Showing results by narrator "Al Roker" in All Categories

Before Billy Blessing was a five-star celebrity chef from New York City, before he was ever on TV, he lived another life under another name: Billy Blanchard, wily con man of the Windy City. Billy did time for his crimes, reinventing himself when he got out and leaving that part of his life far behind—or so he thought. But when he and Eddie Patton, a nosy ex-cop, are both guests on a popular Chicago talk show, the off-camera banter turns to blackmail.

Ten years have passed since Billy Blessing’s adventure in Chicago, and a lot has changed. With the advances in television—the vanishing cable news and the flood of streaming channels entering the market—Billy found himself out of a job. Oh, and his restaurant had a fire (maybe suspicious? Billy does have enemies…), but the insurance won’t cover a rebuild.

Celebrity chef and Wake Up, America! cohost Billy Blessing heads to Los Angeles in order to help launch O’Day at Night, a new late-night show hosted by Irish comedian Desmond O’Day. LA brings up bad—and bloody—memories for Billy, but a special request from the head of the network sends him flying across the country.

Billy Blessing, owner of the popular Manhattan restaurant Blessing’s Bistro, is a regular contributor on the morning news show, Wake Up, America! Now he’s creating a fresh cooking competition show, but finds himself clashing with Rudy Gallagher, the executive producer. Things get heated in the newsroom, and after exchanging some sharp words, both Billy and Rudy walk away feeling burned.

Al Roker’s aha! moment came a decade ago. He was closing in on 350 pounds when he promised his dying father that he wasn’t going to keep living as he was. That led to his decision for a stomach bypass - and his life-changing drop to 190. But 50 of those pounds gradually crept back until he finally devised a plan, stuck to it, and got his life back. Never Going Back is Roker’s inspiring, candid, and often hilarious story of self-discovery, revealing a (now slimmer) side of his life that no one knows.

There’s been a murder in studio one, and everyone’s a suspect. Recorded live at the Minetta Lane Theatre, a dozen Today and NBC News anchors take center stage in this hilarious radio play. First released in 1941, Murder in Studio One is a whodunit following a female private eye and her fast-talking sidekick as they reluctantly take the case of a murder in a New York radio station. Savannah Guthrie and Hoda Kotb lead an all-star NBC News cast in the comedic mystery produced in partnership with Audible.  

These days, the road to success can feel jampacked with scheduling, networking, nonstop hustle, and flat-out absurdity. And no one knows that better than Al Roker - beloved cohost of The Today Show, weatherperson extraordinaire, and the man we all secretly wish we could turn to for wisdom and wisecracks in our everyday lives. Al has learned worthwhile lessons over a long, successful career. And now, for the first time, Al is ready to unleash savvy advice on how to embrace happiness.

Life lessons from New York Times best-selling author and Today show personality Al Roker and his wife, globetrotting ABC news journalist Deborah Roberts. Al Roker and Deborah Roberts have 16 Emmy Awards between them. They have covered everything from the Olympics and the Gulf War to natural disasters and the AIDS crisis in Africa. Now these two married journalists and parents have collaborated on the most personal and important “story” of their lives.