plate at thanksgiving. which is why safeway has everything you need to get it all done. right now get a safeway frozen turkey up to 16 lbs for just $6.77 each. that's our promise. that's ingredients for life. safeway. good morning. good morning. she's alive. a 13-year-old ohio girl found bound and gagged in a basement nearly a week after she vanished along with her mother, brother, and friend. now a suspect is in custody and investigators hope he will lead them to that young girl's family. touchy subject. unting anger at airports over the tsa's new screening procedures. >> if you touch my junk, i'm going to have you arrested. >> are new full-body scans and pat downs a necessary precaution or an invasion of privacy?

and "today" goes viral. this morning, meredith, ann, al and i try to sing -- that's right -- sing our way to internet fame. will it be a dynamite performance or not? we'll let you decide today, performance or not? we'll let you decide today, monday, november 15th, 2010. captions paid for by nbc-universal television good morning. welcome to "today" on a monday morning. i'm matt lauer. >> and i'm meredith vieira. that 13-year-old ohio girl is now talking to investigators, but so far the suspect arrested on kidnapping charges is not working with police. >> sarah maynard was discovered bound and gagged near a raid near her home, but her mother, 10-year-old brother, and a family friend have not been seen since last wednesday. that's when sarah's mother did not show up to work. we'll get the latest on that story and details on that in just a couple of minutes.

also ahead, president obama returned from his trip to asia over the weekend and will have to jump right back into the fray in washington as congress begins its lame-duck session today. and the president is also facing criticism from the republican governor of louisiana, bobby jindal. in his new book, he takes the president to task for his handling of that big oil spill in the gulf. we'll talk to the governor, coming up. also ahead, sarah palin's new reality show debuted last night, at a time when a new survey shows 52% of americans hold a negative view of the former alaska governor. we'll have more on that ahead as well. plus, have you seen this video on the internet? it is a cover of "dynamite" by a man who uses only his voice to make all of the sounds that you hear. >> well, we decided to give it a shot and record our own version of that. the four of us have not seen the finished product, so we'll be watching along with you when we bring that to you a little later. but we'll begin this morning with serious news. that 13-year-old girl found

alive in ohio as police search for her still missing mother, brother, and friend. peter alexander is in ohio this morning for us. >> reporter: good morning. this is the bizarre and frightening kidnapping. that young girl, 13-year-old, sarah maynard, lives in this home with her family, but she was found in a stranger's home about 10 miles from here. the good news is this morning, she's in good condition. she's being taken care of at a local hospital. but still missing, her mom, her brother, and a family friend. and while the search for them is going to begin again a few hours from now, this morning the suspect in her disappearance today is expected in court. in the basement of this rural ohio home, a stunning discovery. 13-year-old sarah maynard found bound and gagged, unable to yell for help as s.w.a.t. team members raided the house sunday morning. police say the home belongs to 30-year-old matthew hoffman, who's been arrested on kidnapping charges. investigators say hoffman is key to unraveling this awful mystery, that he can lead them to sarah's mother, tina

herrmann, sarah's 10-year-old brother, kody, and stephanie sprang, a family friend. all four were reported missing last wednesday. >> at this time, we don't know whether he's really connected to the family or whether he connected himself to the family. a lot of that remains to be seen as the investigation continues. >> reporter: as doctors care for the young girl, investigators are building a timeline. last wednesday, coworkers became concerned when her mother didn't show up to work at this dairy queen. the next day, sheriff's deputies found blood inside the mother's home. >> there was an unusual amount of blood in that house. >> reporter: the mother's truck was later found abandoned. her credit cards and cell phone haven't been used since the family disappeared. this weekend, volunteers and sheriff's deputies combed wooded areas, scoured this lake, and even used a plane equipped with infrared technology as part of their search. hoffman is described by

neighbors as a loner who moved into the neighborhood last year. authorities say he was convicted of setting a condo complex on fire in 2000, causing $2 million in damages. this morning, sarah maynard is safe and this community hopes the same is true for her mother, brother, and their family friend. and the sheriff says it's still unclear if matthew hoffman knew any of the victims. he's been uncooperative with police, as you noted, meredith, for 24 hours since he was first arrested. as for that 13-year-old sarah maynard, again, most importantly, she is in good condition. she has been helping out police, but so far they won't tell us anything that she said. >> peter alexander, thank you very much. let us get a check of the rest of the morning's top stories. ann's standing by at the news desk with a look at those. ann, good morning to you. >> hey, guys, good morning. in the news over the weekend, a british couple was freed after being held hostage for 388 days by somali pirates. paul and rachael chandler were kidnapped on a sailing trip to the east african coast and the

two are now coming to terms with the time that they lost, because while captured, paul's father passed away. and aung san suu kyi is heading back to work today, reigniting her now with her disbanded political party. the nobel peace prize laureate was released to a sea of admirers after more than seven years in detention. another emergency landing for qantas overnight. the cockpit filled with smoke aboard a boeing 747 carrying 199 passengers and the plane was forced to land following an electrical problem. this comes only weeks after another qantas jumbo jet made an emergency landing because of an engine failure on an airbus a-380. a new report shows that nazis were given quote, safe haven, in the u.s. after world war ii. they now acknowledge that the cia used nazis for post-war

intelligence gathering. investors are hoping to gain back some ground today. trish regan is at the new york stock exchange. there's a lot ahead this week. >> certain on the economic front. data on manufacturing, housing, unemployment. we're also getting a look at retail sales numbers today, including some retail earnings. so very busy. certainly going to be a very good barometer of the health or lack thereof of the u.s. consumer. meanwhile, we've got a lot of concern swirling out there about european debt, specifically ireland's debt. so we'll see how that affects things back here at home. speaking of home, the fed this week purchasing $35 billion worth of treasuries. this is all part of its quantitative easing program. a lot of doubt as to whether it's going to work. we'll see. >> trish regan, thanks a lot. and finally, president obama is praising a new freeze on israeli settlement expansion in an effort to restart failed peace talks with the

accepted a set of diplomatic and security incentives offered by the u.s. in exchange for extending a 90-day moratorium on settlement building. those are some of the top stories at 7 minutes past the hour. >> al the mvp is what we call him. what a weekend. >> it doesn't turn out too badly and governor jindal got out of the gulf just in time because they got a lot of rain down there today, causing problems stretching from houston all the way through new orleans, louisiana, into alabama and parts of georgia, we're talking anywhere from three to four inches of rain, they need it, it's been drought stricken over the past few months. this is good news. the rest of the country we expect to see some showers working into the atlantic states, wet weather, windy conditions in the pacific northwest with snow there. sunny skies west texas into the southwest. sunny but chilly around the great lakes and into the u.p.

>> a gorgeous view of san francisco where it's around 70. the winds moving in the same direction and that's the reason why we are dry and warm. highs close to 80. most of the warmer spots around the area, mid- to upper 70s around san francisco and most of the peninsula now, tomorrow with the offshore winds easing up a bit. much bigger cooling arriving as more clouds fill in and a chance of showers approaching the weekend. weather. and now to washington where congress is back in session today for the first time since the midterm elections. and president obama will look to strike a deal with republicans on those bush era tax cuts following his ten-day trip to asia. in a moment we're going to talk to bobby jindal, the former governor of louisiana. >> reporter: president obama back in the white house after ten days after his longest trip overseas. not much time to recompress as

he's got a political reality, the incoming house republican freshmen, they have arrived in town but a lame duck congress where he has to deal with the issue of taxes. topping the president's agenda this week, the debate on whether to extend the bush era tax rates for middle income americans set to expire on january 1. he did not dismiss the possibility of temporarily extending them. >> there's been a lot of formulations thrown out in the last few weeks that are interesting. >> reporter: for their part, republicans don't agree on the best way forward. some senators are pushing for a permanent extension but see room for compromise. >> if that's all we can get out of the president, he is the president, so we'll work with him on that. >> reporter: other republicans have come closer to the president's position. >> i think they should be extended until we're out of this

recession and then we can look at some new tax hikes. >> i look forward to representing any constituents. >> reporter: congress's newly minted freshman senators. an emboldens house republicans -- >> you can't get 80% of what you want, but you may be able to get 60% or 70% of what you want. you then have to define it so that it is a major victory. >> reporter: outgoing speaker nancy pelosi still hasn't locked down the job of minority leader and may face opposition from a long shot candidate, keith schueler. >> and to be able to put speaker pelosi as minority leader, it's unacceptable for our party to move our party forward in a moderate direction. if it comes down to this coming

week and she doesn't step aside, then i will challenge her. >> reporter: now the president does want to get other things done before the end of the year besides taxes. he's hoping the senate will ratify a new nuclear arms treaty with russia and also they make take up don't ask, don't tell. >> chuck todd at the white house this morning. house republicans aren't the only ones ready to take on president obama. bobby jindal has some choice words for the president in his new book that's called snch "leadership in crisis." you may have gotten invited to the white house christmas party. why the need to personal? >> a couple of things, i do think this is a critical time for our country and i described some anecdotes in the book during the oil spill and it feels like the federal government was disconnected from the facts on the ground. the first time the president came down to the state to see the oil for himself --

>> this is the way you start the book. >> i think he would be mad about the oil, i would think he would be worried about the impact on our wet lands, he's mad about a routine letter that we have sent to the agricultural -- about food stamps. they're picking up thousands of gallons in the water, to count the number of life jackets and fire extinguishers, it seemed like they were disconnected to the reality on the ground. >> you wrote this, quote, they believe that the elite could fix everything, it struck me during our conversation that the secretary of energy stephen chu had won the nobel prize, good for him, but just how exactly was this medal going to fix the problem, cap the well and keep the oil off our coastline? did anybody have any idea of the scope of this and have immediate solutions? >> it wasn't just the immediate response. for example i described at one

point that was oil in the bay, there was boom and skimmers sitting on the docks, couldn't get it deployed. it literally took the captain of the coast guard who was in charge of -- they kept denying there was oil. he saw the oil for himself. i said great, can you deploy the booms and skimmers, but it took 24 to 48 hours. the structures were so bureaucratic, there was a lack of urgency. >> what did you do to cut through the red tape? you are the governor in the state, we watched this situation play out with hurricane katrina five years ago, were you the hero no one was listening to? what was your role? fwl. >> there were no heroes, it was tonight politicians, but national guardsmen they were the real heroes. i ordered the national gashed to build a cup of prototypes of banchs.

and all of a sudden the federal government authorized dozens of those. we had the national guard out there building land bridges to block the oil from coming into the wet lands. >> by the way, there was criticism of that, the whole sand berm sway, a lot of people said it wasn't going to work. >> it prevented that oil from getting into the wet lands. and here's the point of telling those stories, our country faces a crisis today and the voters said the federal government was going in the wrong direction, just like i said in the book on the oil spill. for example instead of focusing on the economy and jobs, the federal government took on health care. >> when you look at this, you touch on all the themes that people have been touching on, government is too big, it's expansive, expensive. why shouldn't i look at this as

your coming out policy, i'm getting ready to run for manager bigger. >> i'm running for re-election next year. i do think there are things we have done in louisiana, we have cut taxes, we were talking before, our economy is outperforming the national economy. portfolio.com said we had the second best performance during the whole recession. what i'm saying is, if we actually focus on the real challenges facing our country, not get diverted into taking care of car companies and health care, cut taxes, create jobs, our country can get back on the right path, the right direction. >> karl rove says you're a likely candidate. >> i'm running for re-election as governor of the state of louisiana. i think the federal government would do what we do, cut spending, cut taxes, we would

have more better paying jobs in the private sector for our children and grandchildren. >> congratulations on the book. >> thank you. >> it's 7:16, here's meredith. last night sarah palin's show made its debut. >> reporter: the producers of "sarah palin's alaska" call it a family entertainment show, but it also advertises alaska and shows sarah palin as a rugged outdoors woman. in the first episode of "sarah palin's alaska" the former vice presidential nominee is the ultimate frontiers woman, watching bears wrestle. >> it was amazing to watch. this mama grizzly, brown bear really, protecting her cubs. >> reporter: fishing for salmon. >> who's going to catch the first fish? >> even scaling dangerous

glaciers. >> you have always wanted to be a rock climber. >> was it a rock climber or rock star? >> reporter: and her husband playing cameraman and confidant. >> business is about rolling the dice. >> reporter: living next door is joe mcginnis, the investigative journalist. >> todd and his buddies gout there and built a 14-foot fence and others said this is what we need to do to secure or nation's border. >> reporter: tlc executives called the picturesque eight party series as -- >> this is giving campaign advertising for someone who perhaps will have a presidential bid coming up. >> reporter: palin's political standing has taken a beating recently. a new gallup poll shows the number of americans viewing palin unfavorably is high.

52% view her negatively, making her the most divisive -- karl rove said there are high standards that the american people have for the presidency and they require a certain level of graff tas. >> palin's response? >> those standards have to be high for somebody who wants to run for president. wasn't ronald reagan an actor? >> reporter: and palin invites the cameras inside her home. although bristol currently seen on abc's dancing with the stars is absent for the first episode, palin's feisty side kick, 9-year-old daughter piper takes center stage. >> my mom is super busy. she's addicted to the blackberry. >> reporter: and cameras catch a teenaged boy trying to sneak upstairs with palin's 16-year-old daughter will row.

. >> this gate is not just for trig, it's for no boys go upstairs. >> reporter: palin is heading out on a 14-stop tour. the tour includes two stops in iowa and one in south carolina, the state's key to the republicans' nomination. >> it is 7:20, and once again here matt. now to the small country that is home to the largest building in the world. the centerpiece of downtown dubai, standing more than a half a mile high. cnbc's erin burnett is there. erin, good morning to you. >> reporter: good morning to you, matt, i'm standing at the base where i feel safest. it's pretty amazing, a lot of tourists are trying to take mirr pictures and they have to contort to get the entire building in the shot, it's just that tall. it seems like a mission impossible. but against all odds and in the

face of a global rel real estate meltdown, the world's tallest building went up, and up, and up. and we were there every step of the way. >> how tall is it so far? >> this week it's about 66. >> one floor every 2 1/2 days? >> now completed and finally open for business, it stands a staggering 2,700 feet tall. almost twice the height of the empire state building. extreme high-rise livie living. this is the view from the observation deck, still a long way from the top. a view that's even attracted actor come cruise, he's here in dubai filming the latest mission impossible movie. on tom of the towers, on top of the line, .

>> people feel they are really in a residence here, it's like entering mr. armani's home. the lobby is a little smaller than some of the big, huge hotels and it's done by design to give that sense that you're entering a residence other than you're entering a big five star ojo tell. the rooms start at $1,000 a night. the jewelry they sell is priceless. this pearl necklace will run you about $40,000. it's a pretty stupendous building all the way from the top of the needle down, not all that glitters in dubai is gold. most of the apartments in the building are sold. a new search for kyron horman who vanished from his

school almost six months ago, we'll have the latest on that case in a liv [ female announcer ] jcp cash is on the spot savings. earn ten dollars off on the spot when you spend twenty five! wow! unlike other stores... ...we don't make you come back to save. earn jcp cash -- ten dollars off when you spend twenty five, two days only! who knew shopping could be so rewarding? jcpenney.

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ten dollars off when you spend twenty five, two days only! who knew shopping could be so rewarding? jcpenney. still ahead, from patdowns to full body scans, why some passengers say new airport screening methods go too far. >> and maivtt, al meredith and go acapella right after your local news and weather. ,

good morning and thanks for joining us. 7:26 and mike is off today. we a look at the morning commute starting with the bay bridge and a look at the metering lights on. a decent sized back up going on right there. allow extra time. taking it into the south bay, we have a look at the maps. you can see slow on 87 one of the hot spots.

the usual slowing on highway 101 northbound as well. keep that in mind as you head out. as you head out this morning, keep in mind the weather will be warm. rob has that. >> nice outside and we are seeing 70s in the north bay valleys. thanks to the fact that we have the offshore winds. 78 in san jose and low 80s in the warmest places around the hilltops in the north and east bay valleys. pretty warm by november standards, but the second half of the week we will see changes. 50s the and shohokewe and showe la on friday. 7:27. more news after the break.

>>ar i disturbing case that captured the bay area and the nation over a year ago will go to court this morning. seven people accused of raping a high school student while dozens watch will be in court. the preliminary hearing will determine if there is enough evidence to bring it to a full trial. a loz has changed. $2.5 million has been spent on fences, additional lighting and more than 200 surveillance cameras. more local news in a half hour. the "today" show returns in less than a minute. have a great monday. see you in a bit.

it's monday morning, november 15, 2010. we're seeing the rockefeller center christmas tree and it's five miles of christmas lights. inside studio 1a, i'm meredith

viera, along with matt lauer. investigators carried out a new search for kyron horman over the weekend. the controversy over the tsa's new airport screening guidelines. some passengers are complaining that full body scans and more extensive patdowns cross the line, others say it's the price we all have to pay for added security on airplanes. we're going to talk to them about the new procedures with the head of the tsa. "today" goes viral and we'll find out if matt, ann, al and i have the voices to be stars. the four of us sing acapella. >> in honor of our green is universal campaign, all week look for tips on how you can go green. in a moment we will talk to kyron horman's mom, but here's

the latest developments. >> reporter: this weekend, divers searched the waters of sobi island, a two-day multiagency effort to find little kyron horman. in june when he was 7 years old, kyron disappeared from school after a science fair. on sunday they again walked away empty handed. >> the dedication is to bring kyron home for closure for the family and for the investigation. >> reporter: despite a search that appears to be more of a recovery effort, kyron's parents hold out hope their son is alive. >> some days are better than others, we live it almost hour by hour. >> it's sickening, it's painful. it's the worst torture. >> reporter: kyron's biological parents -- kaine has since filed for divorce from horman.

>> i have everything to -- >> terry horman has never spoke on the the media but in court documents, kaine's claims -- some of her former friends have spoken out. >> i don't think terri is capable or harming a child, period. she's just not the type of woman that would do it that i can see. >> reporter: but in divorce documents, kaine describe s teri as a terrible stepmother, it was common for her to be visibly impaired by alcohol and to pass out on the couch. >> without a doubt, i wish i would have known it before, i wouldn't tolerate it. >> a mother and father with her own suspicions as the search for their son approaches six months. >> kyron's mom desiree young is

with us exclusively. good morning to you. this is the first time you're speaking out about kyron without your ex-husband kaine. up until now you have presented a united front so what has chan change? >> we're still a united front in the goal that we want kyron home and we want answers, that hasn't changed. i personally have learned of information lately that has disappointed me in kaine's choices and his behavior and i just can't stand by and support the choices that he's making. >> some of that has to do with these court documents that you have seen where he talks about his wife terri being visibly impaired from alcohol several times a week, he calls her emotionally disturbed, yet he never shared any of his concerns

with you, is that correct? >> that's correct. we learned of all of this information after the fact and from the media. he had several opportunities to let tony and i know what was going on in the house and he did not. he had several opportunities to make the right choice and either let me know or remove kyron from the house, i would have removed kyron from the house if i would have known what was going on. >> did you see signs ever desiree that terri was dealing with alcohol abuse or that she was emotionally disturbed? >> i did not see any evidence of alcohol abuse, in fact i didn't know about the dui until after kyron went missing. but as far as a personality disorder, i did for years, i was

aware that she had some issues with pathological lying, things of that nature, but just mostly from my interactions with her. i didn't see, you know, as much as kaine did. >> if you had any concerns, why didn't you at any time -- or did you try to get your son kyron out of that home? >> oh, yes, i did. starting a year prior to him going missing, i tried to get custody of him. >> and what would happen? >> kaine told me it was not an option on several occasions and it was a point of contention with us. he was exhibiting some problems in school and he was expressing a lot of sadness and upset at the situation and kyron on many occasions told me he wanted to come and live with me and on a

couple of different occasions, terri had called me specifically so that i could talk to kyron because he was so upset and terri, personally wanted me to take kyron. >> and then on friday, the police showed you some e-mails that terri had sent to friends of hers describing her marriage to kaine and her feelings about your son. i know you can't reveal the specifics because of the investigation, but generally, what did they say? >> it's very clear from terri's horrible words that she had a severe hatred for kyron and that a lot -- she blames a lot of the marital rproblems between kaine and herself on kyron. it was a huge point of contention in their marriage and she had expressed in great

detail her hatred for kyron. i now believe, without a shadow of a doubt that not only is she capable of hurting kyron, that it's clear that she could have hurt him in the worst possible way. >> do you still hold out hope that your son's alive? >> i will until the day i die. >> thank you so much for joining us and please know that our thoughts and prayers are with you and your family. >> thank you. and now let's get a check of the weather from al. >> all right, thank you very much, meredith. and as we look down to texas, you can see warm front separating two air masses so you've got 81 degrees in brownsville, dallas, 20 degrees chillier at 62 degrees. rest of the country, we have 30s in the plain states throughout the western great lakes, 70s in the southeast 50s in the pacific northwest. as far as weather conditions are

concerned, we are looking at surge as you get through the southwest and on into the plains states, sunny skies around the great lakes, showers through the southeast where they need the rain, more windy and here's a view of the golden gate bridge. mostly pleasant weather thanks to offshore winds with temperatures climbing into the 70s and low 80s. gorgeous day much like we saw the weekend. we will see changes. you will notice the changes around wednesday and thursday and see cooler temperatures by the weekend. notice the highs. cooler than the temperatures we are seeing outside right now. mid 50s for the weekend and scattered showers on the way. >> and if you want to keep track of your weather all day long, you can go to the weather channel on cable or weather.com online. too close for comfort, those new airport screening

procedures, etm procedures.

we're back at 7:43, if you have flown in the past couple of weeks, you have had to deal with the ta s's new screening procedures. we're going to talk to the administrator of the tsa in a moment, but here's tom costello.

>> john's cell phone went through the screener face up. he said he did not want the screener touching his groin. >> you touch my junk, i'm going to have you arrested. >> reporter: that led to a standoff with tsa investigators who said that he had to go through a full body scan. full body scanners are the ta s's latest tactic. and for passenger who is opt out of the scan, now a much more personal full pat down. officers now are using the front of their hand and more vigorously searching for weapons and explosives. >> we believe that provides the best possible technology to identify those nonmetallic improvised explosive devices we know have been used before. >> reporter: the challenge for the tsa searching those private

areas of the body most consider off-limits but have been used by criminals and terrorists to hide weapons, drugs and explosives. the underwear bomber who nearly brought down an airline liner last christmas. while a screening officer in another room has but a few critical seconds to search for something suspicious. >> reporter: right now 317 units are in use at more than 65 airports nationwide. >> filipina wade use -- for travelers the security over privacy tradeoff often comes down to gender, men less offended. >> this is what we have to do to travel today. it is what it is. >> but women, more. >> it's an invasion of my personal space, my body. i understand why it's needed,

however, from a personal standpoint, it is an invasion of privacy to an extent. >> reporter: and 2 million people moving through tsa checkpoints every day. >> don pistol is the -- you've consumer rights groups, flight attendants and pilots groups say this is going too far. is there any turning back now? >> i think, matt, really what it comes down to is security and partnerships, everybody wants the best possible security to know that everybody else on that flight has been screened properly, that there's not a group of people with box cutter who is may want to storm the cockpit or people with liquid explosiveses or shoe bombs or underwear bombs. everybody wants that, it's a question of what that blend or balance between security, safety and privacy and while we remain

sensitive to those people with those concerns, the system we have set up addresses those concerns and provides the best possible security. >> and taking security to the next level, are you also applying common sense? for example if a 9-year-old girl does want the scanner, are we really going to subject that 9-year-old girl to the kind of pat down we're seeing on the video? >> no, actually, matt, we have -- the policy is that children 12 and under will not receive that type of pat down. so we have heard the concerns that have been expressed and agree that children 12 and under should not receive that type of pat down. >> let's talk about adults now, this pat down that we're talking about, it basically uses the screeners are using the fronts of their hands and for lack of a better expression, they're touching people's private parts. is there any way that this can be brought back to a for acceptable procedure for the

people who are squeamish about this. >> the pat downs and the advanced technology machines are all part of a procedure we have to try to identify anybody before they would ever get to the airport to do something bad. so tsa is the last line of security for people who have slipped through all the different safety nets and get to the airport, then it's really incumbent upon the men and women of tsa to do a thorough screening and the techniques that we're using are used worldwide in terms of both the pat downs and the technology that's being developed. we're looking for other opportunities to develop that technology that can get us beyond this point, but right now we believe we're using the best technology driven by informed intelligence. >> is this perhaps part of your strategy that these physical pat

downs are so invasive that you're saying to people, don't opt out of the screenings, that's exactly why we're doing this? >> we believe that the technology is the best technology available and so if people do opt out, what we want to make sure is that we don't have the 12/25 comer who knows the capabilities of the advanced imaging technology and opts out and does not receive a pat down and gets on a plane with the explosives. >> there's -- on november 24, some we'll have calling for an opt out day. the busiest travel day of the year, are you concerned about the -- >> obviously the advanced screening technology is -- it's irresponsible to say let's opt out and try not to go through any type of security screening or something that would cause terrific delays on the airport on the busiest travel day of the

year. >> mr. pistol, thanks for your time this morning, i appreciate it. >> thank you, matt. >> still ahead, what you can do to help your teen avoid making costly mistakes on his or her college applications. but first these messages.

just ahead, matt, ann, al and i show what it takes to become viral stars. >> hit your mute button.

time now is 7:56. mike inouye is off so we get you started with a look at the morning commute. the bay bridge toll plaza metering lights are on and quite a back up. it has been reduced a little bit, but obviously a little bit of time there. in the meantime, want to check the south bay as well and the commute through the south bay shows the biggest slowing along 280 between the 101-87 interchange and over towards sunnyvale. northbound 101 locks like at about around brocaw. you may see slowing there as

well. check the forecast and rob said it looks like a nice day on 257. >> look at the temperatures. we are looking at 70s to low 80s and offshore wins keeping skies clear and warm for this time of year. much like we saw yesterday. not quite as warm as the mid 80s, but close. mostly 70s today. big changes for the second half of the week. 60s for highs thursday and friday and a chance of north bay showers. look at the weekend. highs in the 50s, but showers and maybe m eaiountn mountain t snow. more news after the break.

a veterandefensive lineman for the san francisco 49ers will ark peer in court for driving under the influence. ray donald is expected to go before a judge in san mateo county superior court in redwood city at 9:00 this morning. he was arrested june 12th when a highway patrol officer pulled him over for allegedly going 94 miles per hour on interstate 280. he was given a sobriety test and booked into the county jail at red weed city. he told the team and he has been playing so far this season. more local news in a half hour. have a great morning.

♪ i came to dance dance dance ♪ i came to dance ♪ i hit the floor, because that's my plans ♪ [ cheers and applause ] 8:00 on a monday morning, it is the 15th day of november, 2010. a little overcast here in new york. we're going to have a lot of fun in this half-hour, we'll ask a

question, what does it take to become an internet sensation. this man knows it's his one-man version on the cover of tao cruz's song "dynamite." we decided why don't we give that a try. probably one of the worst ideas we've ever tried. >> probably that and meredith forgetting to wear pants. >> we're trying our hands at viral videos all week long. it's "dynamite" or we'll let you be the judge. >> no band, no instruments, just our voices. it's going to be fun. >> oh, i cringe at the thought. out on the plaza, i'm matt lauer, along with meredith vieira and al roker. what else is coming up. >> if you don't have time to cook for those guests who will be stopping by over the next month. we have help, chef paula dean has ideas. she looks happy. >> she has an open-door policy. anybody who wants to drop by, just drops by. unannounced you can just go.

>> anybody? >> i don't mean all of you. >> wow, i think paula might want to rethink that. have you ever wanted to get inside someone's head? maybe not ours. you only want to go in there if you've got a wistle and a whip. but otherwise we're going to tour the new exhibit revealing new insight into how the brain actually works. it is so cool. >> is that what's going on in our brain? >> or is that the fourth of july? >> the average brain, ours, not so much. >> first we'll get a check of the top stories from ann curry. thanks a lot you guys. in the news this morning, good morning once again. in haiti, officials say 14,600 people are now hospitalized with cholera. the death toll has soared above 900 and is expected to rise as u.n. health experts fear the number of cases could reach 200,000 people. mexican officials say the deadly blast at a popular resort hotel near cancun on sunday was amarntly caused by a build-up of swamp gas. five canadians and two mexican

workers were killed. a new safety scare today for passengers aboard a qantas 747, a flight was forced to land in sydney after an electrical problem filled the cockpit with smoke. this comes a week after an oil leak problem. congress returns to work and top senate republicans say they may be willing to kproes with president obama on a short-term extension to expiring bush-era tax cuts. and veteran democratic congressman charles rangel faces the start of his house ethics trial today. he's accused of violating house rules covering donations, gifts and personal finances. it is 8:03, let's go back outside for a check of the weather with al. >> george? good to see you, george. let george do it. my name's al. >> al roker? >> yes, sir. >> you're the man on "today"? >> yes. and you're the man on "today" right now, george. >> yeah!

>> way to go, bud. let's check your weather to see what's happening. we'll show you we've got our pick city of the day, monterrey, california, sunny and mild, 66 degrees for a high today. the jet stream takes a big dip out west. and so we're going to see some chillier-than-normal conditions out there. but we can see mild conditions through the southeast. sunny and cold weather today. then as we work our way to wednesday, we get a little bit more of a trough digging in, more of cold conditions through the plains, sunshine though a gorgeous view from oakland looking at san francisco. look how clear that is. we have winds bringing in sunny skies this morning and also warm temperatures for the afternoon. well into the 70s for most of the bay area today. the only question is how many spots hit the 80s. it looks like the north bay valleys where the north winds will warm the air up and dry it out as it heads closer to sea level would be a good indication of maybe seeing that later on today but notice the

temperatures in the second half of the week. we're going to cool off with showers returning on friday. thanks very much. when we come back, "today" goes viral as we try to recreate an popular vio,deonine video, we'll get to that right after this. vi ♪ oh oh oh ♪ jt love me ♪ oh oh oh ♪ just hold me ♪ oh oh oh ♪ just kiss me ♪ oh oh oh ♪ just want me ♪ ♪ l-o-v-e ♪ust want me

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we're back now at 8:08, with a kickoff to our special series, "today goes viral." >> we're going to find out what takes to become online sensations by recreating some of the most creative web hits. >> this morning we're stepping out of our comfort zones and into a recording studio to raise our voices in song. >> a word of warning -- it's not pretty. ♪ i came to dance, dance, dance ♪ >> do you recognize this guy? how about this one? or that one in the corner? well millions of youtube fans know him as the a cappella boy wonder. mike tompkins and his unique spin on the song "dynamite" turned him into an overnight sensation. >> a kick drum -- [ mouth sounds ] >> i have synth parts.

>> easy for him to say. >> okay. matt, let's grab one more of that. as we say, let's take it from the top. >> these squeeze your head, don't they? >> hey, i can hear myself. >> we wanted to replace all those mics with all of us. and to be just like mike, we'd have to be all the instruments. >> what is a cappella? it is a very tasty italian luncheon meat. >> a cappella, that sounds dirty. >> a cappella would be the equivalent of my worst nightmare. >> unbelievable fear. >> our admittedly tone-deaf quartet would need a few listons. we kick it off by hacking -- i mean attacking -- the chorus. >> matt's afraid to sing in the shower, but the guy can actually carry a tune. ♪ i throw my hands up in the air sometimes ♪ ♪ saying -- ♪ i want to celebrate and live my life ♪

♪ saying aaa-yo ♪ baby let's go ♪ 'cuz we goen ♪ rock this club ♪ al starts out sounding like a 13-year-old school boy. >> until he finds his inner man voice. ♪ i throw my hands up in the air sometimes ♪ ♪ saying aaa-yo ♪ gotta let go. >> us ladies have our own issues. ♪ saying aaaa-yo ♪ come on let's go. ♪ ♪ on and on and on >> the kick drum -- it's like this pwwww, it's kind of like pushing out air. >> you kind of got me with that last one. >> soon, it's time to move onto the shooby-doos and dipetty tops. >> sounds a normal human should never attempt. >> as everyone knows, we're not normal.

>> you need a clkk at all in this? >>. [ bird sound ] [ raspberry ] >> the sounds i can make are the sounds that most people can make after i don't know, say a three-course hungarian dinner. [ yodelling ] >> na na na na na na na na na. >> yeah yeah yeah yeah. >> gobble gobble gobble gobble. >> pwwwh. >> can you do that for a little bit? >> no. >> i can do that like three times in a row before i might cough something up. >> psss, psss, psss. >> good for two diddles and then i'm done. >> sweetness, with lots of sugar.

>> tee, tee, tee, tee, tee. ♪ i want to celebrate and live my life ♪ ♪ saying aaa-yo >> and we have the after, tuned it a bit added some reverb and it sounds like this. ♪ i want to live my life >> we tape ourselves in front of a green screen. add a dash of attitude, a few jazz hands for flavor. and hope as they say in the biz, that they'll fix it in post. >> a little nervous about whether or not they can actually make this work. failure is not an option. >> all right. that, my friends, is magic. >> and our fearless mentor, mike tompkins is with us this morning. failure is an option. how long did you work sweetening this to make us sound good? >> bare i had any time at all. you guys are great. >> oh, yeah, right. >> his nose is growing. >> no, seriously, how long did

this take you to put together? >> it was about, what, five hours to get the actual music stuff together. editing and some tuning needed to happen. so, you know, about seven or eight hours. >> how many times did you regret taking on this assignment? >> none of them. >> no hours, it was great. >> we did this separately. we all went in individually. did you have the same experience i did, with mike? at times he looked just completely sick do his stomach? >> yes, a little nauseous. >> he would always be very supportive, but you could read his eyes. >> yeah, give me a real musician here. >> you're so kind. he says looking as if he really loved it. >> of course i did. >> you, obviously, have heard the finished product 100 times now. what should we expect as we're about to roll this? >> i think you should expect a grammy nomination within the next couple of months so -- >> right. you're lying. >> all right, mike, thank you. we may as well get this over with, gang. ladies and gentlemen, the world premiere of our little ditty

performed by your anchors and your anchors alone. unfortunately every sound you hear was made by one of us. take a look. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ [ mouth sounds ] ♪ i came to dance, dance, dance, ♪ ♪ i hit the floor because that's my plans ♪ ♪ eye wearing all my favorite brands ♪ ♪ give me some space for both my hands, hands, hands ♪ ♪ 'cuz it goes on and on and on ♪ ♪ and it goes on and on and on ♪ yeah ♪ i throw my hands up in the air sometimes ♪ ♪ saying ayyy-yo ♪ gotta let go ♪ i want to celebrate and live

my life ♪ ♪ saying ayyy-yo ♪ baby let's go ♪ 'cuz we goen rock this club ♪ we goen go all night ♪ we goen light it up ♪ like it's dynamite ♪ and i told you once ♪ now i told you twice ♪ we gone light it up ♪ like it's dynamite ♪ i'm a take it all out ♪ i'm going to be the last one standin' ♪ ♪ i'm alone and all i ♪ i want to be the last one landing ♪ ♪ 'cuz i, i, i ♪ can feel it, and i, i, i ♪ i just want it all ♪ i just want it all ♪ i'm gonna put my hands in the air ♪ ♪ put my hands in the air ♪ put your hands in the air

♪ we gone rock this club ♪ we gone go all night ♪ we gone light it up ♪ like it's dynamite ♪ and i've told you once ♪ now i told you twice ♪ we gone light it up ♪ like it's dynamite >> wow, that's great. oh, my gosh, a magician. >> we'd like to thank the sin thee sizer. >> the song is so fun. when you look and listen to it, it makes you feel good. >> what made you come up with this idea in the first place? just doing this? >> well, it was really, it was i was producing music for so long i decided to become an artist. and it just kind of all of these things i could do in one thing. >> with your voice. how has your life changed? >> it's been pretty crazy. just like a lot of, a lot of internet views over ten million

now, combined with this video. >> do you think our life is going to change? >> grammy awards coming. >> i'm scared. >> i have to say i was clearly not into this when we first heard the idea and then when they said you got to go watch the idea to get ready for the shoot. and i watched this video, i get such a kick out of it. i played it over and over again. >> you're dynamite. >> so if we go to youtube and want to see your video, we type in what? >> mike tompkins. >> what else are you doing now? >> new thing, i'm kind of working on some original music. going to be, basically my main focus is now. >> backup? >> yeah. >> we need the pips, we're here. >> thank you so much. coming up, tomorrow on "today," goes viral you may not know the gregory brother, but you know their work including the bed intruder song. >> they'll be here, we'll ask them to do one of their auto-tunes songs just for us.

and our video you just saw is going to be posted on our website. i think it's great. i think it's great. well done. al that was great. >> mike, thank you. >> y ghe gold star. we'll be back with another round. i have asthma. and when my symptoms came back i'd get this tightness in my chest. so i went back to my doctor again. we chose symbicort to help control my asthma symptoms all day and night. [ man ] symbicort improves my lung function, starting within 15 minutes. symbicort will not replace a rescue inhaler

for sudden symptoms. it is a combination of two medicines and should not be taken more often than prescribed. symbicort contains formoterol. medicines like formoterol increase the risk of death from asthma problems, and children and adolescents may have an increased risk of being hospitalized for asthma problems. symbicort is not for people whose asthma is well controlled with a long-term asthma control medicine like inhaled corticosteroids. once your asthma is well controlled, your doctor will decide if you can stop symbicort without loss of control, and prescribe a long-term asthma control medicine. be sure to see your doctor if your asthma does not improve or gets worse. symbicort is a good choice to help control my asthma all day and night. [ inhales ] [ exhales ] ask your doctor if symbicort is a good choice for you. [ male announcer ] if you can't afford your medication, astrazeneca may be able to help. [ laughter ] ♪ [ male announcer ] for tim and richard smucker, giving a gift of their delicious jam always made the holidays just a little bit sweeter. we forgot to put our names on them!

richard, i think they'll know who it's from. ♪ thank you, boys. you're welcome. you're welcome. [ male announcer ] happy holidays from our family to yours. i love christmas. ♪ [ boy ] see billy over there? that's what utter humiliation looks like. parents just don't understand the half of it. get in the car! come on! lucky for me, my mom gets it. this highlander is so cool, i actually want to be seen in it. [ grunts ] ♪ just because you're a parent doesn't mean you have to be lame. [ male announcer ] see the stylish new highlander at youtube.com/highlander.

i won't. ♪ [ female announcer ] clear some snow. ♪ or spread a little warmth. maxwell house gives you a rich full flavored cup of coffee so you can be good to the last drop. we're back now at 8:21 with everything you ever wanted to know about your brain. natalee morales is at the american museum of natural history here in new york where a new interactive exhibit called brain, the inside story opens this saturday. hey, natalee, good morning. >> reporter: yes, this is very much a hands on and brains on exhibit. thanks for letting us in so early this morning. we have learned so much in the last decade about the brain and how it works. what does the exhibit reveal to us? >> this exhibit is here because of the advances in energy

technology and also because of psychologists have done really, really clever experiments. >> we're seeing rite here this giant human here, with the big lips and the big hands, what does this teach us or show us about our sense of touch? >> we have all this information coming in from the outside and so it's got to be processed in our brain so certain regions of our brain are there to process. the size of the hands and the face are proportional to how much real estate in the brain it takes. >> anding we move on to our neuron gesture table, we're going to put our hands on this screen, i understand that kids love this one right here. but it really shows you how the signals are processed in the brain, right. >> you have to get the information from your seasonsend back out into your appendages. these connections are called s

answers. and thinking and remembering are these electrical chemical messages. >> and even our ability to recognize human emotion which brings us to our next area right here as we see this face image here on this projected screen, we're seeing a lot of horror and what does this tell us about how we interact as humans. >> we have four basic emotions that we talk about here, fear, anger, happiness and sadness. >> she's going through all of them at once. >> she's going through all of them. we have our emotions because we have to respond quickly to outside information. this is a very primitive part of our brain that actually controls our emotions. >> and meanwhile, back in our studio, we have some 3-dmri images that shows the brains of a musician as well as an athlete. what are you seeing in this mri?

>> you're seeing the brain and where the brain is yellow and red is very very, active. >> and the back part of the brain more specifically. >> that's right. and when he ee's shown a film o balller reierinas his brain tur >> and the ability to acquire a language, and right here, we have trevor who is showing me how to say a word in mandarin and then it shows how i then have to repeat that. so i'm going to record. all right, i didn't do so hot there. but what does this basically show us? when we do hear his word and then i repeat it. >> it's showing how well your brain adapted to reproducing

that sound. and this is part of your brain that we commonly call thinking. we're actually in a brain right now. >> this is the brain? >> and this is part of your brain and we're actually standing in the cortex of the brain and we're trying to explain how we think with language, memory and decision making. >> it is fascinating, thanks so good morning everybody. time now is 8:26. mike is off today so we're taking a look at traffic for you starting with the bay bridge. the approach has been jammed up most of the morning but is getting a little less congested as we go along. taking a peek at the south bay as well this morning the map showing you 280 northbound is one of the slow spots. then again some off-and-on sluggishness on 101 as you head northbound past 680 this morning. we're also checking the forecast with rob taking a look at a nice day on tap.

>> pretty tough to top the weekend we just saw but we'll come close around the bay area today 70s to maybe near 80 in the warmest places. san jose, 78. 75 san francisco. low 80s around the north bay for one more day today. tomorrow a little cooler. still 70s inland but bigger changes for the second half of the week. the clouds still in on thursday. north bay showers friday afternoon and look at that weekend scattered showers. highs only in the 50s. time right now 8:27. more news right after this short break.

don't be fooled by imitateors. we are the real yellow checkered cab drivers.

a san francisco cable car operator is in the hospital this morning with life threatening injuries after somebody stabbed him on a cable car in china town. that attack happened yesterday afternoon at mason and jackson streets on a cable car that was out of service so there were no passengers onboard. police say a suspect attacked the operator stabbing him several times in the torso and the arm. officers arrested 32-year-old george wong. the motive for the attack is unclear. more local news in half an hour. the "today" show returns in less than a minute. have a great monday and we'll see you back here in a bit.

8:30 now on this monday morning, november a, 2010. we say hello to all of our friends gathered outside on the plaza. >> the next alaskan summe-- a s

peek at harry potter. >> wu. >> plus the right way to entertain during the hectic holiday season. paula dean is here with tasty meals you can make ahead of time and then freeze. all you need to do is heat and serve when unannounced guests stop by. also he is the paint salesman turned american idol. he's set to release his debut album. so we're going to be catching up with him this morning. >> and there he is. >> but first, this month marks the 50th anniversary of john f. kennedy's election.

a brand-new ipad and that's called jfk 50 days to showcase 50 days in jfk's presidency. >> we have got a punch of ipads today. >> it's really cool, you've got all sorts of video, you've got pictures, you can scroll through, you can bring the video up full screen pretty easily just by doing like this with your fingers. bring it back in, you can scroll through the days, there's all sorts of really rich information. >> he said this nation should commit to landing on the moon and bringing him back safely. lots of incredible moments in history. >> august 29, the day that martin luther king came to visit at the white house. and there's pictures of their meetings together at the white house, which is pretty cool. really great for students to have, or anybody who's interested in history. >> it's pretty simple, it's very

intuitive to use. >> what's really cool is a lot of these images have been buried in nbc's news archives and now they're seeing the light of day which is terrific in such a big way. >> this is you going i put my hands in the air. >> and back to us. >> and back to jfk. 50 days is available on i-tunes where you will also find us performing "dynamite." >> let's get a check of the weather. >> we are so pathetic. our early week ahead for the country, above normal in the east, also the great lakes out west. below normal gulf coast on into the central plains w a lot of wet weather there, midweek period, we have got the rain and above normal temperatures here in the east, also in the late

week period we expect to below normal temperatures in the west, above normal in the east with sh and another gorgeous view across the golden gate bridge. sunshine around the bay area today. pleasant temperatures, highs in the 70s and probably a few low 80s. inland for one more day. thanks to an offshore wind pattern and high pressure right on top of northern california though the pattern will start to weaken by mid week leading to the return of a seabreeze, some cooling through wednesday and thursday and then friday a chance of showers dropping into the north bay and a huge u-turn in our temperatures. 50s for the weekend with showers, even some mountain top snow possible early sunday. >> don't forget, you can check your weather any time of the day or night, go to weather channel on cable or weather.com online. we're going to catch up with the harry potter star.

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for the past ten years movie goers have been captivated by harry potter. determined to stop the forces of darkness. >> we have lost two days without her. >> there's a bit of a chase on here. >> i don't care about a wedding. i'm sorry, no matter whose it is, i have to start finding them. this is our only chance to beat him and the longer we stay here,

the stronger he gets. >> daniel radcliffe as harry potter. this movie is the beginning of the end of the franchise, what's that been like for you, dealing with that? >> it's kind of odd because we finished filming, the last two we shot in one go and we actually finished filming it five months ago, so we have been through our period of mourning. >> what was that last day like? >> lots of tears as you might expect. as you said, it was ten years of our lives. but we shot the last film for 18 months. it has been -- it was very weird doing all the press for it at the moment because suddenly everyone's saying, gosh, you must be so sad, i wasn't until you said something. >> it's a little bit of a celebration too? >> if we had been going out on a

sour note, it would have been heart breaking, but i'm pleased with this film and it's nice to go out with a bang. >> and i heard you swiped some stuff from the set? swiped is not fair. >> but i would have swiped it if they haven't given it to us. my glasses which are a bit tiny. >> you were only 11 when you started. >> look, there i am. oh, good. it's good that everyone keeps seeing that. >> did you have a good childhood? >> i had a different childhood. but, you know, in terms of happiness and, you know, it's an amazing, fun, exciting place to be and you're there with a lot of great people. i have to tell you, there's a lot less bullying on the film set than there is in school. so i missed that part.

>> this is the darkest of all, you're searching to stop him. how does this film lead us into part two? >> basically the thing, i think it was interesting, i was talking to a journalist about this the other day, because this film is easiest to break down because you don't know the books very well. so essentially, there's seven pieces of his soul. and also searching for the deathly hallows. and it's a person that basically rates between us so you get there go first. and the end of the movie and, yeah, it's a big cliffhanger. i'm not going to ruin it. >> don't ruin it. right after filming stopped on that movie, you started "woman in black" which is a thriller, a very scary movie. and you were very clear on why you wanted to do that, you

wanted to play an adult, obviously you are one. and a dad? >> yeah. it wasn't so much i was seeking to play those things, but when i read the script and it was a chance to play a father and a widower, it's inherently a much more adult role. so that is part of the process of gradually sort of separating myself from harry, not separating myself, because i'm very proud to have played harry. but separating myself from the character. it's a great director, james watkins, he's a fantastic director and it's a great script and it's a fantastic costume. >> scary? >> it's going to be very scary film, yes. >> and you're going back to broadway, "how to succeed in business without even trying" which is a song and dance musical. i didn't think you did that stuff. >> i don't think anyone did. i have always loved singing and i have been singing for a long time and i really, really enjoy

it. and dancing is not something i have ever done, but i've been taking lessons for two years. i'm hoping to surprise some people in the course of the next year. >> you'll be brilliant, you always are. thank you so much, harry potter and the deathly hallows opened this friday. and daniel's co-stars drop by later this morning. [ female announcer ] jcp cash is on the spot savings.

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[ female announcer ] we know you've got a lot on your plate at thanksgiving. which is why safeway has everything you need to get it all done. right now get a safeway frozen turkey up to 16 lbs for just $6.77 each. that's our promise. that's ingredients for life. safeway. earn ten dollars off on the spot when you spend twenty five! wow! unlike other stores... ...we don't make you come back to save. earn jcp cash -- ten dollars off when you spend twenty five, two days only! who knew shopping could be so rewarding? jcpenney. "today's" kitchen is brought to you by maxwell house coffee, be good to the last drop. >> we're back now at 8:44, this morning on "today's" kitchen, back to basics, dishes you can freeze now and serve later, perfect for the holiday season

because you never know when guests may drop in. paula dean is the queen of southern cooking, her magazine is called "cooking with paula dean." talking about people dropping in, but they say imitation is the most sincere form of flattery. did you see "saturday night live" this weekend? >> i did see "saturday night live." i thought it was just hilarious. >> i'm paula dean and you know my favorite two ingredients too cook with are butter and oil. that's why i'm introducing my new product. paula dean's big old soak em paper towels. >> that's great, congratulations. >> you know, she i love that girl. she can play so many parts. >> she's got the accent down.

zple she's got the accent down, honey. >> people drop by, you've got these great dishes you can make now and reheat when they drop by. >> we have sauteed our shallot sauce and we have added our rice and we're going to let this cook until it's slightly brown and then we have got our chicken broth over here that we're going to slowly add to it. >> you can't add that all at once. >> this is a sticky rice, so we want all that starch to kind of come out slowly. this is what it's going to look like after ten, 15 minutes. >> all right, what do we add to that. >> we have got our crab meat, we have got our parmesan cheese and lemon zest. all we're going to do is fold this in and you want to do that,

just be careful now. >> i want you to show you beer actually going to assemble things after that. >> like i said, fold your crab in very gently so it won't tear all up on you. >> i'm not the best folder in the world. >> hold your pot, grab your pot. >> let's say we have done this. >> we're going to place this on a cookie sheet, matt, just like this and we're going to let it refrigerate for four hours or even overnight. >> first you put these in? >> we're going to scoop them out using a little butter thing, now that they're cold, they work real, real good. so we just go roll them. this is a season

this is seasoned. >> so how long in there? >> just two to three minutes. not long at all. here's the great thing about this dish, y'all, you take them out, you let them cool completely, you put them in the freezer on a cookie sheet and after they're frozen, you can throw them in a bag and pull them out, put them in your oven, reheat them for about ten or 15 minutes and you're party ready, honey. >> this is a cheese and pistachio roll? >> a cheese roll. >> how long ahead can you make this? >> that will hold in your freezer a month. this will hold in your freezer a month. >> you're making these things and putting them in bags and dating them so you know when you baked them. >> you throw your tender loin in the oven and you've got all your sides ready. >> when they've been frozen for

a month, how do you defrost that and get it ready? >> you put out out on the counter. if you're going to freeze it, matt, you don't want to freeze wit the nuts. you want to toast your nuts. i know you do. in your favorite way to toast your nuts. >> i got it. >> i like to do mine in a pan. all right, now i want to quickly -- >> we are so out of time. >> we are. and i so wanted to show you these. >> those are nice, those are great. a live performance from an hi! welcome to progressive.com. come on in, and i'll give you a free quote. quote and compare in about 8 minutes. now, that's progressive. call or click today.

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the toyota concert series on "today," brought to you by toyota. >> back now at 8:51 with the reigning american idol, he wowed the judges and voters earlier this year to win season 9. now he's coming out with his major label debut album called "live it up". just talking about the fact that 11 of the songs, ten of them you co-wrote. i know it was important for you to do that.

>> it was. you know, it's not that i look down on singing other people's songs, i think it was more for me just a matter of being a huge part of my album. i wanted to look at it and just know that i had a lot to do with it. so working with the writers was an awesome experience and it really let me do my thing. >> were you nervous? >> they were actually really cool about it. it surprised me at first too because when you get on a label, you can't do this and you can't do that. and i said i would really like to write on this album and they said okay, go ahead. >> and what are you going sing for us? >> this morning we're going to do a single called "sweet serendipity." >> take it away. ♪ sweet serendipity

♪ oh, oh, ♪ i ain't got no car ♪ and stretched too far ♪ another week ♪ i got nothing up my sleeve ♪ i'm doing just fine ♪ i'm always landing on my feet ♪ ♪ i ain't going to trust someone is watching over me.

♪ i just want to be strong ♪ at the end of the road ♪ i don't want to hold on ♪ i want the strength to let go ♪ ♪ and i'm doing just fine ♪ i'm always landing on my feet ♪ ♪ in the nick of time ♪ and by the skin of my teeth ♪ i want gonna stress ♪ because the worst ain't happened yet ♪ ♪ something's watching over me ♪ like sweet serendipity ♪ sweet serendipity ♪ and i'm doing just fine ♪ i'm always landing on my feet ♪ ♪ in the nick of time and by the skin of my teeth ♪ ♪ i ain't gonna stretch

♪ cause the worst ain't happened yet ♪ ♪ i'm doing just fine ♪ i'm always landing on my feet ♪ ♪ in the nick of time and by the skin of my teeth ♪ ♪ i ain't gonna stress ♪ because the worst ain't happened yet ♪ ♪ something's watching over me ♪ like sweet serendipity ♪ something's watching over me ♪ ♪ like sweet serendipity ♪ i'm doing just fine

♪ like sweet serendipity rule the tweet. rule the bedtime. rule the upload. verizon built america's most reliable network to make a more powerful you. rule the air. verizon. right now, you can get a new samsung fascinate for $199.99 after mail-in rebate. only at verizon. good morning once again. 8:56 now. i'm brent cannon. mike is off today. we have a look at the morning commute this morning. nice change at the bay bridge toll plaza.

it was pretty congested the last hour or so but obviously it's going to be much easier getting across the span this time. in the south bay this morning checking the morning commute there are spots you're going to see hot spots. you see 101 northbound. one of the heavy congested areas but the 280 interchange is looking a lot better. still some pockets out there but overall not too bad. it is 8:57. more news after this. save $523! 16 minutes could save you 16%! come on... isn't it time an auto insurer gave it to you straight?

that's why you should talk to state farm. but not yet. first, talk to any one of the 40 million drivers who already have state farm. 40 million. yeah, that's more than geico and progressive combined. by a lot. 40 million drivers. more savings. and discounts up to 40%. where else you gonna get discounts like that? call an agent at 1-800-state-farm or go online. three armed men robbed a chucky cheese restaurant herding 40 people including kids into a store room. it happened saturday night before 10:00. three men ran in with guns and forced employees and customers into that storm room.

the gunman left before police could get there. since all three covered their faces with masks police do not have very good descriptions right now. another update in half an hour. the "today" show returns in about a minute. have a great morning. we'll see you in a bit. most of our viewers agree california's process has been derailed by special interest and needs reform. henry said the first thing they can do is disclose who gave the money to support or fight the initiatives. it's usually driven by fear or greed. andy writes with the recent u.s. supreme court decision giving corporations carte blanche to spend infinite money the initiative process is now ripe for hijacking. sharon lamts we can forget about

the one person one vote premise of democracy. terrence warns, what next? naming rights to the court itself sold to the highest bidder? but a few of you scolded us. nbc has no business trying to influence state elections. if this tv station wants higher taxes, pay them yourself. we appreciate your comments and hope you'll join us online at nbc editorials.com. we're back now with more of "today" on a monday morning. it's the 15th day of november, 2010. looks like it's getting a little nicer out here for these nice people who gathered on rockefeller plaza after a picture perfect weekend here in the northeast. out on the plaza, i'm matt lauer along with al roker and natalee morales who came back from the museum in one piece. your brain's okay? coming up in this half hour, we

have got a sad and frightening story, a 13-year-old girl out in ohio who's been missing since last wednesday was found gagged and tied up in a basement not far from where she lived. her mother, her brother and i guess family friend are still missing. it is a puzzle story. we'll have the latest on that coming up straight ahead. also coping with chronic inflammation, it's linked to all sorts of serious health conditions, including believe it or not cancer and diabetes. but often times sufferers don't realize they have it. we're going to tell you a couple of foods that you should be eating to incorporate into your diet to alleviate some of the symptoms of diabetes and maintain your long-term health. good morning once again, in the news, the obama administration is set to

announce it's troop withdrawal strategy. the military plans to scale down troop numbers every few months in transitions similar to last summer's withdrawal from iraq. and if it is approved, all combat troops could be out of afghanistan by late 2014. a british couple has been released after being held captive by somali pirates for more than a year. paul and rachel were freed on sunday, they were sailing around the world when captured off the eastern coast of africa. a 13-year-old ohio girl has been found bound and gagged but alive. authorities are searching for her mother, brother and a family friend. they have been missing since last wednesday. >> reporter: this is a bizarre and a frightening kidnapping, that young girl, 13-year-old sarah maynard lived in this home

with her family, but she was found early yesterday in a stranger's home about 10 miles away from here. the most important good news is she is fine right now, said to be in good condition in a nearby hospital. but her mom, her brother and a family friend are still missing, a search will begin again this morning and a suspect in her disappearance is expected this morning in court. in the basement of this rural ohio home, a stunning discovery. 13-year-old sarah maynard found bound and gagged unable to yell for help as s.w.a.t. team members raided the house sunday morning. police say the home belongs to 30-year-old matthew hoffman who's been arrested on kidnapping charges. investigators say hoffman is key to unraveling this mystery, that he can lead them to tina hoffman, sarah hoffman, -- -- he connected

himself to the family, that a lot of that remains to be seen as the investigation continues. >> reporter: as doctors care for the money girl shts v, investigators are building a timeline. co-workers were concerned when the mother didn't show up for work at dairy queen. >> there was an unusual amount of blood in that house. >> reporter: the mother's truck was later found abandoned. her cell phone and credit cards haven't been used since the family disappeared. this weekend volunteers combed wooded areas. hoffman is described by neighbors as a loaner who moved into the neighborhood last year. authorities say he was convicted of setting condo complex on fire in 2000 causing $2 million in damages. this morning, sarah maynard is

safe and this community hopes the same is true for her mother, brother and their family friend. now it's unclear if that suspect matthew hoffman actually knew any of the victims. he's been uncooperative with police according to the sheriff since he was picked up 24 hours ago. as for the 13-year-old say sarah maynard, she has been speaking what detecti with the detectives but they're not sharing exactly what she said. a powerful explosion at a hotel on mexico's posh caribbean coast was likely caused from the buildup of natural gas from a nearby swamp. five tourists were killed sunday in the blast at the grand rivera princess hotel in cancun. a history of the justice department reveals that it allowed nazis to settle in the united states after world war ii. u.s. officials gave nazis, quote, safe haven in exchange for aiding in post war

intelligence gathering. extending the bush era tax cuts is on the agenda today as congress returns for a lame duck session. leading republicans say they might be willing to work with president obama on a short term extension of the bush tax cuts. megamind held on to the top spot bringing in $30 million. unstoppable was in second place, and due date was bumped down to third. her wedding was called off just days before she could say i do. the bride and her father hosted a different kind of party. they welcomed a local homeless shelter to their banquet hall for a preholiday feast. that's a winning family. it is now six minutes past. let's go back outside to matt. >> making the best out of an uncomfortable situation, we like that, thanks very much, let's

get a check of the weather from mr. roker. >> i like these folks, today came with their own version of our news ticker. >> 134 is our mutual birthdays and our anniversary added together. so we're celebrating. >> let's check your weather and see what's going on. we'll show you we have got a lot of wet weather downn th gulf as low pressure comes out there and is going to work its way into the northeast. we have got rain in the pacific northwest. some mountain snows back through the cascades, sunny skies in the great lakes, although a little on the chilly side. very sunny view of oakland airport this morning as you can see we've got clear skies. temperatures for later on today upper 70s. maybe even your 80 in a few spots around the bay area for one more day today but after today things are going to start to cool off especially for the second half of the week looking at mid to upper 70s for most of the bay area, even near 80 in

spots. tomorrow running cooler. noticeably cooler wednesday and thursday as clouds fill in. look for north bay showers on friday and across the rest of the bay area highs in the 50s this upcoming weekend. >> a lot of harry potter fans. natalee? al, thank you this morning on "today's" health, chronic inflammation, it's a medical condition that develops slowly through the body and if left untreated it could lead to a host of health problems. dr. kerrey peterson is a contributor to women's magazine. the article in the magazine called the enemy inside of us, chronic inflammation. what are some of the underlying health problems it can cause? >> what we are slowly learning is that chronic inflammation is a cause of a whole host of diseases. it's been linked to depression, allergies and even cancer. this process is something that

if left uncheck kd cause a whole slew of problems. >> what exactly is chronic inflammation and what is the effect on the body. >> what chronic inflammation is when the immune response goes out of control. when we get a cold or twist an ankle, the immune system is engaged, it sends white blood cells in and they attack the infection and we see pain, redness, swelling and once our body heals, they retreat. but in chronic inflammation, there's a faulty distress signal so now the immune system is engaged unnecessarily and the white blood cells come in but there's no infection to attack. so instead what it does is it starts to damage our own tissue. >> how is it different chronic with acute inflammation. >> acute inflation is a short-lived attack, the immune system comes in and does it's job and retreats.

with kroining inflammation, the immune system is continually engaged. >> what are somal of actual triggers? >> there's several, one of them we know that's a trigger is being overweight. basically when your fat cells expand in size when you're too large, this triggers the immune system, the immune system comes in, the white blood cells will inflame the red blood cells which is why overweight people are prone to diabetes. and also if you're overweight, it can impact the liver as well. the liver cells can become damaged as well from being overweight. >> and if you're eating too many high fatty foods, that's something that can also then trigger this reaction, high anxiety, depression. >> high fat foods like bacon, lard, fatty meats can trigger inflammation, a lot of the things in your diet, high sugar foods that have a high glycemic index.

you had mentioned stress, stress and anxiety cause the production of a stress hormone called cortisol and cortisol can trigger the immune system unnecessari unnecessarily. >> what the is difference between acute inflammation and chronic inflammation? >> with acute inflammation you see the redness and the swelling, so there is no warning. >> not necessarily, it depends on whether the chronic inflammation is causing a particular disease. if you have rheumatoid arthritis, there's chronic inflammation and you get joint pain. but there's no isymptoms that don't manifest at all. >> if it is chronic inflammation can lead to certain diseases, how do you test for it. >> there are some markers that

you can check. like c reactive proteins to see if you have inflammation a. but overall, this is an elusive process that we don't have a direct test for it at this time. >> how do we fight it if we don't even know it's there. >> there is things that you can add to your diet. one is omega 3 fatty aseih sids. fruits and vegetables, another great thing to incorporate into your diet. particularly the orange and red vegetables. grape grapes. >> a healthy weight and a healthy attitude. >> right. >> and still to come, this morning what you can do to help your teen avoid costly mistakes on his or her college

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olay professional pro-x. read all about it at olayprofessional.com. ? this morning on "today's" real estate, answers to your most pressing real estate questions. how to attract buyers to foreclosed properties. nice to see you. we have got geneva on the phone. >> caller: good morning. >> what is your question for barbara? >> caller: we have been trying to sell our home now for over a year and we were told that if we offer help for a down payment it might help bring in a buyer who has excellent credit, but not enough money to put down on the property. is this a wise decision to go with? >> what do you think, barb?

>> i think the best thing you can do is give an incentive for a buyer with teeth in it and a financial one is the way too to go. here's the rub, i don't like the fact that you're calling it secondary financing or a secondary -- what you should be saying is owner financing, or even better than that, you should be saying no down payment, and you would even be wise to put a sign in front of your house. >> are you going to take that advice? >>. >> caller: i have no choice. >> let's go to another e-mail, this one from lauren is boulder, colorado. lauren writes, we want to buy a home in boulder, colorado. i notice many properties have been on the market for over 60 days, how low of a bid is appropriate on a $500,000 house

on the market over 60 days, i don't want to bid too high or too low. >> you're in an area of the country where prices are actually starting to move up. it's pretty tricky to put in a low bid and you should think long and hard before doing it. thinking that knowing how long the property has been on the market is nonsense thinking, the truth is you should be concerned on whether the people are motivated to sell. that will determine the fight more than any other factor. if you can possibly arrange to visit the house when the owner is home and simply have small talk and say, hey, where are you moving to, are you found anything yet, why are you moving? those kinds of questions let you know how desperate someone is to sell. and as far as putting in a bit, you should put in a bid 10% to 10% lower than the asking price. >> becky is on the phone from

star tree, indiana. >> caller: my question is, my son graduated three years ago from college. he has a full-time job and he's been saving money to build a home on a five-acre tract of land that he owns with no debt. what options are available for him? >> would the student loan have any affect on that? >> they never leave unless you throw them out. but the fact of the matter is since he's been paying that loan, it will actually help his credit because it establishes him as a good credit risk. getting the student loan out of the way, where's the best play to go for a mortgage? is fha. that should be an easy loan for him to get. make it his last meal tonight. >> not that barbara's pushing him out too quickly. let's go to glenn from jackson,

mississippi. >> caller: barbaras my wife and been saving for a long time, we have been trying to buy property -- when the market crashed, we ended up being stuck with 30 pieces of property including my own home. we have spent most of our savings and i spent my 401(k) and most of my retirement fund to maintain them and we h're ki of at a stand still on what to do now. >> congratulations on your courage, you did it with the right intent when the market russ rising. the answer depends on how you purchased the property. most people purchase it in a corporate name. if you did that and you didn't give a personal guarantee, you should actually look at your

portfolio, there's a park place and a boardwalk in every portfolio, try to keep those and dump the rest. if you personally guaranteed the mortgages, the problem is, you're going to have to relinquish your good credit rating, but times that's worth it if you can leave with your shirt on. i'm struggling for happy notes here, but the truth is that that market has already leveled out, it's not going down, it's not going up. so you have a little breathing room here and bank are a little more willing to deal when prices are falling. >> vanessa writes can i get my name off of a deed if i didn't marry my former fiance? >> that depends entirely on whether he's willing to let you off that deed. here's the real thing, where are you on the mortgage. because if you're on the mortgage, then you have to get the bank's approval to let you off the mortgage. that's a different story because

he's got to prove that he can afford the more gajs all on his own and probably be forced to refinance. the best solution u find him a new girlfriend. >> a mother who lost 186 pounds the hard way without surgery. she's going to show off her remarkable new look. but first, these messages. es ] [ male announcer ] not sure what to take? now click on the robitussin relief finder at robitussin.com. click on your symptoms. get the right relief. ♪ makes the cold aisle easy. ♪ the robitussin relief finder. it's that simple.

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recommended most by dermatologists. neutrogena® cosmetics sweet n' sour filled twizzlers. the twist you can't resist good morning once again everybody. time now 9:26. i'm brent cannon. mike is off today but we do have a look at your morning commute. bay bridge toll plaza looking a lot better. every single half hour it's gotten a little better and is pretty much smooth sailing right now. want to check the maps of the south bay right now and you do see these little pockets all around the south bay where you'll see some fairly congested areas. we've got the rid chicklets there. you see northbound 101 is one of those spots. otherwise the commute should

begin to lighten up a bit. let's take a peek at your forecast. a nice warm day on tap. >> already pretty warm outside. low 70s around the bay area. you saw the sunshine approaching the bay bridge toll plaza. we should see highs today easily mid 70s to low 80s for one more day around the bay area thanks to some dry, offshore winds. still a little breezy at times around the hills of the north and the east bay but as we go through the rest of the week the story will be cooler temperatures especially by thursday and friday with high 60s to wrap up the work week. north bay showers. for the weekend only in the 50s, scattered showers, maybe even some mountain top snow come sunday. time right now 9:27. more news after the break.

efforts to crack down on night club violence in san francisco may take a new turn today. a city supervisor proposes making you get your photo taken when you enter a club. supervisor david chu's plan will be discussed today at the board's public safety meeting.

it would require clubs to take your photo and get your personal information. supporters say something has to be done to curb club violence. opponents worry about privacy invasion. there have been shootings in six clubs in the last nine months leaving 12 people shot and five dead. police would then hold on to the information they get for 15 days. a san francisco college student will not be deported today as scheduled. the attorney for the 20-year-old nursing student says senator dianne feinstein has intervened on his behalf. lee was supposed to be deported to peru today but immigration authorities are now going to delay that. lee was born in peru after his parents moved there from china. they then moved to the united states. his parents also face deportation back to china. lee is in a detention center this morning in arizona. more local news coming up in half an hour and the "today" show returns in less than a minute. have a great morning.

♪ i throw my hands up in the air sometimes saying a-o ♪ ♪ got to let go ♪ i want to celebrate and live my life saying a-o ♪ ♪ baby let go >> you guys are rocking. he helped us make this video and we had a great time as part of our week long series called a

day goes by. those are our voices. listen to meredith. ♪ i'm alone and i want to be the last one landing ♪ ♪ >> i don't banana, it's all comedy. >> matt is singing great. >> he looks like a rocker. he has the hands on the headphones. ♪ put your hands in the air >> his kids are going to go nuts for this. >> this is really embarrassing. go to todayshow.com and check it out. i'm not sure if that's so much viral as it is bacterial. >> it has to go viral before it's a viral video. >> we're going viral tomorrow

with the bed intruders song. we'll have the results tomorrow. >> you have all week, we have a surprise every day this week. meantime coming up in this half hour, we have got taking the stress out of our college applications process. i have a teenager doing this now, it is so tough and there are mistakes that are actually ones that a lot of young people make that can hurt their ability to get accepted to college and we're going to go through some basic mistakes that you can help the young person in your house. also the superfoods you should be eating if you're going through menopause. >> and "today's" kitchen, we have got a hearty stew and moon shine with leftover coffee. >> okay, but first, before we get to all of that, let's get a check of the weather. >> let's show you what's going on as far as your week ahead, above normal on the east coast,

west coast, and also around the upper mississippi river valley. much above normal for the eastern third of the country and in the latter part of the week, we have got warmer weather in the great lakes, also in the southwest, wet and cooler than usual along the plains and the pacific northw san mateo looking nice. clear skies. temperatures already in the north bay mid 70s. napa and novato on our way probably to seeing another round of low 80s. and the warmest places around the bay area today thanks in part to the north winds as you're drying things out, easily 70s near 80 through 4:00 today and then the seven-day forecast shows a u-turn coming wednesday, kind of being the balance between the warm and mild temperatures in the much cooler weather thursday and friday with showers heading into the weekend. >> and that's your latest

weather. andomin the up the six food women going through menopause should be eating. round ? why go one more you don't need a rematch, but a rethink. with lunesta. lunesta is thought to interact with gaba receptors associated with sleep. lunesta helps you get the restful sleep you need. lunesta has some risk of dependency. when taking lunesta, don't drive or operate machinery until you feel fully awake. walking, eating, driving or engaging in other activities while asleep without remembering it the next day have been reported. abnormal behaviors may include aggressiveness, agitation, hallucinations, or confusion. in depressed patients, worsening of depression, including risk of suicide, may occur. alcohol may increase these risks. allergic reactions such as tongue or throat swelling occur rarely and may be fatal. side effects may include unpleasant taste, headache, dizziness, and morning drowsiness. stop fighting with your sleep. ask your doctor if lunesta is right for you. get lunesta for a co-pay as low as zero dollars at lunesta.com discover a restful lunesta night.

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how does she do that? magic. [ grandma ] ...grandma loves you. [ both ] goodnight, grandma. [ female announcer ] be there to read them a story every night. read it to me again. [ female announcer ] hallmark recordable storybooks. this christmas, make it wonderful at your hallmark gold crown store. "today's" woman is brought to you by aveeno, the beauty of nature and science. >> this morning on "today's" woman, six super foods for menopause, it's a fact of life but you don't have to suffer through it. the foods that provide relief and better health during the process. good morning, madeleine. we know that hot flashes of course are one of the main symptoms of menopause. what are some of the other things? >> short-term effects are night sweats, brain fog, difficulty concentrating these kinds of things and they're really disturbing for women. some women are not bothered at all. there's also the longer term

effects that we feel afterwards and with low estrogen, we put ourselves at risk for heart disease and our bones. it's so important to look at these short-term symptoms as well as the longer term health affects. >> these superfoods can actually help you while you're going through some of the changes in your body. >> food is just food, it's not medicine, you can't expect to drink a glass of soy milk and your hot flashes go away. remember, you have to eat these things often in combination and over time to realize the results. >> so incorporating them into your diet. first we have soy, what foods are we talking about that you should be incorporating into your diet that have soy? >> in america we don't eat a lot of soysoy milk or tofu, you can

have soy burgers. and edamame. always talk to your doctor first, for most healthy women, there's no problem with adding soy. but add slowly because we're not as americans used to this. >> next food is flaxseeds and flaxseeds you hear a lot about them being the supercedes. >> they're another kind of a plant estrogen, when you say what is the magical ingredients. there are no magical ingredients but nature helps replenish some of the estrogen that's going away through the natural process of menopause. do not confuse this with flaxseed oil. but you can have flaxseed as a regular grain, and this is again a plant estrogen. it's going to help to supportthrough this process. >> about one to two servings per day on that point.

and chickpeas, a lot of us use them on top of salads. >> they actually contain as flaxseed a kind of plant estrogen it provides weak estrogen to help you through this process, but chickpeas are good sources of protein and they have a lot of fiber. studies have thrown these foods can help women through this process. >> fresh fruits and vegetables. how do they help? >> when we look at weak estrogen, colored fruits and vegetables, women have to think about color because a small amount of plant estrogens will help you maintain good nutrition through this process so think color and that's a plus. >> next dairy, and you say incorporating nonfat or very low fat dairy products is very important.

>> we switch to the longer term. we have plant estrogens for night sweats and brain fog. now when you think about thinning bones, estrogen really protects our bones, so what we can do diet wise is to incorporate more calcium and vitamin d to help strengthen our bones. dairy is not a terrible things on occasion, but all that fat is not good. >> here we're talking about good fats, oily fish. >> this is going to be protective for the heart and also healthy for the brain. >> madeleine bernstein, as always, thank you. what you can do to help your college bound teen ace t y import important college application process right after this. [ female announcer ] millions of lips have found true love!

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101. next year's incoming freshman class is expected to be the largest ever, 2.5 million students. so the competition is tougher than ever so we have got some tips to help your college bound teen avoid the most common application mistakes. we have got pat cullen, she's the ceo of ivey white. a lot of kids who are heading to college are fill tougt college application. you fill out one, it's good for all the schools. is there a down side to this? >> no, it's a standard application accepted by more than 100 colleges. you can fill it out once, but many schools have their own supplements to the college application. >> let's take a look at these mistakes that we were just talking about. number one, this is something i think that especially because these kids are stressed out, they're in their senior year,

they have got so much going on, but making basically not following directions, not really writing down everything they should? >> especially with essays, you need to adhere to word counts, character counts, you need to answer the essay questions and you would be surprised at how many students don't do that. they go over, they write too much or they don't specifically answer the question. should parents take a look at that to make sure they do that correctly? >> parents, you have to be careful because it's important for the student's voice to come through and colleges are very wise to a 47-year-old's voice versus a 17-year-old's voice. so you would be doing your child a disservice if you're going to write the essay for them. but you can certainly go to your english teacher or your high school college counselor or your independent counselor to help you with your application. >> another mistake is being redundant. >> exactly. so many students write their activity and their personal statement about the same topic. so they're writing about soccer

in their activity essay and also -- talk about different parltss to who you are. and you want to tell them something that they can't learn from the rest of the application. >> and they learn a lot from the essay and the difficulty with that is there's so much pressure on the students to write an essay, they work all summer and they've been working all fall on the essay, but they submit the same essay with all the different application and you say it may be a mistake not to personalize the essay. >> for the college application, you can use the same essay, but for the personal essay, when they say why do they want to come to this college. they want to go -- they just change the name of the school and that's how they personalize it. but sometimes they'll even send the wrong essay to the wrong school, with the wrong college's name. >> be careful about that.

>> another suggestion you say is be careful how you list extracurricular activities there's a right way to do it and a wrong way. >> if you just did it in ninth grade and you quit or you just spent an hour per month on something, it's better to do a few things whole heartedly and you definitely want to list them in order of importance, there's a 12-line grid on the application. and you can always upload a short extra resume. >> important to you. in other words if you have been swimming in school all -- several years of your high school career, and that's been the thing, that's what you want to put number one or maybe you're a debater and that's something you've been doing on the side. >> you want to think about summer experiences, jobs, internships, the things that have been really important to you. >> not asking for recommendation letters. some teachers max out and say

i'm only accepting ten students to write letters for so you want to ask them at the end of freshman year. you want to ask a teacher who really knows you the best. not the teacher who necessarily give you the easy a. >> another common mistake is to not completely fill out the application or actually to have spelling or grammatical errors. >> exactly. >> proofreading is so important and spell check is not going to catch your black belt in marital arts and it's not going to know if you used the wrong college's name on your application. that's why it's important to proofread the whole thing. make sure you release your test scores from the testing agency. >> you've been helping us all along. i know i'm going to be one of those parents. thank you so much. and we have got coming up next, affordable meals for your whole family even though it includes beer. that's right.

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who knew shopping could be so rewarding? jcpenney. this morning on "today's" kitchen, hot chef, an interesting twist on the classic stew. beer, moon shine and leftover coffee? nathan, good to see you. we're getting started here, you have some interesting combos here. for this time of year, a got dish. >> i'm going to go over the 101 of beef stew. this is a top round, you're going to caramelize it. >> why do you like top round. >> it's a cheap cut, we're doing soup, so we're not going to take something really expensive because it's going to tender up. we need some salt and pepper. basically we're going to let

this caramelize just a little bit. when you have sugar, it starts to caramelize, it creates a beautiful browned color. protein will do the same thing. we'll get to that in just a minute. i also want to show you a neat little trick with these carrots. this is a french cut called the obliques, cut it on an angle, give it a little bit of rotation, on an angle. you keep rolling, you want to give it a try in you want three perfect sizes. that was terrible. >> that was just horrible. >> you can go ahead and dump them in there, if you like. we also have some onions and some celery. and we're going to let this caramelize for about ten minutes or so. right now everything's been caramelizing, you see the beautiful brown, that's the flavor, so we're going to

reintroduce that. you know how we do that? we do it with moon shine. this is real moon shine. we're going to add just a touch. and check it out, will start to boil immediately. >> our director jack daniels -- >> any whisky is good, just to bring out the flavors on the bottom. you see it's starting to boil a little bit. all that flavor is going to start to release and come up with from the bottom. >> i notice you've got guinness here. >> that's actually a little bit of coffee. we're using a little bit of bold coffee, we want to bring out that natural boldness. y and we have some beef stock. >> there's another can right here. drink up. >> just in time. that smells good. >> we're creating a broth with the guinness and the beef stock. >> how long do you cook this

for? >> we're going to let this simmer for about an hour. >> when do we add the potatoes? >> we add the potatoes actually to the broth. go ahead. >> there's some garlic in there. >> it starts to reduce a little bit, the starch from the potatoes starts to thicken up and it gets really nice and hearty. we're going to break bread this morning. this is a nice chibatta. morning. this is a nice chibatta. >> thankou y twizzlers. the twist you can't resist.

good morning to you. it is 9:56 right now. laura garcia-cannon. mike has the day off today but we have a look at traffic and the bay bridge. where did everyone go? metering lights were on earlier. now smooth sailing. in the south bay, not too bad. a little backup on 85. take it easy through there. allow a little extra time. want to check in with rob for a look at our forecast. good looking one today. >> the travel times are typical and what is not typical is our weather. 70s and low 80s again just like sunday. the offshore winds warming things up. 78 around san jose. probably low 80s around the north bay valleys. even san francisco will make a run at the upper 70s this afternoon so you see here today and tomorrow pretty mild if not warm for this time of the year but beginning thursday we start to cool off. clouds fill in. chance of showers arriving late to the north bay friday then much cooler and unsettled for the weekend ahead. highs only in the 50s for this weekend, laura. >> cooling down there. we think the weather today is

not for crab fishermen. they have to wait for better weather maybe better crabs. they expect a lot this year but it may not be as full and meaty. expect gusty winds and high seas today. the traps are already baited but they're haggling over the price per pound. if they wait a few more days for crabs to get a little bigger they may get more per pound. the popularity of the book at this next story is not exaggerated. the first of four volumes of mark twain's autobiography is available today. it has been locked up in a u c berkeley library for the past 100 years. the author of classics like "tom sawyer" and "huckleberry finn" wanted it that way and wanted the autobiography published the way he dictated it which means it is not necessarily going to be in any sort of chronological order but just as it came to mind. another local news update in about a half hour. the "today" show returns in about a minute. have a great morning. [ female announcer ] dry, cracked hands?

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from nbc news, this is "today" with kathie lee gifford and hoda kotb, live from studio 1a in rockefeller plaza. >> hi, everybody. so glad you're with us today. it is fun day, november 15th, start of a very fun week. i hope we make it through this week. >> we, okay, this is going to be one of the great weeks i think on the show because there is

such a variety. we were asking viewers to send in pictures of people who looked exactly like you and -- >> double trouble it is called. >> we're going to reveal the two ladies tomorrow. apparently they're wandering around. they said don't open your door, they're in the makeup room. >> making heads turn apparently. tomorrow we'll see them. >> okay. >> then wednesday, oy, wednesday is the entire show is about sex. >> there is a whole sex toy segment, i heard. that's what i heard from tammy who enjoys that kind of thing. >> can you tell it is sweeps. she's from tammsville. we're going to have an entire hour of everything you ever wanted to know -- >> and more than you probably wanted to know. to be fair, i mean, sex is one of those things you don't talk about that much. there are a lot of questions. >> are you kidding? our entire world is saturated with it. >> but i mean talking about -- like if you have a question about it and you're in a relationship and you've been married for years, you don't want to ask it. we'll have experts on who will

answer. i think that's good. >> i have a bad neck. the sex date thing won't hurt me, will it? >> no. >> what do the sex toys do? >> you will find out. >> i was in nantucket over the weekend. it looks like we sold our home there which is bittersweet. it is great for the new people that are going to have a fabulous home and enjoy it i hope for many, many years and it is 12 years of memories for us. so -- >> so you're packing everything up? >> trying to organize a move. those things -- they're hard to do long distance. >> you actually went down there? >> i did that. what about you? you had a -- >> i think it is a very unique date and maybe i shouldn't -- who cares? okay, so anyway a very nice man asked me out and told me he wanted me to meet him at an address, he said don't cheat, don't look where it is. he said just show up at this address. >> show up at this place and told you how to dress. >> he said i'll be in a sport coat and tie and you'll, you

know -- >> you'll be gorgeous. >> something like that, he wrote. so i went and it was a place called lips. okay. it is a sort of cabaret place for drag queens. >> it is a drag show. >> yes, it was a drag show. but it was -- this is what shocked me. it was fun to watch the thing. what surprised me the most about this whole drag show thing was there was three or four birthday parties for 16-year-old girls there. that's -- >> with parents? >> yes, and the parents were like look how she's enjoying it. some of the stuff they were saying, they're making balloon toys and you can only imagine what's going on, but the kids were there and the parents were enjoying it with the kids. i was a little weirded out. >> huge problem with that. huge problem with that. >> i was a little weirded out by that. >> yeah. and we wonder why kids are acting out the way they do, their parents take them to places like this and think it is ra-ra-ra, wonderful.

what do the parents expect? >> you get a shoutout in the drag queen show. >> i get a shoutout in every drag show. i would be offended if i didn't. love those guys. >> this one's for kathie lee. i was like, they said they didn't just do it because i was there, they always do it so anyway. >> good for them. god bless them. god bless them. >> this friday we are going to be cruising -- >> we are cruising. we're going to be on the allure of the seas, royal caribbean's -- it is among two of the biggest ships in the world, i guess. >> look at this thing. we're going to go down a little early and shoot some things and sleep on that cruise ship. >> it is a lot of fun. you're going to love it. >> i can't wait. i'm looking forward to it. today was a big day at the "today" show because we decided to do something called "today" goes viral. and there are videos all over the internet where that are getting 5 million hits and some are people acting or singing. this is one of the huge videos that has been on the show. and it is called "dynamite" and

it's this one guy does -- it is all a cappella, he does every sound, drumbeat, every -- >> everything, yeah. >> so they wanted to see if matt -- >> it is called multitrack recording. >> okay. so anyway, we wanted to see if matt, meredith, al and ann could do the same thing. this guy came and taught them how to do things. >> he seemed like such a nice guy. >> keep in mind, there is no music with these guys singing it. >> they're making it. >> their voices. >> they're making it, yes. >> let's listen to a little bit of this. let's go. up full. ♪ i hit the floor because that's my plans plans, plans ♪ ♪ baby let's go >> hands, hands, hands. >> i think this product is unbelievable. ♪ it goes on and on and and it goes on and on and on ♪ >> there is a little thing called auto tune which is -- ♪ got to let go >> he sings well.

♪ i want to celebrate and live my life ♪ ♪ singing ao baby let's go ♪ ♪ we're going to rock this club we going to go all night ♪ >> this may get more hits than the original one. >> it is so great. matt walked in and said, i want you to know that every single thing that happened was created through whatever that thing is called. >> digitally. >> digitally, yeah. >> it is awesome. >> it is so cute. they were worried about it. but this guy fixed it. there is a thing called auto tune. you can see where a c is supposed to be and where you're either under or -- they just -- yes. they press a button. >> why is al eating a banana? >> we too are doing a little video. >> ours, i don't think is -- >> ours is the junior varsity version. >> ours won't be as successful. >> there is something called the evolution of dance. this is this guy that wears this

orange crush t-shirt and does the dances from the very beginning. >> he's a sweetheart. he tried to teach us in 30 minutes how to do the whole thing. >> that's the brady bunch portion. oh, no. >> no. >> it is not pretty at all. >> okay. we're going to show you ours a little later. it took -- >> it looks worse watching it, doesn't it? >> it felt much sexier better doing it. >> no, it didn't. it felt stupid and now i know why. >> can i complain about one thing? >> sure. you said you were going to stop complaining. >> just last night. >> how did the date go? >> it was fun. it was really fun. okay, so i got white sheets and no matter how much i clean the mascara off my face, it doesn't matter, you could scrub it for an hour, you go to sleep, you wake up and there's mascara all over everything. >> get black sheets. >> i don't get it. does that happen to you? >> no.

>> it doesn't? >> hm-mm. >> really? >> no. what kind of mascara are you using? >> or on towels. you think you're all clean and there it is on the towel and it is stained and that's it. >> i'm sure people will sending in -- the dry cleaners can tell us. they know better than anybody. >> a couple of them looked so spot on. their bodies, unbelievable. >> we had rupaul here many times and he's gorgeous. apparently, "saturday night live" was at it again but this time they left it alone. the weekend update spoof was on president bush and kanye or as president bush called him kan-way. i guess sharing apologies. let's listen. >> i would have thought you guys wouldn't have that much in common. >> sure we do, seth. come on. we're both rich, right? i mean, we're both impulsive, yep. he interrupted taylor swift at an awards show. >> that's true. >> and i interrupted how well our country was doing for eight years.

>> that's right. that's right. no time for haters. that's right. >> kanye has me doing the twister. >> twitter. >> twitter, sorry about that. no, he was teaching me how to tweet. i really like it because it is short and you just puke out whatever is on your mind. also, it is real lean genient o grammar and i like that. >> i thought it would have been harder on kanye than the president after last week. i didn't see the whole thing. but i thought they ripped him a little bit. >> i think kanye has gotten a drubbing. is that even a word? drubbing. yeah, i think he's gotten that. >> this is unbelievable. >> speaking of drag queens. >> all right, so, there is a shopper who was cashing in at the cashier's thing and come to find out that the cashier was actually -- was actually -- how would you describe this, you're better at this, you go. >> the woman was charged five pounds more than the actual

fruit she was buying added up to because she didn't realize that her breasts were resting on the scale. >> the cashier's breasts. the cashier's breasts. >> yes. was it the lady's? >> no, the cashier. her receipt was too low and that's why it is resting so that's why the woman got overcharged the five pounds. so stupid. all right, okay, there is a woman -- >> you know they do tend to hang the older you get. i bet the lady was older too. i tried to put on my robe this morning, i'm telling you, this made me crazy, you know the waist thing, i had to move them to get the waist thing around. that's bad. that's bad. i'm going to do something about this. >> what? >> you had to lift them to get the belt on. you like that, huh? you think that's funny, keith? that's funny, yeah? >> keith likes that. >> favorite things, hoda woman. you go first. >> this is something i've just

been trying out. it is a new lip gloss called -- you know what's funny -- >> your eyes are going. >> i could see on thursday and i swear it is changing. >> you're lucky you got to 46 without it happening. >> it is called chantecalle. lip close, 28 bucks, it is great. it lasts a long time. it is sheer so you can put a little pencil and some of this. i fell in love with it. they have five or six colors, i love every single one. >> you wearing it right now? >> i am wearing it right now. >> did you get a manicure, hoda? quit holding things up. i wasn't going to do this yet because i didn't think it is time, but apparently this week is the launch of operation christmas child. this is an unbelievable organization. you can go to operationnarnia.org. the you know the narnia movies that are out, they're teaming up together to encourage people to

get old shoe boxes, fill them up with simple items like a toothbrush, small toys, just things that -- 8 million children in the world have never had a christmas gift. so teach your children about giving and there are collection centers everywhere. and then you might even actually win a trip to london for the premiere. there is a way to enter a contest. i love this organization. they do great work. and you can imagine what it means to a child to receive something like that. it is operationnarnia.org. up next, one of the most anticipated movies is about to open and we have one of the stars right here with us, rupert grit. >> and we take a stab at oof t hone of those viral videos. i do twitter. >> tweet? >> i do. >> christine tweets for you. >> i make an attempt. >> that's right after this.

are anxiously waiting for j.k. rowling's last "harry potter"

movie to come to life on the big screen. >> there are only a few days to go before the mission to stop voldemort and the faces of darkness from taking over the world of harry potter. >> don't expect me to be grateful because there is another thing we have to find. >> i thought you knew what you signed up for. >> i thought i did too. >> well, i'm sorry, but i don't quite understand. what part of this isn't living up to your expectations? did you think we would be staying in a five star hotel? you thought you would be back with your mom by christmas? >> i thought after all this time we would have actually achieved something. i thought you knew what you were doing, i thought dumbledore told you something worthwhile. >> aren't you something? >> acting chops for this one, didn't you? >> it is a different ron in this film, which is fun to do. >> did you like how your character evolved? >> i did, yeah. i think this new world is a very

scary world now that voldemort is back and we're not hogwarts anymore and it is nice to play the darker character. >> i don't want to give too much away, but you're struggling with some jealousy issues and you're also under the influence of something at that point, right? >> yes. there is a lot going on with ron, kind of living in -- camping out in this tiny little tent. >> and getting on each other's nerves. >> the character is quite snappy. >> it must be interesting because there have been six other one ones, right and watc your evolution as a human being, it sort of feels like you're watching your own home movies as you grow up on the screen. how does that feel for you? >> it has been ten years, rupert? >> ten years, yes. i started when i was 11 and it is weird looking back on the early films. oh, my gosh. yeah. >> and yet there is another one yet to come and that's the end. but you've already shot that, right? >> yes.

>> so you're now for the first time not actively involved except for promoting. >> it is a weird feeling, actually, the last day. >> what did you experience? >> i don't know, it was kind of -- we all knew it would come to an end at some point but it was emotional, yeah. just realizing we're not going to be doing this again in like ten years came down to this one little shot. >> are you good friends off screen as well? >> yeah, we really are. we have been through this quite unique experience together. and it has been a long time. we've grown up together and we're always going to be mates, i think. >> are you going to continue in acting? at this point you could pretty much right your own ticket, do thing you want, sit back and just live the good life. what do you want to do in the next -- >> i'm keen to keep on acting and doing different things. there say real sense of freedom now that i finished this, as much as i'm going to miss potter and always love it, but it is nice to now just do things i want to do and just relax a little bit. >> you're 22 now?

21? >> 22. >> and how is your social life? >> it is good, actually. i've always maintained quite a normal kind of life. >> she means girls. >> oh. >> there is one out there that wants you to kiss her. you must get that a lot. just because it is her birthday. you got to go out there and kiss her. >> well, yeah. >> what do you do about the ladies when they're all over you? >> i don't know. it is something i've never quite understood really. it is quite a weird feeling. but i'm not complaining. it is good. >> we wish you great luck with this film. >> all the best with the new movie. >> okay. tomorrow, emma watson will be with us. >> darling. up next, sara finds our fan of the week and then jessica m simps simpson. h&ñ p÷÷÷ñ÷xpz

her birthday, they're flirting. is he going to do it? >> is it going to happen. >> come on, rupert!

give her a kiss. >> he kissed her on the hand. he kissed her on the hand. >> he's a gentleman, a sweet guy. >> he's going back to her. it is time to give a shoutout to one of our biggest fans. a new series we call fan of the week. >> here to introduce us to this week's winner is our very own special sara. >> hi, guys. only week number two and we have got so many great fans. it is hard to choose. but we narrowed it down to one lucky soul. and the winner is -- jean yacono. >> no way. >> jean is from rochester, new york. she's obsessed with the fourth hour. she first started watching it about a year and a half ago. she watches the show mostly while doing cardio at the gym. we're helping her lose weight. if she ever has to miss the show, she watches it on dvr or online. what she likes most about you guys is that you're not afraid to be yourselves on national tv and she also got your book as a birthday present from her friend. so -- and her favorite parts are the ambush and also the chat because she loves to see your

true personalities. >> she looks adorable. >> she's adorable. >> she could hang with us anytime. >> drinking. >> that's right. >> it is apple cider. >> it sure is. >> that's great. >> thank you, sara, love you. still to come, what lindsay lohan is doing out and about after her serious court ruling. we'll bring you all the celebrity buzz. and hoda and i are headed to become the next internet sensation with the making of our own viral video. it is so bad. check it out.

good morning. i'm laura garcia-cannon. on the bay bridge traffic is still moving smoothly. metering lights are now off. looking pretty good. same to be said in south bay let's hope. taking a look at the maps there. i guess it would help if i help move it along. looks like a little bit of backup on 85 this morning. take it easy out there but enjoy the great temperatures. right, rob? >> yeah. a lot of sunshine out there this

morning and we're already in the mid 70s across our north bay valleys. later on today there is a chance we could break some records today. most of the bay area would have to get into the low 80s to do that and i think we'll certainly see some of that up toward the north bay later this afternoon. so upper 70s to near 80 for most of the bay area today but beginning tomorrow things are going to start to cool off a little bit as the offshore winds back off and rollercoaster ride for temperatures for the end of the week. low 60s by thursday and friday with north bay showers and then scattered showers and highs only in the 50s for the upcoming weekend. time right now 10:27. more news after the break.

it wasn't pretty but the 49ers picked up a big win this weekend, an overtime thriller against the rams. troy smith threw for 356 yards and one touchdown. joe kicked the game-winning field goal. the niners have three tds, win 23-20 and improve 3-6. next up tampa bay at candlestick. the raiders are back on the field next sunday. they had a bye yesterday. they'll play the steelers in pittsburgh at 10:00 a.m. the raiders will try to stretch their current winning streak to four games. check this one out. people in charge of the new meadowlands stadium trying to figure out what caused a blackout during the giants/cowboys game. it's hard to see but the lights went out for about 12 minutes. giants probably wish the lights

stayed off, too. they lost to the cowboys, 33 to 20. football wrapup. thanks for joining us. the "today" show continues next. have a great monday morning. we're back on this fun day with hold on to your ipods. "today" goes viral. whatever that means. this week, matt, meredith, al and ann and the two of us have taken a stab of re-creating some of youtube's most popular individual zblo videos. >> we called in the help of juddson. his video has gotten more than

55 million hits. >> we have no idea why we're here. >> we heard there is some guy who does some dance that got 155 million hits. >> apparently a hot shot. ♪ jump around >> he's going to teach us some moves, i guess. why? ♪ can't touch this >> you have one move. >> no, don't. >> yes, that's what i heard. >> i have multiple moves. >> really? >> all anybody has seen is you doing your ipod which is -- >> what do we start with again, the first thing? >> start with hound dog. ♪ you ain't nothing but a hound dog crying all the time ♪ ♪ >> let's turn the heat off in here, please. golly day. ♪ jump around jump around ♪ >> i hate this with all my heart. >> why? it is fun. we're dancing.

♪ keep on, keep on keep on, keep on dancing all through the night ♪ >> you want water or anything? >> no. >> you want a sip? you want a sip? a sip. let's do a sip. ♪ tonto jump on it, jump on it jump on it ♪ >> we have a special song for you. >> "low"? >> oh, my god. ♪ low, low, low, low >> then it goes to the last song, which is "single ladies." >> "everyone has a story ". ♪ everyone has a story a beginning, middle and end ♪ >> i hate it withal my heart. >> you don't hate it. >> i hate it and i want to go to lunch. ♪ keep on, keep on keep on, keep on dancing all through the night ♪ ♪ we're going to keep on, keep on doing it right ♪

>> the evolution of dance. ♪ you ain't nothing but a hound dog ♪ ♪ crying all the time ♪ well, you ain't never caught a rabbit and you ain't no friend of mine ♪ ♪ come on baby let's do the twist ♪ ♪ come on, baby let's do the twist ♪ ♪ take me by my little hand ♪ ♪ and go like this ♪ ♪ there's a place you can go ♪ ♪ i said young man when you're short on your dough ♪ ♪ you can stay there and i'm sure you will find many ways to have a good time ♪ ♪ keep on, keep on keep on, keep on

dancing on through the night ♪ ♪ keep on, keep on keep on, keep on doing it right ♪ ♪ go grease lightning go, grease lightning ♪ ♪ go, grease lightning grease lightning go, grease light noing ♪ ♪ can't touch this can't touch this ♪ ♪ can't touch this ♪ can't touch this ♪ my, my, my ♪ tonto, jump on it jump on it, jump on it ♪ ♪ jump on it jump on it, jump on it ♪ ♪ i came to get down so jump around jump around jump around ♪ ♪ jump around

jump up, jump up and get down ♪ ♪ i like big butts and i cannot lie ♪ ♪ you other brothers can't deny ♪ ♪ when a girl walks in with an an itty-bitty waist ♪ ♪ she hit the floor next thing you know she got low, low, low, low ♪ ♪ all the single ladies put your hands up ♪ ♪ let's get out of here word to your mother ♪ >> cheers. >> oh, that was just tragic. >> hard to believe i've done broadway. looking at that now, golly day. >> allie turned nothing into something. >> mortified.

>> we have a lot more coming up. ?ppxxxxxxxxxxxpp úe %aqxqxqxqxqxqxqxqxqxqxqx%b

we're back with "today's buzz" and all the people and events making headlines this week. >> there is so much to talk about. bonnie full certificate eder if in chief of hollywoodlife.com. >> a lot to get to. >> jessica simpson was flashing

her ruby engagement 24 weekend. she had to keep up with nick. he just got engaged. >> does that look strange one week after? >> it is very curious, that it was a week after his announcement was made. >> so who is the guy? don't know much about the guy? >> he played for the nfl, didn't he? >> eric johnson, he's a former footballer. now he is so in love with her, he turned down the chance to go to wharton business school. he's a guy from yale. he was going to go into business, but now he's living with her and basically he's just following her around from place to place. >> actually we'll be able to see them together here in new york. she's performing in the macy's thanksgiving day parade and he's expected to be here too. >> on the float. >> and his family. >> she's a sweet girl. i met her before. she's sweet. i wish her the best but it seems curious. >> we wish her the best, we're just worried about it because it only has been seven months and you know you want a guy, oh, here's the other thing, apparently she doesn't want a prenup. that's what we're hearing. what's interesting about that is

his ex-wife warneder in advance saying he had no money, so watch out for him. >> that was an ex-wife's statement. >> this is not her first football player either, right? >> he dumped her. it is not the first time, she didn't have a prenup with nick and so she had to pay out a fair bit of money and she complained about that. >> she did? he's wealthy himself. >> well, apparently she handed him about $10 million to save bye-bye. >> i want to marry her. >> how does she feel about nick's engagement? do we know anything about that? >> she was broken hearted about that. she wished them well but those who knew her said she was just -- it was her first love, she was devastated. >> remember, he left her. >> it got -- because that got out, she had to go on the radio and then i think she was on the ryan seacrest show and she said, no, no, no, i'm thrilled for him, so happy. >> it is weird that people are showing how happy they are. some people are tweeting congratulations. don't you think that's a little

bit odd? i noticed that. >> why does everything have to be public? why she can't pick up the phone and call him and said, i heard, i'm so happy for you. it is almost like you're not doing it for that person, you're doing for the way it is going to be perceived by the public. >> exactly. >> so leann rimes, her ex is now engaged. >> yes. >> her ex-husband. >> right. her ex-husband dean and talk about tweeting, she tweeted her congratulations to him. >> so everyone knew that she -- >> yes. >> interestingly enough, he's engaged before she is because, remember, there were the false rumors that she and eddie cibrian were engaged and they weren't. >> he got on his knee in front of everybody. >> and tweeted the picture. >> kanye west is -- he made a lot of headlines here with us in the "today" show studio and he was, again, heard more about him on "snl." >> that's right. it was very funny, hilarious sketch with him and george bush coming on. and they are supposedly buddy,

buddy because george revealed in their memoirs that at a very low moment for him is when he was called racist by kanye. >> the two best lines out of that performance had to be when george bush talked about wearing the gucci brand sunglasses and kanye west said, he didn't know what clearing brush meant. he thought it was going out to nightclubs and picking up ugly women. >> oh, gosh. >> it is amazing the man can sing without putting his foot in his mouth. >> has kanye learned anything from the last couple of years of rude behavior? has he learned anything? >> he hired a media manager, but that didn't go well. >> she left after a week. >> it is not about that. it is not about someone spinning you. it is about being -- >> it is about being decent to people. >> i don't know. but speaking about people, have they learned, what about lindsay lohan? she was released a couple of times this weekend, she went shopping, she met with the director from inferno and she's doing a fashion shoot to make some money to pay for her rehab. >> for a russian designer. >> so what -- the same old, same ole, you think then?

>> i hope not. but it seems like -- >> that, to me, is responsible behavior. if they think she's doing well enough to let her go, and she's actually working and then going right back in, i think that can only be helpful. >> i do think it is great that she's getting back together with her fath her father. as difficult as their relationship has been in the past, you only have one father. >> they would net lot let her of she were not performing well. someone picked her up and stayed with her the whole time. >> she's going in the right direction. >> sarah palin's "lalaska," how did that work out? >> the scenery was beautiful. she'll do more for alaska than all of the tourism ads could possibly take out. >> it was gorgeous. i watched it. alaska is amazing. and i have to hand it to sarah, she climbed a part of mt. mckinley, it looked terrifying. >> and she's terrified of heights. >> she and her husband are

terrified of heights. >> it does look gorgeous. we'll see if it is a prepresidential run, right? >> we'll see. >> positive reinforcement for her. >> thank you, ladies. up next, if you think you can't lose the last ten pounds, wait until you hear how this woman dropped 186 pounds right after this.

it is time for "look at me now the joy fit club" and time to meet the newest inductee. >> tammy, a 40-year-old mother of four from kent, washington. let's take a listen to her story. >> my name is tammy. and i lost 186 pounds and found inner peace and beauty i've always been longing for. growing up i was always heavy. i was the overweight sister, cousin and friend. and after i got married, i became the overweight mom. all i ever wanted to do was sleep and, of course, eat. on the weekends i would stay in

bed all day. at night when i was alone, i would eat bags of oreo cookies and doritos. i would also drink many glasses of wine. i was doing everything i could to make myself numb from the pain and unhappiness i was feeling inside. as my 40th birthday approached, i weighed my all time heaviest, 330 pounds. inspired by the tv show "the biggest loser," i bought jillian michael's book "winning by losing" and read it cover to cover. after reading the book, something inside just clicked. i joined a gym with my son jake and together we would work out five times a week. he motivated me to keep going. today i drive the same car, work the same job and i live in the same house as i did two years ago, but because i am no longer overweight, i am the happiest i've ever been in my entire life. >> that's so great. we're going to meet tammy in a minute. let's check in with "today's"

contributing nutritionist and leader of the joy fit pack, joy bauer. >> i love how she said i live in the same house, drive the same car but my life is so much better. people think you have to move and change but she changed herself, right? >> i talk about how losing weight is 50% attitude. and really a huge factor with tammy's weight loss success was her positive self-talk. over and over again she would say to herself, i can do this, i have the time to do this and i'm worth it. that's a powerful, positive message. >> reinforced by her son who is such a -- a buddy system, nothing like that too. >> and they all lost weight. the boys look amazing. >> really? let's check out her food, what her issues were. >> she learned how to get more for her calories. now she can have 29 carrots for the same 100 calories. and visually it is more food. i realize sometimes you want to go for the calories. >> yeah. >> but the same 100 calories. check this out. for 150 calories, she used to

have two whole scrambled eggs. now for 150 calories she can a four egg white omelet stuffed with mushrooms and spinach and tomatoes and a slice of whole wheat toast. >> wow, okay. >> for 300 calories, she used to have a fruit smoothie. now she can have two apples, an orange, and a bunch of grapes. so, you know, it is learning how to work your calories to your advantage. >> i'm curious to see tammy. 186 pounds. this is her before picture. tammy, come join the joy fit club. oh, my gosh! wow! >> not the same person. >> wow, wow, wow. look at you. >> just amazing. >> that took you two years, tammy? >> that seems fast when you think you've lived your whole life, you know, carrying the weight, right? >> right. >> i love how that motivated you, that jillian michaels, the book and the whole thing, did it start coming off quickly?

>> it did. once i put all the elements together, the counting the calories and the exercise it came off pretty quickly. >> she portions things now. she's very aware of what she's putting into her body. >> what was the hardest part for you? >> the hardest part was just getting in the right mind set to do it. i knew it was going to take a long time. so -- because it was so much, but that's it, it was just getting in that mind set, yep. >> and you are exercising. i'm totally shocked but you look terrific. >> thank you. >> you match, actually. >> tammy, congratulations and welcome to the joy fit club. >> a very healthy thanksgiving. >> i will, thank you very much. >> okay. if you know anyone who should be a member of the joy fit club, head to klgandhoda.com and let us know. we'll be back with more of "today" on nbc. you look so good. diabetes testing? it's all the same. nothing changes.

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time to check in with miss sara. >> a little fan feedback about

your viral video. carrie said maybe you should have had the wine before the dancing. lol. you are so fun and funny. >> the wine before. okay, that's the worst, the brady bunch portion of the program was the worst of all. all right, so, anyway -- >> tomorrow, emma watson. guys tell all panel. curtis wi be back with us. >> good. and some lucky guests talking sex on wednesday, the whole show. >> and double trouble tomorrow, our look-alikes will be with us. have a great fun day.