good morning. breaking news. a cathay pacific jet forced to make an emergency landing in singapore after one of the engines catches fire, terrifying moments for the 136 passengers on board. we're live with the latest. stunning arrest. one of the most powerful bankers sit to be arraigned this morning on charges he sexually assaulted a maid in a new york city hotel. dna evidence taken from him overnight. will it help or hurt his case? and last launch. >> zero, and liftoff for the final launch of "endeavour."

>> shuttle "endeavour" lifts off on its final voyage, a much-anticipated mission, especially for the commander's wife, arizona congresswoman gabrielle giffords, who was there to watch it in person today, monday, may 16th, 2011. captions paid for by nbc-universal television good morning. welcome to "today." at 7:00 a.m. out on the west coast on a monday, i'm matt lauer. >> i'm meredith vieira. that cathay jet had just taken off when passengers heard two loud bangs and smelled something burning. luckily, no one was injured. also ahead, in a surprise reversal, the high school senior who had been banned from his prom as punishment is now allowed to go, that decision following an outpouring of

support for him online and across the country. we'll talk to him and his date exclusively. plus, they are a big hit, but how is the "jersey shore" perceived in it lay li? they just touched down to begin a new season, and not everyone is happy to see them. that breaking news, a cathay pacific jet forced to make an emergency landing after an engine burst into flames. mike taibbi is there. >> reporter: let's report the news off the top. this story ends well, but it had to be terrifying for the 136 passengers plus the crew on cathay pacific flight 715. the flight took off from singapore at 1:12 a.m. bound for jakarta, indonesia, but passengers heard the bangs, saw the lights go out and smelled smoke. some passengers could see that one of the four engines was on fire.

the crew of the airbus 330 said they shut down the engine when they got a stall warning. with the plane shaking violently the passengers were told they were headed back to singapore. many passengers started praying, god, save our flight, give us your protection, the prayers getting louder and louder as they made it back to the airport. the passengers grabbed life jackets, and the plane landed safely at 1:57 a.m. they had endured sheer terror for nearly a half hour, but there were no injuries, none. once everyone was back in the terminal, the captain thanked the passengers for not panicking. >> thank you all on behalf of the company for staying cool and calm when there was a problem that you weren't aware of. the best that we can ask of passengers is to stay cool, stay calm, listen to the directions of the cabin crew, which you all did. for that, we thank you. >> reporter: so, there was no immediate explanation of what caused the explosion and the engine fire.

meredith? >> these a-330 airbuss have had problems in the past, vrhaven't they, with engines? >> the airbuss have. back last november, another airbus operated by qantas, an a-380, the jumbo, took off from singapore airport, had to turn around quickly and make an emergency landing when one of its rolls-royce engines disintegrated. no casualties in that near catastrophe either. that was a different model airbus than the one today. meredith? >> mike taibbi, thank you very much. it is 7:04 pacific time. here's matt. one of the most influential bankers in the world and a possible candidate for the presidency of france is due in a new york court this morning after he was arrested and charged with a sexual assault at a luxury manhattan hotel. jeff rossen is outside the courthouse. good morning. >> reporter: just to give you an idea how powerful this man is, he runs the international monetary fund that controls

about a trillion dollars. so obviously he travels well and he was in new york city this weekend, staying at one of the nicest suites at one of the nicest hotels in midtown manhattan just steps from times square. police say inside he sexually assaulted one of the hotel maids twice in a violent, violent rage. this morning he's gone from luxury to a holding cell here at court. you may not recognize his face or his name but make no mistake, dominique strauss-kahn is one of the leaders of the world. as leader of the international monetary fund, the imf, strauss kahn lends money to countries in crisis. he was about to run for president in france. now, police say, he's a sexual predator. >> this is very big because it throws into disarray the leadership of the biggest financial institution in the world. >> reporter: strauss-kahn was staying in a $3,000-a-night suite at manhattan's ritzy

sofitel near times square. investigators say he came out of the shower naked and saw the maid in his room. he allegedly sexually assaulted her on the bed, dragged her to the bathroom and sexually assaulted her again. >> he intends to defend the charges and denies wrongdoing. >> reporter: police say he almost got away. officers rushed an air france flight at jfk over the weekend and yanked strauss kahn out of his first-class seat moments before takeoff. suddenly, this world power broker was under arrest. >> a moment possibly of madness in this midtown manhattan hotel, as head of the imf, as potential presidential candidate, the timing couldn't be worse. of course whether he's guilty or not, this is already smeared him. >> reporter: police say the maid picked strauss-kahn out of a line-up and they have physical evidence including his cell phone left behind in the hotel room. that's not all. law enforcement sources tell nbc

news they have recovered bodily fluids, dna from the scene. late sunday night, prosecutors took dna from strauss-kahn himself, looking for a match. >> our client willingly consented to a scientific and forensic examination tonight. he's tired but fine. >> reporter: strauss-kahn is married to an american-born journalist, his third wife. he's been involved in sex scandals before, dubbed the grand seducer by the french media. in 2002 a woman in her 20s accused him of sexually attacking her, no charges filed. in 2008 strauss-kahn admitted to an affair with a lower-level employmentey at the imf. his current wife stood by him and now finds herself stuck in the middle yet again. in fact, his wife released a statement over the weekend defending him, saying, quoting here, i do not believe for one second the accusations against my husband. by the way, matt, we're also

learning more about the hotel maid. she's 32 years old, an african immigrant currently living in the bronx, new york. we should mention the imf has not commented on this case, but they have temporarily replaced strauss kahn on the board of the international monetary fund. he will be in court in lower manhattan in about an hour. prosecutors expect him to go for a very high bail or no bail at all, matt. >> jeff, thank you very much. christopher dickie is newsweek's middle east regional editor. good to see you. good morning. >> reporter: always a pleasure, matt. >> this story, as you might imagine, is getting an awful lot of attention here in the states. what's the response there in france? >> reporter: it's huge. every front page has the story. the tabloids have enormous pictures of a chagrined-looking strauss-kahn. people hanging on every detail to figure out what happened.

>> jeff ross laid out the background for us, some of the situations he was involved with in the past. would it be safe to say the people in france feel this fits some kind of a profile with this guy? >> reporter: not exactly. people knew he was a womanizer. they believe that, anyway. he certainly had the reputation. he's been married three times. his name's been linked to various women, but not generally speaking in a violent sense except for this one young woman who went on tv in 2007, five years after the events, and said he tried to rape her. and she was a friend of the family, somebody he knew quite well. this violent behavior is not something people would associate with him, no. >> by all accounts this is a guy with plans for the future in france. talk to me about his political power considering he was considering announcing he was

running for president next year. >> well, he was almost certainly going to announce he would run for president. all the polls showed if he ran for president, at least as of two days ago, if he had run for president he would have beaten nicolas sarkozy. he was leading by a wide margin. the entire socialist party, except for one or two people, was pulling back and saying this guy is going to be our candidate, even though it wasn't announced. it couldn't be announced mainly because he was still running the imf and had to wait until the propitious moment, which everybody expected it would be next month. now he probably won't be able to come back to france next month. >> we all know in this country, in most countries, you are innocent until proven guilty in the eyes of the law, but the eyes of voters can be something very different. now that we're seeing these images of this guy being walked to a car in what we call a perp walk, do those images end his political future?

>> reporter: of course. they certainly end any possibility that he will be running for president of france anytime soon. now, it is conceivable that if a few months from now, a year from now he's cleared on these charges, he could come back to government life. he could come back as a minister in a socialist government. but dominique strauss-kahn as president of france, which is what everybody in france thought would happen, that's not going to happen now. >> now talk to me about the more conspiratorial aspect about this. i read your reporting over the weekend where there are people speculating that this was a more than just a chance encounter, that, in fact, strauss kahn was set up. some have speculated -- i'm talking about by his political enemies -- that nicolas sarkozy could have been behind something like this. take me through it. >> reporter: well, i think you have to start with the question of sarkozy's reputation.

he's seen as a ruthless, no holds barred politician. some people compare him to the gangster actor joe pesci just in his manner. it's one of the reasons the french don't like him. they don't like his style. the minute his main political rival falls into this bizarre, horrible situation in new york and is accused of crimes and taken on a perp walk, many people sort of automatically assume sarkozy must have had something to do with it. of course, nobody has proof. there is not any indication. one sarkozy adviser i spoke to said very cynically if he were going to do this and he didn't, it's too early in the campaign. he would have waited until closer to the vote. it's that kind of environment, all conspiratorial, no facts. >> christopher dickie, nice to see you. thank you very much. >> reporter: my pleasure. >> here's meredith. >> thank you. it's an important day at cape canaveral.

"endeavour" lifted off just over an hour ago on its final mission. its commander is the husband of congresswoman gabrielle giffords, and she was there for the launch. tom costello is there as well. good morning. >> reporter: hi, good morning. every member of the crew is wearing one of these blue bracelet, and the bracelet says "peace, love, and gabby." in addition to that, commander kelly has taken congresswoman giffords' wedding ring into space, and she has kept his here on earth. but as you said, the spectacular launch at 8:56 eastern time this morning headed for the international space station, a flawless launch on a beautiful day here in florida. ultimately the space shuttle "endeavour" is headed for the international space station with a wednesday rendezvous. as we said before, this is the last launch for "endeavour," the second to last launch for the entire shuttle program. they're going to be delivering a $2 billion physics experiment to the international space station as well as a lot of spare parts, but clearly the eyes and the hearts and the minds of so many

people are on this mission as it relates to gabby giffords, who was so critically wounded in january in tucson, shot in the head. she was here, saw the launch first handle, and i can tell you that her team tweeted moments after liftoff, "godspeed, see you in about two weeks or so." 500,000 people were on hand to witness this, packing the highway, the byways, the beaches to watch one of the last shuttle missions and to wish commander kelly and his team good luck on their journey. >> this program coming to an end, what was the mood like there? >> reporter: you know, here at the kennedy space center, there are a lot of folks who have mixed emotions because they're excited to see "endeavour" go, but they're also worried about their own livelihoods. we're talking about thousands of jobs here in florida and across the entire country, tens of thousands of jobs that are linked to the space shuttle program that will be lost as a result of the space shuttle program being retired.

they are handing off the missions to commercial, private business, to then ferry astronauts to the space station. but those private businesses won't be ready for probably two to three years at the earliest, maybe seven to ten years at the latest. so there's a lot of skepticism and concern about being just being able to make a living. >> tom costello, thank you very much. 7:15 pacific time. here's matt. thank you. a tough choice to deal with the swollen mstst river. army engineers are flooding some areas on purpose to protect louisiana's two largest cities. nbc's chief environmental correspondent anne thompson is in krotz springs with the details. good morning to you. >> reporter: good morning, matt. i'm here where the louisiana national guard is staging its high-water vehicles in k rotz springs. this is one of several small rural towns that is ate anticipating a deluge of water after officials opened the morganza spillway this weekend, to protect the big cities of baton rouge and new orleans.

this is what's headed to krotz springs. the mississippi river water racing through the morganza spillway. the army corps of engineers opened the first bay on saturday. within hours this former field became a lake. this is its human toll. >> what am i going to do? >> reporter: predictions the water could be as high as 20 feet left michelle birdoff no choice but to leave her home. >> everything i own is here. >> reporter: with the help of family she packed up the last ten years of her life. >> just try to take what i can. it's not easy. >> reporter: michelle locked her house and drove away, joining the exodus of almost 1,500 people in the evacuation area, towing their possessions to higher ground. sheriff's deputies went door to door to make sure everyone knew of sunday's 5:00 p.m. evacuation deadline.

>> i'm sure you know about the mandatory evacuation, right? >> when? >> 5:00, you need to be gone. >> we'll try our best. >> reporter: a few like jody fortneau are staying. >> we'll try to stick it out. >> reporter: why? >> this is our house. this is our home. >> reporter: officials say those who do stay are risking their lives and those who would rescue them. >> we try to tell them it's a mandatory evacuation. if you don't evacuate, conditions will be unsafe for us to come get you anytime soon. >> reporter: the flooding could impact eight parishes in louisiana and as many as 25,000 people. that's a lot but not nearly as many as the 1 million people who live between baton rouge and new orleans. matt? >> still a very, very difficult choice. thank you very much. anne thompson in louisiana this morning. let's get a check of the rest of the morning's top stories from ann curry. >> good morning, everybody. also in the news this morning a wave of protests of course have

been sweeping across the middle east. as that's been going on, palestinian protesters clashed with israeli troops on three of israel's borders on sunday. at least 15 people were killed, dozens more injured. nbc's chief foreign correspondent richard engel is in guiza, egypt, with more. good morning. >> reporter: good morning, ann. what sparked this is palestinians were commemorating what they call the arabic word for catastrophe, how in m palestinians described the creation of the state of israel. demonstrators decided to launch onto israel in the gaza strip, in syria, and in lebanon. some of those demonstrators tried to storm into israel itself, throwing stones at israeli soldiers. the israeli soldiers opened fire, killing 15, most of them in lebanon. >> you know, richard, this was obviously very well coordinated. you've been following this so-called arab spring movement since it began. so is there a direct correlation

between it and what we've been seeing in terms of the arab spring revolts in egypt and the rest of the middle east? >> reporter: it is directly related. in many ways it is an expansion of the arab spring movement which is still going on. it certainly was organized online, on facebook. in the beginning the arab revolts were focused on internal arab problems against mubarak, against the president of tunisia. now they are widening the scope to include israel. israel says the shift is no coincidence and that syria, which has been criticized so heavily for its own crackdown, is behind changing this tone of the arab spring trying to get people in the arab world to stop talking about syria and to focus instead on their anger against israel. but whether this is driven by syria or whether it's spontaneous, the shift is certainly happening this morning and there were violent clashes in front of the israeli embassy in cairo and in tahrir square a

few days ago, which became so iconic during this arab spring moment for those huge protests against mubarak. well, a couple days ago protesters were out in the tens of thousands chanting against israel saying to, "jerusalem, we are coming." there will be millions of martyrs. it's a very significant shift, ann. >> richard engel this morning. we return now to the nifinal launch of the shuttle "endeavour" where wounded congresswoman gabrielle giffords will watch her husband commander mark kelly lead the mission. the chief of staff joins us from kennedy space center. >> she's very proud of his career. this has been a long time coming. we have been anticipating the launch for a while. he was assigned the mission close to two years ago. she's really excited, obviously happy she was able to make it. they had a nice good-bye here yesterday. i think it's a good day for everyone here.

>> as meredith reported earlier, the launch went off without a hitch this morning at 8:56 eastern time. u.s. senator john kerry in pakistan today said they have agreed on steps to maintain ties between the two nations. the pakistani government denies bin laden had sought refuge in their country. this morning the prosecutor for the international criminal court asked for arrest warrants to be issued against libyan leader moammar gadhafi, one of his sons and libya's espionage chief. in doing so, he is accusing them of crimes against humanity and deliberately targeting civilians in their crackdown against rebels. french investigators have revealed this morning that the in-flight recorders recovered from the wreckage of the air france flight 447 are readable, and this means we may yet learn why the plane mysteriously went down in the atlantic ocean in 2009 while en route from brazil to paris, killing all 228 passengers on board. former white house chief of staff ram emmanuel officially

becomes the new mayor of chicago today. it will be the first time in more than two decades that someone other than mayor richard daly will take the reins at city hall. and a fifth-grade graduation turned terrifying in tucson, arizona, this weekend when an inflatable bouncing castle was caught by the wind and tossed across the schoolyard. several children sustained minor injuries, but fortunately, no one was inside that castle at the time. good warning for everyone who uses those castles. 7:22 on the west coast. back to matt, meredith, and al. >> one of those dust devils. >> thank you very much. mr. roquer, a busy morning for you as well. wet weather in the east but also out west as well. we have another system making its way onshore, so seattle, showers, temperatures in the upper 50s, medford more of the same, 61. sunshine in l.a. but cooler than usual. 87 in phoenix. denver, a beautiful day on tap, 71 degree, sunny skies.

we have windy conditions in the northern plains. a lot of wet weather in the east. if you are heading east, expect airport delays washington, d.c., new york city, philadelphia, on into boston. sunshine along the gulf coast. good morning to you. well, if you are looking for a break from the rain, we are getting what we will get right now. as we head throughout the rest of the morning, showers will intensify and become more steady and widespread. this is what we are looking at at noon. showers last throughout the night. by 5:00 a.m., turning more spotty. the temps not that warm. 60 in fremont. 60 in san jose. another round of rain for tuesday. clearing wednesday, back to the 70s thursday into the weekends. could be locked away for up to 30 years for trying to hire a hit man to murder her husband. we'll have the latest on the trial. first this is "today" on nbc.

coming up, the high school senior banned from the prom will be heading to the big dance after all. we'll talk to him and his date. >> plus, snooki, the situation and the cast off good morning. it's 7:26. i'm marla tellez. six young men will be in a san francisco courtroom to answer to charges of shooting a tourist. she was visiting san francisco to celebrate her 25th wedding anniversary august 8. police officers say she was an innocent bystander caught in the cross fire of rival gang members. two other people were hurt in that shooting. we are getting a break from the rain now.

christina, it's going to change, huh? >> yeah, this is the best part of the day. if you are making your way out the door, it's going to do you a service. mostly cloudy. showers intensify and become more widespread by noon. between 4:00 and 9:00 p.m. heavy rain expected. 60 degrees in oakland. 60 in fremont. 60 in san jose. you need the jacket all day long. 59 degrees in san francisco. tuesday, we are going to wake up to spotty showers. another round of rain tomorrow night. clearing by wednesday. finally, sunshine and 70s thursday through the weekend. are they driving the speed limit this morning, mike? >> not really. 101 through san jose and 101 through the city, we had the chopper over the scene where there was an accident. there's going to be a lot of slowing vaness at lombard.

880 crossing there and slow at the berkeley curve. we have an incident reported involving a big rig as well. watch for that. stay over to the sides. fast track, that might be affected. they are in the middle. back to you. >> thanks, mike. the next news and weather update. today show returns in less than two minutes.

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a rainy morning in the northeast, but it didn't stop a big crowd from going down to rockefeller plaza. meanwhile, inside studio 1a i'm meredith vieira alongside matt lauer. just ahead, the boy banned from prom gets a reprieve. >> power to the people. you probably heard about james tate's story. he went to school one night, hung a huge sign on the wall of the school to ask out his prom date. the school banned him from the prom for trespassing. after holding firm initially on the decision the high school now says he can attend the prom.

coming up, he'll join us with his date for an exclusive interview. >> plus, will their gym, tan, laundry lifestyle translate to the mother land? the "jersey shore" cast arrived in italy and not everyone there is happy to see them. we have the details. >> and they are marketed to adults to tone up, but do young girls need to wear shape-up sneakers? a new kids line has hit the market and has parents angry. coming up, why some say the shoes send girls as young as 7 the wrong message. >> let's begin this half hour with a verdict at the trial of a florida woman accused of trying to hire a hit man to kill her husband. kerry sanders is in west palm beach with the latest. good morning, kerry. >> reporter: good morning, meredith. it sounds like something in the movies. a mad-cap romantic comedy of a woman who hires a hit man to kill her husband and the police have it all on videotape. but this was the real world situation and it is a true

drama. now, after two years, a jury here has ruled the wife guilty of solicitation of first-degree murder. >> verdict, we, the jury find as follows. >> reporter: in less than three hours. >> we find the defendant guilty of solicitation to commit first-degree murder. >> reporter: dalia dippolito, convicted of trying to hire a hit man to off her husband of six months michael dippolito. in court, the 29-year-old faced her husband, as officers recounted the damning evidence. >> i was going to get $3,000 from you today. >> right. >> $3,000 when it's done. >> right. >> reporter: video of dalia dippolito hiring a hit man, actually an under cover police officer armed with a hidden camera. >> all right. thanks a lot. >> reporter: in an elaborate sting operation on the day the murder was to take place police create add fake crime scene.

>> i'm sorry, ma'am. he was killed. [ sobbing ] >> reporter: her dramatic performancen didn't fool authorities. she was taken to jail where she saw her husband was alive. >> oh, my god! >> he's alive. >> come here, please. come here. mike, come here. come here, please. come here. >> i can't. you can't fix this. >> why not? i didn't do anything to you. >> i heard you. >> mike, come here, please. >> the evidence is overwhelming. she's shameless about the way she uses sexual power to get what she wants. she has no guilt, remorse, nor concern for the safety of others. >> reporter: on the day she was arrested phone recordings reveal dippolito maintaining her innocence to her husband. >> i didn't do anything. i didn't do anything. >> reporter: in opening statements, dippolito's defense claimed the whole scheme was hatched by michael dippolito, a reality tv hoax gone wrong. >> mike dippolito's hoax to orchestrate his own murder to

achieve fame and fortune was a bad prank. it was no different than what balloon boy's parents did, or the couple that crashed the white house. >> reporter: dippolito's attorneys said the investigation was compromised after police released the videotapes of the sting operation. >> dalia dippolito is now appealing to your better judgment and asking you to let her wake up from this nightmare and finally move on with her life. >> reporter: a nightmare, prosecutors said, of her own making. >> the defendant was caught in the act of being herself. she wasn't acting. that's who she is. she's like poison candy. attractive on the outside, but deadly on the inside. >> reporter: dalia dippolito is yet to be sentenced. that's scheduled for next month. she could face up to 30 years in prison. meredith? >> kerry sanders, thank you very much. now a check of the weather from al. >> thanks, meredith.

we've got misty weather out here, good for the complexion. a cousins' weekend. all right. the three of you. >> three of us. >> very nice. having a nice time. stretching out the weekend. let's see what's going on today. we have a low pressure system that's not going anywhere. we're looking at wet weather, what you're seeing today will get wetter and wetter over the next 24 hours. flood watches up into new england. some areas picking up one to two inches of rain. another system approaching the west coast brings unsettled weather. snow in the mountains. the sierra mountains could pick up from 12 to 18 inches of snow in some of the upper elevations. rainfall in northern california, about one to two inches of rain. good morning to you. live picture of san francisco

shows you partly cloudy conditions. another front on the way. more rain on the way to the bay area. showers intensifying by noon. light scattered showers across the bay area. 4:00 p.m. the rain activity gets more severe. we are talking the possibility of thunderstorms later on today. 62 in redwood city. 63 in los gatos. clearing by wednesday. 70 sunshine back next week. weather.com online. matt. >> thank you very much. the connecticut high school senior who had been banned from prom will be allowed to attend after all. the school's headmaster reversed her decision over the weekend. we'll talk to james tate and his prom date in a moment. first, nbc's mara schiavocampo is at shelton high school with the latest. good morning. >> reporter: good morning, matt. what a week it's been. what started out as a high school disciplinary case turned

into an international story as hundreds of thousands expressed outrage that one young man's romantic gesture meant he'd have to miss his prom. now for all of those supporters, a victory. for the masses known as team tate it was the news they had been waiting for. >> i have decided to implement alternate consequences on a case-by-case basis beginning with james tate. >> reporter: school officials changing the policy to allow high school senior james tate to go to the prom. >> i thought it was dead and gone. this is a pleasant surprise. >> reporter: it started with the writing on the wall. a little over a week ago, tate, an a.p. scholar and cocaptain of the golf team snuck onto the school premises overnight taping this message to the wall. while rodrigues said yes there was trouble for tate.

he was charged with trespassing and banned from the prom. >> i told her for a long time i was going with her, but i was waiting for a special time to ask her. i did it and this is what happened. >> reporter: the news prompted a social media uprising. supporters outraged that a grand romantic gesture would be punished. almost 200,000 people joined the let james tate go to the prom facebook page. messages with the hash tag team tate flooded twitter and the town mayor got hundreds of e-mails from all over the world. >> china, japan, australia, italy. >> reporter: every last one supporting tate. >> it doesn't make sense. there has to be common sense. >> reporter: after initially digging in her heels, saturday headmaster beth smith, known for being a rigid disciplinarian caved to the pressure, reversing her decision. >> i never thought such a decision would lead to international notoriety as i make tough, unpopular decisions on a daily basis.

>> reporter: tate's facebook page is now full of congratulatory messages, but happiest of all, the young man who finally got his ticket to the big dance. now support for tate continues. we posted a poll on today.com asking if school officials were right to reverse the decision, 83% said yes, school officials did the right thing. matt, back to you. >> mara schiavocampo, thank you very much. james tate and his prom date sonali are with us now exclusively. good morning to you both. >> good morning. >> i thought you were toast. seriously, when the headmaster ms. smith said she was upholding the decision wednesday or thursday i thought you guys were done. when did you get the good news? >> saturday morning. i woke up to my parents on the phone getting word that there would be a press conference at the school.

we didn't know if we were supposed to go or not. so i just went golfing instead. >> had you had any further private discussions with the headmaster before she reversed her decision? >> yeah. i had one on friday morning in school. she told me that i was handling this well and if i needed any help for the stressful situation that she would be willing to help me out. >> talk about the stressful situation. let's talk about the reaction to all of this. it came from near and far. there were hundreds of thousands of people weighing in on websites. there was a sit-in. there were politicians weighing in. not the school test test sup so nally rodrigues what it's like to be in the center of the storm. >> it's weird. i went to the movies and someone asked for my autograph in the bathroom. i'll walk through a place and everyone's looking at me which i'm not used to. >> has the reaction toward you

all been positive? >> everyone's been nice about it. >> what about you, james? >> yeah, definitely. >> were you surprised by the level of reaction to this? >> absolutely. i think this has been blown completely out of proportion, but it's cool. >> in announcing the decision, ms. smith said, i have decided to implement alternate consequences on a case-by-case bases beginning with james tate. we haven't heard what those alternate consequences may be. have you? >> no. >> not a clue? >> no. >> you said to our producer last night you feel you have done your time already and if there is another form of punishment, you would refuse it. >> oh, geez. >> that might sound a little ungrateful if they were to come and say, look, there is a school community service project you're required to take part in, you would agree? >> yeah. depending on -- yeah.

>> yes, all right. >> we'll see what it is. >> this is your first day back at school. what do you think the reaction will be like? >> i think people will be excited. hopefully it will die out. it's been crazy at school. >> james, what reaction do you think you'll get? >> high fives, yeah. that kind of thing. >> i have to ask you. there were two others suspended with you, the so-called ladder man and the tape man. they are in studio now. they can go to prom, too? >> i believe so, yes. >> speaking of prom it's june 4. do you think it will be possible to just enjoy it as an event given all that's happened or is this going to overshadow everything? >> i think we'll still manage to have fun. yeah. it will be fun. >> a chance you may be voted king and queen of the prom. are you actively campaigning? >> no, not at all. >> you want to fade into the woodwork?

>> as much as we can. >> congratulations. go forth. good luck. >> thank you. >> up next, culture shock. snooki, the situation and the rest of the "jersey shore" gang arrive in italy. we're there after this. value is what toyota does best. after all, toyota's the most fuel-efficient full-line auto manufacturer in the industry. and we have the lowest ownership cost of any full-line car brand. and now take advantage of a great selection of new toyotas from the full-line auto manufacturer that has the longest lasting vehicles in america. plus, every new toyota comes with toyotacare, a complimentary maintenance plan with roadside assistance. we're #1 for a reason. come see for yourself. hurry in for the best selection. ♪ a tackle box, . come on, boys! let's go! let's get up! this is a fishing trip, not a sleeping trip. all right. that's what you ask for, you're gonna get this, huh?

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was the image on a screen that helped our doctor see my wife's cancer was treatable. [ male announcer ] ge technologies help doctors detect cancer early so they can save more lives. bringing better health to more people. ♪ back at 7:46. lovele them or hate them you can't deny that mtv's "jersey shore" is a hit in the u.s. back at 7:46. love them or hate them, you can't deny that mtv's "jersey shore" is a hit in the u.s. now they have taken the show on the road to italy. michelle kosinski is in florence with the latest. good morning, michelle. >> reporter: hi, meredith. it's a cultural exchange, right? heralded by the tweet, the guidos have landed. no, it wasn't a bunga-bunga party that summoned them here. they have their own brand of bunga, which is exactly why some wanted them banned. didn't work, but the mayor has guidelines that could be

uncomfortable for this gang. [ cheers and applause ] >> reporter: florence, brace yourselves. they're here. >> they get drunk. i think they are stupid. >> italians are not like that. ♪ >> reporter: italians love to hate "jersey shore" with its no holds barred -- everything. however, they, too, are becoming strangely entranced. like the whole town follows them and they just kind of pretend it's not. surrounded by a huge, very handy pack of security they shop, look around, get rejected from a restaurant. >> why am i not allowed to ask? >> here is the staff waving them away, but the gang will work for the good of florence here where they will craft real italian

pizza and on their first night out, found a club just their style. though a slight language barrier. [ speaking in a foreign language ] >> "jersey shore"? >> reporter: the mayor wasn't huge on them. >> snooki? >> reporter: but now, despite asking that they not be filmed drinking -- hmm -- he has a higher plan. >> maybe the situation on the style. >> reporter: they are not allowed to shoot here inside the magnificent galleries. i'm from jersey. we're allowed. didn't they go out dressed like that one night? there may be culture shock on both sides. >> we apologize to italy. >> reporter: let's see. gym, tan, laundry translates to --

[ speaking italian ] >> reporter: gorilla juicehead, grenade. [ speaking italian ] >> reporter: they are surrounded by icons just as ripped as they are with similar interests and jersey shore could leave behind some new dance moves, not to mention all americans fear it, of anyone being able to make their wildest wildest dreams come true. >> this is fantastic for the city and for mtv. >> reporter: from the city that brought the world the renaissance, we bring it snooki and the situation. right now, there seems to be nothing but good will towards this group. but we should point out that the mayor repeatedly emphasized it's important that they obey every law. they did manage to rack up three traffic tickets in one weekend which will cost them around $400. meredith? >> i feel bad for florence. thank you very much.

coming up, the secret to successful bargain hunting. what you need to do before hitting those outlet malls to get the best deals. first, these messages. five brothers. tough being the only girl. aw, there's the man of the house. who's this ? this is rufus. hey, rufus. he's actually pretty talented. you wanna see him do a trick ? ok. hey rufus. who do we love ? we love our bank. we love our bank. we love our bank. we love our bank. yes, yes.

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just ahead, are they sending young girls the wrong message about body image? the controversy over shape-ups sneakers to kids as young as 7 years old. >> and jenna bush hager talks to the woman behind j. crew's success. first your local news and weather. [ female announcer ] women like andrea move the world.

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good morning. it's just about 7:56 now on your monday morning. i'm marla tellez. this morning, one person is dead from a shooting in oakland. police found the body around 10:00 near 66th street. so far, police have not said if they have any suspects. we have some new information this morning about a deadly weekend shooting that happened in san francisco that killed two men and injured another. the chronicle reports the shooting happened at a fight. neighbors say a man was beaten up by four men an appleton avenue when the victim's friend fired warning shots. that prompted others to fire

back. one man shot dead in the street and another in a courtyard. >> turning to your monday forecast, rain expected today. good morning, christina. >> yeah, we have clouds overhead by noon. a steady stream of rain over the bay area. 55 degrees. 4:00 p.m. it intensifies more. 59 degrees in the city at that time. temperatures are not going to be that warm today. you'll need the jacket throughout the day. 62 degrees in gilroy. the good news comes at the end of the extended forecast. the temperatures climb into the upper 70s by friday. we are going to hold on to the 70s over the weekend. 75 by saturday. a few days of wet weather to get through. how is the wet weather treating the drive, mike? >> no problems as a result of the weather. we have problems for 580. an accident involving a big-rig

westbound around greenville. the rig and the car involved are on the shoulder. more slowing into the area. 28 minutes holding at half hour. better through pleasanton. things are starting to ease. northbound 880 we see things jamming up at high street. almost 8:00. it's 7:58. marla this is on schedule for the build northbound heading downtown to the toll plaza. back to you. >> i was going to say, typically it's backed up to there. it is 7:58. we'll be back at 8:26 with the

news and weather update.

8:00 now on a monday morning, the 16th day of may, 2011. it is not a nice day here in new york city. we've got -- you may call it a rain. >> mist. >> it's a mist, but it's everywhere. it's soaking and drenching and -- yuck. it's supposed to be like this off and on through wednesday or thursday. >> it's going to get worse. >> really? well, there you go. something to look forward to. i'm matt lauer with meredith vieira back from cannes, france, and her time at the film festival. al roker joins us as well. coming up, sneaker controversy.

>> we are talking about the popular shape-ups aimed at adults to tone your legs and rear end. now there is a kids line aimed aimed at girls as young as 7 years old. some parents are complaining it sends the wrong message to young kids. we'll get into the controversy. >> also ahead, do you do some outlet shopping? >> yeah, did some this weekend. >> you did some this weekend? we'll find out what you need to know to be, i guess, the best and most successful shopper at the outlets. can you get the same products as at a regular store? what's the return policy like? what's the quality like? we have advice on that. >> what did you buy? >> i bought some jeans and other things i won't mention. >> unmentionables? >> yeah, well, anyway. hey, grammy-winning singer and coach on "the voice" cee lo green. nobody's hotter now.

his song is "forget you." he just flew in on the red eye and he'll join us. >> probably a little loopy. >> before we go further let's head inside. ann curry is at the news desk with the headlines. >> you guys come in and get out of the rain. good morning, everybody. in the news, 149 people aboard a cathay pacific jetliner are grateful to be alive this morning as the plane was in midair one of the engines caught on fire. the a-330 landed in singapore safely before dawn. passengers joined together in prayer after seeing the plane on fire through windows. the head of the international monetary fund was examined for physical evidence last night in an attempted rape case in new york. attorneys for dominique strauss-kahn said their client would plead not guilty today. strauss-kahn, a leading contender for the french presidency was arrested saturday after a maid said he sexually assaulted her inside his manhattan hotel suite. engineers opened more flood gates along the mississippi river purposely flooding homes

and farms in rural louisiana to spare baton rouge, new orleans, and oil facilities down river. officials say as many as 25,000 people could be affected by the on-rushing water and mandatory evacuations are under way. the prosecutor for the international criminal court asked for arrest warrants against libyan leader moammar gadhafi, one of his sons and the espionage chief. in doing so, he's accusing them of crimes against humanity and targeting civilians in their crackdown against rebels. egyptian riot police fired live ammunition and teargas to disperse crowds in cairo. israel says the frontiers are quiet a day after arab protesters marched in coordinated demonstrations along borders with syria, lebanon and gaza. at least 15 protesters died in the clashes. chinese activist and artist ay way-way has been allowed his

first family visit after six weeks of detention. they say beijing police took his wife to an undisclosed location where she was able to visit briefly with her husband. now to wall street. mandy drury is at the new york stock exchange. good morning. >> reporter: good morning. it hasn't been a good start to the week. there are a number of concerns. number one, the arrest of the head of the imf that you mentioned has been overshadowing efforts to help financially stressed portugal and greece. here at home america is set to reach its $14.3 trillion so-called debt ceiling, the amount that america is legally allowed to borrow. if the debt ceiling isn't raised there is a risk that america won't be able to pay its bills. there's a whole lot of things. for both investors and politicians to chew on this week. >> mandy, thank you very much. finally, wounded congresswoman gabrielle giffords is at the kennedy space center

to watch "endeavour" lift off on its final mission. her husband mark kelly is commanding the 16-day mission. it is now 8:04. now back outside to meredith and matt. >> thank you very much. meredith making her way back over. now it's really raining. al? >> yeah. this is great. hey -- [ screaming ] >> it's your birthday. what's your name? >> sophie. >> and you're double digits now. happy birthday. somebody who's almost triple digits. who's 99? >> our grandparents. >> that's terrific. >> bud and judy. >> they love you. so do we. let's check your weather. wyff, greenville, south carolina. afternoon thundershowers. a temperature of 70, nbc 4. we have rain and wet iatr hen the northeast. wet in the pacific northwest. mountain snows. in between we have nice weather

sunny skies in the mississippi river valley down into texas. 87 and sunshine in phoenix today. beautiful in florida but here in the east from the carolinas to new england we are looking at wet weather. good morning to you. this is a live picture over san francisco. right now we don't have any rain to worry about. we have mostly cloudy conditions by about noon. everything changes. this is where our sky at that time. 55 degrees. light showers at noon. by 4:00 p.m. showers intensify. pockets of rain, 59 degrees. that's it for your highs today in the city. elsewhere, we are going about 62 in livermore. 62 in gill roy and 60 degrees today in san jose. another round of rain just in time for tomorrow. got some nice friends here from wartburg college. where is it? >> iowa! >> there you go.

mr. matt lauer. >> this guy is asking meredith to the prom. [ cheers ] >> when we come back, the controversy over shape-up toning sneakers marketed to young girls. we'll talk about it right after this. my whole body hurt. it was an ongoing, deep pain. i didn't understand it. i found out that connected to our muscles are nerves that send messages through the body. my doctor diagnosed it as fibromyalgia -- thought to be the result of overactive nerves that cause chronic, widespread pain. lyrica is believed to calm these nerves. i learned lyrica can provide significant relief from fibromyalgia pain. and less pain means, i can feel better and do more of what matters. [ female announcer ] lyrica is not for everyone. lyrica may cause serious allergic reactions or suicidal thoughts or actions. tell your doctor right away if you have these, new or worsening depression, or unusual changes in mood or behavior, or any swelling or affected breathing or skin, or changes in eyesight, including blurry vision, or muscle pain with fever or tired feeling. common side effects are dizziness, sleepiness, weight gain and swelling of hands, legs and feet.

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amy robach has the details. >> reporter: good morning. we all want our family to be healthy and fit but some think a new sneakers lines and commercials are sending kids an unhealthy message. take a look down and you can't miss the latest revolution on feet across america. shape-ups shoes are everywhere ♪ . . >> reporter: but the latest move from skechers is shaping up to look more like a land mine than a gold mine. >> first time i saw the shape-ups marketed to little girls i was floored. i couldn't believe it. >> got the height, got the bounce, looking good and having fun ♪ >> reporter: the new commercial on the cartoon network and nickelodeon has parents fired up. >> they are sending messages that their child needs to tone up the derrier and thighs. be skinny, be like me. it's the wrong message. >> reporter: the shape-ups are for girls as young as 7 and some

parents worry the message does more harm than good. in the ad, boys dressed up as food like a hot dog and a cup cake try to keep up with thin shape-ups wearing heidi. >> one of the things that struck me was the girl's running away from the boys that represented bad foods, sending the message unconsciously or consciously that little girls should be running away from ice cream, hot dogs, foods and that's a scary message. >> reporter: targeting young girls with adult products has caused controversy for a number of well known companies like ab b ercrombie & fitch or walmart's makeup line for preteens. >> it's our job as parents to und underscore what it takes to live physically healthy lives. >> reporter: when it comes to kids' sneakers, some parents think shape-ups should ship out.

>> i understand obesity in young people is a problem in the united states. however, getting them off the couch, running and playing is the right thing to do, not buying them a shape-ups shoe. >> reporter: in response to the uproar the skechers president had this to say. the whole message behind shape-ups is to get people moving, exercising and getting fit. skechers advertising for shape-ups for girls contains the same messaging being used by the first lady's "let's move" initiative which is aimed specifically at children. the purpose is to promote exercise and fitness which should be viewed as a positive message for kids to get up and get moving. meredith? >> thank you very much. michelle borba is an education psychologist and lola joins us as well. you were both shaking your heads. >> outrageous. >> why? >> it's really sending our children a belief system. our little girls at a too young,

precious age that what you look like is so much more important than who you are. after a while what they do, meredith, is they start buying into and believinging that belief system. >> the president of the company is saying it's no different from the messages offered by first lady michelle obama. >> if that's the case, why not make shoes for boys? they need to be he wille think as well. there is no shape-up shoe for a boy yet. i think that's a problem. they want to make money and they understand there is a huge buying power with tweens. it's a $43 billion buying base. they want to make money. >> when you see the ads with kim kardashian or brooke burke those are obviously targeted to adults. the idea is to get a great body out of the shoes. when you do it with kids, i guess now it's a cartoon we saw being used. >> they wouldn't dare use a real little girl, no way. >> the message is exactly the same as -- >> you're emphasizing instead of

healthy lifestyle, the end product is the shape of your butt. how do you have toned legs at age 6? it's absurd. >> you shouldn't be worried about a saggy bottom when you're 7. it's not something you should be thinking about. >> i think the company may come back and say, look, we have a serious obesity problem with children in this country. it's only getting worse. anything that may help is worth it. >> then we get them to move, to enjoy life, to realize that what we are really all about is having this healthy outlook and a lifestyle choice. it's so much different than the end product to have your legs shaped. >> call me a cynic, but this is about money. they woke up in the 90s to the fact that the tweens are a huge buying segment of society. you saw it with the success of boy bands, britney spears and also saw the britney spears image that young girls were

looking at their sexuality in a different way and embracing the idea of not being so innocent. marketers woke up to that and they are really targeting the market. >> interesting that on the website the links to shoes for girls are no longer available but you can still get the sneakers in stores. what does it say to you? >> we have a lot of moms going, enough is enough. they are starting to realize that it is impacting our girls. by the way, the research is showing it. we are seeing an up surge of our little ones being stressed out. the self-image is going. time to start raising them from the inside out. >> this is not the first product we have seen targeted to kids. we saw the bathing suit that's padded and thongs. somebody isn't getting the message. >> and the makeup. if you can sell a 9-year-old lip gloss, why wait until 16? you get them young, have them cradle to grave. >> simple enough. >> simple enough is don't buy

it. >> there you go. >> thank you. don't buy it. up next, does outlet shopping pay? what you need to get the best bargains after this. ♪ [ male announcer ] savings and value is what toyota does best. after all, toyota's the most fuel-efficient full-line auto manufacturer in the industry. and we have the lowest ownership cost of any full-line car brand. and now take advantage of a great selection of new toyotas from the full-line auto manufacturer that has the longest lasting vehicles in america. plus, every new toyota comes with toyotacare, a complimentary maintenance plan with roadside assistance. we're #1 for a reason. come see for yourself. hurry in for the best selection. ♪ [ slap! slap! slap! slap! slap! ]

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not a mammal in this household is willing to lay claim to its origin. but now is not the time for blame. now is the time for action. ♪call 1-800-steemer. back now at 8:20. this morning we are talking about outlet shopping. with the economy the way it is, everybody's looking for bargains, but are outlet it is way to go? janice lieberman has information on that. >> there must be something alluring to discounters. the trick is you need to know how to work them before you set out. bargain hunters used to hit the outlets searching for designer items for less, often settling for slightly damaged goods or last year's styles. now, outlet shopping is raising the stakes.

tanger, a retail outlet chain says they are catering to a savvy consumer with a line of designer goods at what they say are reduced prices. >> in the outlets you can save money buying products direct from the manufacturer and cut out the middleman. >> reporter: susie applebaum said she knows how to get designer picks for less. >> i have great bargains to show you. >> reporter: she admits it's hard work but has some real steals. >> this is one of my favorites. a white trench coat in perfect condition to me. it was missing one of these on the sleeve. i thought, really no big deal. i roll them up anyway. >> reporter: what did you pay? >> $25. it's marked $383. >> reporter: come on! there is an art to finding the best deals at outlets and it takes time. retail analyst marshall cohen gave us the inside scoop. the first tip -- start

backwards. >> reporte why the back? >> go to the clearance rack. this is generally two to three months behind what you would find in stores. let's pick up something. here. a blouse that's ticketed at $15 plus an additional $30 off that. original price of $128. you can have it for $10. >> reporter: ten bucks? >> ten bucks. what a deal. >> reporter: what shoppers need to consider is discounted goods can be made only for the outlet. >> it's ticketed $150 down to $79. that means if you wait, this will be discounted further but it is made just for this store. >> reporter: you probably won't see it in the regular stores. >> no. 80% of all merchandise in an outlet is made for the outlet stores. >> reporter: some stores like banana republic outlet carry products you will never see in

the full priced shops. what product is this? >> it's designed just for the retail outlet. so it's the additional 40% off on already reduced prices. it has a sense of style, quality, integrity, nothing wrong. it's just great pricing i. >> reporter: how can you tell? bring your magnifying glass. >> on the label there are a couple of dots there saying it's an outlet item. you have to bring it back to an outlet store. >> reporter: don't assume bright sales stickers mean huge savingings. check this out. they say marked down to $64.99. is it a deal? >> if you look at it, is it a really good deal? original price $65. that's a penny. >> reporter: one penny. finally, don't be afraid to shop out of season. i like these. >> let me find you something that's a good deal. i found you the same shoe, last season -- same technology.

look at the bottom of the sho shoe. $129 originally. marked down to $29 and another 15% off. >> reporter: susie agrees. she says shopping off season and getting coupons online saves her a fortune. >> i found this at the barney's outlet, $198 marked down to $29. i'll put it away for fall. isn't it fabulous? >> reporter: yeah. you can do even better by doing homework before you stop. check out your favorite designers online to see if there are coupons or special sales. register with them so they can alert you with special promotions. >> i was going to get to the shirts here. what caught my attention is that i thought it was adidas, the warm-up top. $64.99. that's the bargain from $65? how do they get away with savinging you a penny? >> reporter: we spoke to adidas and they said sometimes they

give you current merchandise currently in the stores but they have a deal with the outlet centers that they must discount it. they say they are showing you the original price and giving you a penny off. >> all right. talk about the shirts on the table now. one is a bargain. one's more expensive. >> this is currently in stores at $75, polo by ralph lauren in deep orange. in a lighter orange at the outlets with a coupon for 20% off, $29.99. compromise on the color a little bit -- >> it's last year's color. >> and combined with the coupon on the clearance rack. if you're willing to compromise you can have a deal. >> return policy. what do you need to know? >> you can return but the outlets are usually far from where you live. at a banana republic you can't return it at a regular banana republic. >> good information. appreciate it. 8:25. back in a moment with the secret

to j. crew's success. second floor bay window. it is unclear if he drinking. b drinking. we'll be right back with a look at the forecast and the commute. ...and i just got myself a new bass boat...what's new with you?

ahh not much, got a new hat, might run for president...oh! and my new 3 taco combo. i'm serving up three awesomely delicious tacos, crispy golden fries, and an ice cold drink for only $3.49. wow, there is such a strong family resemblance! yeah, we all got nana box's nose (chuckles).

good morning to you. well, the dark clouds have moved in but the showers haven't started just yet. just a matter of hours now. by noon we are expecting light, scattered showers across the entire bay area. finally by 5:00 a.m. tomorrow, getting a little bit of a break from the relentless rain and starting about 11:00 a.m. along the peninsula. spreading south. 60 degrees today in frequent mont. 62 in gill roy. we're back up to 70s and sunshine this weekend. mike, how does traffic look? >> waiting for the rain, christina, we have the traffic. you'll wait in the traffic.

there's a slowdown approaching the coliseum. we have the southbound side with a closure at 16th, as well, because of an accident there. coming across the bay, san mat owe bridge moving smoothly but look at the peninsula slowing. southbound 101 on the maps really slow out of and getting up in past the airport and so peninsula an unusual portion. marla, the bottom of the screen slowing south into paloalto. that is your south bay traffic. back to you. >> thank you, mike. we'll be back at 8:56 with our next update.

♪ i see you driving around town with the girl i love ♪ >> 8:30 on monday morning, may 16, 2011. right now the crowd is getting love from one of the hottest musicians around and one of the stars of nbc's "the voice." i'm talking about cee lo green. we'll talk with him in a moment. outside on the plaza i'm

meredith vieira alongside matt lauer and al roker and ann curry. >> you have to be careful which one you play. >> coming up, the secret of j. crew. jenna bush hager caught up -- remember this ad a couple of months ago? the designer and her son wearing the pink nail polish? >> oh, yeah. >> jenna bush hager catches up with the young lady to find out all of the stuff going on at j. crew. >> she looks so pretty this morning. also meeting a man who was wrongfully imprisoned for 30 years for a murder he didn't commit. now three decades later he's picking up the pieces and his dream of becomingi ina star musician. >> and later on we'll be answering some of your real estate emergencies with barbara corcoran. everything from showing your home before it hits the market to how -- the best -- moving

into. >> and we'll talk about the weather. >> let's check it out. show you the week ahead. it will be cool and wet throughout much of the country. the mid section of the country just about spared from that. into the mid-week, you're looking at more wet weather in the east. cooler than normal in the southeast into the plains and back into the southwest. as we get to the latter part of the week, temperatures warm up in the eastern half of the country. it's going to be wet. below normal out west with rain through the plains. good morning to you. we are taking a live look at downtown san francisco. yeah, the clouds are really starting to get dark. it is not raining just yet but by about noon we are expecting showers, 55 degrees in the city and then as we head through the latter portion of the afternoon into the evening, showers intensify, become a little bit more steady. 59 degrees. rain at 4:00 p.m. across the bay, low 60s. tomorrow another round of rain

late in the day. 65 degrees, isolated showers wednesday. clearing thursday. weather. don't forget. get your weather any time day or night on weather channel on cable or weather.com online. let's hot wire this bus. >> and take it out of here. before that let's say hi to grammy-award winning cee lo green. nice to see you. from nbc's "the voice," cee sprks -- cee lo. how do you find time? >> it's all worth it. >> you wanted to do "the voice" when they came to you. you said, this is definitely for me. >> i did. i knew right off it would be a positive energy to be a part of. >> now we are in the thick of the battle here. how tough will the competition get? >> it's getting tougher. now the people have to be involved and they have to eliminate each other.

people had camaraderie before and now have to compete. >> you have to say who stays and who goes. >> everyone is an individual. they all bring something to the table. but, you know, that's the way we have to do it. >> you know about individuality. you're about as individual a singer there is. >> thank you for noticing. >> hard not to. what do you look for when you're listening to a voice? >> what's good about the show is you get to reacquaint with raw talent. this time around it's something very organic and innocent. honest. i'm looking for sincerity, conviction, truth, love, hurt. all of the wonderful intangible thingses that only "the voice" can offer. >> we're thrilled for you and the show. nice to have you here. >> i like your necklace. >> thank you. >> i want it. >> you can catch "the voice" tuesdays 10:00/9:00 central on

nbc. by the way, tomorrow on "today" christina aguilera will be here. up next, jane pauley is in the house. first, this is "today" on nbc.

back now at 8:37 with "your life calling today." jane pauley is working with aarp which produced and sponsored the series of reports on people who found their passion later in life. >> good morning. we follow the reinvention of stay at home mom catherine silverman who found a niche reinventing houses. >> my -- i love it! >> reporter: it started with a very large bird cage. her first acquisition as a stager. >> every time i get a new

project i think, i wonder if i will be able to use the bird cage this time. >> that's going in the dining room. [ speaking spanish ] >> reporter: a stager preps houses for sale with temporary furniture. >> staging is in layers. the first layer is you bring in the furniture, put it in and leave the house. >> reporter: life stages are in layers, too. after college catherine had glamorous jobs including working for senator john glen. until she had kids and became a stay at home mom. >> i was not staying home every day waiting for the school bus to pull up. you have to keep certain things alive in yourself. >> reporter: with a flair for decorating she did freelance work, but didn't like it. >> interior design has to be what the client likes. there is no end. that's the beauty of doing what i do now. the house sells and yippee. >> reporter: her career in staging began when a friend asked for help selling a house

that sat unsold for a year. >> then she said, do you by any chance have any furniture that you can put in this house? i had a dining room table and then i called up a friend and said, you know that white loveseat that's in your living room -- can i borrow it? >> reporter: the house sold in three days and her phone started ringi ringing. where did this aptitude come from, do you think? >> i credit my mother. >> reporter: catherine's wasn't an ordinary childhood. her father was a foreign correspondent. she grew up in many different countries and a dozen houses. >> within a very short time, the house looked like our home. my mother would make it look -- so it rubbed off on me. >> reporter: what started as a lark is now a business. >> i never put rugs in dining rooming. your eye travels to the limit of the rug. if you were living here you would put a rug on the floor.

>> exactly. >> reporter: the difference between livinging and staging, got it. with a client a week, she rents several storage rooms packed with inventory. where did you do your shopping? >> let's use that term loosely. shopping might mean you're driving by a dumpster one day and you see two chairs and you screech to a halt and put those chairs in your car, which i have done. >> reporter: oh, like i haven't? cable tv set the scene for staging and house hunting is a stay at home project. >> let me get the table. >> reporter: this is the sound of imagination at work. >> we'll figure something out. ew. >> reporter: what's all the talking you're doing when you work? >> i'm thinking out loud. i find it's easier for me to sort of get things right if i say it out loud. that chatter is the hum of a happy woman.

you're solving problems. well, the thing is there is a lot of satisfaction in solving problems, isn't there? it's really wonderful that i stumbled onto this. i don't think people say, i'm going to reinvent myself. they say, it's time to take another step. what is it about who i am that i really like the best? okay. now let's see if i can do that all day, every day. this is really creative work. >> it is. probably the most creative expression you have had in your life. >> mm-hmm. >> reporter: are you in a happy place? >> i'm in a happy place. >> it looks like fun, but building up an inventory of tables, chairs, lamps and rugs in all shapes and sizes is just the beginning. storinging int costs money. you have to spend money to make money in the staging business. remember the big bird cage? in eight years she's used it

once. please join me at noon eastern today for the live premier of my internet radio call-in show. visit aarp.org/jane. >> congratulations. >> thank you. >> you admitted you love to move furniture around. >> in my family i'm famous for -- i once had 20 minutes to catch a plane and moved all the furniture in my sister's living room. >> another career for you, jane pauley. >> nobody's paying me. >> up next, the woman behind the j. crew look. first this is "today" on nbc. sure, pulling the mold, mildew, and grime from

out of the porous caverns of grout takes the right tools, but it also takes a gentle, caring touch. before you can deep clean, you learn to get a feel for its trouble spots. and hey, if you can't listen to grout, you can't truly know its wants...its needs...its dreams. ♪call 1-800-steemer. [ waves crashing ] [ gasps ] brrrr! [ giggles ] [ sea gull squawking ]

malibu chicken, flame broiled steak, or half dozen jumbo shrimp, plus endless salad bar... starting at just $9.99! at sizzler. ♪ my mama toldle me you better shop around. >> j. crew has been a staple in wardrobes since 1983 but who is behind the popular blazers, rugby and khakis? jenna bush hager found out.

>> good morning. as the face and diversity of america changes so does one of its favorite brands. i spoke with jenna lions whose classic designs are going global. 229 stores, 40 million catalogs in circulation annually, company valued at $1.7 billion. and one woman behind what is arguably one of america's most classic brands -- j. crew. meet jenna lyons, mom, manager and a tomboy who dreams in sequence. >> yeah. i have dreams about it. >> reporter: that's amazing. >> her dreams became a reality. when first lady in training michelle obama sparkled in j. crew head to toe. >> lying in bed watching leno. they show her walking out and i'm like, oh, my god. >> this is a j. crew ensemble.

>> really? >> i smacked my husband in the head. he was completely knocked out. she looked gorgeous. that was the first time she said to the audience she was wearing head to toe j. crew and they clapped. it was amazing. >> reporter: you had no idea it would happen? >> no. she'd gone online and shopped. we had no idea. >> reporter: it's dressing the everyday woman that drives her. the mission -- seemingly simple. to design high fashion for every american woman. do you feel a sense of responsibility to design for the average american woman? >> i feel a sense of responsibility to make clothes that anyone can have. i don't think women are average. i think they are awesome. >> reporter: we did an informal poll at the office and people said, when we were growing up j. crew was preppy but it's evolved. what do you think? >> i wouldn't want us labeled just as preppy. not everybody fits the mold. it's making people feel there is

something for them. >> reporter: ask her to describe her personal style. she said it's dishevelled and granny, inspired by the people who raised her california cool. >> growing up in california, the land of surf t-shirts and dolphin shorts but i had a grandmother from the east coast who sent navy blazers from brooks brothers and kilts. that mix, something that was about casual sportswear and liking things borrowed from the boys, a little bit casual and wanting something that feels special and messed up. >> reporter: 30 years later and 3,000 miles away, there is no short as age of style inspiration around j. crew's manhattan office. this is your inspiration wall? >> yes. my ever evolving inspiration wall. >> reporter: if the board runs dry, jenna turns to her 4-year-old stylist in the making. >> i find myself sometimes dressing for him. >> reporter: he picks your

shoes? >> he does. it's awesome. keeps me moving so i don't wear the same shoes for days. >> reporter: an image that made headlines this year when her son was prominently featured wearing pink toenail polish. >> i was shocked that a saturday morning with my son turned into controversy. i appreciate the support i got. >> reporter: the controversy didn't seem to negatively affect the company whose sales have more than doubled over the past seven years and plans to expand around the globe. >> i'm going to china. it's exciting. i think we have a lot of opportunity out there and the international scene is exciting and what it can mean for us as company, as a brand and the whole team here. >> reporter: another career milestone for this one time assistant, now creative director and executive. >> don't be afraid. go for it. >> reporter: even if your dreams are covered in sequins? >> even better.

>> for a company that clearly knows how to appeal to customers you would think they would invest in extensive market research but jenna told me they just look to the customers and their employees to see what they want as far as predicting trends. >> she has a gut for it, no question. >> she's lovely. >> that's great. appreciate it. >> thank you. >> we're back in a moment on a monday morning. this is "today" on nbc.

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this morning on leonard's look, a man who by all rights should have buried his dreams a long time ago, but now he's living them. ♪ surely i'm just a dreamer >> reporter: at 51, bill dylan could be the oldest pure rookie in the history of pop music. have you ever worked in a studio? >> oh, no. this is my first opportunity. >> reporter: as for singing on stage -- >> i thank you so much. i'm honored to be here. this is my first live performance. [ applause ] >> i was born for it. it's my soul. this is where i belong. >> reporter: but not where he has been. >> my name is william michael dylan. i was arrested for murder on august 26, 1981, for a crime i didn't commit. i was released november 18, 2008. thank you for the keepers of

justice. ♪ took me away when i was a teen ♪ >> reporter: 27 years and eight months in maximum security is not the suggested career path for an aspiring musician. brutality, rage, despondency and thoughts of suicide are not the usual emotions tapped by someone dreaming of writing the world's greatest love songs. 6'4" bill dylan was 22 when the verdict came down. a life sentence in the florida state prison system. >> i went right in to hell's earth fire without a doubt. >> reporter: and? >> i was assaulted from the first hour in the door. >> reporter: that would be his world for nearly three decades. >> i began to drift into deep sadness and depression thinking my life is over. but the flame always burns. you know you haven't committed a crime, but the flame burns to the fact of, i want to be free and i deserve to be free. >> reporter: a belief shared by the innocence project of florida and a public defender named mike

perolo who worked with dna and other evidence to exonerate dylan in 2008. >> when i first went behind the bars -- i couldn't believe that it happened. then i never thought it was going to be corrected. ♪ >> reporter: a year and a half later in his suburban chicago music studio, veteran producer jim tulio happened to catch part of a television program about the case including bill's mention of a desire to start a music career. a phone call followed with an offer to dylan for free studio time to complete his debut album. >> creativity has no bounds. bars don't lock in creativity. he wrote and that's what got him through. ♪ now i'm free ♪ now i'm free >> reporter: free to walk through any door. free to write and to sing and to

partner with ellen moskovitz whom he met at an innocence project conference. >> the remarkable thing about bill is he came out with all his wits intact. with his heart as big as anyone you will ever meet. ♪ you've got to fight >> i'm very blessed. it's beyond anything anyone can imagine. the joy of seeing the fruit of something that you never thought was going to happen. ♪ yesterday's gone ♪ today is a brand new start >> reporter: if he doesn't make it in this world, if he doesn't become a music star? >> i'm just as happy as the point i'm at now, mike. if it stops here i'm in total joy of what happened. >> reporter: for today, mike leonard, nbc news, evanston, illinois. >> amazing story. >> yeah. the depth of his singing, too. dare i say, it reminds me of johnny cash.

it has that resonance. >> what he survived is incredible. keeping his heart intact through it all. >> human spirit. >> good for him. we'll be right back after your local news. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

good morning. it is 8:56 now. i'm marla tellez. if you're in antioch today you may smell natural gas because pg&e is testing pipelines. crews will monitor it for eight

hours to make sure that the pipe is safe. the testing started at 5:00 this morning and ends at 3:00 this o. afternoon. look at your rainy forecast potentially right after this. l

well, it is a back to work monday. we are starting out with a pretty wet pattern. it's not going to leave until it looks like late wednesday. really some light activity. mostly cloudy conditions south of the golden gate bridge. everywhere seeing the rain right about noon and expecting the steady rain to push in, intensifies through the overnight hours. 60 degrees, as warm as it gets today. and then we have another round of rain to get through tuesday night into wednesday. marla, back to you. >> thank you. the "today" show continues next.

we'll be back at 9:26. california's 9,900 public schools continue to grapple with tight budgets and ridiculously complicated spending mandates. now more than ever, our schools need the freedom to spend money where it's needed. i'm suzanne shaw. with over 50 different spending mandates from county oversight to maintenance our process of funding and then reimbursing schools is inefficient, ineffective and broken. under governor schwarzenegger we began to deregulate the system and now we call on governor brown and the legislature to make the flexibility permanent. assembly bill 18 proposes to do just that.

simplify school finance and reduce bureaucracy. california's 43rd in per student spending and more cuts are coming. we owe it to our kids to do a better job with the money we have. support ab 18 and join our debate. back now with more "today" back now with more "today" on this monday morning, may 16th, 2011. a great day. it's not stopping all of these great people being here with us today to start their monday off at rockefeller plaza. i'm natalie morales along with al roker. coming up, a story over the weekend that we want to talk about a lot. one of the most influential bankers in the world and a possible candidate for the presidency of france is set to arraigned on charges that he sexually assaulted a hotel maid here in new york city. we'll get the latest details on that. >> on a different note, we have

answers to your real estate questions, courtesy of our own real estate expert barbara coccoran, from the smartest place to sell a home and finding a house in a great school district. we'll get expert advice from her. >> it's a little soggy right now to talk about gardening, but we're actually going to be out here in our garden in our little plot of grass talking about ways that gardening has gone high-tech. how would you like an automatic lawn mower? >> i would love it. >> sounds like a dream come true. >> i would actually like an automatic weeder. >> that would be good too. maybe there's something for that. there's an app for everything, it turns out now, too, including in the garden. we'll check in on that. a little later on, what happens when the world's most sfes indicated and artistic city, the center of culture, home to some of the greatest work of art in the world meets snookie, the situation, and j-wow? the cast of "the jersey shores" in florence, italy. we'll find out how this city is

dealing with our onslaught. >> something tells me they're being told to be on their best behavior as well. we'll get a check of the news stories right now. let's turn to ann curry over at the news desk for us. good morning, ann. >> thanks a lot, you guys. good morning, once again, everybody. the space shuttle endevour lifted off this morning for the last time delivering new equipment to the international space station and wounded arizona congresswoman gabrielle giffords was there watching this launch because her husband, mark kelly, is commanding this 16-day mission. a remarkable sight as we saw it blast off. 149 people aboard a pacific jet lienor are grateful to be alive this morning as their plane was in midair when one of the engines caught on fire. the a-330 landed before dawn this morning in singapore and passengers say they had joined together in prayer after seeing the plane on fire through their windows. mandatory evacuations are underway in rural louisiana where the mississippi river floodgates were opened this weekend for purposefully

flooding some areas to spare major oil refineries and cities downriver. the international monetary fund is expected to plead not guilty in a new york city court after a hoelgs maid picked him out of the line-up as the man who sexually assaulted her this weekend. jeff rosson has reports now. >> reporter: you may not recognize his face or his name, but make no mistake, dominique is one of the most powerful men in the world. as leader of the international monetary fund, the imf, he lends money to countries in crisis. he was even about to run for president of france. now police say he is a sexual president pred tore. >> this is very big because it throws into disarray the leadership of the biggest financial institution in the world. >> reporter: he was staying in a $3,000 a night suite here in manhattan's ritzy area just

steps from times square. the maid said he came out of his shower and saw her in his room. he allegedly sexually assaulted her in his bed and dragged her in the bathroom and sexually assaulted her again. >> he intends to vigorously defends these charges and denies any wrong doing. >> reporter: police say he almost got away. officers rushed an air france flight at jfk over the weekend and yanked stra uh-huh skan out of his seat. suddenly this world power broken was under arrest. >> timing couldn't be worse, and, of course, whether he is guilty or not, this is already smeared him. >> police say the maid has picked strauss-kahn out of a line-up, and they have physical evidence too. including his cell phone left behind in the hotel room, and that's not all. law enforcement tells nbc news they've recovered bodily fluids, dna from the scene. late sunday night prosecutors took dnaç from strauss-kahn

himself looking for a match. >> our client willingly consented to an examination tonight. he is tired, but he is fine. >> strauss-kahn is married to an american-born journalist, his third wife, and he has been involved in sex scandals before. dubbed the grand seducer by the grand media. in 2002 a woman in her 20s accused him of sexually attacking her. no charges filed. in 2008 strauss-kahn admitted to an affair with a lower level employee at the imf. his current wife stood by him and now finds herself stuck in the middle yet again. >> and that was jeff rosson. turning now to our last story, which is about the second week in a row for four hammering away at the competition nailing the top spot at the weekend box office with $34.5 million. bridesmaid came in second, and "fast five" came in third.

it is five minutes past the hour. let's go to al with the weather. >> yes, i have slipped inside, ann. as we take a look at the forecast for our flooding along mississippi river, vicksburg, the latest level, a new record. it's going to crest on thursday at about 57.5 feet. and weighs look along the coast, can you see rain here in the northeast. rain in the pacific northwest. in between got nice weather. temperature on the cooler side today for much of the country. about 80% of the country at good morning to you. it's certainly getting darker in our neck of the woods as we have the deep clouds setting up over the city. this is what we're expecting. not raining just yet but by about noon we are expecting the first showers. 55 degrees, mostly cloudy conditions. by 4:00 p.m., the heavier rain moves in. pockets of pretty hefy precipitation. 59 degrees at 4:00 p.m.

elsewhere across the bay, 60s today and another round of rain on the way for your tuesday. ♪ she's brick house ♪ >> now solutions to your real estate questions. barbara corcoran is here with answers to your questions. >> good morning, al. >> on skype we have mark from san francisco joining us. good morning. what's your question? >> good morning. i'm putting my complex on the market in san francisco. my question is should i consider an offer before it hit it is multiple listing service? the market has a low inventory, the market is heated up and my agent says we may get a stronger buyer before more competition comes in. that's it. you can catch me on facebook. thank you. >> nice marketing. >> you're a good promoter. you ought to be a promoter. i get what your broker is trying to do. it's not good for you.

you ought to get the officeers early and expose it to the marketplace at the same moment in time. in san francisco many are selling in two, three weeks over market price. you have to get everybody in right away. >> a little patience. >> not much. two, three weeks. >> not bad. now to an e-mail question from susan in keller, texas. she writes, i have a unique house i built in 2006 for $345,000. there are no other comparables around so it is difficult to price other than going by the average price per kwar square foot in the market. can you give me advice for selling a unique home? >> the first thing you have to do is adjust your sights. no way you will sell by june. we're almost there. what's most unique about the house is it's 105,000 over the typical asking price in your town. that makes it a hard sale. the most important thing you

should do is pay for a professional appraisal to see what it's worth and price it right. other than that you have to give it two, three months at least. in your market it's taking seven to eight months to sell a house. first, adjust your sights down. >> when advertising how should she market it? say it's a unique home? >> unique is the worst word in real estate. you hear "unique" you don't want to buy it. the only thing unique about the house is that it's $100,000 over everybody else. >> not good. >> no, no. >> melissa from philadelphia, pennsylvania. good morning, what's your question? >> hi. my husband may be getting transferred to houston, texas. we are doing research on the schools and housing in the northwest area of houston. we want to know the best school for our kids, the most house for our buck and wonder if you can make recommendations on the most kid friendly areas. >> is there a dog in there? >> yes. sorry about that.

>> i wasn't sure if it was you, my stomach. >> you need a place that likes dogs, too. but that goes along with kids, so no problem. i'm sure you have discovered already the website greatschools.org, the best one out there. it rates every grammar school, primary school, high school in america on a scale of 1 to 10. i did that research leading with the schools first because obviously kids come first. the two towns i picked is cady which is close to where your husband will be working. they get a great report card. every school is 7 to 10. it's a small, growing town. you get a three bedroom, two bath home for $119,000. a great way to stretch your dollars. in woodland, texas, it's larger like a "leave it to beaver" town. great school districts. probably seven in total. the houses sell for $264,000, but for that you get four bedrooms with a big backyard with mature trees. great choices.

>> just because you're getting a good school district doesn't mean you have to pay more. >> for a great school district you will typically always pay more. they come together. on this particular website you can find the exceptions. that's what you want. >> good luck, melissa. feed the dog. and an e-mail from springfield, missouri. i started a mortgage on my home two years ago. there are problems with the house not disclosed in the inspection report. we had it reinspected and were told things that pose immediate and long term health concerns for the family. we have sunk several thousand into home repairs but don't want to put more in the house. we know given the market we can't sell for the principlprin >> you could foreclose on the home. it ruins your credit for seven years and you can't buy another house for a good five years. short sale the house if you work with the bank. that's a faster prospect.

don't over look pricing the home as a rental. if you can get a rental estimate on the home, the home that looks like a miserable problem now may be a good investment in hindsight if you get enough rent to cover the mortgage and taxes. >> after they correct the problems. >> correct. >> thanks so much. good to see you. >> thank you. >> up next, financial advice for couples living together. how to protect your money. plus, snooki and the situation bring "jersey shore" to italy. is italy ready for them? good luck. right after these messages.

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well, love them or hate them you can't deny that mtv's "jersey shore" is a hit in the u.s. and now they have taken their show on the road to italy. nbc's michelle kosinski has more. [ cheers and applause ] >> reporter: florence, brace yourselves. they're here. >> they have tattoos. they get drunk. i think they are stupid. >> italians are not like that. ♪

>> reporter: italians love to hate "jersey shore" with its no holds barred -- everything. however, they, too, are becoming strangely entranced. like the whole town follows them and they just kind of pretend it's not. surrounded by a huge, very handy pack of security they shop, look around, get rejected from a restaurant. >> why am i not allowed to ask? >> here is the staff waving them away, but the gang will work for the good of florence here where they will craft real italian pizza and on their first night out, even found a club just their style. though a slight language barrier. [ speaking in a foreign language ] >> "jersey shore"? >> reporter: hey, at least they made it. the mayor wasn't huge on them. >> snooki? >> she's a woman snooki?

>> reporter: despite asking they not be filmed drinking -- hmm -- he has a higher plan. >> maybe the situation. >> reporter: they are not allowed to shoot here inside the magnificent galleries. i'm from jersey. we're allowed. didn't they go out dressed like that one night? there may be culture shock on both sides. >> we apologize to italy. >> reporter: let's see. gym, tan, laundry translates to -- [ speaking italian ] >> reporter: gorilla juicehead, grenade grundle choad. [ speaking italian ] >> reporter: they are surrounded by icons just as ripped as they are with similar interests and "jersey shore" could leave

behind new dance moves, not to mention the all american spirit of people being able to make their wildest, dreams come true. >> this is fantastic for the city and for mtv. >> i think he's probably one of the only guys who thinks it's fantastic for the city of florence that they are there. >> the good news is they won't bring the stereo typical ugly american thing. they represent us well. >> so nice. survived us. we went to florence together. >> we did, with our families. >> i know. it survived you and me. >> so in other words you're comparing us to the situation and snooki? you're snooki? >> yes. >> i don't think so. >> your hair is flat. >> and i don't have any. >> anyway, it's a beautiful city. >> it is. >> exactly. >> i hope they take in all the sights rather than the party scenes. >> any advice for them?

>> i think they should probably just follow their hearts. >> i hear they are catching up on italian, doing the rosetta stone to learn italian. >> i liked the little boat ride on the river. very romantic -- i mean with our spouses. anyway, we have much more coming up. i'm going to stop talking. >> thank you. >> we're getting into trouble. >> exactly. >> we'll talk money minus marriage. advice to couples on how to define your financial relationship. that and more after these messages. ♪ [ female announcer ] nutri-grain -- one good decision... ♪ ...can lead to another. ♪ ♪ with real fruit, more of the whole grains your body needs, and a good source of fiber. nutri-grain can help you eat better all day.

is teaching my patients how to start taking insulin. and i've learned a lot from patients who use levemir flexpen. flexpen comes pre-filled with my long-acting insulin, and i dial the exact dose of insulin i need. my flexpen is discreet and doesn't need to be refrigerated. and flexpen goes wherever i go. levemir is a long-acting insulin used to control high blood sugar in adults and children with diabetes. do not take if your blood sugar is too low. 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 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, such as body rash, trouble with breathing, fast heartbeat or sweating. ask your healthcare provider about levemir flexpen today. learn more about the different insulins available in flexpen at myflexpen.com. flexpen, insulin delivery that goes with you.

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so our normal viewers are probably noticinging inwe are synch in terms of our locations. that's because of the rain outside. we had a special segment we wanted to do with gardening and there was a downpour outside. >> what's up with that? >> everybody scampered. >> now it's starting to slow down. >> so we'll get back out. >> the whole idea of the segment is talking about it used to be that gardening was one of the last sacred places you can't take technology but now it can help. if you don't have a green thumb there are things to help you. >> okay. >> unmarried couples can protect their money so they are both financially secure. >> lots of people are going

there these days. >> and we'll be talking about rigatoni! yeah. all boys. i call them our starting five. yeah. boom! so when we go out, like the other night, we have to make sure they get enough to eat. pass these down to your brothers and make sure they get some, okay? try olive garden's new four cheese pastachettis. starting at just $9.95. folded pasta ribbons filled with italian cheeses. try them with grilled chicken breasts in a garlic cream sauce, or with grilled italian sausage starting at $9.95. plus enjoy our unlimited fresh salad and warm breadsticks. olive garden's one of the few places we can take our family where everyone's happy. olive garden. when you're here, you're family. we can take our family where everyone's happy. hebrew national hot dogs are unlike any other all-beef hot dog. every bite goes above and beyond the call of deliciousness. that's a big 10-4, kosher. no fillers, by-products, artificial flavors or colors. hebrew national. the better than a hotdog, hotdog.

good morning. it is 9:26. i'm marla tellez. well, for the second time in as many days mother nature is not cooperating so there's another change in course. the bike race will start in nevada city at 12:15 this afternoon and finish in sacramento. the race was supposed to start up this morning at squaw valley but they changed that. snow forced organizers to cancel the first leg yesterday for the first time in the race's six-year history. this is what it looked like, highway 50 at king's run in south lake tahoe where it snowed

much of the day. a bay area man reached the summit of mt. everest. we showed you him in march and then training to reach the summit. part of an even bigger personal goal to run marathons on all seven continents and climb the seven highest summits in the world. when he returns to santa clara 'l ctie trainin a lk at the local forecast and the roads right after this.

good morning to you. well, let's show you our weather maker to bring about the rain once again today. here it is. just offshore. you see that core of low pressure. it's already getting windy out there. the core is getting closer to us and crosses over the bay area and that means we're dealing with showers starting at noon, intensifying through the afternoon and evening hours. not a break in store for us until we hit 5:00 a.m. tomorrow morn sog a lot of rain on the way. 60 degrees in fremont. not that warm in san jose.

59 in the city and another round of rain tuesday into wednesday. mike, how do the roads look? >> slow southbound 101. earlier slowing, that's when the accident happened. just cleared from the lanes and very slow coming from the san francisco international airport. northbound side a disabled vehicle at paul avenue where it's causing slow down. earlier accident cleared from the golden gate fields and there's the light volume at the toll plaza. that's better news through the gray skies. >> okay. thank you, mike. we'll be back at 9:56 with our next update.

♪ what a girl wants ♪ what a girl needs >> she's come a long way from the mickey mouse club to earning four grammy awards. christina aguilera has sold nearly 50 million albums and is now a coach on the new hit nbc series "the voice." ♪ >> feels wrong to talk while she's singing. she'll be here to talk about it tomorrow on "today." >> we had cee lo green earlier on the program. >> yeah. lots of talent around. in this half hour, more than 7.5

million couples -- this may be hard to believe. but 7.5 million couples live together without the benefit of marriage. >> that's a big house. >> very big. but they may have to think about different things when they think about financial and legal protections. there is a built-in system for married couples. we'll tell you how to make sure you are both secure in the situation. >> and we'll get outside to do gardening. but high tech gadgets are helping in the garden from how to design the garden to keeping it looking green all summer long. there are apps for just about everything. you can even water and mow your lawn by remote control. >> wow! can you get an app to weed? >> exactly. and mow the lawn. >> exactly. >> the robotic weeder in your life. >> mm-hmm. in honor of italy, easy and delicious pastas. hearty rigatoni you can whip up with the guidance from one of

new york's hottest chefs. one of the best pasta dishes i had one was from one ann curry. >> you go on and on about it. >> i have to make it for you. >> you're on "ellen" today. >> i am. it's exciting. who doesn't love ellen? we love her. >> everybody does. >> we have al here talking. >> if you could combine pasta and ellen. >> exactly. how about the forecast? >> let's see what's happening as far as the week ahead. wet in the west. here in the east and cooler than normal with the exception of the central plains. mid-week period, more cool weather in the east, southeast, out to the west and in the northern plains with wet weather along the east coast. above normal temperatures in the pacific northwest and the latter part of the week, warmer than usual temperatures in the east. wet weather continues and below normal temperatures out to the

southwest into california. good morning to you. as time draws on the clouds get darker and darker over the city and we are still expecting those showers to start. i'm looking at the front, watching its timing. by noon, a good deal of moisture across the bay area. you likely will be dodging showers on the lunch break. by about 4:00 p.m., 59 degrees. the rain will get even more severe. we're going to see possibly strong thunderstorms develop this afternoon. the whole things clear out by 5:00 a.m. tomorrow morning. [ woman ] welcome back jogging stroller.

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new digital tools are helping people design, grow and maintain green retreats and heather is here to show us high tech gardening ideas. good morning. >> good morning. >> i'm sure there is an app that tells you today you are probably not supposed to be out gardening. a weather app, right? a lot of people are embracing technology. used to be the garden would be the last sanctuary, your escape, but not anymore. >> it's counterintuitive. the internet is a huge part of the world. it's how we do research, how we connect with family and friends. just for example in terms of yahoo. we have seen an increase in searches for gardening tips. they are up 61% over the last month. >> people are involved in social gardening online. what are sites they are going to? >> we all have digital cameras and want to brag. >> share the lawn and flowers with everybody. >> there is a proliferation of

social gardening communities. one is called yardshare. it was founded by a guy who was a new homeowner, wanted to create a beautiful backyard, do it himself. he was looking online for photos and found it disorganized. so he made a site where people could have a profile page for gardens and share with family and friends and connect with experts. >> everybody's involved. there is a digital plant care sensor that might be the tool for you if you don't have a green thumb, like me. >> this is the plant smart. it actually connects your computer -- a usb port. download software and connect toyota the sensor. put it into your plant or anywhere in the garden. it monitors the sunlight -- >> put it in the plant like that. >> set it up. it's measuring sunlight, soil, water, whatever. >> i was trying at at home with a basil plant.

it said i'm overwatering and i'm not getting enough sun. it's great for anybody just starting out. it connects to a database with thousands of plant species and it's $59.99. >> what else? >> my favorite device. this is the auto mower. >> the auto mower. a robotic lawnmower. they have been around ten years. what's unique about this -- >> looks like a roomba. it's on a mission. >> it recharges itself so it knows when to go back to its home and recharge. you never have to worry about the battery running down. use it on up to three-quarters of an acre. you can control it with your smartphone. the latest generation allows you to use an iphone app to turn it off and on, use gps if it gets stolen. >> amazing. you don't have to worry about it running over your feet -- ow!

>> you scared me. >> kidding. >> it's a cool thing. it's expensive. >> the dog won't like it. >> there is an app for everything including gardening. >> right. two apps i like. one is herbs plus. use it on the iphone and also on an android. it's a database of herbs. so it tells you where to grow them, where to grow best. it's $2.99 on the iphone store and the essential garden guide is for fruits and vegetables. shows you pictures of various fruits and vegetables and advises you. it's like having your own coach. that's what these things are. >> i love it. i'm terrible. i don't have a green thumb. this will get me working all right. heather, great stuff. thank you so much. up next, money minus marriage. advice to couples on how to define your financial relationship. but first, these messages. today we're going to surprise people with the taste of activia.

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this is stacy. who runs circles around asthma. and dan. he never lets high cholesterol get him too low. and amy with her arthritis well in hand. they go to walgreens... where their pharmacist not only refills prescriptions but gives advice... immunizations... and health tests. staying on top of your health starts right in your neighborhood. walgreens. there's a way to stay well. like many chefs today, i feel the best approach to food is to keep it whole for better nutrition. and that's what they do with great grains cereal. see the seam on the wheat grain? same as on the flake. because great grain steams and bakes the actual whole grain. now check out the other guy's flake. hello, no seam, because it's more processed.

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this morning on "today's money," money minus marriage. more couples are living together without the walk down the aisle, so sharon epperson says it's important that they have their financial houses in order. she's the cnbc personal finance correspondent and has advice for us. good morning. >> good morning. >> 7.5 million couples according to the census bureau. these are people in a committed relationship unmarried. >> unmarried couples. the number has doubled in the past decade. we are seeing it as a growing trend. >> and not just for young people but for retirees as well, for people on the older end. >> it comes with a lot of consideration. when you're retired you won't

have the same benefits as a married couple like spouse benefits from social security or a pension from your spouse. >> so you want to maximize financial security people in relationships can get. you say the first thing they should do is define their financial relationship. how? >> well, figure out what you want financially and where you have come from. what prior commitments do you have? are you unmarried now because you were in a previous relationship? perhaps you have children you need to support? who's going to support them? what are your shared expenses in terms of a home or other large expenses? determine what the financial relationship is going to look like. also, who is going to pay for what. >> you say it's a serious conversation you have to have. something else they have to talk about is defining what is theirs and what is theirs together. >> yours, mine and ours. that's good for any couple to talk about, but especially important if you are unmarried to make sure you have some things separate. have your own separate checking and savings accounts. have a shared account for

household expenses but you want some things in your own name. you can plan individually and together. >> you should document it as well? >> everything should be documented. that's key. it's one of the biggest shortcomings unmarried couples face. you have no legal or financial protections like many married couples do. make sure everything is in writing. that comes down to the will, health care proxy, durable power of attorney. key documents you need to say this is the person in my life i want to take care of these things. they won't automatically be the person. >> how do you recommend these couples handle insurance? >> you need more. again, you're not going to have the spouse benefits from social security. you may not get the pension. you may not be able to roll over the ira the same way as well unless beneficiaries are designated properly. you want enough life insurance, term life insurance. make sure you have enough long-term care insurance for when you get older. again, there are discounts for married couples that may not be there for unmarried couples.

look carefully at those programs. >> also you want to save more than if you were married for retirement. >> again, you want to plan individually together. so you're not planning on what you would have together in retirement because you may not have some of the benefits but you want to be sure you are secure. make sure you're maxing out on your own retirement contributions. >> i think you say this for married and unmarried couples that you should inform others of your wishes. >> very important. this is not someone who would legally be the person who wouldle automatically get things in your will. make sure everything is in writing and let people know who may say, why are they giving it to this person or having these responsibilities? make sure people around you know who is in charge in your absence. >> you say have it in writing because not having the proper documentation is the single biggest mistake unmarried couples make. >> it's a huge mistake. all couples need to write things down. in this case it's important.

you don't have the same legal backing that you might have as a married couple. you want it in writing so you know what you want to happen and your loved ones know. >> sounds like mom was right. when you are married you are likely to have greater financial security because the rules support you. when you are unmarried you have to think of yourself as making sure you have retirement for yourself. in other words, you can't think about it in conjunction with a partner. >> legally you don't have the same backing, again, that you would have as a married couple. one thing you have as a married couple is you are thinking individually, but together. that's key for any down couple. you have to think about what you have to do to get your financial house in order. you can't rely on your spouse for everything. when you're unmarried it's a greater concern. it's important to get your own financial house in order. >> sharon epperson, great to see you, looking lovely in red. >> you, too. >> coming up, how to spice up your rigatoni and whip up some

ricotta crepes. first this is "today" on nbc.

this morning in "today's kitchen" easy as one, two, three. we are cooking up pasta. today's chef was just 19 when he started his restaurant. now he's gone from pizza to pasta in new york city at his newest restaurant. good to see you, chef. >> likewise. >> coming up to summer time, lots of great summer time fresh vegetables from the garden, ramps is one of them. >> an exciting season for chefs. we are looking for new, fresh things. ramps are the first sign. ramps are a wild leek. they grow from virginia to canada. they only have a five-week span.

>> and they are fragrant. >> mysteriously fragrant. it's onion, garlic. you're not really sure. >> what are we starting off with? >> we have onions in there sweating. just trim these. slice the bulbs thin like that. >> we're making a rigatoni. >> yeah. >> do we cook it first? >> it's been in for a few minutes. takes 8 to 12 minutes. slice these. >> you will use the whole ramp? >> yeah, everything. >> greens and the bulb. >> cut it in a one-inch dice. add the stems. >> right. >> sweat those out. we have sausage crumbled. take it out of the casing, mash it in a hot pan with a fork, nice and brown. saves time if you have guests coming othing over. >> we can do it ahead of time. >> right. butter and garlic. add some stock. >> chicken stock? >> yeah. you can use veg stock if you want and omit the sausage but

it's not the same dish. then the sausage and the ramp greens. >> mm. and cook it down. >> this is about 8 to 12 minutes later. you have a nice sauce for the pasta to coat it when it's out of the water. >> do you add the sauce to the pasta or the pasta to the sauce? >> add the pasta to the sauce. it's soup the other way. so we have cooked pasta, just about done. rigatoni is very familiar. it's an easy pasta. >> can you use other ones? >> use whatever you like. there are so many shapes from italy now. just add the pasta to the pan. stir it around. little seasoning. >> cheese? >> a little cheese. want to do the cheese? come on! we're making pasta here. add some cheese. there we go. >> all right. >> the secret is ground fennel

seed. toasted, grind it. >> oh, man. >> gives it the sausage and pepperoni flavor. >> whoo! >> bring it over here into the bowl. add more cheese if you want. >> more cheese? >> little bit more. let's go in the back here. what do you have here? >> we have ricotta crepes. the recipe is on the website. you can buy them these days. this is rr ricotta cheese with spinach, basil. >> oh, savory crepes. >> wait, wait! >> are you guys coming in? you roll it up and do you bake it? >> we bake it in the oven for eight to ten minutes. >> looks good. >> man. >> check it out. >> pasta is served. >> that's right. >> it's gorgeous. >> it's all on the website. >> a little more cheese.

>> can you come to my house and cook? >> absolutely. any time. >> this is beautiful. >> thank you so much. >> thank you very much. >> good to see you. >> thank you. >> we have kathie lee and hoda coming up. they will sit down w

twizzlers. the twist you can't resist. it is 9:56. good morning. today, governor jerry brown presents his may budget revision

but the plan reportedly has a $14 million hole. he is asking for a five-year extension on the vehicle tax. in march legislators made $8 billion in cuts. also, in play, $2.5 billion in unexpected income tax revenues but republicans want to trim the deficit through cuts alone and are not wavering on the no-tax stance. >> republicans want to continue to be the party of no, no, no or perhaps they give in on this, we know this much. it takes the same old two thirds margin to raise taxes. that's what you need. we know the democrats are short two votes in the assembly and two in the senate. >> the state legislators have until the june 15th constitutional deadline to pass a budget. christina with the forecast. >> you have a couple of hours

before the sfapignificant, stea rain pushes in. future cast shows you by noon we are expecting the entire bay area to be getting hit pretty hard with some of the light showers and then the heavier rain moves in overnight. we'll get a good round of clearing for first part of tomorrow when another stronger system of low pressure dumps even more rain on us tuesday into wednesday. 64 today in fremont. 60 in san jose. check the drive with mike. >> christina, the accident completely cleared in hills dale and things are much better southbound towards the bridge coming off the peninsula toward us. nice, smooth flow. both directions. the camera was shaking a tad bit. so maybe the wind and the rain. live look at the golden gate bridge. low clouds. the drive thinning out. very pleasant through this portion. >> thank you, mike. the "today" show returns in about a minute. we'll be back at 10:26. we'll see you then.

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plus get access to the entire at&t national wi-fi network at no extra cost. [ woman ] i went looking for a deal, and at&t delivered. now, i just need to curb the shoe shopping. ♪ captions paid for by nbc-universal television hey, everybody. welcome to our show. it is funay monday. rainy. may 16th. it's going to be like this all week long. we'll have to put on our imaginations. >> yes, we are. >> in my imagination, you're in florida in a thong. see, it works. we are all smiling. >> there was another bad hair day this weekend. >> i can't believe you did this. >> it was a great event.

it was the komen, komen does races in new jersey. it was at the west orange location. thousands came out in the rain. don't say anything about hair. >> i was going to say look at that smile. tons of people. >> lots of people came out. it was a terrific great event. the other thing was, people were creative with their bad hair issues, which i liked. it rained through most of it. we don't have a picture, but i remember them distinctly. a bunch of women had shower caps and their visors on top. i would have done that in a second. they raised a lot of money for breast cancer. it was such a great event. it was a lot of fun. how was your weekend? >> i worked. i wrote our new song for "everyone has a story." and still working on rewrites for "saving amy." ticket sales are going well out in seattle. excited about that. nobody wants to work that hard and put on a show nobody wants

to see. thank you in seattle for your support. hasn't even been opened up through the public yet. this is through subscriptions at the fifth avenue theater. >> i saw a reading of the show. >> a workshop. >> that's what i meant. without any costumes, without anything, just the actors and actresses up there singing in front of you, it is magical. listening to some of the songs when you're sitting there, you pinch yourself and say this is happening live in front of me. it's terrific music and a lot of fun. i'm a music fan. >> it's going to be an adventure. so i worked. we have ed asner on the show today. i love him. he is terrific as warren buffett on a new movie on hbo called "too big to fail." great movie. cody's home. mostly i spend my time stepping over his size 18 shoes. nothing makes me happier. when he was a teenager and doing

that it made me so mad. now he is home only a few weeks every summer, it's like his shoes. james tate is going to the prom, missioned accomplished. >> it was almost stealth-like. i got a tweet that said, james tate is going to prom. apparently the head master, the woman, had a news conference and announced she was going to start doing these things on a case by case basis. >> she had so much pressure. you can tell she still thinks it was wrong. you can tell. you know when you feel like you've got to make a concession and it goes against everything you believed. she was probably pressured into that. who knows what the whole story is. i'm happy for them. they'll probably break up right after the prom. they are high school kids. >> don't you love how he signs it "hmu," hit me up. >> some people get dates for the prom this way other people are

doing clever things to get divorcees. >> what are they doing? >> we have quite the story. in "the new york times" sunday "styles" section, a 79-year-old, former seagrams ceo. her name is bonnie and they are inviting 100 nearest and dearest for cocktails to celebrate their divorce. >> if he have formal invitations that say, as we change the parameters of our relationship our mutual admiration and caring is constant. they say they have a solid relationship. >> marriage is ruining their friendship. >> yes. that's what's happening. >> they thought marriage would change them a little bit. he would want to not spend so much time in florida, not go golfing so much. she loves lectures. they discovered pretty soon into it he don't like the lectures and he still wants to play golf.

it beats fighting. and he's worth $2 billion so she'll probably have a nice parting gift. >> since it's i ammicable and they are both rich, of course they are having a party. >> you're heart broken in real life. blake shelton and miranda lambert got married. >> he is a hot ticket. he has really been a standout to me. people are falling in love with him because he is just who he is. he is 6'5", funny. >> he has one of the best personals of any guest we had. she is so sassy. they genuinely feel like a couple that is just made for each other. >> let me tell you, if you read their tweets, they are irreverent. >> i'm off to my last trip to

walmart. they were going to eat venison burgers she harvested herself. does that mean she shot them? harvesting. we have 70 entries into our voice competition. >> 70 great ones. >> we need to cover our eyes. >> we'll show you a couple of the entries. we are not allowed to see them. >> we'll just turn. >> go ahead. >> here is our first one. ♪ yes i can't make you love me ♪ if you don't ♪ you can't make your heart feel something it won't ♪ ♪ until you come back to me kathie lee and hoda ♪ that's what i'm going to do

>> i guess that's it. >> okay. >> those are cool. you can still send in your two minute entry. it's got to be a capella. we will pick and choose. >> we are not going to see any of them until it's down to the final contestants, i guess. >> i'm so excited for that. the winner will get to actually go to the live finale of "the voice." >> i know. that's another thing hoda wants to do. >> what else? we've got a lot -- we've got the housewives back again. can't get enough of the housewives. >> there is another segment we like a lot. this is about bloating. this astonished me. if p you eat fruit with water together, your stomach expands and according to one of our experts, it looks like you could be up to nine pounds heavier. >> i think you're supposed to eat fruit on an empty stomach then not eat so much fluid with eating is what it is.

>> imagine if you're trying to do the right things, apples and water because that seems like you're getting nothing and your stomach explodes. >> that explains a lot in my life. it really does. >> it's that day where we talk about our favorite things. >> i know i love hair things. it's been the worst hair weather in the world. you can't wash your hair every day if you have dry hair because it turns into straw. there is stuff by frizz called restyling spray. put it on your hair when it's dry and it dampens it. >> for second-day styling. >> or third day in my case or fourth. >> ew. >> sometimes you need it. >> i'm just saying. it's cheap, i mean inexpensive. >> my friend brought these all the way from mississippi for

you, hoda. these are called haul couture. they are oversized. they are insulated. they start at $65. here is the cool thing about them. they have these things. so you're going to a picnic. you want to put your picnic stuff in. you put everything on the bottom then you put your casserole on this and do something else with that. >> to carry food around? >> anything or your bowling ball and gym equipment, everything else. i don't know what this is. it comes in it. >> i like it. >> isn't that cute? >> i need is a bigger bag. i love it. i love it. >> don't bring this to theater any more. you're not making friends in the theater. hoda and i come in for matinees. >> i have to. let's go to miss sara haines. >> first of all, my favorite thing is the assets.

as much as we talk about spanx these are by sara blakely and they are half the price. you can get them at target. i live in these. now for the time you guys have all been waiting for this. the fan of the week. the winner is meredith rogers from chicago, illinois. she watches on wmaq. she watches while at work and when she has a day off she watches while at the gym. sara, myself, was one of the first people she started following on twitter. her favorite is hoda's play list. she loves to sing along and watch kathie roll her eyes. it gives her an hour of the day to laugh and gives her current information on trends and events. we are giving her a copy of hoda's book and kathie lee's cd. just kidding. pack your bags. we are going to myrtle beach, north carolina. she'll stay at the anderson ocean club hotel four days,

three nights including round-trip air fare for two, dinner for two at the aspen grill and two passes at the wonderworks amusement park. >> that won the number one beach, myrtle beach. let's not forget that. thank you, sweetheart. >> celebrity wedding bells ring down south. a lot of celebrity news buzzing.

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time for today's buzz. filling you in on the juicy news buzzing around hollywood this week. >> hey, rob. >> good morning. >> the nicest story is the wedding. your friend blake. i met him here on "the today show." he is a great guy. his girlfriend miranda, they've been together quite a while. finally tied the not. >> they are the brad and angelina of the country world. >> it was a big to do, 550 people, i think is a big wedding. some celebrities there reba mcintyre, ceelo was there, carrie underwood. >> it was a down home affair. >> you know how down home it was? she shot the deer they served for dinner herself.

>> what a woman. >> not joking. >>. ♪ feel like a woman >> she wore her mother's wedding dress. isn't that sweet? we haven't seen any pictures. we won't see pictures until wednesday because "people" magazine has the exclusive. >> we heard about another injury on "dancing with the stars." >> this is getting dangerous. kim johnson took a terrible fall on friday and was brought out of the studio in this huge neck brace and loaded on to an ambulance. it was scary. good news is sunday we saw her back at dance rehearsals. she was wearing a brace and she will dance tonight. this is where it gets naughty though. other contestants are saying does she have an advantage now? she does have an advantage. >> the sympathy vote matters. >> living with the neck i live with, i wouldn't wish that on anybody. be happy for her and be glad

you've got your neck that doesn't -- oh, my gosh. honestly. >> it does help her. >> it shows guts. >> remember when i fell right here. i got right up and tried to beat the crap out of meredith. nobody knew until the next day i have a bruise -- i have to go to the doctor about it today. you get up and you go and you do. >> talk to us about j-lo. >> j-lo was performing over the weekend. her hit single her microphone went out. this is the nice part of it. there she is dancing. there is no microphone there. she did not get caught in it. her microphone went out. what j-lo did was kept dancing and the crowd went crazy. after the sound was fixed and j-lo joked, someone is going to be fired. then she did the song over again and the place went nuts. >> which is probably true.

>> i used to work for her. >> she is a tough cookie? >> i would be very worried if i was the sound guy. >> if heads roll, it's the sound guys. >> this is interesting. charlie sheen tweeted ashton kutcher and there was something that seemed unkind about the tweet, i would say. what did he say? >> at first he was nice then he said, the second tweet he said, i look forward to getting a low rating and the show is over." it was mean. a friend said charlie is destroyed by this. he thought he was going back. >> we saw images of "the jersey shore" quick. they are all over italy. >> there are thousands of people all over the streets. >> there goes forns. >> look at them. they are walking around filming. >> those are american tourists following them. >> let's hope so. at least we don't have to put up

with them for a couple of weeks. >> thanks, rob. >> we are about to prove age shouldn't determine your wardrobe. [ bob ] i'd love to build bird houses for the rest of my life. so i've got to take care of my heart. for me cheerios is a good place to start. [ male announcer ] to keep doing what you love, take care of your heart with cheerios. the whole grain oats can help lower cholesterol. love your heart so you can do what you love. [ door closes, silence ] [ male announcer ] i know what you're thinking. "leather-trimmed command center, "almost 300 horsepower,

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why do the british think they know better than anybody? susan swimmer knows. fashion editor of "more" magazine. >> good to be here. >> we had a good time with lesley. >> i heard. >> long hair is one of those things. we look around and we see andy mcdowell wearing long hair and a lot of other celebs. what is the rule of thumb? >> you want to wear long hair you need to have a good haircut. you need a modern haircut. andy mcdowell is doing it, demi moore. >> goldie hawn hasn't changed her hairstyle since her 40s. >> it's different than it was before. >> what about leather pants. you could be 34. >> how arbitrary. >> i always say it has nothing to do with age. there are crimes against fashion though. there are things that are not worn the right way you can wear leather pants but watch how you're wearing them. don't tart it up too much.

>> we have a couple of models. mini skirts are one of those. polls says no mini skirts after 35. erin doesn't think so. erin is 38. >> here is the thing. >> she has fantastic legs. >> why wouldn't you wear a mini skirt? moisturize the legs, put on heels, you look fabulous. you have great legs, show them off. >> in a lady-like manner. i think that is adorable. >> what about heels? they say you shouldn't wear crazy high heels after a certain age. >> that's because you can't see where you're going. you're going to end up in a ditch. >> tell that to meredith vieira. >> look at hers. come on. >> look at her legs. >> look at her fabulous legs. another one, leggings. here is my tip. wear them with flats.

leggings with heels made like tawdry. leggings with flats looks fabulous. >> i love the way you're holding your left hand. >> i love that. >> again, i don't like the rules. it's about how you mix it up and how you're wearing it. to say a blanket statement you cannot do -- >> i'd love to see the people look like who made the choices. >> i have seen 20-year-olds wear things that don't look right. >> talk about the bikini. this is a big one that got a lot of people. you shouldn't wear a bikini after 47. yes. >> i'm riding that wave, baby. i've got a few months. >> but when you look like this you can wear a bikini. >> 54 years old. patricia looks great. tell us about that. >> my tip. wear a bikini with a little more coverage. you don't need to wear a teeny, tiny string bikini. it needs to fit you.

it noo eds eeds to support you. >> then go swimming in all of that. go right into the ocean with all that stuff on. >> let's not be ageist. if you have great legs, show them. don't authentic about the age. wear what looks right on you. >> you shouldn't show cleavage once it become as pit. >> find out why ed asner and in the movie "up" i love him says it's too big to fail. >> and bobbie thomas. so i took my heartburn pill and some antacids. we're having mexican tonight, so another pill then? unless we eat later, then pill later? if i get a snack now, pill now? skip the snack, pill later... late dinner, pill now?

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good morning. i'm marla tellez. the san francisco giants fan who was severely beaten at dodger stadium in march is headed home to the bay area right now. brian stowe is on a plane from l.a. bound for sfo. he's expected to land shortly before 12:00. he'll be then taken to sfo general by ambulance. while the 42-year-old is still unconscious, the condition stabilize and showing positive signs such as opening his eyes and moving his arms when family members speak to him. police, though, are still looking for the two men responsible for his attack. some bay area counties are

seeing a rise in cases of a highly infectious childhood disease. 13 cases of measles have been reported statewide this year, seven since april. some of those affected come frommal me da, san mateo county. 27 cases last year and only 9 in 2009. health officials say it's mainly due to travelers where there are large outbreak numbers. people are asked who travel abroad or expect visitors to sure thathe vaccinations t are up to date. a look at the monday forecast and traffic right after this.

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good morning to you. take a look at when's headed towards the city right now. yes, you can see the very well-defined front here. it is about to dump rain over us. steadily for several hours. in fact, by noon it's going to move in over the entire bay area. rain continues all night long. finally turns a little bit more spotty and get a break. 5:00 a.m. tuesday, not much of a break. tomorrow afternoon, another system dumping more rain on the bay area. 60 degrees today for concord and free month. up to 65 wez. let's check your drive with mike. >> all right. the south bay looking pretty good. little tiny patches of speeds in the 50s past the coliseum, the speeds recovered quite a bit. no big deals and as you get into

the toll plaza, metering lights are off. little rain in the area. marla? >> thanks, mike and christina. thank you for being with us this morning. the "today" show continues next. have a great day. playing one of the richest man in the world, warren buffett. >> you know my misgivings about investment banks. soon as they started trading for themselves, the risk managers lost control. i had a very unpleasant time with solomon brothers. >> fair enough.

we both know investment banking is a profitable business. >> i figure it made you a billion or so. >> i got to believe if the price was right you wouldn't just walk away. >> you know a good deal when you see one. what say you? >> hoda and i watched this over the weekend. so nice to see you. it's such a complicated story to tell. hbo does complicated stories very well. i have my doubts. i was sitting in our gentleman with a top ceo who just retired. he knows tha -- i got worried t wouldn't keep an audience because it got too complicated. as it grew and whatever i

understood was sufficient that it kept growing for me. i realized this movie is practically a study course. you go back and learn each time you watch it. i hope to see it a lot of times. i think you become involved in and very informed and you're propelled forward by what i call this tragedy. a tragedy as far as i'm concerned has not been repaired yet. >> no, it certainly hasn't. >> everything is in place for it to happen again. >> playing warren buffett is an interesting character. how did you go about preparing for that? >> i looked in the mirror. >> all of the casting, the guy that plays lloyd blankfein, i thought lloyd blankfein was playing lloyd blankfein. >> isn't that the guy from "sex in the city?"

>> i appreciated it was not a partisan film. it didn't one side or the other except for greed is what got us there and lack of regulation. >> in addition to this film, you're back on stage playing franklin roosevelt. tell us how that is going. >> it's going well. we've done 50 cities, 100 performances in boca raton for a week in the first of june. >> i love that president. i think this country has not done him enough honor. >> you love a live audience, as well. >> oh, yeah. >> you had them with the mary tyler moore days. what sitcom do you like? >> no. >> do you watch television? >> no. >> you and betty white, all you do is read scripts. i just want to breathe your air for a while. >> alec baldwin is becoming the

male betty white. >> and we both agree "up" is one of the greatest movies. how is our mary doing? she had surgery. >> i haven't found out. i was delighted to hear it was not major. >> we wish her all the best. >> that movie is tonight. it's called "too big to fail" on hbo. >> up next, always on top of the trends, bobbie thomas. oh, please. [ wind blowing ] ♪ [ female announcer ] when is it okay to lose the cover-up? ♪ when you can. take the special k challenge... and lose an inch from your waist in two weeks. so lose your cover-up, and show off your confidence. design your plan at specialk.com.

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but i learned that i don't have to use a vial and syringe as part of my daily routine anymore. my doctor showed me the novolog mix 70/30 flexpen. flexpen is discreet and comes pre-filled with my insulin. flexpen goes with me and doesn't need refrigeration. and it's covered by most insurance. if you're still using a vial and syringe, ask your healthcare provider about the benefits of flexpen. flexpen is a discreet, pre-filled, dial-a-dose insulin pen. you can dial the exact dose of insulin you need. and inject insulin by pressing a button. novolog mix 70/30 is an insulin used to control high blood sugar in adults with diabetes. do not inject if you do not plan to eat within 15 minutes 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. most common side effects include reactions at the injection site, weight gain, swelling of your hands and feet, and vision changes. other serious side effects include low blood sugar and low potassium in your blood. get medical help right away

if you experience serious allergic reactions including body rash, trouble with breathing, fast heartbeat, sweating, or if you feel faint. flexpen is made by novo nordisk, a healthcare company committed to diabetes care for nearly 90 years. i've made flexpen part of my routine just like spending time with my family. ask your healthcare provider about novolog mix 70/30 flexpen today. learn more about the different insulins available in flexpen at myflexpen.com. flexpen. insulin delivery that goes with you. if it's new and has something to do with beauty and style, you know who knows all about it? >> bobbie thomas. "today style" add some are bobbie thomas is here with all the products that are going to make you go, hmm. >> the last segment was a crazy hit with the wacky stuff you brought out. >> i'm always like how do i put

this together? first up for you, this is called budica's whoa per tomb. it visual perfume. they promise it will disappear. >> we'll find out by the end of the segment. >> now smell this right lear. i'm never going to get through this segment today. smell this. >> that's something you eat. >> play-doh. >> it is. she is right. >> this fragrance company makes childhood memory like play-doh and funeral home. >> why would you want to smell that? >> this is the first odorless you spray in the air. it's odorless in the air and you

can't smell it until you smell your wrist. >> it's your own hoda oda. that's great. >> there is a fun company i can barely pronounce. they make belly button to fat electrician. >> i've got to smell that. >> hit me. >> then there is something similar. this is made by somebody's number two. that's what i'm going to say. it's all online. read more about it. >> let's go to the next one, shall we? >> i have real snake skin manicure on my hands. it took six hours. she took a healthy snake left this behind so the snake is not harmed. she applied the real snake skin

on my nails and my toes. the pedicure is what everyone -- i am getting used to the texture. the toes are pretty. they have plomore of a metallic shine. you can do these at home. prints have gone wild not just on your nails but your lips. they have tattoos for your lips. >> i saw you putting it on this morning. andrea is not thrilled. >> these are violet lips. >> she hates me right now. they are fun and would be great if you want to play around for costumes. >> how do you get them off? >> they don't come off. >> it takes a little while. of course, these are a genius idea. you just stick these on for no tan lines. >> that's what you need. >> kathie, you've again waiting

all morning. >> doesn't come in my size, baby. >> you have to join the party here. these are perfect tan bikinis. >> what if if you sweat and they get slick and come off. >> i tried the boob lift things. these really work. instant thigh lift. they lift the skin under your short and take away extra skin and saggy skin. >> what happens when you have to take it off? >> it hurts a little. >> you're unbelievable. >> everything you need to do to beat the bloats. >> the real housewives of fluj are here

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house wife, many viewers wondered if the drama would dissipate. >> the reality series premiers tonight with veterans theresa, carolynine and new additions, melissa and kathy. >> that sounds hawaiian not italian. >> it's not italian. >> what is it? >> lebanese. >> tell us how you're connected through family on this show. >> theresa is my sister-in-law. i'm married to her brother. >> theresa is my first cousin. her father and my mom are brother and sister. >> did you recruit? >> are you the recruiter of the people or did it just kind of happen? >> i'm not the recruiter. it just happened. >> i only saw the promos. it looked like a knock-down drag out at a christening.

>> all hell break loose. >> a christening, how did we get to that point? >> anybody want to tell us what we are going to see? >> it's my son's christening you're going to see tonight. it's extremely deep. it's real. there are a lot of emotions going on. it's unfortunate. the cameras caught it all. it happens. >> you know the cameras are there. >> of course you know it's there. i don't know if tough's seen the episode. it's very deep. >> you knew this was going to happen when you got into it. nobody is forced to be part of a show like this. >> that's right. >> did you hesitate saying i don't want cameras in my face or my children's lives being chronicled? >> absolutely. i thought about it for months and months. i was nervous this was going to happen, and of course it did. here we are and i signed on the dotted line. >> caroline you are kind of the conscious. there is the connect with

people. how is this season different? we look at this promo and think here we go again. give us a sense of what we are going to see. >> i think when you say chronicle, that's a good word. it's the lives of five children and their children and ups and downs. stuff happens. >> you are dealing with the boys leaving. >> my babies. who told them -- i'm sitting here. still standing. >> where are me going? >> they are living life. i am so proud of them. they are out there in the world doing their thing, doing what we taught them to do. >> do they have jay obes and they are soaring and flying high. proud mama. >> danielle was the lightning rod. who is the lightning rod this time? >> depends on who you're talking to, what day it is. >> what time is it? >> yeah. >> are you ever all tempted to

say that is it, a many out of it? >> absolutely. it's draining. >> and any cohen says what? >> you know that charming thing he is. >> he tries to get you to look at the positive side. >> you have so many wonderful opportunities. it's been a tremendous roller coaster of the good and bad. if you want a great adventure, this is it. >> theresa, you're at a point where you can look back and say i'm in the middle of this thing. are you glad you're doing it? honestly, is this something you're pleased you're a part of? >> it is a great experience to be on the show. i was able to write my two books. but there is ups and downs. you're scrutinized. i didn't know getting into it. i was never on tv before. like i've heard, it comes with the territory. >> you're so quiet back there what do you bring to the table

with this group of women? >> i am married to my best friend over 20 years, almost 20 years. i have two teenagers. it's just a little peek into our lives and how we relate to one another. melissa and i spend a lot of time together. i think that each of us bring a little something different. i think it will be a really good glimpse. see the emotion and passion and follow us. >> we can see it all tonight. >> season three of "the real housewives of new jersey" appears on our sister network bravo. >> how to beat the bloat. ♪

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you diet, you exercise, every time you glance down you can't believe the belly you see. >> it's expanding. >> gross.

>> how do you beat the bloat? clinical nutrition kimberly schneider has some answers. i believe her. she doesn't have an ounce of bloat on her. >> zero bloat. >> these tips are easy for anyone to do. we can incorporate them into our lives. >> let's start doing it and see if it makes a difference. >> okay. >> we think eating fruit is a great thing for us. there are some down sides. >> that's right. the way we eat fruit is really important. fruit should only be eaten on an empty stomach. it digests so quickly it's made of water and simple sugars. if you eat it after other foods and dessert it will get backed up like a traffic jam and will bloat you out. have fruit in the morning or empty stomach. this is my going green smoothie. it has vegetables and fruit. you taste the sweetness of the fruit. >> are you sure? >> this is going to give you energy and slim you down for summer. gentlemen have this first thing

in the morning. >> that is delicious. >> it is going to clear up your skin. >> green vegetables, celery, spinach, romaine and fruit. the fruit cuts through the taste. all my clients do this. this is going to help you look great. >> this is a huge tip. water with your meal, you're supposed to only drink at certain times. >> here is the thing. bloating is usually -- one of the big causes we are not digesting well. every time you eat your stomach produces gastric enzymes and juices to break down the food. when you drink water with the food, you get a stagnant pond. now everything is going to get bloated. hydrate between meals. wait a half hour on either side before drinking quantities. if you're going to sip wine or water, you can do that, but try to have the wine before dinner would be better. >> that anlt going to happen. let's go to the cheese.

>> cheese, dairy in general is difficult for most of us to digest. by the time we are adults most of us stopped producing lactate to break down the lactose. it's not great to have it all the time. we want to keep calcium in the system. dark levy greens. >> the going green smoothie is yummy. >> i usually don't like these stuff. >> salt. we know salt is bloating not just in the stomach but around the body. can make us like nine, ten pounds heavier, which is not how we want to look. >> we have to train our taste buds. everything tastes better with salt on it. >> processed foods have salt and we are adding more salt on top. a great alternative is doss, a

sea vegetable full of different minerals, iron, potassium. >> tastes salty. >> but it's really low in sodium. it's dulse. it's not going to bloat you out the way salt does. >> a little sea weedy taste. >> this is apple cider vinegar. this helps optimize digestion and helps encourage probiotics. this is my recipe for my italian vinaigrette. have raw greens at the beginning of a meal. >> whatever you're doing, it works. >> thank you, guys. >> of course you're only 20

years old. >> no. it's the way i eat, because of this. >> thank you. that was great. ed asner's movie is on the 23rd. don't forget. next monday. >> myrtle beach, south carolina. we know that. after we make a dingy floor look brand new, it's not uncommon for the term "hero" to be bandied about. but does bringing a floor back to life really make us heroes? yes. yes it does. ♪call 1-800-steemer.