Roker reports on gastric bypass

New York — NBC’s Al Roker reports on his health since his gastric bypass surgery, and the potential dangers and benefits involved in the procedure, in an hourlong special to air tonight on “Dateline NBC.”

Roker, the weatherman on the network’s “Today” show, underwent gastric bypass surgery 2 1/2 years ago.

“For anybody who thinks that this is a magic bullet, you do this and it’s done: You’re making a mistake. It’s not,” he says.

In the four-part report, “Weighing the Risks,” Roker talks to teens, parents and a physician about some possible dangers, and whether teens have a tougher time dealing with emotional and physical changes that come with the surgery.

Mellencamp comes to halftime

Detroit — John Mellencamp will perform at halftime of the Thanksgiving Day game between the Detroit Lions and the Indianapolis Colts.

Mellencamp will perform for the NFL and the United Way on Nov. 25. He’ll sing “R.O.C.K. in the U.S.A.” and his new single, “Walk Tall.” Accompanying Mellencamp on “Walk Tall” will be singer-producer Kenneth “Babyface” Edmonds.

The theme of the halftime show will be “Join the Team: Millions of People Giving Back in Hundreds of Ways to Celebrate One America.”

Freddie Prinze Jr. gets TV show

New York — Freddie Prinze Jr. is ready to do television.

The 28-year-old “Scooby-Doo” actor has signed a deal with Warner Bros. and ABC to create and star in his own sitcom.

Although the clean-cut Prinze has popped up for guest spots on “Boston Legal” and “Friends,” he’s most noted for his turns in both “Scooby-Doo” movies and the slasher film “I Know What You Did Last Summer.”

“This was something I wanted to do for a long time,” Prinze told The Associated Press while on the set of his latest movie.

In the sitcom, Prinze will portray a Puerto Rican raised in a household of women, an experience he said is based on his own life. Prinze was raised by his mother in New Mexico after his father, “Chico and the Man” star Freddie Prinze, committed suicide in 1977.

“When I focus on something, I usually succeed in this business,” Prinze told the AP. “I’m more scared about flying.”

Kristofferson in hall of fame

New York — Kris Kristofferson will be inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame next week with help from Faith Hill and Willie Nelson.

Hill and Nelson will perform in a tribute to the 68-year-old Kristofferson on “The 38th Annual CMA Awards,” to air live Tuesday night on CBS from the Grand Ole Opry House in Nashville, Tenn.

“Kris Kristofferson has an incredible body of work as a songwriter and performer,” Country Music Assn. Executive Director Ed Benson said in a statement.

Kristofferson won the CMA song of the year award in 1970 for “Sunday Morning Coming Down.” He hosted the show twice, in 1985 with Anne Murray and in 1986 with Nelson.