leave the umbrella at home and dress in layers. we'll see the 70s in some bay area cities today. as you make your way home from work. good morning. breaking news. navy seal teams rescue two hostages, one an american, during an overnight raid in somalia. we're live at the pentagon with the rate. no turning back. president obama lays out an election year agenda to strengthen the ecomy and bolster the middle class. >> it's time to apply the same rules from top to bottom. no bailouts. no handouts and no copouts. >> this morning, reaction from vice president joe biden and republican hopeful newt gingrich. and rushed to the hospital.

demi moore taken from her home in an ambulance after a friend calls 911. now her representative says she's getting professional help for, quote, exhaustion today, she's getting professional help for, quote, exhaustion today, wednesday, january 25, 2012. captions paid for by nbc-universal television and good morning. welcome to "today" on a wednesday morning. i'm matt lauer. >> i'm ann curry. that hostage rescue was carried out a short time before president obama delivered the state of the union address. >> the president appeared to have referenced the raid before the speech when he said "good job" to leon panetta. >> this morning he released a statement thanking special operations forces for their, quote, extraordinary courage and capability. we want to go to jim

miklaszewski at the pentagon for more on this. good morning. >> reporter: good morning, ann. score another one for u.s. special operations forces who rescued these two hostages. remarkably, this mission was, indeed, still unfolding even during the president's state of the union speech. and it was, in fact, the president who dropped a hint that something was going down. president obama himself tipped off the world to the rescue when he openly thanked leon panetta before his speech. >> good job tonight. >> reporter: the president got word that jessica buchanan and paul fisted were rescued in the raid in somalia. two teams of u.s. navy s.e.a.l.s in helicopters landed near the compound where the two hostages were held. as the s.e.a.l.s approached they came under intense fires.

nine kidnappers were killed. no americans were wounded. the s.e.a.l.s grabbed the hostages, loaded them into choppers and flew them to an undisclosed location outside somalia. buchanan and fisted were working for the danish council providing relief for so mali refugees when they were kidnapped in october. in a white house photo released minutes ago president obama is seen on the telephone immediately after that state of the union speech last night telling jessica buchanan's father that his daughter had been rescued. neither one of the hostages was hurt during the raid. they are getting medical examinations in that region before heading home bringing the three-month-old deal to a welcome end. matt? >> jim miklaszewski, thank you very much. joe biden is the vice president of the united states. good morning. good to see you. >> good morning, matt. >> talk to me a little bit more about the raid in somalia to

free the aid workers. how long had it been in the works? >> it had been in the works for a while, matt. the president authorized it because the special forces said this was the time. jessica's health was beginning to decline. she's a young woman in her 30s and we wanted to act and they did. the president followed the recommendation. as i was leaving the white house last night when the situation room was under way and it was a remarkable testament to the special operations forces. these guys are absolutely incredible. >> did the president realize he was tipping the press off to the operation by congratulating secretary panetta before the address? >> i don't think so. i didn't ask him about it. the answer is i don't think so. >> stand by, mr. vice president. i want to ask you about the state of the union address in a moment. first i want to bring in nbc's

chief white house correspondent chuck todd who has more on that. good morning to you. >> the president's state of the union was not a campaign speech per se. but his populist rhetoric is something we're going to hear a lot of in the general election campaign ahead. president obama used this election year state of the union address to talk about the future and boast about what he believes are his best accomplishments. >> the state of our union is getting stronger. we've come too far to turn back now. >> reporter: bracing for a tough re-election fight the president struck a populist tone. >> we can have an economy where everyone gets a fair shot, everyone gets their fair share and everyone plays by the same rules. >> reporter: he went out of his way to strike a patriotic tone using the words "america" and "american" 88 times. >> what's at stake aren't democratic or republican values

but american values. american manufacturers are hiring again. america is back. >> reporter: sticking to the populist theme he went after easy targets -- wall street and congress. >> i talked about the deficit of trust between main street and wall street but the divide between this city and the country is at least as bad. >> reporter: foreign policy mostly took a back seat but one topic came up twice. >> for the first time in two decades, osama bin laden is not a threat to this country. >> reporter: the president going out of his way to use the successful bin laden mission as a lesson on how washington should work. >> one of my proudest possessions is the flag that the s.e.a.l. team took with them on the mission to get bin laden. on it are each of their names. some may be democrats. some may be republicans. but that doesn't matter. >> reporter: but the presidential campaign was never far from his mind.

one of his signature proposals -- creating a 30% minimum tax rate for multimillionaires and billionaires. >> asking a billionaire to pay at least as much as his secretary in taxes? most americans would call that common sense. >> reporter: the president could have been talking directly to mitt romney who released his tax returns tuesday showing he paid less than 15%. under the president's proposal romney's tax bill would more than double. >> he thinks america is on the right track. >> reporter: in an interview with brian williams, romney questioned the optimistic tone. >> the idea that we are on the right track is foreign to people here. >> reporter: the emotional high point of the evening took place before anyone uttered a word. arizona congresswoman gabby giffords who is resigning her seat today received an enthusiastic bipartisan salute, including a special greeting from the president.

while the president's traditional post state of the union travel schedule looks awfully like a campaign swing, he's hitting five battleground states in three days from michigan, arizona, nevada, colorado and iowa, matt. >> let us bring back in vice president joe biden. good morning again. let's talk about the state of the union address last night. it's not supposed to be a political a speech yet it seemed to give us a view of some of the strategies that president obama is going to use in the upcoming campaign. he's going to hit hard on what the middle class sees as unfair distribution of wealth and power in this country and also hit hard at congress. fair assessment? >> well, i think they're both accurate. it's one thing to have a congress that is do-nothing. another thing is a congress that stops everything. we can't function that way. he made it clear he wants to see that changed. with regard to the middle class, this is what it's all about. we have been talking about this

from the day we got elected. what's fair for the middle class and it's fair for the middle class to have a shot at a good job, fair for the middle class to keep their house payments up to be able to refinance, to be able to educate their kids. we must restore -- it's not about the other guy. it's about the middle class. what should we do to help them? >> on the subject of taxes he wants millionaires and billionaires to pay at least 30% of their income in taxes. he says you can call it class warfare, americans think it's fair. he admitted he can't get it done this year. why should we believe if he's re-elected and republicans retain control of the house that he can get it done then? >> because the american people are making it clear. look, i may be mistaken but i think you and i talked at the end of last calendar year about the payroll tax and how the republicans are never going to do it. they just weren't going to do it. guess what.

the american public said enough is enough. we didn't change their mind. what happened is not only did the american public change their mind, the wall street journal, the people said, whoa, what are you doing? look, i still think there is a center of the republican party, particularly their leadership, that's going to begin to regain control of this -- the element of the republican party that doesn't want to do anything in the house. the american people aren't putting up with this. we want to bring jobs back and these guys aren't going to act? we'll all be surprised if the american public will move them. >> during the speech the president said the americans feel nothing will be done in congress because of deep division and of course it's a political year. maybe not the year after that. but in 2008 didn't candidate barack obama run on the idea

that he could fix washington and change the status quo. if he hasn't accomplished that, why should we give him another chance? >> what we should do is get rid of folks in the congress who are preventing it from happening. the president came in and immediately passed the recovery act, the health care bill. immediately started putting people back to work. he immediately put us in a position where we created for 23 months in a row created jobs. there was an old song -- and along came jones. along came the tea party. along came 87 members of the house who said, we're not going to do anything. i was part of the negotiations. we shook hands a couple times and the leaders came back and said, joe, sorry, we can't get it done. it's about clearing away folks who are obstructionists. not the opposition. obstructionists. >> let me turn to the upcoming campaign. on the republican side it seems

to be boiling down to a battle between mitt romney and newt gingrich with apologies so rick santorum. i'm sure he would have something to say about that. they are now trading shots at each other. newt gingrich on mitt romney's days as a venture capitalist and mitt romney seems to be attacking newt gingrich's temperame temperament. you were in the senate when newt gingrich was in the house. he'll be joining us next. do you believe he has the temperament to be president of the united states? >> i think newt's a fine guy. i think his policies are a big mistake for the united states. i think they will take us back to the economic policies of the last administration, unleash wall street, all the stuff you're hearing. i like newt. i think newt's a good guy. >> you don't think there is a temperament -- >> no. i don't have a dog in this fight. >> you may soon have a dog in this fight.

>> there may be dogs in the fight but we'll know who all of the dogs are at that time. i'll let the republicans sort out who's going to run against us. >> vice president joe biden. mr. biden, nice to see you. thank you very much. >> good to see you, matt. thank you. >> now here's ann. >> matt, thank you. now let's get reaction from the republican side. presidential hopeful newt gingrich is with us now from coral gables, florida, where he's campaigning for next week's primary. mr. speaker, good morning. >> good morning. good to be with you. >> good to have you here as well, especially after a late night. >> first a chance to react to the vice president who appears to give you a thumbs-up on your temperament. >> we worked together on issues and there is a mutual respect there. i thought he was a little bit guarded which was nice for me. he's obviously waiting to see who's nominated. i'm sure the minute we have a nominee he'll be sharper with his comments.

>> on the president's state of the union address what proposal did you agree with the president on that you would act on if you were still house speaker today? >> it's hard to know. on the one hand he has a lot of good rhetoric. i like a lot of his rhetoric. we are in a state with a lot of unemployment, where houses are worth less than mortgages, in a state where foreclosures are a problem. the rhetoric was terrific. his actions haven't been. i find the gap between president obama's words and his deeds to be astounding. he ran on bringing us together. he ran on "yes, we can." yet last night he seemed to set up a year of divisiveness, of getting nothing done. i thought it was a sad decline from the hope and optimism he ran on in 2008. i think it reflects the last couple of years. >> let me ask, he did talk about proposals to create jobs like

tax cuts for businesses to keep jobs in america, trade agreements to help create jobs and upgrading buildings, repairing the infrastructure to create more construction jobs. you disagree with the proposals having the power to create jobs in america? >> no. i'm very much in favor of creating more jobs but at the same time he talked about, if he meant it, what would be a large tax increase on people who create jobs. his proposal of a minimum tax of 30% would double the capital gains tax if that's what he meant. with president obama you never know what the gap is between the speech and what comes up later on as policy. he did nothing last night, for example, to explain why he vetoed the keystone pipeline which killed at least 50,000 jobs and may have driven canada into a partnership with china which would make no sense at all. he didn't explain the price of gasoline which is the highest in

american history. he has no proposal to lower that price. after the failure of solyndra and other government investments he went back to the same model. he said really smart bureaucrats will make the right decisions about new technologies. we don't have evidence that it works. i think what you saw the president do is lay down a campaign speech which is how he's going to run this year. he's going to run as a left wing populist on class warfare and try to say big government is a better solution than free markets. i think that will be a dividing line over which the american people will make a gigantic decision in november. >> i want to ask about the relief of your freddie mac contract. it did state uh lobbying, you're there was a man described as freddie mac's chief lobbyist. what's the distinction? >> he's described as the head of public policy. we talked about what their

positions ought to be and we talked about where they found themselves. let me point out. i think it's fascinating to watch everybody go by and dismiss it. the contract says "no lobbying," period. that was the question raised and the contract is clear. no lobbying, period. i offered strategic advice. i think that's the important thing to remember. i stand by that. also in the one written document at freddie mac said they needed more regular fwlagss. the one time i spoke to the house republicans about freddie mac the new york times reported in july of 2008, i told them not to give freddie mac or fannie mae money. i said i was opposed to giving them taxpayer money. it's hard to explain why my offering strategic advice wasn't in the public interest when i said, don't give them the money. >> in the meantime you have defended lobbying. why not just own this, mr. speaker? why not say out loud -- >> there is a hunl difference. >> mm-hmm.

go ahead, sir. >> first of all, lobbying is a legitimate business if that's the business you are in. lobbyists find clients whose interests he represents. i gave people strategic advice and said what i believed, period, regard to anybody who happened to be involved in our companies. that's a huge difference. being a public citizen isn't the same as being a lobbyist. >> one last question here. house minority leader nancy pelosi said you could never be president because she said, quote, there is something i know. is there anything nancy pelosi knows that would stop you from being president of the united states, newt gingrich? >> who knows? she lives in a san francisco environment of strange fantasies and strange understandings of reality. i have no idea what's in nancy pelosi's head. if she knows something, spit it out. tell us what it is. i have no idea what she's talking about. >> on that note we leave it, mr.

speaker. thank you very much. >> let's get a check of the top stories from natalie at the news desk. good morning. >> good morning, everyone. we begin with thousands of egyptians gathering in cairo's tahrir square to mark the first anniversary of the start of the uprising that toppled hosni mubarak. ayman mohyeldin is in cairo with the latest. >> reporter: thousands have descended on the streets but they are not as unite as last year. some are here to celebrate new democratic guidance. others are here to renew sustained protests against a ruling military council. they want them to hand over power. the military council today announced the end of a 30-year emergency law in certain exceptions. nonetheless people want a democratic transition faster. the military says it won't happen until june of this year.

back to you. >> ayman mohyeldin in cairo. thank you. a funeral will be held for legendary penn state football coach joe paterno today. tuesday, hundreds of mourners filed by a closed casket. paterno died sunday from lung cancer at 85. a remarkable story out of mexico, a 28-year-old woman said she was happy tuesday after undergoing a heart transplant in mexico city, but the heart she received was dropped to the ground last week just yards from the hospital after being transported 280 miles. thankfully it was in plastic bags still contained. a new study suggests a common household chemical may reduce effectiveness of vaccines in children. the study found children exposed to compounds known as pfcs have lower immune responses to diphtheria and tetanus.

they can be found in microwave popcorn, nonstick cookware and certain cleaners. big changes being announced to school lunches. schools will offer healthier meals that are lower in sodium, include more whole grains, fruits and vegetables and low fat or skim milk. nasa released stunning and vivid images of a massive solar storm under way in space. the event forced several airlines to divert dozens of flights because the solar flares are interfering with radio signals. there are also northern lights in the sky which may be seen for the next few days. we are in a very active solar period. we could see disruptions over the next couple of months. >> no nonstop flights to the sun anymore? >> can't go there. sorry. >> they can go at night. >> oh, okay, good. >> some day. >> natalie, thank you very much. mr. roker?

>> i like that idea. let's see what's happening. we have two areas of severe weather. in texas they have flash flood warnings, watches. austin, texas, carseses submerged. homes themselves. rescuro f fmm we are talking about tornado watches until 11:00 this morning central standard time. rainfall amounts from three to five inches in the next 48 hours. "today in the bay" weather is sponsored by -- good wednesday morning to you. i'm meteorologist christina loren live from the nbc bay area weather center. we are talking about some really comfortable conditions later on today. 70s. 70s morgan hill and gilroy. you'll hit the upper six t60s, francisco. by tomorrow we'll wake up with widespread dense fog. this weekend staying nice and mild, then rain returns come tuesday.

weather. matt? >> just ahead, demi moore receiving treatment after being rushed to the hospital. we'll have the latest but first, this is "today" on nbc.

coming up, michael skinkel insisting on his innocence in the murder of a young neighbor. >> we'll get reaction from the mother and brother. first a check of your local news and weather. at h&r b lock

, you could get money that's both fast and free on an emerald card. just bring in your tax information... and get a refund anticipation check in 7-14 days, for up to $9,999. call 1-800-hrblock to make an appointment. good morning. falling major traffic delays on i-80 this morning after a fatal traffic accident in richmond. christie smith joins us live from the scene with the very latest. >> reporter: good morning. the coroner just arrived maybe ten minutes ago and is going to be working with that van that you see down there. i spoke with the chp this morning and they explained this accident. they say that that van that you see right there rolled at least five times. this is where, as you can see these white marks here, where it actually started to flip and skid on its roof. they say 5:45 the pickup and van

were going westbound on 80. the pickup in the fast lane, the van in the slow lane. chp says the van driver actually crossed four lanes, clipped the truck and rolled over. the male driver in that van was killed. the truck driver okay but traffic still quite a mess out here this morning. they're telling me at least another 30 minutes or so before this is cleared up but again, westbound 80 quite a mess and mike inouye has more on how you might want to get around this. >> sorry for the loss of life but the big issue for this report is the traffic back-up that's going on right now as well as that scene continues for another half-hour. backed up westbound commute direction from highway 4 past richmond parkway which is one way around the back-up. your only real good way joining up with folks getting off that richmo richmond-san rafael bridge. slowing in the caldecott tunnel as some folks are taking 680 to 24 to join up heading toward the bay bridge with that alternate

route. things are slow, but no metering lights because of that metering that's going on with the congestion. >> looking really good for today. good morning to you. we have 70s in the forecast for some bay area cities like morgan hill and gilroy. 68 degrees in san jose. 64 in walnut creek. a comfortable 65-degree day in san francisco. as we head through tomorrow, temperatures do drop off just a touch. we'll see widespread dense fog. by friday back up to 66 degrees inland. this weekend we stay nice and mild and comfortable. monday and tuesday the changes arrive. looks like rain returns late monday into tuesday. back to you. >> we'll enjoy what we have while we have it. for the latest traffic and news updates check out nbc bay area on facebook. i'll have another local news update in half-an-hour.

7:30 now on this wednesday morning, the 25th of january 2012. it's a bright morning here in new york. you can check out the view from the top of the rock. down below our plaza is packed this morning. it's not too cold outside. i'm not sure. >> 39. >> we have had cold mornings so we're grateful it's not as cold as that. i'm ann curry alongside matt lauer. just ahead, a health scare for demi moore. the actress rushed to the hospital after a friend placed

an emergency 911 call from moore's home. we'll get more information about that. >> and newly minted oscar nominees. people were surprised and happy to hear melissa mccarthy's name called in the best supporting actress category. we'll hear from the breakout star of "bridesmaids" and glenn close who used a dramatic role to score her best actress nomination. we'll talk about it when she joins us live in studio. >> both talented women. we'll meet a young woman turning heads in the classroom despite living in a homeless shelter. last night she got to attend the state of the union in washington. she joins us this morning to tell us about it later. >> been driving all night basically to get here. we begin with the health emergency for demi moore. savannah guthrie has details. what can you tell us? >> a friend called 911 after moore started shaking in her home. now moore is being treated for exhaustion brought on by stress. paramedics responded to moore's

beverly hills home monday night. e. online confirmed with the fire department after a friend of the actress called 911. >> she was home with another female friend who witnessed demi started behaving as if she was suffering from a seizure. that woman called 911 is. they came to the house and when they saw demi's condition they rushed her straight to the hospital. >> reporter: representative for the actress released a statement saying because of the stresses in her life right now, demi has chosen to seek professional assistance to treat her exhaustion and improve her health. she looks forward to getting well and is grateful for the support of family and friends. the actress has been known for being in prime physical shape throughout her career. recently has appeared to have lost a tremendous amount of weight. >> demi has not looked very good over the last couple months. ever since the break-up it looked like she was getting thinner and thinner.

>> reporter: moore announced plans to divorce last year after reports that kutcher was unfaithful on their wedding anniversary, of all nights. the stress of the divorce seems to have taken an emotional toll. in this month's harper's bazaar the actress talks about her life and fears telling the magazine, i would say what scares me is that i'm going to ultimately find out at the end of my life that i'm really not lovable, that i'm not worthy of being loved, that there's something fundamentally wrong with me. >> people tell me demi has been upset. it's been a difficult time and she's heartbroken over that. i'm not necessarily connecting what happened monday night to the divorce, but it certainly couldn't have helped matters. >> moore's representative has confirmed that she's dropping out of the movie "lovelace" a biopic of linda lovelace. matt, back to you. >> now a check of the weather from al. >> yes, here we are. this lady is very excited.

>> hi! i'm kim! hi, al. i'm 50 today. >> happy birthday! >> this is not "the price is right." >> yes, it is! >> well, happy birthday. >> thank you. >> let's check your weather and see what's going on. we have a lot of severe stuff going on. friends in the pacific northwest getting hammered with high wind warnings, wind advisories, avalanches in the twasatch mountains. we'll be looking at snow. some areas in the intermountain regions, the cascades, one to two feet of snow. an inch or two of rain with problems there. rest of the country, heavy rain texas into the mid mississippi river valley. beautiful up and down the eastern seaboard. sunny

good wednesday morning to you. i'm meteorologist christina loren live in the nbc bay area weather center. starting with your weather headlines for today, a cold start will make way to a really nice comfortable afternoon. 70s in the warmest cities across the bay. we stay dry through the upcoming weekend and temperatures stay mild. as we head through saturday and sunday, 62 degrees inland. 62 by monday. we'll get a few more clouds and then rain returns on tuesday. have a fantastic day. and check your weather day or night on the weather channel on cable or weather.com online. ann? >> all right, al. thank you. kennedy cousin and convicted killer michael skakel is appealing for a reduced prison sentence. we'll talk to the victim's mother and brother in a moment. first, craig melvin has details on this. >> reporter: good morning. michael skakel appealed his sentence before, several times

in fact. yesterday in the courtroom he didn't ask for forgiveness or apologize to the moxley family. instead as the moxley family and his looked and listened his attorney said the sentence was too harsh. a cuffed, shackled and bigger 51-year-old michael skakel still insists he's innocent. >> i didn't commit this crime. >> reporter: the kennedy cousin stood in a connecticut courtroom tuesday and asked a three-judge panel to reduce his 20-year sentence for killing martha moxley. >> give me a polygraph. i have passed three sodium pent thol tests. >> reporter: a jury convicted michael skakel in 2002 for the brutal 1975 killing that shook their greenwich, connecticut, neighborhood. police say skakel, a troubled youth bludgeoned moxley to death with a golf club. both were 15 at the time. the case went unsolved for 25 years. in 2000 police arrested skakel,

a nephew of ethel kennedy. moxley's mother shared her relief on "today." >> for years everyone said nothing would happen. everyone said, don't get your hopes up. but, you know, we have proved all these people have worked so long that if you stick with it you truly can find justice. >> reporter: lawyers who argued his trial was tainted by distorted media coverage and bad publicity didn't argue innocence tuesday. instead they said the trial should have happened in a juvenile courtroom with a maximum sentence of four years. >> they looked at him as having committed a murder at that age. when, in fact, according to the jury verdict he committed the murder when he was a child. >> i pray for mrs. moxley every single day. i actually pray for her daughter

every day. >> reporter: martha's family wasn't moved. >> michael belongs in jail for life. >> look at the years he was free and running around while we were a mess trying to find out what happened. so why should he get out now? >> reporter: some legal experts say he probably won't. >> highly unlikely that he will win, get out early. these issues have been litigated already. even if he was prosecuted when he was 15 years old, he still would have been prosecuted as an adult. >> reporter: the judges are expected to issue a ruling on skakel's most recent request in about two months. michael skakel is eligible for parole in 2013. ann? >> craig melvin, thank you so much. martha's mother and brother, dorothy and john moxley join us this morning. good morning to you both. >> good morning. >> john, you told the judge yesterday that time does not heal all wounds. revisiting this has been tough for your family. >> you go through all the things

in everyday life. your friends have brothers and sisters, your kids have friends and every day, every way it's a death of a thousand cuts. it's always there. it's always something you're thinking about. not all the time but it comes to you and when it comes to you it's unmistakable. >> despite every wish to not have it come to you here you are this morning. dorothy, what do you want to say about the effort by michael skakel to have his sentence reduced because he was a juvenile at the time of the crime? >> giving no thought at all to the victims. because we have suffered every day from the time martha was killed until today and he is complaining he wants to get out of jail because he's only had to suffer for nine and a half years. you know, i'm sorry.

but i think he should stay in jail -- you know, he was tried by a jury of his peers. and they found him guilty and he is constantly coming up with some reason for getting out. some reason why he should be out of jail and we have gone through all these things. i mean, the court has gone over all of these issues. it was a very well-run trial and he should just take his sentence and be done with it. i think. >> as you know, he's still maintaining his innocence. he says he prays for you, dorothy, and your family every day including martha. you're not moved by that at all? >> no. his family did many things to try and see what was going on, i guess what was in his head, what he had done. they sent him to special

schools. they had him tested by special doctors. why would they do all that if they didn't suspect? if they didn't know? they know something has happened. other neighbors didn't have their children tested and sent to special schools. the detective that worked on the case, the investigators. i mean, it was done so beautifully. exactly the way things should be done. >> john, do you think this is going to be something you will be fighting for some time? we heard craig report he's up for parole in 2013. you have two months to wait before the judge makes a decision. up to two months before a judge makes a decision on this to reduce his sentence. have you resigned yourself that this is something you will be fighting? >> absolutely. it is something we'll be doing forever, as long as we have a

chance to speak up. we're going to speak up. as long as we have an opportunity to voice our opinions we're going to voice them. >> how long do you want him to stay in jail? >> i would like him there for the rest of his life. >> for life. >> yeah. we have a life sentence. he'll have good days and bad in jail. martha won't have any days. >> your son says you stay positive. >> well, one of the reasons why i'm willing to do things like this, coming on the "today" show, is i'm hoping other victims will e know that you can survive. it is hard. but you can survive and people are wonderful. i mean, i'm not suspect of every person i see as being somebody terrible. people are wonderful. you can survive. you can have a very nice life. you just have to count your blessings. >> you said it, dorothy moxley.

thank you,you, for bn. of you, joining us. >> thank you. >> we'll be right back after this. that answers my question. thank you. you bet. wow. man: do your simple return with the turbo tax federal free edition, and now get our free one-on-one expert tax advice live by phone or chat.

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first oscar nomination. the academy leans heavily in favor of dramatic performances but it was impossible to ignore melissa mccarthy's raunchy, hysterical role. here's kristen dahlgren. >> reporter: "bridesmaids" was the breakout come di of 20 11. [ belches ] >> i want to apologize. i don't know which end that came out of. >> reporter: even mccarthy never dreamed it would win her more than laughs. she said she she wasn't watching the announcements. >> you don't think a puking scene will get you an oscar nomination. >> reporter: hollywood's most hallowed award rarely awards comedy at all. only six comedies have been nominated for best picture.

qu "bridesmaids" is up for best original screenplay. >> all this oscar talk for "bridesmaids" has to make you feel good. >> it's great. i felt like, just get a comedy in there. i would love for the movie to be recognized. >> reporter: audiences adored the almost all female cast, especially mccarthy. >> there is something about melissa's performance in "bridesmaids" that's so completely fearless. from the second you see her character in the movie you know this is not going to be the typical sidekick character. she brings such a uniqueness. she's so gutsy, funny, outrageous. >> reporter: the golden globe winner will be walking the oscar red carpet with meryl streep and glenn close, but she's not your typical starlet. >> i'm from illinois and i'm standing here and it's amazing. >> reporter: mccarthy won an emmy in 2011 for her role as molly in "mike and molly" but fame as forced her to address controversy after a magazine

writer blogged she was grossed out to watch two characters with roles of fat kissing each other. ma mccarthy said, what a sad, troubled person. you're making such a judgment on people. she joked about her weight on snl. the mother of two, mccarthy is married to ben falcone who played the object of her airborne affections in "bridesmaids." >> do you feel the heat coming? >> reporter: the new oscar nominee can as mccarthy's star gets hotter. for "today," kristen dahlgren, nbc news, los angeles. >> just ahead, another oscar nominated actress. we'll catch up with glenn close in quite a different role.hesef. slip-on's the way to go. more people do that, security would be like -- there's no charge for the bag. thanks. i know a quiet little place where we can get some work done.

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walgreens. there's a way to stay well. good wednesday morning to you. 7:56. i'm laura garcia-cannon. pleasanton school board approved the use of drug sniffing dogs in three of its high schools. pleasanton police department will bring in the dogs at no cost to the district. it all happened with random searchs in parking lots and locker rooms apartment the schools. searches would not be done when students are around. the board voted to actually delay starting the program until they can develop a policy by the end of february. major crash snarled traffic on i-80 this morning. mike joins us with more on that. let me show you video when our crew was on the scene there. sweeping up the debris and the van that you see in the video you'll see a better shot of it coming up. that was the one that was being driven bip the person that was

killed in this accident involving that van and the pickup truck. we still have two lanes of westbound 80 closed. the map shows you the back-up and alternate route. richmond parkway over to eastbound 580, very slow as you merge back on to the east shore freeway. expect just under an hour from the carquinez bridge down to the bay bridge toll plaza by either route. that's keeping things a little clearer at the toll plaza but 6807 and 24 are bogging down as folks are us oohing that avenue out of concord, walnut creek to get over to the bay bridge toll plaza. roadways are try but what's in store with weather? >> we don't have to deal with the thick widespread fog this morning but come this time tomorrow morning it will likely be a factor. it is cool out there. 46 degrees in sunnyvale but you want to dress in layers because temperatures are going to climb into the 70s in morgan hill and gilroy. we'll see upper 60s in places like could be co concord today. we stay nice and mild and comfortable through the end of the week. 64 degrees this weekend inland. make those outdoor plans right

now because monday into tuesday the rain returns especially late tuesday. back to you. mike, just give me word that the roadway has cleared on the east shore freeway this morning. the site of that deadly accident. for the latest traffic news updates check out nbc bay area on faigs book. faigs book. it's such a tough...

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it's got verizon's 4g lte for lightspeed downloads and a true hd screen to watch movies. i'm going to go with the... it's a good choice. ... phone. the lg spectrum powered by verizon 4g lte, for true hd mobile entertainment. 8:00 now on a wednesday morning. it's the 25th day of january 2012. we've got a nice crowd kicking off their morning with us out here in rockefeller plaza where it's breezy but 39 degrees. not bad at all. we won't complain. i'm matt lauer along with ann curry and al roker. and a distinguished lady in our studio this morning, one of the best actresses you will find anywhere. that's glenn close who picked up an oscar nomination yesterday morning for her role in "albert nobbs." you hear people say this actor

or actress is passionate about this movie. boy, is that true about glenn close in this movie. she's going to talk about the work she did to get the story to the big screen. >> she's remarkable. we have a remarkable young woman in our studio. she's a science whiz. she's overcome tremendous odds to excel in the classroom because samantha has been living in a homeless shelter. last night she was a special guest at the state of the union address in washington. she drove all night to be with us this morning. we are excited to talk to her coming up. >> terrific story. speaking of stories, a man who's covered more than his share. we want to honor one of our own, nbc news correspondent george lewis. retiring today after 42 years with nbc news. >> that's right. from the vietnam war to the iran hostage crisis to operation desert storm, george has been all over the world taking risks, working hard to bring you the stories of our time. the biggest stories of our time.

>> ask any of the people who worked with george over the years and they will say he's a journalist's journalist. he reports with clarity and integrity. he'll take time off, travel the world and spend time with his children and his grandson. george, a job well done. we have learned so much from you over the years. thank you very much. >> exceedingly well done. we'll miss you, george. >> this time he'll travel the world but actually enjoying it. >> when is the last time he had a long trip for fun? natalie is at the news desk with a check of the headlines. >> good morning, everyone. a kidnapped american aid worker and her danish colleague are headed home after an overnight rescue mission by the navy s.e.a.l.s. jessica buchanan and paul fisted were kidnapped three months ago. they were freed in a raid that left nine captors dead. president obama phoned buchanan's father after the state of the union address last

night to tell him that his daughter was safe. president obama travels to iowa today launching a three-day road trip to promote economic themes outlined in the state of the union address. the president called for rebuilding the middle class, higher taxes on the wealthy and more manufacturing in the u.s. in an exclusive interview this morning republican presidential candidate newt gingrich told ann there's a huge gap between the president's rhetoric and his actions. >> last night he seemed to be setting up an entire year of divisiveness and an entire year of getting nothing done. i thought it was sad and reflects the last couple of years. >> gingrich is campaigning in florida ahead of next week's crucial primary. now to wall street and cnbc's mary thompson at the new york stock exchange. mary, big earnings for apple. >> strong holiday sales of iphones and ipads helped apple to report monster profits for the last quart aer.

with its stock rising it will be competing with exxon mobil for the title of world's largest companies. no change in interest rates seen but for the first time ever central bankers will be saying where they expect interest rates to be down the road. that's good information for anyone considering buying a house over the next couple of years. lastly tonight on cnbc don't miss the season premiere of "american greed" at 9:00 eastern. back to you. >> mary thompson from the new york stock exchange. an astonishing sight in kentucky. tens of thousands of birds arrived in november and they haven't left, blotting out the sun when they take to the air. for now the best they can do is fire noise cannons and wait for birds to move on. now for a look at what's trending today, our quick round-up of what has you talking online, fashion followers are googling the state of the union address to marvel at first lady michelle obama's dress. the blue silk stunner was created by los angeles designer

barbara t. fank who also designed the floral dress mrs. obama wore to buckingham palace last may. facebook is getting an earful over users upset over the use of timeline, barraging the blog page with complaints that timeline makes personal musings from the past and embarrassing and uggie the dog is trending after his oscar snub. the jack russell terrier was left out of tuesday's academy award nominations though he clearly stole the show in "the artist." more than half of those responding to the poll say he should have received an oscar nod. i agree. 8:05. now back outside to al. we love uggie. >> you're correct. we have indiana nurses. you're rooting for the giants? >> oh, yeah. >> no patriots fans in indiana. >> let's check your weather, see what's going on. the whole "today" show will be

in indiana for the super bowl. we love it. our pick city today is atlanta. partly sunny and mild. 64 degrees. we've got a lot of rough weather in texas where we have flash fld watches and warnings, flood warnings as well. heavy rain anywhere from three to five inches of rain over the next 48 hours. could be tornadoes as well. more heavy rain northern california, pacific northwest. heavy mountain snows. weather looks great on the eastern seaboard. it will clear in the northeast. looking good. in the northeast. a little cloudy here this morning. but same deal, we'll see the sun break through the clouds. a little chilly out there right now. 50 in oakland, by noon today, though, take a look at all the 60s on this map. we'll round out the day with a couple of 70s in places like morgan hill and livermore. right by the water, 65 in san

francisco today. throughout tomorrow we'll take your temperatures down a little bit. dense fog to start, but gorgeous weekend shaping up. >> no. she asked me, what are you wearing. i said, after 46 years i think you would recognize my face. >> we have issues there. hopefully you will get quality time with mom. ann? >> thanks, al. coming up next, glenn close on her oscar nomination. fl -i love this card. -with the bankamericard cash rewards credit card, we earn more cash back for the things we buy most. it's 1% cash back everywhere, every time. 2% on groceries. 3% on gas. automatically. no hoops to jump through. that's 1% cash back on oscar. ...tony. oscar! 2% back on whatever she'll eat. 3% back on filling up this baby. [ male announcer ] now get 1-2-3 percent cash back. it's that simple. [ male announcer ] apply online or at a bank of america near you. we're talking 3% back on gas.

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are full of delicious choices, starting at just 6 bucks. choose from savory favorites or our new philly cheesesteak sandwich. layers of shaved steak and grilled peppers served with fries and a tasty soup or salad. chili's lunch break combos. it just wouldn't go away. my doctor diagnosed it as fibromyalgia, thought to be the result of overactive nerves that cause chronic widespread pain. lyrica is believed to calm these nerves. i learned lyrica can provide significant relief from fibromyalgia pain. and for some people, it can work in as early as the first week of treatment. so now i can plan my days and accomplish more. lyrica is not for everyone. lyrica may cause serious allergic reactions or suicidal thoughts or actions. tell your doctor right away if you have these, new or worsening depression, or unusual changes in mood or behavior, or any swelling or affected breathing or skin, or changes in eyesight, including blurry vision or muscle pain with fever or tired feeling. common side effects are dizziness, sleepiness, weight gain, and swelling of hands, legs and feet.

don't drink alcohol while taking lyrica. don't drive or use machinery until you know how lyrica affects you. with less pain, i'm feeling better now that i've found lyrica. ask your doctor if lyrica is right for your fibromyalgia pain. we are back at 8:10 with newly minted oscar nominee glenn close nominated for her role as the title character in "albert nobbs." she plays a butler at a dublin hotel hiding a secret.

he is actually a woman. after more than 30 years she's finally considering a new life. take a look. >> i might purchase a real business. >> ah, a business. fancy that. what kind of business? >> perhaps a little shop. >> hmm. what kind of a shop? >> i'm thinking maybe tobacco. >> tobacco. good for a man. >> but a woman could serve at the counter? >> yes, indeed. a woman could. >> glenn close, good morning. welcome back. where were you when you heard the news of the nomination. your sixth, by the way. >> feels like it's my first. >> really? why. >> it really does. because i have never been this, you know, involved in anything

that i have done so far. >> i hinted at that outside. you played this character on stage back in the early 1980s. >> yep. >> and vowed at that point you were going to get this character to a wider audience. boy, you have championed this movie. >> yeah. i had only done one movie when i played albert before. i had only done "the world according to garp." i didn't know much about producing. but the story and the character stayed with me. >> you produced this, cowrote the script, wrote the lyrics for the theme song, cooked all the food for kraft services, scouted locations. what made you decide the story had to be told? >> i think i love stories that i think have a great emotional connection with an audience. that's number one. number two, being challenged by a character as an actor. number three, having a story

that, for example, might take place in 19th century dublin but has huge resonance for very important issues that we are facing today. >> you gave me a dvd so i was watching yesterday. i worry that if this movie -- if just snippets of the movie are heard by the audience they will think it's a reverse tootsie movie. it's important to understand this is a very complex character. there are reasons why this character is dressing as a man. >> yes. she's in that time in victorian -- you know, women had absolutely no rights. if you were nameless with no family, no money and were unmarried, what a woman could do was very limited. she would end up on the street as a prostitute. this woman had a very traumatic thing happen when she was 14 and decided the way she could

disappear was to become a waiter in a profession where you are supposed to be invisible. >> i look at the picture. there is a lot of makeup involved here, two hours a day. there is the costuming. what did you do for the demeanor? how did you get the mannerisms. i understand the name charlie chaplin came up. >> yes. i always felt albert was somebody who wasn't comfortable in her skin and there was something kind of almost comic about the way she would move though now it's become natural. i studied charlie chaplin films, how he walked, how long his shoes were. albert is pushing that envelope a little bit. >> your costar, janet mcteer also got a nomination. she was here yesterday and said it was wonderful when she heard she was no, ma'am that itted and incredible when she heard you were as well. you lifted each other in the movie. >> oh, we did. i thought of hubert for a long time. what janet brought to the character was astounding.

she's become to me a great hero, heroine, whatever. >> i mentioned five other nominations before this one yet to win. i don't want people to think your mantle is empty. three tonys, three emmys, golden globes, screen actors guild. you were customer of the month at blockbuster video. >> i was queen of the new york car show. >> see? >> one of the more humiliating moments in my life. >> what would it mean to win? >> oh, boy. it would be phenomenal. it really would be. at this point in my career having believed in this for so long. it's still hard for me to think we actually pulled it off. it was that tricky. to be recognized like that would be a huge honor. terribly gratifying.

>> we'll see what happens. congratulations on the nominations. glenn, a pleasure to see you. "albert nobbs" opens nationwide january 27th. up next, the homeless teen who went from a shelter to the state of the union address last night. right after this. you don't disappear at midnight. and now, you've met your match. new revlon® colorstay™ 16 hour eyeshadow. 64 colors that will take you from night to day without smudging, creasing or fading away.

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and before you reduce or stop cymbalta. dizziness or fainting may occur upon standing. ask your doctor about cymbalta. imagine you with less pain. cymbalta can help. go to cymbalta.com to learn about a free trial offer. this morning on education nation today, a young woman who went from a homeless shelter to last night's state of the union address. we'll talk to her in a moment. but first, nbc's chief education correspondent rehema ellis has details. hey, good morning. >> good morning, ann. samantha garvey is here tnear t of her class in high school and just clal identified for a science competition, amazing for anyone, but there is much more to samantha's story. she looks like a typical teenager. but for samantha garvey, life has been an extraordinary

whirlwind since news broke that she's a semifinalist in the nation's prestigious intel science competition with a shot at the $100,000 prize. >> i'm not sure how to put it into words. i don't know. it's amazing, wild, crazy. >> reporter: beneath the petite frame and chipped nail polish is a story of triumph over turmoil. as word got out that the brentwood, new york, high school senior with a 3.9 grade point average was also homeless. >> basically we were having financial trouble and we got behind on rent payments. by november/december we were notified that we had to leave the house and we were evicted on december 31. >> reporter: samantha, her parents and her younger brother and sister were forced to leave this home and move to a nearby shelter where the family dog was not allowed. >> on the holidays you're not celebrating the holidays. you're putting your stuff in storage and looking for a place to live.

it's really not -- it's kind of -- it's bad. >> reporter: with the help of her counselors and teachers, particularly rebecca samantha managed to stay on track with her studies in marine biology. >> she has the intellect, the drive, the determination to succeed no matter what. >> repter: officials in suffolk county social services stepped in and offered the family a three-bedroom home through an affordable housing program for families in shelters. >> we had to leave everything behind at the old place so to have everything given to us -- you know, this is completely amazing. thank you. >> reporter: a call from the ellen degeneres show resulted in more good news. >> a $50,000 scholarship. [ cheers and applause ] >> i could not believe it. i have never seen that many zeroes in my life. >> reporter: then an invitation

from her local congressman to attend the president's state of the union address. >> she has not only inspired her peers, but she has inspired her community and the nation at large. >> my parents said, keep your head up. if you look down and mope, nothing will come out of it. i always took that to heart. i just kept a positive mentality. >> reporter: samantha garvey is keeping that positive outlook as she waits to hear from colleges. this is a kid who told me she figured out early on that education is her ticket to a better life. she's truly a remarkable kid and it's a great story, ann? >> it is, rehema ellis. thank you so much. samantha garvey now joins us. good morning. >> good morning. >> you have in your hand still a copy of the president's speech. >> yes. >> he's signed it for you? is that right? >> yes. >> want to show us the signature? >> yes. >> a speech from the state of the union address. you carried this, driving all night to get here. are you tired this morning? >> definitely pretty tired.

>> what's it like for you to have been there? what's the strongest memory you have of that last night? >> just being there. it was the craziest feeling. being behind the scenes you get a perspective you would never dream of having. this was once in a lifetime. just standing there and you see the first lady come out and you're just struck, in awe, like frozen. all you want to do is gaze at her. she's beautiful. the president comes in and you're clapping and clapping. i don't know how long i clapped. that was the longest i have ever clapped and i didn't mind. everything was so amazing. having these historical figures, people so prominent standing right in front of you. >> a lot of people listening now are more amazed by where you started from to get to that experience. what was it that allowed you, despite the sufferings in your

family -- there was a car accident, your parents losing b jobs, an illness. all kinds of issues. what allowed you despite the fact that you were homeless to still maintain such a high g.p.a., to be so good in school? >> i would say my research, science have been my ticket out. you know? throughout all of the things i faced i have been able to go to school and get my education and do my studies. that's my way out. keep me focused, keep me from going off track. >> you're saying it was not a crutch but it was the thing that was beautiful. >> yes, exactly. >> at a time when things with were not easy. >> yes. >> as i understand it you are getting your dog back is this. >> we got our dog back. an anonymous person came forward and paid for our dog and took her out of the shelter. she's now happy in a little dog

hotel doing much better. >> you're still in the shelter. >> yes. >> when do you think you may be living at home because your father is working again. >> hopefully very soon. >> also hopefully is you will get accepted to a good college. you have applied to yale and brown. >> yes. >> you are waiting to hear as we heard from rehema who may or may not accept you. what do you want to do with your life? >> i want to keep doing what i'm doing now. i want to work hard and continue doing my science. being at the state of the union last night i got to meet fantastic people. i thought, i kind of want to do what they do. i want to take the policy aspect and keep doing that along with the science part of it. >> well, you have shown us all that there is great potential all over america that needs to be encouraged. thank you for showing us so much. >> thank you. >> such an uplifting story.

samantha, thank you. good luck to you. e >>have w mor aheead >> we have more ahead including martha stewart after your local news. good wednesday morning to you. 8:26 right now. the 49er stadium is a go. in a heated city council meeting lasting late into the evening, leaders finally decided the new 49ers stadium will not be put back on the ballot for another vote. they said all finances were not disclosed until last month. the city council voted to reject that petition. let's check the morning

commute with mike. >> take a look out here where we had the earlier accident. just before we got off the air, the lanes were clear. but still very slow westbound 80 from hercules through berkley now. 680 and 24, some of those folks over there, because of the alternate route, that's heavily traveled to the bay bridge toll bridge. back to you. for the latest traffic and news update, check out nbc bay area on facebook. i'll have an update for you in half an hour. have a great wednesday morning. the word is swapportunity.

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8:30 now on this wednesday morning. it's the 25th day of january 2012. as we say hello to a lot of nice people in rockefeller plaza. time is flying fast. just ahead we have a lot to talk about including what to do with

our space. we have martha stewart here showing us how to organize. i can use that advice. >> we all can. >> what else? >> henry winkler is in studio now. he's a great actor and quite an author. by my count i believe he's written 19 books. i think that's what it is. >> he has a wing at the new york library. >> exactly. he'll be talking about a new book and what else he's up to. he's very busy. >> later on, answers to your money 911 emergencies. our team will tackle everything from how to pay for college if you want to go to school later in life, what to do with a timeshare especially now during the tough times if you can't afford it. >> and fashion advice on how to wear white in the winter. do you wear white in winter? >> yes. winter white they call it. >> yes. >> as it is winter tell us about the temperature and the weather. >> i think i shall.

we'll show you for today sunny skies up and down the eastern seaboard. heavy rain texas, louisiana into arkansas and kentucky, tennessee today into tomorrow. heavy rain along the pacific northwest coast. as we move into tomorrow we've got a risk of strong storms down through the lower his misriv mississippi river valley. mountain good wednesday morning to you. i'm meteorologist christine in the nbc bay area weather center, starting with your weather headlines for today. we have patchy dense fog right at the coast and slight delays as a result. today gorous conditions. we stay dry all the way throughout the upcoming weekend. 67 in concord. and 66 degrees in san francisco. we hold on to the 60s tomorrow.

widespread dense fog mixed with plenty of sunshine thursday aternoon. time you need to on the weather channel on cable or weather.com online. now our little snowbird willard scott has flown the coop from washington and landed in florida. uncle willy? >> oh, from the sunkissed shores from the gulf of mexico here in beautiful south seas plantation in captiva, florida. happy birthday from smucker's, margaret lip toton. she loves tea for lunch. she's from san diego, california, and is madly in love with leonardo dicaprio. she's a cougar. all these women love the younger guys. i haven't got a chance because i'm half dead. take a look at esther ringkob from jackson, minnesota. 100 years old today. loves to grow flowers and absolutely happy all her life. she's read the bible for 76

years. can't beat that. if you will check it out, please, birthday number three, bula smith. i like that name. she's from lake oswego in oregon. there's one in new york and oregon. i bet you didn't know that. anyway, she once had dinner with presidents ford and nixon. how about that? she's a lady. sh knows how to get around. i suspect she's a republican. just a wild guess. james brown. great singer. loudon, tennessee. 100 years old today and enjoys having fun and playing golf every single day he can. happy birthday from smucker's. how sweet it is. to beautiful adele khoury of waco, texas. that's a western town. 100 years old today. she loves to play bingo and she reads her bible every day. i do, too.

try to anyway. catherine jones. she's from lewes, delaware. i know that town. 100 today. she's an avid phillies fan and watches them on television all the time. and we have the lovely eivo eivor cederquist from nutley, new jersey, not nightly news. she credits her longevity to good swedish genes. back to new york. wish you were here. >> willard, thank you. we wish you were here. when we come back, martha stewart gets you organized. first, this is "today" on nbc. it's such a tough... yeah. the spectrum is from lg. and the r2 unit is from... from naboo. naboo. yeah. the spectrum's got a 4.5" screen, fits nicely in your hand. r2-d2 needs a starfighter. starfighter ?

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you know what's exciting, graduation. when i look up into my student's faces, i see pride. you know, i have done something worthwhile. when i earned my doctorate through university of phoenix, that pride, that was on my face. i am jocelyn taylor, i am committed to making a difference in peoples lives and i am a phoenix. this morning on martha on "today," organizing your home office whether you're running the family business or just a

family, it can save you time and money. martha stewart is here with great ideas from the organizing issue of the best of martha stewart living. martha, good morning and welcome. >> how are you? >> you look very nice in the leather pants. >> thank you very much. >> you say even if you don't have an office you need a desk. >> every home needs command central whether it's a desk in the kitchen, a desk in the back hall. some place where mom or dad or family can get organized. that special issue has absolutely hundreds of really good practical, easy ideas. this is just one nice desk. this is our ready to assemble desk from home decorators which is a catalog of the home depot. we designed it and it's fabulous with all kinds of configurations for furniture like this. >> one of your ideas is to use wall street. >> indeed. >> how are you doing it? >> magnetic board there and all

of the things can be stuck on with magnets. that's just a piece of steel. this is a painted board. that's the wonderful blackboard paint we sell also. it's wonderful. you can write on it, erase, write again. to do today. this is a wonderful little attachment. you can screw it into any surface and that will hold your chalk, eraser, whatever. isn't it great? >> what i like is that you can find things which is something i rarely am able to do. >> all these beautiful boxes are available at staples. staples now has a -- i'm sorry to plug martha stewart so much but we designed all this amazing new desk organizing. >> why don't you help us make a board. let's look at some of the boards. what about this clipboard board. >> decorated decoupage clipboards, one for each member

of the family or one for dill bills, to dos, invitations. you can take them to your desk. and work on it. >> and bring them back. >> absolutely. if you have a long hallway you can do one for everybody in the family. >> pegboards. >> pegboard comes in brown. why not paint it something that matches the wall or contrasts with your wall. then put your hooks in and all these various alternative ways to put thread, wax twine to wrap presents, hot glue gun. anything you use at that particular spot. >> i have a feeling if i put this together it would not look as pretty as this. >> copy it exactly. then you will. we'll take a picture for you. >> this is a simple one. >> this is a fabric-covered board. it e it e's something you can pin

things on. notice the little wooden push pins. >> it has to be special if martha has it. we want to save money. >> make the templates the size of your board. we did a little maneuvering. that's your shape. which of these do you like? >> i see. you're cutting out wallpaper or a piece of paper? >> any paper you want. >> this is mod podge and a soft brush. do the back first. paint it all over. this is the decoupage glue. >> is it expensive? >> no. very inexpensive. you can use pretty paper, left over wallpaper. and you have to get the whole thing covered. >> you will want to put it on without wrinkling it. that's my style. >> we have a tool to unwrinkle

everything. >> catching up with with martha. >> get it on your board and this is the smoother tool. see this? >> uh-huh. this is something you should have. >> you could use a ruler? >> sure. or the edge of the back of a dull knife. >> i'm not sure i'm doing it straight. >> very nicely. then mod podge over the front for the completely finished look. when that dries you are left with a cute clipboard. >> yours is cuter than mine. we only have 30 seconds left. this is my style. >> old fashion eed board you ca buy at home depot or any place and you just staple the fabric. a contrasting fabric that matches your decoration in your house. >> this is fun. >> it is. it's like upholstering a chair

seat. >> is there a fabric you wouldn't use? >> no. you can use anything. do top first and then bottom. draw it tight. do the corners neatly and when you're done, it's simple. you can put ribbons on it in a grid or diamond shapes. and just stick papers in. >> great for the kids room. >> all the children should have lots of these. >> coming up we'll catch up with the fonz himself. henry winkler is in the house. >> i love him. >> i know! >> first, this is "today" on nbc.

8:45 now. to many he will always be the fonz but henry winkler has come a long way since his days an "happy days." he's an actor and best selling

author of children's books. now he has a new series called "ghost buddy." the first one is "zero to hero". >> i'm happy to see you. >> 17 of the hank zipster books and others? >> there are two ghost buddies i have written with my incredible partner lynn oliver. >> 19 books in your career. did you ever see this side of your career taking you this far? >> i'm shocked out of my socks. it was a suggestion by a friend of lynn's. somebody i knew, alan burger. lynn and i met and all of the sudden there we were. >> for the people who became familiar with hank and the series, how is ghost buddy different? >> hank was about me as a dyslexic. ghost buddy is about bullying and kids being responsible to one another in a comedy. you know, this little 12-year-old boy finds a ghost in

his closet. >> first of all his mother gets remarried so he moves to a new place, new school. the things kids deal with as challenges. >> with a blended family. >> he goes to the house. >> first night, can't fall asleep. in his closet, closet is starts to open. all of the sudden his baseball jersey flies out. goes to the window. >> my kids will never sleep again. >> the ghost is irresponsible and funny. he says, you can call me a ghost. i like that. phantom is okay. i think it's rude when you call me a banshee. >> i just got nostalgic for a second. what did i hear in that? >> you may have heard a little bit of a can recollect terharac. for two months i walked around lynn's office and spoke like arthur. >> the ghost is based on the fonz? >> he's in me. he came out. >> i look at the picture in the leather jacket and i remember

the sit com so fondly. this is a guy who probably never read a book and now you have written 19. >> i didn't read a book until i was 30. >> i know. that's an incredible gift you have given to other children struggling with with learning disabilities. the idea that here's a guy who had the same thing and look what he's done. >> that's what we tell children all the time. we spoke to 500 kids in north port yesterday. we say, look, i have to tell you, you have greatness inside you. your job is to figure out what your gift is and dig it out. >> as a matter of fact, for your work in helping these children you were honored and recognized by the queen of england. >> i was. >> you stood her up. >> no! >> you stood her up. >> not exactly. i was making a movie. >>itis it's a better story if you stood her up. >> okay. i stood her up. i said, hey, i don't like your hat. i'm not going. but i do carry the award with me

at all times. i spend most of my time polishing it. >> it's beautiful. let's show the camera. you couldn't be there to get the award so you were given it in washington. >> i was supposed to be given it by prince charles. i sfotood him up, too. one royal, all of them. >> speaking of royal you will be back on "royal pains"? >> yes, starting in april. >> you're doing another show i had not heard of. i started to read about it. this is on "the cartoon network" called children's hospital. >> it was one of the first live action shows on at 12:00 at night. it is an an or kiss tick comear comedy. i'm supposed to say meta. i don't know what that means. >> this is not a show for kids. >> nor is it about kids. this year i had a 4th grader in

bed, you know, at the hospital and i brought her a ser is vis animal to help her cross the street. we didn't have enough money for a dog. i brought her a snake. >> i'm getting a sense of what the show is about. baerks congratulations. grandfather again? >> oh, ace was born six days ago. india bell is 2 now. she's home watching. >> life is good. >> life is good. >> always nice to have you here, henry. >> thank you. >> the book is "ghost buddy, zero to hero." still ahead answers to your most pressing money emergencies. first, this is "today" on nbc. [ female announcer ] they've been off limits to dieters

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are america's best days behind us? in his new book former national security adviser warns they could be if we don't address challenges and reorient america's role in the world. the book is called "strategic vision." what a pleasure. good morning to you. >> it's nice to be with you. >> for a couple of reasons. not only because we admire you but because your daughter has worked at msnbc. before we talk about your book i want your reaction to something the president said in the state

of the union address last night. take a listen. anyone who tells you that america is in decline or that our influence has waned doesn't know what they're talking about. >> the first chapter of the book is called "the receding west." do you agree with the president? do you believe america is on the decline, is waning in its influence? >> it's not a matter of america declining or the west declining. it's that others are rising. anyone who knows anything about balance knows you can either go down or somebody can come up. somebody is coming up. we have to get ourselves in shape both domestically and internationally in order to be able to compete more effectively. >> one thing you say we have to do is overcome internal challenges. in fact, you say that if we do not do that countries that don't embrace our democratic values will rise up to replace us? >> to replace us or more likely

to create chaos. when i discuss the consequences of the change in world affairs in which others are rising and we are not competing effectively, i say the world of the future in the near term, the next 20 years or so is not going to be chinese. it's going to be chaotic. in either case it's not good for us. we have to really concentrate on two things. one, how do we improve our domestic performance. two, how do we have a more effective global strategy? >> first of all, take them one by one. how do we improve our domestic performance? you know about the gridlock in washington. do you see anything that's going to break it? >> after the elections, i hope. hopefully no demagogue with simplistic notions of how to deal with the world will win. then we can address the structural problems, begin to develop capitalism with a human face. more so for consciousness. less disparity and injustice is. i think we can fashion a more

intelligence foreign policy by working with allies and also by not creating enemies unnecessarily. i have in mind china. >> at the same time you seem to be agreeing and saying there are real challenges in america's power. you seem to be echoing what we are hearing from the gop presidential candidates, from romney and gingrich. do you agree with their prescription on the second point you're making about how to deal with the world? >> i don't agree because i frankly don't know what they are. they sound like slogans without much substance. i haven't seen an intelligent critique of foreign policy from mr. romney or even worse from mr. gingrich. >> one of the key topics we have been hearing about is the concern about iran. you know what's been happening, the concern, tensions in the straits of hormuz, concern about iran's rise in efforts to create nuclear weapons.

are we headed, in your view, based on all you know for war with iran? >> we could be. i think it's avoidable. we have to be careful how we conduct ourselves. because we could have a miscalculation. when you use pressure with sanctions, and so forth, you have to be careful not to go to the point that the other field is facing and impose suicide. it might lash out. so it's a question of balancing force with called "strategic vision." we're back after this. it is 8:56 right now. good morning to you. i'm laura garcia-cannon. there is a special meeting to look at the proposed new budget cuts. oakland lost 500 city employees.

police, fire, city libraries and services for the seniors and the homeless. right now i want to check the forecast with christina loren. >> we're on our way to the 70s in some cities. by tomorrow, widespread dense fog to start. this weekend we stay nice and dry and comfortable. the rain returns on tuesday. hope you have a great day. get married? married? there were so many things i was gonna do first. i was gonna hike the appalachian trail. or is it "appa-lah-chian"? and i still have to learn to play the drums. cowbell? cowbell! and i still need to finish my short film.

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> we're back now with more of "today" on a wednesday morning, the 25th day of january 2012. got some clouds and sun above us here in rockefeller plaza. ann curry is shaking some hands, getting caught on camera. 38 degrees, not too bad. thanks to these people for stopping by. i'm matt lauer alo with ann curry, al roker and savannah guthrie. coming up this half hour more on the health scare for demi moore. she was rushed to the hospital last night after a friend called 911. her rep is now saying she's being treated for exhaustion. we'll find out more about that

situation. >> also going to talk about your money 911 questions including questions about how to pay for your education when you have the kids almost ready for college and what to do with the timeshares you can't afford anymore. those questions and others coming up. >> later on on joy's diet s.o.s. we'll answer questions, for example, what's the truth about coffee versus tea when it comes to caffeine and what about egg substitutes? are they a smart choice? our nutritionist joy bauer is here with the answers. >> all right. also ahead fashion advice. wearing white in winter. we'll tell you if you want to take something from summer and turn it into a winter look. like if you want to buy new white clothing, we have tips to make sure you wear it well. >> it's a trend. one of the big things. >> winter white. what's old is new again. >> it always is. >> it's the new black. let's go inside. natalie is at the news desk with a look at the headlines. >> thank you, guys. good morning to you.

new details this morning about the daring overnight raid that freed a kidnapped american aid worker in somalia. jessica buchanan and her colleague from denmark were abducted by pirates three months ago. they were rescued by s.e.a.l. team 6, the same unit that killed osama bin laden last may. the s.e.a.l.s swooped in by helicopter and killed all nine in the outdoor encampment. president obama travels to five swing states. in last night's state of the union, the president pledged to repair the economy by bringing jobs back to the u.s. he said anyone making over $1 million should pay a minimum of 30% in income tax. a new study out this morning suggests a common household chemical may reduce the effectiveness of vaccines in young children. the study found children exposed to compounds known as pfcs had lower immune responses to

diphtheria and tetanus vaccines. pfcs can be found in microwave popcorn bags, nonstick cookware and certain cleaners. big changes are coming to your child's school lunches. the first lady is announcing today that schools will now offer healthier meals that are lower in sodium, include more whole grains, fruits and vegetables and low fat milk. a huge fireworks explosion at a lunar new year celebration killed at least four people and injured 90 others in central thailand last night. about 100 homes were also set on fire. officials believe the trouble started when a rocket misfired and landed in a pile of unused fireworks. and news out of hollywood this morning that demi moore is getting professional help after being rushed to the hospital for what her publicist called stress and exhaustion. >> reporter: paramedics responded to moore's home monday night. e online has confirm would the los angeles fire department

after a friend of the actress reportedly called 911. >> she was home with another female friend female friend who witnessed demi started behaving as if she was suffering from a seizure. that woman called 911. they came to the house and when they saw demi's condition they rushed her straight to the hospital. >> reporter: representative for the actress would not confirm those reports, but released a statement saying, because of the stresses in her life right now, demi has chosen to seek professional assistance to treat her exhaustion and improve her health. she looks forward to getting well and is grateful for the support of family and friends. the actress has been known for being in prime physical shape throughout her career. recently has appeared to have lost a tremendous amount of weight. >> demi has not looked very good over the last couple months. ever since the break-up it looked like she was getting thinner and thinner. >> reporter: that break-up is to her husband of six years, actor ashton kutcher. moore announced plans to divorce last year after reports that

kutcher was unfaithful on their wedding anniversary of all nights. the stress of the divorce seems to have taken an emotional toll. in this month's harper's bazaar the actress talks about her life and fears telling the magazine, i would say what scares me is that i'm going to ultimately find out at the end of my life that i'm really not lovable, that i'm not worthy of being loved, that there's something fundamentally wrong with me. >> people tell me demi has been upset. it's been a difficult time and she's heartbroken over that. i'm not necessarily connecting what happened monday night to the divorce, but it certainly couldn't have helped matters. >> that was savannah guthrie reporting. olympic organizers now say they are reviewing their policy after public outrage over a rule that requires infants carried in a parents' arms to have a tickt for an olympic event. officials said it was to make sure venues were not over capacity. and dozens of flights had to be diverted on tuesday away from

routes in the northern hemisphere because of a solar storm under way in space that is interfering with radio signals. the solar flares contributed to stunning images of the northern lights in the skies over norway tuesday which may be seen for the next few days. it is now six minutes past the hour. now back to al. if you live in norway you can see it. >> it's been visible in europe as well. pretty cool. >> beautiful. >> thank you very much, natalie. let's check our weather. we have a couple of areas to worry about. we have a severe thunderstorm watch until 11:00 a.m. central time. we are looking at heavy rain, flash flood watches and fflhaslood warnings, as we.h toado watch until 11:00 a.m. central standard time from corpus christi all the way stretching up into parts of oklahoma, little rock, shreveport, dallas, san antonio and anywhere in between could see three to five inches of rain. pacific northwest, we have avalanche warnings, high winds,

winter storm advisories and another big storm moving into the pacific northwest from northern california into the pacific northwest. we expect a lot of rain and mountain snows, especially the wasatch and cascades as well. good wednesday morning. i'm meteorologist christina loren live intc the nbc bay are weather center. it's a little cool and cloudy right now, but 70 in morgan hill later on today. about 63 in dublin. even in the city by the bay, i'm forecasting 66 degrees. tomorrow waking up with dense fog. that will make way to plenty of sunshine for the second half of your thursday. by friday, the breeze picks up. saturday and sunday, mild. and then the rain returns monday into tuesday. time now for today's money 911. we'll answer some pressing financial questions. time to meet our panel of experts. jean chatzky, "today" financial editor and author of "money 911." david bach author of "debt free for life" and sharon epperson,

cnbc's personal finance correspondent. good to see you. >> you, too. >> good morning. >> let's get started with the phone lines first. bedford, new york. this is debbie. she's calling in. good morning. debbie. >> good morning, how are you? >> we're doing great. what's your question? >> okay. i'm 53. i would like to go back to school for my master's in social work and work with the elderly. i'm an attorney. i haven't practiced in ten years. i have two kids, one in 11th and one in 10th grade. i have been researching for scholarships or grant money to help me finance my master's and i can't find anything. as my kids go to college soon i have to finance that as well. i feel stuck. any ideas? >> let's see if jean has any. >> go to fastweb.com. it has listings not just for scholarships and grants for undergraduate education but for graduate education as well. the good news is when you go to

fill out your form for federal financial student aid it will ask if your kids are in school at the same time. the fact that they are all in at once probably means you will qualify for more student loans, more grants and things like that. you should definitely start early. if your kids have special skills or sports, talk to their coaches about how to get the scouts to look at them. >> not just money for debbie. >> you have to look at it as a family affair. >> thank you very much for calling. now to susan from florida checking in on skype. hi, susan. >> good morning. >> good morning. your question? >> my husband and i have managed to pay off five credit cards and feel the need to cancel some because who needs five credit cards? however, we are confused with the advice to not cancel credit cards because it will affect our credit badly. and all of the cards, of course, have high credit limits but --

excuse me, high interest rates. some have high credit limits. what should we do? >> david? >> first of all, congratulations. we need to have you on the show to find out how you paid them off. i hate my answer. i would love to say close the cards but if you close them it will impact your fico score, your credit score. it could lower the score by 50 to 75 points. there are two major things that credit bureaus look at. your length of credit history and how much available credit you have that you are not using. the fact that you have credit cards with high limits that you're not using is a good thing for your score. the fact that you have a credit history is good for your score. if you're going to close any of the cards close the ones with the small limits and the ones that you took out most recently. that won't impact your credit history length. here's the thing i have to tell you. the biggest risk to keeping the cards open is credit fraud.

if you have open cards you're not using you need to check your credit report regularly to make sure nobody else is using it. >> all right. >> annual credit report.com. we talk about it. got to love it. >> it's free. >> congratulations on paying off the cards. we have dana from hicksville, ohio. >> good morning. my question is my husband and i purchased two timeshares in the early '90s. they were wonderful. we used them a lot. our kids enjoyed them. our kids have grown. we have children in texas with grandchildren. my parents are in florida. it's something we cannot use. the companies have been sold to other companies and the cost of keeping them have gone up year after year. i wonder if there is another way other than the resale companies to get rid of it? >> you could try to rent it but it looks like you need to unload it. go to the developer, see if they have a resale or buyback program, right of first refusal.

you don't want to go to a resale company. but go to a licensed timeshare resale broker. go to find one in your area and go to some of the websites that would allow you to sell it on your own. try craigslist or myresortnetwork.com. a lot of people don't think of it because it's hard to sell them is donating it to charity. think about an organization like donate for a cause.org. the tax deduction you will get since it is a charitable organization is you can get the full market value and add to it the other charitable contributions and write off up to 50% of your adjusted gross income. that takes the hassle out of selling it and you're doing a good thing. >> we looked at the options and none have come through. we contacted the company. we have also contacted

organizations to see if they are interested in having them. our credit is good. we have scores over 830 but i read something about a deed in lieu of foreclosure. i don't want to hurt our scores. do you have any idea on this? >> i actually think that the first thing you should think about since you don't want to hurt your credit score and that could negatively impact your score is consider donating it to charity. i think that's the first step you should take if you haven't looked at donateforacause.org. >> thank you. >> take care. now to oregon and melanie. good morning. >> caller: good morning. >> your question? >> caller: yes. i'm 55 years old and recently retired on a pension plan which meets my living expenses. i have received a $50,000 inheritance and was thinking of putting half of it toward the principle of my house to have it paid off in eight more years and saving the rest. is this a good idea or should i save it all? >> jean? >> you're playing a little bit of a game here.

mortgage rates are low so if you took the money and invested it in your retirement portfolio you might earn more money on the money. but i understand the desire to get out of the mortgage before retirement. so i would say if this is something that will enable you to sleep at night, go ahead, save the rest and as you start taking social security and no longer have to make a mortgage payment, save that money. >> melanie, good luck. thank you very much for calling in. we want to thank jean, david and sharon for helping us out. good to see you. coming up next on joy's diet s.o.s., the truth about coffee, fish oil and substitutes. that doesn't sound tasty. later, how to wear winter white with style. first, these messages. first, these messages. means i don't have any margin for error. one wrong turn and i could end up unloaded a puddle of water. woman's voice: turn right ahead. so i make sure i have the right guidance to get me exactly where i need to be. it's the same with taxes. turbo tax has a unique gps feature

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>> good morning. >> hi. >> what's your question? >> my question is i'm a nutrition student at the university of pittsburgh. recently a student came up and asked me if drinking black tea instead of coffee will provide the same energy without the jitters and anxiety that coffee sometimes does. i was wondering is this something i should recommend to her? >> it depends. caffeine is the ingredient in coffee which gives aus great wake me up experience but also in people who are caffeine sensitive makes them feel jittery and anxious. a cup of black tea has half the amount of caffeine compared to a cup of coffee. so for people who are caffeine sensitive it's a perfect compromise. they get a lift without the side effects. but remember if you drink two, three, four cups of the black tea the caffeine will add up and they could be socked. if they are super sensitive i would say just go straight for a decaffeinated beverage. decaf black or green tea, coffee

or herbal tea because herbal tea is naturally decaffeinated. >> all right. >> thank you. >> good luck with your nutrition career. >> exciting. let's go to the phone for deb from iowa on the line. what's your question for joy? >> good morning. my question is i would like to begin taking fish oil supplements for health but i'm not sure what sort of supplement to take. i'm looking for something that won't leave me with fishy breath or burping problems. any guidance you could give me would be appreciated. >> great question. when it comes to overall health you want to take about 1,000 milligrams of a fish oil supplement but it needs to be a combination of e.p.a. and d.h.a. and it's simple to look on the label and add up the e.p.a. and d.h.a. and speak with your physician first for the green light. when it comes to disgusting fishy burps there are things you can do to minimize or avoid

them. first, buy a brand of fish oil that comes enteric coated. it bypasses the stomach intact and doesn't dissolve until it's in the intestines. once it's down there it's not coming up. also keep the bottle in the fridge or freezer because they will go down easier and stay down when they're cold. lastly, take them with or after lunch or dinner. you will be way less likely to have a bad experience. >> deb, thank you for the question. a lot of bottles say "no fish burps" right on it. >> that's terrific. >> jess writes, are packaged egg substitutes as good to eat as real egg whites? what's in them? >> yes. they are a convenient way for people looking to save calories who don't feel like cracking

open and splaeparating a whole . egg beaters are 99% egg whites with a splash of beta carotene to give it the color and extra nutrients. people looking for something pure without the extra nutrients, right next to the egg substitutes you can find 100% just egg whites. that's all they are. both are terrific options. >> our last question is a good one. on days that i eat a full breakfast i tend to eat more all day. i usually just have a latte in the morning. is that enough to get my metabolism going? if i eat breakfast how do i avoid overeating all day? >> people who do not eat breakfast regularly experience this. it's mainly psychological, i think. if the nonfat latte does it for her, fuels the a.m. appetite, fine. if she wants to eat a traditional breakfast like oatmeal or yogurt and fruit, write on a piece of paper a formal menu for the day.

everything she'll eat. commit to sticking with it. sometimes just knowing what you're going to eat and when is enough to keep you on track and keep your appetite in check. >> okay. if you have the discipline to plan ahead. it's hard. >> the nonfat latte is good, too. >> thank you very much. if you have more questions for joy she'll chat live on facebook at 3:00 eastern time today. log on to talk to joy personally. you can follow her daily weight loss tips on today.com. still to come, "bridesmaids" star and oscar nominee melissa mccarthy. why she's america's newest sweet heart. after these messages. when it comes to home insurance, surprises can be a little scary. and a little costly. that's why the best agents present their clients with a lot of options. because when it comes to what's covered and what's not, nobody likes surprises. [ click ] [ chuckles ] we totally thought -- [ all scream ] obscure space junk falling from the sky? we cover that.

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coming up, how to wear those winter whites. >> and we'll spice up your ital >> after your local news. id gol. my insides? pure platinum. [ female announcer ] a healthy outside starts inside. new iams simple & natural has chicken as its number one ingredient and zero fillers. it works inside for health you can see on the outside. [ dog ] i can't be a rockstar on the outside if i'm not one on the inside. [ female announcer ] new iams naturals. you'll like what's in them and love what's not. [ dog ] i am an iams dog. [ girls ] he's so cute! [ dog ] groupies! diarrhea, gas or bloating? get ahead of it! one phillips' colon health probiotic cap a day helps defend against digestive issues with three strains of good bacteria. hit me!

[ female announcer ] live the regular life. phillips'. you... colorful... soft...] live the regular life. and totally irresistible. your lip butter? likewise. new revlon® colorburst™ lip butter. a hydrating buttery balm for baby soft lips in 20 shiny colors. good morning, everyone. the time is 9:26. the gas leak, wrapping up a sewer project hitting a small gas service line on chestnut avenue yesterday. that rupture released gas for nearly an hour. for many, it brought back memories of september 2010, when a much larger pg&e gas line exploded. tony said the news gave him a scare. >> there is a gas, of course, in

san bruno, which definitely scared us. the fire department had approached the door and asked for us to evacuate the building. >> fortunately the leak was capped without incident. gas service in the neighborhood has now been restored. the school board approving the use of drug-sniffing dogs in high schools. there will be random searches in parking lots and locker rooms and at schools. they will not be done when the students are on campus. they delayed the program until they can develop a policy by the end of februa. look atou yr l r r hed traffic right after this break. r

welcome back. the time 9:28. cold start, a little bit of fog lingering. later on today beautiful day on tap. temperatures approaching that 70-degree mark. and many cities across the bay, we're going to hold on to that warmth for your thursday. widespread fog tomorrow morning will likely keep your temperatures down by a few

degrees. up to 66 on friday. mild over the course of the weekend. then the rain returns monday into tuesday. let's check your drive, see how that's shaping up with mike. >> we'll take our friends back to the east shore freeway. the accident long cleared from carlson boulevard. slow out of hercules westbound past the merge off the richmond center bridge and into berkeley. speeds still in the 50s through that area. folks are rerouting through the walnut creek interchange, but now that's slow as well. no backup at the toll plaza. northbound 880 slows from 238 to the coliseum. that should start to clear over the next hour. no accidents, just slow. thank you all for joining us. we'll be back in another half hour with more local news.

♪ marilyn monroe is a hollywood icon. do you know she never won an academy award? now michelle williams has been nominated for on as kor for playing the blond bombshell in "my week with marilyn." we'll chat with michelle williams about how she captured marilyn so perfectly and get her reaction to her third oscar nomination tomorrow on "today."

she's hugely talented. >> what a career. >> i adore everything she's in. coming up this half hour we'll be talking about winter whites. yes, you can wear white after labor day. it's how you do it which makes it work. how do you make it appropriate for the season? we'll show you what works and what doesn't even with pieces that may already be in your closet. >> maybe save you some money. >> it's been a breakout year for melissa mccarthy. she had us falling over with laughter when she hosted snl and now is nominated for an oscar for her role in "bridesmaids." >> ew, every time i see that scene. >> we'll make a transition. putting flavors together you may not expect. >> don't put in the whole bottle. >> how about toasted pasta? we'll learn how to give your favorite italian dishes a little mexican spice. we want to remind you we are

putting together the next book of al's book club for kids kids. if you have kids between 9 and 12 who love to read and live in the new york city area we hope they would make a great addition to our in studio group. go to today.com. >> ages 9 to 12. we're out, natalie. >> i have a lot of friends with 9 to 12-year-olds. a check of the weather first? >> absolutely. we show you what's happening for today. sunshine along the eastern seaboard. more rain from the pacific northwest with mountain snows, heavy thunderstorms, a possibility of tornados in the lower mississippi river valley. tomorrow the rain continues to spread to the east into the midatlantic states and also the lower gulf coast. more rain but not as heavy in the pacific northwest. sunny but frigid in n good wednesday morning to you. i'm meteorologist christina loren. you made it to the midsection of the week. we want to get you over the hump

with comfortable weather. 68 degrees in san jose today. even in the city by the bay we're talking about 65 degrees. making this the warmest day of the week. fog in the morning and sunshine in the afternoon. monday and tuesday, clouds increase. rain returns tuesday into wednesday. and that's your latest weather. >> thanks, al. up next, afraid to wear white? well, don't be. we'll show you how to wear winter white with style after this. ♪ ♪ [ female announcer ] take the special k challenge. lose up to six pounds in two weeks. get your free, delicious personalized plan at specialk.com. what will you gain when you lose?

at specialk.com. introducing olive garden's new three course italian dinner for $12.95. start with either unlimited homemade soup or our fresh crisp salad, and all the warm breadsticks you want. then, enjoy one of five new specially created entrees, like our smoked mozzarella chicken or five cheese marinara with shrimp. finish up with one of five desserts. like our chocolate mousse. our new three course italian dinner, just $12.95. try it tonight at your olive garden when you're here, you're family. if you have painful, swollen joints, i've been in your shoes. one day i'm on top of the world... the next i'm saying... i have this thing called psoriatic arthritis. i had some intense pain. it progressively got worse. my rheumatologist told me about enbrel. i'm surprised how quickly my symptoms have been managed. [ male announcer ] because enbrel suppresses your immune system, it may lower your ability to fight infections. serious, sometimes fatal events including infections, tuberculis, lymphoma, other cancers,

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this morning on today's style, summer is not the only time of year you can pull off wearing white. the style editor from lucky magazine has ideas for brightening up winter with the white clothes you have already or perhaps accessorizing with new pieces. laurie, good morning. >> thank you. >> a lot of people fear white after labor day. that was the golden rule but it's gone. >> eliminate that from the fashion vocabulary. you can wear it. in our first little segment we'll show you how to go to your closet. >> shop what you already own.

>> exactly. you can buy affordable things to winterize the whites. first this is a summer dress. a lot of people have them in the closet. we have decided to take different fabrics and textures. that's a faux shearling vest from macy's. everything you see is under $100. you want textures and fabrics. >> and layering. >> the turtle neck on the mannequin is under $20. it's made of a special tech to keep you just as warm. it's not bulky. the bag is $10. from jc penney. >> nice to have the tights to keep you warm with boots. >> don't show too much skin when doing summer white into winter. >> here you have the white oxford shirt from the closet. >> we have accessorized it with a sweater from kmart for $16. >> wow.

>> a fun necklace and button your shirt to the top. looks chic, preppy. keeps you warm. a pair of h & m jeans and boots from joe fresh. >> also winter white pants. if you're buying something, perhaps that's the way to go. you can wear this day or night. right? >> exactly. we wanted to throw down the gauntlet and prove it. we bought the model the same pair of white pants. these are $59.99, affordable. >> beautiful. >> we did a day look on jennifer. because the pants are white, so white, we wanted to find beige, caramel tones to winterize that look. so we gave her an h & m sweater in a beautiful camel color and the faux fur. again with the fabric that's how you drive home the winter vibe. a bag from h & m finished with a belt.

in that color wheel she looks very warm, cozy, caramel. >> casual but office appropriate as well. >> exactly. with we took it to night time with megan who looks sexy. >> chic. >> this is an alternative to the little black dress. when you're doing a look like this keep it very graphic. let the white pants be the focal point. we gave her a top from zara, an aldo clutch and the patent leather pumps are from payless. the white pants are the standout. >> looks like a couple thousand dollar outfit. amazing. you both look amazing. well done. you can wear winter white pants year round. >> let me show you. >> if you're still afraid you can't pull it off like you lovely ladies do you can accessorize. >> this is an easy way to work the trend. this is very hot right now carrying into spring. everything is under $50. here's the point about

accessories. when you're doing this, the bag is from aldo with the faux sh r shearling. it has a brasy, chrome gold and the necklace that's creamy beige also with gold. that's what you want. think creamy, beige white. go with gold. stark whites on this bag from old navy and the cuff from banana republic, they go with silver. don't do stark white with gold because that reads summer. beige cream with gold, beautiful and stark white with rhinestones or silvers and keep it really, you know, stark and snow cream, ice princess. >> learn something new today. laur laurie, thank you so much. you changed my mind on winter whites. >> congrats. >> up next, a look at one of america's favorite funny women, melissa mccarthy. first, these messages. another way that reveals the lighter,

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♪ it's a small change that can make a big difference. ♪ the oscars usually honor dramatic performances, so people were surprised and happy to hear melissa mccarthy's name called in the best supporting actress category for her performance in the movie "bridesmaids." here's kristen dahlgren with more.

>> reporter: "bridesmaids" was the breakout comedy of 2011. [ belches ] >> i want to apologize. i don't know which end that came out of. >> i need the toilet! >> reporter: even mccarthy never dreamed it would win her more than laughs. she said she she wasn't watching the announcements. >> you don't think a puking scene will get you an oscar nomination. that's not usually how it works. >> reporter: hollywood's most hallowed award rarely awards comedy at all. in the past decade, only six comedies have been nominated for best picture "bridesmaids" is up for best original screenplay. >> all this oscar talk for "bridesmaids" has to make you feel good. >> it's great. i felt like, just get a comedy in there. i would love for the movie to be recognized. >> reporter: audiences adored

the almost all female cast, especially mccarthy. >> there is something about melissa's performance in "bridesmaids" that's so completely fearless. from the second you see her character in the movie you know this is not going to be the typical sidekick character. she brings such a uniqueness. she's so gutsy, funny, outrageous. >> reporter: the golden globe winner will be walking the oscar red carpet with meryl streep and glenn close, but she's not your typical starlet. >> i'm from illinois and i'm standing here and it's amazing. >> reporter: mccarthy won an emmy in 2011 for her role as molly in "mike and molly" but fame as forced her to address controversy after a magazine writer blogged she was grossed out to watch two characters with roles of fat kissing each other mccarthy said, what a sad, troubled person. you're making such a judgment on people. she joked about her weight on

snl in october. the mother of two, mccarthy is married to ben falcone who played the object of her airborne affections in "bridesmaids." >> do you feel the heat coming? >> reporter: the new oscar nominee can as mccarthy's star gets hotter. for "today," kristen dahlgren, nbc news, los angeles. and coming up next in today's kitchen, meat balls with a mexican twist. how to add south of the border flavor to your italian favorites. first, this is "today" on nbc.

never in my lifetime did i think i could walk 60 miles in 3 days.

if my mom can fight and beat breast cancer, i can walk 60 miles. (woman) the fund-raising was the easiest part. people were very giving. complete strangers wanting to help. i knew someday i was gonna do this walk. if i can do this, you definitely can do this. we can do this. we can all do this together. (man) register today for the... and receive $25 off your registration fee. because everyone deserves a lifetime. this morning on today's kitchen a mexican twist on italian favorites. next time you get a craving for pasta and meat balls spice it up

with chipotle and salsa. good to see you. >> good morning. >> this is a great idea taking something and shaking up what we normally make. >> absolutely. this is a uniquely mexican way of cooking pasta. it adds great flavor. these are fideos. you can buy them at a mexican market already broken up or take vermicelli or spaghetti, whatever uh you have and break it up. >> you put the kids to work. >> this is a great job for the kids. >> how do we toast it? >> i put it in the oven on 400 degrees. you have to watch because it happens fairly quickly. we toast it to golden brown. >> that's the color it comes out? >> yeah. adds a nice nutty flavor to pasta and different depth. >> right. >> so then we have heavy cream here. we'll make it with saffron cream. you could use regular spaghetti

sauce if you want to. i'm adding saffron to the cream. let it simmer. >> that gives it the golden color? >> that's exactly what happens. it's already starting to get the golden color. >> look at that. >> we let it simmer for a few minutes. then we add it to garlic we have softening here. nice and golden brown. >> low flame. >> you don't want to burn the garlic or it gets bitter. >> we don't want to get bitter. there is enough bitterness in our lives. >> absolutely. this is all about fun. so we let it simmer until it's reduced and that takes three or four minutes. what we have here is the reduced cream. you see it's become a beautiful bright yellow color. >> right. >> i have added the noodles to it until they're cooked through. >> so you cook the noodles in the sauce. >> yes. it's a unique way, different from italian cooking. you don't drain the liquid out. you cook it in the liquid like

rice. >> makes its own sauce right there. >> the starch from the pasta thickens everything. >> you're putting it on a baking sheet. >> i am. i'll put it in the oven again and broil the top a little bit so you get a nice krischririspyg on top. >> you have a nice mix of textures in there. >> exactly. >> what's going on back here? i'm taking this with me. >> okay. i have meatballs here. this is a mixture of pork, veal and beef. >> you could make it with ground turkey. >> absolutely you could. certainly. it would be great with this sauce with turkey as well. for this purpose as we do at the restaurant we do beef and it has garlic, onion and a little bit of cotija cheese which is aged mexican cheese. >> nice. so you saute it up. >> saute it up.

the nice thing, too, is you can freeze them in the sauce. save them for the super bowl. >> so what are we putting in here to get the sauce started? >> i have a roasted onion, roasted to golden brown and roasted garlic. i will add the tomatoes. it's not really tomato season so i will add canned tomatoes. >> all right. >> i'm adding chipotle chili which is a smoked jalapeno. >> what spices? >> mexican oregano episote, cilantro, cumin and allspice. >> wow, that smells good. i love the cinnamon and cumin combination. >> add the meat balls to it. >> nice. oh, man. that smells good. you serve it over rice? >> over rice. >> you could serve it over pasta? >> right on top of that pasta. >> now you're talking. >> that's a little mini platter

of heaven. natalie's plate. >> we share here on "today" show. ivy, thank you so much. recipes are on today.com. >> coming up, kathie lee and hoda find the secrets to online dating success. >> after your local news and weather.

good morning, everyone. the time is 9:56. i'm john kelly. santa clara clearing a

hurdle to move the 49ers south, voting last night to not put the stadium back on the ballot for another vote. the group submitted a petition saying voters didn't have all the financing information when they approved the project back in 2010. the council's rejection of another vote means construction can move forward. great news for giants fans out there. the team locking up tim lynn lincecum. the highest paid giants player ever when it comes to an annual salary. speaking of good things, let's check out the weather right now. >> good morning to you. 24 days away from spring training. we're going to get a springtime afternoon on this day. comfortable right by the water,

65 degrees in san francisco. tomorrow we are expecting widespread dense fog. i'll have your seven-day outlook coming up at 11:00 a.m. >> we still have this long drive, long travel time eastbound -- west bound east shore freeway from the bridge. the volume of traffic still making its way through the area after the deadly accident, investigation and closures. completely cleared this morning, just about 8:00. we have a slow drive from highway 4 down through san pablo and richmond. clearing up by the time you get to berkley. still jamming up a bit at the coliseum now. keep that in mind as you're traveling through. we'll get a look at the travel times along the peninsula as well. slowing through san mateo, but no big deal for 101. northbound routes still have

slow traffic as well. make sure to check out nbc bay area on facebook. we're back in one half hour with bay area on facebook. we're back in one half hour with more local updates. nsive healing cream. bond it targets the underlying causes of itch andion. gold bond. intensive healing for lasting relief.

from nbc news this is "today" with kathie lee gifford and hoda kotb. from studio 1a in rockefeller plaza. >> yes! we've made ito wine wednesday, half of the week. already wednesday, january 25, 2012. just thinking about going to the bahamas, ocean breeze. >> come on the thursday. it's the 9th. >> pack your thongs and come see us. >> here's the reason you should

come. january is not generally a great month according to one of these surveys. this is the deal. most couple when is they split up, split up in the month of january. >> because? >> it's a let down -- ♪ don't take your love away from me ♪ >> you have a ton of christmas bills. overwhelmed with debt. there's nothing to look forward to. it's cold. >> you've already ruined your resolutions. >> i just had a piece of cheese. >> oh, yeah that was yours. >> i wasn't supposed to have cheese. i had the cheese. >> the average couple in argument argue eight minutes out of the day. they spend eight minutes out of their 24-hour day arguing. in the month of january. >> about what? if they know it's eight minutes wouldn't you think they would know what it's about. i want to get my teeth fixed.

no your teeth looks good. is that what they argue about. austin powers. >> they say it's a bad month. knowing that's the case you can be pro active. >> get divorced or out of town. >> some couples have the same arguments most do over and over. once you see it coming, you know here's that green monster again and you know it's going to go away. it's going to keep happening forever. >> frank and i have been married for so long when we sense it coming one of us guess up and leaves the room. we know where ice going. never going to be settled. see you at dinner. >> sometimes it's better. >> it really is. he's never is going change. i'm never going change. we love each other anyway. >> but some people are real arguers. when they argue they are full blown yelling screaming yellers. >> i love to watch other people do it. that's why i can't stand these reality shows where people are

so rude to one another and screaming. >> don't think most people talk like that. >> like "parenthood." >> exact opposite of watching "parenthood." >> here's the deal. if you're wondering what the rudest cities in america are. "travel and leisure" ranked the rudest cities in america. number five is boston. number four los angeles. three, rudeness washington, d.c. >> i don't think so. >> two, miami. >> maybe. >> and number one the rudest city in america is new york. >> big surprise. >> come on. >> miami is very friendly. >> i find people -- it took a bit of adjusting. i don't think it's rude, there's a tone in which people speak. if you listen to what they are saying, not in how they were saying it. i thought all the cab drivers are yelling at me. where are you going? i'm going to the west side.

>> yell back. >> yeah. here's the friendliest. number five is charleston, south carolina. number four, savannah, georgia. number three nashville one of the most beautiful cities. san juan, puerto rico. >> they are all in the south. >> the number one city is new orleans. >> they are the nicest, sweetest people in the world. >> these kind of videos crack people up. one of those viral videos, 4 million hits. anyway it's the story are of a little baby whose father is asking this child whether he loves the father or the mother more. anyway just take a listen. >> okay. repeat after me. dad. dad. >> dad. >> dad. >> dad. >> dad. >> dad. >> da-da. >> da. >> whose your favorite? >> mom. >> let's try something different. who's your least favorite.

da-da. da-da. da-da. >> ma-ma. >> don't you love how she gets quiet. that's precious. >> did you have a favorite parent? this is touchy for us both of us have lost our fathers and our mothers are watching. >> you know, honestly i was probably closer to my mom. yeah. you with your dad, probably >> probably. but i'm very close to my mom now. >> especially this minute. >> all right. i love my mom. she's hysterical. i think she believes she's going to get her own show. >> my mother was like what about me? >> i wondered if that would create a little trouble in egypt. she would be awesome. >> i disagree with this other study. >> there's a study that says teens who talk back to their

parents may have a brighter future. >> not in your home but some place else. >> anyway, they say it's a natural part of development to have, you know, those kinds of little tangles with your parents, and if you talk back they think that you're reasoning something out, you're making a discussion as opposed to you telling your child do it because i said so. >> it's the term talk back. now we say getting sassy in our house or a little too sassy. yeah. i mean everything has to be done respectful lui. what we're miss is respect for any kind of authority at all. and so the talk back thing, you know -- here's the trouble. most parents don't want to listen to their children. yeah. i had one of these with cass the other night. we said we're going keep it nice and low the volume and turn everything off. everything off and we're going sit and talk this out because we both want the same thing for each other. we love each other and we want

to come to a resolution of something. it was great. >> i do think it's interesting. i remember there were four grown women who were all ceos or ceos or something high up. and i remember asking their parents saying to them what did you do to make these four women, they are all ceos, were you so tough on them and they said this is the only thing we did differently. when my kid said i have a three speed bike and the parent said why. they said write a proposal and give me the reasons use think it's a good idea. the child wrote back because when i ride back and forth to school i'll shave five minutes off my time and i can spend more time here. when i do x, i can do y. they reasoned through things. all those kids learned that process at an early age. when you look at the parents they are soft spoken and easy going but yet their girls turned out to be real leaders.

i don't know if you have to have this kind of a thing -- >> nobody gets what you want when you have that kind of a thing. have you ever seen that show "sweet 16"? >> what is it. >> it would make your hair crawl. >> what is it, a reality show >> a reality series about spoil, rotten entitled kids and what they get on their 16th birthday and how rude they are to everybody in the process. you just, you just want to scream. >> can't. i can't take it. i can't take listening -- i feel like there's a new breed of kids and you don't want to broad brush everybody but boy when we used to intern at places we would stay until midnight if our kids asked us to. kids are like i have plans at 5:30. how is this even possible? i find it -- >> we'll talk to monica in a little bit. she's a mom on "parenthood" and she has all the answer. she does everything right. >> she does. >> this bothers me but they say

it's a good thing when you go uh and um. you know who never does that, richard simmons? >> hi. >> supposed to go ah. >> richard, we haven't seen you in the longest time. >> love you both. i love you more than pizza. >> i know you do. i heard you singing. what were you singing in there? >> "don't cry for me argentina." "i'm sexy and i know it." >> all right. no need for verbal fill whers richa -- fillers when richard is around. >> up next, you know her as christina on the nbc hit show "parenthood." >> or the nbc hit show, actress monica potter. she's so pretty. more after these messages. wasn't my daughter's black bean soup spectacular?

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the ups and downs of a family and this season christina played by monica potter has been on a parenting roller coaster. >> she gave bitter to an unexpected third child while coping with a son with >> it's not fair. >> know. >> she's so supportive with max. >> we have a great school. >> she's a great kid. that's not her dream school. >> i'm sorry she's going disappointed but she can get out of school without any debt. she can have a part time job. >> this is killing me. >> that's so real. that is so real. congratulations. >> thank you. it's real but i sounded a little whiney. >> just a tad. >> it's not about me it's about hatty. >> that's a nice clip. it is real. a lot of parents are going through that.

i know my parents did and with four kids it's tough. >> dreams for your children often clash with the reality of your circumstances. >> absolutely. >> must get terrific feedback. every parent looks at you guys and connects, right? >> we do. on every level. each of the story lines is so different. but then everybody can connect. kids watch the show. adults. older people watch the show. so it's really, it's really incredible. we're so lucky. we have such a good time. >> you have a great cast. >> i know. >> who was in charge of picking. >> ron howard had something to do with it. >> he did. our creator also knew us and knew our background and our work and sort of -- it just works. it's just a blessing. >> how much is christina similar to you in the fact that you have three children of your own. >> do i. i like to have more fun. i like to have fun. i'm not saying she doesn't but i feel like there's a lot about christina we don't know yet and

i think in season four, hopefully god willing we come back we'll learn a little bit more about her background. but my kids are always like why your crying all the time. you're always cracking jokes at home. >> you're an actress. how old are your real children >> danny is 21 and leah is 7 and molly is six. >> that's upsetting on so many levels and you look 21. >> i was pregnant when you were -- we were pregnant together. >> yep. my son will be 22. >> i was like, you know what? she's doing it, i can do this too. i was in cleveland at the time, so i've never -- i tell very -- yeah. >> what were you doing in leave? >> i'm from cleveland, so i was born and raised there. >> living there. >> wait a minute. was that a rip on cleveland? >> hey its hot in cleveland. >> i'm very protective of my

city. i was born and raised there and, yeah, i worked there and, you know, it was time to move when i was pregnant so i had to wait. >> on the show there's a child with asperger's. that must also connect with a lot of people too. >> it does. it's prevalent right now. you see it every where in families all over. i have a lot of friends that have kids that are diagnosed with autism. i had never seen or watched a show before that touched on it like "parenthood" does. it's impressive to see how it's so real and how it's gripping and how it's helping. >> just finding out you're not alone. >> yeah. we try and make it light at certain times and, you know, i try and treat max the same way as i would treat any of my kids, you know. i may baby him more. christina babies him more. >> that darn christina. >> up have a great chemistry.

how far work together? >> no peter is like my brother. he's just -- >> except for the love scenes. >> we don't do that many any more. we really don't. >> you're married with three kids. true to life. >> ain't it, though? ain't it. >> has nothing to do with cleveland. >> we get along really well. it's just fun to work with him. it's fun to work with him and craig and everybody. >> but you sense a tremendous trust. >> absolutely. >> that's what it has to be. >> we wish you great luck. >> thank you. >> congratulations. >> once you get that fourth season there, you come in here and celebrate with your old friends. >> will. >> tuesday nights again at 10:00, 9:00 central right here on nbc. >> wish they would move to it 9:00. make it more family friendly. that's just me. up next those awkward and funny ldphotos that willeavph h you sg what the what?

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♪ how bizarre. >> we're back with what the what? >> sarah haynes spent all week long sifting through the photos you sent in. >> this is another good week. a couple goods ones. our first photo is from fort lauderdale, florida. watch out. the funny thing about this is in november of 2007 a lost cow fell on to a minivan and prompted this sign. it's legit. like there are cows falling. not raining cats and dogs. >> where is that? >> it's in, she sent it in from florida. >> doesn't look like florida. >> that's not florida. >> i've been to florida. >> she's traveling west. our next photo was sent in from annette armstrong from portland, oregon. can you imagine checking into that?

i would skip all forms of registration at that point. i don't like them when i have to use them let alone your information center. it's the hub. a media network. kathy van zeeland sent in this one. isn't this the cutest. >> that's so cute. >> he was drinking his thing. they are sharing. >> that little boy's parents taught him to share. >> we have a photo from kelley from newport news, virginia. >> meet bingo? >> i imagine they use pepperoni. >> placenta? >> someone didn't think that through. >> moisturizing shampoo. >> it is real. i guess it's good four.

they could have come up with a better name. finally margy fox sent in this. i'm in. free wine every sunday. >> love those. first time cassidy was in church, and they were serving communion, look cody they serve snacks here. in the mean time we found this book. jo ann did. it's full of these pretend book titles. so what you do is you can put this on your coffee table so when guests walk in they can see it. we have some of the ones that are the favorites one. is this your book? that's the name of the book. that looks like it's the book. >> right. >> "overcoming your fear of

clowns." okay. that's hysterical. >> how about this one? come to me "the adult bed wetter strategies that work at home and away." >> imagine you have this on your coffee table and a guest walks in and there it is. >> imagine the conversation that ensues. >> this is going really well. >> one more, hoda just for fun. >> okay. "talking to your adult children about sex." okay. still ahead online dating dos decents. >> who knew quiz. 's w kathie lee goes across the street and talks to people. >> and richard simmons. you'll get a bowl of queso

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welcome back. the time 10:28. we've got a beautiful day shaping up. a lot of sunshine. 70s in some cities. you'll hit the upper 60s in places like concord. san francisco 65 degrees today. we head through tomorrow and we're expecting widespread dense fog. offshore flow, though, will push that fog out of here by about noon. and we'll see a really nice day on friday as a result. we'll have your full forecast today at 11:00 a.m. >> finally, so much better, christina. east shore freeway, close to 20 minutes off the carquinnas bridge. speeds closer to 60. a live look out there. we'll show you what we're dealing with as far as oakland. past the coliseum there's

roadwork going on. slowing there as well. there you go. that's my bad, i didn't file that. >> it's all good now, mike. coming up on news at 11:00 a.m., a makeover from the celebrity chef. bob takes us on a tour, that and more coming up in onhar.lfou h ♪ hey, i'm going to live forever ♪ . >> we're back. ready to play our trivia game who knew. our challenges comes from "people" magazine newest book "people's" biggest moments. kathie lee is right across the street. she's ready to handout 100 bucks to those who answer questions correctly and to those who don't they get a cd. here to help us out is "people" magazine senior editor michele tans. sound like a great book. >> fantastic.

filled with so many great tidbits. >> look at these ladies. they are the kathie lee and hoda of allentown, pennsylvania. >> the '90s sitcom everybody loves raymond popularized the phrase yada, yada, yada. >> false. >> hello. give her the cold cash. >> that's right. absolutely. it was seinfeld that popularized yada. and when seinfeld launched it was a dud. then it went on for nine seasons. >> it showed so much if you let things simmer. back across to kathie lee. >> nice gentleman visiting from uk. who sang this disco hit. ♪ >> the bee gees. >> they happen to be from the

uk. >> australia. >> you own that too. >> all right so the bee gees. >> on ""saturday night fever"" sound track. obviously it defined the disco era. >> back across to kathie lee. >> which celebrity couple named their daughter after a popular fruit. was it bruce willis and demi moore, -- >> bruce willis and demi moore. >> that was the buzzer. >> correct answer, gwen gwenet

gweneth paltrow. >> which cocktail was popularized in the four girls on "sex and the city" in the '90s. >> margueritas? >> they are a nice wholesome family and they don't watch shows like that. >> the correct answer is, cosmopolitans. >> charlotte, miranda, carey, all of them, they would gather around and just have girls nights out with this fabulous cocktail which is basically vodka, cranberry juice and triple sec. >> here's a nice lady who is pretty sure she's from connecticut. what '90s sitcom featured this popular song. ♪ oil be there for you >> "friends." >> you got it. >> you know what's more impressive about her big win she got it without even hearing

choices. she knew it right away. >> once you hear that everybody thinks of "friends." just imagine all the friends playing around. >> we have time for one more. >> another north carolinian. which 1975 tv show launched the career of john travolta, happy days, starsky and hutch, welcome back kotter? >> a. >> that's how old we are? >> we are old. the correct answer to that one is "welcome back kotter." >> the series lasted four seasons. there he is. >> come on. >> the series lasted four seasons but a jumping off point for john travolta. >> kathie lee is on her way back. coming up next is your next big

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♪ >> it's time for today's relationships. the dose decents of online dating. going online is a common way to meet somebody. >> whether it's your first time or you would like to give it another go, editor and chief of the frisky.com and relationship counselor are here with tips to

help you succeed in finding your guy. >> hi, kids. >> guy or your gal? >> find both. >> good. i think a lot of people don't know what the best websites are. sometimes you want to do it but you think should i. what do you guys like? >> there's kind of the big three. eharmony which has more of a serious bent to it. >> did that start the whole thing? >> that's a matching system. eharmony is a matching system. >> then match.com. which is really popular. then okaycupid which is gaining more popular in urban areas like new york, l.a. >> are they pretty much the same? >> i like a site called howaboutwe.com. i'm not putting a profile up. howaboutwe you get to propose a first date. how about we go on the staten island ferry. >> most guys are visual and a

lot of women too. the most important thing you'll do if you make a profile is find the right kind of picture to post. people don't cho what they should be posting. >> women are crueller than guys. >> show us a wrong. this is a picture we shouldn't offense. this is you. >> these are a couple of photos of me that i put up. the idea being that these are super joking photos that don't display how truly lovely i am. >> that's you on the left too? >> your photo needs to represent the right way you look. >> so people aren't going -- let's see a good one. >> sosa a, i did sarah's profile. i picked out these three photos. she looks beautiful and natural and she's having fun. >> as a guy there's something going on in the photos, like you can have a conversation about. like she's parachuting.

she's approachable. >> you know she's outdoorsy kind of gal. >> i was going to do online dating at one point. they said you should put a full length picture instead of just a head and shoulders picture. >> having a body picture up there is important. you know, i think being sexy is okay. guys also like it when women are a little bit flirty with the camera. there was one study showed guys don't like it when women are looking away from the camera in their profile because it seems like they are involved with somebody else. >> they want eye contact. >> next thing what to put in your profile. everybody lies. what dimpbs does it make. >> can we assume that? >> there's an assumption men are probably lying a little bit by a couple of inches on their height. >> and weight? >> yeah. this is the wrong self-summary. this is a very generic self-summary profile. i'm fun, outgoing, love to

laugh. doesn't say anything about, you know, the person. >> also, i think a big mistake is when you talk about dating in your dating profile. you come off as cynical if you say i hate online dating or i'm nervous. don't talk about online dating in are you on line dating profile. >> other than saying fun loving and whatever you should be specific. >> be specific. this sounds like this could be anybody. sarah's profile talks about what she does for a living, what she likes to do for fun, her interests, her outlook on the world. this gives you a real sense of who she is. >> i think the most important thing in a profile is being approachable. i think guys often feel like women in their profiles are too picky, too choosey that will never qualify. create a profile that at least allows us to have a conversation that's optimistic, upbeat and approachable. >> in reality be honest because eventually if you do meet somebody you're found out you're a liar.

i want will catch up to you. you can google somebody anyway. >> most people do before a date. >> when you meet them you're not the guy i thought i saw online. it worked out four not to have to go online. >> i was lucky. >> thanks guys. >> all right. clearing up what? >> confusion about calories right after this. you think you take off all your make-up before bed. but do you really? [ female announcer ] neutrogena® makeup remover

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never in my lifetime did i think i could walk 60 miles in 3 days. if my mom can fight and beat breast cancer, i can walk 60 miles. (woman) the fund-raising was the easiest part. people were very giving. complete strangers wanting to help. i knew someday i was gonna do this walk. if i can do this, you definitely can do this. we can do this. we can all do this together.

(man) register today for the... and receive $25 off your registration fee. because everyone deserves a lifetime. counting calories can be confusing. you know what calories are. do you know how many you need? >> and they are not all created equal. >> "prevention" magazine is here to clear up the confusion. >> calories in, calories out. why are we wrong. >> it's not true. basically there are two kinds of calories. i like to think of them as couch potato calories. mostly from fatty foods or

highly processed foods. you inhale versus eat. they go through your digestive system like that versus what we call active calories. these are foods you have to chew. goes through your digestive system more slowly. you actually use energy to digest them. eat 500 calories of carrot sticks or celery or any fruit or vegetable and you'll be ahead than if you eat 500 calories of french fries. >> this is depressing. when you go to the gym it tells you how many calories your burning. you're like wow 250 calories. >> too good to be true. it's because it isn't true. those machines are famously inaccurate. they are calibrated to some human being that exists in nature but not in real life. >> it tells us we're burning more. >> it works in the opposite direction. it's telling you you burn too many >> you're burning something. >> up are.

exercise is good. if you want a read on how much energy in calories you are burning wear something like a heart rate monitor. it will tell you how intensely you're work. there's a simple formula you can use. runner multiple your body weight by .75. >> thank you for that. come on. >> so a lot of people after you work out you want to pig out. >> have a carrot. >> you say eat before. >> actually the jury is out whether exercise stimulates your appetite or suppresses it. what it does for everybody it makes you feel i desifrt. i was running for 30 minutes. i deserve to dive into that bag of potato chips. to keep that from happening we suggest you eat some carbohydrates. and that will not only fuel your

workout but keep you from feeling hungry. >> and empty calories. >> this is six ounces of juice. six ounces is what is considered a serving. something we don't know. 63% of us don't bother to read the labels on the packages. and, you know, there's so many calorie, empty calories. in the '60s we were getting 20% cav lori from this. >> it feels like you're eating light. >> we're all victim to these buzz words. all natural, organic. those are good things but they don't mean that they don't have calories. it can still have sodium and sugar. in the case of this one, this beverage, this smoothy is the equivalent in calories to a dary queen banana sundae. >> okay. thank you very much. up next get ready to bust a move with richard simmons. hide the children. he whips us into shape.

>> oh, my gosh what's happening. s

>> it is time to get fit. want to shed some extra pounds and have some fun. here to get you off your rear end is richard simmons. richard! . >> how are you doing? >> pretty good. >> hi, everybody. happy 2012. make this a healthy year. you know more and more overweight children still i've been fighting to get p.e. back in the school system. people can go to my website and write their congress. man. weapon need to get our kids more active because in the next few years one out of every five children will be obese and we can't let this happen. >> i love what you're doing. you're not stopping with kids.

you're going colleges. the freshmen gain the freshmen ten. >> i just came from ohio state university and pepperdine and thousands of people show up. because of facebook and twitter they have the greatest time working out. i have a very serious talk with them about their life, about their goals and about their health, and i'm doing ten more colleges this year. >> you were the very first one who made it fun. you really did. good four. >> when i leave here i go to my favorite restaurant in little atlanta called parm for a turkey sandwich. i still love to eat. you just got to watch your portions in a got to move out. >> you are trimmer than the last time. >> you lost how much weight? >> this is my weight at "general hospital" when i was on with luke and laura. you remember that. i went from 160 to 135. by just limiting 400 calorie as day and by 20 more minutes of

exercise because i'll be 64 this year. as you get older you must stay in shape. >> 400. that's it all day long? 400 calories. >> cut 400 callow rays day. >> you should have seen him before. let's bring our people. come on out here. these are our "today" show -- all of you. all of you remember this. >> take care of your kids, yourself. knock obesity out. be healthy. we got celebrate. get over here, kathie lee. give me the music. ♪ >> down. ♪ >> and up. ♪ >> and down. now front. side. ♪ girls just want to have fun get your kids exercising.

♪ and round and down ♪ and round and round >> and reach. >> all the way. >> thank you guys. >> i can't see you. ♪ >> left. right. >> that's right. >> we got to go, richard. >> we're doing this on e-bay. >> we love you. >> bye, everybody. have a great day. we love you. ♪ >> oh, yeah, girls. ♪

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