Meredith Vieira

A roundup of entertainment headlines for Monday. Meredith Vieira is leaving "Today. " Ann Curry is replacing her. What about Katie Couric? Katie, come back! ( Los Angeles Times ) Paula Abdul is joining Simon Cowell on "The X Factor. " ( Los Angeles Times ) And it looks like L.A. Reid may be a meaner judge than Simon Cowell ever was. ( Hollywood Reporter ) Charlie Sheen's single, "Winning" hits the airwaves Tuesday. Sheen may have some more legal trouble for beating a dead horse.

After the coffee. Before seeing the ratings for the Lance Armstrong interview. The Skinny: I'm Lance Armstrong'd out! I watched that interview online and on TV. He sure is cold. Friday's stories include a preview of the weekend box office, an interview with new Tribune CEO Peter Liguori and all sorts of other fun stuff. Daily Dose: No matter who plays in the Super Bowl, CBS will get huge ratings. So does who is facing whom make much of a difference? In terms of story lines it might.

After the coffee. Before seeing the ratings for the Lance Armstrong interview. The Skinny: I'm Lance Armstrong'd out! I watched that interview online and on TV. He sure is cold. Friday's stories include a preview of the weekend box office, an interview with new Tribune CEO Peter Liguori and all sorts of other fun stuff. Daily Dose: No matter who plays in the Super Bowl, CBS will get huge ratings. So does who is facing whom make much of a difference? In terms of story lines it might.

"Today"show special correspondent for the Olympics Meredith Vieira and her husband, Richard Cohen, have bought a house in the Hollywood Hills for $1.115 million. The midcentury contemporary features vaulted ceilings, two fireplaces, three bedrooms, two bathrooms and nearly 1,800 square feet of living space. There are city and mountain views. Vieira, 58, co-anchored "Today" (2006-11) and was a co-host on "The View"from 1997 to 2006. She and former "Today" colleague Matt Lauer recently reunited for broadcasts during the London Olympics.

Former "Today" show host Meredith Vieira and her husband, Richard Cohen, have purchased a house in the Hollywood Hills for $1.115 million. The midcentury contemporary features vaulted ceilings, two fireplaces, three bedrooms, two bathrooms and nearly 1,800 square feet of living space. Vieira, 58, co-anchored "Today" (2006-11) and was a co-host on "The View" from 1997 to 2007. She and former colleague Matt Lauer recently reunited for a broadcast during the London Olympics. Cohen, 64, is a former producer for CNN and journalist for CBS News.

— During a time of upheaval among network news talent, NBC is risking half a billion dollars on Ann Curry, who will replace Meredith Vieira as co-anchor of NBC's No. 1-rated morning show "Today. " In an emotional on-air announcement Monday morning, Vieira confirmed that after five years she is passing the torch to Curry, 54, who will officially assume the co-anchor chair alongside Matt Lauer June 9. Vieira, who will continue to contribute to NBC News in an as-yet-unspecified position, explained she wants to spend more time with her family, particularly her husband Richard, who has multiple sclerosis.

In a 1975 episode of "The Mary Tyler Moore Show," character Ted Baxter contemplates the unthinkable: leaving his job as an anchor to become--gasp--a game show host in New York. He eventually turns down the extra money to stay with his pals in Minnesota, after boss Lou Grant tells him that he's a newsman, not a "quizmaster." In real life, Meredith Vieira, 48, has opted for Door No. 2.

An estimated 6.9 million viewers tuned in to check out Meredith Vieira's first day on NBC's "Today" show on Wednesday. That enabled the nation's most popular morning show to keep its edge over ABC's second-place "Good Morning America," which had 4.4 million viewers, according to Nielsen Media Research.

Vieira in View: Meredith Vieira, who left CBS' "60 Minutes" last year to have her second child, will become co-anchor of the early-morning "CBS Morning News" soon after the Winter Olympics end. Giselle Fernandez, the current morning co-anchor, will become a correspondent on the network's evening news.

Brian Williams will be moonlighting Mondays this fall, but at least he won't have a long commute to his second job. Just a few steps, in fact. On Monday, NBC will premiere the live newsmagazine "Rock Center With Brian Williams," with the anchor of the No. 1-rated "NBC Nightly News" serving as host. Viewers might find the setting familiar: Both programs will originate from different corners of the same space, Studio 3B in the network's Rockefeller Center headquarters in New York. Long-struggling NBC is angling to make "Rock Center" the first successful launch of a prime-time broadcast newsmagazine in 20 years.

When Oprah Winfrey told her daytime viewers farewell last month, more than 16 million were watching. The Nielsen Co. reported Wednesday that the May 25 finale of "The Oprah Winfrey Show" drew 16.4 million viewers. This made the finale the show's most-watched episode in more than 18 years, since the February 1993 airing of its "Why I Love Older Women" episode, which was seen by 17.3 million viewers. "The Oprah Winfrey Show" averaged 8.2 million viewers during May. — Associated Press Obreht wins fiction prize Belgrade-born author Téa Obreht was the surprise winner Wednesday of Britain's Orange Prize for Fiction for her debut novel "The Tiger's Wife," a mystical, magical examination of the recent conflicts in the Balkans.

A roundup of entertainment headlines for Wednesday: Meredith Vieira signed off from "Today" for the final time. ( Today ) After three seasons, Laurence Fishburne has had enough "CSI. " ( Los Angeles Times ) Is Jennifer Love Hewitt really the worst actress of all time? The critics on Rotten Tomatoes seem to think so. ( Los Angeles Times ) Eminem has decided to take on Lady Gaga and Justin Bieber in his new single. Why not throw Jennifer Love Hewitt in there too?

— During a time of upheaval among network news talent, NBC is risking half a billion dollars on Ann Curry, who will replace Meredith Vieira as co-anchor of NBC's No. 1-rated morning show "Today. " In an emotional on-air announcement Monday morning, Vieira confirmed that after five years she is passing the torch to Curry, 54, who will officially assume the co-anchor chair alongside Matt Lauer June 9. Vieira, who will continue to contribute to NBC News in an as-yet-unspecified position, explained she wants to spend more time with her family, particularly her husband Richard, who has multiple sclerosis.

The folks over at ABC may be scrambling to find a veteran news anchor to replace Diane Sawyer on "Good Morning America," but over on NBC's "Today" show, they're looking for a rookie to liven up the morning circuit. And one of Southern California's own is in the running. Owen Migel, a fifth-grader at Sierra Madre Elementary School, is one of 16 semifinalists in the "Today's" Kid Reporter Contest. The 10-year-old video game aficionado will appear on the program today in the third of four segments to choose a child correspondent.

The Susan Boyle media tour will continue Wednesday as NBC broadcasts "Today" host Meredith Vieira's interview with the British singing sensation, Boyle's first since placing second this spring in "Britain's Got Talent." NBC is seeking to make the most of the interview, which will air not only in the morning on "Today" but also at 9 p.m. Wednesday as part of a special edition of "America's Got Talent." That show is produced by FremantleMedia, the company behind the British program. Vieira's interview was taped and produced by the news division.