On this morning's Today Katie Couric and Matt Lauer heartily promoted Jimmy Buffett’s latest project, a new environmentalist movie aimed at kids called Hoot. Apparently the movie, based off the liberal Carl Hiaasen’s book, features kids vandalizing a construction site. However Matt and Katie simply pitched it as a "movie with a message," about, "some young people who come together to help save an endangered species." Couric also endorsed the book in wishing Buffett good luck: "Yeah good luck with Hoot I loved the book I can't wait to see the movie." The following conversation came at 8:31am, conveniently preceeded by an ad for Hoot in the previous commercial break:
Matt Lauer: "But a few minutes ago I mentioned Jimmy Buffett and that's his cue to walk right up to my left here."
Katie Couric: "Come to momma."
Lauer: "Mr. Buffett is here. He's been awfully busy these days. Hey Jimmy. He's not only one of the producers of a movie, a new movie called Hoot he also makes a cameo appearance and recorded the soundtrack for the film. Hey Jimmy good to see you."
Jimmy Buffett: "How are you doing Mr. Lauer?"
Lauer: "I'm doing fine."
Buffett: "Hello Katie."
Couric: "Hello darling. Obviously this book must be near and dear to your heart. First of all it was written by Carl Hiaasen who's one of my favorites and a great friend of yours and it takes place in Florida so it seems like a no-brainer, right?"
Buffett: "It was, it was a no-brainer and then it kinda worked out. It was, I hate, I hate to say easy to do. It was and I think we kind of held to script. And it's fun."
Lauer: "Well tell people a little bit about the story. It's about some young people who come together to help save an endangered species."
Buffett: "Little owls in Florida, burrowing owls which are all over Florida. We actually had, actual owls in the movie. We didn't have a budget for high computer graphics so we used the owls and, and actually Carl plays a part in it, Luke Wilson, Robert Wagner makes an appearance. We got great kid actors and they actually had fun and kinda came about, you know, the idea of preserving these owls and what it meant to kids to do that and it's something as a parent I wanted to try to make a film that I could actually watch when I went to the movies with my kids and not sleep so we, we I think we accomplished that."
Couric: "Well yeah that's true. It's like a movie with a message and it does appeal, appeal to adults and children and obviously you lent a hand musically. Tell us about that."
[Picture of CD featured]
After a brief conversation about Buffett’s music Lauer and Couric wished Buffett and his liberal flick well:
Lauer: "Jimmy good luck with it."
Buffett: "Thanks Matt.
Couric: "Yeah good luck with Hoot I loved the book I can't wait to see the movie."
Buffett: "Alright darling. Okay."
Couric: "Bye Jimmy."
