Hatchet-Job Katie Couric Bio Hits Bookstores Next Tuesday

Tom McGeveran — Tue, 21 Aug 2007 10:22:50 -0400

The Daily News has some nuggets from Ed Klein's latest Unauthorized Biography. He continues to stalk powerful women in this portrait of Katie Couric, which hits bookstores a week from today.

The News writes:

The most shocking tale in author Edward Klein's unauthorized biography, "Katie: The Real Story," is that Couric's marriage to Jay Monahan was on the rocks long before he died of cancer in 1998. read more »

The Curse of the Free Agent

Felix Gillette — Tue, 15 May 2007 21:34:02 -0400

Hey, Katie, Go Ask A-Rod: Saving a flailing franchise all by yourself is hard. read more »

Catty in the Hat! Couric Cuts Us Short At Ladies' Luncheon

David Foxley — Thu, 03 May 2007 09:02:36 -0400

Under trolling clouds, some 1,200 ladies sashayed through Vanderbilt Gate on Wed., May 2 to the 25th annual “Hat Luncheon.” Hosted by the Women’s Committee of the Central Park Conservancy, the list of upper-class attendees included Grace Hightower DeNiro, Malaak Compton-Rock, Amy Fine Collins, Blaine Trump, Muffie Potter Aston, and Harper’s Bazaar editor Glenda Bailey. read more »

Katie Go-Nightly

Rebecca Dana — Sun, 14 Jan 2007 19:00:00 -0500

Katie Couric, the anchor of the CBS Evening News, was in Georgia on Friday, Jan. read more »

The Suicide Question Re Corey Lidle

Observer Staff — Thu, 12 Oct 2006 05:32:50 -0400

I'm surprised that everyone covering Corey Lidle's death has avoided the psychological question: Was depression or suicidal feeling a factor in the crash?

Let's go to the videotape: in his last appearance in the public eye, just four days before his death, Saturday October 7, Corey Lidle came into the Yankees' most important game of the season in the third inning. The Yankees were losing the game, 4-0, and Lidle then closed the door in the third and fourth, but couldn't get an out in the 5th; he gave up three runs. When he was lifted, the Yankees were down 7-0. Yes, Jaret Wright lost the game; but Lidle put it out of reach. The Yankees departed the postseason, 8-3.

I'm blanking on his name, but at least one MLB pitcher who screwed up committed suicide in the off-season. Athletes in other sports have, too.

I don't mind Katie Couric oozing a widow's sympathy last night when she asked her reporter, "And what about his family?" But I'd like to hear some other questions: How did Corey Lidle respond to his dramatic failure on Saturday? Did he hold himself responsible for the Yankees' demise? How fit was he to get in behind the controls?

Sept. 11 Came Early this Year

Observer Staff — Wed, 06 Sep 2006 05:30:00 -0400

Pace University's three-day "Aftershock" conference ("Rethinking the Future Since Sept. 11") will have closed its curtains by the weekend.

Katie Couric weighs in tonight with an assessment of national security while Ted Koppel will dig in Sunday.

The two photo exhibits downtown will stick around for a while, but if you want to see a set of memorial quilts, you better get there Friday.

It's obvious why presenters would want to start early, but we have to wonder, how long can Americans remain in this commemorative state?

Oliver Stone's "World Trade Center" (starring Nicolas Cage, above) premiered three weeks ago on 2,957 screens. It has already closed on 55 of them.

-Matthew Schuerman