treacherous travel. a thanksgiving day storm packing snow, sleet, and freezing rain creating dangerous conditions on the roads from coast to coast, but there is better news at the airports. except for the tsa agents who had to deal with these passengers. the alabama man who served 18 months in an australian prison after being convicted on his wife's honeymoon scuba diving death returns home today. will he now face murder charges in the u.s.? and inflated dreams. the balloon ares ps are plblowi.

preparations are under way for the macy's thanksgiving day today, thursday, november 25th, the macy's thanksgiving day today, thursday, november 25th, 2010. captions paid for by nbc-universal television and welcome to a special edition of "today" on this thanksgiving morning. i'm natalie morales here in new york and lester holt is in afghanistan doing a great job. meanwhile, he's got matt and meredith down at macy's and al on the upper west side, all ready to bring you complete coverage of this morning's pair rad. we'll talk to all of them in a moment. first, let's go to lester in afghanistan. you've been there for nine or ten days. you are doing an amazing job. i know those troops really appreciate you being there. >> reporter: oh, natalie, thank you so much. it's been so inspiring to be here. these troops are lined up for chow. it's dinnertime here. they're lined up for the turkey and trimmings outside the dining hall. we have a great audience and they have a message for you.

what is it? >> happy thanksgiving! >> reporter: you bet. a bunch of fired up troops from all branches here. they're missing their families. we will be talking to many of them over the next couple hours. of course, this is serious business here. there is a war going on in this country right now. insurgent attacks throughout last weekend. president obama, nato leaders decided 2014 would be the end of combat operations, at least for u.s. and nato fortsces. we'll talk to the commander of operational forces here in afghanistan in just a few minutes. we're going to ask him what happens now if the 2014 date is realistic and how soon they can go home. let's go back to you. >> look forward to hearing more, lester. meanwhile, here at home weather is the big story. a large winter storm is set to impact most of the eastern half of the country on one of the busiest travel days of the year. we're going to get to al's forecast straight ahead, but first let's check in with matt and meredith. they have a first look at this year's macy's thanksgiving day parade. happy thanksgiving.

>> thank you, same to you. happy thanksgiving. weather not an issue here. al will tell you more about that, but the good news we talked about inflated dreams, those inflated dreams will be realized today because the big balloons that everybody comes to see, they will be flying. >> they will be flying because the wind is not a problem today. we have 15 giant balloons. some of the old favorites look snoopy and kermit but there are two new ones, kung fu panda and diary of a wimpy kid. >> i think that's the cast of "memphis." you also have american idiot, he will elf and others. stars from other areas of ent entertainme entertainment. >> yes ka simpson. >> and along with some 3 million people lining the parade routes and the streets of new york city. so it is bound to be another

great macy's day thanksgiving parade. it kicks off this morning, 9:00, right here on nbc, natalie. >> all right. as you mentioned, weather not a factor there. we'll be checking back with you in just a little bit, but for a lot of folks when it comes to holiday travel, you know, there has been issues. while the planned protest of those new screening rules at the airports fizzled out, nasty weather though is proving to be a problem not only on roads from coast to coast. julie martin is in chicago. good morning to you. >> reporter: good morning, natalie. so far so good along interstate 90 in chicago, but there is some bad weather news out there. in fact, a system bringing a wintry mix of rain, sleet, and snow making its way now east across the midwest, and it's going to make that thanksgiving trip a lot more difficult for many. for some holiday travelers, getting to thanksgiving dinner is not going to be easy. there's a real mess in the middle of the country. rain, ice, and snow hit parts of the plains and upper midwest

wednesday. now that messy weather is moving across the midwest and into the northeast. the aaa anticipates 94% of people traveling 50 miles or more this thanksgiving will be doing so by car. for air travelers the main concern is slowdowns at security checkpoints. on wednesday no major delays were reported. >> you can opt out. >> reporter: despite a national call for travelers to opt out of tsa body scans, most passengers seemed more interested in getting home for thanksgiving. >> doing what i have to do to see the folks. >> reporter: in los angeles at l.a.x. the nod body scanners had one woman showing up in next to nothing. >> i don't think there's many places to hide anything in a bikini. >> reporter: in utah a man posted a youtube video of him disrobing in a security line. >> sir, what are you doing? >> a safety precaution, man. >> reporter: in new york at laguardia airport, one man protested by showing up in a t-shirt and boxers. >> in the event that i am chosen

for a full body scan and i'm -- and i opt out, i'll be given a pat down and the purpose of this attire is to make the pat down as efficient as possible. >> reporter: but despite many people's concerns, the security lines ran even faster than usual. and that's the hope for the next busiest travel day, natalie, that's sunday for the return trip home. we can expect to see some snow along the great lakes. natalie? >> julie martin in chicago for us. thank you, julie. we're going to get al's forecast in just a moment. for now though lets get a check of morning's other top stories. amy is here for ann who is on assignment. happy thanksgiving. >> thank you. same to you. we appreciate it, natalie. we begin today with some of the first images from i don't think yeonpyeong island since it was attacked on tuesday. ian, can you tell us what you saw? you were one of the first reporters to gain access to the area. >> reporter: well, what's most

striking, amy, when you get close to that island is how ordinary it looks, but when you get closer still, that's when you see the security. that's when you sense the tension and soon you see the destruction at the heart of that fishing village. we traveled on one of the are first ferries to resume service since tuesday's attack to the very edge of north korean waters where yeonpyeong sits just a couple miles from the disputed sea border. the military was on high alert, in the sky and at sea, checking everybody leaving our boat. the north korean shells had struck right at the center of this small fishing village, flattening a neighborhood of shops and homes. these houses in the heart of the village seem to have borne the brunt of the attack. about a dozen have been destroyed. villagers saying the attack came completely without warning. many others were damaged. it seems incredible that only two civilians died. most were able to reach

shelters. this 71-year-old fisherman told me he'd hidden on his boat when the shells rained in. he's now joining the evacuation of civilians from the island. others are insisting on staying. the villagers knew they were on the front line and vulnerable, but nobody expected this. the government here has faced severe criticism for its handling of this crisis and for allowing the attacks to happen, and today that culminated in the resignation of the country's defense minister, amy. >> ian williams in south korea. thank you. an american man charged in the drowning death of his wife while on their honeymoon in australia has been deported back to the u.s. gabe watson was convicted of manslaughter in australia after his wife died while they were scuba diving in 2003. watson, an experienced rescue diver, failed to save her. former house majority leader tom delay has been found guilty of money laundering, a charge that can carry a life sentence

in prison. he was convicted of illegally channeling $190,000 in corporate donations into political campaigns. formerly one of the most powerful republicans in congress known as the hammer, delay says he plans to appeal the verdict. the obama administration is preparing for the expected release of classified documents from online whistle-blower wikileaks and that could come as early as this weekend. a senior government official tells nbc that the 250,000 documents expected to be leaked are, quote, very, very damaging and could have grave consequences for national security. well, it's a day of family, food, and tradition, even for the president. nbc's mike viqueira is at the white house on this thanksgiving morning. good morning. >> reporter: happy thanksgiving. food, family, and football for the president. he's home here at the white house with his family. that's exactly what he's expected to do along with millions of americans across the country. that did not stop him, however, from engauging in some cherished

traditions at the white house. yesterday the annual pardon of the thanksgiving turkey. it goes back to the kennedy administration. this year a 45-pound behemoth named apple. then it was on to martha's table, a well-known institution in washington. food and charity for the needy for the president and first family plus one. his mother-in-law marion robinson helping pass out meals to the folks there just about a mile from the white house. and one other note on this thanksgiving, the weekly internet and radio address from the president, a call for bipartisan to republicans as he prepares to meet with republicans when they get back to their own thanksgiving break next week. amy? >> mike viqueira, thanks so much from the white house. there is good news for 15 million out of work americans as analysts see positive signs that the economy is improving. last week jobless claims took their biggest dive since july of 2008. meanwhile, incomes and consumer spending are both up sparking hope of a booming black friday. and if the lines have began forming outside retailers as

early as tuesday are any indication, it could be a very good week for businesses. and if you think it takes a lot to keep your troops at home fed on thanksgiving, get this. to feed all of our soldiers in iraq and afghanistan for the holiday, it takes 245,000 pounds of turkey, 41,000 pounds of stuffing, and nearly 40,000 pies. it is now 7:11. back to natalie. we're cooking today but i don't think we could handle anything like that. >> i'm stressing over dinner for four why? >> exactly. >> amy, thank you. leads head uptown to al broker at west 77th street and central park west near the starting point of the macy's thanksgiving day parade. that's always my favorite location. good morning. happy thanksgiving, al. >> hey, happy thanksgiving, natalie. and, again, it is a great place because this is where the parade kicks off. the balloons start coming out from 77th street, 81st street the floats are lined all the way down central park west. we have 15 giant character balloons, 27 floats, 1600 performers, 800 clowns.

there's the path of the parade, comes down 7th avenue on to 6th and turns onto 34th street. it is going to be perfect weather. we have just some overcast skies. we think it's going to hold off. that's good news. cloudy, chilly temperatures, upper 30s, low 40s, but the winds are light so the balloons will all fly today. as your thanksgiving forecast for the rest of the day on thanksgiving, we have a little messy weather moving into the northeast later today. snow showers around the great lakes. windy in the plains. wet weather in the pacific northwest. slight risk of strong storms in the lower mississippi river valley where we could see some isolated tornadoes here and there. temperatures will be on the seasonal side through southern california. a little chilly in the southwest today. phoenix only getting up to 59 >> here's a gorgeous view of alcatraz. look at the sunrise hitting the bay area this morning. we want the sun to come up because it's chilly. we have 25 around gilroy and 43y

in san francisco. oakland earlier this morning had a new record low at 34. you can see clouds off to the west and a few of them come friday. chilly through lunchtime and 50s for the highs today. we clear out as we wrap up the weekend. >> that's your latest weather. let's head back to afghanistan, lester at camp eggers. please give the troops all our best wishes. >> reporter: you bet i will, al. happy thanksgiving to you. thank you. 95,000 u.s. troops are currently serving in afghanistan. with insurgent attacks up this year, this has been the bloodiest year yet. with me is lieutenant general david rodriguez, the commander of forces in afghanistan. happy thanksgiving to you. you've been a wonderful host to us and we appreciate all you've done. we heard a lot about 2014 the last couple of months, nato leaders decided that was the end of u.s. combat operations.

what does it mean to these folks. a lot have stood in these lines before. this isn't their first time. >> no, it's not. 2014 is a light at the end of the tunnel for many. that transition will be conditions-based and work with the afghan community and afghan forces to assume that goal. >> was that a political decision or military one? were you angen ral petraeus consulted and said, give us a realistic debate? >> yes. we've been in communication going forward and how long it will take and what the objectives and our goals are. >> this has been an uneven battle. this past week, we learned there was a fake taliban leader negotiating with nato, was a fraud, took some money. it's embarrassing, frustrating, what does it mean from a military standpoint trying to fight this war? >> from a military standpoint, you have lots of ups and downs. we're having more ups than downs and moving in the right

direction, making progress. >> it's an uneven fight. asymmetrical war, everything from bombers and rockets and fighting guys with improvised explosives. how do you get the advantage over that kind of enemy? >> the advantage really gets done over that enemy by the great leaders you have at every level, innovative servicemen and women and a tremendous thinking organization that learns and gets better everyday. >> the war here, right now, we're at camp eggers, where i know the nato training is going on for afghan troops. do you worry once the handover takes place, this has always been a country of shifting alliances. you're trying to shift whurnds of years of history. do you worry things will fall back and the taliban will come in from the woodwork? >> i don't think so. the afghan people don't want that happen and we have to help them build enough capacity so it doesn't happen in the future. the process we're working on is all about irreversibility and we

will pay attention to that every step of the way. >> i met a lot of people and i scratch my head, nine years of war, how do you keep the attitude? what keeps these folks doing what they do? >> lrn and >> the leadership and incredible commitment to serve their country. >> do you worry the country is losing some sense of relevance with this war, distracted, will move on? >> i don't think that at all? i don't think that of the soldiers and marines and dedicated people out here trying to make a difference. >> who's at home right now and cooking at your house? >> my family have a tradition, all get together, about 50 of them and they're eating turkey this afternoon here in pennsylvania. >> i know you miss them and all these folks miss their families. thanks so much for your time. >> happy thanksgiving. >> all right. >> natalie, we send it back to you. >> thanks so much, lester. on a much lighter note,

we're less than two hours from the start of the yearly tradition, macy's thanksgiving parade. in the middle of all the last minute preparations, hey, guys. >> hi, natalie. that is a cast warming up behind us. it is a bittersweet day for executive producers of macy's thanksgiving parade, robin hall with us today, they're hanging up the top hat at the end of the parade. >> kind of bittersweet day for me. a nice round 10 years and pa passipas passing the scissors to my producer and she's made me look good for 10 years. >> you're going out with a bang today. it will look great. >> and the artist who designs the two balloons about halfway through the parade, two beautiful little art balloon, he came up and did a purification ceremony for us. he said, i'm very worried about the weather. he said, i'm calling on all the

powers to make it a nice day. he did. the saki and salt. >> i knew you'd be into the saki part. you have been into this part where you think, did i cross all the ts and dot all the is? >> last night at 3:00 in the morning, i woke up with a start, did i bring the scissors? a true story. >> what are you looking forward to most? you mentioned the balloons are going, kung fu panda, diary of a wimpy kid. what else do you think people will love? >> we had this kool-aid balloon that was spectacular and everybody loved it. and a virginia balloon based on the lady that wrote a letter to santa years before. >> every time you talk about it,

you're like a little kid, i'm looking at your face. >> emotionally. >> we're talking about "american idiot" rehearsing and "elf". >> "million dollar quartet." >> that's a great accomplishment to attract the best talent to this parade. >> we love it because it exposes 50 million people around the country who aren't that familiar with it. one of the reasons they love it. we got two awards from broadway for the parade based on our contributions for the broadway theater. >> what about all the kids that come from across the country for the opportunity to perform here. >> every one of those kids bring parents and grandparents. >> and they raise money. >> we don't pay for anybody to come. they raise their own. it's a very high bar for these kids and remember it the rest of their lives. >> ten years for you and for us, and meredith the last several. >> who was that woman before mer

dirth? >> there was no one ever, no one came before meredith. >> what will you do next thanksgiving? >> i will probably be in atlanta. we light our big thanksgiving tree on thanksgiving and i always missed it. done it a lot of years and spent a lot of money. on television. i've never seen it and my team is doing it tonight. >> literally speaking, hats off to you. you've done a great job. congratulations. as robin puts the hat on, macy's thanksgiving parade at 9:00 in the morning. >> we will miss robin hall. he's done a great job. we'll check back with you guys in a little bit. also ahead, catching crooks red-handed, how sites like facebook and youtube are helping police solve crimes.

still to come, we'll catch up with some of the servicemen and women celebrating thanksgiving here at camp eggers. martha's stewart's step by step guide to the perfect thanksgiving meal after your local news. and all through the house... whoa, that's grandma. [ grandma ] ...nothing was stirring, not kara, not maya... how does she do that? magic. [ grandma ] ...grandma loves you. [ both ] goodnight, grandma. [ female announcer ] be there to read them a story every night. read it to me again. [ female announcer ] hallmark recordable storybooks. this christmas, make it wonderful at your hallmark gold crown store.

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excedrin starts relieving headaches faster than extra strength tylenol and advil. the deck looks great. oh, we just washed it. well, not washed, power washed. big difference. hum. big. [ female announcer ] excedrin. for life's headaches. >> good morning and theap thanksgiving. 7:26 right notice. we want to check the thanksgiving day forecast which is a cool one. >> as we move around. 50s later and a cool start to the morning and a cool finish. a similar day on the way for tomorrow and the weekend. rain saturday and we clear out on sunday. we want to point out an incident. passing approaching san jose, a car hitting strt divide. slowing for that and the turkey trot at 8:00. in and around downtown, you may see delays.

the weather is downright chilly. 35 degrees right now in san jose. time is just before 7:27. more news after the break.

. oakland's mayor-elect is explaining why she got the boot before taking office. parking police pult a boot on her car after she failed to pay more than $1400 in parking fines. she was not available to answer in person, but said when i

learned of the out standing ticket, i like most citizens paid them immediately. neighbors are not giving her a break. >> i never had my car booted. >> didn't matter who you are. if you don't pay, you get your car booted. >> the boot has been removed, but last we checked, it was parked outside of city hall. more local news in a half hour. the "today" show returns in less than a minute. have a great thanksgiving.

it is 7:30 now on a third it is 7:30 now on a third morning thanksgiving day november 25th, 2010, the excitement building in new york city for the macy's thanksgiving day parade. a little later on, we'll get the latest from matt, meredith and al just ahead. meanwhile, our troops are celebrating with us here at camp eggers in afghanistan. a pretty long line, what they call the defect, a dining facility. i'm lester holt. among with natalie morales who is back in new york. natalie, coming from afghanistan, what a great group of people here. we're so excited to have them with us. we're going to talk later about the changing attitudes of the

war both back here and in the united states and how it affects the men and women fighting it overseas. >> thanks. meanwhile, from here, we will talk turkey, along with the sides and gravy with martha stewart. she's here all morning long, i call it my martha stewart intervention. she's going to be sharing her tips for creating a thanksgiving feast that your family is guaranteed to love. plus, matt's conversation with one of the biggest names in sports, lebron james. let's begin this half hour with an unexpected weapon in the fight against crime. social networking sites. kerry sanders has the details. >> reporter: these days, when cops want to solve a crime, they're patrolling online on social networking sites like facebook, where real life crooks often slip up in a virtual world. one criminal in pennsylvania was caught red-handed when he logged onto his facebook account during a robbery. police arrested one of l.a.'s

most prolific graffiti artists after he posted video of his handiwork on youtube. >> people put a lot of stuff on their facebook and myspace, other things they wouldn't normally tell you. >> reporter: federal authorities in washington tracked down fugitive maxi after he posted an update on his social networking page saying he's living in paradise in cancun. he's now in jail. in illinois convicted burglary joseph posted, i'm on the run, shortly after he broke out of a halfway house. he's behind bars now, too. police in medinah, ohio, have recruited a group of facebook friends who are helping to catch criminals. >> if you can get on the internet, you can get on our page and view the people wanted. >> reporter: almost 900 police and sheriff's offices across the country now have facebook pages. an estimated 500 law enforcement offices use twitter. >> we have to go where the community goes, and the community is online in the

millions and the hundreds of millions. >> two shot coming at you. >> reporter: citizens in boca raton, florida, can watch viper watch. it features interviews with detectives about active cases. their stepped up efforts online paid off with the arrest of this thief, derian downey. we walked out of a boca store with a giant tv only to be nabbed a short time later when somebody saw the surveillance video on the boca police facebook site. social networking for cops, using ip addresses to give criminals new addresses. jail. for "today," kerry sanders, nbc news, boca raton, florida. and now let's get a check of weather from al. today's weather is brought to you by folgers. the best part of waking up a

folge are. s in your cup. >> glad dys knight is here. she's going to be one of the many stars on the parade. we had big, bad weather in north dakota yesterday. it was rough. forget about taking the midnight train to georgia. down there they had trouble driving on the roads of fargo. they kept things pretty clear but not too bad. what about your travel weather? let's show you what's happening for tomorrow along -- up and down the eastern seaboard. snow showers in the pacific northwest. rain along the coast. then on saturday we're looking at just clouds in the northeast, mild through the south. gladys cares about north carolina, it's going to be sunny and mild. rain in the pacific northwest. then sunday, sunday we are looking at some more showers as you get your way down into the lower mississippi river valley. mountain snows in the pacific northwest. frigid and cold in new england. joining us now, gladys knight, for more than 50 years entert n

entertaining audiences all around the world, and of course, it's kind of ironic here on the macy's thanksgiving day parade, you will be on the apollo theater float and you started at the apollo. >> i'm on the apollo theater float and i'm amazed. all the legends that have been there. i'm excited. really my first time in the parade. >> this is your first time? >> yes. >> are you going to sing your new single "settle"? >> yes. it's in the movie. >> the halle berry movie. you have a new album coming out produced by the doing himseg hi randy jackson. >> i have a lot to be thankful for, my husband, fi mame, you guys. you give great weather. exciting. >> it's exciting. that's wha >> here's the view of stran e san francisco. look at the sunshine. low 40s and the satellite view with clouds spilling in closer to the coast.

we will see that with a chance of rain our way by late friday into saturday. a cool day and mainly in the 40s to low to mid 50s for highs. tomorrow morning a frosty start and more clouds by the evening. rain for saturday. clearing and breezy to wrap up the weekend. , of course, the 84th macy's thanksgiving day parade kicks off 9:00 a.m. central park west, 77th street, along with gladys knight and so many stars and floats and balloons. it is going to be amazing. lester? >> thanks. hard to believe this is the 10th straight year americans have lined up for thanksgiving dinner in afghanistan. the war has been going on almost a decade. ed a tuds toward it are certainly different on the home front compared to what you will here on the ground. i had a chance to talk to high school students and a marine sergeant to get a sense of how they each see the war through their eyes.

it was considered by most americans a war of necessity, a direct response to september 11th, an attack on al qaeda's safe haven. >> translator: on my orders the united states military has begun strikes against al qaeda terrorist training camps and military installations of the taliban regime in afghanistan. >> reporter: the country swept by a wave of patriotism saw many of its young men and women rush to join the military and fight terror. in nine years, the faces of those who carry on this war have slowly changed. and in some ways their motor vision, too. >> i was not motivated by terror. >> reporter: marine sergeant casey carrara was only 16 and joined the service only three years ago, not in pursuit of justice but out of a broader desire to pay his dues for his country. >> i was extremely motivated at the thought that there were young men and women that were

doing this approximately seven years before i joined. >> reporter: americans broadly support men and women like sergeant casey. yet most of us have done so with little personal sacrifice. times and circumstances have also shifted our focus and resolve. the war in afghanistan was virtually a non-issue in the last election. a recent poll found over half of americans are convinced it's a lost cause. tough to hear when you're walking dangerous ground thousands of miles from home. >> i think the people at home, the ones who think about it real deep and hard, know that it is for a good cause. that the things that we're doing on a daily basis truly are benefiting the people of afghanistan and that in the long run it will truly make a difference. >> reporter: the war is costing more american lives than ever from single and double digit death tolls in each of the first six years to more than 360 this year alone.

how many of you think much about the war? a couple hands. at a high school in hackensack, new jersey, i found students with understandable worries, finding a job, paying for college. >> i may be 60 and just finishing off paying my loans. >> reporter: but terror and war are not on their list of big concerns. for their generation, grade schoolers back in 2001, and the next bloc of voters, the war has no relevance. >> how's that war going? >> i have no idea why we're even over there, it's like we're there and we're just kind of hanging out. >> reporter: it's not just a younger generation trying to figure it out. their comments mirror americans as a whole question whether we should remain involved. >> this was my choice. >> reporter: sergeant casey, who will soon go home to his wife and a new daughter he's never met has a message who doubt his choice was worth it. >> i will tell them the presence

of u.s. troops in afghanistan will benefit maybe not on the short term as much as the long term down the road, safety for the united states. >> reporter: we can tell you, we covered a lot of territory in our almost ten days in afghanistan. in general, morale seems to be very high. we should note a lot of people honoring the troops tonight, but there are a lot of american civilians who are putting themselves on the line here in service to the military and the war effort. we will have much more from camp eggers and coming up, martha stewart with everything you need to create the perfect thanksgiving feast, including a no-fail, foolproof turkey right after this. this.

[trumpet playing "reveille" throughout]

let's support the small business owners getting our economy booming with the first ever small business saturday. on november 27th, shop small. it's going to be huge. [trumpet playing "reveille" fades to silence]

back now at 7:43. this morning on martha on "today," a thanksgiving feast from start to finish, martha stewart is here. she will be helping us. i'm great. >> you're helping me? >> i'm helping you. put me to work i like to say, this is my martha stewart intervention, i am taking this learning home with me. >> hau ow to stuff a turkey and cook a turkey so it looks like a beautiful golden brown.

>> you have a fail proof turkey here already prepared. >> we put the salt and pepper and sage under the skin. no long nails. we have cornbread that you can buy or you can make. you can even use cornbread mix. >> it's actually pretty good. i've had it. and celery sauteed with butter and a little white wine and cornbread shchopped up and add o eggs. >> don't overstuff it. >> pack it, because it will expand and that's enough for the rear. >> what do you do with the wings? >> i'll show you. you don't have to struggle. it's a struggle to tuck them under. don't forget to put stuffing in the neck cavity. any extra stuffing, by the way, can be put in a butter dish and roasted as the same time as the

turkey. >> people are always concerned with the stuffing but okay as long as you cook it to the right temperature. >> don't put hot stuffing in a cold bird. everybody is concerned about salmonella. if you do it this way, now is the time, if you eat this afternoon, start preparing right now. here is your beautiful bird. >> hopefully, your bird is thawed. you like fresh. i like fresh. this is a hayne turkey, anti-biotic freeze. i'm catching the wing tips. >> what is this? >> a cotton string. over the drum strips and under the little legs and tie around the parson's nose, the tail. >> is that what it's called? that's the nose. >> not a very flattering description of the parson. >> tie a little bow there. >> tie a bow.

then put this on the rack in your roasting pan. >> that's important to put it on the rack. >> turkey is important because you want to keep the bird -- you want to keep all those wings and stuff from flopping. this is three-fifthth of untalented butter and one bottle of a good white wine. >> i'm liking this. >> this is the secret of the perfect roasted bird. dip now a piece of cotton cheesecloth. don't buy that polyester stuff at the car wash. >> no, no. >> you don't want that. >> dip this into the melted butter and white wine. this covers -- i have a friend who uses an old clean t-shirt for this. >> okay. >> you can use a piece of white cotton sheet, flannel sheet. put this over your bird. it covers the whole thing. put it into a 425 degree oven

for one hour. >> one hour. >> you bacon standly. >> it takes a lot longer to cook this. >> that's only the start. you reduce the heat to 325. keep basting until you use up all our liquid. internal temperature, this is the greatest digital thermometer, you stick into the thickest part of the bird. >> we're running out of time. what's the temperature? >> i take it out about 156, 60. 160. let it sit for 20 minutes. >> what are you doing? >> i've been paying attention. we will be talking about it all morning long. coming up, the perfect greavy ad the perfect everyday food. and there's rea sdynoy ready to with the red baron, right after this. hey, guys. printer's out of ink.

just shake it. [ rattling ] [ male announcer ] need ink? staples has a low price guarantee on all the ink you need. find a lower price at another store, and we'll match it. that was easy. [scraping] [piano keys banging] [scraping] [horns honking]

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the biggest news makers of the year. in the sports world, lebron james and his decision to change teams certainly made headlines around the world. here's a portion of their interview. >> he calls himself "king james." and why not? at 25, he's one of the highest profile athletes in the world. his face is everywhere. still, none of it could have prepared lebron james for the frenzy of 2010. this summer, when his contract with the cleveland cavaliers ended after seven years, lebron became the most coveted player in nba history. everyone wanted him. >> if there were 30 of me, i would play for every team. >> unfortunately, you can't be that much of a diplomat, can you? boy, did you get boot. >> they were promising you the world, we will name streets after you, have statutes in your

honor, pretty heady stuff. >> i had to do what i had to do. >> my son, 9 years old, wrote you a letter, lebron, come to new york, the capitol of the world. i don't bring him up because he's my son. you had that coming from all of the cities. how did it weigh on you? >> it weighed on me a lot. not just passion, but how people are about sports. they are very emotional. >> what an understatement. lebron announced his much anticipated decision on july 8, in a one hour primetime special on espn. >> i will take my talents to south beach and join the miami heat. >> in miami, they danced in the streets. in cleveland, they exploded with anger. >> loser! >> this is what i do to lebron. >> they seemed to make it personal with you. >> it can never be that personal. >> you know what, it had to be personal. they started burning lebron james jerseys and crossed your

name off the back and wrote the name, "traitor." >> if you let one person bother you, you will lose focus what the task is. it didn't bother me. he said lost in this outrage was the fact his espn special raised millions to help needy kids. >> to raise $3 million for the boys club to of america, have hp provide 1,000 computers to these kids, i wouldn't change that. if i have to take a hit to shine a light on inner city kids, i'll do it every time. >> for more on matt's interview with lebron james and other big names of 2010, catch nbc's people of the year, tonight at 9:00, 8:00 central time? >> funny matt stayed seated the whole time. might have been a bit of contrast. >> speaking of mr. lauer, he and meredith are a little south on 34th street, gearing up for the 84th macy's thanksgiving day parade. how's it going? >> great. we can hear music behind us. they're rehearsing another of

the broadway shows back there. everything seems to be in order, we have good weather and all the trimmings and floats and balloons. >> notice all the bleachers outside. 3 million people are lining the parade route this morning. 27 floats, 15 giant balloons including a couple new ones, kung fu panda and that wimpy kid will be new and most of all, santa claus is coming to town today. >> it's always a gray d-- great day when santa claus comes. you know what a lot of people will be watching today? meredith's coat. it has light up a and -- thanksgiving in vegas. that's what it's like. >> i got the coat and the turkey. it's perfect. >> i can't wait to see it. thanks. we're back with much more on "today."

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8: 8:00 on this thanksgiving thursday morning, november 25th, 2010. those are there, see a few of the service men and women stationed at camp eggers in afghanistan on this thanksgiving, and we're thankful of course, giving them a little camera time this morning, as well as for them to wave hello to their loved ones. hey, guys, wave hello. our crowd here in rockefeller plaza as well keeping me company. and they're in a holiday spirit. now we're giving them a little camera time this morning. because i'm not all alone by myself. great crowd with us here. and meanwhile, outside on the

plaza, i'm natalie morales, and matt, meredith and al are getting ready for their coverage of the 84th macy's thanksgiving day parade. and there's the red baron, or snoopy, which begins an hour from now. meanwhile as you saw there, my good friend lester holt is spending his thanksgiving with the troops in camp eggers in afghanistan. left centre. >> what a great place to be. let's let the camera pan -- >> i just had a son. >> congratulations. >> tell me about this, a lot of kids from las vegas? >> i'm a first grade teacher in las vegas, nevada. this is from all of my students and go huskies. >> hey, guys. watch this guy, hopefully you'll see your loved one. we're actually holding up the thanksgiving line. because behind is the line to the dining facility. we'll go there in a little while. i came 6,000 miles for a free

meal. and we've got a great story coming up in this half hour about afghan girls who are being empowered believe it or not through skateboarding, it's a terrific story. we'll share it coming up. >> that's great, lester. thank you. from here in new york, round two of martha stewart's thanksgiving feast. and you can't have turkey without the gravy. how do you make it without all of those lumps. she's going to share a few more secrets coming up. but first a check of the top stories, we go inside to amy robach who is filling in for ann. north korea is vowing to strike again ahead of the joint u.s./south korean military exercises planned for sunday in the yellow sea. the north said tuesday's attack on south korea's jeongpyong islands was a planned response. south korea's president is boosting the numb of troops in the area near the disputed sea border. and today the defense minister

resigned amid criticism of the attack. a deadly plane crash in northern florida has killed one of the bp executives in charge of the oil disaster recovery in the gulf. the plane has been pulled from the water and all three passengers on board did not survive. well it was the airport security protest that never took off as travelers seem more concerned about getting home for the holidays, than fighting the new security measures. and though there were no major security delays reported, some people had a novel idea for avoiding pat-downs. going through security in just bikini and underwear. guess that happens. online whistleblower wikileaks is expected to release 250,000 classified documents as early as this weekend. officials tell nbc that this could have grave consequences for national security. former house majority leader, tom delay says he plans to appeal after being found guilty of money-laundering on wednesday. the charge could carry a life sentence in prison. and president obama is spending thanksgiving day at the

white house, with family and friends. on wednesday, the president carried the tradition on by pardoning two lucky turkeys and he joined the first family in handing out some not so lucky turkeys. and at a home in connecticut, the thanksgiving day celebrations are in full swing. they're making 800 meals for seniors and anyone else in need this holiday. they've been cooking up this tradition for 20 years. and if eating or donating or pardoning a turkey isn't on your agenda for this thanksgiving, there's one more option for how to put the bird to good use. a cincinnati group is holding a turkey bowling competition. players can slide a turkey on ice to knock down some pins. proceeds go to a local homeless shelter and a soup kitchen. that does look like fun. get your aggression out and help the needy at the same time. it's now 8:04, let's head back out to natalie.

>> that's a great idea, thanks, aimy. let's get another check of the weather from mr. roker, who is also keeping our parade duties going. who do you have with you, al? >> hey, natalie, i've got kylie minogue here, over 50 hit singles, 50 million albums worldwide, one of the most successful female artists of all time. her latest album is out. you're a native australian. this is going to be your first significant thanksgiving. >> absolutely. >> in america. >> it's like there's always -- yes. this is so festive, so exciting. i'm really thrilled to be here. >> so for this year, your album, "aphrodite" was released in july, highest release to date for you. >> yes. >> and what is the single you're going to be performing today in. >> "get out of my parade." >> the parade is going to kick

off at 9:00 a.m. and you're going to get another layer on? >> yes, i'm going back for another layer. >> kylie minogue, 84th thanksgiving day parade, let's check your weather to see what's going on. our travel weather for today, first of all, niagara falls, our pick city, slowly i turn -- step by step -- nbc news 2, cold, rainy, 33 degrees, it's going to be a rough one there. niagara falls, the rest of the weather, we're expecting for the parade, cloudy and cold, upper 30s, low 40s. but the good news is the winds are light. out of the north, so the balloons will be flying on thanksgiving day. we've got snow in the great lakes, we've got rain in the pacific northwest, and windy conditions, showers in the mid-mississippi river valley. that's what's going look across the bay this morning, clear skies. you can see no clouds there. look at our temperatures still in the 30s. 35 degrees san jose, low 30s

across the north bay, we should see the frosty temperatures leaving by 9:00 this morning. then we see the clouds off to the west, dropping in on us for friday. today a dry day, cool sunshine, highs. in the 50s. tomorrow look for increasing clouds late in the day after another frosty morning, rain for early saturday. clearing, breezy and cool for sunday afternoon. here's a fashion first. kylie actually has the rings on her gloves. very nice. you can see those ringed gloved fingers on the parade route, the macy's 84th annual parade kicks off right here on nbc. natalie. >> we're counting down until then. thank you, al. still to come this morning, more of martha stewart. she's back with her delicious thanksgiving greatvy withoavy w lumps. [ female announcer ] don't stand out in the cold! walmart's open

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get a maytag washer or dryer for -- you ready for this? -- 249 bucks. that's $300 off the pair. welcome back to camp eggers on this thanksgiving morning. girls growing up here in afghanistan have fewer opportunities than boys to learn and play. i had a chance to check out a program using skateboarding  using fun, education and some sense of equality to their lives.

afghanistan's girls are on a roll, at a place called skate-a-stan, new attitudes, and amping it up on skateboards. >> do you feel you've started a cultural revolution? >> i don't feel yet but we're working on it. >> reporter: he brought his skateboard when he went to work here three years ago, a sport that didn't previously exist here and no gender stereotypes. >> when i had a skateboard in the street, they wanted to try it and i had the idea. >> reporter: it was started with donations and it's a place of learning first, a sports facility second. many of these kids don't attend regular school. skaters must attend classes at skatistan before they can grab

some air. >> it's really really important they have access to education. we thought perhaps we can link it to skateboarding we're doing. >> reporter: 13-year-old fazili works for hand-outs on the streets. but at skatizan, she gets a stipend doing what she loves. i really want to be a good skater, she tells us. skating got her best friend to stop begging on the streets, a natural on the skateboard and full of spunk. >> reporter: how do i stand? i found she's also an oh so patient teacher. in a country where many women still wear burqas, oliver knew it could have been a non-starter, post taliban or not. >> we involve a prominent local woman to come and do an opening for us. he talked about how the wife of mohammed ashar was encouraged to take part in a running race. >> reporter: the logo, a skater atop an ak-47 has been brand and

will soon appear on skating merchandise worldwide supporting skateistan and maybe taking afghanistan's girls to new heights. >> by the way, i stood on my feet for that brief lesson but i'll stand on solid ground. coming up, martha stewart shares her secret for a tasty thanksgiving gravy, right after this. hey, you made your own lunch.

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back now at 8:18. martha stewart is working hard to give us recipes for great meals. you're cooking gravy there? >> eyestrain and serve. >> strain and serve. >> this is pretty much the last thing you do before you take the turkey to the table. you want piping hot gravy for mashed mo pay toes and stuffing. the turkey platter should look beautiful. we use a lot of fresh herbs, sage and rosemary. you can get these at the farmer's market, get them out of your garden, because we haven't had a really hard frost yet.

>> what did you do? just caramelized these? >> i put them in a pan with butter, use lady apples around and then it makes it something special. i use thyme and you can put a few uncooked cranberries also on here. make sure you have cranberry l relish relishes. we have to have jelly and relish. >> what was your secret for keeping the gravy from getting lumpy. >> use flour and water or salt first and shake it up really well, whisk it into the hot drippings and add sauce and cook it and strain it. that's the secret. >> that's the secret. >> it's a real pretty color. you don't want white gravy, not necessarily and pretty and more tastier if you use all the drippings from the pan and take out all the excess fat, butter we used to baste the turkey. there, you have a really --

>> they've gone wild. >> we don't want them on the floor necessarily. >> isn't that gorgeous? >> isn't that pretty? >> notice the skin, crispy, golden brown, the turkey is juicy to the touch. you will not have a dried out insipid looking whitish turkey. you will have a golden brown. >> we can't wait to curt int in. martha stewart will be back with the side dishes, for a lot of people can be the most intimidating part. thanks for the wonderful work done at children's research hospital. and this morning, a new hampshire family has a big reason to give thanks. >> st. jude's children's research hospital helps discover a bold new treatment. >> it may just have in this case of 9-year-old jordon boucher. >> it seems like every time i

walked into the living room, there was a st. jude's commercial. i lost it and got upset, saying, why can't that be my daughter. >> since she was diagnosed with leukemia at 15 months old, jordyn has been fighting for her life. >> we transferred her to the intensive care unit because she was going into cardiac arrest. >> reporter: although emergency care was given, there were serious doubts she would make it. but she did survive. >> even as a baby, she was always a strong-willed child so her fight for life was pulling her through. >> reporter: that strength helped jordyn drive her cancer into remission 3 1/2 years. >> you have a lot of check-ups, but all in all, life was getting back to normal. >> reporter: but sadly, her leukemia returned. >> her doctor came walking into the room, just the look on her

face said it all. i just looked at her and i said, it's back, isn't it? she said, i'm so sorry. >> reporter: with few options remaining, they were referred to a leading children's cancer hospital and jordyn was back to being a desperately sick child. >> she would always say to us, i just want to be a normal girl. i just want to be a normal girl. >> i didn't want to go back to the hospital. i was already in the hospital when i was little. i didn't want to do it again. >> reporter: the treatment she received did little to help and right around this time last year, jordan was given just weeks to live. this time, she knew what was happening. >> i had like three or four weeks to live. so it was either i fight it or i wait until the weeks were gone. >> we would talk about, you know, going over the rainbow, to the other side and the other

part of life. >> reporter: today, her cancer is gone. that's when jordyn's mom saw this st. jude commercial. >> almost like a sign that maybe we do need to check it out. >> reporter: so they called st. jude. in one conversation, jordyn was given a new lease on life involving a novel transplant procedure currently only done at st. jude. >> part of the transplant process very new is we give the donor natural killer cells to the patient and use the donor natural killer cells to prevent the leukemia from coming back. >> her father was the donor and the transplant took place on a day of new beginnings, new year's day. >> to be able to have her get her new cells in the beginning of the new year in 2010 was another sign everything was right. >> reporter: this time, jordyn has a great chance of being a

normal girl. >> at the moment, we have no evidence jordyn has any leukemia. right now, she's cancer-free. in a couple of months if she passes our test, her long term prognosis is very high. >> reporter: what's jordyn's take on all of this? >> st. jude is the goodest hospital i have ever been to. >> reporter: now, a year after being told she would die, jordyn is thanking st. jude for a very special gift. >> for making my cancer go away. >> reporter: now, jordyn gives hope to others in this commercial. >> last year, sick with cancer, jordyn was given just six weeks to live. >> my mom saw a st. jude commercial. now, i'm in the st. jude commercial. >> in it. you're the star of it. >> what a great story. marlo thomas is the outreach director of st. jude. >> what a great thanksgiving.

>> absolutely. her family was told she had only four to eight weeks to live. she went to a leading children's hospital. what was the treatment st. jude used, only done there? >> we're a research center and hospital, what a lot of people don't know. the exciting thing is our bodies have natural killer cells and fight infection all the time, but we don't have enough to fight cancer. we take the killer cells out of the child and put them in the lab and make them reproduce so there's enough of them and put them back in the child and that's what killed that cancer for her. we just published a study in 10 children who had stage 4 cancer, all 10 zero relapse. we're not saying it's a cure for cancer but a darned great start to go from 10 to zero. i just want everyone to know they, too, will be able to do this and benefit from this,

because with all our research, we will be disseminating this information. >> really quickly for people out shopping today, look for the labels. >> the -- >> st. jude. >> yes. our thanks for giving campaign. good morning, everybody. it has been a chilly start. >> for the afternoon highs. in the 50s. 53 san jose. los gatos and hilltops 50 this afternoon. another frosty start to the morning tomorrow and rain coming in for saturday, clearing by sunday. quick check of your morning commute due to the turkey trot, julian street off-ramps northbound and southbound closed until noon and the santa clara off-ramp as well as you head northbound, closures approaching downtown san jose, the reason

why you're seeing slowing approaching downtown. otherwise travel times looking good on this thanksgiving morning. theak.s 8:26, more news after

♪ ♪ great work everybody! now freshly remodeled, your target has never been better. the rulings of bargain shopping are changing a little bit this year. if you want the first crack at black friday deals you might need a tent and long johns. die-hard shoppers are camping out at best buy and been out there since tuesday. greg wing this is his third

black friday sidewalk campouts. >> the savings are great. i'm getting a stove and laptop so depending on what i buy i save between $600 and $1,000. >> saving money is incentive but friendship brings people back year after year. they have lots of time to get to know each other. the doors at best buy don't open until 5:00 friday morning. more local news in half an hour. the "today" show returns in less than a minute. have a great thanksgiving. see you back here in a bit.

8:30 on this thanksgiving morning, the 25th of november, 2010. almost that time for the big macy's thanksgiving parade. as you can see, last minute touches are all being put on the floats. matt and meredith on the broadway performing as well. matt and meredith and al getting under way 30 minutes from now.

counting down. meanwhile on the plaza, rockefeller plaza. and everybody sticking by us this morning. outside on the plaza, natalie joined by amy as well. and lester holt in camp eggers. how's it going there? getting chow finally? >> it's going great. it's dinnertime. we're at the depac, i think stands for dining facility. i missed the situate potatoes with marshmallows. what's that? good to see you. let's go into the dining hall here and actually see where some of the troops now are enjoying a meal. the mashed potatoes, gravy, turkey, all the trimmings. it's a big deal. the government spent, i think, since last spring trying to get things together. can i sit with you guys? >> sure. >> happy thanksgiving.

what's your name? >> travis blond. >> i'm toby blond. >> brothers? are you kidding me? really? how did you end up here together? >> i volunteer odden this deployment because he was coming and it pretty much ended up happening. >> reporter: where are you from? >> we're from maine. >> reporter: your folks watching from home? >> i'm not sure. i'm guessing they're watching -- being thanksgiving morning -- >> reporter: what would be happening at the house right about now? >> normally, i would say my dad would be sleeping because he's tired from the morning hunt and mom's slaving in the kitchen. gram's getting ready for us to come up for a late evening meal. >> reporter: you guys look like you're eating well. doing okay here? >> okay. >> reporter: where are you from? >> el paso, texas. >> reporter: want to say hi to anyone? >> becky, my wife and those from the good fellow air force base.

>> i missed that. was that in this line? i will go back. pumpkin pie. >> nice to see the brothers spending their thanksgiving day together. we'll check back with lester in a little bit. also, we're here with martha stewart, putting her finishing touches on the delicious thanksgiving spread. >> and martha will show us how to make delicious side dishes including her delicious cranberry sauce. >> we'll go back to mr. roker for the start of the macy's thanksgiving day parade. hi, al. >> good morning. less than 30 minutes from the macy's thanksgiving parade. joining me, jessica simpson who has -- hello. you have a lot to be thankful for. >> i do. i do. counting my blessings. >> you do. a new charms album out and newly engaged many. >> yes. thanks so much. >> eric johnson, your boyfriend of five month, fantastic.

this is your first thanksgiving in new york? >> it is. the spirit is amazing. you watch it on tv and you don't really have the -- you know, complete grasp what all goes behind this. >> the snoopy dog, can you believe how big he is? that's one big dog. i am very impressed, you're making -- even though you're in a hotel, you're cooking thanksgiving dinner. your hotel is letting you use their oven? >> we have some stuff in the ovens right now. i'm going to get on the fleet and i have eric's family to cook for and my family. we prepared last night. >> i am very impressed, jessica simpson, happy thanksgiving. have a good holiday. enjoy the parade. >> i will. how can you not? >> that's what i say. >> i'm a little bit afraid of clowns and they're everywhere. >> here's the good news, there are only 800 of here's a clear view of san francisco, gorgeous start to

your thanksgiving morning. cold outside. highs a little bit warmer than yesterday, a run into the mid-50s for the afternoon, but another chilly night ahead, we'll have another frost advisory for the imer bay and probably another freeze warning for inland valleys as temperatures will trop again tomorrow morning, then clouds filling in for the afternoon, some rain willñi likely fall la friday night into the first half of saturday and clearing, breezy and dry for sunday. that's your latest weather. now, back to you, natalie. >> thanks, al. what do you guys like? turkey or sides? coming up, we're getting help from martha stewart to show us delicious side dish recipes and much more with the men and women stationed at camp eggers this thanksgiving as they enjoy their feast there. this is "today" on nbc.

welcome back, everyone. having dinner in the dining hall at camp eggers on thanksgiving morning. thousands of servicemen and women will spend thanksgiving day away from their families. >> and major here is spending thanksgiving away from her family. great to sit with you. you were a stay-at-home mom and got called up in may and came over here. your husband, travis is at home? >> he's at home, taking care of the babies. >> he was a serviceman deployed in iraq last thanksgiving. >> two christmases. >> and two wonderful children? >> yes. sidney and toby. >> want to look at them? watch the monitor and we will pop them up on the screen. there they are. >> hi, boys! >> say hi, momma! >> hi, baby!

>> wait for the camera. it will make you a little nuts. >> hi! >> give me some kiss. blow me some kiss. >> they're scared. >> how often do you get to see them? do you skype with them? >> i skype with them sometimes. jenny lou, jenny lou, come on, baby, look at momma. blow me some kiss. >> i don't know -- i don't think she has an earpiece. i don't think she can hear. travis, how are you doing as a single dad? how's it going for you? >> the first month was definitely the hardest. once we got into a routine, we've been making it, looking forward to momma coming home. >> lindsey, you will get home when? sometime after the first of the year? >> yes, in january. >> you will miss christmas. >> yes. >> reporter: what's the plan? how do you handle it?

>> hi, guys! >> hi! >> i keep doing my job everyday and i just -- i enjoy the notes that they send me and a lot of my co-workers are good support for me. >> i think they've got a message for you. i think the kids have been making pretty cool progress. what's the story, travis, anything you want to tell lindsey about the kids? >> well, yeah, actually. we've been doing -- we made these shirts last night. i don't know if you can see or hear over toby. he's getting pretty rambunctious. sidney says, momma is my hero and sidney's says, momma's boy. >> look at that! >> oh! >> reporter: lindsey, honest assessment, how's travis doing? he's doing a lot of things he never had to do, right? >> this is very true, actually. the mom appreciation is what i call it. >> reporter: are you cooking turkey, travis or where are you

having thanksgiving dinner? >> no, thankfully, i ordered ahead with my local grocery store, so we will pick that up and make that job a little easier. momma will be joining us for thanksgiving dinner. when ever we can't get ahold of her, we always bring her along to all the family events. she's been at the pool this summer with us, been in the car with us, even been to the zoo with us. the kids enjoy seeing her. >> that is terrific. we're so sorry you guys can't be together. we're glad we're able to facilitate this virtual thanksgiving dinner. we're eating very well at camp eggers, aren't we, lindsey? >> yes. >> reporter: say good-bye to your family. >> by, ge, guys. >> you'll celebrate all the holidays together soon in a few months. we'll take a break. first, this is "today" on nbc.

this morning on "today"'s american story, bob dotson catches up with a man we met a decade ago. he had a brief moment of fame but decided to step out of the spotlight to do something he felt was much more important. >> reporter: braden is about to show these kids the small print in big dreams. >> when i say happy, you say friday. happy! >> friday! >> happy! >> friday! >> i say uh-oh, you say no. >> i love -- i love -- >> reporter: a decade ago when braden was not much older than they are, he had a flash of flame. >> please welcome in his boston pops conducting debut, braden kirchner. >> reporter: the 18-year-old from goose creek, south carolina, prepared for this moment by learning to play every instrument in the orchestra. >> if i gave the orders and didn't play the instrument, you

wouldn't take that order seriously. >> reporter: the boy with a dream had seen an ad on the internet saying fans could conduct the boston pops if they donated big bucks. >> it's just money. if that can bayou the thing you wanted all your life, it's worth it. >> reporter: braden worked 11 jobs. standing on that stage, he tallied up what his dream had cost. was the bill a bargain? >> i could buy a new car but it would rust and break down in 20 years. this is something i will always have with me. >> reporter: that night could have made braden kirchner a star. instead, he joined the marines, just before 9/11. >> the idea was never to be famous from that, it was just to accomplish the dream. >> reporter: and then guide others to theirs. braden took a job teaching band at stall high school just down the road from his boyhood home. spent five weeks that first summer getting a commercial driver's license so he could

bring his players to practice. >> my favoritist teacher! >> i told them it's never about the singing or off note or right key or posture, it's about you're here and you're not getting in trouble. >> it's showtime! ♪ ♪ >> some of the kids on the drumline were on the verge of dropping out of school before braden showed them how playing that kind of music could make them cool. the marine sergeant turned their band practice into a happy boot camp. they learned team work carrying his couch above their heads. on rainy day, they put down their instruments and marched in the mud. antoine rose now believes anything can be accomplished with practice. here, failure is forgiven, giving up is not. >> how did he change your life? >> he took the word "can't" out

of the vocabulary. >> there you go, there you go! >> who! >> reporter: braden kirchner taught them how to craft a note, and then their lives. what's the secret to have big dreams come true? >> one piece of advice, the most important is the deeper system. because that separates the winners from losers. >> reporter: they're also the ones that do the unexpected. the man from goose creek just became a father, but not before finishing another dream first. >> i went on a diet of oranges and popcorn for their weeks. >> reporter: preparing for a shot at the guinness book of world records, putting his body through an ordinary tennis racket 22 times in one minute. >> this is the guy you married, right? >>. >> >> yeah, yeah. >> reporter: we laughed. he won.

big ideas often begin in small places. for "today," bob dotson, nbc news, with an american story in charleston, south carolina. >> we are all in awe. coming up next, some last minute side dishes for your thanksgiving feast with the help of martha stewart. rst, this is "today" on nbc.

back now at 8:49, martha stewart's ultimate thanksgiving day feast. we prepared the turkey and gravy and now time to tack them side dishes. >> what do you mean, "we?" >> making notes. >> where is your apron? >> she's been doing it all morning. >> the cook is here. >> i've been making cranberry sauce and this is a little bit of vegetable oil and one bag of cranberries, it's beautiful. remember the cranberries in rockefeller center? >> yes. >> we went and scraped them all off. they're super easy. >> i made some last night. >> they will pop. here is your beautiful cooked cranberry, add to that the punch of little pomegranate seeds. >> you did have sugar and all of that in here? >> a tiny bit of brown sugar and

little bit of salt and pepper. that is your cranberry spice. >> what is the difference between a sauce and relish? >> a few different versions. relish probably is more crunchy and like this one and the sauce is more probably a little bit more wet. >> what's the one that goes in a can? >> jelly. i love cranberry jelly. i made it myself. over here is our gorgeous table. you've seen the turkey with this glistening skin and its crunchy. everybody will love the skin on this turkey and the cornbread stuffing is so good. you had me cook it here, that's the extra. we have roasted carrots and potatoes and put them on a cookie sheet with salt and pepper and put them in the oven. carrot is cooked separately. and you add dill. i like this, too, the nametags

are little -- you know the little colored corns you can get at the supermarket? we spray painted them gold. the most beautiful place cards. >> on red onions and pears, roasted very simply, with a little bit of butter and sherry vinegar. >> yum. >> you make sweet potatoes with maple syrup. >> boil the sweet potato or roast them and put them in the food processor and make them into a puree and add maple syrup. >> instead of raw? >> and we have broccoli. a lot of people miss fresh vegetables. what can i do for green? >> green been casserole. green been ail mon din. >> you don't want that. you want this. this has a little bit of roasted garlic slivers and broccoli sauteed in a little bit of olive

oil, a tasty, pretty, simple healthy fresh thanksgiving. >> and just to remind people with their turkeys, probably getting it from the oven right now, per pound, how much length of time do you leave it? >> about 20 minutes per pound stuffed, and 14, 16 minutes, unstuffed. remember, try to make that a gristening gorgeous turnky thke year. it works. >> or t-shirts, as you said. >> i have never seen a turkey glisten like that. >> it is great. >> martha stewart, thank you so much. i know everybody at the home appreciates the help, too. i will be taking these ideas home. let's go back to lester holt with our servicemen and women in afghanistan. lester. >> reporter: what a nine day, 10 day mission this has been. walking with marines in marjah

and been with marines in helmand province, a terrific day getting to know these fine individuals. i'm standing on something i have no idea what it is. everything in the military is initials acronyms. >> what is this? >> mwrap. >> what does this stand for? i don't know. something that does doesn't blow up easily. >> hello, missouri family. say hi to joseph and savannah. my children are in maine. >> anybody watching at home? >> yes, sir. my wife, christie and my son, and daughter, elizabeth. >> from maine? >> hi, mom. >> i hope they're watching. i should tell you if folks and family are watching, this will be played on todayshow.com. i want to get as many people. can you get the camera around here? there you go. get as many people as we can,

they've all come out here, a lot of them still waiting in line to get the thanksgiving meal. it's been our honor and privilege to spend this holiday with them. we hope if we have loved ones here, you've been able to see them during our report here and wish all of them a safe and wonderful thanksgiving. >> lester, welcome. hope you get home soon very safely. to you and all the troops, cheers and thank you for all the hard work. >> wish them well. >> we wish all of you the best. the 84th thanksgiving parade straight ahead on nbc. matt, meredith and al have been giving a sneak preview all morning long and will bring it to you live with the sneak preview of the parade route. you see acts warming up, five minutes away from the excitement of the parade. we'll see you back here tomorrow. have a wonderful thanksgiving, everyone. >> happy thanksgiving.

good morning, everybody. time is 8:56. i'm brent cannon. time to check your thanksgiving forecast with rob >> chilly but dry forecast throughout the bay area. high temperatures in the mid-50s around san jose and low 50s livermore. 55 for santa rosa there and across the north bay, 50s as

well. 30s around reno and truck yee. next round of rain late friday night into saturday, clearing and breezy sunday. check of traffic approaching downtown san jose due to the turkey trot offramp closures 87 northbound at santa clara and julian, southbound for julian as well along highway 87. more news after the break. lightning fast. lightning strong.

verizon 4g lte. rule the air on the most advanced 4g network in the world. today is a national holiday which means local transportation will run on a holiday schedule. caltrain will operate on a sunday schedule with training running between san francisco and san jose. there will be shuttle service between the tammian station and trains will not travel south of

san jose. friday caltrain will have a modified schedule, some going south into gilroy. the macy's thanksgiving day parade kicks off in a few more minutes. have a great thanksgiving.