tv Today NBC December 18, 2011 6:00am-7:00am PST
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good morning. over and out. for the first time in nine years, american troops are out of iraq and headed home, capping an end to a historic war that has cost the lives of some 4500 american servicemen and women. we're live on the ground in kuwait where it all started. advantage romney? with just two weeks to go before the iowa caucuses, he scores two key endorsements. but how much weight will they carry? and sidelined. he was the ultimate underdog who inspired the hit film "rudy." now the real man is being tackled with fraud charges today, sunday, december 18th, tackled with fraud charges today, sunday, december 18th, 2011.
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captions paid for by nbc-universal television live from studio 1a in rockefeller plaza. >> welcome to "today" on a sunday. i'm lester wolf. >> i'm jenna wolfe. nine years in iraq and now it's over. >> the last american troops have left iraq. i want to show you the picture that richard engel tweeted from the border with kuwait. literally the last vehicle out and someone scrawled that on the side. a historic picture certainly. we'll get a live report from richard standing by in kuwait in just a moment. prince harry finds himself in the middle of a police investigation after his friend was reportedly mugged. we'll get details on that coming up. plus, we know clint eastwood is one of hollywood's most iconic actors from his performances on screen to success hinds the camera.
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now we may see a whole new side. we'll explain in a few minutes. >> it's a story we all grew up with and now kathy rigby is bringing back peter pan to life on stage. >> i had a chance to get an inside look at everything on stage and in a second, you'll see above it as well with a rare lesson in flying. so much fun to spend time with such a wonderful actress. she took that role before she had kids, obviously, because of the harness. >> can i just say i have seen more of that tape. it's not all as graceful. they were very kind to you. >> not even close. >> wait till you see her hit the wall, folks. >> literally. >> literally. we've got a lot to get to. we want to start with history in the middle east today as the last american convoy crossed the border out of iraq late saturday night. chief foreign correspondent richard engel joins us from camp virginia in kuwait. good morning.
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>> reporter: good morning, lester. here it is, the last convoy now parked safely here in kuwait. this is where the war began nearly nine years ago and this is where it is ending. it was a dignified end to a problematic war. the long convoy of mraps rolled in in an organized line and this time, all the armor wasn't necessary. the troops left iraq without firing a shot. >> it felt like a sense of relief because you know you're not -- you're no longer in a danger zone. you can kind of relax, kick back and just enjoy the ride here. >> these are the last 480 american soldiers to serve in iraq following more than a million before them. >> this is my other battle star wade. >> their journey began 200 miles north at camp adder in southern iraq. with just one drive left to do, they seemed excited.
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happy. puffing cigars, barbecuing, tossing footballs. >> got your back. got your back. >> and triple checking vehicles. no one wanted to break down. not on this trip. most of these troops were only teenagers when the iraq war began, but many of them were called to serve here time after time. but in a few hours, they'll all be gone ending a chapter for iraq, for the troops, and america. after dark, they set out 110 vehicles protected from above by 45 aircraft. >> i actually had the chance to jump in in march of 2003 and now i'm honored to close out the war here in december of 2011. >> reporter: the troops settled in for a long, dark ride. a slow one, cruising speed 35
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miles an hour. >> feel good? >> yes, real good. >> reporter: and the significance of this moment was now becoming clear. >> there's just about another 50 miles to go on this the end of the iraq war now closing in with every mile. then lights in the distance, the kuwacukuwait kuwaiti border. the gate to iraq was shut. and america's war in iraq, 4500 lives later, was over. the troops in that is last convoy are from the 1st cavalry division based in ft. hood, terms and they are already marking this occasion. you can see that vehicle i took a photograph of earlier, last vehicle out of iraq. the reason this vehicle was the last one is because it was being used as a medevac vehicle.
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it was at the end of the convoy in case it needed to rescue anyone attacked, but it never did. >> i got to tell you, seems like a lifetime ago. i was at msnbc. you were over in iraq. you've been there virtually nonstop since it happened. what are your emotions on this day watching it all come to a close? >>. >> reporter: well, since we're here with the troops, it's a time for them to reflect on what they've seen. many of the troops have been here on three, sometimes four tours in iraq. and now they know they're not going to have to go back it some of these troops are already thinking ahead that they'll have to deploy eventually to afghanistan. but this is a day for these troops, for many americans of closure to the iraq war. what happens next in iraq remains unclear. there is still a very large u.s. embassy presence, thousands of contractors there. but at least for the troops, the end of the american presence in the iraq war is now over. >> richard, it's not lost on any of us, yourself, madeleine, a whole group of nbc folks have
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certainly put their lives on the line covering this conflict. we appreciate all your efforts there. good to see you. >> reporter: thank you. >> all right. now here's jenna. >> lester, thank you. turning to politics now, back at home the president is enjoying a small victory after the senate on saturday extended the payroll tax for two months as one republican presidential candidate picks up what some call a key endorsement. mike viqueira joins us with the latest from the white house. >> good morning to you. it's been a big weekend in politics here in washington and on the campaign trail. there was a rare saturday session of the senate. the president appeared in the briefing room afterwards after a temporary stand still with republicans on extending the pray roll tax cut. meanwhile, on the campaign trail, the man the obama campaign still thinks it's most likely to face next fall picked up some key endorsements. instead of a year, they got two months. the full payroll tax extension both the president and
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republicans say they want still mireed in gridlock. >> it would be inexcusable for congress not to further extend this middle class tax cut for the rest of the year. it should be a for malt and hopefully, it's done with as little drama as possible. >> one issue had republicans high fiving. the keystone oil pipeline project was added to the tax bill, requiring the president tosses decide within 60 days if it will be built and not wait till after the election. despite an earlier threat from the president to reject it, mr. obama will sign the measure with the pipeline language included. the republicans claimed victory. >> we'll see what the president ultimately does, but in terms of jobs, the economy and the american people, i think it's a good deal. >> with the iowa caucus in little more than two weeks, last night a major endorsement. the des moines register endorsed mitt romney delivering a major boost. with public approval of congress at a new low, conservative rivals hit newt gingrich on his record as speaker. >> newt was the originator of
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earmarks back in the '90s. i mean, if there was a grand daddy of earmarks, he would be it. >> gingrich is still trying to stay positive even as ads and voter mail take aim. >> this electorate wants to hear solutions, not i a traditional political campaign where you have attack after attack and negative charges. >> santa, i've been so good this year. >> have you? >> all i want for christmas is to win is the iowa caucus. >> gop candidates are out in force this weekend. >> i hope that works. a day after she endorsed him, mitt romney campaigned with tea party favorite nikki haley. though gingrich still leads polls in iowa and other key states, if he falters, experts say romney could emerge stronger than ever. >> romney was able to field test his organization, something that might serve him in good stead. at the end of the day,
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gingrich's surge might be a good thing for romney. bob dole late last night gave him his support and one more note on that tax cut fight, it still has to pass the house. last night there was a conference call among house republicans. many are unhappy it's not a done deal yet. >> mike, thank you so much. once again, here's lester. >> thanks. david gregory is moderator of "meet the press." good morning. >> good morning. >> mitt romney by design did not put a lot of effort in iowa and now picked up the endorsement from the register. how big is that? >> nationally it's big in terms of the overall narrative of how is he doing. within iowa, it may not have as much effect as it would for a democratic primary but it does help romney begin to make the case that is iowans should take a hard look at newt gingrich who is still on top of the polls. i think if you're romney, you may not be able to win iowa, but what you hope to do is reduce the scale and the size of a
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gingrich win in iowa and others can help him do that. if ron paul does well, if bachmann gets a decent percentage of the vote, then that gingrich win if it should happen should be seen as a smaller victory. >> gingrich decided to take the weekend off. he lost almost his entire campaign staff many months ago on this issue of whether he was putting enough time and effort into the campaign. does that still dog him? >> i think questions about his organization, questions about the team that's around him, yeah, i think that's still a question for him because there's so much generated from gingrich himself in terms of his ideas, in terms of his strategy. so the as you look at the prospect of a small percentage of votes of delegates actually being apportioned through the initial contacts, you have to give an advantage to romney who is actively preparing for a longer fight. >> we've been kind of looking at this as a two-person race.
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ron paul and michele bachmann are there. is the voting in iowa loaded and primed for surprise? >> that's always something you keep your eye on. with congressman paul particularly, because of the kind of passion that he has behind him and the organization and the fact that he's made that mark in iowa for so long, you got to keep a very close eye on him. but still, social conservatives will carry the day there, 60% of caucus goers are evangelicals. so i don't know that he necessarily is going to have the corner on those voters. but i think you do look at some of these candidates bunching up a bit together and don't discount rick perry either who has appeal among evangelical voters. it goes to the point if gingrich can win this, can he win it sizably enough for people to say a strong victory for him. >> what's coming up on "meet the press"? >> we'll talk about the latest drama in washington. an exclusive interview with john boehner on whether this payroll
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tax extension will be extended. also talk to michele bachmann and governor nikki haley who endorsed mitt romney. >> we'll be watching. david gregory, thanks. now we're going to head over to the news desk for the top stories. mindy, good morning. >> good morning to you both. good morning, everyone. we begin with the death of vaclav havel, the hero of the struggle that ended the cold war died this morning at his weekend house in the northern republic at the age of 75. he became his country's first democratically elected president after the velvet revolution that brought down communism in czechoslovakia. he had long battled poor health from cancer and years from being locked up in jails. prince harry jumped into action when he heard a friend being mugged. duncan has the story from london. good morning to you, duncan. >> reporter: good morning. so if you're a friend of prince harry, you know he's got your
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back. he came to the rescue of thomas who was being robbed in south london. this is what happened. thomas and harry who you can see here was speaking on the phone when harry heard a scuffle and the line went dead. fearing the worst, he headed down to the neighborhood to try and find his friend. you know he had good cause for being concerned because in this particular part of london, people have been killed and seriously injured while being robbed. luck little for all concerned, harry found him in the local police station and joined him in filing a report. since then, the cell phone has been found and a man has been arrested. but it does raise the interesting prospect that prince harry could be a witness if this went to court. the united states says it's ready to help the philippines with where more than 500 have died from flash flooding triggered by a top cal storm. another 400 people are missing.
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winter weather is moving in very quickly in some areas of this country. a storm dropped as much as five inches of snow in cleveland on saturday. here in the northeast it's feeling colder, as well. we'll get the full forecast from jenna. a soldier from central florida who lost both legs in iraq has a new home for the holidays. lewis and his family were given the especially designed home for free on saturday by a group called homes for our troops. he wants to work in prosthetics so he can help other soldiers injured in combat. and that is the news. now it's back to lester, jenna, and janice. >> mandy, thanks very much. a check of the weather. good morning, janet. >> we've got a blizzard brewing in the southwest. yeah, another storm that's producing rain around los angeles and southern nevada, arizona, will turn into snow. that low pressure system will bring snow to the mountains
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around los angeles and san diego and a blizzard around albuquerque, the texas panhandle, already warnings and watches in effecting from new mexico into portions of kansas. 9 to 15 inches is o here's a look at our temperatures outside right now. 20s and 30s inland with thick fog around the north and east valleys. fairfield will clear out some fog. by lunch time 40s and 50s by noon. by 4:00 highs today running a bit cooler in the north bay. dry weather to wrap up the weekend and it looks like it will stay that way until the beginning of next weekend as well. city. now here's lester. >> janice, thanks. up next on today. go ahead. make my day. move over, kim kardashian. hollywood legend clint eastwood could be the next big rea y vermonstar right after this. bi reality star. details, after this.
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with this. deal [ boy ] she's pushing me! [ mom ] you guys stop it. [ horns honk ] look for spaces. hang on. [ horn honking ] are you sure that's a space? keep walking. [ horn honks ] [ female announcer ] just go to walgreens. great parking...short lines... and just the right gifts. and we're open late to help you finish your list. happy holidays and from all of us at walgreens we wish you well. [ female announcer ] shopping simplified. with walgreens...there's a way.
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♪ is always free thanks! ♪ nook by barnes & noble. starting at just $99. he's an award-winning actor and director and one of the longest-running movie stars in hollywood. he's even been a mayor. now it looks like clint eastwood is getting into the reality tv business. miguel almaguer has the details. >> reporter: director and academy award winner clint eastwood. >> you don't know what this does for my confidence. >> reporter: is adding another job to thinks long resume. reality tv star. sources connected to the planned show's production say the series will explore what it's like to live in a family of hollywood royalty. >> when we think of reality tv, who do we think of? the kardashians, the osbournes, gene simmons. we really don't think of clint. >> the show is said to focus on
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the relationship between clint's wife dina their daughter morgan and his daughter francesca. the 1-year-old reportedly agreed to make a couple of cameos but will not be a main character. >> there has to be a reason he is going into realty tv. it's going to be so interesting to figure that out. >> reporter: the show the is set to premiere on the e! network, the same people behind it on another show. >> i don't know if anything could follow in the kardashian footsteps. that is a family made for realty tv. >> reporter: eastwood, considered an icon for ma cholemeans is wildly known for his role in the dirty harry films. he starred in almost 70 movies, directed more than 30 and also the mayor of carmel, california. so why would he want to step into the realty real world? we may soon find out. for today, miguel almaguer, nbc
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good morning. look at this beautiful start to the day in san jose. we can see the sun coming up. fog beyond the hills a little bit. it is cold. we're waiting for it. thanks so much for joining us. we were just complaining about the cold. you think the weatherman doesn't complain but he does. >> this feels bitterly cold. 20s and 30s for the morning. you saw the clear skies overlooking san jose. 27 in napa this morning where we have clear skies. cold. 38 in fairfield where we have patchy fog and a little breezy
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through fairfield. livermore. look for that at 9:00, 10:00. raiders game today, bundle up. cool with temperatures in the mid-50s. lunch time we'll still be in the low 40s to 50s up towards napa county thanks to that fog lingering. today looks like mid-to-upper 50s to close to 60. so we're running a little bit cooler with today's temperatures. tomorrow more patchy fog, another chilly start. dry weather will continue very likely all the way through next weekend as well. no rain in sight and no clouds to warm up our morning temperature. >> we'll have all of our rain in january. >> hopefully. >> relief this morning for several alameda families from a fire that burned their apartment complex. it engulfed the south shore apartment building around noon on saturday. flames swept through 18 units destroying three and caused more than a million dollars in damage. investigators say it looks like a baseboard heater started that
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fire. no person was injured but at least one pet died. at least 20 families who were displaced have found places to stay and are getting assistance from the red cross. san jose investigators made an arrest of a woman stealing jewelry from children. 28-year-old sandra velasquez approached three girls. she's now being held on $100,000 bail. it may be cold outside but today is a spare the air day so no help from your fireplace. people living across the bay area are being asked not to use wood burning fireplaces or stoves for the day. the air district says excessive smoke in the air is a big problem during the winter time months and can cause health problems for some people. this is the sixth spare of the air day issue since the season
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started last month. san francisco police are giving a little holiday cheer to folks in need. this afternoon the tenderloin district police station will have a tree giveaway. it will be held at boedder park. coming up at 7:00 on today in the bay. a bay area man was trying to reach a world record for continuous bell ringing for the salvation army. part of the charity kettle program. we'll show you how he did and how he stacked up against the competition. that story and all of the day's news. right now here's more of the "today" show.
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♪ dashing through the snow in a one horse open sleigh sfoefr over the fields we go ♪ >> back on this sunday morning, december 18th, 2011 is, exactly one week till christmas day. if you have not started your shopping, you might want to rethink your plans today and either hit the wall or be the unpopular family member at christmas. our thanks to everyone out here who decided to spend part of their time with us outside of the plaza, i'm jenna wolfe. along with lester holt. look at this. it's very cute. forget the post ter board, don't tell the hotel, richmond, virginia. if they used that towel --
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>> take the soap and shampoo too. >> the soap had less iter on it. i got the towel. >> very creative. remember the movie "rudy "? how could we forget. >> great story about a guy told he was too small to play for notre dame and the fighting irish but nothing was going to stop him. now the man who inspired the film is being charged with fraud coming up. >> also we'll talk about the calendar which does not lie because christmas is seven days is away. >> it is. >> it's seven days away. >> now, i know that it's a big joke that you haven't started your shopping yet but the pressure is on, not just from shopping but to cooking, getting everything ready, making sure the in-laws are happy. that's always important. the stress can be unbearable. we've got great advice how to stay sean. >> i tweeted out what's the biggest dilemma for you. one person said being alone is stressful. a lot of people very family issues which set of parents to visit first and all that. we'll discuss some of those and
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maybe use some of those questions on the air. also, kathy rigby, famous gymnast. you guys got to the hang out. >> literally. it was more than just walking on stage and spending time with cathy rigby. we saw how she puts her makeup on, gets ready for a show and she put me in the harness and we had some fun. after 96 times, i got it down pat. >> with the makeup we can't see the bruises from when you hit the wall. >> the makeup on the side of my body. >> we want to say hello to tim kelpin with a great donation from mattel. you guys have donated a lot in the past. what are you bringing this year? >> we are donating $250,000 worth of barbie dolls and uno games for the kids this year and barbie designable hair extensions. you can design the extensions online with artwork like that,
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like the "today" show and the doll can wear it and you can wear it, as well. >> you guys are so eager to be a part of this. why is it so important? >> we want to reach out to the community and underserved children all around the country and helping them have a wonderful christmas and giving them opportunities to play. >> we appreciate you being here. hope you have a happy holiday. we want to turn now and remind folks we're nearing the end of our toy drive. >> if you want to donate, this is the time to do it. >> another check on the weather from janice right now. >> it's cold this morning on the plaza. that didn't stop these people from coming out. the sign's a little bit crooked. where are you from? >> north carolina. >> okay. let's spread it out over here this way. these people are from south carolina. >> go tigers. >> let's check the weather and see what's happening because it's a bit chilly here on the plaza this morning. temperatures will be cool across the northeast today. the coldest so far this season. teens over northern new england.
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70s in south florida. a storm is brewing in the southwest, going to bring heavy mountain snow to parts of new mexico, colorado, even the panhandle of texas and oklahoma, portions of western kansas by tomorrow. very windy across parts of alaska. the wind gusts 80 to 100 miles per hour around ar chonage. here a look at our temperatures. patchy fog, no rain to talk about today again. you can see southern california seeing a few showers. heading down to l.a. or san diego. for the bay area, highs mainly in the mid-to-upper 50s. running cooler and that fog could linger in the north and east bay valleys. same for the work week, dry weather taking us to the start of next weekend. ell. temperatures will be chilly. and you know you can always check your weather anytime by logging on to weather.com. >> janice, thanks.
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now a story of daniel ruettiger. his name you might not recognize till you mention the movie "rudy." michele franzen joins us in the studio. daniel's never give up attitude became the centerpiece for the movie and years later the motto used to market a sports drink bearing his name. regulators allege his business was also used in a stock scheme. >> rudy, rudy. rudy. >> he was the inspiration for the 19939 movie "rudy." the story of how daniel ruettiger, lacking the height, grades and money needed to get into the notre dame beat the odds to become a walk-on football player for the fighting irish. now the hero who most recently used his fame and name to market a sports drink called rudy has settled a federal lawsuit claiming he defrauded investors in a 2008 pump and dump stock
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scheme. >> in the allegations did says that a stock promoters were used to run up the price and the way they did that was on the internet making misrepresentations about the product, running up the price and then having all his friends sell it, buy it, and fraudulently conveying the stock to people. >> the securities & exchange commission alleges in the complaint ruettiger and company associates made false claims about the sports drink saying it outsold gator ade and won in taste tests. his beverage company even marketed the drink using images from the movie and the tag line "dream big, never quit." regulators allege he and 11 others made more than $11 million in profits from stock sales. >> the sec charging him with fraud and micking misrepresentations and totally opposite of what the entire movie was about. >> reporter: in the highly fictionalized movie, his big dream plays out at the last home
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game his senior year. >> all right. go get them, kid. >> reporter: the team is well ahead and number 45 finally gets his first chance on the field. with just seconds left, rudy sacks the opposing team's quarterback. making notre dame history as his team carries him off the field. a happy ending on screen, but in real life, dreams of making it big in business didn't pay off. >> rudy agreed to pay nearly $400,000 to settle the charges without admitting or denying the allegations. calls made to his attorney for comment were not immediately returned. >> still get chills watching scenes from that movie. michele, thank you so much. up next, come fly with me as i go behind the scenes of the new show the peter pan with gymnast cathy rigby. [ br
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lactaid® milk. the original 100% lactose-free milk. supposed to be a time of joy and happiness but to a lot of folks this time of year can be filled with stress and sadness. whether you are struggling to make ends meet or spending the holidays alone. here with our holiday survival guide is a relationship therapist and director of clinical training at drexel university. good to have you here. you and i were chatting a moment ago. one of the biggest stress things is time. give me general advice to make the holidays less stressful. >> here's the thing. we've got to have a realistic expectations. time, money issues, sometimes dealing with loss. the real deal is during the season, we've got to remember what the reason for the season is. sometimes it's not about the spending time giving gifts. it may be time giving the gift of love or of yourself. >> i tweeted about this segment earlier and received lots of responses. a lot of them had to do with
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family. one person, the most stress inducing dilemma this season is dealing with family. would you say that's at the top. >> you can pick and choose your friends, you can't your family. sometimes you would spend time with your family in ways during the holiday you wouldn't do around the year. you've got to keep it in perspective. if you need a time-out and need to get away from a family member, that's fine. also remember your family members are the ones that are going to be there at the end of the day for you. so holiday time is difficult. family is difficult at times. we've got to keep it in perspective. >> conversely, you've got those who may be going through a breakup or don't have family nearby and spending the time alone. there's a lot of pressure it's supposed to be a family event. if you're alone, that is stressful. >> sometimes the holiday season can be really, really difficult for people dealing with loss, divorce, their family is not where they used to be. sometimes we're going into the holiday season with a family member not there now that was there last year. you've got to the remember this can be a really difficult time
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for somebody. understand the loss and the grief. in order to heal, you have to feel. take time out for yourself while allowing yourself to still get the needs met with your family members. >> colleen posted on our facebook page on friday this question. when you know the holidays will be taxing, how do you tell family members you'd rather not visit with them without hurting their feelings? >> here's the deal. we can't be responsible for everyone's feelings. at the end of the day, they're responsible for their feelings. if you're not feeling it's not in your heart, you shouldn't go. too often we say yes out of fear versus out of love. if you're not wanting to visit, maybe you spend time with a friend. you send the kids with your spouse and you take time for yourself this holiday season. if they're your family or friends, they'll understand. >> cathy has a question for you. here it is. >> hi. i just wondered, how do you deal with all the pressures that you know, the gifts that you're buying for all your loved ones
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won't meet their expectations? >> yeah. well, listen, the bottom line is that we need to move away from the commercialism and materialism about the gifts. the greatest gift beat could give anyone is ourselves through love. if we give a gift we think our family member doesn't like, put the gift receipt in there. they can take it back. they don't have to worry necessarily that you're going to be offended. at the end of the day, this is about caring and sharing and fellowshiping with friends. >> you're saying it's the thought that counts? >> don't sweat the small stuff. don't worry about the things that don't matter at the end of the day. if you've given of yourself. i would recommend, make a gift because we're dealing with difficult times now. if you can put time and effort in to making something for your family member, they're going to way more appreciate that than buying something in the store they'll put in the bottom of the drawer and not see again. >> good advice to give us something to think about. nice to see you this morning. now here's jenna. >> thank you. it's the show we all grew up with, "peter pan."
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now cathy rigby, the actress who has played him for the last 30 plus years is back on stage in new york soaring to new heights. sprinklinging that good old fairy dust is here again. rigby took me behind the scenes at madison square garden. take a look. >> who and what are you? >> it's eight hours before opening night. eight hours before this stage turns into never neverland. ♪ every good reason to be >> 59-year-old cathy rigby plays 12-year-old peter pan and it's not much of a leap she says. >> you just know this is where your home is on stage. you don't have to act like peter pan. you just become him. >> and for this former world class gymnast tumbling through the air is second nature. >> not one bit of fear, no? >> no fear. >> rigby has been playing the boy who never grows up for over
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30 years, which is why i trusted her when she offered up her harness for a flying lesson. >> she wants my job. >> paul ruben is known as the fly guy. he pulls the strings but i'm not stupid. >> how long have you been doing this? i need credentials. >> this february, it will be 25 years. >> but the most important part of this the entire operation? the fairy dust. >> tinkerbell spent a lot of time cutting this up. so use it gingerly. think lovely wonderful thoughts. and then go? >> go. >> whoa. okay, that was not nearly as graceful. >> it was perfect. >> whoo. wow. >> and the distribution of fairy dust is great. good. >> look at that. look how gorgeous. >> i swallowed it. >> wait. >> is that bad? >> not quite my most graceful moment. but once i got my feet back on the ground, all grace.
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♪ i won't grow up, i don't want to go to school ♪ >> so i knew cathy could perform on stage. >> not me. >> not i. >> so there. >> that was great! >> but transforming into one of the lost boys, that's a different story. >> how many years i'm supposed to be about 12. >> it's now 30 minutes before showtime and rigby is in the final stages of preparation. >> she is slowly becoming peter pan. there's just enough time for a last-minute warmup. >> look at that. >> and a little rehearsal. >> wow. that was awesome wait, my follow-up question, how many times have you hit yourself across the head? >> absolutely. you're the only one that ever asked that. i have hit myself in the head. >> even though she's done this over 3,000 times, she still gets those pre-show butterflies.
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>> are you nervous? >> i'm excited. i try not to get nervous. i will. i'll get nervous right at the overture. ♪ just think of wonderful thoughts and up you go. >> but honestly, the minute you fly through the air it's as if everything goes away. >> as for me, i had to give this flying thing one more try. >> uh-oh. >> what happened? >> hold on a second. >> you're kidding, right? >> wait, you're joking, right? get a ladder. >> what kind of shoddy production is this. >> i'm such a serious -- >> they let you down in the end, didn't they? >> cathy rigby, how long have you been waiting to say that? all morning. cathy rigby absolutely
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wonderful. "peter pan" is playing for a limited time here in new york. go see it if you get a chance. >> looks like a lot of fun in a seat. >> just ahead from kobe's split to howard stern going primetime. we're going to get the scoop on this week'sfirst,rityse thesa ms bufirst,hese msages. time. we'll get the scoop on this week's celebrity buzz. and the next day i pay for it. i tried decongestants... i tossed & turned... i even vaporized! and then i fought back: with drug-free breathe right advanced. these nasal strips instantly opened my nose, like a breath of fresh air. i was breathing and sleeping better! [ female announcer ] exercise your right to breathe right... get two free strips at breatheright.com. hey, it's your right to breathe right! 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.
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"who's still standing." good morning to all of you. >> good morning. >> let's talk about kobe bryant in the news. his marriage of ten years apparently coming to annee ingi. >> declared irreconcilable differences. tmz says it's because kobe has been unfaithful again. we don't thank to be the case. >> of course we know that to be the case. only so many $4 million dollar rings you can give to your wife before she has enough. >> i think she should suck it up a little more. >> aat a certain time, i tried to stick it out with you. now he says i desperately want to win my money back -- i mean my wife back. >> he is willing to do anything to get her back, other than stop sleeping with other women. >> a shame that he doesn't have a pre-nup. not a very smart guy when it comes to that everybody knows
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pre-nups are not for when are you in love, it's for when she is no longer in love with you. >> 10 1/2 years worth of that. >> let me ask you about britney spears. going to do this again. decided to get married. that's what we hear tmz reporting. she is engaged as well. >> i hope the third divorce goes as smoothly as the first and second. i love britney spears. >> you don't believe in this one? >> no. first of all, i've been to all of her concerts. i'm a big fan. she shouldn't marry anyone. chuck goes with me every time. clearly. >> i do look like a big britney spears fan as well. >> whoo! >> not going to last. she just shouldn't marry seni anymore. she still has the baseline of crazy. she still has that. >> baseline of crazy. >> i hope she doesn't wake up thinking, oops, i did it again.
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>> i'm with britney on this one. this guy older, more mature, more settles and the love of a good man can cure many ills, even notice a good man is hard to find. >> it cannot. it can't cure crazy. >> howard stern coming to nbc as a judge on "america's got talent." >> i'm wondering if he's bringing strippers with him. >> he's going to have a lot of folks in tears, huh? >> yeah, he is. >> he is used to being on satellite where he can say whatever he wants. >> the problem, they are hiring him because he's edgy and, you know, he's unpredictable, the problem is, is he does anything edgy or unpredictable, they have to fire him. >> his career is getting hired and fired. >> he does it really well. >> he'll be great at it. howard stern is great. he'll do a great job. >> i thought it was really
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interesting. new gift registry that happens not just when you get married or have a baby. now it's the holidays. now you can go online and register for your own gifts. so what do you think about that? i have to tell you, i think it's awesome. >> i think it's a bunch of baloney. i don't want to give you what you want. i want to give you what i want to give you. >> i'll meet you in the return line then. >> so what? >> i think it's great for immediate family, because you should be able to say here is my wish list and get what you really want. i think it's bad if you are giving it to friends and acquaintances. you gave me that, i'll show where you you can go, my backside. >> i think the whole thing, people are meant to buy things you wouldn't buy for yourself, that's what a gift is supposed to be. >> don't want to get married, here you go. >> i will.
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>> you enjoy it. >> have a happy holiday. >> don't read the notes about each of you. i'm really sorry. didn't mean to give that to up. >> after these messages. i'm good about washing my face. but sometimes i wonder... what's left behind? [ female announcer ] purifying facial cleanser from neutrogena® naturals. removes 99% of dirt and toxins
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a lot happening on nbc this week. a figure skating special and premiere of a new primetime game show. and also joining to us talk about both, u.s. figure skating champ michael wise and host of "who's still standing." >> let me start with you. tell me about this? what makes this so unique? >> it's actually on this afternoon on nbc. part of the pandora skating series and it's a very unique show, because we have live music of chicago, the notre dame marching band. great skaters, brian voboitano d myself. >> a new take on trivia, a whole new level. >> high-stakes trivia. everybody is on a trap door. you answer one question incorrectly, you drop through the floor. >> interesting.
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>> watch the skating spectacular today at 4:00 on nbc and [ monica ] i'm away on a movie shoot and it hasn't been going exactly as planned. cut. cut! [ monica ] i thought we'd be on location for 3 days -- it's been 3 weeks. so i had to pick up some more things. good thing i've got the citi simplicity card. i don't get hit with a fee if i'm late with a payment... which is good because on this job,
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