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.

Screen legend Debbie Reynolds was a guest on Monday’s TODAY show, and after she took some shots at reality television, she invited hosts Kathie Lee Gifford and Hoda Kotb to grab her boobs.

New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, the most visible of Mitt Romney‘s surrogates, has responded to the former Massachusetts Governor’s revelation that he pays about a 15% effective tax rate by going on a media tour suggesting that Romney release his tax returns now, rather than in April. Christie’s appearances on NBC’s Today Show and MSNBC’s Morning Joe show a subtle escalation in Christie’s call for quick disclosure.

Justin Bieber is the first male singer to ever debut a Christmas album at No. 1 on the Billboard charts. So it stood to reason that, during a marathon appearance on Wednesday’s Today show, he’d be crooning some hits from “Under the Mistletoe.” But during Bieber’s final song, a Jackson 5-inspired twist on “Santa Claus is Coming To Town,” he seemed to forget some lines to the holiday classic.

Newt Gingrich appeared on the Today show Monday morning to discuss Herman Cain‘s candidacy and the swirling sexual harassment accusations levied against him. But the “one-on-one” interview turned into a wonderful piece of media bashing by Gingrich, who, apparently, didn’t feel like being baited into answering the typical, “How will you defeat Barack Obama?” line of questioning. When Ann Curry asked if unanswered questions about the allegations against Cain would hurt him as a nominee, Gingrich took control of the interview and blasted the media for blowing the stories out of proportion:

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?”

Glenn Beck sat down with Kathie Lee Gifford recently for a segment that aired this morning on NBC’s Today Show. The “discussion” ranged from Beck’s private family history — including a tough recollection of whether his mother’s drowning was in fact suicide, as well as emotional discussion of parental abuse — before turning to a quick explanation of GBTV and the burden of being “Glenn Beck.” From tears to jokes to his conspiratorial theory of who is trying to end “capitalist system and the Western way of life,” it was a perfect advert for the Glenn Beck experience (which seemed to be its purpose!)

Savannah Guthrie filed a report this morning focusing on some of the more outrageous allegations in a controversial new biography of Sarah Palin just published by author Joe McGinnis. The book is controversial for a variety of reasons, not least of which because it shares some remarkably personal details about the sex life of Ms. Palin before she was married and also alleges that she and Todd had used cocaine. The book notably received a negative review from the NY Times.

The search for Katelyn Markham, the young woman who has been missing without a trace from her Ohio home for two weeks now, intensified today with the 22-year-old’s father, David Markham, making a special plea on NBC’s Today Show. “I can’t believe it’s happening, it’s a parent’s worse nightmare, and I just can’t wait for it to be over,” he says, wishing that there was some clue, “even a sign of struggle at the apartment” to work off of. “We’re really starting with nothing.”

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.

Lately, I’ve really been feeling like we’ve been lacking in light, controversial fare to discuss on programs like the Today show and The View. Like, I know there’s all this drama going on in Somalia and something has been happening with debt and ceilings but it’s all just so… depressing. I can’t even think about it. You know what has really getting to me? This Huffington Post article I read about Sugar Babies.

The early death of singer Amy Winehouse caught many off guard. And apparently you can count someone in the graphics department of NBC’s The Today Show among those people. Or possibly the producer was so teary-eyed from the news that they completely missed a tragic typo in the chyron that aired as part of a video package remembering the pop star?

Continued ratings success and a legacy of quality programming has led NBC’s Today Show to be considered in many circles as the king of morning news programming. As such, they have the freedom to cover whatever they want, perhaps best evidenced by a segment dedicated to answering the question “why do men like boobs so much?” But not everyone is happy with this sort of coverage; take Stephen Colbert for example, who called this nothing but a “cheap ratings grope” before asking “where’s butt week?”

Republican presidential candidate Michele Bachmann did not waste any time responding to yesterday’s report claiming she suffered from “incapacitating” stress-induced migraine headaches. Bachmann stressed “I would like to be abundantly clear, my ability to function effectively will not affect my ability to serve as Commander-in-Chief.”

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.”

Republican presidential candidate Herman Cain appeared on The Today Show and reiterated much of his campaign talking points including that he is a problem-solver in business and “a real black man” who is prepared to lead. Yet NBC’s Savannah Guthrie took issue with Cain touting that his lack of political experience was actually a good [...]

Rachel Maddow stopped by The Today Show this morning to offer her thoughts on the potential Republican candidates for President. Yet when she got a little too excited bashing New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, co-host Ann Curry laid down the law and politely reminded her to make her points “beyond argumentum ad hominem.”

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.”

After seeming very reluctant to cover the strange story involving Twitter, a lewd picture and Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-NY) – heretofore known as “Weinergate” — the mainstream media now seems to be embracing the story with open arms, just five days since the story broke Friday night. For evidence of that idea I present the following clip from TODAY, in which Luke Russert introduces the story as producers show the actual picture that, to our knowledge, had thus far only been shown on late night programming like The Daily Show.

With Newt Gingrich jumping into the 2012 Republican presidential campaign today, Karl Rove tells Matt Lauer “(Gingrich) could earn his way into the top tier…there is essentially no front-runner.” The Republican field remains wide open, Rove says, with time for a well-known candidate like Gingrich to make moves to break from the pack before others get into the race in the weeks before July, when Rove believes it will be too late to run for those who haven’t begun campaigning to mount an effective bid for the GOP nomination.

In an exclusive interview with NBC’s Matt Lauer on TODAY, House Speaker John Boehner said tax hikes are “off the table” as Republicans negotiate with the White House over extending the federal debt ceiling. “Everything else is on the table,” Boehner said.

Did you guys hear that there was a party or funny hat convention or something in the UK this morning? I don’t know too much about it but, luckily for those of us out of the loop, The Today Show offered some insight into this supposedly significant cultural event.

About five years ago if you asked any regular Today Show watcher who would take over as co-host if Matt Lauer ever left, the answer would have been an easy one: David Gregory. The natural and smooth (and tall!) Gregory had been the fill in for Lauer just about every time Lauer took any time off. He even boogied live at the 30 Rock plaza to show off his “lighter side.” But these days an 8-11AM Today Show watcher who doesn’t follow politics closely (Gregory appears to be on pretty regularly in the first half hour talking politics) might very well say David who?

While nobody at NBC has said anything–officially–about the prospect of losing not just one co-host of the country’s top rated network morning show, but two, the impact of such moves is being hotly debated. Quickly on the heels of a report that Meredith Vieira may opt not to extend her contract with TODAY when it ends this summer (she signed a one-year extension eight months ago), comes a report that Matt Lauer may also decide to walk away. “Meredith leaving is no problem at all. Matt leaving is something else,” a news business strategist tells the New York Post‘s Claire Atkinson. ” ‘Today’ is a strong habit, but this means that the audience could taste other things.”