NBC Is Not Tabloid, And I'm 6'4"
Matt Lauer interviewed Britney as if the two were kindred spirits when it came to "The Tabloids." Matt, please to explain exactly how your interview was different from what people read at the checkout?
This just in -- NBC is swimming in the same pool as everyone else who publicizes the woes of Britney. Don't get me wrong, I think Matt's interview was spectacular. But really, Matt, on the one hand you scoff at the "tabloids" and then ask, "What is it about Kevin that makes you love him?"
"Dateline" was great tabloid TV last night. It was. And here's the deal about Brit breaking down. It's the oldest trick in the book in TV, and I've been there over and over. I know exactly how to make someone cry on camera and, clearly, so does Matt. You find the emotional issue and wait until the subject is vulnerable. Then, you pause long enough to make the subject uncomfortable. Then you lower and soften your voice, and with a concerned look you gently ask something like this: "Are there times at night when you're alone and you just break down?" Then you just shut up and look as the subject dissolves into tears. Trust me, when Britney sobbed Matt was silently thinking "Prrrromo!"
Bottom line: I loved the interview -- a huge get that was executed brilliantly. But folks, let's call it what it is.
And by the way, for all of those who said Britney looked like hell, you need to look further. The gum, the makeup, the drawl -- all orchestrated to make Britney human, vulnerable and relatable. And I think she pulled that off as well.
So, in the end, good for Matt that he scored big, bad for Matt that he's pretending not to be part of "it."