Merry and bright! Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez got into the holiday spirit at a star-studded Christmas party with their closest pals.
01.12.2022 - 07:37 / deadline.com
No Al Roker at Thanksgiving. And now, no Al Roker at the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree lighting.
Roker, the 68-year-old Today stalwart, briefly made it out of the hospital for Thanksgiving with his family, but had to quickly return via ambulance when something went wrong. He’s suffering from blood clots in his leg and lungs. It was the first time in 27 years he didn’t appear at the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade, and he is still in the hospital, making it impossible to appear at live events.
At the Rockefeller Center event tonight, Roker was replaced by Mario Lopez, who was joined by Today co-anchors Savannah Guthrie, Hoda Kotb, and Craig Melvin.
Roker first revealed his condition on Nov. 18 on Instagram.
“So many of you have been thoughtfully asking where I’ve been,” he wrote, captioning a photo of a bouquet of flowers. “Last week I was admitted to the hospital with a blood clot in my leg which sent some clots into my lungs.”
“After some medical whack-a-mole, I am so fortunate to be getting terrific medical care and on the way to recovery,” he added. “Thanks for all the well wishes and prayers and hope to see you soon. Have a great weekend, everyone.”
Merry and bright! Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez got into the holiday spirit at a star-studded Christmas party with their closest pals.
After enormous success and Oscars for films ranging from Whiplash to La La Land to First Man Director/Writer Damien Chazelle returned to an early dream project first envisioned 15 years ago, a no-holds barred look at early Hollywood, a time when not only movies were transitioning from silent to sound, but Los Angeles itself was booming from desert to bulging metropolis. People were caught up in a turbulent time of change, and it didn’t always work out for some. As witnessed in the resulting film and years of meticulous research, Babylon is a sight to behold, a decadent, free wheeling, at times even poignant look at a series of dreamers, stars, fringe players, and all who wanted a piece of a world that felt out of control, uninhibited, and full of promise – and downfall.
For many, putting up the Christmas tree is the highlight of the festive season as they enjoy deciding where to place the baubles, tinsel and fairy lights. Most tree decorations can be placed anywhere, but many people tend to cover their trees in twinkly lights by curling each set fully around the plant.
A Scots woman is desperate to be reunited with her beloved dog for Christmas after the pooch went missing earlier this year.
Christmas — her way! Jana Kramer‘s ex-husband Mike Caussin will spend Christmas Eve with their children after their divorce, and the One Tree Hill alum has accepted the alternating arrangements.
Saturday Night Live opened with a musical salute to the holiday season’s ability to make people block out all of their anxieties and worries, whether it be a drinking problem, Elon Musk owning Twitter, or Adolf Hitler being invoked in political discourse. Watch the cold open in the video posted above.
UPDATE: Today co-anchor Hoda Kobt gave an update on weatherman Al Roker’s condition on the Thursday morning edition of the show.