good morning. breaking news -- whiteout conditions and treacherous from that monster winter storm brings cities to standstill from the midwest to maine. following australia, take a look at this. massive category 5 cyclone is roaring ashore right now. we are there live. violent clashes, pro and anti-government protesters this morning after egyptian president hosni mubarak said he would not step down for six months. nbc news is on the streets. we will get the latest in a live report. and motive for murder. new evidence against the former reality show producer accused of murdering his wife in cancun.

did he plan her killing after she learned he was having an affair? her sisters speak out in an exclusive live interview wednesday, february 2, 2011. captions paid for by nbc-universal television > welcome to "today" at 7:00 a.m. on the west coast on this wednesday. i'm matt lauer. >> i'm meredith vieira. busy news morning following three major breaking stories at this point. >> that massive and dangerous winter storm is causing all kinds of misery here at home. meanwhile, an historic cyclone is lashing australia and violent clash necessary cairo are adding to the tension there. we are live with the latest on all of it beginning with the record-breaking storm. chicago is one of the cities hard hit. boston is another. let's begin in chicago. al is there once again this

morning. good morning. >> good morning, matt and meredith. about five minutes ago, you could see the skyline perfectly. everything was fine. we got a snow squall coming in and we have obscured visibility. o'hare airport in the last hour has picked up two inches of snow. put that on top of the 17.1 that's already fallen, we are very close to the 20 inches woytd take to make this the third biggest snowfall in chicago history. as it stands now, it's already the fifth biggest as it continues. both airports are open. operationally but there are few flights coming in or going out. lake shore drive is closed because of drifting snow and abandoned cars. up to almost 6,000 flights today have been canceled nationwide. this storm hit chicago hard. closing schools for the first time in a dozen years. and it is not done yet. it is barrelling now into the northeast. this monster winter storm took

aim at chicago tuesday night. the wind whipped snow blowing people around. check out these brave souls just fighting to stay on their feet in the blizzard. see what happened to my pals from the weather channel on live tv. >> oh, geez! listen to that! >> reporter: a burst of thunderstorm in chicago. lake michigan may look frozen but there's concern that high winds could cause waves as high as 25 feet to crash on to the iconic stretch of road. the powerful storm has already roared across the plains states with whiteout conditions. sheets of ice and dangerous roads. the monster storm reaches more than 2 thousand miles long from texas across the nation's midsection and into the northeast. the numbers are staggering. more than 100 million people will feel the effects of this

storm. more than two feet of snow has fallen in some areas. wind chills as low as negative 20 degrees and winds gusting as high as 70 miles per hour. air travel has already been crippled. more than 6,000 flights canceled across the country yesterday. that ripple effect could last for days. in dallas, good thing the big game this weekend will be played indoors. the storm has been a record breaker already. and now it is taking aim on the northeast. i don't care what the groundhog says. it looks like our winter woes are not over yet. as we go to the radar, you can get a sense still how wide ranging this storm is. the snow stretches from chicago. this is more lake enhanced snow. and then the main branch of the system is now over new england, bringing heavy snow and the areas in pink, that's frozen ip

ecpritation. just north of new york city. and then rain along the coast. new accumulations, probably another 6 to 8 inches of snow at least for boston and back into upstate new york. and we are looking at another 2 to 3 inches of snow as far back west as here in chicago. in fact, we also have ice to worry about anywhere from a quarter to a half an inch of ice which can bring down trees and which will bring down power lines and which will leave a lot of people in the dark. that's the latest from here in chicago. back to you. >> thank you very much. boston has also been hard hit yet again. one-two punch that dumped nearly another foot of snow on that city. nbc's peter alexander is there with more. peter, good morning to you. >> reporter: it is not much of a good morning here in boston right now. they refer to this as a one-two fist punch. ten inches of snow in the last 24 hours. last hour, we have seen rain, sleet and snow. a lot of the state is seeing

freezing rain. this is a fresh blanket of snow. beneath it is all that snow. on top of sit this glaze of ice which is making driving conditions very dangerous throughout this area here. jackknifed tractor trailers on the massachusetts turnpike. stand out throughout this area. we are watching a plow from this direction go by here. we will let him go by as he does his job p. to give you a better sense of what's store in this area, schools are closed. 680 schools in the boston area are closed or on delayed start today throughout the area. ice is the word. you have to be careful. this is what they are referring to as an exhausting encore. they call this groundhog day, meredith. saturday could be groundhog day again with more snow in the forecast. >> they don't need any more. peter alexander, thanks very much. a much different weather concern in australia this morning. a dangerous and powerful cyclone lashing parts of that country.

kay, good morning to you. can you give us a sense of what the conditions are like where you are. >> reporter: good morning. yes, i'm speaking to you from queens. it is one of the gateways to our beautiful great barrier reef. we are in the middle of what has been described as theec largest storm to strike australia. the first in five weeks. this one, it is the biggs one we have had. it is theekategoryy 5to srm sit winds predicted to be around 300 kilometers per hour. at the moment, i'm speaking to you from cairns. stockholm, approximately an hour ago, around midnight, queensland time. now, if good news, meredith, is that perhaps it is not proving as powerful as our forecasters first predicted. the full extent of this devastating storm is not going

to be known until morning. we are lucky in that yasi slipped south and ground zero is a little settlement called mission base. very close to another community that some of your viewers may recall was absolutely devastated by floods in 2006. >> i know people had quite a bit of warn being this cyclone. do you feel they were properly prepared for it? >> reporter: yes. they are very used to cyclones. walking around today and talking to the locals, very concerned because nobody had ever seen anything quite like cyclone yas and i the predictions being made. we estimate there are approximately 11,000 people who opted to pack up what they could or jus g jb the kids and family pet and head to an evacuation center. we have seven operating in

cairns at the moment. some people have been turned away. there was not enough room to commodate everybody as they grabbed mattresses and blankets, chair. >> all right. kay mcgrath, we appreciate you talking to us this morning. please take care and thank you so much. >> reporter: thanks. 7:09 pacific time. here is matt. >> thank you. the unrest in egypt and this morning's violent clashes between anti-government protesters and supporters of president hosni mubarak. nbc's chief foreign correspondent richard engel is in cairo. he got a firsthand look at the situation on the streets there. richard, good morning. what did you see? >> reporter: good morning. the situation here has turned much more hostile than it has in previous days. egyptians are now fighting egyptians. the supporters in favor of president mubarak are on the streets and taken over parts of the neighborhood where we are right now. for the last several hours, they have been violently clashing with anti-government protesters. there have been tear gas fired and we are hearing shots

periodically in this area. the army, which has been on the streets, is mostly pulled back watching it happen. organized groups of pro-mubarak supporters, rowdy, in the thousands. marched on downtown cairo today. they headed to tahrir square. almost immediately they clashed with much larger groups of anti-government demonstrators. the mubarak supporters came with forces. the two sides with bricks and stones. several people were injured. the clashes spread outside of tahrir. accused of favoring demonstrators were quickly mobbed. >> starting to spread outside of tahrir square. crowd of angry people, angry. several journalists were attacked. these are the first clashes

between egyptian civilians and could yourer in a much more dangerous phase of what has been, until now, a revolt against the government. many demonstrators claim that the pro-mubarak supporters are paid. or may have been inspired by president mubarak's speech last night when he repeatedly called the protesters lawbreakers and said egypt has to choose between civility or chaos. many demonstrators fear that this is a pretext president mubarak will use to usher in a much bigger crackdown. meredith, matt, back to you. >> all right. i will take it. thank you so much. brian williams is now joining us also in the egyptian capital. good morning to you. i know that you were there when the clashes began, pro-mubarak forces and also anti-government protesters. tell us what you saw. >> reporter: interest sounded, when we all got up this morning, like a small american college town. we heard drums that 00 been a part of the protests so far.

we saw banners, we saw various what looked like neighborhood marches. we saw camels and horses but then we saw what they were carrying. pictures of hosni mubarak. those haven't been very popular here over the last several days. sticks and -- makeshift weapons. and then i saw young men and women grabbing stones off of the banks of the nile. since then they have started breaking up paving stones downtown. so -- this was anatomy of -- demonstration. we saw it playing out before our eyes, before we really knew what it was going to turn into. >> have you seen the army doing anything at all to stop this? >> reporter: the army, meredith, at last report did fire, as rich art on reported, one or two volleys of tear gas. but down near the egyptian museum, they have been very casually sitting on their armored personnel carriers and their tanks. they got behind the gates of the egyptian museum. only because if you fire one

shot, if you fire one canister of tear gas, you are in the fight. this fight was between pro and anti-. >> yeah. brian, very quickly, when i talked to you earlier you said none of this seemed directed at the media. has that changed? >> reporter: that sure has changed because those pro-mubarak protesters came and surround eed the hotels where mt of the media were staying. we did talk about that earlier. the answer earlier was because the downtown has been in the control of the demonstrators. media were welcomed. that has changed. a couple people roughed up. punched in the head, a report of a journalist getting stabbed and so on. we will see what happens. >> brian williams. thank you very much. we will have more on the protests throughout the morning. now here's matt. thank you very much. what happens next in egypt? james baker served as secretary of state under president george h.w. bush. secretary baker, it is good to

see you. let me bring you developments from the streets of egypt in the last several hours. the military is calling for an end of the demonstrations of the past week. a spokesman saying your message has arrived. your demands became known. you are capable of bringing normal life to egypt. what's the significance of that message coming from the military at this point? >> the military, of course, is highly respected in egypt. and for a number of days now people have been trying to speculate and determine what the military might do. what the military does is going to be critical. and so this is yet another development. i think that it is still too early to determine exactly what the end game is going to be. although ultimately, of course, it is going to be a change of government. >> let's talk about our side of this. you know, like him or not, hosni mubarak has been a friend of this country for the past 30 years. >> right. >> supported by presidents down the line. how we treat this friend at this moment is being watched very

carefully. how are we doing so far? >> i think we are doing very, very well, quite frankly. this is a perfect example of why it is difficult sometimes to conduct foreign policy. because we have competing interests at stalk here. we, of course, have our principles and values, democracy, freedom, human rights. we also have national interests and for 30 years, president mubarak has been a strong ally of sxours fought with us in the fight on terror and he sent troops to fight alongside ours in the first gulf war. he has been strong in terms of promoting arab/israeli peace. any number of examples of why he has been an excellent -- worst thing in the world would have been if the administration quickly pulled the rug out from under him. >> other leaders in the arab world who may fear that they are next are watching very closely how we deal with this ally. >> absolutely. they are. i think the administration has done a good job so far. >> as a diplomat you are trained to look beyond the borders of a specific conflict and look into a broader landscape. when you look in the broader region, do you see a domino

effect? are you worried that this instability that seems to go from tunisia to egypt will move beyond egypt into the rest of the region? >> i think we should be worried. and my view, stability should not be a dirty word in the foreign policy. stability is good. it doesn't mean you sacrifice your principles and values just to promote stability. >> it can be seen as status quo. >> it can be. it can be seen as repression and a host of other things. stability can be good. we should be very concerned about what happens next. not just in egypt but in the region. you know, just the other day, muslim brotherhood officials said that if mubarak goes there will be war between egypt and israel. that's not something anybody should want. so we have to be very careful and i think the administration has been. >> with the hopes that that is one extreme statement, though, let's stay on israel for second. how worried should be the israelis be about what they are seeing happening in egypt right now? >> i think they ought to be plenty worried and my suspicion is they are. they do not need a radical

islamic egypt on their border. egypt is the biggs arab country there. they have 85 million people. huge border with israel. first country to -- agree to peace with israel broke all of the arab policies that -- pre-existing policies. it has been a cold peace but been peace nevertheless. >> again, asking you to call our experience as a diplomat. there are front channels and there are back channels. >> right. >> we know what the president told the american people yesterday that he said to hosni mubarak, there's also contact between our government and the opposition in egypt. and the military in egypt. what's being said behind the scenes? >> well, you know, i am not priy to what is being said. >> what do you guess is being said? >> i suspect what's being said is look, we want to see a peaceful conclusion of this crisis. we want to see it move in the direction of democracy and human rights for the egyptian people. but we want it to be done carefully and to be calibrated properly.

we don't want instability. we don't want a situation to develop where we get a radical islamic fundamental government in egypt. that would be the worst thing in the world for us and the region. >> ten seconds left. is president obama -- mubarak safe right now? is he safe within the presidential palace? >> i think he is safe, yes, do i. he has strong ties to the military. he came out of the military. the military da-- in your repor would not permit him to be -- >> that would be for us and egypt and the region. >> mr. baker, always nice to see you. thanks four time this morning. it is 18 minutes after the hour. let's get a check of the rest of the morning's news stories. good morning. in the news we begin with a positive sign for the economic recovery in the united states. the dow closed above the milestone 12,000 mark on tuesday for the first time in 2 1/2 years and posted the best january since 1997. for more on this we go now to

cnbc's trish regan at new york stock exchange. what does this indicate for the economy? >> good morning p certain lay positive sign. the reason for that is that investors are always trying to anticipate what the economy will look like six to nine months before they are there. investors want to be ahead of the curve. when you see this bullish sentiment it is a good sign for the economy. that said, there's certainly a lot of head winds out there. mainly coming from the real estate market and also employment. the jobs report comes out friday. that's a biggie. >> trish regan this morning. thanks so much. today republicans are pushing the senate to repeal the new health care law that a repeal is likely to be rebuffed. a new full body scanner starts a trial run today at three u.s. airports. federal aviation officials say that this one will protect travelers' modesty providing less details than the current controversial scanners. the kepler telescope doubled

the number of potentially life sustaining planets from what was previously thoughts in a announced this morning. with the new data the site is believed there are more than 1,000 planets outside of our solar system. the most famous sandbar in biscayne bay is getting more attention today. first it was, of course, that mysterious piano. well, now, a day after it was removed a table set for a fancy dinner has taken its place. and maybe because he couldn't get a reservation in miami a traffic helicopter caught a man that kayaked to the spot waiting to be served. oh, my goodness. it is 7:20. let's go back to matt and may meredith. a sense of humor. >> somebody has too much time on their hands. >> i think it is clever, actually. >> let us head back out to snowy chicago. al is out there as he has been the last day or so. al, how is it going? >> well, matt, i will tell you. we have another squall line coming in.

this one dumped about two inches of snow in -- at o'hare. now it is here and we may actually move up from the biggest snowstorm to the third biggest. it was -- before this is all over. plus, we have also got to worry about cold air. cold air funneling down. take a look at some of the current temperatures. i mean, it is brutality bone chillingly cold into the plains states with temperatures below zero for a high. these are current temperatures. look at the afternoon highs. they don't get much better. in some of the places factor in the winds and it feels even worse. so just a miserable day throughout the plains and into the south. all of this is making its way into the south and the east over the next 72 hours. that's what's going on around the country. >> well, as cold air breaks out across the nation, we are seeing some really mild temperatures to start. these numbers are going to climb into the mid-60s before all is

said and done. 65 is the forecasted high in concord where you're at 45 degrees right now. as we head through this afternoon, lots of sunshine, we don't have any fog to worry about. it's gusty, though. through the mountain passes some offshore winds. that's going tng blp bri temperatures up into the 60s.ri >> that's your latest weather. now back to new york and mayor zblith you, too, al. much more on this massive winter storm coming up. also coming up, the latest on the murder case against bruce bare forward redm bereford redman. [ male announcer ] 95% of all americans aren't getting enough whole grain.

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good wednesday morning to you. it's 7:26 now. i'm laura garcia-cannon. i want to check the forecast with christina. >> good morning to you. it's always a little easier to get out the door when it's kind of mild. that's what we're seeing, 50s in san francisco, oakland and santa rosa. mid-40s in the east bay and we're cool this morning in gilroy, 31 degrees. don't worry about frost. fog is not a problem. we'll see gusty winds throughout the day today pushing from land to sea, that's helping to keep things warm. 64 in los gatos. 64 degrees in livermore. we head through the big super

bowl weekend temperatures are only going to climb toward 73 degrees by sunday. let's check the morning drive with mike. >> we're not going to complain about 73. the roadways, we have the bay bridge, approach westbound, eastbound at the toll plaza reports of a disabled vehicle. that will be a problem getting off the bridge. slow down the east shore from the carquinez bridge. the benicia bridge had the wind advisory. we're expending that across the water. a smooth drive through livermore but the commute builds, 22 minutes through the altamont pass. clear but windy over the east bay hills. the northbound commute has started as well as 85, 87 okay downtown. >> thank you very much. more problems for pg&e this morning, it's not what people want to hear. new gas leaks are popping up. marla is live near the explosion site with more. >> reporter: laura, the newly discovered gas leaks were found not far from where we are at the explosion site in san bruno.

in all, 21 new gas leaks have popped up. three of them in south san francisco, which is in close proximity to the line that ruptured back in september. the good news is, though, those gas leaks have been repaired t 21 new leaks are in addition to the almost 40 leaks initially found in october. it has been almost five months since the explosion killed eight people and destroyed 38 homes. the cause of the blast is not known, to be determined by the national transportation safety board. >> thank you very much, marla. i'll have a local update in a half hour. see you then. [ female announcer ] back to school means back to busy mornings.

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but our favoritehing is eing totino's pizza rolls. ♪ we' the kids inmerica he surveyed his surroundings carefully and found that there was no shadow around. so an early spring it will be! [ cheers and applause ] >> 7:30 on this wednesday morning, february 2, 2011. it is groundhog day. you just heard it. punxsutawney phil has made his annual prediction. he did not see his shadow, so it will be an early spring. great news in chicago and boston where they are dealing with a major winter storm that dumped snow and ice from the midwest east. inside studio 1-a, i'm meredith vieira alongside matt lauer.

that's good news. why are you being -- [ laughter ] >> what does that say? that's not about today. it's about the future. that was disgusting, by the way. i apologize. >> they are dealing with a record setting storm in chicago. we'll check in with al in a few minutes. >> are you done? >> i'm done. in pennsylvania, i'm done, i can tell you that. >> exactly. also ahead, switching gears, the sisters of the woman allegedly murdered in cancun by her reality producer husband speak out about chilling new evidence in that case. we're going to talk to them exclusively. >> and important news for parents if your kids eat school lunches. they are getting a makeover because some of the old standards have as much fat and calleries as two fast food burgers or seven tacos. we'll talk about the new options. >> first we have more on the crippling storm in chicago. hey, al.

>> reporter: good morning. 17.1 inches on the ground out of the storm so far. fifth biggest storm ever for chicago. it stretches 2,100 miles from texas all the way to new england. we've got power outages stretching from illinois and parts of indiana all the way into the northeast and we have another storm looming for the weekend. it's coming out of the gulf and getting itself together, pushing its way up through the gulf bringing with it snow and freezing rain for texas into the lower mississippi river valley. then it splits off and works its way up the coast bringing snow to parts to have tennessee. but for today, we are looking at the northeast, just a complete mess. out west, gorgeous weather. plenty of sunshine. nice and dry. temperatures on the cool side. all in all, not bad. plenty of sunshine through the gulf as well. >> good morning. well, you do want to check ahead with your carrier if you try to get over to the east coast.

basically everywhere check ahead today. 50 degrees, though in oakland. we're going to see beautiful condition, they wish that they lived on the west coast right about now. 46 degrees in san mateo. turning over to the mid-60s. 64 in los gatos, 62 in almaden valley and 64 in napa. lots of sunshine, even warmer as we head into tomorrow and super bowl weekend. forget about the groundhog. with weather like this check in with the weather channel on cable or weather.com online. matt? >> all right, al. thank you very much. what are you going to face if you hit the roads and you're brave enough to venture out in the snow and ice? kevin tibbles is slip sliding away, also in chicago. good morning to you. >> reporter: hey, matt. well, first off i should say the aaa is advising that you do not venture out today in your car if you are in the footprint of the monster storm. but if you have to drive or walk, for that matter, beware

the ice. it's a blizzaster. a dangerous cocktail of high winds, heavy snowfall and ice. >> obviously a state of emergency when there is ice and the power goes out. people freak out. >> reporter: motorists from tulsa to topeka navigating roadways that turned into skating rinks. at the height of the storm i took a drive with aaa. >> feel yourself starting to skid, look and steer in the direction you want to go. both hands on the steering wheel. >> reporter: even if you have a big four-wheel drive suv or truck doesn't mean you are immune to the ice. >> just because you're driving a tank doesn't mean you won't slip. >> don't rely on the technology of the car for an added sen eedf security. >> reporter: while the whiteouts swept over the country, some parts got an icy double whammy. >> whoa, okay? >> got to watch out for falling. >> it's awful, slippery.

>> reporter: extra crews were brought in to deal with potential power outages. >> with ice on the lines we could have problems because the ice is not going to leave. >> reporter: in indiana, even a huge truck of road salt fell victim to icy conditions, dumping its 22,000-pound load. for homeowners, snow melt and shovels for the top-selling items of the day. >> they make calcium chloride hockey pucks people can toss up to the roof to try to control that. >> reporter: but it is advised to keep your four-legged friends in mind. >> if you have pets, rock salt isn't a good choice. it gets into their paws and into their feet. >> reporter: matt, here is a tip, speaking of four-legged friends. did you know a lot of people in the plains states keep a bag of kitty litter in the trunk? that's a good way to keep the car going when it's stuck in the

snow. on a day like today, perhaps leave the car in the garage and take out the sled. have some fun. >> your best advice from aaa, stay home if you can. kevin tibbles, thank you very much. it's now 35 after the hour. here's meredith. >> matt, thank you. now details on the murder of the wife of a reality show producer. mexican authorities say bruce beresford-redman planned the crime. we'll talk to the victim's sisters in a moment. first miguel almaguer has the latest. good morning to you. >> reporter: meredith, good morning. bruce beresford-redman was first charged with murder in mexico nine months ago. since then he's been waiting for prosecutors to back up the charge. this week they did just that. prosecutors in mexico say bruce beresford-redman planned his wife murder. and a stack of evidence, 438 pages long, prosecutors call bruce's alleged actions premeditated.

the affidavit also revealed a motive for murder. a rocky relationship between bruce and his wife monica. according to the documents bruce rang up a $5,000 phone bill for a sex hotline. the documents include e-mails between bruce and his alleged mistress. investigators say monica threatened to take the couple's savings away if she wasn't granted a divorce. >> the mexican authorities seem to have strong evidence on motive. they have evidence that he was calling a sex phone line, that his wife found out, that they were fighting while in mexico. >> reporter: mexican prosecutors say beresford-redman, a hollywood producer tried to use his professional knowledge to, quote, hide important evidence which would have incriminated him. that evidence now released publically includes forensic reports of blood discovered in the couple's room. cancun investigators found her body dumped in a hotel sewer last april. according to a witness statement, a guest complained of

screaming the night of monica's murder. the autopsy shows monica was likely hit with a metal tube, a bat or stick and was then choked to death. >> we love our sister. >> reporter: shortly after the murder monica's family went to mexico to lobby for bruce's arrest. but he returned home to los angeles to care for the couple's two small children until november when he was taken into custody by u.s. marshals. his lawyer says he's innocent and will fight extradition to fight mexican murder charges. >> i think it's likely that sometime this spring the magistrate judge will decide if there is going to be extradition or not. then it has to go to the state department. i don't think this will linger much longer into the year. >> reporter: many legal experts say with this much evidence and a crime that appears to be premeditated it's likely that beresford-red it is man will be

extradited to mention ka but could take months. >> monica's sisters are with us exclusively along with their lawyer. good morning to you all. >> good morning. >> carla, were you surprised to learn that the mexican authorities are building the case against your brother-in-law, that he planned the whole thing, planned to kill your sister, that it was all premeditat premeditated? >> i actually had this feeling about it. i don't think -- i think maybe if there is more people involved in this, i want also them to pay for what they did. >> do you believe there were more people involved? >> i believe. >> why do you say that? >> on the premeditation. >> i think he didn't do that alone. and he's not the only mastermind

of this crime. and if i'm right and if there is more people involved, i want also them to be found and pay for what they have done to my sister. >> jeane, you look through the document, over 400 pages of detailed description of your sister monica's troubled marriage and disturbing details about the manner of her death. have you read through the filing? how difficult is it for you to do so? >> it's very difficult. it's also a shame really that my sister lost her life on that tragic situation and circumstances. at least i hope that this shows other people going through what she's going through to help them, that there is help and they shouldn't settle for that. for me it's been hard for the

past ten months. we really couldn't have any relief so far. it's been really hard throughout all this exposure and all -- you know, all this horrible and terrible facts. >> how have you coped emotionally? it has been ten months and it will keep going on much longer. >> well, it's very difficult. we just have to go one day at a time. you know, i don't have a way to describe. we have a lot on our plate right now and we are dealing with other issues related to the circumstances that really need us to be here strong and keep up with everything so we can be also the support to other people. >> can you tell me what you mean when you say you're dealing with other issues? >> yeah, of course. we have two kids involved. we have so much going on. we have an extradition, a case

in mexico. we have, you know, court dates in los angeles. so we have our own lives to cope with, my job. you know, it's so much to deal with. it's like two full-time jobs. you know, you have to be strong. i have to be strong. we all have to be strong and really go one day at a time andle really not be tied too much on our emotions and feelings now. we are not being able to grieve everything that we are experiencing. >> are you satisfied with the way the mexican authorities have dealt with the case? carla? >> yeah. yeah. i think they have been very serious. they did a really good job in the investigation. and i hope they keep him there,

locked. very well locked. >> g erour thoughts and prayers with you and your family. >> thank you. >> thank you. >> unfortunately we lost satellite contact with their lawyer, so we apologize for that. we hope to speak to her in the near future. up next, just how bad your kids' school lunches are and what's being done to make them healthier. that's right after this. so, you got a chevy malibu. nice. a consumers digest best buy three years in a row. and an epa - estimated 33 miles per gallon highway. and what does your neighbor have? a bad case of car envy. i mean they're rewards, right?

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back now at 7:45. we're talking school lunches. 32 million kids eat at least one school-provided lunch every day. to combat childhood obesity, there are new guidelines for school lunches for the first time in 15 years. we have with us the author of the eat this not that series including "eat this not that for kids." i want to go over the new guidelines. you think these are good news. >> back when i was in school food was good for just throwing. this is a good step forward after 15 years. >> the usda is calling for fewer starchy vegetables. they want calorie and sodium limits based on age of the student. milk must be 1% or fat free. chocolate milk must be fat free and they want to reduce trans-fat by using products with zero grams per serving. >> they are trying to say, look,

let's make the calories count. kids learn by example. that's what each of these examples here are going to show. >> we're going to look at some standard fare in terms of school lunches. you will talk about the equivalents and betterle alternatives. crispy chicken sandwich. what's the problem? >> it's 400 calories and nearly a half day's worth of fat. it's crispy chicken which is synonymous with chubby and with this you get the saturated fat equivalent of all of these chicken soft tacos from taco bell. you would be better off eating a couple of these instead of that because it's fried. if you have a burger, it's 350 calories sh not a big difference. but you have protein, produce, mustard and ketchup. >> five grams of saturated fat

versus 7 here. grilled cheese. >> it's fat toasted on fat. it's really devoid of nutrition. that's the problem. it's 350 calories, 16 grams of fat. it's the fat equivalent of two wendy's junior hamburgers. you can go with chili. the great thing about chili is kids usually hate beans but everybody loves chili. it's 300 calories versus 350. >> high in sodium though. 570 milligrams? >> correct. but it's an improvement. the average school lunch is 1600 milligrams of sodium which is a day's worth. the new guidelines pull that down. >> you see at a lot of schools on the lunch program the french bread pizza. this has pepperoni on it. what's the problem? >> 440 calories and empty carbs. it is the calorie equivalent of ten burger king chicken tenders. so overthrow the king.

go with a shaved roast beef and gravy. it's 240 calories. you're cutting the fat in half, shaving 200 calories. >> a small side order of french fries comparable to -- >> two mcdonald's mcchicken classic sandwiches. >> and the best news of the year -- >> tater-tots. they are baked. >> little keg-shaped pieces of heaven. >> whoever invented those is a genius. solves our problem. >> when it comes to milk what's the improvement? >> all fat will be low fat or fat free. chocolate milk must be fat free. >> good information, david. thank you. tater-tots, yes! still ahead, diana was a fashion icon. now kate middleton is creating

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>> good morning to you. it's 7:56. i'm laura garcia-cannon. want to check the forecast with christina. another nice one. >> a beautiful day for us, and you know what, when you put it in perspective you look at what's happening on the east coast, you'll appreciate what's to come because we're going to see temperatures climb toward record level as of tomorrow. 50 degrees in oakland, 51 in hayward. through this afternoon temperatures are going to be on the mild side compared to what we expect this weekend. 65 in oakland later. 64 in los gatos and here it is, that warming trend we've been promising you, 70 degrees already which tomorrow, 71 degrees for friday. up to 73 degrees on super bowl sunday. now, one thing you will notice we don't have clouds out there right now. clear skies are going to lead to a very cold night but tomorrow a beautiful afternoon.

without fog out there on the roadways, are there problems this morning? >> always problems with the commute. fog isn't one of them. the wind that blew the fog from the area that's one of the issues for the benicia bridge. the carquinez bridge may be windy as well. slow down the east shore freeway and the backup through the maze. you can see the cars moving. lighter volume of traffic as you approach. take you to oakland, 8:00 slowdown starting past the coliseum. south, the southbound 880 toward the san mateo and the dumbarton bridge slow into fremont. other side of the water t southbound direction also slow. slow from the airport through san mateo and into menlo park. take 280. that's adding slowing into san mateo as well. >> thank you, mike. the man accused of killing two people in a fisherman's wharf shop is expected in court.

he owns a shop. police say he walked into a rival shop sunday night and shot and killed two people who work there. wu was allegedly upset because the rival shop sells the same merchandise. he faces two counts of murder. 7:58. another local update in about a half hour.

>> new details about a custody fight that caused the as car winner to pull out of her latest movie project. >> but we're going to begin with that treacherous winter storm that is causing problems coast to coast. al is in chicago with more. al? >> meredith, matt, good morning. yes, we have a squall line moving through. it dropped two inches of snow per hour. and, in fact, this system now, this storm is now the third biggest storm in chicago's history. 19.5 inches of snow has fallen so far. and it's still coming down. we continue to track it. it's also caused a lot of problems both at airports midway and o'hare. still open. but functionally shut down

because most of the airlines canceled flights. schools closed, first time in 12 years. lake shore drive, still closed. unfortunately one fatality. somebody abandoned their car and actually fell into the lake and drowned, tragic situation. they're still pulling band ond cars off lake shore drive. this system is having far reaching effect. 2100 mile, over 100 million people affected by it. it's affecting air travel in the northeast as well. train travel in between new york and philadelphia and amtrak and new jersey transit, extensive delays throughout that region along the tracks there. this storm having a big impact. as far west and south as dallas, love field right now has closed down because of ice. they have rolling blackouts in dallas because of all the ice. putting a strain on the power grid. guys, back to you. >> thank you very much. let's get to the other major breaking story this morning, the

clashes between anti-government protesters and pro government demonstrators in cairo. nbc's lester holt is there. lester, it's evening. boy, it's been some day. >> reporter: it has been some day, an ugly afternoon and turning into an ugly evening here. here at the site of a battle for territory, of course, the anti-government protesters controlled it for eight days. today mubarak supporter came in pushing their way past the pro-democracy demonstrators who set up their own security checkpoints. then the rocks started flying, sticks and bottles. within the last half hour, we've seen flames at points within the square. we believe molotov cocktails were thrown. we saw water jets, whether they're water cannons to control the crowd or simply trying to douse the flames is a bit unclear. many in the square of the pro-democracy movementorchestra. we were seeing the seeds of it

as bans, mobs of supporters were marching through the streets into the streets. at one point we were stopped. they started beating on the car. so this is a very difficult situation. the security forces seem to be nowhere to be seen and the military has done nothing but seems to watch all this play out even after feeling earlier at the beginning of the day that when people were told to remain calm and end their protest. matt? >> lester holt, this is a story that we'll be continuing to cover throughout the day and throughout the week as events warrant. for now, let's go over to ann. she is checking the other top stories of the morning. good morning. good morning. this store in egypt is sending shock waves all across the middle east. this morning the president of yemen vowed not to seek re-election and or to install his son into office. and small protests are stacking up today. and in tunisia, the country that inspired the protests in egypt with its own popular uprising

would force its president to flee. there is still sporadic violence today. united nations says the death toll from tunisia's uprising is at least 219 dead and a jewish leader says that a small synagogue was torched on monday night in what would be the first attack on a jewish target since the unrest started. the largest storm ever reported in australia made land fall and is ripping across the northeastern coast tearing roofs from buildings, flattening trees and leaving tens of thousands of homes without power. winds from cyclone yasi are 200 miles an hour making the storm a category 5. that is the most dangerous strength. president obama is signing a new start treaty today. that is one of the key foreign policy goals. it cuts u.s. and russian nuclear na arsenals by one-third. a full new full body scanner starts a trial run today at three u.s. airports. federal aviation officials say

this one will protect travelers' modesty revealing less detail than the current controversial scanners. a volcano in jorn japan erupted this morning for the sixth time since last week. it shot smoke and ash a mile into the sky. even gave us a glimpse of phenomenon known as volcano lightning. an eruption on wednesday shattered windows several miles away. there were no reports of any injuries. the man in charge of the gulf oil disaster relief fund releases the plan for final payments and he says that most are making eligible claims receive two-time their losses and oyster harvesters already offered four time their losses. and with childhood obesity a problem, researchers found that more than half of the children who have their tonsills removed end up gaining weight. exactly why isn't clear. doctors are still suggesting obese children consider starting their youngsters on weight loss programs before having their tonsills removed. a harvard study out today

questions value of preparing most students for four years of college. the research instead suggests a stronger emphasis on vocational education and careers that require less than a bachelor's degree. meantime, the white house has announced the 2011 race to top challenge for the high schools that best prepare students for the future. and a reason this morning for the winter wary to take a little heart. groundhog punxsutawney phil did not see his shadow this morning and that is supposed to mean that spring will arrive early this year. it is now eight minutes -- rather, seven minutes after the hour. let's go back to matt and meredith. spring can't be far behind. >> tell that to the folks in chicago, right? >> ann, thank you very much. especially for the poetry. we like that. let's get more on the forecast. for that, let's go back out to chicago and al. >> i'm going to futdin punxsutawney phil and slap his mom. that's all i'm going to say.

anyway, take a ldk aoothet radar. you can see weth have this wide range from chicago into the northeast. new england, icy mix there. snow in northern new england. we are pita wouldn't like that very much. 50 degrees in oakland now. temperatures climbing towards the mid-60s and today connects off a substantial warming trend that's going to continue into this within. holiday within for some, super bowl sunday. 73 gro degrees for you. 68 monday. mild and sunny as we head into next week. no rain in the forecast. unseasonably warm temperatures. have a great wednesday. >> meredith? >> all right. you leave phil's mom alone, okay? up next halle berry's custody fight for her daughter that

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2-year-old daughter nala. >> the undertone has gotten nasty. >> oh, yeah. mudslinging, nasty. >> reporter: the actress announced she's pulling out of her latest film in order to focus on pending custody litigation. she said she has concerns for her daughter's well-being while in the care of her father. >> that statement was blunt and surprising, to be honest, from a celebrity. >> reporter: it surprised some legal experts, too. >> it is not going to make her look good to come out swinging against the father of the daughter. >> reporter: aubrey called the statement irresponsible but refuses to air their issues in the press. it could be a long road. >> this is the super bowl of paternity actions this year. >> reporter: aubrey met halle berry in 2006 and they dated two years before having nala. last spring they split.

they were working on a shared custody agreement between the two that sources say was about 50/ 50/50. but then something happened. in december, aubrey asked a court to formally recognize that he's nala's father. he said he will fight to defend those rights. ba halle berry said he was being uncooperative. >> sounds like a huge he said/she said. >> reporter: the public start to their family is unraffling in a very public way. >> the former chair of the american bar association's family law section joins us. lynn, good to see you. >> thank you. >> they were never married. does that have impact of the custody agreement? >> no. father, mother, whether married or not, whether they lived together and he was parenting may have something to do with it. you're still a dad.

>> and he went to a court to be officially declared the father. >> which was unnecessary, by the way. the only time it would have come up is if she had denied parenting and she hasn't. >> there is a nasty war of words, one-side at the moment. let me read you a statement from halle berry's side. it says, halle has serious concerns for her daughter's well-being while in the care of her father for any extended period of time and is prepared to take all necessary steps to protect her. that is inflammatory. will a judge make her prove that or can people just say that? >> well, you can say it. but when she gets to court she better be prepared to explain why or she'll look silly. >> can a judge clamp down on the war of words? i mean, can a judge put a gag order for the good of thele child -- and this is a very young child. so not aware of what's being placed in the headlines right now. but in any circumstance can a judge say, look, you cannot speak about this?

>> you can say that in the newspaper. you can't publish anything or speak to the press. but are they going to have a judge in the house watching what they say? >> or their representatives. you can always remove it once or twice. >> sure. >> halle berry, for her career, has to travel for extended periods of time to shoot movies. could gabriel aubrey claim that it presents a hardship to him in terms of contact with his daughter and might that play into a custody battle? >> he can say anything he wants. in today's world with skyping where he can see that child every day or twice a day if she worked it out, he's not losing anything. the question is do you say that people can't work? of course you can't say that. you've got custody cases where people live in one state and another state and they work it out. they share time that way. >> in terms of a 50/50 agreement there was a time, i think you will agree, in this country where it was automatically assumed that the mother of the

child would get primary custody of the child. those days are not here anymore. >> those days are gone forever. >> he has a very good shot at getting 50/50 shared custody. >> no. i didn't say 50/50, but he has a good shot at getting a good chunk of time. just because dads are becoming more involved doesn't mean they get 50/50, nor is that the critical number. in some states it makes a difference as to how much support you pay. >> if you had to advise a couple out there now, unmarried but with a child between them, if they are about to break up, how important is it for them to formalize a custody agreement as quickly as they can? >>le well, certainly important, but custody is always modifiable. so you and i can make an agreement today and in six months you can say, well, things have changed because she's always away and i'm caring for the child. go back to court and change it. >> lynn, thank you very much for your perspective. i appreciate it. up next, on a much different note, the new way you can copy

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style" the kate middleton look. the soon-to-be princess is inspiring signature pieces already. the white ruffled dress she wore for her engagement photo is set to be sold in store this is week. copy cat versions of her engagement ring are already selling out. the executive fashion and beauty editor from harper's bazaar joining us. good morning. >> good morning. >> we have a copy of the engagement mo fo to dress. tell us about it. everybody thinks it's the blue dress, but that was for the announcement. >> it's the original one from the photographs she wore. the official palace-released photograph. we have our own kate middleton wearing the dress everyone can buy. >> there she is. natalie morales. this is the actual copy of the dress. it's called the white ruffle nanette dress. >> she brought it from a 2009 collection. it's in a slightly lighter fabric for summer. it retails for $325, available

if all u.s. restores on monday and online now. >> if it's anything like the blue dress you will sell a lot of them. >> yes. here is a chance for a piece of royalty. regularly it's couture pieces you can't buy. but the regular girl can afford this. >> if she has natalie's figure as well. natalie also has on a copy of the earrings that kate wore. >> these are the actual earrings from links of london. 25 stores and also in bloomingdale's. they will be roughly around the same price as the dress. the hope egg earrings. >> jerry, we'll bring you a chair. come on over. >> can you bring wills over as well? just for the ambiance. >> look how fabulous she looks in this. with the events, this fabulous

summery event, everyone want as touch of something fab. this could be a collector's item, "antiques roadshow" in 20 years. >> what i like so far is kate middleton is picking out stuff she's obviously comfortable in. more like michelle obama and her approach to clothing. >> if she's comfortable in it she picks it. this was from her own wardrobe. i like that any girl can go out and buy that piece. it's not a fake, not a copy. it's from the actual retailer. it's lovely and it help it is economy, too. it's a lovely idea. >> she makes it available to the main stream and shops her closet. >> i love how good you look in the dress. it really is a stunner. >> it's lovely. >> and affordable. >> she's be compared to princess diana and let's take a look at the two side by side. maybe the suit outfit. kate is just beginning and diana had years to develop her style.

>> diana was thrust into the spotlight at age 19. kate is 28, going on 29. she's already honed her own personal style. there are obviously going to be comparisons. your mother-in-law is a style icon. no pressure. she stands well. she wears suits well. >> do we have a shot of her in the suit and hat -- of the two of them? >> this is the diana official engagement suit photograph. this is when they announced the engagement and she's wearing a little dress. she goes for comfort. she loves to accentuate her waist. she has fabulous legs. >> here we have them in suits and the hat. >> it's become a fascination in the uk. everyone is buying these little hats. >> that's our next thing. i think we'll see how you look in a fabulous hat. >> she'll look gorgeous. we have little time left. speculation on the wedding dress? >> here's the thing.

if you don't hear anyone talking about it they are the most likely person to be designing it. if someone is underground, not promoting themselves, bet your bottom dollar they are designing the dress. >> who would that be? good wednesday morning. i'm laura garcia-cannon. >> good morning. temperatures mild. especially along the peninsula. we're still at 50 in oakland. and as we head through the afternoon, numbers are going to climb towards the mid-60s. 64 degrees in los gad das. 50 in fremont. clear skies make for a cold night but bounce up towards 70. record territory for thursday. let's find out about the drive.

>> not a fog issue but traffic into the setting. golden gate bridge, a smooth drive. heavy volume into the north. keep on that for the toll plaza area. east bay. north bound, 880, slow past the coliseum. south bound side, disabled vehicle blocking one lane at oaks. it's clear through hayward. 680 through the walnut ninhanget cleared from main street. [ male announcer ] 95% of all americans aren't getting enough whole grain.

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into two-week sent for a 4-year-old. they have found the body of juliani cardenas. he and his mother went to a candlelight vigil for her son. she did not speak but mosted a mess annual on facebook. she hopes investigators are find the alleged kidnapper. she knows he is burning in hell. otherwi only a matter of time before his body is pulled from the water. .

8:30 now on this wednesday morning, february 2, 2011. a dangerous layer of ice across parts of the northeast this morning, part of the monster storm that's caused big problems in texas across to new england. al will have the latest on the forecast straight ahead. i'm meredith vieira alongside matt lauer and ann curry. ahead in this half hour, a

passionate woman leading an education revolution in america with her innovative program to find new, young teachers. jenna bush hager is here to explain. >> and a pasta dinner can be easy. not always healthy. mark bittman, one of our great friends here in the kitchen, is here to help us out along with one of his great friends. he's going to make three different pasta recipes. they are quick, easy, healthy and they require few ingredients. >> that sounds good. you may have seen this commercial, you guys. it's the old spice guy. remember this commercial? al caught up with him. let's listen. >> stop using ladies scented body wash and switched to old spice he could smell like me. >> it caught a lot of people's attention including al. >> i love that commercial. i'm on a horse! >> speaking of al who i think looks just as good he's in chicago for a check of the

weather. hey, al. >> well, i don't know about that, but i'm not on a horse. we are here in chicago. a horse might be the only way to get out of chicago at this point. airports are closed. i-70 in missouri was closed. they have opened it up at least for the western half of the state. i tell you, the midwest has been socked with the system. let's show you what's going on as far as today is concerned around much of the country. you wille see we are looking at beautiful weather out west but it is chilly. we have a storm system causing problems. snow and ice in new england and the northeast. breezy in the southeast and gulf coast as we move into tomorrow we have another storm system that will be gathering strength down through the gulf, bringing showers down there. sunny and cool out west although we have showers in the pacific northwest. mild in southern california. more snowshowers across the great lakes. plenty of sunshine but frigid conditions across the plains.

our neck of the woods has never looks better. 50 degrees right now oakland. 50 degrees right now hayward. we're at 45 in livermore. through the afternoon, temperatures climb into the mid-60s. today, one of the cooler days in your extended period. high pressure's going to amplify it. lots of sunshine. temperatures climb to 70 degrees by tomorrow. super bowl sunday, 73, sunshine. have a great wednesday. with this crazy weather no matter what the groundhog says, check the weather channel two, three, four times a today or go to weather.com online. now let's go down to uncle willy.com to see if he saw his shadow. >> and we are all set to give you some gardening advice. it is now into february and you could plant your onions. did you know that? they will be beautiful by springtime. spring onions are the best.

happy birthday from smuckers. take a look, if you will. we have a birthday buddy coming up on the jar. this is marie druery from forest hills, new york. still works for bower mustard company and loves visiting with family and friends. dorothy durham, columbus, ohio, home of the slider. 103 years old. third time she's tried to get on the show. she's a great buckeye fan. knows all the stats. and we have merle eng from sioux falls, south dakota. world war ii vet. attributes his longevity to eating dessert first. that is a good diet. and rose caparella from youngstown, arizona.

100 years old. she's preparing to enter 2011 in the arizona bread-baking contest. she's won, i understand. loves fresh bread. and we have ronald -- not mcdonald -- but rogers. dallas, pennsylvania. 101 years old. he was supposed to board the "titanic" but they didn't have tickets left and he missed the boat. praise god. starts out lucky. by shop nancy collier is 100 years old and provides shelter for the homeless. all the money she wins in bingo she gives to the shelter. >> willard, thank you very much. up next, jenna bush hager on a pioneer helping to change the face of education in america. pioneer helping to change the face of education in america. first, this is "today" on nbc.

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this morning on "education nation today," teach for america. a powerful movement that recruits college grads to teach in some of the a powerful moment that recruits college grads to teach in the poorest areas. today contributor correspondent and teacher herself, jenna bush hager caught up. >> a pioneer in education and dared to dream big. we wants to share that dream with every student in america. >> we're going to do a classroom quiz of all of the 50 states. >> teach for america is on the front lines, battling for equality and excellence for all children. wendy first laid out the idea 20 years ago in her princeton these sis. >> it was the experience of being a college senior that led me to believe there's so much energy and idealism and passion

against injustice. teach for america recruits top college graduates to teach for two years in the most i am pofishered areas. today, over 20,000 have worked in 39 regions. >> our mission is to grow the force of leaders who are working in the rural areas and learn the lessons from that and go on and work for fundamental systemic change. >> i visited a lot of schools where teach for america teachers are working and i notice that teach for america teachers as well as any teachers have more success when there's clear consistent leadership. >> i think leadership is absolutely fundamental to getting to where we need to go. >> she says brett kimmel is a teach for aamerica alum who

started the school wheels in one of new york city's toughest neighborhoods. >> your juniors will be graduating next spring and you're hoping what percentage go on to college? >> we're shooting for 100%. as of right now, new york city high school graduation rates are 65%. we have 95% of our kids on track to graduate high school next spring. that last 5% we'll get them there one way, shape or form. >> a key element, one half of the wheel staff is teach for america alumni. >> why did you choose teach for america? >> i think people of color are under represented in colleges and i think teaching them and having professionals that are highly educated helps them achieve the goals. >> it is the civil rights moment of our time and i believe equality is important to the future of this country. >> how would you describe the future? >> you kf a supportive culture.

that's what makes it different and able to learn so much. >> good afternoon. >> good afternoon and mr. kimmel and mrs. hoff. >> good afternoon. >> rodriguez was failing school before he came to wheels last spring. >> before i read the article, i knew they were quick and eat a lot and very messy. >> today he is not just passing but thriving. >> when you got your first report card here, what did your mom say to you? >> she cried and she said he's getting older and she congratulated me and i got a video game for christmas. >> to reward you? >> yes. >> darwin is part of the dream for bright futures. his big sisters plan to be the first in their family to attend

college next year. >> so you know 100% you're going to college? >> yes, with the mom we have. >> with the mom you have, you are going to college. >> do the best they are doing and have a better future. that's all i want. >> north and south america, europe asia too uh-huh. >> as this class learns about boundaries in geography they are learning there are no boundaries to their futures. >> this is our chance to show that it is possible through education to provide all kids with the chance to fulfill their true potential and to themselves, have the chance to make history. >> and one of main successes is that after two years of teaching, 65% of teach for america alums continue working in education in some form. >> i love what you said about one of moms, she isn't rich

but -- >> she said i'm not rich, my only gift to give my kids is a good education and better future than i had. >> thank goodness for people like wendy and you for that matter. up next, mark shows switching to progressive could mean hundreds more in your wallet year after year. feed me! saving you money -- now, that's progressive. call or click today.

we're back now at 8:45 on how to cook everything today, taking pasta to the next level. it's easy to throw noodles in a pot of water, but just with a little more effort, you can make something special. mark bittman is here with three great recipes. nice to see you. this came about because we were talking last, i'm trying to cook more at home, i look pasta dishes but find it difficult to get them right. >> you asked for fast, healthy,

really good. >> few ingredients and easy. >> the first one we'll do is pasta with shrimp. >> you said i take garlic and chilies. >> but i mess on the timing, i either burn the garlic or things like that. >> sufficient olive oil, a couple of table spoons and chopped chilies or you can use chili flakes. the garlic in slivers or chunks. when that's colored a little bit, we're using half a pound or so of shrimp. >> and you cut them up a little bit. >> now they'll cook really quickly. >> meanwhile you're cooking your pasta. >> you want to start the shrimp when the pasta is just about done. >> that's right. >> you like this underdone so you want it on the chewy side. >> you want it so there's a tiny bit of chalkiness this the middle. that's not really al dente, it's

under done. we'll toss it with the shrimp so it cooks in there. >> once you put the shrimp in here, you're only talking a couple minutes. >> we're working real time here. we have to figure out something to say -- >> that's all right. you're going to take the pasta, transfer it into the pot and one of things you talk about all of the time you're here, save a little of the pasta water. >> it's very traditional. it is something we talked about last week also. it's very traditional to finish cooking pasta in its own sauce. italians do that all of the time. some of the crew guys, yeah, we do that at home. that is the way to do it. that way you don't need to use fancy ingredients, you can cut down on amount of oil you use and the water can bring you extra creaminess. >> in all honesty this probably has another minute. you're going to cook it all together and that sauce firms up a little bit. >> the sauce will firm up. obviously it's quite starchey

now and we'll add the pasta water. >> this is a recipe that should take you no more than 15 to 20 minutes. >> 10 minutes to boil the water and from that point it's however long the pasta takes. >> the next one is a chicken dish with pasta and cooks in one spot. >> this became fancy, called reduction pasta which doesn't mean anything. it's cooking past at a in the style of pilaf. we're going to use orzo but any cut pasta will work. into this you pour your pasta and make sure it gets glazed with the oil. >> the cooking technique is because this is uncooked pasta, you'll add liquid until you cook it to the desired texture. >> we're going to add it all at

once because we will have measured. if it's a little hard, we'll add more liquid. >> what's the liquid by the way? >> that's white wine. we want to cook that out a little bit. >> how long does or zo take? >> this is a 15 or 20 minute process. you cook it like you do risotto. you stir it and watch the liquid get absorbed and ten or 15 minutes later you've got this. >> and that is the consistency you're looking for. >> we have chicken we cooked before. we're going to shove that in there. >> that goes in last? >> that goes in -- we're going to get color in here. it's going to start to look good. some corn. we are trying to make pasta with vegetables, right? red pepper so we've got -- now it's starting to look like something. >> again, one pot. >> no kol an der. >> a little bit of sage and

parmesan if we want. >> we're not going to cook this but what is this. >> pasta put ness ka, very classic dish. we added green beans for color so we can get more vegetables and use whole wheat pasta. >> and classic spaghetti. >> thanks for helping me at home. >> you'll like this. >> al will get close [ female announcer ] back to school means back to busy mornings.

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this morning on our special series the grio's 100 history-makers in the making, a man you will recognize but you may not know him by name. we are talking about the old spice guy. al has details. hey, al. >> hey, good morning, meredith. i tell you, what a difference a year makes. just about this time last year an unknown actor named isaia isaiah mustafa burst onto the scene as the old spice guy. now this 36-year-old has landed on the grio.com's list of 100 most influential african-americans. i caught up with him, where else, but in hollywood? >> hello, ladies. look at your man. now back to me. now back at your man. now back to me. >> it's almost a year ago your super bowl commercial debuted. what's the last year been like for you? >> absolutely ridiculous in a

good way. it started in march. things just started snowballing. you know, you work for ten years taking odd jobs, being a bartender, doing this and that and you always hope this is going to happen to you. but you don't expect it will happen that fast. everything's coming along nicely. >> reporter: nicely is an understatement. the popularity of the old spice commercials proves that -- >> anything is possible when your man smells like old spice and not a lady. i'm on a horse. >> reporter: this is a brand i remember as a kid giving to my dad for father's day. suddenly, it's hip. that's got to be a good feeling to almost single handedly turn a brand around and make it relevant. >> it's not a bad job to have. >> when you're the man your man could smell like do women come up and smell you? >> the first question is where is my horse. before that, there is someone on my neck. >> get out of here.

>> i promise you. >> men, women? >> mostly women. occasionally a man will do it. >> is that uncomfortable? >> not for me. >> do they like how you smell? >> yes. no matter how i smell they always tell me i smell like old spice which is great. >> not only is he credited with transforming the 70-year-old scent into a hip cologne, the success of the campaign made his dream of acting a reality. soon after the commercial debuted mustafa signed a development deal with nbc and filmed two movies. >> wow. >> you're in a movie with jennifer aniston. what are the odds? >> right. to be fair, my scene isn't with jennifer. >> but you are in a movie with jennifer aniston. >> right. >> you don't have to tell people -- >> no, no. in horrible bosses i play a cop. the main three characters, i stop them. it's a fun interaction. >> no matter where the acting career takes him, he'll always be that guy in the old spice

commercial. in fact, a new campaign debuts this month. >> as you can see, i have returned. >> there are people who get a role and they try to distance themselves from it because they are afraid they will be typecast, that it's bad for them careerwise. >> before i was doing it i was literally sitting on the couch looking for opportunities. like ile couldn't find an opportunity. so to have this -- to have people look at me as the old spice guy whereas before they weren't looking at me at all, i'm okay with that. >> looks like he's having fun, too. >> you know, meredith, i smell good right now myself. >> are you wearing old spice, al? >> i won't say. but i smell good. take a whiff. >> i love that guy. >> thanks, al. for more information on the fo badge go to how to win a

thegrio.com. one minute you feel fine. the next, you start feeling bit off. 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. 8:26 right now. i'm laura garcia-cannon. let's check the forecast with christina. >> looking good already. 51 glees in oakland. 53 in san francisco. climbing towards 65 degrees later today. we're looking towards 60 in

condition cord 65 san jose. it will be a cold night, clear skies. tomorrow afternoon, even better. 70 degrees is your forecasted high. temperatures in the 70s throughout this super bowl sunday. 73 degrees. 68 for monday. 65 tuesday.

new video out of egepts george wiley shot this out of cairo. he and his daughter had a bird's eye rue from the chaos below. he and his daughter managed to catch a flight out of egypt the

following day and returned safely to the u.s. thanks for joining us. today show continues next. 8:58. have a great morning. i have fallen in love with making bird houses. caw caw! [ director ]what is that? that's a horrible cr. here are some things that i'll make as little portals. honestly, i'd love to do this for the rest of my life so i've got to take care of my heart. for me, cheerios is a good place to start. [ male announcer ] got something you'll love to keep doing? take care of your heart. you can start with cheerios. the natural whole grain oats can help lower cholesterol. brrrbb... makes you feel ageless. [ male announcer ] it's time. love your heart so you can do what you love. cheerios. [ bob ] squak.

back now with more of "today" on a wednesday morning, the 2nd of february, 2011. good thing punxsutawney fill predicted an early spring, because, man, could we use it. so could people throughout a large portion of the country. that's boston right now, getting slammed with that so-called wintry mix. a third of the country is facing this major winter storm. a lot of snow, a lot of freezing rain, a lot of sleet. there's al out in chicago in the middle of it. we're going to check in with him in just a couple of minutes. meanwhile, inside studio 1a, i'm matt lauer with natalie

morales and tamron hall. and later this morning, we'll have more on this tense situation in egypt. >> just hours after hosni mubarak said he would not run for re-election, tense eruptions. and from saving for your family's future to deciding whether to stick out a bad job situation, we'll have some good advice. very busy right now. a lot to get to. more on that winter storm causing problems all over the country and we start with al in chicago. al? >> hey, matt, thanks so much. good morning. of course, here in chicago, a couple of records have fallen. first of all, we had the biggest snowfall total for one day, 13.6 inches of snow. take a look at some of these snowfall totals now. chicago's going to be closing in on about 20 inches of snow. so far, officially 17 inches. beach park, illinois, 20 and

21.5 in racine, wisconsin. pittsburgh, mass, 9 inches of snow. here in chicago, schools are closed for the first time in 12 years. both airports are open. however, they do have -- they have curtailed operations quite a bit. chicago has really gotten slammed by this storm and now it's barreling into the northeast. this monster winter storm took aim at chicago tuesday night. the wind-whipped snow literally blowing people around. check out these brave souls just fighting to stay on their feet in the blizzard. see what happened to my pals from the weather channel on live tv. >> oh! listen to that! >> reporter: a burst of thundersnow here in chicago. >> that's unbelievable! >> reporter: lake michigan may look frozen, but there's concern that high winds could cause waves as high as 25 feet to crash on to the iconic stretch of road.

the powerful storm has already roared across the plain states with whiteout conditions, sheets of ice, and dangerous roads. the monster storm reaches more than 2,000 miles long, from texas across the nation's midsection and into the northeast. the numbers are staggering. more than 100 million people will feel the effects of this storm. more than 2 feet of snow has fallen in some areas. windchills as low as negative 20 degrees and winds gusting as high as 70 miles per hour. air travel has already been crippled. more than 6,000 flights canceled across the country yesterday, and that ripple effect could last for days. in dallas, a tent for a pre-super bowl party collapsed under the weight of snow and ice. good thing the big game this weekend will be played indoors. the storm has been a recordbreaker already and now is taking aim on the northeast. i don't care what the groundhog

says, it looks like our winter woes are not over yet. all right. let's take a look, see what's happening with the srm right he now. as we go to the raar, y'l l wve w got still some lake-effect and lake enhanced c gohica. in but we've got the bulk of the storm system now out over new england. freezing rain into new york, parts of long island, connecticut, and then snow as you get up into new england, boston, and points to the north. snowfall accumulations, we look for another 6 to 8 inches of snow up into boston and parts of new england. and we've got ice to worry about. a quarter of an inch to half an inch of ice, which can cause big problems for power lines. in fact, power was down for a while for the northeast corridor. amtrak between new york and philadelphia, they restored that, but there's still a lot of residual delays. matt, everybody, i tell you, this system has been a monster, probably the biggest geographic storm in this country's history. >> all right, al, thanks very much for your reporting on this.

we appreciate it. >> all right. let's head now to boston, where it's not only snowing, but also ice there has caused dangerous conditions as well. and hundreds of flight cancellations. nbc's peter alexander is in the middle of it there. peter, good morning. >> reporter: natalie, good day to you. this is really the misery of the storm right now. within the last hour or so, it's turned from that snow to this punishing sleet. it really stings as it hits you. to give you a sense of where we are, this is a fresh blanket of snow. they've got about 10 new inches as part of this one-two fist punch of a storm that people are describing right now. they're on pace to have one of the ten snowiest winters on record here in boston. but the concern today is not just that snow, but the sleet, also the freezing rain, and later today as the temperatures change, there's going to be rain in general. the problem with that is when it lands on top the roofs, they're already coated with snow. the fear is for collapsing roofs throughout much of the northeast, power outages as potentially the power lines are pulled down as well. the good news is that families

in the boston areas get to stay home. 680 schools are either closed today or on delayed start. already, plenty of spinouts, even some tractor-trailers jack knifing on the massachusetts turnpike. you really have to be careful. this is an uncomfortable storm and this is really the worst part of it right now. >> all right, go get yourself a cup of hot chocolate somewhere, peter alexander, and warm up. thanks so much. >> now more on that ice buildup throughout much of the country that could prove to be more treacherous than even the snow. kevin tibbles is in chicago with that part of the story. kevin, good morning. >> reporter: good morning, tamron. as you just heard, some 100 million people could be affected by this storm. the aaa is saying to you, you really should be leaving the car in the garage. but if you do have to go out, either driving or even walking for that matter, beware the ice. it's a blisaster.

a combination of heavy snowfall, rainfall, and ice. motorists from tulsa to topeka navigating roadways that have turned into skating rinks. at the height of the storm in chicago, i took a drive with beth mosher of aaa. >> if you feel yourself starting to skid, look and steer into the direction you want to go. both hands need to always bon the steering wheel. >> reporter: even if you have a big four-wheel drive suv or truck, doesn't mean you're immune to the ice. just because you're driving a tank doesn't man you're not going to slip. >> don't rely on your car for an added sense of security. >> reporter: while the whiteout swept over a huge portion of the country, some parts got a double icy whammy. >> you okay? >> got to watch out for falling. it's awful, it's slippery. >> reporter: extra crews were brought in to deal with potential power outages. >> with the ice already on the lines and could cause problems over the next two or three days, because that ice is not going to

leave. >> reporter: in indiana, even a huge truck of road salt fell victim to the icy conditions, dumping its 22,000 pound load. and for homeowners, snowmelt and shovels were the top selling items of the day. >> they make calcium chloride like hockey pucks that people can actually toss up on to the roof to try to control that. >> reporter: but he advises to keep your four-legged friends in mind. >> if you have pets, in particular, rock salt is not a good choice. because it can get into their paws and into their feet. >> reporter: now, talking about your pets, it's interesting. a lot of people on the plain states have told me they actually use kitty litter. they keep a bag of it in the trunk of their car, because you throw it down and it acts like grit in the snow and ice. that's what keeps them going. maybe i should go get a bag of that in my car. but for today, leave the car in the garage. enjoy the snow day with the kids and get the sled or the toboggan, as some people might

call that. >> kevin, thank you very much. no fun having a pet this time of year. my dog slid across ice this morning at 4:00 in the morning, looked at me like, you could have warned me, lady. in the meantime, let's get a check on the rest of the morning's top stories from ann curry at the news desk. >> thanks a lot, guys. in the news this morning, violence erupted in cairo's tahrir square today as supporters of president hosni mubarak, some on horseback and camel back wielding sticks charged anti-government protesters. we want to go live now to brian williams, who's got the latest. just how coordinated does this pro-mubarak effort appear to be? >> reporter: ann, you're right. we've had a change here and a bit of bedlam broken out. to answer your question, very coordinated. the word "recruitment" is fair to use. in effect, the pro-mubarak forces said, if you're with us, come out with us and make yourselves seen. so they passed by the front of

the build where we're anchoring from, which happens to house a lot of western media interests. the chant below us, "our soul, our blood for you, mubarak." and now it's become something of a turf war. while they still appear to be vastly outnumbered by the demonstrators who sparked this people's uprising, they've been taking paving stones, they've been taking stones from the banks of the nile. as we watch, they've been coming into town armed with sticks. now, here's the problem, a lot of the demonstrators on both sides, really, are families. school's out. there's nothing else to do. while the pro-mubarak demonstrators appear to be a bit older than the others, there are women and children in the crowd, and at times, they have been become caught in the fracas. >> very young children on that square. there are some reports, brian, that these mubarak supporters

could be plainclothesed police officers, to some degree. i know that's very difficult to confirm, but what are you hearing there about that? >> reporter: some of them have been quite easy to spot, ann. and we were down in the crowd yesterday, and yesterday the mood was much more buoyant and happy before the mubarak speech. we spotted one, we heard whistlers, richard engel ran over and heard in arabic, "he's a police officer." so they're wary for them, but they're very easy to spot. they're interspersed several floors below us between the mubarak supporters. >> well, obviously, a very developing story. brian williams, thank you so much for staying on top of it and we'll come back to you as the story warrants. thank you so much. and in tunisia, the country that inspired the protests in egypt with its own popular uprising which forced its president to flee, there is still sporadic violence today. the united nations says the

death toll from tunisia's uprising is at least 219 and now a jewish leader says that a small synagogue was torched on monday night in what would have been the first attack on a jewish target since the unrest started there. cyclone yasi is slamming now into australia this morning, just south of northern queensland as a category 5 storm. that's the most powerful cyclone ever recorded there. more than 400,000 people live in the direct path of the storm, an area of northern australia that has been already ravaged by massive deadly floods for months. this storm is expected to weaken slightly to a category 3 strength over the next ten hours. a new full-body scanner starts a trial run today at three u.s. airports. federal aviation officials say this one will protect travelers' modesty, revealing less detail than the current controversial scanners. and it's a long way to the top of the empire state building, especially if you take the stairs.

at the annual race to the top of the tallest skyscraper, this year's winner made it up in just ten minutes and even beat king co kong. let's go now to al who's in the thick of it in chicago. hey, al. >> yeah, but we know king kong doesn't get down very easily. always a painful stop for him. anyway, we've got a painful big change in our weather. we'vgot cold air coming in, brutally cold air to talk about. you can see these temperatures, single digits and below as you get into the plains.ld windchills make it feel even worse. and the afternoon temperatures, well, they don't get much better, and all that will be making its way south and east over the next 72 hours. that's what's going on around boy, they are envious of the forecast we're seeing on the

west coast. all of california enjoying a beautiful, beautiful wednesday. 64 degrees today in loss gadas. 65 in san jose. one of the cooler days in the extended period. we're going to add five to eight degrees. by tomorrow, 78. 73 for super bowl sunday. have a great wednesday. and that's your latest weather, matt. >> thank you very much, al. up next, advice for your money emergencies including how to reduce your debt if you owe the irs. and beyond the basic checkup. we tell you about the essential health test every woman should get after these messages. ♪ [ female announcer ] there's a place called hidden valley where kids not only eat their vegetables, they can't get enough. ♪ hidden valley ranch, makes vegetables delectable. and now make lettuce a real salad

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my health is suffering. if i quit can i collect unemployment and/or participate in services at work one to find another job? what should i do? >> this is a difficult situation for many people. in this economy you want to keep your job. you're already stressed and then you get work on top of it. it's a difficult situation to quit in this environment. and there is a high threshold of being able to prove you are being harassed or something is happening. she should try to stay and see if she can deal with human resources. >> can she collect unemployment or participate in services of work one? >> you have to be terminated or you have to resign with cause. which brings me to i guess what i would add to what you're saying is that as soon as possible write a letter that articulates what your objections are, not that he's mean, she's mean, but specifically what is the dysfunction. whether it's a big or little company that you have a document for it so you can deal with the employment agencies. the only other thing i would add

is it's obvious in a job like that that it is not fulfilling for you and may not be fulfilling for your boss. understand all the tensions. but i think psychologically and spiritually if you can say, listen, six months, a year from now, i won't be in this job. start to devote all of your creative and dynamic energy into exploring and looking to open whatever the next door is going to be. >> you said write a letter. who gets it? the boss? >> put it to the boss directly, doesn't have to be written in a confrontational way, but you have to back out your emotion which is one of the hardest things to do. it feels like a personal assault. you have to observe it. >> a particular question about a specific work environment, i wonder if there is evidence that you have found. i know about people who have said in this economy there is more opportunity for bosses, for companies to maybe not play fair

with employees. >> it's absolutely happening. that is a trend. it's no coincidence that 80% of workers in the new year will be looking for a new job. they are fed up. for the last two years they have been in jobs where they have been overworked. that's the best case scenario. worst case, you have too much work and an unruly boss. go see a labor attorney. >> from big business to small business everyone trying to say we can't afford this, can't pay on time. if you document, the bottom line is document your experience, send it to human resources and also keep a paper trail that you can send in if you need to take legal action. >> e-mail trails work these days also. we have on the phones al son in hoboken, new jersey. what's your question? >> caller: hi. i'm a 34-year-old freelancer and i never had a 401-k. i recently opened a roth ira through my bank which doesn't allow automatic contributions

and charges a fee every time i contribute to it. i want to know is that normal and what are suggestions for iras that allow free contributions. >> fees? >> i'm also a freelancer. congratulations for having a retirement account. fees are rampant but your bank seems to be punishing you too much. go to the bank and say, look, i want the fees lifted. what if i contribute a minimum amount every month so we can have this deal and you can maybe lift the contribution fees or say, you know, i will take my business elsewhere. you have a lot of choices there. she can go to a credit union where they usually have lower fees than banks. you will want to look at e-trade, prudential, fidelity. they have no-fee roth iras which means you don't have annual fees. you don't have to pay to contribute. i should warn you that whatever investments you make within the roth whether it's a stock or mutual fund there may be commissions tied to the

transactions. what you want to look for specifically are no load mutual funds. those eliminate those commission fees. >> anything? >> it's easy to do online. a lot of people think it will be difficult. they need to go to the bank. but it's important to note that the no-fee iras are online, easy to set up and figure out investments targeted to when you will retire. >> briefly i will say fight the inertia. listen to these guys. >> it will matter in the end. >> it's worth it. >> thank you very much for your question. we'll try to get to more next time. coming up, a reminder. catch dylan weekdays at 4:00 p.m. eastern on msnbc. up next, much more of the winter storm that's making travel a but fit thrsmessages. ♪

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delicious news for dessert lovers. introducing activia dessert. rich yogurt with desserty flavors like strawberry cheesecake and peach cobbler. mmm. you've got to try this. ♪ activia activia dessert. good morning, everybody. time 9:26 p. i'm brent cannon. christina? >> good morning. christina, no fog this morning. a clear view. we'll get you a look at the bay bridge toll plaza. light volume. metering lights on. a mild backup.

further south, oakland approaching the area. you do not have a clear drive. northbound jamming up past the coliseum. slow drive through the area. on the maps, slow in both directs because of an earlier disabled vehicle at oak and that doesn't sort out until the bulk of the commute leaves the area. high street coming off of alameda or on to alameda. northbound, slow. smoother now. slow on theid

a roadblock at city hall, leaders who supported the farms blame the city attorney foreign stalling. last year allowing pot growing a bad idea because it would attract federal law enforcement. last night the councilman presented a new law without checking the attorney. there are too many private

unregulated farms and the city could benefit by having regulations. >> the fires could cause home invasions, could have burglaries, all of those are out there looming before every community that is impacted by cannabis being grown and we have no regulation that addresses. >> new rules limit growing to 50,000 square feet and require the large-scale growers to have a dispensary where they much sell the majority of the cannabis they sell to members. the city council will continue the debate and sort it out next week. the "today" show returns in less than a minute.

well, if it's feeling like groundhog day today, yet again the story is the brutal weather. but punxsutawney phil didn't see his shadow, so spring is coming. but in the meantime, a treacherous mix of snow, freezing rain, sleet. in the middle of it, al roker is in the middle of it in chi-town. looks like the snow stopped a bit there sn. >> reporter: yeah, it's coming and going. and i want to remind you, groundhogs lie. >> well, you know, they are no meteorologists. >> don't drive angry.

don't drive angry. >> tell us what's been going on over there. >> well, you know, we have had 17.1 inches officially. probably got a couple inches since that reading. i think this will end up being the third biggest snowfall for chicago. right now it's number five. if it makes 20 inches it will move to number three. the city is really prepared. they got all the snow plows and spreaders out. mass transit's moving. lakeshore drive is still closed because of abandoned vehicles that they have to get off of there. almost 5,000 flights cancelled in the northeast. the storm moved in, of course. they have had problems, power outages. even back as far as dallas they are doing rolling blackouts because of all the ice and snow to try to help their grid. so this storm is a monster. 2,100 miles wide, feeling the effects of this thing. over 100 million people have been affected by it.

>> people heeding the warnings in chicago. nobody on the streets. >> which is a good thing. as al pointed out, this might be going down as the biggest storm in terms of girth in u.s. history. coming to work it was like walking on sugar. it was so crunchy. we'll get more from al in a moment. >> also coming up, what every woman should be doing to protect their health whether you're in your 20s or 50s. we'll tell you about the exams you should get at different ages that could save your life. >> speaking of age, if you think -- i don't want to speak of age. >> if you don't think you can pull off the fashion trends -- like people say you can't pull off a mini skirt over 30. three hot styles on a budget. >> oh, that's good. >> modifying it for your age. >> and in the kitchen we are celebrating the chinese new year with ming tsai for the year of the rabbit.

chicken is on the menu. we'll show you what ming is cooking up. how fun the kitchen looks. >> meantime, back to al in chicago. what's the forecast? tell us good news, baby. >> reporter: okay. the good news is it's going to be warm by july. [ laughter ] >> in the meantime -- you know, we've got another storm to talk about that's going to come friday into saturday affecting the southeast. later on, the northeast. in the meantime let's look at today and tomorrow. starting with today we'll show you that we are looking at sunshine in the pacific northwest. we've got, again, the lake effect snow hanging around. big storm system moving out of the northeast by late tonight. we've got tomorrow, more rain moving into the pacific northwest. we've got clouds through the gulf coast. look for, again, sunshine in southern california. fairly mild there.

but it will be frigid and sunny in the plains. yeah, new temperature map. we had sunshine with the sunglasses on. this is why. we're go to see a beautiful day. today mid-60s. tomorrow 70s. 67 degrees in santa cruz. 65 san francisco. talking about 65 in oakland. initial five to seven degrees for tomorrow's forecast. we're at 70. 71 by friday. super bowl sunday 73. and that's your latest weather. ladies, back to you. >> thanks, al. you look cute in that hat. >> adorable. >> thank you. >> good, okay. keep that on and stay warm. up next, we'll talk about important tests every woman needs to get for better health. that's right after this. [ female announcer ] a quick weight-loss plan

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like strawberry cheesecake and peach cobbler. mmm. you've got to try this. ♪ activia activia dessert. [ male announcer ] there are snacks. and there are better snacks. quaker chewy, 25% less sugar than the leading sweet snacks, no high fructose corn syrup and the goodness of whole grains. and a lot of people when they get a denture they think the best way to clean it is by brushing it with toothpaste.

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dr. raj, good morning. >> good morning. >> aside from the annual gynecology exam every woman has to get there are not many tests that you need to do. >> yeah. i mean, we've going to break it down. people get overwhelmed thinking of the different tests, but by decade there are a few you have to be on top of. >> in the 20s, the first is a complete physical which tests for whatle exactly? >> you will be tested for blood sugar, a sign of diabetes, tested for high blood pressure, make sure that's in check. in your 20s people feel like they are invincible but there are diseases we can screen for early on. cholesterol, liver and kidney function. you may be checked for thyroid disease if you have a family history. even things like vitamin b12 and d we find many young people are deficient. >> you say you don't need a complete physical every year. >> right. if you're healthy and don't have

a family history you could stretch it to every five years but check with your doctor. >> go through all the tests as well. pap test, why is it so important in the 20s? >> for women this is essential. it helps detect early signs of cervical cancer and even precancerous changes in the cells of the service. this is a cancer that's deadly but when detected early can be cured. if you're sexually active you want to get that test because you can contract hpv which we think causes cervical cancer. >> make sure you schedule that. next, the std test. this applies to women who are sexually active. >> women may have more than one partner during that time. you're at a high risk for stds. many are silent, meaning no symptoms. so be checked for chlamydia, hawai hiv, gonorrhea.

if you're sexually active you should be checked annually. >> next, skin tests in your 20s. you say you have to check yourself for irregular moles and you can do it yourself. >> you should absolutely check yourself head to toe in the mirror for a new mole or ale mole changing in shape, contour or color. if you have a family history of skin cancer you need a dermatologist to do it or if you have skin cancer you may need to go more than once a year. melanoma is a cancer that's rising compared to 30 years ago. >> leading cause of cancer deaths in 20-somethings. >> women aged 25 to 29. >> if you have a family history go to the dermatologist. now to women in their 30s. most critical test is hpv. >> now we are talking about the infection which is often transient meaning a woman will clear the infection but in your 30s you will have a more

persistent infection which increases the risk of cervical cancer. now the pap smear is crucial. >> then you have the blood sugar test ultimately to prevent diabetes. >> right. diabetes has so many complications associated with heart disease, stroke, peripheral vascular problems, blindness. you want to get on top of it. your doctor will be careful in your 30s screening for elevated blood sugars. >> and in your 40s, cholesterol tests and mammograms really in the 50s. >> right. >> you should be doing it beforehand but that's when you have to do it annually. >> and colonoscopy. >> absolutely. >> turn 50r, you have to get it >> the rite of passage at 50. thank you very much. more on the website, todayshow.com. coming up, style trends for the new year y foevery age right after this. ston. [ jennifer garner ] there's a lot of beautiful makeup out there.

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this morning on "today's style" top trends at any age. from festive stripes to colorful brights there is a host of new spring styles ready to wear. jackie stafford is here for fashion for women of all ages from shape magazine. a lot of people believe you have to sacrifice smile when you become mature. >> you don't have to. you just find the pieces that are age appropriate for you. >> first we have stripes and we have kristy and nancy. both wearing stripes but in a different way. let's talk about kristy. >> stripes are a huge trend all

over the runways. this is a plain tee we found at t.j. maxx. easy to wear with a skinny jean, a chunky heel. it's a young, fresh look for her. that's a great look. >> moving on to nancy. >> wearing the stripe again. a lot of women -- can i wear stripes, horizontal, vertical? a great way is a cardigan over a nice ruffled shirt. a sophisticated look. we found the shirt at victoria's secret. just a clean look. >> to your point, nancy is stylish but age appropriate, looking elegant. kristy looks fun and festive. very nice. thank you, ladies. now to donna and fabiana showing us the sheer look which can be tricky if you're not 20. let's take a look at donna. >> sheer is all over the runway. here's two looks with donna, again, the easiest way to wear it, is to buy a cami under a

sheer top. so this is a built-in cami, but it's a cute little look. >> very romantic, very pretty. >> very pretty look. >> you move it up a notch with fabiana. >> this is all about if you want a little more coverage. pair it with a jacket over the top. so you're wearing sheer but it doesn't look like you're revealing too much. >> your child won't be embarrassed when you drop her at school. >> exactly. you can pair it with a cami or black top. >> i like with fabiana she has the slim leg jean. >> that's a great cargo pant. at any age you can wear a cargo pant. >> and she has cute shoes on. a little heel there. >> yes. you want the heel to elongate the frame but with a sheer wear your cami underneath. >> you look amazing andle age appropriate but sexy.

now to leah and bev. i love this mom and daughter rocking brights which will be huge for the spring. let's start with leah. >> leah's wearing a great dress for $44 at uk style by french connection. it's a bright print. when you're younger for brights go with a bold print like a floral -- >> why can't you wear it when you're older? >> you can. but a lot of women over a certain age worry about the brights. for a more solid color. with leah we paired it with a cute denim jacket. >> makes it fun and flirty. >> she's a mom of three, if you believe it. >> i can't believe it. >> bev. a lot of women over 30 want to wear a bright but are scared. wear it in a solid look. we paired it with a different color for the shrug. >> you look like you're going for tea or easter brunch. beautiful. >> this is a great dress from jc

penney. we have the inverted pleats. it's "mad men" appropriate. >> very chic. come on out, ladies. at any age you can rock the hottest looks of the spring, look age appropriate and stylish. thank you so much. you look fantastic. jackie, good stuff. i can't wait to go shopping. up next, terrific dishes to celebrate the chinese new year. first this is "today" on nbc.

this morning in "today's kitchen" easy one-pot dishes to help you ring in the chinese new year. hot chef ming tsai is chef and owner of blue ginger restaurant in massachusetts and author of "simply ming." the chinese new year is tomorrow, the year of the rabbit. >> very good things. rabbits are mellow and placid. that's good. it will lead to better

negotiations and maybe diplomacy which we need now. >> we came out of the year of the tiger. >> ferocious year of the tiger. we want it to be over. >> one of the things we can do is to know how to cut our vegetables. >> how to cut a carrot. >> how do we do it? >> these are carrots and i roll it halfway. the carrot is an oblong shape and it creates more surface area. then they can evenly cook. >> more flavor of the carrot in the food. >> this is a one-pot dish. cooking a whole chicken signifies wholeness in the new year. so we dump all of this in. we have ginger, thyme -- >> wow, lots of ginger. >> thyme, basil, black peppercorns. >> star anise. >> and parsley. >> on top? >> yep. this is store bought so get a pichb pinch of salt and soy sauce.

bring toyotait to a simmer for minutes and turn it off. >> this is what it looks like after it's been sitting. >> that will be hot. thanks, ann. this has been sitting for 30 minutes. and you will get the moistest, most beautiful poached chicken. look how moist it looks. >> amazing how quickly it cooks. you cut off the chicken -- >> look how moist. >> it is. you serve it as a soup? >> pour a little broth in. >> by the way, you said don't use knives on new year's day. >> on new year's ooe which is now, you are supposed to clean the house. pay off your old debts. don't be leaving any debts. >> that looks healthy. >> also don't wash your hair on new year's day. >> because -- >> you wash away good luck. never use a knife or scissors because you cut your fortune. >> that means you really can't cook on new year's day. >> exactly. which means you do all the prep the day before.

>> what is this? >> clams that have been cooked with jalapeno and leeks. clams signify wealth. >> and this? >> lion's head. rice, onions, garlic, onion and ginger. the mane is the cabbage and it signifies strength and power. >> happy new year to you. ming tsai, thank you. >> happy new year to you. ming tsai, thank you. coming up, super bowl party never in my lifetime did i think i could walk 60 miles in 3 days. 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 and asking me how they could help. you meet the most wonderful, inspiring people. when you accomplish those 60 miles, it's truly life-changing. (man) register today for the... and receive $25 off your registration fee. because everyone deserves a lifetime.

good morning. time 9:56. i'm brent cannon. want to check the forecast with christina. good day to be in california.

>> great day to be in california and not anywhere on the east coast. 53 hayward. 53 san mateo. west coast seeing the best weather. temperatures climb towards 65 later today. as high pressure starts to amplify. that's going to create dry pattern that will maintain probably throughout this weekend and most of next week as well. 64 degree today. 67 in santa cruz. extended forecast tells a story, temperatures climb through sunday. 73 degrees for super bowl sunday. let's find out how your drive looks with mike. >> east coast, not the greatest weather in the east bay. not the greatest traffic. westbound 580 richmond parkway, an accident has been there affecting lanes for a half hour. there's a slow drive off of the east shore freeway to richmond/san rafael bridge. approaching the area, time's looking good. 880 the worst of it. northbou northbound past the coliseum

slow down. easy drive at the bay area toll plaza. present, you've got more news right now. thanks, mike. muni gets green light to implement three changes for parking. first, muni employees no longer park for free. they have to pay $80 a month for a permit or face $55 fine. the new rule goes into effect on march 1st. the muni board of directors voted allow nannies to park for free in certain neighborhoods and they created a two-hour maximum time limit for people who, at broken meters. new changes help open up more spaces throughout the city. a bay area family tack a shot at winning a million. the bishop family will be on minute to win it. glenn and julie bishop, bomom a dad in the stands. kids compete for $1 million. each team faces ten challenges and you have one minute to complete each one. if they went all ten, they get that million dollars.

watch it tonight at 8:00. right now back to the "today" show. have a great morning. finally, a hand sanitizer that won't dry out your hands. new gold bond ultimate hand sanitizer sheer moisture. kills 99% of germs without alcohol. new gold bond hand sanitizer sheer moisture.

good day from cairo where this unfolding situation has undergone a huge and dramatic and violent change. it appears that the protest movement that we have seen unfold mostly in liberation square behind us here in cairo has been put down, at least in this location, and at least for now by street gangs. they have been called thugs, loyal to hosni mubarak. they entered in all dramatic

fashion on horseback and on camels and on foot throughout the day, whipping the protesters who had set up shop in the square. a lot of them unarmed. a lot of them with families. the people who had been camping out here for days. tonight, they are dropping molitov cocktails from the top of buildings, hundreds of injured have been taken to hospitals, official and makeshift. a huge power change in this struggle which, after all, is for control of the world's largest arab nation. complete details tonight on "nbc nightly news." from cairo, i'm brian williams, "nbc nightly news."adorable. he's right out of a dickens thing. he's adorable. >> we got it, punxsutawney. >> there's an 87% chance or something that there could be more winter. and so we're going to -- >> they just said spring.

>> i know. usually, all the years they've been measuring it and watching his shadow -- >> but we've had it with winter. we're going to do something interesting tomorrow. >> we have a surprise. >> we can reveal a little of it. >> it involves a little more skin than you usually see. which is a lot. hoda is going to wear a thong. >> we got so sick of winter we decided recently, five minutes ago, we're going to make our show a summertime show tomorrow. >> we're having a beach party tomorrow morning. you are welcome to put on your thong at home and watch us. don't go to the gym in one. that's gross. >> put on some good beach music. we're going to be cranking it hear. >> beach boys. ♪ aruba, jamaica, oh i want to take you to bermuda, bahama ♪ >> she doesn't have a bathing suit. >> i don't. i don't have one that i like anymore. i'm the kind of person, i have

the same bathing suit for three or four years. >> longer than that, hoda. >> i keep thinking, i don't wear it that often. a few times in the summer. >> well, we're going to party. last night -- it's very rare for me to stay in the city. we knew this big storm was coming so i stayed in last night, went out to hbo, to the time warner center. hbo does such fabulous, fabulous work. i rarely get to see it because it's on late at night. i hardly get to go to screenings because i'm always in the country. last night i went with herb and jamie seegle to see "the sunset express." it's quite amazing. two guys at the top of their game. we have the amazing james earl jones on in a few moments. >> top op your game, mister. >> james earl jones is incredible. >> he's incredible at everything. we just saw him recently. he just turned 80. >> i know. he turned 80.

"driving miss daisy" has been extended through april 9th. can i tell a great story about him? not to embarrass him. the year i left the show with reg, it was 2000. i ended up hosting in 2001 the daytime emmys. right after i left the show with reg i was at the emmys and james came down to say something. he looked at me, and he goes, "may i just thank you on behalf of everyone for the 15 years that you entertained us?" and i started to bawl my eyes out. it wasn't my night at all. he made it my night for me in a personal way. >> that that's the way he rolls. >> he is the sweetest man. >> "sunset express" is coming your way and it's quite interesting. we won't give it away. >> on hbo. >> the good news about this --

>> if you're complaining and moaning about the winter we're going to change your mood a little bit. did you know that when you are cold you actually burn more calories. they say when you go out to shovel the snow, don't get all bundled up with lots of layers. >> you don't want to get too hot. >> a little chilly. when you're a little chilly your body has to work harder to warm it up. therefore you burn more calories. >> do you know what will burn them off the hard old-fashioned way? do what i've been doing. exelis with dr. wexler. i went for my third fat burning session yesterday afternoon. >> she's taking a laser on your stomach. it burns the fat, turns it into liquid and it goes away. >> when are we going to show that? next week? >> next friday. all next week are amazing procedures like that. >> all next week. noninvasive -- it's invasive enough. >> but you can feel the difference, can't you? >> yeah. more than that, you know what's

embarrassing, people are saying "oh, my gosh. you look so much better." i didn't know i looked that bad. >> sometimes you don't know. >> people are trying to encourage me but i'm really going, was it really this awful? did it flop in the room before i got in myself? >> i was getting ready the other day. i put on a dress. don in the wardrobe goes, put on a pair of spanx and it will be fine. i said, i already have spanx on. she goes, oh, we'll change that dress. >> apparently we're not the vainest city in the country. we thought we might be. >> the number five -- is it vainest or most vain? >> most vain. >> know. i think it's vainest. number five is hartford, connecticut. they judged you on how many times you go to the gym and products you buy for your face. four is l.a. three is new york. two, our friends in boston.

>> a lot of our friends in boston, they wear those -- >> they're minimal. >> then san francisco, number one most vain, vainest city in america. >> yeah. like that. let's see what you all think about that on facebook. there's a whole big thing about jealousy on facebook. people like to go on their trips and send back pictures. >> here's the thing. you go on facebook. you're having a regular life. you're tired. you've been -- >> you've been shoveling. >> your boss is mad at you. you go on facebook and you see your friends toasting, having a great time in jamaica or never had more fun or i'm in love. nobody wants to read your stuff. >> people hate you. >> they're sick of your pictures and your happiness. they're saying it's making people upset to see people's fun times. >> what is wrong with us? when we can't be happy for other people? there's something sick when you only enjoy other people's pain.

>> yeah, but you don't want to see all their fun pictures. maybe one or two. just be stingy about what you post, don't you think? >> i don't post. >> but you know what we're talking about. >> i know what you're talking about. i just find it weird to put private things out there for the whole world. i just don't get the thrill of that. >> i don't either. here's something they're considering in new york. they're considering giving parking privileges to pregnant women. if you're pregnant you get to park -- >> 30 days left in your pregnancy. you have to have a note from your doctor. not a forgery. >> what do you think of that? >> having been pregnant two times and been in that condition, i think it's lovely. i don't know -- especially this time of year. >> you have to walk and lug and carry things. >> you're lugging enough at that point. >> our parents were funny. when we used to go to the malls shopping, they would drive, and they would see a parking place way over there, and they knew they couldn't get to it. they would have us get out of the car and run and stand in it.

>> save it. >> nothing's worse than standing in an empty parking place when other people are trying to park. you just stand there. my parents say just wait. we're coming. we're coming. we have three losers standing there in the parking spot. >> we should talk about these little cup cakes. >> it is ground hog's day. and these are ground hog's day cup cakes that came from a friend of mine. lisa falgo, my sorority sister, coming to see us on friday. aren't these cute? you're always in such a funk on ground hog's day. they decided they would make these and send them to us. >> look at your nails. >> at my book signing people showed up with nail lacquer. they said you have issues about this. is it good? >> mmm. this is a skinny something. i don't remember what it is. >> it is skinny wine. >> pineapple juice, diet soda, then you feel it with white

wine. i guess it's half the calories. >> half the calories? >> something like that. >> this will put you in a good mood. we showed a picture a while ago of a piano sitting in a sand bar in florida. turned out some kids were doing something and they put it. in the exact same location another person has put a table and -- it's like a nice italian dining table and he took his kayak out there and he's sitting there enjoying a meal. >> he didn't set up the table. he just kayaked on over there. >> he's waiting to be served. >> we should invite him to our party tomorrow. he'd be fun. >> isn't that cool? we need to have more of those kind of images. >> all right, hoda. tomorrow. we can make it until tomorrow. there are parking spaces on the streets, right? when they cancel all that -- i have never in 30 years of living here understood the opposite side of the street parking. >> no one knows what that is. >> people are going out now and shoveling their own spot. >> right. >> if they're doing the work, they feel like, doggone it,

that's my spot. >> some people don't have driveways, they have this spot in front. they work hard shoveling. they make it for their car. then other people pull in and take their spot. >> or they put their three egyptian children there to hold it for them until they can pull in. >> what's ticking people off is they're actually putting chairs and stuff in those spots. >> i know. and the cones. they're stealing cones to put them there. i thought we had a picture of this somewhere. >> i think we do. it's upsetting to others. they feel they did the work, they should be able to park in the spot. >> i agree. don't leave cones out there for three days. you know what i mean? if you're not going to use it, let somebody else use it. we got a big show! james earl jones with us. >> cannot wait. >> look howis. es >> hli s e'ke, are we on? we'll talk to james earl jones in just a little bit. [ man ] each bottle of clorox 2 stain fighter & color booster

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his awards are too numerous to list. his resume too long to talk about. but, in short, he's a two-time tony winner. >> now the one and the only, james earl jones. stars with vanessa redgrave in the broadway production of "driving miss daisy." take a look. >> i see it. >> we ain't going but 19 miles an hour. >> i like to go under the speed limit. >> speed limit's 35 here. >> the slower you go, the more you save on gas. my husband told me that. >> we barely moving. might as well walk. >> we're so happy to have you. thank you for getting up early to be with us on this slippery, icy day out there. >> i'm from michigan. >> this is nothing to you. what a home run this show is.

were you expecting the kind of -- just the atta boys you were getting? >> never from an actor's work at all, never do they promise this joy to be on stage. this is great joy. >> and vanessa redgrave. the two of you together are incredible. >> it's a family, to begin with. then it becomes a family off stage, too. >> it's a classic for a reason, isn't it, james? it's about something so real. and so -- even though it happened a while back, it's like it's ripped out of the pages of the newspapers today in a sense. it's human beings, you know. >> a man once said there's a reason he wanted to bring it to broadway. it started off broadway, then it went to movies. to a wonderful movie, great movie with morgan freeman. >> and jessica tandy.

>> and jessica tan da. that was a great movie. but i loved it so much i wanted to do it also. >> he wanted to bring it to broadway why, did he say? >> because the young people who knew about martin luther king but didn't know about the ordinary people who were surviving during those days. >> you're in tears at the end of it. it's such a beautiful friendship story. >> a lot of the tearing come when there's no dialogue. that's what i was noticing. i really felt it. sometimes when you guys were just with each other, there's something magical between you two. >> sometimes that's the best moment, when you're not talking. better not talking. >> i didn't realize -- i don't know where i've been. under a rock somewhere. i didn't realize you stuttered badly as a child. >> i am a stutterer. >> you can now say that in the present tense? >> yeah. you never get over it, really. you simply learn how to work around it, you know. >> and the first time you played on the stage, you played a horse's behind.

>> oh, yeah. >> you've come a long way! >> baby. and it's not about where it starts. no talking. >> how did you overcome that. i know you said you worked around it. >> i don't. i didn't overcome it. but stutterers do listen a lot. because -- because they can't talk, they learn to hear better, and they learn to appreciate the language. and it's so wonderful to be with a, say, great words written by people -- i could never have thought of those words. but now i can say them. and the urge to want to say them is what drew me into acting, really. >> and you wrote poetry as a child. >> yeah, yeah. >> and the teacher said, you know, read your poetry to the class. and instead of saying anything that was confrontational, like, with another person, you just read your poems, and something happened. like a wall came down for you. >> poetry is very subjective. and it got me through. >> have you seen "the king's

speech"? the new movie? >> i have not. i need to see that. >> you do. as a person who says you stuttered, you will so relate to his challenge. he's so brilliant in it, colin firth. >> i love him. >> by the way, we picked a great day to see your show. i guess every day is a great day. there was a better day when it was actually your 80th birthday and they broke out a cake and they had the whole -- >> they needed two cakes. >> you were there? >> no, we saw. we came to an earlier one. how did that feel to blow out all those candles? >> ridiculous. they had 80. >> did the fire trucks come? >> the firemen were standing right by. >> you know what i love? when we were seeing your show, there were a bunch of little kids who came up to see you afterwards. i just remembered how you were so generous with them. you said, where are the kids? what do you want to share with young people? >> they knew taabout the heroesf that time, but they didn't know

about the ordinary people like miss daisy. who is southern, jewish. the driver. martin luther king, yes, had his march. hogue had his, too. >> it's beautiful. go see it while you can, everybody. it runs through april 9th at the golden theatre right here in new york city. in honor of black history month, every wednesday an evening performance in february. >> thank you. up next, those photos that make you look twice. and then how to make your friends look twice with their hair style when it takes years off your age. first, these messages. [ male announcer ] today, your living room was game day central.

[ cheering ] the crowd is gone

and all that remains is the stink. [ dog barks ] but you're ready. febreze air effects cleans away tough game day odors in the air and leaves a light fresh scent. it's a breath of fresh air. we're back with our special series called "what the what?" >> photos that she thought would give you the biggest kick in the woozy. >> our first one from joy from indianapolis, indiana. the caption on this was the jerk i was with when i took this picture in the cayman islands was enough. >> oh, that's funny. >> i thought the first one was a deal. why not have two? next up, a picture sent in from jeanne goodspeed from port washington, new york. human dumplings. you can really find everything in new york. >> oh, meant to be hunan, of course. >> we all hope so.

this is one for hoda. hoda lane! this is sent in by lisa harrison from walnut creek, krae krcalif. hoda's very own bowling alley. and we've got the last one, jason smith from paintsville, kentucky, taking satellite radio to a whole new level. rather than bring your own beer, it's bring your own plate, too. thank you. >> we love you guys for sending these in. thanks so much. >> keep them coming. >> klgandhoda.com. still to come, be the most interesting person at your super bowl party with the trivia triv "who knew"? how to look ten years younger by sunday. s one. and oops, my bad.

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good morning once again. time now 10:26. i'm brent cannon. slowly starring to warm up a bit. want to check the forecast with christine in. >> good morning. yes, right about now, temperatures have climbed to the low to mid-50s and we're going to end up in the low to mid-60s later today. 356 65 in oakland. it's looking pretty good. throughout the afternoon, warm but not as warm as tomorrow afternoon. 70 degrees. we're up to 73 by super bowl sun, staying nice and mild. expecting to break numerous temperature records through the next few days. let's find out how we're looking on the roadways. >> light here as well.

we're looking not in the 70s, looking at 85. highway 85. el el camino real, 82. look at the slowdown. things backed up toward 280. heading up into mountain view, an issue there. 237 slow. this is disrupting that one area through south bay. smooth drive up to peninsula 101 popular. causing slowdowns in san mateo. easy drive across the span. highway 92 no problems as far as fog for or drive. oakland, sorted itself out with traffic northbound pt theaf coliseum. clear the bay area toll plaza. [ male announcer ] breakfast for breakfast.

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water bills can shoot through the roof at one peninsula city depending on what happens at a meeting today. a commission in palo alto considering a move that would increase the bill by $8. the new rule and rate would take effect in july. en crease would bring in an extra $3.5 million for the water fund each year. law students at uc berkeley in for a challenge today. they're going to take part in a locked trial and competition judged by u.s. supreme court justice sonia sotomayor. two students, finalists, are going to present case as if they were going before the u.s. supreme court. each has to propose a written brief and 30-minute oral argument. sotomayor is going to listen to what they have to say.

so a bit of pressure going before the big-time judges there. thanks for joining us. the "today" show continues next. we'll see you hear tomorrow morning. have a great day. we're back on this winesday with more of tuesday. ready to play our weekly trivia game, "who knew?" the topic, the super bowl, of course. kathie lee just outside in the green room ready to go. here with me the emmy award winning sports caster and author of this book called "the greatest moments in sports" and a good friend of the "today" show, len berman. how do you think they'll do? >> i think they want the cds so they're going to tank. >> over to you. >> i have always loved len berman. true or false? you're from new york. true or false?

it cost about $3 million to air a 30-second tv commercial during the super bowl this year. >> i believe that's true. >> and you would be right! good, good, good. hundred bucks. >> wow. so 3 million bucks for 30 seconds? >> you know how many people watch in a group when they're making noise and you don't get to hear anything? do you think the commercials have kind of gone down over the years? >> a little. i do have to say, when they come on i do have to watch. i know there's going to be one i'm going to be in love with. >> what's interesting, $3 million is what you guys charge for this show. >> you are a good friend. back across to kath. >> this darlling couple from germany. they don't have the super bowl there. we'll see. when was the term "super bowl" officially introduced, '51, 1969, 1983, it's always been called the super bowl. >> we'll take "a," 1951. >> no, darling.

before it was just the championship game. >> the first two games, super bowl i and ii were called the afc/nfc championship game. the owner of the kansas city chief daughter -- >> back across to kath. >> gentlemen from seattle. the green bay packers are the only publicly owned franchise in professional sports. >> true. >> wow, you knew. >> eery other team --? >> every other team has owners. they put out shares. i don't think they distribute the funds at the end of the year when they make a profit. they have shares. they own a piece of the team. >> interesting. who do you think is going to win, by the way? >> i'm leaning towards pittsburgh. >> back across to kath. >> it's like world day today here. this lovely family is from england. all righty. here's your question. i don't know if you'll get this. at which super bowl was frank

gifford -- that's my husband -- an announcer and kathie lee gifford -- that's me -- sang the national anthem? los angeles in '67, houston in '74, new orleans 1981 or miami in 1995. >> d, miami. >> you would be right. >> wow! hey, kath -- >> check it out on hulu. >> kath, pretty cool. you sang and frank announced. >> people said i slept with him to get the gig. >> did you? >> maybe. >> here's the thing, i don't have any memory of who won that game. but the memory of kathie lee singing the national anthem, who could forget that? >> and look at her 'do. >> where you from? >> westchester, new york. >> here's your question. true or false, anheuser-busch has been the super bowl's exclusive alcohol sponsor since 1989. >> true. >> everybody knows this stuff!

yeah. got it right. >> there's only one? you can only have one? >> you have one official sponsor. i can't picture you or kathie lee like -- >> beer? we're not about -- >> mojitos. >> back across. >> continuing our international theme, this gentleman is from canada. during super bowl -- actually, do you watch it up there in canada? >> oh, sure. >> during super bowl xxxviii in houston in 2004 two halftime performers were involved in what we now call a famous wardrobe malfunction. who were they? >> timberlake and janet jackson. >> well, you're right, mr. canada! >> you know, they can't remember -- i bet you don't remember who played. they do remember janet jackson and justin timberlake. >> most people blame janet jackson on that business. he was the one who -- >> he ripped it! was that all planned? >> absolutely. really good plan.

cbs is still being fined because of that. they're still appealing it. >> the indecent thing. back across to kath. >> we have a home grown boy from omaha, ne me. which nfl team holds the records for the most super bowl wins? the packers, steeler,st, patriots or giants? >> i believe it's the green bay packers. >> no. that's all right. you get this fabulous kathie lee gifford cd. enjoy. >> he looks really happy. the answer is the pittsburgh steeler. >> they've won six. they're going for seven here. i'm telling you, that guy dumped the question on purpose. >> he wanted the music. >> he was the only one from america who didn't know the answer on that one. >> come back and see us sometime. love you, len. kath is going to come back across and join us in a second. up next, we're going to show you how you can shave ten yearsof off these women with one small life changer. i would take the. "dietary...supplement... weight-loss...pills." ooh! "consult a physician if you experience rapid heartbeat, "dizziness... shortness of breath...

side effects may include chest pain, nausea..." yeah. couple days of that, and i will be in a bathing suit in no time! [ female announcer ] need a clinically proven way to lose weight now? then try the slim-fast 3-2-1 plan. 3 snacks, 2 shakes or meal bars, and 1 balanced meal. slim-fast. who has time to slim slowly?

we're back with our special life changers series, showing you how to make a big difference with a small change. today we're going to learn how to trim a decade from your face. >> promise? here to show us how it's done, "today's" contributing hair stylist to the stars, louis li cardy, stylist to the stars. >> everybody has a girl. why don't you guys go to your little stations. we're going to start with louis. louis, you -- there's a woman

who you were dealing with. rita mcsweeney from huntington county, new york. she's a retired teacher. even though she's the youngest of five girls her siblings think she looks and acts the oldest. i think we have a picture of her. she hasn't colored her hair in 15 years. are we supposed to guess her age, because i have no idea. >> no. that's hard to guess. tell what you say the issues were. >> rita, obviously she hasn't cut her hair in 15 years. she used to be an at-home colorer which is a great thing to do, to color your hair at home. but what we did is i changed her up. gave her this great haircut. >> i bet she's a redhead. >> you know what, you're right! blond washed her out. brown was too dark. red brightened up her blue eyes. >> rita, come on out from behind there. >> yes! >> come sit in your chair, girl! >> this is the hottest trend in hair right now. this is the new shag. >> i love it. >> the great thing is it's wash and wear, easy to wear.

look how it shapes her face. >> can you believe the difference? >> tell me this was not an age eraser. >> how many years do you think that took off. i bet you that took ten years easily. >> ten years. two hours, ten years. that's not bad. >> you look terrific. >> so beautiful. >> louis, excellent job. we'll see you friday, honey, for ambush makeovers. >> next up is mark garrison from mark garrison hair salon. linda chikon is from palm beach, florida. tell us the issues you saw with her. >> the issues i saw with linda is she has long, hanging hair that was pulling her down. it was so down dragging. it did nothing for her. it was beautiful hair itself. it just did not work for her, it worked against her. >> you're from north carolina, aren't you? >> i'm from north carolina. >> don't you love it?

>> this is, again, this is linda's before. we want to see what mark did. linda, step on around. let's see you. oh! >> that is unbelievable. >> hey! >> that is shocking. tell us what you did, mark. >> what i did is brought her up to a layered bob, i call this. because it has a bit of weight to the bottom. it's not all wispy ends, shagged out. it's a little bit more of a bob shape with layers through the top to give her some volume in the top and a bit of a face-framing angle so it can speed away from her face. i gave her the lift she needs for her cheekbones. >> you look so good. >> i feel wonderful. amazing. >> you need to walk around a lot today. out in that lovely weather. >> mark, awesome job. >> all right. >> hello, it's your turn. >> here is our last model. this is yvonne gorgapola from

new york. she does freelance education work. she loves her hair but she says it's hard to manage, it can be a big pain in her life. tell us what her issues were. >> as you can see she has a lot of damaged hair. she colors it. it's textured. and she just wanted something to be more manageable, something shiny, luxurious. >> i can't wait to see what you did. this is yvonne again before. come on, yvonne. let's see what he did. oh! >> wow. >> it leaves your hair beautiful, shiny. think of it as like an innovative deep conditioning treatment with no damage. >> that'll last for about four or five months? >> three months. >> three months. it's beautiful. thank you, everybody. >> you look so beautiful. it really did take years off.

>> i think more than ten in every case. >> absolutely. thanks everybody. now i think the girls are ready to party. up next, we're going to show you how to throw a really good super bowl shin dig after this.

super bowl sunday is just four days away. whether you're a cheesehead cheering for the green bay packers or pittsburgh steeler nation fan, one thing is certain. everybody can use a good ole party right now. >> yes. dawn sandamino and elizabeth pascally, party blueprints.com. authors of the book "plan to party: simple and special entertaining in your home." you're going to set us up for a great super bowl party that's kind of unique, right? >> it's not like every other one. >> let's start with the drinks. >> this is wine wednesday.

>> thank you. >> these are boxes of wine, huh? >> really what trips most people up when they're trying to stick to a budget is trying to put out too much. three things. wine, beer and lemonade. this is great. you're serving it in bulk. >> that wouldn't last very long with my friends. >> 20 glasses in here. >> like i said. >> it's self serve. you don't want to be a bartender at your party. you want to party. then we have this great keg. there's 14 servings in here. it stays cold. one problem, though, kathie, no keg stands. >> i'll find a way. now that i know what one is, i do them all the time. >> we have fresh lemonade. it's better than soda. and stemless wine glasses which you can serve everything in. >> a lot of times people have buffalo wings and stuff like that. your food selection seems a lot more sophisticated. >> we traded in the traditional

football fare for a lighter, healthier, easier version. it's margarita flatbread pizza. instead of a pizza that's laden with heavy cheese and greasy toppings, tomatoes, fresh basel. it is light. you feel good about eating it. >> that is scrumptious. i don't know if it's because i rarely eat cheese and bread. >> what about the chicken? the chicken wings for -- >> again, usually when you're eating wings, traditional fare, it's covered in a heavy sauce. we wanted the flavors to shine through. and we used a marinade of fresh rosemary, fresh lime juice and tequila. >> what about these guys? >> i want to tell you, one thing with the wings, follow the wine rule. if you wouldn't drink it, don't cook with it. >> really? >> if you wouldn't drink the tequila, don't cook with it. >> why wouldn't you drink the

tequila? not that i do. but lots of people. >> that's so good. >> that's unbelievable. >> so easy to make. all of these dishes have less than five ingredients. you can prepare them in five minutes. again, very easy. >> wow. >> skewers, make it easy for a guest to eat something healthy while they're watching the game. >> the sweet department. my wheelhouse. >> my favorite part of the party. we took inexpensive desserts like ice cream and brownies, dressed it up for the super bowl. it's a make our own bar. invite your friends to come up. this chinese food container. plastic coated, and it's se seamless so it doesn't drip. >> what do you put in there? >> take a brownie if you like. some ice cream. >> a sundae bar! it's great for the children,

too. >> that that you've fed your guests, gave them this sugar high at halftime with the super sundae bar, fourth quarter you've got to fight against it. the game's going long. we love popcorn for a viewing party. this microwavable popcorn you can stick in the microwave. pull it out, put it in a bowl and it's ready. can't get easier than that. >> it's so cute. >> popcorn is great to feed a crowd. economical. >> who y'all rooting for? >> steelers! >> they were clear about that. thanks so much. we're going to be back with more of "today" on nbc.

what's going on, sexy sara? >> first of all, people are excited -- one of our regular fans on here, brad's birthday is today. >> happy birthday to brad! >> he said a party tomorrow will do, though. >> hoda's going to wear a thong. she just said so. >> i am not wearing a thong. >> speaking of clothing, lisa wanted to know, do you ever rewear the same outfits? what do you do with your old clothes? >> hoda, do you want to answer that one? >> i wear the same thing repeatedly. as people have told me. not as much as i used to. >> that one red dress. >> that red one had to go. >> that didn't even need a hanger. if you know what i mean. that's in the smithsonian. >> tomorrow, you guys we're going to have a really fun beach party because we're sick of the weather, we're tired of it. we're going to be lounging. the show's going to involve a nice, warm, summertime theme. >> we're getting away.

i'm going to feel a little more comfortable because i had my fat melted. also, "everyone has a story" storm. i heard it rehearsed last night. it's going to be great. >> come see us. at bhingwe bng suits. >> have a great winesday. put on your suits, thongs if you must. see you tomorrow. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com

good day from cairo where there has been an enormous change in the battle in effect for control of this part of the city but more than that, it could be for control of the world's largest arab nation. this is the square we have been talking about for days. it was full of anti-mubarak protesters. street gangs came in on horse, camel and on foot. there has been