good morning. new scandal. the longtime president of the amateur athletic union accused by two former basketball players of sexually abusing them at children. this morning both the aau and police in tennessee are launching investigations as one of the alleged victims speaks out for the first time. ultimate penalty. a second man sentenced to death for his role in what's been called the worst crime in connecticut history. the killing of a mother and her two daughters. the victim's family opens up in an exclusive industry. no one to fold 'em? another gop hopeful turns down an invitation to donald trump's

debate. the business mogul is debating cancelling the whole thing. today is saturday, december 10, 2011. captions paid for by nbc-universal television good morning, everyone. welcome to "today" on a saturday. i'm lester holt. >> and i'm amy robach. on the heels of the child sex abuse scandals that rocked penn state and syracuse university, more to come. >> the man who ran one of the largest sports groups in country is being accused of molestation. the allegations are coming from two men who claim they were molested by robert bobby dodd in the 1980s when they were teenagers. details and a live report straight ahead. also, are police closer to what happened to missing mom? divers conducting a search in a canal in a home owned by the

primary suspect's father. we'll have the latest on this investigation. and two weeks left in the holiday shopping season. needed a nagging. >> me, too. if you're trying to cross off people on your list like we are, we have gifts for pup flat screens to gadgets to gamers. >> i'm still compiling the list. busy time. allegations of child sex abuse leveled against the ex-president of the amateur athletic union. jay gray has details. >> reporter: good morning, lester. in the wake of the scandal's here at penn state and syracuse university, the scenario's become hauntingly familiar. young athletes and allegations of abuse by a coach. this time the focus shifting to the former head of the amateur athletic union. this morning there are shocking new accusations that the longtime president and ceo of the amateur athletic union,

robert bobby dodd, sexually abused young basketball players while he was their coach during the 1980s. >> that was his m.o. was coming in in the middle of the night when you were asleep and trying to assault you. >> reporter: one of his accusers spoke with the spn. >> 3:00 in the morning. dead asleep. i don't remember anything but waking up and he's try og to put his hand in my boxer shorts. i jumped up straight out of the bed. he's not there but laying on the floor flex to me down by the bed. of course i was freaked out. >> reporter: nbc news has been unable to reach dodd on the accusations and in writen statements. both the aau and the police are invest gaysing the allegations. while at penn state federal agents, local police, the university and big ten conference all continued separate investigations as jerry sandusky and his attorney prepare for their first court hearing early next week. >> this is going to be a

one-sided proceeding. this is going to be a proceeding where the commonwealth is going to call witnesses who are going to say, he's horrific things happened. >> reporter: sandusky repeatedly denied abusing any child. he faces at least 50 counts in his ongoing child sexual assault case. jerry sandusky's first hearing is set for tuesday. let's get back to the aau allegationses for just a minute. i talked to the coach of a once prominent aau basketball team who says his group began to pull away from that organization a couple of years ago because of what he calls a "lack of oversight, supervision sapd an absence of integrity." lester? >> jay gray, thank you very much. here's amy. lester thank you. more on the presidential race. donald trump appears close to dashing his plans to host a gop debate as the republican field gets together in iowa later tonight. mike viqueira is at the white house with the details.

good morning. >> reporter: good morning to you, amy. with little more than three weeks to go from that first caucus all eyes on iowa and a debate scheduled for tonight. though there will be seven candidates on the stage, all eyes on just two of them. mitt romney and newt gingrich. now trailing in the polls, mitt romney campaigned in iowa friday stressing gop unity ahead of tonight's debate. >> seven or eight that don'ted several times would do a better job as president as the current president, yes, they're all qualified including speaker gingrich. >> reporter: even as romney praised him, his allies on the attack. launching a $3 million ad campaign in iowa trying to stop the gingrich surge. >> newt has a ton of baggage. like the fact that gingrich was fined $300,000 for ethics violations. gingrich even teamed up with nancy pelosi and al gore on global warming. >> reporter: gingrich's sunday rise has alarmed some in his own party including romney supporter

dan quayle. >> poor ethics has no place in the white house. i've been there. if you have a person of questionable integrity it's very difficult to be a good leader. >> reporter: columnist and former aide, walked around with a hand grenade, watch this. and sounding a warning. >> issues of temperament documented for many, many years. so viscerally personal. that's concerning us all. >> reporter: gingrich has taken the high road. >> i'm going to stay positive. i'm going to talk about how he solve the country's problems and one opponent, barack obama. >> reporter: expected to continue their own attacks of gingrich at tonight's debates. some view his rise as a rejection of gop leaders in washington. >> what's happening here, ladies and gentlemen, i think, is that republican primary voters are

finally saying to the establishme establishment, we're not doing it your way this time. >> reporter: and, amy, with these debates playing a bigger role than ever this campaign season, 13 before the first votes of dmaft iowa and the trump debate appears about to be cancelled or put on the back burner, that leaves two more debates, two more chances for some in the back of the pack to make a slash. amy? >> nbc's mike viqueira, thanks so much. chris matthews is the host of "hardball" and author of the new book "jack kennedy, elucid hero." ethics images, three marriages, will we see romney attack gingrich in tonight's debate? >> that's his big challenge. he has to deliver on sayhis sir.

not seen to have the kirk to take on his opponent. >> are there risks for romney to go after gingrich in a personal way? >> he opens himself up in a way. that would give -- it would give newt gingrich the opportunity to come back and say, well, look at your record. you supported health care, you were pro-choice. flipping all over the place. wouldn't bring him into the ditch and give an opportunity for newt gingrich to go after him. >> speaking of debates. she to do talk about donald trump. looks like he's going to pull the plug because no one wants to participate except for santorum and gingrich. was this a smart moves on the part of the candidates for the fact up for grabs and he might consider a third party run if he's concerned about whos left at the end of it? >> they've given really too much

influence to this fella. he's not really in politic, not really part of the republican party. this election to president has come down to three people, the president of the united states, newt gingrich and mitt romney. i don't think donald trump belongs in this discussion, to be honest with you. >> turn to your book. jack kennedy, elucid here oenchts it's gotten to be a circumstancy, sorry to say and believing bringing trump would add to the big top aspect of this thing. >> in all seriousness, head to your book. in 2008 the kennedy family gave their endorsement to barack obama. if kennedy were still with us today, how do you think he would assess how the president has done in his first term? >> i think kennedy's great strength and recently they asked people, who should be on mount rushmore who's not there? the public overwhelmingly said

kennedy, not fdr or reagan. ask not what your country can do for you but what can you do for your country. he brought us together by service to the country. today it's divisive. he's been forced to call for a populist campaign today against the rich. i think kennedy would never have done that. >> a major theme in your book, kennedy was thoroughly prepared to handle all issues. worked hard to understand the issues of date, from the cold war to civil rights. didn't just campaign well but governed effectively. that said what could the current president and the republican candidates learn from that? >> so much of our history is written by men and women who have proven nemz their youth. kennedy proved himself as a war hero basically by saving his crew after their p.t. boat was destroyed. risked his life to save them. being a skipper, a leader, is something you have to learn.

you can't just give a good speech. you have to lead other people in a battle. kennedy was learning to be a leader from 14 years in the congress, and the p.t. boat and getting people behind him. traveling country four years almost alone getting 30,000 people, established relationships with 30,000 people. we really got to know his confederates and built an army of politicians behind him. i think president obama is very much a loner. doesn't seem to lead a political force. he's out there all alone and that's hurt him a lot. >> most americans have come to nope the lure of kennedy. >> that's right. >> of course, a life cut too short. all of the divisions of camelot, but what have you recovered in researching history and researching kennedy that surprised you and will surprise your readers as well? >> i think it really will, because you think of him as just a lucky, young, rich kid who's good looking. most of his life he was very sick. thought he had leukemia while in high school.

had last rightes given to him i his 30s. i've uncovered his diary in 1946. he's studying the irish-american political tradition. learning all the techniques of politics on his own. he really learned how to be a great political leader through those 14 years of study. what i found out, he was a self-made man in so many ways. more than gatsby if you will, than a legacy. >> chris matthews, as always, a pleasure. thanks for joining us. >> amy, thank you so much. a check of the other top stories of the morning now. tom llamas at the news desk, good morning. >> good morning, everyone. virginia tech is trying to recover from another tragedy. thousands took part in a candlelight vigil friday night for university police officer deriek crouse killed on campus thursday. a dean's list student as a nearby college has been identified at the gunman who killed the officer and then killed himself. police are still trying to

determine a motive. huge demonstrations are held across russia today demanding new national elections. nbc's stephanie gosk is in moscow at the largest rally. stephanie, good morning. >> reporter: hey, good morning, lester. so far, a very large rally has been peaceful. no reports of arrests. it's the biggest of its size since president putin came to power 12 years ago and may be bigger than some protests in the early '90s made up mostly of russia's middle class. these people, most, have never protested before. they're employed and educated but believe last weekend's parliamentary election was rigged and accusing vladimir putin's government of widespread corruption. the police are filling the streets. the government approved this location. not close to the kremlin where demonstrators originally wanted to stage the demonstration.

they said if anyone tries to protest anywhere else in moscow, they'll be arrested. >> stephanie gosk in moscow, thank you. despite popular opinion there are jobs that need to be filledthe trucking company snyder national has 41,000 ochs. pizza hut and taco bell also in the top five. the list made by the website simplyhire. and sedans, because of a problem that could make the wheels fall off, they're being recalled. 2010 and 2011 with 17-inch wheels. the recall will begin in late january. if you follow the "today" show on twitter you may have noticed a thank you in our profile picture, because we've reach add milestone. the "today" show now has more than 1 million followers worldwide. thank you for following us. we're just 10 million followers shy of catching up with kim kardashian. now finally, three pennsylvania children had one wish for santa. to see their dad return home from christmas.

check this outside. friday, they got their wish. chief warrant officer chris sagan returned from his third tour in iraq to screams of delight from his children at a store near harrisburg, pennsylvania. i could watch that video all day. thanks the news. back to lester, amy and bill. christmas came early for that family i. know. we keep seeing them, but it still has the same effect. >> so good. sweet moments. >> they are. >> and -- >> it's the kids' reaction, the screaming. >> what it's all about. bill, our first check of forecast? >> you reminded us nicely only two weeks left before christmas. almost time to start talking white christmas and the lack of it. a lot of us wondering, where's the snow this season? some of our snowiest season only a little bit. a couple inches in areas like cleveland, but still behind there. chicago, the first half inch of the season just two days ago. the snow drought is significant and the snowiest city of all, syracuse. less than an inch so far this

year. typically usually about 18 inches by now. a lot of these areas, not looking good. as far as rain goes, we've had plenty of that. way too much. at the wettest year ever in areas like evans vl, and from the ohio valley to the northeast, wrapping up 2011 as the wettest year from allentown to scranton, albany and new york city . >> a live view of our lunar eclipse. the earth's shadow taking out a chunk of the moon. look to the west at the eclipse reaches its peak around 6:05. should see a little bit of an orange tint to the moon. it is cold outside. if you are going to try to see this, it is going to be bundle-up weather for the morning. afternoon, 50s, low 60s. tomorrow, we will be tracking a chance of showers dropping into the bay area. that's your weekend forecast. lester? >> all right, bill.

thanks. to the soerch for a former fbi agent who vanished in iran. robert levenson disappeared nearly five years ago and his family hopes the release of a hostage video they received will lead to new answers in the case. we'll talk to levenson's wife in a few moments. first, incomes's chief foreign affairs correspondent andrea mitchell. >> please, help me. >> reporter: the first public glimpse of retired fbi man robert levenson since he went missing in iran almost four yearsation. before smiling, healthy, a father and grandfather. after years of activity he appears gaunt as he make as heartbreak i heartbreaking plea for help. >> to my beautiful and loving wife christine, to my children and my grandson and also for the united states government, i am not in very good health. i am running very quickly out of diabetes medicine. >> reporter: the family received the tape a year ago, but put it on their website only today.

fearing the investigation had gone cold and wanting to appeal directly to the kidnappers. >> i am sending this message because we need to know what you want our family to do. >> reporter: when he vanished levenson was on an island off the coast of iran working at a private investigator on a cigarette smuggling case. the tape offers tantalizing but conflicting clues. pashtun wedding music heard in the background indicating he could be in afghanistan not iran, but the tape was delivered through a pakistani internet server. was that just to confuse the fbi? last year i asked iran's president ahmadinejad about levenson? >> is he alive? >> i should ask this question. i don't know. we don't know. how can we know that? >> reporter: a year later, tensions rising. >> >> the fact we haven't heart, they probably do not have him in captivity. >> reporter: christine levenson is sure his husband say live clinging desperately to a hope

and a hostage tape now one-year old. andrea mitchell, nbc news, washington. and christine levenson is with us this morning. thanks for being with us. as noted a moment ago, the tape received as a digital file actually about a little over a year ago. you had trouble opening it at the time. can you tell us how you learned what was on the tape and what your reaction was? >> it took me a little while, but once the problem was resolved, i was able to open the tape on my computer, and i saw that it was bob. you know, i was happy to see that he was alive, but at the same time, i was very sad to see what kind of condition he's in, although i could see the determination that he is trying to get home to us, the same way i am trying to get him back. >> was it clear as to when this was shot? you received it a year ago november. was there any reference, time

reference on it, to give you some perspective? >> well, in the video, bob did say it was 3 1/2 years. so at that time it was 3 1/2 years, since he had disappeared. >> subsequently, you've received photos as well. is that correct? >> yes. >> and can you tell us the difference in those photos than what you saw a year ago in that tape? >> i really can't comment on the photos, because there's a continuing fbi investigation. >> fair enough, and we understand this investigation is going on, and that was the reason that you held the videos for so long. what triggered you to finally want to put these videos out there and go public with them? >> as you know, we're coming up on five years. he will have been, been gone five years now without any traces of where he is or who has him. so i am trying to get the case

resolved. it's another holiday season. i don't want anymore family events or holidays missed by my husband. it's very difficult. >> did american authorities agree with your decision to put the tape out in? >> i told them i wanted to put it out there, and as the family -- it's what i feel we need to do to get bob home. >> the u.s. has been appealing to the ahmadinejad government to help in this search. the government says they don't have him. is it clear to you who has him and whether he is even, in fact, still in iran? >> no. i have absolutely no information about who has him or where he is, and that is why we are trying to get information from whoever. the group holding him. >> you and your son, in fact, have posted a video on your website aimed at bob's captors thp p. this has to be frustrating that no one is talking to you about demands? you don't even know exactly what they want.

do you? >> no. no. it's very frustrating, because every day i wake up knowing he's still waiting for us to bring him home, and i don't know what we have to do to get that done. >> well, christine levenson, we appreciate you coming on and reminds us this case still goes on after almost five years. appreciate it. >> thank you. still to come here on "today," police launch new searches in the case of missing florida mom michelle parker, including one in a canal behind a home owned by the primary suspect's father. we'll get the latest on the case. first, this is "today" on nbc. [ woman ] my boyfriend and i were going on vacation,

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s stillti ahead, an exclusive live interview. first your messages and your local news. horrific death.

good saturday morning. looking live at what is part of the full lunar eclipse that will peak in half an hour. i'm kris sanchez. thanks for joining us. i am here with rob mayeda. >> we have high clouds. i'm glad he with are able to see it this morning. what a view that says the moon continues to set off to the west. what you are going to want to do, especially around 6:00 as it reaches its peak, look for the moon. it will be taking on a rust color around 6:05 in the morning as the lunar eclipse is underway. the sun is going to rise in the

east and on the opposite side, the earth's shadow cast across the moon. the moon goes through the shadow. as some of the light passes through the earth's atmosphere, you get the scattering of the lying and that makes the moon take on the orange color. depending, it is either red or dark. we feel it should be more on the orange tint. 30s outside today. today, 50s, 60s. high temperatures. tomorrow, though, you are going to want to unpack the umbrella. mixed high clouds today. showers in areas south of san francisco later in the day sunday, into monday morning. right now, still pretty good. >> how lucky is it. sometimes we have clouds. >> we are very lucky this time of year to have those skies. >> sheriff deputies in san mateo county are trying to figure out how thieves broke in a best buy

store. nearly 300 ipads worth more than $100,000. this shows how they pulled it off. they got into the store by using a jack to open the security roll-up door and then easily pried open the front glass door. once they were inside, they made a beeline to the locked steel rack that maintains 300 or so ipads. all done in 60 seconds. >> i don't think you could go into your home, go get something and come out in a minute. more than likely, you are going to be looking around, where did you put that? they knew exactly where to go. >> how best buy says it is cooperating with investigators. if you have any information, you should call the san mateo county sheriff's department. if you were unlucky enough to have your credit score information scammed, lucky's is wanting to get in touch with

you. they are almost finished with notifying institutions of specific accounts that will be compromised in november. people who used a credit or debit card at lucky's self-check out over thanksgiving can call a toll free number. you should also contact your bank and keep an eye on your statements. if you find anything fishy in your account, file a police report immediately. we will post all of this information on our website, nbcbayarea.com. coming up on "today in the bay," it has endured years of neglect. now, a piece of world war ii history is coming back to life. we will take you on board the "uss iowa." more news in 30 minutes.

we are back on this saturday morning, december 10th, 2011. we have an excited crowd out on the rockefeller plaza. we want to thank everyone for coming outs and spending part of their morning with us. back inside studio 1a, i'm amy robach along with lester hoelt. coming up in this half hour, new developments in the search for missing florida mom michelle parker. >> parker's fiancee is considered the primary suspect on the case. on friday, police descended on a home owned by that man's father. what they were looking for and did they find anything to help

them solve the case? we'll get details, straight ahead. also, the new movie "my week with marilyn" is generating oscar buzz. was the tension on the set real? and did the blond bombshell have an affair with the british man? coming up, we'll hear from a woman who was there 55 years ago and witnessed those dynamics on sets. and are you planning to do some holiday shopping today? if so, don't miss our guide to the hottest tech gifts of the season from pads to tvs, tablets, we'll show you what you need to know before you leave the house. but we begin this half hour with more on the search for missing mom michelle parker. >> reporter: once again, orlando police and divers from the orange county sheriff's office were out in force, looking for michelle parker, who has been missing now for more than three weeks. all day friday, divers searched a canal directly behind a rental home owned by the father of dale smith jr., parker's ex fiancee.

police say the younger smith is their only suspect in parker's disappearance. but he denies any wrongdoing and has not been charged. a second search friday targeteded an orlando community park where officers brought in dogs to search shore lines and wooded areas. >> this is all part of our ongoing, overall search of as much area as we possibly can related to this case in hopes of finding michelle. >> watching nearby were members of parker's family, including her mother, ivan stewart. parker's brother said investigators told him they had a reason which they didn't specify. >> the exact words put to me were that information that leads them that they might have information here that they can find to help find her. >> reporter: the searcher took place two days after it was revealed that divers had found michelle parker's cell phone in a lake below the neila avenue bridge. throughout the investigation, police would say just how important it was to find that

cell phone for the potential answers that phone technology could reveal. police say the recovered phone was in remarkable shape and is being examined by forensic experts. the search of the canal is close to where the cell phone was found and is also near the area where the last ping from parker's phone was detected on the day she disappeared. for "today" mark potter, nbc news, orlando. let's get a check now of the weather from bill karins. bill. >> good morning, amy. wonderful crowd out here. i'd like to say they were all here for me, but i think that beautiful rockefeller center christmas tree behind us has something to do with it, too. you guys are from bristol, tennessee. would you like some snow for your christmas? >> no. >> i'll work on that. where are you guys from? >> maine. >> you get snow until june? >> yes. >> you're from warren. nice to meet yo too, buddy. let's talk about what's going on your weather today. we don't have a lot of snow to

talk about. we haven't had anything close to that as we go through the middle of december. we are going to see showers in florida, rain showers in south texas. that's it, folks. it's a pretty dry weekend. it's chilly and cold as you would expect for this time of year. . erall, a plus isn't that a cool view? the earth's shadow covering half of the moon as we watch the lunar eclipse around 6:05. if you are going to head outside and try to see this, it is cold. mostly 30s around the bay area, plus a few high clouds coming in from time to time. this is filtering that liunar eclipse. tonight, more clouds. a cooler day with showers developing taking us to monday morning. and congratulations, 25 years here. nice accomplishment.

if you want your hour by hour forecast, get that at weather.com. now to the emotional custody case involving country singer mindy mccready. she took her son from his legal guardian against a court order. now mccready is speaking out about why she did it. here is nbc's janet shamblian. >> reporter: she was a rising star on the country sharts in the mid 90s, in high demand, her music sold millions. but last week, it was police who wanted memberdy mccready after she violated a court order and took her 5-year-old son, zander, during a visit with him in florida where her mother is the boy's legal guardian. mccready and zander were found a few days later in arkansas. she appeared in court and was not charged with a crime and expressed gratitude after the hearing. with zander temporarily in foster care in arkansas pending a custody decision, mccready is speaking out about why she took zander, telling abc's "good morning america" her mother was

abusing him. >> zander was being beaten with a wooden spoon. there are scars on zander's back. there are scars on his bottom and her legs from the spoon. >> mccready told abc her mother has strange religious beliefs. >> my mother believes that she is a prophet sent from god. they see dead people in their home all the time or spirits, demons, ghosts. >> gayle inge, mccready's mother, denies the charges and says she feels badly for her daughter. >> i don't believe for one minute that when she did this that she b thought that would be the consequence. i know she would never want to go to jail. >> reporter: she's been there before, imprisoned twice for parole violations. the 36-year-old has struggled with drug abuse and domestic violence. she's now pregnant with twins and says she's in a committed relationship. her mother says mindy is not out of the woods. there are some underlying

problems and, you know, the only time a person really gets help is when they want to help themselves. >> reporter: a famous mother in a very public battle for her son. for "today" janet shamblian, nbc news, houston. still ahead, fighting the frizz. we're going to try out some new over-the-counter products that promise to make your hair smoother, sleeker and shinier. lester will be listening closely. >> i just want one thathaheir g. up next, what to get that special someone on your shopping list. - hey. he went to jared. - he definitely went to jared. that's a peerless diamond. that's the ideal ideal-cut diamond. what? female announcer: jared has five times the selection of ordinary jewelry stores, with thousands of loose diamonds and hundreds of settings to create your own one-of-a-kind ring. - that's an extraordinarily... [sniffs] beautiful moment. - yo, man. you crying? - [sniffs] no. announcer: that's the power of selection.

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this morning on today's holiday gift guide, the top gadget of the season. mario, good morning. good to have you here. >> good morning. how are you? >> i am well. we're talking about the tablets. let's talk about the tablets. are these direct competitors or do they do different things? >> good question. they are not direct competitors. on the ipad you're looking at thousands of apps, like literally thousands of apps that are out there and people love the ipad for that. it works well. you can connect it to your television. it's great. it's probably the best tablet and the most expensive. >> and you can read books on there. >> absolutely. the kindle fire is going to be about half or even less than half the cost of an ipad. i love this tablet.

it does everything, movies, magazines, books. >> so not just a reader any more. >> no. and it has apps. people forget that it's an android tablet under the hood. you can play movies on it. ooifk very, very impressed. i think this is a great tablet for those that don't want to spend more than 200 bucks and great for kids if you want to start putting them into educational apps. >> i want to talk tvs. last year we were talking -- let's get out in front of that. there you go. anyway, we with rehearsed this, by the way. 3d was the big thing last year. i know internet is coming out. it's all coming together now. >> that's right. it's all coming together. when we said, mario, what are your top favorite gifts? sth a budget breaker for many folks, but this is ad television with internet connectivity and 3d. they're going to range in price from about $800 to this sony to about $5,000 for a 55 inch. >> so you can suffer the web and

watch tv? >> absolutely. if it's going in a kid's room, no big deal, but if it's going in the main entertainment space, make a good investment. >> with 3d, do you need the goggles for everything you watch or only when you're watching 3d content? >> that's a big misnomer. only when you're watching 3d content to the need the glasses. >> let's talk about stuff for the gamers. i love that. this is turning your tablet into and i was sproefd to bring the ipad. can you grab that real fast? >> it's stuck on there. >> this costs only 69 bucks. but this takes you back to the old school with video games. so you put your ipad on here, and then you start to use your joy stick. >> like the old school. i love it. this is one of the latest talking games. >> latest, nintendo ds, it's 93%

larger size, beautiful for kids to play, awesome for kids to enjoy and have a great time with. >> now we're going to move over to the novelty side of things. what does this t-shirt do? >> this is only 20 bucks. you can have a guitar, a piano. this is a drum kit. i can turn on the volume and play different drum sounds. then i can loop these and continue to pull up different drum noises. let me pull up one of my favorites here. there you go. what you basically do is you basically are pushing the pad, playing the drums and you can create your own rhythm. you can have your own kids in piano shirts and guitar shirts. sglalt >> a little geeky? >> no. >> what is this? this is called doodle track. the carries follow a line that you can actually draw.

so you can draw the line, make all kinds of designs. kids will love this. couple up with creative ways for 15 bucks for kids to have some fun with it. >> kids will love that. i think their dads will love that, too. >> yeah. my son is trying to get mine. >> what have you got here? >> these are called siftio cubes. they connect to your computer. so i think these are great for grandparents and all of those that like puzzle type games. i'm going to show you how to play if we were to set a word game on cubes. for $149, they aren't cheap, but they're fun because you can create your own games by going online and downloading your own games to play. we're playing a word game and we're going to start it. as you can see, letter, it will have letters tham come up on all of these screens. i'll show this through the screen in a second.

there you go. put, put and you slide the word together and it creates a word. >> very cool. >> tons of other games you can play on that. >> what is that? >> this is a skype camera. many people are now connecting to share those life moments. free video calls from family member to family member. skype family members are cheap now, but make sure you get a skype certified camera. >> mario, thank you so much for being here. >> i hope that helps you out, lester. >> i know stuff i want to buy for myself. up next, the real story behind the new movie "my week with marilyn." 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.

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film's script supervisor is speaking out about what she saw on set. here's nbc duncan golstani. >> reporter: it was the ultimate in a paring. hollywood's hottest star and britain's most respected actor. >> making her first visit -- >> reporter: the smiles didn't last long, though. the studio hoping for chemistry, but fireworks instead. it was 1966. marilyn and olivea were not only starring in, but coproducing the prince of "the show girl." the shoot was tense, both accusing the other of jeopardizing the production. >> i'd rather kill myself. >> the on-set drama has been captured in no movie, "my week with marilyn." the screen icon being played by michelle william. elaine shrake all saw it first hand. she was the script supervisor on the movie who helped marilyn

with her lines. >> is the memorabilia still here? >> yes. i still remember. >> reporter: now after all that time, elaine returns to the very studios where both movies were made. they would say that marilyn was often late, very insecure and would forget her lines. >> yes. >> all true? >> all true. >> how did sir lawrence olivea react? >> well, i think he was patient isht, certainly at the start. and he really did try to jolly her along. but, i mean, after all, she was the coproducer as well as himself. you know, he was thinking, well, it's her money going as well as anybody else's. she said to me one day, she said, oh, well, you're on his side. i said, we're not on anybody's side, marilyn. we're all here to make a picture. >> from the beginning, she felt as though he was patronizing her. then he said to her, don't worry

about acting, just be sexy. and she was incredibly offended. >> but the real movie says the source of tension was marilyn's relationship with a younger person on set. >> do you think it actually happened? >> i really don't know. she was magic. once she -- you know, watch the film. you did a scene and you thought, my goodness. she can't remember the lines and i would hold my stomach and hope she would and that sort of thing. and then the next day when you saw the rashes, it was magic. >> the idea is that lawrence olivea is the one who gives a poor performance. he's hammy, his performance is absurd. and marilyn gives an excellent performance in a film that really isn't up to anyone else's standards. >> but elaine looks back fondly, and for her, more than just memories of marilyn. >> a gift from marilyn monroe.

>> for "today," duncan golistani, nbc news, london. still to come, women and breast cancer. several studies just released this week are highlighting new risk factores and potential breakthroughs in treatment. we'll run through what women need to know.

still to come on "today" a second death sentence handed down for the murders of a prominent connecticut family. this morning, the relatives of the victim emphasis speak out. plus, tom cruise said says he is working to bring one of his classic roles back to the big screen. we'll have details. but first, these messages. i've seen this before -- the old "impromptu in-law visit."

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check out the lunar eclipse that is under way. the moon almost completely in the earth's shadow. it was hard to drag rob mayeda back in the studio. >> those are live pictures. josh kiple is out there shivering. as the light passes through the earth's atmosphere, it skcatter.

the max for this lunar eclipse 6:05. that will continue down to moonset which will happen around sunrise our time. it should be pretty dramatic as it goes through the rest of your morning. we will continue to watch that. word of warning. if you are heading outside, cold. low 30s. this is the better of the two mornings to do some star gazing or moon gazing. we do have clouds moving down the coast. by this time tomorrow, we will see more clouds and the chance of showers. today, 50s to low 60s for highs. for the end of the weekend, much cooler tomorrow with showers to wrap things up. a little bit of rain to kick off the workweek. nothing getting in the way of some incredible, astronomical sites. >> we will let you go back outside. occupy activists want to take their message global on monday by targeting and shutting down

shipping posts up and down the west coast. organizers say they want to stop the engine of commerce. they shut down the port of oakland on november 2 pd. the court administration has pleaded with activists to leave them along. they are opposing the plant shutdown. some union members disagree with their leadership. >> if we go through community picket lines, then how do we expect to get the support of the community? in 2014, we will be negotiating our contract. >> we don't see how a shut down will help in any way on the issues. it may hurt the working people that these movements are trying to help. >> how the port of oakland has taken out full-page newspaper ads begging them not to target the port. it is claiming that it made it less attractive as a potential

business partner. the fourth suspect is in custody this morning, turned in by his mother. 18-year-old is suspected of being a getaway driver. his mom turned him in yesterday. foreman and three accomplices are suspected of robbing chris mario and two cousins just before 2:00 in the morning on november 25th. he was shot in the neck and survives but he capital work because of his injuries. two of the suspects are charged with attempted murder, robbery, and attempted robbery. foreman faces similar charges. many could go up this morning on "today in the bay," all the day's news and more local news in 30 minutes. alright, so we have $10. you could get two things for $4 and one for $2. or five things for $2. or one for $6 and two fo$2. [ male announcer ] with denny's 2-4-6-8 value menu, we're open to all new ways to save you money. [ imitates explosion ] [ male announcer ] denny's.

♪ welcome back to "today" on a saturday morning, the 10th of december, 2011. a chilly start to the morning here in the heart of midtown manhattan. what a crowd we have here today. great to have everyone here. enjoying the tree, enjoying the spirit in midtown manhattan. 41 degrees outside. >> yes, it is. i'm feeling every part of that, too. i'm freezing. >> anyway, lester holt along with amy robach. we have a lot coming up in this next half hour, including one of the final chapters of the deadly home invasion case we have been following the last couple years in connecticut. three members of a family there, you may recall, were murdered.

only the father survived. on friday a jury voted to send a second man involved in the case to death row. this morning, we'll get reaction to the victim's family in an exclusive live interview. >> all right. also coming up, there are new developments in the fight against breast cancer. several new studies were released this week, tackling everything from the environment's impact on a woman's chance of developing the disease to new drugs and tests showing promise. we're going to talk to an expert to help make sense of the information that came out. >> and everybody remembers "top gun." a great film. apparently tom cruise is saying he has a need -- >> for speed! >> no, a need for a sequel. we'll tell you more about that. i could probably recite half the lines in that movie. >> it is a great movie. >> probably seen it 40 times. we'll talk more about that coming up. but first a check of the top morning stories. for that let's head to the news desk and tom llamas. good morning. >> good morning. hollywood is on edge from a

bizarre shooting today. a 26-year-old man walked down the middle of vine street near sunset boulevard friday, firing nine shots randomly at passing cars until police shot and killed him. one motorist is in critical condition after being shot in the jaw by the gunman. investigators are trying to determine a motive for the attack, which some people thought was part of a movie. now to another investigation into an alleged sexual child abuse. accusations have been made against the former president of the amateur athletic union. nbc's jay gray has the latest. good morning, jay. and jay, some of these allegations are just unbelievable. >> reporter: yeah, they really are, tom. good to talk to you again. in the wake of the scandals here at penn state and syracuse university, there are two separate investigations right now into those allegations, claiming child sexual assault by the former head of the aau, bobby dodd. not only is the aau investigating, but itmemphis police where the accusations

come from from two players he coached in the 1980s. they have just begun the investigations. no response at this point. i did talk to a coach of a once brom nent aau team. his club has begun to back away from the organization over the last couple of years, because of what he calls a, quote, lack of oversight, supervision and an absence of integrity. tom? >> jay gray, live for us this morning. jay, thank you. the biggest street protests in decades are being held today in russia, following complaints about corruption in last weekend's national elections. nbc's stephanie gosk is in moscow this morning. good morning, stephanie. >> reporter: good morning, tom. well, you know, government officials tried to dissuade people from coming out here in today in a number of ways. health officials warn they may get the flu, and one law official said draft dodgers would be arrested. but none of those measures

stopped people from coming out. this is the biggest demonstration since vladimir putin took control 12 years ago and may be bigger than some of the demonstrations seen during the fall of the soviet union, even further back in the early '90s. the people out here today are mostly middle class russians. these are employed people, they are educated. but they believe that last weekend's election, parliamentary election was fraud. they want new elections. they also accuse vladimir putin's government of widespread corruption. tom? >> stephanie gosk live for us in moscow. thank you. the public is getting their first look at two sue mat ran tiger cubs. the newest editions to the los angeles zoo. there are fewer than 500 sumatran dyingers left in the world so visitors are getting a very rare treat. that's the news. now let's head back outside to amy on the plaez. amy, those cubs look cuddly because they're 40 pounds, but they'll grow up to be 350.

>> i love it when they're so cute and then you hear. [ loud roar ] and you know what's to come. let's get a check of the weather from the plaza. good morning. >> these girls are really cute here, have all of their names, and little pictures of themselves. so this is colleen, brook, taylor. we've got grace, lauren, julia, katie, maggi, samantha, alexis, and christina. very well done, young ladies. nice sign. i did a good job, too. let's take a look at what's going on weather wise today. the jet stream is split. when we have a split jet stream like this, usually it means we're not going to see a lot of bad weather out there. we're cooling down in areas of new england, but showers on the periphery, a quiet weekend. no snowstorms heading anywhere, no ice storms. it's amazing how quiet we have been since the big snowstorm on the east coast that came in october. nothing in november. with you hey, i guess that's good for traveling and getting

sh here is a really cool way to start the morning around the bay area. you are looking live at pretty close to a total lunar eclipse happening right now seep through the camera leps of josh kepple. 50s, 60s around the bay area. increasing clouds later on into the afternoon. tomorrow, expect more clouds. a chance of showers. dust off your umbrellas late tomorrow into early monday. especially for areas south of san francisco. >> we look at the beautiful weekend forecast. lester? >> bill, thanks. icut jury has now condemned a second man to death for his role in a brutal home invasion that ended with the murders of a mother and her two daughters. we'll talk to the relatives of the victims in a moment. but first, nbc's mara schiavocampo has the latest. >> reporter: more than four years after losing his entire family in what's been called the

worst crime in connecticut history, for dr. william petit, justice has finally been served. >> we are satisfied that the defendant has been judged to be the murderer, the rapist and criminal that he is. and now he's been been condemned to the ultimate penalty. >> reporter: hours earlier, a jury condemned 31-year-old joshua comb comb jeff ski to death for the death of his two young daughters, 17-year-old haylee and 11-year-old mckay la. the defendant showed no emotion as the jury read his sentence. in had separate trials, he and accomplice steven hayes were convicted of breaking into the petit family's home in 2007, beginning a horrifying seven-hour ordeal, tying them up, beating dr. petit with a baseball bat and sexually assaulting and killing jennifer hawke-petit before dousing

haylee and mikaela with gasoline. the girls died of smokin' huh legislation. his own words may have helped seal his fate. during the trial, prosecutors played his audio-taped confession, calmly sharing chilling details of the crime. >> i hit him in the head with a baseball bat. he let out this -- this unearthly scream. >> komisarjevsky will now join steven hayes on death row, one small measure of comfort. >> there is never complete closure. >> reporter: for a family that lost so much. for "today," mara schiavocampo, nbc news, new york. >> we're joined by jennifer h k hawke-pet hawke-petit's sister and rich hawke. your family suffered this unspeakable tragedy, you had to watch two trials and now this. are you satisfied with the justis in this case? >> i do feel that justice has been served. i feel like it was a very long

process, and that the jurors had a lot of weight on their shoulders to look at and try to make decisions about. >> reverend hawke, i think there are ten more men on death row in connecticut and i think it's been since 1960 connecticut has put anyone to death. what do you think the ultimate outcome will be here? >> i doubt, from what i understand about the connecticut law, that they probably will not be put to death. but they will spend the rest of their lives in prison. but there are some men that have been on there for i believe two decades. and i don't think that's going to change much in connecticut. and we will probably be dead before they will everen put to

death. >> i want to ask you about some of the testimony in the case. komisarjevsky, his defense had argued that his life should be spared because he had suffered sexual abuse as a boy. how did that go down for all of you? having to listen to what you listened to about your loved ones and then to hear that? cynthia? >> i feel that people have to take responsibility for what has happened to them in their lives, and seek counseling. and i don't think it's any excuse for a crime. you know, there are many people in our country who have been sexually abused who certainly don't go out and commit murders times three. and create it in such a horrific way like this was done. >> mary bella, let me get your thoughts on both of these defendants, now convicts, that argue that the other one kind of escalated things along. in your view, do they share equal blame in terms of this --

the sequence of events on that horrible day? >> yes. i think they were partnered right from the beginning. and they konaged even from their beginning through the whole process to make for a very, very terroristic experience for our grandchildren and their mother. just -- jennifer was such a believer in people and a helper of people that she was willing to go and get the money that they were requesting. but the promise was that her family would be not bothered. and, of course, she is a very trusting person, as we all are, of other people. and so it's -- it was a tragic thing for our lives. and we go on living our lives in purposeful ways. >> well, let me ask the reverend

hawke about moving on from this. because as we said, it wasn't just this horrible tragedy. you had to hear the details again and again. in a second trial. so what happens now? how do you as a family move on from here? >> well, we have always been a people of faith. and we feel that god was with our children when they were put to death. and that enabled and helped them through that terrible experience. and i believe that god will continue to be with us and give us the strength to go on in life and be a kind of people that their lives represented. always reaching out, always loving, always having compassion and care. and that was the tragedy of the thing. these were three wonderful

women. who had so much to give to the world. and now that's been taken away. >> well, we admire your strength, and i want to tell you how much we appreciate you coming on and sharing your thoughts and being with us this morning. >> thank you. >> thank you. we'll be right back. >> thank you. >> we'll be right back. laces? really? slip-on's the way to go. more people do that, security would be like -- there's no charge for the bag. thanks. i know a quiet little place where we can get some work done. there's a three-prong plug. i have club passes. [ male announcer ] now there's a mileage card that offers special perks on united, like a free checked bag, united club passes, and priority boarding. thanks. ♪ okay. what's your secret? ♪ [ male announcer ] the new united mileageplus explorer card. get it and you're in. united mileageplus explorer card. why se ttle united mileageplus explorer card. for a why se one-note cereal? ♪ more, more, more... get more with honey bunches of oats 4 nutritious grains come together for more taste,

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this morning on today appears wealth, women and breast cancer. doctors, researchers and others are wrapping up a breast cancer symposium. dr. weiss, good morning. >> thank you. >> let's focus on this latest breast cancer study out this week from the institute of medicine. it's providing women with a big picture, as best as science can tell us right now, what are the increasing risks for breast cancer? and if we haven't been doing it before, we need to start focusing on lifestyle, correct? >> absolutely. breast cancer is already the most common cancer to affect women and its incidence is expected to double globally in the next 30 years. and only one of out ten cases of breast cancer can be due to a single rare gene that you inherit. which means most breast cancer

is how factors outside my body affects the inside and my health. >> but even the slim vij tearan yoga instructor with no family history has to be concerned about reducing her risk of breast cancer. >> let's talk about what's been found. specifically, they're talking about weight, what we eat, whether we exercise, how much we drink, whether or not we smoke. i mean, this all sounds like healthy living and making smart choices. but these do have an impact on breast cancer prevention, all of them. >> absolutely. so i'm also a breast cancer survivor, so i have to take this very seriously, both at work and at home. so getting to and sticking to a healthy weight. exercising three to four hours a week, five to seven hours a week is better. limiting alcohol use, which is hard to do with the festivities coming up. but limiting to three or fewer drinks per week.

avoiding smoking. those are the well established risk factors. >> and there was a study about the environment and breast cancer risks. how do environmental factors like chemicals we encounter every day and in products all around us affect breast cancer? >> basically, what we eat, what we drink, the personal parts we use can all affect how our breast cells are built and run. there's so many more chemicals out in the environment today than there ever used to be and our breast cells are sensitive to those. those chemicals can act like hormones and maybe bring on extra breast cell growth including abnormal growth, including cancer. >> and they're in what we eat and products we put on our face. >> yes. you can avoid the hard water bottles and using a glass water bottle or a metal water bottle, avoiding the hormones used in dairy cattle by getting organic nonfat yogurt, as an example,

buying organic foods are just an example. so there are some meaningful changes that you can make in your everyday life to try to reduce your exposure to some of these unhealthy chemicals. >> and as we're talking about prevention, there's is debate that's been going on about screening and when women should get it and at what age or what tests are effective. what are your recommendations? >> breast cancer is the most common cancer to affect women. mammography has come so far. so i recommend digital ma'am om fee each year starting at age 40, examining yourself on a regular basis, going to your dr. and, doctor and getting a good examination. breast health, there's a big payoff in the long run. >> doctor, we appreciate it. thank you for joining us. >> thank for having me. coming up next, what tom cruise is saying about a "top

gun" sequel. ♪

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sglooe tom cruise is out and about the promoting his new movie "mission impossible ghost protocol." >> cruise says he was working on a sequel to "top gun." i think that is going to be a huge hit. anyone who is alive, that was the 80s, right? remembers this. i saw it with my parents and i remember being really embarrassed about the love scene with kelly mcgillis. it was steam maymy back in those days. >> right after they sang those songs. you're going to wa? we're going to put the brakes on and fly right back. >> you're a typical guy. i just remember the love scene.

>> i remember the lines. i think it's about time. that was reflective of the cold war days. it had a lot of interesting ploc >> ibek.l . we'll be bac s bliss.

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looking live at the moon that is almost completely dark. i am kris sanchez along with rob may et mayetta who explains where we are as only you can. >> we are seeing the earth shadow across the moon. it is taking on a coppertone at time. this is the light getting through the earth's stratosphere. the scattering of the light gives it that color. there is less dust so it gives it kind of the copper color we

are seeing. the interesting thing is that the moon is setti 7:15 in the west right around sunrise. it is going to be pretty dramatic as it drops off the western horizon. also dramatic, the temperatures, 30s to 40s outside. it is cold u can see as we head towards lunchtime, 50s. by 4:00 today, 50s, low 60s. tomorrow, we are going to be talking about a chance of showers. a long time. you are going to have to dust off the umbrellas, especially south of san jose, late tomorrow and by monday morning, things start to clear out and dry out as we go through the rest of the workweek. a tragic end in the fight to save a toddler's life. this morning, an oakland family is grieving the death of their baby after making the heart-wrenching decision of taking him off of life support 11 days after he was hit by a stray bullet. ♪ last night, dozens of clergy, police, and lawmakers marched in support of hiram lawrence. they protested violence as they

walked through east oakland. they say, tom children like e hiram and carlos die because of violence. the culture has to stay. >> unless the chief of police an the mayor's office and the chief of probation join with the community, nothing will change. >> high rram lawrence was in hi father's arms when gunmen fired outside of a liquor store. they were amongst seven people injured in the hail of gunfire. >> was she kidnapped or faking it? >> an amber alert is over for a teenage mother. the questions are just beginning. they found 17-year-old christina almanza two days after she disappeared. her disappearance sparked a state-wide amber alert and search effort. her family says she left them a voice mail saying she was being held by several men in a

basement with two other girls and dntd know where she was. police in sassoon city say it appears no crime was ever committed and no arrests have been made. investigators say there is a possibility that almanza could be held responsible for the cost of search. coming up on "today in the bay," oakland could soon be losing the a's. what the mayor and city leaders are trying to do to keep the teams in their town. all the day's news coming up in 30 minutes right here at 7:00. "today in the bay" starts in 30 minutes.

it's saturday morning, december 10th, 2011 is. it's hard to believe, but christmas eve is just two weeks away. but you know what? no one here seems to be stressing out about getting those last minute gifts here today at the beautiful rock center christmas tree. say hello to our friends and families back home. we want to thank everyone from coming out on our plaza this morning and joining us. and i know something, lester, that you worry about pretty much every day. finding a way to stay healthier and shinier. >> i actually do. >> really? >> i actually do, you know?

>> well, we've got a new waef of products that have been sold over-the-counter. they claim to help people like lester do just that, fight the frizz, baby. we found four volunteers to try those products out. we're going to get the results, coming up. plus, if you go into a restaurant these days, they claim to have christmas or pepperment flavored foods. david tells us where you'll find the biggest offenders that are bad for your waist. >> he's going to ruin all my favorite things to eat. >> no, he's going to give you things that you're going to go -- >> what i do is i go and raid all the bad things after he's done. >> there's no telling. >> exactly. >> we want to show smu beautiful birds. we have them in our studios, from pelicans to penguins. and, lester, i'm told there's a temperatureky vulture inside want to go meet us. >> i can't wait for these guys to dance. come on, happy feet, dance, guys. maybe we need to put some music on.

>> maybe that will work. >> bill karins has a check of the weather. >> good morning, amy and lester. this guy set the bar a little too high today. today is his wife's birthday. this is his wife, here. what's your name? >> kim. >> kim, today is your actual birthday? >> today is my actual birthday. >> what time did you get the train for you to come here to new york for your birthday? >> we had to leave the house at 1:30 and we were on the train at 3:30 in the morning. >> what does this say here? to my love, happy birthday. good job, buddy. >> let's take a look at the weekend forecast. just showers out there in florida. south texas. it's chillier than we would like in the great lakes, but we'll warm it up for you as we go throughout your sunday. maybe a few showers in california. it's just an a plus here is another live view of our lunar eclipse under way around the bay area this morning.

soak it in. in the next 30 minutes, that moon will set off to the west. it should be pretty dramatic as we watch sunrise on the opposite side of the bay area coming up at 7:15. 30s and 40s outside. it is cold around the bay area. 50s by noon. mixed high clouds coming in around 4:00 today. tomorrow, even more clouds and a chance of some showers, especially across the south bay sunday evening heading on into monday morning. any of your weekend. and, of course, we are into december and this is football season. this will probably be one of the most watched football games of the year. sunday night, this is a rivalry game. this could decide who ended up winning the division and going into the playoffs. new york giants, dallas cowboys, cowboys stadium, not too bad, temperatures there around 44 degrees. don't miss it sunday nice here on nbc. and i also want to wish -- she's announcing today to her family, baby number four is on the way. god bless you. back to you, amy. >> all right, bill, thank you.

and this morning on today's consumer help for frizzy, unruly hair. many women swore off the brazilian treatment after learning it contained formaldehyde. but now there are other products claim to go tame your hair safely. >> this is the only topic we have to discuss today. unlike salon treatments, they products don't actually straighten your hair. you have to do that part. but they promise to make your hair smooth, shiny and frizz free. some products last a few days, others up to a month. we asked four volunteers to give us four different products to try. each person's hair is different and the results are just one person's experience. >> so what happens when -- >> busy mom dana hozuda says she struggled with her hair for as long as she can remember. >> as you can see, i have

unruly, fridayzy hair. >> her bathroom door is more like an arsenal. >> thiis good for the back, this is good for the front to get it curled. >> if you choose you're like rosan, rosanadana, we selected four products that promise sleek shiny locks and four volunteers that offered to use them. dana was up first. >> the results, luxury, straight hair that lasts up to 30 days. >> after 119 bucks and 45 minutes of washing, conditioning -- ♪ you have my heart so -- >> blow drying and flat ironing, dana goes from this to this. >> well, i feel like my hair feels much thicker and more full. i feel like the color is lustrous and chinany.

and i feel fabulous on this. she used the product for a month, but after the first few days said her hair started to feel dry and stiff. it was hard to get the brush to get through my hair. it was hard to style it. my hair was a lot more tame. the freeze wasn't as big. >> overall, she gave keratin earth a 4 out of 10. the company says keratin earth is safe for all hair types. depending on one's hair personal history and she offer a money-back guarantee. gwen herschman says we caught her on a good hair day. >> if it does rain, forget about it. it starts frizzing up and my bangs get frizzy. she hopes keratin perfect will give her a polished look. it's $95 and arrives at protein from sheep's wool. the product takes about an hour. >> this product is extremely

messy. >> gwen's before and after. i would say it's smooth and sleek, but not shiny. it looks, i think, like it was done in a salon. gwen says perfect kept her hair sleeker and smoother for the month. >> i feel like the too many i invest in my hair is shorter and it lasts longer. she gives keratin perfect a nine. >> i love the transformation. >> for a short-term solution, john free promises perfect hair. >> my hair is bushy, curly. >> kate tries the cheapest product on our list. just 10 bucks for a bottle. here is kate's before and after. >> my hair feels really soft, way softer than it would ever feel after just treating it and it's shiny.

>> she was still happy with it three days later and graded it an eight. our final volunteer is heather scammel. >> i sometimes feel that people take me more seriously when it's straight. >> she'll be driving living proof, using ads 26 cream and a $29 spray described to protect your style for several days. here is heather before and after. >> i definitely like how the roots and the top part of my hair look shiny and conditioned. four days later? >> i didn't see any frizz and i've been in some harsh conditions between sweating at the gym and running around in the city in the rain. >> her only complain was the strong odor of the spray. the company says applying shorter controlled sprays will reduce a strong scent. heather gave living proof a nine. >> so the bottom line, if you take the time to straighten your hair, these products might give

you a better result for the work you're doing. but, you happen, some muscle there. >> right. because you have to straighten your hair every time already, correct? >> well, some of them wash out. but the month-long products do last long. and gwen even liked it when she did her hair poofy. it was tamer and sleeker looking. >> very informing, janice lieberman. thank you very much. coming up next, the holiday guide that might scare you. if you're dieting, it will scare you. the shocking amount of calories packed into some of your seasonal favorite treats right after this.

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this morning on eat this, not that, holiday treats. if you're racing around shopping and grab a coffee or drink on the go, watch out. santa will not be the only one sporting a big belly this season. david, good morning. great to see you. >> great to see you, lester. >> the holiday treats are always fun. starbucks always comes out with a nice holiday themed drink, but it's not always the healthiest. >> no. sometimes you see the red and that means stops. in this case, you have a peppermint mocha and it's a little bit of a peppermint fatty, we should say. it has over 4u7b calories. a half day's worth of saturated fat, and it has 54 grams of sugar. >> equivalent to these marshmallows? >> yeah. a half of bag of marshmallows right will. so the best choice is custom size your holiday treat, get a

cappuccino and ask them for a couple pumps of the peppermint syrup. you'll save 300 calories and sugar. >> the muffin is always a popular treat. but it is loaded with calories. >> it is loaded with so many. it's over 600 calories. it's over 5 grams of saturated fat. 56 grams of sugar. it's the equivalent of five bowl of cinnamon toast crunch. it's plenty, i'd rather eat those, anyway, and you'll save 400 calories and a boat load of sugar. >> what have we got here? >> this is the peanut putter snowman. and it's truly abominable. it is 760 calories. 760. you know you're going to be eating a lot of holiday treats.

keep the serving size small. >> and once i unwrap that, you're going to eat the whole thing. >> yeah. and it's the calorie equivalent of these seven cups of hot chocolate, the swiss miss rich hot cocoa. go with the reeses tree. you'll end up saving 600 galleries. >> same flavor, but smaller. >> exactly. >> and this. >> this is another i flop, i should say. this is their -- this is their eggnog pancake. it's bad enough in a glass, lester. now it's here for breakfast. it is 2,000 calories. it is two to three days's worth of saturated fat, okay, and it's got 63 grams of sugar, right here, okay? santa ate this and then rue done strained an oblique on takeoff. this is the calorie equivalent of these 66 ginger snaps right here. so you're at ihop, you want to

avoid the iflop, go with the simple and fit menu, the pumpkin pancakes. it's 400 calories. you're saving half a pound of belly fat, right here. it's all about making smart swaps. >> and it's a portion thing, as well. >> yeah. >> but you can't control the portion of the restaurant. they bring what they bring. >> right. so you have to saw it in half, bring four friends. know the score. know what's in the stuff. >> contrary to popular -- you're not a buzz kill because you always bring the alternatives. coming up, some of the look at the world's amazing birds. but first, this is "today" on nbc.

this morning on "today" call of the wild, they flock, they soar and they swim. sea world and busch gardens's ambassador julie is here with some of her favorite feathered

friends. >> we have brought some remarkable animals today. we have two of our penguins that were hatched out at sea world. these guys with both 3 years old. i have the fe naturally, this is penny, and that's pete down on the floor. actually, they've made very good friends while we've been in town. >> it's a love connection. >> so she's totally anxious to go down and meet him. i may go ahead and let her run over there. look at her. she's like, oh, that's my boyfriend. >> not all penguins are cold weathered penguins, correct? >> no. p.j., come on, bring them back over here. >> let me ask you, we think of penguins as antarctica and cold weather. these guys hang out where it's warm. >> it's both, actually. these two are penguins from south america. it can get very cold there. not as cold as it does in pure

antarctica. but it can get warm. that's why people think these guys have an easier life when it's warmer, they have to with stand both extremes. so they dig burrows as opposed to just being out in the environment, like an emperor penguin would. they're just created to with stand the coldest temperatures if you saw march of the penguins. >> they're endangered, though, correct? >> many species. 13 of 15 species are declining in number and very drastically. all penguins eat fish and krill and squid. unfortunately those are species that humans are harvesting in huge amounts. climate change is switching where the fish can be found. that means they have to travel further, can't bring that fish back for their -- >> we appreciate you bringing them by. we've got some other critters. a turkey vulture. >> wow. >> oh! >> and i've got some food here

for thor, as well. >> i'm sure he's not dangerous, but he looks scary. >> and that's why i particularly wanted to bring a vulture out. so many people think that they're disgusting animals. >> yeah. >> but they actually -- >> what is he eating, raw meat? >> yes. >> that's what i thought. so many turkey vultures are harboring a lot of bacteria and other things. and so they clean it up. believe it or not, vultures can eat and digest and clean anthrax, botulism, all the cholera -- >> he has a massive wing span. >> they're doing us a huge favor by taking care of all of that. >> now, on the opposite end of the spectrum -- >> grace and beauty. >> cranes are some of the most amazing species out there. you guys might want to take a

little bit of that food there and you can put it in your hand and hold it out for frazier crane. >> frazier crane. are you hungry? >> this is a sand hill crane and sand hill cranes migrate. they can migrate up to 500 miles a day. over half a million will be found in nebraska's flat river valley there at any particular -- >> is this the kind of birds they use as ultra lights for their migration? >> they do that with the whooping crane. most populations of the sand hills aren't endangered. >> what a beautiful bird. sorry, my turkey vulture friend. >> we have rescue programs at sea world that help all of these animals which is why we were able to bring them by. >> thank you for bringing the yhappim hay holidays. >> thank you, you, too. >> back in a moment. [ doorbell rings ]

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>> good morning, coming up next, occupy protesters plan another day of action. this time, they are thinking bigger. we will show you the plan and how port workers are responding. gone in 60 seconds. thieves on the peninsula steal hundreds of ipads with thousands of dollars. the most shocking thing, it happened less than a minute. oakland fighting to hold on to its sports teams. ownerness about what it will do to the economy. "today in the bay" begins next. -dad, why are you getting that? -that's my cereal.

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good morning, looking live at the golden gate bridge. clear skies as far as the eye can see. that is a very good thing. we had something overnight that you might have missed while you