in the world. good morning. done deal. democrats and republicans move closer to extending the bush era tax cuts to all americans. but president obama says he'll only let that happen if he gets something in return. square one. investigators struggle to piece together the murder of hollywood publist ronni chasen. was the man who killed himself after they confronted him not a suspect after all? this morning, one of chasen's closest friends and the coexecutor of her will speaks out in a live interview. and show-stopper. a reality tv contestant using special stilts to flip over

oncoming cars. and more than 10 million people were watching live when something went very wrong. now that man is hospitalized and the show is facing tough questions today, monday, december 6th, 2010. captions paid for by nbc-universal television and good morning. welcome to "today" on a monday morning. i'm matt lauer. >> and i'm natalie morales in for meredith. this morning, it looks like a compromise is in the works to extend those bush era tax cuts to every taxpayer in the u.s. >> this after republicans blocked two attempts by democrats over the weekend to approve the cuts just for the middle class. so what's changed? what does president obama have to say about this? we'll get the latest and what it could mean for your bottom line, straight ahead. also ahead, what happened to utah mother susan powell? she vanishes a year ago and her

husband was named the only person of interest in the case. well, now he's speaking out about his wife's disappearance, saying he thinks she ran off with another man. we'll have more on that and a live interview with susan powell's parents, coming up. also ahead, news you can use. we'll show yo the calorie count in your favorite holiday drinks. you're drinking tea. but have you tried those eggnog latte things with with the whipped cream. >> bad news. >> wait until you see how many calories and how much sugar are in those things. and how often do you clean your bathrooms? is once a week enough? look what we found when we had a scientist put some viewers' bathrooms to the test. not good news. tamron hall is at the news desk this morning. >> hi, everybody. much of the country is waking up to the coldest weather of the season so far. mike seidel in erie, pennsylvania.

good morning, mike -- oh, what a sight! >> reporter: not only cold, but if you're around the great lakes, it's lake-effect snow. we're getting wind gusts over 30 miles an hour. we're right near interstate 90. last week near buffalo, 3 1/2 feet of snow shut down that highway. let me take you to buffalo, it wasn't too bad as this prolonged lake-effect event got underway. syracuse, ended their second-longest streak without an inch of snow, they've had 7 inches of snow, another 2 on the way. here in erie, expecting 3 feet on the ground by tomorrow. not only cold air, but the cold air going south. take a look at the jet stream, a big dip, all the way down to the florida keys. and that's opening the door for the coldest air of the season. it will be even colder by tomorrow morning. look at those temperature departures in miami. about 25 degrees. 43 is 3 off the record. meanwhile, a lot of us -- through cold and windchills. we could see a record tomorrow in orlando, tamron, of 29

degrees. meanwhile, snowing and blowing today and tomorrow here off the lakes. back to you. >> all right, mike. hang in there. thank you. and president obama called chinese president hu jintao overnight to take a strong stance against north korea's aggression. this is as they flout warnings from pyongyang that any military exercises could push the two nations to the brink of war. iran is declaring that it can now produce its own uranium powder or yellow cake to make its own nuclear fuel. this announcement came on the eve of today's first global talks in over a year aimed at resolving the international deadlock over iran's nuclear ambitions. at least 200 people are missing after a massive landslide in colombia buried nearly a dozen three-story residences. rescuers are still searching the rubble for any survivors. colombia has been battered by torrential rains in recent weeks. this killed at least 176 people and left 1.5 million people nationwide homeless. investors are keeping an eye

on overseas marks for direction this morning. cnbc's amanda drury is at the new york stock exchange. good morning. >> good morning. we are awaiting the outcome of the meeting of the european finance ministers. they're under a lot of pressure to try to keep the crisis there from spreading. of course, we're also watching what is happening right here at home. we want resolution on what's happening with though bush tax cuts. on the corporate front, watch pfizer shares after the ceo of the drugmaker surprisingly steps down. and another thing to watch on the corporate front is that reuters is reporting that aol is exploring breaking up and merging with yahoo!. lots of things to watch at the start of the week. back to you. >> amanda, thank. it is now 7:05, back to matt, natalie, and al. >> thanks, tamron. you're talking about a big snow bout a big snow event in the great lakes. >> five out of the five great lakes all have lake-effect snow coming off them. >> mike seidel could barely open his eyes. >> i know. it's just going to continue. all of our friends along the great lakes, our condolences, it's going to continue big area of high pressure, low pressure

backing into the canadian maritimes, you've got the winds coming across the lakes. cold air, picking up the moisture from the warmer lakes, the lake waters in the mid to upper 40s. but the land temperatures about 30s, and once the wind comes off the lake, it cools off and it drops snow. and it's just going to continue to drop snow. as you can see, we've got snow from alpena all the way down to state college, pennsylvania. some areas picking up nine to 12 inches between cleveland and lake erie. we're looking at six to nine inches between buffalo and watertown, new york, before it's all over. it's going to continue for at least the next 48 hours. that's what's going on aro >> here's the view from san bruno starting to clear out. most of the showers or what's left of them are south of san jose. the showers start to shut down and batches coming through from time to time. still breezy at 50s and 60s for

highs. tomorrow morning's main concern will be patchy fog and rain off and on and scattered showers. the weekend ahead looks warmer and dry. and that's your latest weather. matt? >> al, thank you very much. now to washington and the battle over the bush-era tax cuts. a compromise appears to be on the horizon. nbc's savannah guthrie has the late oent this. savannah, good morning to you. >> a deal could come as early as this week. some democrats on the hill are not happy about the compromise. >> tax cuts should go to the middle class. >> we should not increase taxes on anybody. >> after weeks of partisan rangeling over how to extend the expiring bush-era tax cuts -- >> i'm optimistic we'll be able to come together. >> senate republican leader, mitch mcconnell appearing sunday on "meet the press," suggested a compromise is clear. >> i think it's pretty clear that taxes are not going up on anybody in the middle of this recession. we're discussing how long we should maintain current tax

rates. >> the stage for a deal is set after two attempts by democrats over the weekend to pass tax cuts for the middle class only. >> the motion is not agreed to. >> the votes failed without the support of republicans. who are holding out for tax cuts for all taxpayers, including top earners. back from his whirlwind trip to afghanistan, president obama weighed in after the senate vote. saying now is the time for a deal. >> we need to redouble our efforts to resolve this impasse. in the next few days, to give the american people the peace of mind that their taxes will not go up on january 1st. it will require some compromise. but i'm confident that we can get it done. >> behind the scenes, senior administration officials tell nbc news that the president has drawn a new line in the sand, saying he will oppose even a temporary extension of the bush tax cuts, unless unemployment benefits and a series of other tax cuts targeting middle class taxpayers are also extended. but even as bipartisan

negotiators hammer out a deal on taxes, the president's biggest challenge remains jobs. following an unemployment report that caught the west wing and wall street by surprise. it's the jobless rate jumping to 9.8%. >> despite 11 consecutive months of private-sector job growth, despite creating more than one million private-sector jobs this year, it's not enough. we have to do more to accelerate the economic recovery. and create jobs for the millions of americans who are still looking for work. >> well the president is on the road today, in north carolina, at a community college. once again, expected to call for the extension of unemployment benefits in some of those other middle-class tax cuts to be part of any compromise this week, matt? >> savannah, thanks very much, savannah guthrie at the white house this morning. it's nine minutes after the hour. here's natalie. there's a new warning from the founder of wikileaks, julian assange, says he's created a

cache of uncensored documents that could be released whenever he wants. nbc's peter alexander has the latest. >> good morning. it's been just over a month since julian assange last appeared publicly. but the founder of wikileaks remains defiant. his latest release of sensitive documents reveals a secret list of u.s. infrastructure sites around the world viewed as key to national security. and now assange is threatening a whole lot more. it's a secret cache of uncensored files that's been described a as poison pill. julian assange is threatening to release the archive of documents if his website is shut down or he's arrested. assange told online readers of a british newspaper that more than 100,000 people worldwide have already downloaded the heavily encrypted files. if something happens to us, the key parts will be released automatically, he wrote. the huge array of files is believed to include documents on bp, bank of america, and guantanamo bay. with one reportedly called insurance.

locked by a 256-digit code that only assange knows. >> it's a ticking time bomb with a remote fuse. so this bomb can go off the second that they release the key. and the key will spread around the internet in a matter of seconds. >> assange's lawyer defended the move on the bbc, arguing wikileaks has been the target of kriper attacks and censorship. >> they need to protect themselves and this is, i think what they believe to be a thermo nuclear device, effectively. in the electronic age. >> u.s. leaders continue to condemn the releases with one republican today calling assange a high-tech terrorist. >> he needs to be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. and if that becomes a problem, we need to change the law. >> the 39-year-old computer hacker is wanted for questioning by swedish authorities after allegations he raped and sexually molested two women in august. accusations he vehemently denies. even if he's arrested, it could be sometime before assange is returned to sweden.

>> we anticipate a final result in relation to an extradition process within six months. >> as for the wikileaks threat, assange's attorney said only 261 out of a quarter million files have been exposed. now even u.s. government officials and future diplomats, that includes college students, have been warned not to read those classified documents. natalie? >> the story will go on. peter alexander in london for us, thank you. it is 7:12, once again, here's matt. >> new twists and turns in the investigation of hollywood publicist, ronnie chasen's murder. a man who killed himself last week when police confronted him about that case may not be connected to the murder at all. in a moment, we'll talk to one of ronnie chasen's long-time friends, but first, nbc's george lewis has the latest on the case. george, good morning to you. >> good morning, matt. police aren't saying where the 3-week-old investigation stands, but it now appears the investigation is back to square

one this morning. a few days after ronnie chasen was murdered in this beverly hills neighborhood -- >> she was rushed to the hospital, but died an hour later. >> a tipster called the tv show, "america's most wanted" to say that this man, ex-convict, arold smith, had been bragging wanted" called the tf show to say that he did it. after the show's produceders alerted the police and they confronted him, he killed himself. in a friday press release, the beverly hills police department says, quote, at this time it's unknown if the individual was involved in the chasen homicide. it's now been widely reported that ballistics tests that he used to kill himself was not the gun used in the chasen murder. >> the chasen investigation has gone back to its roots now, it's

a mystery, the digging, the ground pounding, the researching of her past, all has to come up again and they have to go back to square one. >> reporter: chasen's brother, writer/director larry cohen offered his own theory about the killing, he told the "new york times," i still think this was most likely a case of road rage. but friends say she was a careful driver and not likely to be a road rage target. >> this could easily have been a flukish type of crime. noting? that was preplanned. i don't think we should rush to the judgment either way in a case like this. >> reporter: because of the high profile nature of this case n a community that averages one homicide a year, the pressure is on the beverly hills police to solve the chasen murder. some of the experienced investigators we have been talking to say it's entirely possible the chasen murder may

never been solved especially if it was a random act. >> this was a personal friend of ronni chasen and the co-executive of her willing. our condolences to you. >> i could imagine you must have asked yourself 100 times in the last few weeks who would wand to kill ronni chasen, have you come up with any types of answers for that question? >> no, and it's very difficult because ronni was really beloved. hundreds of people showed up at her funeral. she helped many women. she was very good at what she did, she worked with the press and in showbiz, and many people that are in support groups, she made a terrific living, she was a great investor, our relationship involved stocks and we talked business all the time, along with, you know, men, and all the usual things women talk

about. but she didn't have -- she never mentioned any extreme enemies, even any -- i never saw her lose her temper, ever. i never saw her lose her temper. >> you described her as a throw back, someone who may have been from another era. were there two sides to her? was the person that perhaps hollywood saw in politic, at parties and events, not the same person that you knew away from the limelight? >> yes, in that he was more -- when you're in hollywood, she understood appearances and the whole thing of looking good, getting her clients out there, dealing with the press and the television et cetera. but she actually had a quiet side, she was more intellectual than anybody would ever believe. she wanted to honest to god go into archaeology and do a dig in turkey and i laughed at her and i said i can't see you sifting through sand. she was 64, she wanted to start changing her life a bit.

and she was very interested in money. and i mean on the megascale. >> wshe invested wisely, she ha very good investors and advisors in los angeles, but i also have to say that she followed it. and i'm a day trader and whatnot in later years and i found that she was remarkable. she didn't read all the press that i read and she knew the copper market was going to be corner. >> she made you a co-executor of her will back in 1994, and in the last year or so, she was talking about revising her will. did she give you any reasons for that? >> in september. no, but every four years or so, she started talking about a will. and in september, she started talking about, i'm going to make you the executor again, i said, w why? why don't you just give me your

car or your hair brushes or something. and that was kind of a joke. she was talking about dolling it or adding to it or whatever so this was kind of an ongoing -- i didn't feel there was any premonition here of her death because she was talking about her will. it was just a thing to do. >> it seems that so many people martha are now looking for some kind of hollywood plot in all of this and yet in your mind do you think perhaps, do you agree with her brother that there could be no plot at all, that this could be a terrible and tragic case of road rage? >> when we were walking in the park, this summer we did some walking, she parked her beautiful new merced does next to my old honda, i told her her car was a target with her blond hair, because i have been through a lot and i say, you know, a car like this at night, even in beverly hills, it's

dangerous, the hair, the car. she was a good driver. she was not reckless. this was a person who was totally risk averse, she was concerned about her body, her hair, her clothes. she in no way would take a chance, but the car was very flashy in my mind, and i think believe it or not, there are nut cases many of them, and they're out there driving around at night, they have guns. it very well could be that. and the rumors are flying because it's the movie business and i hear russian mob, i hear gambling debts. first she did not gambling, forget that. everybody was above board in the business. but there are rumors, ronni could be tough about money, but again, she really virtually had no enemies. >> martha, i thank you for your perspective this morning. we appreciate you joining us. it's 19 after the hour, here

natalie. >> are you looking for a holiday get away? how does iran sound? aaron, good morning. >> it was mysterious and kind of a strange place to be, and it took just a short harrowing flight. we got to the island just 30 minutes away from the glitzy skyscrapers of dubai and there we found a whole different world. >> reporter: blue water, white sand beaches, romantic sun sets. this island is as popular as a caribbean get away. only 36 miles in size, half the size of aruba. >> the island was a playground for the rich and famous in the '70s. >> reporter: the island just ten miles off the iranian coast is called kish.

there's separate beaches for women who must cover their hair in the hot sun. 1 million iranian visit each year. but kish isn't all about tourism. for nearly 1,000 years, kish has been a center of trade for iran. now it has a special pretrade status. while americans are rare, american products are everywhere. sanctions prohibit most companies from doing business in iran, including kish. but we saw well known american brands in fully stocked malls, many without authorization, like tommy hilfiger and iranian gap. we saw everything including flat screen tvs. but it isn't all smooth sailing for kish. yes, the island's only five-star hotel, the palace was humming,

but the island's biggest project, a 5,000 room resort is on hold, a victim of iran's growing isolation from the world. >> and this island isn't just a vacation destination, about 15% of iran's exports come through ugh. bob levin actually disappeared there when he was looking into that. >> a good place to disappear. nbc's erin burnett, thanks so much. just ahead, a stunt during a live reality television show goes horribly wrong. we're going to show you what happened, but first, this is "today" on nbc. mmm. you smell that? yeah, wait. what is that? love. smells like ham. [ female announcer ] serve a main course brimming with comfort and joy. safeway. ingredients for life.

when you don't have to cook, you have time for other things. yeah, like what? i don't know. fishing. [ clears throat ] oh. ha. ha. [ female announcer ] when we do the cooking, you do the enjoying. safeway. ingredients for life. just ahead, the a lot of fat and calories in your favorite

coffee drinks and what you should be drinking instead.

>> good morning. time is 7:26. checking in with mike, a new accident is clearing with the back up. >> it was in laning and we have the ripple effect. the accident had things stopped for about 15 machines much the ripple effect with the travel times bleeding back towards 66 and 88. 880 at bottom of the screen, over 20 minutes and getting close to 25 minutes out of san leandro and hayward. slow through liver mer with

earlier rain and a couple of beings that cleared from the roadway. we have the slow drive out of the pass. >> and patchy fog and the showers are moving away up the timeline. most of the showers are getting out of the south bay and we have clouds offshore. you will see them from time to time and showers what's left of them mild and breezy. temperature television wise not so bad. should catch a break from the rain and the raindrops back in for wednesday and thursday. skies clear and looks like we could have a warm weekend for change. time is 7:27. more news after the break. when it comes to getting my family to eat breakfast,

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nutella. breakfast never tasted this good. >> today is sentencing day for 3 r people accuse of beating and holding a teen captive for more than a year. kyle ramirez stumled about a tracy health club snake and chained and shackled and looking for help. a youth football coach and the legal guardian pleaded guilty. they face at least 30 years behind bars. more local news in a half hour. the "today" show returns in less than a minute. 7:30 now on a monday morning.

7:30 now on a monday it's the sixth day of december, 2010. people are bundled up because it's cold outside. it's 31 degrees, but the windchills are probably in the 20s. >> inside studio 1a, i'm matt lauer alongside natalie morales. a man is hospitalized after a stunt goes wrong in a live television show.

still no answers in the disappearance ever susan powell, but her husband as a new theory. we'll have details on that. and also talk to susan powell's parents coming up. the startling amount of fats an calories in your holiday cup of coffee. including one large coffee drink that has the equivalent of a beef tender loin dinner. let's begin with a shocking accident during a live reality tv show. nbc's peter alexander is back with more on that. peter, good morning again. >> reporter: this long running show is hugely popular in germany. there the fans describe as a national institution. it's a show of daredevil feats. critics over the years have complained that those stunts

have become increasingly dangerous. one ended in disaster. it was intended as a prime time show-stopper. daniel kaufman wearing spring loaded stilts intended to flip head first over an oncoming car, on saturday night, with a live german audience watching, he successfully jumped over two cars. the show is one of the most popular programs in all of europe for nearly 30 years. the studio audience held their breath as cox prepared for his fourth attempt. this time with his father behind the wheel, he began to jump over the car, but something went terribly wrong. nbc news is not showing the accident, but it was witnessed live by more than 10 million

viewers across germany. cox landed facedown on the studio floor, motionless as paramedics rushed on to the set. the 23-year-old was immediately taken to a nearby hospital with what one doctor described as signs of paralysis. back in the studio, the show was pulled off the air, the audience stunned. >> translator: it couldn't go on like that, this woman says, we're all shocked. the show's host spoke publicly later that night. i talked to the young man at a dinner, he reassured me he was looking forward to this, i'm so sorry it ended this way. among the celebrity guests scheduled to appear on the show, cameron diaz and justin bieber who was scheduled to perform. a heart wrenching finish to what was supposed to be a night of entertainment. that young man is listed in critical condition this morning,

the good news is he's said to be conscious and speaking. he did suffer serious injuries to both his neck and spine. the show's producers say they're reexamining their safety procedures. they insist the worst accident before saturday night was a broken leg, which is a tasterri thing this happened will in german. >> doesn't sound like a good idea. peter, thanks very much. it's now 7:34. now to the baffling disappearance of susan powell, a utah mother who vanished one year ago. we'll talk to her parents in a moment. but miguel is there with the latest on the case. >> reporter: tomorrow susan's family will mark the one-year anniversary of her disappearance here in utah and also in washington state where she grew up. this as her husband boasts his own theory about what happened to his wife. memories, all susan powell's family has left. in utah, a december night, susan

vanished. josh powell, susan's husband says he took his sons camping at 12:30 in the morning in a snowstorm on december 7. when he returned home, he says susan was gone. detectives named josh powell a person of interest. search warrants were served at their home, boxes of evidence hauled away. but josh's father steve powell now tells nbc news susan left on her own, purposely choosing that night to disappear. >> oh, yeah, i think it was definitely orchestrated. this whole idea for example that josh went out on an inclement night to take the boys camping, he's done that before and he was very much aware that he would do it again. and when he did it again, it was probably the perfect time to make the slip.

>> reporter: susan left behind journals that described a troubled past, an up stable state of mind. a journal powell says not yet seen by police. >> when you read susan's journals she had this total bifurcation between her sexual and moral life. she couldn't admit that she was out doing something with another guy and going to run off with somebody else. >> reporter: that somebody may be this man, steven kosher. he lived in utah and went missing within days of susan. josh powell offered no details on how the two may have known each other, but suggests they could be in brazil. kosher's family denies the theory. >> i think it's quite ludicrous. >> even josh's sister doesn't buy his story.

she says susan would never leave her children. >> i believe that josh was responsible for her disappearance. >> reporter: now with no arrests in the case a year has passed, all susan's family can do is hope and pray. a loving mom who vanished, a year later, still no sign of susan powell. in the weeks following susan's dispaefrps appearance, josh has moved to washington state and continues to update his website. he will not be at any of this bike's tributes. >> judy and chuck cox are susan powell's parents. good morning to you both. thanks for being with us. i know this has been a devastatingly long year without any sign of your daughter. judy and chuck, how are you both holding up? >> we take one day at a time. >> and what do you make -- go ahead, sir.

>> i just said it's been a long year and we are still waiting for some word and we still expect to have some word to where she may be. >> what is your response to this latest allegation made by your son-in-law josh powell who says she may have run off to brazil with a man named stephen kosher who disappeared around the same time. >> this is ridiculous. the police are aware of this obviously, and we know this has been looked into. it just does not fit. my daughter loved her children and she didn't leave of her own accord. >> the police say they cannot find a link between the two. so your thoughts on that? >> i think they have checked out and i think they dismissed it. i know that they're working hard.

>> have you been in touch at all with the kosher family, have you talked with them about this? >> no, actually what i did a little research last night and evidently they knew more about what the police were looking at than we have. but, no, we haven't been in contact with the kosher family. >> meanwhile susan's father-in-law steve powell as you heard all that he said. he indicated that susan kept a journal and she talked and wrote about having issues, emotional -- mental illness and a troubled childhood. what can you tell us about that? judy, did you know, did your daughter suffer with emotional problems? did she have a troubled childhood? >> i don't believe she suffered in her childhood. she was a happy child. she was very friendly, she made lots of friends and she was what you would quote, i guess a people person. and she made friends quickly,

she was not afraid to talk to people, introduce herself and i think she enjoyed meeting people. so, no, she was not a troubled child. she had lots of fun. did a lot of things like other kids and she set goals and worked on those goals. >> meanwhile, chuck, josh powell told nbc news that he had nothing to do with susan's disappearance. what do you think happened to your daughter now a year later? >> well, if i can go to the journals for a second. those journals were personal property and encouraged for our children to write so that their children could read what their mother felt when she was their age. and they were back, i believe, starting when she was like 12 years old and we are very upset that we do not have the property of our daughter, that the powells have kept those.

and those are the writings of a 12-year-old girl and i don't know what's in them, have never seen them. i wouldn't look at them because that was her diary almost if you will, some of that stuff. we believe -- or i know that that did not happen that she did not take off with anybody, she's dedicated to her family and she's missing. and the story that josh powell's come up with is just not believable. >> judy and chuck cox, again, our thoughts are with you and we're hoping and praying for some good news. now switching gears, lets get a check of the weather now from al. >> "today's" weather is brought to you by chevy. every model is backed by a 100,000 mile, five-year power train limited warranty. >> a big story as we have been telling you, lake-effect snow affecting five out of the five great lakes.

as we look at erie, pennsylvania, this is a snow covered nightmare right now. and it's going to continue. the other part of the equation, the cold air and the cold air is going to seep as far south as atlanta. 70 degrees below normal and knoxville, cincinnati, almost 20 degrees below normal. 14 degrees below normal in st. louis with highs of 29. 30 in cleveland with lake-effect snow and around the rest of the country, you can see those temperatures, atlanta, a high of 40 degrees today, tampa will only get up to 53, only 76 in phoenix. get up to >> here's a view of san francisco. sunsne and a little bit of clearing right now, but still cloudy around san jose. most of the action moved off to the east. flying in the form of snow for the sierra and elevations above

6,000 feet. 50s to mid 60s to mid 60s for highs. rin into tuesday and wednesday morning. >> a lot of wild weather all across the country today, make sure you check in with the weather channel on cable or weather.com online at least three or four times a day. you are what you drink, the holiday beverage that has the calorie equivalent of two slices of pie. what you should be drinking instead.

we're back now at 7:46, this morning on drink this, not that. the hidden perils of holiday beverages. americans drink about 35% of their daily calories. david is the author of the eat this, not that, 2011.

we're talking about coffee, coffee itself is not the culprit, it's only got about five calories in it. >> the problem is the 35 calorie pick me up has become a 700 calorie plug me up. these drinks are giving you 40% of your calories for the entire day. >> we're going to start with starbucks and we're not picking on starbucks, but this is their pepperment white chocolate mocha. >> this makes a banana split look like whole wheat. you have got the whipped cream, it's made with whole milk. >> 2,700 calories. 27 grams of fat. >> it ends up being like a christmas can dinner, an entire beef tenderloin dinner, is what's in a cup that in some cases you down in four minutes. >> there you can have the cafe mocha with skim and you go way

down to 220 calories. >> dunkin' donuts, this is the large cafe. >> it's 440 calories. this is the least ill dull negligent. it ends up being the sugar equivalent of these 4 1/2 dunkin' donuts, sprinkled and cheered doughnuts. >> so you then want to get your -- >> you can just go ahead and have a ginger bread coffee. it's only 170 calories and, again, you've wiped out 300 calories. >> on to the pepperment hot chocolate. >> two kinds of candy in one cup, your among java just became

java the hud. . >> go with the classic drink and no whipped cream and lose 400 calories. >> and mcdonald's, this is the frappe caramel. >> two of the four ingredients is sugar. so it's sweeter than a sandra bull lock movie. >> it's the equivalent of these 31 caramel chocolate candies. so 31 of them. or that. instead, all you got to do is have the nonfat caramel cappuccino, cappuccino is always the best because there's very little milk. >> 195 calories and zero fat. back to starbucks, and this is the egg not latte with whole milk in a vente size.

>> this is almost a day's worth of saturated fat. >> you're going to feel great for about an hour and then you're going to have that sugar crash. >> this ends up being about 16 candy canes. >> this is a holiday miracle, this is a grande that actually earned the name skinny. >> david, thanks very much. still ahead, just how clean is your bathroom? the eye opening results when we put one viewer's home to the test.s is igonot toing go b this is not going to be good.

just ahead, could a kindergarten teacher eof

of -- >> this is in a live interview right after your local news.

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time now is 7:56. let's check in with mike for the latest on the commute. >> i slow drive off of the summit and an earlier accident off of summit. it travels north and the slow drive through the south bay northbound with typical slowing below the 40s to below 20s. 680 and 880. further north, the peninsula with both directions with slowing towards menlo park. the traffic flows nicely and there you go towards the bridge. big slowing in both directions

through oakland. gray as well. >> but not a lot of rain right now. san francisco same story to the south. clouds going through and most of the action is off to the east. a mild and breezy afternoon. 60s to 50s around san francisco and the north bay. tomorrow looks like a break with patchy morning fog and the rain rolls in come wednesday morning. time is 7:57. more news after the break.

new this morning, a federal panel will hear argue ams on california's same-sex marriage ban. the three-judge panel will hear two hours worth of arguments at about 10:00 this morning. supporters of proposition 8 that bans same-sex marriage will appeal a lower court ruling and try to reinstate the ban. it will be televised nationally. the ninth circuit court of appeals is reviewing the court decision that ruled prop 8 was unconstitutional. it will eventually wind up in the supreme court and the ruling could narrow the argument that the high court could hear. have a great morning.

we're we're back now. it's 8:00 on a monday morning. it's the 6th day of december, 2010. it was one of those mornings where it's a little better to maybe stay inside. it's a cold morning in new york city, 31 degrees. yes, some snow flurries in the air. this is the first we've seen here in new york city. >> yeah. >> this winter. >> it's beautiful. >> i feel like a mcflurry. >> you look like a mcflurry. >> i'm matt lauer along with natalie morales, who's in while

meredith is off today. al roker joins us as well. >> this is part of the lake effect snow. >> is it? >> from lake erie and lake ontario. >> all the way down here? >> we're not getting anything like they're getting. >> nothing like they're getting up here. >> so we can enjoy it. in this half hour, we're going to tell the story of a mother who did not see her own daughter for nearly two years. she was being accused of sexually molesting other children, actually including her own daughter. that woman was acquitteded on all counts earlier this year. she has fought now to win back custody of her children. coming up, tonya crabbe and her ex-husband will speak out in an exclusive live interview. >> on a much, much different note. want to try something new for your company's holiday party? here's something new for you. our top chef is here with new twists on classic stand-bys for you. >> that pasta smells great with that garlic.

>> it really does. and we're going to put your bathroom to the test. how clean do you think your bathroom is? you would be shocked to see what one family found out when we tested things out. maybe your bathroom is kind of in the same situation. >> you know your bathroom is going to be germy. >> you'd be surprised at how germy is it. >> right. >> all right. lot to get to. and on assignment today, we've got tamron hall over at the news desk with the headlines. >> good morning, everyone. after weeks of standing their ground, it appears that republicans and the white house are close to a deal on extending bush-era tax cuts for the wealthy. on sunday, president obama and other democrats signaled they will drop their opposition if republicans go along with tax cuts for the middle class, an extension of unemployment benefits. the world's largest drug maker pfizer has a new ceo. 32-year pfizer veteran ian reed has been named to the seat. jeffrey kindler retired suddenly on sunday. pfizer has failed to create new

blockbuster drugs, and the patent on their best-selling drug lipitor expires next year. and the s.e.c. is the latest to be sued to recover money for bernie madoff victims. they're seeking $9 billion claiming hsbc profited by funneling investment dollars to madoff, ignoring signs that he was a fraud. the top republican on the senate foreign relations committee richard lugar says he thinks there are enough gop votes to ratify the nuclear arms treaty president obama signed with russia before the year ends. south korea's military is conducting live fire maneuvers today one day after its tough talking defense chief took over and two weeks after north korea launched a deadly artillery barrage. for the first time this year, iran is taking part in talks today with the u.s. and five other nations over its nuclear program. iran has repeatedly defied international sanctions designed to keep it from developing nuclear weapons. and today the food and drug administration will hold a public discussion on the

practice of sharing breast milk. officials are concerned that it could pose hazard to babies. we have more from mara. good morning. >> reporter: good morning, tamron. while many mothers want to breast-feed their babies, not all are able to. an increasing number of women are turning to the internet for breast milk. they're hooking up with other moms who have milk to spare who is have decided to sem it or give it away for free. like many other moms, megan decided to breast-feed her baby. she quickly realized her body made enough milk to feed her child and then some. >> we started freezing it and pretty soon ran out of freezer space. >> reporter: not wanting to waste the milk, she turned to a internet, at first looking at milk banks, but those sites charged the buyer up to $5 an ounce. >> i just was a little bit saddened by that because i thought of there may be babies out there who need it and their

parents couldn't afford it. >> reporter: but some aren't so thrilled about arrangements like this. while health experts promote the benefits of breast-feeding, many worry unregulated sharing could pass bacteria or even drugs from the donor mom to a baby. >> you wouldn't choose to give your child blood that you agree to get from some person online without going through the proper screening process and the proper assessment of the blood. why would you do that for breast milk? >> reporter: but moms like freund argues these arrangements are not only safe, they're best for the baby. >> it is a very natural thing. women have been doing it for thousands of years. >> reporter: an age old practice getting new scrutiny. now, the fda does not regulate breast milk banks or sharing, but at today's meeting their panel will discuss risks and potential regulations. they'll release their findings later in the week. tamron? >> mara, thank you. and a day he will never forget. a 20-year-old chinese man became the world memory champ on sunday

by memorizing a deck of 52 cards in only 24 seconds. not bad at all. it is 8:05. now to al with the weather. >> announcer: today's weather is brought to you by office depot. give more, spend less, gift smarter this holiday season at office depot. >> we got some nice folks here. now, you're supposed to be in the caribbean? >> we sure are. we're stranded here, but we're happy to be here. >> how come you're stranded? >> our ship is actually dry docked somewhere. >> they didn't know you guys were going on a cruise? >> not until we got here. >> we did, but the ship didn't. >> that's always a bad thing. what's the cruise line? >> norwegian. >> take care of these folks. get them on a boat. do something, come on. we're glad to see you. >> glad to be here. >> maybe you can spend a little christmas with us. let's check your weather. where's the boat? oakland, california, nbc 11, got a few showers. 61 degrees. we got some flurries to talk about. and as we look at the week ahead, snow around the great

lakes and the below normal condition for the eastern half of the country, above normal conditions throughout the west. and then as we move into the midweek period, we're looking for more snow around the great lakes and the west. above normal temperatures in the mid-plains. and then at the end of the week, more snow in the west and around the great lakes, above normal temperatures in the plains. we've got some girl scouts here. where you guys from? >> columbus, ohio. >> they even brought cookies. yeah! that's what's going on. here is a nice view of san francisco as you see from oakland rightnow. clearing skies. you can see clouds will spill in during the afternoon. mild and breezy day with 50s and 60s for the highs today. the timing is not too bad. we play clear out as we go through midday friday.

>> happy birthday to logan. natalie? >> thank you, al. coming up next, the kindergarten teacher who lost custody of her children after being accused and then ultimately acquitted of child molestation charges. we'll talk with her exclusively right after this. with the capital one venture card

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we're back now at 8:11 with a case that split apart a small town. she lost custody of her kids two years ago. she was acquitted in may. now she's worked out a custody deal with her ex-husband. we'll talk to them in a moment. but first, here's nbc's michelle kosins kosinski. >> reporter: just over six months ago, tanya craft faced a georgia courtroom. >> i did not and have not sexually abused any child. >> reporter: the rest of the her life in the balance, her words against those of little children. >> i'm here because i have been

falsely accused. >> reporter: there were hundreds who supported the popular and exhuberent kirnder garten teacher. her own daughter was taken away from tanya for two years because of all this. >> i said are you 100% sure that this happened? and i'll never forget the look on her face or in her eyes. she stopped everything she did and looked me dead in the eye and said i know it did, daddy. >> reporter: accusations that some had axes to grind and were coached by adults. it was such a confusing, indefinite mess, but for tanya, the reality, the questions hanging in the air, was she the innocent victim or a predator

who should spend the rest of heifer life behind bars? the jury delivered vindation. >> count number one, not guilty. count number 22, not guilty. >> not guilty on anything! we knew it! >> reporter: that is what tanya hoped for on that day in may. >> i was not going to let them railroad me. this could happen to anybody anywhere at any time like that and your entire life is gone. >> reporter: and today has gained back what she most treasured. she will now share custody of her son and daughter. >> we knew that we could work this out and we could do this. >> reporter: in a case that could have gone either way, tonya craft survived. >> tanya craft and her husband joe hanke are here.

at the end there you said we knew we could do this. a lot of outsiders would say how could they do this? there's been a lot of tension between you two, including the fact that joel, you were one of the people who testified against tanya in tourt. how did you work this out? >> we worked it out because like we talked about on there, it was for the children. we were actually in a room by ourselves and we shed some tears, we talked about some things and we said a lot of things that just needed to be out in the open. >> is this just let bygones be by gones? i would have to ask you, do you now believe that nothing she was accused of was true? >> matt, basically, you know, i thought about that a lot and tanya and i had a lot of great conversation about it and

discussion and she saas she sai a lot of tears. i had a history teacher who said if we don't learn from history we're condemned to repeat it. that kept resonating inside of me. we had to determine that we're going to move forward in the best interests of our children. >> talk about the relationship with your children now tanya, aiden is 8, co cole is 11. what was your relationship with your daughter like now and your son? >> actually with both the children and especially my daughter because she was the one that was focused on due to the allegations. it's been described by people who have observed that nothing has happened. >> did it take a great deal of therapy to get to that point? >> to be quite honest, i will say that the best thing they are not, they are learning to be healthy children now without being in a therapist's office every week. >> what impact has it had on the

kids, because they lived with you for 2 1/2 years? >> right. and we have wonderful children so that's a base that a lot of people unfortunately may not be able to claim. but again, i think it was our determination to make sure that they were healthy. >> i want people to know that on commercial breaks you are laughing and joking and it seems as if this has completely been put behind you? >> it really has and i'm going to explain in one way that i believe i do have a very strong faith and it was very unusual that day, it was almost like in that room, it's almost like there was a physical heart transplant without having one. i do feel like there was an amount of forgiveness and there was an amount of healing that cannot be explained. >> you have filed for compensatory damages against various parties, including the lead detective in the case, the sheriff and by the way, a civil suit against joel.

what's the status of that lawsuit? >> the status actually this week, because there's different motions and things that need to be filed, we will be filing something this week. as far as i'm concerned, they will be dismissed. >> dismissing the civil suit against joel? >> it is being dismissed and it's actually being dismissed and my attorneys are going to get me if i get this wrong, i believe with prejudice which means it cannot be refiled. that indicates a very strong trust level that not only is it being dismissed, but it can't be refiled. >> we sat down in a room together and one of the first things that was put out on the table was let's not focus on all the stuff that's going on around us, let's focus on what we're here to do which is care for our children and that's just the way we did it. and everything else works out and takes care of itself. >> for the sake of aiden an

cole, i hope it works out and i appreciate you sharing your story. >>nd and i really hope that peoe going through divorces, no matter what you've been through, you can do what's best for your children. 8:18, we're back right after this. you can't read. [ grandma ] 'twas the night before christmas, and all through the house... whoa, that's grandma. [ grandma ] ...nothing was stirring, not kara, not maya... how does she do that? magic. [ grandma ] ...grandma loves you. [ both ] goodnight, grandma. [ female announcer ] be there to read them a story every night. read it to me again. [ female announcer ] hallmark recordable storybooks. this christmas, make it wonderful at your hallmark gold crown store.

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"today's" holiday kitchen is brought to you by hersheys kisses, delightfully delicious, one of a kind kisses. >> a hot and spicy holiday meal. good morning. how's the show going? >> it's great, i can't wait for everyone to watch it. i had so much fun doing it. >> and we're making a really easy, easy dish? >> we are. it's a classic italian pasta dish. it's oil, garlic and crushed red chili's. but i'm adding red and green

vegetables. i always want to get more vegetables into the diet. it's five ingredients, it's oil, olive oil, you heat it up. you want to add your garlic after it sautes a little bit. because you don't want the garlic to be brown, that will make it bitter. so you should saute this for three or four minutes. >> there's a lot of red chili. >> you just saute, saute, saute. when that's finished. you want it to be soft, you want it to be reaeally cooked down. and basically, that's it really. the spaghetti is al dente. i made this earlier while matt was here. and then you just kind of coat the pasta like that, and you just toss it all in there. >> so easy. that's like no time. >> literally no time.

and this is also vegan, bell pe peppers have a ton of vitamins, fresh dill, fresh parsley, you could add fresh basil if you wanted to. >> and you've got a dessert that goes perfectly with it? >> this is a hot berry. you want to heat that. >> i'm going to get you a fork. >> she's such a host, look at that, so sweet. >> i don't know where your forks are. >> a cup of strawberries. >> oh, my gosh, so good. >> a cup of raspberries and a cup of blueberries. blueberries are great. you know, they're one of the superfoods and city of hope has done all this great research for

cancer, and it's the best line of defense they believe. >> we're running out of time. >> add sugar, four cloves. >> and you say that's the holt berry sauce. >> which is great over ice cream. thank you so much. slow at highway 92. three-car accident clearing some lanes as well. we have the 101 traditional slowing. it is better as far as the back up goes than at the toll plaza. overall though, the volume is

starting to move a little better. the interchange south on 680 and the west. >> we have clouds across the bay from san francisco. but not much showing up on the radar right now. we should see a breezy and mild day today with highs in the upper 50s to low 60 around the area. patchy fog tomorrow and rain rolls in. more news after the break.

tomorrow school bullies will be the focus on the speech by the superintendant of schools. he will discuss the issue before the group that raises money for the make it better project. that organization has been encouraging gay teens to hold on. more local news in a half hour. and the "today" show returns in less than a minute, have a good morning.

8:30 now on a monday morning, it's a sixth day of december. >> singer and reality tv show host for our annual "today" show

holiday toy drive and you can donate until december 22 by stopping by the plaza. if you cannot get here, you can still donate by going to our website todayshow.com or to amazon.com/today. >> now on the plaza, i'm matt lauer, along with natalie more or less, tamron hall and meredith viera is out today and al roker. you may think you do a pretty good job cleaning your bathroom, maybe not as good as you think. surprise. one family recently put to the

test. we brought in a scientist to see just what's lurking in their bathroom. >> i think it's a real that you never want to touch the rim yourself. that's probably not a good idea. >> and we are going to be talking be best selling author mr. dan brown in just a few minutes. but first, can we bring in nick lachey? i read a review in the papers, one of the local papers, four stars. you've got some good guests this year. >> we do. the talent on the show this season is just incredible. >> it's all acapella? >> no instruments, it's just everyone singing.

>> and what's interesting, in the reviews, everybody mentions the fact that there's a level of joy in this show because it's about the singing. >> it really is. those groups all do it because they love to do it. particularly acapella singing, particularly this time of year for the holidays, it's a perfect show for this teem of the year. >> it's a good time and we're very happy, thank you. >> have you set a date yet? >> no, we're still basking in the glow of the engagement period. but we'll set a date, i'm sure very soon. >> we want to remind people that the sing off can be seen right here on nbc. season premier tonight, 8:00, 7:00 central time. nick lachey, thank you. we have got a few flurries here, but of course the great lakes, we're going to be seeing a lot more activity today.

16 inches of snow from erie, pennsylvania up to watertown, new york. more snow along the pacific northwest coast. snow in the rockies and the cascades. tomorrow the snow continues, lake-effect around the great lakes. wet weather along the northwest basin, snow in the mountains, sunny and warm on through th here is the view outside oakland seeing clearing skies around the airport. the satellite radar will show clouds spill iing in from time time today. winds will back off. 60s south of san jose. tomorrow patchy fog should be a dry day except for the middle heart of the week. rain comes back for wednesday and thursday. mild for the weekend.

>> and don't forget, you can check your weather any time of the day or night on the weather channel. or go on to weather.com online. natalie? thank you, al, coming up next, we're talking about the new hey, guys ! what's going on ? we're fine. we just figured since it's taking forever to pay off our mortgage,

we might as well slow our whole life down. touch the ball. get rid of your mortgage faster. get an easy orange mortgage from ing direct. pay less interest, pay more principal, pay it off sooner. yes ! caw caw! [ director ]what is that? that's a horrible cr. here are some things that i'll make as little portals. honestly, i'd love to do this for the rest of my life so i've got to take care of my heart. for me, cheerios is a good place to start. [ male announcer ] got something you'll love to keep doing? take care of your heart. you can start with cheerios. the natural whole grain oats can help lower cholesterol. brrrbb... makes you feel ageless. [ male announcer ] it's time. love your heart so you can do what you love. cheerios. [ bob ] squak. ♪ i'm go♪ i can't wait now i'm gonna get it. ♪ ♪ every little step, brings me closer to the gift. can't be late. ♪ ♪ rip it open in a second and it's time to play. ♪ ♪ i was up all night in anticipation feeling electric jewels of jubilation. ♪

♪ yule tide carols from the local congregation. ♪ ♪ make it tough to hold my patience in check. ♪ ♪ is it time yet, is it time, i can't wait. ♪ ♪ is it time yet, is it time, i can't wait. ♪ in the new comedy, "how do you know" she's set up on a blind date with george madison, played by paul brud. let's just say the two don't get off to a very good start. >> i think one drink can give you a little better perspective. >> not for me, but it just depends on the person. look, if you want to have a drink, you should just have a drink. but talking about it --

>> if i want a drink, i'll order a drink. >> do you know i don't know you? >> i'm sorry, i'm not good today. >> this is going places, i can tell. reece witherspoon and paul rudd. you get cut and you find out on the same day that you're under federal investigation for alleged stock fraud. most people would cancel the date. >> not i. >> i think that was actually the first idea that jim brooks had for this movie, which was, what if two people meet on the worst day of their life. >> what draws them together after they get over this initial awkwardness, what do they find in each other that makes them realize this could be something good? >> lots of drinking. and then we just hang out a bunch and become really close friends. >> i think that reece has a great idea in this scene which

is let's not put pressure on ourselves, we're just going to eat and not say anything. so we actually have a date and not talk to each other. i fall immediately in love with you. you with me, not so much. >> it deals with the question that the movie deals with, and that is how do you know if someone or something is right for you. when it comes to pairing up with another actor, reece in the movie, how do you know that you can have chemistry with someone like paul? >> this is like -- this is our third movie we have done together. so we did a movie together a really long time ago and we had a really great time. and we did monsters versus aliens. and that was cool. and then when jim suggested we do this movie together, i was very excited. >> you auditioned twice for this? so the first time you weren't happy with the way it was, so you asked for a redo?

>> i had a fever, so i actually went over to mr. brooks' apartment and read for it. and i couldn't spell my name. so when it was over, i asked if i could try it again. >> so the second time went better? >> and i got to read with reece that time. >> i thought it would be a double edgeded sword, on the one hand it's flattering, but on the other hand it puts more pressure on you as an actor. >> equal parts thrilling and totally terrifying because i wanted to perform at the level. and he asked me, are you athletic? i said i'm sort of athletic. but i will learn to be athletic. >> but how do you convince someone, a viewer of a movie that you're actually a professional softball player. if you don't sell that, the rest of the movie -- >> at least i can look good

doing it. even if i couldn't really play softball. >> we do have a "today" show softball team. and anybody who's good, we're always looking for ringers. so we will have your cell phone number this spring. you mentioned terrifying and thrilling at the same time. you're hosting "saturday night live" this week. that's kind of terrifying and thrilling, isn't it? >> if i think about it too much, i start to get sweaty and nervous. >> you've done it before? >> i have done it before, paul mccartney is the musical guest this week, that just makes it even more -- >> by the way i want to congratulate you, you got a star on the walk of fame. >> it was great, it was a big honor for me to be accepted into the hollywood walk of fame. i'm right there by hollywood vine so if you're there, come visit me. >> it opens friday, december 17. is your bathroom really as clean as you think? we're going to put one viewer to

the test, but first this is "today" on nbc. [ female announcer ] martinelli's gold medal sparkling cider

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back now at 8:44. this morning on "today's" healthy home, is your bahama th as clean as you think? some people say they avoid using the bathroom in other people's homes. germs, they're everywhere and impossible to avoid. and while you might do more to protect yourself from them in public places, what about the germs lurking in your own homes? working mother dana vessey has nicknamed her home as chaos man manor. >> when you have a family, the

bathroom, the toilet, the sink, anything can turn up there. >> her cleaning routine? >> i clean my own bathroom once a week and i keep it up once a day, a little bit. i try not to think about the germ factor. >> reporter: but like it or not, germs do exist. so we looked at microbiologist joe ravine know to take a look. he inspected the item that gets the most use. >> one thing about toilets, the flushing of the bowl, it generates aerosols so those droplets can become airborne. they can land on the toilet seat, they can land on a sink area. >> so you're telling me that fecal matter in the toilet can jump out on to the sink? >> i would move those

toothbrushes a little further away. >> what we know from the bathtub is that the bacteria that's on our body will stick on the tub and stay there. >> a bacteria soup. >> your bath mat, you should pull that out over the side of the bathtub just so it dries so the bacteria underneath there don't thrive in a nice, warm, wet environment. >> reporter: and next the cleaning products. >> when you wash your hands, sometimes the bacteria will stick to them. you might think about throwing it out every couple of weeks or if it starts to look dirty. >> what do the tests reveal? >> we'll take it back to the lab and we'll find out how many back tiera we found.

we can never sterilize our bathroom, like we can never sterilize our house. but it's important to keep those bacteria at a minimum. >> good morning to you. so you're ready to hear your resu results? as we mentioned, joe tested your bathroom and your son's bathroom. we expect to find germs in our bathroom, but when is it harmful? >> the gheerms that are in our bathroom are our own germs. when someone has a stomach problem, those germs that are making them sick can be transmitted or someone else can pick them up. >> i have been doing the faucets and cleaning and all of that. let's get to the results. you found high amounts of bacteria in the bathtub area as you mentioned. can you give us the exact

results? >> we found high numbers of bacteria that love water. so it's not unusual to find it in the bathtub. we found it on the bath mat. >> under that bath mat that we saw. and she's been putting it over the side as you instructed her to do. and you found that's making a difference? >> i don't know. i don't have a relationship with the germs. >> let's hope it stays that way. >> it will make a difference because it will dry out. and once it's dry, the germs will not grow, and will in fact begin to die. >> and another thing joe told you to do as well is place the toothbrushes and all of that further away from the toilet. and so the reality is, it's really hard to keep these water -- the aerosoled water from being spread throughout. i mean it's going to happen, right? >> well, it is. there's a couple of things that can be done. first keep the lid down when you flush, because that will capture most of the air flow and mist

back in the bowl. the other thing that can be done -- those bacteria are going to stick to the top of the bowl. take a spray or wipe, do that before you flush, because when they hit the top, they're going to come in contact with the disinfectant. >> how often should you clean and disinfect your bathroom. once a week you should do a thorough cleaning, but on a daily basis, you should wipe down surfaces, things that become contaminated with germs, with a wipe or a spray. >> and let's move on to dina's son's bathroom. the testing there found widespread contamination around the toilet as you would expect as well as on the sink faucette handle. >> keep the lid down on the toilet when it's flushed. what we did find was some of these type of bacteria on the door handle which is right next

to the toilet. this is a small bathroom. and again, this is coming from the toilet. the aerosolization of the bowl water. >> and also washing the hands, right, if you're using the doorknob too? >> we knew that hand washing was going on regularly there because we found these kind of bacteria on the faucet handle. we saw plenty of soap so we know that the hygiene in the home is practiced very well. >> you're doing a good job, and your sons are doing a good job as well. but the bottom line is you can't get rid of all the germs in your bathroom as you might expect. coming up next, we're going to catch up w interna inter

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we're back now at 8:52. with author dan brown, leading up to the release of his latest novel, "the lost symbol" last year. the lost symbol went on to become the best selling book of 2009 and now it's out in paper back and there's also a new illustrated special edition. dan brown, good morning, good to see you. are you numb to numbers by this point? i mean when i say things like 20 million copies for the lost symbol, does it just kind of -- do you get blase about it.

>> i don't think you get blase. but writers write to tell stories and for me, the thrill of writing a good book is really what turns me on, not the numbers. >> you don't just write a book and let it sit, you go out and promote it. in some cases that means traveling around the world. i was reading the notes last night and it fascinated me that as you travel around the world, journalists in different parts of the world and different cultures focus on different things to talk to you about. >> that is very true. this book, i don't know how many countries, but i met with 31 of them. south america, they're very fixated on religion, they all want to talk to me about religion. >> right. >> in japan and china. absolutely fixated on fame. >> that's strange. why do you think that is? >> i have no idea. the europeans were interested in obama. >> the last word in your book is hope, so clearly this is all about obama. it's a great education.

you know, watching your every move has become almost sport for your fans and for people who love to know about the publishing world and so when you turned up in milan, the famed opera house, they said, ah-ha, that's where robert is going to be in the next book. >> he is no longer a symb symbologist. he's going to be an opera singer in the next novel. >> everybody knows it's an unbelievable piece of architecture. >> and you love buildings like that? >> architecture is great. that's why i wrote about d.c. d.c. is classical architecture on a grand scale. i mean you talk about ancient mysteries and secrets. d.c. is just this unbelievable city. and i just couldn't wait to write about it. >> we joked with you last time we were up at your house and you said it took you five years to write the lost symbol. that's a long time. >> i'm aware of that. >> are you going to pick up the pace a little bit with this next

one? >> i have been informed that if this new novel takes as long as the lost symbol, my next media appearance will be on "the bachelor." that is what i have been told. we'll see how it goes. >> you must love it when the real world catches up with your fictional stories. in angels and demons, the villains tried to blow up the vatican with anti-matter. now a group of scientists out of europe has captured a certain kind of anti-matter, coincidence? >> i'm fascinated with science and science expo -- i was aware of anti-matter research and i decided to use it and i was told, this is crazy, nobody will ever do this. and i said you just wait. and i read with great pleasure that it had finally been done. >> i'm just happy you didn't put the big i told you so sign up at your house. congratulations on the paper back, the illustrated version. always nice to have you here.

the lost symbol is in stores. coming up, affordable fashions from head to toe. but first your local news. fashions f it is in a spot where you see this going in both directions. we see some slowing because of

an accident. still slow on both sides. that is where you additional slowing on both sides. 880 still slowing there.e neer .

i'll host most of us are eating our lunch today, new and returning legislators will be sworn in for the upcoming two-year session. chief justice will swear in new members. governor of california is

expected to present them with one of the leanest bu esest bud. we have more local news coming up for you in 30 minutes. we don't ask for them yet we all pay dearly to get rid of holiday catalogs. leaving a trail of waste, i'm susan shaw. the average american gets 70 catalogs a year. the trees and chemicals needed to produce them is trager i sta. you can stop some of the waste by taking your name off the l t lift. it is free at catalogchoice.org.

but that is not enough. like the national do that call registry, nbc dbay area support this reform. join this cause with us online at nbceditorials.com. we're back now with more of "today" on a monday morning, sixth day of december, 2010. although it's not on the calendar. winter is making its presence felt with chilly temperatures in the low 30s and a little wind and snow flurries in the air. it's kind o nice. >> if you like christmas. >> that lake-effect snow is falling in the great lakes. >> i've been doing this over 30

yea years and i don't remember all five of the great lakes having lake-effect snow. >> we sta >> some places have three feet of snow. >> winter is almost here, that means tax season is almost here as well. and coming up, we're going to have some great ideas on how you can save some major money in these last couple of months before you have to sign on the dotted line. >> that's right. also 'tis the season to celebrate so whether you are going to a work party or perhaps planning a romantic new year's e eve. we're going to check out some outfits you can pick up. also ahead, the real estate market sending out mixed signals these days. so the question is now should you lower the price for your home.

barbara corcoran will give you some advice and we'll answer some other viewer questions. a lot to get to. tamron hall has a check of the news. there is a serious cold snap in much of the country and the weather channel's mike seidel is in erie, pennsylvania. mike rpgs good morning. >> reporter: all the lakes, this morning, the heavier bands this morning near buffalo, clear cleveland and if you remember last week, trying to get across buffalo and i-90, i-90 was shut following 3 1/2 feet of snow. it's open this morning, but the snow continues to come down. let me take you back to yesterday in buffalo where they have had a couple of inches. as we well know, in these snowbelts, you go five or six miles, the accumulations can double or triple or increase by a factor of four.

meanwhile, it's the cold air that's going to get us, we have got windchills here in the teens, but by tomorrow morning, the coldest air of the season, the jet stream dips down right out of canada, look at those morning low temperatures. tamron tomorrow morning in miami, 43 degrees. 20 degrees below average. >> the bodies believed to be two missing american balloonists have been found off the coast of the italy. according to the local coast guard, two men disappeared in late september during a balloon race in rough weather. their families are expected to identify them late today. julian assange is threatening the release of a so-called poison pill if he is arrested or killed.

a mexican judge says a 14-year-old boy arrested overnight and accused of being a drug cartel hitman will be tried as a juvenile. she admitted decapitating four victims. muslims in irvine, california are outraged after reporting to authorities a man in their congregation appeared to be an extremist. they believe he was trying to recruit others for a violent jihad. it turned out the man was an undercover fbi agent. the fbi defends the use of such tactic tactics. a 15-year-old wisconsin boy held two dozen boys hostage last week. none of the hostages were hurt. at least 200 people are missing after a massive landslide in columbia buried nearly a dozen three story

residences. colombia has been battered by rain in recent weeks. the devastating forest fires that ravaged israel for days killing 42 people has finally been extinguished. police are questioning several teens who may have accidentally started that fire. it was a harry weekend at box office where tangled brought in 21.5 million, harry potter was second and unstoppable was their. doctors told them they could not have children of their own so they decided to adopt from a woman who was pregnant with twins. but just three days after picking up little kiler and anna at the hospital. julia found out she was pregnant. and then just months after giving birth, the adopted twins

biological mother asked if they could also take her 13-month-old daughter. the happy mom and dad say four kids in one year is like hitting the jackpot. congratulations to them. it is 5 past the hour. mr. roker has got a flurried check of the weather. >> and i've got pregnant twins from orlando. >> what are your names? >> ashley and amy. >> and when are you guys due? >> march and may. >> did you plan that? >> not exactly. >> let's check your weather and show y at's going on. now we got that lake-effect snowstorm, you can see it streaming off the great lakes, the flurries we're getting here, part of the same thing. we have got mountain snows in the rockies, the cascades, the intermountain region, the pacific northwest. plenty of sunshine around the gulf. tomorrow the lake-effect snow continues along the eastern and western great lakes, more wet

weather or snowy weather along the pacific northwest coast. sunny and warm in the southwest we're looking par cloudy skies right now. radar view over the gray. you can see not much showing up there. we have showers out towards the county. a few lingering showers this morning. we will see mild temperatures and 60 places. things die for tomorrow and rain returns late tuesday night and spilling south across the rest of the bay area for the middle part of the week. >> al, thank you. this morning on "today's" year end tax tips. there are important steps that you can take right now that can save you money. sharon epperson is cnbc's

personal finance expert. >> the wrangling still continues in washington and over the weekend the house rejected two proposals that could extend the tax cuts for those making over $250,000 a year as well as one that would say we're going to extend the tax cuts and not have those over 1 million benefit. a lot of americans need to start planning now so they can save money on their taxes. >> the bottom line there's important steps they can do. let's run through. first you say to consider the l alternative minimum tax. >> a lot of people may find out what the amt is and they may be very surprised. as many as 21 million americans perhaps. and the issue is this is another tax that's kind of on top of the other taxes you pay. you have to do your taxes two ways and pay the higher amount.

this means that the average person may get $3,900 in taxes. you really want to talk to a tax professional. it may mean you want to accelerate your income or you may not want to take some of the deductions that you normally take to make sure that you don't get into that amt trap. >> what income brackets will get hit for this? >> right now it could be on people making $45,000 a year. >> you also say check your withholding status. this is important whether or not you're expecting a refund come april or whether you're going to be paying taxes. >> a lot of people think it's going to be great to get a big refund. why not take that money now. so that's something where you may want to decrease your withholding, you may want to increase your withholding if you think you're going to have a penalty, if you're going to owe taxes. this is something you can do with the last couple of paychecks of the year. >> at the risk of sounding like

a broken record, we talk about m maximizing your 401(k). >> there may only be a couple more pay periods this year, but this is the time you could say i want to do the maximum contribution, the maximum percentage that can be taken out of my paycheck. this year you can contribute up to $16,500 or if you're over 50, you can do $22,000, so there's a lot of money you can put into this 401(k) and that's going to reduce your taxable income. >> and you also like the roth iras, and there's a special perk. >> it's a one-time perk that if you're going to transfer money from a regular ira to a roth ira, so you can take that money out tax free in retirement. you're going to have to pay taxes on that money that you put into the roth ira, anding the good thing if you do it before december 31st, you have the

opportunity to take that tax and apply it to the 2011 and the 2012 returns. that's a way to extend that tax hit so you don't take it all at once. >> if you are someone who has had a couple of investments losses, you may want to use those losses to -- >> if you think taxes are going to go up next year, it may not be a good thing. it's usually a good idea to take a look at your stocks, you may have had some losses there, and offset the gains that you have seen, you can offset $3,000 against your ordinary income. >> another good tip is to help pay for college. this is the time of year where grandparents are parents are giving to your child's 529 plan. >> giving the gift of college is a great college savings tool and a great way to give for the holidays and you can gift up to $13,000 per child and per person who's gifting.

you can gift it online directly. 529.com is a good place to do that and it's really a good way to save. >> and really quickly, if you're giving to charity, this is a good time to do that too. >> it is a great time to do that. but you need to make sure you keep all of those receipts. because you're going to need those for tax purposes. but you need to make those contributions by the end of the year. all of those things can be done by the end of the year and it can save you a lot of money in the long run. and coming up, answers to your local ®. for adults, stelara® 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.

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we want to get right to it. we have got lori from vail, arizona. she is on skype with her question. what's your question? >> my brother and i inherited our parents house on eastern long island. we rented it for one year in hopes the market would improve. my brother lives in california and i'm in arizona and disabled so maintaining it is difficult. we keep lowering the price but have not been getting any bites, we have potential renters who want a long lease, two to three years at least. they say we'll paint, we have never asked the land lord for anything at all. my inclination is to take the home off the market. and then relist perhaps at a higher market value. is the market improving on eastern long island? is this a good strategy. our other option is to take the house off the market.

>> i think we got what you're asking. barbara, what should they do? >> first of all, if you're going to wait until the spring, forget about it. the spring is not going to be any different except that there may be more activity. why would you and your brother want to manage this house from 3,000 mile away. out here right now you have a giant beauty contest going on. let's have a look if you don't mind being really honest about this house. this is should be edged and very clean. it's a nice, neat house which is lovely. i don't know if this is a car port. the front door isn't dominant enough. it's a very lateral house so you need to add some dominance and really nice hardware. the trim should be beefed up on

both of these windows. >> shutters? >> there's not really enough room for shutters. but at least make the trim even with both windows. and lastly you should have a bush here and a little walkway. easy improvements, probably maybe $2,000. i know it's hard to spend money, of course when you're trying to take money out. but let's look at the inside of the house. >> thanks a lot, lori. >> okay, you're the boss here. >> marsha from miami, florida on the phone. marsha, good morning. i want to get marsha in here. what's your question? >> caller: good morning, guys, thank you for taking my calls. i'm freezing in miami, would you believe it? my husband and i are about the retire and are looking to move from south florida actually. looking for a one-story country style three bedroom fireplace, enough land to feel like you're

in the middle of the country without being far away from civilization. we're planning to invest around $200,000 to $250,000. >> the biggest problem is going to be selling your house in miami. it doesn't sound like you're in a rush to sell. but let's hope that market improves between now and then. if you're going to limit yourself to a one story farmhouse and you want to have a lot of land that's easy to get with it, but it's not going to be anywhere near civilization. here in vermont, it's three hours from new york, three hours from boston. a one-story little cottage in the background. it comes with lots of acres, in fact it sits plop in the middle of a beautiful flower field. that's the house that you're asking for. let me look at this next house, this one is in pennsylvania, it's 30 minutes from downtown philly. it's two story. open yourself up to the two story, it has three bedrooms, 2 1/2 baths, it has a full lake in

the backyard and let me tell you, if you live on a lake, it's better than having 100 miles of your own acreage. you'll have to open up your horizons and you'll increase your selection by ten fold. >> and try to get scott in from austin, texas. he's joining us via skype. >> good morning, al, good morning, barbara. what are some signs that our real estate market is bottoming? >> doesn't everybody want to know that? and you have to actually catch it before it starts going up. you should look to see if housing are selling faster or slower than they were six months ago. that give you a trend point and that's easy to find out online or you ask your local real estate broker. you also keep your eye on the cheapest houses in the neighborhood. look at the houses that are selling for $200,000, $225,000.

once those sma . >> barbara corcoran. trac actress melissa mel llano hey, you made your own lunch. yep! (mom) i'm so proud of you. the bus is here, gotta go mom. okay hunny, have a great day. look in your bag, made you something. (announcer) it's more than just that great peanut taste, choosing jif is a simple way to show someone how much you care. choosey moms, choose jif. ♪ [ gasps ] this is for you. thanks. ♪ cool. ♪ [ chuckles ] whoa!

♪ [ chuckles ] i love this part. yeah. me, too. [ lucy gasps ] [ female announcer ] this year, hallmark has all new ways to say it. [ female announcer ] this year, in a more delicious world, there would be more smoothness, more creaminess, more rich just-for-me-ness, more hershey's bliss-fulness. hershey's bliss. it's not just chocolate. it's bliss. i worry about my son playing football. which is why i'm really excited. because toyota developed this software that can simulate head injuries in an accident and helps make people safer. then they shared this technology with researchers at wake forest to help reduce head injuries on the football field. so, you know, i can feel a bit better about my son playing football. [ male announcer ] how would you use toyota technology to make a better world? learn how to share your ideas at toyota.com/ideasforgood.

we always make time for just us cousins. like the other night at olive garden. hey susan, you gotta tell the aunt jessie story again. -yes, you do! -ok, ok. joe: love that story. try olive garden's two new scaloppini dishes. pan-seared chicken breasts in a lemon-herb glaze. or sauteed pork in a creamy white wine sauce. both served with asiago filled tortelloni. with our unlimited salad and breadsticks. this is like being back at the kids' table. [ laughter ] olive garden. when you're here, you're family.

our holiday gift drive is fully underway. with me now is julie gardener. good to see you good morning. >> good morning. >> merry christmas. >> it feels like the holidays, what makes it so special is toing able to share something. >> we are see excited to be here. we are going to be cob trntribu $800,000 for the "today" show drive. and this is our 6th year. $12 million total was given to you guys. and it is important to give all

year round. >> kohl's is passionate about supporting kids. >> well thank you very much. very much. and, getdatoowy sh..com infmati datoowsh.om you know what, tell me, what makes peter, peter ? well, i'm an avid catamaran sailor. i can my own homemade jam, apricot. and i really love my bank's raise your rate cd. i'm sorry, did you say you'd love a pay raise asap ? uh, actually, i said i love my bank's raise your rate cd. you spent 8 days lost at sea ? no, uh... you love watching your neighbors watch tv ? at ally, you'll love our raise your rate cd that offers a one-time rate increase if our current rates go up. ally. do you love your bank ? but we try to be perfect. we pretend that high-heels are comfortable and that waxing just takes getting use to. we pretend we can manage anything that's thrown at us -- and sometimes we can. and other times we just have to cut ourselves some slack

and take a moment. because although we're only human, that's more than enough. your moment. your dove™. ♪ this is about 9:30 and we are headed off to the flplaza. >> it is starting to get lighter here and 10:00 we get the break as well. but, we do see the approach on the maps. the freeway showing a 23 minute drive. muff better coming off the bridge. slow through berkeley and a wider look. things have recovered nicely. slow driving but improve iing

through downtown as well. southbound also starting to improve quite a wit. looking better now. >> the skies starting to clear now around the bay area. we have clouds but nothing in the way of showers right now. still an active pattern across the west coast. steering off to the north. it will make its way back to the bay area come wednesday. mild temperatures today. tomorrow morning looks dry with patchy fog. the rain drops back income wednesday. the time now 9:27.

you can say bring on the sangria. a bill is giving the green light for alcohol that is infused with fruit flavors. state senator says a law lets state regulators crack down on

laws that serve spirits fli s fd with fruits, vegetables and spices. the president of state alcoholic beverage control supports that change. man is in trouble for trying to sell phony apple stock. he was ordered to pay more than $19,000. the 67-year-old was charged in may after convincing two people to buy 404 shares of apple stock. miller was also convicted of trying to sell bogus steak in the warriors in 2002. stay with us.

twizzlers. the twist you can't resist. i'm live. >> i'm frank. >> that's a terrible name. >> it's the only one i've got. >> maybe we can find you another. >> it's too bad they're so unattractive. she is the quintessential movie star. angelina jolie has a new romantic thriller coming out, co-starring johnny depp set in italy called "the tourist." and she's going to be here to tell us all about it tomorrow on "today." can't wait for that. >> looks really good. >> really good. meanwhile, coming up on "today," adding a little

something to your holiday style. >> that's right. this year it's all about the sizzle. >> you've got to do that. >> we'll show you five party looks all for under $100. >> she looks amazing. plus, if you've got a kid applying to college this year, you know it's crunch time. so what can you do to be supportive without being a pain? we'll get some admission secrets including some real-life essay examples of what works and what maybe doesn't. and we've got some easy pasta recipes that will make you a star with your chef with our star chef. can't wait to get that. but first, model actress and paralympic amy mullins are here. they're involved in a new public service campaign that's launching on our sister cable network called "charactered unite." good morning. tell us about this. >> well, "characters unite" is the network's public service

campaign about promoting tolerance and respect. and this is characters unite month, and we have both been part of this celebration, really, around storytelling and gathering people in different cities using a nonprofit society started here in new york to tell stories of personal experiences of discrimination or prejudice or tolerance. and it's tyinging into a documentary that tom brokaw hosted that will premiere on friday night on usa called "bridging the divide" about where we've come since the civil rights movement in the u.s., and how far we may still need to go. >> absolutely. >> and you star on "covert affairs," as an actor on the show. what brought you to want to be a part of this psa? >> usa network approached me and a bunch of stars of usa shows to do these psas and i had been

involved with "the more you know" campaign before i was doing this show. and i think it's incumbent on anybody in the public eye who can help out. like amy was saying, everything is culminating tonight in an event at the new york public library, where amy will be speaking, kristin chenoweth is hosting. it's going to be a lot of fun. >> very powerful. >> and you mentioned the show you were on before, "heroes," you say you've got angry fans coming up to you. >> we do have some angry fans that are upset with the decision. >> i can't believe it's over. >> but all good things must come to an end and i'm really enjoying "covert affairs." >> we're enjoying you on it. thank you so much for being here. and don't forget, you can catch amy in "bridging the divide" hosted by tom brokaw this friday at 7:00 central time -- 7:00 eastern, 6:00 central, right notice the camera is not bouncing around nearly as much as it was hours ago.

you canee the peak wind gusts near midnight. did get close to 60 miles-an-hour. wind speeds above 30 miles per hour. this morning you can see not much in the way of rain now. that will head up the north kae coast today and tomorrow. dry day tomorrow and the rain drops in again on wednesday morning. >> and that's your lates latest hat's yourt weather. >> al, thank you. coming up next, glamming up your holiday style for under $100, right after this. for c u after this. why spend all your time in the kitchen,

when you can actually party at your party? with homemade chex party mix. five great recipes that wow the crowd. and you can make them in only 15 minutes. get out of the kitchen, get into the party. homemade chex party mix.

get out of the kitchen, get into the party. have you tried honey bunches of oats with real strawberries? wow. it's seriously strawberry. they're everywhere. it's in the bunches, on the flakes, even real strawberries in the mix. can i have some more? honey bunches of oats with real strawberries. it's delicious. nobody does it quite like us. and 2 minutes to christmas? wow! 19 days, 8 hours... [ mumbling ] ...enny days, 8 hours, 9 minutes... 18 days, 17 hours...

[ mom ] let's go, young lady. 12 days, 18 hours... 10 hours, 12 minutes and 7 seconds. come on. it's no days! 5 hours and 59 minutes and 42...41... [ female announcer ] the hallmark "countdown to christmas" ornament. ...7...6... this christmas, make it joyful, at your hallmark gold crown store. we pretend high-heels don't hurt and that we can handle anything life throws at us. but there are times that we need a moment to remember. we're only human. that's more than enough. your moment. your dove™. the morn on "today's" style, holiday fashions that glitter. the season is brimming with glamour. the contributor for life and style magazine, good morning, rachel. >> good morning. >> it's so much fun, so many parties and it's exciting.

>> your first look, you're recommending cocktail parties. >> there's nothing more classic for a cocktail party than a little black dress. if you're going to go and buy one black dress, this one has a little more fun. this has been a big trend with wearing a dress like this. $99 from macy's. you can also find a dress in your own closet and really dress it up for the holidays just a few accessories. and for under $100, little things can add bling. >> and those shoes are spectacular. >> and you can just dress up anything you have for the holidays. >> i love the block, a little black dress, awfully sexy there. and we have house party which is interesting, because you want to be casual, but you want to stand out. >> you're with your family and your friends, you want to feel

cozy. but you also want to look good. >> this makes a sweater and makes it fun. >> this is the new fudora, it's a closed style hat. it's just opening. now she's got the leggings on which i love because you can eat and your pants expand. >> it's perfect for all those meals you're going to be having. >> and the knee high over the knee boots. >> over the knee boots can be intimidati intimidating, but it's the style. >> you might want to wear those with the mini, minidress. you put them over the leggings and it's casual but it gives it a little added edge. >> from the house party to the dinner party. >> yes, this is glamorous.

>> it want to look a little bit more polished when you go to a dinner party. this is a little more up town girl. that's very flattering. >> and the red is so christmas time. we love that. you want to throw in the little cape. this really jazzes up any outfit. but make a little downtown vibe with the uptown look. >> you want to look nice and glamorous, but you don't want to get fired. >> when you go to your work party, you want to be a little bit more conservative. >> the trousers and the bow tie blouse. you want the vest that's really popular this season. the little beret, the sequinned clutches, a great way to transition your look from the office to something a little bit more festive. and then the party of all parties t new year's eve affair.

this is the one time in the year that you can really just shine and sparkle and really have a good time. $100. you might not feel comfortable going bare legged with a dress like that. put some cool patterned tights with it. have some fun, and a have a little bit of a bling on the shoes as well. >> and those earrings from spectacular. >> you want to wear a sequinned -- you want to keep the accessories. >> all the same metals. >> the models look amazing. rachel you hooked us up, some great ideas. thank you, ladies. coming up next, for the parents of high school seniors, the secret of the college essay. parents of high school seniors, the secret of the college essay. but first these messages. yeah. ok, we'll split it. [ female announcer ] made fresh, so light... ...buttery and flaky... this is half.

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cost, the final stretch. most college applications are due on january 1st, so the next few weeks will be extremely stressful for seniors racing to meet the deadline. what is parent's role for the end game? jacques steinberg has some tips. good morning. >> good morning. >> this is it. last chance to polish up those essays. is the essay really make or break? >> there's so many things that come into the mix here. your grades, your test scores, your teachers' recommendations, your outside activities. and the essay is just one of the things in that mix. but it's sort of the one chance for you to communicate directly to that admissions office who you are and what makes you tick, what makes you think. >> a real chance for them to get to know you. you've got some actual essays that we're going to take a look at, and some feedback from some admissions officers from very prestigious colleges. this one did not go over very well. compared john lennon's "imagine" to the one performed in "glee." the applicant wrote -- he said,

i heard it before when onlennon sang it. unfortunately, i did not care much for it. when i watched this episode while the deaf adolescents were singing it, it surprisingly affected me. i could see why that one may not go over so well. what was their take on this? >> you know, there's no formula to these essays, and no one can know for sure, because it's so personal reading them. but in this case, i argued that this applicant sort of misjudged the age and sensibility of the admissions committee. you know, you're dissing john lennon -- >> "imagine." one of the classics. >> there's a good chance that there were some people in that room that probably appreciated the john lennon version. >> you can be opinionated, but you don't want to defend. >> and you can't know for sure, but in general, the sense was that that audience probably wouldn't have appreciated that. >> the next one is also about music, and the applicant wrote, and this one worked. i strode in front of 400 frenzied eighth graders with my

arm strung over my fender stratocaster guitar, it actually belonged to my mother, and launched into the first few chords of nirvana's "lithium." my hair dangled so low over my face that i couldn't see the crowd in my squeaky voice. >> you really get a sense of the person, as opposed to the piece about "glee" and john lennon, you feel you're there on the stage with this kid with the hair dangling over his face and how he felt in the sense of the history channel and how he transformed right there. and i think he made a connection. i also think that nirvana is just a little bit older in terms of "glee" in how long that music has been out there. >> everyone's had that awkward teenage stage they can sort of relate to. >> it's relatable. >> absolutely. another example. this is an applicant to wesleyan, trying to convey some family pride. "the indescribable aspect of the history that resonates through that house. for instance, the stories of how my uncle mike cut off his index finger with a bit saw and had to

have my grandfather drive him to the hospital." why did that not work? >> this essay landed around the time of "the sopranos," and this applicant was writing about his pride in his italian family. he talked about how the sauce on the table was never out of a jar. he talked about how if you were wise to your grandmother, it was a slap upside the head. i think he wrote that in his college essay. and i think the humor sailed over the audience. >> and real quickly, i bet you humor worked here. my head throbbed as i closed my eyes and tried to convince myself to give up. suddenly, i bolted upright on my bed, eyes wide, blankets flying. everything had fallen into place. i had just won another skirmish in my ongoing battle with the crossword puzzle. so that one worked. >> that was at occidental college in california. it was funny and it drew you in. it was the mystery. what was she have writing about, and it was her love words. what a great metaphor for your college application. >> what shouldn't parents' roles be during this?

do you proof rearead the essay, involved in the writing? >> you have to know your children. don't get involved in the writing. someone should proofread that essay, if nothing else, for typos and grammar. if you know your relationship with your child, if it's a little contentious, ask a teacher or a neighbor. but don't change that person's voice. they want the voice of a 17-year-old. >> and the end game process, narrow the list in terms of your essay -- >> sure, if you're a parent, they're narrowing the list of the colleges. let your child do it, because if they can't apply to college, they probably can't hack it in college. >> exercise restraint if you can. and meet those deadlines. that's most important. jacques steinberg, thank you so much. always great to have your information. for more, you can head to todayshow.com, read some more of his ideas. coming up next, gourmet pasta recipes that are a breeze to make. but first, this is "today" on nbc. next, gourmet pasta recipes. [ female announcer ] safeway talks holiday baking.

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this morning on "today's" holiday kitchen, easy pasta recipes. alfred portale of the gotham restaurant, here in new york city to show off two easy pasta recipes. so alfred, you've got a steakhouse, but you like pasta there? >> they love passta -- we serve a lot of pasta in miami and in new york. this is one of our big sellers. it's a wild mushroom pasta. i did the glaze with a little bit of chicken stock and white wine. >> fettuccine? >> it's going to be fettuccine, not alfredo. don't do that. >> i wouldn't do that to you. and then a touch of cream. we're going to let this reduce. here we go. got some pasta over here. so fresh fettuccine, you know, it takes just a couple of minutes the cook.

even quicker than that. >> sure. >> there we go. >> so you put it in the pan with the reduced -- >> yeah. i think that's good. yeah, give that a stir. so it's very simple. just some fettuccine, and we're going to finish this, al, with toasted pine nuts and just a little bit of pecorino cheese. look at that? >> oh, that looks good. >> bring that around. that's some fresh basil and parsley and here's our -- give it a little grating. >> a little grating? oh, yeah. >> perfect. >> let's go back here. >> back here. >> all right. next pasta. and if we have time, a white truffle. next pasta is a farfalle, a bow tie pasta. first we cream a little butter, rosemary, garlic, black pepper. >> so make a nice herb butter. >> that's right. >> this has already been cooked? >> we've already cooked this.

we're going to emulsify everything together. so can you add some of that hot broth. >> okay. >> we've got some arugula, prosciutto. tomatoes. go ahead, throw it in. >> boom. >> now we're going to add the cheese slowly. why don't you sprinkle that in. all you're doing is stirring it around with the garlic butter and the cheese until it's emulsified into a really rich, creamy broth. perfect, al. that's good. you did it. okay! >> you know, it's snowing outside. perfect. >> it is. okay, look at this. so -- >> it smells fantastic. >> okay. i'm going to plate a little of that. and this is beautiful. in the summertime, i like to use peas, lie ma beans. >> delicious. >> on a cold day, a cold evening. >> either black truffle or white truffle. >> oh, black truffle. oh, they're both!

>> that's how they do it in miami! and new york. >> oh, my gosh! >> very nice! >> there you go. >> how much is that going to cost us? >> for you, nothing. >> we're serving white truffles. it's the season in new york and miami. >> i'm going to try the other pasta here while they fight it out. >> oh, my gosh! >> still ahead, alfred portale, thank you so much. gotham

it is just about 10:00. and we are talking about the

commute through the south bay. >> northbound direction showing the slow down. look at 87 at the bottom of your screen. the southbound side shows slowing. i'm going to say it is censor delays. but if you see anything give me a call and let me know to confirm those facts. northbound 880 much better than it was 20 minutes ago. still slow past the coliseum. lights are still on and should be turned off shortly. >> you can see the roadways drying out. that is a good change from this morning. we have showers heading up to the north of you. things should be drying out. temperatures running mild. 60s for areas south of san jose. next chance of rain comes in on wednesday and thursday. soggy for the middle part of the

week. we clear out for the weekend. highs in the mid to upper 60s. >> today bay area lawmakers will try to make party bus owners responsible. assembly man was introducing a law which would force bus companies to keep booze aust of the hands of any one under the age of 21. the move comes after the death of a boy. boy's parents are comforted knowing that his short life will have an impact. >> never liked being the center of attention, but i think he would feel good about this. >> although the public utilities commission does have laws outline i outlining transportation. we have more local news in a

half weahour. the "today" show returns in one minute. have a good morning. hi! welcome to progressive.com. come on in, and i'll give you a free quote. quote and compare in about 8 minutes. now, that's progressive. call or click today. [ 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.

captions paid for by nbc-universal television well, it's official, everybody. it's fun-day monday and it's snowing here in new york city. >> i can't believe it! >> stop now. >> well, trust us. >> hoda is back from her great weekend. >> had a terrific weekend with a bunch of girlfriends. . a dozen women went to the caribbean and hilarity ensued.

it was so relax is. sometimes when you put 12 women together you never know what's going to happen. that's jen on the beach. >> you guys look like you're having a good time. >> we were! that's jill there. that's kim and me and that's on some boat on the way back. that's the whole group. >> wow. you didn't know a lot of these ladies at first. that can be dangerous. >> this is what i learned on the weekend -- making adult friendships later in life can be fun. you feel like you're -- >> like you got all the friends you can possibly manage. >> i get a kick out of that. you learn about people's lives. it was easy, breezy, a run on the beach, then breakfast. got some sun. >> you got a lot of sun, hoda. >> i know. i like it. >> friday night i went to a place called dexter, michigan. you know how i have a love affair with michigan now. but i, along with some friends, was asked to contribute to the musical version of "it's a wonderful life" that a comic

filmed with jimmy stewart and donna reed. it was the world premier of it. my friend john mcdaniel wrote the music and i wrote the lyrics and my friend dan cooney contributed. i haven't seen john mcdaniel in almost a year. we're getting on the plane to go to michigan to watch this musical that i wrote the lyrics, sent them off to him and he wrote the musical down in florida, set up a little cassette something for me. we'd never met the director. never been involved in casting. i went with very low expectations because first of all, it is like a workshop, it is the first time. and it is a regional theater and you don't know what you're going to get. let me tell you something, the's fantastic. >> you're kidding. >> no. i was really thrilled. 35 people from this town -- only two professional actors in it. >> how cool. >> it reminded me why i got into theater, hoda. it is so much fun to see.

there's clarence, the tall guy on the left played george bailey. john huffman, a writer, adapted the script and we had like 12 songs in it and they worked. >> i love it. >> it's got work to do but that's the joy of theater. i have no idea what i'm saying to them there. so i want to thank everybody and especially thank my friend, dan, for the opportunity. you never think in your lifetime you'll get a chance to be a part of something so exciting. this goes through december 23rd. got a little encore theater there. the rest of the weekend was surviving. yeah. but you had a big week. you're in gossip magazine, darling. are you so big hoda, i can't stand it anymore. >> you're crazy. >> you are. >> "gossip" magazine, a new york-based editor. something about dating.

>> it is about the best thing about your book tour is that you're meeting lots of potential dates. >> i do have to say, who would have thought that that would have been the benefit from writing a book. who would have ever thought that. >> and that's going well. >> yeah, that is going well. i can something that annoyed me? i was just in a public restroom and it got on my nerves and i don't know why people do this. >> okay. >> okay. they go in the restroom and they line the toilet seat with toilet paper. i get it. then they leave and they leave it there. so you walk in and -- >> well, in the spirit of sharing. they're thinking of the next person, too. >> then you're afraid to kick it all in the toilet. >> i know! >> still. it happened twice, oddly, over the weekend so i just want to let people know, put it in yourself. >> over the weekend, robert de niro was busy on saturd"saturdat

liv live". he dressed in drag. let's take a look. >> who was that? >> yo, that's my mom's. >> what's up, bitches? >> indeed a pleasure to meet you. >> okay. >> he didn't have to say one word. >> just stand there. just stand there. >> here's something that's interesting. queen elizabeth's knickers are on the auction block. >> first of all, we want to know how we authentically know those are her knickers. that is not cute. >> a guy in florida says he's had them for 40 years. >> he found them on a private plane, so he says. we can't ask him the truth, but

these are the knickers allegedly. >> when the queen visited chile in 1968. they're going to go for big bucks. they hope to get $9,000 for them. >> here's the thing. when you are giving christmas tips to people, how much do you give? talking about your newspaper guy, the guy who delivers the mail, everybody. i used to deliver the newspaper as a kid. i remember delivering the paper, 365 days in the rain, sticking it in a plastic bag, putting it in a storm door. then christmas comes and the person's like, here's $5, thank you. or here's a dollar. every day i was out at 5:00 a.m.! >> i think it iss to forget the people you never see. i think those kinds of people -- a lot of money. give them whatever you can because they really do look for -- they need it. they're not getting paid a whole lot. but if it is like your manicurist or hair dresser and you tip them well all year long, i don't see any need. just be generous every time

you're with them. don't give them a little measly thing, then make up for it at the end of the year. be generous year-round. >> this guy says that you should tip your hair stylist the amount of a haircut. >> do you know what a haircut costs in new york city? >> yes. >> crazy. >> yeah. >> sometimes $400 to $600. >> that's a big tip. they say that you should give your kids' teachers never mrn but a nice gift or note. no money. >> my daughter has about ten teachers. think after a while that's ridiculous. i think when they're little kids and they have one teacher, yeah. >> okay. trash people, recycling people, they say $10 to $30. >> i think be generous to them because you don't see them a lot. >> cleaning people, twice what you normally pay. so if you pay your cleaning lady -- i don't know, 100 bucks or 60 bucks, whatever it is, they say double it. your dog walker, one week's pay, they say. your newspaper delivery person, $10 to $30. i think $30.

that's a lot of days. >> when you advertise that, that's not a whole lot over the whole year. >> i like the word amortize, a lot. i know what it means. >> favorite things, everybody. i've been wanting to -- this bracelet that i've got right here -- can we get a close-up of it? looks like it is just a beautiful cuff that's been hammered, right? aviller is -- well guess what? it is the 23rd psalm. if you look at it, the whole thing, the lord is my shepherd, all the way down to i should dwell in the house of the lord forever. prices start at $150 on this rock nyc.com. i get more compliments on it. >> we've been out at lunch or broadway, people ask you about that be think more than anything. >> yeah. they also have one with the lord's prayer as well but this one is obviously bigger and i love it. what about you? >> when we were on this little vacation, chris, the one who organized the deal, gave

everybody a little bit of this oil to -- you know sometimes a scent reminds you of a trip? i thought it was cool. it is called invigorate. it is a blend of essential oil. you. put a little bit on your wrist. you may think it's too much. hold on. because i like it. i know you, you'll be like, oh, god. don't look at the nails! >> hoda, more people are commenting! >> i don't care. i didn't have time. i got in late. so now it is time for us to talk to a wonderful guy named evan lisocek. tell me about this dress. >> well first of all, these are for you, a box of my favorite holiday chocolates. >> sweet! >> they are the most delicious

things in the world. >> they actually inspired this dress. i heard about teaming up about habitat for humanity. the holidays -- we feel like we're going to the prom. the box of course is a corsage. the holidays are being spending time with your family and having a sense for home. habitat for humanity gives everyone the opportunity to feel warmth and love of their home and family. we're donating $100,000 to habitat for humanity. i said how can i help? they said you can design a beautiful dress for us inspired by -- i wanted to use obviously their signature chocolate as the inspiration and the layers of hazelnut and chocolate and kind of the luscious texture of this. >> this is going to be auctioned off for habitat for humanity. >> it will go to the highest

bidder which is ferrarochocolatesusa.com. after this we'll be at the nbc experience store. >> you and sara? >> i told you, we're going to dance. >> you might design men's fashions down the road, you're saying. zbh that's a new goal of mine. i've been working on a men's wear line and trying to get it kicked off but -- >> you're a stylish guy. >> thank you. >> thanks, evan. sara, you look great in that. gorgeous, gorgeous. on the plaza, you guys, a little double-dutch bus action going on. these are the people who won the 1th annual double-dutch classic for speed. >> oh, my gosh! >> over the weekend, they won it. >> hoda's going to do it a little later in the show. >> hey, i can't even do it with one rope. we have a big show today.

actress melissa milano.

alyssa milano has been working since she was 7 years old. >> now the actress who starred in sitcoms like "who's the boss" and "charmed" has a new movie debuting tonight. james patterson fans are going to love this, the lifetime tv's "sunday at tiffany's." welcome! >> hello. >> thank you for having me. >> not to be confused with "breakfast at tiffany's." >> it is an homage to everything that's wonderful about this time of year and everything that's wonderful about love and everything that's wolf about tiffany's. everything. >> so in the beginning you have this kind of imaginary friend. >> yeah. >> it starts out when i'm a little girl and i have an imaginary friend because my mom is kind of a type a whosorkahol.

she's delicious and she was everything that i wanted her to be. she's so lovely. and i grow up and i'm engaged to this guy named hugh who is a big famous actor. ivan survey plays hugh. my imaginary friend from childhood comes back into my life all grown up just to stir the pot a little bit. >> i bet he's darn cute, too. >> he's kind of handsome. eric winter plays that character. the cast is great. it's modern day fairy tale. it is so romantic. i loved that this character starts out someplace kind of flawed and you see, you go on this journey with her and she ends up okay in the end. >> of course. it is lifetime. hallmark and lifetime. >> now we said in the intro you've been working since you

were 7. first job was on broadway stage. >> "annie." it was the second national touring company. i was 7 years old. yeah. so that was 30 years ago. >> that show holds up like crazy still. >> that's right. >> you got married this past year. >> i did. >> good for you! >> thank you. >> it took you a while. >> it did! you sound just like my mother. it took her a while, yeah, but he was worth the wait. >> what does he do? >> he's actually an agent, believe it or not. there he is. look. >> is he your agent? >> no, no, god. that would be a little weird. >> that's like having a stage parent. >> no, he's not my agent but he's with my agency and that's where we met. we met in the lobby. he's just a wonderful guy and i feel so blessed that in the midst of the craziness of hollywood, i was able to find this rock and this lovely, nice,

good person. >> how did you -- since you've been working for 30 years, a lot of people work for a while and they just -- it sort of dries up. but you kept a consistent career. how have you done both of these things? >> i mean, i don't know why i'm still working. i feel really blessed and lucky that i am. but i think as far as, you know, being able to grow up in this business and be somewhat normal, i have to give my parents all the credit in the world for that. >> all about parenting. >> when i say to people these kids that you see struggle in the business? i think they would have struggled no matter what they did in life. it's just we're aware of their struggles because they're in the public eye. but it usually stems back to some sort of hardship in their family and i think if you have hardship in your family, it doesn't matter if you live a totally normal life, you're going to have trouble. >> you miss your childhood, you

spend the rest of your life -- >> yeah. >> but horses keep you sane. >> i have ten horses and five dogs and a vegetable garden. i actually -- >> well merry christmas, happy holidays. >> it's on tonight. >> lifetime, 9:00," sundays at tiffany's." >> thank you so much. sara hains finds our newest trends of the week. and celebrity gossip. hoda's not on the list because she's a good girl. but first, these messages.

now it is time to give a shout out to one of our biggest fans, "fan of the week." >> you changed, sara! what happened? >> what's going on, hon? who is the winner? >> well -- sorry. that was a quick change. royce kennedy is our winner.

>> stop it! >> what he likes most about you guys is the relationship between each other. he says you're both really funny. he started watching about two years ago and now he watches from his computer every day in silence. his friends know when he's watching that they cannot talk. >> we're not muted, right? >> no, you guys can talk. no one else can. >> i like that. >> he watches reruns on the weekends and when he's bored he has them stored up. which is a really big fans. his favorite parts of the show are chat and "who knew." he especially likes kathie lee's "everyone has a story." it says you make him feel happy and excited about life. >> well we love royce! thank you so much. coming up next, we have all the hollywood news that you can handle. >> not all of it is good. also, now should you include

a lint roller when you're shopping for your tree? think about that. >> i guess julia's going to tell us, right? >> i think so. >> we'll be right back after this. ry

slowing on the southbound side. look at that, jamming up around southbound 101 and the 92 interchange. the rest of the south bay looking really good. taking you over to the east bay. live shot cleared up nicely after early slowing. the bay bridge, we have no metering lights yet. we have the back-up starting to

fo form. better weather now, what reason do we have to stay out of the city? >> helping to dry us out of the the soggy finish to the weekend. notice the clouds moving away from the bay area. temperatures today, actually pretty mild. 60s outside for most of us and 50s. we'll stay dry through tomorrow and more rain drops wednesday into thursday. more news after this short break. lightning fast. lightning strong.

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tomorrow school bullying will be the focus of a speech. superintendant will discuss the issue before organization that has had a series of videos online encouraging gay teens to realize that life does get better. >> and let's face it, people in the bay area are a brainy bunch. out of 200 cities, san francisco and okakland are tenth. the least brainy city

bakersfield and modesto. thank you so much for joining us today. brent will be back with you early tomorrow morning. have a great day. >> announcer: "today's buzz" is brought to you by dure rig. choose, brew. enjoy. we're back on this fun-day with "today's buzz." >> bonnie fuller is the editor in chief of hollywoodlife.com and andrea is from gossip gram. >> a big smackdown. what happened? >> they're friends. >> margaret cho started it by blogging and saying the only

reason crystal was on "dancing with the stars" was her mother insisted she blamed her for losing the election and told her she owed it to her. bristol responded. took to her facebook page and friday and said no way, nobody forced me, not my mom, not my dad, i made the decision. you're wrong, margaret, i love you, but you're wrong. >> call me. i'm the source you should probably come to. >> so far that's the end of it but there is a lot of speculation about whether or not bristol actually wrote the facebook quote because it is so well written and she also fired back at keith olbermann last week, too, on her facebook page. >> bristol is a very, very bright girl. may have some hidden literary talent. >> chelsea hammer is in a little bit of hot water with angelina jolie. >> angelina's not saying

anything. chelsea went to do a stand-up routine in newark and called her a home wrecker. worse things. >> we can't repeat it. >> chelsea handler is bff with jennifer aniston. jen took chelsea along with a number of other friends for a thanksgiving weekend in mexico. they partied together for several days. >> don't you think jennifer aniston's upset? who wants that all over again? >> that's the moral of the lesson -- beware what you tell friends on vacation. >> and drinking margaritas with. >> can't wait to see who comes out of the turks and caicos last week with you. >> billy ray cyrus and his wife were getting a divorce. now maybe not? >> we've been following this at hollywoodlife.com. we found out the divorce papers once they are filed in tennessee they must be served within 30

days. if they are not served, then the filing is off and you have to refile. >> did she file or he file? >> he filed. >> it's been -- well now it is over 40 days. it was 38 days on friday so the clerks were all a buzzing down in tennessee that the divorce must be off. >> yes-- yet he's saying that the filing is going to go through. >> they didn't actually say that he -- that nothing changed. what they said is the filing hasn't changed. the filing hasn't changed. that's the problem. it was very tricky language. >> do we know yet the reason for the divorce? is it just speculation? >> the speculation was that tish had it a relationship with brett michaels. m now bret has been extremely forceful in denying it. >> remember miley said for her 18th birthday, the one thing she

wanted was for her parents to get back together. >> mel gibson is back in the news. there's a youtube video of mel with this hand puppet and he is in this new movie that is yet to be released. >> jodi foster directed. >> and it is getting tons of views. hundreds of thousands of people are watching it. >> 200,000 people have looked at this youtube video. it becomes his alter ego and there is a line in which he says he needs the beaver to create some distance between himself and his angry self. >> i can't even imagine the amount of jokes that are going to be said about this. >> here we go. get a good night's sleep. those movies coming out in the spring. >> but the question is, do people want to see mel in this or do they just think that beaver is so adorable? >> the funny thing is, it might actually and genius comeback because he plays a guy who's very depressed and disturb and

not behaving like himself. could actually work in his favor. >> i think everybody deserves a second chance, even you, hoda woman, after turks and caicos. god only knows what you were up to. >> stop it. coming up, eggnog, holidays are going to effect your waistline.

it's already begun, the holidays are still a couple of weeks away and already your jeans feel like they're busting at the seams sglp it is all because of those irresistible holiday treats that seem to surface everywhere. madelyn is here with the calorie count to save us from ourselves. save us, madelyn! >> i will but we'll have some fun with this. >> fun for you.

>> we're taking some of our really favorite foods just to show what calories are in and where you can save a little bit. two of our favorite holiday drinks. one is eggnog and one is mimosa. we know eggnog is not low-calorie but what's the difference in calories between these two holiday drinks? 150, 250, or 350 calories? >> the last one. >> 350? you're wrong. >> 250. >> it is 250. eggnog is 350 and mimosa is just 100 calories. >> just drink mimosas. got it. >> who doesn't love a pig in the blanket. >> everybody's favorite thing. >> how. these can you eat for 250 calories? is it two, four or six? four. >> that is correct. is that a surprise? >> yeah. surprised i got it right. >> now cheese are everywhere,

cheese and crackers, cheese on everything. what's -- how much is this to eat? one been ounce of cheese, a serving -- >> what kind of cheese? >> hard cheese. >> not cheese whiz. >> size of two, four or six dice. the question is, what's a serving? this plate has got two dice, four or six? >> one serving of cheese is two dice. >> you're wrong. >> three. >> that's not an answer. is it two, four or six? >> then i'll take four. >> that's wrong. six! >> thought so. >> its 2's 2-0. >> hanukah is the festival of lights and always oil is involved here. we have these two potato pancakes. do they have more or less than 250 calories? >> more. >> no!

>> what? >> i was going to guess and say less. >> i don't like this game. >> you have time to cut back. >> you have to get every single one right. >> these are identical servings. which has less fat? >> roast beef. >> no. ham. the ham has less fat. 14 grams to the 36. everybody's got favorite. hoda, we know you're a baklava lover and our producer likes tiramisu. if you had to walk this off, one would take you four miles, one would take you six. which one would take you six miles to walk off? >> i'm going to go with the tiramisu. >> you would be right. that's going to take you six miles, 600 calories.

>> let's finish strong, hoda. you can do this. one of these has less than 200 calories. is it the fruitcake, a big cookie -- >> less than 200? >> less hand 200. one of these has less than 200. i want to eat the bark so i'm going to say the cookie. >> no! >> it's the bark. >> it's the fruitcake! >> nobody likes fruitcake. it doesn't matter. >> that's too bad. >> we have something for the whole family. we have gingerbread house -- the moon mountain organic vodka. >> i'm going to share it with you so you can give this to hanna because she would have a ball doing this. that's the way i roll. and ill a's keep this. >> comie ining up, julie etlema all the tricks to removing holiday stains.itb a out theex editb aouthe t mascan the pillowcase. úñúúç he

with help around the house after you deck the halls and tinseled up that tree. >> who has better advice than account the accidental housewife. star of a new tlc show called "suffocating. "it is a messy process, the holidays. >> it is merry messes but we'll get right to them. >> things on the carpet like tinsel are hard to get up. >> the vacuum can also suck up if you have a handy-dandy paintbrush with a roller, put duct tape on there. this is also a great thing for your kiddies to do. >> a lot of people have glass

ornaments on their tree, they fall off and crack. >> i know you have dresses on, but -- there you go. i told them i'd get you on your niece. you just take these broken ornaments, press it down, you wear gloves and it picks it right up. then can you do this for a while. >> hanukah. the problem is not the candles dripping because they make dripless ones now. the problem is the wax that gets ones in. while you're coifing your hair in the morning, 20 seconds with your hair dryer on the opening there, take a q-tip, it comes right up. it will lft out like a

voila! you put them in. >> yes, darling, before. here you are, you drink and the drool. >> you're drinking too much if put it in hot water because it will fry the egg. would you just soak it in cold water for a while. little pre-treater is always little paste of ammonia and laundry detergent, put it on there and launder as usual. it right on there. >> why is the lipstick on the collar? >> they've been drinking too much of the spiked eggnog. two do this. directly on this handsome little body here. >> hoda! >> i want to get to your mascara. you take this, it is like a lip

wax. you put it right on the lipstick. you mush it down. with the gloves on it is a of mushing. as you can see. mushing, julia! >> and tal come powder. >> this happens to me, when you sleep on a pillow, your mascara how long you spend taking it off. >> all right. good old-fashioned makeup remover. just put some on there and dab it right on to the mascara. now just leave it on there. >> that didn't work! >> be generous. >> put a little elbow grease into it, hoda woman! >> you just put that dish washing liquid on, let that sit and it will come out right and launder as usual. and away it will go. always a great stand-by, baby on anything. >> what's this? >> do you think i would give you

something that didn't work? eggnog. of course we need a little eggnog and a little spike. as you are drinking gb none of the stains come out, just cover them with pins. >> we're going to head out the but first, this is "today"

we told you a little earlier over the weekend about this great, great bunch of double-dutch jumpers. you guys run believable. it was the 19th annual double-dutch classic at the apollo theater competing with people from france, germany, italy, the u.s. >> probably ukraine. >> yes, but look who are the winners! >> and they are lathe sand pepp

steppers. >> how did you guys learn dhou this? >> i've been jumping since i was 3, competing since i was 3. i've been competing since i was 3. >> how much practice does it take? >> it takes a lot of practice but because we are older we don't have that much time to practice but we find time. >> can anyone do it or what's the story? >> can anyone do it? >> anyone could do it. any age, any time, any. all you need is a pair of sneakers, some ropes and two turners and a jumper. >> oh, gee! i don't have any sneakers today, but look who does? >> i'm going to preface this even when i was in elementary school and it was a single rope, i couldn't get in. i couldn't get in. show us right, then we'll try to figure it out. >> go, go, go! you got it!

woo! ♪ ♪ >> woo! >> he keeps going, good for him! >> woo! >> you can do that, hoda! ♪ >> unbelievable. >> okay. i'm going to try to get in. >> keep the music on. >> all right. i think we've proven that you guys are the best. hoda? >> i'm going. >> come on here, get in!

here! get in! okay, go! go! i want to go from this end! i'll go in with you. how did you do it? >> not as easy as it looks. >> go! what do you do? ♪ tomorrow, taylor swift tomorrow. have a great day, everybody!

♪ on winters wings, decembers rear, ahha humbug faces come and dear ♪ ♪ then appears at perfect christmas time. ♪ ♪ a tiny tree, christmas, tinsel, the lights ♪ ♪ the star that sings, top your tiny tree, yeah ♪