Meredith Viera doesn't like it when Ewoks grab her backside.

"Don't touch my butt," she scolded as the frisky, troll-like creatures put a minor hitch in the otherwise impressive Today show Halloween on the Plaza that went back in time to Star Wars circa 1977.

Viera was dressed as Princess Leia, Matt Lauer was Luke Skywalker, Al Roker as Han Solo, Erin Burnett as Padmé Amidala and Kathy Lee Gifford as R2-D2. Ann Curry breathed new life into Darth Vader, while Hoda Kotb was "Yoda, I am."

The lucky morning talkers were able to score props and costumes from Lucas Films and the authenticity of the setup was, as Curry said, "cool."

Of course, the early risers played up the theme, kicking off the segment with a video complete with scrolling text.

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The Today Show's Matt Lauer goes below the belt—way below!—to tease a segment on cankles, and Chelsea Handler ain't having it. The host of E!'s Chelsea Lately defends the honor of Merideth Viera, who may or may not have been the target of Lauer's joint-related toss. The results aren't pretty.

Exactly one week after Michael Jackson's death, brother Jermaine Jackson became the first member of the still-mourning musical family to sit down for an in-depth interview about the late icon, speaking to the Today show this morning from the grounds of Neverland Ranch.

Describing himself as Michael's "backbone," an emotional and frequently tearful Jermaine paid tribute to his little brother, and revealed what his surprisingly preferred outcome to last week's tragedy would have been.

"He went too soon, he went too soon," he told Matt Lauer. "I don't know how people are gonna take this, but I wish it was me.

"I've always felt that I was his backbone. Someone to be there for him. I was there and he was sort of like Moses. The things he couldn't say, I would say them. During the trials and during everything, I knew he was 1,000 percent innocent. I knew. We all knew.

"Michael is a gift from Allah. And he has taken him back."

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Alec Baldwin wasn't simply "saddened" and "sorry" after his April 2007 voice mail tirade against his daughter leaked onto the Internet—he was suicidal.

"[I was] very serious…I spoke to a lot of professionals, who helped me," the actor says in the upcoming issue of Playboy. "If I committed suicide, they [Kim Basinger's team] would have considered that a victory. Destroying me was their avowed goal."

The actor also explains why he chose to trust The View with his public show of remorse, and why he'll never set foot on the Today show's soundstage.

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Carrie Prejean may have appeared sweet with Sean Hannity last night, but this morning on the Today show, she came out swingin'.

The dethroned Miss California maintained her stance that she was ousted for her political beliefs regarding gay marriage—not for violating her contract, as the Miss California USA Organization claims—but this time she got heated.

Matt Lauer pointed out that, if that were true, why would Donald Trump have stood by her answers at the Miss USA pageant during a press conference one month ago, but changed his tune this week?

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Matt Lauer lost the Hudson River hero but he gained the Somali pirates survivor.

The Today host scored the first interview with Maersk Alabama Capt. Richard Phillips, who was taken hostage by Somali pirates and survived a five-day standoff on the Indian Ocean that ended when Navy Seal snipers took out his captors.

The result of their sit-down, which took place in Phillips' home state of Vermont, will air April 27 on the Today show.

"I share the country's admiration for the bravery of Captain Phillips and his selfless concern for his crew," President Obama said in a statement immediately following the rescue. "His courage is a model for all Americans."

Aside from getting network newshounds scrambling, Phillips' death-defying experience and the awareness it brought to the seemingly archaic presence of pirates in foreign waters has already become fodder for Southpark and helped Spike TV seal the deal on the months-in-the-works reality show Pirate Hunters: USN.

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