ready brew. we promise you'll love it or we'll send you a bag of starbucks coffee. it's the starbucks via taste promise. look for it where you buy groceries. good morning. first on "today," michelle obama comes to our studio for her first live morning show interview. the ongoing crisis in egypt, her passion to make children healthier, and the role she played in getting her husband to give up his decade-long smoking habit. winter's assault -- another powerful winter storm battering the nation's midsection with up to a foot of snow expected in some parts. here in the east, residents brace for a blast of bone-chilling arctic air. court date -- lindsay lohan on probation already for a dui

will be charged for felony grand theft for allegedly stealing a necklace. will the judge send her back to jail? we're live at the courthouse today, wednesday, february 9, we're live at the courthouse today, wednesday, february 9, 2011. captions paid for by nbc-universal television and good morning. welcome to "today" on a wednesday morning. i'm matt lauer. >> i'm meredith vieira. we are thrilled around here because the first lady is making her first visit to our studio this morning. >> probably more people than normal here. the visit comes at a pivotal moment for her and her husband. they are getting set for what could be a gruelling re-election campaign. >> she made news on tuesday telling reporters the president has not smoked a cigarette in nearly a year. she'll fill us in on that and

her campaign to end childhood obesity, which is her great passion. >> also news for women with breast cancer. scientists say a painful procedure that has long been routine may not be necessary in some cases. dr. nancy snyderman will have details on that. >> plus, the problems with the broadway production of "spider-man" have been well documented. now it is being blasted by critics. lame, depressing, disaster, a national joke, just some of the reviews. all the bad press could spell box office gold for the show. we'll explain. >> we begin with the winter storm in oklahoma, texas and the south. mike seidel from the weather channel is in oklahoma city. good morning to you. >> reporter: good morning, matt. for the second time in a week, another round of bitter cold and big snows already this morning north of tulsa. a foot of snow and three to four-foot drifts in oklahoma city. 25 miles per hour wind gusts. it's 7 degrees and the wind chills are 15 to 20 below zero.

last night, 50 miles per hour wind gusts in amarillo and seven inches of snow. heavy snows yesterday in kansas. the southwest part of the state had up to 15 inches. in wichita, the daily record of seven inches of snow. today in tulsa they will likely break two records -- their snowiest month and snowiest season on record. schools are closed for the seventh consecutive day. down in texas, temperatures in the teens, matt. they are urging customers and people to conserve energy today and tonight with the bitter cold temperatures. matt, back to you. >> mike seidel in oklahoma city for us. thank you very much. we'll get al's forecast. coming up. >> first a check of the other top stories. ann curry is at the news desk. good morning. >> good morning to you this morning. we begin with increasing signs that egypt's government is losing patience with the protesters in tahrir square. egypt's vice president is now

warning the government doesn't want to use force against its citizens. ron allen has the latest on the protests from chi rochlt ron, good morning. >> reporter: good morning, ann. yes. it's a work day here, but the square is filling up yet again following one of the biggest days of protest yet on tuesday. the government is continuing to insist that the president will not resign and it is warning the protesters to back off, but the opposition is re-energizing as well. [ chanting ] >> reporter: this morning a massive egyptian flag signals the start of another day of protest. ignited by victories like the release of an executive from 12 days in jail. you are all heroes he told the crowds. >> i don't think there is ever going to be a reversal. we are not going back to the old ways. >> reporter: other high profile

recruits joined the protest including a top news anchor who left her job, angered by the government's crackdown against demonstrators. >> i said a regime that does this to its own people, how can i? i would have the blood of innocent dead people on my hands. >> reporter: the government's response has been a warning. it won't put up with the protests for long. one reason the demonstrators insist america should do more to force mubarak out. >> that was a big disappointment to hear president obama give the green light for mubarak to stay on. >> reporter: the obama administration has given the egyptians a list of demands. at the top of the list, lift the state of emergency that's been in place here for some 30 years. meanwhile, tens of thousands of protesters fill up the square again trying to keep pressure on mubarak to quit. ann? >> that's a pretty amazing image. thank you, ron.

also, three car bombs exploded in iraq. one blast caught on tape. officials say seven people were killed, 80 others wounded. most were police officers. a republican-led effort to extend provisions of the patriot act failed last night. several house republicans voted against the bill to extend key parts of counter terrorism surveillance law. an investigation by the associated press found that a culture of unpunished errors at the cia has led to wrongful imprisonment and death over the past decade. serious errors were left undisciplined and officers were ultimately promoted. there's been no response yet from the agency. finally an 83-year-old california man was caught on tape driving the wrong way on interstate 5 last week. he eventually ran out of road. >> oh, my god! >> reporter: and slammed into a guardrail. he survived with no serious injuries but caused a four-vehicle accident and a

traffic jam. he was confused and couldn't explain what happened. now back to matt, meredith and al. >> that's a long way to drive the long way on the highway. >> thankfully nobody else was injured. >> exactly. >> we have another busy weather morning. >> exactly. bitterly cold air and lots of snow in the south as we show you what's happening. there is the snow right now up from oklahoma, northern texas into arkansas. rain is moving out. as we take the path of the storm it comes across the gulf spreading snow into tennessee and parts of west virginia. it exits out into the atlantic changing energy off the coast, off the north carolina coast. snowfall amounts back through texas and oklahoma anywhere from 6 to 9 inches of snow and as we move through the east it's mostly rain. maybe one to two inches in parts of north carolina with heavier rain off the coast. >> good morning. it is a cold start in our neck of the woods.

28 degrees in gilroy right now. 36 in napa and just 2 degrees above freezing in santa rosa, as we head throughout the next couple of mornings the fog willing back. high pressure is driving the marine layer off shore today. looks like low-pressure system is going to bring us rain showers next week monday into tuesday. today sunshine and 65 degrees. and that's your latest weather. meredith? >> al, thank you. a new study is out that could change the way doctors treat many women with breast cancer. it shows early stage breast cancer that has spread to the lymph nodes may require less extensive surgery than previously thought. dr. snyderman has details. >> hi, meredith. >> for decades it's been a common medical procedure for a woman with early stage breast cancer and doctors find a couple nodes are cancerous they remove them all. >> right. all the lymph nodes in the armpit. >> this procedure turns that on

its head. >> it's a real step forward in how we treat breast cancer. this is really for people who -- the 30% of women who present with early stage breast cancer, but the graphic shows what the lymph nodes look like as they drain tumor cells away from the breast. as you said, we used to take them all out. now doctors know if even one or two closest to the tumor are positive, because most women with early stage breast cancer get a lumpectomy, radiation and systemic treatment even with microscopic cells in there. they will be treated anyway. so this is one of those times when less surgery, less aggressive treatment is, in fact, better for women. quality of life is better and there is no change in survival rate. >> it's a scary thought, i think, for doctors and patients, no matter what the study shows. >> it's funny you say scary. less sounds frightening.

but doctors got together and you are slowly seeing the really good surgeons adopt this. why? because the complications from having this extensive surgery are significant. women can have swelling of the arms, pain, neuralgia, infection, fluid build-up. all of those things. talk to a woman who's had breast cancer surgery and those are real complications. we can limit those, maybe even prevent them and still afford the same cure rates. >> all right. dr. nancy snyderman, thank you so much. once again, here's matt. >> thank you. the nation's second largest bank is being called before congress today. lawmakers want executives from jpmorgan chase to talk about how it overcharged or wrongfully foreclosed on servicemen and women on active duty. it is a story you saw first here on "today." lisa myers has an update. good morning to you. >> reporter: good morning, matt.

the bank is being called to account for seemingly violating a federal law designed to protect troops from financial stress while they are in harm's way. so far, chase admits overcharging 4,000 troops and wrongfully foreclosuring on 14 of them. that doesn't count a family we talked to -- foreclosed on while the mother was in iraq. >> hey, whose job is dishes this week? >> reporter: sarah is a california mother of four. >> did you practice your trumpet? >> reporter: and a lieutenant-colonel in the army reserve. in 2008 smith went on active duty to iraq. while she was there her husband rory lost his job in the economic downturn. they quickly contacted the mortgage company and asked for a modification or temporary help. >> i was being proactive, and put it in writing that sarah was on active orders in iraq. they came back and said, well, really, we have nothing to do

for you. >> reporter: at that point, their lender, washington mutual was taken over by jp morgan chase. matters only got worse. sarah said when she wasn't on a mission in iraq she kept doing battle to save her home. >> we tried on numerous occasions to reach somebody at chase or wamu who could make a decision on our behalf. we told them in writing that i was mobilized and in the military. >> reporter: then came the collection calls. even when she was home briefly for christmas. >> on a busy day it would be six or eight calls. >> it was harassment. >> reporter: finally this letter arrived saying their home was about to be foreclosed on. >> we just made the decision to stop fighting. >> reporter: the law generally prohibits banks from foreclosuring on military families until six months after they return from active duty. >> we were making extraordinary sacrifices on behalf of our country. i don't think it would have cost chase much to make the sacrifice to leave us alone, let us be,

let us get our feet back on the ground and keep our home. >> reporter: today, a house committee will grill chase on its overall treatment of the troops. >> it was hard to believe that a financial institution in this country would, in any way, try to take advantage of somebody on active duty. >> reporter: a chase spokesman said the bank doesn't yet know what happened in the case of sarah lett-smith who lost her home. the bank said if it made a mistake it will fix it. chase is already refunding money to those overcharged and, matt, says most are getting their homes back. >> lisa, thank you for the update. it's 13 minutes after the hour. once again here's meredith. >> matt, thank you. lindsay lohan is set to face her most serious legal problem to date. los angeles prosecutors say she'll be charged with felony grand theft today for allegedly stealing a necklace. kristin welker is outside the

courthouse with details. good morning. >> reporter: good morning, meredith. lindsay lohan will appear for her arraignment this afternoon here at this l.a. county superior courthouse. the actress has been in trouble in the past, but this is the first time she will be charged with a felony. lindsay lohan getting pretty at a beverly hills hair salon on the eve of her latest court appearance. according to the l.a. county district attorney the starlet will be charged with grand theft today for allegedly stealing this $2500 necklace she was photographed wearing several weeks ago. >> everyone around her is in crisis mode, including lindsay. >> reporter: news cameras line the sidewalks outside the store where the theft allegedly occurred. one of her aids returned the necklace to police just as authorities were about to search lohan's home. in a statement her attorney says, we deny these allegations.

>> lindsay said she was lent the jewelry, she didn'tle steal anything but the store says they have video and believe she did steal it. >> reporter: veteran defense attorney mark garagos says two things will happen today. first, lohan will be charged with theft and asked to enter a plea. >> i think you will probably see a not guilty plea. >> reporter: then he says the judge will have to decide what to do about the fact that lohan is still on probation for a 2007 dui arrest. >> some judge could say, okay, this is a felony. you're on probation. i'm going to revoke probation again. >> reporter: if lohan's probation is revoked she could wind up back in jail. garagos defended actress winona rider when she was convicted of shoplifting more than $5,000 worth of clothes in 2002. surveillance video captured the crime. she got probation and community service. garagos says things could be

different for lohan. >> you have the same d.a., john lynch who supervised that case, potentially the same judge. you have two people who are both actresses. the difference is that winona had absolutely no record. >> reporter: and lohan does. she's been in and out of jail and rehab for violating her probation. hollywood insiders say even fans are starting to lose faith. >> a lot of people are wondering today, does this mean it's over for lindsay? it's not. but it is definitely a pause button on her life and her career. >> reporter: now legal analysts also say even if lohan is ordered tole jail today, she will likely post jail and they say a felony theft conviction carries a possible three-year prison sentence but say it is highly unlikely the actress would spend that much time behind bars. meredith?

>> kristen, thank you so much. >> good morning. >> this charge of felony grand theft, how serious is it when it comes to lindsay lohan given the fact that she's on probation. >> it is serious for two reasons. ub it's a felony and it has a three-year maximum. she's on record with a judge that's given her every break he could. there is a status on her probationary status and he's got to look at this carefully and think about whether or not at that time he wants to revoke it. >> the fact that she's been charged or will be, not found guilty of it, is that enough for the judge to say that's a violation of probation -- the charge itself? >> that's the question. yes, it is enough as a charge. but judge fox is a fair man with an excellent reputation. he may be the kind of judge who would say, okay, just the charge, you are presumed innocent. perhaps we continue probation

until this is resolved. we know that lindsay's lawyer has been firm. she's not fighting it in the press. she's going to fight it in court. perhaps the prudent thing to do is have lindsay post bail, go to the hearing on february 25 on a possible revocation and extend this probation. but, meredith, we all know the problem with lindsay and long probations. it gives her more time to get into trouble. >> on the other hand, after she got out of rehab in january the judge said, if you mess up again, you're going to jail for six months. >> he did. we have two things pending. we have the looming charge of a possible assault in riverside county for what happened at the betty ford clinic. that may go nowhere. now we have this. she may have a defense. she may be able to say, look, one of my handlers took it, a manager took it. i thought they wanted me to wear it. after all, people pay me to wear it. maybe it should be heard before

it gets yanked. >> thank you. it's 7:18. here's matt. >> now the highs and lows of broadway's most expensive show ever. after months of delays and on-stage accidents the critics are weighing in on "spider-man: turn off the dark." it's not pretty. is it a good thing for ticket sales? jeff rossen is in times square. good morning to you. >> reporter: good morning. we have heard about the celebrities and actors who say, oh, i don't read the reviews. i just focus on the work. the reviews are getting hard to ignore. a new batch out this week. the new york times say it is show is hanging on by a thread. the new york post call it is show laughable. these are the good ones. the show doesn't officially open until next month but when people get hurt -- remember this cable

snap and tumble? it's hard to stay under the radar. >> it's a mess. >> reporter: the new york times calls it a depressing disaster, a national joke. spider-man is so broken in every respect that it is beyond repair. seemingly bad news for broadway's most expensive production ever. $65 million and counting. it may also rank among the worst, says the times. >> it's a mess. just a total mess. it unravels before your eyes and you wonder, where did all that money go? >> reporter: and this tangled web keeps getting stickier. four actors have been injured on stage. spidey's stunt man broke his ribs. another actor broke his foot. another broke his wrist and the lead actress natalie mendoza suffered a concussion when a cable hit her in the head. she quit the show. >> there are things we are fixing, getting better. it's way better than it was two months ago. >> reporter: other reviews have been equally vicious from

blumberg news, dull and unmemorable. from the new york post, inconsistent, maddening, lame. from the chicago tribune, an incoherent story. and from the l.a. times, a circus spectacle. >> reporter: some of the reports called it erratic, laughable, a mess. what's it like to read that? >> nobody likes to read a review that says, oh, that's crap. you look at sales and go, oh, okay. good. there are different opinions. >> reporter: in fact, sales are way up. last week it overtook "wicked" for the top spot at the box office. even the critics admit their reviews may not matter. the show's problems are fuelling sales. >> it doesn't have great long-term sales. people are buying it on the instant hoping that they will see a boy fall from the sky, literally. >> reporter: you know what they say. no such thing as bad press. shows like this are often

looking for buzz and "spider-man" has it. critics usually wait until shows officially open to post reviews but many of the critics got so sick of waiting because the previews have been extended, the show opening delayed so many times they felt they had to do it. if you want to see the show it costs between $67 on the low end up to $135. you be the judge if you want to come or not. >> lots of people are signing up. jeff rossen, thank you very much. just ahead, first lady michelle obama's first live morning show interview. we're happy to have her with us. we'll get to that. first this is "today" on nbc.

straight ahead first lady michelle obama has made it to our studio. her first live interview on a morning news program. >> we have a lot to talk about. we'll get to th t, first, these messages and a look at your local news and weather.

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has given us money to reinvest back into our business and help quadruple our floor space. how can the plum card's trade terms get your business booming? booming is putting more music in more people's hands. >> good morning. time now is 7:26. i'm brent cannon. checking a chilly start of the day. >> these are the coldest temperatures we expect to see all morning long. we're in the 30s now. and typically just after the sun comes up that's when we see the coldest point of the day. 36 at napa. 34 santa rosa, 28 degrees in gilroy. grab a jacket. we're going to see a lot of sunshine but it still will be cool throughout the day. high pressure in control. a little system of low pressure is going to push towards us the next couple of days. thn it will amplify and bring us rainfall as we head into monday and tuesday so we have rain on

the way. 62 degrees in oakland, 65 in redwood city and 63 in los gatos. through the rest of the week temperatures climb to 69 by sunday. the showers arrive late monday into tuesday. let's find out how well we're doing on the roadways. >> good morning. to the peninsula we do have an accident southbound 101 at sierra point parkway. four or five cars are involved. a couple of left lanes blocked. out of the city toward 380. southbound 280 also slow through daily city. that's typical. both avenues are rough out of san francisco. san jose, slow from before the capitol past two scenes. 880, 101, 280 building out of downtown. sunol, much smoother but slow there. >> thanks a lot. pg&e executives say there are no other pipe lines like the one that exploded in san bruno in

northern california. the "mercury news" reports that pg&e has not been able to find other gas pipes with large sections that were welded together. federal investigators say that faulty welds may be to blame for the explosion in september that killed eight people. pg&e executives say they have not punished any employees in connection with that blast but if anybody is punished it will happen after the ntsb releases its report. that is due out in march. more in a half hour. ♪

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the hard way is how lexus inspires absolute confidence. this is the pursuit of perfection. see what it takes at lexus.com/thehardway. 7:30 now on this wednesday morning, february 9, 2011. let's hope our crowd is bundled up tight because the big chill is in new york and across much of the nation. 15 degrees on the plaza now. meanwhile, inside studio 1a i'm meredith vieira. matt is with our very special guest. >> very special indeed, meredith. we are with the first lady, michelle obama. it's her first trip to studio 1a. good to have you here. >> good to be here. >> we have a lot to talk about, meredith. everything from her campaign against childhood obesity which is very important to her husband. how about this news -- kicking the habit. and the 2012 presidential race and how she feels about that including -- and she'll shake

her head on this -- how she feels about being a fashion icon as well. we'll talk to the first lady for a full half hour ahead. first a check on the weather from mr.rokeroker. good morning, everybody. got a nice group of kids here from long branch middle school. talking about stopping bullying. very nice. let's check the weather. man, this is brutally cold air. temperatures well below freezing. in the 20s in texas. teens and 20s in new england. tomorrow, the cold air starts to moderate a bit in the south but heads into the great lakes and the northeast. as it moves into friday you can see the cold air bunched around the great lakes into the northeast. warmer through the southwest, but 20s and 30s in the rockies. chilly in the southeast. >> a cold start in our neck of

the woods. but we do have changes on the way, rain on the way to the bay area. system of low pressure is going to push toward the coast as we head throughout the afternoon. on shore flow kicks in tomorrow, the fog is back. same for friday morning. then the rain arrives as we head to the latter part of monday into tuesday. tuesday looking very wet. 62 degrees in oakland today though. 62 in los gatos under abundant sunshine. temperatures ramping up. weather. matt? >> al, thank you very much. as we said, we are pleased to welcome the first lady, michelle obama, to our studio to talk about a variety of subjects. mrs. obama, it's great to see you. welcome. >> it's good to be here. >> i have a potpourri for you. >> okay. >> let's start with egypt. your husband spoke forcefully during the early days of this saying a transition needs to begin now. the egyptians are still protesting in cairo.

president mubarak is still in office some week or so later and it appears the white house softened its stance, not calling for his immediate departure. has his husband softened his stance? >> i'm not going to comment on his policy. the entire west wing has focused a lot of energy on this. when i look at what's going on in egypt it reminds me how grateful we are to live in a democracy. i wish the people of egypt the best and i know that america will be working to do the right thing. >> do you get the sense that it's a tough line to walk for your husband between his spoken desires of all people in the world living with freedom and democracy and the realities of foreign policy and dealing with a friend of this country for over 30 years? >> i don't think there is an issue that my husband deals with that isn't tough. it's hard being president of the united states. he's doing a great job and i know he's focused on this issue. >> i want to talk about

re-election in a moment. you made news yesterday. >> i know. >> you revealed in an interview that your husband, after decades of smoking, was kicked the habit. >> well, i was asked. i didn't volunteer it, in case my husband is watching. >> he hasn't had a cigarette, according to you, in almost a year. robert gibbs said you probably had more than a little to do with this. was there tough love at the white house concerning this? >> of course. from all of the women in my husband's life. we want him to be healthy. he's worked hard and i'm proud he's been able to kick the habit. >> a lot of people in this country want to know how. people say every day, i want to quit smoking, but it is a coping mechanism. i live with stress, i li under long hours. so does your husband. how did he do it? >> you know, i don't know. once he made the commitment to quit, i left him alone. it's a very personal thing. i don't think there is one right way to do it. i know once a person makes the

decision they have to find the best path. i think i said when a person is doing the right thing, you leave them alone. >> are you leaving him alone to the point you're not checking? is it possible he's going into the lincoln bedroom to sneak a smoke? >> no, no. you can tell. >> you can smell it. >> you can tell. >> the state of the union address, a lot of people thought, okay, this is the unofficial start of the 2012 presidential campaign. you know what campaigns can be like. they are gruelling. they are brutal at times. are you up for it? >> sure, yeah. i'm not thinking about it right now. it's not on my radar screen, but when it's time to get out on the road and talk to the american people, it's something that i enjoy doing. >> will you campaign aggressively? >> i will do whatever i'm asked to do. >> i was trying to do the math. if your husband is fortunate enough to win re-election, that means six more years in the white house for your family. sasha will be 15 -- >> don't, don't.

you're killing me. >> malia will be 18. >> how old will i be? >> not only ready to leave the white house, but to leave the house. there is their only childhood. >> yeah. >> you said you have been making it as normal as possible, but you don't get a redo. you can't redo it in a quieter way. does it concern you? >> i think about it all the time. barack and i try to keep them out of it. i think we have done a good job. if you talk to our kids they are very normal. we recognize them. but friend who is come to visit they look and say, these are the little girls we have known. we're just going to stay vigilant. >> six more years is a long time to raise children in the spotlight. >> there are a lot of great kid who is have come out of the white house. so the tradition is great. the bush girls are magnificent. chelsea clinton, she's a solid young woman. we are all proud of them. folks have done -- caroline kennedy. we have a pretty good track

record. so the obama girls hopefully will be among -- >> in that group of positive outcomes. >> that's what we are going to hope and pray and ask the country to keep them in their prayers. >> before the super bowl your husband gave an interview to bill o'reilly and was asked if it disturbed him that so many people hated him. first of all, i think the word "hate" is a very powerful word. do you think people hate your husband, even those on the far right? >> i'm sure that there are some people who don't like my husband. any president of the united states -- this is a tough job. you're not going to please everybody all the time. that's not why you do this job. there are tough decisions that have to be made. so i'm sure there are people who don't like my husband. there are people who have had strong feelings about every single president that's ever held the office. >> taking "hate" out of it, there is obviously extreme criticism. i think you made the comment that you don't think your husband has changed dramatically

as a result of that criticism. is he the same guy today that he was two years ago as he entered the white house? >> he is. he really is. he is, i think -- one of his gifts is consistency. emotionally, he doesn't get too high or too low unless it has to do with his family. who he is as a president and who he is as a dad and a husband are two different things. he's got a thick skin. he's focused on a set of goals. he wants to do the best job he can in office. i think he's doing a great job. he's remained steady through it all. i think that's a good thing. >> tough challenges facing him. >> absolutely. >> last time we spoke, he said the economy was in tough shape. unemployment was a major concern. a lot of republicans have criticized your husband saying he hasn't focused enough on creating jobs. we asked our viewers to submit e-mail questions. mrs. obama, so many concerned the economy and jobs. if there is someone out there

watching right now who is unemployed and is having a very difficult time finding a new job, do you expect that person to support your husband in 2012? >> yes, absolutely. >> why? >> because we are seeing some significant improvements in the economy. i mean, if we look at where we were two years ago when barack took office, we are definitely moving in the right direction. it's a slow growth and that's something barack has said throughout. change doesn't happen overnight. it takes time. but if you look at the accomplishments over this year, he has kept every single promise that he's made. it doesn't always feel good when you're down and out. but i think we are on the right path. >> and so to kitty from ft. worth, texas, who wrote and said, what is your advice, mrs. obama, for someone out there looking for a job? what would you say? >> i think this is why in the state of the union address, my husband focused on investment in the future, education, community

colleges. many people are going to have to get retrained. because the economic structure of this country has just changed significantly. some jobs that were there are just gone. so my advice is to find the sectors that are growing. find a way to retrain. look at community colleges and use this time to recharge skills and keep growing. we are at the point in this country where all careers are fluid. i think the days of working in that company for 20 years are gone and young people kind of know that already. they're coming in and they are thinking, i'm here two years. where is my next step? how do i get my next -- you know, training certificate? how do i keep moving and growing? >> keep improving themselves. >> that's how we have to focus. >> i want to congratulate you on an anniversary. it's a year into "let's move" a campaign to improve our nation's

children, to get them active and eating healthier. what's been the most important success over that year? >> i think seeing the broad-based coalition of people who are stepping up. we are getting involvement from every sector. from businesses, from the medical profession, from teachers, parents. you know, i had hoped when we started this that this would be a unifying issue because we all care about our kids. and i have seen that positive momentum that people are ready to make some hard changes in their lives in the way we live. we fundamentally started shifting the conversation in this country and that's been a very good thing. >> one of the things you talk a lot about is school lunches. >> absolutely. >> i have three kids in public schools. by the time you leave the white house in two years or six, how will what my kids and other kids in public schools in this

country is served in the school cafeteria have changed? what will be the big difference? >> with the passing of the child nutrition legislation this year, we are seeing some of the most sweeping changes in school lunches that we have seen in generations. that was a surprise to me. i would have thought of all the changes that we would have improvements in school lunches but we haven't, but now we'll start seeing that. >> your n're not going to take kids tater-tots, though? >> do you want them to have the tater-tots? >> i want the tater-tots. but you will see dramatic changes? >> you wille s see it improve a focused on education. that's just as important, understanding how to eat. >> what's amazing is when you set out on a project like this you are held to a very tight set of guidelines. you threw a super bowl party on sunday and the menu got out. let me read things. the buffalo wings, deep dish

pizza -- >> they were all good. >> people say, wait, this is the lady trying to fight obesity and they put your feet to the fire on this. how did you respond? >> you know, i have always talked about balance in this campaign. we are really trying to make some changes. if you go at a parent and say, you can never take your kid to get a burger, you have lost them. that's not the reality we live in. it's not my reality. i do talk openly about my obsession with french fries. i want people to understand the changes we have to make in our lives are not wholesale changes. many of the changes for kids are small changes, things like adding fruits and vegetables, getting kids moving, putting more water in the diet. these are doable things. >> if you have a day like super bowl sunday, the next day, go back to balance. >> that's what i tell the kids. you can have birthday cake and everything else, have your vegetables and get your exercise.

it's important for families not to get caught up, not to think i can never indulge. life is about good food. at least in america. >> a couple of topics before i let you go. we talked about this last time at the white house. i said the stress takes a toll. you said he still looks good, but people are wondering whether your husband is dyeing his hair. >> oh, josh. >> january 19th. on the left, something from early in the morning. this is a day the chinese president visited. in the afternoon, his hair looks darker. what is it? is he dying his hair? >> no. he's pretty gray. >> so it's lighting? >> yeah. it's lighting. i think if he had known he would be president he would have started dying his hair ten years ago. >> grecian formula? >> right. it's too late. >> is he vain about his appearance? >> oh, no. >> not at all? >> gosh, not at all.

i wish he would focus more on a different color suit. a new shirt. sasha and malia and i cheer when he puts on a bright-colored shirt. yeah! he cares very little about his appearance. >> for all you were trying to accomplish as first lady, you know what's on google. your style. >> mm-hmm. >> frustrating or compliment? >> i take it as a compliment. it's not something that i focus on. you know. >> you are who you are and let people decide what they want? >> yeah. everybody's got to get dressed in the morning and put on something. i hope people find it nice. but it's not something i focus on. >> real quickly at the end, are sasha and malia on facebook? >> no. >> because of who they are or you're not in favor of it? >> i think we are lucky that there are real constraints, things like secret service and

stuff like that. i'm not a big fan of young kids having facebook. so, you know, it's not something they need. it's not necessary right now. >> when you leave the white house they will want to be on facebook and you're okay with that? >> depends on when we leave and how old they are. >> if they're 40? you can let them out of the bubble? >> we'll talk about it. >> michelle obama. mrs. obama, great to have you in the studio. continued success. >> thank you so much, matt. >> it's 46 after the hour. we'll be right back after this. - in all the years we've been coming here, i've never seen a storm like this. [thunder crashes] i'm right here. and i always will be. - the love's embrace collection from kay jewelers. now you can surround her with the strength of your love. giver her diamonds in a design that captures the comfort found in each other's arms. one more reason kay is the number one jewelry store in america. - don't let go... ever.

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always nice to have the first lady join us. of course it's the first time she's done it. >> i like what she said about leaving her husband alone when he decided to quit smoke. my inclination would be to be all over my husband. is he said, no, let him do his thing as long as he's on the straight and narrow. >> it's a tough thing to quit smoking. a lott of people across the country struggle with it mightily. it would be nice to know exactly how he accomplished it. >> in taking on obesity, it is a major as we've been talking

about pretty much on a daily basis, issue in this country. it feels as though she's beginning to change the tone of the conversation that we were talking about more openly. >> by the way, her work with let's move has landed her on the 100 historymaker s in the makin list. you can read about that on thegrio.com. that cause chronic, widespread pain. lyrica is believed to calm these nerves. i learned lyrica can provide significant relief from fibromyalgia pain. and with less pain, i can do more of what matters to me. [ female announcer ] lyrica is not for everyone. lyrica may cause serious allergic reactions or suicidal thoughts or actions. tell your doctor right away if you have these, new or worsening depression, or unusual changes in mood or behavior or any swelling or affected breathing, or skin, or changes in eyesight, including blurry vision or muscle pain with fever or tired feeling.

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heck, try 'em all. just ahead, the dog with the world's largest vocabulary. >> that dog is chaser. there she is in our studio right

now. and when you're going to see her, she knows 1,022 nouns. she can pick out items when she's instructed to do so. >> sheick ed the hamburger. >> maybe she was hungry. >> chicken! i have to be in a bathing suit in a month, and i figured i would take these... "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!

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>> good morning everybody. time 7:56. i'm brent cannon. i want to check your forecast. >> good morning. it is chilly out there with 28 degrees, holding strong in gilroy, 38 in livermore and 39 in concord. even colder as we start out tomorrow morning. today's highs are only going to end up in the upper 50s, low 60s. i think the east and south bay will see mid-60s. high pressure the dominant feature. that's going to keep things sunny and dry. we have rain on the way as you can see a big system of low pressure is inching toward the coast. this is going to brings us showers. tuesday looking like a very wet day. could pick up to an inch of rain in some cities across the bay area. 62 in los gatos. 65 in redwood city and 63 in san francisco.

let's find out about your drive. last thing you want are slowdowns. >> here's the last thing you want. we have a lot of them. highway 4 westbound a new accident around bailey. a couple of cars blocking a couple of lanes. people don't expect that through pittsburg. distraction for 20 for down to 680 there is a car fire on the shoulder. the peninsula, the earlier accident cleared to the median. both sides can see it so both are slowing for the spectator slowdown for 101. 280 south bound not much better. 101 and 280 jamming and 85 at camden in lanes and 101 at 85 causing distraction. >> thanks, mike. firefighters are shocked that no medical workers were on hand when a man collapsed and died at a mayor athan. firefighters who were running in the half marathon say there were

no medical staff or life saving equipment near the finish line. the firefighters say they tried to revive the man and claim that they waited 22 minutes for a city ambulance too arrive. no one on the scene identified themselves as a medical worker. event organizers say emts were on line and they tried to help the runner within five minutes but he collapsed and died. more coming up in a half hour. the "today" show returns in less than a minute.

8:00 now on a wednesday morning. it is the 9th today of february, 2011. what a pretty shot from the top of the rock here in rockefeller center, looking a little bit south over manhattan island, the empire state building and lower manhattan in the background. the hudson river behind that. a pretty, pretty day. although it is cold in new york city. what do we have -- 13 degrees? >> yeah. got some friends over there that don't seem to be bothered by the cold. >> in a toga no less. >> reminds me of the "cheers"

episode. hey, norm, what's up? don't say it. did you hear about the is zwr aye ny? she apparently foiled a robbery using her purse. look at her going after this guy? we're going to find out more about the story coming up. >> plus, a familiar face cable news viewers will know including time at nbc. last week during what she thought was a private event she opened up about her secret battle with alcoholism admitting there were times she dragged herself to work hung over. this morning she'll share her story in an exclusive live interview. she wants to help a lot of other people. >> i think she will. >> good for her. >> a lot of dogs can obey simple commands. just ahead we'll meet a dog -- this is chaser. chaser understands more than a thousand words. more than most anchors. chaser will show off her amazing abilities live in studio.

>> she's a cutie. >> ann is standing by at the news desk. she has all the headlines. >> thanks, guys. come on inside, meredith. in the news today protesters in egypt are defying a government warning to disband and enter into negotiations. massive demonstrations in cairo are in their 16th day and they will not join talks until president mubarak steps down. prosecutors in italy have asked for the prime minister to be put on trial immediately. he's accused of paying for sex with an underaged girl and pressuring police to release her. the government has cleared toyota following a ten-month investigation into reports of sudden acceleration problems that caused some 12 million vehicles to be recalled. the transportation department found that electronic glitches were not to blame. now to wall street as erin burnett is at the new york stock exchange. >> good morning. we'll have a lower open, but the

markets have been inching higher. if you bought in 2009, the worst day of all you would have doubled your money. we are a couple points shy of a full double. thatle milestone may surprise people who say weal still don't have jobs. all eyes will be on washington today as ben bernanke testifies in front of a committee on the house of representatives. he'll talk about the fed, jobs, inflation in front of paul ryan's budget committee. that will be the big story of the session. >> all right. thanks for the heads-up. erin burnett, thank you very much. an update now on a guest we have had on the broadcast several times. al irki babeneau had a heart transplant tuesday and we are happy to report the family says the surgery went well and doctors are removing the pump today. we wish her luck. finally a grandmother who

battled thieves with her handbag is britain's new hero. we have nbc's stephanie gosk with the story from london. stephanie, good morning. >> reporter: good morning. this is a cautionary tale for would be thieves. watch your back. the granny vigilante could be anywhere. [ "superman" theme plays ] ♪ >> reporter: the papers are calling her "supergran." ann simpson, 71 years old, tears across the street, worried a young man is being beat up. she realizes the crew is actually robbing the store and then she gets mad. i hit one with my shopping, she said, wielding her purse with the skill that only comes from decades and decades of experience. she landed several blows against one lad on a bike which brought him to the ground. the thiefs had sledge hammers.

she had a handbag. >> amazing. the courage to do that. >> reporter: there has been a spate of jewel heists in britain. >> i think she was brave. i certainly wouldn't have done the same. >> reporter: very few people would have. very few people are supergran. four of the thieves are in court today and ann is resting at home. she said it's her purse that needs the rest, ann. >> stephanie gosk this morning, thank you very much for bringing us the story. i need a bigger handbag. it's 8:05. now a check of the weather with al outside. hey, al. >> thanks, ann. we have friends here from monroe. and just west of there we have folks from west monroe. are you all together? >> yeah. >> what's different about west monroe? >> we're all from west monroe. >> there you go. let's check your weather for west monroe, east, central and downtown monroe.

albany, georgia, rainshowers, 39 degrees. as you look on the satellite you will see we have theteys sm coming through texas, oklahoma, whe where they could pick up six to nine inches of snow. snowshowers around the great lakes. mountain snows in idaho. breezy in california. 76 in los angeles today. good morning to you. yes, it is last day of beautiful, beautiful weather. i'd say as we head through the next couple of days the fog will be back, it won't be all that bad but rain on the way monday into tuesday. a really juicy system headed towards the bay area. 43 degrees right now in hayward, high pressure keeping us warm and dry did. lots of sunshine. 65 in san jose later, 63 inys s francisco. have a great day. in the words of our good

friend bryant gumbel, why? matt? >> when we come back, former newsewncr dlo dew opens up about her secret battle with alcoholism. first, these messages. try this. ♪ ♪ it's that chocolate ♪ it's that whipped cream ♪ it's that caramel, and espresso you mix in ♪ ♪ i must be, i must be, i must be, i must be ♪ ♪ i must be dreamin' [ male announcer ] for the first time at mcdonald's -- your two favorite flavors together.

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back now with a surprising admission from former nbc anchor laurie dhue. she revealed her battle withal alcoholism publically for the first time. we'll talk to her in a moment. first, natalie morales has her story. >> reporter: hlaurie was a risig star but was struggling with a serious addiction. >> a frightening night in the skies over south carolina. >> reporter: laurie dhue was a beautiful and accomplished broadcaster. her career began in her 20s in atlanta where she rose quickly through the ranks at cnn. from there she moved to msnbc. and then on to fox news. she remains the only anchor to have hosted shows on all three major cable news networks. >> good morning, everyone. >> reporter: dhue also spent time at nbc news as a fill-in news anchor on "weekend today." >> hello, everybody.

uh >> reporter: she developed a following, especially from men who posted comments and put tributes of her online. looking back she admits she had it all, a career in full swing, traveling the world interviewing political leaders and news makers and enjoying friends and family. at an event last week she made a shocking admission. her confidence in public was a facade to what she was battling internally. she spent years struggling with alcoholism and admitted, i wouldle drag myself in to work deeply hungover. i had to drink myself into oblivion receive times a week. i felt inside i was dying to the point i didn't recognize the woman looking back at me. >> those are not uncommon things to hear from someone with an alcohol problem. alcohol dependence is quite common in the population. lifetime prevalence rates can be

as high as 35% of the population. >> reporter: dhue began on the road to recovery almost four years ago. after two more stints on tv she launched her own media training company and said she's exactly where she needs to be. dhue said she hopes other people sufferi ining in silence can ta something positive from her experience, as i'm sure you will hear, meredith. >> thank you very much. laurie dhue is with us exclusively. good morning. >> good morning. i'm so happy to be here. >> i know you are. the reason you are here is precisely what natalie said. you want to help other people. >> i do. there are more than 30 million people suffering from addiction whether it's alcohol like me, drugs, shopping, food, or gambling. so many people don't know they have a problem and once they realize they have the problem, they don't know what to do. they suffer in silence as i did. i lived in a lot of fear and i didn't know that first i had to admit that i had a problem. then i had to seek help and help

is everywhere. >> let's go to the dinner where you revealed you were an alcoholic. this was a week ago at a private dinner hosted by a conservative columnist. you didn't know going in there that there would be anybody who might report this to the public. >> right. this was a private dinner. i knew i would be speaking to 80 to 100 people. i knew i would be talking about my battle with alcoholism and thele role of faith in my life. i did not know there was a reporter in the room. i certainly didn't know anyone would be writing about it. so next morning when i was at the prayer breakfast my blackberry start eed going off saying, laurie, have you seen this? i was surprised because i didn't want to out myself but now that the genie is out of the bottle i want to help people. >> what about the reaction of people? you had friends and family members and colleagues in the industry who knew, but most did not. what has the reaction been? >> that's right. well, i hid my alcoholism for

many, many years. i was probably a high functioning alcoholic as many people are. but there were cracks certainly. there were definitely times where people asked me what was wrong and i just didn't even know myself. so once i decided to take this big step of saying, i need to change my life. i need to get my life back. everyone was unbelievably supportive, including fox news channel. they know about my struggle with this and have been stroupportiv >> you said you were an alcoholic for at least 15 years. >> at least. >> what was the moment you realized, i can't do this anymore? i can't live like this? >> there was a moment one morning on march 14, 2007 where i looked in the mirror and i did not recognize the woman who was looking back at me. i was sick and tired of being sick and tired. so i literally woke up and said, that's it. it's over. i called an addiction specialist who then helped me through early

sobriety. i have a program of recovery that has helped me tremendously in the last several years. it's literally one day at a time. >> i was going to ask you, how much of a struggle is it? >> for me, i was so tired when i decided to make my decision. i was so physically, emotionally and spiritually exhausted that for me making the decision to stop drinking was easy. if there is a message i want to get out today it's that you don't have to suffer in silence. for people who are hurting out there -- and there are tens of millions of people -- there is help available. and this is not a journey that you have to make alone. you don't have to be isolated. there is so much help out there. i'm on facebook. if anyone wants to talk to me about it, i'm more than willing to talk. >> for four years as you have been recovering you have chosen not to talk about it. were you afraid people would judge you? >> i did. there is such a stigma attached

to alcoholism in this country. it shouldn't be a dirty little secret but it is a closeted issue. so i think that's why i held off on telling people and i also thought, well, i'm never going to get a job again if people know i'm a recovering alcoholic that may help me. now i'm a small business owner and occasionally on tv trimt from time to time. i have never been more at peace and the peace is out there for people who are struggling. >> laurie, thank you for sharing your story. >> thank you. >> up next, on a much different note we'll meet chaser, the dog with the thousand-word vocabulary right after this. mpletely blocked artery, another heart attack could be lurking, waiting to strike. a heart attack that's caused by a clot, one that could be fatal. but plavix helps save lives. plavix, taken with other heart medicines, goes beyond what other heart medicines do alone, to provide greater protection against heart attack or stroke and even death

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so you think your dog is smart because he can sit, stay or fetch? meet chaser, the border collie with an astonishing 1,022-noun vocabulary. here with her trainer and alison reed who co-authored a story on chaser. this isn't dog tricks here. what did you set out to prove? >> we think it's science. our primary goal is to try to teach the dog language. we don't call it human. she'll never get that close, but we're trying to teach her words and learn how to teach her words. >> so nouns and verbs, actions. so you can give chaser two different commands and she can operate under both.

>> correct. >> is chaser a one in a million dog or do you think this is something any dog could learn? >> i think any border collie could learn this. the real issue is how much training john put into the dog. four, five hours per day for three years. >> you had to take the training and turn it into scientific fact which is a hard thing to do. >> chaser's vocabulary even makes a statement about what chaser understood about words. >> we have 1,022 nouns that chaser understands. we brought 25 items with us -- or you have -- here to the studio. i understand if i kneel next to chaser i can give her commands. she doesn't know what items i will ask her to fetch, correct? >> correct. >> i know the names of the things i want her to fetch. chaser, fetch tennis. fetch tennis. chaser, fetch tennis.

chaser, fetch tennis. put it in the tub. good dog! in the tub. she's using my voice which she's never heard before. good girl. in the tub. in tub. good girl. chaser, fetch peppermint. that's exactly what the peppermint is. in tub. chaser, fetch spongebob. fetch spongebob. >> spongebob is not out there. >> no. here it is right here. >> here is spongebob right there. >> she sees better than i do. >> in tub. chaser, in tub. this is incredible. what else do you want to learn from chaser?

what else can you accomplish with her? >> speak. >> you're good at that. >> we are interested in syntax. for example, do the order of the words matter? >> do you think we can learn something quickly about human learning from this? >> it's hard to know whether we can apply it to humans or not. we are trying to understand what dogs understand when we are talking to them and how extensive their vocabularies can become if they are given training. >> that's great. not just tricks. this is real science. john, allister, thank you very much. chaser, thank you very much. john and chaser are featured in nova science now episode called "how smart are animals." now to meredith who knows 300 nouns. >> now a look at the film "hop" from universal. it tells the story of the easter bunny as he travels to hollywood

and runs into fred o'hare. >> e.b.! you're about to be crowned the easter bunny. >> look, dad. i want to drum in a band in hollywood. >> announcer: april 1 -- from the creators of "despicable me". >> look how cute this stuffed bunny is. he's so cute, cuddly and -- warm. >> is she seeing anyone? >> no. she's single. she's looking for a rabbit. >> hard to follow a dog act. >> watching chaser, i thought, that's easy. >> you play an animal in the movie. e.b., the easter bunny. >> you're a blood professional. how you linked those things together. >> how did you know what the easter bunny sounds like? >> i just used intuition, really, and my own voice.

it's a combination. >> and you have to play against nothing. >> no. >> not that you don't have tale talent. ?aha rd want to check with forecast with christina, change coming our way. yes, change. here it is. low pressure, making some rain over the bay area, probably as we head into late monday into tuesday. high pressure holding strong for today. we'll see a lot of sunshine onshore flow kicks back in tonight, we're expecting coastal fog as you wake up tomorrow. 65 degrees in redwood, and 65 in san jose today. a lot of sunshine continues all of the way through this saturday. so we're looking good in the weather department, let's see how we're looking in the traffic department. >> we'll take you first to the

south bay for an update, accident clearing northbound at camden on the shoulder, big distraction off the split with 101, also slow up past the airport because of earlier accidents, then 101 up montand view and 880 jammed. new accident at thornton, another one at industrial. southbound direction slammed out of san leandro and northbound slammed up to the toll tre nza s isewthr . n .

supporters of the man accused of assaulting a priest will rally in the streets of san jose this morning. supporters say even though he beat up the father, lynch is the real victim. lynch says he and his younger brother were sexually assaulted by the jesuit priest when they were 5 and 7 years old. lynch is going to face a pretrial hearing later on this morning. more local news coming up in half an hour. "today" returns in less than main. have a great morning.

8:30 on this wednesday morning the 9th of february, 2011. have we mentioned that it is cold here in manhattan? it feels like it's 4 degrees, but, you know, at least it's not snowing here. just ahead, more of the series on obsessions. this morning the neverending pursuit of the fountain of

youth. women will do anything to not look their age. are we too obsessed with looking younger? >> we all know the answer to that. >> yes. >> also ahead, valentine's day around the corner. if you are thinking of buying your sweetie a box of chocolates? martha stewart says, wait a minute, you can make great treats at home to show that significant person how much you care. martha will share those with us in a little while. >> also ahead, we have geoffrey rush. he's won an oscar already and is up for another for "the king's speech." he has talent. >> makes his own clothes, too. we'd like to bring back mr. russell brand and james marsden, stars of the upcoming film "hop" from universal. unlike a lot of animated films you got to work together to do some of the recording. >> we did work together. >> yeah, we did. when russell did preliminary

records and then i asked him to dress up as a bunny. he was gracious to do that. >> i would also dress up for james' children and sometimes his wife. >> i heard about that actually. >> it's so nice to be here promoting our film. >> and the film is for children actually. >> what? it's a family film. directed at families. >> there are a lot of easter movies. it's been a holiday that's been ignored. i'm glad you're representing it. >> we thought we'd jump on that. >> and there are not a lot of children's films with russell brand. >> i'm quite a family-oriented man now since i have been become wed and my adventures with james' wife in the rabbit costume. >> how about "saturday night live." >> you're going to host. here's what you tweeted.

i am hosting "saturday night live" february 12. if you have any sketches, jokes, please send. remember, i will only play drug addicts. >> my limited career. >> before you were married. >> looking forward to "snl"? >> i'm excited about doing something live. >> are you nervous? >> are you chilly, darling? >> oh! >> james, it's cold. >> "saturday night live" this weekend. "hop" coming out as well. >> april 1. >> good luck. congratulations. >> now we have a check of the weather from you. >> all right. let's show you what's happening. >> it's cold out! it's bloody cold! >> yes. it's bloody cold. rain down through the gulf coast. snow through the mid mississippi river valley. mountain snows in idaho and parts of montana. snow will continue. the frigid weather will continue into new england.

rain in central and southern florida. sunny and mild through the southwest. it is bloody cold out there. we're going to warm up nicely later on today. low 60s, some places win only end up in the upper 50s but i think overall we'll see 60s, 65 in livermore, 65 in san jose, mild conditions towards the coast, where temperatures drop into the upper 40s but we saw some 20s in places like gilroy so grab that jacket. sunshine through tomorrow, rain on the way monday into tuesday. russell brand warming up the crowd right now. look at that. one audience member at a time. hey, don't forget. if you want to check out where it's warm or where it's bloody cold go to the weather channel on cable, weather.com. >> when we come back, why as a culture are we so obsessed with

looking good and staying younger?

♪ i thought it was over here... ♪ [car horn honks] our outback always gets us there... ... sometimes it just takes us a little longer to get back. ♪

back now at 8:37 with more of our special series, why are we so obsessed with --. this morning our obsession with looking younger. >> how did they get these age defying results? with the neckline slimmer. >> press your fingers on the cheekbone. >> reporter: the quest for youth and beauty may be a centuries-old obsession but today the reality is getting ugly. the lure of the fresh, young face is stronger than ever. >> we live in a culture that's celebrity-obse celebrity-obsessed. what we are looking at is the idealized version of getting older. >> reporter: chasing the ideal used to be just for those who could afford to pay the price.

now you can find hope in a jar on any drugstore shelf. >> women look at celebrities and love what they see. they don't factor in that these women make almost a full-time job out of looking good. >> reporter: your appearance can impact your work and whether you are working at all. researchers looking at whether there is a beauty premium in the work place find those looking more youthful are likely to be hired and paid up to 12% more. >> that's a shame. the wisdom and experience that go with age should be valued. there should be inherent attractiveness that comes with that. >> reporter: inherently attractive or not, 13% of the same plain janes said they'd consider cosmetic surgery to stay competitive, especially when it makes them competitive in other areas. >> there have been a number of studies that show that beautiful, youthful-looking people, you know, get fewer traffic tickets, rate higher on intelligence tests, get better grades from teachers.

>> reporter: and get this -- even live longer, according to a recent danish study. >> there is this adage that by 60 you have the face you deserve. now you can have the face you don't deserve. it's an achieving mechanism. >> reporter: when answering the question to cheat or not, some should be asking how much is too much. >> it's very difficult to find the line where you slip from vanity into obsession. >> women increasingly stop looking like themselves. that's the sign that something is on the unhealthy side. >> reporter: here to talk more about the obsession with looking younger, bobbi brown, galin galina espinoza and kathie lee gifford. >> i don't know why i'm here. good morning, everyone. >> why do we perceive younger as better? >> younger is beautiful. there is no question. it's about resetting your brain. it's not object how you look. it's how you feel and think.

>> that's the ideal we strive for, but unfortunately the reality is we are such a youth-oriented culture. we place so much value on youth. that's the american way and it's hard for women to feel they can age with dignity and grace in this country. >> you're in your 40s. the rest of us are in our 50s. are you treated differently kathie lee? >> sure. but that's part of the whole journey. i look at it through a spiritual lens. for me, the women i see -- is that me? see, that's me. the women who are obsessed with staying young are women who do not understand or believe that they are already incredibly valued. >> you don't get that value back. >> you get it from god. you may not get it from people. but if you understand there is a purpose for you right now then you are not looking backwards and mourning what's past. you're excited about the possibilities of today.

that doesn't mean you don't want to look good. it's all about your purpose. if the purpose is to look good that's an empty life. >> i feel i'll become invisible as i get older. when you're young, people pay attention. >> the heads stop turning. >> you don't become invisible to the people who love you. your husband, family, friends, me. >> it's about yourself and i think as a woman gets older it's not about microscoping what's wrong with your face. it's about taking care of yourself, eating well, exercising and it's about how you feel. stop worrying about the little things that are wrong. >> you purposely don't look in mirrors. >> i don't. i have a tall mirror at home and i always look before i go out. i think i'm 5'10". >> right. >> if you're not having a good beauty day, do something. wear big jewelry, buy a pair of shoes, exercise. >> and look for other things that make you feel good. let's stop thinking about ourselves in terms of family,

community, intelligence. let's start valuing other aspects of ourselves. >> you see a number of teenagers getting plastic surgery has doubled. >> teenagers. >> teenagers. >> right. and 20-something starlets in hollywood are going in for botox and lip injections. >> there is a desperation to it. first of all they don't appreciate their youth. >> nobody does. i bet in the bikini you thought, i need to lose ten pounds. >> no, i didn't. we need great role models. for me, annette bening and julianne moore are great role models. >> you're not opposed to getting work done? >> don't now know something who get something fixed and they think, that bothers me, too. it's never enough. people who have had way too much

don't seem to realize it. >> it's like bobbi said. it's about taking pride in your appearance. feeling good helps you look good but you don't want to take it to the extreme where you are so unhappy because of what you look like. >> be in the present. that's the hardest thing. >> how do you know when you cross the line from wanting to look good to being out there? >> when your constantly looking at what you could do and thinking about it. wear blush. there are so many things you can do. >> get a blowout. >> or have a good friend who will tell you the truth. do one more thing and i won't recognize you coming down the street. and your lips shouldn't enter the room before you do. >> never. >> or your stomach, by the way. >> thank you so much. tomorrow on "today" we'll tackle our obsession with gossip. up next, chocolate treats for your valentine from martha stewart. first, this is "today" on nbc. [ male announcer ] what is performance?

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back now at 8:45. this morning on martha an "today," hot and cold chocolate desserts. if the way too yo your loved on heart is paved with chocolate, martha stewart has decadent desserts they will love. >> we have been talking about valentine's day for two weeks already. >> chocolate is great. people talk about comfort food. this is the ultimate comfort food. >> chocolate, everyone seems to love it. and that cover of the magazine has really appealed to a lot of people. there is also an ipad version where the chocolate is pouring down over the ice cream. >> what will you think of next? >> hot and cold is really

conducive to emotions. so i thought of a wonderful baked alaska with chocolate ice cream, chocolate cake and merengue. >> i was reading the recipe. sounds difficult. >> it's not. bake a rich chocolate cake on a cookie sheet, almost like a brownie. cut it out with cookie cutters. these are individual-sized baked alaska. you can make them small or bigger. >> line them with saran wrap? >> and vegetable spray. this is the chocolate ice cream. you have a layer of ice cream. >> does it have to be all chocolate? i'll just take a little. >> just put a little bit of ice cream. then the next layer of cake. >> okay. you want the chocolate ice cream at a consistency to work with it. >> a little bit soft, but not real runny. you will put it right back in

the freezer. you have to have it frozen before you put the merengue on it. we have beaten it up with sugar and cream of tartar. >> is the top layer ice cream? >> no. you wrap it up, put it in the freezer. we have one that's already frozen. >> i have one for you, too. >> now turn this out. turn it out on the baking sheet, by the way. this has to go either under a broiler just to brown the meringue or a little kitchen propane torch. do you have one? >> yes. >> you know, to make creme brulee and brown the meringue. use this if you like and just cover this with -- look how pretty. you can do it if you don't have

a pastry bag, you can do it with a spatula. just cover it. put it back in the freezer to get it really cold, the meringue. then brown it. when it comes out, it will look like this. look how pretty? >> you will be mad at me, but if you don't have time to bake the cake from scratch, could you use a box mix? >> get a good one. >> another thing, we have made three different kinds of hot chocolate. this is a white hot chocolate. we'll make popsicles out of it. you can drink it as is or put it in these. do you have them? >> they're cool. >> they are really cool. >> you throw the stick in there? >> no. put the top back on. >> so it gives you a guide. >> it keeps the stick upright in the center. these make the best popsicles. you can do fresh orange juice or something richer for valentine's

day. this is a hot chocolate with milk and a little cream. >> and peanut butter. >> lots of chocolate. >> we'll put the recipe on the website. it has chocolate and peanut butter. sounds delicious. happy valentine's day. >> enjoy. make something for your family. >> i will. up next, academy award winner geoffrey rush on his oscar nomination. first this is "today" on nbc.

geoffrey rush has won the triple crown of acting awards, an oscar for shine, an emmy for "the life and death of peter sellers" and a tony. he's nominated for best supporting actor for his role in "the king's speech." >> get up. you can't sit there. >> why not? it's a chair. >> that is not a chair -- that is st. edwards chair. >> people have carved their names on it. >> listen to me. >> by what right? >> my divine right. >> you said you didn't want it. why should i waste my time listening -- >> because i have a right and i have a voice! >> yes, you do. >> geoffrey rush, what a pleasure to have you here. so nice to see you. fourth oscar nomination. how sweet is it the fourth time

around? >> looking gorgeous. doing this film was such a pleasurable experience. >> the queen apparently recently saw it. >> the queen has given us a review. >> she said "moving". >> colin and i were debating whether the posters should say "dazzling, new york times, moving, the queen". >> why not? >> she could be on netflix. >> were you surprised by the reaction the film is getting? >> look. we knew we had a very interesting, potent story. two men from such different class backgrounds and continent backgrounds. interesting to see how they became friends. but it was only at telluride when we went to the festival and the audience just went feral, ballistic. they were applauding lines of dialogue. there was a potency we hadn't

expected. >> you play the speech therapist. >> i thought it should be called "the king's speech therapist." they wouldn't buy it. >> maybe colin wouldn't. colin is obviously the king in this. >> yes. >> you're an executive producer. this idea came to you in a brown paper bag that was dropped off at your house. >> it was like an orphan at my doorstep. >> it was. >> the producer of the play in london had the rights. her friend lived two doors away. she broke all the protocol and left it on my doorstep. i dutifully read it because i knew about that period of history but i knew nothing about lionel. he was an unknown figure. the fact that he was an australian figure was so appealing and an unpredictable australian character. he didn't play sports. >> there were a lot of things you say were very much like you beyond australian. you both love the theater. >> he was a fairly erudite man.

he was an elocution teacher and got into speech therapy and started helping shell-shocked soldiers from the first world war and then the duke of york who accidentally became the king. >> are you the kind of guy, do you prepare a speech for when you win or in case? what do you do? >> you know you're nominated and you are one of five people. there is a remote chance -- i don't know what the odds are. someone's keeping tabs on favorites and all that stuff. you just don't know. i think it's worth having -- because having been up there, you do go into a sort of strange zombified state. you don't want to chew up 45 seconds of screen time with nothing. that's bad television. >> for those wondering about the cap, you shaved your head because you will be in "diary of a mad man." >> there couldn't be a higher point in my career. we did broadway

good morning, everybody. time is 8:56. i'm brent cannon. check your forecast, get the very latest from christina. >> although it looks nice and sunny when you look out your window it is still cold out there. 35 degrees in santa rosa, 50 in san francisco and 38 degrees in gilroy. earlier this morning it was at 28. you jumped up in the past hour.

as we head through the rest of the day a few clouds make their way on shore, low pressure will bring pretty heavy rain on tuesday. shower chances start, though, late sunday. 55 degrees today in redwood, 67 in santa cruz. te r this.k th more news after this. or

san hoo -- jose has taken at ai shot at close doing what police call the most dangerous nightclub in the stishgs club wet. they have been called to that club 100 times in past ten months for disturbances. the most high-profile case came on new year's morn wheg a woman was severely beaten by a group of people and police say the

club refused to call an ambulance and then tried to cover up that attack. more local news in half an hour. "today" continues, coming up next.

back now with more of "today" on a wednesday morning the 9th of february 2011. six people outside. i'll tell you, there is a reason for that. it's because it's freezing in new york city this morning. temperature about 13 -- 15 degrees. it's a heat wave. >> the camera conked out. >> exactly right. i'm matt lauer along with al roker and natalie morales. coming up, a first lady with michelle obama. her initiative to combat childhood obesity, let's move, is celebrating its anniversary. and she talks about her husband kicking the smoking habit and gets to the bottom of all the

rumors that he dyed his hair. mrs. obama stopped by for an exclusive live interview earlier this morning. more coming up. >> and our experts will try to help with your financial emergencies this morning. the best way to save if you are no longer working and how to decide if penalties are worth it if you withdraw retirement money early. >> and later a candid sit-down with jennifer aniston. she opens up about why she hasn't had a boyfriend in more than a year, the truth about reports she's adopting a baby from mexico and perhaps the biggest misconception people have about her. that's coming up. first let's say good morning to ann at the news desk. >> good morning to you. there are increasing signs that egypt's government is losing patience with the massive protest in tahrir square. egypt's vice president is now warning of increasing chaos and

saying the government doesn't want to use force against its citizens. president obama wants the nation to spend $53 billion over the next six years to launch a high speed rail network. he says the project with trains traveling up to 250 miles per hour is crucial for short-term job creation and long-term economic growth. two high school teachers and a truck driver were killed on tuesday in northern mississippi when a tractor-trailer collided head-on with a school bus. at least 17 students returning from a senior class trip were injured. police are now investigating whether the truck driver suffered a heart attack at thele wheel. the federal judge who halted executions in california five years ago said he will decide whether to resume capital punishment in the state. the judge toured the new lethal injection chamber on tuesday. a new study finds women with early breast cancer may not require an invasive procedure to remove cancerous lymph nodes

from the armpit. the painful procedure had been a standard treatment for breast cancer for 100 years but now researchers say it provides no advantage in about 20% of the cases and may not be needed because of chemotherapy and radiation. this may be a way for job seekers to stand out for employers. this man in paris rented a 16,000-square-foot convention hall usually reserved for job fairs. he made billboards advertising the event. we don't know whether he got a new job offer. and a new addition to the san diego zoo. zoo staff is preparing this royal antelope to join his heard next week. the royal antelope is the smallest of the species. it will grow to be about the size of a rabbit. cute! it is now three minutes past the hour. you don't see that every day, you guys.

you learn something new. >> a monkey on your jacket yesterday. >> i got rid of that suit. let's check the weather with mr. roker. >> let's see what's happening. we've got the storm system causing snow from northern texas into oklahoma. kansas picked up eight to nine inches of snow. rain in eastern texas as well. the system tracks across the gulf coast, reforms off the midatlantic into the atlantic. that's the good news. snowfall amounts, we'll be looking at 6 to 9 inches of snow. parts of oklahoma into tennessee and arkansas. as we move along the midatlantic coast you wille see light rain, so no big problems for the >> well, we're bringing snow monday into tuesday and high elevations, probably 6,000 feet and above but hey, rain is on the way. i'll show you that system in a minute. 45 degrees in hayward, still

chilly, you'll need that jacket. something you can peel off later. warm up into 60 degree range, that system will bring rain monday into tuesday. 62 degrees in fremont, 62 in oakland and 65 in concord. have a great wednesday. and that's your latest weather. >> now to our swinterview with michelle obama. her passion is to make children healthier across the nation and she's credited with getting her husband on track to better health. she stopped by earlier for her first morning show live interview and i asked her about getting her husband to quit smoking. >> well, i was asked. i didn't volunteer it, in case my husband is watching. >> he hasn't had a cigarette, according to you, in almost a year. robert gibbs said you probably had more than a little to do with this. was there tough love at the white house concerning this? >> of course.

from all of the women in my husband's life. we want him to be healthy. he's worked hard and i'm proud he's been able to kick the habit. >> a lot of people in this country want to know how. people say every day, i want to quit smoking, but it is a coping mechanism. i live with stress. i live under long hours. so does your husband. how did he do it? >> you know, i don't know. once he made the commitment to quit, i left him alone. it's a very personal thing. i don't think there is one right way to do it. i know once a person makes the decision they have to find the best path. i think i said when a person is doing the right thing, you leave them alone. >> are you leaving him alone to the point you're not checking? is it possible he's going into the lincoln bedroom to sneak a smoke? >> no, no. you can tell. >> you can smell it. >> you can tell. >> i want to congratulate you on an anniversary. it's a year into "let's move" a campaign to improve our nation's children, to get them active and eating healthier.

what's been the most important success over that year? >> i think seeing the broad-based coalition of people who are stepping up. we are getting involvement from every sector. from businesses, from the medical profession, from teachers, parents. you know, i had hoped when we started this that this would be a unifying issue because we all care about our kids. and i have seen that positive momentum that people are ready to make some hard changes in their lives in the way we live. we fundamentally started shifting the conversation in this country and that's been a very good thing. >> one of the things you talk a you threw a super bowl party.

you threw a super bowl party on sunday and the menu got out. let me read things. the buffalo wings, deep dish pizza -- >> they were all good. >> people say, wait, this is the lady trying to fight obesity and they put your feet to the fire on this. how did you respond? >> you know, i have always talked about balance in this campaign. we are really trying to make some changes. if you go at a parent and say, you can never take your kid to get a burger, you have lost them. that's not the reality we live in. it's not my reality. i do talk openly about my obsession with french fries. i want people to understand the changes we have to make in our lives are not wholesale changes. many of the changes for kids are small changes, things like adding fruits and vegetables, getting kids moving, putting more water in the diet. these are doable things. >> if you have a day like super bowl sunday, the next day, go back to balance. >> that's what i tell the kids. you can have birthday cake and do whatever you want as long as you eat your vegetables every day and get your exercise.

this is not an all or nothing propositi proposition. it's important for families not to get caught up, not to think i can never indulge. life is about good food. at least in america. >> a couple of topics before i let you go. we talked about this last time at the white house. i said the stress takes a toll. you said he still looks good, but there are people who are questioning something now. they are wondering whether your husband is dying his hair. >> oh, gosh. >> january 19th. on the left, something from early in the morning. this is a day the chinese president visited. in the afternoon, his hair looks darker. what is it? is he dying his hair? >> no. he's pretty gray. >> so it's lighting? >> yeah. it's lighting. i think if he had known he would be president he would have started dying his hair ten years ago. >> grecian formula? >> right. it's too late. >> is he vain about his appearance? >> oh, no. >> not at all? >> gosh, not at all.

i wish he would focus more on a different color suit. a new shirt. sasha and malia and i cheer when he puts on a bright-colored shirt. yeah! he cares very little about his appearance. >> first lady michelle obama joining us earlier here. for more information on the let's move campaign and learn to get involved go to todayshow.com. up next, in today's money 911, the best way to use your tax refund, if you're in debt and what you need to know if you'rer tting y oufirst credit card. that's right after this. ves fue. make sure you give it something that counts. i love quaker oatmeal, it's seriously a superfood. it's fuel that your body needs to get going. this stuff is a game changer. and now it's better than ever. it's got a heartier texture, and in some of your favorites, all natural flavors

it's wednesday so it's time for "today's money 911" where we answer your big financial questions. jean chatzky is the author of "money 911" sharon eperson is a correspondent for cnbc and

carmen is the author of "the real cost of living." good morning. >> nice to see you. >> let's get started. we have rebecca from tampa, florida, on skype. good morning. >> good morning. >> what's your question for the group? >> i was employed as a teacher for four years before coming home when i had my baby. i received notification of my florida retirement investment and i know if i receive a distribution of the money there is going to be taxes and penalties taken out. but the amount is still going to be close to the amount of credit card debt that my husband and i have. is it smart to take the money and use it to pay off the debt? i don't plan on anything being added to the investments because we plan on moving out of the state in a few years. what do you suggest? >> it is so expensive to pull money out of a retirement plan. it's going to cost you taxes and penalties that could eat up 40 cents of every single dollar that you take out. i do not want you to do this. the real value of having the money in this plan is that it

will continue to grow. when you retire, you will get an income, or you will get a lump sum or you can roll it into an ira where you can have more control over how that investment is managed. instead, what i want you to do about that credit card debt is first look at your budget, see if you can find any extra money to put against it and if you can't, it's okay to soft pedal new contributions into retirement for a little while. you can put them down by a little bit. use that money to get out of debt and then beef it back up again. >> thank you. >> let's go to the phone to say hi to randi from louisiana. >> caller: good morning. i'm 27 and i have cystic fibrosis. although i'm blessed to be able to work now i want to plan for the day i may not be so fortunate. while the average life expectancy for a person with c.f. is late 30s, many of us are

living into our 40s and 50s. in addition to the cost of living account and making mega principal mortgage payments monthly what saving and investing would you advise that would provide a decent return on investment in a short amount of time without an early withdrawal penalty? >> first of all, randi, you sound like you have a terrific attitude. what should she do? >> i'm empowered by her question. it will help so many people with special needs that need to focus on this. i applaud you for stepping up to get as much savings as you can and have that emergency fund. now the question is what to do with the money. do you have an i.r.a.? >> caller: no ma'am. >> you should get a roth. i think you will qualify. the great thing about you can take out those contributions tax free. you can also take the earnings out tax-free before age 59 1/2 if you have a disability waiver.

that's something you should consider. you can put up to $5,000 in that this year. do you have a 401-k? >> caller: no. i'm self-employed. >> you can put more money into a s.e.p.-i.r.a. or a solo 401-k. look into what would happen if you had a disability waiver or hardship withdrawal. you would have to pay taxes on that money but it's something to consider. the other thing is to make sure you have a special needs payback trust. make sure you have enough money for long-term care and be able to qualify for medicaid. so that's something to talk to an attorney about. finally in terms of estate planning have a durability power of attorney, health care proxy and a living will. >> we have a video sent in by samantha from illinois. >> hi. i'm a 19-year-old college student that wants to open my first credit card. do you have any great advice for me on what to look for in a great credit card company? thank you.

>> she's so cute. >> so cute. >> samantha, what you need to look for is one that you can build your credit cheaply or for knotti nothing. you are going to need an adult over 21 who's working to open the card for you. if you want to do it independently you can get a secured card. it's a specific type of card. it's like a debit card. you put cash on, recharge it. you build credit as you use it responsibly, so by the time you're 21 they will extend you a line of credit. be careful with it. but i applaud you for looking for credit now. >> we have an e-mail from taryn in new york. she writes, my husband and i have over $16,000 in credit card debt, $19,000 in auto loans,

$128,000 of student loan debt. we'll get $3,000 back on the tax return. where should we put it? >> i want you to do two things. first, take a thousand off the top. put it in a savings account so you don't accrue more credit card debt. that's your emergency money. take the other $2,000. throw it on the highest interest rate credit card and go to irs.gov and run the calculator to get more money in your paycheck every month. i want you to know how much it is and use that to continue paying off the debt. >> thank you so much for the advice. if you have questions, carmen will be sticking around to do a live web chat starting at 9:30 eastern time. coming up, a revealing side of jennifer aniston. she opens up about dating, possible motherhood and her workout routine. first, these messages.

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and find out how to send us a video showing us why you should get today's royal treatment. just ahead, how to be a lady in red? it's the "it" color. we'll show you how to wear it at affordable prices after your local news. lares ] you stay here hon'. i'm gonna go cook breakfast. give me half an hour. ahhh. ♪ ohh! ♪ [ male announcer ] so simple you could make em yourself. breakfast!! [ male announcer ] so delicious you don't have to. golden crispy outside, warm and fluffy inside. did you make coffee too? yes... i will. [ male announcer ] eggo waffles. simply delicious. [ male announcer ] eggo waffles. the best device for everything you love to read editors' choice. best dedicated ereader.

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good wednesday morning to you, i'm laura garcia-cannon. time to check the forecast. >> it's not as cold as it was. good morning. we're in the 50s, 51 in concord, 52 in san francisco, 50 in oakland. warming up to the low 60s today, rain on the way. you can see weathermaker headed towards the bay area. looks like best chance for showers for our area monday into tuesday. tuesday looking like a wet day across bhaay. and temperatures will climb as we head toward the weekend. 69 degrees by sunday. a little shower activity late valentine's day. check that roadway traffic with mike. >> all right.

we have a lot of slowing in the east bay approaching the toll plaza but not at the toll plaza here. and up to this area, the travel time at the bottom of the -- over 30 mile percent hour and down east shore freeway those are starting to speed up. 808 southbound away from the coliseum, slow into fremont and south bay, recovers, northbound 101 an d 0, accidenbrewing a round 880. more news after this.

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. east bay school district in danger this morning, administrators say someone is giving children drugs disgused as desserts. student ate marijuana brownies. two landed in hospital. parents that see albany as a safe district are shocked. >> how did it get there? what are they doing there? it's crazy. >> police are looking into who

is supplying the marijuana brownies, the principal thinks a student is providing the opponent desedessert. we asks students to cease and desist. the health and safety of our students are in jeopardy due to these action. a real estate deal gone south, captain sullenberger are suing a bank for fraud. they were tricked into overpaying for the property and they want to cancel the lon on property. the real estate broker said former pilot is using his select statistic us to bring about the lawsuit without merit. another update in half an hour. have a great morning.

♪ you know what's cool about seeing elton john sing that song is you have seen him sing that in person. now he's lending his extraordinary talents to a new movie called "gnomeo & j juliette". >> we have watched him in person. i have never seen you look so blissful. >> i love elton john. >> he's a great performer.

we'll hear more about that tomorrow on "today." meantime we'll talk about jennifer aniston this morning. >> she's getting candid. she's setting the record straight on hero m romantic sta, how she stays fit and whether she's going to become a mom. >> if the gray winter has you down we have red hot looks just in time for valentine's day. red is the shade of the season, so we are told. so we're going to show you how to wear the latest trends without spending a lot of money. >> you have pink, you have red. >> i'm doing the segment. but i like red. it's a bodacious color. >> and two bodacious women. and we'll show you how to have decadent favorites without the calories including dessert.

>> sweet. >> it's like a frosty concoction out there. we have a storm system out of the gulf bringing rain for the gulf. snow in the mid mississippi river valley. sunshine out west. we have lake effect snow in the eastern great lakes and then for tomorrow, that system makes its way off the coast quickly. rain left over in florida. mild conditions in the southwest. frigid from the plains back across the great lakes and into new england. well, we're now in the 50s across the bay area. still chilly, grab a jacket but warm up into the 60s later on. 65 degrees is the forecasted high in san jose. 66 in san rafael and 65 degrees today in napa under abundant sunshine. we have good air quality out there. so, get on outside and enjoy it if you can. temperatures climb toward sunday and then rain moves in late monday into tuesday. maybe an inch by the end of the tuesday.

and that's your latest weather. >> up next, we'll hear about jennifer aniston on being a ather, finding love andonlatisp relationships and why they are so important after this. when they get a denture and a le they think the best way to clean it is by brushing it with toothpaste. toothpaste contains abrasives that scratch dentures leaving microscopic crevices where bacteria can grow and bacteria can cause bad breath. only polident is proven to clean without scratching and kills 99.9% of odor causing bacteria. i recommend using polident and soak every day. it's the right way to go. now with an improved microclean formula. now with an improved nothing starts your day like honey roasted, honey bunches of oats. the perfect balance of crunchy flakes and clusters, with a kiss of golden honey. delicious. and the same calories per serving as special k original. so, try honey roasted, honey bunches of oats! heck try 'em all.

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jennifer aniston has graced magazine covers for years. her fans following everything from her love life to how she stays in such good shape. now the actress is opening up in a revealing interview about love, children, and her exes. jennifer sat down with julie jordan, special correspondent for "people" magazine. julie, good morning. >> good morning. >> i know that this -- you know, was supposed to be a routine interview. but she was a lot more candid than even you were expecting. >> it was just fun. it started out to talk about her movie, new fragrance. in the process it became kind of an easy conversation. there's so many misconceptions out there about her. it was good chance for her to clear the air and show the real jennifer. >> why do you think she's so misunderstood? what did she say about that? >> i asked her what was the biggest misconception about you. she said that i'm unhappy. there is no way to not pick up on the energy. she is very content with her

life. she feels very blessed. >> and so she's not in a rush to have children. >> no. >> as well, she said. that's another big misconception. all the tabloids report she is adopting. >> she is not adopting baby from mexico or anywhere. she laughed. people want to see her as a mom. they want to see her barefoot and pregnant in the kitsch sxwren married. she is relaxed. lit happen. she very positive about the future. she wants to meet someone. she said she is excited about meeting her life person, as she calms him, and having a person with that person. she's not opposed to doing it on her own but doesn't think it is going to come to that. she has time to really explore her option. >> i mean, she is -- going to be 42, right? >> yes. >> but she is not in a rush to have -- >> no. >> -- children. >> an amazing birthday celebration. do you wish could you push fast forward button sometimes? she said no. she is having a ball. there is no reason. she truly believes everything happens exactly as it is supposed to. >> another misconception out

there, of course, is revolving around her love life. contrary to what you see in the tabloids she hasn't dated in a year and a half. she is going out to dinner with friends. >> that's it. if anyone sees with a male they assume she having a relationship with that person and that's not the case. i asked her if she let her friends set her up and she doesn't. she really picky. it is rare when she feels she feels it. it only happened twice in the last ten years. she's not -- you know, again, she just wants to really give herself time to meet the right person. she's not in a hurry. she is enjoying her zblefl she did say she was on day 35 of a new year's resolution. basically unplug. to not -- >> not care. >> not care about what is being reported in the tabloids and not worry about, you know, people following her, paparazzi. how is she doing that? how is she getting by? >> she is learning to tune it out and live her life. she admitted it is a mean world out there. the bloggers and the internet can be vicious at times. it is hurtful. she -- definitely as a human being responded to that.

you know, to this -- tune it out and live her life more, she has been doing it and is happier and is enjoying herself. that makes it an easier. >> people have that idea, misconception again of her that there's this dark cloud hanging over her and dark cloud is her relationship, past relationship with brad pitt. what does she say about that? >> no. i mean -- i think that -- if she is so relatable, i think people everywhere to see her and then want happiness for her. she is not in a relationship and her exes are, people are concerned because as -- because they see her and they -- instantly identify with her. they want the -- >> bitter love triangle. >> she doesn't have it, something is wrong. that's what they project on to her. >> she did say she remains in touch with all of her exes. why? >> she is a positive person. you know, i said what's the first thought that comes in your head -- into your head? she said all her relationships were awesome. she is so appreciative of them. she learned from them and keeps in touch with them because they were a big part of her life. if you are able do that with an

ex why wouldn't you? it is not like they died. they are still on this planet. >> i got to ask, what does she do to stay in shape and look so good at almost 42? everybody wants to know. >> she didn't have any makeup on. she is so beautiful. >> she lifted her shirt up and said she was proud of her p premenstrual body. >> she has an counseling body. it is discipline and hard work on her part. she works really hard atility and takes care of herself and lets herself indulge. it is all about balance. >> she is in a great place in her life it sounds like. >> very happy and in a wonderful place. she is excited about the future because she doesn't know what will happen. >> the movie with adam sandler request just go with it." >> she is excited bit. it will be fun to watch. >> julie jordan, as ashllways, thanks so much. we will show you how to wear the signature color of the season, red, right after this.

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season. valentine's day is around the corner. lifestyle editor, expert, rather, and is here with an affordable style. kathy, good morning now good morning. >> what a perfect way to chase away the winter blues with the hot, stylish color of love. >> the great news is red isn't just for valentine's day. it really is the season's it color. we are seeing it everywhere from the first lady's red dress, the state dinner, to the red carpet. to the runways. anybody can wear red. >> anyone. >> anyone. many reds as there are shades of paprika, pinky red. >> it is a color if you wear it it is easy -- you do feel more noticed. >> exact. >> i that's maybe something that people might like. let's talk about that. ways you have actually four trends that you spot. >> four trends. >> for red. let's start with the first one. little red jacket. >> yes. >> you are not wear everything in red. >> this is audra. we love this look.

little red jacket is one of the most effective ways to inject color into a winter wardrobe. and plus it is really, really great transitional piece to take you from, you know, winter to spring. >> look at that necklace. >> isn't that fantastic? >> $29. it goes with anything. we pared it with great skinny jeans from j. crew and a great red strappy platform sandal. >> killer shoes. >> yes. red accessories. another great way to really affordably inject color into your wardrobe. >> audra, thanks so much for wearing those shoes. a look at something that's -- really got sophistication, red and nude. >> and heather is our next model. she shows it really well. one of the hottest pairings out there. and she's wearing this beautiful top. by club monaco. it is a nude sequin top and you won't believe this, ann. two weeks ago at the shows in

paris, a really similar t-shirt paired with the gown. at $8924 this is a great way to get a really on-trend piece. you know, sophisticated. >> on trend. new trays. >> new word. >> on trend. okay. you heard it here. >> yes. you know, pair witness a red separate, skinny red pant. nude always looks more sophisticated. modern neutral. >> thank you so much, heather. we have another look and that is -- the little red dress. little black dress, little red dress. worn by christie. >> yes. so, you know, move over, little black dress. the little red dress can be a wardrobe staple as well. and this is sort of a more romantic, softer red dress. it is just $59. a lot of people -- we were talking about how red can seem sort of severe and bold. red can be more romantic. >> let me make a point this. that's very little.

and -- christie can pull it off but not every woman can. can you do that with leggings? >> you absolutely can do that with leggings. that's a great way to use -- you know, maybe a shorter dress, tunic style. you know, to -- incorporate it when you are not going out at night. >> black sweater, little belt, leggings. >> absolutely. >> the shoes look pretty fun. pulls in that nude cole gore and the red. if you are going out at night, dress it up, try bold accessories like for amazing cuffs, $50 p from top shop. bold shoe. long necklace. for the daytime, pair of ballet flats and leg. >> christie, thank you so much. you look lovely. we have the last of our morning trends in is a huge one. vintage inspired. you have our model. >> yes. she's wearing a look that combines the '50s and '40s we are seeing designers look to past but update it for present day. she has a shrunken motorcycle

jacket. $79. a big deal with this outfit is the little red shorts. and these are from top shop. $70. ann, shorts for day and for evening are a huge trend. everyone from j. crew to mark jacobs are showing these. they are a little bit -- they came in the '50s. marilyn monroe and audrey hepburn. we are seeing them everywhere. >> very romantic. >> aren't they cute? >> with those heels, it does give a '40s feel to it. >> it does. '40s inspired platform. anding you know, kick them off, wear ballet flat, and have you great day look. >> bring all of our models out. let me ask you this question. not every one of the mod sells wearing red lipstick. how do you not overdo it? how do you do it right? >> well, you know, not all -- i have never worn red lips. you know, as you said, there is a shade for everyone. you don't have to go full-on harsh red. there's nude, sort of more

glossy red that aren't quite as bold, as you say. i think they all look beautiful. these are some really hot moms. >> all right. thank you so much for -- yes. saving us money and making us look boulder. thanks to all of our models. coming up next, italian favorites without the guilt. af. this is "today" on nbc.

this morning in "today's kitchen," a guide to italian cooking. it is not all about hidden creams and cheeses. it is full of good traditional dishes that are simple to prepare. chef gino, good to see. >> did you pleasure to meet and you thank you very much for inviting me. this is great. i always wanted to be in america

cooking. >> the big misconception a lot of americans have about italian cooking is that -- >> that it is fattening. that's crazy. crazy. italian food is healthy and if you do it very quickly, absolutely is beautiful. what we are doing,ly geney. little garlic, shrimp. quick and easy. olive oil here. friday the garlic. >> good quality olive oil. >> good quality olive oil, yes. good extra virgin. the way i did it, okay. then very simply starts to fry. shrimp takes a minute and half. do not overdo it. that's the worst thing you can do. when you overdo it. you let them fry. we are talking about pasta. whenever we cook pasta the water has to be boiling. bubbles. it is very important because

people often say to me -- gino, how do you get the pass to -- no. oil, waste of time. guys, listen to me. you want the water to be boiling hot. once you do that -- pasta doesn't touch each other. >> don't touch the pasta. >> mix the shrimps. beautiful like this. okay. of course we want the pasta not al dente. cherry tomatoes go in there. okay. you can see so far everything is very easy. >> yes. right. >> spinach. here you go. flavor. color. simplicity. right? a quote from my grandfather the reason why people love italian food because italian food is like italian men. much more satisfaction. >> oh, yeah! >> that's what i'm talking about. >> shake it a little bit. the secret of pasta.

pasta goes into the sauce. never put the sauce on top of the pasta. like that. okay. a little bit of lemon zest. we are going to freshen up. we give it a shake. job is done. everything together. like this. simple. >> let's take that back here. >> never put sauce on top of the pasta? >> never put the sauce on top of the pasta? >> why? >> bring that with you. we want to do this quick appetizer have you here. >> i have here what they call prosciutto. soft cheese. little bit of olives in there and chive. roasted tomato. what you do, you put it -- mixture on top of the tomato. if have you your friends coming for dinner and you want to do something quick, okay, but you want to do something sexy at the same time, a little bit of

prosciutto. at the end, drizzle. toasted bread. >> oh, my. >> that's nice. >> gino, for the benefit of the ladies, can you repeat the italian man cooking thing? >> my grandfather used to say italian food is like italian men. maximum satisfaction. >> that's worth repeating. >> thank you for inviting us.

good morning to you. it's 9:56. i'm laura garcia-cannon. it was a cold start to the morning. let's see if things are warming up with christina. >> yes, we're warping up nicely.

good morning. 52 in hayward, 47 in santa cruz. high pressure in control. sunshine for today and temperatures climbing to the low to mid 60s. a system of low pressure will bring rain and a rainy pattern back to the bay area as we head into the latter part of monday and tuesday, looking to be the wettest day in the forecast. today, enjoy the sunshine and good air quality, 65 degrees in san jose. turning warmer as we head turn the end of the week. traffic now with mike. >> christina, a lot better than it was over the last hour, but an issue getting into the city. civic center, off the bridge, slow because of an accident from the roadway there and as we zoom out you see that the northbound routes for 101 and 280 slow in the tail end of the routes into san francisco as well. coming over from the other side of the bay, easy drive approaching the maze. south bay show things sticking

around. south bay neighborhood trying to protect itself after a string of home burglaries. they are centered on a number of different homes in san jose's evergreen area. all within a few blocks of each other. latest break-in happened on monday afternoon. the family asked nbc bay area not to identify them. they satd burglars broke in through a bedroom window and took off with laptops, ipods video game systems and jewelry. >> it's extremely upsetting to think you had somebody walking through your house and touching your things and the kids are frightened now. my daughter didn't want to sleep in her room last night because this was where they'd come through. >> the family says they will be installing a security system. the community is also talking about setting up a neighborhood watch. i'll have another local news update in about an hour. have a great morning.

never in my lifetime did i think i could walk 60 miles in 3 days. 60 miles in 3 days-- i can do that. 60 miles compared to what a cancer patient goes through is a walk in the park. from the moment i registered, people started immediately supporting me. we had an outpouring of-- of support. i wanted to do something bigger than myself. the 60 miles-- it makes a statement. i know i'm stronger than i was before, both mentally and physically. i walk with my sister. our relationship has gone to a whole new level because of training together. you meet the most wonderful, inspiring people. i knew that there was something really special about this event. when you accomplish those 60 miles, it's truly life-changing. it was three days of hope. of love. of empowerment. it was three days the way the world should be.

here i am, second year in a row, and i'm already signed up for next year's. (man) register today for the... and receive $25 off your registration fee. because everyone deserves a lifetime. captions paid for by nbc-universal television hello, everybody! welcome to winesday wednesday. it's february 9th. we're so glad you're all with us today. it's fricking freezing out mr. wigglesworth. i was up 4:30 this morning with the dogs. >> what were you doing up that early? >> i like them to go to the bathroom outside! that's what i was doing up that early. i came in to do a panel on an earlier hour today. you know, you're just in your robe.

you get that blast of arctic air. >> it's not a great thing. >> anyway, we hope it's warm in key largo. >> stop saying the temperature in florida! let me tell you what kathie lee does every time in the make-up room. al comes in, she goes, just saying, 74 and 73 in florida and l.a. >> you had a big night, hoda, last night. >> i did. >> let's get right to it. hoda was honored last night at women's day red dress award. i wish i'd been invited. it looks bad if my co-host is honored and nobody invites me. >> can we go back to that picture? >> barbara walters was honored. >> on the back of that speech is al roker's christmas card. i didn't have any paper. but for some reason in my purse, thank you very much, i had roker's christmas card. >> you probably have your baby

pictures in there, too. >> his christmas card is great. he only prints it on one side. the other side is blank so you can write notes. >> first of all, may i tell the truth about you. yesterday when you said what am i going to say? i'm being honored at this thing. i said, what have you done to be honored? she goes, i don't know. >> that's elizabeth mayhew. the editor in chief. and carlos madrid. he's a publisher. >> he's a hottie. >> what made the event more terrific, in addition to the n honorees, they had great, great, great music. natasha bedden field, celo, "forget you." and -- ♪ don't walk away from me, no,

don't walk away from me ♪ ♪ i've got nothing, nothing, nothing if i don't have you ♪ >> come on. >> yeah, she's terrific. >> i was screaming like it was a concert. i know it was an event and you weren't supposed to. >> howe elegant from you. >> i took a picture from the stage and i promised i would show them. except for the lady that blinked in the back. >> everybody in their red. that's beautiful. what have you done? you didn't answer my question. what did you do to be honored? >> i've done specials on heart disease for the network and interviewed a lot of people. >> in other words, you were just doing your job? >> i'm just showing up, baby.

barbara was great. she was terrific. >> welcome to everybody and congratulations. >> i feel bad about yesterday. i feel bad. >> you should. >> before we roll the video, i rolled video and i said it was a total phony and a fake. >> it looked like one, you said. >> there was a robbery in progress. a granny came to the rescue. now, it happened in britain. so let's watch and see that it actually was a true thing. sorry. here she comes. giddyup. look at her purse. she just starts whacking away. look what happened. then these guys get on their motorcycles and one of them falls off because he's scared. and get arrested. >> i love it. >> the thing she had to know, in britain the police don't carry guns. >> they carry their bobbie sticks. >> guns are not common place

among criminals. >> do criminals have them? >> they're not common. she knew going in what it was going to be. >> go back to the top of that clip. she comes out of nowhere. how does she even know what's going on? she has impaired vision, i would think. look how far away she is when she sees this! >> and they're beating on the glass. >> in broad daylight! >> that's just terrible. >> she comes out of nowhere like a super -- i lose it every time when matt lauer walks in the room. >> it happens every -- >> why are you here, matt? >> we're going to update something in just a second. no hurry. take your time. find a commercial somewhere. >> this is usually when matt says, are you guys on live tv right now? >> men have an effect on me. you know who else does?

isaiah mustafa. let's look at the brand-new old spice ad. >> hello, ladies. where can you go when your man smells like me? close your eyes and i'll show you. do you feel it? the sand between your toes? fireworks. turn our world upsidedown. i hope you like water. we're neck deep in the soft waters of friendship and trust. you see, when your man smells like the fresh scent of old spice you can go anywhere. unless, of course, you prefer to stay -- in. >> oh, come on! that's good. that is so great. >> can we see that again? >> we have a little bit of extra time. >> smell is a big thing to me. >> me, too. me, too. >> with him i'm not sure i care. >> you like the smell of old spice? >> my daddy wore old spice. i don't think of isaiah as my father. i have some wonderful, wonderful memories of old spice.

what about you? >> i like a clean fresh scent. i like soap. i like guys who smell like soap. >> how do you feel about parents who have little boys who play with dolls? do you think -- there's a bit of a cotro versy going on about that right now. >> yeah. dr. phil gave some advice to a woman who wrote in, basically saying try to -- try to make -- just make it so your son doesn't play with dolls, basically, wasn't that his gist? >> yeah. at the same time saying support him, direct him in an unfocusing way. don't buy him barbie dolls or girls clothes. do do things that seem to support the confusion. put the girl things away and buy him boy toys. >> if your son likes to play with dolls and they're there, i don't see what the big deal is. don't you go through different phases? >> i think you might be creating more of a problem if you say don't play with them, there's a problem with that. >> turns into a weird thing. >> the mother was more concerned with what other people thought. the kid's not -- i don't think

that's unusual behavior for a 4-year-old or 5-year-old child. >> i don't either. we have to talk about kissing real quick. we just do. >> really? why? because valentine's is going up? >> there's a harlequin survey. let's see what it says. here's the question. should the woman make the first move? >> on a kiss. >> on a kiss. half of the women said -- more than half said no. most men didn't respond to the harlequin survey. it's women. >> how do you know that? >> i'm just guessing. some admitted to kissing their exes or co-workers. >> i married a co-worker. rules were made to be broken with our hoda woman. >> what's up, ms. sara? >> we posted the question about boys playing with dolls to our fans. a lot of people are saying they shouldn't play with dolls. tonya wrote in, just as girls should play with the tool sets,

if not we stereo type from the start. these are a couple people saying it's totally okay. renee said, absolutely, if they enjoy it. they should play with whatever toys they choose. the majority of people say absolutely not. i found that interesting. i found that surprising. >> that is surprising. we're going to toast you with our mommy juice. i know. it's a white wine. >> it's literally called that. they have it in red and white. it's called mommy juice. up next -- it's available at mommyjuicewines.com. we have a big show. >> if your cup runneth over, we're going to help you with ways to ease your best size. >> we're talking about breast implants or reduction. the man who dared to fall 128 feet and lived to talk about it. >> first these messages. >> unbelievable. amy, you're gonna love college.

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mary? what are you doing here? it's megan. i'm getting new insurance. marjorie, you've had a policy with us for three years. it's been five years. five years. well, progressive gives megan discounts that you guys didn't. paperless, safe driver, and i get great service. meredith, what's shakin', bacon? they'll figure it out. getting you the discounts you deserve. now, that's progressive. call or click today. we're back with our special series we're calling "life changers." today we're talking breasts. every man seems to love them and

every woman should love them, too. not all of us do. >> some are too big, some are too small. sometimes getting them just right requires a little help from the doc. >> my name is erica moseley. today i'm getting a breast augmentation. >> i'm getting ready to have breast reduction. i am currently a 30 ddd. i'm only 4'9". >> right now i'm in the negative category. some people call them an a. >> ddd might be awesome for somebody who's over 5 feet. it's just a constant struggle for me in my small frame to be active. >> she has neck, back, shoulder pain. rashes under her breasts. the bra strap hurts her. it even creates a groove on her shoulder. she has ever symptom and reason to have a reduction. >> i love my breasts. i think there's room for improvement. i always say i'd like to be a perky c. >> i'm looking for the smallest i can be and the most natural

and proportioned with the rest of my curvy body. >> i know i'm a woman and i know i look like a woman but i want to feel more like a woman. >> erica's goals with this operation were to just have something. for her breasts to look full, normal, natural and proportionate to her body. >> i've been wanting to do this procedure as far as i can remember. i'm 30 years old. i'm only getting better. i thought, why not? why wait? >> what am i most looking forward to? freedom. i'm hoping to be not so constri constricted. scared, but also excited about the potential. >> i barely slept last night. i can't even tell you how excited i am. >> i'm ready. are you ready to see them? >> we're going to see the ladies? let's take one last look at their before shots. come on, ladies! >> oh, i'm sorry. >> somebody's happy with an operation. >> show what you got. >> oh, my gosh, ladies! >> you look terrific? >> thank you.

>> thank you. >> how long ago did you guys do the procedure. >> not even two weeks. >> i think 13 days or 12 days. >> wow. >> tell us the initial reaction. >> initial reaction. >> i can't stop looking at them! >> i saw my stomach for the first time in the shower. >> you both wanted a c cup, right? you wanted a nice comfortable c cup. >> natural. >> uh-huh. this is the guy that did the dirty deed. lovely work, doctor. >> thank you. >> it is interesting. when you were talking about the issues that jean has, that your breasts are too big and that kind of thing, that's a no-brainer in terms of surgery, right? >> yes. she's not just doing it to look different. she's doing it because she's so uncomfortable. the bra strap grooves, neck, back, shoulder pain. >> clothes don't look right. >> i shopped to camouflage. after i had the surgery most people were saying they didn't

realize i was so large at a ddd. i said it took a lot of effort to camouflage myself all the time. >> was it hard to do basic things like exercise and all that before? >> yes. to get the best bra to sort of strap me in. i'd end up with what i call cleavage sweat. it sounds horrible. >> just say it. with erica, too. what made you decide you wanted that surgery? we saw the before pictures. >> this is something i've always wanted to do. i would be in my room praying, please let me wake up and have boobs. it just didn't happen. eventually i woke up and said, it's happening. i started doing research. i found lovely dr. titlebalm here. i'm more than happy. more than happy. >> we know there are risks to any surgeries at all. the big change, i understand, is that the silicon bags that were allowed in the past are not allowed for a while and now they're back as opposed to the saline implants. >> 1992 the fda put a more tor

yum on silicone because there was concerns about it. between 1992 and 2006 when silicone was reapproved, all the studies exonerated silicone. we know it's safe now. >> i have the silicone gel. they're called the gummy bear implants. i got the bentley of boobs here! >> the augmentation is uncomfortable, the recovery, but that there's quite a bit of scarring when you reduce the breasts and it's a much more painful operation. has that changed as well in the ensuing years? >> the scars for breast reduction is less than it was in years gone by. we're also better at shaping the breasts with breast reduction. but there's a lot more scarring with that than with an augmentation. >> how about recovery for you guys? >> it's been great for me. i went to the mall the day of the surgery. >> what? >> i went back to work the following monday. i picked up my kids from school on friday right after the surgery. >> price, how much is it, doctor? >> each about $5,000 to $10,000. breast reduction is often covered by insurance. for a woman to find out whether

she will be covered by her own insurance, the best thing to do would be to find a plastic surgeon that knows about the local insurance issues. >> why would a cosmetic procedure be covered? >> because it's not really just a cosmetic procedure. jean had neck, back, shoulder pain. >> yes. but if you wanted just to have a nicer rack. >> careful. >> in most states if a woman doesn't develop normally through puberty, one's very different than the other, then insurance companies will cover that. >> you're so glad you did it? >> yes. >> you both look beautiful. >> wonderful. >> thanks, ladies. >> i recommend it to anyone. >> tomorrow our life changer series moves to the rear. >> literally. >> how to get the best bum. next, the daredevil who c kayaked down this 128-foot waterfall. why, and what his mother thought about it, is what i want to ask. we'll be right back. i do remember sitting down with my boys,

and i'm like, "oh, promise mommy you'll never ever pick up a cigarette." i had to quit. ♪ my doctor gave me a prescription for chantix, a medication i could take and still smoke, while it built up in my system. [ male announcer ] chantix is a non-nicotine pill proven to help people quit smoking. it reduces the urge to smoke. some people had changes in behavior, thinking or mood, hostility, agitation, depressed mood and suicidal thoughts or actions while taking or after stopping chantix. if you notice any of these symptoms or behaviors, stop taking chantix and call your doctor right away. tell your doctor about any history of depression or other mental health problems, which could get worse while taking chantix. if you develop serious allergic or skin reactions, stop taking chantix and see your doctor right away as some of these can be life-threatening. don't take chantix if you've had a serious allergic or skin reaction to it. dosing may be different if you have kidney problems. until you know how chantix affects you, use caution when driving or operating machinery. common side effects include nausea, trouble sleeping and unusual dreams.

♪ my benjamin, he helped me with the countdown. "ben, how many days has it been?" "5 days, mom. 10 days, mom." i think after 30 days he got tired of counting. [ male announcer ] it's a new year. so, ask your doctor about chantix. and find out how you could save money on your prescription go to chantix.com to learn more and get terms and conditions. and find out how you could save money on your prescription fitting into clothes is naturally satisfying. so select harvest light soups are 80 calories or less, 100% natural. and-oh-so-satisfying. select harvest light from campbell's.® it's amazing what soup can do.™ >> man: delivering a 200-pound ice sculpture means i don't have any margin for error. one wrong turn,

and i could end up unloading a puddle of water. >> gps: turn right ahead. >> man: so i make sure i have the right guidance to get me exactly where i need to be. it's the same with taxes. turbotax has a unique gps feature that guides me step-by-step. automatically double-checks along the way and even lets me talk to a tax expert so i'm never alone. which helps me know it's done right and get to my maximum refund, guaranteed. >> try turbotax online now. you don't pay unless you're satisfied with the results. all right. we all have our limits when it comes to challenges. yours may be parachuting from a plane or perhaps walking your dog in the rain without an umbrella. that's mine. >> for 23-year-old ortiz it was dropping 128 feet in a waterfall. last october the professional

kayaker tackled the big banana, a 128-foot, we'll say it again, waterfall nestled in a remote jungle in mexico, becoming one of the five people in the world to take on a waterfall that size. extreme sports photograph eer lucas gillman. >> i'm finishing school, finishing college, engineering. i'm committing into extreme sports now. >> why did you decide to tackle that? if only a handful of people have done it successfully you knew the risks were going to be great. >> definitely. it's definitely taking a big risk in one hand. for the other hand in me, it was a big challenge, you know. i live for the challenges. i've been looking at this waterfall for four years and just kind of growing up. so it was just the chance to do it, you know. >> just getting to that place was hazardous, wasn't it? >> yeah. >> tell us about the -- the terrain you had to go through to get to that place where you could photograph him doing it.

>> it's, you know, typical mexican jungle. bushwhacking. the experience is half of it is just getting there and being in one of those magical spots. >> weren't you afraid you were going to end up getting an image of a terrible ending? >> there's always that. i had ultimate faith in him. i knew he wouldn't attempt it unless he had a real good feeling it was going to go well. >> how do you train for that? >> you got to -- you're paddling every day. you're training. you're getting your skills to the next level. but it's also a lot mental. you start running small waterfalls and you grow up to it. >> tell us the feeling. there you are right here. what is happening at that moment when you're about to head down. >> that's the moment i live for, anyway. you just asked me, why would you do it? that's it right there. as soon as you get to the very edge of it you're just full of adrenaline. you look down and it's so amazing. >> what about your family? what are they thinking? >> i got both sides. my dad is really crazy as well. he loves doing -- he kayaks with me. he doesn't go over really big

waterfalls like that. on the other hand, my mom is nervous. she doesn't watch the videos anymore. >> you're not a parent so you don't understand. >> i guess. >> right. >> okay, boys. >> it's hard. i understand the adrenaline thing. but that could be your death. that could be your death. >> yeah. and the waterfall, you're talking more about injury regarding your back. something like that. on the other hand, you know, you kind of -- you know what you have to do. you do it right. >> we're glad that you came out of it safely. your pictures were terrific. coming up, in nealon is with us. >> unrecognizable in this movie, thank goodness. this is a strawberry pop-tart.

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[ record scratches ] probably isn't giving results you want. discover neosporin® lip health™. shown to restore visibly healthier lips in just 3 days. neosporin® lip health™. rethink your lip care. >> sl good morning. 10:26. i'm laura garcia-cannon. check that forecast with christina. >> good morning to you for what we have left of the morning. we're already in the 50s, 54 in liv livermore, and 53 in san jose. high pressure still in control keeping this area of clearing you see here over most of the united states. western half anyhow, that will keep things nice today and low pressure makes its way onshore as we head through the latter part of this weekend. monday into tuesday, tuesday looks like wet across the area. lots of sunshine today and good air quality out there. enjoy it if you can. up to 69 by sunday. check that drive with mike.

>> christina, we're looking at the accident into san francisco, that has cleared from westbound 80, westbound 80 in oakland side starting to clear as well. metering lights still on but no major slowing up to the area and further south, look at the san mateo bridge, flows very nicely and off 880, smooth drive down through hayward and into the south bay. a look at the south bay itself and we have northbound 101 with a bit of slowing past the airport a ind ndownwnto, that tennis tournament continues.

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this morning, hercules on the verge of making history by carrying out is believed to the first-lfr recall of elected leaders. demanding the resignation of the city council. newly installed mayor is fighting recall and council member says his record is being misrepresented. if petitions signatured are veryified voters will decide the fate of the city leaders in a june election. more riders questioning if they're saving money by taking public transit. bart's latest customer survey reveals about 64% of its passengers say bart is a good value for the money. that's pretty good but it is a 7% drop from the previous survey in 2008. 15% say they don't think bart is cost efficient, down four points from 2008. since the last survey was

conducted bart increased farce by 6%. thanks so much for joining us. "today" continues next. see you bright and early tomorrow morning at 5:00 a.m. have a great afternoon. wednesday with more of today. comedian and actor extraordinary, kevin nealon. >> kevin teamed up with his old "saturday night live" buddy adam sandler. this time in the upcoming "go with it" where kevin plays a man who's had a few too many plastic surgeries. >> you think? >> take a look. >> yo. >> i'm so happy you could be here! >> how are you? >> did you bring any -- i brought my cousin eddie. >> nice to meet you, eddie. >> is this a halloween party? >> you got a little work done, huh?

>> tweaking, tweaking. maintenance. i just want to stay in the game. i don't want to hit home runs. just some singles. that's all. >> that's good. honestly, i saw the film and you're my favorite part of it. i kept waiting for your character to come back. it's like a cameo. oh, my gosh. you were not even recognizable. >> you're attracted to plastic surgery. >> no. i was attracted to your comedic performance. >> thank you very much. you know why? i'm in acting class right now. it's called acting with botox. how to get your eyes to say what your face won't. >> i've been doing that for years. >> i think everybody's happy in the class. it's hard to tell. >> what did they do to your face? >> prosthetics? >> they took a hammer. no. it's prosthetics. medical tape, pulling it back. >> it's uncomfortable? had to be miserable. >> not uncomfortable at all. three hours in the make-up chair. five days. they only used one day. it would have been more comedic if i actually had the plastic surgery. >> you live in l.a. you see a lot of that walking

around. do you think people are even aware how bad they look, how free freakish? >> i don't think they do. they start, they get a little bit. they forget what they should look like. i went into a make-up store in beverly hills on rodeo drive. i asked for a little touch-up. i'm going to a dinner party. step off to the side. >> adam plays a very fine plastic surgeon who obviously was not responsible for your work. but there is a funny scene where the one woman has an eyebrow up here and another one down here. one boob up here. >> what was it like working with adam? >> it's always a blast working on his films. we've done a lot of films together. we were in "saturday night live" together. i always end up getting these

sometimes humiliating part. >> what's this about? >> i think it's passive aggressive, and it's coming from him. he's trying to torture me, you know. >> you do have the ability to say, "no thank you, adam." though you aren't really working a whole lot. >> yeah, yeah. >> i'm kidding the man! >> he is our guest! on our program! >> i love the man. having a little fun with him. >> i'm at an age now where i don't retaliate. ten years ago, i would have been out buying a car. >> i don't have a car! >> well, the taxi, then. >> you got to see the film. >> you got to see it. >> opens up this friday, right? >> hopefully. it's going to open up this friday. and it's going to be huge, huge. >> huge. >> i've got to start saying my "hs." somebody pointed out. i say uge. >> are you canadian? >> no.

coming up next, we're going to play "who knew?" >> right after this. [ male announcer ] at cheez-it, we expect a lot from our cheese. why did the cook get arrested? i don't know. he was caught beating an egg! [ laughs ] a cheese monger, a dairy farmer and a duck walk into this... wait a minute, have you heard this one? nice tie sir. is that a windsor knot? [ male announcer ] we take the time for our cheese to mature before we bake it into every delicious cracker because at cheez-it, real cheese matters. fancy feast appetizers. into every delicious cracker for all the moments that make every day special. high quality ingredients like wild alaskan salmon in a delicate broth, without by-products or fillers. fancy feast appetizers. celebrate the moment.

progresso. oh yes hi. can you please put my grandma on the phone please? thanks. excuse me a sec. another person calling for her grandmother. she thinks it's her soup huh? i'm told she's in the garden picking herbs.

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with dodge all-wheel drive, it's just snow. ♪ and we're back to play "who knew?" our weekly quiz game. all about grammy award trivia. kathie lee is across the street at the nbc.com digital cafe. she's ready to hand out 100 bucks to those who answer the question correctly. those who don't get her cd. with me is "entertainment's" music critic. >> look how cute these girls are

from seattle. which artist has the most grammy nominations of all time. michael jackson, quincy jones, the beatles or elton john? >> um -- elton john? >> that's all right. this should have been nominated for a grammy award. >> i'm sure it should have. the actual -- the correct answer is quincy jones. >> quincy jones, yes. >> i didn't know that. >> he has 27 wins. >> oh. >> 79 nominations. >> wow. >> elton actually has six awards, believe it or not. beatles only have eight. michael jackson has the most in one night. he had eight in 1994. but, yeah, quincy kind of kills everybody. >> let's go back across to kath. >> that's amazing that the beatles only have that many. this lovely lay d is from raleigh, north carolina. true or false. mick jagger will perform live on the grammy awards this year for the first time. >> false. >> it's a big day for kathie lee! >> yes, it is. the cds are going fast.

okay. so he's actually performing live? >> that was kind of a trick question. the rolling stones actually performed in 1986 via satellite from london. >> aha. >> at 3:00 in the morning, drunk, apparently. but mick will be doing a tribute to solomon burke. burke died in october. he's probably best known -- you know the song "cry to me" in "dirty dancing?" >> yes. that's his song? >> yes. >> okay. back across the street to kath. >> this lovely girl from canada. who is the youngest grammy winner ever? leann rimes, chris tee ya aguilera, taylor twift or justin timberlake. >> taylor swift. >> oh, i love it! >> i haven't seen kathie lee happier in forever. the correct answer, taylor is actually a good guess, but it's leann rimes. >> you would think taylor,

right? she was 20 and leann was 14. it was best new artist. she won for "blue," the song originally from patsy klei ssy . justin was 22, i think. >> back across to kath. >> which of the following u.s. presidents has not won a grammy? barack obama, bill clinton, george w. bush or jimmy carter? >> has not won a grammy? >> mm-hmm. >> barack obama? >> oh, i'm batting 1,000 today. >> why are presidents getting grammys, first of all? >> they're all spoken word for reading their biographies. clinton has one for reading "peter and the wolf." >> you can get a grammy for reading a book? >> yes. >> nobody told me. >> i should say george is eligible for telling me for "decision point." >> okay. george w. bush. >> he's the only one who hasn't. >> back across to kath.

>> beautiful girl from northern california. who is the only artist ever to be stripped of their grammy after the fact. the baja men, hooty and the blowfish, nilly vanilli or sinead o'connor. >> they got one right? we do remember that scandal. tell us a little. >> 1990. they were stripped of it. the grammys were in february. in november it came out they had not sung a note on that album, suddenly. the baja men have one for "who let the dogs out?" sinead o'connor boycotted. but she still won. >> thank you. coming up next, our girl julie scardina is here. she says connect people with wildlife. what is that? what is that? right after this.

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my second diagnosis-- i was told to go home, retire, and enjoy the time i had left. to say it was a shock is just a complete understatement. i mean, i don't think there are words.

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we're back with "today's" call of the wild, an incredible and attitude creatures from all over the world. >> sea world busch gardens. julie scardina. >> this one just jumped up on hoda's face. >> we cleaned her up! >> i was giving them a visual. >> julie, hi. >> this better be good. >> what's fantastic about these guys, really, they help people to connect. and engage. >> what do you mean by connect? >> there are so many species around the world that actually aren't -- >> oh! >> see, see? he likes you. >> i don't mind him jumping me. he just has to ask. >> these guys are going to -- >> they're fighting. >> they seem a little -- >> there you go. it's all about -- >> they're not dangerous, though, right? >> lemurs are wild animals.

they are endangered, matter of fact. only found in one spot in the entire world. that's madagascar. when people look at these guys they do see them as this cuddly, furry, cute animals. they're so essential for being out in the wild. they're not pets. >> they're a little demonic. i'm sorry. >> look at him eating! smaller bites. that is just awful. >> you know what, when you're a wild animal, you learn, you better grab the food and get it all down really, really fast. >> he's coming my way. i can tell. >> they're good leaper. they leap from tree to tree. hang on to that one. all right. we're going to bring out our next animal. >> hazard pay! >> time for you to go, there.

there you go. good job. all right. so now we have also a hornbill. and this guy is from africa as well. this one is disturbed by habitat loss. >> i don't like "disturbed." oh! >> can't you train them? come on! feed them before they get here and let them do their business in the park! >> you want that? you want that? >> he's giving you the evil eye, now. >> oh, my god. >> i'm out. >> this is the hornbill. >> if you had to walk around with that on your face your whole life, you wouldn't be too happy either. >> scientists don't even know why they have it. >> i didn't mean to offend you. >> scientists thought maybe it's for defense or knocking food out of trees. the male take care of the female and the offspring. they actually flock them into --

kathie lee, your eyes. >> let's get the next one. we're ready. >> that's just wrong on many levels! >> that's kind of all part of the mating thing. it's getting to be valentine's day. what can i say? now, our beautiful caracao, our african cat. there are so many species of cat disappearing in the wild. it's so important to realize as we talk about -- >> thank you. >> i'm a mother. i spend all day long doing that. >> -- how important it is for not only the animals to have their habitat, but for the habitat to have the animals as well. >> why do you keep taking them out of the habitats to bring them here? >> they are all born at our park. >> don't they like it there? >> they love it at the park. we give them a great home. >> my point is, they don't like it here. >> they do. they enjoy it here. is that our last one, julie?

we're out of time. >> we've got one more. we've got some endangered tortoises. >> let's bring the tortoises. more my speed. >> there we go. ooh! you never know what's coming at you. >> finally. >> these are babies. >> little babies. >> this is a nice way to end. >> their habitat is being destroyed. so that's the main point, we all have to be sustainable and do the right thing. >> julie, thank you. >> we love when you come visit us. >> mostly. up next, valentine's mean e -- menu that aims to please the pallet.

all right. we are in "today's" kitchen

getting saucy for fallvalentine day. >> here to share recipes for a romantic dinner for two. gavin kayson is the executive chef of the famed cafe bleu. >> we're going to split it. we're start here. what are we whipping up here, donatella? >> grilled pork chops. >> she's newly engaged. she can't even talk. >> congratulations, by the way. >> thank you. thank you. >> congratulations, darling. >> women, when they cook for the man they should cook what the man wants. pork chops, you brine it. that's the main thing. pork chops normally get dry. like women, little salt and sugar combination makes you bloated. >> did you cook this for him? >> this is his favorite dish. >> oh, good. >> a little salt, pepper, olive

oil. >> how long do you brine it for? >> two hours. a quick brine. while you're getting ready, you brine it. put it on the grill. five minutes on each side. don't touch it. >> you have something on. is that a little olive oil? >> olive oil, salt and pepper. >> we have a tendency to flip. >> no, hoda. leave it alone. >> 30 seconds. >> roast it for 15 minutes. put it in a purr ray and a little olive oil, salt and pepper and pulse it. that's it. it's really healthy but delicious. >> beautiful! >> gorgeous. >> reduced maple syrup and vinegar. it's a beautiful sauce. >> he loves this, huh? >> and coconut cake. >> hoda, you left your champagne. >> thank you. >> what you got for us? >> all right. so -- >> what are we whipping up? >> we're going to do lobster

bisque. we have some onions. we have the lobster bodies. >> you just chopped the whole -- >> we just chopped them up. that's it. >> ooh. >> they're not going to be in the final thing. >> don't worry. you're not going to eat that. basically you stir that around. you kind of sear the lob ter st bodies off with the onions and fenle. we have a lot of alcohol we have to add. >> may i help? >> white wine. some amengnac. >> what's that? is it cognac. >> cognac. we had a little water and a touch of cream. not too much. >> you are not adding all that. >> just a little bit. >> now i can't have it! >> that's bisqeu, baby. >> that's okay. it's valentine's day.

>> yes, it is. >> for lactose intolerance, could you make this with lactate milk? >> you don't even have to put the cream in. >> how do you get the parts out? >> strain it. >> we're going to try it. come on in, donatella. >> donatella can judge it, too. >> thank you. >> here you go, gavin. >> happy valentine's day. thank you, donatella. >> cheers. >> that's delicious. tomorrow we're going to talk about our life changers. we're going to show you how to get a better butt. >> it's overrated. plus, wine perfect for him and her. .ave a wonderful winesbo d god ess.y, everybody. god bless. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com

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