good morning. breaking news. a surge in radiation levels at the crippled nuclear plant in japan forces emergency crews to evacuate overnight. while they are now getting back to work, there are new fears that those 50 heroic workers could be running out of options today, wednesday, march 16, 2011. r captions paid for by nbc-universal television good morning. welcome to "today" on a wednesday morning. i'm matt lauer. >> good morning, everyone.

i'm savannah guthrie. meredith is on assignment. you just think about the pressure those workers must be under, the sacrifice they may be making. they are being dubbed the fukushima 50, one of the last lines of defense against an all-out meltdown. >> imagine the concern when they were temporarily pulled from the plant overnight after radiation levels spiked for a short term. another concern, the second fire reactor number four today, where spent fuel rods are being stored. >> in a rare appearance, japan's emperor delivered a televised address saying he was, quote, deeply worried, but urged people not to give up hope. we are going to have the latest. >> people are still moving away from reactors. lester holt and the crew made it from sendai to tokyo overnight. as they arrived at their hotel, they were screened for radiation and they found trace amounts on their shoes. lester will tell us about it in a few minutes. first he has the latest on the

ongoing nuclear crisis. good morning, lester. >> reporter: good morning. you have to hand it to the 50 workers there trying their best, but at every turn, a cascading event events throws more obstacles their way. right now this all seems to threaten to overwhelm them. it is a scene playing out on japanese television. trouble at the troubled fukushima daiichi power plant. more information kept coming. the news only getting more confusing. >> translator: we have urged them to evacuate. >> reporter: earlier today it was announced operations at the plant had been suspended. all personnel on site forced to withdraw because of concern about what were thought to be dangerously high radiation levels at the plant. but later, workers were allowed back in. the situation at the power plant is growing more dire each day.

satellite imagery from satellites reveals the damage from three explosions in the last four days. it is what you can't see that's troubling. radiation is entering the air. a crack in the containment dome in the number 2 reactor is causing a radiation leak. a second fire broke out at the number 4 reactor. the building's outer wall collapsed. here, spent nuclear fuel rods stored in water are releasing radiation. >> just the spent fuel accident would be worthy of worldwide concern. we have that on top of three reactors having core damage. it's a very, very bad situation. >> reporter: a bad situation growing worse for the people of northeast japan still reeling from the devastation that surrounds them. as people try to find basic essentials to survive they are lining up to be scanned, being checked for radiation poisoning. 180 miles northeast of us in tokyo, the fukushima plant is its own ground zero.

70,000 residents living within 12 miles of the plant have been forced to evacuate and thousands living within 19 miles have been told to remain indoors. officials try to calm already rattled nerves saying the amount of radiation released so far poses no health hazard to anyone outside the evacuation zone. but for an already weary country the official pronouncements are beginning to wear thin. >> nobody knows, you know, the truth of what's happening. >> reporter: beyond the problems at fukushima there is a mounting humanitarian crisis facing japan. almost a half million people living in shelter, many without food, water or medicine. and then there is the search and recovery effort. with death toll estimates exceeding 10,000, there are so many bodies still to recover. countries like the united states joining in the grim task. >> i wonder how the people who live here are to recover from it.

>> reporter: there are glimmers of hope in the sea of despair. on tuesday, a young man was pulled from the rubble in miyagi. >> people don't die easily, this rescuer says. that's why we are doing our best, continuing to search. for all they have lost, the people of japan have not lost hope. japan is not only accepting u.s. help in terms of aid and recovery, but they are also going to accept the help of u.s. nuclear experts en route here. meantime japanese officials within the last hour or so continue to say that the radiation levels are stable at the plant. they continue to work the problem. they have abandoned the idea of a fly-over to drop water on number 3 and will inject water from the ground. they say radioactivity levels now are stable at the site. >> let me talk to you about the radiation situation. you were in sendai for 36 hours, lester. i mentioned you made it to tokyo overnight and as you arrived at the hotel you and the crew were

screened for radiation. talk to me about it. >> reporter: nbc hired a radioactive expert who met us at the hotel. he scanned us with a geiger counter. you see in the still video. all of us tested clean. he checked our hair, the clothes we have been wearing. when he got to the shoes that was the different story. it went off. the geiger counter went off. let me show you when he ran it over the shoes even after i had washed them. here it is. [ beeping tone ] >> is that a good thing or a bad thing? >> that's a bad thing. >> reporter: that was a bad thing. to put it in perspective, very, very minute levels of radioactive material. he gave me the numbers. i'd show my ignorance if i tried to explain, but it was above background levels. he did pick something up. he thinks perhaps dust. he had to scrub the shoes down. mine still didn't test properly, so they are in a plastic bag and

won't be coming home with me. >> most importantly, stay safe. our best to the crew, lester. thanks for the report. we appreciate it. it's six minutes after the hour. here's savannah. >> matt, thank you. as we told you, the weather is playing a significant role in where and how radiation from the plant spreads. al has details on that. al, good morning. >> good morning. as we see right now, the winds are out of the west-northwest right now. it's chilly in both sendai and tokyo. as we move into tomorrow, for thursday the winds will continue coming out of the west-northwest. again, blowing offshore. more good news. by friday, we get a little bit of a change. that's going to mean with winds out of the west-north west and west the winds become variable. if there is a release of radiation as we get ma the weekend the offshore winds will not be happening. that could be a major problem. >> thank you very much. ann curry is in akita, japan, about 200 miles to the northwest

of the fukushima plant. she joins us now by phone. ann, when we spoke a couple of days ago you were telling me people in the affected region had so much to deal with that the nuclear side of things wasn't yet on their radar. has that changed in the past couple of days? >> reporter: it actually has very much so. especially because i was talking to you about the people who were in the evacuation centers, matt. at that time i was talking to you, they don't have access to telephones and televisions and news, so they are not finding out about things. now word of mouth is causing them to be more aware of it. they will not know if there is a major problem until -- because it will be delayed getting to them. certainly they are hugely concerned. you mentioned that we are in akita. our news team, out of an abundance of caution today, traveled further away from the troubled nuclear reactors. everywhere, people are

concerned. people are talking about this drama playing out in fukushima. perhaps the people -- the japanese people, of all people, more deeply understand the risks of radiation exposure having experienced a rise in cancer rates and deformed births because of the bombings in hiroshima and nagasaki. we should also note, the reactors are slowing the movement of national aid because they are right between tokyo -- the area hardest hit by the tsunami and the quake. so there is a real problem getting aid up past those nuclear power plants to the people who are really affected by the tsunami and quake. >> ann curry reporting from akita in japan. as always, ann, thank you very much for your report. we'll check in a little bit later. nine minutes after the hour. savannah? >> matt, thanks. how serious is the situation?

james acton is a nuclear expert. good morning. carnegie endow many for international peace. >> good morning. >> we have heard of at least three explosions, two fires at the reactors. let's bottom line it. the primary concern as i understand it is that the nuclear fuel rods would get so hot they would melt unleashing an enormous amount of radiation. how close are we to that outcome? >> well, we don't know. part of the challenge is the measuring equipment within the plants themselves are untrustworthy or possibly not working. the situation is both unclear and also very fluid. for the last few days our attention has been focused on reactor 2. the utility that operates the plant came out last zmit said that reactor 3 is the one they are most concerned about. the situation is very grave and also fluid. >> what's happening at this

plant and whichever reactor we are talking about is extraordinary efforts to cool the fuel rods so they don't meltdown. a lot of experts will say the primary concern is in reactors where the fuel rods are spent, expired but still emitting heat sitting in a pool of water. why is that such a concern? the expired fuel rods. >> well, as you say, when you have expired fuel rods they are still highly radioactive. you take them out of the reactor and transfer them basically to an enormous swimming pool that sits next to the reactor. there are contrasting explanations -- and i don't think it's yet clear why there's been a fire in the spent fuel pool. but if you have lost some of the water in this gigantic swimming pool and there is a fire around the fuel rods you are creating more pathways by which radiation can reach the environment.

>> let's talk about the workers. by any account, heroic to be working under these conditions. some say they are putting their lives on the line to keep the cooling going. how much risk are they in right now? >> a lot is going to depend on the way the radiation levels on site change as the situation evolves. radiation levels have changed and fluctuated over the past 48 hours on site. hopefully the radiation levels would not become so high that the health of the workers is immediately at risk. nonetheless, there can be no doubt that if things go south from here those workers could be in considerable danger as they are absolutely aware. >> very quickly, you have said this is worse than the accident at three mile island, not as bad as chernobyl. why do you say that? >> this is all about the amount of radiation that could potentially be released into the environment.

at chernobyl, a large fraction of radiation in the core of the reactor was explosively spread into the environment. we are not going to see, i believe, something as serious as this here. the amount of radiation released into the environment is going to be large and worrying, but not on the scale of chernobyl. >> james acton from carnegie, thank you very much. aton edwards is the author of "preparedness now." good morning to you. i want to put a map up on the screen that may be disturbing to folks in this country. we are showing not only the quake zone where we are most quake prone in this country but where the power plants are in this country. as we look at that, how much danger is this country in and how prepared are we for an accident like this? >> we are not prepared. for an accident like this. the japanese invested an enormous amount of resource into tsunami, earthquakes and fortifying the infrastructures.

we have a long way to go before we get to that point. and the american people aren't prepared. the american infrastructure isn't prepared. we don't have the medical situation, the health care situation. if we had a disaster of this magnitude and injuries, deaths, infrastructure damage we would be in serious trouble. >> you have a couple of items with you. a nuke alert. what would this do? >> this is a civilian radiation monitor. people don't know what -- you know, all those things. this thing can chirp when it's near something with radiation. it will chirp like a bird. the more radiation the more chirps. you have here a partial face respirator. >> you suggest people should have these at home? >> i would say so. it's inexpensive, something you can put on your face that can protect you from the inhalation of radioactive material. it embeds in the lungs and emits. that's not good. >> and iodine pills. you say it's good to have them

just in case? >> i think the american people are taking it too far. we don't have to worry about getting these pills right now and having a mad rush for this. this is a thyroid blocker. protects you from getting cancer of the thyroid. you can have it if you live near a nuclear reactor, but not something we need to rush and panic. not necessary now. >> great to have your information this morning. it's 7:15. here's matt. >> what are the immediate health risks from radiation and what, if anything, should people in the u.s. do? in the west coast there are runs on iodine pills. nancy snyderman, good morning to you. if we are looking at the affected area in japan, i think the simplest way to put it is people in this area may be getting what we would consider a normal one year's worth of radiation in a couple of days. >> and microbursts we talk about. there are various ways to

measure radiation exposure. it almost gets too wonkish but for the 50 people that are there, we know they are getting microbursts over and over. >> what about in the 12 and 19 mile areas? >> levels of radiation like what happened to lester. the radiation in the air will settle on the earth and the long-term concern is it gets in the soil, the grass, the cows eat it, it's in your milk. that's how people in chernobyl had the huge spike of thyroid cancer. they drank milk from contaminated cows. >> when you hear that people in the affected area should stay indoors does that come close to protecting them? >> it does. >> shut the window and that's it? >> yes, duct tape is your friend in a situation like this. close the doors and let the radiation fall to the ground and get dissipated. for people on the west coast, a lot of the jet stream and air will take care of it. there haven't been huge, huge amounts of radiation. there have been micropops and a

lot of the radiation will get dissipated by the air. >> we're hearing there's been a run on iodine pills -- >> a run? gone. >> in the united states. there is confusing information coming out. yesterday's surgeon general regina benjamin said she thought it was appropriate to get iodine because we have to be prepared. a spokesperson said she didn't mean people should go out and buy the pills. >> i was strong and regina said, thanks for clarifying. she wasn't saying everything should get it. this is a classic kind of thyroid medication you can get with iodide in it. it says use as directed in case of a nuclear accident. this blocks the bad radiation from getting into your thyroid gland. let me warn people. it doesn't block anything from the rest of the organs. this is not to be taken now. this is in case you are going into an irradiated area.

i want to remind people, and for those who are in harm's way in japan, the immediate signs are nausea, vomiting , exhaustion, hair falling out. what we worry about are issues 5, 10, 15 years, 20 years down the line. >> those people will be tested for a long time. >> yes. we will be watching these people for a very long time. americans, just pray for the japanese. we should all take a deep breath here and relax. >> all right. thank you very much. now a check of the top stories with natalie at the news desk -- while ann is on assignment. good morning. good morning, everyone. in the wake of the nuclear crisis, nations in europe are planning stress tests on all 143 nuclear power plants of their own. the e.u. energy commissioner agreed to back voluntary tests tuesday as a move to improve safety standards in all 27 member states. germany became the first nation to shut seven of the oldest nuclear reactors pending better risk statement. assessment. u.s. secretary of state

hillary clinton made a surprise visit to tahrir square this morning. the site of the protest that toppled egypt's long-time leader mubarak. andrea mitchell is there this morning. good morning. >> reporter: good morning. this was get out of a motorcade. she wanted to see the place where the revolution started. she was greeted by friendly crowds including a man who shouted, you must help libya. i asked how she felt. she said she was inspired by seeing where democracy had flourished. i asked if it would come to libya and she said, we face challenges. in fact, today libyan rebels say they are fearing being crushed by gadhafi forces advancing on them. right now the administration is saying all pressure to intervene militarily. >> andrea mitchell, thank you very much. security forces in bahrain unleash waefd of violence on protesters driving them from

pearl square and killing at least two people. the king declared a state of emergency allowing soldiers to battle the anti-monarchy unrest. it was unclear whether or not the 2,000 troops dispatched from saudi arabia were part of the assault. the top u.s. commander in afghanistan says the u.s. is on track to begin pulling troops from that country in july. general david petraeus testified before congress tuesday that the taliban lost much of its momentum on the battlefield. the car bomb this morning in kirkuk killed people including a mother and her newborn child. at least 35 people were wounded. the american cia contractor detained in pakistan on murder charges reportedly has been released this morning. a regional law minister said he was pardoned by families of the men he said he killed in self-defense for eksz change for compensation. no word on who paid them. and residents of miami dade county voted to recall their

mayor alvarez by land side. they had been calling his ouster since he increased pay for unionized employees, public employees, including his own staff while raising property taxes for some homeowners. the county commission has 30 days to appoint a new mayor or call a special election. caught on tape, a husband and wife dare devil team's stunt plane began spewing flames as his wife, amanda, was performing a wing walk in texas. both survived and are recovering from the fire and emergency landing. the pilot, the husband, is being credited for saving his life because he was able to keep the plane level so she was able to get back into the plane. pretty amazing. >> as if wing walking isn't scary enough. that happened. >> flames bursting. >> thank you very much. appreciate that. mr. roker with a first look at the forecast. >> that's right. we have stuff going on on both coasts. we have rain, some fairy heavy. bringing wit potential for increased flooding as we look at

rainfall amounts a quarter to half inch of rain generally. ac t pheific northwest another big storm making its way across the country. we are looking for a half inch of rain along the coast with 6 to 12 inches of snow in the sierra and other mountains to the knot. north. that's your latest weather. >> good morning to you. we're starting to see a lot of clearing now but we had steady rain overnight and you'll find slick condition on local roadways. right now though a pretty good stretch of rain from livermore to san jose, milpitas, fremont, expect showers but by about 9:00 a.m. we expect light rain in the north bay, by 11:00 clear. 65 in fremont today. 69 in los gatos. 66 in santa cruz. cooler for tomorrow. temperatures are going to come down friday with more rain. latest weather. matt? just ahead, more on the crisis in japan, including the

lessons learned from previous nuclear disasters. we are live at both three mile island and chernobyl. first, this is "today" on nbc.

as we try to get a grasp on the scope of the disaster, we want to tell you about a feature on our website, today.com. you can actually look at areas affected by the quake and tsunami, wave your mouse over them and you'll see the before and after satellite images. >> it's shocking the devastation. as shocking as it is from the air, get down on the ground and see the images that reporters in japan have seen an td phe los on people's fadces. it even comes home and hits harder. we're back after your local news. like underwear. protects like nothing else. depend®. good morning. great day. 8 hours of sleep is great, when you can get it.

new almay wake-up makeup. hydrating water, cooling cucumber, and nourishing minerals refresh your skin, giving you an all over, well-rested look. so every day starts with glowing, hydrated skin. only from almay. only for me. good wednesday morning to you. i'm laura garcia-cannon. pg&e could learn about sanctions today related to the san bruno pipe line explosion. "today in the bay's" marla tellez is outside to explain what could happen now. good morning. >> reporter: good morning. pg&e did meet at 5:00 deadline last night by electronically filing the documents to the public utilities commission here. but the problem is the paperwork is not complete. this is regarding its pipeline safety. pg&e says it turned in records for close to 92% of its natural gas transmission pipe lines.

this means 8% is still missing. the records are specifically for pipelines that run beneath densely populated areas. as a consequence regulators may order pg&e to complete more extensive water testing through its pipe lines to make sure they are safe. the company could be ordered to cut the pressure to more than it has, or pg&e may have to pay some big dollar fines. again, the california may decide how to handle the incomplete paperwork. laura. >> thank you very much, marla. let's check the forecast with christina. >> good morning to you. some showers came through the bay area, they are really starting to fizzle out as i can zoom in and show you the only lingering activity is over livermore, milpitas and fremont and san jose. a little activity, then the entire thing is expected to clear out of mere. a little more moves in. by 11:00 a dry bay area with the

60s. let's check your drive with mike inouye. >> the earlier problems for livermore sorting out so 580 okay including the rain you're talking about. heading into the south bay, northbound 101 jamming up and 680 approaching 101 we have a series of accidents, the second of which still clearing. involving a big rig so big slowing down through the interchange. 680 through sunol. the southbound side starting to slow toward the express lanes. also the rain through the area. >> another update in a half hour.

7:30 on a wednesday morning, the 16th day of march 2011. you're looking at the fukushima nuclear complex where there was a setback overnight. workers evacuated for a short time after what was called a dangerous spike in radiation levels. inside studio 1a in new york i'm matt lauer alongside savannah guthrie while meredith is on assignment today. we'll go live to the site of two other nuclear accidents. we all remember three mile island and chernobyl. we'll get perspective on what's now unfolding in japan. >> on a different note, saving

money and calories at the supermarket. we'll get eat this, not that advice on what's worth the money and where to save. plus speculation over kate middleton's wedding dress isn't the only fashion choice that has britain buzzing. prince william panned for his shoe selection after a lunch date. are they that had? i don't know. >> serious news talking about the nuclear crisis in japan. people living within 12 miles of the fukushima plant have been evacuated. anyone within 19 miles is warned to stay indoors. as savannah mentioned there are 104 nuclear power plants in the united states, some close to major population centers. the indian point plant about 35 miles north of new york city, home to more than 8 million people. approximately 35le miles outside of philadelphia, pennsylvania with a population of a million and a half sits the limerick

generating station. and the waterford steam electric station is 30 miles outside of new orleans which, as we know, is an area vulnerable to hurricanes. how does a nuclear disaster impact the people and environment surrounding a plant? we are live at the sites of three mile island in pennsylvania and chernobyl. beginning with jeff rossen at three mile island. good morning. >> reporter: good morning. the plant is very active. one of the reactors is going this morning with two of the cooling stacks sending steam into the air. we talked to one of the officials here. they supply power at three mile island to 800,000 homes in the northeast, most of them in pennsylvania. back in 1979 when the partial core meltdown happened at three mile island they were ill prepared. they are the first to admit it. no real evacuation plan and a shoddy emergency plan. everything has changed inside while things out here are basically the same. >> we don't know. it was scary.

we knew the alarms had gone off. something happened at the nuclear power plant. >> reporter: it was march 1979, a partial core meltdown at three mile island that shut the plant down and sent radioactive gas into the air, all of it a stone's throw from joan and kenneth's house. >> we had a 5-year-old son to worry about. our concern was to get him out of the area. >> good morning, everyone. some radioactive steam still leaking from a nuclear power plant in pennsylvania. >> reporter: it was a combination of mechanical failure and human error. to this day the most serious power accident in american history. >> you're not finding anything, brian? >> not a thing. >> reporter: believe it or not, no one died. studies show no long-term health issues but there was fallout. americans were scared and for the nuclear power industry the

timing couldn't have been worse. the movie "the china syndrome" was released days before the accident showing a hollywood version of a nuclear meltdown and set the tone for the real world emergency playing out in pennsylvania. >> the biggest concern was can i get back. >> reporter: a presidential order issued sweeping changes at three mile island and the government agency that oversees it. 32 years later officials say it's safe. >> we want people to know we have numerous safety systems here. >> reporter: we are in your backyard here. you are literally in the shadow of this plant. >> correct. >> reporter: make you nervous? >> no. i can't say that it does. we have family and friends that all worked on the island. it was part of our lives. >> reporter: in fact, at the local cafe, we found many of the same people who experienced the accident as kids still live here as adults. >> we don't think about it day

to day. now that this is in the news it makes you wonder what really did happen then and what could happen in the future. >> reporter: you think about it? >> yes. we have iodine pills in our home in case something happens. >> reporter: this is the safest nuclear plant in the country because of the focus before. if i have to live around one, this is the one to live around. >> reporter: here at three mile island it took 12 years and nearly $1 billion to clean up the mess. that was without all the damage, death and carnage from a quake and tsunami. >> experts already saying what we are seeing in japan is worse than three mile island. next month marks the 25th anniversary of chernobyl, the world's worst nuclear accident. michelle kosinski is there. good morning. >> reporter: hi, savannah. chernobyl was the worst nuclear accident in history.

25 years ago next month. to this day there is this 20-mile radius exclusion zone around it. you need special clearance to get back there which they haven't granted us. there is still a higher level of radiation here, but it's diminished enough that ukraine is willing to offer chernobyl as an extreme tourism destination. ov overgrown, eerie, much of it touched only by time since then. april, 1986. russia was slow toed admit that during safety tests one of the chernobyl nuclear reactors overloaded, exploded and melted down. the enormous burst of radiation killed dozens of emergency workers spread across europe. scientists say in the years that followed, despite tspiked the n thyroid cancer cases in the area.

>> currently an area is uninhabitable and may be that way for hundreds of years. >> reporter: it remains a silent specter. the empty schools, abandoned soviet buildings. the amusement park that never amused anyone, set to open days after the disaster. and the aging sarcophogus, is structure built over the area meant to keep radiation inside. but birds fly, flowers bloom. >> radiation levels are on the high side. >> reporter: not silent are the meters that identify radioactive hot spots. this video was captured by our nbc cameras six years ago. >> you can still get in it and go for a ride. >> reporter: even then tourists ventured in and hearty residents moved back to farm. but officials here determined that today the radiation level is low enough to bring people

through on tours to show them the sort of nuclear nowhere that japan is desperate to prevent. at least there, unlike chernobyl, huge protective barriers surround the reactors. >> we are all keeping our fingers crossed and hoping and praying if things take an even greater turn to the worse that these barriers will serve to prevent large releases from occurring. >> reporter: here, what was a paragon of what humans can do -- split the atom to cleanly power our inventions -- has returned to absolute basics. the u.s. nuclear regulatory commission says in this region there is no overall increase in cancer or disease that can be tributed to chernobyl. although there could be 4,000 radiation-related deaths in the future. among hundreds of thousands of people exposed back then. here lies the lonely evidence. poisoned by people, reclaimed by

the earth. in addition to increased tourism, we saw tourists going in today. ukraine wants a bigger containment dome. it will take years to build and will cost around $1 billion. >> michelle kosinski in chernobyl, thank you. now a check of the weather from al. good rning, everybody. as we look out west we've got warm air making its way to the east. rapid city, 24 degrees above od normal. omaha, 20 degrees. wichita, 15. high temperatures, albuquerque at 73. warmer in rapid city. 80 in vegas. almost 90 in phoenix. rest of the country, cool weather hanging around the northern plains into northern new england. 40s and 50s in the northeast. look for a beautiful day. 80 and sunshine in miami. more heavy rain in the pacific

northwest. the system will make its way east causing problems as we get to the beginning of next week. sunshine from the plains down to the gulf coast. >> good morning to you. i think we're going to see a little bit of sunshine today after the showers continue to clear the bay area. right now just a pretty light line of showers moving from livermore down to san jose. you'll find slick conditions because it's been steady overnight. we had rain overnight, rain this morning. a break on the way for today. by 9:00 a.m. a little rain in the north bay. a clear bay area. we're calling it cloudy and breezy today with upper 60s. ay long? go to weather channel on cable or weather.com online. savannah? >> thanks, al. coming up, new photos of prince william and kate leaving a restaurant after a lunch date. first, t message women move the world.anno] move our families forward.

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we're back at 7:43. this morning avoiding pitfalse at the supermarket. you may be paying too much for food that isn't as healthy as you think. some simple swaps can mean big savingses for your wallet and waistline. david, welcome back. >> good morning, matt. >> we're willing to pay good money for healthier food. are companies and supermarkets doing the wrong things or are we making bad choices? >> it's both. supermarkets are full of diet foods that won't help you lose weight and health foods that aren't that he wille think. you can lose a ton of weight and find ways to eat healthier without spending more money. >> you don't want to get wrapped up in catch phrases. start with bread. this is arnold's whole grain

health nut bread. sounds like a healthy choice. you say it's not as healthy as you think. >> you'd be nuts to eat it. 240 calories, a lot of refined flour. so stick with arnold's, move your hand a few feet down. if you grab the bakery light 100% whole wheat you get 80 calories, a third the calories. save your money and nutrients for what's between the bread. and it is 20 cents less expensive per loaf. >> swordfish, a lot of people think it's great. you say, what about halibut? >> exactly. swordfish cuts both ways. you get the high mercury counts which you have to worry about. it's also expensive. it's about $21 per pound, the national average. if you go with something like halibut your talking $10 a

pound. so you're saving 50% of the calories. you have a much lower cost and it's one of the cleanest fish out there. >> onto meat. two cuts of beef. a six-ounce steak, tenderloin and sirloin. same size but a significant difference in price. what's the deal? >> this is a shocking example. everybody says, oh, tenderloin must be great and tender. tender doesn't equal flavor. it just happens that there is not a lot of tender loin cuts on the cow. so this is $17 per pound. if you switch to sirloin which is a steak lover's steak, it's $5.30 per pound. it's a third the cost plus it's lower in calories, fat and saturated fat. >> let's end on this. fruits and vegetables. organic labels, you say it's unnecessary. >> peel off the pesticides.

banana, pine am, avocado, garlic, you don't have to worry. go conventional. worry about the edible skins. if you get peaches, apple, lettuce, pears, go for organic. >> if you're peeling it, go with normal and save money. >> up to 50%. >> david zinczenko, thank you very much. up next, sneakers for a lunch date. the dust-up over what prince william wore on an outing with kate after this. of that hairpiece. you know what this is, cartwright? yes. nicorette mini. you carry them around everywhere. yes, i do carry them everywhere. because cravings are everywhere. no matter where crime takes me, nicorette mini's there, ready to take a craving for me like a real partner. ♪ would you take a craving for me, cartwright? what? how would i take a -- exactly. isn't it weird to eat your partner? don't over think the metaphor, cartwright. [ male announcer ] nicorette mini goes wherever you go, to help make quitting suck less.

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back now at 7:50 with the countdown to the royal wedding. less than 44 days to go until prince william and kate middleton tie the knot. there is a lot of work to be done. anne thompson is at buckingham palace with the details this morning. anne, good morning. >> reporter: good morning. prince william heads to new zealand this week to visit the victims of that country's earthquake. his bride-to-be is staying home to put the finishing touches on their wedding plans. while the world worries about nuclear meltdown, royal watchers are consumed by shoes -- prince william's shoes. actually, the sneakers he wore to lunch with kate middleton at a posh london restaurant with a dress code for dinner. his casual dress panned by critics, compared to his stylishly attired fiance who

dressed for the setting in what one tabloid called a smart brown jacket and elegant brown kittenle heels. kate's fashion choices are a hot commodi commodity. the trench coat she wore sold out in a day. >> whether or not she likes it she'll be a royal clothes horse. whatever she wears girls will copy from hair to makeup and whatever boot she wears. >> reporter: william may not be a slave to fashion but it's played a key role in the royal romance. very nice hat. >> reporter: this fetching number kate wore at a university fashion show is reportedly how she first caught the future king's eye. it's the creation of then student designer charlotte todd. she will put up the dress for auction this week. todd designed it as a skirt. kate wore it as a dress. >> i would like to think i made my mark on the royal

relationship. at the beginning it's exciting. it's the first piece of kate middleton memorabilia to go on sale. it's the most recognizable. >> reporter: until the big day, april 29th. kate's wedding dress and who's designing it are the biggest secrets in england. despite repeated denials the favorite is sarah burton, the woman who has run alexander mcqueen's fashion house since his death. she's designed for the first lady. this is what she showed on the paris catwalk. perhaps not royal material. and the guest list? former flames will sit on both the bride's and groom's side. for those of you who can't afford london's expensive hotel rooms, they are turning a nearby park into a campground where,

for $121, you can pitch a tent for the three-day extravaganza. i think prince william's sneakers would be right at home. >> they would, indeed. that's dedication. anne thompson in london this morning, thanks. >> just ahead, do you compulsively shop and then return the purchases? we'll talk about it after wrour loc -- your local news. or because 90% of all camrys sold since 1995 your -- your local news. are still on the road today. 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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>> good morning to you. it's 7:56. i'm laura garcia-cannon. due to health risks rising in japan the california state exchange students are asked to return to the u.s. csu chancellor said there are too many dangers to allow students to stay in japan. the administrators at san francisco state are working to bring 12 students home. ron understand that his family and friends survived but are waiting for news about radiation exposure. all 23 california state universities are making plans to evacuate their students from japan. pg&e says the public may face health and safety risks if ordered to cut the pressure more on gas lines. pg&e says reducing pressure could cause pilot lights to go out, which could cause gas to

ignite in homes and businesses. pg&e already cut the pressure by 20% on ten gas lines following the san bruno explosion. the utility says it plans to replace or retest 150 miles of pipe within the next year. let's check your forecast with christina. >> good morning to you. seeing a lot of improvements, showers clearing the area. it's gloomy out there, a gloomy start to your wednesday morning. a little lingering activity to the east of livermore now, san jose getting a little bit of rain. everything is expected to clear out before we hit about 11:00 a.m., lingering activity in the north bay at 9:00 a.m. today cloudy and breezy. 69 is the forecasted high in los gatos. we're starting out so warm with our temperatures in the 50s, we'll be able to reach the 60s before all is said and done with breezy conditions throughout the day. tomorrow we're staying top of the morning to a mostly cloudy sky. 63 in the afternoon. >> the earlier accident and the rain sticking around through the

livermore valley. that caused all of this slowing so very slow in through livermore out of the altamont pass. this volume of traffic making its way to the dublin interchange. and 680 slow out of concord for 24 an earlier accident around and caused the slowing toward the caldecott tunnel. a slow maze approach. the toll plaza t backup builds. we've seen things get more crowded at the the toll plaza. low clouds and wet roads hovering around. >> thank you very much. thank you for joining us. local news update, we'll have another in about a half hour.

we're back now. 8:00 on a wednesday morning. 16th day of march, 2011. spring doesn't officially begin until sunday. as you can see, we've got the spring showers here in new york this morning. our thanks to these people hanging out under umbrellas with us and getting soggy. i'm matt lauer along with savannah guthrie. meredith is taking some time for an assignment. we'll be finding out more about that tomorrow. al roker joins us as well. are we covering everybody here? coming up we'll talk about breaking a cycle when it comes to shopping. >> a lot of us can relate.

you go to the mall, buy stuff, get it home and think, i'd better return it. some people have a chronic buy and return problem. how can you tell if it's something more serious? we'll get into that. >> and celine dion kicked off her big las vegas show last night, just a couple months after giving birth to her twins. a lot of pressure on this. a lot of people hope this will help save the flagging economy in las vegas. she and jenna bush hager spent time. i understand they even did some singing. you may want to hide the dogs and cats. >> jenna's going on the road with her, on tour. >> great. >> later on, if you were at a restaurant, if you didn't think you were getting your money's worth, would you say something? >> i probably just wouldn't go back. >> i wouldn't do anything about it. >> we have hidden cameras. we'll show you what some diners did when they thought they were getting ripped off. >> lots to get to.

let's go inside. natalie morales is at the news desk. good morning to you. >> good morning to you once again. japan is resorting to desperate measures to contain radiation from a crippled nuclear power plant. lester holt is in tokyo this morning. good morning, lester. >> reporter: good morning. the last line of defense of the workers trying to cool with sea water the reactors. today a scare as they had to back off. a surge of radiation so intense they had to back off for a while. they were eventually let back in. attempts to water drop from helicopters also proved futile today. there was another explosion at the number 4 plant today. it was the number 2 letting off the radioactive steam. officials continue to say the levels are not harmful outside the exclusion zone. my team and i were about 40 kilometers from the plant. as you know, many people at the plant area have been scanned

with geiger counters. we underwent the same thing in tokyo. an nbc conal sul tant took a counter and checked us head to toe. none of us had radio active ti on our hair or body but when they checked our shoes they found something. here's what they found. [ beeping ] >> is that a good thing or bad? >> that's a bad thing. >> reporter: i'm told that bad thing was micro revels of radioactivity. it's nothing -- we were told -- that's harmful to us. but we were in an area with radioactivity. he suspected it was probably on the ground and our feet kicked up the dust. but those geiger counters are popular in japan as people worry about health and safety.

>> do keep safe there, lester. we appreciate the reporting from tokyo. meanwhile the radiation released in japan is causing a spike in demand here for potassium iodide pills along the coast of the u.s. and canada. health experts say they only protect against thyroid cancer and say the risk now is only in japan. now for a check on the economy and how it is reacting to the ongoing crisis in japan. for the latest, we go to erin burnett at the new york stock exchange. the nikkei made a huge recovery. how will that bode for markets today? >> it was up about 6%. we are well below where we were before the earthquake on friday. the issue not here in the u.s. it will be lack of clarity. the ceo of hewlett-packard said their plant is up and running but a lot of plants aren't. it's that uncertainty that's royaling markets here. the u.s. markets looking les at the fear. japan counts for only 3% of u.s.

exports. watch oil. we are up nearly $2. back to you. >> thank you very much, erin. we'll be watching. officials from the transportation security administration will testify before congress about radiation from airport body scanners. the tsa insists the scanners are safe but has agreed to retest them after maintenance records showed radiation levels higher than expected. the senate is taking up a short-term spending bill passed on tuesday that keeps the federal government running for another three weeks. work on a long-term budget is dead-locked. on your marks, get set, the race is on for tickets to the 2012 london olympics. more than 6 million tickets went on sale tuesday. meantime, workers have fixed london's olympic countdown clock which stalled tuesday, just a day after its unveiling. it's back up and running. don't worry. the olympics will go off as planned in 2012. back to al now with a check of the weather.

>> we are hanging out with our friends. you're headed to the navy? good luck. let's check your weather and show you. we have columbia, south cali,na m,tly sunny, mild. you can see a big storm moving out. storms in the midwest. in between, everything looking good. sunny skies, temperatures in the 50s in the plains. gulf coast to texas. windy through southern california, but nice and mild. good morning to you, bay area. well, we had a really slick start. things are starting to dry out with showers subsiding, only a little bit of lingering activity east of livermore. the only action will be in the north bay. by 11:00, a clear bay area. 64 in redwood city, and 65 degrees for you in san francisco. now, tomorrow is a holiday.

i think you'll enjoy the osather. overall looking mostly cloudy. then on friday, big-time system pushes in. possible flooding. and that's your latest weather, matt? >> thank you very much. when we come back, are you a compulsive shopper? how to break the cycle of and returning. we'll get to that after this. those of us who know grass doesn't turn green just because the calendar says to. and that a big difference can grow from a small budget. for those of us with grass on our sneakers... dirt on our jeans... and a lawn that's as healthy as our savings... the days are about to get a whole lot greener. ♪ more saving. more doing. that's the power of the home depot. we're lowering the cost of flexing our green thumbs. this mulch is just $4.97. [ male announcer ] our 16 fresh-picked oranges have a new home. tropicana pure premium now comes in a clear bottle so you can see how much goodness is squeezed inside. ♪ good morning tropicana. the world's best juice never looked better.

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>> i will buy multiple, wake up in the morning and not remember buying them. >> reporter: we all take back an occasional sweater or two, but some people are chronic returners or shopping bulimics. >> it's someone who shops to excess. it's a real high for people to buy whatever they want. and then to be able to return whatever they want. it's like the ultimate shopping without the consequences of incurring the debt. >> reporter: 27-year-old janine edwards admits to binge and purge shopping sprees. >> i am guilty of shopping bulim bulimia. i buy more than i should and later feel guilty and send the majority of it back. >> reporter: with online stores offering free shipping and returning -- it's never been easier to send it back.

>> you can return for free. there is a label in the package. we make it easy for you. >> you order the shoe in every size and color. you get it in your house, try it on with the clothes you have already. the ones you like, you keep. the ones you don't, send back. no sweat off your back. >> is there any harm in buying now and returning later? >> when you're getting into buying all sorts of things that you really can't afford that are useless items and then you're spending all of your time purging them, i think there may be a real clinical issue. >> i do think that it encourages people to spend more frivolously. on the same hand, if it occurs to you a week later, i really don't need this or i don't have room for this, you have that flexibility to take it back and remove the guilt from yourself. >> reporter: so you can shop until you drop. just make sure you save your receipt.

for "today," contessa brewer, nbc news, new york. >> how do you break the cycle? jean chatzky is "today's" financial editor. robby ludword is a psychotherapist. gene, i'm sure people are thinking, if i can get my money back is this a financial concern? >> it's a time concern. they say time is money and they are right. if you are spending hours on this, you really have to ask yourself what else could i be doing? could i make money in that time? what's this costing me? >> so many people relate. when does it go to the next level of being a problem? >> first of all, if you're using a lot of time looking at sites and returning, if you're lying basically about using something and lying in order to get those returns. some people in extreme cases will even damage products in order to say, i got something that isn't right in order to

return it. >> what's the psychology? are people getting a high? >> yes. >> shopping feeds the same part of your brain as sex and chocolate. >> it's endorphins, dopamine and you feel like the person you want to be which is big. you can live this big lifestyle even, in fact, if you can't. >> how much of a concern is it for the retail industry? on one hand they are making returns even easier to do all the time. >> they know people aren't returning every single thing they buy. a lot of those merchants have said, this is not all that bad for business. >> and people who buy and return and people buy, wear it and then return. isn't that a form of stealing? >> that's a little fraudulent. the stores have tried to say, if you cut off the tags you cannot send it back. >> with a few seconds left you say shop with a friend. ask yourselfle why you're doing it. limit purchases and returns and

don't buy without trying on. >> and ask yourself, what mood are you trying to get rid of? most likely you are trying to have a certain feeling. are you trying to get rid of boredom, depression, anxiety? those are things to look into. maybe there is another healthier way of dealing with those issues. >> all right. great to have you here. thank you. coming up, jenna bush hager catches up with celine dion to talk about her new anegas show and twin boys after this. approad is to keep it whole for better nutrition. and that's what they do with great grains cereal. see the seam on the wheat grain? same as on the flake. because great grains steams and bakes the actual whole grain. now check out the other guy's flake. hello, no seam. because it's more processed. now, which do you suppose has better nutrition for you? mmm. great grains. the whole whole grain cereal. 8 hours of sleep is great, when you can get it. new almay wake-up makeup.

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the pop diva's new performance is reminiscent of old vegas glamour, channelling the days of frank sinatra. ♪ >> reporter: it's celine's return engagement after her last show virtually sold out its entire five-year run at caesar's palace. [ cheers and applause ] >> reporter: what is it like being back on stage? >> a little crazy. it's a lot of work. it's intense. when i came back from the hospital after giving birth to my twin boys, i couldn't imagine myself on stage at this point. ♪ good night my angels >> reporter: twins eddie and nelson were born in october. >> i really try to pace myself. when you start a new project it's overwhelming, especially when you breastfeed your kids.

>> reporter: two. twins. >> but it's all that i wanted. i wanted to be a mother again. now i'm three times a mother. >> reporter: it wasn't easy. ten years ago, celine and husband renee had their first son r.c. and then went through six disappointing rounds of fertility treatments. >> i believe that every time it didn't work for my pregnancy i thought the two angels that were supposed to be mine, they were not there yet. so when it didn't work for me, it's not that i lost an angel or i lost a pregnancy or ale child was not born. a child was not ready to come in my life. it was just not ready. that's my way for me to cope with being disappointed. >> reporter: mm-hmm. >> it's hard. >> reporter: for months after the twins were born this was

celine at the oscars. >> i heard some people were like, oh, my god, she had twins and all that. >> reporter: you look amazing. was there exercise or you just shrunk back into your beautiful self? >> i'm very fortunate to shrink back. i do about four minutes of cardio. i have a bike in my room. >> reporter: four minutes? >> i don't do much. >> reporter: you have to do an exercise dvd. that's amazing. maybe this is the secret to celine-ercise. >> you only do a short workout but you wear this thing. you don't need to work out. >> that's the secret. wear heavy clothing. >> reporter: i love the dedication you gave to michael jackson. >> he did change my life in a way. >> reporter: he inspired you to learn english. >> very much so.

that's the reason i went to school to learn english. ♪ [ cheers and applause ] >> reporter: you don't sing at home much except for in one place. >> for sure the place i love the most is the shower. the acoustics in the shower is the greatest. >> reporter: i like to sing in the shower. in my case it's because nobody wants to hear me. >> the shower makes you sound good. >> reporter: one of your songs is my favorite. ♪ it's all coming back >> try this. ♪ all coming back ♪ all coming back to me now ♪ if you scrub me like this ♪ and you scrub me like that >> reporter: you just made my life. ♪ we'll stay forever this way >> reporter: i have traveled all over the world. one of the things that i love is the theme song from "titanic." you can be anywhere in the world and that will come on the radio.

[ celine vocalizing ] >> to be part of a classic is rare. if i have to be remembered as the person who sang "titanic," that's great. for my kids. i don't want them to remember me as my mom who sang that song. i want them to be proud of me as their mom. >> reporter: las vegas is betting big on celine hoping shele eel help the city recover from the recession. in fact, projections are the show will bring 3% more tourism. she said she's a mom first and her schedule revolves around her son r.c.'s school breaks. >> cool. >> can you scrub up for us? >> i could climb under that table. >> take us to commercial singing a little of that. >> i thought you said you wanted to sing it. >> it's all coming back to you

now. >> on the way out. ♪ it's all -- come on, guys! >> we'll be right back after your local news and weather. if you scrub me like this --♪ good morning to you. 8:26 right now. i'm laura garcia-cannon. a monitoring radioactivity in the atmosphere to see if and when it will hit california, and the bay area. most scientists agree the amount of radiation that makes its way to california will be small. but the environmental protection agency is not taking any chances when it comes to radiation. it's sending new electronic radiation monitors to the west coast. they detect gamma radiation and radioactive particles. there are already 124 monitors in place, including 12 in california and 2 in hawaii. one is in san francisco, others

are in san jose, sacramento, los angeles and in san diego. it's 8:26 rigow.

good wednesday morning to you. a lot of improvement in the weather department. mostly cloudy conditions over most of the bay area. spotty activity pushing to the east of san jose and over the bay bridge right now. overall we're looking towards a nice second half of the day, with lingering activity up to the north bay.

temps in the 60s. >> what we have a slow drive approaching that bay bridge. 880 shift now, an accident near 92. and past 84, another accident. and through the area northbound, past the coliseum, things are starting to build up for the typical 8:00 to 8:30 buildup. thank you very much, mike. more local news in half an hour.

[ cheers and applause ] 8:30 now on a wednesday morning, the 15th day of march, 2011. as you can see by the umbrellas, we have inclement weather in new york. what our team has liked to call a light mist which is actually a driving rain, but when you're in the warm control room you can call it anything you want to

call it. >> exactly. >> we like a fine wine with it. >> exactly. out on the plaza, matt lauer along with salve grut while meredith is on assignment. joined by natalie morales and al roker as well. would you say you're the type to stick up for yourself? >> no. >> yes. absolutely. >> yes? >> depends on the situation. >> you're in a restaurant, natalie, since you say you stick up for yourself. you get a portion and it's clearly not enough for the money you're paying. you would complain? >> not so much for that. [ laughter ] >> if it tasted good. if it wasn't cooked the way i wanted it. >> you would make a stink as opposed to not just going back to the restaurant? >> i would not go back as well. >> you wouldn't make a stink. no you wouldn't. anyway, we took hidden cameras to a local restaurant and put people to the test to find out if they stand up for their rights. >> and a guy's guide to infertility. a lot of books and

recommendations are directed at women. so the son of neil sedaka, mark, wrote a book about the experience of his wife. it ends well. >> and mark bittman is here, one of our favorites, with a classic which he guarantees you can make. it's a roasted chicken with vegetables. it's a no-fail recipe. >> very cool. >> he found a way to make the breast meat and leg meat come out cooked evenly. >> i love the recipe. time for the brackets. not the sweet 16, but for esquire's sexiest woman alive madness. in the first bracket, we have kathie lee and hoda going up against sofia vergara. i know who i'm voting for. i love me some kathie lee and

hoda. they're going down. sorry. >> now 95%. they got a shoutout. keep it going. kathie lee and hoda. come on. >> that's a little like duke taking on nor walk community college. isn't it? >> david versus goliath. >> good luck! al, a check of the weather. >> i sure do. sofia vergara. >> no! >> as we check the pacific northwest. mountain snows, heavy rain in the southeast. windy in southern california. tomorrow, record highs in the central plains. more rain in the pacific northwest. sunny and cool in the northeast. nice and mild through the midatlantic states as we head for friday. we're talking temperatures around 70 degrees in the northeast. we're talking about temperatures near 70 degrees today. good morning to you at home. our temps are going to be able

to come up. we do have a little bit of lingering activity. it's starting to fizz will out. maybe light showers coming down in the east bay for the next half hour. the sun will be out after that. breaks of sunshine throughout the day warming us up to about 66 degrees. for tomorrow, looks like st. paddy's day could see a few rain drops. mostly cloudy. 63 degrees. big rainmaker on friday. don't forget. you can get your weather day or night on weather channel on cable or weather.com -- sofia vergara. >> come on. do you fight for your rights if you don't get your money's worth at a restaurant? you may be surprised what we found on hidden camera. first this is "today" on nbc.

this morning on "today's consumer" we begin a special series called would you fight

for your rights? so armed with a hidden camera we tried out different scenarios to see if and how customers complained. >> our first stop was a famous manhattan eatery in midtown manhattan. we pulled a fast one to see how customers would react to less than stellar circumstances. fresco by scotto is a popular new york city restaurant known for good food and big portions, but not today. with the help of manager john and owner marion, we had the kitchen significantly reduce portions to see how many diners would fight for their rights. it didn't take long for these guys to feel they were being shorted with the bread basket. >> can you spare some bread? >> can you splurge a little? >> they call over the manager, john scotto. >> why did they bring us three pieces of bread?

>> i'm sorry. the bread is tasty. did you taste it? >> we didn't get any. >> the pizza, a favorite, was served today. the size of a cracker. the men weren't happy. >> wow. >> that's the pizza? >> reporter: the manager stopped by again, but this time, no comment. >> i'm all about customer service. >> i can tell. >> reporter: when dinner comes, they let it all out. >> you've got to be kidding me. >> reporter: not satisfied they go over the manager's head and ask for his superior, marion. >> look at the size of his portion and look at this. >> just look. >> whatever. i've got to leave. >> it's delicious. >> thank you. >> thank you very much. we've got to go. >> i'll take the check. >> reporter: we jumped in before it got any worse.

i'm janice lieberman from nbc's "today" show. are you enjoying the meal? >> wasn't much to eat. >> reporter: did you complain? >> no results. >> reporter: we're doing a report to see if you would fight for your rights. >> we don't want to be rude, but it is not an inexpensive restaurant. we're going home starving. >> what do you want? >> good service, good food. >> reporter: n >> now do we get a real meal? >> reporter: bring on the food, scotto's! another customer also noticed something was wrong and spoke up. >> you know, the my -- >> reporter: when her dish arrived with a ravioli, she didn't hold back. >> i was here a couple months ago. >> it was bigger? >> everything was. >> if you like i can get you another ravioli. >> i'm so disappointed. this is one of my favorite restaurants. you know what, take this. i'm not happy.

take this off my bill. >> reporter: time to reveal the experiment. i'm janice lieberman with "today" show. >> i knew it. i love this restaurant. i come here so much. i'm like, what is happening? >> reporter: we're doing a series called "would you fight for your rights." do you think you fought enough? >> i think so. i asked them to take it away. >> reporter: you weren't planning to pay for it? >> definitely not. no. >> reporter: you guys are entitled to full portions on the house. >> oh! >> i'm so relieved. >> reporter: our last diners were disappointed about the portion sizes, but said nothing. >> here comes the good stuff. syst >> is there another round? >> i'll take you to burger king later. >> thanks. >> reporter: the manager went to check on the table. still, no complaints. >> how is the lamb chop? cooked to your liking? >> it's excellent.

>> that was a big one. >> reporter: they do talk about the portions amongst themselves. >> looks like the appetizer portion. >> we like customers to take their time between bites and chew it thoroughly. >> reporter: still not a word to manager. >> not gaining weight tonight. >> reporter: even when we stepped in the diners still hesitated to complain. so tell me, how did you enjoy your meal? >> it was wonderful, good. >> reporter: what about the portion size? >> well -- >> the food was very good. >> okay. >> reporter: i want a real answer. why didn't you complain? >> i'm not a complaining kind of guy. >> reporter: you only got one chop. >> exactly. i'm not going to negotiate another chop at dinner. >> reporter: why not? >> i'm just not coming back. that's all. >> reporter: oh, we did a little experiment to see if you would fight for your rights. >> are you kidding me? janice! you are a tricky woman. >> reporter: do you think you can stuff in a few more chops?

>> yes! thank you. enjoy. mange! thanks to the folks at fresco and the diners who were good sports about our eaves dropping. >> you have to be a good sport. what choice did they have? what is the correct way to fight for your rights? let's bring in new york times social cues columnist phil galanas. you think people should complain? >> absolutely. other than starting a food fight in the restaurant, the best thing to do is start speaking up really fast. >> quickly. get in there. >> quickly. >> how important is tone when you complain? >> that's the biggest thing of all. people are just more likely to want to help you if you are being polite and reasonable about it. it's just a portion. so it's not like iraq is being invaded. explain what's going on in a nice tone of voice. >> to the waiter or the manager? >> i always start with the

waiter. 9 times out of 10 the waiter takes it back to the kitchen and fixes you right up. if it doesn't work, don't be polite like the third people who suffered through the bad meal. say, may i speak with a manage snr he really wants you to be happy. he wants you to come back and buy another meal there. >> they don't like turning people away unhappy. >> right. >> you can write to the restaurant and if you really don't get satisfaction -- >> go to one of the review sites like open table or trip adviser. that's like a revenge is best served coldle kind of situation. >> we decided here that the first two groups of people were new yorkers. the last group were from out of town, clearly. janice, interesting. >> great fun. >> good to have you here. up next, a guy's guide to the trials and tribulations of infertility. mark sedaka and his wife s

back now at 8:45. this morning on "parenting today" infertility advice for men. more than 6 million american couples have difficulty conceiving and most of the information is geared to women. now there is a guy's guide to infertility called "what he can expect when she's not expecting." comedy writer marc sedaka is here with his wife samantha. good morning. >> hi. >> you had a six-year journey to try to get pregnant. samantha, ultimately you did it through gestational sur ga si. explain. >> we took our embryo and placed it into a surrogate. >> a womb for rent. >> ended up with our twin girls. and can i tell -- >> tell the happy ending. >> everything was great. five weeks before the girls

turned 2 we found out we were pregnant and had a baby boy. >> it's actually somewhat of a common occurrence. people may recognize this last name. you're neil sedaka's son. >> that's papa neil to our children. >> the famous singer. did that enter into your decision to go public with your story? >> oh, god. not at all. infertility doesn't discriminate. we were just another couple trying december ratley to have kids. we spent almost seven years doing this. in that time there were no books i could find for husbands going through this with their wives. we wanted to write a book for a guy, written bay guy. >> in fact, you say in the process -- and everyone goes through the process in the family -- you said it's almost like the invisible man dynamic. explain. >> it is. it's a woman's issue, so to speak. she had to go through the procedures, the tasks. a guy doesn't know what to do, what to say, how to act through it. those are the tips i wanted to

impart in the book. >> samantha, not that we want to telltales on marc, but i suppose there were high and low points in terms of your relationship and how he tried to comfort you. what stands out maybe as something what not to do? >> oh, i can tell you a lot. >> a lot of what not to do. >> marc writes in the book there are ten things not to do. i can give you three that stand out in my mind. never start a sentence with "my mother thinks." not the best thing to do. another thing he says in the book is -- he didn't -- in general, you're still young. we have time. >> the big one is it's not my fault, right? there is no fault. that's something i would like to impart to husbands in the book. you have to share it. >> marc, you are a comedy writer as well. this has a nice touch. you say you have a scale called si psycho 1 to 10. things you could say to set her off emotionally. what do you put at the top of the scale?

>> just not to be involved is the worst thing you can do. to just ignore the problem. a lot of times the woman in the situation won't really communicate as much as she should. it's up to the guy to do it. >> and not to report everyone else's pregnancy. >> that's a big thing. >> and you said something i thought was very profound in the book. you said, men, you have to understand what it's like for a woman. not that they just would like to have a baby. all women are kind of parents without a child. it's that profound. >> it is. that's what we were dealing with. i like to say men want kids, women need kids. >> it's a powerful personal story and a happy ending. good advice. >> thank you. >> find an excerpt of the book on our website, today.com. up next, a new twist on the classic roast chicken dinner. first this is "today" on nbc. [ male announcer ] it's 2011 and everything is different.

different jobs... ♪ ...different challenges. ♪ different opportunities. ♪ so why would universities stay the same? ♪ university of phoenix, because an educated world is a better world.

this morning on how to cook everything, a new twist on a classic, roast chicken. mark bittman is here with a recipe that accounts for the difference in cooking time between the legs and the breasts and has a great outcome. he's a new york times columnist and the author of "how to cook everything." good morning. >> hi, matt. >> you wrote about the recipe the result is a whole bird meal that takes a bit more time and

effort than a simple roast chicken but offers an outcome a little short of mind blowing. >> mind blowing. >> you guarantee this recipe. >> if this doesn't work, mail it to me. i will send you your money back. >> i will give you mark's home address at tend of the segment. how does this account for the cooking time? >> first, separate the legs and breasts. also, we use everything. >> you could buy a whole chicken and cut it up or buy parts. >> you can do either. we're going to take the skin which comes off the leg hopefully in one piece like that. >> nice. that's easier than i thought. >> we roast the skin and turn it into crispy. maybe not the most appealing thing at 8:30 a.m., but crispy chicken skin croutons. >> you rendered the fat there. >> right. the skin we'll use in a salad or a garnish, snack, whatever. >> then you put the breasts,

skin side up? >> down first. first brown the legs. >> right. >> then the breasts. we take the breasts out and we do this in either olive oil or the fat that's rendered from the skins. >> okay. >> now we have a beautiful chicken fat in here. we're just going to dump in -- this is time consuming. >> this is sunday dinner, not tuesday night dinner. >> definitely. it takes time. >> start to finish, what are we talking about here? >> got to be two hours. >> a lot of it is you're not there. you can leave the kitchen for a while. >> carrots and what else? >> carrots, cellery, leeks, mushrooms. this is nbc. some thyme and rosemary. all of that cooks until it softens in the chicken fat or olive oil. >> can you leave it alone or does it need constant attention? >> this part takes ten minutes. >> fine. pretend it's ten minutes later.

we made a stock from the bones with the chicken -- with the bones from the chicken. >> right. >> that will go in here after this is cooked down a little bit. what do we call this? make believe? >> that's okay. we do that around here. >> but the legs will sit in that. >> and they are going down -- >> beautiful, beautiful melange -- >> are they going down lower because they have to cook longer? >> they are half submerged in the liquid. we cook them slowly in an oven for an hour or so and this part you can walk away. they become -- well, you can see here. they become really, really tender. they absorb a lot of the juices. >> i think we missed -- when did the breasts go in? >> these cook for, say, an hour. when they look like that, the breasts go back on top. >> okay. >> we raise the heat in the oven. the recipe will be on the website. >> it's complicated but you say

it's worth it. >> it's one step after another. when the breasts are done, they tend to -- you know, we keep them from overcook. they are crisp, remain moist inside and the legs are this beautiful really tender, beautiful meat with our fantastic -- at this point the vegetables will be cooking for an hour and a half or so and the flavor is incredible. >> okay. and the most important part here, this is guaranteed. >> guaranteed. >> or your money back. >> let's try it. >> going to take his time. >> we learned about natalie this morning she will complain if she doesn't like it. >> she will? unlike you. you just -- >> bad mouth you for a week. >> i like it when al tastes first. he doesn't complain. >> that's true. >> go ahead, al. >> sann va? go ahead.

>> thank you very much. we're back after your local news. i was driving in northern california. my son was asleep. i really didn't see it coming. i didn't realize i was drifting into the other lane. [ kim ] i was literally falling asleep at the wheel. it got my attention, telling me that i wasn't paying attention. i had no idea the guy in front of me had stopped short. but my car did. -my car did. -thankfully, my mercedes did. [ male announcer ] a world you can't predict... demands a car you can trust. the e-class. see your authorized mercedes-benz dealer for exceptional offers through mercedes-benz financial services. good morning to you. it is 8:56 right now. i'm laura garcia-cannon. the national laboratory, a monitoring activity in the atmosphere to see if and when it will hit california. and the bay area. most scientists agree the amount of radiation that makes its way to california will be small. in the meantime, the wind has

shifted in japan, blowing towards tokyo, where radiation has been detected. let's check our forecast right now. >> good morning to you, laura. we're getting finished with the showers for today, which is good news. because we're going to see a really nice second half of the day. we'll climb to 66 degrees. 63 degrees for st. paddy's day. temperatures right around 42 degrees top of the morning. a big rainmaker on the way to the bay area and our temperatures are going to fall to the 50s. >> time to get the green out. thank you so much for joining us. it's not that the easy days, are what keep me coming back for more. and the customer says, on the carpet." what? gonna be difficult. don't tell me about a dog. a day care full of kids, house chickens. call a day's work. call 1-800-steemer

we're back now with more of "today" on a wednesday morning, the and we're back now with more "today" on this wednesday morning, march 16th, 2011. dreary day here in new york city. much of the east coast facing rain today. hopefully that moves out and actually i've heard rumors about various temperatures by tomorrow and especially friday. 70 degrees here. rumors are true. >> true. >> i love that. i'm matt lauer along with al roker and savannah guthrie. savannah is helping us out. update on japan, the country that is reeling from the devastation and aftermath of the

massive earthquake and tsunami and now the nuclear power crisis. we're going to go to ann who is in acquita, japan, for the latest. >> we're going to find out what's going on in japan may actually impact your savings and retirement investment here. panel of experts are here for that and other questions about your money financial emergencies like how much money should you keep on hand in anticipation of a job loss and what debts should you pay off now rather than later. we're going to get advice on today's money 911. what to do if your kid wants to quit an activity. i remember my mom saying, practice that piano. when is the right time and what are the right reasons a child should be allowed to give up an activity? also ahead, the royal wedding. we are counting down the days to the marriage of prince william and kate middleton and one lucky "today" show viewer will get to go to london during all the pomp and circumstance. we're going to meet our three finalists. and then it's up to you to vote. >> is that like the three

stooges? almost like a popeye. >> a little hollywood in that particular video. let's go to the news desk. natalie is filling in while ann is away. >> good morning, everybody. the crisis in gentleman nan the deepening as the island nation's emperor called for his people not to abandon hope. nbc's ann curry is there with the latest on the disaster and its aftermath. good morning. >> natalie, anywhere now the nuclear threat has everyone concerned in the japan, even in the east tsunami evacuation center where's people are largely cut off from the news because the electricity is out. word of mouth is spreading awareness about the drama of fukushima. it's slowing the movement of international humanitarian aid because they are right between tokyo and the area hardest hit by the quake and the tsunami. to make matters work the quake and tsunami victims are getting pounded now with freezing rain and snow. at night, many are in

dangerousdangerou dangerously cold conditions without heat, food and water. that's especially dangerous for the elderly. akita now could be an alternative route for aid to come in because the airport here is open. >> that ann curry in akita this morning. in the wake of the crisis nations in europe are planning to stress test on all of their 143 nuclear power plants of their own. the eu energy commissioner agreed to back voluntary tests tuesday as a move to improve safety standards in all 27 member states. meantime, germany became the first nation to shut seven of its oldest nuclear reactors pending better risk assessment. security forces in bahrain unleashed a wave of violence on protesters driving them from the capital's pearl square and killing at least two people. the king has declared a state of emergency there, allowing soldiers to more freely bow the anti-monarchy unrest. it was unclear whether or not the 2,000 troops dispatched from saudi arabia and other arab

countries were part of that assault. u.s. secretary of state hillary clinton went to egypt's long time leader mubarak. she called her tour of square thrilling. she's there to encourage democracy. top u.s. commander in afghanistan says the u.s. is on track to pull troops from that country in july. general david petraeus testified on tuesday that the taliban has lost much of its momentum on the battlefield. the american cia contractor detained in pakistan on murder charges has reportedly been released this morning. a regional law minister said he was pardoned by the families who he says he killed in self-defense in exchange for compensation. no word on who paid them. 14 suspected pirates pleaded not guilty tuesday. the kidnapping two american couples who were later found shot to death. the victim's yacht was hijacked off yum men last month. the suspects were captured by

the u.s. navy. seven pro-union demonstrators were arrested a the tennessee state capitol on tuesday. well, the girls just go crazy for justin bieber. even if he's looking a little bit glazed over these days. the teen idol's wax replica was unveiled tuesday on madame tussauds right here on new york city. it shows him with the trademark swoop of bangs, prehair cut, i guess, which real or not, his fans kept help running their fingers through it. that's about as close as they will get, i guess. it's five past the hour. let's go back to matt and savannah. >> what does it do to the wax figure after people touch it. >> i think it's safe for now. >> natalie, thank you very much. >> i notice the hair doesn't move on the real justin bieber or the wax replica. >> it's gone now. completely hacked off. let's get a check of the weather from al. >> your wax statue has been pawed quite a bit.

>> have you seen mine lately? doesn't even resemble me. >> it's been melted down, actually, into a big candle. we've got nice folks out here hanging out. it's a 75th anniversary. how do i say your last name? >> nunawa. >> you have a donation for united way. >> we're very proud to announce a donation of over a million pounds of food for the united states and to -- to tsunami victims in japan. and we're partnering with the united way to distribute food throughout the united states and the north 75th day of the year on the 75th anniversary. >> that's terrific. thanks for doing it. all your supporters out here. appreciate it. let's check your weather, see what's going on. we'll show you. here in the northeast, a lot of rain. don't need the radar to see that. icy mix moving into the northeast. rainfall amounts generally half an inch to an inch in some local spots which could cause xser bait some of the flooding in the northeast. the pacific northwest, a

powerful storm comes onshore. half inch of rain along the coast. anywhere from 6 to 12 good morning to you. well, i've got good news. the rain is definitely clearing the area. we're going to see a really nice second half of the day, just a little bit of spotty activity now. to the west of danville. as we head throughout the afternoon, showers clear by about 11:00 a.m. temps end up in the 60s with a few breaks of sunshine throughout the day. 65 in fremont. and 65 for the city by the bay. a little chillier for your st. patrick's day. rain arrives friday. and that's your latest weather. now let's go back in to and that's your latest weather. now let's go back in to natalie. >> all right. get dry, al. thank you. now to today's money 911, where we answer your financial questions.

today's financial editor is also the author of "money 911." melissa lee hosts cnbc's "fast money" and "psyche yourself rich" which i try to do every day. good morning to you. first up, jean, i've got to ask you about the situation in japan and how this might impact just the average investor here in america who is invested in the stock market, the 401(k) plans. is it having any impact thus far? >> well, what we saw today was the markets in japan actually come back. and i think that's very indicative. you're going to see more volatility because we're not just watching japan. we're watching what's going on in the middle east. we're watching the housing market here in the united states. and so it's a really good reason that you put your long-term money into the stock market because you can ride those ups and downs out. but if you have short-term money it just doesn't belong there. >> stay the course, if you're in it for the long haul. let's get to some of our great questions. we have a caller on the line for us this morning. holly from california.

good morning to you, holly. what's your question for your p panel? >> my question is i suspectly be laid off soon. i estimate the severance will be about $10,000. we have $17,000 in credit card debt, along with two car payments, mortgage, and two teenage kids. should i apply all of my severance to the credit card? it has an apr of 12% and we do not have anything in savings. >> holly, do you know when this next round of layoffs may happen? i'm sorry to hear about that. >> yeah. no, it could be sometime this year. it could be in a couple of months. it could be in the next eight months. >> so, jean, holly has a couple of months to prepare. i guess that's key. >> it's really key. and, no, holly you don't want to take all of your savings and throw them against your credit card debt because you may need to live on those savings. what i want you to do is start now and save as much as you can. put some additional money to pay down the credit card debt but keep that savings up because

you're really lucky that you know that this may come down the road. you may also want to just start looking for a job. >> i have. i have. you know, the market out there is -- >> i know. >> not easy. good luck to you, holly. we're wishing you the best. >> thank you. >> next we've got an e-mail question. my grandson is a sophomore in high school. where can we find out about legitimate grants and scholarships for college? >> congratulations, because it is great to start early, looking for some of these scholarships and grants. there's a lot of money out there. the key thing to remember is that you should not pay money to find the money. if you're paying the money it's probably a scam. there are a couple of great websites. fastweb.com and the college board has a great website where you can find some grants and scholarship money. >> we all rely on this guy mark who runs fastweb.com. he published an e-book, cheap, $6. secrets to getting scholarships. go right there.

>> go to the source. >> you don't have on the a straight a student. be a great student who wants to go to college. there are tons of scholarships for everybody. >> we have garrett from homedale, new jersey, joining us. good morning to you, garrett. what's your question for our ladies here? >> good morning. the question is, i'm currently on dialysis and my wife and i live on one income. because of that we've racked up some credit card debt and we've worked really hard to get that down. and we've stopped all savings to get that paid. we were down to about $7,000 in credit card debt. we also have $10,000 between a money market, roth ira and savings. my question would be, because of our situation, would it be advisable to take the 7 out of that 10 and pay that off? >> garrett has a great question, especially given his medical condition. >> garrett, first of all, congratulations paying down that

debt as well as you can. do not touch your savings. you said it. i think you answered that question, you said you have health concerns. i can sense from what you're telling me that you feel sometimes that money is a tight situation. you feel broke sometimes. that savings is for you for an emergency. but here's some tips. go back to your credit card statements. there is new disclosure now that the credit cards companies to have tell you exactly what you need to do, pay every month to be out of debt in that card in three years' time or less. that may be more aggressive than what you're used to. three years is tangible. see what you can do. the closer you can pay off that debt in three years, i think that's going to be your solution. do not touch your savings because you may need that. that's for you. you deserve that savings. >> you need that in case of emergencies and especially given the medical situation. next we have a caller on the line. angie from new york, pennsylvania. good morning, angie. >> good morning. >> what would you like to ask our ladies? >> well, my husband and i would like to move into a bigger house

with some moreland atta land at it. mid 30s. make over $100,000 per year and have very little debt. we bought our house about eight years ago for $121,000 and we owe $81,000 on it now. we put our house on the market for $185,000. we both have 401(k)s equally $100,000 and we have $20,000 in savings. we're thinking we're probably going to have to spend between $275,000 and $300,000 to get the house we want. >> right. all right. well, let's see what our ladies here advise. jean, what do you think? what should she do? she has a good handle on her economic situation. >> you have a great handle on your finances. you have to sell the first house before you can buy the second house. that's just the basic rule of thumb. but, then, yeah, i think you can go ahead. as long as your housing costs is 35% of what you're taking in every single month, you're good to go. >> thanks to all those who sent great questions to us.

thanks to our panel, as always. and coming up next, we're going to introduce you to the three finalists for today's royal treatment. we can't wait. the winner gets an all expenses trip paid to london for the >>we'resing aaiation of quitters. what you should do when your child says they want to quit a sport of activity. a single serving has 46 grams of whole grains. that's 96% of your minimum whole grain needs for the day. are you kidding me? they fuel you up to start your day right... and they taste great. ♪ amazing mornings start with quaker oatmeal squares. so come on, get up and get going. ♪ to finish what you started today. for the aches and sleeplessness in between, there's motrin pm. no other medicine, not even advil pm, is more effective for pain and sleeplessness. motrin pm.

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counteding until prince william and kate middleton tie the knot. over the last few weeks we've been tell you about the contest. we're sending a lucky viewer plus a guest to the royal wedding. >> we're all practicing our royal accent. today we introduce you to our three finalists. you get to vote. >> yesterday you saw their entry videos, starting with mary baker who is a stay-at-home mom and has never traveled outside of the united states, except to canada. it's time for her to have a special trip with her husband adam who is in the military. mary and adam baker are in rapid city, south dakota, with their little one. >> all right. our next -- we'll talk to them in a moment. next finalist is megan red who nominated her sister molly who works with seriously ill children. and she's accessed with all things british and her mom colleen are in homestead falls, ohio. hello, ladies. all right.

all right. finalist has been fascinated with all things royal. she wants to give her son andrew the royal treatment and they are in denver this morning. good morning to all of you. >> all right. >> good morning. >> good morning. >> hello. >> good morning, everyone. let me start with you, mary and adam. mary, tell me first why you decided to enter this contest. >> well, i've always wanted to go to london. we are very adventurous. i knew that if we won this trip to london it would be the experience of a lifetime. >> and adam, i know, you had a cameo in the video. did that take a little arm twisting on her part? >> you know, i think the concept took a little arm twisting. but then she showed me her poem and she's really excited about it. so it was a great opportunity to put the video together. we've never really done anything like that and it was a lot of fun. >> mary, i know you've never

traveled outside the united states, canada and that's it. what would it mean to you to get this trip to london, with you and adam being there together? >> it would just be a dream come true. i -- you know, my heart is just wanting to travel so bad, and i have a passport that has no stamps in it and i would just love to go and take advantage of this. >> all right. >> good luck to you. >> next up, megan -- thank you. she nominated mom colleen and her sister molly. and megan. so you nominated your mom and your sister because of the destination. what was it about lonlondon? why? >> when i saw the contest it had my sister's name all over it because growing up and everything she's just always been obsessed with, you know, hugh grant, colin firth, "pride and prejudice" is her favorite book. she loves prince william and

harry. it was supposed to be her graduation present and they're still saving for it. i thought, we've got to get m molly to london. >> when you found out, colleen, what did you guys think that your sister did this for you? >> well, i was completely shocked. i just found out last week, and she kept the whole thing a surprise for me. and i came over to her house one day and she said i did something kind of crazy and you'll never guess what i did. she pulled me over to computer and showed me the video. it took me a couple hours to digest what she had done. it was a really pleasant surprise. >> you raised a nice daughter, colleen. >> i have the best daughters in the world. i'm blessed. this is just unbelievable. >> good luck. >> all right. >> thank you. >> thank you so much. >> let's get to our final contestant pamela rail with her son andrew. pamela, your video did make us laugh.

you kind of did the hollywood thing and you -- we showed you punching out those trying to get in the way of your dream. what was the idea behind this video? >> well, i really had to get out of my comfort zone because i'm a very conservative person. so filming the video, we had to do scenes over and over because i kept laughing during the karate scene. it was just a really fun afternoon. and it was a family affair. my husband, my son are in the video. and we just had fun with it. and it came out pretty comical, so i'm glad. >> pamela, you named your son after prince andrew and your cat after princess diana. have you always been a big fan of the royal family? >> i've been a fan since i was a kid. i remember being upset with my mom in grade school because she wouldn't let me wear my tiara at the school. >> andrew, what do you think about this? >> it goes back a long way. >> andrew, what do you think about going to london? >> i'm really excited. just being there with my mom will make me happy because i

know she loves the royal family. i'm pretty excited. >> that's great. mary, adam, megan, molly, colle colle colleen. you viewers, you need to today.com to vote for the finalist you think deserves an all expense paid trip to england, including two first class tickets on british airways. >> i'm so glad it's not on us. we don't have your job to do it. you have until thursday at 3:00 p.m. eastern time to vote. we're going to announce the winner right here on friday morning. meanwhile, goodies that also do a lot of social good. but first, these messages. [ male announcer ] when mike rowe heads home,

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coming up, when to let your kids walk coming up, are you raising a quitter? when to let your kids walk away from activity. in today's kitchen, celebrating st. patrick's day. but first, your local news and weather. i had my suspicions. and i never get chicken, i always get fish. you know, it's the quiet ones you have to look out for. you look like you eat a lot of protein. so i found a super secret hiding place. and i outsmarted them all. chobani. rich and creamy yogurt, with only natural ingredients. share your story at chobani.com [ laughs ] not funny. act my age? -why? -why? -why? i love the sun. past sun goddess. every line has a story. [ female announcer ] we all age differently. now there's roc multi-correxion 4 zone moisturizer with roc®retinol and antioxidants. a lifetime of stress lines, sun damage, and worry wrinkles will fade in just 4 weeks.

-crows feet... -belong on birds. [ female announcer ] roc multi-correxion. correct what ages you. -aging... -bring it on. morning, everybody. it's 9:26. 25-year-old man in san francisco is about to come to an end. the pord of supervisors unanimously approved lifting a ban on new restaurants in the lower pacific heights. it was originally put in place because a lot of people complained about too many restaurants at the time. but because things like the economic recession have taken place, a lot of store fronts are now empty. the ban will be lifted during next week's meeting. rallying against budget cuts at the cal campus today. they will rally at noon and 3:30 in berkeley. the activists accused the board

of regents of balancing the budget on the backs of students. weather and traffic coming up right after the break.

good wednesday morning to you. we have quick moving light showers left over, and they are moving through quickly. milpitas just had a shower. san jose getting a little light rain. we're going to continue to see these showers kind of break apart and really subside. by this afternoon, completely clear conditions over the bay area. our temperatures will have a chance to climb into the 60s under a few breaks of sunshine throughout the day today. 69 degrees in los gatos. 63 in oakland. as we head throughout tomorrow, st. paddy's day, temperatures in the 40s, end up in the 60s. a little green on the radar for tomorrow. mostly cloudy conditions overall. have a great wednesday and

here's mike with your drive. >> slow spots in the south bay. the rain still sticking around, 101, earlier accident at matilda. slow all the way off past 680 and 880. most of the northbound commute looking all right. things sticking around for 24. an earlier accident. southbound 680, slow through that area. >> more local news in half an hour. the "today" show returns in less than a minute.

. trying to finish up the figures and i have one working on the paparazzi. >> he's the cake boss. he knows how to create amazing confections and run a tight ship while he's at it. the star of his own reality show buddy will be here friday on "today." we look forward to having him here. >> they had a little boy, carlos. >> congratulations. meanwhile, coming up, speaking of kids, are you raising a quitter? how many times as parents do you hear, do i have to go to piano,

soccer? after a few days, they end up whining and finally saying, i quit. so should you let them? what are the lessons for later in life? we'll talk to an expert for guidance on that. >> later on from bracelets to bobka, if you are picking up something for a friend we have ideas for things that are fun and can do good, too. profits from the items go to charity including one that helps out the kids of japan. >> and we talked about vodka. do you have the green beer ready? st. patrick's day is upon us. we have great ideas to cook up your irish feast. first, al, what about the weather? >> let's check it out, see what's happening. for today, rain in the pacific northwest. windy in southern california. rain in the northeast moving out later today. sunshine around the gulf. temperatures warming up. record highs in the central plains tomorrow. more rain along the west coast.

showers, central great lakes. hot through texas with temperatures near 90 degrees. we have sunny and warm weather through the southeast. mild here in the midatlantic states. by friday, 70 degrees in new york city. good morning to you. today in the bay area, we have light scattered shoursz to start. we'll see a nice second half to the today. livermore, you're going to see a little bit of activity for the next half hour or so. the showers are clearing the south bay as we speak. by 11:00 a.m. today, we're talking about temperatures in the upper 60s. 66 in gilroy for today. and 67 degrees up in santa rosa. cloudy and breezy throughout the day. st. paddy's day 63, mostly cloudy. and that's your latest weather. >> all right. thank you, al. up next, when your kids say they want to quit an activity, should you let them? we'll talk about it after these messages.

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instrument anymore? michelle, good to see you. we are all talking about this one. this is a big deal. this is almost as difficult for the parent as for the kid when deciding to let them quit. >> sure. we know it is highly correlated with the stick to itness, the trade of success. >> it's a conversation you have to have. >> the conversation is critical. first don't give in too quickly. you can always do the, let's postpone it a week for the little guy. for the middle guy, take the cello for the remainder of the year. you can have tennis in the summer. finally, feel free to refuse. you signed the commitment, sweetie. >> mom and dad paid for this. >> there you go. >> it's important to hear what yourle child is saying. >> you need to. what you're trying to find out is the quitting motive. it could be the question simply is, hey, you were excited this week. what changed? or if we switch you to another

team would that make a difference? you can also then go one step more and try looking for solutions because you're trying to get your kid over the slump. >> you want your kid to share in the solution. >> you do. number one, look at yourself and say, are my expectations in line? columbia university said the biggest mistake we make is we don't emphasize effort. you're working hard, keep going, sweetheart. we focus on the kid's ability and it short-changes them. you can always put it on the kids' shoulders for the older ones. you talk to the etch coetch -- and see if you can get more starting time. >> you have to see if tltshere a pattern. >> every kid will quit but you are looking at the repeat kid who always wants to give up. he gets so frustrated with the first sign of defeat. he's looking for you as the rescue or he starts to cut corners, al. >> you also need to look at it

in a sense case-by-case and kid by kid. >> this is the bottom line. number one is when you see stress building up in your kid that's spilling over, it's not worth it. number two, if there is no joy. kids who are really talented find that joy in the passion in the sport. so find what works for your kid. the teacher is absolutely essential. >> it may not be the activity. it may be the teacher or coach. >> al, they have looked at the highly talented kid and discovered it isn't i.q. or genes. it was the first teacher who was usually the aunt bea type. they're nurturing, patient, get the belief in the kid and ignite them. the next coach is the coach who tells them what to do to improve, gets them feedback. >> they succeed. also, yourle child made decisions quick. time to move on. >> move on. there is a lesson there. that didn't work.

let's find what works for you. >> then you want to try -- you have some ideas on different activities on how to do this and maybe keep them in there. >> the most important is when we look at kids who really succeed and make it, it's practice, practice, practice. we look at good coaches who help the child. first of all, what they do is give them feedback. but they vary it a little bit. they make it fun so the kids feel a sense of success. oh, i did it. then they're pushing you, not you pushing them. that's what you want. >> more information on this on our website, today.com. up next, great gifts that give back right after these messages. it's simple physics... a body at rest tends to stay at rest... while a body in motion tends to stay in motion. staying active can actually ease arthritis symptoms. but if you have arthritis, staying active can be difficult. prescription celebrex can help relieve arthritis pain

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combine two pounds of potatoes and some cooking oil with a packet of hidden valley ranch, and we have a side dish that might just upstage the main -- ranch potatoes. [ male announcer ] hidden valley ranch. mix it up. they say it's better to give than receive. imagine giving a gift that gives back. from bracelets to chocolate we have a dazzling array of items which the proceeds go to help charity. danielle is with dailycandy.com. good morning. >> good morning. >> a lot of us are thinking about how to give especially given the tragedy in japan. >> with everything going on in

the world, our hearts and minds are with the japanese people. the most important gift anyone can give now is a donation in someone's name to a humanitarian organization like the red cross. that's an important tip. but it's our job to find the new, undiscovered. if we can find gifts that give double duty this is the time of year when everyone feels we need a toke b of affection for someone. >> never show up empty handed at someone's house. >> absolutely. you said it. we found some that do double duty. they will delight the recipient and do something good for someone else. >> let's start with the poncho which would be useful on a day like today. this is from kenneth cole. >> he does good work helping hiv/aids. this is reversible. it keeps us dry and it's flashy with the camo. and there is a black side. it's $60. 100% of the proceeds go to help

homeless afflicted by aids and hiv. great for a day like today. >> you got it. >> useful, keeping us dry and helping others. >> over to these great bracelets. i love this idea. it's made by afghan women. >> these are called peace cords. you can learn about the phenomenal operation in afghanistan at peacecord do.org. it's two organizations that bonded together to make these. one helps afghan women with sustainable jobs and education and health benefits. the other helps american military personnel help the communities in which they are stationed. >> what's unique is they are all made by the uniforms, right? >> right. this is the ultimate in recycling. this is parachute cord from american parachutes and buttons from fatigues. >> this is from a dress uniform. >> these are between $10 and $15 and a constant reminder of a

dream of a more peaceful world. you're helping others. >> peacecord.org. now to these bracelets which i love. it's nice to get a message like this. love is just a word until someone comes along. >> or i love you. that's a great gift in and of itself. this is called paloma's nest. the designer and her husband areal really into giving back to start-ups around the world. they donate proceeds to kiva which provides micro loans to help mom and pop operations, especially women, around the world. sty sometimes a little infusion of cash to start a business. not only are we inspiring the wearer, we are inspiring businesses. >> that's wonderful. over here, vodka? doesn't do the body good necessarily. but actually this does a lot of good. >> this is a really special new

vodka called rock vodka. it's made in texas. the neat part is these are real texans in the hill country. they donate leftover grain from the vodka production to local farmers to feed livestock. >> there are a lot of drunk pigs out there. >> i wonder about bacon vodka. >> that tastes so good. we thought that was neat. not just that they are using elaborate recycled water processes, but they are thinking, how can we use left overs to help farmers in need? >> okay. now coasters. you can put the vodka on it. >> mom always said to use a coast. these are from unicef. >> beautiful designs. >> they're ceramic. all four are available on the site for $9. they're stunning to look at. great. everyone needs coasters. >> unicef does an amazing job. >> this is one of the first times they are helping japan. japan is traditionally a donor

to unicef. unicef studied the situation and said these japanese children need our help in special ways. >> for just $9 a great way to give a great gift and help in the costs of japan. >> read about what they are doing on the website. >> my favorite. chocolate. this is a fwift that keeps on giving, too. >> fearlesschocolate.com. it's raw chocolate. it's almost healthy with flaxseeds and hemp. they give a little bit of the profit to fearless change makers. hungry people who like the chocolate can nominate on the website. >> biodegradable packaging. >> the chocolate will be gone in 30 seconds but the box takes six months. >> up next, in today's kitchen a feast for st. patrick's day. first, this is "today" on nbc.

all right. this morning in today's kitchen, it's almost st. patrick's day. we are cooking up an irish feast. chef barbara lynch owns eight restaurants in boston. good morning. >> good morning. >> we're making beef tender loin and cabbage. lots of people are used to corned beef. >> this is easier than corning a beef. >> this recipe seems simple. >> it's so simple. you basically tuck this under and tie it off so you cook it at an even temp. >> then -- >> olive oil, salt and pepper. we'll roast it at 250 degrees. >> so you drizzle olive oil. salt and pepper. >> that's it. >> and thyme. i thought this was interesting. >> oh, yeah. just for a little bit of flavor, tuck it in. >> cooking it for a long time so it gets nice and juicy and

tender. >> buttery, tender. honestly, you don't have to do a thing to it. you will stick it in the roasting pan. >> you set it at 250 for almost two hours. >> about an hour and 15 minutes will be fine. then the most important part -- >> yes. >> let it rest. >> we'll cook it. meanwhile, you would have your carrots going already. they're nice and soft. this is for the cabbage. >> this is for a braised cabb e cabbage. napa takes four minutes to cook in the pan. i like to leave the leaves large. >> and you have other ingredients. >> carraway seeds, roasted, to make it a little bit more irish. >> water. okay. >> and white wine vinegar. >> you have a special ingredient you like to put in the cabbage, craime freche. what flavor does it have?

>> a creamy, tanginess. >> after it's cooked. >> once it's done in seven minutes we fold in the crai craime freche. >> it's similar to a sour cream. >> you can buy that at the store? >> you can buy it at the store. or use sour cream. or yogurt works great. >> how long do you let it -- >> this is it. >> so we have a finished one over here. i'll meet you over there. >> okay. >> how is it best to serve? >> family style. on st. patrick's day, for me, i have tons of cousins. that's what we do -- go to the parade on sunday, drink some beer. >> that sounds good. when you said "beer," al walked in. i don't know. >> how are you? >> that smells amazing. >> that's not your typical corned beef. >> no.

it's not as gray. >> and the key with the meat is to let it rest because it continues to cook? >> the juices get back in. >> that's perfect. >> it starts to rest. it always comes out medium rare. >> and there are other dishes you like to serve with it. >> barbara lynch, thank you so much. >> oh, we're out of time. >> thank you.

good morning, everybody. time is 9:56. having a heart attack? there's an app for that, believe it or not. san francisco fire department and city attorney will team up

today to show a new smart phone technology that is designed to save lives. the iphone app is already used by the san ramon fire department. it alerts people trained in cpr if someone nearby is suffering a cardiac arrest. it also maps out the specific location for the nearest de fibrillator. every body scanner across the scanner, concerns that they produce more radiation than first thought. the transportation security administration will test 247 scanners. they emit a type of x-ray that exposes travelers to low levels of radiation. washington lawmakers will also hold a hearing on the effectiveness of those scanners. time to check your forecast now with christina. >> good morning, brent. good morning to you at home. lingering activity. mostly showers in the south bay right now between campbell and los gatos. you will find the rain, but it's going to clear out by about 11:00 a.m.

mostly cloudy skies and temperatures in the 60s today. let's see how the showers are interrupting your smooth drive this morning, if they are, with mike inouye. >> nice rain coming through the south bay. earlier an accident northbound 101 and 87. it finally cleared for the area approaching guadalupe. milpitas, 880, 237 as well. you can see the low clouds hovering around. i'm sorry, san mateo bridge. no major issues here or at the bay bridge. that's a smooth drive coming across this area. out of this area, interstate 80 by the truckee scales, chains requirement for interstate 80 heading toward the sierras. keep that in note if you're heading through the area. that's the earlier storm. >> more rain and snow coming up there. more local news in half an hour. and the "today" show returns in about a minute. have a great morning and we'll see you back here in a bit. nothing worked on my eczema

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this is a lifetime. (man) register today for the... and receive $25 off your registration fee. because everyone deserves a lifetime. from nbc news, this is "today" with kathie lee gifford and hoda kotb. live from studio 1a in rockefeller plaza. >> hey, everybody. it is winesday. wednesday. what did you call it? whiny? >> i said i'm going to be on, on whiny wednesday. i didn't miss it, y'all. i knew it was something ability whining. >> paula deen is here while kathie lee -- she's off showing cassidy schools. >> i know.

i think it's great. i think it's great. kathie lee, i've got some good news and some bad news for you, honey. should i give her the good first? >> give her the good. >> you're going to have plenty of time to rest and search for that school. the bad news is, you know i'm going to have a job. hoda said she wanted me to stay here with her. >> paula deen! >> am i stirring up trouble? >> you are. that's the way we like it. >> no. i watch you and kathie lee every day. >> you do? >> every day. then at 11:00 i switch to "the view." >> what? >> i'm sorry. >> okay. then what? >> then i go back to nbc, whatever's showing. >> whatever it is. doesn't matter. >> then i go to the bathroom. then i come back to nbc. >> that's all you do. >> it's just nbc all day. let me tell you something.

my brother had sent a message for me to give to you. and i said, i wasn't going to give it to you until we are on camera. you know, my brother, bubba -- >> bubba? >> yes. every southern family has a bubba. bubba said, "paula, i can't believe you're going to be on with hoda. she is the most beautiful woman on nbc." >> he said that? >> he said that. and i said, "i agree, bubba. i wish you could meet her in person. because you'd see that the inside matches the outside." >> so sweet. what a nice thing to say. >> i just tell the truth, honey. tell the truth. >> congratulations, i think, are in order. right? you're expecting another grandchild? >> yes. and i look pretty good for six months, don't i? >> jamie's having a -- >> you're talking about jamie and brooke being pregnant. >> jamie and brooke being

pregnant. >> how many grand kids do you have? >> i only have one. i only have my little jack who's 4 years old. there he is! >> what does jack call you. a lot of grandmothers don't like to be called grandma. >> he came to me, and he said, i'm going to have my child call you big mama. i said, you have that child call me big mama, and your big ass is out of my will. so kiss your money good-bye, son. that really frightened him. >> i'm sure it did. >> he said, okay, i'll go to the next biggest insult for her. >> what? >> what will make her feel the oldest. and that's granny. >> granny? >> granny. >> that's not so bad. >> no, it's not, if you're 80 or 90. so jack could not say granny. >> what does he say? >> he calls me ginny.

>> i love that. >> i said, oh, my precious angel. you are right. i am your guinea pig. >> oh, that's sweet. >> and he just has me eating out of his hand. >> he is so cute. how old is he again? >> he's 4. he'll be 5 in august. but jamie and brooke are expecting another little boy in may. so it's kind of the deen brothers part two. my stepdaughter, michael's daughter, michelle, is expecting her first baby at the end of july. and she -- we went monday to the doctor. and they -- they put that thing on -- you know, do that sonogram thing. i said, i told the nurse, i said, don't tell me what it is, let me try to figure. because those pictures can be very confusing. and all of a sudden, i saw a little butt hole, you know, sitting up there on the glass. hoda, it's funny.

it looks just like they got the baby's heiny sitting on glass. and i saw this little round rose bud. then i saw these two little balls. oh, my gracious! we are going to have our own baseball team. it is so fascinating. >> so exciting. >> you know, god is so good. how anybody can't believe that there's somebody out there with a master plan for all of us, when they see something like birth, it is amazing to me. there you go. >> okay. >> we're going to be three butt holes and six balls by july. >> if you tour around the website, google paula deen, something special pops up. this website called

pauladeenwritingthings. what is it? this all started at the food and wine festival. a chef left turnered himself up wi with a little bit of butter. >> i wasn't going to lick him with my butter on his belly. >> so that happened. and then later it progressed until you were somehow riding him. >> yep. he got down on his hands and knees. i said, what does he want? he apparently wants to be ridden. so i got on him. robert's kind of got ears that stick out, kind of big ears. so i just grabbed those ears, honey, and hung on! >> well, now this caught the attention of some website people. so people started sending in things that paula deen should write. so she's wririding charlie shee there.

look at you. >> "the black swan." >> natalie portman. there you're riding jimmy fallon. >> i love jimmy. >> that is so sweet. you're on the cover of the "rolling stone." you have to go on this website. oh, my gosh, the golden girls. where's my favorite. you've got to be riding snooki. oh, you are on snooki's shoulder. she is shaking her tatas, and you are riding right here. >> oh, crap. she's not trying to beat me up or anything, is she? i am just a poor, little defensive granny. >> look what she did now. if you were watching the wwe the other day, which i know you weren't. >> no, i wasn't. >> watch this. snooki, she's known for some fights. look what she did. >> look! >> that's her on top of that other person. >> see, i was not taught that, hoda. i was not taught how to do that.

>> okay. seriously, though, what do you think about all these guys -- women on tv having these really physical fights and getting a lot of attention for it? >> you know, i try to keep my opinion to myself most of the time, because, you know, it's a great way to lose friends. but i almost think it's a little trashy looking. >> yeah, it does. >> you know, i mean, i've seen "jerry springer" and the way those women beat up each other. i just wasn't taught to do it that way, to handle problems that way. >> because they're getting rewarded. you know, they get bigger roles in shows and stuff like that. >> it worries me, you know, what we're teaching our children. >> mm-hmm. >> how to settle disagreements. >> right. by duking it out. >> yeah. by duking it out. lord have mercy, you know, some people, they'll just fight with

their fists. but then there's some that pull out guns. >> yeah, you're right. you're right. >> i think one thing leads to another. i just -- i'd rather hug and kiss than fight. >> why don't we eat? why don't we do that? why don't we do a little of that? >> i didn't think you were ever going to ask me. >> we've got four of the craziest desserts. i had to judge this dessert contest, paula. >> i forgot to look at the te teleprompt ter. i wonder if i was supposed to be saying anything? >> no. doesn't matter. what you're eating now, what is that? >> caramel. it's caramel something. >> pear upside down cake. >> do you like that one? >> it is fabulous. >> i'm going to tell you which one i picked as my favorite and you tell me which one you picked. >> mmm. >> oh, my god. >> mmm. >> ooh. okay. get in here. get in this one.

this one is a sundae with salted caramel ice cream, candied peanuts, popcorn, whipped cream and chocolate sauce from abc kitchen. get in there. how was that? >> delicious. >> mmm. here. get in with the brownie. >> you like that? >> a lot. >> maybe i tasted the wrong bite. >> you don't like it? it's got salty sweet. that's not for you? okay. this is a brookie bar. it's from alice's teacup. >> this is delicious. >> eating on tv is so fun. is this what you do on your show? >> this is what i do all day long. >> wait. come here. >> i get paid to eat. >> get in here. this one -- >> it's a perfect world. >> you got to try this bite. this one is the magnolia peanut

butter pie. you want to try this one? >> hi, aunt peggy. i just called her to tell her i was going to be on. she answered. >> is that good? >> my aunt peggy -- peanut butter pie. >> okay. which is your favorite? >> that's very, very salty. >> which one are you going for? you going for this one? >> mm-hmm. >> she's going for the caramel pear. i went for the peanut butter pie. >> you did? >> we have to talk about something sexy. >> something sexy. >> you know what? >> where's my word. >> she can't see. she can't see. >> oh, oh, oh, oh, oh! hoda, let me tell you what i heard! >> what did you hear, paula? tell me what you heard. >> i heard that you and kathie

lee have been nominated as the sexiest woman in "esquire" magazine. >> we think this is a joke. >> "enquirer" or "esquire," everyone? >> look at us. and look at sophia vigara. >> y'all are so much sexier than that. listen, all my friends on tweeter. tweeter and facebook. >> twitter and facebook, yes. >> please gone to ""national enquirer" -- >> no, no! >> just "esquire." and vote for kathie lee and hoda for the sexiest women. if y'all love me, y'all will do that. and if y'all love hoda and kathie lee y'all will do that. all joking aside, go vote, vote, vote. because, you know, once again, we have good news and bad news.

the good news was -- >> that's the floor director. show us what you do, tara? that's her saying, stop talking. >> the good news was y'all got nominated. the bad news is that other woman is, like, 95% ahead of y'all. so go vote, my buddies! go vote! >> we're getting killed. still to come, we're going to play our weekly trivia game, "who knew?" we're going to celebrate st. patrick's day. you're going to go across the street. this is your turn. >> and it's my lucky day, y'all. because we're getting to meet the people responsible! >> for what? >> for the show. right after this, dummy! [ male announcer ] capri sun roarin' waters

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it all started as a web cartoon seven years ago. three years later "diary of a wimpy kid" began to hit the bookshelves. then it hit the big screen. >> the first opened last year. then the story about a sibling rivalry is ready to make its debut. y'all ready? let's take a look. >> i need a moment for a family meeting. >> things between you two have really gotten out of hand. you need to get to know each other. >> what? >> you need to spend more time together. >> what? >> for every hour without

fighting you earn mom bucks. that you can trade in for real dollars. >> this thing is a gold mine. you better not ruin this for me. >> all right. we're so lucky, we've got with us the author and creator of "diary of a wimpy kid" series along with some of the cast. jack gordon plays the wimpy kid, greg. and his brother. and his best friend. firstover a of all, i was amaze learn this book was originally made for grown-ups. >> for about eight years while i was writing my book i never had a kid audience in mind. then my publisher told me, we think you've written a children's series. which i didn't do on purpose. i was trying to write a nostalgia piece for adults. >> it must have changed your lives. just tell me about how it was since the first film came out and now what it's like to be -- to be you walking the streets.

>> pretty cool. i don't get recognized that often. thankfully, i mean, i'm not hoarded. it's pretty cool. it's crazy that some people look up to me like leonardo dicaprio or johnny depp. i was really excited to do the second one. it was like a family reunion scene, everybody again. it was like i never left. >> how old are you, darling? >> 13. >> you're playing the kid about the right age, right, in the book? >> yes. >> did you have anything, jeff, to do with casting? did you get to oversee or did you just sort of have to turn over your book and go, okay, guys, make a movie out of it. let's see what you do. >> i got to have input. i got to see a lot of the audition tapes. it was great seeing these guys step in and fill my cartoon characters' shoes. these kids are a revelation. i feel like they're kind of an iconic cast. >> what made you select this? were you a wimpy kid growing up?

>> i definitely had my wimpy moments. when i was a kid, i wasn't the best athlete. i realized that my purpose was to make the other kids look great. so, you know, yeah, i was a little bit of a wimpy kid. >> you play the -- we're calling you the evil brother. are they really this evil, bullying, kind of brother or how would you describe yourself in the film? >> in the film, i don't consider him evil. i think he's preparing the wimpy kid for the harshness of life in the future. >> you're toughening him up. >> toughening him up, yeah. >> doing him a favor. >> if he can get through my pranks and the things that i'm doing to him, life should be easy. >> robert, you play the best friend. >> yes. >> in real life you're in seventh grade, right? >> yeah. >> how has that helped you kind of play out the role. >> it definitely helped me, because you experience a lot of the stuff in real middle school that -- that you see in the movie. like you get accustomed to it. >> i like him. >> i do, too!

>> you do some weird kesh shah impersonation. let's role that tape ♪ wake up in the morning feeling like p. diddy ♪ ♪ grab my glasses, gonna hit the city ♪ ♪ when i leave for the night, i ain't coming back ♪ >> you are good! you are good! >> thank you. >> i love it! you guys, thanks so much for coming by to see us. congratulations on the success of your book. you guys, congratulations on your careers. you guys all have long runways. we can't wait to see what happens. >> isn't that wonderful? >> it's terrific that these young children have these opportunities. >> it's going to pop up in the theaters march 25th. up next, we're going to talk about the photos that are going to make you wonder, i don't know, what's going on. >> then one of my favorites,

pretty girl. >> bobbie thomas! bobbie thomas is coming! >> what's she doing? >> right after this.

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give me half an hour. ahhh. ♪ ohh! ♪ [ male announcer ] so simple you could make em yourself. breakfast!! [ male announcer ] so delicious you don't have to. golden crispy outside, warm and fluffy inside. did you make coffee too? yes... i will. [ male announcer ] eggo waffles. simply delicious. all right. we're back with our digital series. we call this thing "what the what?" that's what we call it. >> i've heard about this. in fact, i have watched y'all with these. they're photos that are sent in, and you think, what the what?

but i hear sara has them all. >> she's got it. >> we do. this week is no different. >> one of my favorite sections, sara. >> i love you, paula. the first one up was sent from nicolasville, kentucky. grub in the tub, anyone? sauekraut dinners inside the restroom. if you're looking for the brats, they're in the garage. hello. >> the smell of those is exactly where you'd think you'd find them anyway. >> ooh! ruined sauerkraut for the rest of my life. next, from alabama, way to go green with your livestock? renew, reuse, recycle. >> love it, sar ra. we're going to go to commercial break. guess what's coming up next? >> what? >> i don't know, but something good!

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good morning, everybody. 10:26 right now. people in the south bay get to voice their concerns over plans to change telephone area codes. the state public utility commission wants to add the area code 669 to the south bay by the end of the year. they're running out of numbers for the 408 code. the meeting is tonight at 7:00 in san jose city hall. state lawmakers are set to vote on a budget plan that could close the $26 billion deficit. it includes spending cuts and extending temporary taxes. after consulting governor jerry

brown, democratic leaders say they are ready to vote on the plan. although no republicans have backed it at all. so the governor set a date in march for the legislature to approve the budget but delayed the vote to june so that he could have a little bit more time trying to persuade hires to join him. weather and traffic after the break.

>> right now in america, one out of four children doesn't know where their next meal is coming from. >> food insecurity is a growing problem 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 m. welcome back. lingering showers, but not much. most of the shower activity is clearing the bay area. a cell pushing toward milpitas

right now. one just made its way through campbell. the sunshine is coming back out over the peninsula. and up in the north bay. there's going to be a little rain in the north bay today, but nothing heavy. you will see sunshine up there as well. with temperatures today expected to reach the upper 60s. 68 degrees in san jose. 63 in oakland. 67 degrees today for you up in santa rosa. cloudy and breezy throughout the day. we're going to get a nice break tomorrow morning as well, as we say top of the morning to st. paddy's day. 63 degrees. mostly cloudy conditions. big-time weather-maker on the way for friday and the weekend. >> we're getting through the bulk of it for right now. there's the compass. 680 moving smoothly off the bridge. there is an accident on the southbound side. fire trucks on the scene as well. not a major slow through here.

still seeing slowdowns northbound. thank you for joining us this morning. the "today" show continues coming up next. we'll see you tomorrow. ♪ and we are back on this winesday, ready to play our weekly "who knew?" trivia game. we're going to test your st. patrick's day knowledge. sitting in for kathie lee is paula deen. she's across the street at the nbc.com digital cafe, ready to hand out $100 to anyone who answers correctly. to those who don't, she generally donated one of her cookbooks here. >> yes, i did, hoda. i understand my cookbooks are the booby prize. >> here's una keaton.

we're so happy to have you with us. >> thank you. >> let's get started with a question. right to paula. >> all right. i'm going to the first person here, hoda. and, hey, darling, your name is? >> pam anderson. >> i like your disguise! >> thank you. >> all right. now, the first question is, true or false, st. patrick was born in ireland. true or false? >> i have to say true. >> you get the booby prize, you get the booby prize! >> that booby prize is a hot ticket. thank you, paula. let's bring it back to the studio. where was st. patrick born? >> st. patrick was actually born

in wales. >> really. >> everyone thinks he was born in ireland because he was associated with ireland. he was kidnapped by an irish -- and brought him to st. patrick and he was raised there by his family. and he actually was responsible for bringing christianity to ireland. >> interesting. >> fantastic man. >> right back across to paula. >> here's our next question. who's going to answer it? >> hannah from nashville. >> you're cute as pie, hannah. you're probably not old enough to know this answer. but the question is, which color was originally associated with st. patrick's? green, blue, red or yellow? >> what do you guys think? red. >> all wrong. >> green? >> no.

>> wait. what do you do when you're wrong? buzz! it was blue. you get a booby prize. >> a booby prize is a hot giveaway today. the answer, blue. >> actually a fact, it's blue because the traditional color was blue and our national standard flag for our country is actually blue. the presidential flag. and everybody associates green. no. i think it came from the shamrock. because the shamrock is green. of course, when you fly to ireland, all you can see is greenfields. >> you got that right. >> green everywhere and everything turns green, of course, in ireland and all over the world for st. patrick's day. >> let's go back across to paula. >> okay, hoda. i'm here with john maxwell. and his question is, how many pints of guinness are consumed on st. patrick's day? it's a multiple choice, john.

1 million, 2 million, 5 million or 13 million? >> worldwide or in america? not enough. >> it just said how many pints of guinness are consumed on st. patrick's day? i don't know if that's u.s. or world. i can tell you that st. patrick's day probably does the "d." >> we'll go d. >> 13 million! >> now, that's a lot of guinness. that's a lot of guinness. >> the fact is, 13,000,020. my husband drinks the 20. around the world it's actually 13 million. it's an amazing tourist attraction, the guinness store. >> let's go back. we have time for one more, paula. >> all right. tell hoda who you are, baby,

hoda hoot. >> my name is shady harold from austin, texas. >> your question is, how many cities in the u.s. are named shamrock? your choices is -- are, one, two, four, six? >> i'm going to say four. >> four, that would be "c"! way to go! >> oh, she did not listen to him and got it right. all right. so four. >> it's amazing, actually, shamrock, there's no cities in ireland named shamrock. >> you're kidding? they're all here. we got it. thank you so much for coming and sharing your st. patrick's day knowledge. >> i'm actually presenting you with a cartoon. >> she made little cartoons for kathy and i. here's one of me. and here's one of klg.

thank you very much. >> coming up next, bobbie thomas is here with a little secret. find out how they look so good despite their crazy -- right after this. ♪ [ 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. don't suffer waiting for your pills to kick in.

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i feel like i have to wind myself up just to get out of bed. then, well, i have to keep winding myself up to deal with the sadness, the loss of interest, trouble concentrating, the lack of energy. [ male announcer ] if depression is taking so much out of you, ask your doctor about pristiq. pristiq is a prescription medicine proven to treat depression. pristiq is thought to work by affecting the levels of two chemicals in the brain -- serotonin and norepinephrine. tell your doctor right away if your depression worsens or you have unusual changes in mood, behavior, or thoughts of suicide. anti-depressants can increase suicidal thoughts and behaviors in children, teens, and young adults. pristiq is not approved for children under 18. do not take pristiq with maois. taking pristiq with nset pain relievers, aspirin, or blood thinners may increase bleeding risk. tell your doctor about all your medications, including those for migraine, to avoid a potentially life threatening condition. pristiq may cause or worsen high blood pressure, high cholesterol, or glaucoma. tell your doctor if you have heart disease,

or before you reduce or stop taking pristiq. side-effects may include nausea, dizziness and sweating. for me, pristiq is a key in helping me treat my depression. ask your doctor about pristiq. ♪ it's time for a special edition of "bobbie's buzz" called cruise favorites. every monday we tell you about our favorite things. we decided it was time to turn the cameras on the people who work hard on the show every day and manage to make us look good. paula? >> these heels, hoda. >> go, girl. >> not easy, y'all. >> i know. hey, bobbie! >> bobbie's here. she is our -- >> i don't think we've ever -- i work here all the time. >> i watch you all the time. >> i can't wait for you to give me tips. >> she's about to. >> i'm sharing some tips with

our "today" family here. they are fantastic. they make us look so great. i want to turn the spotlight on some people behind the camera. >> bianca henry. our director of culinary production. she's upstairs working. she's got something that really works for her. >> when i first asked her what her favorite thing was, she told me, chapstick. i was kind of shocked. then she said i use it on the back of my knuckles. she's in the kitchen all day long. i thought, what a genius idea. >> that's so smart. >> keeps her hands from chapping. good old chapstick is her favorite thing. >> it's like putting wax on a drawer that's kind of stuck. you know, it helps it slide. >> i love it. >> that's great. >> you know who took care of us this morning? mary and laura. both of them are over there. they do hair and make-up. they have their favorite things, too. >> mary shocked me with josie moran. i love this line. she showed me the foundation.

when you skirt it on, if it comes out -- this is a custom blend color. there's only two shades. >> love that color. >> but then when you pull it off, wait -- >> you rub it. >> you rub it in. >> what's happening! >> it custom blends to your skin tone. >> i like dark on my second chin. because it looks like a shadow. >> your make-up always looks beautiful. >> this is laura's favorite thing. and mine, too, because of laura. tell us about this one. >> this is oil nonoil from gavanos. it's very light. i'm afraid of putting oil on my hair. but it's actually a really -- they call it oil nonoil because it's lightweight. >> it looks like -- do i have

make-up on? doesn't matter. >> it takes away the flyaways. >> it's so good. it drys dry. doesn't look wet. >> i'm not doing too much. >> don't mess too much. >> the man that does my hair. is it pretty? >> paula, i have something for you. >> you do? oh, i see it there. blue shampoo. >> blue shampoo. >> she has this really great platin platinum pixie cut. >> i use this every time i shampoo. >> i'm never going to get through this segment. anyone that's got hair that's more of an ash tone that doesn't want it to be brassy, if you use the blue/purple shampoo it helps you. i have to say, my lips are sealed, so don't come and ask me after this. >> i use that every day, too. >> one of our crew guys does. >> it's anonymous. one of the guys uses this.

>> walk on down. >> i won't name any names. >> jared, come on. >> jared, come on over. jared uses his mix. this is made by mixed chicks. it's a line that they use for ethnic hair that can really help. you swear by this, right? >> i really like it. the main thing i like, it doesn't smell like women's hair product. which kind of sucks. >> it sticks to your face. >> no, not really. my hair is kind of wet. it drys dry and not sticky. >> oh, it is wet! have you been in the rain? >> come on, we got to come this way. >> i'd love to stay and chat, they're dragging me along. >> an adorable story, quickly. hardy was changing his daughter's diapers and came across baby oil gel, his favorite thing to keep his hands dry. >> baby oil gel? >> baby oil gel. it's great. keep your hands soft and dry.

jerry, you don't use head and shoulders for your hair, right? >> wait, hold on. what's that? >> my dermatologist told me to use head and shoulders for my hair and my face for my rosacea. >> put it on your face. >> dandruff on the face. >> okay. cheers. coming up, we love our crew, bobbie. we love you. >> we do love our crew, but i don't know what the hell we're doin >> this cilious. this will be d.

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and get a 30-day money-back guarantee -- plus dvr. with u-verse tv, you can record up to four shows at once from any room on a single dvr... and play them back... on any tv. nice. get wireless service on the nation's fastest mobile broadband network. i'd love that. frank! over here! [ female announcer ] just go online to att.com/comparesanfrancisco. call to get three services starting at $99 a month. and get a 30-day money-back guarantee -- plus dvr. you can even choose wireless voice service. at&t, right? you got it. [ female announcer ] it's easy to compare online at att.com/comparesanfrancisco and see for yourself. just peanut butter is back with its most creative contest. the top five finalists are all competing for the $25,000

scholarship. >> aren't they adorable? >> yes. >> hoda, this is adaline down here. she is from florida. this is paige. she's from california. and this is -- is your nickname mia, baby? your real name is -- >> this is margaly. >> it's mia. she's just mia! like mia farrow. love that name. this is margalite. margalite is from north carolina. landon on the end. you're going to bring it home, baby, okay? >> tell us the name of your sandwich and tell us about it. the blt sweet style. it has bacon and apples and spinach and cheese. >> i love peanut butter, and i love apples together.

>> now i'm putting the apples. >> we're watching you do it. we're going to keep moving so everyone gets -- because we only have two minutes for this. >> this is so healthy. i'm going to eat quick. >> mmm. i love it. >> thank you. >> paige, tell us about your sandwich. >> my sandwich is called the tasty. it's an indian chicken mixed with thai saute, mango, chutney and curry powder. the flthai flavor is peanut butter. i'm going to put the cucumber b garnish on. >> get in. >> paige, it looks delicious, honey. >> that's great. >> mmm. >> all right, mia. >> love the peanuts. >> mia, talk to us about your cool little concoction. >> it's called snails on rails. >> it's called what?

>> snails on rails. >> it has peanut butter and chinese noodles. >> we just have a minute. we're going to take a quick bite of your snail on rail. can we? i'm taking the whole thing just like that. is that bad? mmm. >> yum! >> delicious. margalite, tell us about you. we don't want to miss anybody at the end. >> chicken tacos. this is a peanut butter sauce mostly made out of peanut butter, soy sauce, chili taste, garlic and ginger. >> delicious, honey. >> tell us, landon. talk to us. come on down. what are we making here? >> it's the reinvented chicken and waffles with bbq sauce. it has some barbecue sauce and peanut butter. >> what? peanut butter?

aunt peggy puts peanut butter in her barbecue sauce butter chicken. >> oh, mmm. you guys, all of them are terrific. that's delicious. delicious. come on. up next -- first, this is "today" on nbc.

tony award winner harvey firestein has returned to broadway and is starring as alvin in the tony winning away ward revival of lakasha falls. >> he won a tony for this back in 1984, didn't he. >> what i didn't know of, ha harvey, i didn't not know you wrote this. >> oh, yes. >> he wrote it. now he's starring in it.

>> i was 28 years old when i wrote it. way too young to act in it. i never even thought about acting in it. over the years people said haven't you even thought about acting in it. no, i'm too young. now i'm not too young. i'm too old. i read a line about being older. >> uh-oh. >> well, you know, it's a story about a family. >> yes. >> it's a father of a boy. and then i play his lover. but the boy and the lover are going to kill each other if he doesn't do something. because the boy is, of all things, engaged to the daughter of a religious fanatic. that's how it starts. who wants to close down all the gay clubs. >> the costumes are insane. >> i live in the south. i live in georgia. it's not like i can go to the theater every night. but this one's based on "bird cage," right. >> it was originally a french play. >> it means bird cage or the cage of crazy people.

>> oui, oui. >> we have some pictures of the costumes. if you even get to go to this, it's a great production. >> i want to see them. >> look at harvey! look at harvey! >> harvey, is everybody in this play, are they men? >> that's me. that's me also. >> you've got a smaller waist than me. i don't think i'm going to like you, harvey. oh, that's me! >> wait a second. >> you know, he has to try and fool the parents of the girl. >> harvey, i hate it when you're prettier than me. >> in the theater, you can stand way back. on television you get right up front. >> look at the split screen. come on. come on. >> because the character wants to appear as the perfect mother. i'm thinking, who is the perfect mother? who would you want at home cooking and baking and all that?

oh! >> that's love. all right, you guys. we're going to say good-bye. paula, thank you for joining us. harvey, thank you. come on down! i love you!

this is an nbc news special report. here is brian williams. >> good day from new york. the race to prevent a full scale nuclear melt down continues to escalate at this hour in japan. emergency workers at that damaged plant were forced out earlier today when radiation levels soared. officials have raised the maximum radiation dose allowed for the workers. they're back on the very dangerous job now. meanwhile, the plan to airdrop water on the most damaged reactors you might have heard about. that's been scrapped. it's just too risky. for the first time ever, japan's emperor went on