Katie Couric
Gossip (Page 2)

On the air, Katie Couric is all smiles. And don't get her wrong - as she tells Parade magazine - the soon-to-be CBS news anchor is "doing great."

But Couric says she still reels from the loss of her husband eight years ago, despite feeling lucky to have a "sorority house" at home to help get her through the tough times.

"When I see a father walking down the street with a little girl and holding her hand, my feeling of loss is palpable," she says. "I'm so envious. We were ripped off. I was ripped off, and that's all there is to it."

Even though Couric is single, she tells Parade's Jacquelyn Mitchard that she has "a very full social life." Of course, a little romance never hurt anyone.

"I would love to be married or in a really solid, committed relationship. I'd love that now. But [the right guy] just hasn't materialized."

The news woman is also keen enough to understand that, sooner rather than later, she'll have to introduce Ellie, 14, and Carrie, 9, to the world of men, given her female-laden household.

"I've started to think that it's important for my girls to realize there are some really nice, wonderful men out there, because we live in a bit of a sorority house here," says Couric. "Everyone in our house is female. Even the guinea pig is female."

Hope you're ready for a little Katie Couric.

Or, as reports come flodding in, A LOT of Katie Couric.

The CBS anchor woman's first news program will take place on September 5. One night later, viewers can watch Couric's first-ever prime time special:

Five Years Later - How Safe Are We?, an hour commemorating the fifth anniversary of the 9/11 attacks and examining the aftershocks Americans continue to feel.

Then, on the anniversary itself, Couric will read the news from Ground Zero.

Hey, did you hear that Katie Couric will start anchoring the CBS Evening News on September 5? If not, you'll be bludgeoned over the head with that message beginning soon.

The network has rolled out its first promotional campaign on behalf of the former Today host. It ends with Bob Schieffer simply stating: "Just watch." Such a spot has already begun airing on CBS news programs around the country.

Initially, Schieffer will introduce Couric to his audience. As he does so, Couric appears briefly on the screen, looking serious and talking on the phone, but not speaking.

Later in month, phase two of "Katie Takes Over the Airwaves" will feature ads with Couric talking about the news and how to cover it, said CBS News President Sean McManus. The commercials will gradually branch out to other CBS programs, then to other network.

"There's not a great necessity to let people know that she is starting on Sept. 5," McManus said. "The entire world will know that. We're trying to give a sense of transition."

Couric, McManus, and CBS Evening News executive producer Rome Hartman met last week for their first planning session on the new broadcast. A new studio will take the place of Dan Rather's old digs when Couric begins in the fall.

Right now, Couric is traveling to six cities, including Denver and San Diego, in a "listening tour" series of meetings with viewers to hear some of their ideas about what they want for the news.

Our suggestion? More Britney Spears!

What's an incredibly rich, soon-to-be historic CBS Evening News anchor to do before beginning her new gig? Tour the country, of course!

No, Katie Couric, won't have an opening act or play "All Along the Watchtower" as an encore, but the former Today mainstay will hold town hall-style forums with viewers to learn more about what they want from their national news. The only confirmed date, so far, is July 13 in Denver.

Unlike the town meetings held by a certain, current President of the United States, these forums won't be televised. In other words, they can - gasp! - actually be real conversations with real people.

Could a presidential campaign be far behind for America's first female anchor? Probably.