President Obama’s traditional Super Bowl interview has come and gone, leaving barely two hours before the nation takes a forced respite from politics to watch the New York Giants take on the New England Patriots in what is growing to be a rivalry of several chapters. The President sat down with Matt Lauer this year in the White House and chatted about the likelihood of a good game tonight, but also answered questions about tension between Israel and Iran and made a pitch for why he deserves a second term.

On NBC’s Today Show Wednesday morning, host Matt Lauer underscored just how nasty this 2012 Republican primary campaign has gotten, and how quickly, when he asked former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney to confirm whether he had received a congratulations call from former House Speaker Newt Gingrich following Romney’s victory in the Florida primary. Romney revealed that Gingrich did not call last night…or after Romney victories in Iowa (apparent victory, anyway) and New Hampshire.

Today’s Matt Lauer put author Jodi Kantor on the heat seat Monday morning over her controversial new book, The Obamas, which claims — among other things — that there are tensions between White House staff and the First Lady.

In case you hadn’t noticed, the week between Christmas and New Years Eve is kind of a dead zone. A lot of time it seems like those that aren’t lucky enough to be on vacation are just trying their best not to let anyone see them licking the stamps they’re using to mail it in. However, this kind of sleepy atmosphere also leads to some gloriously goofy segments like the Today Show‘s episode spent interviewing the “Internet stars of 2011″ (which basically means “people who were in viral videos”). While this sounds fairly insubstantial, it did give us a wonderful interview in which Matt Lauer squared off against the Huffmans, the lovable elderly couple whose attempt to use a webcam ended up garnering about 16 million YouTube hits.

Isaiah Mustafa, the actor better known as The Old Spice Guy in the company’s ubiquitous commercials, surprised Matt Lauer today with a painting of the two of them…with a raccoon…and a giant gummi bear. The joke springs from a skit Lauer did for his “Where in the World?” trip in November, where he paid homage to the Old Spice commercials with several costume and scenery changes. So Mustafa recorded a video response to it, with him finishing a “noble friendship portrait” in a scarf and towel, reminding Lauer of all the fun they’ve had together, “from shark riding in San Jose to ride sharking in Jose San Lucas.”

As we first reported back in August, NBC has its eye on Ryan Seacrest to replace morning show veteran Matt Lauer as host of Today. The Wall Street Journal is reporting that Today show executive producer Jim Bell, NBC News president Steve Capus and Lauren Kapp, NBC News’ senior vice president for marketing and communications, met with Seacrest Tuesday evening to discuss bringing him onto the show…

Monday morning, Today host Matt Lauer sat down with Donald Trump to discuss his upcoming gig moderating a GOP debate on December 27th.

Surrounded by throngs of screaming fans, Matt Lauer confronted teen heartthrob Justin Bieber on the Today Show this morning and interrogated the singer about the paternity lawsuit being made against him. “There is a lot of good that comes with celebrity, you know that. there is also a pretty white-hot spotlight and you found yourself under it recently, someone is filing a paternity suit saying you’re the father of her three-month-old son, what do you say about that?”

The Ruth Madoff explanation tour continued today with a nearly 20 minutes on the set of the Today show this morning alongside son Andrew Madoff and his fiance. Matt Lauer served as interviewer and challenged Madoff over her recent claim in her recent 60 Minutes interview that she and her husband had attempted suicide by talking a number of pills. A NY Mag report suggested that Bernie Madoff refuted that claim, though Laure revealed that he later personally told him that it was true.

MSNBC mainstay Rachel Maddow appeared on The Today Show this morning to discuss President Obama‘s slipping support with the Democratic base. Maddow chalked it up to a general softening of support for Obama, and host Matt Lauer observed “They (Democrats) have nowhere else to go.”

Maddow correctly points out that enthusiasm is the key, and sees promise in the President’s current push, predicting that “(Republicans) are the ones that have to bend this time.”

Earlier this week, we reported the failure of several trained journalists to challenge Rep. Michele Bachmann‘s dangerously irresponsible claims about the HPV vaccine, and while Bachmann’s claims eventually became big news, attended by fact-checking segments of varying quality, the journalists who allowed her to ring that bell got off scot-free. Reliable Sources‘ Howard Kurtz weighed in on the subject Sunday morning, but even his criticism amounted to little more than a soothing wrist massage.

Within the past 24 hours, I have watched at least three different mainstream journalists allow Rep. Michele Bachmann to claim that the HPV vaccine is “dangerous,” and that it might cause “mental retardation,” without challenging her, or notifying their audiences (of millions) that the vaccine is safe. These journalists are failing their most important function, to act in the public’s interest.

Isn’t it ghastly? Will we be accused us of capitalizing on the nation’s grief? Is it still too soon?

Those were just some of the questions we faced when deciding whether to replay NBC’s 9/11 coverage when I was General Manager of MSNBC back in 2006. As I watched MSNBC air that coverage for a sixth year today, many of those same questions remain.

Former Vice President Dick Cheney is, much to the prolonged chagrin of Chris Hayes, continuing on his media blitz in promotion of his memoir. That included a visit to Today, where Cheney told host Matt Lauer that, despite what detractors might say, the war in Iraq was “sound policy.” Lauer kicked things off with a very odd question: Does Cheney think there’s something about his demeanor that has people calling him “divisive”? (The correct response is: “Huh?”) Things became more interesting from there.

Now that news outlets are, for the most part, done with reported on Hurricane Irene itself, they have now taken to covering whether the coverage of the storm was “overhyped.” As The Today Show sees it, that all depends on where you happened to be during the hurricane, and the degree to which you believe in the old adage “better safe than soggy.” Or something like that.

Along the eastern coast of the United States, experiences of the hurricane differ greatly, from a few fallen leaves and extra rain to a loss of power and dangerous flooding to over 20 hurricane-related deaths. That said, some reporters were selling the storm as “the hurricane of our lifetime,” which, after a quick comparison to storms like Katrina, Hugo or Andrew, just didn’t seem to be even close to realistic. But does “unrealistic” equate to “irresponsible”?

Just a few months ago, reports surfaced that Today Show host Matt Lauer had had enough early morning TV work, and would be departing the show when his current contract came to an end. While NBC denied the report, rumors have persisted that not only is Lauer serious about leaving, but that NBC executives are reasonably (and quite seriously) considering possible replacements. Mediaite has learned that the top choice of certain key Comcast and NBC execs is American Idol host Ryan Seacrest.

The Today show can usually be counted on for at least one amusing, internet ready clip and this morning the show did not disappoint. During a segment on water animals, a scarlet ibis (an type of red, exotic bird for those of you not acquainted with Ornithology) took flight and found a perch on Matt Lauer’s head.

He’s known for his Top Ten lists, not his breaking news coverage, so you have to forgive David Letterman for getting some of the facts wrong in his coverage of the Rupert Murdoch story, which he described Tuesday night this way: “You know, Rupert Murdoch is on trial in London, England for killing a guy.” Well, no, not quite. But still, the pie-throwing incident during Mr. Murdoch’s testimony before a committee of the British Parliament led to a memorable Top Ten list: “Top Ten Thoughts Going Through Rupert Murdoch’s Mind During the Pie Attack.” And just in case that’s not enough for you, how about NBC’s Matt Lauer interrupting the whole thing–getting caught breaking in to Letterman’s historic Ed Sullivan Theater? Would that be something you might be interested in?

He’s the guy many Americans know as the sweet and adorable British prime minister from romantic comedies, and now he’s the face of the U.K.’s outrage over the phone hacking scandal engulfing Rupert Murdoch‘s News Corp–Hugh Grant, who this morning told NBC’s Matt Lauer that one of the reasons the hacking of celebrities, politicians and others went on for years is that the government lived in fear of Murdoch’s power. “He had the power through his papers to get them elected, and his paper knew dirty details about individual MPs and so they were unwilling ever to take him on.”

Conservative commentator Laura Ingraham appeared on The Today Show and shared with Matt Lauer her disappointment with the state of culture in America today and apparently doesn’t think that Lauer’s show is helping. By featuring such singers in their Summer Concert Series like Cee Lo Green and Enrique Iglesias, with the songs “Blank You” and “Tonight I’m Blanking You,” respectively, Ingraham believes that the Today Show and Lauer in particular, might need a “cultural intervention.”

In his first public comments since the jury verdict in the Casey Anthony murder trial, prosecutor Jeff Ashton told NBC’s Matt Lauer this morning that going into the courtroom–with jurors coming back after just eleven hours of deliberation–”we were feeling pretty good. We didn’t feel that a not guilty verdict in that short a period of time was realistic, but that’s the jury system.” Ashton, whose work in delivering an emotional and powerful closing statement in the case was hailed by commentators, admits he was “shocked” by the jury’s not guilty verdict.

Republican presidential candidate Ron Paul wants you to know he can win the GOP nomination–and beat Barack Obama. On TODAY, Paul told NBC’s Matt Lauer he knows he’s not at the top of national polls, but his victory in the Republican Leadership Conference straw poll in New Orleans–where he won with 612 votes, beating presumed frontrunner Mitt Romney, who finished if fifth place with 74 votes. “I think people are starting to realize that what I’m talking about is sound,” insisting his campaign is gaining momentum. “We’re making great progress. The direction is in our way.”

In a typically over-the-top farewell from TODAY to its departing co-host Meredith Vieira, the NBC morning show’s entire staff, from co-host Matt Lauer to Vieira’s replacement Ann Curry and every member of the show’s production team–all wearing matching t-shirts–took to Rockefeller Plaza in a lip sync performance right out of Glee.

In a morning filled with tributes to departing TODAY‘s Meredith Vieira, the NBC morning show’s co-host told Matt Lauer she had no second thoughts about walking away from television’s dominant morning news program. “I know it’s right, but it’s hard.” In keeping with the show’s format, the morning was packed with surprises for Vieira, which she was clearly expecting.

What do you get the man who has everything? Tough question, right? Ok, try this one; What do you get the man who has everything and also totally talks to God all the time and can be all, “Hey God, Matt Lauer is a terrible gift-giver. I think you know what to do.” Pretty pressuring, huh? However, that’s what Lauer had to figure out when he met Pope Benedict XVI while exploring the Vatican with Al Roker for the Today Show. So what’d he give him? A crystal cat.

Huh, good to know the Pope has the same tastes as my aunt who never married.