Awesome. Totally Awesome.

So, well-regarded co-host of the Today show Meredith Vieira (whom, by the way, I remember watching as a reporter on the local CBS affiliate when I was a kid and thinking she was sooooooo glamorous) left her anchor spot this week after five years. On Wednesday, her final day, the show sent her off with all sorts of treats and celebrations, the highlight of which was this amazing live flash mob, in which her colleagues, the Today crew, the ubiquitous inhabitants of the square outside Rockefeller Plaza, and special guest stars Abe Vigoda (yes!) and Jimmy Fallon serenaded Vieira with Journey's "Don't Stop Believing," all while wearing We Heart Meredith t-shirts.


Video Description: As above. Vieira is led to a piano by co-anchor Matt Lauer, where they pretend to play and Lauer (badly) lip-syncs the opening lines, then Ann Curry leads Vieira out of the studio and through a series of corridors and down some stairs, at the bottom of which waits Abe Vigoda playing air guitar, with whom Vieira shares a dance, before she is led away, down more corridors and past lip-syncing crew members. As the tempo of the music quickens, Vieira, with a huge grin on her face, begins to hop and run alongside the ever-changing cast of people leading her through the building. Kathie Lee Gifford and Hoda Kotb lead her up the lobby stairs and out into the square, where a huge crowd cheers. Al Roker grabs her hand and they run down the street. In a small courtyard, a group of people hold up signs over their head making a giant picture of Vieira; they flip them to create a giant sign reading We Heart Meredith. Vieira runs on with more and more people, until she meets up again with Lauer, who is now joined by Jimmy Fallon, who leads the mob on while pretending to play the guitar solo on an electric guitar. As they run-dance down the final stretch, people are lined up on either side of the path, cheering and clapping and dancing, as if it's the end of a marathon (and, considering this is all live, it kind of is). At the end of the path, where Abe Vigoda has rejoined the party with a silver baton, Vieira turns, and the whole crowd lip-syncs the final lines of the song, doing a choreographed dance. Vieira dances with Vigoda as they finish. At the end, everyone cheers, and Vieira is overwhelmed with emotion. Lauer and Vieira kiss Vigoda. "Thank you so much," Vieira says to the crowd. She hugs Vigoda. "I love you," she says. She turns and gives Lauer a hug. "I love you," she tells him. Blub.

Shakesville is run as a safe space. First-time commenters: Please read Shakesville's Commenting Policy and Feminism 101 Section before commenting. We also do lots of in-thread moderation, so we ask that everyone read the entirety of any thread before commenting, to ensure compliance with any in-thread moderation. Thank you.

blog comments powered by Disqus