laughed but said he would never do it again. >> i'm sorry. >> jon will join you for a local news cut-in in half an hour. ridiculous. have a good day. good morning. breaking news. powerful santa ana winds batter the west from california to wyoming. hurricane force gusts downing trees, sparking fires and knocking out power to l.a.x. and hundreds of thousands of people. upswing. the dow surges nearly 500 points, the biggest one-day gain in nearly two and a half years. this morning, stocks are down just a tick. and rocking around the christmas tree. >> three, two, one! >> the rockefeller center tree set aglow, a sure sign the

holiday season is in full swing today, thursday, december 1st, 2011. captions paid for by nbc-universal television and good morning, everyone. welcome to "today" on a thursday morning and isn't she beautiful? take a look at the rockefeller center christmas tree as we have stepped out to the channel gardens on this chilly thursday morning to admire her in all her glory. i'm matt lauer along with savannah guthrie and mr. al roker. ann is on assignment. you guys did the honors last night lighting that tree with 250,000 of your closest friends. >> exactly. >> absolutely. >> we slept right under the tree to get here in time for the show this morning. it is beautiful. al, you've done this so many years. this was my first time. it was absolutely amazing. >> you never get tired of that thrill when the lights go on for the first time.

>> it's beautiful. if you look back here, savannah, if you could do this for one second, you're kind of looking just like one of the angels here. >> oh, matt, what's come over you? >> it's the cold apparently. >> i know. i'm suspicious. >> by the way, how about the good news on wall street? >> wow. >> things definitely looking brighter. >> 490 points on wednesday, good news from the central banks as they take action to alleviate some of the fallout from the european debt crisis. some good jobs numbers. here in the united states and of course holiday shopping sales going pretty well. jim cramer is going to stop by the studio in a couple minutes to talk about the state of the economy. >> okay. if you do have a little extra money to spend these holidays or let's say a lot of extra money, we have an idea for you. elizabeth taylor's beautiful collection of dazzling jewels, memorabilia, wedding dresses, outfits, it's all going up for auction at christie's. and i'm going to walk down the block in a few minutes and check

out this collection. >> kind of funny when you say wedding dresses. >> exactly. >> i wasn't going to say it. holiday spirit, al. >> we have a lot to get to. let's head inside to natalie morales standing by at the news desk with a look at the headlines. good morning, everyone. the worst santa ana winds in years are wreaking havoc in southern california today with gusts of up to 80 miles per hour possible in some areas today and tomorrow. more than a quarter of a million customers are without power there today. and firefighters battle the braise near the occidental college campus sparked by the winds. high wind warnings and advise ris are in effect in six straits across the west including new mexico, nevada and arizona. on wall street the dow industrials opened lower then drifted back towards positive territory again as investors cashed in on profits from wednesday's nearly 500-point rally. that was the dow's best performance in more than two years. also cooling the mood, new numbers out this morning showing an uptick in claims for unemployment benefits last week. we'll have much more on the economy coming up in this half

hour. penn state's new president is promising to raise ethics at the school to a new level. he told students at a town hall meeting last night that everyone on campus must do what's moral, not just what's legal. school officials have been criticized for failing to do more to alert authorities to the alleged child sex abuse by former defensive coach jerry sandusky. meanwhile, the first civil suit in the case was filed on wednesday. the world's top selling drug of all time will now be available in a generic version. pfizer lost u.s. patent protection over the cholesterol drug lipitor on wednesday. in an 11th hour decision last night the u.s. food and drug administration granted indian company ranbaxy the approval to sell a generic version. it generated nearly $8 billion in u.s. sales in the last year alone. and the nominations are in for music's biggest night as british singer adele swept up six grammy nods and kanye west snapped up a total of seven.

other nominees include foo fighters, rihanna, and who else, lady gaga. this will be the third year in a row gaga has gotten a nomination for album of the year. this guy is going to need a bigger boat. a tourist caught this great white shark circling his fishing boat off the coast of north carolina. the great white apparently even slammed the boat with its tail at one point. he said he knew something was fishy when everything was biting at first and then suddenly nothing was biting the bait at all. that is huge! i'd be running as fast as i could away from that. they need a bigger boat. back out to savannah and al. >> classic we're going to need a bigger boat situation. natalie, thank you so much. how about a check of the weather? >> all righty. out west we've been having big problems with the santa ana winds and we're going to continue that for the second day. low pressure in the southwest. high pressure up in the northwest. between the two, you see those lines? that's the pressure gradient. winds squeezed through there so noon friday. gusts of 60 miles per hour in

the canyons and passes all the way down to san diego where they got wind advisories and it goes as far north as san jose and san francisco with wind advisories until thursday, until this afternoon at 6:00 with wind gusts of 60 miles to 50 miles per hour. airport delays are going to be extensive along the coast and then we've got mountain snows in the rockies, anywhere from another 4 to 6 inches of snow, including denver. that's what's going on around the country. here's what's happening in your neck of you heard it from al roker. very gusty winds pump through the san francisco bay all across the bay area. we have winds sustained at 23 miles per hour right now. in fairfield, 22 miles per hour. and the winds will be relentless at least until this afternoon. we should start to drop off later this evening. and your temperatures result of high pressure warming us up going to bring nurnls into the 70s later on today. 71 in san jose. test weather. matt? >> thank you very much.

it was a banner day on wall street. the dow soared on wednesday closing up 490 points, the largest single-day gain since march of 2009. jim cramer is the host of cnbc's "mad money." jim, good to see you. good morning. let's go through the laundry list. up 490 points, closes over 12,000, the nasdaq and the s&p both up about 4%. why were investors so happy? >> we were joyous about three things. first around 5:00 in the morning china cut its interest rates, the equivalent of letting the banks lend more. second we come in and there is coordinated action by many of the great powers to be able to help europe. and then we're hiring, matt. we got a survey that showed real hiring. >> when you talk about this coordinated effort by central banks to help europe, this was not a fix of the debt crisis. they didn't do anything to alleviate the crisis. what they did, and this comes from a guy at the bank of japan, the step is meant to buy time for european countries to proceed with their fiscal and

economic reform. so not a fix but a good sign. >> totally true. what happened is there were some major banks in europe that apparently were far worse off than we thought. that's why this emergency action. why? because they own a lot of this debt issued by these countries. unless we fix the debt problem with these major countries we're just going to go right back down. >> the other reason you talked about, the job picture here in the united states, private companies created about 100,000 more jobs than the analysts had expected in the month of november. but it makes you think, are these temporary seasonal holiday jobs? are they going to stick around after the first of the year? >> entirely possible some of them are. matt, look, i'm not going to look through some of this news. we definitely have more people being employed. we'll know more tomorrow when we get the payroll numbers. >> what is the next -- you just beat me. what is the next big indicator you want to see that is going to tell you whether this economy is moving in the right direction or is going to face more volatility? >> two things. we've got to see how many people were hired from the labor department. but second we're going to get another read on how christmas sales -- holiday sales are. this is the most important thing of all.

because retail is what dominates this country. if it's as strong as it was last week, i'll tell you that our country is much better. >> it would signal the fact that consumer confidence is on the rise if they're out there spending this holiday season. >> that can offset how bad it is in europe. >> all right. jim cramer, thank you very much. good to see you. a reminder you can catch jim on "mad money" week nights 6:00 and 11:00 eastern time on cnbc. it's now nine minutes after the hour. here is savannah. thanks. now to politics and the presidential race. the republican front-runners are now trading jabs as herman cain tries to rally support in the states to stay in the race. chuck todd is nbc's political director and chief white house correspondent. good morning to you. >> reporter: good morning. despite all the talk about herman cain reassessing his campaign following the latest allegations of infidelity, cain's showing no signs he's about to drop out of the race. and unless his family is pressuring him to do it, there may not be much incentive for him to get out. >> these stupid people are ruining america. >> reporter: with his fading

campaign in fading campaign in jeopardy herman cain is defiant oddly choosing to campaign in ohio wednesday, a state whose primary is seven months away. cain told supporters the allegations were a conspiracy. >> they're attacking my character, my reputation, and my name in order to try and bring me down. >> reporter: cain told fox news he'll decide whether to stay in the race by next week, acknowledging the accusations of infidelity and sexual harassment have taken their toll. >> it is constantly weighing on me and my family, especially my family, because it continues to stir in the news. >> reporter: later, in new hampshire, cain spoke about his wife, gloria. >> i have talked to my wife many times since monday about this situation. i have not talked to her face to face. that's what i said. we have had many lengthy conversations. this is another reason why i am not going to make a decision until after we talk face to face. >> reporter: still, cain's

acting like he's staying in the race. the campaign unveiled this new tv ad set to debut friday in iowa. >> if you make me america's ceo we the people will take this country back. >> reporter: in iowa, another former top tier candidate, michele bachmann, attracted unwanted attention with these comments on iran. >> you may have heard that there is a break-in at the british embassy and the british had to pull their people out. that's exactly what i would do. we wouldn't have an american embassy in iran. i wouldn't allow that to be there. >> reporter: bachmann's campaign tells nbc news she is fully aware there is no american embassy in iran, that she meant the british did the right thing shutting theirs. meanwhile, the race between current cofront-runners mitt romney and newt gingrich is heating up. romney is up with his first serious tv ad, reintroducing himself to new hampshire voters. >> i spent my life in the private sector. i've competed with companies around the world. i've learned something about how it is that economies grow. >> reporter: gingrich, who refers to romney as a great

manager, says his own conservative credentials make him better equipped to take on president obama. >> i think the person who is able to debate obama and draw a sharp and defined contrast has an enormous advantage. i don't think you go to the middle. you bring the middle to you. >> reporter: republican power brokers seem increasingly comfortable if it's these two candidates making it into the finals for the republican nomination. >> mitt romney understands business and job creation. newt gingrich understands government. those are two very important strengths. >> now the gingrich resurgence campaign is having growing pains. they let a few things slip through the cracks which can happen with little staff. he failed to file for the missouri primary, a nonbinding primary, only a thousand dollars filing fee. every other candidate is on it. he doesn't have a full delegate slate in new hampshire. none of them are fatal blunders but symbolic of an organizational issue potentially. meanwhile, take a look at this moment from president obama on the noncampaign campaign trail

in scranton, pennsylvania yesterday, working a rope line. a woman put a scare into the secret service when she was a little too enthusiastic trying to get his attention, grabbing at his bicep. the president kept smiling and did eventually loosen her grip. savannah? >> all right. nbc's chuck todd with the political headlines from washington. thanks. it is now 7:13. here's matt. thank you. vice president joe biden is wrapping up his final visit to iraq before the u.s. military withdrawal at the end of this year. ann traveled to baghdad with the vice president and sat down with him for an exclusive interview. >> reporter: how secure can iraq really be when you, as a vice president, still must arrive under the cloak of darkness, under heavy security? >> there still are concerns here in iraq but if you take a look at it, ann, violence is down to an all-time low, all the way back to 2002.

we're in a situation where it's been that way for the last year and a half, but there are still the one-off jobs that can occur. >> there was one just this morning. >> yes. >> car bomb with casualties. >> right. and, you know, also there are car bombs in europe. there are car bombs throughout the middle east. there's car bombs -- i mean, it is -- but the idea that there is a sufficient capacity to bring down this government, to fundamentally alter this democratic process that's under way, that no longer exists. >> reporter: do you worry that in the rush to fulfill a campaign promise, the obama administration is pulling out of iraq too soon? >> this is no rush, ann. eight years. this is no rush. over 4,500 dead, 30,000 wounded. this is no rush. it's three years since we took office almost. we've done this in a way that no one thought could be done.

144,000 troops when we took office. now in a position with highly trained iraqi military, training their police force. this is no rush. >> in a war that was started to protect the world from weapons of mass destruction that were never found, can the united states claim victory? >> we're not claiming victory. what we're claiming here is that we've done the job our administration set out to do, to end the war we did not start, to end it in a responsible way, to bring americans home, to end the le bleeding both financially and physically that this war has caused, and to leave in place the prospect of a trained military, a trained security force, under democratic institutions, where the disparate parties are, for the first time, in generations,

actually working together. it's not done yet, but there is real hope. >> reporter: what is to prevent iran from moving in as the u.s. moves out? >> there is no possibility of them having the capacity without the world reacting -- not just the united states -- the world reacting -- if all of a sudden iran was to move across its border and invade any other countries in the region. >> you said in your senate farewell speech, quote, personal relationships is the one thing that unlocks the true potential of this place. >> i believe that. >> reporter: has president obama done enough? has he been effective in creating the personal relationships required to lead this country? >> he has tried very, very hard. he's tried repeatedly with the speaker. he has tried with the leaders in the united states senate. he meets regularly with the leadership of both. i think most of my republican

colleagues would say and have said that i have strong personal relationships with them. and yet nothing has moved. and the reason is, this is not your father's republican party. the republican party is sort of trying to find its soul. so i don't think it's personal relationships. i think it's the ability to get a consensus in the republican party through the republican leadership. >> you have not yet closed the door on 2016. are you ready to do that today? are you running for president? >> i am never ready to close the door on anything. that is a foolish thing to do. i learned a long time ago. my dad had an expression. he said, joe, remember, never argue with your wife about anything that is going to happen more than a year from now, and don't make decisions about anything that is going to happen more than a year from now. i am intent on re-electing barack obama president of the united states of america. the rest will take care of itself. >> reporter: when you look in your son's face, a young man who

served in this country, served for the united states in its war in iraq, and you go back to him representing all of the thousands of young men and women who have risked their lives, died, lost their friends, what do you say? >> first of all, i say, i'm so damn proud of you. i am so incredibly proud of him and these kids, and i say it mattered. they straightened out a situation that they inherited. they did it in a way that this is in my view the greatest generation. this isn't the x generation. this is the exceptional generation. they are amazing. you know, when bo came home after a year, obviously there was an overwhelming sense of joy and relief, but there was this -- all i could think of was

those fallen angels whose parents were in dover to recover their child. i'm sorry. this -- anyway, i say to them, be proud of what you did for your country, be proud of the example you showed the world, and, most of all, be proud of how you protected your fellow soldiers. >> that's ann's exclusive interview with vice president joe biden. you can see more of that interview tonight on "nightly news." it's 19 after the hour. here's savannah. >> thanks. secretary of state hillary clinton is on her historic trip to the southeast asian nation of myanmar, a country in the midst of dramatic change after years of isolation. nbc's ian williams is there this

morning. ian, good morning to you. >> reporter: good morning, savannah. hillary clinton is the highest ranking u.s. visitor to myanmar for 50 years, coming here to judge for herself the progress of reforms that are bringing unexpected change after two decades of repressive military rule. until just a few weeks ago, this would have been inconceivable, a u.s. secretary of state in myanmar, meeting leaders of what had been regarded as a pariah state all in the surreal and isolated new capital, built from scratch in the middle of nowhere, and with so few people its vast eight-lane highways are almost deserted. until recently it was largely off limits to westerners. it's a world away from the old capital of yangon, a city of dilapidated, colonial era buildings and stunning pogodas where the reforms and clinton's visit are generating enormous hope. >> we are welcome and we are happy to see her. and i hope that it is a good

visit for change in burma. >> reporter: until recently, this would have been almost unheard of -- portraits of pro democracy leader aung san suu kyi openly on display. censorship has been eased. political prisoners have been released and restrictions on protests have been lifted. the changes are all the more remarkable when you consider it's only been a year since aung san suu kyi was released from house arrest where she spent 15 of the last 22 years. although not everybody is convinced about the sincerity of the government. this man was a political prisoner for 17 of the last 21 years. >> there had been some changes. i mean, these are changes more nominal than real. >> reporter: more nominal than real. >> real, yeah. but we'll have to wait and see. >> reporter: he estimates that more than 500 political prisoners are still behind bars. clinton is pressing for their release and the speeding of change. the government perhaps now realizes there is a lot to be gained by opening up, not least

from the many tourists who will surely flock here with a little less guilt. secretary clinton is now in yangon where thursday evening she'll have a private dinner with aung san suu kyi who believes the government is sincere and who may soon test the reforms by standing for parliament. savannah? >> all right. ian williams, thank you. just ahead, the primary suspect in the disappearance of a florida mom knocks over a photographer on his way to court where he won back custody of the couple's young twins. why did the missing woman's mother hug him afterward? she'll explain in a live interview. but first, this get the technology they love,

on the network they deserve. like the powerful droid charge by samsung, or get the samsung stratosphere, and for a limited time, get twice the data for the same low price. verizon. still ahead, savannah, good shopping for her own christmas present. >> you shouldn't have. you didn't. an exclusive preview of elizabeth taylor's eye-popping and glamorous dresses headed for the auction block. first your local news and

weather. twizzlers. the twist you can't resist.

they won't be beat. oh, actually... then i'd be like, you rule! and my kids would be like, you rule! oh, load up the sleigh; this is going to be a great christmas. [ male announcer ] more christmas for your money, guaranteed. good morning to you. it is 7:26 right now. i'm laura garcia-cannon. >> a memorial service will be held today for a san jose soldier killed in afghanistan. the body of sean walsh returned home yesterday. the national guardsman died in the line of duty on november 16th. walsh was expected to finish his tour of duty shortly before christmas. the public memorial will be held today between 9:00 a.m. and 9:00 p.m. at the oak hill funeral home in san jose. a man is behind bars accused of running down a firefighter with his car in san francisco. 22-year-old eduardo is charged with attempted murder, mayhem

and assault with a deadly weapon. they argued at a restaurant and then he deliberately ran him down at a gas station. he is still in critical within severe head trauma. >> good morning to you at home. it's still blustery out there. with winds sustained up wards of 20 miles per hour in fairfield, livermore and san jose. that will continue to be the case throughout the day with locally heavier gusts up to 50 miles per hour from time to time. even on the valley floor. stronger gusts through the mountai mountains. temperatures in the 70s. breathe and relax. this weekend looks good. as we head through the weekend the onshore flow really resumes. now let's check your drive. >> we're still following the police activity blocking three lanes of westbound 580 santa rita road through dublin and

pleasanton. very slow. you're over an hour longer than you expect to take coming out of the pass without any good alter nant. unless you take the train. only one more train remains if for morning. the bart train doesn't pick up until the dublin pleasanton station. look at that big delay. we have to wait for the coroner arrive to do an investigation there. 880 is moving smoothly past the coliseum. 15 minutes up to the toll plaza. the camera shakes from time to time. high winds. back to you. >> for the latest traffic and news updates. check out nbc bay area on facebook. another local news update for you in half an hour. ♪

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7:30 now on a thursday morning, december 1st, 2011, the day after the rockefeller center tree lighting ceremony. the crowd outside in a festive mood as the 25-day countdown to christmas is now officially under way. meanwhile, inside studio 1-a i'm matt lauer alongside savannah guthrie who is filling in while ann is on assignment in iraq. just ahead, elizabeth taylor was known for her remarkable roles and her love of the finer things. >> now many of her personal treasures including her collection of jewelry, the crown jewels of hollywood, they're going on display at christy's

right here in new york city. >> it's an incredible collection. and a fascinating guy is going to stop by. sir richard branson is out with a new book and has a rather interesting message for fledgling business owners. he'll share that and tell us how he is doing in the wake of that terrible fire that ripped through his home, his island home a little earlier this year. we'll begin with the twin toddlers of a missing florida mom ordered to be returned to their father, who is considered the primary suspect in the case. we're going to get reaction from michelle parker's mother and sister in a moment, but first nbc's mark potter is in orlando with the details. mark, good morning. >> reporter: good morning to you, savannah. there is still no word on what happened to michelle parker, who disappeared two weeks ago today, but at a custody hearing a decision was made about two of her kids. on a day that started rather rough. just before the custody hearing there was disorder near the

court. dale smith who police say is their only suspect in the disappearance of his ex-fiance, michelle parker, lunged at a news photographer, knocking him to the ground. people who arrived with smith could then be heard jeering the fallen photographer. in the court hearing, itself, it was much quieter as state officials tried to take away smith's 3-year-old twins he shares with parker and whom he has been keeping since her disappearance. the state claims he is a potential danger to the children. >> he has a pattern of domestic violence with women he is involved with, which is significant because if you're going to see what he has done in the past it is a good indicator of the future. >> reporter: even though smith has a history of trouble with the law, his lawyer argued that's long in the past, and said there is no reason to believe he'd do anything wrong now. >> you just don't go and take children from a home when this

most minimal and most vague accusations. >> reporter: in the end the judge ruled smith could keep his kids. >> i don't see any evidence that he presents any imminent risk of substantial harm to these children. >> reporter: right afterward parker's sister ran out of the courtroom crying, but her mother, yvonne stewart, hugged dale smith, the main suspect in her daughter's disappearance. stewart explained later she wants to keep a good relationship and still see her grand kids. >> this is the defendant, michelle parker. >> reporter: parker was last seen november 17th, the day she appeared on a taped episode of "the people's court" fighting with smith over an engagement ring. >> he said he wanted his ring so i took it off and i threw it at him. >> reporter: meanwhile, sheriff's divers search an orlando lake near the area where a ping from parker's cell phone was last detected on the day she went missing. police say the search was routine and not based on a tip, and a spokesman says they found

nothing. and that spokesman also explained the reason smith is the main suspect is he is the last known person to have seen her alive when she dropped her kids off at his house, but smith has said that he had no involvement in her disappearance. savannah? >> all right. mark potter in orlando, thank you. we're joined now by michelle parker's mom yvonne stewart, and parker's sister, lauren erickson. good morning to both of you. >> good morning. >> good morning. >> yvonne, let me start with you. we can't even fathom what you must be going through right now, not knowing where your daughter is. a lot of folks are looking at what happened in court and now dale smith who has been named the primary suspect in the case once again has your grandchildren in his custody and yet you gave him a hug at the end of the court date. what was going through your mind? how do you feel about him at this point? >> what was going through my mind is that this is such an emotional experience and just going so fast and i have so much love for those grand babies.

i just wanted to let him know that if, you know, we can help with those babies and we want to. >> what do you think about dale smith in regards to his alleged involvement in the disappearance of your daughter? are you suspicious of him? >> he is definitely considered the primary suspect. i know that, but he still hasn't been charged. >> lauren, do you take a different view? you and i talked a couple days ago. i sensed from you that you do have some suspicions about your sister's ex-fiance. >> i am her sister so we talked a lot about their relationship. we just had a really close sister relationship. i'm definitely going to be protective over my sister and the things she's told me. of course, it's crossed my mind, but at the same time we still have to, you know, keep focused on looking at all aspects, because if we put all of our

thoughts on one thing and it turns out later not to be there could be somebody sitting out there being like ha ha they're not even looking at me. >> yvonne, obviously the kids were returned to the custody of dale smith. are you disappointed with that decision? are you concerned for their welfare? >> i am disappointed with that decision, because we've raised them for a period of about three years now since they were born. and that's where they're the most comfortable. that's where they're happy. >> they're with their brother, their dog. >> austin is only 11 years old, and he cried so hard yesterday when i told him that the judge said i had to take him back. and he's just like, why? i'm like, well, because right now that's where they need to go and if i don't do it, i can't keep looking for michelle, honey. so i have to keep looking for michelle. >> i know you did have the twins for a brief time before the court returned them to mr. smith. how are they doing? are they asking for their mom?

>> let me tell you what's sad is that i got to pick them up about 10:30 that night. then i found out i had to appear in custody court hearing at 7:00 in the morning. by the time we got done and i got back to my house, i got to spend, you know, a couple hours with them and we looked at train tracks and they saw a picture of their mommy on the road and they went oh, there's mommy. she's at work. yeah, baby. she's at work. >> well, these are incredibly difficult days. we know that it's hard for you to get up and be with us and we really appreciate it. thank you. >> we thank you, too, and the one thing we do want to ask you, all the media, we appreciate everything that you're doing for us. please, please don't print pictures of our grandchildren. >> all right. lauren and yvonne, thank you for your time this morning. >> thank you. we'll turn now and get a check of the weather from al. today's weather is brought to you by coffee mate. get in the spirit by picking up

your favorite holiday flavors. as we look at some of the temperatures around the country, it is awfully chilly back in the rockies anywhere from 10 to 20 degrees below normal from denver, colorado springs, amarillo, texas. a high of only 35. casper, wyoming 23 degrees. the rest of the country today those cold temperatures extend all the way up into the upper plains and the upper midwest. 30s in northern new england. we've got 70s and 80s in southern texas. you see plenty of sunshine in the pacific northwest although it will be a little on the breezy side. sunny skies up and down the eastern seaboard. more seasonal conditions and we're looking at some snow showers good thursday morning to you. it's still blustery out there. the camera shakes from time to time on the golden gate bridge. take it easy if you drive a high profile vehicle. the wind will continue throughout the day today. especially in the higher elevations. breezy to windy conditions. everything should start to relax by 6:00 p.m. tonight. and especially as we wake up

tomorrow morning. winds should be on the calm side. 70 in gilroy. temperatures drop off tomorrow. but quiet weather moves in all the way through the weekend. that's your latest weather. check your weather any time. go to the weather channel on cable or weather.com online. coming up next five signs the real estate market may be hitting rock bottom. we'll check out elizabeth taylor's dazzling collection of jewels and other treasures before they hit the auction block. but first, these messages. ♪ ♪ express yourself ♪ [ female announcer ] your favorite holiday flavors are here. with some new ones to love. ♪ ♪ oh, do it ♪ oh, do it ♪ express yourself [ female announcer ] introducing new warm cinnamon sugar cookie and brown sugar maple latte. coffee is like the holidays. it's better when you add your flavor.

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estate" has the housing market hit rock bottom? we are starting to see some encouraging signs in the market but do they really mean it is a good time to buy or is it still a time to sell? barbara corcoran is today's real estate contributor. nice to see you. good morning. >> nice to see you, matt. >> let's talk about good news. pending home sales in the month of october up 10% from september. up 13% from a year ago in october. what does that mean? >> that means that's the largest change for one month in a long time. it simply means more people are buying homes but even more importantly, fully 20% of all the homes in america actually have appreciating prices for the first time. >> if you look at who is buying these homes, according to a study i saw 30% of the homes being sold right now are sold to investors. it's important because those aren't people who act on emotion. they don't fall in love with a house. they buy homes because they think they bankrupt to make mond -- about to make money with those homes. >> they think they'll make money

when they flip the homes and most important they know they can hold the homes and rent them out until the market recovers. these are guys who always work in advance of the market. >> even as we talk about that good news we have to continue to look at the foreclosure situation. about 2 million homes fell into foreclosure in the last year, and some people according to "the washington post" fear that some 3.5 million homes are just one piece of bad news away from going into foreclosure. what does that tell us? >> it tells us that there is a giant black cloud that's still hovering over the entire recovery of the real estate market, and that troubles are still ahead of us. it's not only the foreclosures but the upcoming ones with the people that can't refinance their homes. that's the real problem. >> except there is some good news starting very soon for that, this h.a.r.p. program designed to help struggling homeowners, perhaps as many as 7 million of them. >> i hear the numbers and frankly don't believe them because every program announced by the government has always fallen short, but the one great thing about this new program is you don't have to have your home

appraised so it allows the people who are under water, 1 in 4 americans, to actually get their hands on the cheap money for the very first time. >> so more people will qualify for this then. >> hopefully. >> than in times past? >> let me tell you, from every consumer out there who tries to qualify the hurdles they have to jump over with the lending institutions are enormous so it is a question whether they can hit that finish line. >> if people decide this is the time to buy and you're not going to tell them whether they should or not. >> not going to tell anybody. >> you don't want to get in trouble. but you do have five tips for people looking. >> yes. >> the first is do you see more new cars in the neighborhood? why is that important? >> new expensive cars in the neighborhood. new cars come with young people and jobs bring them in and that means the market is turning around. >> can the neighbors afford the average house? >> even if you can afford it you better make sure everybody else in the town can afford it. >> what is the average price per square foot in the neighborhood? >> of course. brokers can give you price trends but the only one that means anything is what is the

average price per foot because there is no emotion and confusion. >> are the cheaper homes in the neighborhood selling? >> you know why? because every real estate market recovers from the bottom up. if you're looking for a $300,000 home you should be checking out the $200,000 homes to see if they're selling because the food chain moves right up the line. >> drive through the neighborhood and see if there are a lot of for sale signs in the neighborhood. that is important as well. great to see you. >> my pleasure. >> thanks very much. up next, hard work, what it really takes to light the world's most famous christmas tree right after this. i'd race down that hill without a helmet. i took some steep risks in my teens. i'd never ride without one now. and since my doctor prescribed lipitor, i won't go without it for my high cholesterol and my risk of heart attack. why kid myself? diet and exercise weren't lowering my cholesterol enough. now i'm eating healthier, exercising more, taking lipitor. numbers don't lie. my cholesterol's stayed down. lipitor is fda approved to reduce the risk of heart attack and stroke in patients who have heart disease

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happy holidays. back at 7:50 with a look at the freshly lit rockefeller center christmas tree. a quarter million people packed the streets for last night's lighting. if the tree wasn't enough to catch your interest there were plenty of stars to do the job. ♪ ♪ >> three, two, one!

[ cheering ] >> that's nice. the weather cooperated. >> perfect. >> it really was. and filled with stars. you had quite the lineup. >> it is so funny because it's crowded and you think oh, all the people come down. once you see the tree light up and how festive it is you get it. >> the crowds are there and they don't block traffic and create gridlock. ♪ mr. grinch >> it was definitely hard to get around last night. savannah, it was your first time helping light the tree but al has been doing the honors for many years, almost as long as it took to growth year's 74-foot norway spruce. >> nice. >> from new york city, rockefeller center! >> the place is filling up. hundreds of thousands of our closest friends are here in midtown manhattan. >> the place where the holiday season officially begins. >> as we turn on more than

36,000 lights. >> i've been doing this for about 14 years. >> any thoughts on this tree? >> two, one! >> thank you so much for helping light the tree. >> oh, al, that looks so great. >> we hope you've enjoyed christmas in rockefeller center. >> good for you. >> i can't keep a host. >> revolving door of women. >> i'm not working with roker anymore. jd,ahuseaahead, the elizabe taylor auction next door after your local news. card, you get 5% off, right?

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good morning to you. bart's board of directors will vote on a new policy for cutting cell phone services on trains and platforms. it follows months of criticism and controversy after they shut down wireless service in san francisco stations to avert a planned protest. bart's board of directors has already agreed cell service should only be shut down during catastrophic events similar to 9/11. let's get a look at the forecast with christina loren. >> at this point you don't need me to tell you it's windy out there. you probably heard the howling winds out your door. all night long more of the same for the first part of the day. the winds will start to relax a little bit later this evening. we're expecting the wind

advisories to be gone by 6:00 p.m. it will relax by this time tomorrow morning. and the fog returns as we head into your weekend. the weather over the weekend will be calm. 67 in oakland. 70s in some cities like gilroy and san jose. we're done with the wind, and we're not going to see much fog late saturday into sunday. >> christina, we have the lanes for 580 westbound all cleared after the earlier police activity and still huge backup over an hour and a half drive out of the altamont pass. no real good alternates for you. pack your pash. the lanes are open. we have two lanes blocked there. heading out towards the 92 interchange. the san mateo bridge. north of there, let's get a live look out there at the bay bridge toll plaza. we have an update.

a new accident slowing one lane. >> good to know. taung very much, mike. we'll have another local news update in at half hour. check out nbc bay area on facebook. ted. pete, did you forget yours? me pete, me use pen! (laughter) sorry i'm late, i was in the 16th century looking for pete's pen. (laughter) guys, guys. take it easy, ok? pete's mom is videochatting me, and she wants her pen back! ok, alright, well. i just got one. so... yeah, you've got a little... yep, i can feel the wet patch. don't look at it. when it's on your mind, it's on ebay.

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♪ 8:00 on a thursday morning, the first day of december, 2011. it's a clear, crisp morning here in new york city, and we've got an enormous crowd. some of them wearing ear muffs here on the plaza. i'm matt lauer with al roker. ann is on assignment in baghdad. should be on her way home soon. savannah guthrie, who is filling in for ann, has made the long commute a hundred yards down the block to christy's auction house here in new york city. what is cooking, savannah? >> it is really cooking. we are seeing elizabeth taylor's dazzling collection celebrating her life and legacy.

we'll see her jewels, some of her hollywood memorabilia like some of the costumes behind me, some of the art work she has. it's all going on the auction block. we'll tell you how you can get your hands on some of this if you have the means and give you a little sneak preview, too, matt. >> all right. we look forward to that in a couple minutes. what else is happening? >> the open to the loretta young theater. >> dynasty. >> very nice. we all know sir richard branson, an eccentric billionaire who does things differently than a lot of folks. he has a surprising message for anybody starting a business. it's not just about the bottom line. he is going to explain that in just a moment. >> always look forward to having him here. before we go any further let's head inside. natalie is standing by with a look at all the headlines of the morning. >> good morning, matt. good morning, everyone. wall street begins the final month of 2011 coming off its best one-day performance since 2009. on wednesday the blue chips soared nearly 500 points after central banks worldwide made a coordinated effort to cut

borrowing costs. investors are now looking for european leaders to agree on a long-term solution to the eurozone debt crisis. herman cain says he'll make a decision about his future in the republican presidential race after a face-to-face meeting with his wife and family tomorrow. cain says he has yet to speak in person with his wife of 43 years since an atlanta woman accused him of having a long-term affair. cain has denied her claim. penn state's new president is promising to raise ethics at the school to a new level. he told students at a town hall meeting last night that everyone on campus must do what's moral not just what's legal. school officials have been criticized for failing to do more to alert authorities to allege child sexual abuse by former coach jerry sandusky. meantime, the first civil suit in the case was filed wednesday. a new accuser says sandusky sexually abused him more than 100 times in a four-year period and threatened to harm his family if he told anyone about it. the reverend billy graham

spent the night in a hospital near his north carolina home. a spokesman said doctors were testing the 93-year-old evangelist for pneumonia. now for a look at what is trending today, our quick roundup of what has you talking online. smart phone users are heading to youtube to hear a security expert explain how their phones may be spying on them. carrier i.q. software in many phones tracks things like google searches, text messages, and phone numbers and reports them back to carriers. there's currently no way to opt out. music fans are tweeting about the grammy award nominations talking about which artists made the cut. kanye west leads the pack with seven and british singer adele is rolling deep at six nominations along with bruno mars and the food fighters. last night's rockefeller center tree lighting celebration is a popular search on google this morning. justin bieber was among the top performers who helped savannah and al launch the glittering holiday season live here on nbc.

a great night indeed. it's 8:03. let's go back outside to al for a check of your weather. you know, they were yelling so loud because they're so ex excited about these pregnant sisters. i couldn't hear what natalie said. you're sisters and both expecting at the same time? >> six weeks apart. >> congratulations. >> thank you. >> do you know what you're having? >> a boy. >> i find out on tuesday. >> all right. >> along with our cousin. >> grandma is excited? >> absolutely. >> are these the first grand baby? >> no, fourth and fifth. >> still exciting. >> yes. >> all right. let's check your weather to see what's happening. we're going to show you detroit, michigan, nbc local4. partly sunny, cold. 43 degrees. we've got some snow making its way across the upper great lakes. we're also going to be expecting a few showers or so making their way through parts of the southwest. mountain snows there. plenty of sunshine in the pacific northwest. up and down the east coast we have sunny skies. a little cooler than what we've

been experiencing but actually seasonal. hold on to your red hat around here today. we've got gusty winds. you can see owed glory here blowing in the breeze. over christmas in the park, san jose, december 1st, what it looks like out there. windy conditions prevail. north at 1 miles an hour sustained in concord, 23s in livermore. san jose has gusted up to 45 miles per hour and we'll continue to throughout the day. 71 in san jose. finally quiet weather moves in to the weekend. that's your latest weather. savannah, they want you to visit. >> i will but first i have to look at all this amazing stuff. we'll give you an exclusive live look at elizabeth taylor's dazzling collection of jewelry, hollywood memorabilia, including look behind me, these are her wedding bands with richard

burton for both of those marriages. let me just tell you the jewels get bigger from here. we'll be back right after this. jay ] the type of sled you want depends on the type of snow you have. and i have a sled for every type there is. these old-school toboggans are perfect for hard pack and a steep hill. put a little bit of wax on the bottom of this like you would to ski. but that's the great thing about fast. it doesn't need to be new. it just needs to get you from the top to the bottom and do it in a hurry. my name is jay sprague. i'll get you going down the hill, and the holidays are made here at l.l.bean. best foods and holiday leftovers become irresistibly creamy turkey casserole. real delicious best foods. make it real. make it different.

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at the winter event going on now. but hurry -- the offer ends january 3rd. [ santa ] ho, ho, ho! [ male announcer ] know the feeling? try acuvue® oasys brand contact lenses with hydraclear® plus for exceptional comfort. it feels like it disappeared on my eye! [ male announcer ] discover why it's the brand eye doctors trust most for comfort. acuvue® oasys brand. we have headed across the street to christy's auction house to view this amazing collection of elizabeth taylor's jewelry, hollywood memorabilia, and fabulous clothes all from a woman whose motto was the more the better. elizabeth taylor was the last of the great global hollywood stars. she once said she couldn't remember a day when she wasn't famous. her jewelry collection is legend. her career spanned 50 motion pictures over seven decades, winning her two oscars.

she landed her first big role in "national velvet" in 1944 when she was just 12. she was glamorous and tough but also vulnerable. she married and divorced eight times, endured illness, and substance abuse. taylor challenged convention and those who wanted to sweep aids under the carpet. elizabeth taylor lived life at full tilt. >> hundreds of elizabeth taylor's items will be here at christy's and anybody in the public can see them starting on saturday. mark potter is the ceo and chairman of christy's americas. thank you for this exclusive first look. >> thanks for coming. >> we are starting with a doozie. this beautiful yellow wedding dress. >> this is the wedding dress for the first wedding of richard burton and elizabeth taylor designed by irene sharif who was the designer for the sets in "cleopatra." yellow was her favorite color and the color she was wearing when she fell in love with burton in rome.

>> now we see in photos during the wedding these emerald and diamond jewels and these are here, too. tell us about those. >> they are. they're just right there. during that same period when they were in such passionate love, they visited the jeweler in rome and little by little they assembled this fantastic suite. and elizabeth taylor being elizabeth taylor, she could wear one piece at one time or all of it at once. >> let's walk over because i know we have so many more beautiful fashions. we're about to see another wedding dress. anybody can come. you just pay a ticket price and you can come look at this stuff. >> yeah. it is open to the public and there is an online sale with another thousand lots sold only online. >> let's talk about this dress. >> this is the wedding dress from elizabeth taylor's second marriage to richard burton, and richard burton would say about elizabeth taylor that she blossomed when it was warm. and for their marriage in botswana, they had this extraordinary, colorful,

hippie-like dress made with all of the colors of the african sunset. >> she obviously loved color. let's move over to this pink evening gown, kind of an overcoat to this cream dress. it is gorgeous. >> a cornerstone of elizabeth taylor's wardrobe was christian dior. the most formal, most elegant, most perfectly made clothing of several decades. and that dress in particular is very important because she wore that dress when she went to the theater with robert kennedy and ethel kennedy only three months before his assassination. >> there is so much history in this room. i want to walk over and get to something that i think must be kind of the crown of this whole election called the elizabeth taylor diamond. all i got to say is, wow. >> it is wow. it's one of the greatest diamonds that the world knows. it's 33 carats with no color. it has no color other than the light that comes from the rainbow and is reflected. and the cuts of the stone are so

deep that elizabeth taylor referred to them as steps into eternity. >> one can only imagine what kind of price a diamond like this would fetch anyway but the fact that it was elizabeth taylor's must make the value go into the stratusphere. >> it is estimated at $2.5 million to $3.5 million and because of the fame should bring more. >> i want to show another room. there is so much memorabilia and fashion. you actually have set up here at christy's her dressing room, a replica. tell us about it. >> we have. one of the extraordinary things about elizabeth taylor's collecting is that very, very few people knew that she was such an important patron of designers. so we have created this museum of her collection and an additional online sale of a thousand lots with designers from gucci to dior to gallia

galliano -- incredible versace including these jackets both as elizabeth i the queen and in all her characters in the movies. >> in some ways this auction house as museum of fashion history right now. >> it is the greatest collection of fashion that's ever been shown on the market. >> everybody thinks of elizabeth taylor, they think of the jewels and the fashions but she has great memorabilia. we're standing in a room that has some of this. tell us about the warhol prints, where she got these, and why they're so valuable. >> this warhol, which is actually the portrait of elizabeth taylor, was a gift from andy warhol to elizabeth taylor, and is inscribed to elizabeth with much love, andy warhol. and there is also a thank you note from elizabeth taylor back to andy warhol saying, noting that she was famous because of him. he kept this print for probably 20 or 30 years before dedicating it to her. >> you said this was a publicity

photo basically that he used? >> he used this as a publicity photo for his original shows of elizabeth taylor portraits and their friendship came later. >> we've got a couple scripts from "cat on a hot tin roof" and "national velvet" i see an oscar. this director's chair. tell us about that. >> elizabeth taylor had a number of director's chairs. we haven't been able to identify which one went with which movie but this we know is quite late because on the back it says dame so it was after she was made a dame of the british empire. >> all right. thank you so much. mark port frer from christy's. there is so much to see and people can come down and see it and bid on it, too. appreciate the sneak peek. >> a pleasure.d brson.> exrichcn . - you went to kay. she'll love it. [chuckles] trust me. i know. ho-ho-ho-ho-ho. - the charmed memories collection at kay jewelers each charm is hand-crafted in italy, and with hundreds of charms to choose from, the possibilities are endless.

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he is an entrepreneur, adventurer and one of the most successful businessmen in the world but in his new book sir

richard branson argues the driving force behind capitalism shouldn't be making a profit but caring about people, communities, and the planet. the book is called "screw business as usual." sir richard branson, fwraet to ha great to have you back. welcome. >> thank you. >> i can hear the nay sayers. this guy has made his billions. he's got his money. i'm starting a brand new business trying to make ends meet. i need to turn a profit. i need to be efficient. i can't be worrying about some of the things he is preaching. how would you respond? >> i think i would say they're right. when you're starting to build a business all that matters is survival so, you know, make sure that you survive so you can do good once you've actually built your business. but whatever happens, run it in an ethical way while you're building it. once you build your business, then i think everybody in the business needs to become a force for good and get out of there and try to, you know, help the communities around them. >> how do you respond to people? and i hear this a lot, who say

you know what? running a green business or running a socially responsible business is great for public relations. it's not how you make money and not good for the bottom line. how do you respond to that? >> i would say marx & spencer's in england increased their bottom line by $180 million a year by turning their business into a green business. so there is enormous amounts of money to be saved by going out there and trying to become an efficient business. and so, you know, if you can actually turn your business around and have all of your employees realizing that you have become a force for good, people will work harder. >> it's a devin kiifferent kind capitalism. you're not saying once you become successful you abandon the principles of capitalism but just adjust them. >> obviously making profit is critical to create new jobs and expand your business and conquer

the world in whatever you're trying to do and make a difference within your business. but then, you know, people like myself, we're entrepreneurs, and i think we are able to see problems in the world like global warming or like, you know, disease in africa, or, you know, other major problems and get in there and tackle them. >> do you think if more people at a later stage in business embrace these kinds of ideas we would see less of a back lash, the kind of back lash that we're seeing in streets and cities all across the country and around the world right now, the so-called occupy movement? do you think there would be -- that that form of capitalism would calm some of these emotions that we're seeing in the streets right now? >> well, i'm actually a supporter of -- >> tell me why. >> well, first of all, it's peaceful demonstrations by and large. they're demonstrating because they don't like business as

usual. they want to see business change. i think they're right in wanting to see business change. if every single business leader and person working within every business could actually, you know, persuade the people who are running their companies to get out there and sort out the world's problems we would get those problems sorted. we can't just leave it to the politicians and the social workers. >> so as part of the 1% and some would argue part of the 0.1%, you identify with the 99%? >> i identify completely. i mean, for instance, in america you've got a lot of people who are out of work and you've got a lot of people in work. now, "screw business as usual" would mean every single person had a job. it would mean the people in work, work a bit less, have slightly longer holidays which a lot wouldn't mind and you'd ask for volunteers first of all and share the amount of work around. why have a situation where, you know, some people are on the

dole and, you know, not making ends meet and other people are working sometimes much harder than they would like to work. >> do you really think people would embrace that concept here? >> i believe so. i mean, we are, you know, we've asked work forces how many of you who are in work if you were given the chance to job share or go part-time during a year or two of crisis while other people are being laid off, how many of you would do it? at least 20% of every work force stick their hand up and say, i'd love to have six months at home and maybe more holiday time and a bit less money for a year or two in order to help protect my fellow employees. it's just that kind of thinking that needs to go on. >> let me change subjects for a second. because you were in the headlines. not that you made the headlines. it wasn't by your own making. not long ago earlier this year because your home where i have been privileged to be at one point was destroyed by fire. just take me through what it was like to be there through that. luckily no one got hurt. >> it was obviously a very

frightening night in that my mother and my children were in the house and i was just in an out house at the time and woke up to see these 200 or 300 foot flames. >> an out building is what we call it here. out house is a different thing. >> all right. i wasn't actually in the out house. >> right. >> and, anyway, i mean, you're the number one suspect because they were looking for people who might have had a reason to do it. >> it wasn't me. >> it was the lightning. >> right. >> and massive lightning strike and it was a hurricane, 90-mile-per-hour winds going through. >> losing the place that was so dear to you you also say kind of triggered something in your mind that you have a different way now of looking at stuff. what do you mean by that? >> yes, i mean, i was not wanting to name drop but i was standing with kate winslet's kids looking up at the house and i said to the kids, look. you know, stuff is not important. i mean the fact that we're all safe and well, that is what

matters in life. so it's family, friends, and this wonderful life we live in, just to throw ourselves into it is what matters. and so everything, you know, a lot of precious things went up. you know, putting life in perspective but they're really not that important. >> always nice to have you here. i'm glad you're well and the book is called "screw business as usual." >> thank you. >> come back and see us soon. still ahead what do you hate most about the holidays? we'll ask today's professionals that question but first your local news and weather.

good morning to you. it's 8:26 right now. i'm laura garcia-cannon. the man who says he was beaten by a former b.a.r.t. officer and four other officers is asking for at least a million dollars. kenneth carruthers sued b.a.r.t. said he was beaten and falsely arrested at a station in 2008. his attorney says a settlement of at least $1 million will send a message to police that use of excessive force will not be tolerated. he said carruthers would attack another officer. the injury will continue deliberations this morning. right now, i want to check the morning commute. >> we'll look at 5 0. all lanes have been open for

over 40 minutes now. still have still about a 40 to 50-minute delay out of the altamont pass through livermore. slow southbound 880. because that disabled big rig is still affecting lanes. slow through san leandro and into hayward. slow also north of the san leandro to the oakland coliseum. earlier incidents north of high street have cleared. back to you. >> thank you very much. for the latest traffic and news updates check out nbc on facebook.

♪ you better watch out 8:30 on a thursday morning, december 1st, 2011. we're doing a lot of time outdoors today for a lot of good reasons. it's a beautiful day. sunny skies. got the christmas tree. and we have our elf. it's our 18th holiday toy drive.

just want to let you know with the donations we're receiving and leah is collecting this morning are being shipped to homeless shelters in iowa and kentucky right after our program this morning. >> right. >> out on the plaza i'm matt lauer with savannah guthrie who is here while ann is on assignment in iraq joined by natalie morales and al roker as well. coming up they're sweet, savory, and abundant, talking about apples and mark is here to show us how to prepare apples four different ways. >> all right. then we have help for parents raising young boys. as we guys age we tend to stop sharing and letting our feelings out. we lose touch with some of our closest friends. coming up, how to get your boys to maintain meaningful relationships and friendships as they grow up. >> that is very good. all right. also, star, donny, and dr. nancy the professionals are back for another installment. today they'll weigh in on what they dread the most about the holiday season and a lot more.

first let's check your weather with mr. roker. >> we'll show you as we look ahead toward the weekend saturday on the east coast looks good with the exception of the eastern coast of florida looking at heavy rain in texas into the mid mississippi river valley with snow in the northern mississippi river valley and the rockies. then on sunday, sunny and mild. along the east coast a little chilly. northern new england more heavy rain in the mid mississippi river valley. snow back through the central plains. sunny skies up and down the west coast though it is going to be a what a difference just 24 hours makes over the city of oakland where we were socked in with fog at this time yesterday. we've got winds out there, strong winds sustained. anywhere between 10 to 15, even 20 miles per hour in some cities like fairfield, 23 miles her hour and livermore. we'll continue to see the winds as we head throughout the day today. other than just the sunny skies, we are going to be warmer today as a result of those down

sloping winds. breeze relaxes tomorrow. that's your latest weather. make sure you check your weather two or three times a day on weather channel on cable or weather.com online. now let's say hello to actress leah thompson we just saw collecting toys a few moments ago. good morning to you. >> good morning. good to be here. >> you have a new television movie coming on called "game of your life" and you play a college professor. >> it's about a young man who wants to pursue his dream of going to college and learning how to design video games. and i play a professor of story of all things. it's a family movie. he learns about life and love and team work and being a good friend. i get to be a professor. >> did you have to bone up on the lingo of the video game world? or were you already kind of in tune with that? >> no. i'm not very good at it, but there is this new game "connect" where you go like this and i can do that. >> you got that real good. >> fruit ninja. >> i love newt ninja.

it's great. >> it is nice to be in a movie for the whole family. >> it is. it's a really great family movie night on nbc and something they're trying to bring back. it's nice to have little kids and adults watching together. >> i know you suggested we should do some caroling here but you haven't heard our voices. are there some traditions you like this time of the year with your family? >> yeah. i always have a christmas party and we make a lot of it because it's hannukah and christmas and do a lot of cooking. i'm trying to learn sign language so i'm learning "joy to the world" which is good for lots of different things. >> leah thompson, good to meet you and have you here. thank you so much. we remind everybody "game of your life" is on nbc tomorrow night 8:00, 7:00 central time. and coming up next we'll have four delicious ways to cook apples. first, this is "today" on nbc.

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we are back now at 8:36 this morning on "how to cook everything today" and four ways to cook with apples that can be sweet, savory, baked, sauteed, fried, or roasted. mark bittman author of the "how to cook everything" cookbook is here with great recipes featured in his "new york times" magazine column. welcome back. happy holidays. >> good morning, matt. >> we're doing apples here and we'll do sweet, savory. are these desserts, side dishes, what are they? >> we sort of have everything and we're using every variety and technique and putting the apples in every different form. they really are, you can make them sweet. you can make them savory, serve them as desserts or a side dish or whatever. >> is there a variety of apples you like better than others? >> the old fashioned varieties are fabulous but hard to get. so the sort of best standards right now are granny smith, gala, and golden delicious. >> okay. >> those will pretty much work for everything. >> all right. do you always core the apple? >> no. but usually you either take the

core out or cut around the core. >> all right. >> these are baked apples with the core out. and a nice way to core them is to cut them in half and then use a melon baller to just scoop that center. it comes out pretty easily. >> you have to take the skin off? >> no. not on these. some of them we're skinning but not these. so with these, you bake them in a lightly oiled pan and after about 20 minutes of baking they'll look like this and we sprinkle them a little balsamic vinegar. >> a lot of people will say that's unusual but that would make this probably not a dessert but more of a side dish because it is sweet and savory? >> it's an interesting dessert but i would serve it more as a side dish. a little vinegar, olive oil, but just look at the delicious reduced syrup of the apples with the balsamic vinegar. >> what is the consistency you're looking for after baking, eat with a spoon? >> really, really soft and tender. >> great. there is one idea. the next one we're going to make, this is sauteed apples

with cranberry and orange. >> this is more of a dessert but, again, it can kind of go both ways. i mean, people are used to cranberries being in a sweet dish. >> you slice the apples kind of thin for this one. >> we core the apples and then slice them. cook them with cranberries and a little butter until they start to juice up. and then a fair amount of sugar. >> why do you need so much sugar? take the tartness of the cranberries out? >> and orange zest. >> okay. >> then you finish cooking that with the cover back on. until then you have this beautiful thing. >> you would go with the dessert on that one. >> i would. i think i would. meeting you over here. >> all right, fine. next we have grilled or, no, fried apple fritters with cheese. >> these are really wonderful. you grate the apple, skin on. and you make a little batter with some cheese and an egg and

the grated apples and some flour. and you wind up with this. >> do you have to get some of the liquid out of there so they hold together? >> no. they're hold together. flour and egg will hold together. you take a nice little scoop artfully created. >> into hot oil. what kind of oil do you use? >> use a good quality, light, oil like grape seed or corn oil. this could be hotter. >> it's starting to go. >> how long do they take to cook? >> three or four minutes and you wind up with those. lemon wedges, even sugar if you like the sugar cheese thing. but these are really great. >> delicious. while i chew, talk about your last -- you're chewing now. a bad mistake for both of us to be chewing. let's talk about the last recipe. >> chunked apples, again, roasted with a little bit of oil and when they're about halfway done as these are, they start to shrivel.

we'll sprinkle them with a mixture of ginger, garlic, cinnamon, cumen and very exotic, highly spiced. >> kind of a moroccan mix. >> it is a moroccan mix. this is definitely not a dessert. this is most definitely a side dish. >> what would you serve this with? >> this would be fantastic with roast pork or grilled or baked chicken. really a wonderful side dish. because you are taking advantage of the fact that they're a little sweet, a little savory. you've got -- it's really unusual. >> to be perfectly honest i love that. the fritters are an acquired taste baufs tecause of the chee. >> you need to eat them hot. >> thank you very much. up next, how to help your young boys foster stronger friendships as they get older. but first, this is "today" on nbc. if i can take classes year round

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back now at 8:43. grow-mance is a tongue-in-cheek term to describe a deep friendship between two guise ys. we asked three teenagers who read the book to talk about their friendships and how they've changed through the years. >> what are the rules? i guess it's different for every set of friends. >> men aren't really supposed to show emotion as much. >> we stay with your friends. the guy code. never leave a guy behind for a girl. >> you can't be too flamboyant. >> you can't really share things that are too personal. >> being too feminine, relating too much to women is kind of a no-no. yeah that's not my personal views but that's part of the guy code.

>> i've had the same two or three best friends my whole life and i wouldn't say that we lost friendship. we just don't talk about certain things we used to talk about. >> there was a slump in high school where i kind of distanced myself from my friends. not purposely but just something that happened. >> they don't say they miss me. they just say where have you been? you haven't been here in so long. i haven't seen you. >> my younger self was a more open person and i was more able to express feelings and emotions, whereas now it's sort of like there's some sort of rule that that's not what grown men should do. >> guys stay away from expressing themselves because it puts them in a category of gay or girlie when it's not really and we just stay away from that. >> kind of asked to be the individual, the stoic individual who can sustain themselves and doesn't need other people to

rely on for emotional support or any kind of support really. >> the author of "deep secrets, boys, friendships, and the crisis of connection." dr. josh winer is a psychiatrist who works with children and adolescents. they are both raising boys. good morning to you. you are qualified on multiple levels. you wrote the book. this is your life's work. you have spent years interviewing hundreds of boys. tell us what happens at adolescence where boys suddenly become more stoic and kind of leave their friendships? >> it's been completely remarkable to watch so that boys, when they're 13, 14, and 15 will talk with tremendous affect and emotion about the closeness of their friendships and then lose them as they get older into adolescence talking exactly what the boys were talking about on the film which is that they feel that it's going to make them look girlie or gay to continue these friendships and these friendships are so critical. >> we'll talk about that in a minute. dr. winer, is this your experience in your practice? is there this guy code where

there is a drop off in connecting as boys become adolescents? >> absolutely. it is really unfortunate because with relationships you get into a relationship or get out of a relationship what you put into one. in order to have a fulfilling, deep relationship you absolutely need to be talking about some of your feelings and how you feel about your friendship and how you feel in general about situations in your life. if you're not doing that, you're just talking about video games and sports and girls, it's going to stay at a superficial level. >> unless we think we're being all touchy-feely and saying we wish boys would be closer with their friends, friendship has been shown by the science to produce not just emotional but physical benefits. >> that's right. incredible. we now see in research that friendships are linked to better physical and mental health, longer lives. we live longer lives if surrounded by good friends. it is linked to all sorts of good things and we need to take them seriously. >> we are going to get to some tips in a moment but we have some skeptics in the audience saying are we trying to turn boys into girls basically or trying to have them have

attributes they otherwise naturally wouldn't have your response would be what? >> my response would be absolutely not. why should boys and men not have emotions and feel like they need to talk about them? i think it's absolutely natural and i think that it's really unfortunate if we send the message to boys that it's really not appropriate. it's not manly. it's not masculine for you to talk about it. i think it becomes a self-fulfilling prophesy essentially. you send that message. then men don't talk about it so you believe men aren't that emotional. >> we've diagnosed the problem. let's do some treatment. you have some tips. you say parents should model healthy relationships. >> that is probably the hardest but most necessary thing for parents to hear, that they need to model healthy friendships and relationships so their kids can see this is important and the complexities of relationship in front of them. >> this seems a little obvious but, josh, you say you should openly discuss feelings with your kids. >> right. absolutely. it was more important than what you say is what you do. you need to talk about your feelings and i think you also need to encourage your kids as

teenagers to talk to their friends about their feelings. what is way more valuable to a teenager is to hear that their friends are experiencing the same things they are. it means a lot more to hear from a friend than from a parent to say, well, son, what you're really experiencing is normal. it means a lot more to hear that from a friend. >> you also say don't reinforce gender stereotypes. we hear it over and over again from boys saying i don't want to seem like a girl or i don't want to seem gay. how do you talk to your kids about not using language that might be offensive to some people? >> well, it's really about emphasizing, similar to what josh was saying, emphasizing the friendships are a human thing, a human need and not associated with one gender or another. it is really showing the stereotypes minority true is the conversation we should be having. >> all right. you say you should talk to your son about friendships. >> yeah. talk to your son about friendships. you don't want to just be talking about what they've been doing with their day. talk to them about how they feel about their friendships and encourage them to share with their friends. you really mean a lot to me. your friendship is really

valuable. i think when you do that it is going to strengthen and deepen the relationship and oftentimes you'll get back what you give and they'll start sharing with you as well. >> makes a lot of sense. an interesting conversation. i hope it sparks more conversation. thank you. and to read an excerpt from "deep secrets" head to today.com. up next the lighter side of sports. len burrman goes spanning the world. but first this is "today" on nbc. keurig has a wide variety of gourmet coffee and tea to choose from. keurig is the way to brew fresh, delicious coffee in under a minute. way to brew. so with keurig, every cup tastes like it's brewed just for you. because it is.

back now at 8:51 and our very good friend len burrman has joined us to take us on a wild ride through the wonderfully wacky world of sports. welcome back. >> good morning everyone. the last several weeks featured lots of nfl and the nba settlement but what were truly the top sports stories? let's go spanning the world. >> unbelievable! >> on your mark in australia, come on. play ball. monticello raceway. they're off. except for dr. chaser. his teeth are stuck in the starting gate. so it's ruled no race. he's just stuck out there. and nobody got hurt.

our moves of the month. this was in georgia. what you do is you go over the xylophone through the hedges to grandma's house. nicely done. riley nelson scoring a touchdown and you high five the referee. but the best moves, the texas rangers groundskeeper. this was between innings during the world series. yeah. wipeout. it's kyle delmyer for ohio state. >> oh, wow! are you okay, kyle? kyle, can you give us a wave if you're okay? ladies and gentlemen, let's hear it for kyle! >> let's hear it. he's okay. there was boxing galore and the referee, look at. in finland, you guys want to fight? let's go. drop the puck and go. and as usual, you know, once again the women in the lingerie football league. come on, ladies. can't we get along? okay.

it's time for the halftime show. in the czech republic he makes a tremendous entry. one problem. he wasn't part of the scheduled entertainment. they have no sense of humor so they whisk him away. so let's go back to the action. in iran, after the goal is scored, a little post goal celebration did not go over too well because over there, there is no touching allowed and the -- ooh. the players got suspended for immoral behavior. it's swedish hockey. score a goal, hug your opponent. sure. thank you very much. okay. here's our fan of the month. >> i want the nba back! >> we found the one person who misses basketball. >> i want the nba back. >> it's coming back. grow up. >> ha! >> and a tradition like no other. john brown university in

arkansas, once a year, first home basket? and they call a two-shot technical foul on the fans. nobody seems to care. >> lost by two points. >> more like two ply. >> there you go. i like that tradition. >> very good. thank you. >> happy holidays to you. >> same to you. >> good to have you here. all right. just ahead today's professionals are here to tackle the day's hot topics right after your local news.

good morning to you. it's 8:56. i'm laura garcia-cannon. across the bay area and around the world, communities are commemorating is world a.i.d.s. day. at noon today, medical pioneers will be honored at the national a.i.d.s. memorial grove in

golden gate park. also a candlelight vigil is set for 6:30 tonight in harvey milk plaza. let's check that can forecast right now with christina loren. >> good morning to you. dry gusty winds continuing. our sustained wind speeds are picking up. 20 miles per hour now in san francisco. we'll hit the 70s today. winds relax tonight. look! here she comes!

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bought 'em! (clears throat) sorry. when it's on your mind, it's on ebay. we're back with more of "today" on a thursday morning the first day of december, 2011. chilly and crisp here in new york city. you know what? it's supposed to be. just 25 days to go until christmas. and we've got a big crowd out on the plaza. i'm matt lauer with savannah guthrie. ann is on assignment today. mr. roker is joining us as well. and joining us as well today's professionals. >> we have a lot of tomorrowipi discuss. herman cain says he is reassessing his campaign in the wake of allegations he had a 13-year affair with this woman.

he says he needs to talk to his wife first. we'll talk to today's professionals about what they think. should teachers be graded? should the grades be made public to parents? star jones, donny deutsch, and dr. nancy will be here to discuss. >> all right. then managing your money in minutes. whether it's deciding about your 401(k) or improving your credit score we'll show you quick fixes to fit into your busy schedule and boost your bottom line whether you've got 15 minutes or a few hours. and we've got the most popular baby. a lot to get to. natalie is standing by with all the headlines. hi, natalie. good morning, everyone. the white house bid of one-time front-runner herman cain is now in the hands of his wife. the gop presidential hopeful has come under fire following a georgia woman's allegation that she engaged in a 13-year extra marital affair with cain while the republican candidate now says he has not seen his wife since the charge surfaced and says the accusation has taken an emotional toll on her. cain says he'll decide whether

or not to abandon his run for office within days but only after he meets with his wife tomorrow. wild santa ana winds are slamming southern california today with gusts of up to 80 miles per hour possible in some areas today and tomorrow. more than 200,000 people are without power there today and firefighters battled the blaze near the college campus sparked by the winds. wednesday night's scattered power outages left los angeles international airport in the dark for about an hour causing flight diversions and delays. penn state's new president is promising to raise ethics at the school to a new level. he told students at a town hall meeting last night that everyone on campus must do what's moral, not just what's legal. school officials have been criticized for failing to do more to alert authorities to alleged child sexual abuse by former defensive coach jerry sandusky. meantime the first civil suit in the case was filed wednesday. a new accuser says sandusky sexually abused him more than 100 times in a four-year period

and threatened to harm his family if he told anyone about it. the reverend billy graham spent the night in a hospital near his north carolina home. a spokesman said doctors were testing the 93-year-old evangelist for pneumonia. and the world's top selling drug of all time will now be available in a generic version. pfizer lost u.s. patent protection over the cholesterol drug lipitor wednesday, and in an 11th hour decision last night the u.s. food and drug administration granted the indian company rambaxi the approval to sell a generic version. lipitor generated nearly $8 billion in u.s. based sales in the past year alone. santa claus was hanging by a thread when he tried to lower himself by rope into a florida shopping mall. santa's beard apparently got caught in his climbing gear and he dangled for several minutes until he was able to free himself while dozens of children below were watching and we're happy to report santa's pride was the only thing that was

hurt. he is okay. taking his pictures with the kids. it is now four minutes past the hour. let's go back outside to matt. >> a little embarrassing. >> slightly. >> thank you very much. mr. roker's got the weather. obviously the reindeer is stuck in the restroom. santa couldn't quite get in there. where are you guys from? >> kansas city. >> kansas city. that's all right. happens to me all the time, bud. no problem. thanks for coming down. let's check your weather and show you what's happening. santa ana winds squeezing between low pressure and the southwest high pressure up in the northwest in between the pressure gradient and it is pushing through. san diego, los angeles, wind advisories and high wind warnings until noon friday. gusts of 60 miles per hour in the passes and the canyons and then even as we move north into san francisco and san jose, wind advisories until 6:00 this afternoon for gusts of 50 miles per hour. big problems and then as you move a little east we've got heavy snow in the rockies. denver looking at another 4 to 6

inches of snow in the next good thursday morning to you. al just pointed out how it's still gusty. wind advisories in place through there evening and sustained winds notice 20 to 25-mile-per-hour range. if you travel a high profile vehicle, drive with caution. sunshine in the mix for you. by this weekend, patchy fog comes back. 70s today in places like san jose. breeze relatches tomorrow. by this weekend is, quiet weather resumes. and that's your latest weather. savannah? thanks. now to today's professionals. our team of power players taking on the hottest headlines, studies, and surveys news. star jones is an attorney and author. donny deutsch is owner of the advertising agency deutsch incorporated and dr. nancy snyderman is nbc's chief medical

editor. happy holidays. let's talk politics. herman cain says he is reassessing his campaign in the wake of these allegations that he had an extra marital affair over a period of 13 years. so he is reassessing. what's your assessment, star? >> i have more of a problem with his explanation with the accusations. the explanation that he was trying to help a woman for 13 years, if i'm the wife i want to know, you're not giving me the money. you're not giving a mistress the money but you're giving a miscellaneous woman the money? that doesn't make sense to me. my lawyer's ear says it doesn't have the ring of truth. it is normally not my business but when you look me in the eye and tell me something, then it becomes my business. >> can we also get to the point, i want to say two words, bill clinton, the most popular politician in the world. we know his history in the white house. does infidelity even matter anymore? i'm not saying it's right but aren't we past that? >> i think some damage --

>> he wasn't going to get elected anyway. with what's going on in the world today i'm not saying it's right but is that the way we're going to choose our leaders, whether they've had dalliance or not? >> if he were a stronger candidate and a real threat to the white house i don't think it would matter but if you're talking about someone who builds their entire campaign on family values. >> he is a buffoon. >> but he hasn't run his campaign on family values. we've seen that happen before. here's -- i sort of have two issues. one is if you have skeletons in your closet you must assume they're going to come out. so this is sort of crazy to me for anyone to delude himself that in this world of 24/7 news, these things are going to be found out. then the other thing is veracity. if you're found out, the best thing you can say is, i am sorry. >> yes. >> and then put it on the table. but the dribble dribble, that's what's fatal. >> that's what i wonder if it ultimately goes to the issue of electability because the republicans want a nominee who

can weather a tough, general election. >> i have more problem with newt gingrich taking credit for fighting communism and bringing down the wall than this. >> and two affairs. he needs to get that oust tt of way, too. >> affairs won't be the issue with herman cain. >> are you a left over woman or -- there is a word in chinese culture that means leftover woman. the chinese government is warning professional women, this kills me, over the age of 27, they will become spinsters if they don't marry by the time they're 30. oh, boy i didn't get married until i was 41 and, you know, what is the old adage? i had more chance of being kidnapped by a terrorist than actually getting married as an african-american 40-year-old. it didn't work. and i didn't get kidnapped by a terrorist. but i didn't feel like i was a leftover person. i felt like i waited the right amount of time for me. i don't know if i want to do it again. >> this is one of those times we have to be very, very careful not taking something that is cultural and nuanced and

applying it to western standards. this is china. the language is different. the terms are different. so to suddenly take that and apply it to us makes me somewhat nervous. >> by the way, any woman, in this day and age, to even think that 27 is -- by the way, i think the only issue that women, and it's not fair, have to deal with is when they get to their mid to late 30s and the biological clock. that's the issue that is unfair that women have to deal with that. >> i think that's it. it's the biological clock of reproduction more than having a mate. >> yes. >> look, look at diane keaton. phenomenal example of a woman who decided to have children, not marry, and is stunning. >> god bless her. >> with the god bless us to our next topic. grading the teacher. the los angeles school district is currently debating whether the district should publicly release teachers' evaluations to parents. this has caused a huge controversy. sometimes there is controversy whether they should even do the teacher evaluations. do parents have a right to know?

>> you have to do the evaluations. education and teaching is the most important thing to define the future of our country. to have a lazy, ineffective teacher being able to continue as joke. having said that you can't release it to the parents because all of a sudden every parent will be up at school. i want my kid in this class. seriously. >> what are you going to do -- >> by the way, they're going to use it to place the teachers. they don't have to include us in it. you can't do that. otherwise a kid is stigmatized if he is not in the right class. >> but education is a community obligation. and the community includes the parents. the parents have to -- >> no. what the problem is, this is the tail wagging the dog. we have a fractured, ineffective school system in this country that depending on where you live and your zip code and whether you're in a private or public school is very different. >> and who your parents are. >> doctors are rated, hospitals are rated, lawyers are rated. however, what you do with that is to fix things or apply certain standards for teachers for raises.

but parents already -- >> you can't do that. it has to be done. >> parents have to step out. >> i disagree completely. if parents are not involved in the education of their children -- >> i'm not saying that about the education. they can't be the one choosing the teachers for the kids. that is what is going to happen. >> they shouldn't be able to choose but they should be able to evaluate. >> parents are thorns in teachers' sides. >> well, bad teachers are thorns in parents' sides. >> i want to get to our next topic. sexual addiction. is it real? we all know we've heard the concept on the rise with nearly 9 million americans suffering from it. bye, donny. i guess the question is, and every time this comes up, i mean, there are certain people who say, come on. is that a real diagnosis? i suppose we should start with our doctor. >> i want to hear, doc. >> it is a real diagnosis. >> it is true? >> it is. look, there is a part of your brain that gets rewarded for certain things. sex, certain foods, cocaine, gambling. now, there's no doubt -- there

is no doubt there are certain things that are true addictions and there are a few centers in the country that really deal with it. the problem is these people are few and far between and it's used as a cop out. but is it real? yes. it is absolutely real. >> no. it is invented by a publicist whose client got caught cheating. what does sexual addiction mean? some guys, women want to have a sexual time, some don't? >> i get nancy's point. >> when sex or pornography totally interrupt your work, relationships with others, and it becomes overpowering and you can't turn it off that is addictive personality. just like alcohol. >> when does it cross into an illness i guess is the question. >> what nancy is saying is when you cannot function as a human being because sex has overtaken your ability to use -- that is what we're talking about. whether or not you -- seriously -- >> could we just do a poll? guys? who is sexually addicted here?

hands up? come on. >> we're hiding their faces. okay. >> i think what the problem is we've allowed people to use this as an excuse. >> yes. >> when they truly do not meet the criteria. >> which demeans people who really do have problems. when celebrities get ushered off to clinics for this or that addiction it really waters it down. >> we are an over diagnosed society. >> a recent study found they think of sex on the average of 19 times a day. >> it is truly way too low a number. men think about sex three to five times a minute. >> i agree. >> for our last question we ask you to be grinches. what is your least favorite thing about the holidays? star, go. >> you know what? i think it's not being able to say "merry christmas" because it's politically incorrect now. >> you can say merry christmas. >> some people get offended all of a sudden. i want to be able to say merry christmas. >> say it to me. >> merry christmas.

>> i say the same thing. i got tired of saying happy holidays because i don't know what it means. i say merry christmas. i know who my jewish friends are and i don't say merry christmas. my big thing is i hate the ebay ads that are offensive and over the top and this cramming of commercialization and i don't like christmas before thanksgiving. i like holidays in order. >> donny? >> forced fun. you have to have a good time. >> fake fun. too much pressure right? >> yes. >> staying home in your footy pajamas. >> so lovely to see you this morning. >> me too. >> merry christmas. happy holidays. happy hannukah. >> happy kwanzaa. >> see you next time. >> just because i'm black doesn't mean i celebrate kwanzaa. >> i think we got a topic for next week. star jones, donny deutsch, and dr. nancy, thank you all. coming up next, how to manage your money when pressed for time. all it takes is 15 minutes. and then designer holiday gifts for a hundred bucks or less. but first these messages. these warm hearty creations are only here for a limited time.

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and i'm gonna need to see a receipt for that watch you're wearing. you know, you really should provide us with a checklist of documents we're gonna need up front. who do you think i am? quicken loans? at quicken loans, we provide a checklist of the mortgage documents you'll need up front. it helps keep you in the know every step of the way. one more way quicken loans is engineered to amaze. this morning on "today's money" managing your finances in no time. whether you have 15 minutes or a couple hours there are things you can do right now to boost your credit score and your savings while trimming your expenses. sarah humphries is the executive editor of "real simple" magazine

and donna rosato the senior writer for "money" magazine. good to see you both this morning. donna, you have some suggestions and these are based on the amount of time a person has to, you know, kind of contribute and take a look at their 401(k). >> right. that's one of the things that "money" readers and "real simple" readers say. they feel they're not saving enough money for retirement. you can come up with a smart retirement plan in 15 minutes or less. >> how? >> one of the things people say, if you even have a plan, you're going to save three times as much money as people who don't have a plan so it starts with figuring out how much you need for savings. go to a retirement calculator. we like t. rowe price.com. they'll tell you how much you should be saving and the next step is if you're falling short, you can add to your 401(k). you can put 1% more in your 401(k). you'll never feel you're missing it and you'll get ontrack for your goals. >> okay. sarah, we're all using smart phones, with apps on them.

you say there are these apps that can really help you save. >> part of managing your finances is managing day-to-day spending. groceries and household goods can eat up about 25% of your monthly take-home pay which is a huge amount especially during the holidays. there are a million coupon apps we love. there are two particularly we love and they're both free which is great. one is coupon sure. it delivers coupon codes directly to your phone. you use it to scan and store. card star is also great because it gathers all of your loyalty merchant codes and cards that you have on to your phone so you never miss out on a good offer. >> a lot of times you don't have a car -- don't have the keys. >> drives you nuts. one thing people don't think about until after it happens is when there is a disaster. you say having plans can save you. >> we have had an incredible year. earthquakes on the east coast, freak snowstorms in october. people think about saving their photos not their financial documents. an easy way to take care of this, you have an hour.

gather your documents, your marriage certificate, will, scan them into your computer. put them on two cds. leave one at home and one in a safe place. if you have to leave your home quickly grab the cd. >> this one was kind of interesting. it's about, if you've got an hour, you can increase your marital happiness. >> right. so again, about being a great financial saver and smart person, is to communicate about your finances and no surprise 9 of 10 married americans say they avoid talking to their spouse about money. we suggested doing something called a dollar date. it's an hour-long thing. if that turn causes you to run away in horror change it to another term. that's what it is. the first down you want to sit down and register, upload your account information and in about 15 minutes it will spit out things like your balance sheets and cash flow so you can analyze that together and spend the rest of the time prioritizing your financial goals whether that is reducing debt or saving for vacation. it can help you track and make your progress. >> and you also talk about s

shrinking your bills. >> bill shrink.com. wireless bill, credit card bills, even how much you pay at your gas station. put in your usage information and it gives you alternate plans and providers that are less expensive. >> you say if you have two to three hours you can boost your credit score and that can make a big difference at the bottom line. >> it can make a huge difference. you can save hundreds of dollars if you've got a credit score say 740 or higher than someone who has them in the 600s. how do you juice up your credit score quickly? one way to do it, there are a lot of mistakes on credit reports. get a copy of your credit report. take a look at it. 9 of 10 have errors on them. get those fixed. that could boost your credit score. the other way to do it is call your credit card company and ask them to raise your credit card limit. don't spend the extra money but the more credit available to you the better you look to lenders and it's going to boost your score. >> all right. sarah humphries, donna rosato, thank you so much. still looking for the perfect gift? bobbie thomas has fashionable t these messages.0 bucks.ut bfi

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coming up did your child's name make the list? we have the top baby names of the year. >> from drinks to appetizers. today's kitchen. ce ♪ ♪ friendly folks with just one purpose ♪ ♪ to help you fall in love with nook ♪ ♪ for movies, music, apps, and books ♪ ♪ and another thing for you and me ♪ ♪ nook support ♪ is always free thanks! ♪ nook by barnes & noble. starting at just $99.

good morning, everyone. the time is 9:26. i'm jon kelley. governor brown expected to announce a multi billion dollar tax initiative as soon as tomorrow. reports say the governor will ask people who make more than $250,000 a year to pay more income tax. and he's looking to increase the state sales tax been a half cent. the changes expire at the end of 2016 according to sources and the governor's office hoping to have the measure on the november 2012 ballot. sfo's terminal two gets a gold star for going green. the first in the countriton earn a lead gold certification. the program certifies buildings

that are energy efficient and conserve resources. terminal 2 reopened earlier this year after extensive renovations to theable which was built back in 1954. san francisco city leaders and representatives from the epa and u.s. green building council will be at terminal 2 today to celebrate the certification. ced rifieheatr wed an certified weather anfitrafd c right after this. tr

welcome back. the tight pressure gradient copies with low pressure off to our south and high pressure a big ridge just to our east that's driving those really strong winds as the two systems are working against each other. that's going to be the case throughout the day today till that will area of low pressure finally takes a hike off to the east. the 1,000 feet plus, we could see 50 to 70-mile-per-hour wind gusts today. let's check your drive with mike. >> start with a quick look at the san ma mateo bridge camera.

it shakes because of the high winds you're talking about. hold on tight as you're crossing the bay area bridges this morning. the peninsula side, and 101 not so bad between san bruno and san mateo, speeds in the 40s. southbound through redwood city and towards menlo park, lower because of an accident at marsh, but generally we see the pattern anyway along the peninsula. east bay slowing in both directions for 880 through union city and fremont and the south bay and the northbound routes, typical pattern here. >> thank you, my man. for the latest updates we'll have them a half hour from right now. we'll be back with more in in 30 minutes. if i can take classes year round on campus, online, or both and earn my bachelor's degree in 3 years you can, too. [ male announcer ] at devry university, whether you study at one of our 4 bay area locations, online or both, you can prepare for a career in a growing field...

and with year round class offerings, you can even do it in as few as three years. if i can let nothing nothing...stand in my way you can too. [ male announcer ] classes start january 3. learn more at devry.edu good night, mary ellen. >> good night jim bob. >> good night, mama. good night, erin. good night, jim bob. good night, ben. >> good night everybody. >> and good night, al. >> good night, savannah. who can forget that iconic ending? it's been actually 40 years since we first fell in love with the walton family. >> wow. >> and on walton mountain. and tomorrow on "today" we'll get them all back together again for a rare walton family reunion. how about that? you guys watched? >> i did not see it a lot. >> i did. did you watch? >> of course. that and "little house on the

prairie." you know, what i ate for breakfast. >> yes. >> not kind of a guy sort of thing. we used to watch "f troop" and "the wild, wild west." >> all right. well, i don't think john boy made the cut but we do have the top baby names of 2011. >> johnny. >> exactly. >> a lot of celebrities impacted some of the names we see at the top of the list and then we'll check out how our names are moving up the list. >> somebody is getting pretty popular around here. yeah. all right. >> rhymes with natalie. >> savannah is moving on up. >> albert has to be a fast mover. >> could be worse. it could be hoda or kathie lee. >> whoa. >> their names, just the names. the ladies are hot. meanwhile speaking of name dropping, and somebody else is doing name dropping around here. that's bobbie thomas and the names she is talking about. chanel, dior. she has some of the hottest must have fashion and beauty products that are perfect gifts each for

under a hundred dollars. >> nice. >> how about the forecast? well okay. i was going to tell you about the cocktail party planning. but no. >> let's do that. >> we have a nice picture of this nice lady and her pears. we'll have perfect pairings in today's kitchen. >> oh, boy. >> okay. >> now can we check the weather? >> i was going to blame itdepde up with the tree lighting too. saturday sunshine up and down the eastern seaboard. heavy rain texas into the mississippi river valley. sunny and cool in the pacific northwest. sunday the sunshine continues along the east. cold in new england. more rain in the ohio river valley and the lower mississippi river valley. sunny and cool along the west good morning to you. it's still blustery out there with wind speeds picking up in places like fairfield sustained at 2 miles per hour. that is a strong wind straight

out of the north. 208-mile-per-hour in napa and 20 in livermore, as well. gusty winds will continue. we'll hit the 70s. 71 in san jose, 71 los gatos today. by tomorrow, the winds start to relax and we'll get more sunshine in the afternoon. >> and that's your latest weather. >> all right, al, thank you. you know, it has been such a great week so far for our tie drive -- toy drive in its 18th year. we're collecting gift for families facing difficult times. nearly 90% of the children on our toy drive list live in poverty. so your donations are much needed and greatly, greatly appreciated. >> and in fact, the fine folks at kohl's have been very good partners of ours, these many years. julie gardner, executive vice president and chief marketing officer at kohl's. it's always good to see you. thanks for being here. >> merry christmas, al. it's nice to be back. >> merry christmas to you.

every year, you guys have been so great. what are you doing for us this year? >> as you know, our donation comes as a result of our kohl's cares program where we sell books and plush throughout the year and 100% of the net profits go to children's health and education. we're selling the nancy tillman series "the spirit of series" and plush that goes with it. 100% of the profits going to children. and we've been with you seven years. thank you for being our partner. we've given $12 million to the toy drive here. this year we're donating an additional $1.1 million to help make a nice holiday for some kids. >> that's amazing. [ cheers ] >> that money goes a long way in helping needy kids. and i know it's your mission at kohl's to help those kids, as well. >> yes. you know, it's been our mission for a long time. i think we all know that maybe now more than ever, there are more kids that have needs. and if we can help what you all are doing here, it's really important to all of our families. >> julie gardner, kohl's, thank

you very much. >> thank you for having us again this year. we want to remind everybody, you want to be able to donate, you can do it on line. go to our web site, donate on the plaza, the nbc experience store. we really need your help, so please do donate. there is still time. coming up next, the most popular baby names of 2011. we'll see how natalie, savannah, and al do among others. >> yes. ♪ [ horse neighs ] you're leaving. it is my destiny. ♪ take this. it is a piece of me. ♪ [ male announcer ] it's movie time. with a wii twist. netflix now delivers unlimited tv episodes and movies instantly through wii and nintendo 3ds. all for only 8 bucks a month. seriously, what is it?

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the way i always made it for you. one more thing.... those pj's you like, i bought you five new pairs. love you. did you see the hockey game last night? [ male announcer ] progresso. you gotta taste this soup. ♪ what's your name little girl on "today's moms," the top names of 2011. >> you may be surprised by the celebrity names climbing the charts. >> linda murray is editor-in-chief for baby.com. good morning to you. >> good morning to you. >> let's get to our top five baby names on boys and girls, people want to hear this. >> yes, it's really exciting. we don't usually see a pig change. the top name is mason, first time in the top ten. >> the kardashian effect? >> yes. >> you serious? >> yes. very popular. he's the most popular kardashian that we have right now from a baby naming sense.

>> how did the others do then? are we seeing more people naming their kids khloe, kourtney, k -- >> for the most part no. >> thankfully. >> the only names on the rise in the coshocton family are aiden, and kimm's name is up and k kendals, the others are on the decline. and anderson cooper, anderson is the baby name of the year. this is the first time we've seen a first name and last name rising. anderson up 101 spots, very popular. >> wow. >> these are for babies that have gray hair? >> that's right. very, very blonde hair. >> and cooper, as well, you've seen a spike in cooper, too? >> yes. which might be bradley cooper. sexiest man alive this year. there may be something going on there. >> victoria and david beckham had harper, an old-fashioned name. is that making a comeback? >> that's the faste 100. david and victoria's names are doing well too. the whole beckham family is

doing well. >> what about the royals? >> everybody loves the royals. we expected to see kate and william rise and of course they have but harry and pippa are way up and pippa as a name in its own right. >> are you kidding? >> baby pippas out there. >> i love it. all right. now we have to ask. let's get to us. >> we have a little fun with your names. i can tell you you're all on the rise. everybody is rising. >> the three of us. not the others. >> albert is rising? >> well, al is actually on the rise. >> wow. >> by 3%. >> it's a small increase but an increase. that does show how names are trending. >> savannah is up 17%. >> 17%. there you go. >> how about natalie? >> in terms of total popularity natalie is the most popular of all of your names. >> yay! speech! >> back in my day nobody was named natalie. i was named after natalie wood. >> this is the time of year for natalie, too, because the christmas sound to the name, the latin for natalie is christmas. >> natasha. >> this is the time.

natalia. >> the only decline is ann from your team but it is very unusual so if you're looking for an unusual name it is ann. >> and kathie lee zero babies were named kathie? >> it's true. >> and hoda is on the rise. two babies right? >> yes. we have two babies named hoda. >> go hoda. >> named after our hoda. >> they have to be. >> thank you so much. >> thank you so much. coming up next designer gifts at bargain prices. bobbie, whose name is on the rise, too, thomas has her favoriteghs ridstet afr thiseru cks righaftet r this. set out to create a different kind of cold remedy using powerful medicine and natural ingredients from around the world. he called it vicks vaporub. today, the vicks journey continues. introducing new vicks nature fusion cold & flu syrup. powerful multi-symptom medicine flavored with natural honey instead of artificial flavors and dyes.

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r [ female announcer ] hallmark interactive story buddies. why sett le for ale announcer ] hallmark interacone-note cereal?es. ♪ more, more, more... get more with honey bunches of oats 4 nutritious grains come together for more taste, more healthy satisfaction. get more with honey bunches of oats. the abrasives in the toothpaste actually create those micro fine scratches in the denture, and that's where bacteria can grow and thrive.

these are the very bacteria that can cause bad breath. dentists do recommend that you soak your denture in polident. polident doesn't scratch the denture surface, and it kills 99.9% of bacteria that are responsible for causing bad breath. by using polident and soaking your denture every day you can feel confident your dentures fresh and clean. this morning on bobbie's style buzz designers for less just in time for the holidays. today's style editor bobbie thomas is here with some of her very favorite fashionable finds all under a hundred dollars. bobbie, good morning. >> yes. >> we have a lot of designer names on the table all under a hundred dollars as we mentioned. and some gift sets are here. let's start off with some beauty items for the ladies and for the guys. >> this is one of my favorite finds. you have so many designer sample sets in this package so for $50

you can get somebody on your list because you're not, when it comes to fragrance it can be personal. >> very. >> the opportunity to sample all the designer fragrances but the best part for the 50 bucks is you get a gift certificate included so they can go ahead and get a full sized bottle of whichever fragrance they like. >> a great gift. >> i loved that idea. this is a limited edition from ysl, and i love this because the makeup alone will cover the value of the $65 but you have this bag that left over is essentially a clutch. >> very fashionable. i want this. >> yes. >> this is such a great -- it will cost you hundreds if not thousands of dollars. >> it is fantastic. this is dior right here. >> every year they come out with a great holiday palate collection. what i love is of course you get all of the fantastic makeup in there and then if you take it out this is also a great keepsake case to store jewelry when you travel or anything else. i think it's such a great buy. this is the time of year to look for these kinds of sets. this is a lip palate.

of course chanel. this is a great cosmetics bag with their two glosses, lip pencil, and the sharpener. you're getting your value for the makeup plus something extra. a great gift. >> absolutely. okay. now let's talk about something to help warm you up a little bit here. we've got these great scarves and also some belts. very classic for men. >> for the guy. when you want to think about what to get him, you want to upgrade some of those accessories. he may not want to splurge on or get for himself. but coach offers these really great scarves. all the guys in the studio were looking at these. >> beautiful. >> a belt, sometimes a guy can always use a new belt and this key chain has a hidden bottle opener, so i loved that. >> that will come in handy very much so. >> boesand these are pajama pan. fantastic, fun splurge for him. he'll probably never buy designer pajama pants but you can steal them after you get them. >> nice and soft too. okay. now jewelry. ladies. who doesn't love a little jewelry. you found some great things here for us as well.

>> yes. when it comes to jewelry, i think when it comes to gifting jewelry if you're not going to go with diamonds and high end look for something fun and statement wise. rachel, rachel, one of my favorite designers, she does such a great job with her jewelry collection. it's affordable, accessible. she has the bold, geometric pyramid options. so many fun cocktail rings. love this collection. >> the whole color blocking trend too. >> this is one bracelet. not even four. you get a really big statement for your money. >> cool. wallets are always great gifts and something we hate to buy for ourselves. >> they get beat up through the years. >> right. >> michael coors offers this wallet at macy's. it zips around so, you know, this is fashion and function. of course, you know, the designer name. it comes in a pretty box. >> bright colors too. >> there you go. >> you want to keep it warm here again, great hats and scarves. >> dyny. i love the idea. this is an infinity scarf that wraps around but it is knit and faux fur which is a big trend this season. the hats, too.

really love that. >> running out of time to say for hostess gifts you've found some great items as well. >> diane von furstenberg love her personality and prints. she has these great accessories for your ipod and everything else. feel like a woman wear a dress. coasters for just $25. great buy. designer candles from neiman marcus. >> gorgeous. >> you name it. >> and books. these are gorgeous. fashion books. >> i love this. amazon. only $25 to get the alexander mcqueen book everybody was trying to get at the met. and of course if somebody is a fan of ticket or label this is going to benefit, be on the coffee table. >> thank you so much. coming up next, pairing pears. we've got the recipe for a successful cocktail party. but first this is "today" on nbc. yeah, i'm married. does it matter?

you'd do that for me? really? yeah, i'd like that. who are you talking to? uh, it's jake from state farm. sounds like a really good deal. jake from state farm at three in the morning. who is this? it's jake from state farm. what are you wearing, jake from state farm? [ jake ] uh... khakis. she sounds hideous. well she's a guy, so... [ male announcer ] another reason more people stay with state farm. get to a better state. ♪

this morning on "today's" holiday kitchen the perfect pairings for a cocktail party. we are inspired by one ingredient, pares. vanessa, why pears? >> i love pears. you can incorporate them in so many ways into your holiday parties, cocktails, sweet, savory. >> so we're doing a cocktail party. >> yes. >> you have a pear cocktail. >> yes. when your guests arrive always start with a special if i cty c. this is a spiced winter cocktail. it has a little bit of pear nectar. you can use pear juice as well. i like nectar. it's a little thicker. >> you can find it in stores pretty easily. >> absolutely. this is a cinnamon simple syrup you can make in advance. we'll put freshly squeezed meyer lemon juice to cut the sweetness. >> what were you pouring this into? >> this has my favorite spirit which i just discovered this summer. it's distilled grape.

it's called remi martin v. i love it because it is clear and doesn't change the color of your drink. it has a nice, fresh flavor and is great for mixing cocktails. so this lemon juice is great. it's meyer lemon. if you can't find meyer lemons use regular. mix it around. i like to use a pitcher because you can, if you're serving a lot of people. then strain it into a little martini glass and some freshly grated nut meg. >> okay. >> that's where the spiced comes from. >> very nice. we're making kind of a pear pizza almost. >> this is great. i love making flat braeeads because you prepare all the ingredients in advance. the flat bread takes about ten minutes in the oven so once your guests get there just mix and match with toppings. >> how do you make the dough? >> well, i have a wes phave a rn find on today show website. i have a really nice recipe. i like a nice dough. we're going to brush a little olive oil on here. >> right. >> then some salt and pepper. this recipe we're going to use

brie, pancetta and arugula. >> very nice. >> you can use brie. if you don't, actually pear works so nicely with so many cheeses. you could use cheddar or creamy goat cheese. >> then fan this out. >> yeah. >> how long do you bake it? >> about ten to 15 minutes. >> now we got a nice sweet back here. >> yeah. so like i said, pear is good for everything -- sweet, savory, cocktails. you know, you like caramel apples? >> sure. >> i like caramel pears. take the pear. put it in with the caramel. then we'll put some salted peanuts. >> nice. >> i like the salted peanuts because they add that salty sweet. >> sure. >> kind of like a pay day bar with the fruit in the middle. >> exactly. >> very nice. >> vanessa, thank you so much. >> thank you. the recipes are on the website

good morning. the time now is 9:56. i'm jon kelley. how is this for a story? no gas mask and no bomb. that was the deal that scared a

san jose post office. turned out to be a big misunderstanding. somebody calling police tuesday saying they saw a man wearing a gas mask and body armor run up to a post office mailbox and then he ran away. turns out that man was long loang. he didn't mean to scare anybody. he's a very dedicate the jogger. says he was wearing a cardiomask that stimulates high altitude training. the body armor was just a weighted vest. along's friend recognized his description and called him. >> part of me was like, is this really serious? when some of my friends said hello, post- 9/11. all the craziness that comes with that, yeah. so. >> it all makes sense. police told loang do not do this again, being the wise man he is, he says he won't. there's a lot of oxygen blowing right now. meteorologist christine lauren telling us brace yourself. >> in addition to everything else out there, you might be

suffering from allergies because of all the dust getting kicked up. i think we have seen the strongest of the winds at least for this morning. as we head throughout this afternoon, we'll continue to taper off. 28 miles per hour, sustained. and now that we're entering into the 10:0011:00 a.m. hours, i believe the winds will calm down a little bit. but not below advisory criteria till we hit 6:00 p.m. tonight. periods of decreasing wind at that time. we'll have the seven-day forecast for you and the full forecast at 111:00. >> we'll look the south bay, slowing for 101 just north of 680. an accident at julian is clearing to the shoulder. there's slowing behind there. right at 87, the guadalupe parkway, a congested spot but a typical pattern. further up the peninsula, southbound the accident cleared at marsh. there's the toll plaza with the lights on still. back to you. >> okay, mike. thank you very much. for the latest traffic updates check out nbc bay area on

facebook. we'll be back with another local news update for you in one half hour from now. new selsun blue hes? deep cleansing micro-bead scrub goes to the source wiping out flakes before they flake. new selsun blue deep cleansing.

rnbc captions paid for by nbc-universal television ♪ for me need a little christmas ♪ >> we need aittle christmas. >> it is december 1st. >> we got it. it is thirsty thursday, december 1st. >> how many days until christmas? oh, my goodness. >> it comes on the 25th. >> a little more than three weeks. think about it. we are already in december. this is really a great time of the year. >> is that me singing with the kids?

>> is that from the broadway kids? no! how's that for the christmas spirit, it's not! >> last night was a big night. >> it's a night where a bunch of people fill the streets. is there a moment where you start to get in the spirit is when they light that tree. it's such a fun moment. so let's all enjoy it again together. >> yeah, baby. >> people come from all over the world for that very moment. president obama himself came last night to be part of the festivities. >> if you look outside right behind us, it's beautiful. this plaza is going to be backed. >> i like it best at night. it's all lit, but you can't see it that well. >> they had great performers last night. michael buble, carole king, neil diamond, justin bieber to name a few. it was a fun thing to watch.

>> and alan and savannah hosted it. they had a busy week. >> oh, look. >> he's looking at me. >> he's singing straight to you, baby. >> go, carole. he has that thing how you feel like he's singing directly to you. >> and look at neil. he sounds exactly the same all these years later. >> we had a fun afternoon yesterday. >> we did. >> it was unexpected. >> last summer, hoda and i and kim cattrall were honored by a beautiful organization in the hamptons. it benefits breast cancer research. somehow in showing up and receiving an award, we ended up being auctioned off for a lunch right before going to kim's brand-new "private lives" it's noel coward's classic play. >> the one guy robby brown

bidded on us and won us in the auction. >> $10,000. >> he did, for lunch? >> well, i picked up lunch. >> he rides his bike. he seemed like a fun guy. he rides his bike to and from everywhere he goes. his friend mark came with us. you don't really know who you're eating with. >> we went to southern hospitality which is justin timberlake's restaurant here on the west side. >> robby had a backpack with him. he pulled out a bunch of stuff. >> we started finding out the private life of robby brown. >> there we are with kim on her bed actually. >> here is bobbi brown's business card. >> he is the number one real estate salesman at corcoran. >> he likes to dress like hillary clinton. he does! he does. >> yes, he does. >> he likes to dress up like lots of people. he is the darlingest guy. >> we love him. he showed us books full of

pictures of him dressed as different women. >> you like that, don't you, jimmy? he was given the big award for the number one salesman. he said i won't come to give a speech dressed in normal clothes. i will only come if i can come in drag. >> and he did. >> in bathing suit. he had 15 broadway guys singing behind him, accepting his award. so we had a fun lunch, you can imagine. what a sweetheart. this friday at chelsea piers, he does a huge toy drive where tons of people come. they bring toys and raise money for thousands and thousands of toys for kids during christmas. thank you, robby. can you, mark. it was fun. >> we had a blast. >> and kim. you've got to tell about the play. >> oh, my gosh! kim was great in this please. it's called "private lives." she has great timing. it is funny. we laughed our way through it. >> it's about two people who are

married and madly in love with each other in a sexual sense but can't live with one another. they get divorced. five years later they show up with their brand-new spouses on their honeymoons with adjoining balconies at the hotel looking out the water. >> it was great. it's definitely worth seeing. >> you can tell when it's my playbill because it has the gum on the last page. >> ew. >> i wanted to show this guy who is so adorable. paul gross. >> excellent. gross. >> cues me. >> gross is your gum. >> oh, gross. it's better than putting it under the theater seat. >> who does that? people do that? they do that? >> you know what made the children's most popular, brand-new baby's popular list this year for the first time ever in american history? >> who? >> hoda. >> no. >> two girls were named hoda in the continental u.s. >> they do a list every year. we check to see if either of our

names are on there. kathie obviously is on there. >> no. >> catherine. >> not one of the top ten. >> no. >> neither is hoda. >> two girls were named hoda. they are probably egyptian immigrants, i'm telling you. >> ava number five, olivia number four, isabella, emma and sophia is the number one girl. >> for boys, they look funky out of order. five is jacob, four is liam, three is mason -- >> probably because of the kardashian little boy. >> jackson and aidan. there were no kathie lee babies born in 2011. >> catherine is my real name. kate middleton's real name is catherine. that rose 39 spots. you know what made it? i think it's pippa.

her real name is philippa. >> if you could change your name, what would you change it to? >> i fought my name my whole life. >> embrace it. >> no. helen, rhoda. in the streets of new orleans people would yell, hey, photo copy because it was easier. instead of hoda kotb. >> i don't mind my name catherine but nobody calls me that. i like kate. i wouldn't mind that. i love katharine hepburn. >> they can tell if your child is going to be successful. put a mar mellow in front of your child. they say you can have that right now. if you wait five minutes you get two, if you wait ten you get three, if you wait 15, you get four. >> if your child goes right away

and can't take it, that child will not be as successful as one that can wait 15 minutes. they say that tells you about instant gratification. the kids who look at the marshmallow and obsess over it while waiting aren't the ones who can make it. >> it's the ones that can leave it and do other things. what if you don't like marshmallows? >> you put aor efn oreo. >> hoda wants to talk about this. >> you get these catalogs at home. we are like, what's in here? they have all these different massage, back massage things. this one and this one stood out to our producers. they look like back massagers. concentrated vibrations, water

resistant, contoured, touch-friendly massage head. that's what it says. what is it? >> it's what i want for christmas. >> what is it? why don't they say what it is? >> they say it's a personal massager. >> they don't say. >> this is the key, hoda. comfort and joy, just a click away. they might as well say poughkeepsie. >> let's talk about joy with the ihoda play list. >> all right. >> there is a group called cobra style or starship. i don't remember the name of the group. starship. cobra starship. >> style? >> who can remember? this one is called, "you make me feel." it puts you in a good mood. ♪ la la la la >> i'm already in a good mood. >> the lyrics are amazing. ♪ wait, here it comes. ♪ la la la la la

♪ girl i've been all over the world looking for you ♪ >> it never gets good fast enough for me. ♪ can you hear me through the radio ♪ ♪ in that bright white noise >> i am ready. >> you're not ready enough. here it comes. ♪ do just what you like ♪ you make me feel that ♪ la la la la >> those great lyrics again. oh, gosh, this is a real winner, hoda. ♪ la la la la la you dance with a drink in your hand. feel it? >> okay. sorry. sorry.

i didn't care for it much. >> la la la la la. >> you will be singing it? >> no, i won't. i will be reading "okay in. "magazine. courtney kardashian is pregnant again. the paper said she is nine months, she is nine weeks. there is a little bit of a difference. >> is it okay to give extravagant holiday gifts? you said. >> i said, whatever money you earn is yours to spend however inappropriate it may seem to others. was that sarcastic? >> no. i'm saying, if you earned it, you have the right to spend your money the way you want to. hoda said, it's okay if it makes your significant other happy, then why not? make sure it comes from your heart and not from your wallet. >> i'm going start reading yours like that. joanne wrote that for me because i was busy. >> joanne la marka who shall remain nameless. >> we have a big show today.

actress and model molly sims will change the way you walk out your doors today. >> something to do with t yingsp things you put with your outfit. >> go molly! ... [ sniffing ] ...something wonderful is as near as your nose. ♪ ♪ just pop up pop tarts. sprinkled with joy and frosted with fun... [ laughs ] ...they make ordinary extraordinary. [ cheering ] so you can make any day joylicious! best foods and holiday leftovers become irresistibly creamy turkey casserole.

real delicious best foods. make it real. make it different. this season's hottest games and...sweatbands. [ grunting noises ] ahh! this is gold. [ mom ] woo! [ game ] snaps up the ace. i'll never be popular. [ game ] next game decides our winner. [ male announcer ] get low prices on this season's hottest games. like kinect sports season 2 for xbox 360 with kinect. rated e for everyone. backed by our christmas price guarantee. save money. live better. walmart. come soups that you'll love getting to know. new slow kettle style soups from campbell's. extraordinary taste sensations crafted from premium ingredients. slow kettle. new from campbell's. it's amazing what soup can do. that will change your life... for the first time ever... a toothpaste. crest 3d white.

if beauty editors notice, who else will? crest 3d white toothpaste. life opens up when you do. [ male announcer ] what if we could keep enough plastic waste to cover all of manhattan out of landfills each year? the equivalent of 140 million trash bags, gone. by using new glad trash bags, designed with reinforcing bands to be stronger with less plastic waste, we can. ♪ it's a small change that can make a big difference. ♪ if you've never been successful figuring out how to accessorize your bathing suitor any outfit, you're in luck today. >> actress and model and newly

wed molly sims is "project accessory." designers are competing for $1,000 to start their own accessory line. tonight's challenge is accessorizing with swimwear. >> you look great. >> thank you. >> how is married life? >> it's so good. two months, almost 72-day marker of kim and kris. >> we believe in you. >> i believe in us. it's so good. he's such a great partner. >> when did you meet him? >> i've known him over the years because he's a producer. >> look at you. how cute. this is not a trick question. >> no, no, no. >> where did you meet your husband. >> used to be one of the heads of universal. >> oh, casting couch, got it. >> not -- never -- he ended up being married for a few months. >> okay. >> then there was the reshoot

and it was fabulous. >> he kept inviting people. >> he loves people. he came on me, listen, i met the gas attendant and i invited him. he is an awesome partner. >> another reason we love our molly. >> let's talk about your show. this is a cool spin-off. >> it's been on a month. we are in the mid season. we shot it in new york, of course the month before the wedding. >> no pressure. >> behind the scenes -- there i am. >> tell us about your role in it. >> host, judge. i've always been a lover of accessories. i build my wardrobe not around my outfit but my accessories. i dress simple, but then i'll bring it up. always teach women do one thing that's big. whether it be an earring or necklace but not everything. i have on a small earring, a little statement.

then i've got my line which is very cheap. >> everything is not real. >> everything is not real. this is a great ring to have. especially because my hands get swollen. >> if you're pregnant and swelling. >> exactly. >> i like. >> it's a great behind the scenes of what it goes in to make jewelry, handbags and shoes. >> these are people trying to break into that field to find the next big accessorizing. >> accessorizing for swim wear isn't simple? >> we have belly chains, hats. >> we found two of our producers we love and decided to accessorize them. we are going to ask you to pick who accessorized who. come on out. >> i like it. >> we have ali and rachea. >> this is hard. i like it. i love the hoops with a little

bit of the black and gold. >> what about ali. >> i love ali. here is the one thing i wouldn't do. i wouldn't match the earring and the necklace. >> i wonder who did that. >> be careful. i'm here. and so is ali. >> you're my winner, sweetie. >> what did we do wrong? >> we match too much. >> too much. >> you never know when to quit. >> if they had been plain it would have been simpler. >> excuse me, this stuff all had to come out of our closets. i've never seen you wear that jacket. that is not injure yakt. >> it might be mine. >> i love the jacket. i'm going, that's not hoda's jacket. that is my jacket. >> you pulled in the black with the necklace but left a hoop. >> enough praise for her. >> thank you, molly. >> thank you. >> thank you.

>> my tiara. >> you can catch "project accessories" tonight. >> sara's webtastic video should do the trick. i'm going to make molly sims disappear. we love you, molly. put a little more k'ching in your christmas! this friday, saturday and sunday... celebrate the big half-off apparel holiday sale! take 50% off apparel across the store! family sweaters, outerwear...

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we are back with our webtastic series. >> this might make you rush out to the mall. >> unsuspected shoppers in new jersey were treated with a surprise shows were performed at mall's santa musical. here is our shortened version. >>. ♪ hey santa ♪ santa ♪ i want to sit on you >> what are you doing? >> i'm going to sit on santa's lap right now.

>> aren't you old for that? >> no way. ♪ you're never too old to sit on santa ♪ ♪ you can keep your holly and your christmas tree ♪ i want to put my butt on santa's knee ♪ ♪ you're never too old to sit on santa ♪ ♪ that's right ♪ if you want presents to unwrap ♪ you better sit on santa's lap ♪ >> i know there are other people in this mall who want to sit on santa's lap. where are you? ♪ everyone is so warm ♪ how about a snowstorm ♪ here's a bunch of styrofoam ♪ peanuts rain ♪ >> do you want to sit on santa's laugh? >> i'm jewish. >> happy hanukkah. >> see you later. >> anyone else want to sit on santa? anybody else? >> it would be an honor and a privilege! ♪ i am a humble christmas

present ♪ probably socks or a pair of shoes ♪ but i believe in magic ♪ i will sit on santa too ♪ you better sit on santa's lap ♪ up on santa's lap ♪ up on santa's lap >> hey, guys, that was awesome. we have people actually waiting so if we could clear the area, that would be great. clear the area. thank you. >> wait! ♪ you're never too old >> it was posted on november 29th. it has 244,000 hits. >> i see why. >> improv anywhere. >> i love when they do that. >> imagine being in the mall at that time? >> what's coming up? >> stocking stuffers for the

chef in your life. >> a great "everyone has a story." we are going to meet two wonderful sisters who put their brother in front of everything else. [ male announcer ] kinect for xbox 360, this season's hottest games and...sweatbands. ♪ boom, boom, boom, gotta get-get ♪ ♪ boom, boom, boom, gotta get-get ♪ ♪ boom, boom, boom, gotta get-get ♪ ♪ boom, boom, boom it's like looking into the sun. ♪ boom, boom, boom we're rocking the beat, kids! wow. [ male announcer ] get low prices on this season's hottest games. like the black eyed peas experience for kinect for xbox 360. rated t for teen. backed by our christmas price guarantee. save money. live better. walmart. guys... [ female announcer ] pillsbury cinnamon rolls with cinnabon cinnamon are an irresistible sunday morning idea. nothing calls them to the table faster. sunday morning ideas made easy.

it's bring your happiness to work day. campbell's microwavable soups. in three minutes -- the deliciousness that brings a smile to any monday. campbell's -- it's amazing what soup can do. campbell's -- ♪ campbell's -- ♪ introducing hershey's air delight. experience new light and airy, melty bubbles. made from pure, delicious hershey's milk chocolate. new hershey's air delight. good morning. the time is 10:26. i'm jon kelley. get ready. the 2013 americas cup is in san francisco and less than two

years away. today, we could learn how it will affect the city and the entire bay. the event's final environmental impact report will be published sometime today. the planning commission still needs to certify the report before any development projects can start. several community groups have spoken out against the planned projects for the race. community members will have the opportunity top appeal to the board of supervisors if the report is certified. .nd we suggest you stickar.oundr yo uryour local weather and traffi right after this break.

welcome back. well, it's still gusty out there this morning. winds sustained at 28 miles per hour. temperatures will be on the warm side later on today. 71 in los gatos and san jose. listen to this. peak wind gusts so far 150 miles per hour. reported in mammoth. it's at 11,000 feet. that is substantial. we had a 92-mile-per-hour wind gust off of mount hamilton, as well. all throughout the day the winds drop tonight. >> keep the kids away from the kites. we're looking at the south bay with a smooth drive. 101 past the airport, slowing there. unusually heavy off the 880, 237 in towards the san jose and sunnyvale. a live look outside. san mateo bridge, an easy drive as far as the traffic flow. look at that camera shake because of those winds still out there. be careful. >> blowing very hard. thank you very much. coming up on bay area news at

11:00 a.m., friends of a san jose national guardsman gathering to say farewell today. the memorial for sean walsh is, plus b.a.r.t., how they're planning to rulategeleonl c epg acbluts at 11:00. see you then. gift guide. if you have chefs on your shopping list, cross them all. >> chris kim balance, editor and founder of "cook's illustrated" has great suggestion. >> hi, guys. this is the highlight of my month. >> such a sad, sad life he lives. >> in a half hour i'll be depressed. we've got a pancake pen. you put the batter in here and you can do a "k" if you like or "h." there you go. >> that's cool.

>> or you can make a ho, ho -- this is a christmas segment. >> that's 10 bucks. for $9 you can get the zach easy roll garlic. you want to get the paper off the clove which is always a problem. stick it in the middle. put four, five at a time. do this. >> that's great. >> it's hard to get it off, it's sticky and everything else. it's a little expensive, but works. >> we have the joseph magnetic -- this has a tablespoon here, tea spoon here and it sticks. the magnetic thing -- >> i'm waiting for you to explain. >> you use a tablespoon, teaspoon all the time. you go in the draw and you can find it. >> or put it on the refrigerator. >> see? i thought it through.

>> this is cool. i like it. >> they come in designer colors. you can pick up march mellows, if you can't wait 15 minutes. the old were too big, they didn't have a lining so your hand sweated. this is the orca plus, $15, nice colors. you can pick up stuff easily. >> how much is that? >> 15 bucks. >> that is a nice gift. >> going back here. you can, if you must take your pepper with you -- this is actually cute. it's totally unnecessary. >> take their pepper with them? >> if you go to a restaurant you don't want the big thing. this is about 18 bucks. it's a unicorn mini mill. it works pretty well. it's not bad. you can adjust it at the top. >> i guess if you're going on picnics. >> it has a little carry bag, a little tote. >> it's adorable.

>> it's cute. >> a cute stocking stuffer. >> 1933 they invented the mocha express. you put in water at the bottom, you put in about four level tablespoons of finely ground coffee. >> and you have your tablespoon nice and handy. >> very good. it makes two-ounce espressos. it really works. it's totally old fashioned, but it actually really works. takes about four minutes to make four cups. >> for about 28 bucks you can get this commuter travel mug. >> i'm always looking for the perfect one. i come in from connecticut and i wear it by the time i get here. >> she does. >> when you wear black, it will be fine. >> i want one that works. >> this with. two hours keeps your coffee hot. it fits in everything. some are too big. they tested while driving. some are so big on top you can't see where you're going. we didn't crash. finally, our most expensive, the

nuance, this is a wine finer aerator. if you open a bottle of red wine, you think you're going to let it sit for an hour so it bosoms, opens up? the neck of the bottle is so narrow, it doesn't work. >> what should you do? >> get one of these. stick it into the top like that. when you pour it, what happens is the wine is going around like in a muffler. >> no need to open it up and aerate it. >> it does a great job and you can drink more wine more quickly. >> can you aerate this? >> that's why it's sitting there. >> thank you. >> we have a great segment coming up. >> "everyone has a story." why one mother wants to shine the light on her two young daughters. ac ♪ ♪

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a vacation on a budget with expedia. make it work. booking a flight by itself is an uh-oh. see if we can "stitch" together a better deal. that's a hint, antoine. ooh! see what anandra did? booking your flight and hotel at the same time gets you prices hotels and airlines won't let expedia show separately. book it. major wow factor! where you book matters. expedia. put a little more k'ching in your christmas! this friday, saturday and sunday... celebrate the big half-off apparel holiday sale! take 50% off apparel across the store! family sweaters, outerwear... even joe boxer and route 66, are half off! now that's kmart smart. all-natural benefiber, the fiber supplement that's taste-free and dissolves completely. so you can put it in whatever you like, even water. benefiber. makes taking fiber easier.

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♪ everyone as a moment ♪ that changes their life >> today we meet our new "everyone has a story" contest winners. natalie wrote about her selfless daughters. >> they are the younger sisters of their brother zach who has a rare disease that affects his central nervous system. let's listen to natalie's amazing letter us to. >> changing diapers, wiping noses and selfless giving is something as a mother you expect to do. but not as a sister for your older brother. brianna and kathie are our beautiful daughters. their older brother zach has pelizaeus-merzbacher which makes what you and i do so easily very difficult. zach's disease will eventually take his life. because of that, we decided to focus on quality of life. we formed a nonprofit foundation unlimited play, to build play

grounds where our children could play side by side. it sounds simple, but every child should have the right to play. we built zachary's play ground in 2007 and just are opening our third play ground. zach receives so much attention from both his play ground because it's the most popular in the county and because he is in a little red we'll chair. people go out of their way to make sure zach feels important. the attention he receives is wonderful, but my daughters are so left out. they do so much more than any other young girls i know. they are always mindful of what zach is trying to do, what he's dropped, if he needs help eating or even if he needs a diaper change. because of the amount of extra attention zach needs, my daughters often feel they're invisible and don't get the attention they deserve. i would love to honor my daughters for the commitment and love they show for their brother. they need to know how inspiring they are to me and so many

others. their selflessness at such a young age is amazing. time to recognize them. >> this is the state i was in when i read that letter. same as today. natalie is here with her husband todd, zach, brianna and cassie. you had a great trip from new york to st. louis. >> we had an incredible trip. >> you like the new york police department, is that true? >> yeah. >> how come? >> they let us through and they're really nice. >> you went to the lighting of the christmas tree? >> yeah. >> to the tree. >> they don't get enough thanks for all the good work they do. >> you have an incredibly strong family. i could tell in that two-minute take. what is the source of strength for you guys? >> both my faith and as a mom watching a son, he would fall down when he was young and struggle to get back up and try again and again. he's our strength. >> hi, zach. >> hi, zach. >> hi.

>> how does it make you feel to know your family loves you so much? >> zach communicates on an ipad. >> it makes me really pappy. >> oh, thank you. >> that's the reason i like computers. >> whose birthday was it recently? you just turned 10? >> stop it. double-digits. slap me five twice. >> what has your brother taught you? >> i guess that everybody is different and it doesn't mean anybody is better than anybody else. even though they're good at different things. >> kathie, what do you like doing with your little brother? >> we play wii. i like to go outside and take walks with him. >> you do? >> yeah. >> sometimes when you're doing so much for your brother, do you feel like, gee, when is it going to be my turn? do you ever feel that way? >> they're like, well. >> today is your turn.

today is your turn. we want to thank you for all you do for your brother, which takes so much of the pressure off your mom and dad. do you realize what blessings you are to your family and to zach? >> well, we have a beautiful song for all of you. >> yes, we do. >> david wrote most of it. todd, what's it like having these three amazing women in your family? >> they are amazing, i have to say that. as a father, you want to provide everything you can for your children. when there's challenges that you come up against, you find ways to overcome those challenges. i think zach and also brianna and kathie have proven they have strong spirits and are able to do whatever they set their minds to. >> you are a beautiful example of family. next we have a special song for the blakemore girls. on my phone, i got internet! hotspot five dollars.

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♪ everyone has a moment >> we are back with "everyone has a story" and the blakemore family. it's time for a special performance we wrote just for you girls. here to perform it is broadway star patty muran and the song is called "invisible." ♪ ♪ everyone longs to be seen ♪ to be known ♪ when they're being the best they can be ♪ ♪ and a person can start to feel awfully alone ♪ when they're doing good deeds and no one seems to see ♪ ♪ when they think that they're taken for granted ♪

♪ when they think they're not noticed for all that they've done ♪ ♪ they might think we don't care ♪ and they might think that they're invisible ♪ ♪ to everyone ♪ they feel invisible ♪ invisible ♪ they know that they're good and they know that they're here ♪ but they think that they might as well just disappear ♪ ♪ because when people don't notice them then it seems clear ♪ ♪ that they must be invisible ♪ invisible ♪ now a mother expects to be selfless and strong ♪ ♪ that's what mothers are all here to do ♪ ♪ but for me to expect that from you would be wrong ♪ ♪ so i'm grateful each day

♪ because you are just you ♪ and i notice when you help your brother ♪ ♪ and i see how you do it with love in your heart ♪ ♪ but i also can see ♪ that sometimes you need me to notice you just as you are ♪ ♪ you're not invisible ♪ not invisible ♪ i know that you're good ♪ ♪ and i know that you're here ♪ i see how you sacrifice year after year ♪ ♪ in my heart there is no way you could disappear ♪ ♪ you are never invisible ♪ you have nothing to fear ♪ so i'm singing this song to let both of you know ♪

♪ i'm aware of the challenges i fought you through ♪ ♪ so these words are to remind you wherever you go ♪ ♪ that one thing is so ♪ that one thing is true ♪ peek-a-boo ♪ i see you ♪ you're never invisible >> yeah! we'll be back with a special surprise.

we are back honoring a very special family. >> patty murran just performed "invisible." it is gorgeous. she is performing in "lystrista" on broadway. >> what did you think of your song? >> i loved it. >> how but, mom? >> i'm amazed you could turn into song exactly how i was feeling. >> perfect. excellent. >> what about you, zach, did you like the song? >> yeah. >> it's only about them. >> todd, how about you? did you enjoy it? >> it was amazing, thank you. >> we like to give you guys a little something, a little party gift. we know you like spending time with the family and cherishing every moment. we reached out to pure michigan which provided you with five round-trip tickets from st. louis to traverse city, michigan, where you will head to

the great wolf lodge for meals, children's things, pools, all the activities. >> look at that! >> zach likes that. >> now zach is happy he came. >> god bless you all. merry christmas. thank you for sharing. want to congratulate our own dave wilde. he won the hollywood music awards for the best original song for the movie trailer of "the help." >> you did that? >> i 2 that. >> i love that movie. >> we are awfully proud of him. and david friedman's books flying off the shelves. >> it's the hot ticket. >> yes, it is. hoda, what do you have coming up? >> tonight we are busy with some of our advertising friends. we have an outing. >> you'll be on broadway. tell us the theater. >> the walter kerr theater. just down the block. >> thanks for coming to see us. >> so glad you came. >> enjoy new york city.

merry christmas. god bless you all, okay? >> all right. we'll see everybody tomorrow. have a great day. >> make it -- let's listen to it more. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com