good morning. bailing out. the powerful french banker accused of being a sex predator set to be released from jail under house arrest in a luxury manhattan apartment today. what did health and power have to do with the decision? acting out -- arnold schwarzenegger puts his hollywood career on hold as new details emerge about how close the relationship was between his alleged mistress and his family. and about face. she made headlines around the world for giving her 8-year-old daughter botox injections. even told that story on national tv. now she claims she made it all up for money.

today, friday, may 20, 2011. captions paid for by welcome to "today" on this friday morning. i'm meredith vieira. >> i'm ann curry. happy friday! >> i know. >> i'm in for matt this morning. on our top story, he's been indicted on seven charges including two counts of sexual abuse and one count of unlawful imprisonment. but dominique strauss-kahn could move into a luxury apartment building on new york's upper east side today. >> he'll be under strict surveillance with an armed guard outside at all times, but it will be more comfortable than his cell at rikers island. is this a case of the rich and powerful getting special treatment? we will get the latest straight ahead. >> and an eye-opening look at a popular new drug sold as bath salts and it's perfectly legal

in most states. we will hear from one father says using them caused his son oh to take his own life. >> on a lighter note, more of our special series anchors abroad. al travels to australia to join the wiggles. not only did he star in the new video, he performed live in front of thousands of screaming fans. we'll see how he made out. >> no doubt, he was a hit. >> we will begin with the indictment against powerful banker dominique strauss-kahn and the bail that was granted to him. jeff rossen has details. good morning. >> reporter: good morning. he's still inside this morning, but not for long. soon he'll be here on the outside. but you can't call this freedom. it's like house arrest on steroids. dominique strauss-kahn will wear an electronic ankle bracelet. according to the judge. video cameras will surveil him 24 hours a day, seven days a week, watching his every move. there will be an armed guard posted outside the door to be sure he doesn't flee to france.

walking arm in arm with a crush of media watching the wife and daughter of dominique strauss-kahn left court on thursday getting what they wanted -- bail for the man they love and support, the man police call a violent sexual predator. >> the proof against him is substantial. it is continuing to grow every day. >> reporter: prosecutors told the judge strauss-kahn belongs behind bars until trial. >> he has the personal, the political and the financial means to flee and evade law enforcement. >> reporter: strauss-kahn's legal team says he'll plead not guilty, painting him as a family man who would never try to escape. in fact, they said he wants to remain in new york to clear his name. >> i have to say the prospect of mr. strauss-kahn teleporting himself to france and living there as an accused sex offender fugitive is ludicrous on its face. >> reporter: and the judge ruled in his favor.

>> i have decided i will grant bail. >> reporter: with strings attached. strauss-kahn must put up $1 million cash bail, a $500 million insurance bond. his wife has rented an apartment in manhattan where they will live together under heavy surveillance. he'll wear an electronic bracelet, video cameras rolling 24 hours a day. and an armed guard will be there at all times. strauss-kahn is allowed visitors -- four at a time. >> it is one of the most restrictive i have ever seen. it's similar to bernie madoff. >> reporter: the price tag for the security? $200,000 a month. strauss-kahn will pay for all of it. >> it's a great relief to the family to be able to have him with them. >> reporter: as strauss-kahn won that victory in court blowing a kiss and smiling, a grand jury thursday indicted him on seven charges, including attempted rape and sexual abuse. police say while staying inside

this luxury manhattan hotel last weekend he attacked a maid, sexually assaulting her twice in his room. >> the charges in the indictment are serious indeed. they carry a penalty of 25 years in prison. this is not an insignificant case. >> reporter: and this morning we are learning more about where dominique strauss-kahn may live once released here this morning possibly from rikers. in fact, we want to take a live picture of the posh high rise building on the upper east side where strauss-kahn's wife rented an apartment on the tenth floor. this is an expensive building. surrounded by multimillion dollar condos. the apartment she may have rented, two bedroom apartments go for $15,000 a month. there may be an issue. some of the neighbors inside the building don't want him here, don't want the media circus outside. there may be a problem with that. and the source familiar with the case tells nbc news that the strauss-kahns may be looking for another apartment.

this is an issue, meredith, because to be released from jail strauss-kahn's defense team has to provide the court with a viable address. this may be up in the air this morning. >> jeff rossen, thank you very much. defense attorney, jerry chargal has negotiated house arrest for at least five high profile clients. take a look at the charges. against this man. seven of them. two counts of criminal sex act in the first degree, attempted rape, sexual abuse in the first degree, sexual abuse in the third degree, unlawful imprisonment in the second degree and forceable touching. yet this morning, it is likely he'll get out on bail. in your estimation, is that a fair decision? >> i think it is a fair decision. a judge is required to look at the circumstances of the case to see whether he represents a risk of flight. the lawyers presented a package, obviously effective, obviously it attracted the favor of the judge. the package will ensure he won't flee. it will be impossible under

these circumstances for him to run away. >> this is is a man who has the means to post the $1 million bail and $5 million bond and $200,000 a month it will cost for house arrest. and ability to hire a high powered attorney. if he were the average defendant he would be still sitting in rikers. >> that may be true. it begs the question if it favors the rich, but it doesn't. >> doesn't it? >> the judge has to look at the individual circumstances. the judge can't penalize someone for being wealthy. the prosecutors argue that he represented a risk of flight because he's very wealthy and had the opportunity to flee and go to foreign countries that may not have an extradition with the united states. if they are arguing his wealth as reason for detaining him, why shouldn't it be that he is permitted to use whatever resources he has to assure the court that he won't flee? >> how does this square on monday another judge refused him

bail because he was considered a flight risk. that judge considered him a flight risk. two things, one, this bail package wasn't presented to that judge. two, the judge that granted the bail is a judge of higher jurisdiction and it is entirely appropriate for him to review the bail. >> the defense is arguing that at no point has he tried to flee this country. if you look at his i tin jere, he bought the ticket three days before the alleged attack. he had lunch after the alleged attack and called the hotel on two occasions trying to find his cell phone. their point, they say if you are trying to flee you wouldn't do those things. how strong an argument is that, those pieces of evidence? >> the judge was persuaded that despite the pieces of evidence, a release on the conditions that were proposed is sufficient to ensure, as i said before, sufficient to ensure that he will appear. that's the sole question. the only question -- the strength of the case is one factor the judge takes into

account. ultimately, the only question is whether he represents a risk of flight. that's the sole question. with the conditions that were imposed -- very strict conditions, it's difficult for anyone to argue that he represents a risk of flight. i have had clients before released under the same circumstances. i represented mark dwyer, the lawyer who was charged with stealing hundreds of millions of dollars and he was under the same types of restrictions. it works. no problems. of all the cases that have resulted in bail under these conditions there's never been a problem. >> all right, jerry. thank you for joining us. >> nice to see you. >> it's 7:09. here's ann. >> today, president obama is set for what could be tense talks with benjamin netanyahu a day after the president laid out his vision for peace in the middle east. a major speech that is drawing mixed reviews from lawmakers in the u.s. and from overseas.

nbc's chief foreign correspondent richard engel is in cairo, egypt, with more on this. good morning. >> reporter: good morning, ann. in the middle east, the reaction to the speech has been by and large negative. for many in israel it went too far. for the arab world, not far enough. president obama fully embraced the arab revolutions. his clearest statements yet endorsing the so-called arab spring. >> first it will be the policy of the united states to promote reform across the region and to support transitions to democracy. >> reporter: the president said regimes that stand in the way of democratic reform, including libya and syria, will be punished and isolated. >> the syrian people have shown courage in demanding a transition to democracy. president assad now has a choice. he can lead the transition or get out of the way. >> reporter: president obama's most controversial comments were on the israeli/palestinian conflict, specifically that a two-state solution should be

based on israel's 1967 borders. >> we believe the borders of israel and palestine should be based on the 1967 lines with mutually agreed swaps so that secure and recognized borders are established for both states. >> reporter: his speech was closely watched in ra mullah in the west bank. >> his speech, he didn't give hope for the palestinians. >> reporter: for israel, president obama may have gone too far by talking about the 1967 borders which don't include east jerusalem. >> there is a huge consensus among the israeli public that israel cannot return to the pre--1967 borders. >> reporter: in cairo the reaction was mostly disappointment. many egyptians wanted a u.s. peace initiative for israeli/palestinian talks. >> in all the things he talk about, we heard about it before. nothing new. >> reporter: democratic change in egypt has created a new reality here and unleashed

voices the united states may not like. m hours before president obama spoke, islamic fundamentalists gathered in cairo to demand the release of the blind egyptian cleric in prison in the united states for masterminding the 1993 attack on the world trade center. one of the cleric's sons, mohammed, told me his father should be released on humanitarian grounds. mohammed fought alongside osama bin laden in afghanistan. i was surprised to see him out protesting at all. this would have been unthinkable under the previous government. it often arrested hard line islamic militants and certainly wouldn't have allowed them to demonstrate in front of the american embassy in cairo. now by encouraging democracy across the middle east the u.s. is empowering student activists and also people with a very different vision for the future. u.s. policy now is to encourage revolutionary change in the

northeast, for better or worse. one thing, ann, the speech certainly revealed is how far israel and the arab world are right now. ann? >> richard engel, thank you so much. it is 7:12. here's meredith. >> thank you. now to the latest on the arnold schwarzenegger scandal. the former governor decided to put his acting comeback on hold as he deals with fallout over his admitted affair and secret son. nbc's peter alexander is in los angeles with details for us. good morning. >> reporter: meredith, good morning to you. arnold schwarzenegger is a huge star across the world. his name is synonymous with success in hollywood, one of the biggest box office stars of all time. even here on the hollywood walk of fame his star is a popular tourist attraction. now this latest scandal and word of a secret son has the star tarnished. >> can you tell us about mildred or mildred's son?

>> reporter: undoubtedly the lives of mildred baena have changed forever. her sister ignoring questions. friends say the 50-year-old retired housekeeper loved to throw parties, whether it was halloween or christmas, baena enjoyed entertaining and organizing get-togethers for long time employers, arnold schwarzenegger and maria shriver. in many ways baena became part of the family. the new pictures obtained by tmz show schwarzenegger attended some of his maid's parties, reportedly paying for this coming of age celebration for her niece. they also shared some of the most important moments. here walking side by side with maria and eunice shriver. by then, baena and arnold schwarzenegger's son was 9 years old. just weeks ago this was the headline in hollywood with arnold schwarzenegger making plans for a comeback including deals to revive the terminator franchise.

>> i'll be back. >> reporter: and plans to star in a movie based on the novel "cry macho." but now, all of that is on hold according to a statement released by his attorneys. governor schwarzenegger is focusing on personal matters and is not willing to commit to any production schedules or timelines. >> probably was matter of practical application, as well as just in figuring in terms of his image he would have to take time out of the spotlight. >> reporter: as schwarzenegger backs out of the spotlight laura wasser is stepping in. shriver has retained the tenacious celebrity divorce attorney whose past clients include britney spears, christina aguilera and angelina jolie. >> i think laura wasser is somebody who will identify what her client wants, will focus on it, and will not be in any way ambiguous or equivocal about pursuing that.

>> reporter: kaplan says wasser will likely aim for a settlement that keeps details private and insists recent revelations about arnold schwarzenegger's love child with his housekeeper will play no role in the divorce. >> infidelity is irrelevant as grounds for divorce in california because we are a no fault state. you don't have to prove anything other than irreconcilable differences. you don't even have to prove that. >> reporter: shriver is once again proving her resilience, spending time with her children, having lunch in brentwood and later attending a tribute for young women, including her 21-year-old daughter catherine. after thursday's event, shriver proudly tweeted, congrats to my beautiful, brilliant daughter. along with schwarzenegger's film deals halted, the animated children's series "the governator" may be terminated as well. late last night, the production companies behind that series said

that project is also on hold for now. >> thank you very much. it's 7:16. here's ann. >> thanks, meredith. two notorious criminal cases are back in the headlines this morning. the fbi wants dna samples from the unabomber in connection with the unsolved tylenol poisonings that killed seven people back in 1982. nbc's justice correspondent, pete williams has the latest on this. good morning. >> reporter: it was the unabomber himself, ted kozinski, who revealed the fbi's interest in getting his dna. officials say it is part of a broad effort to consider any possible avenues to help solve the tylenol mystery. a 12-year-old girl in suburban chicago was the first victim. then a 27-year-old postal worker. in all, seven people in the chicago area died in 1982 after taking extra strength tylenol from bottles laced with cyanide. >> people should refrain from taking extra strength tylenol. >> it was a panic in chicago, a panic in the suburbs, throughout the state and had ripple effects

throughout the world. >> reporter: the tylenol murders remain one of the nation's most notorious unsolved mysteries but not for lack of trying. the fbi has sought dna in the wide ranging investigation. now word that agents asked ted kozinski, convicted of being the unabomber for his dna. he revealed in court, i have never possessed potassium cyanide, he wrote, using the chemical's full name. kozinski wants a government auction under way of his items being sold to make money for victims of his bombings. among the items his typewriter, journals and two things he was seen wearing at the scene of one of the unibomber attacks, a hooded sweatshirt and a pair of dark glasses. he said his journals, written in code, will show whether i ever committed any illegal acts involving cyanide. the tylenol poisonings led to new tamper proof packaging for all kinds of medicines but no

one was ever charged with the crime. one man, james lewis of new york, was convicted of trying to extort $1 million from ttylenols maker, trying to stop the killings. he served 13 years in prison but authorities concluded he was merely an opportunist, not the killer. police have searched his apartment and asked for his dna, but 28 years after the horrifying poisonings, still no arrests. >> as for kozinski, he has chicago connections and they want to rule him out as a suspect in the tylenol poison goings. >> it will be good to have that. the other stories of this morning. tamron hall at the news desk good morning to you. >> a roadside bomb detonated near two u.s. consulate vehicles in northwest pakistan this morning, killing one pakistani and wounding several americans. the pakistani taliban claimed responsibility.

the group has been vowing vengeance on the u.s. since the may 2nd raid that took down osama bin laden. nato air strikes slammed the harbor in libya overnight damaging five coast guard boats and a warship. libya was using the ships to set mines in the misrata harbor. the libyan government made what may be its biggest concession yet, offering to pull gunmen from cities if nato stop it is punishing air campaign. and the river has crested in vicksburg, mississippi at 14 feet above flood stage. that number however is slightly lower than had been feared but flood waters are going nowhere fast. the river is expected to remain at its crest for days before making a painfully slow retreat. waters could remain above flood stage through june. doctors are calling wounded congresswoman gabrielle giffords, gorgeous gabby. after wednesday's successful surgery to replace part of her skull. meantime, e-mails written about shooting suspect jared loughner, have been released by his school

and discuss several outbursts leading to suspension from his school. making the first spacewalk today, floating some 215 miles above the northern coast of australia, this is the first of four space walks to prepare the international space station for operations after the end of the shuttle program this summer. take a look at this. a routine traffic stop in south carolina turned dangerous when a robbery suspect got out of the car, jumped into the police car and took off. this is the dash cam camera in high speed zipping around other cars until he smashed the police car into a truck making a left turn. police apprehended the man who broke his leg in the crash. thankfully, despite that impact, no one was seriously injured other than the guy with the leg. it is now 7:21. now back to ann, meredith and al. can you believe it? >> almost looks like the camera lurched forward from the impact. >> did he think he was going to get away? for that minute he thought so.

>> ouch. >> i have to get one of those for my car. >> you do drive like that. >> oh! >> i have been in a car with you. it's a wiggle. >>! it's a wiggle! >> how are you? >> okay. a little nervous about later on. let's show you what's going on now. we have the latest hurricane forecast from the national weather service calling for ten named storms. 12 to 18 out of this one. three to six intense. warmer at ntic waters and a less lessening la nina.r that's going to cause some problems for the hurricane season. scattered showers around a low pressure system bringing rain here. we'll finally see the northeast out of the rain by sunday. good morning to you. well, we have a great looking day on tap today. let's plan it for you hour-by-hour. we are in the 50s. 54 degrees in oakland. by noon, 63 degrees in navato.

we are going to end up in the upper 70s before we are said and done. 76 in los gatos. 75 in san jose. guess what, the weekend looks good. temperature wise, we are talking the upper 70s all weekend long. , al. coming up, just ahead, she made it up. did she make it up for money. what the mom said who claimed she gave botox injections to her 8-year-old daughter is saying now. a surprising new stwis to her story.n nbhis is "today" on nbc.

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coming up, the dangerous drug sold in stores as bath salts. w he doeitom ae omowfrnd h c easy is it to buy? the results of a hidden camera investigation. >> plus, al joins the wiggles after your local news. [ dad ] no. pudding face!

no, i'm just happy. only pudding gives you pudding face! i'm sorry. you don't look sorry. you're right i'm not. [ male announcer ] get your pudding face on. with oh-so cool and irresistible jell-o pudding. it is 7:26. good morning, i'm marla tellez. the oakland school district has a way to check chronic absenteeism. the district is one of the first in the state to monitor absentees. new reports show 14% of district students and more than 20% of african-american students missed at least 18 days of school last year. the report shows the highest percentages of absent kids live

in west oakland. an area of high rates of violence and poverty. time to check the weekend forecast. looking good christina. >> we have mostly cloudy conditions. we go through the hour-by-hour forecast. if you are headed through the city at noon, we lose a lot of cloud cover. the sunshines through. by 4:00 p.m., it's 69 degrees. less cloud cover to deal with. it looks nice for the second half of the day. not quite as much sunshine. temperatures are even. 77 degrees in concord. 75 in fremont and 75 in san  jose. the weekend is upon us. the temperatures are going to come down a little bit. we are going to stay in the upper 60s. i have taken all rain chances out of the forecast. let's check the hurry up and wait with mike. >> that's right. that's what we have. good to see you are removing the rain from the forecast.

the slowing is easing up southbound off 380 past the airport. the earlier accident has cleared. we had a half hour of recovery. it's heading to the san mateo bridge. the bay bridge, a nice easy drive. big crowd expects there as well as across the bay bridge. the metering lights are on. the back up toward west grand avenue. we see movement. that means the volume of traffic is holding steady. >> that means it's friday light. >> right. >> thank you, mike. we'll be back at 7:56. the today show returns in less an tthwo. looking for deals, i'm looking for the hottest fashio hot -- hot, hot. i get a lot of ideas just walking around the city, checking people out. it's like a fashion show out there. then, it's all about the deal. i negotiate directly with designers...

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♪ ♪ 7:30 on this friday morning, may 20, 2011. if these folks come back one week they can catch one of the biggest stars on the planet live in rockefeller plaza, rihanna will be here to kick off our summer concert series and we cannot wait to see her again. i'm meredith vieira alongside ann curry in for matt. just ahead, the california mother who enraged parents worldwide, when she claimed she gave her 8-year-old daughter botox. after sharing her story on national tv child services launched an investigation into potential child abuse.

she now says she made it up for money. the latest just ahead. >> also this morning an undercover investigation into a drug called the new cocaine. we are talking about bath salts, sold in stores that can be used to get a dangerous high. we want to warn people about it coming up. >> very scary stuff. >> and more of our special series, anchors abroad. al traveled to the land down under to become the unofficial fifth member of the wiggles. wait until you see what they made him do in front of a live audience of thousands. that sounds scary. >> looks like fun. we begin with the mother who is now claiming that she lied about giving her 8-year-old daughter botox injections. nbc investigative reporter michael izakoff joins us with details. good morning. >> good morning. parents around the world were outraged when a mother told a television network and tabloids she was giving her daughter botox to help her win childhood beauty pageants. two california agencies launched

investigations and now investigators are furious. >> she'll say, mom, i have a wrinkle. it's a tough world in the pageant world. i'm telling you. the kids are harsh. >> reporter: parents weren't the only ones upset. two child service agencies in california launched investigations into potential child abuse. but now the woman says she wants to come clean, claiming she made it up and fooled the news media after being promised a large fee. >> i was just doing an acting job. i wasn't doing anything. i would never harm my daughter i would never do anything like that. i really didn't know that this was going to be that big. >> reporter: this was a big matter for child safety investigators in san francisco. last week they were deluged with phone calls and media requests demanding to know what would be done about the woman's claims. investigators and the city police department spent two and a half days unsuccessfully trying to find the woman to determine if she was harming her child. >> to find out that it's a hoax is really, in my mind, just

disgusting. human behavior. she took valuable staff time away from the 1300 kids who are in foster care in san francisco, who were legitimate victims of abuse and neglect. >> reporter: the story may say as much about the tabloid media and how it really works as it does about a woman hungry for cash. it fist appeared in the "sun," britain's largest tabloid, controlled by rupert murdock, turn out the paper never actually spoke to the woman. it purchased her story from a british news agency marketing her claims, a common practice there. after the "sun" published its account american tv networks, including "today" looked into the story. abc's ""good morning america"" got the exclusive interview. a spokesman said the network paid $10,000 to the british news agency for the rights to use photos showing the little girl being injected. tv networks, including this one, do pay for photo rights on a case-by-case basis.

>> the san francisco mom who was injecting her 8-year-old daughter with botox. >> reporter: in the interview with "abc news" lifestyle lara spencer, the woman's daughter said the injections hurt sometimes, but i get used to it. >> i do the botox myself. it's safe. i have no problem doing it. just on the lines, like when she does her smile, just on the lines. the few times we did it, it would lessen the lines. >> reporter: tmz discovered the woman wasn't in san francisco at all. she was in los angeles. her name wasn't kelly campbell, as she claimed. it was sheena upton and she signed a sworn declaration saying her entire story was a hoax. >> she ended up telling this wild story, she says and that it was never true and that "good morning, america" and "inside edition" picked it up hook, line and sinker. >> i was really pushed into it. i feel i was manipulated and taken advantage oof.

>> reporter: upton said the british news agency promised her a large fee to do the "abc news" and ""inside edition." >> she went on the show and a lot could have been vetted here. >> reporter: we called the "sun." the spokesperson said the article was published in good faith from a reputable news organization. they are considering legal action. abc said they are vigorously investigating the woman's most recent statement and rapidly shifting story. "good morning, america" has questioned upton, members of her family and other sources, who again and again stood by the botox story. "good morning, america" is interested in getting to the truth and will share with the audience any new information we find. sources tell nbc news that child protective services in los angeles is still investigating sheena upton. the sources say the child was taken to ucla medical center on tuesday and test results showed no signs that upton was injecting her child with botox. and the city of san francisco may take legal action against

her for wasting their time and money. >> michael , thank you. we have wendy murphy, a child advocate and former prosecutor, and also psychiatrist gail saltz, a "today" contributor to talk with us this morning. good morning. >> good morning. >> this is disturbing on so many levels. gage for us, first of all, wendy, how much trouble this mother -- her name is sheena upton, but she's known as kerry campbell. how much trouble she may be in and the news organizations in terms of what they printed and didn't print. >> well, i think there are lots of potential legal problems here. first and foremost, even if no botox was used this mom has admitted jabbing her 8-year-old child with a needle. that's a kind of physical harm technically covered by the protective services law in california. you can't cause needless physical injury to your child. she clearly didn't need to be

jabbed in the head. there's a really other important part of the protective services law in california that says if you force your child to perform in a way that is exploitive and degrading that's also a form of neglect that affects her status and she could technically lose her child for. i don't think she will. that investigation still has to go on, even if there was never any botulism in this story. >> overnight, tmz released some documents, claims. i have read through them a little bit. they indicate that there was a script involved. there was an effort for this mother to follow a script. it even says what she should say when asked, when she's interviewed. is there culpability in that regard? >> good question. if she really was acting and there is a legitimate contract here and she got paid to perform, the question is did she tell the truth in another contractual relationship with the news media

that she sat down with and said, here's a different story. i think at a minimum, she may be libel to suit, if she was fraudulent with abc, for example, and she didn't reveal this contract agreeing to perform as a hoax. she could face a certain amount of civil liability exposure for the series of lies she engaged in. >> the point wendy was making earlier is the impact on the child. >> absolutely. >> talking about that. it's difficult to sort of gage, but it seems as though this was all a lie. >> yes. >> and that in itself could be very damaging to an 8-year-old child. >> an 8-year-old child is trying to develop what i call their super ego, moral compass and parents teach that. if your parent is a model of lying and coerces you to lie. says this is fine, you need to lie in this very public forum over and over again, that can have consequences.

that's a clear message. money is worth lying for. we are not concerned in this family about integrity. and i think that has real ramifications for that child and quite honestly if you look around what's happening today. how important is truth to us and integrity and being the authentic person you say you're going to be. that's a problem that we are having. >> obviously a lot of people having the problem. gail saltz, wendy murphy. thank you for your perspective this morning. now, let's get a check of the weather from al. >> thank you so much, ann. we have a birthday wish here. [ cheers and applause ] >> whose birthday? >> my brother. >> what's your name? >> ryan. >> i'm turning 13. >> an official teenager. where's mom? >> right here! >> you're in trouble now. look out! let's check your weather and see what's happening. the preakness, the second leg of the triple crown. down the stretch they come. looking good in ballmer,

partly to mostly sunny skies with temperatures in the low 80s. saturday a risk of storms. texas to illinois. wet weather in the northern plains. beautiful on the eastern seaboard with a few showers left in the northeast. sunday-sunday, a strong risk of strong storms from texas into michigan. boy, our neck of the woods is socked in with fog. hey, we are still going to hit the 70s. upper 70s in places. by noon, 64 degrees. we lose the cloud cover. we'll really lose it by 4:00 p.m. mild conditions in the city. 69 degrees. elsewhere, 70s in the east bay and south bay. more mild later. 72 degrees in santa cruz. great beach weekend. we hav we have a bachelor . who's getting married? when is the wedding? >> june 25. >> what happens in new york

stays in new york. >> thanks, al. coming up next, the deadly dangers of a new, popular drug marketed as bath salts "dateline's" hidden camera r af. "datelin "dateline's" hidden camera investigation after this. liquid. it's a revolutionary way to grow a great garden. liquafeed makes feeding as easy as watering. no measuring, mixing or guessing. just attach, insert and feed. plants get the perfect balance... of water and nutrients... to grow twice as big. liquafeed from miracle-gro. and prevent weeds up to 3 months with miracle-gro garden weed preventer. two of the most important are energy security and economic growth. north america actually has one of the largest oil reserves in the world. a large part of that is oil sands. this resource has the ability to create

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so let's put our paws down in protest. no fetching, no friendship till we all get k9 advantix ii. join us at poochprotest.com. [ male announcer ] ask your veterinarian about k9 advantix ii. back now at water. back now at 7:44 with the newest designer drug you have probably never heard of. so-called bath salts, perfectly legal in both states, can be extremely dangerous. chris hansen is here with the undercover investigation. good morning, chris. i'm one who had never heard of it. >> i hadn't heard of it before but it is an investigation no parent should miss. some say it's an epidemic. we met with those who sell it, to the people who make it to families devastated by it. last october, john moody of st. joseph, missouri, got the call no father should ever get. his son jared had shot himself. by the time john arrived at the hospital his 29-year-old son had

only minutes to live. >> i said a prayer to god. i asked him, please, don't let him lay here and suffer. >> reporter: his father said his son never spoke of killing himself. however, in the weeks before his death, jared's father learned his son was exhibiting some disturbing behavior. he was ha luce nating and talking to himself. >> i can't imagine how much of that bath salts he had been injecting over that week. >> reporter: bath salts, a new drug jared began using just weeks earlier. but bath salts is just a nickname. it has nothing to do with taking a bath and it has no salt in it. because it's so new, it is legal to sell and buy in most states. >> i'm seeing two or three cases of bath salt abuse on a daily basis. >> reporter: william dempsey is

an emergency room doctor in scranton, pennsylvania. >> i have never seen a drug progress from never heard of, never abused and never seen in a period of three months to becoming an epidemic. >> reporter: how easy is it to buy? >> these are bath salts. >> i heard about those. >> reporter: using a hidden camera, one of our producers went to this so-called head shop in new york city. >> 80 bucks. >> this little thing for $80? >> dude, they fly out the door. >> so do you snort them or what? >> yeah. first. >> yeah. >> reporter: where do stores get the stuff? >> nice to meet you, man. >> reporter: from distributors like 24-year-old andrew freeman, who we met in minneapolis, minnesota. he makes his own brand of bath salts called bliss. how did you come up with the name bliss? >> just came up with it. >> reporter: one of our

producers told freeman he was an investor interested in the bath salts business. >> is this your unique brew? yours personally? >> yeah. >> it's straight up? >> other stuff i brewed it with. how do you know what to brew it with? >> i'm a [ bleep ] mad chemist, man. i have been around long enough. >> reporter: a few weeks later we invited andrew over to talk business. this time i was there. soon he begins to realize who i am. >> do you have a card? >> do you have one in the briefcase? >> what? like i said, it's a bath salt. that's what they are sold as and that's what it is. >> we both know kids are snorting it. >> yon that if they are. >> reporter: i can't imagine kids going into head shops to buying this to go home and take a bubble bath. >> i disagree. >> reporter: andrew, there is something you need to know. >> what? chris hansen? >> reporter: yes.

you got it. we spoke to andrew for hours. he was brutally honest. you won't believe what else andrew had to tell us, meredith. that's one of the stories we have sunday on "the hansen files" including one where a confrontation turns into almost an epic street fight. >> what happens in that one? >> we're doing a story on bike theft and we approached a guy buying stolen bikes. he goes nuts. attacks me and the crew. amazing video. we also have a story tonight. relentless. >> i have two words for you, chris hansen. that's why it happens. thank you. you can see the rest of the amazing story right here on nbc. still to come, surviving a scandal. can arnold schwarzenegger become firn st, thhoesd ain? e first, these messages. we're back with the winner man: everybody knows you should save for retirement, but what happens when you're about to retire? woman: how do you go from saving to spending? fidelity helped us get to this point, and now we're talking about what comes next. man: we worked together to create a plan to help our money last. woman: so we can have the kind of retirement we want.

now, you know how this works. just stay on the line. oh, yeah. fidelity investments. turn here. 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. now, which do you suppose has better nutrition for you? mmm. great grains. the whole whole grain cereal.

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we're back with the winner of google's annual doodle for fwoogle c-- google contest. here it is. google in space. 7-year-old mateo is here along with vice president of google consumer products, melissa mayer. millions of people will see this doodle today on google.

yeah! that's cool. how did you come up with the idea? >> neil armstrong. >> is he a hero of yours? >> why do you like space so much? >> because neil armstrong inspired me to do this drawing. >> you want to visit other planets? which planets have you been to so far? >> earth. >> just checking. >> meredith's been to mars. >> he's the youngest one who has won the competition. >> our youngest winner and from the stiffest year of competition. we had 107,000 doodles this year. >> that's fantastic. what was so special? >> we can all relate to the aspiration of being in space. the other thing we like in doodles is when they involve the drawing in the letters. i love that the rocket is the o. the lunar lander is the g. the globe, the ast naugronaut. it's beautiful. >> was yours the best? >> yes. >> you're the most popular kid.

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dizziness or fainting may occur upon standing. side effects include nausea, dry mouth, and constipation. [ male announcer ] ask your doctor about cymbalta. imagine you, with less pain. cymbalta can help. go to cymbalta.com to learn about a free trial offer. you know what, tell me, what makes peter, peter ? well, i'm an avid catamaran sailor. i can my own homemade jam, apricot. and i really love my bank's raise your rate cd. i'm sorry, did you say you'd love a pay raise asap ? uh, actually, i said i love my bank's raise your rate cd. you spent 8 days lost at sea ? no, uh... you love watching your neighbors watch tv ? at ally, you'll love our raise your rate cd that offers a one-time rate increase if our current rates go up.

ally. do you love your bank ? good morning. it is 7:56 now. i'm marla tellez. an east bay city is mourning the loss of two residents today. a candle light vigil will be held for them in union city. the two men for shot and killed earlier this week in separate incidents. it's union city's first two homicides of the year. the vigil will start at 7:00 at the corner of 8th and g street. police have made an arrest in a four-month-old nightclub murder. it happened at temple nightclub. joseph hernandez was killed that

night. they arrested a woman who tried to stop the attack on hernandez. they hope it will lead them to the person who murdered hernandez. is nice weekend is in store for us. >> when you walk out the front door, it looks overcast like it's going to rain. forget about it. it's not going to rain. 68 degrees at noon in sunnyvale. 69 in san jose. 66 in gilroy turning to the upper 70s later on. we stay fairly nice for the weekend. we are going to drop off in temperature a bit. no rain in the forecast. 69 degrees tuesday. it's a get away friday, mike. how are we looking? >> fairly nice. mild slowing out of san pablo and berkeley. look at the bay bridge toll plaza. we have a nice back up at the

toll plaza itself. only back to the end of the parking lot. the cash lanes are moving better as well. a lighter volume for a friday. we look at an east bay part of the coliseum. no incidents reports here. there's a fuel leak south of here. we'll watch for slowing toward that area as well. meanwhile, a look at sunol toward the area of the south bay. there's low clouds hanging out. back to you. >> thank you. the today show returns in a half minute. we'll be back at 8:26.

8:00 on this friday morning, may 20th, 2011. and this is what we like to see -- some sun and plenty of happy faces filling rockefeller plaza. it's a nice friday here. are we playing wiggles music? >> no, we're playing the theme song for "today" show. >> i was told it was wiggles music. they lied to me. i'm meredith vieira -- >> there's the wiggles. ♪ >> along with ann curry and al roker. matt is off. there is a reason we are playing the wiggles music. you become a wiggle.

>> yes, i do. i do. >> you had a good time? >> i did. i got to go down to australia and perform with them. not only in a studio but in front of thousands of screaming fans. >> were you nervous about it? >> i was petrified. >> you look crazy in the picture, doing that with your hands. >> i had to do choreography. >> oh, there you are. >> wearing grapes. i look like i escaped from a fruit of the loom ad. >> not everyone can pull off that look. >> there you go. >> that's a lot of grapes on one man. looks good though. >> we better move on. >> exactly. ahead, celebrity and scandal. arnold schwarzenegger isn't the first star to fall from grace. why do some bounce back while others struggle to reignite their careers or perhaps never do? we'll look at that. >> we're also going to look at the news now. we have tamron hall standing by.

hey, tamron. >> good morning, everyone. a grand jury in new york indicted the former head of the international monetary fund on attempted rape, sexual assault and other charges. dominique strauss-kahn can be released from jail today on $1 million cash bail. once released he'll be under house arrest in a luxury manhattan apartment building. president obama meets with benjamin netanyahu today at the white house, a day after calling for israel to cede territory to the palestinians to establish an independent state. netanyahu called the proposal to return to pre-1967 borders, quote, indefensible. and arnold schwarzenegger asked his talent agency to put the movie comeback on hold saying he wants to focus on his personal life after admittinging this week he fathered a child with his house keeper while married to maria shriver. investigators investigatinging the tylenol poisoning want dna samples from

the convicted unabomber. officials won't say if they have information linking him to the deaths or if they are trying to rule him out as a suspect. melissa francis is at the new york stock exchange. good morning. >> good morning. we are watching linkedin after the staggering debut yesterday. the price more than doubling on the first day of trading. the company worth $9 billion leaving some to wonder if the new dot com bubble isn't a social networking bubble. and we are watching gap. the company says it expects the price of cotton to go up 20% this year. it doesn't think it can raise prices on the consumer quickly enough to keep up. >> and sarah palin is a mother in law. her son track married his high school sweetheart. the family plans to have a bigger celebration next winter. how's this for a house warming present? a utah man discovered $40,000 in cash in the drop ceiling of his home. he said he was tempted to keep

it but returned the money to its rightful owners. the six children of the man who once owned the home. it is now 8:03. back to al with a check of the weather. >> gives new meaning to "debt ceiling." >> pretty good. >> thanks, tamron. we have friends here from utica, ohio. what's that near? >> columbus. >> there was a blank look here. i think we have to work on geography at utica high school. let's see what's going on. honolulu, hawaii, book 'em dano. khnl. partly sunny and warm. 86n hawaii. we are looking at a low preur86e system that will not get out of here. bringing rain into the northeast. strong storms from texas all the way into kansas and nebraska. that's where we have the risk of strong storms, heavy rain through the western plains. west coast looks good but high surf advisories through southern california today.

well, we still got a pretty solid deck of low clouds out there but it breaks apart and lifts by about noon. we'll see partly cloudy conditions and 4:00 p.m. mostly sunny skies over the bay. a beautiful day, spectacular. 76 degrees in los gatos. 75 today in san jose and 74 in livermore. we're going to lose a few degrees as we head through tomorrow. even more for your saturday. no rain in the forecast. have a great weekend.

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♪ what happened? power went out, want a hot dog? [ female announcer ] oscar mayer selects are made with 100% beef and have no artificial preservatives. back now at 8:09 with what it will take for arnold schwarzenegger to weather the storm of his affair scandal. he has decided to put his acting career on hold. amy robach is here with more. good morning. >> good morning. arnold schwarzenegger is far from alone. from the sportings arena to hollywood to capitol hill some of the biggest names have shocked the world with scandal. what does it take to make a comeback? when arnold schwarzenegger announced he was returning to acting -- >> i'm a friend of sara connor. >> reporter: it barely caused a ripple, but his personal scandal made enormous headlines. >> arnold's bombshell. >> the revelation that arnold schwarzenegger fathered a child. >> divorce imminent. >> reporter: is the terminator's

acting career terminated? >> i'll be back. >> reporter: his comeback is on hold for now. remember, in hollywood, almost anything goes. >> box office pretty much saves all. if you are in a movie that makes hundreds of millions of dollars it's hard to think of the celebrity as a loser anymore. >> reporter: no doubt mel gibson was looking for a hit. >> is this a joke? >> not hardly, love. >> reporter: his latest film "the beaver" flopped makinging $100,000 opening weekend. >> i don't think mel gibson gets back to being the actor he was. he'll never be the mel gibson people put money behind in the box office. it will never happen. >> reporter: it was mel gibson who reached out years ago to another scandal-plagued hollywood star, robert downey, jr., considered unemployable due to drug addiction, multiple arrests and jail stint. [ screaming ] >> reporter: mel gibson got him a movie and a second chance. >> oh, it's good to be back. >> reporter: and it worked.

the last "iron man" film took in $300 million. >> robert downey, jr. wasn't going to be forgiven for his messy ways until he made a film like "iron man." if you build it, they will come. >> reporter: after years of mocking other public figures for their sexual scandals, david lett letterman found himself in the same situation, admitting having sex with female staffers. >> i have had sex with women who work for me on this show. >> reporter: he immediately went public and apologized on national tv and his audience not only stayed with him, it grew. >> when you don't take yourself seriously, when you laugh at yourself, people say, at least he gets it. >> tiger woods' troubles just won't end. on one hand the golfer made $75 million last year, the highest paid athlete of the year. >> tiger woods has withdrawn after nine holes. >> reporter: but is about to fall out of the top ten in golf because he hasn't won a

tournament since 2009. >> if tiger won a major or two a lot of people critical of him would be saying, come on, it's tiger woods, the biggest brand in golf. when you lose, you don't have a lot of friends. >> reporter: washington, d.c. provided plenty of scandals, most notably, the office intern and little blue dress that nearly took down a presidency. >> in fact, it was wrong. >> reporter: but bill clinton survived that one, stayed in office and rehabilitated his image through his global charity work. another politician hasn't been so lucky. john edwards' revelation that he fathered a child with a campaign staffer while his wife elizabeth was dying of cancer shocked the world. >> he did it as he was running for president. the arrogance. we don't accept it. i will be surprised if he works in a serious way and makes real money. his brand is destroyed. >> reporter: never say never. newt gingrich has been called the undead politician. >> i'm announcing my candidacy for president of the united states. >> reporter: his political

career flatlined over a decade ago when he resigned as speaker of the house and later admitted he had a long affair with his current wife. last week he announced he's running for president. will voters give him and arnold schwarzenegger a second chance? >> americans like to be entertained by their entertainers. if you are able to prove that you're able to entertain them once again, they will soften their hearts a little bit. >> as for when arnold schwarzenegger may return to acting his entertainment lawyer said discussions will resume, quote, when governor schwarzenegger decides. meredith? >> thank you so much. up next, al's journey to australia to become the fifth member of the wiggles. that's after this. so i was the guy who was never going to have the heart attack.

i thought i was invincible. i'm on an aspirin regimen now because i never want to feel that helplessness again. [ male announcer ] be sure to talk to your doctor before you begin an aspirin regimen. talk to your doctor, and take care of what you have to take care of. fill an entire community with joy? maxwell house believes so. that's why we've partnered with rebuilding together to help revitalize communities in need. vote for your community at maxwellhouse.com.

he hangs here. because you don't see this everyday. (child) because we read the books . (man) and watched the movies . and now we're living it. because i can fly with harry. follow me! because now i can turn my brother back into a human being. (narrator) from unforgettable adventures, to the wizarding world of harry potter, only at universal orlando resort. julie: ... i don't feel there's something out there better than what i've got now. vo: so to show her what she's missing, we built a pc store in her house. julie: (gasp) employee: thanks for dropping in! julie: you've got to be kidding me! this isn't my house anymore!

employee: have a little look around! julie: very nice! employee: this one is touchscreen. julie: i like that. so there is no tower anymore? wow! i admit i'm wrong on this account that there is a computer better than mine. vo: new pc in the house julie(to camera): i'm a pc and i'm gonna kill him. [ 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. back now with more of our special series anchors abroad. we all journeyed far and wide

for an up-close look at some of the most popular television shows around the world. but no one traveled farther than al. >> this is going to turn out badly. >> it is. >> my assignment took me halfway around the globe to join a group of men whose little fans made them big stars. ♪ >> reporter: ask most grown-ups what comes from australia and they will tell you kangaroos and ko koalas, but ask anyone under 5 and they have a different tune. >> the wiggles! >> reporter: for any of you living down under -- a rock. >> the wiggles are our eccentric gentlemen from australia who perform for children. >> reporter: and are arguably the biggest children's entertainers on the planet. former rockers and teachers they

bounded together years ago. with their theme parks, concerts and albums they rake in $45 million a year. after all this time they realize they had been missing something. >> a lot of people said to us these colors are great, but have you thought of orange, someone to reflect the outback, the aussie spirit. we need an orange wiggle. >> hey, guys! >> reporter: enter albert lincoln roker. >> this is where the magic happens. >> hot potato studios. >> jeff? >> to complete the transformation. >> reporter: wow. >> an orange shirt. we call them skivvies. especially for you. >> reporter: i will try to hold up the honor and tradition. the wiggles. hopefully it's not too form-fittinging. i can't wait to wear it. first a team of advisers. who knows what color it is wiggles are? >> red.

>> yellow, red. >> purple. >> and blue. >> reporter: now, what would you think if they added orange? >> no. >> no. >> reporter: throws it all off? have you ever seen the orange wiggle? >> no. >> reporter: all right. i'll let you in on a secret. closer. [ whispering ] i'm going to be the orange wiggle. what do you think? [ giggling ] >> you have to have a lot of courage to do it. >> try to be funny. >> don't look up. >> or down. >> or to the side. >> reporter: no sides, okay. don't look left, right, up or down. you guys have been fantastic. [ laughter ] >> the song al is doing with us is called "thank you, weather man." i think that's the world thanking al for the weather he's reported. ♪ >> reporter: this is great. wow. >> you're a natural. >> that's a catchy tune.

now we have to record it? testing one, two, three. about to make wiggle history. >> here we go, al. >> reporter: i will be living the life of a wiggle for two days. my initiation, a starring role in an original video. my grand finale will be a live performance in front of a crowd of thousands. ♪ i'll tell you if it's raining ♪ >> reporter: first we lay down the tracks for the tv show, but i have to carry the tune and two-step at the same time. i'm down with the doo-wops. >> well done. >> thank you! >> reporter: in my bright new skivvy i become the fifth wiggle. >> i don't need to come halfway around the world to fail. i don't want to be the pete best of the wiggles. >> step, behind, step kick. return. >> reporter: the wiggle fingers are a snap. it's all the other steps that trip me up.

>> we're doing it that slow? >> a little bit faster. >> i have no idea what i'm doing. this is a disaster waiting to happen. ♪ ♪ here comes the weather man >> here we go, guys. action. >> ♪ i'll tell you if it's raining ♪ >> reporter: even after 20 years in the biz and ten hours of shooting, these guys are still smiling. i did notice a few creaky knees. >> oh! >> reporter: still, they have no plans to slow down. >> all right, guys. >> reporter: i'm just trying to keep up. as the newest wiggle i'm the talk of the town. there are tv appearances. >> the wiggles' 20th anniversary. >> reporter: paparazzi. even the leader of australia wants to meet moi. do you think i have a future as a wiggle, prime minister? >> maybe. i think the judgment needs to be made by your fellow wiggles. >> reporter: i have wiggle mania

fever. i'm ready to quit the weather gig all together, but i'm oblivious to the details of day two, a huge concert on australia day. >> i think 60,000 people are coming and he's wearing a grape suit. >> reporter: that's crazy. >> the celebration of a nation. >> al is the fifth wiggle. >> reporter: this crowd could become a mob. australia day is like our 4th of july. to celebrate, thousands gather at the nation's capital to see their national treasure. >> everyone's in a different fruit costume. what are you wearing? >> melon, i think. >> reporter: to prepare, i had one 15-minute rehearsal. ♪ fruit salad >> reporter: the fans are forgiving but could burst into tears, so it's a toss-up. >> time to get into the grape.

is that comfortable for you? >> reporter: no. it's not a comfortable costume. >> i'm sorry. >> reporter: it's okay. it's just cutting off my windpipe. i can perform for four minutes and then i'm dead. it's what all the wiggles are wearing this year. before i know it, show time. snots. ♪ >> reporter: i'm all graped up and ready to get fruity when i hear the call. [ crowd chanting "al" ] [ cheers and applause ] >> al, are you ready for "fruit salad"? >> i can't wait! ♪ >> let's sing it together! ♪ fruit salad ♪ yummy, yummy >> reporter: i never imagined the rush. i'm dancing in front of the entire city and the country dressed as a fruit of the loom guy. and the crowd is loving it.

it may be just a natural sugar high, but i'm grooving. ♪ hot potato ♪ hot potato >> reporter: i wiggle into my own encore. ♪ potato, potato >> reporter: they may have runny noses, short attention span and a tendency to wet their pants but the audience likes me -- they really like me! ♪ [ cheers and applause ] . >> this was so much fun. one of the highlights of my career. i was a wiggle! >> all right. >> bravo. >> thank you. >> let's get to it. the u.s. premiere of al roker and the wiggles in "thank you, mr. weather man." >> who tells us the weather? the weather man. ♪ here comes the weather man ♪ look at the weather man ♪ here comes the weather man

♪ what can you tell us ♪ i'll tell you if it's raining ♪ ♪ the pitter patter of rain drops ♪ ♪ if it's going to be hailing ♪ if it's bright and sunny ♪ weather man ♪ here comes the weather man ♪ here he comes ♪ look at the weather man ♪ here comes the weather man ♪ what can you tell us ♪ i'll tell you if it's snowing ♪ ♪ ooh, it must be snowing ♪ which way the wind is blowing ♪ ♪ but if it's gonna be sunny ♪ well, we all say thank you weather man ♪ ♪ fun in the sun ♪ thank you, weather man ♪ thanks again ♪ fun in the sun p ♪ thank you weather man ♪ ♪ oh, it's raining again

>> you can download the song on itunes and i will be featured on the latest album "ukelele baby". >> can you sing along? >> maybe. ♪ ♪ it's raining ♪ yeah, yeah, yeah good morning. it's 8:56. i'm marla tellez. the state is green lighting two new power plants for the east bay despite a public outcry that the plants aren't needed. one in oakley, the other in alameda county. both will burn natural gas. the california energy commission approved the plant's unanimously but critics say the plants are unnecessary because the state has a surplus of a look at your forecast and the commute right after this.

good morning to you. well, we've got a lot of fog out there still but i'm noticing the trend that it's starting to break apart, especially in the east bay and south bay. we will have to deal with it for a couple of hours up in the north bay and alons the peninsula. once sesee it clear, the temperatures are pleasely going to climb into the upper 70s. 77 degrees today in concord. 75 in fremont. it is a getaway friday and the weekend. temperatures looking pretty good for the weekend saturday and sunday. a little bit cooler. someone's always cool.

see that traffic update with mike. >> we have slowing for highway 4 and coming the bottom of the screen. there's an accident that's clearing at gerry and causing a problem and other than that, pretty light volume of traffic over to the maze. metering lights are turned on. the game in the city, remember that a's versus giants, both sets of fans across the water towards the city and the home of a's not playing tonight. we have a smooth drive and slower in the southbound direction than the northbound. the exit that was earlier cleared. we have slowing through low clouds, as well. >> a fun night to be in the city. okay. thank you, mike. the "today" show returns in less than a minute.

8:30 now on this friday morning, may 20, 2011. take a look at this crowd that we have on what is a pretty beautiful friday shaping up in new york city. these folks have come by rockefeller plaza to say hello,

wave to their friends and family back home as well. we are happy to have them here. all right, guys. first of all, major kudos to you, al roker. all kidding aside, you were great. [ cheers and applause ] >> well, the real stars are the producers that put it together. robin did a great job. >> you have a future. >> not here. >> exactly. >> i have a future somewhere. >> it's the weekend. anybody thinking about -- >> oh! >> you know, we can burn it now. >> oh, that will never go away. >> oh, yes. >> i will get you out of it. anybody going to the movies this weekend? >> i want to see "pirates of the caribbean." >> i'm going to "thor" which was number one for a couple of weeks. >> and "bridesmaids". >> sometimes you don't know if it's worth the hassle of getting a baby sitter. if it's a dud, you're upset. we have a new series called two

moms and a movie. these are reviews from a mom's perspective. not just kids' movies. fwrou >> our own siskel & ebert p.. >> but cuter. >> and a remarkable story about a tweet talking about the kindness of a complete stranger who read it and helped save a woman's life. how cool is it? >> socialle media does so much. >> and did you know summer is a hectic gift-givingi inseason? father's day, weddings, graduation? >> doughnuts. >> we can satisfy everyone from donuts to wine. >> doughnuts. and we have a reminder, pop superstar rihanna going to kick off our summer concert series one week from today. if you want to head to the plaza bring your most creative rihanna signs and posters.

ten lucky fan wills win on-stage tickets. not just tickets to the concert. you will be on stage with rihanna courtesy of live nation. rihanna live on our plaza next friday, may 26. >> can i say something quickly? this woman behind us, do you mind -- >> 81 years old. >> can you believe it? >> fantastic! >> look at her. >> looks amazing. >> heshe is so joyful. >> she's with her taugdaughters >> you really look alike. >> just so great. what are you drinking? >> i'll have what she's having. >> you look like trouble. >> absolutely. what about the weather? it's gorgeous. >> it is nice now. in fact, they cancelled my son's picnic on my forecast. >> oh, bad. >> bad dad. all right. let's check your forecast for the weekend, show you what's

happening. first of all, the preakness at pimlico. we'll have fantastic weather. mostly sunny skies with temperatures in the low 80s. as we look ahead to the weekend, a risk of strong storms from the mississippi river valley down into texas. rain in the northern plains. we have sunshine up and down the eastern coast with a few showers left in the northeast. sunday, from the great lakes down into texas, a risk of strong storms. rain in the western plains. sunny up and down the east coast. hot through the southwest. mild in southern california although they will have high well, we are not going to be using that word "hot" today but spectacular, stunner because today this afternoon our temperatures are going to climb into the 70s, downright perfect. not too hot, not too cold. 72 up in santa rosa. 69 degrees in san francisco. we do have a lot of low cloud

cover still lingering on the bay area eright now and breaking apart. get the savings. t.j.maxx. let us make a maxxinista out of you.

back at 8:37. this morning on "today's style," gift season. summer is almost here which means one happy occasion after another. graduations, father's day, weddings. you need to come up with plenty of great gift ideas. here to help is sarah humphries, real simple's executive editor. good morning. >> hi, meredith. >> a lot of gift giving during the holiday season and the summer season. >> absolutely.

>> rule of thumb for buying gifts? >> think about the person you are giving to, not the price. think about the recipient, your relationship with them and the budget. we have weddings, father's day, visiting someone at a beach house. be thoughtful. these gifts will save you from going to the store. you can stay swimming and out of the shops. >> if you go to someone's beach house you have to bring a gift. i have love this. it's a lighthouse but a carafe. >> pretty in a kitchen. great for a hostess and it comes with four glasses. we have wine here but you could do shh naps or something more fun. it's $30. >> doughnuts? i would not anticipate doughnuts but they are special. >> i have been smelling them. stan's is a corner donut shop in l.a. that's been around four decades and they are shipping everywhere. you can get a dozen for $30. they have flavors like peanut butter, banana and chocolate

chip. >> say no more. >> you will pay for shipping so it's expensive but time them so when you show up they show up. >> walk away from the doughnuts. these are name tags for wine glasses and they are reuseable which is great. >> it's a fun take on the wine charm. it's a fun thing going to a dinner party or something. no name slip-ups or drink slips. >> how much? >> $12 for six. >> great gifts for hostesses. father's day? this is a joy stick for the ipad. >> this is great for dad obsessed with the ipad. >> like they all are. >> this works with thousands of game apps. you put the joy stick, suction it to the on screen control and it goes old school. $25. >> al roker will love it. these are antique cuff links from real baseballs. >> this is a great idea for a baseball fan.

they are made from actual major league baseballs. select the team and dad gets a serial number. he can go to mlb.com and find out what game they started in. >> really cool. >> they are $150, a special gift. >> these are mod watches? >> if dad is a gadget guy, go old school but with a futuristic watch. they are $100, silicon in eight bright colors. they are fun. >> how are they in water? >> water proof. >> moving on to graduation gifts. this is a ping-pong -- it shoots out the balls? >> a lot of grads play games with ping-pong balls like beer pong but this is a clean fun game. you can have top spin, time the speed. it won't pick them up at the end. $150. >> i guarantee they will play the other pong. >> maybe they will get good. >> these are mustard jars with different colleges on them. >> tailgate mustards. you're a huge fan of the school you went to, michigan, for

example, and you want mustard to represent it. $32 for four jars. >> and you can fill the jar with whatever mustard you want. >> absolutely. >> finally, weddings. we are going to a lot of june weddings. this gift goes from the oven to the table. >> classic cookware. it's a two in one. stainless steel casserole in a bamboo bowl. so go from oven to table. the bamboo insulates to keep it warmer and the bamboo can be used as a salad bowl. >> you put this in the oven? >> no, no. just this. >> i would have done that. >> no fire hazard. this is from iron chef cat cora. it's $70. >> these are return address stamps and they are fun. >> we made you one, meredith. for your remaining days. >> oh, sad! rub it in. >> the great thing is you can choose a font. some look shakespearian. even if the couple has a starter home it feels more like a

castle. $68. three weeks for customization. plan ahead, but it's great. >> going back to the doughnuts how long do you have to plan? >> three days. but you will pay $40 to $50 in shipping. they are special doughnuts. >> thank you so much. up next, the power of social media. how a tweet helped save a life. first this is "today" on nbc. [ male announcer ] it was forged from the fires of imagination.

sculpted by an unyielding passion for design.

♪ and tempered by 125 years of legendary performance. introducing the all-new 2012 cls from mercedes-benz. where the world's greatest automobiles take shape. mercedes-benz. the best or nothing. >> announcer: today's good news is brought to you by nutri-grain. eat better all day. ♪ >> this morning on today's good news, a story about the kindness of one woman helping to save the life of someone she didn't even know weeks before. "today" national correspondent jenna wolfe has details on this for us. >> this is a great story, and a feel-good story. what makes it unique is how the

meeting between these wonderful people came about, through social media. >> reporter: it's thursday night, a typical weeknight. mom and daughter cooking dinner, catching up, trading tips and trading barbs. >> my mom and i are close. she's everybody's mom. i'm proud that i have a mother like that. >> we'll get your weight and temperature. >> reporter: the last ten years have been anything but easy for her. she's been suffering from kidney disease and seven months ago, her health took a turn for the worse. facinging a lifetime of dialysis, she was in desperate need of a kidney transplant. how helpless did you feel as her daughter watching her get sicker? >> it's hard to see somebody who is so active, so caring not be able to get up out of bed. it was hard for me to watch, you

know, to see her hurting. i want her around. i want her to be healthy. >> reporter: she was scared and runninging out of options. a social media addict, she kept friends and family informed about her mother's health through facebook and twitter. >> i'm not a doctor. there is little i felt i could do. but i said if i start a facebook page maybe we can find a live donor. >> reporter: did you ever in a million years when creating the page think someone would come out of the blue and say, here, have my kidney? >> absolutely not. i never thought we would be able to find somebody that would be willing to be a donor, let alone a match. >> reporter: but she did. within days, one of her twitter followers, amy donahue sent an e-mail that would change her life forever. what made you read a twitter post about her mom going on this kidney list? >> it was an instant reaction. i figured i can help.

i don't know if i'm a match or anything, but i can try. >> go ahead and have a seat. >> reporter: why would a healthy young woman want to go through this for a stranger? >> the main reason that i really forged ahead was that my father died of cancer about eight years ago. she can get a kidney and feel better and prolong her life, give her a better quality of life. there was nothing we could do for my father. i couldn't give blood, donate a kidney, part of my liver, nothing. >> reporter: amy told kierti something she would never forget. >> she said, i have two kidneys. you have one mom. let's do it. >> reporter: were they the most beautiful words? >> on every level she's been a match. this is destiny in its purest sense. >> reporter: destiny, luck, even a miracle considering anu was one of 83,000 patients on the kidney donor waiting list.

>> four hands, two bodies, one soul. >> without the transplant she would have been on dialysis for quite some time. >> reporter: your daughter decided to do efg she could. the only way she knew how. through social media. >> yeah. >> reporter: what do you think about the way she went about it? >> to tell you the truth i didn't know. in hidden places she was crying. i was thinking she was a very strong girl. at the same time, the bond is mother and daughter. right? it's with lots of love. i love her so much. >> reporter: amy and anu are out of surgery. >> hi! >> reporter: the kidney donated, a life saved. how will you spend the rest of your life thanking this woman who decided to help your mom the way she has? >> i think amy knows what i feel for her in my heart. i'm grateful for that. she's saving my mother's life.

>> come on, baby. >> i don't think that "thank you" covers it. >> inspirational story. 'm happy to report that a month since surgery both women are doing great, feeling good and they have become almost soul mates, best friends. amy is a part of the family. they have dinner as often as they can. they have grown to know each other in a wonderful way. >> almost as if she's maybe gotten more than she gave which is so beautiful. they look happy and healthy. jenna, thank you so much. up next, we'll make a turn and talk about movie raoeviews from mom's perspective. first this is "today" on nbc. [ male announcer ] everyday, your car does a lot for you. do something for it. show it some love. chevron with techron. care for your car.

>> announcer: "today's two moms and a movie" is brought to you by windows 7. back now at 8:51 as we launch a new series we are calling "two moms and a movie," reviews of current films from a mother's perspective. ladies, good morning. >> good morning. >> kind of spooky. i was saying you both have 6-year-old girls and 3-year-old boys. that's weird. >> we planned it together. >> it's totally strange. >> we never met until today. >> you're a movie critic and you are not. >> no. >> but you go to the movies a lot and you never bring your

husband. >> i don't want to go with him. i want to go with my girlfriends. the movies is my bargaining chip. he wants to go fishing, fine. i'm going to the movies with beth and megan. >> we'll look at movies worth getting a sitter for, whether you go with or without your husband starting with "midnight in paris." that premiered when i was in cannes. it's now opening in limited engagement in new york and l.a. >> it opens today and it's opening unfortunately against "pirates of the caribbean 4." everyone should go see "midnight in paris". >> owen wilson and rachel mcadams play a couple engaged but not suited to each other. >> this is one of the best woody allen films in years. brings up classics like "the purple rose of cairo." he goes back in time to 1920s paris. >> it's an homage to paris. >> gorgeous. you will want to go to paris. and woody allen shoots it like a

postcard but it's how we, as outsiders, look at paris. you will forget every bad wilson owen wilson made. >> and kerry looks constipated. >> this is a movie you should see if you are in your early 100s. >> i am actually. >> why? >> it was hokey. if you want me to be truthful. >> of course. >> i thought it was "one night in paris." i was confused. the paris hilton flick. when i saw the actual paris i was relieved. i just thought, you know, going back to the '20s, i don't believe owen wilson knows these artists. he's the "hall pass" guy. >> i think even that guy knows hemingway and dali. >> don't look at me like that. >> calm down.

split decision on that one. next up, "bridesmaids." we had on kristin wigg and maya rudolph here. what did you think? >> hysterical. it was well-rounded. there was drama,ing emotional things that women love but also bathroom humor. >> i didn't love the bathroom humor. >> it was brilliant. >> for me, the funniest film ever is "dumb and dumber" and the toilet scene in "dumb and dumber" is my top toilet scene ever. this one outdoes it. instead of just one person you have three, four, five people trying to get on the toilet. >> more of men's humor. but you like it a lot. >> so silly. >> is this a girlfriends type movie? >> i would not want to see it --

don't go on a first date. you don't want your potential first date guy to see that women can do this stuff. >> and you enjoy the humor. >> i wouldn't see it with my husband and he's seen me giving bit. >> bring a thermos of cosmos with eight girlfriends to the theater. >> get really drunk and watch it. is it "the hangover" for women? >> yeah, but it has more heart. it's about women, girls, being friends and caring. it sounds corny. >> i know. but it's funny. >> it has heart. and it's a romantic comedy. >> it ends happily ever after. >> both yes's for this one. get the sitter. >> get the sitter. another mo a d and ovie. another. we'll be right back after your local news.

good morning. it is 8:56. i'm marla tellez. later this morn, attorney general eric holder is going to meet with san jose mayor chuck reed and members of the game prevention task force talking about the task force's effort to

crack down on the violence. afterwards attorney general holder will tour the san jose job corps and talk about the effect o cong in mmcounities. a look at the rain-free weekend forecast with christina right after the break. un

good morning to you. well, we still have a lot of low cloud cover lingering along the peninsula and the north bay. getting a few breaks of sunshine in the east bay and south bay. at about 4:00 p.m. concord, 75. 72 degrees in the city. we're looking really good. oakland looks fantastic today. a's fan, crossing over the

bridge to at&t park. well, bring a jacket. playing ball with pretty nice weather tomorrow, as well. back the you, marla. >> thank you. we'll be back with the next news and weather update at 9:26. the "today" show continues next. 2011.

kind of humid in new york city. showers again on the way. but we have a happy crowd on the plaza. and we're working hard to get everybody on television, even as al has thrown his papers to the ground for some bizarre reason. i'm ann curry along with al roker this morning. we'll check out more on this story it shall there you go. very sweet. more of the story this morning about arnold schwarzenegger and the latest on that.

his wife maria has hired an attorney. what else is coming up? >> of course it's friday. barbara corcoran is here. we want to give you an idea what your home is worth or what you can get out there. there are great bargains out there to talk about. we'll tell you about it all. find out what's out there for under $200,000. and there are a lot of great homes out there. >> great news. and just in time to hit the beach we have five easy steps to help you lose those five pounds. small changes to your diet and the results will get us in shape for summer. first we head inside for a check of the top stories from tamron hall. hey, tamron. >> good morning, everyone. former international monetary fund head dominique strauss-kahn awaited his release from rikers island jail after a judge agreed to set bail for him. he was indicted thursday on attempted rape, sexual assault and other charges. once released he'll be under

house arrest in a luxury apartment building. president obama meets with benjamin netanyahu a day after calling for israel to cede territory to the palestinians so they can establish an independent state. netanyahu called a return to 1967th borders indefensible. in northwest pakistan this morning one pakistani was killed and several americans wounded. the taliban has claimed responsibility. they have been vowing vengeance since the may 2 raid that took own osama bin laden. and five coast guard boats and a warship were damaged in a strike. the ships were used to set mines in the misrata harbor. the libyan government made what may be the biggest concession yet offering to pull gunmen from cities if nato stops the air campaign. and the pentagon says american troops in afghanistan are dealing with falling morale

and the highest rates of mental health problems since 2005. up to 80% of troops said they have seen a friend killed and killed an enemy fighter. they have doubled the mental health staff in afghanistan. "endeavour" astronauts will make a space walk today above the coast of northern australia. this is the first of four space walks to prepare the space station for operations after the end of the shuttle program this summer. an israeli man broke american magician david blaine's record by standing on a nine-story high pole in tel aviv for 35 hours. he capped it off by swan diving into a giant pile of cardboard boxes. they are still looking for him. it's three minutes past the hour. now back to ann and al. >> by the way, gretchen got engaged last night and her parents don't know yet. she got engaged though. what's your name? >> scott.

>> also in the crowd, al roker. >> that's right. i'm guessing you're from canada. >> right. >> how do i know? i'm not sure. good tse yoeu. thanks for coming down. let's check your weather. we have a low pressure system over the northeast rotating aroundw.no e have plenty of sunshine here in new york. but heavy thunderstorms now makinging their way up through texas into nebraska where we have a risk of strong storms. heavy rains in the western plains up and down the west coast. pretty good, but we have high surf advisories in southern california. wow. take a look at this. you don't see that every day. there is a good reason why you don't. good reason. good morning to you. we are in the 70s later on. right now we are seeinging mostly upper 50s, low 60s. the temperatures be able to really climb as that sun comes out.

still kind of socked in with fog along the peninsula and the north bay and seeing sunshine coming through in the east bay and south bay and the warm spot. south bay. little cool down for the sunday but, hey, no rain in the works. get outside all weekend long. draws. his star here on the hollywood walk of fame is a hugely popular tourist attraction, but now with the latest can zal and word of a love child the star is clearly tarnished.

>> can you tell us about mildred's son? >> reporter: the lives of mildred baena and her family have changed forever. her sister ignoring questions. friends say the 50-year-old retired housekeeper loved to throw parties, whether it was halloween or christmas, baena enjoyed entertaining and organizing get-togethers for arnold schwarzenegger and maria shriver. in many ways baena became part of the family. the new pictures obtained by tmz show schwarzenegger attended some of his maid's parties, reportedly paying for a coming of age celebration for her niece. they also shared some of the most important moments. here walking with maria and eunice shriver. at the governor's inauguration at sacramento in 2007. by then bena and arnold schwarzenegger's son was 9 years old. just weeks ago this was the headline in hollywood with arnold schwarzenegger making plans for a comeback including deals to revive the terminator franchise. >> i'll be back.

>> reporter: and plans to star in a movie based on the novel "cry macho" but that's on hold according to a statement released by his attorneys. governor schwarzenegger is focusing on personal matters and is not willing to commit to timelines. >> probably was practical as well as just in figuring in >> probably was practical as well as just in figuring in terms of his image he would have to take time out of the spotlight. >> reporter: as schwarzenegger backs out of the spotlight laura wasser is stepping in. shriver has retained the tenacious celebrity divorce attorney whose past clients include britney spears, angelina jolie and christina aguilera. >> i think laura waszer is someone that will identify what her client really wants, will focus on that, and will not be in any way ambiguous or equivocal about pursuing that.

>> reporter: kaplan says she'll aim for a settlement that keeps family details private. and he insists the recent revelations about schwarzenegger's love child with his housekeeper will play no role in the divorce. >> infidelity is irrelevant as grounds for divorce in california because we are a no-fault state. you don't have to prove anything other than irreconcilable differences. and you don't even have to prove that. >> reporter: shriver is once again proving her resilience, spending time with her children, having lunch in brentwood, and later attending a tribute for young women, including her 21-year-old daughter, catherine. after thursday's event she tweeted "congrats to my beautiful and brilliant daughter." along with halted film deals the animated children's series "the governator" may be terminated as well. late last night, the production companies behind the project said for now it, too, is on

hold. >> peter alexander, thank you. here's al. ♪ she's a brick house >> tamron, thanks so much. this morning, sales across the country and in north carolina, currently on the mark for under $200,000. to give us the inside tour, our brick house contributor, real estate expert barbara corcoran. starting in katy, texas, $1 $12,000. >> this is a good deal. only 1,100 square feet big, but when you get inside it feels bigger. the living room has a ceramic tile fireplace. that's unusual in a house that's only $120,000. you usually don't have fireplaces. it has a dining room with ardwood floors, a pretty bay window with lots of light in that dining room. again, a proper dining room within that square footage. the roomy kitchen has a tile floor, wood cabinets and a sunny area off the backside. in the backyard, too much stuff,

but totally quiet, peace and quiet. no neighbors looking in so you can make all the mess you want. >> wilmington, north carolina, nice bungalow, over 100 years old, priced at $138,000. >> but it's in mint condition. when people hear 100-something years old, they panic. but this is a cream puff of a house. it's a friendly town, a mello yello color, appropriate. it looks like a fake house, in a historic district with 300 other houses just like it. there are hardwood floors out, an arch between the living room and dining room. you see straight through back to the living room. also a beautiful kitchen that's pristine and white, totally updated. there's a screen-in porch out back, a patio, a shaded backyard, which we'll see. look at all the post-its on the refrigerator. and that's your own backyard with cute furniture and your own yellow woodshed. what's wrong with that house? only -- 138,000. >> unless you get taken out to

the woodshed. omaha, nebraska, a big house, three bedrooms, three bathrooms, just $159,000. >> warren buffett lives in omaha, as does boycetown and the annual world chili cook-off. figure a town like that out. a little bit of this, a little bit of that. a solid brick house in a quiet neighborhood, about 20 minutes from downtown. i like the gleaming red door. it's got carpeted living room throughout, which i'm not crazy about, but heck, it's nice and bright, spacious, neat, and a big paned-glass windows to let in all the light. that's an interesting lesson on what not to do on real estate ads because that's a painted effect. when you get to the kitchen, you see how bad it looks. you can paint up the photos. it's misleading. it doesn't look natural. that's a nice kitchen, but they should take that darn painted effect right out of there. there's a huge backyard in the back, a two-tiered, partially covered deck, a hot tub you can't quite see, and a lot of big shade trees. >> that's a nice backyard.

>> i love it. lots of space. >> bartlesville, oklahoma, near tulsa. a one-bedroom house for $174,000. >> and you know what this has? two magic ingredients. it's got the strong real estate mark, house prices are going up quickly, and a strong job market. conocophillips is located here, and there are many other big employers so people don't have a problem getting a house and affording it. this has the pretty stone facade out the front, the living room has a contemporary feel with a big vaulted ceiling. a great shot of it there. very spacious. nice floors. these marble-looking floors are actually stained concrete. a new weird thing out in there in the marketplace. it's indestructible, but you don't want your kids to fall down. a weird kind of effect bp b, bu master bedroom adjacent on the ground floor to the kitchen. a nice tiled floor in the bathroom. a covered patio out back. and a privacy fence.

give that a pot of flowers or a few chairs or something. needs to be dolled up. >> for a house that big, is it odd to have just one bedroom? >> it is, and it hurts the value of that house. that dining room could be converted to a bedroom very easily because of its location. >> and going to kansas city. here i come. a tudor-style house built in 1928. three bedrooms at $174,900. >> what you can't see is the surrounding area. it's famous for hidden pocket parks that are tucked under trees and behind back yards. all over this area. what are you laughing about? >> the hidden pocket park. >> i couldn't get that out. but here's a beautiful tudor. it looks like it's a fairy-tale house with a winding walkway that leads to the pretty front door. inside, my gosh. in a world of all white moldings, that dark molding looks great with the archways. it looks like a handsome, distinguished house. the dining room feels peaceful, nothing about it, but the nice chair rails and original windows

really make it look like a distinguished room, although it's not all that big. the pretty kitchen has double french doors leading to a nice backyard. i say that's a party house. go out there and get my barbecue going. what's wrong with that house? >> get your grill on, girl. >> you betcha. the only thing wrong with the whole house is the ugly chairs. besides that, look at that beautiful three-season porch. even the pretty stained window out back. i like it. >> always good to see you. >> my pleasure. up next, five diet changes from joy bauer that will help you lose five pounds and make you look great on the beach this summer.

this morning on "take it off today," lose five pounds after five simple changes. forget the fasting and restrictive menus. by making five simple swaps you could lose five pounds by the time summer sun is sweatering on us. joy but aer is a "today" contributor. good morning. >> hi, tamron. >> i love this. it's motivation. you might want to fit in a swimsuit or summer dress. >> and these are fun strategies that work. some are delicious and everything's on the website. >> step one. >> step one. one time each day you want to heat a high-protein breakfast. that's because there is a great study out of the british journal of nutrition that shows when you eat ample lean protein in the morning like canadian bacon, cottage cheese, nonfat greek

yogurt you experience more fullness and eat less throughout the day. >> you have greek yogurt here. >> this is nonfat greek yogurt, any brand topped with berries and walnuts. or scrambled eggs with spinach, tomatoes and reduced fat cheese. i take a whole egg and whip it with three egg whites. takes the protein up but calories down. >> great start to the day. step two, i see hot sauce and pepper. >> two times a day add heat to the meal. >> why? >> there is a study from purdue university that shows when you spice up the heat of meals, add pepper, hot sauce or real fresh or bottled hot peppers you are able to suppress your appetite and eat less at that meal. >> wow. >> here are tricks i like. >> i will drink the whole bottle. >> either tabasco or a sauce into hummus or mayonnaise.

you have a nice spicy spread for a sandwich. you can also make reduced fat chicken salad with sliced jalapenos or throw it on a salad. turkey oar grilled chicken. >> can it be chili or tabasco? >> any brand you like. kick up the heat. >> and three times a day? >> sip on either hot or iced green tea. that's because we have studies that show green tea, when you drink it before or with a meal actually helps to fill you up. again, like the heat suppressing appetite. you may eat less during the meal. more so than water. >> before or with the meal. >> we are not really sure if it's caffeine or the flavenoid compounds or a combination. for people with problems with caffeine, try it with decaffeinated green tea. that could work. >> you can have it iced or hot. >> just don't add sugar. then you will undo the benefits.

>> step four. veggies. >> eat four cups of vegetables each and every today. >> most people don't even eat a cup. >> exactly. the easiest way is two cups with lunch and two with dinner. that's nonstarchy vegetables are high volume, loaded with fiber. they fill you up and prevent you from snacking on fattening fare. >> you said nonstarchy. >> broccoli, cauliflower, carrots and string beans. stay away from peas, corn and potatoes. when it comes to the four-cup rule. you can eat them on top of this though. >> step five? >> five times a day you want to do 100 jumping jacks. either do the regular or modified. >> i like modified. >> either one. every day. you will trim 700 calories per week. >> perfect. love it. >> that's a big accomplishment. >> we'll do our jumping jacks. >> everything is on the website. we goostufd f. rek bac'with more on "today"

after this. ready? b

in case you didn't see it, earlier this morning we noticed that al can actually wiggle. >> well, i was with the wiggles. >> right. you performed and it seemed you didn't have a lot of time to get ready yet you were able to -- >> no. >> how did that work? >> i taped the video for this thing in one day. i learned the choreography and taped it one day. the next day i had to drive three hours from sydney where i performed at their australia day in front of about 60,000 people. >> you're so calm about it. you didn't just perform. you rocked it out. >> well, that's a relative term, especially as a wiggle. especially wearing an inflatable grape suit. >> it's remarkable how popular it is in australia and with young people across this country. what is the age group? >> about 3 to 7 and here's a taste of the music video. take a look.

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well? i'm managing my weight really well, and i've never felt so light. at 70 calories, delicious activia light helps you be light and feel light too. ♪ activia good morning. it is 9:26. i'm marla tellez. well, the search for a missing north bay vendor continues after the small plane apparently went down in the sierra. he took off from nevada wednesday afternoon headed for tracy but he never made it. his plane was last seen on radar where the search continues today. now, brown's son says his dad mentioned bad weather before

takeoff. >> a lot is deca paincapacitate can't do anything. >> brown lives in nevada but owns two wineries in california. they donate a portion of proceeds to breast cancer research. brown took up that cause after his wife died from breast cancer five years ago. and an update now to a story we brought you yesterday. oakland police are not saying much about an officer-involved shooting that ended with two people dead. police say wednesday night they received some information that a violent crime was going to happen. when officers arrived they found three men inside a parked car and tried to question the men when two got out of the car with guns. all three men were shot in the confrontation. two of them later died. a look at your friday and your weekend forecast and the m

roads right after this. good morning to you. well, we are now in the 60s in sunnyvale.

as we head in to noontime, the sun is out, we're really going to climb in temperature. we have some pretty heavy low cloud coverage along the peninsula and the north bay. it will clear. 75 degrees later on today in san jose. 75 in gilroy. and, yes, we finally made it to the weekend. the weather looks phenomenal both days. let's check your drive with mike. >> well tonight, giants and a's face off in the city. expect more folks across the bridge. right now on the east bay, an incident at the 13/580 split. a car off the road. the person driving there is trapped in the car. this is a spectacle off of that interchange. south bay, northbound 280 coming at us. a lighter volume. hazy skies there. >> thank you, mike. the "today" show returns in less than a minute.

we'll be back at 9:56.

of the clutter in your house we have creative ways, storage options to consider and apparently one involves raggedy ann. >> soon the chant will be loud and clear. school's out for -- >> summer. >> if you don't want your kids to play games and watch movies all day we have tips for getting them up and out of the house. >> summer vacation is a great time to keep your kids reading. avoid the summer slide. this morning we convene another meeting of al's book club for kids. they will meet the author of "words in the dust" trent ready. >> and amy and jenna are here to tell us about what's coming this weekend. >> we have a busy weekend ahead. opening arguments in the casey anthony murder trial are set to start next week. we have the inside scoop on her defense. and is tomorrow judgment day? we'll find out why one prophecy predicts may 21, 2011, as the

end of the world. jenna? >> wow. >> if we make it to sunday and the world doesn't end we have a great show for you. oprah's final good-bye to her today time talk show is fast approaching. her final three shows are next week. what you can expect to see. and i got behind the wheel with the one and only legend mario andretti. what's it like to race at 180, 190? i think we went 3,000 miles an hour. a feeling i will never forget. more this weekend on "today." >> do you have err plar plugs? >> you have to wear them. you feel it vibrating -- i had to hold my head because my neck wasn't strong enough. >> what about the turns? >> five and a half gs. you really feel your whole body. >> but you didn't have a g suit? >> no. i had a bathing suit. >> there is a line there, but we

aren't doing it. >> all right. >> i didn't even think about that, al. >> now a check of the weather. >> bad news. i have only a two-day forecast. so the other three days are blank. there is a big mushroom cloud. anyway, don't worry about the mortgage. let's check your forecast. hey, the preakness is coming up on saturday. pimlico. sunny skies, temperatures in the low 80s. saturday, plenty of sunshine along the east coast although the northeast may have showers. we have hot weather from texas all the way to the southwest with the strong storms, the mississippi river valley. sunday, a bigger area of strong storms from texas to western new york and pennsylvania. sunshine on the west coast. showers work through the western and northern plains.

good morning to you. well, we are still dealing with some low cloud cover. kind of overcast along the peninsula right now. we'll see sunshine for the second half of your day. the temperatures will be able to climb into the upper 70s in the east bay and the south bay. 76 degrees today in los gatos. really nice beach day later on. 4:00 p.m. we are talking about mostly clear conditions. and the rest of the weekend looks pretty good. dropping off a few degrees saturday and sunday. few more clouds coming into the mix.

overall, really nice.

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-♪ ♪ just want me this morning on today's home, stylish storage solutions. if you need a place to hide the things lying around the house we have ideas from the bedroom to the bathroom. ivillage.com home contributor susanna salk is here with ideas on how to stash our stuff. good morning, good to see you. and all of these ideas are about $150 or less. >> they are inexpensive and the stuff that holds your stuff should have personality. >> this does. >> i love it from urban outfitters. so you have an coat racks are boring and serious. why not come home to a pop of color. >> and the teenager's room or space. the problem is everything on the ground. >> it holds so much.

a lot of them have hidden storage elements. love this spool end table. if you lift it up you can dump in toys. again, pieces should have personality. >> it has french on it as well. >> and this is a side table. looks expensive. >> it's not. it's from pier one. i thought it was glamorous for a master bedroom. someone bought it for a girl's bedroom. >> you were saying the lightness of it can really lift a room up. >> the mirror catch it is light. people get lazy with bedside tables. to me this is an instant way to bring glam. >> don't get lazy. just on the bed you can get lazy. this is something you sit on. >> and look how chic it is. i love the little charcoal fwra. looks like a men's suit. very sophisticated. again, get a bunch of those. tons of storage space. this is a good little table.

>> it looks like you found it in a great english flea market. it's from an tlo apology. put it to the side of the sofa. look at the detail on the base. lots of personality. >> i was thinking of it for a teen's room but it would be nice in a covered garden, a patio. >> a guest room, a porch. >> these look like african baskets you can get. >> okay. laundry baskets, usually so boring. isn't this cute? encourage your daughter or your guests to put their dirty things away. >> and they are pretty. i love them. they are in different sizes. >> and in the bathroom. >> you know sometimes -- you could use this in the kitchen but sometimes you have a large area on the tub. you can put this down. magazines, sponges. again, it's pretty, like it has some style. i love the color. a lot of times don't forget color adds instant personality to a room.

i love this bedside table. this is great for a boy's room. >> love the color. this is a little -- >> for toys. stuffed animals. >> it rolls and i love the modern pop of orange wheels with the wood. it looks great. again, have fun with it. often we dump the logs in something boring. give it pizzazz. >> and this -- >> these are hidden books from z gallery. dh check it out. keys, valuables or the dreaded remote. >> and i love this from home goods. look at the rolling end table. this is great on either side of a bed or anywhere. it has unexpected personality, holds a lot. >> the bottom line is you don't have to spend a lot. if you find things with personality, it's a great way to organize yourself. >> go for it. it encourages you to organize. >> coming up, much more including ideas for keeping your kids active this summer.

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this morning on parenting today, are you raising a couch potato this summer? if your plans don't include camp or a family vacation you need to motivate kids to get active. michelle borba is an educational psychologist. good morning. >> good morning. >> how much tv do kids watch on average? >> a four-hour block. each time they watch, there goes reading, creativity and exercise. it's easy to become addicted. this is the best time to get off the couch and into life. >> let's get to great tips. first, three things parents need to do. remove the tv from the bedroom. you may have to do it in stages. that's a tough one. >> or the kids revolt. the average kid watches 280 hours of tv in the bedroom and you can't monitor it.

if you have a couch potato, take it out. number two, start tracking. how you track is your child can track. once you figure out how many hours you want to cut back, start by half or your kid will revolt. put a timer on the tv and stick to it. when the timer goes off, you're done. have the child choose what to watch. too many kids are channel surfing. you can even put in the tv guide and say, highlight one or two programs and stick to it. >> i might change my mind. i want to watch "modern family" one day or "american idol"le the next. >> it is strict. you are trying to be strict for about four days and you will see diminishment of it. your kid will get into the grudge of, okay, i'm not going like this. i will choose. >> mindful watching of television. once you convinced them to turn off the tv it's time to get active. summer camp can be expensive. >> start by looking at what's

available already in your city. you have day care, parks & rec, camp programs. many are affordable but look into them now. they fill up quickly. many parents are rotating kids. sounds fun. if you take mine for an hour, i will take yours. >> good deal. >> it cut back on the gas. >> and there are church camps and things like that. >> look at those. they really help. >> you say we need to teach kids to play alone. monopoly isn't fun alone but there are fun things to do alone. >> like solitaire! yeah! or puzzles. if you don't do it now you have the kids saying, i'm bored. don't play camp director, but if you can help them self-manage because they are overscheduled and used to being micro managed, it will be more free time. >> i feel strange bringing it up, but reading. >> don't feel strange. library cards are the best thing. get your child one. the reading programs are fwloer

us -- glorious. the summer slide of three months goes down and those achievement scores go down. >> hobbies. people would ask, what is your hobby? >> hobbies are wonderful. they nurture a child's strength and last a lifetime. you can get other moms to sit in and teach your child to knit so there is a group. >> or a dad. >> and lastly, get out of the house and exercise. >> remember, nothing better than mud, sand and dirt. >> okay. >> and it's free. >> and laundry detergent. >> thank you. michelle, it's a great pleasure to have you here. still to come, al's book club for kids. first this is "today" on nbc. [ woman ] everybody's looking for deals these days,

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change. as a girl in afghanistan she grows up surrounded by war and can't go to school. even worse, her face is disfigured by a cleft lip. when american soldiers arrive they promise to fix her face. she's forced to stand up for what's right. trent reedy is author of "words in the dust." our book club kids are shamoya, bridget and michael. good to see you again. joining us over skype we have a special guest, christina cornelio from auburn, maine. good to see you, christina. >> hi, al. >> good to see you again. trent, this is really a special book. this is based sort of on what happened to you in afghanistan. >> right. i served for a year with the national guard in afghanistan. on one of the missions we encountered a young girl who suffered from birth from cleft palate. the moment we saw her, we knew we had to help. so we pooled our money together

to send her to our base for the surgery she needed. when she came back she was transformed. seeing her smile was one of the best things i have seen in my life. the last time i saw this girl i promised i would tell her story. that's what led to "words in the dust". >> has she seen the book? >> i don't believe so. it would be difficult in afghanistan. >> let's get questions and answers for the book club kids. how are you? >> good. >> how did you like it? >> i really did enjoy it. i recommended it to my friends. >> what's your question? >> hi. my question is growing up did you always see yourself servinging in the army? >> i didn't always see myself in the military. i grew up in iowa and i loved iowa, so i joined the army national guard. i didn't expect to go to afghanistan but i was surprised by how wonderful and kind the people were. we would come into the village.

they would greet us with smiles and waveses and invite us into their homes sometimes for meals. it was a wonderful experience. so joining the military paid in ways i didn't expect. it was great. >> up next, britidget is 11. what's your question? >> i know you based the book on a real person. did any other kids receive the surgery as a result of hers? >> her surgery was the only one i was aware of. but there are a lot of great organizations in afghanistan working to help kids with cleft lip and just to help improve the situation to build schools. a portion of the proceeds that i make from "words in the dust" is being donated to women for afghan women who, for ten years, has been working to improve schools and provide vocational opportunities for women and girls in afghanistan. >> that's great. here's 10-year-old michael vasquez. what's your question? >> afghanistan is on the new as

lot. do you think the situation there will change? >> i know the situation in afghanistan is getting better. when i was there in 2004 and 2005 i saw great improvements. more boys and girls were going to school. things were getting fixed. i believe with all my heart that afghanistan is going to reach a better, more peaceful future. >> that's a terrific question, michael. very nice. christina who is in maine, what's your question? >> good morning. were you amazed at how quickly girls in afghanistan grew up? >> i was amazed by almost everything i saw in afghanistan. particularly how kind the people were and how welcoming they were to me. i guess it just taught me how much we have in common. we all want basically the same things. americans and afghans. just to live in peace with the people we love and to pursue education and pursue what we want out of life. it was amazing.

>> trent, thanks so much. kids, thank you. how did you like the book? >> it was great. >> one to five stars, five stars. all right. >> thank you. >> if you are between the ages of 9 and 12 and would like to be the next guest kid head to today.com. our next book is a classic. k "james and the giant peach" by roald dahl.

it is 9:56 now.

good morning. i'll marla tellez. the man accused of accidentally starting the summit fire will stand trial. a judge says there is enough evidence to try channing verdin. he was clearing some property on summit road and burning some of the debris. he apparently didn't put out the embers and that sparked the summit fire. it burned 63 homes, 69 other buildings and more than 4,200 acres. it took five days to put out those flames. well, it is still in the dirt and rusty but an abandoned barge near san jose is no longer leaking fuel. the barge is in the slew for years and just yesterday it tipped over in toe tide. workers were able to soak up the fuel in the water and today cleaning up any remaining fuel inside that vessel. a look at your weekend forecast as well as the roads right after this. >> good morning to you, thank

you, marla. we have a thick layer of low clouds and they're just hovering over our bridges and the peninsula. but we have got some sunshine moving in from the east bay to the south bay and clear and continuing through the afternoon. the temperatures today 70s. 75 degrees in fremont. 77 degrees in los gatos. 69 by sunday. a few degrees cooler as we drop off into the weekend and looking fantastic. check the drive with mike. >> the south bay looking good. 101 expressway, an accident in lanes there causing problems. second lane and what i understand, a couple of cars and an ambulance. no major injury. pretty good slowing up past the airport. also, tonight, sharks play van yoou koou vancouver downtown. looking over here to the bay bridge toll plaza. good-bye to the traffic backups

and mild at the toll plaza. marla? >> thank you, mike. the "today" show returns in a couple of minutes. l be back with the next

. hey, everybody. we're so glad you're with us. it's try day friday, may 20th. had a big old party yesterday. hard to believe cher is 65 years old today. we want to wish her a happy birthday. look at her. if you can turn back time. >> i can't believe she's 65. her body and her skin and the whole thing is shocking. >> she takes good care of

herself and she's got a very good dermatologist. >> we had a lot of fun yesterday at our pj party. we want to thank everybody for playing with us. you guys send in the funniest pictures of you guys at home watching our pj party. we felt like we were one with everybody. one of our favorite moments was probably the first moment in the show. >> we want to thank our co-star and bed mate. >> that was great. >> oh, jerry. >> we had a lot of fun. >> everybody was getting into it. >> look at sara across the street. >> sara's been in bed with a lot of people, but never that many at one time. >> that was fun. >> we heard from a lot of you. this one is from meghan. my twin sister and i are home

from college break. so glad we can watch the show and avoid 9:00 a.m. stats class. >> judith price and her mom in the retirement community. the granddaughter went over to the grandmother's retirement community. had a sleepover. >> they had a slumber party. that makes me cry, that is so sweet. the next one is carol, my best friend and i enjoy our coffee best when served along with klg and hoda. >> i love the rollers. >> jennifer clarkson watches us from work. they didn't have pjs on so they put on patient gowns. >> that's great. brigitte said we love you as much as we love our margaritas. is that ice cream? is that their dog on the bed? >> your pj party was a ton of fun and so today was ours. that was fun. >> it is.

you're never too old to have fun. so some of the things that were great fun when you're little still work because alcohol is involved now instead. you're not drinking a shirley temple. >> pippa is making quite the splash. pippa is kate middleton's sister. what is getting attention is her backside. there are facebook pages dedicated to it. >> it's actually the butt-lifting industry. plastic surgeons in the uk reported a 60% increase in the number of clients requesting the proce procedure. it costs $1,000. >> guess you would put implants in there. >> if you don't have that 12 grand we have a way to do it without going under the knife. we have britney. she's got on a pair of -- these are panties with built-in cheeks. you just wear them and then you just put them on. >> it's already in there.

this is what you put in your butt. let's see the difference. >> it's hard to see from the back. go sideways. >> i think it makes you look ten pounds heavier. >> turn around. >> i have a mike pack, too. >> britney is tiny. >> if a guy likes that, he's going to be real disappointed when he discovers that it's only -- you know what i'm saying? you don't like it? >> i don't think it's really me. >> we know it's not you. you're a good sport. >> guys must be surprised when spanx come off. >> why can't anybody love who they are? not that i do. there's lot of stuff i'd change. at some point you've got to say this is who i am and accept it. you spend the rest of your life being miserable. >> i didn't wear spanx yesterday and that was so freeing. did you wear spanx in the pj?

>> yeah. i wore them all the way down. guess who else did? jill. >> you guys cheated. >> i didn't cheat. i wore the pajamas. nobody said spanx-free. >> we've been telling you about our voice contest. we already stopped it so you can't send any more entries in. we love what you've sent in. we are going to start selecting from the group you sent in. >> let's cover our eyes. >> okay. ♪ little birds ♪ by my door step ♪ singing sweet songs ♪ melodies pure and true ♪ singing this is my message to you ♪ ♪ america ♪ america ♪ god shed his grace on thee

♪ and crown thy good ♪ with brotherhood ♪ from sea to shining sea >> beautiful. love his voice. wow. >> terrific. >> we are so excited. we are going to start the games wednesday. we are going to listen to some of these. then we are going to pick from among them. the winner gets to watch the finale of "the voice" live in l.a. >> a lot of you were talking about this green smoothie thing we had on monday, right? kimberly -- what was her last name? kimberly schneider made. we wanted to give you the ingredients. hoda and i have been doing it all week long, thank you, jerry and bianca and everybody in our kitchen. i love it. >> this was all about stopping the bloat. we were concerned about how not to be bloated before the show or during the day. they were talking about having this drink, not drinking water and just having this by itself. >> better to have it in the

morning, too. you shouldn't have fruit on an empty stomach. >> 1 1/2 cups water. one head organic romaine lettuce. two to three stalks of organic celery. half a head of organic spinach. one organic apple which you quarter. you know what i'm saying. one organic pear same thing. and 1/3 bunch organic basil, parsley and half fresh organic lemon. >> how do you turn it off? >> i don't know. >> i don't know how to turn it off. it doesn't have an off button. >> thank you, jerry. >> here is the good thing. >> what a man jerry is. >> here is the thing about this drink. >> never be the same again after yesterday. >> the great thing about this drink. it's not too sweet, and i love

sweet, and it's not too tart or salty. >> it doesn't take vegetably that you might not want early morning. only 87 calories. >> and delicious. >> gives you 100% of the usda recommended total you need in that stuff. there it is. >> i want you to be funny. >> okay, it's friday. an older man in exercise tights approached the trainer in the gym and said i want to impress that beautiful lady over there which machine should i use. trainer looked him up and down and replied use the atm machine outside the gym. love it. >> cute. >> it's time for -- >> we have to tell everybody about this. we went to wednesday. we loved it. i think it's going to -- i don't know. >> it's "anything goes." >> "how to succeed" is awfully good. it's got fantastic performances.

sutton foster, joel gray. highly recommend. sutton might win the tony for it. that's what they are saying. >> you know what it's time for? >> bobbie's buzz. >> how did you recover yesterday from the slumber party? >> we were talking in the glam room. we had feathers everywhere. >> we had feathers places we didn't know. >> i'm excited. everybody at home struggling with smooth skin, i have easy pickins. >> this is awesome. >> i love this beauty supply. it's the twizzor. it can get nose hairs. >> god, nasty! >> it works. >> jerry, can i do your ears. >> be careful with that. >> it's very sharp. >> stop that. that's in your own private bathroom. >> i have this which is called

the twist and roll tweezer. it works. it plucks. >> is it painful? >> i'm being chicken because it hurts a little, but it works. >> l.a. tweeze come in this case with a mirror. what's great about this tweezer, there is a light. >> that is perfect. >> this has a better grip. bekka has a great poly grip. more stuff on klg and hoda.com. this is a kit for down there to help before you get waxed. and gorilla warfare for underarm. it helps prevent the regrowth of hair under your arms or on your face. these creams. it's magic.

>> thank you, bobbie. you've got to show your puppy at some point. everybody loves ceecee. >> "snl" is the finale. lady gaga is performing saturday. picture the new york city weather. it's been horrible. >> think about how they smell? >> gaga treated her fans outside because they've been sit jougt side waiting. >> you're going to go. >> yes! i'm so excited. >> ambush makeovers. how we celebrate fridays.

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no heartburn in the first place. great. [ male announcer ] use directed for 14 days. we are back with another installment of plaza ambush makeovers. two ladies were treated to a total makeover. "today" contributor and style to

the stars luis lacari. happy birthday to you. >> it's your birthday? >> i didn't tell anyone. >> and "us weekly" contributor jill martin. >> what a treat for you. >> thank you. >> taking care of these women. >> no matter what age you are, you look great. >> so our first lucky lady is kathie lewis 54 years old from fleming, florida. >> that's just not nice. she hasn't done anything for herself since being diagnosed with cancer three years ago and is ready for a fresh new start. >> sorry to separate you two. when i picked kathie they were making out on the plaza you were so excited. tell me why you want this for your wife? >> in my opinion she doesn't need it. she is gorgeous to begin. with she deserves it. she is a recent cancer survivor. ever since then she wanted something like this and we are thrilled she is getting it.

>> i love your sign, "turn this plain jane into cutie cathy." >> first we'll look over at her lovely husband len, who i am crazy about. please keep your blind fold on. here is cathy's before picture. let's see the new you. >> he is going to freak out. are you ready, len? take off your blind fold. >> you look so good. are you ready to see yourself. >> she likes what she sees. >> thank you, guys. >> you look beautiful, sweetheart. >> i'm not going to cry. >> i love it.

>> tell us, luis, birthday boy. >> she is a beautiful woman. i wanted to give her glamour. her highlights were too pale, too white. i made her brown hair warmer with a golden highlight. it's all topped off with the make-up. >> what are you thinking? >> outstanding. >> nice. >> that is a great outfit. >> you missed the ends of the interview where he was saying what he was going to do with her after the makeover. i gave her an outfit for that and before that. this is maggie london. this is a beautiful dress. blazer is white house black market. it's gray, but from there. >> love it. >> home run. fantastic. >> that was not making out. it was a little kiss for luck. >> is that what you call it? >> our next lady is patty. she is 60 today is her birthday. >> look at you two.

>> she's never colored her hair before. the only time she has ever worn make-up was at her daughter's wedding. she is excited to get a glam new look. let's listen to her story. >> i know you want to give this gift to your mother on her 60 are the birthday. >> she's had the same hairstyle for ever. i thought the 60th birthday was a good way to change it. >> we are going to give you a total, total change. >> i'm ready. >> she is here with her daughter vicki. let's take one last look at patty and bring out the new patty. >> oh, my gosh. these are great. >> wow. >> take a little step forward. right there. perfect. >> vicki, take it off. >> pretty amazing, huh? turn around. let's see what you think. >> oh, my god. >> you look beautiful.

>> why don't i ever remember kleenex? all righty. i guess you guys are happy, huh. happy birthday, by the way. >> tell us what you did. >> here is what we did to you. number one, if you want to erase away years, people that love gray want to stay gray, but for all of you who don't, put on hair color. i promise you ten years gone in less than an hour. then what i did was painted on a few highlights. her hair was short but we did small changes. it's all in the style. all of a sudden again, your age is erased. >> look at your daughter. what are you thinking? >> she's beautiful. >> great statement blazer from talbots and jewelry from kohls. >> come join us. next up, sara webtastic video.

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we are back with our special series that is webtastic. >> do you remember being asked to the prom? chances are your prom proposal wasn't quite as elaborate as this one. >> matt sang and danced his way onto a prom date with help from his friends. check it out. >> oh, god! ♪ every time we touch ♪ i get this feeling ♪ every time we kiss ♪ i feel desire ♪ i need you by my side ♪ every time we kiss

♪ i reach for the sky >> that's his darling. >> she did say yes. promise this weekend. there was a contest to see who could ask most creatively. they are not a couple. >> i think it's adorable. >> so cute. sweet. >> thank you, sweetheart. >> still to come, kareem abdul-jabbar makes a slam dunk with his new project. >> if you can't take the itching and sneezing, how to get rid of awful allergies in your home. >> with mohammed away, a bikini away, shake-up short cuts.

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we have low prices every day. on everything, backed by our ad match guarantee. and then we have rollback prices that are even lower. like 1 gallon of spectracide bug stop, now only $4.50. save money. live better. walmart. good morning. i'll marla tellez. is the botox mom story bogus? tmz says a tabloid "the sun" may have paid a southern california woman to make up a story of giving her 8-year-old daughter botox before pageants. tmz says the botox mom gave them a sworn statement she was paid $200 to make up the whole thing and even use a fake name. "the sun" reported she lived in san francisco. turns out she lives in l.a.

if you can't make the sharks game, think about this game instead. the firefighters holding a charity hockey game at sharks ice in san jose tonight at 8:30. tickets are $5 at the door. proceeds will benefit the san jose burn foundation which helps burn survivors and their faes.nd all for a great cause. 10:27 now. a look at the forecast and the traffic right after this.

good morning to you. well, your temperature contour map really tells the story.

where the yellow is that's where the clouds cleared and the warmest cities right now. fairfield 62. 63 in concord. heavy clouds over the peninsula and north bay and takes longer for the temperatures to climb into the 70s but they will. 72 degrees in napa. in fact, by about noon, maybe even 1:00 we are going to be seeing pretty much mostly clear conditions. 75 degrees in fremont. 75 in san jose and 76 degrees in los gatos today. great beach day. 72. the boys back in town. giants with the a's at 7:15. bring a jacket. 62 degrees, mild conditions. dropoff for the weekend. getaway friday, mike. >> folks getting and the game today in san francisco so expect big crowds. also a game, two games in san jose. sharks are playing tonight against vancouver and also marla told you about the game for san jose burn foundation so head out there, as well, to san jose ice. slowing northbound 101.

no major issues into the area. out of the area, 580 slows down into tracy. probably 2:30 or 3:00. highway 50 is closed for the rest of the week. live look at the bay bridge, open and slow. metering lights are off. fi>>ghre> itefinrsoc>> ke uniforms, not a bad deal, huh. the "today" show continues next. . onally you can cut a few corners. here to test our fitness knowledge is "fitness" editor in cheap. hey, michelle. >> i'll tell you the shortcut you say good idea or bad idea and buzz in.

first one, leaving class before the cooldown. >> i think it's not, but i always leave early so i say good idea. >> i'll say that. >> it is a good idea. you need to let your heart rate slow down. you can accomplish that by walking to your car. good idea. >> one for hoda. >> skipping the last three reps of a set. >> i have to say good idea because it is the opposite. >> it is a bad idea. all the change happens in your body in the last three reps. >> really? >> that's when you're really breaking down the muscle. you need that to build it back up. >> doesn't your body know you already did the last three. >> no. it's those last three that are the hardest so you can't. you do all the rest to get to the last three. next.

not stretching before workout. >> bad idea. >> good idea. >> it's actually a good idea. >> every doctor will tell you that's wrong. >> this is the most surprising one. >> women's health uncovered research that says there is little or any benefit to stretching before a workout. >> no, no, no. >> you want to do dynamic movements lunges and jumping jacks. >> that takes a cold muscle and pulls it. she is right. two. >> taking long rests between sets. >> who got it? i'm going to say bad idea. long rests, bad idea. >> i'm going to say bad idea, too. >> you don't get it because i said it first. >> all right. that's fair. she is this obnoxious in real life. >> only when there is a competition. >> no, no, no. go ahead. >> the shortcut. blowing off lower body strength training.

>> blowing off lower body strength training. i'm going to say that is a bad idea. >> i'm agreeing. >> some people think they shouldn't lift with their legs, but you should to keep your body in balance. you're both right on that one. >> i'm into it. >> stopping to walk during a run. >> good idea. >> your buzzer didn't buzz in first. i say it's a bad idea. >> it's actually a good idea. >> exactly way said. >> as long as those rests or walk rests are short, 30 seconds to 60 seconds. you don't want to walk more than you run but it helps your endurance, gets more mileage. >> it's 4-4. we are tied. >> then we get the prize. >> it's all right here. >> all right! >> taking days off in your workout -- >> i don't know the rest of the question but i say it is a good

idea. >> it is a good idea. >> let's bring that prize out. what did hoda win. >> here is your prize. >> is it jerry? >> dema is a trainer is going to give you a massage in the next segment. >> come around. >> how are you. seriously. >> you get a massage in the next segment. >> all righty. okay. hi. up next, while your allergies act up inside your house as much as they do outside, wait until you hear what you drag intoour house. maybe dimo. >> he is a good idea. n. 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

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time for "today's home" and ways to get rid of today's allergens that cause you to sneeze and wheeze. >> may is national asthma and allergy month. today joe rubino is here to tell us how allergies can sneak inside your home. nice to see you. >> this season has been especially difficult. >> it's been the worse. >> we had a lot of rain and snow and everything is wet and growing. >> i thought that would wash the allergens away. >> when it is raining, it cleans the air. when it stops raining and everything is wet, we get a lot of growth. >> we get a lot of mold. >> it's one thing when you have

the problem outside but it occurs when you bring it all in the house with you. >> in the home there are a lot of allergy problems we need to address all the time. right now if you're outside gardening and in that environment with all that pollen and ragweed, when you get into your home, you bring all those allergens in. >> on your clothing and shoes. >> should you shower? >> first, you should not bring your shoes in. wipe them off or leave them outside. change your clothes if you're coming in and you're done for the day. wash up and clean. our hair. >> it's in your hair. >> always wash your hair. dogs and cats are outside, they are exposed to all these allergens. they are a double whammy. if you're allergic, now you have a problem also.

>> do they get allergies also? >> i don't think they get allergies to the same extent we do. >> what should you do with your carpet? >> first when the dog or cat comes in the house, if you can wash them or wipe them off. that's not easy. especially for a cat. trust me, i tried that. one thing you can do is vacuum your carpeting regularly or better off, get rid of it. especially if you have someone in your family or you yourself are allergic to dogs and cats. carpeting has about 100 times more allergens than a regular polished floor. >> they are so much easier. >> thank you. >> if you suffer, you go to a lot of extremes. >> kids on the play grounds bring it in the house, obviously. >> they are outside playing just as if we were out, your pet is outside or you're gardening. one thing to keep in mind, sand,

a sand box could be, i hate to say it, a litter box for cats. >> stay inside for the rest of your life. >> no, no. you want to go outside. just take care of the problem before you bring it into the home. another problem at home is dust mites. if you're allergic to dust mites, there are a few things you can do. for example, use a cover over pillows, wash your bedding and clothes in hot water. if you have stuffed animals, what do you do with this? one trick is put it in the freezer over night. >> really? there is nothing in my freezer. >> you might be the only one with room for it. >> home renovations. if you're like a lot of us, this time of year you're out there working on your home or we've come through a bad winter in the northeast. a lot of damage to roofs.

mold will start to grow in those wet environments that might get in the home. you need to keep the home low humid. use a dehumidifier. if you have mold growth or problems, clean it, disinfectant will kill that mold. >> thank you very much, joe. >> do what i do and take an allegra. thank you very much. >> he is one of the greatest basketball players of all time. now kareem abdul jabber is playing on our court after this. here's to my pants not leaving marks on my waist.

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kareem abdul-jabbar is one of the greatest basketball players of all time. he is a best-selling author, coach, philanthropist and now a documentary film maker. >> he has a new film called "on the shoulders of giants." about the african-american basketball players in the 1920s and '30s. you talk about the greatest team we never heard of. that piques your interest right

away. it's a team called the wrens. >> they played up in ohio. that was the thing that approximated a basketball court. >> what year would this have been? >> early '20s. there was no nba at that time. nba didn't start until 1947. this is in the 1920s and '30s. there were a whole lot of different leagues. >> charles barkley said these guys had good timing. there were people of equal talent around back then. >> those guys were better in their time. >> it almost should be must viewing for guys playing today, just to see who came before them and the battles that were won and they are all reaping the harvest of at this point. >> these guys opened the door

for what's happening today, myself included. anybody who played after 1950 really owes these guys a debt of gratitude. >> what surprised you? it's funny watching this because you're doing the interviewing. what surprised you at that time? >> the one thing that surprised me a lot was about cab callaway. great band leader, but in 1928 cab callaway tried out for and made the harlem globetrotters. he mad to make a decision if he was going to play professional basketball or sing. he made the right decision. >> those kinds of stories are so great. >> what made you decide to do this, kareem? what interested you about it? >> i always wanted to tell the story. these guys never really got the recognition they deserved. they barely got into the hall of fame as a team. nobody knows about them. they forgot about them.

we only had 40 minutes of film to use we stretched it. kind of like stretching a chicklet from here to the moon, but we did it. >> we just had the globetrotters on a month ago. what is this? you caused controversy recently, twittering and tweeting. what's going on? >> i had a beef the way i was treated by the lakers. it's no different from anybody that makes a significant contribution to their employer and don't get any recognition, don't get the monetary reward that they feel they deserve. i had to get that -- >> off your chest. >> what happened after you tweeted? >> it was like an avalanche of responses. most of them were positive because people understood where i was coming from. i think it was on yahoo. >> it was a big deal. >> a lot of ugly stuff. >> we don't want you to go without shooting a few hoops. kathie lee has been bragging

about how she made this basket. >> years and years ago. in four-inch heels, of course. we wish you the best on the documentary "on the shoulders of giants." all right, hoda. see your skills. >> how tall are you? >> 7'1". >> okay. go. >> underhand or overhand? >> best way for this is underhand. >> like this? >> someone has got to make one. are you sure it's not overhand? >> that's the best way to do it, kathie lee. >> that does not count when you're right next to it. that did not count. >> there you go. congratulations. >> thanks so much, kareem. great to see you again. >> i'd like to say starting today "on shoulders of giants" is exclusively available for instant downloading from

netflix. >> thank you. >> we'll head upstairs and cook after this. can i eat heart healthy without giving up taste? a man can only try... and try...and try.

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anybody who's taken a trip down south knows the region is home to some of the mouth-watering eats of the country. >> morgan murphy knows some of the best of the southern secrets. he's written a book called "off the eaten path." nice to see you. >> nice to be here. >> you went to all the dives and found the goodies for us. >> i motored around in a 1955 cadillac, 10,000 miles to bring you the best of the restaurants. >> what's going on here? >> this, my favorite four southern food groups are bourbon, salt, bacon and pie. we take the bacon and infuse it into the bourbon.

it's the perfect cocktail. it's dark somewhere, girls. >> are you going to like this? >> no. >> let's move on. the bacon is fantastic. >> if if you like bourbon you will love that. this is up my alley. >> biscuits. if you want to doctor them up good, you put jams and jellies on them from the carolina cider company. that's between charleston and savannah. every good southerner needs a biscuit recipe. if you don't have a good biscuit recipe, use my book. it's fantastic. >> these are better than paula deen? >> i would never smite paula deen. this is pie. this is tangy and tart with tomatoes fresh. >> there is cheese in there. i can't have that. >> this is from grits and groceries in south carolina.

take us to the fried pickles. >> a fried pickle, people say what is a fried pickle. you can fry poe patos. >> this is amazing. you've got to try that. >> a fried pickle. i had a girlfriend once who was a yankee. she didn't know what a fried pickle was. i took her down to have fried pickles and they all disappeared. >> they are delicious. we already tried the crab cakes. i'm a maryland girl. i know my crab cakes. >> this is their secret crab recipe they gave up just for us. he said i've been sleeping with mrs. mailey 50 years and she didn't give me the recipe. finally got it. >> the secret to these is don't put so much bread in them. >> last what do we have? >> this is my favorite. if you drink a lot of bor bowen like i do you need bignets from

new orleans. >> next week we'll have our "today" voice competition. >> jack black, jimmy fallon and the guys tell all. have a great weekend. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com