good morning. as we woke up on this day five years ago, the gulf coast was under the ravages of hurricane katrina. before long much of that coast would be virtually leveled, and new orleans would be under water. a city broken, a nation shamed. this morning, we revisit those awful days and the city that refused to die. awful days and the city that refused to die. today, sunday, august 29, 2010. captions paid for by nbc-universal television

♪ good morning, everyone, welcome to "today" on a sunday, i'm lester holt. >> i'm jenna wolfe. we've been talking about it all day, it's hard to believe it's been five years. >> i was riding it out in la larks then we heard about flattened commune after community, and in a day we heard levees had been breached and another tragedy unfolded. in new orleans, along the gulf coast, people are remembering what of lost and where they were five years ago. we're going to devote a good deal of the first half-hour to katrina and its continuing impact. i saw that impact when i spent time in the gulf this past week, both in louisiana and mississippi. catching up with some of the people i met five years ago and getting a firsthand look at how the region is doing. we're also going to talk with brian williams this morning. five years ago he rode out the storm in the superdome and stayed on to bring us so many

stories from new orleans. later today he has an exclusive interview with president obama, who's making his way down to the city this morning. plus, there's some big current storms we're watching in the atlantic right now, causing a fair amount of concern because they've led to dangerous and potentially deadly riptides along the east coast. hundreds of people have been rescued. and we're carefully watching the track of those storms. the latest coming up. also, an update on a riveting story we've been following this weekend. spectacular new imagesxnof the "titanic" that may shed more light on the sinking of the grand oceanliner way back in 1912. there he is, our own kerry sanders on a research vessel, mapping the debris field. we're going to check in for a live update. but first, when katrina ravaged new orleans five years ago, it forever changed the lives of the people living there and along the gulf coast. so many lost so much. five years later, we asked is life getting back to normal for the survivors. it was a big storm, but it was a little voice that reminded us it didn't have to be this bad.

>> we just need some help out here. it is so pitiful. >> at 9, charles evans along with thousands of others trapped at the new orleans convention center by floodwaters gave voice to the manmade disaster born of katrina. >> katrina seemed like a scary movie to me, that i would never want to watch again. >> the opening scene is the day before katrina hits. >> the speed of the storm has increased. >> mayor ray nagin orders a mandatory evacuation of new orleans. >> this is the threat that we've never faced before. >> most left, but many wouldn't or couldn't. the superdome, they were told, was a shelter of last resort. early monday, katrina strikes a heavy blow to the louisiana coast as a category 4 storm. but the eye just misses new orleans. the big easy is hurting but still standing. the next act, however, was already beginning. >> we're hearing of flooding of six to eight-foot waters in eastern new orleans near the

parish line of orleans and st. bernard. >> by now, katrina is making its final landfall in mississippi. a storm surge more than 20-feet high wipes buildings from their foundations from waveland to biloxi. >> you would have been about ten foot under water. >> joe spraggins was running the command center in gulfport. >> the 911 call-taker taking calls, i'm on my room, i'm with my daughter on the roof, water's coming across, what am i going to do? >> beyond us the wreckage of a floating casino that was out at sea. i delivered that report the morning after the storm from right about here. not only had the storm surge rearranged buildings and swept across the entire port area, there were tractor-trailers overturned, even ocean barges here right at the foot of downtown gulfport. >> one of the levees has broken and given way -- >> back in new orleans, things were about to get a whole lot worse. reports of breaches in the levee system. cut off, residents retreat to

rooftops in the lower ninth ward to escape the waters, begging for help. today many are still unaccounted for. >> right over here in 2008, 2008 they found a young boy -- >> in herer? >> over here? three years after katrina? >> with his backpack on his back. >> in the end there was no safe refuge, not even the superdome. [ shouting ] >> we need help, sir. we really need help. >> some wondered if new orleans itself was dying. ♪ >> it didn't, and today signs of recovery abound. but leave it to that little boy from the convention center, now 14, to tell you how he sees it. >> i just wish that things would kind of be back to normal, and new orleans is not back to normal. you know, a lot of people may think that it is, but it's not. >> brian williams is in new

orleans this morning where he is hosting "meet the press" on this fifth anniversary of katrina. good morning to you. >> good morning, lester. >> you know, i think back, brian, to the day before, you and i and a team of producers and technicians stepped off a plane in baton rouge. we split off in different directions. you were heading to the superdome. i don't think any of us quite comprehended what was about to happen. >> boy, have i thought about that airplane flight so many times. and not to be melmelodramatic, it was so dire, this storm was so big that as we split up, i wonder wondered, well, what's going to happen to this person, my colleague, my friend. we went our separate ways. we had no idea what was going to hit us. and more than that, we had no idea that this area was just going to fall apart here in new orleans. 80% covered by water, that delayed reaction took a while to happen. lawlessness, absolute chaos,

anarchy in the streets and the national conversation we were supposed to have in all those years since. >> and a lot of the conversation followed with promises about rebuilding new orleans. but we watched as the water slowly receded, so much damage. many people wondered whether the city could ever live again. now you've made several trips there. five years later, give me your assessment of how new orleans is doing. >> well, you've been here, too, and it's a tough question because the part of new orleans most americans will see and the convention business and the business of new orleans is back up and running more than that. it's very robust. there's more restaurants today than there were pre-katrina, a statistic they're proud of. it's just that when you drive, when you go in a car and get to some of the places that were hard hit, the recovery is not as cross cut through society of new orleans, you can still see way too many of those fema markings on homes. you can still see way too many

vacant lots. it will take time, but if anything in the last year we've seen the federal money open up a bit more. the delayed reaction, the machinery of government has kind of opened up. so i think optimism is returning, and i think most accounts of today looking back for the anniversary, are optimistic in tone. >> we noted the president is going to be there to mark this anniversary. you'll be speaking to him later today. he obviously was not the president when katrina struck, but he has been the president during the gulf oil crisis and the man who ordered the shutdown of the offshore oil business there. how will he be received? >> well, i think the president will be received well. it's not -- not a time when they worship politicians down here. i talked to a local journalist known to both you and me, and i said, what would you ask the president if you were me in this

local new orleans -- and this local new orleans veteran journalist said, ask him why he's never spent the night in our city. so there's sensitivity here. ut then again, i read another rticle by a local columnist aying there's nothing any .olitician can tell us. we're trying to recover on our own. e've got a couple of months' worth of oil in the water to our south, not affecting new orleans roper except for the hit businesses took. o we'll talk about all that .ith the president. > well, and let's talk closer to hand the "meet the press" dayadcast you're hosting today from new orleans. who do you have on? >> well, we have both landreaus, enator and mayor, of the political dynasty. endell pierce who folks saw rom the hbo series, and an interview with brad pitt, part .f his make it right foundation.

he's rebuilding homes and rebuilding the ninth ward. the voice of wwl radio, the big 870 in new orleans will be with us. n historian and author doug rinkley who wrote really the efinitive book on katrina e."led "the great deluge." heck of a read for those who d,nt to look at how it happened, what happened here and why. >> we'll look forward to the oadcacast. brian williams, thank you very much. >> thanks, lester. >> and we're going to look for brian's exclusive interview with rlesident obama from new orleans coming up tonight on nbc "nightly news." jenna? >> thank you. >> switching gears, we're talking a lot about weather this ninging. dangerous rip currents continue o be a big problem along the east coast, now experiencing the effects of hurricane danielle. the weather channel's mike seidel is in rohoboth beach, delaware, for us, good morning. >> reporter: good morning, another beautiful day defies what's going on along the beaches on the east coast. rip currents yesterday, a drowning in brevard county,

florida, one south of here in ocean city, maryland. two fatalities. ocean city had over 250 risks. more of the same today. island to florida.ricksbuorecas do not swim after dark. the congo line of storms in the atlantic. danielle basically a non-player, it pulls away. rip currents will die off tomorrow. meanwhile, on its heels, a minimal category 1 hurricane with 75 mile-per-hour winds and what will likely be our next tropical depression. already hurricane warnings up for a good deal of the leward islands, hurricane watches now for puerto rico and the u.s. and british virgin islands. there's the track of earl, slowing down, turning west-northwest, and strengthening, intensifying, forecast to be a major hurricane somewhere off the east coast by the middle and latter part of the week. but the track is not etched in stone. we got to watch this one. certainly we'll have more impacts on the east coast including beach erosion, currents, and big waves. back to you. e. all right, mike. .ne after another. .e'll have to watch that. thank you. >> in other news, god and

ountry were the main themes in washington on saturday as a huge crowd of supporters came to hear alk show host glenn beck and other prominent conservatives share their vision for america. bc's tom costello reports on the gathering and the counterrally on a special day in history. [ applause ] hello, america! >> reporter: on the steps of the incoln memorial, glenn beck's ally at times had the look and feel of a christian revival. > america today begins to turn back to god. met the church say amen. >> reporter: albeit with a heavy dose of beck-style patriotism. >> this day is a day that we can start the heart of america doain, and it has nothing to do with politics. it has everything to do with god. o reporter: thousands came to ear the message, and true to his word, beck steered clear of politics, even convincing sarah palin to do the same. > i've been asked to speak as

dier.other of a soldier. >> instead they honored the ation's service men and women, he founding fathers, and the an who made history on this very spot 47 years ago -- >> i have a dream today. [ cheering ] >> i can relate to martin luther ing probably the most because we haven't carved him in marble yet. man.still a man. >> reporter: but beck stirred ontroversy by taking this ay -- picking this day and place. e's on the record calling resident obama a racist and abeling democrats marxist, socialist, communist, and pinheads. olding their own much smaller arch and rally, civil rights activists were defiant. >> they want to disgrace this ay, and we're not giving them y.is day. his is ourer day, and we ain't giving it away. > reporter: much of beck's crowd was made up of tea party supporters. victoria nocolov came from new york. >> i believe in our

tion.itution. 't. this administration doesn't. > reporter: bill maxwell from nd -- island -- > we come here because we're eally concerned about the elfare of our nation, the onture of our nation. ne reporter: analysts had warned his rally could carry a risk for republicans. >> the republican party needs conservatives, needs the tea party activists. ut the republican party does ot want to be defined by tea partiers or glenn beck. > reporter: in the end, beck, he performer, had the crowd in .is hand. for "today," tom costello, nbc hingtowashington. >> 14 minutes past the hour. let's head to the newsdesk. msnbc has this morning's other headlines. good morning. >> reporter: good morning, everyone. e begin in afghanistan where wo more u.s. soldiers were killed today, bringing the eekend's total to seven american deaths. ngsr servicemen died in bombings n the south, while the others were killed in fighting in the east. hat makes 42 soldiers killed this month in afghanistan. ou'll remember that july was he deadliest month of the afghan war for u.s. troops with 66 killed.

>> floodwaters continue to inundate southern pakistan. reached levees and swollen rivers had the water as high as s.n feet in some villages. fficials are trying to deliver oat.ef supplies by boat. he pakistani government estimates more than eight illion people are in desperate eed of emergency assistance because of the floods. back here at home, more than ,000 pounds of ground beef are eing recalled because of everal e. coli illnesses in k.ine and new york. the hamburgers were sold at .j.'s wholesale club earlier his month and bear the usda establishment number 9400. ederal officials are concerned the burgers could still be in people's freezers. gain, the usda number, you see 0. there, 9400. >> and finally, the flying ls lenda family of dare devils is still at it. nick wallenda, great grandson of the group's legendary founder, carl, set out to break a record y riding a bicycle between two hotel towers in the bahamas. he made it successfully across, 60 feet above the ground, and

.id it without a safety net. hen just for laughs, wallenda alked 2,000 feet across the high wire over the resort's open ir tank that houses sharks, barracudas, and pirahna. as for his next feat, he says he ants to be the first person ever to walk across the grand canyon. ewat's the news. back to lester, jenna, and scott. he grand canyon looks scary nough for me from the observation deck. don't think i'll be walking across any time soon. u you stick a barracuda under there and see what it's about. haank you. l'e weather channel's scott illiams has a check of the atather. >> good morning, certainly e're tracking three systems in the good morning, folks. yes, we've got some fog hanging around, especially along the coast this morning. things are going to be warming up just a little bit, but still way we low average temperatures for this time of year. but the good news is, come tomorrow, things will be warming up. more in a little bit. see you then.

now over to you.coanks. >> scott, thanks. even real strawberries in the mix. can i have some more? honey bunches of oats with real strawberries. it's delicious. nobody does it quite like us. ♪ as we continue our coverage of hurricane katrina five years later, we want to look back at one of the most compelling series of images we've put on the air at the height of the crisis in new orleans.

it was shot by tony zumbado, a veteran nbc news photojournalist. a man named dwayne jones came up to tony on thetreet and demanded he grab his camera and come see what was happening at convention center. what tony recorded that day horrified us you all and haunts him to this day. ♪ >> there were just thousands of people on both side of the road, in the middle of the road. i thought i entered the twilight zone. it was something that i've never, ever seen in my life. especially if the united states. >> this is not about rich people, poor people, it's about people. nobody wants to hurt anybody in this city. >> i just saw people that were like me, laying there, starving, dying, yelling. >> please help! [ crowd noise ] >> i'm going, whoa, i've got to separate from this, i've got to back up. then i went into this mode where i just had to document how bad it was because i didn't think

anybody was going to believe me. they haven't eaten. they haven't had no water. they haven't taken a bath. >> how are we going to survive out here? >> we need help, sir. >> you became a pretty able ambassador for these people in their suffering. >> you know, a lot has been said about the video that i shot there. if it wasn't for dwayne jones, i would have never discovered what had happened in the convention center. dwayne jones to me is the silent hero of the convention center. >> this is wrong, man! who's going to be responsible for us? >> he was like the ambassador. this guy was in charge of all these people. >> do you think that your tape actively brought in help? >> i don't know. i do feel that the convention center was a breaking point of the lack of help that was in that city. >> in baghdad, they air dropped water, food, to people. why can't they do that to their own people in new orleans? >> this is disgusting. i mean, we might as well lay

down and die. >> the amount of people that had gathered peacefully in one place to wait for help for four days without ever, ever showing any violence. >> help! help! help! >> they believed in some system that never came to help them. it was one of those sights that you'll take to your grave. you'll never forget that. >> still shakes me to watch that video. tony was telling me, he reminded me that even before he had seen the scene there, he actually left the downtown area to get supplies, came back, saw a convoy of national guard troops with supplies. and they were told you can't go in, it's too dangerous. he's like, it's not dangerous. >> it's hard to believe that was happening in our country. you can almost understand it happening elsewhere in third world countries, but that was in our back yard and we couldn't he it happening elsewhere in third world countries, but that was happening right here in auerbach yard, and we couldn't get help to them. >> it's horrible to see it all again. we're back after this.

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still to come on "today," we continue to follow the spectacular images of the oceanliner, "titanic." and pogo sticking. champions perform on our plaza. oceanliner. >> and pogo sticking as you have never seen it before. first, these messages. every time we use our card. we get dos 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. whoa -- he's on the list. but we're with him. [ male announcer ] introducing the venture card from capital one with double miles on every purchase every day. go to capitalone.com. [ indistinct shouting ] what's in your wallet? ya. uhhuh. mhhmm. oh i know. that was cute.

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and made small business dreams come true. now meg has a plan to create jobs. fix sacramento. and deliver results. meg whitman. for a new california. good morning. take a live look, battle of the bay preseason style. we'll talk about that at 7:00. but for now, we saw a big cooldown yesterday. the question now is, will the break from the heat continue? we have a look at that. >> good morning, folks. yes, there's clouds along the coast, and that's going to be hugging the coast, keeping us at the cool 60-degree temperature. inland only getting up to 70 degrees. still well below average temperatures. things will begin to warm up on monday. let's take a look at the temperatures come 8:00. and things aren't going to be very warm at all. still in the 50s and 620s throughout. and by noon, things will be

warmer, looking at 64, san francisco, 74, san jose. let's take a look at our seven-day forecast. today is the coolest day of the rest of the week. and things are going to be warming up a couple of degrees monday through wednesday. this morning, investigators are working to bring a fugitive suspected of shooting an officer back to the area. officers arrested a 20-year-old in a car approaching the mexican border. san diego police say his cell phone signal was traced and that's how police knew he was headed south. and that's how they knew that they needed to shut down the border crossing. he faces two counts of attempted murder of a police officer, and two counts of carjacking. we have more on the dramatic search, and the effort to bring him back to the bay area coming up at 7:00. also, the officer who he shot is still fighting to live at highland hospital in oakland, where he remains in critical but stable condition right now. we now know that 39-year-old todd young is married with two

children, and that's already undergone one surgery and expects to have several others. he's also received 60 units of blood in transfusions. young was shot in the pelvis and his groin, and the doctors there say that it will be an uphill battle. since more surgeries are planned, a blood drive is being held for officer young. you can donate blood of any type at bay area red cross locations in pleasant hill, oakland, pleasanton, san jose and fremont. to schedule an appointment, call the american red cross. the devastation caused by the torrential flooding in pakistan is hitting home here in the bay area. pakistani area americans will raise funds for flood victims at 7:30 tonight at the computer history museum on north shoreline boulevard. floodwaters continue to put many parts of the country under water. one city of 250,000 people has been completely evacuated because of the flooding. parts of pakistan's most fertile agricultural land is now wiped

out and the floods have damaged roads, bridges, power plants, hospitals, schools, and, of course, homes. the head of the u.s. aid efforts calls the flooding a huge-scale disaster. more than 1,000 athletes are getting quite the workout this morning. we will take you out to alcatraz, where a swimmer just got into the cold waters about an hour ago for the san francisco triathlon. they will bring the dangerous currents and shark-filled waters. their reward, after that, they get to run and bike the hills of san francisco. and we will have more on that coming up for you in 30 minutes. bay area sunday starts at 7:00.

and we're back on this sunday, august 29. this is me and lester. you're looking at the champion pogo stick jumpers, seems easy for them. near impossible for us. and they were fantastic. we're going to talk to them if a second. you wouldn't believe some of the things they can do on though things. on the plaza, i'm jenna wolfe along with lester holt. still to come, all weekend we've been watching a dazzling new set of picture and photographs there the "titanic" taken by robotic cameras two miles down in the north atlantic. now hurricane danielle is becoming a factor. in a few minutes we're going to

go to nbc's kerry sanders for an update aboard the research ship. there he is. find out if he needs to evacuate. then paris hilton, the socialite who's famous for being famous, was booked on possession of cocaine on friday night. not the first time. coming up, a look at hilton's past and find out what this new charge could mean for her. then also one word for you -- emmys. it says it all. tonight the 67th annual emmy awards will air on nbc news. what can we expect from tv's biggest night? we're going to tell you in just a little bit. but first we've got some special guests here. they're taking the humble pogo stick to a level never imagined when we were kids. dan mahoney, earl hote were among the winners at pogopalooza seven, the championship last weekend in salt lake city. nick ryan was the event organizer. welcome, terrific to have you here. >> thanks a lot. >> nick, what of your specialty? >> i'm nick. >> i'm sorry, nick, explain to me what this of all about. >> pogopalooza 7 was the largest

annual extreme competition of pogo sticking. once a year all the top pogo stick athletes from across the world come to one u.s. city and compete. >> is this the kind of thing you started -- were you guys on regular, every day pogo sticks when you were young, and took this to the next level? or did you have an idea that this was what you wanted to do early on? >> i was one of the original founders of the sport about a decade ago. back then there weren't ex-troem pogo sticks like these, there were the tiny ones that you find in toys 'r' us. we did pick them up and for some reason started doing tricks. >> earl, tell me your specialty on the pogo stick. >> mine is tech or flat land, it requires more balance and precision and stuff. yeah. >> okay. >> i think -- >> i think people are bored with our questions. i think they actually want to watch you do something. >> we're going to stand back. nick, come wi us, maybe you can explain what's going on here. >> absolutely. >> now, there are different disciplines within this, correct? >> that's correct. you're saying earl now, one of

the tech world champions. what he's doing is a lot of spins, tricks on the last pogo stick. his stuff requires precision, it's technical. not as high, but it's actually a lot more difficult than some of the stuff you'll see in a minute. >> but this is a similar stick to what we had when we were young? the same thing? >> yeah, it's pretty close. as you can see it's got the standard steel spring. and you can pick up something similar to this from toys 'r' us. >> i think dan's going to get in the act in a minute. how dangerous is this -- these guys get bumped and banged? >> they do. you'll see, earl, going down on the peg for a second, you'll see dan, he's really going to fly here. >> all right. ♪ >> and dan -- whoa! >> oh! >> now dan was the championship -- he won the gold medal in big air last week in salt lake city. and he actually broke a world record there going 9'6" on a

pogo stick. >> goodness, gracious, there's a fair amount of danger here. they've got the scars to prove it. >> yeah, but these guys are professionals. >> this stick is different s. this air compressed? >> this had only air inside of it. they pump it up with a standard bike pump and can do no-handed back flips like that. >> no-handed back flips? that seems illegal. that seems -- whoa! [ applause ] >> nice job, my friend. thank you very much for sharing this with us. terrific. i know you want this to become a bigger sport. >> absolutely. it's actually something that we've been trying to push for a lot of years. we're going to be in southern california. we're in talks with some groups there for pogopalooza 8 next year. >> guys, thank you very much. we've got to get a check of weather. >> thank you very much, lester. as we take a look at what's going on a little closer to where you live. right now, as we take a look at temperatures r parts of the northeast, climbing into the 90s here.

94 degrees new york city, capital. 94 for dallas, texas. 86 in new orleans today. scattered showers and storms there. cooler conditions as we move into the pacific northwest. only in the 60s for you, seattle, and also for portland. good morning, folks. yes, we have got some fog, especially along the coast this morning. things are going to be warming up, but still way below average temperatures this time of year. but the good news is, come tomorrow and monday, things will be warming up. more on that coming up in a little bit. see you then. jenna, over to you. >> thank you, scott. just for the record, lester and i did ask if we could do that, but somehow they said it was too dangerous for us. i didn't think it was. let's move on. in the north atlantic, the effects of hurricane danielle are forcing a temporary halt to an historic, high-tech mission to map the remains of the "titanic." but not before scientists captured some incredible, new

photos of the ocean liner. kerry sanders is aboard the research ship and joins us now. kerry, what's the latest? >> reporter: well, it was an extraordinary day for the scientists because they were able to get their cameras, which are 3d h.d. cameras to the wreck site for about 24 hours. take a look at some of these images. shot in a way that nobody has ever seen before. now when we're looking at the pictures here, you're seeing the bow and the area which of the mailroom. all of these images we've seen before, but there's a good 40% of this debris field that's never been photographed before. and so there's a little bit of disappointment because as you noted, hurricane danielle is chasing us, moving right into the area where the wreck is two miles down. so we have repositioned right behind me here, you can see, this is what they call the rov. that's what has cameras on board. the remotely operated vehicle. they brought it out of the water. and we're moving in a northwest

position to try to get ourselves into a safe harbor, let danielle pass, and then the scientists will return with the cameras, go back down there, and continue their work. but just looking at those images, i saw them in 3d. at home you have a 2d television, but remarkable no matter how you look at it, jenna. >> kerry sanders, stay safe. thank you very much for that. coming up next, paris hilton is in trouble yet again. we're going to tell you why. you. coming up next, paris hilton is in trouble yet again. eng goi t gng to tell you y right after these messages. [ female announcer ] smooth skin? not good enough.

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paris hilton is in trouble again. the socialite is out on bail after being arrested late friday in las vegas. we get more from nbc's miguel elmigair. >> it's not the type of picture paris hilton is used to. her mugshot shot shortly after these foes show her being arrested on the lawings vegas strip. the pictures obtained by tmz were taken just before midnight on friday. the socialite, who is famous for being famous was booked on possession of cocaine after her boyfriend, cy waits, was pulled over by police and arrested for dui. >> she extracted a tube of lip balm from her purse. at that time a plastic containing a substance believed to be cocaine fell from her purse in plain view of the metro

lieutenant. >> reporter: but according to tmz, hilton may claim that the purse wasn't hers. that's the same defense she used in south africa last month when police detained hilton and questioned her about smoking marijuana at the world cup. she was never charged. >> there is a certain kind of attention that you want. all publicity is good publicity, i guess, but you don't want to necessarily be arrested too many times. >> reporter: friday's arrest is hardly hilton's first. in 2007 she famously spent 23 days in jail after pleading no contest to alcohol-related reckless driving. >> it was a very traumatic experience, but i feel like god does make everything happen for a reason. >> reporter: you could say it's been a traumatic week for the 29-year-old. tuesday she tweeted this photo of a man being arrested outside her hollywood home. the knife-wielding suspect was charged with burglary. >> you're sleeping and just heard this loud banging coming from downstairs, and we went to

check, and there was this man staring at me through the window. he didn't even run. he was just smiling. >> reporter: friday hilton found herself on the wrong side of the law, and this time what happens in vegas, isn't staying in vegas. for "today" miguel, nbc news, los angeles. now here's jenna. lester, thanks. the biggest stars in television will gather tonight for the 62nd annualç emmy awards. this year the awards have gone interactive with viewers tweeting lines for host jimmy fallon. i have only tweeted twice, so i have six more to go. here's a preview. >> reporter: the prime time emmy awards, one of tv's oldest honors, but with almost half of this year's contenders for major awards first-time nominees, tonight's show is all about the new kids. ♪ i see your true colors >> reporter: fan favored "gl lee" hit all the right notes this season racking up 19

nominations. it could be that it dances away. >> it bridges music and song and comedy and real life together. >> reporter: the favorite for best supporting comedy actress break-out star jane lynch for her portrayal of the cold-harded cheerleading coach sue sylvester. >> got myself a bit of an eye lift, and while they were in there i said go ahead and yank out those tear ducts. i wouldn't use them. >> everything she's handed she delivers with such a punch. >> reporter: while "glee" is hoping for a knock-out, their comedy competition isn't going down without a fight. "modern family" is up for 14 awards, including best comedy. >> oh, thanks, buddy. >> take number 510. >> reporter: and then there's "30 rock." the veteran show has won for outstanding comedy series, and then for the fourth year in a row star fina fey is up for best actress in a comedy. >> smile.

with your mouth. >> hello, ma'am. he am a krensus tear with the u.s. krensus bureau. >> good for you, bye. >> reporter: she would be in good company. last week in a pre-emmy show golden girl betty while won her fifth emmy honoring her hosting stint on "saturday night live." there could be an unexpected attention getter if one late night talk show wins emmy gold. the award could go to someone who doesn't even have the job anymore. >> it's the tonight show with conan o'brien. >> reporter: ousted host conan o'brien could nab a statue for the tonight show after having the chair for just seven months. >> i think everybody on facebook, on twitter, everyone who, you know, has a cell phone and can tweet and company send a text is rooting for conan. >> jimmy fallon asks twitter followers to write lines for the show by submitting tweets. >> i want to play with everybody and have the best time.ç >> reporter: new media. new talents.

putting a fresh face on tv's biggest night. for "today" nbc news, los angeles. >> it's kind of our motto. we want to play with everybody and have a great time. >> i'm happy for jimmy. i'm glad he is hosting. he will do a great job. >> can you watch the emmys starting at 8:00, 7:00 central right here on nbc. and just ahead, flu season is fast approaching. there are some changes in this year's flu vaccine. we'll tell you what you need to know, but, first, these messages. any resolutions? my resolution is the same as always; keep her full and focused with my fiber. [ all ] 3...2...1... happy school year! [ 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.

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♪ savor and explore, a the great indoors ♪ ♪ ♪ friskies indoor delights. ♪ feed the senses. with the start of fall a few weeks, flu season is almost upon us again, though not as severe as some predicted. last year's swine flu outbreak killed almost 13,000 people in this country and affected 60

million. what can we expect this year? dr. donald allegra of the infectious disease society of america has some answers. good to see you. sfroo good morning. >> is there a chance that h1n1, swine flu, will be back? >> yes, there is a chance. the one thing we know about flu is that it's always unpredictable. that's the predictability of the disease. and we just never know absolutely for certain what the future will be, but i think starting with a couple of weeks ago the world health organization did say that we're probably beyond the epidemic stage of the disease and that going forward the h1n1 virus will probably be just one of many flu viruses that will be circulating. >> nonetheless, the flu shot, the annual flu shot this year, will include a few strains, including the h1n1, offer protection from a few strains. >> last year as you remember the outbreak occurred after we started producing the routine seasonal flu, and because of that two shots were needed.

one for h1n1 and one for seasonal flu. this yearç they're going to incorporate the h1n1 into the regular flu vaccine. >> now, if i had the h1n1 vaccine, does it hurt me to get it again here? that's essentially what will happen. >> in general flu vaccine usually lasts only five or six months in terms of protection, so you really do need a new shot each year. >> what we got last year was not lifetime protection. >> exactly right. >> i know these vaccines are based on eggs. we recently had the salmonella scare. should we have any concern about the safety of these vaccines because they do contain eggs? >> yes, that's a good question. . i don't think because generally in preparing flu vaccine it goes through several stages of purification where all bacterial contaminants do get removed. >> are there big differences in the symptoms from h1n1 versus the seasonal flu? now, i know young people were primarily those affected by h1n1, but in terms of symptoms,

any difference? >> no, it's about the same. generally i try to differentiate it from cold symptoms, which are generally from the neck up. you know, sore throat and runny notices, and flu symptoms are more severe. you are usually in bed with them. you have aches and pains, fever, headache, and it involves mostly a dry cough. >> and, again, the season starts probably around november, peak around january, february, right? >> yes. in the northeast depending on what part of the country you're in, but generally it runs anywhere from december to about march or april. >> all right. thank you so much for joining us this morning. now here's jenna. >> all right, lester thanks. the long labor day weekend is a great excuse for one last summer break. so if you can't get to the beach or you can't go out camping or get to the park, why don't you bring all those experiences home to you. here to show us how to do that is mark addison, designing and entertaining expert. that's a nice title to have on your business card. how are you? >> thank you, i'm great.

>> have you some ideas on how to bring things back and keep it inexpensive, right some. >> i'm all about purposeful design. using what you have at home with some of these great finds that i'm going to show you today to create an entertaining space that feels like you've taken a vacation, but you haven't gone anywhere. you're staying at home. a staycation. >> we're going to start with the beach. this is a nice party idea. bring the beach home to us. why the beach? >> the beach is one of my favorite places to go too, but i'm not going to. you can really bring the beach home and still have fun at the beach, and i created this coney island kind of experience with the drink. i call it the tropical fish punch. >> okay. >> you actually are going fishing for your drink. >> what are the fish made of? >> they're made out of different fruit flavors. we have orange, cranberry. >> you can eat the fish? >> they melt. they make your tropical fish punch as they melt. >> really cool. >> tell me about the sand. >> this is couscous that i have used.

it's food safe because it's actually food, and it really brings the feeling of the beach home, and you can play with it, which is so much fun. >> real quick, the food you have here? >> the food is an alternative to expensive seafood. lobster rolls are my favorite to have at the beach, but we've sourced more inexpensive versions. the great compliment with r these dirty chips. they're dusted with this crab boil seasoning and paired with a dirty dan. >> let's move on to the park picnic. you want to bring the park home to you. tell me a little bit about this theme going on here. >> we're literally bringing the park home. cover the entire table top with wheat grass. >> this is wheat grass. can you eat this? >> you can. you can take it after the party and blend it up and have it for breakfast the next morning. this is soft and lush and makes you want to lay down and take a nap, but we're having a party on it instead. >> and the food? >> we've actually created a deconstructed puck nick. this is more of a cocktail flavor, so the sandwiches are not made and with a twist we've taken classic club sandwiches

like a turkey and bacon, a blt, and a vegetable and we've made spreads so you spread them on, layer it up, and then you finish it with a cute little garnish on the top. >> i like that you cut the crusts off and you have the -- >> got to cut the crusts off. keeping it cute. >> also with the beverages just grab and go. small little -- >> fyi, you cannot eat this grass. it tasted terribly. i'm just letting you know. >> i think that makes it a little bit of apple juice to make it better. >> let's move to what is just the most beautiful thing i have ever seen in my life here. this is the camping theme. >> this is the campfire. this is a great example of using what you have in and around your home. i actually dug these rocks up from the river bend behind the house in violent have the and put it together to create my campfire. a great little campfire grill filled with gravel. again, from the house. we're creating smores. >> literally they would kill me if i didn't try this. they say i never eat anything. >> there's not a lot of mess so they're easy to eat.

>> what you do is you take a donut hole, my favorite, and we're going to dip it into the chocolate. >> oh. >> and then we double dip into the marshmello cream. >> i have to do it also. they're telling me i have to wrap up, but if i only do this one time in my whole life, it's going to be today. >> you're double dipping. >> i'm going to do this. >> that was a lot. >> i never do this. ready? hmm. >> that's heaven, right? >> moment on the lips, lifetime on the hips. >> what's better you can wash it down with a nice hot cocoa. so now you're killing me. sdoo this is like a hot summertime drink but cold. >> mark, thank you. wonderful ideas. aci rreppate your insight. come back any time you want to bring chocolate fondu. we'll be back after this. it was so good.

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that's it for owes this sunday morning. scott williams, willy geist. anything you want to add? >> nothing. >> i didn't think you did. we're going to leaf you with some eye candy, which is what we like to call our extreme pogo stick. >> have a great day, everybody. so long. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com