Salahis will see Lauer -- apparently for free -- on Tuesday's Today.
12/01/09 12:29 AM
By ED BARK
After bagging out on Monday's edition of CNN's Larry King Live, America's most famous uninvited guests, Michaele and Tareq Salahi, instead have granted their first TV interview to NBC's Today.
NBC Universal trumpeted the booking in a Monday night publicity release issued just a handful of hours before the preening pair are scheduled to sit down with Matt Lauer on the Tuesday, Dec. 1st Today. They became overnight sensations after crashing last week's White House State Dinner and posing for pictures with President Obama among others.
The Salahis reportedly were seeking a fee in excess of $100,000 for any TV appearance after canceling their appearance with King. Today, produced by NBC News, has a policy of not paying for interviews, although the network's publicity release makes no such disclaimer. Nor does it say when the Salahis will appear, although it reportedly will be during the show's first segment in the 7 a.m. hour.
(The New York Times reported Monday night that the couple initially demanded payment from NBC, which refused. After switching lawyers, they supposedly decided to abandon that strategy in the interest of getting their story out without compensation.)
Your friendly content provider recently was asked to write a commentary for cnn.com on the "reality" show ambitions that apparently drove the couple. It was posted Monday, and you can read it here if you'd like.
The Salahis arrived on the White House grounds with a Bravo network camera crew in tow. They apparently were trying to improve their chances of appearing on Bravo's upcoming The Real Housewives of D.C, also a product of NBC Universal. Casting is still underway.