in the united states. >> tune in march 19th at 7:30 p.m. on nbc to see child hunger ends here: a special report. a spec good morning. under water. widespread flooding across the ooern half -- eastern half of the country. parts of new jersey, streets look like rivers, leading to evacuations. tragedy in pennsylvania. sevechildren killed in an overnight fire at a farmhouse. the victims ranging in age from seven months to 11 years. and the price of fame. an internet video turned ted williams, the homeless man with the golden voice, into an instant celebrity. but was it too much too fast? now in rehab for the second time in less than three months, he's here to tell us why he's convinced he's sober for good

today, wednesday, march 9, 2011. captions paid for by nbc-universal television good morning. welcome to "today" on a wednesday morning. i'm matt lauer. >> i'm meredith vieira. take a look at little falls, new jersey, where homeowners are dealing with some of the worst flooding there in years. >> the flooding is the result of the storm we told you about hear monday morning. it hit sunday night into monday causing creeks and rivers to overflow their banks. as we mentioned the storm headed to the northeast today is expected to create even more problems in this area. the latest in a live report and al's forecast in just a bit. >> also a warning if you use a wireless internet router. imagine sitting home when a dozen fbi agents storm in and accuse you of trafficking in

child pornography. it happened to one stunned man in florida because someone else was stealing his signal. he will share his story and we'll tell you how to keep your computer safe. and charlie sheen blasts his bosses in another online conversation. now at least one mental health expert says the actor should be hospitalized against his will. he'll explain why. but let's begin with flooding in the northeast. more rain on the way and ron allen is in little falls, new jersey. ron, good morning to you. >> reporter: good morning, matt. we're on island avenue along riverview circle. you can see there is a lot of water out here and it's going to get worse. the water is about a foot or 18 inches deep or so. this is a playing field but of course you can't see the edges of it. as you look down there, there are a lot of homes where the water is up to the back doors and running in the basements. the good news is that the water level is dropping on some of these trees and other structures. you can see there is a mark and the water has dropped maybe six

inches or so and it's going to drop about a foot. of course this is a prelude before another big storm that rolls in here thursday into friday where the weather is going to get bad and the waters will inevitably rise. people say the water gets up to about waist deep here. it's a seasonal flood but some people are saying it's not been this bad in decades. in this direction you can see the pesaic river, five or six feet above where it normally is. it's normally a narrow river moving through the communities. it's way out of its banks and threatening communities. it's been this way across northern new jersey. there have been cars under water, evacuations and rescues. right now people are watching the weather, watching the rain because the waters are going to get worse. so people are being prepared. officials are going door to door warning people. some evacuations have taken place. they have set up a reverse 911 system so people can be notified

but it is the quiet before the big storm. >> ron allen in little falls new jersey. thank you very much. >> how much rain can we expect? al has a first look at the weather. good morning. >> this is a one-two punch, this storm system. from louisiana all the way up to connecticut we are talking over 17 states, 1300 miles of flood watches and warnings extending because of the system. we have a tornado watch in effect for louisiana on into alabama. there are tornado warnings into louisiana and bam. there are tornado warnings in this box now. tornado moved from louisiana into alabama, into mississippi, i should say. so we've got really severe weather going on now. you can see a lot of rain working its way down south into the gulf coast. rainfall amounts in the south over the next 24 hours. we are talking anywhere from three to five inches of rain. then the sond part of this punch is up into the northeast. tomorrow morning we've got this system working into the northeast. heavy rain in the midatlantic

states, snow in new england causing more flooding problems. as the rain starts to get together, by friday evening snow changes to rain in northern new england, but the heaviest rain -- we are talking three to five inches of rain, eastern pennsylvania, new jersey, mid state new york, we could see some areas with seven inches of rain and that is going to cause really big flooding problems. matt? >> al, thank you very much. we appreciate it. the cause of a tragic farmhouse fire in pennsylvania is under investigation this morning. seven children were killed. state police say their mother was in a nearby barn milking cows. their father, matt, in a delivery truck. trooper tom pinkerton joins us now. what can you tell us about this? >> what we know the mother was in fact, inside the barn milking cows at which time the 3-year-old child of hers came into the barn and alerted her to the fact there was smoke

billowing inside of her residence. once that alert was made she left the barn and she ran to the house. she discovered the house was, in fact, on fire. she tried to get into that home, i understand, the heat or smoke was too intense. she went to neighbor's house and at that neighbor's house, 911 was called, is that right? >> that's correct. she tried to force entry into the residence but was unsuccessful. she ran across the road and knocked on a neighbor's door. there was no answer. she went to second neighbor. they answered. 911 was called and the fire department was dispatch. >> after 911 was called she went about trying to find her husband who, from what i understand, was about a mile away in a milk delivery truck. he was asleep at the time. how did she get to him and how did she find him? >> she was familiar with his route of travel. she traced his route and she did come upon him in the vehicle.

he was nodding off. apparently asleep. she awoke him at which time he raced back to the residence to find it fully engulfed with the fire department and attempting to extinguish the flames. >> when you stop in the sheer magnitude of this tragedy, trooper pinkpinkerton children, ranging in age of 7 months to 11 years of age, how long had they been alone in that house? >> well, that's something we are attempting to determine through our investigation. it is extremely tragic. seven young children, shining stars with bright futures, and they were claimed by a fire. it is tragic. >> i know the investigation is in its very early stages. any reason to be us is patient bus the origin of the fire? >> we have no suspicions as of right now. however, with all investigations, we don't rule anything out.

so we are going to fine-tooth comb it and we will come up with a causation. hopefully the origin where the fire started and we will hopefully conclude our investigation. >> tom pinkerton, state trooper. obviously our thoughts and prayers with your community and this family. trooper pinkerton, thanks four time. i really appreciate it. >> thank you, sir. >> wow. can you imagine seven children perishing in one fire? >> can i not imagine. that's awful. let's get to the morning's other top stories. ann curry is at the news desk. we turn to forces in northern africa where forces of moammar gadhafi are closing in on the stronghold of zuawi this morning. richard engel joining us. good morning. >> reporter: good morning, ann. gadhafi says his forces and all libyans would fight against any western imposed no-fly zone. the rebels, however, say they

desperately need a no-fly zone for protection as gadhafi's troops continue to attack rebel strongholds. tanks are closing in on the town outside of tripoli. rebels have been cut off, isolated. according to witnesses, relentlessly attacked for more than a week. witnesses say gadhafi forces are, quote, leveling the town and killed dozens. in the east, gadhafi's forces are also driving back motivated but undisciplined rebels. and warns the advance will intensify >> today we killed -- tomorrow we will kill you. >> reporter: in tripoli moammar gadhafi is in control. foreign journalists are confined to two luxury hotels. our movements are restricted. and her monitored. tuesday gadhafi visited one of the hotels for an interview with

turkish and french television. despite isolation he appears to have renewed confidence. overnight on state television he continued to blame al qaeda for the revolt. they recruited juveniles under 20. they told them to chant god is greater, this and that. they gave them pills and in some cases money, gadhafi said. rebels say the claim is ridiculous, a cover for gadhafi to crush the revolt with brutal force. witnesses in rebel towns on the outskirts of tripoli including zawiya say they are under siege and running low on food and medicine. ann? >> thank you. this morning a suicide bomber attacked a funeral near peshawar, pakistan. 30 people were killed while mourning a family member of a local peace committee chief. a hidden camera revealed a national public fund-raising executive calling the gop racist

and saying that the radio network would be better off without the federal funding. the sting was orchestrate bid republican who had targeted the liberal organization called a.c.o.r.n. the republicans in congress are renewing their efforts to can you funding important for public broadcasting in light of the npr incident. scott walker is proposing a compromise. he softened his stance and said he would not impose a limit on salary negotiations. senate democrats say it isn't enough. now to cnbc's mandy drury at the new york stock exchange. good morning. >> good morning. we can't ignore still high oil prices but it's the second anniversary of the bull market. the s&p 500 is up 95% since march 9,2009. today we are watching the openings of the biggest insider trading case in decades involving raj. guess what. we are going to be able to watch movies on facebook in the warner brothers is making films

available on facebook which will put the competition on netflix. back to you. broadway show "spider-man" may be going dark several weeks for an overhaul of the production. it is currently in previews and "spider-man" is in previews and has been staged with delays. representatives say they will go ahead with its march opening night. that takes it out of the tony award competition. >> thank you very much. >> still more rain coming. >> that's rihat. our friends out west will be hammered as well. another storm system isomheing on shore bringing more rain, mountain snows. over the next 48 hours we are talking about anywhere from three to four inches of rain from seattle down to northern california. the cascades may see up to a foot of snow. >> good morning. well, fog is becoming more after

factor as we head through the next couple of hours. i think we'll see low visibilities in livermore and up in the north bay, santa rosa, registering about 7 miles visibility. neighbors to the east in napa you only have a quarter mile visibility and the same for livermore so take it easy out there. once that fog breaks apart, 70 degrees today, a gorgeous second half of your wednesday. then the rain arrives tomorrow. >> thank you very much, al. jared lee loughner, the arizona man accused of killing six people in january's tragic shooting in tucson is expected to be arraigned on new charges today. nbc's mike taibbi has the latest on that. mike, good morning to you. >> reporter: good morning, matt. it's been two full months since the saturday morning burst of gun fire destroyed and damaged so many lives. in the initial indictment loughner was only charged for crimes against federal employees including congresswoman dwab gab, but this

new indictment includes all his alleged victims, are meaning no victims or families will have to wait added years for their cases to be heard. the injured are getting stronger. giffords' aide pam simon in the office. >> time heals all things. i have heard that from many people. >> reporter: giffords' director ron barber working to overcome what two bullets did to him. >> step, step, step. >> reporter: and suzy hielman up in a walker now getting her mail, alive. >> the sun came up and i got to see it. it's a great day. >> reporter: given the new indictment, jared loughner, shown in newly released mug shots, will be tried for hielman's injuries and the death of 9-year-old christina taylor green. whose hand hielman was holding when the shots rang out. in this death penalty case loughner will answer to all shooting victims, not just the dead and injured federal employees.

>> if christina were here i would take her and we would watch. and we would hold hands and make each other be brave. it's not often you are in the presence of evil. >> reporter: barbara says he tries to not think about loughner, focusing on plans to return to work for a woman he so admires. >> i don't know what deficit there may be but i would bet she will be back fully engaged representing the people of the district as she has with vigor and energy. >> reporter: in the meantime, loughner, who has pled not guilty, could be in prison awaiting trial for a long, long time. >> it's so illegal -- >> reporter: these loughner videos, prosecutors say, along with internet postings, show the defendant may have mental issues and thus should be examined to see if he's competent to stand trial. the defense is trying to push the trial date to 2013. pima county prosecutor barbara le wall says it could happen.

>> justice does grind slowly, particularly in capital cases and particularly with a mental health defense of some sort. >> reporter: as for giffords the word from houston is she may be able to attend the april 19th launch of the shuttle "endeavour "endeavour," captained by her husband, mark kelly. >> mike taibbi, as always, thank you very much. it's 16 after the hour. here's meredith. >> thank you. now to capitol hill and the scheduled hearing stirring controversy before it begins. congressman peter king's committee plans to look into the radicalization of american muslims. critics say it amounts to a witch hunt. we're going to talk to the congressman in just a moment. first nbc's capitol hill correspondent kelly o'donnell has the details. good morning. >> reporter: good morning, meredith. anticipation has been building and emotions, too. you've got claims of religious and racial discrimination versus claims of too much political correctness, all in the fight to stop terror attacks.

in new york city, protests. >> we are sending a strong signal that an entire faith community cannot be held responsible for the actions of a few. >> reporter: and counter protests exposing a raw nerve. >> i'm supporting the right of every american citizen to know who are living amongst us plotting to take down our current form of government. >> reporter: at issue, the american muslim community and terrorism. >> home grown radicalization is a growing threat. >> reporter: one powerful new york republican is provoking an emotional fight. peter king, chairman of the house homeland security committee. >> these hearings are essential. i am facing reality. my critics are not. they want to get tied up in political correctness. >> reporter: king will have a hearing to examine to what extent some american muslims can be radicalized to strike inside the u.s. >> it's a small percentage, but

that's where it's coming from. al qaeda is changing tactics. >> reporter: king relies on the obama administration's own assessment. homeland security secretary janet in a pnapolitano. >> we are seeing increased call for westerners to carry out attacks. >> reporter: the examples, the american muslims in the ft. hood massacre and times square attempted car bombings. but many muslim americans are outraged and fear a high-profile hearing will lead to anger and discrimination. >> our community is bracing against generalization and fear mongering because our community has suffered. it is very sad that we have not learned lessons from history. >> reporter: civil liberties groups sent king a letter comparing the hearing to 1950 style mccarthyism aimed at communists and internment camps for japanese-americans during world war ii. a top white house official says while radical recruitment of americans is up,

u.s. muslims helped foil threats. >> muslim-americans are not part of the problem. you are part of the solution. >> reporter: that touches on one of the controversial claims. congressman king says some are encouraged not to cooperate. there are 7 million muslims living in america and they will be represented here including one member of congress who will testify. >> kelly o'donnell, thank you very much. peter king is chairman of the house homeland security committee. good morning to you. >> good morning, meredith. >> let me ask you, the hearing hasn't even started yet and you are already being compared to joe mccarthy hellbent on a witch-hunt. what's your mission? >> my mission frankly and simply is to show the extent of radicalization within the muslim-american community being carried out by al qaeda. this is the same message the deputy national security adviser gave and said al qaeda changed the strategy and is attempting

to recruit and radicalize the muslim-american community. that is where the threat comes from. i have said over and over again the overwhelming majority of muslim-americans are outstanding americans but al qaeda have had results recruiting. we saw the attempted subway bomber in new york, shahzad, the times square bomber, major hassan at ft. hood. the attorney general said he can't sleep because he's concerned about the radicalization going on in this country. you have a clip from secretary napolit napolitano. i want to have a public hearing and the hysteria and yelling and screaming has been caused by my opponents. i put out basic direct statements saying what the purpose of the hearing is. i would hope they would have embraced the hearing. the leaders. >> but a lot of people are not embracing the hearing. there are a lot of muslim-americans who are

concerned about feeling alienated because of it. they are fearful of islamaphobia in this country. how do you avoid that or do you care if that's a by-product? >> i will run a good, honest, fair hearing. again, the hysteria being created are by my opponents, radical muslim organizations. i would hope rank and file muslims will come forward. the purpose is to protect the muslim community. i will have muslims testifying showing how they were intimidated in their communities, how al qaeda is radicalizing and how their leaders tell them to keep quiet, to obstruct the investigation. they will talk about what happened to their family. one man's nephew was murdered in somalia but the local imams want it had to cover that up and harassed him when he went public. another man's son was a muslim convert in yemen committed terrible crimes. i want to protect people in the muslim community, the broader american community as well. because we are all one nation.

>> one of the muslims testifying tomorrow is the first muslim elected to congress. he is very concerned this hearing is going to backfire, that it's going to play into the hands of terrorist recruiters who will say, see, america is at war with islam. >> they would say that if they believe what c.a.r.e. is trying to say. again, as an example of my good faith, back in december, almost three months ago, i invited congressman ellison. we disagree, but i invited him to give his side so he can say why he takes his positions. if i were trying to ram a hearing through i wouldn't have invited the most prominent muslim-american in the congress today. the first muslim-american ever elected. that shows fairness on my side. i think if there is going to be outgrowth from this and animosity, i would blame it on my opponents. i conducted this from day one in an orderly and professional way. the hysteria, yelling in times square was all generated by my opponents.

>> congressman peter king, thank you very much. >> meredith, thank you. >> coming up, new concerns over charlie sheen's mental state in the wake of his latest hard to follow online video. first this is "today" on nbc. ♪ ♪ hello sshe ♪s yocan be ♪ove u [ chuckl ] o ur morody ♪ ♪ can tell it's gon be ♪we day [ feouer ] wake up et th nut cios real. kissedith real honey for a mmy ta that's jusrit. and the 100% nural whole ai trea hea set. and the 100% nural whole ai because eyan help loyour choster

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because everyone deserves a lifetime. just ahead, how is ted williams, the homeless man with thede oingn rehab? >> first your local news and a look at the weather. some say i've done it all. i say i'm just getting started.

i wear what i love, because expression means everything. ♪ too hot to trot some say i'm one-of-a-kind. i say i'm so chico's. good morning. 7:26 now. i'm laura garcia-cannon. on the 6-month anniversary of the pipeline explosion in san bruno we're learning more about with possible charges against those responsible. marla tellez is live to explain. >> reporter: good morning. construction is currently under way in the lots behind me where many of the 38 homes that were destroyed in the blast six months ago once stood. the neighborhood is in the process of being rebuilt. the latest is the san mateo county d.a.'s office may file criminal and/or civil charges against pg&e. the in early 90s pg&e upgraded

pipelines here in san bruno as part of a seismic retrofit project. it stopped before the pipeline that exploded. had they finished the upgrade would the blast have been prevented? the d.a.'s office says a decision whether to file charges against pg&e is not going to happen soon. laura. >> thank you very much, marla. 7:27. let's switch gears and check the forecast with christina. >> good morning to you, laura. we do have reduced visibility. fog is a factor, places like livermore have a quarter mile of visibility, the same for napa, and fog is drifting around so take it easy on your travels. later today, we're talking about a beautiful afternoon with temperatures in the 70s. 70 degrees is our forecasted high in many inland cities. we'll see the upper 60s along the peninsula, and then the showers arrive tomorrow so enjoy today. let's check your drive right n with with mike inouye. >> let's check the south bay.

the commute kicking in. 101 and 280 in the northbound direction through downtown, typical slow spots. not so bad, 85 recovering from two earlier disabled vehicles, approaching 17 so that's the reason for the slowing there. that's kicking folks on 87. live look at sunol, the fog kicking in. sunol and the east bay hills and watching the wine country as well. >> thank you very much. thank you for joining us. i'll have another local update in a half hour. versus toyota. which is better?

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we're #1 for a reason. come see for yourself. hurry in for the best selection. ♪ 7:30 on this wednesday morning, march 9, 2011. we have a great crowd at the corner of 49th street and rockefeller plaza and we are happy to welcome them. inside studio 1a i'm meredith vieira alongside matt lauer. coming up, charlie sheen's new and, at times, heated conversation on his web cast. this as speculation grows over who might replace him on "two and a half men." we'll have the latest on that ahead. >> also we'll is ask you how secure is your wireless internet router? if you are not careful, someone could be stealing your signal and if they're up to no good online, it could land you in serious trouble. we're going to hear from one man

who was home when his home was raided by the fbi because they thought he was distributing child pornography. >> and are you in a secure place when it comes to affording a new car, college for the kid or retirement? suze orman is here to answer your questions. >> let us begin this half hour with mounting concern for charlie sheen on the heels of the actor's latest online video. nbc's jeff rossen is in los angeles. good morning to you. >> reporter: good morning to you. yes, charlie sheen did drugs and drank and partied. when you watch his web cast, experts say there is something else going on here like bipolar disorder. now questions like is he back on drugs and is he safe? >> what occurred yesterday was, in fact, completely and entirely illegal, and to quote my lawyer really [ bleep ]. >> reporter: late tuesday night charlie sheen was back online in

sheen's corner, ready to fight against the studio execs that fired him. >> now that i have your attention [ bleep ] world. sit back and listen to the warlock of your jealous face sits before you. >> reporter: sheen got personal. >> liars and fools, all of them. >> reporter: lashing out at cbs president les moonves. >> you gave me a word so in turn you guay me nothing. it must suck being your missus. the promise of getting something yet receiving nothing. >> reporter: sheen also railed against "two and a half men" executive producer chuck lorre. >> hiya, chuck, you cheeseball. where are you hiding, silly clown? if sad and stupid had a foul odor attached it would be you, [ bleep ] lorre. >> reporter: this week warner brothers fired sheen from his hit sit com calling him dangerously self-destructive and

very ill. >> does this strike you as a man with a mental health issue? >> yeah. >> reporter: we watched the web cast with two experts who have not treated sheen. a psychiatrist and addiction specialist. >> you think you're above it all. this could be mania where there is an alteration in brain chemistry and it's causing them to act in a bizarre way. >> reporter: sheen could have bipolar disorder. then again, the expert said, it could be the drugs, or both. >> when we see behavior that looks like this, it looks like, yes, possibly could be on methamphetamine and could be a meth-induced psychosis. that happens usually over years and years of using. >> you're all nothing shy of traitors, your ego will be your downfall. mark this warlock's words. defeat is not an option. >> i'm concerned. if this is what it appears to me, this guy is on the road to

something really bad happening. >> reporter: for the story we consulted with celebrity addiction specialist dr. drew pinske. he hasn't treated sheen. >> you judge me, condemn me, discarded me. well, not anymore. winning. >> reporter: after watching monday's web cast dr. drew had very strong opinions about his mental state. >> i have spoken to psychiatrists who told me if this were their patient they would put him on involuntary hold. >> hospitalize him. >> he would benefit if somebody could get through to him but the challenge is they don't believe they have a problem. they believe you're the problem. it's difficult to get them to cooperate. >> reporter: in the new web cast, sheen appeared calmer, looked better. but his rants, just as confusing. >> oh, how they once begged to attend my perfect banquet in the nude. now they just beg for the keys to my gold. >> the more this goes on

untreated the more dire the situation. this is only going to get worse and worse. >> reporter: i texted charlie sheen last night for his reaction. he wouldn't comment. reports this morning about the future of "two and a half men." some celebrity websites are saying warner brothers is talking to rob lowe about joining the cast replacing charlie sheen. lowe's agent won't confirm or deny. >> jeff, thank you very much. it's now 35 after the hour. here's meredith. >> thank you. there is a new twist when it comes to internet crime. thieves steal your internet signal and make you an accomplice in their criminal activities. kerry sanders is in florida to explain. good morning to you. >> good morning, meredith. if you have a wireless router in your house and 200-plus americans do, it may sound like a familiar experience. get out your computer, hold it up and the signal barely makes it from the living room to the bedroom. i'm on the 12th story of a condo

here where recently the fbi burst through the front door and accused the homeowner of a crime. the signal was being stolen from way, way, way over there on a boat in a marina. it was more than two city blocks away. malcolm riddell is no fool. fluent in chinese. [ speaking in a foreign language ] >> reporter: a harvard business graduate who can now say he was a spy with the cia. >> i heard a pounding on the door. >> reporter: now being accused by fbi agents of -- >> child pornography. i said -- huh? >> reporter: they saidle child pornography. >> trafficking in -- nothing went through -- i mean -- i -- >> reporter: you're speechless even now. >> i didn't know what to say. >> reporter: the fbi discovered someone on a boat in the marina

a quarter mile from the condo locked onto the family's wireless signal. it was wide open because malcolm never encrypted with a password. the fbi says 52-year-old mark brown was using the signal to distribute his library of 10 million child pornography photographs and the digital fingerprints left behind were malcolm riddell's. how could anyone steal the signal from so far away? >> copper tubes, washers, simple things you can buy, a pringles can. >> reporter: a pringles can? i rode along with an expert with the pringles can on his laptop. >> it's not hard to do especially out here. we're picking up plenty of open networks. >> reporter: in 30 minutes we picked up 1,524 wireless signals. a quarter of them with no password protection at all.

>> see if anyone's home. >> reporter: like this apartment. >> we couldn't get it to work. one night we got it to work and didn't want to touch it again. >> i would never know if someone is stealing my wireless? >> you won't see it. you won't notice unusualle activity on your computer. >> reporter: all with a pringles can? all with a pringles can. >> reporter: which brings us back to malcolm. not charged with a crime, but wishing he'd known enough to lock out someone like the accused mark brown. >> it's not violation or anger. it's a sense of regret that even if i could have stopped that small part -- even if i had forced him to go to another router or find another way i could have at least curtailed what was going on for a little bit. >> reporter: make it harder for him. >> make it that much harder. >> reporter: how did the fbi catch their suspect? they put a trap on the signal and say it eventually led to the suspect on the boat in the marina. if you are at home and among 200 plus million americans who have

wireless routers in the house you're probably saying why encrypt? there are free signals at mcdonald's and starbucks but they have monitoring equipment to prevent abuses where homeowners don't. meredith, who would have guessed? just a pringles can. >> thank you so much. for more ways to protect yourself, go to today.com. now a check of the weather from mr. roker. >> good morning. where are you from? >> missouri. >> all right. very nice. the weather's not bad there. however, we also have chilly weather in the northeast. windy conditions. 20s, 30s, 40s. teens and 20s through the plains. nice and warm in southern florida, southern texas to the southwest. we have a risk of strong storms, tornado watches louisiana into alabama. we have snow in the upper great lakes.

wet weather, windy in the pacific northwest. sunny and warm. we have sunshine in miami. 82 degrees. >> we're going to see a gorgeous second half of the day. good morning to you. we have fog that's preventing smooth travel in places like livermore, down to a quarter mile visibility. the same for napa and we're seeing some of the fog drifting south along the peninsula. so take it easy on the way to work this morning. when you make your way home from work, it's going to be gorgeous. 70 degrees, the forecasted high in san jose. 67 in san francisco. and 69 degrees in oakland. that's your latest weather. >> say hi to everybody in mobile. back to you, meredith. >> that's a handsome guy. thank you very much. when it comes to money are you prepared for what the future holds?ld suze orman answers your

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just need to refill my walgreens prescription. [ shouting in native language ] i don't know what he's saying right now. he says you're gonna get frostbite in under 30 seconds. won't take me that long. honey, is this really necessary? it'll bug me if i wait. [ female announcer ] walgreens free mobile app. refill by scan. receive a text when it's ready. we're good. wanna call anyone or anything? your mom? a little more altitude... a little less attitude. [ female announcer ] download the free walgreens mobile app to shop, print photos and manage prescriptions anywhere. walgreens. there's a way to keep life moving. we are back at 7:43 with more of our special series the new american dream. tuesday suze told us why it's time to rethink our financial plans for the future. this morning she's back to answer some of your questions. her new book is called "the money class: learn to create your new american dream." nice to see you. >> thank you, matt.

>> we talked about how the dream got crushed including owning a home, sending kids to college and retiring comfortably. people are lined up with questions. let's get to them. this one's from pam. she has a question about sending her kids to college. pam, what's your question? >> good morning. my question is my husband and i have $400,000 in savings, mutual funds and stocks. we have no debt except our home and a $14,000 home equity loan. we have two kids that will go to college starting in three years. my question is are we on track to send them to an in-state college? will we be working until we are on our death beds? the way the economy is going there is no way telling what's going to happen. lying awake in utah. >> you just finished the question with you are lying awake in utah. that tells me that you are worried about what the future brings. so therefore the new american dream, pam, is all about you

being able to sleep at night, not you lying awake. if you don't have enough money for retirement it's far easier for you to have your kids get student loans than for you to take money and pay for them to get a job after all of this is done. am i making sense to you? if you are worried about this i'm here to tell you that you don't have enough money. >> you have to prioritize, pam. >> every financial expert says there is no such thing as a loan to go into retirement. there are many student loans, but if she's lying awake she's worried. >> pam, thank you very much. i hope suze gave you good advice there. margaret from arkansas is on the dream. i think this is about the dream of retiring. go ahead. >> caller: hi, suze. my question is about retirement. i'm single. i'm 60. i have about $752,000 in a

retirement account. and an additional $43,000 or so in cash and cds. i don't have a mortgage, any dependents or debt. i have been living on quite a bit less than my $90,000 salary the last several years. i want to know if i'm on track to retire in may. >> so in may you're still going to be essentially 60 years of age. at 60, you don't qualify for social security. you're still too young. so you have money in a retirement account. everybody's thinking, oh, my gosh, she has almost $800,000 in a retirement account. but retirement accounts, when you withdraw money from them -- because i'm assuming this is not a roth ira, this is a traditional ira or a 401-k, you will owe income taxes on the money. listen to me carefully. you have to stand in your truth and here is the truth of this matter.

$700,000 in a retirement account, you will be lucky if you get 4% on that. that's $28,000 a year before taxes. after taxes, maybe $18,000 or $20,000 a year. that's going to give you $1800 a month of income to live on. you can't do that. you're 60. average age of your life expectancy could be 20, 25 years. i'm so sorry to break this news to you, but, no, you do not have enough money to retire at 60. you need to wait as i said yesterday, in my opinion, until you're 67, hopefully 70 when you can get full advantage of your social security. >> margaret, i don't know if that was the advice you wanted but i thank you for the call. i hope it helps. >> thank you. >> we have a lot more people, suze. will you come back tomorrow and gert.ot t vouernk got y ou y ch.>mu ynkcher v. we're back after this. about wa. but sometimes i wonder...

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this month. it's a timeless american classic. "the great gatsby" celebrated this mansion that many believe inspired f. scott fitzgerald for parts of the literary masterpiece. in real life the 21,000 square foot estate along one of the most prestigious score lines hosted winston churchill, the marx brothers and the duke and duchess of windsor in the 20s and 30s. now it looks like this. dilapidated, weathered and soon to be demolished. it's quite a place. >> it's spectacular. the views are spectacular. the building was spectacular. it was a spectacular era but it's gone. >> reporter: burt bought the place for $17 million. he first wanted to make it a family compound and later tried to sell it. neither plan worked out. maintains the es indicate cost him close to $5,000 a day, much of it in high property taxes.

now he plans to tear the mansion down, divide the land into smaller lots with brand new homes and sell them. >> i will pay homage to the property. people will drive up and say, this is a special place. that's what it was. a special place. >> reporter: the romantic 1974 film starring robert redford captured the golden era. those extravagant parties that could have occurred here at daisy buchanan's mansion. the story goes gatsby used to look across the bay for signs of daisy. all that's missing is the green light. in 2002 on "today" the estate's former owner gave viewers a rare tour of the home. >> what makes this dining room unique is that its paper is hand-painted chinese paper that was put on the house originally when it was built in 1902. >> reporter: today the home is

slowly crumbling. for some, marking the end of a guilded age. it's a shame, meredith. they are getting the demolition permit today. >> thank you. just ahead, how ted williams is doing now after your local news. [ female announcer ] are you and your dry hair not getting along?

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>> good morning to you. thanks for joining us. it is 7:56 right now. this morning two oakland officers are off the hook for shooting and killing an unarmed barber. prosecutors say the shooting was justified because the officers thought the man was reaching for a gun. the man's mother is filing a $10 million wrongful death lawsuit against the city. >> this morning lawmakers are pushing to hold parents responsible for letting underage kids drink in their home. she will call for a social host law. the law would punish parents who let their underage kids host drinking parties. the meeting is tonight at 6:30 at the almaden community center on camden avenue. let's check the forecast with christina. >> good morning to you, laura. if you wanted to keep that garden today is a great day.

we'll see sunshine and our temps in the 70s. then the rain arrives tomorrow. so this is our last dry day. looks like as we head through next week we ramp up the rain chances. so enjoy what's in store for this afternoon. 70 degrees today in los gatos, 72 in santa cruz. 67 in san francisco and the north bay the upper 60s. as we head throughout this weekend, rain arrives, another round in store for the first part of next week. as i said before, enjoy that 70-degree temp. let's see how fast you're able to go on the roadways. 70s out there, mike? >> some spots but we're watching the 65 miles per hour speed limit. let me show you a change for the peninsula. southbound 101, both directions north of 92, the traditional slowdown through san mateo. through the redwood city we have speeds at 20 miles per hour, also interesting north bound north of 73, 280 slows around that interchange as well. looking at the chp report. i don't see anything for 280

there, you can maintain the speed limit northbound over to farm hill boulevard but the slow lane is blocked. a car went off the road and a crew arrived. no major injuries. south bay the build-up in the northbound direction but we're focusing here on northbound 85 and 87 after an earlier disabled vehicle caused that slowdown to start. back to you. >> mike, we'll check back with you. another up date in a half hour.

back now at 8:00 on a wednesday morning, the 9th day of march 2011. we've got cloudy skies hopefully giving way to sunshine. but i have a feeling we're givi giving way to rain later on. >> yeah, a little bit. >> not a lot? >> heavier tomorrow. >> we're not looking forward to that, especially for people in the northeast dealing with flooding. we hope it doesn't get bad. i'm matt lauer along with matt lauer and al roker. we're going to catch up today with the man with the golden voice. >> ted williams became an overnight sensation in january

but his rise to fame has taken a toll. he's in rehab for a second time as he tries to build his life and career. we have had a little bit of time to talk to him this morning. he seems like he's in a very good place. >> sounding much better. we'll keep our fingers crossed. and someone doing better after recent health scares. talking about serena williams. she's going to bring us up to date on how her physical condition is and what's next in her career in an exclusive interview. >> then for those of you who remember yesterday kathie lee and hoda gave us a behind-the-scenes look on today.com about what it takes to bring you this program. we'll show you what it takes to bring this 24 hour a day, seven day a week operation to you every morning. it's very much like sausage. you love it. but i don't know if you want to see how it's made. >> we're going to show you anyway. ann has the headlines.

>> hi, guys. good morning. in the news we begin with a significant development in the war in libya. rebels outside the capital city of tripoli say they have been surrounded by tak tanks and are under constant attacks including air attacks on monday. they are appealing to nato for a no-fly zone to protect them. a human rights group says it has evidence of villages being intentionally burned to the ground in sudan. the project says this video confirms earlier satellite evidence that two entire villages were razed last week. the oil-rich region is contested though southern sudan has voted to split from the government. the space shuttle discovery will land at the kennedy space center in florida for the last time today. the shuttle will be on display at the smithsonian. the nationalle alliance on mental illness says cash-strapped states cut $1.8 billion from mental health

service over the last two and a half years. the group is warning that the cuts put the public at risk as some of the mentally ill crowd emergency rooms. police in oregon got two phone calls about the crimen oh monday. first a woman called to say a burglar was showering in the house. then the burglar called saying he was afraid the owner would hurt him. >> i broke into a house and the owner came home. >> you broke into a house? >> yeah. >> where at? >> i don't know. >> are you still there? >> okay. >> i think they have guns. >> the suspect failed to show up on tuesday and has a warrant issued for his arrest. it will take days to scoop up millions of small fish found floating in a harbor in southern california. they probably sought refuge from

predators or rough seas and used up all the oxygen in the harbor. that's a rare sight. 8:03. now back outside to al for a check of the weather. actually it's matt. >> no, it's -- >> al -- matt -- who? >> i don't know. >> wow. you can tell joe michaels is back from vacation. where are you from? >> detroit! >> i'm from -- [ mumbling ] let's check your weather. charleston, west virginia. they have flood watch in effect. heavy rain today. 55 degrees. look at the massive storm system. extendavover 1300 miles from the louisiana area all the way up into new england where we've got flood watches and advisories, a risk of strong storms to the south. tornado watches in effect until later this morning into the early afternoon. more rain into the midatlantic

states today. heavy rain and win in the pacific northwest. plenty of sunshine through the southwest with temperatures up into the 80s. chilly in the northeast. we have mostly sunny conditions and temperatures in the 70s. 72 in santa cruise. in the north bay, upper 60s for you. 68 degrees today in fairfield. as we look at the remainder of the week and towards the weekend, we expect showers as of tomorrow. we will get a break on friday, then more rain for next week. don't forget, daylight savings time starts sunday. one of our warriors back from afghanistan. what's your name? >> cody. >> and chelsea. >> let's head back to mr. matt lauer. >> thank you very much. when we come back an update. how is ted williams, the man

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and get your next bag free with mail-in rebate! at petsmart. back now with "today's update." for ted williams, the homeless man with the golden voice, life in the spotlight hasn't been easy. he's now been in rehab twice in less than three months. we'll catch up with him in a moment. first, his story. >> don't forget tomorrow morning is your chance to win a pair of tickets to see this man live in concert. >> discovered ton streets of ohio for his amazing voice the once homeless man turned internet sensation battled addiction for years. >> alcohol, drugs, a few other things became part of my life. >> reporter: ted williams became homeless until this web video went viral in january. >> thank you so much. god bless you. >> reporter: it was a second chance at life. after appearing on "today" --

>> this is a dream come true. >> reporter: commercial contracts followed. >> kraft homestyle. >> reporter: and a reunion with his family. >> my mom. >> please don't disappoint me. >> reporter: he began drinking and was detained by police following an altercation with his daughter. >> within a short period of time he goes from one incredible intense reality to another reality of being famous and money and talk shows. an alcoholic can't handle that kind of extreme reality. >> reporter: he checked himself into a rehabilitation center but left after just 12 days. >> the reality is not many people can handle fame and fortune. >> reporter: determined to stay sober he entered rehab at the end of january and now says he's on the mend and hoping to land a reality show called "second chances at life." >> one more time, ted.

>> reporter: ted williams, good morning. >> good morning. >> you look fantastic. >> thank you, meredith. >> you do. you have been on a roller coaster since we first met in january. what's your life been like? >> meredith, i have had so many opportunities and so many travels since then. i have really, really taken it just one day at a time. no more ted we've got this to do with you next week and all that. >> there was too much happening in the beginning. >> it was just awful. in spite of the fact that i made it here, my first step from homelessness to "today" and then after that it was pulling and tugging with other networks and tabloid magazines and all. >> there were a couple of slip-ups we mentioned in the piece. do you blame the media attention or do you think it would have happened anyway, ted? >> i think it was too much too fast. >> yeah. >> i wanted to take advantage of everything possible just before somebody pinches me and said, ted, wake up. it was just a dream. i mean, god.

it was so fast. >> you went into one rehab facility and left it after a little more than a week. now you are in a sober halfway house, a facility that gives you a little more freedom than you would have in an inpatient rehab facility which is why you got the waiver to be with us today. what is life like day to day living in the halfway house? >> actually, i get calls from two voiceover agents, mentors, should i say. randy thomas and joe cipriano. they are fielding voiceover agents in studio city. so i'm allowed to go and field those opportunities. as long as i go to meetings. we have in-house meetings. we get up every day and meditate and say what we are thankful for on a daily basis. i have a curfew. >> you do? >> yeah. if i'm going to be over i tell them i will be a couple hours late or whatever. 10:30 is curfew. >> it has to be a challenge.

this can't be easy. >> no, it's not. but i'm trying to implement it, you know, so much a part of my day-to-day living that it will become second nature. it's becoming second nature. >> as i said a couple of times you have slipped up in the past three months but there's been a lot of joy and opportunity in your life. reconnected with your family. you have nine grown children and grandchildren. you saw your mom. >> saw my mom yesterday. >> she wasn't sure this was going to pan out. at this point is she confident? >> well, she says, you still look well. my mom can tell if something's happening, if i start deteriorating, you know. she said, you look great. keep it up. just keep it up, ted. so she gets a little daily review and so forth. they call and say, he's doing well. he's doing well. >> you have started a charity called second chance foundation to help other people in the same

position you found yourself in. you finished a book proposal, shopping around a reality show. also about second chances. taking on a lot. maybe too much. ted, i'm being overly protective here. >> now i have a team of professionals. my lawyer, mr. brent adams in columbus, ohio, is taking a lot. i'm still with my manager al battle who's been with me from minute one and eric harding, my security person. you know, they have kept me grounded, keeping me away from offers and so forth. not letting me know there is an abundance of them. they are just more or less gradually helping me out. >> when i look at the picture of you when you were homeless, that image, and then i see you now. i mean, obviously physically there is a dramatic difference in the way you look. internally? >> yes. i do have a stronger spirituality. pastor greg mcnichol ks in

columbus is my spiritual adviser. i have to implement him more in my daily conversations as well. i have to get reconnected with jesus christ who helped me through all of this. >> we wish you the best, ted. we do. good luck with the rehab. >> i love you, meredith. >> i love you, too. doing a great job. >> thank you so much. >> if you have a question for ted, head to today.com. he'll answer your e-mails in our next hour. up next,eren williams opens up about her recent health score. [ sneezing ]

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-well... -you know. i kept meaning to. it was just hard to get started. so now, i do it automatically. with bank of america's automatic savings transfer. -it's totally flexible. -easy to set up. i decide how much to transfer and how often. i move a little over twice a month. i put part of my direct deposit... right into savings. i can change it or stop it... at any time. and if i need to get to my money... i can. building savings. i can do this. [ male announcer ] the flexible way to save. automatic savings transfer. with bank of america. tennis superstar serena williams has been sidelined since july after suffering foot surgery and undergoing surgery. she suffered another setback when she developed a pulmonary embolism and underwent treatment for the potentially life-threatening condition. good morning. >> good morning. >> you look great. let's go to the basic question. how do you feel? >> i'm feeling better.

every day is better. i'm working on trying to make sure i can keep my energy up and i'm not doing much. i haven't left the house recently. >> we all heard the news about a week ago. i want to go back to the day when this first surfaced. i think it was february 18th you were first hospitalized. take me back to that day. what were you feeling? what were the symptoms? >> i had swelling in my leg which is a telltale sign of embolism. and i could not breathe. i remember thinking, i'm walking but i cannot breathe. that forced me to the emergency room. other than that i totally felt completely fine. i just thought i wasn't fit. >> you're usually very fit. when you went to the emergency room, how long did it take for doctors to assess the situation and how serious did they say it was at that particular moment? >> well, when i first went, i had worked with really good

doctors and they couldn't find anything. when you have a blood clot they look in your legs first. before i left he said, i want you to get a cat scan on my lungs. i'm thinking, i'll be fine. so i got it and they found several blod clots. i was like, wow. they told me they had to check me in immediately or it wasn't going to be a good result. >> here we are talking about the weekend of february 18th. i understand you were able to go home after a little while and it was just a week later that a lot of us saw coverage of you at some of the parties for the oscar awards. did you feel that much better that quickly? >> no. i had been through so much in the past eight months and it was so hard to work with. and i was really low on energy, but i was like, i've got to do something to get my spirits up. i wasn't doing so well mentally. i was just in my house, laying

down. kind of just feeling terrible. >> that was sunday night the 27th of february. you were back in the hospital the very next day. what were the symptoms that time? what was the matter? >> well, i had developed a large -- i'm on blood thinner injections. so i inject myself twice a day. i developed a large hematoma in my stomach. i thought it was something else. >> can we make sure people understand what that is? it's a gathering of blood under the surface of the skin. >> yeah. because i'm on blood thinners and on the injections, if you give yourself an injection i must have hit something. usually your blood naturally clots around it. since i was on blood thinners it wasn't able to clot. so i developed what started as a golf ball ended up being a grapefruit on my stomach. i had to get it drained. when i got there they said, we can't drain it, we have to surgically remove it.

>> in terms of the original illness, the pulmonary embolism, and i don't want to make it too dramatic, but here at nbc we have a tragic history with that. we lost our friend david bloom to a pulmonary embolism while he was covering the war in iraq. this is an extremely dangerous situation. what are doctors telling you now about your health and the status of that? >> mine went from my leg to my lung. it traveled fast. ile still have several clots in my lung and they are still there. they have to eventually dissolve. i'm taking it a day at a time. my lungs are fairly healthy and just on the road to recovery. >> a lot of your fan wills remember that shortly after wimbledon you injured your footsteping on a piece of glass. have doctors traced the problems back to the original injury? >> yeah. i had a second surgery in late october.

i had a cast on for ten weeks and then a boot for ten weeks. so just not moving, not doing as much as i normally do. i started flying a lot. i was flying back and forth. you know, thinking i was okay. obviously i wasn't. >> obviously your overall health is important, but people want to know how it affects your future in the sport short and long term. >> luckily enough i was able to catch it soon enough that my career won't be affected. i said i wanted to retire in the s -- return in the summer. i love tennis and now more than anything i have so much to look forward to in just playing and being so close to, you know, the scariest moment in my life. i really just want to come back and do well. >> no more drama, young lady. okay? >> i know! >> stay healthy, serena. our thoughts are with you. thanks for sharinging t inthe s. we wish you the best. >> thank you very much.

>> we're back after this. frmt good wednesday morning. it is 8:26. laura. >> fog isn't as much a factor. pretty good visibility across the bay. east bay registering two miles of visibility, in livermore, take it easy there. heading through the next couple hours, our skies clear, making way for a beautiful, mostly sunny day, with temperatures ending in the 70s in places like san jose. for redwood city, 70 degrees. more mild in san francisco. 67, and 69 in oakland.

heading through the remainder of the week, showers on the way for tomorrow, and they are going to linger throughout friday morning. don't forget to set the clock forward heading into the weekend. daylight saving time begins. see if you begin the day and head out the door with mike mike, what it looks like. >> a lot of people will join you. starting to clear out a bit. toll plaza showing lighter traffic likely because of an accident at 88 and gilman. slowing approaching the area out of richmond from outbound 80. and an accident at dublin interchange. as livermore starts to lighten up, we have another flat tire in pleasanton. laura is back after the break. you've got a strawberry pop-tart,

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than listening to our favitsongs. but our favorite thing is eating totino's pizza rls. but our favorite thing ating tino pizza rolls. ♪ we're the kids in ameca ♪ oh, oh, oh i will have another local news update in a half hour. right now, i want to leave you with some beautiful looks at the bay area. golden gate bridge moving smoothly out there, hoping for clearer skies across the bay area. should be the warmest day yellow light so far. hope you get a chance to enjoy it. "today" show returns in less than a minute.

8:30 now on this wednesday morning the 9th of march, 2011. if you live in the north east, enjoy the sunny skies because rain, and a lot of it, is headed our way. just ahead, one more look behind the scenes here on "today." >> that's right. kathie lee and hoda had fun on our live webcast yesterday. we have a look behind the scenes

on "today." we'll show you 24 hours in the life of the "today" show. >> and a little bit later we'll step into the kitchen where giada de laurentiis will share some of her favorite fish recipes including a fantastic roasted halibut. >> and in money 911 talking about adjustable rate mortgages and how to deal with them. first a check of the weather with al. >> first of all for today we have plenty of sunshine in the southwest, but a risk of strong storms through the gulf coast, lowe southeast. heavy rain in the midatlantic and the northeast today. rain in the pacific north west. tomorrow, heavy rain in the east. a slight risk of strong storms along the midatlantic coast. rain changing to snow in the north. heavy rain in northern california into the pacific northwest. from the plains it will be cold and sunny to the gulf and texas where it will be sunny and warm. good morning.

we are looking towards a really nice wednesday with temperatures climbing into the 70s in many cities across the bay. we have a little patchy fog out there now. if you're getting ready to make your way to work, travel cautiously, especially in the north and east bay. 70 degrees is the forecasted high in redwood city, 70 in last gad owes, 70 in san jose. the remainder of the week, temperatures drop. rain arrives tomorrow. don't forget to check your weather any time day of night on weather channel on cable or weather.com online. matt? >> thank you very much. i spoke with serena williams about her health scare involving a pulmonary embolism, a complication often stemming from deep vein thrombosis. march is d.v.t. awareness month and melanie bloom is the patient spokesperson for the coalition to prevent d.v.t. her husband and our colleague david bloom died from d.v.t.

while covering the war in iraq eight years ago. nice to have you back. >> good to be back. >> you were in the interview watching serena williams. she was treated with blood thinners. what was your reaction to the story? >> my heart went out to serena and her family when i heard about it. i know all too well. statistics show only 50% of the time people survive this incident. unfortunately david was one who did not survive it. i'm relieved and so happy to see serena receiving proper care and treatment. >> what is the message? from her story, the tragic story with david, what do people need to know? this is a 12 month a year situation and this is a month of awareness. >> our message is this can happen to anyone at any time. there are lifestyle risk factors that increase risk and medical risk factors. you heard serena talk about injury to the foot. surgery, long flights.

she had flown new york to l.a. they say if you have three or more risk factors talk to your doctor. >> david was a young man in his late 30s. >> 39. >> serena is in her late 20s. this is not something you get when you're older. >> 2 million americans are impacted. 300,000 people die each year, more than from aids and breast cancer combined. there is a myth with awareness and it's important that serena told her story. it helps connect the dots. oh, this is what we have been talking about for all these years. >> do me a favor. tell me the symptoms. what do people need to be aware of? >> the risk factors -- the most important thing to be aware of because 50% of the time you don't have the pain, swelling, tenderness in the legs. you can have shortness of breath when it hits the lungs. you can feel you are having a heart attack.

you feel it in the lungs. you may not feel it in the leg. cannes patients are at higher risk. hip replacement surgeries put you at higher risk and lifestyle risk factors. being over 40, smoking, long haul flights, immobility. you want to keep circulation moving in the legs. >> we appreciate you coming by. >> good to be here. >> appreciate it. find more information on our website. that's today.com. up next a behind-the-scenes look at what it takes to put this show on the air every day. first this is "today" on nbc. lo

>> announcer: the launch of the new today.com is brought to you by bank of america. back now at 8:37 with a look

at what it takes to put on "today" every morning. >> some of your questions were answered during our show live online. here's another peek behind the scenes at our around-the-clock operation. >> five, four, three, two. >> roll it. >> one. ♪ >> how about chicago? >> the budget battle continues in wisconsin. >> washington, please. >> the president hosts the bipartisan group of governors today. >> edgar? >> good morning. today, the state of the plastic surgeon -- >> kevin bell is headed to the ukraine. >> new york? >> the forever ongoing case of the pizza bomber. >> last chance, awe dudrey. >> pretrial in the conrad murray case. >> thank you. >> we start with the line-up of what's in the show tomorrow.

>> i love the idea of the transformation. >> it's 1:30. we are in the middle of prepping two segments tomorrow morning. we need a beauty of this lamb stew tomorrow. >> trying to do something lighter for spring approaching. i thought green and white would be pretty. >> we have meredith baxter. >> i'm working on the rundown for the show. >> meredith does the cross-talks, fine. matt and meredith to al for weather. >> two minutes for the open outside. >> good stuff. we've got a great show. >> my assignment tonight is charlie sheen, part two. i will work on the story all night until it's done and ready to air. >> i will be editing for 5:00 p.m. i have an hour to get it finished. >> the segment was set and the last-minute change has everybody worked up. >> all right. i'm about to run down stairs. we're going to set the buzz set for tomorrow, the pancakes

segment and today's travel. >> do you think it's possible we could have the props guys bring on the pool in the middle of the segment? i don't want hoda to know. >> the trick is to have every ingredient go into the recipe so when we come in the morning we know exactly what goes where. >> i love sleep deprivation. >> my pajamas are onment. >> wardrobe change. >> we are sending the transcript to jeff to get cracking on the script. >> we just got approval from the senior producer for the script. now we are going to walk upstairs to editing. it's later than i would like. it's 1:15. hey, it's me. as she's talking with a slow dissolve, i want to take that line out. >> i agree. >> this is a little early. >> i really do want to wear my sweatshirt and genes. >> taylor!

>> one moment of serenity. >> i watch tv news and i read the newspaper to catch up. >> getting us at 4:00 in the morning? i have to admit i'm used to that now. >> 5:15. >> hello. good morning. >> jim? >> seeing how don's changed the show. >> i added 30 seconds to news. >> we have to talk to matt, brief him on the segment. >> a combined question on wisconsin. >> thank you. >> i duped it to you. >> great. okay. >> coming at you from tripoli. >> one, two. one, two. >> come down to the studio for a track. >> it's 6:12. we just finished. >> oh. god, you're a vision. look, seriously. >> hey, sarah. looking good. >> 6:50. 6:56.

>> time. showtime. >> hello! >> appreciate it. >> 30 seconds to air. >> three -- >> meredith? >> good morning. dangerous and deadly. a powerful line of storms. >> roll. matt and meredith will throw to ann live. >> good morning to you, matt and meredith and all of you this morning. >> 20. >> out on the plaza on a beautiful day here in the northeast. [ laughter ] >> i don't believe what's happening. >> we have the a-team, baby. >> this morning on "today's kitchen," step by step spring lamb stew. 30 seconds until the hour of "today" begins. >> it's boozeday, tuesday. we rlove friendly competition bt

it can get ugly. >> three, two, one. >> nice, thank you. >> good job. >> it's more interesting behind the scenes before the show starts. >> we could do a fifth hour. >> no. i don't think so. by the way, it took 16 different cameras to capture what goes on here. >> i should do the show in that sweatshirt one day. >> i would. >> let's all do that, you guys. out of one of our homes. >> in the kitchen. >> let's get out of this while we can. up next, giada de laurentiis cooks, but first -- >> this is "today" on nbc. a great looking lawn like this,

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♪ back now doing some cooking with giada. it's ash wednesday, the start of lent. "today" contributor and chef

giada de laurentiis is here with some of her favorite fish dinners. let's start with the basics. you go to the supermarket, the fish monger, how do you know it's fresh? >> a lot of times they will say if you touch the fish it should bounce back. there shouldn't be a strong smell. a lot of people can't touch the fish at the fish counter. look for something that's shiny, looks fresh. >> if it's a whole fish the eyes should be clear. >> correct. and they shouldn't be sunken in. but ask the fish person, what's the freshest fish that day and go based on that. >> since they are in the business to serve the customer they should give you good information. >> they will. >> why do you think halibut? >> it's meaty so you feel like you're eating something like a steak and it's not overly fishy. >> how are we preparing it? >> lemon juice and olive oil. >> this is a marinade? >> right.

i will marinade it for -- oh, there is no pepper in here. >> that's okay. >> it says on the notes you will marinate for 35 minutes. not 37 or 34. 35 minutes. >> okay. so lemon juice is an acid. >> it deteriorates. >> it cooks the fish. you don't want it to cook the fish or it becomes maealy and doesn't flake. >> you can do it in a plastic bag or a glass jar. >> but then you have to dump it out. let it sit in the fridge for -- >> 35 minutes. >> take it out and actually we'll have to take it out and put it on a sheet pan. grease the sheet pan first and bake at 400 for 15 to 18 minutes. >> it gets nice and flaky. >> this is what it looks like when it comes out of the oven. >> what are we serving it on? >> shallots and red bell pepper. >> are these frozen or fresh? >> these are frozen peas. i like petite peas. >> do you have to defrost them?

>> you don't. turn off the heat when you add the peas and it defrosts them. add lemon zest and thyme and mint. just like that. see how pretty it is? >> it's like a lightly cooked salad. >> a warm salad. >> you would do it longer because if those were truly frozen they would not be defrosted now. >> you would do it for a minute. you would be amazed how quickly they defrost. then you put the fish on top. see how pretty it is? >> yeah. >> most kids love peas. i put a little bit of mint on top. >> that's one fish dish. i was going to meet you the other way. the other two dishes, kids are going to like these as well. one is rigatoni with butternut squash and shrimp. >> cube the squash, vegetable stock and onions. cook it for 15 minutes.

depends how small you cut it for how long it takes. you want it soft because you are going to puree it. put the lid on. there we go. puree it all together. >> so in effect you're making a sauce here? >> correct. >> you have the shrimp. just saute them for two minutes on each side. >> timing on shrimp is important. because if you cook them too long they get dense and chewy. >> i do one and a half to two minutes. take the butter nut squash. add it to the rigatoni which you cooked and drained. add it to three-quarters of a cup of milk or so to loosen it up a bit and parmesan cheese. toss it together and top it with whatever you want. >> for example? >> shrimp, fish, chicken. anything you wanted. this is a dish i had in capris and it's made with shrimp but do whatever you want. cook the pasta al dente so it

absorbs and it's nice and creamy which the kids like. >> you place the shrimp on top or mix them in? >> no. i like shrimp because it looks beautiful. so keep it like that. >> one more. don't be stingy. >> okay. we finish it with basil. >> in a couple of seconds, another idea. >> tuna burgers. >> kids will like those. cook it a little bit more done than that. >> probably. a little tapenade from olives and mayonnaise. >> thank you very much. appreciate it. still ahead, how to land a high school or college scholarship. first this is "today" on nbc. switching to progressive could mean hundreds more in your wallet year after year. feed me! saving you money -- now, that's progressive. call or click today. ♪ eat well, live long ♪ have a good daisy, work out, get strong ♪ ♪ when you need a lift, just sing a song ♪

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6oz, fresh cut, tri-tip steak plus our endless salad and dessert bar for just $10.99. sizzler. thinking fresh. everyday. this morning, mike leonard finds a place where the soundtrack is usually provided by hammers and saws. a couple of guys and their boss decided to change that. >> reporter: sometimes it pays to stir up the dust, to go against the grain, to return to the drawing board for a little reassessment of an old saw concerning what should or should not be allowed at the workplace. take this illinois construction site under the direction of project supervisor john cavalier, a hardworking, exacting guy who expects the same of the crew. one day at lunch break john witnessed the spontaneous activity he and his construction

mates had never seen on a work site. >> no. never. >> never. >> in 11 years i have -- it's never happened. >> reporter: john could have put an end to it but he didn't. because of that -- >> i just enjoy my work and the people i work with. >> reporter: that's music to the boss's ears. i mean that literally. ♪ >> reporter: carpenters joel and nick worked with each other for a while before discovering that each played a musical instrument. >> you bring the mandolin, i'll bring my guitar and we'll see what happens. ♪ >> reporter: what happened delighted co-workers but not before some initial preconcert jitters. >> well, first we were kind of practicing in a room by ourselves. we finally came out and decided to play for everybody else. they were all pretty positive. other than, you know, things

that come in construction life. >> you know, it is a tough crowd. they're good friends but the more you know people i think the more they are willing to give you a hard time. [ laughter ] >> here we go. one, two, three, four. ♪ >> reporter: should the band have a name? >> oh. i think there were a couple of names thrown around. we can't say what we call them. >> reporter: a little work time laughter. ♪ >> reporter: a little lunchtime music. gary schumacher knows only certain aspects of job site productivity can be accurately measured. as for something like this -- >> it makes a huge difference. >> you never know what the crew will be like. they don't always get along sole well. >> reporter: perhaps because they never had a chance to sing along. ♪

>> it's great for morale. music puts you in a good mood. it's something to look forward to. ♪ >> team work, enjoying your job. that's first and foremost. not hard to go to work when you're happy with the people you're with, the project your working on. throw in music as well. that's even better. >> reporter: for "today," mike leonard, nbc news, evanston, illinois. [ applause ] >> i think that's great. you had issues with it. >> i had no issues. it was fine that they were playing on a lunch break. >> you said the house would be completed in 2016. >> i did not! >> just ahead, ted williams, the man with the golden voice answers your e-mail questions. >> after your local news and weather. >> and you get out from under

the bus. it is 8:56 right now. i'm laura garcia-cannon. these are pictures because of the shuttle discovery that are landing. we are getting pictures from inside the cockpit. we are trying to get a live view for you because the shuttle is making its 39th and final

landing this morning. there you see it. speeds up to 225 miles per hour as it comes in this morning. as i mentioned, the shuttle payload bay doors are closed for the flight, but it is coming in. this is happening live, it is supposed to be landing here within the next minute, which it was so thrilling to see it come in on one of the feeds. we wanted to bring it to you as it was happening. literally, we are seeing history happen before our very eyes with discovery coming in at this moment. and this being the 39th and final flight of it as well. there it is. a safe landing. lovely. literally, coming into the newsroom. wanted to share that. we are going to quick break.

nothing quite that exciting.

the south, volume continues to build. we have an accident i wanted to tell you, northbound 280 at saratoga. watch for additional slowing that will build in the next 20 minutes until it clears. highway 87 slow through the south bay. things are sorting out nicely. back to you. ♪s yocan be ♪ove u [ chuckl ] o ur morody ♪ ♪ can tell it's gon be ♪we day [ feouer ] wake up et th nut cios real. kissedith real honey for a mmy ta that's jusrit. and the 100% nural whole ai trea hea set. and the 100% nural whole ai because eyan help loyour choster

we are back now with more of "today" on a wednesday morning the 9th day of march 2011. a great group of people sticking around here in new york city. skies starting to clear off temporarily. the reason we have come out this morning is because natalie informs us that we probably will not have the chance over the next couple of days. >> exactly. all these great people stuck around. >> with the weather forecast. >> that's right. >> we will not get out here. >> i was whining, too. it's actually nicer, but the rain will be coming down. >> cats and dogs. >> also ahead -- >> i want to say that's going to

affect the people who have already been affected with flooding in the northeast. in new jersey, rivers overflowing their banks. it could get worse. we'll have more on the story. >> certainly don't need that. >> also ahead, charlie sheen's rant. a lot of folks are concerned about his mental state. does his behavior point to a return to substance abuse or are we talking more serious problems? more on that and on another note, today's money 911. we have our panel of experts gathered to talk about your financial emergencies. what should you do if your adjustable rate mortgage is facing a hike and how do you get into the credit game without a credit rating? answers from our experts. >> plus, he's been dubbed the man with the golden voice. ted williams has been in and out of rehab. he's still in sort of a halfway house. he's able to join us here now to tell us how he's doing. we're going to answer some of your e-mail questions as well.

a lot of you have been e-mailing us, wanting to know how he's doing. we'll ask that as well. >> ann has the headlines of the morning. >> i do. thanks, matt. good morning, everybody. there are significant developments today in the war in libya. rebels in the libyan down of zawiya outside the capital city of tripoli say they have been surrounded by tanks and cut off. they have been shelled for five days and attacked from the air. they are appealing to nato to establish a no-fly zone to protect them. officials are searching for the cause of a farmhouse fire that killed seven children last night in the rural town of blaine, pennsylvania. a state police officer said the children's mother was in the barn milking cows and the father was a mile away napping in a milk delivery truck. one child was able to survive. in the new orleans area, the national weather service says three tornadoes have touched down, injuring one person. the storm system now stretches from louisiana all the way to new england and is expected to bring heavy rain in the coming days. this morning in new jersey,

swollen rivers are already forcing some residents to commute by canoe. with the coming rains, many are bracing for major flooding there. the key suspect in the disappearance of american teenager natalie holloway in aruba is now ready to plead guilty in the murder of a young woman. >> reporter: it's been nearly a year now for joran vander sloot, locked in a prison, accused of the murder of stephanie flores. but he was questioned many times, though never charged in the disappearance of natalie holloway in aruba in 2005. now according to his lawyer he has a plan. claiming in a plea that he violently attacked flores whom he barely knew because he flew into a rage when she looked at messages on his laptop. now in the plea, claims he was overtaken by violent emotions that legal experts say is like

temporary insanity. >> he is a man who's been under a lot of pressure for five years. if there is anyone to blame it is the circumstances. >> reporter: if his plea is accepted, it would carry a sentence of three to five years. he could serve less than two. the family of stephanie flores wants him jailed for life. prosecutors say he had a motive to steal stephanie's cash. they say he targeted her. in this casino where they played poker together before he invited her to play online in his hotel room. he later left with stephany's money and credit cards. she was found inside, beaten and choked. he presents traits of an anti-social personality and is indifferent toward the well-being of others but they concluded he is sane. >> that was michelle kosinski reporting. now the special bond between a washington state woman and her

dog was almost broken when her 4-year-old boxer, sugar, collapsed at obedience school. the dog trainer performed cpr on the animal and after two minutes sugar was conscious and as sweet as ever. that's nice. it's four minutes past the hour. now back outside to al for a check of the weather. >> that's a nice story. we like that. let's see what's happening. we have a lot of weather up and down the eastern seaboard. we have flood watches from louisiana all the way to connecticut. 1300 miles of flood watches and warnings. we have tornado watches down through the southeast. in fact, to go into the afternoon and in those are still embedded a few tornado warnings. look at the scope of the system. snow up in the great lakes. rain and thunderstorms down in the southeast. we are talking about down in the southeast anywhere in the next 24 hours, one two three inches of rain. thursday morning rain in the northeast. by friday evening we are talking anywhere three to five inches of rain which will exacerbate the

flooding situations here in the northeast. well, we are going to get flooded with sunshine for the second half of your day. temperatures are going to be able to climb into the 70s because of all of that sun. rain arrives tomorrow. 69 degrees in the north bay for santa rosa. in fairfield, 68 degrees. a little cool down tomorrow. showers arrive by 6:00 p.m. clearing for friday, then another round of rain this weekend. have a great day! and that's your latest weather. natalie? >> al, thank you. now to new concern for charlie sheen in the wake of his recent online videos. nbc's jeff rossen is in los angeles. jeff, good morning. >> reporter: hi, natalie. good morning to you. yes, charlie sheen did drugs and drank and partied, but when you watch his webcast, experts say there is something else going on here, possibly bipolar disorder. this morning the big

questions -- is sheen back on drugs? and is he safe? >> what occurred yesterday was, in fact, completely and entirely illegal, and to quote my lawyer really [ bleep ]. >> reporter: late tuesday night charlie sheen was back online in sheen's korner, ready to fight against the studio execs that fired him. >> now that i have your lazy [ bleep ] attention, world. sit back and listen to the warlock of your jealous face sits before you. >> reporter: sheen got personal. >> liars and fools, all of them. >> reporter: lashing out at cbs president les moonves. >> you gave me your word. so in turn you gave me nothing. it must suck being your missus. the promise of getting something yet receiving nothing. >> reporter: sheen also railed against "two and a half men" executive producer chuck lorre. >> hiya, chuck, you cheeseball. where are you hiding, silly

clown? if sad and stupid had a foul odor attached it would be you, [ bleep ] lorre. >> reporter: this week warner brothers fired sheen from his hit sit com calling him dangerously self-destructive and very ill. >> does this strike you as a man with a mental health issue? >> yeah. >> reporter: we watched the web cast with two experts who have not treated sheen. a psychiatrist and addiction specialist. >> we are talking grandiose behavior. you think you're above it all. you think you're god. this could be mania where there is an alteration in brain chemistry and it's causing them to act in a bizarre way. >> reporter: sheen could have bipolar disorder. then again, the expert said, it could be the drugs, or both. >> when we see behavior that looks like this, it looks like, yes, possibly could be on methamphetamine and could be a meth-induced psychosis. that happens usually over years

and years of using. then you end up with this. >> you're all nothing shy of traitors, your ego will be your downfall. mark this warlock's words. defeat is not an option. >> i'm concerned. if this is what it appears to me, this guy is on the road to something really bad happening. >> reporter: for the story we consulted with celebrity addiction specialist dr. drew pinske. he hasn't treated sheen. >> you judge me, condemn me, discarded me. well, not anymore. winning. >> reporter: after watching monday's web cast dr. drew had very strong opinions about his mental state. >> i have spoken to psychiatrists who told me if this were their patient they would put him on involuntary hold. >> which means hospitalize him against his will? >> correct. he would benefit if somebody could get through to him but the challenge is they don't believe they have a problem. they believe you're the problem.

it's difficult to get them to cooperate. >> reporter: in the new web cast, sheen appeared calmer, looked better. but his rants, just as confusing. >> oh, how they once begged to attend my perfect banquet in the nude. now they just beg for the keys to my gold. >> the more this goes on untreated the more dire the situation. this is only going to get worse and worse. >> reporter: i spoke with charlie on the phone a few minutes ago. he told me the only people who think he's insane are so-called experts who he says never met him. he says they shouldn't kick a joblessle trailblazer. we have reports about the future of "two and a half men." celebrity websites are saying that warner brothers is talking to rob lowe about joining the cast. i asked sheen about that as well. he told me, rob lowe is brilliant and beautiful and said he wouldn't mind if lowe got the part replacing him. natalie? >> we'll see how it all develops there. thanks so much. now here's al. ♪

>> now to today's money 911 where our panel of experts help solve your money problems. jean chatzky, david bach and personal finance expert carmen ulrik is the author of "real cost of living." we have interesting questions. we have james on the phone from minneapolis. good morning, james. what's your question? >> good morning. thanks for taking my call. i have an incident. my mother-in-law passed away and she divorced my father-in-law over 12 years ago. he has since remarried. in the meantime she never switched the beneficiary which at the time he took out the policy had her husband and then her daughter which is my life as the number one and number two beneficiaries.

i'm curious. isn't there a law in place regarding divorce and how it affects the beneficiary of an insurance policy? >> first, james, we are sorry for your loss. this is complicated. >> it is complicated. i want to focus on three quick things. the first is you have to go back and check the divorce agreement between your mother-in-law and father-in-law. it may actually stipulate what happens to that insurance policy and may require or not require him to inherit. there are often estate laws on the books and those laws may say that in the event of divorce your father-in-law doesn't have a right to the money. so you want to check state law on that. for that, you want to talk to a lawyer. finally, these are the sorts of things, al, that really wreck families and really wreck relationships. if things start to get heated, bring in a third party like a financial adviser or accountant to try to figure something out

so you can keep your family intact. maybe using the money to benefit a grandchild that everybody loves so you don't end up hating each other for years. >> the key lesson is make sure you update your beneficiary. if you get divorced update your beneficiary. if you get married, update. >> we have to move on. with e now to pamela in tennessee via skype with an interesting question about credit cards. good morning. >> good morning. my husband and i are saving for a down payment on a house which we plan to purchase in three to five years, but neither of us exist in the credit world. we have applied for three different credit cards, one to help with groceries, one student one that's designed for those without credit and one with our bank. we were denied all three. what other ways can we build credit in order to get a credit card and one day get a house? >> what can pamela and her husband do. >> where do you bank now? >> at region. >> i would go to a national bank like bank of america, wells

fargo, citibank, chase. walk in, meet with a manager and say, our goal is to buy a home in three to five years and we need tole build credit. the national banks have programs designed to help people like you build credit so they can buy their first home. they have a program that will walk you through. they will help you build what's called a secured credit account. if you have a checking account that you are saving in now to buy the home they will give you a credit card secured by the checking account. maybe it's a $500 credit card to start. once you pay that bill on time they will release the security and actually give you a real credit card. that will start to build your credit report. they want first time home buyers. so ask for a path to home ownership program. that's what you are looking for. >> good luck, pamela. now to an e-mail from heather in michigan. our mortgage is an adjustable rate mortgage. comes up in may.

my fear is the payment will increase to a point where we can't afford it anymore. what steps do we need to take if this happens? i have heard of others losing their home. >> thankfully interest rates have remained low so most folks with a.r.m. haven't seen it balloon. first line of defense is to put away money. change your saving and spending habits to put away money so you aren't shocked by the surprise and you can afford it. here's the thing. what's your rate tied to? what is the benchmark rate? make it less of a surprise. look at the mortgage. what is the benchmark rate your a.r.m. is tied to like london interchange bank, libor. keep tabs on it. see where it's going. you need to think about if you can refinance again. if you can, lock in a rate now, today at these rates, you are golden. >> all right. thanks so much. speaking of money. still ahead, making college more affordable. we'll tell you how to find

literally billions in scholarship money out there for deserving students. up next, we'll check in with the once homeless man with the golden voice, mr. ted wi ghri g good. right after these messages. hey! hey! hey! that's our snack machine. you should try something new. activia parfait crunch! crunchy granola you mix right in to creamy and delicious activia yogurt. mmm! crunchy! and creamy! watch your toes! new activia parfait crunch.

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this morning on "today's update" ted williams. few people have had the life changing roller coaster ride ted williams has had. back in january he was discovered on the streets of columbus, ohio, homeless but with an amazing voice. and he became an instant celebrity, appearing on "today," reuniting with his mother, getting flooded with job offers. >> but maybe it all came too fast. old demons resurfaced and he's been in rehab for the second time. as ted told us, good things are happening. he's back to answer some of our e-mails. >> good morning to you. i missed you here last time. i didn't get to meet you. >> nice meeting you. >> nice to meet the legend. we have a lot of people concern d and wanting to know how you are doing. the first is from terry in british columbia, canada. she asks, what is your advice to people to get a second chance at life? you said you are the poster child for second chances. >> pray. continuously pray. make sure prayer is implemented

and god is mentioned and acknowledged. display your talents every chance you get. i didn't know what was going on, but i loved displaying my god given gift. if you're an artist, get out there and do that. >> show what you can do. >> our next question comes from your hometown of columbus, ohio from patricia. she asks, what's brought you the most joy since you were discovered. >> being on the first "today" show. that brought me the most joy, truly. also doing a spot for kraft macaroni & cheese. there were a couple but the first joy was being allowed to say -- live from rockefeller center in new york -- that was joy. >> we actually aired it that morning. >> i know! >> you got excited. >> people ask me from time to time, ted, what was the big guest thing of all of this.

i can tell you that was the biggest. >> we have another question from dalton, georgia, a woman named tish who asks, where do you see yourself five to ten years from now? that's important. when you set a goal, you are more likely to get it. >> five to ten years. >> what's your goal? >> being out to pasture with my grandkids having a great time with my family and just really taking all of this in. just laying back and relaxing. but as far as professionally, i'd like to just continue to do voiceover work. maybe some voice characters or something. >> the recovery is day to day. >> truly one day at a time. i'm enjoying that now. now i'm finding a different way of having fun. i don't have people bad jgeringe and so forth. >> you are in a halfway house. do you know how long you will be there? >> at least until summer or fall

or whenever. you know. >> a lot of people are cheering for you, ted williams. >> oh, god. >> you keep going in the right direction. >> can i say hi to my girlfriend kathy in columbus, ohio? >> you just did. >> kathleen, her sisters colleen, christine, dar la and my children, julie, brittany, rihanna, emmanuel and a host of others and to my attorney, brent adams and al battle. i love you all. >> thank you so much. >> god bless you all. >> good luck. >> we have much more coming up including tennis star serena williams. she's been sidelined by a pulmonary embolism. an exclusive interview with her coming up after these messages.

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still ahead, tips on finding college scholarships. >> plus in the kitchen delicious ways to dress up ae rotisserie kitchen. >> what? >> little hat and coat. >> after your local news and weather. things for the baby.ew extra oh boy... i used our slate card with blueprint. we can design our own plan to avoid interest by paying off diapers and things each month. and for the bigger stuff, we can pay down our balance faster to save money on interest. bigger? bigger. announcer: chase slate with blueprint helps you save money on life's little surprises. trip...lets... announcer: start your path to saving today. call 855-get-slate. [ female announcer ] delicious real fruit meets rich creamy yogurt. all you do is add milk, blend, and you've got a yoplait frozen smoothie. it is so easy... and it is so good. in the frozen fruit section.

good morning, everybody. time is 9:26. i'm brent cannon. a peninsula teacher that allegedly knocked over a desk and swore in class may be punished. redwood school board will have a closed door meeting tonight. last week, a 13-year-old student at selby lane school in atherton called to report the teacher. >> i'm calling because my teacher, he's throwing things, he knocked over a table and he's screaming at us, he's going crazy. >> the teacher told police he shook a desk to get the student's attention. the student fell asleep in class, but the desk fell over.

police say the teacher raised his voice and used profanity. somebody is driving around in a hot new lamborghini, except it is not theirs. it was stolen from a dealership in san francisco. the car is reportedly owned by "minute to win it" host guy fieri. they are still looking for it. traffic and weather up next.

good morning to you. well, when you walk out the front door, you will see clouds overhead. cloudy start makes way to mostly sunny skies. high pressure fully in control of our weather pattern for today. change is on the horizon as early as tomorrow. so you'll want to get outside and enjoy the 70 degree temperatures we are forecasting for today. showers arrive tomorrow afternoon. and it looks like the rainy pattern, that's what shapes up heading through the weekend. we get a couple of dry days out of it. today is fabulous, 70 degrees. 59 tomorrow, showers late. check the drive with mike inouye. as you've been talking

about, sun has to make it through the fog. slow southbound 680 approaching the area. cars are moving better now, we had an earlier accident around washington boulevard. top of the hill in the clouds, that's causing some of the slow down. get back to the maps. look at the south bay. we see things developing northbound 101, starting to slow down past the airport. may be something going on around 237. looks like a new incident on chp report. 280 better than it was. an accident clearing at saratoga. 880 past the coliseum, a half hour of slowing. much better now. more local news in a half hour. "today" show continues in less than a minute. have a great morning!

♪ if you're counting down like we are every day, can you believe it's only 52 days left until the wedding of prince william and kate middleton in westminster abbey? we have been watching the royal couple make wedding plans and the world now is holding its breath to see the dress the beautiful bride will wear. breathe, al! we want to give you a chance to be around the hoopla at the wedding. >> we'll send one lucky viewer and a guest, all expenses paid, to england for the wedding. all you have to do is send us a

video. tell us why london is calling you. the winner gets two first class tickets on british airways to london during the wedding. deadline is friday. get out the camera and be creative. for details head to today.com. >> also ahead this half hour we'll talk with serena williams. she's won practically all you can won on the tennis court. she recently had a serious health scare that kept her off the court and also worried her fans. we'll be hearing from her about her future, plus they are everywhere these days, the delicious smelling rotisserie chickens at your local supermarket. but you need something to go with them including maybe some red pepper, snappy ways to dress them up. you can do all kinds of things with them. we'll give you ideas. first a check of the weather. >> absolutely. get that i can which-- chicken in the east. it will be wet on the east coast. looking for strong storms

tomorrow and today in the southeast. rain in the midatlantic coast. wet weather in the pacific northwest. tomorrow the heavy rain moves into the northeast. parts of new england changes from rain to snow. mild conditions from texas up into the central good morning to you in the bay area. we're going to see a really nice day today. clouds are already starting to thin out. we will see partly cloudy skies to start you out, then mostly sunny and clear afternoon with temperatures climbing towards 70 degrees. big time changes on the way for tomorrow as a system of low pressure moves its way into the bay area. that's going to drag a cold front through that will bring about some rainy conditions for the second half of your thursday. today, warmest day of the week, 70 degrees. get out there, enjoy it if you can. and that's your latest weather. >> all right, al. thanks. up next, the inside scoop on how to land a college scholarship. that's after these messages.

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>> unlike loans you don't pay them back. we are telling students to research and apply to as many good fit scholarships as possible because time is money. for the march 31 deadline there is time. students should get working right away. >> let's get to some of the criteria. how do some of the scholarship committees determine who makes for a good fit for the scholarship? >> there are scholarships for high school students, undergraduates, graduate students and criteria vary scholarship to scholarship. a lot of them will look at a student's gpa, test scores, resumé, essays, letters of recommendation and often they will do an interview. >> you mentioned there are different types, university, heritage, career, corporate, regional and other unusual scholarships. >> unusual ones. i love this. there are thousands of scholarships out there. there is one if you are great at calling a duck. there is one for wearing the best duct tape outfit to prom.

>> there is something for everyone. >> exactly. then there are corporate ones like coca-cola who offers up to $20,000 to 250 hick segh school seniors. universities have their own scholarships. they will offer merit-based scholarships based on academics, athletics or artistic achievements and sometimes offer full tuition called presidential or trustee scholarships. >> because there are so many out there how do you find them? >> the first place to look is online. there are free online tools where you can put in your information, your profile, background, what your interests are, abilities and these tools will match you with the right scholarship. so you can look at fastweb.com, scholarships.com. ask your guidance counselor. they will recommend students for scholarships. look at a college's website.

there is usually a scholarship section on the website. >> they make it easy for you. one of the big things is you have to make sure you don't make a mistake in the application process or that throws your opportunity out the window. >> the most competitive scholarships have thousands of applicants. if you don't meet the criteria or haven't followed directions filling out the application, you will be disqualified in the first round. think about making sure you complete everything, all the components of the application. do it on time. >> don't forget to sign the form. >> exactly. follow directions. make sure somebody is proofreading your application. >> reading the fine print. >> exactly. you don't want to just write one generic application and send it to multiple scholarships. look at each scholarship's criteria. you won't send the mp-3 of your duck call to a scholarship looking at your academics and

grades. >> you say you may have to reapply every year to continue the scholarship. >> don't assume a scholarship will be awarded four years in a row. a lot of them will ask you to e reapply and ask you to maintain a certain gpa to get it the following year. >> and there are scholarship scams out there. what are some of the things to watch out for if your student is applying? >> you don't want to look at a scholarship that's asking for an application fee or fees of any kind. you also don't pay attention to scholarships that promise you guaranteed winninginwinnings. >> you say to apply for fewer scholarships that offer big awards or a greater number that are offering perhaps less rather than the big scholarships. >> smaller awards. if you are looking at local scholarships or scholarships with more unique criteria, you are often times going to get smaller applicant pools so you

have a greater chance of winning it. they range from a couple hundred dollars to full tuition. it adds up. it's worth it to apply for as many scholarships as you qualify for. >> absolutely. free money, as you said. >> yes. >> go for it. cat cohen, nice to have you here. great information. >> thank you so much. >> up next, an exclusive interview with serena williams on her recent serious medical scare and what she expects her future to look like co u r is versus toyota. which is better? [ male announcer ] why do so many car companies compare themselves to toyota? maybe it's because toyota has more hybrids on the road than all other automakers combined. like the 50-mpg-rated prius, the best selling hybrid in america. and prius was also named a best overall value of the year. plus, every new toyota comes with toyotacare, a complimentary maintenance plan with roadside assistance. we're #1 for a reason. come see for yourself. hurry in for the best selection. ♪

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it's been a tough few months for serena williams. in july she had surgery after cutting her foot. she's been recovering recently from a pulmonary embolism. matt spoke to serena and asked her how she first realized something was wrong. >> i had swelling in my leg which is a telltale sign of embolism. and i could not breathe. i remember thinking, i'm walking but i cannot breathe. that forced me to the emergency room. other than that i totally felt completely fine. i just thought i wasn't fit. >> you're usually very fit. when you went to the emergency

room, how long did it take for doctors to assess the situation and how serious did they say it was at that particular moment? >> well, when i first went, i had worked with really good doctors and they couldn't find anything. when you have a blood clot they look in your legs first. before i left he said, i want you to get a cat scan on my lungs. i'm thinking, i'll be fine. so i got it and they found several blod clots. i was like, wow. they told me they had to check me in immediately or it wasn't going to be a good result. >> here we are talking about the weekend of february 18th. i understand you were able to go home after a little while and it was just a week later that a lot of us saw coverage of you at some of the parties for the oscar awards. did you feel that much better that quickly? >> no. i had been through so much in the past eight months and it was so hard to work with.

and i was really low on energy, but i was like, i've got to do something to get my spirits up. >> that was sunday night the 27th of february. you were back in the hospital the very next day. what were the symptoms that time? what was the matter? >> well, i had developed a large -- i'm on blood thinner injections. so i inject myself twice a day. i developed a large hematoma in my stomach. i was nervous. i thought it was something else. >> can we make sure people understand what that is? it's a gathering of blood under the surface of the skin. >> yeah. because i'm on blood thinners and on the injections, if you give yourself an injection i must have hit something. usually your blood naturally clots around it. since i was on blood thinners it wasn't able to clot. so i developed what started as a golf ball ended up being a grapefruit on my stomach. i had to get it drained. when i got there they said, we can't drain it, we have to surgically remove it.

obviously your overall health is important but people want to know how it affects your future in the sport both short and long term. >> luckily enough i was able to catch it soon enough that my career won't be affected. i said i wanted to return this summer. i was hoping to return sooner than that. i love tennis and now more than anything i have so much to look forward to. >> that's matt with serena williams. up next, recipes for reinventing store bought rotisserie chicken. ann has that after

♪ this morning, what's for dinner? if you're in a pinch for a quick, tasty dinner -- and who isn't? you can grab a rotisserie chicken at the store but instead of serving the traditional sides, do something different. that's according to to ali lewis from real simple magazine.

she has ideas to jazz up our chicken. good morning. >> good morning. >> we're trying to save money and you can use that chicken many times. >> rotisserie chicken is a great convenient food that's not very processed. for a couple of bucks someone cooks it for you. you could roast a chicken yourself. >> first is a gingery peanut chicken with noodles. >> super quick. cook your spaghetti, that's it. in the blender we have peanut butter, soy sauce, rice wine vinegar. you can use white wine vinegar. water to thin it out. and brown sugar. can't go wrong there. >> you have basically some ginger. >> grated fresh ginger. whiz it together. >> sounds bizarre, but smells good. >> cross your fingers here. >> it works! >> there we go. >> this is the kind of thing on

live tv that doesn't work. this is making the peanut dressing. i get it. >> that's it. add it to the noodles. you can use spaghetti, rice noddles or any asian noodle. shred up rotisserie chicken, bell peppers. use any veggie that's in the fridge. >> noodles are something young people like to eat. >> this is a great recipe for kids. >> do you think they will eat all the peanut butter sauce? >> i think so. when i was a kid i used to love peanut noodles from the chinese restaurant. >> let find out. we have hayden. our live taste tester. be honest. >> we have peanuts here. crushed up peanuts. a few sliced scallions. >> we're going to keep talking while you eat this. we're going to make another thing you say is good for kids. >> super great. easy dinner, after school snack.

you buy frozen puff pastry, gruyere and chicken turnovers. >> that's a fancy name. >> it's swiss cheese. >> it's a fancy version of a hot pocket. >> what do you think, hayden? like it? >> uh-huh. >> really? >> it's good. >> hayden's grooving on it. >> chicken here. >> this is puff pastry. >> you bought it from the store. >> little bit of chicken. little bit of gruyere cheese. >> another word for swiss. you can use cheddar if you want. but if you want the fancy name you have to use gruyere. >> peas in here. >> do you like peas, hayden? >> eh. >> not sure about the peas. and these together. >> brush the edges with egg. fold it over. >> that makes it stick. if your kids don't like peas you don't have to use them.

use something else. >> brussell sprouts. >> you have a mean streak. that's funny. how long do you bake them? >> 20, 25 minutes at 400 degrees. >> don't they look good? good enough to try maybe a pea? you don't have to have it if you hate peas. >> who doesn't like pastry, right? >> okay. >> mm. >> is it good? >> i'm hiring you. >> one more thing. come on in here. buffalo chicken sandwich. >> this is amazing. wing sauce, melted butter. sauce it with the chicken. >> where do you get wing sauce? >> hot wing sauce out of the bottle. >> put it in a sandwich with blue cheese and celery sticks. >> one chicken has lasted you several items. >> absolutely. it's great to have around for salads, lunches, sandwiches. >> great ideas. thank you so much. thank you, hayden. good job. >> coming up, minding your p's

and q's when you travel. >> after your local news and weather. 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. good morning, everybody. time is 9:56. i'm brent cannon. one part of the annual gay pride celebration in san francisco is in jeopardy this morning unless

it comes up with about $30,000. that's how much is needed to keep the 19th annual lesbian march and rally going this year. committee members say they're not getting as much grant money this year and costs have increased. they may have to cancel the rally at delores park or ask for $2 each to come in. today is the chance for people to express opinions on dog walking rules. the agency that manages parks wants to ban dogs from some parks and require them to be on leashes in others. opponents say it will keep their dogs from getting the exercise they need. today's meeting in cabrillo school. time to check the forecast. >> a dog gone good day on tap today. temperatures in the 50s, already at 57 degrees in sunnyvale. 56 in san mateo, right on track to reach the forecasted highs which are expected to end up in

the 70s before all is said and done. partly cloudy skies now will make way to mostly sunny conditions. it will be a really nice day, especially when you consider the fact that we're expecting showers for thursday. showers arrive tomorrow. cloudy start today, making way to a beautiful afternoon with temperatures in the 70s. we'll have the extended forecast coming up. let's check the drive now with mike inouye. good morning. we will take you southbound 101. still slowing southbound through san mateo out of san bruno from the airport approaching 92. we had a stall on the san mateo bridge that cleared. but the skies haven't cleared. there's still issue with the haze around the area, some lower clouds are sticking around. 92 itself over the water moving smoothly. 880, debris reported around more even a boulevard. it is reported in the second lane. bay bridge, a minor backup. more local news in a half

hour. "today" show returns in about a minute. have a great morning! [ wheezing breaths ] [ woman ] the first time i smoked, i was 13. i was in a hurry to grow up and wanted to look cool. big tobacco knew it, and they preyed on me. i'm here to tell you that big tobacco hasn't changed.

they continue to profit... by selling kids the same lies... to get them to use... the same deadly products. don't be big tobacco's next victim. captions paid for by nbc-universal television from nbc news, this is "today" with kathy gifford and hoda kotb, live from studio 1a in rock feefeller plaza. >> it is wines day, wednesday, it is also ash wednesday. a lot of people are walking around with their ashes on. >> and mardi gras hangovers are wearing off. i've talked to friends. they're back in business. >> today would be the first day of lent. today is when you start giving up stuff. i'm not going to give up anything.

what would you give up if you had to. >> the hardest thing for me to give up would be sweets. >> sweets. how about jay? he's very sweet. >> it's his birthday! >> happy birthday! >> yesterday was his birthday. we had a cake and a party. >> we have to give a shout out. we have an incredible camera man here at the "today" show that we all adore. we call him rope. >> rope is one of the top drawer guys. he had an accident, fell down the stairs in the subway and he is recovering. and she's such a gem here. he's the guy that always gives us the one liners. off camera he'll blurt something out and we take credit for it. >> we miss him very much. we want to send our love to him. i just spoke to him. kathy, great news. my doctor says i can even have a glass of wine at dinner. hoda and i are sending him some red. in honor of winesday, we have a producer around here.

her name is michelle. what is her official title? >> queen of the "today" show. >> apparently in her family history -- she's a producer. her family has a napa value will -- it's actually st. helena winery. in honor of winesday -- >> hey! this is to your folks. >> to your people. >> good dna. i guess your great grandfather came over from the wine country in italy. >> he's from lucca. my dad grew up making it with him and decided to, you know, start a career with it. >> it's called -- it's delicious. unbelievable. >> i'm not a big red wine drinker. this is delicious. >> it's called charteroak wine.com. 42 bucks. >> $42. sensational. thank you. also as i was coming up, i got a package. and i want to make our -- tammy, our producer of our hour is home

today. we know she's watching. so we have a request to make, don't we, hoda? >> here's the deal. we were supposed to be going to the royal wedding. >> they said no. >> then we're told we're not going anymore. >> we're trying not to take it personally. jim bell, basically our exec ti producer said we'll make it up to you if there's a place the two of you would like to go. >> we found our place. we have discovered the place we would like to go. >> ray aisles is often on our show. he says, kathy, you've got to go. join us in aspen! for the food and wine classic. >> that's what we want to do. phone number rsvp. who's got the phone. >> kathie lee and hoda. we're on the way. we'll see you in aspen. >> if you are traveling, a lot of people are because it's spring break time, there are certain things that are so incredibly annoying from travelers. >> the list is long. >> a couple things they say travelers don't like, number one when someone behind them is

kicking the back of their seat. >> or reclined so far back though i just recently discovered on the way back from jamaica, they don't let you recline that much anymore. >> it's too far when they're in front of you reclining. >> you've got their hair. >> nobody likes that. >> that's right. they don't serve dinner. so it's fine. >> he's the other thing. the overhead bag space. first of all, for some reason i bring a big bag on the plane. >> it's called your purse. >> i need room to breathe. people scowl at you because your bag's too big. it's not too big because it fits if you just jam it. >> for your bag to fit, you have to jam everybody else's things that they've placed very nicely. i've seen you in action. >> i politely say, whose backpack is this? they say, mine. would you mind terribly if i moved it from this overhead to this one? it's right near you. they look at you like venom.

because there's not room for my bag. >> i put my bag up. it's first come, first serve. >> when you're in row -- the worst row to be in, six. they board one through five. i was in six. then they board 29 through 6. you're the last one on. when you get on, there's no room to put your bag. and you have a bag, too. and mine's hefty. needs room. >> here's the thing. you learn a little discipline in life and you get rid of the bowling ball that's in your purse! >> i need all the things in there. but i do think people are incredibly rude when it comes to that. i have to admit, when i'm sitting in my seat and someone's trying to jam a bag up there, i scowl, too. why are they bringing all that? because mine's neatly tucked away. >> what bothers me is if someone's obviously having trouble with it and no one helps. a little chivalry goes a long way. i'm actually traveling this next week. friday i'm going to seattle. isn't seattle the hometown of starbucks?

starbucks is having a big anniversary, rolling out new this week, their logo. >> brand-new. they took away the word starbucks coffee and just have the picture of the lady. >> i don't know why. >> here's something funny. i did this thing for "dateline" where we were showing young 3-year-olds logos for different things. kids 3 years old saw the logo and pointed at it and said, mommy's coffee. they knew because they key into the logo. maybe they thought there wasn't a need for the words. >> maybe it's so well branded, there's no need. cheers and congratulations to them. the first one opened in 19 -- i think it says '81? '71. >> they've been making some hay about us on "ellen." i love ellen's show. we haven't seen it. we trust our producers. they said it was funny. anyway, she's making fun of all the craziness on -- careful. on nbc. "the celebrity apprentice," they call it crazy good. this is the "ellen" promo.

watch. >> they showed an ad last night that looks crazier than ever. >> the new season of "the celebrity apprentice" on nbc is crazy good. >> what we are here for to help others! >> you are a piece of work, gary. >> and all month long, we're making nbc crazier than ever. "nightly news with brian williams" has become naked news with brian williams. >> we return to the standout between local unions and the governor of wisconsin tonight. >> and kathie lee and hoda will remain exactly the same. ♪ >> nbc. crazy good. >> all right. we're going to take that as a compliment! >> what do you mean we'll remain exactly the same. >> where was hoda? >> you looked crazier than me on that one. >> that was during your song. >> "get me bodied." i'm sorry. that's still one of the best songs ever. ellen would be dancing to that song. >> yes. i'm a little sad.

>> why? >> a little sad because there are different passages in everyone's life. i have one right now. next week guess where i'm going? to look at colleges for my daughter. cody's going to be graduating from college when she goes into college. >> i can't believe it. i cannot believe it. >> we're so upset. >> what are you guys going to be doing? >> moving. being wherever she goes to college. i'll wait to see where she's accepted. >> where's she looking? just all over? >> she wants to be on the west coast with her brother. we're going to be out there looking. who's going to be with you next week? >> anthony matthew one day. olivia munn one day. >> she's fantastic! >> matt bomer. is that for sure? that's for friday. we have andy cohen who's got the 411 one of the days. >> and the other is a mystery guest so far. >> we don't know who it is. >> that'll be fun. maybe you'll get the happiest man in america to come on. >> we could! >> he is adorable. his name is alvin wong.

he is official lly chosen to be the happiest man in america. >> he's 69 years old, married with kids, chinese-american and jewish. he lives in honolulu. >> kosher jewish. is this a great country or what? his name's alvin. tell us why he's the happiest. >> i don't know. >> the reasons that made him the happiest. >> but they didn't make the card. there were plenty of reasons. >> you've got to accept it that he was chosen and he's the happiest. >> if you noticed in our open we have not mentioned somebody's name. you know whose name we have not mentioned in our open and we've mentioned his name over and over, over the last -- >> jerry? >> no. >> who? >> charlie sheen. >> oh! that's because we kind of feel like we listened to you guys. you've been telling us -- >> enough already. you've had it. if you've really, really, really had it we're not talking about it today. there is something, you can block charlie sheen in your

computer. >> like a beta-blocker? >> it's a charlie blocker. you go on the computer and you somehow block it. >> you press something and this is what happens. it just goes away. yeah. >> every time -- >> you really can't get away from it. >> it's on the tv everywhere. >> we have heard you, and we -- we agree. we'll let you know if something really newsworthy, because, after all, we are nbc news. >> coming up, does your cup need to runeth over? in hollywood if you want to make it these days you know what we're talking about. >> she is gorgeous. >> she is. >> and so is she. they're all just gorgeous. all right. yeah. >> where's bobbi thomas? >> all righty. we'll be right back. measuring up and showing off. for your pills to kick in. add alaway. for fast eye itch relief that works in minutes and lasts up to 12 hours.

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go by many names and come in many shapes. they are everywhere. but not all breasts or boobies as some like to say are created equally. celebs' cups. >> this constant exposure has us wondering, are celebs baring their breasts for success? >> if you got it, flaunt it. when it comes to women and their breasts, showing off what you've got is nothing new. but cashing in on cleavage is a more recent phenomenon. >> in the past year we've seen a huge rise in celebrity breasts on display. exposing your breasts on the red carpet or on the cover of a magazine is going to translate into increased success because it is attention grabbing. >> kim kardashian went topless and bottom line in a recent issue of "w." is it any coincidence the reality starlet made up a good chunk of her family's reported $64 million income last year? >> the more you bare, the more projects come your way. if you show a little bit more

cleavage, you wind up on the cover of hot top magazines. >> modern family's sophia rigara. >> her golden globes got as much attention as she did. she's unapologetically who she is. she's sexy. she brings it. everybody wants to see that. >> many plastic surgeons report hit drama mad men's christina hendricks has the most in demand breasts for women seeking implants. >> she's not a waif. she's a real woman. she shows off those curves and looks amazing. everybody wants a piece of that. >> are celebing bearing their breasts for success? >> big, small, young, old, breasts are in. when you bare your breasts, maybe even go nude, you're going to get a ton more attention. that's going to translate into fame. fame translates into dollars. caching! >> it's not a new thing.

editor and chief of hollywoodlife.com. >> boobs have been around since adam and eve. >> they absolutely have. there's never been so much pressure on actresses as today to bare it all. >> are they really, though, are they really making more money, getting more opportunities, more magazine covers just because they show cleavage on the red carpet or put it all out? >> the thing is, they think they are. they think they have to do it. you even have people like jennifer aniston, well established star, she recently was on the cover of "allure." inside her shirt's wide open showing her breast. look at "gq." nude. >> she's my body with her head. >> here's the thing. this is a tough question to ask. i don't want to insult anybody. seems to me, you're never going to see meryl streep doing it. is it something that makes up for a lack of talent that makes one feel like they have to, you know, use the sexiness and then the body as opposed to people that, you know, earn their keep and earn their awards by doing

great work? >> i think that you're absolutely right. i think that a lot of the actresses, they feel very insecure. especially when they're young. however, what's so interesting is that kristen stewart, star of "twilight," most well paid female stars this year in hollywood, she earned over $28 million. she's never taken her clothes off. >> she's a small breasted girl. >> that's right. the other one is -- >> emma watson. >> love her. >> she's got class, she's got style, earned over $30 million. she's the most highest paid actress in the world and she's never done it. >> don't some of these women get p pigeon holed like sophia vigara? meryl streep can play multiple roles. >> they did the same thing to soph sophia lauren when she was a young actress. >> and marilyn monroe. i think they really do run that risk. look at kim kardashian.

you turn around, every single cover i think she feels compelled to take her clothes off. the "w" cover the most. she's becoming almost like a brunette pamela anderson. she's got to be careful. >> the thing she understands, she's got a window of opportunity. she just turned 30. she's going to look like this for a while. she knows. she tells you this. i'm going to basically -- not milk it. i don't mean to say that. she is going to cash in on it while there's a lot to cash in on. it wasn't that funny. >> most of these women -- have some of these women -- i don't know how you'd know for sure. have they had surgery to get this way or is it the natural deal for them? >> kim says that her breasts are 100% real. she went on piers morgan and said that. others, like heidi montag.

didn't help her career. >> she did it in one day. it creeped people. why don't you love you for you? that's a cry for help. >> leah michelle, actually more of an a cup, even they feel compelled -- i'm glad she's not getting implants. she's on the cover of "cosmo," deep v top totally bearing what she's got. no matter if they're a's or double ds they seem to feel this pressure. >> leah michelle is a beautiful girl. she shouldn't get her nose fixed or her chest fixed. >> no one said anything about her nose. >> i read about that. she's a barbra streisand want to be. she's her own person. very talented. there's enormous pressure on these women. >> i'm glad we've got a kristen stewart and emma watson to show the way. you don't have to do it. you can still be popular. >> thank you, bonnie. up next, those photos that make you say "what?" right after this. waters is a fun way to hydrate. that's a choice you can respect.

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we're back with one of our favorites, "what the what?" you made us pump the brakes and say, what? >> the first one up is called pants service. sent it in angela thomas from new york. all she says is no comment. she says i drove by multiple times before i had to send this in. >> drop your pants here. >> next, get worms from christa. thanks for the heads up. eat here. get worms. >> i'm going, oh, isn't that lovely? >> it's nice they give you a warning before you do that. that was taken at a country restaurant in central illinois. i like that. up next, ugly homes, sent in from pound, virginia. 20 beautiful homes and one ugly one. don't bury the lead! give it a chance to sell, geez.

>> maybe they don't point out which one is the ugly one. >> next up, ouch urgent care sent in from amy edwards from peoria, arizona. >> i wonder what it stands for? >> occupational something headquarte headquarters. >> the last, the exit only sign sent in from elk point, south dakota. really? that's about as clear as mud. really? exit only. must be 21 to enter. you'll be coming in and out of this door. >> thank you, sara. still to come, mardy dri grs not over for us. "who knew?" new orleans style. why you should act like a kindergartner the next time you travel. add alaway. for fast eye itch relief that works in minutes and lasts up to 12 hours. only alaway comes from the eye care experts at bausch & lomb.

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good morning, 10:26. i'm brent cannon. parents are pushing legislators to pass a tax extension bill. they say if they don't get that, schools lose out on funding. governor brown wants to cut into the $25 billion deficit by extending taxes. he is about four votes shy of getting it on the june ballot, he needs enough votes to get it on before a deadline approaches tomorrow. the number of dispensaries could change. they are calling for a limit on

number of medical marijuana businesses city wide. it would cap the number of permitted clinics and set up applicationet get g t permits. weather and traffic after the break. stay tuned.

good morning to you. welcome back. if you're just waking up, getting ready to plan your outfit for the day, break out the short sleeve shirts and shorts, because we are talking about temperatures already in the 60s at 10:30 in the morning. 62 degrees in santa cruz. 59 in sunnyvale.

we are on the way to the 70s before all is said and done. high pressure is the reason why. we will see a beautiful day. today is the last dry day. showers back in the mix as of tomorrow. enjoy the 70s we are going to experience. inland, mild on the peninsula. temperatures in the upper 60s. lots of sunshine and then the rain arrives for the second half of your thursday. a few showers early on friday. don't forget to catch the giants here on nbc at 6:05 friday evening. we will check the drive with mike inouye. all right. you see the rainbow tunnel heading north from golden gate bridge. southbound towards the walden tunnel, you will see slowing. all lanes of southbound 101 are clear, slow approaching that tunnel. then the golden gate bridge. another slow down at the toll plaza. they may be changing shifts, that may be why it popped up the last few minutes. east bay, oakland northbound

past the coliseum, smooth drive. >> looking better. thank you for joining us this morning. the "today" show continues up next. we'll see you back here tomorrow morning. we're back on this winesday with more of "today" ready to play "who knew?" to keep this week of festivities going we're testing your mardi gras trivia. kathie lee, of course, is across the street at the nbc.com digital cafe, ready to hand out 100 bucks to those who answer the question correctly. to those who don't, the lucky cd. arthur hardy of the mardi gras guide is here to help us. he's a friend of mine. he came bearing a couple of gifts. >> just for you. we got those yesterday during our eight-hour live telecast. >> can't believe arthur is still functioning.

>> i'm not functions. >> let's go across the street to kath. >> lovely items. but people would rather have this! look at this beautiful mom and daughter from clinton, iowa! all righty, honey. all right. what does mardi gras mean? >> do we get options? >> think of it. mardi is some sort of a french way to say what word? [ speaking in foreign language ] >> no idea. >> you're going to feel terrible. you knew this but didn't think it through. >> the correct answer, arthur? >> fat tuesday. the last day to enjoy the pleasures of the flesh. on ash wednesday and lent, you pay for it. >> back across to kath. >> this lady is from georgia. true or false. i'm sorry. two of you. all right. you're a pushy broad. true or false. mardi gras is always on a

tuesday. >> it starts on a tuesday. >> is that answer is yes, then? >> yes, true. >> okay. there you go. you get the big bucks, lady! >> she got 100 bucks. all right. mardi gras always on a tuesday. >> yeah, well, she's half right. it doesn't start on a tuesday. it ends on a tuesday. >> when does it start. >> it starts january 6th, the carnival season. i think that might be another one of our questions. >> but it does. but mardi gras does go on and on and on and on. >> it ends at midnight on fat tuesday. >> got you, sweetheart. back across to kath. >> this is lindsay. guess where she's from? new orleans! one of the traditional mardi gras colors -- if you don't get it, you can't go home. red, wlit and blue, purple, green and gold, green, black and yellow or purple, red and green. >> though many saints fans would say black and gold, it's purple, green and gold. >> she's right. >> of course. purple, green and gold. although i do love the song. ♪ black and yellow, black and

yellow ♪ >> one of the few official things about mardi gras, it started in 1872, purple stands for justice. green for faith. gold for power! >> look at those guys piled up with beads. back across to kath. >> this couple celebrating their second anniversary. they're visiting from maryland. happy anniversary to you guys. who was the first celebrity to reign over a mardi gras parade? sandra bullock, brad pitt, george clooney or louis armstrong. >> i'm going to say louis armstrong. >> good girl! smart maryland girl. >> louis armstrong. first celeb. >> i bet that was a guess. it was in 1949. sandy bullock has been a guest. harry con inick jr.'s crew. >> you did an interview not too long ago with sandra bullock. you two are friends. >> yes, we are.

she's been a benefactor of my high school. she came and helped us rebuild. >> this lovely lady from ohio. what's hidden inside of every king cake and also said to bring good luck to whoever finds it? a gold coin, a queen, a plastic baby jesus or a jelly bean. >> it is a plastic baby jesus. >> yes! >> kathie lee will not stop about the baby jesus, by the way. in the king cake. tell us about that. >> kathy's wrong. >> kathy's wrong? say it again. will kathie lee please listen. please listen. kathy's wrong. go on. >> kathy's wrong and i will be out of the studio before she gets back. >> tell us why she's wrong. >> they used to have a coin in the cake. they had a bean which didn't represent jack and the bean stalk. then they had a porcelain doll. the baby looks like a new year's eve baby rather than jesus. it was done because people were chipping their teeth on the porcelain. if you want it to be jesus, but

that's not how it started. >> that's mr. mardi gras talking over here, kathie lee. >> he's a lovely man, but he's wrong. >> he's never wrong. is that it? all we have time for? what a shame. thank you for coming. we really appreciate it. >> my pleasure. from the runway to the railways, who gets the armrest? other rules of respect while you're on the road, right after this. on our car insurance. great! at progressive, you can compare rates side by side, so you get the same coverage, often for less. wow! that is huge! [ disco playing ] and this is to remind you that you could save hundreds! yeah, that'll certainly stick with me. we'll take it. go, big money! i mean, go. it's your break, honey. same coverage, more savings. now, that's progressive. call or click today. prepare to be delighted by fresh, wonderfully light, creamy light & fit. with 80 calories versus 100 in the other leading brand. live light & fit.

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he reaches over and changes the radio station. >> you know how they do. from challenges in the car to rude passengers on the plane, our own sara haines headed over to the nbc experience store to find out exactly what is bugging travelers these days. >> when people -- >> reporter: people have done that to you? >> yeah. >> getting car sick. i always have to sit in the backseat because i, like, feel bad for other people because they want to sit in the front. >> i hate when you're on an airplane and people's headphones are so loud you can, like, hear their music, you know? or, like, when babies are crying or people crack their gum. >> girls having to stop every 50 miles to go to the restroom. >> reporter: dad, are you exaggerating? >> maybe a little bit. >> when there's empty seats on the plane and someone sits next to me and takes up all the space. >> reporter: is it the company you travel with that annoys you? >> pretty much. >> yesterday on the train there

was a girl in front of us that just the whole time complained about how sick she was on the phone. >> the great, great granddaughter of etiquette icon emily post is here with rules of the road. >> welcome. >> it just has gotten so much worse, hasn't it? >> it really has. this has been for about ten years now. last week when i was in the airport, what, these liquids, i can't bring them on the plane? it's 2011. get with the program. >> a lot of time different things do happen when you're flying or traveling. one of them is there's a child that's misbehaving. maybe that kid's sitting behind you. who knows. >> the parent or whoever is with them is not doing anything about it. >> what should you do? >> that is one where you don't want to directly address the child. that's the fastest way to get big mama bear out and cause a scene. best thing to do is either speak with a flight attendant if you can or turn to the parent and say, i'm sorry, would you mind asking your child to stop kicking my seat, please?

>> asking nicely. >> it's why you don't want to say would you ask your child to stop, thank you, right away. that's a little snippy and presumps you. >> there's no leg room on planes anyway. >> no leg room for you. >> when the person in front of me, and i'm here anyway, okay, reclines like this. i find it rude. i know that you're allowed. but why? it's three inches. just sit your seat straight up. >> what's really frustrating is that airlines have packed more seats in to get more dollars and everything. what used to be a recline into your lap is now a recline into your face. they haven't disabled that function. >> what should you do? >> really be considerate of the people behind you. >> don't do it? >> people are bringing so many bags. one carry-on but it's as big as an elephant. >> i know. a lot of times then you get there and they're like, you're going to have to gate check that anyway. it's a big pain in the neck. one thing you can do, first of all prepare yourself. know how big that bag needs to be. know what you're allowed to take in that carry-on to start.

the other thing you can do is look in your back pocket. lots of charge cards nowadays have great benefits. i have one that has a $200 airline incidental credit. that gives me a pbaggage fee credit, anything for snacks and drinks on the plane. if i want to buy a movie or something like that. it's really important for you to think ahead and be prepared. think about what you already have that might help you out. >> recently our producer, tammy, was talking on the phone -- on the train, in the part you could do that. >> okay. >> and a guy -- >> jumped her, practically. >> grabbed her arm. what should you do if someone is speaking loudly on the plane. say she was. because she might have been. >> first of all, a lot of trains nowadays have quiet cars. move to that quiet car if you want quiet. if it's packed, that's unfortunate. it does happen. so check yourself. be patient. look around. find a way other than grabbing and assaulting someone.

>> you know what she did? they got up on the same spot and she started to follow the guy. she said i'm going to go to your house and tell your wife how you treat women. >> because he was rude. he dropped some bad words. >> all of this is coming together to cause someone suggestion to be, like, stalking someone to say, you bad person! >> ihe said, i'm so sorry. i shouldn't have done that. >> he did? >> thank you so much. good advice. >> more at vidvice at emilypost. >> back with much more and that segment you've been waiting for, mm-hmm, after these messages.

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we're getting saucy with muss ls made two ways. >> chef robert weidmeyer is here

with a one pot recipe. >> one pot recipe. >> we're excited you're here. >> i'm so excited to be here. ladies, this sun believable. we're going to do mussels. we have pen cove and mediterranean. >> what's the difference tastewise? >> one is a little sweeter, the mediterranean. the pen cove really come into their own at the end of march. mussels change all the time. >> my muscles do. >> this one's crazy about mussels. >> i do. i didn't originally. it was an acquired test. after i acquired it, i love them. >> mussels and chardonnay go well. >> they do. >> shallots, olive oil cocking in here. we want to sweat this. >> we've never heard that. >> lots of garlic. >> we walked into the kitchen, the smell of all these fresh ingredients. amazing. >> picking mussels, is there a way to pick ones that are good?

>> one bad mussel will ruin the whole game. >> if it doesn't open, don't eat it? if you have to force it open, that's god saying it's going to make you sick, right? >> if you have to force it open, you don't want to eat it. >> yeah. >> all right. here we go. >> what's going on? something's weird. >> it should open up naturally. then they're delicious. we got roasted tomatoes. tomatoes have been roasted off with rosemary, garlic. we're going to add capers to this. little vermuth. >> just because he can. >> i love vermuth. >> also the alcohol gets burned off anyway. >> now we're going to add the mussels here. here we go. you want to put those in there. >> i'd love to. >> gusto, hoda woman. >> pepper.

not all that. >> that's too much. >> just a little bit. i'd let you stick your fing ger in there, but it might be too hot. all we're going to do here, this is very easy. >> more vermuth! >> put that on top of that. take this pot here. >> what is in this pot? >> we've already got this one cooking. we're going to take this and just transfer this over here. >> how long does it take for these to pop open? >> about three minutes. >> okay. >> then what you have here. >> look at that. >> look at them. >> we're going to add fresh base basil. >> all of it. i love fresh basil. >> the way you know they're cooked, they pop open, is that it? >> when they open up, you don't want to cook them much longer. the beauty of these now, they're ready to eat. >> the dipping of the bread. i do miss the bread. look how great that one looks! >> we're going to just take a little bit here. then you can take this bread, okay. >> she can't have the bread. >> i get the first one. >> give her the bread.

>> she tries the first one. >> it's going to be hot. good? >> mmm. >> what's cool to do, rub the garlic on this bread. okay? rub the garlic on the bread. then you dip that -- >> look at all this. >> what's happening back here? >> voila. try that. >> look right here. >> it's perfect, hoda. >> okay. we got to go. >> these are tart plombays. >> you are adorable. come back any time, okay? >> i'd love to come back. >> delicious. coming up next, david foster. we love him! >> right after this. >> first, this is "today" on nbc because hoda wasn't going to say it. ♪ have a good daisy

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if there is a hit song on the radio, chances are "david

fo foster is the man behind it. >> with 15 grammys. >> 16. >> just had one. he's worked his magic with the greats in the music business. tonight he's at it again in a fabulous concert. michael bolton, donna summer. it just goes on and on. martina mcbride. >> by the way, i just -- we popped this dvd in. we got to see it. it is -- it's amazing that you got everyone together. tell us about it. >> it was great. we did "the hit man" about three years ago. i thought i'd never do another one gun. >> you wondered how you could top it, in other words, right? >> yeah. there was so many people that couldn't make it, earth, wind and fire, natalie cole. they could make this one. we went at it again. >> you're partial to earth, wind and fire. there's something about them.

>> they're amazing. >> they are. there's a tribute i give in the show. he's so underrated. so many groups owe him a debt. jay-z to usher to lionel. >> we'd never heard it before. it was ground breaking. >> i was reading a quote. we were with doug morris yesterday. we were talking about, you're not that kind of guy who gives the $30 million away and gives you a record deal. i want to sell cds and i'm going to be with that artist in the booth saying you're not going anywhere. you're going to hit the notes. >> i'm the guy in the trenches. i don't give the money away. i'm the one saying, that was flat. you've got to do one more. i'm in the trenches. >> you like it authentic, don't you? >> i do. >> i love -- charyse, we just heard her recently. how do you know when you find something like that? a jackie evancho or charyse? >> i'm just attracted to great voices. fortunate for me, they're attracted to me.

so it works out great. you know. >> what do you mean i know? we've been hanging out. >> we found michael buble together. >> we were at the prime minister's wedding in montreal. >> he's amazing. he's another favorite. this is a terrific -- just a terrific special. it's going to be coming on again. when is it? do you know? >> tonight! >> on pbs. >> the last special aired over two years ago. unbelievable. >> there is such a hunger in our culture for great music. there are a lot of people out there who feel left out with a lot of stuff going on in our culture whether it's movies, tv or music. you never, never disappoint. great to see you, david. coming up tomorr, warwick, plus those embarrassing questions. >> answers. >> and "everyone has a story." >> that's tomorrow. ring ring. progresso.

i look great in my wedding dress with the help of your amazing light soups. now we're addingven bigger pieces of white meat chicken. oh, so when's the big day? oh, we got married years ago. but the point is, i fit in it! well good for you! [ male announcer ] progresso. you gotta taste this soup. [ speaking spanish ] ♪ [ male announcer ] old el paso stand 'n stuff taco shells. old el paso. feed your fiesta.