good morning, again, another potent winter storm dumps nearly a foot of snow on parts of missouri and now it's slowly making its way east. al will tell us who needs to get the shovels ready this time. a-list affair, chinese president hu jintao honored at a white house state dinner, where first lady, michelle obama, turned heads with her red gown. but it's back to business this morning when huh heads back to capitol hill. and she was kidnapped from a new york hospital as a baby 23 years ago and was raised by a woman who was not her mom. the incredible story of how she

solved her own case. today, january 20th, 2011. captions paid for by nbc-universal television and good morning, welcome to "today" on a thursday morning, i'm matt lauer. >> and i'm ann curry in for meredith this morning. what an incredible story. the mother of the baby says she never gave up. even the father said basically even though they were separated, the mother and father, he had been keeping his address in the national center for missing and exploited children. >> there's a picture of them from 23 years ago, fast-forward to this week and look at this family today. reunited after 23 years. that woman said things just didn't add up as she got older. and she started to question her own identity. we're going to tell you more about that story. we'll get to that a little later. also, we've got to talk about weather, take a look at

the live shot from kansas city, missouri, a taste of what's headed to the mid-atlantic later today and what we'll be dealing with this time tomorrow. al's calling for around six inches of snow here in new york city. other spots in the northeast could be in for even more. we'll get his forecast coming up straight ahead. also ahead, we get new details on congresswoman gabrielle giffords' remarkable recovery. we're told that she could stand up without assistance on wednesday and may be headed to a houston rehab facility by the end of the week. on a much, much lighter note, you're going to join a marching band. >> bottom line -- >> you're laughing now, wait until you actually do it. >> the bottom line is i've been able to jump off a bridge and other kinds of things, about you can i actually do this. it's something i've always wanted to do this morning i'm going to figure out what it's like to be as a member of a marching band. and it's actually something i learned a lot about. >> we're get people more of a

warning so they can -- turn the sound down when the time comes. let's begin with the latest on the snowstorm that's bearing down on the northeast. al's upstairs with details, al, good morning. >> thanks a lot. we've got this snow coming. we've got video out of north platte, nebraska, we've picked up five to seven inches of snow, that's headed this way. you can see from oklahoma to st. louis, now stretching into cincinnati, we've got this snow making its way toward us. here's what we've got as far as watches and warnings. nine inches in columbia. st. louis, eight inches. hastings, nebraska, six inches of snow and the watches and warnings stretch from texas into boston, a wide area. here's what we're expecting. we're looking for the storm system to come out of texas. it's spreading snow sfr tulsa to st. louis. by thursday afternoon, the snow spreads into pittsburgh and moves along the coast and by friday morning, it's up into new england by friday night. snowfall amounts, cincinnati,

three to six inches, new york city, generally three to five inches for the morning rush. boston, you'll get three to five, maybe eight inches of snow. philadelphia picks up two to four. washington, d.c., less than an inch. ann? >> all right, al, thank you so much. chinese president, hu jintao, makes his way to capitol hill, following a star-studded state dinner at the white house. andrea mitchell joins us with more. >> good morning, ann, on a day capped by the glittering state dinner, with former presidents jimmy carter and bill clinton both attending, president obama spoke of cooperation and friendly competition between united states and china, all aimed at ironing out problems in a very complicated relationship. the white house spared no detail to welcome china's leader. from the iffers lady, resplendent in red, a color traditionally thought to bring good luck in china, to the star-studded guest list, bankers, business leaders and

fashion icons. yo-yo ma, barbra streisand. >> her connection to china? >> i worked in a chinese restaurant. >> but other than new jersey's governor, very few republican politicians. the all-american menu, a five-star version of surf and turf. apple pie and ice cream. and the best of american jazz. hospitality that even led to a breakthrough on panda diplomacy. extending china's loan of washington's favorite chinese imports. >> our national zoo will continue to dazzle children and visitors with the beloved giant pandas. [ applause ] >> still, all the pomp and circumstance and personal diplomacy couldn't disguise fundamental disagreements over business and human rights. >> we come from very different cultures and with very different

histories. we have some core views as americans about the universeality of certain rights. >> president hu offered a rare public admission. >> a lot needs to be done in china with human rights. >> i think the reason that i was invited is a statement to president hu. >> none of that satisfied protesters, or congressional criti critics. >> let's not forget -- china is the most egregious human rights violator in the world. >> most of the business of the summit was business. the president and top ceos complained about china's rampant piracy of software and movies, barriers to markets and currency manipulation. the two countries did announce $45 billion in new business deals. including the sale of 200 boeing jets. the white house said all this would potentially produce

235,000 new american jobs. >> we want to sell you all kinds of stuff. we want to sell you planes, we want to sell you cars. we want to sell you software. >> u.s. officials say china did make some concessions, lowering some trade barriers, or at least promising to. but today the chinese leader could find a tougher reception on capitol hill. ann? >> andrea, thank you so much. with all the discussion about major policy and trade sanctions or trade issues, the big talk last night was about the first lady's dress. >> yes. the dress, beautiful. alexander mcqueen, some controversy in the fashion columns because he is a british designer, a late british designer. and that he sadly, committed suicide. he was highly regarded, much beloved in the industry. and of course it was designed by those who took on for his assistant, sarah burton.

it was an extraordinarily beautiful dress. and red, as i point out, is the symbol of good luck in china. and everyone there was completely wowed. and this was, by the way, the first state dinner with the new team in the east wing. the first lady's new staff and lady's new staff, and it went off flawlessly. >> very important point to make. thank you so much. let's talk now to wall street. nbc news/"wall street journal" poll shows president obama's approval rating on the rise. this as he marks exactly two years in office today. nbc political director and chief white house correspondent chuck todd has details. you pointed out that was a red silk organza dress. >> we were definitely breaking it down. >> these numbers. on the surface sounds like a lot of good news for president obama. do these numbers -- we'll get to them in a second -- do anything to change his political reality? >> short term, yes. in five days he gives the state

of the union. two months ago we would have said he was going to go there on the defensive. that it was the republicans in the audience that were going to be the ones who basically were given the benefit of the doubt. what's happened with this poll, what it shows is the american public has suddenly given the president the benefit of the doubt again and the burden of proof is back to the republicans. >> approval rating has jumped eight points since last month. highest since july of 2009. what's behind the numbers? >> three factors. how he handled tucson. 74% approve. two, simple optimism is up again. long-term optimism about where america is going to be in five years spiked 20 points in the last six months. short-term hospitoptimism about economy spiked eight points. how he's dealing with republicans, they think he's going to be the reasonable guy and republicans are going to be the ones inflexible. the lame duck effect. >> optimism for the country, for the economy. the democrats can feel good about that. can't the republicans spin it

this way, say people are optimistic because they see there will be shared power in washington? >> that's what's interesting. yes, i think there is some -- you see how they responded to the lame duck and those negotiating deals. right now the president is getting all of the benefit. republicans aren't getting any of the credit yet. >> let's talk about the health care vote in the house yesterday. symbolic vote. it was passed to repeal health care. it's not going to go anywhere in the senate. take a look at the numbers if we can jump ahead on where the american people feel about that health care situation. what did you find? >> it is dead even. dead even split. just in the way it was a polarizing vote in the house, just three democrats joined the republicans. 46-45 split. right down party lines. you can be -- that could have been a presidential vote. do you want a republican to be in the white house or a democrat? that's how the country is split. right down the normal red/blue line. >> chuck todd, thank you very much for coming up to new york. >> i'll be around for some fashion segments. the next half hour today. happy to do that.

>> you're the guy. thank you so much. let's turn to arizona congresswoman gabrielle giffords. she's reached another milestone in her recovery. on wednesday we're told she was able to stand for the first time since being shot in the head. nbc is outside tucson's university medical center with the latest on this story. hey, miguel, good morning. >> reporter: good morning. in just a few hours we'll hear from the congresswoman's husband, mark kelly. this comes after the suspect was indicted and a big step forward in his wife's recovery. >> reporter: congresswoman gabrielle giffords is defying the odds with the help of doctors, wednesday she stood on her feet for the first time since the shooting. from her window, she could see the mountains of tucson. >> there's no doubt in my mind, really, lifted up her spirits. she's got the strength to stand on her own, lift her head up. >> reporter: just 12 days ago giffords was shot in the face. but now she could be released friday. she's ready for rehab and will go to this houston hospital.

>> there's no question that the most difficult part of her recovery for her has yet to come. she's going to have to work very hard. >> reporter: giffords has had plenty of support. get-well signs and cards blanket the hospital lawn. some have even been brought into her hospital room. her family says she's held some of the cards in her hand. 9-year-old isaac saldana didn't just write to giffords. he sent her $2.85. money raised by selling some of his toys. >> i started thinking about her and her in the hospital. so i just wanted to, like, do a good cause. raise money to send it to her. >> reporter: giffords will be the last victim to leave the hospital. this as other survivors speak out for the first time. >> the noise was horrendous. there was, like, a whirlwind. and casings flying. >> reporter: doris and jim tucker were talking to giffords outside the safeway when the shooting began.

>> i felt like a sledge hammer right to my collarbone. i was flat on my back on the ground. >> reporter: bullets struck jim in the shoulder and leg. doris escaped unharmed. as we reported wednesday, much of the shooting was captured on surveillance cameras. >> from a police perspective, we clearly have a case that is solid. >> reporter: the video is said to be gruesome. it has not been released, but the pima county sheriff's lead investigator has seen it. >> what i remember, though, was the deliberation and the purposeful approach that jared loughner had as he walked up to gabrielle giffords. >> reporter: late wednesday a federal grand jury formally indicted jared lee loughner. investigators say giffords was clearly the target of the attack. but today she's one step closer to leaving the hospital. jared lee loughner faces three

charges of attempted murder, including the attempted assassination of the congresswoman. murder charges will follow. prosecutors will almost certainly seek the death penalty. ann? >> thank you. it is now 7:13. once again, here's matt. investigators in washington state are pursuing new leads to find whoever planted a sophisticated bomb along the route of spokane's annual martin luther king jr. parade. pete williams has the latest on this story. pete, good morning to you. >> reporter: matt, good morning to you. here at the fbi they're saying it was a powerful bomb. one clearly designed to kill. but, luckily, it was spotted and disarmed before the king parade. now the hunt is on to find whoever put it there on a day clearly intended to celebrate peace. federal agents say they're following promising new leads, hoping to discover who planted a backpack containing a potentially deadly imp ro vised

bomb on a spokane city street. it was placed monday morning sometime between 8:00 and 9:30 along the planned route of the city's annual unity parade on the day honoring the birth of dr. martin luther king jr. around 1,000 people who took part in that event would have passed by it later that day. but the fbi says the backpack was spotted on a bench by some city workers. one of them actually looked inside and saw wires. they alerted police. the parade was rerouted and nearby businesses were evacuated. >> now that they have all of these -- these fire trucks and things, they think there might be an explosion. and that's scary. >> reporter: investigators say it was inside a swiss army brand backpack, a pipe bomb apparently filled with gun powder to be detonated with a radio operated remote control. it also contained material to act as shrapnel, magnifying its potentially lethal effect. all of that was wrapped inside two t-shirts. one for a local relay race. the other labeled treasure

island, spring 2009. the fbi hopes these pictures may jog someone's memory. another promising lead is the device itself. because it was safely disarmed and did not explode. investigators have much more evidence to work with. the mayor says the city is lucky someone saw it in time. >> our response was swift and appropriate. the citizens who reported this incident to 911 are to be commended. they really are community heroes for being diligent and alert and taking the proper steps. >> reporter: the fbi is offering a $20,000 reward for information that helps crack the case. they're also asking for pictures that people may have taken at that street corner on the morning the bomb was placed. matt? >> pete williams, thank you very much. a check of the rest of the morning's top stories. natalie morales is in for me at the news desk. >> good morning, ann and matt. los angeles police are searching for a gunman who shot a school district police officer. luckily, he was saved by his bullet proof vest.

nine schools with nearly 10,000 students in the area were on lockdown for hours on wednesday as police searched for the suspect. a new york woman is filing a wrongful death lawsuit against the city. laura freeman says her 75-year-old mother would have survived a heart attack during new york's post christmas blizzard if medics would have arrived at her home faster. her mother died after waiting three hours for an ambulance. let's take a look at wall street. what's on tap there today, nicole? >> as you know, we're in the thick of earnings season. we'll be watching the financial sector today with morgan stanley's numbers. we're also focusing in on tech with google reporting after the closing bell. look, we're zeroing in on those reports, especially closely, since stocks really took a stumble yesterday following disappointing earnings from the likes of goldman sachs and wells fargo. we got a ton of data out today on unemployment, manufacturing, existing home sales. natalie, it's certainly going to be a busy day on wall street. >> we'll be watching.

thank you. a flooded river emptying into stormy seas gave four fishing boat crews the ride of their lives wednesday in new zealand. the ships took the risky crossing in a rush to get back to land and disappeared beneathl resurfaced and made it back to shore. two fishermen died attempting the same crossing ten years ago. it's now 7:18, back over to matt, ann and al. thank you very much. got a big forecast, mr. roker. >> we're watching the storm in the mid-atlantic. let's see what else is going on across the country as we take a look at the map. we've got snowshowers across the pacific northwest, windy conditions, northern california, high surf advisories along southern california coast. and icy conditions across texas and louisiana snow working through the mid mississippi river valley. sunshine through florida, miami, sunny and 82 degrees. it is going to be nice here

as well today. good morning to you, bay area. we are looking good. take a look at the clarity we have over the golden gate this morning. i think you're going to need to put those sunglasses on, especially if you are headed to the east. we have brilliant sunshine already. 50 degrees in sunnyvale. 33 in gilroy. we are all going to end up in the 60s today except for santa cruz. 70 degrees is your forecasted high. temperatures stay nice and mild throughout this weekend. 63 degrees by monday. that's your latest that's your latest weather. ann? al, thank you. new demonstrations in tunisia this morning to out tst the nation's president. richard engel has the latest. richard, good morning. >> reporter: good morning. those protests were relatively small. there were some shots fired in the air. but the international effort right now is focused mainly on recovering the billions of dollars allegedly stolen by the

former tunisian president and his wife. in a popular revolt unseen in the middle east in decades, tunisian demonstrators last week ousted one of the regions most unpopular dictators. but his wife may be the real reason tunisia's repressive regime fell so hard and so fast. a one-time hairdresser, she's widely accused of using old-fashioned mafia tactics to lavishly enrich herself and family. press reports say in a final grab, she stole $65 million in gold bars from tunisia's central bank before escaping with her husband to saudi arabia. while the former first couple escaped, many of their regullats were too slow.

state television revealed jewelry, bank records and credit cards. the tunisian people are taking a more direct approach to reclaim what they consider stolen funds. >> it is our money. >> reporter: the police here aren't even bothering to stop the looters. most of the anger here has been directed at the family. their houses are the only ones that are being looted and destroyed. many tunisians say this government fell largely because of the greed of the president's wife. at a nearby cafe, now reopened, as calm is returning here, nearly everyone has a personal story. >> just like an octopus. at one point they had 60% of the economy. >> they owned everything from banks to coffee shops. >> if you want to invest in something, they will ask to invest 50% with you. otherwise they won't let you do it by yourself. >> reporter: i rode to see a private school she wanted to

build. but when the first lady found out about the project, she insisted on becoming a partner, and she was forced out. could you have a successful business in tunisia and not make her your partner? >> no. >> reporter: couldn't do it? >> no. >> reporter: she may have also had ambitions beyond money. most tunisians believe the former first lady had already sidelined her 74-year-old husband and wanted to become president herself in 2014. comparisons are already being made here to the philippines' former first lady and politician, amelda marcos. dubbing the first lady of tunisia the lady mcbeth. just ahead, a woman kidnapped when she was just 19 days old reunited with her family more than 20 years later. incredible story of how she helped solve her own case.

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and more. if you replace 3 tablespoons of sugar a day with splenda® you'll save 100 calories a day. that could help you lose up to 10 pounds in a year. that's how splenda® is sweet...and more. good morning to you. it is 7:26 right now. i'm laura garcia-cannon with christina and our good-looking forecast. i love to be the bearer of good news. i'm going to be the bearer of good news for the next seven or eight days with high pressure providing beautiful temperatures this time of the year. 50 degrees in sunnyvale. turning into the upper 60s heading throughout the afternoon along the peninsula. you are talking about 61 degrees in redwood city. 60 for san francisco. 67 today in santa rosa. heading throughout the next few days, not a whole lot in terms of change for the forecast.

we'll keep temperatures in the 60s with lots of sunshine. no fog with an offshore flow courtesy of high pressure. we'll find out how your commute is doing this morning with mike. you know, not so nice, christina. we are taking you out to livermore where at the end of the last show i told folks about an accident clearing westbound 580 near springtown. that's causing considerable slowing into the area. now a second one is causing big problems as well. your travel times are 23 minutes now heading out of the area. we do see that both of those accidents just recently in the last couple minutes pushed to the shoulder, but a good slowdown heading into the heart of livermore. no good alternates for you approaching that livermore exit. here's a live shot of south sunol near 680. things are moving slowly out of pleasanton. to the south bay, we have northbound slowing for 280 and 101. to the north bay toll plaza, a backup has formed the last half hour near west grand avenue. you'll see it when you get

there, trust me. thank you very much, mike. well, police are still trying to find out in san mateo who killed a manager at a tgifriday's. the restaurant's accountant found doug costillo when arriving for work back in 2008 this week. investigators believe he died from a massive head injury. police aren't sure in robbery was motive for the murder. a $40,000 reward is still on the table. another local news update in a half hour. hope to see you then. have a great morning.

7:30 now on a thursday morning. it's the 20th of january, 2011. stop me if you've heard this one before. a major snowstorm is headed to the east coast yet again. al says that if these folks come back in about 24 hours, they'll be standing in several inches of snow. we'll get to his forecast in just a little while. >> we wish we could stop you. >> i know. i'm matt lauer alongside ann curry. meredith is taking today off. coming up, you go out to eat and then that free bread basket arrives. you open the menu, you can order all you can eat soups and salads

and more. davidson is here to tell you why those offers sound appealing to your wallet but may not be good at all for your health. also ahead this morning, a very special open house. does this look familiar? take a look. this is the home that served as the compound in "the god furtfa" now it could be yours. we'll take you inside. also ahead, ann is going to head back to high school to live out her long-lost dream of her be our nightmare? we'll tell you more about that. first, speaking of music, "american idol" returned last night with jennifer lopez and steven tyler at the judges' table for the first time. take a look. ♪ you've got to ♪ he truly feels

>> you scared everybody in the room. >> didn't work for you? >> how did you do this for ten years? >> "american idol" after simon cowell? >> one of our researchers said it was basically about bringing the nice back. even so, everyone was nice, but also informative in terms of how they would criticize the singers. >> they clearly have chosen personalities. there's no question. j-lo and steven tyler. a remarkable reunion that ended one of new york's most baffling missing person cases. a woman helped break her own cold case and find her family more than 20 years after she was abducted as a baby. tom llamas is at wnbc. details for us. >> reporter: good morning, ann. in august of 1987 a teenage mother came to this hospital because her infant was sick.

that mother would leave the hospital sick herself. heartbroken with endless depression. her baby was gone. kidnapped from right here, and no one could tell her who had her child. 23 years ago, the unthinkable happened to new mom joy white. >> i want my baby back, they didn't have to do that to me! i had her, i carried her for nine months, and they had to take her from me! >> reporter: joy's daughter, carlina white, was 3 weeks old. a baby with a high fever who needed intravenous antibiotics. joy took her to harlem hospital. that's where joy says carlina was kidnapped by some type of woman posing as a nurse. >> i would like to have the lady bring the child back. whoever has the child bring the child back. >> reporter: that never happened. for more than two decades the whites would never see or hear from their little girl.

>> she was broken, she was broken for so long! >> reporter: just when the case couldn't get any colder, last month atlanta resident 23-year-old nejdra nance reportedly learned the woman who raised her wasn't her biological mother. >> around christmas we received a phone call through our 24-hour hotline from this young woman who indicated that she was suspicious about her past. she had questions about who she really was. >> reporter: the center for missing and exploited children checked their data base. and the nypd opened up their cold case files. >> we show her photos of carlina white. she says, wow, that looks like me. she takes out her own baby photo. looks like the same person. >> reporter: nance reached out to joy white and agreed to meet. this week dna confirmed what the family had already known. >> i knew it anyway. she look just like my sister.

>> reporter: mother and daughter, reunited. >> hallelujah! >> it's a one in a million call. it's important people recognize this girl is the hero. she's the one whose intelligence and tenacity resulted in her own recovery and reuniting with her family. >> reporter: beneath the joy, anger. 23 years in the making. what would you tell that woman that kidnapped her. >> go to hell. you will get your day. you will get your day. >> that report was from tom llamas. erny al is the president of the national center for missing and exploited children, the organization that helped reunite carlina with her family. dr. janice taylor is a psychiatrist here in new york city. good morning to you both. what a terrific story. i want to start with you, ernie, first. for all your organization has done to reunite this family and all your intention to help children be reunited with their families, you say this story is really something of a miracle. yet you don't call yourself,

your organization, the hero in this. what specifically can you tell us about carlina that makes her heroic? >> well, this is somebody who knew something was wrong in her life and took the initiative. she called us. she said, things aren't the way i think they should be. and so she reached out. all we did was follow the information that she gave us. put together the facts. work with the new york police department. and, today, she's been reunited with her mom and her dad. >> to make that reunion happen, you had to have some real thinking. because her mom had never stopped searching. her father, we understand from some reporting this morning, had always kept his contact information with you so that you could find him. how did you think about putting them together carefully? >> well, what we -- it was like piecing together a puzzle. we had to gather all the facts. we had to look at the physical descriptors. we knew that this young woman felt that she was a long-term missing person. we knew that carlina was a

possibility. but so were lots of others. so you build it a piece at a time. nypd sent two officers down to interview her. to take the data -- the dna sample. that confirmed that she was, in fact, is, in fact, carlina white. >> were you there for the reunion? >> i was not. >> you were not there for the reunion, but we can only imagine what that must have been like. i'm going to have you hold on. i want to bring in janet taylor to talk about this. janet, it's hard to even imagine the psychological ramifications here. how would you describe them for the family? >> well, both have been traumatized. you had early life trauma with carlina, reportedly, allegedly abuse and neglect. she had resilience and determination. also that feeling, i just don't belong. the family showing so much faith, keeping their number with the center for exploited children. so it all came together. but recovery is the right word. with so much joy, i think this family is definitely on the road to recovery. >> that means that now she has

to feel like she belongs in this family that she's not known for all of these years. >> clearly, she belongs. her mother having the name joy certainly is the right word. they will have love. there will certainly be some difficult times. but they will put the pieces together, stay in the moment, and just work on recreating a new relationship both as adults, and thankfully so. >> ernie, as rare as a lot of the conditions in this story are, kidnapping from a hospital, idea of this kind of reunion, what do you think the message is from this story to other parents of missing children? >> ann, i think it's a message of hope. it's a message that many more of these children are recoverable. there are lots of circumstances under which these children still could be out there, still could be alive. so today carlina white becomes a symbol that the search goes on for lots of others of america's missing children. >> well, congratulations to your organization for what it's done for this family and continues to do. ernie allen, thank you so much. dr. janet taylor, thank you this

morning. now let's get a check of the weather from al. >> what a great story. it's a little brisk. not bad. only 56 days to st. patrick's day. and you're rooting for the bears. >> go, bears! >> all right. da bears. let's check your weather. find out what's going on for you. afternoon temperatures, teens and 20s up through northern new england. upstate new york below the zero mark. we're talking negative teens throughout the northern plains. it's only going to get to about 9 below in international falls, minnesota, today. rain in the pacific northwest. windy conditions in southern california. high surf advisories, look for snow in the mid-mississippi river valley all the way to the ohio river valley. that moves into the good morning to you. we have a beautiful, clear day shaping up over the bay area. lots of sunshine. make sure you grab those sunglasses on your way to work. especially if you are headed to

the east. the high pressure is firmly in control driving some wind from land to sea and warming up on the way. that's creating a pretty warm forecast for you. 67 degrees for napa and fairfield today. these temperatures will hold high as strong pressure is not budgeting for the next five to eight days. have a great one. >> with that big storm on the way, check out the weather channel on cable or weather.com online. ann? >> thank you so much. coming up, we're going to meet one of the youngest breast cancer survivors in the world. a girl who had a mastectomy at just 3 years old. coming up next, from nlimitedan ca tore sticks, the startling amount of fat and calories packed into freebies at your favorite restaurant, right after this. fr♪ ♪ that's when all the conditions are right for a good time ♪ [ male announcer ] advanced technology that helps provide cleaner air, cleaner water, and helps make all of us more energy efficient is something the whole world can get in step with.

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bucket, endless entree or breadsticks before your meal, freebies can be very high in fat and low in nutrition. david, good morning. >> good to see you, matt. >> rarely to restaurants offer you stuff that's really good for you. they offer you stuff that fills you up. >> exactly. it's going to fill you out. it's nothing -- what these have in common is there's no protein. they're like meals in and of themselves. >> let's start with red lobster's cheddar bay biscuits. these are free? >> yeah. would you ever go swimming in a place called cheddar bay? >> what's the problem here? >> it's 150 calories per. we normally eat two or three of them at a time. again, if you're trying to keep your meal under 600 calories, that's a meal in itself. it would be like your buddy sitting down and saying, hey, before everything comes, i think i'm going to have more than a dozen hersey's kisses. that's the calorie equivalent.

>> that ruby tuesday's, they have endless fries. >> yeah. >> and basically this is where people kill themselves. >> it's 400 calories. it's a ton of carbs and fat. and it's like a meal. it is, in fact, like you're getting a visit from mayor mccheese. it's a mcdonald's cheeseburger for each serving of the fries. >> okay. let us move on to the mexican chain on the border. they offer free chips and salsa. that doesn't sound so bad. >> no, no, this is mont zuma's real revenge here. this is all carbs. it's greasy. the salsa is healthy, but you're talking about 400 calories. there's no nutrition. there's nothing that's going to start to fill you up and signal to you that you should stop eating. >> what's the caloric counterpart for this? >> this could be like having three sliders, white castle sliders. >> that's not good. all right.

on to denny's. they have an unlimited pancake stack. talk about what you would get it you had two pancakes. >> the problem here is you shouldn't trust a food that has the word cake in it, especially for breakfast. you're talking about 500 calories. it's over 100 gramses s it's over 100 gramses s per two. that's four servings, full servings, of ice cream. >> last but not least, on to the olive garden. they offer bottomless salad and breadist breadsticks. this takes the cake. >> right. you're talking about a 350-calorie salad. that's mostly due to the oily, fatty dressing. each breadstick is 150 calories. you've got 2,400 milligrams of sodium, which is the equivalent of 70 crackers. that's the problem. >> that's not good. but it's free. >> it's free!

>> david, thank you. we appreciate it. coming up next, want to own the godfather house snit now on the market. we'll take you on a tour right after this. [ male announcer ] you know that old floor that's been lying around?

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the godfather is one of the greatest moveies of all time. now barbara corcoran says she has an offer you can't refuse. >> what have i ever done to make you treat me this way? >> reporter: he was the don of all dons. >> don corleone. i am honored and grateful that you have invited me to your daughter's wedding. >> reporter: and now you, too, are invited to don corleone's home f y home, if you have an offer this man can't refuse. >> you can act like a man. what's the matter with you? >> reporter: edward norton owns the original godfather house on

staten island. it's the corleone compound. it's where connie got hitched. where sonny's famous temper got the best of him. and where marlon brando met his eventual bemise. norton was only in high school when hollywood producers came knocking on his parents' door. his father's initial response was less welcoming than a dead fish in a newspaper. >> when he opened the door, they announced that they'd like to film a movie here. he quickly closed the door and wechbt back into the livinining room. >> reporter: that is until producers made the nortons an offer they couldn't refuse. >> today i settle all family business. >> reporter: johnny russo played corleone's son-in-law. >> at the time we did it, no one

knew how big this film would be. it's been 40 years since i've been up here. it's very eerie to be here, actually. >> reporter: particularly eerie because russo's character, carlo, got whacked right here. unfortunately, his foot almost got whacked as well. >> francis wanted everything to be auththeentic. people don't realize, as my leg is going through, i'm getting all through the back of my leg. >> reporter: what happened to the beautiful wall that surrounded the property? >> it's actually huge magic. for the right price, you can have part of it, too. >> reporter: also yours for the right price, a relic fans might be to the mattresses for. marlon brando's cue cards. are you going to miss being a part of this house? >> no because we'll take the memories with us. >> reporter: are you sure about

that? >> yeah, yeou can't lose the memories. >> reporter: and they're hoping to have $2.9 million in their pockets. the asking price, unless, of course, the future buyer knows a guy who knows a guy who knows a guy. for "today," barbara corcoran, staten island, new york. >> funny, right? good job, barbara. just aahead, ann joins a marching band after your local news. the world was your atm. tdd#: 1-800-345-2550 the schwab bank high yield investor checking® account. tdd#: 1-800-345-2550 zero atm fees. a great interest rate. tdd#: 1-800-345-2550 no minimums. tdd#: 1-800-345-2550 and it's fdic-insured. tdd#: 1-800-345-2550 the schwab bank high yield investor checking® account. tdd#: 1-800-345-2550 the biggest thing in checking since checks. tdd#: 1-800-345-2550 open an account at 1-800-4schwab or schwab.com.

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good morning to you. it is 7:56. i'm laura garcia-cannon with the wonderful christina. we have great conditions this morning. we do have great conditions. the high pressure is driving in warm air. we have down-sloping winds, so it is gusty this morning in the east bay and north bay. take it easy if you are driving a high-profile vehicle, but high pressure is providing beautiful conditions heading throughout the next couple of days. tomorrow is the warmest day in the forecast period where we'll see temperatures close to 70 degrees everywhere. 65 degrees in your forecasted high for tomorrow in assistance. 60 today. a little bit of a breeze in the mountain passes. 65 in gilroy. and driving could become difficult later on this evening

with the winds picking up just a little bit. keep that in mind. 69 degrees by friday. plentiful sunshine continues through the weekend. 63 on sunday. let's find out how we are doing in the road department with mike. good morning, christina. some of that sunshine you are talking about is a treat but an issue for drivers in the peninsula. southbound 101, the sunrise slowdown is kicking in from san mateo down to redwood city. the sun gets in your eyes heading down the peninsula with a heavier volume of traffic. 101 at cesar chavez has a sigalert due to debris in the roadway. it looks like something needs to be removed from the roadway. that's congestions heading down to the 280 interchange out of the city. the lights are on at the toll plaza. and general slowdowns for the oakland area, 880 and 580. also both directions for 880 between the bridges. back to you. thank you very much. 7:57 right now.

the peninsula substance abuse program will celebrate its anniversary and the life of its founder gunned down last year. the program in palo alto will host its open house in a 12-step meeting to market the 17th anniversary today. the event will also pay tribute to david lewis, the co-founder of the program shot and killed on june 9 in the hillsdale shopping center in san mateo. the suspect is one of lewis' childhood friends and entered a not guilty plea. >> i'll have another local news update in a half hour or so. the "today" show returns in less than a minute. have a great morning. [ female announcer ] why choose between delicious o100 calories? with yoplait delights, now you can finally have bh.

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8:00 now on a thursday morning. it's the 20th day of january. lots of smiles on the faces of people standing in rockefeller plaza this morning. lots of ice on their faces if they're here tomorrow. al tells us after midnight tonight, the snow begins again in new york city. >> that's right. it's going to be enough to cause problems for the morning commute. >> over and over again with this snow. we've got to stop it. >> out on the plaza, i'm matt

lauer along with ann curry who is filling in for meredith. one-note sally is here as well. we'll get to him in a second. >> how about john salley? coming up, we'll meet a very brave little girl. at 3 years old, aleisha hunter was diagnosed with a rare form of breast cancer. that's right, breast cancer. she underwent surgery, a radical mastectomy. she is now doing very well. she's in our studio. we'll talk to her and her mom in just a little while. >> just got to meet her. just a lovely little girl. happy little girl. also coming up, we'll talk about liners, cruiseliners. we'll take a tour this morning of some of the best cruise ships in the world. >> okay. sally? we also know that ann marches to the beat of her own drummer. she gets to be a drummer. we'll show you how she made her dreams come true with the help of a high school marching band.

we never knew this about you. >> yeah, yeah. did i hurt your feelings? >> no, no, no. >> he's tough, he's tough. let's go inside. ann is out here so natalie has all the headlines. >> good morning, matt, ann and al. house republicans will begin drafting replacement legislation today for president obama's landmark health care reform, which they repealed on wednesday. kelly o'donnell is on capitol hill with the latest. good morning. >> hi there, natalie. with another vote today, that will green light writing a new health care bill. republicans said they got control of the house because their voters want a do-over on reform. >> the bill has passed. >> reporter: republicans can check a very big box. >> repeal means keeping a promise. this is what we said we would do. >> reporter: with help from just three democrats who backed repeal, republicans claimed this house repeal of the president's key achievement is not just

symbolic, despite a likely dead end in the senate. >> we will continue this fight until obama care is no longer the law of the land. >> reporter: republicans say in their replacement bill, they'd keep popular ideas like those with pre-existing conditions could not be refused coverage. frustrated democrats pushed back. >> i want to just advise people watching at home, playing that now popular drinking game of taking a drink every time a republican says something that's not true, please assign a designated driver. >> health care costs have gone up because of bureaucracy. >> reporter: and even raised the tucson shooting saying that pa t maisch was drawn there that day because of health care reform. >> pat wanted to tell congresswoman giffords that the health reform law will help them provide insurance for this employee. >> and democrats really stressed the more popular parts of the law and the real people's

stories behind it. republicans say even if it doesn't move forward in the senate, they'll try to chip away at the funding to undercut the law. >> kelly o'donnell, thank you. this morning in iraq, two car bombs killed at least 45 people in the city ahead of a festival. hu jintao is on capitol hill today. he'll meet john boehner and harry reid, who both skipped last night's lavish state dinner honoring hu. president obama announced new business deals with china worth $45 billion. a federal grand jury has indicted jared loughner for the tucson shooting spree that left six people dead and 13 wounded including gabrielle giffords. doctors say giffords was able to stand wednesday for the first time since she was shot in the head. and a snow plow driver escapes serious injury when his truck loaded with two tons of gravel fell through the top deck of a parking garage in georgia.

the truck had had be lifted out with a crane. it is now 8:04. let's go back outside to al with a check of the weather. >> that's amazing video. >> toppled right over. >> all right. we've got elizabeth. it's your 12th birthdy. where are you from? >> new jersey. >> all right. happy birthday, sweetie. let's check your weather. let's check your weather, see what's happening. we've got winter storm watches and warnings and advisories all the way from oklahoma to boston. that's how far these extend. we're looking at the low pressure coming out of texas, spreading snow from tulsa to st. louis this morning on into this evening. it moves into pittsburgh and then by early tomorrow morning, it's into the northeast and by late tomorrow night, moving off the new england coast. snowfall amounts generally about three to six inches. new york city about three to five. three to five in pittsburgh. philadelphia, two to four.

. good morning to you. it's just a beautiful start to what will be a relatively warm day, especially when you consider it is january, 67 degrees is your forecast and high in napa, fairfield, santa rosa. we are starting out much cooler in some cities like gilroy and santa rosa. the sun is out and it's already starting to make temperatures climb into the upper 60s. we're talking about an even warmer day on tap, sunshine stays with us throughout the weekend. >> got some friends from philadelphia. all right. let's head over to ann. >> all right, al. thank you. coming up next, we'll meet one of the youngest patients ever diagnosed with breast cancer. we'let the g underwent a mastectomy at just three years old and also meet her mom, right after this.

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it looks like a typical group of children playing like most kids do. but one of these young children is a breast cancer survivor. >> i noticed when she was 2 1/2 she had a small lump on her left breast. >> reporter: a few months later came a diagnosis that few parents of a 3-year-old have heard before. aleisha hunter had an extremely rare form of breast cancer known as juvenile breast carcinoma. >> this is a pathology slide of the cancer, which was a very rare type of breast cancer. >> reporter: as the tumor grew, it became very painful. >> she wasn't eating or sleeping. >> reporter: with her mom and her teddy bear, ash, at her side, aleisha had a radical mastectoma mastectomy. aleisha is now cancer-free, but she does understand and remember what she went through.

>> i had breast cancer. >> reporter: she will eventually need reconstructive surgery on her breast, but for now, she simply is enjoying free school. >> she's extremely strong. she's happy. she's a bubbly little 4-year-old. >> reporter: and she already knows what she wants to be when she grows up. >> i want to be a doctor. >> reporter: perhaps some day helping other children just like herself. a remarkable girl dealing with an extraordinary situation. according to the american cancer society, just 5% of all breast cancers occur in women under the able of 40. matt? >> thanks very much. aleisha hunter is now 4 years old. she's here loalong with her mom melody, and her doctor. good morning to all of you. hi, aleisha. how are you doing? >> good. >> you doing okay? it's great to have you here. before the proper diagnosis which was a year ago, what were the other things doctors were

guessing were wrong with aleisha? >> they thought it was a lymp t lymphatic malformation. >> did they think it was extremely serious or that it wasn't much of anything? >> they didn't think it was serious. >> while you were going for other doctor's appointments, did the word cancer ever cross your mind? >> no. >> so when you got this diagnosis, it had to be life-altering. >> yeah, it was. >> doctor, this is not -- we want to stress this is not the same kind of breast cancer that we often hear about in adults, correct? how is it different? >> you can see this type of breast cancer in adults, but it is one of the more rare types of breast cancer. the usual type of breast cancer in adults tends to be more aggressive. this one, fortunately, tends to be slower-growing, tends not to spread as aggressively, and the outlook is good. >> and yet it's still required dramatic surgery, a modified

radical mastectomy. >> that's correct. >> how does a 3-year-old get through something like that? >> well, i think there were a couple of things. first of all, the tumor was quite large by the time the diagnosis was made. and given its location and the size, it really did require removal of the whole area, which meant the breast. and we always have to check the lymph nodes. we wanted to find out whether or not it had spread. but one of the things was that aleisha was in a fair bit of pain. >> right. >> because the tumor was stretching the tissue. and so it actually came somewhat as a relief in a sense that her pain was gone after the surgery. >> aleisha, you have no pain anymore? you feel pretty good? yeah. i know your teddy bear helped you get through all of this. is this bear or is this ash? >> bear. >> this is bear? pretty good friend to have? melan melanie, you have a different perspective in terms of

misdiagnosis i would imagine. >> yeah. you just have to trust your instinct. and go from there. >> and does she still have obstacles to go through, maybe reconstructive surgery, things like that? >> yeah, when she's older she'll have reconstructive surgery. >> her prognosis is good, though, right? >> yeah, it will be very good. >> aleisha, it's nice to have you and ash here. thanks for coming in. doctor, thanks for the information. appreciate it. up next, we'll lighten things up and show you what happened when a to w back to high school. and actually tried to join the marching band. that's right after this. [ male announcer ] you know that old floor that's been lying around?

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back now at 8:18 with more of "have you ever ". our chance to try some things we've never done before. >> i got to risk life and limb to change a light bulb on top of the george washington bridge here over new york and new jersey. natalie flew through the air with the greatest of ease on the flying trapeze. this morning, it. >> reporter: ann's turn. >> that's right. i decided to stay on solid ground. i quickly learned that sometimes just putting your best foot forward can be a real challenge. ♪ >> attention all marching band members. please report to the band room immediately. >> the band kids aren't the "cool kids" in the school. >> they think kids in band are like dorky. >> i guess band geek could be a

word. here it's just totally different. >> a lot of people actually leave after the halftime show because most people come to see the halftime show. ♪ >> my advice for ann is to work hard and stay focused. >> bravo! wow! i don't know how you can play and march at the same time. that is going to be hard to learn. okay. now what? okay. then i go like this? oh, this thing is heavy. okay. ♪ good? am i a natural? ♪ what's so funny? what is so funny? come on. go to my left. sorry, sorry, sorry.

>> being in the marching band is basically being in the military. >> are you ticklish? >> it takes a lot of discipline. >> i'm very impressed. sorry! i need help. oh, that's so easy. i can't believe you march in this thing. >> you have to stand at attention. you're not standing at attention. you have to have your feet together. you can't lean back and you have to look straight forward. >> like that? >> yeah, close enough. but you're not playing in the center of the drum. >> bossy. >> one, two, three, four. >> this is go terribly wrong in a lot of ways. if she goes in the wrong direction, if she's on the wrong foot, if she's not in line with people. >> 198 need to become one. if we all do that, then we just sound awesome. and if ann messes us up, it

could be catastropcatastrophic. ♪ >> it's a feeling you can't get anywhere else. you're all going for the same common goal. and it's kind of a magical thing when everybody accomplishes it. ♪ >> i get it. i get why you love this. >> that was pretty good. where did ann go? >> ann? >> ann, where are you? >> hello? ♪ ♪

♪ ♪ >> i wonder where they're going. ♪ >> uh-oh. >> talk about a grand entrance.

♪ >> where are they all going to fit? >> this is going to take a little while. this may actually lead right on into the fourth hour. >> there's 170 members of this -- >> 197. >> oh, 197. >> that's right. >> this could take forever. we haven't seen ann yet. >> that's right. >> i think we're coming up. the drums are coming. here she comes. ladies and gentlemen, ann curry! ♪

♪ ♪ >> ann, wherever you are, job well done. >> perfect! ♪ >> one more time! >> we're back after your local news and weather.

good morning to you, it is 8:26 right now. want to check out the forecast. >> log great today and these temperatures that have been abnormally warm for this time of year will continue for the next five to seven days, there's no rain in sight. high pressure dominant this morning and we have a beautiful day shaping up for us. some downsloping winds pushing offshore, going to keep things nice and warm for us today, but a little bit breezy. 64 degrees in livermore, 67 degrees in fairfield and 65 degrees today in gilroy. temperatures staying in the 60s all throughout the weekend.

looks like a beautiful weekend to make those outdoor plans. how are we doing on the roadways this morning? >> southbound 680 is very slow coming out of pleasanton. we look at the signal, westbound 580 at park boulevard. it's very slow, westbound 580 coming off of the castro valley. that's slow, pushing folks over toward 880 all the way down to downtown. and here a sig alert continues because of debris in lanes of southbound 101 at caesar chaves. we have more news after this.

a deadly fire at a long-term. two days before christmas, a patient allegedly dropped a cigarette, lighting his own gown on fire. the examiner reports in september 2004 a patient also caused another fire, they are investigating. i'll have another local news update in half an hour. [ female announcer ] why settle for plain bread when you can have pillsbury g? e warm, light delicate layer are like nothinglse. add a layer of excitement to younext meal. ♪ la of browe ramel, dipped in chocolate.

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another chilly morning here in the northeast. we're joined by the wonderful bergenfield high school marching band, along with their newest member, the one and only ann curry. out on the plaza, i'm matt lauer along with natalie morales, al roker and our new drummer. you did great. >> actually, i didn't do great at all. it took me a long time to learn the song. i really want to thank all the young people. what they really did, they showed me that being in a band is so cool. there's a kind of feeling that you're in something that you're all working towards a similar mission. it's so comforting. it's a great, great thing. kids who go to band do better on their s.a.t.s. it's triffic. >> i didn't hear anything after you said, i want to say. >> i'm sure the public did. >> it was a lot of fun. >> and you stayed in step. >> they taught me how to do it. i said left foot or right foot first.

and they made sure i knew it was the left foot first. you were in a band? >> yes, i played flute. they started me on piano, but it was too difficult to lug that piano everywhere. we've got winter weather moving into the new york area. we'll get you some great information on getting into beautiful weather and getting on a cruise thanks to the top cruise ships in the world. >> and your kids know everything about the smartphones, but if you're older and you want a phone that's not loaded with features that you'll never use, we'll run you through the best options for cell phones for those of whus aus who are on thr side. and there's some new entries this year in the zaggat's food guide. and we have help for headache sufferers, how to tell the difference between a tension headache and a migraine. we have a lot to get to.

first, you may know her as a correspondent on "the daily show" but she's also on "perfect couples." olivia, thanks for being here. it sounds like an oxymoron, but i'm sure it's not. >> it opens with a plane crash. and then somewhere in season two there's a polar bear. you're going to love it. >> that sounds like something that was already on. >> it was a big hit already. it's about three different couples. we're all striving for perfection. but i think like my life kind of plays out in actual everyday, it's very complicated and bumbly. >> your character, kind of a sef self-appointed relationship guru. >> that's right. we're the couple that gives you a box of self-help books for your anniversary. and i'll buy your lingerie for your husband to give to you. we just really love like relationships and love and we want -- we're the people that

give you unsolicited advice. >> there's a great team behind the show, creative. you've got the executive producers from shows like "seinfeld," "friends," and "30 qua qua rock." tina fey actually recommended you. is that right? >> that's right. tina fey said that i was a funny actress. >> how great. >> that's great. >> that's really good. we love having you here on nbc. good luck with the show. >> thank you for having me. this is so exciting. i watch you guys every day. >> that's why we brought the band in, just for you. gr you doing -- guys are doing eat. a beautiful day shaping up for the bay area, with

temperatures in the upper 60s. we're talking about 67 degrees, as we head into the heat of the day, we're going to see a lot of sunshine, 65 degrees by friday, even warmer, and temperatures are going to stay comfortable with no rain in sight. all the way throughout next wednesday. have a fantastic thursday. >> and that's your latest weather. >> before i get out of this outfit, i want to thank -- >> no, don't change! >> brian timmons is the director of the bergenfield high school marching band. and also to robin, who produced the segment. thank you, guys. we want to tell you that coming up next, we'll tell you the list of the best cruise ships in the world. but first, this is "today" on nbc.

we're back at 8:37. this morning on "today's" travel, the best cruise ships, whether you're looking for an intimate setting or the chance to soak up the caribbean sun aboard a mega ship. kate maxwell is here with great options. good morning. nice to see you. >> nice to see you. >> 13 million people went cruising, so to speak, last year. all of these cruise lines have got to keep competitive. >> they do. cruising is a growth area. 70% of those 13 million were american. 25,000 of our readers were polled and they've got very strong opinions. >> they rank the different ships they like and there are many different categories. let's start small. these are river cruises. you like or they liked the river beatrice. >> it's a new category for us. these are small ships that go to intimate river ports.

there's only 160 passengers. fantastic facilities. and we have a sample cruise that starts in budapest, in hungary and ends up in germany. >> so this isn't for people who want all of the amenities, the climbing wall and the dibi ingd boards. this is really a quieter vacation. >> yes, but it's very cultured. you stop off at a lot of fantastic european city. >> there's another ship that your readers like, the ms concerto. tell me about that one. >> this one is cheaper. it works out at $150 per person per night, which is a really good rate. that includes 11 exkurticursion going to really wonderful european cities. >> it looks romantic and beautiful. >> exactly. >> let's move on to the open seas and start with the small ships category. fewer than 500 passengers. your readers like the all-inclusive odyssey. >> that's right. 450 passengers. this is like chartering your own private yacht. >> that's a big yacht. >> it's so well-designed.

all the rooms are suites. they have balconies. everything is included. $316 per person per night. wake up in the middle of the night, you want cavier and champagne, order it and you'll never see a bill. it's a smaller ship. it can go to ports that other large ships can't access. >> let's get to large ships. this is defined as ships s tha carry between 500 and 2,500 passengers. your readers liked celebrity summit. >> we're talking about -- it's such a good deal. it's $64 per person per night. >> what do you get? or want don't you get for $64? >> it's fantastic. celebrity does great things. it's a lot of fun. wonderful restaurants. great pools. it's like a floating city. >> wow. $64 a night.

that sounds too good to be true. let's get to the mega-ship category. these hold more than 2,500 passengers. these are great options for families. a lot of families love these. disney magic rated well. >> this really is the ultimate family vacation. you get all of the disney characters on board. speaking of someone who spent a day at disneyland looking for mickey mouse and not finding him, you can't put a price on that. >> mickey can't hide that well on a cruise ship. >> that's right. there are two other pools. wonderful things for the kids to do. great disney shows. and there are adults-only bars and people to look after your children all day. >> starting at $150 a night. >> exactly. >> and another option in that category, the mega-ship category, is the celebrity solstice. >> we love that because it was the first ship to introduce solar panels. very eco friendly. and they have a lawn on the top deck. it's a really, really fantastic ship that has absolutely everything.

loads of wonderful restaurants. >> the deals, limited time offers? >> not necessarily. just shop around. you know, cruise ships tend to follow the sun. in the summer they're in europe, in the winter they're in the caribbean. so, yeah, book in advance if you can and you'll get a much better deal. >> kate maxical, thank you very much. >> thank you for having me. it's 41 after the hour. up next, the best cell phones for senior citizens. [ female announcer ] every box of general mills big g cereals

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this morning on quaetd "forever young," cell phones. for many, technology is one step ahead of them. what's the answer for seniors looking for easy-to-use, cost-friendly phones? jim miller is the editor of the savvy senior newspaper column. jim, good morning. >> good morning, ann. >> what is your answer to seniors who say, first of all,

that i'm not sure i need a phone. i'd like to not jump in that water. you actually say there's a good reason to have one. >> for emergency purposes and people need them to keep in touch with grandkids or folks. the big thing is for that emergency call. so it's important to have. >> a lot of young people, grandchildren, are texting these days. that's actually one of the best ways to keep in communication with them. >> it is. it is. >> for seniors, maybe this -- >> they don't like it for the most part. >> right. but they might like the name of this phone. it's called the jitter bug. >> that's right. this has been on the market for about five years. it's a great product. it's just gotten better and better. it's got all the features that make it really appealing to older users. it's got to great big buttons. it also has a yes and a no button. the phone asks you questions and you press yes and no so you don't have confusing icons, which is very confusing for a lot of seniors. it also has big text on the screen. you can see when you type in the

members -- >> that is huge. >> right. it has a cushion that goes around the ear piece that cups your ear that blocks out sound and makes it easier to hear. it has a lot of extra features like medication reminders, talk to a live nurse, roadside assistance. so there's a bunch of extra features. it's got all of the bells and whistles. >> for someone that feels overwhelmed by all of this technology, this one you think is a good option. very, very simple. >> yes. these are sold through consumer cellular. it's just a wonderfully simple phone. they're real affordable. big buttons, simplified features, big text. on the back side of the phone, it has an sos button that you can program in an emergency contact so if you're out and about and you fall, you just press the button, it kicks the phone to speaker phone and you can call for help. >> that's fantastic. >> very nice, yes. >> what about this phone? >> this is a great little phone here. it's got the great big numbers.

this is a unique phone. this is ideal for seniors that have vision or hearing impairment. when you program in the numbers, it talks back to you. >> 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. >> so it's pretty nice. >> if you're not sure you've got the rice number, you can hear it. it also has an sos number on the back. >> that's right. it also has great amplification capabilities. >> this one doesn't even have numbers. >> it does. it's just a slider phone. >> there are the numbers. use the keypad or close it and operate the phone off those four basic numbers right there. big screen, sos button on the back as well. >> for people really, really that don't want to spend money, you like this collection of phones. >> these are prepaid phones. if you're just looking for a real cheap plan, there are lots of private pay plans out there. some of the best are t-mobile, who has a rock-bottom plan. $10 will get you 30 minutes that last for 90 days. that averages out to $3.33 a

month. doesn't get cheaper than that. vernal virgin mobile and track phone also have great plans between $10 and $30. >> some of these phones can help you -- can it help you remind you what medications you need to take? >> the jitter bug has the medication reminder. >> we've got another group here. >> this is a free phone. this is safe link wireless. this is a government-backed program offered by track phone. it's available in 29 states. if you're low-income, you can get a free phone and 250 minutes of free talk time every single month. it's really fantastic. >> here you're talking about something a little back to the futureish. >> this is a 911-only cell phone. people should contact their local law enforcement agency to find out if their community has a 911 cell phone program. those are donated phones. you can't make or receive calls, but they are refurbished phones that work for 911 calls only.

contact your local law enforcement agency. they'll give them to you for free. >> all right. stay connected when it matters. jim miller, thanks for helping out our seniors this morning. that's good information. coming up, zagat's new guide to america's top restaurants. but first, this is "today" on nbc. never in my lifetime did i think i could walk 60 miles in 3 days. 60 miles in 3 days-- i can do that. 60 miles compared to what a cancer patient goes through is a walk in the park. from the moment i registered, people started immediately supporting me. we had an outpouring of-- of support. i wanted to do something bigger than myself. the 60 miles-- it makes a statement. i know i'm stronger than i was before, both mentally and physically. i walk with my sister. our relationship has gone to a whole new level because of training together. you meet the most wonderful, inspiring people. i knew that there was something really special about this event. when you accomplish those 60 miles, it's truly life-changing.

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back now at 8:50. the customers, the critics for zagat's survey of restaurants in america. this morning the latest reviews are now available in the 2011 guide fto america's top restaurants and also on zagat.com. tim zagat is here now joining us with details. it's always great to have you here. >> thank you. >> let's talk about the economy. because that's kind of the thing. a lot of people were not eating out last year because of the economy. what are you seeing this year? >> well, people are hoping it will be better. but this is very early in the year. all of the predictions are things are going back. but there was a decline from 3.3 meals per week to 3.1 between the pre-recession and today. and that's a big, big loss in terms of -- cross-country. >> and people can keep the costs down at restaurants, right? >> you can avoid things you don't need like alcohol or you can cut back on appetizers and

desserts. people are much more price-sensitive so they may be looking that menu and say the chicken is $20 and the steak is $25, i'll have the chicken. there's a great deal more price sensitivity. people are also going to less expensive restaurants. in fact, most of the new restaurants today are less expensive, casual, but i would say more fun than ever. >> that's a good bit of news. people are conversely tipping more. is that right? >> people have been consistently tipping more, even during the recession. we were surprised about that. i thought i was being very generous, tipping around 16%. i'm 3% less than the national average. but the funny thing is people on the west coast tip about 1% on average less than people on the east coast. so philadelphia, new york, boston tip 1% more than people from san francisco, l.a., and particularly hawaii. don't ask me why. i'd love -- if anybody knows why, they could tell me, i'd

appreciate it. >> you tip because you ask people, how much should i give. maybe that's part of it, the news is now spreading that should be 19%. let's take a look at your top picks. the newbies on the list include new york's number one restaurant. that's no big surprise. there's also a newcomer, danny myers. tell us about this restaurant. >> it's wonderful italian food. rustic italian food. every one of danny myers' restaurants is a good value. and the hospitality is his specialty. >> in atlanta, there's a great new restaurant. >> that's been one of the top restaurants for a long time. but the new restaurant there is the counter. it's, again, indicative of what new restaurants are. it's a burger joint with

wonderful burgers and endless combinations of toppings. they say they can make 300,000 toppings. i don't really know how they do that. but that's what they say. >> in seattle, you've got a restaurant called cafe juanita. you've got a new-comer called food van. >> it's marinadmarinades. these are all over the country. we have about 40 food trucks where you can go and find out where they are at any one time. most of them twitter and say i'm here now and you can find them that way. but it's a phenomenon which is increaseively important. >> and in los angeles, you have an eatery called sushi zoe.

there's noir food and wine. >> yes, it's wonderful. >> in san francisco, we've all heard about the french landry. but now there's a reservation for something called francis. >> the chef, melissa, had a great reputation before she started this restaurant. it has excellent california-style food, but the main thing is the ingredients are locally sourced and couldn't be any fresher. >> in philadelphia, there's byob. it's called fond. it's a byob store front, but it's called fond. >> that's right. the chef used to work at many people's favoritetaest ranur ea i erev ilnphphelad.ia

good morning to you, a beautiful, clear start along the golden plate bridge this morning. make sure you grab your sunglasses because we have bright sunshine in the east this

morning. high pressure is a dominant feature in our weather forecast. it's going to be a really nice afternoon, enjoy these temperatures on your way home from work today. 67 degrees is the forecasted high in napa, santa rosa and throughout the hills of the east bay and the north bay. especially as we head into the evening. that could make driving conditions rgh driving conditionsor f your evening commute. laura is back with more breaking news after the break.

welcome back, everyone, this is breaking news that we're following from miami this

morning. a u.s. marshall was shot, i believe while serving some sort of search warrant this morning. limited information coming into our news desk right now at 8:58, it looks like investigators are at the scene. [ alarm clock buzzing, indistinct conversations ] [ female announcer ] important events can sneak up on you. 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.

the moment you feel run down or achy nip flu-like symptoms in the bud, with oscillococcinum. get oscillo and feel like yourself again. oscillococcinum, nip it in the bud. we are back with more of "today" on a thursday morning, january 20th, 2011. clear morning here in new york city. the snow starts, according to mr. roker, after midnight. and those people right there will be standing in between three to five inches of snow tomorrow morning. here we go again. i'm matt lauer, along with ann curry. mr. roker is here. we're going to talk about a kidnapping cold case with a happy ending, 23 years in the making. a 3-week-old baby was snatched from a hospital in 1987 and raised by another woman.

after digging by the victim herself who basically solved this indication, she's been reunited with her real family. we'll have that incredible story coming up. >> i remember, i was working at wnbc when that happened. such a great story. also ahead, a headache of headaches. dr. nancy snyderman is here to answer your questions about how to avoid them and cope with them once they hit. maybe you get a headache from one of the big band hats. >> and louse music in your ear. >> i think i gave america a headache by trying to play in a band this morning. we'll be talking about it a little bit later about all the things you did and natalie did. i was playing with the bergen field high school band. they were trying to teach how being in a band is really cool. i had such a blast.

i think it will be a good memory for them forever. you actually walked on the george washington bridge. we'll get to more of this coming up. all right. first, let's get a check of the top stories from natalie, who is over at thet. first let's get a check of the top stories from natalie who is over at the news desk. >> good morning. tucson shooting suspect jared loughner has been indicted by a federal grand jury on three counts so far. meantime, wounded congresswoman gabrielle giffords was able to stand and walk to her hospital window wednesday. she could be transferred to a u rehabilitation center tomorrow. agencies fanned out to arrest more than 100 suspected mobsters on gamble, drug extortion and murder charges. a young woman with doubts us bout her

parents, the parents found out they're now grandparents. the three-week-old baby who vanished more than two decades ago is now a mother herself. live in harlem, tom llamas. natalie, back to you. >> thank you, tom. well, government troops in tunisia fired warning shots today at protesters who are demanding that officials linked to the country's ousted president resign and officials have detained about three dozen relatives of the former president and his wife who fled the country last week. officials in iraq say at least 50 people were killed today when bombs went off along

the route to a religious festival in the holy city. more than 175 people were wounded. suicides among active-duty troops dropped last year for the first time since 2004. officials credit improved stress counseling programs. however, there was a sharp increase in suicides among national guard and reserve troops. a new study of traffic finds that highway is getting worse as the economy recovers and more people are starting to commute back to work again. the average driver now spends 34 hours a year stuck in traffic. and for all the would-be princes out there looking for their own kate middleton, this could be your lucky day. 13 london students mingled with the common folk in front of buckingham palace, all decked out in kate's famous blue dress and engagement ring. good news is, they're all ready to get married in 99 days. i'm sure they are. it's now six minutes past

the hour. back to matt, ann and al. >> confusing. >> and somewhat illegal, i think. >> unseemly. >> yes. >> thank you, natalie. how about a check of the weather? >> we're talking about this storm that's heading toward the northeast, the mid-atlantic states. you see snow from oklahoma city all the way to cincinnati is heading this way. we're also looking at snowfall totals from the storm so far, anywhere from six to 11 inches of snow throughout the midwest. we've got winter storm warnings, stretching from oklahoma all the way to boston. here's how the storm makes its way out of texas and then reforms close to the coast, bringing snow in here into the northeast and mid-atlantic states late tonight, into tomorrow. snowfall amounts generally about two to four inches. but we could see a beautiful day in the bay, that's what we're seeing, a little bit windier than i like

to see at this time of day, but that is going to be the story. those winds are actually helping warm up, pushing from the land to sea, warming up on the way. 63 degrees in fremont. right now you got a northeast wind at 50 miles an hour. a little bit breezy later on today throughout the east bay hills, especially in the north bay as well. 69 degrees by friday, temperatures stay in the 60s. >> and that's your latest weather. natalie? al, thanks. today, dealing with headaches. according to the national headache foundation, more than 45 million americans suffer from chronic headaches, including 28 million who have to cope with migraines. dr. nancy snyderman is here to answer your questions. nancy, good morning. >> good morning. >> for those who suffer are migraines, they know exactly

what is going on. what's the difference between tension and migraine headaches? >> we saw tension headaches, but it's not because you're tense. it's because the blood vessels constrict and as they open up, barts of your brain get flooded with too much blood. that's what causes the pain. we have tension headaches, migraine headaches, cluster headaches, and this is sort of the laundry list for classic tension headaches. this is the mild to moderate stuff. it feels like your hand is radiating pain or it's over your forehead. >> and the migraine sufferers? >> well, if you've ever had one, it's blinding. usually people have an aura ahead of time. light, noise is really sort of be so awful. you just want to climb under the covers in a dark room. the pain is almost on one side of the head, usually behind the eye. it is severe. and can really lead to nausea. you just want to clim noonb in o

cocoon. >> rayasks, i have a rash of migraine headaches. when do you consider a headache severe enough to go the the emergency room? >> i'm not in a big believer in the emergency room for headaches. make sure you have the right diagnos diagnosis. for a man who says he has migraines a week at a time, it makes me think it's not the correct diagnosis. that sounds like a cluster headache, which we'll talk about. so first of all, make sure you have the right diagnosis. the treatment can be different. the triggers can be different. for some people, it can take just simple -- simple treatment, but if you really think you have to go to the emergency room, you have to think, is this a sudden onset headache? am i having trouble speaking or slurred vision or -- or blurry vision? any kind of signs there might be a stroke. if the headache suddenly bolts you out of bed or night or if it's associated with another medical problem, that's when you consider going to the emergency

room. >> stiffness in the neck, can't move your head. >> that's right. for the average headache, just sit back and think, is it really an emergency? >> next, we have a viewer from skype. good morning. what is your question for dr. nancy? >> hi, good morning. ever since i had my son, i've been getting terrible headaches. i was just wondering since i didn't have these before, is this anything to do with post-pregnancy? >> it can be. these are sort of classic hormonal headaches. estrogen levels and progesten are levels don't return to normal for quite some time. this may be a trigger. some women have problems around their period. so whether or not you're breast feeding and your period is returning to a normal cycle, you may have problems. sometimes something as simple as birth control pills can take care of it. but most doctors know about this kind of headache and can help treat it. >> okay. we have a facebook question from a viewer named holly. holly asks, i just read an online article about caffeine

and migraines. do you think eliminating caffeine from my diet will relieve my migraines? >> it can. everyone who has had a migraine has to search for some triggers. for some people it's caffeine. it can be chocolate, red wine is notorious. so interestingly, for some people, a little bit of caffeine is better. joe would say if you think it's a trigger, stop it. try to get caffeine out of your diet. even decaffeinated caffeine has caffeine in it. if you think it's a trigger, you know you drink caffeine, you get a headache, eliminate it immediately. and see. that's the easiest way to find out. >> let's head over to the phones. we have alfa from houston, texas. good morning. what is your question for dr. nancy? >> good morning. great talking to you. >> hi. >> i've suffered with migraines since i was a teenager. and what i've noticed is that they tend to come on one side of my head. and the headaches don't

discriminate. it comes on either side, but mainly on my right. it also feels as if there's a huge weight. >> yeah, that's pretty classic. so the one thing you want to make sure, do you know what those triggers are? and the -- i think the best sort of -- the over-the-counter stuff isn't going to work. things like the tripton, the imitrex. if you're not responding well to medications, there are preventative medications. i just want to underscore that when you look at headaches, make sure you've been correctly diagnosed. this sounds like a right diagnosis. know the triggers, know the treatment and know when to get a prescription. >> and the cluster headaches? >> they come in clusters. they are intense. the treatment, natalie, is to enhail 100% oxygen. the over-the-counter medicines don't work. in most places, you can go and

make sure you're thoroughly evaluated at a headache clinic. ask for a headache specialist. >> okay. interesting stuff. dr. nancy snyderman, thank you so much. coming up next, have you ever been in a marchliing band? have you swung on a flying trapeze? we have, and we'll show you what we were able to do. also, adding a touch of spring to your home decor. but first, these messages. some more money back. and su maybe you'll find something that we've missed. i own a quilt store. not everyone gets money back, but we will try to find extra money... for those that are entitled to it. are you ready? 1,426. whoo! 2,195. it's-- it's five thousand, three hundred-- [ cheering ] [ judy ] hey. it's their money. we're just here to get it back. h&r block. never settle for less. gingerbread men! egg nog! [ female announcer ] grab a box of multigrain cheerios. get a code to... ...a 7 day plan from the biggest loser

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my old contacts would sometimes move and blur my vision. then my eye doctor told me about acuvue® oasys for astigmatism. he said it's the only lens of its kind designed to realign naturally with every blink so now, i'm seeing more clearly. [ male announcer ] learn more at acuvue.com. with marie callender's new line of baked meals -- made to share. like creamy chicken alfredo, with sundried tomatoes.

even from the microwave, they still taste like homemade. marie's new baked meals, it's time to savor. this morning on "have you ever," what were we thinking for the past few weeks? al, natalie and i have been testing our talents on things i've never tried before. actually, i shouldn't say talent. i caused kind of a raucous

marching through the plaza with a couple of hundred other young people. they're the entire bergenfield high school band. and they are just terrific. i'm so grateful for them, to them teaching me, at least the basic steps. and putting up with me because i was just -- >> and you kept in step. >> well, i had to ask them right before i started which foot to start with. they're just so talented. what i love is how they feel connected and supported by each other. they really taught me that being in a band is much cooler than people realize. it's a smart, cool thing to do. >> yeah. i was in a band. i used to play the piccolo. >> i did, too. >> you know, you do really feel a real sense of how cool it is. it was good. and you were in a band. >> i was. the xavier high school marching band. i played flute. i couldn't march and play at the same time. >> when you finish a song and you've actually done it all

together, there's a great sense of accomplishment that, you know, you did this together. anyway, let's talk about you guys. you were on this bridge. >> the george washington bridge. >> you did an amazing jub mazm there. you had to be stopped by the helicopter was going overhead. >> that's the easy part. the hardest part is getting up on to the cable. it's just an extension ladder. and, you know, on the bridge. and it's bouncing up and down. you're not hooked up yet. so that's the scariest part. >> that looks flimsy to get up there. >> such flattering shots, too. >> you're always flattering. and you were terrific, natalie, on the trapeze. >> speaking of flattering shots. not exactly the most flattering thing here, but it's a lot of fun. this is one of those things where i was actually afraid. i'm not afraid of heights, but this was something i had to conquer the fear of using your strength and throwing yourself out there. >> especially on that platform. >> you're like diving into thin

air. >> you don't really see the -- >> there's a net. >> it's there, but you don't really see the net. you think that -- >> you could still get hurt. you take a bad fall, you could still get hurt. it was a really cool experience. i encourage everybody to give it a try. give it a whirl if you can. see what you can do. >> okay. enough about us. we'll talk about your home and how to make it bloom in t winter with some spring touches. that's after these messages. not that she'll describe it that way to her book club. she'll probably say something like, "everyone had a wonderful time. the food was great. it was good to get away." but let's be honest... mom just caught air! now, there's a first. tell us what you've always wanted to do, on facebook. [ ship horn blows ] lose those lines for up to a year! juvéderm® xc is the gel filler your doctor uses to instantly smooth out

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including your skin. [ female announcer ] now aveeno reinvents positively ageless. with shiitake complex, it's shown to visibly transform skin, helping repair the look of past damage and prevent future damage. positively ageless. only from aveeno. now we're back with dan cofferman. he's on "parks and recreation." that's coming up on thursday. good to see you again. >> thank you. >> on your show's website, there's a ron swanson quiz. one of the questions, status meetings should be outlawed, abolish abolished, don't ever use that term around me again, that makes my ears bleed, attend monthly

meetings in a respectful manner. ron would say -- >> c. that's the clear answer. >> yes. because your character, ron swanson, he plays this because of a local parks and recreation department, but he hates government. >> absolutely. he's trying to bring down the government from the inside. >> that's the way to do it, right? there's only one way. >> so this season, what are we going to be expecting? what's going to be happening? >> well, amy poehler's character has this big plan to reinvigorate this harvest festival that used to happen every fall in town. and since our department has been cut back, she gambles everything on making this event happen and providing us with new revenue. so a lot of the season leads with -- deals with leading up to that event. >> and rob lowe and joining the cast, i hear. >> he is. he is bringing his cheap bones

to indiana. >> that gorgeous man face, right? >> right. everybody knows that he's got a gorgeous man face. buns oute's incncredibly hilarious, too. >> that's good. >> we'll find out coming up. that's tonight, 9:30 right here on nbc. 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 ? nothing beats prevacid®24hr. just one pill helps keep you heartburn free for a full 24 hours. prevent the acid that causes frequent heartburn with prevacid®24hr, all day, all night. nothing works better. with relief from dry, uncomfortable skin. only aveeno skin relief has an active naturals oat formula...

to improve all five symptoms... of winter skin in just one day. discover the beauty and comfort of skin relief. only from aveeno. good morning, everybody, it's 8:26. i'm frank canyon. let's get a peek of the forecast. >> we're looking better and better, now that the sun is out, we're warming up quickly, courtesy of high pressure and some offshore winds that are actually warming up as we head from land to sea. as we head through the afternoon, we are looking at temperatures in the 60s, 70 degrees in santa cruz and 65 in gilroy. as we head through the next few days, not a lot of change, we're going to bump up the numbers, 68 degrees, the warm es day in the forecast period.

we're going to have sunshine all the way through next wednesday. let's find out how the roads are doing. >> we have the bulk of the commute coming through our hot spots. down to the south bay, let me show you the maps where we have speeds now on the northbound commute direction, a couple of accidents now clearing at 101 to 260. there's a fire truck onscene from an earlier accident. the east bay, also clearing a bit, but still very slow northbound 880, coming up through downtown oakland, but the bay bridge toll plaza where these things are meeting is actually a little bit clear. still the slowest part of the avwe hree mos newt ghrid area. we have more news right after this.

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grandmother's arms by her alleged ex-girlfriend. the focus will be on the canal in stanislaus county. police are looking for his mother's ex-boyfriend who they say is 27-year-old jose esteban. more local news coming up in a half an hour, and the "today" show returns in less than a minute. we'll see you back here in a bit.

♪ stars shined on the golden globe red carpet on sunday. many of their dresses are just stunning. if you want to look like a star at down-to-earth prices, we'll show you how to get red-carpinate spired gowns. they are out already and they're very affordable. that's tomorrow on "today." i love this. everybody sees the dress and

then they want the dress. how can you get the dress at a fraction of the price? it's unbelievable. coming up in this half hour, forget all that snow coming in tomorrow because spring is in the air. or at least it could be in the air if you try looking out the window -- if you're tired out of looking at the snow. we'll show you how to bring that -- the beautiful outdoors of spring inside using florals, color and nature to put a little spring in every room of your home. >> okay. those birds make my teeth hurt. i just -- i got to tell you. really? >> too much with the birds? >> come on. it looks like i'm at my grandmother's house. also ahead -- >> i'm sorry. i'm just saying. let's just get some doilies and call it a day. >> don't worry, suzanna. you're good with me. what's the only way our crew will get to hang out with the supermodel of their dreams? we'll show you very cool virtual

technology you can try yourself at home. and then if you're looking for quick and easy meals, we'll show you some skillet dinners, one skillet dinners in "today's kitchen". >> i love that. easy cleanup. >> you've got a check of the weather for us? >> we look toward the weekend. sunshine in the pacific northwest. mild in the southwest. windy and sunny along the east coast. frigid in new england. and then sunday, frigid in new england. light snow developing in the midwest. our next storm for next week getting itself together. >> already? no. >> yeah. >> no! >> snow in the pacific northwest. and some rain along the coast. mild in the bay area, beautiful right now, we're looking really good up in santa rosa, later on today, 67 degrees, right now

temperatures are already climbing into the upper 50s across the bay area. you'll probably want to dress in layers, wear a jacket, but something you can take off later because it's going to be warm this afternoon. we're going to be even warmer tomorrow. have a great day. >> and that's your latest weather. coming up next, real fun with a virtual supermodel. >> that didn't sound right. right after these messages. it's low in calories and mixed with apples, walnuts and raisins... tataaaa! deliciousness that can help keep your weight down. these 31 astronauts in training agree... [ garbled radio frequency and beeping ] [ radio vo ] tuna 1 how do you respond? over. we agree! we agree! we agree! well there ya have it. tuna great for weight management. [ radio vo ] tuna the wonderfish! that's why there's lubriderm® daily moisture.

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david granger is here. good morning. >> good morning. >> right now, the buzz word, this augmented reality. >> yeah. >> how do you do this? you get brooklyn decker, one of the great supermodels, in a phone. >> augmented reality is superimposing your reality on another reality. so we just superimpose this image of brooklyn decker and when you download the application on your phone, you can see brooklyn in certain places where we've placed here in the united states. >> so this is an app you download and you check it out. we're having fun with our crew earlier. and there are five different poses that decker has. and this one, we use this for jerry. >> brooklyn is on our new cover, february cover. and then you can find completely new images of brooklyn decker in any barnes & noble store in the united states. have your picture taken with brooklyn. >> what's the application for this? it's just fun at this point. >> it's fun, but we're trying to

show how magazines can expand what magazines are capable of. this is a way to share extra kinds of things with our readers. >> this is the thing that's going on right now. everybody is talking about this. i think we've got this hooked up where we can try this. let's find out. let's see. >> there we go. >> there's our stage manager. turn around, mark. there you go. okay. >> capture it. >> oh, yeah. >> and then capture. yeah, look at that. yeah. for 50 bucks, i won't send this to lisa. >> yeah. >> oh, i was told your wife is away, mark. would you like the phone? what's the next technology that you see coming down the pike? >> there's amillion things. there's still a lot of applications. we started with our december issue of -- that's fantastic. >> that's our -- that's eric

hill. there's jerry. >> one of the next attempts is magazines try to be greener all the time. also try to do more. we're trying to create the first sol solar-powered magazine. >> does that mean you can only read it during the day? >> no, you can only power certain extra things during the day. it works off of these lights, too. >> did brooklyn have a good time doing this? >> yeah, she's a great talent. great model. now she's got a new career in acting. got a new movie coming out this month. she's great. she'll be tweeting about this to all her followers. >> that's a great photo. all right. wow. make sure you don't shake hands with decker. david granger, thanks so much. >> thanks, al. coming up, we want to te n gh n anbrand teighten your home for winter by adding some spring touches. we'll show you how right after these messages.

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this morning in "today's kitchen" we're going back to basics with easy meals for a busy family. >> that's right. i love this magazine. >> this is a great segment already. >> it's spectacular. >> i'm in a great mood! >> you are! we love the idea of keeping the number of dishes and pots and pans you've got to a minimum. >> it's a 12-inch skillet. we're going to start with something fairly simple. we'll do a lasagna and apple crisp all in this skillet. >> nice. this is a greek inspired dish? >> yes. we have olive oil and uzzo. we have lemon zest.

you can use vodka if you don't have the uzzo. you can always use vodka. >> forget about making the dish. just madrink the vodka. >> is that al roker's cookbook? just add the vodka. >> it's a pamphlet, basically. >> it's one recipe. just add the vodka. >> what is in the skillet? >> we've got onions, peppers, tomatoes there. we took this down about 15 minutes. this normally would sit a few minutes to marinate. we just put the shrimp in. these are nice, jump bbo shrimp. >> you don't have to turn it or anything? just cover it up? >> we put a top on it, cover it. a little parsley in here as well. we let that sit for about ten minutes. you're done. this is 30 minutes. and then viola -- you used to work in a french restaurant

evidently. >> yes. my job was to go "viola!" . >> so they'd keep you in the back and just bring you out every ten minutes? >> viola! >> we put a little bit of feta cheese. we like the real greek stuff. we're done with that. >> beautiful. >> and you crumble it up. >> fantastic. >> we spill a little on the counter for good luck. then here we are. >> it's a greek tradition. >> and then you've got rice? >> yes. serve this over rice. this is 30 minutes start to finish. >> that's so easy. it's great. and it smells amazing. >> that looks fantastic. that looks good. >> all right. >> all right. >> nice. >> lasagna. >> meaty lasagna. >> you bite into the pasta, it's hard, the cheese gets grainy, it

takes forever. do this entirely in the skillet in 40 minutes. pound the meatloaf mix with onions until it's no longer pink. >> why the meatloaf mix? >> it's got beef, pork and veal. veal has gelatin in it because it's young and gelatin helps thicken the sauce. >> okay. >> these are not -- these are just regular noodles. i know this looks really stupid. >> no, it doesn't. >> he's being nice. >> that's because i've had some vodka. >> look into his eyes. you can read what he's really thinking. then we have one 28-ounce can of tomato sauce. this is basically it. >> and you just cover it. >> you cover it and this will talk about 20 minutes. >> and then viola! >> he's so good at that. >> you're so good at that, al. it's all about the flare. >> we have a little ricotta. we have some mozzarella and

parmesan in here. >> you know, it actually looks really cool like that. >> and then you can do dessert in one skillet. >> yes. the problem with apple crumbles or crisp is that they put them in the oven, the apples are blond and have no flavor. so we saute the apples in butter and sugar for ten minutes. then we add cider. then we have the topping which is nuts, oats, sugar and flour. goes into a very hot oven. it's got juiciness. the cider is concentrated to get real apple flavor. it's good. >> and you still get the crispiness on top. >> then you put it in the oven to crisp up the top. apple crisp has very little flavor usually. >> try that. >> it's so good. delicious. >> where is mine? >> viola! it didn't have a top so i couldn't go viola!

that was the problem. >> do you get confused a lot? >> i do. that's right. >> always fun to have you here. >> it's always a pleasure. i never quo whauknow what's goio happen here. >> still ahead, brightening up your winter with some spring accents.

this morning in today's home, spring touches to brighten these dreary winter days if you're tired of the cold already. there are simple accents that you can add to liven up any room of your home. suzanna is here with affordable spring-themed decors. good morning. >> happy spring. are we almost there yet? we're not. >> it's never too soon. >> you don't have to wait until it's green outside to bring in color and flowers and life inside. >> decorators love to bring the outdoors in. that's a great way to go. starting with the entryway. >> right.

get rid of those dreary door mats. look at these. they've got flowers on them. they're an uplift the minute you come in. >> that's right. and you can get all the snow off your boots in the meantime. the kitchen? the easier way to add that color? >> these -- i love these bird plates. we get a bunch of them for lunch, for dinner. the fun little bird touches. this tray. these will be al's parting gift, as you said. i know how much he's going to love them. >> he's not a fan of the birds. they make him angry. >> instead of -- they make him angry? i would do like ten of them on a window. you could role really have fun these. it's the color, it lifts your mood. this curtain, really going for a wow factor with the floral, which i love the pink and yellow. this could look great in a girl's bedroom. >> or even as a shower curtain. >> yeah, anything. i just love the pop of the pattern. >> and you've got that great curtain back here as well.

this is something part of the living room motif. >> this has a mformality to it. it's a tapestry. it's -- it would look great in the winter and the summer. i'm crazy about the birds of paradise. this is the perfect curten to bring into your house. >> and in the living room, little things that can add a lot of flavor to a room. >> pillows are such an easy way, a cheap way to transit out your sofa. look at this fabulous pillow from pottery barn. the unexpecteds in s iness of t bold butterfly moth. this is more modern. look at the bird here. al might like this more. it's more hip. >> i don't even see the bird in that. >> you have to turn it. there's the bird. >> there we go. >> this one from pottery barn -- >> i was like, where is the bird? >> what's wrong with you, natalie? >> okay. >> the ferns, let's go with the

ferns. can we all see those? >> the ferns from pottery barn. it doesn't have to be flowers. can could be ferns or butterflies. >> you've got the great lamp here. >> unexpected whimsical touches anywhere in your living room around your house can do wonders. these are all so affordable. >> over here you've got the bedroom. >> love this rug. this is a great new rug. just out today. this is only 100 bucks. it can go outside or inside. i love the pink of it. >> very nice. then you've got the great bed spread. >> this is a more modern pattern for floral. i love the unexpected color combinations. this would look great anywhere. >> that's great. all of these are really affordable, easy to find. you've had west heelm here, pottery barn, pier one. >> you can find them online. it's just having fun with it. >> al, suzanne wants to give you a present. >> i don't think you can lift these up.

>> i brought my own bird. >> you know -- >> it's like a bird of paradise. it all works. >> if you can pair this with ceramic pigs, they're angry birds. >> that's the next segment. we'll work on that for you. >> poor suzanna. >> she had a flat tire. >> i know. >> she's wishing she didn't come in this morning. >> this was cutting you slack. >> thank you. coming up, hoda and kathie lee, all of your fashion problems solved with what not to wear.

time now, 9:56, let's get the latest on the forecast.

>> these numbers are climbing. we have got full sunshine over the bay area right now and we're already in the upper 50s in oakland, san francisco, 58 degree right now, we're going to see that 70-degree mark before we round out the day. 67 degrees in santa rosa, 67 in napa, and 63 degrees in fremont. as we head through this afternoon, a little windy in the east bay hills, that goes for the north bay as well. >> the wind like you said crossing over those bridges in afternoon and evening, hold on folks. we're seeing improvement, southbound 680. we'll show you the maps, it's been slow southbound 680 coming out of san ramon. a new accident right around north livermore eave. they should be able to move that because traffic flow is lighter now than over much of the

morning commute. northbound slow heading through san leander and heading toward the bay bridge toll plaza. >> a rash of armed robberies in one of the safest communities in the peninsula have police and citizens concerned. palo alto police hosted a packed community meeting last night to inform residents about the spree of robberies in their neighborhood. police say there have been more than 20 robberies in four months and most have involve a gun. so they're urging people to cooperate if they should become a victim. 7-year-old louise herrmann says she was robbed in front of her house. >> suddenly i heard bad words repeated from this guy, basically telling us that he would kill us both and blow our heads off. >> investigators say the robberies are striking all over town so it's difficult to know where to send extra patrols.

police say they have made eight arrests but should make more.

captions paid for by nbc-universal television yes, it's thirsty thursday, january 20th. it's my mom's birthday. and your adopted daughter, boo-boo. it's her 17th birthday today. one more day until our countdown appearing on jay leno tomorrow night. >> i've never done anything like that. i'm just going to follow your lead. what's going to happen? >> well, i guess he was talking about us last night in

preparation. >> there's nothing to do. >> just show up. oh, there's something. >> let's hear what he said. >> on friday, kathie lee and hoda, kathie lee and hoda will stop by. you know, they have been drinking a lot on the show. in the morning, they're knocking back those wine coolers. we'll find out what that's all about. >> wine coolers? we don't drink wine coolers. >> he doesn't tell you if you go to do the "tonight show" he has a guy dressed in a little suit that comes around with a mobile bar to your dressing room to get you a little, shall we say, lubed up -- >> so when you go on. >> so you're like, hey, hey, hey, how ya doing. here's the secret, you pretend you had some but you don't. >> we do that on this show sometimes. >> do you remember brooke shields when she was on? she wanted it. she wanted it bad. >> sometimes they want it.

>> well, we have some bad news for the folks out in l.a. >> yes, we do. >> they have picked the rudest cities. we're going to do a countdown. the rudest city of all, los angeles, parentally. >> i don't believe that for a minute. >> the silver medal goes to new york city. the bronze to philly. >> the city of brotherly love. >> then miami and the nation's capital. i wonder how they decided people were rude? >> you know what i find? if you're a nice person, people are nice back to you. >> maybe it's like traffic, because in cars, you're not yourself. >> you aren't. i'm glad you live in new york so you don't drive much. >> because it gets on your nerves when people cut you off. it's not nice. really not night. i got in big trouble once, this is so bad. >> i love it. we need a graphic so hoda

confesses something. >> so i was going to speak at a graduation, and i was so late. my heart was pounding, i was late, late, late and working in a local market, and a car cut me off. and i got so crazy that i rolled the window down told him who was number one. i was so mad. and the guy unrolled his window and said let me tell you something, screaming at me. he mentioned our general manager's name and he goes i'm his good friend, just so you know and i looked at him and you know how the color drains out of your face. >> busted. >> but in that moment, in that moment when he cut me off and i was late, i lost it! >> you did a dr. laura. you wanted revenge. >> but it didn't really feel that good, even after the number one. >> what happened? what was the aftermath. >> nothing. i just tiptoed around the station for a while. i almost confessed because i

felt so terrible about it. but i didn't. >> is that the only time that incident has happened? was that temporary insanity? >> it just happens every time and then. >> every time you drive. >> i don't like driving. i don't like it. so here's bad news for you and me. >> i know. >> in the "daily news" they were looking at the sports odds for the games so he could place his bets. at the bottom of the entertainment report it tells you the first celebrity couples to split in 2011. the number one couple is ricky gervais and the golden globes. ashton kutcher and demi moore, angelina jolie and brad pitt, 10 to 1. prince william and kate, 25 to 1, kathie lee and hoda, 65 to 1. beyonce and jay-z are 100 to 1.

>> you know what, it's going to be regis and kelly. regis made the big announcement. so, you know, they got it wrong. >> they did get it wrong. >> you know what? you know why i'm not going to break up with you, hoda? ♪ i got you, baby ♪ i got you babe ♪ they say our love won't pay the rent, before it's earned our money's already spent mu♪ >> i couldn't ever tell if that was cher or sonny. >> what's significant hearing cher's voice is she has had a number one song in every decade -- >> for the past how many years? >> six decades -- no, six years. >> this is unbelievable. >> this one you're hearing right now --

>> what's the one now? ♪ babe, i got you babe >> i can't believe it's 50 years. unless it started like '65 and now it's, you know -- >> now, i do like that song. all right, that's enough. that's enough. >> we should bust joanne we will not name personally, because cher is one of those people that is insane. she's a cher stalker. she lives and dies for cher. she's still in her fan club. and i love cher, but i've never -- i've been in one fan club. >> joanne wears a cher necklace. this isn't like a young girl. >> well, bobby loves my little kitty. hello kitty too. >> we have a weird staff.

all right, let's move on. so "american idol" made its big debut. huge numbers. 16.4 rating. i don't know what that means. a lot, a lot, a lot of people watched. they loved jennifer lopez, steven tyler. >> i haven't watched it the last couple of years. frank watched and christine game over in her jammies. we had an "american idol" party the way we used to. i thoroughly enjoyed that. i thought it was so well produced. you cannot take your eyes off jennifer lopez, she is so beautiful. she's going to be fun just to tune in and see what she's wearing. >> i think that's what we were missing with the last couple. >> simon always wore the big thing. the big surprise to me is steven tyler. i loved him. >> me too, me too. >> he's so much fun. he has nothing to lose. he's loose as a goose and you can tell right off what he thinks. >> it just shows that you can score a big number and still be nice.

you don't have to be -- it's like with ricky gervais, do you have to be mean to get a good number or be nasty in order to get people to tune in. it just shows that you don't have to be. >> i think what the truth is, you've got to be who you are. if ricky gervais is like that, you've got to expect that and be authentic. ricky gervais is going to get a lot of work in life. he's not going to be crying the blues. >> he's going to be sought after, especially after that, i bet. >> yeah, different kinds of work he's more appropriate for, right? >> so we showed you this picture of this woman who was texting in the mall and she fell into the fountain. let's just watch it one more time for fun. >> for news purposes. >> the good news is she got up and got out. turns out that she works in the mall and she's upset because the security guards who were taping this stuff and i guess were not supposed to release it were not only taping it but were laughing as they were watching it. she said that she's troubled by

what happened. >> here's the thing. first of all, she works there, she should know there's a fountain there. >> those are the basics. >> i think, i don't know how long she's worked but that's a big, big fountain. >> right, right, right. >> and second of all, she got up right away. >> she seems fine. >> she seemed fine. i don't think there's a lawsuit here. >> she was saying she was embarrassed. but nobody knew who she was. >> aren't you embarrassed when you slip on the ice and people see you? it happens. don't text on the ice either. >> when i fall, no matter how bad it is, i laugh. oh, my god, you know, you just have to laugh because you're sprawled out. there's nothing else to do. >> every time you fall, your wallet falls out of your purse and that's another thing to laugh about. >> i think we need a little birthday. >> okay. this one is, it's a song for us. it's by pink.

>> i love pink. >> and this one is called "raise your glass." >> let's go. >> which we had one today, jerry. >> and please crank it up as loud as you can so you drown out the singing. ♪ lights, lights, turn off the lights, we're going to lose our mind tonight, what's the deal io ♪ ♪ turn the radio, where's the rock and roll ♪ are you ready, here we go. ♪ panty snatcher, call me up -- >> here we go. here we go. ♪ why so serious, so raise your glass if you are wrong in all the right ways ♪ >> you don't like me. ♪ we will never be, never be

anything -- >> this is our theme song. >> all right, turn it down. >> mazeltov. i like it. >> so that's our new theme song. we should do that. "raise your glass," come on, what's better than that? >> i know what is. ♪ everyone has -- >> some people just write darn good songs. okay, or not okay. i like this one. pregnant and betrayed. >> say it ain't so. >> is it okay to sleep with your dog in bed? >> some people say they sleep with their dog every night and they don't have a pet, you know. i did not say that. what did you say, hoda?

>> i said -- you said how cute is your dog? i think that's a good one. and you said, you know what they say, let sleeping dogs lie. >> i don't know what that meant. >> i don't know. they said they need it right away and that's what i was. >> i can always tell when you've just said -- >> anyway, i have no idea what that meant. i don't know what that is. >> i think that's our exit music, right? >> yeah. you and your spouse make the perfect couple? then we've got a show for you. olivia munn is here. >> is she tweeting? >> she's tweeting. >> about us? >> be nice. >> all right. >> she's going to be right with us. >> we've got so much. stay with us. impressive resume. thank you. 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 ? can help your kids' school get extra stuff. they're the only cereals with box tops for education. you can raise money for your kids' school. look for this logo... only on big g cereals. you can make a difference. every cereal box counts.

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tonight a new reason to stay home and cuddle on the couch, a sitcom called "perfect couples" on nbc and you just might be able to relate. >> the show about three very different couples all striving to be perfect starts out on game night and doesn't seem to go as smoothly as they had hoped. >> be 1, be one. sorry, stacey and i won't be on a team with anybody else. >> you seacrested me. it feels like we're back in college again. who wants to get wasted? >> alcoholics do, rex. >> i love it when you contain me. >> all right. >> you're dream makers, olivia. dream maker, baby.

>> here's the song. mazeltov. >> you were tweeting today. what did you tweet? >> that i wanted to get day wasted with you. although i think i just need to catch up with you. >> we just started with you. we're trying to be polite. >> we just like our guests to feel at home. >> oh, i love it. >> so the big deal about you right now, not just the brand new series, but a little controversy, missy. >> you're on "maxim" magazine and people were upset. nbc has taken liberties to fuzz out -- >> yes, that looks worse. >> but you can see through the underwear a little bit. >> i looked at it very closely and i'm the biggest prude in the world. i found nothing wrong with it. >> most girl friends of mine, no one ever sees what they're talking about. i think men are much more, you know -- maybe people who started it, they haven't actually seen a

vagina and weren't sure what it was. >> that's the thing, though, i didn't see your vagina. >> they don't know what it looks like. oh, it's there. and they're like -- >> let's just call it gina. >> sorry, i'm day wasted. i can't control myself. >> the woman had one sip. >> i'm not responsible. >> so your show is called "perfect cup 'ouplecouples." you're the only one not married. >> i'm the only one completely alone, drinking with hoda and kathie lee. >> what are you saying, that's as bad as it gets? >> no, it's better than everybody else. >> how is a girl like you not with someone? >> i just hate sex. >> you do? >> no, i'm kidding. no, i just went through a period of my life where i decided i don't want to hang out with people until i feel compassion. what's life for if it's not to feel a powerful thing. >> i wish more people did feel that way. >> your character is funny in

the show because you play this type a, roger -- just roger straight arrow kind of girl, right? >> yeah. she just loves life and everything is going to be great and here's a self-help book because you might need it and, ew, less carbs, but i love you. >> but it's so cute the way you got this role. it was tina fey, apparently, right? >> well, i auditioned for a role on "30 rock" and i didn't get it. thanks. >> you got it for a very good reason, you looked too young. >> you were going to lay alec baldwin's love interest. >> that's a little sick. >> i think he's very handsome. >> he is. but you're very young. >> but then so -- then at nbc they were trying to get me to a show at the same time. my executive producers, they were talking to robert carlock and tina fey said who do you think we should put in the show and apparently they both said me and wrote the role with me in mind. >> how cool is that.

>> and then she went to the audition and instead of them saying what have you done, she said to them what have you done. >> i did do that. i went through another period of my life where i thought i'm not going to research -- i got off the internet. i said i'm not going to prepare to know who the people are. i want to go on the script and interact with them. if i like them and like the script, not that i was in a position to be choosy at all because i'm very fortunate and so lucky, but i want to base it on that. this is my first pilot, first tv show. >> well, you're perfect in it. >> there she goes. >> you know what? and tweeting! >> watch my show. >> that would make me want to watch. >> it airs tonight at 8:30.

>> don't worry, everything is fuzzy from below. on nbc -- >> there's no smooth area. up next, internet video you'll want to share with your friends right after this. . [ inner monologue ] ahhh, my scalp itches. should i scratch it? he's so cute, scratching would just turn him off. maybe i'll...oops. [ scratching ] that's better. [ female announcer ] there's a better way to relieve an itchy scalp. new head and shoulders itchy scalp care shampoo and conditioner, with eucalyptus. its formula immediately soothes and delivers long-lasting protection between washes. leaving hair manageable. new head and shoulders itchy scalp care with eucalyptus. respect the scalp. love the hair.

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we're back with the webtastic. >> this video features a 9-month-old baby whose infectious giggle makes everyone laugh right along with him. >> what makes baby hugh laugh? chicken noodle. >> chicken noodle. [ laughing ] >> chicken noodle. chicken. noodle. [ laughing ] chicken noodle. chicken noodle. [ laughing ] >> macaroni. macaroni is not funny. spaghetti. noodle. [ laughing ] chicken noodle. [ laughing ] what about beef stew.

pot roast. peas and carrots. chicken noodle. [ laughing ] >> campbell's needs to call that baby right now. >> they try to do it now and he said he just gets sata little sheepish. >> they have got video. >> i'm loving it. >> makes you want to go out and buy campbell's chicken and noodle soup. how technology is hurting your kids and how to wean them out of it. >> amazing things people do. hi, i'm chanelle pickens. i was tired of living in my apartment and decided hey, let's go buy a house! i could go to quickenloans.com and sign all of the paper work i needed to take care of. it was nice to being able to call them whenever i needed to answer questions. quicken loans made everything super convenient and easy.

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breakfast!! [ male announcer ] so delicious you don't have to. golden crispy outside, warm and fluffy inside. did you make coffee too? yes... i will. [ male announcer ] eggo waffles. time now 10:26, taking a look at the forecast as we slowly tart to warm up. >> temps already climbing into the 60s in some spots. offshore flow providing beautiful conditions and right now we're at 59 degrees at san mateo, you're already at 60 degrees in hayward and temperatures will end up close to that 70-degree mark. 63 degrees in fremont, you'll

probably be rolling down your windows on your way home from work. or turning on your ac. any problems out there on the roadway for drivers? >> not a problem, but there's a little slowdown, because of an earlier problem, i guess, so 101 northbound. we had an early accident at moffett and things were never quite right for the morning commute. the rest of the northbound routes are clearing over the next half hour. south into palo alto. and san mateo, a little unusual for this amount of slowing approaching the 92 bridge, but we have seen things really change in the last five minutes. both sides of the bay moving smoothly. a live look at the bay bridge toll plaza shows you that there's a very light volume of traffic.

next time you go to the san francisco zoo, make sure to check out the newest babies, an instant giant anteater is going to be on display starting this afternoon. the zookeepers do not know the sex of the little one yet, so right now they have not picked out a new name. the baby anteater will ride on its mothers back for about a year until it can become a little bit more independent and

a little stronger. the "today" show is coming up next, we'll see you back here tomorrow morning. today's moms is brought to you by walmart. moms, head to your local walmart today to find ways to save money. live better. >> we're back on this thursday, which olivia munn took liberty. today's moms and how technology is affecting your kids. the internet has made life easier but it's also changed the dynamic of relationships and how kids communicate. >> michelle is an educational psychologist and linda is the editor in chief of "family circle" magazine. >> they are a lot of fun.

>> now, it's kind of interesting, it seems 11% of parents with kids under 18 worry the internet is reducing the amount of face time the kids have with their friends. you'd think that the number would be way higher than 11% to me. >> well, i think what's happened is we put all of our emphasis and our concerns on the cyberbullying and predators and all of a sudden we're beginning to see it's not just out there, it's also in here that our kids are being affected. so first, the digital media world is here to stay, folks. the key that we've got to keep thinking about as parents is, yeah, they're plugged in but what are they tuning out. the big concern that we all have is social competence and those friendship skills may be going down. >> are you seeing that, linda? >> our readers are concerned about that. they're missing out on practicing interpersonal skills which is critical as they grow up, go to college, make new friends. so all the time they spend either texting or im'ing is time

not spent looking somebody in the eye, reading facial expressions. >> if it's the whole generation doing it, it's a level playing field, isn't it? i'm playing devil's advocate. >> but relationships 101, you look at health and happiness and also look at the world it's impacting. it's not just friendship-making skills. it's also dinging our time with our kids. if the average kid is plugged in seven and a half hours a day -- >> that's unbelievable. >> i read that and couldn't believe it. >> that's like a full-time job. >> it means the other time they're sleeping and going to school. >> isn't that also they are doing homework? i can tell when my daughter is listening to music or talking to her friends and i can tell if she's on her computer because she's working on homework. >> but they're still facing a screen. the only way to learn the friendship skill is facing look me in the color of my eye and let's talk. >> and they're beautiful. >> thank you very much. >> this is like a 24/7 party for

them. it's where all their friends are. it's kind of irresistible. so parents have to step in at some point. >> but what do parents do? kids like facebook, they're doing their homework on the computer. >> and all they use is a few sillables. >> i would think it's -- >> obviously there's some plusses. these kids are -- first of all, nobody in the world will be multitasking better than they are. we know that there's some benefits, that it could actually be truiggering little neurons. they are faced with wonderful information unfiltered and there's a part that we are more connected, at least electronically, to them. grandmothers love it because they're skyping. a deployed soldier will stay face to face. >> they're communicating. and skype is face-to-face at least. >> parents can't shut down everything, can they? facebook, tv, all the video games. what can they do? >> first of all, they can lead

by example. so when you come home, put your phone away. >> sometimes i forget -- >> vibrate, vibrate. >> leave it on the table and mom says somebody is texting you. i'll say it's okay, i'll look at it later. so you have to lead by example and you have to cut down the screen time. >> i love the lead by example. oftentimes we point to our kids but we just did interaction with 3 to 5-year-olds. what are you most concerned b when mommy is on the blackberry. >> when my kids were growing up, one of the best things a friend told me, here's a rule in our house, if it's sunny, you are outside. you are outside getting fresh air. the only excuse to be indoors is if you have school to do, school work, or it's a lousy day and then we find movies or something. >> i think that's another great point. we've got to start earlier 101. you don't put the rules at age 13. so let's start monitoring.

let's start by assessing how much time are our kids really online and not go thinking it's their kids, it's also ours. >> you've got to do basic things like sit down to dinner together. >> and not just parenting because you have kids, good parenting. >> we do pay the electric bill so we can also use the off switch. >> common sense. up next, how you look like you're ready for the runway when you step out of your own closet. we show you how to dress for your body type after this. but creating them? k ama, that's a whole different story. introducing new almay intense i-color smoky-i ki first, sweep the smoky eye color across your lid. then add the crease- accentuating shade, and a highlight under your brow. only from almay. only for me.

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revlon has something cool for your skin. infused with hydrating coconut water, new colorstay aqua mineral makeup feels cool on your skin leaving it smooth and luminous. i've never felt makeup like this before. new revlon colorstay aqua mineral makeup. with today's style, the solutions to your well dressed dilemmas. >> if you ever wished you had a stylist to help dress you, clinton kelly is macy's style expert and is here with the answers to the style questions he's asked most often. >> how are we doing? >> good. i want to talk about what we were talking about. >> it's a party around here. >> mommy issues is all we were talking about really. >> we're going to talk about how you can dress appropriately with your different issues and one of

them is to dress appropriately for your age, right? >> this is the number one question i'm asked when it comes to being stopped on the street. clinton, how do i dress appropriately for my age. this question arises around, you know, the age of 40ish is when women start asking if they're too old to be participating in certain trends. >> this is adorable. >> guess what, women have asked me am i too old to wear jegings. you don't do a jeging at the age of 40 or above the way you do it with a tube top, with a t-shirt or sneaker. so you do it something very classic up on top like this classic tunic and a great shoe and a bag. that's how you do it. >> she's not over 40, is she? >> no. i have four criteria. never too much cleavage, never

too much leg, absolutely no belly button and don't ever wear anything a hooker might wear for marketing purposes. >> well, the cleavage and leg thing we might have an issue with. let's talk about lauren who's coming out so how to camouflage the tummy. >> the best way to camouflage a tummy by far is with a jacket. if a jacket has shape built into it, you don't have to worry about your body having the hourglass shape because your jacket does that for you. if it's too hot for a jacket, you want to look for a shirt or something underneath that's got some sort of gizmo, whether it's a knot or twist that adds extra fabric there which camouflages the tummy very well. >> you're calling everybody honey laty, you know. >> i know. >> personally, i like it. >> let's bring whitney out. >> oh, i love that. >> there's nothing wrong with being petite but if you want to look slimmer, you might want to

look taller because it gives you a visual stretch. it's like the comics on the silly putty where you stretch them out. the best way to look taller is to elongate the leg. you can do that with a heel. platform heels give you an extra inch. you want to emphasize the natural waist or slightly higher. that makes the legs look longer and a v-neck elongates the neck. so elongate the neck and the legs and you look taller overall. >> if she took off that belt, though, that would do it as well, wouldn't it? >> you can even do a skinny belt. the idea is keep the leg line look nice and long. >> thatnks. >> there was a commercial on before the show started. >> i'm doing my eighth season of "what not to wear." and this incredible contest with macy's, the million dollar makeover. >> you're a paid spokesperson for macy's. >> i am a paid spokesperson. >> well, you go to macy's

facebook page and enter yourself. we're going to choose eight finalists for the contest and america will choose who gets the million dollar makeover. it's clothes and things for your home. >> a million dollars? >> it's like products and experiences. a million dollars. >> and experiences. >> yes. >> that's great. >> you get your makeover from me, so that adds up after a while. >> that's adorable. >> let's bring all the models out. you ladies did a great job. >> i don't have mom issues. >> right. up next, he shares the same last name with his dad, harrison ford. me even more on my hotel?ve well, hotels know they can't fill every room every day. like this one. and this one. and oops, my bad. so, they give expedia ginormous discounts with these: unpublished rates. which means i get an even more rockin' hotel, for less.

my brain didn't even break a sweat. where you book matters. expedia. 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 ?

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you already have one. oh. ♪ time for today's kitchen and we're getting spicy with moroccan lamb stew. it takes time to make it, but it's wort every ingredient. >> ben ford, chef and pro pry

tore of ford's filling station in california. >> your voice is very familiar. you've got your dad's voice. >> it's a little husky right now. >> and his impish grin and his hair. >> the hair? >> in other words, we're really glad you're here. >> we're glad your here for you though, ben. we're not like those people who suck up just because your father's a big star. we're happy you are here. >> we're going to do moroccan lamb. this is a dish that we do at our restaurant in california. we start off with a little bit of -- we saute some lamb. we've got some onions sauteing. we've got some spices, some cayenne, some tumeric. mar saula? >> like the wine? >> no, it's like a curry. we're going to add a little bit

of our -- >> how long have you been cooking, ben? >> 25 years. >> how long has the restaurant been there? >> five years. >> how's it doing? >> it's doing really well. we're going to add our red wine. we're going to add our sherry. >> she drinks this before we can use it in the recipe. >> cook that for about ten minutes. >> what is this? >> stock. then you add your beef stock. this would reduce, take another 10 or 20 minutes. this is cauliflower head that we took. let me show you how we did that. we take it and really shave it off through a food processor and that allows us to tget it. this is roasted red peppers and

some jalapeno. we're going to saute those up. >> i love those spices. >> what could you have there? tumeric and a little cumin. >> look at hoda knowing her spices. >> we're going to do this. >> oh, my gosh, this looks awesome. >> for a few minutes until you've got all your flavors incorporated. cover this, cook it for about five minutes. >> when does the lamb go in? or does it go on top? >> that's the best part right here. >> we've got some over here. we have our cous-cous. we've got a little bit of mint. >> you can leave that out? >> it is a great introduction to mint because it's not that strong but it really does aid the dish and give it some authenticity. >> what are the other greens? >> parsley and a little basil. >> is moroccan your favorite

kind of food? >> no, i actually trained on mediterranean. this restaurant is an american regional restaurant. >> let's get a little taste. we've got to taste. >> you've got to eat, baby. >> the color on this is just great. there we go. >> i should have done that more artfully, i'm sorry. >> that's all right. then put some shallots on top. >> you go girl. >> it looks unbelievable. >> it smells good too. i wish they could smell it but that's just the way it goes. tv land. >> ben, that is absolutely delicious. >> we're going to be back with a woman who makes her living as a mermaid. but first, this is "today" on nbc.

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we are back with our special series, they get paid for that? jobs that you probably had no idea existed. >> sarah is here with one job that's every little girl's fantasy. >> this is one job that is part model, part environmental advocate and all fun. it's not a fish, it's not a submarine, it's linda, a professional mermaid. >> it's an incredible waying to make a living. it's the most fun i've ever had in my life. >> the ocean is her office and she gets paid to appear in photos, commercials and private events. >> do you ever stop and say like this is my job? >> it is truly a dream come true to be able to do something that's not only so much fun and something i enjoy tremendously, but it's sending a positive message to children.

>> that message, the ocean and all the creatures in it are sacred. >> if children get into the ocean themselves, and they go underwater and experience seeing a real dolphin in its environment, they're going to fall in love with the ocean. what we love, we can serve. >> take a deep breath. >> as an accomplished free driver, she can hold her breath for almost five minutes. she helped me get to a fraction of that. super strong lungs do not make a mermaid. she needed a tail, so she had a special effects artist build a 35-pound silicone apendage, complete with hand-sculpted scales. >> this was my life. really i spent all of my time and energy and money working on this tail. when the stars aligned for this to happen, i just thought now or never, this is it. >> what can we do to help sea turtles on the beach? >> this little mermaid staked her claim.

her company, mermaids in motion, provides edcudtainment. inspiring a sense of wonder and giving children a chance to swim with the dream. >> wow, she's pretty. >> i'm jealous. >> my hope is that through the work that i'm doing, starting with these very sweet little people, the kids, we can make a change and start raising the consciousness about what we do every single day that affects the ocean positively and negatively. >> you can check out a video on how she designed her mermaid tail tail. tomorrow we have an ambush makeover. >> bye, everybody. it was a great thursday. [ female announcer ] every box of general mills big g cereals

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