have a great wednesday. good morning, america. breaking now, a dangerous ice storm taking hold over the northeast at this hour closing schools and snarling commutes. up to a foot of snow around boston. thousands more flights canceled. ginger zee and our extreme team have live reports. happening now, astonishing real-time accounts from journalists and athletes arriving in sochi showing up to find their hotel rooms in shambles. brown water from the sink and broken toilets. clear evidence the city is not ready for the olympics. overnight arrest near the home of philip seymour hoffman. four suspects with hundreds of bags of heroin. police scrambling for a connection to the actor's death as we learn more about his final hours. i lost my date already. >> she's right here. ♪ baby you're a firework >> and the ultimate date night. george clooney out on the town

with one very lucky lady and her 8-year-old daughter. lara along for the ride last night with exclusive behind-the-scenes access. how did this mom score the date of a lifetime? ♪ you're a firework and good morning, america. okay, lara, we want all the details. >> he is the greatest date in the whole wide world. what a lucky lady. george clooney, you rock and all for a great cause too. >> we'll hear all about it coming up. josh on assignment. great to have amy here. the snow coming down so hard. right now in new york. look at this road cam north of new york city. commute going to be slick and slippery for so many. ice over half an inch right now. >> you say so many, because we're going to take a look at worcester, mass, right now, near boston where snow is coming down thick and fast. they're expecting over a foot of

snow there. abc's ginger zee leads our extreme weather team covering this storm for us outside. good morning, ginger. >> what a sloppy mess out here, not just in new york city. this is back to parts of the midwest. it's raining now. we had heavy snow. here, come down on the ground with me. i want to show you -- first of all, show you the radar. radar showing rain all the way from the gulf coast up to maine and that sleet and messy mix right over new york city that's moving into connecticut. that pink, that's when you get really ugly. that's when you've got this. that's when it goes from snow to dangerous and deadly ice. again, not just here in new york but back into pennsylvania, we've already seen deadly accidents. i want to take you to all the stories right now. thousands of cancellations already this morning. this morning, the northeast blanketed in snow, sleet and freezing rain. temperatures hovering around

that dangerous 32-degree mark forcing drivers to crawl along roadways and causing fatal accidents like this one that backed up the pennsylvania turnpike near harrisburg for more than six miles. frosty scenes like this being played out across almost 20 states, cars sliding on the slick streets of wichita, kansas. in kansas city this southwest airlines plane got stuck in the snow right on the runway and in topeka, kansas, a semi truck slamming into a snowplow spilling 180 gallons of diesel fuel forcing the highway to close for hours. and a chilling scene in north texas, a police deputy and three bystanders helping a driver from one icy accident were hit by a sliding 18-wheeler killing one person and injuring the others. >> the roadway was very icy and once he saw the crash he applied his brakes but was unable to stop. >> reporter: all these

back-to-back snowstorms and many towns are now running low on salt. in burton, michigan, that shortage means skyrocketing prices. >> just yesterday the price doubled actually, so if it cost $300 to fill a truck up now it's $600. >> reporter: let's get into the timing. everybody wants to know when does this get out of here? that mix moves north. through the afternoon hours, really drying from south to north, but it will pull away and leave a lot of cold air behind. new england, finally snow free by late tonight. it is messy beforehand. anything you're looking at today, look for that 6 to 12 inch swath. western pennsylvania, parts of western new york too. we want to check with in lisa. she is with our affiliate. >> good morning, ginger. monday, connecticut got more than 7 inches of snow and round 2 is hitting with a vengeance. this is what's hitting in the morning hours. that heavy, icy snow and

connecticut governor dan malloy telling people stay off the roads. 300 accidents have been reported so far. the trains are delayed by up to half an hour. and bus service that was suspended for several hours this morning is now back up and running but also experiencing delays. now, schools are closed for the second time this week and we have already received another five to six inches of snow this morning. that snow has now turned to freezing rain which will make the driving conditions even more hazardous. ginger, back to you. >> more than a quarter inch of ice already in philadelphia this morning. we'll be covering it throughout the morning. george? >> we sure can. get inside. up to boston and abc's reena ninan is there and, reena, boy, it is coming down hard. >> reporter: it is coming down, george, four shirts, two pairs of pants, i am still cold. a snow emergency already in effect here just in time to snarl this morning's commute. if you're taking a flight check with your airlines.

the highest number of cancellations coming down at new york's laguardia, jfk and also new jersey's newark and boston, flightaware.com says more than 2,100 flights delayed. more than 2,100 canceled. boston public schools are closed today. here in boston, 2 inches of snow expected every hour and i'm told, george, it will be dramatic. hour by hour. >> it already is dramatic. okay, reena ninan, thanks very much. >> somewhere where they want these types of conditions, the winter olympics just two days away and more evidence this morning that sochi is not ready for thousands of journalists that are arriving for the games they are appalled by the conditions of their hotel rooms, many of them in shambles. and more importantly, there are new concerns about the safety of the athletes and two snowboarders were injured during practice. abc's matt gutman is there for us this morning. good morning, matt. >> reporter: good morning, robin. a lot of what we talked about was construction. this road hadn't been completed until overnight. a lot here is almost finished.

check out those glistening facades of those hotels. wait till you see what's inside. tap water the color of beer. said to be too toxic to wash with, toilets that flush but without the paper. this morning, the buzz here isn't about sports, it's about the ick factor. thousands of athletes and visitors are enduring just 48 hours before the games begin. this is a bee in the honey packet from my hotel breakfast. yes, i ate it, the honey, that is and the rooms spartan is a nice way to call them. this room assigned to canada's men's hockey team not ideal when you're expected to be at the top of your game. these snowboarders say the rooms are fine but only half finished. >> you can tell in the rooms there's just sult details that would normally be finished. >> reporter: like paint. >> yeah, like paint. >> reporter: lots seems to be missing so some are resorting to black market barters. to anyone in sochi, i'm now in possession of three lightbulbs, will trade for a door handle.

this offer is real. >> dozens and dozens of rooms not ready for journalists is absolutely an embarrassment. >> reporter: it's not just the hotel horrors, olympic officials are also scrambling to make last-minute changes to this slopestyle snowboarding course which some athletes have called too dangerous. this morning gold medal favorite shaun white dwru himself from the event saying the risk of injury was too high. saying the run is intimidating, urging that it be changed. another female snowboarder crashed on the course hitting her head. she was carried off on a stretcher. and monday a norwegian medal favorite also carted off after breaking his collarbone. whole slopestyle course runs 650 feet with a final jump at over 70 feet high. imagine six school buses stacked end to end on top of each other. shaun white said the potential for injury in slope style was

too great. he didn't want to risk that half pipe chance at a gold medal. all eyes on that slope style event now. still the most controversial event at these olympics. robin? >> sure could. all right, matt. thank you very much. amy is in for josh. and you have some breaking news coming out of the olympics right now. >> that's right. good morning to everyone. this is in connection with those recent bombings in southern russia just last month. it raised security concerns in the weeks leading up to the olympics. russian state immediate were is reporting that police have killed a suspected mastermind of those bombings in volgograd during a special operation and a shootout in dagestan. suspected mastermind was believed to be the leader of an islamist militant group. we'll have more details as we get them. in the meantime, a new study predicting how president obama's health care law could impact the economy. nonpartisan budget analysts say obamacare will dramatically reduce the number of hours that many americans work equaling 2.5 million fewer full time jobs by next decade. the reason, many americans are likely to keep their incomes

lower to stay eligible for subsidies. congress has approved a long delayed farm bill that will affect the lives of nearly every american. the bill will cut nearly $9 billion from the food stamp program and will cut billions of dollars in direct subsidies to farmers in favor of a crop insurance program. and there is word of another scandal in the u.s. military. the navy investigating more than two dozen sailors accused of cheating on a test at the nuclear reactor school in south carolina. this comes days after a separate cheating investigation implicated nearly 100 air force nuclear officers. well, it's super bowl commercial was one of the most popular but reality has come crashing down on radio shack. the electronics chain whose ad poked fun at its reputation for being stuck in the '80s is now closing about 500 stores nationwide. an unusual rescue in florida. a cow wandered on to a bridge but then got stuck when that bridge collapsed.

crews brought in a backhoe and straps and hoisted the cow to safety. they say it was -- this was puntastic -- udder chaos. [laughter] >> see, i made you laugh. all right. speaking of potential chaos, it was that easy. the giraffe paid a visit to a the food store in south africa. the giraffe named purdy didn't find the menu appealing and sauntered away. i should have ended with the last. udder chaos. >> an easy laugh, though. we'll move now to a major announcement this morning from cvs. the national drugstore chain is phasing out the sale of cigarettes. a move that could cost them billions in sales and abc's rebecca jarvis here to explain why. good morning, rebecca. >> george, good morning. this is the first and largest drugstore chain to do this, to take the monumental step. here is a first look at this ad running this morning in newspapers across the country and it says it all.

cvs quits for good getting out of the profitable $2 billion business by year's end, it will no longer sell cigarettes. this morning a drugstore giant revealing its plan to extinguish the sale of cigarettes leaving billions of dollars up in smoke. the cvs pharmacy announcing by the end of the year none of its 7,600 locations will carry tobacco products calling them inconsistent with our purpose. >> what kind of company do we want to be? do we want to be a health care company? it became the right decision for us. >> reporter: the move comes as state and local governments are joining with anti-smoking groups to pass laws banning all pharmacies from selling the products, a known health hazard so close to where many americans buy their medications and seek medical advice. >> they brand themselves as a health company, the public health has to matter to them. there's no way to prevent death and disease in this country better than cutting down on smoking. >> reporter: while giving up cigarettes may also mean giving

up $2 billion in sales, cvs says as health care laws and the health care industry are rapidly evolving hundreds of billions of dollars in new business are up for grabs. >> we thought long and hard about the $2 billion in revenue and at the end of the day, there is a much bigger role that we can play in the health care system. >> reporter: and industry analysts tell me this morning, it's only a matter of time before other drugstore chains will likely follow suit. the white house putting out a statement just now, george, congratulating and thanking the ceo of cvs care mark for making this decision. >> the plt saying it will have a positive profoundly impact on the america's health. thank you. to the search for a missing virginia police captain. kevin quick vanished never showing up to a birthday party on saturday that he had planned for his brother. authorities suspect foul play. abc's steve osunsami has the latest on the growing mystery. >> reporter: this morning virginia police are desperately searching for one of their own.

>> greatest fear is obviously the worst case scenario and that we would not get him back. >> reporter: kevin quick, a 45-year-old police captain and young father never showed up to the surprise party that he had been planning for his younger brother last saturday. police believe he disappeared friday night and the last anyone knew he was heading to visit a friend. surveillance photos show his silver suv in two different parts of the state on saturday, three days later police found it abandoned here nearly 60 miles away outside a home in mineral, virginia. his friends and family in blue suspect foul play. >> these are places where kevin would not go, so that's why, you know, it's -- it's hard to maintain hope. >> reporter: they're releasing these surveillance photos of one of two men they say might be connected to his disappearance. they think the last person to hear from him was his estranged wife. she says he texted friday night. police say his credit cards are unused but he may have been carrying a large sum of money he had not yet put in the bank.

>> there are also other pieces of evidence and information we had that made us concerned about his safety. pretty much right off the bat. >> reporter: authorities are offering a $12,500 reward this morning for any information that helps bring him home. the community he served hoping for the best. >> any time something happens, you call the police, you want them to come help you. now the police need our help and it's our turn to give back to them. >> for "good morning america," steve osunsami, abc news, atlanta. >> hopefully if anybody knows anything they will contact authorities right away. it's such a mystery. >> it certainly is. other news breaking. the moving journey for the woman portrayed by judi dench in oscar-nominated film "philomena." you see it right there, 83 years old at the vat condition where she was blessed by the pope. cynthia mcfadden live in rome with this remarkable story. good morning, cynthia. >> reporter: good morning, george. it was extraordinary. we were standing right beside her as a woman once shamed by the catholic church for having a baby out of wedlock was invited

today to meet pope francis. the times, they are a-changing. 80-year-old philomena lee could never have imagined this moment back in 1952 when she was a young unwed mother being here in st. peter's square invited by pope francis to mass. this woman of unceasing faith touching the hand of the leader of the faithful. >> i'm very happy to meet you. >> reporter: it's an ending not even hollywood could write fitting since philomena is known around the world from the oscar nominated movie bearing her name. >> very long time ago when you were 18 years old could you have imagined? >> could i have imagined meeting the pope one day. >> reporter: having a movie made about your life? in no, no way. no way. no way would i ever have imagined it. >> reporter: her life story now played out on film by none other than dame judi dench.

>> in trouble or in prison or goodness knows where. >> action. >> reporter: as the movie so wrenchingly portrays, philomena was just 18 and unmarried when she gave birth to a son in an irish home for unwed mothers run by an order of nuns. she was forced to give him up three years later. she hid her secret for 50 years. >> 50 years and i think -- >> reporter: despite what she went through her faith never wavered, she tells me. >> you can't go through life being so unyielding. you've got to forgive. you've got to. just have to forgive. >> reporter: we were with her for this latest chapter of her astonishing story. a journey that has taken her to red carpets and capitol hill and even the golden globes. but today's journey here to vatican city is a remarkable show of the power of forgiveness.

. join

>> and that cold air is spilling into the south, nashville, 34 after they had all the heavy rain. remember the southern end was record rain for them yesterday. >> a whole lot going on. ginger, thank you. coming up, the latest on the overnight arrest near the home of philip seymour hoffman, four suspected dealers with hundreds of bags of heroin and new details emerging about the actor's final hours. and caught on tape in a popular new reality show, youth football coaches behaving, well, very badly so why are some parents defending them? and it was a monumental night out with george clooney. we were there with the lucky mom and her young daughter who landed the ultimate date night for $10. >> wow.

our epic wedding showdown kicks off. thousands entered. now four couple compete for the live wedding of a life time. ♪ f. thousands entered. now four couple compete for the live wedding of a life time. that cause chronic, widespread pain. lyrica is believed to calm these nerves. i learned lyrica can significantly relieve fibromyalgia pain. for some, as early as the first week of treatment. now, i can do more with the ones i love. lyrica is not for everyone. it may cause serious allergic reactions or suicidal thoughts or actions. tell your doctor right away if you have these, new or worsening depression, or unusual changes in mood or behavior. or swelling, trouble breathing, rash, hives, blisters, changes in eyesight including blurry vision, muscle pain with fever, or tired feeling. common side effects are dizziness, sleepiness, weight gain and swelling of hands, legs and feet. don't drink alcohol while taking lyrica. don't drive or use machinery until you know how lyrica affects you. those who have had a drug or alcohol problem may be more likely to misuse lyrica. with less fibromyalgia pain, i'm feeling better with lyrica.

ask your doctor about lyrica today. the folks at wonderful pistachios have asked me to help sell their product. but, come on. they're wonderful. i'm wonderful. they'll sell themselves. i think we're done. yeah. you were good. with the quicksilver cash back card from capital one, it means unlimited 1.5% cash back on everything you purchase, every day. it doesn't mean, "everything... as long as you buy it at the gas station." it doesn't mean, "everything... until you hit your cash back limit." it means earn 1.5% cash back on every purchase, every place, every occasion, all over creation. that's what everything should mean. so consider... what's in your wallet? in the last thirty seconds due to a lack of "branding." well, let's take care of that. pistachio! pistachio!

wait for it... pistachio! wait for it... with freshly bakedeve in whole grain bread.right then we add all-natural eggs... lean antibiotic-free ham... and vermont white cheddar. get 16 grams of protein and 23 grams of whole grain in the breakfast power sandwich.

awwww...here we go. ♪ one berry, two berry, mixed berry, blueberry ♪ ♪ peanut butter, nothing better, gimmie jam to make it redder ♪ ♪ cream cheese, cherry please, score some honey from the bees ♪ ♪ stack it up, it's what you do, mix it up, it's up to you ♪ [ female announcer ] try one of our fun recipes on facebook... and eggo your way! but one is so clever that your skin looks better even after you take it off. neutrogena healthy skin liquid makeup. 98% saw improved skin. does your makeup do that? neutrogena® cosmetics. now, from abc 7 news. san francisco police are investigating a hit and run accident near city hall and they're looking for the driver who is still on the loose. investigators say it happened just before 2:30 this morning while the victim was in the crosswalk. he was pulling a recycling bin

across van ness avenue and grove street right outside city hall when he was hit by a dark-colored suv. the victim is in his 50s and in critical condition at san francisco general hospital. the intersection has been reopened for traffic after being closed for nearly four hours. let's get a check on other commute problems. >> we have a sig alert in san jose. this is still shut down. stevens creek, the on and off ramp to northbound south 80 will be closed until further notice all due to a big rig that knocked down a power light and also some power lines there. so what you can do is continue on highway 17, get off at hamilton or take 280 and get off at winchester. >> before we

hales corners, wisconsin. nice pass by alyson dudek. can she hang on to that spot? and she does! [ male announcer ] with the u-verse wireless receiver, your tv goes where you take it, allowing inspiration to follow. ♪ [ dad ] looks pretty good, right? [ girl ] yeah. [ male announcer ] switch to u-verse and add a wireless receiver today. ♪

good morning, freezing cold up north. look at that, 29 in napa. upper 30s to lower 40s most of the bay area. you see gorgeous sunrise this morning from the exploratorium camera. temperatures today will be about 3 to 6 degrees below average. big deals of the week. or how to get great deals the easy way. you do enough flying around. that's why we give you real big club card deals. right now, our largest jug of arm & hammer detergent is just $5.00. fill your water supply. arrowhead water is only $3.29 a case. and chobani greek yogurt is just a buck.

real big deals this week and every week. only at safeway. ingredients for life. i nethat's my geico digital insurance id card - gots all my pertinents on it and such. works for me. turn to the camera. ah, actually i think my eyes might ha... next! digital insurance id cards. just a tap away on the geico app. could save you fifteen percent or more on car insurance. everybody knows that. well, did you know that when a tree falls in the forest and no one's around, it does make a sound? ohhh...ugh. geico. little help here.

♪ baby you're a firework >> look at that red carpet last night. lara on the big date night for george clooney with jean allen. she's right there. she won that big contest with a date with george clooney. oi long with her daughter there, victoria. looks like they're having a pretty good name. lara, cannot wait to hear all about it in just a little bit. >> never been so happy to be a third wheel. >> i'm sure she felt the same way like get out of here. i got this. >> hey, george, hey, george. >> all right, lara. we're also going to turn to the story of a growing mystery in texas. a family's search to find out what happened to a young father. and caught on tape in a popular new reality show. kids as young as 8 are being told to hurt other football players. we're going to hear from two football coaches who have been

suspended by why parents are supporting them. >> yeah, that's a talker. we're kicking off our epic wedding showdown. it's this morning, there you see the four couples limbering up to compete for the ultimate wedding, yes, these four couples going veil to veil, i dare say, on our obstacle course for a chance to get married live on "good morning america." >> they've got game. >> into it. we had hundreds and hundreds of people -- >> couples. >> thousands. >> but these are the final four. >> yep. >> we'll put them through the paces. >> the final four. >> exactly, lara. but we'll about begin with those overnight arrests near the home of philip seymour hoffman. four suspects in custody. police trying to find a link to the actor's death. abc's cecilia vega is here with much more on that. good morning, cecilia. >> reporter: good morning to you, robin. a big raid here as you said in new york overnight. police still trying to determine exactly how the three men and one woman arrested and all those drugs found are connected to hoffman's death. could this be the clue needed to find out where he got the drugs that likely killed him?

this morning, four suspected drug dealers are under arrest after police received information during the investigation into philip seymour hoffman's death and the heroin that killed him. authorities finding more than 350 envelopes of heroin when they raided this apartment where the suspects were found. this as new details emerge about the final hours of hoffman's life. on saturday evening a fan sees hoffman and says he looks out of it. a few hours later, hoffman talks to his longtime girlfriend mimi o'donnell on the phone. it is the last known contact he has. about the same time, a witness sees hoffman withdraw $1200 in cash in six transactions from an atm over the span of an hour. that money never found in hoffman's apartment. the next morning, hoffman is found dead in his bathroom, a needle in his arm roughly 70 bags of heroin nearby.

overnight police confirming the heroin does not appear to be tainted with the chemical fentanyl which has killed other heroin users in the past. >> this is the scene of the movie where you help me out. >> reporter: today, hollywood grieves the loss of an actor some consider among the best in a generation, george clooney telling lara spencer -- >> he was a friend so it's -- it was a surprise. unbelievable. >> reporter: now those close to hoffman making plans for his funeral. o'donnell seen here at a new york funeral home tuesday. >> the minute the gun goes off it'll be a bloodbath. >> reporter: one of the many questions left after his death, what will come of his role in the blockbuster "hunger games" series. >> you have been our mission from the beginning. >> reporter: the actor had reportedly finished filming most of his scenes for the final "mockingjay part 2" but had one large, emotional scene left. >> i had a couple solutions to your problem. >> reporter: a hurdle hollywood has had to overcome before

following the sudden deaths of stars like heath ledger and paul walker, some hollywood insiders reportedly predicting insurance companies might require actors to record various facial expressions in advance just in case something tragic happens during production. now that last "hunger games: mockingjay part 1" movie is not due out until next year. movie companies execs saying how they decide and do end up solving hoffman's absence they promise that the film will be a true tribute, robin, to this truly amazing actor. >> amazing loss. talented actor and cecilia couldn't help last night watching you on "world news" and how you shared a personal story about how this affects you and your family. >> yeah, you know, and what i've learned after sharing this, my father was a heroin addict. my father, raoul who died because of his addiction and we all miss him very much, and the response that has come out overnight has been absolutely

overwhelming. what i learned my takeaway in all this, so many families out there, just like mine struggling and dealing with addiction and it's something you learn to live with and, you know what, you can -- you're okay. you can do okay. >> his daughter is beautiful. >> thank you. >> what you have done. and it was so thoughtful that you shared that so people know they're not alone. >> we're not, thanks. >> thanks, cecilia. we turn to a mysterious death in texas and one family's crusade to find out what really happened to a young father. local authorities insist alfred wright was not murdered. his family is not convinced and the u.s. justice department is on the case and linsey davis has the story. >> i feel like they held him hostage and they tortured him. >> reporter: the family of 28-year-old alfred wright says they believe their son's death was not the accident that law enforcement claims. >> i had doubts from the beginning and i think it was just a mother's intuition. >> reporter: a loving father of three and physical therapist living in jasper, texas, alfred was last seen here on november 7th of last year. his family says he had just seen a client and was on his way home

when his truck broke down so he called his wife lauren to come get him. since she was home with the kids she asked her in-laws to pick him up. when lauren called him back she said she was disturbed by what she heard. >> like he was in distress. i had never really heard that from him before. >> reporter: when alfred's parents arrived they saw his truck but not alfred. >> it was completely not like alfred to run from his responsibilities, to run from his family. >> reporter: the next day his watch and i.d. were both found at a ranch near where he disappeared. the police organized a massive manhunt but after three days the search was called off. but when the family hired a private investigator and organized their own search party 19 days after alfred went missing, his body was mysteriously found in an area where police claim they had already looked. >> when i found him, it actually was a relief because we found him, we found him.

>> reporter: the official autopsy concluded it was an accidental drug overdose, toxicology showed cocaine and meth in his system but no evidence of severe trauma. but the family says he didn't use drugs and that they won't stop until justice is served. >> and we will not let it go because injustice anywhere is a threat against justice everywhere. >> reporter: we reached out to the sheriff who did not comment on the case. the family is awaiting final results from an independent pathologist who says there were definite signs of homicidal violence. sheila lee is demanding the justice department investigate the case which she believes may be racially motivated. robin and george. >> many more questions to answer. let's get more weather from ginger. >> raise your hands. who has winter fatigue? all right. i've got some information for you. 43 days until spring. >> ooh. >> i thought that's -- >> no. >> that does not sound close. >> or three.

>> i'm sorry. it is 43 days. but we will get through this. it's just a bad one today this. is what we're dealing with today. this morning some 6 to, yes, almost 14 inches of snow will or has already starting falling. this is in massachusetts northwest of boston called lexington and behind it, a real punch of cold air so we don't want to think about those 43 days because by tomorrow you'll be going, is it 42? oh, boy, we should make a little ticker or something. boston here, these are high temperatures the next couple of days, chicago only gets to 9 on thursday for a high. 15 for friday and, of course, there will be windchills that are colder than this. i'll leave you just simmering on good morning. i'm mike nicco. it will be dry during the day but increasing temperatures. low 50s along the coast, mid to upper 50s for the rest of us. accuweather seven-day >> i'll tell you who does want

this winter to end too, that would be the drought, that would be california but, look, 3 to 4 inches through the weekend. great news for northern california so some good things happening on the other side of the country. >> yeah, nice try. >> can't make up. >> you saw that too, lara. okay, ginger. time-out for ginger zee. coming up, youth football coaches under fire on a new reality show. why are they encouraging players as young as 8 to hit each other on the field? and the app assigned people to lose weight with tough talk. we put it to the test. to lose weight with tough talk. we put it to the test. some headphones,eh it'll be perfect. honey... thank you for making our home his home. our home is his home. [ jane ] behind every open heart is a story. tell yours with my open hearts collection at kay jewelers. celebrate your family and those we embrace in our lives with my open hearts family designs. keep your heart open... and love will always find its way in.

♪ every kiss begins with kay i've got a big date, but my sinuses are acting up. it's time for advil cold and sinus. [ male announcer ] truth is that won't relieve all your symptoms. new alka seltzer plus-d relieves more symptoms than any other behind the counter liquid gel. oh what a relief it is. than any other behind the counter liquid gel. (meowright on cue. (laughs) it's more than just a meal, it's meow mix mealtime. with wholesome ingredients and irresistible taste, no wonder it's the only one cats ask for by name. ♪ abe! get in! punch it! [ male announcer ] let quicken loans help you save your money

with a mortgage that's engineered to amaze. [ male announcer ] let quicken loans help you save your money ♪ led to the one jobhing you always wanted. at university of phoenix, we believe every education- not just ours- should be built around the career that you want. imagine that. that's my end goal, that's my end destination. when i'm on the ice and it's one of those frigid mornings, i often think about somewhere really warm that i can travel to. for me, even a quick weekend trip somewhere to kind of reset makes me a better athlete. what keeps me going through those hard days is imagining the places that i'd be able to go travel to. [ male announcer ] be a weekender like ashley wagner. take some time for yourself at hotels like hilton and hampton.

book now at hiltonweekends.com. almond breeze almondmilk makes everything good even better... from the bowls of cereal you make... to all the delicious recipes you bake. because inside every carton is the goodness of blue diamond almonds. so grab a carton of almond breeze. almondiciously good!

and we're back now 7:42 with the and we're back now 7:42 with the popular new reality show that's coming under fire called "friday night tykes." about youth football. two coaches have been suspended raising questions about the tough training for young kids. abc's newest correspondent mara schiavocampo has the story. we were all rooting for me to get that right. we are so thrilled to have you. >> just as thrilled to be here, thanks guys. back to that reality show, two volunteer youth football coaches getting a time-out after episodes showed them forcing children through grueling practices yelling at them and even encouraging the kids to hurt opposing players. many are saying that kind of training isn't just unsportsmanlike, it's downright dangerous. >> hut. >> get up, son. get up. >> drive him to the ground.

>> reporter: tough talk. >> y'all can hit everybody right here. >> reporter: sidelines screaming. >> right there! >> reporter: hard hits. and the players are just 8 and 9 years old. it's all part of "friday night tykes" a new reality show on the esquire network providing an unvarnished look at a youth football team in texas packed with pint-size players. now two of the league's volunteer coaches have been disciplined for shocking unsportsmanlike conduct. in one charles chavarria tells one of the kids to hit an opposing player with a helmet, a practice so dangerous it's banned by the nfl. he's now suspended for the rest of the year. >> that kid comes across i want you to put it in his helmet. you understand. i don't care if you don't get up. >> reporter: and marecus goodloe encouraged of using young players of using profanity. the coach out for the rest of the season denies encouraging them but issued an apology for his own behavior.

he has also apologized and both men say they're devoted to their players. >> i'm definitely apologetic for that. it was a bonehead moment. a bad decision on my part. >> looking back it was not good. you don't realize what you say in the heat of the passion. >> reporter: critics of the show say this kind of training shouldn't be glorified or even practiced at all. >> it feels like you're watching child abuse, sanctioned child abuse. there's no evidence to suggest that this kind of coaching is effective in building athletes over the long term. >> reporter: still, parents are defending coaches like chavarria and goodloe. >> sometimes the coaches can be rough and they're trying to bring out the best in the kids. >> even though suspended the two will continue to be on the series which was filmed during the 2013 season. they say they hope to coach again once their suspensions are over and the head of the texas youth football association says he doesn't have the power to dismiss them permanently. you know, you do see across the country a lot of participation in these youth leagues dropping

so it seems that more parents are becoming concerned about these risks. >> yeah, they're speaking up. they're speaking up. >> they should. >> they should. welcome back, we should say to abc because you started as a desk assistant back in the day. >> my first job ever was at abc and, george, i think you're the only person in tv that has a name as long as mine. i feel right at home here. >> schiavocampo. we'll all get it right. >> you all said it perfect. >> schiavocampo. i love saying it. >> welcome again. >> and coming up, we're going inside the ultimate date night with the one, the only george clooney. you don't want to miss that. [ male announcer ] walgreens understands being at the corner of "looking for a good deal" and "sheesh, i should've looked some more." ♪ that's why walgreens makes it easy to save even more on your medicare part d prescriptions. ♪ just stop on by and leave all the legwork to us. switch to walgreens today where you could save with copays as low as zero dollars on select medicare part d plans.

at the corner of happy and healthy. on select medicare part d plans. what does that first spoonful taste likok. honey bunches of oats. ching! mmmm! mmmm! mmmm! wow! it's the oats. honey. yeah. honey bunches of oats. this is a great cereal. they weren't looking at me. ♪ i can't believe i still have acne at my age. i feel like it's my acne they see...not me. [ female announcer ] acne is a medical condition that can happen at any age. fortunately, a dermatologist can prescribe aczone® (dapsone) gel... fda approved for the topical treatment of acne, and proven in clinical studies with people 12 years and older. talk to your doctor about any medical conditions you have, including g6pd deficiency, and any medications you are using. use of benzoyl peroxide with aczone® gel may cause your skin to temporarily turn yellow

or orange at the site of application. the most common side effects with aczone® gel are dryness, redness, oiliness and peeling of treated skin. looked great. [ female announcer ] ask about a free sample size of aczone® gel. aczone® gel. see a dermatologist and see for yourself. aczone® gel. we really you know? take a relaxingjust to unwind.a. but we can only afford one trip this year, and his high school reunion is coming up in seattle. everyone's going. then we heard about hotwire... and realized we could actually afford to take both trips. [woman] see, when really nice hotels have unsold rooms, they use hotwire to fill them. so we got our 4-star hotels for half price. i should have been voted "most likely to travel." ♪ h-o-t-w-i-r-e ♪ hotwire.com

book with our app for an additional... $25.00 off your next hotel. ♪ [ male announcer ] whether you're after the perfect score, or the perfect taste, giving everything you have to get it right is what being the best is all about. [ cheers and applause ] smucker's.

proud sponsor of all our hard working olympians. >> announcer: right then, here's the "play of the day." >> all right. we have a great "play of the day." golden retriever who clearly loves the game of tennis. meet george. george, the golden retriever. he is a tennis enthusiast as you see. he's watching the august austin open and my favorite part is,

look, when they stop playing, he stops. see. he's waiting. he's waiting and then when the players actually go back and forth to hit the ball he goes back and forth. see, there he goes. >> he must think it's like a wii. >> i think he thinks the ball is coming out. >> he's waiting for it. coming up we're waiting for our epic wedding showdown kicking off and honey boo boo and mama june. >> and george. >> and george. >> coming up "gma" at the olympics brought to you by chobani, how matters. chobani, how mears.

try our delicious new fresh mex bowls with chipotle or margarita chicken. all served with a bowl of soup, like our new southwest chicken. chili's lunch combo starting at 6 bucks. more life happens here. ♪ ♪ ♪ because an empty pan is a blank canvas. [ woman #2 ] to share a moment. [ woman #3 ] to travel the world without leaving home. [ male announcer ] whatever the reason. whatever the dish. make it delicious with swanson.

try zyrtec-d® to powerfully clear your blocked nose and relieve your other allergy symptoms... so you can breathe easier all day. zyrtec-d®. find it at the pharmacy counter. eat tomato sauce on my spaghetti. the acidic levels in some foods can cause acid erosion. the enamel starts to wear down. and you can't grow your enamel back. i was quite surprised, as only few as four exposures a day what that can do to you. it's quite a lesson learned.

my dentist recommended that i use pronamel. because it helps to strengthen the enamel. he recommended that i use it every time i brush. you feel like there is something that you're doing to help safeguard against the acid erosion. and i believe it's doing a good job. [ male announcer ] this man has an accomplished research and analytical group at his disposal. ♪ but even more impressive is how he puts it to work for his clients. ♪ morning. morning. thanks for meeting so early. oh, it's not a big deal at all. come on in. [ male announcer ] it's how edward jones makes sense of investing. ♪

now, from abc 7 news -- >> good morning, i'm christen zee. a hayward police officer is on paid leave after shooting and killing a woman on foothill boulevard last night. officers were asked to check on the women's well-being. they say she pulled a handgun and they fired on her. she died at the hospital. it's not raining right now but it will be pretty soon. >> increasing clouds mainly gray by the afternoon hours. mid to upper 50s elsewhere. that's cooler than average. check out the rain totals coming in tonight. quarter to three-quarters around

the bay, up to 1 1/2 inches in the mountains. >> we have an update on the sig alert in san jose as we take you right over to 880. on and off ramps, those are shut down. they'll be shut down until 9:00 all due to a downed traffic signal and power lines. >> the news continues right good morning, america.

it's 8:00 a.m., and we've got the date of the decade. >> i feel wonderful. i feel like a million bucks. >> on the town with leading man george clooney for a monumental night out. see what the movie star is really like down his downtime. the new app that kicks your butt into shape calling you out when you're not working out. we're putting it to the test. ♪ i want to marry you plus our epic wedding showdown and it launches this morning. thousands entered. four couples chosen. now they compete for your votes. all that and honey boo boo and mama june live as we say -- >> good morning, america. >> and that's not all this morning. there they are, the four couples

in our epic wedding showdown. so many of you have, thousands, and we narrowed it down to four terrific couples. they are so game and being put to the test in our clash of the couples right now. the winner will get a wedding and there's jerod small officiating. he's getting into it too. so great for the next week as the wedding will be on valentine's day. >> look at him. he's really into it. >> yes, he is. >> josh is on assignment. good to have amy robach with us this morning. also ahead, the new app that we mentioned that, well, it bosses you around if you start veering off your diet. how is this going to work? >> humiliates you apparently. >> you'll put it to the test. >> let's move on to reality tv superstars. honey boo boo and mama june are here. you saw honey boo boo for their first interview. they had a frightening car accident back in january. it injured several members of their family. we'll talk about how they're feeling and also hear about much

better things, how the show is going to change this season. what we're going to see from them. a little less pageant, a little more outdoorsy. we have all been talking about the ultimate date night with george clooney. cannot wait to take you behind the scenes. i can say i went on a date with george, however, i was a massive third wheel. >> or fourth wheel actually. >> that's okay. i don't care. >> you were there. >> it's a wheel. >> i was there, people. >> so as you can see we have a whole lot to get to. news from amy first. serious news, breaking news from southern russia. authorities say they have killed the suspected mastermind of the recent suicide bombings in volgograd which raised so many security concerns for the olympics in nearby sochi. the suspect was apparently the leader of an islamist militant group who according to russian state media was killed in that shootout in dagestan this morning. meantime, with the opening ceremonies just two days away there is more evidence sochi is

not ready. hotels and roads as you see there still unfinished. athletes and reporters are saying and there we see it that the water in many hotel rooms is a goldish/brownish color and let's just say it's undrinkable and there are design problems as well with the snowboarding course blamed for injuring athletes. shaun white hurt his wrist and is now pulling out of the slopestyle event. well, this morning roads are treacherous from texas all the way to new england as the second of three snowstorms this week barrels into the northeast. thousands of people in the midwest have lost power and thousands of flights at the nation's busiest airports are canceled or delayed. schools are closed in boston and in many other cities making things worse. there is a shortage of salt to treat the roads, so crews in some states are actually paying double to fill up their trucks. a potential break in the investigation of actor philip seymour hoffman's death. four people here in new york have been arrested with hundreds of bags of heroin.

police say the arrests stem from information uncovered during the investigation of hoffman's death. we could get autopsy results as soon as today. former "american idol" runner-up clay aiken is making it official. he is running for congress. he's launching his campaign this morning posting it online with a video. he says washington is dysfunctional and both parties must work together to solve problems. america voted for him once. they may vote for him again. finally there is know shortage of unusual sightings on the new york subway but this one, another pun, takes the cake. a woman got on to a train and shocked everybody when she started eating her purse. yeah, she devoured it. turns out it was, if fact, an edible bag, a chocolate cake made at cooking school. who was filming this? this is hilarious. >> only in new york, people. only in new york. >> it worked. she made it on "gma" this morning. >> i kind of want a piece. >> i do too. >> it looked really good. >> no one even flinched.

>> okay, she's eating her purse. >> whatever. "pop news" coming up. weather from ginger. >> now we are out here with a spirited crowd and how did you guys get here this morning? this is a slushy mess and we turn all-terrain and check in on washington, d.c. because i've got to show you they've been on the rainier side, first they had the freezing rain advisory and now it starts to move from south to north out. that's what everybody wants to hear. let's talk timing. that low pressure system slides across the northeast and i think the heaviest snow will stay this parts of northern connecticut, massachusetts through the afternoon there into new hampshire and maine even and then it pulls away for us tonight. that's wednesday, 9:00 p.m. on the top there and turning colder, oh, my goodness, talk about it for the parade in seattle, i just got from scott our affiliate at komo saying it is really chilly. it'll feel like it's the teens for folks, oh, seahawks, they don't care. they're celebrating.

>> this is how you stay warm and happy on a snow day. canada proud out here, lara. >> canada proud indeed. a look at what's coming up on our "gma morning menu." first in "pop news." hollywood's hottest bromance heating up. why leonardo dicaprio and jonah hill can't get enough of each other. plus, the new app that bosses you around telling you to lose weight and shows nice pictures like that. we put it do the test. our epic wedding showdown. it takes off with four couples vying for the valentine's day

wedding of a lifetime on "gma." all that and george's ultimate date. george clooney's ultimate date. live on "good morning america." "gma's morning menu" is brought to by new, fast-acting advil. nothing is faster.

that's for heidi? [ guy ] oh, yeah. oh, no. she's gonna love it, right? [ all ] no. she will not. four words: he. went. to. jared. jared? jared. trust us. now, step away from the jersey and nobody gets hurt. [ female announcer ] jared, the galleria of jewelry has a selection larger than ordinary jewelry stores, including unique styles you won't find anywhere else. the perfect gift... i love it! [ female announcer ] ...from an almost-perfect guy, that's why he went to jared.

[ female announcer ] ...from an almost-perfect guy, cozy or cool "meow" or "woof"? exactly the way you want it ... until boom! your mattress a battleground of thwarted desire. enter the sleep number bed. an innovative design that lets couples sleep together in individualized comfort.

he's the softy: his sleep number setting is 35. you're the rock, at 60. as your needs change, you can adjust your sleep number bed, so you can sleep better together. the ultimate sleep number event is on now only at a sleep number store. with queen mattresses as low as $599.99 know better sleep with sleep number. [prof. burke] at farmers,we believe what you don't know [bell rings] can hurt you. like what if you didn't know to get coverage for uninsured drivers? [robot] uh oh. [prof. burke] talk to farmers and get smarter about your insurance. ♪ we are farmers bum - pa - dum, bum - bum - bum - bum♪

time to complete your bachelor's or master's degree and prepare for a new career. with devry university's merit-based career catalyst scholarship you can. apply by february 28th for up to $20,000 for qualifying new students. with this scholarship you could be on your way. in 2012 90% of our associate and bachelor's grads actively seeking employment had careers in their field within 6 months. make this your year. start at devry.edu. apply by february 28th. ♪ check it out. a little facebook flashback. we went to lara's facebook feed. got a whole bunch of great shots. anyone can make them. so many people already sharing them across facebook this morning. something that they rolled out to commemorate the tenth anniversary -- tenth birthday. a nice picture, lara.

>> thank you, george. that's nice, thanks, facebook. that's fun and we all have them. >> everyone. >> other people, not just us. facebook is doing this. you should go on. it's wonderful. it's just a way for them to say, hey, thank you for the last ten years and it's really touching. >> hey, ginger zee in that's a long time ago. >> that's great. >> i love facebook. it enables you to remember the good times. >> i almost cried when i watched mine. i was like, oh. >> it really is. >> oh, that's great. well, we thank you facebook and i'd love to give you guys "pop news" this morning. we begin with leonardo dicaprio and jonah hill had so much fun not to mention success working together in "the wolf of wall street" they have decided to team up again. they'll star in "the ballot of richard jewel" also based on a true story about the 1996 summer olympic bombings. jonah will play jewel who was wrongly named a suspect. dicaprio will play the lawyer trying 0 clear his name. both actors have business to do. >> they were so good together. >> they relly are and i'm

curious to see if scorsese has anything to do with this. i now just say both names. >> okay. >> yeah. >> marty. >> it's going to be marty. >> i like that. well, that's what i call him but -- also in "pop news" this morning, an incredible find. we heard through the grapevine a man got a lot more than he bargained for after picking up old records at a garage sale in detroit. turns out one of the vintage records he paid 00 ce50 cents f contained marvin gaye's passports tucked into one of the album's sleeves. that 50 cent record is worth at least $20,000. >> wow. >> yeah. >> amazing. and that's why -- >> brake for yard sales. >> i brake for yard sales. >> we were waiting tore that. >> i didn't say package ma. >> that's true. >> you're not allowed to say magna. >> tay in your lane. finally, everybody, in just

a few minutes you will meet the very, very, very lucky lady who won a date with george clooney. it was a charity auction. $10 for a raffle ticket and went to his tent knell satellite project in sudan. matt damon and ben affleck think they can do it better and decided to double your pleasure with an auction of their own to win a date with matt and ben. >> oh, wow. >> we've got a much better deal. >> what's your deal? >> our deal is you debt to come to l.a. with a guest, you get put up in a really nice hotel and hang out with us. we'll do a special hollywood event and take you with us and so you can come hang with us at that and it's all to raise money for eastern congo initiative which is ben's foundation. >> water.org. to enter, that sounds good, go to oms.org. all it takes is $10 and a dream. >> do you get to pick what you

do or do they pick. >> they put it together. >> they put it all together. >> a wonderful idea. >> a wonderful idea. more and more we'll talk about it when you see george's -- it is a really great concept. >> it's fantastic. now here you have to vote on whether you like this concept or not. a new app that helps you keep in shape with tough love. it's designed to shame you into losing weight. the makers say it's all meant to be in good fun. it's way too harsh critics say abbie boudreau has the details. >> reporter: that that terrifying moment of truth, stepping on the scale. realizing that voice in your head -- >> greetings, chubby human. >> reporter: is real? meet carrot, a fat shaming app that's supposed to help you lose weight using insults as motivation. >> smile meatbag. >> reporter: the latest emof the fitness tech family. it measures bmi and weight fluctuations. if you pack on the pounds, you'll pay for it. >> i think having more of a

tough love approach that is sarcastic and sassy i think people will respond to that and it motivates them more than that traditional feel-good approach. >> wow. it called me a meat bag. >> reporter: clearly sent trainer harvey pastor knack is not a fan. >> i think it's already we have too much of. we have too many reality shows, people screaming and yelling at us to lose weight. >> reporter: if you don't mind being threatened and ridiculed carrot fit may just be the perfect fit. for "good morning america," abbie boudreau, abc news, los angeles. >> so we asked you all to weigh in on this. let's see what aileen says, if that angle works for the person using it then so be it but i find it off-putting. renee tweets "nobody makes you buy an app. nobody's fault but yours. if it makes you feel bad, get a grip people, don't like it,

don't buy it. >> a meatbag. >> or chubby human. >> we'll all weigh in before the experts. >> listen, i think we do a good enough job of doing that ourselves, don't you? every day, look, what you're talking about is really the difference between positive reinforcement and punishment and what works better. data kind of goes more on the side of positive reinforcement and catch more flies with honey but at the end of the day it's whatever works. >> doesn't the app just use the bmi, the body mass index. >> it's one of the big ones they use, robin. >> is that a good indicator for weight loss? >> it's one of the biggest ones we use and have but is it perfect? absolutely not. it has limitations. it doesn't take into account muscle mass, but, listen, the future is incorporating all these biometrics like weight, blood pressure, weight circumference, neck circumference, bmi using technology and these apps. >> you're studying nutrition at columbia. what does work? >> when you're talking about maintenance other losing a few

pounds it's clear what you eat is really the key in that but when you're talking about the issue of obesity or morbid obesity that schiffs the playing field and the trend is using diet, exercise, medication, surgery, everything in our arsenal because it is a complex issue and when you're talking about losing that much weight you actually -- it's more about what you have to gain with good health than what you have to lose. it's really complex. >> i love how you put it there at the end. >> thank you. now to the olympic games, american snowboarder star shaun white announced this morning he's withdrawing from one of the events saying there's too much risk of injury. he's not the only athlete we'll be watching compete. amy is here with five contenders to watch. that's hard to boil it down to five. >> we picked the top five. so many obviously competing in this game. hups but we have veteran american champions who you know their names and then these hungry new stars who are hoping to shine in sochi so here are just a few picks to bring home the gold.

♪ this year team usa is sending 230 world class powerhouse athletes to compete in the olympic games so who should be on your radar? an injured wrist isn't going to keep 27-year-old shaun white off the slopes. but this year you might not recognize the world famous snowboarder, white recently chopped off his trademark locks. >> helmet fits better. >> reporter: he will compete in his signature halfpipe event in the hopes of standing atop the podium a third straight time. ♪ in 2006 lifelong ski hound ted ligety brought home a gold for alpine skiing. he unexpectedly left the games in 2010 empty-handed but year back with a chance to go fold gold in four different races. >> i have to focus on the skiing as well as i can. ♪ >> reporter: long track speed skater shani davis is heading into his fourth olympic games, already the proud owner of two

gold medals hoping to defend his title and bring home a third. >> i used to be that younger guy beating up on the older guys and now i'm the older guy trying to stop the younger guys from beating up on me. >> reporter: the 31-year-old has a cartoon character based on him fro zone in "the incredibles." in women's figure skating perhaps the best chance for gold is a girl whose name seems destined for it. 18-year-old gracie gold, the massachusetts native is known for her sophisticated spins and silhouettes. winning over fans with her i can't believe i just did that face. gold whose twin sister is also a competitive figure skater calms her nerves by juggling and designs her cost tooups with her mom. ♪ and don't forget to keep your eye on 19-year-old ski jumper sarah hendrickson. >> i started jumping at the age of 7. i watched my brother for a few years and kind of got sick of him. >> reporter: these games are the first olympic games that women are allowed to participate in the sport and hendrickson isn't

letting anyone slow her down. >> when you're on the highway and you move your hand up and down you can feel the effects it has with the wind and that's what ski jumping is but with your entire body so it's an amazing feeling and, you know, that's what i live for. >> beautiful. all right, so you all don't feel left out on friday i have something for you, the mittens and hats that team usa will be wearing from ralph lauren. all the u.s. athletes will be wearing this made in the usa on friday. >> usa, usa. >> i like the gold. >> that's right. i love -- amy, you are leaving later today for the olympic games. >> yeah. >> we know that you're in the middle of treatment. is that all right. >> we worked it out with my doctors. i had my third chemo treatment last week and when i get back the next day, boom, i go for number four so it's sandwiched right in between and say it's mentally good for me to go. >> now you're writing a book about your journey. >> i am. they all have told me and you told me, write, write, write, journal, journal, journal, so i have all of these thins i'm

writing so it seemed like the perfect combination plus i didn't want to be the only one at the table who didn't have a book. >> welcome to the club. >> thank you. >> thank you. >> that's great. good luck, be safe. >> yeah, please do. >> i will not drink the water. >> yeah, definitely not. >> that news this morning looking at that. not the gold i want to see. >> no. you'll be great. have fun. >> thank you. all right, i'm excited to share this with you all. george clooney spotted at the premiere for his new movie "monuments men." this date was all for a very good cause. ♪ last night at the premiere of much anticipated new movie "monuments men," there was one question on everyone's mind. >> i lost my date already. >> she's right here. >> oh, there you guys are. >> look how pretty you look. >> reporter: just who was that mystery woman and her 8-year-old daughter on george clooney's arm. >> amazing. very kind to victoria. he would make a great dad. >> reporter: the lucky lady is

42-year-old jean allen, a personal trainer from dallas who won the golden ticket to spend a night out with the hollywood hunk thanks to a $10 win a date with george clooney charity raffle on omaze.com. we treated her to a day of pampering. hair at ted gibson's salon and a gown and sat down with me for what she thought was a one-on-one interview about the experience. take me to the moment where they said you win. >> i didn't believe it. >> reporter: she hasn't been on a date since 2010. your first date since you became single. >> yes. >> is with george clooney. >> yes. >> are you kidding me? >> no. who doesn't love the salt and pepper hair. he's gorgeous. he's a 10. 'a total package for anyone. definitely. >> jean doesn't know it but she is about to meet the total package for the first time. >> so you better get ready. i just want to make sure you know what you'll say when you first meet george clooney.

>> it's so nice to meet you. >> oh, my gosh. >> she didn't even flinch. hi, i'm george. nice to meet you. come here. >> the mother/daughter duo as cool as cucumbers. >> there we go. >> thank you. >> pull up a chair. how are you? when did you get in? >> we got in last night. >> how long will you stay for? >> we were supposed to be tomorrow but our flight was canceled. >> congratulations. >> yeah. >> jean entered the raffle because she shares clooney's passion for his project for sudan that monitors human rights abuses in the region and the raffle will help the organization raise over $1.2 million. >> you guys and what you've done will make a huge difference. >> reporter: now it's red carpet time. any advice for convenient or victoria about their foray into your world? >> well, we're going to get out of a car and there will be a lot of people taking pictures and there will be people yelling like crazy. >> george, george. >> how has your day been? >> amazing. >> reporter: some of clooney's

"monuments" co-stars more than a little jealous. if you had won the date with george, what would you want him to do with you? >> i've been on many dates with george. >> how are they? >> they're pretty good. some i can talk to you about. some i can't. >> what would you want to do with george clooney on a date? >> i would really want to teach him about table manners. >> you know george is on a date tonight. what would you want to do with george on a date? >> he's a frenchman, you know. >> what would you two do on a date? such a great guy. george said the money raised will buy the sentinel satellite project three months of around the clock surveillance and help infrared cameras to detect atrocities hidden until nightfall in the region so very serious stuff. >> fantastic. >> big deal and as you saw more stars are doing it. go to omaze.com for more.

i loved our date. coming up, the obstacle course for "gma's" epic wedding showdown. "gma" at the olympics is brought to you by chobani. how matters. hd 8.

good morning. the san francisco police are investigating a hit and run accident from city hall and looking for the driver who is still on the loose. investigators say it happened just before 2:30 this morning while the victim was in the cross walk. the victim is in his 50s and in critical condition at san francisco general hospital. the intersection has reopened after being closed for nearly four hours. another problem right now, a sig alert. >> that's right. as we take a live look right now from sky 7 hd in san jose, this is right over stevens creek boulevard near 880. i can tell you that both the north and southbound on and off ramps are going to be shut down

until 5:00 this afternoon. because this big rig, it hit some power lines, wires are down. so it will take some time to clean up. >> thanks a lot. the rain is coming a good that comes in 25 flavors.

from whole natural to wasabi and soy sauce. and once good gets going, there's no stopping it. get your good going. blue diamond. snack nut of the u.s. ski team. good morning, still freezing cold up north. we're in the mid to upper 30s in the east bay valleys towards los gatos. rain's coming in tonight, going to be a pretty healthy dose,

half inch to an inch in most lower elevations, ♪ god knows i never meant to hurt you ♪ ♪ whoo i never meant to break your heart your heart baby ♪ check out that new music video for the song "hurt you." brand-new music video out. their new album called "love, marriage and divorce" just released tuesday and they'll be here on "gma" this friday. that will be fantastic. >> looking forward to that. also this morning, who could forget? we've got honey boo boo and mama june. i believe they are at our twitter mirror right now. >> there they are. >> reality tv's most famous mother and daughter duo here to talk about the new season of their hit reality show and they're also going to talk about that car accident that injured several members of their family but they have lots to discuss and they're always a lot of fun. >> they are a lot of fun, yeah. >> i'm glad they're okay, yeah. you guys ready? are you ready?

it is time to kick off our "gma epic wedding showdown." four incredible couples will battle it out this week for a dream wedding right here on "gma" live on valentine's day with -- get this -- john legend as the wedding singer. i mean, does it get better than that? it won't be easy, though. we have three days of serious competition ahead. each day one couple will be eliminated. they have been warming up all morning long. first, though, we want you to understand who they are. ♪ it is the battle of the brides. the fight to the finish of fiances, "gma's epic wedding showdown" that feature four engaged couples set to go toe-to-toe and veil-to-veil. nearly 700 couples from all over the country entered to have a chance to win a wedding on live tv in our studio on valentine's day.

four couples stood out including alex and jeremy of pennsylvania stood out. talk about competitive. he is a former assistant coach to the u.s. olympic softball team. she is the youngest of five which means she's always had to compete to be heard. they were drawn to each other thanks to a mutual love of family and faith. >> i think it comes down to morals and values and what we believe in everything. >> then there's chris and abria from houston. they met in college and get this, abria was so certain chris was the one, she spent their first date mapping out their entire wedding. >> most men would run, right? but he stuck around and called me the next day. >> abria is set to get her doctorate in plant pathology this spring and says she's looking forward to adding an m-r-s to her ph.d. next up, it's sergio and lauren of san diego. lauren is an icu nurse and sergio is in the marines. he proposed on bended knee last month after a tour in afghanistan. >> just seemed right doing it as soon as i got home. >> finally there are our overcomers. brittany and paul who reside just outside of syracuse, new

york. 3 1/2 years ago brittany was diagnosed with ovarian cancer at age 27. paul never left her side. through operations and multiple rounds of chemo. >> it's such a good feeling to have to know that somebody truly is there for better or for worse. he's seen me bald, and he told me how beautiful i was. >> now cancer-free, brittany says she's ready to make her vows on national tv, so who will wed live on "gma"? it won't be a veiled secret for long. it's "gma's epic wedding showdown," and it starts now. let the games begin. couples, come on out. everybody, we want you to meet the red team. jeremy and alex, team red. where are you? >> there they are. >> jeremy and alex. team yellow, chris, and say your name? >> abria. >> abria, you go girl.

ready? blue team, sergio and lauren. and finally on the green team, paul and brittany. welcome to the clash of the couples obstacle course. you feeling good? you feeling warmed up? >> i'm ready. this is how the game goes. let me explain it for you guys. so the guys have to put on right away the suit and pants, can't forget one. women, into the veil and the dress. you've got to get both then you both have to hold hands, pick up a tray each, walk down the aisle that is your color. >> that's right. >> together, right, sherrod. >> because that's how life is going to be. set it down here. hook your arms, take a celebratory sip. that's the second step. then you come over to this huge sea of tulle. inside the color of your bouquet is happening in there. you have to dive in together and get out together. once you've got it all you come hand in hand, you ring that bell and my friends, you've won. you've won. that's how it goes. veil over here. >> thank you for the demo.

i want to make sure everybody knows, sherrod small, comedian sherrod small is here. >> you nailed it, ginger. >> he'll be the referee so we remain impartial at "gma," so we need you to watch to make sure who wins. guys, four couples here, obviously the first two couples to get first and second place are safe. the bottom two, one of you will be eliminated with your help, the viewers, okay. three days of competitions, only one can be married live on "gma" with john legend, so should we do it? here we go. three, two, one. go. [ cheers ] >> i think we have to give them this, right? [ cheers ] >> okay, stay there. wait for it. go together. hold hands. you got to hold hands. you got to hold hands. you got to hold hands. >> yellow team is looking good, sherrod. yellow team is looking good.

>> take a sip. >> sip. sip. >> get in! get in. get in there. find yours. find yours. >> this is a tight race. >> oh, my god. find those bouquets. [ whistle ] >> oh, the red team coming from behind. >> holding hands. we've got one. yellow team, two. blue team, third. and bringing up the rear, the green team. >> come on over. >> time. that was insane. >> that was beyond insane. >> that was crazy. >> sherrod, what did you notice out there? >> i thought everybody was fabulous. i did see blue go ahead. they let their hands go when they rung the bell but you did come back and got it

back so good for you. it was a great competition. i think we have a winner, though. >> the winner, the winning couple gets their tux, their gowns free from kleinfeld as part of our wonderful wedding package. more goodies. i mean, it doesn't get better. we'll get final rankings from sherrod at the end of the show, but, viewers, it's up to you which of the bottom two couples will advance. you have until 8:45 a.m. eastern to go online to goodmorningamerica.com on yahoo! to vote for your favorite couple. you may just save them from elimination. ginger, take a deep breath. full contact weddings are happening, and we need a forecast. >> of course, you do. you know, i'm winded watching you guys, so great job to everybody. hey, we have to get some forecasts going. if you have a wedding this weekend, i know you're concerned about storms because it's that time of year, and this morning in philadelphia, we've got a live shot. you know, they only had ice with this one. over a quarter inch and you can see the ice and snow accumulations, and that's so far. kansas city right there at 8. hartford, 7 already and, of course, that snow is going still especially in new england,

western new york. some of the snow totals will top close to 12, even 14 inches and stay rain or dry out from the south. so we'll be done with this storm by the time we reach late tonight into early tomorrow. >> yay. >> of course. yay. sherrod gives it a full yay. we'll give you so much good morning. i'm mike nicco. it will be dry during the day but increasing temperatures. low 50s along the coast, mid to upper 50s for the rest of us. accuweather seven-day >> all that weather brought to you by devry university. hello, sherrod. >> hey. >> george is downstairs with some very special guests. >> i sure do, ginger. how about our new co-anchors, sidney and regan, from the girl scouts of greater new york here for a very good reason. this weekend kicks off our national girl scout cookie weekend, kicks off friday.

we're counting down to the big day with a special announcement this morning and here's some more scouts coming in, as well. the brand-new cookies for this year. i guess we got two new ones. tell us about them. cranberry citrus crisps and the first gluten-free cookie. >> yes, we're introducing our new limited edition gluten-free cookies. and it's going to be really exciting because there's a lot of people in the market that really like gluten-free. >> yeah. >> and are really excited about this. >> chocolate chip, shortbread. but your favorite like so many -- >> yes, the thin mints and they're great frozen so they are my favorite. >> they are. >> yes. >> all right. way to sell it. and, you know, we'll be giving away -- the girl scouts are actually giving away a whole year's worth of free cookies. >> yes. >> and you can find out how to enter the contest by going to our website goodmorningamerica.com on yahoo! what are you going to try? >> i have the samoas. >> oh, excellent choice. >> they are awesome. they're a great cookie because they're -- they have a lot of

different things included in them. >> a lot going on in that cookie. >> yeah, they are. >> there's coconut, chocolate. >> it has coconut, exactly, and it's more so for your enjoyment than health. >> yeah. >> we'll take it. then you have a gluten-free afterwards. thank you, guys. i'm having a good peanut butter here. coming up, honey boo boo, mama june are here live. ♪

♪ i'm joined now by honey boo boo and mama june of the hit reality show "here comes honey boo boo," the first family of reality tv, and you have just launched your third season. congratulations. >> thank you very much. >> first i was in mcintyre, georgia, now you come to new york and we have the horrible weather and you're stuck with us. >> hey, we're in between the snowstorm so we had one in our, you know, in atlanta, which shut us down which i don't do that and then we come here and y'all have one. very excited. a lot more snow than we had a few days ago. >> alana, are you having fun in the snow? >> yes. >> of course, you are. >> when it started snowing she heard all of us talking about snowing and got up and went -- because we stayed in times square and we had to go out and play in it. it was kind of neat. >> i know -- there was a -- alana, you make it hard to ask a serious question with your funny faces, but you all did face a serious car accident in january. how are you doing? >> everybody is doing pretty good. you know, pumpkin is still

recovering, but this is day by day. we have good days and bad days. i mean, she's here with us with sugar bear because just so she can be close to like me and so she can feel comfortable going through everything she's going through. it's been a trying five weeks so we've been taking it day by day, a lot of patience, a lot of devotion and stuff like that, but overall, you know, everybody is getting better. >> and alana is dancing through it all so i can see she's going to be -- >> she's watching the cameras. >> alana, how are you feeling? >> how are you feeling? >> good? you look like you're feeling really good. >> i'm feeling awesome. >> all right. let's talk about -- >> i'm feeling awesome. >> because there's going to be less pageants. we'll see the girls take things outdoors and get real. >> yeah, i mean, you know, pageants, you know, don't -- alana, she loves still doing -- she still loves -- >> she's a showman, yes. >> we go and -- >> a showman. >> -- watch our friends and stuff.

so, you know, we just want to do more activities and more hobbies and seeing what else she can do. she loves doing cheering. she loves the cheering part. >> there you are, but there's always funny dialogue through it all. in fact, we have a clip from this thursday's episode. let's take a watch. >> well, just talk about having another kid. >> no. >> let's try to have a little brother. >> ah, no. no. y'all got a baby brother. where is he at? kitty, kitty. >> he's not human. >> no, my biscuit is closed for business. >> well, there's a new baker in town. i just think your biscuit needs to be re-opened. >> no. >> final answer? >> uh, you have to watch the season. >> oh, there's a teaser right there. now you're famous for your funny words as is alana, as well. we want you to explain for people who may not know. one of your words is called multimeal. it's actually a phrase. >> the multimeal is where you put everything in a bowl, and if it tastes good, then you make it again.

if it doesn't you dones make it again. >> do you like multimeal? >> do you like the multimeal? barbecued chicken and rice. >> depends what the multimeal is. >> if it's nasty and all -- >> you don't eat it. >> no >> and bisketti. we know what that is. what's bisketti? >> it's sketti. >> sketti, yeah. >> all right. what is it? >> sketti is like when my momma has a special sauce and she won't tell no one her secret formula. >> all it is is ketchup and butter. they love it. i grew up on ketchup and butter. >> why are you telling her your -- >> shh. it's a secret family rest pay that you'll have to wait and watch on the show. correct? >> yeah. >> congratulations on season three. glad everyone is feeling better. >> thank y'all so much. >> have fun in the snow today. i know you will, alana. >> we're going to -- >> i totally will. i totally will. >> you can catch "here comes honey boo boo" on thursdays on tlc. coming up, "saving mr. banks" star b.j. novak is here to tell us about his new funny

book. if you like funny, there's more of i ♪ ♪ ♪ told ya you could do it. (dad vo) i want her to be safe. so, i taught her what i could and got her a subaru. (girl) piece of cake. ♪ (announcer) love. it's what makes a subaru, a subaru.

do you remember b.j. novak from "the office"? you've seen him in movies like "saving mr. banks." now you can read his very funny first book, "one more thing: stories and other stories." b.j. novak here right now. you just had a fan moment with honey boo boo. >> i'm a fan of that show. i think it's really good. i like it. >> i'm a fan of your book. >> thank you. >> it is so funny. >> thank you. >> i was lying on the couch last night. harper was doing her homework and i started laughing out. she was going, what's the matter with you, daddy? it's so fantastic. i have to ask you, where do these ideas come from? a blind date with a warlord. >> yeah, well, i like mashing up unexpected combinations, that's why some of the stories take place in the real world with slight changes, or, you know, sometimes it'll be a twist on a tale that we already know or -- >> well, you do a twist on the tortoise and the hare. >> yeah. well, that always bothered me,

the tortoise and the hare story. >> why? >> i felt it was unfair to tell that one time that i'm sure the hare regreted that time. he really got cocky and messed up, but in general, a hare will beat a tortoise and i felt, if i feel this bad for the hare, i wonder how the hare felt and i wondered if he would ask for a rematch and how it would go. >> we will not give away the ending and you're taking them out on the road? >> well, in a sense. i spent a lot of time while in "the office" and as a stand-up comic and felt that was the best way to really be brutally honest with your material, what works and what doesn't. so i started when i wrote these stories going on stage at a theater in l.a. and just booking the theater and performing the stories really and seeing what worked and what didn't, and it was really helpful. it felt great when the stories worked and terrible when it didn't, but everything improved. >> so many great things happening for you right now. we loved you in "saving mr. banks." >> well, thank you.

>> now, you have a small chance at an oscar? >> well -- >> the score. you sang. >> oh, that's true. i'm a part of the score. it's the first time i sang since seventh grade. >> i think we have a picture of that. well, that's the movie right threw, but i think we have a picture of your last time singing. there it is. >> that's me in "oklahoma," and the character's name is curly and i have straight hair. so you can imagine how good i was to get that part. that was the last time i sang in front of people before this movie. >> this is your first time, though, on "gma," so you got to play a little bit of a game. >> you got it. >> we're going to play co-star confidential. ill's show you a photo of someone you starred in a movie with. say the first word that comes to your mind. first up emma thompson, "saving mr. banks." >> gorgeous. >> good one. next up from "inglourious basterds," brad pitt. >> gorgeous. we're on a roll here. >> steve carell, "the office." >> nice. >> nice, okay. and you were in "knocked up." we were talking about it before with jonah hill. >> yeah, yeah. we didn't have any scenes

together. >> so he doesn't get a word? >> "knocked up" is the smallest part of anything, but it's a classic movie in my opinion, happy to be in it. jonah, funny, the definition of funny. >> coming up you'll be in "spider-man 2" with jamie foxx. >> cool. very cool. he is a cool, cool guy. >> so are you, b.j., novak. thanks for coming in.

at kaiser permanente we've reduced serious heart attacks by 62%, which makes days with grandpa jack 100% more possible. join us at kp.org and thrive.

is in e almond. a good that comes in 25 flavors. from whole natural to wasabi and soy sauce. and once good gets going, there's no stopping it. good . get your good going. blue diamond. snack nut of u.s. snowboarding. ♪ use chase freedom at gas stations this quarter and get 5% cash back. so you can keep rolling in style. activate your 5% cash back at chase.com/freedom chase. so you can.

♪ well, it was a gripping first day of the "gma epic wedding showdown," epic, indeed. sherrod is dancing over it. that's our first place couple, ringing the bell at the finish line earlier. all four couples battled it out on the obstacle course, only three of these couples can move on to compete tomorrow. our referee sherrod, watch closely. in first place, team red. nice job. second place, team yellow, nicely done. so it all comes down to you, the viewers, to vote for our bottom two couples, the couple that gets more votes from our "gma" viewers will advance, the other couple sadly needs to go home. sherrod, the envelope, please. >> indeed. >> oh, yes. >> the couple advancing on the epic wedding showdown, george, amy, is team green. [ cheers ] paul and brittany.

more votes from viewers. which means you advance. team blue, i'm so sorry. great, great job. great, great job. >> thank you. >> tomorrow more "epic wedding showdown." see ya. have a great day.

rit,amr wn

bwas voted product of the year, u erst othwa) ñ finish quantum better homes and garden's best new dishwasher detergent, and it has the good housekeeping seal. giving it more honors than ever before. take the finish shine challenge and see what it can do for you.

now, from abc 7 news. >> good morning, i'm kristen sze. a healthy dose of rain is definitely heading our way. mike nicco has the timeline. >> why don't we start with that graphic? it rolls in tonight. by the rush hour, most of us are dealing with light rain all tl way through tomorrow morning's rush. light to moderate, three-quarters to a half inch in the east bay, then possibly three-quarters to an inch and a half. what me impressive, the weekend storm could double that. >> stevens creek remains closed after a big rig shut down a power line. take a look at earlier footage shot by sky 7 hd. we still have those on and off

ramps shut down from northbound and southbound ramps to 880. things will >> it's "live with kelly and michael." today host of "america's got talent," nick cannon, and rachael from heart. plus, we'll hear your comments and questions when we open up michael and kelly's inbox. all next on "live." into [captioning made possible by disney-abc domestic television] captioned by the national captioning institute -- www.ncicap.org -- ♪ [applause] kelly: thank you. hi.