TLC gifts viewers with more ‘Honey Boo Boo’

NEW YORK (AP) — Get ready for some Honey Boo Boo holidays.

The TLC network said Wednesday that it has ordered Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas specials focusing on its seven-year-old breakout star, Alana “Honey Boo Boo” Thompson. The series airs its 10th and final episode of its debut season on Wednesday.

The show centers around Thompson, her mother June Shannon and their rural Georgia family and has been a breakout hit for the cable network. Thompson’s outgoing personality and catchphrases like “A dolla makes me holla” made her a star, although some critics suggest the show mocks small-town Southern life.

TLC has also ordered additional episodes of the series to air next spring.

NEW YORK (AP) — The “Today” show’s top producer on Wednesday defended Matt Lauer against stories that have portrayed the anchor as difficult to deal with during the show’s slide in the ratings.

The longtime morning champ has slipped behind ABC’s “Good Morning America” in the ratings over recent months, after more than 15 years of being the unquestioned leader in the morning. The new ratings order has solidified since Ann Curry’s tearful exit as Lauer’s co-host in June.

“Matt has been the heart and soul of the show for a long, long time, and any of the stuff out that has portrayed him in an unflattering light as being difficult to work with is patently false and it’s been tough to deal with,” said Jim Bell, “Today” executive producer.

One tabloid report last week described Lauer as an “anchor animal” who berates the staff and inserts himself into show decisions, which Bell described as “patently false.” He also denied an online report that Lauer would be asked to take a pay cut if the show’s ratings don’t improve. “Today” has also consistently shot down stories that Lauer played a behind-the-scenes role in Savannah Guthrie’s replacement of Curry.

Asked if viewers were taking Curry’s dismissal out on “Today,” Bell said that “it’s more complex than that.”