>> good morning. tragedy in new york. police say a mother drove her van into a river, killing herself and three of her children, all under the age of 5. this morning it appears it was no accident. a fourth child was let out moments earlier. he's talking to police. we'll go live to the scene. the next big battle. president obama lays out his plans to address the nation's economy and bulging deficit today, but republicans have their own ideas. are we in for another nasty showdown on capitol hill? and transforming kate. how did the future queen of

england go from this -- to this? the secret behind her newfound royal sparkle today, wednesday, april 13, 2011. captions paid for by nbc-universal television good morning. welcome to "today" on a wednesday morning. i'm matt lauer. >> i'm meredith vieira. we're following a heartbreaking story from newburg, new york. a mother and three of her children dead after she drove their van into the hudson river. >> it apparently happened after a dispute at the woman's home. police say she put her four kids into the family van. then let her 10-year-old son out just before she drove the mini van off a boat ramp. we'll get the latest in a live report ahead. >> also adult airport screenings are something we have to deal with, but what about kids?

that question is in the spotlight after a mother says she saw her 6-year-old daughter receiving a pat-down. she said it amounted to groping. details coming up. >> take a look who's back in the house. our good friend and former "today" anchor katie couric. so much to discuss. so little time. we'll talk about her new book, the best advice she's received. she's already in the greenroom. that's the earliest she's ever arrived here. >> it's so early here, matt. omg. >> how soon they forget. and controversy over a j. crew ad with a mom and her son with his toenails painted pink. we begin with a tragic story in new york. a mother and three children killed after she drove them into the hudson river.

mara schiavocampo has details. good morning. >> reporter: good morning, meredith. that tragedy unfolded in the hudson river behind me in the kids a-5-year-old, who has not yet been identified, a 2-year-old identified as lance pierre and an 11-month-old girl, leana pierre. apparently before the mother drove the van into the water she allowed a fourth child, a 10le-year-old boy to get out. he ran to a nearby firestation to get help, but by the time they found the fan it was submerged in ten feet of water and everybody on board was pronounced dead. police believe this may have been related to a domestic dispute they responded to earlier in the evening. but when they arrived at the home, nobody was there and it was just a few minutes later that boy abroached authorities and told them his mother had driven his siblings into the river here. police have not identified all of the victims.

they have also not identified the person that the mother may have been fighting with. this is just a devastating tragedy for this area here. one of the first responders says this is one of the worst calls he's been on in more than ten years. at this point, officials are trying to piece together exactly what happened and what may have drif chb this mother over the edge and caused her to drive her children into this river here killing herself and three of her young children. meredith, back to you. >> thank you very much. dr. gail saltz is a psychiatrist and "today" contributor. good morning. >> good morning. >> the question is, how could a mother do this? what must her mindset have been to take her life and the lives of three of her children. >> we don't know several possibilities. obviously was there mental illness involved, depression, drugs and alcohol involved? obviously with a violent incident you think about that. also, this woman had an 11-month-old. up to a year, a woman can suffer

postpartum depression. we have seen with cases like andrea yates -- >> who drowned her children in a bathtub. >> exactly. that a woman can become even psychotically depressed and do something terrible. >> why would she have let the 10-year-old boy out of the car? >> without being in her mind i can only guess. however, when you see something where a woman has separated out younger children and kept them with herself, it may be a feeling those are still part of her, babies, still really here. as opposed to a 10-year-old being more ke fined, an individual, feeling that's a separate person. maybe wasn't going to take that person with her. >> my heart goes to that little boy because of what he has to live with now. >> 10 is a difficult age. it's old enough to understand that death is forever. so he's not a little child. he will understand the magnitude of what's gone on and hopefully there will be other family. that will be needed to help them through something tragic like

this. >> thank you. here's matt. >> now to washington and the question over what to do with the nation's massive debt. president obama is set to outline his plan today. chuck todd has the details on it. good morning. >> reporter: good morning, matt. the president will add his voice to the debate over what to do about the ever-growing deficit and debt. the white house has been hesitant to leak too many details. he's going to talk about major reforms to the tax code, translation, tax hikes. and to programs like social security. >> he will provide the american people his vision. >> reporter: the white house press secretary offered few specifics on what the president will say except to say it will be a balanced approach. >> entitlements, tax

expenditures and defense spending. >> reporter: just one week after paul ryan unveiled his plan to tackle the country's debt problem -- >> this is the path to prosperity. >> reporter: -- white house aides hope the president's plan and the ryan plan become the two competing visions of how to deal with the explosion of red ink in the budget. they say going into the presidential election year it's an argument they believe they can win. republicans say any plan to increase taxes is a loser. >> taxes are not on the table. we don't have a revenue problem. we have a spending problem. >> reporter: deficit and debt plans are becoming commonplace around washington these days. besides the obama and ryan plans, there is the president's debt commission plan which calls for a gradual rise of the social security retirement age to 69, an idea the president has not yet endorsed. then there is the so-called gang of six, a bipartisan group of six senators promising to come up with their specific proposals soon. >> governor romney, welcome back to the show. >> reporter: the budget debate is a big part of the

presidential campaign already. >> i would cap the amount of federal spending and federal taxation. you don't do that, and you'll find the liberals taking more and more of the american dollar. >> reporter: earlier this week republican mitt romney made it official by announcing an exploratory committee and he's already being treated as the frontrunner. and when tim pawlenty seemed like he was in the race. >> i'm running for president. >> reporter: aides retracted his statement. even setting up his exploratory committee, their active candidates in the eyes of the law. mississippi governor hailey barbour has been acting like a candidate. >> i'm very pleased with the response. people know we need a change. >> reporter: going back to the debt speech today, coming up with the plan is the easy part. it's always been the politics that's the hard part. there are aides close to the president that envision a republican candidate endorsing the ryan plan and using that and the fact that they want to dramatically change medicare to

target older voters in places like florida, iowa and ohio. >> republican congresswoman michelle bachman from minnesota, founder of the tea party caucus there, good morning. thanks for joining us again. >> thanks, matt. >> we are hearing conflicting messages here. we heard mitch mcconnell say raising taxes isn't on the table. john boehner said, i will put everything on the table. i'm not interested in raising taxes on the american people, but if it takes leaving it on the table to have the conversation, i'll have the conversation. so is raising taxes on the table? >> i don't think it should be on the table because tax rates are high enough already. one thing that history shows, matt, is when we raise taxes, particularly on job creators, we actually bring in less revenue rather than more. and so the question really is do we want more revenue or do we want to increase taxes because

the two don't necessarily go together. >> but if you do raise taxes, for example, the president is expected to call for raising taxes on the wealthiest americans. some estimates say that could raise $700 billion, why couldn't that money be used to pay down the debt? >> well, for instance, the president it appears will be calling to raise taxes on people making $200,000 or more a year. we could confiscate 100% of the wealth people make at $200,000 or more and it would yield only six or seven months of revenue to run the government. in fact, we could take 100% of the profits of all the fortune 500 companies and it would give us only 40 days to run the government. we could take the 400 billionaires in the united states, confiscate their wealth in excess of a trillion dollars, and that would only get us to mid august. >> when we are talking -- >> all of that wouldn't approach the problem we have. >> when talking about a long-term way of approaching this situation, and if, in fact, like congressman ryan is

suggesting, medicare needs to be revamped -- and let's face it, most people agree that's a major issue and has to be seriously looked at, but that affects the elderly and the poor. if that's on the table, why shouldn't the burden be equally shared? why shouldn't we put some of that burden on the wealthy and corporations? >> remember, again, already the top 1% of income earners pay 40% of all taxes into the federal government. so if you want to talk fairness, the top 1% are paying 40% of all of the income. again, i think the paul ryan plan should be called the 55 and under plan because any of the changes are going to impact people who are 55 years of age and younger, not people who are 55 years of age and older. >> the nonpartisan congressional budget office says when they look at the plan they think in the long term this will cause people to actually pay much more of their own health care costs

out of their own pocket. do you agree with that? >> well, i'll have to look at that study and i'll have to look at that report. i can't comment on it because i haven't read the study. i think certainly going forward it's important for us to understand that individualism, personal responsibility have always been a bedrock of this country. when we move away from that our budgets get in trouble. >> before i let you go, the president expected to address other issues today. for example, defense spending makes up 50% of discretional spending in the budget. should that be cut? what about social security? would you be in favor of raising the retirement age? >> it's important to distinguish that the defense budget doesn't take up 50% of the budget. the discretionary portion is actually a very small part of the budget. two-thirds of the budget deals only with the entitlements -- social security, medicare, medicaid. >> would you be open to cutting defense spending?

>> oh, there's no question. we need to look at defense spending to see where there is redundancy and waste and whether certain programs make sense for the defense department or weapons procurement. we need to focus on areas that we need to shore up our defense, but nothing should be off the table, including defense. >> including social security as well? >> social security, we need to make it safe and secure for the future. that will be a long discussion in this town. >> congresswoman, thanks for your time again. i appreciate it. >> thanks, matt. >> it's 7:13. here's meredith. >> thank you. the tsa said it is exploring ways to revise the airport screening procedures for children. this after video surfaced of a 6-year-old girl being given a pat-down. pete williams is at reagan national airport with details. good morning to you. >> reporter: meredith, this is one of the most sensitive issues

the tsa faces, how to screen young children who often don't understand what's happening. it's upset some parents as well. now the tsa says there may be more changes coming. the latest example of the sensitivity comes from this video, now making the rounds on the internet. it was recorded by parents at that time airport in new orleans and shows a girl said to be 6 by the parents, at the checkpoint. the mother is heard if the child can't be screened again instead of patted down. the female screener used the back of her hand part of the time and runs a hand around the inside top of the girl's waistband explaining every step in advance as the child's mother watches. when the mother posted the video she called the process groping. after tsa began screening last fall with more use of full body scanning and more intrusive pat-downs, tsa said it would use a modified version of the pat-down for children under 12. after reviewing the video from

new orleans, tsa said it's satisfied that the screener followed the procedures. but screening children remains a touchy subject. tsa changed its policy since this video came out three years ago showing a 3-year-old girl already upset at being separated from her teddy bear screaming during a pat-down. >> no! >> officials say the government will never exempt an entire category of people from pat-downs, whether by age or physical characteristics because that would invite terrorists to exploit those exceptions. but a tsa official says the administrator john pistole saw the video from new orleans and pushes the agency to move toward assessment of risk. in a written statement tsa says pistole wants to move away from a one-size fits all system and is moving to improve the screening experience for low risk passengers such as children. tsa is making a point of responding to the controversy

over this latest video and says it wants to work with parents to make the screening process for the entire family more respectful. meredith? >> pete williams, thank you very much. >> let's get a check of the top stories from tamron hall who's in while ann is off today. good morning. >> good morning, everyone. ousted egyptian president hosni mubarak is being detained for 15 days in a review of killing of protesters in that country's uprising. the most expansive probe in the world. the announcement came within hours of news that the 82-year-old was hospitalized due to heart trouble. his sons are being questioned and detained. residents of the evacuation zone surrounding the fukushima nuclear plant in japan demanding compensation at the facility's operator's headquarters. john yang has the latest from tokyo. good morning. >> reporter: good morning. that utility the focus of a lot of anger and frustration and second-guessing about how they have handled the situation.

a small group of protesters outside the headquarters today. inside the headquarters, the president said they are preparing a cash compensation fund for people who have been forced from their homes and unable to work. meanwhile, the plant itself, slow progress. officials say no significant change there. tamron? >> john yang live in tokyo. thank you. toyota will suspend some european factory operations for several days due to the disaster in the home country of japan. the world's largest automaker has stalled production until at least early may. nissan and honda have also been forced to slow output volumes in europe. now to a check of u.s. markets. cnbc's erin burnett is at the new york stock exchange. good to see you. >> you, too. earnings are the most important thing. jp morgan reporting better than expected sales and profits. all eyes here will be on the president's speech at 1:30 eastern about his plan to reduce the deficit.

the debt ceiling remains front and center here. the government borrows money all the time. this week we're borrowing $66 billion. so far investors not demanding higher interest rates to lend to the united states. but we'll have another so-called auction today, things that seem else teric, but with this talk, this is the front lines of what the debt ceiling means to the country. >> nato is divided over the future of air strikes in libya with france and britain pushing to intensify enforcement of the no-fly zone while othe enforcem no fly zone while other states are calling for less aggressive involve. rebels say the situation has not improved. the death toll may be as high as 10,000. this as britain released videos of destruction of a tank near misrata. when he's not busy on this broadcast, apparently lester holt likes to rock out. that's our lester jamming on the

bass guitar last night at the grand ole opry, lifting the leg and everything in nashville with luke bryan. >> i always joke with people that i'm only doing the news because i can't make it as a musician. when my album gets done, i'm out of here. >> it's now 7:18. i love the leg lift. >> he's a good musician. >> excellent. >> he's terrific. multi talented, lester. way to go. >> makes his own clothes, too. >> do you play an instrument? >> no. >> please. >> that was loaded. anyway, let's see what's going on. big storm in the northeast. lightning, heavy rain last night. slowly lifting into new england. we'll see another half inch to an inch of rain. another system in the pacific northwest. that will be a potent weathermaker later in the week. rest of the u.s., sunshine in

the plains. warm and sunny through the gulf coast with showers through the western great lakes. windy conditions through southern california and the southwest. well, we've got a big storm on the east coast and kind of a dud on the west coast but enough to bring some light, scattered showers into the north bay. showers will become a little morsteady this afternoon. by 10:00 a.m. we'll see the showers spread to the south. this afternoon not quite as warm as yesterday. in fact it's going to be much cooler. 60 degrees is the forecasted high in places like san jose, also san francisco. but we're going to warm up this weekend. we've got a nice, warm trend on the way and the 70s. weather, matt? >> al, thank you very much. just ahead the fbi busts a scheme that used beautiful women to steal thousands of dollars from unsuspecting men. first this is "today" on nbc. m

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straight ahead, the incredible transformation of kate middleton. the secret of how she did it. >> plus from kate to katie, katie couric returns to studio 1a. first your local news and weather. do you need directions?

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ask your rheumatologist if enbrel is right for you. good wednesday morning to you. 7:26 right now. i'm laura garcia-cannon. six men and boys will be charged today in connection with a gang rape and beating of a teenage girl outside a richmond high school homecoming dance. the arraignment comes after a 20-day preliminary hearing which included testimony and evidence from 20 witnesses. the defendants range in age from 17 to 44. they're accused of stripping, beating, robbing and raping a 16-year-old girl while dozens of others watched. police found the girl unconscious and partially naked under a picnic table.

two san francisco teenagers accused of murdering a 16-year-old will make their first court appearance today. andy zeng was found shot to death in a home over the weekend. neighbors say the room had been doused with gasoline. police originally arrested four teens in the death, but released two of them. police say the boy accused of shooting him is just 15 years old. 7:27 right now. we want to check the forecast with christina loren. >> good morning to you. we do have some showers creeping in from the west. as we head throughout the morning, they will become a little more steady in the north bay in particular. i don't think we're going to see anything measurable in excess of maybe an tenth of an inch up here in the north bay. through the afternoon showers slide to the south. i think a stronger component from this system will be mostly cloudy conditions and we're going to see gusty winds as well today, so not quite as warm as yesterday. in fact about 10 degrees cooler as we head throughout this afternoon. but the good news is we will warm back up tomorrow and even more so towards your weekend.

we'll be in the 70s. let's check your drive with mike inouye. >> we do have an accident northbound 680 at stoneridge drive. there's the mall off to the west. they have an overturned vehicle there but they have just waived off the ambulance so no serious injuries, but this is in the middle lane and causing a slowdown in both directions. 22-minute drive out of the altamont pass, smooth flow on westbound 580. we'll look at the bay bridge with a light volume of traffic at the toll plaza. the metering lights are on but only mid-parking lot for the backup. that's a treat, laura. >> that's a treat. another local news update in half an hour. the "today" show back in a few minutes.

♪ 7:30 on this wednesday morning, april 13, 2011. you are looking live at ipenema beach in rio de janeiro. not a bad place to start your day. natalie morales is there and we'll check in with her later. i'm meredith vieira alongside matt lauer. also ahead, new fallout in the wake of the investigation into the popular "your baby can read" program which claims it can teach infants as young as 3

months old to read but leading scientists said that is not the case and a major group is fighting to get parents their money back. details coming up. >> also ahead, for 15 years katie couric anchored "today." she's back to share some of the best advice she's ever gotten and advice over celther celebri have gotten as well. >> and the controversial j. crew ad featuring a 5-year-old boy with pink nail polish on his toes. why some parents are upset. let's begin in miami where the fbi has broken up a nightclub scam targeting men from out of town. kerry sanders has details. good morning. >> reporter: well, good morning. agents say they infiltrated this underworld enterprise and in the process 17 people, mostly women from eastern europe, are now charged with fraud. the elaborate nightclub scheme allegedly exploited sex with

booze all in attempt to get tourist credit cards. ♪ >> reporter: in south beach's pulsating nightclubs where the beautiful people party well into the morning and sometimes the continuous flow of liquor leads to something else, the so-called b girls hunted in pairs, say investigators. their targets, unsuspecting wealthy men. a russian-speaking mafia the fbi calls the organization stands accused of exploiting out of town businessmen, selling them wildly overpriced bottles of wine, champagne, vodka and the b girls would get the men to order drinks unaware they were ordering a $5,000 bottle of wine purchased for as little as $5. one businessman from philadelphia drank some wine with the females and then took a

shot of vodka and became woozy. his recollection was of people holding him up at an unknown location and having him sign something three times. turns out, investigators say, he signed credit card billing totaling $43,000. in all, 88 men were snared in the scam, allegedly master minded by russian alex simchuck. he's now believed to be in latvia. >> in some respects it's creative. it's the old story of women, sex, liquor. >> reporter: john fitzgibbons says the scam is ingenius because in florida when a bill is disputed, even when outrageous, the customer has to pay in full or they can be arrested. >> if you are a married man and you have a dispute over a bar bill in miami and the police are called or they threaten to call the police, your choices are

limited. you can either sign the tab or the police get called and you could go off to jail. >> reporter: in some of the cases, some of the men were sober enough to see the prices and balked at paying. that's when the club owners called police and they were threatened with arrest. of course the club owners then told the men, hey, you have been on videotape here. we may send the tape to your wife. all those arrested, none entered a plea. >> no surprise. kerry sanders, thank you very much. now a check of the weather from mr. roker. al? >> it's a nasty day out here. raw, windy, wet. we have rangers fans here. 32 years of service, retiring. we salute you, sir. thank you. we appreciate your service. let's see what's happening. we have a system coming from the west. cold front moving on shore bringing rain, mountain snows

and windy conditions. tomorrow, this thing moves east. low pressure develops. we'll get strong storms, maybe tornadoes especially in the evening in the mid plains. friday, a bigger area with a risk as more moisture comes from the gulf. cold air behind it. isolated tornadoes from the gulf into central illinois and behind it, heavy snows thro e plains. good morning to you. well, we're going to see a little bit of shower activity today. the bulk of the moisture from a system of low pressure that's going to bring light rain will move through between 10:00 and 2:00, so a four-hour window for light showers. 60 in san rafael, 61 in santa cruz. the north bay will measure up to a tenth of an inch of rain. as we head into the weekend, oh, look at those temperatures. a nice warmup, 70-degree weather back in the mix. and don't forget, days like this, check the weather two,

three, four times a day. go to the weather channel on cable, weather.com online. matt? >> thank you very much, al. this morning on "today investigates," new action against the popular reading program, "your baby can read." jeff rossen first looked at the program last fall and he's back with an update. good morning. >> good morning. a lot of parents will recognize this and since the investigation aired, "your baby can read" is still advertised on national television, sold in major stores. the company claims if you buy the kit, your baby as young as 3 months old, can learn to read but we learned that's an empty promise. >> what you are about to see will amaze you. >> which one says "keys." >> reporter: the commercials are amazing. >> what does this say? >> baby! >> what about this word? >> swing. >> good job. >> these words say -- >> touch your ears.

>> reporter: that's babies sure look like they're reading. if you buy this $200 program, the ads claim your baby can, too. >> my daughter began reading by the time she was 8 months old. >> reporter: it comes with flash cards, pop-up books and lots of dvds for your kids to watch. >> a baby's brain craves stimulation. >> reporter: they say it is based on science, that all babies can read. >> seize this small window of opportunity before it closes. >> reporter: warning that if you miss that window your child will fall behind. but our "today" investigation found no storybookending here. we had experts review the program at harvard. are those babies reading? >> no. >> reporter: and tufts. >> it's an extraordinary manipulation of facts. >> reporter: and nyu. >> i think it's misleading, false and i think it raises false expectations. >> reporter: in fact, we spoke with ten child development experts from the country's top universities and organizations.

the message was universal. this isn't reading. it's memorization and there is no evidence at all that the cards and dvds will teach kids to read or make them better readers later on. >> we were just so please that the "today" took this on. it is the first expose we have seen about the product. >> reporter: susan is from a national watchdog group that fights against deceptive products for kids. in 2006 it took on the popular program baby einstein leading to marketing changes and full refunds for customers. now lynn's group is going after "your baby can read." they have filed this official complaint with the federal trade commission, calling the program's claims false and misleading, saying it poses significant health and safety risks to infants by getting them hooked on television too young. >> we want the ftc to stop your

baby can read from false and deceptive marketing and we want your baby can read to offer refundses to the parents who have been duped. >> this is not a short-term effect. >> reporter: duped, the complaint says, by this man. [ applause ] >> reporter: dr. robert titzer, the creator and ceo. he callses himself an infant learning expert. his name and face appear on efg. he agreed to sit down with us for our initial story. >> we are changing the way people are looking at reading. >> reporter: we have spoken with child development experts from some of the most prestigious universities like harvard, yale, tufts, nyu, cornell, penn and the national association of school psychologists, national center for infants, toddlers and families. they say the program is not only misleading but false. >> well, they are all yonge. >> reporter: you're saying they are all wrong? >> yes. i'm saying they are all wrong. >> reporter: he says the program is backed by scientific research. while he acknowledges it all

starts as memorization, he says it leads to reading. >> we have a book full of studies that support the use of our program. it ee's thicker than this. >> reporter: can you provide us that research? >> yes, i can. >> reporter: instead of published research on your baby can read he sent us a customer satisfaction survey conducted by his own company along with general studies about child learning that experts we spoke to said he's twisting and taking out of context. in fact, much of the research he cites for the program -- >> she started reading words. >> reporter: is based on his own daughter. >> my children could read better at age 4 than i can at my age. >> reporter: you're saying your 4-year-old was a better reader than you as an adult? >> that's correct. not only that i was teaching in college at the time and she could read better than my college students. >> reporter: okay. experts say the extreme claims target parents who would do anything to make their kids

smarter. >> it's deceptive and harmful. parents are shelling out all this money for something that is basically snake oil. >> reporter: the federal trade commission says it is now reviewing this new complaint. we contacted your baby can read for comment. the company said, we are proud of our accomplishments, thousands of parents have shared the success stories of their children with us and hundreds have sent us videos of their children's progress. meantime, matt, the best way to teach your child to read is free. sing to them, talk to them and when they are ready, 4 or 5 years old, they will learn to read. >> if it looks too good to be true, it is. jeff, appreciate it. up next, the polishing of a princess. kate middleton's transformation from a country girl to the af r re queenf engl d afanr this. witlove the idea.rd? no hoops to jump through to get it? even better. not a big fan of hoops. that's why i have the bankamericard cash rewards credit card. we get 1% cash back on every purchase.

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frontline plus kills but doesn't repel. any tick that isn't repelled or killed may attach and make a meal of us. so let's put our paws down in protest. no fetching, no friendship till we all get k9 advantix ii. join us at poochprotest.com. [ male announcer ] ask your veterinarian about k9 advantix ii. back now at 7:44 with the countdown to the royal wedding now at just 16 days. earlier this week prince william and kate made their last public appearances together before the big day. if kate appeared more reel gagr there is a reason.

michelle kosinski will explain. good morning. >> reporter: good morning, meredith. over the last couple of years, even the last couple of months we have seen classic, comfortable kate transformed. it's like the royal household came and polished her up. not a hair out of place. that's no easy task here. she's lost so much weight the papers are reporting she's had to have the engagement ring tieg tightened. definitely trying out her new role in a visible way. say hello to future queen catherine looking every bit of it. hideous weather? ha! no match for the magazine-perfect bride to be. is this our kate next door? >> she's looking very american actually. she has that american gloss, i think. she was originally very much a country bumpkin. >> reporter: you wonder what the mean girls in boarding school must think of the sporty,

studious nonentity as one described kate back then. even in college, winning william's heart in quite possibly the tackiest invention ever she was hardly glamorous. baby-faced, natural, country girl who almost wore her shyness on her neutral colored sleeve. the world watched her grow up with william. yet some, even recently called her dull. then all of the sudden in walks sleek and chic. who is that radiant young woman with the almost impossibly groomed hair? more fascinators -- those little hats -- than wellington boots these days. what a difference a royal romance can make. isn't she real when she's messy? >> i don't know if people want real. there is a touch of jackie o. there. it's sort of stepping it up a

bit from diana. it's a lot more formal, i think. >> reporter: if this new kate goes all glamazon, will the public still get her or might it get the better of her? >> she's the most scrutinized woman in the world. the question is whether she's got the strength of character to deal with it or whether, like diana, she goes to pieces. >> reporter: kate and will love nothing more than a movie at home and baked beans on toast. as date disastrous as that might sound. she's loving coming into her own and not just trying to please. true to the old kate, that amazing royal power suit she was wearing the other day, it turnses out that's something that's just been hanging around her closet for years. you know she's in a tough spot. she'd be skewered if she didn't look the part. if she tried too hard, maybe worse. apparently the secret lately is to get a lot of advice from

everybody from camilla to the editor of british vogue. meredith? >> she looked good before and she looks great now. thank you so much. we will be live in london with complete coverage of the royal wedding starting at 4:00 a.m. eastern, 1:00 a.m. pacific time. still ahead from kate to katie, we'll catch up with indicakatie couric. first these messages. [ melody ] the bar is raised for everybody in an ap class,

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people magazine's world's most beautiful people issue. here to do the honorses is senior writer julie jordan. >> good morning. >> let's not beat around the bush. everybody wants to know who's on the cover. so that person is -- >> the lovely jennifer lopez. >> really? how could she get on the cover? >> why did you pick her? >> millions of people are relating to her on "idol" and we are seeing the real jennifer. she's beautiful, but it's who she is that's what's beautiful. >> motherhood has changed her. >> at home she wears no makeup. she's got her hair in a clip and he's a mom to 3-year-old twins. >> she is still the hot mom, too. >> she glams it up, but it's a part of her job and who she is. >> you have other notables like george clooney. >> overrated. >> yeah! >> don't be hating.

>> of course, beautiful on the inside as well with his organization. he's trying to better the world. >> doing good things. >> yes. >> other new faces, jessica alba. >> loves being a mom. >> zac efron. >> of course. he's second to matthew mcconaughey who we love seeing without his shirt. >> nice. >> any other surprises? anybody who will look at the list and say, that's an unusual choice? >> no. but we have no makeup pictures again. you get past the smoke and mirrors. it's good for everybody. >> when is it out? >> on news stands friday. >> we'll talk to cover girl jennifer lopez later this morning. >> and the controversy over the new ad featuring ea wriyng boy wearing neon pink polish on his toenails after your local news. a groundbreaking 14-year study by purina... proves that puppy chow, then dog chow nutrition,

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good morning to you. it's 7:56 right now. i'm laura garcia-cannon. a suspected serial killer with ties to the bay area may also be connected to the unsolved alphabet murers of the 1970s. a special task force is looking into possible links between joseph naso and other homicide cases across the country. the 77-year-old will be in a marin county courtroom today to face charges in the murders of four women in northern california. the victims all had first and last names that started with the same letter, which some say is strikingly similar to the alpha better murders which happened in the new york area. >> it's so specific, it's so characterized, this is his own cute, clever little thing. because of that, i think it's

much more probably the guy rather than a copycat. >> naso is being held without pail in the marin county jail. let's get a check of the forecast with christina. >> good morning to you. well, the showers are increasing right now, especially up in the north bay. we have a little cell. i think it will skip to just the north of san francisco, but you might see some light showers there here in the next 15, 20 minutes. overall we'll see a pretty nice day. the showers will clear out for the second half of the day and temps will climb into the 60s. you'll probably need the jacket all day long as we'll be 10 degrees cooler than yesterday. 61 degrees in redwood city, 60 in san francisco and 62 degrees in santa rosa. oh, yes, the warmup starts tomorrow and kicks into high gear for the weekend when we're talking about the 70s. let's check your drive with mike inouye. 580 holding up with a nice commute and no slowing into livermore. a little slow through livermore and towards the dublin interchange. northbound 680 the accident has cleared at stone ridge.

things are moving nicely heading up through sunol. 680 a little slow heading through sunol. a lighter volume keeps things moving nicely through the maze. eastbound 24 into the caldecott it boggs down but there's only one bore open. westbound 80 coming down richmond, speeds in the 30s so a 22-minute drive from the carquinez bridge to the toll plaza. a live look past the coliseum where we have the warriors playing tonight but suddenly in the last 15 minutes a slowdown at high street. no incidents but there's an issue getting past the coliseum now and tonight after work because the warriors are playing their final game of the season. thank you for joining us. i'll have another local news update for you in about half an hour. the "today" show returns in less than a minute.

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8:00 now on > 8:00 now on a morning, the 13th of april, 2011. it's a brutal day in new york city. raining sideways, wiping off the lens. our apologies to the people outside. we were going to head out and it started to pour. we'll get out hopefully in a little while. we thank them for stopping by. i'm matt lauer inside studio 1a alongside meredith vieira and al roker. just ahead, a very familiar face around these parts. katie couric is here and we have a lot to catch up on including her new book about the best

advice she's received and there are other things making headlines as well. >> really? >> what would that be? >> also, would you let your son wear nail polish? there is controversy over a new j. crew ad featuring a mother and a 5-year-old whose toenails are painted neon pink. some say it's adorable and others say it's inappropriate. >> and the lovely tina fey will be here to tell us about her decision to have baby number two, the future of "30 rock" and the downside to playing sarah palin. >> first a check of the top stories from tamron hall in for ann. good morning. >> good morning, everyone. president obama outlines his long term plan for shrinking the nation's $13 trillion deficit in a speech this afternoon. he's expected to call an end to bush-era tax cuts and smaller cuts in medicare and medicaid than republicans are demanding. police say a mother who may have been involved in a domestic dispute killed herself and her

three young children by driving their mini van into the hudson river in new york. a 10-year-old boy who left the van ran to a nearby fire station for help, but it was too late. investigators on long island, new york, may be searching for victims of a suspected serial killer. ten sets of human remains have been found since december along a 15-mile stretch of beach. firefighters in west texas made progress against a wildfire that's destroyed at least two dozen homes. the state forest service said the fire was 60% contained by tuesday. there are 13 other fires burning throughout the state. the u.s. is asking north korea to release an american citizen being held there and to treat that person in a manner consistent with international law. the state department hasn't identified the person or said when or why the detention took place. there is new hope of recovering black boxes from an air france jet that crashed off brazil two years ago.

officials told victims' family members that wreckage includes an intact tail section where the recorders were located. the crash killed 228 people, the worst in air france history. a quick clarification on a story we brought tuesday about the feud between bill cosby and donald trump. in that report, we mistaken mentioned that cosby had not responded to calls for comment. we have heard from him saying his only response is "no response." an indiana woman has been e defeating people in competitions. now 60, bonnie ava is learning to swim for her next challenge -- triathlons but family and friends say 60 is the new 30. do not under estimate this woman. it's 8:03. back to meredith and matt. >> three years? >> three years. she's beating women half her age.

>> that's impressive, tamron. appreciate that. >> watch out, if i were you. >> why? >> i'm getting up there. if i work out, in three years i'll be 60. i'll beat the hell out of you. >> you're buff now. let's get a check on the weather. that's something to look forward to. >> the patter is deteriorating quicker than the weather. what was that going on? all of these nice people stayed out here, so we decided to come out. i want to show them all. so here we go. right along here. there you go. all waving and wet. i will get to this line. there you go. all right. let's check your weather, see what's going on. pick city of the day, hagerstown, maryland. the home of bob hager. nbc 25, shrng inowers, 57. we have a storm system slowly g moving through new england. it's going to take its own sweet time bringing rain, wind,

scattered showers and thunderstorms. another storm system in the pacific northwest bringing rain, mountain snows, warm through the southwest into the gulf coast. texas, florida looking great. miami beach, 87 degrees. that's good, huh? >> yeah. good morning to you. we do have light scattered showers as we told you about. but nothing heavy. a lot of this evaporating before it hits the ground. san francisco, a little light shower in the next ten minutes but for the most part, the showers today will stay north of the bay bridge which is good news for someone who live notice sou --s in the south bay. maybe a spritzer. temps in the 70s. have a fantastic wednesday. and that's your latest weather, matt? >> still to come, katie couric on the best advice she's ever received and other things. getting tired of teasing yet,

katie? >> yes! >> does it cross a line? the controversy over a new j. crew ad that shows a mom painting her 5-year-old son's toenails pink. right after this. [ man ] on your mark... [ whistle blows ] [ squishing ] [ male announcer ] pool filled with caramel. not as good as chocolate filled with caramel. introducing milky way simply caramel. life's better the milky way.

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during the petsmart everything spring sale. save $3 on all iams dog food in 35-40 pound bags. at petsmart. so, you got a chevy malibu. nice. a consumers digest best buy three years in a row. and an epa - estimated 33 miles per gallon highway. all starting under $23,000. and what does your neighbor have? a bad case of car envy. very well qualified lessees can get a low mileage lease on a 2011 chevrolet malibu ls for around $179 a month. call for details. see your local chevy dealer. back now with an ad from j. crew that's sparking controversy. tamron hall has details. >> the ad was e-mailed to customers last week and it has people talking. not about the clothes but what a mom is doing with her young son.

at first glance the j. crew ad featuring a mom hanging out with her son doesn't seem out of the ordinary, but a closer look revealses j. crew executive jenna lyons painting her 5-year-old son's toenails pink. >> it's weird. >> i don't have a problem with it. >> reporter: for the conservative watch dog media research group the ad is a big problem. >> it's not painting someone's toenailses. it's painting a 5-year-old boy's toenails hot pink or neon. it's gender bending. to do it with a 5-year-old -- >> reporter: consider a nonstory but raising boys who want to dress like little girls is an issue facing many parents today. >> i'm a princess. >> reporter: when 5-year-old dyson wanted to be a princess for halloween his parents resisted but they now allow their son to wear dresses whenever he wants. >> it's not contagious.

he's just like any other kid. he plays checkers, plays in the trees. he just likes to do it in a dress. big deal. >> reporter: this boy's mother didn't think it was a big deal when her little boy wanted to dress like daphne from "scooby doo." she explained her decision in november on "today." >> i'm torn between not wanting my children to be teased. at the same time i don't want my children they think they have to give in to what the world expects of them. >> yes, society is too quick to push children into preassigned gender roles. there is nothing to suggest this boy is either gay, trance gendered or any other variety of gender you want to apply to this image. it's not coming from the image itself. it's what's being applied to it. >> reporter: we posted a poll on our website asking if the ad was adorable or inappropriate. within hours we had thousands of

responses and so far, our viewers appear to be split right down the middle. meredith? >> tamron, thank you. robin silverman is a child and teen expert. cheryl is the author of "my princess boy." good morning to you both. >> good morning. >> cheryl, you wrote the book to encourage acceptance of children like your son dyson who enjoys wearing dresses and sparkly shoes. he's 5 at this point. what was your reaction when you saw the j. crew ad and the controversy around it? >> i received several e-mails and a lot of information from people about this ad. i showed it to my kids actually. my 8-year-old son jacobi said, he looks happy. this is great for him. i didn't see why there is controversy around it. it looks to me like an authentic piece of a mom supporting and accepting her son which is what the movement is about.

>> we have heard several parents say we won't define our children. if the parents are okay and the kids are okay with it, what's the issue? >> it's funny. we are looking at an ad. so let's first say this is an ad to sell a product. that said, we are dealing with play. normal play. the child is 5 years old. every child should be able to play, experiment with different roles, experiment with different facets of gender. that's normal development. what we want is normal development. >> we reached out to j. crew and they declined to comment. based on the poll, at least half the people we polled don't think it's normal or adorable. they think it is inappropriate and they worry ads like this are further blurring the gender lines. >> i think this has gone over to the ridiculous at this point. we are dealing with a 5-year-old son who looks happy, who's playing with mom. this is not going to cause any

problem with gender identity any more than when i was little, put on pants and dug in the dirt. it has no bearing on gender identity. >> dr. keith ablow is a psychiatrist and believes the ad is dangerous. he wrote an article about it. i will read a little bit. he said, it may be fun and games now, jenna, but at least put aside money for psychotherapy for the kid and others affected by your innocent, quote/unquote, pleasure. show do you respond? >> i think it's the opposite. if we don't accept and support our children for who they are, they are screaming to us to say, end the bullying, make this the year of acceptance. turn this around and we have to model this as adults. i don't think the behavior that's being modeled in all of the controversy is coming from adultses. >> you believe the problem is with the adults and not the children. >> i believe that. kidses can mitigate issues together. one of the things that's so important about play, as dr.

robins said is that we want to make sure kidses can get together, that families who believe in acceptance can be together as well. >> you don't worry about the teasing? >> i think teasing is a natural piece of development. i think it will happen. honestly, i don't think if i take dyson out of a dress that he won't be teased about something else. my job as a parent is to guide him. we are to help them be the best he can be. not the best we want them to be. for them to do what we want them to do. >> would you be comfortable with the ad if the little boy had been in a sun dress? would that be okay? >> again, we are talking about play. this is a fun little ad that happened to be capturing something fun and interesting for a little boy. would we care if it was a girl who was dressed as a boy? >> not at all. >> exactly. >> this is fun, interesting and people love to talk. at the end of the day, we are

raising kids who will accepting of others who are good people. that's what we want. stay in touch with values and stop worrying about the fine print here. >> thank you so much. nice to see you again. >> thank you. >> up next, katie couric live from studio 1a and the bestdds s vi -- advice she's received. right after this. you see, airline credit cards promise flights for 25,000 miles, but... [ man ] there's never any seats for 25,000 miles. frustrating, isn't it? but that won't happen with the capital one venture card. you can book any airline anytime. hey, i just said that. after all, isn't traveling hard enough? ow. [ male announcer ] to get the flights you want, sign up for a venture card at capitalone.com. what's in your wallet? uh, it's okay. i've played a pilot before.

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how the book came about. >> i gave a graduation speech in cleveland and i got tired of talking about myself, believe it or not. i thought i would reach out to some of the people i interviewed and see what they would tell young kids. so i contacted queen ranya, sheryl crow and other people and said, what lessons have you learned? they gave me incredibly moving, funny or interesting, inspiring things to say. i thought, wouldn't this make a great collection? >> advice is personal and what works for one person during a particular situation in their lives may not work for others. how do you want people to digest the information? >> there are common universal themeses in these essays about dealing with failure, embracing failure, having success scars, as tavis smiley said. pragmatic advice from mayor blumberg that says, get there early.

he got to his real estate agency early, got all the calls and got the sales. solomon brothers he got there early and got to know the other guy who was there early, the ceo. >> nia vardares says our society is more rude. she says when people get ruder, she gets nicer. never fall to the level of the behavior of the people around you. that one jumped out at me. >> she's so great, so funny and so wonderful. her advice was important. one thing i tell young people when they are looking for jobs is manners matter. write thank you notes, have good eye contact, a firm handshake. you never get a second chance to make a first impression. wasn't that the head and shoulders ad? >> i have heard that before, yes. matthew mcconaughey. tough work to get him in the book. he had great ones. he talked about his father telling him, never say "i can't." when he used to try to start a

lawn mower. dad said, no, no, it hasn't worked yet. >> it's not "i can't." you're having trouble. that's a life lesson. if something's challenging you can't give up. that's a theme of the book from a lot of people. you have to keep trying. for example, catherine stockily who wrote "the help" was rejected 60 times. i love her. >> there is a chapter devoted to taking risks, seeking opportunities. have you heard any good rumors lately? >> no, have you? >> nothing? >> no. >> what are you going to do? >> i'm not sure. i'm excited about the future. i love my job at the cbs evening news, i do. i'm just in the middle of figuring it out. barbara walters on "the view" was like -- and i was like, no. >> there is a lot of speculation. i know you and i know the

business well. is it fair to assume you have made a decision -- because you've only got weeks left on your contract. is it fair to assume you have made the decision but you have yet to discuss openly the decision? >> no, i really haven't. i'm in the middle of figuring out where would be the best place for me, what would be the best job for me. >> it still might be at cbs doing the news? >> yes. i'm going to call you as soon as i know. >> obviously a lot of speculation surrounds syndication. >> mm-hmm. >> that's an aspect of the business we work in. what is it about syndication you find appealing? what would be the risks of syndication? >> i think there are risks with everything. there is a risk-reward ratio you have to weigh with everything. i think what might appeal to me -- and it's something i'm considering is, you know, just the creative freedom to pick subjects, dig deep, to have a

smart intelligent conversation and just -- you know, i think it would be fun for me -- you know me, matt -- i'm like -- that's the person i am. it might be nice for me to show my personality. >> when you lay in bed, close your eyes and think of a show are you thinking of something like oprah, ellen, "the view". >> you know i'm a good dancer. >> i'm trying to get my arms around what you're considering. >> i think a smart conversation about a host of subjects would be fun. i'm obviously interested in medical and health information. i'm interested in controversial topics and social issues. i'm interested in politics. i think sort of the panopoly and the opportunity to roll up your sleeves and dig into those subjects is appealing. >> do you feel pressure to make a decision sooner than later? there is speculation. >> i don't love this part of it. i also don't want to feel

pressure from outside forces to make a decision quickly. i want to be methodical and smart about it. you're the most methodical person i know. you think things through. i want to take a page from your book on that. >> as the speculation continues, the longer it goes the more headlines are in the paper, the more time and space being taken from important things like charlie sheen. >> that's true. i need to give the headlineses back to charlie. i feel bad about that. >> when do you think you will make a decision? >> i hope in the next few weeks. it's important for everybody, i think, to move forward. so i'm hoping sooner rather than later. >> if -- >> by november. >> we have both sat in this chair and we know normally people we interview don't like hypothetical questions. >> so you're not going to ask me one. >> if you decide to leave cbs and the evening news what will you take away from the last five years? what lessons, regrets, if any? >> i don't have regrets.

i love doing the evening news. it's a privilege and honor to be in that position and such a responsibility as well, as you know, matt. walter cronkite took me to dinner before i took the job. that's an evening i will never forget. i love covering the big stories, going to haiti and egypt and having this front row seat and actually going in and witnessing firsthand. you know, i faced a lot of criticism early on. i remember linda ellerbee's comment, some days you're the pigeon and some days you're the statue. it's more fun being the pigeon. i think i have learned that you have to be true to yourself, focus on your work and not be i think you have to be not influenced by outside naysayers, you have to focus on the job at hand. and as my dad told me, do the best you can every single day. that's what i try to do. >> good advice for the book as well. >> and by the way, can i mention really quickly. you have to wrap.

but did you a fantastic essay about going offcourse and making a tough choice in college and by the way, the girls are doing great. >> the proceeds go -- to scholarship america, which will help needy kids go to college. >> okay. we have to do something. >> do good morning to you. it is 8:26. i'm laura garcia-cannon. students and teachers are ral rallying at all 23 cal state campuses aconsiders the state. we're live at the cal state east bay campus with the latest with what's going on there. >> reporter: good morning. look for yourself, about a dozen students and faculty members lining the streets here, holding up signs, letting people who are heading into school today, letting them know about today's protest and 11:30 walkout that is planned for today. today is being called the day of

class action, all cal state campuses, 23 throughout the state. various events are planned including rallies and demonstrations. and walkouts like the one that's happening here at 11:30. the purpose of today is to keep higher education affordable, prevent more tuition hikes and to protect fair contracts for university employees. now, laura, today's day of class action is co-sponsored by the california faculty association. >> thank you for that live look. we'll have more right after this.

welcome back. it's 8:29. an issue for the dumbarton bridge, a metal plate raised six inches, the department of transportation will let us know about that. 880 slowed in the southbound out of hayward and out of san leandro things are bogging down. >> we'll have another look at the morning commute and local news in about half an hour. "today" returns in less than a minute. have a great morning. as a buyer for t.j.maxx, i'm not just looking for deals, i'm looking for the hottest fashion. hot -- hot, hot. i get a lot of ideas just walking around the city, checking people out. it's like a fashion show out there. then, it's all about the deal.

i negotiate directly with designers... so you get the savings. you know, the smartest fashionistas-- are really maxxinistas! t.j.maxx. let us make a maxxinista out of you. ♪ her name is rio ♪ and she dances on the sand >> 8:30 on this wednesday morning, the 13th of april. that's paul walker, vin diesel, duane johnson, ludicrous hanging

on the beach in rio. natal natalie's with them to talk about "fast 5," the fifth in the "fast & furious" series. this trip for natalie is a homecoming, not just an assignment. >> she lived there as a child. for her it's going back to the future or back to the past. she'll share some memories with us in a little while. seems like a good gig. >> oh, wow. that's a tough trip for natalie. >> you know her of course as liz lemon from "30 rock." guess what? she's expecting her second child while still juggling starring and executive producer duties on the show and she has a book out called "bossypants". >> the cover is hysterical. >> plus, in today's

relationships, why men don't listen to women. >> did you say something? >> oh! >> whatever. anyway, we'll talk about that and get information to improve your communication with your spouse and colleagues. >> first the weather. >> let's show you what's happening. for today, heavy rain in new england. more wet weather in the pacific northwest. windy in southern california. sunshine through the gulf. tomorrow, the rain moves out of the northeast. we have a risk of strong storms through the mid plains and mid mississippi river valley. mountain snows behind the system. sunny and mild in the midatlantic states to the northeast. good morning to you. we have some light showers pushing into the bay area, mostly in the north bay right now but a little bit is headed toward san francisco, if you're waking up there this morning, expect wet conditions in the next 10-15 minutes. throughout the day, showers will

clear around 2:00, or 3:00, temperatures won't be all that warm but still the 60s. 60s today in oakland, 61 in santa cruz. 70s return for the weekend. and don't forget to get your weather any time day or night on the weather channel on cable, weather.com online. >> you tell people that all the time. >> i never get tired of it. >> when we get back, natalie with the cast of "fast 5" be h in beach in [ male announcer ] everyday, your car does a lot for you. do something for it. show it some love. chevron with techron. care for your car.

♪ her name is rio ♪ and she dances on the sand >> buckle up and get ready for action. the latest addition to the "fast & furious" line of films, the fifth is set with the entire cast. good morning, natalie. >> reporter: not a bad gig,

meredith. as you know, these movies have broken box office records and have a cult-like following. ♪ >> reporter: they're back. >> i love my life a quarter mile at a time. for those ten seconds or less, i'm free. ♪ >> reporter: the cast -- >> i'm down. >> reporter: -- the cars, the races. crashes, the babes. ♪ >> reporter: the franchise speeding across los angeles, miami, tokyo, mexico and now rio. "fast 5," it's faster, even more furious and now going to the max -- imax. vin diesel, paul walker and the gang reunited once more and

they've got company. >> the men we are after are professional runners. they like speed and are hardest to go down the hardest possible way. above all, we don't ever, ever let them get in the cars. >> reporter: and the cast of "fast 5" is paul walker, vin diesel, jordana, loudicrous. you said this franchise will never end. will it keep going? >> i think the fans are dictating that. we're excited. the reaction to this one seems strong, positive. that's all we want. we'll see what happens. >> reporter: there you go. vin, for you, you have said the fans relate because it's a family of misfits. what do you mean? >> just what that is.

it's a family brought together of people from the first movie, the whole idea is that dom was the father figure of the family of misfits. >> reporter: you being dom. >> right. and in some ways this family "fast 5" continues that concept. we have a very big family and family is a very big theme in this one. >> reporter: it is. jordana plays your sister in the movie, not to give anything away, but the family is growing a little bit. >> right. >> reporter: jordana, we have a lot in common. you're half brazilian. your mother is brazilian. you grew up here as well in brazil. >> i did. >> reporter: what was it like to be back shooting in rio? >> amazing. i have a lot of family here. it was a gift to come home. a lot of my heart is here. it's a beautiful place to shoot. >> reporter: did you teach the guys about brazilian culture, how to speak? >> we have been to the

restaurants here and had. [ speaking in a foreign language ] . they have been enjoying themselves for sure. >> reporter: chris, you're a world famous musician. you have a hot song out now "break your heart." album coming out this summer. you've got acting, music, what do you pick? >> standing here with these actors, i have to say right now i would choose acting. music is my number one love. >> love you, man. >> but being in a movie with these guys, nothing can match that. you talk about breaking records. this one's going to break all the records. >> reporter: absolutely. duane, you are the new guy to the bunch, new to the family. were there hazing rituals involved? >> no. there wasn't hazing. you know, these guys try to haze for a little bit. then it's -- >> reporter: tough love? who wins? >> these guys were great. you think about how epic the franchise has been over ten years and how difficult it is to

sustain that type of success. this group of actors has done an incredible job at delivering an incredible product for ten years. i was happy to come on board, create a character that's formidable and chase these guys down, hunt these guys down and bring their asses in. hard to cuss so early in the morning. >> reporter: ooh, west coast. you're so big, buff and strong. >> and good looking. >> >> and humble. >> reporter: i hear you had a hard time getting into the fast little cars. is that true? >> i can appreciate those cars. i'm a pick-up man. built ford tough all the way. all of these guys have the luxury of driving the super cool cars. >> reporter: jordana, you didn't know how to drive when you started in the films. you're miss speed racer. >> i'm a new yorker. i didn't have my license yet. i had to get it. now i'm a bllittle better.

>> reporter: this is your second time producing. a little bit of added pressure. producer plus actor in the film. >> for me, it's an opportunity to celebrate the entire process. >> reporter: yeah. >> do whatever i can to support everybody. >> reporter: speaking of celebration, we can't let you -- you guys are sweating. we need a little -- oh, nice. feeling the love here. the national drink of brazil. passionfruit and lime. pick your pleasure. >> with alcohol or without? >> reporter: it's the real deal, vin. >> cool, cool. very cool. >> early in the morning. getting started. >> i'll sip. >> reporter: good luck with the film. "fast 5" will be a huge hit, as you know. thanks to all of you guys. and it's from our sister company, universal pictures and

opens april 29. coming up, my special connection to rio and live from new york -- tina fey! i love america,

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tina fey came up through the ranks on "saturday night live" and is now the emmy winning creator, lead actress on "30 rock." before becoming a household name, fey struggled through questionable hair cuts and awkward first dates. her new book "bossy pants" is a series of auto biographical essays. nice to see you. >> nice to see you, matt. >> bossypants. >> i asked my husband to ask for words associated with me. he said, bossy, grouchy, sour.

>> i thought it was all professional. i thought because you weare the boss at "30 rock." >> i am the boss. >> what's your managerial style? >> delegate and hide. i think i'm a good boss. mostly being a boss is getting good people and letting them do their thing and not micro managing too much. >> when it comes to that moment of make or break, are you the my way or the highway boss? >> it's my way until payday. i don't mind making decisions. i talk about this in the books. when "30 rock" first started people would come from access hollywood and be like, is it so weird for you to be the boss? no. it's not a question men are asked. are you so uncomfortable being the boss? >> it's a little bit of a double standard. >> by the way, congratulations. >> speaking of double standard. thank you. >> with your second child. >> thank you. >> by the way, you wrote this book before you knew you were

pregnant. >> yes. >> this isn't a quickie post pregnancy book. >> no. that's next. >> in the book you write this about the decision to have baby number two -- first of all, kept you up at night. you say, quote, should i? no. i want to. i can't. i must. of course not. i should try immediately. why the indecision? >> it was hard to know. you know, i'm 40. it was hard to know whether you really want to be pregnant again or are you worried that the store is closing? you have to think about it. >> the store is closing? i haven't heard it put that way before. >> it's funny. once you are pregnant you still think about it and you're like, oh, the thinking part's done. this is done. >> you're due? >> end of the summer. >> congratulations. so you're writing the book. after college you go to chicago and basically get a great -- the job that really was fun for you. explain it. >> i worked at this awesome place in chicago called the second city which was a comedy

theater that so many people, it's been around since 1959. gilda radney, john candy, john belushi and all of these people came out of there. i was there with amy poehler, steve carell, stephen colbert. we were students and we'd watch them. it was the most fun job. >> was it competitive? with all the people was it, i'm funnier than you are? did that enter into the conversation? >> it was a cult of improv where all people cared about was doing improv all the time. we used to travel around the country and do shows for the second city touring company. we'd get $75 a show and we were like, yes! >> what years? >> this is 1995 to 1997. >> you thought you'd made it? >> oh, i was in show business. ten people in a dirty van would drive around. sometimes we'd drive two, three days to get to the $75 gig and drive back. we didn't care.

>> in the book there are personal and professional stories. you write, what 19-year-old boy doesn't want a wide-hipped sarcastic greek girl with short hair that's permed on top? uneasy times? >> it was just, you know, i went to the university of virginia which is a great school. at uva, i'm dominican there. everyone is so blonde and blue eyed. i would get crushes on these handsome southern gentleman and they were like, what now? no thank you. >> they didn't know what to make of you. >> they were not interested, no. >> those times have changed. no awkward quality to you anymore. >> i should go down south. see how it works out. >> when you wrote for "saturday night live" you write about the incredible job, the track record of the show. i think it's a pressure-packed job. >> it's high pressure. now that i have a grown-up job, my writing partner and i laugh that we ever thought of snl, oh i'm so tired.

we worked two years in a row. now it's a cake walk, a college party. you have to earn your keep, get stuff on the show to keep your job. >> you describe "30 rock" as a dream job. how long will it go on? >> i don't know. we're all there through the end of -- we have season 6. then we'll see what nbc wants. we'll see what all the various people i work with want to do. >> please don't leave. >> i have nowhere to go. i'm for sure there. >> tina fey, the book is called "bossypants." great to see you. >> thanks, matt. >> we're back in a moment. this is "today" on nbc.

♪ natalie has the challenging assignment of reporting from the beaches of rio de janeiro this morning. she has a special connection with the city. right, nat? >> reporter: that's right, meredith. you know, this is the part i think where i get to embarrass myself a little and take a stroll down memory lane. it was 30 years ago i lived in rio and so much has changed for this country, but especially for the little girl of 8 years old. ♪ >> reporter: the year 1978, my father who was in the air force was transferred to rio de janeiro. for my mother who's brazilian it was a chance to go home and be near her family.

my journey be-quigins in sao pa to see my grandmother who is 90 and just got out of the hospital. i show her my kids whom she's never met. i leave her to rest and will come back later. next, lunch with my mother's cousin and aunt who remembers how i was back then. >> when you want something you just had it because nobody could stand it. mommy, mommy! >> reporter: i think that was patricia, my sister. my family reunion, too short but sweet. thank you for having me! next, a short flight to rio de janeiro, about 260 miles east to revisit where i grew up. whoo! rio, i've missed you so! my dad always had his super 8

ready. this is the building where we used to live. i guess some things never change. i have great memories. i had three birthdays in that apartment. we had incredible views of the area right on the lake or as we call it lagoa. one of my favorite things here to do was roller skate. it was the 80s and we all did it. ♪ xanadu ♪ xanadu >> reporter: no one's roller skating anymore. ♪ >> reporter: the surf and sand were my playground. i spent almost every weekend on the beach. my dad, perfecting his focus got some things right, enamored especially with the country's assets. next my old school, the american school of rio where i spent 2nd

through 4th grades. hasn't changed much. >> not much. >> reporter: unfortunately for me, they have kept their records. oh, my god. yeah. found me. not good. right there. the only time in my life i have ever gotten a really bad grade was 3rd grade. it scarred me for life. mrs. z gave me a d in social studies. she said i was a dreamer. ♪ >> reporter: a visit to rio wouldn't be complete without seeing the impressive sites of this city. i was here 30 years ago with my sister. the christ of redeemer statue is a world famous landmark and icon of rio. we are going there next. not to be missed, the spectacular sugarloaf mountain. the only way up there is a cable car to the tippy-top.

there is too much to see and do, but new memories still to be made. i left brazil when i was 10 years old. one thing i never got to do but always dreamed of was this! >> go, go, go! fast! [ screaming ] >> let's make a postcard for you. >> reporter: a huge thank you to my pilot there. he was incredible. this whole trip has been a thrill. i can guarantee it won't be another 30 years before i come back. now, meredith, of course before i go home, i cannot leave here empty handed. i picked up a little something for you. very little. i'm not sure which is front or back. can you believe this? >> you may see it on matt. i don't know about me, natalie.

>> they call that a man pocket. >> whoa! >> bye, guys. >> we're back after your local news. good morning to you. 8 8:56. i'm laura garcia-cannon. people at the napa state hospital worried about retalation after a patient died in their care. he allegedly assaulted another

patient. it happened in the hospital's high security compound. cause of the death is under investigation and there will be an autopsy today. in the past year there have been three separate attacks on staff by patients. one staff member was killed. weather coming up after this break. [ male announcer ] diane was already

the chief operating offi at a national tissue bank when she decided to get her masters in healthcare administration. by choosing a university that connects working students to faculty who are also leaders in their fields... she was able to apply her studies to the real world... and helpore people, much quicker. ♪ my name is diane wilson, i delir the best gifts on earth, and i am a phoeni [e announcer ] learmore he cg at phoenix.edu. welcome back. a live look at the golden gate bridge, pretty good representation of what is happening over the bay area right now. we have a bit of clearing off in the distance. slick conditions out there. we'll see a mixed bag today, mostly cloudy, a few showers early. we're starting to notice that trend. especially in places like richmond, benicia, rain over interstate 80 but throughout the day today, everything is

expected to clear by 3:00 p.m. talking about a mostly clear bay area at that time and our temperatures in the 60s. back to you, laura. >> thank you. thank you for joining us, "the today show" continues next.

back with more of "today" on wednesday, 13th of april, 2011. looking at nice people in new york this morning. we're going head out and say hi to them. we have decided to delay that, but thank them for stopping by. inside studio a, matt lauer, tamron hall, al roker and willie geist. natalie's on assignment. she's on the beach in rio.

good morning again. and you've got a great view from high above the city. >> reporter: good morning. >> i did. the best view of all of rio is hang gliding right up above. you have to be willing to jump off a cliff 1600 feet high. such a thrill. i'm coming up, i'm going to give you a bird's-eye view literally. it's like an imax experience. stick around, you're going to love it. >> a little different view than your dad got in those home videos. in fact, i think your mom's got a call in to him. >> reporter: my dad with the focus, yeah. >> yes. >> reporter: disappear for long jogs on the beach, you know. >> too much about your dad, natalie. i want to keep this down before your mom calls the attorney. check in with you a little later. also ahead in the half hour, help for money emergencies, wondering if free budgeting

websites work out for you? experts from the expert panel. answers they will have in a moment. >> reasons men don't seem to listen to women. i don't know what they're talking about. >> i have heard that women complain about that but are men entirely to blame? >> do i need to speak up? is this my cue? >> blah, blah, blah. pound, pound, pound. okay. it may not be all your fault. probably 90%. one reason is that men apparently are wired differently. why are you evil iing me? >> wired to tune into a lot of things? is that it? filtering more? >> maybe you're wired wrong. >> i think we listen differently. wouldn't you say? >> yeah. >> can't we just get along? >> we have real experts on the topic and we'll talk to them and get their answers. i will probably never be back. hir everybody. bye. >> first, ann is off today. you've got the day's top stories. >> thank you. hosni mubarak is being detained for 15 days in an investigation into his regime's alleged

corruption and killing of protesters in that country. the most expansive probe of its kind in the arab world. the announcement came within hour of news that the 82-year-old hosni mubarak was hospitalized due to heart trouble. his sons are being detained and questioned. residents around the fukushima nuclear plant in japan demanding compensation today at the tokyo headquarters of tepco, the facility's operator. tens of thousands of families have been displaced due to fears of spreading radiation. tepco says cash payments are being prepared as quickly as possible. police say a mother who may have been involved in a domestic dispute killed herself and her three young children last night by driving their minivan into the hudson river in newburgh, new york. mara schiavocampo is there with the latest. good morning. >> reporter: tamron, that tragedy unfolded at boat ramp behind me here. that's where the mother drove

her van into the hudson river killing herself and 3 of her 4 young children, the boys aged 2 and 5 and a baby girl, 11 months old. that fourth child, a 10-year-old boy, was in the van at the time the mother drove it into the river but police say they managed a daring escape. rolling down one of the power windows, swimming out in 40-degree water, running to the street where he was able to flag down a passing motorist who took him to the fire department for help. however, it took police divers an hour to find the van after that. when they did, everybody was pronounced dead on the scene. now, police think this may have something to do with the domestic dispute that they responded to earlier in the evening. however, when they arrived, no one was home and was shortly thereafter that they got news about this van being driven into the river. >> mara, thank you. >> it took one minute for a decommissioned australian warship to slip under the waves after a series of controlled explosions. it will serve as an artificial

wreath and point of interest for divers. it's a story of rags to riches and back to rags again, says jim sprague, who believed he won the lottery. he and his wife begun celebrating their win of $4.3 million, the jackpot, when he found the number on his colorado lottery ticket matched the winning number in the local paper. but when they called in, they were informed that the paper had made a mistake. >> oh! >> jim say his hopes to find hi his lucky number for keeps some day. he's obviously a nice guy. i would have been protesting. >> that newses paper owes him $4.3 million. unbelievable. >> that's your update on the nups. >> thank you very much. mr. roker? >> people complain when i make a mistake. let's look and see what's happening. we have another system coming into the west causing problems. cold front moving on shore brings rain to the pacific northwest. snow in the mountains.

as we missouri into tomorrow, low pressure develops. a risk of strong storms from the mid mississippi river valley into the plains. as we move into friday, a wider risk from illinois to the gulf. isolated tornadoes, strong storms and hail possible with the system. good wednesday morning. we told you it would be a rather wet wednesday and that's what's happening right now but the bulk of the moisture coming through, we notice a pop-up thunderstorm here and in richmond. watch for slick conditions, this is past i-89 0shgs it is wet out there now now. second half of the day, clearing, by 3:00 p.m., mostly clear bay area, temps in the 60s today. 61 in san jose, 62 for los your latest weather. willy? ♪ money, money, money >> announcer: today's money 911

is brought to you by charles schwab. talk to chuck. ♪ >> all right. time for today's money 911. from using online budgeting tools to saving for retirement, our experts have answers to your big financial questions. jean chatzky is the author of "money 911." david bach is the founder of finishrich.com and author of "debt free for life" and sharon epperson is a personal finance correspondent for cnbc and cnbc.com. >> good morning. >> first up a video from caroline in maryland. let's take a look. >> hi. i'm 49 years old and a federal employee. my husband died last year and he was also a federal employee. we both have tsp retirement accounts. i'm wondering if i should roll his account into mine. his account has been placed in a tsp bond account called the g-fund. mine is in a 2020 targeted

retirement account. i will probably retire in about ten years at the earliest. thank you. >> jean, first of all, what is a tsp account? what do you recommend? >> a tsp is a thrift savings plan, basically an account that works like a 401-k, but for federal employees. caroline, let me say we're all really sorry about your loss. yes, you have the right idea. the g-fund, the government bond fund is very, very conservative. it's probably more conservative than you need at this point. if you roll it into your 2020 account, that's a target date retirement fund which allocates things in an appropriate way for you to retire in 2020. go ahead and do that and know you have made a good call. >> absolutely. a difficult situation here. let's go to skype for the next viewer from williamsburg, virginia. go ahead with your question. >> i'm in my first year of graduate school and will

graduate in may of 2012. i don't have a student loan and i make a small stipend every week. i would like to keep track of my spending and create a budget to save for the future. i would like to use one of the budgeting websites to figure out a budget but i wasn't sure about giving them my credit card and account information. are the websites secure and accurate? >> great question. first of all, congratulations on no student loans! fantastic. i'm proud of you for wanting to track your money. yes, i like the free websites that offer you the ability to track your money. let me tell you which one. specifically the one is mint.com. that's the one i send my friends to. the key to mint.com is what's called a read-only site. you're not transferring money back and forth. it's just reading where you are spending money. if you use a credit card, you can set it up to pull the information off your card and you can track online how much money you spend. put whatever you want in there.

checking account, atm and so forth. when you track your money, we have learned you will spend less. it's a great way to go. if you don't want to do it online, because a lot of people have concerns about security. i wouldn't be concerned about mint.com. they are using the same technology that banks use. if you are concerned, simply spend a little bit of money, $29, to buy a software program. my favorite is quicken. that's what i have used for 20 years. turns out quicken bought mint.com, the company that uns it called intuit. these are the programs i recommend and use. >> great question. thank you very much. hope it helps. to an e-mail now. kerry in missouri writes -- after my husband lost his job we fell so far into debt we had to file chapter 13 last year. we had wild card money protected when we filed our tax return but anything over the protected amount we had to prove a need for it in order to keep it. can my husband change the amount he claims so we can keep more

money throughout the year in his checks and not get so much back in a refund. sharon? >> even people not facing bankruptcy are trying to figure out what to do so they don't have the same tax situation this year. they need to look at withholding, the w-4 form and see how to make changes of allowances. the irs is a very helpful calculator on the website at irs.gov to do that. they may not be able to change their withholding without talking to an attorney. they have a court order in bankruptcy court for chapter 13 saying they will pay back at least some debt. that may have a provision that they have to take the tax refund and give it to creditors. it may say they have to get permission from the court to change withholding. the courts know they will want to do that. check with your attorney first but look into the withholding and make sure you claim withholding for dependents, spouse, children and even if you have day care expenses that's a good way to go. >> great advice.

thank you very much to you all. jean chatzky, david bach, sharon epperson, thank you very much. up next, are you talking to me? a line from a movie. why men don't listen to women. and later the hot trends in hand bags after these messages. ttd# 1-800-345-2550 ttd# 1-800-345-2550 ttd# 1-800-345-2550 and talk to chuck about ttd# 1-800-345-2550 rolling over that old 401k. i want you tonight! [ female announcer ] wish granted. lean cuisine has a fresh new bag. lean cuisine market creations steam meals. like new chicken poblano with tender white meat chicken, crisp veggies, in a savory cheddar sauce. new from lean cuisine.

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good morning. on today's relationships, why men don't listen to women. does he hear you but not get what you're saying? it's something that frustrates women and can harm the relationship. but men may not be entirely at fault for tuning out when women are talking. "today" contributor and psychiatrist gail saltz and jeff gurdy are here with advice on how to better communicate with your man -- what are you doing? >> i'm listening. i learned my lesson. >> gail, this is an interesting topic. it's so relatable and any man or woman has a story related to this. >> i see a lot of it in my practice.

couples come in and want help and one of the first issues is communication. people fail tole realize that men and women's brains different. we are wired differently and we are socialized differently. women think of many, many, many more words per day for instance than men are tending to do. men are more linear, women more emotion emotional. men more analytic and the differences make the communication a problem. >> if they are not dealt with it can create a major problem. perhaps even the end of a relationship. jeff, we have tips and explanations in understanding why men think differently and how women can understand this. first you say that men really want to fix the problem. >> that's right. just as gail said, men think analytically. they want to go to the heart of the problem. they don't want to hear what's going on because for them it's all about fixing it as quickly as possible. >> they want the relationship to work, after all, as well. >> that's the thing. in their own way they are

listening, but not to the satisfaction of their women. so we shouldn't bash men who try to listen. at least they are sitting next to you. they are there, but maybe not there. the fact is they are there. >> gail, the other thing to understand -- and i was trying to wrap my head around this -- you said men want to maintain a rational thought process. >> that means sometimes a woman wants to be listened to, she wants support but she wants to vent. if he wants to go from point a to point b in a straight line and she wants to hit c and d along the way he may deflect her. problem solving can be problem solving or could be a deflection like, look, i solved the problem. whateverle else you ev're talki about, i don't want to hear that. >> that sounds like chris rock stand-up. you say men want to keep masculinity in check. >> in other words they want to keep it a man thing. for them to hear the emotion,

because women can get very emotional. what they really want to do when they are asking for help is to be able to vent. it's a catharsis and is important. the guys are like, wait a minute, i didn't ask for this emotion, this intimacy because now i'm feeling very uncomfortable in dealing with those feelings. >> you do ask for it because you're in a relationship. that's a package deal. i come with emotioning. >> his idea of intimacy could be different from hers. >> right. >> as we know on many sex segments she wants to talk, share emotions. he wants to -- like, get to it because that's his intimacy. >> that's a great way to put it. get to it. you also say, gail, men want to secure the upper hand. >> this is true of both people in the relationship. sometimes relationships are viewed, not even consciously as who's winning. everybody wants to be the winner. they want the power, control in the relationship. so they don't feel insecure.

part of the not listening may be like, look, i don't want to get into the mire here. i want to say, i have said my piece. we're done. i don't want to hear whining. >> that's advice on how to fix the problem. you say to let her finish. >> let her finish. it is about the emotion. guys just jump in and cut her off. let her finish. that's better than you doing the problem solving as a man. >> women have to remember, he's not a girlfriend. he's the guy. if you know he has a different headset, tell him what you need. if you want him to listen, tell him. at tend of the day you both want the relationship to work. >> that's right. women, keep it pithy. he's not your girlfriend. he might be a girly man but not the girlfriend. >> i'm going to marinate on this. all the people will tweet about it. >> listening! >> jeff won't let me finish. tip. coming up, natalie morales gets

a bird's eye view of rio. this is so cool. first, these messages. [ male announcer ] at cheez-it, we expect a lot from our cheese. why did the cook get arrested? i don't know. he was caught beating an egg! [ laughs ] a cheese monger, a dairy farmer and a duck walk into this... wait a minute, have you heard this one? nice tie sir. is that a windsor knot? [ male announcer ] we take the time

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announcer: get ideas. get involved. get going at letsmove.gov. rio de janeiro, brazil, is called the marvelous city for good reason. one of the most spectacular cities known for beauty and lifestyle. >> natalie morales has been giving us a look all morning and she got to see it in a unique perspective, hang gliding. listen, i have to ask you. are you losing your mind? i know you're having a good time, but come on! >> reporter: i think i am a little bit crazy, tamron, if you're asking me that. i have to say, the best view of the city is really just gliding right over it. the only thing is the catch, you

have to be willing to jump off a cliff. >> how high up are we? >> 1,600 feet of pure pleasure. >> i'm putting my cocktail dress on for the party. >> this is the crown of the princess of nbc. >> reporter: okay. thank you. >> keep running through the air, okay? one, two, three, go, go, go, faster! [ screaming ] >> beautiful takeoff. beautiful! >> reporter: oh, my god! [ screaming ] >> welcome to rio. >> oh, god. welcome to rio. ♪ >> reporter: this is the best view of rio ever. right here. >> did you see the movie "avatar"? >> reporter: yes. >> pretty, right? >> reporter: yes. >> we'll play "avatar."

over the forest like "avatar." look! come, come, come. >> reporter: wow! >> now to the left. come with me. >> reporter: are we landing in the trees? >> thank you. >> reporter: you have never landed in the trees. >> not yet. >> reporter: don't say "not yet." >> prepare for a perfect landing. can you help me? arch your back. happy landing, okay? >> reporter: in the water? >> no, not today. >> reporter: thank you. >> come down. >> reporter: oh, my gosh. >> welcome to rio de janeiro. give me your hand. congratulations! >> reporter: i did it!

yes. it was such an incredible experience. i'm taking back this little souvenir because i earned it. >> bravo, natalie. good job. >> very proud of her. natalie, thanks. easy pasta dishes with giada after your local news. want one of a kind eyes? individualize with the covergirl exact eyelights collection. green eyes -- here's the look for you. blues, hazels, and browns have their look too. individualeyes!

with exact eyelights from easy, breezy, beautiful covergirl. i want you tonight! [ female announcer ] wish granted. lean cuisine has a fresh new bag. lean cuisine market creations steam meals. like new chicken poblano with tender white meat chicken, crisp veggies, in a savory cheddar sauce. new from lean cuisine. good morning, everybody. it's 9:26. i'm brent kansaca cannon. a serial killer may be connected to the alphabet murders of the 1970s. looking into possible links between joseph naso and homicides across the country. the 77-year-old man will be in a marin county courtroom to face charges in the murders of four women in northern california. the victims had first and last

names that started with the same letter which some say is strikingly similar to the alphabet murders which happened in the new york area. >> it's so specific, it's so characteri characterized, this is his own cute, clever little thing. because of that, i think it's much more probably the guy rather than a copycat. >> naso is being held without bail in the ma written county jail. investigators looking at the death of cup dperti in,cupertin murder/suicide. they were found saturday. the man was killed from a gunshot wound to the head and th t wife suffered a wound to the head but they're not sure of the cause of death. e

good morning to you. well, we got a pretty active radar right now. the bulk of the moisture from the sv low pressure dragging a

weak cold front through the area is moving in and you can see a bit more rain on the way to the north bay and clearing. a lot of clearing on the way, a nice second half the day. you're futurecast shows you by about 3:00 p.m. the whole thing is out of here and temperatures in the 60s. the east shore freeway start ought nicely, 40s there but two other things to report, the giants game is going on at 7:15 but over the last half hour very slow north out of millbury past candlestick park and into san francisco, likely because of the rain. and northbound near the coliseum is jammed. >> soggy in some spots. more local news in half an hour. "the today show" returns in minutes.

♪ wow, that is hot superstar jennifer lopez. the "american idol" again proves why she's well qualified. she has a top 10 hit of her own on the charts. it's the best song right now. she's on the cover of "people" magazine's world's most beautiful issue. we'll hear from her later on today. gorgeous. >> gorgeous. i like her hair in the video. the tall hair. >> i'm such a fan.

i'm tamron hall along with willie geist. natalie is having fun in rio de janeiro, brazil. good morning, natalie. you're going to show us why rio is hot, hot, hot. >> reporter: can i tell you? this is fall in rio. it must be 95 tigers. -- degrees. i know you're dying to know the water temperature. it's perfect. but coming up we'll talk about why brazil has had this amazing transformation over the last 30 years. it wasn't always this incredible country with everything going for it. there was a time when this country was really on the brink of disaster. coming up, i'll share more of what has changed here. >> i have not seen so many good-looking people on the beach in my life. reason number one to go to rio. >> rubbing it in with the weather. 90 here, the water's warm. it's pouring rain and 50 outside, natalie. that's not nice. >> she's our friend, so we're

living vicariously through her. also ahead, this season's must have hand bags from white totes to colorful carry-alls. the latest trends for spring bags. buy your wife something nice. >> or maybe a man purse. >> a murse? no, no. >> we'll get a cooking lesson from giada de laurentiis in the kitchen ready to show us three easy pasta dishes using the fresh, flavorful vegetables in season now. >> looks good. she's already got her hands in it. first a check of the weather from al. >> still nasty although the rain has let up. that's nice. a look at the forecast and the next 24 hours to show you what's going on. first of all, for today, sunshine, warm weather through the gulf. heavy rain moving into new england as the storm system pulls off. more rain in the pacific northwest with mountain snow. sunny in the southwest. tomorrow, sunshine in new

england. mild through the mississippi, ohio river valley. sunny and warm. a risk of strong storms texas to nebraska. more rain in the pacific northwest with snow in the plains, sunny and mild through the southwest. well, we have some showers across the bay area. a bit on the heavy side and east bay but this is clearing out of here and we another batch on the way. this one only impacting the north bay. look what's behind, clearing, sunshine, we'll will be back. most of the bay area high and dry and temperatures not all that warm, you'll need the jacket today, 62 in los gatos, 62 in gilroy. 70s by the weekend. weather. tamron? >> up next, we'll go to rio where natalie has the scoop on what makes brazil a hot spot right after this. part of my job is teaching my patients how to take insulin. but i've learned a lot from patients who use flexpen.

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well known for soccer, samba and carnivale, brazil has never been hotter. natalie morales lived there as a child. >> reporter: she's now there to see if things have changed or not. good morning, natalie. are thing it is same? >> reporter: yes. [ speaking in a foreign language ] you know, i lived here 30 years ago and this country was struggling. it was on the brink of disaster. it was so full of promise and

beauty, but then again that was then and this is now. ♪ >> reporter: its beaches the most famous on the planet. its cities, the most dazzling. and its women -- ♪ >> reporter: often called the most beautiful in the world. everything about brazil is impressive. the largest country in south america, it could fit 12 states of texas and with the population nearing 200 million and growing. and so, too, is its economy, exploding at a fast and furious pace, projected to be the fifth largest economy in the next decade. on his first trip to brazil just last month, president obama signalled to the world the importance of this emerging global power. >> we seek a deeper partnership with your government and a

closer friendship with your people. >> reporter: now this land of opportunity is also ready for the world stage. they will host the world cup in 2014 and summer olympics in 2016. >> brazil will deliver the best olympic games ever. >> reporter: everywhere you look it is a country undergoing dramatic transformation. now enjoying boom times following decades of struggle and uncertainty. >> brazil is heavily in debt. >> reporter: it became the poster child of latin america's debt crisis. the country was bankrupt so it tried printing new money many times. when i lived here the currency has changed several times. it was the crusado to today's cao. within the last five years brazil struck the jackspot, literally with the discovery of

vast offshore oil fields. >> the u.s. needs oil and needs it from a stable, reliable partner. brazil offers that. >> reporter: what's also changed after decades of military control, brazil is firmly a democratic and progressive country. just last year it elected the first woman president. what hasn't changed enough, this is still a country of extreme contrast. look no further than the slums that surround rio. more than 20% of the city's population live here. that poverty led to astounding crime rates. in rio there is ongoing urban warfare with drug traffickers. now the government taking control. last november army tanks stormed through to reclaim slums from traffickers. is crime still a black eye for brazil? >> i think it is. i think it is. it's still a big problem. we see a light at the end of the tunnel. >> reporter: part of rio's

solution, this brand new state of the art operations center, bigger than nasa's mission control. why is brazil so hot now? >> we are becoming a better country, more democracy, more prosperity. we know the world will be watching us. >> reporter: there is an old saying here that brazil is the country of the future and always will be. that time may have finally arrived. >> the united states' relationship with brazil is perhaps never more important than today. when president obama visited just last month he indicated very clearly why brazil was his first stop. back to you guys, willy and tamron. >> thank you very much. cleaning up crime ahead of the olympics is a priority for them. >> up next, the perfect pocketbook for spring. lafthis.

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to help keep your kids full so they can stay focused on the days that matter most. keeps 'em full. keeps 'em focused. a loaf of bread, some butter, a packet of hidden valley ranch, and i get what might be the best thing since sliced bread... ranch bread. [ male announcer ] hidden valley ranch. mix it up. [ 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. this morning on bobbie's style buzz, spring bags. the change of season brings fun new trends in fashion accessories. bobbie thomas rounded up the hottest bags and showed ladies how to upgrade their look. good morning. >> good morning. >> good to see you. >> you as well. >> we know that the bags are "it" bags and change constantly. what are we seeing different for spring? >> we are seeing trends pop up. if you invest in a classic bag it will never go out of style. the first category is a good example. envelope bags. >> i love it because the size doesn't change when it's a handbag. >> right. this is a definite pick me up

for shopping. a lot of designers like gucci are setting a lady like trend but it's about the flat bag. i like that bags are getting smaller. this demure style is great. you will find it at every price point. i like the natural colors. you will own it for a long time. that's bcbg for $108. >> this black one. >> a great bag from urban outfitters that's $60ish and aldo bags that are a great messenger style. >> i love this if you are traveling or in a busy area, everything is safe. >> it dresses up an outfit and the straps give you versatility. i want to show you a picture of nicole. you will see her with the black hand bag before. in the after picture, you see this small forever 21 bag for only $27.

we updated her with polish. she had sneakers on, but it definitely dressed up the look. >> the first bag was fine but this is boom. the other trend, white handbags. sell me on this. it's the easiest bag to get dirty and you feel you wasted your money. >> white bags come back every summer. dolce & gabanna and diane von furstenberg are great examples of this. you're worried about getting them dirty. all of the bags here are under $100. go to today.com to find links to everything. if you get a bag like the buddha with texture you won't see the scuffs. look for texture. that's on trend, too. it's a functional, fashion-forward items. >> on the streets? >> i found linda who gave up the big dark bag for a white bag. it added a crisp contrast to the

suit. >> she went from fall, winter to spring. >> one accessory can update the look. >> linda's rocking the sunglasses, too. next, carry-alls. >> this is the trend of color blocking, sporty stripes. this h & m bag is $34. so great. prada did stripes, too. two hot bags. the fendi and the ysl two-tone. >> they are strong colors. how do you work it? >> i'm glad you asked. the first picture is christine. i flipped when i saw christine on the street. cute outfit. i wanted to see if she'd put on a colored bag with stripes. you can see it works. it was a great way to update into spring. >> right. >> you wouldn't think it would work. >> she has the striped top and the colorful scarf. but it looks great. >> and we have another picture. this is melissa. >> nice. >> same thing.

she had on neutrals. look at the great pop of color. the same bag works. do not walk by the bags and think they won't work. they add something unexpected. there are so many great options. check out the article. >> full price range. you don't have to spend a ton. >> these are some of the best out there. >> i love this one. thank you. up next, giada de laurentiis's favorite spring pasta that your family will lo. first this is "today" on nbc. yeah! boom!

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>> three of my favorite ingredients for spring are asparagus, artichoke and avocado. i have three different pastas with those. first blanch the asparagus. keep the rubber band on because it makes them easy to get them out of water. >> how long is a blanch? >> because i'm not putting them in ice water to bring down the internal temperature of the asparagus, one minute. >> one minute. >> depends on size. you can find pencil asparagus or fatter ones. minute and a half to two minutes for the fatter ones. >> and we have spaghetti? >> yes, put the spaghetti in the same water. >> same water? why? >> it's easier. >> no italian mystery. >> no, it's just easier. i don't have to clean an extra pot. cook it for eight minutes. over here, just brown a little bit of garlic. >> okay. >> just a little bit until you smell it. you know the smell of garlic.

your wife is half italian. >> she is. >> so a little bit of garlic. turn off the heat just like that. then we add the asparagus we blanched earlier. just cut it up in one-inch pieces to make it easier to eat. add that in for a minute. then we add -- hand me the spaghetti over there. >> spaghetti? >> you don't know how to say it in american-italian? >> i'm still learning. >> how do you eat yours? >> i roll it up with a spoon. isn't that right? >> no. you don't do it at your wife's family's house, do you? >> this looks good. what is this? >> prosciutto, smoked mozzarella and basil. all with the heat off. toss it with a little bit of pasta water and olive oil. >> this looks easy. >> pretty, right? easy, pretty, looks springy. >> even i can pull that off.

avocado next. >> right. peel and take the seed out. two garlic cloves and some fresh arugula with a spicy bite to it, basil. if you just do avocado, it's too buttery. a little bit of lime, salt and puree it together. >> i can do it. i'll push the button. >> you have to close it first. >> really? be clear with me, giada. >> close the top, then turn it on. >> i've got it, okay. >> until it's mixed together. then toss it with linguine, cheese on top and for crunch, slivered, toasted almonds. >> we have done spaghetti and linguine and the thimbles. >> it's very easy to eat with a spoon. i sauteed mushrooms and onions. >> smells great. >> add the artichokes. >> tamron, al.

>> you can use fresh or frozen artichokes, cheese, put it all together. it's easy to eat. >> i can do this. you have helped me. >> you can definitely make the first one. >> that i can do. >> you can handle that. >> spaghetti, ling irlinguine a thimbles for spring. >> coming up. kathie and hoda lee [ laughter ] ra>> your wezfter your

good morning once again. time now is 9:56.

cal train is moving forward with the new funding plan that would prevent service reductionss and fare increases, they need $3.5 million to stabilize its budget but that's a big improvement from the $30 million hole it once faced. cal train will meet with the metropolitan transportation commission today to find where that final $3 million will come from. cal train was able to shrink its budget due to increased budget and mu in, and santa clara transportation authority. some good new there is. if you go to a nightclub in san francisco it may look like airport security check points. the entertainment commission is considering safety measures at nightclubs including metal detecters and i.d. scans, the pro piepose always come after a streak of violence at bay area clubs but others say the propose always are unconstitutional. some spots seeing rain. check in with christina with the latest forecast.

>> it's moving in and moving out, just as quickly as it came in this morning. a bit of rain lingeringing now from the east bay pushing through the south bay. had a couple people tell me it's not raining in san jose, just wait a few more minutes it's on its way. by 3:00 p.m., mostly clear over the greater bay area and see a nice second half of the day. breaks of sunshine, temps in the 60s and guess what, tomorrow a warmup starts, bring temperatures into the 70s by this weekend. we're talking about 71 degrees on saturday, nice conditionses. let's check the drive right now with mike inouye. >> rain coming through, folks hitting the brakes around central, might have been a spinout. heading towards the bay bridge we still have metering lights but a volume slowing of traffic, flowing nicely overall on the approach. 880 with slow jounce near tdown coliseum. san mamateo, it's messy.

low visibility and whiends for the span. local news in half an hour and "today" returns in about a minute. [ male announcer ] everyday, your car does a lot for you. do something for it. show it some love. chevron with techron. care for your car.

from nbc news this is "today" with kathie lee live from studio 1a in rockefeller plaza. welcome to wednesday, 2011 and the wonderful willie geist is here helping us out. kajy has been under the weather and she's busy working on "saving amy", she's running on a thin string.

>> we wanted you to feel comfortable. we like when you come. so we decided to give you this starbucks drink and i was paging through new york magazine and i noticed -- this is the quote from willie geist, i'm not a coffee drinker so my drink is kind of like a girly skim latte. as the day goes on, you go girlier, into the what? >> well, then we get into the smoothies and you go from like a stra berry smoothy then into a mango smoothy, it's a downhill climb. i don't drink coffee, i need something. >> jerry, do we have the other girlier drink? >> we brought something girlier because we want you to feel at home. >> that's not a smoothy. that's not a smoothy. >> doesn't this violate the winesday thing? >> there's something in there. try a little. >> you get anything? >> the curly straw is not the

most effective. >> got a little bite to it. yeah. i think it's tequila day, isn't it? >> you want to give a big congratulations to our girl, j.lo she's on the cover of "people" magazine as the world's most beautiful woman. >> what do you think of j.lo? >> she's absolutely stunning. i thought she was when she first burst on the scene when the ago bums came out late 90s, i'm happy to see her back. she still looks the way she looked 12 or 13 years ago. >> unchanged. when you see those pictures of stars without makeup, she always looks good. what you're looking at, this is a world premiere back stage pass to her new video. it's called "i'm into you" she has the new cd out and there's more. >> wow. >> not only are we seeing the

back behind her the scenes of her video and on the cover of "people," she's going to be with us -- >> come on? >> today? >> yes, today. in we do our segment. there is a catch. she's going to be on the phone but the point is she's going to be with us. >> in one form or another she'll be here. >> i also like her story. she had the huge career then she went and took care of her kids for a while, right? >> yeah. >> now she's exploding on the scene with "idol." >> we were talking about yesterday there was a group of girls that went to watch idol and a group said it was weird. they put the four pretty thin ones in front and she ended up going into the back, she said. well, idol took up bridge with what she said. and they claimed she was too big to be in front. here's the idol statement.

these allegations are untrue, miss kauffman's party agreed to be split up and contrary to her allegations she did not sit alone or in back of the house. in fact, she and her remaining party were seated in four rows. >> i think it's news from nowhere that hollywood is putting the good looking people in front. i have a hunch they might be doing that. >> can you imagine, they'll be like, you and you go four rows back. that crushes you. >> it's hollywood, baby, if you can't handle it, don't come. it's like going to a nightclub and they say it didn't happen anyway. i'm totally protected here. >> she claims that that's what they told her and "idol" saying it's untrue. >> if that's what they did, it's wrong, they shouldn't have done it. they shouldn't have put her there in the first place. >> we've brought you man candles too. >> and there's a sandwich. >> we wanted to boy up the table

so you felt good. these are made by the 6-year-old kid, 13-year-old is what i meant, britney. and he made these man candles and they smell like different things that boys like. >> these aren't like the girly, lavender. >> that's pizza. take a whif. >> little spice there. >> that's campfire. what do you have going on? >> fresh cut grass. i'm a sucker for that. i was a landscaper for a time. >> when did that happen? >> three summers in college, 52-inch mower. best in new jersey. >> we thought he would like this, it's from this place called mangia. i went for dinner one night and they said, hi, so much to meet you, yoda and felt bad they called me by the wrong name and they wanted to send a sandwich. >> really taking care of me.

>> we're talking about guy stuff and there's a real gender issue when it comes to young boys and there's this ad out in j crew, it's an ad where a little boy is seated and his toe nails are being painted pink. okay, they are selling the pink nail polish. and this ad with the boy and his pink toe nails has caused a real -- a bunch of controversy. we asked people on the facebook page about it and people were mixed about it. it seemed like more thought it was not a good idea than thought it was. let's say your child wants to put on pink toe nail polish. >> the thing is, he's 5, i have a 3-year-old and 1-year-old, they play dress up and you indulge them. my daughter wants to put on a football uniform and run around the park, go ahead. i'm throwing on my wife's jewelry from time to time, what are you going to do? i don't quite understand what

they are selling there and what the advantage of having a young boy with his toenails painted is. but he's a kid. leave him alone. >> it has caused a lot -- it's interesting how much discussion this sparked. almost as much discussion as this kid -- okay, this is the kid going through airport security. >> yes. >> this is the kid from new orleans, walking through security and she's 6. and little girl, sorry, and the mom didn't want her child -- can't we just go through the thing again. and it showed what the security tsa person was doing and she was telling the little girl, i'm going to touch your leg and come around the front. okay. so the question is, what up with that? and -- >> let me just say. >> go. >> i'm flying tomorrow across this country with a 3-year-old and 1-year-old, if anyone touches my daughter that way, it's not going to end peacefully. i understand the mom said let her go back. >> let's have another scanner.

>> no, we have to pat her down. let's use common sense. i'm not tsa bashing, when you have a little lady in a wheelchair, don't pat her down. >> they are saying that the tsa employee did it properly, but the rules are ridiculous. i think we get crazy when it comes to the tweezers -- if they are going to take your tweezers because they are sharp, they might as well take your ball point pen and your comb. >> it's all fighting the last war. somebody did something five years ago, het trow actively you can't bring the shampoo. >> i was going through one of those once and i had lip glosses which are always controversial, they were in the bottom of my purse. so the guy said, you need to go through again. i was late for my flight. and he goes and he started pulling things out of my purse, one by one. what do we think this is?

put it down. went back in the purse. what do we think this is? like i'm 3 years old. my heart was pounding. you know when your jug you lar starts going. i could have gone for that guy. why don't you toss them all, instead of playing a game with me, see what i'm doing, liquid. >> that's when the problem when they start with the passive aggressioni aggressi aggressive, throw it out and let me go. >> the girl went through with a mcdonald's twirly ice cream, solidish. and she was going through and they said, is that a solid or liquid and they were debating, the tsa. wait. by the time the grand poo ba came it was a liquid. >> it was too late. >> you never know what the terrorists are hiding in soft serve ice cream. i've always said that for a long time. the tsa agent in his video is doing a job, if she didn't do

it, she would have been fired. let's change the rules. >> this is one of these stories that made my stomach hurt. picture this. you have a lottery ticket. you get the newspaper and you go, i wonder if i won. and your numbers match every single number in the paper. you won $4.3 million and call your kids, we're winners. it turned out it was a misprint in the newspaper. i mean, can you even imagine, i felt like you honest to god you feel for one second you just hit it big. >> in the local papers, had the wrong numbers and throw a big celebration and read the correction the next day. the newspaper has got to do something. >> i don't know, free delivery on the weekends of the paper, something like that. >> come on, that's terrible. >> no one even reads the paper that much anymore. by the way, the last time you were here, one of the times, you had a book, what was it called? >> "american freak show" out on

the same day as hoda and we had a challenge and hoda steam rolled me. >> you're back with another one. >> i have to beat you to the punch. >> i'll be back on the show, comes out may 10th and we'll talk about it then, it's called "loaded", you can pre-order. >> this will be good on our show. coming soon, you can go online and boy it at your favorite book site, it's a par rody. >> was your over one -- >> we'll go with satire. it's a fun book i wrote with a buddy of mine. >> we'll look forward to that. our facebook page is blowing up over this next story we're talking about. we're asking brides to send your story to us and we're going to give the brides a special ambush makeover in honor of the real couple, will and kate, since we aren't going, we'll be here. >> i'm going. >> what? even you're going? >> i'm going.

i'm a royal watcher. >> you are? you're not going. okay. so we're inviting all brides to go to our web page and tell us your story and then maybe we'll pick you and you'll do a big makeover. >> very cool. >> the whole shebang. coming up next, "people's" most beautiful people. >> we'll hear from jennifer lopez herself joins us right after this. . >> yes. i've been in your shoes. one day i'm on p of the world... the next i'm saying... i have this thing called psoriatic arthritis. i had some intense pain. it progressively got worse. my rheumatologist told me about enbrel. i'm surprised how quickly my symptoms have been managed. [ male announcer ] because enbrel suppresses your immune system, it may lower your ability to fight infections. serious, sometimes fatal events including infections, tuberculosis, lymphoma, other cancers, and nervous system and blood disorders have occurred. before starting enbrel,

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people magazine's world's most beautiful issue. who can you find on the pages inside is julie jordan. we're so glad to have you with us. people's senior writer, julie jordan. we are kind of excited. we have got somebody on the horn. i think we have j.lo with us. we are so excited for you. what did it feel like to see yourself on the cover of people? >> it's exsicitexciting. >> jennifer, what did your family think? your beautiful babies. have they seen it? >> they have not seen it yet. my mom is the first person who wrote me. she is on the east coast and we're out here on the west

coast. she was like oh, i knew my whole life you were beautiful, inside and out. you know mommy. >> aww. it's so fun to watch your resurgen resurgence. now you have got another song coming out. >> now to really get back into work and have them as well. it kind of feels like it's a complete package for the first time in my life and i'm able to enjoy it in a different way. and that shows my work and everything that i'm doing. >> the move to "american idol" was a bit of a leap for you and it has turned out pretty darn well so far. how much fun have you had? >> i love it. i knew i was going to have a

good time with it but i didn't know that it was going to be all that i turned out to be. i went with my gut. people who said i should and said i shouldn't. at the end of the day, i was like you know what? i think i'm gonna. >> we're so glad you did. congrats again for your cover. >> thank you so much, guys. >> take care. >> so julie, joining j.lo you have a beautiful list of people. beyonce, george clooney, sandra bullock? >> a nice group. it's not just about being beautiful. when you think of george clooney and sandra, they are trying to better the world, too. it's pleasing to look at them, for sure. these people are stunning. but it's nice on the heart. they are trying to do right by everyone. >> it helps to be good looking while you are helping the world. who are the new faces?

clooney and those guys we expect. >> it's nice because we're giving zach ephron. matthew mcconaughey is the shirtless guy but zach is coming up there. >> it was fun seeing these celebs who went no make-up. >> everyone from like hayden, she is gorgeous. she loves having make-up because she has been acting since she was four. but she doesn't need it. and angie harman. she likes to wear lip gloss. nice to have good lips. it is nice because these women are so beautiful without the smoke and mirrors. >> tatiana ali is here.

apparently you are in the smart and beautiful segment. >> and wearing make-up. >> when did you get the calm about this? >> i got the call, i guess it was a few weeks ago and i was just so excited. and it's also, you have to keep it secret so i couldn't tell too many people. that was the first thing. >> a lot of people remember you from fresh prince of belaire. >> i have a television show on tv now called love that girl. >> we have our season finale coming up on monday where martin lawrence is an executive producer and is in the episode. >> speaking for the men, a beautiful woman who is also smart is ten times more beautiful than someone who is just beautiful. >> thank you. >> thank you so much. we really appreciate it. it's a great issue. we will be back with a much

different collection of photos. the ones that make you say what? [ female announcer ] when allergies make your eyes itch, don't suffer waiting for your pills to kick in. add alaway. for fast eye itch relief that works in minutes and lasts up to 12 hours. only alaway comes from bausch & lomb. for fast eye itch relief, add alaway.

but i've learned a lot from patients who use flexpen. flexpen comes pre-filled with the insulin i take and i can dial the exact dose of insulin i need. i live my life on the go and need an on-the-go insulin. i don't need to carry a cooler with flexpen. novolog is a fast-acting, man-made insulin used to control high blood sugar in adults and children with diabetes. do not inject novolog if you do not plan to eat within 5 to 10 minutes after injection to avoid low blood sugar. tell your healthcare provider about all medicines you take

and all of your medical conditions, including if you are pregnant or breastfeeding. the most common side effect of novolog is low blood sugar. other possible side effects include reactions at the injection site. get medical help right away if you experience serious allergic reactions, body rash, trouble with breathing, fast heartbeat or sweating. ask your healthcare provider about novolog flexpen today. learn more about the different insulins available in flexpen at myflexpen.com. flexpen, insulin delivery that goes with you. >> now we're going to our segment, what the what. >> when you see these photos you

can't help but say what? >> sarah? >> first up is a photo sent by laura in wisconsin. she said our dog thinks she's a human. this picture really proves it. >> e www.! >> wait, please. look at this. what's happening is he is laying in the couch skb the dog is leaning through the cushion. that was a true nap. >> that's a cut and paste job. >> that's photo shopping. >> our next photo was sent in from paul in texas. he wrote i saw this on a wall of a building going into a town in southern germany. >> come on. >> dogs are allowed but no pooping ones. >> i support that. >> next we have a photo from michelle king from washington. oh, sure. boneless t-bones.

really? uh-huh. okay. next up, amy from des moines, iowa. >> she always tries to get an iowa in there. >> my girlfriends and i saw this sign. our friend took this photo because seriously who thought this would be a good name? all clean. >> have you ever noticed all the n nail places in new york? cozy nail, comfy nail. >> finally, a picture in california. looks like hoda has her own water park. >> oh my god?it's >> it's supposed to say hoola. >> we're back after this. [ chanting ] do it! [ all cheering ]

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good morning. 10:26. i'm brent cannon. we're finding out more for the candidates for top cop in san francisco. interim mayor ed lee handed a lives three candidate s last month for the new police chief of san francisco. two of them are from the department. captain greg sherr's name and daniel mahoney has reportedly interviewed with lee. there was a rum that they former chicago officer jody wees was up for the job however the paper contacted him and he said he never even applied. >>. >> driving while talking without a hands free device may cost you

more thanks to a new law in sacramento. people caught on their cell phone without a hands free device could get find the first time, however, if they're caught again it becomes a moving violation which adds points to your record and it ultimately leads to higher insurance rates for your car. the bill would also increase the fine to more than $300.$3. we'll check your traffic and weather coming up after the break.

welcome back. we have showers coming through, now pushing into the south bay. peninsula getting a bit of break. san francisco high and dry right n now. more moisture before clearing. we're pretty much done with the very weak cold front, maybe a tenth of an inch in the east bay, that's where we saw the first rain this morning but about 3:00 p.m. a clear bay area. 60 degree temps, 60 in oakland, 61 redwood city and tomorrow we finally start to warm up and really warm up for the weekend. we're talking about sunshine and 70s. let's see how we're doing on the roadways. >> very nice flow the traffic but right here 92 around 280 reports of spinout a few minutes ago, and chp issued a weather advisory for that area, low visibility and slick roads. but we'll take a live look at the san mateo bridge you could barely see a half hour ago, now you see water on the road i was and make out the peninsula hills. the weather has moved through this area, it touched -- smacked

880 through oakland but look at there, right now and see that there is some sunshine and nice mixing it up on the free i was. no problems, smooth drive for the nimitz through oakland and san lea andro and hayward. soupy, continuing east. >> kee. on. thanks for joining us. "today" next. we're back with more of today with more of our who knew trivia game. this week we hatched up questions about easter. willie is over at the nbc experience store. he is handing out her cd to those who get the answers completely wrong. and the ones who get it right, they're lucky. they get 100 bucks. here with me to share fun easter facts is lifestyle expert. >> i know. >> we're glad you're with us. >> thank you very much. >> we got a packed crowd here.

mainly because they thought kathie lee was going be here and they are disappointed. our friends from maine. how many dozen eggs are bought during the week leading up to easter? one million, 15 million, or d, 75 million eggs? >> they get the cd. not so bad. >> so the correct answer here, we have 61 million? >> 61 million. that's a lot of eggs. the egg was originally a pagan symbol of rebirth and renewal. >> debbie downer. >> eggs only have 72 calories each. they are egg-lent. >> we got a couple celebrating their 25th wedding anniversary.

let's get them 100 bucks here. here is the question. true or false, jelly beans are the most popular candy on easter. you got a 50/50 shot. >> true. >> oh. >> son of a. >> not good. kathie lee. >> so what is the most popular candy? >> it's actually chocolate. but jelly beans if you lined them up from end to end bought on easter, it would circle the earth. and peeps is number two. >> i like the chocolates and i like the cadbury eggs. >> those peeps are so good. next question, according to guiness world records where did the largest egg hunt take place?

>> it's a good day for kathie. the correct answer is florida. >> that's right. the biggest easter egg hunt took place in 2007. over 500,000 eggs. >> pack across to willie. >> how many chocolate bunnies are made each year for easter? come on, let's get one right. >> d. >> he's got it! >> 90 million chocolate bunnies? >> do you start with the ears? >> the ears. >> 76% of americans that start with the ears. there are a funky 5% who start with the feet. and 4% start with the tail. >> that's another funky thing. >> there you go. >> back across to willie.

>> when did the easter bunny first arrive? >> i'd say c. >> looking for the 1700s. >> all right. so another kathie lee cd. >> they called him the oster house. the little german kids would set up nests for the bunny to leave them eggs and things like that. now we do baskets. >> on average, how much money is spent on easter. >> c. >> judges?

we cleaned out kathie lee's cd collection. >> she has never been more popular than right now. so wait? billion with a b? >> oh yeah. between the ages of 25 to 34, those are the biggest spenders. then the second group was 18 to 24 which i didn't think high school kids were into easter. >> thank you so much. willie will come back across the street and join me. you will love the next story coming up. there is a lifetime movie about the royal couple. and we have the two -- the actor and actress who played the parts with us. it's a pop the popcorn movie you will want to stick around.

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couple. a few royal challenges along the way. take a look. >> i want to keep our relationship private. as soon as they find out about us they will follow us everywhere and make our lives miserable. >> i'm your girlfriend. >> of course i want to spend time with you but i have responsibilities. >> people think she is your girlfriend. >> that is ridiculous and i don't care what other people think. >> i do. >> i couldn't stop watching it. it is one of those that really draws you in. >> i think there are a lot of aspects that are very true. it's based on true events. they broke up a few times. we covered a lot of tabloids and filled in the blanks of what possibly could have been the reason for all of that.

>> more importantly it captures the imagination of what it could be and gets people behind the wedding and the celebration that we're going to see soon. >> the chemistry between you two was spicy. i'm telling you -- >> spicy? >> yes. >> where on the scale? are we talking -- >> you were trying to kiss her the first time and she said i don't think so in. >> i was drunk. >> i know. >> excuses. >> and the real kiss came later. so tell us about the chemistry, electricity here. here it is. it's so good. i'm sorry. i was totally in there. go, get in. >> they took their time with the aspect of the casting process. >> i was up against a lot of other kates. he was already cast. so i was in the room making sure i was in my wonder bra. >> is it tough to play somebody

who everyone already knows so well? they know what the character looks like? they feel like they know him personallisome. >> it's a huge challenge. people know him all over the world. it's a great challenge. so many aspects of his life and personality that are worth exploring and fascinating so i threw myself at it. >> before doing this role, first of all, do you have a british accent? >> i do. i am british. i was born and raised there but i have lived in the states for almost nine years. at this point it is easy for me to go back. so i use it for whatever i do. >> that's a great opportunity. >> are you surprised how swept up americans are?

this is a british story but america cannot get enough. >> i'll be honest. i was very surprised. when i was cast in the role, the reaction was huge. very surprised there is so much interest but at the same time, inspired. it's great. >> do people stop you on the street and think you are really kate? >> no, not yet. i have been dying for it to happen. i am kate now. >> by the way it's such a fun movie. one you can't get enough of. thank you so much. and again, this movie, "william and kate" airs monday, april 18. i encourage you to get the popcorn. up next, maria is in the house. >>le h adorable is she? >> right after this.

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>> if you need proof that maria can do it all, no problem.

she can now add author. she brought along her brother today. >> to share family recipes. >> we should point out that there is already a line waiting for maria to sign her book, full of men. >> this is a great thing for men to buy for their ladies, moms, sisters, nieces. i appreciate all the guys coming up. they are smart. your lives will get better, too. i have been exposed to the best experts, i have learned so much and i have helped everyone. what isn't in the book is on bing.com/maria.

you can find over 40 video tips. i didn't sleep for the last year. >> who is this child? how did you raise this one? >> easily, actually. >> my mom and i did most of the recipes in here and she gets credit for that. i have to thank you and kathie lee for your support. you gave me the most beautiful quotes. >> she is so bummed she's not he here. >> i miss her, too. >> what are we cooking up. >> we have some eggplants and i came up with the idea to do it with mushrooms and roll them up and make a healthy meal. >> in the book it's actually made with chicken but you can make it with eggplant. i can make this straight out of my garden. if you live in the city and you have a few pots you can make these things completely out of your garden. you have the eggplant, the

onion, the mushroom and bell pepper and tomatoes for the sauce. >> we take the onion. >> what kind? >> any kind. >> white. >> and then we dice the mushrooms and saute them. garlic. >> with a little crushed red pepper. >> a little spicy. >> a little kick. >> and then you have the sliced eggplants that you bake in the oven for about 15 minutes. >> we're going move down here. >> we need you to spoon in. you take the spoon and pop it into here and roll it. >> i will roll here. >> maria can do. >> what was she like as a little girl? >> very obedient, very nice girl. >> isn't that the sweetest thing ever? >> okay. and we roll them. >> okay. >> and you make the tomato

sauce. >> what's in there? >> it's just tomatoes. you can put any kind of spices. the recipe is in the book. put the sauce on top and throw knit the oven for about 20 minutes this is one of the most delicious recipes and created completely by lisa. >> we're going to try here. >> going to give it a taste, willie. >> a guy like me can do this. >> my mom taught me to freeze these. i cook and freeze it and i will defrost little bits of it. if i have a big thing of this in the freezer i can take two out and cook it and eat it and it is delicious. >> it's called the every girl's guide to life. all kinds of great tips. >> great mother's day gift, too. >> find it on amazon. it is wednesday afterall. d

okay. we are paired all kinds of food with wine on this show. that's what we do. today we thought we would give our friend a challenge. >> ray is the executive editor of food & wine magazine and we asked him to pair wine with convenience store. food from a vending machine, gas station, or your neighborhood seven 11. >> this is doable. we're starting off simple. peanuts, pretzels and popcorn, salty things. with salt, i always go for sparkling wine. it -- even when it's dry it has sweetness and with salt it's a fantastic combination. this is from spain. you could go with champagne if

you wanted to splurge. but come on it's popcorn. >> you think guys watching the game eati ining pretzels are go to drink champagne? >> i don't know but girls will. >> what goes with a sub? >> this is a classic italian sub. i think this is the bistro wine of roam this is what everybody drinks every single day. >> oh, that's good. >> all of these are under 15 bucks. one exception, that one is 17. >> look at that chnachos. >> they are spicy with hall pain owes. this is a wine from napa, california. it's a blend. it is three grapes. with spicy stuff you want something fruity and rich. it is 12 bucks a bottle. >> okay. >> slim jims?

>> what goes with beef jerky. i have been wondering. >> you got get in there. you know they make 500 million slim jims a year? >> what is in it? >> honestly? >> i don't know the answer to that question. >> the highest quality beef you can buy. but what we have got here is a wine from argentina. a huge beef producing country. >> nice pairing. >> okay. your fruit cup that you get out of your vending machine. and we all eat them so often. but this is a lightly sweet sparkling italian dessert wine this stuff is fantastic. you can pour that into the fruit cup and make a dessert out of it. >> this is my favorite one. what goes with ding dongs. >> a little difference between the two. but basically your ring ding, you got sweet red wine.

you don't want a dry wine because -- >> i like this. >> forget the wine. >> have a sip of the wine. a sip of port. why not. you don't want something dry because the sweetness will make the dry wine more aggressive so you want a sweet wine. >> and it classes up a ring ding. >> and we're moving along to other possibilities. ramen noodles. >> i get that. >> a little bit of pinot from oregon. i think that is a fantastic chicken pairing wine so why not. >> look at this. cheez wiz? >> sit a classic combination. the french discovered this hundreds of years ago when they were making cheez wiz .

>> thanks for having me. >> twroom kathie lee is back. we will have a lot of fun. baby. [sensuously] i'm going to cut to the chase.

i'm grade a. lean as can be. and clearly well done. and you. you're not like the others. you're farmer-owned. all natural. so, what do you say we get together? bring a little taste to this shindig. ahem. (burger) oh. these are my friends. (plate of burgers) hello baby. hello baby. pleasure. ancr: burgers love tillamook. voted the world's best medium cheddar cheese.