jong il. thanks for being with us. good morning. breaking news. north korea's long time dictator, kim jong-il, has died. will his death lead to more instability in the region? who replaces him and what does it mean for the united states? holiday showdown, a bitter battle looming on capitol hill over extending a key tax cut to millions of americans, as the gop presidential front-runners speak out about the end of the iraq war. this morning, bill o'reilly weighs in, in a live interview. out of control, a frightening scene at the cowboys stadium, a runaway electric cart plows into a crowd after a high school football

game. seven people are injured, and investigators are trying to figure out how it happened. "today," monday december 19th, 2011. captions paid for by nbc-universal television and welcome to "today" on this monday morning. i'm ann curry. >> and i'm carl quintanilla in for matt today. kim jong-il actually died on saturday, though it was announced on television yesterday. >> he suffered a heart attack on a train. his 17-year rule marked by his unpredictable nature helped to isolate his country from the rest of the world. his son, kim jong-un is called the great successor. the military has reportedly fired a test-range missile.

a major winter storm is said to bring near white-out conditions from new mexico to kansas. some areas could see up to a foot and a half of snow. we'll see where the system is headed next. >> not good as the holidays are emerging. a 13-year-old girl who kept her cool during a terrifying situation. close way synington was in her home when two men broke in, she climbed under her bed and called 911. >> you're still under the bed? >> i'm like halfway under it. >> okay, how did they not see you? >> i don't know. >> we'll hear more and find out how she kept her cool in an exclusive interview coming up. we begin now this breaking news, the death of north korean leader kim jong-il. andrea mitchell joins us now details on this. andrea, good morning. >> good morning, ann.

although north korea's dictator was ailing for years, his death was sudden, taking his people, the u.s., and north korea's neighbors by surprise. president obama called south korea's president at midnight. north korea fired several short-range missiles as well and the world is watching for possible instability during the transition of power to kim's little-known and little-prepared younger son. early monday in north korea a tearful state tv announcer revealed kim jong-il died saturday while traveling on a train on a "field guidance tour." in south korea, people gathered in public places to watch coverage of kim's death. meanwhile south korean president lee myung bak convened an emergency meeting asking military leaders to stay on alert. the white house also released a

statement saying "we remain committed to stability on the korean peninsula and to the freedom and security of our allies." kim's north korea was isolated and unpredictable and often seen more like a cult than a country. at times bizarre but also dangerous, impoverishing and enslaving his own people, while arming himself with nuclear weapons and threatening to annihilate his dictator. it was easy to make fun of his hairdo and cocktails, he was a fan of fast cars, and fine foods. diplomats describe kim as shrewd, calculating, well practiced at the use of frets and force to win aid and successfully fending's you have efforts to rein in his nuclear weapons program. madeleine albright on her visit to north korea, the first ever by an american official. when asked if kim could be trusted albright replied -- >> i just can assure you that

these glasses that i have on are not rose colored. >> reporter: in 2009 when laura ling and euna lee were chargarr and charged, former president clinton secured the journalists' release. kim jong-il called his people sunflowers of loyalty they suffereder it fwli, hundreds of thousands dying of starvation, a network of brutal prison camps housing those who questioned his rule or tried to escape from it. he inherited the job in 1994 from kim il-sung, who though dead remains eternally present to his people. as kim jong-il's health began to fail his featured ravaged by one stroke in 2008. he grouped his younger son, kim jong-un to take over. a patrol boat was torpedoed, an island was shelled near the border. pyongyang revealed a large

uranium enrichment facility, to prop up his son perhaps, who had few leader authorities. u.s. diplomats were in beijing to meet with north korean counterparts to give them food aid and announce nuclear disarmament talks. there was hope pyongyang would finally suspend its uranium enrichment program. there are concerns the north will try to provoke another incident while the new leader or the military try to take over. >> let's talk about that first of all. we heard this word about at least one short range missile being fired, this report, also asian markets plunged this morning on the news and south korea's military went on high alert. so what is the risk of greater instability in the region at least in the short term? >> i think there is tremendous risk, not only short term but long-term because this is a young, untested leader. the military is going to try to

weigh in and have its way, have its say with this young man. he is not prepared by all accounts, very little is known about him but he is young, and he's only had a couple of years being groomed for this, and north korea has always used force and the threats of force to try to show its strength, when it is weakest and right now is a very, very troubling time and it is clear that south korea and japan as well as the united states are going to be on alert. >> we were looking at videotape now showing just how young this son, othe great successor is. is it possible there will be a power struggle in north korea? >> it is possible. the military long viewed him with suspicion. there were several sons. this was the personal choice of the leader, of his father but there is no indication he has been able in these short years to get any kind of respect from the military. he was immediately promoted to four-star status a few years ago

as, in the aftermath of the 2008 stroke, where his father realized how ill he was. he was only 69 and as we say this was a surprise, even though you could see from his physical stature shrinking that he was quite ill. the other possibility here, of course, is that you're going to see a resumption and expansion of the uranium enrichment program rather than what had been hoped was finally going to be some agreement. >> so is there a balancing act this morning for the president in how president obama and how he reacts then to this news, given all of these issues you just pointed out? >> yes, i think it's very clear they're not going to show any kind of military concern, they're not going to do anything obviously to go on alert. that is for south korea and the immediate neighbors to do. of course, one concern would be economic, would be refugees coming, not only to south korea, but also into china. china is going to be the main influence here as it always has been, when it chooses to, china can be a huge force for calm in

the region, and china is now going to be the one that all of the neighbors as well as the united states, turns to, to exert some control on this transition in north korea. >> we'll watch and see what china also does. andrea mitchell, thank you so much. >> you bet. >> it is now 7:08, here's carl. the holiday cheer isn't exactly spreading on capitol hill. republicans are pushing hard against a senate approved bill involving your taxes. chuck todd is nbc's political director and chief white house correspondent. >> deja vu all over again, when it looked like the white house and congressional republicans had come to an uncomfortable compromise, gridlock was snatched from the jaws of victory. today in congress, the name of the game is once again stalemate, over the future of the payroll tax holiday that expires on january 1st. on saturday, the senate overwhelmingly passed a bipartisan compromise bill

extending the tax cut and jobless benefits but only for two months, short of the one-year goal. on sunday speaker john boehner said house republicans would support nothing less than a one-year extension. >> the president said we shouldn't be going on vacation without getting our work done. let's get our work done and do this for a year. >> reporter: last week the speaker led both sides to believe the house would support any reasonable deal republicans cut. on sunday democrats blasted boehner, and senator schumer called the standoff a test of whether the house republicans are fit to govern. many senators have gone home, thinking their work was done. they'll find out later today if they have to come back to washington. in the presidential race today's last week of full campaigning before christmas. newt gingrich is trumpeting an issue popular with base conservatives, especially in iowa, remaking the judiciary. gingrich says if elected he'd do what he said some presidents have done before, ignore some

supreme court rulings he doesn't like and wants judges more accountable and force them to appear before congress to explain their decisions. >> would you send the capitol police down to arrest him? >> you'd have to, or instruct the justice department to send the u.s. marshall. >> reporter: mitt romney calls gingrich an unacceptable risk based on past jobs. >> he has been unreliable and zany, i don't think you'd call mirrors in space to light highways at night particularly practical. >> reporter: as iraq war came to an official close over the weekend, romney and gingrich questioned the original premise. >> given what we know now, would we have invaded or not? at the time we didn't have the knowledge we have now. >> i think we'll find through a great sadness we've lost several thousand more americans and thousands more wounded undertaking a project that we couldn't do. >> it continues to be mitt romney that is snagging major endorsements over the weekend, "the des moines register" and

the nominee from 1996, bob dole. carl? >> thank you very much. bill o'reilly, the author of the new best seller "killing lincoln: the shocking assassination that changed america." good morning to you. >> thank you. >> let me get your opinion on north korea today and the spector of the u.s. having to deal with kim jong-un, is that an opportunity by any stretch of the imagination? >> i don't know if it's an opportunity. we have to be reactive. it's like the crazy guy with the knife on the subway, you don't know what he's going to do. you have to be cautious and wary but you can't make any first moves so president obama is handling it correctly, he's alerting his troops, alerting japan and south korea, just to batch and see what they do. >> there's a missile test today. any doubt in your mind he'll want to prove himself to his own military? >> i don't know who the guy is. i don't think he's been seen for ten years so look, the military is in charge of north korea right now.

that's who's calling the shots and the people of north korea have to figure they want to have a meal once in a while so i'm hoping that maybe this opens a door for some moderation in that crazy country. >> talk about iowa, caucus is a couple week agz. chuck mentioned romney getting the endorsement of "the des moines register." how much is that worth? >> i don't know. iowa is a small sliver of the vote in the caucus. we make a big deal out of it because we don't have anything else to do in the news media. i don't know what the endorsement means. iowa historically doesn't mean much to who wins. it means that, you know, conservative republicans say this is what we like but the big one is a week away in new hampshire. romney has to win new hampshire decisively and then everything starts to roll. >> i'll collect delegates along the way, florida is big, is that a feasible strategy? >> sure t will go on between april between romney and gingrich and you know, it's a

long slog to get to face off against president obama. >> here's what gingrich said, if governor romney would give back the money he earned from bankrupting companies and laying off employees over the year at bain, i'd be glad to listen to him. is that a workable strategy for gingrich or the white house? >> i don't know who listens to this kind of stuff. i got romney on tonight on "the factor." it's all gamesmanship. it's amusing again to us because we don't have anything else to do. they're trying to get the nomination. they'll say anything. >> you talk about you have romney on tonight, clinton tomorrow night, right? >> i got the president coming in for the first time. >> long time goal of yours is to have him on the show. >> yeah, come on, we had hillary in, and i appealed to his manhood, hey, we had your wife in, come on.

he's got a book, too. >> here's what he said about newt gingrich, he's articulate and he tries to think of a conservative version of an idea that will solve a legitimate problem. why the lovefest? >> i don't know. you know, i don't know the relationship between bill clinton and newt gingrich. obviously they were lagerheads when they were the president. that's a good line of questioning i might get into with clinton. what was gingrich really like? is clinton going to tell me the truth? i don't know. we'll see. i'm a pretty good detector of that so if i see him -- you know, i am really looking forward to talking to fwil clinton, one of the smartest politicians this country has seen in decades, so i'm looking forward to that. >> are you surprised at the the conservative backlash to gingrich so far are? >> no, it's all about trying to position your opponent as a demon out of the exorcist, so it goes in and out and the folks listen and you know, folks are smart. they'll make the right decision. >> is it clear gingrich's popularity in this cycle has

peaked? >> no. nothing is clear to me. i am in a fog. i just go day-to-day. i react to what they do. i try to bring some perspective in the evening to it and that's it. >> i'd like to do a little word association. is that okay? >> all right, i love you tell me what you think. michele bachmann. >> i like the congresswoman. i respect her as a person. i don't think she has a chance this time around. >> ron paul. >> his foreign policy disqualifies him in my eyes as an american, not as a journalist, but i don't think we need another neville chamberlain with iran, so if he wants to be friends with iran, that's swell. >> president obama. >> i like the president. i think he's failed economically. i think he bought into the big government can solve the economy. it has not worked. he's in for a rough ride next year. >> and the jobless rate having gone from 9% to 8.6%, at what point does he have credibility in saying we're in some kind of recovery? >> it's up to the folks. the folks decide. not me.

i mean, a lot of americans are scared, and that's what's hurting the president. >> bill, if you're in a fog, then being in a fog sure helps write bestsellers. >> listen, this is a good book, and i don't say that because i want any self-aggrandizement, but the greatest thing about "killing lincoln" is kids are starting to read it. teenagers and some of the history teachers are bringing it in to reignite the interest in their country, vital. and i wrote it in a novel form. it's nonfiction but i moved it along, and so we're proud of the book. >> congratulations, thanks for coming in. bill o'reilly. let's get a check of some of the rest of the top stories from natalie morales at the news desk. hey, natalie. >> good morning to you, carl. good morning, everyone. the last battalion of american troops left iraq this weekend as you heard. hundreds of soldiers and marines withdrawn from iraq and afghanistan arrived home in dallas sunday, where a lot of homecoming happening. these scenes will be repeated across the nation just in time for the holidays. the defense cross-examines a key witness today in the case against army private first class

bradley manning, who's accused of spilling u.s. government secrets to the wikileaks website. on sunday a computer crimes investigator testified he found more than 10,000 diplomatic cables on manning's computer. swedish carmaker saab filed for bankruptcy this morning after chinese investors dropped their attempt to finance the company's reorganization. experts say it is likely the 60-year-old company will be sold off in parts. overseas news, namely kim jong-il's death had a big impact on foreign markets overnight. cnbc's courtney reagan is at the new york stock exchange. good morning, courtney. >> good morning to you, natalie. once again investor look to global news to guide the market action here today in the u.s. north korean leader kim jong-il's passing really roiled asian markets, sending the kospi index of south korea down as much as 5% because of the uncertainty surrounding the next leader, kim jong-un. meantime, that european debt crisis is still in focus. european central bank president

mario draghi is set to speak to european parliamentary economic committee later today. watch for headlines out of that speech to move markets. natalie, back to you. >> courtney reagan at the new york stock exchange, thank you. celebration turned to horror saturday when a runaway golf cart rolled across the field at cowboys stadium after a high school championship game. officials believe someone failed to turn off the engine. seven people were injured, none of them seriously before somebody finally was able to put a stop to the vehicle. it is awful to see that. 7:19, back over to ann, carl and al. terrible. >> even worse to watch it in slow motion. looks like the orange things kind o and al. >> looks like the orange things got stuck as well. mr. roker is here with the forecast. hey you. >> we're talking blizzard conditions for parts of the southwest and into the central plains as we show you what's happening. you could see already where you're looking at snow throughout parts of new mexico and it is just going to get

heavier, some areas going to be gpiinck upin 12 to 18 inches of snow. you can already see up around albuquerque, we're looking at snow developing ahead of the system. we've got a lot of rain. here's what we look for as the system starts developing, colder air pulled into it, dodge city up to 18 inches of snow, amarillo within the blizzard warning areas as well, snowfall amounts, lamar, dodge city, great bend, anywhere from 12 to 18 inches of snow and ahead of that, risk of strong storms, could be tornados from galveston to dallas l good monday morning to you. we're nice and mild in the south bay. almost 50 in san jose and sunnyvale. you're at 49. 47 degrees in san francisco. we're going to hit the 60s with oo lot of sunshine.

60 in san jose. the breeze will build throughout the afternoon. that will clear the skies tonight. yeah, it's going to be a cold, cold morning as we meet back here tomorrow. >> and that's your latest weather. ann? >> al, thank you so much. coming up just ahead, a 13-year-old home alone when two men break into her house. she'll tell us what she had to do to stay safe, in an exclusive live interview. but first this is "today" on nbc. [ mom ] hey guys.

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good morning to you. it's 7:26 right now. i'm laura garcia-cannon. employees at the world's biggest social networking site have a new home this morning. workers at facebook made the big move over the weekend. they will officially go to menlo park's little woe road location this morning. we'll have more coming up at 11:00. it's 7:26 right now. pals want to check the forecast with meet krolteorologist chris loren. >> we have cold cities this

morning. fairfield and concord. elsewhere we're in the 40s. it was really mild. 50 in san jose. 57 in san francisco. we'll see a nice day today because we're starting out so warm. we'll easily hit the 60s. especially to the south bay and the east bay inland cities. by tomorrow, very, very cold night. make way to a slightly warmer afternoon. by wednesday the solstice is at 9:35. and your bank of the west seven day shows you nice and mild all the way through the christmas holiday. looking comfortable. really comfortable on christmas. 62 degrees. really can't beat that this year. lest check your drive with mike inouye. >> plus it's christmas. so it's got to be comfortable. we're looking over to livermore. for 580. on the right side of the screen there's an accident. that's causing a little bit of slowing. overall the rest of the commute through 580 cleared considerably except for the right there around north livermore avenue. the bulk of the traffic now

around the isabelle exchange. dublin interchange moving smoothly for 680 and the rest of the maze not so bad. we have slowing on the east shore freeway in both directions between the richmond bridge and you' university. things are backed up a bit at the overcrossing. that's light for 7:30 on abed monday. it looks like some folks may be taking vacation this week. >> getting a jump on it. thank you very much. for the latest news updates check out nbc bay area on facebook. another local news update in half an hour. an rc robotic claw.

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♪ 7:30 now on this monday morning. it's the 19th of december, 2011. we're looking at a view of new york from the top of the rock on a sunny but very cold morning, yet we have a big crowd down below here in rockefeller plaza, i'm not sure exactly what the temperature is but i can tell you, you can see your breath so we're grateful for all these people who came out to hang out with us. inside warm and toasty studio 1-a, i'm ann curry alongside carl quintanilla.

just ahead a baseball fan who was nearly beaten to death earlier this year. >> brian stowe was attacked in dodgers parking lot on opening day. he suffered traumatic brain injuries. he was a in a coma for three months. as his recovery moves forward bryan is speaking out about his recovery for the first time. dr. nancy snyderman will have the exclusives straight ahead. if you haven't bought all of your holiday gifts, we have gifts that are under $20, and they include toys and electronics, so if you're like me and last-minuting it, you may want to stay tuned. and if you missed it last night, or saturday night the highlights of jimmy fallon's return to "saturday night live" he was not the only one who came back. >> no, it was crazy who came back. we had tina fey there. it was amazing, and i got to say it was one of the funniest. i happened to be in the audience. i got to see it. we'll tell you more about that. we begin on a more serious note about a 13-year-old michigan girl who was home alone when two intruders began ransacking her home.

we'll talk to her exclusively but first tamron hall has her story. tamron, good morning. >> chloe synington was by herself when she found herself in the middle of a terrifying situation and police credit chloe's quick thinking to keep her safe. >> i heard knocking at the door. >> 13-year-old chloe symington was home alone when intruders broke into her house. she dialed 911 from her bedroom. >> 911, where is your emergency? >> i think there's somebody in my house. i don't know who. >> where are you at in the house? >> i'm in my room upstairs. i saw someone looking through my drawers downstairs. i was shaking really bad. i didn't want to make too much noise, so i kind of just sat there. >> reporter: she says she sat terrified as 19-year-olds daniel laughlin and michael znukowitz ransacked the house. police say they stole thousands of dollars worth of electronics, christmas gifts and a gun from her dad's collection.

>> i was under there for at least ten minutes while they were walking around. >> reporter: they even made a stop by chloe's room. >> okay so you said they've already been up through your bedroom. >> yes. >> are you still under the bed? >> i'm like half way under it. >> how did they not see you? >> i don't know. >> yes, sir. >> reporter: the two men are facing several charges, including first-degree home invasion. chloe says she remembered her dad's advice? >> always remain calm, no matter what's going on around you and just focus on what's happening, focus on what you have to do to protect yourself and react later. >> if i panicked, then they would have saw me and i don't really want to think about what they would have done. >> the family dog remained quiet throughout the entire incident, while the cat was by chloe's side. i'm sure she'll talk to the dog later. the two suspects are back in court in the coming weeks. incredible story, ann. >> tamron hall, thank you so

much. chloe symington along with her father, noel. what enabled to you calmly remember your father's advice, as we just heard in that story. when you were so afraid, chloe? >> if i was loud, i would have been found or, they would have heard me, so if i stayed calm, i would have had a better outcome, which i did. >> um-hum. did it help you to have your pets nearby? did it help you stay calm or make you more nervous because you might have been afraid they might have made some noise? >> my cat was making a lot of you knows, meowing and clawing the floor. it was nerve-racking when she started meowing. >> you thought they might look underneath the bed and see you there. >> i wasn't underneath the bed when he was in my room. >> where exactly were you again? >> next to my bed in front of my, in front of my nightstand.

>> oh, my, so even more uncovered. so noel, when you were watching that story, your eyes got, again, very serious. you were reliving to some degree what you learned when you learned what had happened to your daughter. >> absolutely. a parent's primary concern is their child's safety. anything like this was is so -- you know they're in imminent danger and there's nothing you can do about it. so you can only hope and pray that everything you've taught them over the years will come to fruition in the time of need. >> sounds like you have a mixture of emotions, one is relief and one is anger. >> absolutely. relief above and beyond all else obviously. having our child is the greatest outcome we could have but anger, absolutely. i think all americans are sick of being afraid, you know what i mean? we shouldn't have to live in fear in our society, let alone

fear in our own home and fear for our children's safety. it's -- it's something our society shouldn't stand for anymore, and people like these men need to be punished and need to be punished to the fullest extent of the law. >> what do you want to say, chloe, about how to handle scary emotions? because i think maybe that all of us can learn a lesson about that. >> as long as you stay calm, you'll know that there's a better chance of you making it out better, instead of freaking out. >> your father said to you, stay calm, panic later. it's been a couple of days. have you had your panic attack yet? >> yes. >> yes, is it over? >> yes, it's completely over. i'm fine now. >> we're glad you're safe and you gave us a powerful message noel. >> thank you. >> good luck to you. may all good luck now come to you because you deserve it. thank you so much. now let's get a check of the weather from al. >> all right, thanks so much,

ann. we're out here and that's a big lobster. >> don't you like that? >> where is that? >> hancock, maine! we're from northern maine! all of us! >> i like the hat! let's check your weather and see what's happening, and as we look and show you as far as your afternoon eyes are concerned, we got 20s and 30s making their way through the plains states. 20s pack back through the southwest. blizzard warnings, 20s and 30s in the northeast. we have snow showers in the northeast on into new england, slight risk of strong storms into eastern texas, freezing fog in parts of southern idaho, air stagnation alerts continue in the pacific northwest and we've got rain changing over to snow in the mid plains. that's what's going on in the country. here's what's happenin lap. good morning to you. it's nice and mild out there. we're in the 40s just about

everywhere. this morning nice and mild. 59 in redwood city. 60 today in san jose. we old on the to the fair weather throughout the holiday weekend. staying dry christmas eve. >> it's their 25th anniversary, and they never had a fight. and don't forget, you can check your weather any time of the day or night. got a lot of weather going on. go to the weather channel on cable or weather.com online. ann? coming up next, the man who was savagely beaten on opening day in the parking lot of dodgers stadium, speaks out for the first time since the attack, right after this. right after this. right after this. as a famous so. ♪ it rides in limos. it has a crew. it gets invited to parties with paparazzi. it hangs out poolside. it has millions of drooling fans. it knows the recipe for success. there's nothing like it. the big mac.

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back now at 7:41, with the

long and difficult road facing bryan stow, the father of two nearly beaten to death in the parking lot of dodgers stadium. dr. nancy snyderman talked to him exclusively for tonight's "rock center with brian williams" and she joins us now. >> good morning, carl. we visited brian not too long ago in the rehabilitation center he's been living in, since october. this is the first time he's spoken out publicly since the attack nine months ago. it was opening day at dodgers stadium in los angeles, in the crowd, bryan stow, a paramedic and doting father. he had come to the game with a group of fans, giants fans. they were anticipating a good time but that trip to the ballpark would leave brian like this. >> reach. >> reporter: unable to walk, barely unable to talk, a third of his brain destroyed. brian's friends, corey and jeff, sat down with me for their first television interview to give their account of that night when they say they walked into the parking lot after the game and

were jumped by two dodgers fans. >> that's when bryan from behind got punched in the head. >> reporter: a sucker punch from behind? >> first thing to hit the ground was the back of his head and i watched his head bounce off the asphalt, and heard it. >> reporter: and what did you hear? >> just the crack, just that, i don't know how, just a crack or a thud. that sound of bone hitting asphalt. >> reporter: the beating left bryan fighting for his life. doctors removed a part of his skull and left him in a medically induced coma for months. when i visited brian almost nine months after the attack, he was awake and getting intense therapy and was able to hold a very simple conversation. hi. >> hi. >> reporter: i'm nancy. >> hello. >> reporter: how are you? >> fine. >> reporter: i've heard so much about you. >> how are you? >> reporter: i'm doing very well, thank you. >> that's good. >> reporter: you're just as

handsome as your sister said you are. surrounded by therapists three hours a day, six days a week, he is working to relearn everything from brushing teeth to swallowing. the beating most severely damaged the area of his brain that controls decision-making, planning and personality, and every day bryan's mother ann, father dave, and sisters bonny and erin search for traces of the old bryan. >> sometimes it's, he's looking right at me and talking to me and then sometimes it's, there's no eye contact or you wonder, does he really understand what i'm telling him? >> reporter: bryan's kids are cared for by their mother, bryan's ex-wife, but visit their father regularly. as for the investigation, police eventually arrested louis sanchez and marvin norwood for the beating, charging them with multiple counts of assault. they have pled not guilty.

doctors say bryan's speech and mobility may improve, but they expect him to be permanently disabled. his family cherishes the positive moments while hoping for more. >> now we can walk into a room and his therapist will be there and say "bryan, who just walked into the room?" and he turn and say my mom and dad. oh, my god, you know, that's awesome. >> as with any head injury, the progress is day by day. ann, carl, this is going to be a very long process for the stow family. >> it's tough to watch, emotional to watch. >> it is. >> thank you for bringing it to us. you can see more of nancy' exclusive report tonight on "rock center with brian williams" at 10:00, 9:00 central on nbc. up next we'll lighten things one jimmy fallon's return to "snl" right after this. >> whatever you do, don't make me dance. >> whatever you do, don't make me dance. [ female announcer ] why do your holiday shopping at walgreens?

so you don't have to deal with this. [ 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.

vfor the ones that dab, the ones swho smear,r king.d. the ones who spread them everywhere. for the late night cravers to the oddball eaters, the handful stuffers and the tiny biters. thicker cut for more flavor. new fries from burger king. [ knock on door ] cool. you found it. wow. nice place. yeah. [ chuckles ] the family thinks i'm out shipping these. smooth move. you used priority mail flat rate boxes. if it fits, it ships for a low, flat rate. paid for postage online and arranged a free pickup. and i'm gonna track them online, too. nice. between those boxes and this place, i'm totally staying sane this year. do i smell snickerdoodles? maybe. [ timer dings ] got to go. priority mail flat rate shipping at usps.com. a simpler way to ship. easy. name some things that aren't on your list. jumper cables, camo anything, a power drill -- ooh!

[ male announcer ] the only place to go for every guy on your christmas list with great deals throughout the store. walmart. no, i wouldn't use that single miles credit card. hey, aren't you... shhh. i'm researching a role. today's special... the capital one venture card. you earn double miles on every purchase. impressive. chalk is a lost medium. if you're not earning double miles... you're settling for half. was that really necessary? [ male announcer ] get the venture card at capitalone.com and earn double miles on every purchase every day. what's in your wallet? cover for me. i have an audition. did you hear, late night funnyman jimmy fallon returned to his old stomping grounds over

the weekend to host "saturday night live" and like any good holiday party, it was full of cheer with help from a few friends of seasons past. >> you're a legend. >> you are. >> oh my gosh, mr. sullivan, will you party with us? it would be my honor to let you in the back door. >> tommy, please tell me you got that on tape! ♪ it's so good to be home ♪ the spirits that walk these halls, gonna to be christmas to schweaty balls ♪ ♪ now i'm here to host you ♪ what about a verse for the jews ♪ okay. ♪ hanukkah, eight days of presents ♪ ♪ hanukkah, that's all that i know ♪ >> god i missed you. >> out of the way, pocahontas. >> it's hoda -- >> what do we have next? >> next up we have wild, wild travel trivia, where one lucky

audience member could win three nights at the worst hotel in ft. lauderdale. >> we'll be right back. >> i'm back, baby, the reg is back. >> now buble is back with a grand new collection of christmas duets with legendary performers like sting. ♪ deck the halls with boughs of holly ♪ ♪ fa la, la, la ♪ fa, la la -- >> lady gaga. justin bieber. ♪ jingle bells, jingle bells, jingle all the way ♪ justin, chill. >> i'm just worried about the rest of the show. what am i going to do? >> don't sweat it. >> like what? >> do the hair muss. >> what? >> you know the muss. muss it up. >> that's not right. that's the old me. i'm a suit guy now and i host a talk show.

>> okay mr. host, bring out a guest and tell them you're a huge fan. >> who? >> like bruce springsteen. >> oh my gosh, a huge fan. >> steven seagal. >> he's got the best pony tail. it's so sick. >> so sick. >> weekend update joke-off. >> a strip club in chicago is offering a free lap dance to patrons who bring in a toy for needy children, go. >> i got it, the charity is called toys for tatas. that's it. >> i feel like this might have been more impressive with the puppet. >> so these actors are terrible at playing a horse. >> look, now he's dancing! war horse can dance! ♪ i wish it was christmas today ♪ ♪ >> it was so funny, i was in the audience and i can tell you that he actually happened to know that he was suffering a cold

last week. >> really? >> and yet he hit it out of the ballpark. >> he shook off that cold pretty well. one of the best ever. >> i hope he never pulls that regis push thing on me. >> the hoda and kathie lee skit. >> how about that weekend update? >> it was amazing. >> people were screaming and jude law was also on. >> people were camping out there all last week just to get in on that show. it was a big to-do. coming up, last-minute holiday gift ideas for $20 or less. >> after your local news.>> and. >> a wth. ♪ [ gasp ] [ mom ] my husband -- he thinks it's a 3-sheeter. i say 1-sheeter. bounty can clean the mess with less. [ female announcer ] in this lab demo, 1 sheet of bounty leaves this surface

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>> good morning to you. i'm laura garcia-cannon. a surprising ending to church services. four church goers leaving a lagt night service. a van crashed into the side of the full gospel fellowship on willow avenue at 10:00. the park van sped off, slamming into an empty children's nursery area. toys and books, many destroy. no reports of injuries. fire crews arrived a short time later and checked for building hazards. police are still investigating that accident. want to look at the forecast. here's christina loren. >> good morning to you. we have light fog over the

goalen gate bridge. we'll see areaing of fog until 11:00 a.m. 60 in oakland. the reason it's so mild out there this morning, you'll probably notice when you walk out the front doors is the clouds overhead. that will make for a cold start tuesday morning. so comfortable conditions for your tuesday. then christmas looking good. we don't have any rain in the forecast. saturday and sunday looking really nice for outdoor activitie activities. >> not a lot of a commute this morning. guadalupe parkway, your typical spot. this is as the commute ends two hours from now. wigt now we're looking at a light volume of traffic 101 through menlo park as well. facebook is inhabiting their new campus. this could mean slowing and more cars getting off the bridge. and as we make our move up,

slowing through san mateo. and a reminder, congestion there after work. back to you. >> thank you very much. thank you for joining .us check out nbc bay area on facebook. another local news update in half an hour.

♪ 8:00 now on this monday morning, it's the 19th day of december, 2011, as we say hello to everybody, come outside and spend time with us. only 32 degrees outside, but we're all happy, because we're gazing at a beautiful tree at a great time of the year, a great time to be here in rockefeller plaza. i'm ann curry alongside carl quintanilla and al roker who is saying hello to everybody in the audience. it is amazing how many people are here, given how cold it is outside. matt's got the morning off, it's nice to have you here.

just ahead we'll help you, if you have not shopped yet for everyone on your list, we have some gifts for everyone in the family, including for your children, for under $20. so we'll get to those coming up. >> that's right. we are also going to show you a young woman who beat out some of hollywood's top actresses for one of the most coveted roles of the season, the role of "the girl with the dragon tattoo." we're going to talk with rooney mara's performance. >> rooney mara is really talented. ernest hemingway called cuba home for 20 years. natalie recently took a tour of his house near havana, with his granddaughter, marial hemingway. we'll show you a little bit more a little bit later. >> because cuba is frozen in time that house is frozen in time. some parts of it are still as he

left it. let's go inside and talk to the aforementioned natalie with the news. >> good morning, everyone. breaking news from north korea, reports out of south korea say that pyongyang conducted at least one short range missile test this morning, the same day as the announcement of the death of north korean dictator kim jong-il. south korea's military is on high alert and the united states and japan are closely monitoring the north and the transition of power to kim jong-il's son, kim jong-un. two former penn state school officials are headed to trial. michael isikoff is again in state college, pennsylvania. michael, good morning. >> reporter: good morning, natalie. after some dramatic courtroom testimony, one question looms larger than ever here, why didn't anybody at penn state act to stop accused child molester jerry sandusky? as students celebrated graduation from penn state over the weekend, key players in the

school's sex abuse scandal gear up to go to trial. on friday, penn state assistant coach and star witness mike mcqueary took the stand and graphically described seeing a naked jerry sandusky engaged in what he called extreme sexual activity with a young boy. it was march 2002 when mcqueary, then a graduate assistant, went to the penn state locker room near the shower area. "the boy was up against the wall, jerry was directly behind him in a very, very close position. i believe jerry was sexually molesting him." mcqueary's testimony is key to the case against two former penn state officials, athletic director tim kucurley and senio vice president gary schultz, both failing to report it to authorities. >> i think it's a sad, sad, sad day when you think about all of these victims, and you just got your first taste of it. >> reporter: prosecutors also read from former coach joe paterno's grand jury testimony.

he told the panel an upset mcqueary came to see him the next morning at his home and told him he'd seen sandusky fondling a boy, something of a sexual nature. a grand jury report says paterno did report what mcqueary told to curley. curley met with mcqueary with schultz but neither took steps to investigate. curley described mcqueary told him they described they were "horsing around." judge wenner ruled the case against curley and schultz can proceed to trial. one of sandusky's new lawyers offered a possible defense for what sandusky may have been doing in the shower for the first time. attorney karl rominger told a local tv zplaisandusky may have teaching basic hygiene skills. a major storm is barrelling into the southwest with blizzard

conditions expected by this afternoon, up to 150 inches of snow could fall at the beginning of a busy holiday travel week. "what's trending today" the death of north korean dictator kim jong-il is top search on google and yahoo! people interested in his eccentric lifestyle while his people lived in poverty. fans are going online to see britney spears' new bling. she's all smiles as she shows off her new engagement ring, given by former agent jason taruwick. it is a three-carat stone with additional pave diamonds on the band. there is a must see holiday video getting a lot of attention, rockin' grannies performing "last christmas" by "glee" at a shopping center in lawrence, kansas. it's 8:05, back outside to ann,

carl and al. >> i love that, a flash mob of happily walking grannies. mark down the date in time, lenny has his first sign, with his picture on it, there you go. meantime, speaking about people we love, how about al giving us a sense about the weather? >> thank you, very try, some days not so much. you're expecting twins? >> i am. >> wow. when are you doing? >> june 18th. >> are these your first? >> yes t is. >> congratulations. >> thank you. >> are you the happy -- you're standing right behind her. wow, that got a little confusing there. whew! let's check your weather, shall we, see what's happening. honolulu, hawaii, man, don't we wish we were all there, partly sunny, warm, nbc 8, book 'em, dano, 82 degrees. sun coming up the southwest, blizzard conditions from new mexico into kansas and parts of

nebraska, showers along that front, snow showers up into new england with windier conditions. we have problems with air stagnation in the pacific northwest, slight risk of strong storms in eastern texas, plenty of sunshine, good morning to you. taking a live look at san jose. we have low cloud cover overhead. traffic is looking really good this morning on the parkway. 57 in san francisco later on today. you'll hit 60 in oakland. and as we head throughout the week, looking really good. no rain in the forecast. a mix of sun and clouds thursday into friday. then christmas eve and christmas 60s inland. coming up, last-minute gift

ideas for under $20, right after this. 1-2, 1-2-3-4 ♪ you squashed my willpower like a fly. you looked so innocent and so sweet. convinced my lips that we should meet.

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i think you're really gonna love it.t wait for you to open this. i really think i'm gonna love it to.t to open it. to soothe a sore nose on contact. i can not wait. can't wait to open it. my, my hands are shaking. i'm so excited, i'm so excited...

my whole body is vibrating with anticipation. open it, please! open it, you should open it, i'll open it. no, no. "today's holiday gift guide" brought to you by target. this holiday, santa has elves, you have target. >> today on "today's holiday gift guide" last-minute gift ideas that will only set you back $20. >> four experts sifted through the sails to find great bargains on everything from home goods to stocking stuffers. we begin with electronics. mario armstrong is "today's digital lifestyle" contributor. >> i'm going to call you q. >> okay. i have $20 in my hand and everything on the table can be bought. >> some of these things you'll get change. >> really? >> yes. >> the first thing, electronics music lover. >> because we are carrying smart phones, tablets, everything that can play music but we're not

hearing the best quality. i-home, has two great devices, the ihm9 and the ihm16 for adults. runs off of batteries. >> skull candy ear buds. >> the ink and the riot, also used for hands free and the chops, which go over the ears which is more for the fitness buff or skateboarder or snowboarder. >> is it that much different with an apple product? >> i was shocked, 19 bucks, it will sound like a transistor radio, the bass and treble is great. i listened to everything from beethoven and black-eyed peas. these are playable shirts, has an amp that connects to it and you can rock out, they have a piano and drum shirt, you can have the family band beating up on shaggy downstairs. >> if you play that too much i'm going to say nerd alert just so you know. what is a tank bot?

>> autonomous devices that navigate around but you can control them with your khan droid or smartphone. fun to play and race around the house. i think it's great. >> i love the wide angle lenses for your camera. >> for your camera, specifically for the iphone right here. this is like a telephoto lens if you want to get the great zoom and fish eye and macro lens, give you different angles and looks. even tablets, they attach magnetically. >> even blu-ray dvds under $20. >> "bridesmaids" to "charlie brown" you can get them. folks mow know, i'm into education this is "can i read to you?" it has 14 stories of kids reading to kids so really good buy for under 20 bucks. >> mario thank you. >> thank you, q. >> here's ann. >> carl, thanks. for gifts for the home and the

kitchen, chastity post. >> hey ann. >> hard to buy things for under $20 for the home. cute books so funkal. >> the archie grand notebooks, perfect for clever musings, fun things like shrinks i had and liked. >> for the person who loves being in the kitchen. >> monogrammed cheese boards, $17 and they come with a fun little spreader and we love a monogrammed gift. makes you look really thoughtful. these are contemporary kitchenware and so innovative, joseph joseph, and all of these under $20. >> good books. >> this is one of our favorite books, "cookies for kids cancer best bake sale cookbook" put together by a mom inspired by her fight against pediatric cancer. >> vases under $20. >> these are 23 and 29 inches, you'd never believe these are under $20 from z gallery.

>> candleholders. >> the gift of good lighting, here we have these rice paper votives, just $3.50 from luna bazaar and these amazing modern glass candlesticks from cb2 starting at $4. >> going to new year's eve and don't know whether to take champagne or beer here is both. >> the infinium from samuel adams. looks expensive, tastes expensive and it's beer champagne or champagne beer. idouhank you so much for being itetsh w us, gifts under $20. coming up, gifts for your children on a budget, right after this. and you can mix your seasonal pieces with your everyday china. [sfx: knocking on door] and now you need to hide. oh, i love the mercury glass pieces on the mantel, we could put some evergreen pieces... you know a simple touch like adding. oh, i think we should quickly decorate the hallway, wouldn't that be fun? maybe just put some...oh thank you so much, i'm going to bring you a snack later. wait, i still need to talk to you about led candles. happy holiday's. hey! hi!

please come in. you know ornaments, they make a great centerpiece. "today's holiday gift guide" is brought to you by target. that this holiday, santa has elves, you have target. >> back now more of "today's holiday gift guide" and now to holiday gifts for less than $20 for your kids and laurie schach of the toy insider.com. this looks like a big ticket time. >> it is but it isn't, $14.99, discovery kids color me playhouse. put it together, color me in, great item when the kids are on vacation. >> great way to keep them busy. >> air hockey. the whole family will love this. >> score! >> it's air and you can score.

barbie, a great first purse for little girls. you can put your accessories and your dolls in here. >> this is something my kids would love. >> monster jam and kinex, put it together, over 100 pieces, you make this crash them, build it again, at target. >> this is great. >> usually they're known for magnetic blocks and the cars, $19.99, magnetic wheels, sleek design. >> cool. >> and all girls love charms, so this is charm it, you can put the charms on the necklaces, bracelets at the gap $5. >> buy a bunch. >> and we keep them toasty with critters, so lots of variety, $4.99, keep them warm. >> at childrensplace.com. thank you. now here's al. >> finally stocking stuffers for under 20 bucks, kim from "southern living" magazine good morning. >> good morning. we've all had the nights where

we tear our panty hose, maybe you haven't or chip a nail, this has everything in it from hair spray to a nail file, it's great. these lip balms are from quarez, they're natural and the shimmer and sparkle so the glamour and nature. >> for the guys or could be either. >> these are from l.l. bean backpacks and fold down to this size. great for a traveler or anyone who is on the go all the time. you can throw it in any bag. >> i love these. >> these are from columbia and at kohl's they're $9.99. these are great for christmas morning when you have to put all of the toys together and everything, you're going to want all of the toys >> this is cute. >> so darling, this is for we all have those busy moms that we know and you look at them and how does she do it. she might be able to do it easier if she only has to use one hand to get the open out. this is a one-handed soap dispenser. the kids can do it, too. my favorite thing, this is audubon tape, great roll of tape and comes with the car.

>> kim, thank you so much. >> thank you. coming up next, natalie takes a tour of e hemingway's home in cuba with his daughter, marial. ♪ throw cares away, christmas is here, bringing good cheer, ♪ ♪ to young and old, meek and the bold, ding dong ding, dong, ♪ ♪ that is their song, with joyful ring, all caroling, ♪ ♪ one seems to hear, words of good cheer, from everywhere, ♪ ♪ filling the air, oh how they pound, raising the sound, ♪ ♪ o'er hill and dale, telling their tale, gaily they ring, ♪ ♪ while people sing, songs of good cheer, christmas is here. ♪ ♪ merry, merry, merry, merry christmas ♪

build the best vehicles and once a year offer them with special savings. today, it's an american tradition. toyotathon is back with great deals on the toyotas you've been waiting for. right now, get a low 0% apr financing on select new tundras and drive with peace of mind, thanks to toyota care, a complimentary maintenance plan with roadside assistance. others have tried to copy it. but in the end, there's only one...toyotathon. the biggest and best sales event of the year is going on now! back now at 8:21 and cuba is off limits to most american tourists but one of its most famous residents was an american, ernest hemingway and as natalie found out, everywhere you go in havana there are plaques and photos honoring the famous author.

>> you can still visit hemingway's favorite haunts. i had the opportunity to take the hemingway tour with his granddaughter, actress and best selling author mariel hemingway. home to ernest hemingway from 1939 to 1960, left exactly as it was but in 2005 a joint collaboration between the u.s. and cue bark the house and all of its contents were carefully restored. now the museo hemingway is a major attraction for tourists from all over the world. looking at this, what emotions go through you? >> this is really where he spent most of his time writing. i mean he really loved cuba. he really felt cuba was his home and so when you come here, you feel that energy. >> reporter: nobody else can come inside this house. >> i know. this is a real treat. >> only because you are who you are and i'm getting to see it through your eyes. this probably is one of the most important rooms in the house. >> it really is.

>> reporter: when you think his fingers were on this keyboard. >> i know. my grandfather always wrote standing up. i write standing up a lot. it still gives me chills. there's something about it energetically. you can feel somebody has written here. that's my mom and my dad. that's beautiful. yeah, i didn't know they had a picture of them. >> reporter: sadly, you were born after your grandfather committed suicide? >> yes. >> reporter: you never got to meet your grandfather. >> no, no. it was actually in this house that i felt his presence the most. as you can see, you feel like you've stepped into another time. >> reporter: "newsweek" magazine. >> "can anybody stop kennedy." >> reporter: july 4th, 1960. it's frozen in time. this is the bathroom. >> this is incredible. this he wrote down his weight every single day. it's amazing. >> reporter: "after a big lunch"

215 pounds, he wrote. >> he cared a lot about what people thought about his writing and how the reviewers reviewed him. obsessed. . he'd get really depressed or very angry if people didn't like it. >> reporter: in the basement of the house a treasure trove of hemingway's writings have been found and being carefully restored. now these have never been published? >> there's some words. >> reporter: there are. >> not good for television words. >> reporter: no. here is an actual short story. >> "everybody drinks almost everywhere now." that's so my grandfather. >> reporter: almost everything he wrote about hemingway experienced and this property, this country, and its people inspired him. here's the boat. >> here's the boat, the "pilar." >> reporter: this is the basis of "the old man and the sea." >> "the old man and the sea."

>> reporter: the book won the nobel prize in literature and he donated that to cuba. >> to cuba. >> reporter: more his favorite havana hot spots in style. we thought we'd take you back in time in our 1957 chevy velair. >> this is similar to a car my grandfather had although i think it was cream on the inside. >> reporter: our last stop, where hemingway put the mojito on the map. un mojito hemingway stop. just as hemingway left his mark, so did we along with thousands who signed these walls. hemingway's influence is everywhere in havana. his legacy lives on by those who visit there looking for the adventure hemingway lived and wrote about so famously. >> you had a lot of fun. >> really an adventure and mariel, thanks to her for letting us go on with her.

>> thanks, natalie. coming up just ahead, rooney mara opens up about what it was like to play "the girl with the dragon tattoo" coming up after your local news. good morning to you. it is 8:26. i'm laura garcia-cannon. foster city police are looking for the suspect involved in the mysterious death. last friday police found the body of a man in a home on waterbury lane. the death was called suspicious. investigators say he was murdered. anyone with information on the case is asked to call foster city police. this is the city's first murder since 2006. want to check the morning commute with mike. >> let's take you to livermore valley.

we have slowing right now. just a little bit in the center of your screen. there's a big rig accident off to the shoulder. big rig versus motorcycle. everybody is okay. that was pretty dramatic report, though. 19-minute drive right by the isabelle exchange. a live at the san mateo bridge. the metering lights are on. there's a fog advisory issued by chp. probably patchy up in the north bay right through the bay area. back to you, laura. >> thank you very much. thank you for joining us this morning. check out nbc bay area on facebook. i'll have another local news update in half an hour. have a great monday morning.

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♪ christmas in the island breeze ♪ aah rum pum pum pum ♪ 8:30 now on this monday morning, it's the 19th day of december, 2011, our holiday toy drive already received more than $30 million worth of gifts and more donations are rolling in, they're doing the collections.

the new "mission brian" movie, colin packet and camille kapour. and we have another star of a highly anticipated movie. >> rooney mara, relatively newcomer, got the lead in "the girl with the dragon tattoo," already earned her a golden globe nomination, we'll be talking with her coming up as well. >> exciting. >> a lot of good stuff hot the holidays but a lot of stress, add the in-laws, stepkids, extended families, you could have a recipe for disaster. >> on a hopeful note. >> ho, ho, ho! coming up -- look, it's there. you can ignore it or go ahead at your own peril. how to avoid the emotional pitfalls. also coming up, lighten things up a little bit, a little holiday music from grammy winning reggae star "shaggy" puts a twist on some holiday classics. >> i say whenever you're in doubt, go reggae.

>> i loved him with scooby-doo, he was great. first let's say hello to the stars of "mission impossible" as i mentioned. >> mwah! >> hi! >> yes, who won the game? apparently the fight scene in this thing is crazy. >> fight? fights. >> many fights. >> i love the fights. >> you get down and dirty. >> i did get down and dirty. it was fun, i had a fight with another lady and i give you a little trouble. >> look at this. now you just had a baby five months before shooting that which is more impressive >> having a child makes you that much more animalistic and savage

i think. >> tell us the premise of this one. because you play agent jane carter. >> yes. >> what happens? >> it's about a team that has a mission that goes awry. we have failure, right, simon? >> a lot of failures. and the kremlin's been bombed and we've been wrongly blamed. >> shut down. >> and so now we're working to basically right the wrongs that's been done and clear our names and protect our country and the world. small mission. >> simon, with he saw you in "mission impossible 3." >> i was. >> you expanded your role. did you enjoy this? >> i did. i was able to lose some weight and it was a big bonus so it was nice to come back as the same character. >> you were so funny in the movie. >> we know you from "slum dog millionaire" your character gets seduced by paulis?

>> wow! bring it! thank you very much, way to go, paula. >> he was very charming. >> i could tell. >> how are you doing? >> i loved it and i did the sleazeiest guy in my entire career. very sleazy. >> sexy sleazy. >> of course there is that he scene we're all seeing with tom cruise where he's actually climbing the largest building in dubai. what was that like to be there and watch him do that? he did it for real. >> terrifying. >> oh, man. >> that's just craziness. >> just like superman in a way. >> he's out there hanging with a big smile on his face and he's like doing this death-defying feat, it's unreal. i remember praying just don't let anything happen to tom. >> how long did that take to shoot? >> three days. >> three days of hanging off that building. >> we were scared we were going to lose our jobs because if anything happens to him, it's done.

>> this was the last scene in the movie. >> thank you so much, you guys. "mission impossible, ghost protocol." let's get a check of this weather. is it going to warm up? >> yes, right around june or july. >> maybe we'll have snow like they did out west. >> exactly. what's happening as far as today is concerned, the week ahead above normal temperatures in the east and the plains. rain in the midwest, snow in the rockies and the southwest. into the midweek period more wet weather in the east coast with above normal temperatures. the snow continues through the rockies and the latter part of the week we continue the rain here in the mid-atlantic states into the gulf, showers in the pacific northwest, below normal temperatures from texas on good morning to you. still kind of overcast over the city of san jose. we do have some fog out there as well. but it's clearing quickly. you'll find some deep pockets up in the napa valley.

all the fog we had earlier is clearing the bay area. we'll see the 50s and 60s. 60 in san jose. just 57 degrees today in fairfield and concord. as we head through tomorrow, just a little bit warmer and wednesday winter begins. the solstice at 9:30 p.m. >> and that's your latest weather. let's now toss over to mr. quintanilla. >> that's right, next we'll have rooney mara from "the girl with the dragon tattoo," first this is "today" on nbc. [ man ] it's big. supports in times of need. same with aladdin. the biggest in bail. no one has lower prices, is faster or more professional. aladdin bail bonds. bigger because we're better.

[ man ] it's big. supports in times of need. same with aladdin. the biggest in bail. no one has lower prices, is faster or more professional. aladdin bail bonds. bigger because we're better. ♪ back now at 8:38 with the actress that has hollywood buzzing. rooney mara beat out some of the big e names in the business to land the leading role in "the girl with the dragon tattoo." she plays elizabeth selnder, the edgy, controversial and even criminal investigator at the heart of the popular books.

let's take a look. >> may i come in, please? hi. you and i need to talk. i've got us some breakfast -- sorry, i didn't realize you had some company. >> hey, who do you think you are? >> i'm the guy you know better than my closest friends do. why don't you put some clothes own and get rid of your girlfriend. we need to talk. >> rooney ma camera, good morning to you. you're watching a little bit of that because you actually haven't seen the whole movie yet, even though you've had several premieres. why is that? >> i've seen that scene quite a few times now. you know, i just usually you have more time when you finish a movie when you have to see it and this all happened very fast and i didn't want to watch it alone in a dark room and i didn't want to watch it at a premiere when there was a lot of pressure and i just want to see it with a real audience when it

comes out. >> so which says a lot about how invested you are in this role and so on that note then, when you heard that you had been nominated for a golden globe, what was the first thought that went through your mind? how did you find out? >> you know, i was kind of half asleep. we'd had three premieres in three countries in three nights, so i was kind of half asleep, and i kind of forgot that that was happening, so yeah, i was very surprised. >> surprised? >> yes. >> no one who i think has seen this movie are surprised because you are amazing in it. you work with the director of the film, name is david fincher, and you had worked with him about ever in "social network." when he laid out the requirements you would need to learn how to smoke, learn how to ride a motorcycle, you would need to be naked a lot, there would be scenes that were very violent and by the way, there are three movies and so you had to make a commitment for four or five years. >> mmm. >> why did you say yes? >> you know, because i had read the books and because i just,

you know like the rest of the world i fell in love with this character and an opportunity like this doesn't really come around for a young actress that often so i would have been crazy to have not wanted to do it. >> to say no. >> yes. >> you went through a lot to do the role, you also went through a lot of piercings, because she's very angry. she's been through so much. to do this role, you did it brilliantly. i wonder where you were able to find the boldness that it took to do this role, because you had to really throw yourself at it. >> yeah, you know, i don't know. whenever i read the books, she never felt that foreign to me. she felt very familiar to me and i felt like i really understood here and you know she does have a lot of anger, but it was always something we wanted to -- it's always something she's trying to keep at bay, she's always trying to sort of push her anger down and so when it does come out it's much more shocking. we wanted her to have a lot of layers and to be very human. >> she's hypervigilant.

she's been threatened physically. she's struggling with her own fears and so she kind of creates these headdresses and puts on jewelry to protect herself in some ways it seems. >> yeah, you know, the way that she presents herself to the world, we never wanted it to be a statement. she dresses that way as a way to keep people away from her. it's a way to repel people and it's certainly a type of armor. >> christopher plummer, none other than christopher plummer. you're smiling already. you have a beautiful smile. you never smile in the movie. he went on how you have buckets of talent. that man said that about you. >> well that's the biggest compliment. >> and daniel craig said that as well about you. >> the cast of this movie is just, you know, it was very surreal to work with all of them. >> but what is the feeling to work with these great people and to have them say all this about you? you steal this movie, you know, with all of these great actors in this movie, you steal it. >> i feel quite embarrassed to

have christopher plummer say those nice things about me. you know, he's a legend and he's still working, so hard, and enjoys it so much. i feel like i learned a lot from watching him. >> meantime, people might, your name rooney mara, people might remember some sort of shades of why your name is so famous. you're from a family that's connected to the pittsburgh steelers as well as to the giants, and that's probably been a blessing and a curse. you want to tell us who you're rooting for in terms of sports in terms of football? >> i grew up in new york and my dad works for the giants so i definitely root more for the giants but i is itily do listil like the steelers. >> obviously you've never played football. >> no, not yet. >> based on this performance you could play anything. >> thank you. >> it's such a pleasure. >> thank you. >> amazing job. "the girl with the dragon tattoo" opens tomorrow. rooney mara thank you so much. coming up next, making the holiday season less stressful. we'll answer your questions, but first, this is "today" on nbc.

back at 8:45 this morning on "today's family." stressless holidays. there's an oxymoron. it may be the most wonderful time of year but it can also be a difficult one especially for families who have gone through separation, divorce and other life changes. sarah brokaw is a sigh yo therapist and author of "fortytude" and dale atkins, psychologi psychologist. >> good morning. >> good morning. >> sarah, why is there so much pressure this time of the year? >> i feel it's the economic downturn, people feel that much more pressure to create happiness, which it's absent throughout the entire, due to the economy being so bad and families are trying to overcompensate for that. that has been my impression. >> and dale, having kids brings stress, having kids and a

divorce multiplies that times 100. >> it absolutely does and one of the things we have to pay attention to -- excuse me voice -- one of the things we have to pay attention to is to make the kids feel secure, make them feel that this is still going to be a joyous time for them, and it's up to the parents to be able to make them feel that the parents will be in control, they'll take care of what needs to be taken care of, so the children don't have to either take care of their parents and can still enjoy themselves. >> walk us through a couple tips. one of your ideas is to start a new tradition. >> yes. >> as a family, even as a separated family. >> absolutely, particularly for separated family, because this is now the new reconstituted family. if you're creative, if you have compassion, each of the children and parents are having their own emotional response to the change so you can do something you might not have done before. you can do something that another family has done and bring it together, perhaps if you're blending a family. you can volunteer. you can have potluck dinner with someone else. you can go to take a hike ou

outdoors, incorporate things that are not necessarily expensive but bring the spirit of the holiday to the new family. >> do you see people, sarah in your practice saying i am facing my first christmastime essentially alone for the first time in my life. >> absolutely, i do see a number of women who feel really nervous about spending the holidays by themselves, whether it's because they are divorced or it's because they're single, and my number one suggestion is you have to plan ahead. you cannot just assume you're going to be invited somewhere or you'll sit there and feel sorry for yourself at home and not do anything. plan ahead is the priority. >> you say know the schedule. >> absolutely, plan ahead, it's good for yourself and your children, if you have children so they know what to expect, who is going to pick them up, who are they going to go to church with, who are they going to go to dinner with and talk about the gifts, if you are estranged from your spouse, your ex-spouse, it's important to get over that for this particular

opportunity to save your children the hassle of worrying about their parents, so plan. the kids know what to do and they know where they'll be. >> treat yourself to something, which i think people are okay with? >> yes. >> absolutely. something you just mentioned which is about not letting the stress affect the children. i always say to both the mothers and the fathers, who if they are separated is that it's not the time to bring in their emotional baggage. it's time to leave it somewhere, literally, and also theoretically. >> yes. >> and to pay attention to the child's well-being, especially around the holidays. >> sarah, thank you very much. dale, good stuff ahead of the holidays. >> thank you. up next, a special holiday song from hitmaker shaggy, but first this is "today" on nbc. the droid razr by motorola.

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buy a droid razr and get $100 off a droid xyboard. ♪ >> announcer: the toyota contert series on "today" brought to you by toyota. >> "rolling stone" calls jamaican born singer shaggy the original poster gen child. "sumner kingston just just scored a fifth grammy nomination. good morning to you and congratulations. >> thank you. >> you did something unusual this time to release this album. you basically released it for

$2.99 as a digital only release. why did you do that? >> we did it basically almost like a fan appreciation, a lot of fans we had, and only digital. now two more songs, going to be a ten-song album and we're going to put it out and a physical copy this time. >> so you're giving back. >> yes. >> you want to love the people who have loved you all these years. you've been touring the world this summer and basically have been entertaining crowds in tanzania, switzerland and italy. are you exhausted? have you had rest since then? >> we go everywhere. >> what is the best part about how people react to this? i was playing bob marley over the weekend. there's something joy, free, happy about reggae. >> it breaks down barriers, it's global in any language. people come up and sing the song and almost a cool factor, just like the brand reggae, brand jamaica, the cool factor that comes with it and you just want to be a part of it. >> you'll bring the cool for us this morning. >> i am.

>> the song that you're about to perform apparently you made it all happen for us? >> they wanted to us do christmas carols and we just put our own little twist to it so we did "drummer boy" jamaican style. >> i'm ready for that. thank you so much for getting up early to bring us some joy this morning. ladies and gentlemen, shaggy. ♪ ♪ christmas in the island breeze, aah rum pum pum pum ♪ ♪ great islands and coconut trees, rum pum pum pum ♪ ♪ laid out on the island beaches, pah rum rum rum ♪ ♪ hills and valleys to the shining seas, rum pum pum pum ♪ ♪ rum pum pum pum, christmas if on identity lands ♪ let's have a ajamaican christmas when we come ♪ ♪ christmas in the city, let me take to you jamaica, rum pum pum

pum ♪ ♪ don't forget the sugar kane ♪ jamaica is like heaven to your tongue ♪ to the mistletoe, come on give me some ♪ ♪ so when you're ready, take a trip down to my island ♪ ♪ cause there's nothing like christmas on the island ♪ ♪ i've been all around across the globe ♪ ♪ and still i'm coming right back home for christmas ♪ ♪ christmas in the island breeze, pah rum pum pum pum ♪ ♪ the lights and coconut trees, pah rum pum pum pum ♪ ♪ laid out on the island beaches, pah rum pum pum pum ♪ ♪ hills and valleys to the shining seas pah rum pum pum pum ♪ ♪ rum pum pum pum christmas on the islands ♪ ♪ let's have a jamaican christmas, ph rum pum pum pum ♪ ♪ when we come ♪ ain't nothing like a tree at christmas ♪ i want to be right here for the christmas ♪

♪ kick your socks off, so when you're reggae take a trip down to my island ♪ ♪ because there is nothing like christmas on my land ♪ ♪ i've been around the world and traveled across the globe ♪ ♪ i'm coming straight back home for christmas ♪ ♪ christmas on the island breeze, pah rum pum pum pum ♪ ♪ lights and coconut trees, pah rum pum pum pum ♪ ♪ laid out on the ocean beaches ♪ hills and valleys to the shining seas ♪ ♪ rum pum pum pum, rum pum pum pum ♪ ♪ christmas on the islands ♪ so let's have a jamaican christmas, pah rum pum pum pum ♪ ♪ when we come ♪ eh, eh "today" show, baby!

>> bravo! shaggy, thank you so much. i think you need to do a christmas album. >> we probably will. >> you better do one. this album is called "summer in kingston" and you can pick it up in stores on february 7th. shaggy will be back with more music in the fourth hour, but first your local news. thank you, big hugs! good morning to you. there have been some set up on the plaza, but only as a symbol, they say, of the occupy movement. organizers say to this one is actually sleeping in the tents, and they'll be taken down before

midnight every night. city council had earlier offered to drop charges against demonstrators if they didn't pitch tents for the next two years. protesters say this is their version of a work around. no need to work around the forecast. nice across the bay area. let's check in with christina. >> perfect for a workout. today we stay nice and dry through your holidays. saturdays and sunday. 60s inland. upper 50s at the coast. [ mom ] hey guys.

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♪ we want to wish you a merry christmas ♪ back now more of "today" on this monday, it's the 19th day of december, 2011. we have a lovely crowd outside enjoying the morning with us here at rockefeller plaza. it's only 32 degrees so you can see them moving quite a lot, that's to stay warm as they wave to their family and friends back home, and on this very chilly morning, carl quintanilla is in for matt, and tamron hall is in for savannah this morning. prince harry is making news. >> he's always been called gutsy, the youngest son of charles and diana.

he was on the phone with a friend, when that friend was mugged in london, and the prince jumped to action to help nail the bad guys. we'll tell you exactly what happened, but he's a modern day superhero. >> wow, really? impressive. >> very impressive. something else impressive we'll show you or help you save some money on your last-minute holiday gift giving and gift buying these days. there's less than a week, i don't have to tell you, to go until christmas but that doesn't mean you can't look for bargains or get free shipping at this point. >> ooh! >> from gifts to tipping and returns, we'll have the secrets to saving at the last minute. good stuff. >> all right. during the holiday season you may want to be with family and disconnect with all your electronic gadgets. >> no. >> your ipads -- >> you had me until you said disconnect. >> according to a recent survey, most folks bring along their electronic gadgets and devices. we're going to show you how to make them an attraction

rather than a distraction and use them to create some new traditions with your family and friends. >> some people play games. >> okay, yes, that was well done. i think some of us need some of that advice. before we get to that, let us now go inside and talk to natalie. she's got a check of the morning's top stories. >> good morning ann and everyone. the world is watching for signs of instability in north korea, pyongyang announced overnight that long time dictator kim jong-il died saturday of a heart attack. he was 69 years old. north korea is urging its people to rally behind kim's third son to lead the nuclear nation. u.s. officials tell nbc news a short to medium range missile launch in the north today is thought to be a symbolic show of force after kim's death and was not provocative. the defense cross-examines a key computer expert today at the pre-trial hearing for army private first class bradley manning. he's accused of spilling u.s. government secrets to the wikileaks website. he could face a court-martial if there's enough evidence. on sunday a computer crimes

investigator testified he found more than 10,000 diplomatic cables on manning's computer. disaster agencies are delivering body bags, food, water and medicine to evacuation centers in the southern philippines where at least 650 people have died in flash floods, triggered by a weekend tropical storm. mass graves are being dug to prevent disease. more than 800 people are missing. a major winter storm is barrelling into the southwestern united states and it comes at the start of one of the busiest travel weeks of the year. blizzard conditions are expected to bring up to 15 inches of snow. gasoline prices are sliding as the holidays approach. the latest lundberg survey shows regular is now selling for an average of $3.24 a gallon, that is down a nickel over the last two weeks. haven't started your holiday shopping yet? well you'll have a lot of company at the malls this week. pricegrabber.com reports that 40% of consumers won't even start hitting the stores until wednesday. most are waiting for last-minute

discounts, but 20% said it's just more fun to get swept up in the last-minute rush. really? fun? not so. well it's no mystery, but robert downey jr.'s "sherlock holmes: a game of shadows" top of the box office with $40 million in ticket sales. "alvin and the chipmunks: chipwrecked" in second and "mission impossible: ghost protocol" in third. you're up to date right now. back outside to ann, carl, and tamron. let's get a check of the weather. al, what can be done about these temperatures? >> you know what? i don't care about the temperatures because i have broadcast royalty here with me, jean emerson, the premiere anchor in seattle, not only just on king tv, king 5 but in seattle, jean thank you for being here. >> thank you, al. >> 45 years in the anchor chair. >> almost that much. >> just about. >> almost that much. i wanted to give a shout out to our friends in seattle and bring a little something to you and your buddies. for all of the fans of king 5 in seattle.

>> a banner. it's been a banner year for you. >> a banner year for nbc and do you a great job and for all of the folks who have never been to seattle come watch king 5 news and come out to seattle. >> we're checking but i think you hold the record for female anchor in the country. >> maybe so. maybe so. nice to be with you, al. thank you. merry christmas to everybody. >> all righty. let's check it out, see what's going on for seattle and everywhere in between. unfortunately we've got a big, big storm system getting itself ertoththge n ie southwest, ahead of the system we've got a lot of rain in texas, behind it the snow is starting to fire up, double barrel low will combine energy, push its way up into the northeast, and as it does, look for that snow, heavy snow from dodge city and just parts of eastern colorado, on into much of kansas. dodge city, liberal, lamar, that triangle will see anywhere from 12 to 18 inches of snow. albuquerque, six to nine inches of snow and ahead of the system we've got a risk of strong

storms from galveston, austin, up to dallas, maybe even tornadoes along with those thunderstorms. that's what's going on in the country. here's what's happening in your neck of the woods.n good morning to you. 9:05 now. and your temperatures are still in the 40s. we have a couple low 50s in san francisco where you will max out at 57 degrees today. 60 in san jose. it looks like the breeze will pick up. the breeze will clear the sky tonight. making for a cold night and cold morning on tuesday. by wednesday we kick off winter and we're going to hold onto the dry pattern through christmas sunday. >> and that's your latest weather. natalie? >> al, thank you. this morning on "today's money" last-minute holiday spending, shopping for gifts, shipping presents or doling out end of year tips, jean chatzky has things to consider before

you hand over your money. good morning. >> good morning. >> this is that week, the final stretch where a lot of people are so overstressed and just dealing with it all, and this is where mistakes can be made. >> absolutely. >> you can end up spending more than you're bargaining for. >> 10% of people haven't even started shopping and at least 40% are not done yet so people are in the stores. >> i'm in the 40%. >> i'm in there, too. there are a few people i haven't gotten for and i need to. >> although time is of the essence here, you say really important to do your homework a bit first still, do some comparison shopping, it's worth it. >> absolutely, so you want to go online, you want to shop around for prices, you want to go to retailmenot, sites like that and see if you can get additional money off with a coupon. as we get closer and closer to the holiday you want to go offline. it will get more expensive to ship things from most places and you're not going to know they're necessarily going to get there. >> physically go to the department stores. now it's a great gift to think about giving a charitable

contribution because that is a gift that keeps on giving. >> and it doesn't have a price tag on it. you can make a contribution to a charity in names, in the name of many people, and send cards saying this is what i did for you this year and a very interesting story last week in the "new york times" talked about a study out of stanford that said people who received gifts are not paying attention to the price tag and the level of their appreciation doesn't vary with how much you spend. a scientific study, so just keep that in mind. >> and speaking of level of appreciation, the gifts you're giving, you say here is something to think about. think about alternative methods of payment. you have gift cards out there? >> yeah, the average family has $300 in gift cards sitting around, if they're still whole denominations, $25, $50, you can regift the gift cards, use the gift cards to spend for other people, if you have frequent flyer miles you can give those away or you can use them in exchange for merchandise, and you don't have to spend a dime which is fantastic. >> you still make a big

impression. >> exactly. >> and shipping costs as we know, a lot of people are sending their gifts now. how much can they be expected to pay? >> so free shipping has been extended on a number of major retailers. the most important point here is that some of the deadlines are today, some are tomorrow, some like zapos are pos are as late thursday. if you're not getting free shipping know what you're paying and make sure there's a guarantee in place that your merchandise will arrive by the holiday, because even though they say we ship one or two days, if they're not guaranteeing it's going to get there, it may not. >> okay, definitely be sure to check that out and moving on to return policies, december 26th will be right around the corner and people are going to be standing in line to return things as well. what should you be thinking about? >> according to the national retail federation, about 83% of stores have left their return policies in place for this year, which is really good news, but we've noticed this trend of slicing and dicing, which means

that a lot of stores have different policies for different items, so if you go on amazon.com and you want to return something for example, they've got a different policy for tvs than they do for watches. you into ed to know how long you have to take it back, generally within a month you'll be fine but if you're returning a specific valuable item, go on the store's website and make sure you read what's going on, and do not open it. >> all of the restocking fees and all of that, don't open it. >> we should see a reduction in the restocking fees but bring the receipt if you've been given one and don't take it out of the package. that's really, really important. >> because you don't want to pay for it in the end. okay, and let's talk about tipping. our favorite time of the year. >> i know. >> there's a lot of people you want to say thank you to but how do you tip? who do you tip? how much do you tip? >> if they're people in your life you were talking about your hairdresser earlier. people that provide a personal service, manicurist, it's the cost of one service. if it's somebody who comes into

your home like a housekeeper or a babysitter or dog walker you're looking at the cost of one week's pay and there are some people that aren't allowed to accept gifts that are above a certain denomination, postal workers, for example, it's supposed to be a $20 limit, a lot of schools have policies for their teachers, so keep that in mind, and i also think there's some people that it just doesn't feel right to give money. if that's the case, then just -- >> who are those people it isn't right to give money? >> i feel strange giving money to the school bus driver. to me that's a a weird one. i'd rather give a gift instead and 16% of people of a survey showed last week feel they're not able to tip as much as they'd like to tip. if you're in that boat because of the economy, write a really nice personal note, tip what you can, and then if the economy gets better in your life, just make it up on the back end. >> jean chatzky, always great to have you. great advice thank you. >> thanks. come up next a happy high-tech holiday, some fun

ideas for the family and later how to shine and shimmer at any age. bobbi brown has hot holiday makeup tips, right after these messages. nyquil: you know i relieve coughs, sneezing, fevers? tylenol: me, too. and nasal congestion. nyquil:what? tissue box (whispering): he said nasal congestion... nyquil: i heard him. anncr vo: tylenol cold multi-symptom nighttime relieves nasal congestion... nyquil cold & flu doesn't.

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and tea to choose from. it's the way to individually brew fresh, delicious coffee in under a minute. way to brew, hon. ♪ hark how the bells, sweet silver bells, all seem to say, ♪dong ♪ throw cares away, christmas is here, bringing good cheer, ♪ ♪ to young and old, meek and the bold, ding dong ding, dong, ♪ ♪ that is their song, with joyful ring, all caroling, ♪ ♪ one seems to hear, words of good cheer, from everywhere, ♪ ♪ filling the air, oh how they pound, raising the sound, ♪ ♪ o'er hill and dale, telling their tale, gaily they ring, ♪ ♪ while people sing, songs of good cheer, christmas is here. ♪ ♪ merry, merry, merry, merry christmas ♪ -why? -why? -why?

[ female announcer ] we all age differently. roc® multi-correxion 4 zone moisturizer with roc®retinol and antioxidants. lines, wrinkles, and sun damage will fade. roc multi-correxion. correct what ages you. >> announcer: "today's digital life" is brought tout by kinect for xbox 360. you are the controller. >> this morning on "today's digital life" the best tech tools for the holiday. the season is supposed to be about enjoying time with the family but a new yahoo.com survey found two-thirds of men and half of women say they'll remain plugged in. heather abbott, good to see you. >> thanks for having me. happy holidays. >> tell us what else the survey found. >> 90. of the people we surveyed said technology makes the holidays less stressful and 40% said they couldn't make it through the holidays without technology. >> you found and brought some fun ways to do this.

and everybody scrambling for the inexpensive gift. >> and the quirky gift for the person who has everything so there's this great site called fb fivefor.com. anything for $5. these later cut christmas tree ornaments, pet pins, personalized golf balls, personalized guitar picks for $5, and another thing you can do, a lot of performers on the site, you could have someone dress up as santa and do a special greeting for your child, all on this site and buy gift cards, too, fivefor.com. >> during this time of year we like to curl up and put in the dfd, "miracle on 34th street" or "it's a wonderful life." >> it's the time we want to sit around and watch the old classics. a new twist is using your ipad or your iphone to hook into something into now. it allows social tv to interact with your friends and family

while you're watching it, even if you're not in the same room. it's so cool. it continues, so you load the app and it listens to what you are listening to, and then it tells you, okay, you're watching this show and these are the people who are watching it, and then you can connect with them and comment and interact, you can also hook into the stats of interesting data about the movies. you can do it with sporting event, tv shows. it's into now. >> and swapping holiday cookie recipes. >> that's a tradition, people go to cookie swaps, everyone is scrambling to make cookies. yahoo searches for christmas cookies are up 200%. instead of going to your average recipe site check out pintress.a.m., a visual and virtual pinboard and it's a collection of people's inspirational recipes, and images they're collecting so these are some christmas cookies we thought were great.

pinterest.com, it's a visual record of all of this. a lot of people with do-it-yourself projects go on there and it's free. >> a lot of people doing online giving. >> it's a huge trend. the next generation, onlinegiving 2.0 is crowd funding. i like indygogo.com. it takes the idea instead of making a financial transaction you're actually making a personal connection to a cause so for example you go on there, and you can see one of the things on there right now is a group of friends who are trying to raise money for a woman who lost her two front teeth in a bicycle accident and they need to raise $10,000 to pay her bill. instead of giving to a big organization you're giving to the specific cause. >> and last but not least, of course, holiday cards. >> holiday cards and thank you notes. >> yes, yes, very important. >> so one new way to do that is to use your phone. there are some really cool apps that allow you to create a card

on your phone and have it actually mailed. these are some of them right here. one of the apps i like is called red stamp. this is what you get in the mail. so you design it on your phone, you can use a photo from your photo library on your phone, create the card, and for $1.99 they send it to you. newest product allows you to pop out the picture, so they get a little gift that they can put in a frame, in the dashboard, in the mirror. >> that's very nice. >> they get the card and a gift. >> nothing beats a handwritten note. >> i agree but i think is cool. >> on the go, it gives you a chance to do that. >> get a picture of you with the gift. >> or the cookies. >> or the cookies. >> heather abbott, thank you so much. still to come a royal to the rescue. prince harry runs to the aid of a friend who is getting mugged. we'll tell you what happened after these royal messages. nyquil (st uffy

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the sun's out and the water's beautiful. you can go deep sea fishing for amberjack, grouper and mackerel. our golf courses are open. our bed and breakfast have special rates. and migrating waterfowl from all over make this a bird watcher's paradise. so if you missed it earlier this year, come on down. if you've already been here come on back... to mississippi... florida... louisiana... alabama. the gulf's america's get-a-way spot no matter where you go. so come on down and help make 2012 an even better year for tourism on the gulf. brought to you by bp and all of us who call the gulf home. sears last one-day sale of the year thursday, 7 am! 55%-65% off coats, sweaters, and pajamas with savings pass. an extra 10% off bed, bath, and kitchen.

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from around the world. he called it vicks vaporub. today, the vicks journey continues. introducing new vicks nature fusion cold & flu syrup. powerful multi-symptom medicine flavored with natural honey instead of artificial flavors and dyes. so you can feel good about what you take to feel better. we've had a huge crowd today helping donate to our 18th annual toy drive for millions of needy kids around the country, collecting the donation the cast of "mission impossible: ghost protocol" and appreciate the generosity. >> as always and we've got some more helpers with us this

morning, joseph blumenfeld has brought along his beautiful daughters, shoshanna and rielle. you brought great things to donate. >> i did. we're excited to be part of the "today" show toy drive. we're donating 30,000 books for the kids, our third year supporting the program and we're excited to do that again. >> i see favorites in my family "curious george." what do you guys like to read? >> harry potter. >> you guys are really involved in a lot of efforts around the world for literacy. >> we are, childhood literacy is a key indicator of success and school and having books around is very important to kids, too. we are donating 3 million books worldwide, it's an annual commitment to we've made, giving 3 million books around the world so we're pleased to help. >> thank you so much. >> absolutely. best gift, a gift of education. thank you so much.

>> thank you very much. still to come this morning, we've got in "today's kitchen" delicious appetizers for your holiday bash. first your local news and weather. [ horse neighs ] you're leaving. it is my destiny. ♪ take this. it is a piece of me. ♪ [ male announcer ] it's movie time. with a wii twist. netflix now delivers unlimited tv episodes and movies instantly through wii and nintendo 3ds. all for only 8 bucks a month. seriously, what is it? [ female announcer ] you use the healing power of touch every day. the healing power of touch can be even more powerful. with precise from the makers of tylenol. precise pain relieving cream works quickly to activate sensory receptors. it helps block pain signals fast

for relief you can feel precisely where you need it most. precise. only from the makers of tylenol. good morning. it's 9:26. i'm marla tellez. oakland mayor jean quan is getting a rare vote of support. the alameda council adopted a resolution of opposing recall efforts against mayor quan. the council says a recall would distract attention from the tact of confronting economic crisis in oakland and creating additional strain on the city. a news conference will be held in oakland at 11:45 this morning. well, this morning alameda county may have a solution to a $6 million budge problem. last week governor jerry brown

announced he needs more money to pay for youth offenders in state lockups. 50 young offenders come from alameda county, and the the governor wants $6.2 million to house them. the account wants to take them back from the state state and am under supervision. we're going to check the forecast and the roads. after break

welcome back 9:28. some patches of fog hanging out in the local bridges. about 60 oakland. same for san jose. tomorrow a touch warmer in the afternoon. clear sky tonight will make for a very cold start as we neat back here tuesday morning. >> this is the beginning of the holiday lighter drive. . we'll look at 880 through oakland. live look past the coliseum. this is only 9:30 in the

morning. but a nice, easy drive. no delays up to the bay bridge toll plaza. but coming down off the top of your screen on the east shore freeway, also moving to the bay bridge. light backup there. a reminder on the peninsula. monday night football. there will be some slowing starting around 2:30, 3:00, when the gates open there. that will be an sure for you as your end your workweek. g big game tonight. we'll be back with our next news and weather update in 30 minutes. see you again at 9:56. in the meantime, find us on facebook. search nbc bay area.

♪ i feel the earth move under my feet ♪ ♪ i feel the sky tumblin' down ♪ i feel my heart start to trembling whenever you're around ♪ ♪ oh, baby millions of fans were moved when this woman sings songs, one of the legends in the music business, singer/song writer carole king, she'll be here tomorrow for our concert series. >> we love when she visits us. coming up, another wild night for prince harry but not in the way you might be thinking. a friend of the prince was

actually mugged while harry was on the phone with him, while the young royal immediately grabbed his bodyguard and raced across london to help police find the mugger. we'll get details from buckingham palace. >> that is the greatest story, i got to say it. adding a little shine and shimmer is not just for new year's eve. bobbi brown is here to show you how to jazz up your makeup for the upcoming holiday. why are you laughing? >> that boogie video. >> tips from bobbi. >> we'll get to boogying after the face makeup. we have stuffed mushrooms and chicken skewers for your guests to munch on. >> very pretty. i love it on the pineapple like that. first a check of the weather for us. >> absolutely. let's see what's happening for today, we've got a risk of strong storms, texas, rain changing over to snow, back to the plains, we have blizzard like conditions, look for rain also in parts of northern new

england, i should say snow showers, sunny skies along the mid-atlantic coast. tomorrow, we've got more rain through the gulf coast, mid mississippi river valley, more snow and frigid conditions, back through the plains, showers move into the coastal pacific northwest and we're looking for frigid, sunny skies here in the northe >> good morning to you. it's not frigid. rather mild. we'll be in the 50s and 60s later today. clear skies make for a cold night ahead. 60 today in san jose. 57 degrees in gilroy. no matter how much daytime heat we accumulate the clear skies will radiate back out to the atmosphere. 30s and 20s as lows as we wake up tomorrow morning. by wednesday, the first official day of winter. up to 59 inland. >> and that's your latest weather. say hello to bin bailey, you may recognize him from the hit show "cash cab." good to see you.

>> good morning to you. >> it's a week-long show on nbc and it's "who is still standing." >> yes. >> i'm so curious after seeing the trailer, how is this played? >> who is still standing is a trivia showdown show. one contestant against ten opponents or challengers. if the contestant baetsz all ten of them, it could win $1 million. they're all standing on trap doors. anyone that answers a single question incorrectly the door opens and down you go. >> where do they go? >> i can't tell you. i can only tell you they don't come back. >> are they trained for the fall? you need to have a stunt degree for this? >> it's very safe. i did it. it's pretty unnerving. just to be -- there goes the big guy. >> never to be seen again. >> what's the prize for the person who is left standing? >> in slow mo! >> the slow mo shots or the best. it depends how much money accumulated and how the game

goes. if the contestant gets eliminated, whoever knocks them out of the game wins $10,000 and everyone else continues in a speed round, so however much they have in the bank at the end of that is how much they win. >> can we pull a trap door here on set if we don't like al's forecast? >> we'll host the next presidential debate on the set. >> "cash cab" new ones coming? >> there is new "cash cabs" and a new special on discovery channel called "best in the business." >> do you have time to celebrate the holidays? >> not so far. i'm doing all of my shopping online. >> ben bailey, great to have you. welcome to nbc. >> thank you very much. thanks for having me. >> "who is still standing" premieres at 8:00, 7:00 central, right here on nbc. a mugging has prince harry at the police station and the right amount of shimmer for your age with holiday makeup tips. >> they're dancing again. ♪ boogie woogie woogie after these messages.

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realigning naturally with every blink. time is running out! sears last minute gift sale is on now. get up to 50% off all craftsman mechanics tool sets. every tv is on sale. plus, save up to 70% on all fine jewelry. give the top brands they'll love. hurry in to sears now! now to the scare for british heir prince harry who rushed to help a friend being mugged. nbc's jim maceda is at buckingham palace with the details. good day to you. >> reporter: good morning,

natalie. over the years, trouble has had a knack of finding the 27-year-old so-called spare to the throne. this time prince harry found himself in the middle of an unfolding crime, and rushed to the aid of the victim. it was mid evening, according to royal aides, and harry was at clarence house, his london residence, chatting with one of his best friends on the phone, thomas vanstreubenzi or van as he's known, close to both princes, an usher at williams wedding. walking down this road harry heard screams and what sounded like a scuffle. his friend had been mugged his blackberry wrenched from his hands. >> it's a bigger problem than you think. somebody tried to nab my bag when i was walking down the street. >> reporter: harry grabbed his body guard looking for his childhood friend. the gutsy reaction didn't surprise ken wharf who for eight

years serve as his mother's protection officer. >> i always said if you needed a guy to help you out in a fight, you choose him above his brother. >> reporter: not spotting his friend, harry drove to the local police station on a hunch van would have reported the crime, and he found him there. harry even gave a witness statement. he's visited police stations before, seen here in manchester, after this summer riot, but it's probably the only time a windsor royal walked into one to report a crime. >> that's what a true friend is all about. you can only applaud the young man for doing something which perhaps most of us wouldn't do. >> reporter: captain harry wales, building a reputation as an action man, will need all his reserves of courage when he returns to the battlefields of afghanistan next year as an apache combat helicopter pilot. meanwhile, london police say they arrested a suspect at n his friend's mugging and recovered the blackberry. a hearing is scheduled for january so natalie, a rather happy ending to an otherwise

scary incident. back to you. >> thanks to prince harry to thes review. thanks to you, jim maceda, buckingham palace. comin makeuup, makeup tips help you dazzle for the holidays, right after this. where sleepless nights yield to restful sleep. and lunesta can help you get there, like it has for so many people before. when taking lunesta, don't drive or operate machinery until you feel fully awake. walking, eating, driving, or engaging in other activities while asleep, without remembering it the next day, have been reported. abnormal behaviors may include aggressiveness, agitation, hallucinations or confusion. in depressed patients, worsening of depression, including risk of suicide, may occur. alcohol may increase these risks. allergic reactions, such as tongue or throat swelling, occur rarely and may be fatal. side effects may include unpleasant taste, headache, dizziness and morning drowsiness.

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vfor the ones that dab, the ones purifyiwho smear,r king.r the ones who spread them everywhere. for the late night cravers to the oddball eaters, the handful stuffers and the tiny biters. thicker cut for more flavor. new fries from burger king. ornyou're a miracle workerful sabrina soto.. [sfx: doorbell rings] and you can mix your seasonal pieces with your everyday china. [sfx: knocking on door] and now you need to hide. oh, i love the mercury glass pieces on the mantel, we could put some evergreen pieces... you know a simple touch like adding. oh, i think we should quickly decorate the hallway, wouldn't that be fun? maybe just put some...oh thank you so much, i'm going to bring you a snack later. wait, i still need to talk to you about led candles. happy holiday's. hey! hi! please come in. you know ornaments, they make a great centerpiece.

♪ this morning on "today's beauty" adding the right amount of spark toll your holiday look, makeup maven bobbi brown is here to show us how to shimmer. good morning. >> nice to see you too. >> shimmer looks so good done right but when it's wrong it's bad. >> it's bad. >> what are the tips to keep us from going overboard? >> make sure your makeup is good before you put the shimmer. >> foundation and everything else make sure it's perfect. >> concealer and dark liner and make sure you're choosing shimmer or glitter, whatever texture that is very finely milled and not ashy on the skin. >> that's wise. we've got katie here, looks beautiful already. you've got most of our makeup done. to your point the base is right. what do you add? >> because she's young she can wear it on three places on the face. close your eyes for a second. this is a little bit of sparkle. you could use your finger, your brush, you could do this if you're driving in a car. >> no you can't. >> yes you can, at stop lights.

taxis at stop lights. we all do it, so let's see, straight. could you put a little bit more. you could put more on and this is just the lightest color. it's a little bit of silver in it. >> that's beautiful. >> it's so pretty. you could put it under your eyes for new year's eve. >> i love that you're using your finger, too. people say that's the best brush. >> especially if you want a light color and a lot of it on, use your finger. this is shimmery on her cheek. >> the second spot. >> this is the second spot. turn your face to the side and this just goes a little bit on the highlight, and then you rub it in. hopefully this is not too much for tv. you can't tell. >> this is a little pink and a shade of shimmer right for you. >> when you do blush choose one that is the color of why you are blush. it kind of makes sense. you can also go with a little bit of like gold or silver. you could especially if you have warmer skin or darker skin. don't go so much pink and then

of course for lips. >> this is the third spot. >> shimmer glitter. let's try something pink so it looks really pretty. and the reason it works on her, she has it on three places but it's shuttle. the trick is to not be overdone and look like a teenager but it's subtle. >> you don't want to look like you're in the mirror all night long. >> for women of color make sure it's not too white or ashy or you're look like the '60s thing with diana ross. >> worked for her there but not now. let's see what she looked like before, fresh face and pow! >> she still looks like herself and i think that is really the trick. >> sometimes i've noticed, too, with imsher, bobbi if you put it in the wrong spot you look sweaty. >> not on your forehead, nose or chin. you can do it on your arms or decolette, something. >> katie is young. what do you do if you're mature? >> i will demonstrate since i am a mature one here. what i like to do is maybe put it on one or two places. so the first thing i do and

again it's my fingers, if i could use a sparkle and i just apply it. i'll use a brush and this is the silvery sparkle on the eyelid, and i also like to put it underneath the eye, just a little bit on the inner corner. you see that a lot in the fashion shows, just a little bit. >> a little bit goes a long way. >> and on my lips i like to choose, i like to put it on over my lipstick. >> whatever lipstick you enjoy that works for you, you. you the this over the top there. >> a little bit, and if i want something on my cheeks you can do a shimmer brick or one of my tips i do, take a gloss, you have too much, put it on your cheek. >> nice. >> so a nice little glow so it's not so much shimmer but this is more like a glow from the lip gloss. >> is it a makeup don't to wear this in the ay? sometimes i see people -- >> now anything goes. the sparkly jewelry goes during the day now but just do one little thing. there's a fine line between what works and what's kind of over the edge tacky. >> we don't want to do that.

>> great job you look beautiful. i hope you have something fun planned. >> work, work. >> business lady. bobbi brown thank you so much. happy holidays. up next, easy appetizers full of flavor for your holiday guests. first this is "today" on nbc. ♪

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♪ happy holiday ♪ happy holiday this morning on "today's holiday kitchen" easy appetizers filled with flavor. bernard, executive chef and coauthor of, i love the title of the book "flying pans." woo! bernard good to see you. >> good to be here. >> good to be anywhere. where were you when you saw this fantastic mushroom recipe? >> i was traveling in italy and actually it was about maybe like two or three years ago and everybody is cooking portobello

mushrooms and a lady stuffed it with chicken sausage. i said what if we do something different and we are doing vegetarian. so what we want to do is we are marinating those portobelines and put sherry vinegar, some thyme, and -- >> what was that you just did? >> maple syrup. >> ahh! >> you need the caramelization. so put it together and put it into this little baking dish and you cook it for about i would say five to eight minutes in the oven. check this out. they're really shrinking. some shrink, some do not. >> tell them about the shrinkage! >> we want to do the caramelization, so we have our red onions over here, red bell peppers, some brown sugar. >> more sweetness.

>> a little bit more, and then a bit of balsamic vinegar. cook this for a few minutes, until it's nice and caramelized. it's really good. >> fantastic. >> a bit of apple juice. >> a little more sweetness. >> and that's it. so it's really cool because it seems sweet but it's not that sweet because you still have the pepper. when you're done this is pretty much what we have. because of the caramel of the acids, the onions really become bright red so this is what we do now. super easy. you make this in advance, everything is ready. you want to take some of this red onions here, transfer it into your little mushroom caps. so fill it up really nicely, and then actually you can just fix it from here. a little bit of mango and bleu cheese. maytag bleu, nice and sharp.

i bake it in the oven. bake it again but you want to make those in advance before your friends arrive, refrigerate and then stick it in the oven for about five to seven minutes and you're done. this i discovered when i was traveling with my family, i was about that tall and i was in a place where they were roasting stuff and all of the flavors and i went hmm this sounds good. my mom is the one who got the recipe and then i put it into the book. so check this out. you cut this into strips. >> yes. >> and then what you want to do is you just skewer it. usually when we skewer we have a tendency to go up and down, up and down, up and down. for this one you don't need to. you go from the back and right in like this. look at this. >> what's the marinade? >> the marinade, so you have garlic, onion, lemons, chili, cumin, paprika and ginger and a bit of cilantro, marinate for

two or three houshrs if you wan to. if you don't care about the chicken, what you do is just put a little bit of eggplant and it's perfect. so you cook this for about three, four minutes. >> ladies, hello. >> happy holidays. sorry, hi! a couple of kisses. >> he doesn't greet me like that. what else do we have? >> we have some little cherry tomatoes stuffed with crab meat and chocolate truffles over there. all of the recipes are from my book "flying pans." >> we have it on our website. >> amazing cookbook i must say.. thank you. >> happy holidays, everybody!

>> it is 9:56 now. good morning. i'm marla tellez.

a new milestone for the bay bridge construction project gets started in minutes. once completed on all sides of the bay bridge it will become the world's longest suspension span. bridge officials say it's going to take about two days to complete this job. construction at the new bay bridge is expected to end in 2013. now we have a crew at the scene, and we'll bring you a live report on nbc bay area news at 11:00. this morning a south bay donation center says every box of food and toy has a future home. sacred heart community center is ready to hand out a record number of food boxes and toys to families for christmas. more than 3,000 boxes of food and 16,000 toys will be handed out this week. folks lined up early this morning to get their hands on that. it started off chilly this morning. but turning out to be a nice

day, christina. >> it certainly is. the only thing we have to worry about is a strong breeze. high pressure over the great basin will drive your winds off shore. that's a warming trend. your temperatures will be in the 60s. 60 in san jose. 62 degrees tomorrow. but it's going to be very cold tonight as our skies clear down to 30 degrees in livermore. make sure to have the winter blanket ready to go. throughout the week, no rain in the forecast. a mix of sun and clouds thursday to friday. >> the south bay continues with a light flow of traffic. we'll look to the bottom of your map, though. highway 85 at 87. that transition a tire and a wheel came off of one car. maybe it rolled out of the area as they were fixing a tire. a reminder of facebook getting new digs. keep that in mind. and monday night football with

slowing around candle stick later on. >> thank you, mike. we'll be back with our next news and weather update at 10:26. find us on facebook this the meantime. keurig has a wide variety of gourmet coffee and tea to choose from. keurig is the way to brew fresh, delicious coffee in under a minute. way to brew. so with keurig, every cup tastes like it's brewed just for you. because it is.

captions paid for by nbc-universal television it is fun day monday. i don't know how you feel about it, but it's been a long weekend. it's december 19th. how's everybody? >> it has been. ♪ it came upon a midnight clear ♪ is that you? >> that's me when i used to know how to sing. i don't know why they are playing that, but let's take a

few moments to enjoy it. >> that's what we should be feeling, calm, but we are not. >> how was your weekend? >> it was great. i missed "snl" it was on apparently. i was busy with my imaginary boyfriend. they had fun at our expense. >> jimmy fallon was hosting. >> welcome to the fourth hour and 45th minute of the "today" show. i have a bought. >> hoda phone that kotb be true. do you find it hard to see him? >> it can be, i'm busy with the "today" show. >> it can be because he's imagery. >> he's not. he's a wonderful guy i was lucky to meet. >> who set you guys up, was it make a wish foundation? >> it's me, regis, i'm back,

baby! you missed me for two weeks and i'm back. out of the way, pocahontas. >> what do we have next? >> wild, wild travel trivia where one lucky audience member can win three nights at the worst hotel in ft. lauderdale. >> we'll be right back. >> reg is back. it's me. >> i don't know where they are making this up. i have met jay, we have been out. >> he exists. he exists. >> he is a sweetheart. i don't know where they are getting that. >> i'm hopeful he didn't see that at all. i have pictures of me and my imaginary boyfriend. >> that's another excuse to show pictures of hanna. >> i know i'm gagging everyone to show pictures of hanna. jay's daughters -- this was a bad family portrait.

>> that doesn't work. >> jay's two daughters are adorable. they set us up from the beginning. they were baking cookies in the kitchen with hanna. and i have pretend friends i talk to on the phone. this is the before tree. check it, look at it after. yes. >> all right. >> thanks to everyone for helping. how was your weekend? >> i damaged myself even further. as if we needed more evidence that i need a break, right? went to a fabulous concert yesterday. the third rob mathis concert. rob is one of my favorite people in the world. listen. ♪ remember christ our savior was born on christmas day ♪ >> he does it all. he did a three-hour concert that was out of purchase college. he does it every year. everything benefited world visi vision. i was seated in the very, very

front row. i had a very embarrassing situation. it was a long concert. he gives his all. it was like three hours long, something like that. i thought he was finished with the encores. so i'm up out of the seat and i'm over here right around here by then. all of a sudden everybody's clapping again and he's on his way back for another encore. his mother is right by me. his mother and father. i had to go. i had to go. i had an appointment. it was a fabulous concert. golly day. >> i like that dress, by the way. >> thank you, anne taylor. as i was running out to the car because it was so freezing i fell, again. so with the finger -- we are out of ice at my house. that's all i want for christmas is an ice machine. i sprained my ankle. i'm pathetic right now. >> did you wrap it and iced it? >> i did. i'm good. those kinds of things you don't need right now on top of everything else. >> panic shopping is about to

set in. if you missed this last weekend, know that was the last complete weekend before christmas. >> there are still quite a few days to do something about this. >> a week. now it's getting to that point where people are feeling that anxiety. >> it's the exact opposite of what the season is supposed to be about. why don't we just have halloween -- not halloween, thanksgiving twice. keep christmas in your hard all year round and have thanksgiving twice. >> you have to send cards out. >> no, you don't. >> you have to buy presents that you haven't done and you haven't wrapped them yet. >> no, you don't. >> you have to spend time with family. >> that you really don't. that that's the great thing about being almost 60. you learn in your 50s the best word in the world, "no." can't do. sorry. >> we spend a lot of time, when you think about the cards you get in the mail, people are sweet. some write the long form letters of what every single person in their family has been doing. >> some will be interested in that and others won't.

don't send it to the people you know are going to trash it. you know? think about how many people matter in your life besides me. there aren't that many. they're all imaginary. >> they said if men ran christmas it would be so much easier. >> it wouldn't exist. it wouldn't happen. >> this red tractor research firm, whatever that it. >> they are big. >> they asked how it would be different if they were in charge. they say women stress too much. it would be cheaper, less rushed and less stressful. >> they would order in. they would have takeout in. and they would sit in front of the tv all day and watch football and say merry christmas if they looked up long enough to say anything to anybody, right? >> they said there would be no cards because why bother. what else wouldn't they do? >> they would not keep up with friends that have not been your

friends for 100 years. >> and they wouldn't wrap a single present. they would get it gift wrapped at the store, jerry. they would. yes, they would. >> jerry wraps. jerry does it all. they would definitely not go and visit their in-laws. they would stay home. >> every year you say why am i spending all this money, why am i stressed. you say why do i do it and you do it next year. >> don't give people what they want. give to somebody that has a need. we all have so much and the needs are huge. i harp on this. it's the greatest feeling when you can make that christmas happen for a family that has no place. you know. try that a if you're down, you're depressed, try that or try this. this was cute. >> this is great. there is a group of elderly residents from meadowlark estates in lawrence, kansas. you know those flash mobs? they decided to do one

themselves. they wanted to act out "last christmas in. "from the "glee" soundtrack. let's watch their video. ♪ i gave you my heart the very next day you gave it away ♪ gave it away ♪ this year ♪ to save me from tears ♪ i'll give it to someone special ♪ >> there's more. ♪ the very next day you gave it away ♪ this year ♪ to save me from tears ♪ i'll give it to someone special ♪ >> is anyone shopping in that target store? very cute. >> that got half a million hits on youtube. >> it's hard for me to understand why. my mom lives in one of those kinds of places. i'm so grateful for it because there's always activities. one of the worst things about getting older is being lonely or

being, you know, feeling like you're not needed any more, you're not appreciated. and they get you going when you would rather stay in your jammis. my mom is so busy, i can barely get her on the phone. i'm going to brunch. today she is going off to see "the descendents." what a great movie. i love movies like that. nothing explodes. except relationships. it's really, really beautifully done. also saw "young adult" with charlize theron. she is such a great actress. she plays a horrible person, but i loved her nonetheless. >> i want to see that. you have internet passwords. i use the same one for everything. >> just say no. >> they ranked the worst internet passwords ever. number five, abc 123. number four, qwerty.

it's right across the line. >> just to make it simple as possible. >> 12345678. 123456. >> the number one is, password. is your password in there? >> mine's not. it's for everything. i might have to fix that. >> most annoying words, are we going to do that? how much time do we have. we better get to favorite things. >> come on. these are the most annoying words of 2011, all right? try to erase these or we'll have new ones. seriously. >> seriously. >> i can't believe this next one is on here. just sayin. >> you know. and like. >> never going to leave. >> and whatever. those are the worst. >> we weren't on the best mannered list. >> we should have been.

>> we weren't on the worst mannered. so that's good. that is something to be grateful for. favorite things. i love, what is it? restoration hardware. i love their stuff. they've got great small gifts you can get. this is called table tennis. it comes with two paddles, the balls, full size net, table-friendly clamps. and terri cloth wrist band. put on your wrist band. where is yours? you must have an imaginary one. >> okay, kate, i can hear you. >> hook it up to your table. >> hold on. does this even work? this is good. >> this is what i'm giving cody. i think this is so fun. if i break my other. ready? >> i love this game. i love it. wait.

>> how much does this cost? >> $23.49. you and your friends, your imaginary friends can have fun playing this at home. >> that's right, baby. look for it. >> i love it. >> what do you have? >> a little stocking stuffer by toka. it's a tiny little solid perfume. >> what imaginary friend are you going to give it to? >> it doesn't have much of a smell. >> stick your nose in there. >> stick your nose in there. >> i don't want to. i love it. >> now it does. >> it's $30. >> that's nice. >> a nice little stocking stuffer and cute packaging. >> please keep your wrist bands on for me. my favorite thing is this body bean by brookstone. you hook up and there is saline

in there and it stays warm for four hours. >> you can regift that to me. >> you need ice not heat. >> i already iced it, thank you. >> these are our other favorite things. >> wait a minute. >> right down here. >> what's better than thingamajigs. >> fan of the week? >> we do have fan of the week. good catch, kathie lee. our winner this week is emily willard from pennsylvania. >> stop it, emily. >> watches us on wpxi. she enjoys the chat because she feels like she gets to know you both. her favorite segment is "everyone has a story" because the songs are so beautiful, encouraging and uplifting. >> thank you for noticing. >> emily tells everyone how enjoyable the show is and thanks for the fun and allowing her to

be part of your world. >> look at all your cds. >> wow! god bless. >> you and a friend are going to hilton head island. >> yeah, for emily. >> three night stay provided by the omni hilton head oceanfront resort, breakfast for two, two spa treatments and round trip airfare for two. >> that is awesome. >> go to our website if you would like to become our fan of the week. coming up next, can he get tom cruise out of prison or is it a mission impossible? >> shing r gifts this eweke. [ horse neighs ] you're leaving. it is my destiny. ♪ take this. it is a piece of me. ♪ [ male announcer ] it's movie time. with a wii twist. netflix now delivers unlimited tv episodes and movies

instantly through wii and nintendo 3ds. all for only 8 bucks a month. seriously, what is it? [ cat yodeling ] honey, check your email! [ cellphone chimes ] [ cat yodeling ] kids! [ cat yodeling ] sing, larry, sing! [ cat yodeling ] we should have got a cat. [ male announcer ] get low prices on gifts to stay connected. order your last-minute gifts at walmart-dot-com and get free same-day pickup on select items. save money. live better. walmart.

athis was the gulf's bestkup tourism season in years. all because so many people wanted to visit us... in louisiana. they came to see us in florida... nice try, they came to hang out with us in alabama... once folks heard mississippi had the welcome sign out, they couldn't wait to get here. this year was great but next year's gonna be even better. and anyone who knows the gulf knows that winter is primetime fun time. the sun's out and the water's beautiful. you can go deep sea fishing for amberjack, grouper and mackerel. our golf courses are open. our bed and breakfast have special rates. and migrating waterfowl from all over make this a bird watcher's paradise. so if you missed it earlier this year, come on down. if you've already been here come on back... to mississippi... florida... louisiana... alabama. the gulf's america's get-a-way spot no matter where you go. so come on down and help make 2012

an even better year for tourism on the gulf. brout bto y a ybpy nd all of us who call themeulbphof . little girl apple. >> and in the fault installment" of mission impossible" he helps the character break out of a moscow prison. >> go to the extraction point. wait. going to wait. i can wait. okay, fine, fine, fine. there. just screw the whole thing up on purpose. >> first of all, welcome. >> a joy to be here. >> congratulations. you're the comic relief which

every motion picture desperately need. we we didn't see much of you in the last one. you steal this picture. >> it's hard to steal a film from mr. c. he's amazing, but i'll take that. it was one of those things. i had a great time on the third one and became friend with j.j. abrams who produced this one and did star track. we joked if there was going to be another "mission impossible" maybe benji could be an agent. i thought it was a joke and then i got the call and here we are. >> how was it shooting in dubai. you shot that one scene on the tallest building in the world. you're inside and tom cruise is outside. >> he did that. the thing about tom that i love, he is absolutely fearless. he wants people to get that feeling when they watch the field, oh, my god, that's tom cruise. i was never in the room when he was doing that.

i was shopping. >> with your imaginary friend. >> it was very, very scary up there. 2 1/2 times the height of the empire state. >> i don't know how lloyds of london lets him. >> he doesn't tell them. oh, by the way, we did this. >> wow. your role in this, you expanded. you said you shot a couple of days on the first one and seven months on this one. >> this was a seven month shoot. it was awesome fun. we went from prague to vancouver. >> are you a computer guy? >> i can't remember my passwords. >> what is the appeal to the mass audiences over and over again? we keep coming back to see what happens to these guys? >> i think in a sense "mission impossible" is america's james bond. it came out of the time in the '60s when spies was cool and the series started.

ethan hunt has become america's own james bond. he is a globe trotting, deadly handsome agent. >> and you're in "tintin." >> i am. me and daniel craig are trying to corner the market. >> you have time to be a decent godfather to apple. >> i've got my own little matilda who i'm rushing home to be with for christmas. >> we wish you a lovely holiday. >> congratulations. >> so nice to be here. >> the movie opens soon. >> nationwide on wednesday. >> up next, what you can't and can get away with at your age when you deck yourself out for the holidays. ( upbeat rock music playing ) ( men vocalizing ) there's a place called hidden valley where kids not only eat their vegetables, they can't get enough.

hidden valley ranch makes vegetables delectable. vfor the ones that dab, the ones who smear,r king. the ones who spread them everywhere. for the late night cravers to the oddball eaters, the handful stuffers and the tiny biters. thicker cut for more flavor. new fries from burger king. you spend all day cooking it. so why spend even a moment considering any broth but swanson?

the broth cooks trust most to make the meal folks spend all year waiting for. in stuffing and more, the secret is swanson. [ growling ] to macaptain,eal folks spend one step at a time.keep going! come on, snowy. look! did you ever see a more beautiful sight? captain! it's just a mirage. - snowy? what is it, boy? - [ barks ] what do you see? [ yipping ] [ woman announcing ] just like snowy, your dog's one of a kind. overactive imagination and all. [ barking ] long live your buddy. long live your dog. [ tintin ] snowy! purina dog chow. see the adventures of tintin, only in theaters.

time for "today's" beauty and a few simple rules. >> tinsel in your hair may be tempting, but beauty spot.com jeannine morris says you're better off sticking to age-appropriate attire. spoil sport. >> let's start eyes. you're saying 20s to 30s. what should those girls wear? >> at that age you could use make-up to express your personality. for holiday glamour it's all about wearing metallic on your eyes. mini is wearing one. gold is a great metallic for every skin tone. >> could you closure eyes for a second? >> pretty. >> 40s, 50s, you want to look for a matte eye shadow. >> careful. >> for me, too.

i'm almost 30. >> you blew it. >> these are elizabeth arden matte shadows. look for jewel tones for the holidays. >> young lips. >> when you're younger, the only thing you have to pay attention to is the size of your lips. a fuller mouth, she can wear owe makes opaque bold color. i know you don't like reds. go for a nude or bronzy shade. >> i do. >> like what you have on your lips right now. >> nails. this is tricky. >> nails can get tricky. hol takes are the only time you can get away with full-blown glitter on your nails in your 20s and 30s. this is a great shade by j. crew. it's toast of the town. i love it. as you mature you want to tone down the glitter. go for two coats of your favorite color, layer it with

one top clooat of glitter. >> after you're a teenager, you have to get rid of regular head band and find one that goes around your head. head bands are a chic hair accessory to dress up any holiday outfit. this one is from anthropogie. den nice is wearing one without any of the girly hints to it, but it matches her hair color. that is the key as you get older. it's from banana republic. >> good. >> i thought i was going to have a problem with that philosophically, but i don't. >> you like it. >> good job. l cws.elter your local news. i'm bored with my toys. sally, you don't need toys when you have... ♪ imagination ♪ imagination ♪ imagination ♪ helps you see the world in different ways ♪ yay! yay! ♪ this is a pony

♪ and this is a choo-choo ♪ [ male announcer ] it's movie time. and this is a... [ male announcer ] with a wii twist. what is this? [ male announcer ] netflix now delivers unlimited tv episodes and movies instantly through wii and nintendo 3ds. all for only 8 bucks a month. ♪ [ cat yodeling ] honey, check your email! [ cellphone chimes ] [ cat yodeling ] kids! [ cat yodeling ] sing, larry, sing! [ cat yodeling ] we should have got a cat. [ male announcer ] get low prices on gifts to stay connected. order your last-minute gifts at walmart-dot-com and get free same-day pickup on select items. save money. live better. walmart. good morning. it's 10:26.

i'm marla tellez. you can expect plenty of gridlock around the gridiron. the 49ers are taking on the steelers at 5:30. and the steelers' qb ben roethlisberger is expected to play despite an ankle strain. it coincides with rush hour traffic. niners say fans should try to get there at least 90 minutes before kickoff. if you're thinking of taking public transportation, check sfmta.com. we're going to check tonight's forecast after the break. ♪ [ folksy whistling ] [ man ] quitting is a fight you can't let yourself lose. it can take many tries. but keep trying, you will beat smoking. honey, you okay? yeah, i'm fine. ♪ [ ukulele ]

mmm... pillsbury crescent wrapped brie just unroll, wrap the brie and bake. it's so easy. now this might even impress aunt martha. pillsbury crescent wrapped brie. holiday ideas made easy. in 15 minutes, [ female announcer ] you call that bread? you can serve some warmth with your bread. and some flavor with your bread. and some layers with your bread. if you're serving bread honey, then serve it. grands! dinner ideas made easy.

10:2 now 57 in san francisco. 65 in santa rosa. still chilly out there through the next hour or so, though, the temperatures really start to climb. we have a big game in town tonight. monday night football. 5:30 p.m. 55 degrees as the 49ers take on the steelers at candle stick. make sure to bring a jacket as there will be a windchill factor. >> breezy. i like the windchill transition, too. that's good. a little slow through the windshield. you'll see traffic slowing for both directions. that's it for the east bay slowdown. we'll take a look at the toll plaza where a new incident is reported. no metering lights yet. we're getting good footage for the 11:00. >> yes, we'll be talking about that coming up on nbc bay area

news at 11:00. also, christmas is just days away. and food banks are hoping they'll be able to keep up with demand around the holidays. we'll take you to the one community center where people have been lines up since yesterday. that's all coming up at 0.11:0 e 'l al inseu bout 30 minutes from now. time for "today's buzz" from britney's proposal to a slimmed-down snooki. >> here with all the scoop is bravo's "watch what happens live" andy cohen. >> hello, andy. >> you ladies are sizzling today. what about that senior citizen flash mob. was that a flash mob? >> yes. >> it didn't seem like -- nobody was shopping there. it seemed anti-climactic for me. >> shall we begin? let's talk about britney's proposal. >> britney is engaged.

yes. >> good for jason. he is a good guy. >> do you know him? >> i do. >> tell us. you give us the scoop. >> he used to be the assistant to my long-time agent. i knew him for years. when cassidy started acting he was very helpful getting my daughter started. he is a very good guy. >> they've been together a few years. she got a great ring. they partied in vegas all weekend. can you name britney's first two husbands? >> the one she married for five seconds. >> jason alexander. >> then kevin federline. >> well done. >> are they really going to get married? >> i think they are. >> prince harry. >> the world's favorite gingy. i love a ginge. prince harry was talking to a friend of his who was one of his attendants or groomsmen. >> was he one of william's? you're right.

that would have been breaking news. was talking to him on the phone and the guy gets mugged. he gets his cell phone stolen and prince harry goes to the neighborhood where the guy was to go right to the police station to report it and helps foil the whole thing. they arrest the bloke that mugged his buddy. harry may be speaking in court on his maid's defense in january. >> why are you yelling? >> why british? >> i am yelling and using a lot of terminology. i don't know. >> snooki is teeny. >> snooki lost a lot of weight. this is what i love about snooki. she tweeted a picture of herself looking great. she did it by going to the gym. the old fashioned way, which i like. yes. that's the word. that is the new snooki. >> is she wearing anything on the bottom? >> yes. it's sort of a cutout bathing suit. >> nothing's really changed. >> well, she didn't get

different taste, she just lost weight. >> go. >> no, i'm just -- i hope for the best in life and i wish everybody else. >> kobe bryant and his wife? >> yes. they are getting divorced. >> he didn't change his ways? >> no, he didn't. apparently he got busted the latest time through text messages. here is the headline. no prenup. there was no prenup. they were together ten years. he's estimated -- there have been reports of his worth being anywhere between $150 million and $400 million. the latest thing i read was he is worth closer to $150 million. here is the thing, how are they going to divide? >> california, no prenup. it's right down the middle the way god intended it to be. >> why are you saying that to me as though there is something i did? >> i don't know. >> you're like accusing me now. >> you share the same gender. >> all right. so does cody gifford. >> exactly. >> and frank gifford. >> hello.

>> okay. >> jada and will. >> i don't want this to be true. >> no. this is fine. they are fine and good. >> this is about the kids. >> no. only thing is there are new reports they are firmly together. they are not going anywhere, but the source of their discord was over how to manage their kids who have big careers. jaden and willow are huge. the new reports are that they weren't getting along with about was how to raise the kids. >> she wants them more to be at home and more normal kids and will wants to put them out there. >> huh. >> that's what the reports are, tmz. >> what else? anything else? is that it? >> my show is going five nights a week january 8th. >> congratulations. >> fancy. >> i don't know if that is fancy. >> my day job is changing a bit. i'm going to be in charge of development and talent and still oversee all the house wives and top chef.

>> what did you used to do? >> my current job is overseeing all production of all current shows and all development. it's coming down a little bit. tonight's my "glee-son" finale. with leah michelle. >> you get great guests. >> i want the two of you together. >> it's late, 11:30. is that when it's on? >> do you know how long frank gifford and i have been in bed together by that time? >> sweetie, how long? >> a long time. >> yes. >> we are pathetic. >> no, you're not. >> that's why you stay together so long. >> i didn't say we were doing anything. >> happy hanukkah to you. >> and a happy kwanzaa back at you. >> reed alexander is in the kitchen. >> whipping up holiday recipes kids can cook. [ laughing ]

[ cat yodeling ] honey, check your email! [ cellphone chimes ] [ cat yodeling ] kids! [ cat yodeling ] sing, larry, sing! [ cat yodeling ] we should have got a cat. [ male announcer ] get low prices on gifts to stay connected. order your last-minute gifts at walmart-dot-com and get free same-day pickup on select items. save money. live better. walmart. i'm a dad, coach... and i quit smoking with chantix. knowing that i could smoke during the first week was really important to me. [ male announcer ] along with support, chantix is proven to help people quit smoking. chantix reduced my urge to smoke -- and personally that's what i knew i needed. [ male announcer ] some people had changes in behavior, thinking or mood, hostility, agitation, depressed mood and suicidal thoughts or actions while taking or after stopping chantix. if you notice any of these, stop taking chantix and call your doctor right away. tell your doctor about any history of depression or other mental health problems, which could get worse while taking chantix.

don't take chantix if you've had a serious allergic or skin reaction to it. if you develop these, stop taking chantix and see your doctor right away as some can be life-threatening. if you have a history of heart or blood vessel problems, tell your doctor if you have new or worse symptoms. get medical help right away if you have symptoms of a heart attack. use caution when driving or operating machinery. common side effects include nausea, trouble sleeping and unusual dreams. these are the reasons i quit smoking. [ male announcer ] ask your doctor if chantix is right for you.

[ female announcer ] kleenex brand tissues are america's softest... no wonder people want to share them on and on. send a kleenex brand share package for free today at kleenex.com and start your own chain of sharing. in return, you'll receive a sample of new kleenex cool touch tissues... the only tissue that actively releases a cool sensation to soothe a sore nose on contact. kleenex. softness worth sharing. [ tea kettle whistle ] [ male announcer ] beat your worst flu symptoms. theraflu max d contains the most powerful medicine allowable without a prescription to fight your worst flu symptoms. theraflu max d. serious power. to fight your worst flu symptoms. shop kmart and get after christmas prices now... at the big bling blowout! get up to 75% off all fine jewerly... like these 2-carat diamond rings, just $229.99 each... plus jewelry boxes are 60% off! now that's kmart smart.

♪ ...you make a change with hellmann's. ♪ make parmesan-crusted chicken. ♪ surprisingly crispier... juicier... mmm. yummier. made with real simple ingredients. find this and other recipes at hellmanns.com. hellmann's. make it real. make it different.

we are in today's holiday kitchen with kid chef and actor reed alexander. >> we love reed. he is the star of nickelodeon's "i carly." and kewl bites.com. we don't know what we like more, his recipes or hanging with him in the kitchen. >> i love you guys. >> he's going to be 17 this friday. >> i can't believe it. >> i love his new hair do. >> this is his fifth time with us. >> great holiday recipes that double as festive and fun holiday gifts because they are lightened up. let's dive in. let's do it. let's take it on.

apple pot pie is a classic. i'm trying to cut down on size. kathie lee would you add in for me please. >> that would be about 3/4 cup. we are mixing it into apple sauce. spices. i'm going to add cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, cloves, dash of sea salt, great array of flavors. >> sea salt? >> it heightens up the flavor just a little bit. 1/4 tea spoon brings it out. like the fun we get to have. stir this up, let this cook down. we are making a laquer. >> he has a great vocabulary. >> you guys are always a blast to be with. we are assembling these from the ramekin up. those are pie crusts, store bought. 1/2 inch overhang.

would you add egg white for me. that gives it a nice texture. all around. >> inside, too? >> that will give us a nice bite. really key, you know what i mean? are we together on that one? we make a good team. >> all right. now what you say we take on our apple filling, check it off the list. we've got that sauce simmering. you knee how nicely it's thickened up. in it goes. we have fuji apples. hoda, will you add for me that whole wheat? >> i like the way you ask. >> we stir it up. >> how do you think these things up? >> i love apple pie. who is not a fan? >> no one i know. >> this is a great theme. what i love is getting the root of it, the base. will you fill these up for me? >> i anticipated. >> you've been counting the seconds.

>> i would do anything for you, reed. >> likewise. this is our strus he'll streusel topping. >> you see how he gets people to do everything? you're so sweet. we say sure, we'll do anything for you. >> you guys are the best. such a glast blast to be with y. the best ever. >> now we go and add our streusel. an hour 10 minutes, 350. >> tomorrow to the back. >> if you like, dig in. we have fresh from the oven. they are easy to make. >> they are warm. get in there. >> who is your best friend and what do you give that person? >> i have an awesome family. they are like my focus group.

>> i love this. >> we love you guys. >> this is fantastic. >> vanilla bean pound cake bikes. >> stop it. >> you like it? homemade diy masala chai tea. >> these are messy, but they are delicious. >> i love seeing you guys. >> home run. >> happy holidays. >> up next, a special christmas performance from shaggy. >> shaggy. [ female announcer ] today is the day... ♪ ...you make a change with hellmann's. ♪ make parmesan-crusted chicken. ♪ surprisingly crispier... juicier... mmm. yummier. made with real simple ingredients.

find this and other recipes at hellmanns.com. hellmann's. make it real. maff idit.t ener [ younger brother ] oh, do you want it? yeah. ok, we'll split it. [ female announcer ] made fresh, so light... ...buttery and flaky... this is half. that is not half. guys i have more. [ female announcer ] do you have enough crescents? yeah. [ dad ] ugh, your old mans kinda in a jam. yeah, yeah. [ wind howling ] [ dad ] i owe you big time. [ son ] yeah, you do. [ dad ] by the way, don't tell your mom. we'll see. [ dad ] ok, now look up. dad, how did you even get... ♪ son? no no no no, no no no.

[ male announcer ] get the latest 4g phones with family tracking apps for christmas starting at $28.88. save money. live better. walmart. ♪ but the fire is so delightful ♪ nothing melts away the cold like a hot, delicious bowl of chicken noodle soup from campbell's. ♪ let it snow, let it snow ♪ hershey's drops. a lot of hershey's happiness in a little drop of chocolate. pure hershey's.

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just a few months ago, reggae sensation shaggy was here

to perform is sizzling single "sugar cane" off his album "summer in kingston." >> he is here to sing "christmas in jamaica." take it away, mon. ♪ ♪ you know we got to get the christmas going you and me ♪ even the christmas sexy ♪ we'll be having fun ♪ another golden sun ♪ christmas in jamaica ♪ here we come ♪ just sail on ♪ just sail ♪ love us frolicking playing in the sand "got my coppertone working on my tan ♪ a perfect little holiday ♪ sounds like a plan ♪ or we can stay in bed all

afternoon ♪ we can make out to cool reggae tunes ♪ we can sail in the light of the moon ♪ which we can freeze this moment ♪ we are having fun ♪ another golden sun ♪ christmas in jamaica ♪ here we come ♪ just sail on ♪ just sail ♪ we'll be having fun ♪ another golden sun ♪ christmas in jamaica ♪ here we come ♪ just sail on ♪ just sail ♪ i'm rocking jamaican style ♪ just come on come on girl ♪ we're going to be here for a while ♪ come on come on girl ♪ i want to make you smile ♪ so come on come on girl

♪ and baby we'll be here for a while ♪ baby it's your fantasy ♪ come on come on ♪ it's just you and me ♪ we'll be having fun ♪ another golden sun ♪ christmas in jamaica ♪ here we go come ♪ just sail on ♪ we'll be having fun ♪ another golden sun ♪ christmas in jamaica ♪ here we come ♪ just sail on ♪ just sail ♪ you talking about some nice ♪ smooth ♪ bringing everybody from the "today" show up here ♪ ♪ come on come on

♪ we'll be having fun ♪ under the golden sun ♪ christmas in jamaica ♪ here we come ♪ just sail on ♪ just sail >> the shagster. thank you so much. we'll be right back with a special guest. [ terri ] my husband, hank, was always fun.

never took life too seriously. 'til our son was born... that day, he bought life insurance. now, there's no way i could send our boy to college without it. if there was one thing i could say to hank, it'd be "thank you." you're welcome. hey, hank. [ male announcer ] life insurance you can use while you're still living. you are one lucky lady. mm-hmm. [ male announcer ] learn more from your state farm agent today.

thanks to the donations to our 18th annual toy drive. we have more than 30 million gifts sent to children living in poverty in the united states. >> meghan played glinda in "wicked" and has a new tv series coming to nbc called "smash." she is here today on behalf of san rio.

that's the company that makes the adorable hello kitty. >> what are you guys giving away? >> i'm here on behalf of san rio because they are generously donating $150,000 worth of hello kitty merchandise to your toy drive. >> that's awesome. >> our bobbie thomas, grown woman, hello kitty freak. >> look at what i'm wearing. >> of course you are. by the way, i can't way to see "smash." >> i saw the pilot. it's amazing. that's a world i'm in. i'm fascinated by it. i think other people will be, as well. it's a very realistic look at the making of a broadway musical. >> absolutely. you don't have to know the broadway scene to enjoy it. i liken it to shows like "e.r." i'm not a doctor, but i tune into watch the characters. that's us. >> and the songs are by scott

shane and mark whitman. they are terrific and so talented. >> there's pretty much original music by the two of them every week. you'll be hearing amazing arrangements of covers that you know and hearing their incredible new music. >> 20 hour days for you these days. >> at least, yeah, but i love it. it's like 15 dreams coming true at the same time. >> thank you for coming to see us. and thanks for the donation. >> everybody over at san rio. i thought it was a wine. >> all righty. you can still donate in person here. come down with your gifts to the plaza. god bless. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com