♪ good morning. and happy new year. hundreds of thousands of revelers jammed into new york city's times square to say good-bye to the old and ring in the new. and we're here to celebrate with them, and you "today," saturday, and we're here to celebrate with them, and you "today," saturday, january 1st, 2011. captions paid for by nbc-universal television good morning, welcome to this special new year's day edition of "today" i'm lester holt. >> and i'm amy robach. we say this every year but again it's hard to believe it's 2011. we'll have to change how we write our checks and i always have a hard time with that. >> i always say it means you're getting older.

>> gee, thanks. >> it's hard to believe. well, we are. but we have to adjust to the whole thing. and, you know -- >> i'm glad i'm here to see it. >> there you go, good answer. coming up on this first 2011 "today" show, the year something we all do every new year's eve, make resolutions. but as we all know making them is one thing, sticking with them is another. so how do you do it? we'll show you how to keep the commitment. >> also, one word, hangover. millions are waking up with probably a big one from ringing in the new year. so we have a few good remedies on how to get rid of the hangover blues. >> then the best of weekend "today." all morning we're going to take a look back at some of our favorite stories of the year from the olympics, my first trip to afghanistan to going inside the smithsonian secret warehouse. we'll show you some of our favorites from 2010. >> you kind of think, wow, again, probably a sign of getting older. i can't believe i went there. >> and the fact it all happened within a 12-month period is amazing. the olympics was a big surprise

to me that that was in the same year. >> it's hard to believe. that was february. >> we crammed so much into that three weeks. >> before we get to all of that let's get a check of the top stories with thomas roberts at the news desk. good morning and happy new year. >> good morning, everyone, happy new year. new york and the world have ushered in 2011. these was the scene last night at times square as an estimated 1 million people watched the famous ball drop to welcome the new year. lots of smooching and cheering, the nation's largest new year's celebration. around the world the parties were just as big as some even bigger as nbc's george lewis shows us. >> three, two, one -- happy new year! >> reporter: 1.5 million australians gathered around sydney harbor to welcome the new year in style. three hours later in hong kong, there was this over the city's iconic skyline. appropriate since fireworks were invented in china.

in the middle east, the glittering emirate of dubai welcomed the new year with a light and sound show. and at the stroke of midnight, the world's highest building, almost a half mile tall, transformed into a gigantic roman candle. in moscow's red square, russians huddled in a snowstorm, as midnight came. in berlin, 1 million people watched the show at the historic brandenburg gate. they also partied in paris. and as big ben chimed in the new year, londoners lined the banks of the thames to celebrate. for "today," george lewis, nbc news, los angeles. rare and deadly tornadoes in the midwest and south kill at least six people. three of the dead in missouri, about six injured there and 20 homes destroyed, the same powerful storm system spawned tornadoes earlier yesterday in cincinnati, arkansas. a hostage drama friday at a suburban houston bank ended after four hours of tense

negotiations. two masked gunmen took seven people hostage at a chase bank branch. they stormed in and injured the manager when he refused to open the vault. three others in the bank managed to hide in a closet during the whole ordeal. none of the hostages were injured. now your national forecast, there's a slight risk of severe thunderstorms across the eastern gulf coast and still a threat for isolated tornadoes. high pressure is dominating the middle of the country, bringing sunny skies but low temperatures. the northeast is enjoying some balmy, january temperatures, though rain will move in. that's the national . happy new year. potential for rain and snow. highs, mid-50s in some of the warmest places. more rain later tonight into sunday morning.

drying out heading into monday afternoon. that's the news. now back to amy. >> thomas, thanks. let's begin with politics for the new year. we can't predict what will happen, but is there anything we can expect out of washington? joining us for more is michael crowley, deputy washington bureau chief for "time" magazine. good morning. >> good morning. >> let's begin with the white house. because we're definitely going to see some changes there. we can start with the president's two bigs. senior adviser david axelrod going in the other direction, moving out. what impact could this have? >> well, within the white house, both davids are beloved. but david is somebody who was really a rock in the 2008 campaign and i think it's been really hard for a couple of years for the president so far. and they feel like david plus coming in might be an anchor, a calming effect. and axelrod is a great strategist but i think some people think maybe he could be

more effective, guiding the president's re-election campaign. david coming in trying to do some strong managerial work to get people refocussed for this next two years the president's going to try to resurrect his presidency. >> any other shifts in the white house? any other possible staff changes? >> well, it looks like the communications team will be changing as well. robert gibbs who does the briefings from the podium and is very close to the president's inner circle may no longer be that public face of the white house. may possibly be leaving to go to the campaign. there's been krut civil that the white house's communication has not been as strong as it could be. a lot of democrats feel that the president didn't sell his health care reform plan as effectively as he could have. so the hope would be if they make some changes on that front, maybe they would have a more effective way of broadcasting their message, telling people what they're doing, getting a little more support. those are the two key things to look at. >> in terms of republicans, you mentioned the election, 2012 is probably just around the corner. in the political world, who do we think we're going to start to see raising their hands, throwing their hat in the ring saying, i want to make a run for

president? >> sure. we're already in to presidential season. it feels so early, it always does, but i think the race will be refined on the republican side around mitt romney, the former massachusetts governor, and business executive, who ran unsuccessfully in 2008. and i think everyone is defining themselves off of romney. positioning themselves around him. he's the top fund-raiser so far. possibly the best-known in the field, with one exception we'll get to. one person to look at mike huckabee, former arkansas governor, someone who will be very strong among social conservatives. romney is vulnerable to his right. people getting in to his right, more conservative candidates like huckabee, particularly with socially conservative voters in places like iowa and south carolina, that will be a key question, and then, of course, there'ses palin factor. the question is whether palin is really in this for fund and profit. she's make ago lot of money, she seems to be enjoying herself. will she actually different in, make herself a candidate, put herself on the firing line? life will get more difficult for

her if she does run. he's going to be taking a lot of questions from the media, direct access. other republicans attacking her. she can't say media elite, it will be other kaejts. i think it will be harder for her and really key question is what does she decide to do. >> it goes without saying the president also will be kicking off his re-election campaign as well. in 2008 his message was hope and change. what are we going to hear from the president when it comes to him trying to seek that re-election while he's also running the country? >> this is going to be really hard for the president. he raised expectations so high in 2008 that talked about the transformative presidency. hope and change, yes, we can, now we are the ones you've been waiting for. the president would say a huge financial calamity came along and made it impossible to do things as quickly as he wanted to. so he's going to have to try and make that argument to people. cut me a little slack. the economy almost went off a cliff. now he tried to make that argument in the midterm elections and as we saw, by and large americans were not completely buying it. i think what he's going to have to do is continue to make that

argument but deliver tangible results. not quite as many of the really big things he promised in the 2008 campaign, but deals like the one we saw in december, where he made a tax cut deal with republicans on capitol hill, democrats got some of what they wanted, republicans got some of what they wanted and independent voters in the middle, who the president's really going for, they hope will say, he's working with republicans in washington, he heard the message of the voters, and he's doing deals for the good of the country, not pursuing an agenda that's too ambitious. i think that's the other thing they're going to do. >> michael crowley, thanks so much. >> thank you. >> now here's lester. >> amy, thanks. now to afghanistan. later this year we will mark the tenth anniversary of the war. i traveled to the front lines back in november, a trip i won't soon forget. as we know, attitudes have shifted since the battle first began nearly a decade ago. and i found that out firsthand by talking to the troops over there. and with some young people here at home. it was considered by most americans a war of necessity. a district response to september 11th. an attack on al qaeda's safe haven.

>> on my orders, the united states military has begun strikes against al qaeda terrorist training camps and military installations of the taliban regime in afghanistan. ♪ god bless america >> reporter: a country swept by a wave of patriotism, so many of its young men and women rushed to join the military. and fight terror. in nine years, the faces of those who carry on this war have slowly changed. and in some ways their motivation, too. >> all is not moat vaed by terror. >> reporter: marine sergeant casey carrera was just 16 on 9/11. he joined the service only three years ago. not in pursuit of justice, but out of a broader desire to pay his dues to his country. >> i was extremely motivated at the thought that there were young men and women that were doing this approximately seven years before i joined. >> reporter: americans broadly support men and women like

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

new jersey, i found students were understandable worries, finding a job, paying for college. >> i might be 60 and just finishing off paying off my loans. >> reporter: but terror and war are not on their list of big concerns. for their generation, grade schoolers back in 2001, and the next bloc of voters, the war has no relevance. how's that war going? >> i have absolutely no idea why we're even over there. it's like we're there and we're just kind of hanging out. >> but it's not just a younger generation trying to figure it out. their comments mirror polls showing americans as a whole are questioning whether we should remain involved. >> this was my choice. >> reporter: sergeant casey carrera, who will soon go home to his wife and a new daughter he never met, has a message for those who doubt his choice was worth it. >> i would tell them that the presence of u.s. troops in afghanistan will benefit, maybe not on the short-term as much as the long-term down the road.

safety for the united states. >> the potential for this generational disconnect continues because now we're talking about 2014, the president wants to hand over security control to afghan troops. but americans will continue to confront this war. >> i know that people may disagree about the war but i know one thing we all do. we honor americans who serve our country. they are heroes, like the men and women aboard the "uss george h.w. bush" and back in november, i was on an f-18 that flew onto the navy's newest aircraft carrier. >> it's one of the most amazing sights to witness. a navy fighter attack jet landed and then catapulting off the four acre flight deck of an aircraft carrier. but watching it, and actually experiencing it, are two different things. >> it's nice when you've got the safe jet -- >> reporter: it may be just another day at the office for this naval pilots. >> information about the flights to the anti- --

>> reporter: but for a civilian like me, just to ride in the back seat required an intense day of preflight training. >> and we're going to cover hyperventilation -- >> reporter: after several classroom hours learning about potential loss of consciousness, extreme ear and sinus pain, vomiting, and blacking out -- i was fitted with helmet and mask and put to the test in the altitude chamber. i'm ready to go. but i wasn't exactly ready for the water. drown proofing with full flight gear is a must before a carrier landing and i was petrified. that was not easy. >> grab these two ends. >> reporter: but it was all worth it the next morning. i suited up and met pilot perry solomon, call sign whisper. as we walked out to the flight line, whisper eased my fears with his confidence. how do you feel walking out to

the plane? >> it's a rush every time. it's like, 16 and getting the keys to the car every time. >> this is the keys to the ferrari, right? >> yeah. >> reporter: after one last brief. >> our mission today is a cat trap. >> reporter: it was time to strap in and go. >> there it is. >> reporter: we lifted off from our land base at oceana naval air base and headed out to sea with a little extra boost. >> all right, amy we're going to light the after-burners. this has been an incredible experience. i am in an f/a-18s super hornet and we just hit 7.1 gs. we've been going 750 miles per hour ground speed and we are on our way to the "uss george h.w. bush" aircraft carrier. what a ride. >> there we are. supersonic now. >> you don't see that every day.

maybe you do. >> i do, yeah. >> it's a beautiful day as we approach the aircraft carrier. >> look at that thing. >> wow, that is awesome. as we make our final approach, whisper tells me to expect a controlled car crash. >> on deck in about 15 seconds. >> okay. >> and that's exactly it feels like as we go from 150 miles per hour to zero in two seconds. an amazing landing with a perfectly calm, cool pilot. but the fun wasn't over yet. the most, citing part was the catapult off the carrier from zero back to 180 in 20 seconds. landing on the bush a second time you quickly realize why it takes 5500 young men and women working to the in a tightly choreographed dance of precision to launch and land these $57 million aircraft.

>> you saw them up on the flight deck, not an easy job. lot of responsibility. dangerous. >> reporter: admiral heighten is the first female to command a carrier task force. her flagship is the "uss george h.w. bush" where the average age of the crew is under 20. >> it takes every single person doing their job for all the pieces to come together to be able to accomplish what we're doing right now. and we stay motivated. >> these pilots know these guys are the professionals with all the pride and they can trust them 100%. >> you and i both have had experiences, military experiences this year, and it does make you all the more, just respectful of what these men and

women do each and every day and the sacrifices they make. >> i think i read somewhere that the deck of an aircraft carrier is one of the most, if not the most dangerous work environment in the world. >> they call it the tip of the spear when it comes to fighting wars. >> you flew the f-18 which may also be what i experienced with the u.s. men's bobsled team. remember that story? led by steve hole come it made history last year by capturing the gold medal in vancouver. he also let me take a trip on a bobsled, and i still haven't recovered from it. take a look. something about the word sled conjures up pleasant childhood memories of winter fun. this, though, is definitely not how i remembered it. i'll tell you in a moment what it's like to ride down on olympic bobsled course. but no one can describe any better than steve holcomb, from dizzying curves. >> it looks like a wall and you're going to go straight into the wall and tip over. it may feel like we actually do,

but we won't. >> reporter: americans have been underporping in the four-man bobsled for decades. after a sixth place finish at the '06 olympics, holcomb would turn to the games with a new team, and a recent world cup title under his belt. giving americans their best chance to win gold in the four-man race in 62 years. >> you're going to battle, you have to know that these guys next to you are out there to fight with you and for you. >> this is the third or fourth team that i've been with and this is by far the most amazing thing, it happened within one year where we can have fun together and at the same time we show up at the track the next day and we do well. >> reporter: we caught up with the holcomb team a few weeks ago in park city, utah. practicing on the 2002 olympic track. >> it's all about timing and coordination. >> reporter: here they reach speeds of around 85 miles an hour. tame compared to vancouver's now infamous sliding center.

>> we're going to be reaching some marks that no bobsledder has ever reached. blinding speed down there on the lower part of the track. on the last training session we had there we had every olympic and world champion was on their head at one point. >> there's no, you know, safe line, safe way to get down. once you start off the top of the hill you're going to go to the bottom regardless. >> reporter: with that in mind, steve invites me to be the number two man in the night train. the team's signature jet black sled. the start is relatively benign. and then suddenly, everything steve said would happen unfolds. >> i'm pretty sure at about curve three you're going to think we're going about as fast as we're going to go and we're only about a third of the way to top speed. your head's going to be tossed around. the g-force is going to pull you down. >> right now he's saying i need out. >> reporter: it lasts just over 50 seconds but in that time we descended more than 30 stories.

it was exhilarating, disorienting, and yet frightening. but more than anything, it left me in awe. what i don't understand is how you are able to maintain any level of control. i'm just riding, man. >> actually, probably didn't want to tell you before but there isn't a whole lot of control. >> we pulled some serious gs down there. >> we had some of the athletes monitor, because they were 5.2. >> 5.2 on this? that's a lot going on. as we noted about a month or so after we did that, holcomb and the night train team won the gold medal in the four-man bobsled. i have covered wars, i have covered disasters, i've been acrobatics in fighter planes, that was the scariest thing. >> i didn't know you pulled gs on the bobsled. >> you talked about the aircraft carrier, controlled car crash. this is like being thrown down a mountain in a washing machine. >> and there's no control.

>> no control. i felt like i was descending into hell. i'm sorry. >> i love that you were -- whoa! >> well, we had a camera, the idea was to narrate going down, it was like -- >> you're like, i can't talk. >> there's no narration going on. >> better you than me. all right, still to come on the best of weekend "today" continues with my look inside the smithsonian's secret warehouse. but first, this is "today" on nbc. i have fallen in love with making bird houses.

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.

still to come on "today," sentencing for anna nicole smith's boyfriend. will howard k. stern get jail time? >> plus did you know there are health care changes in 2011? what you need to know coming up.

good morning to you. all eyes are back on the golden gate bridge now that the new year's fireworks are over. hope your new year, year 2011 is off to a very nice start. i'm kris sanchez, thanks for joining us this morning. here is rob my et ta with a look at your weekend forecast. good saturday morning to you. we are watching chilly showers around the bay area and the potential for low snow in a few spots, especially out towards the north bay. more rain filling in tonight into sunday. looks like a pretty rainy start. the showers slowly start to shut

down. monday, cool start to your morning. 40s and 30s around parts of north bay. as we go through the bay, you will see the temperatures staying pretty cool. we are talking highs in the upper 40s out towards the north bay and into our inland valleys. low to mid-50s around san jose and oakland. plan on a little more rain at times, especially for early sunday morning. for monday, the showers shutting down as the low kicks to the east with somewhat dryer weather as we approach the middle part of this upcoming week. now, just a few hours into the new year and already police are investigating san jose's first homicide. a 15-year-old boy was shot and killed in what witnesses describe as a drive-by shooting in a residential neighborhood. this was near willis avenue. the boy died on the scene shortly after police arrived. starting today, people who impersonate you online will be breaking the law. a new state law is going into effect that makes it illegal to assume another person's identity

online to harm them. creating online accounts to harm, intimidate or fraud you will be a misdemeanor. violators could face a $1,000 fine and a year in jail. it allows victims to sue. parents will face jail time if the schools think they are pulling kids out of class without a valid excuse. under the new state law, it is a truancy law parents of k through 8, students that miss more than 10% of the school year without a good excuse, face up to a year in jail and a $2000 fine. bakers will have to stop using trance-fat oils in 2011. restaurants, cafeterias, fast food vendors had last year to switch to alternative oils. they are the first state in the nation to ban artery clogging trance fat oils. a bay area boy battling serious health conditions will be featured in an ad during several super boy games.

a picture of 11-year-old alex maddox for alamo will be part of a public service announcement featuring green bay packers linebacker, clay matthews. he has duchene muscular distropfy, attacks and damages muscles and usually affects young boys. the commercial will run during the rose, fiesta, sugar and orange bowl. coming up the 7:00 on "today in the bay," oprah's brand new tv network makes its debut today. will you be able to find it in your network. more local news in 30 minutes. right now, here is more of the "today" show. [ female announcer ] these are the crescents you love on a holiday. and these are the ones you'll love on a friday. pillsbury crescent pizza pockets. with just a few ingredients, you have an easy to make dinner. they're crescents for the other 364. try them tonight. with cinnabon cinnamon have such a sweet and delicious aroma

that my family can't wait to get their hands on them. enjoy cinnabon cinnamon... now in all pillsbury cinnamon rolls. you're looking at a spectacular fireworks display that took place at midnight in sydney, australia. over 1.5 million people rang in the new year at the famous harbor bridge, and the fireworks were launched from the bridge itself, and people in the harbor, it is always an amazing sight. back inside studio 1a i'm amy robach alongside lester holt. happy new year to you. >> happy new year to you. you're such a veteran of doing the times square thing with the show every year. you know, i think i spent a total of 14 years living in new york, i still have not done the times square. >> just like every other new yorker, you're told when you live here, stay far, far away

from times square. >> the show stopper is there's no bathrooms. people don't know that. >> 3:00 they're penned in in the afternoon and they cannot leave. but i have to tell you, i'm always amazed every year, boom, in 30 seconds after the ball drops that place is clear, the place is cleaned, it's quite a sight. >> you guys do a great job, every year, love watching you do that. i'm glad i'm in my living room. >> and you're covered where it's nice and warm. coming up on the first day of 2011, howard k. stern. >> this will probably not be a good year for anna nicole smith's former boy friend. last year a jury hit stern with fueling her prescription drug addiction. he'll be sentenced this week will will he head to jail? we're going to learn more about that in just a few minutes. >> and then the new year's resolutions we make, and then of course break, often within hours. why can't they last? we're going to talk about the most popular resolutions and then we're going to give you some real advice on how to stick with them. >> plus it begins today, the oprah winfrey network. the big o. has dreamed about it for years and now it's a reality. can oprah make it a success?

>> we'll have that story and much more coming right up. first let's head to thomas lamas at the news desk for the latest headlines. good morning. >> good morning. we begin in the midwest and south where rare and deadly tornadoes kill at least six people. three of the dead were in missouri. about six injured there and 20 homes destroyed. the same powerful storm system spawned tornadoes that ripped through cincinnati, arkansas, earlier in the day. at least seven people killed in an explosion in front of a christian church in the egyptian city of alexandria. nearly 1,000 worshippers were leaving the new year's mass when the blast hit about a half hour after midnight. after the explosion enraged christians coming out of the church clashed with police and stormed a nearby mosque, sparking fights with muslims. now to your national forecast. there's still a threat for isolated tornadoes and severe thunderstorms in the eastern gulf. sunny skies, but low temperatures in the middle of the country. on the california coast, a cold front pushing moisture so they are looking at showers and mountain snow.

and a balmy new year's day for the northeast. well, happy new year to you. we are starting off with some rain and the potential for some low snow in some of the hilltops in the north bay and out to the east bay. higher hills. 30s and 40s to get your morning started. lunchtime temperatures, still running cool. 40s and 50s outside. highs, mid-50s in the warmest places today. more rain later tonight into sunday morning and drying out heading into monday afternoon. >> that's the news this first day of 2011. now back to amy. >> thomas, thanks. and now the fate of anna nicole smith's boyfriend. howard k. stern was convicted of helping the late model illegally get prescription drugs, and in just a few days he will be sentenced for that crime. nbc's kristen welker has more. >> reporter: in life, anna nicole smith loved the spotlight. a playboy play mate who became a

reality tv icon, until she died suddenly of an accidental drug overdose in 2007 at age 39. her name now associated with the legal fallout from her prescription drug use. prosecutors charged her longtime companion, howard k. stern, and her doctors san dive ka poor and christine arose vich with aiding an addict. arguing all three were dazzled by smith's fame and freely fed her addiction to prescription drugs. the defense fired back, saying smith was not an addict but rather in physical and emotional pain over the death of her son daniel, who also overdosed just months before she did. >> you do what's best for your patient. >> reporter: but after two months of testimony and 1 days of deliberations, a mixed verdict. the jury acquitted kapoor of all charges, erosevich and stern were cleared of the most serious counts but they were both found guilty of conspiracy for

obtaining drugs under false names. >> this was done to protect anna nicole's privacy, and it was nothing more than that. >> reporter: experts say the trial has sent a strong message to the medical community in hollywood, that you have to be very cautious when prescribing medications, no matter how famous, powerful, or persuasive the patient. >> i think that a lot of doctors are a lot more wary and a lot more careful, and perhaps ethical about prescribing medication, whether they're famous or not. i think it really has had a chilling effect. >> reporter: stern and erosecich could face three years in state prison but filed papers to have the charges reduced or dismissed. >> many experts we talk to say that in most cases like this, any significant prison time would be very unlikely. >> reporter: no matter what happens next, insiders say the life and death anna nicole smith is a cautionary tale. fame can be both exciting and

destrublgtive. for today, kristen welker, nbc news, los angeles. >> and with us now is former prosecutor and nbc news legal analyst susan filan. good morning. >> good morning. >> this ruling didn't say that howard k. stern was responsible for anna nicole smith's death. so what exactly did his conviction mean? >> well, the court -- what the jury found him guilty of basically was getting prescriptions in a fake name for anna nicole smith. he was trying to, in his words, protect her privacy. but basically he was drug shopping for her. so it could be hidden that she was getting these drugs. and that's a crime. >> as you mentioned he said he was just trying to protect her privacy. does that argument hold water? and how likely would a judge accept that? >> well, he's already been convicted of that criminal behavior. the jury's already found him criminally responsible for that. now it's up to the court whether it's going to buy his arguments that these charges should be dismissed or they should be reduced from felonies to misdemeanors. i don't think that's likely. not often that a court's going to set aside a jury's verdict.

next question then for this court is will he be imprisoned. >> yeah, i mean, and we heard in the piece there, the maximum sentence, three years behind bars. how likely would that harsh of a sentence be handed down in this case? >> sentencing is always the unique and distinct province of the judge. and the judge could take -- there are two convictions here. the judge could say in celebrity cases this is standard on rating procedure in hollywood. i'm not going to single howard k. stern out and treat him any differently. we don't usually put people in prison for this. on the other hand the judge could say, this is the example that i want to use to set the tone to say, this is illegal. and people die, anna nicole smith died from this. i'm sending howard k. stern to prison to use this case to send the message that this has to stop. and i think it's quite likely that the latter is what could happen here and howard k. stern could go to jail for this. >> we should mention stern also says that using false names on a prescription to protect a

celebrity's privacy is common practice in los angeles. does the, well everybody else does it argument help or hurt him? >> that's the thing. everybody does it so why pick on me? and the courts could say, yeah, everybody does it. and i'm going to use this to say, it should stop. >> mm-hmm. >> so it could backfire against him. >> all right, susan filan, thanks so much. we appreciate it. coming up, major changes in your health care plan that could affect you and your doctor's visit. plus, national treasures. one of my favorite stories of the year, inside the secret warehouse of the smithsonian institute. ♪ but you're not sweet you hit on my friends ♪ss ♪ ♪ i'm not your fool i won't just sit here and drool ♪ ♪ i'm tired of sharing you this is the end ♪ ♪ so i found a new love a natural true love ♪ ♪ that comes from a leaf green and bright ♪ ♪ zero-calorie, guilt-free no artificiality ♪ ♪ my soul sings with joy and delight ♪ ♪ its name is truvia i had no idea ♪ ♪ and i am loving every single bite ♪

[ announcer ] truvia. honestly sweet. [ thinking ] hmm. i got all this off mcdonald's dollar menu. so amazing and just a buck each, so my turn. guess we'll just have to go look at window treatments. [ thinking ] the simple joy of being smart. ♪ a man can only try... and try...and try. [ male announcer ] honey nut cheerios tastes great and can help lower cholesterol. bee happy. bee healthy. ♪

what's going on? we ordered a gift online and we really need to do something with it... i'm just not sure what... what is it? oh just return it. returning gifts is easier than ever with priority mail flat rate boxes from the postal service. if it fits, it ships anywhere in the country for a low flat rate. plus i can pick it up for free. perfect because we have to get that outta this house. c'mon, it's not that... gahh, oh yeah that's gotta go... priority mail flat rate shipping only from the postal service. a simpler way to ship and return. this morning on "today's health," health care changes for 2011. from the coverage to the cost, we have the facts you and your family need to know for the new year. andrew reuben is the host of health care connect on sirius accent radio. welcome back. >> good to be here. >> first, medicare prescription changes. they have changed, if i

understand it right, they cover to a certain point, then they stop. and that's always been referred to as the don't at home. what changes in the new year? >> very confusing for a lot of seniors. this year 50% of the cost of the drugs that you buy when you get in the doughnut hole are covered under health care reform. so once a senior enters that hole, 50% of the drug costs that they're responsible for are paid for. 7% discount on generic drugs. >> so what's the tradeoff? will the premiums go up for some people? >> medicare premiums in general, if you make under $85,000 as an individual or $170,000 as a couple, they stay the same. but for anyone above those thresholds it goes up a little over 4%. 4.4%. >> one of the arguments when this is all being worked out is concern that some doctors would stop taking medicare because they thought the fees would be reduced by all this. is that still a threat? >> there were two things going on. one, there was a big fear that the fee schedules would be cut in general. congress fixed that last year. going forward so the fee schedule is the same for next year.

and then there's a 10% enhancement for primary care services. so any physician who takes care of medicare physician who takes care of a senior will get 10% bump on their primary care fees. >> there's also a big change in preventive care that will cover certain procedures. does that start this year? >> that starts this year. the whole point of health care reform, there's lots of points and one of them is to reduce costs in the system. there's belief that if you get a preventive exam and there's no coinsurance or copay amounts with it you'll take better care of yourself. >> the preventive care colon cancer screening, mammograms, that sort of thing. >> all those things are covered with no coe pays and coinsurance. >> what other things can folks look for? >> a lot of provisions kicked in this past kept but based on how the law was written for most of us who get our health care insurance through our employees those rules start when the new plan year begins which is january 1st. so covering your children up to age 26 on your health insurance plan. you can't deny children with pre-existing conditions, any

health care coverage. the preventive things that we've been talking about. a big change in flexible spending accounts. now you can no longer buy over-the-counter medicines with tax free money. >> you have to have some kind of prescription. but this whole thing is going to roll out until 2020 if i'm correct? >> the doughnut hole rolls out, health care reform rolls out over many years. the doughnut hole for medicare will close by 2020. so each year going forward it shrinks a little bit in terms of the amount seniors have to cover. the big changes in health care reform, when people no longer can get denied for pre-existing conditions, when you'll be able to buy your health care insurance on the state exchanges, the individual mandate which was a big topic this past year, that starts in 2014. >> as the folks who've been following the news, there was a court ruling recently that suggested at least part of this health care bill was unconstitutional. that doesn't change anything right now? >> implementation continues. the supreme court will decide that in the next couple of years. it's the individual mandate provision. if that is overturned by the supreme court, health care

reform has some big challenges. >> that would be requirement that we all have insurance. and that's something we'll see play out in the years to come. andy reuben, thanks for being on. >> happy new year. >> still to come, is 2011 the year to put your house on the market? we'll tell you after these messages. how about this one!? not big enough. awwwww. this one? this one? this one? still not big enough. [ disappointed ] but it's the biggest one here... [ male announcer ] let's be honest. no one ever wished for a smaller holiday gift. ♪ it's the lexus december to remember sales event, and for a limited time, we're celebrating some of our greatest offers of the year. see your lexus dealer. thanks, i already have some yummy black forest cake. black forest cake? ♪ [ female announcer ] need a guilt free treat? try yoplait light. and i've lost weight. [ female announcer ] with 30 delicious flavors all around 100 calories each.

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this morning we've been taking a look at some of our favorite stories of 2010. this was definitely on the top of our list. in the fall, we took you inside the smithsonian institute's hidden warehouses where millions of pieces of memorabilia are kept when they're not on display. and as you'll see the warehouses are so secret, we couldn't even reveal their location. >> name is abraham lincoln. and you, sir, are in a heap of trouble. >> reporter: presidential giants and pint-sized warriors. that's how hollywood sees the smithsonian. but nothing beats the real thing. our insider's tour begins here, several miles outside the capital, and inside these warehouses. for security reasons the location is secret. what they hold is historic. >> this is the granddaddy of the tractor trailer. it's a 1912. >> reporter: and from 1913, a model-t ford. right next to a 1990 corvette

race car. roger white is my tour guide and takes me from roadsters to dare devils. this is one of evel knievel's bikes. >> the harley-davidson xr-750. he customized it a little bit and he jumped this particular bike over 14 greyhound buses in 1975. >> reporter: with that, we jumped back to the capitol, where the bulk of the collection can be found above the museum. dwight bower curettes the show stopping entertainment collection. >> that vibration? >> and the first is christopher reeve's costume from "superman." >> oh, my gosh. >> you can see the big red "s" emblazoned on the chest. >> wow. last on display ten years ago the man of steel tights will rest here until exhibited again in 2014. >> this is ginger rogers' costume. and the one thing about ginger

rogers' costumes is they contain snowe snaps, no closures. she stood on the stage and they dropped the costume on her because dancers didn't show seams. this is harrison ford's indiana jones jacket. >> oh, that's exciting. >> fedora. >> what size jacket does he wear? >> i can't tell you the exact size. >> you're going to be the first pirate. >> i don't want to be a pirate! >> okay. just looking at that shirt, i start to laugh. that is the puffy shirt. >> this is jerry seinfeld's puffy shirt. from seinfeld. >> the collection seems endless. the lone ranger's max and mask and silver bullet. >> j.r. >> and white's still collecting. he said he spent years wooing jim henson's family to get his hands on these guys. >> what are you doing? >> i'm taking a course in visual thinking. >> these are the very first muppets created by jim henson

for a local show here in washington, d.c. >> wow. and the first kermit the frog? >> the first kermit the frog which was made out of jim henson's mother's discarded overcoat. >> kermit the frog speaking to you -- >> reporter: they go on display next month. the museum's mission is to save the things that represent who we are as americans. that's made for some massive collections. some 3,000 lighting devices, over 400 quilts, 130 lunch boxes, and about 100,000 political history objects, many of them campaign buttons. >> niece are little metal buttons, made for george washington's inauguration. >> reporter: and these are functional buttons. >> right. if you look at them, on the back, there's a little shank. this is the beginning of the political buttons. >> reporter: i guess the idea stuck. harry rubenstein and larry byrd, yes, harry and larry, curate the collection. >> this is your classic straw hat. when you think of all of those

conventions. ♪ you like ike i like ike ♪ ♪ everybody likes ike >> this is an obama doll. but it's right here in the drawer next to the teddy rough rider doll. so you have 100 years of campaigning here. >> reporter: they say history repeats itself, but to see that you first have to capture it. >> we're in the forever business at the smithsonian. so we look at what we think will be of permanent value to our nation. >> wouldn't that be a cool job, just to go around, it's your job to find things that represent parts of history? >> fun, fun tour. do people just donate it? >> it works both ways. they definitely ask for things that they think will have some sort of historic significance. and then sometimes people say, hey, you want this? and they say, sure. >> that would be fun to just roam for a couple of days? >> it was very cool. just ahead, hangover remedies. we have the ones that actually work. but first, this is "today" on nbc. [ alarm clock buzzing, indistinct conversations ]

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still to come on today, oprah's network o.w.n. starts today. we'll tell you what to expect. >> plus the 3-year-old bosnowr dear snowboarder that had us all saying wow. quit smoking. i knew for years before i quit that i needed to quit and i went online to find a way. ♪ what really excited me about chantix -- it's a non-nicotine pill. i didn't want nicotine to give up nicotine. while you're taking the medication, for the first week, you can go ahead and smoke. [ male announcer ] prescription chantix is proven to help people quit smoking. when i was taking the chantix, it reduced the urge to smoke. [ male announcer ] some people had changes in behavior, thinking or mood, hostility, agitation, depressed mood and suicidal thoughts or actions while taking or after stopping chantix. if you notice any of these symptoms or behaviors, stop taking chantix and call your doctor right away.

tell your doctor about any history of depression or other mental health problems, which could get worse while taking chantix. if you develop serious allergic or skin reactions, stop taking chantix and see your doctor right away as some of these can be life-threatening. don't take chantix if you've had a serious allergic or skin reaction to it. dosing may be different if you have kidney problems. until you know how chantix affects you, use caution when driving or operating machinery. common side effects include nausea, trouble sleeping and unusual dreams. ♪ it feels wonderful. i don't smoke. i don't smoke. [ male announcer ] it's a new year. so, ask your doctor about chantix. and find out how you could save money on your prescription go to chantix.com to learn more and get terms and conditions.

for constipation relief... and find out how you could save money on your prescription nothing works better than miralax. it's the one. the one recommended by more doctors. only miralax is clinically proven to relieve constipation with no harsh side effects. miralax is the only one. restore your body's natural rhythm with miralax.

good morning to you. hope what kept you up last night was fun with friends and family not the howling winds that kept me up last night. it was a stormy night. rob has a look at the forecast to see if it will keep it up against tonight. good saturday morning. we are watching very chilly showers around the bay area. the potential for low snow in a few spots around the hilltops. around the north bay. more rain filling in later on tonight into sunday. a pretty rainy start. the showers slowly start to shut down on monday.

cool start. 40s, 30s around parts of the north bay. as we go through the day, temperatures staying pretty cool. highs in the upper 40s. out towards the north bay and into your inland valleys and low to mid-50s around san jose and oakland. a little more rain at times, especially for early sunday morning. for monday, showers shutting down as the low finally kicks to the east with somewhat dryer weather as we approach the middle part of this upcoming week. oprah already owns daytime television. now, she will expand her broadcast empire with her own network. the oprah winfrey network or own will make its official debut on cable at 9:00 this morning for those folks that have cable or rather directv. her network will replace the discovery health channel. discovery and the network say their biggest challenge will be helping people to find the new network. if you need help and you want to find it, go to oprah.com, they have a channel locate tore tool.

two san mateo beaches are closed due to high levels of bacteria at parkside aquatic park and lakeshore park. the beaches will be closed until monday when they will retest the water. they only affect the folks going into the water. you can still visit the beaches if that's your new year's day tradition. newly elected governor, jerry brown, will be sworn in on monday. prep for his inauguration are under way. it will be held at the memorial auditorium. monday's ceremony will not be quite as flashy as the schwarzenegger event but entertainment will be provided by students from two oakland schools which brown helped to found. you can watch it here. we will have team coverage for

you that morning. caltrain is ringing in the new year with higher fairs and some service changes you might want to know about. starting today, an additional 25 cents per zone to ride caltrain. that means a one-way ticket from san francisco to san jose will go from $7.75 to $8.50. caltrain will also be getting rid of two northbound trains and two southbound trains from its mid-day skel you'll. it will clothes the 2003 million dollar budget gap for 2010 through 2011. all today's news coming up at 7:00. another local newsbreak in 30 minutes. i have fallen in love with making bird houses. 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. you're looking at the city just across the pond from us. london ringing in 2011 with massive crowds alone the river thames. gorgeous sight there. london has a big year ahead with the wedding, of course, of prince william and kate middleton expected to be seen by millions around the world. 8:00 now on this new year's day, january 1st, 2011. i'm lester holt along with amy robach. >> happy new year's to you. have you made the resolution yet? >> it's the same resolution which i've had for the past couple years, to try to be healthy and fit. i've tried, try not to be too specific with that. >> then you can keep it, right? >> that's where you come off the rails. we're going to be talking more about that coming up. >> speaking of that specifically

we're going to be talking about getting fit. quitting smoking. learning a new skill. of course these are among the most popular new year's resolutions. but we all have them. how do you keep them? that's the bigger question. this morning we have an expert who will tell us the secret. >> you keep them by announcing them on national tv. how's that going? plus the post-party hangover. if you're watching this morning and if i sound like i'm speaking too loudly, because that's you're still reeling from last night's celebration. we've got the remedies that will help make the headache go away. we'll tell you about the old wive's tales that really don't work. >> and oprah may be ending her 25-year run as the queen of daytime but today she's starting her new network, o.w.n. what can we expect? we'll find out in just a few moments. >> a lot to get to but first let's get more of the morning's headlines, thomas lamas over at the news desk. good morning. >> good morning, lester. good morning, everyone. and a happy new year. unfortunately in missouri and arkansas, they are starting the year in shock after rare and deadly tornadoes ripped through on friday, killing at least six people. the weather channel's julie

martin is live in cincinnati, arkansas with more. good morning, julie. >> reporter: good morning, tom. at least three of the six were killed in this tiny community of just about 100 people. as a tornado believed to be about 500 yards wide cut a path 21 miles long right across the oklahoma/arkansas border. it was one of at least 26 tornado reports yesterday. in fact, people in four states, not a very common occurrence, in fact, that's the most new year's eve tornadoes since 1950. so a lot of people starting off the new year on a somber note. >> julie martin, thanks. nearly 1348 partiers packed times square to walk the iconic ball drop to welcome the new year. new york's party one of the biggest. but the largest crowd came out in australia. 1.5 million people ushered in the new year in sydney's harbor. down south in rio, the party is on the sand and thousands gathered for the fireworks extravaganza. that definitely looks like a

party. now the national forecast. a slight risk of severe thunderstorms across the eastern gulf coast and still the threat for isolated tornadoes, high pressure dominating middle of the country, bringing sunny skies but low tell tums. the northeast enjoying balmy good saturday morning. chilly showers. potential for snow out toward the north bay. pore rain filling in later tonight into sunday. looks like a pretty rainy start. the showers start to slowly shut down. on monday, cool start to the morning. 40s and 30s around parts of the bay. we will see the temperatures staying pretty cool. highs in the upper 40s out toward the north bay and into our inland valleys. low to mid-50s around. >> thanks. for oprah winfrey, this is the start of a brand new year. beginning of her new cable network, coming with plenty of buzz and a little bit of pressure. eileen rudolph is a senior

writer at "tv guide" magazine. happy new year. >> to you, too. >> oprah. it's got to be a success with that name, right? >> i think so. this should be a very happy year for oprah. a little nervous making but it should be pretty happy. >> it's the beginning of a big transition for her personally. but obviously, the key is advertisers. are they all bought in to it? has her name given the cachet it needs to be a success? >> oprah is a brand. a big brand. from what i hear advertisers are quite happy. she has a couple of big deals, one with a car company and i think she'll do okay with advertising. >> joint venture with discovery. this is formerly the discovery health channel. so if you had that channel you have o.w.n. >> yes. and about 70% to 80% of americans can, and will be able to get o.w.n. at this point. >> her talk show, her talk show has always been about living your best self. is the network going to be an extension of that? do we see the oprah theme continuing? >> this will be like oprah's favorite things 24/7 and among her favorite things are being

your best self, exactly. aspirational, in the kinds of shows that will make you improve yourself. that will make you live the fullest life you can. that's what interests her. >> she can't be on 24/7, but we know that, you see one of her favorites there, that was dr. oz, suze orman, dr. phil are going to be part of a new show she calls all-stars, right? so again, dipping back into success -- >> that's four specials in january. they won't be on all the time. but she will have friends, gayle king will have a show on every day. lisa ling will be on. her cleanup guy, the guy who comes in and cleans out your house will be on. she'll have new friends like shania twain. >> but they learn from the magazine that they needed to have her on the cover all the time. is that going to be the experiment here, is how much oprah do you have to have on to be a success? i mean, are people going to want to see her every hour of the day? >> oprah said she will be a presence every day.

she will be on in some way. but she's going to do about 70 hours a year rather than the 140 she's been doing. come september, after her syndicated show is over, she will be doing oprah's next chapter, which could be three days a week. so you will see particularly in september on or in the fall on more of oprah. >> rosie o'donnell is going to be a fixture on this charge as well. that's an interesting, you know, she obviously has had some experience in daytime television, some controversy, as well. how is that expected to go? >> i think rosie will not be that controversial. i think she'll go back to the rosie o'donnell 6 the woman who loved broadway, and everyone loved her. >> the comedienne? >> the comedienne, yes. >> eileen rudolph, great to have you on her. happy new year. and now here's amy. ♪ we're going home >> this morning on "today's real estate," the housing outlook for the new year. prices are dropping, so are mortgage rates, so will we see a turnaround for 2011? today real estate contributor

barbara corcoran is here to tell us what we can expect. so, how does the housing market look, barbara? oh, seer of all things, in the new year? >> well, it's a wild guess, as you know. from everything that i'm watching i'm expecting a year very similar to this one. i wish i could say i expected a remarkable turnaround. but i think the market is slow and the largest part out there dampening the market is the financing problems. people are having a heck of a time getting their own home refinanced and people are having a hard time qualifying for financing on a new home. so the mortgage market is really the enemy here. >> the headlines think year, where the mortgage rates, where you could get a mortgage, they were decent. and foreclosures, what can we expect on those? >> foesh collar yours certainly slow down a little bit at the end of the year. but the reason for that, sadly, was so many people had already lost their homes to the foreclosure rate dampened a bit. but we'll see more foreclosures. the problem with the foreclosures is it really determines market value. if your neighbor sells his house for 30% less because he lost it to a bank, your house is

automatically worth 30% less. so foreclosures are a problem. >> what's the bottom line for people who are looking to buy this year? >> well, if you're buying this year, you should be realizing that there's a giant macy's day sale on. cheap money and cheap prices at the same time. if you can get the better back yard, the nicer view, the better school district, then certainly now is the time to do it. if you are trading up, spending more on a house than what your house is worth, who cares if you get 30% less on your house if you're going to get the bigger house for 30% less, you're ahead of the game. >> if you're selling a house, you're saying as long as you're going to buy, as well, it's not that big of a loss if you look at it in this toe tatty? >> definitely not, especially if you're trading up. >> what are the key factors that will determine the market this year? what happens and what can happen to impact housing prices in the market itself? >> well, the big three pieces the way i see it is uncle sam. what's the federal government going to do? in the last year they shored up the housing market because they gave first time buyers, we had a

pop in real estate action. what are they going to do in the upcoming year? if they can clean up this mortgage mess that's making refinancing and modifications of loans almost impossible, what a dismal failure that's been in the last year, if they could be fixed the whole thing can certainly change. another big card out there, certainly, is mortgage rates. are they going to go up or down? most people are predicting they're going to stay low, so that's not so bad. that's pretty much the big card. >> what about supply versus demand? as long as there's more supply than demand. that's going to be a problem. >> amy, that sounds -- but you are so right. with more houses coming on the market and buyers tentative about going out and buying them that certainly affects value. another card which i should have mentioned earlier is the media. if you're reading about the terrible housing market every day, day in and day out in the newspapers and seeing on air, what you're going to do is be afraid to go out there and buy. so that's going to determine next year just as well. >> on this new year's day let's end on a positive note. any good news in the housing market for 2011? >> the good news is if you were

always dreaming about getting the better house, the better school district, improving where you live day to day, now is the time to strike and get a house. if this isn't the good old days from years ago, you're never going to see them. this is a great time to buy. but it takes great confidence for you to step out there and half the market, you have to remember, are improving now. half are improving. prices are going up. half are going down. so it's not as dismal as people really are making it out to be. >> all right, don't believe the media, right, barbara? >> no, of course not. >> thanks so much. and we'll be back after these messages. okay. [ cellphone rings ] hey. you haven't left yet. no. i'm boarding now. what's up? um, would you mind doing it again? last time. [ engine turns over ] ooh. sweet. [ male announcer ] the all-new chevy cruze with the mychevrolet app. the remote-control car is finally here. well, now she's just playing with us.

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cannonball!! [ clang ] the parties are over but for many the hangover from new year's eve is still going strong. how can you cure it? ray can tell us. he's the executive wine editor for "food & wine magazine gths. >> good to see you. >> a drinking expert, that's not a good title. >> it sounds sort of wrong. wine expert i like. >> a lot of people went out for new year's eve and they didn't

intend to drink a lot. >> actually moderation is a wonderful word. but on new year's day there are a lot of people thinking, hmm, i forgot that word last night. >> yeah, we've got a lot of products and drinks. let's talk about what works and doesn't work. a lot of times you hear the hair of the dog. >> people say i need that hair of the dog the next day. the truth is, it doesn't work. >> it doesn't work? >> it may psychologically help you. your liver is still processing everything you drank the night before if you drank that much and the last thing -- your liver is like, what did you do to me? and then you take another drink and your liver is like, wait a minute, come on, give me a break here. so you really don't want to add more alcohol to what is already, you know, a somewhat -- >> i've also heard that you're suffering dehydration because you've had a lot of alcohol. is the key to start hydrating? >> the best thing you can do for a hangover really is water or hydrate of any kind. >> before, during, after? >> ideally you were drinking water the entire night before. because that's the prevention is even better.

but if you neglected to do that, water in the morning is a fantastic idea. or else something like a smoothie, which gives you blueberries and panamas. you've got potassium, antioxidants. you've got liquid, as well. >> sports drinks. >> they're going to give you some of those chemicals you've lost as well as hydrate you. but water is fantastic. >> if you're hurting right now, this probably doesn't look really great to you. >> no. >> but it could help. >> it could help. well, we'll talk about -- people talk about fatty foods being a great hangover cure. it's not the fat you want as much as the protein which kick-starts your system. again because you're still progressing things you want your system to be working. i think the pure, mostly psychological. you get up in the morning and are like oh, god, i would really like some eggs and bacon. you just feel happier if you're me. >> or maybe not. >> and here we've got the ingredients for a classic hangover cure. a raw egg. >> the prairie oyster. it's a raw egg plus tabasco

sauce and worcestershire. this is one of those klaasic, it's going to cure you because it's going to knock the hangover right out. forget it. this would make you sick if you weren't hung over. >> so we try things, this won't be one of them. >> i would say don't go there. you may have heard about it. the romans in classical times, their cure was fried canaries. really. you talk about the fall of the roman empire. just don't do it. >> we've got a variety of over-the-counter medications. let's talk about this. you're not a doctor. >> i'm not a doctor. i did talk to a doctor in advance of this, and he's a terrific doctor, and the deal is if you have a headache, you know, moderation is the key, again, with this. you know, take a couple aspirin if your stomach will handle it. acetaminophen has been shown, especially if you overdose on acetaminophen can mess up your liver, tylenol. >> combining with alcohol. >> combining with alcohol is particularly not a good idea. again, moderation. i would stick with aspirin.

this stuff is kind of cool. soluble magnesium which is one of those minerals you lose over time. developed for migraines, works pretty well, i found. >> this is all good information. but let's be honest if you had a hangover last night are you really up this early? >> yeah, i wondered what we're doing here. >> but for future reference. great to have you here. >> good to be here. >> still ahead, snow sensation. we'll meet the 3-year-old snowboarder but first, this is "today" on nbc. [ female announcer ] these are the crescents you love on a holiday. and these are the ones you'll love on a friday. pillsbury crescent pizza pockets. with just a few ingredients, you have an easy to make dinner.

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we met a lot of extraordinary people last year, including one remarkable 3-year-old boy. he's just like any other kid, really. but as jenna found out, that all changes when he hits the slopes. >> reporter: the day starts early for wesley.

breakfast, cartoons, half pipes. >> ready to go? >> yeah. >> reporter: i guess now is a good time to mention that wesley, easily the most popular border on sundown mountain in dubuque, iowa, is just 3 years old. thankfully there's no age or height requirement on the mountain, because, at just 2 1/2 feet tall, wes blends right in. ♪ dad, let me ask you this, how long has wesley been snowboarding for? >> just about two months. >> reporter: all this after only two months of lessons, for a kid who still has trouble with his "ss." >> can you ski? >> reporter: yeah, i can ski. >> he came up and went, oh, so how's it going, bud, ready to go? let's go do the bunny hill and we're going to see what happens. he goes know, i do the half pipe. >> reporter: and that's where we caught up with him this week. me and my blind ambition, wes and his lifelong dream to snowboard.

is that hard? >> yeah. >> reporter: it was a little bit hard? >> yeah. how go on the big one? >> reporter: what? this isn't big enough for you? as big as he'd like to go, he's still a little guy, and sometimes a spill brings a few tears. >> ow! >> reporter: but mom says that's more from a bruised ego than a bruised bottom. >> if he cries it's not because he's hurt. it's because he didn't do the trick the way he wanted to. >> reporter: luckily my ego is not so easily hurt, so as a rookie snowboarder and with the guidance of my new instructor i hit the bunny trail. come help me! show-off. you're lower to the ground, you can do that. i can't get down that far. so do you like this? just the quiet serenity of being alone on top of a mountain? >> this is a day of snowboarding. >> reporter: this is a day of snowboarding. i think that's a really good answer. and off we went, following the

poth of his idol shaun white. you go, i'll meet you there. i'm good. who is your favorite snowboarder? >> shaun white. >> reporter: shaun white. what do you want to be when you grow up? >> i'm going to be a racer. >> reporter: a racer? you mean like a snowboard racer? >> yeah. >> reporter: in the meantime, he's got a little growing to do, and maybe a few more tv interviews. but already -- >> all the way down. ready? >> reporter: wesley is the king of the hill. >> whoa! >> trying to do the math of what olympics we'll be covering him in. >> i know, exactly. he'll probably be there. >> still to come on "today," how to make your resolutions a reality. >> plus the scotto family cooks up the perfect new year's day meal. first these messages. [ female announcer ] we're made to mix,

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good morning to you. take a live look at the golden gate bridge. down south in san jose, the wind is howling. let's check our forecast with rob. chilly showers around the bay area. potential for low snow in a few spots around the hilltops, especially around the north bay. more rain filling in later tonight into sunday. a pretty rainy start. the showers slowly start to shut down. on monday, cool start. 40s and 30s around parts of the

north bay. as we go through the day, you will see those temperatures staying pretty cool. we are talking highs in the upper 40s out towards the north bay and into our inland valleys. low to mid-50s around san jose and oakland. plan on a little more rain at times. especially for early sunday morning. for monday, we will see the showers shutting down as the low finally kicks to the east with somewhat dryer weather as we approach the middle part of this upcoming week. starting today, arizona's ban on ethnic studies will go into effect. the law prevents schools from teaching classes specifically designed for a tick ethnic group. governor jan brewer signed the law into effect. california is getting rid of a 60-year-old law which requires the department of mental health to research the causes of home mo sex uality and the kuhls for it. governor schwarzenegger signed the repeal of the law earlier this year. a law named after a teenager

raped and killed with allow sentences of life without parole for sexual predators. chelsea's law is named after a chelsea king who was raped and murdered after a convicted child molester. it increases penalties for certain child molesters, including lifetime parole with gps tracking devices. the murder of chelsea king and another teenage girl are behind three other laws designed at speeding up searches for missing people. the laws require uniform guidelines on how police respond and how quickly they have to report to state departments and the department of justice. the law also creates a justice department missing persons locate tore position. adults in california are carrying no more than 28.5 grams of marijuana now only face an infraction instead of a criminal misdemeanor charge. the punishment can be no more than $100. it prevents medical marijuana dispensaries from setting up

shop within 600 feet of a public or private kinder garden through 12th grade school. shutter bugs will have a tougher time snapping pictures of hollywood stars. the anti-paparazzi will crack down on them. victims will be able to sue for invasion of privacy and other damages. coming up at 7:00 on "today in the bay," new year, new job. not without a resume. thinking it will make a difference? think again. a few tricks might make the difference between a dream job and a dead sha-end one. learn how to remake yourself and get all of today's top stories for 2011. we will get you started coming up at 7:00. oh, i am not ready. can i have a couple weeks? [ female announcer ] but with yoplait light's two week tune up, you could be ready. you could lose 5 pounds in 2 weeks when you replace breakfast and lunch with a fruit, grain, and yoplait light. betsy bets. you haven't changed a bit.

oh...neither have you... sean. well, yeah. [ female announcer ] go to yoplait.com to start your two week tune up. good morning and welcome back to this special new year's day edition of "today." i'm lester holt. >> and i'm amy robach. coming up in this half hour of "today," kicking bad habits or vowing to start some good ones. >> we've all made new year's resolutions and we forget them days, even hours later. this morning real secrets to resolution success. >> and maybe this isn't the next best segue, but we're talking about exercise in the new year but from meatball sliders to mini mac and cheese we have a new year's day brunch to remember. the scotto family, mary ann, anthony, john and elena are here to serve up a delicious meal that will cure any hangover.

we're excited they're here. we're going to join them in a few moments. we won't start our new year's resolutions until after we eat with the scottos. >> plus we've been sharing some of our favorite stories of the year. this next one just aired last week but we loved it so much we're going to show you again. it's all about the flying dutchman and the master maestro andrew rieu. >> let's get a final look at the top stories with thomas at the news desk. >> good morning, everyone. happy new year. about 1 million people packed times square to watch the ball drop at midnight to welcome 2011. this is the biggest celebration in the nation. overseas fireworks lit the night sky over hong kong's iconic skyline. appropriate since fireworks were invented in china. and in berlin a million people watched the show at the brandenburg date. rare and deadly tornados in the midwest and south kill at least six people. three of the dead in missouri as well as six injured. 20 homes also destroyed. the same powerful storm system spawned tornadoes earlier yesterday in cincinnati,

arkansas, where winds reached 160 miles per hour. the rare winter twisters fueled by unusually warm air. and they say it ain't over till it's over. but, in the alaska senate race, it is now finally over for good. republican joe miller ending his legal fight, conceding the race friday to his bitter rival, fellow republican senator lisa murkowski. mill miller's announcement came a day after the state certified murkowski the winner. now to your national forecast. there's still the threat for isolated tornados and severe thunderstorms in the eastern gulf. sunny skies but low temperatures in the middle of the country. on the other coast a cold front pushing moisture. so they are looking at showers and mountain snow and a balmy new year's day for the well, happy new year to you. we are starting off with some rain and the poe tense for some low snow in some of the hilltops around the north bay and maybe out to the east bay higher hills.

you will see 30s and 40s to get your morning started. lunch to lunchtime still running cool. highs mid-50s in the warmest places today. more rain filling in later tonight into sunday morning drying out heading into monday afternoon. >> that's the news. now back to you, lester, and a happy new year. >> all right, thomas, thanks very much. the new year is now just over eight hours long and let's face it already most of us have probably broken our resolutions or come pretty close to it. in a moment we'll show you how to keep them. but first the reality of new year's resolutions. with the start of every new year comes a vow to make a change. >> 1-1-11, it's all about the number one. when the times are turning that's when we turn back to ourselves. we've been partying for a month. there's a good amount of remo e remorse. >> my new year's resolution probably will be to enjoy.

>> in the past few weeks i was too busy having kids. now it's more about trying to maintain our family and still have time for myself. >> about texting and driving. >> this year i'd like to be in better shape. >> every year it's always to exercise more. >> this year's going to be to get back to the gym. >> getting back to the gym is one of the most popular resolutions, especially this year. according to "men's health" magazine. >> since the economy began to tank about three years ago, people have turned more towards their relationships and the health goals. >> reporter: helping to achieve those goals can oftentimes be challenging. >> people tend to be really ambitious with their resolutions. >> reporter: but in today's frenzied world there's some help out there for those who want to make a change, big or small in the new year. >> you've got an app called quitter that if you're trying to quit smoking is a great way to keep you motivated.

an app called map my fitness, it sort of tracks everything that you're doing. >> it all has to do with what sort of resolutions you make and how sustainable they are. >> so how do you keep your resolutions? let's ask the expert, with us is robi ludwig. good morning. >> good morning. happy new year. >> i was fwg to ask you why it's so hard for us to keep them. why do we feel the need to make them in the first place? >> that is a great question. and there really is an intrinsic need for people to get better and to grow, and we do that by making goals. the problem is, is that a lot of the habits that we develop over the years, you know, we've had for a long time. and that's why they're so hard to break. >> you're a big fan of breaking down these resolutions into small parts. >> i am. >> not one specific, i'm going to do this. >> it's not like there's one resolution that's better than the other. or one resolution that's easier to achieve. it's really how we approach it. so, if we break them down, into

small, achievable goals, then we can feel better along the were a. a lot of us rely on motivation. and that's really also a danger for us. >> really? >> because we're not going to always feel like we want to do what we set out to do. >> throughout our lives as children, in school, even as adults we take rewards from our boss, from our teacher and that motivates us. you say we should reward ourselves? >> yeah. we get caught up in that all or nothing thinking. and the problem is, is when we veer off, let's say, we're doing well, let's say on our diet and then we have ice cream. people are very tough on themselves. and they focus on what they're not doing and then it's a snowball effect where they give up hope and say forget it, i can't really achieve this goal anyway and that's the problem. but when you can reward yourself and say, you know what? i'm doing a lot better than i've ever done before, success breeds success. and it really does help us to stay on track. >> at the same time, should we plan for setbacks? >> oh, absolutely. >> i'm not going to get to the

gym maybe every day? >> and that's the problem. if we set our expectations too high, we are going to feel like we're failing. so you need to plan for the setbacks. you need to consider those setbacks are going to happen. it doesn't mean you can't achieve your goal. and to plan for it when it does. so you had a bad day, how do you get back on track the next day, or the next hour, or the next minute? >> right. what about support. it's one thing for me to tell you oh, my new year's resolution is this, but do you really need to sit down with the people around you and say, look, i'm really trying to do this and i really need you to hold me accountable? >> absolutely. other people do influence how well we do. and part of achieving a new year's resolution is to remember the why you're going for the goal. and sometimes, when you forget the why, other people around you can remind you of what you're striving for and why, and just remind you that they love you and support you and that's huge >> we're hung up on this january 1st thing, but is it okay to redo? >> yes. >> february 1st, february 15th?

>> that comes from olden times when the belief was the day of the new year is how you will spend the rest of your year. but if you are a person who'd rather start in the spring, or any time, for that matter, that's okay, too. >> so procrastinators, it's okay. >> it's okay, that's right. >> great to have you on. again, happy new year. >> thank you. >> the best of "weekend today" and our look at dutch conductor andre rieu. means i don't have any margin for error. one wrong turn, and i could end up unloading a puddle of water. >> gps: turn right ahead. >> man: so i make sure i have the right guidance to get me exactly where i need to be. it's the same with taxes. turbotax has a unique gps feature that guides me step-by-step. automatically double-checks along the way and even lets me talk to a tax expert so i'm never alone. which helps me know it's done right and get to my maximum refund, guaranteed. >> try turbotax online now. you don't pay unless you're satisfied with the results. nobody in my family ever had a heart attack. if anything, i thought i'd get hit by a bus, but not a heart.

all of a sudden, it's like an earthquake going off in your body. my doctor put me on an aspirin regimen to help protect my life. [ male announcer ] aspirin is not appropriate for everyone. so be sure to talk to your doctor before you begin an aspirin regimen. to my friends, i say, you know, check with your doctor, 'cause it can happen to anybody. [ male announcer ] be ready if a heart attack strikes. donate $5 to womenheart at iamproheart.com, and we'll send you this bayer aspirin pill tote. and she looks like... a matchstick. and she's obviously never dieted, or ever eaten anything. [ laughs ] and she says to me, "where would you like to be in six months?" six months? i need to be in a pink bridesmaid's dress in one month. i just want to be able to zip it up! [ female announcer ] sound familiar? then try the slim-fast 3-2-1 plan. 3 snacks, 2 shakes or meal bars, and 1 balanced meal. clinically proven. ridiculously simple. slim-fast. who has time to slim slowly?

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this one? this one? this one? still not big enough. [ disappointed ] but it's the biggest one here... [ male announcer ] let's be honest. no one ever wished for a smaller holiday gift. ♪ it's the lexus december to remember sales event, and for a limited time, we're celebrating some of our greatest offers of the year. see your lexus dealer. this morning we've been showing you some of our favorite stories of the year and this one aired just last week but we enjoyed it so much we wanted to show it to you again. ♪ andre rieu leads a 55-piece

orchestra through a night of strauss and bach. but there are also dancing in the aisles. even a congo line. "the wall street journal" dubbed him a maestro for the masses. ♪ the 61-year-old violinist grew up the son of a classical music conductor. but never liked the stuffy atmosphere. >> i thought as a little boy all these audience around me were the whole concert. don't breathe, don't move. >> reporter: so rieu turned all the don'ts, to dos. >> when you start to play the first note of the song, everybody jumps out of their seat. ♪ >> reporter: but beneath all the pageantry the maestro says it's really about the music. >> music is the most -- if it's not emotion, what is it? >> reporter: so before the seats are filled the conductor takes

his musicians through their paces. ♪ rieu is a perfectionist, making laps on his segway scooter to adjust the sound from every angle. >> andre is somebody that is very precise. he likes to have things done yesterday, not tomorrow. so he's very impatient. he knows that. >> reporter: but he also encourages playfulness. drummers warm up on trash cans. tenors in the men's room. and how about dueling trombones? that energy carries over to the stage. ♪ >> andre rieu plays music, plays with the audience, and he plays with the orchestra. and it looks like a bunch of children having fun onstage. >> reporter: rieu is not without his critics who say his stunts do a disservice to the genre. >> they see me as a traitor, i think, because the classical music belongs to a certain elite.

you know. >> reporter: his fan base is mostly a 60 and older crowd. he's especially popular with the ladies. >> oh, he's adorable. he's really adorable. >> reporter: the dutch maestro drew 8,000 fans here in fort lauderdale. but what he really wants is to become a household name here in the u.s. >> i extremely like the audience in the u.s. and i don't bet it's because you are americans, but it's true, they are very open, very open, and very hungry. >> reporter: this night's crowd, hungry enough for seven encores. >> we have nothing to do tomorrow! ♪ >> yay! >> and andre rieu has had all of this success in australia and in

europe. in fact he's grossed $96 million last year on tour. that's pretty hard to imagine. not many other artists can claim that, especially here in the states. >> it must be some party. i don't think i've ever been to a performance with seven encores. >> and with balloons flying. can you waltz? >> no. >> neither can i. >> a good time was had by all. >> absolutely. speaking of good times, up next the scottos are here. we're going to get some good eats. but first, this is "today" on nbc. i have fallen in love with making bird houses.

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. this morning on "today's" holiday kitchen. new year's with the scottos. joining us with their favorite kitsches, marianne, anthony, john, elena scotto. good morning to all of you. this is great. we're making sliders today, right? >> yes. and we're beginning with lentil sliders. >> that's healthy. >> and the reason for that besides being healthy, you know

the italians believe you start the new year with lentils, it brings you prosperity, and wealth. >> well that's great. that's why we're starting with you. >> there's another -- >> so here is the lentils that were cooked. i put in the blender. now we get other lentils that were just cooked, and strained. >> what else is in there? >> carrots and celery and onions. put some eggs to bind it and some cheese. this is panco to keep it moist. and cheese, mix it all up. >> and you use an ice cream scoop? >> makes them into little sliders. put them on a little mini roll, and there you go. >> what do you use -- teachup? >> you could use ketchup or peppers or tomatoes. >> from lentils to meatballs. >> i'm making meatball sliders.

i have chopped meat already in here with some bread. i'm going to add some egg. >> all right. >> some parsley. >> all right. >> some parmesan cheese. >> lots of parmesan cheese, right? >> going to mix it all up. >> that looks so easy. >> yeah. this is the easy part. >> okay. >> and then once i get it, i'm going to mold it into three-ounce balls. i started to precook them here. >> okay. i'll take the ball out. and you cook it until it's brown. i have tomato sauce. already made. >> all right. >> the recipe for the tomato sauce, it's the family. we'll take it here, put it on a bun, add some more parmesan cheese. put the top on. >> that looks delicious. >> it becomes this. this is our meatball slider. fresco by scotto all the time. >> and anthony, we've got some chicken parmesan. >> chicken parmesan. if you're thinking about chicken parmesan you want to have something gooey, delicious, so what i've done is i've taken the

chicken, i've egged, floured, floured, egged, bread crumbs. that's where we're at here and then we fry the chicken. >> some olive oil f >> olive oil. very simple. let it cool a little bit. then we've got to figure out what we're going to do to get it to fit in this bun. we're going to take a side of that, we're going to figure out what the size should be. you know, cut it appropriately. >> love it. >> simple and easy. whatever extras are left over they're for the person that's actually doing the work. tomato sauce. >> you can just pop it in your mouth. that wouldn't be me because i'm just watching. >> casserole pan, tomato sauce, the chicken that we've done, mix it all up. >> moss rela. >> and a little bit more tomato sauce. a little parmesan cheese and we're just going to warm this because the chicken's already cooked. warm it for about five minutes, six minutes, melty, gooey. >> oh, yum. look at that. >> put this right on the bun. >> that looks amazing. and give me one second. get a little tomato sauce. >> a little parmesan cheese. >> a little parmesan cheese.

>> everything's got a little parmesan cheese. >> gooey and delicious just like this. >> all right. i like it. >> nothing you do down there will top mac and cheese. >> and you know what, lester? this is the ultimate in comfort food. and if you've had a little too much of the bubbly last night this is your cure. so, you take any leftover mac and cheese. >> regular wlar mac and cheese. >> we like to use parmesan, cheddar, fontina, mozzarella. >> no one else in the family uses that. >> exactly. i know. so here's what we do. we cook it off. we let it cool. we form a ball. we do an egg wash. then we roll it in our bread crumbs. >> just bread crumbs. >> yes. >> and we get a nice coat. we make sure it's all intact. we put it in either vegetable or soy oil, and we start to fry. >> oh. >> and it really makes a great, delicious snack or meal. >> top it with parmesan if you want. >> exactly.

exactly. >> absolutely. >> that looks really good. >> but to know you've got to have your lentils to begin the new year. >> i know. >> you love to have your lentils. thank you. >> we start off healthy and we ended deep fried. >> exactly. >> there's no parmesan cheese in my mother's dish. >> i'll take one, thank you very much. >> all right. the scotto family. thank you to everyone. happy new year. >> happy new year.

that does it for us on this saturday morning. we want to thank all of you for joining us on this new year's day. and thank the scottos, as well. >> we'll see you back here tomorrow. ew year. [ female announcer ] why settle for plain bread when you can have pillsbury grands! flaky layers biscuits? the warm, light delicate layers are like nothing else. add a layer of excitement to your next meal. ♪

try mini crescent dogs. just unroll the dough, roll up, bake, and present. very impressive! and ve easy. for this recipe and more, visit pillsburycrescents.com. good morning. i'm kris sanchez. next on "today in the bay," happy new year! we're going to show you all the new laws that go into effect today so that you start 2011 with a bang and not a bust. who police say was behind the pre-christmas armed holdup at a south bay mall. a little girl who lost her mother and baby sister in a fire in oakland may soon be headed south of the border in a case that's likely to fuel the illegal immigration debate. the new year starts on the streets for folks forced from their homes from a fire in san

francisco. these stories and more right here on "today in the bay." join the jaguar platinum celebration !

come celebrate exciting cars that are stunning to look at, exhilarating to drive and worry free to own. celebrate this holiday season with the gift of platinum. jaguar platinum coverage: five years or 50,000 miles of complimentary scheduled maintenance, and no cost replacement of wear and tear items. visit your bay area jaguar dealer during the platinum celebration for a $599 lease offer on the 2011 xf. good morning. happy new year! we are looking live at san jose.