is the perfect choice for holiday gatherings. martinelli's is non-alcoholic, festive like champagne, and tastes great! martinelli's: since 1868. deadly twist. a person of interest in the murder of a famed hollywood publicist takes his own life as police try to confront him. was he the man who killed ronni chasen? where is julian assange? the international manhunt for the wikileaks founder intensifies as his website prepared for another document dump that could be a big embarrassment for a major u.s. bank. well,excuse me. an event featuring steve martin falls so flat with the audience organizers are offering refunds. martin says he's surprised by the decision. today is thursday, december 2nd, the decision. today is thursday, december 2nd, 2010.

captions paid for by nbc-universal television welcome to "today" this thursday morning. i'm meredith vieira. >> i'm matt lauer. los angeles police are insisting the death of a man allegedly connected to the murder of ronni chasen does not mean the investigation is over. >> police were at an apartment house to serve a search warrant to a man labeled a person of interest in the case. the man pulled out a gun and shot himself. the latest from the scene straight ahead. also ahead, an alarming scam targeting female college students pledging sororities. police say someone is friending them on facebook, claiming to be their sorority sister, and then asking them to send naked photos. it has happened on at least five college campuses. coming up, we'll talk to one of the victims now so scared she is now leaving that school. her exclusive story coming up.

plus, we'll meet a boy who will not eat any food at all, no meat, no vegetables, not even yogurt. the only way they can feed him is through a tube. and a look into the investigation of this famed hollywood publicist, ronni chasen. george lewis is in los angeles with the latest on this. good morning to you. >> good morning, matt. a police source tells nbc news the man who shot himself is believed to be the same man who murdered publicist ronni chasen two weeks ago. they haven't identified the shooter as yet. this whole thing have left people in the mo offy industry shocked. police arrived at this hollywood apartment house about sundown wednesday. when they confronted the man in the lobby, he pulled a gun. >> the person they were looking for showed up. they attempted to talk to the suspect. when they did, the suspect produced a handgun and there was

a self-inflicted gunshot wound at that point in time, and the suspect was pronounced at the scene. >> reporter: beverly hills officers confirmed the man was tied into the murder of hollywood publicist ronni chasen, although they're not yet calling him a suspect. >> our detectives were here on a follow-up and this person was a person of interest from the chasen incident. that's all we have at this point >> reporter: residents said the incident brought out scores of police officers. >> my neighbors came and knocked and beat on the door and said there were 50, 60 cops in the building. >> reporter: ronni was well-known in the film industry, the go-to publicist if you wanted your movie promoted for the academy awards. oscar winner "slum daug dog millionaire" for example. two weeks ago at the movie premier of "burlesque," chasen was hobnobbing off the red carpet, the last pictures of her alive. afterward she drove her mercedes west on sunset boulevard into beverly hills. at about 12:30 as she was

turning off sunset toward home, officials say that another car, perhaps a big suv, pulled alongside her, and someone opened fire shattering the passenger window of chasen's car. reportedly some investigators called the shooting a professional hit job. chasen was still alive when paramedics arrived but pronounced dead an hour later at the hospital. it's quite a contrast from the swanky beverly hills neighborhood where chasen was gunned down to this seedy street in hollywood where a man believed implicated in that killing ended his life. police say their investigation is still very much open, a lot of questions yet to be answered, and other people may be involved. meredith? former fbi profiler, clint, good morning to you. >> good morning. >> police say they believe there

are more people involved. where do they go from here, the police? >> according to some neighbors in that area, meredith, this is a man who says he was an ex-convict. he did time for firearms violations, drug violations. he's living in a $600 a month apartment. he had been evicted from it some say. this is a man who told people he was coming into $10,000 so you have to question what that source of the money would have been. in this particular case i think law enforcement is very quickly going to put this wiring diagram together. they have the potential shooter. they can attempt to match the ballistics from the gun he used to commit suicide to the murder weapon. i don't think this investigation is over at all. if in fact this is someone who was coming into money, that suggests someone was going to pay it. the question is who and why. >> he reportedly also told a neighbor that if police ever came after him for anything he would kill himself and never go back to prison.

>> yeah. and in my career as an fbi agent i've heard people say they would never go back again. this may be the motive for his own murder or his own suicide but it still doesn't suggest who if in fact he was being paid to commit this terrible crime, who put him up to it and what the ultimate motive was. this is right now a true hollywood mystery story. >> that's the question, clint. this was a very popular publicist in hollywood. ronni chasen. do you think police know more than they are saying when it comes to motive? >> i think so. number one, they were put onto this person. this man who committed suicide who allegedly used the first name harold law enforcement has been following him for a few days. they received information that he was coming back to his apartment. that's when they were there to execute a search warrant. so they've executed search warrants on the victim's home, on this shooter's home, on other

places. i think police have a pretty good idea what they're doing right now and i think they're sending a message by not discussing the case the message is we know other people are out there and probably involved and we're coming after you. >> do you sense there will be other arrests in the days ahead very soon? >> if there's anyone else involved they will put this together quickly. they'll have the individual who committed suicide, his cell phone records, bank records, perhaps computer records. in this day of technology, it's very easy to find an electronic surveillance trail and track it back to someone else even though his reason for committing suicide may have been that he didn't want to go back to prison at the moment he's denied law enforcement valuable information. meredith, hollywood pd, lapd are some of the best in the nation. they'll put this puzzle together and pretty soon the puzzle will

show the face of the person ultimately responsible for ronni's murder. >> clint van zandt, thank you very much. >> let us swing over to the news desk right now. ann curry standing by with the rest of the headlines of the morning. good morning to you. >> good morning. this morning parts of the northeast are recovering from a storm that brought snow, heavy rain and dangerous winds last night. nbc's ron allen is in new jersey with more on this story. ron, good morning. >> reporter: good morning to you, ann. if you look behind me you can see a blue tarp on the roof of that house. that's where a tree came crashing into it yesterday. fortunately no one was home at the time. in this region wind gusts were clocked near 60 miles an hour. there was driving rain, a powerful storm that brought a real blast of winter. it's the first major snowfall of the season in western new york state. with this lake-effect snow warning now through friday accumulations from 8 to 16 inches expected. snow is just the latest act of a storm that began by unleashing

tornadoes on the southeast earlier this week. more than 50 homes destroyed outside atlanta, georgia. a fast moving and powerful storm then blanketed the east coast with strong wind and soaking rain. up to several inches in some areas. whipping up waves along the shore causing severe flooding in pittsburgh and mud slides in north carolina that sent a house sliding more than 40 feet down a hill knocking down a power transformer in a southern new jersey town. some residents evacuated to shelters. no power is expected back on until the end of the week. traveling anywhere especially by air has been delayed and difficult. planes ground to a halt at new york's penn station for several hours because of problems with overhead wires backing up service north to boston. it's a storm that brought a harsh wintry mix. warnings of flash flooding, severe thunderstorms, and dangerous gusty winds that today

fortunately for the northeast is blowing away. the story now is the cold weather. overnight temperatures dropped by as much as 25 degrees from 60 down near freezing and that trend will continue by next week we'll have temperatures struggling to get out of the 30s. welcome to winter, ann. >> all right, ron. thank you to the warning. new york democratic congressman charles rangel faces almost certain censure by the house today. he insists he never meant to violate house rules but his financial wrongdoing justifies censure. it appears that democrats and republicans agreed to extend the bush era tax cuts including the wealthy. mitch mcconnell says the only question now is for how long. negotiations are centering on a one to three-year extension. wild and crazy it wasn't.

some fans of steve martin were disappointed when they paid $50 a piece to attend a live interview with author and comedian in new york. the questions focused on art, the subject of martin's newest book. audience members complained so strongly that the sponsor is offering refunds. as a member of our crew just recently said, well excuse me. it is now 7:11. back to matt, meredith and al. >> i think it was you. >> i said it also. what can you say about that? >> i think we say al is here with a check of the weather is the best way to get around that. >> probably the best way to go. let's look and show you what's happening. we do have that lake-effect snow that ron was talking about. wa cold air across warm lake-effect waters and that's picking up moisture and when it drops over the land it cools off and brings the snow. look at those snow bands

developing across from erie, pennsylvania, on into buffalo and watertown, new york. snowfall amounts some areas up to two feet of snow around watertown between erie and buffalo anywhere from a foot to a foot and a half of snow before it's all over in the next 48 hours. that's what's going on around clouds filling in making for a pretty sunrise. the bay bridge at the bottom and all over this next screen. clouds and rain across the coast. that will be sliding further south into the afternoon and you can see on the cast from today through tomorrow, probably looking at off and on rain showers making our way into the weekend. rain moving in with highs in the low 60s and 50s across the north bay for the afternoon. and that's your latest weather. thanks very much. new details this morning in the international man hunt nor julian assange, the controversial founder of

wikileaks. peter alexander is in stockholm, sweden. good morning to you. >> reporter: matt, good morning to you. just hours ago, sweden's supreme court dismissed julian's a sang's appeal that would have had the arrest warrant for him dropped and means he is still wanted for sex crimes here in sweden. the swedish prosecutor wants to question him about allegationses of rape and molestation made by two women in this country this past summer. the international man hunt to find assange who hasn't been seen publicly in nearly a month is intensifying. he's become one of the world's most recognizable and controversial figures. now, julian assange, wikileak's founder is the object of an international man hunt, quickly making headlines around the globe. [ speaking foreign language ] >> reporter: the international police force, interpol, has added assange to its wanted

list, posting a red notice across 188 countries. here in sweden, prosecutors want to question the 39-year-old australian computer hacker about rape and sexual molestation allegations made by two wikileak volunteers in august, allegations assange has repeatedly denied. >> i have never done anything unconsensual in my private life. >> reporter: several british newspapers report the fugitive, assange, whose friends say revels in his outlaw image is hiding in a secret location somewhere near london. a wikileaks colleague says that's assange's own protection. >> we have gotten heated response and even threats from governments and calls for assassination of julian assange. >> reporter: assange has reportedly altered his appearance dyeing his unmistakable white hair and

encrypting cell phones. but law enforcement says he's not on the run and they know where to find him. he calls the allegations not a prosecution but a persecution. >> we're in a rather surreal swedish fairytale, where nothing has happened like this before in sweden or elsewhere in civilized europe. >> reporter: the addition of assange to interpol's wanted list came shortly after wick ke leaks released more than a quarter million secret documents revealing sensitive information about foreign leaders. was the timing a coincidence or politically motivated, as assange claims to punish him for his wikileaks website. >> as unpopular as mr. assange has become and embarrassing as many of the disclosures reflect, it's clear he's in the crosshairs of the u.s. government and many of the u.s. government's allies. >> reporter: important to note, so far no formal charges have

been filed against julian assange. overnight, i spoke to the attorney for the two women making claims. one of the most prominent womens rights attorneys in the entire country. he says his clients are in some part relieved this case is moving forward and hope assange will be taken into custody sometime this week. peter alexander in stockholm. thank you very much. 16 minutes past the hour. now to washington and your money. republicans and democrats are locked in fights over tax cuts, unemployment benefits and staggering budget deficit. kelly o'donnell has the latest. good morning to you. >> reporter: hi, meredith. congress has to fix this or everyone's tax rates are set to go up next month. republicans say they are ready for a fight to keep it the same no matter what you make. today, democrats want to make their point only the middle class should be spared so they plan to vote in the house on keeping rates the same only for those earning less than $250,000

a year. a fight over your money? >> that's ridiculous what's going on around here. >> reporter: a feud between republicans and democrats over whose tax, if anyone's should go up next month. >> let's say to paris hilton and bill gates and warren buffet, no, you're not going to get hundred thousand dollar tax cut. >> reporter: not a question if, how long tax rates stay the same. >> we're not going to raise taxes on anybody. the only thing we're discussing is how long that extension will be. >> reporter: that air of confidence followed a move that has democrats angry. >> obstruct, delay, obstruct, delay. >> reporter: all 42 senate republicans vowed to block all other issues to get their way on tax cuts. >> they're not going to convince us because they won a few seats in the senate and picked up the house that was a mandate to give

tax breaks to millionaires and billionaires. oh, no. >> as i was listening to him, i was reminded most of the people whose taxes he's trying to raise live in new york. they're not.in tennessee. >> reporter: real negotiations began behind the scenes. the top money men are trying to work out a deal on capitol hill just as the president's bipartisan's debt commission delivered the tough medicine it says the country needs to swallow to prevent financial disaster. >> this is a haircut greater than any hair i have left on doing something with everybody in the united states in a balanced fair way. >> reporter: the idea is to bring down the deficit include big changes to the tax code and raising the age for social security. >> we are borrowing 40 cents of every dollar we spend. that can't go on very long. >> reporter: part of all these negotiations are what to do if unemployment benefits for those who exhausted all their federal

benefits, ran out earlier this week. both parties want to resolve that and give people more time. democrats say it should be done with emergency spending. republicans say it has to be paid for by finding cuts somewhere else. again, they're divided. meredith, matt. >> kelly, thank you very much. despite those fears over the growing deficit, the dow took a big jump wednesday, closing up nearly 250 points. jim cramer is the host of "mad money" on cnbc. good morning to you. >> hi. >> we talk about deficits and tax cuts. why the big jump, 250 points in thedy to, down about 1% in november. why the jump? >> we have growth, central bankers doing the right thing, a huge amount of credibility for bernanke right now. there is a compromise and people are excited about it. >> wall street is getting giddy act the fact these tax cuts will stay in place for a year or three years. >> there's self interesting greed on wall street, that's not

been overruled. i think center is what matters, matt. even if we got higher rates, we need to know what they're going to be. >> what would happen -- it's not going to happen now, what would have happened had these tax cuts been allowed to expire? what would have been the fall-out on wall street? >> i think there would have been the sense we would absolutely slip back into a recession or much slower growth and a lot of the great work we've done in the last three months to build the economy would be torn down. >> the federal debt commission has come out with a difficult set of ideas to lower the deficit including tax hikes and spending cuts. what would it mean to the average american if some or all are put into place. >> lower standard of living for most americans, absolutely without a doubt. this is really designed to make it so one day we'll still be competitive with chinese, indians, brazilians. we are slipping back. this is to put us on even footing because we owe too much,

our children owe too much. >> lower standard of living is that necessary, a pill we need to swallow now for long term benefits? >> definitely. yes. americans should read this. opening how much we owe, far more than anyone realized. >> wikileaks in the headized because of the release of cables from the state department but promising to release information on a major u.s. bank. a, is anyone on wall street talking about which bank it might be and how worried are the people? >> everybody is shaking about this. everybody knows there are so many smoking guns in the bank industry in the last couple of years, it could be devastateding. all the bored points to bank of america, they're neither confirming or denying, to tell you people aren't worried about this is nuts. this is all we're talking about. the dinner, pub conversation, lunchtime conversation, who knows what? >> jim cramer, thanks very much. you can catch this gentleman at 6:00 and 11:00 eastern time on

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7:30 on a thursday morning, the second day of december, 2010, holiday season in full swing in rockefeller plaza, a lit christmas tree in the background. hanukkah started at sundown last night, for those of you celebrating that holiday. and we have gathered in the plaza, which seems enthusiastic. i'm matt lauer, alongside meredith vieira. just ahead, a dangerous scam that targets sorority pledges.

someone pretending to be a sorority sister on facebook and then the demand for naked photos begins and one victim speaks out in that interview straight ahead. every child has certain foods they don't want to eat. what if your child would not eat anything at all? we'll hear from the parents of a boy dealing with that difficult dilemma. plus, a family involved in an earlier medical miracle this year, a toddler drowned after his mom stepped away from a bathtub, declared on arrival at the hospital but then doctors brought him back to life. he is here along with his parents. he looks great. coming up. it's a great story. let's begin this half hour with the dramatic moment of the trial of elizabeth smart's accused kidnapper. wednesday, a visibly upset smart stormed out of the courtroom. kristen from salt lake city has details. >> reporter: good morning to you, matt. ever since this trial began in early november, elizabeth smart has shown remarkable composure while the horrifying details of

her nine months in captivity have been revealed inside this courthouse. now, testimony by a forensic psychiatrist may have been too much for her. elizabeth smart, the face of calm, as she arrived at court yesterday. brian david mitchell is on trial for alemgdly kidnapping and repeatedly raping smart back in 2002, when she was just 14 years old. the prosecution has argued mitchell is a master manipulator. the defense is trying to prove mitchell is mentally ill and does not know right from wrong. wednesday, a witness for the defense said mitchell was delusional and abducted smart by a desire to have children and create a new race. wright had reportedly testified quote mitchell was talking to miss smart about having babies to the point smart actually picked out a name if that happened.

witnesses say at that point, smart stormed out. >> her lips were pursed together. she threw and icy glare at the doctor on the witness stand before she walked out of the courtroom. at that point, the doctor apologized saying, i know this is a sensitive subject. >> reporter: legal analysts say smart's emotional display may influence the jurors. >> i think the jury will probably get the picture that elizabeth smart doesn't think very much of this testimony. >> reporter: meantime, just this week, the court released transcripts from the initial fbi interview with mitchell conducted shortly after he was first arrested. the interview lasts hours as fbi agents try to get mitchell to admit he kidnapped smart at knife point and repeatedly raped her. at one point, an i geagent asks quote how did she come to be iron cuin your custody. he said by the power of almighty god. they asked him if he had sex

with smart, after skirting the question several times, he responds, i say to your question, no. the court drama was called off just as court was about to begin because mitchell suffered a seizure and taken to the hospital. wednesday, the defendant was back in court but only briefly because the judge ordered him removed when he started singing church hymns, something mitchell has done everyday since court began. now, according to witness, once court adjourned, the psychiatrist walked over to the smart family and began talking to them. that's when a still visibly upset elizabeth smart said something to the psychiatrist. he abruptly turned around and walked away. this trial is expected to last for at least another week. matt. kristen, thank you very much, in salt lake city. let's get a check on the weather from al. today's weather brought to you by advil. make the switch to advil now. good morning, everybody. please excuse luke from school.

luke doesn't look too happy to be out of school. you okay, bud? >> say hello. >> if i had a heater, i would. >> if i had a heater, i would. that's it. that's the line of the morning. i've been wanting to use that, if i had a heater, i would. let's check your weather. we have some video from pennsylvania, where they got dumped, some areas picking up 3 to 4 inches of rain. then changed over to snow. what a mess. oh, my gosh. they'd feel a lot better if they had a heater and a sump pump. that would help, too. jetstream way out to the north and west. means we have plenty of sunshine. stormtrackers along the eastern seaboard and we have rain and out west, rain as well. we move to saturday, it dips to the south, bringing rain to southern california. more cold air and frigid air from the plains and in teens and 20s and northeast.

>>. >> let's show i what's going on. a little bit of rain if the north bay. here in the satellite view, let's take you closer to santa rosa. widely scattered showers and in the north bay, the location that awaits that band of rain, dropping further south through the afternoon. highs today 50s and 60s and plenty of opportunities for showers though with sunshine mixed in between. expect a cool down as we move into the weekend. luke, would you like some hot chocolate or something, bud? >> yes. >> we'll get you some hot chocolate, all right. meredith. al, thank you very much. to a new scam targeting college girls on facebook. we'll talk to them exclusively in just a moment. jeff has details. good morning. >> hi, meredith. good morning to you. police say there are more than a dozen victims so far, all college girls pledging

sororities. they got a facebook message from an older sorority sister there to help out. in fact, it isn't really a sorority sister. police say it may be a man. what starts with normal conversation usually ends with nude photo, threats of violence and personal secrets revealed. things were looking good for ashley, kicking off her college experience here at florida state university, a freshman ready for new classes and new friends. ashley even got a bid to pledge a popular sorority, cappa delta. >> this was exciting? >> absolutely. this was big. >> days later, sitting in her dorm room, ashley logged into facebook and up popped a chat window from a pretty girl claiming to be a sorority sister at kappa delta. >> the first conversation was two hours long, thoroughly in debt. tell me anything about you, what your personality is like, why you decided to join a sorority? how is or family life? how is high school?

>> you're thinking this is real? >> definitely. no question in my mind. >> reporter: it went on for days and thought it was part of pledging. then the conversation turned. >> asked me what sort of underwear i was wearing and then put it in my mouth and take a picture. they said for the sisterhood. >> reporter: the scam artist is hitting several schools in the southeast, not only fsu but also the university of florida, auburn university and the university of alabama and lsu. >> it could be a man or woman or kid, may not even be in this country. right now, this person appears to be targeting sorority students and we don't know who they could be targeting next week. >> reporter: ashley says she never sent nude photos but most have. after all,thy mystery messenger somehow knew where they lived, class schedules, everything, seemed like normal hazing.

when ashley tried to cut off communication, it got even worse. >> threatened to reveal my secrets, two girls were outside my dorm room that could come up and handle me. >> reporter: ashley went straight to police and learned the truth. she was scammed. scared and vulnerable, ashley has left school now living back home with her mom. >> my biggest fear now is sitting behind a computer screen getting nude photos for girls is not enough for them and they could attack someone physically. finding out who is behind all this could definitely help me sleep at night. >> police have no real leads at the moment, no idea who's behind these e-mails and worried he or she could strike again soon. this is just another reason to check your privacy setting on all social networking sites, especially facebook and only accept friends you really know in real life. >> thank ashley atchison is with us along with our legal analyst, dan

abrams. welcome to both of you. these messages, innocent enough, calling herself or himself leslie, asking about your family, why you wanted to join a sorority and you have been singled out as somebody who may want to become a leader. when you look back, are you surprised how quickly you trusted this stranger? >> basically, the way they got me in was thought i was up to leadership position in the future and i am thinking if i don't do this, in my senior year, maybe i will really regret passing this opportunity up. as i said in this clip, these conversations werable 2 1/2 hours long, sometimes 30 minutes, three times a day. i don't really regret trusting them very quickly. >> you had 12 conversations over three days and they became increasingly more bizarre. you mentioned they asked about the color of your underwear, wanted you to ball it up, put it in your mouth, wanted a nude photo of you, wanted to know if you had a webcam. at what point did you realize

there was something really wrong here? >> basically they claimed they had talked to girls living in the house as well as alums through rush week and claimed they contacted my mom. this was about midnight. the following day i called my mom and asked her and frantic asking, maybe one of my friends i didn't know about knew my mom. that's when i put the pieces in my head and said, mom, this is bad news. >> went to the campus police? >> yes. >> the campus police told her there were at least nine other girls at college had the same thing happened to them but very hard to track down this person. why? >> first of all, the question is, was there a crime. under florida law, it's pretty clear there was. if you look at the statutes under cyber-stalking and harassment, either misdemeanor or even a felony, pretty clear. >> this person was harassing her? >> harassing, cyber-stalking, et cetera and repeatedly doing it. wilfully, intentionally, all the

key legal terms, this fits. the question is finding the person. we always talk about the fact the internet can be anonymous. you can sign up for facebook pretty easily. authorities say they contacted facebook. the problem is what they really are going to need is find the computers that were actually used to track it back to this person and facebook, at this point, is saying, we don't keep those kinds of records. we don't have all the information about exactly which ip address is linked to every e-mail account. >> what do you do? hope this person makes a mistake? >> i think the fact this person has so much information about all the sororities and women could mean it's someone on the inside, so to speak, someone who knows how these organizations work, someone who maybe even works with or near one of these organizations. i think that could ultimately help them catch him. it's going to involve some sort of slip-up.

but i think in the end, if the authorities stay on this, they will end up finding the person. >> reporter: the person knew when there were sorority meetings and knew the distance from the sorority house to your dorm, pretty scary stuff. you left the school, coming back next semester. >> thank goodness. >> what advice would you give to other women to keep this from happening to them? >> definitely keep your guard up realize there are scary predators out there. i hope these girls don't find shame within themselves and think the shame needs to be looked at from the person behind the computer screen. this is awful. if it was something to be shameful for it wouldn't be spreading across the country the way it is. reach out to campus police, if they're feeling symptoms of depression or anything, please go out to the counseling center. >> a few weeks ago, you found out your face is on the internet in an effort to recruit friends? >> yes. under the name of chelsea and using my profile picture.

that's when the story took a negative turn and made me realize this is way bigger. >> that's the problem, people are using other people's pictures. >> that's not necessarily illegal. >> probably something they can get you to take it down, you find out who's doing it you can get the person to take it down. when it comes to committing a crime, probably not depending what you're doing with it. >> ashley, thank you for joining us. i wish you the very best. up next on the special series, curious medicine, the boy who won't eat any food at all right after this. sometimes i worry., sometim. what if something bad happens? so what happens if someone gets my credit or debit card and buys a ton of stuff? that would be... really, really bad. [ male announcer ] with bank of america's zero liability guarantee, you're not responsible for any fraudulent charges on your card. guaranteed. bank of america says they'll credit any fraudulent charges back to my account as soon as the next day. the next day! that makes me feel better about using these cards. they've got my back. they've got my back. [ male announcer ] the opportunity to worry less about fraud with the zero liability guarantee from bank of america.

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- oh, we miss you, honey. - i'll be home soon. until then... tommy? - behind every open heart is a story. - it's beautiful. - tell yours with my open heart collection at kay jewelers. keep your heart open, and love will always find its way in. alleged alleged we'reback at 7:47. curious medicine. every parent worries about how and will your children eat. what if your child doesn't eat at all? we have one story. >> reporter: getting kids to eat healthy food is an age-old problem. for kathryn and kevin harrison, the battle is even bigger. their son, daniel, won't eat any food at all. nothing. the only way the harrisons can feed their youngest child is through a tube.

>> he's impossible. he just wouldn't eat. he'd bang his head, hurt himself. obviously, we knew something was drastically wrong. >> reporter: when he was a baby, he suffered from severe acid reflux, making mealtime extremely painful, so bad he is now afraid to eat. that fear is compounded by autism, a disability that enforces repetitive behavior. his mother tries everyday, milk, no. vegetables, no. no way. by the time she offers yogurt, daniel gets upset. feeding your child is a fundamental thing. >> when you can't and you know there's no physical reason why he shouldn't be doing it, you feel you're failing as a parent. >> reporter: the harrisons say they are doing everything they can to make their son's life as normal as possible. >> upside down. there we go. >> reporter: but to give him the

best shot at happiness, the harrisons know they have to get daniel to eat. weaning off a feeding tube is difficult and potentially dangerous. this clinic in austria is one of the few places in the world that specializes in the technique. they brought their 4-year-old daughter here two weeks ago. >> one bite and then we'll finish. >> reporter: the combination of medical and psychological procedures will take three weeks and cost over $20,000. the clinic has a more than 90% success rate. >> she's eating things like yogurt, little bits of pasta. >> reporter: small steps towards what the harrisons say is their ultimate goal, to sit down at the dinner table together and finally eat a normal family meal. for "today," stephanie, nbc news, knotting ham, england. >> still to come today, is it okay to re-gift? how much should you tip? lis and don't when it comes tes

day etiquette. first, these messages. told him? - i... i can't tell. - [gasps] oh, honey. - oh, yeah. he went to jared. - he totally went to jared. female announcer: celebrate life's unforgettable moments with pandora charms and bracelets, now at jared, where you'll find a fabulous pandora selection. - oh. all: aww! - they are so cute at that age. ♪ but you're not sweet you made my butt fat ♪ ♪ you drove me insane self-control down the drain ♪ ♪ we're over i'm so done with that ♪ ♪ i found a newhoove na ♪ ♪ that comes from a little green leaf ♪ ♪ zero-calorie, guilt-free no artificiality ♪ ♪ my skinny jeans zipped in relief ♪ ♪ its name is truvia i had no idea ♪ ♪ no more sprinkling my coffee with grief ♪ [ announcer ] truvia. honestly sweet.

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your table will be ready in 28 days. ah, we got you a booth! just relax, the doctor will be with you in 28 days. you'd never wait that long. huh? so why wait 28 days for new releases? blockbuster has hot new titles, like knight and day and charlie saint cloud , 28 days before netflix and redbox. rent them in store, by mail, stream on demand and on the go. blockbuster. less waiting. more watching. look who's here? >> luke is here. >> 7 years old. from north carolina, outside, said he would have been happier if he had a heater. >> you're now a heater. congratulations. >> you okay, bud? >> if i had a heater, i would! >> how do you like new york besides being cold?

>> i like the statute of liberty and the empire state building. >> wow. >> you were on martha stewart yesterday doing a little rapping and dancing? >> you get around. >> can you show us a little dance move? >> yeah! >> very good. >> luke can do 100 math problems in three minutes. we got him some hot chocolate. >> good to have you here today. we'll be right back. say, we'll beig r htback. >> we'll be right back! dad, where does breakfast come from?

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>>. >> it's 7:56. >> off the 85, in the 30s and even 20s at sometimes past the san jose international airport. 280 slows as well, but that's not the worst. northbound 17 is slow after the earlier sig ark letter that cleared over a half hour ago. slow before you get to the summit past the scene. the southbound side is typical for 17. interstate 80 with a 34-minute drive off of the bridge. highway 24 and 880 speeds closer to 40 and 50. the maze is typically slow and starting to recover after a couple of accidents into

concord. >> watching the rain impact the commute. widely scattered showers showing up and more of that late or this afternoon. the rain light weakens some by the time it hits the bay. mainly nairs north. 50s and 60s for highs. chances of showers off and on through the time is time is 7:57. more news after the break. ♪ i ain't got no time for a nap, oh no, no ♪ ♪ i gotta make this holiday glow, like a light bulb ♪ ♪ tie it all up in a big shiny bow. i'm a "home for the holiday" superhero ♪ ♪ mrs. claus ain't got nothin' on me. i'm dancin' circles ♪

♪ around the christmas tree.

>> new this morning moments ago, which countries will host the world cup in 2018 and 2o 22. the winners are russia for 2018. 2022 goes to qatar. mum ba reports qatar shares in many of the industries and increases the most fields by optimism about the world cup bid. russia won even though the prime minister decided not to call on fifa to consider them as a host. one of the front-runners last time the u.s. hosted was back in 1994.

♪ >> 8:00 now on this thursday morning, the 2nd day of december, 2010. the sun is shining here in new york, but it is pretty cold at rockefeller plaza. just 34 degrees. our crowd does not seem to mind. i'm meredith vieira with matt lauer and al roker. a boy was left unattended when his mom got distracted, and he had then drowned and stopped breathing. his lips were blue. no pulse. they took him to the hospital and he was pronounced dead on the arrival, but then the

doctors managed bring him back to life. he is here, and we'll talk to them coming up. they are smiling because he is doing great. >> wow. that is so knignice the way tha turned out. also ahead, holiday etiquette. a lot of questions come up at this time of the year. someone gives you a gift, and you don't have one in return? >> oh. >> oh. >> what do you do? also, what about tipping during the holiday season? we're going to take a look at holiday etiquette? >> how about regifting? >> regifting? is it okay to regift? no? i still have that same rice maker. not true. >> you guys like potatoes? >> i love potatoes. >> how is it like having them every day, that's all you eat for 60 days? >> only spuds? >> only spuds? we're going to talk about a guy that did just that. he is the forrest gump of potatoes. >> he looks good, though. >> he has another eye. >> i was going to say that. let's go inside. ann curry is standing by at the news desk. she has all the headlines.

ann. >> once again, good morning, everybody. quantas is asking for compensation from rolls royce. the transport safety bureau says that lufthansa and singapore airlines that use the same trenton 900 engine should now recheck them. sweden's supreme court is upholding an order to bring julian assange for questioning and denies the accusations made by two swedish women who work for him. assange has sparked international outrage by posting secret documents about america's diplomatic relations and the wars in afghanistan and çiraq. the house is expected to vote in favor of censure for new york congressman charles rangel. earlier this month the house ethices committee suggested that censure as punishment for his violation. it is the ultimate punishment for wrong doing under house rules. the 40-year veteran congressman made a last ditch attempt to

sway the decision e-mailing 20,000 supporters requesting they contact their congressman to vote against censure. a man at the center of the investigation into the slaying of hollywood publicist ronnie chaisson has died of self-inflicted gunshot wounds. detectives in los angeles say he shot himself on wednesday as they tried to question him about chaisson's murder. he was 64, and he was killed as she drove home after attending the premier of the movie "burl effect." the investigation will continue despite the swooid. it appears that democrats and republicans have agreed to extend the bush era tax cuts for everyone, including the wealthy. senate republican leader mitch mcconnell says the only question now is for how long. party leaders say that negotiations are centering on a one to three year extension. and from the midwest to the northeast people are still recovering from a strong storm with winds that even bustled the branches of the rockefeller center christmas tree. the severe weather also brought

tornadoes, flooding, and snow to many midwestern and gulf coast states. those are some of the top stories. it's three minutes past. let's go back outside to matt and meredith. >> thank you very much. mr. roker has made his way just to the other side of the plaza. >> yes, i have. got some friends here from -- are you here from -- all right. you need a microphone, sir. you know -- we're not bringing him inside for hot chocolate. i'm just telling you right now. let's check your weather to see what's going on. norfolk, virginia, oh, breezy, clouds, and cold. there goes that storm off the new england coast. thank goodness for that.

more wet weather moving in the pacific northwest. lake-effect snow is setting up right now along the great lakes. we got more rain in the pacific northwest. sunny skies up and down the eastern seaboard. plenty of sunshine along the gulf coast. that's what's going on around here's a view from the mountain, you can see a mixed pile, mid and high-level clouds, some sprinkles in the north bay, some showers will drop north to south later on. the temperatures you can expect later on this afternoon, kind of mild. we have 30s and 40s for the morning, 60 south of san jose, 50s across the north bay, especially north of the golden gate, as we get into the weekend, more sunny breaks and showers with cooler temperatures. we have a birthday girl here! what's your name? >> frances enrickes. zoom what's your birthday -- 08th. >> she looks fantastic. >> you're pretty cute yourself. >> well. fantastic.

>> you look pretty cute yourself. >> think matt would like to date and 80-year-old woman? >> look at the time! moving right along. when we come back, amazing story. a baby declared dead actually brought back to life. we'll check in with him and his parents right after this. - you went to kay. she'll love it. [chuckles] trust me. i know. - more milk? - thanks, dave, but i got to fly. ho-ho-ho-ho-ho. - gift-giving experts agree on kay. save 25% on bulova watches, one more reason kay is the number one jewelry store in america. - i love it. - santa said you would. no, really. 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.

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back at 8:09 with our special series "today's update 2010." a 16-month-old brought back from the dead after drowning in his family bathtub. first, how their worst nightmare became a medical miracle. >> it was the typical saturday morning here at our house. >> it was her worst nightmare, while giving two of her sons a bath, the young mother briefly stepped away, got distracted. and when she returned, the unthinkable. her youngest son, 16-month-old bronson was submerged in the tub. >> he was white. his eyes rolled back in his head, his lips were blue and the

bathtub was so full. >> her frantic attempts at cpr didn't help him and the paramedics could not revive him. when he reached the hospital, he was not breathing and declared dead on arrival. >> he was gone. it was so fast, i wanted to rewind and kept begging, please, baby, please wake up. >> doctors refused to give up. after working on bronson 40 minutes, they restored a heart beat. >> our sweet little boy laying there with a tube in his mouth and wires and ivs and i can't even count how many things he was connected to. >> for nearly two weeks, he lay in a coma, his parents praying at his bedside. then a miracle, he woke up and started to regain mental and motive function. >> you could see him in the beginning, lifting his chin forward and recognized me when i walked in the room. >> slowly but surely, the boy

thought to be lost forever improved. >> they told me bronson would have to leave the hospital in a wagon, he wasn't going to be allowed to walk out of the hospital. but he had a mind of his own. and he walked out on his own power. >> soon after, we met the tiny boy who survived an ed against odds. >> he looks and seems great, the same little boy you knew before? >> absolutely. almost unbelievable, really. >> matt and sarah are here, of course, along with bronson. good morning to you all. hi! i was watching your faces, matt and sarah, you were watching that piece and you got very emotional. seeing it and reliving it, i guess every time. >> it was only 10 months ago, any time we see the story again, just looking at his pictures, it's very close to the surface.

>> yeah. >> he looks fantastic, your son. it's so hard to believe last january, he was pronounced dead on arrival at the hospital. how well is he doing? >> he is great. we are so grateful, so grateful. first of all, we're intensely aware not every parent who goes through something like this and finds themself in this unfortunate situation is able to experience the outcome they would hope for. we feel so grateful and so thrilled with the progress he's making. we know so many families have gone home with empty arms or gone home with children severely different from the child they had before their incident. this makes us that much more grateful and that much more thrilled with every milestone that he makes. so far, we've seen no indication he has any sort of long term

effect. >> from what happened to him. he was, as i said, dead on arrival, 40 minutes without a heart beat. even when the doctors were able to revive his heart, get him breathing again, heart beating again, they were very concerned about brain damage. >> absolutely. >> how did they explain to you how bronson beat the odds? >> i don't know if there's an explanation other than the fact that we feel beyond anything anyone could ever give any sort of doubt to us, that it was a miracle. that miracle was brought to pass because of a loving father in heaven and also capable, competent -- >> you can let him down. >> he's a wiggler. >> that's okay. he can go anywhere he wants. this is his studio, man. has he had to have any medical intervention since all this happened? what type of medical attention has he had? >> he's on a tracking program with the medical center where he was treated and provo early

intervention, a team of occupational physical therapists that came into our home. when they came to assess him early in this spring, just after we brought him home from the hospital. they told us to be prepared he was on the young end of the age bracket, to qualify for their services in regular therapy sessions, he would need to score somewhere in the 7 percentile or be lope low 10%. we got his assessments back and thrilled to learn even at a young age, he was scoring in the 70th percentile on language and expressive language and we were thrilled as parents will he have that sort of function and capabilities in his life. he was doing beyond what we could hope for. every milestone that he has, we are so thrilled and incredibly grateful for competent doctors and quick medical personnel, emergency team members who came

right to our home. the firemen are so dear to me, they'll be close to us forever. we got to take him to disneyland and the beach for the first time and he dipped his toes in the ocean, those types of things we thought we would never be able to do, we were able to do as a family. you can't put a price on that. >> you know, so many parents, myself included, you mentioned dipping their toes in for the first time, means so much more to you, because of what might have happened. >> absolutely. i think that's the message i would share with anyone. what i tried to share, when i was blocking through our experience at the hospital, life is so fragile and it can turn on a dime, when you least expect it. i lost my focus, i made a huge mistake. >> you don't blame yourself? >> absolutely, will always blame myself. that's a topic for another show. we'll talk about guilt another

day. the point is he is doing so remarkably well, not due to anything we've done. it's just a miracle, and we're so grateful for that and we try to embrace every moment and celebrate every milestone. >> absolutely. >> with so much more joy and forgive the little things maybe we would have been hung up on before and embrace the messes and -- >> with a 2-year-old, there's plenty of that. matt, does he have any memory what happened to him, that you know of? >> not that i know of. >> whoa! >> i think he's still a little young. >> he's fearless. >> absolutely fearless. >> i understand bronson -- going in the water. >> from the beginning, he's always loved to swim, always loved to bathe, always loved to be in water and around water. he's been fearless about it, which is maybe why i was a little 2too comfortable and maye had that lapse in judgment.

>> we're very happy for both of you. you're a lovely family. best to your children as well. happy holidays. thank you very much, matt and sarah and bronson. we'll be back right after this. [ male announcer ] walmart and p&g present family movie night on nbc. [ woman ] what's going on? [ young man ] i never got to say i was sorry. everything's gonna be okay. ♪ [ male announcer ] "a walk in my shoes." december 3rd, 8/7 central on nbc.

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we're back now at 8:21 with holiday etiquette and dos and don't. tis the season for gathering and gift giving. to make sure you avoid certain pitfalls, hi, ladies, good morning to you. we have a lot to get into. i think this should be open and shut. this should be an easy one. if you're at a party and someone is drinking and you're worried about someone driving you home or someone else's home, how do you handle it? >> this is not about etiquette, safety. you have to get those keys out of that man or woman's hands. >> you don't worry about etiquette. >> you don't ride with that person. if the person says, i'm going to drive, get the keys for their safety but don't get in the car with them behind the wheel. >> you say some people are still timid. >> some are, but we have to be strong. >> we have to be empathetic, say, we've all been there, next

time you catch my back and don't try to shame them. >> let's get into re-gifting, shall we? this is a big issue. what are the rules? >> i think re-gifting is perfectly fine. i've done it. people think it's tacky. the only thing that's tacky about it is how you do it. you don't say, i have this sweater i don't like very much, but would you like it? >> you write down who has given you the item. >> boy, is that important. >> and keep track of it. when you give a gift to someone else that was given to you, it 92 ed to be something they truly want. >> not just a way to get it out of your closet. >> they get the spirit of that and it doesn't work. >> we asked some viewers online. >> i purchased a bath set from my mother-in-law, told my husband she didn't like the scent and re-gifted it to me the next year, awkward, not good. >> so important. >> exactly. >> how about this next one, you get surprised by someone during

the holiday season and they hand you a christmas gift or holiday gift and you have nothing for them in return. how do you handle it? >> what's important about the gift giving process includes the receipt of the gift. if you graciously accept it, thank you so much for giving me that. don't apologize for not having a gift for them. >> no excuses, margo? >> you don't want to call attention to the fact you didn't have a gift. just be very gracious and follow-up with a thank you note, a heartfelt thank you note. >> one of our viewers says she keeps spare gifts on hand, has things in the closet. says flashlights are really good. >> i would think a bottle of wine, beautiful one, well wrapped. >> how about gift giving at the office. what are the rules? >> not expensive. if you're not going to give to everyone, don't give publicly. the secret santa thing works really well. if you're going to give to a small group of people, go out to lunch with them, make it subtle. >> i also think you have to be

careful about the kind of message you convey, don't want it too personal, don't want it too lavish, might do it outside the office so other people's feelings aren't hurt. >> tipping during the holiday season, not talking about people that served you all year. let's say you're in a restaurant and a waiter has given you good service, do you tip more during the holiday season than other times of the year? >> i think that's a person question and depends on your budget and ability to do that. generally speaking, tipping is an institution and expected. it is a beautiful wonderful way to say thank you to someone who has given you good service. l >> let me move to you're having a party and rsvp it and they haven't responded getting close to the party, do you pick up the phone? >> i think it's perfectly fine to call and e-mail to check because you have to figure out the catering and how many place settings there will be. also during the holidays, expect if you're hosting a party, somebody will show up who didn't

rsvp and have an extra place setting. >> many get sent by e-mails and people don't respond right away or in the netherlands of the in-box. >> thank you and happy good morning. it's 8:26. i'm laura garcia canon with mike with a look at the traffic. >> right here around high street, they're all moving smoothly, all these lanes, just a bit of brake lights. that will get worse as the next half hour passes. on the maps, you see the speeds at the bottom of your screens, about hose as you're coming through the area, but look at that 580, so a good volume of traffic typically speeds in the

40s, and they rob the peninsula. we're watching clouds across the north bay. that will keep north bay -- a bit more mild further south. get used to the showers next to the sunshine. we'll be stuck in thatte patrn all the way into monday. more news after the break. [ dog barking ] mom!

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a south bay community is on watch this morning looking for a real-life grinch stealing their holiday cheer and belongings. people in santa clara worried about a recent string of break-ins, they're taking christmas decorations, so several homeowners are taking action. they're installing home surveillance systems, hoping to catch thieves in the act. another local news update in half an hour. "today" show returns in less than a minute.

8:30 on a thursday morning. the 2nd day of december. it's a pretty day in the northeast. we have a little breeze on the plaza, temperature of 34 degrees. a great crowd of people saying hi.

the holiday toy drive. >> the 22nd of december, the toys collected today will go to homeless children in palm beach county, florida, seattle, washington and kentucky. you don't have to come here to our plaza to donate. you can get details how you can accomplish that at our website at todayshow.com or amazon.com/today. i'm on the plaza with meredith vieira and al roker. that is a lovely hat. >> you think this is strange. we will meet a man whose unusual diet is making headlines around the world. he ate nothing but potatoes for two months straight. the only thing you could use on them was salt and pepper. >> a lot of potatoes. >> he looks good. >> the amazing thing is he says he lost weight and lowered his

cholesterol. >> what's that about? we will find out. we will remote a woman we first introduced you to 10 years ago, kathie juicy, a pharmaceutical executive diagnosed with a rare cancer. since we first reintroduced you to her, she has raised something like $150 million for research. not only that, but they have created language so that researchers for many different kinds of cancers can figure out a way to communicate and accelerate the finding of hopefully a cure. >> we'll hear from her coming up. >> inspirational. >> you think about therapy, you don't usually think about pickles. we'll show you how they're being used to help and comfort dogs. >> can we bring justin in first? >> good morning! >> guess what? justin is cohosting the fourth hour with kathie lee gifford. >> i'm a little terrified.

i don't have much of a filter. >> the reason you're back is -- >> because you had a great time the last time you were here. you wowed them. >> putting words in my mouth. underwhelming, needed a job. >> they loved you. >> ion i don't know how you get through this. >> a heavier coat would have helped. >> you have a new movie coming out. >> but you heard of this? >> i shot it. that, i remember. >> a serious movie about the civil war. >> it is, yes. about the lincoln assassination and conspiracy surrounding it. i always thought it was a fun topic. turns out it was a whole bunch of people behind it. >> we're looking at a cartoon. >> that's something that came out already. i basically have nothing to promote. >> but you're here anyway. >> a really efficient video

resume. i'm so intrigued by this. he proposed and she said yes. >> let us -- show a picture of that because justin want to know to mom -- >> you have not told her? >> she has no idea. >> kind of hope she watches. >> hi, mom. >> how cool. >> congratulations. >> obviously, they're trying to check out what's going on in oakland. some mid and high hiv level clouds coming in. we'll continue to see the clouds spilling in, good chance of showers across the north bay, as we head into friday morning, north bay temperatures 50s, some low 60s and you'll see, we'll have a few opportunities for showers, off and on as we go through the weekend. and maybe a brief break tuesday,

a little more rain dropping in on us towards wednesday of next week. you can check the weather any time of the day or not, especially on holidays at weather.com. >> do you think you can eat potatoes 60 days straight? we will meet a man who did just that coming hey, you got groceries! yeah! i thought we'd eat at home. save some money. $200 bucks? that's not saving! [jacks voice] at my place i'm bringing back the bonus jack. two patties, melting cheese and my secret sauce plus fries and a drink for only $3.99. i get it. you can eat a lot cheaper at your place than you can at home. but do have this? i have dessert. what about this? ohhh. ohhhhhh.

jack. that's for max.

we're back at 8:37 with a man who ate nothing but potatoes for 60 days. he is the executive director of the washington potato commission and wanted to prove they're high in nutrients. his cholesterol level dropped 67 points two months later. good morning to both of you. so, you are not recommending everybody go out and do this?

>> matt, this is not the next new fad diet. this was really to make a bold statement to remind people the potato truly is healthy and nutritious. >> how did you go about accomplishing it. give me ideas what different ways you ate potatoes and nothing but potatoes for 60 straight days. >> no top, no sour cream, no butter, potato seasoning and oil for cooking. i was sort of the bubba gump of potatoes. >> you ate them steamed, marinated, mashed, your wife actually made you potato ice cream at one point? >> that was a failure big time. it was like artificial chocolate flavored mashed potatoes. >> here's the part really raising eyebrows, your job is to promote potatoes, you say you lost 21 pounds and lowered your cholesterol by 67 points. that will raise a lot of eyebrows. a lot of people think that's not possible. >> it was really to debunk all the myths out there.

people thought i would get fat, become diabetic, become lethargic. none of that happened. i lost weight really because i probably wasn't getting enough calories, i probably should have been eating 25 potatoes instead of 20. >> did he put himself at risk here? >> i know chris consulted with a physician and dietitian. potatoes are nutritious foods. it's great he brought attention to that. eating them exclusively for 60 days can create nutritional gaps that can snowball into side effects. >> are you surprised he lost 21 pounds and lowered his cholesterol 67 points? >> your blood pressure and cholesterol will come down no matter how you lose the weight and may creep back up depending what diet you're following. >> is this going to change the way you eat going forward or you've been eating this way forever? >> my goal was to be alive and see the changes on my health.

not 20 potatoes a day but certainly five potatoes a day and incorporate them for a balanced meal. >> after eating this starch so long does he have to be careful how he resumes his diet? >> absolutely. start adding proteins, amino acids, vitamin d rich foods. round it out but keep the potatoes in there. >> can i call you "mr. potato head?" >> everybody else has. >> thank you for your nutritional expertise. still ahead, inexpensive holiday gift ideas with a personal touch. [ female announcer ] safeway talks hostess gifts.

hey, trout, what gift did you bring? my dance moves. [ beat-boxing ] that's not a gift. [ female announcer ] it's the thought that counts. and the gift. safeway. ingredients for life.

that smells scrumptious. yummy! smells delightful. awesome! i'm not smelling anything. [ female announcer ] everything for holiday baking. just add love. safeway. ingredients for life. this morning on "today"'s health, a disease that kills more than 10,000 americans every

year. this wife, kathie juicy was diagnosed but has lived her life to the fulliest and is doing something about it. first, her moving story. >> i was an incredibly happy 37-year-old. i had a beautiful daughter, wonderful job, a happy marriage. i had absolutely everything going for me. it came crumbling down that day. >> instead of seeing her diagnosis as a death sentence, kathie focused on life and made a surprising decision. >> you had a child, knowing that you may not live to see that child grow up. >> i talked long and hard about it. i said, i would love to have another baby. i knew he would, too. maybe they weren't going to have their mom, but they would have so much love around them that it would be okay. >> that's great. >> with the time she had left, kathie decided to put her fate into her own hands. with her identical twin sister,

karen, started the multiple myeloma research foundation. within the first year, the sisters helped accelerate scientific research for the disease but for kat kathy and h family, still a difficult battle. >> i hear it's only when you accept how to die you know how to live. >> you hit the low of lows when somebody tells you you are going to die. everyday after that is a blessing. i distinctly remember when he told me, thinking to myself, my little girl is 1 year old, i kept thinking, three years, i won't get to see her go to kindergarten. >> that was over a decade ago, not only has kathy seen her go to kindergarten but they're looking at colleges. as for the son born with t the -- while she had the

diagnosis? >> i just want to watch him. >> is it true you have raised $150 million for what was once an unknown cancer? >> it is. i think that is remarkable, when you think about the fact that myeloma is very uncommon. i've been willing to put a face to a disease that nobody was aware of before. >> the last few years haven't all been easy. kathy went through chemotherapy, radiation and received a stem cell transplant from her sister. today, kathy is in remission. although she has already beaten the odds, she still strives for the ultimate goal, a cure. >> if you do die before a cure is found, will it give you some peace not only to have prolonged your own life but to prolong the lives of so many others? >> i think, looking back, i'll be able to say, i did everything

i could, i helped a lot of people along the way. and i love the beautiful legacy. i don't think my kids will ever look at everything i accompli accomplished and wonder how much i loved them. >> good morning. >> good morning. >> i want to mention your husband, paul, who has been right by your side, standing right over there. >> yes. >> at the news desk. wonderful, loving. watching this tape, there were moments he was joyful and smiling and you were as well, noting especially your children -- you've been able to see so much of their lives. >> i'm so grateful. i'm grateful for every moment i see and i'm grateful for the years we brought thousands of myeloma patients in for all the partners that helped get all this done, get us to new treatment. >> i can't believe it's been 10 years since you and i first met. when i think over what you have done, not only raising $150 million and being strong and raising these children, but also

accelerating the rate at which research can progress, because you -- when you started, you noticed researchers were not talking to each other. why weren't they talking to each other? >> it's interesting. i think when i look back over those 10 years, i can see, you know, what we did that was right, which was, number one, i had a great science and business background to start a research and drug development foundation. that itself was unique. second, we air able to attract the academic centers and pharmaceutical centers to work side by side with us and together we created this innovative model towards drug development. >> which is about drug communication and sharing data. beyond your focus is multiple myeloma. is this a problem in other kinds of cancers as well, researchers really need to step up, stop being competitive and share data so this can go faster? >> yeah. you can look at foundations need to set up communities where they make it's easier for researchers

and scientists and clinicians to work together. that's what we did. we said, you know, if you work with us, if you sign a membership agreement to work with us, we want you to bank tissue with us, do phase 1 and 2 clinical trials with us. we have a critical mass of tissue in a very uncommon disease, where you need to build that in a critical new trials that have been launched. >> if you can do that for a rare cancer, should be able to do that for common cancer. what is the future for you? what is your goal now? >> we've been so lucky, the results are there, had four drugs approved and five more in phase 3 clinical trials. the future is the fact myeloma is not just one disease, there are probably ten types of myeloma. we have to get the right drug for the right patient at the right time and have to build on clinical trials and find that to make sure we are successful in a cure. >> kathy, founder of the

multiple myeloma foundation. thank you so much. >> thank you. >> for more information on the multiple myeloma research foundation, head to our website at todayshow.com. we are back in just a moment. this is "today" on nbc. ♪

♪ you can find your feet and you can find your way ♪ ♪ you can find yourself in bed at the end of the day ♪ ♪ you can find some fun on a tropical isthmus ♪ ♪but you'll never find my... ♪ you can find it in your heart to be patient with me ♪ ♪ you can find a new star for the top of the tree ♪ ♪ i don't mean to be coy and i don't mean to be vicious ♪ ♪ but you'll never find my christmas ♪

this morning, we're kicking off a special ser riies called applause for paws. >> when you think of therapy dogs, pitbulls do not usually normally come to mind. this breed cannot only be therapeutic but very comforting to those in need. everyday thousands of dogs are used as therapy for people with special needs. when it comes to seeing eye dogs, the breed most associated with them is the labrador retriever. there's another breed starting to make an impact as a therapy dog. it's the pitbull. >> look! >> at main line animal rescue in pennsylvania, a pioneer program is under way, using pitbulls rescued to offer therapy to students for the school of the

blind. >> i imagine you had your work cut out for you when you first pitched the idea. let's be honest, it's not the normal breed that would come to mind when you're matching an dog with a blind person. >> that's true. people mentally and physically challenged and people that work with them tend to be a little more compassionate and a little more open to give the dogs a chance and open their minds and arms to them. >> reporter: free of preconceived notions or prejudice about the breed, the children were de light to share their love. >> a puppy! >> reporter: this is the music therapist of the school. >> one of the students is slightly depressed a lot of the time. when she has the dogs come to her, she is chatty and she will converse with you and the dog really brings her to life. >> what do you know? what do you know? i'm in heaven! >> reporter: pitbulls have been proven to be wonderful

companions to many people in need going back to helen keller who kept pitbulls as pets most of her life. president theodore roosevelt, fred astair and thomas edison loved the breed for their companionship and loyalty. all the dogs in this main line animal rescue program undergo extensive temperament testing to make sure they're safe. >> before we take them to a school or adoption or school for the blind, we really know our animals. >> reporter: unfortunately as safe and affectionate as these dogs and puppies were, pitbulls have been known to attack. >> there have been very serious incidents regarding this breed. for those people, this fear is justifiable. what do you feel is this biggest misconception? >> that they're all aggressive when they're not. it's the owners, not the dogs fault. work with a trainer who understands the breed and understands how to train them. >> you do agree certain breeds were born and bred to be a

certain type. this is definitely an aggressive, a dominant breed. >> it can be a dominant breed but bred to be dominant with other animals, not with people. >> reporter: the fact these animals can't see, this is a very controversial breed. it wasn't as though you had to say, be careful. >> students love to interact with everybody, animals and now pitbulls. >> reporter: interesting, animals, now pitbulls. >> they're just dogs. >> reporter: especially when you see the way they acted today, you wouldn't think of them any differently. >> they were definitely dogs today. >> sitting in my lap is rory. she is a puppy used in the therapy program. as you can see, they start them very young. >> it is a little controversial, right? >> absolutely. as many animal experts have told me, like people, dogs can be good and bad. obviously, in the wrong hands,

they can become aggressive. they are hoping this program will educate people so they're more open. they do occupy the majority of shelters. >> thank you very much. >> like people. some are good and some are bad. >> and you'rgood >> back an your local news and weather.

good morning. we have an update on the commute. >> again, laura, can't catch a break on highway 54. pittsburgh, we have another accident, causing more slowing, approaches summersville. it sounds like cars have been to

the side of the road. slow in the eastbound direction, to the caldecott tunnel. approaching the toll plaza, where the backup continues past grand avenue, but look at that, overall, things getting lighter tyadincityro. t ci we have more news right after this.

a new round of cutbacks could be in store for san francisco. mayor newsom says he expects to make budget cuts before leaving january 3rd. city department heads have until december 21st to come up with cuts to close a $379 million gap. the city closed $575 million

deficit last year. another local news update in about 30 minutes or so. "today" returns in about a minute. have a great morning. ♪ [ female announcer ] yoplait's real fruit and the goodness of dairy... gives you a little slice of happy.

and happiness cos in 25 decious flavors. explore them all. yoplait. it is so good. now the yoplait you love in a new four pack. try it today. we're back now with more on we're back now with more of "today on sfloo it's the second -- i'm sorry. it's a thursday morning. the second day of december, 2010. i'm a little behind on the time. great holiday crowd joining us out here on the plaza. thanks as always to them for stopping by and sticking it out despite some chilly temperatures. it's 34 degrees. out on the plaza. i'm matt lauer, along with natalie morales, running for office apparently here. and al roker is joining us as well. coming up, we'll talk more about the mystery in california, the publicist, ronni chasen murdered several weeks ago. last night, a strange development in that case, a man

considered a person of interest in that case actually killed himself when police went to question him. the latest on a developing story coming up in a couple of minutes. >> then we'll get to health -- "mythbusters." i can barely talk. you've all heard you go outside with wet hair, catch a cold, right? turkey makes you sleepy with the tryptophan and all that. >> sure. >> well, is that really true? we'll get to facts and fiction. especially as we approach the holidays. >> if the wet hair one isn't true, i'm going to be so mad at my mom. >> now, you don't have to worry so much. >> i can go out with a wet scalp. >> works for me pretty well. >> thank you for that, natalie. >> any time. i'm just running for office here. >> if you're thinking about getting away but going off the beaten path, we have places for you, everywhere from walla walla to montana, unexpected travel destinations across the good old usa.

>> really pretty. lots to get to. ann is standing by at the news desk with all the headlines. >> good morning, everybody. sweden has rejected julian assange's trying to dismiss the arrest warrant for alleged sexual crimes. 188 countries around the world received word to help aid in the arrest and extradition. chaos in baghdad. a series of explosions targeting police patrols killed at least five officers and wounded about 10 people, most civilians. democrats and republicans have reportedly agreed to extend the bush era tax cuts for everyone, including the wealthy. senate republican leader, mitch mcconnell says the only question now is for how long. party leaders are negotiating. negotiators are centering on one, two, three years as an extension. new york congressman, charlie rangel, is making a last ditch effort to avoid the house's highest punishment short

of expulsion, a public condemnation of his ethics violations in front of his colleagues. the house is expected to vote in favor of censuring the 40 year veteran of the house today. former secretary of state for past senator republicans are urging senate republicans to back the nuclear starke treaty with russia. the group includes henry kissinger and colin powell says failure to ratify the treaty could impact moscow's role in u.s. relations with iran, north korea and afghanistan. overnight, a man being questioned for the murder of a hollywood publicist shot and killed himself. george lewis joins us with more on the story. george, good morning. >> reporter: good morning, ann. police sources tell nbc new that is the man who shot himself at this apartment building is believed to be a suspect in the case of ronni chasen. it's the latest bizarre turn in a case that has people in the movie industry shocked. police arrived at this hollywood apartment house about sundown

wednesday. when they confronted the man in the lobby, he pulled a gun. >> the person they were looking for showed up. they attempted to talk to the suspect. when they did, the suspect produced a handgun and there was a self inflicted gunshot wound at that point in time and the suspect was pronounced at the scene. >> reporter: beverly hills officers confirmed the man was tied in to the murder of hollywood publicist ronni chasen, although they're not yet calling him a suspect. ronni chasen was well-known in the film industry. she was the go-to publicist if you wanted your movie promoted for the academy awards. last year's oscar winner "slumdog millionaire," for example. two weeks ago at the movie premier of "burlesque," chasen was hobnobbing off the red carpet, the last pictures of her alive. afterwards, chasen drove her mercedes west on sunset boulevard into beverly hills.

at about 12:30, as she was turning off sunset towards home, officials say another car, perhaps a big suv, pulled alongside her and someone opened fire, shattering the passenger window of chasen's car. reportedly, some investigators called the shooting a professional hit job. police say their investigation is still very much open, hinting strongly that there may be other people people involved in the murder. ann? >> george lewis, thank you. sales of new homes dropped more than 8% to a near record low in october. it was also the worst summer for foreclosure sales. realty track says sales plunged 25% in the third quarter and it is expected that sales of bank owned homes will drop even more by the end of the year. cyber-monday was a great day to be on on line retailer. an internet tracking firm says sales topped $1 billion. that's the first time that's ever happened.

online jewelry sales were especially strong. it is now five minutes past. let's go back outside to matt and al and the cold. >> it's nice, though. not too bad. we have palm beach county firefighters and police officers here to pick up a piece of steel from the world trade center and drive it back to florida as part of the memorial. thanks for being here. mr. roker? matt also saw some crafty ladies. they have a sign that says -- [ cheers and applause ] >> oh, yeah. "seeing matt is all that matters." but if we can't get matt, let's try to get alabama and meredith. -- al and meredith. yeah, yeah. if we can't get matt! we'll settle for al! >> let's see what's going on, we'll show you right now. lake-effect snow, that warm air, right over the lake, kind of gets sucked up as cold air comes

across and cools off on the unfrozen lake. you get this. you see the snow coming from ashtabula, ohio and buffalo, watertown, lake effect snow. snowfall amounts, we're talking some places 18-24 inches of snow up around watertown, just south of buffalo, maybe about a foot and a half of snow. we're looking anywhere from 3-9 inches, ashtabula county in northeastern ohio. tha here's the view over oakland. mostly cloudy skies now, and a few scattered showers across the north bay, showing up. you can see earlier around santa rosa, an napa and calistoga, a few showers, most of the rain still on the north coast. some of that will swing furer south, so we'll call for mostly cloudy skies. mild temperatures for 50s and 60s as we move through the weekend highs cooling for sunday.

>> natalie? thank you, al. this morning on "today"'s health, winter "mythbusters" can you really catch a cold if you go out with wet hair and can turkey make you sleepy? here to separate fact from fiction is dr. kerry peterson. here from health and fitness magazine. good to have you. so a lot of information out there that's total myth when it comes to winter seasons and catching colds or flus, right? >> a lot of urban legends and old wives tales that have passed through the years and we're here to bust the myths. >> people think this time of the year they're allergy-free, can breathe easy and don't have to worry about the sniffles that go along with the spring or summertime allergies. but you say the allergies aren't in hibernation, right? >> no, they are not. mold and dust is very prevalent this time of year. unusual sources, for example

fresh christmas trees harbor mold spores, people allergic to mold, when you bring them in your house, they can multiply and trigger allergies and even if you're not allergic, can irritate your lungs. >> we all like fresh christmas trees. so what should we do? >> another option would be if you are at the tree farm, try to get a tree that's freshly cut. it takes a week for the spores to grow. if you can get it freshly cut that will help alleviate it. if you're at the tree farm, ask if they have a tree shaker, which can shake off the spores. but if they don't, when you get home, a good old leaf blower, blow the tree, it will get rid of them. >> okay. all right. good to snow. next, we've been told when you go out with a wet head, you will catch a cold. mom always says, make sure your hair is completely dry or put on a hat. >> mm-hmm. that's one of the oldest wives' tales. it is not true. you don't get sick from a wet head. you get sick from germs, not having a wet head.

the reason that we get sick more often in the wintertime is that we are indoors more often in closed quarters around a lot of other people who are spreading the germs to us. so we are more likely to come in contact with germs. so i recommend to be diligent about washing your hands, covering your mouth when you cough. don't forget that. >> sneeze into the elbow. >> because airborne germs spread easily indoors. >> the next one having to do with christmas plants and poinsettias, you hear rumors they can kill your pet, poisonous or even harm your child if ingested. that's urban legend, you say? >> that's urban legend that began in 1919, a toddler found dead. the son of an army officer. it was attributed to poinsettia leaf ingestion. this legend has been passed on and since then we've been able to look at data from poison control centers, thousands of calls about ingestion. >> every year. every christmas season they get thousands of calls.

>> exactly. there's never been a confirmed death. worst case scenario, vomiting and diarrhea. that's it. if you just eat one leaf, you see your child has eaten one leaf, it can cause a bitter taste in your mouth. you can remedy that by drinking a glass of milk. >> glass of milk is all you need and don't need to call poison control unless, god forbid, you see symptoms of something else. >> there is one plant to keep out of the house, the christmas lily. that can kill cats, even if they eat the smallest amount of the leaf because the leaf can induce kidney damage. >> what does it look like? a lily? it looks like a lily and if you have a cat, get rid of it. not the cat. >> keep the cat, get rid of the lily. next myth to be busted -- and i swear by this one. thanksgiving turkey always makes me sleepy.

it's the tri ee's the tryptopha? you say it's not really the turkey. it's the sides. >> turkey does have tryptophan. so does chicken, but we don't associate a chicken with making you sleepy. we have tons of side dishes loaded with carbohydrates. >> mashed potato, stuffing. yum, so good. >> and they activate the tryptophan and makes you more sleepy. not to mention we are stuffing ourselves usually at these dinners which shunts the blood away from the head to the stomach which can make you sleepy. >> we like that. the little thanksgiving nap never hurt anyone. right? finally, a roaring fire will keep you warm at home. you say it's sucking in cool air and can make a home colder. >> it can and smoke can be an issue. what an open hearth fireplace does is it sucks the heat right out of the living room up to chimney. unless you're standing next to it, you won't be warm. it does contain chemicals similar to cigarettes and smoke particles can deposit deep in

your lungs which can irritate them and can kill cells that protect us from infection. my recommendation, if you have a fireplace, put closed glass doors over it. >> screens. >> actually even better than screens would be glass. >> doors. >> you want to seal it. it radiates the heat into the room and prevents the smoke from going into your house. if you can pick a choice of firewood, pick ash or beech, a little bit harder wood and produces less smoke. >> all right. always great information. you busted all the myths. thank you so much. >> thanks, natalie. coming up, gift ideas with a personalized touch that won't break the bank. next, thinking outside the box for your next vacation, we're going to show you some beautiful and unexpected travel destinations across the country, right after this. big ones. ♪ little ones. and ones with fresh step litter inside.

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eating right...whole grain. [ female announcer ] people who eat more whole grain tend to have healthier body weights. multigrain cheerios has five whole grains and 110 lightly sweetened calories. more grains. less you! multigrain cheerios. this morning on "today"'s travel, unexpected vacation spots. travel and leisure's newest book, unexpected usa is full of little known travel treasures. the travel features director, good to see you. >> good to see you, al. >> how did you come up with this list? >> we want every year to come shed a light on a place that people think they know and actually don't. we came up with lots of fun things, 16 different venettes about great old usa you may not know. >> let's start with st.

petersburg florida, st. pete beach. >> this is a beautiful gulfcoast beach. right now, we're getting started in miami, where all the action is happening. you want some place relaxing, go to st. pete. fly into tampa, a great hotel we just featured in the magazines last year and in the book, called "postcard inn." there is a surfer vibe, cutoffs and flip-flops, going with your family, relaxing. they have barbecue restaurant, hoops, they have boche, hang out, a video arcade, a place to hang out and relax. you can get rates as low as $100 there. >> nice. we go from the beach to great winter vacation spot. pause-up resort in montana. >> we have two. they both deliver what i like about the great outdoors, a lot of amazing outdoors but amazing

indoors. honestly, if you're going to be outside, snowshoeing and dogsledding, and i know you like atv or doing skiing, it's great to come inside and have a beautiful log timbered cabins to relax. if you go to pause-up, go with your family and triple creek, voted one of the best resorts in the country by our readers, that's all adults. you want a break from the kids, that's the place to go. . >> louisville, kentucky, horse country. depe >> depending who you're talking to, may be thinking of bourbon but should be thinking of arts and culture. there is a place that has a $10 million arts collection in the hotel. you'll be literally sleeping and there will be chuck close on the wall. if anyone who doesn't know art, that's a big deal. people, when you check in a hotel give you an ipod filled

with music, not only music, they have an entire narrated tour. super fun, reasonable price, around $200 to stay there. an unexpected place to go for culture but that's what's great about this unexpected book. a lot of things you wouldn't expect and great treats when you find them. >> "unexpected usa." >> can i mention it's a great gift for christmas. >> you haven't but now that you mention it. >> my husband and i have been researching the last 10 years straight, specifically food in maine. people think about lobster rolls and clams. but there's so much more. one of the best destination restaurants in the country has to be the white barn inn. i love the combination of an incredible restaurant with rooms close by and you can have an incredible meal in their 1820 restored barn and walk two steps and climb into bed with a roaring fireplace. >> how did you get that roaring fireplace in bed?

>> dangerous, dangerous, worse than smoking in bed, they say. what's also great, they have a great sustainable movement, farm to table movement, restaurants like primo and also francine bistro in camden. >> quickly, washington, wine. >> the next great wine destination, walla walla, washington, a sleepy area. forget about napa valley, if you're into cap boern nay, this is the place to go. >> have a party. >> if i listen to you, i will travel well. the book is "unexpected usa." new list of the most popular baby names in 2010. plus, he can handle a stadium full of fans but how does simmons deal with life? the foaming powernounc] of antibacterial scrubbing bubbles bathroom cleaner. ♪ it expands into those hard-to-reach places.

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this christmas, make it wonderful at your hallmark gold crown store. sometimes i would get rewards, sometimes i wouldn't. this one card i had -- there were all these rules. rules and restrictions. oh, and limits. [ scoffs ] forget about it. but i love this card. bankamericard cash rewards credit card. 1% cash back on everything i buy. period. no limit to the amount of cash back i can get. no hoops to jump through. simple. [ male announcer ] the refreshingly simple bankamericard cash rewards credit card. apply online or at a bank of america near you. we've been telling you about

our toys but you don't have to be on the plaza. and how you can actually donate online. good morning. >> good morning. >> you've been doing this ten years and people at home can donate toys to kids who need them this christmas. >> exactly. super easy. if you're staying at home, go to amazon.com/today and you will find toys from the holiday toy list, sporting goods, electronics, click on the things you'd like to donate, go through the check-out process and we take care of the delivery. >> it can be very inexpensive or more expensive. >> around $15. this makes noises up to $40 for a spy watch. sporting goods to electronics. >> very cool you're helping play santa claus. >> our customers love to help out. they've done a great job over the past few years. >> craig from amazon.

our toy drive and how you can take part, if you want more information, logon to our website at todayshow.com. .namefor the year. top babyhe ae first, your local news. 're late. milk looks warm. finally got the whole gang together. maple brown sugar, strawberry delight, blueberry muffin. yeah, a little family reunion. [ wind rushes ] whoa! whoa! whoa! whoa! we're cereal here! what? just cooling it down. enough said. gotcha. safety first. whoo-hoo! watch the whole grain! [ female announcer ] try kellogg's® frosted mini-wheats® hot. just add warm milk and you've got a hot way to keep your kids full and focused all morning. oops. dude your eight layers are showing. [ female announcer ] mini-wheats® hot. keeps 'em full, keeps 'em focused.

♪electronic santa song good morning, everybody. time now 9:26, checking your morning commute, and looking at antioch. >> those folks won't forget this for a while. that last accident we showed you about a half hour ago at summersville. things have gotten better. now coming off the hill crest all the way to about summersville. things i very slow. for the meanwhile, still slowing eastbound, with only one mooreheading toward the caldecott tunnel. east shore freeway also with

speeds, and not so bad. bay bridge, a lighter volume at the toll plaza, very light and fast tracks not a problem. the golden gate bridge, at least for the drive, one lay restricted. we see low clouds hanging out. >> we're seeing the clouds moving through, as we speed it up for you. the high clouds racing across the north bay, with a few sunny breaks in between. you can see right now, a few showers across the far north bay, the rain has been hanging out, but some will spill into the north bay. we should see highs in the 50s and 60s today. overnight, but we'll be dodging showers off and on all the way into monday morning. ter mobr ns thafr the break. e

new concerns about cab safety. the district attorney's office cease some drivers bribe their way into a driver's seat. a retired san francisco police

officer has been charged. investigators say that he accepted $100 bribes from applicants in exchange for a passing grade on the written test. police do not know who the cab drivers are, so several taxi customers now say it's time for a retest. >> if you're taking a ride from a person that's supposed to be trained and certified to pass the test and he's not, then yeah, i mean, it's public safety. >> the san francisco police are no longer in charge of testing cab drivers. the mta is now. more local news for you in half an hour. "today" returns in less than a minute. have a great morning. we'll see you back here in a bit.

look closely. you're looking at the beatles on broadway. the fab four has made it in a tribute to the beatles. they'll come together for us live tomorrow here on "today." i mean, they look really darned authentic. >> yeah! >> look at that! >> wow! >> i mean, pretty close. >> the paul mccartney look alike. >> our director, joe michaels, wears that everyday.

>> anyway, looks like a great show. >> meanwhile, coming up this morning, if you're tired of searching for perfect gifts for people on your holiday list, don't be tired anymore because -- >> because bobbie thomas is here. she has affordable creative keepsakes you can give from nightlights to pictures to pillowcases and so much more. >> a lot of members of the crew have been eyeing the things on the table and taking down the web addresses because they want to get these for their family members. we'll show you what they are. >> great touches. >> plus, did you struggle to come up with your kids' names? >> we did. we made a list and had to vote on it, my husband and i. >> you did help out. >> you did? good. >> my husband's name, joseph, a family name, one of those things where your child is going to be joseph. i said, he's going to be a joey from jersey. can we make it josh instead?

anyway -- >> the reason we're talking about this is because -- >> top baby names of 2010. >> two great cuisines comen bied. a unique blend of the taste of italy and ireland to create unique recipes and something called eggplant. >> our director, joe make calls, what's wrong with joe? >> nothing's wrong with joe. we love joe, just a lot of joeys in jersey. that's all. first, a check of the weather for us? >> yo. i'll show you what's going on. for today, lake-effect snow, western new york, parts of ohio. some areas picking up a foot and a half of snow, lots of sunshine in the gulfcoast and southwest. temperatures chillier than normal, tomorrow, rain in northern new england, more snow in the plains and frigid central and northern plains, nice and mild in the southwest down to the gulf coast where it will be sunny and warm. cool weather in northern florida

here's a pretty picture from san bruno mountains. you can see moonlight reflecting off the bay, streaming in from the ocean, right now not seeing much in the way of rain. eventually we'll see some of that spilling a bit further south from the afternoon, highs ranging from the 50s in the north bay to 50s and 60s a are not the south bay. in between now and into the weekend, in and out of the clouds, in and out of chances of showers, off and on as we head into monday. mid cool are for the upcoming weekend. coming up next, inexpensive holiday gift ideas a with a personal touch right after this. daddy, i'm bored. almost. it converts the car's braking force into electricity, so it's more efficient.

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wasn't me. you think i could do something... that awesome? enter the "tron: legacy" get on the grid sweepskes, at disney.com/getonthegrid. this film not yet rated. this morning on bobbie's style buzz, unique presents with a personal touch. in the holiday season in full swing, you can spend hours searching for the perfect gift. bobbie thomas is here to help with sentimental suggestions. good morning. >> good morning. >> one of the hardest things is shopping for people we love because we want the gifts to be meaningful. you spent pretty much a year looking to find the best things.

people all throughout this studio have been taking down lists to find out what you've got. one of these ideas involves something i think every grandmother, i would love it, and so would those in our families, made into lamp. >> this company is called light affection. a picture is worth a thousand words. why not make it a special lamp or nightlight. what's so amazing, they take a real photo and carve that photo, so realistic. a great way to turn a lump on or desk on a night stand. >> send them the photograph. >> send them the photograph. they'll carve something like this, you see, taped down, carve something like this and put it into either a nightlight or table lamp. >> i'm not sure how they show up on television but in person, they're really amazing. >> it's a unique gift. when you're giving someone a gift for the holidays, nothing

better than realizing somebody really had a special moment in mind. >> you also want to send wisdom, i do. my mom and dad did. this is one way that might be less oppressive. >> i love this company. so many other cool things, called shape ways.com and will take your quotes, family names, special dates and put it in three d object, napkin holders and canal holders. i love the quote, when the grass is greener, time to water your own and wrapped this into this 3d cylinder. you can see this metal plastic, all different colors. a great way a sitting at the able to to have your family's names. >> can you pick your own? if you have a family phrase. we have a big phrase in our family. >> you can have it. it would be really great. >> this would be one of my

favorites. you take ideas, any mother, i have drawers of this stuff for my kids. >> creep escapes takes your children -- dreamscapes takes special artwo artwork. this came in through this mouse pad. >> we have a bird with feathers and made this into a mouse pad without the feathers. you can see all the details. >> i love that. they can take charm bracelets and do different pieces of the art. >> artwork turned into a charm bracelet and a water bottle here. >> another company that has the same thing in mind is formeia design. this mother and daughter traced their hand and turned it into this key chain. so fantastic. bobbie's buzz key chain. >> can i point out this giraffe that comes from a drawing done by a child. >> all these companies, if you get your order in today or the

next few days, it will be done in time for the holidays. >> the next few days because it takes time. >> these are all the guys in the control room. blazing needles. they make these personalized scarfs. i love how kate would get one for her daughter that says, put it back on. you can really do that. last but not least, personal creation, do these really great things, couples names behind always kiss me good night and pjs for the little one on the booty. >> it's not just givie ining something but giving something that touches people. thanks for giving thought into this segment. coming up next, we'll reveal the top baby names in 2010 right after this.

and 2 minutes to christmas? wow! 19 days, 8 hours... 20 days, 8 hours, 9 minutes... 18 days, 17 hours... [ mom ] let's go, young lady. 12 days, 18 hours... 10 hours, 12 minutes, 7 seconds. come on. it's no days! 5 hours and 59 minutes and 42, 41... [ female announcer ] the hallmark "countdown to christmas" ornament. this christmas, make it joyful, at your hallmark gold crown store.

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every new parent, what name should you pick? this morning baby center.com is out with their last of 2010's top baby names and 62% of the parents surveyed said a child's name krkts to his or her success in life. linda murray is the editor in chaef. linda, good morning. important to get the name right. >> the first big decision of parenthood. >> absolutely. topping the list again for the sixth year for boys is aiden! no surprise there really. >> we're surprised it's been sticking around so long. i think part of the reason it's sticking around is you can spell that name in i think 46 different ways.

change the "i"s to a "y" and the "e" to an "a" and that's part waf keep it is popular is lots of ways to spell it. >> other names, top 10, jacob, jackson, ethan, jayden, noah, logan, kaden, lucas, and liam. so any clue why these boys -- what's the trend for the name? you can hear the "n" sound at the end. people like that sound for boys. they have strong names. new to the top ten is liam. we're also seeing more modern names for boys which we didn't expect. it's always been sort of parents like something classic for boys, something that stands the test of time, but they're experimenting more with boys. >> used to be more biblical names. now it's more modern. now let's talk about girls names and the top ten list sofia actually has taken over the number one spot from isabella. >> it has. that was also a little bit of a

surprise. but you can hear in those names kind of feminine sounds. sofia, olivia, isabella. >> a lot of "a"s. >> madison. >> parents are really drawn today to feminine names, pretty names, names that really sound like girls' names. we have the unisex trend 10 or 20 years ago. that's gone for girls. parents want a name that feels feminine. >> that defines them as a girl. what are the trends you're noticing, pop culture trends, influences you have seen in 2010? >> parents hate to admit they're influenced by what they're watching on tv but they are. we can see it in the names. this year we saw a glee trend, finn and quinn, two of the big characters. >> i love those names. those are great. >> they are great. way up on the list. jumped hundreds of points on the list. we saw "mad men" trend this year. betty is coming back. >> it's an old, classic name rising back up. >> roger, freddy, jane, and even don is coming up a little bit.

>> our don nash will be happy to hear that who is one of our senior producers. disney princesses like tiana. >> parents do really like those princesses. tiana is up in the rankings. belle, airel, demi lovato. >> politics also having an influence. >> for boys if you're having a boy the winter olympics was a big influence. body, apollo, and shaun. >> and the palins. you're seeing bristols, willows, and piper. >> the boys names are not doing as well. >> we have the predictions up for 2011. >> isla for girls and bentley for boys. >> okay. maybe some kates and williams i would imagine. >> kate has been trending down but people seem to really like her, and if she's a good princess, we'll see. >> linda murray, as always. so much fun. thank you. coming up next, we'll get creative in the kitchen.

italian favorites but with an irish twist. first, this is "today" on nbc. [ female announcer ] safeway talks holiday baking. that smells scrumptious. yummy! smells delightful. awesome! i'm not smelling anything. [ female announcer ] everything for holiday baking. just add love. safeway. ingredients for life.

[ female announcer ] everything for holiday baking. just add love. so what's everyone's favorite holiday food? eggnog. gingerbread. and you, nutcracker?

i like nuts. [ female announcer ] if it tastes like the holidays, we've got it. safeway. ingredients for life. this morning on "today"'s holiday kitchen, italian favorites with an irish twist. from a bowl of spaghetti to risotto, warms you up on a cold winter's day. kathryn fulvio has taken italy and feuds them with the irish heritage to make catherine's favorites. >> thank you. i'm delighted to be here. thank you for having me. >> we're delighted to have you. your restaurant because a big hit. >> they had all my chickens and everything last year. >> we brought you here. >> you did. >> what is a lovely irish girl doing cooking italian food.

>> when you live in ireland, i met my husband on my first day in ireland in a pub in dublin. we started this whole italian ireland thing. >> i have for you polpett polpette di melanzane. we call them eggplants, you roast off your eggplant in the oven and scoop out the interior like so. >> do you put olive oil in all of that? >> yes. salt and pepper. squeeze out the excess liquid and bring it over here. it doesn't look so attractive like this. it's what you do with it. >> it's a much healthier meatball. >> my children, very fussy about vegetables love this. >> i will have to sneak this in on them. this is pepperina going in and

mint. this is my husband's recipe. the whole family's recipe. garlic is going in. >> yes. got ha tof he garlic. >> egg yolk. it all gets stirred up together. we make a to mato sauce to go with this. and make your sauce. >> and you brown these. softer than regular meatballs. >> that's what's so nice about them, they're spongy. >> this is the sauce. >> they go here and cook in the to mato sauce a few minutes. >> you want to pop them in? >> okay. wonderful. >> you can use any jar of tomato sauce or make it yourself. >> you can use any jar of tomato sauce. >> the beauty is people can come

over to ireland and learn this. >> and made with spaghetti. you have to use this with ro cotto silloto. >> can you find it? >> yes. >> you can use an italian greek combination, right? >> you made this beautiful irish str stromboli? >> i did. it is off the coast of italy, beautiful bread that explodes in color and flavor. what i did was, i got the irish soda bred recipe and get your tomato sauce, like so, put it on like so. >> since we're running out of time, throw all the olives in there and everything. layer it on. >> whatever you want, like smoked irish bacon, gorgeous and

so on. you roll it up. >> bake it in the oven. >> comes out looking wonderful like that. what a great thing for holidays. kathryn portfoleri kathryn fofl -- folvio. twizzlers. the twist you can't resist.

good morning, everybody. time now is 9:56. i'm brad cannon, checking in with mike on the commute.

>> the short freeway, a sig alert was called, then they cleared the lanes three minutes later. slow also toward the bay bridge toll plaza, but very, very minor backup. southbound 68, a very large piece of wood, you may see some slows, there may be a niece -- in the next half hour, watch for that. >> the accident has cleared, good news. still blocking one way there. tough for antioch. >> well, right now still waiting for the showers to drop in through most of the bay area, but most of the rain is still off to the north. wee see some of it spill into the north bay and widely scattered showers. heading into tonight andery tomorrow, so highs 50s and 60s showers moving to the south, you

can see the temperatures cooling off as well. spinning the dreidel is a jewish past time normally reserved for the kids, but in san francisco, it's becoming serious competition. john hayward can keep a dreidel spins for 15 seconds. he will compete tonight at the contemporary jewish museum -- from a very small board game. >> almost like a snap. it's not a snap, but you basically want your fingertips, just try to grip it tight, and then -- >> anybody can compete. tonight against you can see the showdown, it's from 6:00.

more local news in half an hour. "today" returns in about half a minute. [ female announcer ] martinelli's gold medal sparkling cider is the perfect choice for holiday gatherings. martinelli's is non-alcoholic, festive like champagne, and tastes great! martinelli's: since 1868.

captions paid for byne, nbc-universal television captions paid for by nbc-universal television hey, everybody, thanks for being with us. it's thursday, which around here is called thirst-day, december 2nd. hoda is going to enjoy a couple of days off. and look who happened to drop in. justin long is here with us today. >> where is hoda? >> hoda rarely takes some time off and she has vae good friend named jennifer miller, a wonderful jewelry designer, who

is celebrating her 50th birthday, so they're going down to the turks and caicos. >> hoda is probably fairly drunk right now. >> she's on her way. she packed her thongs and she's on her way. >> hoda in a thong? >> thank you. >> got the visual. that should take us through to the commercial break. you're welcome, america, you're welcome. >> thanks for coming. >> thank you for having me. i'm nervous, i'm excited. >> what are you nervous about? you were on with us recently for your alpha and omega cartoon. i think you might be wearing the same shirt and tie. i mean, can we maybe go back to a clip of that, guys, try to find it. had you a little vest thing happening. you ditched the vest off, but i think -- they're going to find it. >> okay. >> you do have more clothing, though, right? >> you think -- i should, for sure. >> big movie star like you.

>> a long boring story i probably shouldn't be telling on the air. i'll shorten it and say, i don't live up in new york any more, i packed up my stuff and i ran and got the one suitcase that i packed up and i had the suitcase i had when i was on the show -- where is hoda? >> why did you make the big move? because you are originally from connecticut, so you're an east coast boy. >> well, you know, i, i don't know. i don't know, there's work out there. and -- >> talk to me. i opened up a platypus ranch. >> believe you. >> you want the truth? or do you want some crazy cooky story. you felt like you needed to be there for your work. >> and austin, we've got a place in austin. >> how cool is austin? >> it's the coolest. >> but you're a relatively young man, still, you're like 32 or something? >> do you mind if i call you cath? >> i'm filling in for hoda so i

feel i have to approximate the dynamics you have. how would you describe that? >> i'm the cranky older sister. you would be my sweet little brother, who at times is very, very naughty. >> okay. >> now i heard you were quite naughty recently. the last movie that you did withdrew, what was it called? >> "going the distance." >> tell us where you shaut that movie? >> i think you might be referring to a scene that, >> somebody told me you were nude most of this -- >> we have a scene where we have sex on the table and we shot it at this lovely couple's house in queens. they were a hasidic couple. and i'm not kidding. and there's a scene where we shot on the dinner table before the sex scene where we were eating burgers. and they objected to the fact

that the burgers were cooked on a nonkosher surface. >> how did they feel about their table? >> that had been a big possible for them. the food. and i don't know that -- >> the food, not the sex? >> one time of meat not being blessed. >> oh! >> what? am i wrong? >> i don't know. that may seem fine, and yet, they were fine -- >> not all meats are made the same, you know. >> what they didn't realize is that my, can i say junk on the show? >> you can say junk. >> my junk has actually been blessed by a rabbi -- this is true, prior to doing the scene. so they were fine with it. >> do you know why most women today prefer this, a survey, most women prefer men that are circumcised. you know why that is? >> i can take a guess, but i don't want to. >> because they like everything they have to be 20% off.

>> all right. let's do this. speaking of this -- this is a nice segue for the next story -- why is everyone waving? i was outside earlier with al. >> you were very nice. >> thank you, i was collecting toys for the toy drive. and this one couple was holding up a skin. they said they were getting married. hey, mom, i proposed and she said yes. i was overcome with the moment and the mattery moanial. and i'm making my way down the line. and so a nice moment, like really sweet, they're getting married. i make my way down shortly after this. i make my way down the aisle. and people are putting in toys and -- >> it's the elf upstairs. >> this one woman said, she said, i also donated a samsung vibrator. and i said, i'm so sorry. can you repeat that? >> and she said, a vibrator, a samsung vibrator.

and i said, why would you do that, it's a toy drive for kids. and she said, i said cell phone. >> what did you think i meant? >> oh, i don't know, when you emphasize the word "vibrator." >> you started to do a little thing with your voice. apparently you love to do different dialects. it was sort of, i don't know where she's from. >> do you do lots of different accents? >> this is actually my real voice. and earlier i've been doing my talk show voice. >> i got you. are there celebrities that you do? >> i do, but i do strange ones. i do like ted levine. i don't know if you know who that is. >> no, but who would know. >> ted levine is an actor who would play buffalo bill in s "silence of the lambs." >> would you like to help me

move my furniture? i saw that guy in a movie after i had seen "silence of the lambs" he did a movie called georgia in jennifer jason leigh. he plays a very innocuous stay at home dad. he's just the guy. but after seeing "silence of the lambs" it's so creepy. he has lines like, i put the kids to bed. jamie didn't want to finish her dessert, so i said, no story time for you. and -- >> knowing what he was like -- >> yeah. picturing him with his -- >> yeah. his -- yeah. >> what is your favorite movie of all time? >> speaking of tucking -- i favorite movie i would say "back to the future." if i had to -- >> yeah. i love woody allen "annie hall." >> favorite movie you've ever done? >> there's so many gems. >> and a couple of turkeys, as i

recall. >> i don't know. you know, it's funny, usually the ones that don't turn out great or that are worse movies, were more fun experiences i would say, yeah. i did a movie called "strange wilderness" which literally got a zero on rotten tomatoes. zero, not a positive review, even from some weird stoner magazine. but we had so much fun doing it. >> so you try not to let that affect you, just go onto the next thing? >> i can't. i don't know if you've looked at -- >> i've seen your filmography. >> you know my body of work. >> i celebrate my catalog most every day. >> i knew before that you had grown up in fairfield, connecticut. >> uh-huh. >> but i didn't know your dad is a professor there at fairfield university, right? >> yes. >> and your mom is an actress and your brothers are actors. >> my mom was an actor growing up. so my idea of acting was schlepping around new york and from audition to audition. and she mostly did theater.

but she would do, she was the entemann's lady, briefly. >> really? she came with you last time. you came to be on the show and stayed for the entire hour. >> yeah. it was so much fun. >> was it for the alcohol? >> it was mostly for the alcohol. hoda had dropped a rupee and a half in my alcohol. >> for people like my mother out there, tell her what a rupee is. and gene simmons blinked. >> i stayed for a while because i had so much fun with you guys. it was a blast. >> we're glad you actually drank that much on the show. >> we don't. it's all shtick. it's all shtick. >> sure, fun, drunken shtick. >> what do you do next after this show? >> i'm doing "the view." no, i'm kidding. >> i said, really? because that doesn't usually happen. that's interesting. you got dispensation for the pope or something, to do "the

view" after us? sort of like that. >> no, what am i doing? i'm hosting a comedy night called "the power of comedy in l.a." and i'm terrified to do that as well. lilly tomlin was the last host. so it's going to be tough. >> i would get sick, and not do that, if i were you. lilly tomlin -- justin long? i don't know. >> thanks, cath. >> you know what we got to do, sweetie? okay or not okay. >> i'm okay with that. >> you know i was kidding, right? >> we'll see how the rest of it goes. >> is it okay or not okay to cut in airport lines if you're late? >> okay or not okay to do that? >> what did i say? >> i have to read? >> it's actually there. >> what you said. >> do it in my voice. >> go ahead. >> i can't, i can't do it, she's so good.

security often hurries celebrities do at no request of their own, but in general, lateness is no excuse for rudeness, i agree. >> hoda said, if anybody is going do miss their plane, i would let them cut in line. but if they're chronically late, this would cure them. hoda doesn't think anything now, she's making some bad decisions in that g-string on the tropical island, all boozed up. i would say this, i have a problem with cutting lines, when i was in kindergarten, i was very tiny. and there was a job, they would give out jobs to make the kids feel like they had some power. and i was the line leader, that was my job. and i took it very seriously. it makes me sound lying an awful, officious little kid. [ bleep ] [ bleep ]. >> i'm glad i did that. i did the sign.

>> they didn't pick the sign and they didn't bleep it. that's not the way it works. >> i took the job very seriously, now it's been a crusade of mine, you can get away with anything, but cutting the line, is something i feel very strongly about. >> i'm so glad you shared this with us. up next, gene simmons and his beautiful shannon tweed, they're in the house and this is a warning -- if it's anything like the last time he was here, you don't know what's going to happen. the man is dash dangerous, armed and dangerous, right back after this. helps control moderate or severe plaque psoriasis with 4 doses a year, after 2 starter doses. in a medical study, 7 out of 10 stelara® patients saw at least 75% clearer skin at 12 weeks. and 6 out of 10 patients had their plaque psoriasis rated as cleared or minimal at 12 weeks. stelara® may lower your ability to fight infections

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one simple click and we can relive it forever. there's smart and there's kmart smart. the new season of a&e rocker reality show "gene simmons family jewels" is about to debut. >> starring the legendary tongue-wagging demon of kiss. along with the mother of his children, former playmate of the year, shannon tweed, are with us. >> and the season kicks off on a roll. >> this is is not going to work, shannon. because you're on here. >> yeah, let's go. [ bleep ]. damn it. well, your weight is throwing -- >> my weight? what did you just say, my weight? >> whoa! i don't want to kill this man. stop moving your weight around. >> stop talking about my weight or i'm going to have to kill you. >> she didn't kill him.

they're here with us today. good to have you back. >> morning, morning, morning. >> so was that in amsterdam where you were shooting? >> it is. >> that's a frivolous kind of fun moment but you went there for a serious reason as well. didn't you, gene? >> well, kiss has been on tour for 2 1/2 years and the cameras follow us around and when we stopped off in amsterdam, actually it was fortuitous because there was a little 13-year-old boy, very sweet, charming, who came up to us and wanted to know if we wanted to tour the ann frank house. >> he wanted to do an interview actually, about you. not as a rocker. as a man. >> as a man. >> in the ann frank house? >> no. what happened was i became interested in the young man because he started talking so fondly and lovingly about his grandfather who survived world war ii and the nazis and concentration camps and invited us to go see, after we met his grandfather and the interview, to go see the ann frank house. i had never been there and we

walked in and what resulted is a one-hour special. >> gene's mom was a survivor. that's the connection. >> and the show is not a downer. it is uplifting, believe it or not. the show in the enis d is uplifting. there are lessons to be learned. >> you shot an our-long special? >> for me it was very deeply emotional. because when i looked into the eyes of ann frank who at 13 was taken to the concentration camps of nazi germany, she did not survive. my mother was 14 when she was taken away and i will tell you that for those of you out there, this is morning television and stuff, but do yourself a favor, do your kids a favor and your family, buy a book called "diary of ann frank. requests these are actually the diaries of a young jewish girl who happened to be dutch who thought about life and actually was very spiritually uplifting. she thought about the goodness of it and it will change your life.

you should read this book, "diary of ann frank." and we debut with a one-hour special about that because for me, it connects -- reconnects the wonder of my mother. if you think your mother is special, let me tell you something about my mother. to have lived through this horror. there she is. that's me. >> that's you as a little baby. >> to have lived through and survived and to wake up every day and have the point of day that every day above ground is a good day, there's no higher form of life on earth than my mother. >> we've had our sermon for the day, everybody. and -- you know, gene, espewe w have spent a little time with you understand this is a side of you. >> we do torture him and make fun of him. >> but he's one of the smartest people on the planet because kiss is the biggest selling rock touring group of all time. >> you know you're right. >> he's a multi-facetted and a deep human being.

>> kiss high-def tvs debut this month. they're 52 inches long. >> like your tongue. >> yes, ma'am. >> speaking of the holocaust. >> and the kiss casket, by the way, comes back again because the first generation sold out beep have kiss condoms, kiss caskets, we'll get you coming and we'll get you going. >> okay! >> how do you make this transition? you just ran the entire gamut. it was the spectrum. >> that's the way we roll. is there see us sunday night when you host russell brown's thing. neil styles and i? come on, man. i know the variety guys, i know everybody. >> oh, great. >> you guys got a minute? excuse me. the new season of "the gene simmons family jewels" debuts sunday night on aa&e. >> wait a minute. i love shannon tweed. >> i was waiting for that. >> how long have you been together? >> 27 years. >> you almost kissed right now. >> oh, sorry.

>> something just happened. >> we had two kids. >> that slightly res i>>bl thfey >> if they kiss we'll catch it and show it later. we'll be back. just go. go. we'll be right back. [ female announcer ] we're made to mix, cozy up, spread joy. there's no story without a cast of characters, and just like we mix and mingle, so do the delicious tastes and textures in every handful of chex mix. we're made to mix.

we break it, then we fix it. so you can start your day sunny side up. that's what we're made of. ♪ ♪ ba da ba ba ba that can take so much out of you. i feel like i have to wind myself up just to get out of bed. then...well, i have to keep winding myself up to deal with the sadness, the loss of interest, the trouble concentrating, the lack of energy. [ male announcer ] if depression is taking so much out of you, ask your doctor about pristiq®. pristiq is a prescription medicine proven to treat depression. pristiq is thought to work by affecting the levels of two chemicals in the brain, serotonin and norepinephrine. tell your doctor right away if your depression worsens or you have unusual changes in mood, behavior, or thoughts of suicide. antidepressants can increase suicidal thoughts and behaviors in children, teens and young adults.

pristiq is not approved for children under 18. do not take pristiq with maois. taking pristiq with nsaid pain relievers, aspirin, or blood thinners may increase bleeding risk. tell your doctor about all your medications, including those for migraine, to avoid a potentially life-threatening condition. pristiq may cause or worsen high blood pressure, high cholesterol, or glaucoma. tell your doctor if you have heart disease or before you reduce or stop taking pristiq. side effects may include nausea, dizziness and sweating. for me, pristiq is a key in helping to treat my depression. ask your doctor about pristiq. we're back with our new series called "sara on the streets." nobody can figure all the crazy gadgets that arrive in our mail room. >> not even me.

first teleprompter. so sara took the latest thingamajig to the streets to see if anybody had an idea of how this baby works. >> this is called a blabber meter. it looks like an alarm clock and it is but it also has another function. if you've ever said that my time it money, this is for you. it allows you to set an hourly rate and tally the dollars you'd get paid on all the time you've wasted on useless conversations and meet thaings that went nowhere. i hit the streets to find out the real cost of blabber. >> hey much is your time worth listening to your best friend? >> $45. >> your sister. >> yeah. >> she's a long-winded story teller? >> what are some of the things your daughter tells you about. she 5e8 years old. >> how school was, who she ate lunch with, what she ate for lunch, it's raining out, blah blah blah blah blah. she's just so cute. i think it is $1 an hour.

>> your daughter-in-law. >> she's never pay. >> wait, that takes us to another topic. >> how much would you charge for your time on the blabber meter for your customers? >> $2. >> $2? you charged your own kid $150. you're going with $2? >> yeah, yeah, yeah. >> you give her business advice here in that's not going to make her much. >> my friend. he gets on the couch and it never ends. >> what's your time worth? >> 300. >> easy. >> is matt is going to get a $300 an hour rate. >> sure. >> you discount because you like the friend? >> no. >> so, all right. sara, what do you think of it? >> i think it is great. would you charge anyone in your life to talk to you? >> they all do it for free. they do it for tree. >> it's because you're kathie lee. >> justin? who talks too much? >> well, you know, of course parents do but it's their job.

i would say my mother, though she's watching. and then -- >> which just makes this awkward. >> if your mother was gene simmons. >> let's make her really uncomfortable. would you say -- >> more uncomfortable than transition gene simmons just made? >> yeah. >> impossible. >> are you a sexually content man? >> at the moment? absolutely. i just made it real. i just made it real. >> there you go, people. there you go. still to come, great gift gift for all your holidays gift lists. and "everyone has a story" lists. and "everyone has a story" coming up next. high in vitamins d, e, and b12. a good source of vitamin a and b2. plus omega 3's. and, 25% less saturated fat than ordinary eggs. but there's one important ingredient that hasn't changed: better taste. better taste. better taste. yum! [ female announcer ] eggland's best. better taste -- and now even better nutrition -- make the better egg.

better taste -- and now even better nutrition -- colorstay ultimate™ liquid lipstick... i don't kiss and tell. has a built-in topcoat that keeps your lips perfect past midnight. with a single application in 20 comfortable shades. these lips are sealed. revlon colorstay ultimate™ liquid lipstick. good morning, everybody. time now is 10:26. i'm brad cannon, checking in with mike, hopefully leaving you with optimistic news? >> antioch had such a hard morning. we're going to give them a break. we do still have an accident, which is clearing from the roadway. we had one lane blocked for nearly half an hour after a series of five or six other sdends over t accidents. overjaw the east bay looks pretty good, the eastshore freeway getting back toward the speed limit. all recovering, and here's a look at sunol.

robbed those low clouds, kind of hovering around the hills. >> you can see the mid level clouds across the bay, nothing falling underneath the clouds just yet. you can see off to the north rain dropping in. it's going to continue to slide to the south, mainly affecting the north bay. cooler temperatures north of the golden gate. some 60s from san jose southward and we'll be stuck with the showers off and on with cooler temperatures for the upcoming weekend. more news after the break. my mercury moment happened at the beginning of the 3rd quarter. joey came over to watch the game when the storm rolled in. in through the ceiling. i switched to mercury to save on car insurance,

boy am i glad they cover my home too. they fixed the ceiling, replaced the couch, they even cleaned the carpets. wish they would have cleaned this up. you know, like a makeover. save up to 15% when you combine your auto with home or renter's policy. get a fast free quote at mercuryinsurance.com

a bay area soldier fighting for his country in iraq comes back home to find a significant chunk of his money gone out of his accounts. the soldier whose name has not been released asked a neighbor to look after his finances as he served a two-year tour in iraq. prosecutors say kenneth mccall used part of the money to buy things. in fact they say he used more than $30,000 from the credit union account and credit cards. anything to say, just to hear your side of the story in anything you'd like to say at all? >> there's a lot i could say, but talk to my attorney. >> his attorney did not return our calls for comment. he'll by in court next week for a hearing. the giants say that pat burl will return to the team next season.

the south bay product has reportedly signed a one-year deal. he was an integral part of getting the giants into the playoffs. "today continues coming up next. rne l hbayotoerckowrre we g.inmo we're back with "today's countdown to the holidays." in case you think your eyes are deceiving you, this is not hoda, it is a wonderful, very funny actor and very good talk show host, justin long. thank you. you're excited to be here, aren't you? >> i am. thanks for putting words in my mouth. i'm underwhelmed, frankly. no, i'm excited because this is where we get to the boozing. what do you call this day? >> this is thirst-day. >> fun-day, booed, wednesday,

thirst-day and friday to get ready for the weekend. we're here to talk about some hostess stuff. nathan turner is here. >> i'm glad i'm not here for meth day. >> meth. not math. >> it is party season now, guys. >> oh, you'll be here for meth day, don't worry. you're going to be supplying us you're the hostess with the mostess. >> we are falling apart. >> if i was going to come to your house, kathie lee, the hostess gift i would bring is this tasting menu. >> all of it? >> well, why not? how great are these? >> these are my favorites. >> you can do a chardonnay. it is $27 for the kit -- >> that's how she rolls. >> i like it because you can kind of put in your pocket and go. >> that's the baby.

>> so speaking of the big bottle, we have a wine thermometer here. how do you know what the temperature is that you're meant to be drinking wine? this will tell you instantly. it is only $10. a fun hostess gift. >> that is very nice. >> there's a little thermometer -- >> you just put it around the side. >> how nice. >> or that can be a cuff. >> fashion statement. i like it. thank you so much, nathan. >> staying with wine, those kind of jeweled wine markers i think are cheesy. but i thought thee are fun. they're little suction cup wine markers. you're always picking up other people's wines. >> always. >> you're picking up other things, too. >> careful. it's the crowd you're hanging around. >> now can you know which one you've rufied. want to stay away from that one, going to kathie. >> these are great cheese markers, $19 from pottery barn.

>> because you need to mark your cheese. you really do. >> it all kind of levels out. so this is a great thing to take. it is not only a gift for the hostess but an addition to the party. >> it is. that would make the difference in one, don't you think? >> i'm going to practice "i just got my cheese marker face." thank you for these cheese markers! exactly what i wanted -- i'll work on it. >> here if you don't like wine and cheese -- >> flowers are an easy hostess gift but this is great for the holidays. rosemary topiaries. i wrapped this one in burlap. they smell great. can you actually use these if you're a cook. >> that's right. you can just pick it off and bake with it. >> nathan, the least you could have done for a rosemary topiary is wrapped it in burlap. >> if you're going to do flowers, take it up a notch.

>> is that parsley in there? >> nathan really took it up a notch. >> no, i did because flowers come in a water pitcher. >> which can be used later. >> everyone needs a water pitcher. >> you thought that through. good for you. moving on. one minute for everything. >> these are homemade. all the stuff is from the container -- >> sugar, red stuff, cookies. >> flavor a few sugars. cinnamon, holiday flavors. they're good in coffee. you can make your own mixer and egg nothi eggnog. put the recipe on the card. >> look at these cookies! >> tasting the sugar. >> it's not that kind of sugar. cookies. everyone's baking. i just love these continues. fake-wo fake-wood tins.

they're cute, right? this is a great gift to take to someone with kids. $19 from williams-sonoma. >> and it is delicious. you can eat it at the end. >> so many of us are going to stay at people's houses. this is a great gift if you're a house guest. it is basically pancakes ready to go. >> stop it, nathan! >> i don't want to hear another word out of you. >> batter blaster. >> don't just take it for granted when somebody's having you over. be one step ahead of them, do something a little bit nice. >> you're going to be invited back if you take something nice. >> you're going to be invited back some day. >> thank you. >> how one marriage has been made stronger when we come back. you're going to have to behave during this next segment.

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♪ everyone has a moment that changes your life for them ♪ >> our newest content winner, gabrielle's letter grabbed our attention after we read how her husband of seven years inspires her in a way she never imagined he would. >> we'll meet edward in a minute but first is gabrielle's life. >> i want to tell you about my husband peter. he's 55 years old. in july 2009 he suffered a major stroke. he could initial/only move his eyes up and down. he was on a ventilator and i was told if he lived, this is the way he would spend the rest of his life. but for the grace of god and

peter's determination he's home now. he spent seven months in different hospitals. he's without the ventilator, he's regaining movement and feeling on his left side. the stroke severely impacted his motor skills but the rest of his brain is completely intact. we are both completely optimistic that he'll have a total recovery. prior to the stroke peter was an extremely active individual. he was district sales director for a large international company and he ran two miles a day. he didn't smoke and he ate really healthy food. hardly ever sat down. today he's confined to a wheelchair and he's completely dependent on me. peter and i have been only been married for seven years and this is the second marriage for both of us and we really had anticipated living happily ever after. this stroke changed everything for us. you might expect peter to be frustrated, bitter or negative but that is not the case. he's faced this struggle with such optimism and patience and

even though he can't speak, i really miss his voice. he and i communicate better than ever. he makes me laugh every day. he has an amazing sense of humor. everyone who meets him is inspired by him. his doctors are impressed by him and his therapists adore him. his determination and percent convenience and positive attitude are inspirational. he's an amazing human being and i am proud to be his wife. we are redefining happily ever after. >> and here with us are gabe yet a gabrielle and peter. thank you for soming such a long way. it is hard to get here from san diego to begin with. then you talk about coming with a wheelchair and it was your first long trip. >> right. >> how did it go? >> it was great. peter was great. i was worried about getting him on the airport but everyone was really good. >> justin was talking about people outside who were just asking each other to marry them and starting out as every young couple does with -- except for

you and drew barrimore. it was such promise for the future and that sort of thing. and you never know what's down the road. do you? >> no. >> how long into -- >> it was a year-and-a-half ago. >> so a 5 1/2 years in. >> oh, wow. >> you weren't expected to live through the night. right, peter? >> no. >> i know you can't answer for us but i think gabrielle can. why did he beat the o o'odds? what is it about peter? >> he's really stubborn. >> and he was in really good shape and that speaks to everybody a little warning to get in shape. his heart was really strong. he ate healthy. he didn't smoke. he ran. he exercised. so they said because he was in such good shape, that's what made the huge difference. >> because they said most people who suffer that severe of a stroke don't survive and they didn't -- they gave me a crisis counselor and was already warning me that he wouldn't have made it. >> but you also had a great inspiration to keep on living, didn't you, peter?

was it this woman who's sitting next to you? and your kids. right? the kids. >> yes. >> and is each day getting a little easier, peter, would you say? really. but i bet -- yeah. i don't know if you can see but he -- can we get a shot of peter. do that again. >> yeah. yeah. every day. fresh cup of mercy every morning. right? well, i wish i used that lyric in a song we're about to sing. fresh cup of mercy every day. when we come back, john tracy eagen performs a special song for gabriel and peter that david friedman and i wrote especially for them. right after this. [ female announcer ] can your body wash nourish this deeply?

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we're back with "everyone has a story" with gabriel and peter. now it is time for you all to hear the song that david and i

wrote especially for you. because you inspired us so much by your beautiful letters. here's the wonderful broadway performer john tracy eagen and the song is called "happily ever after." ♪ ♪ sometimes i catch you looking at me and can't help but wonder what do you see ♪ ♪ am i still the man that hung the stars in your sky ♪ ♪ am i still the one am i still your guy ♪ ♪ sometimes i dream of all that we planned and can't help but long for that fairy land ♪ ♪ but then you touch me with so

much love i could cry ♪ ♪ and that's how i know that i'm still your guy ♪ ♪ we are lovers in our own fairy tale felt with tenderness an joy and laughter ♪ ♪ though fate's been hard on us we're far from resigning ♪ ♪ we're living each day redefining ♪ ♪ happy happily ever after ♪ because love is something we can feel every day ♪ ♪ no extent no circumstance can take it away ♪ ♪ and though i can't speak i hope you realize i'm singing a love song to you with my eyes ♪ ♪ so don't waste a moment on

pity or fear ♪ ♪ inside i am happy and whole and right here ♪ ♪ our love without words is a love that's so pure ♪ ♪ one look in your eyes and i'm safe and secure ♪ ♪ that we are lovers in our own fairy tale ♪ ♪ filled with tenderness and joy and laughter ♪ ♪ our deems aren't gone they just need redesigning ♪ ♪ we're living each day redefining happily ever after ♪ ♪ living each day loving each day ♪

♪ finding our way redefining happily ever after ♪ ♪ >> and we'll be back with more of "today" on nbc.

we're back with "everyone has a story" and we've been honoring a very special gentleman. >> john treacy eagen just performed "happily ever after." >> john, that was gorgeous. you happen to have a brand-new semi-itch like just this past season, christmas cd. it's called "a christmas morning --"" on christmas morning." >> what did you think is.

>> i was very moved. i think peter liked it, too. >> we got the thumbs up from peter. peter's getting better every single day, you say. right? >> every day he accomplishes something new. so it's amazing. >> how's it brought your family together? >> well, all the kids have just really rallied around him and both of our families have really rallied around him. i think we just really believe that anything's possible, that no one can ever say never to us. >> you're saying it inspired your son to become a neurology intern. >> that's true. our youngest son is a really smart kid. he can pretty much do anything he wants but he says now he wants to study the brain, go into neurology of some sort. he's not sure. >> sounds like wonderful good is coming out of this as well. >> we know you have struggled with peter's therapy. guess what? our gift to you is pretty exciting. >> that was a pretty good gift. >> our friend at iso kinetics incorporated has generously donated a physical therapy table

for you so you can continue to help peter -- >> improve. >> we wish you a beautiful holiday season. god bless you guys. let us know how you're doing along the way. justin, thank you for being here. dave, john. hoda hates missing this. we want to do show you that earlier i said that -- yeah. yeah. same shirt, same tie. you know? you need a new agent to get you better deals on these movies you're doing -- >> i'm not the one that rhymed redefining with redesigning. don't think i didn't catch that. >> obviously not. i hope you have a fresh cup of mercy tomorrow morning. i'll be thinking but. tomorrow guest's host, sheryl crow, everybody. meantime, thank you all. god bless you, have a great thursday, everybody. bye-bye. ♪

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