good morning. sending a message -- president obama takes a dip in the gulf of mexico. a symbolic move designed to help boost tourism along florida's panhandle while competing with another issue involving a building of a mosque in the shadow of new york's ground zero. dead crash. an off-road race in the california desert becomes a scene of horror. >> we heard everybody start screaming and the truck just started flipping. >> the vehicle plunges into a crowd of spectators leaving eight dead and as many as 12 injured. and ace in the hole, golfer tom lehman drills an eye-watching hole in one. it is the first in the pga since 2008 and the best shot in the tournament so far.

today, sunday, august 15th, tournament so far. today, sunday, august 15th, 2010. captions paid for by nbc-universal television from nbc news, this is "today" with lester holt and jenna wolfe. live from studio 1a in rockefeller plaza. and welcome to "today" on this sunday morning. i'm jenna wolfe. >> i'm mika brzezinski. filling in for lester who has taken the weekend off. >> this is like sleeping in for you. "morning joe" starts like yesterday, right? >> absolutely. >> this is good. >> you look rested, sound rested. >> i was on vacation, so it will catch up to me very soon. >> i'm glad she doesn't pick up on my sarcasm. >> i get it. >> we got a busy morning. let's get to it. the president, first lady michele and their daughter sasha spent much of saturday enjoying the short vacation in panama city, florida, but on a day of symbolism he also attempted to qualify statements he made on friday about muslims rights to build a mosque near new york's ground zero.

>> the president reiterated the stand he took on friday, but emphasized it was not an endorsement. the question is what he backtracking? we're going to have more on the president's vacation and fallout from those remarks in just a moment. >> then, we're going to head to california where a crash at an off-road car race turned deadly. eight people dead, many others injured after a truck sailed off a jump and crashed into a crowd of spectators. we will have the latest in just a few minutes. >> all right. and on a much lighter note, it's a story that might turn into a romantic comedy, but it's a very real one for an iowa couple. we're going to introduce you to mike wilson and karen wilcox. they reunited after 50 years apart and got married in the very place where they met and that is their seventh grade home room class. cute story. >> very cute story. >> then take a look at this. another cute story, a baby giraffe with leg warmers. no. actually defying the odds. this is a ground-breaking medical procedure this giraffe went through. adorable. she's lucky to be alive.

we'll explain why she has hope in our next half hour. >> sort of your specialty. >> yeah. i did the bionic cat a couple weeks ago, i did the zedonk last week and now we're doing the giraffe with the prosthetic legs. >> can i take a wild guess? >> go for it? >> her name is hope. >> oh, yeah, mika, right on. >> terrific. >> lester wouldn't have guessed that. >> i know! >> that is great. but first we're going to get more on the president's vacation in the latest controversy that has followed him to the florida pan handle. mike viqueira joins us from panama city beach, florida. mike, good morning. >> good morning, jenna. the obamas are out and about on the gulf coast this weekend, in events designed to show americans that it's safe to come back here to the beach and it's safe to get back in the water. but in between outings, both the president and his aides have had to deal with the aftermath of those controversial comments about that mosque near ground zero. even as the first couple and daughter sasha arrived on the gulf coast for a weekend

getaway, it was mr. obama's support for the construction of a mosque close to new york's ground zero that has proven controversial. >> i believe that muslims have the right to practice their religion as everyone else in this country. that includes the right to build a place of worship in a community center on private property in lower manhattan in accordance with local laws and ordinances. >> reporter: his remarks at a white house dinner honoring the start of the mugs limb holy month ramadan came after aides repeatedly declined to take sides calling it a local matter. conservatives as well as some victims' families condemn the president's support. >> it's irresponsible and morally wrong and incentive to do it. >> reporter: in florida the president spoke out again, appearing to backtrack on his support of the mosque saying i was not commenting and i will not comment on the wisdom of making the decision to put a moving mosque there. p.

i was commenting on the right people have that dates back to our founding. the obama visit along the gulf coast comes as a message. >> oil is no longer flowing into the gulf. it has not been flowing for a month. i'm here to tell you that our job is not finished and we are not going anywhere until it is. >> reporter: the visit here is as much about pictures as it is about policy. the obamas want to set an example for a reluctant tourists by visiting gulf restaurants, even playing mini golf where 9-year-old sasha got a hole in one. >> did you guys see that one? >> reporter: what about a dip in the gulf. >> i'm going to go swimming but we're not going to let the press pool come because you guys all take a picture of me without my shirt on. >> reporter: problem solved. the white house released this picture of a mostly submerged mr. obama and daughter sasha. about jenna, one irony here is that swim took place on the other side, the bayside of this barrier island and though the beaches here are pristine and

the water is clear, the surf is rough this weekend life guards are keeping people out of the water. jenna? >> mike viqueira, thanks so much. >> thanks. for more on the president's trip to the gulf and controversy surrounding the proposed mosque near new york's ground zero we're joined by john harwood, cnbc's chief washington correspondent. good morning. >> good morning, mika. >> tart is with the mosque controversy. the president seemed to clarify his statements at the best we could say that. i want to put them on the screen and read them to you. he says this, i was not commenting and i will not comment on the wisdom of making a decision to put a mosque there. i was commenting very specifically on the right people have that dates back to our founding. that's what our country is about. i don't disagree with anything he's saying here. was it a political backtrack? >> well, look, they needed to clarify because they felt the distinction the president was trying to make got lost in the news coverage. as you know, mika, this is a president who has made reaching

out and repairing relations with the muslim world a priority and you had the collision of two moments, the holy month of ramadan and this controversy over the mosque they felt they couldn't avoid saying something at that iftar dinner held at white house. i talked to a senior white house official, he said he had a responsibility to do it but there's some times when following your principles like that, is not easy and making nuance distincts aren't easy and one is in the middle of a mid-term election. >> not to be behind the story which brings us to the gulf, the president and his family now finally have spent time together in the gulf. it was something a lot of analysts were saying should have been done from the get-go. the white house reluctant to bring the whole family down there and kind of play that game, political theater, if you will. they're doing it now. look at these pictures. was it enough or too little too late? >> oh, i think it was fine. look, the american people are not focusing too much on where the president vacations and i think the accomplishment of that

photo that mike viqueira just showed a moment ago of the president in the water with his daughter, but, you know, covered by water up to his neck, that was one of the things that the president wanted to accomplish just to send a message to the country. that is a minor thing compared to the other issues on the president's plate and most importantly the economy. >> and image like that, by the way, certainly does send a message and some might be saying in the gulf that it would have helped had they done that sooner. >> sure. and, you know, but the president has got to figure out his schedule with his family and they have been working on trying to stop that oil leak and it's finally done and he has checked the box that many people wanted him to check. >> all right. john harwood, thank you very much. i appreciate it. we'll talk to you soon. here's jenna. thank you. more on that deadly crash at an off road race in california that's left eight people dead. nbc's marcia skay va campo joins us live from apple valley,

california. good morning. >> good morning, jenna. the victims' injuries range from minor to critical and they were airlifted to area hospitals including this one here. now the accident took place last night shortly before 8:00 p.m. and it took place at a race known as the california 200. that consists of a 50-mile loop course set up in a dry lake bed in the mo halmojave desert. there are obstacles and witnesses say one of those obstacles contributed to this tragic accident that one of the trucks was about two miles into the race, it went over a jump and that's when it lost control, soared through the air and landed in the crowd. witnesses say what followed was an absolutely horrifying scene with bodies scattered everywhere, people lying in pools of their own blood and at least one person crushed underneath that truck. now, officials say that all of those who were killed were in their 20s and 30s with many of them pronounced dead on the scene, though some of the injured could include minors. the truck itself was overturned

complete. despite that the driver was not injured. officials say he is not in custody because it's not clear at this point if he's done anything wrong. jenna? >> were there barriers there >> were there barriers there or anything separating the crowd from the actual crowd, itself? >> no, there was nothing physically separating spectators from the track, and now this is a big event. it attracts tens of thousands of people and spectators get close, because they want a look at the action and as close as 10 feet to the action. despite that this was a legal wellf-organized sanctioned event there was nothing protecting the crowd of spectators from the fast-moving cars. >> thank you very much. now, we go to a check at the rest of this morning's headlines with chris janson. good morning, everyone. we begin in the gulf where the government has ordered bp engineers to conduct more tests

on the blown out well. thad allen says it could be late tuesday or wednesday before the final results are back. he could then proceed with the relief well to plug the well for all. bombings killed dozens, and despite that the last brigade is on the way. the fourth stryker brigade started to leave this weekend after a year in the iraqi capital. president obama has ordered all but 50,000 troops out of iraq by august and all troops are set to leave by 2011. more classified afghan war documents are going to be released on wikileak. the founder says they are reviewing 15,000 documents line-by-line to remove names. they are planning to publish them in the next month despite pentagon protests that a second release could be more damaging than the first. hollywood legend zha zha gabor

was in surgery saturday to remove two blood clots. one doctor said that one clot was close to the 39-year-old actress' heart. she entered the hospital for bleeding and pain friday and she had hip replacement surgery last month. and finally the oldest player in the pga championship showed them how it is done. tom lehman drilled a hole in one on the par 3, 17th hole. the ball bounced softly two times on the green, and ah, there it goes right into the cup. the 51-year-old used a 4-iron from 217 yards out. after acing the hole, layman high fived everybody and made a victory lap. that shot put him two under for the tournament. nice. that's the news and now back to jenna, mika and scott. >> do you think when they invented golf they thought that would happen? they thought it would never happen, but never in a million years a hole in one. i don't care how many times you

hear about it, it is not bad. >> you can't plan that. >> no, you can practice until the day you die. >> i'm not sure about golf. >> it is good for some. >> scott williams is here with a check of the weather. >> goodorning and certainly good golfing weather for parts of the northeast, but we look at the national weather and you will see that we are going to see the changes watching a frontal boundary moving our way bringing record showers and storms and record highs for the pacific northwest and the heat wave continues in the south plains. th a good sunday morning to you. we were able to see it seconds ago, and now back in the fog. it's 55 in the city, 58 in livermore. a lot of 50s around the bay area. fog is about 2,000 feet deep. another cool day. only 62 in san francisco. upper 50s, lower 60s along the coast. 60s and 70s and only a few 80s, some of the warmer spots. here is your seven-day forecast. warmer tomorrow, and then we cool back down next week.

that's your weather. scott, thank you. the survivors of the alabamian plane crash that killed former senator ted stevens and four others are telling their stories giving federal investigators new clues about what may have caused a plane to crash into the mountainside. we are joined by miguel in anchorage with the story. good morning. >> good morning. investigators are speaking to two of the four survivors and information from the survivors that is helping the ntsb to focus in on what went wrong. >> reporter: as the helicopter retrieves the wreckage, investigators were learning what the moment of crisis was like from people on the plane. among the four survivors, 13-year-old willie billick od

that. good morning and thank you very much. >> mike, let me start with you. it has been nearly 50 years since you and karen met and started this whole thing up. and how does it feel to be back together with her after all of these years? >> it is terrific. it really is. it has been a lot of fun, and i'm really glad that everybody else is enjoying it, too. >> so, mike, take me back, you are in seventh grade and you sit together because you are in home room together and do you think to yourself, i'm going to marry this girl? what do you remember about her back then? >> i remember more of her than i was thinking of marrying her. you know how you are when you are kids. we were attracting to each other because we were both good students and both had a good sense of humors and sort of smart-alecks, and that attracted

us to each other. >> so, karen, you date in seventh grade and eighth grade comes and right before high school, you dump the guy. and what gives? why did you dump him? why did you break up with him? >> well, actually it was eighth grade when we went together, and we kind of started knowing each other in seventh grade, but eighth grade we went together, and -- sorry, and i dumped him, because my parents were going to move to make us live in a different house over the summer, and i just didn't think that i could handle the having a -- >> long distance relationship. >> long distance relationship at 13. >> no, it is complicated at any age. okay. you guys break up and go your separate ways and get married twice and divorced twice and then after all of these years, mike, you decide that you are going to reach out to karen out of the blue, and why did you decide to do that? >> well, we've been in contact

for really almost all of this time. karen has a large family of six kids, and she is one of six kids, and three or four of the other kids were friends of mine, so we were never really out of contact, and we kind of had this pact that we would e-mail or contact each other on our birthdays, so we had really had yearly contact twice a year. >> very nice and you guys got married last monday on august 9th, 8-9-10 and that is beautiful in the homeroom where it all started. thank you both so much, and we wish you nothing but the best. mike wilson and karen wilcox, and we are back after these messages. ♪ reunited

and still to come on "today" we are going to introduce you to one-month-old beats the odds and living up to the name. and rob thomas ug plugged. the match box 20 singer opens up about life on the road, but first these message. when i was seventeen i was not good to my skin. long summer days, and not enough sleep. what i wouldn't do for a do-over. [ female announcer ] new neutrogena® clinical skincare. exclusive ion2 complex

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good morning. time now, 6:26. and you're looking live at the golden gate bridge. traffic moving beautifully this sunday morning. thank you so much for joining us. i'm vicki nguyen. get ready for a change in traffic patterns. tomorrow is the first day of school for a lot of students in the bay area. school kicks off tomorrow. the same goes for san francisco. and students have a couple more weeks of vacation in the oakland unified district. classes start there august 30th. teachers and staff at san jose's elementary have been especially busy getting ready for class. on july 5th, someone set fire to

more than a dozen classrooms, as well as the library. but the district promised to have everything ready to hope on time, and it looks like they will meet their goal. the past few days, teachers have been readying their classrooms, and the community has pitched in with thousands of dollars worth of supplies to help the school open on time. this morning, a renewed call for san francisco to improve safety for thousands of people who ride their bikes. it comes in response to a hit and run crash that killed a 21-year-old man. the twisted frame of a bicycle marks the spot where witnesses say they saw a mercedes hit a bicyclist. it happened 10:40 at night. the driver of the car apparently kept going, but police found and arrested a 30-year-old man two blocks away. some psycyclists say they feel unsafe because there are no bike lanes. >> i wouldn't say this is not more dangerous than any other intersection in the city.

it's just that biking is so crazy, because there are so many cars and cyclists, it's hard to watch out for cyclists. >> bike safety advocates say the municipal transportation agency is already working on a number of options, including bike lanes. police records show there has been almost 50 accidents involving bicyclists along the corridor during the past five years. well, let's get a look now at your weather with craig herrera. it's finally warming up. >> yeah, that fog -- 2,000 feet of the fog this morning and this afternoon we get 70s and 80s and tomorrow warm up more. 55 in san francisco now, and a lot of winds blowing through, as well. we've actually got two spins. one moving over northern california and then one just off to the left side of your screen. those are helping to push the marine air in. late during the night and into the early morning hours. so you've got some mist and drizzle, especially toward the coast. if you live in the coast, only upper 50s and low 60s.

san francisco today, 62. got the giants game at 1:05, and we'll get clearance for that game. some of the warmer spots like livermore and morgan hill into the low 80s. and upper 70s for the north end of the bay. warmer tomorrow, as you were talking about, vicki. and after that, we drop yet again for the 70s for the afternoon highs and some warm spots next week. >> that's an interesting weather pattern. thank you, craig, so much. we'll have all of the day's top stories. right now we take you back to the "today" show.

we are back on this sunday morning. it's august 15th, 2010. a beautiful summer morning. thanks to everybody that's come out to spend a good part of their morning with us. we have a nice crowd out here today. out on the plaza i'm jenna wolfe with mika brzezinski filling in for lester this morning. >> great to be here. happy birthday, pop. i was looking for baby. able to hold a baby. >> so am i, but you don't hear me talking about it on tv. >> sorry. >> coming up in this half hour we will meet, you named her correctly, hope the giraffe. >> hope. she's only a month old but this is our cute story of the day. we're going to introduce you to her. she has an amazing story that has to do with the purple and

pink bandages you see around her hoovs. >> we'll talk about that and also coming up, left at the altar, we're going to find out why some brides and grooms are saying "i don't" instead of i do. real-life accounts of jilted brides and grooms, the psychology behind it and what you can do to move on. >> life-altering. >> were you left at the -- >> i get it. life altering. >> stay with me here. we're also going to talk about the best way to spend $100 from groceries to electronics, even clothes. smart rules to follow so that you why get more bang for your buck. >> "today" goes on tour, the anchors have been hitting the roads with a couple different musicians. it was my turn and i hung out with matchbox 20's lead singer rob thomas, sold 80 million albums and pretty accomplished solo career as well. that's me fake lip syncing in the background. i got a nice chance to play with

him. i have to tell you, i fell in love in about 30 seconds. i -- he was so wonderful and so fun and -- >> i'm watching. it will be great. >> the show is only an hour. >> can you play? >> yeah. >> yeah, i play. i play. that was my playing. >> okay. all right. it was good. i thought she was faking, but she was really playing? all right. up first you probably know him as dr. sheldon hawks, and do you watch? >> i do. >> probably too late, but he is here. >> he is? >> he is like this month nbc and "ebo "ebony" magazine are producing a education series program called "making the grade" which airs this afternoon on our cable tv. >> this afternoon we are going to delve into two hours and talk about what is going on in our american educational system. there are things going wrong,

but there are things going right and we want to talk about solutions. >> you are so much more than an actor and you have grabbed on to this issue. >> i'm the product of america's public school system, and i was fortunate enough to go to public schools and went to brown university and went to harvard for the grad school, so i believe that america's public schools set a foundation for me for success, and i believe that if we look at the data, right now, we have about 2,000 schools that are not performing and they are called dropout factories and we are losing kids. losing. >> overall the country is looking at downward mobility in part because of the problem with the education system and you have places like detroit and one in four dropouts a year and that number is going up right now. are you going to address the sfr friction between charter schools and the union and the challenge to try to make things better. >> yes, we will talk about you have teachers and teachers union and reform and charter schools and private schools and all of the issues as well as what the

parents can do. and what is the parent's responsibility in this case? because if you look at the data when there are two parents in the home and parents are responsible for what the kids are doing in class, the performance goes up. so it is about the teachers or the school district or the parents? what is going on. >> good. i want to watch. that nice to meet you and we didn't expect you here. >> thank you, guys. >> "making the grade" hairs at noon on msnbc and now we will get another check of the forecast. is he out here? scott, he is over there. over to you. >> well, good morning, everyone. certainly great weather here in new york city, and as we take a look at the weather across the country, you can see fairly quiet here for the megalopolis, but the interior looking for thunderstorms continued hot in the lower and mid-mississippi river valley and plains, and the heat wave continues for the pacific north west. that is a look at the weste good morning to you. craig herrera here. no heat for the bay area. it's been such a cool summer.

we continue with that today. the fog is 2,000 feet deep. waking up 50s and cloud cover and fog. highs today, 60, 70s and only a few 80s out there yet again of the we have a nice sea breeze borrowing blowing a lot of that cooler fog in. it will take a while to burn off. tomorrow the fog burns off a little earlier and we get a little warmer for one day. all right. this is the wedding corner over here. we have the one-year anniversary, the trotters just got engage and they are celebrating their 40th wedding anniversary. for more weather log on 24 hours a day to weather.com. jenna? >> scott, thank you so much. so, there is a giraffe at the topeka zoo living up to her name. she was born a month ago with rear leg deformities and baby hope is actually beating the odds now after groundbreaking medical procedure with the help of the zoo staff who have made a special prosthetic shoe for her cast, and hope, appropriately

named, is walking. the zoo director brendan wily is joining us along with baby hope. thank you, brendan, and good morning. >> thank you for having us. >> the question is how is hope doing? >> hope is doing so well and being such a beautiful giraffe and she decided that maybe she would rather watch this on tv rather than being on the shot. >> that is okay. i do the same thing sometimes. it is all good. tell us about the condition that hope was born with, but there is no name for it, but it is more common than we know, right? >> that is right. about a month ago hope was born, and she did have a deformity in her hooves and relates around the tendons that won't let the hoof be in a good normal position allowing the giraffe to walk. >> how did the prosthetics work? were they placed right over her? >> you know, dr. joseph camer has done such an amazing job working with this little giraffe, and went from hard cast

to prosthetic shoes and these shoes actually have an external tendon system. they are really going to keep the hoovs in the proper alignment, and allowing her to walk and behave like a normal giraffe at this point. >> it is an unbelievable story and we think of prosthetics for humans, but how did the giraffe react when the prosthetics were put on? was she able to walk? did the mother react in a specific way? >> you know, we have been working with this giraffe since the day she was born, and working with her routinely, and what these prosthetic shoes have allowed her to do is to actually walk normally. and they have really helped her and allowing all of her joints to move. giving her the opportunity to be a normal giraffe, and to really do exceptionally well. >> brendan, you want her to be a normal giraffe and you put pink and purple cast prosthetics on her, and do you think she will blend in with the rest of the giraffes. it is so obvious, she is not blending in. look at her. >> we are in topeka, the capital

city of kansas and she has to decide whether to support the jayhawks or the wildcats. >> will she eventually grow into her regular legs, or what is the next step? >> well, the final prognosis is too early to tell, but we are giving her every opportunity we can. she is doing wonderful and the community is here supporting her, and the city of topeka is assisting her and we are hopeful that we can give her every opportunity we can. >> topeka zoo director brendan wily, and we thank you for joining us from the giraffe enclose sure alongside baby hope. coming up next, we are going to stretch your dollar. smart ways to spend your $100 after this. thanks to the venture card from capital one, we get double miles on every purchase. so we earned an l.a. getaway twice as fast. we get double miles every time we use our card. no matter what we're buying. and since double miles add up quick... romans! get em! [ garth ] ...we can bring the whole gang. [ sheep bleats ] it's hard to beat double miles.

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[ female announcer ] this school year, make a resolution to give your kid kellogg's frosted mini-wheats cereal. an excellent source of fiber from 100% whole grain. that helps keep them full so they can focus on the day ahead. keeps 'em full... keeps 'em focused. ♪ who wants to buy this diamond ring ♪ >> or not. on today's relationships not only at the altar, but real brides and grooms are saying i don't rather than i do, too. tlc's new special, guess what it is called? "left at the altar" and recounts stories of heartbreak like waiting 30 minutes at the church only to have the best man drop the bomb. >> and then about 15 minutes later, my friend was over to the right and he said, oh, there is the best man. my heart started to pound, and i got very, very nervous and panic-stricken, and then the best man actually told me,

nicole, i'm sorry, but the wedding is not going the take place. the wedding is not going to take place. >> wow. joining was more insight is michelle callahan contribute for for "women's magazine." >> good morning. >> this could be the worst moment, and life altering, pardon the pun, and some women have different ways of coping? >> well, some women are completely obvious whelmed and it is devastating and you don't know it is coming so it is important to get help when something like this happens. when something like this dramatic happens, people retreat and go off to be alone and you need to take advantage of being with friends and family and don't blame yourself, because obviously this person kept this secret from you, and they did not necessarily let on that this is where they were going with things. >> and why it makes for good reality television or drama television is because it is so public, which adds to perhaps the psychological damage. >> absolutely. i mean, how do you feel when all

of this is being played out in front of everyone. it is one thing to be so, you know, disappointed by your partner, but another thing for everyone to witness it. and for you to not be able to sort of sweep it under the rug and deal with it privately, but to have everyone that you know asking you indefinitely what is going on. >> in terms of your expertise, is there a way to prevent this? i mean, are there certain clues and science and conversations you need to have in a relationship to at least try and ward off the potential? >> you hit on it. it is about having those conversations and being aware and you don't want to tiptoe around your partner and nitpick about how they are feeling every single day, but you need to ask, you know, how are things going? and pay attention to if they are becoming more distant over time, and reluctant to make dates or put down deposits or anything that gives you a sense they are backtracking, ask about that. >> and what about blunt conversations about what you want out of life and expect out of life. >> if you haven't had those, you

should not be about to walk down the aisle at all. >> because you could be left at the altar. and this special airs next friday and features the real life accounts, and what do you think that the fascination is about this? i think i know what it is. it is almost like car-wreck tv, but in a way, maybe you don't feel so alone, too, because there are other moments in life that can be similar to this. >> people get different things out of it. some people like to watch other people's misery and intrigued by that, but other people like to see a story of redemption and people who have been through this and come out ahead and doing well. they will be vindicated. >> and the bride is like, you know what -- >> i am taking the honeymoon anyway. >> i will be watching. i don't get it, but thank you, michelle callahan for the insight. now over to jenna. ♪ is that all you get for ♪ your money >> what is the best way to spend $100? regardless of clothes or

electronics or whatever, you can get more for the bang by following a few shopping tips. joining us is the editor of realsimple.com. start with groceries, because buying groceries can add up quickly especially if there are more than one person in your family. there are tips to navigate up and down the aisle to save money. >> yes, start by shopping the top and bottom shelves. you will find products bigger and lower cost per unit. and the items with the highest price per unit are in the middle. and skip name brands, because they are the same quality and made by same manufacturer a lot of times. >> and you say what about the warehouse clubs? >> best things to buy are condiments, coffee and bottled water and things that won't expire quickly. >> next up is the wardrobe and i found this interesting when

people want to upgrade the wardrobe and it is expensive, but for wardrobes to be more cost effective, you say shop by the season and specific months. >> definitely. for jeans, you want to shop in october. the back to school rush is over and retailers are looking to clear out the inventory and denim is often included. you can often get half off or two for one jeans. >> and what about athletic apparel? >> that is best in may. people realize going back outside and doing the outdoor activities a want to move the inventory before summer. >> and you say, wait until december to buy winter coats. why is that? >> retailers don't want to carry the fall inventory into the new year, so they will have big deals in the end of the year, and you can get big deals. >> and what about electronics, because it is pricey and there are are 10 million things around you, and what are the best tips?

>> well, you want to be informed consumer and go to review.com and see review sites, and see that people like to point out the faults. other thing is to try it out in the store and make use of the store people, and they will tell you about the settings, and what they can do and walk you through each thing. >> one of the things that people are always trying to get a deal on are tvs. is there a specifics time for tv snz >> yes, in march. there is a consumer show in march, and retailers want to get the old models out of inventory, and another day is the day after thanksgiving. >> so seasonally, you can save money. thank you, kristen, for the insight. and this was fun, matchbox 20 frontman rob thomas gave me a backstage pass to his summer concert. ♪ you can go ♪ you can start all over again ♪

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♪ i'm back on the road again ♪ back on the road again ♪ i'm on my way >> how did i get stuck playing the drums in that animation. it is getting harder and harder to blaze a trail in the music industry these days, because everyone does just about everything which is why when somebody like rob thomas who comes along who sings, writes and basically performs his own comedy, it is rather refreshing, so i hit the road with rob while on tour in california. >> reporter: sometimes i don't know whether people who are as talented as you realize how talented you are. you are such a phenomenal singer. >> i'm very aware. ♪ you and me got lost

somewhere ♪ >> reporter: he is a musician and songwriter and funny man and all out rock star. however you label rob thomas, the one word that sums him up best though is, he is smooth. ♪ you have the kind of love ♪ that is smooth >> reporter: over 15 years he has claimed three grammys and between matchbox 20 and his solo work, he has sold 80 million albums worldwide. as for the countless hits, rob says that it is the road that keeps the hits keeping it new. >> when you sing it every night, it seems new and some of those i songs you feel like you don't want to sing again and then you go out and sing it, and it feels new again. >> reporter: he is starting a sidewalk tour benefiting a foundation that he and his wife started again. he has traded in the hard rock edge for a more intimate acoustic vibe. we caught up with rob in southern california to chat about life on the road, from the

crazy schedule. do you ever get on stage and go, hello, detroit, and people are, what the heck? >> well, i have gone on stage and not known exactly where i was, and i am like, hey, you guys. >> reporter: to the crucial backstage comforts. why are musicians so picky about the exact foods they have to have in their rooms or did you commission this specific food? >> don't touch my fritos. you frito-nabber. >> reporter: i opened up the bag and got one, and i got yelled at because i touched rob thomas' frit fritos. moving on, the day starts a full ten hours before the show. the crew preps the stage, and lights and sound and most importantly rob's piano and guitars. >> that new car smell. >> reporter: five hours later, rob gives them a go at the all-important sound check where we got our own private performance. ♪ i don't want to be ♪ lonely no more

♪ i don't want to have ♪ to pay for this >> reporter: as amazed as i was at the musical tall leapt on stage, i was impressed by the quit wit that i saw off staige. >> i feel bad, because we we are referring to things that go back, like, five minutes. >> so classic us. ♪ no, i won't be afraid >> reporter: and it didn't take long for the blight chitchat to turn musical. ♪ she says baby ♪ g-d-c. ♪ i must be lonely ♪ >> reporter: my nerves got the best of me, but brief moments before the show begins, rob is right at home. >> for me, it is doing it live. i love to make the record and write the song, but the cool thing is when you come out in

front of a room full of people and watch their reaction and they have a moment with you. ♪ make it real ♪ darling forget about it >> reporter: okay. he is great. >> you are so in love. >> rob, rob, he is so great. >> oh, my god, i can't stop loving you. >> you know what, you know what, you are right. >> i can't even -- >> oh! >> i'm going to -- >> you are awful. >> well, he is great. >> he is great, adorable. >> we had so much fun, and they are on the road now, and i think that they are watching. if so, thank you, rob, we appreciate it. >> you! we have to talk. right back after this. [ female announcer ] introducing, new townhouse flatbread crisps. they're oven-baked flatbread crisps. ♪ with the tastes of sea salt and olive oil. ♪ or sprinkled with italian herbs.

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time for a check of what is coming up on "meet the press" and for that we are joined by david gregory. hey, david. >> thank you, jenna. coming up a special edition from afghanistan and my exclusive conversation with general david petraeus, the new commander of u.s. and allied forces here in afghanistan speaking out for the firstt time since assuming his command about the overall war effort, the strategy, the strength of the enemy, and the future of the u.s. commitment here. it is all coming up on "meet the press." >> all right. david, thank you so much. that is going to do us on a sunday morning. thank you so much. did you have fun? >> i love you, rob. >> i love rob. >> i can't even play my guitar. >> coming up we will meet a 8-year-old panlter, and mini

monet they are calling him. have fun this sunday.