An insider who toured the Today Show's new set last week sent TVNewser this behind-the-scenes description of the renovated studio:

"It reminded me of the Fortress of Solitude from Superman, except that it also had leather sofas and wooden lamps, as well as a video monitor that went from floor to ceiling! It was quite different, quite cool, and quite contemporary." More:

"The main desk -- much closer to the windows in the corner than previously, and there was nothing in front of the windows either so it was very open and bright on a sunny NY day, pedestrians were about 3 to 5 feet behind the anchor chairs."

"The interview set -- dark brown leather chairs with wooden floor lamps and a coffee table in between with books and another wooden lamp on it, but most interesting was the background which was a white wall full of light boxes. It reminded me of those glass cubes you sometimes see in bathrooms where a window should be, and the boxes could change color and they had all sorts of cool effects to transition the colors."

"Newsreader position -- floor to ceiling video monitor which was crystal clear, and in the middle of the room with a nice background 10 to 15 feet behind. The background was part of the interview set with lights. The monitor, though, is clearly the highlight of the day. All kinds of neat effects will be done with this thing, and it is movable so look for it to appear quite a bit."