Among other things, the Holiday season means end-of-the-year gift giving, and as such, television viewers receive the gift of promotional appearances from authors looking to hawk their recently penned tomes. Take for example Fox News host Bill O’Reilly, who this morning appeared in enemy territory to sell his recent biography Killing Lincoln on NBC News’ Today Show. This appearance wasn’t all about pushing product, however, as O’Reilly shared his opinion on a number of GOP candidates and their chances on getting elected.

When Chelsea Clinton was announced as a contributor to NBC’s news magazine show Rock Center with Brian Williams, there was a mixture of guffawing and curiosity among many media circles. Ms. Clinton is perhaps the least controversial of the Clinton trio, and her closely-guarded private life has always been something that people respected, compared to other famous political progeny eager to cash in on their family name. That has likely contributed to a sense of bewilderment that someone with next to no journalistic chops would get such a plum gig, simply because of her last name.

Hillary Clinton spoke with NBC senior political correspondent Chuck Todd about her daughter Chelsea Clinton becoming his new news colleague at the network. “What – what did you think when she said, ‘I want to become a member of the fourth estate,’ this side of the line here?” Todd asked. “Well, I was a little surprised!” Clinton exclaimed. “But, you know, she -– she decided to go for it, and I’m very excited for her.”

According to a story by Bill Carter in Monday’s New York Times, NBC will announce today that Chelsea Clinton has been hired to work on the station’s “Making a Difference” series, which highlights the good deeds and works of everyday people. Steve Capus, president of NBC News, told Carter that Clinton will begin work immediately.

NBC News anchor Brian Williams premiered his new show Rock Center last night, and judging by the very early word-of-mouth, NBC executives should be very pleased. Williams is a whip-smart and affable television host, who is equally adept at covering both low-brow and high-minded topics. Take, for example, his interview with his debut guest, Daily Show host Jon Stewart. The two discussed New York City trick-or-treating and the dawning era of protests in an equally entertaining and enlightening way.

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.

While 39,000 United States soldiers are likely beyond thrilled that they won’t be planning to spend this New Years Eve in Iraq, the same won’t true for some in the media. Major news outlets that have been covering the war in Iraq since its inception aren’t quite ready to withdraw their own ranks just yet.

NBC’s Chuck Todd told the crew on Morning Joe this morning the Republican presidential field may be–in the opinion of the conventional wisdom–down to a “top tier” of Mitt Romney, Michele Bachmann and Rick Perry, but Todd says a key question today is whether there’s “an opening” for “one more in the field.” Todd says now former candidate Tim Pawlenty was considered a voice of the establishment, or “the Chamber of Commerce candidate, if you will.” For some big money donors, the choices of Perry, Bachmann and Romney may not be satisfying, leading to a call for one more big name–a Chris Christi, for instance.

In an exclusive, TODAY will reveal Charla Nash‘s new face for the first time. Nash, the Connecticut woman who was disfigured in a horrific chimp attack, underwent face transplant surgery. NBC News reports TODAY’s Ann Curry will debut post-surgery photos and video of Nash on Thursday morning’s show. Nash’s daughter Briana and brother Stephen will join Curry in studio to talk about how Nash is doing since the face transplant.

Remember the story of the bladder cancer survivor who said he was “humiliated” by an intrusive airport search at the hands of a TSA agent–a search that was done in such a way as to rupture the man’s urostomy bag at the TSA checkpoint? Thomas Sawyer described the incident–and the way it made him feel–last fall, arguing that the TSA needs to focus on showing travelers respect when they have special issues that might require a little discretion (and, as he correctly pointed out, all travelers have the right to ask for (demand) that a hand search be done in private). In the aftermath of his nightmarish experience, Sawyer met with TSA chiefs in Washington, got a bunch of heartfelt apologies, and shared his thoughts. And then last week it happened all over again.

NBC’s Meet the Press will host a “Facebook debate” ahead of the New Hampshire primary, host David Gregory announced in a web video (suitable for sharing on Facebook) posted today. Gregory described it as a “one of a kind experience” that starts “right now” with an ongoing political discussion of the 2012 campaign on the MTP Facebook page and leading up to the debate, to happen the Sunday before the primary. The debate will happen, Gregory says, “not just on air, but within your social network.”

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.”

Was it you? Were you the one who clicked that thumb around 8:23 Friday morning (during the show! synergy!) and became TODAY‘s 500,000th fan? Somebody did it, and NBC’s top-rated morning show is celebrating the social media milestone that few shows have hit. TODAY’s half a million fans outnumber those of other breakfast shows–twice the [...]

Harry Smith, who was replaced in January as co-host of CBS’ Early Show in the struggling morning show’s most recent makeover, will leave the network and join NBC News, where he will be a part of the upcoming primetime news hour hosted by NBC Nightly News anchor Brian Williams, set to debut this fall.

NBC News correspondent Kerry Sanders, who’s covered the Casey Anthony story for three years, was outside the Orange County Jail this morning, telling viewers of TODAY that this could be the last full day and night in custody for Anthony, who faces sentencing tomorrow on lesser charges of lying to prosecutors and could–conceivably–be released for time served. “Had Casey been convicted of murder, she could have faced the death penalty,” said Sanders. “The judge could sentence Casey to four years, but with the time she’s already served, she could walk free.”

You know how it is, you get all caught up covering the president, you can’t take time to check in with Mom. And, well, she worries. But good thing for NBC News deputy Washington bureau chief Ken Strickland, he’s got a buddy named Brian Williams who’s got his back. And Mom’s, of course. After President Obama’s live news conference Wednesday morning, Williams was anchoring coverage on MSNBC (NBC was airing Wimbledon) and in a chat with Strickland, his cell phone rang. Williams, ever the smooth operator, was kind enough to ask Strickland if he needed to take the call and they could get back to talking about the debt ceiling later. But Strickland said no, he was going to let it go to voicemail, adding “it may be my mother.”

NBC News chief foreign correspondent Richard Engel told NBC’s Jay Leno Wednesday night “it’s probably time to end the global war on terrorism.” Discussing Wednesday night’s speech by President Obama (which had not happened at the time the Tonight Show taped, though Engel had been briefed on the speech), Engel compared the 9/11 attack to the raid that killed Osama bin Laden, describing one as the work of “19 guys with box cutters” and the other the work of a 24-man SEAL team:

The Countdown that debuted on Current TV last night was in many respects exactly as fans of Keith Olbermann‘s MSNBC show remember–from the familiar theme music, segments, contributors and style. Reviewers have noted that Olbermann’s lost none of his outrage in the move into the more remote reaches of the cable landscape. As has been noted, Olbermann assembled a team from on camera guests to behind-the-scenes bookers who were with him on MSNBC. So what’s different about the new show? Everything–at least in terms of television. Countdown put Olbermann at the desk of a shiny new set, but it was in a sense a sparkling modern surgical suite built in a warehouse without a modern hospital surrounding it. And it showed.

With the announcement last week that long time MSNBC star Norah O’Donnell is jumping ship to CBS, many insiders are now asking what is going on over at the Peacock network? On air talent jumping between networks is nothing new but the sheer number of recent defectors both on air and off from NBC News and CNBC has to make you wonder whether there is something bigger at play here.

In a major move, MSNBC’s chief Washington correspondent, Norah O’Donnell has decided to jump networks, signing with CBS News as White House correspondent. As Politico’s Mike Allen writes, “it’s a stunning shakeup for both the front row of the White House briefing room and for Washington’s intensely competitive network news bureaus.”

With Rep. Anthony Weiner‘s wife,Huma Abedin, back in the U.S. from an overseas trip with boss Hillary Clinton–and amid calls from key Democrats, including President Barack Obama to resign–the congressman’s future may be determined within days. NBC’s Luke Russert, on TODAY, said any effort to return to Congress by Weiner would find him surrounded by frustrated and furious fellow Democrats, one of whom said Weiner would be “a man without a country.”

Got weekend plans? Cancel them. The Great Sarah Palin Document Dump kicks off today, and that means 250 pounds of printed emails from Palin’s time as governor of Alaska will be carted off by eager reporters at 9 a.m. in Juneau (1 p.m. ET/US). The best of the emails will be immediately posted to news websites thanks to an eager army of journalists and volunteers who will sift through the emails looking for gems. The records were requested by msnbc.com, other news organizations and citizens in 2008, when Palin was named as Sen. John McCain‘s vice-presidential running mate.

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.

MSNBC’s Rundown co-host Chuck Todd said farewell to his co-host Savannah Guthrie Friday, popping the cork for an on-set champagne toast as Guthrie prepares for her move to NBC’s TODAY. In a tweet about the morning, Guthrie told followers she and Todd were “kickin it like KLG and Hoda,” a reference to TODAY’s Kathie Lee Gifford and Hoda Kotb, who’ve been known to enjoy a late morning mimosa from time to time.

Yesterday, we told you about rumors that Vivian Schiller, the former CEO of NPR, was in talks with NBC to lead digital efforts at the network. Today, those rumors have been confirmed. Schillr joins NBC News as its new chief digital officer, meaning she’s charged with overseeing digital strategy for for NBC News and MSNBC, as well as for properties like EducationNation.com and theGrio.com. (So much for concerns over leanings, amiright?)