t in days. literally days! [male announcer] starts friday at 4am. good morning. feeling their way. the head of the tsa says new airport screening methods could evolve just hours after he said no changes would be made. so what can thanksgiving travelers expect as they head to the airports? this morning, we'll ask that administrator to set the record straight. is it natalee? authorities carrying out tests on a jawbone found in aruba ask for natalee holloway's dental records. could it be the remains of the missing alabama teen? and stay home. as a legal dispute explodes over sarah palin's new book, former first lady barbara bush has an interesting thought for her. >> i loved the book. i think she's very happy in

alaska, and i hope she'll stay there. >> actually, sarah palin's already on the road, getting set to launch a 14-state book tour today, monday, november 22nd, to launch a 14-state book tour today, monday, november 22nd, 2010. captions paid for by nbc-universal television and good morning. welcome to "today" on a monday morning. i'm matt lauer. >> and i'm meredith vieira. 24 million americans are expected to fly to their thanksgiving destination this week and those controversial new screening guidelines could make the wait at airports even longer than they thought. >> that's right. but now the tsa seems to be signaling that some potential changes could be made to those controversial techniques being used by its agents. we're going to talk about that with the head of the tsa straight ahead. also ahead, the latest on the wedding of prince william to kate middleton. how much say will the prince have when it comes to the big day? who's going to make kate's

wedding dress? coming up, we'll ask one of her best friends. and as you get ready to do your holiday shopping, we'll show you the companies "consumer reports" say are naughty and the ones it says are nice when it comes to customer service policies. and later, a tragic yet courageous story. rachael friedman was enjoying her bachelorette party when a friend pushed her into a pool. ra rachelle hit her head and suffered a spinal cord injury that has left her paralyzed. later, she'll join us along with her fiance for an exclusive live interview. but let us begin with those controversial new screening methods at our nation's airports. tom costello is at reagan international airport. good morning. >> reporter: good morning, matt. the tsa insists nothing is changing here, but it released a statement yesterday which some believe may suggest there's some wiggle room. here's part of what that statement says. this has always been viewed as an evolving program that will be adapted as conditions warrant and we greatly appreciate the cooperation and understanding of

the american people. but a lot of americans seem to be running out of patience and out of understanding. you know you've got an image problem when "saturday night live" is poking fun at you. >> spending time with a tsa agent couldn't be easier. simply book a flight departing from any american airport. >> reporter: but with the thanksgiving travel week now well under way, the tsa's full-body pat downs are no laughing matter to thousands of americans. like breast cancer survivor marlene mccarthy who went through a pat down while wearing a prosthesis. >> she touched the prosthesis. she moved it up and down and left and right, and then she said, you're okay. >> reporter: and regular business traveler, judith brooils, who has double knee replacements. >> not only did they search me once, they pulled me into another room and searched me again. and i just felt dirty. >> reporter: while only a small fraction of travelers are selected for pat downs, resentment seems to be growing. and the tsa chief has posted a

web video, trying to explain the basics. >> you have the option to request that the pat down be conducted in a private room. >> reporter: the tougher pat downs come after the tsa's own inspectors were able to smuggle weapons and drugs past tsa screeners. >> something like a ceramic knife artfully concealed. things that could be a threat to aviation, and which are prohibited items now -- >> reporter: president obama says he's heard the public's frustration. >> and what i've said to the tsa is that you have to constantly refine and measure whether what we're doing is the only way to assure the american people's safety. >> reporter: with al qaeda's recent attempts to bring down both cargo and passenger planes, many travelers still support the scanners and pat downs. >> there's people out there that want to do harm, and the harder we make it for them to do that, the safer we're going to be. >> reporter: but some tsa

screeners are now anonymously complaining on the internet about the public backlash. molester, pervert, disgusting, an embarrassment, creep, these are all words i've heard today at work describing me, writes one. i should not have to go home and cry after a day of honorably serving my country. you've probably heard about some bloggers calling for national opt-out day on wednesday, day before thanksgiving, essentially saying, we're not going to go through the scanners, therefore tying up even more tsa checkpoints. the tsa and the airlines say they'll have extra staffing on board on wednesday just in case, but they're hoping most people just really want to get to thanksgiving dinner and it won't be a major problem. we'll see how that pans out. matt, back to you. >> tom costello, thanks very much. john pistole is the head of the transportation security administration. good morning to you. >> good morning, matt. >> we spoke last week just after these new procedures were put

into effect, and i thought the uproar over this would die down rather quickly. it has not. in fact, it seems more and more passengers are complaining. are you now actively rethinking this policy? >> yes, matt. you're probably aware that we constantly evaluate and evolve our propertocols in light of th latest intelligence. and we saw new intelligence over the weekend of al qaeda in the arabian peninsula about how they constructed the devices in the cargo planes and what that means. but clearly, there's been a significant concern raised with the traveling public and members of congress have expressed concerns from their constituents and things. so, yes, we'll look at how can we do the most effective screening in the least invasive way, knowing there's always a trade-off we've talked about, that trade-off between security and privacy and, again, where reasonable people can disagree. >> let me make sure i understand what you're saying here. are you re-thinking this policy and adapting it based on the intelligence and the threat level out there, or are you

going to adapt this the policy simply because people are complaining about it? >> well, obviously, we have to take all factors into consideration. my job is security. and what can we best do. what i'm interested in, matt, is going back to the government accountability office, gao, the inspector general for the department of homeland security and say, look, you were the one who is did this covert testing prior to 12/25 last year, what did you find in ways that if we did modify in some respect, the type of screening that we do, how could we adjust that? because what they found is, they were able to get through security because of the lack of thoroughness that we have. >> i want to talk about -- i want to put this in perspective, if we can, john. when it comes to the actual number of people who are being patted down, for example, what are we talking about? what percentage? >> so, it's a very small percent. i can't give you the exact amount, but a very small percent. for example, since we've started

the new pat down procedure, we've had approximately 34 million people travel. it is a very small percentage and number of those who have actually received this type of thorough pat down. so it seems like, from what i'm seeing in the media, anyway, every passenger is almost receiving this pat down. that's clearly not the case. it's a very small percentage. so -- >> again, it can be overblown. i'm not going to be the one, nor can you be, to decide whether people think this is overly invasive or not invasive enough. but i think we can both agree and probably all agree on one thing. this is not the fault of the tsa screeners. and we've heard that they're being, you know, blamed for this. they're being called names at airports and that clearly can't continue, can it? >> well, i appreciate that, matt. and actually, i've heard both sides. i've received comments from some of the security officers who have said that customers, travelers have been very

complimentary and appreciative of the work that they are doing to keep them and the traveling public safe, but clearly, we can't have passengers who are abusive to security officers, who are there to protect them and their loved ones while they're traveling. >> doing their job. i hate to be the one to even bring this up, but in this situation with these pat downs and this increased screening procedure, you're damned if you do, and you're damned if you don't, john. i hate to think what happens if the government caves in on this and relaxes these procedures and someone manages to get something on board a plane and causes harm. imagine the questions you'll be asked at that point. >> clearly. and that's that dynamic tension we deal with every day. so how do we do the best possible job of balancing the security that everybody wants and even demands, and rightfully so, with the privacy that everybody wants, and how do we best blend that? that is the challenge that we face every day, and we try to do that in partnership with the traveling public to say, look, work with us, because we are

there to help protect you. we just want to make sure that you and everybody else on that the plane arrive safely. >> right. and real quickly here, there are some people calling for this national opt-out day, and they're calling for it, i think, on wednesday, one of the busiest travel days of the year. do you have the manpower to actually deal with a situation where large numbers of people simply refuse screening? >> well, clearly, we'll be fully staffed, matt, but the question becomes, what happens to the wait times, and do people end up missing flights because of a small or large group, whomever it is, decides to protest and delay those vast majority of people who just want to get home for the holidays. i hope that people use some judgment and reason to say, look, everybody just wants to enjoy the holidays. let's be safe when we do that. let's not tie up those people who just want to go home and spend time with loved ones. >> well, john pistole, john, i think you're in a tough position and i appreciate your time this morning. thanks very much. >> thank you, matt. let's get a check of the other morning's top stories now

with ann curry on assignment, natalie's over at the news desk. natalie, good morning to you. >> good morning to you matt, and good morning, everyone. it's been a tough travel weekend already as three delta airlines flights were forced to make emergency landings over the weekend after serious engine malfunctions. all three flights landed safely with no injuries, but in the most dramatic incident, a plane headed to moscow carrying more than 200 passengers lost thrust in its left engine and had to return to jfk. president obama is back in washington after attending a nato summit in portugal over the weekend. nbc's savannah guthrie is at the white house for us this morning. good morning to you, savannah. >> reporter: good morning, natalie. the president did get a boost from world leaders in trying to get that s.t.a.r.t. treaty across the finish line, but will it help him with the audience that matters the most, congress? back home in washington, president obama faces a senate showdown over the new s.t.a.r.t. treaty, an issue he took on at the nato summit over the weekend in portugal, hinting it's

politics that's stopping republicans from approving the arms control deal with russia. >> there's no other reason not to do it than the fact that, you know, washington has become a very partisan place. >> reporter: on "meet the press," secretary of state hillary clinton echoed the president. >> in this one area, this goes beyond politics. this should be nonpart sedisann just bipartisan. >> reporter: the white house needs republicans on board to reach the 67 votes needed to ratify s.t.a.r.t. this year. but republicans, led by senator jon kyl, say they need more time to decide. meanwhile, worries over north korea escalated after a "new york times" report that the country has a vast new uranium enrichment facility. >> it's north korea continuing on a path which is destabilizing for the region. it confirms or validates the concern we've had for years about their enriching uranium, which they have denied routinely. >> reporter: well, the other

battle looming with congress, whether to extend those bush tax cuts for all earners, including top earners. there's a big meeting next week with republicans to try to hammer out a compromise, natalie. >> thank you, savannah. ireland has now agreed to a $90 billion bailout package. cnbc's melissa lee is at the new york stock exchange. how might this news impact u.s. stocks? >> it's good news for u.s. investors, because the problems in ireland's banking sector threaten the stability of the euro currency. already we're seeing the euro and european stocks move higher. oil is rebounding after two weeks of losses, but the sigh of relief might be a little bit short lived, because already investors are focused on the next trouble spot for europe, and that is portugal, which may need a multibillion dollar bailout of its own. natalie? >> melissa lee, thank you. iran has set a trial date for three american hikers detained in 2009 on charges of espionage. they're set to appear now in court on february 6th. one of the three hikers was released on bail in september. it is uncertain whether or not e

summoned back to iran for a court date. at the woodland park zoo in seattle, workers did feed a pack of wild animals a turkey dinner in honor of the holidays. you have to excuse this kimono dragon for his table manners. >> enjoy your cheerios, everybody. >> that's going to hurt. mr. roker, what's happening? >> it's hard to follow. let's check it out. the pacific northwest getting slammed again, we got a jet stream, plus a couple of double barrel lows with a strong upper level jet, a lot of moisture and it's a skier's delight. we are talking about a lot of snow stretching into the mountains of the pacific northwest along the coast, it's mostly going to be rain, but

snowfall amounts anywhere from six to 18 inches plus, from between portland and medford on to boise and parts of the rockies. we are looking at heavy, heavy snow. >> that's your latest weather. meredith? and now to the latest on what could be a possible break in the search for natalee holloway who disappeared during a high school graduation trip in aruba 5 1/2 years ago. investigators are now trying to determine if a jawbone recently

discovered on the beach there is hers. michelle, good morning. >> reporter: good morning, meredith. always, always in this case, for more than five years now, it's been a bit stranger than fiction. but what looks to be a human jawbone with at least one molar has washed up on the beach here. tourists found it and turned it into the front desk of their hotel. investigators say they're still waiting for test resulting on it. by some twist of chance, tourists on the beach spotted it, out of place enough in this paradise. could it really be part of a human jawbone, weathered and old and still holding a single tooth. is somehow it ended up here, after days of rough surf. and now authorities and family of natalee holloway are anxiously awaiting the answer more than five years after she

disappeared without a trace. could it be hers? natalee's mother beth says there's no good answer ooze to whether it's natalee or whether it isn't. in this case forensic experts say the tooth should hold valuable evidence. >> the nuclear dna analysis will tell you unequivocally whether it is that individual. >> reporter: back in 2005, natalee's family frantically searched this island. >> i'm not leaving aruba without her. >> reporter: she had left a bar with three local boys. joran van der sloot is now in a peruvian jail after murdering a

woman on the fifth anniversary of natalee's disappearance. on the tiny wind swept island, everything that has turned up over the years, blyears--but th lying here in the sand seemed different. and authorities testing it in holland have asked for natalee's dental records. prosecutors say they don't have results yet even to say whether the bone is human and to figure out whether this possible piece of an even bigger mystery will be solved. to make things even weirder, all over the internet there's been a picture circulating with a jawbone found in the sand. that's not even right the picture. prosecutors say they do expect test results soon on the real

one. but remind everyone, even if it did belong to natalee holloway, it won't necessarily solve this case. it is 7:18, and once again, here's matt. now to politics and sarah palin's possible white house aspirations. one former first lady doesn't think too much of them. norah o'donnell is in washington with details on this. >> nothing like some controversy to help sell a book, right? just as palin gears up for a book tour and a possible presidential run. barbara bush says she likes palin but hopes she stays home. in episode 2 of "sarah palin's alaska" the palins are at home on the range. >> missed it. >> reporter: sarah and todd palin take daughter bristol mosquito shooting.

>> a couple of my girlfriends had my baby shower right here in this shooting range. my first baby shower. and i love to share that story. >> reporter: meanwhile former first lady barbara bush seems to throw cold water on palin's white house run. >> i think she's very happy in alaska and i hope she'll stay there. >> reporter: even the weekly standard is going negative on palin. the article says palin's show has secureded her a spot in the reality tv spot pantheon and good for pail on and there's no compelling reason to suggest the rest of us should tag along behind. like it or not, sarah palin and her family are everywhere. tonight begins the "dancing with the stars" finale. palin's daughter bristol is competing to win it all. this thanksgiving week is no holiday for the palin household. on tuesday, the vote for

bristol. >> this is as much a vote for sarah palin as it is a vote for bristol palin. >> reporter: that very same day, sarah palin's book "america by heart" hits bookstores and she embarks on her cross country tour, 16 stops in 14 states. already the book creating buzz and controversy. last week, the media blog leaked excerpts of the book on their site, infuriating palin, the publishing world is leaking out of context excerpts of my book, isn't that illegal? but just as parts of the books were coming out. palin offered her own sneak peek on her facebook page with a call to action. we have to know what makes america exceptional today more than ever because it is under assault today more than ever. palin's book tour will take her

twice to iowa and this weekend another possible presidential contend contender mike huckabee was in iowa. still ahead, will buckingham palace release new details on the royal wedding today?

still ahead, hollywood remembers a producer as investigators try to find out whki h i don't care if i'm the official spokes candy

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it's monday morning, the 22nd of november, 2010. in about one hour from now, pop sensation bruno mars will take the stage for a concert. coming up this half hour, the latest buzz surrounding prince william and kate middleton. just in time for black friday and of course cyber monday, consumer reports is out with a list of companies.

folks are naughty and nice when it comes to their policies. and a bride-to-be was playfully pushed into a pool after a bachelorette party. let us begin with those royal wedding plans. stephanie gosk is live at buckingham palace. >> reporter: any moment we're expecting an announcement on the date and place of the wedding. the young couple has already secured adoration. it was perhaps inevitable, his dashing prince and his beautiful bride-to-be charmed the world with their announcement. >> we're very, very happy and i'm very glad i have done it. >> reporter: a new poll says that a majority of brittons are so enamored with william that

they believe the 28-year-old will be a better king than charles. many think charles when the time comes should pass the throne to his son. >> if prince charles does step aside, it will require an act of renunciation. >> reporter: the wedding is expected to be held at the 1,000-year-old westminster abbey. the last marriage ceremony there was over 30 years ago, the queen's daughter ann. this wedding is set to be a much more grand affair. the price tag is set at $40 million with most of the details yet to be settled. like the guest list. numbers are uncertain. but the king and queen of sweden are expected, the entire swede on family, paul mccartney, elton

john and there's some effort to be mindful of the economy. to be fair coming up with the jewels was never going to be a problem. there are quite a few already in the family. what will definitely not be recycled is the dress. kate's mother, the daughter of a coal miner bought her dress for $50. it will likely be a drastic departure from diana's, very '80s, very meringue. >> we're in a different mood now. >> reporter: william will have little input on the dress of course, but he's said to be personally involved in almost every other detail. and on top of that, the prince has an actual job to do. the helicopter rescue pilot was called off on an emergency less

than 48 hours after the announcement. prince william was called in with a four-man helicopter crew to the rescue. the climber got to safety, he said if it wasn't for prince william, he would no longer be alive. >> an incredible week. stephanie gosk, thank you very much. jessica, good morning to you. >> good morning, how are you? >> we are now hearing that there could be an announcement about the wedding as early as today. rumors are reports are the wedding will take place either april 28 or sometime in july. what can you tell us? >> obviously april 28 is on everybody's lips at the moment. but i do think that july is a better date from what i have heard from inner circles. i think there's likely to be a summer wedding, they do want everybody to be involved.

it will be a public event but it's going to be very personal to them which is the most important thing. >> what does harry have to do with that april 28th day? >> he's actually on leave, so that was probably going to be the best date because he wouldn't be around for that big day. but i'm sure he would make time even if it was in july. >> we saw a picture of kate middleton leaving westminster abbey and everybody was saying that's got to be where the wedding will occur. can you confirm that? >> yes, i can confirm, i would say 90% that, she absolutely adores westminster abbey is so beautiful and it's important to them both. >> they have refused help from the queen's staff. from what you know, the prince's parents had in 1981?

>> yeah, i mean i think it's very important. we're living in a more modern age now and obviously they're very much in love, they're a normal couple and they do want to organize their own wedding and i think the royal family respects that. of course there will be some involvement, but i think that predominantly they will be the ones that will oversee the proceedings. >> do you think it will be a big wedding and a slightly more quiet ceremony following the, ceremony following the wedding? >> i think it will be a very big wedding. obviously it's going to be very public, but i believe that afterwards they would like to have a personal, very quiet ceremony. but they do want the public to be involved, so katharine is adamant, she loves the public, she's loving being accepted. so they want the public to be

involved. they do want a big wedding, but they will probably have a quiet occasion later on. >> and what about the dress, jessica, everybody wants to know who's going to design it and what it's going to look like. >> i think every designer is calling her 24/7. but she's got a favorite designer. not that she will design the wedding dress, at the moment that's questionable as to who is going to design it. but they're on her 24/7. >> there's been a controversy brewing over there about comments made by a church of england bishop who called william and kate shallow celebrities and said their marriage would last maybe seven years. has kate had any reaction to that? has she said anything to you about that? >> well, it's completely ridiculous. i mean it's ridiculous, ludicrous, they have been together for eight years, they have taken the time to prepare for their engagement.

they have thought about it, as people do when they're in love. those comments are absolutely ridiculous. i wouldn't listen to them at all. >> thank you very much for your time this morning. >> thank you so much. have a good day. now let's get a check of the weather from al. >> "today's" weather is brought to you by advil, make the switch to advil now. and good morning, everybody, got a nice crowd out here for bruno mars. you skipped school to see bruno mars? >> we did. >> are you going back to school later today? >> no. >> let's check your weather and see what's happening, there's some temperature departures, 27 degrees below normal in rapid city, 36 degrees below normal in billings, montana. and temperature-wise, we are going to see these temperatures really plunge over the next 24 hours, nine degrees below zero for a high in idaho falls,

whereas minneapolis is going to be 24 degrees above normal, atlanta 10 degrees above normal, eight degrees above normal in new orleans. 50s and 30s and 40s in the new england area. 80s down through southern texas. >> big thanksgiving week, get the latest weather you need to know, go to the weather channel on cable or weather.com online.

hollywood paid tribute to famed publicist ronni chasen over the weekend as police continue to investigate her mysterious murder. kristen welker is in hollywood. >> beverly hills police have been working around the clock to try to solve this case. so far no reports of any new leads. this as hollywood comes together to say goodbye. car after car lined up as friends and members of the entertainment industry arrived to pay their final respects to publicist ronni chasen who helped bring fame and glory to so many. actors peter fonda was among the mourners. chasen was also remembered at a private reception, paid for by all six major studios. >> there are many hundreds of people who are going to miss ronni chasen, she was a superstar in her own rite.

>> reporter: her career achievements include oscar buzz for "on golden pond" and ""slumdog millionaire."" the last images of chasen were captured earlier last monday night at the premier for the movie movie. she was found with multiple gunshot wounds in her chest. >> i think the level of anger in this case is evident. five shots. this person, if they had 20 bullets, i think they would have shot her 20 times. >> chasen appeared to have been targeted but in response, the police chief quickly issued a statement asking the press to stop relying on erroneous information, theories or speculation. since then rumors have only continued to swirl. was it a targeted killing? a case of mistaken identity or

road rage? >> the road rage aspect again, we hear it on the news all the time. i cannot think but whoever did it didn't break a sweat. >> reporter: many of the se theories going around sound implausible. >> i think that whoever did it knew what they were doing, and if she was here to talk to us she could put two and two together and come one an individual. >> reporter: such an unlikely crime in one of the country's most exclusive zip codes. adding to this mystery, at least five casting directors reportedly received death threats earlier this month. police haven't established a link between those threats and chasen's murder and of course chasen was a publicist, not a casting director. there's currently a $125,000 reward leading to an arrest.

coming up consumer reports' naughty or nice list when it comes to yourorite stores and their holiday shopping policies. r fault. naturally, blame the mucus. well, i can't breathe. did you try blowing your nose? of course. [ both ] and nothing came out. instead of blaming me, try new advil congestion relief. what you probably have is swelling due to nasal inflammation, not mucus. and this can help? it treats the real problem of your sinus symptoms, reducing swelling due to nasal inflammation. so i can breathe. [ mucus ] new advil congestion relief. the right sinus medicine for the real problem. the right sinus medicine [children screaming] [growl] i met my husband here. i got to know my grandkids here. we've discovered so much here together. but my doctor told me that during that time my high cholesterol was contributing to plaque buildup in my arteries. that's why i'm fighting my cholesterol...

with crestor. along with diet, crestor does more than help manage cholesterol, when diet and exercise alone aren't enough. crestor is also proven to slow plaque buildup in arteries. crestor is not right for everyone, like people with liver disease, or women who are nursing, pregnant, or may become pregnant. simple blood tests will check for liver problems. tell your doctor about other medicines you are taking, or if you have muscle pain or weakness. that could be a sign of serious side effects. ask your doctor if crestor is right for you. i love it when we're here together. if you can't afford your medication, astrazeneca may be able to help.

we're back now at 7:45. this morning on "today's" consumer, consumer reports naughty and nice holiday list. they came one a list of the ones

they like and loathe. t todd marks the senior editor of consumer reports. you wrote in the magazine, imagine if all companies acted if they really had customer interests at heart. apparently it's not the case, is it? >> not always the case. and again, what we did, we said people are going to be out and about, they're going to be buying, they're going to be returning, they're going to be traveling. we thought what is it that makes the consumers life easier and what thwarts them. >> you're not saying that all companies have to go out there and lose money just to please customers, you just want fair policies. >> sure that would be foolish. but if some big companies could do it and make the consumer's life easier, why can't more do that. >> let's start with the nice list. you like costco and you like their return policy in particular, why. >> because it's open ended for

virtually everything minus electronics which still comes with a very generous 90 day return policy unlike many other companies. >> you like zappos.com, what do you like. >> you free shipping and you can also print out a return label. >> now southwest, u.s. cellular, l.l. bean, hotels.com. the headlines here is, they make it easier for customers to shop and they please the customer. >> it's not a blanket either negative or positive about the company, but these aspects of their policies that we really like. >> the other side of the coin, let's get to your naughty list this first one is not going to make for a great one. but you take some fault with macys, why? >> we like when shipping is based on the size and the weight of the package, rather than the dollar amount. macy's charges $5.95 to $24.95.

we wanted to buy a $24 pair of pants and cost $5.95 to ship. we like flat rates. >> we contacted macys, they said they acknowledge the system is imperfect, they say they're working on developing an alternati alternative, but the sliding scale method is so that the costumko costuko consumer can see before they buy. >> you didn't love dollar rental car for people traveling, why? >> well, you know, it's bad enough if you choose the to have the company refuel the car when you bring it back. whether you use a little gas or a lot. you're going to pay for a tank of gas that you probably didn't use. but they make you provide a receipt when you return the car to prove that within 10 miles you filled it up. >> you want people to do their home work before they purchase

an item and find out if the policies are going to make them happy or sad during the holidays. and still ahead, a story of courage, a woman paralyzed from the chest down during an accident at her own bachelorette party. ♪

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and say they liked one or the other and a lot of people saying they didn't like one or the other. ♪ tonight's going to be a good night ♪ >> the dynamite one. >> i like the fact that it's my real voice. they didn't do a thing to mine. >> it's been all over youtube. so you guys really have gone viral.

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>>. >> time to check the commute with mike. >> a lighter volume and the east shore freeway you never get a real break. 43 minutes off of the bridge and the slowing extend tends through rich mobd. by university, speeds about 45 or 40 and you are clearing where the metering lights are on and the back up gets lighter. you have the metering lights on. san mateo northbound to 101, but 280 is clear through daley city around the bend. 101 southbound towards menlo park. >> a slow warming around the bay

area and isolated showers around the coastal mountains. temperatures are chilly again much like ycht. highs mostly in the mid 50s. increasing clouds up to another round of rain after midnight into the first half of tuesday. when the cold front goes by, temperatures are dropping. frosty m ahahea 7:57. more news after the break. ea

>> are an important safety

reminder. don't just lock your doors, but windows as well. police are on the look out for omar sosa who climbed through a window and raped a girl in her bedroom. it played out in evelyn avenue. detectives believe he left the bay area and could be lead headed for mexico. police believe he is driving a gray 1997 fort rachblger pick up with a double cab and a white camper shell. if you have information on the whereabouts, call crimestoppers. 1-800--222-tips. another local news update in a half hour. ♪ ♪ [ 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. 8:00 now on a monday morning, it's the 22nd day of november, 2010. not the nicest morning we've ever had weatherwise here on the plaza. but a huge, pre-thanksgiving crowd gathered in large part because of that young man right there, bruno mars, the pop sensation. who is going to be putting on a concert in our 8:30 half hour. so stick around for that. out on the plaza, matt lauer, along with meredith vieira and al roker and what else is coming up? >> a very lovely couple facing an extremely difficult situation. rachel freehan was enjoying her

bachelorette party last may, a friend pushed her in the pool, they were just horsing around. she hit her head and was instantly paralyzed. she'll be here for an exclusive interview. >> i understand she has forgiven the friend. >> absolutely. said she is still her best friend and it could have happened to anybody. and the remarkable work of st. jude's children's research hospital. they do incredible work for children who are suffering from all kinds of cancers. we'll find out what it's like to be a child life specialist and we'll talk to marlo thomas who is the driving force behind that hospital. a lovely lady. and we're going to meet the minimumer of today's home-made thanksgiving contest. we've got some delicious side dishes that they've come up with. >> three of them. >> lots to get to. natalie is at the news desk while ann is off this week. natalie, take it away. good morning, everyone, the official in charge of u.s. air travel security said on this

program this morning the screening methods that have outraged many passengers are now being refined. >> we're going to look at how can we do the most effective screening in the least-invasive way, knowing there's always a tradeoff. >> however, tsa chief john pistole defended the use of body scanners and pat-downs because of the high terror threat levels. three delta airlines flights made emergency landings this weekend because of engine failures, one a delta jet headed to moscow last night had to return to new york's kennedy airport. there were no injuries aboard any of the three flights. rescuers in new zealand are planning to send a military robot with a camera into a coal mine where 29 workers have been missing since an explosion onfy. but officials are now saying it may be too late to save the miners. the pope is a addressing difficult issues facing the catholic church, including condom use in a book coming out

tomorrow. nbc's kerry sanders has more. >> here is the book, "light of the world" by the pope, benedict xvi, it's about 200 pages long. it's near the end where he talks about condom use that will draw the most attention among america's 68 million catholics. the book is simply questions and answers. pope benedict xvi sat with a journalist in what the vatican said was an open forum to ask any questions. it's there on page 118, a question about aids in africa. should condoms be used to prevent the spread of that disease. in one of the longest answers in the book the pope says in part there may be a basis in the case of some individuals, as perhaps when a male prostitute uses a condom. the church, of course does not regard it as a real or moral solution. but in this or that case, there can be nonetheless, in the intention of reducing the risk of infection of first step in a movement towards a different way, a more human way of living sexuality.

>> was that the pope endorsing the use of condoms? >> no, it's not, but it sounds dangerously close, doesn't it? >> this father is the publisher of pope's new book and is also a long-time friend. >> when you hear already that the word is out that the pope is endorsing the use of condoms in limit situations. >> he's saying it's immoral. but he's saying someone could do it in a particular case, having an intention of causing less harm, and that could be a first little step towards a more moral life. but that does not say, okay, go ahead, use condoms, it's all right. >> in the book, the pope answers every question he was asked, including some very direct difficult questions about the sex abuse scandal in the church. natalie? >> kerry sanders reporting in miami, thanks so much, kerry. debt-ridden ireland has reversed course and applied for a massive emergency bank bailout. ireland's prime minister said sunday the amount should be under $140 million.

wildlife experts meeting in russia this weekend warned that wild tigers could be extinct in 12 years because of poaching and the destruction of their habitat. only 3200 tigers remain in the wild. that's down from 100,000 a century ago. and it's 8:05, you're up to date. now let's get another check of the weather from al. and got some nice friends here, including -- my morning counterpart in hagerstown, maryland, chris smith, correct? >> that's correct. >> whag. >> who are you here with? >> my girlfriend. >> want to say hi to everybody back in hagerstown? >> that's right. >> i've only got a couple of minutes here. that's the way it is with us weather people. let's check the weather, got to see what's going on. we've got snowshowers through

the plains today, also out west in the pacific northwest. wet weather, mississippi river valley on into new england and the northeast. tomorrow, as you get ready to travel, more snow in the northwest. rain in new england back to the mid mississippi river valley. frigid in the plains st there's a view. we've got clouds and still a slight chance of some isolatedse ers right there along the coastal hilltops today. temperatures will be running fairly cool as well. see most of the moisture now has moved off to the sierra. a few lingering showers around north bay hills. highs today running very cool. the highs moseley in the mid 50s today. lower 40 toss low 50s across the north bay. for tomorrow morning along this time, more rain moving on in. setting up us for some frosty mornings and dry weather mid week. est weather. matt? al, thank you very much. still to could, a bride-to-be paralyzed at a freak accident at her own bachelorette party.

she'll share her story if an exclusive live interview. but first, these messages. lucy, i missed you. ♪ [ gasps ] this is for you. thanks. ♪ cool. ♪ [ chuckles ] whoa! ♪ [ chuckles ] i love this part. yeah. me, too. [ lucy gasps ] [ female announcer ] this year, hallmark has all new ways to say it.

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almost every woman dreams of her wedding day and the celebrations that lead to it but for one bride-to-be that dream turned tragic. we'll talk to her exclusively in a moment, but first, her story. >> life can change in a split-second, and rachel friedman knows that all too well. she was aenjoying her bachelorette party earlier this year when something went

horribly wrong. >> as soon as i hit the water, i felt my body just kind of stiffen up. and i went numb and i kind of heard a crack in my neck. >> just six months ago, rachel friedman's life was picture perfect. the 24-year-old college graduate was celebrating with her girlfriends. her wedding, just a few weeks away. >> i had the dress, i had the present, invitations and the perfect invitations and the perfect feeiancy. >> but her bachelorest party ended horribly when a friend pushed rachel into the pool. >> we were horsing around by the pool and a freak accident and i went in the wrong way and hit my head. >> rachel suffered a c-6 spinal chord injury and no longer had feeling below her collarbone. >> every day is a fight, there's so many things i'm unable to do right now. you have to fight if you're going to get there. >> after a stay in the icu and three more months in the hospital, rachel continues to go to outpatient therapy. her spirit remains unbroken. >> there's no use in being down in the dumps and depressed.

it's not going to get you anywhere. >> her brother and brother help her during the day. while her fiancé, chris chapman, is at work at a schoolteacher. and yes, chris and rachel still plan to get married soon. >> no new date has been set, we're hoping within the year. >> i never once thought about leaving her or the situation. it was simply a matter of, you know, we're a couple, we're going to get through this. >> but a marriage could complicate their medical insurance. the couple says when they marry, their combined incomes, including her long-term disability payments, 60% of her salary from a nonprofit will make them ineligible for medicaid. >> we're trying really, really hard to get through all those things, because i'm determined i'm going to marry him. one way or another. >> and sure to be among the wedding guests? rachel's friend, who pushed her into the pool that night. she doesn't blame her and won't even tell us that friend's name.

>> i'm absolutely best friends with the girl. there's so many things that could happen in a freak accident. that blaming her would be ridiculous. >> and despite being told that she will never walk again, rachel is working to regain her other lost functioning and she can now use her arms to perform day-to-day tasks. >> rachel. rachel friedman is with us exclusively. as natalie pointed out, the doctors told you you won't be able to walk again. but you have regained some mobility with your arms. you use your thumb now to type, right? >> yes, i sure do. >> how are you doing? >> i'm doing awesome. i have my family around, my fiancé around, a lot of support. >> compared to other people in similar situations, how do doctors rate your progress? >> i was told that i progressed very quickly. you know, for someone with my injury. and i just worked really hard to do what i could as fast as i could. >> how much of it is attitude, do you think, rachel? >> almost all of it.

is attitude. i mean if you're not willing to go and do the work to get better, you won't. >> did you ever have moments of depression? you seem like such a determined young woman. >> i mean, you get upset sometimes. not perfect. and everyone gets sad. but you can't focus on those moments. you have to move on. think about what you can do, not what you can't do. >> i want to go back to the bachelorette party in may when you hit the water. and it was only about three and a half feet. you guys were horsing around, your friend pushed you in. your head hit the bottom of the pool and at that moment you knew something was terribly wrong, did you panic? >> not right away. i just -- i don't know, it was very surreal, i was in shock, obviously. i knew what happened, but i wanted to get out of the water and you now, get it taken care of. >> and in fact they called 911. and the first call you made was to chris. chris, talk to me about that phone call. you were camping with your dad, right, that night? >> yes, it was a very troubling phone call. simply because being approximately three hours away

from the situation, i didn't fully understand what was going on. that she was very calm about the situation. so it was almost as if she had kind of come to terms with things and i hadn't had the chance to yet. >> and how have you come to terms with it? >> simply being there as much as i can. helping out in the ways that i can and taking my role in the family to do and show all the support that i can. >> has there been a moment for you, chris, where you have felt, i can't do this? that would be very normal and very human. >> definitely, i've certainly had moments where i felt it would be very difficult and have had a hard time coming to terms with what possible future could be. but one day at a time. we just keep working through it. >> are you surprised at his attitude? >> no. not at all. i mean -- like i said, i knew he would be there for me. i would be there for him. you know, if the roles had been reversed. i would have been there. >> and chris, are you surprised at the way that rachel has handled all of this? >> not at all. her attitude and positivity through this whole event has really helped a lot of her family an friends get through it, i really think.

>> talking about friends, your best friend was the one who pushed you in. you said you have forgiven her, you didn't blame her. that it could have happened to anybody. >> i didn't even have to forgive her, i never blamed her in the first place. it was an accident, a freak accident. it could have happened to anyone. it could have been the other way around. >> has she forgiven herself? >> she's having a hard time with it. you know, i mean -- but she knows that we support her. my whole family supports her. i think it's helping her get through it. >> and the wedding date, sometime within the year? >> hopefully next summer. >> you're just a lovely couple, thank you so much. continued good health to you as you work through physical therapy as you work to regain more control. and chris, thank you so much for being here. and have a wonderful wedding. >> thank you. >> and we're back right after this.

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for all these reasons, we declare the ocean spray cranberry... the unofficial official fruit of the holidays. we'll probably get flak from the dates and figs. but no one can tell them apart, anyway. [ snickering ] for holiday tips and recipes, go to oceanspray.com. we are back now at 8:20 with our special series thanks and giving, focusing on the work of st. jude research hospital. recently i had a chance to spend a day in the life of a child -- >> i can't wait to take you inside. >> reporter: for the did that come through these doors, st. jude research hospital is a place of hope with friendly faces to help them every step of the day. when i read about it, i kind of get it. why is it so special? >> we want the children to

express themselves, there's all this fear and anxiety. the families are scared, the kids are scared. it's all about the child. >> you talk about struggles and i look around and i see a lot of smiles. >> yes, right. hi, everybody. >> reporter: my assignment was to spend the day with a child life specialist. >> our whole background is based on play. that's the foundation of what we do because that's when they express themselves and they talk to us when they're doing what they love, which is playing. >> i'm going to leave matt with you, i'll see you later at the pajama party. >> the what? our first stop was doggie days. >> have you all been waiting for the dogs? >> reporter: a regular activity to bring back normalcy to the lives of children who often miss the pets they have left at home. do you have a dog at home? >> yes.

>> that's your family, your dogs and everything, they're family. so it's like a missing piece for a while. it's really nice to see them. >> reporter: next we headed to medical place. where child life specialists help kids understand what's going on with their bodies. the purpose is to take some of the fear out of it? >> it takes the fear out of it because they're familiarizing themselveses with all of the medical equipment they have had used on them. >> reporter: here is christian and caleb who are practicing their skills playing doctor. tell me what you're doing here? >> i'm giving her a flu shot. >> reporter: show has a port in her chest? >> yes. i cannot have a port. and a couple of weeks after, she said this is nothing better than anything. you're in remission.

>> reporter: how good was that to hear. >> that was awesome. >> reporter: wasn't that awesome? >> if i could tell my cancer to do anything, i would say to go on vacation and never come back. >> reporter: i don't blame you. i think that's the perfect thing to tell your cancer. child life specialists also help kids find meaning in their lives and express what's special about them. at st. jude's they call it legacy building. >> for example right back here, we have some art work that kailynn has done and it's all centered around losing her hair. >> reporter: that beautiful red hair. >> and she understands about her hair coming out and about her hair growing back, but she wanted to do something that was special for her. >> reporter: i saw in in another place upstairs. when you see this picture, what do you think about? >> it's just sad that i don't have my hair right now. >> reporter: but you know you'll have it back. >> yes. >> reporter: when you started your treatment, they told you you were going to lose your

hair, right? >> uh-huh. >> reporter: can you describe what it was like when it happened, anyway. >> sad, upset, shocked. >> it's probably hard to imagine yourself with no hair. >> yeah, it feels good. >> reporter: take it from me. i know. >> where is your hair now, by the way? >> right here. >> reporter: it's heavy. you had heavy hair. so this is in the box, do you want to see it all the time? >> i want to see it all the time. >> reporter: because i reminds you where you've come from and where you're going? finally to destress, a favorite child like activity, a pajama party. >> here is your very own pajamas. >> reporter: so to get in the party, i need to wear these,

right? >> yes. >> reporter: may i have this dance? >> you may. >> let's go. >> reporter: marla thomas is the national outreach director. it sounds strange to say, but it was a fun afternoon. >> i know. >> and that's really part of the goal of the child life specialist. >> keeping the spirit up and having fun and playing while the doctors and the scientists are figuring out how to save that child's life. and these kids have come from every community across america, with death sentences hanging over their heads. of course they're scared. >> what's the idea behind thanksgiving? >> it's really to say to america, give thanks for the healthy kids in your life and give to those who are not. and i know you said to me that

day, i can't help but think about my children, these kids are all my children's age. and that's how everybody feels. we're all just a phone call away from some bad news. >> tnk ms ha wucsoe h,apha it's monday, by it's monday before thanksgiving. lighter volume. hercules, typical pattern. then it really clears up by the time you n. get in towards university avenue. 30s and 40s there. the toll plaza is starting to clear up a lot now. we do have the metering lights on keeping the upper deck and making sure that is smoothly. both directionsed aing into palo alto. la park, 101 and mountain view also for 101. typical northbound route as far as the pattern, slight lighter

volume means good past the 880 interchange. the weather, isolated showers along the coastal mountains. but today, another cool and breezy day. highs, mid 50s for the bay area. we will see clouds spilling in for the evening leading up to more rain, probably up to midnight tonight into early tuesday. tomorrow afternoon, the showers shut down. and the chilly weather rise. morning temperatures in the patchy frost by mid week. time right now is 8:27. more news after the break.

police in antioch are looking for a driver who crashed into a tree and left a teenager behind to die. silver 1999 lech xugs crashed. when medics arrived they pulled a 19-year-old. the passenger died later at a hospital. witnesses say they saw the suv speeding before that crash. i'll have another local news update in half an hour or so. the "today" show returns in less than a minute.

8:30 now on this monday morning, the 22nd of november, 2010. rockefeller plaza is packed this morning. bruno mars and this is just the start of the thanksgiving concert lineup. >> if you thought "today" was the end of it, you would be wrong.

we have international sensation susan boyle out on the plaza and then on wednesday, come back for king of leo rocking the plaza on on our 8:30 half hour. also ahead, we have got some delicious side dishes, three of them in "today's" thanksgiving contest where you've got three viewers and they have made their favorite side dishes and we're going to put them to the test. >> my favorite part of the thanksgiving the sides. it's not the only big event, of course black friday, and a lot of people are opening on thursday, thanksgiving day. we'll tell you how to find and how to map the best deals. let's see what's going on as far as your forecast is concerned. for today, we have got a lot of mess in the west, rain along the coast, snow not too far inland, mountain snows, some areas picking up up to two feet of

snow. rain in the mid mississippi river valley. sunny along the southeast coast, tomorrow showers in the interior sections of new york, out west again, more snow, frigid conditions, frigid through the plains and sunny and mild as you work your way into the south and good news, thanksgiving day, maybe some rain for the parade. yeah. see patchy clouds around the bay bridge. as we show you the temperatures through the afternoon, you just saw it on the national map. 50s. bay area wide. 55 around san francisco. 57 in santa cruz. shower along the coast and mountain tops along the coast today. now, tomorrow morning around this time we'll see more rain dropping in moving north to south. cold canadian air behind that. the morning, calling for patches of frost. chilly temperatures at the end of the week. more showers midway through the weekend.

>> make sir you check in to the weather channel on cable or weather.com online. we have a performance here from nebraska. >> very nice. >> good luck, guys. >> thank you. >> coming up next -- >> we have got bruno mars live in concert.

"today's" holiday kitchen is brought to you by ocean spray. good for you. >> back now at 8:35 with the winners of our home made thanksgiving contest. plus we asked you to send us your best side dishes and we picked not one but three great recipes. a savory bread pudding, a

spaghetti sauce and caramel pie and hot, sticky and sweet potatoes. they all look so great. anita, first with yours, two years in the making. how did you come one this recipe? >> when i first started making this dish, i wanted it to be more flavorful. it ends up being a very beautiful holiday dish. >> the key to bread puding is the custard. >> so i'm adding milk, lots of cream. some salt and pepper, about a teaspoon and a little bit of thyme. once the custard is done. we pour it into the bread. cover that all up. and we're going to add the rest of the ingredients. some fennal. which has a great flavor.

we're going to add in caramelized onions. at home i let this sit for 30 minutes so the custard can really absorb into the bread pudding and make it very moist. and then we put it in a water vat so that the bottom doesn't burn. >> okay, you're pretty -- it doesn't matter? >> it doesn't matter. you can take that out. and then you top the rest of it with cheese. >> and cook it for how long? >> cook it for an hour and a half in a water vat. >> it looks gorgeous. >> i move on to michael. your dish took two years to make. this is by accident, this squash pie? >> my friends and i have these competitions where you get three

ingredients and you have to make something out of it. if you have never seen it, it sleds into these little strands that are kind of spaghetti. and then, so here we have the dry ingredients, flour and sugar and salt. and we have some butter, of course. >> right now you're making the custard? >> so we have the eggs, and some cream and vanilla and if you want to help me throw in the spaghetti squash. so we're going to mix that all up. and then you pour a nice home made graham cracker crust. you can buy the crust if you want. but it's not as good. and then you bake it for about 45 minutes and a few minutes before it's done, you top it with caramel. >> how did you think of that? >> it's crazy.

>> and yours is hot, sticky and sweet potatoes. how did you come one that name? >> well, it has got hot, sticky and sweet. it's got curry paste which i'm going to add in now, which will give it the flavor kick. we also have avocados in here. >> the rests i would expect, but why the avocado? >> it gives it that buttery texture without having to add the butter. so it's my way of lightening it up and we add in some lime juice and lime zest to freshen everything up. and then we're going to add in some light coconut milk. and so for our sweet, we have our brown sugar and our honey. which will also make it nice and sticky and sweet. and if you want to throw in our coconut over here and our salt

and pepper. >> the whole thing. >> the whole thing, yes. >> and you keep mixing this up. and it's just going to give it great flavor and then you just pour it in the dish and then you just top it, garnish it with our cocoa and a little more honey and a little more sticky and sweet. >> i'm going to taste this. >> it's so beautiful, and it's a great way to do sweet potatoes. >> you might as well use them. do you cook in your home? >> i cook for myself every day pretty much. >> so you're always coming up with new recipes? >> and your little boy here, are you cooking fine things that your son will like? >> absolutely, he's my chef and if kids take an interest in

cooking, they take an interest in what it is you're trying to feed them. >> it takes a crazy mind to even come up with that. anita, thank you so much, michael and april as well. wonderful recipes. up next, bruno mars live on the plaza. but first this is "today" on nbc. [ female announcer ] martinelli's gold medal sparkling cider

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great work everybody! now freshly remodeled, your target has never been better. the toyota concert series on "today" brought to you by toyota. >> it is one of the biggest hits of the year, performing "just the way you are" off his debut album. here is bruno mars.

♪ oh, her eyes her eyes ♪ make the stars look like they're not shining ♪ ♪ her hair her hair ♪ falls perfectly without her trying. ♪ ♪ she's so beautiful ♪ and i tell her every day ♪ yeah i know i know ♪ when i compliment her she won't believe me ♪ ♪ and it's so it's so sad to think that she doesn't see what i see ♪ ♪ but every time she asking me do i look okay i say ♪ ♪ when i see your face ♪ there's not a thing that i would change ♪ ♪ because you're amazing just the way you are ♪ ♪ and when you smile ♪ at the time the whole world

stops and stares for a while cause you're amazing ♪ ♪ just the way you are ♪ her lips her lips ♪ i could kiss them all day if she'd let me ♪ ♪ her laugh her laugh ♪ she hates but i think it's so sexy ♪ ♪ she's so beautiful ♪ and i tell her every day ♪ ooerks you know you know you know ♪ ♪ i would never ask you to change ♪ ♪ if perfect is what you're searching for ♪ ♪ then just stay the same ♪ so don't even bother asking if you look okay ♪ ♪ you know i'll say ♪ when i see your face ♪ there's not a thing that i would change ♪ ♪ cause you're amazing just the

way you are ♪ ♪ and when you smile ♪ the whole world stops and stares for a while ♪ ♪ cause girl you're amazing ♪ just the way you are ♪ the way you are ♪ the way you are ♪ girl you're amazing ♪ just the way you are ♪ when i see your face ♪ there's not a thing that i could change ♪ ♪ cause you're amazing ♪ just the way you are ♪ and when you smile ♪ the whole world stops and stares for a while ♪

♪ cause girl you're amazing ♪ just the way you are you're amazing just the way you are ♪ thank you, new york "today"! >> bruno mars. and we'll have more music from bruno mars in just a moment, but first, this is "today" on nbc. make your christmas story unforgettable!

use your shop your way rewards card at kmart today... ...for the chance to win 1 of 30 trips to

universal orlando resort... ...and step into the magic and excitement... ...of the wizarding world of harry potter! there's smart, and there's kmart smart. even before his debut album was released, bruno mars was a bona fide hit maker. ladies and gentlemen, bruno mars on the plaza, nice to see you. how are you? it's great to have you here. >> great to be here. >> i want people to understand your resume, because it's very impressive. you have written and produced a lot of songs for other artists, including some number one songs. why did you decide it was time for a solo album. >> because when it's your time, it's your time. >> how did you know that? did a light go on in your head?

>> i just wanted to make an album and tour the world. i had to produce them first. >> you talk about this debut album, is it different, working on songs knowing you're going to be the one out there singing them without anybody else? >> yeah. yeah, i'm putting everything i got into this album. my heart and soul is in this album. >> you're touring and you have also opened up for some big acts over the years, and now when people walk into the arena, they're going to see someone else open up for you, that's got to be amazing. >> it's incredible. >> we have got thanksgiving coming up, where are you going to spend the holidays? >> we're going to be on the road. i think we're going to be in indiana. >> we're going to bring everybody there. and talk to me a little bit about this next song grenade? >> it just came out the other day and i'm so excited about it.

>> i have a feeling you're going to be on the road a lot. ladies and gentlemen, bruno mars. ♪ easy come easy go ♪ that's just how you live ♪ hey, hey, take it all but you never give ♪ ♪ should have known youchs trouble from the first kiss and your eyes wide open ♪ ♪ wie were they open? ♪ ♪ i gave you all i had and you tossed it in the trash ♪ ♪ tossed it in the trash you did ♪ ♪ to give me all your love is all i ever asked cause what you don't understand is ♪ ♪ i'd catch a grenade forra ♪ throw my hand on the blade for you ♪ ♪ i'd jump in front of a train

for you ♪ ♪ you i would do anything for you ♪ ♪ i would go through all this pain ♪ ♪ take a bullet straight for my brain ♪ ♪ yes i would die for you baby ♪ but you won't don't the same ♪ if my body was black and blue ♪ ♪ beat me until- ♪ you take all i had and you tossed it in the trash to give

me all your love is all i ever asked ♪ because what you don't understand is i would catch a grenade for you ♪ ♪ throw my hand on the blade for you ♪ ♪ i would jump in front of a train for you ♪ ♪ you know i would do anything for you ♪ ♪ i would go through all this pain for you ♪ ♪ take a bullet straight through my brain ♪ ♪ yes i would die for you baby ♪ but you don't the same ♪ if my body on fire ♪ you would watch me burn down in flames ♪ ♪ you said that you woulove me ♪ you're a liar because you

never ever ever did baby ♪ ♪ i would catch a grenade for you ♪ ♪ throw my hand on a grenade for you ♪ ♪ i would jump in front of a train for you ♪ ♪ you know i would do anything for you ♪ ♪ listen babe i would go through all this pain ♪ ♪ take a bullet straight through my brain ♪ ♪ yes i would die for you baby ♪ but you won't do the same >> thank you. >> brew know mars, more music coming up in just a moment, but first these messages and your local news.

one minute you feel fine. the next, you start feeling bit off. the moment you feel run down or achy, nip flu-like symptoms in the bud, with oscillococcinum. get oscillo and feel like yourself again. oscillococcinum, nip it in the bud. mike is going to update you. >> it's looking actually nice right now. e even though you see the red number at top. overall for the east shore free wark that's not so bad. 40 minutes registering. slow from heercules.

it's starting to sprea out and smooth out a little bit more. 580 and 880 in oakland, speeds close to 50 or above. the bridge, a nice drive as well. across the north bay, shows e righthtloane is blocked pr ls through the toll plaza. ck

police officers expect to be decided top. the planning commission will meet at east pal to tomorrow. the sports complex will replace a delapidated field behind the church. the plang has been in the works since 2006. we'll have another local up

break in 30 minutes. the "today" show will return in about a minute.

♪ that's okay sno♪ ♪ that's okay yeah ♪ i want to be a billionaire ♪ so frickin' bad

>> thank you so much, happy holidays, you all. we have a great crowd on the plaza this morning, and they're in a good mood because they just heard great music from bruin no mars. and in case you missed any of it, there's more coming up straight ahead. i'm out on the plaza along with tamron hall and al roker. and they want you to sing another song. bruno mars will sing more a little bit later on. as i mentioned later on in the hour. a lot of people are talking about it, as thanksgiving travel approaches. at the airport, a lot of people do not like those full body scans and pat downs. we're going to talk more about that subject. will they make some adjustments in that procedure based on complaints from traveling passengers? we're going to find out in a little while.

>> i think i'm going to be with my mom who was planning to sleep out at walmart in texas. be there or be square. it's a big deal, some of the big deals that are out there. on black friday, we have got some advice. >> thanksgiving at the hall family. >> and in "today's" real estate, we have got advice on everything from making your house stand out from the pack, or whether flipping properties is a good idea in this market. barbara corcoran has answers to your questions. she'll be joining them at the walmart. >> good morning to you all guys. in the news this morning, iran has a set of february 6 trial date for three american hikers arrested more than a year ago

and charged with spying. one of the three hikers was released back in september over health concerns. iran has warned that it will seize her $500,000 bail if she does not return to stand trial. rescuers are preparing to send a robot usually used for bomb disposal into a new zealand mine where 29 men have been stuck since friday. meanwhile at a chinese mine, rescue crews have drained a flooded coal mine rescuing the remaining 29 workers trapped since sunday. it's onebusiest travel weeks of the year, and there are tsigns that the tsa my be ready to tweak it's procedures. >> reporter: i think tweak is the right word. the tsa says do not look for any major change, the policies will stand, but they are vulz evolving and adapting based on

the security threats that are out there. meanwhile a lot of americans seem to be getting fed up and not really in the mood to cooperate. you know you've got an image problem when "saturday night live" is poking fun at you. >> spending time with a tsa agent couldn't be easier, simply book a flight with any american airport. >> reporter: the tsa's new full body pat downs are no laughing matter to thousands of americans, like marlene mccarthy who went through a pat down while wearing a prosthesis. >> she touched the prosthesis, she moved it up and down and said you're okay. >> reporter: while only a small fraction of travelers are selected or pat downs-- >> something like a ceramic knife, artfully concealed,

things that could be a threat to aviation and which are prohibited items now. >> reporter: president obama says he's heard the public's frustration. >> what i have said to the tsa is that you have to constantly refine and measure whether what we're doing is the only way to assure the american people's safety. >> reporter: with al qaeda's recent attempts to bring down both cargo and passenger planes, many travelers still support the scanners and the pat downs. >> there's people out there that want to do harm and the harder we make it for them to do that, the safer we're going to be. >> reporter: but now some tsa screeners are now complaining on the internet. molester, pervert, disgusting, an embarrassment, creep, these are all words i have heard today at work describing me. i should not have to go home and cry after a day of honorably

serving my country. there's been a lot of talk in the blogosphere which is calling for a national opt out day, calling on travelers to opt out of the scanners and thereby causing more pat downs just in the middle of the thanksgiving rush. people are more interested in getting to grandma's house for turkey than protesting the tsa, at least this weekend. >> thanks so much, tom costello. government researchers are urging parents to toss old cough and cold medicines. fewer infants and toddlers are showing up in emergency rooms since the drugs were pulled from the shelves, but problems arise when children get into them on their own. the.

and it is not your mother's beauty pageant or on second thought, maybe it is. this weekend was the annual cougar convention in fresno, california where women mix and mingle with young men hoping to be this year's cougar. amy luna and it is her second year in a row winning the title. it's now seven minutes past the hour, let's go back outside to matt and tamron. >> she's got a dynasty going. thanks very much. where's mr. rocky zbler right over here. right over here. over here. where are you from? >> i'm from rochester, new york. >> rochester, good to see you. let's check your weather and see what's happening, we'll show you for today, we're basically looking at a big storm system in the pacific northwest, a lot of rain, snow, a real mess there. however we have got a change

coming as that front pushes through, bringing some rain tomorrow. we have also got rain working its way on up into the upper mississippi and ohio river valleys later today and lots o it looks like we will have more. today is sort of in between weather systems. chilly sunshine, from oakland looking back to san francisco. light chance of showers off the cost and around some of the hilltops on the north bay today. kind of like we saw yesterday. highs, mid 70s. partly cloudy skies. time to see another round of rain. tuesday afternoon, with that cold dry canadian air. 20s and 30s for the mornings. mid week. >> and that's your latest weather. natalie? thank you, al, this morning on today's money, how to nab the best black friday deals.

how can you beat the pack for the best merchandise? the editor-in-chief of "shop smart" magazine. i see the sales have already started for the most part, is that right? >> they started even before halloween this year, it's crazy. >> you say the most important thing is to be doing your research now. >> absolutely, you can get online, you have to get started, you have to focus, you have to have a plan of attack, because black friday is all about the door buster deals. you have to see which deals you want to go for before you get to the store. because if you get out there, and start grabbing things willie nilly off the shelves, you're not going to get the best deals. >> not just the circulars anymore, you say it really is about going on the web, right? >> there are lots of websites you can go on to scan all of the

different deals. fat wallet.com, there's a whole bunch of them, got a deal.com. basically they allow you to scan a lot of black friday deals all at once. >> you also say there's some particular merchants that you like or stores you like to go to sign up with them as well to get their e-mails? >> if you want to get the inside scoop, go to walmart.com, go to target.com, go to sears and sign up for their alerts. you might get special deals that other people aren't getting in on. go to the websites but also go to their facebook pages. >> that's hot this year, facebook and the social net working is going to be big for the shopping season. >> you want to get those things because you can get the inside scoop on great deals. >> coupons still in fashion? can you still find coupons on a website to get those deals. >> whether you're shopping online or you're shopping in the stores, go to the sites and look

for the coupons. go to google and google the name of the retailer and coupon or coupon code. you'll find free shipping, you'll find coupons, it's really worth it before you click the buy button or head out to the stores. >> when you get out to the register, they say by the way, do you want to sign up to get a credit card with the store and you'll get an additional 15% off to get the savings? >> absolutely, if you're buying a big thing. because it really can save you literally potentially hundreds of dollars. but you have to be careful, because the interest rates on those cards are higher, so be prepared to pay off your balance that month. also you don't want to find up for those cards willie nilly, if you sign up for a whole bunch of them all at once, it could hurt your credit score. just sign one the retailers

where it really makes sense. >> maybe you wait until cyber monday, if you don't want to do the whole black friday, now is even thanksgiving thursday, just wait until monday, you can still find a good deal, you haven't lost out, right? >> cyber monday is a great time to shop. it's going to be nutty out there this weekend, going into the stores. so if you're not into dealing with all the mobs and going for those door buster deals, which by the way are in limited quantities in many cases. >> do you really save that money much too? >> you can save a lot of money. the deals are amazing. i have started to look at television sets, e-book readers there's a lot of toys out there. and the prices are awesome, but you got to put up with the crowds and you got to be smart when you're out there shopping. >> and shop smart is on newsstands right now. >> whether you're buying, selling or flipping, barbara

corcoran answers your real estate questions. one family's garage is transformed into a livable b space. space. he's going to show you how to do it too. i'm pretty sure there's not much we can do about it. ugh. he's not even trying. he is actual magic. not impressed. [ gasps ] no! i didn't even know that could get dirty! can we even clean a leather shoe? what do you mean? what is a shooee? he's cleaning things that we don't even know what they are. gloves? brush? chime in any time here. [ male announcer ] effortlessly removes more grime per swipe. clean all around the house with the mr. clean magic eraser extra power. so i mix together a packet of hidden valley ranch, 1 box of spinach, and 16 ounces of sour cream, and tonight everyone gets a taste of something special... ranch spinach dip. [ male announcer ] hidden valley ranch. mix it up.

just got more powerful. introducing precise pain relieving cream. it blocks pain signals fast for relief precisely where you need it most. precise. only from the makers of tylenol. to bring you a low-price medicare prescription drug plan that has the lowest national premium in the country of only $14.80 per month.

so you can focus on the things that really matter. go to walmart.com for details. with cinnabon cinnamon have such a sweet and delicious aroma that my family can't wait to get their hands on them. enjoy cinnabon cinnamon... now in all pillsbury cinnamon rolls. e m♪ ♪ just ve ♪ oh oh oh ♪ just hold me ♪ oh oh oh ♪ just kiss me ♪ oh oh oh ♪ just want me ♪♪e l-o-v-e ♪ love, love, love ♪ >> this morning on today's real estate we're answering your questions from the best properties. today real estate and our brick house barbara corcoran.

good to see you. we're going to get started. we'll go to diane on the phone from massachusetts. good morning, diane. what's your question for barbara? >> my son will graduate from college next spring. he and two other guys, all who have no experience in real estate want to flip and wholesale properties after graduation. my husband and i are upset and outraged. we see this as a risky and foolish venture for him. could you please weigh in? >> yeah, i'll be happy to weigh in. first, you don't have a shot of convincing him not to do it, you and your husband against he and his friends and you won't win. when i was 23 and started my business, my mother thought it was a terrible idea but i ignored her. thank goodness i did because i was able to buy them a beautiful house in florida because of my business. don't stand in his way. let him do what he wants to do.

there it is. >> what do you think, diane. >> i'm not comfortable with that. he wanted a certain career and worked toward it in school. we supported him and paid for his education. they have no experience whatsoever. >> there's another kind of experience called falling on your head. there's nothing you're going to do to stop him from doing that. let's say he's right, you'll be so happy you didn't interfere. >> diane, go ahead and let him go for it. we'll go to skype. robbie in spokane, washington. robbie joining us from there. good morning. >> good morning. i live in spokane, washington, and i've had my house on the market twice in the last year and a half. i received no initial offers so i lowered the price and i still received no offers. i then selected a different agent and i still didn't get any offers even at another lower price. i renovated most of my house. i live in a beautiful

neighborhood. but of the 25 homes for sale in the area, nothing is selling. do you have any suggestions? i'm really afraid to leave my house on the market too long. >> what can she do? >> so far you really have not done anything exactly right i'm afraid to say. lowering your house price in smaller increments never gets attention. you're much better off taking a big chunk off the price and doing a one-time price reduction. changing the agents confuses the marketplace. agents sell 90% of the houses out there. you don't want to confuse them either. if you have 25 houses on the market competing and none is selling there's nothing you can do to sell the house. i would take it off the market and regroup and try a year from now. give it a rest and let it come as a new listing. that gives it a second, big breath under its wing. >> fresh eyes. >> that was the word i was looking for. >> sure, barbara.

good luck, robbie. now to baron from pittsburgh, pennsylvania. good morning, bar ron. >> i don't think. i'm trying to save money to buy a house next year. how much should i set aside for closing cost and down payment. >> your cheapest bet is fha and they want 7% down, you need 500, 480 credit to get that. >> we've got a viewer e-mail. this comes from georgia. george wright, a 56-year-old. i own my home with no mortgage payments. my credit rating is bad but i've been working on bringing it up, which takes time. can i take advantage of the market conditions and invest in cheap houses in my ear maybe a multifamily for rental income. >> you should go to a broker to

see if you can get the financing. once that is established what you should do is shop the sale and rental market. you really understand values what you can rent for once you buy at a certain price. beyond that i would say do not go and buy a multi, first multibuilding, buy one house, so how well you do, then move to something more important. that sounds to me like an awful lot to take on from the get go. >> good advice. thanks a lot, barbara. still ahead, another performance by bruno mars. hit performed by songwriter bruno mars. ♪ almond strudel pie? ♪ triple-chocolate-swirl brownie? ♪ [ sk sampler ] crunchy, berry, nutty, chocolatey goodness? [ female announcer ] when watching your weight, the more options you have, the more likely you are to stay on track. special k® cereals. in nine delicious flavors like red berries, chocolatey delight and fruit & yogurt.

' cause variety equals victory. taste all nine. ' cause variety equals victory. rachel could we keep them? ♪ [ 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. fromcappuccinos and lattes. new maxwell house international ♪

maxwell house international. stop your world. ♪ i'll stop the world and melt with you ♪ ♪ i'll stop the world ♪ ♪ i will stop the world ♪ ♪ you've seen the difference ♪ ♪ and it's getting better all the time ♪ ♪ i will stop the world ♪ ♪ i'll stop the world and melt with you ♪ ♪ i'll stop the world ♪ ♪ i'll stop the world, i'll melt with you ♪ new revlon just bitten. it's the first two-in-one lipstain and balm. the lipstain gives me a light flush of color while the moisturizing balm softens my lips. have you ever been bitten? new revlon just bitten lipstain and balm. ♪ [ keys jingle ] (female announcer) drop everything! don't miss the petsmart after thanksgiving day sale. save 50% on all petholiday brand toys rawhide, collars, apparel & more. hurry, this friday only, exclusively at petsmart! we get double miles on every purchase. so we earned a holiday trip to the big apple twice as fast! dinner!

[ garth ] we get double miles every time we use our card. and since double miles add up fast, we can bring the whole gang! it's hard to beat double miles! i want a maze, a sword, a... oww! [ male announcer ] get the venture card from capital one and earn double miles on every purchase, every day. go to capitalone.com. i wonder what it could be?! what's in your wallet? sears is open thanksgiving day 7am to noon. this panasonic fifty-eight inch plasma is ten ninety-nine ninety-nine. get a ten dollar award card when you spend a hundred dollars on tools. this kenmore refrigerator is two ninety-nine ninety-nine. get an extra 5% off with your sears card. sears it's that time of the year for one of the most important traditions around the "today" show. this morning we are kicking off the 17th annual toy drive, holiday toy drive and amy robinson represents the direct selling association. good morning, amy. >> good morning. >> i understand you've got quite

a list of donations equaling $17 million. >> we do. this is our 17th annual drive, we have about $17 million in products. we have so many things, we have 40 companies that are participating with us this morning. we have these wonderful pillows, jewelry from cookie lee. and great books and barefoot books. toys, games. >> this is an adorable wad. and up to 17 million in these tough economic times, you always wonder how charitable people can be, even if they want to in their hearts, and they've really stepped up. >> they not only help people with opportunities to sell products and earn money, but also love to give back to their community. >> amy, all the members of dsa, thank you so much for contributing and if you would like to contribute, it's simple. if you come to the plaza, bring

a toy, book or gift. thanks, amy. for those of us who have lactose intolerance, let's raise a glass to cookies just out of the oven. to the morning bowl of cereal.

and to lactaid® milk. easy to digest and with all the calcium and vitamin d of regular milk. [ female announcer ] lactaid®. the original lactose-free milk. time now is 9:26. hardly anybody there. it's a lighter volume of traffic today as we expect all week. the toll pla s.nd the runway staurting to dry out nicely. the approach still slow. about 24 minutes coming off the carquinez bridge. looking nice south of university avenue. livermore, that cleared up a good 20 minutes ago. speeds about 50 to 60 throughout much of the last half hour. then down into the south where things are starting to clear up 15 minutes ago.

nice northbound drive. 40s at the worse. and past highway 87 as well. hey, rob. >> the skies trying to clear out in the bay area today though. we'll still see enough moisture to kick off an isolated shower or two around the coast. highs today pretty cool. mid 50s just like yesterday. now, tomorrow around this time, see more rain dropping to the bay area. and temperatures dropping behind this canadian cold front. 30s for wednesday morning. maybe upper 20s and low 30s for thanksgiving morning. at least the start of the coming weeke more new 9:27. more news after the break. s

by area charities are see ags drop in contribution this holiday season but the need is becoming greater. charity organizers say the demand for food before thanksgiving is a good indicator of what the rest of the season is like. the second harvest food bank is the peninsula's harvest food

bank. they hoped to raise $11 million. charities say after the economy went bust two years ago, people became too scareford their own welfare to give like they used to. one san francisco institution wants a different kind of donation drive. st. anthony's foundation is having hand knit scarves to hand out to people as they get their christmas meal approximately more than 1,000 scarves have been collected. thousands more are still needed. st. anthony's has been helping for 50 years. more local news coming up in half an hour. the "today" show returns in less than a minute. happy monday morning. see you in a little bit.

♪ that is of course susan boil who has become an international sensation after wowing them in the uk. her new album "the gift" debuted at number one and tomorrow here on "today," she is sure to wow our crowd in a live concert on the plaza. it's going to be a huge one. and then on wednesday, the kings of leon are going to take center stage and get us into the spirit for the big holiday weekend. but we are not done with "today's" outdoor concert just

yet. we're going to have another song from bruno mars coming up in this half hour. also ahead, somebody else we love, we're going to check out how a crew helped a family convert their garage into some much needed room for their growing sons. and if you are thinking about something for me. what is that? >> i don't know, but it's cool. wow. >> actually, george, is going to take that out on times square and make some money. on "today's" kitchen, chef daisy martinez is whipping up some delicious munchies your can guests can munch on while they're wait forgive the turkey.

let's check out first of all, for today, we have got rain in the pacific northwest and also some mountain snows there. rain in the mid mississippi river valley. tomorrow rain moves into new york, parts of new england, on into the ohio river valley. and looking ahead towards wednesday, we're going to see showers through the upper ohio river valley, cooler in the northeast, sunny and warm through the gulf coast, and rain moves back into the pacific northwest. some mountain snows in the rockies and mild from texas righ you can see some clouds passing over san francisco. still ae c thancoday of seeing some isolated showers. you can see most of the moisture is off to the east. just like we saw sunday, this cool and somewhat unstable air moving across the bay area. the coast and coastal mountains, a few showers today and cool temperatures. mid 50s for highs today. a little more rain. wide spread rab for tomorrow morning. clear out and dry out. look at those temperatures bottoming out. 20s and 30s for the morning. the middle part of the week.

>> and that's your latest weather. coming up next, how one special family got some extra breathing room with a garage makeover. als for power santas. doorbusters start at 4am this friday at sears get a forty inch samsung lcd for four ninety-seven ninety-nine. this velocity micro seven inch tablet is two forty-nine ninety-nine. ...save one-forty on this craftsman mechanics tool set. be the santa you want to be. sears

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medicare prescription drug plan that has the lowest national premium in the country of only $14.80 per month. so you can focus on the things that really matter. go to walmart.com for details. this morning on "today's" home, converting your dogarage a new room.

a deserving chicago couple whose finances were drained caring for their son with extraordinary medical needs. today we're in the windy city to help out a very deserving family. >> one day you know your child has cancer and then you find out that your second child has autism and then you find out that your third son has autism too and just every day is a struggle and every day we learn something new. >> even with all of their hardships, you won't find a more loving family. >> my hope is that i can be as positive as i possibly can and to help my kids as much as i k it's my purpose in life right now. >> when i was given the opportunity to help this family, i couldn't wait to jump in. >> all three boys do share a room upstairs. it's a little bit of a tight situation right now. >> i'm going to do everything i

can to make this place perfect for them. with a team of contractors and designers. we were able to use the family's unused garage into a room for the boys. we're going to move the garage, we're going to inflate the walls. >> i'm feeling it. time to start framing it. >> and give the oldest son phillip, his own room, perfect for any grown teenager. >> since he's 13 years old. a real teenaged man, we're going to make it a man cave. something he can grow into, it will be perfect. when it was all over, i was happy to be part of something that will make a huge difference in this family's lives for years to come. >> all right, dad! oh! >> thank you very much, joel!

>> great job, the man cave. every kid needs that. >> and then his brothers, danny and alex, they needed a room for themselves and we gave them a bedroom and transformed the garage into their own little space. >> your first tip is go to city hall. >> you can't do any of this, you can't turn a garage space into a livable space without getting a permit. basically usually people use this -- your traditional fiber glass insulation. there's fans on both sides and the fans are your heat, it's your cool, it's coming through the fiber glass insulation and getting out of your house. use a closed cell spray foam. you're going to fill all those

cracks, all those crevasses. >> are these about the same? >> these are about the same, but i would definitely go with a dow building solutions spray foam. i'm doing it in my own house and i recommend anybody that's wants to do it to their house. >> and this is the heating and cooling? >> if you were doing a transformation, you're turning unlivable space into a livable space, you could tap into your heat and air that you already have in the house. or if it's a guest room or something, get your own heating and cooling system. these are pet and childproof, if they tip over, they turn off. no fires, no dangers, and that's the most important thing. >> and most floors in the garage are cement. and that's not a good thing. >> finish from floor to ceiling. if you have dust, you don't get molds and bacteria. wood floors are the best way to go. if you can't get a wood floor,

get a laminate floor. >> what about the windows? >> if you're turning a garage, put in a window. the most important thing, just like with the insulation, is you have to make sure everything's sealed. so when you put the window in, you put your seal of tape and you cover it again. just to make sure you don't get any air infiltration. >> congratulations on that job in chicago. >> thank you so much. >> send me an e-mail, george@nbc.com. latin inspired dishes for your holiday entertaining after. the ssages.

okay, which picture for the card? hellllllo...that one, everyone looks great. [ female announcer ] when you make your christmas cards at hallmark.com... my show, perfect. ♪ la la la la la la laaa ♪ [ daughter ] dad! sorry. aww yeah! that one! [ female announcer ] ...we address and mail them for you... [ little boy ] now that's a good one. [ indistinct conversations ] [ female announcer ] ...which gives you more... done! [ female announcer ] ...family time. let's go decorate the tree. [ female announcer ] cards that mail themselves, at hallmark.com. [ daughter ] so, the one where everyone looks great, right? [ mom ] right. .with betty, . see what you can make at bettycrockercookies.com. but not for your eyes. they're still so tired-looking. with olay, challenge that with regenerist anti-aging eye roller.

its hydrating formula with caffeine-conditioning complex perks up the look of eyes. it works in the blink of an eye. so i mix together a packet of hidden valley ranch, 1 box of spinach, and 16 ounces of sour cream, and tonight everyone gets a taste of something special... ranch spinach dip. [ male announcer ] hidden valley ranch. mix it up.

jeff -- eat a snickers... please. why? every time you get hungry, you turn into a diva. a diva? yes, a diva. [ aretha ] okay. thank you. better? [ male announcer ] you're not you when you're hungry. better. [ male announcer ] snickers satisfies. [ male announcer ] you're not you when you're hungry. better. ready? hut, hut uh ♪ la, la,la,la,la,la,la good morning. in "today's" kitchen, we're catching some laltin fever with hot she have, daisy martinez. if you're looking to give your traditional immediately some untraditional flavor, we've got just the thing. daisy, good to see you again.

>> good to be back. >> we're going to make something a little different for thanksgiving. >> yeah. you know, people come over early, and you're not doing the main event. there's not turkey as soon as you walk in the house. you want to greet your guests with a little nibble, a little something to have. >> before they turn on you. >> which is always a danger. >> what have we got here? >> i'm making caribbean spring rolls. this recipe was inspired by a friend of mine who made these patties for a fund-raiser i had in my house. i was like, wow, these flavors really would work well in a wrap. what i have here is onion and chorlito. >> is this already cooked or do you have to cook it? >> you should cook it, but honestly, if you took a tip, because it's dry. you could eat this like this. >> you could? >> yeah, it's not like mexican chorlito, raw sausage. this is -- >> not a burger. so we have a sweet plantain. look, these are green. you can knock somebody out with that. what you want is yellow with black spots.

they're really, really green. >> wow. >> yeah. and i'm adding some chopped shrimp, right? we're going to mix that up. >> how long do you cook this for? >> you want the chorlito to be nice and golden. and the funny thing is the plantain. because it's sweet, it's going to cook rather fast and get soft. >> so you want to do it in stages. then add everything later. >> cook this before. and what we have here, see how nice the plantain got, and the shrimp is cooked through. now we'll add some napa cabbage. and this is sweeter than regular cabbage, you know. and we have some beautiful cilantro. and some lime juice to give it a little sparkle. >> right. >> okay, head on over here. i'm going to put you on eggroll duty. >> okay. >> this is what the finished looks like. grab a wrapper. and i have to watch this. the thing when you're doing egg rolls, you want to make sure that all the edges are sealed. so you have your wrapper, you

have your little -- >> get the brush. >> little brush. >> kind of like the glue. >> right. right. then grab -- wow, that's really dancing. >> it's the dancing egg roll. >> so you have your stuffing like that. you're going to fold over the edges. and then bring the top over and just tuck it. make sure that the end is -- >> i got confused here somewhere. >> no, no, no. >> yes, that's fantastic, and then you just put that right in there. >> take these out. >> yeah, get those out. >> they're dancing. they're really dancing. and then i have these beautiful little -- oh, these are wonderful. i have these beautiful little tuna cups over here. >> right. >> and basically, in peru, they

love peruvian sushi, basically. sushi-quality tuna mixed with a little salsa, avocado, very, very little citrus and a little olive oil. >> these are the finished process. >> you were supposed to make the sauce, but it got away from us. >> yes, it did. on our website, we made it at todayshow.com. >> i brought ginger and some presents. i brought the book and dolce and chocito. >> wasn't that a spanish superhero? >> after today it will be. >> daisy martinez, thank you so much. coming up next, one more song from bruno mars, but first, this is "today" on nbc. ♪

♪ [ 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. i've got food in my mouth.

>> coming up, the latest details on william and kate's wedding. >> and actor and comedian john lutz. >> but first, bruno mars. ♪ if i told you i was perfect, i'd be lying ♪ ♪ if there's something i'm not doing because i'm trying ♪ ♪ i know i'm no angel ♪ but i'm not so bad ♪ no, no, no ♪ if you see me at the party, that doesn't mean our numbers ♪ ♪ i know i'm no angel, girl ♪ but i'm not so bad ♪ you should know that, beautiful girl, all over the

wor world, if i could change, i would be wasting ♪ ♪ you, baby ♪ nothing on you ♪ nothing on you, baby ♪ i might say i ♪ and you might say hey ♪ but you shouldn't worry about what they say ♪ ♪ because they got nothing on y you, baby ♪ ♪ nothing on you, baby ♪ yeah, yeah "today" show, y'all with us? earlier this year, i had a good song, but before we do that song, i want to do a song that inspired it. is that cool? ♪ what i want

♪ that's what i want ♪ that's what i want ♪ your loving give me such a thrill ♪ ♪, but your loving don't pay my bills ♪ ♪ i need some money ♪ that's what i want ♪, that's what i want ♪ yeah, that's what i want ♪ ♪ i want a billionaire ♪ by all the things i never had ♪ ♪ i want to be on the cover of

"forbes" magazine ♪ ♪ oh, every time i close my eyes ♪ ♪ i see my baby driving by ♪ oh, yeah, yeah ♪ oh, i swear ♪ so when i'm a billionaire ♪ when i'm a billionaire ♪ got to be, got to be, yeah ♪ yeah, yeah ♪ yeah, yeah

♪ i want to be a billionaire, so freaking bad ♪ thank you guys so much. happy holidays, y'all! holidays, you all.

good morning. i'm brept cannon. check the commute. the golden gate bridge. >> the north bay cleared up.

as far as the traffic, the roadways are wet. the sky here is just finished clearing. saw some clouds there. the map will show you where the slowing is. opposite side of the bay coming down the shore. 40s from time to time. 30s as you come off the emergency from off the bridge. overall, light flow. 24 minutes off the carquinez bridge. slowing through berkeley and amriville. slowing a little bit now at the toll plaza because there is some rain that just traveled through the area. rob, we have wet roads here and gray clouds. things are still changing throughout the day. >> golden gate bridge seemed to clear. you can see across the bay bridge into oakland and as you hay head down to hayward. scattered showers. no t a lot of moisture. any that is falling there. a few isolated cells. as you just saw, some showers out there today. temperatures in the mid 50s. tonight, more rain spills in. it will fill in for your tuesday morning. commute with chilly airdropping down the coast. 20s and 30s for morning

temperatures as you approach the middle part of the week. brent? >> thanks. this just in. the man charged in the death of the chandra levy is guilty. that's the decision of the jury in the case. just handed down their verdict after four days of deliberation. he faces life in prison without parole. she was killed in 2001. wanda kay is already serving time for two others a tacts on women that prosecutors say closely resemble the one that killed levy. relief for travelers between southern california and las vegas who are frustrated by closed rest restauran restaurants. people have not been able to use their tap water after high lels of a chemical found. the restrictions not only impacted homes but also hotels and, of course, public rest rooms. people are being asked to run their tap several minutes before they drink the water. more local news coming up in half an hour. the "today" show returns in about a minute. have a great monday. see you back here in a little bit.

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.

captions paid for by nbc-universal television hey, everybody. it is fun-day, november 22nd, 2010. we had a fabulous couple of days on the allure of the sea down in ft. lauderdale but it is nice to be home. >> it is. 20 seconds for my brother's birthday. that was quite the time we had on the ship. >> it was. you know what? these remotes are not easy things so we were kind of dreading the fact that it was going to be a lot of work but we ended up having a ball. >> we did have fun! >> everybody on royal caribbean

were so nice to us, we made complete idiots of ourselves, as usual. >> over and over again. my favorite part. >> a 24 carat gold facial. >> my favorite part was the sippinging portion. when you sang and i mocked you. >> i wonder if we have that crazy part. ♪ crazy ♪ crazy for feeling so lonely snoets ♪ ♪ i'm crazy ♪ crazy for feeling >> i want to see hoda going crazy. >> here it comes. >> there it is. ♪ crazy >> enough said. thanks to royal caribbean. they were absolutely wonderful to us. >> we weren't the only ones who were having fun with royal caribbean. on oprah's show she gave away

her favorite things and one of her favorite things was a royal caribbean cruise. apparently people got so crazy, some guy passed out and they had to bring the emts in and revive him. >> it's huge though. that's very expensive and a trip of a lifetime for somebody. >> i know. >> yeah. so it was fun. but then the weekend continued. we got out of there about 11:30 on friday and we drove down to key largo where we have had a place in the keys for a long, long, long, long time. our kids have grown up there. we had a little sip of something, as my daddy used to see. >> kathie lee's sweatshirt says "tgif" thank god i'm frank. >> he told me, i don't have a shirt like that. i said yes, you do. our friend emily's boat. emily's driving. we hooked up with our friend rebecca who gave us facials. we had a girls weekend. >> it was really relaxing. >> this old gray mary, what she

once was -- >> what? what did you say you were? >> old gray mary. i really am an old gray mare. friday was a big day for everybody at the "today" show. >> it is one single camera that followed the entire staff. 150 people on the -- so far it's got $230,000. >> i got my money ♪ ♪ let's live it up ♪ jump off that sofa ♪ let's get get off >> look at jenna bush go. ♪ ♪ ♪

♪ ♪ let's do it ♪ let's do it ♪ let's do it ♪ i got a feeling ♪ that tonight's gonna be a good night ♪ ♪ that tonight's gonna be a good night ♪ >> is that like a really bad moon walk or what? don nash. that was terrific. >> this one had 230,000 hits. the original did. the "today" show version had 180,000 hits. our video, the evolution of dance, we -- >> it's called the "de-evolution of dance." all of 23,000 hits. >> this one had 188,000 and

we've had 23,000. >> we're also on it so i'm glad that many people didn't see it. you know what video people should go to? the other day in macy's in philadelphia, out of the blue the opera company just started singing handel's messiah out of the blue. i just watched the video. it is unbelievable. they sing. they sing the hallelujah chorus from handel's messiah. it is unbelievable. hoda -- >> i like to watch people sing opera. >> you've never heard the hallelujah chorus from handel's messiah? >> i don't know what you're talking about. sing it. >> it takes 80,000 people to sing it. >> i don't know the tune. >> she's from egypt. i guess they never played it there. i don't know. do they have macy's there in cairo? >> first of all, i was born

here. >> well then you should have heard it. >> like a lot of people in this country. >> when you hear it, you'll say oh, that's what she meant. >> i don't know. i have to hear it. >> it's a better song than "i got a feeling." >> how about bruno mars on the plaza? >> he's cute. >> he's adorable. he's out there singing. he's kind of a new singer so if you don't know him, you will get to know him. ♪ ♪ >> i think it's great that that many people came out to the plaza today. it is a monday, for god's sake. >> i know. and the weather is getting a little chilly. people come out. there's always something happening around here. >> it is. and thanksgiving's knocking on the door but nordstrom's is

saying -- >> no, no, no. >> they will not go to christmas until after thanksgiving. >> i appreciate that. we were watching football last night and all of a sudden a commercial came on. i won't say who it was. sears. and it was all about christmas and i went, i don't want that yet. i love sears, it is a great store, but not yet. please, not yet. >> yeah. i want to do thanksgiving first. i want to do thanksgiving first. don't you? we'll do our favorite things but i have two favorite people here. you guys, two of the greatest gals. the gal on the left -- on your screen makes these great cookies. we'll talk about those one of these days soon. they're sisters, they're terrific. i'm just glad you guys came to watch them. i met them at a book signing. they're so sweet. now this is important. >> what do you to avoid surgery for a herniated disk is anything. but it's rearing its ugly head again. you're wearing a collar. watch this thing, guys.

it is called heat in a click. watch this. i'm going to hold it up and do it. where's my click. where is it? >> throw it away? >> where did it go? watch this. hold both sides. ready? watch this. watch this. look what's happening. it heats up immediately and it's hot, you guys. really hot. and it lasts for like a half-an-hour and you can put it on your shoulder. i used it on frank's next last night and his shoulder and he loved it. then it's got this little carry case. afterwards you have to boil it to bring it back to its original state. it's hot. it's fantastic. heat heatinaclick.com. $35.99. >> if you want to save space in your closet, i found these hangers at bed bath beyond. first of all they're thin. when you put a tress or shirt on they don't fall off.

it's almost like felt. velvet. i have the exact same number of clothes and my closet is no longer jammed because of these. 50 of them for $30. they're really worth it. hi, sarah. >> i've got a make-up must-have. urban decay, 24/7 glide-on eye pencil. the color is baked and it is key because it sparkled a little bit. mary uses it to like brighten the eyes. >> how come you're getting all the goodies? >> back to you. >> you're the young one. you know what i'm saying? >> we love you, sarah. >> allrightee. up next, he's a wacky one. >> he's itching to tell us all about it.

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he's best known for cracking up audiences with his hysteric cal characters on "saturday night live." >> these days among many other things, john stars in a series of psas for the not-so-funny condition known as spsoriasis. >> i'm a world champion surfer and i have psoriasis. >> you mean like dry skin. >> are you serious? it is way worse than that. it is dry and scaly -- it's horrible! >> that's one way to treat the problem! >> you made it funny. >> it's all cleared up, your psoriasis? >> yeah, i got it like 11 years ago. it starts out as chicken pox. people used to think i had

leprosy. eventually it was all over my body. i went to a dermatologist, people who have it should go through the treatments. >> what's the treatment? >> it is like four shots a year. >> and it completely disappears? >> yeah. he mean you always have it but it makes your skin totally clear. it is like a miracle and it really -- >> it changed your life. >> oh, yeah, totally. you're dealing with it all day and it hurts. it itches. and -- >> you are a paid spokesperson for this group right called center ortho biotech. >> yeah. it works so well i said i want to make funny service announcements for you. jeffrey zucker and i called him and he directed it and we worked on the scripts together and we did it. we thought it would be funny to do it with humor. not faking fun of psoriasis, but making fun of myself. when you see people on the beach completely covered, people don't want to go outside or wear shorts. it is embarrassing. >> you're a very successful man

but it almost defines you in the summertime because you don't want to be out and about and it hurts. >> yeah. they say it works for a lot of people, not for everybody but they say go see your dermatologist and see what works for you. but this thing worked like unbelievable for me. >> good for you. now you can be a sex symbol. that's the way we like you. >> settle down, ladies. don't get too excited. howdy, hoda. dieing to say that. >> when people stop you on the street, jon, what do you get asked most for fans? do they ask you to do "snl" things for what? >> pretty much mention everything. you know? they haven't mentioned the psoriasis. but, yeah. stuff from "saturday night live" or "wedding singer" or -- "city slickers." i just did a new movie, account casino jack accounts coming out, stars kevin spacey. >> what's your role?

>> it's more dramatic and i play a business associate. george hickham directs and unfortunately he just passed away but he made a really great movie. >> you said it comes out in december? >> yeah, december 17th. then the psas for the psoriasis come out -- >> they're out right now. >> they're out now. >> they're out now. look at you, clean as a whistle. now if you had an erection dysfunction, would you be willing to do those kinds of psas for that kind of thing? >> well, sure i would. >> where did that come from? >> i don't have that problem. but i mean -- oh, well, you brought it up. our seats would have to be much farther apart. >> oh, my neck! no wonder my neck hurts! >> she brought it up. up next, you'll get all the scoop in hollywood next. ♪

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time for "today's buzz" and all the entertainment news. >> from the royal wedding in the works to a-list divorces, the naughty but nice guy is here with it all. by the way -- i'm going to wear this neck thing to see how long the heat lasts. okay? so far -- >> so lindsay lohan, we talked about her a lot. we knew she was going to be in this movie. >> about linda lovelace. >> a movie with porn stars. i'm sort of concerned about this. it was an odd choice. lindsay was actually getting many offers. but she did get this movie but now she's been fired. however her camp are saying that she quit. it is a little bit of -- >> they did have a meeting recently. they let her out of betty ford to go and have a meeting with the director. >> she as out of betty ford for

like four hours and she did a photo shoot while she was out. i think it is just weird. >> she needs to heal. >> it seems like it's happening. she's spending thanksgiving with her father. her father's in l.a. that relationship is mending. her mom is in new york. her mom was invited out to spend thanksgiving and said no. mom in new york, dad in l.a. fingers crossed. >> talk about eva longoria and tony parker. >> did you know that? >> i actually didn't. let me tell you why. three years ago i was the editor that got the exclusive on their wedding. we paid a lot of money to do an exclusive at their wedding. all these pictures came in, thousands of pictures and in 90% of the pictures they were not together on their wedding day. at the wedding he was with his friends in one corner and she was with her friends in one corner. >> why get married if you're not going to be together. >> why the story? why the divorce? >> so far, there are accusations that he cheated.

there are now some accusations that she wasn't an angel either. this story's not going anywhere. it is actually going to get worse and it is getting ugly. >> it seems like he doesn't like talking to the press. >> he wants no part of it. one of the reasons i was toll they split up is that he's in texas and she didn't want to leave l.a. on the weekends. she wanted to go out to her friends, go to nightclubs. >> he's a basketball player. right? >> so she didn't work on the weekends doing "housewives," and they're so wealthy, she could have hopped a plane back and forth. she did initially, then after about a year she stopped visiting him and it fell apart. >> let's talk about the royal wedding. >> when do you think. >> i love it. i think they're saying april. i don't believe that. i think it is going to be the summer because the weather is so awful, the last thing the queen wants to wear is a big you know overcoat and rain coat. not a good look. i think it is going to be in the summer. a massive wedding. the bill could be $20 million. this might be the most expensive

celebrity wedding of all time. at the moment liza minelli holds the record, $3.5 million. >> diana's was -- >> yeah. >> how will people feel about that? >> great question. william is very concerned about it. he doesn't want it to be too elaborate. brits are suffering, they're out of work. he wants a royal wedding but he doesn't want it to be too crazy. >> he seems very grounded. they're adorable. >> a new poll just came out, brits want him to be the king instead of charles. >> i feel sorry for charles sometimes. >> well, you know. i was just going to say i think camilla is part of the reason. they don't want queen camilla. you know? >> i'm not talking about the people who know her, i'm talking about everyone else.

>> st. paul's is where mommy got married so he didn't want do it at st. paul's. >> but her funeral was -- >> but not buried there. >> and lot of people who aren't relatives. you're walking around people's graves. i'm sorry, charles, i love your work -- >> nice to see you. we love. you. coming up, trying to capture the perfect photo of your kids this holiday. we'll have an expert show us how that's done. plus, wined and dined. why you might want to stuff yourself with carrots while you stuff your turkey. that's not going to happen. after your local news.[ m febreze no-spill wood diffuser. smells amazing! it's been weeks and we're still enjoying it. the scented oil travels up through the wooden block and out into the air. and no spills. [ male announcer ] also from the home collection febreze flameless luminary. their fragrances always smell so good. nice! i know, the design just adds the perfect touch.

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on toys and apparel starting midnight. so you can shop while you wait for the big electronics event at 5 a.m. friday. with an emachine laptop for just $198. that's just $198...at walmart. good morning. 10:26. i'm brent cannon. bay bridge. >> where the metering lights have been turn off. you might need the health headlights. the puddles. keep that in mind as you're driving around. the times showing you the approach. look at these travel times. nice, easy drive westbound 80. we had 24-minute drive. there it is. speeds just coming up towards 50 miles per hour. holding steady. 580 not a problem across oakland. the volume of traffic is light. let me show you the reason why it's slowing. it's tough to see. those are the headlights, rain. soupy conditions passed the

coliseum. expect the traffic and route. we've got to go through this this morning. >> mike showed you the bay bridge, things clearing out. oakland into hayward, you can see a good shower here that is slowly heading off to the south and east causing ponding along the road there. obviously you're seeing the rain there around oakland as well. most of the moisture heading off to the east. instability out there. enough moisture especially around the coastal hills to see a few more showers today. tomorrow morning, the rain is going to fill in again. colder air to follow. look at the temperatures. daytime highs, low 50s. maybe upper 20 nasdaqinew spots.

if times are tough and it's difficult for you to help the homeless this holiday season, it may be another way to give back. give blood. today through wednesday, envision our partnering up. for every two people who donate blood, envision will make a monetary donation to provide a homeless person with a bed for the night. stanford blood centers are located at hill view avenue and palo alto. you can come down the san jose tonight with your ice skates and get ready for the holiday season. the opening ceremony of hawaiian ceremonies gets under way at 5:00 this morning and is the sports director and chief meteorologist are going to help get things started.

jeff is going to skate can fremont native christie yam gucci. the gown town ring is located at market and san francisco streets. it is open through january 17th. thank you for joining us this morning. mie odshay"tti c" eson u.ngxtneth we're back on this monday with more of today. if you need help preparing just about anything for thanksgiving day dinner. >> half of it is the cooking but it is a taste here, and a taste there and next thing you know, you've eat an whole meal before you even sit down for your feast. this all adds up. >> it is mindless! >> i don't want to be the bearer of bad news but the good news is if you start the day off right, the tip for everyone is to start with a good, healthy breakfast. something with protein, yogurt and fruit, so you aren't nibbling. if you are nibbling, here's what can go wrong. this is a spatula with some cake

icing. you just lick the spatula. what do you think that would be? it is the real thing. >> hoda loves her sweets. >> i'd say 60, 70 calories. >> you're very close. 75 calories. and how many of us just stop with just that? we usually lick the whole bowl. a slice of bacon. 42 calories right there. three cubes of breadcrumbs if you're doing your stuff iing 15 calories. right there, pumpkin pie with whipped cream. a little tiny shot of grand marnier. >> 150? >> no, it is only 30 calories. that can lower a lot of inhibitions. >> i thought it was much higher than that. >> are you sure? 38? >> this is only two-thirds of a shot.

>> okay. >> believe me, we're going to add up here. >> you say cranberries are healthy. >> they are. but if you're nibbling all day long, teaspoon here, teaspoon there, 25 calories. now this cube of cheese, this is full cheddar, just one block here, it is 57 calories. >> that would get me. >> another word of caution on alcohol. this is our glass of wine. that's five ounces here. it is nice to have a sip as you're cooking -- >> don't tell us. are you going to be specific? >> 120. >> very close. 125 calories. >> i know those calories. >> again, that's five ounces of red wine. if you're drinking you're not really keeping track of those calories. >> i'm planning a little later. >> this is about 49 calories -- >> they're good for you. >> they are. >> if you're going to nibble, nibble on that. >> this is all good for you. this is our turkey breast here.

>> 50. >> 60. >> you guys are good. 48 calories. >> but you take the skin off, then you can have more. >> why would you do that? >> yeah, exactly. >> because if you have it with mashed potatoes and gravy. >> green beans, i always talk about vegetables, i am a nutritionist, after all. nine calories. they are just steamed. not in butter. >> okay. >> the marshmallows that you'll put in your casserole here, six minimarshmallows, 15 calories. brussels sprouts, only 15 calories for two brussels sprouts. >> but a lot of people do them in bacon fat. >> any of these items. okay. >> our dinner roll -- >> that will get you. >> 106 calories. if you're going to have another glass of wine -- >> you might as well. >> can you guess what the grand total is? >> i'm going to guess 400.

450. >> this is way you're way off. your grand total if you ate all of this, 768 calories. >> but i wasn't going to have the bacon. >> that would take it down 42. >> this is calories before you even sit down to eat. >> i don't do this hardly ever. the one day of the year that i do it is thanksgiving. so i let myself go that day. >> we are all about moderation. >> you baste the turkey, every time you baste the turkey, you've got to have a bite of stuffing! >> thank you. happy thanksgiving to you. up next -- don't say cheese and learn how to capture the perfect family photo for the holidays. we'll explain right after this. [ female announcer ] think a thick cream is the only way to firm skin?

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it's that time of year -- the primp the family, dress the dog and smile for the season's holiday family photo. >> but before you do, you might want to focus for a moment and take a lesson of the lens from professional photographer heather mosier who is here to show you exactly how to get what you're looking for. we don't want it to look all stayed and phony looking. we want a natural looking picture. >> exactly. >> the way parents do it often is you tell your kids, say cheese an they look around. that's not the right way to do it, is it? >> no, you really want to avoid that because you're really trying to get the natural expressions that you see from your children every day. you don't want to look staged. >> but do you want them looking in the camera so their eyes aren't going different directions. right? >> sometimes, but i don't always

advise that. >> sometimes it is better if they look other places? >> absolutely. they could be looking down, doing an activity and really getting a very natural -- >> how do you get newborns? you always -- everyone tries to get the newborn to look, they wave, jingle the keys. what's the right way to do that? >> newborns, this type of posing is not something that i would suggest trying in your own home but you can definitely do snapshots. this type of shoot takes three to four hours. very heated studio. lots of cuddling and nursing. >> let's start with the 101. the 101 is the camera. we want to have the right camera. most of us have something that's simple, you just point and shoot but you have a couple of options here. >> for myself, for our studio we use professional gear but you really don't need a professional camera. more often -- >> they're so good these days. >> they are but if you don't know how to use the settings on the camera you're really wasting your money. i would suggest a night point and shoot. >> what about this guy here? >> this is the nikon coolpix.

this has 10 megapixels. it is a nice camera if you want to try to learn the manual settings. but if that's not for you, it has a lot of great auto features. >> these are the adorable kids making cookies! what's some pointers for dad here who's taking the photo? >> with this type of shoot for a more fun shoot, nontraditional shoot, you really can get kids to do something that they enjoy doing. especially for toddlers, this is great. they really don't want to -- >> look at that! that's perfect. did you get that? awesome! perfect! >> you were perfect! >> yes. way to go. >> don't interrupt. just let them do their thing. >> really don't focus so much on the fact that you're taking a photo. just focus more on the activity. you could do crafts and really get messy. you'll know that gold when you

see it, won't you? >> exactly. >> what a cute family, by the way. >> beautiful family! >> if you want something more formal like over here, everyone's dressed up, makeup, uncle kevin is here. thank you, kevin, for filling in. >> with a traditional shoot, watch your backgrounds. make sure you don't get the coffee table, the box of tissues. you want to focus on your family. you don't want to do matchy-matchy. >> unless you're the kardashians. >> you really want to take the opportunity to show your family's personality. so tonally matching is great. just not the same outfit. you can have a family friend or uncle help out with you which is really great. you can try to use natural light as well. opening a door or window, that's another great way to really get their eyes. >> also don't spend too much time. kids get antsy. >> should you bribe the children? should you say i will give you a

cookie if you take a nice picture? >> we call it rewards. >> otherwise known in congress as bribes. >> great. great job. >> thanks so much, everybody. happy holidays! coming up next, consider your wine shopping dle ieie'se!r >> lesl's herie he w're preparg for tnksgivingight afterthis.. drie, imagine what it can do to your skin. but dove isn't soap. it contains pure 1/4 moisturizing cream because, everyday moisture is the key to beautiful skin. and who knows moisture better than dove. because, everyday moisture is the key to beautiful skin. it's that time of year. time for campbell's green bean casserole. you'll find the recipe at campbellskitchen.com. campbell's.® it's amazing what soup can do.™ [ baby crying, teapot whistling ] everything's fine. [ male announcer ] of all the things that happen on your wooden surfaces, disinfecting has to be one of them. clorox disinfecting wipes.

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thanksgiving is mostly about the food but we, of course, strongly suggest enhancing the holiday experience with a little wine. >> the author of "simple and savvy wine guide" has some perfect pairings. leslie sbrocco. >> ill a's talk to you about no chardonnay over here but first we need to kick off the holidays with bubble. for hoda. >> now the bubbles don't give you gas, right? >> what? what? >> they probably give you gas but -- >> no, they don't. people have health concerns. they have a little health concerns. >> just drink wine. nobody knows.

i have two different great bubbles. everything is under $0. this is the main chandon. this is lovely. and this is from chile, a sparkling wine. >> argentina. >> you could pair this with your entire meal. but i just want to point out that you've got white wine glasses here. don't start if you don't have flutes for everybody. put them in a white wine glass. any glass with wine in it is a wine glass. here we have a chardonnay. i love chardonnay, too, but not with this meal because you have all these flavors, sweet potatoes, salty, spicy. my favorites are gerwurstramie is a different grape variety. say ga-vertz.

you're going to get the rose. this is from northern italy. it's got this beautiful -- we're going to get you -- >> it is just different to me. it is not something i say, gee, i love that, i want to have some more. >> this is the rose from -- this is absolutely the wine that goes with turkey meal. fantastic. >> did you like it? >> kind of. >> let me try it. >> the reason that i've chosen these wines to go with this meal, it is a dry rose. the reason i have chosen the wines to go with this meal -- >> give a woman some chocolate wine and she'll be happy. >> we're going to get to the end and she's going to be so happy. >> leave her on the ship. okay? be careful around us. >> you're looking for elegance, fruitiness. no chardonnay. you really want somethinged balanced and pretty.

>> i love that. >> the name is middle sister. it is called goodie two-shoes. this is the pinot noir. the proceeds go to dress for success. >> great organization. >> middle sister. >> now try this from the south of france. this is absolutely wonderful. >> i'm already home. >> there you go. you got a little zinfindel. $12 a bottle. this is a light, elegant zin. we're going to end, baby girls, with the belly buttons. this is sweet. take a sip. actually i'll tell you why i call them belly butter sippers. when i was in france someone said to me, he said -- i said what's your favorite way to drink sauterne. and he said, "from a woman's

belly button." ladies? >> i'm sitting next to here at the pool yesterday, she's got the cutest little belly button in the whole world. >> me? >> i thought your feet were the cutest. but no, that is the cutest little belly button. you've got to show everybody some day. her belly button wouldn't hold much. it is cute and tiny. >> fg from apple pie, apple slices -- kathy, thank you. excuse me. up next, for your guest rooms, a little extra something special. but first, this is today on nbc ÷ hi. this is street side. listen up. are you planning a wedding, family reunion, sporting event, anything that would require you to book a block of hotel rooms.

even if you think you might be going that in the future you will not want to forget. hot hotelplanner.com. it's a site where hotels go to bid on your business, on our business, getting our rooms. so i asked her who is with us to tell us a little bit about how the site works and how we get those deals. welcome. >> thank you. >> hotelplanner.com is the largest online group, travel agency in the world. we process over 8 had been groups a day and partner them with over 35,000 hotels worldwide. so you simply submit your request details. we submit them out to the area. you choose from the hotels. >> nice. you pick. if i'm planning a wedding, 20 loo rooms, i go to the website and does it cost me anything? >> no. >> that's nice. we were talking before this break, you know, individuals can use this as well. >> yes. you can use the site for individual rooms. rates for individuals as well. >> you don't have to have ten or more rooms. >> no.

>> awesome. >> you're working with huge teams, sports teams, nbs, nfl, and nhl. >> yes. nba, nhl and ncfl, colleges, multiple athletic departments. >> facebook page grow mg popularity. facebook.com/hotelplanner. >> it's wonderful for fans and users. you become a fan like the page. and we offer over $500 a week in hotel spend giveaways and also, if any of our teams go to the playoffs we will give away a plane ticket to our fans. >> can't beat that. have a great day.

like it or not, with the holidays on the way, you've probably got some house guests in your near future. >> so if you've blown your budget planning your meal and haven't stepped into your guest room since last christmas, we have some advice. love you. how are you? >> love you.

i don't want you to spend time, talent or money. first of all, in other cultures they use a wreath all year long. to welcome. absolutely. in america we don't. it is just christmas. the key is personalize is for the guests you're having. if you were going to sleep over -- >> that's adorable. >> this is so easy. grab your glue guns, girls. >> if have you this many corks, you got a problem. >> but i think that you do have that many corks. it is so easy. just get a little glob and stick it on. >> little glob and stick it, hoda. >> it is a lot of fun. perfect. come over here now to your turkey guest room. your sheets are kind of itchy, you have no money to go get new sheets. so take your old white sheet and stamp the heck out of it. we've done this with a thanksgiving motif. you can use anything you want. girls, take it away.

>> what are you doing here? >> use your artistic -- hoda, go into your artistic battery. there you go. but it is going to be a brand-new sheet. if your sheet has a stain, just stamp right over the stain. >> hoda! >> you girls are too -- give it a little. there you go. >> this is a very cute idea. >> very sweet. >> it works with christmas, birthdays, it is a great way to personalize. go into your bathroom, your mother-in-law is coming next birthday. the shower curtain is moldy, tiles are missing. >> why is she coming? >> she's coming. >> you can personalize soap and she will -- and she will forget all about that your bathroom's kind of icky. very lightly turn it over, there

you go. grab a flashlight. inevitably no one knows where your lights are. especially if you live in a house like yours with 3,000 rooms. if they go to look at the leftovers, they go looking for the leftovers. leave a flashlight by their bed to get to the ladies room or men's room. there you go. you don't want anyone to. in your closet because who has time to clean their closets during the holidays. if you offer this up, it fits any closet door. >> that's the one i was talking to you about. >> every home store has it. no one's going to. in your closet. >> they still will. >> lock it up. this is what's going on. have you that old curtain that you've been meaning to change in your guest room. you don't have the money to do it. go into your old starcarf drawe. these are old pashminas.

we don't wear them anymore. doesn't have to match. there you go. >> this is great! by the way, everybody, this is almost one hour and it is really done well. tomorrow, gladys knight and al roker?