>> i think so. >> i like to call you a skinny legend. >> i'll take that too. >> iconic drew tuma. abc 7 news will be there. good morni good morning, america. state of emergency, a massive winter storm on the move, families ordered to evacuate as heavy rains spark mudslides out west. the close call on the runway. a jet slides with 112 passengers on board. and 15 states bracing for impact as the storm heads east. breaking overnight, oscars bombshell. kevin hart stepping down as host over a firestorm over past homophobic comments, first refusing to apologize. >> the reason why i passed i've addressed this several times. we're feeding internet trolls. we reward them. i'm not gonna do it, man. i'm gonna be me. >> then his stunning decision to quit just hours ago. the reaction coming in right

now. also this morning, you're hired. the former fox news anchor expected to be the president's nominee for u.n. ambassador, plus the man who could be the next attorney general. and what it could mean for the russia investigation. the terrifying moment in a classroom. >> take a seat. >> where a teacher whips out scissors forcibly cutting a student's hair. ♪ what so proudly we hailed >> then going after another one. police respond to the scene. holiday shopping alert. a warning about gift card scams. the man who bought his mom a $50 walmart card. so how did it end up only being worth 47 cents? and the crazy traffic stop caught on camera. a lemur on the loose. and wait till you see what else was in the car.

good morning, america. hope you're well this friday morning. welcome back to cecilia. >> thank you. shaping up to be a busy friday morning. we, of course, have that huge oscars bombshell. kevin hart stepping down. we'll have much more coming up. before we get to that we'll begin with that dangerous storm that is on the move this morning. heavy rains leading to mudslides, forcing mandatory evacuations in southern california and now that system is heading east. and we're going to go right to ginger who is in our extreme weather center. she's been tracking the storm and she'll let us know all about it. >> working hard with the team looking at the images we see all day. check this out, interstate 5 in california shut down because of snow. you do not see that in southern california very often. you do see this, when even a half inch of rain hits a burn scar area, you can get mudslides. yesterday up to 4 1/2 inches in the last 48 hours so really impressive rain totals and a big disaster for southern california where we find our matt gutman in

lake elsinore. >> reporter: hey, good morning, ginger. those are the burn scar hills that you're talking about. and everywhere here is the mud that came coursing through here. i want to give you a sense of how high it was, before they cleaned it up. it's more like cement than mud. that mud coursing through the town of lake elsinore with definite force turning streets into impassable canals of mud, up to two feet high. >> we just don't know the stability of our hills anymore. the fire did its devastation. the hills behind us that are not a concern could become a concern very quickly. >> reporter: thousands evacuated from areas that burned in wildfires just weeks ago. the mud rivers shooting down from canyons and dams like this. the so-called mud line in this woman's home marking the height of the mud surge, even seeping through her walls. neighbors rushing to pile sandbags and shovel whatever they could away from the

foundation. >> i moved everything to that side. i pushed everything that way. we just bagged up all we could. >> reporter: parts of the pacific coast highway seemingly cemented in mud, shutting it down, it rave so heavy at times, it caved in the roof of this day care center in san diego. no children were inside. and it wasn't only rain, just north of los angeles, snow crippled highways. traffic frozen in place for miles. >> we have a storm moving through the gorman area about 40 miles north of los angeles along the 5 freeway that shut the freeway down entirely. >> reporter: and a scare at one of the area's busiest airports. southwest flight 278 was traveling with limited visibility from oakland into burbank when it hydroplaned off the runway. >> just be advised, there will be a lot of emergency vehicles exiting. >> you could see shrapnel like sand and mud flying up past the windows. >> reporter: now, the local national weather service did not predict this, ginger.

they forecast light to moderate rain and no mudslides. apparently this is a was a difficult to forecast kind of storm. ginger. >> we're trying to do impact. i'm hoping for the future we can worry about even a half inch of rain. thanks so much. but let's look at the map. as this moves east it's not just the moisture, but you see that it freezes. and that's where it's going to become a big issue for saturday and sunday through the plains. if you saw your state highlighted pay close attention. on saturday, just north of 20 it turns into ice and snow. and cecilia, as we wrap up sunday up to a foot of snow in western north carolina like hickory could be buried. >> it is going to be a busy weekend for you guys, thank you. we want to turn now to that stunning oscar news overnight. kevin hart stepping down as host. this came just days after his name was announced and, of course, after a firestorm over past anti-gay tweets. adrienne bankert is here with the latest on all of this. good morning, adrienne. >> reporter: good morning to you, too, cecilia. there was at first so much excitement over kevin hart hosting the academy awards, even posted how this had been a career dream of his for a very

long time. but then outrage after calls came to remove him as host, tweets from the comedian's past that many believed are no laughing matter. two days after landing his dream job being named the host of the 2019 academy awards, kevin hart announced he won't be working the gig. in a tweet overnight, he said, i made the choice to step down from hosting this year's oscars, this is because i do not want to be a distraction on a night that should be celebrated by so many amazing, talented artists. the popular comedian whose star has been rocketed landing leading roles in blockbusters like "central intelligence" and "jumanji" has 66 million instagram followers, more than the last three oscars hosts combined. his record-breaking tour has him outselling rock bands like u2. >> we sold a football stadium out tonight. so i need to hear that! >> reporter: but this morning, hart resigned as host, after

critics called out his past tweets and jokes featuring anti-gay slurs and expressing homophobic sentiments. >> if i can prevent my son from being gay, i will. >> reporter: in posts, he says, i'm in love with the man i'm becoming. >> guys, i'm almost 40 years old. if you don't believe that people change, grow, evolve as they get older i don't know what to tell you. >> reporter: that defiant tone added fuel to the fire as more calls came for the academy to ax hart as host. fellow comedian billy eichner tweeting a simple authentic apology showing any bit of understanding or remorse would have been so simple. the president of the human rights campaign tweeting, you say you've grown, show us. make amends for hurtful things you've said and affirm lgbtq people. hart seemingly standing firm went on to say on instagram again. >> so i just got a call from the academy and that call basically said, kevin, apologize for your tweets of old. or we're going to have to move on to find another host. talking about the tweets in 2009 and 2010. i chose to pass. i passed on the apology. >> reporter: hart says he has

addressed this exact issue before and has no reason to do so again. >> we're feeding internet patrols and reward them. i'm not going to do it, man. i'm going to be me. i'm going to stand my ground. regardless of the academy, i'm thankful for the opportunity. if it goes away, no harm, no foul. >> reporter: but less than an hour later, heart did apologize, tweeting i sin nearly apologize for the lgbt community. much love and appreciation to the academy. i hope we can meet again. >> so far, the academy has post nod statement. the issue does lend a question of whether a person can change. we'll see what people in hollywood, as well as audiences think about that. >> thanks so much. we're going to move on now to the white house, where president trump appears to be zeroing in on major staffing changes as he moves to the new

year. positions like u.n. ambassador and attorney general. our chief white house correspondent jon karl has the latest. >> reporter: good morning. there are some big changes afoot here at the white house. the president has decided to nominate a former fox news personality as the u.s. ambassador to the u.n. minutes ago the president made it official, he's nominating heather nauert. >> she's very smart and very quick. nauert came to her current state department job without any government experience and no foreign policy experience either. she was, however, an anchor on "fox & friends," the president's favorite cable news show. nauert would replace nikki haley, who was a two-term governor of south carolina. >> he was the first choice for

number one. >> reporter: barr has already served as the attorney general for the elder president bush in the 1990s. while barr was attorney general, he was robert mueller's boss. >> are you now directing mueller? >> yes. >> reporter: at the time mueller was the head of the doj criminal justice division. jeff sessions, a u.s. attorney at the time, also served under barr. barr will be seen as a relatively noncontroversial choice, an establishment choice. but there are some things that he will be asked about undoubtedly. one of which last year he suggested that there is more reason to investigate allegations against hillary clinton than russian collusion with the trump campaign. >> yeah, he agrees with the president on that one. but, jon, as we've seen the president on a tweet storm, this morning, about the mueller investigation, of course, it comes ahead of two big reports expected today from the special counsel, the sentencing memos for paul manafort and michael cohen. >> reporter: these are big potentially leading us to get real information as to where mueller is going with his investigation. he'll be describing information

regarding manafort, why he decided to break up that plea agreement, what manafort has been lying about. you remember, he accused manafort of lying. and the sentencing of michael cohen. this will be two interesting filings. >> okay, jon karl, thanks very much. it will be a big day in washington. fired fbi director james comey is also there testifying on capitol hill, but it's going to be behind closed doors. our senior congressional correspondent mary bruce has more. comey, mary, had wanted to testify in public. didn't go that way. >> reporter: yeah, cecilia. it took a lot of negotiating to get to this point. but the former fbi director agreed to answer questions here on the hill this morning behind closed doors. this is house republicans' last chance to haul comey up to the hill before they lose control. and comey initially fought their subpoena request saying republicans would just selectively leak parts of this interview. but ultimately, he has agreed to come here under the conditions he be allowed to speak out publicly afterwards and they release the full transcripts. >> republicans want to question

comey. among the things they want to question him about, the fbi's role in the 2016 election, including the investigation into hillary clinton's private e-mail server. >> reporter: yeah, and they also want to get to the bottom of the origins of the russia investigation and republicans say there are inconsistencies with comey's previous testimony though not saying what they are. overall republicans here argue that the agency was biased against donald trump while democrats here, cecilia, say this is nothing more than a political show to distract from the russia investigation. >> all right, mary bruce, thank you. michael? >> thank you. and now to new questions for president trump after two women came forward saying they were undocumented immigrants while working at president trump's new jersey golf course. one says she often came into contact with the president, making his bed and doing his laundry. now they are speaking out, angry over the way trump talks about immigrants. abc's chief national affairs correspondent tom llamas had a chance to speak with them. good morning, tom. >> michael, good morning to you.

these women paint a picture of the exact type of business president trump calls out, the women tell us they don't know nor have any proof president trump knew they were working illegally but they allege people who work for him did. this morning, president trump's business hit with accusations in stark contrast to his stance on illegal immigration. "the new york times" first reporting that the trump organization employed at least two undocumented immigrants at its luxury golf club in bedminster, new jersey. victorina morales and sandra diaz say they were both hired as housekeepers even though they came into the country illegally. you were working there with a fake green card. >> uh-huh. >> uh-huh. >> reporter: yes, she says. morales says her job included cleaning both mr. trump and daughter ivanka trump's personal residences. what exactly did you do for the trump family? clean the house, she says. clean the bathroom. make his bed. morales said she once told the president she was from guatemala. he told you he liked workers from guatemala. yes, the women said.

he liked the way we worked. the women admit they were working with false documents and say that other undocumented immigrants worked at bedminster, and some managers were not only aware, but helped coordinate getting false green cards and worker permits. you told them, you told staff at the golf club you didn't have the right papers and they still gave you a job. yes, she says. president trump called out businesses who employ undocumented immigrants. and when he opened his hotel in washington -- >> we didn't have one illegal immigrant on the job. everybody knows it. >> reporter: now, one of those women, sandra diaz says she has a green card but no longer works there. the other, victorina morales, does not and was scheduled to work yesterday, but has since quit. the white house refusing to comment on this one, guys. the situation. but the trump organization telling us we have tens of thousands of employees across our properties and have strict hiring practices. if any employee submitted false documentation in an attempt to circumvent the law, they will be

terminated immediately. guys. >> thank you, tom. we turn to the search for those five missing american marines lost after their aircraft collided in midair off the coast of japan. these marines among the 50,000 u.s. servicemen and women stationed in japan. our chief foreign affairs correspondent martha raddatz in washington with the latest. good morning, martha. >> reporter: good morning, george. the five marines who are still missing were in the big kc-130 refueler aircraft. the two found in the water, one of them alive, were in the fighter jet which has ejection seats. this morning, an urgent search for those five missing marines, but after nearly 48 hours, time is running out. their refueling tanker, which is essentially a flying gas station, was attempting to refuel an f-18 fighter jet in the dark of night when the two airplanes collided. the refueler has retractible hoses with baskets on the end. the fighter jet must approach the refueler and plug its own nozzle into the moving basket.

all of this midflight, about 20 feet from the other aircraft. using night vision goggles. >> rendezvousing on another airplane at night is challenging. if you're doing it in the weather, which we know weather was a factor. doing it way out at sea, where you have blackness underneath you and above, no visible horizon, can be very disorienting. you'd get vertigo and disorientation. >> reporter: the marines in the fighter jet ejected from their aircraft and a locater beacon would have guided rescuers to their location. a raft could have been deployed from the ejection seat if the marines were conscious. but neither was found in a raft. the marine who survived was in the 60-degree water for four hours. the one who did not was in the water for ten. the marines corps has now identified the deceased marine as the pilot, 28-year-old jammar resolard.

but there is growing concern about the frequency of military aviation accidents, which a military times reports climbed 40% in the last five years. >> a lot of questions there. we want to turn to that moving tribute for former president george h.w. bush. thousands lining up to say their last good-bye as the special train painted like air force one carried the 41st president to his final resting place in college station, texas. many leaving coins on the rails for the train to run over and flatten. something they could keep as a memento. these elementary school students holding that simple banner there, thank you. a sentiment echoed throughout the day by so many. former president george w. bush brought to tears by reba mcentire, one of his father's favorites. they joined 41 on the train to his presidential library where he was buried beside barbara, his wife of 73 years and their daughter robin. truly a beautiful thing to see. >> without a doubt. what an amazing man. now we'll go back to ginger with more on the coldness coming to the east. >> yeah, you know you had to

have something for you this weekend. summit township, pennsylvania, showing lake-effect snow and a couple more inches fell and here is the cold that's going to ttle in for the weekend. look at that. saturday, feels like 0 in burlington, 29 in washington and 15, cincinnati.

coming up that terrifying incident in the classroom. a teacher caught on camera cutting a student's hair then going after another student with scissors. >> boy, that's something to see. and also, the 911 calls just released in that terrifying alligator attack. a wife pleading for help and the tourist who jumped in just in time. that alert about a gift card scam. the man who bought his mom a brand-new $50 gift card at walmart was only worth 47 cents. we'll tell you how to get what you paid for. so stay right there. get what you paid for. so stay right there. for adults with moderately to severely active crohn's disease, stelara® works differently.

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a new keurig... and home decor! and - buy online - free store pick-up! most orders will be ready within two hours at your local store! give joy, get joy - at kohl's. hi there, good morning. i'm jessica castro. i want to share a stunning number with you, 13% of students at san jose state are homeless or have been homeless in the last year. students want the president to address their concerns. they're looking at ways to improve services. they're expected to release a message today with information on resources that are available. let's take a look at your traffic with alexis. >> good morning. right now we're looking at the san mateo bridge, so westbound

92 quite heavy. if you look at the bottom of your screen, you can see a crash. chp is on the scene but that slows everything down. eastbound 205 at the 580 split in tracy, a roll over crash on the shoulder. very

and mike nicco is on vacation. we're tracking dense fog right now. petaluma is down to zero visibility. it will lift over the next couple of hours. temperatures later on today, upper 50s to lower 60s. it's a dry day today. your seven-day forecast, blue skies tomorrow, our next chance of showers happens sunday night in the north bay. thank you. coming up on gma, the oscars'

bombshell overnight. kevin hart steps down as host under fire for past homophobic tweets. his response this morning. we'll have another update here in about 30 minutes.

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i have an announcement to make. you are live on the oscars right now. [ cheers and applause ] you see that audience. >> welcome back to "gma." that is jimmy kimmel in one of the best moments from the oscars last year. well, the show is back in the headlines this morning. kevin hart stepping down as host just a few days after accepting the job after a firestorm over some of his past comments. we'll have much more on that coming up in the show. >> yeah, a lot to talk about there. some headlines including that winter storm that's on the move. families ordered to evacuate as heavy rains lead to mudslides out west. now, 14 states from nevada to virginia are bracing for heavy rain, snow and ice. a lot of eyes on wall street this morning. set to open following a roller

coaster of ups and downs at one point thursday, the dow plummeted almost 800 points, at one point on top 800 points the day before and closed 79 points down. fears over a possible trade war with china are one reason for the market volatility. and overseas in paris they are bracing for a fourth weekend of anti-government protests. they have become violent and now almost 100,000 police will be deployed across the country and security concerns are so high that the eiffel tower will be closed to visitors tomorrow. >> crazy scenes over there. also one more, did you guys see this? take a look at this. the queen and a little kid, what happens when you meet royalty. well, for this little boy, his name is mason, fair to say he was overwhelmed. he yells, bye, i'm out of here. i guess i can relate. there are a few people when you meet them you get nervous. >> she's seen it all and keeps on going. no big deal. >> didn't even phase her. we're going to turn now to

that disturbing video from a high school classroom where a teacher became unhinged, arrested after cutting a student's hair while singing the national anthem then went after another student. kayna whitworth is here with the story. >> yeah, george, good morning. that teacher now being held on $100,000 bail after this bizarre behavior, the school saying they removed her from the classroom immediately and now working with police. ♪ what so proudly we hail >> reporter: it's the startling video that has landed a california high school teacher behind bars. watch as 52-year-old teacher margaret gieszinger is caught on camera forcibly cutting one student's hair. then throwing it behind her all while bellowing the national anthem. ♪ and bright stars >> reporter: when he realized what happened, he stands up. >> i'm not done. >> reporter: then she begins chasing students around the classroom with scissors, even grabbing this girl's hair.

>> no. >> reporter: but she managed to get away. terrified students running out of the classroom. one student whose voice has been altered says she had declared the day as haircut day. they thought she was joking at first then quickly realized she was not. >> i hope i never have to see her at that school again because i know for a fact that i will never be able to see her as a respectable authority figure in my life. >> reporter: gieszinger's husband telling our affiliate he's surprised and confused by his wife's actions. >> i'm trying to figure out myself so i don't know what happened. it's not her. it's not who she is. i don't know what was going on with her. i don't have any clue as to why she did that. >> reporter: now, this is a teacher who's had her credentials suspended twice before. now the district attorney's office is reviewing the case. for possible charges to be filed. the school is prepared to take the most severe action possible and also deeply concerned about the students who had to witness that.

>> hard to go back in her classroom. >> yeah. thank you. >> great to have you here. we want to turn to new 911 calls you have to hear to believe. an 85-year-old man in florida attacked by an alligator and he is saved by a tourist who came to the rescue. victor oquendo is in miami with this incredible story. good morning, victor. >> reporter: good morning, cecilia. those calls came in one after the other describing that horrifying scene as that alligator bit down on that man's foot. but thankfully there was a good samaritan nearby to help. >> there's a gator eating a man. >> the alligator is attacking the man? >> reporter: in these newly released 911 calls, the chilling moments after an alligator attacked 84-year-old george ihle. >> an alligator attacked my husband. he's laying -- he's laying behind a bush bleeding. >> we're coming now to you as

fast as we can. >> okay, please hurry. >> reporter: evidence of the brutal attack which left ihle recovering in the hospital. his sneaker still in the thrashing gator's mouth. a tourist passing by using his shirt to stop the bleeding credited with saving ihle's life. >> the alligator went back into the water. the man has been attacked by an alligator. there are a few people over there right now applying a tourniquet. i can't see exactly. >> reporter: the sheriff's deputies visited ihle in the hospital wishing him a speedy recovery. and the polk county sheriff's office adding there is no such thing as a routine call, which can often be the case here in florida. we should also mention that alligator attacks are rare but as we continue to develop waterfront property in their habitat these encounters can become more common. guys. >> you are making me nervous standing next to that water there. >> doing the story like that. >> be careful. >> you guys, speaking of animals on the loose, take a look at

this little rascal. he made quite a spectacle in seminole, florida. video shows troopers pulling over an erratic driver as you see there and when the officer peers into the vehicle an acrobatic lemur pops out. it hopped out of the truck to see what's going on. like why did you pull us over for? and then it clamors down all around the officer who tries to focus on the driver as hard as that was for him and the driver tells them the lemur's name is mico and she bites and that lemur is a native of madagascar, then it puts on quite a show, like we said, parading up, down. they finally get the animal in the cage but found exotic animals in the trailer, a tortoise, a parrot and a goat. >> yeah. >> my husband is a retired highway patrol officer and you have a book on how to handle certain things, i don't think there's a book on the lemur, what to do.

>> different mode of transportation. guys, we have coming up, as we finish our holiday shopping, if you've got gift cards on your list, and most of us do, you want to hear this. the man who bought his mom a brand-new $50 gift card at walmart. so how did she end up with a card worth only 47 cents? you don't want to miss this. ♪ i was covered. it was awful. but i didn't give up. i kept fighting. i got clear skin with cosentyx. 3 years and counting. clear skin can last. see if cosentyx could make a difference for you. cosentyx is proven to help people with moderate to severe plaque psoriasis find clear skin that can last. don't use if you're allergic to cosentyx. before starting cosentyx, you should be checked for tuberculosis. an increased risk of infections and lowered ability to fight them may occur. tell your doctor if you have an infection or symptoms. or if you have received a vaccine or plan to.

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the oats feed your body fiber. some oats, fiber helps keep things moving through your system. which is great. because when you're good to your system, it'll be good to you. we are back with an important warning for your holiday shopping about gift card scams. the national retail federation says spending on gift cards is expected to reach nearly $30 billion this year alone, but the fbi warns consumers are expected to lose a billion dollars to scams. our consumer correspondent becky worley is here with more. this is one we all need to hear. >> that's right, they are convenient, cecilia. they're useful and you don't

even have to wrap them but if you are plunking a bunch of money into this, watch this first. holidays, a time to shop for great gifts for your family, but that good cheer was lost for josh layton, after he bought a $50 gift card from walmart for his mom. even though the card never left his wallet. >> when i checked the balance, i realized the gift card had been depleted to 47 cents. i was absolutely shocked. >> reporter: the fbi receiving more than 36,000 complaints this year alone. total lost to consumers nearly a billion dollars. just last month walmart, target and best buy in a joint action with law enforcement agencies announced changes to their gift card policies to prevent fraud. >> the most straightforward way that people are getting access to people's gift cards is in the stores. >> reporter: authorities say that rack of cards in pharmacies and supermarkets is an easy mark for criminals. here's why.

a criminal could just pocket one of these cards inside a store and then go out to the parking lot, take that metallic strip right off and write down the numbers. once they have that, they can use one of these replacement metallic stickers you can buy online and just make it look brand-new. and then after you purchase the gift card and load it up, criminals periodically check and see if the card is active. then they drain the balance. as for josh, because he used the credit card with fraud protection for the purchase -- >> they actually refunded me the entire amount of which was stolen off the gift card. >> reporter: this christmas he's buying actual gifts instead of gift cards for his family. walmart told us it's investigating josh's case but it's a good warning for everyone. >> it certainly is. how do you know? what can you be on the lookout for? >> really specific tips. like josh use a credit card that has fraud protection. next you want to make sure it hasn't been tampered with. if you're pulling a card from one of those racks you want to

buy from the middle of the rack and examine that magnetic strip. let me show you here. we've got a picture of the back of one of these cards. there is a p.i.n. number under this magnetic strip. you need both pieces of information so a criminal will tamper with that p.i.n. and use a sticker. buy one that looks like all the rest. when you're doing this and you can also, remember this stuff, give cash. >> oh, thanks. >> merry christmas. it still works. >> good tips. middle of the rack. >> and it goes back to the property department. she can't give it to you. all great things you need to look out for. coming up, the newest layaway angel. the star who paid more than $430,000 to help people get what they need this season and what inspired him. we'll be right back with that. he's literally a superstar. you don't want to miss it. a superstar. you don't want to miss it.

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to see how joint damage could progress. ask about enbrel. enbrel. fda approved for over 19 years. we are back with that new layaway angel paying more than $430,000 to help people get what they need this holiday season and that angel, it is tyler perry. and t.j. holmes is here with the story. hey, t.j. >> you think about how many people you all have on your christmas list now you need to buy for. tyler perry just added 1,487 people to his list. he didn't check to see if they were naughty or nice but had their name on the list, customers who had layaway at two atlanta stores, he walks in, writes a couple of checks and he's adding his name to a growing list of christmas holiday laywlayaway angels.

he's played madea in movies for years. >> it's christmas and i'm taking what i want. >> reporter: now he's playing santa in real life. actor, filmmaker tyler perry is in the christmas spirit to the tune of $430,000 paying off all layaway items at two atlanta area walmarts. >> my best friend called me, she's like tyler perry paid for your layaway. i'm like, what, what. >> i called walmart and they're like it's true. i was crying actually to a man on the walmart -- >> reporter: he revealed his gesture on twitter. >> i was trying to do this anonymously but due to some circumstances nothing stays secret these days. i have paid for all of your layaways for christmas. >> reporter: perry says he was inspired to be a layaway angel after watching our story on thursday morning featuring other secret santas who paid off holiday laya ways at walmarts across the country. >> i know it's hard and people are struggling and i'm grateful to be able to be in a position to do this. >> reporter: it wasn't just

customers who were moved by perry's christmas gift. >> who just does this? so, mr. perry, you are amazing. can't do this. you are amazing and i personally thank you. my associates thank you and i know the community thanks you. >> reporter: a final message and reminder from this not so secret santa. >> god bless you. go get your stuff, merry christmas. >> okay. now, this has happened in 57 stores, 57,000 in walmart in new york. colorado and pennsylvania so it's happening in a lot of places and 100,000, the saints owner in new orleans. it's really remarkable and, remember, folks, layaway was started in this country around the great depression. it was a way for people to still be able to pay and afford things. so, just by its design, people who are using layaway, they don't have credit cards, they don't have cash. they don't have the cash so this is really going to be helpful. >> it's great that this is contagious. >> yes. >> and the bar is so high now. >> who is watching now? who's watching now? >> it's really high. he went to the neighborhoods he felt i think needed it the most

and made sure he took care of that. 430,000 is a lot of money and thank you to tyler perry and you see even the worker at the store was crying because she knows how much this means to people. >> communities, you're right, he picked particular communities. >> i see we have our phones on the desk. you'll want to hear this. coming up, investigation -- a "gma" investigation. is your android phone tracking you? wait until you see our experiment. plus, george had a big one-on-one. julia roberts, what she's saying about movies, motherhood and george is breaking meghan markle news. >> how about that? >> come on. >> oh, man. on. >> oh, man. ask if xeljanz xr is right for you. xeljanz xr is a once daily pill for psoriatic arthritis. taken with methotrexate or similar medicines, it can reduce joint pain... ...swelling and significantly improve physical function. xeljanz xr can lower your ability to fight infections, including tuberculosis. serious, sometimes fatal infections, lymphoma

and other cancers have happened. don't start xeljanz xr if you have an infection. tears in the stomach or intestines, low blood cell counts and higher liver tests, and cholesterol levels have happened. your doctor should perform blood tests before you start and while taking xeljanz xr, and monitor certain liver tests. tell your doctor if you were in a region where fungal infections are common and if you have had tb, hepatitis b or c, or are prone to infections. xeljanz xr can reduce the symptoms of psoriatic arthritis. don't let another morning go by without talking to your rheumatologist about xeljanz xr. don't let another morning go has named green book best picture of the year and viggo mortensen best actor. nice, huh? -beautiful. and now it's been nominated for five golden globes, including best actor. best supporting actor and best picture.

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you about the storm moving across the nation. you see all of the states that are highlighted here in red. alerts in almost all of them and will be impacted tonight, 3 to 5 inches of rain possible in southeast texas, western louisiana and far southwestern arkansas. that's the rainy part where you get 3 to 5 inches, right? on the northwest side is where the easier part happens and wanted to show you the pictures of zion national park. a picturesque dusting of snow and wanted to share a couple of those with you. gorgeous to look at. finally a look at all the cold settled in for this weekend. this segment sponsored by micr ♪

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hi, good morning. i'm jessica castro from abc 7 mornings and meteorologist drew tuma has our forecast. >> we're tracking the fog in the north bay. take a look at petaluma. the fog will slowly lift over the next couple of hours. upper 50s, low 60s, under lots of sunshine later on today. the next chance of showers coming sunday night. >> all right. taking a look at traffic we have a problem on the lower deck of the bay bridge. eastbound traffic heavy here before you get to the center anchorage. a large piece of metal debris was hit by a couple different vehicles. we've got two to three lanes blocked there. you're stacked up into the city. a quick check of the tri valley commute, westbound 580 just had

a multicar crash killed. constance wu is making history with her golden globe nomination and how this could reshape hollywood. we'll have an update in 30 minutes and always on our news app and

good morning, america. it's 8:00 a.m. state of emergency. the massive winter storm on the move. rain, snow, and ice coast to coast. and in southern california, heavy rains leading to mudslides and mandatory evacuations right now. new this morning, that oscars bombshell. kevin hart stepping down as the host after an outcry over his past homophobic comments and jokes. first he refused to apologize. then his stunning decision to quit just a few hours ago. is your phone tracking you and you don't even know it? our eye-opening experiment revealing that your phone could be constantly transmitting where you are, how you're traveling. and where is all that data going?

♪ time to get the chains out jennifer aniston, gorgeous on the brand-new cover of "elle." opening up about marriage, children, and smashing stereotypes. ♪ i want to marry you heading down the aisle in style. what's the perfect look for your dream wedding location? from the beach to city hall to black tie. three of our own "gma" staffers who just got engaged about to be transformed right here. "gma" style contributor jessica mulroney is back with the wedding style you do not want to miss. and a big announcement about how you could win your own dream destination wedding. are you ready to get busy? get crafting with your kids for the holidays. and busy philipps is here to show you how. and she's here to say -- >> good morning, america. [ applause ] good morning, america. happy friday, everybody. happy friday to the crowd that

is outside. we want to thank you guys at home for being with us, as well. it's great to have busy philipps here. she's a lot of fun. and we've also been doing a lot of prepping for our -- behind the scenes for our wedding segment this morning. >> so excited about that. "gma" staffers in the mix. you're seeing right there one of our models standing ready in that perfect look for a black tie wedding. and we'll be showcasing everything from the beach to city hall. a big church ceremony. and george, you got to go one on one with a pretty big name. >> julia roberts. she's got a new movie out called "ben is back." i'm not a member of the academy but i think she's heading for another oscar nomination. this is really a fantastic movie. she's also a lot of fun to talk to, always. that is coming up. we'll take a look at the winter storm on the move, rain, snow and ice across the country. and in southern california, heavy rains are leading to mudslides and mandatory evacuations. want to go back to matt gutman in lake elsinore, california. matt. >> reporter: good morning, george.

now, this entire neighborhood was under a mandatory evacuation when that wall of mud came roaring through here. now, they've done a pretty good job of cleaning it up. it was about a foot and a half high at one point. i want to show you the consistency of the mud, it's more like cement. that mud coursing through the town of lake elsinore with deafening force trapping locals for a time and turning streets into impassable canals of mud. >> we just don't know the stability of our hills anymore. the fire did its devastation. the hills behind us that are not a concern could become a concern very quickly. >> reporter: the mud rivers shooting down from canyons and dams like this. parts of the famed pacific coast highway seemingly cemented in mud, shutting it down. and overnight, hundreds evacuated from a temporary homeless shelter in san diego. southwest flight 278 was traveling with limited visibility from oakland into burbank when it hydroplaned off the runway. >> just be advised. there will be a lot of emergency vehicles exiting.

>> you could see shrapnel and sand and mud and stuff flying up past the windows. >> reporter: work crews are still out here, but what is concerning, george, the national weather service did not forecast this today. this weather system was very difficult to predict. george. >> thanks very much. the rest of the country, george, they are facing dangerous weather as well, 15 states under alert and, ginger, what can we expect this weekend? >> and that's the thing. we've got to really focus on impacts, right? you can have an inch of rain and have a mudslide. the impact is what i want you to listen to as we talk about some of the storm moving east. because you had up to 4 inches of snow, you get a couple in southern california. you can easily shut down a highway, which it did. interstate 5 there for a time on thursday. but now think about the impacts when you're driving on, say, interstate 20 or 35 through texas and oklahoma, that's tonight, some of the heavy rain could total 3 to 5 inches tonight through tomorrow, that

slipping and sliding could be covered by snow, northern arkansas, you could see freezing rain then snow. and then, by sunday, it's up to a foot or more in western north carolina and western virginia, guys. >> all right, ginger, thanks. we want to turn to that breaking news overnight, kevin hart who called hosting the oscars a lifetime dream has stepped away from the job. it's all due to a firestorm over past anti-gay tweets and jokes. many celebrities and oscar fans are now saying a woman should take over. lena dunham. even perennial oscar presenter miss piggy. that's just what people are saying. don't blame me. the academy, no word on the academy or kevin hart's withdrawal or who will get the job. kathy griffin is now suggesting perhaps it should be tiffany haddish. >> that is a good idea. >> a lot of names being floated. >> i wonder if people who are friends of kevin hart would take the job. >> tiffany haddish and kevin hart are friends. >> just did a movie together. >> yeah. coming up here, is your android phone tracking you?

and where does all that information go? we have a special "gma investigates" coming up. that groundbreaking golden globe nomination "crazy rich asians" star constance wu making history. her emotional reaction. we've got your very first look at the brand-new avengers trailer. it's called "avengers: end game." just dropped moments ago. we'll show you some of it coming up. i can't wait to see it myself so stay right there. we'll be right back with more "gma." e "gma." make its own insulin. and i take trulicity once a week to activate my body to release it, like it's supposed to. trulicity is not insulin. it comes in a once-weekly, truly easy-to-use pen. and it works 24/7. trulicity is an injection to improve blood sugar in adults with type 2 diabetes when used with diet and exercise. don't use it as the first medicine to treat diabetes, or if you have type 1 diabetes

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[ cheers and applause ] welcome to our great

audience here this friday. so, tom -- oh, i was going to ask, how does the audience rank this week? >> what's that? >> how does the audience rank? >> this is the fifth best audience we've had all week. >> they're cheering for that. >> they'll take it. >> you can cheer for these christmas cookies. >> yes, i want one. in front of us. >> eggnog cookies. find the recipe on our website. you'll have to wait because you have to give us "pop news." >> okay, george. eggnog is one of my favorite things. >> i love eggnog. >> something we have in common. thank you george. we begin with ariana grande looking back on her year taking the good with the bad. the singer accepted the woman of the year award at women's billboards 2018. while she admitted that 2018 was a very successful trip around the sun for her career -- her new album and number one song "thank you, next" she can't say the same for her personal life many take a look. >> this is really special. i want to say that i find it interesting that this has been one of the best years of my career and like the worst of my life.

it's been a very conflicting one and i just want to say that if you're someone out there who has no idea what this next chapter is going to bring, you're not alone in that. >> i love that. i mean, sometimes the best of times can be the worst of times. and those are the times you grow. so, ariana, we know there are more things ahead for you that are wonderful and surprising in a positive way. and i know that she looks forward to embracing whatever comes her way and is incredibly thankful for the people in her life like her friends and family. so congratulations, ariana. and enjoy the moment. >> yeah. [ applause ] >> if growing up were easy, everybody would do it. jennifer aniston gracing the january cover of "elle." inside, the hollywood superstar not pulling any punches. opening up about life, love, marriages to brad pitt and justin thoreau, saying her relationships were successful in her opinion. but when they came to an end, it was a choice that was made because she chose to be happy. and sometimes happiness doesn't exist within that arrangement

anymore. she talked about breaking stereotypes and, we live in a society that messages women by this age you should be married and by this age you should have kids. but that's a fairy tale. that's the mold we're slowly trying to break out of. for more from jennifer pick up the new edition of "elle" on newsstands december 18th. >> that's an important message. absolutely. time is not an option, people. just live your best life. finally we're getting our very first look at "avengers 4." you saw my excitement over "the lion king." we're geeking out again. this is called "avengers: end game," the trailer for the next installment in the blockbuster superhero franchise just dropped. okay, so what we know is jennifer renner's character hawkeye returns. we didn't see him in the last "avengers" movie. fans have been awaiting this moment since the credits rolled on "infinity war." i was there. "avengers: end game" hits theaters may 2019. i will be watching. will you be watching? >> yes, i will. >> since you're so excited, yes. >> you know what, i got -- just

really quick, you said jennifer renner. yeah, jennifer wasn't in there. jeremy was. >> jeremy renner. jeremy. i apologize. i was verklempt. i was excited. did i really say jennifer? >> yeah. but that's okay. you're excited. your enthusiasm could sell anything right now, so that is great. >> thanks, jeremy. jeremy. we love jeremy. >> jeremy renner. >> your enthusiasm is always great. adrienne, we love when you do "pop news." >> i love being here. thank you. >> great job. and now to our "gma" cover story. that historymaking golden globe nomination for "crazy rich asians" star constance wu as calls grow for more inclusivity in hollywood. 6 of the 10 best picture nominees featured nonwhite actors in the lead roles. "nightline's" juju chang is here with more. good morning, juju. >> reporter: good morning. you know there was skepticism in hollywood and despite that both "black panther" and "crazy rich asians" smashed box office expectations.

and now, heading into awards season, we're seeing actors like constance wu do something no asian actress has done in four decades. >> what about us taking an adventure east? >> reporter: "crazy rich asians" could be gearing up for a crazy rich awards season. ♪ i want money >> reporter: leading lady constance wu making history as the first asian-american woman in more than 40 years to land a golden globe nod in the lead actress musical or comedy category. wu acknowledging the cultural significance in an emotional statement. asian actors including myself have always supported another culture's story but for the first time in 25 years, this film is about our culture. co-star henry golding echoing wu's sentiment. our special collaboration to bring this story to the screen fought the good fight for diversity. screenings with asian-americans have left audiences in tears. why is it so emotional? >> a lot of people have cried the second they see the asian

faces on screen. it means something to kids and people to see images that reflect themselves. >> reporter: the "crazy rich" cast already picking up the breakout ensemble award at last month's hollywood film awards. >> wow. have you guys er seen this many asians on stage at a hollywood awards show? >> reporter: wu's tv franchise abc's "fresh off the boat" -- >> is that my driver's license photo? >> reporter: -- also breaking ground. the first asian-american show ever to be in syndication cracking the floodgates for asian representation. this year, the golden globes tapping sandra oh as the first asian co-host. and awkwafina hosted "snl," the first since lucy lu hosted 18 years ago. >> standing here is a dream i never thought would come true.

>> reporter: what moved me when constance wu said i never imagined something like this would happen for me because i had never seen it happen to another asian-american actress. you know, it's the so-called invisible minority. invisible no more. >> invisible no more. great film. great work. great tv show, "fresh off the boat." and do quality stuff. and people want to watch. >> i love that you admit loving watching chick flicks. >> i do. i'm confident. i love me a good chick flick. over to you, cecilia. >> i didn't know what to do with that, michael. we want to turn to that "gma" investigation. do you know how much information your cell phone is really collecting about you and your location? our chief business and technology correspondent rebecca jarvis tried an eye-opening experiment. rebecca, this could be more than we actually realize. >> yeah, absolutely, cecilia. good morning to you. nice to see you. so many of us now are carrying a smartphone. it's the top gift this holiday season and this morning we're taking a closer look at the vast amounts of information these devices are collecting on us and

then sending back to companies like google. what if someone or something was tracking your every move? not just your location on a map. but your mode of transportation, even your elevation? more than half of americans have android phones and might be voluntarily agreeing to more than they realize. so, what data is really being collected when you accept google's terms of service? these are two new phones. we haven't opened any apps on them, neither has a sim card. we did a demonstration when the weather was warmer to find out. without connecting either phone to a network or wi-fi, we traveled around new york city to see if information was being gathered and how often. from the subway to a bike. heading out on a bike ride around 11:15 in the morning. and finally. getting into a car. it's about 12:15. we're heading into times square. still not connected to any cellular network, i arrived back at abc and enlist the help of cybersecurity expert megan

stifle, a former director in the national security council at the white house. to see what type of information our phones are collecting which might be sent back to google. >> we just connected it to our test station. >> reporter: connecting our phones to wi-fi for the first time -- a startling discovery. this phone doesn't have a sim card. it wasn't connected to the internet. but it still was collecting all of that information? >> yes, and using all the sensors in the phone to obtain as much information that it can even though it can't send it anywhere at that time. >> as soon as i connected to the network, it was transmitted back to google. >> yes. >> reporter: the android's operating system tracking my unique devices movement, even identifying the mode of transportation and at times, taking ten sensor readings per minute. >> so at 10:25, it assesses you were on a rail vehicle. >> on the train. even knew when it was tilting underground. at 11:16, what does it say?

>> on bicycle. >> it says i was on a bicycle? >> yes. >> which is what i was doing at 11:16 a.m. >> and then you -- yes, and then you got off. and maybe you were walking around a little bit later. so at 12:05, what were you doing? >> it says in road vehicle. >> so, it knows i was in a car, heading uptown to the office? >> right. >> reporter: when you agree to their terms of service you are agreeing to some types of data sharing. users might not realize how extensive it is. >> this is not something the user necessarily opted into or if they did opt into it, it was in a fashion that wasn't consistent with their expectations. >> reporter: google tells us in order to provide basic service like security notifications and app updates, smartphones need to communicate with their operating system providers and cellular carriers on a regular basis. google adds that users can view, manage or delete the information associated with their google accounts at any time. >> wow, seeing you on that bike and tracking it is something. how valuable is this information to google? >> cecilia, this is extremely valuable information. and if you think about it,

google's business model, they make the most of their revenue off of advertising sales. and advertising, when they know when they can pinpoint where you are and what you're doing, they can actually direct an ad to you so imagine you're in a mall but you're on the second floor of the mall, not the first floor, they can send a push alert to your phone suggesting a store on that second floor instead of the first one because they know you're there. >> wow, really good information, all right, thanks, rebecca. ginger, over to you. >> yes, let's do this. it's "gma moment" time. one of my favorite points of the morning. we get to share a smile with you. when i was on "dancing with the stars" we had an incredibly talented makeup and hair team. and one of the guys, dean, that used to do my hair there, so special. look what he's done to himself. he's really taken on the holiday beard decorations, kisses, even a hanukkah

we turn to my interview with julia roberts. let's see her there on the cover of "the new york times" magazine. and we sat down to talk about her new movie, "ben is back." and what a powerful performance she gives. she plays a mom, holly, who will stop at nothing to save her son ben from the ravages of addiction. >> so, where? where do you want to be? >> oh. >> don't say next to grandpa. that's prime placement and you don't get that when you o.d. >> reporter: holly's fierce love plays out over the best and worst christmas of their lives.

>> this is a complicated family. let's make it christmas eve morning to christmas morning. just heap that on top of everything else because that is the time of year we're all sort of untethered anyway. and, so i think, yeah, there's just -- it really becomes this powder keg in a way. >> i should have known, i'm so stupid. >> no, you're not, please get in the car. >> reporter: ben is coming to terms with the ghost of his past, his mother by his side. julia's favorite line in the movie, not quite safe for morning tv. >> you don't understand, there are so many people that it could be. >> all right. well, we'll just take it one [ bleep ] at a time. >> so, watching the movie and you're seized by the idea of what addiction does to a family. >> he's clearly doing better. >> then why are you hiding everything? >> i think in this family, in this moment, this child and what

he's dealing with, i love how everybody is the good guy, everybody is the bad guy, we all take turns. we're all making the right decisions and the worst decisions. >> you didn't check my shoes. >> that's not funny. >> i was struck by the story as you say you didn't search out, you didn't meet with the mothers of addicts. >> i didn't. i felt it seemed terribly selfish to meet with someone and ask them to unpack their heartbreak for my creative benefit. and there was so many stories and so much information that i really felt i got a very strong sense of that complete -- when you have no hope and yet

you will not give up. >> it's something that, you know, we all hope for in less extreme ways every parent has to deal with every day. when are you tough? when do you draw a line? and when do you just embrace? >> oh, my god, i can't believe it. >> when do i? >> are you holly? >> no. no. no. well, thank goodness no and no. >> reporter: but julia is a mom and sparked by her three kids she's joined the instagram club. i have to say i was surprised by that. >> why? >> i don't think of you as a social media kind of person. >> yeah, well, i'm not a social media kind of person but i think instagram is sort of a different thing. it's a photo album. >> so you're having fun with it. >> yeah, it's fun. >> then came that markle sparkle. probably going to get a bonus for asking this question. this is morning television gold. >> okay. >> meghan markle, julia roberts. >> what about us? >> she was inspired to become an actress by you. >> someone told me this last night.

where did you hear this? now that you're saying it i'm kind of believing it. the person would told me last night, oh, that sounds nice, they're making that up. but now, you're saying it george. is that true? but did she say it or did someone write down that she said it? >> i think -- i read it. >> well. >> well, somebody once told her when she was young actress she looked when she turned a certain way like julia roberts. >> does that mean if i turn a certain way i look like meghan markle? >> it could. >> is it this way? is it that way? >> i just got two bonuses right there. that's it. >> simone just confirmed i got two bonuses for doing that. [ cheers and applause ] she was great. the movie is great. "ben is back" in theaters now and coming up, down the aisle in style. there you see it. [ applause ]

happy friday to you. here is a stunning number, 13% of students at san jose state are homeless or have been homeless in the past year. so this morning, students slept outside in a show of solidarity. school administrators have met with the group. they're looking to ways they can improve these services. that's too much to take, that kids would be going to school and also homeless. that's heartbreaking there. we're taking a look at the roads right now, we have heavy traffic in san jose. northbound 101 we had an earlier crash, that's been pushed off the to the side. several miles of heavy traffic trying to unwind behind that.

37 ♪ ♪ ♪ connecting people... ...uniting the world. ♪♪

and we're taking a look at the fog in the north bay, it's slowly lifting this morning. improving in petaluma, up to six miles now. the fog is a short term issue. upper 50s to low 60s, it's a dry

day. next chance of rain comes sunday night. another abc 7 news update in about 30 minutes. you can find us on our news app and abc7news.com. ♪ all right, this is going to be a fun one. we've got an incredible audience with us. you guys are super excited this friday. and they're excited about this next segment coming up. we're calling it vow to wow. i'm here with "gma" style contributor jessica mulroney. good morning. >> good morning. >> so good to see you again. she's going to show us how to walk down the aisle in style with the perfect bridal looks for every type of a wedding and we're going to do the commute, shall we? walk down our own aisle. first one is classic black tie. >> let me tell you, there is one absolute bridal truth and it is regardless of how you get married, there is a perfect dress out there for you and i'm

going to show you a complete array. this is for the black-tie dress. now, i long working with black-tie weddings. [ applause ] i love working with black-tie weddings because the dresses tend to be very dramatic. sometimes the brides too. we won't talk about that. this one is a perfect bride. this is gorgeous. you are making an incredible entrance as you go down that aisle but it's not just about the front, it's also about the back so if i can turn her around. >> wow. >> as you see this is a gorgeous illusion back with lots of embroidered details and once the ceremony is done we take off this skirt. >> easy. >> and it turns into a fit and flair dress. >> oh, that's beautiful. >> so she can enjoy dancing. >> gorgeous. >> isn't that gorgeous? >> i love the lace sparkle combo. if is you perfectly. you guys are a great audience with participation. >> we'll move over here.

>> this way. >> right over here is a familiar face. this is our producer. good morning. how are you? you look absolutely stunning. tell us about this one. i've seen flowers. beach wedding. >> destination weddings are supposed to be a lot of fun. if you choose the wrong guess it can be a disaster so this one checks all the boxes. doesn't she look amazing, by the way? >> stunning. [ applause ] >> i love using real brides because that's what we want to see. this dress is easy, it's comfortable. it's easy to pack. it's light, there's no boning, so no discomfort and there's this gorgeous slit in the front. >> not only is it sexy but it makes it easier for you to walk on, you know, the sand or the beach. >> barefoot if you wanted to on this? exactly. >> budget friendly. >> budget friendly. >> even better. >> yes, the dress is $219. [ applause ] from kleinfeldbridalparty.com. and if you feel like running into the ocean at the end of this, you can do that. it doesn't matter because it's

$219. >> another "gma" producer. so many "gma" weddings coming up. all real brides. >> we love real brides. >> you look stunning too. [ applause ] okay, this is a jumpsuit. i like this. very chic. >> a lot of brides are opting to get married in a more relaxed way. you know, whether they want to save their money to buy a house, perhaps they want to, you know, pay back their student loans, they just don't need to have that big, you know, expensive wedding. this is the perfect option. i absolutely love a jumpsuit. so this is great. it's elegant. it's easy to wear. it's a perfect one for a civil ceremony. >> at city hall, perfect. >> if you're having a luncheon which is a little more casual and this over top also comes off as well and it becomes a little bit of a day to night. >> day to night. >> what do you think? >> it's so comfortable. i love it. >> would you do a jumpsuit? >> no. >> i mean, it is a choice. >> but i do have to say this will be the only wedding outfit i will tell a bride she can wear

again. >> all right. options. all right. let's commute over that way and head over here to -- look at this dress. you are a showstopper over here. >> this is our writer at "gma." she normally wears to work so i feel like i've seen you in this in the control room. you look absolutely stunning. how do you feel. >> beautiful. >> tell us about this one. >> i have to say you look so stunning. this is for a religious sear upon so a lot of time brides want to be respectful to tradition but they also don't want to sacrifice style. that can be difficult for a religious ceremony. this is the perfect dress. it really combines modern and traditional. beautiful ball gown, that classic cathedral veil so very traditional but gives the illusion that it's a strapless dress. you're kind of cheating the system because it's illusion all the way along the front, the back and the sleeves. >> it's so dramatic. you've making an entrance in

this dress for sure. do you think you're going traditional? do you know yet. >> it will be traditional with a twist. >> ooh. >> isn't she lovely, though? isn't she lovely? [ applause ] >> all making me want to cry a little bit. this is really lovely also. there's a sleigh behind you so i'm thinking winter wedding? >> this is a winter wedding so there's a lot of amazing reasons to get married in the winter, first of all event spaces are easier to book. there's no search pricing, i find that snow makes for very mow tan tick pictures, i do but the biggest reason is because you get to wear a sleeve on your dress which i love. >> nice, nice. >> and this particular sleeve is very interesting. it's called a body veil. >> let me see. >> when she walks down the aisle it kind of looks angelic. you don't have to wear your veil. just some sleeves, when you're down you can do is take those sleeves off. >> ooh, look at that.

>> oh, wow. >> it becomes a two in one. >> two for one. >> it's a beautiful chic gown you can wear and feel comfortable to dance in. >> when you're done. what do you think? what's the verdict? do you like it. >> it's an amazing dress. >> it looks gorgeous on you. you all look absolutely lovely. you guys, beautiful. [ applause ] thank you, my friend. >> we'll get married again. >> special thanks to kleinfeld for these beautiful dresses and sandra for the floral bouquets which are lovely and in the next few days we'll tell you how you can get your own dream destination wedding right here with jess. can't wait to share all those details and we'll be right back.

we are back now with our sponsor macy's annual believe campaign. every year macy's raises funds for make-a-wish which helps make dreams come true for children battling life-threatening illnesses like this young fashionista. 14-year-old emma schiffman sleeps, breathes and dreams of fashion. >> i think fashion just ties into everybody's personalities and i think it really helps us, you know, show who we are. >> she loves doing people's hair. she loves doing people's makeup. >> reporter: last december the

ma diagnosis was a sad reminder of her grandfather who she lost when she was 12 from prostate cancer. >> i decided i'm going to fight no matter what. >> reporter: with emma's family rallying around her she braved through four grueling months of chemo and today is in remission. >> being able to go through something like even though it was horrible to my body and to my mind i think it's great because as a person i can help others. >> reporter: now make-a-wish is helping her fashion dreams come true with a trip to new york city for a macy's shopping spree. >> lipstick or something. >> reporter: emma made a quick stop at the makeup counter to get glam and met up with her own stylist who surprised her with a new wardrobe filled with her favorite brands. >> you always know when cease's around. she's full of energy and she just brings a new spark to life. >> thank you, macy's and make-a-wish for this wonderful

wish. >> so let's bring in macy's chairman and ceo, jeff gennette with us, everybody. we love doing this every year but not only is the campaign great, today is extra special. >> it's national believe day. so we've been collecting letters to santa since november but today if you go to a macy's and you write a letter to santa, we're going to double the donations up to $1 million. >> nice. today is the day. >> also today we'll grant 25 kids wishes in 25 different cities and when you spend time with these kids and the hope it gives them and something that gives those families something to look forward to. >> i imagine why it is so important for macy's to do every year. >> you know, giving back is part of the dna of our company. we love giving back to our communities and we look forward to this all year round to work with the believe foundation. we do this. when you write a letter to santa it's so simple. we do the rest. >> yes, i know you can do it online. so many options, you guys, so

please check it out. we do love working with you every year and hopefully you can help us in this campaign. not just today >> all that weather sponsored buy geico. michael, i'm coming over. >> come on over. welcome to kids gift shop. we have elves here to help us get into the holiday spirit. >> yay. [ applause ] >> yes. >> we're also here with one of the best elves actress and mom spokesperson for our sponsored michael's, busy philipps, everybody. >> hi. [ applause ] >> and we're going to try out a few of michael's top 25 screen-free creative gifts and this saturday they're inviting everybody for try me day. test them out for free.

>> see what your kids are into and then you can go buy it. for what they want to ask santa for. >> great idea. we're putting a new twist on an old classic here. >> yes. >> who doesn't love playing with play-doh? i love playing with play-doh. >> well now, this is called play-d play-d play-doh dohvinci. >> christmas came early and my girls have been playing with it for a week. you can build with play-doh like a 3-d pen which is so cool. for my 5-year-old this is so much better than a 3-d pen. >> i imagine it still ends up under the table and such like mine does. >> no, actually it doesn't because it's like sort of liquid so it tays on and you can put it on -- they can put it on plastic. michael is going to try it out and use little tools it comes with. and but, yeah, like i said i have a 5-year-old and a 10-year-old and my girls have been -- oops. i just threw a piece at you.

>> this is how i feel about these too. >> he's michelangelo. >> i don't know if you ever melted crayons when you were a kid. >> it's the best way to reuse them, the ends that you can't use anymore. >> so now it's all done for you with the crayon melter by crayola. and you're helping us out and making a beautiful piece of art but you basically just press down, ooh, look at that. then it's like you're painting with crayon. >> that is makaia helping us out. is that fun? oh, a lioness or a lion. >> it has a low heat tip so encourage obviously parental supervision but something my 10-year-old has been having a lot of fun with in our house. >> i bet you could mix colors. >> yes, that's the fun thing. they can just put -- keep putting new colors in, all of those end crayons, you can make sure you get all the best use out -- you want to try it. >> yes. >> i'm sorry.

i'm doing it all. i just love to craft. [ laughter ] >> we're not done yet. >> no. >> we have a train. >> it looks like fun. >> you look like my daughters' age. we love building forts and look for an activity all the kids can do especially like christmas morning, christmas afternoon and this is so incredible and, of course, we have the giant art set by creatology all organized so you having fun coloring this? >> yes. >> do you like playing in forts? >> yes. >> i like playing in forts too but i haven't been able to fit in a fort for 25, 30 years. been a long time. but, busy, this is really awesome especially in time for christmas and something like this brings the family together when you just add the parent and after you open everything let

the kids go somewhere and work it out. >> you give them the art kit and they're good for at least 30 minutes. >> it's a promise. busy, guaranteed. thank you very much. try all of them, again, for free on saturday from 1:00 to 3:00 p.m. try me day. check out the top 25 over here. coming up i just met with her. she's so good and you'll want to hear this. ella mai is performing live. [ applause ]

maybe you're with the family you got. (all) ooh! or maybe the one you've chosen. it's culture salad. our holidays don't all look the same. am i saying it well, l'chaim? l'chaim? and maybe that's what makes us great. make the dream yours. ikea. ♪ ♪

♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ we are excited to be back with breakthrough r&b singer ella mai. she's had a at the knoll nall year and moments ago she was nominated for not one but two grammys. yes. [ applause ] and i think we actually caught her off guard with that and she should be excited because we're

excited to have her here with her self-titled debut album is out now and she's here with a mashup of her hits "trip" and "boo'd up," let's hear it for ella mai. ♪ oooh, yeah, i put my feelings on safety ♪ ♪ so i don't go shooting where your heart be ♪ ♪ 'cause you take the bullet trying to save me then i'm left to deal with making you ♪ ♪ and that's a whole lotta love ain't tryna waste it ♪ ♪ like we be running 'em out and never make it ♪ ♪ that's just too bitter for words don't wanna taste it ♪ ♪ that's just too bitter for words don't wanna face it ♪ ♪ i'm done trippin', i'm trip-trippin' ♪ ♪ i've been sippin', that's how i control this feelin' you keep giving ♪

♪ you keep on hitting it, ooh ♪ maybe it's your love it's too good to be true ♪ ♪ baby boy your love got me trippin' on you ♪ ♪ you know your love is big enough make me trip up on you ♪ ♪ yeah it's big enough got me tripping on you, trip-trippin' on you ♪ ♪ my bad, my bad for trippin' on you, trippin' on you ♪ ♪ my bad, my bad for trippin' on you, trippin' on you ♪ ♪ that's the type of love made me tripping on you ♪ ♪ you know your love is big enough make me trip up on you ♪ ♪ yeah it's big enough got me trippin' on you, trip-trippin' on you ♪ ♪ my bad, my bad for trippin' on you, trippin' on you ♪ ♪ my bad, my bad for trippin' on you, trippin' on you ♪ ♪ i was wrong when i did it.

♪ my bad, my bad for trippin' on you said i admit i was wrong when i did it ♪ ♪ ♪ yeah ♪ yeah ♪ feelings so deep in my feelings, no, this ain't really like me can't control my anxiety ♪ ♪ feeling like i'm touching the ceiling when i'm with you i can't breathe ♪ ♪ boy you do something to me ♪ ooh, now i'll never get over

you until i find something new ♪ ♪ that get me high like you do yeah, yeah ♪ ♪ ooh, now i'll never get over you until i find something new that get me high like you do ♪ ♪ listen to my heart go ba-dum, boo'd up biddy-da-dum, boo'd up ♪ ♪ hear my heart go ba-dum, boo'd up ♪ ♪ biddy-da-dum it just won't stop it go ba-dum, boo'd up ♪ [ applause ] >> thank you.

>> announcer: can you believe it? since we started we've collected over 2 million coats. >> helping people in need to stay warm. >> announcer: celebrities and people like you. >> thank you. >> announcer: so come on, america. join us, go to any burlington store to donate a coat and share the warmth. >> a big thanks to ella mai. congratulations on the grammy nomination and also one more round of applause for our "gma" brides-to-be. >> we're all going to their wedding. happy friday, everybody. have a great weekend. [ applause ]

♪ ♪ connecting people...

...uniting the world. ♪♪ it's 8:59 on this friday. good morning to you. here's drew touma with a look at the rest of the day ahead. >> it's beautiful, tons of sunshine out there. later on today, don't need the rain gear, it's a dry day. upper 50s to low 60s this afternoon. there's a chance of a light sprinkle at night in the north bay, otherwise brighter and drier on tuesday. checking out an empty 680 in walnut creek. we're not complaining about this on the southbound side of 680 north of 24. it looks like the rush we had really has improved. either, 12 across the bay

bridge, no delays if you're heading to sfo. both of you have good news today, that doesn't happen a lot. have a great morning. >> announcer: it's "live with kelly and ryan!" today, recording artist, superstar shania twain. and, from the new action-adventure "aquaman," patrick wilson. plus, we wrap up our "just kidding around" with kids. all next on "live!" ♪ [cheers and applause] and now, here are kelly ripa and ryan seacrest! [cheers and applause] ♪ >> kelly: hi! ♪