good morning. day of remembrance. president obama visits joplin today to survey the destruction and attend a memorial for the victims while families desperately continue to search for missing loved ones. tearful testimony. casey anthony's mother takes the stand in the explosive murder trial that now centers on text me messages the accused killer sent the day she was arrested. and bebe bump. the first lady is showing but not telling. it looks like carla bruni's secret may be out. captions paid for by nbc-universal television

♪ ♪ now that's the way to start off a broadcast. a rousing patriotic wake-up from the united states navy band. great to have them here in town on our plaza for this memorial day weekend and a great introduction for our broadcast. welcome to "today" on a sunday

morning. i'm lester holt. >> i'm jenna wolfe. too much to ask, do you think, to get them here every sunday morning? >> they could be our alarm clock at 4:30. >> do you hear me complaining? that would be fantastic. i'm jenna wolfe and thanks to them for performing the u.s. navy theme song "anchors away." we will hear more from them. we'll head to joplin, missou missouri. the memorial service for the victims of last sunday's tornado takes place at missouri southern state university. president obama will be traveling there to speak to mourners. he will also survey the damage from the deadliest tornado in decades. we'll get a live report coming up. also, here she comes. sarah palin. she's making waves this morning as she kicks off her one nation bus tour. it's a high-profile road trip but will it lead to a trip it to the white house? plus to italy for the amanda knox case. she was convicted of killing her british roommate and now appealing the verdict. knox is getting support from a grum of italian lawmakers. why and what does this mean for

her? we'll explore that coming up. and then celebrity reinventions. britney spears did it. the robert downey jr. did it. both were successful. but what about arnold schwarzenegger? can he bounce back from shame and from scandal? we'll have the latest on that, also, coming up. but we want to begin in joplin, missouri, with today's memorial service for the victims of the tornado. the death toll now stands at 139 with about 100 people still missing. nbc's ron allen joins us from joplin. ron, good morning. >> reporter: good morning tu to you, lester. yes, those numbers continue to change a bit. one variable is the number of missing and unaccounted for, about 100. many of them could be among the dead or they could also perhaps add to the death toll. the problem is that there are so many bodies and remains that have not yet been identified. it's a very difficult process. that's causing anxiety and frustration for many families who still don't know exactly what happened to their loved ones. somewhere in this rubble is the house where melissa croply

lived. her sister, lindsey, has been everywhere with this cell phone picture telling how neighbors found her laying on her 9-year-old son who survived with severe injuries. she thinks her sister's body was taken to the morgue but she doesn't know for sure. >> we have comfort in the fact we know her last act was to be a mother and protect her son. >> reporter: notifying families has become such a sensitive issue the governor has asked forensics teams to work around the clock. but about 90 sets of remains have not been identified. >> it is our hope that with this accurate, respectful information that healing and mourning can begin. >> i do personally understand there are a lot of victims here. >> reporter: will norton's family just got the news it did not want to hear. >> i want to thank all of you for supporting us and remember that there are so many more people out there and people that need your help.

>> reporter: they searched day and night since the tornado snatched the 18-year-old from his car. on the drive home from his high school graduation. his body was found late friday in a pond. it it is an emotional holiday weekend of tribute to loved ones lost in the storm. dean wells, 59, remembered for helping others survive the rubble of the home depot store where he world and perished. >> your teams are ready to go. >> reporter: through it all, help keeps coming. armies of volunteers from across the country. >> i feel so much sympathy for these families. i can't imagine. i complain about gas priceses and here they are with nothing. >> reporter: the main mission for this group, 2,000 strong, work through mountains of debris, helping joplin survivors salvage as much as they can of their lives. >> i've never seen anything like this in my entire life and i know i probably never will. it's just terribly shocking.

>> reporter: at the 5:41 p.m. this afternoon there will be a moment of silence. exactly one week after the tornado struck that follows the memorial service with president obama here. lester? >> ron allen in joplin, thank you. for president obama the visit to joplin is just the beginning of a very busy week including key personnel changes in his administration at the same time sarah palin raising eyebrows again as she kicks off her bus tour today. david gregory is moderator of "meet the press." he joins us to talk about this and more. david, good morning. >> lester, good morning. >> let me talk about the president's announcement. apparently a shuffle at the pentagon. he's announced robert gates will be replaced by lee on panetta. what else? >> he's getting close to announcing who will succeed admiral mullin as chairman of the joint chiefs as well. this obviously is a key move, putting cartwright in, if that's the ultimate choice, somebody who has extensive experience

and, again, this is the president's top military adviser and someone that he'll rely upon very closely. >> memorial day weekend we are at the start of -- the traditional start for the rush to the white house. sarah palin, how many times have we talked about what is she thinking? now she is on a national bus tour, at least a bus tour taking her up to new hampshire which has eyebrows raised again. what's the plan? >> she looked to the polls and sees that her high name recognition, an appeal unsettled, is keeping her close to the top of the polls. two, she sees that without a real strong social conservative in the race that she could have a real impact, particularly in an early state like iowa where social conservatives are really the most important. so she sees that she is still relevant. she wants to keep herself relevant. she'll be a factor either way but, again, the smart money is that she doesn't run but may take it up to the end. >> and she has no organization in iowa or any of these key states. you have all these other candidates making their

announcements, starting the fund-raising. can she afford to come into the game late? >> i think she has the ability to sort of break the rules here and not play the traditional game. but i think organization matters. it's not just organization, though, lester, it's also some of her core deficiencies as a candidate. she is a polarizing figure, beloved, would be a tea party favorite so she would do well with the aspect of the base but she doesn't play well with independent voters and she hasn't done a lot to shore up those difficulties and those challenges to a potential candidate. >> and michele bachmann, tea party favorite, minnesota congresswoman, she is about to throw her hat in the ring. how does palin's decision affect hers? >> you could see more of a showdown there. that social conservative. bachmann was born in iowa. she'll make an announcement, it appears, to run for the white house in iowa. so, again, that's the first stop in the presidential voting for the conservatives, the iowa

caucuses, whoever could prevail there could get a real bump and keep on going. i think they would both be vying for those same voters. >> and tell us what's coming up on "meet the press." >> we'll talk to senators mcconnell and schumer about the fight over medicare and how this is really a defining issue in the 2012 race. >> all right. we will see you then. david, thanks very much. >> thanks. >> and now here is jenna. lester, thanks. in florida saturday proved to be another explosive day in the casey anthony murder trial. and this time prosecutors focused their attention on text messages that the defendant sent shortly before her arrest. nbc's kerry sanders has the latest. >> reporter: 25-year-old accused murderer casey anthony in court saturday. >> what do you recognize it it to be? >> caylee's bed. >> reporter: tearful as her mother testifies for the prosecution. prosecutors allege casey placed duct tape around her daughter caylee's nose and mouth and dumped the body in the woods near the family home, killing her to escape the responsibilities of motherhood.

and, instead, enjoy the care free life of a party girl. but casey's defense lawyer says the little girl's death was nothing more than a horrible accident. >> caylee anthony died on june 16th, 2008, when she drowned in her family's swimming pool. >> reporter: but nobody called police for 31 days. >> look what you've done. >> reporter: and in a bombshell, the defense attorney told the jury casey's father found the body in the pool and was complicit in the cover-up. casey's lawyers claim she was afraid to tell authorities because she was allegedly sexually abused by her father since she was 8 years old. her father, george, a former police officer, denies those allegations. in fact, prosecutors claim not only did casey kill her daughter but that she stowed her daughter's body in her car. >> the instant flash in my mind, i know what that smells like.

>> reporter: george anthony described that smell as he approached the car. >> that particular smell whenever you smell it is something you never forget. >> reporter: there was no body and he never dialed 911. facing an eight-week-long trial, the judge considered momentarily even having testimony on monday, memorial day, but the costs of opening the court, bringing in bailiffs and deputies ran into real world problems. budgets are tight and the costs associated with this case have already exceeded a million dollars. for "today," kerry sanders, nbc news, orlando. beth karas is a correspondent for "in session." beth, good morning. >> good morning. >> let me start by asking you about these text messages that were introduced into evidence between casey anthony and her ex-boyfriend anthony lazzaro. this is hours after caylee was reported missing. how damaging are they going to

be? >> they're pretty damaging. the jury heard her ex-boyfriend tony lazzaro on the stand reading the text messages. the communication he had and she had. he would ask her, well, where is caylee. i don't know. what do you mean you don't know where your daughter is? i'm such a bad mother. i hope people forgive me. my family will never forgive me. if she's not found, guess who is going to spend eternity in jail, says casey speaking as though caylee is still alive. he called her and then said yesterday that he was so frustrated, he just hung up the phone and said, i have to go to school. and that seems to be one of the last communications they had. but after him, her mother, cindy, took the stand. >> her mother did take the stand. it was very emotional testimony and she talked a lot about these elaborate lies that casey ended up telling in the days and weeks right after caylee went missing. >> yes. now at the time cindy was testifying yesterday, she has only talked about two weeks of

the month period that caylee was missing. but cindy doesn't know caylee is missing at that point. she hasn't been reported missing. casey keeps making up lie after lie as it to the whereabouts of not only herself but her daughter and cindy wants to believe it. she believes casey is in jacksonville, in tampa with the nanny at the beach at universal studi studios. she surprises casey at universal studios. i'm here. you said you were here. come meet me. i'll take caylee home and babysit her. casey says i'm not there, actually i'm in jacksonville. her mother was puzzled. she stopped her testimony yesterday on july 3rd. so when testimony picks up on tuesday, she'll get to july 15th when she finally learns that caylee has been missing for 31 days and she, cindy, calls 911. >> this seems all very damaging to the defense. >> it is. but the defense conceded all these lies in opening statement. now opening statements aren't evidence. they need to put on some evidence to make good on the

promise in the opening but they admit there was no nanny, for a couple of years they thought she had a nanny. >> will casey anthony take the stand? >> i don't know how she can avoid it. i don't the know how the defense can make good on these promises without putting casey on the stand. >> beth karas, we appreciate your insight. thank you this morning. let's get a check of the top stories of the day from richard lui at the news desk. good morning. good morning, go lester. good morning, everyone. we begin with word that a major u.s. defense contractor has come under cyber attack. the pentagon's number one supplier lockheed martin says it th wr arted ab attack on its systems. the company says no customer, program, or employee personal data was compromised there. lockheed martin makes fighter jets like the f-16. now to the violence in mexico and one kindergarten guard

teacher's creative way to protect her students. she ordered everyone in the class down on the floor. the teacher told the children nothing will happen to them if they keep their heads down. what she did tell them is that osd a gun battle was raging. that's what they heard. if her calm and orderly manner, she suggested everyone sing a song, and they did. ♪ >> about chocolate. mexican television reported that five people died in that gun battle. fire crews had to use foam to put out flames in the rear of a delta airlines jet after it landed in atlanta. the airline says the brakes overheated. the passengers got out okay, and four suffered minor injuries, and then finally for you, that famous royal sister-in-law may soon work for the queen of talk. we are talking about kate middleton's sister, pippa. oprah reportedly has house of representatives eye on pippa to star in a reality show on her network. no surprise as media coverage of

pippa since the royal wedding has increased. that's the news. now back to lester, jenna, and chris. >> thank you very much. >> chris warren is here with a look at your memorial day forecast. so far at least here things are looking pretty good. >> the east coast is looking good. it's going to start to feel pretty hot. completely different story on the west side of the country. look at this. temperatures will be cool and we're going to have a chance for showers. the middle part of the country, this is where we'll have a chance for strong storms. the main threat will be a chance for some large hail and possibly some damaging winds. we're also going to have some strong winds today throughout > >>d on the r> ar this morning, we're still seeingheg a few scattered showers around the east bay hills, just to the eat of theunol grade. heading towards mount hamilton. east of san jose a in the east bay hilltops may see a lingering shower this morning. but in the afternoon it will be breezy and drier, still cool, look at the temperatures, upper 60s around san jose, santa rosa,

with the northwest winds warming up and drying out. 70s in the inland valleys. more showers tuesday morning. and southern california. that's a look at your forecast. now here's jenna. >> chris, thanks. up next on "today" the french first lady right after this. ♪ have a better day [ male announcer ] only subway has a deal this flat-out delicious -- the new $3 flatbread breakfast combo. a toasty 6-inch flatbread breakfast sandwich and a 16-ounce cup of freshly brewed seattle's best coffee.

all for just $3. build your better breakfast today. she is the first lady the glamus carla brunh bruni appears to be pregnant, and she's keeping mum on the great expectation. nbc's michelle kazinski has the story. >> reporter: it was almost embarrassing. french first lady carla bruni wants to talk about illiteracy, and all it seems anyone can focus on is her belly. the speculation has been rampant. could it be the 43-year-old ultra chic super skinny super

model model turned singer turned first lady is expecting un baby. just in time for france's next presidential election? carla has been snapped in various ambiguity inducing outfits, including the big bag strategically placed. he hoped it would be a girl, as beautiful as carla, but, still, not an official peep. now that the g8 summit has come to france, there seems little doubt. here is hostess maemd sarkozy in chanel, of course, displaying what looks to be a bump, even appearing to talk about it. she's been given baby gifts. a former first lady has congratulated the couple. a friend of the president has even said it's a boy. so why won't they just announce it? carla has given a sort of ram belling statement to a french magazine saying she wouldn't

want to take away her husband ae important work as president. >> she's been having a hard time to get pregnant, and she's probably waiting the three months that are difficult and risky for a mother to be. >> reporter: in this country where things private tend to be viewed as private, but everyone is reeling from the arrest of presidential frontrunner dominique strauss-kahn in new york on sex charges. a baby might be the thing to brighten the mood for the family and the french. it just seems they're not quite ready yet to broadcast the big news. while the belly does a pretty good job of it all by itself. for "today" michelle kazinski, nbc news, london. en amanda knox anf the stunnin turn of event that is could help her appeal. rybody 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

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good sunday morning, everyone. hope you're having a nice holiday weekend. sun shining over san francisco today. and it's eventually going to make it over the rest of the bay area. rob tells me this is the last of the clouds we're seeing. we're watching them go back over the east hills in san jose. >> a little gloomy in san jose. we have showers around parts of the south bay hilltops, oakland sunny and 49. it's chilly this morning. you can see 40s and 50s around the bay area, winds will be more of a story today. we'll see northwest winds in some of the hilltops up to 35 miles per hour. the last of the showers, east of san jose as the camera behind us showed you. you can see out towards mount

hamilton this morning, we seeing lingering showers mainly east of the sunol grade, they should head off to the south and east. the last of the showers as we transition to a breezy day. we'll see the isolated showers in the east bay and south bay hills through 8:00, noon, sunshine and low 70s today. gusty winds at times in the hills. member yeah day looks dry and the clouds fill in by monday evening. and tuesday, more showers dropping back in. >> not only not 80s, but no 70s in the seven-day. >> 60s to stat off, incredible. have a false alarm we want to tell but that happened in san francisco. a suspicious package found at 18th and castro streets in the city last night. but it is safe according to police. officers blocked off a city block just before 10:00 do inspect the package and they were able to reopen the block a short time later. the package did not contain anything harmful. a 26-year-old nursing student is missing after taking a break from her night class at kaiser hospital in hayward. police say michelle wong teeley

never returned from her class break. investigators say they found her car several blocks away from the hospital parking structure. they say she had her cell phone with her when she walked out of class friday night. but calls to the phone have gone unanswered since. classmates tell police she had planned to drive to reno to visit friends after the class. drivers hitting the road this memorial day weekend might want to think twice about drinking and driving. sheriffs deputies and police are around keeping a close eye out for drunk drivers. in santa clara county, friday, deputies say they arrested 16 people on suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs. last year, during the same time, officers arrested 22 people for d.u.i. if you're in the mood for soccer, san francisco is hosting the street soccer bay area tournament. the event starts at 10:00 a.m., held at the university of san francisco. the tournament is part of a national organization which uses soccer to get homeless people off the streets and find jobs. bay area players will also head

to washington, d.c. in june to compete for this year's street soccer usa cup. coming up at 7:00 on a major milestone for a controversial memorial upsetting some in the area. that, plus all your top stories, coming up at 7:00.

♪ ♪ ♪

♪ >> we're back on this sunday morning. may 29th, 2011. we have sun and fun and the united states navy band. 20 members led by lieutenant junior gray scott lyman, and they're performing "stars and stripes." thanks to them and for all of you for joining us this morning on this memorial day weekend. we're only halfway through, so there's a lot more weekend to come. >> memorial day weekend completely in new york. that's why we have the sailors and the marines over there as well. happy to have them here to join us. >> it's nice when they stop by "the today show" when they're here in town. they hit the most important thing. along side lester holt, i'm jenna wolf, and still to come in

this next half hour, we're talking about this next campaign to free amanda knox now. it's ongoing. >> her appeal process has been going on. she was sentenced to 26 years in prison for the murder of her british roommate, and while the appeal is going on, now she's suddenly getting help from some italian lawmakers who say she's getting a raw deal. they're appealing to president berlusconi. we're talking about celebrities reinventing themselves, and arnold schwarzenegger is the latest to make news as far as celebrity scandal goes. his is among, well, one of the biggest, having a child with a member of his household staff may have ended his marriage, but what will it mean for his future public image? some stars have rebounded, but can he? we'll take a look at that coming up. this holiday weekend, always seems to be the start of so many things. the political season. also, this is the time of the movie blockbuster, and the movies on your list. >> i have to see hangover 2, and i just saw bridesmaids. >> a new harry potter film coming up. >> which movie has a rave ru view? remember our friend jackson

murp murphy? >> how could i forget? >> 12-year-old movie critic. he will join us for some of his summer picks coming up. >> first, another check of the weather from chris. >> hello, jenna and lester. it's a nice day. in fact, a nice -- really nice sunny and warm day on theast coast. we are seeing right now some storms firing up, however, on the west coast. it's a completely different story. it's cool with showers, and right in the middle this is where we're seeing the stronger storms. you can see the areas in red. this is where we have the best chance for strong storms. in fact, by the time we head into tomorrow, that is where we could see severe weather, and we do bring the chance for seeing torn and we'll take you on a tour, the last of the showers around the bay area, had a few in the hilltops, as we zoom in, you can see it looks like that's starting to shut down. still patchy low clouds around parts of the east bay and south bay this morning. it's going to be a cool day, one that's going to turn drier and

breezy as the day wears on. 60s, low 70s for highs today and then tomorrow, memorial day, we'll see increasing clouds for the afternoon. no rain, but tuesday morning, plan on more showers for the tuesday-morning commute. only into the lower 70s. remember, you get your weather any time of the day or night at weather.com or on the weather channel on cable. jenna. >> all right, chris. thank you. in italy a surprising development for amanda knox and her bid to overturn her murder conviction. the young american is determined to prove her innocence, and this morning some very powerful people are backing her case. >> reporter: help for amanda knox from an unexpected corn. italian lawmakers who say she was treated unfairly. they want an investigation into the prosecution's case claiming the ongoing appeals trial has undermind evidence originally used to convict her. >> i think this turn of events gives credibility to amanda

knox's claim of innocence all along. >> reporter: the italian politician spearheading the campaign rocco gilarnda wants president berlusconi to intervene. he has met knox in prison several times and written a book in support of her. knox and ex-boyfriend rafael were convicted of the murder and sexual assault of knox's roommate meredith kircher. she was stabbed to death in what the prosecution says was a sex game gone wrong. the appeals game has already come under close scrutiny as dna evidence from the crime scene continues to be re--examined. italy could face the embarrassment of the prosecutor's office being investigated while the appeals case continues. the question for knox is could it help? >> i think it would put the italian justice system on notice that it is being scrutinized. it can't hurt amanda knox to have italy itself asking the

question did she receive justice? will it exonerate her? i don't know. will it hurt her? no. >> reporter: still, a much-needed boost for the 23-year-old feeling the strain. the appeals trial continues in july with a verdict not expected until the fall. and coming up next, can he recover? arnold schwarzenegger and what the scandal means for his image. that's right after these messages. i'm here because

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♪ i've seen the sunrise paint the desert. witnessed snowfall on the first day of spring. ♪ but the most beautiful thing i've ever seen was the image on a screen that helped our doctor see my wife's cancer was treatable. [ male announcer ] ge technologies help doctors detect cancer early so they can save more lives. bringing better health to more people. ♪ ♪ welcome back. u.s. navy continuing to provide our soundtrack here on this sunday morning, memorial day weekend. i want to talk now about arnold schwarzenegger. he's keeping a low profile these days. his plans to return to acting have been put on hold for the time being while he deals with a

pretty shocking scandal. richard lui joins us to talk more. schwarzenegger is not the first celebrity in need of a makeover. for stars the art of reinvention have come with success as well as plenty of setbacks. >> arnold schwarzenegger. >> from body builder to actor -- >> i'll be back. >> to governor. >> i, arnold schwarzenegger -- >> arnold is a massive reinvention. >> this reinvention may be his biggest challenge yet. >> you have to take ownership of your reputation to get it back, or else the american people aren't going to trust you again. >> many celebrities are savvy media managers who carefully guard their brand. but sometimes stars must polish up tarnished reputations. >> a lot of celebrities succeed in re-inventing themselves because they get back to work. >> it's good to be back. >> robert downey jr. managed to get his act together after battling drug addiction in the '90s by focusing on the big picture.

>> he's been in some of hollywood's top grossing films and within the past five years "ironman" and "sherr lholmes." britney spears has rebounded with a number one album this year. >> may i ask counsel a question, your honor? >> mel gibson is yet to reclaim his command much of the box office after this explosive outburst. the "the beaver" earned only $100,000 it's opening weekend. >> nothing funny about it. >> charlie sheen may have many tw twitter followers but his unapologetic rants cost him his network gig. >> that's all you have? and the jury is still out on what lindsay lohan will do when she's free from house arrest. >> america is the land of reinvention. and i think the american people

are very open to forgiving a celebrity who takes a step in the wrong direction if they're sincere in the desire to get it right and it to make amends. >> making up for bad behavior, sometimes even celebrities need makeovers for their public images. and there's also this, the woman that had schwarzenegger's out-of-wedlock son reportedly has hired a lawyer but, lester, has no plans at the moment to file any lawsuits. >> back inside to jenna. are you one of those people who are searching for the latest get rich quick type of book? if so, stick around. actually not. with us this morning is our dear, dear colleague, willie geist, host of msnbc's "way too early." and his business partner, shall we say boy donald, they are here to give us much needed financial advice or, better yet, a few laughs. the new book is called "loaded! become a millionaire overnight and lose 20 pounds in two weeks or your money back." guys, good morning. just to give people an eidea wht

have this book is advice. always wear a blue tooth ear piece even during sex. stand while talking and always pay off your credit cards with other credit cards. how much of your preaching do you actually prak it tis? >> willie and i have put a lot of this into practice. i'm sorry, i have to take this call real quick. >> and shouldn't you be standing up? >> is that hong kong? >> no, the delaurean. >> i see how it works. >> i'm sorry, jenna. >> i'm almost attracted to you so i see it's working. >> the idea the dollar bill of the two characters you tell this story and they are self-help financial gurus who passed on this advice to us and we're just spreading the gospel. >> two characters named bill? >> if you look rich, you'll feel rich and be rich. they don't get super specific on how that works. >> you have a helpful glossary. you call it the plain english guide to confusing financial terms. like escrow, which you define as an awesome christian rock band

out of tulsa. >> they're really good. >> 401(k) plan, which you say is a phone plan that covers the area code for all of rhode island. >> helpful. >> can be important. >> arbitrage, it's a line of french bath and body products. >> freddie macwas the hard-hitting two-time pro bowl safety for the bucs. died tragedy '86 in a roller coast coaster accident. >> and fannie mae. >> the maker of fine baked goods. >> i'm going to read off the cover. these guys are i had yochdiots. it's from donald trump. are you idiots? pregnant pause. did you notice there was a pregnant pause? >> donald trump was talking about bill and bill, the dollar bills. he has great admiration for me and for boy. >> not so much. >> he thinks these guys are idiots and he's perhaps right. >> it seems like this is

hilario hilarious. just thumbing through this especially the part at losing 20 pounds in two weeks, if you ever want a girl to read this, put it on the cover. i read this in 3 1/2 minutes. no advice for me on weight loss. not one word. >> again, we saw all the weight loss books on the amazon list and saw people are buying these books. if we put that promise on the title, you don't have to deliver. >> will i be a better person after reading this book? >> no. >> absolutely not. >> thanks so much. your advice, i'm taking it to heart, i probably look better realady, right? ou>> do. y you're glowing. >> thank you. i can't let allergies stop me from leading the way... so, i get claritin clear... alright... let's move on team ! claritin works hard to relieve my worst symptoms. and only claritin is proven to keep you as alert and focused as someone without allergies. no other brand can say that not even allegra. watch your step ! i couldn't do this without you ! don't let allergies hold you back.

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memorial day weekend is the

start of the movie season. to find out, we decided to invite back one of america's most unique film critics. last year he joined me here on the plaza. take a look. >> terrible story. i mean, so many films these days, they have characters that just get hit in the private parts. it's not funny, people. >> no one wants to see that. >> it's not funny. >> not to be inappropriate but i love this kid. he's now back at the ripe age of 12 and he's back to preview some of this summer's biggest blockbuster. emmy award winner jackson murphy, aka lights camera jackson. you bring back a lot of memories. a lot of good memories. some of your fonder memories, right? this has been quite a year for you. you've had a lot of national tv. you did jay leno. >> that was so much fun. >> tell us what the last year has been like. >> so much fun going to places like jay leno. he's the nicest guy right here on nbc. and i've been work iing on a

newspaper column and australian tv station. by the way, the website is www.lightscamera system jackson.com. i've been doing a lot of work over the last year. still on local tv. >> why don't you ask and answer your own questions. let me ask you this question, you're 12 years old. you're still not only enough to see rated-r movies. do you still love what you're doing? >> i do. >> you mentioned you may want to be a game show host. >> and i still do. i love reviewing movies. i may want to segway into something else, talk show, game show host, weekend "today" if lester is not here. >> only if lester is not here. >> that's what you said last year. >> clearly it stuck. >> i so hope to continue my job. >> you do reviews. there's a bunch of new movies coming out this summer. >> a big summer. >> "harry potter" the big blockbust

blockbuster. not out yet. >> it comes out july 15th. but this is the epic finale in e harry potter series. i have not read any of the books or seen most of the movies. i've been following the last couple of them. i still don't know if he dies. so nobody spoil anything for me. but in a way i'm looking forward to this only because it's supposed to be this big, epic action film where part one of "the deathly hallows "has any action in it. very disappointing. >> okay. i'll take that. next up i've heard of tabloid movies and alien movies. why not combine the two. we have "cowboys and aliens." >> the director of "the ironman "movies. opening july 29th and this is where cowboys meet aliens and they have to save the entire earth because of these aliens coming. so this looks like a whole lot of action. this looks like a good, fun, entertaining action movie not only for kids but adults may like this as well. >> if if i play my cards right, maybe you and i can go see it together. you be the adult and me be the

kid. perfect. next up steven spielberg's new movie. this seems like a scary movie. >> it's kind of a mystery, though. not a lot of the plot has been given away for this movie yet. it's mostly about a group of kids who are reporting a movie on the cameras and they saw a train accident and all of a sudden a lot of people disappear in the town. this one comes out on june 10th. got j.j. abrams who directed "star trek" and "lost" and steven spielberg is the executive producer. >> how do you know so much about this? how are you so good and animated? do you go in with a pen and paper and jot down notes while you're in there? >> usually i look on line every day of the latest news. the latest news and see what's happening. i love watching the trailers. trailers are even more fun than movies themselves especially if the film is a bad movie. >> let's move on. next up jim carrey is in this. >> loosely based on the

children's book. this could be a little bit sillier than the book it's loosely based on. jim carrey inherits six penguins in his apartment and his children and wife come in. this looks like a silly movie. i don't know if it's going to be a lot of fun but for the kids. >> the last time were you here you said to me, you know, jenna, i really enjoy the classics like the pixar movies. that was hilarious. >> i said that last year. and let me emphasize that again. >> now comes "cars 2." >> i'm really looking forward to "cars 2." one of of the most underrated and my personal favorite disney pixar film of all time. larry the cable guy is back. you have michael cane as the spy car. this is a bit unusual but it looks fantastic. another great pixar. it could be a big hit it at the box office looking at over $300 million. >> interesting if you haven't mentioned your website yet which is strange to me, where could we

find this? >> you can find any of this at lightscamerajackson.com. so far this summer it's just been okay. "thor" was not great nor was "pirates of the caribbean." not as great as the original but still okay. >> and if lester ever calls out sick, you know who my next co-anchor will be, this it guy right here. >> thank you so much. >> action jackson. >> you can also get this on the website, your own t-shirt. >> can i keep it? >> yes, you may. >> look at that. thank you so much. are you jealous, lester? >> i'm going to get an official tester, worried about my job. memorial day is the unofficial kickoff to summer and what better way to celebrate than by entertaining in your own backyard. designer and entertainment expert mark adams is here with tips to help us all season long. good to have you here. we're going to first -- there are so many reasons to party

during the summer. you have memorial day, july 4th and just summer in general. what's on the evengs list if i want to do a party on the fly? >> well, on my essential list this is what all summer hosts should be using. acrylic napkin ring, melamine plates, acrylic glassware, two sizes, a wineglass and a tumbler, and i love these, recyclable flatware. >> we've set some themes up here based on these items you mentioned. the first one is a patriotic theme. >> it is. we have our red, white and blue working here and it's on a white tablecloth and everybody should have a white tablecloth in their summer entertaining arsenal and we're adding color with napkin and napkin rings. >> what did you do with those? >> this is versatile. i added a color pattern on the background and it matches all of my decor perfectly and it changes as you go through the summertime. >> okay 0. quite brilliant. and of course i love vases and

great shapes. this i call the doughnut vase. it makes me hungry every time i look at it. some of the great things here, red and blue ice cubes and a white flower. >> tell me what you did food wise. i look at cupcakes and i look closer -- >> they are cupcakes. they're just meatloaf cupcakes. these are simple meatloafs cooked in muffin tins. >> tell me that's not sugar icing. >> it's not. it's mashed potatoes colored red, white and blue. wash it all down with a berry patriotic sangria with blueberries and raspberries frozen in the hottest thing this summer, fruit ice cubes. it will cool you down. >> show me this theme. >> this is citrus. start iing with our basics and adding another color here. i love the lemon, the tangerine and the lime colors here and my dinner ware is working overtime. these are plates and bowls to create a three-tiered food display. when you're not using your pitcher, put some flowers in it.

of course our napkin rings. now we've changed the pattern. if you take a look, the rings are being used as a food display. >> quickly show me what's down here. >> this is mix and match. we have it all working together, all my essentials are working well. i love this because i created a make your own salad bar. and you can get all these premade and put them all in the bowls. the this is our melamine dinner wear and serving it with infused water. it has lemons and cucumbers and your pitcher is doing yet another duty. >> we have to run. we'll be back with more after this. ♪ [ male announcer ] doctors have been saying it forever. let's take a look. but they've never actually been able to do it like this. let's take a look. v-scan from ge healthcare. a pocket sized imaging device that will help change the way doctors see patients.

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and that's going to do it for us.

thank you so much. chris warren, always a pleasure. >> i'll see you later on "nbc nightly news." we leave you with the u.s. navy band performing "stars and stripes." have a great day, everybody.